Gyankroma Akufo-Addo, daughter of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has refuted claims that she received a US$25 million government contract to decorate some parts of the capital. In a statement released on November 2, 2022, she disclosed that all three art projects were executed through fundraising activities by the Creative Arts Agency, a company she heads. For the avoidance of any doubt, it is important to state that these projects were solely conceived, managed, and financially undertaken by The Creative Arts Agency, through its own fundraising activities, the statement noted. Out of the three locations where the painting and decorations were undertaken, she revealed that she has personally funded the project under a bridge at the Tetteh Quarshie interchange on the stretch from Shangri-La towards Legon. The statement said the first site, decorations at the Ako Adjei Interchange was funded by the private sector, whiles the third was completed through the generosity of the creatively minded Ben Asante, CEO of Ghana Gas, who understands its social community importance. In the case of the second site, the statement read: "Site 2, Tetteh Quarshie, was paid for by myself, Gyankroma Akufo-Addo." The statement added that the project was not a profit-making venture, as has been reported on social media. It is a complete fabrication being propagated by some shameless persons, and which, unfortunately, has been published by sections of the media. This project was not embarked upon to make a profit, and there have been no lucrative contracts awarded for it, it added. Per details on the website of the Creative Arts Council's website, cac.gov.gh, Gyankroma Akufo-Addo is the Director of the council. Below is the full statement by Gyankoma Akufo-Addo: CREATIVE ARTS AGENCY In August 2018, Art for All was conceived. Its purpose was to beautify our capital city of Accra, to give a platform to our Ghanaian artists, to build art appreciation for its audience, and to serve as beautiful backdrops for videos, or photoshoots and be a tourist attraction. Each site had a six-week workshop process to identify themes, locations, and artists. Each site was paid for with funds largely from the private sector, sourced solely by the Creative Arts Agency. No contract to paint a succession of bridges or underpasses has either been conceived, has ever been offered, or has ever been accepted. Indeed, any tender or contract awarded for such a project would have been made public. For the avoidance of any doubt, it is important to state that these projects were solely conceived, managed, and financially undertaken by The Creative Arts Agency, through its own fundraising activities. Site 1, Ako Adjei, was funded by the private sector. Site 2, Tetteh Quarshie, was paid for by myself, Gyankroma Akufo-Addo. Site 3, was completed through the generosity of the creatively minded Ben Asante, CEO of Ghana Gas, who understands its social community importance. The paint used for each site, again, was provided by Coral Paints and its CEO, who understand the importance of pushing the visibility of Ghanaian artists. The absurdity of $25 million, or any amount for that matter, being awarded to myself to undertake this project is a disgusting narrative. It is a complete fabrication being propagated by some shameless persons, and which, unfortunately, has been published by sections of the media. This project was not embarked upon to make a profit, and there have been no lucrative contracts awarded for it. All efforts to undermine my credibility through the publication of these falsehoods and baseless lies will not wash. I have instructed my lawyer to seek redress in the law courts against persons and media houses that published these falsehoods with the sole intention of destroying my reputation. Source: utv/ghanaweb.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 Mutated rice seeds brought from space may provide new species on Earth and result in higher yields than their terrestrial counterparts. At a scientific research demonstration base in Wuhan, Hubei province, workers from Hubei Jinguang Agricultural Technology Co recently completed harvesting space rice from 20 hectares of paddies where they had planted seeds from China's Shenzhou-12 manned space mission. Space breeding is a process in which seeds are exposed to cosmic radiation and microgravity during a space mission in order to mutate their genes and are returned to Earth to generate new species. Back on Earth, scientists examine and evaluate the mutations. Some can be positive, conferring properties favored by farmers, such as greater yields, shorter growth periods and better resistance to disease. "On Sept 17, 2021, we got back the seeds carried by the Shenzhou-12 manned spaceship when it returned to Earth after three months in space," said Gao Xuegang, president of Hubei Jinguang Agricultural Technology Co in Wuhan. "The high-quality seeds that we carefully selected include corn, rapeseed and rice." After the seeds went through an additional selection process and were germinated by experts at China's Space Breeding Achievement Transformation Center, the rice seedlings were planted in Hainan province in November 2021 to generate more seeds. In June, 150 kg of high-quality space-bred rice seeds were selected and planted on 20 hectares in Wuhan. "This is the second time we planted space-bred rice, after a first success in 2021," Gao said. "During the whole process, we used no pesticides or chemical fertilizers. The rice harvested last year had better quality than common rice, a sweeter fragrance and a softer and waxier texture." Gao said the results of this year's planting experiment show that space-bred seeds can be used as an early or late crop because of their adaptability. "Because of the unusually high temperatures and severe drought this summer, diseases and insect pests were serious in some regions in the country, reducing the rice output," he said. "However, the space-bred rice showed strong drought resistance and good ability to resist pests and disease. Space rice was significantly less affected than ordinary rice." "Space breeding is a new technology with outstanding advantages," said Dong Hualin, an expert from the provincial academy of agricultural sciences. "Space creates a special mutagenesis environment, which is difficult to achieve on Earth." Mutagenesis is a process that leads to permanent and possibly inheritable genetic mutation. "The high vacuum, high cleanliness, weightlessness, strong radiation, ultra-high-speed operation and magnetic wire cutting in space can greatly shorten the breeding period," he said. Scientists expect to produce 7,125 kg per hectare this year, Gao said. Some of the rice will be used for further breeding research and some will be supplied to the markets as a high-end product costing about 200 yuan ($27.46) per kg. So far, the company has conducted the planting experiment on more than 333 hectares of farmland in Jiangxi, Guizhou, Hunan and Shandong provinces in cooperation with local farmers. "With the continuous improvement of people's living standards, consumers have higher requirements for food quality," said Dong, the agricultural expert. "I believe there are good prospects for the industrial development of large-scale planting of space-bred rice." Ogilvy Africa has appointed internationally experienced communications expert Howard Gregory as Managing Partner, to head up its Public Relations and Influence (PR&I) offering for its Nairobi office. He starts on 14th November and will report to Vikas Mehta, CEO Ogilvy Africa Howard has more than 25 years of experience in communications and joins Ogilvy Africa from Edelman UK, one of the most successful offices of the worlds largest PR firm. At Edelman, hes held various leadership roles in strategy and business development. We are excited to have Howard joining as Managing Partner in Kenya. I look forward to working with him across the EMEA region to continue growing our PR and Influence business in Sub-Saharan Africa. I know that his appointment will help to bolster our strategic capability and our overall value to our clients. Says Joanna Oosthuizen, CEO of PR&I for Ogilvy EMEA. World-class talent is a primary ingredient in creating a world-class service. Modern-day PR needs skill sets beyond whom you know and more of, what you know. Howard brings with him the right pedigree and experience to help our clients in Kenya, and the region, to experience a world-class PR&I offering from Ogilvy Africa. We are delighted to have him on board and I look forward to working with him to rapidly evolve our PR&I practice in the region, says Vikas Mehta, CEO. Ogilvy Africa. This appointment is part of Ogilvy Africas strategic investments to strengthen its leadership position on the continent. Ogilvy Africas PR&I offering is widely regarded as one of the best in the region, where the Kenya office serves as its hub for East Africa. After working in diverse roles at Diageo, General Electric and the top communications agencies, Howard has won accolades at Cannes and other notable global award shows. This is such an exciting time to join the team, says Howard. The time for Africa and the region culturally and commercially is now! The chance to contribute to the growth of businesses, brands and cultures, elevating themselves on the global stage, is truly a thrilling opportunity. 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 Governance Lecturer at the Central University, Dr. Benjamin Otchere-Ankrah, has sent a message to the Inspector General of Police, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, hoping he addresses it as soon as possible. Dr. Benjamin Otchere-Ankrah has asked the IGP to bring closure to the murder case of the late Member of Parliament for Abuakwa North, J.B Danquah-Adu, whose life was taken away while he was home. On 9th February 2016, the late MP was stabbed to death in the early hours of the day. Subsequently, the Police arrested a man, Daniel Asiedu, for the murder and in a reported confession by the suspect, JB Danquah was killed in a struggle when he tried to rob him. The suspect has since been remanded into Police custody. Speaking on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" programme, Dr. Otchere-Ankrah was worried that it has taken too long to bring the criminal(s) to justice. "The prosecution is taking too long. The IGP was the Regional Commander at the time, so he was part of the officers who did the investigations. We plead with you that people begin to forget when it keeps long," he told Kwami Sefa Kayi. Meanwhile, the Police has indicated that a Unit called 'Cold Case Unit' has been established to revisit unresolved murder cases.The Police emphasized this Unit and its role in a press statement released yesterday and signed by Chief Superintendent of Police, Grace Ansah-Akrofi, Director, Public Affairs, in which they informed the public that musician Shatta Wale had been invited to assist investigations into the murder of the late artiste manager Fennec Okyere."The Police would like to put on record that the recently established Cold Case Unit, has been working for months on all unresolved murder cases, including that of Fennec Okyere with support from the affected families. This new development from Shatta Wale is therefore going to complement our ongoing investigation."We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the families who have been working with the Cold Case Unit since its establishment for their cooperation and understanding. We wish to assure the public that the Police will continue to work relentlessly on these cases in order to bring closure to the affected families", portions of the statement read. Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A Minnesota woman was shot dead outside her workplace for "repeatedly" rejecting a coworkers advances. Nicole Hammond, 28, died in the parking lot of her St. Cloud workplace on Oct. 24 after coworker Jordan Carpenter shot her in the neck, police said. Carpenter, 36, had fled the scene but was tracked down about three hours later hiding in a home in nearby Sauk Rapids, according to a statement by St. Cloud Police. The suspect was in possession of a handgun and was arrested on murder charges. The victim had texted the coworker one day before her murder and insisted that she did not want to be touched or manipulated by him, a probable cause statement obtained by the Kansas City Star revealed. Hammond had "repeatedly" rejected Carpenters romantic advances in the month leading up to the violent murder, police said, asking him "not to make things uncomfortable at work." Police also found a text Hammond sent to a friend saying Carpenter was mad at her. The harassment was evident among other coworkers, who said Carpenter has a "bad temper," according to the media outlet. The alleged killer admitted to officers he was upset about Hammonds rejection the night before her death. Carpenter did not admit to the killing, according to the probable cause statement, but claims he had been walking toward Hammonds car when he heard the gunshot. The alleged killer told cops he ran away from the scene because he "was too traumatized" after seeing his love interests body. "He didnt render aid, go to work, nor did he call 9-1-1," police said. 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 NDC Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu Constituency, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has insisted that it is shameful for President Nana Akufo-Addo not to accept responsibility for the current economic mess in the country in his address to the nation. In an interview with NEAT FMs morning show 'Ghana Montie', the outspoken lawmaker said that the Presidents address on the economy was "wasteful" because he refused to sack some incompetent managers of his administration. "Going into the speech, the President should have fired his Finance Minister, he told host Akwesi Aboagye. The North Tongu lawmaker further shared that Ghanas messy economy now more than ever requires a lean government. I am disappointed President Akufo-Addo didn't take responsibility and apologised to the people for taking them through excruciating pain. Countries with good leadership and sound policies are having a resilient economy in these times. We need a lean government in these times. 40% of appointees in this government can go, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa added. Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/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 Acting CPP General Secretary, James Kwabena Bomfeh, popularly called 'Kabila', says regime change is not what is going to bring Ghana her required developments. According to him, some people are of a belief that changing the government, come 2024, is what will solve Ghana's economic problems. To him, what will make the country move forward is instituting a systematic structural change. Speaking to host Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM's "Kokrookoo" morning programme, Kabila argued; "Whether you like it or not, after 2024 elections, there will be a regime change. President Akufo-Addo cannot continue to be a President anymore, so why the rush? But I think that when you listen to the President's speech and you hear what the former President said, what we need is not necessarily regime change but systematic and structural change. Change in attitude that Kwame Nkrumah told us on 6th March, 1957, that we didn't heed; that is what we need!" 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 Samuel Bryan Buabeng, a presidential staffer has explained why Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will not resign over current economic challenges the country is facing. He is of the view that just as former president John Dramani Mahama did not resign in the face of hardships during his tenure, "Akufo-Addo is not moving an inch!" Calls for Akufo-Addo to resign has become topical with one of the major proponents being private legal practitioner, lawyer Martin Kpebu. "Nana Akufo-Addo is NOT moving an inch! John Dramani Mahama did not resign from office when life became unbearable for Ghanaians, so much so, that Hajia Zenabu, a practicing Muslim resorted to pig farming to save her family," Buabeng tweeted on November 1, 2022. The call by Kpebu and others for Akufo-Addo to resign is linked to the harsh economic conditions that have largely been blamed on mismanagement and issues of corruption. In his most recent call for Akufo-Addo to resign, Kpebu said on JoyNews' 'The Probe' on October 30: "He has overstayed his welcome, so we are begging Mr. president, he should just resign. Theres a place for resignation. The constitution itself says so, that he can resign. He can. "Once as a people we tell him that respectfully we think that he should resignarticle 66 makes provision for his resignation so he resigns and lets not forget, Lieutenant General Joseph Ankrah, he resigned over allegations concerning about GH6,000 at the time The constitution makes it clear so its not as if by all means we should run the course of 4 years. No. Once you have seen that this problem is beyond you, you are not able to get your head around it you just resign because its the same story for 6 years, Kpebu opined. Akufo-Addo in his October 30 address on the economy blamed the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war as causes for the countrys economic woes. While admitting that the country was in crisis and rallying support for various government interventions to stem the tide, he said the situation was not peculiar to the country as many nations across the world were also experiencing difficulties. We are in a crisis, I do not exaggerate when I say so. I cannot find an example in history when so many malevolent forces have come together at the same time. But, as we have shown in other circumstances, we shall turn this crisis into an opportunity to resolve not just the short-term, urgent problems, but the long-term structural problems that have bedeviled our economy, he said. But like before, President Akufo-Addo blamed the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war as causative factors for the economic woes. President @NAkufoAddo is NOT moving an inch! @JDMahama did not resign from office when life became unbearable for Ghanaians, so much so, that Hajia Zenabu, a practicing Muslim resorted to pig farming to save her family. Source: Ghanab.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 Institute Energy Security has said that the government is embarking on an unrealistic mission in search of of cheap reliable fuel around the world. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo announced in his address on Sunday October 30 that the government was working to secure reliable and regular sources of affordable petroleum products for the Ghanaian market to stabilise fuel prices. Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah had said that the government has tasked the Energy Ministry and the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) to find reliable and cheaper sources of fuel. He said The deregulated market we have here where BDCs import from big companies on high fees from the refinery wherever and bring them in is contributing to the quickened escalation of fuel prices. To arrest it, the Energy Ministry working through NPA and other agencies etc is been tasked to finding reliable, cheaper sources of fuel for the Republic so that the OMCs locally can tap into and hopefully halt that escalation in fuel prices. The IES in a statement issued on Thursday November 3 said Meanwhile, the search for that heavily discounted fuel price from elsewhere is an unrealistic hope, and the team may return empty handed, unless the expectation/request is exchanged with something valuable to the would-be supplier. If His Excellency the President and the handlers of Ghanas Energy Ministry look within, they would find what they are desperately looking for from outside the country. Indeed the search for reliable and affordable source of petroleum products starts with the Tema Oil Refinery, which has been down since March 2021, due to lack of crude oil which is the refinerys main raw material. It beats ones imagination how an oil producing country with a refinery capacity of 45,000 barrels per stream day (bpsd), would have it top government officials abandon its domestic competitive advantage, and rather seek to import refined petroleum product elsewhere, in the name of reliability and affordability. Source: 3news.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 Police has contacted musician Shatta Wale to assist in investigations into the murder of late artiste Manager Fennec Okyere. The Ghana Police Service, in a statement seen by Peacefmonline and signed by Chief Superintendent of Police, Grace Ansah-Akrofi, Director, Public Affairs, indicated that the recently set up 'Cold Case Unit' working on unresolved murder cases has been working on the case and many others. Shatta Wale has been invited by Police following a tweet by him accusing his former manager, Bulldog, of masterminding the murder of Fennec Okyere. The dancehall artiste and his former Manager whose real name is Lawrence Asiamah Hanson have recently engaged in a social media war. Their fight started after Bulldog claimed that Black Sheriff's album 'The Villian I Never Was' would perform better than Shatta Wale's 'GOG' album. Shedding light on the Fennec's demise, Shatta Wale tweeted; "Bull Dog since u r bringing out secrets You will tell Ghanaians What happen to Fenicks Murder!! And I am not joking about this time!! I am ready to tell the court about what you told me about you and your men and how planned that foolish act get ready This Akuffo Addo won't give you a murder chance to be on our streets!!! Watch how this ends!!! You can't fight time!!!" The tweet has engendered the Police's response stating; "This new development from Shatta Wale is therefore going to complement our ongoing investigation. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the families who have been working with the Cold Case Unit since its establishment for their cooperation and understanding. We wish to assure the public that the Police will continue to work relentlessly on these cases in order to bring closure to the affected families." Police Statement Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A video purportedly showing the drowning of the three-year-old son of Afrobeats star Davido is actually CCTV footage of the drowning of a two-year-old boy in China, the BBC Disinformation Unit has confirmed. Police have also dismissed the video - which has gone viral on social media - as fake. We are yet to start looking at the CCTV obtained from Davidos home. Any video you see online is not the real thing. It is fake, police spokesman in Lagos, Benjamin Hundeyin, told the BBC. Davido's son, Ifeanyi Adeleke, drowned on Monday night in a swimming pool at the music star's home in Lagos, the main city in Nigeria. The incident depicted in the video occurred on 23 August 2019 in China. Davido and his fiancee Chioma Rowland, a popular chef and influencer, have not yet commented on their son's death. On Tuesday eight domestic staff of the celebrity were invited for interrogation - six of them have since been released. The police spokesman confirmed that one of those still being questioned is the late Ifeanyis nanny. We hope to transfer them to the state criminal investigative department today [Wednesday] for further questioning, he said. Source: BBC Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Instagram has told the BBC that they deactivated the account of the Nigerian influencer and high-profile international fraudster, Hushpuppi, because he broke their rules on fraud. "We dont want anyone to use our apps to defraud or exploit people, and have clear rules against fraudulent activity - including money laundering," a spokesperson from Meta, which owns Instagram, said in a statement. "We disabled @hushpuppis account for breaking these rules," the statement continued. Hushpuppi, whose real name is Ramon Abbas, used to post luxurious images on his Instagram, displaying his expensive lifestyle to his 2.8 million followers. But that luxury lifestyle came to an abrupt end after he was arrested in Dubai, where he lived, in June 2020. Less than a year later, he pleaded guilty to money laundering in a US court and is considered to be one of the world's most high-profile fraudsters, according to the FBI. Unsealed court documents showed that in his last plot, he tried to steal more than $1.1m ($960m) from someone who wanted to build a school in Qatar. He had a network all over the world, with some of his schemes spreading from Malta to Mexico. Documents filed in California say that his' crimes cost nearly $24m, and he now faces a potential 20-year jail sentence. Despite Hushpuppi's guilty plea last year, Instagram had not taken down his account at the time, saying they had investigated and decided not to close it. The current deactivation of his account was first picked up by Nigerian media on Sunday. Meta's rules on fraud says they try to "prevent fraudulent activity that can harm people or businesses". Source: BBC Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Credit: Routledge Contrary to popular belief, Swedish women who have joined the Islamic State (IS) were not simply passively manipulated by men. A new study from Lund University suggests that it was a strict religious culture, which opposes gender equality, and modern gender roles and norms, that attracted Swedish women to join. On the internet, Swedish IS women propagate Sharia law, gender segregation and a patriarchal gender order. They oppose gender equality, sex before marriage and abortion, women's right to education and work, as well as the right of a women to enter public space. The beliefs stem from a Salafist-Jihadist interpretation of Islam. Terror researcher Henriette Frees Esholdt has analyzed almost 400 posts and 100 videos published on social media by Swedish women affiliated with the IS. Her study, published as a chapter in the new book "Salafi-Jihadism and Digital Media," is the first peer-reviewed study on unofficial, female-specific, Salafist-jihadist propaganda on social media in a Scandinavian context, based on posts from IS-affiliated women themselvessources very hard to reach. Her conclusion is that the women joined the terrorist organization because they were attracted to its aggressively patriarchal worldview. "Even though these women submit to gender roles that in a modern society appear as reactionary, they consider themselves to be strong and free women. They don't view women's freedom and liberation through the lens of Western, liberal feminism. Instead, they argue, it is through submission to God and his divine law that true freedom can be achieved," says Henriette Frees Esholdt. The women use social media to inspire each other and the potentially new "sisters in the faith" who read their posts. They often discuss and criticize Western liberal feminism, and try to uphold traditional gender norms by commenting on sexuality, clothing, relationships and behavior they consider wrong. "They look down on Western women. According to them, Western women are victims of media propaganda and as repressed sex objects, they have been tricked into believing that women's liberation lies in independence and the right to express themselves however they want. They despise and laugh at International Women's Day because they believe that in Islam every day is a woman's day," says Henriette Frees Esholdt. According to Henriette Frees Esholdt, women have had a prominent role in IS recruitmentespecially of other women. Her research contradicts the notion that women who joined the terror organization were manipulated and persuaded by men to move to IS-controlled areas. "Women's radicalization is falsely portrayed as a passive process and obscures the fact that women themselves are actively involved in recruiting other women," she says. Research has shown that IS strategically used gender segregation and traditional gender roles to attract and integrate women into the organization. Henriette Frees Esholdt emphasizes that we should pay attention to gender segregationboth in online and offline environmentsand social control of traditional gender norms as this may indicate an ongoing radicalization. More information: Magnus Ranstorp et al, Salafi-Jihadism and Digital Media (2022). DOI: 10.4324/9781003261315 Proposed IOT voyage track. Credit: CSIRO Scientists collaborating with Museums Victoria Research Institute have mapped the seafloor in Australia's Cocos (Keeling) Islands Marine Park in detail for the first time, revealing massive flat-topped ancient sea-mountains, flanked by volcanic cones, snarly ridges, and canyons formed from avalanches of sand that have slumped down onto the abyssal ocean floor. The research vessel (RV) Investigator, operated by CSIRO, Australia's national science agency, which arrived back at WA's Henderson port today (Nov. 3), also surveyed previously unknown deep-sea life in the Indian Ocean Territories. On this 35-day, 11,000km journey, underwater video has revealed diverse fish life hovering over the summits of the seamounts, samples of which have been collected from as deep as 5 kilometers below the surface. Some of the most fascinating finds are: A previously unknown blind eel collected from a depth of about 5 km covered in loose, transparent, gelatinous skin. Their eyes are poorly developed and, unusually for a fish, females give birth to live young. Deep-sea batfishes that amble over the seafloor on their arm-like fins. They have a tiny "fishing lure" in a small hollow on their snout to attract prey. The Tribute Spiderfish, with incredibly long lower fins with thickened tips, which allow it to prop high up off the bottom as if it was on stilts, giving it the perfect height to feed on small prawns that drift by in the current. The bizarre Pelican Eel with a tiny head at the front of its enormous jaws, and an expandable stomach so that it can engulf and swallow large food items. Pelican eels are covered in black velvety skin and have a light organ on the tip of the tail to attract prey. Highfin Lizard fish are voracious deep-sea predators with mouths full of long sharp teeth. They belong to a group of fishes that are simultaneous hermaphrodites; they have an ovotestis with functional male and female reproductive tissue at the same time. The voracious Sloane's Viperfish, with huge fang-like teeth that are visible even when the mouth is closed. Viperfish have rows of light organs along the underside and a very long upper fin with light organs on the tip to attract prey. The Slender Snipe Eel, found as deep as 4 km below the sea surface. With its long thread-like tail, it can reach a meter in length while only weighing 50 grams. The curved jaws, which are permanently open, are covered in tiny hooked teeth that snag their crustacean prey. Pancake sea urchins, which have a delicate skeleton that flattens like a pancake when it is out of the water. The spines are tipped with poison. Pumice stones that are likely to be from the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa in Indonesia. Batfish. Credit: CSIRO "We have discovered an amazing number of potentially new species living in this remote marine park," said Museum Victoria Research Institute's Dr. Tim O'Hara, Chief Scientist of the expedition. "We are proud that our maps, data and images will be used by Parks Australia to manage the new marine park into the future." The team has produced detailed three-dimensional images of the massive mountain underneath the Cocos (Keeling) Islands themselves, which has never been mapped in detail before. Dr. Tim O'Hara said, "We have beamed these new 3D maps and underwater video images directly from the vessel to the people of Cocos (Keeling) Islands, who have been super-excited to see their seascape in all its grandeur." Nelson Kuna, one of two Hydrographic Surveyors on board from CSIRO, said that very little high-resolution mapping had been done in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands Marine Park prior to this voyage. "We've used the full ocean depth mapping capabilities of RV Investigator to completely survey around the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, from coastal depths less than 100m all the way down to the abyss some 4800m below," said Mr. Kuna. "The data set now covers a substantial area of the new marine park and shows the Cocos (Keeling) Islands as the twin peaks of a massive seamount that rises nearly 5000m from the surrounding seafloor. "It's truly an honor to see, for the first time, these stunning features revealed from the deep." Credit: CSIRO Scientists on board have shared their discoveries with school students around the country in real-time. Bush Blitz is supporting this voyage and using RV Investigator's technology to livestream into classrooms. During the voyage, Bush Blitz has reached more than 850 students and community members around Australiafrom Tasmania to the Torres Strait, from Alice Springs to Norfolk Island. The voyage is a collaboration between Museums Victoria Research Institute and CSIRO, in partnership with Bush Blitz, Parks Australia, Australian Museum Research Institute and the Western Australian Museum. The Australian government proclaimed two massive marine parks across Australia's Indian Ocean Territories in March 2022 that together cover an area almost the size of New South Wales. The expedition will supply scientific data that will help Parks Australia to manage these areas into the future. "We are looking forward to welcoming Dr. Tim O'Hara and the Museums Victoria Research Institute team back home," said Museums Victoria CEO Lynley Crosswell. "This research voyage has led to many important discoveries of marine life and deep ocean terrain, and we are very proud of this work." Head of Division at Parks Australia, Jason Mundy, said the voyage is important to increase our understanding of the unique and diverse habitats and species of these remote waters. "Scientific research and data underpin management of all Australian Marine Parks," said Mr. Mundy. "It is fantastic that this voyage is exploring the extraordinary biodiversity and unique habitats of these the new Christmas and Cocos (Keeling) Islands marine parks, which cover more than 744,000 square kilometers." Provided by CSIRO Enzyme substrate specificity involving material conversion processes is pertinent to e.g. biochemistry, metabolic engineering, and environmental remediation; however, it is one of the most challenging assignments in protein engineering. We revealed that the redox cofactor preference of malic enzymes can be strikingly converted by applying phylogenetic analysis to machine learning, without experimental screening. This method can predict mutation positions and candidate amino acids that affect substrate specificity, which is challenging to infer solely from the crystal structures. Machine learning uses the structurally homologous but functionally distinct enzymes amino acid sequences as input datasets to efficiently navigate toward the target function, and potentially provide new fundamental insights into enzymesubstrate specificity. Credit: 2022, Teppei Niide, Logistic Regression-guided Identification of Cofactor Specificity-contributing Residues in Enzyme with Sequence Datasets Partitioned by Catalytic Properties, ACS Synthetic Biology You can't move a pharmaceutical scientist from a lab to a kitchen and expect the same research output. Enzymes behave exactly the same: They are dependent upon a specific environment. But now, in a study recently published in ACS Synthetic Biology, researchers from Osaka University have imparted an analogous level of adaptability to enzymes, a goal that has remained elusive for over 30 years. Enzymes perform impressive functions, enabled by the unique arrangement of their constituent amino acids, but usually only within a specific cellular environment. When you change the cellular environment, the enzyme rarely functions wellif at all. Thus, a long-standing research goal has been to retain or even improve upon the function of enzymes in different environments; for example, conditions that are favorable for biofuel production. Traditionally, such work has involved extensive experimental trial-and-error that might have little assurance of achieving an optimal result. Artificial intelligence (a computer-based tool) can minimize this trial-and-error, but still relies on experimentally obtained crystal structures of enzymeswhich can be unavailable or not especially useful. Thus, "the pertinent amino acids one should mutate in the enzyme might be only best-guesses," says Teppei Niide, co-senior author. "To solve this problem, we devised a methodology of ranking amino acids that depends only on the widely available amino acid sequence of analogous enzymes from other living species." The researchers focused on the amino acids that are involved in the specificity of the malic enzyme to the molecule that the enzyme transforms (i.e., the substrate) and to the substance that helps the transformation proceed (i.e., the cofactor). By identifying the amino acid sequences that did not change over the course of evolution, the researchers identified the amino acid mutations that are adaptations to different cellular conditions in different species. "By using artificial intelligence, we identified unexpected amino acid residues in malic enzyme that correspond to the enzyme's use of different redox cofactors," says Hiroshi Shimizu, co-senior author. "This helped us understand the substrate specificity mechanism of the enzyme and will facilitate optimal engineering of the enzyme in laboratories." This work succeeded in using artificial intelligence to dramatically accelerate and improve the success of substantially reconfiguring an enzyme's specific mode of action, without fundamentally altering the enzyme's function. Future advances in enzyme engineering will greatly benefit fields such as pharmaceutical and biofuel production that require carefully tuning the versatility of enzymes to different biochemical environmentseven in the absence of corresponding enzymes' crystal structures. More information: Sou Sugiki et al, Logistic Regression-Guided Identification of Cofactor Specificity-Contributing Residues in Enzyme with Sequence Datasets Partitioned by Catalytic Properties, ACS Synthetic Biology (2022). DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.2c00315 Journal information: ACS Synthetic Biology Credit: Shutterstock It's small wonder a major fossil fuel producer like Australia has relied so heavily on carbon offsets. Plant new forestsor say you will avoid clearing old onesand you can keep approving new gas and coal developments. This year, whistleblower Professor Andrew McIntosh claimed up to 80% of these offsets weren't real. They didn't actually offset emissions. In Australia, renewables are the only real source of emission reduction. The rest of the economy is set to slowly increase emissions. But what matters is actually reducing how many tons of heat-trapping greenhouse gases go up into the sky and add to the 2.5 trillion tons of CO 2 humans have already emittedof which more than a trillion tons remain in the atmosphere. Last year, carbon dioxide and methane levels hit new highs. As the world's policymakers head to Egypt for next week's crucial climate talks, offsets will be in the spotlight next to climate finance, loss and damage to vulnerable communities and 2030 emissions targets. Egyptian president Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has pitched the COP27 conference as the moment "where words were translated to actions." For Australia, this is an opportunity to move away from relying on dubious offsets and focus on the real action of actually cutting emissions. Remind me what offsets are? Offsets measure how much carbon is soaked up by, say, a reforestation project. As the saplings grow, they store carbon. Offsets are a way to theoretically package up this stored carbonor emissions claimed to have been avoided by not deforesting an area of landand sell it to companies who would like to keep pumping out emissions equal to the amount stored in new forests. You can quickly see the problem. Who's checking to see if these forests were plantedor if they were going to be planted anyway? Are emission reductions or storage realand additional to what would otherwise have happened? While international offsets are notoriously variable in quality, our Australian Carbon Credit Units scheme is hardly blameless. In Australia, many offsets rely on "avoided emissions" such as leaving a forest intact rather than cutting it down, and counting the carbon in these forests as an offset. This, as Professor McIntosh showed, has been easily gamed. Most of our offsets are not real and not additional. In July, the federal government launched a review of Australia's offset scheme, chaired by Professor Ian Chubb. Last week, Chubb told The Australian "offsets can't be a device which big emitters use not to [] do something about reducing emissions." Chubb's comments echo global scientific and political concerns over offsetting. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has warned our over-reliance on offsets net zero emission claims is a form of greenwashing. Offsetting large-scale emissions, after all, essentially licenses the companies who buy offsets to just keep on pumping outand even massively increaseemissions of carbon dioxide and methane. And as a new report points out, sequestering carbon into trees is not equivalent to reducing fossil fuel emissions. There is a very long tail to every ton of fossil CO added to the atmosphere: around 400 kilograms will still be there after a century. After 1,000 years, there's still around 25%. After 10,000 years, there's still around 20%. This carbon will go on heating the planet for millenia. Yet in Australia, offset permanence counts as anywhere between 25 and 100 years, depending on the project. That means offsets have to be very good to be worthwhile. If they're not real, additional and permanentor if they're used to continue fossil fuel emissionsthen they will make climate change worse rather than better. What does this mean for Australia? In the last decade, Australia has become the world's top exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG). This has been enormously lucrative for gas producers and a boon to government revenues. We're already seeing companies shipping so-called "carbon-neutral" LNG from Australia. Emissions from burning or using this gas has, they claim, been offset. Is carbon-neutral gas possible? Well, no. Australia is one of only a handful of countries with its own government-sponsored offsetting system, ClimateActive. This is intended to certify companies as carbon neutral when they have reduced their emissions "as much as possible" while "canceling out" remaining emissions through offsets. Skeptical? You're not alone. Environmental policy experts say this legacy system from the previous Coalition government effectively amounts to state-sponsored greenwashing. That's not the only questionable environmental legacy. Labor is also reviewing the safeguard mechanismeffectively an emissions trading scheme. It was pitched as a way to reduce the 25% of our emissions which come from industrial facilities. Fossil fuels account for more than half the facilities. But instead of falling, emissions across the facilities actually rose by 7% over the five years to 2021equivalent to more than nine million tons of carbon dioxide. In our submission to the mechanism review, we suggest the government should pivot to a full emissions trading scheme for the industrial sectorwithout offsets. Unfortunately, Labor has already suggested draft legislation to revise the mechanism which would allow more offsetting, rather than require substantial emission reductions from Australia's industries. What's likely to happen to offsets at COP27? When the world's leaders and negotiators got the Paris Agreement across the line in 2015, there was much celebration. Now comes the harder part: actually making the transition. Under rules adopted in Glasgow, offsetting may be permittedas long as carbon offsets are high integrity (they're real and additional), and operate transparently with robust accounting (we can check they're real and are not double-counted). This will be on the table in Egypt, where negotiators will seek to hash out detailed rules for tracking and checking each nation's progressor lack thereoftowards emissions reduction goals. Expect to see intense negotiation around avoiding emissionsthat is, not cutting down forests. To date, avoided emissions have not been counted as part of a country's efforts. But that may change. Integrity and transparency have long been challenges in accounting for avoided or offset carbon in the land sector. The world will be watching to see if Australianow under new managementis still willing to push for the right to buy cheap and sometimes questionable offsets. And will it support rules and requirements to guarantee permanence? Australian industries are lobbying to use these kinds of international offsets to meet emission obligations. The question is, will Labor seize the chance to move away from them, and instead reduce emissions? What's the best way forward for Australia? Let's say Labor's tweaks to the safeguard mechanism become law. In this scenario, offsets continue, despite their checkered history. We would miss many opportunities to invest in technologies which actually reduce the CO pouring out of machines and smokestacks. And we would miss a vital opportunity to shift away from our reliance on fossil gas, whichwhen burned overseasproduces massive emissions and risks slowing the clean energy shift in developing economies. That's the bad timeline. In the good timeline, Labor seizes the historic moment. Amid intensifying and accelerating climate change, the public want change. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has shown the security risks of foreign fossil fuels. And after nine years of go-slow tactics, Australia has a government elected on a promise to actually slash emissions. Let's hope they turn away from the false promise of offsets, and pass the test. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain According to a May 2022 poll from the University of Maryland, 61% of Republicans favor declaring the United States a Christian nationeven though 57% recognized that it would be unconstitutional. Meanwhile, 31% of all Americans and 49% of Republicans believe "God intended America to be a new promised land where European Christians could create a society that would be an example for the rest of the world," a recent survey from the Public Religion Research Institute found. Those statistics underscore the influence of a set of ideas called "Christian nationalism," which has been in the spotlight leading up to November 2022 midterm elections. Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has openly identified as a Christian nationalist and called for the Republican Party to do the same. Others, like Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert and Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano, have not claimed that label but have embraced its tenets, such as dismissing the separation of church and state. Few Americans use the term "Christian nationalist" to describe themselves, but many more have embraced some aspects of this worldview. There is widespread confusion over what the label really means, making it important to clearly explain. My work on how race and religion shape Americans' attitudes toward government led me to study Christian nationalism, and to co-write a book detailing how it shapes Americans' views of themselves, their government and their place in the world. Christian nationalism is more than religiosity and patriotism. It is a worldview that guides how people believe the nation should be structured and who belongs there. Mission from God The phenomenon of white Christian nationalism has been studied by historians, sociologists, political scientists scholars of religion and many others. While their definitions may differ, they share certain elements. Christian nationalism is a religious and political belief system that argues the United States was founded by God to be a Christian nation and to complete God's vision of the world. In this view, America can be governed only by Christians, and the country's mission is directed by a divine hand. In my recent book "The Everyday Crusade: Christian Nationalism in American Politics," written with fellow political scientists Irfan Nooruddin and Allyson Shortle, we demonstrate that this worldview has existed since the Colonies and played a central role in developing American identity. During the American Revolution, political and religious leaders linked independence from the British as part of God's plan to set the world right. From then on, many Americans' belief that God favors their nation has guided their view of pivotal eventssuch as supporting Manifest Destiny, the idea that the U.S. was destined to expand west across North America; or framing the "war on terror" as a conflict between Christians and non-Christians in the 21st century. Today, only about 4 in 10 people in the U.S. are white Christians. The thought of no longer being the majority has prompted some of them to see Christian nationalism as the only way to get the nation back on the right track. Christian nationalism typically restricts adherents' view of who can be considered a "true" American, limiting it to people who are white, Christian and U.S.-born, and whose families have European roots. Dissidents, disciples and laity The majority of Americans do not embrace Christian nationalism. Even so, its echoes appear everywhere from American flags in church pulpits, to the Pledge of Allegiance, to "In God We Trust" on money, license plates and government vehicles. My book co-authors and I argue that Christian nationalist ideas exist along a spectrum. For our book project, we developed a measure we refer to as "American Religious Exceptionalism" and used it to analyze nationally representative and state surveys from 2008 to 2020. Based on that data, we categorized U.S. citizens into three groups: dissidents, laity and disciples. "Dissidents" reject the idea of the U.S. having a divine founding and plan, and express a more open understanding of what it means to be an American. Among the nationally representative samples, the proportion of dissidents ranges from 37% to 49% of the population. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the "disciples" strongly believe in the divine founding and guidance of the U.S. and express more restrictive ideas about who can be a "real" American and who should be allowed to enter the country. Disciples, who represent between 10% and 14% of the population, are more likely to see immigrants as a threat to American culture, and to express concern about the decreasing percentage of Americans who are white and Christian. Those in the "laity" in the middle represent between 37% and 52% of the population. They demonstrate support for many of the same views the disciples do, such as anti-immigrant, anti-Black, and anti-Muslim attitudes, but less intensely. Master salesman Politicians can be thought about as entrepreneurs constantly looking for new consumers. Some of them have found a devoted audience among the disciples, who tend to be politically engaged and eager to vote for a candidate who will advance their view of the nation. Former President Donald Trump has been particularly successful at attracting voters who are sympathetic to Christian nationalist ideas, by portraying himself as a defender of Christians "under siege." In June 2020, in the midst of upheaval over police killings of unarmed Black Americans, tear gas was used to disperse protesters to allow then-President Trump to have his picture taken holding a Bible in front of St. John's Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C. His open animus toward Muslims has also helped bring Christian nationalists from the fringes into the mainstream. Images linking Christianity with the nation and with Trump, as part of a larger divine mission, were on full display during the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. In the most extreme Christian nationalist views, the government must be brought into alignment with this ideologyeven if force is necessary. Our research found that 68% of disciples agree that force may be necessary to maintain the traditional American way of life. Most disciples express strong support for representative democracy; however, 48% of disciples support the idea of military rule, compared with 6% of dissidents. Heading to the polls Christian nationalism's movement toward the mainstream is evident in the 2022 midterms, as several candidates have announced their support for Christian nationalism or made statements highly in line with it. Not only does such rhetoric mobilize disciples, but it has the potential to persuade the laity that these candidates will best represent their interests. An atmosphere of increasing partisan polarization, where political debates are sometimes portrayed as between angels and demons destroying the country, provides a fertile environment. What this means for American democracy is unclear. But as some white and Christian Americans fear a loss of status, I believe Christian nationalism is coming backattempting to reclaim its "holy land." This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Credit: Helena Kilburn People tend to laugh when I tell them that my job after college was catching fish out of the Hudson River. As someone who lacks the particular brand of outdoorsy-ness fitting to this job, it seems like an unlikely position for me, but what is more unlikely to people is that there are fish in the Hudson. Many assume that the river is incapable of supporting life. That the river itself is dead. My first year in New York starting in September 2020 was permeated with the narrative, popular at the time, that "New York is dead." To those outside the city, it was unimaginable that the culture could ever recover from the impact of COVID. In the early days of the pandemic, with the empty streets and closed businesses, I can see how this might have rung true. But by the time I moved in, this narrative came more from the leagues of New York residents leaving the city, if they had the means to do so. This crowd seemed to have large voices, and their proclamation that New York was over had settled into the minds of those who had no personal experience to the contrary. My friends and I would walk through Washington Square Park and note the irony in this narrative. It was hard to take seriously as skateboarders zipped around us, groups of friends chatted on blankets, and the usual din of musicians filled the air. It was during this time that I began my job as an environmental educator at Hudson River Park, where catching fish was part of my role. It was my first job in my field since I had graduated college the summer beforewhich I did from the living room of my childhood home, since I had left my college campus to live with my parents in March of 2020. I distinctly remember driving to my parents' house in Massachusetts from my college in Tennessee and crying when I saw the skyline of New York, worried that my dream of moving to the city, the only place I have ever really felt comfortable, would never come true. Four months later, I moved into an apartment on Bleecker Street with my two best friends. Still mid-pandemic, we created a social pod, got takeout drinks, and I landed my job at Hudson River Park. The Hudson River, which the Lenape people called the Muhheakantuck, has an ominous reputation. New Yorkers and visitors alike think of it primarily as dirty to the point of being hazardous, and the dumping ground for bodies in mob movies. This reputation is not without foundation. With industrialization, this historical trade route fell victim to excessive waste and chemical dumping. If you Google the Hudson River, one of the first suggested results is "is the Hudson River the dirtiest river." However, one of the other suggested results is "is the Hudson River clean enough to swim in," to which the answer is, on most days, yes. With the passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972, the river began to turn around. Large-scale dumping drew to a close, the tides worked to cycle the water, and there has been an increasing focus on rebuilding the river's oyster communities as these mollusks filter the water; each one removes the river's contaminants at a rate of 50 gallons per day. Individually, these animals would not make much impact, but as their population has recovered to number in the millions, these communities have contributed enormously to making the Hudson a hospitable ecosystem to creatures such as 10-foot-long sturgeon, eels, and even seahorses. Many of the fish populations are abundant and some are healthy enough to be caught and eaten by the city's residents with guidance from the New York State Department of Health. With time, tides, and oysters, the river has recovered to remarkable health. As for New York, there has been undeniable and tragic loss in our dear city. But just like the river has its tides, New York had its social distancing protocols, and just like the river has its oyster communities, New Yorkers came together, got their vaccines, and worked to help their city recover. During this tumultuous time, I got to move to my favorite place and work at a park in the heart of the city. Since the work was outside where masks were not required, I got to see the amazement on students' faces when they learned how much life is in a river they had lived next to their entire lives. And, best of all, I got to watch New York come back to life while I stood beside the Hudson River. Provided by State of the Planet The Heterobrachia was little affected by the end-Triassic mass extinction, possibly because of a flexible mode of feeding of the larvae, an adaptation to relatively warm temperatures, and a flexible attachment of the mantle that allowed for covering the shell. Credit: Mariel Ferrari, CC-BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) A pair of researchers, one with Instituto Patagonico de Geologia y Paleontologia, the other with the University of Zurich, has found three possible factors that might explain why some types of snails were able to survive the end-Triassic mass extinction event. In their paper published on the open access site PLOS ONE, Mariel Ferrari and Michael Hautmann analyzed extinction patterns of snails from the period. The end-Triassic mass extinction event, as its name implies, was a period of change on Earth approximately 201 million years ago that led to a mass die-off of many of the creatures living at that time. Prior research has suggested that the event paved the way for the dominance of the dinosaurs. Prior research has also shown that another genera did particularly well as so many others were dying offa subclass called Heterobranchia, a type of sea snail. Approximately 56% of all gastropod genera were wiped out during the massive extinction event, but only 11% of Heterobranchia were killed off. It has also been found that after the extinction event, Heterobranchia flourished and begat new genera. But how or why this one type of sea snail did so much better than so many others has remained a mystery. In this new effort, the researchers sought to find the answer. The work involved studying multiple characteristics of different types of snails from the time, including larval development, shell size and general anatomy. They found several factors that could have favored the snails. The first was putative feeding during the larval stage. Heterobranchia typically fed on plankton. But as conditions changed, plankton became more difficult to find. And unlike other creatures, Heterobranchia had the ability to eat other nonliving material to sustain itself. A second factor was the ability of Heterobranchia to adapt to living in warmer water. The third factor involved their flexible mantles. The researchers suggest their makeup may have helped protect the snails from increased acidification of ocean water. More information: Mariel Ferrari et al, Gastropods underwent a major taxonomic turnover during the end-Triassic marine mass extinction event, PLOS ONE (2022). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0276329 Journal information: PLoS ONE 2022 Science X Network A 30-kilometer-wide wildfire front detected in the Siberian Arctic at a latitude of 69.31N on August 6, 2020. Sentinel-2 Infrared color image. Credit: Adria Descals The Siberian Arctic experienced an unusual number of fires in 2019 and 2020. This raised concerns in the scientific community, as the Arctic has large areas of permafrost, a permanently frozen layer of subsoil that accumulates large amounts of carbon. Fires damage the permafrost and contribute to the release of carbon emissions in the form of greenhouse gases. The question that remained unanswered was whether this increase in fires in 20192020 was an exceptional case or a trend that will get worse as the Arctic warms. Now, a new study published in Science and led by Adria Descals and Josep Penuelas, both scientists from the Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) and from CREAF, shows that the increase in temperature is driving an exponential increase in fires in the Arctic. David Gaveau, fire expert at TheTreeMap, as well as researchers from the Desertification Research Center (CSIC-University of Valencia), Wageningen University (Netherlands), the University of Kyoto, and the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) in Indonesia, also participated in the study. "In 2020 alone," explains Adria Descals, first author, "423 fires were detected in the Siberian Arctic, which burned around 3 million hectares (an area almost as big as the whole Belgium) and caused the emission of 256 million tons of CO 2 equivalent," which is similar to the annual emissions of CO 2 in Spain. The researcher adds that "with future warming, these megafires will be recurrent at the end of the century and will have different implications, both for the Arctic and for the global climate." Analysis of four decades of satellite observations The authors quantified, from satellite observations from 1982 to 2020, the area burned in Siberia above the Arctic Circle, a region covering 286 million hectares. "While the observations indicated that the 2020 fire season was exceptional, no precise quantitative assessment had been made so far in this remote region," says co-author David Gaveau. In this work, the scientists show that fire risk factors associated with temperature have increased in recent decades and that there is an exponential relationship between the extent burned annually and these factors. "Temperatures are reaching a critical threshold where small increases above the summer average of 10 degrees Celsius can exponentially increase the area burned and the associated emissions," explains Josep Penuelas. The summer of 2020 was the warmest in four decades, and the large area burned between 2019 and 2020 was unprecedented, the authors explain. Approximately 4.7 million hectares burned between 2019 and 2020, resulting in total emissions of 412.7 million tons of CO 2 equivalent. "We detected fires above the 72nd parallel north, more than 600 km north of the Arctic Circle, where fires are unusual and where winter ice was still visible at the time of burning," explains Adria Descals. "Many fires were detected with a few days of difference, so we hypothesize that increases in thunderstorms and lightning are the main cause of the fires, although further investigations would be required to demonstrate how much human activities may influence the fire season in this remote region." Rising air temperature and fire risk Some factors that can exacerbate fire risk have increased significantly, and all these factors are related to rising temperatures. The study explains that factors such as drier weather conditions, longer summers, and more vegetation have shown a consistent trend over the past four decades. The authors note that "the 2020 average summer temperaturewhich was 11.35 degreeswill be very common from the second half of the century on if the Arctic warming continues at the same rate." As Adria Descals warns, "these temperature anomalies increase fire risk factors, so the conditions that were led to the 2019 and 2020 fires will be recurrent in the Arctic by the end of the century." An explanatory model that links the factors of fire In 2019 and 2020, fire rates in the Siberian Arctic exceeded those of the last four decades. Only in 2020, there were seven times more fires than the average since 1982 and they damaged an unprecedented area of peatlands. Josep Penuelas explains that "the concatenation of these factors is what generated the fire rate increase." "Higher temperatures explain the earlier thaw, which in turn allows for greater vegetation growth and increases fuel availability." "The fact that there is more and earlier vegetation reduces the availability of water in the soil, and plants suffer greater water stress," says Aleixandre Verger, a researcher at CSIC and CREAF. In turn, "extreme heat waves, such as in 2020 in the Siberian Arctic, increase vulnerability to drought, as they can desiccate plants and reduce peat moisture, and therefore increase the intensity of fires and carbon emissions." On the other hand, heatwaves and, above all, the increase in surface temperature, can increase convective storms and lightning, which have been very rare so far in the Arctic, but "they are expected to increase as the climate warms," say the scientists. "Climate warming therefore has a double effect on fire risk: it increases the susceptibility of vegetation and peatlands to fire and, on the other hand, it increases the number of ignitions caused by thunderstorms," explains Adria Descals. "Our work suggests that the Arctic is already experiencing a change in fire regimes caused by climate warming. The areas burned in 2019 and 2020 could be exceptional events, but recent temperature trends and projected scenarios indicate that, by the end of the century, large fires such as those in 2019 and 2020 will be frequent if temperatures continue to increase at the current rate," conclude Adria Descals and Josep Penuelas. More information: Adria Descals, Unprecedented fire activity above the Arctic Circle linked to rising temperatures, Science (2022). DOI: 10.1126/science.abn9768. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abn9768 Journal information: Science Provided by Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) The equiphase lines in a scalar hopfion present the Hopf fibration's topological features. Credit: Chenhao Wan, Yijie Shen, Andy Chong, Qiwen Zhan The knot theory originates in Lord Kevin's model proposed in 1867 that atoms are made of vortex rings or knots. Although the hypothesis was proved incorrect, the knot theory has since then proliferated in both mathematics and physics. One peculiar category of knotsthe torus knotsare disjointed and linked closed loops, nesting to construct complete ring tori. Physicists find the torus knot a suitable candidate for building hopfionsthree-dimensional (3D) topological states that resemble particle-like objects. Hopfions are named after Heinz Hopf, who discovered the Hopf fibration in 1931. The preimages of any arbitrary points in S are disjoint and interlinked circles (S) in S. The S that resides in four-dimensional space can be "seen" by stereographic projection, and the topological features of linkedness of closed loops are preserved. In a new paper published in eLight, a team of scientists, led by Professor Qiwen Zhan from the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, have demonstrated dynamic scalar optical hopfions in the shape of a toroidal vortex. The "Scalar Optical Hopfions" paper showed how these toroidal vortices could be expressed as an approximate solution for Maxwell's equations. This research could find applications in artificial materials, nanostructures and optical communication. The search for hopfions in physical systems started with the seminal work of Korepin and Faddeev. After nearly half a century, hopfions have been unveiled in various branches of science. Hopf structures have been discovered within superfluid helium as particle-like objects with finite dimensions and energy. Optical hopfions showing 50 equiphase lines to form ring tori with winding numbers: a, l = 1, l = 1. b, l = 2, l = 2. c, l = 3, l = 4. d, l = 4, l = 2. Credit: Chenhao Wan, Yijie Shen, Andy Chong, Qiwen Zhan Null solutions to Maxwell's equations reveal that electromagnetic field lines, spin or polarization vectors can be tied based on the Hopf fibration to form diverse knots and links and exploited as information carriers. Vortex lines in fluids appear in Hopf topological structures, and the linkedness and knottedness are conserved in inviscid fluids. Topological defect lines in liquid crystals are tweezed to create Hopf links. The abovementioned hopfions are vector hopfions in which each point in S corresponds to a vector with multiple degrees of freedom. On the contrary, each point in S of scalar hopfions is distinguished by the value of a scalar parameter. The corresponding preimage is a closed loop consisting of all points having the same scalar value. Scalar hopfions have been predicted and are believed to be experimentally feasible in a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) controlled by inhomogeneous magnetic fields or in a rotating trapped atomic BEC. The proposed concept of scalar optical hopfions is spatiotemporally structured pulse propagating in space-time. It provides an additional dimension (time) to encode and transfer topological information. The dynamic scalar optical hopfion is a traveling wave packet in the shape of a toroidal vortex. Scalar optical hopfions are weaved by nested equiphase lines corresponding to one complex knot or several unknotted and interlinked closed loops. The linking number of two equiphase lines is governed by the Hopf invariant, which is the product of the winding numbers. All equiphase lines form an infinite number of layers of complete ring tori. The discovery of scalar optical hopfions may spur interest in exploring novel methods for light-matter interaction, optical metrology, information encoding, and optical manipulation. The theoretical equiphase curves are plotted in solid curves. Circles denote the experimental data. Each color corresponds to one specific phase value. Credit: Chenhao Wan, Yijie Shen, Andy Chong, Qiwen Zhan Characterizing a scalar optical hopfion is a challenging task requiring high-resolution and full 3D phase measurement of an ultrafast wave packet. Limited by existing capabilities, we perform two-dimensional phase measurement of the poloidal spiral phase through interfering with the hopfion wave packet (l = 1, l = 1) with a transform-limited reference pulse split from the source. The reference pulse is considerably shorter in time and interferes with each temporal slice of the hopfion wave packet with the help of an electronically controlled precision stage. The poloidal phase is theoretically a spiral phase in the spatiotemporal domain. Eight spots at equally-spaced toroidal angles are chosen, and the interference patterns at these spots are analyzed. The orientations of mirrors are carefully adjusted so that the fringes are parallel to the specified toroidal angle. As the reference pulse interferes with the head of the hopfion wave packet, the fringe patterns are straight. The fringes start to bend when approaching the center of the spatiotemporal vortex. When the temporal slice coincides with the vortex core, the upper and lower fringes are shifted by half a period. As the temporal slicing continues, the fringes bend in the opposite direction and become straight again as the slicing approaches the tail of the hopfion wave packet. Based on the fringe patterns, the poloidal spiral phase can be reconstructed. The toroidal spiral phase is a spatial spiral phase applied by SLM3 and assumed to be perfect in this case due to the difficulties of fully resolving the 3D details of the phase distributions of the entire wave packet. The total phase is the sum of the poloidal phase and the toroidal phase. The topological features of a scalar optical hopfion are presented. In summary, a dynamic scalar optical hopfion model is proposed, and its analytical expression as an approximate solution to Maxwell's equations is provided. Numerical simulations and experimental data demonstrate that the equiphase lines are disjoint and linked closed loops in the form of links and knots with a linking number determined by the Hopf invariant. All equiphase loops form complete tori that fill up the entire 3D space. The dynamic scalar optical hopfions provide a photonic testbed for studying topological states that resemble particle-like objects. They may find applications in spatiotemporal mode excitation in artificial materials and nanostructures. There are also opportunities in optical communication as high-dimensional information carriers. More information: Chenhao Wan et al, Scalar optical hopfions, eLight (2022). DOI: 10.1186/s43593-022-00030-2 When a neutrino interacts with molecules in the clear Antarctic ice, it produces secondary particles that leave a trace of blue light as they travel through the IceCube detector. Credit: Nicolle R. Fuller, IceCube/NSF For the first time, an international team of scientists have found evidence of high-energy neutrino emission from NGC 1068, also known as Messier 77, an active galaxy in the constellation Cetus and one of the most familiar and well-studied galaxies to date. First spotted in 1780, this galaxy, located 47 million light-years away from us, can be observed with large binoculars. The results, to be published on Nov. 4, 2022, in Science, were shared today in an online scientific webinar that gathered experts, journalists, and scientists from around the globe. The detection was made at the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, a massive neutrino telescope encompassing 1 billion tons of instrumented ice at depths of 1.5 to 2.5 kilometers below Antarctica's surface near the South Pole. This unique telescope, which explores the farthest reaches of our universe using neutrinos, reported the first observation of a high-energy astrophysical neutrino source in 2018. The source, TXS 0506+056, is a known blazar located off the left shoulder of the Orion constellation and 4 billion light-years away. This video illustrates how IceCube neutrinos have given us a first glimpse into the inner depths of the active galaxy, NGC 1068. Credit: Diogo da Cruz, with sound by Fallon Mayanja and voice by Georgia Kaw "One neutrino can single out a source. But only an observation with multiple neutrinos will reveal the obscured core of the most energetic cosmic objects," says Francis Halzen, a professor of physics at the University of WisconsinMadison and principal investigator of IceCube. He adds, "IceCube has accumulated some 80 neutrinos of teraelectronvolt energy from NGC 1068, which are not yet enough to answer all our questions, but they definitely are the next big step towards the realization of neutrino astronomy." Unlike light, neutrinos can escape in large numbers from extremely dense environments in the universe and reach Earth largely undisturbed by matter and the electromagnetic fields that permeate extragalactic space. Although scientists envisioned neutrino astronomy more than 60 years ago, the weak interaction of neutrinos with matter and radiation makes their detection extremely difficult. Neutrinos could be key to our queries about the workings of the most extreme objects in the cosmos. "Answering these far-reaching questions about the universe that we live in is a primary focus of the U.S. National Science Foundation," says Denise Caldwell, director of NSF's Physics Division. Front view of the IceCube Lab at twilight, with a starry sky showing a glimpse of the Milky Way overhead and sunlight lingering on the horizon. Credit: Martin Wolf, IceCube/NSF As is the case with our home galaxy, the Milky Way, NGC 1068 is a barred spiral galaxy, with loosely wound arms and a relatively small central bulge. However, unlike the Milky Way, NGC 1068 is an active galaxy where most radiation is not produced by stars but due to material falling into a black hole millions of times more massive than our sun and even more massive than the inactive black hole in the center of our galaxy. NGC 1068 is an active galaxya Seyfert II type in particularseen from Earth at an angle that obscures its central region where the black hole is located. In a Seyfert II galaxy, a torus of nuclear dust obscures most of the high-energy radiation produced by the dense mass of gas and particles that slowly spiral inward toward the center of the galaxy. "Recent models of the black hole environments in these objects suggest that gas, dust, and radiation should block the gamma rays that would otherwise accompany the neutrinos," says Hans Niederhausen, a postdoctoral associate at Michigan State University and one of the main analyzers of the paper. "This neutrino detection from the core of NGC 1068 will improve our understanding of the environments around supermassive black holes." NGC 1068 could become a standard candle for future neutrino telescopes, according to Theo Glauch, a postdoctoral associate at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), in Germany, and another main analyzer. The detection of the second source of high-energy neutrinos and cosmic rays is the result of over 30 years of scientific exploration, with continuous support from the National Science Foundation (NSF) since the 1990s. Credit: IceCube/NSF "It is already a very well-studied object for astronomers, and neutrinos will allow us to see this galaxy in a totally different way. A new view will certainly bring new insights," says Glauch. These findings represent a significant improvement on a prior study on NGC 1068 published in 2020, according to Ignacio Taboada, a physics professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the spokesperson of the IceCube Collaboration. "Part of this improvement came from enhanced techniques and part from a careful update of the detector calibration," says Taboada. "Work by the detector operations and calibrations teams enabled better neutrino directional reconstructions to precisely pinpoint NGC 1068 and enable this observation. Resolving this source was made possible through enhanced techniques and refined calibrations, an outcome of the IceCube Collaboration's hard work." IceCube detector schematic. Credit: IceCube/NSF The improved analysis points the way toward superior neutrino observatories that are already in the works. "It is great news for the future of our field," says Marek Kowalski, an IceCube collaborator and senior scientist at Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, in Germany. "It means that with a new generation of more sensitive detectors there will be much to discover. The future IceCube-Gen2 observatory could not only detect many more of these extreme particle accelerators but would also allow their study at even higher energies. It's as if IceCube handed us a map to a treasure trove." With the neutrino measurements of TXS 0506+056 and NGC 1068, IceCube is one step closer to answering the century-old question of the origin of cosmic rays. Additionally, these results imply that there may be many more similar objects in the universe yet to be identified. Hubble image of the spiral galaxy NGC 1068. Credit: NASA / ESA / A. van der Hoeven "The unveiling of the obscured universe has just started, and neutrinos are set to lead a new era of discovery in astronomy," says Elisa Resconi, a professor of physics at TUM and another main analyzer. "Several years ago, NSF initiated an ambitious project to expand our understanding of the universe by combining established capabilities in optical and radio astronomy with new abilities to detect and measure phenomena like neutrinos and gravitational waves," says Caldwell. "The IceCube Neutrino Observatory's identification of a neighboring galaxy as a cosmic source of neutrinos is just the beginning of this new and exciting field that promises insights into the undiscovered power of massive black holes and other fundamental properties of the universe." More information: Evidence for neutrino emission from the nearby active galaxy NGC 1068, Science (2022). DOI: 10.1126/science.abg3395. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abg3395 Kohta Murase, Neutrinos unveil hidden galactic activities, Science (2022). DOI: 10.1126/science.ade4190. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ade4190 Journal information: Science Credit: Springer International Publishing As a human future among the stars becomes ever closer, one University of Oregon professor looks to the distant past for clues about how we can get there. Ever since the first human-controlled spacecraft escaped Earth's gravity, people have been pushing toward permanent human life inhabiting planets beyond Earth. Some might say it's brand-new territory, but UO professor and Museum of Natural and Cultural History associate director Scott Fitzpatrick argues that humans have already faced similar great unknowns. In a chapter for a new book, "Speciesism in Biology and Culture: How Human Exceptionalism is Pushing Planetary Boundaries," Fitzpatrick points to the colonization of islands, especially in Oceania, as microcosms of human space exploration. Between 10,000 and 13,000 years ago, a rapid development in wayfinding and seafaring technologies in many places across the globe kicked off an era of exploration and colonization. About 3,000 years ago, "pulses of voyaging activity" spread as humans permanently settled islands in western Micronesia and the South Pacific, then traveled further east. "These forays into Remote Oceania represent the first time in the Pacific where humans sailed to other islands that were not intervisible," Fitzpatrick writes. Imagine looking on the vast expanse of ocean with few indications of lands beyond the horizon and deciding to use the stars above and the knowledge passed down from generations before to set off and see what there was to find. What can people learn from these explorers of the distant past? "If the history behind human colonization of the Pacific Islands has anything to say, it is that where there is a will, there is a way," Fitzpatrick writes. Like the Pacific Islanders who began to settle Remote Oceania 3,000 years ago, future space-faring humans must "perfect transport, determine where they (are) spatially in the fluid realm of a vast ocean using navigational and wayfinding skills, and carry with them provisions, tools and knowledge they needed to increase their chances of establishing a successful and viable colony." At the end of the day, Fitzpatrick said, "we're explorers. But we will likely rely on lifelines and connections to our home, Earth in this case, or other settlements in between to maintain any colonies." Lisa slammed into the Sibun River just southwest of Belize City, uprooting trees, downing power lines and inundating streets. Tropical Storm Lisa slowed on Thursday after making landfall in Belize, causing flooding and plunging parts of the country into darkness as it churned westwards toward Mexico. Both Mexico and Belize dropped their coastal tropical storm warnings as the former hurricane weakened and headed west at 10 miles per hour (16 kilometers per hour), according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami. Forecasters warned that the tourist-popular coast of Central America and the Yucatan Peninsula should continue monitoring the situation as the maximum sustained winds decreased to around 45 mph (75 kph). For the next day or so, the storm system is expected to pack a gusty punch and deliver heavy rain, swells and flash flooding to northern Guatemala and southeastern Mexico, further weakening as it moves inland. Lisa slammed into the Sibun River just southwest of economic hub and former capital Belize City around 2120 GMT on Wednesday, uprooting trees, downing power lines and inundating streets. "It's very dangerous for us" because in Belize "it floods quickly, even with moderate rain," Jasmin Ayuso, a 21-year-old secretary, told AFP. A state of emergency was declared in two areas, while a curfew was in effect until dawn on Thursday. The northern part of Central America was on high alert as Tropical Storm Lisa hit. Some parts of Belize were left without power as the storm lashed the country of about 405,000 people. "BEL is aware of power outages affecting several areas of the country," the utility wrote on Facebook. "We assure the public that our teams are taking note of the reports of damages to the power system, including fallen power lines and poles." Schools and most businesses were closed in anticipation of the storm and the government set up several shelters. In Belize City and neighboring areas, local media showed weather-battered buildings, flooded streets and yanked out trees after Lisa landed. The storm is forecast to be further downgraded to a tropical depression by the end of the day before dissipating over Mexico. Evacuations in Guatemala The NHC said Lisa could drop up to 10 inches (250 millimetres) of rain in some areas of Belize, northern Guatemala and several states in southern Mexico. Hurricane Lisa approaches the Yucatan Peninsula on November 2. The Yucatan Peninsula, Honduras' Bay Islands and other areas of Central America were forecast to receive up to six inches of rain. In Guatemala, heavy rain caused flooding and landslides in the northernmost department Peten on the border with Belize. About 143 people were evacuated and 48 remain in a shelter, Oscar Cossio, secretary of the National Coordination for Disaster Reduction (CONRED), told a press conference. Schools in the north canceled classes. Lisa arrives not even three weeks after the passage of Julia, another Category 1 hurricane, which caused dozens of deaths in Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. Lisa is the 12th named storm this season, a designation given to systems that produce winds of 39 mph (63 kph) or greater, according to the NHC. Last year's active Atlantic hurricane season, which officially runs from June through November, saw 21 named storms. 2022 AFP This artists concept drawing shows how the Towed-Glider Air Launch System, or TGALS, would work. A business jet-class aircraft would tow a remotely piloted glider with a launch vehicle mounted underneath it. Once released at about 40,000 feet, the glider uses its own small rocket motor to execute a pull-up maneuver, releasing the launch vehicle for ignition at an elevated flight path angle. Credit: NASA A NASA-developed space launch system is attracting interest from companies that need to launch satellites in orbit. This same launch system could also develop high-flying, ultra-fast aircraft for national defense. The Towed-Glider Air Launch System, or TGALS, is a low-cost, flexible approach for putting satellites and other payloads into space. Developed at NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, Calif., the innovative TGALS technique uses a low-cost glider to carry rockets and release them at the optimum place in the sky. The TGALS technique uses a business jet-class aircraft to tow a remotely piloted glider with a launch vehicle mounted underneath it. Once released at about 40,000 feet, the glider uses its own small rocket motor to execute a pull-up maneuver, releasing the launch vehicle for ignition at an elevated flight path angle. After release, the glider returns to the airfield to be stored for the next mission. "I think one of the big selling points is the flexibility for launch windows and launch locations around the world," said Brian Boogaard, Technology Transfer Administrator at NASA Armstrong. "There's only a handful of rocket pads where you launch a rocket, but you could fly the TGALS system anywhere there's an airport. There's a lot of flexibility that comes with it." In addition to the launch flexibility, TGALS can carry launch vehicles that are 30% heavier compared to air-launched vehicles and 70% heavier than those using ground-based rockets. The system offers improved safety by not having an on-board aircrew in an aircraft attached to or near a potentially explosive rocket. NASA Armstrong researchers conducted proof-of-concept demonstration flights using radio-controlled one-third scale models of both glider and rocket. The tests included using a 27-foot- wingspan, twin-hulled glider home-built at NASA Armstrong and towed by the small DROIDfor Dryden Remotely Operated Integrated Droneunmanned aircraft. Researchers also conducted studies and simulations of a glider capable of carrying an 80,000-pound rocket. Transferring technology to American industry One company, Fenix Space, Inc. in San Bernardino, signed a licensing agreement with NASA to use the TGALS technology. NASA Armstrong is in talks with a second company also interested in the technology. While there is interest from private companies in licensing TGALS technology, it could be a valuable tool for the Department of Defense as it expedites its hypersonic research, said Ben Tomlinson, NASA Armstrong Technology Transfer Officer. TGALS could pair up with Sky Range, a program that uses high-altitude, long duration flight Global Hawk aircraft to provide telemetry for hypersonic research missions, Tomlinson said. Sky Range provides greater flexibility and reduced costs for hypersonic missions by replacing an aging fleet of ships deployed across the Pacific Ocean. "TGALS is a good marriage with Sky Range," Tomlinson said. "Now we can do cool stuff with hypersonic vehicles again. TGALS is a cost-effective way of launching hypersonic vehicles." NASA Armstrong has a long history of pioneering hypersonic research, including the X-15 rocket plane program of the 1960s in which one mission hit Mach 6.7 (4,520 mph). In the early 2000s, NASA Armstrong flew three 12-foot-long, uncrewed X-43 aircraft, with the final flight hitting Mach 9.6 (6,363 mph). At present, hypersonic testing is primarily done with rockets or by air launches with a highly modified B-52 bomber. "TGALS could be an alternate method of getting (hypersonic vehicles) to the range," said Craig Stephens, an aerospace engineer at NASA Armstrong. "It may be a simpler system to use. You may be able to have a bit more flexibility when you launch." Stevens worked on thermal structure testing of control surfaces for the X-37 spaceplane, a vehicle that hits speeds of nearly Mach 25 (approximately 19,000 mph) on re-entry. "In my opinion, we need to work in this area," Stephens said. "Other countries are definitely working on it and, in some regards, may be ahead of the United States in certain areas. It's a flight regime that we need to be working in, and be focused on developing test articles and increasing our knowledge and capabilities." Provided by NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center Following its launch no later than May 2027, NASAs Roman Space Telescope will survey the same areas of the sky every few days. Researchers will mine these data to identify kilonovae explosions that happen when two neutron stars or a neutron star and a black hole collide and merge. When these collisions happen, a fraction of the resulting debris is ejected as jets, which move near the speed of light. The remaining debris produces hot, glowing, neutron-rich clouds that forge heavy elements, like gold and platinum. Romans extensive data will help astronomers better identify how often these events occur, how much energy they give off, and how near or far they are. Credit: NASA, Joseph Olmsted (STScI) How do you pinpoint titanic collisions that occur millions or billions of light-years away? First, by surveying large areas of the sky. Second, by teaming up with observatories around the world. Scientists have been searching for kilonovae, when two neutron stars or a neutron star and a black hole collide and set off brief, but fantastic light shows as they merge. Such a collision can cause an enormous eruption that sends out bright cascades of light and ripples in space-time. How many brilliant eruptions like this occur across the universe? We don't yet know. Only a handful of kilonovae candidates have been detected to date. NASA's upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is set to survey the same areas of the sky every few days, which will help researchers follow up onor even pinpointkilonova detections and ideally set off a "gold rush" of new information. What happens when the densest, most massive starsthat are also super smallcollide? They send out brilliant explosions known as kilonovae. Think of these events as the universe's natural fireworks. Theorists suspect they periodically occur all across the cosmosboth near and far. Scientists will soon have an additional observatory to help follow up on and even scout these remarkable events: NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which is set to launch by May 2027. The key actors in kilonovae are neutron stars, the central cores of stars that collapsed under gravity during supernova explosions. They each have a mass similar to the sun, but are only about 6 miles (10 kilometers) in diameter. And when they collide, they send out debris moving near the speed of light. These explosions are also thought to forge heavy elements, like gold, platinum, and strontium (which gives actual fireworks their stunning reds). Kilonovae shoot those elements across space, potentially allowing them to end up in rocks forming the crust of terrestrial planets like Earth. The astronomical community captured one of these remarkable kilonova events in 2017. Scientists at the National Science Foundation's Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) detected the collision of two neutron stars first with gravitational wavesripples in space-time. Almost simultaneously, NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope detected high-energy light. NASA quickly pivoted to observe the event with a broader fleet of telescopes, and captured the fading glow of the blast's expanding debris in a series of images. But the players in this example collided practically in our "backyard," at least in astronomical terms. They lie only 130 million light-years away. There must be more kilonovaeand many that are farther flungdotting our ever-active universe. "We don't yet know the rate of these events," said Daniel M. Scolnic, an assistant professor of physics at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. Scolnic led a study that estimates the number of kilonovae that could be discovered by past, present, and future observatories including Roman. "Is the single kilonova we identified typical? How bright are these explosions? What types of galaxies do they occur in?" Existing telescopes can't cover wide enough areas or observe deeply enough to find more distant examples, but that will change with Roman. Spotting more, and more distant, kilonovae At this stage, LIGO leads the pack in identifying neutron star mergers. It can detect gravitational waves in all areas of the sky, but some of the most distant collisions may be too weak to be identified. Roman is set to join LIGO's search, offering complementary qualities that help "fill out" the team. Roman is a survey telescope that will repeatedly scan the same areas of the sky. Plus, Roman's field of view is 200 times larger than the Hubble Space Telescope's infrared viewnot as vast as LIGO's, but huge for a telescope that takes images. Its cadence will allow researchers to spot when objects on the sky brighten or dim, whether nearby or very far away. Roman will provide researchers a powerful tool for observing extremely distant kilonovae. This is due to the expansion of space. Light that left stars billions of years ago is stretched into longer, redder wavelengths, known as infrared light, over time. Since Roman specializes in capturing near-infrared light, it will detect light from very distant objects. How distant? "Roman will be able to see some kilonovae whose light has traveled about 7 billion years to reach Earth," explained Eve Chase, a postdoctoral researcher at Los Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico. Chase led a more recent study that simulated how differences in kilonovae ejecta can vary what we expect to observe from observatories including Roman. There's a second benefit to near-infrared light: It provides more time to observe these short-lived bursts. Shorter wavelengths of light, like ultraviolet and visible, disappear from view in a day or two. Near-infrared light can be gathered for a week or more. Researchers have been simulating the data to see how this will work. "For a subset of simulated kilonovae, Roman would be able to observe some more than two weeks after the neutron star merger occurred," Chase added. "It will be an excellent tool for looking at kilonovae that are very far away." Soon, researchers will know far more about where kilonovae occur, and how often these explosions occur in the history of the universe. Were those that occurred earlier different in some way? "Roman will allow the astronomy community to begin conducting population studies along with a slew of new analyses on the physics of these explosions," Scolnic said. A survey telescope offers enormous possibilityand also a ton of data that will require precise machine learning. Astronomers are meeting this challenge by writing code to automate these searches. Ultimately, Roman's massive data sets will help researchers unravel perhaps the greatest mysteries about kilonovae to date: What happens after two neutron stars collide? Does it produce a single neutron star, a black hole, or something else entirely? With Roman, we will gather the statistics researchers need to make substantial breakthroughs. Provided by NASA Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain The blue antelope (Hippotragus leucophaeus) was an African antelope with a bluish-gray pelt, related to the living sable and roan antelopes. The last blue antelope was shot around 1800, only 34 years after it was first described scientifically, making it the only large African mammal species to have become extinct in historical times. Now, a team of scientists led by the Museum fur Naturkunde Berlin and the University of Potsdam has succeeded in extracting the first nuclear genomes for this species from one of the rare historical specimens from the Swedish Natural History Museum and a 9,800- to 9,300-year-old fossil tooth from Iziko Museums of South Africa. The results of this study are published in Molecular Biology and Evolution. The fossil genome is now the oldest paleogenome retrieved from Africa. Prevailing environmental conditions in Africa, namely high temperatures, are detrimental to biomolecule preservation, making the retrieval of ancient DNA exceedingly challenging. "The genomes show that population sizes of the blue antelope were low since the end of the last ice age around 10,000 years ago and thereby also at the time when European colonists arrived in southern Africa during the 17th century," explains Elisabeth Hempel, paleogeneticist at the Museum fur Naturkunde Berlin and the University of Potsdam. The fossil record confirms a major decrease in the relative abundance of blue antelope specimens towards the end of the last ice age. "Despite their small range and low population size, blue antelopes survived through the last 10,000 years alongside a long human presence in the region. That is, until the arrival of European colonists and firearms, leading to the end of a species that may have already been struggling due to millennia of habitat loss and range fragmentation," says Elisabeth Hempel. A previous study by the same team showed that the blue antelope is one of the scarcest mammal species in historical museum collections globally, and studies to date have only succeeded in recovering relatively small portions of DNA (the mitochondrial genome). More information: Elisabeth Hempel et al, Blue turns to greyPalaeogenomic insights into the evolutionary history and extinction of the blue antelope, Molecular Biology and Evolution (2022). DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msac241 Journal information: Molecular Biology and Evolution Provided by Museum fur Naturkunde Berlin Credit: Chart: The Conversation, CC-BY-ND Source: Zachary Neal and Jennifer Watling Neal The aphorism "birds of a feather flock together" describes the fact that people tend to prefer associating with others who are similar to themselves. The phenomenon goes by different names: Sociologists call it homophily, psychologists call it in-group favoritism and political scientists call it affective polarization. It's observed in a wide range of demographic and social characteristics including sex, race, religion, age, education and political party. But what about parental status? Do parents prefer other parents? What about child-free people who don't want to be parents? Do these preferences even matter? Pronatalism, a set of beliefs and political policies that promotes and favors human reproduction, is common in many countries. Therefore, it's not surprising that people tend to have more positive attitudes about parents than they do about child-free people. For example, people generally perceive parents as kinder and more psychologically fulfilled than child-free people. Additionally, people express feelings of admiration toward mothers and feelings of disgust toward child-free women. However, these are general attitudes and don't tell us about how people feel about others who have made the same reproductive choices as themselves. That's why, in a 2022 study of 1,500 Michigan adults, we asked parents how they felt toward other parents and toward child-free people. We also asked child-free people how they felt toward other child-free people and toward parents. We found that parents strongly favored other parents, but child-free adults didn't necessarily favor other child-free adults. That is, parents exhibit in-group favoritism, but child-free adults don't. Measuring interpersonal warmth A "feeling thermometer" question is one common way to measure how people in one group feel about people in their own group or in other groups. This question asks a person to rate how warmly they feel toward a group on a scale from 0, or very cool, to 100, or very warm. For example, in 2017 the Pew Research Center asked people how they felt about members of their own religion and members of different religions. White evangelicals reported feeling very warm toward other white evangelicals, with an average warmth score of 81. Likewise, atheists reported feeling very warm toward other atheists, with an average warmth score of 82. This is evidence of in-group favoritism. At the same time, evangelicals reported feeling very cool toward atheists, with an average warmth score of only 33. Likewise, atheists reported feeling very cool toward evangelicals, with an average warmth score of only 29. This is evidence of what's called "out-group derogation"people dislike members of other groups. Credit: Chart: The Conversation, CC-BY-ND Source: Zachary Neal and Jennifer Watling Neal We used the same approach to compare parents and child-free adults, and discovered three important patterns. First, child-free people feel about the same toward other child-free people as they do toward parents. This was surprising because usually people feel warmer toward members of their own group, but we saw no evidence of in-group favoritism among child-free people. Second, parents feel much warmer toward other parents than they do toward child-free people. This is a classic example of in-group favoritismparents like other parents. Finally, both parents and child-free people feel about the same toward child-free people. This is important because it means that although parents really like other parents, they don't dislike child-free people. That is, we saw no evidence of out-group derogation. Does it really matter? Although these results weren't as extreme as comparisons between evangelicals and atheists or between Republicans and Democrats, they may still matter. In a related 2022 study, we surveyed 1,000 adults living in rural, suburban and urban areas throughout Michigan, asking them how satisfied they were with their neighborhood. We found that child-free adults were significantly less satisfied with their neighborhoods than both married parents and people who were planning to become parents. The strong in-group favoritism among parents might help explain why. Although we did not observe evidence that parents dislike child-free people, their strong preference for other parents could still lead them to inadvertently exclude their child-free neighbors. For example, when it's time to plan a neighborhood event like a block party, parents may be more inclined to recruit other parents to help. This could lead child-free people feeling out of place in parent and child-focused neighborhoods. When neighborhoods are focused on parents and children, as commenters increasingly suggest they should be, they are often described as being "family-friendly." As a result, there are websites offering advice about how to find a family-friendly neighborhood. However, these neighborhoods may be more friendly toward some types of families than others. With both fertility and marriage rates declining in the United States, the numbers of child-free people are likely to increase. As this new family type becomes more common, it's important to rethink who neighborhoods are for and what it means for a neighborhood to be family-friendly. But it also means rethinking other areas of life too, including workplace work-life balance policies and government tax credits. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Bernoulli shift maps are theoretically chaotic, but produces converging outputs when implemented in binary systems. While this can be avoided by perturbing the map's state space, the parameter tuning for best perturbation has no theoretical basis. Now, researchers from Japan provide this theoretical support underlying the optimal parameter values. (a) If = 0 is implemented (no perturbation), the output converges to 0. (b) If the perturbation is not large enough ( = 1/210), the output becomes periodic. (c) If is set to 5/210 using the proposed method in this study, the output does not converge. Credit: Prof. Tohru Ikeguchi from TUS and Dr. Noriyoshi Sukegawa from University of Tsukuba, Japan. Is it possible for a deterministic system to be unpredictable? Although counter-intuitive, the answer is yes. Such systems are called "chaotic systems," which are characterized by sensitive dependence on initial conditions and long-term unpredictability. The behavior of such systems is often described using what is known as a "chaotic map." Chaotic maps finds applications in areas such as algorithm design, data analysis, and numerical simulations. One well-known example of a chaotic map is the Bernoulli shift map. In practical applications of the Bernoulli shift map, the outputs are often required to have long periods. Strangely enough, however, when the Bernoulli shift map is implemented in a binary system, such as a digital computer, the output sequence is no longer chaotic and instead converges to zero. To this end, perturbation methods are an effective strategy where a disturbance is applied to the state of the Bernoulli shift map to prevent its output from converging. However, the choice of parameters for obtaining suitable perturbations lacks a theoretical underpinning. In a recent study in the journal Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Professor Tohru Ikeguchi from the Tokyo University of Science in association with Dr. Noriyoshi Sukegawa from University of Tsukuba, both in Japan, have now addressed this issue, laying the theoretical foundations for effective parameter tuning. "While numerical simulations can tell us which values of the parameters can prevent convergence, there is no theoretical background for choosing these values. In this paper, we aimed to investigate the theoretical support behind this choice," explains Prof. Ikeguchi. Accordingly, the researchers made use of modular arithmetic to tune a dominant parameter in the perturbation method. In particular, they defined the best value for the parameter, which depended on the bit length specified in implementations. The team further analyzed the output period for which the parameter had the best value. Their findings showed that the resulting periods came close to the trivial theoretical upper bounds. Based on this, the researchers obtained a complete list of the best parameter values for a successful implementation of the Bernoulli shift map. Additionally, an interesting consequence of their investigation was its relation to Artin's conjecture on primitive roots, an open question in number theory. The researchers suggested that, provided Artin's conjecture were true, their approach would be theoretically guaranteed to be effective for any bit length. Overall, the theoretical foundations put forth in this research are of paramount importance in the practical applications of chaotic maps in general. "A notable advantage of our approach is that it provides a theoretical support to the choice of best parameters. In addition, our analysis can also be partially applied to other chaotic maps, such as the tent map and the logistic map," highlights Dr. Sukegawa. With distinct advantages, such as simplicity and ease of implementation, the Bernoulli shift maps is highly desirable in several practical applications. And, as this study shows, sometimes chaos is preferable to order. More information: Noriyoshi Sukegawa et al, How to perturb Bernoulli shift map, Chaos, Solitons & Fractals (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.chaos.2022.112793 Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain The platypus is possibly the most irreplaceable mammal existing today. They have a unique combination of characteristics, including egg-laying despite being mammals, venomous spurs in males, electroreception for locating prey, biofluorescent fur, multiple sex chromosomes, and the longest evolutionary history in mammals. Platypuses are a threatened species in some Australian states and their conservation is of concern more broadly, due to known decline in their populations. A new study published in Communications Biology examined the genetic makeup of platypuses in free-flowing and nearby rivers with large dams in New South Wales. These included the free-flowing Ovens River, along with the dammed Mitta Mitta River, and the free-flowing Tenterfield Creek, along with the nearby Severn River regulated by a large dam. The study found that large dams are significant barriers to platypus movements. This was reflected in greater genetic differentiation between platypuses above and below large dams compared to rivers without dams. Importantly, this genetic differentiation increased over time since the dam was built, reflecting the long-term impacts of the dam. "We extracted the DNA from the blood collected by our Platypus Conservation Initiative researchers at UNSW. By using thousands of molecular markers, we were able to identify a strong signal indicating that genetic differentiation increased rapidly between platypuses below and above these large dams," said lead author Dr. Luis Mijangos, a former UNSW Ph.D. student who is now at the University of Canberra. Professor Richard Kingsford, Director of the UNSW Center for Ecosystem Science and one of the paper's authors, said, "This is a profound result with significant implications for platypus conservation. "We've long suspected that prey can restrict platypus movements, but this is the 'smoking gun.' These animals just can't get around big dams." This movement restriction of platypuses separated by large dams means there is limited or no gene flow between groups, making these separate populations increasingly vulnerable to threats. There is increased possibility of inbreeding depression, loss of adaptive genetic variation, failure to recolonize areas where local extinctions have occurred, and failure to disperse to areas with more suitable conditions. "We know that platypuses are declining in many parts of their range in eastern Australia, affected by many threats. This study identifies one of the main threats to this iconic species," said Dr. Gilad Bino, leader of the Platypus Conservation Initiative at UNSW Sydney and another author of the study. "There is still much we don't know about the ecology of the platypus, but given its international status as a monotreme, it is increasingly vital that we understand and manage the threats to this unique species." The authors recommend that water conservation and management planning should consider alternative approaches to large dams. These could include storing water in off-river reservoirs and implementing strategies to reduce the effects of dams, such as the artificial relocation of individual platypuses between groups above and below dams, or the construction of passage structures that increase dispersal. More information: Luis Mijangos, Fragmentation by major dams and implications for the future viability of platypus populations, Communications Biology (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-04038-9. www.nature.com/articles/s42003-022-04038-9 Journal information: Communications Biology Jared Kenworthy (left) and Paul Paulus. Credit: University of Texas at Arlington Two psychology researchers from The University of Texas at Arlington have published a new book about how innovative ideas emerge in individual and group environments. Jared Kenworthy, professor of psychology, and Paul Paulus, dean emeritus and former professor of psychology, are co-authors of the book, titled "Creativity and Innovation: Cognitive, Social, and Computational Approaches." They were joined by Simona Doboli, professor of computer science at Hofstra University, and Ali Minai, professor of electrical engineering and computer science at the University of Cincinnati. The book is part of the series Understanding Complex Systems and is published by Springer. It focuses on how creative ideas emerge from cognitive and social dynamics. In particular, it presents data, models and analytical methods grounded in a network dynamics approach. The authors discuss the process of innovation at a range of scales, from individual thoughts to small groups to large social networks. They also provide an introduction to experimental and computational methods for studying creativity. "It has long been hypothesized that innovation arises from a recombination of older ideas and concepts, but this has been studied primarily at an abstract level," the authors wrote. "In this book, we consider the networks underlying innovationfrom the brain networks supporting semantic cognition to human networks such as brainstorming groups or individuals interacting through social networksand relate the emergence of ideas to the structure and dynamics of these networks." Kenworthy and Paulus contributed four chapters on the cognitive and social processes involved in the various stages of the collaborative creative process, which include contributions from their computer science colleagues. Paulus noted that the book summarizes the empirical and theoretical advances of a research team that has collaborated since 2006. That team was brought together by Vincent Brown, a professor of psychology who began his career at UTA and was working at Hofstra University when he died in 2011. The book is dedicated to him. The team has consisted of cognitive and social scientists from UTA and computer scientists from Hofstra, the University of Cincinnati and Stony Brook University. Kenworthy joined the team in 2012 when he and Paulus merged their research labs. "Collaborative creativity and the subsequent elaboration and decision phases can be quite challenging," Paulus said. "We outline the bases for these challenges and ways groups can overcome them, including how to effectively tap diversity in collaborative creativity and tap and build on the most novel ideas." Kenworthy's research interests include both intergroup relations and group processes. Within intergroup relations, his interests include understanding the predictors of religious, ethnic and national prejudice as well as prejudice reduction. Within group processes, his interests include the predictors and consequences of ingroup identification, along with group coordination and collective creativity and innovation. Paulus' research has focused on group processes with an emphasis on the social and cognitive process of creative collaboration. Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain The latest developmental drugs, particularly for use in oncology, rely on the targeted degradation of harmful pathogenic proteins. In a recent study published in Nature Chemical Biology, researchers at CeMM, the Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, and the University of Dundee (U.K.) identify potential resistance mechanisms and provide insights on how to overcome them. Traditional targeted cancer therapies mainly rely on drugs that bind pathogenic proteins and inhibit their function. Newer drugs have advanced chemical molecules known as degraders, which force the targeted degradation of disease-relevant proteins. This method of targeted protein degradation is not only more efficient, but also better at overcoming potential drug resistance. For many years, CeMM Principal Investigator Georg Winter and his research group have been working on further developing this paradigm. Small-molecule degraders work like a glue by recruiting the defective, disease-causing protein to effectors of the cellular waste disposal systems, which are known as E3 ubiquitin ligases. This binding in turn kick-starts the degradation process of the defective protein. Alexander Hanzl, first author and Ph.D. student in the Winter Lab at CeMM, conducted a study to investigate which resistances can arise during the degradation process. He explains, "One challenge with degraders is that they have to bind two sites at onceboth the defective protein and a protein of our cell's own degradation system, the E3 ligase. It is therefore all the more important to understand the process of binding and ubiquitination in functional detail. Only then can future degraders be modeled in the best possible way." Results confirm clinically observed resistances In their study, the authors identified a variety of mutations on E3 ligases which mediate resistances in cell cultures. These include mutations already identified in patients whose therapy with degraders was unsuccessful. Georg Winter, who supervised the study, explains, "We tested a large number of different proteins and degraders. On one hand, we see that some mutations in E3 ligases prevent defective proteins from being recruited. At the same time, however, we see that some of these mutations exhibit high sensitivity to chemically modified degraders. Therefore, mutations can still be targeted by changing the chemical structure of the degrader. In other words, resistances can be overcome." This demonstrates that the results of this study can have clinical relevance as well. Increasing the reach of degraders A number of degrader drugs are currently being tested in clinical trials, and some are already available to patients, especially for various types of blood cancers. The increased understanding of resistance mechanisms enables further improvement of these types of drugs. "Traditional therapeutics that take the approach of blocking an isolated function of a protein only reach about 20% of our proteins. For the other 80% there are no suitable binding sites and as a result, they cannot be targeted. We see great potential in this new generation of drugs using targeted protein degradation to significantly increase the space of targetable proteins and potentially reach the remaining 80% of proteins," Winter says. The study results make an important contribution to the improved design of degraders. Cancer patients in particular could benefit from a clinical application of the findings in the future. Alessio Ciulli, professor at the University of Dundee, adds, "For the first time we have been able to examine at the molecular level how drug resistance emerges by virtue of these E3 ligase mutations. This is extremely important because these findings highlight the mechanism that can anticipate how a patient might respond to these drugs." More information: Alessio Ciulli, Functional E3 ligase hotspots and resistance mechanisms to small-molecule degraders, Nature Chemical Biology (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41589-022-01177-2. www.nature.com/articles/s41589-022-01177-2 Journal information: Nature Chemical Biology Provided by Austrian Academy of Sciences Woman and children gather at a tapstand at Batil refugee camp, in South Sudan. Credit: Syed Imran Ali Researchers from York University's Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research and Lassonde School of Engineering have revamped their Safe Water Optimization Tool (SWOT) with multiple innovations that will help aid workers unlock potentially life-saving information from water-quality data regularly collected in humanitarian settings. Created in partnership with Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), the free-to-use, open-source online platform has been shown to dramatically increase water safety for people living in refugee camps and has corrected major inaccuracies about proper chlorination levels that went on for decades. SWOT v2, to be unveiled at a virtual event on Tuesday, Nov. 8, builds on earlier research with advancements in the tool's machine-learning and numerical-modeling engines. A reimagined and redesigned user experience, and new functionalities, promise to give humanitarian responders much-needed assistance in situations where waterborne diseases are among the leading health threats. "Our first version of the tool was a prototype. What we've done in the past two years with user feedback and field learning is build a state-of-the-art web product," says team lead Syed Imran Ali, who is a research fellow at the Dahdaleh Institute and an adjunct professor at the Lassonde School of Engineering. "This is one of the first operational deployments of artificial-intelligence technology in humanitarian response." Ali and the rest of the team, who include machine learning lead Professor Usman T. Khan from Lassonde's Department of Civil Engineering, modeling graduate researcher Mike De Santi, Dahdaleh Institute director Dr. James Orbinski and field advisor James Brown, say these improvements are informed by real-life lessons gleaned from the field. Humanitarian aid workers face huge challenges supplying safe water to people affected by conflict or natural disasters, explains Brown, who has previously worked in camps managing the water supply of upwards of 40,000 people. "Working as a water engineer in crisis, you're providing water to people who are often extremely vulnerable, and it's your job to help protect them from all the health risks that exist in that kind of environment. It's so frustrating not having the information you need to be confident that the water you're delivering isn't yet another health risk," he says. "The motivation for all the work we've been doing to release the SWOT v2 is to help people make the best decisions and provide confidence that quality standards are being maintainedboth for aid workers and those relying on the water supply." The tool was born out of Ali's experience working with MSF as a water and sanitation specialist in refugee settlements in South Sudan. Despite following industry-standard guidelines for water chlorination, Ali and his colleagues were seeing that water was still unsafe in people's households during a large outbreak of hepatitis E, a serious waterborne illness that can have up to a 25 percent mortality rate among pregnant women. Muddy conditions at the Jamam refugee camp in South Sudan. Credit: Syed Imran Ali "There was a huge crisisend of the rainy season, flooding everywhere," Ali recalled. "So all these waterborne diseases were tearing through the camp." Through field research looking at how water quality behaves in refugee camps, Ali and his team discovered the chlorination guidelines used widely in the humanitarian sector were built on faulty assumptions. "No one had ever looked at the problem of what happens after the tap," Ali explains, noting that unlike most urban settings in the developed world, people in refugee camps must collect water from public faucets in containers and then bring it back to their homes where it is stored and used for many hours, introducing many opportunities for recontamination during this "last mile" of the safe-water chain. Building on the work initiated in South Sudan, the research team studied chlorination levels at distribution and in households in refugee camps around the world, and realized they could use this datawhich is routinely collected for monitoring purposesto model post-distribution chlorine decay and generate site-specific and evidence-based water-chlorination targets. They put these modeling tools on the cloud to create the SWOT v1 prototype and carried out a proof-of-concept study in a large refugee camp in Bangladesh. "We found that using the SWOT recommendations effectively doubled the proportion of households with safe water at around 15 hours compared to the status-quo practice," Ali says. While these results were very impressive, they did not account for all the various conditions water and sanitation workers could experience, Brown adds, which v2 factors in. They also did not account for taste. SWOT v2 not only promises to make water safer, but also find the optimal level where chlorine levels are high enough to protect people, but not so high that people will reject it. This is particularly important in parts of the world where people were previously used to sources such as high-quality spring water and are not accustomed to chlorine. "If people don't like the taste, they don't like the way it looks and smells, they're not going to use that source and they'll then go to a river or somewhere else that could be dangerous," Brown says. In future SWOT versions, the team hopes to include other water quality and health outcomes and look at how they could integrate more participation from displaced people themselves. While Ali says the tool cannot deal with the political roots of the refugee crisis, the practical need for SWOT is greater than ever. "The unfortunate fact of it is there's more people displaced now than there ever has been in human history," Ali says. "We see climate-linked disasters increasing in frequency and scalein particular, flooding crises, which are linked to a lot of waterborne illness. It is a very clear and present danger. People need solutions that work in the current context." More information: For background information, click here. To sign up for the virtual event launch on Tuesday, Nov. 8 at 11 a.m., click here. Hotspot basins (in orange and red), which are the most likely basins to experience severe social and ecological impacts due to limited freshwater availability. Credit: Xander Huggins When people use freshwater beyond a physically sustainable rate, it sets off a cascade of impacts on ecosystems, people and the planet. These impacts include groundwater wells running dry, fish populations becoming stranded before they are able to spawn and protected wetland ecosystems turning into dry landscapes. Developments in computer models and satellites have fostered a new understanding of how freshwater is being redistributed around the planet and have made clear the central role that people play in this change. This human impact is so significant that organizations like the United States Geological Survey are redrawing their water cycle diagram to include the impacts of human actions. Equally important to understanding how people affect freshwater availability, is understanding how people and ecosystems will respond to amplified freshwater challenges including drought, water stress and groundwater depletion. While these challenges impact localized sites, their impacts are scattered across the world. To address this global water crisis, global action is urgently needed. In our recent study, we identified the basins of the world that are most likely to be impacted by two central and interrelated aspects of water scarcity: freshwater stress, which occurs when the consumption of water surpasses renewable water supply, and freshwater storage loss, which is the depletion of freshwater in reservoirs or in groundwater bodies due to persistent overuse. Global basins impacted by water scarcity We identified 168 basins across the world that are the most likely to experience social and ecological impacts due to insufficient freshwater availability. These hotspot basins are found on every continenta clear indication of the widespread, global nature of these challenges. To identify these hotspot basins, we assessed patterns in freshwater stress and freshwater storage trends and compared these to patterns in societal ability to adapt to environmental hazards and freshwater-based ecological sensitivity indicators. The hotspot basins are most vulnerable largely because they are likely to experience social and ecological impacts at the same time. People and societies depend on freshwater ecosystems for drinking water, irrigation water, water filtration, erosion control, as cultural sites and for recreation. This means that ecological impacts of freshwater stress and storage loss double as social impacts through degraded ecosystem services. Managing vulnerable basins Hotspot basins are vulnerable as they are likely to face impacts such as low streamflow that harms aquatic biodiversity, reduced food security as agriculture is heavily reliant on freshwater supply, wells running dry and higher potential for social unrest. Reducing vulnerability in intertwined societal and environmental systems requires improved policy and management integration across sectors. Integrated Water Resources Management considers and balances social, ecological and hydrological sustainability goals by co-ordinating management across water, land and other related resources. Its inclusion in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal framework highlights its importance. Our research found that countries including Afghanistan, Algeria, Argentina, Egypt, India, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Somalia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Yemen have hotspot basins yet low implementation levels of much-needed integrated management practices. Prioritizing hotspot basins The location of hotspot basins across the world emphasizes the need for global and urgent action. Prioritizing regions based on their potential to experience social and ecological impacts can improve the effectiveness of global freshwater sustainability initiatives. Our study calculated how vulnerable all the basins in the world were to the social and ecological impacts of freshwater stress and storage loss. We identified the most vulnerable basins as hotspots for global prioritization. However, while we focus on the identified hotspot basins, this does not mean that impacts cannot occur in basins with lower vulnerabilities. For instance, only a number of Canadian basinsall located in the prairiesare identified with moderate vulnerability in our global study. Yet, dry streams on Vancouver Island, falling groundwater levels in the Lower Mainland, crop yields affected by drought throughout the prairies and potential for salt-water intrusion along the East Coast are all instances of freshwater security challenges being faced in Canada. With massive expansion planned for irrigated agriculture in Saskatchewan and increasing water scarcity across British Columbia, Canada's current (and enviable) position of being able to act proactively on water security challenges is rapidly shrinking. Global action starts locally While our study took a global focus, the approach of mapping vulnerability to guide priority setting can be applied at other geographical scales. For instance, this analysis could be refined and applied to Canada or specific provinces or cities using globally unavailable data that may be available for these jurisdictions. These insights could help boost urgency to act on the emerging national water crisis, aid the modernization of the Canada Water Act or help identify communities that would benefit most from water sustainability plans in British Columbia. While global studies, such as ours, are helpful at systematically highlighting regions for prioritization, they do notand should notprovide explicit solutions. Rather, in such intricate social and ecological environments, actions to reduce impacts need to be attuned to place-based social norms, cultural values, hydrological conditions and local knowledge systems. Our hotspot basins can help guide such community-driven local action to help conserve freshwater resources that are most under threat and mitigate the ripple effects of these threats on people and ecosystems. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Howard Carter, Ahmed Gerigar and King Tutankhamuns sarcophagus, opened three years after the tomb was discovered, in 1925. Credit: Wikimedia Commons On November 4, 1922, a young Egyptian "water boy" on an archaeological dig is said to have accidentally stumbled on a stone that turned out to be the top of a flight of steps cut into the limestone bedrock. The stairs led to one of the most spectacular archaeological discoveries in history and the only almost intact funerary assemblage of a pharaohthe Tutankhamun's tomb. A century after this discovery, it's worth revisiting the story of Tutankhamun's tomb and how it eventually became a symbol for Egyptian nationalism. The 'child king' Tutankhamun is often referred to as a "child king" and the "most famous and least important" of the pharaohs; he was almost unknown to history before the tomb's discovery. The son of one of the most controversial pharaohs in historythe champion of monotheism, AkhenatenTutankhamun ascended the throne around age six or so. After a rather uneventful reign of restoring temples and bringing Egypt out from a period of political and religious turmoil, he died sometime between the age of 17 and 19. The discovery of his tomb full of magnificent and unique objects is more than a story of treasures. This is also a tale of the "roaring 20s" in the Middle Eastern version: a story of a quintessential embrace of class, privilege and colonialism juxtaposed against struggle for political freedom and building of new national identity. Archaeology 100 years ago was very different. None of the three male protagonists behind the discoveryHoward Carter (the lead British excavator), Lord Carnarvon (the man behind the money), and Ahmed Gerigar (the Egyptian foreman)were formally trained as archaeologists. Despite this, Carter is now almost always referred to as an archaeologist, but Gerigar almost never isfurther entrenching colonial narratives. But Carter's three-decade-long excavation experience, draftsman's talent and his meticulousness, allied with the photographic aptitude of Harry Burton of Metropolitan Museum and the skills of the Egyptian excavators assured Tutenkhamun's tombthe only discovery of its type and arguably one of the most important archaeological finds everwas recorded in a systematic and "modern" way. Howard Carter examines Tutankhamuns tomb. Credit: Wikimedia Commons Howard Carter was a young painter who fell in love with Egyptian antiquities while following his father, also a painter, into the houses of London's elite to add drawings of pets to his father's portraits. In 1891, age 17, Carter was recommended as an illustrator to archaeologist Percy Newberry, and joined him at a dig in Egypt at Beni Hassan tombs. From this first trip to his death in 1939, Carter spent his life mostly in Egypt with short trips back to London to deal in antiquities, including those allegedly stolen from Tutankhamun's tomb. After Beni Hassan, Carter became an illustrator for one of the fathers of Egyptology, William Flinders Petrie in Tell el-Amarna, the capital of Tut's father Akhenaten. Carter then worked in Deir el-Bahari, the funerary temple of queen pharaoh Hatshepsut, located right on the other side of the limestone ravine known as the Valley of the Kings. It is here, on the western bank of the Nile I also trace some of my humble early experiences in Egyptology. Walking at dawn from our base at the Metropolitan Museum house in Deir, which Carter frequented, to the temple, I followed in his footsteps and mused on how lucky he was when the "water boy" stumbled upon a staircase to the tomb. That year, 1922, was supposed to be the last season after seven fruitless years of digging in the Valley in search of Tutankhamun's elusive resting place. After clearing the staircase, Carter found the doorway sealed with cartouchesthe hieroglyphs which enclose a royal name. He ordered the staircase to be refilled, and sent a telegram to Carnarvon, who arrived from England two-and-a-half weeks later. On November 26 Carter made a "tiny breach in the top left-hand corner" of the doorway. Carnarvon asked, "Can you see anything?" and Carter replied with his famous line: "Yes, wonderful things!" Opening the burial shrine in 1924, photographed by Howard Carter. Credit: Wikimedia Commons Across 3,000 years, about 300 pharaohs ruled ancient Egypt. All royal tombs had been broken into by thieves. The spectacular find of Tut's tomb was also not a fully intact discovery. The tomb had been looted twice in antiquity, and Carter estimated that a considerable amount of jewelry was stolen. But it is the only surviving almost complete funerary assemblage. Consisting of over 5,000 objects, only 30% have been studied so far. A story of its time Following Egyptian independence on February 28 1922 and the establishment of an independent Kingdom of Egypt, the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb became an optimistic symbol for Egyptian nationalists. After the initial documentation, the official opening of the tomb in early 1924 coincided with the inauguration of Egypt's first elected parliament. Despite the new independence, colonial attitudes continued. Lord Carnarvon sold the rights to the story of the discovery of Tut's tomb to the London Times for a significant sum. Given the delay of a couple of weeks with sending photos on the ship from Cairo to London, Egyptian newspapers and readers were only able to follow the unfolding discovery from reading delayed British press. This caused a lot of resentment among the newly independent Egyptians, especially the middle classes. Nevertheless, the discovery was very significant for nation building and new national post-colonial identity. Taha Hussein, a notable Egyptian philosopher of the time, coined a notion of "pharaonism". This unified national identity was supposed to transcend religious and ethnic differences between Arab, Muslim, Coptic and Jewish Egyptians. It remains a tool of propaganda to this daynotably with a parade of 22 mummies moving to a new national museum and a lavish re-opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum soon, where much of the treasures from Tutankhamun's tomb can be found today. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Pete Ryan of Middlebury College, Julia Boyles of the Vermont Geological Survey, and Klepeis get a close-up view of a rock exposure in Clarendon Gorge. Credit: Jonathan Kim, Vermont Geological Survey Keith Klepeis, Ph.D., professor of geology in the University of Vermont's Department of Geography and Geosciences, recently partnered with colleagues from the Vermont Geological Survey (part of the Department of Conservation), the State University of New York (SUNY) Plattsburgh, and Middlebury College to lead 30 hydrogeologists to see a PFAS groundwater-contamination site beneath Rutland Airport. The trip was part of the National Groundwater Association Conference hosted in Burlington in September. "Vermont, like all states, is facing a major PFAS groundwater-contamination crisis," Klepeis says, "and we got the chance to highlight what we are doing about it." PFAS stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, which are synthetic chemicals that are widely used and break down very slowly over time. PFAS chemicals are used in many kinds of consumer products, and exposure to them has been associated with adverse health effects such as increased risk of some cancers, thyroid disorders, and high cholesterol. Many PFAS, which can linger in the human body, are present at low levels in the environment, including drinking water, all over the world. Through the UVM-Vermont Geological Survey partnership (which also includes Middlebury College, SUNY Plattsburgh, the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, the Vermont Department of Health, and the Vermont Department of Transportation), Klepeis and his colleagues are working up a model of the contaminated Rutland bedrock aquifer that shows how the chemicals move in the subsurface. According to Klepeis, a large percentage of Vermonters get their drinking water from bedrock aquifers such as the one below Rutland. "We can use what we learn from this study to mitigate future PFAS outbreaks in the state," he says. Credit: University of Vermont During 2020 and 2021, Klepeis and the other researchers led numerous field trips with students to Rutland's Regional Airport and the nearby Clarendon Gorge to collect geologic data. "Even though we know the PFAS contamination problem is sourced at the airport and there are no exposures of bedrock at the surface to look at," Klepeis says, "we can see the bedrock that hosts the subsurface aquifer in the gorge, which borders the airport on its southern edge. This gorge provides a profile of what the subsurface aquifer of the airport looks like and we can use that to figure out what is happening." Klepeis says that one of the key points they learned through this research is that it is not enough to study just the groundwater itself. To get the full picture of how the chemicals move through the subsurface and create an accurate model, "you have to study everything the groundwater interacts with as well, including bedrock layers, soil, fracture networks, topography, surface water, etc.," he says. The other key point they learned is that this range of research requires a diverse team of experts. The researchers in the partnership cover all these areas and use every tool available, including drone surveys, data analysis, and measurement of geological features. Klepeis adds, "Each tool and area of expertise reveals an important aspect of the problem that we integrate into a model." The researchers wrote a paper describing the initial analysis of the contaminated bedrock aquifer, which they presented at the conference in September. They also have led many field trips for professionals and non-specialists to the site. Klepeis and the other researchers are hoping to use what they learned in Rutland to help them understand other contamination sites next year. "This problem isn't going away," Klepeis says, "so we have to learn how to track contaminated plumes in the subsurface and figure out how fast they migrate and in what directions to help us develop mitigation strategies. We can't prevent PFAS contamination with our modelsonly governments can do thatbut we can understand what happens to it, where it goes in the subsurface, and how we can minimize the damage and help keep towns and homeowners as safe as possible." Graphical abstract. Credit: Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Biomembranes (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2022.184012 The story of Candida auris starts in 2009, when a 70-year-old Japanese woman was admitted to the Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital. Something discharges from one of her ears, and the doctors routinely take samples of it with a cotton swab. They analyze the sample to find out what is causing the infection. It turns out that a yeast is at play, and it's different from other known yeasts. We are all familiar with baker's yeast, a friendly microorganism, which is used to make beer and bred. Candida auris and other Candida yeast species are very different; they cause harmful and persistent infections, which are difficult to treat with known antibiotics. Breakout in a London hospital Against all expectations, Candida auris turns out to be unusually stress-resistant. The discovery is so unusual that the doctors decide to describe it in a scientific journal; they name it Candida auris after the place where it was foundauris means ear in Latin. Since then, the yeast has spread to all continents. Patients are almost always weakened people, and cases are almost always recorded in hospitals. In 2015, for example, an acute infection with Candida auris ran out of control at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London. For three months, the staff tried everything to get rid of the infections, and finally they attempt a week-long spray attack. All surfaces in infected rooms were sprayed with hydrogen peroxide in the hope that the spray will reach all crevices and corners. The spray device ran for a week, and to test if any microorganisms have survived, a gel-coated plate was then placed in the middle of the room. If any micro-organisms have survived the week-long spray attack, they would be attracted to the gel and thus reveal their existence. Only one organism appeared on the gel plate. Candida auris. The first case in Denmark In 2022, a Danish person returns home from South Africa to be admitted to a Danish hospital. The person has several wounds that need to be treated, and the South African doctors have discovered Candida auris on the patients' skin. The presence of a fungus on the skin is not in itself dangerousit becomes so only when it enters the bloodstreambut the Danish hospital takes extra safety measures to ensure that Candida auris does not spread to other patients in the hospital: The patient is admitted to two rooms, so that there is also room for the equipment needed for examinations. This ensures that the patient does not have to be moved around to other departments. To get to the two isolated rooms, staff has to go through two locks. The patient recovers and is discharged, and over a 24-hour period everything is disinfected in the rooms and in the locks. Four cases in Denmark, so far The next patient admitted to one of these two rooms stays there for only five hoursbut that is enough for the patient to become infected with Candida auris in the bloodstream. "It is difficult to understand how this could happen," said Maiken Cavling Arendrup, professor and head of the Unit for Mycology, Statens Serum Institut in Denmark, who has followed the cases. To date, four cases of Candida auris have been registered in Denmark, all from 2022. The three cases are on the skin of people who have returned home from abroad, while the fourththe patient who was infected after five hours in the hospital roomwas infected in the blood. Both the three carriers and the infected patient have recovered. Need for better treatment "The problem with this yeast is that it is very difficult to kill. It is multi-resistant, and thus you risk serious infections that cannot be treated," said Maria Szomek from Daniel Wustner's research group, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. "There are many types of medicine on the market that can fight fungal infectionsincluding Candida auris. But they are becoming less and less effective, because Candida auris is extremely good at developing resistance, so the challenge now is to develop better medicines that work. This means medicine, which not only inhibits growth of yeast but actually kills any remaining yeast cells." Existing medicines against Candida auris and other yeasts with the potential to kill the cells are often based on so-called polyenes. Polyenes are a group of substances found naturally in certain bacteria as part of their inborn defense system. Polyenes can be extracted from the bacteria for medical use. Can we improve nature's own defense system? But, as Maria Szomek points out; the mechanisms by which the polyenes kill yeast are not very well understood. This, however, is essential for developing new and improved polyene-based drugs. "Therefore, we are working on understanding how nature's own polyenes work," Maria Szomek said. This work takes place in Daniel Wustner's research group at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. In their laboratory, the group uses advanced microscopy to study what happens to a yeast cell when attacked by polyenes. The group has teamed up with colleagues in theoretical and computational chemistry, Peter Reinholdt and Jacob Kongsted and is also working with two German research teams at Leipzig University and Humboldt University Berlin. Precision attack in the cell The researchers do not work with real Candida auris cells, but instead with harmless models, which they expose to polyenes from the fungicide Natamycin. "We are interested in things like: how do the polyenes get through the cell membrane? How do they bind to and interact with ergosterol, which is a subgroup of steroids and the target of the polyenes' attack," Maria Szomek explained. The group has described their latest study in Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA)Biomembranes. More information: Maria Szomek et al, Natamycin sequesters ergosterol and interferes with substrate transport by the lysine transporter Lyp1 from yeast, Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA)Biomembranes (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2022.184012 HUDSON FALLS A Hudson Falls man was sentenced on Friday to 2 to 6 years in state prison for possessing child pornography. Zachary Brashears-Stilwell, 24, was arrested in April 2021 after a police investigation determined that he had uploaded a video of a child having a sex with an adult to an internet chat room. Brashears-Stilwell had pleaded guilty in Washington County Court on Sept. 23 to a felony count of promoting a sexual performance by a child. GLENS FALLS Crandall Public Library will host a panel discussion about community newspapers and their future on Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. Former Post-Star Editor Ken Tingley will be joined on the panel by two of the newspapers most esteemed former editors, Mark Mahoney and Will Doolittle. The future of community newspapers continues to be a topic of discussion across the country, according to a library news release announcing the event. Studies have shown that in communities that have lost their newspaper or where resources have eroded, fewer people vote, taxes rise and there is less engagement in community events. Tingley, who was editor of The Post-Star in Glens Falls for 21 years, addresses the newspaper challenges in his new book, The Last American Newspaper. Of the book, the release states that Tingley pulls back the curtain behind the journalism and tells the stories of the men and women who did the work and made a difference in the community. More importantly, the stories show how newspapers make their communities better. The Last American Newspaper is a clarion call for citizens who are rightly concerned about who is going to do the kind of journalism needed in a democracy, former Post-Star Publisher David Stoeffler states. Tingleys account is a microcosm of the triumphs and challenges experienced by community newspapers in hometowns across the USA. Tingleys writing is as clear as his message. Tingley retired in 2020 after more than 40 years in the newspaper business. His first book, The Last American Editor, was published in 2021 and is a collection of columns from his years at the newspaper. Doolittle worked at The Post-Star in various editorial capacities for nearly 30 years and wrote an award-winning column before retiring in 2021. Mahoney was a veteran of 25 years at the newspaper and is currently the editorial page editor at The Gazette in Schenectady. He won the Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing while at The Post-Star in 2009. The panel will be hosted by former WNYT-TV NewsChannel 13 News Director Eric Hoppel. The panel recently appeared before a full house at the Saratoga Book Festival. Early voting in New York began in 2019, after former Gov. Andrew Cuomo amended the state law to allow for polling places to offer hours in the week before Election Day. In the first year, 256,000 New Yorkers took advantage of early voting. In Warren County this year, the Board of Elections is seeing a decrease in the number of voters participating in early voting that began on Oct. 29. A return to normal in a post-pandemic world could be to blame for the lack of interest in the county. Dustin Hall, Republican deputy commissioner of the Warren County Board of Elections, said as of 1 p.m. Wednesday, the county has had 2,149 early voters, 4.4% of the countys participating voters. Compared to early voting in 2020, we are seeing about 50% less in early voting turnout. Both major parties are fairly close when it comes to turnout, as well, Hall said. For example our first day of voting on Oct. 29 we had 554 voters. In 2020, our first day, Oct. 24, we had 1,113 early voters. Warren County residents can place their ballot early at the Warren County Municipal Center Human Services Building, 1340 state Route 9, Queensbury, or Glens Falls City Hall, 42 Ridge St., through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Polls opened in Washington County at noon on Wednesday and remained opened until 8 p.m. for the last day with evening voting hours. Starting on Thursday, the polls will only be open from 9 a.m to 5 p.m. daily until Saturday. Thomas Rogers, the Washington County Republican commissioner, said as of 5 p.m. on Tuesday, the county has had 748 early voters since early voting began on Saturday. Rogers said it is hard to compare year-to-year voting numbers because turnouts are heavily based on interest. It is like comparing apples and oranges, both the same and yet not. Elections are in a four-year cycle and the anchor this year is the governor race. So you compare it to the governors race of four years ago, which is not possible because there wasnt any early voting in 2018. Last year was local with no state or local races with barely 400 early voters in 2021, Rogers said. He added that interest is up in early voting and predicts a continued increase due to public interest in Washington County. Early voting is at the Board of Elections office, 1153 Burgoyne Ave., Fort Edward, through Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Saratoga County Board of Elections did not provide early voting numbers on Wednesday. The 113th Assembly District race provides a rare choice this election cycle between two moderates. Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner, D-Round Lake, voted against the recent state gun control law and received a B grade from the National Rifle Association, among other evidence of a moderate stance. Republican challenger David Catalfamo supports pro-abortion rights until the late term of a pregnancy, and supports raising the minimum age to purchase a semi-automatic weapon in New York to 21. Catalfamo, in questioning Woerners moderate credentials, has frequently said that Woerner has voted 94% of the time in line with Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, D-Bronx. She acts like a moderate, but votes like a New York City liberal, he said in a recent telephone interview. Woerner said statistics dont tell the whole story of her voting history. For example, Woerner said, she voted with the majority on legislation to allow people to purchase propane from an alternate supplier if their regular supplier is not able to deliver propane during a winter weather emergency. A constituent in Wilton had gone three days without heat because the regular propane supplier could not deliver, and New York law prohibited buying from an alternate supplier. I voted for that, and I think that every member of the minority voted against it, she said, Woerner said she also voted with the majority to pass legislation to extend the public notification period for closing an assisted living facility from 90 to 120 days, and legislation that requires hospitals planning to close to prepare a state Department of Health-approved closing plan. You have to look at everything, she said in a recent telephone interview. You have to evaluate the impact on your community, and thats what I do. Catalfamo, an economic development official and writer from Wilton, emphasizes his economic development experience and his work ethic. Woerner, a four-term incumbent, emphasizes her reputation as a problem-solver. A wide range of interest groups from business and economic development to labor unions have endorsed Woerner. Many of the same groups that endorsed her candidacy have endorsed state Sens. Dan Stec, R-Queensbury, and James Tedisco, R-Glenville. Catalfamo said interest groups tend to endorse incumbents because the groups want to influence politicians in power. Albany is about self-advancement and power, he said. I dont care about their endorsements, frankly. The environment has been the most distinguishing issue between the two candidates. Catalfamo is running television commercials criticizing Woerner for warning that there could be winter blackouts because of electrical shortages. Catalfamo said it seems hypocritical for Woerner to say that, considering that she voted in 2019 in support of legislation to develop a state Climate Action Plan to address global warming. Woerner said winter blackouts are a realistic threat without expansion of the alternative fuel vehicle industry. The electric grid is not yet sufficient to handle the surge if there is a universal switch from traditional gasoline and diesel fuel vehicles to electric vehicles. Woerner said thats why she co-sponsored bipartisan legislation to establish a standard for the percentage of carbon content in gasoline and diesel fuel sold in New York. Catalfamo has said the technology Woerner advocates is not practical for suburban and rural communities where residents depend on individual vehicles for transportation rather than subways and public transit buses. The 113th Assembly District, includes, in Warren County: the city of Glens Falls; in Washington County: the villages of Hudson Falls, Fort Edward and Greenwich, and the towns of Fort Edward and Greenwich; and in Saratoga County: the villages of South Glens Falls, Schuylerville, Victory, Stillwater and Round Lake, and the towns of Moreau, Wilton, Northumberland, Saratoga, Malta and Stillwater, as well as the cities of Saratoga Springs and Mechanicville. Election Day is Nov. 8. Early voting continues through Sunday. State Sen. Dan Stec, R-Queensbury, is helping fund the Republican effort to take control of the state Senate, even as he defends his own seat. Stec transferred $43,400 from his campaign fund to the Senate Republican Campaign Committee, the political arm of the Senate Republican Conference. The Republican Conference committee allocated $12,873 to supporting Stecs campaign, leaving $30,527 for the committee to support other Republican Senate candidates, according to reports that Stecs campaign and the conference committee filed with the state Board of Elections. Stec, who is running for a second two-year term, had $69,849 in his campaign fund, and Democratic challenger Jean Lapper had $16,280, with $24,000 in campaign debt, as of Oct. 24, the last full campaign finance reports before the election. Stec raised $13,356 for his campaign from Oct. 3 to Oct. 24, and spent $68,849, including the $43,400 transferred to the Senate Republican Campaign Committee. Stecs largest contributions during the period were $5,000 from Rich Air, the aviation company of developer Richard Schermerhorn of Queensbury, and $2,000 from Romeo Toyota of Glens Falls. The Public Employees Federation, a government employees union, contributed $500. Lapper, a certified public accountant and small business financial adviser from Queensbury, raised $12,709 for her campaign from Oct. 3 to Oct. 24, and spent $34,492. Lappers largest individual contribution was $1,000 from Amy Hogan-Moulton. The Warren County Democratic Committee contributed $3,500, the Clinton County Democratic Committee $1,000 and the Washington County Democratic Committee $650. The 45th District includes all of Warren, Essex, Clinton and Franklin counties, from Hudson Falls north in Washington County, a portion of St. Lawrence County, and a sliver of Hamilton County. Candidates file regular campaign reports twice a year, and more frequently directly before and after an election. The reports are required by state law, intended to provide transparency about who is supporting, and potentially influencing, candidates. The reports also provide an indication of how competitive a race might be. 44th Senate District In the 44th Senate District, state Sen. James Tedisco, R-Glenville, had $125,976 in his campaign fund, as of Oct. 24, and Democratic challenger Michelle Ostrelich $88,332, with $75,000 in campaign debt. Ostrelich, a Schenectady County legislator from Niskayuna, raised $76,829 from Oct. 3 to Oct. 24, and spent $49,904. Planned Parenthood of Empire State contributed $2,000 to Ostrelichs campaign and Planned Parenthood of New York City contributed $1,000. The campaign fund of Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, D-Yonkers, contributed $3,000, and the campaign fund of Deputy Majority Leader Mike Gianarris, D-Queens, donated $2,500 to Ostrelichs campaign. The International Union of Operating Engineers contributed $5,000, and the New York Nurses Association $2,000. Tedisco raised $16,804 from Oct. 3 to Oct. 24, and spent $9,233. His largest contribution was $1,400 from Helen Simpson Real Estate of Saratoga Springs. The Civil Service Employees Association, a government employees union, contributed $1,000, and the Greater Capital Association of Realtors, $1,000. The 44th Senate District includes all of Saratoga County and the city of Schenectady and town of Niskayuna in Schenectady County. 43rd Senate District In the 43rd Senate District, state Assemblyman Jake Ashby, R-Castleton, had $49,565 in his campaign fund, as of Oct. 24, and Democrat Andrea Smyth, a health care and political issues advocate from Troy, had $61,210, with $75,000 in campaign debt. Ashby raised $61,674 from Oct. 3 to 24, and spent $67,246. His largest contributions were $11,800 from the Realtors Political Action Committee of New York State, $5,000 from the campaign fund of state Sen. Joseph Griffo, R-Rome, and $3,000 from William and Miranda Liu of Albany. Smyth raised $64,825 from Oct. 3 to Oct. 24, and spent $83,901. Her largest contributions were $10,000 from Moreen McKee of Troy and $4,300 from Christian Smyth of New York City. PLEASE BE ADVISED: Soon we will no longer integrate with Facebook for story comments. The commenting option is not going away, however, readers will need to register for a FREE site account to continue sharing their thoughts and feedback on stories. If you already have an account (i.e. current subscribers, posting in obituary guestbooks, for submitting community events), you may use that login, otherwise, you will be prompted to create a new account. The opioid crisis has many ways to kill, including through preventable bacterial infections, according to a new report from the New Jersey Harm Reduction Coalition. We need to sound the alarm. We know these are preventable infections with the right policies in place, said Jenna Mellor, the coalitions executive director. The report stresses the need for more safe syringe exchange programs to provide sterile supplies, and for more compassionate treatment for drug abusers, who often avoid care when infections begin because of the stigma and the fear of going through drug withdrawal. The coalition looked at statewide hospital data for 2019 and found 7,310 hospitalizations and 283 deaths for injection drug use-related severe bacterial infections, accounting for 0.8% of all hospitalizations, and 15.2% of hospitalizations for patients with an injection substance use disorder diagnosis. The cost of such care exceeded $1 billion, the report said. The coalition calls that enough to fully fund at least two syringe service programs in every municipality in New Jersey. In 2019 statewide, 2,805 people died of drug overdoses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Justice Dept. signals it may allow safe injection sites NEW YORK A year after winning a major court battle against the opening of so-called safe i The coalition released the report, Preventable Harms: Injection Drug Use-Related Infections in New Jersey, on Wednesday via an online news conference, where members called for the state to open far more clean syringe access centers to combat such infections as well as HIV and hepatitis. According to the report, Atlantic, Camden, Cumberland, Essex, Gloucester, Mercer, Salem and Warren counties had the highest rates of per capita injection-related hospitalizations, with each having more than one hospitalization per 1,000 residents in 2019. Atlantic City Council has called for more needle exchange sites statewide in recent years. The city is the location of one of just seven clean syringe access centers in the state, and city officials have said all communities in the state must do their part rather than putting all of the onus on just a few cities. Thats one center for every 1.2 million New Jerseyans, said Michael Enich, primary report author, MD/PhD candidate at Rutgers University and trustee at the New Jersey Harm Reduction Coalition. Enich estimates each needle exchange site serves an area with about 8,000 residents who are nonprescribed injection drug users. In addition to more specific syringe sites, the group would like to see clean needles provided through the mail, and through medical providers and outreach vans, several report authors said. Murphy signs syringe access expansion bill Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law Tuesday a bill that gives the New Jersey Department of Heal Without access to harm reduction supplies such as sterile needles, skin disinfectants, and injection equipment, many people who inject drugs ... are at risk of painful and costly skin and soft tissue infections, the report said. These infections can escalate to other severe bacterial infections (SBIs) of the bone, blood, or heart such as osteomyelitis, sepsis, bacteremia, or infective endocarditis. Yet New Jersey does not consider such infections when evaluating public health metrics for people who inject drugs, according to the report, and that needs to change. Enich and others at the news conference said injection drug users fear going to doctors and hospitals for treatment because they worry about the stigma of their drug abuse, and about going through untreated withdrawal while getting care. Twenty percent of those treated discharged themselves against medical advice, Enich said. Black drug users were 1.5 times more likely to be hospitalized for such infections, indicating lack of earlier care to prevent them from worsening. Last year, Atlantic City Council unsuccessfully attempted to close the syringe access center run by the South Jersey AIDS Alliance, after being unable to negotiate moving the center out of the Tourism District. In response, the state Legislature passed a bill taking control over siting of the syringe centers out of municipal hands and gave it to the state Department of Health. Atlantic City needle exchange to remain open as lawsuit continues ATLANTIC CITY A judge on Thursday issued an order stopping the city from closing the local Gov. Phil Murphy signed the legislation in January, but no new syringe centers have opened. The Department is in the process of working with key stakeholders and finalizing the updated rules, Health Department spokesperson Nancy Kearney said in an email response to questions. There is a lot of work behind the scenes, Mellor said. It is my understanding we will see new programs opening very very soon. Mellor said legislation has been introduced to require pharmacies to sell clean needles to those who request them. Individuals are being harmed by the systems we have in place that do not adequately address these types of infections when they present themselves, said Dr. Amesika Nyaku, report author, assistant professor of infectious diseases at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and coalition trustee. There has to be a change in culture of medicine so no one feels if they are to present and need to access care they are going to be stigmatized or maltreated because of their behaviors, Nyaku said. The FBI said on Thursday it had received credible information about a broad threat to synagogues in New Jersey, a warning that promoted some municipalities to send extra police officers to guard houses of worship. The nature of the threat was vague. The FBIs Newark office released a statement urging synagogues to take all security precautions to protect your community and facility," but wouldn't say anything about who made the threat or why. The alert was posted after officials discovered an online threat directed broadly at synagogues in New Jersey, a law enforcement official said. The posting did not target any specific synagogue by name, the official said. The official could not discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. Messages left with the FBI's Newark office weren't returned. Public warnings about nonspecific threats against Jewish institutions, made by a variety of groups including Christian supremacists and Islamist extremists, arent unusual in the New York City metropolitan area, and many turn out to be false alarms. But the area has also seen deadly attacks. In Jersey City, Mayor Steven Fulop said police would be posted at the citys seven synagogues and foot patrols would be added in the broader Jewish community. In 2019, two assailants motivated by anti-Jewish hate killed a police officer, then drove to a kosher market in Jersey City and killed three more people, before being slain in a gun battle with police. Stockton University, Ventnor synagogue announce free lecture series Stockton University and Ventnors Shirat Hayam synagogue on Tuesday announced a free, yearlo Police officers armed with rifles guarded a synagogue one city over, in Hoboken, where the public safety director also announced increased patrols in Jewish communities. Five years ago, two New Jersey men were sentenced to 35 years in prison after being convicted for a series of attacks in 2012 that included the firebombings of two synagogues. They also threw a Molotov cocktail into the home of a rabbi as he slept with his wife and children. In 2019, a man stabbed five people at a Hanukkah celebration at a rabbi's home in an Orthodox Jewish community north of New York City, fatally wounding one person. U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, a New Jersey Democrat, said he was concerned and outraged by the latest threat against Jews. I am deeply concerned and outraged by todays alert from the FBI," Gottheimer said. This is what happens after years of antisemitic comments from public figures, he added, citing recent comments by Kanye West and a social media shared by NBA star Kyrie Irving. The FBI didn't release any information suggesting the threat that prompted the warning was related to the public debate over those comments. A New York man was sentenced to five years in prison Thursday in a hit-and-run that occurred last year in Seaside Heights, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said Thursday. Antwan McPhatter, 27, of Staten Island, also had his driving privileges suspended for six months as a result of his eluding charge and will spend 30 days in the Ocean County jail as a result of his leaving the scene of an accident involving property damage. McPhatter pleaded guilty to these charges Aug. 29. About 6:30 p.m. Aug. 19, 2021, Seaside Heights police responded to Blaine Avenue and the Boulevard for a report of a hit-and-run involving a 2015 Jeep Cherokee driven by McPhatter that crashed into an unoccupied vehicle and then fled, court records said. Officers attempted a motor vehicle stop when they saw McPhatter traveling in the wrong direction on Sheridan Avenue. As officers activated their lights and sirens, McPhatter sped away, ultimately traveling north on Route 35, records stated. Officers watched the Jeep make a right turn onto Beach Drive in Ortley Beach, then come to a stop at the end of Beach Drive but accelerate west toward Route 35. The Cherokee then sped through a stop sign, entered Route 35 and collided with a marked Seaside Heights police vehicle, records stated. McPhatter then struck a utility pole, which fell on top of the vehicle. He attempted to flee on foot but was arrested, records showed. Two officers were treated for minor injuries as a result of pursuing McPhatter. He had his blood drawn per court order and was later determined to be under the influence of alcohol and marijuana and deemed unfit to operate a vehicle, according to records. McPhatter has been in jail since. WILDWOOD A Maine man had the materials in his motel room to make a bomb, police said. Joshua Bailey, 33, of Brunswick, was charged with second-degree causing false public alarm after police searched his motel room and did not find a constructed explosion device. Police said they received a report of an unwanted guest at the Mango Motel on East Spencer Avenue at 8:37 a.m. Oct. 28. Responding officers spoke with a manager, who said Bailey was dropped off at the motel and rented a room for about a week. Guests informed officers that Bailey had made statements about building a bomb in his motel room, police said. A copper wire was found around his rooms doorknob, prompting police to retreat and evacuate tenants in nearby units, police said. Cars and pedestrians were also directed away from the scene. Homemade bomb materials were found inside but werent assembled into an explosive device, police said. Bailey was taken to Cape Regional Medical Center for a mental evaluation, police said Police did not say whether Bailey was in the room when it was searched, nor did they specify what types of materials were located. The Atlantic City Police Department Bomb Squad, Cape May County Prosecutors Office and Cape May County Sheriffs Office assisted Wildwood police. CAPE MAY In a city with fewer than 2,000 registered voters, four of the five seats on City Council are up for election, making it the lone municipality in Cape May County that could see a significant change in government in this election. But one of the candidates up for reelection said he does not expect to see a dramatic change in the city no matter who wins on Tuesday. I think the candidates that have the best opportunity to win are all level-headed people, said Shaine Meier, an incumbent seeking another four-year term. They all care about their town. The election is nonpartisan, meaning party affiliation is not listed on the ballot. Also on the ballot for three full four-year terms are Lorraine Baldwin, who is also an incumbent, Mark DiSanto, Clarence Lear and Maureen McDade. City Council member Stacy Sheehan decided not to seek another term this year. In an earlier interview, she declined to say why. Michael Yeager, who was appointed to council, is running for the two years remaining on his term. Former Council member Patricia Gray Hendricks is challenging him for the seat. Of the current governing body, only Mayor Zach Mullock does not have to run this year to keep his seat. In Cape May, voters directly elect the mayor, who serves as the council president and has a single vote on the five-member council. The day-to-day operations of the city are handled by the city manager. Mullock unseated former Mayor Clarence Chuck Lear in 2020. Mullock was a council member at that time, and had to resign from his council seat to serve as mayor. This year, Lear, 64, is running for a term on council. Lear is retired from the Cape May Police Department. He grew up in Cape May and said he and his wife, Karen, raised their three sons in the community. Lear cited several accomplishments in his term as mayor, including navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, celebrating the 60th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.s visit to Cape May and updating the citys master plan. There are important decisions in Cape Mays future. It is not a time to sit back and let someone else do it, Lear said. I promise to be your experienced, transparent, independent and accountable leader on City Council. In 2020, Lear and Hendricks ran as a ticket. This time, they are running separate campaigns. Middle Township program encourages young readers CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE October saw the return of Mr. Hermans Kids, a popular program that Were still friends. Its not like some big breakup, Lear said Tuesday. We each have our strengths. We felt it would be better for us each to promote our strengths in separate campaigns. Hendricks, who declined to provide her age, is a real estate broker challenging Yeager for the two-year term. She has a bachelors degree from George Washington University in political science and secondary education, and other certifications, including one from the municipal elected officials program at the Center for Government Services at Rutgers University, and another from the state planning board in municipal land use. She also served on the citys Planning Board and in other positions, and is a member of the Kiwanis Club. I felt strongly the voters of Cape May deserve to have a choice by voting for an experienced candidate for this council, she said. Many of the projects on the citys horizon are complex and transformative. My experience will enable successful outcomes for the taxpayers. Baldwin, 55, an incumbent, said she loves Cape May and wants the opportunity to continue to serve the city. I also believe much can be accomplished by bringing to the council a spirit of cooperation with the intent to get things done, she said. I am a representative of all the people, and I bring a balanced view on the issues. I also stand on my leadership abilities that have been demonstrated over the past couple of years in the city and the county. Baldwin has been married for 33 years, with two grown children. She works as a learning disability teacher consultant with the Ocean City school district and has bachelors and masters degrees from Rowan University and a postgraduate degree in education from Seton Hall University. Yeager, 69, holds a bachelors degree in mechanical engineering and a finance masters in business administration. He said he is semi-retired from his own business and volunteers as the finance chairman at the Corinthian Yacht Club. He said he wants to complete the term to which he was appointed. My campaign theme is Dedicated to maintaining Cape Mays character, he said. Yeager has four goals: to ensure Cape May does not adopt a redevelopment zone anywhere in the city; to ensure steady progress in the building of a new desalination plant to guarantee a future reliable water supply; to support the timely completion of the new station in a fiscally responsible manner, and to ensure the city implements flood mitigation efforts starting with the sea wall reconstruction at the east end of Cape May. McDade, 62, worked for more than 30 years as a senior health care executive, she said, including managing multimillion-dollar budgets. She is the president of the Village Greene Civic Association and active in the Cape May Taxpayers Association and other organizations. She came to Cape May as a child, and she and her husband retired to the community. AT&T outage temporarily shuts down early voting in Atlantic County All seven early voting sites around Atlantic County lost internet and the ability to functio I decided to run because I believed that my professional experience and personal perspectives would be of value to the current administration, she said. As a council representative I pledge to represent both the residents and businesses of the community, to work to preserve the unique characteristics that make Cape May what it is, ensure that the future landscape of the city considers the quality of life of its residents and employ sound business judgment when determining the use of taxpayer dollars. Meier, 37, has worked for years as a butcher and said he is looking for a new job. He received an associates degree from Atlantic Cape Community College, saying his first day there was when they first opened the Cape May County campus, and began working on a bachelors degree at Stockton University when he got elected. He plans to finish that degree. Meier was born in California and raised in Cape May. My dad was in the Coast Guard, he said. He has been involved with the 4-H Club and with scouting, he said. He said he wants to be reelected to continue to work on the multiple projects the city has underway. DiSanto, 61, is a boat captain who said he has led fishing excursions throughout the East Coast and beyond, describing himself as home ported in Cape May for decades. Cape May City Council needs a captain on council representing the boating community, he said. He called for a new focus on the future of Cape May. Cape May has to keep her chin into the wind. The winds of change are here. The wind will change the course of history. Cape May is like a ship without a rudder and cant find its way. MAYS LANDING Special education classrooms in Brigantine, Northfield and Egg Harbor City are getting visits from a police officer from their respective departments as a way to strengthen police interactions with special needs children. Over two sessions, one in October and another in March, the Atlantic County Special Needs Registry School Outreach Program will get students in those classes firsthand experience with police, the Atlantic County Prosecutors Office said Thursday in a news release. The Prosecutors Office is partnering with the schools and police departments on the program. Between 10 and 15 special education students in grades 5-8 will have an officer help teach and work with them. Each school will have one 45-minute session per week for six weeks, the Prosecutors Office said. After both sessions are finished, the students will receive a certificate and a trip to the local police station for lunch with the chief and a tour, the Prosecutors Office said. Police are launching the program as a way to expand their resources for skills training, especially in interactions with children with disabilities, the Prosecutors Office said. The program also will create open lines of communication between police and the students with whom they interact. Maybe you remember her? The Moorestown art teacher who wore a button-down gray dress for 100 days to make a point about sustainability and social acceptance? Now, Julia Ranson Mooney has left her South Jersey classroom and moved her social activism to a new venue as the owner of My Fair Trade Lady, a quaint boutique and gift shop on Station Avenue in Haddon Heights. Mooney wants to use the store to promote fair trade in a global market and support local vendors and businesses abroad. She hopes her experience as an educator allows her to show others how to support businesses ethically and sustainably the basic principles of fair trade. Our consumer habits are out of control, said Mooney. Mooney grabbed international headlines in 2018 when she wore the same dress for 100 consecutive days. She wanted to send a message to students and fellow teachers at the William Allen Middle School in Moorestown about eco-sustainability and image. Her campaign went viral, and she attracted thousands of Instagram followers. Some students and fellow teachers joined the campaign. Her husband, Patrick, a history teacher at Moorestown High School, wore the same blue shirt and khaki pants to support her. Mooney still owns the infamous dress that was seen in news reports worldwide, since altered to add a new bottom and top to create two outfits. However, she no longer wears them. I wore them enough, she said with a laugh. When she recently handed in her notice ending a 14-year teaching career, Mooney described the moment as bittersweet, but she believed it was time for a change. Her last school day on Oct. 20 coincided with her 39th birthday. There were just too many barriers, Mooney said of teaching. The public schools are a hard place to be now. Its a lot of work with no respect. Mooney said she jumped at the chance to purchase My Fair Trade Lady from its original owner, Donna Gottardi, a retired Rutgers University sociology and anthropology professor who started the business nine years ago. She obtained a small business loan from the Cooperative Business Assistance Corp. and took over Oct. 24. I didnt plan to buy this store. I thought it was a long shot, Mooney said. Then the stars lined up and it worked out. Dragon Boat paddlers embark on battle against cancer MAYS LANDING Fighting cancer can be an upstream battle, but a community flew out in force Gottardi, 57, who also taught at St. Josephs University, said she has long had an interest in fair trade. She took students to Latin America for social justice work and taught in Ecuador. Although the store remained financially stable during the pandemic, Gottardi said she decided to put the store up for sale in February to pursue her next great adventure, which she hasnt figured out yet. She spent months seeking potential buyers and was happy to reach an agreement with Mooney. It wasnt an easy decision, said Gottardi, who lives in Haddon Heights. Im just glad it was a nice place for her to land after teaching. At first, Mooneys husband, a teacher for 18 years, was reluctant for her to leave the profession, but he eventually came around. The couple, with three children ages, 6, 8 and 16, follows an eco-sustainability lifestyle at home, too. I felt bad for the [students] she was going to be leaving, said Patrick Mooney, 42. But this just seems like its right up her alley. Shes always doing things that pull her through meaningful work. All of the merchandise in the store is Fair Trade Certified, including colorful clothing, jewelry made in Guatemala, coffee, tea and hand-crafted quilling cards made in Vietnam. Some items are displayed on repurposed furniture, even a wooden ladder turned sideways to hold bars of soap. Some of the items come from Ten Thousand Villages in Philadelphia, a retailer that offers fair trade crafts and housewares from Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. Under fair trade practices, businesses partner with farmers and craftspeople, especially in developing countries, to help them find markets for their goods. Fair trade advocates for paying people fairly and promptly, demanding safe working conditions, maintaining environmental stewardship and providing cultural respect. Maybe our goal shouldnt always be about making a buck, said Mooney. Maybe it should be balancing the good in society for all of us. Located on a busy thoroughfare in the Camden County community, My Fair Trade Lady has a loyal customer base. On a busy recent afternoon, a steady stream of customers stopped in to browse. Some were surprised to meet the new owner but still welcomed Mooney. I think its very nice. Ill be back, said Marcie Lehman, 87, of Barrington. Top Chinese political advisor reiterates need to study key CPC congress Xinhua) 08:38, November 03, 2022 Wang Yang, chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, presides over the closing meeting of the 24th session of the Standing Committee of the 13th CPPCC National Committee, Nov. 2, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling) BEIJING, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Wang Yang, China's top political advisor, at a Wednesday meeting reiterated the necessity of studying and implementing the guiding principles of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. Wang, chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, made the remarks while presiding over the closing meeting of the 24th session of the Standing Committee of the 13th CPPCC National Committee. Wang called on members of the CPPCC to comprehend and implement the guiding principles of the congress in full, and to get a solid grasp of the new ideas, affirmations, plans and requirements the congress has put forth. He also urged efforts to improve the CPPCC's functions as a specialized consultative body, and enhance its capability to offer suggestions, build consensus and enhance unity. A resolution on the study and implementation of the guiding principles was adopted at the meeting. (Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Liang Jun) Dine and Drink In 1999, Learn To Homebrew Day was established on the first Saturday in November by the American Homebrewers Association to promote the rewarding and delicious activity of homebrewing. This Saturday, Blue Cat Brewing Company in Rock Island will celebrate the 24th annual Learn to Homebrew Day beginning at 11 a.m. Beer lovers can come learn all about the basics of brewing from a real brewmaster and see a live home brewing demonstration. Just For Fun The Mississippi Valley Blues Society and the Catfish Jazz Society will welcome Adrianna Marie and Her Groovecutters Band to the Viking Club in Moline on Sunday. Described as sophisticated, sultry, and playful, Adrianna Marie knows how to put the jazz in blues and the blues in jazz. Doors open at 1 p.m. with the show at 2 p.m. Tickets are $10 and available at the door for this all-ages show. for more information, visit https://www.mvbs.org. On A Date The Black Box Theatre in downtown Moline will roll out the baby carriage when they present, "Motherhood: The Musical," beginning on Thursday. Having a baby is just the beginning. Motherhood is for life and during this original play four women share insights, challenges and pleasures of being a mom during a baby shower. The show features a funny, yet loving look at being a mom at any age. The show runs from Nov. 3-12. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sunday. Ticket prices $16 and can be purchased online at theblackboxtheatre.com or at the door. With the Family What are two things that start with a "T" and are fun, colorful and creative? Turtles and tie-dye! Families can join Iowa 4H AmeriCorps educator, Megan, on Saturday to learn about different Wapsi River Center turtles and have fun creating a tie-dye creation. Participants should bring material to tie-dye. Material can be a t-shirt, a bandana, socks or anything else. Dye will be provided as well as tips about easy ways to make natural dye at home. The fun starts at 10 a.m. at the Wapsi River Environmental Education Center, 31555 52nd Ave., Dixon, Iowa. Registration for this free event is limited and required by calling 563-328-3286. In Real Time Fall weather calls for a shopping trip at the Fall Antique Spectacular Vintage Market to be held this weekend at the QCCA Expo Center, 2621 4th Ave., Rock Island. This annual fall antique and vintage market will feature a sold-out line up of outstanding vendors with antiques and vintage items galore. The center will be overflowing with a wonderful variety of fine antiques and vintage collectibles for sale. Featured will be select antique vendors with unique merchandise from around the world including furniture, art, pottery, stoneware, books, prints, primitives, jewelry, silver, antique glassware, American Indian items, china, postcards, coins, quilts, dolls, toys, advertising, marbles, vintage textiles and period pieces. Show hours are 4-8 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $8 with free parking. For more information or to print a $1 off coupon, visit www.antiquespectacular.com. Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza is calling on lawmakers to pass during the veto session a measure that aims to ensure timely pay for families of fallen first responders and armed-forces members. Surrounded by local police, firefighters, EMS personnel and elected state and local officials in Moline Wednesday, Mendoza detailed House Bill 5785, which aims to ensure timely compensation is given to the next of kin of those who perish in the line of duty. The bill would ensure a continuing line of funding is available without disruption, so there is no delay to the families. "It's so crucial to remember that this legislation is about real people, about real heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice," Mendoza said. She recalled the first time she became aware of the need for the legislation in late spring, during the annual Illinois Police Officers Memorial in Springfield, where 11 fallen officers were honored and remembered. Mendoza said she was approached by Tammy Pierce, who said she was waiting for benefits for her son, Brian Pierce Jr., an officer for the Illinois Brooklyn Police Department, who died in the line duty in August 2021. The state's Line of Duty Compensation Act currently provides benefits for families of law enforcement officers, firemen, paramedics, and other first responders killed in the line of duty. But the funding for the benefits sometimes is exhausted prior to the end of a fiscal year, requiring the legislature to approve additional appropriations. The legislature commits $5 million annually to families who lose a loved one in the line of duty. State Rep. Mike Halpin, D-Rock Island, said passing the legislation is a bipartisan effort and that the last thing the legislature wants is for a family to not receive an award that they are entitled to after losing a loved one. "This is really, for me, a no-brainer," Halpin said. "No family should have to go through this and, with this legislation, we can get this passed." The bill would allow Mendoza's office to receive financial assistance immediately, rather than waiting for approval by the legislature. David Johnson, treasurer of the Illinois Concerns of Police Survivors, COPS, lost his brother, Rock Island Auxiliary Officer Todd C. Johnson, in 1993. He said Illinois COPS will, "support any and all legislation that benefits the family members with fallen police officers who gave the ultimate sacrifice in protection of others." Chuck Sullivan, president of the Associated Firefighters of Illinois, Fire Chief John Swan with the Colona Fire Protection District, and Moline Mayor Sangeetha Rayapati also spoke at the Wednesday news conference by Mendoza, saying they support the measure and want to see it pass during the November veto session. The Associated Firefighters of Illinois represents over 15,000 firefighters and paramedics in 225 communities across the state. The bill was filed in August and could pass during the upcoming veto session or the lame-duck session in January before new lawmakers are sworn in for the next general assembly. Just when the fishing begins to heat up in the Black Hills area, what has been awesome autumn weather, albeit a little windy at times, is going to take a noticeable drop off next week with temps dropping into the 40s. Were that not enough, snow flurries are mentioned as a possibility as well. Clearly a glass half full or empty depending upon ones perspective as the cooler temps and corresponding cooler waters typically go hand-in-hand with an uptick in fishing activity. As for the positive, walleye activity has picked up lately in Angostura and Orman adding to what has been a solid trout and panfish bite that has been active in Black Hills area streams and higher elevation lakes, situations that should continue while temperature remain above freezing. Another expected bite has also materialized as northern pike activity has gathered steam in Pactola and Sheridan Lake as well as Deerfield Reservoir. For outdoor sportsmen who like double-barrel action of a sorts and dont mind traveling a few miles to experience, another blast and cast weekend may be on tap in Central South Dakota. And perhaps the possibility of landing a state record walleye as a near record 16.11-pound specimen was caught in Lake Oahe last week. All in all, lots of possibilities, and as for the dip in temperatures accompanying, hardly a blip on the radar for die-hard anglers. Angostura Reservoir: Walleye activity has picked up with most of the action coming on minnows and jigging raps in about 20 feet of water. Also, the crappie and smallmouth bass bites remain steady in shallows and weedy areas. Lures and spinners along with minnows and powerbait have been working best. Belle Fourche Reservoir (Orman): Walleye continue to chase the numerous shad in the lake and anglers locating those schools are catching fish on minnows and powerbait. Some white bass and catfish action as well. Boat docks were still in place at mid-week. Black Hills Area Lakes and Streams: Most higher elevation lakes are producing trout activity, particularly during midday hours when temperatures are more amenable. Trout bite remains steady in Rapid, Castle and Spearfish Creeks. Hoppers and terrestrials are working well. And there are some dry fly opportunities on warmer afternoons. Deerfield Reservoir: Trout and perch activity can be expected. And northern pike should be putting on the feed bag as well. Minnows, spinners and flies are working best for trout and perch while northerns typically respond to large minnows and chubs. Keyhole Reservoir: A nice walleye bite in progress. Fish are being caught in extremely shallow water on minnows. Pactola Reservoir: Northern pike bite has improved considerably. Jenney Gulch and other bays are the spots of choice. Elsewhere, rainbow trout and crappie action continue, particularly in the south marina area though north side of the lake has had its moments. Fish have been responding to leeches, worms, and spoons and cowbells. Sheridan Lake: Northern pike have become more active along Hwy. 385. Chubs and minnows have been working best. In the main lake, trout and crappie and bluegill are being taken on a variety of presentations. Lake Oahe: Walleye activity remains steady, and as indicated above, some nice-sized fish are being caught as evidenced by the 16.11-pound specimen caught in Stove Creek Bay last week. Excellent up north while Gettysburg and Spring and Cow Creeks areas, though slower, are producing fish as well. Minnows, jigs and bottom bouncers worked in 10-20 feet of water has been working best. And for those seeking a little blast and cast action, opportunities still abound. Lake Sharpe: Angling numbers are down though boats are out and walleye being caught. Fish are typically small however and sorting required. Farm Island area has been productive. Fish are shallow10 feet or lessand responding to minnow and plugs or minnow with bottom bouncer or jig. Smallmouth bass have been active as well. Lake Francis Case: Walleye activity has been inconsistent though some nice-sized fish15-18 inchesare beginning to show up. Pulling crankbaits and minnows in 10-16 feet of water is working best. Fish are typically small and sorting generally required. Larger fish have been showing up farther south in the Platte area though bite is inconsistent. Notable Events (particularly for ice fishermen) The 14th annual Dakota Angler Ice Fishing Institute (billed as the 2nd largest ice fishing show in North America) is scheduled for November 11-13 at the Sioux Falls Arena. Dakota Angler & Outfitter, 513 Seventh St., Rapid City; The Rooster, 1441 W. Main St., Rapid City; Wheel in Bait Shop, 18696 Fishermans Road, Fruitdale, and West Prairie Resort, 28354 182nd, Pierre (605-264-5303) have contributed to this report. A sleek, droplet-shaped emblem of a job well done, inscribed with the words South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs Outstanding Veterans Service Officer of the Year Award 2022, sits tucked into the corner of a small wooden table in front of the desk of Pennington County Veterans Service Officer Lee Borries but what surrounds the award tells the real story. The awards unassuming display, flanked more prominently by informational brochures, business cards and veterans resource material, is indicative of a broader approach Borries takes to his work. The award is nice, but the real validation comes from the veterans he serves. Borries, in his second year as a veterans service officer, sees his position as an opportunity to help veterans navigate a complex and often convoluted system, but also an opportunity to listen. A 21-year veteran of the United States Air Force, Borries brings veterans a level of relatability, but also a humble dose of lessons learned. Borries grew up in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, where his grandfather whom Borries never met -- had been stationed in the Air Force. Raised by a mechanic and a teacher, Borries said he was good with his hands and joined the Air Force six months out of high school as a mechanic. Assignments took him to Rapid City, Missouri and eventually back to Rapid City, where he retired in 2020 and entered the maze of post-military life. He described his transition as rocky, taking everything on his own. He went through the VA, without the assistance of a VSO. I am a perfect example of things not to do when you get out of the military, he said. I messed up quite a bit, but this position showed me what I needed to do to rectify that. And I think thats good, because it benefits other people. While Borries military and transition experience lent themselves to a future with the VSO, the seed was planted when he participated in a transition assistance program while still on active duty. Perhaps the biggest influence, however, was a visit from a Pennington County VSO, who gave a 30-minute presentation on available benefits. I thought that might be a cool job, Borries said. Fast forward about a year after his retirement from the Air Force, and a position opened up in the Veterans Service Office. He applied, and out of some 40-45 applicants, the rest is history. That was kind of shocking, he said, but he was also confident in what he could bring to the position, and fellow veterans. In addition to his military experience, he brought people skills obtained serving as an instructor. He learned to read a room, he said, read people and understand what he needed to do to make the most out of a conversation. For many veterans that come through Borries doors, they have never been listened to before, he said. Theyve never had someone say, Im here for you, to help realize your goals. And sometimes thats the most important (thing), Borries said. The position is part claims adjuster, part salesman and part therapist. Borries said the bulk of their work consists of disability compensation applications for VA healthcare, survivor benefits, burial allowance processing, dependency and indemnity compensation for survivors of veterans that passed from a service-connected disability. They facilitate the entire process, Borries said. We spend the time necessary to get to know them. Not only one-on-one, but understand what theyve experienced through their military career and maybe give them ideas of something that theyve never thought about, he said. Finding commonality and listening are paramount to Borries approach. While he brings relatability as a veteran, the nuances of different military branches, different military experiences and different perspectives make Borries an eternal student. Treat them with respect, treat their situation with respect, dont dismiss anything. Find a common bond and work together for a common goal, he said. The efforts of the VSO office often trickle down to the veterans relationships, quality of life and even lasting friendships. Borries said he sees lives impacted profoundly and a lot of tears on a regular basis. He told stories of veterans struggling to make ends meet, only to find out after a visit to the VSO they no longer had to work. Borries said appointments can last anywhere from two to three hours and are usually backed up two to three weeks. He acknowledged the wait can be frustrating, but once theyre in the room, it makes all the difference. It's not like when I went through and I made my disability claim, and a VA guy came in and says, 'okay, what's your list' and I gave him the list, he's like, 'okay, have a good day,'" he said. "We're getting to know them, listen to their story, talking back and forth and pulling information out of them that can benefit them. While reluctant to dwell on it, Borries dedication to veterans is exactly why he was recognized by the South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs earlier this summer. Borries learned of the award at SDDVAs annual benefit conference in mid-August, surrounded by hundreds of people and more than 50 VSOs. Hamburger in hand, hearing his name announced was the last thing he expected. In fact, he thought he was disliked. Im very aggressive when it comes to the veterans, and sometimes that ruffles feathers, Borries said. That aggression, which Borries described as not taking no for an answer and demanding accountability on behalf of his veterans, is exactly what Greg Whitlock, secretary of the South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs, said they want. I just didn't think they thought very highly of me. But you know, ultimately, it's for the best for the veteran. So it was surprising. It really was and I didn't expect it, Borries said. The award, while nice, will not change his approach, he said. For every veteran, its the same level of care, which is the best that I can give, he said. Pennington County currently has three VSOs serving the approximately 14,000 veterans of Pennington County Borries, Tom Vallette and Heather Funk. The office added its third position earlier this year, on the heels of a record-breaking month for the office. We just keep breaking our record every month," Borries said. He hopes the growing numbers might, in part, represent successful outreach efforts with more veterans being made aware of their services. If it just reaches one person and it has a profound impact on their life, then its worth it, Borries said. For more information about the Veterans Service Office, or for those wishing to speak to a Veterans Service Officer, call 605-394-2266 or visit pennco.org/veteransservices. A federal jury on Friday found a Pine Ridge man guilty of first-degree murder and discharge of a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence for shooting a man in the back of the head. Before shooting Sloane Bull Bear, 30, Colton Bagola, 29, told someone he "needed to take a soul," according to an affidavit supporting his arrest. The murder charge carries a mandatory life sentence and/or a $250,000 fine. According to Journal archives, a woman called 911 and said people had gathered at an apartment in Pine Ridge to drink. She said she and Bull Bear arrived just after midnight, and Bagola and a man she didn't know arrived 10 to 15 minutes later. She said Bagola kept staring at her, and Bull Bear asked if she was ready to leave. She said she heard a "pop" as they walked out the door and Bull Bear ended up on the ground, snoring. She said she saw Bagola and another man run away from the apartment, and she left to go to a friend's house. She said the resident of the apartment where Bull Bear was shot was also at this friend's house, and he told her that Bagola had told him he had a .38 caliber handgun and was "wanting to kill somebody." The woman told the FBI agent that she called 911 at 1:28 a.m. but the call didn't go through. She called back at 3:39 a.m. When the agent asked why she waited two more hours to call back, she said other people at the party were scrambling around looking for their things. The agent asked if they were looking for "dope" and the woman said she hadn't seen any, but it's possible. On Dec. 18, 2019 an Oglala Sioux police officer called the FBI agent to tell him that one of Bagola's relatives told him that another relative said that Bagola was sleeping on her couch at the 300 block of Curtis Avenue in Rapid City. A relative told another agent that Bagola had left to get food with his girlfriend and hadn't returned to the home, and that the girlfriend said she was with Bagola the night of the shooting. On Dec. 20, 2019 the FBI agent learned the apartment resident had been arrested by Oglala Sioux police. The man told the agent that Bagola was the one who shot Bull Bear. He said Bagola put a silver revolver on a table, was acting weird, said he "needed to take a soul," and listed the people he could kill. Bagola then left but returned with the unknown man after Bull Bear and the woman arrived. The man said after Bull Bear got up to leave, Bagola "whipped" out a gun and shot Bull Bear, who slumped over and started bleeding. He said he and the woman then got into Bull Bear's car and drove to Oglala where they tried to call 911. He said the call didn't go through so they went to their friend's home in Pine Ridge, where the woman called 911 again. Later that day, the FBI agent interviewed the man who allegedly ran from the home with Bagola. The man said he had his head down when Bull Bear got up to leave but he heard the gun go off, saw Bull Bear on the ground, and saw Bagola run with a gun. The man said he went to an "old folks" home before going to his girlfriend's home. He also mentioned that Bagola would often pull out and play with his silver gun. The FBI agent then had his arrest warrant signed by a judge, the Rapid City Police/Pennington County Sheriff's Special Response Team surrounded the Curtis Street home and Bagola surrendered. The court ordered a pre-sentence investigation, but a sentencing date has not been set for Bagola. The Governors Office of Community Service, Reach Higher Montana, and Montana Campus Compact are pleased to announce applications are now being accepted for the 2023 Youth Serve Montana Scholarship. This years scholarship is being offered in two awards, $1,000 for 50 hours of service and $1,500 for 100 hours of service. The scholarships will be offered to 100 Montana seniors attending Montana Campus Compact member institutions next fall. We're incredibly excited that with the support of both Reach Higher Montana's and Campus Compact's boards we are able to offer increased scholarships and two tiers of scholarship this year, Josh Vanek, director of Montana Campus Compact said. Young Montanans care deeply about their communities and the Youth Serve Montana Scholarship honors the amazing work by young people to improve community life in our state. The Youth Serve Montana Scholarship was created to promote volunteerism among high school students. Funds are available through support from Montana Campus Compact, a network of Montana campuses committed to community service; Reach Higher Montana, a nonprofit dedicated to helping students pursue and fund post-secondary education; and the Governors Office of Community Service, a state agency tasked with expanding and promoting community volunteerism in Montana. The Governors Office of Community Service administers the scholarship funds. "Volunteer service inspires real life learning and connects young adults to communities across Montana. Reach Higher Montana is pleased to continue support for these scholarships Kelly Cresswell, executive director of Reach Higher Montana said. The Youth Serve Montana scholarship application and FAQs can be found online at serve.mt.gov. Friendships dissolve for a litany of reasons. Exasperation. Envy. Fallen scales from gradually or suddenly clearer eyes. Sometimes its a last straw; sometimes, an entire bale of hay, parked in plain sight, unnoticed for years. The reasons for the breakup in The Banshees of Inisherin, writer-director Martin McDonaghs fourth feature, become clear in due course. But theyre not important, not really. Like some fool of a moody schoolchild or simply a man protective of his remaining time on his tiny, gorgeously forlorn (and fictional) island off the coast of Ireland, amateur pub fiddler and aspiring composer Colm Sonny Larry (Brendan Gleeson) has decided to sever his longtime friendship with Padraic (Colin Farrell). Tending his cows, chatting over porridge in the cottage he shares with his restless sister, Siobhan (Kerry Condon), Padraic is an uncomplicated man, dull and known; if hes known for anything, for his niceness. He cant fathom why Colm has dumped him as a friend. Now, suddenly, his friends have dwindled to three: his sister; the village gom, a tragicomic outsider and the vicious local policemans son (Barry Keoghan); and his beloved miniature donkey, Jenny, who earns every second of screen time. The increasingly uncivil war between Colm and Padraic, waged against the distant backdrop of the 1922-23 Irish Civil War, unfolds like a lamentable Laurel and Hardy scenario. Good luck to ye. Whatever it is youre fightin about, says Padraic, under his breath, walking along the sea and spying smoke from cannons across the water. Its a self-directed comment, too: He cant stop asking Colm why the cold shoulder, even after Colm threatens to remove his own fingers, one by one, if his friend-turned-enemy doesnt shut up. The standoff turns increasingly lurid and mutilating, which is in keeping with much of McDonaghs plays and movies. (Sample play title: A Behanding in Spokane.) Neither humans nor dogs nor adorable miniature donkeys are free from peril in this patchwork dream of a place. Desperate to stick it to Colm, Padraic invents a bizarre tall tale about someone getting run over by a bread van, and the way it plays out is reason enough to see the movie. Farrell is also reason enough. His eyes full of hurt and confusion, his timing razor-sharp but whisper-subtle, he dominates the action in what might be his finest work to date. Gleeson provides rock-steady support for the neatly diagrammed story. Keoghan and Condon tie for most valuable supporting players, breaking your heart in two ways. Like a supernatural banshee, old Mrs. McCormick (Sheila Flitton, beautifully sinister) appears here and there, against the mist or the stone fences, portending doom. On the nose? Yes. But it works. The result is McDonaghs most fully realized work since his breakthrough play, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, a generation ago. Banshees has its limitations; its pretty glib, like everything McDonagh writes, in its mashup of blackhearted laughs and occasional sincerity. Former U.S. President Donald Trump's anti-democratic tactics are influencing foreign countries and exacerbating a global anti-democracy trend of right-wing populists trying to usurp power and violate individual rights. This is happening now in Brazil. Jair Bolsonaro, a right-wing extremist who courted and received Trump's endorsement, lost reelection to the progressive candidate Lula de Silva, but he has refused to concede. Bolsonaro, who copied much about his public image from Trump, won the presidency in 2018. Aided by the politically motivated arrest of his opponent Lula during the 2018 campaign, Bolsonaro won 55% of the vote. After his victory, he attacked the free press using language copied from Trump. He called newspapers that reported anything critical about him "fake news." He called for waging a campaign against the news media. But, hypocritically, his allies led a campaign to brainwash people with smears about Bolsonaro's opponent that, according to Brazilian media, was funded by over 150 large businesses. To be sure, Bolsonaro has been in politics for 33 years, and he was a right-wing radical before Trump came along. He has often made racist comments disparaging indigenous people and immigrants. So, Bolsonaro didn't become a right-wing radical because of Trump, but he benefited from marketing his persona like Trump. It is one thing for an extreme right-wing politician to spew abuse and get elected locally. But to win the office of the presidency in a nation of 214 million people, a politician needs to be more than a loud, angry hatemonger. He needs to have some uncouth swagger. He needs to be a "populist." That's what Trump taught his fellow right-wing demagogues around the world. Trump's hold over the global right-wing imagination is so strong that even after Trump was forced from office, South Korean right-wingers are often seen waving flags with Trump's likeness. Anti-democracy right-wingers around the world look to and praise Trump. Trump's pals and advisors are working on political campaigns overseas. The Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC), an activist group that promotes Trump and pro-Trump Republicans, hosted events in Hungary and Israel where they pushed their Trump-style anti-immigrant, pro-big business agenda on foreign countries. Steve Bannon, one of the managers of Trump's 2016 campaign, started a European Union political organization, "The Movement," as he grandiosely named it, intended to back various Trumpian right-wingers across Europe while also promoting nationalism instead of "globalism." Right-wing populists worldwide adopt slogans like "America First" and "Brazil Above All." For example, Bolsonaro pulled out of a UN treaty on the human rights of migrants because he said each country should make its own rules and not be pressured by outside forces. Nevertheless, calling oneself a nationalist while influenced by foreign political actors is ironic. Now Steve Bannon and other Trump activists are encouraging Bolsonaro to refuse to concede as Trump did. One right-wing activist even called for Brazilians to "take to the streets" and for the military to stand by. They are attempting a new kind of neo-colonialism whereby DC-funded political professionals try to enact their corporatist will on foreign countries. Before the vote, Bolsonaro intentionally sewed doubt about the results when he was expected to lose. Now that he has lost, he is silent. It is concerning that he has refused to accept the results. This is the longest an ousted incumbent has gone in Brazil's democratic era without congratulating the incoming president. Bolsonaro's actions aren't as bad as Trump's, who actively denied his defeat for months and months after 2020. However, Bolsonaro's refusal to admit defeat has allowed other voices to fill the vacuum. His radical supporters have blocked highways with trucks and piles of burning tires. What will happen now hinges largely on what Bolsonaro does next. We have to wait and see. But whatever happens, it is already harmful how deeply he has allowed the forces that are undermining American democracy to penetrate his own country. Mitchell Blatt is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit: http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/MitchellBlatt.htm Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn. If you would like to contribute, please contact us at opinion@china.org.cn. Dr. Art Kellermann, CEO of Virginia Commonwealth University Health System, resigned late Thursday under pressure from university leadership. In an emergency meeting, the universitys board of visitors and the health systems board of directors voted unanimously to accept Kellermanns resignation and to name Dr. Marlon Levy as interim CEO. Kellermann resigned because he was asked to, he said in an interview. On Monday, he met with VCU president Michael Rao, who told Kellermann his services were no longer required. For the past two years, Kellermann oversaw a government-affiliated health system that employs roughly 13,000 people across 70 locations in central Virginia. Ben Dendy, head of the board of visitors, declined to say why Kellermann was asked to resign. In a statement, Rao thanked Kellermann for his work, leading VCU during a pandemic that strained staff, led nurses to leave and caused a financial crunch on the health system. His tenure was marked by COVID challenges, and I appreciate how he, our leadership team and every member of our team helped us manage such difficult times, Rao said. Kellermann added that hes proud of the work of VCU Health employees during such challenging times. It was a team effort from the moment I got there until the moment I departed, Kellermann said. It will be a team effort going forward, I just wont be leading it. Levy was previously chief medical officer for the VCU Medical Center, chair of the division of transplant surgery and head of the Hume-Lee transplant center. On Thursday, the board approved a $50,000 increase to his salary. He joined VCU in 2015 from Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas, where he was surgical director of transplantation. Rao said Levy excels at bringing people together for a common cause. On Tuesday, he wrote to staffers, thanking Rao for his confidence, calling it a privilege to be offered the position. We will continue to single-mindedly deliver on and advance our mission by putting patients and students first, as weve always done, Levy said. Kellermann, an emergency medicine physician, joined VCU in 2020 from the F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Maryland, where he served as dean. Numerous executives at the health system have left in the past two years, including Dr. Peter Buckley, who was dean of the School of Medicine. He resigned in 2021 and was interim CEO before Kellermann was hired. Kellermann replaced Dr. Marsha Rappley, who led the health system for four years. VCU also lost chief information officer Susan Steagall last year. Since Kellermann was hired, the health system added a new chief operating officer, Michael Elliott; a new chief financial officer, James Siegel and a president of VCU Medical Center, Michael Roussos. Kellermann said VCU is in the midst of a turnaround, and turnarounds are never without some drama. He said the health care landscape has changed dramatically in the past year, as competition from Bon Secours and HCA Healthcare has increased, labor costs have soared and insurers have made late payments. A new traffic solution for one of the most crash-prone areas in Virginia could be coming to the Short Pump area within the next five years. Henrico County proposed a new interchange at North Gayton Road that officials say would ease traffic congestion in the area. Henrico resident Elyssa Haynes, who lives nearby, said she sits in nonstop traffic every day between the highway and her house off North Gayton Road. She said the proposed interchange could cut her transit time by about 10 minutes. Theres a lot of stop-and-go traffic, people going to Target or Trader Joes or Short Pump Town Center, she said. Its great to have all these businesses, but it does provide a lot of congestion. The proposed interchange, she said, would be a welcome and overdue change. What used to feel like Black Friday congestion has become an everyday occurrence, Haynes said. In line with development, traffic has increased exponentially in Short Pump over the years, and infrastructure has failed to keep up. The next step of the project is state and federal approval. The county is working on an interchange study, which will be sent to the state by the end of the year, according to county officials. On Wednesday evening, Henrico County officials gave a presentation to Rep. Rob Wittman, R-1st, and Thomas Nelson, Federal Highway Administration Virginia division administrator. There have been 1,851 reportable crashes in five years on Interstate 64 from Gaskins Road to the Goochland County line, and on West Broad Street from Sadler Road to the Goochland line, according to the Henrico Police Department. Seven of those crashes resulted in fatalities, 492 resulted in personal injury and 1,352 resulted in personal property damage. This has been a cry for the people of Henrico but also a cry for all of the metropolitan area, said Henrico Supervisor Tommy Branin at the Wednesday meeting. We have the dubious distinction of having the highest accident rate from (Interstate 64) to Pouncey Tract Road more than anywhere else in the state of Virginia. The county will publish an online survey this month to gauge the publics feedback on the project. If the project is approved by the state, the next step would be design and environmental studies, which could take two to three years. This project is the top priority for transportation in our county, said Henrico County Manager John Vithoulkas. The funding is not going to be an issue as far as the local dollars. County officials, along with Wittman and Nelson, drove together from the county headquarters to a fire station near Short Pump to experience the traffic problems. Even if Henrico County never builds another house in Western Henrico, this issue is going to continue to increase and get worse, Branin said. Its critical that we get this safer on Broad Street. Voters in the Beaverdam District will elect a new representative to the Hanover County Board in a special election Tuesday. Robert Monolo, a Republican, is running unopposed. He did not respond to several messages from the Richmond Times-Dispatch seeking comment. Supervisors are elected for four-year terms, and the next general election is in November 2023. There is a special election for the Beaverdam seat this year because longtime Beaverdam Supervisor Aubrey Bucky Stanley Jr. died last December. Robert Allen Davidson was appointed to take over the vacant seat in January. According to a post on Monolos Facebook campaign page, he is a lifelong Beaverdam resident and the owner of a small business, J.R. Monolo Trucking. He graduated from Patrick Henry High School in 1988 and from Ferrum College in 1992, according to his page. Monolo serves as chairman of the Economic Development Authority of Hanover County and as president of the Beaverdam Heritage Days Foundation. The last of four inmates who surrendered after walking away from a minimum-security federal prison camp near Petersburg was the first one to be sentenced for his June escape. He received 21 months of additional prison time on Thursday. During part of his 4 days of freedom, Lamonte Rashawn Willis, 31, drank wine and spent time with his girlfriend in a nearby hotel, Assistant U.S. Attorney Angela Mastandrea-Miller told the court. In fact, all four inmates who escaped were picked up by an unknown party and taken to the same hotel after they walked away from the satellite camp at the Federal Correctional Complex Petersburg on June 17, the prosecutor said. Willis had to be coaxed into surrendering, Mastandrea-Miller said. Officers with the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force were able to track down his whereabouts in Suffolk, where hes from, and reached out to his family members to help convince him to come back, the prosecutor said. He agreed, and marshals met him at the facilitys gates. His three escaped companions surrendered earlier. They didnt do any harm to the community but the community was certainly concerned about what they could do, Mastandrea-Miller said, noting there was wine waiting for them when they escaped. At the time, Willis was serving an 18-year prison term he received in 2015 on convictions of possessing and concealing stolen firearms and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The offenses involved Willis and two co-defendants conspiring to break into numerous homes in Hampton Roads and northeastern North Carolina and stealing 31 firearms that they sought to sell. Federal authorities recovered 41 firearms during the course of the investigation, according to court records. The break-ins and thefts totaled more than $70,000 in damage and losses. Following a sentencing hearing Thursday in U.S. District Court in Richmond, Judge Robert E. Payne sentenced Willis to 21 months in prison, with 18 months of that time to be served consecutively to his existing sentence. The punishment was within discretionary federal sentencing guidelines, which for Willis was calculated at a range of 18 to 24 months. The government sought an active term of 21 months, while the defense asked for 18 months to be served concurrently with Willis existing term. The inmates who escaped with Willis Corey Branch, 41; Kareem Shaw, 46; Tavares Graham, 44 have all pleaded guilty to federal charges of escaping from a federal prison. All three are to be sentenced Dec. 1. They will likely receive lesser punishments because they surrendered sooner than Willis. The four men left the prison satellite camp around 9:30 or 10 p.m., but werent discovered missing until about midnight. The U.S. Marshals Service was notified they were absent without permission about 1:45 a.m. the following day. The satellite camp houses low-security risk inmates in a dormitory, which is adjacent to the Federal Bureau of Prisons minimum-security facility at 1100 River Road in Prince George County. In a sentencing memorandum, Mastandrea-Miller said the Bureau of Prisons trusted Willis to abide by their rules when they placed him in the minimum-security satellite camp. His escape from the facility was a significant breach of the trust that was placed in him, she said. The community was aware that the defendant and three other inmates had escaped, and they were justifiably on edge until they learned that all four men were back in custody. Crews were expected to work overnight completing emergency pavement work after a fiery truck crash Wednesday on Interstate 95 near the Chamberlayne Avenue exit. Richmond police were dispatched to the Belvidere Street and Interstate 64/Interstate 95 interchange at about 12:04 p.m. to help state police and fire crews with an overturned septic truck. Northbound and southbound lanes were closed as the fire was put out and debris was removed. A 2020 Cascadia Freightliner, whose load of I-beams was too high, struck the Belvidere Road overpass at a high rate of speed. The I-beam then struck the septic truck, causing an explosion and the vehicle to overturn and become engulfed in flames. The driver of the septic truck, Brent Szarzynski, 36, of Chesterfield, died on the scene. The driver of the Freightliner was not injured and was wearing a seatbelt. The crash remains under investigation. Clouds will be in and out for most of this weekend across metro Richmond, and temperatures will average about 10-15 degrees above normal. A stray shower could sneak in on Sunday, but for the most part, the weekend looks dry. A broad area of high pressure off the New England coast will be the main weather driver this weekend, and its influence will nudge westward into Virginia, holding off a weakening storm approaching from the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys. Ordinarily, we think of high pressure bringing fair weather, and when we are directly beneath its center, that is generally the case. But with its center so far offshore and to our northeast, that means the clockwise winds around it move into Virginia from a southeast direction. For Richmond, that means a continuation of the themes from the past several days. Occasional cloudy periods will move in and out during the weekend, but with no significant rain. A stray shower may take shape on Sunday, but the chance for it to make much of an impact on outdoor activities is small. Southeast flow will also send the humidity relatively high for early November. This also helps hold temperatures above normal by keeping the nights from cooling as much, and allowing the sunnier periods to send temperatures soaring into the 70s. Mild and dry weather continues to start next week, then signs still point to a large storm advancing on the Southeast coast for the middle of next week. Its precise track will determine how much rain we get and when we get it. For now, the time frame for a soaking rain appears to be late Wednesday night or Thursday, and it may bring the most rain from a storm since the residual moisture from Ian moved through at the end of September. In the three days between Sept. 30 and Oct.2, Richmond had 1.41 inches of rain. Since that three-day period, Richmond has only had one other period of soaking rain, when 1.08 fell between Oct. 16-17. Aside from that, we have not had a single day with more than a quarter-inch of rain. Once that rain pushes away late next week, the weather pattern for the following weekend (Nov. 12-13) looks dry with temperatures closer to normal, but certainly not cold for the time of year. There is still no indication temperatures will drop enough for a hard freeze until after that weekend. Fall back this weekend Dont forget that Daylight Saving Time ends this weekend. At 2 a.m. Sunday , the official time will shift back one hour. We will stay on Standard Time until the second weekend of March 2023. You may recall that the U.S. Senate passed a measure this year that would make Daylight Saving Time permanent, but the House has not brought up the measure beyond basic committee meetings. As it stands now, we will go through this change again next fall. If Daylight Saving Time were to become permanent, sunrises in Richmond would happen after 8 a.m. between Thanksgiving and Valentines Day. During the first two weeks of the calendar year, when the sun rises the latest, it would break the horizon at 8:24 a.m. The Botetourt County Sheriffs Office has charged a Roanoke man in the death of the woman whose body was found in a gravel parking lot in early October. Matthew Todd Griffin, 47, was charged Wednesday with second-degree murder for the death of Elizabeth Autumn Hensley, 33, of Roanoke, the sheriffs office said in a press release Thursday. The tireless work of our detectives has resulted in a successful conclusion of this homicide investigation, Botetourt County Sheriff Matt Ward said. While we are disturbed by the findings in this case, we are pleased to announce we have identified the suspect in Elizabeths murder. On Oct. 8, Botetourt deputies found Hensley with a fatal gunshot wound in the Glen Wilton Park and Ride lot along Botetourt Road (U.S. 220) near the James River. Detectives examined the scene, and then later discovered that Hensleys car had been found abandoned and burned in a secluded area of Bath County. The Office of the Medical Examiner in Roanoke ruled the manner of her death as a homicide. Botetourt detectives worked with the Virginia State Police to follow leads through multiple jurisdictions, the sheriffs office said. On Oct. 24, the department obtained a search warrant for a house on Vulcan Street in Clifton Forge. The warrant was executed, with help from the state police, the Clifton Forge Police Department and the U. S. Marshals Service, Griffin was taken into custody for an outstanding warrant related to a probation violation. During a search of the residence, police recovered a firearm and ammunition that matched those used to kill Hensley. The evidence has been sent to the Virginia Department of Forensic Sciences lab in Roanoke for forensic and ballistic examination, the sheriffs office said. Griffin was taken to Botetourts magistrate office, where he was served the outstanding probation violation warrant. He is being held in the Botetourt-Craig Regional Jail without bond. On Wednesday, sheriffs office detectives obtained a warrant to charge Griffin with second-degree murder. That warrant was served to him at the jail. Botetourt detectives have indicated that Griffin may face more charges as their investigation continues, but the sheriffs office is withholding certain crucial details about the case for now. These details have not been made public to protect the integrity of the investigation as it could soon move forward to a court and jury, the sheriffs office said. Whether you come from outside the area, like this alleged suspect, or not, these crimes will not be tolerated in Botetourt County, and we will use every resource available to bring these cases to a successful conclusion, Ward said. I would like to personally thank the victims family and the citizens of Botetourt County for their patience and support as we have worked to bring this case to a close. The Botetourt department said it also collaborated with sheriffs offices from Alleghany, Bath and Rockbridge counties to make the arrest. In Roanoke County Circuit Court, Griffin has faced a variety of charges dating from 1998 to 2019, from drug possession and firearm brandishing to arson and driving under the influence, according to Virginias online court case information system. In Roanoke Circuit Court in 2015, he was convicted of firearm possession by a nonviolent felon and sentenced to a two-year prison term with two years of supervised probation upon release. In Botetourt County Circuit Court in 2019, Griffin was convicted of carrying a concealed firearm as a convicted felon and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. He was sentenced again to a two-year prison term with two years of supervised probation upon release. Flash Russia on Wednesday announced its return to the implementation of a grain export deal via the Black Sea, saying Ukraine has promised not to use the humanitarian corridor for military attacks. Thanks to the participation of the United Nations and the assistance of Turkiye, the joint coordination center for the implementation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative on Tuesday received a written guarantee from Ukraine of not using the shipping route defined in the deal and Ukrainian ports designated for grain export to conduct military operations against Russia, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement. The Ukrainian side officially assured that the maritime humanitarian corridor will be used only in accordance with the provisions of the grain export deal and related regulations of the joint coordination center, it added. As the Ukrainian guarantee "appears to be sufficient," the Russian side has decided to resume the implementation of the grain export deal, the ministry said. Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov on Wednesday welcomed the resumption of the deal. "The best way to understand the meaning of the Black Sea Grain Initiative for the world is to look at the market reaction after an announcement on stabilization of the initiative. Here is the total falling price on wheat and corn," Kubrakov tweeted. On July 22, Russia and Ukraine separately signed a document in Istanbul with Turkiye and the United Nations on grain and fertilizer exports from Ukraine and Russia to ensure supplies to global markets amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict. On Saturday, Russia announced the decision to immediately and indefinitely suspend its implementation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, accusing Ukraine of launching drone attacks against the Russian Black Sea Fleet's ships and infrastructure at the naval base in Sevastopol. On the same day, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba accused Moscow of using a "false pretext" to suspend its participation in the Black Sea grain corridor. Three 9/11 artifacts that have traveled the globe for the last 21 years were presented and displayed at Roanoke Fire-EMS Station No. 7 on Memorial Avenue Thursday. The city of Roanokes department of fire and EMS is very honored to have this part of history coming through the Roanoke Valley, Roanoke Fire-EMS Chief David Hoback said during a ceremony. The three artifacts, referred to as the Ground Zero Flag Team (GZFT), include a U.S. flag, a piece of carved marble and a logbook. The firefighters raised a flag over the rubble of the World Trade Center. This is one such flag that was raised and flown over the rubble, Hoback told a small crowd of first responders and area residents as he held the folded flag between his hands. The other artifact we have here is a marble that has been carved into a cross. It is the flooring of part of the World Trade Center. The third artifact we have is a logbook. The logbook features signatures of the people that have attended international GZTF ceremonies over the last 21 years, as well as pictures, patches, badges and other items. Hoback said the artifacts together make sure that nobody forgets what occurred on 9/11 and the impact it had on our public safety and our military. During Thursdays ceremony, the Roanoke Firefighters Honor Guard placed the marble cross at the base of a flag pole, and then raised the Ground Zero Flag at 8:46 a.m., the time that American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Then, the Honor Guard rang the bell from the city departments historic station No. 1 three times, then four times, and then a final three times to honor the 343 firefighters that were killed in the World Trade Center, Hoback said. Both police and fire were running inside the building to save lives. It really is a remembrance of that and just the sacrifice that those individuals made. Representatives from the Roanoke City Sheriffs Office and the Roanoke Police Department also attended the ceremony in Grandin Village. We always want to keep the remembrance of the tragic day in the forefront of our thoughts, Roanoke Police Captain Andrew Pulley said, adding that the event was an opportunity to reflect on the history and the sacrifices that were made that day. After the ceremony, visitors were invited to view the artifacts and write their names in the logbook. City council members Bill Bestpitch and Joe Cobb, as well as Vice Mayor Patricia White-Boyd, added their names. The flag, cross and logbook were presented in Salem on Wednesday, Hoback said, and would be displayed at the Grandin Village fire station until 5 p.m. Thursday, then travel to Lynchburg for a ceremony on Friday. The flag, 3 feet by 5 feet, served three tours in Iraq, according to a press release. The artifacts are scheduled to be retired and displayed in a museum after November 2, 2026. Hoback was a battalion chief sitting in his office when the World Trade Center was attacked 21 years ago. A news alert came across from CNN saying a plane hit the World Trade Center. When I turned the news on, there was a hole in the side of the building, Hoback said. We said, Oh, maybe somebody just made an error or something. And then we were watching when the second plane hit. And then we heard that the Pentagon was under attack, and that there was another plane flying. I tell you, it was a very solemn, very scary, horrifying experience. The chief remembers having a press conference to let the Roanoke community know that the attacks were isolated, and then silence in the sky in the following days. They airport was shut down. We didnt hear the jets coming and going. Its an eerie feeling. It really is, Hoback said. Then there was a new normal for us. 9/11 reshaped public safety, Hoback continued. We are doing things different than we were prior to that. Were more cautious. We have more resources. But we know that these things can happen. The unthinkable is now thinkable. The fire chief said he got a chill as he held the U.S. flag during Thursdays ceremony. One of the most resonating images in my mind is the flag that was flying over the debris. Thats what brought the nation together to say, Weve got to fix this, weve got to fight this and weve got to correct this. The flag represents the nation and the people coming together, Hoback said. It was just surreal. It really was. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. Lawyers who aided former President Donald Trumps efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election regarded an appeal to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas as a key to their success Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. The attorneys general of California, Illinois and the District of Columbia are suing Albertsons to stop the grocery chain from paying nearly $4 billion to its shareholders " " Snoopy, who already has previous spaceflight experience, will be working with NASA once again as a zero gravity indicator on the Artemis I mission to the moon. 2021 Peanuts Worldwide LLC/NASA The Artemis I moon mission is scheduled to attempt its third launch Nov. 14, 2022, weather permitting of course. It's an uncrewed flight, meaning no humans will be on board, to test the Orion spacecraft's systems. If all goes well, astronauts will be cleared to use the Orion craft for future Artemis missions. Uncrewed doesn't mean empty, though. Artemis I will have two passengers: Snoopy as a NASA representative, and Shaun the Sheep for the European Space Agency (ESA). Snoopy has spaceflight experience, as he previously flew on the Columbia space shuttle in 1990. I'm sure he'll give Shaun some pointers. Advertisement Snoopy and Shaun aren't merely going for a joy ride thousands of miles into space, however. They have a job to do: They're zero gravity indicators. That means after Artemis launches and Snoopy or Shaun starts to float in the air, Artemis has reached the weightlessness of microgravity. Snoopy, of course, is the wonderfully popular beagle created by cartoonist Charles Schulz in 1950. He'll be wearing a bright orange spaceflight suit made of the same material in the human suits, along with cute little gloves and boots. He'll even have an Artemis mission patch. Shaun will have a blue suit similar to those of ESA astronauts. Why Snoopy, of all the cartoons in the world? In May 1969, the Apollo 10 mission "snooped" around the moon to check out the proposed landing site for the Apollo 11 mission that would land in July that year. The crew nicknamed the Apollo 10 module Snoopy, and the command module was nicknamed Charlie Brown after the dog's cartoon owner. There are also the fabric hoods astronauts have long worn under their helmets. In the Apollo era, these had big pouches on both sides of the head to hold communications equipment. They were known as "Snoopy caps" because they looked like the beagle's black ears. Luckily for future Artemis astronauts, communications have come a long way in the past half-century, and the much smaller equipment no longer requires a bulky cap. " " The specially trained woolly astronaut, Shaun the Sheep, has been assigned a seat on the Artemis I mission to the moon alongside his pal Snoopy. Axonoff/European Space Agency Now That's More Accurate The Apollo missions to the moon were actually named after the Greek god of the sun. It makes far more sense for the new moon missions to be named after Artemis, Greek goddess of the moon and Apollo's twin sister. The missions will also land the first woman and the first person of color on the moon. Making it through higher education and graduate school can feel like navigating a foreign country. Thousands of students from around the world are making that journey in the United States, pursuing a degree while learning in an additional language. A new book from University of Kansas authors documents the stories of these students studying in the United States to be English teachers and suggests how their stories can improve education for others. "Transnational Language Teacher Identities in TESOL: Identity Construction Among Female International Students in the U.S." follows the stories of 13 women studying to be teachers of English to speakers of other languages at universities across the country. Their experiences with sexism, racism and assumptions about their supposed linguistic deficiencies made for challenging times but helped lead to recommendations on appreciating the value such unique students bring to the table. "All of us are former international students, so we wanted to discuss the unique experience we had in American higher education," said Hyesun Cho, associate professor of curriculum & teaching at KU and the book's lead author. "In the book we use the term transnational students instead of international students. It indicates more complex, fluid and 'in-between' identities of people who cross borders and are not just foreign sojourners in one other country. We wanted to demonstrate the wide range of experiences and diverse goals of these students." The book, published by Routledge, was co-written with Reem Al-Samiri, of the University of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; and Junfu Gao of Nova Southeastern University. Al-Samiri and Gao are former doctoral students of the TESOL program in curriculum & teaching. The text establishes that transnational students are not a monolith. They come from countries around the world with a wealth of language and life experiences. Some are parents with established professional careers who will continue to work in the United States, while others return to their native countries or work abroad. The enrollment number of these students is expected to increase as pandemic-induced international travel restrictions are lifted. At KU alone, there are roughly 1,700 transnational students from 110 countries, Cho said. The 13 participants in the book hailed from China, Japan, Korea and Saudi Arabia and learned English as a foreign language in their home country. The Saudi students had completed their graduate studies and returned to careers in their home country, while the others were still in U.S. graduate programs at the time of their interviews. All were studying teaching English to speakers of other languages, or TESOL, and several are now working in the United States. While education was what brought them to American institutions, it was far from their only concern. "One of the eye-opening experiences for our participants was about their identity shift. They grew up with a majority identity in their home countries. And when they came to the United States, they had a minority identity imposed on them by others," Cho said. "They felt marginalized because of their language backgrounds. Along with racism and sexism, there were assumptions about their language skills not being sufficient for graduate studies and teaching English. But they challenged those reductionist labels in their stories." In addition to sharing their experiences, the book examines how the students navigated intersectional identities and were able to use their experiences to their advantage. Several of the students were mothers, and what they learned from having their children in the American school system provided lessons they could use in their own work as future educators. Also, their experiences with largely Eurocentric curriculum often fed a desire to help diversify educational offerings, both in higher education and in K-12 schools. "Transnational Language Teacher Identities" discusses how the students are making that goal happen as TESOL teachers, higher education faculty, policymakers and administrators, both in the United States and in their home nations. Several of the book's participants reported being overlooked for graduate teaching positions because it was assumed their English was not sufficient to work with American students. Those who did get the opportunity uniformly reported how beneficial it was for them. Such opportunities are not only beneficial for the future teachers by providing them with real-life teaching experience but can be good for the students in the classroom as well, who learn from a diverse body of teachers with a wealth of diverse perspectives, Cho said. That shared experience leads to the book's recommendation for universities to form more partnerships with K-12 schools to provide student teaching experiences for transnational higher ed students. Cho, Al-Samiri and Gao make several other recommendations as well, for higher education faculty, administrators and policymakers. Among them, faculty should view transnational students as assets with a wealth of diverse experience who can enrich classes at all levels and should not be viewed as deficits or liabilities. University administrations could help by diversifying faculty who share similar life experiences with transnational students and by providing more social support as well, such as affordable child care on campus. "As faculty, we must resist labeling transnational students just as 'foreign students' and assuming they're all the same, or on similar career paths," Cho said. "We should also provide opportunities for them to share their experiences with us to strengthen our educational curriculum and instruction. We need to make sure no one is excluded in learning and contest the deficit-oriented rhetoric in higher education. That was something all of our participants were very passionate about." Provided by University of Kansas FLORENCE, S.C. The United Stated Department of Educations Office of Civil Rights has begun an investigation of the zero-tolerance policy implemented by the Florence 1 School District last year. OCR can confirm that we opened an investigation into Florence County School District 01 under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 on Sept. 8, 2022. We do not comment on pending investigations, said an Education Department spokesman. On the OCR website it states that OCR evaluates the written information that it receives to determine whether it constitutes a complaint that is subject to further processing. On Dec. 9, 2021, The Florence 1 School Board of Trustees approved a new student code of conduct, which included a zero-tolerance policy that gives school leaders the option to immediately expel a student for fighting on campus. This action was prompted, according to an earlier report this year in the Morning News, by the first 66 days of the 2021-22 school year when there were 229 incidents of fighting at the districts four middle schools and three high schools. In an interview with the Morning News in June, Florence One Schools Superintendent Richard OMalley said the district initiated the code of conduct changes to reduce fighting in middle and high schools. The 229 fighting incidents in the first 66 days was unacceptable, he said. It reflected the rising tide of violent crime in the city of Florence. On Sept. 8, the Department of Education announced its decision to investigate in response to the Title VI Complaint filed by the Florence Branch of the NAACP, which released a statement Tuesday commending the United States Department of Educations Office for Civil Rights for beginning an investigation. The Morning News reached out to OMalleys office on Wednesday for a comment about the investigation, and Melissa Rollins, communications specialist with Florence 1 Schools, said, We do not have a comment at this time. This investigation is a significant step in the nearly year-long battle against the Districts discriminatory and harmful zero-tolerance policy, according to the statement of the Florence Branch of the NAACP. Jerry Keith of the Florence Branch said the NAACP issued its statement to let the people who have complained know that the organization is still concerned and still pursuing relief. Were trying to make the public aware weve heard their cries, Keith said. When this was being implemented the people who were complaining werent being heard. They were being listened to but not heard. It fell on deaf ears. Prior to the passage of the zero-tolerance policy in December 2021, the Florence Branch of the NAACP sent a letter to the school board highlighting its concerns and opposition to the proposed revisions to the Student Code of Conduct and the harm it said such a policy would have on students, especially students of color. Despite clear and overwhelming disapproval from community members, Florence School District One School Board passed a zero-tolerance policy that made physical violence or fighting on grounds for automatic recommendation for expulsion to the Board, the organization wrote in its statement. Despite these efforts, the policy moved forward and went into immediate effect. Almost immediately, the Florence Branch received numerous complaints from parents and students about the impact of the policy. The Branch quickly raised these concerns with the Board, Superintendent OMalley, and State Superintendent Molly Spearman in a series of letters earlier this year, according to the statement. After attempts to discuss the policy with the Board proved futile, the Florence Branch filed a Title VI Complaint with the Department of Education on June 10, 2022, and asked the Department to investigate the Districts zero-tolerance policy. At this time, the Florence Branch is actively working to further the investigation and monitor the enforcement and impact of the zero-tolerance policy. The Florence Branch is deeply committed to ensuring all students in Florence One have access to safe and equitable learning environments. Some more criminal justice policy and politics as 2022 mid-term election approaches | Main | Oklahoma Gov extends execution stay for Richard Glossip as courts still consider innocence claim November 3, 2022 Is the US "on the verge of a new wave of mass incarceration"? The question in the title of this post is prompted by this notable new Time commentary by Udi Ofer given the headline "Politicians' Tough-on-Crime Messaging Could Have Devastating Consequences." Here are some extended excerpts from a piece that merits reading in full: In the majority of hotly contested 2022 midterm races across the country, tough-on-crime rhetoric is at the top of the agenda. Close to 60% of Republican spending on campaign ads since September has been on the topic of crime, with tens of thousands of ads running on the issue, and Democrats have responded with their own $36 million war chest. Not since the height of Americas mass incarceration era has the nation seen law and order politics play such an outsized role in candidate races up and down the ballot. The outcome could put the country in danger of entering a new era of more mass incarceration.... While Republicans are leading this charge, both parties are playing with fire, as the political rhetoric being deployed this election season has the potential to trigger a new surge in incarceration, as occurred following previous election cycles that starred tough-on-crime rhetoric. Between 1973-2009, the nation saw an exponential growth in incarceration, from approximately 200,000 people in prisons and jails in 1973 to 2.2 million by 2009, making the U.S. the largest incarcerator in the world, with a rate 5 to 10 times higher than Western Europe and other democracies. Hundreds of new laws and practices passed at the local, state, and federal levels, including new mandatory minimums with harsh sentences, more cash bail and pretrial detention, and more aggressive prosecutorial and policing practices like stop-and-frisk.... Along with mass incarceration came extreme racial inequities that spread well beyond the carceral system. A Black boy born in the 2000s had a 1 in 3 chance of ending up incarcerated, compared to a 1 in 17 chance for a white boy. Mass incarceration has contributed significantly to the racial achievement gap, poorer health outcomes in Black communities, and economic hardship for Black families.... This crisis in mass incarceration, which only recently began to dip, has roots that run deep in efforts to politicize and racialize crime. Mass incarceration has been fueled by moments like the one we are living in today, where following years of gains on civil rights, a backlash ensues and crime is conflated with reforms and civil rights protests.... It wasnt until the past 10 years that a bipartisan movement for criminal justice reform formed, pushing for an alternative approach. This movement by Democrats and Republicans has worked together in states across the country to pass bipartisan reforms, such as sentencing reform in Louisiana and Oklahoma, bail reform in New Jersey and Colorado, second chance laws in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Utah, drug law reform in Oregon and Rhode Island, and much more. The nationwide prison population began to drop to 1.2 million, and the U.S. moved from first to fifth place in the global ranking of imprisonment rates, right between Cuba and Panama. Families were reunited with their loved ones, and some of the states that have seen the largest decrease in incarceration are also some of the safest states in the nation, like New Jersey. But today, just as nationwide incarceration rates were beginning to slowly drop, public anxiety over crime is being turned into a wedge issue between the two political parties to undermine progress made on civil rights and criminal justice reform. Bail reform, police reform, parole reform, and sentencing reform are wrongfully being blamed for a rise in crime.... Candidates for office can resist the tough-on-crime impulse that has grown so common since Barry Goldwaters 1964 run for office. They can provide a new vision for safety, one that many communities have been calling for one the emphasizes prevention and investments in public health, schools, jobs, housing and community support structures, and relegates incarceration to the last possible option, after all other intervention efforts have failed. In fact, research conducted by organizations like Vera Action and HIT Strategies has found that while voters care deeply about crime, they want more than the one-dimensional tough-on-crime message being delivered. Candidates benefit by articulating a vision that recognizes that public safety is achieved when we provide people with the resources they need to thrive, like earning a living wage, receiving a good education, and having stable housing. Voters understand that police shouldnt be the ones charged with solving every social problem, from kids skipping school to mental health needs to homelessness. Instead, voters are seeking long term solutions rooted in prevention, like a good education and a good job. So far, too few politicians on both the right and left are moving away from the reflexive tough-on-crime rhetoric that has proven to be so devastating in the past. It wont be clear until after the midterms how much this rhetoric has impacted voter choices, but the damage may have already been done. Unless more politicians change course, the U.S. is on the verge of a new wave of mass incarceration as history repeats itself. There is much to commend in this piece (including in parts I did not reprint here), and I think there is a very sound basis to expect and fear that heightened concerns about crime and the new wave of political rhetoric being deployed this election season likely will slow or even impede various parts of the agenda in the bipartisan movement for criminal justice reform. One obvious "for example" here is the now-stalled effort to equalize crack and powder cocaine sentences at the federal level. The US House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly in Sept 2021, by a tally of 361-66, to pass the EQUAL Act to equalize powder and crack cocaine sentences, but concerns about "soft-on-crime" attacks have seemingly kept the Senate from moving forward. But slowing down on-going reform efforts is a long way from "a new wave of mass incarceration." As this commentary suggests, both voters and their representatives now understand the importance of a variety of policy responses to crime concerns. More broadly, we now generally see a far more nuanced discussion of mandatory minimum sentences, drug policy issues and even the death penalty than we did a generation ago. For example, though a number of GOP Senators have now come out against the EQUAL Act, their competing bill still involves reducing crack sentences a good deal (while also raising cocaine sentences a bit). And at least one GOP Senator, Mike Lee, is still actively campaigning on his bipartisan criminal justice reform work in the FIRST STEP Act. In other words, while we may only see a "one-dimensional tough-on-crime message" in 30-second TV ads, I sense most policy-makers still recognize the need for so-called "smart-on-crime" reform efforts. Ultimately, a lot of political and policy forces that developed over decades provided the infrastructure for modern mass incarceration, and a lot of countering political and policy forces also developing over decades have contributed to the (slow) decline in incarceration rates in recent years. I do not think one political cycle alone will dramatically change all the trends and dynamics that have brought us to this somewhat fraught moment. But I do think, as this commentary stresses in many ways, there are plenty of political and policy lessons to learn from both older and more recent developments. Interesting times. November 3, 2022 at 04:17 PM | Permalink Comments Crime in general, and release without bail in particular, have been terrific campaign issues for Republicans. This is just the usual cycle in action: 1. Punishment for crime is reduced. 2. Crime in general increases. In particular, there are high-profile crimes committed by beneficiaries of the reduced punishment. 3. Pro-punishment politicians win office. 4. Punishments are increased. 5. Absurdly-high punishments make the news. In particular, there are high punishments for conduct which arguably should not be crimes, and innocent people are punished for crimes they did not commit. 6. Politicians sympathetic to defendants win office. 7. Return to step 1. We are about to see step 3, I think. Apparently, we don't find enough prosecutors who believe in punishing the guilty and not punishing the innocent. Posted by: William C Jockusch | Nov 4, 2022 8:50:05 AM William C. Jockusch -- I was an AUSA for 25 years under administrations of both parties, and my colleagues and I believed in NOTHING BUT punishing the guilty and not punishing the innocent. We did plenty of both, I'm happy to say. By the time I left, we were many years into the biggest drop in crime in American history, to the benefit of all citizens, but especially black citizens. Posted by: Bill Otis | Nov 4, 2022 11:44:08 AM Glad to hear it. The problems I've seen are mostly at the state and local level. Just as a for-example, to a person who was paying attention to the details of the evidence, it has been obvious since 2014 that Adnan Syed didn't do it. Yet he just got out this year. Other examples include Barton McNeil (IL), Joey Watkins (GA) -- may be about to get out but they are still fighting it, Jamar Huggins (SC), and Sandra Melgar (TX) -- an appeal is pending that might set her free. In each case, the evidence of innocence is in the public domain and known to thousands of people. Yet the relevant prosecutors are still fighting it. Posted by: William C Jockusch | Nov 4, 2022 5:26:12 PM Mr. Jockush is absolutely correct. Due to the fact that local DA's are elected officials, and must consider the political ramifications of their decisions should they desire to be re-elected, the "tough on crime" posture is of far greater significance than that of a U.S. Attorney, and their subordinates (AUSA's). As such, Mr. Otis and his former federal colleagues would, on the whole, be less likely to pursue convictions irrespective of the veracity, or lack of veracity, of the evidence. Posted by: SG | Nov 4, 2022 6:09:15 PM Post a comment Flash Mexico on Wednesday condemned the United States' refusal to lift its six-decade trade embargo against Cuba despite the repeated and near unanimous calls of the international community to end the sanctions. During a UN General Assembly session studying Cuba's draft resolution to lift the embargo, Mexico's permanent representative to the United Nations, Juan Ramon de la Fuente, said the sanctions harm not just Cuba's economy, but also the health and welfare of Cubans. The embargo, said de la Fuente, prevents crucial international cooperation, even at such critical times as a global pandemic like COVID-19, and a natural disaster like Hurricane Ian that devastated parts of western Cuba in September. "We have seen how the embargo hindered the arrival of medical supplies to tackle the pandemic, as well as food for the Cuban people," he said. "Making the civilian population suffer from hunger is another conduct prohibited by international humanitarian law," he said, adding that Mexico believes "there should be no sanctions of any kind" against any country, outside those the UN Security Council decides to adopt. The embargo violates the UN Declaration on Principles of International Law, which rejects imposing unilateral coercive measures, or sanctions, for political purposes. De la Fuente called on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and member countries to continue demanding the end of the embargo, a demand whose continued rejection by the United States is unacceptable, he stressed. Last year, for the 29th time in a row, 184 countries voted in favor of lifting the embargo, and the United States and Israel voted against. According to Cuba's estimates, the U.S. embargo against the island nation has resulted in more than 150 billion U.S. dollars in economic losses at current prices, strangling the island's development and undermining the quality of life. TORONTO, November 02, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The 7th Apparel Textile Sourcing Canada (ATSC) will be held at the Toronto Congress Centre during Nov. 7 to 9, 2022. The three-day exhibition has attracted more than 150 textile and garment enterprises from China, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Mongolia, Canada, the United States, etc. More than 4,000 attendees are expected to the show. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221102005101/en/ Chinese original brands debut in Canada, leading the trend of sustainable clothing (Photo: Business Wire) China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Textiles (CCCT), one of the sponsors of ATSC, pointed out that this was an exhibition that focused on smart, sustainable, innovative, and eco-friendly projects, a perfect showcase of the textile industry from concept to product, from assembly line to daily life, and a bold attempt to explore the future of textile industry with top-tier brands and experts. For the third year, the eye-catching "China Brand" pavilion will continue to introduce 10 high-quality Chinese apparel and textile brands to the Canadian market. Apart from Aparso, V Roc V, Bella Fitness, Rion Sports, and TianThai Sports that are dedicated to sportswear and outdoor clothing, it also brings together sweater brand Evergreen, suit brand Beyond Garments, printing, and dyeing brand Mizuda, China-chic brand Wanshun, and Changshu Garments Town, one of the largest apparel markets in China. Together, these brands represent the very best of the textile industry supply chain in China. "China Brand" featured many exciting new product launches and innovative technologies, including new China-chic design, degradable materials, and anti-wrinkle fabrics. For example, the organic materials made of coffee fiber and 5-year degradable packaging materials launched by Aparso, zero-carbon cotton fabrics by Mizuda, three-dimensional embroidered flight jackets by V Roc V. Through providing diversified procurement services, international design and sustainable concept, these brands are ready for a greener and more sustainable textile industry. Story continues It was reported that the samples of 10 brands in "China Brand" are already displaying in the Toronto Sample Showroom. Welcome to visit and inquire about cooperation. Sample Showroom Address: Unit 20-160 East Beaver Creek Road, Richmond Hill, ON, L4B 3J6, Canada View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221102005101/en/ Contacts ryan.wang@landtowninternational.com Official Website: https://www.manufacturer.com/prime_china_2022_updated.html By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Chrysler-parent Stellantis on Thursday urged owners of 276,000 older U.S. vehicles to immediately stop driving after three crash deaths tied to faulty Takata air bag inflators were reported in the last seven months. The "Do Not Drive" warning is for owners of previously recalled 2005 to 2010 Dodge Magnum station wagons, Dodge Challenger coupes, and Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 sedans who have not yet addressed Takata driver-side air-bag recalls. Stellantis said replacement driver-side air bags have been available for the vehicles subject to the stop driving notice since 2015. The automaker also disclosed it had reports of 20 injuries but did not specify the timeframe. More than 30 deaths worldwide - including at least 22 U.S. fatalities - and hundreds of injuries in various automakers' vehicles since 2009 are linked to Takata air bag inflators that can explode, unleashing metal shrapnel inside cars and trucks. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued a consumer alert advising people of Stellantis "Do Not Drive" warning. The auto safety agency said the Takata recalls were spurred by propellant that could break down after long-term exposure to high-temperature fluctuations and humidity. "Left unrepaired, recalled Takata air bags are increasingly dangerous as the risk of an explosion rises as vehicles age, said Acting NHTSA Administrator Ann Carlson. Stellantis said it had made more than 150 total contact attempts to convince vehicle owners involved in the three fatal crashes to complete recall repairs. Most of the deaths reported have been in Honda Motor vehicles. NHTSA said on Thursday it had confirmed two people died in separate crashes involving 2010 Dodge Chargers where the Takata drivers side air bags exploded. Stellantis said a Takata air bag was suspected in a recent third death also in a 2010 Charger. All were in warm weather U.S. states. Story continues NHTSA said it was aware of several other suspected inflator ruptures in vehicles from other automakers potentially due to exploding Takata air bags. There have been more than 400 U.S. injuries reported tied to Takata air bags. Over the last decade, more than 67 million Takata air bag inflators have been recalled in the United States and more than 100 million worldwide, in the biggest auto safety callback in history. Last year, NHTSA opened a probe into 30 million vehicles built by nearly two dozen automakers that have potentially defective Takata air bag inflators. The 30 million vehicles that are part of the 2021 investigation have inflators with a "desiccant" or drying agent. The vehicles subject to the "Do Not Drive" notice do not have the drying agent. (Reporting by David ShepardsonEditing by Mark Potter and Josie Kao) CHARLOTTE, N.C., November 03, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Premier Inc. (NASDAQ: PINC), a leading technology-driven healthcare improvement company, announced today that members of its management team are scheduled to participate in a fireside chat at the Credit Suisse 31st Annual Healthcare Conference on November 8, 2022, at 2:35 p.m. PT (5:35 p.m. ET). A link to the live audio webcast, as well as a replay of this event, will be available on the companys website at https://investors.premierinc.com/events-and-reports/events-and-presentations/. About Premier, Inc. Premier, Inc. (NASDAQ: PINC) is a leading healthcare improvement company, uniting an alliance of more than 4,400 U.S. hospitals and health systems and approximately 250,000 other providers and organizations to transform healthcare. With integrated data and analytics, collaboratives, supply chain solutions, and consulting and other services, Premier enables better care and outcomes at a lower cost. Premier plays a critical role in the rapidly evolving healthcare industry, collaborating with members to co-develop long-term innovations that reinvent and improve the way care is delivered to patients nationwide. Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Premier is passionate about transforming American healthcare. Please visit Premiers news and investor sites on www.premierinc.com, as well as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram and Premiers blog for more information about the company. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005399/en/ Contacts Investor contact: Angie McCabe Vice President, Investor Relations 704.816.3888 angie_mccabe@premierinc.com Media contact: Amanda Forster Vice President, Public Relations 202.879.8004 amanda_forster@premierinc.com NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) Officials close to peace talks aimed at ending Ethiopia's deadly two-year war confirmed the full text of the signed accord on Thursday, but a key question remains: What led Tigray regional leaders to agree to terms that include rapid disarmament and full federal government control? A day after the warring sides signed a permanent cessation of hostilities" in a war that is believed to have killed hundreds of thousands of people, none of the negotiators were talking about how they arrived at it. The complete agreement has not been made public, but the officials confirmed that a copy obtained by The Associated Press was the final document. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they werent authorized to discuss it publicly. At Wednesday's signing, the lead negotiator for Tigray described it as containing painful concessions. One of the pact's priorities is to swiftly disarm Tigray forces of heavy weapons, and take away their light weapons within 30 days. Senior commanders on both sides are to meet within five days. Ethiopian security forces will take full control of all federal facilities, installations, and major infrastructure ... within the Tigray region, and an interim regional administration will be established after dialogue between the parties, the accord says. The terrorist designation for the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front party will be lifted. If implemented, the agreement should mark an end to the devastating conflict in Africas second-most populous country. Millions of people have been displaced and many left near famine under a blockade of the Tigray region of more than 5 million people. Abuses have been documented on all sides. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed asserted that his government received everything it asked for in the peace talks. During the negotiation in South Africa, Ethiopias peace proposal has been accepted 100%, and the government is ready to open our hearts for peace to prevail, Abiy said in a speech. He added that the issue of contested areas, seen as one of the most difficult, will be resolved only through the law of the land and negotiations. Neither Ethiopian government nor Tigray negotiators responded to questions. As part of the full agreement, both sides agreed not to make any unilateral statement that would undermine it. The deal also calls for the immediate cessation of all forms of hostile propaganda, rhetoric and hate speech." The conflict has been marked by language that U.S. special envoy Mike Hammer, who helped with the peace talks, has described as having a high level of toxicity." The human cost of this conflict has been devastating. I urge all Ethiopians to seize this opportunity for peace, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters Thursday, one of many messages from observers expressing cautious hope. Enormous challenges lie ahead. The opaque and repressive government of neighboring Eritrea, whose forces have fought alongside Ethiopian ones, has not commented, and it was not clear whether Eritrean forces had begun to withdraw. The agreement says Ethiopian forces will be deployed along the borders and ensure that there will be no provocation or incursion from either side of the border. Mustafa Yusuf Ali, an analyst with the Horn International Institute for Strategic Studies, said trust-building will be crucial. The agreement needs to be coordinated, it needs to be systematic, and above all it needs to be sequenced so that the Tigrayans are not left to their devices after handing in all their weapons then suddenly they are attacked by the center," he said. The agreement sets deadlines for disarmament but little else, although it says Ethiopias government will expedite the provision of humanitarian aid and expedite and coordinate the restoration of essential services in the Tigray region within agreed time frames. The United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross said they had not yet resumed the delivery of humanitarian aid to Tigray, whose communication, transportation and banking links have been largely severed since fighting began. Some basic medicines have run out. Its not surprising that it may take a little bit of time to get the word out to the competent authorities in the field. We are in touch with them and trying to get that unimpeded access as soon as possible, the spokesman for the U.N. secretary-general, Stephane Dujarric, told reporters. A humanitarian worker in Tigray's second-largest town, Shire, said there had been no sounds of gunfire over the past few days but people and vehicles were still blocked from moving freely. It was also quiet in the town of Axum, another humanitarian worker said. Both spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. Residents of the Tigray regional capital, Mekele, nervously waited for next steps. Asked about the peace agreement, resident Gidey Tsadik replied, Its good. Everyone is happy. However, its not known when exactly we will have that peace. Tedros Hiwot said residents hadn't heard when basic services will resume. "We need it to happen quickly, he said. Tigrayans outside the region said they still could not reach their families by phone. I hope that this will be an opportunity to reconnect with my family, said Andom Gebreyesus, who lives in Kenya. "I miss them and I dont know if they are alive. At a memorial service in the capital, Addis Ababa, for soldiers killed in the conflict, Defense Minister Abraham Belay spoke of the very complex and tough reconstruction work that lies ahead of us. Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) I am a sociologist who studies how the overdose crisis affects patient care. My research shows why these funds cannot come quickly enough for the communities poised to receive them. In my view, money spent increasing access to methadone and buprenorphine, drugs backed with strong evidence, would significantly narrow this treatment gap. More treatment funding The settlements could help because they recommend that at least some of those billions fund treatment. However, state legislatures will ultimately decide where most of this money goes. If settlements lead to a significant increase in treatment, it would mark an improvement over what happened to the Big Tobacco settlements reached in 1998. Most of the funds from those deals that were supposed to support smoking cessation and prevention have instead padded state budgets and funded unrelated projects. 3 drugs are prescribed for opioid use disorder Ensuring that the settlement funds support what theyre supposed to pay for is only one hurdle. A separate challenge is defining what counts as treatment including who can provide it. The field is vast and varied. Treatment can come in a pill or consist of talk therapy. It can require a residential rehab stint or outpatient programs. Anyone from physicians to peers can provide this care, and its hard to determine what will work for a specific person. While no approach works for everyone, clear evidence suggests that more people should have access to medications for opioid use disorder. It might seem strange that the best treatment for people hooked on drugs is another drug. However, providing methadone and buprenorphine isnt just substituting one drug for another. These medications interrupt chaotic drug use and remove the highs and lows of addiction. They regulate the body just as antidepressants or insulin do. The FDA has approved three drugs: methadone, a solution taken by mouth dispensed in specialized clinics; buprenorphine, a tablet or film taken in doctors offices; and naltrexone, a pill or injection physicians may administer. People treated for opioid use disorder take these drugs for a year or longer. A study found that patients on methadone or buprenorphine were significantly less likely to die by overdose than patients who didnt take them. Methadone was associated with a 53% reduction in overdose risk, and buprenorphine was associated with a 37% decline. In contrast, people who took naltrexone were just as likely to overdose as those taking no medication. More research is needed to determine whether naltrexone makes a difference. Evidence for detox and inpatient programs Research suggests that residential programs, which can cost as much as $60,000 for 90 days of inpatient rehab, and other nonmedical approaches are less effective at treating opioid use disorder than drugs. A study that reviewed different kinds of treatments found that patients who got detoxification or intensive behavioral health therapy were as likely to overdose or need acute care as those who received no treatment at all. Sadly, some people enrolled inpatient, abstinence-based programs may even experience harm, because someone with an opioid use disorder is vulnerable to relapse right after treatment ends. Since abstaining from drugs altogether lowers tolerance, taking the the same amount of a substance as before rehab increases overdose risks. Cost isnt the only obstacle If medication works well for treating opioid use disorders, why is it so hard for people who need help to get these drugs? I see four main barriers. First, federal laws tightly restrict distribution. Methadone, used to treat opioid use disorders in the U.S. since 1972, can be provided only in federally certified opioid treatment programs, and physicians who prescribe it must register annually with the Drug Enforcement Administration. Patients getting methadone must attend counseling and visit a clinic daily to receive a single dose. People on methadone call it liquid handcuffs because of the strict rules they must follow to get it. Some restrictions have relaxed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The federal government now allows states to apply for an exemption that permits treatment programs to provide up to a months supply to take home. Many patients say they like not having to make daily trips to a clinic. A second barrier is that physicians are reluctant to prescribe buprenorphine, which the FDA approved to treat opioid use disorders in 2002. Physicians can prescribe buprenorphine from their offices as long as they get a Drug Enforcement Administration waiver. However, some pharmacists shy away from dispensing buprenorphine because they fear being targeted by law enforcement. The third barrier is that although patients run a high risk of dying after surviving an overdose, most emergency departments send them away without helping them find long-term treatment. Emergency medicine physicians I have interviewed tell me they dont have ways to make these referrals, so they revive patients from overdose and discharge them without additional care. Some hospitals see this as a missed opportunity. Dell Seton Medical Center in Austin, Texas, and Bostons Massachusetts General Hospital have developed programs to put people on buprenorphine after an overdose and to connect them to physicians authorized to prescribe it long-term. Expanding access to treatment based in emergency departments would reduce the risk of overdose death. However, political opposition to these programs persists, even in West Virginia and the other places hardest hit by the overdose crisis. When programs manage to take root, they are underfunded. Making the settlement money count Many kinds of programs will compete for the funds made available through the settlements. But the research is clear: Medications for opioid use disorder offer a substantial return on investment. To be sure, these are chronic, relapsing conditions. People struggling with them need an array of services to get their lives on track. Still, medications are a critical tool. Americans have lost more than 1 million loved ones to overdoses since 1999. I believe that states would save lives if they used money from legal settlements to make medications that treat opioid use disorders more widely available. This is an updated version of an article originally published on March 25, 2022. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/drugs-that-treat-opioid-use-disorder-are-a-good-use-for-multibillion-dollar-settlement-funds-178392. THURSDAY, Nov. 3, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- More than half of Americans aged 50 and up are helping an older adult manage tasks ranging from household chores to care for medical conditions, a new national poll shows. Researchers said the findings highlight the critical role that everyday people are playing in the lives of older family members, friends and neighbors. The results come from the University of Michigan's National Poll on Healthy Aging, an ongoing series of surveys on older Americans' well-being. This go-around, researchers wanted to find out how many people in the 50-and-older demographic are acting not only as caregivers for an older adult, but as a "helper," too. "Not everyone who helps an older person considers themselves a caregiver," said Courtney Polenick, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Michigan Medicine who worked with the poll team. That could include people who help a relative, friend or neighbor with tasks like household repairs, yard work, shopping or finances. It's distinct from helping with care for medical conditions, going to doctor appointments, or assisting with personal care, like dressing and bathing. "But those tasks are important," Polenick pointed out. "They're part of helping older adults remain independent and living in the community." And Americans appear to be doing a lot of them. Of nearly 2,200 poll respondents aged 50 to 80, 54% said they'd helped an older adult with "care tasks" in the past two years. Most often, that did mean helping with health care "encounters" like making or attending appointments and communicating with medical providers. But people also commonly helped with home repairs, yard work, grocery shopping, making meals and managing finances. About one in six respondents helped an older person with personal care, like bathing and dressing. In close to half of cases, people were helping a parent. But it was also common for respondents to be helping a friend or neighbor, a spouse or another relative. Lending a helping hand has its challenges. The poll found that two-thirds of caregivers/helpers reported problems like physical and emotional fatigue, difficulty balancing family responsibilities and work, and lack of time for self-care. People caring for an older adult with dementia often had an especially hard time: About half had to help with five or more tasks, and just as many said the responsibilities were harder than they'd expected. Caring for someone with dementia is particularly complex, Polenick said, and the poll results underscore a need to better prepare families for that. Jennifer Reeder directs educational and social services at the nonprofit Alzheimer's Foundation of America. She said that many people think of Alzheimer's as a disease that robs memory, and may not expect the personality and behavioral changes that commonly arise. In the early stages, Reeder said, people with dementia may have mood swings as they deal with the frustration of their thinking declines. Later, they may suffer hallucinations, paranoia, agitation and other issues that are hard on caregivers. "For family caregivers, it can be hard to know when to ask for help," Reeder said. That help, she said, could come from other family members or community resources, like area agencies on aging. In some cases, Reeder said, families might have access to day programs, which give people with dementia a place to socialize and participate in activities. Another possibility is respite care, where a care provider comes to the home to give the family caregiver a break. Reeder said families can also turn to the Alzheimer's Foundation of America, which has resources for caregivers. But while caring for someone with dementia can be challenging, Reeder said it's also possible to do too much. "There may be some things you're doing for them that you don't have to that they can still do for themselves," she noted. "We know that people in cognitive decline need to remain active." Although the poll found that caregiving challenges were common, it also highlights the bright side: Nearly all helpers 96% reported positive experiences, like feeling a sense of purpose and growing closer to family or friends. Reeder noted that caregiving "changes the dynamic" of relationships, and may allow new opportunities to connect. Something as simple as looking at family photos together, she said, could open up conversations that otherwise might not have happened. More information For more resources, visit the Family Caregiver Alliance. SOURCES: Courtney Polenick, PhD, MS, assistant professor, psychiatry, Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor; Jennifer Reeder, LCSW, director, educational and social services, Alzheimer's Foundation of America, New York City; National Poll on Healthy Aging, Nov. 3, 2022 SIOUX CITY Though former President Donald Trump's Thursday evening rally at the Sioux Gateway Airport is coming just days before a crucial U.S. midterm election, the event in support of Gov. Kim Reynolds and Sen. Chuck Grassley has yet to "sell out." As of 8:45 a.m., Thursday the option to "get tickets" for the "Save America Rally" was still available on the Trump event website. Registration required: a name, email, phone number, ZIP code, state and selection of either one or two tickets. Trump is slated to speak at 7 p.m. while other guest speakers are set to start at 4 p.m. Both Reynolds and Grassley will speak as will Brenna Bird who's looking to unseat longtime Democratic Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller. They'll be joined by former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, who served as ambassador to China under Trump, and former acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, who grew up in Des Moines. A Mediacom Iowa/Des Moines Register Poll from October shows Grassley with a 3% lead, among likely voters, over Democratic nominee Mike Franken of Sioux City. If the number held, it would be the closest race of Grassley's U.S. Senate career. A separate poll the same month by the Register showed Reynolds with a commanding 17-point lead against Democrat Deidre DeJear. Miller leads Bird by 16 percentage points, according to another Register poll. SIOUX CITY A former Wynot, Nebraska, teacher accused of propositioning a 14-year-old girl for sex now faces federal charges. Andrew Heller, 39, of Sergeant Bluff, pleaded not guilty in U.S. District Court in Sioux City to single counts of attempted enticement of a minor and attempted human trafficking. Chief Magistrate Judge Kelly Mahoney ordered him to be detained pending trial, which was scheduled for Dec. 19. According to court documents, FBI investigators had been monitoring communications between Heller and the 14-year-old, in which Heller asked her for sex and offered her $200. When Heller was arrested on July 14, authorities found him in possession of alcoholic beverages meant to be shared with the girl, a box of condoms and more than $200 in cash. During an interview with authorities after his arrest, Heller admitted he knew the girl was 14 and said he had intended to pay her for sex. A social studies teacher at Wynot Public Schools, Heller has since been fired from his teaching job. He was initially charged in Woodbury County District Court with enticing away a minor and prostitution. Those charges were dismissed on Oct. 20 after Heller's indictment was unsealed in federal court on Oct. 17. HARTINGTON, Neb. A judge has revoked bond for a Laurel, Nebraska, man charged with fatally shooting four Laurel residents and setting fire to their homes this summer. Upon a state request, County Judge Douglas Luebe on Wednesday ordered Jason Jones held without bond while awaiting trial. Luebe had previously set bond at $5 million. Assistant Nebraska Attorney General Corey O'Brien, acting as a special Cedar County Attorney, asked that Jones be held without bond because the four first-degree murder charges he faces carry a possible death sentence and a minimum of life in prison without parole. Were Jones to bond out of custody prior to trial, O'Brien said, he would be a risk to flee the area to avoid prosecution. Jones' attorney, Todd Lancaster, of the Nebraska Commission on Public Advocacy, did not resist O'Brien's request for no bond. In addition to the four murder charges, Jones, 42, is charged with four counts of use of a firearm to commit a felony and two counts of first-degree arson. Those six charges all carry maximum sentences of 50 years in prison. At the conclusion of Wednesday's 15-minute hearing, Luebe scheduled a preliminary hearing for Dec. 7 in Cedar County Court. Lancaster said it's possible Jones may waive the hearing and agree to be bound over to district court, where the case ultimately will be heard. Jones appeared with Lancaster via video from the Nebraska Department of Corrections Reception and Treatment Center in Lincoln, where he continues to receive treatment for serious burns he received in the incidents, in which he is accused of shooting Michele Ebeling, 57, in her home and Gene Twiford, 86, his wife, Janet Twiford, 85, and their daughter Dana Twiford, 55, in another home. He is accused of setting both houses on fire. Seated in a wheelchair, Jones gave brief responses of "Yes, sir" and "No, sir" to Luebe's questions. Victims' family members filled two rows in the courtroom. O'Brien told media before the hearing they would not comment Wednesday because of the raw emotions that continue to exist, and some also may be called as witnesses in future court proceedings. Authorities responded to a reported explosion in the early morning hours of Aug. 4 at 209 Elm St., where they found Ebeling's body with two gunshot wounds. A second fire at the Twiford home at 503 Elm St. is believed to have started at about the same time, and responders found the bodies of the three family members, all with gunshot wounds. Jones, who lived across the street from Ebeling, was arrested without incident at his home about 24 hours later and airlifted to a Lincoln hospital for treatment of serious burns over a large portion of his body. He spent 82 days in the hospital before he was released on Oct. 26 and taken to the Reception and Treatment Center. According to court documents, authorities found receipts Jones had for gas at Ebeling's home and a Ruger pistol traced to Jones at the Twiford residence. You are here: World Flash Russia has achieved a new record in grain output this year, harvesting 150 million tons to date, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said on Wednesday. As harvesting is coming to an end across the country, the agricultural sector has shown an excellent result this year, which will increase the level of Russia's food security, Mishustin said at a government meeting. There were notable increases in the yield of potatoes, greenhouse vegetables, fruits, soybeans and rapeseed compared to the same period last year, he said. According to Mishustin, the Russian government allocated about 380 billion rubles (roughly 6.2 billion U.S. dollars) earlier this year to fund the country's agricultural development. Also on Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin told Indonesian President Joko Widodo during a phone call that Russia is ready to ship "considerable amounts" of grain to the poorest countries free of charge as humanitarian aid. LE MARS, Iowa -- An unattended candle in a basement bedroom caused a fire that damaged a Le Mars home Wednesday. Two occupants at home when the fire started evacuated safely after smoke detectors activated, and firefighters were able to rescue a dog from the flames. Le Mars Fire-Rescue was dispatched at 1:11 p.m. to 24 Fourth St. NW, where they encountered heavy smoke upon arrival. After entering the house to search for the fire, firefighters had to retreat when the kitchen floor began to sag and drop. They were able to reenter through a door in the garage leading to the basement and kitchen. The kitchen floor collapsed into the basement, and firefighters attacked the fire coming up from the basement, advancing down the stairs through flames, heat and smoke to extinguish the fire, chief David Schipper said in a news release. Another crew entered the main floor and located the dog and treated it with an oxygen mask before it was taken to a local veterinarian. Two of the home's occupants were taken by private vehicle to Floyd Valley Healthcare for examination. No firefighters were hurt. An investigation determined the fire started in a basement bedroom, where a burning candle ignited combustibles before flames spread into the basement ceiling/kitchen floor. The house had heavy fire damage in the bedroom and kitchen and smoke damage throughout the basement and main floor. For some long-time Siouxland educators, the everyday 9-to-5 grind isn't quite enough. A number of folks across the tri-state area find time to do additional teaching work at the college level on top of the workloads they already have. Some do it because the adjunct work grants a certain kind of freedom in setting schedules. Others greatly appreciate the extra paycheck. All of them love educating. "I like making connections and I like seeing people make connections with what theyre learning," said Michelle Pick, who's taught at the Sioux City Career Academy and Western Iowa Community College and is now at Morningside University in Sioux City holding master's level education classes. "Its not compulsory education at that level. They dont have to be there," Pick said. "My Morningside classes are there because they want to be there." Pick, an educator with 18 years of experience, said she started her teaching career as a substitute (when her first child was still a baby) because she didn't want to work full time. Then...Pick decided she really liked the job. "I love to read and I love to write. And so I like to help other people find the joy in that also," Pick said. As for Morningside, where she teaches two "secondary field experience classes" and "strategies in secondary education," Pick made her way to the college because of a friend. "She said would you be interested in doing some adjunct teaching and I said sure and I really really like it." Because she's new at the job, Pick said she looks for guidance from people who have already put in the work: Paula Hamp and Taylor Kempers. Adjunct instructor Taylor Kempers Taylor Kempers, curriculum director for the Kingsley-Pierson and Woodbury Central school districts, talks with teacher Jenni Spooner while fac Hamp, who's been an adjunct at Morningside since 1999 (and has 40 total years of under her belt), said education hasn't lost any of its luster. "People keep saying: When are you going to retire? And I dont even see that in my future," Hamp said. She did retire from Sioux City Schools two years but then went to Dakota Valley to do work as a behavior interventionist. The nature of Hamp's adjunct work has changed since she first started doing it. First it was face-to-face in the evenings, then a hybrid model with some in-person and some online with a camera and now entirely on the web. With that shift, Hamp said she now finds herself teaching future educators from well outside of Siouxland. "Its fascinating to be able to work with all these individuals who arent necessarily here in Sioux City." Having the chance to connect with students from beyond city limits similarly appeals to Kempers who was hired on as an adjunct to Morningside in 2020 and does work with Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Kingsley-Pierson High School in Kingsley, Iowa and Woodbury Central in Moville, Iowa. "I have some students in the Morningside program who are six hours across the state of Iowa, but we could still make those connections because we're all going to be teachers," Kempers said of the education classes she teaches. Those courses, Kempers said, often attract people who are pursing education after having a wholly different career first. "Not only do I learn from them about different things...but it's just it's really enjoyable to teach adults about education and connect with students." The financial motivation is a powerful one as well. "Its where all of vacation and Christmas money comes from," Kempers joked. Hamp noted that adjuncting can be a way for teachers to make up for the compensation they're not receiving at their main place of employment. "So often, teachers, especially in the public schools, have to get a second job. The salary of a teacher is not always equivalent to someone else with a similar education," Hamp said. And then, the freedom. Pick said she appreciates not having to fret about things like standardized testing in the university system. The freeing thing for Kempers is getting to choose when to do the work. "There have been terms or semesters where I said I just can't you know? I just couldn't teach something on top of my regular job. You have that freedom." RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) Israeli forces killed at least four Palestinians in separate incidents on Thursday, including one who had stabbed a police officer in east Jerusalem and three others in Israeli raids in the occupied West Bank. Early Friday, Israeli aircraft struck several targets in the Gaza Strip in response to rocket fire Thursday evening from the Palestinian enclave. The rocket attacks and Israeli airstrikes were the first cross-border violence since a cease-fire ended a round of fighting between Israel and the Islamic Jihad militant group there in August. The violence flared as Israel completed the counting of votes in national elections held this week, with former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right allies capturing a comfortable majority of seats in Israel's parliament. In the West Bank, Israeli troops operating in the Jenin refugee camp, a militant stronghold, killed at least two Palestinians, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad said one of those killed was a local commander. Residents said he was killed while at the butcher, where he was buying meat ahead of his wedding this weekend. The army said Farouk Salameh was wanted in a number of shooting attacks on Israeli security forces, including the killing of a police officer last May. It said that a firefight ensued, Salameh fled and then drew a gun at soldiers who shot and killed him. Late Thursday, Gaza militants fired a rocket into southern Israel, setting off air-raid sirens in the area. The army said the rocket was intercepted, and that three other launch attempts failed and exploded inside Gaza. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but in the past, Islamic Jihad has fired rockets in response to the killings of its members. In response, the Israeli military said it targeted an underground site used by Gaza's Hamas rulers as a rocket-making facility. The airstrikes will significantly impede Hamas' rocket capabilities, it said. It also blamed the militant group for attacks emanating from Gaza. There were no reports of casualties. Earlier Thursday, the Palestinian Health Ministry said a Palestinian man was killed by Israeli fire in the occupied West Bank. Israeli police said it happened during a raid in the territory and alleged the man threw a firebomb at the forces. In a separate incident Thursday, a Palestinian stabbed a police officer in Jerusalems Old City, police said, and officers opened fire on the attacker, killing him. The officer was lightly wounded. The violence came as a political shift is underway in Israel after national elections, with Netanyahu set to return to power in a coalition government made up of far-right allies, including the extremist lawmaker Itamar Ben-Gvir, who in response to the incidents said Israel would soon take a tougher approach to attackers. The time has come to restore security to the streets, he tweeted. The time has come for a terrorist who goes out to carry out an attack to be taken out! The violence was the latest in a wave of Israeli-Palestinian fighting in the West Bank and east Jerusalem that has killed more than 130 Palestinians this year, making 2022 the deadliest since the U.N. started tracking fatalities in 2005. The violence intensified in the spring, after a wave of Palestinian attacks against Israelis killed 19 people, prompting Israel to launch a months-long operation in the West Bank it says is meant to dismantle militant networks. The raids have been met in recent weeks by a rise in attacks against Israelis, killing at least three. Israel says most of those killed have been militants. But youths protesting the incursions and people uninvolved in the fighting have also been killed. Also on Thursday, Israel said it was removing checkpoints in and out of the city of Nablus. Israel had imposed the restrictions weeks ago, clamping down on the city in response to a new militant group known as the Lions' Den. The military has conducted repeated operations in the city in recent weeks, killing or arresting the group's top commanders. Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war, and has since maintained a military occupation over the territory and settled more than 500,000 people there. The Palestinians want the territory, along with the West Bank and east Jerusalem, for their hoped-for independent state. Goldenberg reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. There are 5 days until polls close on Election Day. Here's what to know, including the top stories of the day, videos and photos from the campaign trail, the latest polls and key races in focus. STORY OF THE DAY Schumer insists Democrats have path to keep Senate majority Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer predicted Thursday that Democrats will hold the U.S. Senate, propelled by strong voter turnout to buck a wave of Republican enthusiasm for gaining control of Congress in the midterm elections. The Democratic leader told The Associated Press he's confident Democrats will be able to win the battleground states being contested and potentially pick up Senate seats from Republicans. It's tight, Schumer said in an interview. I believe Democrats will hold the Senate and maybe even pick up seats. Campaigning in his home state of New York, Schumer's upbeat predictions come as Democrats face stiff headwinds heading into Election Day on Tuesday. Full story here: STORY OF THE DAY Biden to speak on threats to democracy ahead of midterms WASHINGTON (AP) President Joe Biden will deliver remarks Wednesday evening on threats to democracy, as he seeks to raise the stakes for voters less than a week before the midterm elections. Biden, who has repeatedly said that democracy is on the ballot on Nov. 8, will speak at 7 p.m. from Washington's Union Station, blocks from the U.S. Capitol, the White House said. Its from Capitol Hill, because that is where there was an attempt to subvert our democracy, White House senior adviser Anita Dunn told Axios, referencing the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. Previewing Biden's remarks, Dunn said the Democratic president will be very clear tonight that he is speaking to people who dont agree with him on any issues, who dont agree on his agenda, but who really can unite behind this idea of this fundamental value of democracy. Full story here: *** MORE ELECTION 2022 COVERAGE *** WATCH *** RACES IN FOCUS: GEORGIA In Georgia, campaigns look to drive turnout with a knock Candidates, political parties and other groups in Georgia are pouring resources into knocking on doors to drive turnout. The intensifying effort reflects the narrow margin separating Republicans and Democrats in the state, but also research that face-to-face contact is effective at increasing the number of voters. Those efforts may be bearing fruit in Georgias big early voting turnout. More than 2 million people had cast early ballots by mail or in person by the end of the day Wednesday. That's far ahead of the turnout pace of 2018. The New Georgia Project says voters that its paid canvassers reach are three times more likely to vote than other similar voters. Real clear politics polling average: Georgia Senate: Herschel Walker (R) 47.1%, Raphael Warnock (D) 46.6%; Georgia Governor: Brian Kemp (R) 51.8%, Stacey Abrams (D) 43.6% *** PODCAST *** WE EXPLAIN How Russian soldiers ran a 'cleansing' operation in Bucha BUCHA, Ukraine (AP) It was a cold, gray morning, March 4 in Bucha, Ukraine. By nightfall, at least nine men would walk to their deaths at 144 Yablunska street, the nerve center of Russian violence that would shock the world. What happened that day in Bucha was what Russian soldiers on intercepted phone conversations called zachistka or cleansing. The Associated Press obtained surveillance camera footage from Bucha that shows, for the first time, what a cleansing operation in Ukraine looks like. Police ended up recovering nearly 40 bodies along Yablunska street alone. Prosecutors have identified 12 at one complex. AP reporters documented a 13th. Netanyahu set to return to power in Israel after PM concedes JERUSALEM (AP) Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears set to return to power as head of Israels most right-wing government ever after winning this weeks national election. The current caretaker prime minister, Yair Lapid, conceded defeat on Thursday. Final results showed Netanyahus Likud Party and its ultranationalist and religious partners capturing a solid majority in Israels Knesset, or parliament. The strong showing promised to end the political gridlock that has paralyzed Israel for the past three and a half years. But the planned agenda of the new government expected to take office promises to further polarize a deeply divided nation and risks antagonizing Israels closest allies abroad. Biden trying to save incumbent Democrats in campaign sprint ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) President Joe Bidens travel itinerary for his last big campaign swing before the midterm elections reveals his defensive stance in the campaigns closing days. Hes spending the bulk of the waning days of the campaign trying to hang on to seats that his party already holds. Biden kicked off a four-state, three-day campaign swing on Thursday to support Democrats in competitive races in solidly blue California, Illinois and New Mexico as well as battleground Pennsylvania, where Biden has deep roots. He campaigned Thursday in Albuquerque with New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham before heading to southern California to stump for San Diego-area Rep. Mike Levin. FBI warns of 'broad' threat to synagogues in New Jersey HOBOKEN, N.J. (AP) The FBI said on Thursday it had received credible information about a broad threat to synagogues in New Jersey, a warning that promoted some municipalities to send extra police officers to guard houses of worship. The FBIs Newark office released a statement urging synagogues to take all security precautions to protect your community and facility, but wouldnt say anything about who made the threat or why. In Jersey City, Mayor Steven Fulop said police would be posted at the city's seven synagogues and foot patrols would be added in the broader Jewish community. In 2019, two assailants motivated by anti-Jewish hate killed three people in a kosher market in Jersey City, along with a police officer. Lula's team meets Bolsonaro as Brazil's transition kicks off BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) President Jair Bolsonaro has met briefly with the envoy coordinating the transfer of power to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, four days after Bolsonaro's tight election loss that has sparked protests by his supporters and his refusal to publicly concede. The meeting between Brazils far-right outgoing president and Vice President-Elect Geraldo Alckmin took place at the presidential palace. Alckmin heads da Silvas transition team and had earlier arrived in the capital of Brasilia, launching the process that will culminate with da Silvas Jan. 1 inauguration. Bolsonaro chief of staff Ciro Nogueira has told reporters he had received authorization from Bolsonaro for the transition process. Nets suspend Kyrie Irving for at least 5 games without pay NEW YORK (AP) The Brooklyn Nets are suspending Kyrie Irving for at least five games without pay, saying they were dismayed by his failure to unequivocally say he has no antisemitic beliefs. Hours after Irving refused to issue the apology that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver sought for posting a link to an antisemitic work on his Twitter feed, the Nets said that Irving is currently unfit to be associated with the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets added in a statement that they were dismayed today, when given an opportunity in a media session, that Kyrie refused to unequivocally say he has no antisemitic beliefs, nor acknowledge specific hateful material in the film. Judge says he'll appoint monitor for Donald Trump's company NEW YORK (AP) A Manhattan judge said Thursday he will appoint an independent monitor for former President Donald Trumps real estate empire, restricting his companys ability to freely make deals, sell assets and change its corporate structure. Judge Arthur Engoron ordered the outside watchdog for the Trump Organization as he presides over a lawsuit in which New York Attorney General Letitia James alleges Trump and the company routinely misled banks and others about the value of prized assets, including golf courses and hotels bearing his name. James office says the Trump Organization is continuing to engage in fraud. But Trump Organization lawyer Christopher Kise said Engorons order sends a message that free enterprise is simply not welcome in New York. North Korea keeps up its missile barrage with launch of ICBM SEOUL, South Korea (AP) North Korea fired at least six missiles into the sea on Thursday, including an intercontinental ballistic missile that triggered evacuation warnings and halted trains in northern Japan, adding to a recent barrage of weapons tests. The ICBM test was followed by launches of two short-range ballistic missiles in the morning, drawing swift condemnation by North Koreas neighbors and the United States, which reacted by extending ongoing joint air force exercises with South Korea. South Koreas military said North Korea later fired three more short-range missiles into waters off its eastern coast. Those launches came an hour after a senior North Korean military official issued a statement threatening retaliation over the extension of the U.S.-South Korea drills. Cops: Hood CNN reporters murder solved but no prosecution CHICAGO (AP) Chicago police documents obtained by The Associated Press show investigators believe they solved the 2018 killing of a gangland journalist known as ZackTV but that prosecutors declined to prosecute. Police never announced arrests in the downtown shooting of Zachary Stoner. But the documents say five Perry Avenue gang members were arrested within a year of the killing on probable cause of murder. Police say the Cook County States Attorneys Office declined to prosecute, citing inconsistent witnesses" and the possibility two sides were mutual combatants. Prosecutors said in a statement that evidence in Stoner's case is insufficient" and that police agree. John Mellencamp revisits 'Scarecrow,' his game-changing disc NEW YORK (AP) It's not often you hear a record that's a reputation-changer for a musician. For John Mellencamp, that disc was Scarecrow in 1985, which lifted him from generic heartland rocker to a serious artist who inhabited his native Midwest creatively as well as physically. The disc gets the deluxe reissue treatment this week. In an interview, Mellencamp describes the making of the record, which partly inspired the Farm Aid movement that exists today, and his influences as a songwriter. Says the 71-year-old singer: "I dont mean to sound arrogant, but I'm not surprised that people liked that record." NEW YORK (AP) Filmmaker Paul Haggis told jurors Wednesday that he believed he had a consensual encounter with a woman who later accused him of rape, portraying himself as a flirt who acted on what he thought was mutual attraction. Publicist Haleigh Breest alleges that he forced her to perform oral sex and then raped her in 2013 as she repeatedly told him no. As Haggis took the stand as the defendant in the civil rape trial, he said she never gave me any indication it was anything other than consensual until he heard from her attorneys in 2017. She sued soon after. For five years, Ive been unable to clear my name, and now I will, Haggis told jurors. Breest earlier gave the jury an extensive account of the alleged assault. I said, Stop! Stop! Stop! she testified. She is seeking unspecified damages; there are no criminal charges in the case. Haggis testimony, due to continue Thursday, hasnt yet addressed all of Breests accusations, including the moment at which she said he shoved her onto a bed, pulled off her clothes and forced oral sex. Nor has he detailed his account of the point at which she alleges he raped her. But earlier that evening, when she maintains Haggis startled her with kisses that she didnt return and quickly backed out of, he said she initially deflected him with an ambiguous ooh! Then, when he made another pass, she was kissing me back, he testified. Haggis agreed with some parts of his accusers account of how she ended up alone with him in his downtown Manhattan loft: He offered her a ride home from a movie premiere and invited her for a drink at his apartment. She responded by suggesting a bar instead. When he said he preferred the apartment, she accepted but told him she wasnt spending the night. But where Breest said she made clear that she wasnt interested in a physical liaison, Haggis said he got a different signal. Once they got to his home, she was having a really good time, it seemed to me, and they were both flirtatious, smiling and very engaged as they chatted over glasses of wine, he said. Breests lawyers havent yet gotten their chance to cross-examine Haggis, who is known for writing the early-2000s best picture Oscar winners Million Dollar Baby and Crash. Breest was a publicist who moonlighted at premieres that he sometimes attended. The 69-year-old moviemaker testified that he thought Breest, 36, flirted with him at screenings and in occasional emails about events and show business. He said he found her adorable. When she greeted him with a hug on the night in question, he took it as an escalation in our relationship, he said. Breest has said she just showed professional friendliness to Haggis, who is older than her father. Haggis hasn't yet told the jury his version of interactions with four other women who testified that he sexually assaulted them on separate occasions between 1996 and 2015. One said he raped her. In testimony that veered from self-deprecating humor to a few tears as he recalled a failed marriage, Haggis did say he has always been a big flirt and acknowledged having a number of affairs while married to his second wife, actor Deborah Rennard, from 1997 until a 2010 separation and a divorce six years later. Hours of Haggis testimony focused on his decades-long membership and highly publicized 2009 split with the Church of Scientology, a system of beliefs, teachings and rituals focused on spiritual growth. It was founded by science fiction and fantasy author L. Ron Hubbard in the 1950s. Haggis lawyers have floated the notion that the church somehow generated the lawsuit to take down a famous dissenter, though theyve agreed theres no evidence that Breest has any ties to the religion. Nor have any witnesses testified that they know of a link between Scientology and Breest's lawyers or between the faith and Haggis other accusers. But one of Haggis' lawyers, Priya Chaudhry, has said the circumstantial evidence of Scientology's involvement here will be powerful." Ex-Scientologists, including one of his daughters, have related what they portrayed as church efforts to scrounge up damaging information about him or his family after he left the organization and called it a cult in a 2011 New Yorker article. The church said in a statement as the trial opened that it has nothing to do with the claims against Haggis, nor does it have any relation to the attorneys behind the case." Breests attorneys say the same. The Associated Press generally doesn't identify people who allege they have been sexually assaulted unless they come forward publicly, as Breest has done. SEOUL, South Korea (AP) For days North Korean officials have raged over U.S.-South Korean military drills, promising a violent response. That response came this week, when the North fired nearly 30 missiles in the span of two days, including a short-range weapon that splashed down near the South Korean sea border and an intercontinental ballistic missile that forced Japan to issue an evacuation alert and halt trains. It was a significant escalation in a year that has already seen the most North Korean missile test launches ever, and it raises an important question: How much further will they go? North Koreas playbook has traditionally been to continually ratchet up provocations until it gets U.S. attention and can then negotiate for sanctions relief or other concessions from what it sees as a position of power. The bar for getting attention these days may be higher, with the United States focused on upcoming elections and Russia and the West consumed by the war in Ukraine. That could mean the North has to do more to get the reaction it wants but it also increases the possibility that Pyongyang could end up pushing South Korea too far. Already there is growing discussion in Seoul about creating an indigenous nuclear program. North Korea observers have long sketched out the various levels Pyongyang uses to express its anger. At the bottom of the list is fiery rhetoric in state-controlled media. That may then progress into shorter-range missile launches of the type seen Wednesday. After that would come longer-range tests, including ICBMs, like the one fired from the capital area of Pyongyang on Thursday, or intermediate-range missiles like the ones that the North has sent hurtling over the Japanese archipelago in the past, deep into the Pacific. At the top of the list is a test detonation of one of their nuclear devices. Each new level cranks up already soaring tensions on the Korean Peninsula, where hundreds of thousands of troops from both sides and the United States square off along the worlds most heavily armed border. And while bloodshed these days is fairly rare (2010, by contrast, saw 50 South Koreans killed in attacks), this many troops operating with these types of powerful weapons in a relatively confined geographic area increases the chances that a miscalculation could lead to a clash. One of the 23 missiles fired Wednesday landed close enough to a South Korean island for air raid sirens to sound and residents there to evacuate to underground shelters. Another landed 26 kilometers (16 miles) from the Koreas shared border. Anxiety was already running high because hours earlier North Korea threatened to use nuclear weapons so that the United States and South Korea would pay the most horrible price in history. Initially assessing that the ICBM fired on Thursday would fly above its northern territory, Japan issued alerts to residents in the prefectures of Miyagi, Yamagata and Niigata, instructing them to go inside firm buildings or underground. The countrys military later said it lost track of the missile above waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan and that there were no flyovers. For months, South Korean and U.S. officials have been expecting North Korea to test a nuclear bomb. It would be the seventh such test, and be met with a push at the United Nations for even stronger sanctions. Whether Russia and China, nations that have traditionally protected the North, will allow further U.N. punishment is unclear. Its important to note that each North Korean weapons test whether of the shortest range missile or a nuclear bomb inches Pyongyangs scientists closer to their ultimate goal of a fully functional nuclear arsenal capable of targeting every city on the U.S. mainland. A recent analysis based on satellite imagery showed that the North has made dramatic progress on new construction at its Sohae Satellite Launching Station. In addition to expanding its ability to send up satellite launch vehicles, the station could support technology development also useable by North Koreas emerging intercontinental ballistic missile programs, wrote Joseph S. Bermudez Jr., Victor Cha and Jennifer Jun, of the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank in Washington. The latest launches follow a string of North Korean tests of nuclear-capable missiles. And a new North Korean law authorizes the preemptive use of nuclear weapons in a broad range of situations, though theres widespread doubt the North would use those bombs first in the face of U.S. and South Korean forces. North Korea says it is responding to U.S.-South Korean military drills that it views as a rehearsal for an invasion. But Pyongyang is also well aware of whats happening in the world especially as it relates to its rivals. U.S. President Joe Biden is preparing to travel to Asia for a series of summits, and is facing crucial midterm elections this month. A lot is vying for Bidens attention, but Pyongyang has also previously timed its weapons tests around American elections, presumably in the hopes of pushing itself higher on presidents foreign policy to-do lists. Theres also the war in Ukraine, where Russia has suffered a series of setbacks recently. North Korea may realize that Moscow, which has been a supporter of the North and its military for decades, could benefit from the distraction the missile tests create for Washington. And the barrage also comes as South Korea mourns the deaths of more than 150 people when a crowd of Halloween revelers surged the countrys largest disaster in years. But another North Korean nuclear test could also be a risk for the North itself, Jeffery Robertson, an associate professor of diplomatic studies at Yonsei University, wrote recently. Over the last thirty years, a rough balance has been established between South Koreas vastly superior conventional capacity (and its alliance with the U.S.) and North Koreas nascent nuclear weapons capacity, he said. But should South Korea pursue its own independent nuclear weapons capacity, this balance ceases to exist. Dont expect that to stop North Korea in the short term, though, as Pyongyang looks to use its full array of weapons to get what it wants. Foster Klug, APs news director for the Koreas, Japan, Australia and the South Pacific, has covered North Korea from Washington, Seoul and Pyongyang since 2005. KYIV, Ukraine (AP) Europes largest nuclear power plant was relying on emergency diesel generators to run its safety systems Thursday after external power from the Ukrainian electric grid was again cut off, Ukrainian and U.N. officials reported. Fighting in Ukraine has repeatedly damaged power lines and electrical substations that the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant requires to operate its safety systems, forcing workers to turn to backup generators to cool its six reactors until regular power is restored. All six reactors have been shut down. The generators have enough fuel to maintain the plant in southeastern Ukraine for just 15 days, state nuclear power company Energoatom said. The countdown has begun, Energoatom said, noting it had limited possibilities to maintain the ZNPP in a safe mode." The U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed the switch to backup diesel generators and said that underlines the extremely precarious nuclear safety and security situation." Rafael Grossi, the U.N. nuclear watchdog head, said relying on diesel generators is clearly not a sustainable way to operate a major nuclear facility" and urged again that a protection zone be established around the plant. Russia and Ukraine have traded blame during the war for shelling at and around the plant. Energoatom said Thursday that Russian shelling knocked out the last two high voltage transmission lines feeding the Zaporizhzhia plant. Russia gave a different account, blaming Ukraine. The Russian state-run news agency Tass quoted an official at Russia's nuclear power operator, Rosenergoatom, as claiming that Ukraine had switched off the two power lines and denied that Russian shelling of power lines had caused the problems. He said the move deprived the city of Energodar, where plant's workers live, of heating. Russian forces have occupied the plant since early in the war. It is located in the Zaporizhzhia region, one of four regions that Russia has illegally annexed. Although Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree transferring the nuclear plant to Russian ownership, Ukrainian workers continue to run the station. Energoatom claimed Russian officials are trying to connect the power station to Russia's power grid so it could supply electricity to Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, and Ukraine's Donbas region, another area Putin annexed. The human toll from earlier battles became evident again Thursday, when Ukrainian officials said 868 bodies of civilians, including 24 children, were found in liberated areas of the Kharkiv, Donetsk and Kherson regions. National police official Oleksii Serhieiev also told reporters 34 torture sites were found after Russian troops retreated from those areas, as well as the Kyiv, Sumy and Chernihiv regions. Elsewhere on the battlefront, Russia used drones, missiles and heavy artillery to hit Ukrainian cities, leaving six civilians dead and 16 wounded, according to the presidents office. Russian attacks on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's hometown of Kryvyi Rih left several districts without electricity or water. Further east in the Donetsk region, battles continued for the towns of Bakhmut and Avdiivka, where authorities said the population was under constant shelling and living without electricity or heat. Six cities and villages in the region came under attack in the last day, while in the northeast, three Russian missiles hit Ukraines second-largest city, Kharkiv. Across the Dnieper River from the Zaporizhzhia power plant, the city of Nikopol was also shelled again, damaging residential buildings, a gas station and several businesses, Zelenskyy's office said Thursday. In a rare hint of a possible retreat that Ukrainians treated with skepticism, a Moscow-appointed official in the occupied southern region of Kherson said Russian troops are most likely to move across the Dnieper River, away from the city of Kherson. Kirill Stremousov also told Russian state television that all Ukrainian attacks have been repelled. Tens of thousands of civilians have been evacuated from the city of Kherson in the face of a Ukrainian counteroffensive. Russian authorities removed their country's flag Thursday from the Kherson administration building, a week after the regional government moved out. Ukraine's southern military spokeswoman, Natalia Humeniuk, said the flag's removal may be a provocation and we should not hurry to rejoice. She also told Ukrainian television some Russian military personnel are disguising themselves as civilians. Neither side's claims could be independently verified. On the humanitarian front, seven ships carrying 290,000 tons of agricultural products sailed from Ukrainian seaports for Asia and Europe, a day after Russia resumed its participation in a program allowing the export of Ukrainian grain. Putin said Moscow had received assurances that Ukraine wouldn't use the humanitarian corridors to attack Russian forces. Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleh Nikolenko denied that Kyiv had made any new commitments or had used the grain corridor for military purposes. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov cautioned that Russias decision did not mean the grain deal would be extended after it expires Nov. 19. Russia had suspended its participation in the deal last weekend, citing an alleged Ukrainian drone attack against its Black Sea fleet in Crimea. Ukraine said the Russians mishandled their own weapons. In Moscow, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned British Ambassador Deborah Bronnert to protest what it alleged was British instructors' help in the Oct. 29 attack by drones on Black Sea fleet in Sevastopol, Crimea. Bronnert made no comment after the meeting. Under the grain deal, Russia was allowed to resume fertilizer and grain exports, but Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Thursday he hadn't seen progress on that. Since the deal was reached in July, 430 ships have exported 10 million tons of Ukrainian agricultural products to Africa, Asia and Europe. Ukraine's infrastructure ministry said export volumes in October could have been 30-40% higher if Russia had not artificially blocked inspections. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres hailed the 10 million-ton milestone and appealed to all parties to renew the grain agreement. Im not optimistic, Im not pessimistic. Im determined, Guterres told reporters in New York, adding it's important to clear obstacles for Russian food and fertilizer exports. Both sides announced another prisoner exchange Thursday, involving 214 military personnel in total. Elsewhere, a Ukrainian military official said Russia is using Belarusian territory to launch drone strikes. Oleksii Hromov said Iranian drones are flying into Ukraine from a military base in the Belarusian city of Luninets, 100 kilometers (62 miles) north of the border. The U.N. nuclear agency, meanwhile, said Thursday its inspections have found no evidence to support Russia's unfounded claims that Ukraine is planning to set off radioactive dirty bombs" after examining three locations in Ukraine. Western nations have called Moscows claims transparently false. Zelenskky, in his nightly address, said the inspectors showed we have clear and irrefutable evidence that no one in Ukraine has created or is creating any 'dirty bombs.' And the only thing that is dirty in our region now is the heads of those in Moscow. - Edith M. Lederer contributed from the United Nations and Frank Jordans reported from Berlin. Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine The former warden of an abuse-plagued federal womens prison known as the rape club went on trial Monday. The former warden is accused of molesting inmates and forcing them to pose naked in their cells. Ray J. Garcia retired after the FBI found nude photos of inmates on his government-issued phone last year. Garcia is among five workers charged with abusing inmates at the federal correctional institution in Dublin, California, and the first to go to trial. Prosecutors said during opening statements that Garcia followed a pattern that started with compliments and flattery and escalated to sexual encounters. Garcia has pleaded not guilty. If convicted, Garcia would face up to 15 years in prison. JERUSALEM (AP) Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday appeared set to return to power as head of Israels most right-wing government ever after winning this weeks national election, with the current caretaker prime minister conceding defeat. Final results showed Netanyahus Likud Party and its ultranationalist and religious partners capturing a solid majority in Israels Knesset, or parliament. The strong showing promised to end the political gridlock that has paralyzed Israel for the past three and a half years. But the planned agenda of the new government expected to take office including an overhaul of the countrys legal system and a tough line against the Palestinians promises to further polarize a deeply divided nation and risks antagonizing Israels closest allies abroad. Israel on Tuesday held its fifth election since 2019 in a race, like the previous four, that was widely seen as a referendum on Netanyahus fitness to rule as he faces corruption charges. While the previous races ended in deadlock, Netanyahu managed a disciplined campaign that gave him the edge over a divided and disorganized opposition. The acting prime minister, Yair Lapid, conceded defeat and called Netanyahu to congratulate him shortly before the final results were released. Lapid said he had instructed his staff to prepare an organized transition of power. The state of Israel comes before any political consideration, Lapid said. I wish Netanyahu success, for the sake of the people of Israel and the state of Israel. There was no immediate comment from Netanyahu. According to the unofficial final results, Netanyahu and his ultranationalist and ultra-Orthodox allies captured 64 seats in Israels 120-seat Knesset. His opponents in the outgoing coalition, led by Lapid, won 51 seats, with the remainder held by a small unaffiliated Arab faction. Netanyahu still has to conduct negotiations with his partners, but is expected to form a coalition in the coming weeks. The election focused heavily on the values that are meant to define the state: Jewish or democratic. In the end, voters favored their Jewish identity. Netanyahus main governing partner is expected to be Religious Zionism, a far-right party whose main candidate, Itamar Ben-Gvir has built a career on confrontations with Palestinians and espouses anti-Arab views that were once largely confined to an extremist fringe. The party will be the third-largest in parliament. Ben-Gvir says he wants to end Palestinian autonomy in parts of the occupied West Bank and maintain Israels occupation over the Palestinians, now in its 56th year, indefinitely. Until recently, he hung a photo in his home of a Jewish militant who murdered 29 Palestinian worshippers in a 1994 mosque shooting in the West Bank. Ben-Gvir has labeled Arab lawmakers terrorists and called for their deportation. The far-right lawmaker, who recently brandished a pistol while visiting a tense Palestinian neighborhood in east Jerusalem, wants to be put in charge of the countrys police force. The partys leader, Bezalel Smotrich, a fellow West Bank settler who has made anti-Arab remarks, has his sights set on the Defense Ministry. That would make him the overseer of the military and Israels West Bank military occupation. Party officials favor aggressive settlement construction in the West Bank. They also have made repeated anti-LGBTQ comments. These positions have threatened to antagonize American Jews, who are overwhelmingly liberal, and put Israels next government on a collision course with the Biden administration. The White House on Thursday said it was looking forward to working with Israel on our shared histories and values. But in a separate comment, State Department spokesman Ned Price said the U.S. hopes Israel will continue to share the values of an open, democratic society, including tolerance and respect for all in civil society, particularly for minority groups. He also reiterated support for a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians an idea with little, if any, support among the incoming government. Italys new far-right premier, Giorgia Meloni, congratulated Netanyahu on Twitter. Ready to strengthen our friendship and our bilateral relations, to better face our common challenges, she wrote. Hungary's nationalist prime minister, Viktor Orban, also congratulated Netanyahu, calling him a friend of Hungary. As the votes were being counted, Israeli-Palestinian violence was flaring, with at least four Palestinians killed in separate incidents, and an Israeli police officer wounded lightly in a stabbing in Jerusalems Old City. Ben-Gvir used the incidents to promise a tougher approach to Palestinian attackers once he enters government. The time has come to restore security to the streets, he tweeted. The time has come for a terrorist who goes out to carry out an attack to be taken out! While Religious Zionism could cause Netanyahu headaches abroad, it could bring him relief at home. The party has promised to enact changes to Israeli law that could halt Netanyahus corruption trial and make the charges disappear. Along with other nationalist allies, they also want to weaken the independence of the judiciary and concentrate more power in the hands of lawmakers. Netanyahu says the trial is a witch hunt against him orchestrated by a hostile media and a biased judicial system. Netanyahu remains a deeply polarizing figure in Israel. If his coalition takes power and pushes forward with its war on the justice system, these divisions are likely to deepen. Netanyahu, Israels longest-serving leader, was ousted in 2021 after 12 consecutive years in power by an ideologically-diverse coalition. The coalition collapsed in the spring over infighting. The strong showing by Likud and its allies reflected a decades-long shift to the right by the Israeli electorate. Both Likud and Religious Zionism tapped into fears over Palestinian violence in the West Bank, accused Lapid of being weak and demonized his government for being the first to include an Arab party in a coalition. Israels dovish left wing, meanwhile, had an abysmal showing in the election. The Labor party, which was a dominant force in Israeli politics for decades and supports Palestinian statehood, squeaked into parliament with the minimum four seats. The anti-occupation Meretz was banished into political exile for the first time since it was founded three decades ago. The general election in Wyoming is shaping up to be a quiet affair after the Republican U.S. House primary in August, when Liz Cheneys criticism of former President Donald Trump cost her partys support for a fourth term. Cheney lost to Cheyenne natural resource attorney Harriet Hageman, who is now heavily favored to beat Lynnette Grey Bull. A Native American activist who also was the Democratic nominee for U.S. House in 2020, Grey Bull lost to Cheney by a 44-point margin that year even wider than the more-than-2-to-1 trouncing Cheney suffered from Hageman. Like Hageman, Gov. Mark Gordon benefits from Wyomings Republican-dominated electorate as he seeks a second term. Gordon faced criticism for COVID-19 restrictions that many in his party considered intrusive and heavy-handed, raising the possibility he would face a serious primary challenge. After lifting the restrictions in 2021 and leaning right on issues including abortion, he didnt. Meanwhile, one of the few Republicans who couldve given him real trouble Hageman ran for Congress instead. Gordon beat three Republicans in the primary. He now faces Theresa Livingston, a retired U.S. Bureau of Land Management employee who has campaigned little and remains little-known in the state. Democratic voter registration in Wyoming continues to decline, to just 11% of the electorate. Thats down by half from a decade ago, though part of the decline may be attributed to Democrats registering as Republicans to help Cheney in this years GOP primary. Democrats face ever-steeper odds in races including the contest for state superintendent of public instruction. Megan Degenfelder, who was Wyoming Department of Education policy chief under former Superintendent Jillian Balow, is running against Sergio Maldonado, a longtime educator and tribal elder from the Wind River Reservation. A Democrat has not been state superintendent in Wyoming since 1991. The winner will succeed Brian Schroeder, a former Christian schoolmaster appointed to succeed Balow after she resigned last winter to become state superintendent for Virginia. The two state constitutional amendments on the ballot would raise the mandatory retirement age for judges from 70 to 75 and allow local governments to invest public funds in equities. The measures would need to get a majority of all ballots cast to succeed. In other words, voters who skip over and dont vote on the amendments count the same as no votes. Heres a look at what to expect on election night: ELECTION NIGHT Polls close at 7 p.m. local time (9 p.m. ET). HOW WYOMING VOTES Wyomings rules for mail-in and early voting have changed little in decades. Early voting at county courthouses across the state began Sept. 23. County clerks also began mailing out requested ballots on that day. Several of Wyomings 23 counties have ballot drop boxes. Karl Allred, the secretary of state appointed after Ed Buchanans resignation to become a judge in September, has asked county clerks to consider removing drop boxes to alleviate concerns about fraud. There have been no reports of fraud or that any ballot drop boxes have been removed. Allred is not running for secretary of state and will leave office in January. DECISION NOTES The AP will tabulate 44 contested races in Wyoming, including three statewide races, one of which is for the states sole U.S. House seat. Liz Cheney lost the Republican primary for that seat over the summer. In the 2020 election, the first reports came at 9:54 p.m. ET and 90% of votes were reported by 12:53 a.m. Wednesday. The AP does not make projections and will only declare a winner when its determined there is no scenario that would allow the trailing candidates to close the gap. Should a candidate declare victory or offer a concession before the AP calls a race, we will cover newsworthy developments in our reporting. In doing so, we will make clear that the AP has not declared a winner and explain why. The AP may call a statewide or U.S. House race in which the margin between the top two candidates is 0.5% or less, if we determine the lead is too large for a recount to change the outcome. The AP will not call down-ballot races on election night if the margin between the top two candidates is less than 2% or if the leading candidate is within 2% of the 50% runoff threshold. AP will revisit those races later in the week to confirm there arent enough outstanding votes left to count that could change the outcome. WHAT ELSE SHOULD I KNOW? Q: WHAT DID WE LEARN FROM THE PRIMARY? A: Wyoming voters reward candidates seen as loyal to their interests in this rural, sparsely populated state and punish those showing any hint of sympathy for Democrats and centrist Republicans in Wyoming or elsewhere. Q: WHATS CHANGED SINCE THE PANDEMIC ELECTION OF 2020? A: A law passed this year allows counties that do not count absentee ballots at polling place precincts on election day to prepare and process ballots on the Thursday or Friday before election day. Q: HOW LONG DOES COUNTING USUALLY TAKE? A: Wyoming has traditionally had all its counting done by early Wednesday morning. Q: WHAT HAPPENS AFTER TUESDAY? A: Wyomings deadline for candidates to request a recount is Nov. 14. The state canvassing board will meet to certify the election results on Nov. 16. READING UP ON THE RACES Heres more on the campaigns in Wyoming: PARTING THOUGHT The only election drama in this Republican-dominated state came in August, when Cheney lost the GOP primary for the states lone U.S. House seat. Check out https://apnews.com/hub/explaining-the-elections to learn more about the issues and factors at play in the 2022 midterm elections. Follow APs coverage of the elections at: https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections A prize founded by Britains Prince William to honor groundbreaking environmental solutions will broadcast its second ceremony on PBS and the BBC. William will join the event to be filmed Dec. 2 in Boston. It will air Dec. 4 on Britains BBC and stream on PBS and The Earthshot Prize YouTube channel on Dec. 5. Each of this years five winners will receive $1 million to accelerate their projects aimed at the prizes 2030 goals that include protecting and restoring nature and reviving the oceans. The Earthshot Prize ceremony will air on PBS on Dec. 14, with celebrity and musical guests to be announced. NEBRASKA CITY A couple dozen of denim-wearing union employees sat front and center Wednesday as Nebraska Supreme Court justices lobbed questions at attorneys in a case that started over whether certain Department of Health and Human Services workers could wear jeans to work. Outside the high school theater, where oral arguments were held, Justin Hubly, executive director of the Nebraska Association of Public Employees (NAPE) Local No. 61, said the litigation started in December 2019, before the pandemic, which feels like a lifetime ago. But it's a meaningful case to union members, he said. "Even though today we're really not talking about dress code anymore," Hubly said. Or about jeans. They've already negotiated that with HHS in a later labor contract. He said it's about HHS being required to bargain with the union when they make such changes and about arbitration orders being enforced, he said. It all started with HHS changing its dress code in December 2019, requiring all employees to wear business casual clothing Monday through Thursday. Jeans, T-shirts and sweatshirts no longer were allowed. Soon after, Christine Slaymaker and more than 200 other members of the NAPE Local No. 61, the union representing government workers in the state, filed a grievance challenging the revisions. They said HHS violated their contract by not giving union members proper notice, failing to negotiate the changes and implementing the new dress code in an "unreasonable manner." And they pointed out the inconsistent way it was being carried out. While some employees could wear jeans, others could not, even if they didn't interact with the public. Both sides agreed to what's called a binding arbitration where they abide by the decision of a neutral arbitrator to avoid going to court, a more costly option. But when the arbitrator, Jim Nash, ruled in favor of the workers and directed HHS to reactivate its previous dress code, allowing jeans, HHS appealed first to the Lancaster County District Court and now the Supreme Court saying he had exceeded his authority. On Wednesday, attorney Grant Dugdale, representing HHS, said they contend he "didn't do anything close to what the contract required." His decision failed to include specific findings of fact and conclusions of law and he added "language that wasn't there" regarding how a policy should be implemented, Dugdale argued. Chief Justice Michael Heavican asked why HHS didn't point it out to the arbitrator, who had given both sides 30 days to ask for clarification of his order, to give him a chance to revise it, rather than appeal to district court. Dugdale said nothing in the collective bargaining agreement allows for them to do that. But it does say they can appeal a decision to the district court if an arbitrator exceeds his or her authority. If they agree, Justice Jonathan Papik asked, "What's the appropriate remedy?" Should the case go back to the arbitrator so he can rewrite his order? Or back to the district court, which upheld the order earlier this year? Dugdale said it should go to a new arbitrator, which would start the process over. On the other side, attorney Dalton Tietjen, who represents NAPE, said the briefs in the case show Health and Human Services simply doesn't want to accept a binding arbitration decision. "The appellant dislikes the result and the appellant is searching high and low for a reason to invalidate it, unsuccessfully," he said. Tietjen said HHS's failure to ask the arbitrator to clarify his order demonstrated to him an "egregious lapse." "I hesitate to say bad faith, but perhaps," he said. Tietjen asked the Supreme Court to affirm the district court's order. In the hall, Hubly said union members wore jeans Wednesday in a sort of "silent protest of how silly to spend the taxpayer dollars litigating a case all the way up to the Supreme Court over such a trivial issue." The Supreme Court took the matter under advisement. The state's high court travels to high schools several times a year to participate in educational programming for students within their communities. The Nebraska City High School visit was the first visit to the city 45 miles east of Lincoln, according to the court's news release. A wave of people seeking better lives has overwhelmed Americas immigration infrastructure. In response, the United States has allowed hundreds of thousands of migrants seeking asylum to live and work in the country without any evaluation of the merits of their claims, while summarily expelling hundreds of thousands of others, also without regard to the merits of their claims. A promise to shelter those in need has thus devolved into a Kafkaesque sham. Immigration is a vitalizing force in the nations cultural and economic life, but the United States cannot admit all those who wish to come. The choice of who is allowed to enter must be intentional, not the result of a government that lacks the capacity to enforce its own laws. The shambles of the asylum process is undermining public support for immigration. And that, in turn, jeopardizes the ability of those with legitimate need to obtain refuge. Sameer Bhide: Take it from an immigrant: America still inspires hope The topics of critical race theory and diversity have exploded in the public arena, causing further divide in our society between conservatives and liberals. I am not here to justify either point of view. As an immigrant, I just want to share my experience of our rich diversity. Americas commitment to offer asylum to people fleeing violence and persecution in their homelands is an essential expression of the nations ideals. But the system is broken. The United States needs to invest the resources necessary to live up to its ideals by building a system that treats asylum seekers with dignity, provides for a fair and efficient adjudication of their claims and ensures that those who do not obtain permission to stay in the country do not remain. The daily scenes of bedraggled families sloshing across the Rio Grande to reach Texas encapsulate the misery and unfairness of an immigration system that has devolved into a haphazard collection of breaches and barriers. Between October 2021 and June 2022, the first three quarters of the most recent fiscal year, the government accepted asylum applications from more than 150,000 people, mostly from Latin America, many traveling with their families. Often they seek or wait patiently for arrest as soon as they set foot in the United States, knowing that after a few days in federal custody, they will be released. More than 750,000 people are now waiting for the government to review their asylum claims, and the average wait time is more than four years, according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University. In the meantime, they can live in the United States and, after 150 days, apply for permission to work here. The Government Accountability Office reported last month that the government was struggling to keep track of a significant portion of those released from custody. Between March 2021 and February 2022, Customs and Border Protection released 184,900 migrants seeking asylum. They were instructed to report to immigration offices in their destination cities, but as of March 2022, roughly one in four of those people had failed to do so. The backlog of asylum claims has swelled even though the government, since March 2020, has used the pretext of a public health emergency to bar asylum claims from some of the nations that historically have numbered among the largest sources of migrants seeking to enter the United States, including Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras. Between October 2021 and June 2022, the federal government invoked that rule, known as Title 42, to expel migrants 853,000 times along the southern border (although that number includes many people who were caught and expelled more than once). The Biden administrations efforts to end the use of the rule are currently tied up in federal court. The capricious nature of the current system was on vivid display earlier this month. After allowing tens of thousands of migrants from Venezuela to enter the country in recent years, the Biden administration added Venezuela to the list of Title 42 countries, effectively barring new claims. That was an abrupt shift from an overly permissive policy to an overly restrictive one. The basic problem is that the government does not have the resources to act justly. A bill introduced last year, the Bipartisan Border Solutions Act, would provide those resources. The core of the bill would expand the capacity of the immigration system to triage asylum claims. It provides funding for four new processing centers along the southern border where migrants seeking asylum could be detained for up to 72 hours and where they would undergo health screenings, background checks and an initial screening to determine whether they have a credible fear of persecution in their countries of origin. Individuals who do not meet the standard could be deported, with a limited right to appeal. ... Customs and Border Protection, the agency that would help run the new processing centers, has a long and well-documented history of mistreating migrants. Watchdog groups including the American Civil Liberties Union have raised legitimate concerns about any expansion of the authority of an agency that has often behaved as if it is fighting a war against immigration. But there is little sense in creating a new agency to do the work of an existing agency. This legislation presents an opportunity for Congress to clarify the agencys mission, and it includes provisions for supervision by governmental and nongovernmental watchdogs. The bill also would fund an expansion of the system for making final asylum decisions, with the aim of expediting those decisions. It would add 150 immigration judges, an increase of more than 25%, as well as 300 asylum officers. Under a pilot program that the Biden administration launched this spring, some asylum claims are heard by asylum officers who participate in a five-week training course rather than by immigration judges, who must hold law degrees and have at least seven years of experience. The pilot tries to strike a balance between due process and speed, providing applicants with at least 21 days but no more than 45 days to prepare for their hearing a reasonable target for all asylum claims. The bill also instructs the government to prioritize adjudication of new asylum claims during surges in the number of applications. That may delay the processing of existing claims, but it is a sensible strategy to discourage people without valid claims from joining the back of the line in the hope that years will pass before anyone judges the merit of their claim. The bill is narrowly focused on the mechanics of asylum. It does not address the economic and political problems that propel people to risk the journey to the United States, nor does it offer alternative paths to enter the United States legally to those who are ineligible for asylum. Those are real flaws, akin to building a dam without a spillway. The bill also does not address the strain on border communities where migrants are released from federal custody, and on the communities throughout the country where migrants settle. In the most recent fiscal year, the federal government allocated $150 million to reimburse local governments and nonprofits that provide aid to migrants. That is entirely insufficient; the Texas border city of El Paso alone is on pace to spend $89 million in a year providing services to migrants. California has spent $900 million over the past three years. In a 2016 assessment, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine concluded that immigration imposes significant short-term costs on local governments but that the children of immigrants are among the strongest economic and fiscal contributors in the U.S. population. Immigration, in other words, is an investment in Americas future, but someone still needs to cover the upfront costs. California coordinates closely with federal authorities and nonprofits to meet migrants as they are released from custody, providing them with health care and temporary shelter, and helping them to connect with friends and family. Similar efforts are needed in other states, especially Texas, where the number of migrants has been several times greater, and where the state government has provided little aid. For all the problems that the border protection bill does not address, however, it still provides a framework for substantive progress. And its narrow focus may be a political virtue. Efforts to craft comprehensive overhauls of immigration law have proved unavailing, and the polarizing legacy of the xenophobic rhetoric and policies of the Trump administration has made any progress on immigration difficult. The Senate sponsors, Republicans John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Democrats Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, bucked the positions of their own parties by introducing the bill last year. Many Republicans want to make it even harder for anyone to seek asylum; many Democrats insist that any overhaul of immigration rules must include relief for those already in the United States. Winning broader support will require more compromise and courage. But regardless of the results of the midterm elections, Congress has a real opportunity to begin the critical work of fixing the nations immigration system by overhauling the asylum process. NORTH SIOUX CITY The Dakota Valley volleyball team opened its postseason run by sweeping Parker, 3-0, Tuesday night. The Panthers, seeded No. 1 in Class A Region 4A, dominated the first-round match, 25-7, 25-9, 25-7, over the Pheasants. Dakota Valley had a balanced attack with Claire Munch leading the way with 11 kills and two blocks. Jorja Vandenhu had eight kills and two blocks. Setter Logan Miller had 20 assists. In the second round, the Panthers, 24-7, host fifth seed Tea, 10-19, at 7 p.m. Friday. DR. WALLACE: My boyfriend wants me to lose weight, but I am happy as I am and even though I'm not tiny or really skinny, I'm not all that big either. For the first time in the Sioux City Symphony's 107-year history, the orchestra will perform Gustav Mahler's "Resurrection Symphony." Under the baton of Ryan Haskins, the concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 12 at the Orpheum Theatre, 528 Pierce St. Mahler's colossal "Symphony No. 2 'Resurrection,'" deals with contemplating the meaning of life and the mystery of death. The Sioux City Symphony Orchestra will welcome soloists Celena Shafer, soprano, and Michelle DeYoung, mezzo-soprano, while featuring close to 300 orchestra and chorus members who will fit the Orpheum stage. For more information, call 712-277-2111 or go to siouxcitysymphony.org. Tim Michels, the construction magnate and GOP candidate for governor in Wisconsin, has made it clear he will fulfill a Republican priority on his first day in office: firing Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm. Chisholm has been in the crosshairs of the state GOP since last November, when Darrell Brooks Jr. posted $1,000 bail days before he allegedly drove his SUV through the Waukesha Christmas parade, killing six and injuring 60. More than a dozen Wisconsin Republicans have asked Democratic Gov. Tony Evers to remove Chisholm, who has since said the bail set for Brooks was inappropriately low. Evers has resisted, arguing the mistake does not constitute the inefficiency, neglect of duty, official misconduct, or malfeasance that permits the governor to remove a prosecutor. Michels, his opponent, says hell can Chisholm and any other DAs who create a dangerous situation in their community. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Republicans have met the enemy, and hes the district attorney. As the party centers its 2022 campaigns on urban mayhem real and imagined, old crimes like drug possession and new ones like abortion, local prosecutors have become the avatars of Democrats soft-on-crime policies, as an op-ed by GOP Reps. Steve Scalise and Scott Fitzgerald put it last month. By cracking down on rogue prosecutors who favor criminals over victims, we can ensure that no one else is put in harms way as a result of Democrats negligence, they wrote, singling out so-called far-left prosecutors like Chisholm. Almost all those prosecutors are elected, usually in deep-blue cities, and Republicans have not had much luck unseating them at the ballot box. But the preferences of city voters matter only until statehouse Republicans decide they dont. Advertisement Advertisement Its not just Wisconsin. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has suspended a Tampa-area prosecutor; Pennsylvania Republicans are trying to impeach Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner, who was easily reelected just last year; the former U.S. attorney who ran for governor (and lost) in the GOP primary proposed passing a constitutional amendment to end prosecutor elections in Philadelphia and Philadelphia alone. (Neither of those initiatives seems likely to succeed.) Laws to override local DAs have been proposed in states like Texas, Georgia, Virginia, Indiana, and Missouri, and passed in states like Tennessee. Advertisement There are two trends worth observing, said Carissa Byrne Hessick, a law professor at UNC. First, weve seen what you might call a nationalization of local prosecutor elections. People are paying attention to races that dont directly involve them. Those offices have become more visible, more salient, more open for political point-scoring. The second trend, in response, is state officials pushing back against them in really open ways. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Over the past decade, so-called progressive prosecutors determined to repair the injustices of the tough-on-crime era have won over voters in places as different as Memphis and Manhattan. Since the start of the pandemic, however, violent crime has spiked in many cities and the perception of crime has gone up further still, putting DAs under pressure even in deep-blue enclaves like Los Angeles and San Francisco. But these new challenges arent coming from prosecutors own constituents. Republicans running on the idea that Democrats want to defund the police feel newly emboldened to reject the electoral preferences of urban voters. Add to that mix the Supreme Courts Dobbs decision and the subsequent red-state criminalization of abortion, and you have a big divide between right-wing state legislatures and the elected officials tasked with enforcing the laws they write. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Many left-leaning state attorneys have been open about the fact that they will not prosecute some laws passed by Republican legislatures. From the Associated Press last year: In Georgia, the Gwinnett County solicitor vowed not to punish anyone for the crime of distributing food or water to voters in line. Tampas chief prosecutor says a law that allows law enforcement to detain protesters until their court date is an assault on our democracy. And a district attorney in Douglas County, Kansas, promised not to enforce a new state law that makes it harder for nonpartisan groups and neighbors and candidates to collect and return absentee ballots for voters. In Tennessee, for example, a rogue prosecutor bill aimed at Nashville DA Glenn Funk passed last fall, creating a workaround to go after cases Funk said he wouldntincluding prosecuting teachers for enforcing classroom mask mandates. Advertisement Its a new big issue, and its happening now because when very conservative GOP lawmakers cant get their way at the ballot box on hot-button cultural issues, they take extraordinary measures, said Lara Bazelon, a law professor at the University of San Francisco. Including trying to impeach a sit-in DA who hasnt committed a crime, passing legislation to give other DAs extraordinary jurisdiction, and actually removing a duly elected DA from his job. Theyre overriding the will of the voters. Advertisement Advertisement Can a prosecutor openly ignore a law they dont agree with? Can another official step in to prosecute if they do? The details differ a bit from state to state. In Pennsylvania, the Republican Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff said last week that Krasner, who has made a point of diverting low-level offenders from jail and prison, has made Philadelphians prisoners of fear. We must do something to help the people of Philadelphia. Specifically, Republicans in Harrisburg have filed two articles of impeachment against Krasner, citing misbehavior in office. The impeachmentjust the third in Pennsylvania historycomes days after a Select Committee on Restoring Law and Order released an interim report citing a controversial study that argued that a reduction in prosecutions in the city led to a subsequent increase in murders. (Actually, ejecting Krasner would require a trial in the evenly bipartisan Pennsylvania State Senate and a two-thirds vote to convict.) Advertisement Like Krasner, Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren was elected twice by voters in Tampa, Florida. Nevertheless, in August, DeSantis had him removed from his office by a sheriffs deputy, citing his refusal to prosecute low-level crimes, as well as two pledges Warren signed, one to decline to prosecute cases involving transgender health care, the other to decline to prosecute anyone seeking or providing an abortion. Advertisement Advertisement Warren has sued DeSantis; the case seems bound for trial. There are few precedents. One is another Florida prosecutor, Aramis Ayala, who vowed not to enforce the death penalty. Then-Gov. Rick Scott moved death penalty cases out of her jurisdiction. Another is Julian Bond, a civil rights activist and opponent of the Vietnam War who won a seat in the Georgia House in 1965. The house voted to prevent him from being seated; the case went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which gave Bond his seat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Broader efforts are underway in other states, such as Texas, where prosecutors in Democratic strongholds like Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio say they will not prosecute cases related to abortion. In response, conservative state legislators say they will introduce a bill that would allow prosecutors to jump into other districts to prosecute abortion-related crimes. The dispute recalls the sanctuary city debate over whether local police departments should work with federal immigration police. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill in 2017 instituting fines for law enforcement officers who didnt honor inquiries from ICE. Marc Levin, chief policy counsel at the Council on Criminal Justice, argues theres little sound reasoning behind these crusades. First, he says, prosecutors have limited resources and should be free to prioritize violent crime. Second, prosecutors wont waste their time bringing cases where local juries wont vote to convict. (You might be able to delegate abortion cases to a neighboring DA, but you definitely cant parachute in rural jurors.) Finally, there are many ridiculous old state laws on the books that are never enforcedso its hardly a matter of principle that all laws must always be enforced. Most importantly, prosecutors are elected and can be unelected if people dont like their politics. In the case of the wave of progressive prosecutors, city residents have already demonstrated that they can both vote out (San Franciscos Chesa Boudin) or reelect (Larry Krasner) officials according to their performance. In a way, the Republican fixation on micromanaging local court proceedings is brand new. But in another sense, its part of a much older trend, one in which Republicans seek to strip away urban power when they dont like the policies that result. In 2010, comedian and TV writer Eric Appel directed a short video for the website Funny or Die: a fake trailer for a nonexistent biopic of the pop-song parodist Weird Al Yankovic. In the next dozen years, Yankovic took to playing the film during costume changes at his live concert appearances, and audiences loved it, many demanding to know when the real movie was coming out. More than a decade later, Appel has heeded that call, pairing with Yankovic as director and co-screenwriter to create a feature-length spoof that imagines the ascent of the accordion-squeezing phenom as a combination of inspirational showbiz biopic and deranged action thriller. Though it wears out its welcome in one dreary stretch midway through, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (which premieres on the free, ad-supported streaming service the Roku Channel on Friday) is an appropriately goofy tribute to its subject and co-creator: a movie parody about the life of a parodist. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In an early scene, a young Al (played as a preteen by Richard Aaron Anderson) scandalizes his traditionally-minded parents (Toby Huss and Julianne Nicholson) by improvising new words to Amazing Grace at the dinner table: Amazing grapes/ How sweet the juice When his stern father declares the creation of new lyrics for familiar songs confusing and evil, Al is forced to pursue his passion in secretuntil, at a teenage polka party, he (played now by David Bloom) wows his formerly bullying classmates with a shredding accordion solo. Next thing he knows, Al (played from here forward by Daniel Radcliffe) is forming a band with his three doofus roommates and taking the music world by storm. In this movies revisionist version of pop history, Yankovics parodies are so popular they surpass the hits they send up on the Billboard charts, and big names clamor for him to record alternate versions of their songs to give their own careers a boost. A poolside industry party hosted by Als real-life mentor, the radio host Dr. Demento (Rainn Wilson), and attended by such 80s luminaries as Gallagher (Paul F. Tompkins), Pee-wee Herman (Jorma Taccone), and the growly-voiced DJ Wolfman Jack (a hilarious Jack Black) is one of the movies high points, culminating in Als on-the-spot improvisation of his immortal Queen parody Another One Rides the Bus. Advertisement Advertisement Radcliffe throws himself into the part with complete commitment, somehow selling us on Als single-minded passion. Radcliffe has reinvented himself in recent years as a skilled comic actor with a good eye for the kind of offbeat roles that suit him: His supporting turn as an absurdly entitled tech billionaire was one of the high points of this years The Lost City, and before the directing duo known as the Daniels scored a surprise blockbuster with this years Everything Everywhere All at Once, Daniel Radcliffe starred in their debut film, Swiss Army Man, as the farting corpse named in the title. For Weirds ludicrously flimsy conceit to remain funny for an hour and 40 minuteswhich, to its credit, it very nearly doesthe actor playing Al needs sincerity and sweetness as well as comedic chops. Radcliffe throws himself into the part with complete commitment, somehow selling us on Als single-minded passion to become, in his words, maybe not technically the best, but arguably the most famous accordion player in an extremely specific genre of music. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In its blithe disregard both for the real facts of Yankovics life and for music historynot to mention all principles of logicWeird at times resembles the 1980s comedy empire of the Zucker brothers, creators of Airplane! and the Naked Gun trilogy. This is a fitting tone for the faux biopic of a man who appeared in all three of the Naked Gun movies. Its also, sometimes to this movies detriment, well-trodden comic territory; between Walk Hard (still the Citizen Kane of fake-musician biopics) and Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, audiences have become familiar with the joke-a-minute takeoff of the bathos-ridden Behind the Music template. Advertisement Advertisement The careening momentum of the movies first hour slows when Al hooks up with a scheming Madonna (Evan Rachel Wood), who seduces him in order to further her own career by convincing him to parody one of her songs. Somehow this dalliance leads the couple into a shootout with the Colombian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar (Arturo Castro)a stretch of the movie that leaves a bad taste in the viewers mouth, both because of the over-the-top violence and because of the implicit sexism in the portrayal of Madonna as a femme fatale who pours liquor down the throat of the innocent Al. This subplot seems intended as an attempt to poke fun at the cliche of the bad influence in show-business biopics rather than a jab at the Material Girl herself, but given that Madonna is the movies only female character besides Als mother, the unfortunate effect is to reinforce misogynistic stereotypes as much as it is to spoof them. Advertisement Advertisement Weird redeems itself in the final act with a deliriously silly onstage performance of the Coolio sendup Amish Paradise and a climactic scene at a music awards show (with Prince in the audience crossing his fingers in hope of winning the prize that goes to the triumphant Al). In the audience is a once skeptical, now awed record executive, played by the real-life Yankovic (who also appears as himself in an outlandish end-credit sequence that engages in a Tarantino-esque rewriting of pop history). By way of an acceptance speech, Al counsels his listeners to live the life you want to live. Be as weird as you wanna be. Coming at the end of a movie that leaves few possibilities for a joke unexplored, its a rare flight of straight-from-the-heart sincerity, and not a bad design for living. Care and Feeding is Slates parenting advice column. In addition to our traditional advice, every Thursday we feature an assortment of teachers from across the country answering your education questions. Have a question for our teachers? Email askateacher@slate.com or post it in the Slate Parenting Facebook group. My husband is a high school STEM teacher. He mentors BIPOC and LGBT students from working class families to help them find and apply for colleges they can attend on full ride scholarships, and the students often keep in touch during their undergraduate programs. Most of the students do well in college, but one, Emma, is really struggling. She misses assignment deadlines, drops classes at the very last minute, and skips scheduled check-ins with my husband with no notice or explanation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sometimes weeks go by with no word from her, and shell only get in touch when shes in a crisis. I recently discovered that he wrotenot edited, but 100 percent composedat least 2 of her English assignments when she fell behind in a class. I confronted him about this and was shocked that he would help a student cheat, but he said hed invested too much time in her to let her fail. (Their family and economic backgrounds are almost identical, which Im sure is exacerbating the situation. And Im confident that theres no romantic component because I can overhear their tutoring sessions and Ive seen their text exchanges pop up on our shared laptop.) Advertisement If Emma cant cut it at a highly competitive school, thats disappointing, but there are many other colleges she could attend and still get a good education. Being a mentor to these students is a key component of my husbands identity, but he of all people should draw the line at cheating. This situation is also causing me to reevaluate our personal relationship, since he was initially evasive about writing Emmas essays and says he doesnt think its wrong. How can I encourage my husband to (re)establish proper boundaries with Emma? I really need another teachers perspective here. Notifying the college seems like a nuclear option. Im proud of my husbands work with disadvantaged students, but this has to stop. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Where is the Line? Dear Where Is the Line?, He crossed it. The line. He should look behind himits back there. Nope, nope, nope. His moral compass has gone wonky. Have another conversation with your husband. Ask him how he would feel if a middle school teacher were doing assignments for one of his high school students. Would he think that was appropriate support? Would that be in the best interest of the student? Advertisement Advertisement If he reiterates that hes invested too much time in Emma to let her fail, first, thats a him problem. Thats his ego. Second, Emma needs to fail. Thats how shes going to learnthe material, her limitations, time management, self-reliance, how and when to ask for help from her professor. If your husband does her assignments, she learns helplessness. Yikes. Advertisement Advertisement Your husband needs to take responsibility for his actions. What does that mean? At the very least, he must communicate clearly with Emma that he made a huge mistake and refrain from doing assignments for students in the future. Beyond that, he could tell the college, which would certainly cause problems for himself and for Emma. Thats an ethical decision hes going to have to make for himself. Advertisement Advertisement You could tell the college, yes. Do you want to? It would probably blow up your marriage. Would that be bad? You mentioned reevaluating your relationship, and this debacle does say something about him as a personless that he messed up, more that hes doubling down. But its not your responsibility to make this right. Your husband is the one who erred; your husband is the one who remains willfully ignorant of his mistake; your husband is the one who needs to act. Advertisement If youre committed to making your marriage work, you could seek couples counseling, or you could insist your husband see a therapist on his own. Any professional worth their salt will tell him flat out hes in the wrong on this one. Ms. Scott (high school teacher, North Carolina) Slate needs your support right now. Sign up for Slate Plus to keep reading the advice you crave every week. My seventh-grade daughter currently has an F in Social Studies. At parent-teacher conferences, the teacher said that she was not doing her work. I requested that the teacher email me about upcoming assignments and when my daughter is missing them. To my surprise, the teacher said no! She said that assignments are posted on the online grade book and in weekly posts on the school app, and missing grades can be seen in the grade book. I have 3 kids and a full-time job, and keeping parents informed is part of HER job. I objected, but she wasnt budging, so I dropped it. I still think its ridiculous that she refuses to do this little thing to help a student succeed. Should I continue to try to convince this teacher? If so, how? Or should I escalate to the principal? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Busy Parent Dear Busy, I feel you. As a parent myself, I know how hard it is to keep up with all the different assignments and projects and field trips and clubs. Its almost impossible when you have multiple kids and you know a life! The juggling act of my childrens school-day afternoons is sometimes the most stressful part of my day. However, as a teacher, I would have said basically the same thing your childs teacher did. Now, I would never give a parent a flat no; I hope this teacher wasnt that rude to you. But most of us dont have time in our day to babysit any one students grade. I have over 150 students. It simply isnt possible. Youre correct that part of our job is to communicate with parents. If this teacher is truly posting all the work, assignments, and grades to the online platform and doing so in a timely manner, then that fulfills their commitment. And I would laud them for it. Keeping up with that alone can be daunting when faced with ballooning class sizes and shrinking planning time. I dont know if this is the case where you live, but in many places around the country, we are faced with teacher shortages that are exacerbating a variety of pre-existing poor work conditions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As for how to proceed? I have two suggestions. First, continue to communicate with the teacher. Ask about how they post work, so that you can check on your childs progress most efficiently. If the teacher has a habit of posting grades every Thursday, for example, or the weeks assignments every Monday, then you know when to look and dont waste time constantly checking. You can also ask them to show you how to use the schools app and where to find everything. I do this for parents all the time during conferences. Advertisement Advertisement Second, hold your daughter accountable. There is a bit of a gray area here, in my mind, because she is in middle school and may not be entirely self-sufficient when it comes to school. But as a high school teacher, I often counsel parents to place the burden of responsibility on their kid, rather than themselves (or me). Offer your daughter guidance on how to check her assignments and keep up with her work, rather than merely reminding or reprimanding her. Consider bringing her to the next conference so all three of you can discuss ways to improve her study habits. Also, check the school app with your daughter. I know this might be burdensome at first, but once it becomes routine you can gradually release that responsibility to her, particularly as her grades begin to improve. Advertisement I know thats probably not the answer you were looking for. I wish I had few enough students that I could communicate with parents more regularly and directly. But thats just not reality. Online gradebooks and learning platforms exist in part to make up for that failing. Whether thats a tradeoff that our students and kids are really benefitting from? That will need to be the subject of another letter. Mr. Vona (high school teacher, Florida) I am 13 years old, go to boarding school in Canada, and I am in tenth grade (I have a late birthday and skipped a year when I was younger. Last year, I was diagnosed as autistic and profoundly gifted (99th percentile). I was surprised at first but also not really. I had requested the evaluation, and my parents complied after some persuasion. My outlook on autism prior to my own diagnosis was very inaccurate. Since then, I have struggled with school. I have grown more aware of my challenges and that has prompted me to talk to my parents about feeling out of place. Advertisement Advertisement This year, I got an IEP. We are keeping my autism diagnosis quiet. (It was done privately. The learning support team, my academic advisor, and the staff member in charge of my house are aware and that is all.) This kind of leaves me feeling like theres something wrong with being autistic which isnt a fun position to be in. Additionally, I am struggling with the implementation of my IEP. While it has a few autism supports weaved in, it mostly addresses my giftedness. Advertisement Advertisement How do I ask my teachers to follow my IEP? No teacher has addressed it other than one who briefly acknowledged that it existed but didnt ask about it. I need the extension work detailed in my IEP and also need to be able to take breaks but with teachers who havent even acknowledged that I have an IEP. I dont feel comfortable asking for breaks or to use my noise-canceling headphones. I have talked to a few of my teachers about extensions so far and have had negative reactions. Advertisement How do I approach my IEP with my teachers? Im new to this and its not going well! IEP issues Dear IEP issues, First, theres nothing wrong with being autistic! I hope you know that. I also suggest that you ask your parents to find you a therapist that can help you process this diagnosis. Im sure its very hard to receive this profound information and then be limited in terms of people with whom you can talk about it. Have your parents discouraged you from sharing this diagnosis? If they are struggling with your autism diagnosis, then I hope they seek out help as well. It is not on you to help your parents, but if you think they are struggling, is there another trusted adult in your orbit who might be able to talk to them, if you dont feel comfortable doing so? A teacher? A residential advisor or counselor at school? An aunt or uncle? Therapy might be useful for your parents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As for how to help you with your specific questions about your IEP, I worry that I am out of my depthI am a public school teacher in the U.S. You live in a different country and attend a private school. I am not familiar with the laws in Canada, but in the United States, public school students who receive Special Education services have a case manager who writes the IEP and supports teachers in implementing it. If a student needs a teacher to advocate for them, the case manager is the first line of contact. You need someone to advocate for you with your teachers. That person might be your academic advisor. If its not, I would talk to your parentsor that trusted adultto find out more about how IEPs work in private education in Canada, so that you can get the help you need. Advertisement This is a lot. And since youre writing to me instead of talking to your parents, I worry that you feel like this is your challenge to figure out on your own. I hope thats not the case, but if it is, you will need to develop self-advocacy skills. Learning to self-advocate is important for all students, but especially for teenagers with special needs. Understood has a wealth of resources for students with learning challenges, and they have excellent advice about self-advocacy. Advertisement Advertisement One thing that is unique about your situation is that you are what is often referred to as twice exceptional. You have a disability, autism, but you are also profoundly gifted. Perhaps if both you and your parents explore what being twice exceptional means, you can work together more effectively to ensure that your IEP is implemented by your teachers with fidelity. Advertisement Advertisement Ill be thinking of you, IEP issues. Please, do not be afraid to ask for help or speak up for yourself. Youve already done that by requesting an evaluation and also by writing to methe next step is to ask your school (and your parents!) to meet your needs. Ms. Holbrook (high school teacher, Texas) My 9-year-olds fourth grade teacher called me today. She said that my daughter is really struggling with inattentiveness, and its affecting her learning. She is so intelligent, and on good days, she is great. But on a lot of days, its really hard. She has an ADHD diagnosisthe inattentive kindand has an IEP. She attends an excellent school and has tons of accommodations, which is why Im at a loss. Advertisement What are some things I can do to help her? What types of doctors can we see about possible medications, other than developmental pediatricians? The ones near me are scheduling over a year away. Advertisement I love my daughter and just want to help her be able to pay attention and stay engaged with her lessons at school. Do you have any ideas? Seeking Focus Dear Seeking Focus, It sounds to me like youre doing all the right things. Your daughter has an IEP and youre looking at developmental pediatrician appointmentsthats a strong foundation for supporting her. A regular pediatrician can prescribe medication, if thats the route you want to go, as can a psychiatrist. You can look into those possibilities if you feel as though youve exhausted your other options. At the very least, your pediatrician can tell you what next steps are if they wont prescribe you meds directly. I also would continue to pursue the developmental pediatrician, even if you have to wait a year to get an appointment. Once you have that first appointment with them, its typically easier to get the follow-ups you need, and they can be an amazing resource for parents. Advertisement Advertisement As for what you can do in the interim, the IEP team is the place to start. Id reach out to her case manager (whoever reached out to you for her last IEP is likely the case manager) and request a meeting. If shes struggling with inattentiveness, then her accommodations arent working. The point of accommodations is to support kids so they can be successful in class. If shes struggling, shes not successful by definition, and the IEP needs to be adjusted. Advertisement Advertisement People with ADHD often habituate over time to the tools that are supposed to help them, and once theyve habituated, the tools lose their effectiveness, so she may need to rotate in some new tools. For example, if you leave a Post-It on the door to remind you to check to make sure you have your keys, over time, the Post-It becomes part of the general environment, and you stop noticing it. Her IEP may also list a lot of accommodationsanything your child might needbut her team may only actually utilize some of them to their fullest extent. Maybe the team needs to reassess which accommodations are a must do this every day vs. as needed in order to best support her needs. If you call a meeting with the team, they can talk with you about whats being done now to support your daughter and how it can be adjusted. Advertisement The most extreme option, though it may be a viable one, is to increase the amount of support shes getting directly. Does she have academic support with a special education teacher on her IEP? If not, she may need it. Often, in small group, it is easier for students to pay attention, and easier for teachers to ensure students are fully with them. Additionally, reteach time would allow the special education teacher to fill in holes where her attention drifted during the day. If her accommodations are all working as best they can and shes still struggling, it may be time to look at increasing her human support, so to speak. Unfortunately, fourth grade is a year where academic work amps up pretty significantly, so its not unusual for students to begin to struggle at that age. Fortunately, this is true for a big portion of students, so your daughter isnt the first kid to have this problem. Between her IEP team andwhen you have a chancea developmental pediatrician, you should be able to come up with a plan to support her better so she can feel successful in class. Ms. Sarnell (early childhood special education teacher, Colorado) Were mere days away from the midterm elections, which means some of the tightest races in the country will finally see an outcome. Most of these races offer voters a choice between a Democrat or a Republicanbut not all of them! A handful of states have races featuring a third-party candidate, some identifying as independents and others as libertarians. Though its incredibly rare for one of these types of candidates to win an election, they can absorb an impressive amount of votesor at least an amount of votes that can screw things up for the other candidates. About 35 million registered voters identified themselves as independents, after all. So, yeah, the stakes could not be higher. Heres a list of states that have competitive races and a third-party candidate that could shake things up: Alaska The Race: House The Democrat: Mary Peltola The Republican: Sarah Palin, Nicholas Begich III The Libertarian: Chris Bye Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In one of only two states that employ ranked choice voting statewide, Alaskas primary is guaranteed to be interesting. The most significant race in the state is arguably for its House seat, which incumbent Democrat Mary Peltola won in a special election back in Augusta stunning victory for Democrats who havent held a House seat in Alaska in 50 years. Now Peltola is up against the same two Republicans she beat last time, former vice presidential candidate and state governor Sarah Palin and Nicholas Begich III. Theres also a fourth candidate in the race: Libertarian Chris Bye. The circumstances of Alaskas primary are unique given its ranked choice voting system, which allows the top four candidates to advance in an open primary. Candidates who earn the fewest votes are eliminated each round until one candidate gets 50 percent plus one of the votes. So far, it doesnt seem like its the Libertarian who is doing the spoilingits more like the two Republicans are spoiling it for each other. Slates Christina Cauterucci went to Alaska this fall, and has several detailed rundowns of how ranked choice is going up there, including why the Republicans havent been able to use the new system to their advantage. Georgia The Race: Senate The Democrat: Raphael Warnock The Republican: Herschel Walker The Libertarian: Chase Oliver Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The state that is inundated with stories about abortions the supposedly pro-life Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker has personally paid for is tight. Multiple polls have shown a neck-and-neck race, one showing incumbent Democrat Raphael Warnock in a dead heat with Walker while another suggests Warnock has just a 3-point lead over Walker. That means even a few stragglers that throw their support behind Libertarian candidate Chase Oliver could make the race tight enough to push the state into a runoff election Georgia law requires an outright majority to win statewide office. That could be a repetition of 2020, with a historic runoff election that landed Warnock in his current Senate seat. Historically in Georgia, Libertarians have won 2 percent of the vote on average in governor and U.S. senate races. Colorado The Race: Senate The Democrat: Michael Bennet The Republican: Joe ODea The Libertarian: Brian Peotter Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Colorado wasnt initially expected to be a battleground state this election cycle, but Republican challenger Joe ODea decided to shake things up: ODea isnt following the MAGA playbook, starting by admitting Joe Biden won the 2020 election. Hes also argued Donald Trump shouldnt run again in 2024. Bennet still appears to have a 10-point lead over ODea, and Libertarian candidate Brian Peotter will likely only help, as hes claiming about 4 percent of Colorados vote. Advertisement Advertisement Peotter acknowledged that hes the spoiler candidate and is hoping to siphon off votes from ODea over the issue of abortion, since ODea has taken a moderate position on the issue by saying he would outlaw abortion except in cases of rape, incest, or medical necessity after 20 weeks. Peotter is pro-life and got an endorsement from Colorado Republican Rep. Ron Hanks, who said Peotter is the only conservative on the ballot for U.S. Senate. Oregon The Race: Governor The Democrat: Tina Kotek The Republican: Christine Drazan The Independent: Betsy Johnson Advertisement Advertisement Easily one of the most competitive races in the country, Oregon has been a consistent Democratic stronghold for yearsthe last Republican governor served back in 1987. That iron blue grip could be loosening this year, as Democrat Tina Kotek fights two candidates backed by billionaire Nike co-founder Phil Knight. Hes spent millions to support Republican Christine Drazan, and earlier on, was behind the independent candidate Betsy Johnsonpreviously a Democratic state senator whos worked in the Oregon House and Senate for over 20 years. Thats because Knight thinks the state is moving too far to the left and wants to do whatever he can to stop Kotek from winning. It could workpolls show that Kotek and Drazan are at an even tie while Johnson is earning just shy of 14 percent of Oregons votes. Unlike many other races, a recent Emerson College poll showed that Johnson has actually received more support from Democrats (shes polling at 17 percent in the party) than Republicans (where shes at 9 percent). In fact, Johnson has managed to outraise both Kotek and Drazan by bringing in $13.2 million in total contributions, and shes strategically positioning herself between her opponents. Shes attacked Drazan for her anti-abortion stance while accusing Kotek of making Oregon woke and broke. Pennsylvania The Race: Senate The Democrat: John Fetterman The Republican: Mehmet Oz The Libertarian: Erik Chase Gerhardt Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At this point, most people are aware of the heated Senate race happening in Pennsylvania between Democrat John Fetterman and Republican Mehmet Oz. But there is someone else on the ballotLibertarian Erik Chase Gerhardt, and according to state polling, hes earning about 2 percent of the vote. One in five independents in Pennsylvania say they are still undecided on their Senate votethough not many of them are going for Gerhardt, who has claimed just 6 percent of that vote. Still, Gerhardt could become a deciding factor in the states Senate race, as Fetterman holds a slight majority over Oz. Gerhardt tried to seize on the frenzy that took hold of the one and only debate between Fetterman and Oz by plugging himself: If youre upset or disgusted with the #PASenateDebate, let it be known that you have another option in November who will fight for your freedom and civil liberties. Nevada Advertisement The Race: Senate The Democrat: Catherine Cortez Masto The Republican: Adam Laxalt The Libertarian: Neil Scott The Independent: Barry Lindemann Considered the most endangered Democratic incumbent in the country, Catherine Cortez Masto is facing Republican Adam Laxalt and two third-party candidates, Libertarian Neil Scott and independent Barry Lindemann. Advertisement Advertisement Polling data in Nevada has been a mixed bag, with two polls showing Laxalt leading while a New York Times and Siena College poll showed Laxalt and Cortez Mastro at a virtual tie. That means even a few votes cast for Scott and/or Lindemann could throw the race. About 10 percent of Nevada voters indicated they were still unsure which Senate candidate they would vote for, while 5 percent said they wouldnt vote for any of the candidates. Advertisement Nevada has recently seen some pretty tight elections: Cortez Masto won her first election to the U.S. Senate in 2016 by 2 percentage points while both Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton won Nevada with similar margins. Wisconsin The Race: Senate The Democrat: Mandela Barnes The Republican: Ron Johnson The Independent: Scott Aubart Advertisement Advertisement A state currently slotted as a toss-up, Wisconsins Senate race is a heated campaign between Republican incumbent Ron Johnson and Democrat Mandela Barnes, plus third-party candidate Scott Aubart, whos running under the American Independent Party. Johnson and Barnes have been neck and neck in surveys, while independents seem to be split between the two candidates. Just 7 percent say they havent yet decided on their vote or are open to changing their mind. Meanwhile, Barnes campaign has been relentlessly attacked for his past progressive stances which include diverting funding from police departments. New Hampshire The Race: House The Democrat: Maggie Hassan The Republican: Don Bolduc The Libertarian: Jeremy Kauffman Incumbent Democrat Maggie Hassans lead is narrowing against Republican challenger Don Bolduc, which could give the Libertarian candidate Jeremy Kauffman more power to sway the elections outcome. Though Kauffman has only gotten about 5 percent of the vote in recent polling, another 5 percent of New Hampshire voters indicated theyre still undecided. While one recent poll found Hassan leading 49 to 33 percent, another 6 percent chose Kauffman and 12 percent were undecided. Even small fluctuations away from Hassan could endanger her reelection prospectsin her last race, she won by just 1,000 votes. If the attack on Paul Pelosi last week brought the threat of the far-right fringe back into national headlines, the people who monitor extremists online had already been seeing warning signs headed into the U.S. midterm elections. Talk of rigged races, conspiracy theories, and instructions for monitoring certain polls have proliferated on message boards and other forums, sometimes stoked by the candidates themselves. When Lindsay Schubiner was a staffer on the Hill almost a decade ago, she watched these fringe groupsparticularly anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim social movementsgrow more mainstream. Now, as the program director for Momentum, the Western States Centers program focused on countering white nationalism, she monitors internet chatter among those and other groups, including their efforts to organize. For the past several weeks, shes watched them plan ahead of the election, attempting to recruit and sow misinformation before voting even begins, including one plan to have people stand outside ballot drop boxes in as many as 18 states. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I called Schubiner this week to talk about the fallout of the Pelosi attackand how serious the threats to the election on Nov. 8 really are. Our conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity. Aymann Ismail: What is the mood right now on the extremist message boards you monitor? Are you seeing any chatter about the midterm elections? Lindsay Schubiner: We are monitoring a variety of platforms where white nationalists and other anti-democracy groups are recruiting, and to some extent coordinating. This year, were seeing much more concrete planning from anti-democracy groups. Theyve learned from the 2020 election. And figures like Tucker Carlson are already laying the groundwork saying the election has been stolen before its even happened, and were seeing that in a huge number of different quarters. Were also seeing concrete planning to install their supporters in formal election observer structures in many states with the explicit goal of undermining the election. Weve seen some groups organizing supporters to monitor ballot drop boxes on a larger scale, and weve seen some of that already happen in Arizona. Its not clear the extent to which their organizing will turn into reality, but weve certainly seen a significant amount of organizing, and its a really big concern. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This broader anti-democracy coalition has also increased its institutional power, including some county sheriffs, like those recruited through the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, or another group called Protect America Now. But the other thing is an increase in conspiracy theories and disinformation, which results in political violence. And the more that these conspiracy theories spread, they act like an accelerant for organized anti-democracy groups to recruit more people and undermine faith in democratic institutions, and also leads to violence. The suspect who allegedly assaulted Paul Pelosi shared conspiracy theories about Holocaust denial, about pedophiles in the government, QAnon-type claims about child sex rings, all sorts of false information based on dangerous conspiracy theories that increase around elections. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Are you seeing anything you think poll workers should be watching out for? Absolutely. Our monitoring has shown that paramilitary groups, like the Oath Keepers or the Three-Percenters, often respond to rapidly spreading rumors on social media, and so theres the risk that if a specific incident happens and spreads in that way, that paramilitary groups may mobilize, either prior to or after the election. In the two years since 2020, anti-democracy groups have really worked to normalize voter intimidation and recruit larger numbers of people, and this is also only the second election since the expiration of the consent decree preventing partisan poll watching, so thats another thing at play. Theres one group that publicly claims to have groups of people ready to monitor ballot drop boxes in shifts in 18 states. Theyre referring to this type of monitoring as tailgating. I havent seen public reports about that coming to fruition yet, but I think its a real risk. Whether armed poll watchers would likely intimidate people, whether theyre filming or confronting voters who they believe are vulnerable to intimidation, or maybe are taking in more than one ballot for a family member in ways that are legal for their states. We are also concerned about intimidation against election workers, as well as digital attacks and doxing. Theres a real need for institutions to understand this and be prepared for it, and back up election workers if they are targeted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Do you think there is any danger to voters? For the vast majority of people, in the vast majority of places, its very safe to vote. No one should be dissuaded by these concerns. Institutions should take them seriously and make sure there is no voter intimidation, but its just as important to send the message that its safe and important to vote. Advertisement Kari Lake, the Arizona governor candidate, has already suggested that either she wins or its rigged. Are you seeing any theories about this election already being stolen? How are they planning to counter the theft? Thats another huge thing that were seeing. There are a lot of people already saying the election has been stolen before its even happened. Theres a real concern that many candidates who are closely tied to anti-democracy movements may not concede in the event of a loss. Kari Lake is a high-profile example, but Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnsons campaign is also reportedly paying a law firm for recount consulting. It remains to be seen how widely candidates question the election results and fail to concede in races that theyve lost, but I think its a really significant concern and one that broadly works to undermine inclusive democracy and faith in elections. Advertisement Advertisement What about violence? You mentioned the attack on Pelosis husband. We really need to be connecting the dots between political violence, conspiracy theories, and the rise of anti-democracy groups. These things are really closely connected. The assault on Paul Pelosi is directly in line with similar kinds of political violence that weve seen recently, like the attempted kidnapping of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, or the targeting and harassment of Rep. Pramila Jayapal. Political violence is an explicit strategy of anti-democracy groups, so this is all connected. The frequency of these attacks has also been increasing. And so has violent political rhetoric, like what we saw on Jan. 6. When an instance of political violence happens, and there isnt a broad response that says this is completely unacceptable from all institutions and political leaders, theres the risk of tacitly accepting it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement How has that played out with the Pelosi attack? Responses from the far right have been first to downplay the attack, then denial, and then misdirection and lies. Instead of speaking out against this horrific instance of political violence, anti-democracy actors have turned it into the next conspiracy theory. And we see a lot of elected officials in the GOP taking their cues from online disinformation promoted by anti-democracy actors or outlets, which can be hard to pin down, but we know that theres been a huge spread of these types of conspiracy theories. Its deeply concerning. This really serious instance of targeted political violence toward an elected official who was targeted by former President Trump echoes of Jan. 6 chants of Where is Nancy? This is not being addressed with the seriousness it requires. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Often on the more mainstream right, the response is to point to examples of left-wing violence, and to argue that both sides contribute to this environment. Political violence of any kind is absolutely unacceptable and should be denounced. We also have to recognize where the majority of the threats are coming from. There are clear statements from the Department of Homeland Security that the far right and white nationalists promote violent language. Many if not most Americans believe a civil war is likely in the near future, a poll found, driven in part by these conspiracies. What do you make of that poll? There are accelerationists within white nationalist movements who are urging others to engage in violence, or sometimes planning violence themselves, with the express goal of destabilizing our democracy and bringing us closer to a civil war. Weve seen a lot more conversation about civil war from the far right, and I think some of the people who promote that conversation want to make it seem inevitable, and thats really dangerous. Advertisement Advertisement How do you expect it to play out if Republicans regain control of the House? And what if they lose? Well be taking our cues from a number of races that were watching. Their success will tell us a lot about the capability of candidates who openly espouse bigoted and anti-democracy messages, or have open affiliations with paramilitary or other far-right groups. I think that will tell us a lot about where were headed and the scale of the issue. Advertisement What can we do right now, even if the worst-case scenario doesnt play out? Theres a lot that we can do once we recognize exactly how political violence and conspiracy theories are connected. Even just working locally with city councils and prominent community organizations to clearly denounce voter intimidation, and let folks know that elections are legitimate and safe, can do a lot to chill the activity of anti-democracy groups. And just as these dangerous movements continue to organize and spread conspiracy theories, we see more and more people willing to speak out against them in impactful ways. I think that is also going to continue happening. Hope when paired with action is the antidote to these social movements that are working to undermine our trust in each other. Theres a lot that each of us can do, from voting for inclusive democracy, to openly rejecting bigotry and conspiracy theories within your networks and communities, to calling on local elected officials to speak out publicly and then supporting them when they do. All of that can have a huge impact. Of all of the places with tight midterm races this year, I think of Nevada as the place with all the storylines happening at once. If youre wondering how the economy will blow back on Democrats? Nevadas got some of the highest gas prices in the country. If youre wondering whether Latino voters will turn toward the GOP? Well, Latinos make up about 20 percent of the electorate here. Or as Jon Ralston at the Nevada Independent puts it: Democrats are facing headwinds all around the country. But in Nevada, those headwinds are Category 5. Advertisement For years, Democrats have run up the score all over the state, propelled by a wildly successful Democratic political machine built by Harry Reid, the late Senate majority leader. The question now: Is political change in Nevada overdue? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Thursdays episode of What Next, I spoke with Jon Ralston of the Nevada Independent about why Nevadas Senate race has political operatives holding their breath. Our conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity. Mary Harris: To understand why so many politicos have got their eyes on Nevada this midterm cycle, I feel like you need to know a couple of things. I think you need to know the way Las Vegas voters can drive the whole state. And then you also need to know the way COVID scrambled Nevada economically, especially in Vegas. Can you explain those two things? Advertisement Advertisement Jon Ralston: Youve hit on two very important points. First of all, people may not realize this, but when it comes to elections, Nevada is essentially three different states. Theres Clark County, which is Las Vegas, which has 70 percent of the vote. So its a huge driver of whats going to happen. A huge thumb on the scale. Yeah, and Democratic candidates have to do well in Clark County, which is the Democratic stronghold, so they can withstand losses, especially in the 15 rural counties that separate Las Vegas from Reno, which is Washoe County, which is the swing county. And so what happens in Clark County is determinative usually of whats going to happen. Advertisement Advertisement But to your second point, very early on in in the pandemic, the governor, Steve Sisolak, who is a Democrat, shut down the Las Vegas Strip, and that lasted for a few months. And we are still a one-trick pony here in Nevada. And what happens in that stretch of road determines the economy. So, the economy here was crushed by COVID. Now, its come back, and fairly stronglythe gaming companies are now setting records every month. But it has not come back for everybody. And so the Republicans have capitalized on that. They have blamed Steve Sisolak for businesses no longer existing or being crippled, for schools being shut too long. So its a real issue, especially in Clark County, which, by the way, has the fifth-largest school district in the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lets talk about how all of this is playing out in your Senate race. Youve got this Democratic incumbent, Catherine Cortez Masto. Introduce me to her. Catherine Cortez Masto is from a political family. Her dad was a very influential figure in local government here. He was the head of the Clark County Commission. She is a very reserved person. She is a much more of a workhorse than a show horse, sometimes to her detriment politically because she does not seek publicity when some Democrats think she should have. She was a two-term attorney general who always wanted to be a U.S. senator. And when Harry Reid retired in 2016, he handpicked her to be his successor. She won very narrowlyby about 2 or 2 pointsover a very high-quality Republican candidate, a congressman who had a military background and who probably only lost because he tried to have it both ways with Donald Trump toward the end. So, she is not that well known, which has allowed the Republicans to graft on to her everything that they want in terms of the negativity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Defining yourself in Nevada is important because the population is transient. They come and they go. And so it behooves you to have a strong brand. Thats absolutely right. There are actually hundreds of thousands of new voters since Catherine Cortez Masto first ran. And so because there are so many demographic changes and people leaving the state and people coming in to the state, its more difficult for politicians. So, Masto is facing a challenge from Republican Adam Laxalt. Tell me about him. My understanding is that his last name is incredibly meaningful in Nevada. It used to be. Im not sure it is as much as it was in the time of his grandfather, Paul Laxalt, who was a legendary figure in Nevada as a governor and a U.S. senator in the 70s and 80s. Adam Laxalt is his grandson. And he is the product of a only recently disclosed affair with Pete Domenici, another Republican senator. He did not grow up here. He grew up in Washington, D.C., very quietly. Advertisement Advertisement He was, like, a secret kid? He was. Yeah, he absolutely was, until right before he decided to run for office, which is essentially why he moved back here. His mother disclosed the affair. And there was a lot of speculation, which makes a lot of sense, that she did that at that time to pave the way for his political career. So it would not become an issue in his race. And it never did, by the way. Advertisement And so he moved back here to run, and he ran for attorney general and won in a very, very big upset in 2014, during a year in which the Democrats failed to turn out. He won by just a few thousand votes against an up-and-coming Democratic star. He then ran for governor four years later and lost fairly decisively to the now-incumbent Democrat Steve Sisolak, and then immediately latched on to the Trump Organization and became the face of the Trump campaign in 2020 and essentially led the effort to spread the false rumors that there was widespread fraud. He is the face of the Big Lie in Nevada. But he has been embraced by both Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell. Hes gotten a ton of outside help because Mitch McConnell wants this seat so badly. Advertisement Would you characterize Adam Laxalt as a political extremist? I would characterize him slightly differently. I think hes essentially hollow and will say whatever he needs to say or is told to say by the Republican hierarchy. He cannot get past the Republican talking points. He doesnt know nearly as much about this state as someone who is running for the U.S. Senate should know about this state. But hes been able to get away with it because he essentially has been cocooned by his campaign. He has run for governor and he has run for U.S. Senate without ever having to debate his opponent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hold it, how? They do the thing that Well debate under X, Y, and Z circumstances, and then they are shockedshocked!when their opponent wont agree to their conditions. Now, by the way, I think Catherine Cortez Masto made a mistake in not agreeing to debate him in some of the venues that he wanted to, because I think he would have been exposed for being essentially unable to talk about substantive issues beyond saying that Joe Biden is bad and this is the radical woke leftist candidate that he is up against. There is a reason that he has been hidden, essentially for this entire campaign, from the media and from tough questions because they know that he will get himself into trouble, which he inevitably has. Advertisement Whats the biggest trouble hes gotten into? Whats his biggest flub? He has been caught saying things like Roe v. Wade was a joke. He has been caught saying things like, I am going to sue to challenge this election to make it close. Its not that hes not polished. I just dont think hes very bright. And that comes out in these interviews. Advertisement Part of what scares Nevada Democrats about Adam Laxalt is how he plans to win. Laxalt is only talking to people who agree with himright-wing news sources. And that may be all he has to do. Back in 2014, when Laxalt won the attorney generals race? He did it by energizing rural voters, and then he benefited from low turnout everywhere else. Democrats look at this midterm year and see a similar lack of enthusiasm from their core constituents. Advertisement That puts a ton of pressure on Las Vegas Democratic machine. Its a machine that relies on the work of one institution in particular: the Culinary Union, which represents 60,000 hospitality workers from Vegas and Reno. Advertisement Listen, it is the most potent machine in Nevada, mostly because it has so many members and they have a very, very concerted registration program to get as many of their members registered as they can and then to turn them out. It has been an important component of the Democratic machine since Harry Reid remade the party in about 2006 or 2008 or so. The Culinary says this year that theyre doing more than theyve ever done to turn out their voters. With mail ballots now being universal here in Nevada, theyre running a mostly mail campaign, and they have a captive audience. They can bring their members into the union hall and say, Here is who we support. If you want, fill out your mail ballots here, and we can mail them for you. We can drop them off for you. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite all of their boasts so far, there is no evidence yet of a massive turnout among Democrats in Clark County. How has the union demonstrated its strength in the past? Whats a good example of when the machines working? It is the Hispanic turnout machine, essentially, in Nevada. And the Hispanic turnout has been robust enough and so slanted in favor of Democrats that it has carried many candidates to victory or lengthened their margin of victorygoing all the way back to Barack Obama in 2008. But Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden as well and several gubernatorial and U.S. Senate candidates. Its hard for me to believe that the union isnt doing a ton of reach-out work right now. So when they go out and knock doors and get people to come to the union hall and talk to them about this Senate race in particular, what does that look like? Advertisement Advertisement It does seem to be a very intense and focused and widespread effort. They say theyve knocked on a million doors or something like that. And as I said to one of their reps recently, How many of those are getting slammed in your face? The bottom line is theres a lot of hostility toward the Democrats here in Clark County for some of the reasons that weve talked about. But the Culinary insists that its program is going to work. One of the reasons that Democrats did so well here in 2020 is because they were able to overwhelm the Republicans in mail ballots. They are winning mail ballots significantly this time, but the volume is way, way down. Advertisement Advertisement You flagged that one way you can see a bit of desperation from Democrats is these mailers you saw. One of these mailers even threatened, We will know if you dont vote. Tell me more about that. Theres a couple of tactics that Ive raised red flags about. And one of those is the one you just mentioned by America Votes, which is a national progressive group. And theyve done this before, but theyre doing it both on TV and in mail now, where theyre essentially saying, were going to check after the election and see if you voted like your neighbors are voting, as if theyre going to out people for not voting. Its a very obnoxious tactic. Advertisement But the Culinary, which weve been talking about, did something really, really disingenuous. They have been outspoken against Joe Lombardo, the Republican candidate for governor, who is the sheriff of Clark County. And they are really nasty about how hes handled immigration issues. But they sent a mail piece to only Republican voters, pointing out that they endorsed Joe Lombardo when he ran for sheriff and essentially implied he is soft on immigration, designed to turn off Republican voters. That takes chutzpah to do something like that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It sounds a lot like what Democrats were doing early on in primary season where they were trying to boost MAGA candidates by running these ads that were like, Well, hes really MAGA. With the idea that you would see that as a voter who is Trump aligned and say, like, Sign me up. This is a tactic that keeps popping up. Advertisement Thats certainly right. And they certainly did that in this state. And they may be very sorry they did it because we have a real roster of horribles on the Republican side running for statewide office that the Democrats promoted: a complete conspiracy theorist whos running for secretary of state, an almost unhinged attorney general candidate, and a candidate for state treasurer who has said all kinds of crazy stuff. Shes an election denier, and she is so unfamiliar with health care issues that she once said that cancer is a fungus that can be cured by injecting baking soda. So this is the roster of candidates that the Democrats promoted in the primary thinking may be easier to beat. And they may have to eat crow after the election. Advertisement Subscribe to What Next on Apple Podcasts Get more news from Mary Harris every weekday. One of the things thats interesting about some of the tactics that youve flagged is that they really put a focus on the fact that the Culinary Union, progressive groupsit seems like their big concern isnt folks going over to the Republican side but folks simply not showing up. Certainly theyre being plagued now by low turnout. Whether people are just upset and they dont want to vote or disappointed in Joe Biden so far, whatever it is, theyre not turning out. I cant help but think how strange it would be if somehow Latino voter turnout was responsible for getting rid of this Latina senator. Is that something youre hearing Democrats talk about? Republicans are certainly very confident thats going to occur. Catherine Cortez Mastos team and the Democrats say that shes doing fine with Hispanics and that shes going to get 60 percent or more, which should be enough. But listen, the polling shows that Hispanics are shifting away from the Democratic Party or at least some Hispanics are. It doesnt take a majority. Republicans dont have to get a majority. But if they get over 40 percent, thats a real warning sign for her and other Democrats. Are any Democrats expressing regret about some of their tactics here of boosting the more extreme Republican candidates thinking thatll make this an easy race for us. I have not heard a peep of regret from anybody, at least not yet. And my guess is if indeed these candidates that they helped prop up win, they will say, Well, they would have won those primaries anyhow, which may or may not be true but will be weak tea after the election. When opposing lawyers make similarly unsympathetic arguments at the Supreme Court, who should win? In an important case that will be argued on Tuesday, Mallory v. Norfolk Southern Railway Company, the answer will turn on a surprising question: whether the conservative justices are evenhandedor instead hypocriticaladherents to their preferred theory of originalism. The case arose when a Virginia citizen named Robert Mallory sued his former employer, Norfolk Southern Railway. Mallory alleged that Norfolka Fortune 500 company in Virginiacaused his cancer by exposing him to asbestos. But Mallory did not sue the company in Virginia. He sued instead in Pennsylvania. Advertisement Why Pennsylvania? Simple: Mallorys lawyers were forum shopping. Even though Virginia was the more convenient place to sue, they believed he would get a more favorable jury in Pennsylvania. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Norfolk argued in response that requiring it to defend the case in Pennsylvania would pose an unfair burden and thus violate its right to due process. There is more than a little irony to this argument. Corporations like Norfolk routinely require customers and employees to consent to litigation in far-off places. And in this very case, Norfolk had already consented to being sued in Pennsylvania under a law that required such consent as a condition of doing business there. (Norfolk owns thousands of miles of track and a dozen facilities in the state.) Advertisement So who should win the case? The question matters because the Supreme Courts decision will affect other, more sympathetic litigants. Think of a worker who moves to Pennsylvania after retirement, develops cancer there, and then sues his former employer in his current state for obvious reasons of convenience. Or consider individuals who are injured by corporate wrongdoing while on vacation away from their home states, who may prefer to sue back in their home jurisdictions. If the court rules for Norfolk, such litigants will have to travel great distances and hire far-away lawyers to seek the compensation they are owed. Conversely, a ruling for Mallory could subject businesses smaller than Norfolk to costly long-distance litigation in Pennsylvania, too. Advertisement Advertisement One may have the instinct that this case will divide along partisan lines based on the justices political predispositions toward business interests. If it does, that is bad news for Mallory. There is significant evidence that the conservative justices who hold a supermajority on the Court typically align with corporate litigants. Such an outcome, however, would reveal a deep hypocrisy beneath many of the conservative justices claimed faithfulness to originalism, or the belief that the Constitution should be interpreted in accordance with its meaning as it was originally enacted. Advertisement Advertisement To see why, consider Norfolks argument. The company claims that Pennsylvanias requirement that it consent to being sued there violates the 14th Amendments due process clause. But as Mallory shows in his brief, when that clause was adopted in 1868, every state in the Union had either already enacted, or would soon enact, laws requiring similar consent by out-of-state companies like Norfolk. Advertisement Advertisement For those who watch the court closely, this kind of argument should sound eerily familiar: It is precisely the kind of evidence the court found dispositive in Dobbs, last terms abortion case. There, the court reasoned that the existence of laws banning abortion in many states in 1868 was proof that similar laws remain permissible today. But if that is true for abortion, why not for corporate consent to litigation? Advertisement Advertisement Norfolks brief in response is eye-opening for what it lacks: a single 19th century case or authority suggesting that any of these corporate consent laws violated the due process clause. In fact, the Supreme Court rejected precisely that argument in 1917. This historical evidence leaves the company to argue that Pennsylvanias modern-day consent requirement is unfair because it exposes corporations to too much litigation risk. That is certainly a policy argument that many pro-business lawmakers agree with. But it is hardly the kind of originalist constitutional argument that the courts conservatives claim to be moved by. Advertisement All of which underscores the dilemma facing those same conservative justices. Should they discard originalism to do whats best for business interests at the core of the Republican party? Or do they follow the historical evidence, even if it leads them to a policy outcome they find distasteful? After a term in which adherence to originalism enabled the courts conservatives to move the law drastically to the right on abortion rights and gun safety, the current term is full of potentially surprising originalist arguments. For example, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson made headlines recently with her eloquent effort to turn originalism against conservative ends in the context of voting rights. Similar arguments have been made in this terms affirmative action cases and in the briefing for the terms major election law case. A case like Mallory shows that progressive originalist arguments may also appear in economic issues in the years ahead. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These arguments create a perilous situation for the court and its already frayed public legitimacy. Liberals and independents in America are already upset with the conservative justices use of originalist arguments to roll back abortion rights and gun safety measures. Imagine how theyll feel if the same justices suddenly discard originalism when the theory protects progressive causes like voting rights, affirmative action, and holding corporations accountable for wrongdoing. An unpopular Supreme Court is one thing, but an unpopular and openly hypocritical court is another. As yet another blockbuster term unfolds, the American people will be watchingand judgingwhich kind of court we have. In June, Starbucks permanently closed its busiest store in Ithaca, New York, after the newly unionized baristas there went on a short strike to protest unsanitary conditions. In July, Chipotle shuttered a restaurant in Augusta, Maine, shortly after its workers petitioned for a vote to become the nations first unionized Chipotle. In August, Trader Joes closed its wine shop in New York Citys Union Square just days before that stores workers were to unveil plans to seek a union election. Also in August, Amys Kitchen shut down its 330-employee frozen-food operation in San Jose as a union drive was gathering momentum. Advertisement Labor leaders have denounced these closings as deliberate moves to discourage and defeat unionizationto warn workers at these corporations other stores and operations that bad things can happen if they seek to unionize. But company officials insist that these werent union-busting moves, but rather innocent steps to close operations that had problems. Union officials see a calculated strategy at work here: Corporations know that such high-profile closingsas well as moves like firing prominent union supportersfrighten workers and make many too scared to vote for or campaign for a union. The Starbucks union says the company has fired more than 100 pro-union baristas, not just to retaliate against them for their union activities, but to chill overall enthusiasm about unionizing. Federal law makes it illegal to fire a worker in retaliation for supporting a union. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These types of heavy-handed, anti-union moves highlight three big problems. First, they create an atmosphere of fear that often prevents something that federal labor laws seek to guaranteefree and fair unionization elections. Far too often, all the closings, firings, and other anti-union moves destroy the laboratory conditions that the National Labor Relations Board says are needed to assure workers a free choice when voting whether to unionize. Then theres a second big problem: Companies like Starbucks often seem happy to take one illegal anti-union action after anotherlike firing workers for supporting a unionbecause under federal law, they cant be fined one cent for doing so, and their executives cant be punished. (At most, companies can be ordered to pay backpay to workers who were illegally fired for backing a union.) Top corporate officials must tell themselves, When you cant be fined, why not break the law to stop unionization? The Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which President Joe Biden has endorsed, aims to remedy this by creating substantial fines for employers labor law violations, but a GOP filibuster has doomed that bills chances. Advertisement Its extremely hard for workers or the NLRB to prove that Starbucks or other corporations closed a store to punish or sabotage union effortsthat would constitute unlawful retaliation under the National Labor Relations Act. In such situations, companies invariably insist that they closed a store because it was losing money or had safety problems, not because it was a hot spot for unionization. CEOs never trumpet to the world that they shut an operation to suppress organizing efforts, although one would have to be naive to believe that management closed these facilities without calculating how it might undermine unionization. Advertisement A third and underappreciated problem is that even when the NLRB seeks to crack down on illegal, anti-union moves, the understaffed board often cant keep up. Without a funding increase for the past nine years, the labor board has cut its field staff by nearly 40 percent since 2014, and as a result it has strained to muster the resources to investigate Starbucks many firings of pro-union baristas. Starbucks insists that it fired those workers for legitimate reasons like violating company rules, but the labor board asserts that anti-union animus illegally motivated some of those firings. The most recent study on the subject, done in 2007 and updated in 2009, found that nearly 1 in 5 rank-and-file workers who lead organizing drives get fired, a move that often terrifies workers and drains all momentum from unionization campaigns. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thus far the NLRB has filed 35 complaints against Starbucks, alleging hundreds of labor law violations, including illegal firings and store closings. With Starbucks firing more pro-union baristas week after week, the NLRB seems to be playing Whac-A-Mole, never quite able to keep up with all of Starbucks union-busting moves. Last October, Starbucks closed two stores in Buffaloone temporarilyafter baristas in those stores were among the very first in the nation to petition for a union vote. More recently, Starbucks announced 16 store closings, purportedly for safety reasons, but the union says at least 11 of the recently closed stores have unionized, which has convinced many workers that this was yet another ploy to frighten them from unionizingand from even complaining about safety issues. Starbucks had an excellent mentor on such policies: Walmart permanently closed the very first Walmart store to unionize in North America, in Jonquiere, Quebec, after the retailer and union deadlocked in contract talks and Walmart suddenly said the stores financial situation was precarious. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Beyond closures and firings, Starbucks has come up with other potent strategies to frighten workers about unionization. In May, CEO Howard Schultz threatened to give raises and improved benefits to Starbucks nonunion workers, but withhold them from workers at its unionized stores. In response, NLRB has accused Starbucks of illegally discriminating against workers at its 200-plus unionized stores. Starbucks argues that it would violate federal law to impose those raises and benefits on its unionized workers without first bargaining with them, but the NLRB emphatically disagrees, seeing a clever, animus-filled, union-busting stratagem at work. In September, Starbucksdefying the NLRBs assertion that it was acting illegallydoubled down and again awarded new benefits to its nonunion workers, but not its unionized ones. Now, with Starbucks unionized workers not receiving these raises and benefits, many baristas have come to fear not only that unionizing will leave them behind in their compensation, but that Starbucks tactics mean the company will never seriously negotiate with them at the bargaining table. Many baristas say that Starbucks seems determined to drag its feet for years before ever agreeing to a first contract, delaying workers ability to get the benefits they were seeking through unionization, and thereby souring many of its employees views of the union. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Starbucks, Amazon, and other companies have used many other tactics to strike fear into the hearts of workers. Some companies severely reduce workers weekly hours, and with it their weekly pay, after they petition for a union election, both to get pro-union workers to quit and to show that bad things can happen if you seek to unionize. During the recent union drive at Amazons warehouse south of Albany, workers said the company told them they could lose benefits if they unionized. Then theres managements frequent spying on union supporters, making many workers too terrified to even discuss unionization. After workers at Amazons Albany-area warehouse voted 406 to 206 two weeks ago against joining the Amazon Labor Union, that unions president, Chris Smalls, said, The voting process wasnt free or fair. It was a sham election where workers were subjected to intimidation and retaliation on a daily basis. The Amazon Labor Union has filed 27 unfair labor practice charges against Amazon over its anti-union actions at the Albany-area facility, alleging, among other things, that the company illegally fired several pro-union workers. The NLRB is investigating those allegations; Amazon denies any illegal actions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the moment, we are seeing an extraordinary surge of interest in unions among young Americans. Many of the companies facing union drivesAmazon, REI, Chipotle, Apple, Home Depothave mounted anti-union campaigns, but none have gone nearly as far as Starbucks. With its escalating steps to quash unionization, Starbucks has created an elaborate, union-busting template that other corporations will no doubt follow. In the initial wave of union elections at Starbucks early this year, there was such vast worker enthusiasm that the union won 90 percent of the first 60 union elections held at shops last winter and springan extraordinary success rate. But Starbucks has since ratcheted up its anti-union pressure, and statistics from the union show that its winning percentage declined to 74 percent in July, August, and September. Arguably more important, the flood of baristas petitioning for union elections at their stores has slowed to a trickle, to just 12 petitions in September and eight in August, down from 71 last March. With its elaborate efforts, Starbucks is slowly strangling its baristas union drive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Several of the corporations involved in todays high-profile unionization battles seem to have borrowed some of Starbucks hardball tactics. Last month, Apple withheld some education and health care benefits from workers at the first Apple store to unionize, in Towson, Maryland, even as it extended those benefits to its non-union workers. That news came out just days before workers at Apples Oklahoma City store were to vote on unionizing. In September, Trader Joes, shortly after learning of the unionization effort at its store in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, fired a prominent union supporter there, a move that workers said helped cause the organizing drive there to lose momentum. Last week, that stores workers voted down a union 94 to 66. Advertisement Corporate executives and lobbyists often point out that the percentage of U.S. workers in unions has sunk to 10 percent from a peak of 35 percent in the 1950s, and they say this shows that American workers dont want unions. Theyre wrong. Several studies have found that around half of Americas nonunion workersaround 70 million peoplesay they would like to join a union if they could. But theres a major reason they arent joining: the sophisticated and often punitive corporate tactics that discourage and frighten workers from unionizing. If union elections were truly free and fair, without all the corporate interference and intimidation, many more Americans would be joining unions. But a free and fair union election has all too often become a hollow promise. In recent decades, American workers have been badly squeezed by several troubling trends: Income inequality has grown ever wider, workers share of GDP has fallen, and wages for the average worker have stagnated (except recently amid a very low unemployment rate). Arguably the best way to reverse these disturbing trends would be to make it easier for workers to unionizeand to make it harder for Starbucks and other corporations to suppress American workers ability to organize. Theres a video that surfaced out of Beijing on Oct. 13, right before Chinas Communist Party congress met to give Xi Jinping a precedent-breaking third term. The video is of a one-man protest: a man standing atop the Sitong Bridge, with something on fire, holding two banners. One has a bunch of things written on it, but its essentially saying, Were tired of COVID tests. We want to eat. Were tired of lockdowns. We want freedom. The other one calls for the autocratic dictator or the autocratic traitor Xi Jinping to be deposed. Advertisement Josh Chin, who has covered China for more than a decade, said that under Xi Jinping, you almost never see protests like thisthe levels of control that the Communist Party wields now are too high. But the other thing thats striking in this clip is that you can see nine security cameras just in one frame of the shot. And this is where Josh comes in. He and his colleague, Liza Lin, have just written a remarkable book about the rise of Chinas surveillance state and how Xi Jinping has used high-tech surveillance to consolidate his power. Because bathrooms are the one place in China that arent really subject to surveillance, after this brief and brave protest, the slogans displayed by the man on the bridge started popping up in bathrooms across China. What does it mean that the only viable spaces for political expression in Chinathe only places where surveillance is not yet commonare bathrooms? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Sundays episode of What Next: TBD, I spoke with Josh Chin, deputy bureau chief for China for the Wall Street Journal, about Xi Jinpings high-tech surveillance state and some American companies that helped get him there. Our conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity. Lizzie OLeary: In a story you wrote in 2017, you described Xinjiang province, home to Chinas ethnic Uyghur minority, as one of the most closely surveilled places on earth. What was it like to actually visit? Josh Chin: When we got there, it was like just driving into a dystopian counterinsurgency war zone where essentially everywhere you went, you were encountering cutting-edge, A.I.-driven technologysurveillance cameras, microphones. Uyghurs, who are a Turkic Muslim group, come from Xinjiang and were the targets of the surveillance. If you were a Uyghur, what they were telling us is you would go outside and from the minute you left your door, you were being tracked. There were security checkpoints everywhere, every public place. If you wanted to go into a bank or a hotel or a market, anything like that, you had to go through a security checkpoint. You had to scan your ID card and also scan your face to match it with your ID card, and so they would have a record of where you were going. Walking down the street, police could wave you over and make you hand over your phone and they would plug it into a scanning device and they would scan your phone for some digital contraband. Advertisement Advertisement The Chinese state took this data and slotted people into one of three categories: safe, average, and unsafe. People who were unsafe were disappearing and they were being sent to what the government described as schools, but when we went to go visit them, we visited one and it was essentially a prison. It had 20-foot-high walls with razor wire. There were guards out front with assault rifles. What we later found out was that those were internment camps where people were being subject to political reeducation. Advertisement Advertisement You met the Uyghur poet Tahir Hamut, who has since fled the country, but he and his wife were subjected to a lot of this stuff. What did he tell you about the granular level of stuff that they experienced? Advertisement Advertisement Tahirs probably most vivid experience was early on in 2017 as the system was being rolled out. He and his wife were called into a police station, ostensibly to have their fingerprints taken, which they both thought was weird because of course every Uyghur in Xinjiang has already had their fingerprints taken before, but they didnt really have a choice. I remember Tahir describing this, and you could still see the fear in his eyes, because he had heard screams emanating from this basement because its where police conducted interrogations. And so, hes standing in a line with a bunch of other Uyghurs. Nobody really knows why theyre there. They start talking amongst themselves and they figure out that its all because all of them had recently traveled abroad or they all had passports. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The line wound past an interrogation room and Hamut could see chairs with bloodstains on the floor underneath them. When he got to the end of the line, they subjected him to this series of biometric tests. They took his fingerprints, but then they also took his blood, and then they had him read from a newspaper article for five minutes while they recorded his voice. At the end, the finale was a 3D image of his face where he had to sit in front of this camera and move his head back and forth and up and down and open his mouth and close it. And he had no idea what any of this was for. Obviously he realized it was not good. And then later, he and his wife got out and started to notice all of these cameras that had been popping up in their neighborhoods and these police stations that were just suddenly mushrooming on street corners. And they realized that they were all part of this experiment in surveillance. And then their friends started to disappear, and then they basically decided that they needed to try to get out. Advertisement Advertisement When you wrote that story, did you think they were building a surveillance apparatus for Uyghurs? Or did you think Xi Jinping was building something national? Advertisement We didnt know. On the surface it looked very targeted at Uyghurs. Xinjiang has always been a place thats always really strategically important to Chinese rulers because its on the doorstep of Central Asia. It used to be where the Silk Road passed through. It also has a lot of natural resources, but its always been difficult to control because Uyghurs and other groups arent really Chineseculturally, linguistically, they dont have very much in common with China and theyve always resented Chinese attempts to control Xinjiang, and so theres always been a lot of conflict. Advertisement Prior to this surveillance state being rolled out, there had been a series of fairly surprising attacks by Uyghurs outside of Xinjiang, including one in Beijing. After that happened, Xi Jinping, the Chinese leader, declared what he called a peoples war on terror. When we got to Xinjiang, we were like, OK, so this is the peoples war. This is what it looks like. But then we got back to Beijing, and I remember talking to a Chinese activist for another story, and he said, Whats happening in Xinjiang now is just a preview of whats going to happen in the rest of China. Advertisement Advertisement As surveillance systems expanded to the rest of the country, the government was proud of it, talking up so-called smart cities like Hangzhou. Hangzhou, which is picturesque and affluent, is home to both Alibaba and the video technology company Hikvision. The local government has embraced their technology to create a city brain, a platform that controls everything from traffic to trash detection. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When we were writing this book, we were surprised at how pleasant state surveillance was in Hangzhou and how people seemed to really be totally happy with it. And were like, OK, so there is another side to this. We were looking around for stories and how it really affected peoples lives, and we stumbled across the story of this woman who was living on the outskirts of Hangzhou in the suburbs, and she was doing her laundry in a creek, and she fell in and basically half drowned. Luckily enough, a neighbor was walking by, saw it happen, dragged her out, and her son also happened to be nearby. So, they pulled her out and they were doing CPR on her, and finally the ambulance shows up and they load her in. And on the ambulance, there was a switch that was part of the city brain system. And they flipped the switch, and essentially, it told the city brain to turn all of the lights along the ambulances route to the hospital green. And so they were able to rush this woman into the emergency room. They pumped out her lungs and she was fine. And it was this story where we were like, Oh, this is lifesaving technology. Advertisement Advertisement You also have some fascinating stories of the technology getting stuff wrong. That the A.I., instead of identifying a hump of trash thats supposed to be picked up whoops, its some leaves! One of the Chinese governments favorite genres of stories is of this technology being used to find lost children or abducted children because its such a huge issue in China. I remember one story in particular, also at Hangzhou. There was a housing complex, and they were selling themselves as this smart residential compound that had these A.I. systems that would manage security and that had helped find elderly residents who had dementia whod wandered off and had found lost children. Advertisement Advertisement And so Liza, my co-author, went there and she was asking around for a day, asking residents, Have you heard about these systems finding lost children? And everyone she talked to was like, Nah, I dont know what youre talking about. And she went, finally, to the property management office and she walked in and she saw this video showing how this system had found these lost kids. And shes like, Whos the mother in that video? I need to talk to her. And the person at the front desk turns around and says, Oh, shes not really a mother. Shes a staff member here. We made that as a promotional video. Advertisement Advertisement The technology really Its good. Its much better than its ever been, but its not perfect. But also, what we discovered is, it doesnt matter, in some ways, because ultimately state surveillance is as much about propaganda as it is about technology. And the idea is to get you to believe that youre being watched. Advertisement If you believe youre being surveilled, it doesnt really matter. Exactly. Because what you want people to do is to adjust their behavior. So, if people think that cameras are watching them all the time and can recognize them and pick them out of a crowd, that affects the way they behave. It also makes them feel safer. Thats the flip side of it, is this idea that, Oh, the Communist Party is watching out for you. And so as long as everyone believes that, the partys achieved its goals largely without even having to actually have that technology working 100 percent. This is a really difficult question to answer because theres always the potential for it to be loaded with so many stereotypes, but is there a way to know how people feel about this surveillance? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think it really depends a lot on who you are and your context at the time. And a lot of Chinese people perceive the system as working in their favor and so theyre happy with it. But there are plenty of Chinese people who, because of who they are and their circumstances, realize that thats not the case. There are some U.S. companies whose products China has relied on for years to surveil its citizens. What are those? One of the companies we looked at was Intel. Its venture capital arm turns out to have funded one of the pioneers of digital surveillance in China and also sold chips to them and gave them advice. You have NVIDIA, which is a major chip maker in California that also sells a lot of chips to Chinese surveillance companies. Microsoft. Almost any Silicon Valley company out there, maybe with the exception of Google, which essentially had to leave China, theyre involved in one way or another. Advertisement Im also really interested in the fact that some of these companies are exporting tools and systems to other places, to Uganda, for example. Do you think that is about selling Chinese products, or a Chinese vision of surveillance? Advertisement Advertisement Its definitely both. Chinese companies are very commercially driven, and theyve essentially saturated the Chinese market. There are something on the order of 400 million surveillance cameras installed in China already. Theres one for every three or four citizens. So if youre a Chinese camera-maker, you cant really sell into China anymore, so you have to look abroad. I think for the Chinese government, it is an effort to spread an idea about the use of these technologies by the government, but its not specifically that theyre trying to spread the Chinese model. The Communist Party is very interesting in that they want to have global influence, but they also talk all the time about the uniqueness of the Chinese model, the uniqueness of Chinese achievement. So, theyre not selling the Chinese model in particular, but what they are doing is selling this idea that it is legitimate for governments to use these technologies to exercise control in whatever way they see fit. Advertisement Advertisement The Biden administration has just done a bunch of different things that connect to what were talking about. They put in new controls on the export of American chip technology to China, and then the Justice Department charged two Chinese citizens with spying for Huawei. How should we think about these things? Are they the sum of their parts? Are they some message Hey, Xi Jinping. You have just consolidated power. Were watching. We want to put a thumb on the scale in this whole surveillance question. How do you think about them? Advertisement I think the way to think about these moves is to zoom out a little bit and think more in terms of U.S.China tech competition. Whats clear now is that the Biden administration, similar to the Trump administration, has taken a really hard line on China, and it is basically effectively trying to contain China. They dont say it as much, but if you look at the actions, and particularly with these most recent restrictions on chip exports, it was a really bold and potentially tectonic move by the Biden administration. Advertisement They really need these chips. They dont make ones as good as NVIDIA does, right? No. So essentially the Biden administration has cut China off from high-end chips, which it needs for a huge range of applications. A lot of it is targeting the military. Thats probably the governments biggest concern, is they want to make sure that Chinas military cannot develop and use A.I. weapons. But also the surveillance state, particularly the situation in Xinjiang, has been influencing policy in a way thats really interesting. Human rights was not a concern in the U.S.China relationship in a real way for many, many years, but it has become that way now, I think largely because of Xinjiang. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So thats also motivating this, and it really does have the potential to cripple the surveillance state in some pretty significant ways in the sense that the chips that are used for something like facial recognition or for training A.I. surveillance algorithms, China really doesnt have the ability to make those chips on its own, or at least not chips that are as good. At the recent party congress, Xi Jinping began a third term as the countrys president and assumed even more control over Chinas Communist Party. Everyone else is negligible. Even the former president, Hu Jintao, was mysteriously escorted from the event. How does Xis political future relate to the success of his surveillance state? Advertisement Xi Jinpings opening speech before the party congress was overwhelmingly focused on national and domestic security. And the country is investing hugely in technologies that feed into this surveillance system, and so the system is going to be, for him, I think extremely important because as he moves into this next phase of his rule, he has to figure out how to maintain both control and legitimacy in the country without this huge double-digit historic economic growth that his predecessors had. Advertisement Previous leaders really benefited from that economic growth in the sense that that was all they really had to deliver. The economy was already slowing down in the early years of Xi Jinpings rule, but he has exacerbated that, particularly during the pandemic, with his zero-COVID rules that have really crushed the economy. Advertisement So now China has, by its standards, extremely low economic growth, and he needs to figure out what to do, how to control society in the absence of that. Surveillance answers that question, both in the carrot sense and the stick sense, in that he and the rest of the Communist Party believe that they really can use these technologies to make peoples lives better. Even if the economy isnt growing, peoples lives can become more convenient and predictable and safe and that will be attractive. And then if its not enough, they have the tools to sniff out dissent and send away the people who arent accepting of the current situation. Advertisement What role do you think the COVID surveillance has played here? Advertisement This has been the really fascinating thing recently in China, to see how public attitudes toward the government and toward the surveillance system have changed as a result, basically, of mutations in the virus, because in the early days of COVID, when we were still dealing with the delta variant and the original flavor of COVID-19, the Communist Party did a really good job of controlling it, and they used these technologies roughly the way that they were supposed to. The death rates in China were much, much lower than they are almost anywhere else in the world. And people were able to live relatively normal lives for the first year of the pandemic. Advertisement Advertisement What happened is omicron came along and it moved too quickly for the surveillance system to keep up, and the Communist Party had to change the target of surveillance from the virus to people. And so they started locking down cities and using these really dystopian combinations of technologies to keep people at home. So they have robot dogs and drones prowling residential compounds, and they were putting alarms on everyones door. Anyone who was found to be infected would get a little device put on their door to monitor whether they were leaving their apartment and that sort of thing. And the lockdowns were really harsh, including in Shanghai. There was this weekslong lockdown in one of the wealthiest cities in the country, and people were having trouble getting food and medical care and they were really freaking out in ways that those people, wealthy residents of this financial center in China, had not really experienced before. I think people now do feel like life under COVID-zero, with just repeated lockdowns and constant surveillance, is just too much. The other issue is that theres no end in sight. The Communist Party keeps doubling down on it. Foreign investment predicted to rise, jobs to open up. Main Control Room / Mission Control Room of ESA at the European Space Operations Centre. (Source: ESA - Jurgen Mai) Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Space research is something few people would associate with Slovakia. Although Slovak scientists are playing a key role in some cutting-edge projects for example, observations from the High Tatras are crucial to the development of the future European Solar Telescope it might best be described as a niche activity in the country. One of the reasons for this is that Slovakia is not a full member of the European Space Agency (ESA). Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement But that is set to change after President Zuzana Caputova earlier this month signed Slovakia's associate membership of the ESA. Experts are already predicting the move will bring with it new projects, strengthen Slovakias research potential and open up new markets for companies, with the first project calls to be announced by the end of the year. "This step significantly expands Slovakia's options, the Slovak Investment and Trade Development Agency (SARIO), which is responsible for developing local and international partnerships in Slovakias space research sector, said in a statement after the signing on October 13. Technology companies in the country will get the opportunity to participate in new contracts in the field of space technology, space research and ESA programs, and be directly involved in ESA supply chains, which will enable businesses to diversify their portfolios," it added. Related article Related article Slovak astronomers key to new European Solar Telescope Read more The road to ESA so far What to see during the Month of Photography, Slovak Night Wolves member targeted by Czech Republic. Learn more in today's digest. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Good evening. Here is the Thursday, November 3 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Slovak Night Wolves member facing more sanctions Jozef Hambalek (on the right) shaking hands with Vladimir Putin. In the background (on the left with a hat on) is the head of Russian Night Wolves Alexander Zaldostanov. (Source: Archive) The founder of the Slovak branch of the Russian nationalist biker gang Night Wolves has been on the European Union sanctions list since July. They blocked all my accounts and cards, Hambalek has been complaining on social media ever since. But now he may also lose access to his property in the Czech Republic, where he owns the Brno-based real estate company Simple McTrade, and is director of the Zlin company Ekotherma fasteners. More on Night Wolves in Slovakia: More stories on Spectator.sk If you like what we are doing and want to support good journalism, buy our online subscription. Thank you. Feature story for today Space research is something few people would associate with Slovakia. It might best be described as a niche activity in the country. One of the reasons for this is that Slovakia is not a full member of the European Space Agency (ESA). But that is set to change after President Zuzana Caputova signed Slovakia's associate membership of the ESA. Experts are already predicting the move will bring with it new projects, strengthen Slovakias research potential and open up new markets for companies, with the first project calls to be announced by the end of the year. Slovakia looks to new horizons with space agency membership Read more Picture of the day The Ruzin water reservoir, between the villages of Jaklovce and Margecany, eastern Slovakia, has almost dried up, and grass has begun to grow at its bottom. (Source: TASR) In other news A referendum on the possibility of shortening the parliamentary term will take place on Saturday January 21, 2023, President Zuzana Caputova announced on Thursday. At the end of October, the Constitutional Court ruled that one of the two questions which the opposition party Smer wanted to ask in the referendum did not adhere to the constitution. Read more about the referendum here. President Zuzana Caputova announced on Thursday. At the end of October, the Constitutional Court ruled that one of the two questions which the opposition party Smer wanted to ask in the referendum did not adhere to the constitution. Read more about the referendum here. Weather forecast for Friday and the weekend according to the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute. Friday will be mostly cloudy, rain is expected in the southwest of the country, maximum temperatures will be between 10 and 15 degrees Celsius. Saturday will be mostly cloudy, with a mild drop in daytime temperatures to between 8 and 13 degrees. Sunday will be cloudy with daytime temperatures of 10 to 15 degrees. Friday will be mostly cloudy, rain is expected in the southwest of the country, maximum temperatures will be between 10 and 15 degrees Celsius. Saturday will be mostly cloudy, with a mild drop in daytime temperatures to between 8 and 13 degrees. Sunday will be cloudy with daytime temperatures of 10 to 15 degrees. A student attacked other children with an axe at the Vocational Secondary School in Novaky , the Trencin Region, on Thursday morning, leaving two injured. Both were taken to hospital but their condition is not serious. The attacker was apprehended by police who are investigating the incident as suspected premeditated murder. , the Trencin Region, on Thursday morning, leaving two injured. Both were taken to hospital but their condition is not serious. The attacker was apprehended by police who are investigating the incident as suspected premeditated murder. Slovak diplomat Miroslav Lajcak will be awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun for his contribution to deepening relations between Slovakia and Japan. The ceremony will take place on November 9 in Tokyo. Lajcak served as Slovak ambassador to Japan from 1994 to 1998. for his contribution to deepening relations between Slovakia and Japan. The ceremony will take place on November 9 in Tokyo. Lajcak served as Slovak ambassador to Japan from 1994 to 1998. Several Czech tourists were hurt, some seriously, after a bus travelling from the village of Dolny Bar towards the village of Velky Meder, Dunajska Streda district, went off the road into a ditch and hit a tree. Police said a breath test performed on the driver was negative. and hit a tree. Police said a breath test performed on the driver was negative. Police are investigating 36 cases of suspected electoral corruption following local elections last weekend. In four cases the investigator of the National Criminal Agency has already started criminal proceedings. If you have suggestions on how this news overview can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk. Uncapped Dragons winger Rio Dyer faces a baptism of fire after being named in the Wales team to play New Zealand at Cardiff's Principality Stadium on Saturday. "Rio has fitted in really well and really quickly. He's thriving in this environment," Wales coach Wayne Pivac said Thursday. "He's a young man that's bringing some form with him into camp. He scored some great tries and he's full of confidence. "That means a lot to a young guy playing his first Test match in front of a big crowd. There's no better way to start your career so we wish him well." Justin Tipuric will skipper the side from blindside flanker, returning to the Wales XV for the first time since the 2021 Six Nations match against France. He is joined in the starting line-up by Ken Owens (hooker) and Leigh Halfpenny (fullback), who will also make their first appearances for Wales in more than a year. New Zealand-born Gareth Anscombe is named at fly half, having worn the number 10 jersey in the same fixture last year, with Tomos Williams at scrum-half. Louis Rees-Zammit is on the other wing, with George North and Nick Tompkins partnering up in the centre for the fourth consecutive match. Alongside captain Tipuric in the Wales back row are in-form Leicester openside Tommy Reffell and No 8 Taulupe Faletau. Gareth Thomas and Tomas Francis will prop down alongside Owens, with Adam Beard and Will Rowlands combining in the second row for the ninth time. Among the replacements Ryan Elias, Nicky Smith and Dillon Lewis provide the front row cover. Alun Wyn Jones and Christ Tshiunza are the other forwards in line to make an appearance from the bench. Kieran Hardy, Rhys Priestland and Owen Watkin round out the Wales match day squad. "It's great having Ken Owens, Justin Tipuric and Leigh Halfpenny back," said Pivac. "They bring a lot of experience and they are big game players. Playing New Zealand doesn't get much bigger so we're really looking forward to having them back in the side. Story continues "New Zealand are going to play with speed, we know that. The roof is closed so we're looking forward to a fast, open game and I think Justin brings that extra bit of speed to the number six jersey. So the back-row combination we think will work well." Pivac, himself a Kiwi, added: "It doesn't get much bigger than Wales-New Zealand. I remember coming to games prior to getting this role and a full house, the bands and pre-match is just fantastic. "We can't wait for it, the players are looking forward to it and we just want the fans to get in there and be loud and really get behind the boys and be that 16th player that we know they are." Wales team (15-1) to play New Zealand at Cardiff's Principality Stadium on Saturday (kick-off 1415 GMT): Leigh Halfpenny; Louis Rees-Zammit, George North, Nick Tompkins, Rio Dyer; Gareth Anscombe, Tomos Williams; Taulupe Faletau, Tommy Reffell, Justin Tipuric (capt); Adam Beard, Will Rowlands; Tomas Francis, Ken Owens, Gareth Thomas Replacements: Ryan Elias, Nicky Smith, Dillon Lewis, Alun Wyn Jones, Christ Tshiunza, Kieran Hardy, Rhys Priestland, Owen Watkin lp/jc Coffee Design is proudly sponsored by Savor Brands , your boost in coffeedence through maximizing designs in packaging, sustainability and tech. Each year, Bellingham-based roasting company Camber Coffee announces its Artist Series, showcasing a year-long collaborative effort with an artist. This year, Camber Coffee announced its partnership with Colombian artist Jhonny Nunez. Nunez is an internationally renowned illustrator and created an origin harvest scene for Camber which can be found on limited coffee releases, a Fellow Move mug, a jigsaw puzzle, and more. Camber has always been a representation of our love of coffee, people, food, art, and the natural world, says Camber Coffee co-founder David Yake, having the chance to feature work by artists we admire is a privilege. Were excited to wrap some of our favorite coffees with this beautiful art, We spoke with David Yake of Camber Coffee to learn more. Tell us about Jhonny Nunez the artist. Jhonny Nunez is a multidisciplinary, award-winning Afro-Colombian artist. His whimsical, eye-catching art style and great professional talent have taken him around the globe. He and his studio (jhonnystudio.com) have collaborated with brands like Uniqlo, Adobe, Victorinox, and the city of Medellin, Colombia. He even created some of the illustrations and murals for Disneys Encanto! I still cant believe that we got to work with him. How did Camber Coffee connect with this artist? Our former Marketing Coordinator, Dejah Kutrovski, found his work on Instagram. He lives in Cali, Colombia, but we figured, why not reach out?. The modern world is pretty unbelievable. What was the collaboration like? Despite the distance and language barriers, the project went remarkably smoothly. Jhonny is a true professional. Tell us about the elements depicted in the origin harvest scene. Jhonnys goal was to capture the joy, urgency, and tremendous feats of cooperation that take place during the harvest season. He depicted a small farm, where the whole family is involved in the harvest. There are so many fun details in Jhonnys illustration. Youll find colorful flora and fauna to represent the vibrancy of a biodiverse coffee farm. Theres even an adorable capybara, a large rodent native to Colombia. He included coffee bushes with cherry that are at varying stages of maturity, to demonstrate the labor required to harvest only the ripest cherry. I love that he included a well-loved van/truck, since the trucks of Colombia are so memorable. Theres a lot going on! Tell us about this years collection of Artist Series products! Our team had a heyday with Jhonnys work. We teamed up with Fellow to produce a custom-printed Move Mug. But my favorite item may be our jigsaw puzzle. We have some other fun merch projects in the works that well release later this year. What coffee was chosen for this project? The first coffee release was almost too good to be true. It came from our friends at Granja La Esperanza, who are based in Jhonnys hometown of Cali, Colombia! The coffee was an unbelievably juicy, double-fermented Gesha. The unique processing produced a superb cup, with layers of complexity and intense aromatics. We were sad to see it go. We just released (6/11) our second Artist Series offering the incredibly rare and delicious Bernardina variety from the Pacas family. Our Artist Series features tiny lots, so Id recommend folks sign up for our email newsletter so they can find out the minute a new coffee drops. How can artists connect with Camber for future years? Drop me a line! david@cambercoffee.com Thank you, David! It was not but three weeks ago that we were all sitting shiva over the loss of our dearly departed Pabst Blue Ribbon Hard Coffee. But when one ready-to-drink caffeinated can crumbles, another alcoholic coffee coldie cracks open. Thus we have all been gifted with the most of-the-moment RTD beverage yet, the canned Espresso Martini from Blossom Beverages. As reported by The Washingtonian, the new beverage line is the machinations of David Jack, one of the folks behind DCs Residents Cafe & Bar, a restaurant and cocktail bar that serves, you guessed it, espresso martinis. With Blossom, Jack is trying to shed the espresso martinis reputation as the adult vodka red bull and trying to become something more like the adult High Noon for clubs and events. The idea is to democratize this cocktail and make it for everythingrooftops, kickbacks, parties, shows, sporting events, weddings, even, says Jack. What better way [than espresso martinis] to get me through at Echo Stage and Wizards games? I can certainly think of a few ways. While other RTD espresso martini-like beverages exist on the market, Blossom is taking a more straightforward approach. Working with Philadelphias Boardroom Spirits, Blossom is a combinations of cold-pressed espresso (of unknown origin), chocolate, vanilla, cane sugar, nutmeg, and vodka. The result is a 12-ounce can of sprotini with the caffeine equivalent of a single shot of espresso and a semi-reasonable 9% ABV, less potent and creamy with partying in mind. Per the Washingtonian, Blossom will be making its official debut the weekend of November 12th and 13th at DCs Union Market, where over 8,000 cans are waiting for a DJ-fueled release. And for those outside of the DC area or prefer their RTD releases to be less DJ-fueled, four-packs of Blossom will be available for purchase via their website for $24.99. Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge. Coffee Design is proudly sponsored by Savor Brands , your boost in coffeedence through maximizing designs in packaging, sustainability and tech. Triple Co Roast is a coffee company out of the UK thats been roasting coffee in Bristol for just over seven years. In 2022 theyve debuted a fresh new look with the help of the Belfast branding team Angel and Anchor. Their original design was a home-built effort that celebrated clean Scandinavian aesthetic, and with the help of Angel and Anchor, Triple Co were able to create an entirely new look with fresh colors, bold patterns, and whimsy. We spoke with founder Jo Thompson to learn more. Tell us about Triple Co Roast. When did yall open? Whats your approach to coffee? So I started the business coming up to 7 years ago now. I grew up in Bristol, UK working in cafes and speciality coffee shops, slowly getting more into coffee with each job. I then moved out to California for a couple of years, and whilst out there got completely hooked on roasting. I ended up spending some time and volunteering with a few roasteries out there, roasting at home, reading books and listening to pods etc, continually falling down the rabbit hole. During my second year I built a business plan with a few friends, and then moved home to Bristol to start it up! I started super small and organically, renting a small corner of a bakery in the centre of Bristol to roast in. From there weve grown over the years and are now in our 3rd space with our 3rd roaster, a restored 25kg Probat! Triple Co is all about our three core founding principles. Firstly, always buying speciality coffee, high grade tasty bean and using that as our preliminary guide. Secondly doing it via direct connections and trade where possible, so we regularly visit and buy from a group of producers in Narino, Colombia. Lastly, being open access and transparent, inviting people into the roastery to ask questions and explore coffee. It was a huge part of me getting into coffee, the guys out in California being so open, so it was something I wanted to emulate here also. Tell us about the packaging! When did it debut? Who designed it? So we rebranded last Jan! It was time to up our branding game. Id built the first brand my self, using apps and various tools to create a cool but ultimately un-cohesive brand. It was born from a love of the Copenhagen style coffee companies, clean lines and white spaces. Almost lab style brewing, and something wed moved away from as a brand. We are deeply passionate about good coffee, but we also love getting our hands dirty, pulling apart espresso machines by day and old cars by night. Id seen the studio Angel & Anchor who has done some cool work for Guilt Trip in N. Ireland, and reached out to Ben to ask for some help with rebranding. He brought it all together in a beautiful cohesive and bright packaging that represents us. You can read about it here. What coffee releases are you currently excited about? We always try and buy super interesting/different coffees here, and Im really excited about relaunching some Madagascan coffee weve been buying for the last year or so. Its the only estate in Madagascar producing speciality grade Arabica, and the cup quality is quite unique. Weve also had our first container of fresh juicy Colombians just landed at the roasterythe guys we work with are using beer brewing tech to control fermentation and produce some exceptional anaerobics. Whats next for Triple Co Roast? Weve just launched our fully bio based wooden Nespresso capsules, so I think the next step for us is trying to get them out a little more! Theyre really cool as they are made 100% from wood shavings and starch, meaning its a from the earth to the earth kind of cycle. We like to think looking at what goes into compostability is just as important as the outcome. Thank you! Explore much more from the Coffee Design archives. Coffee and music. Music and coffee. Coffee is music. Music is coffee. Over the years, weve celebrated all manners of music and coffeefrom coffee inspired songs, interviews with musicians inspired by coffee, band brand collaborations, and so much more. Today were featuring a beautiful band/brand collaboration between the iconic upper PNW soft emo/melodic 21st century rock band Death Cab For Cutie and delicious Bellingham coffee roaster Camber Coffee. The collaboration was spearheaded by their Coffee Music Collaboration Manager & Chief Ryan Russell. Russell has been a long time Death Cab For Cutie collaborator and photographer and his photos of the band appear throughout this article. Rather than calling the coffee offering Bens Blend or Steadier Footing Brew, Camber instead roasts and spotlights coffee producer Negusse Nare of the Sidama region in Ethiopia. This coffee comes packaged in a special edition bag to celebrate Death Cab For Cuties latest album Asphalt Meadows, along with matching mugs. Death Cab For Cuties website goes into detail on the coffees producer Nigusse Nare, Nigusse farms ten hectares of land in the Huro Hibiro village of Bensa, Sidama. Here he grows various varieties from the Jimma Agricultural Research Center, selected for their disease resistance, high yield, and cup quality. His coffee is all processed and dried at his family home, and he has consistently produced exceptional natural processed coffees. To find out more about how this all went down, as well as what Ben Gibbards favorite brewing method is, read on. We spoke with Camber Coffee Marketing Specialist Ryan Russell to learn more. Tell us about Camber Coffees coffee music collaboration program! Before joining the Camber team in 2016, I spent 15 years in the music industry as a photographer and an album designer working for various bands and labels. I was added to Death Cab for Cuties stable of photographers back in 2006 and have become good friends since. The Camber team has dreamed about creating a special Death Cab for Cutie coffee for years. Admittedly, Death Cab is my favorite band and with Asphalt Meadowss release it seemed the perfect timing for the collaboration. Ben Gibbard has spoken about his love for AeroPress coffee on tourcan you confirm this. I can confirm this. Most folks in the music industry travel as compactly as possible and the AeroPress is a popular brewer for many of the bands Ive toured with. How did yall land on Nigusse Nare for DCFC? We sample roasted a few different origins and processing methods for all five band members to brew at home. They wanted a fruit forward cup and fell for the sweetness and juiciness of Nigusse Nare. Tell us about the packaging and mug design! Ben shot the photograph that ended up as the cover of Asphalt Meadows while on a run. Its such an amazing photo and the clergy figures were so striking on the cover that I wanted to carry them over to the label design, while also staying true to Cambers minimalist branding. The halftone version of the clergy figures created by their merch team is also featured on the mug. Where can a fan of Camber or DCFC pick up a bag? Exclusively at deathcabforcutie.com How much is it? $25 Whats a perfect Death Cab For Cutie song for roasting Nigusse Nare? Roman Candles from Asphalt Meadows. Whats a perfect Death Cab For Cutie song to brew coffee to? A Movie Script Ending from The Photo Album (fun fact: the Camber Flagship cafe is on the same Bellingham street mentioned in the song) But whats the perfect Death Cab For Cutie song to drink coffee to? Passenger Seat from Transatlanticism! Thank you! Singapore is one of the smallest countries in the world, covering an area of only 733 square kilometers. It is famous for being a thriving global financial center, and among the most densely populated places in the world. Its also home to a world-class specialty coffee scene, serving visitors and locals alike. Some of the landmark third-wave cafes that serve specialty coffee there include Nylon Coffee, Papa Palheta, and Common Man Coffee Roasters, all of whom have been featured previously on Sprudge. Over the last decade the city-nation has experienced a bloom of coffee shops that serve high-quality coffee, and one of the most prominent of these is called The Community. Its owned by Nor Aslam Bin Yusoff, who has emerged as an important leader in Singapores specialty coffee community, helping others to learn about coffee, roasting coffee for many brands around the city, and masterminding the annual Singapore Roaster Forum. Bin Yusoffs story is like many youll find in Singapore, one of connectivity and organic growth, fueled by the pace and energy of the city itself. Great coffee and Singapore are a perfect match, and at the center of this narrative again and again youll find the work of Nor Aslam Bin Yusoff. This interview has been edited and slightly condensed for clarity. Can you tell me about how you started your journey in coffee? Do you have any coffee mentors? I got into coffee by chance. I was born in 1987. It was during my last year of tertiary school that one day, a friend asked if I wanted a part-time job working in a coffee shop. The name of the cafe was Spinelli, and my to-be managers were the most influential people not only in my life but also for the whole Singapore coffee industry in the last 10 years! They were John Ting (three-time Singapore Barista Champion) and Romeo Alfen. Working with them was a huge lesson in work ethics and professionalism. After six months of working at the shop, I told myself I could keep doing this every single day of my life. I worked for Spinelli for a few years. Then in 2011, after returning from mandatory national service, I worked for a cafe named The Plain, which was then serving coffee roasted by Ben Toovey, multi-time Australian Roasting Champion. Ben travelled to Singapore a few times to conduct training, and I owe most of my roasting knowledge to him. In 2014, I accepted an offer from Romeo for a trainer position at Oriole. Oriole was under a huge internal transformation back then, and a lot of the practices that I am doing now, including my preference for lighter roasts, were heavily influenced by this time at Oriole. In 2016, I opened the first cafe of my own, namely VXX Cooperative, serving coffee from Nordic roasters, noticeably Koppi and Tim Wendelboe. The cafe closed after a year, and I learned a valuable lesson about balancing ideals and realities. Yet when one door closes, another door opens, and that was when I opened The Community. For those who arent familiar, will you tell me about The Community? Whats your approach at this cafe? The Community was opened in December 2017. It started with a genuine intention to host a space for a community to be built over better coffee. This intention required a concentrated effort among our team members to consistently engage with the guests that were coming into our cafe. Coffee is an incredibly diverse product. Factors such as origin, micro-regions, and processing methods all contributed greatly to different taste profiles, and we sincerely believed that there was a kind of coffee suited for every single person out there. We wanted to do our best to find a taste you preferred within the confines of our sourcing and roasting philosophy. Almost five years on, we are committed to introducing our coffees as cultivars first, explaining to our guests that, for example, two coffees can come from the same farm, yet their genetic differences will most likely yield different taste profiles. Along our coffee lines, weve introduced categories, namely Classic, Modern and Experimental. These categories are meant to reflect the current state of coffee production that is prevalent in the industry, rather than customer-driven profiles like Comfort or Exciting. What are some of the best parts of being a coffee professional? Being coffee professionals, we have the understated luxury of consistently drinking delicious coffee all year round, possibly the top 10% of all coffee produced in the world. Also, I think that, foremost, cafes are social spaces, so every single person walking through the doors of my cafe is an opportunity for us to build new relationships for our benefit. How is the coffee industry in Singapore? Share some of your perspective with me. The coffee industry in Singapore is incredibly dynamic. In the last five years, what has been most inspiring to see is the availability of higher-quality green coffee. I think it was the first step in affirming our commitment to the industry by being willing to pay more for better coffee, and trusting that our customers will believe in it as well. You know, theres an absurd number of boutique specialty coffee roasters in Singapore right now, over 50 roasters for a population of 5.5 million, yet I believe there are still more opportunities for newer roasters to come along and attract their own demographic. I know you are helping other coffee shops with their roasting and training. So, can you tell me a bit about your role in the recent developments? Although we are not publicizing that we are a co-roasting space, there are currently 12 cafes sharing the same Giesen W6A at The Community. Most of the people roasting at The Community are close friends. We are very specific about the way other people roast at our facility; we dont allow dark, second-crack coffee. At first, we do toll roasting for other cafes that dont know how to roast but want to serve better coffee at their cafes. Then, as time goes on, people who want to starting roasting coffee will undergo a three-month introduction period, during which they will learn to replicate and troubleshoot their roasts before operating the machine themselves. Currently, Joy of Maxi Coffee Bar and Sam of The Glasshouse are among the first people who started to roast their coffee. I think I was pretty privileged during my earlier career that I met people like Matt Perger, Ben Kaminsky, and Ben Toovey. My coffee knowledge was not originally from me, so its natural for me to pass it on to others. As the founder of the Singapore Roasters Forum, can you tell me about it? Singapore Roaster Forum was inspired by the Nordic Roaster Forum. This year, 15 roasters will compete in two categories: Compulsory, where they have to roast the same coffee, and Open, in which they will have to roast a coffee originating from South East Asia. At the event, we also hold discussion panels about business and industry outlooks. I want to curate an event with valuable topics for coffee professionals or even coffee enthusiasts. This year, we are having Will Frith from Vietnam, Mikael Jasin from Indonesia, and Matt Winton from Switzerland as speakers. I hope the Roaster Forum will be a platform that helps new roasters to advance, especially with regards to sourcing and roasting. A lot of the knowledge about sourcing and roasting is still secret, but I sincerely believe if we want to get better, we have to share. What do you think about the current generation of coffee professionals in Singapore? I think that working in coffee is still viewed as a side gig simply for the reason that the career path within our industry isnt as defined as in other industries. Yet, I think coffee is a means of creativity, and the newer generation of coffee professionals is incredibly passionate and creative. These people are incredibly determined to express themselves, be it from an aesthetic point of view or a coffee-preference point of view. Also, I believe a lot of coffee professionals do hope to eventually be an entrepreneur who opens their own cafe, but they dont realize that there are so many other roles to be filled within our industry. Most recently, Elysia Tan of Homeground Coffee Roasters just placed 3rd in the 2022 World Brewers Cup. I hope her success will attract lots of attention locally and renew peoples interest in what coffee can be. What do you think the future of specialty coffee in Singapore will look like? What Id love to see in 15-20 years is our local kopi culture but with high-quality Arabica. Like, when asked for a kopi, the guy at the hawker would ask me: Do you prefer a natural or washed Ethiopian, or a natural Colombian? That would show that were comfortable with accepting our roots and traditions, yet we care about coffee quality. I also hope that coffee professionals will continue striving to be regarded and respected because its what they areprofessionals! Thank you! Tung Nguyen is a freelance journalist based in Vietnam. Read more Tung Nguyen for Sprudge. Photos courtesy of Aslam Yusoff Coffee Design is proudly sponsored by Savor Brands , your boost in coffeedence through maximizing designs in packaging, sustainability and tech. Remember VHS? The Video Home System was an icon of late 20th century media design, comprising a two-part closed loop of memory storage and display. The VHS player could be found in nigh-every home, sometimes incorporated directly into a television set, and would allow users to play back media from the VHS tape. This tape, comprised of physical analog tape upon which moving images and sound were recorded, would have to be rewound after every use. Large archival hubsvideo rental storesallowed users the ability to check out tapes on-demand, and extensive home collections were also not uncommon, along with free rental privileges at city libraries. Yes, its hard to imagine a time when media was restricted to such a format. But clunky though it was, VHS remains a visceral emblem of 20th-century media consumption, and so its no surprise that it would inspire gorgeous, genre-bending consumable packaging design here in the 21st. To learn more about this unique form, we turn to Process Coffee of Belfast, Northern Ireland, whose founder, Ben Hamilton, has harnessed the deep nostalgia of VHS to create a one-of-a-kind approach to the modern coffee bag. We were hipped to Process via their inclusion in a recent Dayglow Coffee subscription box and just had to learn more about the brands unique approach to design, nostalgia, and coffee. Tell us about Process Coffee! Process is a coffee and lifestyle supply co. It was born out of my passion for coffee and people back in 2020 during the early pandemic days and it has taken a few different shapes since it was launched. I want to get people stoked on coffee, hyped on life, and supply products that helps you drink in the daily of each day. I started by collaborated with some amazing roasters over the last two years, showcasing their coffee to my community through the Process web store. Roasters like Hex, Onyx, and Creature kept me hyped in the early days. And then in October of 2021 I launched my own coffee to share with the world and started roasting for myself. Personally it is suuuuuper rad to be able to go a level deeper in my coffee journey through roasting, and its a privilege to continue to showcase other roasters alongside Process now through my own subscription service and by seeing my coffee racked up on the retails shelves of coffee shops around the world. Who designed your unique packaging? The packaging for Process Coffee was designed in collaboration with Angel & Anchor. They are a Belfast based branding studio and the founder also happens to be one of my closest friends. I have worked with them on many projects over the years and they always knock it out of the park, so trusting them with my vision for this coffee packaging concept was way easier than youd imagine. I couldnt be more proud of what we created! Tell us about the design elements. The packaging is really experiential, and I wanted to experience to continue all the way from lifting the box off the shelf through to sipping your way through your brew. There are heaps of little easter eggs I want people to discover and experience for themselves as they enjoy opening the box every time they choose it for their brew. My memories of finding that favorite VHS on the shelf and the excitement that built as you pushed it into the VCR, is how I now feel choosing my box of Process coffee and sliding the tray out from the sleeve to reveal the coffee Im about to brew. I added a different brew recipe to the back of each of the four sleeve designs to help you engage further. These are just some of my go-to brew guides on different brew methods, that I hope the homies can use as a starting point in exploring each coffee. And if you collect all four boxes you can keep those recipes on your shelf for future brews. Finally, the bag reminds you to trust the process as you lift it out of the box and pour your beans out getting that first smell of the coffee youre about to brew. The back of the bag says that these coffees are experienced by you, to be shared with others, and I hope people pass these boxes around and share out these special coffees. What coffees are you currently excited about? I have been able to work with some amazing coffees so far and Im only getting started! I am super hyped to release new coffees from producer Yenni Esperanza again soon, after launching with her thermal shock Castillo from last years crop, which Im sourcing through Cata Coffee Export who work with some of the best young producers in Colombia. I cant wait to release these coffees, but again, its just a privilege to bring in coffees from different origins, producers, and co-ops, and try my best to deliver them to the best of my ability. I put a heap of pressure on myself with every coffee I bring in. All Process Coffees are selected to showcase the origin, terroir, varietal, process, and producer in the best way that we can. Where is your coffee available? Firstly, you can head straight to process.coffee and buy the coffees that are currently available. Worldwide shipping always! You can also find Process Coffee ALL OVER and I am loving connecting with some of the raddest people and coffee shops who have been sharing Process with their customers. Theres too many great shops to name, that are getting involved but I have to holler about a few. Dayglow, Lukes Drug Mart, Revolver, Local, Rosslyn, and Edge Coffee, have been on the PRO TEAM since launch. Legends! Whats next for Process? I am still here for the collab and have some really exciting projects coming up this year. Can not wait to share those with the world! And Im hyped to keep sharing great products and experiences that connect a wider audience to speciality coffee, and the story and the journey were all on. Im also focused on striving to improve my roasting with every coffee I bring in. Thats a big one! And as soon as the sun comes out here in Ireland (which isnt often), Ill be grabbing my skateboard and packing in as many coffee-fueled sessions as possible over the summer. Thank you. Explore much more from the Coffee Design archives. On this weeks episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast, Build-Outs of Coffee boosters and Sprudge co-founders Zachary Carlsen and Jordan Michelman sip Yes Plz Coffee while discussing new cafes in London, England; North Canaan, Connecticut; Kalamazoo, MI; and Quito, Ecuador. Build-Outs of Coffee season may be over but you can always register cafes for free at Sprudge Maps! This episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast is sponsored by Pacific Barista Series, Oatly, Straus Family Creamery, and DONA. The 2022 Build-Outs of Coffee is presented by Dripos, Dona, and Mill City Roasters. The 2022 Build-Outs of Coffee is sponsored by La Marzocco, Pacific Barista Series, Acaia, Cropster, and Marco Beverage Systems. Hit the links below to dive deeper into the topics discussed in this episode. Show notes and links: Big Idea Grant from Oatly Build-Outs Of Coffee: Ngopi In London, England Build-Outs Of Coffee: Water Street Coffee In Kalamazoo, MI Build-Outs Of Coffee: Kiwi Coffee Cafe In Orlando, FL Build-Outs Of Coffee: Ilse Coffee In North Canaan, CT Build-Outs Of Coffee: Coffee Relief In Quito, Ecuador Listen right here: Check out The Coffee Sprudgecast on Apple Podcasts and leave a nice review if youre so inclined. The Coffee Sprudgecast is available on Spotify, Stitcher, and other exceptional podcast portals. This episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast is sponsored by Pacific Barista Series, Straus Family Creamery, and DONA. Check out all our shows today! Hype Juice with D. Stubblefield from the Sprudge Podcast Network. Seed To Cup Podcast from the Sprudge Podcast Network. A Better Table with Umeko Motoyoshi from the Sprudge Podcast Network. Cascara with Cydni Patterson from the Sprudge Podcast Network. No Free Refills with Ezra Baker and Tymika Lawrence from the Sprudge Podcast Network. In Good Taste with Ever Meister from the Sprudge Podcast Network. The 2022 Build-Outs of Coffee is presented by Dripos, Dona, and Mill City Roasters. The 2022 Build-Outs of Coffee is sponsored by La Marzocco, Pacific Barista Series, Acaia, Cropster, and Marco Beverage Systems. Check out all the Coffee Sprudgecast episodes here. UK Coffee Week is back from the 10 16 of October 2022 Over 400 independent coffee shops across the UK will be joining together to raise funds for Project Waterfall, bringing clean drinking water to coffee growing communities Project Waterfall, bringing clean drinking water to coffee growing communities Find out whos taking part near you by visiting the UK Coffee Week map 6th October 2022: Next week marks the start of UK Coffee Week a spectacular celebration of coffee which runs from 10-16 of October and will see the UK Coffee industry and its customers come together to celebrate all things coffee while raising funds for coffee growing communities. Hospitality businesses of all shapes and sizes fundraise by donating from every cup or bag of coffee sold, or by running events and activities in store. A host of activities will be taking place across the country, including Latte Art Throwdowns, raffle competitions with some great prizes, Espresso Martini parties and more. You can find out where your closest coffee shop is that will be taking part by visiting the UK Coffee Week map and Whats On page. The UK Coffee Week bus will also be back for an interactive pop-up at Boxpark Shoreditch on the 13th and 14th of October. The bus will be serving up free plant powered coffee from Alpro and Caravan Coffee Roasters. Since 2011, the UK Coffee Week community has raised over 800,000 for Project Waterfall, reaching over 45,000 people with clean drinking water, sanitation and education. The funds raised during UK Coffee Week 2022 will go to Project Waterfalls new initiative in the Berbere district of Ethiopia. 40,000 people will have access to clean water and sanitation when this 3-year project is completed. Director of Project Waterfall and UK Coffee Week Rebecca Hodgson said: UK Coffee Week is about celebrating the coffee industry as well as supporting coffee-growing communities. The campaign is an opportunity for us to all come together and make a real impact on the communities that grow our coffee by providing them with a sustainable source of clean drinking water and sanitation. As Project Waterfalls flagship fundraising campaign, UK Coffee Week gives every coffee shop the power to make a difference no matter their size, while engaging their team and having fun! Headline sponsor Alpro and category sponsors Fulfil and Green Rock Manufacturing are excited to support the campaign. Graham Kelly, Head of Coffee at Alpro, said: As a long-standing supporter of UK Coffee Week, were excited to be taking this a step further by becoming headline sponsor in 2022. Project Waterfall is an excellent initiative, and were proud that were playing a bigger role this year in driving even more donations. This press release was provided to Sprudge for Sprudge Press Releases. Interested in submitting a press release? Get in touch! What is heirloom coffee? Heirloom coffee is a convenient (sort of) way to describe Arabica coffee plants whose variety may not be easy to ascertain. The term is of particularly abundant usage in reference to Ethiopian coffees, of which there are thousands of varieties, and where a particular producers output may include a broad range of these. When these coffees dont fall into the easy categories that cultivated coffees in other growing origins do, they have often been grouped into the vague term heirloom. Is there a specific criteria for what makes a heirloom coffee? Like other so-called heirloom plants, such as tomatoes or peppers, heirloom suggests a plant that has been grown in a specific geographical area fortypicallyseveral generations within that same geographical area, by the same farming family or group. For heirloom coffees, there is not a specific date or age cutoff that determines when a cultivar is said to become heirloom. Rather, it must meet the criteria of being a regionally specific, family or community specific plant that has been grown over generations of time. Agronomist and author Getu Bekele, co-author of the book A Reference Guide to Ethiopian Coffee Varieties, refers to this as meeting both the criteria of time and space. Do other countries have heirloom varieties besides Ethiopia? Sort of, but not in the same way. In Ethiopia, a country with an epically long history of growing Arabica coffee, it is common to classify coffee by regional attributese.g. Sidamo, Guji, Yirgachefferather than by the names of cultivars. This isnt the practice worldwide. Outside of Ethiopia, it is pretty common to refer coffee varieties using their breeding names; a name given by breeders, says Bekele. In most of the coffee producing countries in Africa and South America, coffee varieties are not described as heirloom. Ethiopia has a diverse coffee-growing agro-ecology that resulted in the creation of different geographical regions known for unique coffee flavors. The space and time concepts associated with heirloom are missing for most coffee producing countries except for Ethiopia. What is meant by landrace and when is it preferable to say that instead? Many roasters have begun to move away from heirloom nomenclature and have started referring to Ethiopian coffees as landrace, which gives more honor to the idea of these plants as part of their evolving agricultural and environmental contexts. Many landrace varieties, for example, are named after the (regular) trees among which the coffee treelets grow, like Kurume and Dega. Others may be named after characteristics, like Buna Guracha for its blackish (guaracha in Afan Oromo language) coloring. The name landrace more closely describes a coffees adaptation within a particular geography than the term heirloom. Landrace is not bounded by the concept of time and ownership, explains Bekele. It is all about the presence of genetically close but still diverse coffee varieties adapting to a specific region. In Ethiopia, the reality is there is not a single coffee variety which is owned by a specific family and passed down over several generations. Rather there are a mix of different coffee varieties in a given farm and also shared among several coffee farmers residing in a wider geographical area. Here, the term landrace best describes the real nature of the Ethiopian coffee varieties, Bekele says, adding that of course, landrace is still a catch-all term that doesnt give a full view of the diversity of varieties within it. Should or could heirloom (and landrace) coffees be broken down into more specific categories? This journey has already been started, says Bekele, crediting the expansion of the specialty coffee industry and continued interest in sourcing high-quality Ethiopian coffees in advancing this movement towards greater specificity. As Bekele and co-author Tim Hill point out in their book, reliance on the term heirloom can also leave the impression that scientific and agricultural progress has not been made in regards to Ethiopian coffees. This is not the case. For decades, the Jimma Agricultural Research Center (JARC) has been working to improve coffee technologies within Ethiopia through experimentation and selection, including identification of unique landraces. The more specific we are able to get when identifying Ethiopian coffees, the more successful we can be in planting and growing coffees that thrive in their respective regions (or regions with similar climate and conditions), and in predicting yield and flavor profile outcomes for producerswhich in turn should reap benefits for them on the market, and for us in our cups of coffee. Liz Clayton is the associate editor at Sprudge Media Network. Read more Liz Clayton on Sprudge. Top photo taken from this feature, courtesy Geoff Watts of Intelligentsia Coffee. https://sputniknews.com/20221102/dprk-fires-unknown-ballistic-missile-toward-sea-of-japan-south-korean-military-says-1103269214.html DPRK Fires Suspected Long-Range Ballistic Missile Over Japan, South Korean Military Says DPRK Fires Suspected Long-Range Ballistic Missile Over Japan, South Korean Military Says A day after a massive barrage into the Sea of Japan, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has reportedly fired another weapon into the waterway... 02.11.2022, Sputnik International 2022-11-02T22:52+0000 2022-11-02T22:52+0000 2022-11-03T06:20+0000 world dprk south korea ballistic missile /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/01/11/1092328447_0:0:700:395_1920x0_80_0_0_02c35d3e96b15452cddeaff1cfe4bcfb.png South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff announced on Thursday morning that the launch of an "unknown ballistic missile" into the Sea of Japan had been detected.An alert was sounded in Japan in the provinces of Miyagi, Yamgata, and Niigata, in north-central Honshu, for residents to seek shelter due to the launch. According to the Japanese government, the missile passed over Japan and landed in the Pacific Ocean. The missile's flight time was roughly 30 minutes.This would be the fourth time that the DPRK has fired a ballistic missile over Japan, but the first time one has flown over the main island of Honshu. The first two times were in 2017, and the third just last month; all flew over the northern island of Hokkaido.Since the US and South Korea began major military drills in August, which rehearsed strikes on the DPRK, the socialist state has staged an unprecedented number of missile tests and artillery firing drills, including a variety of different weapons.The DPRK has faced intense international pressure to give up its nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, but it says it needs the weapons to guarantee its safety in the absence of a permanent peace treaty with the US and South Korea. The three nations have been in a state of war since 1950, with the fighting ending in 1953 with a ceasefire instead of a permanent peace treaty. The US maintains a garrison of 28,500 troops in South Korea. south korea Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Fantine Gardinier Fantine Gardinier News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Fantine Gardinier dprk, south korea, ballistic missile https://sputniknews.com/20221103/bidens-foreign-policy-sinking-dems-in-midterms-assange-lawyers-sue-cia-and-pompeo-1103295487.html Biden's Foreign Policy Sinking Dems in Midterms; Assange Lawyers Sue CIA and Pompeo Biden's Foreign Policy Sinking Dems in Midterms; Assange Lawyers Sue CIA and Pompeo Attorneys and journalists are suing the CIA and Mike Pompeo alleging that they were illegally searched during visits with Julian Assange. 03.11.2022, Sputnik International 2022-11-03T04:33+0000 2022-11-03T04:33+0000 2022-11-03T08:35+0000 the critical hour radio sputnik news haiti julian assange lula da silva brazil mike pompeo /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/0b/02/1103294721_0:0:1920:1080_1920x0_80_0_0_9e62de59522b6fa20c652da239228ed2.png Biden's Foreign Policy Sinking Dems in Midterms; Assange Lawyers Sue CIA and Pompeo Attorneys and journalists are suing the CIA and Mike Pompeo alleging that they were illegally searched during visits with Julian Assange. John Kiriakou, journalist, author, and host of Political Misfits, joins us to discuss the Israeli election. John Kiriakou is in Israel covering the election. Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seems poised to bring his right-wing coalition back to power and the Israel-Lebanon gas deal may be in great jeopardy.Jamarl Thomas, Co-host, of Fault Lines, joins us to discuss the election in Brazil. President Lula has given a speech in which he announced that Brazil is back. Also, several world leaders including both Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin have congratulated the leader of the 5th most populous and 7th largest nation on earth.Regis Tremblay, an American citizen living in Crimea joins us to discuss Ukraine. President Putin is moving to expand and strengthen his nation's alliance with the Arab world. Also, Ukrainians grapple with power outages as Russia steps up attacks on its infrastructure.Dan Kovalik, writer, author, and lawyer, joins us to discuss Julian Assange. Attorneys and journalists are suing the CIA and Mike Pompeo alleging that they were illegally searched during visits with Julian Assange.Jim Kavanagh, Writer at thepolemicist.net and Counter Punch, joins us to discuss the midterms. President Biden's hawkish foreign policy is sinking the Congressional Democrats and causing irreparable harm to Ukraine. As the Biden administration claims to support Ukraine the only way to save the state is to negotiate a peace settlement and a new security arrangement between Europe and Russia.K. J. Noh, peace activist, writer, and teacher, joins us to discuss Asia. The Itaewon Halloween tragedy in South Korea is weighing heavy on the beleaguered and unpopular president Yoon as many citizens feel that it could have been prevented. Also, DC insiders admit that the US is waging a unilateral economic and tech war to halt China's rise.Dr. Jemima Pierre, Associate Professor of Black Studies and Anthropology at the University of California, Los Angeles, a member of the Black Alliance for Peace, and an editor of the "Black Agenda Review," segment of the Black Agenda Report joins us to discuss Haiti. The US is pushing a disinformation campaign against American citizens that is paving the way for military intervention in Haiti. Also, we revisit the allegations that Jimmy "Barbecue" Cherizier was involved in a massacre.Marjorie Cohn, Professor of Law at the Thomas Jefferson School of Law, San Diego, California, and a former president of the National Lawyers Guild joins us to discuss progressive members of congress dropping their appeal for diplomacy. Professor Cohen has penned an excellent article in which she discusses the feckless Congressional Progressive Caucus.We'd love to get your feedback at radio@sputniknews.comThe views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the position of Sputnik haiti brazil Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Wilmer Leon https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/02/12/1082114047_0:-1:238:238_100x100_80_0_0_4e3adef3e334e381bffe19d388f4b776.jpg Wilmer Leon https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/02/12/1082114047_0:-1:238:238_100x100_80_0_0_4e3adef3e334e381bffe19d388f4b776.jpg News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Wilmer Leon https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/02/12/1082114047_0:-1:238:238_100x100_80_0_0_4e3adef3e334e381bffe19d388f4b776.jpg radio, sputnik news, haiti, julian assange, lula da silva, brazil, mike pompeo, https://sputniknews.com/20221103/brazil-under-lula-da-silva-to-retain-position-to-reject-anti-russian-sanctions-1103663650.html Brazil Under Lula da Silva to Retain Position to Reject Anti-Russian Sanctions Brazil Under Lula da Silva to Retain Position to Reject Anti-Russian Sanctions BUENOS AIRES (Sputnik) - Brazil under new President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will retain its principled position of rejecting unilateral anti-Russian... 03.11.2022, Sputnik International 2022-11-03T11:05+0000 2022-11-03T11:05+0000 2022-11-03T11:05+0000 americas latin america brazil lula da silva presidential election jair bolsonaro /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/0a/1f/1102868086_0:160:3073:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_2b164f95970e8377524583ae9f1df337.jpg "I am convinced that Brazil will retain its principled position of rejecting unilateral sanctions against Russia, and this is fundamentally important for us," Labetsky said.Brazil held a general election on October 2. Lula received 48.4%, while Bolsonaro got 43.2% of the votes. Since none of the candidates managed to get over 50% in the first round, a runoff was scheduled for October 30.Winning the Sunday vote, Lula, 76, will now become the leader of Brazil for the period of 2023-2027. This will be his third term. Lula headed Brazil for two consecutive terms between 2003 and 2010, but a series of corruption allegations resulted in his imprisonment. He began serving his 12-year sentence in 2018, but Brazil's Supreme Court later annulled the case, and Lula was released from prison in 2019.Meanwhile, since Monday, over 100 protests organized by truck drivers supporting Bolsonaro have been taking place in 18 Brazilian states, blocking roads and highways. On Wednesday, Bolsonaro's defenders gathered in front of the eastern military command in Rio de Janeiro, demanding that the military organize a coup against the newly-elected left-wing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Residents of Sao Paolo also called on the country's military to organize a coup and prevent Lula from coming to power.Outgoing Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Thursday called on his supporters protesting against the results of the presidential election in the country to unblock roads."I am asking you to clear the roads. Protest differently. I think this is not a part of our democracy. Please, do not think badly of me," Bolsonaro said in a video address on Twitter. https://sputniknews.com/20221101/who-is-the-new-president-of-brazil-1102885492.html americas brazil Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International lula da silva news, lula da silva win, brazil election, brazil presidential election, jair bolsonaro, anti-russian sanctions, brazil russia relations https://sputniknews.com/20221103/by-vote-of-185-2-un-condemns-us-embargo-of-cuba-for-30th-year-in-a-row-1103772872.html By Vote of 185-2, UN Condemns US Embargo of Cuba for 30th Year in a Row By Vote of 185-2, UN Condemns US Embargo of Cuba for 30th Year in a Row The United Nations General Assembly voted on Thursday to condemn the US blockade of Cuba, which has been in place since shortly after a socialist revolution... 03.11.2022, Sputnik International 2022-11-03T20:45+0000 2022-11-03T20:45+0000 2022-11-15T08:57+0000 americas cuba embargo the united nations (un) us /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/107771/17/1077711759_0:160:3073:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_83cd1b64a6f64d9d387b6d65c2de824c.jpg In the vote, 185 nations came out against US policy. The only two countries to vote against the resolution were the United States and Israel. Two nations also abstained from the vote: Ukraine, where a US-backed nationalist government has held power since a coup in 2014, and Brazil, where the anti-communist government of Jair Bolsonaro has two months left in power.A notable change was Colombia, a longtime US ally that has typically abstained from the vote, but which voted against the blockade on Thursday. Gustavo Petro, Colombias first-ever left-wing president, won the August elections and brought with him significant changes in government policy when he took office.Bring About Hunger, Desperation and OverthrowIt was the 30th year in a row that the UN has voted to condemn the US actions - every year since 1992. However, the blockade was put in place in late 1960, as the new Cuban government under communist leader Fidel Castro edged closer to the Soviet Union after being snubbed by the Eisenhower administration in Washington.That year, a US Department of State memorandum summarized the US governments goal of overthrowing Castro, which it acknowledged enjoyed the support of the majority of the Cuban population.Cuba-US relations have ebbed and flowed since, including a notable rapprochement in 2015 that quickly ended when Donald Trump became president and introduced 243 new sanctions on Cuba, but the embargo has never been relaxed.An Act of Economic WarCuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez presented a report to the UN last month stating that the blockade had cost Cuba $154.2 billion since 1960, and that during the first 14 months of US President Joe Bidens administration, it caused $15 million in damages every day.For over six decades, we have resisted a ruthless, unilateral, economic, commercial and financial blockade, extremely intensified to unprecedented levels since 2019 and during the pandemic, Rodriguez told the UNGA during its regular session in late September.The human damage to all the Cuban families this policy has generated, impossible to quantify, is stark, real and significant, he added. The blockade is an act of economic war in times of peace. americas cuba Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Fantine Gardinier Fantine Gardinier News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Fantine Gardinier cuba, embargo, the united nations (un), us https://sputniknews.com/20221103/china--pakistan-to-reboot-joint-economic-corridor-project-1103469925.html China & Pakistan to Reboot Joint Economic Corridor Project China & Pakistan to Reboot Joint Economic Corridor Project An official visit by Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to China - his first to the country since taking charge in April - comes at a tumultuous time for... 03.11.2022, Sputnik International 2022-11-03T11:23+0000 2022-11-03T11:23+0000 2022-11-03T11:23+0000 world pakistan china china-pakistan economic corridor (cpec) /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/0b/03/1103509241_0:50:1343:805_1920x0_80_0_0_2f2cd41b94348c8a072bec1488633d7c.jpg China's President Xi Jinping and Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif agreed, during a meeting in Beijing, to strengthen their strategic partnership and cooperation in key areas, including the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).Both sides have identified trade, investment, infrastructure, agriculture, and information technology as the most important areas for cooperation.The majority of the population in Pakistan supports the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, but some are dissatisfied when it comes to a specific project. Some terrorist organizations and hostile forces, such as the Balochistan Liberation Army, pose a security threat to cooperation. Their goal is destruction and division, which is why they are opponents of the CPEC. Furthermore, some countries do not want to see the friendly development of cooperation between China and Pakistan. But from the perspective of Beijing and Islamabad, there is definitely positive support for the project in the world, he said.Bilateral cooperation has faced some difficulties in the past, including the insecurity of Chinese employees in Pakistan. But overall, the project is progressing well, the expert continues. Chinese and Pakistani leaders have stated that partnership and cooperation in the CPEC has strengthened. This indicates that the parties are not intimidated by terrorist and hostile forces; they will continue to promote the construction of CPEC and actively develop relations between the two countries.The wording about the revitalization of the corridor, actively used by the Pakistani side during the visit, suggests that under the previous government of Imran Khan, the joint project had certain difficulties. The project was launched under the government of Nawaz Sharif - the elder brother of the present prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, who is trying to demonstrate the continuity of the plan, the special relationship with China and the importance of the corridor to Pakistan and the Pakistan Muslim League party led by Nawaz Sharif, he said.The incumbent prime minister has the political will to intensify the implementation of projects within the corridor. He considers the corridor to be his party's project and wants to demonstrate the continuity of its policies. Shehbaz Sharif has a desire to prove to his Chinese partners and to the people of Pakistan that he is a more reliable partner than Imran Khan. The intensity of financial injections into CPEC projects under the previous government has declined, and the present prime minister is facing elections next year. Therefore, there will certainly be more funding for the corridor, which brings real benefits to the country, the expert noted.The energy projects of the CPEC have created more than 46,000 new jobs in Pakistan alone. These have also helped to ease the pressure on the foreign exchange deficit caused by Pakistan's dependence on energy imports. A joint mining project near the town of Saindak in Balochistan province brought $2.6Bln to the countrys treasury. The project involves MCC Resources Development Co Ltd (MRDL) on the Chinese side in mining, and smelting of copper. So far, the project has created more than 1,900 new jobs.To date, 28 joint projects worth $18.8Bln have been completed. Another $34Bln of projects have yet to be completed. One of them is the construction of Main Line-I railway project worth $10Bln, which will connect Karachi with Peshawar. This railway is considered to be one of the transport pillars of the corridor. Other projects that the Pakistani side is asking Chinese partners to accelerate the construction are the $1.2Bln Karachi Circular Railway project, the $1.6Bln Azad Pattan, the $2.5Bln Kohala Hydropower Projects, and the $3Bln Thar Block-I coal-powered energy generation project.The talks in Beijing are expected to strengthen Pakistan's ability to take advantage of China's experience in the creation and development of special economic zones. According to Sharif, establishing these zones within CPEC and inviting not only Chinese but other foreign companies is one of the promising areas of internationalization of the corridor. https://sputniknews.com/20220923/all-hell-will-break-loose-unless-west-china-provide-pakistan-with-urgent-debt-relief-pm-says-1101138585.html china Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International pakistan, china, china-pakistan economic corridor (cpec) https://sputniknews.com/20221103/china-to-assist-tanzania-in-developing-infrastructure-and-maritime-trade-1103690515.html China to Assist Tanzania in Developing Infrastructure and Maritime Trade China to Assist Tanzania in Developing Infrastructure and Maritime Trade China offers East African countries assistance in developing maritime trade, while Beijing and Dodoma are converting strong political ties into promising... 03.11.2022, Sputnik International 2022-11-03T15:24+0000 2022-11-03T15:24+0000 2022-11-23T11:37+0000 africa china tanzania trade infrastructure ports investment beijing east africa /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/0b/03/1103689957_0:248:3077:1978_1920x0_80_0_0_5df5f65e31e099c9ff0272957c14ac89.jpg On November 24, Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan pays a state visit to China. Liu Qinghai, director of the Center for African Economic Studies at the Institute of African Studies, Zhejiang Normal University, noted in an interview with Sputnik that the political significance of the China-Tanzania summit talks goes beyond bilateral relations.She noted that the Tanzanian president is one of the first heads of state to visit China since the conclusion of the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in late October. Suluhu is also the first African head of state to visit China since the important political event. Liu Qinghai believes this signifies the particular strategic importance of China-Africa relations and the exemplary role of China-Tanzania relations in China-Africa cooperation. The current visit is the first one for Samia Suluhu Hassan to China as president. Mbelwa Kairuki, Tanzania's ambassador to China, noted in this regard that the two countries have strong ties that have brought many benefits, and the visit to China is proof of the confidence that foreign leaders and peoples put in the Tanzanian presidential administration, the Daily News Tanzania (Dar es Salaam) quoted the ambassador.The visit of the Tanzanian president to China is a logical result of the development of bilateral relations, Nikolai Shcherbakov, a professor at the Higher School of Economics and an analyst at the Center for African Studies of the Institute of General History of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), told Sputnik:The trade volume between China and Tanzania has increased by 20 per cent in the past three years. It stood at $6.74 billion in 2021, bringing Tanzania's exports of agricultural products, minerals, and seafood higher than in previous years.The talks in Beijing are expected to help increase Tanzania's exports to China, especially of crops and products enjoying high demand in China. Primarily, this could be soybeans.By October this year, the Tanzania Investment Center (TIC) had registered a total of 1,098 Chinese projects worth $9.6 billion for the mainland and 15 projects worth $202.2 million for Zanzibar.Samia Suluhu Hassans visit to China will open up new opportunities for cooperation in many areas. First and foremost, in the digital economy, expert Liu Qinghai believes:Expert Liu Qinghai also pointed to other promising hotspots for Chinese investment in Tanzania:She also said that she views conditions for the development of an agro-processing industry in Tanzania as "good". The country's proven resources include diamonds, gold, coal, iron, phosphates, and rare earth elements, while only deposits of gold, titanium, nickel and natural gas are being developed on a large scale. Liu Qinghai believes agricultural products processing, extraction and processing of minerals and energy resources are spheres that Chinese enterprises can consider investing in.The construction and modernization of Bagamoyo Port is a key infrastructure project that China is lobbying for after the administration of President Samia Suluhu Hassan expressed its willingness to revive the frozen megaport project. African media also reported that investors from Oman have expressed interest in this project. Expert Nikolai Shcherbakov believes that the choice in favor of China would be the right one for Tanzania:Many East African countries, which have no direct access to the ocean, trade through Tanzanian ports and harbors. The modernization of Bagamoyo Port will strengthen their logistical capacity and will give China added convenience in importing African raw materials. https://sputniknews.com/20221021/beijing-slams-british-media-reports-aimed-to-divide-china-africa-relations--1102500053.html africa china tanzania beijing east africa Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International china africa relations, tanzanian president, samia suluhu hassan, liu qinghai, infrastructure in tanzania, sea trade in china, sea trade in africa, maritime trade, chinese investment in africa https://sputniknews.com/20221103/glencore-ordered-to-pay-280mln-in-african-oil-bribery-case-1103586058.html Glencore Ordered to Pay 280Mln in African Oil Bribery Case Glencore Ordered to Pay 280Mln in African Oil Bribery Case In June, a British subsidiary of the mining giant Glencore pleaded guilty to bribery related to its African oil operations. The case has raised concerns about... 03.11.2022, Sputnik International 2022-11-03T12:48+0000 2022-11-03T12:48+0000 2022-11-23T11:37+0000 africa united kingdom corruption bribery glencore plc court trial court court cases central africa oil /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/0b/03/1103682934_0:320:3073:2048_1920x0_80_0_0_50a20814df305e0618ff1a7422dd353b.jpg Southwark Crown Court in the UK has ordered a British subsidiary of the mining giant Glencore to pay a penalty of 280 million after a Serious Fraud Office (SFO) investigation resulted in the company pleading guilty to seven counts of bribery.Glencore Energy UK Limited was given a roughly 183 million fine, ordered to pay 4.5 million in legal fees, and made subject to a 93 million confiscation order, which requires it to return assets that were acquired illegally.The court's decision concludes a lengthy lawsuit against a company, which had actively used bribes to promote its interests in Africa.On Wednesday, the court heard arguments shedding light on Glencore's corrupt activities. For instance, in 2011, a delegation carrying $800,000 arrived in South Sudan less than four weeks after the country became independent. The objective was to persuade the President of South Sudan and others in government to sign an oil contract. A total of $28 million in bribes was transported to five African countries by Glencore Plc traders from 2011 to 2016, as was revealed at a court hearing. On Thursday, the verdict was rendered in the case of the company, where corruption in pursuit of oil benefits was "condoned at a very senior level." According to an October statement by an SFO prosecutor, as many as 11 former staff were under investigation.One of the schemes of illegal operations that Glencore used was to insert agents into government-to-government deals, as the corporation did in the case of a deal between Nigeria and Malawi. The company aimed to take advantage of the free credit benefit inherent in the joint venture agreement," as detailed by the SFO in the case summary.Aside from its African activities, Glencore has pleaded guilty to similar manipulations in South America.During a hearing attended by Glencore's chair, the companys lawyer Kalidas Madhavpeddi, claimed that the firm unreservedly regrets the harm caused by these offenses. In May, he remarked: Glencore today is not the company it was when the unacceptable practices behind this misconduct occurred.The case prompted concern over whether the company's executives would be held personally accountable or if the charges would be limited to financial penalties. In June, N.J. Ayuk, the chairman of South African energy legal group African Energy Chamber, called for strict prosecution of the guilty.He estimated the damage that Glencore's activities had caused to Africa, noting that while the company profited hundreds of millions of dollars, Africans "lost opportunities to engage in productive partnerships with companies interested in creating jobs, supporting local businesses, sharing knowledge and fostering economic growth."Ayuk also recalled the case of the US energy company Enron, which was found guilty of accounting and corporate fraud in the early 2000s. He regards the case as an example of effective prosecution, as "attention quickly shifted to the decision-makers behind the companys actions," who were later convicted as felons.Glencore is one of the world's largest companies engaged in the global trade of oil, fuel, metals, minerals, and food. Its modern-day corrupt activities are likened offenses (including tax evasion, wire fraud, racketeering, and ignoring the Iran oil embargo) in the 1970s and 1980s by Marc Rich, the firm's founder, who was eventually pardoned by Bill Clinton in 2001. https://sputniknews.com/20220824/open-veins-of-africa-how-western-firms-plunder-the-continents-wealth-1099959336.html africa united kingdom central africa Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Petr Baryshnikov Petr Baryshnikov News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Petr Baryshnikov glencore, glecore oil, bribery, bribery in africa, neocolonialism, glencore case, uk court, court decision, bribery charges, western companies in africa https://sputniknews.com/20221103/japan-reportedly-considering-deployment-of-hypersonic-missiles-by-2030-1103550207.html Japan Reportedly Considering Deployment of Hypersonic Missiles by 2030 Japan Reportedly Considering Deployment of Hypersonic Missiles by 2030 Japan's Defense Ministry has started to consider deploying hypersonic missiles by 2030 amid current regional and global security threats, local media reports. 2022-11-03T07:42+0000 2022-11-03T07:42+0000 2022-11-03T07:42+0000 military japan hypersonic missiles /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/104394/74/1043947419_0:137:3000:1825_1920x0_80_0_0_6a20f914c7460472919cadc17b123976.jpg A possible deployment of hypersonic missiles is expected to be included in the revised national security strategy of Japan as part of the country's counterstrike capabilities, according to the newspaper. The updated strategy is set to be adopted by the end of the year.The newspaper reported that Japan was going to develop a three-phased plan for strengthening its deterrence capabilities. The first phase would include the acquisition of US Tomahawk cruise missiles. As part of the plan's second stage, Japan will modernize its Type 12 surface-to-ship missiles starting 2026, with the deployment of hypersonic missiles in the third and final phase, which is expected to be reached by 2030.The Japanese defense ministry has so far requested 5.595 trillion yen ($41.4 billion) in the budget for the next fiscal year, which will start on April 1, 2023. It is expected to be the country's largest defense budget ever. Moreover, the requested amount is not considered as final, as it includes only those expenses the authorities are ready to disclose. The government has also set specific goals whose costs are not made public. Japan's total defense spending for the next fiscal year is expected to reach 6.5 trillion yen. https://sputniknews.com/20221029/japan-intends-to-create-joint-command-of-national-defense-forces-in-2024-reports-say-1102827732.html japan Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International japanese army, hypersonic missiles, hypersonic missiles deployment, why japan wants hypersonic missiles https://sputniknews.com/20221103/kilimanjaro-glaciers-will-be-lost-by-2050-unesco-warns-1103677366.html Kilimanjaro Glaciers Will Be Lost by 2050, UNESCO Warns Kilimanjaro Glaciers Will Be Lost by 2050, UNESCO Warns Human-induced global warming threatens the Earth's future in many ways, including by posing a danger to iconic natural sites. One third of World Heritage... 03.11.2022, Sputnik International 2022-11-03T15:19+0000 2022-11-03T15:19+0000 2022-11-23T11:37+0000 africa tanzania kilimanjaro mountain climate change unesco east africa /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/0b/03/1103680426_0:0:3515:1978_1920x0_80_0_0_ef208b9e3dfb0bfc5753615b68b7d868.jpg Kilimanjaro's glacier top will disappear by 2050, as will all other African glaciers along with the one on Mount Kenya, UNESCO has stated in a report published shortly before the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27). Other glaciers that will disappear include the world's highest one (next to Mount Everest), and the longest one (in Alaska).According to the statement, the gradual disappearance of glaciers is "among the most dramatic evidence that Earth's climate is warming." Roughly 18,600 glaciers are regarded as part of 50 UN World Heritage sites, including those in Yellowstone National Park (the US), the Dolomites (Italy), and the Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas (China), with the last one being the glacier on the list melting the quickest.UNESCO also pointed out that half of humanity is dependent on glaciers serving as a water source. Moreover, glaciers are important for different kinds of ecosystems, and are thus crucial to biodiversity.Kilimanjaro is the highest peak in Africa and one of the world's most popular tourist sites, attracting over 35,000 climbers yearly. Lately, the mountain's slopes have been affected by wildfires supposedly aggravated by droughts connected to global warming.According to UN data, Africa contributes just two or three percent to global greenhouse gas emissions, while suffering disproportionally from the impacts of climate change. africa tanzania kilimanjaro mountain east africa Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Petr Baryshnikov Petr Baryshnikov News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Petr Baryshnikov kilimanjaro glaciers, glaciers are melting, glaciers in africa, highest mountain in africa, is climate change real, unesco world heritage in africa https://sputniknews.com/20221103/man-who-attacked-pelosis-husband-was-in-us-illegally---reports-1103687041.html Man Who Attacked Pelosi's Husband Was in US Illegally - Reports Man Who Attacked Pelosi's Husband Was in US Illegally - Reports WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Canadian citizen David DePape, who attacked the husband of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at the couple's home in San Francisco, was in... 03.11.2022, Sputnik International 2022-11-03T13:43+0000 2022-11-03T13:43+0000 2022-11-03T13:44+0000 americas paul pelosi attack /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/0b/03/1103686622_0:0:3073:1728_1920x0_80_0_0_1e9d7918c2e23eb47bd3cfc612f16d36.jpg According to a statement from the US Department of Homeland Security, DePape will be deported from the country after his criminal cases are resolved."U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged an immigration detainer on Canadian national David DePape with San Francisco County Jail, Nov. 1, following his Oct. 28 arrest," DHS officials reportedly said. Early on Friday morning, San Francisco police responded to a wellbeing check at the Pelosi residence, where they found Paul Pelosi and 42-year old David DePape struggling over a hammer. DePape reportedly took the hammer and beat Pelosi with it before being detained by police.On Tuesday, DePape pleaded not guilty to state-level charges, including attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and elder abuse. DePape also faces federal charges of assault and attempted kidnapping of a US official or their family member with intent to retaliate on account of their duties.DePape is being held without bail ahead of Friday court session to schedule a preliminary and bail hearing, which are likely to be set in conjunction, defense attorney Adam Lipson said on Tuesday after DePapes arraignment. https://sputniknews.com/20221028/pelosis-husband-assaulted-as-result-of-house-attack-1102800093.html americas Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International pelosi's husband attack, attack on pelosi's husband, pelosi's husband attacked with hammer, who attacked pelosi's husband? https://sputniknews.com/20221103/moscow-has-info-on-uks-transfer-of-unmanned-underwater-drones-to-kiev-1103678364.html Moscow Has Info on UK's Transfer of Unmanned Underwater Drones to Kiev Ahead of Sevastopol Attack Moscow Has Info on UK's Transfer of Unmanned Underwater Drones to Kiev Ahead of Sevastopol Attack The Foreign Ministry summoned Britain's ambassador to Russia on Thursday in connection with last week's Ukrainian attack targeting Russian military and... 03.11.2022, Sputnik International 2022-11-03T11:54+0000 2022-11-03T11:54+0000 2022-11-03T13:06+0000 ukraine russia's special operation in ukraine britain uk drone summons protest diplomatic protest /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/107839/43/1078394370_0:159:3076:1889_1920x0_80_0_0_e38efdf85bb6e2139390498c74507957.jpg Moscow summoned British Ambassador to Russia Deborah Bronnert in connection with London's suspected involvement in the October 29 attack on the Russian Black Sea Fleet, the Foreign Ministry has revealed.In a statement, the Ministry indicated that it had information that London transferred a number of unmanned underwater drones to Kiev, and that British specialists have been actively involved in the training and supply of Ukrainian special operations forces, including those involved in sabotage operations at sea.Moscow warned that Britain's actions threaten to escalate the security crisis and lead to "unpredictable and dangerous consequences," and that such "hostile provocations" on London's part were "inadmissible" and must be stopped immediately.The Russian Black Sea Fleet port of Sevastopol repelled a massive drone attack on October 29, shooting down multiple UAVs and remote-controlled surface vessels in Sevastopol Bay. According to Russia's Defense Ministry, the warships attacked included ships providing security for the so-called 'grain corridor' - the secure maritime route agreed by Moscow and Kiev this summer through which cargo vessels carrying grain from Ukrainian ports through the Black Sea for export abroad.The Russian military later retrieved drone wreckage from the sea floor to examine the remains, finding Canadian-made navigation modules installed on the maritime drones. Preparations for the drone attack were carried out under the guidance of British specialists in the Ukrainian port city of Ochakov, according to the Russian MoD. Russia destroyed a multi-million pound British-built and financed military base in Ochakov in a missile strike in February during the opening stages of its military operation in Ukraine.Third Major Act of Sabotage With London's Fingerprints All Over itThe Sevastopol attack is the second time in weeks that Moscow has called out London on terrorism-related charges. Last week, Russia's Defense Ministry concluded that the Royal Navy took part in the planning, organization and execution of the late September attacks on the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline network.On Tuesday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova asked London to explain the mysterious "It's done" iPhone text message reportedly sent by now former Prime Minister Liz Truss to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken just moments after Nord Stream was struck.Earlier this year, Ukrainian and Western media reported that Moscow and Kiev appeared to be on the brink of a peace agreement this spring, but that (now former) British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was quickly dispatched to the Ukrainian capital to scuttle any potential agreement. https://sputniknews.com/20221030/russia-retrieves-and-examines-parts-of-drones-used-in-sevastopol-attack-mod-says-1102847480.html ukraine britain Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Ilya Tsukanov Ilya Tsukanov News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Ilya Tsukanov british drones, uk drones, underwater drones, uk, ukraine, terror attack https://sputniknews.com/20221103/north-korea-missile-did-not-fly-over-japan-defense-minister-says--1103318988.html North Korea Missile Did Not Fly Over Japan, Defense Minister Says North Korea Missile Did Not Fly Over Japan, Defense Minister Says Tokyo, (AFP) - A missile fired by North Korea on Thursday did not fly over Japan despite warnings being issued to residents in some regions, Japan's defense... 03.11.2022, Sputnik International 2022-11-03T00:27+0000 2022-11-03T00:27+0000 2022-11-03T01:29+0000 world north korea north korea democratic republic of north korea (dprk) japan japan /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/09/09/1100601286_71:0:1308:696_1920x0_80_0_0_47f840886fa6b1a47b625eef0e1c9f4b.png "The missile was detected as having the potential to fly over the Japanese archipelago, so the J-Alert was issued," Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada told reporters. "After checking this information, we confirmed that the missile did not cross the Japanese archipelago, but disappeared over the Sea of Japan." democratic republic of north korea (dprk) japan Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International north korea, north korea, democratic republic of north korea (dprk), japan, japan https://sputniknews.com/20221103/north-korea-says-decision-of-s-korea--us-to-extend-drills-very-dangerous-choice--1103683425.html North Korea Says Decision of S. Korea & US to Extend Drills Very Dangerous Choice North Korea Says Decision of S. Korea & US to Extend Drills Very Dangerous Choice MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Pyongyang called the decision of South Korea and the United States to extend the Vigilant Storm air force exercises a "very dangerous"... 03.11.2022, Sputnik International 2022-11-03T12:52+0000 2022-11-03T12:52+0000 2022-11-03T12:52+0000 military south korea north korea us /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/0b/03/1103682784_0:160:3073:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_5dab80876b307e9b6d28ac2cd8ad0fdb.jpg South Korea and the United States mobilized over 240 aircraft, including stealth fighter jets, for large-scale military exercises Vigilant Storm, which were supposed to take place from October 31 to November 4. However, against the background of numerous missile launches by North Korea, the allies decided to extend the exercises and are currenly discussing the details. "It is a very dangerous and false choice. The irresponsible decision of the U.S. and South Korea is shoving the present situation caused by provocative military acts of the allied forces to an uncontrollable phase. The US and South Korea will get to know what an irrevocable and awful mistake they made," Pak Jong Chon, secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, said in a statement, published by the agency. south korea Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International north korea, south korea-us mmilitary drills, fighter jets, exercises vigilant storm https://sputniknews.com/20221103/resumption-of-russias-participation-in-grain-deal-not-meaning-its-extension-kremlin-says-1103654437.html Resumption of Russia's Participation in Grain Deal Not Meaning Its Extension, Kremlin Says Resumption of Russia's Participation in Grain Deal Not Meaning Its Extension, Kremlin Says MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The resumption of Russia's participation in the grain deal does not mean it was extended, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday... 03.11.2022, Sputnik International 2022-11-03T10:49+0000 2022-11-03T10:49+0000 2022-11-03T10:49+0000 istanbul grain deal russia ukraine turkey food crisis /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/05/19/1095760861_0:195:2951:1854_1920x0_80_0_0_92b1aea2d5897e7e36fba637be0bd93b.jpg "No, it does not [mean its extension]. Of course, we still have to discuss the topic of the extension officially, the deadline has not yet expired, it is still valid ... by [November] 19, before making a decision to extend, of course, it will be necessary to assess the effectiveness of the deal," Peskov told reporters.The official also praised Ankara's work on getting written guarantees from Kiev that Ukraine will not use humanitarian corridors under the grain deal for military purpose.Russia suspended its participation in the UN-brokered grain deal on Saturday after its ships were attacked by Ukraine in the Black Sea. Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the incident with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over the phone on Wednesday. Shortly after, Erdogan announced that Russia was returning to the deal, and the Russian defense ministry confirmed it.On July 22, Russia, Ukraine, and Turkey signed a UN-brokered initiative to provide a humanitarian maritime corridor for ships exporting food and fertilizer from Ukraine via the Black Sea. https://sputniknews.com/20221102/russia-resumes-participation-in-grain-deal-defense-ministry-1102944032.html russia ukraine turkey Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International russia grain deal, russia-ukrane grain deal, grain corridor agreement, food crisis https://sputniknews.com/20221103/swedish-military-prepares-for-war-wants-kamikaze-drones--rocket-artillery-1103470651.html Swedish Military Prepares for War, Wants Kamikaze Drones & Rocket Artillery Swedish Military Prepares for War, Wants Kamikaze Drones & Rocket Artillery The Swedish Armed Forces have presented a new plan for the coming years with the underlying message it must prepare for war and introduce changes in both structure and materiel to match its NATO aspirations. 2022-11-03T08:44+0000 2022-11-03T08:44+0000 2022-11-03T08:44+0000 military sweden scandinavia news military intelligence /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/104248/37/1042483705_0:0:2929:1648_1920x0_80_0_0_58437218e071a0e77fe774911b544029.jpg The Swedish Armed Forces have unveiled a new plan for the years ahead with the underlying message that the Scandinavian country must prepare for war.We are not ruling anything out at the moment, General Micael Byden, Supreme Commander of the Swedish Army, said in his presentation, as quoted by the Swedish media. He called the present situation very serious and said the military cannot rule out even more serious developments. It is the task of the total defense to prepare for what is the highest level of preparedness and armed attack. By definition, you can use the word war, he added.Byden admitted that Sweden - which, in violation of its principle not to send weapons to nations at war has been supplying Kiev with an increasing amount of arms, and training Ukrainian soldiers - was an actor in the Ukrainian conflict, at least in Russias eyes, and ventured that it must act accordingly, although he refrained from giving any detail.However, the plan provided an insight into the Swedish commands wish-list regarding materiel. Among other things, the Armed Forces want to acquire kamikaze drones, which they referred to as single-use unmanned aerial vehicles with warhead.Furthermore, until 2030, the military wants, among other things, 60 new Gripen E fighter jets, a battalion with rocket artillery, another (fifth) submarine, a new cyber-unit and field hospitals. To augment the countrys defense capability, Byden proposed increasing the number of immediately available units, providing all combat forces with new equipment, increasing the volume of conscription and bolstering the military organization as such. The general also called for necessary political adjustments until the turn of the year 2023/24 at the latest.Lastly, Swedens membership in NATO, which has yet to be rubber-stamped by Turkey, would entail fundamental changes in the countrys defense and security policy. According to its military, Sweden will have to take a special regional responsibility and join the same operational area as fellow Nordic countries, led by the same management structure. This, in turn, would imply an integrated air and missile defense, interoperable command systems and development of host nation support.To accomplish its tasks within NATO, the Swedish military proposed to strengthening air defense - among others things - through the acquisition of new sea-operational and ground-operational helicopters, gradually replacing the present load of transport aircraft and developing the nations ability to launch satellites. It is also proposed to strengthen the navy through increased surface combat capability and continued rotation of systems and ships. Ground forces will be supplied with long-range combat systems and more unmanned systems.Sweden submitted its NATO membership application jointly with Finland in May, three months into Russias special operation in Ukraine, citing a changed security landscape and finally abandoning decades of non-alignment which had already been damaged by growing cooperation with NATO and the US. So far, 28 out of 30 NATO members have formally ratified the accession agreements, with Budapest officially supporting the bids and pledging to ratify them by mid-December. Today, both Sweden and Finland are in talks with Turkey to dispel Ankaras concerns over their alleged support of Kurdish organizations which Turkey labels as terrorist.Russian officials earlier slammed Finland and Swedens NATO bids as destabilizing, and as something that will increase tensions in the region. Moscow has repeatedly warned that NATO membership would entail serious military and political consequences, obliging it to restore military balance by strengthening its own defenses in the Baltic Sea region. President Vladimir Putin stressed that Russia would respond in kind if NATO were to set up military infrastructure in Finland and Sweden after they joined the US-led alliance. https://sputniknews.com/20221102/swedish-parties-split-over-natos-nuclear-arms-on-countrys-soil-1102936097.html sweden scandinavia Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Igor Kuznetsov Igor Kuznetsov News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Igor Kuznetsov sweden's nato bid, sweden nato membership, kamikaze drones, rocket artillery Ankara Says 6 Cargo Ships With Grain Left Ukrainian Ports as Part of Renewed Grain Deal Six cargo ships with grain have left Ukrainian ports after the Istanbul grain deal was renewed, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Thursday. "After the resumption of the grain initiative, six ships left the Ukrainian ports. Thus, the number of ships leaving the ports amounted to 426, and the amount of grain transported exceeded 9.7 million tonnes," Akar said. At the same time, the Ukrainian Ministry of Infrastructure reported that seven ships left Ukrainian ports earlier in the day. "On November 3, seven ships carrying 290,000 tons of Ukrainian agricultural products left the ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk and Yuzhne for Asian and European countries," the ministry said on its social media. https://sputniknews.com/20221103/west-using-nuclear-weapons-provocation-to-drum-up-anti-russia-coalition---security-council-head-1103610324.html West Using Nuclear Weapons Provocation to Drum Up Anti-Russia Coalition - Security Council Head West Using Nuclear Weapons Provocation to Drum Up Anti-Russia Coalition - Security Council Head The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on November 2 reiterating Moscow's conviction that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought amid... 03.11.2022, Sputnik International 2022-11-03T13:51+0000 2022-11-03T13:51+0000 2022-11-03T13:51+0000 russia nikolai patrushev russia russian security council /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/104864/75/1048647569_0:0:2879:1620_1920x0_80_0_0_99ae62362dd692f19db235c5a82290a1.jpg The so-called collective West is utilizing the notion of a possible provocation with the use of a nuclear weapon to drum up a larger anti-Russia coalition, Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of the Russian Security Council, has stated.Nikolai Patrushev emphasized that Moscow is well aware of the masterminds and potential executors of such a false-flag attack, pointing to the recent warning issued by RussiaOn October 23, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu called his French, UK, US, and Turkish counterparts to express Russia's concern that Kiev was going to blow up a "dirty bomb" to accuse Moscow of using weapons of mass destruction. Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, who heads the Russian Armed Forces' Radiation, Chemical, and Biological Defense Forces, earlier revealed that the Russian Defense Ministry possessed information about the Kiev regimes plans, hatched under the guidance of its Western curators. A dirty bomb contains radioactive isotopes and explosive load that disperses the radioactive materials across large areas.Furthermore, remarks by Ukraines President Vladimir Zelensky about the need for a "preemptive nuclear strike" on Russia made during an online conference at Australia's Lowy Institute in early October confirm the inadequacy of the Kiev regime, said the Secretary of the Russian Security Council. Zelensky's statements were denounced by the Kremlin as nothing but a call to start World War III, which would entail catastrophic consequences. Patrushev added that Russia believes that Kiev has been preparing a provocation related to the detonation of a so-called "dirty bomb," also known as a "radiological dispersal device," or RDD, in Ukraine, with the participation of its Western curators.The Russian Security Council secretary pointed out that the United States is the only country in the world that has used nuclear weapons, bombing the peaceful cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9, 1945 in order to "intimidate the world community."Referring to the narrative circulated by Washington of Moscow reportedly mulling resorting to nuclear strikes," Patrushev reiterated that Russia has always been the one offering proposals on comprehensive control over nuclear weapons to those countries possessing such an arsenal.The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on November 2, reiterating Moscow's conviction that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought, while also urging nuclear powers to exert maximum effort to prevent the use of weapons of mass destruction.Attacks by 'Puppet Regime'The United States is the main beneficiary of the attack on the Nord Stream gas network, while the British Navy, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense, took part in the planning and execution of the sabotage, Patrushev underscored.Weighing in on the speculation surrounding the mysterious Its done iPhone message allegedly sent by then-Prime Minister Liz Truss to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken moments after the sabotage attacks against the Nord Stream network in late September, Patrushev said the cryptic missive was impossible to ignore."As Russia continues to carry out its special military operation in Ukraine, the special services of the United States and Britain are recruiting members of international terrorist organizations for participation in the conflict on the side of the Kiev regime," the secretary of the Russian Security Council told the meeting on Thursday."Today, Ukraine has been transformed into a global center of ultra-right extremism," Patrushev said.Patrushev emphasized that Moscows special operation is targeting "the puppet regime in Kiev, while ordinary Ukrainians are being used as a bargaining chip, a tool to contain Russia."Regarding an attack on the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant that was averted by Russian Special Services, Nikolai Patrushev said that Ukrainian neo-Nazi troops continue shelling the NPP with weapons funneled into the country by the West. This could lead to a global catastrophe, he warned.The drone attack by Ukraine targeting military and civilian ships in Crimea's Sevastopol that interrupted the operation of the humanitarian corridor created as part of the "grain deal" was lambasted as a terrorist attack by Nikolai Patrushev.Moscow was forced to temporarily suspend its participation in the grain deal on Saturday in the wake of a Ukrainian attack against Russian ships. Originally, Turkey and the United Nations brokered the agreement between Moscow and Kiev in July to allow for the sea-based export of Ukrainian foodstuffs amid concerns that a global food crisis was looming. Russia's Defense Ministry announced that Moscow would be resuming its participation in the grain export agreement after receiving written guarantees from the Ukrainian side not to use humanitarian corridors and ports involved for military operations against Russia. https://sputniknews.com/20221026/russian-defense-minister-shoigu-briefed-chinese-counterpart-on-kievs-dirty-bomb-provocation-mod-1102707844.html https://sputniknews.com/20221027/wests-policy-toward-other-countries-dirty-bloody-denies-nations-right-to-sovereignty-putin-1102771092.html https://sputniknews.com/20221101/moscow-wants-answers-over-truss-alleged-its-done-sms-to-blinken-moments-after-nord-stream-blasts-1102909463.html https://sputniknews.com/20221102/russia-resumes-participation-in-grain-deal-defense-ministry-1102944032.html https://sputniknews.com/20221102/conflict-in-ukraine-exposes-hypocrisy-of-world-order-pan-africanist-activist-says-1102948795.html russia Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Svetlana Ekimenko Svetlana Ekimenko News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Svetlana Ekimenko nuclear provocation, dirty bomb, false flag attack, to drum up anti-russia coalition, drone attack by ukraine, grain deal, terrorist attack against black sea fleet, russian security council https://sputniknews.com/20221103/when-did-ukraine-give-up-nuclear-weapons-and-why-have-fears-of-kievs-pursuit-of-nukes-reemerged-1103684050.html When Did Ukraine Give Up Nuclear Weapons and Why Have Fears of Kievs Pursuit of Nukes Reemerged? When Did Ukraine Give Up Nuclear Weapons and Why Have Fears of Kievs Pursuit of Nukes Reemerged? Sputnik explores Ukraines historical relationship with nuclear weapons, and the threat that would be posed if Kiev reconstituted a nuclear device today. 2022-11-03T14:11+0000 2022-11-03T14:11+0000 2022-11-03T14:13+0000 military ukraine nuclear soviet union nuclear weapons nuclear arsenal ukrainian /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/103849/17/1038491714_0:69:2953:1730_1920x0_80_0_0_f3a509d9fa39f71f9baeb4607e00f96c.jpg When Was Ukraine First Familiarized With Nuclear Weapons Tech?Ukraines familiarity with nuclear weapons technology goes back to Soviet days. As a constituent republic of the USSR, Soviet Ukraine had thousands of nuclear warheads, hundreds of intercontinental ballistic missiles, and dozens of heavy strategic bombers stationed on its territory.Ukrainian scientific institutions, scientists and engineers played a critical role in the USSRs nuclear research going back to before the Second World War, with the Kharkov-based Ukrainian Institute for Physics and Technology serving as one of the top nuclear research centers in the country between the late 1920s to the early 1940s alongside similar institutes in Moscow and Leningrad. During the Second World War, the staff of the Kharkov-based institute were evacuated deep inside Russia, joining their Russian counterparts in continuing research on nuclear fission for both peaceful and military purposes.Just one month after US bombers incinerated Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, the Soviet Council of Peoples Commissars adopted a decree On the Additional Involvement of Scientific Institutions, Individual Scientists and Other Specialists in Work on the Use of Intra-Atomic Energy, with the Kharkov Institute of Physics and Technology and its director Cyril Sinelnikov listed among the key organizations and individuals involved in the nuclear program after returning to their beloved scientific center.With relations between the erstwhile anti-Hitler coalition allies quickly cooling and the US and Britain immediately beginning to plot attack plans against the USSR, the Ukrainian SSR suddenly found itself marked for annihilation by American nuclear bombers. In September 1945, US Army Air Force planners drew up a map of major industrial, transport and telecommunications network targets in the USSR, calculating that at least 123 nukes (but preferably 466) would be needed to wipe the country out. Given Ukraines status as a major industrial and scientific hub, most of its major cities, including Kiev, Odessa, Dnepropetrovsk, Lvov, Kharkov and Stalino (now Donetsk) were slated for destruction.A 1956 American plan, now featuring some 1,100 nuclear targets, was even more 'ambitious', calling for the incineration of the whole of Eastern Europe and Ukraine along with it. It would take a decade-and-a-half for the USSR to reach nuclear parity with the US, creating a 'balance of terror' which assured that the deadly plans concocted by the Pentagon for Ukraine and the rest of the Soviet Union never came to pass.When Did Independent Ukraine Get Nuclear Weapons, and Why Did It Give Them Up?After the collapse of the USSR in late 1991, Ukraine suddenly found itself with about a third of the Soviet Union's nuclear arsenal. A 1992 estimate in Arms Control Today calculated that post-Soviet Ukraine had inherited approximately 1,700 nuclear warheads, and delivery means including 46 RT-23 Molodets ICBMs, 130 UR-100N ICBMs, and 38 heavy strategic bombers, including 27 Tu-95 Bears and 11 cutting-edge Tu-160 White Swans.But there was a catch. Kiev did not have the launch codes to the nukes, which remained in Moscows hands under a unified command structure (the same was true of the nukes which ended up in independent Belarus and Kazakhstan after the Soviet collapse).Ukraine agreed to give up its nuclear arsenal and sign onto the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in the mid-1990s, at the same time that it signed on to the 1994 Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances with Russia, the United States, and the United Kingdom. The treaty gave Kiev a series of security guarantees, including independence, sovereignty and the non-use of nuclear weapons against Ukraine. The February 2014 US-backed Euromaidan coup in Kiev severely undermined the Budapest Memorandum, with the treaty teetering on the brink of collapse by February of 2022.Is Ukraine Revising Its Non-Nuclear Status?On February 19, 2022 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky initiated consultations on the Budapest Memorandum, with Moscow perceiving the move as a threat to revive Ukraines nuclear status. In a speech on February 22, two days before Russia kicked off its special military operation in Ukraine, President Putin expressed alarm over Kievs apparent nuclear ambitions, and stressed that Moscow would consider steps in this direction a strategic threat, even if Ukraine strived to obtain only tactical nukes.In early March, Russian Foreign Intelligence Service head Sergei Naryshkin said that Moscow had intelligence information showing that Ukraine was working on nuclear weapons, and that the US knew about it.In a briefing last Monday, Russian Radiation, Chemical and Biological Defense Troops chief Igor Kirillov revealed that Moscow was aware of contacts between Zelenskys office and British officials on the possible acquisition of nuclear weapons technology.Is Ukraine Building a Radioactive 'Dirty Bomb'?Last week, Russia's defense minister telephoned his US, British, French and Turkish counterparts to inform them of the danger of a Ukrainian false flag involving the detonation of a dirty bomb i.e., a conventional explosive containing radioactive materials, to falsely accuse Russia of using nuclear weapons, thus escalating the conflict, and international pressure against Moscow.During his briefing, Kirillov pointed out that Ukraine has ample capacity to build a dirty bomb, including over 1,500 tons of spent nuclear fuel, other radioactive agents, uranium mines, plus the scientific know-how of the Kharkov Institute of Physics and Technology, the Uragan nuclear facility and the Institute for Nuclear Research at the National Academy of Sciences in Kiev.US, European and Ukrainian officials have dismissed Moscows concerns regarding Ukraines suspected dirty bomb ambitions, with Washington and its allies issuing a joint statement reject[ing] Russias transparently false allegations. However, given Ukraines rich historical experience with nuclear technology, its ample resources (both scientific and industrial) as well as recent threats to pull out of the Budapest Memorandum, plus Russian intelligence on the Zelensky governments activities, the question of whos making transparently false allegations remains open. As for Russians, Europeans and ordinary Ukrainians caught in the crossfire of the conflict that has engulfed their country, it can only be hoped that military planners in Kiev are having second thoughts after the Russian military exposed their plans. https://sputniknews.com/20220219/zelensky-plans-to-initiate-talks-of-parties-to-budapest-memorandum-1093197594.html https://sputniknews.com/20221026/kiev-made-dummy-missile-for-provocation-with-dirty-bomb-over-chernobyl-zone---source-1102733033.html ukraine soviet union Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Ilya Tsukanov Ilya Tsukanov News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Ilya Tsukanov nuclear weapons ukraine, nuclear arsenals, worldwide nuclear arsenals, nuclear weapons, nuclear bomb, dirty bomb, ukrainian nuclear weapons, ukrainian nuclear bomb https://sputniknews.com/20221103/why-korean-peninsula-tensions-risk-spiraling-out-of-control-1103700072.html Why Korean Peninsula Tensions Risk Spiraling Out of Control Why Korean Peninsula Tensions Risk Spiraling Out of Control South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol harshly criticized the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) multiple missile launches at the National Security... 03.11.2022, Sputnik International 2022-11-03T19:08+0000 2022-11-03T19:08+0000 2022-11-03T19:08+0000 opinion & analysis us opinion south korea dprk nuclear test ballistic missile test military drills /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/104706/08/1047060819_0:288:2692:1802_1920x0_80_0_0_33af3ee502eba28886c8dc74d90b7460.jpg "President Yoon is now fulfilling his campaign promise to reinvigorate the US-Republic of Korea (ROK) alliance by tightening military cooperation with the United States, eschewing the cooperative stance that his democratic predecessor President Moon Jae-in has taken," said Dr. Victor Teo, political scientist specialising in International Politics of Indo-Pacific based in Singapore. "This has indeed elicited a similar confrontational response from the North, with fierce rhetoric and missile launches as the ROK-US conducted their most intense military exercise to date."On November 3, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff announced that an intermediate-range or intercontinental-range ballistic missile had been fired by Pyongyang into the Sea of Japan. An alert was sounded in Japan in the provinces of Miyagi, Yamagata, and Niigata, in north-central Honshu.The DPRK resorted to multiple rocket launches as US-South joint exercises, named "Vigilant Storm," kicked off on Monday and involved 240 aircraft and thousands troops from both countries, according to the Pentagon. Pyongyang issued official statements vocally objecting to the drills and then fired dozens of missiles in protest to the muscle-flexing by Seoul and Washington.The number of missile tests carried out by North Korea rose steeply in 2022, after South Korean President Yoon assumed the office and vowed to close ranks with the US and crack down on "Communist Pyongyang."Since August 2022, Washington and Seoul have been conducting a series of large-scale exercises unnerving North Korea, given that the three have been technically at war since the 1950s. Even though the hostilities ended in 1953, South and North negotiated a protracted ceasefire instead of a permanent peace treaty. Thus, when Washington and Seoul demand that Pyongyang denuclearize, the latter argues that it needs the atomic weapons to guarantee its sovereignty and safety in the absence of a permanent peace treaty with the countries, especially given that the US is still maintaining a considerable military presence in the region.Apparently, the latter scenario mentioned by the academic is currently taking shape. Initially, the US-South Korea drills had been expected to wrap up on Friday; however, Washington and Seoul agreed to extend their large-scale exercises citing Pyongyang's Thursday missile test as an excuse. The US media quoted the South Korean Air Force as saying on November 3 that "it was necessary to demonstrate a solid combined defense posture of the bilateral alliance under the current security crisis, heightened by North Koreas provocations."According to the political scientist, the ongoing muscle-flexing on the part of Seoul is largely due to Yoon Suk-yeol's tough conservative agenda. The academic lamented the fact that "traditional diplomacy has become subservient to these agendas, to the extent that diplomats are playing second fiddle to their counterparts in the strategic services and military forces.""I personally think much of it has to do with media, both international and social, as well as the inequitable outcome of capitalism in many countries. It would be difficult for politicians to want to come to the table on their own, until the economic costs of the policies they are pursuing become very apparent, and very painful," the political scientist concluded. https://sputniknews.com/20221027/seventh-nuclear-test-how-us-and-its-asian-allies-are-driving-north-korea-into-a-corner-1102754623.html https://sputniknews.com/20220823/us--south-koreas-militaristic-approach-towards-dprk-pushing-region-to-brink-of-war-scholars-warn-1099909595.html south korea Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Ekaterina Blinova Ekaterina Blinova News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Ekaterina Blinova us military drills, south korea, north korea, nuclear test, ballistic missile test, dprk, escalation of tensions, korean peninsula Rice from space promises robust new varieties By LIU KUN in Wuhan and ZHOU HUIYING (China Daily) 08:46, November 03, 2022 Mutated rice seeds brought from space may provide new species on Earth and result in higher yields than their terrestrial counterparts. At a scientific research demonstration base in Wuhan, Hubei province, workers from Hubei Jinguang Agricultural Technology Co recently completed harvesting space rice from 20 hectares of paddies where they had planted seeds from China's Shenzhou-12 manned space mission. Space breeding is a process in which seeds are exposed to cosmic radiation and microgravity during a space mission in order to mutate their genes and are returned to Earth to generate new species. Back on Earth, scientists examine and evaluate the mutations. Some can be positive, conferring properties favored by farmers, such as greater yields, shorter growth periods and better resistance to disease. "On Sept 17, 2021, we got back the seeds carried by the Shenzhou-12 manned spaceship when it returned to Earth after three months in space," said Gao Xuegang, president of Hubei Jinguang Agricultural Technology Co in Wuhan. "The high-quality seeds that we carefully selected include corn, rapeseed and rice." After the seeds went through an additional selection process and were germinated by experts at China's Space Breeding Achievement Transformation Center, the rice seedlings were planted in Hainan province in November 2021 to generate more seeds. In June, 150 kg of high-quality space-bred rice seeds were selected and planted on 20 hectares in Wuhan. "This is the second time we planted space-bred rice, after a first success in 2021," Gao said. "During the whole process, we used no pesticides or chemical fertilizers. The rice harvested last year had better quality than common rice, a sweeter fragrance and a softer and waxier texture." Gao said the results of this year's planting experiment show that space-bred seeds can be used as an early or late crop because of their adaptability. "Because of the unusually high temperatures and severe drought this summer, diseases and insect pests were serious in some regions in the country, reducing the rice output," he said. "However, the space-bred rice showed strong drought resistance and good ability to resist pests and disease. Space rice was significantly less affected than ordinary rice." "Space breeding is a new technology with outstanding advantages," said Dong Hualin, an expert from the provincial academy of agricultural sciences. "Space creates a special mutagenesis environment, which is difficult to achieve on Earth." Mutagenesis is a process that leads to permanent and possibly inheritable genetic mutation. "The high vacuum, high cleanliness, weightlessness, strong radiation, ultra-high-speed operation and magnetic wire cutting in space can greatly shorten the breeding period," he said. Scientists expect to produce 7,125 kg per hectare this year, Gao said. Some of the rice will be used for further breeding research and some will be supplied to the markets as a high-end product costing about 200 yuan ($27.46) per kg. So far, the company has conducted the planting experiment on more than 333 hectares of farmland in Jiangxi, Guizhou, Hunan and Shandong provinces in cooperation with local farmers. "With the continuous improvement of people's living standards, consumers have higher requirements for food quality," said Dong, the agricultural expert. "I believe there are good prospects for the industrial development of large-scale planting of space-bred rice." (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) CHARLOTTESVILLETell it like it is. Bring us together. Dont hide the hurt. And dont give Lee back to the Confederates. These were messages to the Swords into Plowshares leaders about what to do with the statue of Robert E. Lee that was removed on July 10, 2021, from downtown Charlottesville. At a Sunday meeting at the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center, leaders shared comments from close to 400 people about what kind of art should be created from the Lee statue. The Center has been seeking community input for months about what kind of art should be created. The creation of the new art has been slowed down, however, by a lawsuit that was filed by groups who think the city acted illegally in giving the statue to the Center. As the process has taken longer than the Center originally envisioned, leaders thought an update would be helpful, they said. The statue was moved on July 10, 2021, to an undisclosed location, where it stood for months as the city sought proposals for what to do with the statue. In December 2021, the city council voted to donate the statue to the Jefferson Center, which had proposed melting the statue into ingots and creating a new piece of art. Proponents of the Jefferson Center plan said at the time that they hoped new public art would help to heal long-suppurating racial wounds created by the bronze statue of the general who led the cause to keep slavery. The lawsuit, filed in April, has delayed the Centers plans. Plaintiffs claim that they were shut out of the bidding process. One plaintiff is the Trevilian Station Battlefield Foundation Inc., dedicated to saving Americas largest all-cavalry Civil War battle site, located about four miles west of Louisa. A trial is set for Feb. 1. In the meantime, were still proceeding with engagement, said Frank Dukes, a distinguished fellow and lecturer with the Institute for Engagement and Negotiation at the University of Virginia who is assisting the Jefferson Center. I think it was good to give an update, Dukes said. Dukes said he was most excited about the enthusiasm he saw in the responses. All but a handful were very supportive, he said. Respondents said they want to make sure that the new art tells a more complete racial history. Some stressed that they hope the new creation helps to unify people, while others said they dont want the new work to promote a sense of false harmony. Dukes said he was especially impressed with the creativity of peoples ideas. Many said they do not want a monument but interactive art instead. Others suggested several art works placed in different places around the community, something that you would walk by and have a conversation, said Dukes. About 5% of the respondents were under age 10, Dukes said, many likely prompted by teachers to come up with ideas in a class. The largest age group represented was the over-60 crowd, Dukes said. About 13% to 14% were African American, said Dukes. When the autumn leaves and breeze roll in and everyone gets in the mood for everything pumpkin, who doesnt want to visit a pumpkin patch? Those gleaming big and small balls of orange seem to call out to us to take them home and celebrate this beautiful time of the year. It was no different for a teenager named Tyler who wanted to take his little cousin Olivia to see the pumpkins. But Tylers health made it difficult to fulfill his wish. Thats when Carolina Carings Cardinal Kids and volunteer staff jumped into action and made his dream come true. They brought the pumpkin patch to him. Tylers mom Brenda and sister Dani, along with out-of-state relatives attended, and the whole family was able to make beautiful memories of fall fun, including painting pumpkins provided by Joshs Farmers Market in Mooresville. No party is complete without some delicious treats, so a special thank you goes out to volunteer Carolyn Festa for some beautifully decorated, homemade cookies for the special occasion. The Cardinal Kids Program is unique in that it is one of the few programs in North Carolina that focuses on the care of children. Its specialized health care teams include doctors, nurses, social workers and chaplains who conduct regular visits, mostly in the home, for children of all ages whether their disease is curable, chronic or life-threatening. Carolina Caring serves 12 counties across western North Carolina and the Charlotte region including Iredell. For more information about Carolina Caring, call 828-466-0466 or visit www.CarolinaCaring.org. Finding a way to unwind after a long workday is almost as important to someone as the job itself. There are many different ways that people go about achieving that goal, but the objective is the same: to relax and decompress from the workday. by Austin Bay November 2, 2022 Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine has become a war on the world's poor and starving. As his army retreats, Putin weaponizes food. Somalia, Yemen, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Congo -- Putin's war will kill in these hard corners. On the battlefield Ukraine is steadily defeating Putin's corrupt Kremlin war machine. In his bid to create Great Russia, Putin tried to smash Ukraine's will to resist. But Kremlin missile attacks have failed to crush the Ukrainian people's will. Footnote: Adolf Hitler's bombing blitz of London hardened the Britons' will to defeat the National Socialist Fuhrer. As for Putin's threats to strike Ukraine with nuclear weapons? They boomeranged. Cold War vets saw the nuke threats as a desperation. My speculation: at the diplomatic-strategic level, the Kremlin received vicious warnings from Europe and North America of massive conventional retaliation if it used a nuke. As for the Kremlin's mass conscription and reservist ploy? Putin was threatening Ukraine with human wave attrition, which translates as "we Russians will die you to death." The ploy incited mass resistance in Mother Russia. Even the oligarchs noticed. So, what does a dictator on the edge of ignominious defeat do? In Putin's case he enlists an old mercenary specializing in mass slaughter: Famine, The Rider on the Black Horse, the third horseman of the Book of Revelations' Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Let theologians debate John's visions. The historical evil of weaponized famine is occurring in our time on Earth. Our time background: this year the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) explored the effects of the Ukraine war on world food supply. The FAO used simulations to "wargame" scenarios estimating Ukraine War diminished food supplies and likely human malnutrition, starvation and what aid professionals call "food insecurity." In its June "Information Note," FAO said "simulations suggest" that in a scenario "involving a prolonged reduction of food exports by Ukraine and Russia the number of undernourished people globally could increase by between 8 and 13 million in 2022/23." The Asia-Pacific and sub-Saharan Africa would suffer the worst but "...the impacts will last well beyond 2022/23." "Moreover, other projections for 2022 indicate that up to 181 million people in 41 countries could face food crisis or exacerbated levels of acute food insecurity." More: "The war will increase humanitarian needs in Ukraine" with millions of people displaced by the war "that has lasted more than eight years." Ukraine's 2022 suffering echoes an evil StrategyPage.com noted earlier this year: "Stalin starved Ukraine in the early 1930s and felt justified because of its continued resistance to communist rule. This Holodomor (Great Hunger) killed over three million Ukrainians as too much Ukrainian grain was exported for hard currency." On July 22 Turkey brokered the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which allowed Ukraine to restart food exports stalled by Russia's invasion. The U.N. and NATO backed it. The deal ensured safe passage for grain ships in and out of Ukraine. It amounted to a "de facto ceasefire" potentially leading to a real ceasefire. On Oct. 29 Russia declared it was pulling out of the deal. Why? Suspected Ukrainian drones attacked Russian ships near Sevastopol. Russia insinuated the drones were launched from freighters carrying food from Ukrainian ports. However, on Oct. 31 the U.N. said no ships were in the maritime humanitarian grain export sea corridor the night of Oct. 29. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned Russia's decision as "weaponizing food in the war it started, directly impacting low- and middle-income countries and global food prices and exacerbating already dire humanitarian crises and food insecurity." Putin thinks the action gives him diplomatic leverage. Stay tuned. With Cowlitz County election officials anticipating near-record turnout for this year's midterm election, results could take longer than normal to tabulate on Nov. 8 because of last-minute ballots. Cowlitz County Auditor Carolyn Fundingsland's office is already seeing a heavy stream of phone calls and questions from voters, she said, adding the level of interest is nearly as high as she remembered for the 2020 election, which set turnout records. It's looking similar in Skamania County, where officials have issued news releases saying they expect a "historically high turnout rate." Around 25% of voters in the 3rd Congressional District had already returned their ballots as of Wednesday, in line with the early returns across Washington. Pacific County reported a 40% early turnout, while Clark County was the only part of the region where early voting was below the statewide average. Washington's Secretary of State Office expects turnout to be right around the 71.8% voter rate seen in the 2018 election. Exact turnout numbers will be highly dependent on what happens in the final days before the election deadline. There are several reasons that officials expect a rise in Election Day votes. This year is the first midterm election since Washington began allowing same-day voter registration. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to The Daily News. Results also may be slowed by the holiday. It's up to county auditors whether their offices will be open on Veterans Day to release count the Friday after the election. Cowlitz, Clark and Skamania counties have said they will do some vote counting when they would otherwise be closed for Veterans Day. Lewis, Pacific and Wahkiakum counties do not plan to count votes on the national holiday. There are also organized efforts, largely among conservative voters, to hold onto their ballots until Election Day to combat worries about election security. "It's new, and it's OK," Fundingsland said. "It doesn't change our process, but it changes the timeliness in which they see results." The approach was explicitly endorsed by Joe Kent, Republican candidate in the 3rd Congressional District, during a small town hall at the Cowlitz County Republican headquarters on Tuesday night. While Kent thanked his supporters who had already voted, he theorized that the vote counting machines may use the initial results to somehow stack the deck and predict how many votes should be faked. The idea there is that you give them less time with your ballot to play games, Kent said. I dont think the people in the county auditors office are doing anything, but they have to use these machines. There is no evidence that voting machines intentionally have faked results, either in Washington or any another U.S. state. A lawsuit Kent joined questioning the 2020 election results in Washington was thrown out of court for lack of evidence. In response, Derrick Nunnally, spokesperson for the Secretary of State's Office, said: "Without evidence, I'm not sure what you base a suspicion of any manipulation on. Voting in Washington is a secure and transparent process." Fundingsland said the fraud claims were baseless, but that there were pros and cons to voting at different times during the vote window. Later voters have more time to react to new stories or last-minute advertising bursts. Concentrating the votes late, however, does slow down the counting process. Election officials have to manually check the signature on each ballot envelope and visually inspect each ballot before it gets scanned by a machine. For early votes, that preparation happens well before votes are tabulated and released on Tuesday night. Fundingsland said her office can check around 4,000 ballots a day beginning on Wednesday. "You're going to see races flipping. It may be surprising to some voters because what is up on Election Night may not compare with the certified results at the end," Fundingsland said. The result could be an inverse of the "blue shift" that occurred during the 2020 election, in which mail-in votes from Democrats that arrived after Election Day led to Joe Biden winning multiple swing states after days of extensive counting. August's primary race in the 3rd District showed exactly that change. Kent trailed incumbent Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler by nearly 5,000 votes in the first total released after polls closed Tuesday. He didn't overtake Herrera Beutler until the results released the following Monday. He ended up defeating her by 1,000 votes. WOODLAND The local American Veterans Post 16 in Woodland will be holding a rededication ceremony Sunday to honor a former resident and service member declared missing in action nearly 50 years ago during the most troublesome time of the Vietnam War. Melvin Holland was born in Vader, but grew up in Toledo. He was a technical sergeant in the U.S. Air Force during the late 1960s. However, Holland was not shipped off to Vietnam like many other young men were. Rick Holland, his son, remembers last seeing his father at his 8th birthday party. The following day, Melvin Holland and his wife Ann flew to Washington. The Air Force deployed him to the neighboring nation of Laos for his tour of duty. Rick Holland told The Daily News that his father was sent to Laos in a top secret operation. Sent to operate out of a base in a mountainous region in Laos known as Lima Station 85, the mission required Melvin Holland to be officially discharged from the U.S. Air Force and then immediately hired by the American weapons manufacturing company Lockheed Martin. The reason for the switch was that Laos, at least on paper, was officially neutral during the Vietnam War, according to previously published accounts in the media and books. Still, Laos royal government at the time supported the U.S. efforts against the communist forces in North Vietnam. The station was on top of a jagged forest-covered mountain, used for clandestine work by the Air Force to coordinate bombing attacks in North Vietnam. A Central Intelligence Agency-trained and financed secret army of locals provided the only protection to Lima Station 85. On March 11, 1968, the station was bombarded by North Vietnam and Pathet Lao forces. During the attack, Melvin Holland went missing. The attack resulted in the biggest loss of ground forces for the Air Force during the entirety of the 17-year-long war in Vietnam. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to The Daily News. The military declared Melvin Holland as missing in action years after the events at Lima Station 85. Eleven men were listed as missing in action from the attack. Only a handful of the American service members lived; according to Limasite85.com, 12 men died during the attack. The site is run by Rick Holland. A few days after the attack on Lima Station, then President Richard Nixon ordered secret bombing raids to be carried out by the Air Force in Laos and Cambodia to shell areas that were offering the North Vietnamese a safe haven from American attacks. In 1996, Ann Holland, Ricks mother, testified in front of a congressional hearing. She told members, I received a telephone call one afternoon in the middle of a Cub Scout meeting and was told that the mountain had been overrun and my husband was missing in action. A few men had been rescued, but a number of others had not been recovered. "I was told I could tell NO ONE, not my husbands sisters, my children, no one. If I said anything and it got out to the press, I could be causing my husbands death! Ann Holland battled with the government for years to uncover the truth about her husband to find his remains. Now in her 80s, her son Rick Holland has taken up that fight. Toledo unveils Chairs of Honor for POW/MIA TOLEDO When Tech Sgt. Melvin Holland of the U.S. Air Force left his home for a mission on his son, Ricks birthday, he was unaware of what t Rick Holland hopes the re-dedication ceremony will keep the spirit of his father alive but also a spotlight on his father and for all service members still unaccounted for. Its my lifes mission to bring them home, Holland said. The Woodland VFW Post 1927 has between 120-130 members, mostly in their 60s. Its post commander, Bill Malloy, said the ceremony is important. "We can never forget. Toledo wall ready to honor those who served TOLEDO Bob Schmid cooked up the idea for a veterans' wall in Kemp Olson Park because he wanted to do something nice for the town. Now that i The Department of Defense created an agency called the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, or DPAA. The primary goal of DPAA is to locate and recover the remains of prisoners of war or service members who went missing in action in previous warfare. Rick Holland said DPAA has visited the battle site to conduct forensic testing. Holland told The Daily News DPAA found a bone fragment was recovered during an excavation in 2003, and in 2005 the DPAA identified that as Sgt. Shannon. And in 2005 they recovered a bone and ID card from a villager, and in 2012 they declared the bone and ID card belonging to Col. Blanton, the site Commander. To date there are still 9 men listed unaccounted, my father is one." Toledo wall ready to honor those who served TOLEDO Bob Schmid cooked up the idea for a veterans' wall in Kemp Olson Park because he wanted to do something nice for the town. Now that i Rick will be dedicating a POW/MIA honor chair, the seat is a symbol to memorialize all soldiers who were prisoners of war or went missing in action and how the living wont forget their service to their nation. The ceremony is planned for 1 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 6 at the Woodland VFW, 434 Davidson Ave. Three young men took their turns Wednesday apologizing to their families, victims and a federal judge for their roles in furthering a criminal enterprise that spilled drugs and firearms into North Idaho, Eastern Washington and beyond. Then U.S. District Court Judge Thomas O. Rice sentenced them collectively to more than 56 years in federal prison, calling their behavior egregious and suggesting their plea agreements were too lenient. This is a huge deviation, in my mind, said Rice, before handing down a 20-year sentence to Hunter OMealy, 19. Rice also sentenced Caleb Carr, 23, to 20 years in prison and a third member of the group that called themselves the Fetty Bros, Matthew Gudino-Pena, 22, to a little more than 16 years in prison. The three men had been charged with multiple federal offenses tied to the distribution of the illicit drug fentanyl purchased and sold via social media apps from Mexico. They each pleaded guilty instead to conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. OMealy and Carr trafficked the illicit pills and other drugs to Washington and Idaho, including supplying the drugs that have been linked to the overdose death in May 2021 of a 15-year-old high school freshman in Coeur dAlene. Prosecutors played in court a body camera video of the first responder who tried to revive the 15-year-old. His body was splayed on the ground, and he wasnt breathing, even as the first responder began chest compressions. They came to a point where they knew they were killing people, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Barker, prior to sentencing. Another user was shot and killed during an apparent drug deal gone bad involving drugs supplied by the organization, prosecutors allege. Family members of OMealy and Carr filled three rows of seats in Rices courtroom on Wednesday afternoon. Those who spoke described young men who accepted responsibility for their actions and said their age and use of social media demonstrated their youth and that they should be given a chance to improve themselves. They asked Rice to sentence them to shorter terms of imprisonment than the 20 years, arguing theyd been drawn in by Mexican drug cartels to sell the drugs in America. They used my son, and once he realized what he was in, it seemed there was no practical way out of that, said Carie Heistand, Carrs mother. Im grateful my son was caught, said Todd OMealy, Hunter OMealys father, also telling Rice that the family was looking into a drug treatment program in Utah to send their son to just before his arrest. Im just thankful Im alive today, Hunter OMealy told Rice. Searches of property in Washington and Arizona yielded more than 12,800 grams, or roughly 28 pounds, of fentanyl, along with cocaine, marijuana and other drugs. Authorities also seized firearms that had been modified to be fully automatic, and a confidential source provided text messages discussing a shooting in Lakewood in September 2021 that paralyzed the victim from the waist down and left him with a collapsed lung. In the messages, which were turned over to law enforcement by the informant who was asked to make them invisible to authorities, Carr identified Gudino-Pena and OMealy as the shooters and said they were motivated by the belief that the victim was working with police. Barker read a statement from the shooting victim in court. I am done with you, the victim wrote in the statement read by Barker. When you wake up every morning in federal prison, know that I will not be thinking of you. The men fled to Arizona after the shooting, according to investigators, and made threats to kill Jamie Bellovich, a woman who was seen driving Carr to a meeting to sell pills at a restaurant in downtown Spokane in August 2021. They believed Bellovich was also cooperating with investigators. Bellovich pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge in May and is scheduled for a separate sentencing hearing later this month. After an alleged violation of the terms of her release from jail prior to sentencing, prosecutors asked a judge Wednesday to place her in custody until that hearing. David Partovi, the attorney representing Gudino-Pena, said his client accepted responsibility for his role in the scheme, what prosecutors described as being a security detail for the other two men. But, Partovi said, Gudino-Pena did not begin participating until August 2021, several months into the scheme unraveled by investigators after the death of the teenager in Idaho. I have a lot of family thats not here, Gudino-Pena told Rice. Its been that way a long time. I did what I did, he also told Rice, saying hed accept whatever sentence Rice imposed. Washingtons top lawyer has asked a court to stop Albertsons from paying investors a $4 billion dividend set to be paid out ahead of the grocery retailers proposed merger with rival Kroger. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday by state Attorney General Bob Ferguson, is among the first targeting the proposed merger, which would combine the two of the largest grocers operating in Washington into a single corporation. But at least one legal expert is skeptical the state has the authority to block the payment. In the suit, which was filed in King County Superior Court, Ferguson argues that a $4 billion dividend would sap Albertsons ability to keep its stores open during the years it likely would take to complete the $20 billion-plus merger. The Attorney Generals Office also requested a temporary restraining order to block the dividend payment, which Albertsons expects to complete Monday, until the lawsuit is resolved. Paying out $4 billion before regulators can do their job and review the proposed merger will weaken Albertsons ability to continue business operations and compete, Ferguson said in a statement Tuesday. Concerns over potential store closures are particularly acute in Seattle and across Washington, where Albertsons, which owns Safeway, and Kroger, which owns QFC and Fred Meyer, are two of the biggest players in local grocery markets. To get its merger approved, Kroger and Albertsons must sell hundreds of competing locations with too much market overlap to a competitor. That process, known as divestiture, could affect numerous stores in Washington. In the greater Seattle area alone, Kroger and Albertsons each have around 80 locations, according to company data, and often appear to be the others biggest local competitor. Some critics worry that a cash-strapped Albertsons might be unable to maintain its divested locations long enough to be purchased by a competitor. In Tuesdays statement, the attorney general warns that the dividend payment could diminish Albertsons ability to keep up on inventory orders, forcing customers to go to other grocery stores, and could also impact employee hours. In an emailed statement late Tuesday, an Albertsons spokesperson characterized the lawsuit as meritless and said the state had no legal basis for canceling or postponing a dividend that has been duly and unanimously approved by Albertsons Cos. fully informed Board of Directors. The company also rejected concerns that the dividend will somehow hinder our ability to compete in the marketplace or to continue investing in our stores and technology to provide an even better shopping experience while we continue to operate as an independent company, and it will not impact the agreements that we have made with unions representing our associates to increase wages and benefits. Both the dividend and the merger are opposed by United Food & Commercial Workers Local 3000, which represents nearly 26,000 workers at 265 Kroger and Albertsons locations in Washington. The merger has also prompted concerns from Seattle-area shoppers, who worry that some divested stores could end up closing, as happened after the 2015 merger between Albertsons and Safeway. Fergusons office said Kroger and Albertsons have violated state antitrust laws and the Consumer Protection Act. The company has also claimed that the dividend was planned before merger talks began with Kroger, according to media accounts, and repeated that claim Tuesday, stating that the dividend would be paid whether the merger was completed. That appears to contradict earlier statements from Albertsons and Kroger indicating that the dividend was connected with the proposed merger, according to media accounts. The lawsuit, which was filed Tuesday afternoon in King County Superior Court, is the latest broadside against a controversial merger that has drawn fire from regulators, unions, and shoppers. Last week, Ferguson co-signed a letter by five other attorneys general threatening to sue Albertsons if the retailer didnt postpone the dividend payment. According to the lawsuit, Albertsons expects to cover the $4 billion amount using $2.5 billion in cash on hand and another $1.5 billion in loans. Albertsons needs $10 billion to operate over the next year, according to the suit, which contends that a $4 billion payment will cripple Albertsons ability to operate its stores and meaningfully compete with Kroger during the time before the deal closes and leave it in a weakened state if the deal subsequently falls apart. The lawsuit argues that a similar crisis followed the 2015 Albertsons-Safeway merger: divested stores were sold to Haggen, a local retailer, but Haggens cash reserves were so diminished by a dividend payment to its own private equity firm owner that Haggen was ultimately unable to operate the stores, many of which were eventually acquired by Albertsons. Nine of the divested locations are no longer supermarkets, according to the suit. The parallels ... are troubling, the lawsuit continues. Albertsons claims that it will be sufficiently capitalized to pay the Special Dividend, but there is every reason to suspect that in two years from now Albertsons will be ... arguing to federal and state antitrust enforcers that it is preferable to allow Kroger to purchase its remaining assets because it is a failing firm. Thus far, Washington appears to be the only state to follow through on a threat of legal action to halt the dividend. And its far from clear how effective that threat will be, says attorney Douglas Ross, an antitrust expert at the University of Washington School of Law. Ross agrees that a dividend payment may ultimately be relevant when federal and state antitrust regulators review the proposed merger to determine whether it harms competition in the local grocery business. But Ross is skeptical Washington has the authority to halt the dividend now, before that review, merely on the grounds that the payment itself might ultimately make the merger anticompetitive. Its up to the [retailers] to decide how they want to behave in an effort to get their merger through, Ross said. And if they do something which in retrospect might be considered to be foolish, thats their business. The state doesnt have the right to stop them from doing something foolish. China has imposed a strict lockdown on an area of central China housing a vast iPhone factory operated by Taiwanese tech giant Foxconn. The company, also known as Hon Hai Technology Group, is the world's largest contract manufacturer of electronics, including producing 70 percent of all iPhone shipments globally. The firm is also one of the world's biggest employers, with nearly 1.3 million working in factories mostly in China but also across Asia, eastern Europe, Latin America and the United States. Here are five things to know about the tech behemoth, the latest victim of China's no-compromise zero-Covid strategy: - Maverick founder - Terry Gou, once Taiwan's richest man (he ranked 6th this year), started his business in 1974 making television parts. And the rise of the self-made billionaire -- born to parents who had fled the Communist victory in China's civil war -- mimics the island's phenomenal economic success. Experts say his aggressive dealmaking style has helped him secure billions of dollars in state funding and support from mainland China to expand his business empire. Gou ceded control of Foxconn in 2019 to a committee as he pursued an ultimately failed attempt to run for Taiwan's presidency. - Labour violations - Foxconn has been embroiled in a series of labour scandals in the past, including a string of suicides at its China plants in 2010 that forced its founder to reassess his harsh management style. The so-called "suicide nets" introduced to catch Foxconn employees attempting to take their own lives at the time became emblematic of the harsh price many blue collar workers paid for China's rapid economic rise. The company has also during recent Covid outbreaks been accused of forcing employees who are unwell to work and not providing medical treatment or timely meals. And China Labor Watch, a New York-based NGO, has also accused the firm of hiding the number of Covid-19 infections among its employees. Foxconn on Sunday insisted that it "is making every effort" to ensure its employees are being looked after. - Covid-battered China factories - The Foxconn factory in central China's Zhengzhou is the world's biggest iPhone manufacturer, with tens of thousands of employees living in the sprawling campus year-round. Most only leave to visit their extended families during major holidays. Since the first iPhone was rolled out in 2007, the company has expanded to six other Chinese cities, with factories manufacturing Amazon's Kindle ebook, Nintendo gaming systems, Sony's PlayStation, Google's Pixel devices, and others. On Wednesday Chinese authorities imposed lockdowns on 600,000 people in the area surrounding the Zhengzhou plant, after weeks of alleged company mismanagement of an outbreak at the facility. It is far from the first time Foxconn's supply chains in China have been disrupted in the past two years due to the state's strict zero-Covid policy, with the firm also forced to quarantine hundreds of workers in the early days of the pandemic. - US-China tech war - Foxconn has also been affected by rising US-China tensions over technology that have rattled global electronics supply chains. When Gou and former US president Donald Trump grabbed ceremonial shovels at the 2018 groundbreaking of a $10 billion electronics factory in Wisconsin, Beijing saw it as an olive branch extended by the Taiwanese billionaire to avoid the fallout from the tech war. But the project has fallen short of expectations, with a smaller plant and fewer jobs than initially announced. A political row also broke out over significant tax breaks the company received from the United States government to set up shop. - Global footprint - Foxconn has invested everywhere from Japan to India in a bid to diversify its business and wean itself off its dependence on China. It acquired Japan's ailing Sharp in 2016, marking the first foreign takeover of a major Japanese electronics company. Today it operates in 10 countries including Vietnam, Slovakia, Hungry, Czech Republic, Brazil, Mexico and the United States. The company has also branched out into semiconductor, robots and healthcare sectors and embraced the rapidly expanding EV business with an aim to own five percent global market share in 2025. NASA's InSight spacecraft's death is expected to be announced next week. Check the latest details here. It's a tale of a tragic end and a huge loss to humanity. NASA's InSight spacecraft is going to die soon. In a touching statement, the spacecraft said that the day is coming when it will fall silent forever, ending its nearly four years' journey on Mars. The Insight lander has been on a mission to reveal secrets of the Red Planet's interior. Now, the spacecraft's power generation capabilities have declined as dust has accumulated on its solar panels in such massive quantities, it is not being able to create enough power to keep itself alive. The NASA team has taken various steps to keep it alive as long as possible. Informing about the same, NASA InSight itself tweeted, "The day is coming when I'll fall silent, ending my nearly four Earth years (over two Mars years) of studying the Red Planet. As my time winds down on Mars, my team is helping make sure scientists can get the most out of everything I've gathered." NASA will declare the mission over when InSight misses two consecutive communication sessions with the spacecraft orbiting Mars, part of the Mars Relay Network but only if the cause of the missed communication is the lander itself, said network manager Roy Gladden of JPL. After that, NASA's Deep Space Network will listen for a time, just in case. There will be no measures to re-establish contact with InSight. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) informed via a report that the end of the mission is expected to come in the next few weeks. "But even as the tightknit 25-to-30-member operations team a small group compared to other Mars missions continues to squeeze the most they can out of InSight (short for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport), they've also begun taking steps to wind down the mission," JPL added. According to the report, the most important of the final steps with the InSight mission is storing its trove of data and making it accessible to researchers across the globe. The lander data has yielded details about Mars' interior layers, its liquid core, the variable remnants beneath the surface of its mostly extinct magnetic field, weather on this part of Mars, and lots of quake activity. According to the report, "InSight's seismometer, provided by France's Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), has detected more than 1,300 Marsquakes since the lander touched down in November 2018, the largest measuring a magnitude 5. It even recorded quakes from meteoroid impacts. Observing how the seismic waves from those quakes change as they travel through the planet offers an invaluable glimpse into Mars' interior but also provides a better understanding of how all rocky worlds, including Earth and its Moon, form." Earlier this summer, the lander had so little remaining power that the mission turned off all of InSight's other science instruments in order to keep the seismometer running. They even turned off the fault protection system that would otherwise automatically shut down the seismometer if the system detects that the lander's power generation is dangerously low, the report stated. We were down to less than 20% of the original generating capacity, said Bruce Banerdt of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, the mission's principal investigator. That means we can't afford to run the instruments around the clock. Recently, after a regional dust storm added to the lander's dust-covered solar panels, the team decided to turn off the seismometer altogether in order to save power. Encased within the orbit of Earth and Venus, a new class of planet-killer asteroids have been discovered recently. They highlight a great danger for the Earth in the coming days. Recently, scientists made a discovery that can have terrifying consequences for us. A group of researchers found three new asteroids, one of them labeled potentially hazardous', orbiting in the space between Earth and Venus. While NASA has been tracking more than 20,000 near-Earth objects (NEOs), it was not known that asteroids existed in this particular space. And the main reason behind it was the Sun and its glare. These asteroids have the potential to catch us blindsided and strike us when we don't expect them. And if that happens, even the DART planetary defense system would not be able to save us. The study regarding this discovery has been published in The Astronomical Journal and has used the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) mounted on the Victor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile to find this scary space rock. The largest among the three asteroids has been named 2022 AP7. The concern with this particular asteroid is that it is 1.5 kilometers wide. And this large size has made it a potential planet-killer for us. If it struck the Earth, it could spell the end of human civilization. Why this new class of asteroids are a concern The main reason why discovery of such asteroids have been so slow is because of the intense glare of the Sun. As telescopes contain highly light-sensitive instruments to view objects far away in space, a bright light from the Sun can either overexpose any image taken or damage the instrument itself. This is why most telescopes only operate on the night sky-field of the Earth. But this is bad news for us. We cannot protect ourselves from something that we cannot see. The entire idea of planetary defense relies on tracking asteroids and predicting any incoming threat months before it can actually impact the Earth. Further, these asteroids pose a greater threat than the space rocks that come from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter because they are not governed by the heavy gravitational pull of the gas giant. With these new risks, the scientists are now concerned about an incoming asteroid strike that we are probably not even aware of. This asteroid is speeding towards Earth much faster than a bullet! Will it impact and cause damage? Know what NASA said. Asteroids have struck the Earth more than once in the last billion years. Some of them have changed the course of history. These space rocks are also the reason behind the extinction of dinosaurs. But how can asteroid impact craters, which struck the Earth thousands of years ago be identified? In an astonishing development, a team of international researchers identified the previous impact sites of asteroids using CSI crime solving techniques. But before that, know about this asteroid which is headed directly for Earth, as warned by NASA and it is flying much, much faster than a bullet (around 3000kmph). Asteroid 2022 UP17 key details The asteroid, named Asteroid 2022 UP17 will fly past Earth today, November 3. This space rock will make its closest approach to the planet at a distance of just 613,000 kilometers from Earth, which is less than twice the Moon's distance from the planet! The 35 feet wide asteroid will pass Earth at the terrifying speed of 69192 kilometers per hour. According to NASA, the Asteroid 2022 UP17 belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids which are a group of near-Earth asteroids named after the humongous 1862 Apollo asteroid, discovered by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth in the 1930s. Although this asteroid is not expected to cause any potential damage, it still has been classified as a Potentially Hazardous Object due to the close proximity with which it will fly past Earth. NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office classifies Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) as potentially hazardous if they come within 8 million kilometers of Earth. Asteroid study using CSI techniques According to the research, only 30 percent of Holocene asteroid impact craters have been identified in the last 11,650 years. The researchers used charcoal samples from crater sites to identify the asteroid impact. A recent article published in Geological Society of America's journal Geology explains that the bodies of organisms which died due to the asteroid impact can be analyzed to find out the extent of damage caused by the asteroid impact. By studying how an organism died, researchers can find out the conditions in which they were killed, which reflects the properties of an asteroid. HUAWEI event in Malaysia today has brought along the HUAWEI Watch GT 3 SE. Judging by the name, we guess you already know it's the less version of the standard Watch GT 3. However, more doesn't always mean it should suit you, so give this variant a chance by finding out more about its tech specs! The Watch GT 3 SE has a 1.43-inch AMOLED display that resolves at 466 x 466 pixels within a 46 mm case. HUAWEI claims that it only measures 35.6g without its polymer fibre watch strap attached, which comes in Graphite Black and Wilderness Green colourways. The SE variant also has the same button layout as the standard variant, in which the digital crown and a physical button get placed on its right-hand side. Furthermore, the Watch GT 3 SE can last up to two weeks between charges. It also supports features like HUAWEI TruSleep 3.0, over 100 workout modes, and has various pre-installed watch faces. There's a set of health monitoring sensors, and it's 5 ATM water resistant. If interested, you may pre-order the HUAWEI Watch GT 3 SE from 3 November to 11 November 2022. It retails for RM899, but there is an RM200 rebate if purchased within the pre-order period. Leave a comment to let us know your thoughts about the HUAWEI wearable, and stay tuned to TechNave.com for more tech news. Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Employees of the Apple store in Towson, Maryland, filed a formal complaint with the National Labor Relations Board against the company Wednesday over claims that Apple is excluding them from certain benefits and that the company made a "calculated" move to discourage further unionization efforts. The employees voted 65-33 in June to join the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, making them the first Apple store employees in the country to unionize. Their concerns included compensation, fairness and COVID-19 safety. Last Thursday, the union sent a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook that said the company has excluded them from receiving "certain educational and medical benefits offered to all other Apple employees." The nascent union filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge on Wednesday over the alleged exclusion, kicking off a process in which regional field examiners and attorneys investigate the union's charge. About 18,000 Unfair Labor Practice charges were filed to the NLRB in 2022, and generally about half of all charges are withdrawn or dismissed, according to the board. "One of the reasons the employees in Towson joined the IAM was because they knew our union would use every resource to protect them. We are hopeful that this won't be the normal procedure before we sit with Apple at the negotiating table," David Sullivan, IAM Eastern Territory general vice president, said in a statement. "Our members in Towson want to be heard in the workplace, and securing a first contract will be the first step towards achieving that goal." Apple's corporate communications office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company previously said it offers strong compensation and benefits for full-time and part-time employees, including health care, tuition reimbursement, new parental leave, paid family leave, annual stock grants and other benefits. The company pays a minimum rate of $20 per hour. The union's letter said leaders in other Apple stores have told employees that unionized employees are not eligible for the benefits in question, but the union said that is misleading because any such benefits will be included in their bargaining proposal when a contract is negotiated. The letter said the decision was made days before an Oklahoma Apple store was set to hold a union election earlier this month in an apparent attempt to dissuade employees from unionizing. The employees in Oklahoma City ultimately voted 56-32 to form the second Apple store union in the nation. "We ask that Apple refrain from delivering misinformation regarding why Towson employees will not be offered the benefits at this time, reported by numerous media outlets and recently told to our negotiating committee," the union for the Towson Apple store wrote. "Our members risked a lot to ensure their voices were heard. Now is the time to embrace us as true partners. We must work together to set new standards in our industry and help keep Apple as one of the world's most iconic brands." 2022 The Baltimore Sun. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Overview of Wi-Peep. Credit: Proceedings of the 28th Annual International Conference on Mobile Computing And Networking (2022). DOI: 10.1145/3495243.3560530 A research team based out of the University of Waterloo has developed a drone-powered device that can use Wi-Fi networks to see through walls. The device, nicknamed Wi-Peep, can fly near a building and then use the inhabitants' Wi-Fi network to identify and locate all Wi-Fi-enabled devices inside in a matter of seconds. The Wi-Peep exploits a loophole the researchers call polite Wi-Fi. Even if a network is password protected, smart devices will automatically respond to contact attempts from any device within range. The Wi-Peep sends several messages to a device as it flies and then measures the response time on each, enabling it to identify the device's location to within a meter. Dr. Ali Abedi, an adjunct professor of computer science at Waterloo, explains the significance of this discovery. "The Wi-Peep devices are like lights in the visible spectrum, and the walls are like glass," Abedi said. "Using similar technology, one could track the movements of security guards inside a bank by following the location of their phones or smartwatches. Likewise, a thief could identify the location and type of smart devices in a home, including security cameras, laptops, and smart TVs, to find a good candidate for a break-in. In addition, the device's operation via drone means that it can be used quickly and remotely without much chance of the user being detected." While scientists have explored Wi-Fi security vulnerability in the past using bulky, expensive devices, the Wi-Peep is notable because of its accessibility and ease of transportation. Abedi's team built it using a store-bought drone and $20 of easily purchased hardware. "As soon as the Polite Wi-Fi loophole was discovered, we realized this kind of attack was possible," Abedi said. The team built the Wi-Peep to test their theory and quickly realized that anyone with the right expertise could easily create a similar device. "On a fundamental level, we need to fix the Polite Wi-Fi loophole so that our devices do not respond to strangers," Abedi said. "We hope our work will inform the design of next-generation protocols." In the meantime, he urges Wi-Fi chip manufacturers to introduce an artificial, randomized variation in device response time, which will make calculations like the ones the Wi-Peep uses wildly inaccurate. The paper summarizing this research, Non-cooperative Wi-Fi localization & its privacy implications, was presented at the 28th Annual International Conference on Mobile Computing and Networking. More information: Ali Abedi et al, Non-cooperative wi-fi localization & its privacy implications, Proceedings of the 28th Annual International Conference on Mobile Computing And Networking (2022). Ali Abedi et al, Non-cooperative wi-fi localization & its privacy implications,(2022). DOI: 10.1145/3495243.3560530 Illustration of controlled data collection and the spatial segmentation approach. Credit: Communications Engineering (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s44172-022-00025-4 Want to know if the Golden Gate Bridge is holding up well? There could be an app for that. A new study involving MIT researchers shows that mobile phones placed in vehicles, equipped with special software, can collect useful structural integrity data while crossing bridges. In so doing, they could become a less expensive alternative to sets of sensors attached to bridges themselves. "The core finding is that information about structural health of bridges can be extracted from smartphone-collected accelerometer data," says Carlo Ratti, director of the MIT Sensable City Laboratory and co-author of a new paper summarizing the study's findings. The research was conducted, in part, on the Golden Gate Bridge itself. The study showed that mobile devices can capture the same kind of information about bridge vibrations that stationary sensors compile. The researchers also estimate that, depending on the age of a road bridge, mobile-device monitoring could add from 15 percent to 30 percent more years to the structure's lifespan. "These results suggest that massive and inexpensive datasets collected by smartphones could play an important role in monitoring the health of existing transportation infrastructure," the authors write in their new paper. The study, "Crowdsourcing Bridge Vital Signs with Smartphone Vehicle Trips," is being published in Nature Communications Engineering. The authors are Thomas J. Matarazzo, an assistant professor of civil and mechanical engineering at the United States Military Academy at West Point; Daniel Kondor, a postdoc at the Complexity Science Hub in Vienna; Sebastiano Milardo, a researcher at the Senseable City Lab; Soheil S. Eshkevari, a senior research scientist at DiDi Labs and a former member of Senseable City Lab; Paolo Santi, principal research scientist at the Senseable City Lab and research director at the Italian National Research Council; Shamim N. Pakzad, a professor and chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Lehigh University; Markus J. Buehler, the Jerry McAfee Professor in Engineering and professor of civil and environmental engineering and of mechanical engineering at MIT; and Ratti, who is also professor of the practice in MIT's Department of Urban Studies and Planning. Bridges naturally vibrate, and to study the essential "modal frequencies" of those vibrations in many directions, engineers typically place sensors, such as accelerometers, on bridges themselves. Changes in the modal frequencies over time may indicate changes in a bridge's structural integrity. To conduct the study, the researchers developed an Android-based mobile phone application to collect accelerometer data when the devices were placed in vehicles passing over the bridge. They could then see how well those data matched up with data record by sensors on bridges themselves, to see if the mobile-phone method worked. "In our work, we designed a methodology for extracting modal vibration frequencies from noisy data collected from smartphones," Santi says. "As data from multiple trips over a bridge are recorded, noise generated by engine, suspension and traffic vibrations, [and] asphalt, tend to cancel out, while the underlying dominant frequencies emerge." In the case of the Golden Gate Bridge, the researchers drove over the bridge 102 times with their devices running, and the team used 72 trips by Uber drivers with activated phones as well. The team then compared the resulting data to that from a group of 240 sensors that had been placed on the Golden Gate Bridge for three months. The outcome was that the data from the phones converged with that from the bridge's sensors; for 10 particular types of low-frequency vibrations engineers measure on the bridge, there was a close match, and in five cases, there was no discrepancy between the methods at all. "We were able to show that many of these frequencies correspond very accurately to the prominent modal frequencies of the bridge," Santi says. However, only 1 percent of all bridges in the U.S. are suspension bridges. About 41 percent are much smaller concrete span bridges. So, the researchers also examined how well their method would fare in that setting. To do so, they studied a bridge in Ciampino, Italy, comparing 280 vehicle trips over the bridge to six sensors that had been placed on the bridge for seven months. Here, the researchers were also encouraged by the findings, though they found up to a 2.3 percent divergence between methods for certain modal frequencies over all 280 trips, and a 5.5 percent divergence over a smaller sample. That suggests a larger volume of trips could yield more useful data. "Our initial results suggest that only a [modest amount] of trips over the span of a few weeks are sufficient to obtain useful information about bridge modal frequencies," Santi says. Looking at the method as a whole, Buehler observes, "Vibrational signatures are emerging as a powerful tool to assess properties of large and complex systems, ranging from viral properties of pathogens to structural integrity of bridges as shown in this study. It's a universal signal found widely in the natural and built environment that we're just now beginning to explore as a diagnostic and generative tool in engineering." As Ratti acknowledges, there are ways to refine and expand the research, including accounting for the effects of the smartphone mount in the vehicle, the influence of the vehicle type on the data, and more. "We still have work to do, but we believe that our approach could be scaled up easilyall the way to the level of an entire country," Ratti says. "It might not reach the accuracy that one can get using fixed sensors installed on a bridge, but it could become a very interesting early-warning system. Small anomalies could then suggest when to carry out further analyses." More information: Thomas Matarazzo, Crowdsourcing bridge dynamic monitoring with smartphone vehicle trips, Communications Engineering (2022). www.nature.com/articles/s44172-022-00025-4 Thomas Matarazzo, Crowdsourcing bridge dynamic monitoring with smartphone vehicle trips,(2022). DOI: 10.1038/s44172-022-00025-4 This story is republished courtesy of MIT News (web.mit.edu/newsoffice/), a popular site that covers news about MIT research, innovation and teaching. (a) The marker-based visual-tactile sensor (MVTS). (b) The retrographic sensing-based visual-tactile sensor (RSVTS). Credit: Rui Li, Chongqing University Tactile perception is essential information for humans perceiving the world physically. And tactile sensing plays an important role in improving the performance of planning and control for a robotic manipulator, so as to achieve complex robotic manipulations. Although there have been various approaches to achieving a tactile sensor, the visual-tactile sensor is becoming a practical means of implementing tactile sensors, since vision is a low-cost and effective source to provide abundant information. In recent years, owing to the significant advances in visual information processing, the use of vision to build tactile sensors has become one of the major areas of the research community. A study recently conducted by a research team from the School of automation, Chongqing University, proposed a framework to build a low-cost, monocular visual-tactile sensor for robotic manipulation tasks. Additionally, they introduced a method for estimating contact locations. The design is low cost and can be processed in a very short time, making it suitable for use as an exploratory study in the laboratory. The paper is published in the journal Cyborg and Bionic Systems. Presently, the main visual-tactile sensor principles can be divided into marker-based visual-tactile sensors (MVTSs) and retrographic sensing-based visual-tactile sensors (RSVTSs). The MVTS is very easy to build due to its simple structure and lack of strict light source requirements. Its accuracy depends mainly on the density of the markers and the minimum resolution at which the camera can recognize the markers. Spherical markers are usually adopted for easy detection. The key point is the design of the markers and the acquisition of the spatial location of each marker. The RSVTS, due to retrographic sensing techniques, can make full use of the full camera pixels to obtain high resolution images of deformation at the elastic layer. Since such devices require an undisturbed lighting system, the camera and the light in such devices are usually enclosed by a chamber environment. Although the RSVTS help to achieve high-precision measurement, the requirement of lighting system, elastic layer, and the customized sensing component still make replication of these designs costly. Therefore, the motivation of this paper is to provide a framework for designing low-cost, easy-to-build marker-based visual-tactile sensor. To ensure that the designed visual-tactile sensor is low cost and easy-to-build, it is necessary to keep the number of components of the sensor as small as possible and to keep the difficulty of preparing each component as little as possible. The elastic layer is what is referred to as "skin" and where the contact between the object and the sensor occurs. Once the object is pressed against the elastic layer, geometric deformation will take place. The camera is the core component used to sense the deformation of the elastic layer via the changes in the captured images. The connectors are used to combine the elastic layer with the camera and then fix them to the manipulator. The elastic layer is where contact occurs. With long-term use, this component will inevitably wear and age. Therefore, materials with characteristics such as wear resistance, ease of preparation, ease of replacement, and low cost should be considered. In this work, the researchers use silicone resin as the elastic layer material. To prepare the elastic layer, we propose the following pipeline: Step 1: design the mold. The shape of the mold determines the shape of the elastic layer. Step 2: design the marker. The marker affects the performance of deformation detection. Step 3: manufacture the elastic layer. A series of processes, such as proportioning, mixing, removing air bubbles, and curing, will be taken to obtain the desired elastic layer. After completing the overall design, the team began a case study in which they designed the elastic layer as finger shape, similar in length and size to the distal and middle phalanges of a human finger. With the installation of robot fingers, the entire fingertip can sense tactile information. To keep the shape of the elastic layer as simple as possible The sensor surface is designed as a joint structure of a semi-sphere and an open cylinder. The marks on the elastic layer can be in the form of dome or spherical coordinates. For the preparation of the elastic layer, a mold was made from aluminum. The thickness of the elastic layer is determined by the inner and outer diameters of the mold, in this case, mold A with a diameter of 8.0 and mold B with diameters of 10.0 and 12.0, respectively. And the researchers used a vacuum drying oven and a weighing scale to make the preparation process accurate and repeatable. The authors 3D printed a connector to integrate the elastic layer with the camera. The team also proposed a marker-based approach to estimating the location of contacts using ARUCO markers that can simultaneously detect multiple contact areas. Current work has yielded many encouraging results, but there is still room for improvement of visual-tactile sensors in the following aspects: (1) VTSs are generally easy to fabricate compared to non-VTSs, but the lighting system, the elastic layer, and the customized sensing component still make replication of these designs costly. (2) Most of the VTSs adopt a flat contact surface, which makes them less competitive than their non-VTS counterparts. The main advantages of this visual-tactile sensor are as follows: first, it supports the curved surface contact surface and adapt to more complex object shapes. Second, the transparent shell design can make full use of the image information of the visual sensor. Looking forward, the team will focus on further improving the resolution of tactile perception by designing a special pattern of markers. They also aim to explore the use of such sensors in applications such as home services. More information: Rui Li et al, Implementing Monocular Visual-Tactile Sensors for Robust Manipulation, Cyborg and Bionic Systems (2022). Rui Li et al, Implementing Monocular Visual-Tactile Sensors for Robust Manipulation,(2022). DOI: 10.34133/2022/9797562 Provided by Beijing Institute of Technology Press Co., Ltd PNNL research combines machine learning, data analytics and artificial reasoning with nonproliferation and safeguards expertise to keep our nation safe against nuclear threats. Credit: Shannon Colson | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory As malicious actors become more adept in their attempts to circumvent international nuclear nonproliferation safeguards, the United States government has invested in research to better detect bad actors' malign activities. To address threats to nonproliferation, agencies like the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) employ careful monitoring techniques to make sure nuclear materials subject to agreements aren't used to produce nuclear weapons. They also employ sophisticated forensics methods to determine the origin of nuclear materials recovered by law enforcement. However, these techniques are often time and labor-intensive. New research from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) uses machine learning, data analytics, and artificial reasoning to make threat detection and forensic analysis in the nuclear domain easier and faster. By combining these computer techniques with expertise in nonproliferation and safeguards, PNNL works to discover innovative methods by conducting research and turning the research into actionable real-world solutions. PNNL nonproliferation analyst Benjamin Wilson is in a unique position to merge these data analytics and machine learning techniques with nuclear analysis. As a former safeguards inspector for the IAEA, Wilson knows exactly what kind of information the IAEA looks for in order to expose actors' possible malign activities. "Preventing nuclear proliferation requires vigilance," said Wilson. "It involves labor, from audits of nuclear materials to investigations into who is handling nuclear materials. Data analytics-driven techniques can be leveraged to make this easier." With support from the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), the Mathematics for Artificial Reasoning in Science (MARS) Initiative, and the Department of Defense, PNNL researchers are working on several projects to make nuclear nonproliferation and safeguards more effective. A few highlights from their recent research follow. Nonproliferation efforts involve taking regular samples from nuclear facilities. Credit: Timothy Holland | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Detecting diversion of nuclear materials Nuclear reprocessing facilities take used nuclear fuel and separate it out into waste products. The products are then used to produce compounds that can be recycled as new fuel for nuclear reactors. These compounds contain uranium and plutoniumwhich could be used to produce nuclear weapons. The IAEA monitors nuclear facilities to make sure that none of the nuclear materials are diverted to nuclear weapons. This typically involves regular inspections as well as sample collection for subsequent destructive assays. "We could save a lot of time and labor costs if we could create a system that detects abnormalities automatically from the facilities process data," said Wilson. In a study published in The International Journal of Nuclear Safeguards and Non-Proliferation, Wilson worked with researchers from Sandia National Laboratories to build a virtual replica of a reprocessing facility. They then trained a machine learning model to detect process data patterns representing the diversion of nuclear materials. In this simulated environment, the model showed encouraging results. "Though it is unlikely that this approach would be used in the near future, our system provides a promising start to complement existing safeguards," said Wilson. Analyzing texts for indications of nuclear proliferation Who is researching nuclear materials? Is that research consistent with that state's international agreements and declarations? Where did they acquire the specialized equipment they are using? Where are nuclear materials currently being used for research? The Mathematics of Artificial Reasoning for Science (MARS) Initiative at PNNL is developing new methodology for building interpretable science-based AI systems that will accelerate discoveries and understanding through machine reasoning. Credit: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory These are the types of questions IAEA analysts work to answer every day. To find those answers, they usually need to spend many hours reading through research articles and manually sifting through a lot of data. PNNL data scientists Megha Subramanian and Alejandro Zuniga along with Benjamin Wilson, Kayla Duskin and Rustam Goychayev are working to make this task much easier through research which was featured in The International Journal of Nuclear Safeguards and Non-Proliferation. "We wanted to create a way for researchers to ask nuclear domain-specific questions and receive correct answers," said Subramanian. The team developed a machine learning tool based on Google's BERT: A language model trained on data from Wikipedia for general knowledge queries. Language models allow computers to "understand" human languagesthey can read texts and extract important information from them, including context and nuances. People can ask BERT questions, like "what is the capital of France?" and receive the correct answer. While the Wikipedia-trained model excels in answering general knowledge questions, it lacks knowledge of the nuclear domain. Therefore, the team created AJAXArtificial Judgment Assistance from textto fill this knowledge gap. "While AJAX is still in its early stages, it has the potential to save analysts many hours of working time by providing both a direct answer to queries and the evidence for that answer," said Subramanian. The evidence is especially intriguing to the researchers, as most machine learning models are often described as "black-boxes" which do not leave a trail of evidence for their answers, even if they are correct. AJAX seeks to provide auditability by retrieving documents that contain evidence. "When the domain is as important as nuclear proliferation detection, it is critical for us to know where our information is coming from," said Subramanian. Machine learning techniques can be used to complement nuclear detection methods such as those performed at the Radiochemical Processing Laboratory at PNNL (seen here). Credit: Andrea Starr | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Using image analysis to determine the origins of nuclear materials Sometimes, a law enforcement agent, in the United States or elsewhere, will encounter nuclear material that is outside of regulatory control and of unknown origin. In these instances, finding out where the material came from and/or its origins of creation is crucial since the material recovered may be only a portion of the material that is at risk of being trafficked. In case of such incidents, the IAEA maintains a database and encourages countries to cooperate and collaboratively combat illicit nuclear trafficking in order to strengthen nuclear security. Forensic analysis of nuclear materials is one analysis tool used in this vital effort. PNNL researchers, in collaboration with the University of Utah, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and Los Alamos National Laboratory, developed a way to use machine learning to aid in the forensic analysis of these samples. Their method uses electron microscopy images to compare microstructures of different nuclear samples. Different samples contain subtle differences that can be identified using machine learning. "Imagine that synthesizing nuclear materials was like baking cookies," said Elizabeth Jurrus, MARS initiative lead. "Two people can use the same recipe and end up with different-looking cookies. It's the same with nuclear materials." The synthesis of these materials could be affected by many things such as the local humidity and the purity of the starting materials. The result is that nuclear materials produced at a specific facility end up with a specific structurea "signature look" that can be seen with an electron microscope. "Our collaborators at the University of Utah built a library of images of different nuclear samples," said Alexander Hagen, co-lead author of the study published in the Journal of Nuclear Materials. "We used machine learning to compare images from their library to unknown samples to figure out where the unknowns came from." This could help nuclear analysts figure out the source of a material and guide further investigations. PNNL data scientists work with mathematicians, software engineers and science domain experts to advance AI. Credit: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Machine learning to keep citizens safe Though it may take some time before agencies like the IAEA adopt machine learning techniques into their nuclear threat detection process, it is clear that these technologies can impact and streamline the process. "Though we don't expect machine learning to replace anyone's job, we see it as a way to make their jobs easier," said Jurrus. "We can use machine learning to identify important information so that analysts can focus on what is most significant. Argonne National Laboratory and Northern Illinois University collaborated to host a camp that introduced middle school and high school students to artificial intelligence. Credit: Argonne National Laboratory Soon enough, AI competency will be an essential workforce skill. A group of computer scientists and learning science experts are considering what a foundational introduction to AI might look like for middle school and high school students. The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and a branch of AI called machine learning, which focuses on the use of data and algorithms to imitate the way that humans learn, is rapidly changing the way data-intensive scientific discovery is being done. Data-intensive science is a modern, exploration-centered style of science that heavily relies on advanced computing capabilities and software tools to manipulate and explore massive data sets. The introduction of new and better machine learning techniques is now being used to assist and automate scientific discovery of increasingly complex problems. "AI research is making major strides," said Michael E. Papka, a deputy associate laboratory director and supercomputing facility director at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory who is also a professor of computer science at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). "We are seeing progress in many areas of AI, made not only by new techniques, but especially by new hardware for running computationally intensive AI models." Two years ago, Papka and a like-minded group of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) educators, and computer scientists began meeting weekly to discuss a future workforce skills gap in addressing AI problems. They began to brainstorm about a new tool, or perhaps a teaching module, that would introduce AI concepts to the young researchers of tomorrow. The team, which includes scientific and educational outreach staff from Argonne and STEM educators from Northern Illinois University (NIU) and UIC, wanted to explore areas where a future workforce undoubtedly will be needed: AI software developers and data science domain experts. Over several months, the group met with AI domain experts, early career scientists using AI systems in their research and graduate students who work on data science tools. Some technologies are still in the experimental phase, including the growing collection of AI hardware found at the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility's (ALCF) AI Testbed. Nevertheless, AI methods such as machine learning, which uses algorithms to parse and learn from input data, and deep learning, a subfield of machine learning that uses a complex structure of algorithms modeled on the human brain to learn and make decisions, are beginning to assist with profound scientific breakthroughs. These methods have predicted the 3D structures of proteins for medical research and have performed rote but vital tasks such as identifying optimal candidate materials for harvesting sunlight. The ALCF is a DOE Office of Science user facility. Such developments will make AI competency an essential workforce skill. "Looking for ways to integrate AI methodology into scientific problems is the first step towards finding ways to bridge them," said Meridith Bruozas, institutional partnerships director at Argonne and the AI collaboration team member helping develop the curriculum. "As a premier research organization, we have a keen interest in cultivating AI skills in the future workforce." Ideas began to take form for what a data-driven, research-based experience might look like. It would give the students access to large data sets, model real-world scientific practices, and introduce the AI-based methods that data scientists use to gain insight into a question of interest. Lesson One: What is it? Argonne is one of a growing number of research organizations that are incorporating powerful AI resources and techniques to drive new discoveries. But not all AI systems and techniques, such as machine learning, need to be powerful to make impactful contributions to society. An AI-powered system is any device or computer system that performs human intelligence tasks by leveraging complex data sets. Such systems can still be opaque; many people use AI models without knowing how they work. Understanding how to adjust the models to provide useful results is still a new and active area of research. The team saw a challenge in linking the technical aspects of AI to its potential to solve big problems in a way that interested students personally. Building awareness of how machines can be used to simulate human intelligence processes seemed like a good starting point before moving onto solving problemssuch as how to simulate data sets, how to build confidence in results and how to build training data sets that avoid the risks and shortcomings of AI-based methods. "We had the expectation of zero programming experience, so we quickly landed on ways to potentially teach AI concepts from an 'unplugged' data science perspective," said John Domyancich, Argonne Learning Center lead. "Activities to get them thinking about how to use data to answer questions and start to determine what other information they might need to reach an answer with a high degree of confidence." Another challenge for the team was one of scale: What type, and how much data would be required to be useful? And how would students begin to frame the questions they sought to answer? From labeling birdsongs to identifying polluted rivers In July 2021, the team ran a month-long summer pilot program with high school students recruited through NIU's Upward Bound program. After being introduced to the broader concepts of AI and machine learning, students worked in groups to analyze AI-generated data sets using some of the same tools that scientists use to train different machine learning models, including Jupyter Notebooks. They used Spotify data and models to learn how to identify a music genre, then how to catalog and recognize bird songs. "We asked them to think about how a human might approach the task, and then how a computer might approach the same task," said Brenda Lopez Silva, one of the science educators who assisted with the pilot summer camp. "Spoiler alert: The computer basically learns what a human teaches it. That opened the door to some interesting discussions about how ethics might factor into AI today and in the future." In the summer of 2022, the team restructured the camp to be shorter and more intensive, and the activities relied on sensor-collected data about the environment in Northern Illinois. Students explored how computer vision might be used to optimize street crossings. Another task involved sorting and ranking images of a river to try to determine its pollution level. This time, the instructors used a different approach to link what students did using pen and paper to how scientists use machine learning to make discoveries. For the river health activity, students attempted to verify their assumptions about the river by structuring the data available to them (images) and built a decision tree (a method for reaching a conclusion based on those inputs), only to realize that the data was insufficient to answer the question. "The task demanded an advanced level of thinking," said Kristin Brynteson, director of NIU's STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) program, who led the AI camp sessions. "The students needed to see beyond the camera, to challenge the data and how it is labeled." "It may be possible that an AI system could infer river health starting with camera images, but it would require a lot of data for it to work," said Nicola Ferrier, an Argonne senior computer scientist and AI domain expert who is consulting with the team. "This exercise was a good first step toward introducing concepts of pattern detection across features." The team noticed that once the students did a data-sorting and weighting activity by hand they were better able to grasp the algorithm and understand how a computer would do the same task. "It was educational for the students to reason through the information processing tasks instead of simply letting someone else's algorithm do the work," said Papka. Much work lies ahead, but the team is closer to laying down the framework for a "classroom-usable" approach to teaching AI principlesone that also incorporates accessible technologies to serve as instruments for data collection and analysis. Leading contenders include sensor nodes, either purpose-built to collect student-driven investigations, or access to a data portal linked to an already-deployed sensor network. "We are excited to be actively scoping out something that could provide an entry point for students to explore science and learn AI," said Bruozas. "Something that serves as a portal for students to access and analyze data on demand and apply it to a problem they want to solve." In front of the sewage sludge biogas reactor in Walla Walla. Credit: Washington State University A new method to treat sewage can efficiently convert leftover sludge to biogas, an advance that could help communities lower their waste treatment costs while helping the environment. Reporting in the journal, Waste Management, a Washington State University research team tested a pretreatment technology, adding an extra step to typical treatments and using oxygen-containing high pressure steam to break down sewage sludge. They found that they were able to convert more than 85% of the organic material to biogas, which can be used to produce electricity or upgraded to renewable natural gas (RNG) for the natural gas grid or for local use. Adding the new pretreatment step improves the anaerobic conversion of sewage sludge at the wastewater treatment facility from the current less-than-50% conversion rate, and they produced 98% more methane overall compared to current practice. "It was shown to be extremely efficient, and that's very exciting," said Birgitte Ahring, professor in the Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, who led the work. "This can be applicable and something we could begin to explore in Washington state. Not wasting waste but using its potential instead has major advantages." Sewage sludge is not a sought-after product. About half of the wastewater treatment plants in the U.S. use anaerobic digestion to reduce this waste, but the process, in which microbes break down the waste, is inefficient. The leftover sludge, called biosolids, generally ends up in landfills. Wastewater treatment facilities also use large amounts of electricity to clean up municipal wastewater. They are often the largest user of electricity in a small community. Credit: Waste Management (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2022.09.035 "If they could make their own electricity or for some of the large plants, make renewable natural gas and add it to the natural gas grid, then they can reduce the use of fossil fuels. Here we are beginning to move into the idea of the circular economy," said Ahring, who is also a faculty member in the Bioproducts, Sciences, and Engineering Laboratory at WSU Tri-cities. For their study, the WSU research team treated the sludge at high temperature and pressure with oxygen added before the anaerobic digestion process. The small amount of oxygen under the high-pressure conditions acts as a catalyst breaks down the polymers in the material. The WSU researchers have been studying this pretreatment process for several years, using it to break down straw and woody materials. They weren't sure the process would work with the different composition of sewage sludge, such as lipids and proteins, but were positively surprised. "This is not a very high-tech solution," Ahring said. "It's actually a solution that can be useful even at small scale. The efficiency has to be high or else you cannot warrant adding the extra costs to the process." The technology could be particularly helpful for smaller communities, many of which are motivated to reduce waste and their climate impact, she added. The WSU team is working with Clean-Vantage, a Richland-based clean technology start-up company active in the pretreatment area, as well as with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), which is doing a techno-economic analysis of the new process. The researchers are now scaling up the work in their pilot facility located at WSU Tri-cities to further demonstrate the process. They are also studying how to efficiently convert the biogas to more valuable renewable natural gas by a new bioprocess. While the biogas can be used to produce electricity, producing renewable natural gas could allow rural communities to produce local transportation fuel for fueling their municipal vehicles. More information: Nalok Dutta et al, Improved valorization of sewage sludge in the circular economy by anaerobic digestion: Impact of an innovative pretreatment technology, Waste Management (2022). Nalok Dutta et al, Improved valorization of sewage sludge in the circular economy by anaerobic digestion: Impact of an innovative pretreatment technology,(2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2022.09.035 College Station police have arrested a suspect in connection to the murder of a 15-year-old boy in College Station on Saturday night. Trevor James Thompson Jr., 26, was wanted for murder, aggravated robbery and evading arrest before being taken into custody Wednesday, according to police. A 15-year-old boy was shot and killed during an altercation with another male at The Pearl Apartments in the 500 block of Harvey Road in College Station at around 9:45 p.m., police said. Thompson was identified as the suspect in the murder. The boy killed in the shooting was Anthony Ayers, his mother confirmed to The Eagle on Wednesday. A service for Ayers is scheduled from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. next Tuesday at Hillier Funeral Home in College Station, his mother said. 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United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. 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 Nine bidders were initially interested in the Falls City-area farmland. They opened at $1,000 per acre, and took turns driving the price higher. Past its assessed value of $4,185 per acre. Past the UNL 2022 Nebraska Farm Real Estate Reports average of $6,070 per acre for all farmland in the southeast region. And even with a week left in the month-long online auction, past the reports average of nearly $10,000 per acre for center pivot-irrigated land and these 117 acres werent even irrigated. Auctioneer Jason Smith of DreamDirt didnt know what to think. Its close to Falls City. Its on a hard-surface road. But other than that, its fairly unremarkable. A lot of people call me and joke and say there must be gold buried out there. After bidding reached $17,000 an acre, just two potential buyers remained. They kept bidding until one of them blinked and the other had the high bid at $27,400. And that could be a record sale price for Nebraska farmland, Smith said. Or not. Despite research his office did finding what it believes to be the previous high of $17,800 there appears to be no central clearinghouse of Nebraska farm sale prices. I know, but I dont know, the auctioneer said. In other words, I cant prove its a record because nobody really keeps track of that. But that said, I cant find any examples that are higher. Jim Jansen, an agriculture economist extension educator at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln who helps compile the farmland real estate report, knew of farmland that sold for higher, but it was bought by developers for uses that didnt include farming. He couldnt recall a farmer-to-farmer sale going higher. If its not a record, its on the upper end. Jay Rempe, a senior economist for the Nebraska Farm Bureau, is from Falls City and was surprised flummoxed that land there could potentially set a record. But he suggested three possible price-driving forces for farmland. First, with at or near-record farm income this year and last, some farmers have the means. Also, real estate can be a stable investment in an uncertain economy. And finally, scarcity of land: Oftentimes, farmers have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to purchase a nearby piece of ground that would work nicely into their operation and they pay up to not miss the opportunity to purchase the ground, Rempe said in an email. And thats what happened on the east edge of Falls City. Brothers David and Steven Frederick farm neighboring ground, and they wanted to add to their operation to leave something for their sons and grandsons to work when theyre gone, David Frederick said. They plan to grow it, not develop it. Its just a piece of land that lays next to us. We farm. Thats what we do. They didnt expect to pay apparent record prices, but then they ended up in a bidding war with Falls Citys best-known businessman. Charles Herbster, owner of Conklin Co., had his eye on the property, too. Its right on the highway, its a very good farm. Its a beautiful farm that lays totally flat, he said. The former candidate for governor was trying to buy it as farmland, but also could envision developing it, perhaps with a future use for Conklin. In 2019, Herbster broke an auction record when he paid $1.51 million for a black Angus bull for breeding. But last week, he stopped short of another possible record when he ended his bidding at $27,000, leaving the Frederick brothers to walk away with a $3.2 million bill from Smith, the surprised auctioneer. It wasnt something you could have predicted was going to happen, Smith said. Two people just wanted it really badly. Guillermo Fraire of Grand Island was sentenced Tuesday in Omaha to 45 months imprisonment following his conviction for distribution of 5 grams or more of pure methamphetamine. U.S. District Court Judge John M. Gerrard sentenced the 43-year-old Fraire. After he completes his prison sentence, Fraire will also serve three years on supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. On Sept. 17, 2020, in Grand Island, Fraire sold an ounce of methamphetamine to a confidential informant for $900. The drugs were sent to the Nebraska State Patrol Crime Lab, where an analyst confirmed there to be 25 grams of pure methamphetamine. The case was investigated by the Hastings Police Department and the Central Nebraska Drug and Safe Streets Task Force, which is made up of officers from the Grand Island Police Department, Hall County Sheriff, Hastings Police Department, Adams County Sheriff, Kearney Police Department, Buffalo County Sheriff, Nebraska State Patrol, Homeland Security Investigations and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Grand Islands Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer has started interior renovations of its historic Taylor House. The house of Robert Taylor was gifted to Stuhr Museum in 1985, said Stuhr Executive Director Chris Hochstetler. This particular house is probably one of the most historic places in this part of Nebraska, he said. Robert Taylor was at one point in time the worlds largest sheep rancher. His property, this house, would have been only about seven miles to the north and west of what is now the old veterans administration home, here in town. President Theodore Roosevelt was a guest of the home once during a visit to Grand Island. For this phase of the houses restoration, Taylors personal office will be returned to its early 20th Century glory. We will try to recreate what that personal office would have looked like, or could have looked like, back in those days when Teddy Roosevelt visited, said Hochstetler. Despite its vintage appearance, it will not be an exhibition or interpretation space, but serve as an education space, noted Hochstetler. The rest of the house we will have it turned into classroom space, meeting space, and it will provide a place where we can bring full modern amenities to it. It will have power, internet and HVAC, he said. Work has started on the electrical and plumbing for the house, and installing the HVAC, which was donated to the project. Stuhr has been planning for the houses restoration since it was gifted and moved to the museum in 1985, said Hochstetler. It sat out on the far west part of the property, out by Highway 281, and through the years the resources just werent there to restore the house, he said. Additionally, environmental changes caused the water table to shift in the Wood River, and we had that flood. He added, Weve done a lot of fundraising to get the donations needed to do this project. The house was moved to the east side of the campus in September 2020. The house had water standing in the basement for many years, and it was beginning to deteriorate that historic property, said Hochstetler. Since then, it has been set on a foundation and its interior basically gutted. Weve actually had some floors redone, some windows redone and installed. The house has been fully painted and encapsulated so its safe from deterioration now, said Hochstetler. The interior will be completely redone. Weve been researching the colors it would have been and what the interior of the house would have looked like, circa 1902. That was when Teddy Roosevelt had a very historic visit to our community and spent quite a bit of time in Robert Taylors home, that very house, said Hochstetler. Hochstetler expects it to be ready for use as a facility in November 2023. Were hammering away at it, so to speak, he said. Its going to add a significant footprint to our ability to serve students in the wintertime, as well as the dead of summer, when its so hot. Hochstetler applauded the generosity of the Grand Island community. Its been off the chart, he said. This is a very storied property. It comes from a very storied family. Being able to have it here, on our grounds, the public has been very generous. The existing family was very generous. And foundations from around the state have been really generous in supporting this restoration at high levels. Paris, TX (75460) Today Mostly clear early followed by cloudy skies overnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 52F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Mostly clear early followed by cloudy skies overnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 52F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Paris, TX (75460) Today Cloudy skies early will become partly cloudy later in the day. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 73F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight A mostly clear sky. Low 33F. Winds NNW at 15 to 25 mph. Higher wind gusts possible. If The Captain was a building, it would have been among the biggest in the region, but it wasnt a building that moved, it was a machine one of the largest mechanical contraptions every built on land and definitely the largest coal shovel ever. Formally known as the Marion 6360 stripping shovel, the $25 million machine was the centerpiece of the Captain mine complex near Cutler, Illinois. Miners and executives alike called it the pride and joy of the operation. The Captain, which went into service in 1965, is remembered not only for its tremendous size it was 215 feet tall and weighed 15,000 tons but also for its untimely end, the result of an on-board fire, Sept. 9, 1991. Murphysboro Mayor and self-described amateur historian Will Stephens said the impact of The Captain and the final day of the shovel should be remembered. To do that, Stephens interviewed many former miners including some who were inside the machine and recorded a two-part podcast program, The Captains Final Hours, detailing the demise of the Marion 6360. I think it is a pretty dramatic story of a very interesting time in Southern Illinois, Stephens, who remembers seeing The Captain at the coal mine where his father worked. I guess I would have been around 7 years old and I thought it looked like something you would see in 'Jurassic Park' or something. Stephens said he often had heard stories of the machine and the fire. It seems that conversations with my dad would resurface every once in a while about what happened that day and with the machine. I thought I would track down some of the people and tell the story. The story, he said, is a tribute not only to the mechanical equipment, but also to the men who used it and to the industry in general. I think people dont appreciate the largess of what Southern Illinois coal mining was; I mean the incredible amount of money that it generated for the region, he said. Those of us who have been around here remember that the biggest machine every built and it was here in Southern Illinois. Stephens said he believes telling the stories and capturing the voices who were involved is important. I think it is always important to capture stories from people before they are gone, but it also is important to capture Southern Illinois history, he said. The podcast explores the discovery of the fire and efforts to extinguish it as well as a persistent rumor that the fire was part of an insurance fraud scheme. Stephens said other than circumstantial evidence, there is no hard evidence to that belief. The fire burned most of the night after starting in the lower portions of the machine. Some suspect a hydraulic leak sprayed fluid on an electrical panel, causing the fire. Ohio-based Marion Power Shovel Co. which built the massive machine, gave estimates to repair The Captain, but they were determined to be too much. After receiving a $35 million insurance payment for the shovel, The Captain was scrapped and another, slightly smaller shovel was brought in to replace the Marion 6360. Both episodes of The Captains Final Hours is available on the Soundcloud podcast app or online at http://soundcloud.com/radio-will SPRINGFIELD Earlier this year, what once seemed like an inevitably good year for Republicans was thrown out of whack by the Supreme Court decision reversing Roe v. Wade, which ended the constitutional right to an abortion. Democrats started to believe that they could defy political gravity and avoid the electoral malaise that usually greets the presidents party in a midterm election. I wrote in September that Illinois Republicans may need to hope for a course correction on the national climate if they wanted to see their fortunes fulfilled in November. Well, it seems they got one. As the Roe decision faded further into the rearview mirror and gas prices falling for months after hitting record highs this summer started to creep up again, so did Republican poll numbers. Nationally, the party is favored to take back the U.S. House and has a strong chance to win back the U.S. Senate. And the GOP is pressing deeper into Democratic territory too, making stronger-than-expected challenges in governors races in reliably blue states like New York and Oregon, where abortion largely is a settled issue. Illinois fits the bill of a relatively Democratic state. Could there be a similar red surge here? Anything can happen. But, its unlikely at the top of the ticket. In some close congressional and state legislative races, however, any momentum towards Republicans could prove decisive. For nearly three decades, my former colleague Bernie Schoenburg would offer pre-election predictions in his political column in The State Journal-Register, the daily newspaper in Illinois capital city. He retired in November 2020 and I left the paper in January 2021 for my current job. Since Ive been with Lee Newspapers, Ive been afforded space in this weekly column to add analysis and perspective that does not always show up in day-to-day news coverage of Illinois politics and government. The goal, of course, is to cut through the noise to the root of a topic. As such, I am piggybacking off Bernies tradition and offering predictions in some key races. These are not endorsements simply a forecast based on all the information before us along with anecdotal evidence picked up from reporting on several of these races firsthand. Please, hold my feet to the fire if Im wrong. Before diving in further, I encourage all who can to exercise their right to vote. Many have already voted early or by mail, and options are available up until Election Day. Whatever method you choose, its important to a functioning democracy that the body politic be engaged in the process. Topping the ticket is the Illinois governors race. Gov. J.B. Pritzker has had quite a first term, which started with a frenetic flurry of legislating before he was thrust into a role akin to a wartime leader with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Illinois had racked up more than $16 billion in unpaid bills and held the nation's worst credit rating by the time Pritzker entered office. Though the latter remains true, the state's rating has since been upgraded six times and the backlog has essentially been paid down. He faced criticism for what some viewed as a heavy-handed response to the pandemic. He enforced strict capacity restrictions on businesses and limits on in-person learning in schools. Mask mandates stayed in place longer here than elsewhere. This is in part what led to Republican nominee Darren Bailey's rise to prominence. A downstate farmer and relatively new state legislator, Bailey became the face of opposition to Pritzker's COVID-19 restrictions in a series of high-profile lawsuits. Since entering the race, Bailey has turned his focus to the rise in violent crime across the state since 2020 and has been a voice for conservatives who may feel forgotten in an increasingly blue state. However, Bailey has struggled to find his footing since his primary victory. His conservative positions on abortion and gun rights have been highlighted extensively in negative ads from Pritzker's campaign. And the candidate has drawn headlines for repeatedly calling Chicago a "hellhole" and for past controversial statements. Bailey has also been at a significant financial disadvantage against billionaire Pritzker, limiting his ability to counter the incumbent's messaging. It's shaping up to be a Republican wave year nationally. But not in Illinois. Pritzker, I think, will win relatively comfortably, though perhaps not by as much as some polls suggest given the electoral climate. Illinois leans Democratic and, with a legislative record that includes a minimum wage increase, recreational marijuana legalization and a plan to achieve 100% clean energy production by 2050, Democratic base voters have little to complain about with Pritzker. His stewardship of the state's finances should appeal to moderate voters. That should be enough. There are likely not enough conservative voters in Illinois for Bailey to win with the conservative policy positions he holds. If the Republican wins, it would be a colossal upset. The same goes in the race for U.S. Senate, which features Democratic incumbent Tammy Duckworth and Republican Kathy Salvi, an attorney from north suburban Mundelein. Duckworth, an Iraq War veteran who lost her legs and partial use of her right arm while serving in that conflict, will likely coast to a second six-year term over the underfunded Salvi, who has struggled during the campaign to explain where she stands on issues beyond common Republican talking points. In the races for Illinois' other statewide constitutional offices, I predict a Democratic sweep. Simply put, voters do not split their tickets the way they used to. Also on the ballot for all Illinois voters is Amendment 1, which would enshrine the right to organize and bargain over wages, hours and working conditions as fundamental in the state constitution. The measure needs either 60% of those who vote on the question or a simple majority of those who cast a ballot in the election. The state's powerful labor unions have poured more than $15 million into the campaign supporting the amendment. A group encouraging a "no" vote sprung up in September and has received more than $2 million from conservative billionaire Richard Uihlein. Too little too late. I think it will pass easily with decent Republican support too, especially in union-heavy areas downstate. Things get more interesting down the ballot. The 13th Congressional District features Democrat Nikki Budzinski, a former adviser to Pritzker who worked in President Joe Biden's administration, and Regan Deering, a philanthropist and community activist who is a scion of the family that ran Archer Daniels Midland for four decades. The district, which stretches from East St. Louis to Champaign-Urbana and includes Decatur and Springfield, leans Democratic but not overwhelmingly so. Though viewed by many to be winnable for a Republican in this type of electoral climate, the party has not invested outside resources in the race, leaving Deering to fend for herself. I think Budzinski, who has run a solid if unspectacular campaign, will win the tight race, though I would not be shocked if Deering pulls it out. In the 17th Congressional District, will the second time be the charm for Republican Esther Joy King? King came within four percentage points of knocking off Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-East Moline, in 2020. With the incumbent retiring, she now faces Democrat Eric Sorensen, a former television meteorologist. The C-shaped district includes Bloomington-Normal, Peoria, the Quad Cities and Rockford. The district is viewed as the most pure "tossup" of any congressional seat in Illinois. This race will likely blow whichever way the national climate goes. As a result, I think voters will send King to Congress. In Illinois 12th, 15th and 16th congressional districts, the June primary was tantamount to the general election. Incumbent Republican Reps. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro; Mary Miller, R-Oakland; and Darin LaHood, R-Peoria, will all win, I believe, without breaking a sweat against Democrats Homer Chip Markel, Paul Lange and Elizabeth Haderlein, respectively. In the Illinois General Assembly, expect Democrats to maintain their majorities, though they could lose seats, especially in the Senate. In the upper chamber, there are several key races, the most expensive being the barnburner in the 48th District between state Sen. Doris Turner, D-Springfield, and state Rep. Sandy Hamilton, R-Springfield. Another is in the 56th Senate District in the Metro East region featuring state Sen. Kris Tharp, D-Bethalto, and Republican Erica Harriss. Both will be close, though I expect Hamilton and Harriss to eke out victories over the appointed Democratic incumbents. The 36th Senate District features state Rep. Michael Halpin, D-Rock Island, against Republican Mike Thoms, the mayor of Rock Island. I'll give Halpin the edge, though a Thoms victory would not be surprising in the least. Though much of the battleground in the House is in the Chicago suburbs, there are some downstate races drawing attention. In the 91st House District, which includes most of Bloomington-Normal, Democrat Sharon Chung, a McLean County Board member, faces Republican Scott Preston, a Normal Town Council member. It will be close, but I believe Chung pulls it out to become the first Asian American to be elected to the General Assembly from McLean County. In the 96th House District, state Rep. Sue Scherer, D-Decatur, is poised to win another term against Republican Lisa Smith, a doctor. The 112th House District featuring state Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville and Republican challenger Jennifer Korte could go either way. But Stuart pulls it out, I think. And before I forget, the Illinois Supreme Court. There are two open seats that could swing the balance from Democrats to Republicans. It's a real possibility. The two suburban-based court districts lean Democratic but not overwhelmingly so. Republican Justice Michael Burke is taking on Democratic Judge Mary Kay O'Brien while Republican Mark Curran, the former Lake County Sheriff, takes on Democratic Judge Liz Rochford. My guess is that Rochford beats Curran while Burke defeats O'Brien, which would result in a 4-3 Democratic majority. But, it will be close, so don't be surprised if both Democrats win and swing the court 5-2 in favor their party or if both Republicans win and secure a 4-3 majority for their party. This is a race where the abortion issue could actually factor in significantly. Happy voting, everyone. A 34-year-old Orangeburg man pleaded guilty on Monday to one count of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, according to S.C. Attorney Generals Office Communications Director Robert Kittle. David Austin Gillespie, of 3328 Timberline Drive, entered his guilty plea at the Orangeburg County Courthouse before Circuit Judge DeAndrea Benjamin. Benjamin sentenced him to eight years in prison, suspended to three years of probation. Kittle said Gillespie also forfeited his seized devices and registered as a sex offender. Gillespie was 27 in July 2015 when the S.C. Attorney Generals Office charged him with 11 counts of second-degree exploitation of a minor. As part of his plea agreement, Gillespie pleaded to a single count of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and the second-degree exploitation of a minor charges were dropped. S.C. Law Enforcement Division investigators claimed Gillespie was involved in sending child pornography via file sharing on a computer. SLED is a member of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Kittle said Gillespies trial was set for 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a backlog of cases. Gillespies case had recently been scheduled to go to trial, but he decided to plead guilty instead. Edisto Elementary School fathers made their presence known during an event last week. Edistos Watch D.O.G.S. (Dads Of Great Students) presented a Donuts for Dads event in their school cafeteria. For Edisto Elementary Assistant Principle Melvin Wright Jr., it was amazing to see the turnout of fathers there to support their children. Man, it was just so unbelievable. I know were looking at about over 200-plus dads that came out, Wright said. Its just such a blessing to see them along with their sons and daughters. That notion was shared by Orangeburg County School District Director of Student Services Hayward Jean, who was the keynote speaker, along with Wright Jr.s father, Melvin Wright Sr. This was a sign that theres greatness in this community, Jean said. We can talk all day long about whats not right, but what I saw today was everything right about our entire community and the power we all have to come together. Today was a true reflection of what is the power of a community coming together for the betterment of our children, Jean said. Orangeburg County Superintendent Dr. Shawn Foster said, Its always good to see our parents, especially our men, coming together, being involved in our childrens lives. To see the turnout, its extremely encouraging. Watch D.O.G.S. is a program used to provide male role models to students. We all know the impact of a male figure in the household or just a role model to help our youth navigate sometimes what can be a challenge in society, Foster said. The Watch D.O.G.S. show up at many different activities that the school puts on, including tournaments, field days and read-alongs. Even if the students dont know who the specific dads are, they recognize the shirts, so we teach them to high-five, to go around and just show them love, especially for those kids in need who dont have a father figure in their lives, Wright Jr said. Foster said, I believe its always great for kids to bring their parents into their environment that they learn and live in every single day, but also giving parents an opportunity to see the commitment of the school and the extended arms that the schools give to our parents and wanting them to be part of a school community. They are just as important as the teachers in the classrooms. A parent is the first teacher a child has. Coming together and having that visual but having the opportunity to get to know each other and build that family connection is huge, he said. Wright Jr. said, Most of the time we see moms in school, but we never see dads. So its a parental moment, just to get more dads involved in school. SANTEE U.S. Army veteran Robert Edwards. U.S. Marine veteran Thomas Potts. U.S. Army veteran Rufus Rucker. U.S. Navy veteran Matthew Ferguson. Edwards, Potts and Rucker are all Vietnam War veterans, while Ferguson is a Persian Gulf War veteran. The men had various experiences serving in the United States military but all of them had one thing in common: love of country and dedication to duty. The veterans were each honored Wednesday with a Quilt of Valor for their service to the country as part of a Veterans Day program held at the Magnolias of Santee Assisted Living Facility. The event was hosted by American Legion Post 4 of Orangeburg. It feels good, Rucker said after he received his quilt. They are beautiful. I will put it on my bed and maybe on my recliner. It meant the world to me, said an emotional Ferguson, when asked about receiving the quilt. Ferguson served for 12 years on the USS Wainwright and the USS Garcia. He served on the flight deck and helped maintain the boats. The Quilts of Valor program began in 2003 with a dream by Catherine Roberts, whose son Nat was deployed in Iraq. In the dream, Roberts saw a young man sitting on the side of his bed in the middle of the night, hunched over. There was a feeling of utter despair. She then saw him wrapped in a quilt. She thought of quilts being a healing balm to veterans. The first quilts were presented at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, D.C. Though the quilts can often cost hundreds of dollars to make, S.C. Department of the American Legion District 20 Commander David Mills said, They are given freely to veterans. You have already paid the price for them, Mills said. We award this quilt of valor as an expression of gratitude from a grateful nation. In addition to the quilts, American Legion Orangeburg Post 4 Commander Hugh Taylor presented each veteran with a certificate in recognition of their service. Other veterans were planned for recognition, but were unable to attend the ceremony. These included U.S. Army veteran David McKibben and U.S. Army veteran Charles Lefevre, who are Vietnam War veterans, and U.S. Army and Navy Coast Guard veteran John Muilenburg, a World War II and Korean War veteran. Deputy Adjutant General for the South Carolina Military Department U.S. Army Major General Jeff Jones praised the veterans and specifically the Vietnam War veterans in attendance. Welcome home, welcome home, Jones said. Mission accomplished and job well done. I want to thank you on behalf of a grateful state and a grateful nation for the pride, the integrity, the courage and the determination all the things it takes for someone to serve a cause greater than their own. You did it. We know you didnt serve for fame, you didnt serve for fortune, you served for your singular love for our country, he said. And dont ever forget that it is your service that makes us the land of the free, the home of the brave and a beacon of hope in an often troubled world. Jones praised the young cadets in attendance from Lake Marion High School. They are going to lead our country in the future, Jones said. We are in good hands, whether it is a young person as we speak piloting a submarine under seas or someone flying in the air or a student at Lake Marion High School. Our future is in good hands. U.S. Congressman Joe Wilson praised the veterans for making our freedoms possible. Almost every week I have an opportunity to meet with delegations all around the world, Wilson said. They know that they can count on the United States. They know it is the American military that has made it possible freedom and liberation around the world. Wilson said peace through strength is the American way. Retired Army Col. Bill Connor said the Quilts of Valor are quite an honor. You deserve it, Connor said. Old soldiers never die, they just fade away. This Quilt of Valor really symbolizes the nations thanks that we should always have. You guys will never really die, Connor continued. Slowly things fade away. The young cadets ... that is the new long gray line. That never dies, that continues on. It continues on because of what you have shown and what you have done. S.C. State Commander of the American Legion Jim Jarvis and Santee Mayor Donnie Hilliard also thanked the veterans for their service. COLUMBIA The record for most voters voting early in one day was broken again with almost 50,000 ballots cast at early voting centers on Wednesday. By the end of the day, a total of more than 383,000 people had voted early. Additionally, approximately 48,000 absentee ballots have been returned out of the 63,000 issued. All told, 431,000 South Carolinians have already voted in the 2022 general election. With three days left of early voting totals remaining to report, the SC Election Commission expects pre-election day turnout to continue to rise significantly. Early voting ends Saturday Any voter who has not yet voted can still visit an early center in their county during the early voting period and vote in person like they would at their polling place on election day. Times: 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Review your sample ballot at scVOTES.gov. Voters will be asked to present Photo ID when checking in to vote. Early voting locations Orangeburg County -- Orangeburg County Council Chambers, 1437 Amelia St., Orangeburg, SC 29115; North Challenge Center-North Family Community School, 4583 Savannah Highway, North, SC 29112; and Vance Senior Center, 10304 Old Number Six Highway, Vance, SC 29163 Calhoun County -- County Voter Registration and Elections Office, Calhoun County Council Chambers,102 Courthouse Drive, Suite 110, St. Matthews, SC 29135 Bamberg County -- County Voter Registration and Elections Office, 1234 North St., Bamberg, SC 29003 and Brooker Center, 19 Maple Ave., Denmark, SC 29042 To find sites in other counties, check scVOTES.gov or contact your county voter registration office. Absentee ballots The deadline to apply for an absentee ballot was 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 28. If you have an absentee ballot and have not yet returned it, return it as soon as possible. Be sure to complete the voters oath and have your signature witnessed before returning it. Anyone age 18 or older can witness your signature. Consider returning your ballot in person to ensure it is received before the deadline 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 8, deadline. You must present Photo ID when returning an absentee ballot in person. You can return your ballot by mail but be aware of U.S. Postal Service transit times. Ballots mailed close to Election Day risk not being delivered to the county voter registration office in time to be counted. Voting on Election Day Polling places will be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 8. Review your sample ballot and check your polling place at scVOTES.gov. Voters will be asked to present Photo ID when checking in to vote. Early and absentee voting totals are updated daily on scVOTES.gov. BEIRUT Parliament on Thursday decided that the current caretaker cabinet headed by Najib Mikati can proceed with its caretaker duties, according to an official statement published by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri's office after a meeting during which Lebanese MPs discussed a letter sent by former president Michel Aoun on matter of the cabinet's resignation. After the meeting ended, multiple MPs, including George Adwan (Lebanese Forces) explained that, according to the decision taken by the legislature, Mikati's caretaker cabinet can continue to manage current affairs but may not meet except in exceptional situations. The current caretaker government has been considered resigned since shortly after the 2022 parliamentary elections, which took place in May. The content of the letter sent by Michel Aoun to the legislature is therefore considered controversial. Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who is also the premier-designate, said on Sunday that the procedure has "no legal basis." Aouns letter contains a series of criticisms of Mikati, who Aoun blames for the failure to form a new government before the end of the presidential mandate on Oct. 31. According to Aoun, Mikati was unprepared to give the Free Patriotic Movement, which Aoun founded and which is headed by his son-in-law Gebran Bassil, sufficient representation in the cabinet lineup. Replying to the letter in Parliament, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati affirmed that his government, "which is already considered resigned without the need for a decision from the president," should proceed with its caretaker work as a "constitutional duty" and that to have a vacuum "contradicts the purpose for which the constitution was created." Mikati also said his caretaker cabinet will continue its exclusive caretaker duties "or else it shall experience constitutional punishments." 'The only solution' After the session, Adwan explained that Parliament decided that it cannot withdraw its designation from Mikati because the constitution does not allow it. Regarding the transfer of the presidency's authority to the current cabinet, Adwan explained that the constitution says the authorities can be transmitted "only to a government that meets" which is not the case. According to the constitution, the authority of the president is transferred to the government in place in case of presidential vacuum; however, as Lebanon is experiencing, for the first time in its history, a vacuum at the level of both the presidency and the government, political leaders debated whether the authority of the president would be transferred to the current government. Following the session Adwan said that despite what Parliament decided, "the only solution is to elect a new president so that we don't indulge in such discussions" a reference to discussions about the authority of the presidency. During the parliamentary meeting, Berri scheduled a parliamentary session to elect a new president next Thursday, the state-run National News Agency reported. The Parliament statement also quoted Berri as saying he will convene Parliament on a weekly basis starting next Thursday to elect a president. "I hope that throughout this week that a consensus will be reached between all blocs and groups . If compromise is not made here or there, we won't reach a solution," Berri said. As soon as today's session started, many MPs withdrew from Parliament. A source attending the session told L'Orient Today that the MPs who withdrew are part of the Forces of Change bloc and Kataeb. Ashraf Rifi (Independent/Tripoli) and Michel Moawad (Independent/Zgharta) also withdrew from the session. Chouf's Forces of Change MPs Najat Aoun and Mark Daou announced prior to the beginning of the session that they would boycott it and called on the Parliament speaker to ask for sessions to elect a president "and nothing else." 'A violation of the constitution' Following his party's withdrawal, Sami Gemayel told reporters present in Parliament that his party left the session because they thought it violates the constitution. Gemayel said that, before leaving the session, he told those assembled that "we should elect a president to apply the constitution and any other act is a violation of the constitution." If we accept to organize the vacuum, we are violating the constitution," Gemayel added. "We also think the goal of this session is to create a sectarian problem between the Lebanese; they want the country to go to tensions and chaos," he contined. Replying to allegations about the session triggering sectarian conflicts, Berri was quoted by his office as saying, "hopefully the intentions are clean, and we have discussed similar letters before and nothing happened," before adding, "Does anyone think I could ask for something sectarian?" Shortly after their withdrawal, MPs Ibrahim Mneimneh, Paula Yacoubian, Halime El Kaakour, Elias Jaradeh, Ramy Finge, Firas Hamdan, Michel Douaihy, Melhem Khalaf, Yassin Yassin and Waddah Sadek released a statement saying that "at midnight on Oct. 31" when Aoun's term officially ended, Parliament became "an electoral college that may convene repeatedly only elect a president, and it has no right to discuss anything else." Dialogue The stalled formation of a new cabinet coincides with Parliament's failure to date to elect a successor to Aoun due to lack of consensus between the political parties. On Wednesday, Berri announced that he had abandoned the idea of convening the various political groups for a dialogue session on the presidential election an initiative he had been advocating in order to find a consensus on a successor to Aoun. Berri said the reason for his decision is "the opposition [to the initiative] expressed by two groups: the Lebanese Forces and the Free Patriotic Movement." Shortly before Thursday's the session started, Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai told the LBCI news channel, on the sidelines of his participation in a religious forum in Bahrain, that "leaders can resolve their differences if they sit at the same table [for negotiation]." "I have called for a special conference to be held in the country, under the auspices of the UN, to resolve the points of contention," he added, emphasizing that consensus between the parties for the election of a president must be achieved "through voting and negotiations." BUFFALO (WNE) An increase in acute cases of COVID-19, primarily from the county's long term care facilities, is keeping Johnson County Healthcare Center fairly busy, the hospital's chief of staff Dr. Ryan Ludwig told the hospital district board of trustees at its October meeting. Recently, there has been a fairly rapid increase of COVID infections not only that we're seeing here at the hospital, but also at local assisted living facilities as well as the Vets Home," Ludwig said. As of Oct. 26, Johnson County had 26 positive COVID-19 cases and is experiencing a medium transmission rate, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. The hospital has been kept busy by this latest spike. Providers have been visiting some COVID-19 patients in the community's long-term care facilities, Family Medical Clinic director Miranda Camino told the hospital board. In total, the hospital had eight patients hospitalized with COVID-19 throughout October, the most the facility has had since January, Kristina Duarte, the healthcare center's infection preventionist said. Those cases all came from high-risk people in the community that live communally, she said. That's on track with what the rest of the country is experiencing in terms of COVID-19 hospitalizations, Duarte said. High-risk populations, which include older adults and those with preexisting conditions, are more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19. Duarte attributes the uptick in cases locally to the prevalence of the highly contagious Omicron variant of the virus and fewer, if any, COVID-19 precautions being taken. SUNDANCE (WNE) Karey Hedlund of Moorcroft has accepted a plea deal related to the 16 separate counts of child abuse and one of aggravated assault and battery with which she was originally charged. Hedlunds alleged victims, some of her adopted children, accuse her of years of mental and physical abuse. According to reports from a Crook County Sheriffs Office deputy, an investigation was launched at the beginning of June, 2021 in response to a report of abusive and neglectful behavior. The victims reported numerous incidents of cruel and physical abuse at Hedlunds hands. At the change of plea hearing, Judge James Michael Causey approved a plea agreement in which Hedlund will plead guilty to one charge of felony child abuse involving slapping a juvenile victim in the mouth and one charge of felony child abuse involving hitting a juvenile victims hands with a mallet. Hedlund also agreed to plead no contest to a felony child abuse charge involving cruel confinement, in which she is alleged to have locked a juvenile victim in a room. All three counts carry a maximum penalty of ten years of incarceration, a $10,000 fine or both. The court having decreed that Hedlund is guilty of all three counts, a pre-sentence investigation will now be completed by the Wyoming Department of Corrections, Field Services Division, prior to sentencing. The court reserves the right to reject or accept the plea agreement on receipt of the results of this investigation. CHEYENNE Wyoming National Guard Adjutant General Greg Porter reported an increase in sexual assault incidents, equal employment opportunity complaints and concerns in the past year, testifying to state lawmakers Wednesday. A report on such cases must be presented annually to the Joint Transportation, Highways and Military Affairs Committee, per a 2022 law. Porter successfully backed the mandate during the last interim. About every 68 seconds, someone in the United States is sexually assaulted, Porter said. If were going to bring that a little bit closer to Wyoming, the average forcible rape per 100,000 in the United States is 38. Wyoming sits at 57, among the top 10 in forcible rapes in the U.S. He cited a 2018 University of Wyoming survey finding that nearly a third of female students had experienced some sort of sexual assault in their lives, which followed the national average. Its a systemic problem in this country, he said. Victims that we have in the Military Department fall along that same line. There were 16 cases of sexual assault reported in fiscal year 2022, up from six in 2021. Nine in the latest year were deemed as restricted, meaning the chain of command wasnt notified of the details, but the victim can receive services. Seven were unrestricted. Of the unrestricted cases, three had occurred in previous years and were recently reported. Six unrestricted cases were women younger than 24, with the alleged male perpetrator equal in rank, if they were a service member. The seventh unrestricted case involved two men. Five of the seven victims were acquainted with their perpetrator, and the assault occurred after work hours and away from duty locations. Four incidents happened in Wyoming; three involved alcohol. None of the assaults occurred during a drill weekend, or during or after military events. Porter said the Wyoming Military Department has a total of 731 women in it at any given point. He said if you extrapolate the UW survey findings to his department, its still a tremendous amount of folks that are experiencing sexual assault. The adjutant general said its shocking, and society, the nation and state must address it. He said he still doesnt believe there is a culture of sexual violence in the Wyoming military, but he is concerned that service members are assaulted. My goal is that we have no perpetrators in the Wyoming National Guard, he said. Number two is those victims that we do have feel free to report and receive services from the Wyoming Military Department and Department of Defense without fear of any retaliation or embarrassment. Lastly, our focus continues to go on prevention. Rep. Mark Baker, R-Green River, shared concerns there may be underreporting. He wants service members to feel as comfortable as possible when coming forward. Porter said he has seen increased reporting, as he expected. He said its a good thing, as long as information is kept confidential for victims and action is taken, if there is the ability to do so. I think we want reporting to go up, knowing what we think we know about sexual assault out there in society at large, he said. One hostile work complaint was appealed to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that was alleged to be gender-based. Four informal complaints were filed with the Military Department, and one was withdrawn. All were nonsexual, and dealt with hostile workplaces. One was related to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate, and two regarded a relationship with a supervisor. There were four incidents informally brought forward, and all were resolved before reaching the complaint process. Porter said no trends were revealed regarding racism, sexism, sex assault, harassment and suicide. Since a 2021 unit survey was already conducted, the next is scheduled for spring. However, inspector general officials conducted unit visits each month to speak with soldiers and airmen and sense the environment. Generalized concerns included the vaccine requirement, compensation issues, and perceived lack of chain-of-command communication. The report found no comments related to gender, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation, which was considered a positive change from 2021. Porter said a new equal employment manager was hired, a prevention workforce team was created, and additional training will be required for personnel. The Wyoming Department of Workforce Services will now accept complaints and act as investigators for work environment cases. Courses include topics like learning about grooming tactics, for all service members, before they go to basic training. Stakeholders applauded the military departments progress. The work we did last year, and where we arrived, has allowed our Military Department to carry forward and bring us this report, said Transportation Committee coChairman Sen. Bill Landen, RCasper. One of the best things we can do yearly is keep an eye on whats going on. Erica Legerski, a senior policy analyst for Gov. Mark Gordon, said the Wyoming Guard has worked well with DWS, and an investigation of the Military Department is being finalized. The report will be available in two or three months, and there have been conversations on how to ensure service members feel safe reporting. A Guard member who served for 17 years and moved to the Colorado Air Reserve after reporting a toxicculture said she backed these efforts. Marilyn Burden was a media whistleblower, and she pushed for the legislation that was ultimately passed. She said sex assault and harassment is a problem not only in the local community, but across the globe. She said the Wyoming Guardis a microcosm of this. I appreciate all the efforts of everything that everyone has done, she said. Im not afraid of increased reports. I dont necessarily think that means increased sexual assaults. I agree with the general; it just means that maybe people are trusting the system more, and then we can take care of victims. T&Ts Heritage and Stabilisation Fund (HSF) declined by 15.14 per cent between January 1, 2022 and June 30, 2022, according to the two quarterly reports for the Fund for this year. The HSF reports, which are published on the Ministry of Finance website, indicate that at the start of 2022, the value of the assets in the Fund totaled US$5.62 billion. At the end of March 2022, the total net asset value of the HSF was US$5.29 billion, approximately US$323.63 million lower than the previous quarters closing value. And at the end of June 2022, the total net asset value of the HSF was US$4.77 bllion, approximately US$528 million lower than the previous quarters closing value of US$5,299.5 million. The festive Christmas season is upon us, coupled with the excitement of the World Cup tournament! Its only fitting that we look into another common digestive issue that can often put a damper on our ability to enjoy life. If this topic captured your attention, then you must be all too familiar with the fiery discomfort in your stomach that rises to your chest after youve had a meal. Youve tasted that sourness or bitterness at the back of your mouth, or have had that burning wave that hits your throat and turns your voice hoarse. AN 89-year-old woman was found dead in Tunapuna yesterday morning after a fire at her home. The deceased has been identified as Zubida Mohammed of Prescott Lane in Tunapuna. Residents of the area told the Express that around 8.45 a.m. they heard a loud explosion, and then observed flames coming from one of the rooms of the bottom floor of the two-storey home. With the latest Commission of Enquiry into the Paria tragedy and all the brouhaha, angst and The former student accused of fatally shooting a University of Arizona professor continued to harass staff members from the hydrology and atmospheric sciences department even after he had been issued a no contact order from the school, records show. Also, San Diego State University police contacted the UA in September to report similar complaints of harassment of school employees by Murad Dervish, who had attended school there, UA police case reports show. Dervish, 46, entered the John W. Harshbarger Building on Oct. 5 and shot Professor Thomas Meixner, the head of the schools hydrology and atmospheric sciences department, in an office, authorities said previously. Since October 2021, Dervish, who was a graduate student at the time, had ongoing issues with the schools hydrology and atmospheric sciences department. Due to these issues, Dervish was dismissed from his degree program and his employment as a graduate student a month later, records show. Dervish had blamed the department members for his dismissal, focusing his attention on two of the departments professors: Christopher Castro and Eyad Atallah, records show. He had continually sent them harassing email and text messages, usually using profanity and concluding with the sentiment that someone should blow their heads off, the police reports state. The issues were not originally addressed criminally because there was an ongoing administrative appeal process that was taking place, and staff members wanted that process to resolve before taking legal action, records show. Dervish was eventually issued an administrative no contact order on March 8, specifically identifying the two professors as well as Meixner and a fourth staff person as the protected parties. Despite the order, Dervish continued to send messages to the professors even after the administrative process ended. As a result, one of the professors, Castro, was granted an Order of Protection through the Pima County Justice Court on Aug. 8, records show. The order had yet to be served despite multiple attempts to contact Dervish at his residence, the released records state. On Sept. 6, the UA Police Department was contacted by the San Diego State University Police Department regarding Dervish. That department had recently taken a report from some of the schools faculty regarding his harassing behavior, records say. They told UA police that Dervish has been a student at the university a couple of years ago and had issues with some faculty members, sending them emails that included expletives and concluding with him recommending that someone should blow their head off, records show. Although he had left the university a couple of years ago, he still continued to send emails, the UA police reports say. Due to threatening comments that Dervish has made over the last several months, staff within the department are on edge, and there is an underlying level of concern that he may try and show up on campus and cause harm to those he feels are responsible for his dismissal. While the concerns from the staff are real and warranted, there is no indication that Dervish intends to return to campus, records show. In addition to the professors, Dervishs threats caused the UA assistant dean of students to work from home for two days because she just doesnt know what this guy will do. She had supervised Dervishs appeal process and had many contentious meetings and emails with him, records say. Dervish has been indicted on charges of first-degree murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited possessor, endangerment and burglary. He is being held without bond at the Pima County jail. The University of Arizona made a big stride toward its goal to spend $1 billion on research and development by 2025 this week. On Wednesday, the university whose research expenditures already ranks it among the highest in the nation for a public institution announced that Gov. Doug Ducey has designated $150 million in funding for the UA Health Sciences new Phoenix-based Center for Advanced Molecular and Immunological Therapies. The Steele Foundation, an Arizona-based charitable foundation, also earmarked an additional $2 million for the center as part of a larger $10 million philanthropic donation to the university. Research at the new center will focus on the immunology of cancers, autoimmune conditions and infectious diseases. Having more specific, nuanced information about these afflictions will also allow the center to be at the forefront of advancing precision medicine. Instead of using the same treatments for all patients, precision medicine is a newer approach that accounts for an individual patients genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors in building their treatment plan. There is not a field with more explosive growth than immunotherapy. We are seeing rapid growth in research investments and increased formation of academic and industry partnerships around the world, Dr. Michael D. Dake, senior vice president for the University of Arizona Health Sciences, said in a news release. CAMI will open new doors of discovery and advance precision medicine to improve health and human potential for people across Arizona and around the world. The center is still in the early stages of development. In 2024, its expected to temporarily open on the second floor of the Biomedical Sciences Partnership building on the campus of the UAs medical school in Phoenix. The permanent home for the center is expected to open in 2025 and will be located in downtown Phoenix within the Phoenix Bioscience Core, which is a city-led initiative aimed at bringing education and bioresearch to the area. Moreover, the UA anticipates that basing the center in Phoenix will build partnerships with other nearby research institutions including, Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, the Mayo Clinic and the Translational Genomics Research Institute. The centers research will address both adult and pediatric medicine. Using the UAs existing expertise in basic science, translational medicine and investigator-initiated clinical trials, the center will focus on growing immunotherapies research in cancers, infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases and real-time immune system monitoring. The Steele Foundations $2 million gift is specifically geared toward advancing research in autoimmune diseases that affect children, like Type 1 diabetes, juvenile arthritis, lupus, inflammatory bowel disease and celiac disease. Marianne Cracchiolo Mago, president and CEO of the Steele Foundation, said the centers proposed mission inspired the foundation to be the first to make a donation. Its compelling to have pediatric and adult researchers collaborating under one roof and feels like a huge opportunity for CAMI to become a national model in research and discovery, Cracchiolo Mago said. And beyond the obvious benefit of developing better treatments for serious illnesses, the centers opening in downtown Phoenix is also expected to enhance economic growth. An economic analysis report prepared by Tempe-based Rounds Consulting group estimated that within 10 years of opening, the center could attract more than 150 companies to greater Phoenix, and in-turn create some 7,500 new bioscience-related jobs and 13,000 supporting jobs. Ducey, whose outgoing administration has prioritized economic development across the state, characterized the center as a rare opportunity that will benefit Arizonans in many different aspects. As it grows, CAMI is poised to bring new jobs and businesses to Arizona, bolstering the economy not only in Maricopa County, but also across the state, Ducey said. More importantly, the research CAMI will advance and bring to fruition offers Arizona residents the hope of new treatments that will positively impact their health and well-being. ALGIERS, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- After a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 31st session of the Arab League (AL) summit concluded here on Wednesday with the adoption of the Algiers Declaration. Analysts believe that significant consensus achieved at the conference could help tackle new and old issues plaguing Arab states, and the collective call for more global cooperation would also bring more regional development opportunities. FOOD, ENERGY The two-day summit came at a time when new challenges are dramatically reshaping the region's agenda. In an opening address to the summit, AL Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said the region was central to global energy supplies and their prices, a primary victim of climate change and water scarcity, and one whose food security faces grave danger. With development challenges in the Arab world, including food and energy security, at the center of the agenda of the summit, he called for an "integrated Arab vision" to deal with the pressing issues. According to the declaration, the Arab leaders called for cooperation in ensuring food and energy security, confronting climate change and ending the crises in some Arab countries. Experts believe an Arab consensus on common development issues could enhance regional cohesion. Taoufik Boukadeh, a professor at the University of Algiers, said that the Arab leaders attached great importance to economic cooperation to ensure the security of the Arab food basket and reduce dependence on imports. Ding Long, a professor at the Middle East Studies Institute of Shanghai International Studies University, noted that given the enormous challenges facing the Arab world, it is meaningful for the leaders to sit together and reach agreements on issues including development as well as food and energy security. REGIONAL STABILITY The Arab leaders also agreed on holding unwavering stands for preserving regional peace and unity, especially concerning Palestine, Syria, Yemen, Libya and Lebanon. In the opening address, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune reiterated the centrality of the decades-old Palestinian cause, calling it "the mother of all questions." The declaration also said that the leaders reiterated their full support for establishing an independent Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital while urging Israel to halt its attacks against Palestinians and end its blockade on the Gaza Strip. Algeria had hosted talks among Palestinian factions over the past months to discuss a proposal for reconciliation that would pave the way for the elections to establish a national unity government. Several weeks before the summit, a total of 14 Palestinian factions, including the Fatah party and Hamas, signed a reconciliation deal in Algiers to end their 15-year-long division in the presence of Tebboune. According to Azzam al-Ahmed, head of the Fatah delegation, they signed the agreement to get rid of the "malignant cancer of division that has entered the Palestinian body" and remain optimistic about its outcome. One of the significant achievements at the summit was the common ground of Arab states on voicing support for the Palestine cause, Boukadeh noted. SEEKING CLOSER COOPERATION With the influence of external forces waning in recent years, relations between Middle East countries have improved, and different factions have also developed in a more balanced direction. All this has helped create a shared aspiration among regional states to seek their own development path. Aboul Gheit said that Arab states need to strengthen their partnership worldwide more than ever, adding that they look forward to the first China-Arab summit and the fifth Arab-African Summit, both to be held in Saudi Arabia. Analysts believe that Arab countries' seeking more cooperation outside the region will bring more development opportunities and contribute to regional stability. Li Weijian, senior fellow of the Shanghai Institute for International Studies, said that Arab countries are forming new commonalities, including a focus on domestic development, regional issues and international relations, which will open up a new phase for the AL. A group dedicated to ripping out old livestock fences to clear the way for wildlife is now taking aim at abandoned barbed wire in Oro Valley. After years of work mostly in Avra Valley, the self-described Desert Fence Busters will hold their first and possibly last removal project along Big Wash in Oro Valley on Saturday. Carolyn Campbell from the nonprofit Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection said the half-day event will target the only known patches of old fencing in the area about 3 miles worth that represents a barrier and possible hazard to animals using the wildlife bridge and underpass on north Oracle Road. Some of these fences have been around for a hundred years and have no current purpose, Campbell said. But what they do is block the movement of wildlife between the Catalina and Tortolita mountain ranges. Livestock fences can divert or even snare deer, bighorn sheep, javelina and other large animals, further fragmenting desert landscapes already broken up by roads, utility corridors and residential developments. A team of government agencies and conservation groups has been hard at work on the problem in Avra Valley for the past several years, inspired in part by a pair of bighorns that crossed the Central Arizona Project canal and made their way into the west side of Saguaro National Park in 2016. In addition to removing fences that are no longer in use, participating agencies are modifying their own still-functioning barriers wherever possible to make them more wildlife friendly. Partners in the effort include the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, Arizona Game and Fish Department, Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection, Friends of Ironwood Forest, Friends of Saguaro National Park, Friends of Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, Tucson Audubon Society, Arizona Wildlife Federation and others. The group now dubbed the Desert Fence Busters has already taken down and hauled away literal tons of wire and posts, opening up miles of new travel corridors for animals. No one knows just how much more fencing remains, but the problem is believed to be widespread. These old fences, everybodys got them, Campbell said. Its a really big problem for wildlife movement out there. During the groups most recent event on Oct. 15, a crew of 21 people tore down two miles of old fencing and hauled away roughly 4,000 pounds of material from Avra Valley. Saturdays volunteer event is focused on land in and around Big Wash managed by the Pima County Regional Flood Control District. Barbed wire fences can stop large animals, change their movement patterns, and keep them away from water and food sources they need to survive, said Marisa Rice, the flood districts open space lands manager. We are pleased to work with a diverse mixture of local public and private groups and volunteers to join together on a common ground issue. Campbell said they already have all the volunteers they need for Saturday, but the Desert Fence Busters would welcome some help with future projects, including the next one slated for Dec. 9-11 in Avra Valley. More information and an online sign-up form are available on the coalitions website at: www.sonorandesert.org/learning-more/wildlife-linkages-2/desertfencebusters/. Campbell has been pleasantly surprised so far by the number of volunteers willing to join the cause. Its hard work, but people seem to love it, she said. Videos: Southern Arizona wildlife caught on camera Downtown Tucson got a rare visit from a wild coatimundi. Just an ordinary bike ride ... following a bear Bobcats play in Tucson backyard Watch now: Bear sightings reported around Pima County Watch now: Bobcats playing on an Oro Valley Golf Course Watch now: Mountain Lion strolls outside home in Tucson Foothills Watch Now: Trail cameras catch mountain lions at Tucson home. Watch now: Family of bears takes a stroll in southeastern Arizona Watch Now: Mountain lion roaming in the Coronado National Memorial Watch now: Ding, dong! Bobcat filmed by front door camera in Tucson Watch now: Bear captured in Sierra Vista neighborhood, released Watch now: A cool cat takes a cool nap in the Foothills Watch now: Young bear seen in NW Tucson captured and released Watch now: Bear spotted rummaging through trash can in Oro Valley Watch now: Bobcat's breakfast near Oro Valley Watch now: Breakfast with the deer on Tumamoc Watch now: Bobcat kitten plays with mother behind Tucson residence Watch now: Rescued porcupine released back into wild Watch now: Bobcat kittens play in a dry fountain Watch now: Bobcat stops by Tucson waterhole for an overnight drink Watch Now: Collared bobcat raises kittens in Tucson neighborhood Watch now: Javelina family takes an evening stroll in midtown Tucson Watch now: Bobcat plays with its kitten in Tucson backyard Watch now: Mountain lion seen up-close on camera outside Tucson home Watch now: Bobcats in love in the Tucson area Watch Now: Family of deer eating breakfast on Tumamoc Hill Watch now: A hummingbird plays in the sprinkler Watch now: Breakfast time for the Quail family in the Tucson area Watch now: Frequent visitor to northwest Tucson home munches on meal worms Watch now: Playful lizards visit a Tucson back yard Watch now: Startled mountain lion at Loews Ventana Canyon Watch now: A true lounge lizard in Tucson Watch now: A spotted skunk threatens the worst at Saguaro National Park Watch now: Bobcat makes himself at home Watch now: Mountain lion outside a home in the Tucson Mountain foothills Watch now: Family of bobcats spotted in Foothills back yard Watch now: Backpackers intense standoff with mountain lion near Tucson Watch now: Javelina rescued from trash can in Foothills neighborhood Watch now: Owl takes a bath in trough on Tucson's northwest side Watch now: Coyote pups play in front yard near Tucson Estates Bighorn sheep scatter in Catalina Mountains during aerial survey Counting sheep: Arizona Game and Fish to survey bighorns near Tucson Watch now: Bears splish-splash at springs in Rincon Mountains east of Tucson Watch now: Bobcat vs. snake in Tucson yard Watch now: Bighorn sheep enjoy post-monsoon greenery near Tucson Watch now: Bear has a rub-a-dub in watering hole near Tucson It looks real enough, until you start reading the articles. The Arizona Catholic Tribune arrived in mailboxes across the state over the last week or so, confusing recipients and upsetting the Catholic Church. The lead headline says Kelly Co-Sponsored Bill Bishops Call Most Unjust and Extreme...Ever Seen. The story was critical of Sen. Mark Kelly, a Democrat, and almost all the content either supported Republicans, denigrated Democrats, or both. Even state Senate Pres. Karen Fann appeared to be fooled into thinking that it was an official Catholic newspaper, not the partisan mailer that it is. In a tweet Monday, she said, Arizona Catholic Tribune scores catholic congressmen. Mark Kelly and Greg Stanton = F Tom OHalleran = D David Schweikert = A. In fact, the publication has nothing to do with the Catholic Church, which rebuked it in a statement, noting that the use of the term Catholic in the name without permission violates Church teaching and law. The Arizona Catholic Conference has its own publication, the Arizona Catholic Sun, and the church has a policy of remaining non-partisan. The Arizona Catholic Tribune appears to be part of a network of more than 1,200 conservative websites and publications that have emerged in recent years, exploiting the decline of small local newspapers. Although the Tribune discloses almost nothing about its origins, the papers layout, headline style, bylines, slogan and content match those of the network run by Metric Media LLC. Laurie A. Luebbert is the byline above the story about Kelly and another front-page story. That name also appears on bylines of stories in the New Mexico Sun, the Lansing (Michigan) Sun, the Old North News, the Houston Daily and the Minnesota Catholic Tribune, among other sites. If she really exists, she is extremely productive. Many Metric Media publications bear the slogan Real data. Real news. The slogan of the Arizona Catholic Tribune is Real data. Real value. Real news. Thats also the slogan of the Grand Canyon Times, a similar publication distributed in Arizona, which acknowledges being published by Metric Media. Metric Media was established to fill the void in community news after years of decline in local reporting by legacy media, says an explanation on the Grand Canyon Times website. This site is one of hundreds nationwide to inform citizens about news in their local communities. An investigation by the Tow Center for Digital Journalism and Columbia Journalism Review found that advocacy groups have paid for coverage in these news sites. They reported, This network acts as a convergence of special interests for free-market advocates, multiple political action committees, the fossil fuel industry, a politically motivated Catholic group, and a group propagating notions of election fraud. Brian Timpone, one of the main stakeholders in Metric, has long worked to create low-cost, automated journalism. A 2012 episode of the radio program This American Life exposed how his previous company used fake bylines, fake quotes and plagiarized content. There are also left-leaning publications that have attempted to fill the same void left by disappeared local newspapers. The Copper Courier in Arizona, for example, is part of Courier Newsroom, a network of publications established by a former Democratic operative that has often pushed Democratic candidates. The lead headline at the Couriers website Thursday: Blake Masters Threatens Gridlock, Government Shutdown Over His Racist Immigration Proposals. The Metric Media network, though, appears to be much bigger than any other similar effort. The Arizona Catholic Tribune was mailed from Kansas City, Missouri. Tim Steller Who is Citizens for Sanity? You probably have seen the large, often sarcastic ads in the pages of the Star. Or maybe you have caught the radio ads. In either case, Citizens for Sanity is spending big to mock leftists and Democrats in Arizona, thereby supporting Republicans. They do not, however, directly support specific candidates. One ad in the Star, from September, said Dont be a racist, cisgender colonizer. Support Mark Kelly and keep our borders open. Thats the usual tone. But who is Citizens for Sanity? In short, it appears to be a campaign effort by Trump administration alumni. Open Secrets, a group that investigates money in politics, pointed out in a September article that three former officials in the Trump administration play key roles in Citizens for Sanity: Gene Hamilton, John Zadrozny and Ian Prior. Those three also are involved in the America First Legal Foundation, which was established by Trumps hardline immigration advisor, Stephen Miller. That foundation has launched ads claiming the Biden administration is pushing radical gender experiments and anti-white bigotry. Tim Steller Early ballots flowing in The Pima County Recorders office had received 175,492 early ballots as of Thursday. Thats out of about 488,000 early ballots sent out, or about 36 percent of the total. According to data analysis from the Arizona Republic, 1,051,655 statewide ballots have been returned so far 420,562 from Democrats, 381,998 from Republicans and 249,095 from independents or members of other parties. The deadline has passed for voters to mail in early ballots and ensure they are received by the county recorders office in time to be counted by Election Day on Nov. 8. However, early ballots can still be dropped off at any of Pima Countys 15 early voting centers. Early voting increased during the August primaries, with early ballots accounting for about 86% of total ballots cast in Pima County, up from 63% in 2020s primary election, according to the county recorder. The first drop of election results is anticipated to be released about 8 p.m. on Tuesday. Nicole Ludden Finchem gets international scrutiny National and international news organizations continue to focus on Oro Valleys Mark Finchem as they cover Arizonas move toward election denialism. On 60 Minutes Sunday, Finchem once again claimed fraudulent votes had been inserted into Pima Countys tally based on an anonymous email that said so. Its an open question. I want to know, was there a possibility that this happened, Finchem said, before claiming proof. He didnt really have it, as reporter Scott Pelley noted. The Guardian, too, has had an English-accented reporter chasing down Finchem. When he asked Finchem about why he had voted by mail 28 times if he thinks its an insecure way of voting, Finchem said he only started voting in person once he lost trust in the early balloting system. Pressed on the issue, Finchem eventually got angry and said, You guys are frauds. Tim Steller El Salvador fights gangs by destroying members' tombstones SANTA TECLA, El Salvador (AP) El Salvadors government has taken its efforts against the countrys powerful street gangs to another level by sending inmates into cemeteries to destroy the tombs of gang members at a time of year when families typically visit their loved ones graves. Armed with sledgehammers and pry bars, inmates broke up tombs marked with MS, of the Mara Salvatrucha gang in a San Salvador suburb Tuesday. Santa Tecla Mayor Henry Flores says the crews had destroyed nearly 80 tombstones in the municipal cemetery and erased gang-related graffiti. Our plan is that there is no graffiti so the people feel safe. Family of bullied Utah girl who died by suicide files claim SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Attorneys representing the family of a Black fifth grader in Utah who died by suicide alerted a northern Utah school district on Wednesday they plan to file a lawsuit seeking damages for their inadequate response to bullying. They said in a letter to Foxboro Elementary School and the Davis School District that Brittany Tichenor-Cox planned to seek $14 million in damages for the death of her daughter Isabella Izzy Tichenor. Tichenor died by suicide after months of being bullied over her race, disabilities and for being homeless. Attorneys argued in a letter that the school and its administrators had violated state and federal laws meant to protect students. Musk: People banned from Twitter won't be restored for weeks NEW YORK (AP) Elon Musk says Twitter will not allow anyone who has been kicked off the site to return until it sets up procedures on how to do that a process that will take at least a few weeks. That would mean people banned from the site for violating Twitters rules for harassment, violence, or election and COVID-related misinformation will not be able to return before next Tuesdays U.S. midterm elections. The pledge came after Musk met with a handful of civil-society leaders Tuesday. Meeting attendees said they asked Musk not to restore the accounts of banned users before the midterm. They also requested Twitter to have a transparent process on how it plans to restore accounts and enforce election integrity measures are already in place. Autopsy: Takeoff died from gunshot wounds to head, torso HOUSTON (AP) Authorities say rapper Takeoff died from gunshot wounds to the head and torso following a shooting outside a private party at a downtown Houston bowling alley. Wednesday's announcement following an autopsy comes as police are still seeking the publics help in tracking down the person or persons responsible for the rappers death a day earlier. Takeoffs primary cause of death is listed as penetrating gunshot wounds of head and torso into arm and his manner of death was called homicide. The 28-year-old rapper was killed around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday when gunfire erupted outside the bowling alley following a private party. Takeoff formed one-third of the Grammy Award-nominated rap trio Migos from suburban Atlanta. Woman says humiliation kept her silent on Weinstein assault LOS ANGELES (AP) A massage therapist has told a jury that Harvey Weinstein sexually assaulted her after an appointment at a Beverly Hills hotel in 2010. Testifying Wednesday at the former movie mogul's Los Angeles trial, the woman said Weinstein came into the bathroom, blocked the door, masturbated and groped her breasts after the massage. She said she reluctantly agreed to see Weinstein three more times in the months that followed, and had similar experiences. She said the embarrassment she felt at allowing that to happen kept her silent about her assault for years. Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to 11 sexual assault counts and has denied engaging in any non-consensual sex. Climate activists get a month in prison for Vermeer protest THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) Two Belgian activists who targeted Johannes Vermeers Girl with a Pearl Earring in a climate protest last week have been sentenced to two months in prison, with prosecutors saying their action crossed a line of acceptable protest. Half of the sentence was suspended by a judge in The Hague at a hearing Wednesday, meaning the men will serve one month. A third suspect is due in court Friday. Their identities were not released, in line with Dutch privacy rules. One man glued his head to glass protecting the 17th-century masterpiece at the Mauritshuis museum in The Hague while another poured a can of thickened tomato soup over his head. The painting was not damaged. Filmmaker Haggis takes stand to 'clear my name' in rape suit NEW YORK (AP) Filmmaker Paul Haggis told jurors on Wednesday that it was years before he learned that a woman now accusing him of rape saw their sexual encounter as anything other than consensual. The Oscar-winning screenwriter and director took the stand Wednesday to begin what could be days of testimony. His accuser, a publicist, testified earlier that he forced her to perform oral sex and then raped her in 2013 as she repeatedly told him no. Haggis says the encounter was consensual and that she never indicated otherwise until her attorneys let him know in 2017 about the allegation. Breest sued late that year. What are the 500 best albums? Rolling Stone has an answer NEW YORK (AP) Is Fleetwood Macs landmark album Rumours better than To Pimp a Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar? Should Tapestry by Carole King be ranked higher or lower than Thriller by Michael Jackson? Rolling Stone magazine has some answers in a new book thats sure to spark conversations The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. But if you disagree with the rankings, dont blame the folks at Rolling Stone. Blame Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Nile Rodgers, Questlove, Billie Eilish, Herbie Hancock, Saweetie, Lin-Manuel Miranda and members of Metallica and U2, among dozens of other artists. They were among the judges. Psychedelic 'magic mushroom' drug may ease some depression A preliminary study says the psychedelic chemical in magic mushrooms may ease depression in some hard-to-treat patients. The effects in a study released Wednesday were modest but they occurred with a single dose in people who previously had gotten little relief from standard antidepressants. The study is part of a resurgence of research into potential medical uses of hallucinogenic drugs, and the results echo findings in smaller studies of the mushroom compound psilocybin. The compound was taken by capsule during medically supervised sessions lasting up to eight hours. The researchers say larger and longer studies are needed to determine the effectiveness and safety of using the chemical for depression. Going to win $1.2B Powerball prize? Consider not taking cash DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Think youre a sure bet to win an estimated $1.2 billion Powerball jackpot? If so, you need to decide whether to take cash, which would actually pay out $596.7 million, or choose the $1.2 billion annuity option that is twice as large but is paid out over 29 years. The numbers drawn Wednesday night were: 2, 11, 22, 35, 60 and the red powerball 23. Winners of giant jackpots nearly always take the cash, and financial advisors say that might be a mistake. Nicholas Bunio, a certified financial planner from Downingtown, Pennsylvania, said that even with his expertise, he would take an annuity because it would so dramatically reduce his risk of making an investment mistake. Plus, will travel snarls ease so you can get where you're going for Thanksgiving today? Here are today's top stories, celebrity birthdays, a look back at this date in history, and more -- all you need to know before to grandmother's house you go. WASHINGTON A lawyer for a man on Arizonas death row told the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday that jurors in the case were wrongly told that a death sentence was the only way to ensure he would never walk free. The man, John Montenegro Cruz, was convicted of the 2003 murder of Tucson police officer Patrick Hardesty. Cruz argued that the jury should have been informed he would be ineligible for parole if spared from death. Cruz says Arizona has been defying the Supreme Court on the issue. Cruzs lawyer, Neal Katyal, says efforts to tell the jury that Cruz was not parole-eligible were rejected. Arizona says Cruz failed to make the precise requests he needed to under Supreme Court precedent. At least one juror has said that had she known that a life sentence without parole was an alternative to death, she would have voted for that option. The case is important not only for Cruz but also for other inmates on death row in Arizona who are in the same situation. Hardesty and another officer were investigating a hit-and-run crash that led them to Cruz, who attempted to flee and shot Hardesty five times. A 1994 Supreme Court case, Simmons v. South Carolina, says that in certain death penalty cases, jurors must be told that choosing a life sentence means life without the possibility of parole. Thats required when prosecutors argue that the defendant will pose a threat to society in the future. In a 2016 case, Lynch v. Arizona, the Supreme Court told Arizona directly that it needed to comply with Simmons. But Cruz says Arizona has continued to defy the high court. It sounds like youre thumbing your nose at us, Justice Elena Kagan told lawyer Joseph Kanefield, who argued for Arizona. The case is not necessarily one that will divide the court between its six conservative and three liberal justices. In addition to Kagan, the courts two other liberal justices, Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, suggested Cruz should get a new penalty phase of his trial where its clear to jurors that hes ineligible for parole if hes not sentenced to death. PHOENIX Clean Elections USA will not appeal a late Tuesday ruling by a federal judge blocking most of what they can do while watching ballot boxes. The move ends any litigation against the group by the League of Women Voters, which convinced Judge Michael Liburdi to issue a temporary restraining order barring everything from taking pictures of people dropping their ballots into the boxes to prohibiting anyone who is openly armed or dressed in body armor from being within 250 feet of the drop boxes. But the decision is not one sided. In exchange, attorneys for the Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans have agreed to drop their request that the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals issue an emergency order granting the relief they sought against Clean Elections USA in a separate lawsuit, a ruling that did not go their way. Most of the issues effectively were resolved with the Tuesday temporary restraining order. But that order did not cover something that AARA had sought and that Liburdi never granted: a prohibition against members of Clean Elections USA from gathering within sight of drop boxes whether armed or not, or whether taking photos or not. In fact, the Tuesday order does not impair members of the organization continuing to monitor drop boxes as long as they are at least 75 feet away and as long as they do not take videos of those within that perimeter. Liburdis restraining order affects only the activities of members of Clean Elections USA and its founder, Melody Jennings. It does not and cannot bar similar acts by other individuals or organizations as they were not named as defendants in either lawsuit. It remains to be seen, though, whether others who claim to be watching for mules dropping off more ballots than allowed by Arizona law the claim that Jennings made about why members of her organization were monitoring the boxes will take up the actions that she and her group are now prohibited from doing. Wednesdays deal points up the difference between the two lawsuits. Both sought to restrain various actions by Clean Elections USA, though the relief sought differed. But Liburdi tossed the AARA action saying the group presented no evidence that any voter actually had been threatened or intimidated. Absent that, the judge said, he had to side with the First Amendment rights of individuals to not only monitor drop boxes but even to take videos of people pulling up to the boxes and dropping in their ballots. By contrast, lawyers for Project Democracy, representing the League of Women Voters, brought witnesses to court Tuesday detailing what they described as being placed in fear due to the activities of the box watchers. Other witnesses, members of LWV, told the judge they were afraid to approach the boxes to drop off their ballots. Liburdi noted Tuesday that Jennings herself put up posts on social media saying it was the intent of her organization to intimidate those who would violate Arizonas ballot harvesting law. And she identified those pictured who were monitoring the boxes as belonging to her group, undermining claims by her attorneys there was no evidence linking her or Clean Elections USA to the activities. The judge said he was not minimizing the First Amendment rights of people to gather on a public sidewalk and watch at a distance. But Liburdi said that needs to be balanced against the right of people to vote without fear and intimidation. I believe that the temporary restraining order achieves that purpose, he said. In agreeing to drop its emergency request to the 9th Circuit, AARA President Saundra Cole said that was no longer necessary. The temporary restraining order (issued by Liburdi in the League case) covers the harassment and intimidation tactics we were primarily concerned about, she said in a prepared statement. Cole did not address the fact that Liburdi refused to give her organization the broader relief it sought to prohibit members of Clean Elections USA from even gathering within sight of the drop boxes. But it likely would have been difficult to get such an order absent some showing that the mere presence of box watchers, deprived of their ability to video voters, is in some way intimidating. Of note is that while Coles organization is dropping its bid for that emergency order, it is not withdrawing its appeal. That paves the way for the federal appellate court to look at the issue of what is and is not allowed around ballot boxes ahead of the 2024 election. Recent Arizona history tells us that there may be more challenges to our democracy, Cole said, saying her group will continue to do whatever we can to ensure all older voters can make their voices heard at the ballot box. And a spokesman for Project Democracy said its lawyers are still considering all their options about whether to pursue more than the 14-day restraining order that Liburdi issued. In ruling in favor of the League, Liburdi did more than restrain their ability to videotape voters and be within 250 feet of ballot boxes if visibly armed. It also bars group members from speaking to or yelling at individuals who are returning their ballots to a drop box unless they are spoken to or yelled at first. His order also prohibits members of Clean Elections USA from posting images of or identifying voters with claims they are violating state law solely because they deposited more than one ballot in a drop box. The judge pointed out that state law does permit individuals to handle not only their own voted ballots but also those of family members, those in the same household and for those for whom they are caregivers. Brittany Gudino fell in love with baking while watching the Food Network as a child. Even though she grew up in a partial Filipino household, baking wasnt initially a big part of her childhood. Instead, she grew up making traditional Filipino cuisine like lumpia, sinigang, chicken adobo and pancit. But she was so inspired by the cooking and baking shows she watched when she was young so young that she was barely old enough to start school that she recalls telling her kindergarten class that she wanted to be a baker when she grew up, despite having never even baked before. By the age of 7, she was attempting to follow dessert recipes of Food Network chefs and she would have successfully executed the recipes if it werent for a lack of essential baking ingredients like shortening, baking soda and baking powder. I didn't know that baking soda and baking powder are essential ingredients to baking, so I would just skip it and I'd just mix flour and eggs together and sugar and think I was baking, she says. I remember one time when I was a kid I tried to make doughnuts that I saw on Food Network and the recipe list called for shortening and I didn't have that and I thought it was the same thing as oil. So when it called for three cups of shortening, I was like I don't have it, so I just used three cups of oil and it was so bad. I've learned since then how to bake a little bit better, she says. Now, the 30-year-old wife, dog mom and active-duty military member is turning her passion for baking into an official side hustle, with her new baking venture Ube Bae Desserts, which officially opened its (oven) doors on Sept. 1. Though Gudino is still active duty, her latest dessert endeavor isn't affiliated with the military. Ube Bae Desserts creates homemade, small-batch cookies that are filled with ube and love. You can order her sweets by direct messaging her on Instagram and she sometimes makes an appearance at food truck rallies around town. As a certified cottage food home baker, Gudino bakes around 20 dozen ube white chocolate chip and ube crinkle cookies for her customers every week. If you're unfamiliar, ube is often compared to a sweet potato, except it's purple. Some say it tastes nutty or vanilla-like. The vibrant purple homemade cookies cost $12 for a half dozen and $18 for a dozen. Along with the two permanent menu items, Gudino includes a monthly rotating item on the menu, too. Octobers specialty item was an ube whoopie pie complete with ube marshmallow cream sandwiched between two black chocolate cake cookies. The ube whoopie pie is one of Gudinos favorite items that shes ever created. I have like a true addiction to Oreos, like cookies and cream anything, she says. And so the black cake cookie reminds me so much of the Oreo Cakesters, which I love. But then the Filipino twist with the ube marshmallow cream just pushes it all together. Although her baked goods are ube-centric, Gudino plans on experimenting with other flavors that are near and dear to her heart and her Filipino culture. Ideally, Id like my business to expand to feature other Asian-inspired ingredients, she says And bring awareness to different Asian cuisines and baking. Its more than just a purple cookie Gudino wants to make people feel welcomed and excited to try Filipino cuisine with her Filipino-American fusion baked goods. There's so much culture behind Filipino food and the way it's prepared and the way it tastes, she says. And it brings like, for people of Filipino culture, it brings (back) so many memories, especially childhood memories. Having this business really opens the door to educating people and then sharing those experiences. Gudinos parents met in the Philippines, where her mom is native, while her dad was stationed at a Navy base there. Gudino was born in the Philippines but she grew up in the San Diego area. Register for more free articles. Log in Sign up She first fell in love with ube when she was a child. I think because it's (ube is) such a unique thing, she says. Like I remember as a kid having halo-halo, which they have ube ice cream in there, or my mom would buy ube ice cream in the grocery store and I would just love it. But as an adult who traveled to different places due to work, including places in the Midwest like Missouri, she found it difficult to find ube in stores. Fortunately, when Gudino moved to Tucson three years ago, she was able to rediscover the ingredient in stores and fell in love with it all over again. With the encouragement of one of her coworkers, John Viray, who runs a Filipino food truck in Tucson, she decided to turn her passion for ube and baking into a side business last month. I would make my cookies for work sometimes and he's like, You need to sell these, and I'm like, No, no one's gonna buy these, she says. And he's like, You need to sell them, so I was like, OK, let's just see what happens. And here we are. So far, reactions to the cookies have been positive, according to Gudino, who says that shes had a customer finish a pack of cookies within 10 minutes of picking them up and immediately messaging her to order more, and even a customer who gave her a cookbook with a really sweet note in it. Originally, Gudinos idea for her side business' name was going to be Ube Bae Bae (or bay bay, a reference to Hurricane Chris one-hit wonder, A Bay Bay, she jokes). But her close friends thought it was one bae too many and she opted for Ube Bae. Ube Bae is just so catchy, she says. It's way easier to find, easier to say and I wanted to keep something with 'bae' kind of in there. So it was like Ube Baes perfect. Although Gudino officially started Ube Bae at the beginning of September, she already has long-term goals in mind. That includes eventually baking out of a commercial kitchen and participating in the annual Tucson Meet Yourself festival and Fourth Avenue Street Fairs. I love baking, I have passion, she says. My goals were to just take Filipino and Asian cuisine, tie it in with American classics and then expand or get people who normally wouldn't try this type of food to try it and different Asian flavors. To find out more about Ube Bae Desserts or to place an order, check out Gudino's Instagram page. Our Eat + Drink coverage is supported by: Great holiday recipes start with great water! Restaurants, breweries and coffee shops know that clean, pure water is crucial. You can get that at home too with Kinetico Quality Water. Kinetico removes more contaminants than any other system. Get up to $500 off a non-electric, high efficiency, patented Kinetico system (restrictions apply). Visit KineticoTucson.com. What does "supported by" mean? Click here to learn more. Han Zhiqiang, Chinese ambassador to Thailand, delivers a speech at the Thailand-China Investment Forum in Bangkok, Thailand, Nov. 3, 2022. The Thailand-China Investment Forum was held here on Thursday to further enhance economic and investment cooperation between the two countries. (Xinhua) BANGKOK, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Thailand-China Investment Forum was held here on Thursday to further enhance economic and investment cooperation between the two countries. The forum, with the theme of "Connected Growth, Greener Boosts," was co-hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Thailand and the Thai Chamber of Commerce and Board of Trade of Thailand. The event attracted more than 800 online and offline participants from the two countries' business associations and enterprises. While delivering a speech at the forum, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said Thailand hopes to attract more Chinese investment. Thailand supports the China-proposed Global Development Initiative, which is in line with Thailand's Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) economy model, hoping to further synergize its development strategy with China and enhance connectivity, Prayut said. Noting that this year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries, Han Zhiqiang, Chinese ambassador to Thailand, said the China-Thailand relations are standing at a new standing point, and the forum will inject impetus into the cooperation and common development of the two countries. According to data from Thailand's Board of Investment, during the first nine months of this year, China is Thailand's largest source of foreign direct investment (FDI) applications. Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha delivers a speech at the Thailand-China Investment Forum in Bangkok, Thailand, Nov. 3, 2022. The Thailand-China Investment Forum was held here on Thursday to further enhance economic and investment cooperation between the two countries. (Xinhua) The Thailand-China Investment Forum is held in Bangkok, Thailand, Nov. 3, 2022. The Thailand-China Investment Forum was held here on Thursday to further enhance economic and investment cooperation between the two countries. (Xinhua/Wang Teng) House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said her husband, Paul Pelosi, was released from the hospital Thursday after his treatment for injuries from a violent assault last week in which he was attacked with a hammer. Pelosi said, Paul remains under doctors care as he continues to progress on a long recovery process and convalescence. He is now home." Law enforcement officers who responded to the break-in early last Friday witnessed Paul Pelosi being struck in the head with the hammer at least once, according to court documents. Officials said the assault was captured on the officers body cameras. Pelosi was taken to Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center. Speaker Pelosi said her husband was grateful to the 911 operator who directed police to the family residence, emergency responders, ICU staff and the entire hospital staff for their excellent and compassionate life-saving treatment." The Pelosi family is thankful for the beautiful outpouring of love, support and prayers from around the world," she said. Paul Pelosi's release from the hospital comes as a federal official says the Canadian man accused of breaking into their home and attacking him should have been flagged by immigration officials and blocked from getting back into the U.S. after overstaying his authorized entry more than two decades ago. CNN was first to report Pelosi's release from the hospital. David DePape, 42, legally entered the United States in 2000 and later left the country and returned a few times, including entering in March 2008 at San Diegos San Ysidro border crossing, said a U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter. Most Canadians are not required to obtain a visa to enter the U.S. as tourists and can stay for up to six months. The official said it was unclear why U.S. authorities admitted DePape after he overstayed his entry in 2000. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to questions about DePapes entry to the United States after he violated immigration law. It acknowledged in a statement that DePape was allowed into San Diego from Tijuana on March 8, 2008, but didnt address any other entries. San Francisco police said DePape confronted Paul Pelosi in the familys Pacific Heights home Oct. 28 and demanded to know where the House Speaker was. DePape pleaded not guilty to state charges on Tuesday and was ordered held without bail. His public defender, Adam Lipson, said he looks forward to providing him with a vigorous legal defense. DePape faces state charges of attempted murder, burglary and elder abuse. He also faces federal charges including attempted kidnapping of a U.S. official. His state case will continue Friday, though the defendant will not appear in the courtroom. An arraignment on federal charges has not been scheduled. In the state court filing, prosecutors detailed the attack in stark terms, saying Paul Pelosi, 82, was knocked unconscious by the hammer attack and woke up in a pool of his own blood. DePape grew up in Powell River, British Columbia, but relocated to California to be with a girlfriend, stepfather Gene DePape told The Associated Press last week. He has three children with two women, he said. Gene DePape said the suspect had lived with him in Canada until he was 14 and had been a quiet boy. DePapes ex-girlfriend, Bay Area nudist activist Oxane Gypsy Taub, told the San Francisco Chronicle she met DePape in Hawaii in 2000. The pair lived in Berkeley and had two children during their 15-year relationship. U.S. officials have long struggled to quantify let alone track down people who enter the country legally and overstay visas, believed to be about 40% of the population who are in the country illegally. There were 684,499 visa overstays from October 2019 through September 2020 among visitors who arrived by plane or ship more than the population of Vermont or Wyoming according to the Department of Homeland Securitys latest annual report. The total number of overstays is much larger but has not been quantified because it doesnt include how many people arrive by land, the primary way for Canadians and Mexicans to enter the United States. The cost and technological hurdles to develop a checkout system at congested land crossings with Canada and Mexico are enormous. In the 12-month period through September 2020, more than 52,000 Canadians who came to the U.S. by air or sea had overstayed their legally authorized entry. Despite the challenges, the U.S. official said DePapes overstay should have been noted in immigration records, which, in theory, should have prevented authorities from admitting him. Associated Press writer Kevin Freking contributed to this report from Washington. The Twisted Arts Film Festival, celebrating the best in LGBTQ2+ cinema, will return Nov. 9-13 to Circle Cinema. Twisted Arts is dedicated to advancing, celebrating, elevating and amplifying LGBTQ2+ artists by showcasing the best independent films, music, performances and all forms of mixed media. The festival will feature 10 films, as well as live appearances, panels and performances from Honey Mahogany (activist, RuPauls Drag Race) Mink Stole (Pink Flamingos, Female Trouble), Peaches Christ (legendary San Francisco drag performer, filmmaker) and Sara Cunningham (Founder of Free Mom Hugs). While most events are ticketed at $10 each, the festival is offering passes for those who prefer the full experience. An all-access pass is $50 ($5 per film) and includes opening night and closing night. For a complete schedule and to purchase tickets, go to twistedfest.org. Daily lineup Wednesday, Nov. 9: The festival opens with Wildwood, a coming-of-age story of a rebellious Mikmaw teenager who runs away from home to find his birth mom on a bittersweet journey. It is sponsored by Oklahomans for Equality. The opening night ceremony begins at 6 p.m. in the lobby. Each ticket purchased is good for a complimentary beer or wine. Thursday, Nov. 10: Mama Bears documents the movement of Christian parents pushing against religion-fueled prejudices to embrace their LGBTQ+ children. Spread across the country but connected through private Facebook groups, they call themselves mama bears because, while their love is warm and fuzzy, they fight ferociously to make the world kinder and safer for all LGBTQ+ people. Free Mom Hugs founder Sara Cunningham will be in attendance for a Q&A following the 7 p.m. film. Friday, Nov. 11: Black As U R weaves together history and contemporary experiences on the streets of America. Director Michael Rice revisits gay civil rights icons James Baldwin and Bayard Rustin, interviews preachers and professors and talks to Black trans youth. The 6 p.m. film is sponsored by Black Queer Tulsa and the Broken Arrow Pride Festival. Friday, Nov. 11: All About Evil. In order to save the family movie theater, the introverted Deborah (Natasha Lyonne) discovers her inner serial killer, and a legion of rabid gore fans, when she starts turning out a series of grisly shorts. What her fans dont realize yet is that the murders in the movies are all too real. The film begins at 8 p.m. A pre-show live performance will feature Mink Stole & Peaches Christ. Saturday, Nov. 12: An noon presentation by Joshua Grannell and Honey Mahogany, Aggressive Glamour is a colorful and glamorous history of the queens, kings and everything in-between who helped shape history. It will explore the many forms of which drag and transgender communities have been at the forefront of LGBTQ2+ resistance and visibility. The free presentation is made possible by Oklahoma Humanities Saturday, Nov. 12: At 3 p.m., Our Shorts is an assortment of short films that fit with the festivals mission. The shorts are sponsored by American Airlines Pride Employee Business Resources Group. Saturday, Nov. 12: Sirens is played out against the backdrop of revolution and retaliatory violence in Beirut. Lilas and Shery, co-founders and guitarists of the Middle Easts first all-female metal band, wrestle with friendship, sexuality and destruction in their pursuit of becoming thrash metal rock stars. The 5:30 p.m. film is sponsored by Tulsa Artist Fellowship and Tulsa Arab Film Festival. Saturday, Nov. 12: Moneyboys. Gritty, melancholic, and superbly realized, C.B. Yis debut feature, scheduled for 8 p.m., introduces viewers to a shadow world of homosexuality in China rarely depicted on screen (in fact the production, long planned to shoot in China, was relocated to Taiwan, in part to avoid official entanglements). Moneyboy is sponsored by Tulsa Eagle. Sunday, Nov. 13: All Kinds of Love, scheduled to screen at noon, is a comedy from writer-director David Lewis that playfully embraces a spectrum of approaches to romance while always keeping things light. Sunday, Nov. 13: Pure Grit. Growing up queer on Wyomings Wind River reservation, Sharmaine Weed has faced more than her share of troubles, but her love of extreme bareback horseracing has sustained her throughout. A 10-time undefeated champion until shes forced to give up racing to care for her sister following an accident, Sharmaine finds solace and support in her burgeoning relationship with Savannah, a city girl who moves to the rez to help her care for her family. Show time is 2 p.m. Featured video: An Inola man died almost a month after a single-vehicle crash in Rogers County, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol reported Wednesday. Barry Curtius, 74, died in a hospital in Broken Arrow around 8 p.m. Oct. 16 due to injuries from a car crash that occurred Sept. 21, the OHPs crash report says. Troopers said he was driving a 2020 Toyota Corolla on Rogers County Road NS 4210 about 2 miles south of Inola when the car ran off the right side of the road and struck a culvert around 6:15 that evening. Curtius, who had been wearing a seat belt, was in serious condition with head and internal injuries when he was flown by air ambulance to a Tulsa hospital, troopers reported. Creek County District Attorney Max Cook has cleared former Tulsa County Commission candidate Bob Jack of any wrongdoing after investigating whether the longtime conservative violated state law prohibiting absentee ballot harvesting. In a letter dated Oct. 17, Cox notified the Tulsa County Election Board that he would not be filing charges against Jack. Cox was assigned the case after Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler asked that his office be allowed to recuse itself. After review of the submitted report, it does not appear that Mr. Jack had the necessary knowledge or scienter needed for us to pursue the matter any further, Cox wrote. We have no evidence at this point that Mr. Jack took any action to cause or to allow the action of ballot harvesting. Jack said the district attorneys decision was just what he expected. There was no surprise to the letter, because it is exactly what I have been saying from the very beginning, he said. Oklahoma statutes define ballot harvesting in part as (p)artially or fully completing an application for an absentee ballot on behalf of another person without that persons prior consent. Absentee ballot harvesting involving 10 or more ballots is a felony in Oklahoma. Penalties can include up to five years in prison, a $50,000 fine, or both. News that Jacks campaign was being investigated for possible ballot harvesting came just weeks before the Aug. 23 election when the Tulsa County Election Board sent a report to Kunzweilers office saying it had received dozens of prefilled absentee ballot applications. County election boards are required by state law to report suspected cases of ballot harvesting to the local district attorneys office. From the moment the news broke, Jack vehemently denied any knowledge of or involvement in any ballot-harvesting scheme. I did not authorize or have knowledge that the company processing the mail piece would include the information in question, Jack said at the time. Axiom Strategies, Jacks campaign consulting firm, later acknowledged that the candidate had no role in placing voters personal information on absentee ballot applications attached to campaign mailers. He said Thursday that the media in general failed to do its job by not giving the issue more scrutiny and not questioning the narrative presented by the officials responsible for bringing the issue forward. You immediately thought, if Kunzweiler and those boys think Bob is a suspect, then he must be a suspect, Jack said. And you didnt bother following and (asking), What were the other possible possibilities here? And it turned out the other possibilities were the problem. Jack, 73, said he was troubled by the fact that a Tulsa County assistant district attorney told Kunzweiler in an email that the documents provided by the Tulsa County Election Board appear to me to be evidence of a voting crime, specifically absentee ballot harvesting. Will he (Kunzweiler) go after the guy that did do it?, Jack said, referring to the printer of the mailers. Kunzweiler responded by saying he has taken the issue seriously from the start and will continue to do so. The observations made by a prosecutor in my office coupled with the original facts uncovered by the Tulsa County Election Board secretary are truly concerning, Kunzweiler said. And I consider this to be an ongoing investigation. Jack ultimately lost the Republican runoff to succeed former District 3 County Commissioner Ron Peters. In the final weeks of the campaign, the man who went on to win the election, Kelly Dunkerley, seized on the ballot-harvesting investigation a fact not lost on Jack. Weve got a lot of lying and distorting of the truth and misinformation going out to the voters, Jack said. A lot. Not only in my race but across the entire landscape of politics right now. What are we going to do about that? Are we going to tolerate that in Oklahoma? Are we OK with that? Featured video: Security ramped up for early voting in U.S. midterms City councilors on Wednesday tightened regulations on small cell service providers and other utilities that install their equipment in public rights of way. The new regulations do not apply to the approximately 450 small cell wireless towers the city has already permitted. The City Councils action comes after a group of residents complained that 5G towers were being installed in residential neighborhoods, often directly in front of homes, without notification. Residents have also expressed concerns about the safety of the technology. City Councilors Phil Lakin, Jeannie Cue and Mykey Arthrell led the City Councils effort to address the publics concerns. We three councilors on the working group pressed as hard as we could to do what we could as a municipality related to the regulation of cell towers, Lakin said. This is the only thing we can do. We dont have any other options. Federal and state laws limit what Oklahoma municipalities can do to regulate small cell wireless service providers. They are allowed by right, and neither potential negative health factors nor the potential loss in property values can be considered by the city in formulating policies. Instead, city councilors worked to regulate where small cell wireless poles are installed, what they look like, and how residents are notified when the technology is installed in their neighborhoods. One ordinance amendment approved by councilors requires small cell wireless providers to abide by the same regulations other utilities are bound by when installing facilities underground where existing utilities already exist. The second ordinance amendment enhances the engineering and pole location standards and other requirements related to the citys management of equipment installed in public rights of way. The enhanced standards apply not only to 5G small cell wireless providers but to other utilities, save for those such as electric and natural gas providers that are operating in city rights of way under separate agreements. Among the enhanced standards approved by councilors on Wednesday is a requirement that utilities or their contractors provide 20 days notice before installing poles. The notices would have to include the type of utility being provided, the height of the pole, the date of the installation, contact information and other details of the scheduled work. Small cell wireless towers would not be allowed directly in front of single-family residences but could be placed on side lots. The poles would have to be visually consistent with the existing poles in the immediate vicinity. Another new standard regulation places diameter limits and a shrouding requirement on antennas and other pole equipment. Utilities also will be required to co-locate their equipment on existing poles whenever possible. Jason Constable, director of external affairs for AT&T, told councilors that he believes the ordinance changes exceeded a municipalitys authority based on the limits imposed by state and federal law. He urged councilors to hold off on the vote until he and representatives of other wireless providers could sit down with the city to work out their differences. Let us come in; let us share some of our experiences that weve had what has worked in some of the other municipalities, some of the other solutions, Constable said. And as a result, I am confident that we can get to a place where we can all agree. Councilors thanked Constable for his comments and expressed interest in taking him up on his offer. But when it came time to vote on the ordinance changes, the measure passed 9-0. Ten people spoke in opposition to the 5G technology, with several asking councilors to do more to address their concerns. Many of the speakers expressed concern about what they claimed are high levels of radiation emanating from towers. Others complained of receiving no notice before towers were installed, and one woman showed councilors pictures of what she said was debris strewn throughout her yard by workers who installed a 5G pole. You can put lipstick on a pig all day long, said Loretta Radcliff, but its still going to be a pig. Featured video: Why airlines are worried about 5G Eight suspects from Oklahoma are among the 21 people who have been arrested and charged in what federal prosecutors describe as a national network of catalytic converter theft conspirators. In Tulsa alone, more than 2,000 catalytic converters were stolen in the past year, Clint Johnson, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma, said in a press release. The black-market price for a catalytic converter can be above $1,000, depending on the type of vehicle and what state it is from, according to the release. The collective work conducted by federal prosecutors and more than 10 different law enforcement agencies led to the filing of charges in the Northern District of Oklahoma against 13 defendants operating an alleged catalytic converter theft operation, Johnson said. Arrests, searches and seizures took place in nine different states, and 21 people across five states have been arrested for their alleged roles in the conspiracy. The 21 defendants are charged in two separate indictments that were unsealed Wednesday in the Eastern District of California and the Northern District of Oklahoma, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice. In addition to the eight Oklahoma residents, five people from out of state were also charged in the Tulsa-based Northern District of Oklahoma. According to the release, the 13 defendants charged here are: Tyler James Curtis, 26, of Wagoner. Benjamin Robert Mansour, 24, of Bixby. Reiss Nicole Biby, 24, of Wagoner. Parker Star Weavel, 25, of Tahlequah. Shane Allen Minnick, 26, of Haskell. Ryan David LaRue 29, of Broken Bow. Brian Pate Thomas, 25, of Chouteau. Michael Anthony Rhoden, 26, of Keifer. Navin Khanna, 39, of Holmdel, New Jersey. Adam Sharkey, 26, of West Islip, New York. Robert Gary Sharkey, 57, of Babylon, New York. Martynas Macerauskas, 28, of Leila Lake, Texas. Kristina McKay Macerauskas, 21, of Leila Lake, Texas. More than 32 search warrants were executed, and millions of dollars in assets including homes, bank accounts, cash and luxury vehicles were seized, the DOJ reported. According to court documents, the defendants bought stolen catalytic converters from thieves on the street, then resold and shipped them to DG Auto in New Jersey for processing. Over the course of the conspiracy, Curtis is alleged to have received more than $13 million in wired funds from DG Auto for the shipment of catalytic converters and more than $500,000 from Capital Cores for catalytic converters. Sharkey is alleged to have received more than $45 million in wired funds from DG Auto, and Martynas Macerauskas is alleged to have received more than $6 million from the company. In all these incidents, most of the catalytic converters sold to DG Auto were stolen, prosecutors allege. This national network of criminals hurt victims across the country, said FBI Director Christopher Wray. They made hundreds of millions of dollars in the process on the backs of thousands of innocent car owners. Todays charges showcase how the FBI and its partners act together to stop crimes that hurt all too many Americans. There are more clouds moving into the region today ahead of the next system that will pass over NE Oklahoma on Friday. For today, it will be cloudy, mild, and breezy. Winds will be sustained from the south at 15-20 mph and the gusts will get up to 30-35 mph at times. Overnight there will be a few scattered showers possible. By Friday the chance for rain will increase as a front moves through. This will bring a chance for a few stronger to possibly severe storms on Friday afternoon and evening. Right now there is a marginal to slight risk we may see a few severe storms with wind and hail as the main threat. A few showers may linger behind the system early Saturday before the system exists. A man works at a carpet-weaving workshop in a slum on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Oct. 30, 2022. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua) KABUL, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Eying China's vast market, Afghan craftsman Bustan Barati has decided to increase the capacity of his small carpet-weaving workshop in a slum on the outskirts of his country's capital of Kabul. Barati's workshop started exporting carpets to China in 2013. "So far, we have sold about 5,000 meters of carpets to the Chinese market, which means 30 percent of our products are sold there." Born and raised in the slum, Barati said his life has changed a lot for his booming carpet business in China, which has earned him enough money to build a new house and buy a car. Barati then planned to distribute raw materials to people living around and lead them to weave carpets together. During the past two decades, the U.S.-led military operations in Afghanistan have caused more than 30,000 civilian deaths and turned about 11 million people into refugees, leaving Afghanistan in desperate need of stability and rehabilitation. Achim Steiner, Administrator of the United Nations Development Program, said earlier this year that Afghanistan was facing a potential non-reversible economic collapse, a frozen banking system and liquidity shortage, leaving as many as 80 percent of people in debt. An estimated 97 percent of Afghans could be living in poverty by mid-2022, and regrettably, the number was being reached faster than anticipated, Steiner said. Vice president of the Afghan Chamber of Commerce and Investment Khan Jan Alokozay told Xinhua that China's welcome of Afghan goods such as carpets and pine nuts will undoubtedly lead to the recovery of the Afghan economy and benefit the Afghan people who are suffering from hunger and poverty. Afghanistan used to export 10,000 tons of pine nuts to China each year. Despite that the country's exports were disrupted last year, that to China more or less resumed at the end of October with the first air shipment of 45 tons of pine nuts. At the fourth China International Import Expo in 2021, 120,000 bottles of Afghan pine nuts were snapped up as soon as they were showcased. Thousands of Afghans are now working with more than a dozen nut processing factories. Alokozay is no stranger to China International Import Expo as he has participated in the event twice. "The organizers have provided us with high-quality booths and logistics services," Alokozay said. "It is a unique exhibition in the world and has played a very positive role in enhancing the recognition of Afghan goods in the Chinese market." Shabnam, who works at a dried fruit processing plant in Kabul, is also hopeful about the Chinese market. "As our products sale is good in the Chinese market, the salary I earn from working here is not only enough to support myself, but also help my family, which is very important to us because of the bad economic situation in Afghanistan," Shabnam said. A man works at a carpet-weaving workshop in a slum on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Oct. 30, 2022. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua) People work at a carpet-weaving workshop in a slum on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Oct. 30, 2022. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua) Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City recently raided stores at Saigon Square, a popular shopping center in downtown District 1, seizing thousands of fake luxury fashion items. The raid was carried out at six stores in Saigon Square (77-89 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street) on Tuesday under the direction of the General Department for Market Surveillance and its Ho Chi Minh City unit. This supplied photo shows market watchdog officers examine a store at Saigon Square in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, November 1, 2022. During the inspection, six market surveillance teams confiscated nearly 2,000 items including clothes, eyewear, watches, bags, purses, wallets, and fashion accessories bearing fake branding from various foreign brands including Gucci, Dior, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Adidas, Nike, and Hermes. The total value of these counterfeit items and their origins have not been determined. This supplied photo shows market watchdog officers examine a store at Saigon Square in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, November 1, 2022. Located in downtown Ho Chi Minh City, Saigon Square is considered a hotspot for fashion copycats in the southern metropolis, where the sale of luxury counterfeits remains rampant despite the local market watchdogs efforts to bring about its end through regular inspections, confiscations, and punishment. Many of the businesses that have been operating at this center since it first opened in 2000 have made a fortune selling knockoff designer goods. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Check out news you should not miss today: Society -- Local authorities are investigating after many households near the Dung Quat Economic Zone in Binh Son District, central Quang Ngai Province, reported gray dust with a burning smell appearing in the area, allegedly causing chest pain and nausea to local residents in the past few days. -- Police in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap are working on a case in which a truck carrying nearly 30 tons of goods caused Xeo Quyt, a nearly 20-year-old bridge with a tonnage of five tons in Cao Lanh District, to collapse on Wednesday. -- A global network of young Vietnamese medical scientists, bringing together Vietnamese scientists or scientists of Vietnamese origin aged below 45 working in the medical field, on Wednesday was officially launched at a science and technology conference held at Hanoi Medical University. Business -- Ho Chi Minh City welcomed more than 2.65 million international visitors in the first ten months of 2022, an increase of 100 percent compared with the same period last year and reached 75.9 percent of the city's plan, according to the Department of Tourism. -- The southern province of Dong Nai recorded a trade surplus of nearly US$4.7 billion in the first ten months of this year, the Vietnam News Agency cited the provincial statistics office on Wednesday. -- The four-day International Exhibition on Industrial Machinery, Equipment, Technology and Products (VINAMAC EXPO 2022) on Wednesday kicked off in Ho Chi Minh City, featuring more than 300 booths of about 200 domestic and foreign enterprises, the Vietnam News Agency reported the same day. Lifestyle -- Vietnamese central city of Da Nang is planning to launch its famous Da Nang International Fireworks Festival again in June 2023 with the competition of eight teams after a three-year halt due to COVID-19. -- French author Michel Bussi will meet with local media and audiences in two events in Ho Chi Minh City on November 3 and 4, respectively at the Vietnamese release of his book titled Code 612 Who killed the Little Prince, and the screening of Maman a tort, a TV series adapted from Bussis namesake novel. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Local authorities are investigating reports that many households near the Dung Quat Economic Zone in Quang Ngai Province, central Vietnam are being blanketed in gray dust that has carried a burnt smell into the area, allegedly causing chest pain and nausea for local residents over the past few days. The gray dust first appeared on the evening of October 30 and has remained since, according to a local official. Winds in the region seem to consistently blow the dust from the economic zone into peoples houses, and residents have reported chest tightness and vomiting since the situation first began. Following reports of the dust, authorities in Binh Son District, which houses the Dung Quat Economic Zone, have begun carrying out inspections on companies that operate in the area in order to find the cause of the incident and collect samples of the dust for analysis. During working sessions held with authorities, all companies located in Dung Quat refuted the possibility that the gray dust came from their factories. Only Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical Joint Stock Company reported that it had a problem with a chimney in the heat exchanger system on October 25, but the company claimed to have successfully resolved the problem in accordance with regulations the same day. The firm also stated that all other parts at the plant are operating as normal, with all catalysts kept in a closed room and therefore incapable of spreading dust beyond the confines of the factory. Police in Binh Son District have yet to come to a conclusion on the origin of the dust. All relevant units are awaiting an analysis of the dust samples from the districts natural resources and environmental division in order to facilitate their investigation and find out an appropriate solution to the issue. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Cancer patients across Vietnam are often forced to wait months for scans and treatment as large hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi struggle with medicine shortages and inoperable equipment. When Nguyen Thi H., a resident of Ha Dong District, Hanoi visited the Hanoi Oncology Hospital in early October, doctors recommended she undergo a PET/CT scan in order to identify and diagnose metastatic cancers in her body. Unfortunately, doctors at the hospital also told H. that she would have to wait until early November for the scan due to a backlog of patients. According to Le Van Quang, director of K Hospital in Hanoi, a two-week wait time is not uncommon for a PET scan in Hanoi. Lack of radiopharmaceuticals A PET/CT scanning system at the Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital was recently put back into operation after over a year of being left idle due to a shortage of 18F-FDG the radiopharmaceutical used during PET scans. The PET/CT system, however, is still only being operated in moderation as the hospital continues its struggle with the 18F-FDG supply issues. The result of having the PET/CT system not operating at full capacity is a one month wait time for patients who need a scan. According to one hospital employee, the hospital can conduct seven PET/CT scans a day, but the number of patients in need is much higher than that. "The shortage of radiopharmaceuticals also doesnt help." Similarly, at Cho Ray Hospital and Military Hospital 175 in Ho Chi Minh City, patients in need of PET/CT scans are being asked to wait over a week. Diep Bao Tuan, deputy director of the Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that, this past June, the hospital received radiopharmaceuticals from Cho Ray Hospital so that it could conduct PET/CT scans for cancer patients three days a week. A patient undergoes a PET/CT scan at the Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre With a maximum capacity of seven scans per day, Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital is capable of conducting a mere 21 scans per week. Without the shortage of 18F-FDG, the hospital can provide 30 PET/CT scans per day, or more than 200 per week. We have asked for the municipal Department of Healths permission to build a radioactive isotope production facility at our second campus in Thu Duc City because we simply dont have enough radiopharmaceuticals for PET/CT scans. Our second campus currently has two PET/CT scanning systems which can process a combined 400 patients per week, Tuan added. Idle equipment Hanoi is estimated to have five PET scanners, but only three are operating normally. One of the machines currently that was out of commission is at Bach Mai Hospital, where legal issues over the past two years and an expired contract between the hospital and the equipment installation company led to a major patient backlog. The scanner was put back into use earlier this year, and can be used for several more years, but there is a lot of other equipment at the hospitals Nuclear Medicine and Oncology Center that just sits idle. The patients who need this equipment are transferred to other hospitals, a representative of Bach Mai Hospital said. Patients in Ho Chi Minh City face similar wait times for PET/CT scans, and many have even tried flying to different cities in search of shorter wait times. The issue extends beyond PET/CT scans. At K Hospital, for example, there are nine radiotherapy systems but four are currently broken. The other five are used around the clock, meaning there is little time for maintenance. The hospital needs ten more radiotherapy systems, as well as MRI and CT scanning systems, in order to keep up with the needs of its patients. Hindering the treatment process According to Tuan, an employee at the Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital, approximately 82 percent of the hospitals patients come from other provinces. Between the hospitals two campuses, there are just 13 radiotherapy machines, meaning patients must wait as long as eight weeks to receive treatment. Although the second campus has six radiotherapy machines, we are still behind. The hospital has asked for two more machines in order to reduce wait times. The hospital is also facing the shortage of CT scanners and endoscopic surgery facilities, and many of our other facilities are quite old. We also dream of, one day, having surgical robots to improve the effectiveness of our treatments, Tuan added. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Two Vietnamese scientists have recently won the Best Innovation Award and the Outstanding Innovation Award, as part of the 2022 Asia Innovation Award funded by the Hitachi Global Foundation in Japan. The Best Innovation Award, worth JPY3 million (US$20,276), was intended for Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Thi Kim Phung, director of the Refinery and Petrochemical Technology Research Center (RPTC) under the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM). Dr. Phung was honored for her Advanced Bio-based Aerogels from Agricultural Waste for Water Treatment project. This work has developed a technique to produce high-performance cellulose aerogel materials from agricultural wastes towards environment-friendly and economically-viable production. The patented process has been developed on a pilot scale. Now with this award, it will be expanded to apply on industrial wastewater, Dr. Phung said. Meanwhile, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bui Xuan Thanh, head of the VNU-HCM Key Laboratory of Advanced Waste Treatment Technology, grasped the Outstanding Innovation Award, worth JPY1 million ($6,700), for his project entitled Wetland roof (WR) system for domestic wastewater treatment and sustainable cities. As an improved technology from the wetland wastewater treatment system, this work can be used to ensure the wastewater treated by septic tanks meets discharge standards, while increasing urban green space, improving biodiversity, absorbing emissions and cooling indoor air, Dr. Thanh said. This technology has been patented in the U.S., he added. These two award-winning projects were highly valued for their environmental sustainability, practicality and efficiency. Launched in 2020, the Hitachi Global Foundation Asia Innovation Award is an award program to promote science, technology, and innovation that contributes to solving social issues and realizing a sustainable society in the ASEAN region, according to Hitachi, a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. This award honors individuals and groups that serve public interests through their outstanding achievements in research and development in the fields of science and technology, as shown on the foundations website. Last year, a group of Vietnamese scientists also won the Best Innovation Award for a collaborative project on biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), an index of the degree of organic pollution in water, led by Dr. Pham Thi Thuy Phuong from Vietnams Institute of Chemical Technology. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! ABC has breached its Code of Practice by broadcasting an identifiable persons profile in a news report about dating app scams. The Australian Communications and Media Authority found the May 2021 segment, which screened at 5pm, included footage of a screen scrolling through a dating app showing the profile of a person, including an image of a face, age and first name. The complainant told ACMA, their specific picture and profile was shown on National TV in the segment as a woman scrolled through the (unnamed) dating app. It was sighted by the complainants partner who raised it with her family. All of this is clearly visible, used without any consent whatsoever on my behalf and has gone on to create significant stress and issues in my life as Ive not been on a dating app in over 3 years, they told ACMA. They continued, This segment was targeted at young people on dating apps so the assertion that people watching would not be aware is an insult to everyone watching the segment. My image is clear for all to see. How on earth did I see it if its not able to be seen? ABC indicated the image was fleeting, (1 second x 2) in the story and said, The image that the complainant has identified as himself appears to be a stylized black and white photo of a person wearing dark glasses. An indistinct name and age are displayed in white font at the bottom of the photograph: on close scrutiny, this can be discerned. The phone on which the image is displayed is held at an angle which makes identification more difficult. ACMA rejected ABCs findings, noting that casual viewers and viewers unfamiliar with the photograph, would not be able to identify the complainant. In this case, the distorting effects of the viewing angle, the shadowing, the high contrast nature of the image, its brevity, its relatively small size within the frame, and elements within the image that obscured the complainants face (such as the large sunglasses), would have prevented identification even on a large screen, said ABC. But ACMA ruled in breach. ACMA Chair Nerida OLoughlin said, Media intrusion into a persons private life without consent must be justified to be in the public interest. There is a clear public interest in reporting on online scamming, however there are limits to the type of personal information that should be disclosed in a news report. In this case, there was no justifiable reason to identify the person and the ABC did not undertake adequate measures to ensure their privacy. ACMAs enforcement powers when it finds the ABC has breached its Code are limited to recommending the ABC take particular actions. In this case, the ACMA did not consider this necessary as the ABC had already removed the footage from its archive and advised that the ACMA finding will be made available to relevant ABC News staff. Mondays Four Corners is a French documentary Stopping Putin by maker Anne Poiret. Were not preparing for anything. Weve already been through hell here. Donbas civilian When Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine in February this year, for many it was a continuation of a war that had begun eight years earlier. When there is shooting, were told: You are used to it! But you cant get used to that. We can only try to avoid danger. Donbas civilian On Monday Four Corners traces the current war in Ukraine back to 2014 when Russia invaded Crimea and supported the separatist movements in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbas. The program talks to key participants who worked on the many failed negotiations for a ceasefire. Vladimir Putin uses lying as an element of negotiation. We must know that he is lying, tell him that he is lying. Lying is part of the discussion. Former French President I took Putin to be aggressive, ruthless, oppressive, but not reckless. I was: Hes not gonna do that! Hes not that crazy! And he did it. Former advisor to US President Western leaders unsuccessfully tried to end the war in Donbas. Critics say they placed too much trust in Russian President Vladimir Putin. It was rubbish. You cant enter into a win-win partnership with Putin because his mentality is a KGB style mentality. He cant, he plainly cant understand win-win. Former Ukrainian foreign affairs minister The film by French documentary maker Anne Poiret also tells the stories of civilians caught in the separatist war in Donbas. The team filmed in two towns close to the frontline in the months leading up to the February invasion. I built this wall behind the shed. It will protect the children when they play here in summer. Were machine- gunned from over there. The wall is riddled with bullets. Mother of three Monday 7th November at 8.30pm. Euphoria star, Australian Jacob Elordi, has signed on to an upcoming limited series The Narrow Road to the Deep North. The series is to be produced by Sony Pictures Television-owned Curio Pictures founded by Jo Porter. Porter optioned the work based on Richard Flanagans novel of the same name, when she helmed scripted content at Fremantle. Elordi will play the series main character, Dorrigo Evans, described as an army surgeon whose short but forbidden affair with Amy, the young wife of his uncle, sustains and haunts him through his darkest days as the reluctant leader of men held prisoner in a Thai-Burmese camp during WWII. The five-part series is being developed by Porter and Rachel Gardner, who also serves as creative director. Justin Kurzel will also direct and executive produce. A broadcaster is yet to be announced. It is thrilling to have Jacob Elordi join us on this project, Porter said. The character of Dorrigo Evans requires a multi-layered actor who can bring strength, sensitivity and charisma to the role qualities Jacob has in spades. Together with the creative powerhouses of Justin Kurzel and Shaun Grant, there couldnt be a more exciting team to bring this important novel to life. It is great for Shaun and I to be collaborating with a talented actor like Jacob. The Narrow Road to the Deep North needs a powerful leading presence, and it feels like this young actor and this extraordinary book have met each other at the right time, Kurzel added. Flanagan is attached to executive produce as well as writer Shaun Grant. Source: Variety A Current Affair reporter Seb Costello was placed on a diversion program and fined $750 yesterday following a verbal argument with neighbours over a parked car, last February. The Neighbourhood Justice Centre heard Costello asked his neighbours to move a parked car that was blocking a laneway which led to his garage. He admitted to clenching his fist in anger as the spat continued but there were no injuries. The altercation with a 23-year-old man and 22-year-old woman led to two counts of unlawful assault. Costello had denied making threats or physically assaulting the pair. The Herald Sun reports Magistrate Noreen Toohey accepted Costello was a person of good character at a low risk of reoffending. This was clearly an error of judgment, she said. Costello received a six-month good behaviour bond and was ordered to pay $750 to a court fund. Exiting the Neighbourhood Justice Centre in Collingwood yesterday, Costello declined to answer questions from a Seven News crew, the Daily Mail reported. Amongst the SBS announcements yesterday Eurovision: Australia Decides was not mentioned, raising questions about whether it will be mounted in 2023. Australia is returning to perform in Liverpool, with the event marking 40 years on SBS. Joel Creasey and Myf Warhurst return as Aussie broadcasters -the final year Australia gets an automatic inclusion from the EBU. Director of Television Kathryn Fink told TV Tonight there was nothing official to announce yesterday. Not yet. Were still working through some details on that, she said. SBS is also yet to open a song portal for submissions, which opened last year in August and closed in late September. Does that mean SBS as host broadcaster may internally decide our entrant -a path it undertook in previous years and which continues with some nations? There are different options, so we are kind of working through it. We love Eurovision so its exciting to be back. TV Tonight understands contracts yet to be finalised prevented its formal announcement yesterday but could come as early as next week. If that happens, expect a song portal to also be opened at the same time. While Australia Decides was most recently held in late February 2022, it is tipped to be as late as possible in 2023, with speculation around a March 11 event. Watch this space. UN chief welcomes Russia's resumed participation in grain export deal Xinhua) 08:46, November 03, 2022 A team of representatives from the Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) inspects on the first grain-laden ship leaving Ukraine on the northwestern entrance of the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, Turkiye, Aug. 3, 2022. (Turkish Defense Ministry/Handout via Xinhua) The secretary-general continues his engagement with all actors toward the renewal and full implementation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, and also remains committed to removing the remaining obstacles to the exports of Russian food and fertilizer, the statement said. UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warmly welcomes the announcement from Russia on its resumed participation in the implementation of a deal to facilitate grain export via the Black Sea, his spokesman said on Wednesday. Guterres is grateful for the diplomatic efforts of Turkiye, and thanks UN coordinator Amir Abdulla and his team for their work to "keep this vital food supply line open," Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman, said in a statement. The secretary-general continues his engagement with all actors toward the renewal and full implementation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, and also remains committed to removing the remaining obstacles to the exports of Russian food and fertilizer, the statement said. On July 22, Russia and Ukraine separately signed a document in Istanbul with Turkiye and the United Nations on grain and fertilizer exports from Ukraine and Russia to ensure supplies to global markets amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict. On Oct. 29, Russia announced the decision to immediately and indefinitely suspend its implementation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, accusing Ukraine of launching drone attacks against the Russian Black Sea Fleet's ships and infrastructure at the naval base in Sevastopol. Russia on Wednesday announced its return to the implementation of the deal, saying Ukraine has promised not to use the humanitarian corridor for military attacks. (Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Liang Jun) HOUSTON, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- As many as 24 more unmarked graves have been unearthed Wednesday in the continuous investigation of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre in south central U.S. state Oklahoma, according to the city authorities. At an excavation site in the Oaklawn Cemetery in Tulsa, researchers uncovered 17 adult-sized graves last week, another four including two child-sized burials on Tuesday and three additional child-size graves on Wednesday, reported local newspaper the Tulsa World. The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre is known as one of the worst known white mob violence against Black Americans in U.S. history. One set of uncovered remains buried in a simple coffin "was exhumed this afternoon and taken to the on-site osteology lab for further analysis," the city said in a press release on Wednesday, adding that work continues with hand excavation of four burials found one day earlier. The 19 sets of exhumed remains in last year were examined for DNA test in October and then reinterred. The project is part of Tulsa's year-long efforts to get an accurate count of how many people were killed when a white mob decimated a thriving business district known as Black Wall Street, where black residents lived under Jim Crow segregation. More than 1,000 homes were burned and hundreds looted during the racist violence. Historians have estimated the death toll to be between 75 and 300, with Black Americans' generational wealth being wiped out. Victims were never compensated, however a pending lawsuit seeks reparations for the three remaining known survivors of the violence. They are now more than 100 years old. Majorel Group Luxembourg S.A. / Key word(s): 9 Month figures/9 Month figures Majorel Group Luxembourg S.A. : Majorel continues strong momentum with net revenue +23% YOY in Q3 2022 Disclosure of an inside information acc. to Article 17 MAR of the Regulation (EU) No 596/2014, transmitted by EQS News - a service of EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT RELATES TO THE DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION THAT QUALIFIED OR MAY HAVE QUALIFIED AS INSIDE INFORMATION WITHIN THE MEANING OF ARTICLE 7(1) OF THE MARKET ABUSE REGULATION (EU) 596/2014. Press release Majorel continues strong momentum with net revenue +23% YOY in Q3 2022 9M net revenue +18% YOY | increased guidance for FY 2022 Luxembourg, November 3, 2022: Majorel Group Luxembourg S.A. (Euronext Amsterdam: MAJ) (Majorel or the Company), a leading global provider of next-generation end-to-end customer experience (CX) solutions for digital-native and vertical leading brands, today reports on selected results for the third quarter of 2022[1]. HIGHLIGHTS Continuing strong topline growth in both Q3 and 9M 2022: Q3 2022: +23% YOY, with net revenue[2] of 540 million (Q3 2021: 440 million). Adjusted for M&A[3] and COVID-19 related business[4], like-for-like[5] growth was +24% YOY. 9M 2022: +18% YOY, with net revenue 2 of 1,516 million (9M 2021: 1,282 million). Adjusted for M&A 3 and COVID-19 related business 4 , like-for-like 5 growth was +19% YOY. Continuing double-digit growth momentum across all business Segments: EASA (Europe, Africa, and South America) at +14% for Q3 2022, and +12% for 9M 2022; GEMS (Global English, Middle East and South- East Asia) at +46% for Q3 2022, and +39% for 9M 2022; and CEA (China and East Asia) at +33% for Q3 2022, and +29% for 9M 2022, net revenue growth. Continuing successful strategy execution: expansion with existing and new clients, with net revenue retention[6] (NRR) of 116% for 9M 2022; acquisition of Findasense; and progress in strategic KPIs. Increased guidance: the Company increases its current guidance and expects net revenue to grow to 1,950-2,050 million for the full year 2022 (previously 1,900-2,000 million) and the Operating EBITDA margin is expected to be between 16.5-17.5% (previously: upper half of 16.0%-17.0%). Commenting on the strong results, Thomas Mackenbrock, CEO of Majorel Group said: "We have maintained our strong growth momentum in Q3, underpinned by our relentless strategic focus, the trust of our clients and the commitment of our super-talented people. Our topline growth of +23% is testament to this. With our strong balance sheet, we will continue to further build on our successful execution, and look ahead with confidence for the remainder of 2022, which is reflected in our increased guidance, while continuing to keep a careful watch on the increasingly volatile macro-economic environment. OVERVIEW Q3 2022 AND 9M 2022 CONTINUING STRONG TOPLINE GROWTH Q3 2022: Net revenue was 540 million in Q3 2022, representing YOY growth of +23% (Q3 2021: 440 million). This was driven by strong growth with existing clients, mainly in the target vertical of Global Internet, and an increase in offshore[7] delivery. Like-for-like net revenue growth was +24%. 9M 2022: Net revenue for the nine months to September 30, 2022, was 1,516 million, +18% YOY (9M 2022: 1,282 million). Net revenue from non-recurring COVID-19 related business contributed 45 million (9M 2022: 83 million). Therefore, adjusted for M&A and COVID-19 related business, like-for-like growth was +19%. The increase of offshore delivery in 9M 2022 was +32% YOY. Revenue, net revenue and net revenue by business Segment Q3 2022 Q3 2021 YOY change 9M 2022 9M 2021 YOY change Group revenue 545m 451m +21% 1,537m 1,327m +16% Net revenue 540m 440m +23% 1,516m 1,282m +18% EASA Segment 362m 317m +14% 1,065m 953m +12% GEMS Segment 142m 97m +46% 363m 260m +39% CEA Segment 36m 27m +33% 88m 68m +29% CONTINUING MOMENTUM ACROSS ALL BUSINESS SEGMENTS EASA Segment: Europe, Africa and South America The EASA Segment has delivered YOY growth in net revenue for Q3 of +14% and the nine months to September 30, 2022, of +12%. Like-for-like net revenue growth for Q3 was +16%, with the difference explained by a reduction of COVID-19 business and the acquisitions of Mayen and Alembo. The main driver for the growth in EASA has been the continuing strong development of the Companys near- and offshore locations in Africa, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. GEMS Segment: Global English, Middle East and South-East Asia The GEMS Segment has delivered YOY growth in net revenue for Q3 of +46% and the nine months to September 30, 2022, of +39%. This strong increase continues to be driven by the Companys expansion with its Global Internet clients, particularly in the Philippines, the US, Canada, Malaysia, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. CEA Segment: China and East Asia The CEA Segment has delivered YOY growth in net revenue for Q3 of +33% and the nine months to September 30, 2022, of +29%. This solid performance is in particular supported by the continuing growth of digital-native clients and the positive contribution of the business in South Korea and Japan. CONTINUING SUCCESSFUL STRATEGY EXECUTION Growth with clients Our current client portfolio comprises more than 500 clients worldwide from a wide range of industries, with a particular focus on Global Internet and BFSI (Banking, Financial Services and Insurance). For the nine months to September 30, 2022, NNR was 116% (9M 2021: 116%) including the reduction of COVID-19 related services. Excluding this, NRR for 9M 2022 was 119%. Growth through M&A On September 1, 2022, Majorel announced, that it had acquired Findasense, a leading CX design and creative services company headquartered in Madrid, with a strong presence in the Americas. Findasense will be consolidated for the first time at Majorel Group level at year-end 2022, and its financial numbers are therefore excluded from the Q3 reporting. Progress in strategic KPIs At the end of September 2022, 51% of net revenue was from Global Internet clients (H1 2022: 49%), exceeding our mid-term target of >50% and including 24% of net revenue from Majorels Content Services, Trust & Safety line of business (H1 2022: 23%), in line with our mid-term target of 20-25%. Tech & Expert Services represented 8% of net revenue (H1 2022: 9%), compared to our mid-term target of 10-15%, while the net revenue share from the Telco sector further decreased to 9% (H1 2022: 10%), within the medium-term target of around 10%. Offshore delivery represented 43% of net revenue (H1 2022: 42%), compared to our mid-term target of 45-50%. OUTLOOK 2022 Given the strong performance in the nine months to September 30, 2022, the Company increases its guidance and expects net revenue for the full year 2022 to grow to 1,950-2,050 million (previously 1,900-2,000 million). In addition, the Operating EBITDA margin guidance is also increased and is expected to be between 16.5-17.5% (previously: upper half of 16.0%-17.0%). Majorel will continue to keep a careful watch on the increasingly volatile macro-economic environment, including potential impacts from inflation, COVID-19, developments in the Ukraine, and changing client demands on Majorels business. INVESTOR AND ANALYST CONFERENCE CALL A webcasted conference call for investors and analysts will be hosted on Thursday, November 3, 2022 at 14:00hrs CET. If you would like to participate in the conference call, please pre-register by clicking here and you will then receive the dial-in details. To follow the presentation, participants of the conference call can use the following link (only slides, no audio): https://www.webcast-eqs.com/majorel20221103/no-audio If youd like to follow the presentation without participating in the conference call, you can follow the webcast via livestream and you will receive the audio via your Internet browser. No dial-in to the conference call is required. https://www.webcast-eqs.com/majorel20221103 The presentation of the Q3/9M results is currently available on the Investor Relations section of Majorel's website (ir.majorel.com). NEXT DATE IN FINANCIAL CALENDAR (INDICATIVE) Preliminary results FY 2022 February 22, 2023 ABOUT MAJOREL We design, build and deliver next-generation end-to-end CX solutions for many of the worlds most respected digital-native and vertical leading brands. Our comprehensive east-to-west global footprint in 44 countries across five continents, with more than 82,000 team members and 60 languages, allows us to deliver flexible solutions that leverage our expertise in cultural nuance, which we believe to be essential for true excellence in CX. We have deep domain expertise in tech-augmented front to-back-office CX. Additionally, we offer Digital Consumer Engagement, CX Consulting, and an innovative suite of Proprietary Digital Solutions for industry verticals. We are a global leader in Content Services, Trust & Safety. We believe the Majorel difference to be our culture of entrepreneurship. CONTACT Investor Relations Michele Negen SVP, Investor Relations ir@majorel.com Media Relations Andrew Slater SVP, Global Marketing & Communications media@majorel.com NOTES [1] All financials are based on unaudited and non-reviewed management reporting. Findasense has not been consolidated as at September 30, 2022 and is excluded from all reported financial numbers. [2] Net revenue for the Group corresponds to revenues as reported in our management reporting less certain direct, order-related external costs which are part of external expenses and costs of materials and consist mainly of cost of services purchased (subcontracted or outsourced services). Net revenue for each Segment corresponds to the according Segment revenues less certain direct, order-related inter-Segment and external costs. Management reporting data excludes revenues from minor activities (primarily the Sonopress Business) outside Majorel Groups core business which are reported in the Condensed Consolidated Interim Financial Statements (the Sonopress Business is defined as certain non-core business activities historically carried out by Arvato de Mexico, S.A. de C.V., which was wound down in 2021). Management believes that the inclusion of supplementary adjustments to Revenue applied in presenting Net revenue are appropriate to provide additional information to investors. Management believes that net revenue is a non-GAAP measure representing a core-business growth indicator. [3] First time consolidation of Mayen (January 1, 2022) and Alembo (June 1, 2022). [4] Delta of non-recurring COVID-19 related business Q3 2022 vs. Q3 2021 and 9M 2022 vs. 9M 2021 respectively. [5] Like-for-like net revenue growth corresponds to net revenue growth year over year, adjusted for certain specific non-recurring items. For Q3 2022 to Q3 2021 and 9M 2022 to 9M 2021 like-for-like net revenue comparison, the contribution of the first-time consolidation of the acquisition of Mayen and Alembo and COVID-19 related business were adjusted. Management believes that like-for-like net revenue growth is a non-GAAP measure representing a business growth indicator. [6] Net revenue retention 9M 2022 is defined as net revenue generated by clients in 9M 2022 divided by net revenue generated by the same cohort of clients in 9M 2021 (excluding M&A in 2022). Net revenue retention 9M 2021 is defined as net revenue generated by clients in 9M 2021 divided by net revenue generated by the same cohort of clients in 9M 2020 (excluding the China Business in 2021). [7] We define Offshore as net revenue from the following countries (even if some local business is included): Armenia, Colombia, Croatia, Egypt, Estonia, Georgia, Ghana, Greece, India, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, North Macedonia, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Senegal, Suriname, Togo, and Turkey. DISCLAIMER This announcement is released by Majorel Group Luxembourg S.A. (the Company or Majorel) and contains information that qualified or may have qualified as inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) 596/2014 (MAR). The Companys financial information presented in this announcement has been derived from the management accounts of the Company and are not presented in accordance with IFRS. Such financial measures are not measures of financial performance in accordance with IFRS and may exclude items that are significant in understanding and assessing Majorels financial results. Therefore, these measures should not be considered in isolation or as an alternative to loss for the period or other measures of profitability, liquidity or performance under IFRS. You should be aware that the presentation of these measures may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies, which may be defined and calculated differently. This financial information is subject to updating, revision, amendment, verification, correction, completion and change without notice. It does not purport to contain all information required to evaluate the Company or the Majorel group and/or its financial position. The information does not constitute a recommendation regarding any loans or securities of the Company. In providing access to this announcement, neither the Company nor any other person undertakes any obligation to provide you with access to any additional information or to update the information as part of this announcement or to correct any inaccuracies in any such information. No representation, warranty or undertaking, express or implied, is made by the Company or any other person as to, and no reliance should be placed on, the fairness, accuracy, completeness or correctness of the information or the opinions contained therein or any other statement made or purported to be made in connection with the Company or any of the Companys respective affiliates, for any purpose whatsoever, including but not limited to any investment considerations. In addition, no duty of care or otherwise is owed by the Company or any of the Companys respective affiliates to recipients of the information within this announcement or any other person in relation to the information. This announcement include(s) forward looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical or current facts contained in this announcement, including statements regarding the Companys future results of operations and financial position, industry dynamics, business strategy and plans and its objectives for future operations, are forward-looking statements. These statements represent managements opinions, expectations, assumptions, beliefs, intentions, estimates or strategies regarding the future, which may not be realized. Forward looking statements are often indicated by terms such as "anticipate," "believe," "could," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "goal," "intend," "look forward to," "may," "plan," "potential," "predict," "project," "should," "target" "will," "would" and/or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions that are intended to identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements included in this announcement are based largely on Majorels current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that Majorel believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy, short-term and long-term business operations and objectives, and financial needs. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict or are beyond Majorels control, and actual results may differ materially from those expected or implied as forward looking statements. For a detailed description of these factors and uncertainties, please refer to the Risk Factors section of Majorels Prospectus, available at https://www.bourse.lu/issuer/MajorelGroupSA/105258. Majorel undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any of these forward looking statements. Moreover, new risks emerge from time to time. It is not possible for the Companys management to predict all risks, nor can it assess the impact of all factors on Majorels business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ from those contained in any forward-looking statements. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this announcement may not occur and actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. Majorel cautions you therefore against relying on these forward-looking statements, and Majorel qualifies all of its forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements. The forward-looking statements included in this announcement are made only as of the date hereof. Although Majorel believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot guarantee that the future results, levels of activity, performance or events and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements will be achieved or occur. Neither Majorel nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of the forward-looking statements. Moreover, neither Majorel nor any other person undertakes any obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this announcement or otherwise. You should read this announcement with the understanding that Majorels actual future results, levels of activity, performance and events and circumstances may materially differ from what Majorel expects. This announcement does not constitute an offer of securities for sale or a solicitation of an offer to purchase the securities described in this announcement in the United States. In particular, any securities referred to in this announcement have not been and will not be registered under the US Securities Act of 1933 (the Securities Act), or under the securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States and may not be offered, sold or delivered, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and in compliance with any applicable securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States. There will be no public offering of securities in the United States. 03-Nov-2022 CET/CEST The EQS Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Archive at www.eqs-news.com Could cat evidence be used to jail people in future? (Getty) One day, detectives may gather suspects together in the drawing room, and unveil their key piece of evidence the family cat. New research by Flinders University in Adelaide, South Australia, has shown that human DNA can be carried and transferred by animals such as cats and dogs. That means, in theory, that detectives could use DNA carried in a dog or cats fur as evidence that a person has been near the animal. Its also possible that cats could accidentally transfer human DNA to a crime scene: this is potentially key evidence in criminal investigations, the researchers believe. Read more: Meet the adorable cat with two different faces In collaboration with the Victoria Police Forensic Services Department, forensic science researchers Heidi Monkman and Dr. Mariya Goray, from the College of Science and Engineering at Flinders, collected human DNA from 20 pet cats from multiple households. Detectable levels of DNA were found in 80% of the samples. Interpretable profiles that could be linked to a person of interest were generated in 70% of the cats tested. "Collection of human DNA needs to become very important in crime scene investigations, but there is a lack of data on companion animals such as cats and dogs in their relationship to human DNA transfer," says Monkman. "These companion animals can be highly relevant in assessing the presence and activities of the inhabitants of the household, or any recent visitors to the scene." An experienced crime scene investigator Dr Goray, an expert in DNA transfer, says this data can be very relevant when interpreting forensic DNA results obtained from a crime scene that includes pets. Read more: A 1988 warning about climate change was mostly right "This type of data can help us understand the meaning of the DNA results obtained, especially if there is a match to a person of interest. "Are these DNA findings a result of a criminal activity or could they have been transferred and deposited at the scene via a pet?" Story continues The researchers say, "Further research is required on the transfer, persistence and prevalence of human DNA to and from cats and other pet animals and the influences animal behavioural habits, the DNA shedder status of the owners and many other relevant factors To this point, further collaborative work on cats and dogs is currently underway at the Flinders University forensic laboratory. Watch: Cats create parody of 'The Shining' for Halloween Jacob Barnard has been charged with the murder of British ex-pat Joel Eldridge (Image: Sussex Police) A drug dealer who is serving life in prison for murdering a mother and her young son over a 400 debt has been charged with the brutal murder of a British man in Portugal. Jacob Barnard and his enforcer Andrew Milne were jailed for a total of 70 years at Brighton Crown Court in May 2021 for setting fire to the home of Gina Ingles, 34, her four-year-old son Milo and partner Toby Jarrett. The 33-year-old is now facing extradition to stand trial for the murder of British ex-pat Joel Eldridge. The 29-year-old from Bexhill, disappeared around six months after moving to Portugal to join a building project in 2018. His remains were found more than a year later, hidden in woodland near the town of Pedrogao Grande following a public appeal from his family and detectives from the Surrey and Sussex major crime team. Read more: Body found in Portugal believed to be that of missing Sussex man State prosecutors in the city of Castelo Branco have now charged convicted murderer Barnard and an alleged accomplice who has been named as 30-year-old Joshua Liam Sherwood with murder and desecrating a body. A 20-page indictment prepared by the Portuguese Policia Judiciaria force accuses Barnard of hitting his alleged victim's head with an axe after attacking him with a stun gun and stabbing and shooting him. And it claims Mr Eldridge was killed in a brutal execution his alleged killers had pre-planned because they feared he was about to return to the UK and report them to police for crimes being committed abroad. Prosecutors say Barnard only stopped when he was tired and convinced he was dead, as was his intention. The Argus: Jacob Barnard is already serving a life sentence Jacob Barnard is already serving a life sentence (Image: Sussex Police) The traumatic head injuries Joel suffered as a result of the axe attack were the direct cause of his death. Barnard, born in Aberystwyth, had already been jailed for eight years in Portugal before his UK murder trial for drug trafficking and possession of an offensive weapon. Story continues Read more: Dealer and his enforcer jailed for life for killing mum and son in house fire Police seized a 500,000-volt Scorpy Max stun gun, a machete-type knife and a gun said to have been used in Mr Eldridge's murder before his remains were found. The Portuguese prosecution indictment says the slain Brit was dumped in a nearby grave on shrubland dug by the suspects days earlier. Although Sherwood, whose whereabouts is currently unknown, is not accused of physically attacking Mr Eldridge, prosecutors claim he and Barnard had mutually agreed to kill their alleged victim. The Argus: Joel Eldridge went missing six months after moving to Portgual Joel Eldridge went missing six months after moving to Portgual (Image: PA) The indictment said: They showed themselves to be insensitive to the value of human life, knowing their conduct was especially perverse and censurable as it was designed to cover up their practice of drug trafficking. A date for the pair's trial by three professional judges has not yet been set. They are expected to face prison sentences of around 25 years if convicted of the two crimes they have been indicted on. Mr Eldridge's last contact with his family was in mid-July 2018 after he wished his brother a happy birthday on Facebook. He had travelled to Portugal in January that year to work on a house near the university city of Coimbra. His disappearance was reported to Sussex Police in late August 2018 and a public and media appeal was issued at the end of that month. His Bexhill-based parents Jacki and Alan made a video appeal around the time of what would have been his 30th birthday in March 2019, saying: 'We know someone knows something. Please if you know anything, if you have heard any rumours about where Joel might be, if you have seen Joel, who was the last person to see him...please get in touch with Sussex Police and tell them what you know. The Argus: Milo Ingles-Bailey, aged four, and his mum Gina Ingles, 34, were murdered in a house fire in Eastbourne, while Gina's partner Toby Jarrett, escaped with burns Milo Ingles-Bailey, aged four, and his mum Gina Ingles, 34, were murdered in a house fire in Eastbourne, while Gina's partner Toby Jarrett, escaped with burns (Image: The Argus) The blaze that killed Gina Ingles and her son was started in the dead of night after petrol poured through the front door was ignited at their home in Eastbourne, on July 10, 2018. Barnard and Milne, 42, were each found guilty of two counts of murder and one of attempted murder following a trial. Barnard was jailed for life with a minimum term of 36 years. Furniture remover Milne, from Hastings, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 34 years. Scott Jensen's campaign; Shari L. Gross/Star Tribune via Getty Images; Insider Gov. Tim Walz is running against Republican Scott Jensen in Minnesota's gubernatorial race. This is one of 36 gubernatorial elections taking place in 2022. The state's pandemic response has become a central issue, with Jensen being a harsh critic of Walz's performance. Democratic incumbent Tim Walz faces off against Republican Scott Jensen in Minnesota's gubernatorial election. Minnesota's gubernatorial candidates Walz is the governor of Minnesota and was elected in 2018. Prior to being elected, Walz represented Minnesota's 1st Congressional District for six terms, from 2007 to 2019. This district, situated in a rural and mostly conservative part of Minnesota, was one of 13 Democratic-held House districts that former President Donald Trump won in the 2016 presidential election. Walz, who touted middle-of-the-road politics and boasted an "A" rating from the National Rifle Association for each of his five successful reelection campaigns, now has an "F" rating from the NRA. Prior to running for governor, Walz had been a consistent supporter of gun rights, but his current tone on guns is decidedly different: he supports gun control and enhanced background checks for gun purchases. As a congressman, Walz served as the ranking member of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. He also introduced the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act, a bill that sought to limit congressional insider trading. On March 22, 2012, then-President Barack Obama signed the bill into law. The bill had strong bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate, but as Insider has reported, is now frequently violated by members of Congress, and some federal lawmakers want to ban congressional stock trading altogether. Jensen, Walz's challenger, is a physician and former state senator. In 2016, he was named the Minnesota Family Physician of the Year. Born and raised in Sleepy Eye, Minnesota, Jensen represented Senate District 47 from 2017 to 2021. As a state senator, he took the lead on an insulin affordability bill that passed with bipartisan support. Prior to being elected state senator, Jensen served for nine years on the Waconia School Board. Story continues The physician-turned-political candidate saw his national profile rise when he shared unconventional views on the coronavirus pandemic and the vaccine. The state's pandemic response has become one of the main issues in this election cycle, with Jensen being a harsh critic of Walz's performance. Jensen handily defeated his GOP opponents in a three-way primary, clinching over 90% of the vote. Minnesota's voting history Joe Biden defeated Trump by a 7-percentage-point margin in 2020. The state has voted exclusively Democratic in every presidential election since 1976, last voting Republican during Richard Nixon's landslide victory in 1972. The money race Walz has raised more than $4.2 million since the beginning of the year, and has $3.2 million on hand, as of mid-September. His opponent, Jensen, has raised more than $3 million and has $864,000 available to spend. What experts say The race between Walz and Jensen is rated as "likely Democratic" by Inside Elections, "likely Democratic" by The Cook Political Report, and "likely Democratic" by Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics. Read the original article on Business Insider World leaders address the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. Headquarters in New York City By Rachel More and Thomas Escritt BERLIN (Reuters) -Britain should look to Germany to learn how to cope with a wave of immigrants, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said on Thursday, chastising London for its depiction of Albanians arriving in the country via the English Channel. "To single out a community and to talk about gangsters and about criminals, this doesn't sound ... very British, sounds more like screams from a madhouse," Rama said while praising Berlin's response to migration policy. Britain has been consumed by a row over migration since interior minister Suella Braverman blamed a "surge in the number of Albanian arrivals" on young, single men who she said were part of organised criminal gangs. Rama, who was attending a Berlin summit of Western Balkan nations hosted by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, singled out Germany's handling of the million-odd migrants it received in 2015 as a model for Britain to follow. "I never heard a German minister talking about Albanians as criminals," he said, standing on a podium alongside his host, and praised the "dignity" of Germany's approach. Fewer than 1% of Britain's Albanians were in jail, he added. A spokesperson for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak moved earlier on Thursday to de-escalate the row, highlighting Albania's cooperation in tackling people smugglers. "We have a strong relationship with our Albanian partners. We are grateful for the cooperation of the Albanian government and we remain fully committed to working together with them," the spokesperson told reporters. (Reporting by Thomas Escritt, Writing by Rachel More; Editing by Alex Richardson) In this article we are going to estimate the intrinsic value of Watches of Switzerland Group plc (LON:WOSG) by taking the forecast future cash flows of the company and discounting them back to today's value. Our analysis will employ the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. Models like these may appear beyond the comprehension of a lay person, but they're fairly easy to follow. Companies can be valued in a lot of ways, so we would point out that a DCF is not perfect for every situation. If you still have some burning questions about this type of valuation, take a look at the Simply Wall St analysis model. Check out our latest analysis for Watches of Switzerland Group The Calculation We are going to use a two-stage DCF model, which, as the name states, takes into account two stages of growth. The first stage is generally a higher growth period which levels off heading towards the terminal value, captured in the second 'steady growth' period. To begin with, we have to get estimates of the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years. A DCF is all about the idea that a dollar in the future is less valuable than a dollar today, and so the sum of these future cash flows is then discounted to today's value: 10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 Levered FCF (, Millions) UK87.2m UK121.4m UK133.9m UK174.8m UK215.7m UK245.5m UK270.0m UK289.6m UK305.2m UK317.6m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x5 Analyst x5 Analyst x4 Analyst x2 Analyst x1 Est @ 13.81% Est @ 9.97% Est @ 7.27% Est @ 5.39% Est @ 4.07% Present Value (, Millions) Discounted @ 7.2% UK81.3 UK106 UK109 UK132 UK152 UK162 UK166 UK166 UK163 UK158 ("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St) Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = UK1.4b Story continues The second stage is also known as Terminal Value, this is the business's cash flow after the first stage. For a number of reasons a very conservative growth rate is used that cannot exceed that of a country's GDP growth. In this case we have used the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield (1.0%) to estimate future growth. In the same way as with the 10-year 'growth' period, we discount future cash flows to today's value, using a cost of equity of 7.2%. Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2032 (1 + g) (r g) = UK318m (1 + 1.0%) (7.2% 1.0%) = UK5.2b Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= UK5.2b ( 1 + 7.2%)10= UK2.6b The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is UK4.0b. In the final step we divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of UK8.4, the company appears quite good value at a 49% 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 Important Assumptions We would point out that the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate and of course the actual cash flows. Part of investing is coming up with your own evaluation of a company's future performance, so try the calculation yourself and check your own assumptions. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Watches of Switzerland Group 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 7.2%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.066. 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. Moving On: Valuation is only one side of the coin in terms of building your investment thesis, and it ideally won't be the sole piece of analysis you scrutinize for a company. It's not possible to obtain a foolproof valuation with a DCF model. Preferably you'd apply different cases and assumptions and see how they would impact the company's valuation. For example, changes in the company's cost of equity or the risk free rate can significantly impact the valuation. Can we work out why the company is trading at a discount to intrinsic value? For Watches of Switzerland Group, there are three relevant items you should further examine: Financial Health: Does WOSG 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 WOSG'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 LSE 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. Join A Paid User Research Session Youll receive a US$30 Amazon Gift card for 1 hour of your time while helping us build better investing tools for the individual investors like yourself. Sign up here Republican Jennifer-Ruth Green, left, faces off against Democratic Rep. Frank Mrvan, right. Paul Beaty/AP Photo; Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images;Insider Rep. Frank Mrvan is running against Republican Jennifer-Ruth Green in Indiana's 1st Congressional District. Once reliably blue, the 1st District may join the majority of congressional districts in the state controlled by Republicans. If Green is elected, she will put a stop to Democrats' 92-year winning streak in Indiana's 1st Congressional District. Democratic Rep. Frank Mrvan faces off against Republican Jennifer-Ruth Green in Indiana's 1st Congressional District. Democrats have nearly a century-old winning streak in the district, but it could become Republican territory for the first time since Herbert Hoover was president. Indiana's 1st Congressional District candidates Mrvan, first elected to the US House in 2020, is no stranger to politics. He served as township trustee in North Township from 2005 to 2021. Prior to his role as trustee, Mrvan worked as a licensed mortgage broker and pharmaceutical sales representative. Mrvan is a member of the House Committee on Education and Labor and chairs the Subcommittee on Technology Modernization. The Democrat from Hammond, who supported President Joe Bidens' infrastructure bill, also co-chairs the Congressional Steel Caucus. Green, Mrvan's challenger, is a certified flight instructor and a commercial pilot she's one of a relatively small number of female Black professional pilots in the nation. A graduate of the US Air Force Academy, she currently serves in the Indiana Air National Guard. During her 12-year-long career in the military, Green was deployed to Baghdad in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Green founded MissionAero Pipeline, a college and career preparation non-profit with a focus on aerospace, science, technology, engineering and math. She listed a free-market economy and limited government regulations as issues important to her on her campaign website. Green defeated her GOP opponents in a four-way primary, narrowly overcoming second-place finisher Jesse Reising by fewer than than 1,000 votes. Story continues Abortion access is an issue where Mrvan and Green hold starkly opposing views. "I have seen their rights taken away. I want to make sure that no one, not a policy or politician, gets in the way of healthcare choices and my daughter's choices as they are going forward," Mrvan said in an interview with local media. Green, conversely, has said that "empirical evidence shows that life begins at conception and that a child in the womb is a distinct, developing, whole human being." Voting history for Indiana's 1st Congressional District Indiana's 1st Congressional District covers Gary, Hammond, and other steel-belt cities immediately east of Chicago's metropolitan area. Joe Biden had a 9 percentage point margin of victory over President Donald Trump under the district's previous boundaries in 2020 before it was redrawn to add more of LaPorte County's western area in redistricting following the 2020 Census, making it slightly less Democratic-leaning. The money race According to OpenSecrets, Mrvan has raised more than $2.2 million, spent $1.9 million, and has $466,000 on hand, as of October 19. His opponent, Green, has raised $2.9 million, spent $2.2 million, and has $702,000 cash on hand, as of October 19. As of November 1, more than a dozen super PACs, national party committees, politically active nonprofits, and other non-candidate groups have together spent more than $12 million to advocate for or against candidates in this race, including during the race's primary phase. Congressional Leadership Fund, a pro-Green hybrid PAC led by national Republicans, alone accounts for about half of that spending. What experts say The race between Mrvan and Green is rated as "lean Democratic" by Inside Elections, a "toss-up" by The Cook Political Report, and a "toss-up" by Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics. Read the original article on Business Insider By Huw Jones LONDON (Reuters) - Britain, rattled by the recent near meltdown of some pension funds, is pressing ahead to tighten oversight of the so-called shadow banking sector, taking the lead ahead of possible co-ordinated international action. UK regulators could preempt recommendations by the G20's Financial Stability Board (FSB) to require permanently higher liquidity buffers for Liability Driven Investment (LDI) funds - used by UK defined benefit pension schemes - backed by regular stress tests, two sources said. The Bank of England in September had to buy UK government bonds after the 1.6 trillion pound ($1.85 trillion) LDI sector struggled to come up with extra collateral to cover crashing bond prices. It once again shone a spotlight on patchily regulated non-bank financial intermediaries such as investment funds, insurers and pension schemes, now totalling over $200 trillion globally. The BoE last month called for "effective policy outcomes" from the FSB to improve resilience and remediate "structural vulnerabilities" in non-banks. Britain hopes the LDI crisis creates momentum for comprehensive global reform to improve data and liquidity in the sector. Mindful that higher buffers erode returns, regulators could, for example, allow more modest cash cushions for LDI funds with guaranteed access to extra cash within 48 hours, the sources added. The FSB is due to publish a report on vulnerabilities in non-banks along with policy proposals on Nov. 10, but implementing them will take time given it would be up to each member country how to do this. "I expect the FSB to come up with a summary of its analysis to date and a workplan to focus on less liquid funds," said Eric Pan, chief executive of the Investment Company Institute, a global funds industry body. "The FSB has spent a disproportionate amount of time looking at money market and regulated open-end funds. Other types of non-bank financial intermediation activities have been overlooked," Pan said. Story continues The BoE has studied non-banks closely since property funds were suspended following Britain's vote in favour of leaving the European Union in June 2016. In March 2020 the global $7 trillion money market funds sector also struggled when economies went into COVID-19 lockdowns, forcing central banks to inject liquidity. "There needs to be more attention to financial stability and macroprudential issues between authorities like the Bank of England, and the securities regulators who are responsible for those markets," BoE Deputy Governor Jon Cunliffe told lawmakers last month. Sarah Breeden, BoE executive director for financial stability, will set out more of the Bank's thinking on Nov. 7. In Britain the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulates UK-based managers of LDI funds, and The Pensions Regulator (TPR) regulates pension schemes. There are no liquidity rules for LDI funds in Britain, and the BoE said last month it would work with both regulators to ensure "strengthened standards are put in place". Nikhil Rathi, chief executive of the FCA, said last week he also saw a need for "better regulator and risk reporting and oversight". UK regulators could set formal "expectations" for asset managers and pension funds to maintain sufficient liquidity, while a panel of UK lawmakers investigates whether new rules are needed for LDI funds. ONCE BITTEN? The FSB is likely to be cautious about sweeping new rules after being bruised by its previous big attempt in 2015 to push through reforms for systemically-important funds - securities regulators scuppered the attempt to shoe-horn funds into banking-style norms. ICI's Pan said central bank thinking has since evolved but they still have a tendency to ignore that banks play a role in the sector as well. UK regulators face pushing ahead alone, for now, hoping global reforms eventually pressure others to follow suit. Most LDI funds are listed in European Union states like Luxembourg and Ireland, meaning structural changes would rely on the bloc. Luxembourg regulator CSSF said it was "actively engaged" with LDI managers. The Central Bank of Ireland said it has stepped up data collection, analysis and engagement with LDI funds. "In practice, we are not at the point of international convergence on how to approach non-banks," said Nicolas Veron, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington. "What happened in the UK has rightly received attention, but it's not obvious there is a need for follow action at the international level," said Veron, also senior fellow at Bruegel think tank in Brussels. ($1 = 0.8669 pounds) (Reporting by Huw Jones, editing by Sinead Cruise, Kirsten Donovan) Irelands Foreign Affairs Minister has said he will continue to make regular visits to Northern Ireland and will not be intimidated by loyalists objecting to his presence. Simon Coveney also addressed recent loyalist anger about the prospect of UK/Irish joint authority if devolution was not restored in Belfast. Mr Coveney insisted joint authority was not the focus of the Irish government as he expressed frustration that too much attention was being paid to it. On Wednesday, Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris reiterated the UK government position that it will not countenance joint authority. He also made clear that threats of violence had no place in Northern Ireland. Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney speaks to the media at the Irish Government Secretariat in Belfast (Niall Carson/PA) Some unionists and loyalists have criticised the Irish governments role in the Brexit process and partly blame Dublin for the creation of the Northern Ireland Protocol and the economic barriers it has created on trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Recent Sinn Fein calls for an Irish government role in the running of Northern Ireland if the ongoing devolution logjam continues further angered some within the loyalist community. Last week, an umbrella group representing loyalist paramilitary groups wrote a letter to unionist politicians urging them to make clear that Irish government ministers were not welcome in Northern Ireland. Earlier this year, a bomb scare forced the evacuation of an event being addressed by Mr Coveney in Belfast. The senior Irish minister was asked about the issue on Wednesday after holding talks with Mr Heaton-Harris in Belfast. He said the topic came up in discussions with the Northern Ireland Secretary. The Irish government and Irish government ministers have obligations under the Good Friday Agreement to be part of discussions here in Belfast on how the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement are protected, sustained and supported, he said. We take those obligations seriously, and thats why youre likely to see me regularly here, meeting my counterpart, and trying to fulfil the obligation and the responsibilities that I have, and that the Irish government has in that regard. Story continues We are not going to be intimidated by people who dont do not reflect the vast majority of peoples opinion here in Northern Ireland, who want to see the British and Irish Governments working together for stability, for certainty, for peace, and to ensure that the institutions that were set up nearly 25 years ago can deliver for people in Northern Ireland. Small numbers of people with hard-line thinking, making threatening statements are not going to put us off. Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris (Brian Lawless/PA) In a statement issued after his meeting with Mr Coveney, Mr Heaton-Harris said: Violence or the threat of violence has no place in Northern Ireland. I want to highlight the importance of pursuing a more peaceful and prosperous future for Northern Ireland through democratic means. Mr Coveney was also asked about the issue of joint authority. Joint authority is not our focus, he replied. Our focus is to get the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement up and running again; to get devolved government working for people in Northern Ireland; to get north-south institutions working again, so that we have the kind of relationship north-south that we should have, as was intended under the peace agreement; to ensure that we have the east-west institutions functioning as they as they were intended to as well. So, our focus is not on putting pressure to look for joint authority. Our focus is very much on getting the devolved institutions functioning again so that people feel that theyre represented in Northern Ireland, and that they have a devolved government here that that reflects the diversity of opinion across Northern Ireland society, and that those institutions can work with both the British government on the Irish government as appropriate. I think theres been too much talk, to be honest, about joint authority and not enough talk about getting an executive back up and functioning again. On the issue of joint authority, Mr Heaton-Harris said: The Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement clearly sets out that the consent principle governs the constitutional position of Northern Ireland. The UK government will not countenance any arrangements that are inconsistent with that principle such as joint authority. DHAKA, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- PetroChina is among the eight new international firms the Bangladeshi government has listed to purchase LNG (liquefied natural gas) from the spot market. The Bangladeshi government approved a proposal on Thursday at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal. In line with the approved proposal, the Master Sale and Purchase Agreement (MSPG) will be signed with eight firms including PetroChina International Pte Ltd. Singapore; LNG Japan Corporation, Japan; Socar Trading UK Ltd.; POSCO International Corporation, South Korea; QatarEnergy Trading LLC; Inpex Corporation, Japan; Pavilion Energy Trading & Supply Pte Ltd. Singapore; and PTT International Trading Pte Ltd, Singapore. After the meeting, Cabinet Division Additional Secretary Sayeed Mahbub Khan told reporters that the government has such kind of MSPA with 16 firms. Following the latest approval, the number of such firms under MSPA would be increased to 24 to make the LNG procurement process more competitive, he said. With the global price hike of fuel oil and shortage of supplies due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Bangladesh is contemplating importing dozens of LNG cargoes from long-term suppliers to cope with the mounting natural gas demand. Every investor in Panasonic Manufacturing Malaysia Berhad (KLSE:PANAMY) should be aware of the most powerful shareholder groups. And the group that holds the biggest piece of the pie are public companies with 47% ownership. That is, the group stands to benefit the most if the stock rises (or lose the most if there is a downturn). Individual investors, on the other hand, account for 24% of the company's stockholders. Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholders can tell us about Panasonic Manufacturing Malaysia Berhad. View our latest analysis for Panasonic Manufacturing Malaysia Berhad What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Panasonic Manufacturing Malaysia Berhad? Many institutions measure their performance against an index that approximates the local market. So they usually pay more attention to companies that are included in major indices. We can see that Panasonic Manufacturing Malaysia Berhad does have institutional investors; and they hold a good portion of the company's stock. This implies the analysts working for those institutions have looked at the stock and they like it. But just like anyone else, they could be wrong. When multiple institutions own a stock, there's always a risk that they are in a 'crowded trade'. When such a trade goes wrong, multiple parties may compete to sell stock fast. This risk is higher in a company without a history of growth. You can see Panasonic Manufacturing Malaysia Berhad's historic earnings and revenue below, but keep in mind there's always more to the story. We note that hedge funds don't have a meaningful investment in Panasonic Manufacturing Malaysia Berhad. Panasonic Holdings Corporation is currently the largest shareholder, with 47% of shares outstanding. Meanwhile, the second and third largest shareholders, hold 13% and 5.7%, of the shares outstanding, respectively. To make our study more interesting, we found that the top 2 shareholders have a majority ownership in the company, meaning that they are powerful enough to influence the decisions of the company. Story continues While studying institutional ownership for a company can add value to your research, it is also a good practice to research analyst recommendations to get a deeper understand of a stock's expected performance. Quite a few analysts cover the stock, so you could look into forecast growth quite easily. Insider Ownership Of Panasonic Manufacturing Malaysia Berhad The definition of an insider can differ slightly between different countries, but members of the board of directors always count. Company management run the business, but the CEO will answer to the board, even if he or she is a member of it. Most consider insider ownership a positive because it can indicate the board is well aligned with other shareholders. However, on some occasions too much power is concentrated within this group. We can see that insiders own shares in Panasonic Manufacturing Malaysia Berhad. As individuals, the insiders collectively own RM45m worth of the RM1.4b company. It is good to see some investment by insiders, but it might be worth checking if those insiders have been buying. General Public Ownership The general public-- including retail investors -- own 24% stake in the company, and hence can't easily be ignored. This size of ownership, while considerable, may not be enough to change company policy if the decision is not in sync with other large shareholders. Private Company Ownership It seems that Private Companies own 3.5%, of the Panasonic Manufacturing Malaysia Berhad stock. Private companies may be related parties. Sometimes insiders have an interest in a public company through a holding in a private company, rather than in their own capacity as an individual. While it's hard to draw any broad stroke conclusions, it is worth noting as an area for further research. Public Company Ownership It appears to us that public companies own 47% of Panasonic Manufacturing Malaysia Berhad. This may be a strategic interest and the two companies may have related business interests. It could be that they have de-merged. This holding is probably worth investigating further. Next Steps: It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Panasonic Manufacturing Malaysia Berhad better, we need to consider many other factors. For instance, we've identified 2 warning signs for Panasonic Manufacturing Malaysia Berhad (1 can't be ignored) that you should be aware of. Ultimately the future is most important. You can access this free report on analyst forecasts for the company. NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures. 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. Join A Paid User Research Session Youll receive a US$30 Amazon Gift card for 1 hour of your time while helping us build better investing tools for the individual investors like yourself. Sign up here The University of North Georgia (UNG) broke ground Nov. 3 on a 27,300-square-foot addition to its Cumming Campus. Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, state Sen. Steve Gooch, and Cumming Mayor Troy Brumbalow joined UNG President Bonita Jacobs and other state, Forsyth County, and university leaders for the ceremony. "This expanded space will allow UNG to train even more students to excel in high-demand career fields," Duncan said. "The position of this campus in fast-growing Forsyth County gives it a unique opportunity to support Georgia's growing workforce." The new space will allow for the addition of bachelor's degrees in Cumming and provide a capacity for future enrollment of 2,200 students, particularly in health care and technology-centric programs in demand along the growing Ga. 400 corridor. Construction will begin in early 2023 with the new space set to open in fall 2024. "UNG is celebrating our Sesquicentennial our 150th anniversary this year and the 10th anniversary of the Cumming Campus," Jacobs said. "These milestones give us an opportunity to reflect on our heritage, celebrate our achievements and look toward our future. Our university's founders knew in 1873, as we know today, the value of a college education and its role in strengthening communities." HCM CITY With nearly two billion Muslims in the world and rising demand for halal products, there is potentially a huge market for Vietnamese companies to exploit, experts said. Nguyen Tuan, deputy director of the HCM City Investment and Trade Promotion Centre (ITPC) told a conference on Tuesday that Vietnamese businesses should understand halal requirements to step up exports to one of the worlds fastest growing markets. Demand for them is increasing among both Muslim and non-Muslim consumers, especially for consumer products, he said. Large Muslim countries include the UAE, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Pakistan, and others in the Middle East. The demand for halal products is also increasing in the domestic market as more and more foreign Muslims come to Viet Nam to travel, work and study. Halal refers to any action or behaviour that is permissible in Islam, and includes things like slaughtering animals for meat in a strictly specified manner. But the Vietnamese share of the halal market remains modest though it does not have technical or tariff barriers like in the US or EU. Halal certification Ramlan Osman, director of the Halal Centre of Viet Nam, said to get halal certification, food products must not be tainted by pork or alcohol and have a negative impact on the environment. The halal food production line must be completely separated from non-halal lines, he said. The halal market also includes other products and services such as household goods, finance, fashion, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. But the rules and requirements for non-food items are not stringent or do not require strict separation from non-halal products. Experts said there are nearly two billion Muslims world-wide and the demand for Halal products is worth around $2.3 trillion annually. Increasing disposable incomes in leading Islamic nations like the UAE, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei is expected to expand the market, they said. Since there are few Muslims in Viet Nam, local companies are still not familiar with halal standards, which are different in each country. The event was organised by the ITPC and Halal Center of Viet Nam. VNS BEIJING, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday sent a message of condolence to Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos over a tropical storm hitting the Philippines. In the message, Xi said he was shocked to learn that the tropical storm has caused heavy casualties and property losses, and that he would like to, on behalf of the Chinese government and the Chinese people, extend condolences over the passing of the victims and express sincere sympathy to the bereaved families and the injured. Xi also said he believes that under the leadership of Marcos and the Philippine government, people in the affected areas will surely overcome the disaster and rebuild their homes. The Chinese side is willing to provide assistance within its capacity for the post-disaster reconstruction in the Philippines, he added. HCM CITY Vietjet has resumed more direct services from Viet Nam to Taiwan (China) in response to the travel demand, offering numerous promotional tickets. From November onwards, flights from Ha Noi and HCM City will take travelers to Kaohsiung, the second largest city of Taiwan, which owns various beautiful tourist attractions including busy night markets and a vivid bay area, Vietjet said in a statement. The HCM City-Kaohsiung route operates three weekly flights and will increase to four weekly flights from December 16. Service between Ha Noi and Kaohsiung operates twice weekly flights and will increase to daily flights from December 16. In addition, the airline also offers frequent flights during the week for routes from Ha Noi, HCM City to Taipei. It also plans to soon resume flights from Viet Nam to Taichung and Tainan to meet the rising demand prior to the New Year and Lunar New Year. Fares on these routes are being sold starting from VN615,000 (US$24.74)/ one-way, excluding taxes and fees. Moreover, promotional tickets are available every Monday by applying the code HELLOVIETNAM for 20 per cent fare discount, excluding taxes and fees, when booking tickets on international routes at www.vietjetair.com or Vietjet Air mobile app, with flight time until September 18, 2023, excluding public holidays. Other promotions are updated frequently on the airlines website, app and social platforms. Taiwan has always been a favourite destination for Vietnamese tourists thanks to the short-haul distance while having romantic natural landscapes, attractive cuisine with unique night market street food and a variety of choices for shopping. On the other hand, Viet Nam has been a rising destination in recent years, drawing more and more world travellers, and routinely receiving praise from leading global travel magazines. As the largest carrier operating between Taiwan and Viet Nam in terms of capacity, Vietjet has flown millions of travelers between Viet Nam and Taiwan for leisure, business, working and studying purposes with affordable fares and convenient services since 2014. Taiwan has lifted COVID-19 entry restrictions and resumed the e-visa policy for quick visa application while international travellers can also enjoy a complete pre-pandemic fashion arriving in Viet Nam. VNS HA NOI A total of 352 products have been newly recognised as National Brands, marking their contribution to the country's image in the eyes of global partners. The national brands are a positive reflection of Viet Nam's prestige, as well as its tradition, culture and people, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said at the annual ceremony on National Brands on Wednesday night. The PM underlined the promotion of national brands as a joint mission of the whole political system and said he was glad to see national brands increase in number year by year. He was also glad that Vietnamese products had gained ground internationally over recent years, demonstrated by their impressive export revenues, market shares, and rankings, as well as the mounting respect from global partners. At the ceremony, 172 firms were selected from over 1,000 candidates to be awarded the National Brands title. The PM said he was impressed by the firms' strong performance in 2021. They made aggregate revenues of VN1.57 quadrillion (US$63.2 billion), contributed VN129 trillion to the State Budget, created nearly 600,000 jobs and did considerably well in terms of social responsibility. He said the Vietnamese business community, likewise, showed remarkable resilience amid the unfavourable conditions and global uncertainties in the first ten months of the year. They managed to streamline their production process and improve their competitive positions globally, making a major contribution to the country's economic development. Remarkably, a Brand Finance report showed that the Vietnam National Brand rose from $388 billion in 2021 to $431 billion in 2022, the fastest-growing country between 2019 and 2022, in this regard. It is worth noting that Brand Finance's National Brand is not a valuation of aggregated Vietnamese commercial brands, but rather, is a valuation of the brand of the country itself. The PM urged the national-brand firms and the business community to further leverage their advantages to expand their international presence and improve their positions in global supply chains. They were also urged to enhance human resources, step up digital transformation, embrace sustainable development and engage in social welfare activities. The PM stressed that the Government would take the best measures to support firms by improving the business environment and removing obstacles. He hoped that by 2023 the country would have more than 1,000 products recognised as National Brands. According to Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien, the National Brands is the sole Government-launched programme aiming to promote the country through the image of its products and services. For 20 years, the programme has become a launch pad for Vietnamese firms, propelling their products into international stages and improving their competitive positions globally. VNS Sean Nolan HA NOI Last week, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in Ha Noi announced a death caused by rabies in Ha Noi. The 50-year-old man had recently slaughtered two dogs, from which the infection is thought to have come. As a former vegetarian, I am happy to admit that I have no love for the dog meat industry, which this man is presumed to have been a part of (though no evidence has been presented either way). However, when news of the death broke, I was shocked at the rhetoric posted online, particularly by expats living in Viet Nam. "I hope his suffering was long and painful." "Best news I've heard in a while." "Good. He deserved it." Now, it's firmly accepted that social media has become an echo chamber for mud-slinging with very few real-world consequences. However, celebrating a man's death simply due to the trade he is involved in removes the compassion and moral high ground that gives the animal-welfare sector the platform it uses so well to implement change. Had the man picked up a fatal disease working at a chicken, pig or cow slaughterhouse, would the reaction have been quite the same? Would the work-related death of a pest exterminator be celebrated as a good thing? Of course, the dog meat trade is much more emotive, particularly for expats from a different culture where dogs are primarily pets and companions. That culture is not as strong in Viet Nam, and the dog meat industry is accepted in some parts of Vietnamese society. There was an abattoir not far from the town I went to university, and I would often serve them coffee during their lunch break. None of them did the job because they enjoyed killing animals, or because they had a particularly cruel disposition. To them, like any profession, it was a means to an end, a way of putting food on the table. I wonder if it was the same for this man. Maybe it wasn't, and he was the worst of the worst, slaughtering dogs for no reason other than it took a sadistic pleasure. But that probably wasn't the case. Instead, he was probably just a man doing a job to feed his family, who paid the ultimate, terrifying price. It is not our place to judge him and it is certainly not our place to celebrate his death. After all, these high-and-mighty keyboard warriors certainly would have soymilk egg on their faces if the man turned out to be a veterinarian. VNS Le Thanh Hoa, a Vietnamese fashion designer, put this idea firmly into practice on October 27 with the launch of his new collection called An. Instead of working solely with traditional models, Hoa decided to create a 3D space, including its own programmed models, to showcase some of his designs. 3D fashion hitting Vietnams tech space, source: zingnews.vn Such virtual performance spaces profit from advances in 3D gaming and film technology, showcasing models and designs with vivid designs, colours, and textures. Hoa said that the experience with digital fashion is his way to encourage young people in the creative field. The need to create a personal mark in the digital age has given birth to many technology products, and fashion is no exception. I feel excited to try new things, said Hoa. Hoa is the first Vietnamese designer to apply 3D technology to a fashion exhibition, but he is not the first to have the idea of using technology to promote and develop fashion products. Late last year, BOO, a well-known domestic fashion brand in Vietnam with products using environmentally friendly materials, cooperated with British tech startup VerseHub to digitalise some of its fashion products on a blockchain platform. According to COO Do Viet Anh, this is the brands way to help customers have a new shopping experience in NextVerse, its own virtual reality platform, and take advantage of todays hottest trends to promote products. The project is experimental, showing that BOO dares to do and to be different, said Anh. The application of new technologies such as blockchain, AI, and 3D printing has become popular in the worlds fashion industry. Although applied through different forms at each brand, technology is gradually promoting its advantages in helping brands come up with appropriate development directions. Many big brands have chosen to apply technology to shorten production time and costs, and offer customers a better shopping experience. In September, Nike put a robot named BILL to the test at a retail store in London. BILL, which stands for bot-initiated longevity lab, will help customers clean old shoes and repair damaged parts through a special scanner system. The bot is expected to help Nike connect better with customers, paving the way for the companys plan to develop personalised services and communicate the recycled product line that is becoming a trend in the fashion industry. Meanwhile, Adidas has been working with a 3D printing and design company to launch a running shoe using Futurecraft 4D technology. The tech contributes to improving the users ability to move forward three times faster, compared to the previous technology. These changes could help local fashion brands compete with the rapid transformation of global behemoths like Topshop, with the ability to launch about 500 styles per week, or Zara, with a production rate of 20,000 styles per year. With over two decades of experience supplying food ingredients for Vietnamese food processing market, how do you evaluate the position of Asia Ingredients Group (AIG) in the market? Le Nguyen Doan Duy, director of Business Development at Asia Ingredients Group We started our operation as an authorised dealer for many international food ingredients companies 21 years ago. AIG has spent some of this time saving money, learning about technology, attracting clients, and creating our own markets. AIGs leader Nguyen Thien Truc convinced overseas suppliers to join and invest in the firm with the belief that Vietnam is a farming country with a major source of raw materials to supply ingredients for the food and beverage processing industry. We have positioned ourselves as the leading manufacturer and supplier of food ingredients in Vietnam and have a large volume of domestic and international clients that are large food processing companies. Accordingly, our groups revenues are 70 per cent based on the domestic market, while the rest comes from exports. Besides manufacturing, we are partnered with well-known international brands to provide high-quality food ingredients to Vietnams market. Vietnam agricultures annual export volume exceeds $50 billion, yet most items are still unprocessed. Does AIG have a strategy to increase exports using processed goods? The agricultural business exports huge amounts annually, but the vast majority, such as prawns, basa fish, cashews, and coffee, contribute to just a small amount of the total value. The processed food, beverage, and instant noodle industries have a high need for all ingredients. Thus, we concentrate on generating a wider variety of components from native raw material locations. We hope that more firms will collaborate to invest in the manufacturing and processing of food ingredients so that they may share their knowledge and serve a larger local and international market. We have developed two main raw material areas in Ben Tre and Nghe An provinces. In Ben Tre, a coconut hub of the Mekong Delta, we established ACP Asia Coconut Processing JSC. Meanwhile, Nghe An province was chosen to become a raw materials area for processing tapioca starch and glucose at Asia Hoa Son Corporation. In addition, a system of eco-smart cold storages in Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, and Bac Ninh ensures that food products for customers and consumers are always accessible. Additionally, we have created a European-certified organic raw material area in Ben Tre and we guarantee farmers a high and stable purchasing price for their high-quality raw materials. Likewise, in Nghe An, AIG shares risks with farmers by providing money for seed and fertiliser as we believe that farmers are essential to business sustainability. AIG is investing in new manufacturing facilities, and expansion of its current facility. Can you elaborate on these projects? It is now collaborating with Thai experts to invest in a cold storage facility in Binh Duong province. In addition to preserving the groups raw materials, a smart cold storage system with AS/RS automation systems, energy-saving technology, and eco-friendly standard cold storage can be used as an additional rental service. It is anticipated to be operational by the end of the year. The plant will use a lot of solar energy, reducing the greenhouse impact. AIG seeks to make its factories environmentally friendly. We also favour investing in developing raw material regions in the north. To prepare for this, we established an office in Hanoi and constructed a warehouse system in Hung Yen and Bac Ninh. When the opportunity arises, the company will immediately deploy the investment. AIG has invested significant resources in sophisticated equipment and innovative technology. How has this benefited the company? From the beginning of the production shift, we invested substantially in infrastructure, constructing production facilities with the most modern machinery and equipment in various raw material regions to manufacture high-quality goods. For example, the factory of Asia Saigon Food Ingredients JSC, a member of our ecosystem, specialises in the production of non-dairy powder creamers and is equipped with spray drying technology, the latest and most innovative technology in the industry, which was brought in from Denmark. Since 2009, the milk cream powder plant has been efficiently run by the factorys highly technical staff. Alternatively, at the Asia Coconut Processing JSC, AIG invests in ultra-high temperature sterilisation technology. Liquid products are sterilised and disinfected at a high temperature for 3-5 seconds, which helps to preserve nutrients and natural flavours while maintaining hygiene. Agricultural enterprises focus on emissions mitigation Many agricultural enterprises, especially food exporting and processing enterprises, are working to save energy, contributing to meeting the countrys greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions target. Challenging road ahead for agriculture startups Vietnams innovation startup ecosystem is forecast to see an investment of $2 billion, according to the Vietnam Open Innovation Ecosystem Report 2022, and aspiring startups are making great strides to bring distinct products from their homeland to supermarket shelves at home and abroad. As part of the programme, the students will receive free milk every month from October 2022 until the end of the school year in May 2023. A total of 223,000 packs of milk will be distributed to the students. The students will also undergo a health check-up to monitor their physical development at the end of the programme. The nutrition programme at one of the CapitaLand Hope Primary Schools and Kindergartens in Vietnam In the first month of the programme, over 50 staff volunteers visited the four CapitaLand Hope Primary Schools and Kindergartens to distribute milk as well as 1,400 sets of healthy snacks to the students from 23 to 28 October. CLD partnered with International Dairy Products JSC, one of Vietnam's fastest growth home-grown dairy product firms, to obtain milk for students under the nutrition programme. October 2022 also marked the completion of new sanitation facilities across five primary and secondary schools in Bac Giang province. CLD contributed more than $65,200 to provide proper toilets, urinals, and handwashing stations to create a healthy learning environment for 1,600 students. These initiatives are part of CapitaLands annual GivingAsOne campaign that brings CapitaLand staff, business partners, and customers together to do good by uplifting the lives of vulnerable groups and supporting the environment in communities where CapitaLand operates. Ronald Tay, CEO of CLD (Vietnam), said that as a responsible company, CLD remains committed to uplift the lives of the community as it expands presence in Vietnam one of its core markets. Through the nutrition programme at the CapitaLand Hope Schools in Vietnam and the improved sanitation in the schools in Bac Giang province, we hope to improve the students quality of life and learning environment, enabling them to better focus on their studies, said Tay. Tay added that since 2007, CLD, through CHF support, has contributed to the construction and refurbishment of four CapitaLand Hope Schools and other school facilities to support the educational needs of children in rural communities in Vietnam. We have also rallied more than 750 staff to volunteer over 6,000 hours collectively across numerous philanthropic activities in Vietnam. We believe education is an important foundation for building a resilient society, and we look forward to working with more like-minded partners to amplify our efforts to support the education and development needs of the vulnerable children in Vietnam, said Tay. Truong Thi Hoa, representative from the Thanh Hoa District Department of Education and Training said, We highly appreciate CLDs contributions to improve the educational environment for children in Long An province. CLD has been supporting CapitaLand Hope Schools Thanh Phuoc Primary School and Tan Tay Kindergarten since 2015 and 2019 respectively. We look forward to further cooperation from the company in the years to come. In addition, CLD partnered with TOTO Ltd., one of the largest bathroom manufacturers in Asia, to install improved sanitation facilities across five schools in Bac Giang province. The schools are Van Son Primary School in Thon Ga Hamlet, Thanh Luan Primary & Secondary School, Dai Son Primary & Secondary School in Son Dong district, Cam Ly Secondary School, and Luc Son Primary & Secondary School in Luc Nam district. CLD contributed more than $65,200 to provide proper toilets, urinals, and handwashing stations to create a healthy learning environment for 1,600 students Nguyen Duc Dung, deputy head of Son Dong District Department of Education and Training, on behalf of the department board and the teachers, expressed his sincere thanks to the corporate sponsors for building the school latrines that will provide children in rural areas with access to better sanitation. The companies understood the needs of the community and the wonderfully constructed sanitary facilities come with good design, natural ventilation, and quality materials. I am grateful to respective organisations for their contributions, said Dung. Spectacular views and atmosphere at Heritage West Lake The location has long become a moral compass for any real estate investor. But as the number of buildings accelerates continuously, the view has been deemed as the factor helping to elevate the values of properties, especially luxury condo developments. CapitaLand restructures business focus and unlocks shareholder value CapitaLand Group has implemented a strategic restructuring of its operation and management to increase the business results and unlock shareholders' values. Ronald Tay, CEO of CapitaLand Development (CLD) Vietnam talked with VIRs Bich Ngoc about the restructuring and its benefits. CapitaLand Development acquiring prime mixed-use site CapitaLand Development (CLD) the development arm of CapitaLand Group is acquiring a prime mixed-use site in Thu Duc city in Ho Chi Minh City, with an estimated gross development value of $720 million. CapitaLand Development enhances its operations CapitaLand Development has achieved remarkable milestones throughout its operations and business globally. Ronald Tay, CEO of CapitaLand Development (Vietnam), shared his point of view to VIRs Bich Ngoc on the development strategy and how the company works on creating quality spaces for live, work and play through sustainable and innovative solutions to enrich the community in the Vietnamese market. Andrew Lim, CFO of CapitaLand Investment, said that such markets may grow in significance as businesses seek to fortify supply chain and energy infrastructure in the face of globalisation shocks like the pandemic, according to Nikkei Asia. Countries with plentiful manufacturing and a low-cost, highly educated workforce may offer you an alternate destination from your current market, Lim stated. These are markets that are primed to offer alternative manufacturing destinations for links in the supply chain. He also believed that Vietnam boasts immense potential. Furthermore, the country in the new scheme of things will also begin to assume greater importance as a destination for capital and investment. "We would love to do more in Vietnam, we are already very active in India," Lim said, cited Nikkei Asia. "What recent events have told us is that it's probably dangerous to put all your eggs in one basket," Linh said. Headquartered and listed in Singapore, CapitaLand Investment is a leading global real estate investment manager with a strong Asia foothold. CapitaLand Investment is one of Asia's leading real estate investment managers. Temasek, the sovereign wealth fund of Singapore, owns indirect holdings in CapitaLand Investment via different subsidiaries. CapitaLand restructures business focus and unlocks shareholder value CapitaLand Group has implemented a strategic restructuring of its operation and management to increase the business results and unlock shareholders' values. Ronald Tay, CEO of CapitaLand Development (CLD) Vietnam talked with VIRs Bich Ngoc about the restructuring and its benefits. CapitaLand Development enhances its operations CapitaLand Development has achieved remarkable milestones throughout its operations and business globally. Ronald Tay, CEO of CapitaLand Development (Vietnam), shared his point of view to VIRs Bich Ngoc on the development strategy and how the company works on creating quality spaces for live, work and play through sustainable and innovative solutions to enrich the community in the Vietnamese market. CapitaLand Development wins top awards at PropertyGuru Vietnam Property Awards 2022 CapitaLand Development (CLD), the development arm of CapitaLand Group, on 21 October won the top award for Best Housing Development in Vietnam and was recognised for its excellence in master planning, sustainability, and corporate social responsibility at the prestigious PropertyGuru Vietnam Property Awards 2022. Anthony Pugliese, president and CEO of IIA making his remarks in Ho Chi Minh City Attending the ceremony were representatives from the Ministry of Finance, Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange, Hanoi Stock Exchange, World Bank, the Supervisory Board, listed companies, and partners. The ceremony was also attended by leaders of IIA International and members of IIA in Vietnam. At the ceremony, Anthony Pugliese, president and CEO of IIA said, In September, we welcomed IIA Vietnam to the IIAs global network. This includes more than 218,000 members who are served by a global federation of 115 international affiliates, which collectively represent nearly 200 countries and territories worldwide." "Getting to this point has been nearly two years in the making, with our IIA Vietnam leaders working closely with veteran mentors to lay the necessary organisational foundations and complete a lengthy preparation process, which included demonstrating sustainable strategic plans, a commitment to ethical practices, and strong governance and compliance initiatives." "We are happy to be here at this time to show our support and commitment to IIA Vietnams leadership team to ensure the internal auditors in Vietnam have full access to not only the IIAs standards but also to a wide range of professional guidance, tools, resources, and world-class training such as the premier Certified Internal Auditor designation and the Internal Audit Practitioner programme," he added. The launch of IIA Vietnam as a member of IIA Global is a turning point in the development of the internal audit profession in Vietnam in particular as well as of corporate governance in the country in general. The growth rate of the Vietnamese economy, the rapid development of the capital market, and the need for reform of financial control in recent years have required best practices in corporate governance and independent supervision of control and risk, thereby creating a premise for the development of internal audit activities in Vietnam. Hoang Hung, president of IIA Vietnam also emphasised, IIA Vietnam will provide professional support to state management agencies and market regulators to develop regulations and guidelines for strengthening internal audits, internal control, risk management, corporate governance, and public expenditure management, while at the same time, establishing and participating in the supervision of professional and quality standards for internal audits in Vietnam." The members of IIA expect IIA Vietnam to have a legal framework that will support internal auditors in the nation to develop and practice professionally in accordance with the Internal Audit Professional Practice Framework the globally accepted internal audit standard. At the same time, IIA Vietnam will contribute to promoting the best internal audit practices in the region through access to IIA's full range of professional guidance resources. How to assess effectiveness of internal audits The traditional role of internal auditing in Vietnamese companies only focuses on financial estimations and monitoring of the internal control system. However, in recent years, its role and influence has been increasingly enhanced in contributing to risk management activities and improving value. Therefore, it is very important to assess the effectiveness of internal auditing. Internal audit, good governance, and helping Vietnams enterprises grow Effective corporate governance is set to play a critical role in ensuring the continued strong growth of Vietnam's booming economy, says corporate governance expert Hung Hoang FCPA (Aust.). Managing the challenges in internal audit in accordance with Decree 05 Three months after the end of the transitional provisions of Decree No.05/2019/ND-CP on April 1, enterprises covered by the decree have implemented internal audit functions and gradually improved their internal audit work. However, during the implementation, many enterprises have faced obstacles in how to structure their internal audit organisation and approach people effectively and efficiently. According to statistics released by the General Statistics Office (GSO) at the end of September, Vietnams food sector has a robust growth rate of over 10 per cent annually, delivering more competitive goods, dominating the home market, and expanding exports. Modern production line with European processing technologies for food ingredients at AFI - a subsidiary of AIG Vietnams food production and processing sector accounts for 19.1 per cent of the value of its processing and manufacturing industries. This is the industry that accounts for the largest part of the processing and manufacturing sectors, satisfying both domestic and international food demands. Alongside this expansion is the section that provides food ingredients to manufacturing companies, including instant noodles, milk, juices, quick meals, candies, and beer. According to the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the food ingredient sector has enormous development potential. According to a forecast published in August by Mordor Intelligence, Vietnams food and beverage business could increase by up to 8.65 per cent annually. This is a good prognosis for the growth of the food business between 2021 and 2026, even though it will continue to be impacted by the pandemic and the rising cost of inputs. A plentiful supply of raw materials, including rice, coffee, pepper, cashews, aquatic goods, and vegetables, is also conducive to the growth of the food processing sector in Vietnam. Vietnam exports about $1 billion worth of tapioca products annually. According to the GSO, exports of tapioca starch in the first nine months of 2022 totalled 1.55 million tonnes worth $769 million, an increase of 21.1 per cent in volume and 29 per cent in value over the same period in 2021. According to Agrotrade Vietnam of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Vietnam may export $4 billion worth of fruits annually, of which about 70 per cent is fresh fruit (dragon fruit, passion fruit, and mango) used as juice ingredients. The density of trees In addition, coffee exports roughly $4 billion per year and cashews around $3.6 billion per year. The potential to use local raw materials for processing is readily accessible, and it will be easier for firms to invest in growing regions themselves, assuring the proper criteria for output volume and quality. There are two primary raw material providers in the Vietnamese market those that directly construct raw material regions for manufacturing and delivery to processing facilities, and those that import from outside for distribution in Vietnam. By the end of 2021, the nation boasted more than 8,500 industrial-scale agricultural product processing firms with an annual capacity of around 120 million tonnes of raw materials. Domestic and foreign businesses have poured capital into food processing plants, utilising the space to rapidly increase sales and profits, such as Asia Ingredients Group (AIG), Asia Saigon Food Ingredients (AFI), and Asia Hoa Son Corporation. AIG is the company with the highest share of the domestic food ingredient industry, and has constructed two big raw material sites in Vietnam (see interview). Founded as a trading firm with 100 per cent Vietnamese capital, it grown its production and spent extensively on research and development to become the dominant company in Vietnams raw materials industry. Elsewhere, AFI is an expert manufacturer of non-dairy creamer powder, fat-filled milk, cereal flakes, stabiliser, and powders. The AFI plant is situated in My Phuoc 3 Industrial Park of Binh Duong province, and is outfitted with a contemporary equipment system based on the spray drying technology of Denmark and Germany, and employs a team of highly skilled specialists. According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the consumption of processed foods and drinks has climbed by 9.68 per cent annually on average over the last five years. From the standpoint of foreign-invested businesses, Vietnams food processing sector is appealing due to its abundance of agricultural and food production raw resources. However, the agriculture business, with an export capability of $50-55 billion per year, continues mostly to export low-added-value raw commodities. Processing prevents EU agro-increase While the sharp increase in food prices across Europe has opened up prospects for Vietnamese agricultural exporters, processing issues remain at the forefront. Processing - manufacturing, real estate top FDI attraction in nine months Processing - manufacturing and real estate are the biggest magnets for foreign direct investment (FDI) in the first nine months of 2022, statistics showed. According to the MoU, Sokimex and NovaGroup will contribute equal capital and cooperate in implementing and completing necessary procedures in accordance with the law to conduct the auction of land use rights and Blue Dragon project development. Representatives of the two groups signed the cooperation agreement under the witness of leaders of Dong Thap province The Blue Dragon project is expected to complete the legal process in the first quarter of 2023 and start construction in the second quarter of 2023. Blue Dragon is one of the components of the Mekong Smart City interregional planning project, including the border gate area of the two provinces of An Giang and Dong Thap with a range of facilities such as urban areas, industrial parks, export processing zones, and commercial and food centres. The project is planned as an urban complex including houses and commercial streets with full facilities such as a courtyard by Marriott Hotel, a 1000-seat wedding conference hall, markets, shopping malls, and an international hospital, among others. Chairman of the Board of Directors and founder of NovaGroup Bui Thanh Nhon giving a souvenir to Duke Neak Oknha Sok Kong, chairman of Sokimex Investment Group With a beautiful landscape, Blue Dragon stretches along the Mekong River filled with silt and vitality, a place to live full of desirable amenities that have hardly been in any other big city. Moreover, the project has a strategic and convenient location for the commodity trade of 13 cities and provinces in the Mekong Delta. When completed, Blue Dragon will create a driving force to promote the socioeconomic development of the delta in the direction of industrialisation and modernisation of the border areas. NovaGroup built the Mekong Smart City, an interregional project including the border gate economic zone of the two provinces of An Giang and Dong Thap with the expectation of turning this place into a regional tourism and logistics centre. If the master plan is implemented, it will contribute to removing bottlenecks of the Mekong Delta in terms of transport infrastructure connectivity, urban development, education, healthcare, and creating a new tourist destination of the region. It will also help create jobs for the people of the Mekong Delta, reducing poverty and migration in Vietnams southwest region. In addition to the Dragon City, NovaGroup will advise on the development of Bokor City Urban Area with a size of 5,000 hectares in Kampot Province in Cambodia invested by Sokha Hotel Co., Ltd. (a subsidiary of Sokimex Investment Group). NovaGroup is an investment and economic development group, including Novaland with shares listed on the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange and is listed in the VN30. By September 30, Novaland has equity of $1.94 billion, a market capitalisation of $6.1 billion, and total assets of nearly 11.3 billion. Sokimex Investment Group is a powerful economic group of the Kingdom of Cambodia owned by Duke Neak Oknha Sok Kong, one of the few rich people in Cambodia. He was born in Prey Veng, Cambodia but his parents are Vietnamese. Living in Hong Ngu, Dong Thap, Kong always had the wish to contribute to the development of his homeland and help the poor in Dong Thap. NovaGroup hopes this agreement will be the start of an era to bring the Mekong Delta to join the community of the Greater Mekong sub-region, allowing it to further expand and develop in the near future. Nova Medi provides advanced medical services to the community NovaGroup and the German Medical Association MediVerbund AG held the groundbreaking ceremony for the Nova Medi Healthcare Centre on February 27 at NovaWorld Phan Thiet in Binh Thuan province. DEG Impulse and NovaGroup start project for underprivileged students NovaGroup and DEG Impulse, a subsidiary of DEG, the German Development Finance Institution, on September 26, announced the project Teaching English and Informatics for Free for Primary School Students in Binh Thuan and Dong Thap provinces. DEG Impulse and NovaGroup education project rolls out in Dong Thap The project 'Teaching English and Informatics for Free for Primary School Students' by DEG Impulse and NovaGroup continued in Hong Ngu commune of Dong Thap province on October 3. NovaGroup to purchase eight million Novaland shares NovaGroup JSC has registered to buy eight million shares of No Va Real Estate Investment Group JSC, a transfer of share ownership through the stock exchanges system. JERUSALEM, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- The right-wing bloc of former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu won the general elections with a clear majority in the 120-seat parliament, according to the country's election committee chief. The count of all votes from Tuesday's elections was concluded and changes in the results were not likely despite the fact that more routine checks for fraud are still needed, Orly Ades, director of the Central Elections Committee which oversees elections in Israel, said in a broadcast statement on Thursday. The official results will be submitted to President Isaac Herzog next week, who is expected to task Netanyahu with forming the next government, Ades added. The final count showed Netanyahu, backed by an alliance of extreme-right parties, would return to power with 64 seats, while his main rival, centrist Yair Lapid and his bloc of the current coalition government, garnered 51 seats. Netanyahu's main partner in his upcoming government is expected to be the ultra-nationalist Religious Zionist Party with 14 seats, a faction of three far-right parties featuring Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has described himself as a disciple of the late Rabbi Meir Kahana, leader of the extremist Kach movement which was blacklisted as a terror group in Israel in 1994. Ben-Gvir, a 46-year-old lawmaker, has several convictions for charges including racist incitement and membership of a terrorist group. During the election campaign, he promised to pass a law that will grant legal immunity to Israeli soldiers who shoot Palestinians, to deport Arab legislators he accuses of "terrorism," and to end Palestinian autonomy in parts of the occupied West Bank. Until 2021, Ben-Gvir had repeatedly failed to pass the electoral threshold to get him into the Knesset, the parliament. But in the latest elections, the fifth in about four years, his faction emerged as the third largest party and a key partner in Netanyahu's future coalition. Ben-Gvir said he hoped to lead the Ministry of Public Security. The Religious Zionist Party has vowed to make amendments to Israeli law that could get Netanyahu's criminal trial over his corruption charges cancelled. As the Balad, an Arab party, has failed to pass the electoral threshold, only two Arab parties now remain in the parliament, with both Ra'am and Hadash-Ta'al having five seats. Earlier on Thursday, Lapid, whose centrist Yesh Atid party won 24 seats, called Netanyahu and congratulated him on his victory, according to a statement issued by Lapid's office. Mark Ridley, group CEO at Savills Vietnam's economy is forecast to grow by 7.5 per cent in 2022, the highest in East Asia and the Pacific region. Do you think this will be leveraged to attract more investors to the real estate industry? Ridley: Vietnams economy will be a giant accelerator. There will be more interest from global investors in Vietnam than ever. The GDP growth forecasts worldwide are back to 2.5 per cent, and Vietnam is accelerating that significantly. Meanwhile, some developed markets in Europe or the UK will be in recession for the next two to three quarters, making Vietnam a robust market for investors to leverage. MacGregor: Manufacturing is the key growth driver of Vietnam. We may see a dip in manufacturing orders in the short term because consumer spending is dropping elsewhere in the world. However, we will continue to witness the shift of manufacturing into Vietnam, which will drive the manufacturing sector to grow further. This, eventually, continue the growth of the GDP figures of this country. This then link to the industrial real estate market, we might see a short-term, maybe six months or nine months tailing off demand for industrial real estate. However, it will bounce back strongly as manufacturing trends kick back in. The government will need to work very hard to continue to attract investment property. Marriott: Emerging markets have attracted investment interest because of GDP growth. High-tech manufacturers such as Samsung, LG Electronics, and numerous Apple suppliers are now manufacturing in Vietnam. The country is moving up the value chain from regional investors. This then further highlights the need for transparency and ease of investment. Both getting the money in and getting the money out are essential for the FDI, primarily when they're investing in real estate investments. What should Vietnam do to attract more foreign direct investment (FDI) from other countries regarding the current relocation of manufacturers ? Ridley: The first critical thing is that people want security for their investments. They need to understand if the investment is safe and secure, and at some stage, if they decide to relinquish that ownership, they can easily get their money out. The second is the supply because if there is lots of interest, investors want high-quality products. So, creating the development supply is fundamentally important for Vietnam. If we cannot satisfy that needs, people will invest in other markets where they can get more accessibility. It is critical to translate the interests into reality, and creating a development supply is the key to unlocking this in Vietnam. Investors need to see their manufacturing can come in and have to start manufacturing in the shortest timescale possible. If this process takes years to complete, they will look at another market. Furthermore, the demographic of Vietnam is great, with a young and skilled labour supply. This is very attractive for FDI coming into the market. MacGregor: Vietnam has done an excellent job of investing in infrastructure recently. The government should continue to invest more in infrastructure, which is crucial as the economy grows fast. That allows new real estate markets to open up, helps manufacturing grow, and support the industrial real estate markets. Neil MacGregor, managing director at Savills Vietnam What are some prevalent trends in the global real estate sector? Marriott: We've seen a surge in investment in places like Japan or Australia in the buy-to-rent residential market. That global trend has been coming to Asia and become exceptional across Asia. It is not just about building properties for rent, it is how you manage those properties for the residents and get a premium rent by integrating the management with the asset. The other, probably driven more out of the US, is online retail and logistics, which is becoming more specialist logistics in either high-velocity, high-speed or specialist in terms of high-value or chilled goods. Moreover, we are seeing people playing around to find out how they can extract higher returns from similar properties through different management structures. This leads to the appearance of some niche real estate sectors, for example, data centres. Data centres are attracting much interest because they can generate superior returns if structured correctly and if the deal was structured in the right way. Ridley: The other trend to expect is Life Sciences. Because of the pandemic, life sciences are becoming the front of mind, and there has been significant growth. Life Sciences sit alongside technology companies. And the ideal cluster in that sector would be education, alongside life science and technology. If you get one of those three together, you will create a life science market, that numerous investors and occupiers are looking for. Savills has committed to net zero target and ESG criteria. How is its sustainability journey in Vietnam going? Ridley: As a global business, we have committed to achieving net zero by 2030 across all of our directly owned or managed estates, and all our offices worldwide. We have adopted science-based targets, not only with carbon offsets. This is changing the way Savills operate as a business and our team is strongly committed to this pathway. Beyond that, our target is to look at the supply chain, even though we do not own or run the property, we do it on behalf of our customers. For instance, when we look at office environments, one of our most significant areas, we are looking at how sustainable that office environment can be, how we fit out the space, how we can use a circular economy, and reusing things to the most significant degree. That's our commitment as a business, as a global salvage business. And then from that, we have to educate all of those in our supply chain and how we can help them on that journey. Marriott: In terms of how we can support Vietnam in this initiative, we might bring back to Vietnam the module that we have adopted in Singapore. We established a department that will come into buildings and give them a grading relative to the local grading. We will then look at the engineer's design plan to improve the grading, for example, to improve the building from bronze to a gold or platinum level. Then we will go to the contractors' engineer to get a quote for the UPSC parading of that property to improve its position in terms of the green mark. It is now getting slightly more complex because that is just the carbon footprint and power consumption. It will then depend on which route the Vietnam government wishes to choose in terms of ESG or net-zero target. There will be plenty of examples of what we can do as consultants to come in and assist in either assessing or looking at the refurbishment and project management. From January, all listed companies will have to report on their ESG initiatives as part of their workforce, so we can help through these initiatives and take data, for example, from managing properties in terms of energy efficiency, and contribute to the reports that all companies will have to do. Chris Marriott, CEO for Southeast Asia at Savills What are the challenges in Vietnam's real estate sector in the upcoming years, especially as a developing country with a high land price thats even on par with developed countries? Mark Ridley: Prices have gone up dramatically in the past two years or so in Vietnam, which is caused by a land supply shortage in the market. The short answer is that the government needs to facilitate more land supply and bring quality, clear land development into the marketplace. That will introduce more supply and diversified products, whether affordable housing or to complement the higher value housing delivered increasingly by foreign and local developers, even in some niche sectors that we've mentioned, as well as facilitating the continued growth of manufacturing. So, there needs to be a real focus on creating more land supply, partly driven by the master plan and the zoning master planning efficient auctions. We will likely see some price corrections in some regions of the market. However, the great fundamentals of Vietnam, the fantastic growth story, and the strong demand across all real estate sectors will remain, which means in the longer term, prices will continue to go up, in a more sustainable way. Another thing is that we will see investors get attracted to Vietnam market because of the growth story, and they can get superior returns in the Vietnam market, which is opposed to other more developed markets. So, as long as they can achieve investment returns, prices will continue to go up. The draft amended land law will be released for public feedback in January 2023 after being submitted to the National Assembly for consultation. The second submission will be at the fifth meeting in May next year, and it will be finally considered and approved at the sixth meeting in October 2023 if there are no further issues. According to the Ministry of Construction, Vietnam currently has about 83,000 condotel units nationwide According to Le Hoang Chau, chairman of Ho Chi Minh City Real Estate Association, legislation such as the Law on Land and Law on Real Estate Business do not have a provision for constructing residences that operate as businesses. Therefore, it is necessary to add regulations on the type of real estate that can be used as a business with the added function of being a residence in any draft revision, Chau said. This would ensure generality and coverage in law. For construction works with accommodation functions such as condotels, officetels, serviced apartments, and hotel apartments located in independent buildings, or independent houses built on commercial and service land, there is currently not enough legality to regulate properly. Trinh Hoai Duc, director of Ho Chi Minh City realtor RealPlus added, The quick completion of legal regulations related to these types of products will contribute to promoting more market demand from the perspective of investors, as well as customers buying condotels. As for changing the type of ownership, Duc said it would depend on the master plan of the tourism real estate industry, as well as the urban development planning of each locality in the long term. Despite the pleas, at a consultation workshop on the draft Law on Land held in Hanoi in August, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha said that condotels, officetels, and tourism property would not be included in an amendment to the law. The state has prescribed that commercial and service land have a lifespan of 50 years and is issued a pink book according to that time. Any locality that wants to transfer commercial and service land to residential land must be reconsidered. We should not implement the wrong things, Ha said. According to the Ministry of Construction, Vietnam currently has about 83,000 condotel units nationwide. The government has the policy to grant land use rights for this type of real estate, but there are very few condotel apartments that have a red book. Condotel market faces gloomy prospects The condotel market has faced a gloomy period due to low absorption rate while inventory has been on the rise, experts said. Hanoi tightens management over condotels, officetels, resort villas The Hanoi People's Committee recently issued a written request to tighten the management of the investment, construction and business of condotels, tourist villas and officetels. Condotel developing slows amid restrictions Recent decisions to impose stricter management on condotels and officetels are pushing developers and investors into a miserable situation, as the whole real estate market reels from the pandemic impacts. In particular, 80 per cent of survey attendants said their companies have made commitments or plan to do so in the next 2-4 years. Companies yet to make any commitments or plan for ESG cite lack of knowledge as the key barrier. Only 29 per cent of respondents has confidence in their boards ESG capabilities, while 43 per cent are considering establishing training on related matters. Nguyen Hoang Nam - Partner, ESG Leader Assurance Services (left), PwC Vietnam, Dinh Hong Hanh - Partner, ESG Leader Risk Consulting Services, PwC Vietnam However, only 57 per cent of foreign-invested enterprises have made bold ESG pledges, and 58 per cent of listed companies appear to have taken a wait-and-see stance. Interestingly, 40 per cent of private family business respondents say they have made commitments. This figure may underscore the strong sense of responsibility among Vietnamese next generations that family businesses should lead the way in sustainable business practices, which is clearly indicated in PwCs report, Vietnamese NextGens. ESG typically brings to mind environmental issues like climate change and resource scarcity, particularly post-COP26. Over 60 per cent of Vietnamese enterprises, notwithstanding, cited governance as the top priority on the executive agenda. Regarding sustainability reporting standards and frameworks used, Vietnam is among the lowest for Global Reporting Initiative and Sustainable Development Goal adoption, according to a PwC Sustainability Counts report, which surveyed 50 of the largest listed companies of each of the selected jurisdictions. Vietnamese companies trail behind global counterparts in seeking independent assurance on ESG disclosures. The country is also the lowest for disclosing ESG governance and board of directors responsibilities in these matters. Meanwhile, it has the highest proportion of businesses disclosing short-term targets, but the lowest for long-term targets, which is less than 30 per cent. As with almost everything, taking the first steps along the ESG journey is daunting. Some 61 per cent of Vietnams businesses yet to commit cite lack of knowledge as the key barrier. Two-thirds see ambiguous regulations as a major difficulty, while only 29 per cent of respondents who said that there are board involvements in ESG are confident in their boards capabilities on these matters. Clear guidelines, a holistic country roadmap, and a level playing field for industries are needed for businesses here to advance their strategies. While the government has made progress in developing green energy, environmental protection, and corporate governance, more can be done. For instance, many are waiting for Vietnams policymakers to offer clarity around the countrys green finance rules and target areas. ESG will be a major focus for new reforms in government policy and future corporate strategy. To make it impactful in Vietnam, a 2-pronged approach is required. On one hand, businesses should raise their organisations ESG awareness, sets out their visions and re-shape their strategy and its execution. On the other hand, government bodies and regulators should develop clear policies to provide new standards as well as motivate companies in integrating ESG into the way they create value to their stakeholders. PwC has been active in sharing perspectives in the process of the State Bank of Vietnam in preparing a draft circular guiding the implementation of environmental risk management in credit granting activities of domestic institutions and foreign branches. The circular is set to provide a standard legislative framework mandating them to adopt environmental risk management in loan executing activities. In some of his favorite pieces, pianist Jeremy Denk finds engaging contrasts and juxtapositions, punctuated by sublime moments or teeth-grinding dissonance, that remind him of the wonderful mess of life. That collision of dissimilarities surfaces in two events the 52-year-old musician will share with Waco audiences next week: his performance of Mozarts Piano Concerto No. 25 with the Waco Symphony Orchestra on Nov. 10 and a separate book talk with accompaniment the night before on Every Good Boy Does Fine: A Love Story, In Music Lessons, his memoir of the years of training that prepared him for a music career. The WSO concert at Waco Hall will have a mix of emotions of its own as well. The program features vibrant pieces for full orchestra, but also a tinge of sadness as Music Director Stephen Heyde closes his 35 years as WSO conductor with his final concert before retiring. For the accomplished Denk, a world-renowned pianist, recording artist, MacArthur Genius award winner and best-selling author, bringing out those conflicting and complementary elements through details of tone, rhythm and melody is a musicians work. In his book, he recounts the years of practicing, music teachers of varying temperaments, performance failures and successes and a troubled family life that took a boy mesmerized by his fathers classical records to his present career. The Mozart concerto hell play with the WSO, one of three on his 2021 recording of Mozart concertos, has the composer working with contrasting moods and themes, from bright optimism to darker introversion, but progressing into a final burst of new invention rather than returning to a beginning theme, Denk observed. On the way, Mozart creates instrumental dialogues that stand almost like opera characters, a sextet between woodwinds and piano thats a hallmark of the concerto and some moments of transcendent musical beauty. Its a special favorite piece of mine, he said in a recent phone interview from his New York City home. Conductor Heyde would agree. This is the last of the great (Mozart piano concertos). Mozart teaches us theres more to major and minor than happy and sad, he said. Denks interpretative feel for music has won him critical acclaim throughout his career. His writing on classical music and his latest book illuminates not only the hours/days/years of practice required to reach that level of play, but the myriad small touches of volume, dynamics, harmony and phrasing that go into every performance. Every Good Boy Does Fine the familiar mnemonic music students learn to remember the lines of the treble clef interposes Denks account of his boyhood and college years at Oberlin Conservatory of usic, Indiana University and The Juilliard School with lessons on harmony, melody and rhythm that explain the roles those play in music. The book shows the interpretative precision Denk brings to his music, but hes not afraid it might scare off audiences with less grounding in music or music history. With both my book and my playing, I give my audiences as much credit as I can, he said, noting that audiences are still drawn to the depth, beauty and complexity found in much classical music. Several aspects of his memoir have resonated with readers: the joy and terror of music lessons, the tedium of practicing and the larger-than-life presence of music teachers. Im insanely grateful for the teachers I have had, he said, observing that his account of various teachers and their approaches coupled with the sheer work in mastering keyboard technique drew approving nods from fellow musicians. Ive gotten lots of nice notes from musicians. You made me revisit (practicing) or Ive changed my approach to practicing, Denk said. I didnt realize what a wide appeal it would have. Waco audiences will get a chance to hear Denk talk about his book and play through passages at the piano in a Musical Musings book talk Wednesday night at Baylor Universitys Roxy Grove Hall, which adjoins Waco Hall. Its the sort of interactive engagement with listeners that Denk enjoys in recitals and small performances, he often talks about the works hes about to play and allows him to illustrate, musically, points hes trying to make. Its also an environment suited to sharing some of the more personal parts of a childhood spanning years in North Carolina, New Jersey and New Mexico, including his parents disintegrating marriage, an alcoholic mother, an emotionally distant father and Denks own prickly personality. The books hopefully fun and at times sad, both mirth and melancholy, he said. Denk will sign copies of his book at the Wednesday event and those attending can buy a ticket that includes a copy of the book for $35, with a bookless companion ticket priced at $15. The artist chat and book signing is familiar territory for Waco Symphony Association executive director Carolyn Bess, who programmed similar events in the Arts & Letters Live series she programmed during her 25 years at the Dallas Museum of Art. Such encounters give audiences insight into a musicians or authors creative process as well as their personal lives, she noted. It allows our audience to get to know one of our artists more personally. It opens a window into their daily life, she said. Tickets are available online at wacosymphony.com. Denk and the WSO will play the Mozart concerto in the second half of the Nov. 10 concert with a first half featuring works that music director Heyde called pieces I like a lot, but havent done yet. Heyde will lead the orchestra in Engelbert Humperdincks Prelude to Hansel and Gretel, Boris Blachers Orchestral Variations on a Theme by Paganini and Samuel Barbers Essay No. 2, all works with a full complement of orchestral players. The prelude to the Humperdinck opera starts in happy tranquility, then veers into some agitated passages before returning to its original gentleness, raising beautiful melodic passages on the way, he said. In a nod to Rachmaninoffs well-known piano work Variations on a Theme by Paganini, the 1947 Blacher work uses the same basic theme, Paganinis 19th Violin Caprice, but takes it into an orchestral context with 16 variations that span exceptional sonorities, marked tempos and asymmetrical rhythms. Barbers Essay No. 2 recalls his better-known Adagio for Strings in its warmth and melodic sweep, but on a larger symphonic scale. Ive always wanted to program this at the Waco Symphony, Heyde said. Instant Pot cooking class Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service of McLennan County will have a Holiday Instant Pot cooking class from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Nov. 15 at the Texas A&M AgriLife facility at 4224 Cobbs Drive. Registration for the course will close at 5 p.m. Nov. 14. Cost is $49. To register, go to the McLennan Community College Continuing Education website, cereg.mclennan.edu, or call 254-299-8888. Dia de los Muertos contest The Tribune-Herald is facilitating an online contest for the best entries from last weekends Dia de los Muertos parade in downtown Waco. Winners will be chosen in three categories and announced Sunday, with each winner receiving $1,000 from parade organizers. Online voting will run through noon Saturday. To vote, visit go.wacotrib.com/dia. Pack of Hope food drive McLennan County Pack of Hope will have a food drive starting at 10 a.m. Saturday at Sams Club, 2301 E. Waco Drive. The event will help continue to send food home with schoolchildren who do not have enough to eat on the weekends. For more information, call 254-722-7052. Zoo Stampede 5K Registration is open for the 29th annual Cameron Park Zoo Stampede race on Nov. 12. Early packet pickup will run from 4 to 7 p.m. Nov. 11 and 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Nov. 12 at Cameron Park Zoo. To learn more about the event, go to https://runsignup.com/Race/TX/Waco/HEBZooRun. United Way grant session United Way of McLennan County will have its 2022-23 Grant Eligibility information session at 2 p.m. Monday. It will be a Zoom event. To get the meeting link, call 254-752-2753. The 2022-23 session will cover eligibility criteria, United Ways Impact Framework priority areas for funding and the steps in the application process. Attending the webinar is not required to enter the eligibility process, but highly recommended, especially for organizations new to United Ways grant process. Mission Waco event Mission Waco will host a come-and-go event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 12, with giveaways and resources available. It will give out Christmas Toy Store shopping passes, while supplies last. To sponsor, become a vendor or for more information, email mcruzarredondo@missionwaco.org or call 254-753-4900. CEDAR FALLS Code enforcement and public safety officers removed nearly two dozen animals Wednesday from a home with unsafe conditions. Police executed a search warrant at 1206 W. 10th St. as part of an animal neglect investigation. Seven dogs, eight cats, seven rabbits and one guinea pig are now in the care of Cedar Bend Humane Society and veterinary staff. The ongoing investigation has yet to result in any charges being filed against the homeowner or any other party. Waterloo Animal Control assisted the city of Cedar Falls and the Cedar Bend Humane Society. CEDAR FALLS A New York man was arrested after he allegedly tried to access account information at banks in Cedar Falls and Waterloo on Tuesday. Cedar Falls police arrested Olukayode Abiodun Alese, 54, of Arverne, N.Y., for two counts of identity theft and one count of providing false identification. Bond was set at $5,000. Authorities allege Alese went to Regions Bank, 224 W. Ridgeway Ave., in Waterloo, on Tuesday morning and used a Tennessee drivers license under the name Thomas Brown in attempt to get information and access to a bank account. He was turned away but showed up at Regions at 4417 University Ave., Cedar Falls, around 2 p.m. and tried again. Cedar Falls bank staff had been alerted about what happened in Waterloo and called police. When officers showed up, Alese told them his name was Randy and showed an Illinois license with the name Randy Rachell. Police also found a Visa debit card with Rachells name. He also had a piece of paper with notes. The arrest came just months after another New York man was sentenced to prison for trying the same scheme at the same banks. Vincent Herman Herbert, 60, of the Bronx, went to both the Ridgeway and University Avenue branches in March 2022 and used identification cards of two Tennessee men in an attempt to withdraw money before staff became suspicious. In June, Herbert was sentenced to five years in prison for one count of identity theft. One person was taken to the hospital after he crashed into a tree during a police pursuit Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022. Paramedics with Waterloo Fire Rescue took the driver to MercyOne Medical Center Waterloo. The chase started around noon in the downtown area and headed down Sycamore Street. In t UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday called for multilateralism and diplomacy to make the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference 2022 (COP27) in Egypt "turning points for hope." "COP27 must be the place to rebuild trust and re-establish the ambition needed to avoid driving our planet over the climate cliff," the UN chief said in a press encounter. In the last few weeks, report after report has painted a clear and bleak picture -- emissions are still growing at record levels, Guterres said, adding that temperatures are also on course to rise by as much as 2.8 degrees. "And that means our planet is on course for reaching tipping points that will make climate chaos irreversible. We need to move from tipping points to turning points for hope," he said. It is time for a historic pact between the developed and emerging economies -- a pact in which developed countries deliver on the commitment made in Paris -- to help emerging economies speed their renewable energy transition, said Guterres. "COP27 must be the place to close the ambition gap, the credibility gap and the solidarity gap. The world must come together to support developing countries and vulnerable communities," he said. WATERLOO Keeping public dollars in public schools thats what a group of local leaders, parents and educators say should happen with tax dollars. Progress Iowa, an advocacy organization, held a Public Dollars for Public Schools Tour on Wednesday, which stopped at the Black Hawk Labor Temple. The panel discussed Gov. Kim Reynolds school vouchers plan. The goal of the governor and the Republican Party in Des Moines is to destroy public education in Iowa, said Ray Feuss, a Waterloo City Council member and director of the Iowa State Education Associations Hawkeye UniServ unit. The bill proposes to divert $55 million from state public school funding to go toward private school scholarships. Tony Reid, a Central Rivers Area Education Agency board member, said $55 million would be taken from 500,000 public school students and given to private schools, which he said have 38,000 students. This doesnt make much sense, said Reid, who is a retired school principal. Why would this happen? The state allocates $7,500 per public school student. Reid said with each student who leaves the public schools there would be less money to spend on supplies, teachers salaries and utilities for buildings. Seems to me theyre just trying to get rid of public education, he said. I dont see any other way of interpreting that. One woman attending the discussion, who said she is on the fence about the issue, was worried about the current state of public schools. She said she encounters teenagers at their jobs who cant count change or read properly. Im cool with the money staying with the public schools, but what are we going to do, she asked. How are we going to change this? What steps are we going to put in place to really do what youre saying? Feuss said that is a conversation that needed to be had with the appropriate school board. She responded by saying the conversation needs to take place in the discussion about keeping public dollars in public schools. Teresa Culpepper, an associate professor at Hawkeye Community College, said school funding levels contribute to the problem. Once we have full funding, we can give teachers what they need, she said. The state of Iowas teachers was brought up multiple times during the panel discussion, as well. Im really proud of our public schools, our public teachers and our public paraprofessionals, said Cedar Falls parent Sarah Corkery. They dont get enough pay or recognition for what they do every day to make our children the leaders of tomorrow. Feuss said he hears on a weekly basis about educators who want to resign because they just cant do it anymore. It gets very difficult when people in Des Moines make decisions that affect people in the classroom, Feuss said. They dont care about their extreme stresses or extreme mental health burnouts. State Rep. Bob Kressig, D-Cedar Falls, attended the discussion. He has heard things in Des Moines from colleagues about teachers. They have the president of the Iowa Senate calling them sinister, Kressig said. Teachers sinister. WASHINGTON (AP) Saudi Arabia has shared intelligence with American officials that suggests Iran could be preparing for an imminent attack on the kingdom, three U.S. officials said Tuesday. The heightened concerns about a potential attack on Saudi Arabia come as the Biden administration is criticizing Tehran for its crackdown on widespread protests and condemning it for sending hundreds of drones as well as technical support to Russia for use in its war in Ukraine. We are concerned about the threat picture, and we remain in constant contact through military and intelligence channels with the Saudis, the National Security Council said in a statement. We will not hesitate to act in the defense of our interests and partners in the region. Saudi Arabia did not respond to requests for comment. Iran's mission to the United Nations told The Associated Press on Wednesday the U.S. claims are baseless. Western and Zionist regimes spread biased news aimed at creating a negative mood towards the Islamic Republic of Iran and destroying the current positive trends with regional countries, the mission said in a statement. One of the officials who confirmed the intelligence sharing described it as a credible threat of an attack soon or within 48 hours. No U.S. embassy or consulate in the region has issued alerts or guidance to Americans in Saudi Arabia or elsewhere in the Middle East based on the intelligence. The officials were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. Asked about reports of the intelligence shared by the Saudis, Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said U.S. military officials are concerned about the threat situation in the region." "Were in regular contact with our Saudi partners, in terms of what information they may have to provide on that front, Ryder said. But what weve said before, and Ill repeat it, is that we will reserve the right to protect and defend ourselves no matter where our forces are serving, whether in Iraq or elsewhere. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said America was concerned about the threat picture, without elaborating. The Wall Street Journal first reported on the Saudis sharing the intelligence earlier on Tuesday. Iran has alleged without providing evidence that Saudi Arabia and other rivals are fomenting the dissent on its streets by ordinary Iranians. Of particular ire is protest coverage by Iran International, a London-based, Farsi-language satellite news channel once majority-owned by a Saudi national. The U.S. and Saudis blamed Iran in 2019 of being behind a major attack in eastern Saudi Arabia, which halved the oil-rich kingdoms production and caused energy prices to spike. The Iranians denied they were behind the attack, but the same triangle-shaped, bomb-carrying drones used in that attack are now being deployed by Russian forces in their war on Ukraine. The Saudis have also been hit repeatedly in recent years by drones, missiles and mortars launched by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. Saudi Arabia formed a coalition to battle the Houthis in 2015 and has been internationally criticized for its airstrikes in the war, which have killed scores of civilians. In recent weeks, the Biden administration has imposed sanctions on Iranian officials for the brutal crackdown on demonstrators after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in September after her arrest by Iran's morality police. The administration has also hit Iran with sanctions for supplying drones to Russia for use in its war in Ukraine. At least 288 people have been killed and 14,160 arrested during the protests, according to the group Human Rights Activists in Iran. Demonstrations have continued, even as the feared paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has warned young Iranians to stop. Iran already launched a series of attacks targeting Kurdish separatist positions in northern Iraq amid the protests, killing at least 16 people, including an American citizen. U.S. relations with Saudi Arabia have also been strained after the Riyadh-led alliance of oil producing nations, OPEC+, announced in October that it would cut production by 2 million barrels per day starting in November. The White House has said it is reviewing its relationship with the Saudis over the move. The administration said the production cut is effectively helping another OPEC+ member, Russia, pad its coffers as it continues its war in Ukraine, now in its ninth month. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby on Tuesday reiterated that the administration remains concerned that Iran may also provide Russia with surface-to-surface missiles. We haven't seen that concern bear out, but it's a concern we have, Kirby said. Even as the U.S. and others raise concerns about possible Iranian action, the administration has not ruled out the possibility of reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which was brokered by the Obama administration and scrapped in 2018 by the Trump administration. The U.S. special envoy to Iran, Robert Malley, said on Monday that the administration was not currently focused on the deal, which has been stalled since August. Still, Malley refused to declare the deal dead and said the administration makes no apology for trying to do everything we can to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. The deal had provided Tehran with billions of dollars in sanctions relief in exchange for the country agreeing to roll back its nuclear program. It includes caps on enrichment and how much material Iran can stockpile and limits the operation of advanced centrifuges needed to enrich. PHILADELPHIA (AP) A Philadelphia City Council member and his wife have been acquitted of corruption charges in federal court. Jurors deliberated for five days before finding Councilman Kenyatta Johnson and his wife, Dawn Chavous, not guilty Wednesday in their second trial on honest services wire fraud charges. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that as the jury's decision was announced, Johnson cradled his face in relief and Chavous embraced her attorney, then collapsed on the defense table in sobs. Outside the courtroom, Johnson thanked supporters for their prayers and their emails and their showing up to court and believing in us. I'm looking forward to getting back to addressing the issue of gun violence here in the city of Philadelphia, and most importantly representing my constituents, he told reporters. Earlier this year, a mistrial was declared in their first trial when jurors were unable to reach agreement after about 25 hours of deliberations over four days. Johnson, a Democrat who has served on the council since 2012, was accused of engaging in official actions in exchange for payments. Chavous was accused of having entered into a sham consulting agreement with a nonprofit that was used to funnel payments to her husband. Defense attorneys said prosecutors lacked evidence to support their case, defending the work of Chavous as legitimate and saying it had nothing to do with Johnsons actions on the council. UN Security Council did not adopt a resolution of the Russian Federation on the investigation of military-biological activities in Ukraine, media Russia and China voted for the resolution, while the United States, Great Britain, and France voted against it. All other countries abstained from voting WtR 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. (November 2, 2022) A new poll conducted by Emerson College Polling, The Hill and KLAS Las Vegas (KTVN's CBS Affiliate in Southern Nevada) and released today shows Joe Lombardo with a four point lead over incumbent Governor Steve Sisolak. They stand at 49% and 45% respectively. Three percent are undecided. With undecided voters support accounted for, Lombardos support increases to 50% and Sisolak to 46%. Since September, Lombardo has gained nine percentage points and Sisolak has gained five percentage points. In the Secretary of State election, 43% plan to vote for Republican Jim Marchant while 41% plan to vote for Democrat Francisco Cisco Aguilar. Eight percent are undecided. For Attorney General, 45% plan to vote for Democrat Aaron Ford and 40% plan to vote for Republican Sigal Chattah. Six percent are undecided. More on the poll shows how voters feel about Nevada's senate candidates and candidates in congressional races. Find those numbers in the story below. Also according to the new poll, the economy is the top issue in determining the vote for 46% of voters, followed by threats to democracy (14%), abortion access (13%) healthcare (7%), and immigration (7%), 46% of voters plan to vote against Question 3 on the ballot, which would amend the Nevada Constitution to allow voters the right to participate in open primary election and implement ranked-choice voting, while 41% plan to vote in favor of the question, and 12% are undecided. If you're still looking at candidates ahead of this election, connect with our one-stop-shop 2 News Voter Guide. We provide answers from candidates on their history and top priorities in their potential seat. (Emerson College Polling assisted with this report) Evonik, a specialty chemicals company, has signed a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) for wind energy with the energy supplier EnBW. The PPA provides Evonik with 100 MW of electricity per year from the new 900-MW He Dreiht wind farm in the German North Sea. The agreement will enable Evonik to cover around a quarter of its electricity needs in Europe with renewable energy from 2026 on. EnBW will supply the green electricity over a period of 15 years. Since chemical production requires a constant energy supply, Evonik will compensate for fluctuations of the wind energy feed-in through its own balancing group management. "Together with EnBW, we are accelerating the implementation of our ambitious sustainability strategy. We are becoming less dependent on fossil fuels and their price fluctuations," said Christian Kullmann, CEO of Evonik. "Clearly, the less fossil and more green energy we use, the better the future opportunities for our German and European sites will be." "The green electricity from the new offshore wind farm is a very important lever for our goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions," said Thomas Wessel, responsible for sustainability on the Executive Board. "Today, 27 percent of Evonik's externally purchased electricity worldwide already comes from renewable sources. Implementing the PPA with EnBW significantly increases this share to more than 40 percent." He Dreiht is being developed as a subsidy-free wind farm, and was awarded grid connection agreement in the German capacity auction held in April 2017. The 900 MW project is located approximately 85 km north of the Borkum Island and 95 km to the west of the Helgoland Island. Its operation and maintenance will be conducted from EnBW's base in Emden. Full commissioning of the wind farm is expected in the second half of 2025. It will feature 64 wind turbines, each with a 15 MW capacity. As a central instrument of the energy transition, PPAs are becoming increasingly important according to EnBW management board member Georg Stamatelopoulos. He said: "We can only achieve the energy transition together. PPAs are a tool for this. They help companies to achieve ambitious climate targets and enable developers of renewable energy projects to obtain reliable financing. This way, the economy and the climate both benefit." "With Evonik, we have gained another strong partner for our He Dreiht offshore wind farm." Redwan Hussien Rameto (2nd L), representative of the Ethiopian government, and Getachew Reda (2nd R), representative of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), sign a peace agreement in Pretoria, South Africa, Nov. 2, 2022. The two sides on Wednesday announced an agreement to end a two-year-long conflict in Northern Ethiopia. (Photo by Alet Pretorius/Xinhua) ADDIS ABABA, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Ethiopian government and the rebel Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) on Wednesday announced an agreement to end a two-year-long conflict in Northern Ethiopia. The peace accord was signed in the South African capital Pretoria, days after an African Union (AU)-led negotiation, which was facilitated by Olusegun Obasanjo, the AU high representative for the Horn of Africa and former president of Nigeria, along with the former president of Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta, and former deputy president of South Africa Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka. The two parties in the Ethiopian conflict have formally agreed to the cessation of hostilities and orderly disarmament, Obasanjo said at a press briefing on the outcomes of the negotiation. The deal includes restoring law and order, restoring services and unhindered access to humanitarian supplies, he said. The direct talks facilitated by the pan-African bloc were part of the ongoing AU-led process to support the related parties in finding a political solution to the conflict in the Tigray region of Ethiopia. Ethiopia, Africa's second most populous nation, has seen a devastating conflict between government-allied troops and forces loyal to the TPLF since November 2020, which has left millions in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. The agreement is an outcome of African solutions to African problems, Obasanjo said, emphasizing that the moment is not the end of the peace process but the beginning of it. The peace talks, launched on Oct. 25, paved the way for restoring peace, security and stability in the Tigray region, the AU said in a statement on Wednesday. "The agreement marks an important step in efforts to silence the guns, and provides a solid foundation for the preservation of Ethiopia's sovereignty and territorial integrity, the immediate cessation of hostilities, the resumption of unhindered humanitarian access, the restoration of services as well as healing and reconciliation," the statement read. The High-Level Panel for the AU-led Ethiopian Peace Process congratulated and commended the parties for their "commitment, diligence and stellar leadership throughout the process, and for prioritizing the Ethiopian people and the supreme interests of the Ethiopian nation." "As the country embarks on this next chapter in its great history, the Panel affirms its commitment and readiness to continue accompanying the process towards a more democratic, just and inclusive Ethiopia in which youth, women and men participate fully and in peace," the statement read. The Intergovernmental Authority on Development congratulated the Ethiopian government and the rebel TPLF on signing the agreement. "By signing this agreement to silence the guns and end the armed conflict, the people of Ethiopia now have the opportunity to establish a long-lasting peace," Workneh Gebeyehu, executive secretary of the trade bloc, said. Gebeyehu encouraged all parties to the agreement to implement its provisions. He further commended the Ethiopian government's commitment to finding a peaceful resolution to the conflict and the critical role of the AU. Olusegun Obasanjo, the African Union (AU) high representative for the Horn of Africa and former president of Nigeria, attends a press briefing on the outcomes of the AU-led negotiation in Pretoria, South Africa, Nov. 2, 2022. The Ethiopian government and the rebel Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) on Wednesday announced an agreement to end a two-year-long conflict in Northern Ethiopia. (Photo by Alet Pretorius/Xinhua) Emerging Gems Conference Perth, Nov 3, 2022 AEST (ABN Newswire) - BPH Energy Limited ( ASX:BPH ) is pleased to provide an opportunity for shareholders and investors to view a virtual presentation by Chief Executive, David Breeze who will present at The Capital Network's Emerging ASX Gems Conference. Event Emerging ASX Gems Date Friday 4 November 2022 Time 9am - 1pm AEST Format Webinar Register The event is free and investors can register online to view the presentation here: https://www.abnnewswire.net/lnk/58NKEE08 The event will livestream from 9am - 1pm AEST and can be accessed at any time on The Capital Network's YouTube. A copy of our investor presentation will be lodged on the ASX platform prior to commencement of the conference. About BPH Energy Limited BPH Energy Limited (ASX:BPH) is an Australian Securities Exchange listed company developing biomedical research and technologies within Australian Universities and Hospital Institutes. The company provides early stage funding, project management and commercialisation strategies for a direct collaboration, a spin out company or to secure a license. BPH provides funding for commercial strategies for proof of concept, research and product development, whilst the institutional partner provides infrastructure and the core scientific expertise. BPH currently partners with several academic institutions including The Harry Perkins Institute for Medical Research and Swinburne University of Technology (SUT). Investor Webinar Presentation Brisbane, Nov 3, 2022 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Tombola Gold ( ASX:TBA ) is pleased to advise shareholders and investors that the Company will be presenting as part of the free Broker Briefing Mining & Resources Investor Webinar on Thursday 3 November 2022. Date: 3 November 2022 Time: 11:30am AEDT / 8:30am AWST Presenter: Chairman & MD, Byron Miles, presenting at 12:00pm AEDT / 9:00am AWST The Company invites shareholders, investors, and media to participate in this digital event by registering online via the link below: https://www.abnnewswire.net/lnk/1JX341Y4 Participants will be able to submit questions via the panel throughout the presentation, however, we encourage shareholders and investors to send through questions via email beforehand info@brokerbriefing.com About Tombola Gold Ltd Tombola Gold Ltd (ASX:TBA) is a company assembled by experienced, exceedingly well-qualified and all very well rounded team members that have previously floated exploration companies which achieved major resource discoveries and success. Between the Tombola team members, Tombola as a company have well over 100 years of accumulated experience in the mining, exploration and resource sector. Tombola principal objective is to acquire assets to explore for and develop a large IOGC or porphyry deposit funded by low-risk gold production resources. To that end, Tombola has a license covering 970 sq km prospective for gold/copper in the Mount Bryan-Red Banks-World's End area near Burra in South Australia; with strategic agreements with Queensland Mining Corporation. Ben Masters knew working on Natures American Ocelot would be a challenge. Thats what intrigued him about the project. Despite their popularity, the animals are somewhat of a mythological status, he says. They have never been really professionally filmed or photographed before a couple of years ago. I wanted to be the first person to get a high quality look at Texas ocelots. Natures American Ocelot takes a look at one of Americas most endangered cats in south Texas. It will air at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9, on New Mexico PBS, channel 5.1. It will also stream on the PBS Video app. According to Masters, there are fewer than 120 known ocelots remaining in the United States. The episode chronicles the sad history, precarious present, and optimistic future for one of the countrys most endangered wild cats. Masters traveled to south Texas to document the rare and elusive animals, as he meets with biologists, ranchers, and the cats themselves. Through camera trap cinematography, witness a rare glimpse into what is required of a mother ocelot to raise her young successfully. Masters says there is hope for a bright future as an ocelot population could be restored in Texas and beyond if ranchers, scientists and government agencies work together on a solution. The plight of the ocelot in America is one of the greatest conservation opportunities of our time, Masters says. Im grateful to Nature for the chance to share this important story, and hope it raises awareness that not all hope is lost the time to act on behalf of this remarkable cat is now. Masters wanted to film the ocelots to better understand their day-to-day movement. It proved to be a difficult task. Once I figured out how to film them and get a glimpse into their lifestyle, it got easier, he says. For several decades, people have made attempts to recover the species and we have to have some bold recovery efforts to get it done. Being able to spend time with the cat was truly eye-opening. Masters says it took three months of work before the crew captures the first shot of an ocelot. It took us five months before the cameras were working properly, he says. Theres no guide on ocelots, so we relied heavily on research and the scientists who have made ocelots a priority. We spent a ridiculous amount of time in the brush waiting. Its paid off to tell this story. Masters wanted to show the efforts being made to protect and grow the ocelot. He says its important to educate the public about the species. Ocelots are the size of bobcats and they eat mice, he says. The species doesnt eat livestock. Recovering this species is achievable within our lifetime. Masters hopes that an audience will not only learn about the animal, but the efforts to keep it alive. I hope viewers watch the film and see this absolutely beautiful animal, he says. Theres a history with ocelots in the United States. This is a species that is easy to live with. I wanted to show other peoples perspectives. I want the viewer to realize that this a realistic goal. On TV Natures American Ocelot will air at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9, on New Mexico PBS, channel 5.1. It will also stream on the PBS Video app. Copyright 2022 Albuquerque Journal The city of Albuquerque has agreed to pay $17 million to settle a collective action lawsuit brought by female employees who claimed the city systematically pays women less than their male colleagues. The settlement agreement, which still requires a judges approval, will provide back pay to the plaintiffs and other class members. Each is entitled to the difference between what they were actually paid and what they should have made had they earned the same rate of base pay as the highest paid male with the same job description from June 14, 2013, to now, according to settlement documents posted online. That could mean a few hundred dollars for some of the women in the 431-member class to more than $100,000 for others, said attorney Alexandra Freedman Smith. Smith represented the plaintiffs with David A. Freedman of Freedman Boyd Hollander & Goldberg. Women in the suit came from departments throughout city government, Smith said. Its all over the city, across the board, she said. The agreement notes that the City denies any and all allegations of unlawful conduct in all matters related to the suits claims, but that it agreed with the plaintiffs that it is in the interest of the Parties to avoid further legal proceedings by entering into the settlement. In a written statement Wednesday, a spokeswoman for Mayor Tim Keller said his administration, which took office in December 2017, is committed to equity throughout city government. This is about righting a decade old wrong, and ensuring a lawful pay structure for all employees, spokeswoman Ava Montoya said. Plaintiffs, their attorneys and city officials all signed off on the agreement in late October, but it remains subject to court approval. A virtual hearing is scheduled with 2nd Judicial District Judge Clay Campbell on Nov. 17. The suit, originally filed in 2018 but subsequently amended, alleges the city has violated the Fair Pay for Women Act. The City systematically pays its female employees less than their male counterparts, the complaint says, adding that city wage data showed women earned an average of $3 less per hour than their male counterparts in graded, or classified, jobs but that the average disparity was $6 per hour in the ungraded, or unclassified, ranks. A review of publicly available data shows that there are hundreds of women who are paid less than men for similar work under similar conditions, the complaint says. Named plaintiffs in the case include five female city employees: four Albuquerque Police Department evidence technicians and a Sun Van paratransit driver. The class eventually grew to over 400 women. The $17 million will cover the womens back pay, their attorneys fees and related taxes, plus some other costs, according to the agreement. The city must also pay another $125,000 for litigation costs. But that is not all the city will owe; the agreements terms also require making the collective action litigants whole in their retirement, meaning additional contributions to the Public Employee Retirement Association of New Mexico to ensure the women receive the same benefits they would have had they been paid the same as their male counterparts. Theyre going to get the retirement benefits they should have gotten if they had been paid what they should have been paid under the Fair Pay for Women Act, Smith said. In addition, women in the suit who are still working at the city at a lower wage than their male counterparts will also receive raises to make up the difference, according to the settlement. The temperature continues to drop but there are indoor events going on in the area. There is also Cosmic Carnival and the Ice Wolves game this week for folks who like to brave the elements. Art in the city From 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, Del Webb Mirehaven is hosting its Art for the Holidays show at 9205 Del Webb Lane NW. These artists make unique works of art including fine art photography, oil, pastel, quilts, spirit dolls, stuffed animals, whimsical painted rocks and more. This show is a great opportunity to support local charities as a portion of the proceeds are donated to charities. Admission is free and flyers are available at the Del Webb Sandia Center, or by emailing jeriburzin@gmail.com. The skys the limit From 1-5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, The Albuquerque Astronomical Society is hosting the Cosmic Carnival 2022. The event will be held at the Open Space Visitor Center, 6500 Coors Blvd. NW. The annual event returns to in-person after a two-year hiatus. The slate of events includes the carnival and then a star party to follow on the east patio where visitors can view the New Mexico skies from 6-10 p.m. There will also be a laser-guided constellation tour and all of the telescope owners will be happy to answer any questions. This event is free and open to the public. Remember me At 1:15 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6, the Disney film Coco will screen at the Erna Fergusson Library, 3700 San Mateo Blvd. NE. The Oscar-winning film is part of the librarys weekly family-friendly events. Visitors will also be able to play games, puzzles and more in the childrens area of the library. The event is free. For more information, visit abqlibrary.org/ernafergusson Its shocking Mary Shelley created a masterpiece when Frankenstein was written in 1818. In University of New Mexico Associate Professor Gregory Moss adaptation the iconic monster is given new life. A fresh perspective on a classic story, this play holds a mirror up to the monsters that are in all of us. It was created by Moss, Juli Hendren, Erik Ehn and Alejandro Tomas Rodriguez. The production, at UNMs Rodey Theatre, kicks off at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4, and Saturday, Nov. 5, and at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6. Tickets are $15 for the general public, $12 for faculty and seniors, and $10 for staff and students, plus fees, at unmtickets.com Getting crafty From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, the Rio Rancho United Methodist Church, 1652 Abrazo Road NE, will host a craft fair. The 12th annual event will have more than 55 vendors selling hand-crafted items for visitors to start Christmas shopping. More information can be found at rrumc.net Ice, ice baby Its a two-game homestand for the New Mexico Ice Wolves as the Shreveport Mudbugs visit the Duke City at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4, and Saturday, Nov. 5. Both games will take place at the Outpost Ice Arenas, 9530 Tramway Blvd. NE. Copyright 2022 Albuquerque Journal As a mother of three who had her first child as a teenager, Alicia Fout faced some significant financial struggles, sometimes having to pick and choose which bills she paid each month. Trying to balance school and work and everything it was always one of those fun games, she said. But with recent expansions of free early childhood education, shes been able to enroll her 3-year-old in pre-kindergarten, something she wasnt able to do with her other kids and which has been financially freeing for her and her family. Its really put a lot more money back into our home for us to be able to pay bills and not be behind, she said. Im able to just pay the bills and still have a little bit extra for the kids and I to do things that they enjoy and to put money into their savings. Fout and her family joined more than 100 people community advocates, education officials, state lawmakers and the governor in Albuquerques South Valley on Wednesday to rally support for Constitutional Amendment 1, which would boost funding to expand early childhood education by almost $150 million next year. The amendment, set to be decided by voters next week, would increase the annual distribution from the permanent school fund by 1.25 percentage points to 6.25%. Sixty percent of that would go to early childhood education, and the rest would go to instruction for at risk students. For the fiscal year starting next summer, that would come out to an additional estimated $140 million for early childhood education and another $90 million for public schools. Those amounts arent set, though, and would vary over the years. Early childhood education helps students all the way down the line, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said, adding that debates over drawing more money for early childhood education from the permanent school fund which have gone on for over a decade have gone on far too long. If we had done this 20 years ago, we would be in the top 10, 15 states, I believe, in terms of educational outcomes, she said in an interview. The earlier you start with kids and their families, the whole family structures improved, and they do better in school. Some lawmakers and economists point out that the amendment would mean less money in the long run potentially 20 years from now than if the distribution rate is left at 5%. Others have argued the amendment isnt needed, as state lawmakers have made significant investments in early childhood education in recent years. That includes a dedicated trust fund that an Early Childhood Education and Care Department spokesperson said is currently just under $2 billion, and this year saw a distribution of about $30 million. The state Legislative Finance Committee has also previously argued that amid declining birth rates, expanded early education services and competition among providers, funding in some cases was going unused. According to an LFC report from August, that includes pre-kindergarten services and the states Head Start program. That program provides comprehensive early education, nutrition and other care services to families at or below the poverty line, and is largely federally funded. But more money is needed for early childhood education and services, Early Childhood Secretary Elizabeth Groginsky said, because services currently dont match the needs or the quality thats needed for New Mexico families. While some school districts are oversaturated with providers, some are far below where they need to be, Groginsky said, pointing out that the department is only meeting about 10% of the needs of families who want or require home visits. Its been underfunded massively for decades, for generations and not just in New Mexico, across the country, she said, adding that the amendment would provide stable and predictable funding. Copyright 2022 Albuquerque Journal Craig Smith told his then-girlfriend that he had to suffocate his aunt, 86-year-old Josephina Ortega, because he feared gunfire would alert neighbors in her quiet Northeast Heights neighborhood, a prosecutor in Smiths trial told jurors Wednesday. Jurors began deliberating Wednesday after attorneys ended closing arguments in Smiths trial on first-degree murder and other charges in Ortegas 2017 killing. Prosecutors allege Smith, 59, bound Ortegas hands behind her back with zip ties and demanded she reveal the location of a lockbox in her home that contained nearly $100,000 in cash. After Ortega revealed the location of the lockbox, Smith wrapped the womans head in several plastic bags and secured them with duct tape, leaving her to suffocate, prosecutors allege. Smith also faces charges of kidnapping, aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence and conspiracy. Second Judicial District Judge Brett Loveless is presiding. Deputy District Attorney John Duran told jurors that Smith owed $50,000 to a drug dealer who had fronted Smith a large amount of cocaine. This is not small-time stuff, Duran said in closing arguments. He was desperate. Smith feared he would be killed if he didnt pay the debt, Duran said. He knew that Josie (Ortega) had lots of cash in her house, Duran told jurors. He had heard it from his mom. Smiths attorney, Ashley Reymore-Cloud, rejected the argument that Smith was indebted to drug dealers. My client would not be sitting there if he owed 50 grand to a cartel member, she told jurors in closing arguments. Reymore-Cloud contends Smiths ex-girlfriend and co-defendant, Evonne Jaramillo, killed Ortega and cut a favorable plea deal in exchange for her testimony implicating Smith as the killer. Jaramillo pleaded guilty in 2020 to second-degree murder and conspiracy in Ortegas killing. She faces 25 to 35 years in prison. Her sentencing hearing has not been scheduled. Jaramillo testified that both she and Smith injected drugs shortly before driving to Ortegas home on May 19, 2017, Duran told jurors. Smith injected methamphetamine and Jaramillo heroin, he said. A friend found Ortegas body in the bedroom of her home on Euclid NE, a quiet cul-de-sac near Juan Tabo and Indian School where she had lived for 45 years. A great-grandmother, Ortega raised four children with her late husband. Her death shocked friends and family members, who described Ortega as a defenseless woman who was a familiar sight sitting on her porch petting her small dog, Daisy. Police officers testified that they found Ortegas body on the floor dressed in pajamas, her hands bound with three zip ties and multiple plastic bags secured around her head with duct tape. Duran played for jurors a Walmart security video recorded six days before the killing that shows Smith buying 18-inch zip ties of the type used to bind Ortegas hands. Smith also bought gloves and wipes used in Ortegas killing, he said. You can walk down one aisle at Walmart and pick up all your murder items in one stop, Duran said. RAMALLAH, West Bank The apparent comeback of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the dramatic rise of his far-right and ultra-Orthodox allies in Israels general election this week have prompted little more than shrugs from many Palestinians. Its all the same to me, Said Issawiy, a vendor hawking nectarines in the main al-Manara Square of Ramallah, said of Netanyahu replacing centrist Yair Lapid and poised to head the most right-wing government in Israels history. Over the past month, Issawiy had struggled to get to work in Ramallah from his home in the city of Nablus after the Israeli army blocked several roads in response to a wave of violence in the northern West Bank. Im just trying to eat and work and bring something back to my kids, he said. Some view the likely victory for Netanyahu and his openly anti-Palestinian allies, including ultranationalist lawmaker Itamar Ben-Gvir who wants to end Palestinian autonomy in parts of the occupied West Bank, as a new blow to the Palestinian national project. The sharp rightward shift of Israels political establishment pushes long-dormant peace negotiations even further out of reach and deepens the challenges facing 87-year-old President Mahmoud Abbas, whose autocratic Palestinian Authority already seemed to many Palestinians as little more than an arm of the Israeli security forces. If you want to use the metaphor of a nail in the coffin of the Palestinian Authority, that was done earlier, said Ghassan Khatib, a former Palestinian peace negotiator and Cabinet minister. This election is another step in that same direction. During his 12 years in power, before being voted out in 2021, Netanyahu showed scant interest in engaging with the Palestinians. Under his leadership, Israel vastly expanded its population of West Bank settlers now some 500,000 and retroactively legalized settler outposts built on private Palestinian land. The measures have entrenched Israels occupation, now in its 56th year since Israel captured the territory during the 1967 Mideast war. Palestinians see successive Israeli governments as seeking to solidify a bleak status quo in the West Bank: Palestinian enclaves divided by growing Israeli settlements and surrounded by Israeli forces. We had no illusion that this next government would be a partner for peace, said Ahmad Majdalani, a minister in the Palestinian Authority. Its the opposite, we see a campaign of incitement that began more than 15 years ago as Israel drifted toward extremism. The Gaza Strips militant Hamas rulers said the election outcome would not change the nature of the conflict. But for the first time, surging support for Israels far right has made the Jewish supremacist party of Ben-Gvir the third-largest in the Israeli parliament. Ben-Gvir and his allies hope to grant immunity to Israeli soldiers who shoot at Palestinians, deport rival lawmakers and impose the death penalty on Palestinians convicted of attacks on Jews. Ben-Gvir is the disciple of a racist rabbi, Meir Kahane, who was banned from parliament and whose Kach party was branded a terrorist group by the United States before he was assassinated in New York in 1990. On the campaign trail, Ben-Gvir grabbed headlines for his anti-Palestinian speeches and stunts recently brandishing a pistol and encouraging police to open fire on Palestinian stone-throwers in a tense Jerusalem neighborhood. Some Palestinians have found reason for optimism. After Tuesdays elections, they say, Israel will no longer present to the world the telegenic face of Lapid. A win for extremism in Israel, some say, could bolster the moral case for efforts to isolate Israel, vindicating activism outside the moribund peace process. It will lead to some international pressure, said Mahmoud Nawajaa, an activist with the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, or BDS, which calls for an economic boycott of Israel as happened to apartheid-era South Africa in the 1980s. Netanyahu is more honest and clear about his intentions to expand settlements. The others didnt say it, even if it was happening, Nawajaa added. Lapid and his predecessor, Naftali Bennett, a former settler leader who rebranded himself as a national unifier, had presided over a wobbly coalition of right-wing, centrist and dovish left-wing parties, including the first Arab party to ever join a government. Foreign leaders who shunned the divisive Netanyahu embraced what appeared to be a less ideological government. Bennett became the first Israeli leader to visit the United Arab Emirates after the countries normalized ties an honor repeatedly denied to Netanyahu. President Joe Biden, who had a rocky relationship with Netanyahu, basked in Lapids warm welcome during his visit to Israel last summer. But even as Lapid voiced support for the two-state solution during his address to the U.N. General Assembly in September, Palestinians saw no sign he could turn words into action. They watched Israel approve thousands of new settler homes on lands they want for a future state. Israeli military raids in the West Bank have also surged after a series of Palestinian attacks in the spring killed 19 people in Israel. More than 130 Palestinians have been killed, making 2022 the deadliest since the U.N. started tracking fatalities in 2005. The Israeli army says most of the Palestinians killed have been militants. But stone-throwing youths protesting the incursions and others not involved in confrontations have also been killed. Even as final ballots were still being counted from the election, violence flared up with four Palestinians killed in separate incidents on Thursday. In terms of violence, the Lapid government has outdone itself, said Nour Odeh, a Palestinian political analyst and former PA spokeswoman. As far as new settlements and de facto annexation, Lapid is Netanyahu. Many young Palestinians have given up on the two-state solution and grown disillusioned with the aging Palestinian leadership, which they see as a vehicle for corruption and collaboration with Israel. Hamas and Fatah, the Palestinian party that controls the West Bank, have remained bitterly divided for 15 years. A mere 37% of Palestinians support the two-state solution, according to the most recent report from Palestinian pollster Khalil Shikaki. In Israel the figures are roughly the same 32% of Jewish Israelis support the idea, according to the Israel Democracy Institute. There is no horizon for a political track with the Israelis, Odeh said. We need to look inward to re-legitimize our institutions through elections, and stand together on a united political platform. But on the crowded, chaotic streets of Ramallah on Wednesday, there was only misery and anger over the daily humiliations of the occupation. I hate this place, said Lynn Anwar Hafi, a 19-year-old majoring in literature at a local university. Its like the occupation lives inside me. I cant think what I want to. I cant go where I want to. I wont be free until I leave. Zambian acting Minister of Education Elijah Muchima delivers a speech during the launch of an information communication technology (ICT) fund in Lusaka, Zambia, on Nov. 3, 2022. Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei on Thursday launched the information communication technology (ICT) fund to develop innovation leaders to accelerate Zambia's digital transformation agenda. (Xinhua/Martin Mbangweta) LUSAKA, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei on Thursday launched an information communication technology (ICT) fund to develop innovation leaders to accelerate Zambia's digital transformation agenda. Dubbed the Hakainde Hichilema Innovation Fund, the fund is part of the four-year partnership and initiative by Huawei that will see the training on ICT of 5,000 young people by the year 2025. Huawei's Vice President for Southern Africa Region Phil Li said the company wanted to help identify and develop special and bankable talent that anchor Zambia's digital transformation agenda to accelerate both economic and social development through ICTs. "It is our desire to offer ICT basic skill training to at least 50 instructors and 50 selected government officials in the Ministry of Education and its affiliates," he said. According to him, the launch follows the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Huawei and the government in March this year for a digital innovation leadership program. The company, he said, will also establish an innovation hub, a physical space for the incubation and actualization of ICT ideas that will accommodate all the necessary infrastructure needed for innovators to generate, develop and test the viability of their digital solutions under the keen mentorship of dedicated experts. Minister of Technology and Science Felix Mutati welcomed the initiative and thanked the Chinese company, saying it will go a long way in promoting digital skills and entrepreneurship among university and college students. In a speech read for him by Brilliant Habeenzu, the permanent secretary of the ministry, the minister commended Huawei for implementing various projects in the ICT sector in Zambia and for its continued support in the development of the sector. The government was committed to unlocking the country's economic potential through ICTs, he said. Acting Minister of Education Elijah Muchima said the government has partnered with Huawei to ensure that every learner in the country acquires digital skills and is prepared to face the fast-changing digital world. According to him, Zambia has made strides toward digital transformation over the past few years, as evident in digital infrastructure, digital financial systems and digital platforms. He, however, said gaps still exist in digital skills and digital entrepreneurship and commended Huawei for coming up with the initiative to provide young people with ICT skills. "My ministry believes that through technology and digital systems, we can take the learning resources to all parts of this country so that every learner in Zambia has the digital skill to unlock their potential," he said. Huawei's Vice President for Southern Africa Region Phil Li (2nd L) and Zambian acting Minister of Education Elijah Muchima (3rd L) unveil the visual designs of the forthcoming National Digital Innovation Hub during the launch of an information communication technology (ICT) fund in Lusaka, Zambia, on Nov. 3, 2022. Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei on Thursday launched the information communication technology (ICT) fund to develop innovation leaders to accelerate Zambia's digital transformation agenda. (Xinhua/Martin Mbangweta) KYIV, Ukraine Europes largest nuclear power plant was relying on emergency diesel generators to run its safety systems Thursday after external power from the Ukrainian electric grid was again cut off, Ukrainian and U.N. officials reported. Fighting in Ukraine has repeatedly damaged power lines and electrical substations that the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant requires to operate its safety systems, forcing workers to turn to backup generators to cool its six reactors until regular power is restored. All six reactors have been shut down. The generators have enough fuel to maintain the plant in southeastern Ukraine for just 15 days, state nuclear power company Energoatom said. The countdown has begun, Energoatom said, noting it had limited possibilities to maintain the ZNPP in a safe mode. The U.N.s International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed the switch to backup diesel generators and said that underlines the extremely precarious nuclear safety and security situation. Rafael Grossi, the U.N. nuclear watchdog head, said relying on diesel generators is clearly not a sustainable way to operate a major nuclear facility and urged again that a protection zone be established around the plant. Russia and Ukraine have traded blame during the war for shelling at and around the plant. Energoatom said Thursday that Russian shelling knocked out the last two high voltage transmission lines feeding the Zaporizhzhia plant. Russia gave a different account, blaming Ukraine. The Russian state-run news agency Tass quoted an official at Russias nuclear power operator, Rosenergoatom, as claiming that Ukraine had switched off the two power lines and denied that Russian shelling of power lines had caused the problems. He said the move deprived the city of Energodar, where plants workers live, of heating. Russian forces have occupied the plant since early in the war. It is located in the Zaporizhzhia region, one of four regions that Russia has illegally annexed. Although Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree transferring the nuclear plant to Russian ownership, Ukrainian workers continue to run the station. Energoatom claimed Russian officials are trying to connect the power station to Russias power grid so it could supply electricity to Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, and Ukraines Donbas region, another area Putin annexed. The human toll from earlier battles became evident again Thursday, when Ukrainian officials said 868 bodies of civilians, including 24 children, were found in liberated areas of the Kharkiv, Donetsk and Kherson regions. National police official Oleksii Serhieiev also told reporters 34 torture sites were found after Russian troops retreated from those areas, as well as the Kyiv, Sumy and Chernihiv regions. Elsewhere on the battlefront, Russia used drones, missiles and heavy artillery to hit Ukrainian cities, leaving six civilians dead and 16 wounded, according to the presidents office. Russian attacks on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyys hometown of Kryvyi Rih left several districts without electricity or water. Further east in the Donetsk region, battles continued for the towns of Bakhmut and Avdiivka, where authorities said the population was under constant shelling and living without electricity or heat. Six cities and villages in the region came under attack in the last day, while in the northeast, three Russian missiles hit Ukraines second-largest city, Kharkiv. Across the Dnieper River from the Zaporizhzhia power plant, the city of Nikopol was also shelled again, damaging residential buildings, a gas station and several businesses, Zelenskyys office said Thursday. In a rare hint of a possible retreat that Ukrainians treated with skepticism, a Moscow-appointed official in the occupied southern region of Kherson said Russian troops are most likely to move across the Dnieper River, away from the city of Kherson. Kirill Stremousov also told Russian state television that all Ukrainian attacks have been repelled. Tens of thousands of civilians have been evacuated from the city of Kherson in the face of a Ukrainian counteroffensive. Russian authorities removed their countrys flag Thursday from the Kherson administration building, a week after the regional government moved out. Ukraines southern military spokeswoman, Natalia Humeniuk, said the flags removal may be a provocation and we should not hurry to rejoice. She also told Ukrainian television some Russian military personnel are disguising themselves as civilians. Neither sides claims could be independently verified. On the humanitarian front, seven ships carrying 290,000 tons of agricultural products sailed from Ukrainian seaports for Asia and Europe, a day after Russia resumed its participation in a program allowing the export of Ukrainian grain. Putin said Moscow had received assurances that Ukraine wouldnt use the humanitarian corridors to attack Russian forces. Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleh Nikolenko denied that Kyiv had made any new commitments or had used the grain corridor for military purposes. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov cautioned that Russias decision did not mean the grain deal would be extended after it expires Nov. 19. Russia had suspended its participation in the deal last weekend, citing an alleged Ukrainian drone attack against its Black Sea fleet in Crimea. Ukraine said the Russians mishandled their own weapons. In Moscow, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned British Ambassador Deborah Bronnert to protest what it alleged was British instructors help in the Oct. 29 attack by drones on Black Sea fleet in Sevastopol, Crimea. Bronnert made no comment after the meeting. Under the grain deal, Russia was allowed to resume fertilizer and grain exports, but Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Thursday he hadnt seen progress on that. Since the deal was reached in July, 430 ships have exported 10 million tons of Ukrainian agricultural products to Africa, Asia and Europe. Ukraines infrastructure ministry said export volumes in October could have been 30-40% higher if Russia had not artificially blocked inspections. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres hailed the 10 million-ton milestone and appealed to all parties to renew the grain agreement. Im not optimistic, Im not pessimistic. Im determined, Guterres told reporters in New York, adding its important to clear obstacles for Russian food and fertilizer exports. Both sides announced another prisoner exchange Thursday, involving 214 military personnel in total. Elsewhere, a Ukrainian military official said Russia is using Belarusian territory to launch drone strikes. Oleksii Hromov said Iranian drones are flying into Ukraine from a military base in the Belarusian city of Luninets, 100 kilometers (62 miles) north of the border. The U.N. nuclear agency, meanwhile, said Thursday its inspections have found no evidence to support Russias unfounded claims that Ukraine is planning to set off radioactive dirty bombs after examining three locations in Ukraine. Western nations have called Moscows claims transparently false. Zelenskky, in his nightly address, said the inspectors showed we have clear and irrefutable evidence that no one in Ukraine has created or is creating any dirty bombs. And the only thing that is dirty in our region now is the heads of those in Moscow. Edith M. Lederer contributed from the United Nations and Frank Jordans reported from Berlin. ___ Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine SINIYAH ISLAND, United Arab Emirates An ancient Christian monastery possibly dating as far back as the years before Islam spread across the Arabian Peninsula has been discovered on an island off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, officials announced Thursday. The monastery on Siniyah Island, part of the sand-dune sheikhdom of Umm al-Quwain, sheds new light on the history of early Christianity along the shores of the Persian Gulf. It marks the second such monastery found in the Emirates, dating back as many as 1,400 years long before its desert expanses gave birth to a thriving oil industry that led to a unified nation home to the high-rise towers of Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The two monasteries became lost to history in the sands of time as scholars believe Christians slowly converted to Islam as that faith grew more prevalent in the region. Today, Christians remain a minority across the wider Middle East, though Pope Francis arrived in nearby Bahrain on Thursday to promote interfaith dialogue with Muslim leaders. For Timothy Power, an associate professor of archaeology at the United Arab Emirates University who helped investigate the newly discovered monastery, the UAE today is a melting pot of nations. The fact that something similar was happening here a 1,000 years ago is really remarkable and this is a story that deserves to be told, he said. The monastery sits on Siniyah Island, which shields the Khor al-Beida marshlands in Umm al-Quwain, an emirate some 50 kilometers (30 miles) northeast of Dubai along the coast of the Persian Gulf. The island, whose name means flashing lights likely due to the effect of the white-hot sun overhead, has a series of sandbars coming off of it like crooked fingers. On one, to the islands northeast, archaeologists discovered the monastery. Carbon dating of samples found in the monasterys foundation date between 534 and 656. Islams Prophet Muhammad was born around 570 and died in 632 after conquering Mecca in present-day Saudi Arabia. Viewed from above, the monastery on Siniyah Islands floor plan suggests early Christian worshippers prayed within a single-aisle church at the monastery. Rooms within appear to hold a baptismal font, as well as an oven for baking bread or wafers for communion rites. A nave also likely held an altar and an installation for communion wine. Next to the monastery sits a second building with four rooms, likely around a courtyard possibly the home of an abbot or even a bishop in the early church. On Thursday, the site saw a visit from Noura bint Mohammed al-Kaabi, the countrys culture and youth minister, as well as Sheikh Majid bin Saud Al Mualla, the chairman of the Umm al-Quwains Tourism and Archaeology Department and a son of the emirates ruler. The island remains part of the ruling familys holdings, protecting the land for years to allow the historical sites to be found as much of the UAE has rapidly developed. The UAEs Culture Ministry has sponsored the dig in part, which continues at the site. Just hundreds of meters (yards) away from the church, a collection of buildings that archaeologists believe belongs to a pre-Islamic village sit. Elsewhere on the island, piles of tossed-aside clams from pearl hunting make for massive, industrial-sized hills. Nearby also sits a village that the British blew up in 1820 before the region became part of what was known as the Trucial States, the precursor of the UAE. That villages destructions brought about the creation of the modern-day settlement of Umm al-Quwain on the mainland. Historians say early churches and monasteries spread along the Persian Gulf to the coasts of present-day Oman and all the way to India. Archaeologist have found other similar churches and monasteries in Bahrain, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. In the early 1990s, archaeologists discovered the first Christian monastery in the UAE, on Sir Bani Yas Island, today a nature preserve and site of luxury hotels off the coast of Abu Dhabi, near the Saudi border. It similarly dates back to the same period as the new find in Umm al-Quwain. However, evidence of early life along the Khor al-Beida marshlands in Umm al-Quwain dates as far back as the Neolithic period suggesting continuous human inhabitance in the area for at least 10,000 years, Power said. Today, the area near the marshland is more known for the low-cost liquor store at the emirates Barracuda Beach Resort. In recent months, authorities have demolished a hulking, Soviet-era cargo plane linked to a Russian gunrunner known as the Merchant of Death as it builds a bridge to Siniyah Island for a $675 million real estate development. Power said that development spurred the archaeological work that discovered the monastery. That site and others will be fenced off and protected, he said, though it remains unclear what other secrets of the past remain hidden just under a thin layer of sand on the island. Its a really fascinating discovery because in some ways its hidden history its not something thats widely known, Power said. ___ Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP. CHICAGO The 2018 killing of ZackTV, a trailblazer in a perilous genre of gangland reporting he called hood CNN, seemed destined to go unsolved, even though gunmen attacked him on a downtown Chicago street lined with surveillance cameras. Police never announced arrests in the shooting of Zachary Stoner, who drew a national YouTube following filling a media niche with up-close stories about the lives and deaths of gang members and affiliated rappers from places other reporters were afraid to go. But police records obtained by The Associated Press reveal investigators believe they solved his homicide years ago when they arrested members of South Side Chicagos Perry Avenue gang. But prosecutors in 2019 declined to prosecute and police were forced to release the suspects. Police say the Cook County States Attorneys Office cited the possibility that the two sides in the shooting on May 30, 2018, were mutual combatants a disputed legal concept thats a throwback to duels between nobles or prearranged gunfights in the Wild West. That prosecutors passed on charges on those grounds raises questions about whether Chicago gangs can literally get away with murder when its unclear who initiated a shooting and who returned fire in self-defense. The case and arrest reports, obtained in an open-records request, offer previously unreported details about what may have precipitated Stoners killing after he left the crowded Clark Street Refuge bar. Relying on video, eyewitnesses, cellphone location data and ballistics on a bullet removed from the 30-year-olds brain, police arrested five suspects, age 19 to 22, in 2018 and 2019, on probable cause of first-degree murder. Prosecutors also cited inconsistent witnesses as a reason to not prosecute. Two of the suspects have since been killed. Another, identified by a witness, told police: I didnt pull the trigger. Responding to AP questions about Stoners case, the prosecutors office issued a brief statement Monday saying the evidence was insufficient to file charges. It contends police agreed. One Illinois court defined mutual combat as an agreement to fight or where sides in a sudden quarrel and in hot blood, mutually fight upon equal terms. Some courts only allow defendants to argue mutual combat at sentencing in bids for leniency. Police said Chicago prosecutors cited it last year in an initial decision not to prosecute suspects in a deadly West Side shootout between alleged Four Corner Hustlers factions. The decision and the purported basis for it angered Mayor Lori Lightfoot. Letting gunmen act with impunity, she said, will send this city into chaos. Stoners ZackTV1 channel was profitable, but the work was dangerous. The otherwise upbeat Stoner had predicted that a gang, piqued by his reporting, may try to kill him, so he always had a gun within reach. He explained in one video: You just gotta be prepared. The documents reveal two of Stoners friends were passengers in his SUV when gunmen in a minivan attacked. One friend drew a gun and returned fire through the windshield. Records dont allege anyone in his SUV fired first. The partially redacted records dont directly state a motive in the shooting. Gang violence, though, is easily triggered, a 2019 University of Illinois gang report said, pointing to pervasive gang hypersensitivity and hypermasculinity. It said violence these days typically stems from perceived slights that can escalate into years of tit-for-tat revenge killings. Stoner didnt belong to a gang but was raised in Goon Town gang territory. Young Black men are often wrongly assumed by gangs, and police, to be in the gang on their block. So other gangs may have viewed Stoner as a Goon Town associate. Goon Town and Perry Avenue, both located on the South Side, are longtime foes. For years, theyve posted rap videos on social media taunting each other. Police say Perry Avenue, like Goon Town, is a Gangster Disciples faction. Enmity between factions under the same umbrella gang is common, with members expressing primary loyalty to their faction, the gang report said. At the bar, Stoner smiled as he mingled in his White Sox cap, according to video posted by another videographer. To many of the 100-plus revelers, ZackTV was a household name, admired in the Chicago hip-hop community for boosting local rappers and encouraging peace between gangs. But the joyous atmosphere soured as two factions engaged in a rap battle, delivering derogatory lyrics about each other. One witness said Stoner appeared nervous as he walked out, imploring his friends to leave too. While the records black out Stoners passengers names, his friend, rapper Thomas T-Streetz Davis, said on social media that he was one. And the same video shows him at the bar near Stoner. He and the other passenger have also since died. At 1:29 a.m., two blocks from the bar, the minivan bore down on Stoner, guns out its windows. Bullets riddled his SUV. One ripped through his shoulder; one struck behind his ear, lodging in his brain. When he crashed into a street lamp, his friends, one with graze wounds, fled. They later said they feared their opponents would attack again. Police arrived at 1:35 a.m. to find Stoner alone, slumped in his seat. One officer checked his pulse. He was still alive. An officer also found Stoners .40-caliber pistol at his feet. It was loaded, but he never got off a shot. A doctor pronounced him dead at 4:20 a.m. Hours before Stoners June 9, 2018, funeral, a gunman killed Davis on a South Side sidewalk. An autopsy noted a word tattooed across his back. It read: ZackTV. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists expressed concern Stoner was killed for his journalism. That others were with him raises the possibility that he wasnt the intended target. Police consider Stoners case cleared. They clear under 30% of homicides in the year they occur. Cases are cleared when police deem them solved, though this doesnt necessarily equate to formal charges or prosecutions. One challenge for investigators in a city that tallied nearly 800 killings in 2021 is an ever-growing case backlog. Another is persuading witnesses to shirk the streets no-snitch code and trust a police department with a history of abuses. Political foes, Chicagos police union and suburban police chiefs have also accused the states attorneys office, headed by Kim Foxx, of not being aggressive enough in prosecuting cases. Answering the mayors criticism last year, Foxx alluded to Chicagos grim history of wrongful convictions. We cannot cut corners, Foxx said. In February, she announced charges in the Four Corner Hustlers case. Prosecutors are leaving the door open to charges in Stoners case. The statement this week said they will review any additional information that is brought to us by police. ___ Follow Michael Tarm on Twitter at https://twitter.com/mtarm DENVER Fresh off his third tour of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, Jason Lopez awoke in crisis from an alcohol-induced nap during a family gathering in Colorado in 2014. The Army Special Forces soldier, thinking he was once again in battle, grabbed the heavy coffee table in front of him and threw it across the living room. (I was) coming out of an intense panic situation, thinking I was in, literally, hand-to-hand combat and not knowing whether I was dreaming or what was reality, recalled Lopez, now 34 and out of the military. Recognizing he was experiencing symptoms of PTSD, Lopez dismissed taking strong synthetic drugs he says are often prescribed by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Instead, he turned to what he had dabbled with for much of his life: psychedelic mushrooms. Lopez is among a group of veterans, natural medicine proponents, mental health advocates and entrepreneurs backing a ballot initiative in Colorado this November that would decriminalize so-called magic mushrooms for those 21 and older and create state-regulated healing centers where participants can experience the drug under the supervision of a licensed facilitator. Military veterans like Lopez have been at the forefront nationally of trying to persuade lawmakers to study psychedelic mushrooms for therapeutic use. If the initiative passes, Colorado would join Oregon in establishing a regulated system for substances like psilocybin and psilocin, the hallucinogenic chemicals found in some mushrooms. After June 1, 2026, Colorado would allow an advisory board to add other plant-based psychedelic drugs to the program, including dimethyltryptamine, commonly known as DMT, ibogaine and mescaline not derived from peyote, a type of cactus that some conservation groups are trying to protect. The ballot initiative comes a decade after Colorado voted to legalize recreational marijuana, which led to a multi-billion-dollar industry with hundreds of dispensaries popping up across the state. Proponents argue that jailing people for the non-violent offense of using naturally occurring substances costs taxpayers money. They also say the states current approach to mental health has failed and that naturally occurring psychedelics, which have been used for hundreds of years, can treat depression, anxiety, addiction, post-traumatic stress disorder and other conditions. When Im on psychedelics, for example, like mushrooms or psilocybin, it opens my eyes to the beauty of the world, the love that I have for the world. All of that anger, or being upset or frustrated it dissolves. It melts away, said Lopez, who also took part in the successful campaign to legalize recreational marijuana in Colorado. But critics of the latest ballot initiative note that the Food and Drug Administration has not approved the psychedelics as medicine. They also argue that allowing healing centers to operate, as well as allowing private personal use of the drugs, would jeopardize public safety and send the wrong message to kids and adults alike that the substances are healthy. I am going to take medical advice from doctors and scientists over entrepreneurs any day of the week, said Luke Niforatos, the head of the ballot committee, Protect Colorados Kids, which opposes drug legalization and decriminalization efforts. We should listen to the American Psychiatric Association. We should listen to the FDA. We should listen to our doctors. We should not be listening to people with a profit incentive. Niforatos said the same deep-pocketed players who have pushed for legalizing recreational marijuana in various states are behind the latest initiative and are using a drug legalization playbook to create a commercial market that could eventually lead to recreational dispensaries for dangerous and federally illegal substances. Natural Medicine Colorado, the group behind the initiative, has raised about $5.4 million. About three-quarters of that $4.2 million has come from New Approach PAC, a national drug policy group that also is financing marijuana measures in some other states. They started with medical marijuana and then went to recreational marijuana. Now theyre starting with medical psychedelics. We can only assume that theyll go to recreational psychedelics from here, said Niforatos, whose group has raised about $50,000. He warned that the use of the drugs could cause prolonged psychosis, persistent hallucinogenic disorders and lead to impaired driving. Mason Tvert, who spearheaded the campaign to legalize recreational marijuana in Colorado in 2012, said the push to decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms and other natural substances differs from the recreational marijuana campaign because, this time, voters are not being asked to allow dispensaries. Were voting on whether to allow (psilocybin) in very limited environments involving a great deal of control and safety and professionals, said Tvert, a partner a VS Strategies, a Denver-based drug policy and public affairs consulting firm. The psychedelics that would be decriminalized if the initiative passes are listed as schedule 1 controlled substances under state and federal law and are defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Even so, the FDA has designated psilocybin a breakthrough therapy to treat major depressive disorder. The designation can expedite research, development and review of a drug if it might offer substantial improvements over existing treatments. A preliminary study published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine also found that psilocybin may ease depression in some hard-to-treat patients. The modest effects waned over time, but they helped people who previously had gotten little relief from standard antidepressants. Colorados ballot initiative would allow those 21 and older to use, grow, possess and share the psychedelic substances but not sell them for personal use. It also would allow people who have been convicted of offenses involving the substances to have their criminal records sealed. Those who want to use mushrooms would not need approval from a doctor. In addition to being able to grow and use their own mushrooms, those who want to try the therapy could do so through the newly formed healing centers, which would be allowed to supply clients with mushrooms but not sell them. Instead, clients would pay for the services of the facilitator at the center. In 2020, Oregon became the first state in the nation to legalize the therapeutic, supervised use of psilocybin after 56% of voters approved Ballot Measure 109. But unlike Colorado, the state allows counties to opt out of the program if their constituents vote to do so. In Colorado, counties and municipalities would be able to regulate healing centers but not ban them. Oregons initiative is expected to take effect at the beginning of next year, and if passed, Colorado would start outlining regulations no later than the beginning of 2024. Washington, D.C., and Denver have already partially decriminalized psychedelic mushrooms by requiring law enforcement officers to treat them as their lowest priority. Outside of certain scientific research contexts, the substances would remain illegal under federal law even if Colorados initiative passes. ___ Learn more about the issues and factors at play in the midterms at https://apnews.com/hub/explaining-the-elections. And follow the APs election coverage of the 2022 elections at https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections. Copyright 2022 Albuquerque Journal SANTA FE Libertarian Karen Bedonie is pushing back on criticism that she will play a spoiler role and keep Republican Mark Ronchetti from overtaking Democrat Michelle Lujan Grisham in the governors race. But she doesnt shy away from acknowledging her potential impact on the outcome of the Nov. 8 election. The only comfort I find in this race is that man cannot win with me in the way, Bedonie said in an Oct. 16 video posted to Facebook. That man cannot win this race. He will never be governor as long as Im alive and well, and in this race. She added that Lujan Grisham is sweating it I think were going to beat her. In a Journal interview Wednesday, Bedonie said she believes she would win the election outright if it werent conducted with the use of Dominion voting machines. She said she has no plans to concede the race or accept the election results because New Mexico uses Dominion machines to help county clerks count ballots. The machines have been the subject of unfounded conspiracy theories. But they have proven accurate in testing before and after elections in New Mexico, and in automatic recounts triggered by close races. Some Republicans have pushed for Bedonie to drop out of the race, though voting is already underway and the deadline for parties to fill a vacancy on the ballot was Aug. 30. Ronchetti spokesman Ryan Sabel said its obvious Bedonie is in the race to help Lujan Grisham. Unfortunately for her, this poorly thought out plan wont work, Sabel said in a written statement. Real libertarians know what shes doing and dont support her, like former governor Gary Johnson, who has endorsed Mark Ronchetti in this race. Bedonie is drawing more support from Republicans and independents than Democrats in the race for governor, according to Journal polling. Shes also a former Republican. But Bedonie insists she is in the race to win, not play spoiler. She noted to the Journal that Republicans lost a two-person contest for governor in 2018, when no Libertarian ran. Im just as important as he is, Bedonie said of Ronchetti. And in the Facebook video, Bedonie made clear that she has no wish to help the governor. Im not working for that woman, Bedonie said. I have nothing to do with her. Lujan Grisham led by eight percentage points in the most recent Journal Poll over Ronchetti 50% to 42%. Bedonie had about 3% of the vote. Her support was highest among independents at 7%. She was at 3% among Republicans and 1% among Democrats. Copyright 2022 Albuquerque Journal President Joe Biden walks out of Air Force One on Thursday afternoon. The president made a stop in Albuquerque to campaign for Gov. Michelle Luan Grisham. (Roberto E. Rosales/Albuquerque Journal) President Joe Biden makes a stop in Albuquerque to campaign for Gov. Michelle Luan Grisham on Thursday afternoon. (Roberto E. Rosales/Albuquerque Journal) President Joe Biden visits Central New Mexico Community College to address his initiative to erase student loans. (Adolphe Pierre-Louis/Albuquerque Journal) President Joe Biden greets supporters after visiting CNM to address his initiative to erase student loans. Photographed on Thursday. (Adolphe Pierre-Louis/Albuquerque Journal) President Joe Biden speaks to his supporters during a Democratic rally held at the Ted M. Gallegos Community Center in Southwest Albuquerque on Thursday. (Chancey Bush/Albuquerque Journal) A supporter holds up a flag as President Joe Biden speaks during a Democratic rally held at the Ted M. Gallegos Community Center on Thursday. (Chancey Bush/Albuquerque Journal) President Joe Biden speaks to supporters at the Ted M. Gallegos Community Center on Thursday. (Chancey Bush/Albuquerque Journal) Hundreds of people stand in line to attend the Democratic rally where President Joe Biden joined Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham at the Ted M. Gallegos Community Center on Thursday. (Chancey Bush/Albuquerque Journal) People wait in line for the Democratic rally attended by President Joe Biden and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham at the Ted M. Gallegos Community Center on Thursday. (Chancey Bush/Albuquerque Journal) Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham speaks to her supporters before President Joe Biden took the stage during a Democratic rally at the Ted M. Gallegos Community Center on Thursday. (Chancey Bush/Albuquerque Journal) Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and President Joe Biden campaign together at a Democratic rally on Thursday. (Chancey Bush/Albuquerque Journal) Toni Pinedo, from Gallup, waits for the Democratic rally to start where President Joe Biden will join Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. (Chancey Bush/Albuquerque Journal) Prev 1 of 12 Next With control of Congress at stake, President Joe Biden zipped into Albuquerque in the final days before a critical midterm election, calling on voters Democrats and Republicans alike to protect democracy and reject candidates who cast doubt on the integrity of U.S. elections. He delivered an enthusiastic defense of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham whos locked in a tough reelection fight and urged voters to recognize that democracy itself is on the ballot following last years attack on the U.S. Capitol. Literally everything is at stake in just five days in this country we love so dearly, the president said Thursday as he rallied with Democratic voters at a community center in Southwest Albuquerque. The presidents visit to New Mexico his second in the last five months came as Democrats push to flip a Republican-held seat in the U.S. House and propel Lujan Grisham to reelection over Republican Mark Ronchetti. In a 30-minute speech Thursday afternoon at Ted M. Gallegos Community Center, Biden devoted some time to defending Lujan Grisham and lashing out at national Republicans who, he said, would jeopardize abortion rights, Social Security and Medicare, and damage faith in elections. No one is going to fight harder for this state, Biden said of the governor. Its in her DNA. But even with New Mexico poised to play an outsized role in which party controls Congress, Biden mentioned the Democratic candidate challenging Republican Rep. Yvette Herrell Gabe Vasquez directly only once. The newly redrawn 2nd Congressional District, now held by Herrell, is among a dozen of the most competitive races in the country that could serve as a tipping point for securing a majority. Vasquez wasnt present at Thursdays rally in Albuquerque. Lujan Grisham, U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury and Sen. Ben Ray Lujan all delivered speeches before Biden. Biden closed his remarks with a call to action to preserve democracy, following the deadly mob attack on the U.S. Capitol last year by supporters of Donald Trump. In New Mexico, the Republican candidate for secretary of state has questioned the legitimacy of Bidens 2020 win in New Mexico. Were scaring the living hell out of the rest of the world, Biden said. He added: Democrats and mainstream Republicans, independents we can meet this moment together. Inflection point After arriving on a windy tarmac at Kirtland Air Force Base at 12:30 p.m., where he was greeted by Mayor Tim Keller, Stansbury and Lujan, Biden went to Central New Mexico Community College. He met with students before he and Lujan Grisham discussed higher education initiatives and accomplishments. For Lujan Grisham, it was providing free tuition to in-state residents through a new Opportunity Scholarship. Biden, meanwhile, has taken steps to forgive up to $20,000 of college debt for millions of Americans. The action has been challenged in court and remains under litigation. By the end of the week, Biden said that 16 million Americans will hear from federal officials that their debt relief has been approved, though the pending litigation leaves it uncertain when they will actually receive the money. Wiped Away. Immediately. Plain. Simple, he said of the debt during his 23-minute speech. Biden billed both his and Lujan Grishams initiatives as investments in young people at a crucial moment for the country. Today we face an inflection point, one of those moments that only come around every few generations, he said. Theres so much happening technologically, politically, environmentally, the decisions we make now are going to affect the future for a decade or more. Your generation is not going to be ignored. Its not going to be shunned. Its not going to be silenced, he added. Lujan Grisham recalled that CNM was the site in 2019 where she first unveiled her idea for free-college tuition for New Mexico residents. In short order, that is exactly what we did, she said. New Mexico is home to the most expansive free-college program in the nation. It is, without measure, absolutely working. State officials have said the governors Opportunity Scholarship led to the first increase in enrollment at New Mexicos public colleges and universities in a decade. More than 34,000 students received the scholarship throughout the state this fall, according to the Higher Education Department. CNM students Ava Marr and Candice Clark were among the scholars all of whom are receiving the Opportunity Scholarship that met with the president. Clark said the scholarship has changed her life. She is 39, a mother of seven and a first-generation college student. It absolutely makes the difference between college or not college, she said of the scholarship. This has opened up a whole new world for me, and in extension, my children. Marr said that Biden joked around with the students and poked fun at himself and his grade-point average while taking photos with them. It wasnt what I was expecting, Marr said. Very kind. He was funny. CNM President Tracy Hartzler said that more than 7,000 CNM students are getting the Opportunity Scholarship, which was a reason the schools enrollment grew 3.1% this fall. Political theater Republicans said the presidents travel to New Mexico wouldnt succeed in boosting Democrats chances. President Bidens visit is obvious political theater, Steve Pearce, chairman of the Republican Party of New Mexico, said. Its a desperate attempt by Democrats to get a big name in at the last minute to salvage their losing election effort. Outside the venue, Mark Ronchettis campaign stationed a mobile billboard harshly critical of Lujan Grisham. Ronchetti, a former meteorologist for KRQE, has campaigned with GOP heavyweights this year, too, including former Vice President Mike Pence and the Republican governors of Arizona, Florida and Virginia. Former President Donald Trump endorsed Ronchettis campaign earlier this week. Larry Behrens, spokesman for the advocacy group Power the Future, called attention to high gas prices and inflation facing New Mexico families. New Mexicans expect their leaders to be accountable for their failures, he said, yet all we hear from Joe Biden and Michelle Lujan Grisham is out-of-touch deflection while our families are left holding the bag. We want Joe As the wind whipped southwestern Albuquerque, hundreds of people stood in line outside the Ted Gallegos Community Center hours before Biden arrived. They crammed into a small gym to watch the president, who stood on a riser with Building a Better America and state and U.S. flags on the backdrop. Some watched on a screen outside the community center. About 1,000 people attended altogether. Democrats up and down the ballot delivered short speeches. Everything is on the line this election, Stansbury said, from our democracy to our fundamental rights to our ability to continue to deliver for the American people and for New Mexico. Pueblo of Isleta Gov. Vernon Abeita opened the event with a prayer, and guitarists played northern New Mexico music in between speakers. Shouts from the crowd We want Joe erupted occasionally. Lujan Grisham took the stage amid chants of M-L-G. I feel so energized. I needed you today, she said, and New Mexico needs you. The national context was clear in some speeches. Lujan touched on the Senate race in Pennsylvania, where the Democratic candidate is recovering from a stroke, as Sen. Lujan did. If you want to know what a stroke survivor looks like, here it is, he said from the stage. Were in fighting condition. Energizing voters The visit came in the final days of an unusually brutal, tense campaign season in New Mexico. The FBI is investigating the mailing of a chemical substance and material with antisemitic symbols to Conservation Voters New Mexico in Santa Fe. The states commercial time on TV is filled with attack ads, and negative mailers are flooding post office boxes. The party in control of the White House often loses down-ballot races at midterm elections. But Bidens visit was designed to energize Democratic voters ahead of Election Day. Absentee and early voting turnout so far this year has generally trailed 2018 levels, when 56% of registered voters cast ballots. Biden opened his late-afternoon speech on a personal note, noting that like an earlier speaker his family had struggled with cancer, which killed his son, Beau. He should be the one standing, talking to you, not me, Biden said. Journal assistant city editor Aubrey Hovey contributed to this report. Copyright 2022 Albuquerque Journal In the past two years, April Coring has baked 25 cakes and given them all away. Her favorite was a dinosaur-themed cake complete with an edible volcano not for her own two kids, now 17 and 19, but for a dino-obsessed boy that shed never met. Coring is a volunteer for the Albuquerque chapter of For Goodness Cakes, a nonprofit that partners with local social service agencies to bake and deliver birthday cakes to underpriviledged kids. The prolific baker leaves a toy on every cake she bakes. I want to give them something special, so they have something to remember the day by, Coring said. The Albuquerque chapter of For Goodness Cakes is hosting its biannual fundraising pop-up market Saturday at Salt Yard West. The pop-up market will feature 38 vendors, performances by local bands Stray Dawgs, Juniper Roots and Todd Howell, and a raffle including such prizes as a dozen macarons or a free lunch for two. Tania Parillo, volunteer organizer for the pop-up market and owner of Tanias Tasty Kitchen, said their most recent event, in March, was a lot of work but worth it. It was a lot, Parillo said. But, surprisingly, it was amazing. Parillo herself vended at their recent event in March and donated almost $700 personally from her profits. Albuquerque chapter lead Brittany Puckett, who used to work in early childhood intervention, started the Albuquerque chapter of For Goodness Cakes in 2019. Currently, the chapter works with between 15 and 20 local agencies and has over 150 volunteers who bake cakes, cupcakes and other birthday sweets. Ive always wanted to get back into giving back, Puckett said. I love birthdays, I want everyone to have their birthday celebrated. I love baking. And so, when I found this, it just kind of melded all of those things together for me. For Goodness Cakes was founded in California in 2016 by Jamie Lehman. Coring said that volunteers receive a brief for each baking project that describes what flavors, colors and interests the kids like. After baking the cake, volunteers deliver it to partner agencies that deliver the birthday surprise to the kids. Corings two teenagers have both helped on deliveries. I think its really special that theres kids that get a cake and theres no exchange they dont have to see the person that makes the cake for them, Puckett said. Its just someone theyve never even seen cares so much about them that they took time out of their day to make them feel good. Sandoval County resident Coring would like For Goodness Cakes to expand throughout New Mexico. We would love to bake more cakes, Coring said. Parillo was connected with the organization during the pandemic, which was when she first started baking. Puckett reached out to her and Parillo was instantly interested. I was signed up within 15 minutes, Parillo said. Parillo also organized their last pop-up market at Salt Yard East. It featured more than 30 vendors and live music, and raised over $2,000 for the chapter. Besides organizing the pop-up events, Parillo has baked six cakes for the Albuquerque branch. Her favorite bake was a rose gold cake for a girl turning 18. For Goodness Cakes makes cakes for kids who have aged out of the foster system, as well as graduation and holiday bakes. Some people take stuff for granted, Parillo said. They dont realize that there are kids out there that dont have birthday cakes. Its something, its so simple, but it could make a kids year. CATCHES OF THE WEEK Blaine Hahn of Roswell caught a 17-inch rainbow trout at Alto Lake using peach PowerBait on Oct. 29. Tim Molina of Albuquerque caught several nice blue catfish as well as a 23-inch walleye and a 25-inch walleye at Caballo Lake using cut bait Oct. 29. Michael and William Sage of Los Lunas caught a 3.5-pound smallmouth bass at Elephant Butte Lake using live minnows Oct. 22. Sara Kirk and James Kirk of White Sands caught their limit of rainbow trout at Grindstone Reservoir using salmon, peach PowerBait on Oct. 22. Richard and Ryan Edmonds of Sandia Park caught their limits of trout at Hopewell Lake using brown, leech-pattern flies Oct. 29. Ambrose Manzanares Jr., 8, of Espanola caught a 19-inch rainbow trout on the Rio Chama using pink PowerBait below Abiquiu Lake on Oct. 26. Rob Vigil of Espanola caught a 19-inch rainbow trout on the Rio Grande using worms near Pilar Oct. 23. At Tingley Beach, Matthew Duran, 11, of Albuquerque caught an 18-inch rainbow trout using green PowerBait Oct. 29. Samule Kovac V, 8, of Bernalillo caught a 16-inch rainbow trout using garlic PowerBait Oct. 29. Clarence Padilla of Albuquerque caught and released a 14-inch rainbow trout using a black Joes Flies spinner Oct. 26. If you have a catch of the week story, send it to funfishingnm@gmail.com. NOTES FROM GAME & FISH Northeast fishing report Cabresto Lake had no reports from anglers this week. Charette Lakes is closed to boating and fishing until March 2023. Streamflow on the Cimarron River near Cimarron on Monday morning was 2 cubic feet per second (cfs). Fishing for trout was fair to good using baetis flies and worms. Clayton Lake is closed to boating and fishing until March 2023. Conchas Lake had no reports from anglers this week. At Costilla Creek, the department is implementing the final phase of a project to expand Rio Grande cutthroat trout in 120 miles of the Costilla watershed in northern New Mexico. The final phase involves the removal of fish within a designated area (Rio Costilla from Costilla Dam downstream to the Valle Vidal Boundary, including all tributaries and Comanche Creek from the road culvert crossing on Forest Road 1950 downstream to its confluence with Rio Costilla and all tributaries). Tentative stocking of Rio Grande cutthroat trout is set for spring 2023. Cowles Ponds had no reports from anglers this week. Coyote Creek had no reports from anglers this week. Fishing for rainbow trout at Eagle Nest Lake was good using salmon-peach PowerBait and Kastmaster lures. Fishing for trout at Eagle Rock Lake was fair to good using chartreuse PowerBait. National Forest closures have been in place restricting fishing access on the Gallinas River. Visit the Santa Fe National Forest webpage or call the Santa Fe National Forest office at 505-438-5300 for the latest closure information. Fishing for trout at Hopewell Lake was good using brown, leech-pattern flies and black Woolly Bugger flies. Lake Alice had no reports from anglers this week. Fishing for trout at Lake Maloya was good using size 20-22 flies and nightcrawler worms. Los Pinos River had no reports from anglers this week. Maxwell Lake 13 is closed and fishing until March 2023. Fishing for trout at Monastery Lake was fair to good using small spinners and worms. Morphy Lake is closed and fishing until March 2023. Streamflow on the Pecos River near Pecos on Monday morning was 98 cfs. Fishing for trout was fair to good using nightcrawler worms. Streamflow on the Red River below the Red River Hatchery on Monday morning was 72 cfs. Streamflow on the Rio Grande below the Taos Junction Bridge on Monday morning was 338 cfs. Fishing for trout was fair to good using worms near Pilar. Streamflow on the Rio Hondo near Valdez on Monday morning was 26 cfs. Streamflow on the Rio Mora near Terrero on Monday morning was 30 cfs. Streamflow on the Rio Pueblo near Penasco on Monday morning was 28 cfs. Fishing for trout at the Santa Cruz Reservoir was good using Woolly Bugger flies and PowerBait. Shuree Ponds had no reports from anglers this week. Springer Lake had no reports from anglers this week. Storrie Lake had no reports from anglers this week. Stubblefield Lake had no reports from anglers this week. Fishing for walleye at Ute Lake was fair vertical jigging with blade baits in 30-35 feet of water. Fishing for white bass was fair to good vertical jigging with blade baits in 28-30 feet of water on flats. The main lake water surface temperature was in the lower 60s and the water was stained. Northwest fishing report Abiquiu Lake had no reports from anglers this week. Streamflow on the Animas River below Aztec on Monday morning was 303 cfs. Albuquerque Area Drains had no reports from anglers this week. Fishing for tiger muskie at Bluewater Lake was good using shad pattern jerk baits, jointed Rapala lures and swimbaits. Brazos River had no reports from anglers this week. Fishing for trout at Canjilon Lakes was good using red wiggler worms, Pistol Pete spinner flies and orange PowerBait. Fishing for catfish at Cochiti Lake was fair using chicken liver and cut bait. El Vado Lake can be accessed at Hargroves Day Use Area off State Road 322 and the Main Park area off State Road 112. The Rio Chama can be accessed at the North El Vado Day Use Area on State Road 95, 10 miles west of U.S. Highway 84. Lake levels are steady but expected to drop as crews work on the El Vado Dam. The Dam Day Use Area is closed due to the ongoing construction. State Road 112 over the dam will experience periodic closures. For more information, visit El Vado Lake State Parks webpage or call 575-588-7247. Fishing for trout at Fenton Lake was good using garlic-peach PowerBait. The city is in the final stages of repairs at the Grants Riverwalk Pond and stocking will resume soon. Heron Lake had no reports from anglers this week. At the Jemez Waters, streamflow near Jemez Springs on Monday morning was 40 cfs. Fishing for trout was fair to good using worms and salmon eggs near Battleship Rock. Laguna del Campo is closed to fishing until March 2023. Lagunitas Lakes had no reports from anglers this week. Lake Farmington had no reports from anglers this week. Stocking efforts have been suspended at McGaffey Lake due to extremely low water levels and unstable ground conditions. Lake conditions will be monitored and stocking will resume once conditions improve. Fishing for kokanee salmon at Navajo Lake using size 6/0 weighted snagging hooks was good near the dam. Streamflow on the Rio Chama below El Vado Lake and below Abiquiu Lake Monday morning was 103 cfs and 125 cfs, respectively. Fishing for trout below El Vado Lake was good using nightcrawler worms and small Rapala trout-pattern lures. Fishing for trout below Abiquiu Lake was fair to good using pink PowerBait. Please remember, from the river-crossing bridge on U.S. Highway 84 at Abiquiu upstream 7 miles to the base of Abiquiu Dam is special trout waters with a bag limit of two trout only. Rio Grande had no reports from anglers this week. Fishing for trout at Riverside Park Pond (Aztec Pond #1) was fair to good using spinners and flies. San Gregorio Lake had no reports from anglers this week. Streamflow on the San Juan River near Archuleta on Monday morning was 429 cfs. In response to sufficient flows in the critical habitat reach, the Bureau of Reclamation has scheduled a decrease in the release from Navajo Dam from 400 cfs to 300 cfs on Nov. 1 at 4 a.m. Fishing for trout in the quality waters was fair to good using size 24 midge-pattern flies. Fishing for trout in the bait waters was fair to good using worms. Fishing for trout at Seven Springs Brood Pond was good using orange PowerBait, salmon-peach PowerBait and Trout Magnet lures tipped with salmon eggs. Fishing for trout at Tiger Park Reservoir was fair to good using spinners and flies. Fishing for trout at Tingley Beach was good using green PowerBait, garlic PowerBait, rainbow trout pattern Rooster Tail spinners, black Rooster Tail spinners and black Joes Flies spinners. Fishing for trout at Trout Lakes was good using copper Dardevle spoons. Southwest fishing report Fishing for trout at Alumni Pond was good using small, chartreuse Gulp minnow jigs. Bear Canyon Lake had no reports from anglers this week. Bill Evans Lake had no reports from anglers this week. Fishing for catfish at Caballo Lake was good using cut bait. Fishing for walleye was fair using cut bait. Fishing for largemouth and smallmouth bass at Elephant Butte Lake was fair to good using live minnows, green spinners and Senko worms. Fishing for white bass was fair to good using live minnows. Escondida Lake had no reports from anglers this week. Streamflow on the Gila River near Gila on Monday morning was 394 cfs. Fishing for trout at Glenwood Pond was good using yellow spinners and brown dry flies. Fishing for trout at Lake Roberts was fair to good using chartreuse PowerBait and flies. Percha Dam had no reports from anglers this week. Quemado Lake had no reports from anglers this week. Rancho Grande Ponds had no reports from anglers this week. Streamflow on the Rio Grande below Elephant Butte Dam on Monday morning was 0 cfs. Snow Lake had no reports from anglers this week. Fishing for trout at Trees Lake was fair to good using homemade garlic dough bait. Fishing for trout at Young Pond was fair to good using orange garlic PowerBait. Southeast fishing report Fishing for trout at Alto Lake was good using peach PowerBait. Bataan Lake had no reports from anglers this week. Berrendo Creek had no reports from anglers this week. Please visit the Open Gate webpage for more information on this property. Streamflow on the Black River at Malaga on Monday morning was 12 cfs. Blue Hole Park Pond had no reports from anglers this week. Bonito Lake is closed until further notice by the City of Alamogordo due to fire damage. Bosque Redondo Lake had no reports from anglers this week. Bottomless Lakes had no reports from anglers this week. Brantley Lake had no reports from anglers this week. Carlsbad Municipal Lake had no reports from anglers this week. Chaparral Park Lake had no reports from anglers this week. Corona Pond had no reports from anglers this week. Eunice Lake had no reports from anglers this week. Green Meadow Lake had no reports from anglers this week. Greene Acres Lake had no reports from anglers this week. Fishing for trout at Grindstone Reservoir was good using salmon-peach PowerBait. Jal Lake had no reports from anglers this week. Lake Van had no reports from anglers this week. Oasis Park Lake had no reports from anglers this week. Streamflow on the Pecos River below Sumner Lake on Monday morning was 99 cfs. Perch Lake had no reports from anglers this week. Rio Bonito had no reports from anglers this week. Streamflow on the Rio Ruidoso at Hollywood Monday morning was 21 cfs. Rock Lake Hatchery Kids Pond had no reports from anglers this week. Santa Rosa Lake had no reports from anglers this week. Sumner Lake had no reports from anglers this week. Timberon Ponds had no reports from anglers this week. Copyright 2022 Albuquerque Journal A state district judge on Thursday postponed jury deliberations until next week in the murder trial of Craig Smith after one juror reported symptoms that bar her entry to the courthouse under the courts COVID-19 protocols. Jurors deliberated a half day Wednesday following closing arguments in Smiths trial for the 2017 suffocation death of his aunt, 86-year-old Josephina Ortega, in her Albuquerque home. Second Judicial District Judge Brett Loveless told jurors to return to the courthouse Wednesday to resume deliberations and rejected a motion from Smiths attorney, Ashley Reymore-Cloud, to declare a mistrial. Reymore-Cloud argued that the delay would increase the likelihood that jurors would see news reports of the case and forget evidence and testimony presented during the five-day trial. Under the New Mexico Supreme Courts COVID-19 protocols, jurors are prohibited from entering a state courthouse if they have experienced any of several symptoms, or tested positive for COVID, in the previous five days. The juror said she tested negative for COVID on Wednesday evening. Smith, 59, faces charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping, aggravated battery and other charges in Ortegas killing on May 19, 2017. Prosecutors allege Smith bound Ortegas hands behind her back with zip ties and demanded she reveal the location of a lockbox that contained $98,000 in cash. Smith then wrapped Ortegas head in multiple plastic bags, secured them with duct tape and left her to suffocate, prosecutors allege. Smiths defense attorneys argue that Ortega was killed by Smiths ex-girlfriend and codefendant, Evonne Jaramillo. Jaramillo pleaded guilty in 2020 to second-degree murder and conspiracy in Ortegas killing. Her sentencing has not been scheduled. NAIROBI, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan President William Ruto has commended Ethiopia's parties to the peace process for signing a peace deal aimed at ending a two-year conflict that has resulted in the loss of lives and destruction of property. Ruto said the peace deal, which was inked by the Ethiopian government and the country's regional forces from Tigray on Wednesday after 10 days of intensive negotiations in Pretoria, South Africa, will create the necessary environment to nurture durable peace and political stability in Ethiopia. "Kenya joins in complimenting our Ethiopian brothers and sisters for the step taken to cease hostilities, open up humanitarian corridors, and restore services," he said in a statement issued in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya on Wednesday evening. The African Union-led mediation, considered the first formal round of dialogue since the conflict broke out in November 2020, kicked off in Pretoria last week. Kenyan former President Uhuru Kenyatta, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuke, the former South African Deputy President and Olusegun Obasanjo, former President of Nigeria and AU High Representative for the Horn of Africa brokered the truce. The four points provided for in the agreement are the cessation of hostilities as soon as possible, total disarmament, the restoration of services, the unhindered access to humanitarian aid, and the protection of women and children. Ruto reaffirmed Kenya's continued commitment to support the next steps in the peace process and called upon the world to strengthen support for the mediation team as well as the respective parties, to ensure timely and binding outcomes. Ruto said that the commitment demonstrated by the two parties to the peace process aligned with the collective desire for peace and security within the region. He also commended Prime Minister Aby Ahmed and the leadership of Tigray for their bold step towards restoring peace in Ethiopia. Ruto said the steps taken by warring Ethiopian parties to cease hostilities, open up humanitarian corridors, and restore services are "commendable." He added that the mutual agreement will create the necessary environment to nurture durable peace and political stability in Ethiopia. The Kenyan leader also called on the people of Ethiopia to seize the opportunity provided by the agreement to usher in a new era of peace and prosperity for their beloved country. Industry leaders across Web3 verticals unveil Bharat Web3 Association (BWA), to enable and support the growth of Indias Web3 ecosystem. Members of the BWA span multiple verticals including NFTs, Web3 Gaming, Infrastructure Providers, Virtual Digital Assets (VDAs), and Token Projects. The BWA will focus on 1) driving awareness through research to help keep pace with this evolving technology; 2) promoting dialogue between key stakeholders; 3) setting standardised principles in the Web3 industry; 4) encouraging and promoting Web3 and blockchain innovation; and (5) nurturing India's talent pool. Web3 works on the core principle of blockchain technology. It is the future of the internet and can empower users by returning control into the hands of consumers and communities. The BWA believes that India has the potential to lead the world over the next decade by building a strong Web3 ecosystem in the country, in line with the government's Make-In-India initiative. Speaking on the occasion, Kavin Bharti Mittal, Founder & CEO, Hike, stressed upon the role of Web3 in revolutionising the Indian economy. Indian consumers spend an average of 7+ hours per day on their smartphones, almost half their waking lives. The blockchain finally enables consumers to own the value associated with their time spent digitally thus potentially unlocking brand new economic opportunities for themselves. Its becoming increasingly clear that the next wave of wealth and value creation will come from a financial world that is programmable end to end. India could be at the centre of this next wave and boost its economy to strengthen its position on the world stage. With the BWA we aim to support the government to develop a strong Web3 ecosystem in India, he explained. Emphasising on the Web3 potential and the key role that the association will play, Sandeep Nailwal, Co-Founder, Polygon Technology said, With the advent of Web3, we are at the cusp of a technological revolution, which has immense potential to stimulate economic growth, create jobs, boost financial inclusion, and enhance privacy and security. Owing to its thriving developer community, entrepreneurial spirit, fast-growing economy, sound digital infrastructure, and deep digital adoption, India is poised to become a leader in the Web3 space. Indian entrepreneurs have already made a mark in the ecosystem and are innovating for the world, developing valuable public use cases. BWA will play a pivotal role in helping India achieve its potential as a global Web3 leader. The forthcoming G20 discussions will provide an excellent opportunity for India in leading a collaborative regulatory framework for digital assets, and the BWA is committed to working with the Government of India towards this objective. Additional Information Members of the BWA Hike CoinDCX CoinSwitch Kuber Polygon Coinbase ZebPay WazirX ANQ Finance Biconomy Liminal Tax Nodes Quotes from the Membership: The Hon'ble Prime Minister of India has always emphasised technology as one of the core pillars for making India Aatmnirbhar. Web3 revolution is set to bolster India's position on the Global map. The Bharat Web3 Association will be a vital building block to nurture innovations and build a strong ecosystem enabling the Blockchain/ Web3 industry to contribute to the Indian economy.- Sumit Gupta, CEO & Co-Founder, CoinDCX "We are looking at a once-in-a-generation opportunity with Web3. India already has what it takes to be a Web3 leader: talent, a vibrant start-up ecosystem, and digital-savvy users. Given the right policy framework and support from the Government, we can capitalize on these advantages to build a Web3 ecosystem that is at par with any developed nation in the world. To that end, BWA will strive to ensure that the future of the Internet is Made in India, with the necessary regulatory guardrails in place. Ashish Singhal, CEO & Co-Founder , CoinSwitch India's Web 3.0 potential - in terms of talent, investment, and innovation - is revolutionary, and will surely place the nation as a global leader in this fast-emerging field. We support the BWA's mission of boosting the Web 3.0 ecosystem through stakeholder collaboration, thought leadership, and education. Building robust infrastructure and designing the favourable environment can allow players like Coinbase to build a more free, open and safer Internet." - Nana Murugesan, Vice President of International and Business Development, Coinbase Web3 can democratize access to information and enable people from all walks of society to partake in the decentralized internet of the future and create next generation missions. - Rahul Pagidipati, CEO, ZebPay The aim of Bharat Web3 Association is to create and sustain an environment conducive to the development of India, partnering with Industry, Government, and regulatory authorities, through advisory and consultative processes. This organisation aims to work with the government to create a stable environment for the crypto ecosystem in India and a rules-based order that the Industry will follow. The Web3 Industry can actively contribute to making an Atmanirbhar Bharat in Fintech and achieve PM Narendra Modis dream of making India a 5 trillion-dollar economy.- Nischal Shetty, CEO, WazirX We are extremely elated to be a part of the Bharat Web3 Council. At Liminal we always believe in working closely with the regulators and other stakeholders to ensure a secure and sustainable development of the Web3 ecosystem. The vision and charter of Bharat Web3 Council aligns closely with Liminal's philosophy and core values. We are very confident that together with other industry players, we will be able to make significant contributions to the development of the digital asset ecosystem in India. India has always been one of the most high priority markets for Liminal and with this membership, we reinforce our commitment towards developing the Indian market. - Mahin Gupta, Founder, Liminal "If you look around the web3 ecosystem, there is so much Indian talent and so many Indian startups coming up. This is a golden opportunity for India to lead the world in the web3 revolution. - Aniket Jindal, Co-Founder, Biconomy Web3 is an inflection point in the history of the internet. It stands to create new jobs, business opportunities and economic value for India. Therefore, synergies are required between all stakeholders of the industry and policy makers. To enable the same, industry associations like these play a crucial role in advocating the right message and bridging the gap between the policy makers and the larger industry. - Ashish Khandelwal, Founder, AnQ Finance Innovations often precede regulations. This is certainly true for Web3 space which is democratizing human interaction and cooperation. Bharat Web3 Association will work with various stakeholders to speed up the path to regulations, compliance, customer protection and working towards making India take a leadership position in this space. - Avinash Shekhar, Founder, TaxNodes CNN Digital Worldwide has appointed Matt Wells as the new Executive Editor for Europe, Middle East and Africa, based in London. He takes on responsibility for coverage of the region across CNNs global digital platforms, overseeing breaking news, features, and enterprise journalism. He heads an award-winning team of journalists based in London and across the region, dedicated to comprehensive coverage of the biggest global stories for the worlds leading digital news organization. Prior to this role, Wells was the International Director of Global Programming and Alerting for CNN Digital Worldwide, overseeing digital output across all of CNNs international digital platforms. His keen editorial eye helped sharpen and elevate the networks coverage of the most consequential stories over the past couple of years, including the latest upheavals in British politics, Russias invasion of Ukraine, and the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Matts love of both breaking news and distinctive work makes him the ideal person to lead our terrific EMEA team and guide our urgent and essential journalism for our audiences around the world, said Rachel Smolkin, SVP of Global News, CNN Digital Worldwide. Before joining CNN, Wells managed digital output for The Guardian as senior digital editor. In a 17-year career at The Guardian, Wells was responsible for the early development of live blogs, set up its podcast department, and in a three-year stint in New York, helped launch Guardian US. I couldnt be more excited to take on this brilliant role at CNN, leading a wonderful team that produces some of the best digital journalism in the business, Wells said. Wells begins his new role immediately. One is a very influential person and always uses his power to get everything in life. The other one has a strong persona and uses her intelligence to win situations in life. What happens when two people with contrasting personalities meet? Colors Bangla launches one such show Pherari Mon where intelligence combats power starting 7th November every day at 6.30 pm. The show will chronicle the lives of two contrasting personalities and what happens when fate connects them. Tulsi, an intelligent girl is a fighter and has strong principles in life. Since childhood she is a character of strong integrity and has always stood for everything right. Agni on the other hand is arrogant and comes from a very powerful background. He has always used his power to get things in life. He is used to getting everything in life so easily that he doesnt have a sense of what is right or wrong. Both Tulsi and Agni meet in college and are at loggerheads with each other. While they belong to different background and ideologies, will Tulsi and Agni be able to discover love after being bound together by the institution called marriage? As their lives intermingle and fate brings them together, how they navigate through their difference in ideologies will form the crux of the show. The show has conflicts, drama, bittersweet moments and finally romance. Bipul Patra plays the role of Agni who was last seen playing the titular role in Jai Jagannath and Sudipta Roy will be essaying the role of Tulsi in Pherari Mon. Speaking on the launch Sagnik Ghosh, Business Head, Colors Bangla, said, the story of our new show Pherari Mon chronicles the journey of two individuals who are like different pieces of the same puzzle. Having launched a variety of unique fiction shows like Indrani, Tumpa Autowali, Canning er Minu, we are thrilled to add to our robust line up, a new unusual romantic drama Pherari Mon where the female protagonist finds out a new and subtle way of protesting against injustice. The show will have myriad emotions and as the story progresses, we see two individuals mature in their relationship. Pherari Mon boasts of an ensemble cast featuring Bidipta Roy, Arindam Ganguly, Swagata Mukherjee, Debraj Mukherjee. Taking the baton of reaching audience in every corner of Bengal, the channel has deployed a 360-degree integrated marketing campaign incorporating different mediums and touchpoints. Watch the heartful journey of Tulsi and Agni in Colors Banglas latest offering Pherari Mon starting 7th November every day at 6.30 pm!! SINGAPORE, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), will be launching Project Ubin+, a global initiative on the cross-border exchange and settlement of foreign currency transactions using wholesale central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). Ravi Menon, the MAS Managing Director, said on Thursday at the Singapore Fintech Festival 2022 that the initiative will focus on three areas. The first is studying business models and governance structures where settlement can be performed atomically, to improve efficiencies and reduce risks. The second is developing standards to support the atomic settlement of currency transactions across platforms using distributed ledger technology (DLT) and non-DLT-based platforms. The third is establishing policy guidelines for the connectivity of digital currency infrastructure across borders, for better access and participation. "Through Ubin+, MAS will also collaborate with international partners to explore a broader range of atomic settlement solutions," he added. According to a press release from MAS, Ubin+ will strengthen Singapore's capabilities to use digital currency-based infrastructure for cross-border transactions. Menon said that MAS is working with the central banks of France and Switzerland, and the BIS Innovation Hub under the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) to explore the exchange and settlement of wholesale CBDCs with an automated market maker, which will enable the exchange and settlement of two or more digital assets to be performed automatically with a smart contract. He said that MAS is also partnering SWIFT to explore different interoperability models, to enable instant cross-border payment and settlement across DLT-based systems and existing payment infrastructures. SWIFT is a global member owned cooperative and the world's leading provider of secure financial messaging services. When technology brands entered India in the beginning of 90s Public Relations as a tool was gaining some respect and popularity. There was no beat that was specifically writing about technology, but publications and media companies started opening up and encouraged journalists to write more on the then emerging vertical. The government also opened doors to a lot of international technology giants to invest in India and in a matter of few years we could see giants like Microsoft and Intel pumping huge monies in India. Since technology was rapidly changing, there was a need to create awareness and educate the audience, both from B2B and B2C, on the benefits of new technologies. Also, at that time India was groping in the dark when it came to technology in the IT sector. And the only easy way was to use a strong PR driven communication strategy, as advertising had its limitation to explain technology in the most detailed and friendly manner. While advertising campaigns generated awareness amongst the CTOs and CIOs, but it is the credible stories with meaningful and relevant information and conversations about the emerging new technologies that helped the decision makers to narrow their decisions in buying new products and implementing new technologies. The CIOs and CTOs had to compare a lot of notes before placing an order for a new technology or hardware as there was always a fear that the technology will become obsolete soon. And of course, there was limited IT budget earmarked and, therefore, the decision has to be sharp and focussed. Even thinking of using advertising for these tech companies was challenging as it was expensive and one could not sustain it. PR, therefore, stood tall and effective as their engagement tool with all their audiences. This is where the need for PR is felt to educate and engage with the audience when it comes to technology brands. Reiterating the need of PR, Shobha Vasudevan, Head - Enterprise Communication & PR, Dell Technologies, said, Technology brands need a lot of contextual communication for the brand to reach its audience and hence, PR plays a vital role in building technology brands. Devising strong PR-driven strategies is the most efficient way to not only communicate the brands overall messaging, but also ensure that technology-driven messaging, which can be laden with jargon and complex narratives, is explained using the most intriguing, relatable, and easy-to-understand formats. Therefore, a tailor-made PR approach enables technology brands to break away from the monotonous nature of B2B communications and further strengthen their connection with the stakeholders across various engaging media platforms. Technology has been a force of change and transformation. Much before the world embraced comms/ PR to its fullest potential, tech giants have leveraged it to tell great stories, and that forms the core of any communications campaign or strategy. Sharing her perspective, Sunayna Malik, Managing Director India & Senior Vice President APAC, Archetype, noted, PR has found credence with technology companies because as a discipline it allows you to detail and explain complex, esoteric concepts and make them more relatable. Tech firms have utilised the function to bring to life the magic of what routers enable, to how networks help forge instant connections to what living life on the go really means. Tech firms have used the power of storytelling to talk about how technology has transformed our world today, helped drive profits, business efficiency and driven business success, created a better socio-economic fabric that is about reaching the benefits of education, healthcare access to millions across the country/ the world. Ruby Sinha, Managing Director, Kommune Brand Communications, who has closely worked with several technology brands, pointed out that technology has the power to revolutionise the customer experience, which can be put across through good PR. Traditionally, Public Relations was viewed as a function of communications, with a limited role in marketing. PR was more about media relations, whereas marketing was more related to advertising and sponsorships. In the technology sector, PR is now more of a brand building tool, driving how a brand would be positioned among stakeholders as well as the competition. The trend in both enterprise and consumer tech domains is moving from ROPO (Research-Online-Purchase-Offline) to ROPA (Research-Online-Purchase-Anywhere). This is making it increasingly important for technology companies reach out to all categories of users with engaging and accurate content driven by PR, she added. Abhilasha Padhy, Co-Founder and Joint Managing Director, 80dB Communications, noted that technology firms have been at the center of a fundamental shift in how business is done in todays uber-digital age. She further said, As technology is a constantly evolving sphere, they understand how PR can help make its changing narrative more accessible to the public. The complex and ever-changing tech landscape needs an always-on approach to disseminate information about it. Tech firms appreciate that the continued accelerated pace of innovation cannot be navigated in isolation, rather, it needs constant, interactive communication, messaging, storytelling and the crafting of repeatable and shareable narratives, which a strong PR-driven communication strategy can provide. Dell Technologies Vasudevan further pointed out that PR also helps brands to attract the best talent in the industry and secure business or investments. The third-party voice through Organic PR always adds a layer of credibility to the brands messaging.Through PR, we have the means to leverage several touchpoints and tactics with various stakeholders for a cumulative impact. We have used new-age communication mediums, fireside chats, podcasts, social media amplifications backed by a healthy mix of traditional mediums to help us in landing key messages and creating maximum awareness for the brand. These mediums and approach can also work across sectors- the key is to know your audiences, objectives and define what brings the most impact to your business, she added. Some of the worlds best brands have been built though PR. Our own homegrown software company Infosys is both a leading Indian and global brand, which has very intelligently used PR as their key communication tool both in India and abroad. The secret of their success was they delivered value consistently, which helped in creating strong belief and shaping positive opinions, both with the stakeholders and the media. Today, both the brand and the spokespersons of Infosys have built a good reputation as thought leaders in the IT industry. Padhy of 80dB Communications added here that tech companies are able to leverage PR as a communication tool as they understand that business success hinges on how well a company is able to articulate their vision, inform the target audience about the problem they solve, and explain how their team is best suited to address a certain issue. Tech companies are able to leverage the role of PR in enhancing the consumer experience, gauging preferences, as well as predicting consumer behaviour.Emerging PR tools provide the space to build personal narratives using a mix of traditional media, press releases, websites, social media and broadcast channels, she added. Archetypes Malik also illustrated with the example of how Web3.0 technologies can bring to the fore buzz words like crypto/ dao/ CEX/ Cefi. Just by the name it is tough to envision what this really means or what this can do! Instead, if we said how the Metaverse would offer unprecedented interoperability, an embodied internet transforming the way we live, work, and play, it starts to gather meaning. That the Metaverse will bring enormous immersive experiences using technologies like holograms from augmented and virtual reality to multisensory internet impacting every part of our lives, starts sounding exciting and you almost look forward to experiencing it or start imagining a scenario in real life. Imagine individuals who want to work and own homes far from todays urban centers; or for people who live in places where opportunities for education or recreation are more limited. With Metaverse, you can live where you want, be a part of the communities that you want to and be in an avatar that you wish to, she added. Malik concluded by saying thats what great stories can do help you draw a picture in your mind, tell you the why, the how and its impact on you or on things that matter to you. PR will continue to play a significant role in growing the tech brands. High tech companies like Amazon.com, Yahoo!, Google, Microsoft, Intel and Dell are great examples of tech companies that built their initial identities through Public Relations. Other tech giants like Intel, Cisco and Oracle strongly believed in PR as their primary communication tool before spending big bucks on advertising campaigns. In the just concluded findings of Kantar BrandZ Indian 2022 rankings, technology brands did exceedingly well. Six B2B Tech brands and 11 Consumer Tech brands contributed 35% to the total value of the ranking, reflecting the rise of Tech India. And most of these brands leverage PR to a large extent both at a strategic and tactical level. King Koil, a 125-year-old premium mattress maker, has collaborated with Flags Communications, a 360-degree integrated Marcom agency based in New Delhi for its PR mandate. The agency would be in charge of overseeing all aspects of PR solutions in India. King Koil, the US-headquartered brand has its presence in over 100 countries, with each nation having a state-of-the-art production facility to ensure that its consumers receive nothing but the finest. King Koil's quality is unrivalled and has endured the test of time. To deliver a comprehensive media outreach program in India, Flags Communications will work closely with King Koil Indian leadership team. The program will be overseen by Flags Communications' Delhi head office alongside its branch offices in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Kerala, and Kolkata. A holistic PR approach to give a kick start to a great brand awareness program is a key ask in this mandate Archit Gupta, Managing Director, King Koil India, stated, We are excited to partner with Flags comm and looking forward to creating brand awareness for our target audience who wants to buy a good international quality mattress for a high-quality sleep experience. We at King Koil are manufacturing and distributing our products throughout India & Nepal in over 650+ multi-brand outlets. Shruti Mishra, Senior Vice President, Flags Communications Pvt. Ltd., stated, " To work with a great legacy brand is a privilege and we are thankful to King Koil, India for trusting our Marcom abilities. We are excited to work with their Indian leadership team and together realize the brand vision for the Indian market. Over the course of more than 18 years, Flags Communications has solidified its position as a top multi-practice and full-service Marcom firm. Our clients have benefited greatly from our unwavering commitment to each project and we anticipate having a fantastic partnership with King Koil. About King Koil: King Koil, one of the oldest mattress brands incepted in 1898, almost 125 years ago has a heritage of the longest mattress manufacturing experience. It expanded its footprints in the early 90's in Europe, Asia, and Australia making it one of the most global mattress brands of the world with a presence in more than 100 countries worldwide as of today. It is known for its premium quality, leading sleep technologies that create better sleep experiences for higher customer satisfaction, and preferred vendor to leading hospitality chains and retail presence in top locations worldwide. Licious, Indias biggest fresh meats & seafood brand and the countrys first D2C unicorn, has launched their latest campaign Licious ke Nakhre aapke kab banenge?' featuring Bollywood actor, Anil Kapoor. The brand known for curating delectable meaty products of the highest quality & freshness. The campaign is an ode to all the Nakhras that the brand has adopted over the years in quest of serving the best product to its consumers. As a part of this campaign, Licious will release a series of quirky ad films featuring the dynamic Anil Kapoor in his element at film shoots. The films draw parallels between the 'nakhras' Anil Kapoor has to enhance his craft and Licious's world-class processes to ensure outstanding products come from a similar practice. The campaign is an ode to all the Nakhras that the brand has adopted over the years in quest of serving only the best products to its consumers. Speaking about the newly launched campaign, Prashant Verma, Chief Revenue Officer, Licious said, Licious is very proud of its best-in-class products, which are created for meat lovers of India. We understand that meat lovers have a lot of Nakhras and choose only the best quality; and to deliver that quality, Licious goes to extraordinary lengths with its own Nakhras through our world class processes. With this campaign, the brand aims to grow acquisition into the online category. We are stoked to continue our collaboration with the evergreen Anil Kapoor for the latest campaign. He is the epitome of hard work and dedication and who better than him to showcase the efforts Licious puts into delighting customers; it's about time you upgrade to Licious. Talking about the campaign developed by Tilt Brand Solutions, Adarsh Atal, Executive Director Creative says, The task defined to us was to bring alive the high standards that Licious offers across its products, platform, and service offerings, while bringing alive the personality of the meat lover. We had already started building the brand world for Licious and its association with Anil Kapoor via the first campaign. So as a natural follow-up, we realized the sumptuous insight was that Anil Kapoors high standards in acting and life can only be matched by Licious high standards (read nakhras) in their product offerings and service quality. Across the series of films and the campaign amplification, we see Anil Kapoor urging people to experience what high standards are by using the Licious platform and imbibe these standards and nakhras in their own life too and hence our campaign tagline Toh Licious ke nakhre aapke kab banenge? Anil Kapoor who is known for his craft, experience, and iconic dialogues, can be seen highlighting Licious superior quality of products and service in the series of Nakhra brand films. It draws a parallel between Anil Kapoors diligent preparation process as an actor and Licious elaborate quality assurance process in a hilarious take. The Ad films showcase various scenarios of the veteran actor in the film set, where he cant get enough of Licious attention to freshness, specialty cuts, 150-check quality process, and reliable service. Conceptualized by Tilt, the campaign encapsulates how the brand has embraced various Nakhras of meat-lovers over the years to serve its customers better. Commenting on his association with Licious, Anil Kapoor said, Im truly thrilled to collaborate with Licious again. When it comes to your craft, it's good to have some nakhras, because only then can you deliver the best. That's been my motto and that's one of the reasons I love this brand. Licious is passionate about providing superior quality products and services to its customers. The quality standards they have are truly impressive. I'm really glad to be a part of their endeavor and I look forward to showcasing their efforts." The campaign is LIVE across TV, Social & digital channels and will be further amplified through Licious digital assets. Since its inception in 2015, Licious has adopted 100% traceable and sustainable sourcing practices, creating quality benchmarks for the industry. The Bangalore-based brand is also the largest D2C brand from India to be certified with FSSC22000, one of the highest food safety certifications in the world. Rooted in a sustainability mission, Licious is also the first company in the segment to take a pledge towards achieving complete ESG compliance. A human tragedy that will shake you to your core, Vipul Amrutlal Shah is all set to bring audiences The Kerala Story that unearths the happenings behind 32,000 ladies who went missing in the state of Kerala. Promising to be a very real, unbiased and true narrative of events that shook Kerala, the teaser of The Kerala Story is both matter-of-fact and impactful in its approach. Directed by Sudipto Sen under the supervision of Vipul Shah the film narrates a heart-breaking and shocking tale of women trafficking from God's own country, manipulated by a terrorist outfit. The simple yet hard-hitting teaser is a straight-to-camera account of one such victim who dreamt of becoming a nurse but was abducted from her home and is now jailed in Afghanistan as an ISIS terrorist, played by Adah Sharma. While most would shy away from the subject, producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah was determined to bring this horrifying tale to the big screen backed by 4 years of extensive and thorough research. Director Sudipto Sen travelled to the state and even to the Arab countries , met with the locals and families of the victims and was shocked with the findings. In his earlier statement Vipul shared I was in tears in the first narration meeting itself." As per a recent investigation, since 2009 - nearly 32,000 girls from Kerala and Mangalore from Hindu and Christian communities have been converted to Islam and most of them end up landing in Syria, Afghanistan, and other ISIS and Haqqani influential areas. The film will show truth behind this conspiracy and pain of these women. These findings are now being presented by Vipul Amrutlal Shah as The Kerala Story. The film will be released on big screens next year. PHNOM PENH, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said on Thursday that high vaccination rates and the reopening of borders have helped revive the country's tourism industry. In a message to the opening of the 5th Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) Tourism Ministers Meeting and the 6th Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnam (CLMV) Tourism Ministers Meeting in Siem Reap province, Hun Sen said vaccines have built herd immunity in Cambodia, which has allowed the country to reopen its borders with confidence since late 2021. "Thanks to the adoption of the vaccination policy as the key, together with the effectiveness of the implementation of the Roadmap for Cambodia Tourism Promotion and Recovery Plan during and post-COVID-19 2020-2025, Cambodia has received an increasing arrival of international tourists," he said. Cambodia welcomed 1.24 million international visitors in the first nine months of 2022, up 861 percent compared to the same period last year, official data showed. During the January-September period this year, neighboring Thailand topped the chart of international tourist arrivals to Cambodia, followed by Vietnam, China, the United States and Indonesia, according to the data. Tourism Minister Thong Khon said the Southeast Asian nation is expected to attract 1.5 million to 2 million international tourists in 2022 and the number is predicted to reach the pre-pandemic level in 2026 or 2027. In the pre-pandemic era, the country registered 6.6 million international tourists in 2019, generating 4.92 billion U.S. dollars in revenue. Cambodia has seen great success in controlling the pandemic. The kingdom has reported no new deaths from COVID-19 since April, as 91.1 percent of its 16 million population have been fully vaccinated with two required vaccine doses, the Health Ministry said. China's Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines have been widely used in the kingdom's immunization program. In a ceremony at the Amarillo Assembly Center, Bell Textron celebrated the delivery of the 189th AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter to the U.S. Marine Corps, completing the Program of Record (POR) for the latest version of the storied H-1 platform. Bell completed the UH-1Y POR of 160 aircraft in 2018 bringing the combined H-1 POR to 349 aircraft. Follow Air Recognition on Google News at this link AH-1Z Viper of the U.S. Marine Corps (Picture source: Bell) "The first production lot of US Marine Corps H-1s was ordered in 1962, and they changed the way Marines fight today," said Mike Deslatte, Bell H-1 vice president and program director. "Completing the AH-1Z and UH-1Y deliveries to the US Marine Corps adds one more chapter to the legacy of the H-1 platform." Bell has been producing H-1s for the U.S. military since 1959. Bell originally designed the H-1 for the U.S. Army with the iconic "Huey." In 1966 Bell created the AH-1 Cobra as the first dedicated gunship. In 1970, the Bell UH-1N brought twin-engine capabilities to more than 28 countries, and in 1984 the AH-1W provided the U.S. Marine Corps with increased attack helicopter capability. The current generation AH-1Z Viper and UH-1Y Venom are the most agile, mobile, and survivable combination of aircraft used by the Department of Defense. The 85% common platforms are the only two aircraft that share so much commonality, providing the Marines with logistical agility and reduced operating costs. The AH-1Z achieved initial operating capacity in February 2011 and the UH-1Y achieved initial operating capacity in August 2008. The first combined Viper/Venom deployment with a Marine Expeditionary Unit occurred in 2009. "H-1s are key to the 2022 Marine Corps Aviation Plan," said Col. Vasillios Pappas, Light/Attack Helicopters program manager (PMA-276). "With the US program of record now complete, the Marines have the flexibility to manage and deploy the helicopters based on current and future mission requirements as established at the start of the program." The H-1 production line is still active in support of foreign military sales to approved U.S. allies. Bell continues to produce AH-1Z Vipers for the Kingdom of Bahrain and will manufacture eight UH-1Ys and four AH-1Zs for the Czech Republic in 2023. Since the first delivery of the AH-1Zs and UH-1Ys to the U.S. Marines, the H-1 mixed fleet has accumulated more than 450,000 flight hours through a full spectrum of military operations. Bell will continue to support the U.S. H-1s with lethality, survivability, and reliability upgrades through a long-term modernization plan that helps ensure the aircraft keep an overwhelming tactical advantage for generations. Bell UH-1N and AH-1Z Viper of the U.S. Marine Corps (Picture source: Bell) Arab League summit concludes, calling for joint action to tackle challenges Xinhua) 08:49, November 03, 2022 Photo taken on Nov. 2, 2022 shows the scene of the 31st Arab League (AL) Summit in Algiers, Algeria. (Algerian Presidency/Handout via Xinhua) ALGIERS, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- The 31st Arab League (AL) Summit concluded here on Wednesday with the adoption of the Algiers Declaration which calls for joint action to tackle the regional and global challenges. The declaration warned of the risks brought by changing international situation posed to Arab national security and stability, stressing the importance of unifying efforts to preserve Arab common interests. It also called for cooperation in ensuring food and energy security, confronting climate change, as well as ending the crises in some Arab countries. Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra (R, Rear) and Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit (L, Rear) attend a press conference after the 31st Arab League (AL) Summit in Algiers, Algeria, on Nov. 2, 2022. (Xinhua) According to the declaration, the Arab leaders reiterated their full support for the establishment of an independent state of Palestine on the basis of the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, while urging Israel to halt its attacks against Palestinians and end its blockade on the Gaza Strip. Referring to the Libya issue, the Arab leaders vowed to make all efforts to end the crisis through an inter-Libyan process in accordance with United Nations resolutions and with respect to Libya's unity, stability, and sovereignty. Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune (R) and Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit attend the 31st Arab League (AL) Summit in Algiers, Algeria, on Nov. 2, 2022. (Algerian Presidency/Handout via Xinhua) The declaration suggested that Arab states should play a key role in settling the Syrian crisis while addressing the country's political, security, humanitarian, and economic challenges. The Arab leaders further expressed support for the incumbent government in Yemen and commitment to extending the truce. Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra (R) and Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit attend a press conference after the 31st Arab League (AL) Summit in Algiers, Algeria, on Nov. 2, 2022. (Xinhua) The Arab leaders also agreed to work on establishing a zone free of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East as part of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. The two-day summit was the first meeting of the regional body since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Liang Jun) BANGKOK, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese path to modernization is a unique creation of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the march of more than 1.4 billion people toward modernization under the CPC leadership offers inspiration for many developing countries, a top Thai legislator has said. "No one knows China better than the Chinese people, and China has embarked on a path that follows its own development principles and solves daily challenges of the people," said Chuan Leekpai, president of the Thai National Assembly and speaker of the House of Representatives, in a recent interview with Xinhua. The Chinese path to modernization is based on the country's national conditions, noted Chuan, who served as Thailand's prime minister from 1992 to 1995 and from 1997 to 2001. He has visited China many times, covering both major cities and its countryside. Chuan said he was truly impressed by China's economic miracle and social changes over the years, like the eradication of absolute poverty and establishment of a modern transportation system. Chuan paid close attention to the 20th CPC National Congress and noticed that it has outlined a new blueprint for China's future development. He expected subsequent concrete measures by the CPC to lead the Chinese people to realize higher living standards. Chuan expressed his appreciation for the CPC's emphasis on building a human community with a shared future, saying it highlights the importance of international collaboration. "Countries cannot survive alone in today's world, and instead must cooperate on the basis of fairness and justice," he said. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Thailand comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. Chuan is delighted to see the deepening of bilateral relations. China has provided vaccines and medical supplies to Thailand during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the sincere help offered by the Chinese people in times of crisis will always be remembered by the Thai people, he said. New York City is a bastion of left-wing politics. The city's soft-on-crime approach combined with a state-implemented no bail policy for certain arrests has led to the release of people arrested who then keep committing crimes over and over again. This release policy has led to an increase in New York City crime to the point where many citizens will not take a walk outside their homes after dark. Subway ridership in New York City is down about one third since before the pandemic. Obviously, the decline is not only because people are afraid of catching COVID in the subway, but also because of the rise in mentally disabled and aggressive persons, the low presence of police on the trains, and the high number of random subway attacks (now higher than when the ridership was one third greater). Before Bill de Blasio and his successor, another low-I.Q. individual, Eric Adams, came into the mayor's office, Mayor Rudy Giuliani had instituted a "broken windows" policy whereby relatively minor crimes like subway turnstile jumping were challenged. Using these small infractions as a legitimate reason for stopping people, searching them, and checking their backgrounds led to the discovery of many perps who had outstanding warrants against them, people who had skipped bail or court appearances, and people who did not have stable addresses and who thereby had evaded the justice system. Then Michael Bloomberg, following Giuliani's lead, continued with an aggressive stop-and-frisk policing policy. Any groups of people loitering were aggressively searched for weapons by the police, and so many weapons were confiscated that the NYC crime rates declined dramatically. You can't threaten, maim, or kill people easily if you have been divested of your illegal weapons. New York City is also experiencing skyrocketing rents; gentrification of some of the worst neighborhoods, which is further displacing the poor; unparalleled congestion on streets and roads; transsexual crossdressers as students in schools; and dilution of educational standards to a degree that would not have been imagined, let alone accepted twenty-five years ago, or even in the 1980s, when whitey was being blamed for low academic achievement in black neighborhoods. Now the students all simply receive higher grades for the same poor level of work, and, voila: the problem of low achievement is solved. Right? Despite so many decades of racial rhetoric and the "caring" (sic) liberal/leftist program, only the proactive policing policies of the Giuliani and Bloomberg governance made a noticeable difference in the quality of life of all citizens in the city. One might add that the subway cars covered in graffiti as though they had been designed by a maniacal tattoo artist were finally cleaned up and replaced by Richard Ravitch and David Gunn, who took charge of the Metropolitan Transit Authority in the late 1980s. Leadership makes a difference. Now, in this election cycle, we see New York City declining by moving even farther away from the practical real-world leadership that was shown in the 1990s and early 2000s. Two of the four items asking for a yes or no vote from the electorate revert back to the glittering generalities that are the hallmarks of race-baiting and all forms of demagoguery. As soon as overgeneralized moral pap and platitudes start to flood in, we can be sure that real-time, real-world solutions are being pushed aside and wicked dissembling is moving to center stage. Why? Answer: To further a political agenda for some individuals who are seeking personal power, fame, and wealth for themselves. One of the four items on the ballot calls for a new Preamble to the New York City Charter. The new Preamble begins by stating nine goals. The ninth goal is the desire to provide to all citizens of the city "humane, empathetic, and respectful treatment." This writer taught in the NYC public schools for twenty years, and during that entire time, except for one teacher who expressed some hateful views in the teachers' lounge, I never observed any students of any nationality or ethnicity being treated disrespectfully or with hostility by any school employee. One student from a Middle Eastern Arab country was always walking around the classrooms, talking to himself, walking out of the room and back in, and there were meetings with the boy, his grandfather, and school personnel about his erratic behavior. The boy had been sent to live with his grandparents along with two other siblings when he was eight years old because of civil unrest in his home country. He had not seen his parents in person since he was eight years old. Nobody looked down at him because he was Muslim or deeply disturbed. This writer had to frequently change his seat, and finally, he was seated next to a young Russian female student who was not dismissive of him, but seemed to know just how to concentrate on the class lessons, give him a little attention, and at the right time ignore his obsessive ways. This respect for human dignity is alive and well in the hearts of New York City Americans without a Preamble laying some guilt trip on the public or the institutional leaders of the city. The Preamble goes on to provide an extensive list a list that seems to affirm all the human failures of America toward others, and by default of New Yorkers insofar as they belong to this nefarious gathering known as the USA. The Preamble presents a long paragraph replete with a leftist bias and a false summary of U.S. and New York City that make us truly citizens of a wholly repugnant society that must establish a new historical direction. The classic leftist bias, exaggeration, lies, and historical distortions are reiterated and summarized using all the well known buzzwords such as colonialism, discrimination, atrocities, systemic injustices, harms, mass incarcerations, inequity (not inequality), and many others to portray one of the most repugnant societies ever known to humankind, which thread of horrors must be purposely offset by New Yorkers. Another item up for a vote in this election is the creation of a Commission on Racial Equity. There is no real specificity about what plans this commission would come up with for the city, but since lack of equity is part of the summarized false narrative of NYC and the United States in the new Preamble, the commission will try to fight the overwhelming legacy of evil behavior that has brought us to this supposedly horrible point, where all the goodness of society is submerged in a sea of exploitation and hate. It is, of course, imperative that the citizens of New York City vote down these measures. We need leaders who can solve real problems with real-world practical and ethical solutions. We need to turn away from this horrible leftist name-calling and finger-pointing and a misreading and miswriting of history to fit with some pre-conceived ideas of who we Americans and Westerners are and are not. Love of neighbor and love of God are needed, and surely, the left has neither. Image via Picryl. In her recent article in The Atlantic, a Brown University professor, Emily Oster, is calling for "pandemic amnesty." She is telling me to "forgive and forget" everyone who was yelling obscenities at me for not wearing a mask in a public park or calling me a mass murderer for posting a picture with a friend visiting. I must forget all this, the author insists, because all those people had nothing but my well-being in mind! The author admits that many (if not most!) measures imposed on us by "the experts" were harmful and destructive. But "dwelling on those mistakes" is "counter-productive." After all, people who made these mistakes had only good intentions. "As we now know," the author concedes, cloth masks are practically useless. People who got vaccinated spread COVID as easily as those who did not. Keeping children locked up at homes had disastrous consequences on their development. And some of the COVID "mitigation" measures like beach closures in California were outright dumb. But let's not "dwell" on them because those were "complicated choices in the face of deep uncertainty." "We didn't know!" the author laments. After three years of living through the pandemic, the author all but admits that "the experts" were just as clueless about how to approach it as your next-door neighbor. "The experts" did not know even the most obvious things. They didn't know that wearing a dirty piece of cloth over your face would not amount to anything other than a sinus infection. Seemed like even a third-grader could've figured that one out and many did. They didn't know that walking on the beach was the safest activity one could do during a pandemic. Sunshine and fresh air are the best disinfectants known to men, and a beach in early spring is the best place for "social distancing." You don't need a crystal ball to understand that surfing in the ocean is not "a super-spreader event." They didn't know that being away from school causes learning delays, especially for kids who don't have a parent in the home. For many kids, a school is the only environment conducive to education. To learn online, kids require constant supervision I got a firsthand experience with that when my high schoolage son was tutoring during COVID. He had to call the parents multiple times a day to return their kids back to the computer screen. What about the kids who didn't have a parent around, or access to a personal tutor? It wasn't a difficult conjecture to know that these kids would fall desperately behind. After almost everything "the experts" told us has been proven false, they demand "amnesty" because of the "uncertainty" they were facing. Yet, back then, they denied that any uncertainty existed. Back then, they claimed they knew exactly what to do until they didn't. Back then, they claimed that everyone who contradicted them, or doubted them, was "spreading misinformation." They proclaimed themselves "THE SCIENCE," and they ordered everyone to follow their orders, or else. You don't need to know the future only the past to know that science does not require "blind following." Science involves debate, experimentation, and inquiry. "The experts" and their admirers replaced real science with THE SCIENCE, also known as dogma. And every time it clashed with reality, they turned around on a dime, and they absolved themselves of responsibility, citing "the evolution of THE SCIENCE" without providing any evidence as to how the science had "evolved." Given the amount of uncertainty, almost every position was taken on every topic. And on every topic, someone was eventually proved right, and someone else was proved wrong. Even in the face of uncertainty, the author admits, "some people got it right, for whatever reason." Yet she is willfully uncurious as to what that reason is. That reason was that some leaders made decisions based on common sense, not politics. They consulted with scientists and health professionals of different persuasions, not just the ones who promoted the party line. They answered questions correctly because they asked questions in the first place. These were the reasons they got it right but these reasons, the author argues, are unimportant. All that matters is that we do not blame "the experts" for their failure. Some people got it right because they wanted to get it right. "The experts" did not but still, they should get "amnesty" because they "meant well." The author argues that some people made the right choices because they "had a hefty element of luck." We are supposed to believe that for three years, Ron DeSantis magically guessed all the right cards, while Doctor Fauci just kept guessing wrong. And that's why we all should cut the good doctor some slack. Sure, he was heavily compensated for his "expertise" that involved repeating whatever talking points his puppet masters were giving him. But he didn't mean any harm, so let's give him another million-dollar participation trophy. But in spring and summer 2020, we had only glimmers of information. Reasonable people people who cared about children and teachers advocated on both sides of the reopening debate. Now that "the alarming figures" are coming out, we must admit there were "reasonable people on both sides." However, back in the day, only one side was viewed as "reasonable." Anyone who dissented was known as "the science deniers" and "the grandma-killers." People who claimed they "cared" did not advocate for debate. They advocated for shutting down anyone who disagreed. Because of "the experts," millions of kids suffered severe learning loss and developmental delays. Cancer patients missed life-saving treatments. Many did not attend the diagnostic tests that could have saved their lives. Gravely ill people died alone without saying goodbye to their loved ones. Because of "the experts," elderly people went into the crowds believing that a stupid mask would protect them. So many lives needlessly lost. And now, "the followers of the science" demand absolution because they meant "no harm." Fair enough: Let's not be mean to the celebrities wasting their lives on Twitter. In the face of so much uncertainty, getting something right had a hefty element of luck. And, similarly, getting something wrong wasn't a moral failing. "The experts" admit they "didn't know then," so getting it wrong "wasn't a moral failing." Not knowing is, indeed, not a moral failing but refusing to learn is. It is because of "the experts" that we didn't learn from this tragic event that impacted a generation. And we still don't know. We don't know why the first wave of COVID was so deadly, and why the one still around is not. We don't even know how deadly each new variant is. We don't really know how COVID spreads, and how to mitigate the spread. We don't have a definite answer about the efficacy of masks. We don't know if COVID vaccines protect you, and for how long. We don't know why older people seem to be more in danger than the young. We could have answers to all of these questions by now if we were allowed to ask them. There is no excuse for why we don't know. Because of "good intentions," we wasted millions of lives, and millions of livelihoods, and we chose to learn nothing from this horrible event. And that is why, should the new pandemic come tomorrow, instead of relying of what we have learned, "the experts" will revert to the same game plan they used during COVID, needlessly wasting more lives. If we let it slide, more people will die. "The experts" failed us when we needed them most. Then they demonized us for doubting their "expertise." And now they admit they weren't "the experts" at all only "well-wishers." After ruining our lives, they cry for "amnesty." If we learned one thing from a three-year pandemic, it's that we should not give it to them. We should hold "the experts" accountable so that all the future experts take notice. Tanya Berlaga is a freelance writer, translator, and publisher and is currently a contributor to Right Wire Report, The Liberty Loft, and Free Speech Movement. Image: Anthony Fauci. NIAID via Flickr, CC BY 2.0 (cropped). The prevalence of so-called transgenderism reflects the confluence of a hardcore, leftist strain in the homosexual movement, rising mental illness, social media, and activists in politics and commerce. This has created a self-destructive collective madness last seen when people maddened by the Black Death began publicly flagellating themselves until they bled. Todays maddened people arent just hurting themselves; theyre a direct threat to Americas children. The first threat is brainwashing, often in the public schools to which their parents entrust them. Children are taught that, if they dont perfectly match stereotypical standards for men and women, they are either nonbinary or transgender. The second threat is that many of the people who call themselves transgender have sexual obsessions that lead them to prey on children. Both threats showed up in todays news. Regarding public school grooming, the tale of Willa Hoard, a social studies teacher at Chesapeake High School in Pasadena, Maryland, is perfectly representative. Hoard, a man who claims to be a woman, runs the Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) organization at the high school. Parents at the school have discovered that, in his GSA capacity, hes been encouraging the students in his charge to become sexualized in ways completely inappropriate for young people. Image: Lailani Muniz, public figure and alleged pedophile. YouTube screen grab. Libs of TikTok has the details, so Ill summarize the main points. Parents become aware of a problem when a student involved in the GSA put up a social media post saying that the school would discipline students and teachers for deadnamingthat is, for calling people by the sex-appropriate (male or female) name given to them at birthwhich the school claims is sexual harassment. The mother of the student who put up that post realized there was a problem and started investigating the GSA. By going through her daughters phone and computer, she discovered that Hoard had communicated with students via all sorts of non-school-related internet platforms. According to messages, Hoard was referred to as mom and was directing students to carry on, be gay, and start a revolution. Other messages encouraged the students cause chaos, making sure to remind the kids to wash your face and hands. [snip] Unbeknownst to the parents, at the direction of the GSA, the school had deemed the back of Hoards classroom a safe space for LGBTQ+ students. This meant that at any time, whether in gym or algebra class, if a student said to a teacher that they needed a safe space they could go to Hoards room. Libs of TikTok explains that, in a video taken in Hoards room, you can see two students grinding on each other while Hoard is teaching U.S. History. *** Another video shows what appears to be one student sucking the stomach of another student while, once again, Hoard was teaching. This disturbing footage is reportedly from a classroom in Pasadena, Maryland. The classroom is a designated LGBTQ safe space run by a transgender teacher where students can come whenever they want throughout the day to hang out. More on this story shortly pic.twitter.com/9CDxQ1dyQn Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) November 2, 2022 You can read more here about what is manifestly grooming in a public school classroom. Heres some voting advice: If you dont know which school board candidates to support, ask them this one question: Whats your position on handling gender identity in our schools? The answers made my election choices very easy. And then there are the predators. In New York, one man who claims to be transgender was arrested for allegedly soliciting a minor for sex: A transgender activist in New York City was arrested and charged for allegedly soliciting a minor, legal documents show. Trans and HIV activist Lailani Muniz was arrested last month in the Bronx after corresponding with someone whom Muniz thought was a 14-year-old boy identified as Josh on the LGBT dating app Grindr, according to the criminal complaint obtained by Fox News Digital. Josh, however, was actually a man who works at the nonprofit NY Creeps Spotlight, which exposes people who target children. Take away the word transgender, and you end up with the allegation that a gay man knowingly solicited sex from a minor. If you define yourself by sex, that is the filter through which youll interact with the world, including interacting with children. Whether by birth or social manipulation, these sexually obsessed people are mentally ill, and that plays out in ways that should worry all parents. Adults who dont want to be arrested may try to inveigle the children into their world., while those whose compulsions are strong will seek sex directly from children. Either way, we need to stop these damaged people from creating another generation that is mentally ill and composed of young people all too willing to mutilate their bodies and begin indoctrinating the next generation into the cult. Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi (R) meets with visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Amman, Jordan, on Nov. 3, 2022. Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi held here on Thursday a meeting with visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, during which the two sides discussed, among others, bilateral ties and the Syrian crisis. (Photo by Mohammad Abu Ghosh/Xinhua) AMMAN, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi held here on Thursday a meeting with visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, during which the two sides discussed, among others, bilateral ties and the Syrian crisis. The Russian foreign minister said at a joint press conference that his meeting with Safadi was "fruitful," expressing the hope for more cooperation in economic, commercial, educational, and agricultural fields between the two countries. On the Syrian crisis, Lavrov praised Jordan's efforts in supporting a political solution in Syria, emphasizing the necessity of increasing assistance to Damascus in the implementation of the UN 2642 Resolution, which authorized a cross-border humanitarian aid mechanism in Syria. Lavrov also said the two countries agreed on the need to support Iraq's security and stability while expressing Russia's welcoming to the outcomes of the Arab Summit, which concluded this week in Algeria. For his part, Safadi said the Russian presence in southern Syria is a stabilizing factor and can help to curb drug smuggling across the Jordanian-Syrian border. On the Ukraine crisis, Safadi stressed that Jordan calls for an immediate ceasefire, reaching a political solution that respects international resolutions. Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi (2nd L) and visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (1st L) attend a joint press conference in Amman, Jordan, on Nov. 3, 2022. Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi held here on Thursday a meeting with visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, during which the two sides discussed, among others, bilateral ties and the Syrian crisis. (Photo by Mohammad Abu Ghosh/Xinhua) Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi (R) and visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attend a joint press conference in Amman, Jordan, on Nov. 3, 2022. Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi held here on Thursday a meeting with visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, during which the two sides discussed, among others, bilateral ties and the Syrian crisis. (Photo by Mohammad Abu Ghosh/Xinhua) On Wednesday evening, Joe Biden once again demonstrated the folly of his professional handlers, speechwriters, and P.R. flacks. Based on what we're seeing of Biden's public performance, we have to conclude that these people are either totally inexperienced which seems unlikely or so deeply "true believers" that they'll do anything to advance their cause, including sacrificing their own president on the altar of mega-woke-ism. Here's the speech: This started out as an assessment of the many bad but easily fixed P.R. decisions Biden's handlers have made for him, to be wrapped up with a quick review of what they should be doing to avoid making a public fool of their president. However, after watching Wednesday evening's speech at Union Station in Washington, I realized that this event is a microcosm of their disaster, featuring every kind of mistake Biden's made in his public performances. That disastrous trend began with his speech in Philadelphia two months ago, a speech that did nothing to move the needle for Biden. Why? Instead of offering plausible solutions to real American problems, Biden stood up in front of a Satanic-looking blood-red background, at the birthplace of American liberty, and then blamed President Trump and his "Mega-MAGA" followers for the incident on January 6. He vilified the Jan. 6, 2021 "insurrectionists," who were, as he said, worse than the terrorists of 9/11. Apparently, his handlers hoped the menacing blood-red Satanic background would wash off on his party's Republican opponents. Since then, polls even from the New York Times showed that Americans replied by focusing even more closely on electing Republicans. Republicans had been watching their margins slip right up until Biden's "Satanic Verses" talk. That quickly turned around their margin has grown steadily since then. Remarkably, after that disaster, Wednesday night's talk offered nothing new, except for the backdrop. Instead of blood red, Biden was flanked by a clutter of artlessly arranged American flags. Not offensive, but hardly impressive. Rather than presenting new policy prescriptions, or even a valiant spin trying to make his first two years seem effective, the president presented the same old focus: Jan. 6, 2021, a non-issue that had worn out its welcome with the American voters long before his speech. Their next gaffe was largely ignored by the mainstream media: there is a huge homeless camp in and around Union Station. This was removed to "improve the optics" of the event, without doing anything to help deal with homelessness in the District of Columbia, or anywhere in America. Less than a week before the election, the president could have made his final case for the Democrat party, for their two-year track record in control of government, and their plans for the next two years if America will only give them another chance. But, bizarrely, Biden squandered his last chance before the American voters to sell America on the Democrats' relative virtues. It's a losing issue because, even after two years of beating the drum in presidential speeches and nearly endless congressional hearings, the Daily Wire reported that a recent New York Times poll shows that by a statistically significant margin, 33 percent of Americans think Democrats are more likely to undermine America. Republicans are viewed as a major threat by only 29 percent. Nationally, 39 percent believe that Republicans are no threat at all, while only 30 percent say Democrats are no threat. That's a significant margin. After all the Democrats' beating the drums on this issue, it's clearly a lame, losing tactic. The Big Issue on Biden's Wednesday night focused on the January 6 "insurrection." Biden harangued Americans with yet another distorted version of his election in 2020, tying that to the Democrat-hallowed, but otherwise widely ignored, January 6 non-issue. The truth is somewhat different. On that day, a group of totally unarmed individuals dared to illegally enter the Capitol Building without an invitation. Clearly, a group of boisterous but unarmed voters represent no real threat to the nation. The only person killed in this raucous "insurrection" was a 36-year-old military veteran, shot to death by a Capitol Police officer, without explanation. Widely reported inaccurately a Capitol Police officer also died. However, he died not from a blow to the head by a fire extinguisher, as the mainstream press initially and inaccurately reported, but from a stroke the officer experienced some time after the event had been quelled. The Washington, D.C. coroner ruled out the media-reported blunt force trauma as the cause of his death, saying nothing to suggest that crowd control at the non-insurrection was a cause, direct or indirect, for the stroke. Wednesday night, Biden also talked about preserving democracy, even as word has trickled out about how his Department of Homeland Security has been working hand-in-glove with Meta/Facebook, Twitter, and other social media purveyors to de-platform Biden's opposition. In effect, they imposed government-led censorship of free speech. How this preserves democracy has not been revealed. He also wailed about voter intimidation, without acknowledging his own government's censorship of millions of right-of-center citizens. Focusing on "voter suppression," Biden again lambasted "Mega-MAGA" Republicans for imaginary excesses, saying that "intimidation" such as requiring voters to present the same IDs now required just to take a plane flight or drive a car when applied to voting, is somehow undemocratic. Even racist. No surprise there. When in doubt, play the race card. However, my "favorite" disaster line of Biden's was "we should leave no one behind." This from the man who left hundreds of Americans and thousands of allied Afghans who risked all to support our now lost war against the Taliban behind in his chaotic evacuation. In the face of this disastrous talk, what could Biden's key staff have done differently? First, don't pick a Satanic background for a major political speech. Obviously, based on the Philadelphia speech, they were using that blood red to heighten the public's fear of the dread "Mega-MAGA forces out to destroy our nation." Instead, that background transmuted that fear toward Biden, not away from him. Second, don't exaggerate. Biden's team continues acting as though January 6 really was an insurrection calling it worse than the terror attack of 9/11/01 that killed nearly 3,000 Americans. Really? Worse for them they keep hammering it long after America has moved on. Polls show that Americans know that this wasn't what Biden claims it to be a violent threat to our very democracy. Wednesday night, Biden centered his talk his last-ditch effort to change voters' minds and turn the impending midterm disaster around. Instead, he rehashed the same issues that haven't worked, leaving Republicans gloating and Democrats wondering what went wrong. Ned Barnett, an experienced political campaigner as well as the author of forty published books, currently serves as a ghostwriter and writing coach, as well as marketer for authors and their books. Back in the day, he headed up P.R. media and strategy at the state level for three presidential campaigns, starting with President Ford in South Carolina in '76. There, he proudly worked hand-in-glove with the late, great Lee Atwater, who at 23 was the youngest state party leader in either party. He also worked as a speechwriter for two South Carolina governors. Barnett, now based in Nevada, can be reached at nedbarnett51@gmail.com or at 702-561-1167. Image: Screen shot from NBC News video via YouTube. Albrecht Berblinger was an early aviation pioneer who is best known for designing a hang glider, nearly four decades before British inventor George Cayley sent his butler flying 900 feet across a Brompton dale. However, unlike George Cayley and dozens of aviation enthusiasts before and after him, Berblinger wasnt successful in his demonstration. Instead, he splashed into the Danube river and the failure practically destroyed his career. Albrecht Berblinger was born in 1770 in Ulm, Germany, to a poor family. His father worked in the armory of the Free Imperial City of Ulm, and through him, young Berblinger came into contact with all kinds of mechanical equipment. When he was 13, Berblingers father died and he was sent to an orphanage. There, he was forced to start an apprenticeship as a tailor. Berblinger excelled in his craft, becoming a master tailor at the age of 21. But his passion was mechanics. An old postcard depicting Albrecht Berblingers failed attempt to fly. Photo: Wikimedia In 1808, when a soldier lost a leg, Berblinger built him a prosthesis with a movable knee joint. The doctors at the city hospital were impressed by this invention, and in 1809 Berblinger asked the Bavarian king for a patent. But his request was rejected. The setback did not discourage Berblinger. Instead, he devoted himself to the boldest of all schemesto fly in the air. Berblinger began developing a flying machine despite mocking he received from the people, and threats to expel him from the guild of tailors. He ignored these threats and put all of his income into the process, and continued to build his craft, eventually designing a hang glider capable of short flights. He secretly carried out his flight experiments in the vineyards on the Michelsberg in Ulm, using the vineyard walls and cottages as his launch points. Even Frederick I of Wurttemberg began to show interest in his efforts and proposed to support the inventor financially provided he was able to demonstrate the functionality of his glider. Albrecht Berblingers glider. Originally, Berblinger intended to jump off the Ulm Minsters roof, which was about 100 m high back then. But Berblingers flying abilities were called into question, and it was decided that Berblinger will jump off a wall near the Danube river instead. On May 30, 1811, Berblinger appeared on the banks of the Danube. The bulwark of the city wall towered 13 meters over the bank. On top of this bastion a seven meter high wooden scaffold had been erected. So Berblinger stood 20 meters above the Danube. The other bank of the Danube was 40 meters away, that's where he was supposed to land. The hang glider, which he designed and built himself, was attached to his back and arms. People crowded on both banks of the river and waited for the sensation. Among the crowd was the king, his three sons, and the crown prince of Bavaria. But Berblinger hesitated. He claimed that his hang glider broke and called off the flight, but it was most likely because he didnt find the wind conditions favorable. The spectators rumored that Berblinger developed cold feet and turned white as a brick of cheese. Memorial stone at Eagles Bastion, the place from where Berblinger attempted his jump. Photo: Eigenes Werk/Wikimedia Berblinger arrived again the next day for another attempt. The King had already left town for some work, but his brother, Duke Henry, and the princes stayed behind to watch Berblinger fly. However, the wind conditions had not improved from the previous day, and Berblinger kept delaying his jump. The crowd was getting annoyed and urged him to finally start his performance. Eventually, after hours of delay, an impatient policeman allegedly gave the aviator a push, which sent him falling to the river below. Berblinger was rescued by the fishermen and the crowd booed. The city never forgave his failure. He was called a liar and a cheater, and this affected his professional reputation as well, and customers stopped coming to his tailors workshop. He died penniless at the age of 58, and was buried in a pauper's grave. It was only in the 20th century that the world began to appreciate Berblingers efforts. It was shown that the aviation pioneer had chosen the most unfavorable place imaginable to launch his flight, since the cool temperature of the river produces a downdraft even in the warmest weather, making it quite difficult to generate enough lift for a sustained flight. Furthermore, researchers demonstrated in 1986 that there was nothing wrong in Berblingers design and the glider actually was able to fly. The same year, on the occasion of the 175th anniversary of the first flight attempt, the city of Ulm organized a flight competition to find out whether it would have been possible to cross the Danube at this point. Even with all modern lightweight materials like carbon and fiberglass, aluminum and polyurethane foam, of the 30 competitors who took part, 29 fell into the Danube. The only one who made it to the other bank suffered a dislocated arm as he landed. Today, a replica of the Berblingers flying machine can be seen in the stairwell of the Ulm City Hall. A replica of Berblingers glider at Ulm City Hall. Photo: Eigenes Werk/Wikimedia References: # Tabea Tietz, Albrecht Berblinger, the Tailor of Ulm and His Flying Machine, SciHi Blog # Johannes Schweikle, Schneiderlein im Sturzwind, Spiegel BEIJING, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- At the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will pay an official visit to China on Friday. Born in June 1958 in Osnabruck in Lower Saxony, Germany, Scholz majored in law and worked as a lawyer. From 1998 to early 2001, Scholz was a member of the German Bundestag. He then served as the interior senator of Hamburg from May 2001 to October 2001. Between 2002 and 2011, Scholz served again as a member of the German Bundestag. From 2005 to 2007, Scholz served as the first parliamentary secretary of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) parliamentary group in the Bundestag. Between 2007 and 2009, he was the federal minister of labor and social affairs. Between 2009 and 2011, Scholz served as the deputy chair of the SPD parliamentary group in the Bundestag. Between 2009 and 2019, he served as the SPD deputy chair. Scholz served as the first mayor of Hamburg from 2011 to 2018. Between 2018 and 2021, he served as the vice chancellor and federal minister of finance. In December 2021, Scholz became the German chancellor. He is married. (ANSA) - ROME, NOV 3 - One of two Italian marines who spent 10 years in a judicial limbo after being prosecuted for killing two Indian fishermen they mistook for pirates is suing the Italian State for loss of earnings and inability to have more kids, the Fatto Quotidiano newspaper reported Thursday. Massimiliano Latorre is seeking a multi-million-euro payout from authorities in Rome, it said. It said Latorre may be followed by the other marine, Salvatore Girone, in seeking judicial redress for the ordeal they went through. In January a Rome preliminary investigations judge (GIP) acquitted the two Italian marines accused of killing the two Indian fishermen off the southern coast of India after mistaking them for pirates in 2012. The GIP's ruling had been expected after prosecutors in December asked the charges against Girone and Latorre to be dropped in the deaths of Valentine Jelastine and Ajeesh Pink. The marines were doing anti-piracy duty aboard the merchant ship Enrica Lexie in February 2012 off the coast of Kerala when they fired on the Indian fishing boat. The GIP ruled, like the prosecutors, that they acted while respecting the rules of engagement. He said they were convinced they were under assault from pirates. In 2020 Italy got jurisdiction in the case after a long wrangle with India. A Hague tribunal ordered the payment of 1.1 million euros to the two fishermen's families in June 2021. photo: Latorre (L) with Girone in New Delhi in February 2014 (ANSA). (ANSA) - ROME, NOV 3 - Brazil can't extradite former AC Milan and Brazil star Robinho to serve a nine year term for group rape handed down in Italy but it can execute that sentence in his home country, local sources told ANSA Thursday. Article Five of the Brazilian Constitution prohibits extradition for any Brazilian citizen apart from exceptions that do not apply in Robinho's case. But Rome, which asked to extradited the former player at the beginning of October, can request his term be served in a Brazilian jail, the sources said. The conviction over the gang rape of a 23-year-old Albanian woman in a Milan night club on January 22, 2013, became definitive when the supreme Court of Cassation upheld it in January this year. The ministry also requested the extradition of one of Robinho's friends, Ricardo Falco, another Brazilian, in relation to the case. Robinho, 38, played for Milan between 2010 and 2014, scoring 25 goals in 108 appearances. He has 100 Brazil caps and 28 goals for his country. (ANSA). (ANSA) - ROME, NOV 3 - Pope Francis's bad knee for the first time ever prevented him from taking his usual stroll down the aisle to meet and greet journalists aboard the papal plane taking him on his historic first trip to Bahrein Thursday. "Today I'm very painful and I can't do the rounds but I'd be very pleased if you could do it," he told reporters before they filed up the cabin to say hello. "It's an interesting trip, which will make us think and give good news," said the pontiff, 85, who will be greeted by Bahreini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the hereditary prince, the prime minister and other members of the royal family before travelling to the Sakhir Royal Palace where he will have a private meeting with the king. On Thursday evening he will meet representatives of the authorities, civil society and the diplomatic corps, making his first speech in Bahrein to end his first day there. During his visit to the Arab kingdom on November 3-6, Francis will also visit the cities of Manama and Awali on the occasion of the Bahrain Forum for Dialogue: East and West for Human Coexistence. (ANSA). MADRID - The remains of Spanish general Gonzalo Queipo de Llano, considered one of the top-level men behind Franco regime repression in Seville, have been exhumed from the Macarena basilica, one of the most well-known churches of the Andalusian city. The news was reported by Spanish media. The exhumation on Thursday night - by the Macarena Confraternity, in charge of the Catholic church - is in line with a new law for "Democratic Memory", which recently came into effect at the national level. Among the articles of the law is that high-level figures of the Franco regime cannot remain buried "in pre-eminent public places" In addition to the remains of Queipo de Llano, the remains of his wife Genoveva Marti and those of one of his closest military collaborators, Francisco Bohorquez, were also exhumed. Spanish media reported that the exhumation was attended by some of the relatives of Queipo de Llano as well as some descendants of the victims of the dictatorship. Gen. Queipo is believed to have given the orders to shoot and kill about 45,000 people. PARIS - French healthcare minister Francois Braun will "in the coming days" speak to the national health institute HAS to get its views on the reinstatement of healthcare personnel that have not been vaccinated against COVID. The issue of the reinstatement - on which Braun was questioned by the television station BFM - does not "allow the solution of the problem" of a lack of hospital staff across the country. Amid a crisis of a lack of doctors - especially in paediatric services, suffering from an epidemic of bronchiolitis hitting infants and very young children - Braun said that the government had allocated 400 million euros to deal with the emergency instead of the 150 million initially announced. During an election campaign for the June elections, the proposal to reinstate non-vaccinated healthcare personnel into hospitals had been made by far-right opposition groups such as Rassemblement National as well as by the far-left, such as La France Insoumise. At the beginning of the summer, Braun had called the proposal a "thorny issue" but not "a current one" and had asked for the views of HAS. HAS had initially refused the reinstatement. AWALI (BAHREIN) - Populism and imperialism threaten the world, Pope Francis said in his first speech on a trip to Bahrein Thursday. "We are witnessing with concern the growth on a wide scale of indifference and mutual suspicion, the spread of rivalries and conflicts that we had hoped had been overcome, populism, extremism, and imperialism that jeopardize the security and safety of all," said Francis. The pope also called on authorities and people not to violate human rights and reiterated the Vatican's opposition to the death penalty. He called for full religious freedom. The embattled Home Secretary is under mounting pressure to get a handle on the migrant crisis as the Government faces potential legal action over an asylum centre with conditions branded dire by senior MPs. Immigration minister Robert Jenrick estimated about 3,500 people remained at the Manston facility in Kent on Wednesday night despite its maximum capacity of 1,600 as his boss faced questions over what will be done to address overcrowding at the site, as well as small boat crossings in general. Suella Braverman was also under fire from the prime minister of Albania, who accused Britain of becoming like a madhouse with a culture of finding scapegoats during a migration crisis where failed policies are to blame. Edi Rama lashed out at the Cabinet ministers crazy choice of language in a combative Commons debate this week, in which she claimed there is an invasion of England by people crossing the Channel. The Government is currently procuring hotels to relieve pressure on the Manston centre, near Ramsgate, but Mr Jenrick said he suspects it will take roughly seven days for numbers to drop to an acceptable level. The situation had been branded a breach of humane conditions, with some 4,000 people thought to have been held at the site. Immigration minister Robert Jenrick (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Mr Jenrick also confirmed the Government had received initial contact for a judicial review over Manston, but could not comment on who was behind the challenge for legal reasons. He said the move was not unusual as it concerned a highly litigious area of policy. But he said, as the minister responsible, he wants to ensure everything is conducted appropriately and within the law. On Wednesday afternoon, a young girl threw a bottle containing a letter over the perimeter fence to a PA news agency photographer, claiming there were pregnant women and sick detainees there. A group of people thought to be migrants gather their belongings before leaving the Manston immigration short-term holding facility (Gareth Fuller/PA) The note, written in broken English and addressed to journalists, organisations, everyone appeared to suggest 50 families had been held there for more than 30 days. Asylum seekers were also reportedly left at Londons Victoria station without accommodation after being taken off the premises. The group of 11 men were driven to the capital from Kent on Tuesday as part of a larger group, according to The Guardian. Danial Abbas, from the Under One Sky homelessness charity, said the men were left highly distressed, disorientated, lost in London, with nowhere to go. Mr Abbas told BBC Radio 4s Today programme that someone from the Home Office put his hands up on behalf of the Home Office and said this has been a massive error, lets get this sorted ASAP. Mr Abbas said that very quickly a solution was found and the group was taken to a hotel in Norwich. Mr Jenrick suggested the current situation at Manston may be neither humane nor legal, telling Sky News The Take with Sophy Ridge he expects it will be returned to a well-functioning and certainly legally compliant site very rapidly. A member of security staff secures screens around the Manston immigration short-term holding facility (Gareth Fuller/PA) Speaking to ITVs Peston, he said: Were procuring more hotels in all parts of the country, decanting the migrants from Manston to those as quickly as we can. And once weve done that, well be able to restore Manston to the kind of acceptable humane conditions that all of us would want to see. Earlier, four parliamentary committee chiefs piled further pressure on the Home Secretary to explain how the Government will get a grip on both the situation at the Kent facility and the migrant crisis in general. In a joint letter to Ms Braverman, the chairs of the Home Affairs Committee, Justice Committee, Joint Committee on Human Rights and Women and Equalities Committee expressed their deep concerns over the dire conditions at Manston, asking what will be done to address the current situation and avoid overcrowding in future. Council chiefs in Kent have warned the county is at breaking point as a result of the migrant situation, with the potential for disorder at Manston and the risk of far-right violence. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has described the migrant crisis as a serious and escalating problem and admitted that not enough asylum claims are being processed, but insisted the Government is getting a grip on the situation. He has backed Ms Bravermans handling of the issue, saying she has taken significant steps to address the problem of overcrowding at Manston. Sources steered away from reports the Home Secretary is considering alternative destinations to Rwanda under the UKs controversial migrant deportation scheme, with possible options said to include Paraguay, Peru and Belize. Provisional Government figures show 39,913 people have arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel so far this year. Climate activists have staged a protest outside a bank where they demonstrated every day during Cop26 a year ago. Four Extinction Rebellion Scotland (XR) activists locked themselves to an oil barrel with JP Morgan written on it at the main entrance to the banks offices in Waterloo Street, Glasgow, on Thursday morning. Gravestones with the words Cop26 Failed and Cop27 Futile were placed on the pavement and activists hung up banners reading JP Morgan Worlds Dirtiest Bank and Greenwash wont wash. The Oil Slicks, an Extinction Rebellion protest troupe, joined the action outside JP Morgan (Andrew Milligan/PA) During the Cop26 climate change talks which took place in Glasgow last November, Extinction Rebellion protested every day at JP Morgans offices in the city. The action on Thursday took place ahead of the Cop27 talks that start in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, on Sunday. XR Scotland claims JP Morgan is funding the climate crisis. The activists accuse the bank of funding climate change (Andrew Milligan/PA) Gary Jack, from XR Highlands and Islands, said: Even JP Morgans own economists reported in February 2020 that the climate crisis threatens the survival of humanity and yet they are still actively promoting continued investments in fossil fuels. The activists are also taking action to highlight what they say is the failure of the Cop process. Valerie King from XR Stirling said: Cop27 will be a failure just like Cop26. Extinction Rebellion has branded last years Cop26 talks in Glasgow a failure (Andrew Milligan/PA) Emissions are rising so much that its predicted that instead of a 1.5C increase in global heating, we are on a path to over 2.5C. Parts of the world are turning into unliveable disaster zones. JP Morgan declined to comment. Owners of diesel vehicles have been hit by the third biggest monthly rise in fuel prices on record. The RAC said the average price of a litre of diesel at UK forecourts rose by more than 10p per litre in October. This added more than 5 to the cost of filling a typical 55 litre family car. Diesel started the month at 180.4p per litre and ended it at 190.5p per litre. The only two months on record with larger increases are March (22p) and June (16p). The average price of petrol rose by nearly 4p per litre last month, from 162.7p to 166.4p. Price hikes began in the early part of October when oil producing group Opec+ agreed to cut production by two million barrels a day. This led to a 7% increase in oil prices. The weaker pound also made wholesale petrol and diesel more expensive. RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams said: After three months of falling pump prices, October was a severe shock to the system for drivers with the unwelcome return of some scary numbers on forecourt totems. Those with diesel vehicles suffered most with 10p being added to the cost of a litre in what was the third worst monthly increase on record, but petrol car drivers also saw a 4p-a-litre increase across the country. Oil producer group OPEC+s decision to cut supply by two million barrels a day has cost drivers dear. The fear now, particularly for diesel drivers, is whether the average price of a litre is heading back to that record of 199.09p which made a full tank cost more than 109. Looking at the wholesale market, we strongly hope the price should stabilise. And those with petrol cars should actually see forecourt prices start to go slightly the other way as the wholesale cost of unleaded appears to have peaked at least for the time being in mid-October. The King and Queen Consorts visit to a major exhibition showcasing Africas fashion talent has been described as a symbolic moment by a leading mens designer. Fashion designer Ozwald Boateng met the royal couple after their guided tour of the exhibition and praised their decision to visit the attraction staged at Londons V&A museum and appeared to joke with Charles about making him a suit. The King revealed he had sent a private donation in the wake of the devastating Nigerian floods, when he chatted to the founder of Lagos Fashion Week during the visit he requested, ahead of the state visit by the South African president Cyril Ramaphosa later this month. Edward Enninful, editor-in-chief of British Vogue, joined his industry colleague when he met the King and his wife and said about the exhibition: For me its amazing for the world to see what Africa has brought to the world in terms of design, culture so the timing is perfect, Im so thrilled. Boateng added: As a start position, I think this is a great start and Im hoping to see much more of this and to have King Charles come and visit and show this level of interest is very very symbolic. The King and the Queen Consort during their visit to the Africa Fashion exhibition (Ian Vogler/Daily Mirror/PA) The mens designer was inspired to succeed in fashion after receiving a Princes Trust grant which he used to buy a sewing machine and today is known for his suits which have a unique twist on classic British tailoring. At one point during his conversation with the King, Charles looked down at his clothes touching them as he appeared to joke with Boateng about the designer making him a suit. The mens designer said afterwards: Im sure at some point Ill make him a really nice bespoke suit, Im sure. The King and the Queen Consort (Ian Vogler/Daily Mirror/PA) More than 600 people were killed during flooding in Nigeria and Omoyemi Akerele, founder of Lagos Fashion Week who met the King on his previous visit to Nigeria, said: The flooding situation in Nigeria is so dreadful. It should be front and centre everywhere, and it really isnt. He was like, Thats really dreadful, I had to send a donation as well. We all have to help in any way we can. As the King and Queen looked around the fashion exhibition, which focuses on craftsmanship and textiles, Akerele said that Charles was particularly interested in the work of artisanal designers. She said: He is super invested in artisans and the role they play in the economy. It is dear to our hearts too, so it is something, dare I say, that we have in common. Mark Ruffalo has urged people from his home state of Wisconsin to help safeguard American democracy against nutjobs ahead of a US political fundraising event. The actor will join other famous faces from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including Don Cheadle and Rosario Dawson, for the pro-democrat event on Sunday. The event, billed as The Marvel Cast Unites To Save Democracy, hopes to encourage voter turnout in the state, ahead of the looming US midterm elections. Voting for midterms elections will be held on November 8. Ruffalo, who is from Kenosha, in Wisconsin, has been known to be vocal online about socio-political issues, including the environment and womens rights. Democracy is on the line in Wisconsin. Luckily, theres a true hero running for U.S. Senate: @TheOtherMandela. Join me, fellow Marvel cast mates, & @WisDems for a one-time livestream event on Nov 6 to make sure he and Democrats up and down the ballot win! https://t.co/gEAaQjVv7X Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) October 30, 2022 Were going to have some fun, play some games, talk about my home state with love and were going to fight for the safeguard of American democracy against these nutjobs, he said in a promotional video for the event. As goes Wisconsin so goes the nation and getting out to vote on November 8 is absolutely critical if we want to protect our democracy and womens reproductive rights for generations to come. Also attending the event will be Natalia Cordova, and Clark Gregg, who both star in Marvels Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D series, as well as the Wisconsin lieutenant governor Mandela Barnes. Democrats in the state have staged previous fundraising events enlisting the help of celebrities including the casts of The West Wing and Veep, which reportedly raised almost 700,000 dollars (613,000). Royal Mail has released a Christmas stamp collection featuring the Queens silhouette for the final time. The set of six Art Deco-style stamps focus on key moments from the Nativity, and each bears an outline of the late monarch for the last time after more than 50 years. The festive stamps feature a silhouette based on the effigy by Mary Gillick, which has the Queen wearing a laurel crown and featured on coins in the first part of her reign. One of six new stamps celebrating Christmas 2022 exclusively illustrated by artist Katie Ponder (Royal Mail/PA) Royal Mails colourful Christmas 2022 first and second-class stamp collection was designed by Kent-based artist Katie Ponder. They depict key images from the Nativity story, including the journey to Bethlehem and the Magi being guided by the star. Each stamp also bears a barcode which customers can scan via the Royal Mail app to watch a festive video of Shaun The Sheep, created by Aardman Studios. Royal Mails Christmas 2022 stamp collection (Royal Mail/PA) Royal Mail policy director David Gold said: Our Christmas stamp issue is always much anticipated, and it is one we particularly look forward to. The charming style of these designs sets the perfect tone for the festive season. Royal Mail also worked on the collection with The Reverend Lucy Winkett, Rector of St Jamess Church in Piccadilly, central London. Post offices have urged people posting Christmas cards this year to send them early by December 19 for parcels using second-class stamps, and by December 21 for those sent first-class. While it is the last time the Queens silhouette will feature on a Christmas collection, there are stamps to be issued over the coming months that she approved which will display her silhouette. A retired policeman has become the first in the UK to have a new leadless pacemaker defibrillator system implanted which is designed for patients at risk of sudden cardiac arrest. David Mills, 56, from Southampton, Hampshire, had the subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (S-ICD) and the new leadless pacemaker known as EMPOWER fitted at University Hospital Southampton (UHS). The combined devices, known as the modular Cardiac Rhythm Management (mCRM) Therapy System, work together to prevent sudden cardiac arrest if a life-threatening abnormal heart rhythm (arrhythmia) is detected. A UHS spokeswoman said: Pacemakers provide electrical stimulation to regulate a patients heartbeat while an S-ICD is implanted to constantly monitor the patients heart rhythm. The system uses pacing in the first instance via a new leadless pacemaker which sends painless electrical signals to correct the heart of the abnormal rhythm. It will then use shock therapy from the S-ICD only if required as this can be more painful and traumatic for patients. David Mills has become the first to be fitted with the new EMPOWER leadless pacemaker defibrillator system (UHS/PA) Professor Paul Roberts, consultant cardiologist at UHS, said: This first in the UK implant of a leadless pacemaker combined with a defibrillator that is able to deliver pacing to stop life-threatening heart rhythms prior to the need for shock treatment represents a major advance in treatment for patients. Previously, patients implanted with only an S-ICD will not have had the advantage of pacing or may have been offered a replacement transvenous device which can pace first and then shock but will have carried the associated risks of leads in the heart movement, fracture, infection as well as more invasive surgery. The mCRM Therapy System will benefit a much larger patient population and enable the majority of lethal arrhythmias to be painlessly terminated without long-term risks associated with both shocks and conventional pacemakers. Mr Mills said: I feel very honoured to be part of this clinical trial and to be the first person in the UK to have the device implanted as it has given me the confidence to carry on a normal life. I hope the results of this trial will help to provide important insights so that soon more people can benefit. Certain types of arrhythmia occur in people with severe heart conditions and can cause sudden cardiac death with more than 30,000 out-of hospital arrests occuring each year in the UK with just one in 10 people surviving. Traditional pacemakers are inserted under the skin via an incision in the chest and are connected to the heart via a lead threaded through the blood vessels, but this procedure can lead to complications such as infections, obstruction of blood vessels and occasionally faults in the leads. With the new trial system, the leadless device is placed inside the wall of the heart via a small tube passed up through a blood vessel in the groin in a procedure which takes just one hour using keyhole surgery. The clinical trial, sponsored by manufacturer Boston Scientific, will enrol up to 300 patients across 50 centres in Europe, the US and Canada. Almost half of employees have had their accent mocked, criticised or singled out in a social setting, while a quarter said this treatment has taken place in a work situation, according to research. The Sutton Trusts Speaking Up report examines the impact that someones accent has on their journey through education and into the workplace, based on the experiences of sixth-formers, university students and professionals. It found that a persons region of origin particularly the north of England and the Midlands plays an important part in accent anxiety in earlier life stages. Later, in the mid-life stage of professional employment, social class differences are more prominent. 30% of university students and 29% of university applicants reported having been mocked, criticised or singled out in educational settings due to their accents, while this was also experienced by 25% of professionals in work situations. Employees reported higher levels of being mocked or singled out for their accent in a social setting (46%), with 40% of university applicants reporting the same and just under half of all university students (47%). The research found that at all life stages, those from lower social grades report significantly more mocking or singling out in the workplace and social settings because of their accent. For both university applicants and university students, those originally from the north of England were the most likely to be concerned their accent could affect their ability to succeed in the future 29% of university applicants and 41% at university from the north versus 10% and 19% respectively for those in the south, excluding London. For those in senior managerial roles from lower socio-economic backgrounds, 21% were worried their accent could affect their ability to succeed in the future, compared to 12% from better-off families. Similarly, 29% of senior managers from working class families said they had been mocked in the workplace for their accent versus 22% from a better off background. The report said public attitudes to different accents have remained largely unchanged over time, with the standard received pronunciation accent, French-accented English, and national standard varieties (Scottish, American, Southern Irish) all ranked highly. It said accents associated with industrial cities of England, like Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham commonly stereotyped as working class accents and ethnic minority accents (Afro-Caribbean, Indian) are the lowest ranked. In its recommendations for employers, the report said: It is normal for humans to have stereotypical associations with accents. However, if left unchecked, these biases and stereotypes can be used to judge independent skills and abilities, leading to discriminatory behaviour. If gate-keepers favour candidates for reasons of prestige rather than merit, this can lead to a vicious circle, whereby non-traditional candidates are discriminated against, reducing their visibility in elite contexts and further marginalising their accent. The report said employers should aim to have a range of accents within their organisation, and action to tackle accent bias should be seen as an important diversity issue in the workplace. In advice for students and employees, the report said it is best to avoid focusing excessively on accent modification, and instead focus on subject knowledge and confident public speaking. Sir Peter Lampl, founder and chairman of the Sutton Trust and chairman of the Education Endowment Foundation, said the research provides new evidence on the major role that accents play in social mobility. It is disgraceful that people are mocked, criticised or singled out for their accents throughout their education, work and social lives. A hierarchy of accent prestige is entrenched in British society with BBC English being the dominant accent of those in positions of authority. This is despite the fact that less than 10% of the population have this accent. Self-consciousness and anxiety about accent bias are present at all stages of life. For instance of those in senior managerial roles, 22% from lower socio-economic backgrounds were worried that their accent could affect their ability to succeed, in comparison to 12% from better-off families. In order to address accent bias, todays report recommends that action should be taken to diversify the workplace so that there is a range of accents within the organisation, he said. Professor Devyani Sharma from Queen Mary University London, author of the report, said the research shows that a long-standing hierarchy of accent prestige in Britain is still in place. She said: Accent-based discrimination actively disadvantages certain groups at key junctures for social mobility, such as job interviews. This creates a negative cycle, whereby regional, working class, and minority ethnic accents are heard less in some careers or positions of authority, reinforcing anxiety and marginalisation for those speakers. It is natural for people to associate accents with social groups, but relying on accent stereotypes to judge professional ability in this way is discriminatory. For the research, 511 university applicants (largely 17-18 year olds) were surveyed, as well as 1,029 university students, 1,014 early-career professionals and 1,002 later career professionals. Concerns about bed shortages, emergency response times and poor care quality have risen sharply up the list of issues people are most worried about in the NHS, a new poll has found. The survey found long waiting lists and waiting times to be the main issue of concern for the public, with 62% saying that this was their main worry about the NHS. But while this was followed by not enough staff and overworked staff, both at 57%, concern about poor emergency response times, shortage of beds and poor quality treatment or care rose sharply between June and October. The poll, carried out by Ipsos for the PA news agency, found that 52% of the 1,030 British adults quizzed in October listed poor emergency response, ambulance times and 999 service as a concern up from 44% in June. (PA Graphics) A shortage of beds rose from 40% to 51% the largest jump of all the concerns while poor quality of treatment or care increased from 26% to 35%. Health leaders said the poll reflected the concerns the public have about the NHS, which is facing long ambulances response times, patients waiting for hours in packed A&E departments and struggling with widespread staffing gaps. There are also fears that a combination of flu and Covid on top of an already stretched service could make the winter one of the toughest the health and care sector has ever faced. Dr Adrian Boyle, president of The Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said the lack of confidence was the consequence of an understaffed, under-funded health and social care service with a shortfall of beds. Long waits for an ambulance and long waits in emergency departments are happening all over country and are increasing month on month, he added. We know these long waits affect health outcomes and can cause harm and even death. The public are rightly concerned about these long waits. Dr Boyle said that as well as the NHS having to expand capacity where safely possible and publish a fully funded long-term workforce plan, the social care workforce needed to be boosted to help discharge patients out of hospital. Tim Gardner, senior policy fellow at the Health Foundation, said that its own polling had found supporting and expanding the NHS workforce was a major priority for the public even if additional funding was needed. He added: This latest polling from Ipsos is further confirmation that the public are increasingly worried about the severe pressures on health services. Workforce shortages remain the single biggest challenge facing the NHS, after a decade of underfunding that has left the health service with over 130,000 vacancies. The NHS desperately needs a long-term workforce strategy, backed by sustained government investment. The Ipsos poll also showed that 60% of people were not confident they would get a GP appointment at a time that suits them, 65% were not confident an ambulance would arrive quickly if needed, and 67% were not confident they would be seen quickly in A&E. This is broadly unchanged from the survey in June, but still suggests the public are concerned about timely access to treatments. Dan Wellings, senior policy fellow at the Kings Fund, said the numbers reflected that people were becoming increasingly frustrated, and there was anger about the state of the NHS. He added: The big shift right now is, and you can see it in the polling, behind all of this data are stories of people worried, people frustrated, people angry and less sure of the care they will receive now from the NHS. But he denied that the public were falling out of love with the health service, and added: Support for the founding principles is as strong as it has ever been. The collective belief in the institution is still there. Despite being severely tested, the publics love for the NHS is far from broken. Louise Ansari, national director at Healthwatch England, said: People were significantly less confident that services would see them in a reasonable timeframe. However, people who received care for a life-threatening illness or injury were still confident in the quality of care they received. Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said the findings echoed how worried health leaders are about the pressures the NHS faces this winter. He added: The NHS is doing everything it can in these circumstances and is making progress in key areas, such as by virtually clearing the list of patients who had been waiting the longest for an elective procedure, by carrying out a record number of cancer checks over the summer, and by carrying out 10% more GP appointments than before the pandemic but there is no escaping the fact that this is a troubling time. The Chancellor must see these achievements and the threat of the quality and safety of care deteriorating significantly as the case for increased and protected funding in the NHS in his imminent Autumn Statement. An NHS England spokeswoman said health service staff continued to face significant pressure across all services, delivering record numbers of GP appointments with increasing demand for urgent care She added: The NHS has announced extensive plans to prepare for winter including 24/7 control centres to manage demand and capacity across the entire country, falls response services and the recruitment of extra call handlers so it is important that people continue to come forward for the care they need. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: We know the NHS faces a challenging winter, which is why were working at speed to cut waiting times, boost capacity and ensure patients get the right care at the right time. The NHS has set out measures to increase capacity and resilience such as creating the equivalent of 7,000 more beds, including innovative virtual wards and were investing 500 million to speed up the safe discharge of patients from hospital, freeing up beds and reducing long waits in A&E. Home Secretary Suella Braverman must stop discriminating against Albanians to excuse policy failures during the migration crisis, the Albanian prime minister has said. Edi Rama called for mutual respect on Wednesday as he struck out at the insane and easy rhetoric of targeting his citizens for the UKs border failures. The under-fire Home Secretary has frequently singled out Albanian asylum seekers after their numbers crossing the Channel in small boats spiralled. She has also been considering negotiating a bespoke route with the nation to get failed Albanian asylum seekers removed from the UK quicker. Targeting Albanians (as some shamefully did when fighting for Brexit) as the cause of Britains crime and border problems makes for easy rhetoric but ignores hard fact. Repeating the same things and expecting different results is insane (ask Einstein!) Edi Rama (@ediramaal) November 2, 2022 Mr Rama tweeted: Targeting Albanians (as some shamefully did when fighting for Brexit) as the cause of Britains crime and border problems makes for easy rhetoric but ignores hard fact. Repeating the same things and expecting different results is insane (ask Einstein!). Mr Rama argued that 70% of the 140,000 Albanians who have moved to the UK were living in Italy and Greece, while 1,200 of them are business people, and that Albanians in the UK work hard and pay tax. He said the UK should fight the crime gangs of all nationalities and stop discriminating against Albanians to excuse policy failures. Albania is not a rich country and was for a very long time a victim of empires, we never had our own, Mr Rama continued. We have a duty to fight crime at home and are doing so resolutely, as cooperating closely with others too. Ready to work closer with UK but facts are crucial. So is mutual respect. Asked about Mr Ramas comments on Wednesday evening, immigration minister Robert Jenrick said the UK should prioritise refuge for people in genuine danger. He told Sky News The Take with Sophy Ridge: I want to have a constructive and productive relationship with our Albanian friends. Thats extremely important. But it is correct that a quarter of people whove come in small boats have come from Albania this year, and the NCA, our national crime organisation, has said that a very significant proportion of serious organised crime is emanating from those individuals. I think there are millions of people wholl be watching your programme this evening who would think why on earth is this country spending thousands of pounds on hotels, on support for young men coming from a safe country? Either we shouldnt do that at all, or we should prioritise that on people in genuine danger such as an Afghan interpreter and their family whove served the United Kingdom with honour and distinction. Those are the people we should be working to support. Ms Braverman told MPs on Monday the UK has seen a surge in the number of Albanian arrivals and said that many of them I am afraid to say abusing our modern slavery laws. She was widely criticised for her choice of language during the combative Commons debate, during which she claimed there is an invasion of England by migrants crossing the Channel. Ms Braverman agreed with Tory backbencher Lee Anderson who brought up Albanian criminals and suggested those who dislike UK accommodation can get on a dinghy and go straight back to France. Last week, MPs were told that 12,000 Albanians had arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel so far this year, compared to 50 in 2020. Ms Braverman has been facing criticism for the severe overcrowding and poor conditions at the Manston migrant processing facility in Kent and a failure to tackle Channel crossings. The problems have added to her woes as she continues to face scrutiny over the security breach that saw her lose her job under Liz Truss, before she was reinstated by Rishi Sunak. The Home Secretary is touring immigration centres in Kent as she battles to get a grip on the chaos in the asylum system amid international criticism over her claim the UK faced an invasion of migrants. Suella Braverman met Border Force teams in Dover on Thursday to discuss Channel crossings operations and then went to the Manston processing centre to speak to staff and receive an update on the overcrowding crisis. She has come under mounting political pressure over the illegal conditions at the site near Ramsgate, where around 3,500 people are being detained for weeks in a site intended to hold 1,600 for a matter of days. Home Secretary Suella Braverman arrived at Manston by helicopter on Thursday (Gareth Fuller/PA) Government minister Graham Stuart conceded the site was not operating legally and none of us are comfortable with it, while he also acknowledged there had been unfortunate language used to describe the crisis following the condemnation of Ms Bravermans comments. But he sought to blame an unacceptable surge in small boat crossings for the problem, adding that the system is struggling to cope. The Home Secretary shied away from press questions during her morning visit to Western Jet Foil in Dover the scene of a petrol bomb attack on Sunday amid concerns of rising far-right activity fuelled by the failure to control the number of migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats. But Chancellor Jeremy Hunt insisted she is prepared to face the music over the migrant crisis despite avoiding taking questions from the media. Ms Braverman arrived during a heavy downpour of rain, accompanied by a large entourage of staff. Witnesses said she spent about half an hour at the facility where migrants are first taken after arriving on the south coast during which time she was shown around by Border Force staff and briefly boarded a docked patrol vessel. She then met the Dover coastguard before heading to Manston in the afternoon, where she arrived in a Chinook helicopter before getting into a black BMW vehicle to pass the gates into the site. Downing Street said that while she was there she would speak with staff and receive an update on the situation on the ground. During a visit to a theatre in Carshalton, south London, Mr Hunt was asked why Ms Braverman is not, like him, taking interviews during her visit. He replied: The Home Secretary did a number of public appearances this week in Parliament. Shes been prepared to face the music this week and Im sure youll continue to have a chance to ask her questions. Meanwhile, lawyers on behalf of charity Detention Action and a woman held at Manston are threatening legal action against the Home Secretary over the conditions. The charity said an urgent pre-action letter, sent to the Home Office on Tuesday, represented the first action against Ms Braverman around the unlawful treatment of people held at the facility. Immigration minister Robert Jenrick previously confirmed the Government had received initial contact for a judicial review over Manston but stressed the move was not unusual as it concerned a highly litigious area of policy. It comes as the prime minister of Albania accused Britain of becoming like a madhouse with a culture of finding scapegoats during a migration crisis where failed policies are to blame. Edi Rama hit out at Ms Bravermans crazy choice of language in a combative Commons debate this week, where she claimed there was an invasion on our southern coast. Downing Street said it is extremely grateful for Albanias co-operation on the migrant crisis. A spokeswoman added: We have a strong working relationship with them, which we would want to continue to build on. Albanian nationals made up to over a third of small boat arrivals this year, with rising crossings putting unprecedented pressure on the UK asylum system, she said. The spokeswoman did not deny the Government was also trying to strike Rwanda-style deals with Belize, Peru and Paraguay. We do plan to negotiate similar deals with other countries, akin to the Rwanda partnership, but its not helpful for us to comment on speculation around potential discussions, she added. The grim conditions at Manston were laid bare in a letter thrown by a young girl over the perimeter fence to a PA news agency photographer, claiming there were pregnant women and sick detainees there. The note, written in broken English and addressed to journalists, organisations, everyone, appeared to suggest 50 families had been held there for more than 30 days. Ms Braverman, centre, met Border Force staff in Dover before visiting the Manston immigration processing facility near Ramsgate (Gareth Fuller/PA) Asylum seekers were also reportedly left at Londons Victoria station without accommodation after being taken off the premises. The group of 11 men were driven to the capital from Kent on Tuesday as part of a larger group, according to The Guardian. Danial Abbas, from the Under One Sky homelessness charity, said the men were left highly distressed, disorientated, lost in London, with nowhere to go. Mr Abbas told BBC Radio 4s Today programme that someone from the Home Office put his hands up on behalf of the Home Office and said this has been a massive error, lets get this sorted ASAP. Mr Abbas said that very quickly a solution was found and the group was taken to a hotel in Norwich. Four parliamentary committee chiefs piled further pressure on the Home Secretary to explain how the Government will get a grip on both the situation at the Kent facility and the migrant crisis in general. In a joint letter to Ms Braverman, the chairs of the Home Affairs Committee, Justice Committee, Joint Committee on Human Rights and Women and Equalities Committee expressed their deep concerns over the dire conditions at Manston, asking what will be done to address the current situation and avoid overcrowding in future. Council chiefs in Kent have warned the county is at breaking point as a result of the migrant situation, with the potential for disorder at Manston and the risk of far-right violence. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has described the migrant crisis as a serious and escalating problem and admitted that not enough asylum claims are being processed, but insisted the Government is getting a grip on the situation. FILE - Then-CBS president Leslie Moonves attends the CBS Network 2015 Programming Upfront at The Tent at Lincoln Center on May 13, 2015, in New York. CBS and the former president Moonves will pay $30.5 million as part of an agreement with the New York attorney general's office to compensate the network's shareholders, as part of an insider trading investigation and for concealing sexual assault allegations against Moonves, announced Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2022. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File) (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) NEW YORK (AP) CBS and its former president, Leslie Moonves, will pay $30.5 million as part of an agreement with the New York attorney general's office, which says the network's executives conspired with a Los Angeles police captain to conceal sexual assault allegations against Moonves. Under the deal announced Wednesday by Attorney General Letitia James, the broadcast giant is required to pay $22 million to shareholders and another $6 million for sexual harassment and assault programs. Moonves will have to pay $2.5 million, all of which will benefit stockholders who the attorney general said were initially kept in the dark about the allegations. At least one of those executives one of the few privy to an internal investigation sold millions in dollars of stock before the allegations against Moonves became public, which the attorney general's office said amounted to insider trading. As a publicly traded company, CBS failed its most basic duty to be honest and transparent with the public and investors. After trying to bury the truth to protect their fortunes, today CBS and Leslie Moonves are paying millions of dollars for their wrongdoing," James said in a statement, calling attempts to mislead investors reprehensible. A spokesperson for Paramount Global, which owns CBS, said it was pleased to resolve this matter ... without any admission of liability or wrongdoing," adding that the matter involved alleged misconduct by CBSs former CEO, who was terminated for cause in 2018, and does not relate in any way to the current company. Moonves resigned from CBS on Sept. 9, 2018. In a document outlining the findings of its investigation, the attorney general's office detailed an alleged scheme by a Los Angeles police captain to try to cover up the allegations against Moonves. The police captain, who was not named in the report, tipped off CBS that a woman had lodged a complaint against Moonves, according to the document. It said the captain then met personally with Moonves and another CBS executive and fed them confidential information about the investigation. The captain, it said, instructed the police officers investigating the complaint to admonish the woman not to go to the media with her allegations, according to the attorney general's office. He also put them in touch with the lead investigating officer. When the allegations ultimately became public anyway and Moonves resigned, the captain sent a note to a CBS contact saying, We worked so hard to try to avoid this day. The document also said he wrote a separate note to Moonves saying, Im deeply sorry that this has happened. I will always stand with, by and pledge my allegiance The attorney general's office said it uncovered text messages between the police captain, CBS executives and Moonves that showed efforts to prevent the complaint from becoming public. The captain, a commanding officer in the police department's Hollywood division, first made CBS officials aware of the sexual misconduct allegation by calling the network's senior vice president of talent relations and special events, who was identified by the court document as Ian Metrose. Metrose had previously hired the captain as one of Moonves security aides at the Grammy Awards from 2008 to 2014, the document states. I know we havent talked in a while. I am a captain at LAPD Hollywood," the police captain told Metrose in a voicemail message, according to the attorney general's office. Somebody walked in the station about a couple hours ago and made allegations against your boss regarding a sexual assault. Its confidential, as you know, but call me, and I can give you some of the details and let you know what the allegation is before it goes to the media or gets out. An email sent to Metrose was not immediately returned Wednesday. Los Angeles Police said Wednesday it was conducting an investigation into the conduct of the now-retired captain and was cooperating with New York officials. What is most appalling is the alleged breach of trust of a victim of sexual assault, who is among the most vulnerable, by a member of the LAPD. This erodes the public trust and is not reflective of our values as an organization," Chief Michel Moore said. Moonves' resignation came amid complaints from multiple women about alleged sexual misconduct. Some accusers claimed that Moonves had forced them to perform oral sex. The New Yorker had reported at the time that at least one of the women, a television executive, had filed a criminal complaint with Los Angeles police. Moonves acknowledged having relations with three of the women, but said they were consensual. He denied attacking anyone, saying in a statement at the time that Untrue allegations from decades ago are now being made against me. The Los Angeles County district attorney declined to file criminal charges against Moonves in 2018. CBS is also required under the deal with the attorney general's office to reform its human resources practices around sexual harassment. The NY attorney general's office identified CBS's senior executive vice president and chief communication officer, Gil Schwartz, as the executive who sold nearly $8.9 million dollars in stocks. Schwartz has since died. ______ Dazio reported from Los Angeles. The family of a British-Egyptian writer jailed in Cairo said world leaders will have blood on their hands if they take no action to secure his release during COP27. Pro-democracy activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah has spent most of the past decade behind bars in Egypt and last December was sentenced to five years after being accused of spreading false news. His sisters Sanaa and Mona Seif and other family members have been staging the protest outside the Foreign Office in Whitehall since October 18. The family, who spoke with Foreign Secretary James Cleverly over the phone on Wednesday and to Lord Tarim Ahmad, North Africa minister, on Thursday, said they would be ending their sit in as their brother escalates his hunger strike. In a tearful press conference just after midday, Sanaa Seif said: We finally got the attention of the British Foreign Secretary. Its been a long ride. Its been too many governments. I hope its not too late. Ms Seif said she is not sure the Government has a plan and called on the media to keep this story alive. Its not over until its over, she added. Speaking to world leaders going to the climate conference, she said: If you dont save him, you have blood on your hands. I want to call on Rishi Sunak to intervene, she continued. You are going to be in the same land as a British citizen dying. And if you dont show that you care, it will be interpreted as a green light to kill him. My brother can be saved. Shadow foreign secretary, David Lammy, with Mona (left) and Sanaa Seif at a sit-in outside the Foreign Office on October 18 2022 (Victoria Jones/PA) Ms Seif said they will hold a vigil on Sunday at Downing Street and that she will attend COP27 herself to campaign for his release. Mona Seif then announced that her brother will be escalating his hunger strike in prison, including a water strike as COP27 takes place in Egypt. She told the press conference that her brother, who has been on a partial hunger strike in the Cairo jail for 200 days, limiting himself to around 100 calories a day, has now had enough. He escalated to a full hunger strike three days ago and will start a water strike as well when COP27 starts, Ms Seif said. Alaa is not desperate to die, she said. These are the actions of a man desperate to end this ordeal he has been sucked into for nine years and desperate to be reunited with his family. We honestly believe that if Alaa doesnt make it while Cop is taking place in Egypt, if Alaa is not freed by that point, Alaa is going to die in prison. Ms Seif said they are thankful for Mr Cleverlys acknowledgement but said they are hoping there will be real action to save Alaa. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and her husband Richard Ratcliffe made a short appearance outside the Foreign Office ahead of a press conference with Mr Abd El-Fattahs family. Mr Ratcliffe staged a similar sit-in protest when his wife was imprisoned in Iran. He said they were stopping by ahead of his speech at a protest around the corner for Scottish Sikh Jagtar Singh Johal who has been jailed in India for five years. Hollywood stars Dame Judi Dench, Dame Emma Thompson, Mark Ruffalo and Carey Mulligan are among who have campaigned for Mr Abd El-Fattahs release. Fireworks can cause stress to birds in the wild, a study of Greylag geese in Austria suggests. Researchers fitted temporary transmitters to 20 wild Greylag geese at Almsee, a lake in Upper Austria which is close to villages that hold midnight fireworks displays to mark the new year. The transmitters record the birds heart rate and body temperature, which are measures of physiological stress. The study, led by Dr Claudia Wascher of Anglia Ruskin University, recorded that the average heart rate of the geese increased by 96%, from 63 to 124 beats per minute, in the first hour of New Years Day, from midnight to 1am. Their average body temperature increased by 3% (from 38C to 39C) in the same time period. Between 1 am and 2 am, after the fireworks had ended, the geeses average heart rate was still 31% above normal while the average body temperature remained 3% higher than normal. Fireworks can cause stress to birds in the wild, a study suggests (Niall Carson/ PA) It took around five hours for the geese to display normal body temperatures, with average readings only returning by 5 am on January 1. The wild geese in the study were part of a resident population at Almsee and the researchers found no evidence that age influenced their physiological response, indicating that geese do not become desensitised to fireworks over time, according to the researchers. Lead author Dr Claudia Wascher, Associate Professor in the School of Life Sciences at Anglia Ruskin University, said: Ours is one of the first scientific studies to examine whether fireworks disturb wildlife. There have been previous studies showing that fireworks can cause anxiety in pets, for example in dogs, but little research has been done into how animals in the wild respond. In Austria, New Years Eve fireworks begin at midnight and last for several minutes. We believe the increase in physiological stress recorded over a number of hours is a combination of increased physical activity caused by the geese taking flight while the fireworks are being set off, and psychological stress. This causes the birds to expend additional energy at a time of year when food is scarce. We need to carry out further research to conclusively tell whether the geese are responding to the noise or the light pollution from the fireworks, or a combination of both. Many people get a lot of enjoyment from fireworks but its important that we consider animals both pets and wildlife whenever planning a display. Its clear from our study that we should certainly avoid using fireworks in areas with large wildlife populations. The research is published in the journal Conservation Physiology. Carlos and Alexa PenaVega have three kids. (Photo: Getty Images; designed by Quinn Lemmers) Welcome to So Mini Ways, Yahoo Life's parenting series on the joys and challenges of child-rearing. Carlos PenaVega and Alexa PenaVega are taking their parenting journey to the high seas. The Big Time Rush star, 33, and the Spy Kids actress, 34, have purchased and fixed up an old catamaran and are planning to set sail to the Bahamas at the end of November along with their three children, Ocean, Kingston and Rio. The couple who chronicle their family life on their YouTube page, La Vida PenaVega are big on adventure, and giving back. Their new children's book, Oceans World: An Island Tale of Discovery and Adventure, is named for their son and will send proceeds to the Salvation Army. The family recently volunteered to work with the organization on their Hurricane Ian relief efforts in Florida. "Ocean really wanted to serve. We had him outside in the drive-through canteen," says Carlos, whose family splits its time between Florida and Hawaii. "These guys were serving, at the time, 7,000 meals a day just in Port Charlotte; that's one community affected. And Ocean would go to the car and say 'How was your day? How many meals would you like?'" Serving others can help lay the groundwork for parenting, adds Alexa, who says it can help you "prepare for when you're serving this child." "[As a parent] you become a servant," she says. "At least for those first few years, your intention has to be with those kids. "Sure your life can get a little harder with two or three kids, but you learn to adjust," she adds. "That biggest adjustment comes from zero [kids] to one. All of a sudden you have a kid and your whole world changes, I believe for the better. But its a major shift and for some people, it can be really, really hard, especially if you're having kids later in life as opposed to when youre younger and haven't set your routine." The PenaVegas who combined their last names, Pena and Vega, when they married in 2014 make it a priority to find time for themselves amid the chaos of having three children ranging in age from 18 months to almost 6. "Parents have to be in a really good place so that the kids get the best version of them," says Alexa. "If the parents are not in a good place, youre gonna get a half-butt parent, a parent that's not all there. I want my kids to get a full version of me an alive, fulfilled version of me. I know that's not always the case, but do whatever it takes to fill your cup." For a lot of parents, "me" time equals screen time. The PenaVegas say they've found a good balance on that front, means limiting certain content. One thing that doesn't make the cut is the popular YouTube channel CoComelon. "These kids in this generation its like crack for them," Carlos says. "I'm not bashing CoComelon, but its designed to keep kids engaged, I don't think in a good way." Wellness, parenting, body image and more: Get to know the who behind the hoo with Yahoo Life's newsletter. Sign up here. The man who allegedly attacked Paul Pelosi, the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), is in the country illegally and could be deported, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said. A DHS spokesperson said in a statement that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged an immigration detainer Tuesday on David DePape, who is facing multiple federal and state charges after he was accused of assaulting Pelosi with a hammer. The spokesperson said records show DePape, who is a Canadian national, entered the United States as a temporary visitor in March 2008. He entered at the San Ysidro point of entry on the border between California and Mexico. Admissible Canadian travelers who are visiting the U.S. for business or pleasure usually do not need to obtain a visa, but they are generally admitted for six months. ICE places a detainer on someone when they have been arrested on criminal charges and the agency has probable cause to believe they can be deported, the spokesperson said. ICEs detainer requests that the law enforcement agency that is holding the individual notify the agency before releasing them from custody so ICE can take them into their custody. DePape is facing federal charges of assault and attempted kidnapping, as well as state charges including attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and threatening the life or serious bodily harm of a public official. DePape allegedly broke into the Pelosis San Francisco house last week and repeatedly asked where is Nancy? A Justice Department affidavit states that DePape told officers he planned to hold the House Speaker, who was in Washington, D.C., at the time, hostage. Prosecutors say DePape planned to break the House Speakers kneecaps if she did not tell the truth to questions he asked her. Paul Pelosi underwent surgery for a skull fracture. Nancy Pelosi said this week he was improving. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. North Korean missile lands off South Korean coast for first time; South responds with own launches By Josh Smith SEOUL (Reuters) - The hundreds of South Korean and American warplanes simulating attacks during drills are most likely what led North Korea to test a record number of missiles this week, experts say, but Pyongyang may also be turning up the heat before a nuclear test. Analysts say North Korean leader Kim Jong Un seems to genuinely dislike the allied drills, and particularly the involvement of U.S. stealth fighters. "North Korea really does not like these large combined air exercises, especially since they employ F-35s that can be used for decapitation strikes against the regime and are very difficult for North Korean air defences to pick up," said Mason Richey, a professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul. Just hours before launching 23 missiles of various types into the sea on Wednesday - the most in one day - North Korea issued another condemnation of the Vigilant Storm drills, which involve around 240 South Korean and U.S. warplanes flying missions around the clock. The barrage of missile launches and the prospect of a new nuclear test underscore the limited options Washington and its allies have for preventing Pyongyang from advancing its weapons programmes, with the allies turning to major military exercises to "deter" war even as some current and former U.S. officials say they may contribute to tensions. After North Korea conducted an apparent intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test on Thursday, the allies announced they would be extending Vigilant Storm past Friday. North Korea also tests and demonstrates its weapons for other reasons, including technical progress, propaganda value, exercising crew readiness and capability, and demonstrating that deterrence goes both ways, Richey said. 'INCREASE DETERRENCE' Analysts have said the F-35 puts North Koreas anti-aircraft and anti-missile defence systems in a vulnerable position, with Pyongyang saying last year that the use of the jets by South Korea and the United States has forced it to develop new missiles to "completely destroy" such threats. After a flurry of missile tests last month, North Korea said it was simulating showering the South with tactical nuclear weapons on targets such as military bases and airports. Takashi Kawakami, professor at Takushoku University in Tokyo, noted that among other military movements the United States had recently begun forward-deploying offensive weapons, including rotations of F-22 stealth fighters in Okinawa. "North Korea is aiming to increase its deterrence capabilities," he said. This week's military activities show what the opening hours of a high intensity peninsular war could involve, including large-scale allied air operations and simultaneous salvos from multiple North Korean missile and artillery systems, Adam Mount, director of the Defense Posture Project at the Federation of American Scientists, said on Twitter. The simultaneous launches of short- and long-range missiles and other weapons is ominous because they suggest that North Korea is practicing plans to attack distant U.S. targets during a conflict on peninsula, he said. NUCLEAR TEST? North Korea began its record year of tests before the allies had resumed major drills, and its response to the latest exercises suggests it may be setting the stage for something bigger, some analysts said. "(The) launches were not the usual response to allied exercises," Mount said of Pyongyang's unprecedented firing of 23 missiles on Wednesday. "They were calibrated escalate tensions. If North Korea prefers to conduct a nuclear test in a crisis, it is well on its way to manufacturing one." North Korea has completed all the technical preparations for a nuclear test - its first since 2017 - according to South Korean and U.S. officials. Mount said Kim may prefer to conduct a nuclear test amid heightened tensions for several reasons, including increasing the impact of the test, shaping how the United States and its allies perceive the test, diluting the international response, or helping Pyongyang assuage China. Beijing dislikes nuclear tests on its doorstep but has also blamed Washington and Seoul for exacerbating the situation. "In terms of politics and diplomacy, Kim's focus is on pressing the United States ahead of its midterm elections into withdrawing hostile policies by emphasising to voters that the Biden administration's North Korea policy has failed," said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul. Kim also wants to bolster internal support for his government during economic hardship at home and demonstrate that when it comes to the Korean peninsula issues, he is in the drivers seat, Yang said. "Kim would likely be seeking to earn tacit recognition as a nuclear weapons state and negotiate nuclear disarmament with the United States by making North Korea's denuclearization an unrealistic goal," said Park Won-gon, a professor at Ewha Womans University in Seoul. (Reporting by Josh Smith; additional reporting by Nobuhiro Kubo and Tim Kelly in Tokyo, and Hyonhee Shin in Seoul; Editing by Gerry Doyle) WASHINGTON Speaking on Wednesday evening from Union Station, mere blocks from where rioters shook American democracy to its core on Jan. 6, 2021, by storming the Capitol in an attempt to overturn the previous Novembers presidential contest, President Biden warned that assaults on free and fair elections were worsening, as was the incidence of political violence. My fellow Americans, were facing a defining moment, an inflection point. We must with one, overwhelming, unified voice speak as a country and say theres no place no place for voter intimidation or political violence in America, Biden said. He opened his remarks by acknowledging the attack late last week on Paul Pelosi, the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a favorite nemesis of the right. Pelosi was assaulted in his San Francisco home by a disturbed suspect motivated by conspiracy theories he had encountered on the internet. Wheres Nancy? the man later identified as Paul DePape wondered as he searched for the speaker, who was in Washington at the time. Unable to find her, he roused her husband and struck him with a hammer. Though he suffered serious injuries, Pelosi is expected to recover fully. Those are the very same words used by the mob when they stormed the United States Capitol on January the 6th," Biden noted of DePapes haunting call. Without tethering the entire Republican Party to baseless conspiracies about the 2020 election the most persistent of which have been debunked, to no seeming effect he argued that voting for pro-Trump candidates would amount to voting against democracy. Democrats have used Jan. 6 as a centerpiece of their argument for why they should maintain control of Congress, depicting Republicans as untrustworthy custodians of the institutions that sustain the democratic process. President Biden delivers remarks on protecting democracy from Union Station in Washington, D.C., Wednesday night. (Michael A. McCoy/Getty Images) American democracy is under attack because the defeated former president of the United States refused to accept the results of the 2020 election," Biden said, returning to the practice of not mentioning Trump by name. He pointed out that next Tuesday would mark the first national election since the events of January 6th, which were organized by supporters of President Trump in an effort to keep Congress from certifying the presidential election held on Nov. 3, 2020, which Biden won. Trump refused to accept the results, and many Republicans followed suit. And while the scene at the Capitol on Jan. 6 was unruly, the plan to subvert the democratic process involved the highest levels of government, conscripting a broad array of Trump supporters, from Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to far-right militant Stewart Rhodes of the Oath Keepers, who is now on trial along with several accomplices. I wish I could say the assault on our democracy ended that day, Biden said. But I cannot. Increasingly, election conspiracy theories are becoming part of the political mainstream, making it more and more difficult to distinguish reality from fiction. In his speech, Biden asked Americans to keep those considerations in mind as they cast their votes. Extreme MAGA Republicans aim to question not only the legitimacy of past elections, but elections being held now and into the future, he said, using a favorite epithet for pro-Trump candidates. One analysis has found that there are 249 GOP candidates across the country who have engaged in election denialism. That is the path to chaos in America, Biden warned. Its unprecedented, its unlawful and it's un-American. Pro-Trump rioters storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) Wednesdays address was billed as a Democratic National Committee event; the speech was intended to bolster Democratic candidates across the country, not all of whom, of course, are facing off against election deniers but who, on the whole, have struggled to find the kind of coherent argument that powered Democratic midterm gains in 2018, thanks to disciplined messaging on healthcare. In the days after Jan. 6, as images of violent chaos and purposeless destruction dominated cable news and social media, there was hope that Trumps false claim to victory in the presidential election would finally loosen its grip on the Republican Party and that, perhaps, the Trumpian fever would break. Such hopes were quickly dashed. Even as he retired to Florida, stripped of his social media accounts and condemned by a few members of his own party, Trump continued to exert immense sway over the GOP. Biden sought to remind voters of their own agency urging them to vote for Democrats without quite saying so outright. You have the power, he said. Its your choice. Its your decision. The fate of the nation, the fate of the soul of America, lies where it always does with the people, in your hands, in your heart, in your ballot. The speech was partly written by prominent historian Jon Meacham, who has advised Biden in the past, Politico reported. In some ways, the address echoed the one Biden gave from Philadelphia in September, when he denounced Trump-aligned Republicans as political saboteurs. But as much as the president clearly had his own political partys prospects in mind, he aspired to an appeal beyond partisanship. This is not about me, the president said. Its about all of us. Trainer Bob Baffert at the Breeders' Cup on Nov. 6, 2021, at Del Mar. He will be on hand for this year's Breeders' Cup at Keeneland Race Course, one of the two major tracks in Kentucky where Baffert isn't serving a two-year ban. (Horsephotos / Getty Images) The Commonwealth of Kentucky is the self-proclaimed horse racing capital of the world. It has the most famous racetrack, the most iconic race and more than 450 breeding farms. But what it didnt have the last year and a half was the sports most famous trainer onsite watching one of his horses run for a lot of money. That all changes Friday, when the two-day Breeders Cup is held at Keeneland Race Course. Bob Baffert is probably better known in Kentucky than he is in his home base of California. Baffert says he loves Kentucky and the people of the state love him back. But he is embroiled in a bitter battle with Churchill Downs Inc., which owns its signature track, as well as Turfway Park and Ellis Park. CDI put a two-year ban on Baffert after then-Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit tested positive for a medication that's not legal on race day. There is little belief that the medication played any role in the horse finishing first in the Derby, but some will say rules are rules. The courts eventually will decide how this plays out. Keeneland is one of the two major tracks in Kentucky that is not owned by CDI. And thats why hes here, with Cave Rock, the favorite in Fridays Juvenile for 2-year-olds. He also has four other Breeders' Cup starters. After completing a 90-day suspension in early July that was handed down by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, Baffert did run two horses in the fall meeting at Keeneland but did not accompany them. Baffert says he is confident he will be welcomed by the people of Kentucky. Others see it as a split decision. There are really two strong sides of the fence and very few people in the middle, said Fred Cowgill, who has been a television sportscaster in Louisville for 36 years. The people who support him feel like there are multiple layers to this story and its not really understood because its so complex. And there are people on the other side who are convinced what he did was morally and ethically wrong. The Kentucky Derby is a race that is almost holy-like and he did the cardinal sin. They are having a hard time forgiving him for that. The situation is confusing to all but the most fervent followers of the sport. There are two separate issues, one with the KHRC, for which Baffert already has served his suspension and the litigation is mostly about getting Medina Spirits win restored. The other issue is with Churchill Downs, which as it currently stands wont allow Baffert to run in next years Kentucky Derby or gain qualifying points for the Derby. If Cave Rock or National Treasure finishes in the top five in Fridays Juvenile, those Derby qualifying points will be vacated. Churchill Downs declined to discuss Baffert's return to Kentucky and referred to their previous statements on the trainer. Ive talked to people who are familiar with both sides, said Kenny Rice, a lifelong Kentuckian who will be part of NBCs broadcast team this weekend. It has gotten a little personal. Hes 70 miles east of the home of the Kentucky Derby and running on the richest weekend of racing. Its not like hes been banned from the state. Hes served his suspension and the state racing commission is allowing him to run. Rice brings up another point on how Baffert is viewed. There are some people who are glad that Tom Brady has a losing record right now, Rice said. But they have an appreciation for what he does. Baffert hasnt achieved the GOAT status of Brady but has a very long list of accomplishments, including two Triple Crowns, six Kentucky Derby wins and 17 Breeders' Cup wins. Success breeds jealousy, said Lawrence Wetherby, another lifelong Kentuckian who is a banking executive in Lexington and the grandson of a former governor of the state. Hes been hugely successful in Kentucky and everywhere hes gone. I do believe there is some jealousy. Trainer Bob Baffert holds up the winner's trophy after Medina Spirit's Kentucky Derby win on May 1, 2021. Medina Spirit was later disqualified after testing positive for a substance that is banned on race days. (Jeff Roberson/AP) He has a great eye and his associates have great eyes. And one thing he does is bring clientele into the business. My general perception of Bob is he is great [for the business]. Hes paid his dues and hes paid his penance. Shortly after word of Medina Spirit's positive test became public, Baffert found himself the subject of derision. "Saturday Night Live" did a three-minute bit in its Weekend Update segment, with Beck Bennett imitating Baffert. In Kentucky, three companies starting selling a bourbon labeled as Bobbys secret horsey stuff, with a drawing that was clearly meant to represent Baffert holding a syringe and a bottle of liquor. Bafferts attorneys were able to get a settlement out of those who were producing and distributing the bottles, which included taking them off the market, a letter of apology and a $50,000 donation in Bafferts name to three equine charities. Baffert did not profit from the settlement. In the past, Baffert has been one of the most accessible personalities in racing. But he has pulled back a little. On Wednesday, he spoke to a handful of reporters outside his barn. A lot of fans didnt like what happened to me, Baffert said. But its one of those things that you deal with. Theres a lot of good people out there. It was tough on my family. I knew when I got that call that my life was going to change, and it did. Eventually, the story will finally get told, its been a long time. Bafferts initial reaction over a year ago might have hurt the perception the public had of him. He was very visible and very angry. If you could run it back, I didnt handle it well because I knew something was wrong, Baffert said. It was crazy. But you learn from it. In this game you win or you learn. Thats the way I look at it. Baffert will have five opportunities to win or learn over the next two days. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Editors Note: This article was inspired by a question Miami Herald reader John Dezek submitted through Curious305, our community-powered reporting series that solicits questions from readers about Miami-Dade, Broward, the Florida Keys and the rest of the Sunshine State. Submit your question here or scroll down to fill out our form. Hey, Curious305: When will the Aventura Brightline station be open? Will there be free parking on site? Curious305 took a behind-the-scenes tour of Brightlines newest station in Aventura, and with the exception of a soon-to-be finished pedestrian footbridge and no furniture, the station looks nearly ready for riders. Brightline CEO Patrick Goddard said the $76 million project that broke ground in 2020 will open its doors before the end of the year. The station will open up and expand the backyard of residents in this community and get them access not just to downtown Miami, but to Fort Lauderdale to Boca Raton to West Palm Beach, Goddard added. READ MORE: Why isnt Miami the capital of Florida? Curious305 explains how that happened One thing riders familiar with the Miami station will notice is that its considerably smaller, but Brightline maintains it will have the same features that guests have come to expect: lounges, touch-less security and a focus on being eco-friendly. The entrance to the Brightline Aventura station. Miami-Dade County Commissioner Sally Heyman, who spoke before the tour with Aventura Mayor Enid Weisman, said the goal for the newest station ultimately is to relieve major traffic gridlock in the area. The reality is we needed a transportation option..., Heyman said. We keep apologizing for the gridlock, but when you have more people that need to be mobile theres no option. This is your option. Heres what else Curious305 has learned about this new station: When will the Aventura station open? The exact date remains a secret, but Brightline says the Aventura station will open its doors by the end of the year. An announcement is expected to be made within two weeks of the first train leaving the station. The main passenger terminal at the Brightline Aventura station on Nov. 2, 2022. How long will the train ride take from Downtown Miami to Aventura? Hopping on the Brightline could get you from Downtown Miami to Aventura in 15 minutes, the company says a feat long thought impossible. But that isnt the only place you can get to in a flash. Heres the estimated travel time from Aventura to Brightlines other stations: West Palm = 56 minutes Fort Lauderdale = 14 minutes Boca = 32 minutes READ MORE: Whats required for boating in Florida? Curious305s guide to moving across the water How much is parking? The Aventura station has 240 parking spaces and a bus drop-off for Miami-Dade Transit riders. No, those parking spaces are not free. If you pay in advance itll be $5 for parking. However, if you pay at the lot, a price for a spot could jump to $12. This is the same as parking rates at Brightlines Miami station. The Brightline Aventura station will be opening soon. Will Brightline+ be offered at this station? If so, where can it take me? Brightline+ is a service the company offers that takes you from the station to desirable destinations. It consists of options that include private rides in a Tesla, using one of its vans or buses, or renting a bike. Brightline says its working with popular local businesses and cities to establish these routes. Riders could use one of those travel options to get from the station to Aventura Mall, Hallandale Beach or Hard Rock Stadium. What will be inside the station? You can expect some of the same services offered at Brightlines Miami station. While the Aventura station is notably smaller, there will be a premium lounge for certain guests and SMART lounge for others. It will also have an autonomous MRKT, where you can grab and self-pay for items and foods with no cashiers around. Erika Hardwick, left, a paid canvasser with the New Georgia Project Action Fund, shared literature with Patricia Lee urging Lee to vote on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022 in Dawson, Ga. Candidates, parties and outside groups are increasing their emphasis on door-to-door outreach as Georgia grows more politically competitive. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy) DAWSON, Ga. (AP) Someone like Erika Hardwick has come to the door of millions of Georgia voters. A paid canvasser for the New Georgia Project Action Fund, Hardwick was working the southwest Georgia town of Dawson on a warm October afternoon. She was trying to motivate people in the town 135 miles (215 kilometers) south of Atlanta to cast ballots on or before Tuesday. Hardwick is part of an intensifying effort to contact voters in Georgia, where narrow electoral margins have led political parties and other groups to pour in resources, knowing that driving a few more voters to the polls could make a difference. Although campaigns spend millions on television and social media ads, research has found that face-to-face contact is more effective in pushing marginal voters to the polls. Democrats are also expanding relational organizing, paying people to call or text their friends and acquaintances to urge them to vote. Those efforts may be bearing fruit in Georgia's big early voting turnout. More than 2 million people had cast early ballots by mail or in person by the end of the day Wednesday, far ahead of the turnout pace of 2018. New Georgia Project's figures show people it has contacted face-to-face have been three times as likely to vote early so far this year compared with similar people who have had no contact. Hardwick used to work at a big hotel in Atlanta, but when the COVID-19 pandemic tanked that business, she moved home to southwest Georgia. Now, in addition to taking college classes and selling cosmetics, she gets paid to get out the vote. Working off a list on her cellphone, Hardwick cruised up and down blocks in the Black section of Dawson, jumping out of her car when she reached addresses on her list. At most houses, no one answered, and Hardwick left a brochure. Others were home, giving Hardwick a chance to ask people about their plan to vote, about the most important issues in their lives and about who they planned to vote for in Georgias pivotal races for governor and senator. The New Georgia Project, founded by Democrat Stacey Abrams, has devoted itself to bringing voters to the polls who represent a rapidly diversifying Georgia Black, Latino, Asian and younger voters. New Georgia Project and its associated action fund dont endorse candidates but push progressive policies broadly in line with Democrats. Abrams, challenging incumbent Republican Gov. Brian Kemp this year after narrowly losing to him in 2018, is no longer associated with the group. Hardwicks list avoided surefire voters, instead aiming to contact what some might call infrequent voters. The New Georgia Project instead calls them high opportunity voters. The group says it has reached 1.9 million people so far. Patricia Lee, for example, was undecided about her vote and doubted it would do much good. They arent going to do what they say theyre going to do, Lee said. Earnestine Harvey said she would vote for Abrams all day, but didnt know anything about the Senate contest between incumbent Democrat Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker. Child, I dont even know whos running for senator, Harvey told Hardwick. Plenty of others including the Democratic and Republican parties, campaigns and other third-party groups are swarming the doors of Georgia's 7 million registered voters. Lauren Groh-Wargo, Abrams' campaign manager, said Monday that the Abrams campaign has cut television advertising in favor of get-out-the-vote operations aimed at targeted voters. Were firing on all cylinders on our GOTV operation. We are outspending and outmaneuvering Kemp on radio, on digital and on field," Groh-Wargo said. "And so yes, we are reducing our TV spend. Republicans have intensified efforts after barely winning in 2018 and then losing the presidential race in 2020 and two U.S. Senate runoffs in 2021. The Republican National Committee has more than 85 staffers working turnout operations in Georgia, spokesperson Garrison Douglas said, more than five times as many as in 2018. Republicans say they have had more than 4.5 million voter contacts, although some voters have been reached more than once. We have to work harder than we ever have before, Kemp said of his campaign's turnout push Tuesday after a rally with former Vice President Mike Pence. We lost, I think, the 2020 race because we didnt have a good ground game in the state. And we have one now, but were not finished with that. Beyond parties and candidates, theres a constellation of liberal-leaning groups aimed at Asian, Latino and Black voters, as well as people motivated by issues such as abortion or health care. Fewer such groups had existed on the Republican side, but former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler has founded Greater Georgia and affiliated groups aimed at motivating conservatives. That includes some typically Republican voters who didnt vote in the 2021 Senate runoff that Loeffler lost to Warnock after President Donald Trump falsely claimed that Georgias elections were rigged and stolen. Greater Georgia has been making special efforts to persuade those 340,000 people that their votes will be counted. For Democrats and progressive groups, much effort has gone into trying to improve turnout in rural parts of the state with large Black populations. Some of those counties have historically had lower turnout rates, with Democrats doing more poorly than the number of Black residents suggests they should. Democrats usually win Dawson and surrounding Terrell County, which civil rights workers dubbed Terrible Terrell for its resistance to integration in the 1960s. But Democratic vote shares hover below 55% in a 9,100-resident county thats 60% Black overall. Especially in the Black community, Ive seen a lot of them think their vote doesnt count, their vote doesnt matter, Hardwick said. But Hardwick was undeterred. She was moving on, trying to talk to a few more voters before the sun went down. ___ Follow Jeff Amy at http://twitter.com/jeffamy ___ Follow APs coverage of the elections at: https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections Check out https://apnews.com/hub/explaining-the-elections to learn more about the issues and factors at play in the 2022 midterm elections. Members of a group accused of voter intimidation have been banned from coming within 75 feet of ballot drop boxes in Arizona, a federal judge has ordered. The ruling also prohibits members who openly carry firearms or wear visible body armor from coming within 250 feet of ballot boxes. U.S. District Court Judge Michael Liburdi, in an unexpected reversal of an earlier ruling in a related case, granted a motion Tuesday for a restraining order in a case consolidating a lawsuit brought by the nonprofit advocacy groups Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans and Voto Latino with a similar suit brought by the League of Women Voters of Arizona. MORE: 10 cases of alleged Arizona voter intimidation referred to DOJ Both lawsuits accused Clean Elections USA and the group's founder, Melody Jennings, of carrying out surveillance of voters in a "coordinated vigilante intimidation campaign" at ballot drop box locations, "with the express purpose of deterring voters ... from depositing their ballots." According to the judge's order, members of the group are prohibited from following voters who are delivering ballots to the drop box; speaking to or yelling at voters returning ballots to the drop box; sharing or posting information about voters who return ballots to a drop boxes; and taking photos or recording videos of voters dropping off ballots. PHOTO: A voter casts their ballot at a secure ballot drop box at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center in Phoenix, Monday, Oct. 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) The group is also banned from accusing individuals of committing voter fraud solely based on the fact they deposited multiple ballots in a drop box, and from making false claims about Arizona laws that permit people to return ballots in a drop box on another person's behalf in exceptional circumstances. Addressing Clean Elections USA and its founder's promotion of a false claim accusing some voters of being so-called "ballot mules," Liburdi ordered Jennings to write a post on Truth Social stating that there are several reasons why voters in Arizona can legally return more than one ballot to a ballot drop box site. MORE: Federal judge won't stop groups accused of 'vigilante intimidation campaign at ballot boxes Jennings did not respond to a request for comment from ABC News. During an appearance Saturday on "War Room With Steve Bannon," prior to the judge's ruling on Tuesday, Jennings said of her group's activities, "We're actually protecting you. And I want to say that we're out there protecting your vote ... we're here because we love you. And because we want to continue to protect the rule of law." "This order is a win for all Arizonans, especially seniors who are the most likely to vote by early ballot," Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans President Saundra Cole said of the ruling in a statement Wednesday. "Casting a ballot is not only a constitutional right but a patriotic act." Group accused of voter intimidation must stay clear of ballot boxes, judge rules originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Israeli forces kill four Palestinians in West Bank, Jerusalem clashes, medics say Israeli police stand and talk as they guard the area of a stabbing incident by a Palestinian man in Jerusalem's Old City By Ali Sawafta RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Israeli forces killed four Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem on Thursday, the Palestinian health ministry said, including an Islamic Jihad militant and a man accused by police of stabbing an officer. The other two fatalities were shot dead by troops during West Bank raids, the ministry said. Violence in territories where Palestinians seek statehood has surged in recent months after Israel launched a crackdown in response to a spate of lethal street attacks in its cities. The security situation was among factors contributing to far-right gains in an Israeli election on Tuesday that put conservative former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on track to return to power. [L8N31Z3LA] Pressing their crackdown, Israeli commandos raided the northern West Bank town of Jenin, killing the Islamic Jihad militant at a butchershop, locals said. His faction called the operation "a cowardly assassination". Another Palestinian who was not claimed by any factions was killed in Jenin and four others wounded, the health ministry said. The Israeli military confirmed its forces were operating in the city but did not immediately offer further comment or confirm the two deaths. Overnight, Israeli forces raided Beit Duqu, the West Bank hometown of a Palestinian who was shot dead on Wednesday while carrying out a car-ramming and stabbing attack that wounded an Israeli army officer. Palestinians hurled rocks and petrol bombs at the soldiers, who responded with riot-dispersal means and live fire, the army said. A 45-year-old Palestinian man was killed, the ministry said. In Jerusalem's Old City, Israeli police said a Palestinian stabbed an officer while undergoing a security search. Officers shot the assailant dead, police said, describing him as a resident of East Jerusalem. Palestinian authorities had no immediate comment. Medics said one officer suffered a bullet wound, which Israeli media described as a result of stray gunfire. The incident took place near Al Aqsa, a major mosque and icon of Palestinian nationalism. It is also a vestige of two ancient Jewish temples, where rightist Israelis want Jewish prayers permitted - a provocation in the eyes of many Muslims. (Additional reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi and Henriette Chacar; Editing by Robert Birsel and Nick Macfie) In the final push on the campaign trail before the Nov. 8 election, three Democratic candidates running for statewide offices held a rally at Penn State Wednesday night. Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, who is seeking election to a U.S. Senate seat in Pennsylvania, joined Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro and state Rep. Austin Davis, who are running for Pennsylvania governor and lieutenant governor, respectively, for a get out and vote rally. Hundreds of people attended the event at Old Main to hear from the candidates. Surrounded by fellow Democrats, Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Josh Shapiro speaks during a rally outside of Old Main on Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2022. Shapiro touched on workers rights and protecting unions, raising the minimum wage, safety, abortion access, economy and green energy jobs. To get all of this done, he said Pennsylvania needs someone who isnt afraid to take on big fights, and hes already done that. One example he gave is as Attorney General, he charged Glenn O. Hawbaker Inc. with wage theft after an investigation into the Centre County companys practices for calculating and claiming fringe benefit credits. Theyre supposed to be building our roads and bridges. But as they sent workers to do that work on Pennsylvania roads, they stole $21 million from those Pennsylvania workers. We charged them criminally and won, and put $21 million back in the pockets of those workers, Shapiro said. He said if elected governor, he wont stop taking on the big fights. Davis said he and Shapiro are running against the most extreme and dangerous Republican ticket in the country, Doug Mastriano and Carrie Lewis DelRosso. Doug Mastriano seeks to destroy the union way of life here in Pennsylvania. Make no mistake about it, the next governor is going to get a bill on his desk to destroy the union way of life and make Pennsylvania a right to work state. Doug Mastriano will sign that bill. I would proudly stand next to Josh Shapiro when he vetoes that bill, Davis said. This is the most important election of our lifetime, he said. Candidate for Lt. Governor Austin Davis speaks Tuesday outside of Old Main during a rally for Democrats running for statewide office. Shaprio said that Mastriano who made a campaign stop in Centre County on Tuesday only respects the Pennsylvania voters who think the way he does. Unless you think like him, unless you look like him, unless you vote like him or worship like him or marry like him, you dont count in his Pennsylvania. And you know how I know that? Because I know where he was on Jan. 6. He was in our nations Capitol that day, part of the violent mob that stormed up to the Capitol, Shapiro said. He was there because thats the day your votes here in Pennsylvania were being tallied and counted. He went there that day to stop your voice from being heard. Fetterman said someone who tries to undermine American democracy shouldnt be elected. There might be some elections that we might love the outcome or we may not like the outcome but thats what democracy is. We cannot elect anyone who is going to try to undermine American democracy, Fetterman said. Abortion, which has been a driving force for many Democrats this election, was talked about by each candidate. Fetterman said he is a supporter of abortion rights and always will be, contrasting his views to that of Republican candidate Mehmet Oz. Oz might be a joke but its not funny, because abortion is on the ballot, Fetterman said. He thinks the decision between an abortion is (with) all the local political leaders. Hed like to ban all the abortions in Pennsylvania. Lt. Gov. John Fetterma,n who is running for Senate, speaks during a rally outside of Old Main on Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2022. My promise to you, is if you send me to Washington, D.C. I will be that 51st vote, Fetterman said, adding that he would vote to eliminate the filibuster. Local elected officials and candidates also spoke, including Centre County Commissioners Michael Pipe and Mark Higgins, State College Mayor Ezra Nanes, Rep. Scott Conklin, D-Rush Township, and Paul Takac, Democratic nominee for the new 82nd House District. That new district will represent the University Park campus in Harrisburg. In this election, youre in a position to fight for and defend existing rights. My parents generation fought to establish and secure rights for marginalized communities across America. My generation worked to expand and further those rights, Takac said, speaking to the Penn State students he would represent if elected. But now, those same rights and freedoms are being threatened and undermined by Republican extremists. Your generation is being called to step up and to stand together against their radical and dangerous agenda. Following Wednesdays event, which saw at least one counter-protester shouting at Fetterman periodically, candidates did not take questions from members of the media. The election is Nov. 8. Likud Party leader and former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares to give a statement on Nov. 2, 2022, after Israel's general election. (Ilia Yefimovich / DPA) In the waning days of his most recent stint as Israel's prime minister just over a year ago Benjamin Netanyahu made no secret of his disdain for President Biden. Struggling to save his own political neck, Netanyahu suggested Biden was weak on some of Israels most formidable enemies, Iran and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, and pledged to defy a Democrat-led Washington if necessary. On Wednesday, Netanyahu emerged as the likely choice for the top government position in Israel once again, after the countrys fifth election in four years. His right-wing bloc, which includes ultra-Orthodox and extreme nationalists, appeared to take a solid majority in the Knesset, or parliament. "Today, we won a sweeping vote of confidence," Netanyahu declared early Wednesday to cheering supporters from his Likud Party. Many chanted, "Bibi, king of Israel!" using his familiar nickname. The results, if they hold, are sure to complicate Israels relationship with the United States. Already having made history as the longest serving prime minister and currently on trial for corruption, Netanyahu was famously fond of Bidens predecessor, President Trump. Trump in turn showered Netanyahu with praise and favors including the reversal of decades-old U.S. policy by moving the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and the alliance of admiration pushed Israel closer to the GOP camp in what had always been a bipartisan relationship. "This has to complicate the ties with the U.S. administration," said Shira Efron, research director for the U.S.-based Israel Policy Forum. She noted that Biden and Netanyahu have a long personal friendship but an equally long list of disagreements. The problems, she said, will be rooted in "both persona and policies," from expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank to diminishment of democracy and civil rights. "Make no mistake: This is a vulnerable time for Israel, said Eric H. Yoffie, an American rabbi and former president of the Union for Reform Judaism, writing Wednesday in the Haaretz newspaper. He and others singled out Netanyahu's alliance with Itamar Ben-Gvir, a far-right Knesset member known for anti-Arab rhetoric and proposals to deport Arabs from Israel. Ben-Gvirs emergence as a significant political player in Israel will undermine the country's public standing in America, strengthen Israels enemies and offend its friends," Yoffie said. For now, U.S. officials are remaining guarded in their public statements, noting the results are not expected to be final until Friday, praising the large turnout in Tuesdays vote and pledging to work with any Israeli government on our shared interests and values. It could take weeks of negotiations for the next Israeli government to take shape. U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said it was premature to comment on any potential government member or policy. However, he described a vision of government that Netanyahu's critics say is profoundly at odds with much of the rhetoric that came out of the political campaign by Netanyahu and his allies. "We hope that all Israeli government officials will continue to share the values of an open, democratic society including tolerance and respect for all in civil society, particularly for minority groups," Price said. He reiterated U.S. commitment to a "two-state solution" to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict the establishment of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel and "equal measures of security, freedom, justice and prosperity for Israelis and Palestinians alike." In addition to a prickly relationship with the Biden government, a Netanyahu-led coalition would probably have little interest in negotiations with the Palestinians over land and independence and could also halt the expansion of Israels new ties with Arab gulf states. Normalization in fact began under Netanyahu, who negotiated the so-called Abraham accords, which opened the way for trade and business opportunities. The current Israeli government had hoped to form a military alliance with some of those former enemy countries. But experts said that such an initiative what some have called a Mideast NATO would probably be off the table if Netanyahus government is seen as too radical or anti-Arab. Some gulf state governments have insisted that deepening relations would help the Palestinians cause a justification that Netanyahus hardened stance seriously undermines. The fact that his coalition is so right-wing is not a source of comfort to gulf monarchies, said Rabie Barakat, an analyst at American University of Beirut. The Emirates, Saudi Arabia, theyre using their soft power to instill this idea that normalization is where a better future lies for the region," he said. "With Netanyahu, there will be complications. Some of Israel's geographically closer neighbors are also girding themselves for what promises to be a stormy period ahead. One particularly delicate case is Lebanon. The two countries have been at war for years but still managed to delineate their respective maritime borders in a landmark, U.S.-brokered deal that included Prime Minister Yair Lapid and then-Lebanese President Michel Aoun. Signed last month, it also received the tacit blessing of Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite armed group and political party that plays a dominant part in Lebanons politics and went to war with Israel in 2006. In the run-up to the election, Netanyahu excoriated the agreement, saying that it was illegal and that if elected, he would work to "neutralize" it. Jordan too is unlikely to welcome the return of a pugnacious leader whose previous tenure was marked by a nadir in the two nations' long-standing cooperation over energy, water and the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalems Old City, Islams third holiest site, over which Jordan has custodial rights. Jordan also has a significant population of Palestinian refugees and is a staunch proponent of a two-state solution. Relations had rapidly improved after Netanyahus ouster, with Lapid making a rare visit to Jordans King Abdullah II at his palace in Amman in July. But Marwan Muasher, a former Jordanian foreign minister who served as ambassador to Israel in the 1990s, said the return of a right-wing government that included "racist elements" would require a serious reevaluation of ties. This is obviously a government that isnt serious at all about the peace process, and certainly does not intend to engage in any sort of negotiations, let alone withdraw from occupied territory, and will treat Arabs under occupation and even Arab citizens of Israel in a racist manner, he said. The election of this government will poison the atmosphere in the region, Muasher said. Gideon Rahat, a senior fellow at the Jerusalem-based Israel Democracy Institute, said Israel and the U.S. might also butt heads over perceived threats to Israels democracy. Netanyahu's coalition partners have called for reforms that would weaken the independence of the judiciary by blocking the Israeli Supreme Courts ability to undo the work of parliament by striking down laws. Leaders from the Netanyahu-allied Religious Zionism faction, which is led by Ben-Gvir, have also voiced support for striking from the penal code the fraud and breach of trust offense that Netanyahu faces in his corruption trial, saying that it's been used to target politicians. "If democracy in Israel deteriorates, the U.S. may not be happy about it, Rahat said. In his corruption trial, Netanyahu stands accused of using his position to promote regulations that financially benefited a media company in exchange for favorable news coverage. He has maintained his innocence. Ibrahim Dalalsha, the director of the Horizon Center Palestinian political research group in the West Bank city of Ramallah, said that Netanyahu's possible return to power leaves Palestinians with little hope for peace negotiations. Its a deja vu to the political stalemate that was under Netanyahu, he said. Israeli voter Abraham Granit, a retired 85-year-old army colonel who lives in the central city of Raanana, was more optimistic. He said he wasnt worried about relations between the U.S. and Israel, pointing to how the countries have been strong allies for decades. The relationship between Israel and the U.S. generally is not dependent on who is prime minister, he said. But Granit, who voted for the Religious Zionism faction, said he would implore Biden to support Israeli policy to build more settlements in the occupied West Bank, where he has two children and 17 grandchildren living in one such settlement. The Biden administration considers settlements an impediment to peace, and they are considered illegal by much of the world. Miller reported from Raanana, Bulos from Beirut and Wilkinson from Washington. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Police arrested a North Carolina man after a four-year-old boy died of a gun shot wound on Wednesday, NBC affiliate WCNC of Charlotte reported. Police arrested Dayshawn St. Paul Warren who multiple sources told WCNC is the boy's father and charged him with involuntary manslaughter and selling or giving a weapon to a minor in connection with the shooting, the local affiliate reported. Authorities responded to the scene on Charleston Place, in southeast Charlotte, on Wednesday around 7:30 p.m., according to a news release from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. Emergency medical personnel transported the boy to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police at the scene after a report of a person being shot. (WCNC) Police earlier said they were investigating the incident after walking back the departments initial determination that the boys gunshot wound was self-inflicted, WCNC reported. NBC News could not immediately reach the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department for comment. A Kansas City, Kansas, crash is under investigation after a person was found dead inside a vehicle that was ablaze late Wednesday. Police were called to the scene of the single-car crash at about 11:59 p.m. Wednesday in the 6700 block of Donahoo Road, according to a news release from Officer Marshee London, a spokeswoman with the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department. At the scene, officers found a vehicle that was on fire down the embankment, London said. They found one person dead in the vehicle. Neither the identity of the person nor the type of vehicle they were in has been released publicly. The crash remained under investigation Thursday afternoon. Anyone with information on the crash is asked to call the anonymous Crime Stoppers TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477). No further information was immediately available. Science and art sometimes collide or coalesce, maybe when a playwright decides to craft a drama suffused with an idea from the world of physics. Nick Payne did it in Constellations. Simon Stephens, who adapted The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time into a Tony (and Olivier) Award-winning play, uses the device in Heisenberg, a two-hander which has just kicked off the 2022-23 season at GableStage. Producing artistic director Bari Newport explains in her program notes German physicist Werner Heisenbergs 1927 uncertainty principle this way: the uncertainty principle states that we cannot know both the position and speed of an object with perfect accuracy; the more we nail down the objects position, the less we know about its speed and vice versa. The woman in the play, she adds, has speed but no anchor. The man is stuck, with no clear way forward. So of course, in the way these things tend to go, the two meet and change each others lives. A few things to know about the 80-minute play, which was done Off-Broadway in 2015 and on Broadway in 2016: You neednt understand physics in general or the uncertainty principle specifically to experience and enjoy Heisenberg. There is no connection between Walter Whites drug alias in Breaking Bad and the play title. And you wont learn anything about Werner Heisenberg for that, turn to Wikipedia or read the script of Michael Frayns Copenhagen. Staged by Newport, Heisenberg plays out over six scenes as strangers in London become, however improbably, the life-changing answer to unspoken prayers. Georgie Burns (Margery Lowe) is a kooky, potty-mouthed 42-year-old American who speaks at two volumes: loud and louder. Alex Priest (Colin McPhillamy) is a 75-year-old British butcher whose accent ever so slightly hints at his childhood in Ireland. They dont meet cute, as characters so often do in the movies. Instead, before the lights go up, Alex is sitting on a bench at St. Pancras railway station, minding his own business as he listens to music. Georgie walks up behind him and kisses the back of his neck. Then the play begins, with Alex rattled and Georgie apologetic. Revelations come quickly from Georgie, who abhors silence, but her sometimes outlandish claims are those of a self-confessed liar, so who knows which autobiographical nuggets are true? At one point she asks Alex, Do you find me exhausting but captivating? Yes to the first part. Alex, on the other hand, takes time to loosen up and begin sharing, a process that accelerates a wee bit after the two have sex. Hes a contemplative type who experienced too much loss in youth and thus created an ordered, isolated existence for himself. But Georgie is wrong when she tells him, Youre not so much a creature of routine as a psychopathic raging monster of it. Um, no hes not. Secrets are embedded in Heisenberg, secrets that it wouldnt be fair to share. See the play if youre curious as to how these two, so different in age and personality, deal with the unexpected turns in their lives. Newport and her design collaborators have kept the look of plays world simple, largely using black-and-white projections by Alessandra Cronin along the back wall of Frank J. Olivas archway set. Clear rectangular cubes, moved before each scene by silent black-clad figures, become everything from a railway bench to Alexs bed. Sean McGinley provides the sounds of trains, traffic, Alexs beloved Sonata for Violin and Piano in B Minor by Bach. Lighting designer Tony Galaska enhances each scenes mood. In New York, Georgie Burns (a nod to the late, legendary comedian?) was played by Mary Louise Parker, who does irresistible craziness as well as anybody. Lowe, who urged Newport to produce Heisenberg, puts her own spin a role designed by Stephens to be big and, now and then, alienating. This performance is thus as far away as possible from the dreamy, layered complexity Lowe conveyed as in her much lauded-turn as Emily Dickinson in The Belle of Amherst at Palm Beach Dramaworks. Even Camilla Haiths costumes for Georgie seem to yell, Look at me! Im eccentric! Lowes Georgie is seldom still, a physical match to her verbal excess. In part because of that, when she has a quiet, truthful, revelatory moment, it lands with far more emotional impact, as when she confesses the pain in her estrangement with her son: I dont know what Im supposed to have done wrong. McPhillamy, whose lengthy acting resume includes Broadway, London, major regional theaters and many a South Florida theater company, is a master craftsman when it comes to rich silences and painting pictures with words. His Alex slowly thaws, rejoins the living despite the comparative brevity of the life remaining to him. When he takes Lowes Georgie into his arms for a dance (beautifully choreographed by Jeni Hacker), the moment becomes a physicalized sigh of joy and relief. Whether you experience Heisenberg through the more challenging lens of a play rooted in the uncertainty principle or decide to watch an unlikely relationship play out, know this: Stephens has layered plenty of truths about navigating life into his script, truths illuminated by Newport, Lowe and McPhillamy. ArtburstMiami.com is a non-profit source of theater, dance, music, film and performing arts news. IF YOU GO What: Heisenberg by Simon Stephens Where: GableStage in the Biltmore Hotel, 1200 Anastasia Ave., Coral Gables When: 2 and 7 p.m. Wednesday, 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday (additional matinee 2 p.m. Nov. 19), through Nov. 20 (streaming available from Nov. 4) Cost: $45-$75 (includes fees) Information: 305-445-1119 or www.gablestage.org. KYIV, Ukraine (AP) Not long after Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine, soldiers broke down the office door of Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fedorov. They put a bag over his head, bundled him into a car and drove him around the southern city for hours, threatening to kill him. Fedorov, 34, is one of over 50 local leaders who have been held in Russian captivity since the war began on Feb. 24 in an attempt to subdue cities and towns coming under Moscow's control. Like many others, he said he was pressured to collaborate with the invaders. The bullying and threats did not stop for a minute. They tried to force me to continue leading the city under the Russian flag, but I refused, Fedorov told The Associated Press by phone last month in Kyiv. They didnt beat me, but day and night, wild screams from the next cell would tell me what was waiting for me. As Russians seized parts of eastern and southern Ukraine, civilian administrators and others, including nuclear power plant workers, say they have been abducted, threatened or beaten to force their cooperation something that legal and human rights experts say may constitute a war crime. Ukrainian and Western historians say the tactic is used when invading forces are unable to subjugate the population. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, left, hands a medal to Ivan Fedorov, the mayor of the southern city of Melitopol, in Kyiv, Ukraine, March 17, 2022. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP) This year, as Russian forces sought to tighten their hold on Melitopol, hundreds of residents took to the streets to demand Fedorov's release. After six days in detention and an intervention from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, he was exchanged for nine Russian prisoners of war and expelled from the occupied city. A pro-Kremlin figure was installed. The Russians cannot govern the captured cities. They have neither the personnel nor the experience, Fedorov said. They want to force public officials to work for them because they realize that someone has to clean the streets and fix up the destroyed houses. The Association of Ukrainian Cities (AUC), a group of local leaders from across Ukraine, said that of the more than 50 abducted officials, including 34 mayors, at least 10 remain captive. Russian officials haven't commented on the allegations. Moscow-backed authorities in eastern Ukraine even launched a criminal investigation into Fedorov on charges of involvement in terrorist activities. Kidnapping the heads of villages, towns and cities, especially in wartime, endangers all residents of a community, because all critical management, provision of basic amenities and important decisions on which the fate of thousands of residents depends are entrusted to the communitys head.Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko Kidnapping the heads of villages, towns and cities, especially in wartime, endangers all residents of a community, because all critical management, provision of basic amenities and important decisions on which the fate of thousands of residents depends are entrusted to the communitys head, said Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, head of the AUC. In the southern city of Kherson, one of the first seized by Russia and a key target of an unfolding counteroffensive, Mayor Ihor Kolykhaiev tried to stand his ground. He said in April that he would refuse to cooperate with its new, Kremlin-backed overseer. Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the Russian-installed regional administration, repeatedly denounced Kolykhaiev as a "Nazi, echoing the false Kremlin narrative that its attack on Ukraine was an attempt to de-Nazify the country. Kolykhaiev continued to supervise Kherson's public utilities until his arrest on June 28. His whereabouts remain unknown. According to the U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, 407 forced disappearances and arbitrary arrests of civilians were recorded in areas seized by Russia in the first six months of the war. Most were civil servants, local councilors, civil society activists and journalists. Russian soldiers guard an office for Russian citizenship applications as their military truck is parked nearby, in Melitopol, south Ukraine. (AP) Yulia Gorbunova, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, said the abuse violates international law and may constitute a war crime," adding that Russian forces' actions appeared to be aimed at obtaining information and instilling fear. The U.N. human rights office has warned repeatedly that arbitrary detentions and forced disappearances are among possible war crimes committed in Ukraine. Several mayors have been killed, shocking Ukrainian society. Following the discovery of mass burials in areas recaptured by Kyiv, Ukrainian and foreign investigators continue to uncover details of extrajudicial killings of mayors. The body of Olga Sukhenko, who headed the village of Motyzhyn, near Kyiv, was found in a mass grave next to those of her husband and son after Russian forces retreated. The village, with a prewar population of about 1,000, is a short drive from Bucha, which saw hundreds of civilians killed under Russian occupation. Residents said Sukhenko had refused to cooperate with the Russians. When her body was unearthed on the outskirts of Motyzhyn, her hands were found tied behind her back. Mayor Yurii Prylypko of nearby Hostomel was gunned down in March while handing out food and medicine. The prosecutor generals office later said his body was found rigged with explosives. Ukraine's government has tried to swap captive officials for Russian POWs, but officials complain that Moscow sometimes demands Kyiv release hundreds for each Ukrainian in a position of authority, prolonging negotiations. Its such a difficult job that any superfluous word can get in the way of our exchange, said Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraines human rights commissioner. We know the places where prisoners are kept, as well as the appalling conditions in which they are kept. Valentina Bondarenko reacts as she stands with her husband Leonid outside their house that was heavily damaged after a Russian attack in Sloviansk, Ukraine, on Sept. 27, 2022. (Leo Correa/AP) There has been no news about the fate of Ivan Samoydyuk, the deputy mayor of Enerhodar, site of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Samoydyuk, abducted in March, has repeatedly been considered for a prisoner swap, but his name was struck off the list each time, Mayor Dmytro Orlov told the AP. The 58-year-old deputy mayor was seriously ill when seized, Orlov said, and we dont even know if hes alive. At best, Samoydyuk is sitting in a basement somewhere "and his life depends on the whim of people with guns, he added. More than 1,000 Enerhodar residents, including dozens of workers at Zaporizhzhia, Europe's largest nuclear plant, were detained by the Russians at one time or another. The vast majority of those who came out of the Russian cellars speak of brutal beatings and electric shocks, he said. Gorbunova, the HRW senior researcher, said torture "is prohibited under all circumstances under international law, and, when connected to an armed conflict, constitutes a war crime and may also constitute a crime against humanity. Each week brings reports of abductions of officials, engineers, doctors and teachers who won't cooperate with the Russians. Viktor Marunyak, head of the village of Stara Zburivka in the southern Kherson region, is famous for appearing in Roman Bondarchuks 2015 documentary Ukrainian Sheriffs, an Academy Award contender. The film explores the separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine that began in 2014. While the film didnt win an Oscar, it cemented Marunyaks salt-of-the-earth reputation. At first, they put (electrical) wires on my thumbs. Then it seemed not enough for them, and they put them on my big toes. And they poured water on my head so it would flow down my back. Honestly, I was so beaten up that I didnt have any impressions from the electric current.Viktor Marunyak, head of the village of Stara Zburivka After Russian troops seized Stara Zburivka in spring, Marunyak held pro-Ukrainian rallies and hid some activists in his home. He was eventually taken prisoner. At first, they put (electrical) wires on my thumbs. Then it seemed not enough for them, and they put them on my big toes. And they poured water on my head so it would flow down my back, he told the AP. Honestly, I was so beaten up that I didnt have any impressions from the electric current. After 23 days, Marunyak was released to die, he said. Hospitalized for 10 days with pneumonia and nine broken ribs, he finally left for territory controlled by Kyiv. History professor Hubertus Jahn of Cambridge University said that from the time of Peter the Great onward, the tactic by imperialist Russia of co-opting locals targeted elites and nobility, with resistance often bringing Siberian exile. During World War II, he said, German SS units operated in a similar way, by targeting local administrators in order to pressure residents into submission. Jahn called it an obvious strategy if you don't have the strength to subordinate a region outright. Historian Ivan Patryliuk of Kyivs Taras Shevchenko National University said municipal authorities in Soviet Ukraine often fled before Nazi occupation forces arrived, which helped avoid mass executions of officials. The kind of torture and humiliation (of) city leaders that the Russians are now perpetrating ... is one of the darkest and most shameful pages of the current war, Patryliuk said. A 25-year-old driver was arrested and faces multiple charges weeks after he was accused of killing three college students in a wrong-way crash, authorities in Arizona said. The three freshmen from Grand Canyon University were driving from Phoenix to watch the sunrise at the Grand Canyon when they were struck by Vincent Ian Acosta near New River on Oct. 10, the university told McClatchy News. Abriauna Brook Hoffman and Magdalyn Maggie Louise Ogden, both 18 and from Clarkston, Washington, and 19-year-old Hunter Elaine Kinohi Balberdi of Kula, Hawaii, died in the crash. Investigators initially suspected impairment as a factor in the crash, but an arrest wasnt made until Oct. 28, according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety. Acosta was arrested and faces charges of three counts of second-degree murder, 11 counts of endangerment and two counts of aggravated assault, troopers said. In addition to striking the vehicle the students were in, he also hit a Nissan sedan and a commercial vehicle, authorities said. Occupants of those vehicles suffered non-life-threatening injuries. The three students were studying at Grand Canyon University and lived together at the Diamondback Apartments on campus, the university said in a tweet. Balberdi and Ogden were pre-med students studying biology, and Hoffman was studying marketing and advertising, the university said. These beautiful, smart, talented and loved freshman college students had their whole lives ahead of them, a friend of the women said on Facebook. New River is about 35 miles north of Phoenix. College athlete dies in head-on car crash, Utah officials say. Kindest of souls Speeding driver slams into 20-year-old motorcyclist, severing his leg, feds say 18-year-old nursing student dies after truck slams into her moped, Texas police say Thomas Girardi in 2014. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) The State Bar of California received 205 complaints against Los Angeles legal legend Tom Girardi alleging he misappropriated settlement money, abandoned clients and committed other serious ethical violations over the course of his four-decade career, the agency disclosed Thursday in response to a lawsuit brought by The Times. Despite the drumbeat of concerns that began in 1982, the State Bar took no public action against Girardi until after his Wilshire Boulevard firm collapsed two years ago. As his stature as a trial attorney and political powerbroker grew, officials closed scores of complaints against him without doing any investigation and rejected dozens of others for insufficient evidence, the records show. In 13 cases where the agency did act against Girardi, it used non-public measures, such as a warning letter, that left his law license and reputation in the legal community unblemished. Girardi was suspended from the practice of law in March 2021 and finally disbarred by the state Supreme Court in July. Now 83, he has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and is in a court-ordered conservatorship. In a letter accompanying the record release, the chair of the Bars governing board, Ruben Duran, acknowledged "serious failures" by the agency and wrote: There is no excuse being offered here; Girardi caused irreparable harm to hundreds of his clients, and the State Bar could have done more to protect the public. We can never allow something like this to happen again. Complaints to the State Bar are confidential under the law, but The Times petitioned the state Supreme Court for access to agency records about Girardi under an exception that allows disclosure of information if doing so is warranted for protection of the public. Reporting by The Times has shown how the politically powerful Girardi cultivated State Bar officials, including executives, investigators, prosecutors and judges, with free legal representation, boozy lunches, private plane rides and invitations to glitzy parties. The agency initially fought the newspapers access to Girardis records in court but announced last month that it had reversed course after concluding that disclosing the records was more consistent with its current understanding of its public protection mission and policy of transparency. The records released by the State Bar describe the date of each of the 205 complaints, the general violation alleged and its disposition. The alleged violations range from misrepresentations to the court to failure to provide clients with accountings to commission of unspecified crimes. Of the total complaints, some 155 arrived before the bar took action against Girardi's law license in March 2021. After the headline-grabbing development, an additional 50 complaints flowed into the agency. Although Girardi became a lawyer in 1965, the earliest available complaints dated to 1982; a Bar spokesperson said the agency has "no available records to determine whether or not there were complaints that predated this." Girardi stole at least $14 million from clients in the last decade of his practice, according to a bankruptcy trustee, and nearly 60% of the complaints filed concerned his handling of money in bank accounts meant to safeguard client funds, according to a State Bar tally. The allegations about missing funds date to the early 1980s and are consistent with allegations that Girardi had a long-running practice of using settlement funds for his own purposes. An Illinois federal judge this week wrote in a ruling that Girardi "was running a Ponzi scheme with client money." One complaint disclosed concerned Christian Keith, a teenager who suffered catastrophic brain injuries in a car accident on Pacific Coast Highway in 1985. Representing Keith, Girardi won a settlement of more than $2 million. Records reviewed by The Times show the lawyer promised the young mans family he would use settlement money to purchase an annuity but never did, resulting in a huge tax bill, and lingering questions about where the funds had gone. Mr. Girardi took possession of $2,015,000 and used it as he saw fit, paying himself $500,000 without court approval, the familys new attorney wrote to a State Bar investigator in 1995. The records show the agency closed the case four years later with unspecified non-public resolution, which the State Bar said could mean a private agreement in lieu of discipline, a private admonition or a letter of warning. Keiths mother, Sharon, said in an interview Thursday that the family never would have hired Girardi had they known about the conduct reported to the State Bar. She said that given his handling of the money in her sons case, he deserved to be publicly sanctioned, not punished behind closed doors. If there is someone that is a licensed attorney and especially has a big name that should not be kept secret, Keith said. Other people then fall into the same trap. She said that she knew that there were bad guy lawyers out there, but Girardi wasnt one of them and it didnt cross our minds. Christian Keith, now 57, lives in a San Diego County facility for people with brain injuries. Though the Keith complaint was identifiable in the State Bar's records release since it referenced the case number and caption of a malpractice suit against Girardi, the identities of others lodging complaints were not discernible. Kelli Sager, an attorney for The Times, said the newspaper would press for additional information from the State Bar because the records released noticeably fail to include any specifics including the identities of the individuals at the State Bar who were responsible for handling them or details about the complaints themselves. This information must be disclosed for the public to evaluate its performance and the steps needed to ensure that this kind of serious failure does not happen again, Sager said in a statement. Duran, in his letter, said the State Bar had disclosed "as much information ... as we believe is allowed under the law." The State Bars protracted failure to rein in Girardi allowed him to expand his national reputation as a courtroom champion for the little guy, sign up thousands of new clients each year, and become a force in politics and eventually pop culture. A major Democratic Party donor, he socialized with politicians and judges and was regarded as a gatekeeper for would-be judges across Southern California. One of his greatest courtroom victories became the inspiration for the Oscar-winning film Erin Brockovich, and he married an aspiring actress, Erika Jayne, appearing alongside her on the reality series Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. The cozy relationships have drawn concern over whether his influence allowed him to elude discipline for cheating clients and colleagues. Earlier this year, the State Bar revealed that it was conducting an investigation by an outside law firm into whether former employees helped Girardi evade discipline. That inquiry is ongoing. Girardis downfall came after a Chicago law firm, Edelson PC, working with him to represent airline crash victims, alerted a federal judge there to millions in missing settlement money. Jay Edelson, the firms founder, called the State Bars revelations stunning. What we know now for the first time is that the Bar was receiving a constant drumbeat of complaints that Tom and his firm were stealing money for nearly 40 years, Edelson said. The Bar spent that time not protecting the public as it was established to do, but shielding the Girardi Keese firm. The Girardi scandal prompted a state audit that found widespread problems with the agencys policing of attorneys, not merely with one prominent trial lawyer. Released in April, the audit faulted the State Bar for ineffective investigations, a reliance on confidential warning letters and other nonpublic discipline, and a poor track record on preventing conflicts of interest between its staff and the lawyers it is supposed to regulate. That audit and the outrage of the Girardi scandal has led to changes in how the State Bar oversees client trust accounts, the bank accounts where lawyers hold their clients money. In a program that takes effect next year, lawyers will be required for the first time to report basic information about all of their trust accounts on an annual basis. Lawyers will also have to distribute client money within specific timeframes, provided there is no dispute over the funds. The Bar also hired a new chief trial counsel and former federal prosecutor George Cardona. He was the first top prosecutor at the agency in a decade to be confirmed by the state Senate. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Former President Trump filed a lawsuit Wednesday against New York Attorney General Letitia James, accusing her of embarking on a crusade against him as he seeks to stop the Democrat from imposing restrictions on his business and personal life. The 41-page lawsuit filed in Floridas Fifteenth Judicial Circuit Court asks for an injunction to halt the attorney general from appointing a watchdog or monitoring agent to review a revocable trust Trump uses to manage his assets as he awaits a tax fraud lawsuit. In a statement Wednesday night, Trump said Peekaboo James is attacking great and upstanding businesses which have done nothing wrong. Crooked and highly partisan James now thinks it is the business of the State of New York to go after my revocable trust and pry into my private estate plan, Trump wrote, only to look for ways to recklessly injure me, my family, my businesses, and my tens of millions of supporters. If I were not elected President of the United States, and now leading in the polls by substantial margins against both Democrats and Republicans, this would not be happening, the former president wrote. A spokesperson for the New York Attorney Generals Office said multiple judges have dismissed Donald Trumps baseless attempts to evade justice, and no number of lawsuits will deter us from pursuing this fraud. We sued Donald Trump because he committed extensive financial fraud, the spokesperson said. That fact hasnt changed, and neither will our resolve to ensure that no matter how powerful or political one might be, no one is above the law. James filed a lawsuit against Trump, the Trump Organization and three of his children in September, seeking $250 million in financial penalties for alleged tax fraud. She accuses the former president of falsely inflating and deflating his taxes in order to pay lower taxes and get better insurance coverage and of overstating his net worth by billions of dollars. Pending the outcome of the lawsuit, James has asked a court to appoint an independent watchdog that would review the defendants financial procedures and disclosures, including for the movement of any assets. Trump filed a lawsuit last week in a Manhattan, N.Y., court seeking to stop James from appointing the monitoring agent, which he says would nationalize his company in violation of the constitution. In the Florida lawsuit, Trump claims there would be a deprivation of privacy and property rights if James gains control over his personal revocable trust. The lawsuit additionally accuses James of being guided solely by political animus and a desire to harass, intimidate, and retaliate against President Trump for political and professional gain. Updated on Nov. 3 at 8:23 a.m. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Should Republicans retake control of one or both houses of Congress in the midterm elections, the implications for U.S. foreign policy in Ukraine could be profound. On Oct. 18, just weeks after the U.S. announced it was sending another $1.1 billion in military funding to Ukraine, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy made clear that a Republican majority in either chamber would signal possible changes to future payments. I think people are going to be sitting in a recession and theyre not going to write a blank check to Ukraine, McCarthy told Punchbowl News. They just wont do it. ... Its not a free blank check. Other Republicans have been outspoken in their view that the U.S. needs to halt military aid to Ukraine, with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene characterizing such funding as a money-laundering scheme. She and other far-right lawmakers have insisted that America faces more urgent priorities, such as securing the U.S.-Mexico border. According to Politico, Biden aides anticipate funds to Kyiv to keep flowing, though perhaps on a smaller scale. This uncertainty is one reason why lawmakers have reportedly been considering the passage of a new aid package in the lame-duck session of Congress that would make the most recent $12 billion in aid approved in September look like pocket change, as an unnamed Republican senator told NBC News. An estimate of U.S. aid to Ukraine from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy stood at $52 billion dollars as of Oct. 11, including more than $27 billion in military aid and close to $25 billion in humanitarian and economic aid. On Oct. 28, the Biden administration committed another $275 million in military aid to Kyiv. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters) Several experts who spoke to Yahoo News said that aid to Ukraine would not change significantly should Republicans take control of the purse strings, though some admitted that nonmilitary funding could take a hit. Both parties have a strong majority that favors support for Ukraine, said Stephen Sestanovich, the George F. Kennan senior fellow for Russian and Eurasian Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. There may be a greater pretense of oversight and greater scrutiny of the mix of aid that Ukraine receives, he added. But major change? Dont count on it. Jon Lieber, managing director for the U.S. at the Eurasia Group, a political risk consultancy, offered a similar perspective, saying that McCarthys statement has been widely misinterpreted in the media. Its worlds away from saying that they wont get any check. The bottom line for Lieber is that Congress will have more members who are openly skeptical of the U.S. making a broad, open-ended commitment to defending Ukraine. But this seems unlikely to spur a collapse in support for Ukraine. They will be effective in forcing more oversight, putting conditions on the aid, and demanding an endgame strategy from the administration, Lieber said, but they will not be effective in stopping the U.S. from supporting Ukraine. A Reuters/Ipsos poll published on Oct. 5 showed that 73% of Americans favor continuing to provide funding for Ukraine. But that support appears to be slipping among Republicans. A Pew Research survey in September found that 32% of Republican voters said the U.S. is providing too much aid to Kyiv, 23 points higher than when the same question was asked in March. While GOP support for funding Ukraines government appears to be softening among some members of Congress, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has been steadfast in his support of Kyiv. President Biden at the White House on Wednesday. (Leah Millis/Reuters) The vast majority of us, certainly including myself, think defeating the Russians in Ukraine is high priority, McConnell told DefenseNews in a mid-September interview. The midterms could usher in a new crop of isolationist Republicans, however, such as J.D. Vance, the GOP nominee for Senate in Ohio. I think were at the point where weve given enough money in Ukraine, Vance said in a recent interview. We cannot fund a long-term military conflict that I think ultimately has diminishing returns for our own country. Yet if Ukraine continues to see military gains on the ground against Russia, that reluctance might become a trickier political position. If Ukraine loses ground to the Russians, youll see congressional Republicans demanding that the administration do more, Sestanovich noted. You may even see increased support. Mark Cancian, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, insisted that military aid was unlikely to change markedly. I dont see a more aggressive or larger effort, he said. I dont think they are going to be able to shave it too much either. Given that this populist group on the right is going to be larger and perhaps part of the majority, I think it would be hard to expand military aid, Cancian added. The one place where aid is vulnerable is not the military aid but the economic aid. Ukrainian officials have reportedly been insisting to Republicans in Washington that aid must continue to go beyond military assistance to include economic support. The country faces numerous financial challenges, from paying for its war effort amid vastly reduced economic activity to rebuilding critical infrastructure. Farming machinery lies in ruins after being destroyed during fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces, Kharkiv, Ukraine, Oct. 23. (Carl Court/Getty Images) On Monday, Russia pounded Ukraines electrical grid and water supply through dozens of targeted missile strikes that left many without electricity or water. In terms of the infrastructure, by virtue of the electrical grid being impacted, we are seeing impacts in terms of water supply systems, water treatment, things like that, which is affecting access to water among the civilian population, a senior Pentagon official told reporters on Monday. The strikes epitomize Russias war effort in Ukraine, which has included sustained efforts against military and civilian targets. For Ukrainians, that makes economic support an indispensable part of the aid mix. Speaking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at a virtual Yale forum on Oct. 28, Sen. Lindsay Graham reassured that Republican support of the war effort was steadfast. Things are going to work out, he said, predicting a robust package of military and economic assistance in the near future. A new crop of Republican politicians view Graham and McConnell as neocons whose foreign policy ideas are outdated. How that divergence of opinion on funding Ukraines war effort could play out should the party retake control of Congress remains to be seen. To my Republican colleagues who dont want a blank check: Thats fine, Ill be glad to sit down with you to make sure the money goes where it should go, Graham said at the Yale forum. But I promise you the majority of Republican senators [is] fully committed to seeing this through. With five visual projects and a book in development, Walter Thompson-Hernandez, photographed in Huntington Park, is remapping the boundaries of narrative storytelling. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) Walter Thompson-Hernandez whose fictional short film "If I Go Will They Miss Me," set at the Imperial Courts housing project in Watts, won a Sundance award earlier this year knows he needs to update his personal website. The earnest SEO copy the writer-director crafted a few years ago still describes him as a multimedia journalist, exploring the world, asking what it means to belong." It's an artifact of his days covering culture for the New York Times, a job that took him to Rio de Janeiro, Japan, the Dominican Republic and Oaxaca, Mexico. "I'm like, wow, that was the lane that I was in, and now it's almost a completely different lane," the El Sereno-based writer-director, 37, said in a recent interview with The Times, which previously covered his 2020 book on the Compton Cowboys. Thompson-Hernandez's old lane focused a lot on identities: his own and many others. In a 2015 essay for BuzzFeed, he wrote, I first learned I was a Blaxican from a DJ on Power 106 FM, a Los Angeles hip-hop station. ... It changed the way I, the son of an African-American man from Oakland and a first-generation American from Jalisco, Mexico, self-identified forever. Although he's still figuring out his place in the world, Thompson-Hernandez has evolved. His trajectory from journalist to artist has given him the tools of realism that he uses to craft stories about the soul, often with L.A. as the backdrop. With five visual projects and a book currently in development, Thompson-Hernandez is both here and seemingly everywhere, remapping the boundaries of narrative storytelling. This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity. You have done magazine journalism; you've written and directed a "visual poem" about the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas; you've directed short-form cinema; you've done an ad for Dr. Dre for the Super Bowl. How do you think about medium? One of my biggest fears in life is to be boxed in in some way that doesn't allow me to grow and evolve as a person and a storyteller. It sort of starts with journalism, and then I go to grad school, and then I'm with the New York Times doing multimedia things there. I'm writing, directing, taking photographs and posting, and then that sort of evolves into book writing and then podcasting and now filmmaking. I see it more as an evolution. Filmmaking is the most exciting medium because it embodies all of these different practices. You first grew up in Huntington Park in southeast L.A. County, and after the L.A. riots in 92 your mom moved you to the Westside when you were 7. How did that affect how you view L.A.? Growing up in Huntington Park, I was surrounded by almost nothing but Mexicans, Mexican Americans. I felt very protected and safe in a home filled with cousins, aunts and uncles. But the Westside was incredibly lonely. My mom was getting her PhD at UCLA at the time, and so it was just us navigating an incredibly new, diverse world we had no practice in. For a lot of people, L.A. can be intimidating. It's a very expansive, sprawling city. But I started thinking about L.A. as a larger sort of canvas, and I've been really lucky to be able to live in different parts of the city. How did you get the idea for your new film, "If I Go Will They Miss Me"? The film kind of starts when I'm 5 or 6 [years old], and when I'm looking up at the airplanes above our home, and when I'm dreaming about where these airplanes are coming from, where the people are going, the larger meaning. Then it really crystallizes when the Delta jet fuel dump happens [20 schoolchildren in Cudahy were drenched by jet fuel from a plane leaving LAX]. I had already been thinking about transitioning into filmmaking, and I thought that this was a really interesting time to make that transition. The film is a collection of personal anecdotes rooted in a narrative story about a father who wants to support his son. How much of that is fiction versus what you draw from reality or your own experiences? It's both. The genre I really love to work with is docu-narrative, creating narrative worlds based on the experiences of real people. I love to engage with first-time actors. There's something so raw and interesting and authentic about the way that they play fictionalized versions of lives they already lead. This comes from my experience as a journalist. My best directing on any type of set today happens when I'm doing the least amount of directing. Who are your big cinematic or visual influences? I've always loved the work of Charles Burnett. "Killer of Sheep," how he creates a world within and around Watts by using first-time actors and creating a very loose narrative. The way Terrence Malick captures interiority through voice-over, and the way he captures a larger philosophical meaning, it's almost like we're not even watching the film, we're engaging in a very beautiful philosophical class. I also love [Abbas] Kiarostami, the Iranian director; [Akira] Kurosawa I just love the way he captures nature. Malick's work evokes transcendence. Is there any religious influence on your work? I've lost a lot of people in the past two and a half years, almost 18 people, mostly COVID aunts, uncles, cousins, friends. I've really had to think about the role of spirituality and God in all that we do. A lot of that is coming out in the work I'm doing. In "If I Go Will They Miss Me," there's a lot of references to God, protection and community. The father in that film is asking God to look after his child. In a way that I think Terrence Malick is maybe searching for transcendence in his films, I'm really searching for spirit and community in the work I'm doing. Do you see your work as helping provide some comfort or recognition for people who are having these experiences too? I'd be lying to you if I told you that I'm thinking about the next person, because I think that the art I'm trying to make is a hyper-specific art. We fail as artists when we try to reach everyone, because then we actually reach no one. I'm thinking of that old Diane Arbus quote: "The more specific you are, the more general it'll be." Totally. And it's interesting, right, because we're not brought up that way. Particularly people who work in storytelling, it's almost like, you know, we were lied to, essentially. We were told that the art we make, the things we create, were supposed to be for everyone, right? Now we're finding that the more hyper-specific we get with our art, the more general and popular it becomes. I'm finding that with a lot of things that I've been doing over the years, like the story of the Compton Cowboys. What do you do for fun? I go to the beach a little south of Dockweiler, and I just walk there by myself and listen to Elvis Mitchell or, like, Terry Gross for an hour. I'm also getting older, so to me, there's nothing better than an evening walk. It's almost become like a sacred physical act. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. The wreckage of a rare type of Royal Navy helicopter which crashed off the coast of Northern Ireland 60 years ago has been discovered. The Westland Dragonfly went down in Lough Foyle during a recovery exercise in 1958. It had been in service as an air-sea search and rescue helicopter, based at the Royal Naval Air Station Eglinton, now the City of Derry Airport. Photo of similar model Dragonfly in 1955 (Fleet air arms officers association image/PA) The remains of the craft have now been identified as part of a coastal survey. The Topographic LiDAR & Orthophotography survey, provides high resolution aerial photographs, near-infrared imagery, and 3D laser scans of the ground surface. It reveals what the coastline currently looks like as well as identifying scores of historic wrecks, castles and quays. While most were already recorded on the Historic Environment Record of Northern Ireland (Heroni), more than 150 new heritage sites were discovered. Remnants of the Dragonfly were initially spotted in the aerial photos of Lough Foyle before a further physical inspection of the site revealed the wreck of a very early form of helicopter, lying on its starboard (right) side on the gravelly bank. Though heavily corroded, the frame of the helicopter and its three rotor blades were mostly intact, with remnants of the Royal Navy stencilling still discernible down the tail boom. The 1958 crash site of a rare @RoyalNavy helicopter has been identified as part of the Northern Ireland 3D Coastal Survey of the entire NI coastline, commissioned by DAERA Marine & Fisheries Division. More info: https://t.co/4NpRjlnkAK pic.twitter.com/zPFR42qDMw DAERA (@daera_ni) November 3, 2022 It was identified as a 1955 Westland Dragonfly naval air-sea search and rescue helicopter, based at the Royal Naval Air Station Eglinton, now the City of Derry Airport. The helicopter had come down on November 25 1958, during a recovery exercise. The exact position of the wreck is not being released as the crash site is located on dangerous soft sediment and there is a significant number of potentially live Second World War and post-war ordnance at the site. Further information on the find will be available on a new coastal Information website, The Northern Ireland Coastal Observatory, which will be launched by the department of agriculture, environment and rural affairs in the near future. Russia has accused Britain of being drawn too deep into the conflict in Ukraine, warning that it risks a dangerous escalation of the crisis. Andrey Kelin, the Russian ambassador to the UK, claimed British specialists had been involved in an audacious drone attack on Russias Black Sea fleet at the weekend in which three warships were reportedly damaged, including the flagship HMS Makarov. After Britains ambassador to Moscow Deborah Bronnert was earlier summoned to the Russian foreign ministry in connection with the claims, Mr Kelin said the Kremlin would publish its proof pretty soon. We perfectly know about participation of British specialists in training, preparation and execution of plans against the Russian infrastructure and the Russian fleet in the Black Sea. We know that it has been done, he said. It is dangerous. It can bring us to the line of I would say no return return is always possible but we should avoid escalation. This is a warning actually that Britain is too deep in this conflict. It means that the situation is becoming more and more dangerous. Mr Kelin said Russia was also continuing to investigate the explosions which damaged the Nord Stream 1 and 2 undersea gas pipelines in September, adding that UK special forces had been involved in training the Ukrainians in the use of explosives and undersea drones. In the West it is widely suspected that the blasts were the work of the Russians themselves in an attempt to increase the pressure on European countries from rising energy prices. A UK Government spokesman said the Russian allegations were an attempt to distract attention for its illegal invasion of Ukraine and its continuing losses on the battlefield. We do not plan to give a running commentary on these allegations; it is no secret that the United Kingdom has taken a public lead in our support to Ukraine this has been enduring since Russias illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, the spokesman added. Earlier western officials said President Vladimir Putin was likely to come under increasing pressure from nationalist hardliners as he prepares to withdraw Russian forces from the key Ukrainian city of Kherson. Officials said planning to pull forces out of the city on the Dnipro River appeared to be well advanced with a large proportion of the civilian population having already been moved out. But while officials expect it to be presented by the Kremlin as a humanitarian evacuation rather than a military retreat, they believe it will not prevent further criticism of the conduct of the war. When it does go ahead we can expect another uptick in pointed criticism of Russian national leadership, one Western official said. A key task for us will be to continue to track how this impacts on Putins credibility. For now, he appears to continue to successfully deflect with his pointed barbed at his lieutenants. The assessment comes as one former Putin ally the head of the notorious Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin stepped up his criticism of the Russian leader. In a statement earlier this week he pointedly praised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky who is routinely denounced by Moscow as a neo-Nazi drug addict as a strong and confident leader. Officials said that while more troops were arriving in theatre in an apparent attempt to shore up their defensive positions, many were recently mobilised reservists who were often woefully equipped and prepared. In Kherson, it is likely that most echelons of command have now withdrawn across the river leaving demoralised and leaderless men to face Ukrainian assaults. At least some reservists are arriving in theatre without weapons, one official said. Officials said the Russians were also running critically short of munitions including artillery shells with additional supplies even being sought from North Korea. Without the guns and rocket launchers being fired everything else is grinding to a halt, one official said. Meanwhile the Treasury put in place legislation aimed at enforcing a cap on the price of Russian oil agreed by the G7 and Australia earlier this year. The move will ban UK service firms insurance, brokerage and shipping from being involved in services to transport Russian oil unless it is purchased below the cap, which is intended to starve Mr Putins administration of cash. Scotlands First Minister has said she is determined the country will play its part in responding to the climate emergency ahead of the Cop27 summit. Nicola Sturgeon will attend the UN talks, which begin in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, on Sunday. She vowed to do what she can to further collaboration between Scotland and other countries to build upon the agreements that were made in Glasgow at last years climate talks. Ms Sturgeon discussed the role Scotland will play at Cop27 during First Ministers Questions on Wednesday. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will attend Cop27 in Egypt (Jane Barlow/PA) Scottish Greens MSP Mark Ruskell asked the First Minister how the Scottish Government intends to build on the legacy of the Glasgow Climate Pact, which was agreed following Cop26. The pact, signed last November, saw 197 countries agree to strengthen their emissions-cutting targets for 2030 by the end of next year in an attempt to stop global warming climbing above 1.5C. Ms Sturgeon said: If the world is to deliver on the Glasgow Climate Pact, all nations need to continue to increase that ambition and take credible action to reach net-zero emissions. Over the next few days, I will attend Cop27 to do what I can to further collaboration between Scotland and other countries to build upon the agreements that were made in Glasgow and to continue Scotlands leadership, not least on the issue of loss and damage. First Minister @NicolaSturgeon chaired a meeting of her Environmental Council yesterday, bringing together international experts to discuss issues affecting climate and the environment ahead of #COP27. More on the council: https://t.co/E84CRa6I01 pic.twitter.com/11FzFNdQQ3 First Minister (@ScotGovFM) November 1, 2022 Although we are not yet a member state of the UN or party to the Paris Agreement, Scotland will do its part by sharing our own experiences of delivering net-zero targets at home as part of a just transition, and also by helping to amplify the voices of those most impacted by climate change but also very often excluded from the debate. It comes after the UN Environment Programme warned last week that based on countries current plans to tackle emissions, there is no credible pathway in place to limit temperature rises to 1.5C, the threshold beyond which the worst impacts of global warming are expected. Instead, the world is on track for 2.4C to 2.6C of warming and climate catastrophe, it said. Rishi Sunak has abandoned controversial plans by his predecessor to move Britains embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, Downing Street disclosed. Liz Truss, when she was prime minister, ordered a review into whether the UK should follow the Trump administration in relocating the embassy from Tel Aviv. Asked whether the Government was still considering a move, a No 10 spokeswoman said: It has been looked at. There are no plans to move the British embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv. The plan was highly contentious as both Israel and the Palestinians claim the holy city of Jerusalem as their capital. Liz Truss meeting Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid during the UN General Assembly (Toby Melville/PA) Former president Donald Trumps decision to move the US embassy in 2018 sparked violent protests in Gaza amid widespread international concern that it was jeopardising hopes of a Middle East peace settlement. Ms Truss originally made the promise of a review in a letter to the Conservative Friends of Israel during last summers Tory leadership contest. As prime minister she subsequently discussed it with her Israeli counterpart Yair Lapid when they met in the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Tory MP Andrew Bridgen faces a Commons suspension after being found to have displayed a very cavalier attitude to the rules in a series of lobbying breaches. The Standards Committee recommended a suspension of five sitting days for offences including an unacceptable attack upon the integrity of standards commissioner Kathryn Stone. He called Ms Stones integrity into question on wholly unsubstantiated and false allegations and attempted to improperly influence the process, the cross-party committee said. Mr Bridgen sent Ms Stone unsubstantiated smears suggesting apparent plans to offer her a peerage could influence her findings because of his reputation as a critic of former prime minister Boris Johnson. The MP for North West Leicestershire since 2010 was found to have breached the MPs code of conduct on registration, declaration and paid lobbying on multiple occasions and in multiple ways. The backbencher should have told ministers and officials of his relationship with Cheshire-based firm Mere Plantations as he made multiple representations. Mr Bridgen received a donation, a funded visit to their teak plantation in Ghana and had a 12,000-a-year contract as an adviser. He was found to have committed a significant litany of errors by failing to reveal his interest in eight emails to ministers, and in five meetings with ministers or public officials as he discussed Meres tax treatment or trading of carbon credits. Mr Bridgen has demonstrated a very cavalier attitude to the Houses rules on registration and declaration of interests, including repeatedly saying that he did not check his own entry in the register, the committees report read. Mr Bridgen said he is extremely disappointed with the recommendations but said he accepts them. The committee said he called Ms Stones integrity into question on the basis of wholly unsubstantiated and false allegations, and attempted improperly to influence the Houses standards processes. Andrew Bridgen is set to be suspended from the Commons for five days (Beresford Hodge/PA) The MP wrote an email to Ms Stone saying: I was distressed to hear on a number of occasions an unsubstantiated rumour that your contract as Parliamentary Standards Commissioner is due to end in the coming months and that there are advanced plans to offer you a peerage, potentially as soon as the Prime Ministers resignation honours list. There is also some suggestion amongst colleagues that those plans are dependent upon arriving at the right outcomes when conducting parliamentary standards investigations. Clearly my own travails with Number 10 and the former PM have been well documented and obviously a small part of me is naturally concerned to hear such rumours. More importantly however you are rightfully renowned for your integrity and decency and no doubt such rumours are only designed to harm your reputation. The Standards Committee said Mr Bridgens email appears to be an attempt to place wholly inappropriate pressure on the commissioner which is completely unacceptable behaviour. The Commons will vote on whether to approve the recommended two days suspension for three breaches of the code of conduct and a further three days for the attack on Ms Stone. He must also apologise to the House and to the commissioner, but will not face a potential recall petition from his constituents because the suspension falls short of the 10 days required. In a statement, Mr Bridgen said: Whilst I am extremely disappointed with the recommendations of the committee, I accept them and will comply with them as required to do so. The August 2019 plantation trip funded by Mere, which grows mainly teak in the Ashanti region of Ghana while focusing on the reforestation of degraded land, was valued at 3,251.51. Mr Bridgen argued during the investigation that the lobbying rules did not apply because the trip to Ghana was of negative financial benefit to him. He said he was left personally out of pocket as he paid for his own yellow fever vaccination and brought local currency which he could not convert to pounds back in the UK. This local currency I gave away to a Ghanaian doorkeeper in Parliament as I would not be visiting again, he told the committee. Mere also donated 5,000 to Mr Bridgens local North West Leicestershire Conservative Association in October 2019. His correspondence with ministers included emails to Kwasi Kwarteng when he was business secretary in February 2021 and then-financial secretary to the Treasury Jesse Norman in August that year. Mr Bridgen argued that he did not need to declare interests when acting as a constituency MP but the committee ruled that this exemption cannot be considered as a blank cheque and that his activities extended beyond the initial constituency focus. Ms Stone found that the MP habitually failed to declare his interests with Mere Plantations. Countries must dramatically and urgently increase efforts to adapt to climate change as it lands blow after blow upon humanity, the UN has warned. Ahead of Cop27 international climate talks in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, the UN said the estimated costs of coping with climate impacts are five to 10 times greater than the finance going to developing countries to help them adapt. The money needed to help the developing world adapt is set to increase to as much as 300 billion a year by the end of the decade, a UN report said. UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres called for a global surge in adaptation investment to save millions of lives from climate carnage. Climate risks are rising, with a multi-year drought in the Horn of Africa, unprecedented flooding in Pakistan and record heatwaves across the northern hemisphere all hitting at 1.1C of warming above pre-industrial temperatures. The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) warned last week that based on countries plans to tackle climate-warming emissions, there was currently no credible pathway in place to limit temperature rises to 1.5C, the threshold beyond which the worst impacts of global warming are expected. Instead, the world was on track for 2.4C-2.6C of warming and climate catastrophe. Now the UNEP is warning that climate risks will intensify with each tenth of a degree Celsius, and efforts to adapt to the worsening situation must take centre stage along with efforts to halt global warming. But global efforts to plan for, finance and implement adaptation measures from alert schemes to deal with heatwaves to increasing greenery in cities, flood defences, and planting climate-resilient crops are not keeping pace with what is needed, it said. And even ambitious investments in adapting to climate change will not fully prevent its impacts so the loss and damage to poorer countries, who have done least to cause the crisis but are now on the front line, must be addressed, it added. The UNEPs adaptation gap report finds that most countries have some plans, strategies or laws in place for adapting to climate change, but finance is not following and the shortfall continues to widen. International finance flows to developing countries for adapting to climate change reached 29 billion US dollars (26 billion), an increase of 4% from 2019. But significant acceleration is needed to meet the pledge made at the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow last year to double finance from 2019 levels by 2025, the UNEP said. Estimated annual funding needed for adapting to climate change is 160-340 billion US dollars by 2030 (142 billion-300 billion) and 315-565 billion dollars (280 billion-502 billion) by 2050, the report said. The study also said there were enhanced benefits to linking planning, finance and implementing actions to both adapt to climate change and mitigate the crisis by cutting emissions, for example nature-based solutions such as restoring mangroves to soak up carbon and protect against coastal flooding. Inger Andersen, executive director of the UNEP, said: Climate change is landing blow after blow upon humanity, as we saw throughout 2022: most viscerally in the floods that put much of Pakistan under water. The world must urgently reduce greenhouse gas emissions to limit the impacts of climate change. But we must also urgently increase efforts to adapt to the impacts that are already here and those to come. Nations need to back the strong words in the Glasgow Climate Pact with strong action to increase adaptation investments and outcomes, starting at Cop27. Mr Guterres said: Todays UNEP adaptation gap report makes clear that the world is failing to protect people from the here-and-now impacts of the climate crisis. Those on the front lines of the climate crisis are at the back of the line for support. The world is falling far short both in stopping the growth of greenhouse gas emissions and starting desperately-needed efforts to plan, finance and implement adaptation in light of growing risks. He said developed countries at Cop27 must present a credible road map to how they will deliver the promised doubling of adaptation support, as well as action to unblock investment and universal early warning systems for extreme weather. Mr Guterres said there was a need to recognise that in many places, it is too late for adaptation, and that Cop27 must provide a road map to closing the finance gap for addressing loss and damage caused by climate change. 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. YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 3, ARMENPRESS. Iranian security forces have identified and wiped out a terrorist cell in the west of the country, TASS reports citing IRNA. According to the agency, the group was operating in the Ilam Province and was involved in the organization of recent riots in the country. The terrorists were planning to attack facilities run by military and security forces. They were manufacturing homemade grenades and incendiary devices. According to preliminary information, the group had links with foreign organizations. YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 3, ARMENPRESS. Foreign direct investments made in Armenia last year comprised 129,2 billion drams, of which around 1/3 (40,1 billion drams) belongs to the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan said during the parliamentary standing committees debate of the 2023 state budget draft. In 2021 the volumes of new flows of foreign investments in the real economic sector of Armenia comprised 204,8 billion drams, of which the volume of net flows of foreign investments by the EAEU countries comprised 32,4 billion drams. In the same period the foreign direct investments comprised 129,2 billion drams, of which around 1/3 40,1 billion drams, was made by the EAEU states, the minister said. Coming to 2022, the volume of net flows of foreign investments in Armenias economy in the first half comprised 41 billion drams. In the same period the volume of foreign direct investments comprised 76,5 billion drams, of which 57,5 billion drams was invested by the EAEU states. As for Armenias relations with the Eurasian Development Bank, the minister said that this year the Bank has signed several major deals in Armenia. YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 3, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian authorities and the staff of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reached a staff-level agreement on a 3-year precautionary Stand-By Arrangement (SBA), the IMF said in a statement. The agreement is subject to approval by the IMF Executive Board and is expected to be considered in December 2022. The proposed arrangement will support the governments economic program to achieve investment-driven, knowledge-based, and export-led growth, while preserving macroeconomic, fiscal, and financial stability and reducing poverty. At the request of the Armenian authorities, a staff team from the International Monetary Fund, led by Ms. Iva Petrova, visited Yerevan from September 26 to October 6 to discuss a three-year economic program supported by an IMF precautionary Stand-By Arrangement. At the conclusion of the discussions, including a series of virtual meetings, Ms. Petrova issued the following statement: I am pleased to announce that the IMF team and the Armenian authorities have reached a staff-level agreement on a precautionary Stand-By Arrangement for SDR 128.8 million (about $165.6 million) to support the governments economic program to preserve macroeconomic, fiscal, and financial stability, and to advance reforms to promote inclusive growth. The agreement is subject to approval by the IMF Executive Board, which is expected to consider it in December 2022. IMF forecast 11% economic growth for Armenia in 2022, in part driven by large inflows of external income, capital, and labor into the country. It is also said that the fiscal overperformance and dram appreciation have contributed to a significant decline in Armenias public debt, which is expected to drop to 51 percent of GDP this year from 60.3 percent of GDP in 2021. At the same time, the IMF said that the economic growth is expected to decelerate in 2023, reflecting weaker external demand and tighter global financial conditions, and to remain in the 4-5 percent range over the medium term. YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 3, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received ethnic Armenian Member of the Swedish Parliament, Chairman of the Swedish-Armenian friendship group Arin Karapet, the PMs Office said. Arin Karapet arrived in Yerevan for the participation in the first Global Armenian Summit. In his remarks Prime Minister Pashinyan welcomed the ethnic Armenian lawmakers visit to Armenia and maintenance of constant ties with the homeland. The PM highlighted the development of Armenian-Swedish inter-parliamentary and inter-governmental relations, including in economy, promotion of Armenias democratic agenda and other directions. In this respect, the necessity for organizing high-level mutual visits was emphasized. Arin Karapet in turn shared his impressions about the Global Armenian Summit and praised its works and the discussions held. He attached importance to creating and strengthening a constant connection between the Armenian lawmakers of parliaments of different countries, which, he said, will contribute to pro-Armenian activities abroad. The sides attached importance to the activity of the Sweden-Armenia friendship group, as well as the steps aimed at organizing air communication between the two countries. A number of issues relating to expanding the cooperation between the two countries in various areas were discussed. The meeting also touched upon issues relating to strengthening the Armenia-Diaspora ties, and the possibilities to hold the Global Armenian Summit annually. YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 3, ARMENPRESS. In 2023 Armenia will open diplomatic representations embassies, consulates, diplomatic offices, in a number of countries, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ararat Mirzoyan said during the debate of the 2023 state budget draft at the joint session of the parliamentary standing committees. In 2023 we are planning to open diplomatic representations and offices in a number of countries. At the moment we are planning to open an embassy in Uruguay and a consulate general in the city of Tabriz of Iran, the FM said. Iran has recently opened a consulate general in Armenias Kapan town, and there was an agreement long ago to open a consulate of Armenia in Tabriz. As for the opening of the embassy in Uruguay, the FM reminded that this agreement was reached last year during the visit of the Foreign Minister of Uruguay to Armenia. Having an embassy in Uruguay will enable us to establish separate relations also with the Latin American countries in that platform, the FM said. Armenia is also planning to open diplomatic offices at this moment. In Cyprus, it will operate under the Armenian Embassy in Greece, and in Serbia under the Embassy of Armenia in the Czech Republic. The minister highlighted the traditional warm relations between Armenia and Cyprus, stating that perhaps it will sound strange to many people that there hasnt been such a representation in Cyprus yet. Mirzoyan sees prospects also for the development of the relations with Serbia. Serbia also opened an embassy in Yerevan, and Armenia as well is going to open a diplomatic office in Serbia on reciprocity basis. We will also open a consulate office in the Russian city of Vladikavkaz. The problems related to Upper Lars played a role in our decision, he said. According to information published on the "Darek pro Putina / A Gift for Putin", thanks to a crowdfunding campaign launched in the Czech Republic that collected an amount of $1.3 million, Ukraine will receive new upgraded T-72M main battle tanks called T-72 Avenger. Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link Czech T-72 Avenger main battle tank for Ukraine. (Picture source A Gift for Putin website) Citing information from the official website A Gift for Putin, the amount of 1.2 million would have been collected in just a few months to provide T-72 main battle tanks to Ukraine as well as rockets for RM-70 rocket launchers, 152mm rounds for D-30 and D-20 towed guns and 120mm ammunition. The T-72 Avenger is a modernization of the Soviet-made T-72M1 which was in service with the Czech army. According to open source information, the Czech army would still have 89 T-72 tanks in store. The T-72 Avenger keeps the original main armament of the T-72M1 that consists of one 125mm 2A46 gun which can fire armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot (APFSDS), high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT), and high-explosive fragmentation (HEF) projectiles. The ammunition for the 2A46 gun is in two pieces including the projectile is loaded first, followed by a separate propellant charge. It can also fire the anti-tank guided missile 9M119M Reflex with a maximum firing range of 5,000 m. The T-72 Avenger includes several improvements in terms of firepower, protection, and communication. The tank is equipped with a new night vision system that can work in passive mode with a range of up to 4 km. The turret and the hull of the T-72 Avenger is fitted with a new ERA (Explosive Reactive Armor) offering more protection against anti-tank guided missiles. The ERA armor is used for the protection of tanks against antitank threats namely, High Explosive Anti Tank (HEAT) and Kinetic Energy ammunition. Reactive armor is intended to counteract anti-tank munitions that work by piercing the armor and then either kill the crew inside, disable vital mechanical systems, or create spalling that disables the crew or all three. In terms of communication, the T-72 Avenger is fitted with a modern radio station and intercom able to withstand electronic warfare attacks. The tank is also equipped with GPS navigation system able to transmit data and GPS coordinates. The term of the 182-member Gujarat state Assembly ends on February 18, 2023 New Delhi: Gujarat will go to polls in two phases on December 1 and 5 with the counting of votes on December 8 along with that of Himachal Pradesh, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar announced on Thursday. Of the total 182 assembly seats in Gujarat, voting for 89 seats will be held on December 1 and the balance 93 seats on December 5. Gujarat has a 182 member assembly and the BJP had pulled off its sixth consecutive victory winning 99 seats in the last polls, while the Congress put up a spirited fight by bagging 77 seats. In percentage terms, the BJP had polled 49.05 per cent of the valid votes, while Congress had polled 42.97 per cent. The Congress witnessed a series of defections after the assembly elections and the BJP increased its tally in the House to 111. The Congress numbers were reduced to 62. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has trained its sights on Gujarat and has already entered the election mode. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has made several trips to Gujarat in his bid to make inroads for the AAP in the state after a successful foray in Punjab. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also been visiting Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh frequently to inaugurate and launch several projects. Also, these elections along with a few more in other states in 2023 are being seen as crucial in the run up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections when Modi and BJP will bid for their third consecutive government at the Centre. The court said that it has accepted the prayers that electronic records be considered New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed the plea of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist Mohammad Arif alias Ashfaq seeking review of its judgement awarding death penalty to him in the 2000 Red Fort attack case that left three people, including two Army jawans, dead. A bench comprising Chief Justice Uday Umesh Lalit and Justice Bela M Trivedi said that it has accepted the prayers that electronic records be considered. We have accepted the prayers that electronic records must be placed in consideration. His guilt is proved. We affirm the view taken by this court and reject the review petition, the bench said. Arif was one of the accused, who had entered the Red Fort on December 22, 2000 and had opened indiscriminate firing leading to the death of three. The pontiff makes this appeal right after he arrived in the Gulf country on an apostolic visit. Like bread, work is often lacking, and often too, it is a bread that is poisoned, since it enslaves. Speaking about the nearby forgotten war in Yemen, he calls for weapons to fall silent and action be taken to truly build peace. Awali (AsiaNews) After a courtesy visit to King Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa at the Sakhir Royal Palace in Awali, first stop on his apostolic journey to Bahrain, Pope Francis this afternoon issued a strong appeal to the world on the topic of the dignity of work. In his address to the authorities, representatives of civil society groups, and the diplomatic corps, he said: From this country, which is so attractive for the employment opportunities that it provides, I would like to call attention once more to the global labour crisis. Labour is as precious as bread; like bread, it is often lacking, and often too, it is a bread that is poisoned, since it enslaves. These words are significant because they are spoken in a region, the Persian Gulf, which has become a destination for millions of migrant workers who are often victims of tragic working conditions. The pope warned against those situations in which people, rather than being the sacred and inviolable end and goal of work, are reduced instead to a mere means of producing wealth. Instead, Let us guarantee that working conditions everywhere are safe and dignified, that they foster rather than hinder peoples cultural and spiritual growth; and that they serve to advance social cohesion, to the benefit of common life and the development of each country. Acknowledging Bahrains significant contributions in this regard, Francis hopes the Gulf country will become a beacon through the region for the promotion of equal rights and improved conditions for workers, women and young people, while at the same time ensuring respect and concern for all those who feel most at the margins of society, such as immigrants and prisoners. For an authentic, humane, and integral development is measured above all by the concern shown to them. Speaking about Bahrains national, ethnic and religious pluralism, the pope said that it is proof that we can and must live together in our world, which in these decades has become a global village. Indeed, although globalization has taken root, in many ways we still lack the spirit of a village, as shown by hospitality, concern for others and a sense of fraternity. On the eve of the UN Climate Change Conference COP27, set to open on Sunday in Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt, Francis renewed his concerns about the environmental crisis. Let us work tirelessly in confronting this dramatic emergency and enact concrete and farsighted decisions inspired by concern for coming generations, before it is too late and their future is compromised! Likewise, he slammed once again the monstrous and senseless reality of war, which everywhere sows destruction and crushes hope. [. . .] every war, brings in its wake the death of truth. Let us reject the logic of weapons and change course, diverting enormous military expenditures to investments in combating hunger and the lack of healthcare and education. Speaking about the Arabian Peninsula, Francis turned in a particular and heartfelt way to Yemen, torn by a forgotten war that, like every war, issues not in victory but only in bitter defeat for everyone. I especially keep in my prayers the civilians, the children, the elderly and the sick. And I beg: Let there be an end to the clash of weapons! Let there be an end to the clash of weapons! Let there be an end to the clash of weapons! Let us be committed, everywhere and concretely, to building peace! King Ranch and the Foundation of Masculinity How King Ranch and Brown-Forman are Redefining What It Means to be a Man What makes a man a man? Is masculinity defined by certain qualities one possesses or is it more an ideology outlining the expectations of a man, something that changes from century to century depending on whos in power? With all the hot topic talk around pronouns and gender fluidity these days, it can be hard to remember a time when gender roles and gender social norms were the unquestioned lay of the land when being a man or being a woman evoked certain expected ways of being. Sure, those expectations were derivations of survival roles humans played long long ago, but some of what we still believe a man should be results from the accepted embodiment of those antiquated survival methods. RELATED: How We Teach Consent to Young Boys King Ranch To better understand the longstanding qualities and history often associated with the American Man and United States masculinity, one must look into the mythology of the cowboy and the wild west. The strong, chiseled, cigarette-smoking, John Wayne-type epitomized what it meant to be a man, a substance carved out from life on the American ranch. In conjunction with ranching, alcohol particularly bourbon whiskey has long been associated with what it means to be a man, so to better understand the origins of masculinity norms in the United States, I ventured to the birthplace of American ranching King Ranch in South Texas where the family-owned establishment had recently partnered with another family-owned legacy brand Brown-Forman to launch a King Ranch Edition of Old Forester Bourbon. When I arrive off the plane in Corpus Christie, Texas, Im greeted by a woman holding a sign for King Ranch. As I load my bag into the SUV, a man swings around the corner, adding his luggage to the trunk of the vehicle. The man is Scott Kleberg, board member of King Ranch and descendant of King Ranch founder, Richard King, who purchased the creek-fed oasis in 1853. King Ranch As we ride toward the ranch, Kleberg turns and asks, What does a trip about King Ranch and Old Forester have to do with AskMen? I explain Im exploring how the social norms of American masculinity are rooted in American ranching some norms of which are still very much present today and hope that by learning more about our ranching past through a visit to King Ranch, Ill better understand how being a man in western culture has been shaped by guns, horses and bourbon. Over the course of the visit, we engage in several traditional manly activities, including bourbon tasting, firing shotguns at clay targets, hand making leather goods and watching vaqueros train horses. And while these experiences helped provide a unique firsthand look at some of the human qualities ranch life embodies grit, determination, persistence, resilience an unforeseen element presented itself as the backbone of ranch life masculinity: authentic family values and the role of a strong woman. King Ranch Theres a popular adage, behind every strong man is an even stronger woman, and the phrase is particularly relevant when exploring what makes a man a man. If part of a mans traditional strength is to be a provider for his family, his strength in this area or his ability to provide is exponentially heightened by the woman or partner he chooses. In the case of King Ranch and maintaining an astonishing seven generations of family ownership, their success has less to do with a rough, gruff patriarch dolling out responsibilities to his clan and more to do with Captain Kings collaboration and shared values system with his wife, Henrietta King, which instilled the bedrock ideology of family taking care of family and the understanding that a unified cohesive collective is much stronger together than a family divided. In many ways, King Ranch exemplifies how true masculinity is not uncompromising, aggressive or brutish, but rather is diplomatic, logical, forward-thinking and respectful. True masculinity understands that some decisions or actions may not be met with enthusiasm from all parties seated at the table and, knowing this, provides space for discussion, shared input, and the acknowledgement that when it comes to instilling family values for future generations, they can only be imprinted if man and woman work in partnership toward the same goals, acting as one unit. Henrietta King is just as responsible for the growth of King Ranch as her husband, having taken over its operations after his death and helping to drive its expansion. The ability to do so, it could be said, has just as much to do with true masculinity as it does with true femininity: the ability to inspire, be authentic, and make decisions that benefit the collective, not only the individual. When values like the ones on which King Ranch was formed extend beyond the confines of masculinity and femininity, they become family values, and its these family values which served as the starting point for the King Ranch collaboration with Brown-Forman, the makers of Old Forester. Brown-Forman another legacy family in its eighth generation has also withstood the test of time by continuing to operate from a place of authenticity. Its the combination of authenticity and family values that unites these two families together, merging the resilient aura of South Texas with the integrity of the worlds first bottled bourbon to launch a product thats in alignment with their core beliefs. King Ranch In many ways, embarking on the journey to King Ranch demystified the idea of masculinity being born out of the lone cowboy who puts the world on his back for himself and his family, and instead of reinforcing an old Hollywood trope, the King Ranch experience highlighted that true masculinity exists in ones ability to create a legacy. Legacy doesnt mean you have to run a ranch in South Texas or a distillery in Kentucky, but it does mean having an awareness of who you are, what you stand for and how you want to give back to society and the common good. While popular culture wants us to believe that masculinity is defined by power, wealth, and control, we can use the example of King Ranch/Brown-Forman as a reminder of how ones values, ones choices, and ones actions are the true hallmark of what it means to be a man. By living authentically for yourself first, youre giving permission for others to follow in their own unique footsteps and flourish into the individual they are meant to become. True masculinity then becomes more about acceptance, compassion, humility and grace qualities more of us can learn to embody no matter which end of the gender spectrum we reside on for the betterment of each individual within the human collective and society as a whole. Follow @kingranchinc, @brownforman, @oldforester, and check out https://king-ranch.com and https://www.brown-forman.com for the latest on all things King Ranch and Brown-Forman You Might Also Dig: Email Newsletters Get the best of The Aspen Daily News in your inbox. Our newsletters are free, and you can unsubscribe at any time. Nationwide Catalytic Converter Theft Ring Busted Published Nov. 3, 2022 Federal, state and local law enforcement partners from across the U.S. executed a nationwide, coordinated takedown Nov. 2 of leaders and associates of a national network of thieves, dealers and processors for their roles in conspiracies involving stolen catalytic converters sold to a metal refinery for tens of millions of dollars. Arrests, searches and seizures took place in California, Oklahoma, Wyoming, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, North Carolina and Virginia. In total, 21 individuals in five states have been arrested and/or charged for their roles in the conspiracy. The 21 defendants are charged in two separate indictments unsealed Nov. 2 in the Eastern District of California and the Northern District of Oklahoma following extensive law enforcement arrest and search operations. In addition to the indictments, more than 32 search warrants were executed, and law enforcement seized millions of dollars in assets, including homes, bank accounts, cash and luxury vehicles. Amidst a rise in catalytic converter thefts across the country, the Justice Department has today carried out an operation arresting 21 defendants and executing 32 search warrants in a nationwide takedown of a multimillion-dollar catalytic converter theft network, said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. We will continue to work alongside our state and local partners to disrupt criminal conspiracies like this one that target the American people. Catalytic converters use precious metals in their core and are regularly targeted for theft due to the high value of these metals, especially palladium, platinum and rhodium. Some of these precious metals are more valuable per ounce than gold and their value has been increasing in recent years. The black-market price for catalytic converters can be above $1,000 each, depending on the type of vehicle and what state it is from. They can be stolen in less than a minute. Additionally, catalytic converters often lack unique serial numbers, VIN information or other distinctive identification features, making them difficult to trace to their lawful owner. Thus, the theft of catalytic converters has become increasingly popular because of their value, relative ease to steal and their lack of identifying markings. Eastern District of California Case A federal grand jury in the Eastern District of California returned a 40-count indictment charging nine defendants with conspiracy to transport stolen catalytic converters, conspiracy to commit money laundering and other related charges. According to court documents, brothers Tou Sue Vang, 31, and Andrew Vang, 27, and Monica Moua, 51, all of Sacramento, CA, allegedly operated an unlicensed business from their personal residence in Sacramento, where they bought stolen catalytic converters from local thieves and shipped them to DG Auto Parts LLC in New Jersey for processing. The Vang family allegedly sold more than $38 million in stolen catalytic converters to DG Auto. Defendants Navin Khanna, aka Lovin Khanna, 39; Tinu Khanna, aka Gagan Khanna, 35; Daniel Dolan, 44; Chi Mo, aka David Mo, 37; Wright Louis Mosley, 50; and Ishu Lakra, 24, all of New Jersey, operated DG Auto in multiple locations in New Jersey. They knowingly purchased stolen catalytic converters and, through a de-canning process, extracted the precious metal powders from the catalytic core. DG Auto sold the precious metal powders it processed from California and elsewhere to a metal refinery for over $545 million. Northern District of Oklahoma Case A federal grand jury in the Northern District of Oklahoma returned a 40-count indictment charging 13 defendants with conspiracy to receive stolen catalytic converters, conspiracy to commit money laundering and other related charges. According to court documents, together the defendants bought stolen catalytic converters from thieves on the street, then re-sold and shipped them to DG Auto in New Jersey for processing. Over the course of the conspiracy, defendant Tyler James Curtis received more than $13 million in wired funds from DG Auto for the shipment of catalytic converters and received more than $500,000 from Capital Cores for catalytic converters. Defendant Adam G. Sharkey received more than $45 million in wired funds from DG Auto. And defendant Martynas Macerauskas received more than $6 million in payments from DG Auto for catalytic converters. In all these incidents, most of the catalytic converters sold to DG Auto were stolen, and DG Auto knew or should have known that when they paid for them. The 13 defendants are Navin Khanna, 39, of Holmdel, NJ; Adam Sharkey, 26, of West Islip, NY; Robert Gary Sharkey, 57, of Babylon, NY; Tyler James Curtis, 26, of Wagoner, OK; Benjamin Robert Mansour, 24, of Bixby, OK; Reiss Nicole Biby, 24, of Wagoner, OK; Martynas Macerauskas, 28, of Leila Lake, TX; Kristina McKay Macerauskas, 21, of Leila Lake, TX; Parker Star Weavel, 25, of Tahlequah, OK; Shane Allen Minnick, 26, of Haskell, OK; Ryan David LaRue, 29, of Broken Bow, OK; Brian Pate Thomas, 25, of Choteau, OK; and Michael Anthony Rhoden, 26, of Keifer, OK. Trial Attorney Danbee C. Kim of the Criminal Divisions Organized Crime and Gang Section, Assistant U.S. Attorney Veronica M.A. Alegria for the Eastern District of California, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Reagan Reininger and David Nasar for the Northern District of Oklahoma are prosecuting the cases. The FBI Sacramento, IRS-CI Sacramento, HSI Tulsa and IRS-CI Tulsa are investigating the cases. Source: U.S. Department of Justice The same can be said about Hyundai, which entered the U.S. market in 1986 with the Excel. The 1994 model in the featured clip is a second-generation Excel with a fuel-injected engine that puts out a rather uninspiring 81 horsepower, exactly what you would expect from a relatively affordable hatchback. On the other hand, the all-new Genesis G90 produces 409 horsepower and 405 pound-foot (550 Nm).This latest episode of Icons with Jason Cammisa pits the lowly Excel against the G90 , but with a twist. As the headline implies, the Genesis drag races the little Hyundai in reverse, winning the quarter-mile sprint in 18 seconds at 66 miles per hour (106 kph). With two people onboard, namely Cammisa and Randy Pobst, the Excel needed 19.8 seconds.Not bad for a luxobarge that weighs approximately 5,200 pounds (2,359 kilograms). The question is, can the G90 hold its own against the Lexus LS 500h? From a technical standpoint, it should be a given that it features an e-supercharger with 48-volt assistance and a force-fed V6 engine.It also flaunts a torque-converter automatic, whereas the golden standard from Japan features a four-speed automatic and a continuously variable transmission to create a 10-speed unit. Total system output is officially rated at 354 horsepower and 369 pound-foot (500 Nm) of torque. Obviously enough, the G90 makes easy work of the LS in the quarter mile, although both of them are rendered slow by the GV60.Twinned with the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6, the GV60 is the most luxurious vehicle based on the E-GMP vehicle architecture thus far. In a previous episode of Cammisa Drag Race Replay, it held its own against a Z51-equipped Chevrolet Corvette Stingray from the previous generation, which is no slouch . Both of them crossed the line in 12.3 seconds. The Japanese automaker set up a special livestream for this event. Professional skateboarder and rallycross driver Bucky Lasek and his daughter Paris Lasek will host the event. As to whats in the offing for the next generation, it will take the models up-for-anything versatility, capability, and style to new places. Thats it, at least for the time being.The design teaser provided by Subaru doesnt show much in the way of well, exterior design. On the other hand, the familiar proportions lead us to believe that its more of a heavy facelift marketed as an all-new model.From the roofline to the hard points of the five-door hatchback, Subaru appears to have used the Subaru Global Platform of the fifth generation. Save for the BRZ, the Subaru Global Platform underpins every single Subaru on sale in the United States for the 2022 and 2023 model years. The sixth-generation Impreza is due to arrive at U.S. dealers for MY24.Subaru isnt known to be working on a brand-new platform. If the SGP does underpin the newcomer, then dont expect any sort of novelties in terms of oily bits. All-wheel drive plus a four-cylinder boxer should be standard issue, although we dont know if Subaru decided in favor of a six-speed manual rather than the five-speed manual of the 2023 Impreza.Speaking of which, the 2023 model is currently listed at $19,795 excluding destination charge for the Base Sedan. The hatchback, which is called the 5-Door on the configurator, retails from $20,295 at press time. Catch Me If You Can? Challenge accepted. In two days' time, here's how we'll attempt to catch Electron with a helicopter as the rocket returns from space. More mission info: https://t.co/Uc9nTRitaa pic.twitter.com/XgPRl5x7r2 Rocket Lab (@RocketLab) November 2, 2022 Back in May, we learned of a space company called Rocket Lab using a Sikorsky S-92 helicopter to catch the booster of an Electron rocket as it descended after launch. The mission, called There And Back Again, was as strange as they get, but only a taste of more such things to come.On November 4, another Rocket Lab Electron Rocket will lift off again, carrying to space a Swedish satellite called Mesospheric Airglow/Aerosol Tomography and Spectroscopy (MATS), meant to study our planets atmosphere.The rockets reusable booster will fall to the ground after that, and just like in May, the same helicopter will fly out and meet it over the waters near the New Zealand Banks Peninsula.Now, we all know returning boosters are fast, some 5,157 mph (8,300 kph) fast. To slow down to a more manageable 22 mph (36 kph), it uses a parachute system, and it is this system the Sikorsky will use to grab it in the air.To do that, the helicopters pilot will have to climb above the boosters position, match its descent speed, and use a hook to catch the parachute line.Now, all that sounds awfully complicated as it requires a lot of coordination, but an animation video released by Rocket Lab shows just how easy it could all be with the right people in place.You can enjoy all the animated action in the tweet attached below. The real deal will be made public after the mission, called Catch Me If You Can, on November 4. South Africa: Cabinet welcomes 2022 MTBPS Cabinet has welcomed the bold measures introduced in the 2022 Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) to restore the health of the countrys public finances, just as the world economy was taking a dangerous turn for the worse. This development is contained in a Cabinet statement, following its meeting on Thursday. The steps announced by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana in Parliament, Cape Town on Wednesday, 26 October 2022, included narrowing our budget deficit greatly to improve our fiscal framework, support our economic standing and give South Africans every confidence in the future prospects of our economy. The planned increase in contingency reserves allows us to deal with emergencies such as natural disasters. The 2022 MTBPS further boosts our key priorities of infrastructure and service-delivery programmes, and provides additional relief to support the poor and vulnerable in our nation, said Cabinet. At its meeting, Cabinet called on all socio-economic sectors to partner with the government to uplift the economy to improve the lives of citizens across the country. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2022-11-03. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Interview: CIIE contributes to global trade, world's economic prosperity, says Iran's top saffron producer Xinhua) 09:21, November 03, 2022 TEHRAN, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- By helping develop trade and friendly relations among firms from different countries and regions, the China International Import Expo (CIIE) substantially contributes to the expansion of global trade and the world's economic prosperity, said the CEO of Iran's top saffron production company. The expo provides the participating companies with a unique opportunity to better present themselves at the international level, Ali Shariati-Moghadam, CEO of Novin Saffron company, told Xinhua in a recent interview. Born in Kashmar County, the northeastern Iranian province of Khorasan Razavi, Shariati-Moghadam started to cultivate saffron on a piece of land given by his mother at the age of 14. Founded in 1992, Shariati-Moghadam's company is a top Iranian exporter. He received a medal and plaque of honor from Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi last month. "My company's participation in the CIIE has a strategic feature," said the CEO. The CIIE's fifth edition is set to be held in Shanghai on Nov. 5-10. Shariati-Moghadam hopes to present his company's products, ranging from high-quality saffron to its byproducts such as saffron instant beverage powder, to the Chinese market through the upcoming expo. He described China as a favorable and lucrative market for his company's products, owing to a more health-conscious public with a rising purchasing power. He said his company has defined a mission to present saffron to mainly East Asian countries, like China, Japan and South Korea, as a food ingredient. "We are very interested in presenting our products at the expo and even seek to begin joint production of some of them in China in the future, as saffron and such Chinese medicinal herbs as ginseng, and green tea, can make a very good combination," Shariati-Moghadam noted. This would be his first participation in the CIIE. "I count on the upcoming expo as a new start and a turning point in my company's activities and cooperation with Chinese businessmen," the Iranian businessman said. As a major international exhibition with leading companies from different corners of the world participating, the CIIE provides firms around the globe with the opportunity to "experience a real-life small-scale global village", to "meet and know each other better, exchange experiences and expand their businesses," he said. While his company will see its debut in the CIIE, Shariati-Moghadam said he has already taken part in several other exhibitions in cities like Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai. "My previous participation in Chinese expos gave me the feeling that the country's market has a huge potential for joint projects in the field of saffron production," he said. Shariati-Moghadam said he noticed a growing number of European participants in Chinese exhibitions, "an indication of their popularity and importance." "In my previous participations in other Chinese exhibitions, what caught my eye was the rapid development of the country, which makes it a favorable market for cooperation," said Shariati-Moghadam. "I maintain that China has chosen the right path for development," and "over the past decades, it has managed to eliminate a large number of cumbersome regulations and has also made huge and diverse international investments," he said. The CIIE "gives China's value and supply chains an important advantage," and "helps facilitate trade relations and contacts among companies from different parts of the world," Shariati-Moghadam added. (Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Liang Jun) AWD Six years have gone by since Rob Dahm introduced his plans to build the ultimate rotary-powered vehicle. He had already experimented with a triple-rotor RX-7 before but wasn't fully satisfied with the build. The car was exciting to drive and quite fast, but it had lost the balance it came with originally.With a growing community behind him, he took the first mock-up of the car to the SEMA Show in 2016. The project was named "Ahura", and it instantly generated a wave of reactions across the world of automotive enthusiasts.Rob planned to build a turbocharged, four-rotor Mazda RX-7 withto provide stability in all given circumstances. Initial predictions revealed a required budget of about a quarter of a million dollars, but we're not sure how far things have gone since.He encountered some initial drawbacks, as reportedly UPS had lost the four-rotor engine during the shipping process. That attracted even more attention to the project, but it didn't take long for everything to get back on track.In August 2019, Rob announced that he would be installing a Garrett 106mm billet wheel turbocharger on the car. Reportedly, that's big enough to take a normal piston engine up to 3,000 hp. But the planned output for the RX-7 would be slightly less than half of that figure.Not long after that point, a $20,000 sequential transmission would come into play as well. The car would go back to SEMA in 2019, and it looked as if it was already completed. In December 2020, the Hoonigans posted a video of the 4-Rotor RX-7 drag-racing the Hoonicorn In a way, these cars are related as Rob drew inspiration from Ken Block's Mustang to start working on his car. But the RX-7 wasn't quite dialed in yet at the time they went head-to-head and you can probably guess what the outcome was.Six months ago, we saw one of the first big shakedowns of the project on a new Top Gear YouTube series called American Tuned. But the clear goal for Rob Dahm was to have the car ready for SEMA in Las Vegas . 149 episodes and six years into the making, that moment has come.And it's amazing to see the result of all those years of hard work and solving seemingly endless problems. It makes you wonder how many people could have pulled this off, not just from a financial perspective. One thing you have to appreciate about this build is that it stays true to the original lines of the FD RX-7.Even though this is a completely custom machine, you can still tell it's a third-generation RX-7. And it's nice to see that the owner wanted to somehow pay tribute to the original Montego Blue paint job with this final design. There are still probably some things to figure out with this insane project, and we can only hope Rob will choose to demonstrate its potential via a legendary racetrack like the Nurburgring or Tsukuba.Seeing that David Mazzei is building a rotary-powered race car of his own, we can only begin to wonder how Rob is going to match that within the next few years. There are rumors of a six-rotor car being built at present time, but we will follow up on that story when we have more details about the whole thing. NHTSA Tonight our driverless service area in SF expands to cover almost all of SF. Today is also exactly one year since my first ride, the first driverless ride in a major US city. pic.twitter.com/82PnXXRd5t Kyle Vogt (@kvogt) November 1, 2022 Cruises CEO, Kyle Vogt, made the announcement in a Twitter post on Wednesday. Vogt explained that the driverless taxi service now includes the Mission, Marina, the Presidio, and much of the western and southern areas of the city. Two significant areas are still not covered: Twin Peaks, which is mostly open space with many closed roads, and the Financial District, which Vogt named as the SFs busiest neighborhood.The expanded service zone is now available to Cruise employees only, with a wider rollout planned in a few weeks. This does not mean that Cruise will now operate freely in San Francisco. The service is still available to select customers who signed up on a public waitlist, and Cruise autonomous vehicles still work during limited time intervals. Cruise expansion comes at a time when the company is under scrutiny, both from the local authorities and the. According to San Francisco Standard, city transit officials have criticized the companys activities, highlighting many safety hazards and traffic problems caused by its autonomous vehicles. These culminated on June 3rd with a crash that led to a software recall on all 80 cars in Cruises fleet.Most of the problems are related to Cruise vehicles blocking lanes and causing traffic jams on the citys busiest roads. Some scenes have become viral on social media, prompting city officials to claim that Cruise vehicles could quickly exhaust emergency response resources and could undermine public confidence in all automated driving technology.Despite the setbacks, Cruise parent company General Motors wants to deploy the Cruise Origin capsule next year. Unlike current Chevrolet Bolt vehicles, Cruise Origin would not have a steering wheel, although early testing prototypes would still have a human driver supervising the operation. EV Zypp Electric is based in India and has been around for more than five years, describing itself as a leading tech-enabled-as-a-service-platform. It delivers various types of items, from groceries to food, medicine, e-commerce packages, and more. Zypp and Gogoro plan to electrify last-mile delivery fleets via Gogoros battery swapping network. The ultimate goal is to transform urban transportation by introducing electric two-wheeled vehicles that are safe, reliable, and powered by Gogoros swappable batteries.In the first phase of the joint project, the two companies will launch a battery swapping B2B pilot in Delhi, with this trial being scheduled to kick off next month. The Taiwan-based company explains that the B2B pilot will be deployed to multiple fleet operators to help them adopt sustainable energy and to support last-mile fulfillment, e-commerce, and hyper-local deliveries.Gogoro boasts of having facilitated over 350 million battery swaps to date, with its platform enabling delivery operators to increase their efficiency. It also claims to power 95 percent of all electric scooters in Taiwan. On the market since 2011, the company aims to change the way urban energy is distributed and consumed.The ever-expanding Gogoro Network now includes over 11,000 GoStations in more than 2,240 locations, hosting approximately 370,000 battery swaps each day.Gogoro continues to add new partners and locations to its list. For instance, last year, the company announced its intention to launch 80 swapping stations in China, under the Huan Huan brand, a joint venture between Gogoro, Yadea, and Dachangjiang. The Taiwanese company also arrived in Tel Aviv, Israel, this September, teaming up with two-wheeler distributor Metro Motor and with the gas and energy company Paz Group. The reason is as simple as it could be: Google Maps is the top navigation software out there, making every journey a lot safer, more predictable, and in many ways, faster.But on the other hand, theres no guarantee Google Maps always feels at home on an iPhone. And after the most recent iOS updates, it really doesnt, as Google Maps is misbehaving in the worst possible ways.One glitch that I discovered after updating my iPhone 14 Pro to iOS 16.1 was the inaccurate location that it showed on the map on CarPlay . The application is occasionally finding me in a completely different place, and as a result, the navigation instructions that it provides are wrong.While the GPS tracking problems might be related to the phones sensor, Im seeing similar reports coming from users of other iPhone models out there, both old and new. Not everybody is struggling with the same errors, though, so at first glance, it all seems to be a glitch that Google itself needs to investigate.Unfortunately, a workaround doesnt seem to exist right now, so for the time being, users have no other option than to wait for either Google or Apple to come up with a fix.In the meantime, the only thing we can do is to give up on Google Maps completely. Switching to the likes of Waze and Apple Maps could work, especially as these apps dont seem to exhibit any GPS tracking problems once again, this could be an indication that the problem indeed resides in Google Maps.Oddly enough, Google Maps seems to be working properly when CarPlay isnt connected, so figuring out what happens could end up becoming quite a challenge even for Google itself. For the sophisticated traveler. Experience the #LexusLX 600 Urban concept at @SEMAShow. #LexusSEMA #SEMA2022 *Modifications on vehicles shown may void warranty, impact performance/safety, and may not be street legal. pic.twitter.com/lVLltQ6ray Lexus (@Lexus) November 3, 2022 At home cruising downtown rather than bashing dunes into submission, the LX has embraced its urban character at the 2022 SEMA Show. Based on the 600 F Sport, the appropriately named Urban Concept is described as an attainable aftermarket build for the sophisticated urban traveler.Attainable may not be the appropriate word, starting with the sticker price of a brand-new LX. The most affordable specification available right now is $88,245, excluding destination charge, which means that a well-equipped rig will set you back well over a honey bun. The builds aftermarket upgrades arent exactly attainable either, with the Artisan Spirits-supplied Black Label titanium exhaust system opening the list of goodies.Spruced up with HRE 540 wheels beautified with a bronze center finish and gloss-black outers, this LX certainly stands out. Pricing for the 24- by 10-inch wheels in this very specification is not available, but if you are curious, the most affordable variant of the 540 costs $2,125 per corner.Rather than chunky off-road tires or sticky rubber for the road, this build is gifted with all-season boots from Toyo. Measuring 285/40 by 24 inches on every corner, the pictured Proxes ST III tires cost more than $350 each.Conceived by Annex Marketing, the Urban Concept also flaunts a more grounded look achieved by a custom body kit with color-matched paint and exposed carbon fiber. The body kit comes courtesy of Artisan Spirits. The final piece of the puzzle is the braking system, which now features Brembo B-M8s with eight-piston calipers and 412-mm discs up front. After careful consideration, the NPS has decided to keep the upper portion of Beach Drive closed to vehicles 365 days a year. Learn more: https://t.co/bT1V8Gov3x Rock Creek Park (@RockCreekNPS) November 2, 2022 Rock Creek Parks Beach Drive Road is one of the scenic routes locals and tourists can take to enjoy some silence and fresh air. The foliage, for example, is spectacular during fall. The National Parks Service (NPS) previously closed portions of Beach Drive Road for seasonal recreation purposes. However, after people started spending more and more time in the park, the authorities decided it was the right moment to revisit the applicable policy.The NPS held a public consultation that contained three ideas do nothing, close Upper Beach Drive for good, and keep the rules regarding seasonal closure. Even though they wanted to go with the latter, after people submitted their preferred scenario, the NPS decided to ban cars for good.A full-time closure of this section of Beach Drive will provide safer park experiences year-round by reducing conflicts between people who walk, bicycle and drive, said the NPS in a press release available in full down below.Until this policy gets revisited, Upper Beach Drive remains closed to cars. However, there are some portions of the scenic route where that are still accessible by cars. Wise Road, Military Road, and Ross Drive allow drivers to travel through Rock Creek Park via the middle part of Beach Drive.Pedestrians and cyclists will enjoy around five new miles of roads only for them. The sections begin from Broad Branch Road to Joyce Road, from Picnic Area 10 to Wise Road, and from West Beach Drive to the border between DC and Maryland The NPS decision made a lot of people happy, and many have expressed their gratitude on various online platforms. Still, some disagree and argue the authorities should not penalize the many for the pleasure of the few.The NPS worked together with the District of Columbias Department of Transportation to figure out if blocking this road indefinitely to drivers would make adjacent traffic a nightmare. Research revealed there would not be that much of an impact. Mongolias capital city witnessed an expensive crash not long ago, presumably, considering that the only image of the aftermath that we could find was shared by supercar.fails on Instagram one day ago, which involved two costly high-riders: a Rolls-Royce Cullinan and a Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe.Since the British luxury machine had two wheels on the sidewalk when the picture was taken, it probably means that it was parked when the accident happened. That would mean that it was the German executive crossover coupe that crashed into it.However, thats just our two cents, because the social media post embedded at the bottom of this story doesnt say anything about it. Thus, if you have more information about this pricey accident involving the two SUVs, then feel free to share it with us in the comments area down below.Besides the badly bruised left side, with deep marks on the front and rear quarter panels, and doors, the Cullinan has additional damages to its rear axle, as the wheel on the left side does seem to hang by a thread. As a result, besides the cosmetic work, it is going to need some new mechanical components too.We dont know what kind of damages the GLE Coupe has, but in all likelihood, the face, and particularly the left front end, is perhaps all messed up. Still, nothing that cannot be fixed here either, albeit for a considerable amount of money, because this is a Mercedes, and we all know that parts dont come cheap, do we? It is probably safe to assume that none of the occupants of the two vehicles were injured as a result of this accident, and that is always good news to us. The Israeli company developed a cell it calls either extreme fast charge (XFC) or 100in5, meaning it recovers 100 miles of range in only five minutes of fast charging. According to StoreDot, they will be ready in 2024 about the same time QuantumScape should be selling its solid-state cell if everything goes according to the plan.Compared to the SES speech, the main difference is that StoreDot believes solid-state cells are feasible. So much so that it is developing one that it calls 100in2. As you probably guessed, it means this battery will recover 100 miles of range in only two minutes. Too bad it will only be available by 2032, or eight years after QuantumScape starts selling its solution.Doron Myersdorf talked about these deadlines when he asked leading battery developers to give global automotive manufacturers a realistic and hype-free roadmap for the introduction of extreme fast-charging battery technologies. Like SES , he believes semi-solid-state cells are a safer bet. StoreDot should offer its 100in3 solution yes, 100 miles in 3 minutes by 2028.If StoreDots competitors can achieve their promises, it will not be the market that is not able to offer a solid-state battery in less than ten years: it will be StoreDot. That will force it to sell its XFC cells for a lower price than the solid-state batteries from anyone, particularly from QuantumScape. That is also a danger for SES and its semi-solid-state lithium metal cell: their only selling point will be a more affordable product. At this point, StoreDots warning looks more like a defensive move than an accurate prophecy. Well only know which one of these two options it really is by 2025. While the seller of this 1979 Chevrolet Corvette L82 didn't provide too much info regarding the car, they said enough about it to attract savvy potential buyers. Yet, with six more days to go, there were only two bids for this T-top, and the best offer was $4,050. But let's dig a little.In 1978, Chevrolet adopted a new styling for the C3 Corvette . It was the year when the rear end was drastically improved by the introduction of the fastback rear window. It was a welcomed fresh appearance that made the customers go nuts. But, of course, there were a lot of people who preferred the previous styling of a classic-looking coupe. But you know what? The aerodynamics laws favored this version.The car you see here was produced a year later, in 1979, and it's the L82 version. Its 350 ci (5.7-liter) engine produced 220 hp (223 ps), and that was enough to propel the car from naught to 60 in a mere 6.6-seconds, albeit with a manual transmission. Unfortunately, the one that you see here is fitted with a three-speed auto, and the seller didn't specify if the car is a matching number or not. But more importantly, is that it runs and drives. Yet, it is not roadworthy since it has a leak on the brakes lines and... that's all for the bad news.Moving to the somewhat good news is that the car's interior looks quite good for its age. It features standard leather-wrapped bucket seats and is complete. True, the door cards need some repairs, and the same goes for the glove compartment, but nothing is horrid here.Moving on the outside, it is clear that the car needs a paint job. Yet, the chassis is sound, and looking at the pictures, we found something rather interesting. The rear wheels are fitted with the wider P255/60R15 rear tires, which helped the car hug the road better instead of the 225/70R15 ones that were more common. In addition, the seller will also throw some spare parts as part of the sale, including a stainless steel exhaust system. The one that's fitted now might wake up all your neighbors. They also advised the buyer to come with a trailer since the car's brakes are not to be trusted. Also, make sure to have some room on that flatbed to carry a new radiator and rear leaf spring since these parts are also included in the sale.We saw cars like this, same year and options, selling for $27,000, so if you could find a way to get it at a reasonable price, you might get some profit out of it. The auction will end on November 8th, and if you want to see the car in person, you should make a trip to Carbondale, Pennsylvania, where this C3 Corvette is located. SUV AWD FWD CVT Over in America, one can have the 2023 Kia Seltos as the companys second most affordable crossoverfrom a starting MSRP of $22,840 (not including $1,295 destination). However, the popular subcompact crossover SUV introduced in 2019 is mostly a carryover model with minor feature enhancements in the areas of noise reduction and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) newly added Blindspot Collision Avoidance-Rear (BCA-R) and Rear-Cross-Traffic Collision Avoidance (RCCA), according to Kia.As a refresher, Kia developed the Seltos to fill the ridiculously small gap between the Soul (Stonic or Sonet in other markets) and the ubiquitous Sportage. But it was also careful to tailor the model according to various regional needs, so there is an SP2 born in South Korea for developed markets like North America and Australasia, as well as India and China-made versions.Thus, it is quite interesting that America is getting an unchanged 2023 model year Seltos while Kia just announced (we could even say teased since the company is promising the complete details including more images, videos, and detailed specs for later this month) a refreshed 2023 model year Seltos for Australia . For now, we only have one hero picture with the CUV, as well as pricing information and the promise that its new Seltos will hit Australian dealer lots sometime this month, ready to set a benchmark in small SUV design.We do have some additional details, though. As such, Kias Seltos will arrive refreshed with distinctive new design elements and a suite of new and enhanced safety and convenience features, including Kia Connect, Kias recently introduced telematics system. There is also an upgraded Smartstream 1.6 T-GDIengine paired only with the Sport+ and GT-Line trims while the mill also benefits from Kias 8-speed torque converter automatic transmission (8AT) for a smoother overall driving experience.Prices kick off at AUD31,690, which is just $19,999 at the current exchange rates, but that is with the Atkinson cycle 2.0 MPIengine and. The flagship Sport+ and GT-Line with the 1.6 T-GDI and 8AT AWD go for AUD 41,990 and 47,690, respectively. By the way, that equates to $26,502 and $30,099 in greenbacks. Some three weeks ago, MINI made public the return of the three-pedaled cars for American buyers. However, with the vast preference for automatic transmissions by carmakers and customers alike, only a few know how to manage the floor lever in tandem with the accelerator and clutch.So MINI USA is offering a course to solve the issue with the MINI Manual Driving School at the BMW Performance Center in Thermal, California. The facility "is open to any drivers looking for the opportunity to learn to drive a manual in an engaging and safe atmosphere.Held solely at the BMW Group Performance Center West, the course consists of two sections. The introduction to the technicalities of clutch-and-lever operation and the evident hands-on driving experience at the on-site test track.MINI has always been regarded as a fun-powered and fun-powering brand. The minuscule automobile is one epitome of driving essence, with generations of owners supporting the manual transmission feature. However, some drivers may be hindered from experiencing the joy of driving an iconic manual car because they either forgot or didnt learn at all.MINIs program aims to build the basics in drivers who wish to step outside the comfort zone of not caring about the gear changes while at the wheel. The studies pay particular attention to vehicle controls , learning about and finding the friction point, and mastering smooth starts, stops, and acceleration.Before getting in the drivers seat of a car with a manual transmission and venturing into public road traffic, attendants will take a test (against the clock). MINI pupils must prove they can handle the old-school way of using two feet on three pedals and the right hand off the steering wheel.For over a decade, consumers have ranked MINI as the most fun to drive brand in America, which is exactly why we brought back the manual transmission, said Rah Mahtani, Brand Communications Manager, MINI USA. The course is not only informative but also a fun and challenging learning experience for a new generation of MINI drivers that they will remember forever. From this month on, MINIs are available with manual transmission for U.S.-based fans of the brand. The Cooper, Cooper S, and John Cooper Works variants of the two-door hardtop are offered with the traditional gearbox as an option. MPV EV WLTP The first vehicle to be sold there is the 001, the first one to present Geelys Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) , which is now in several other electric cars, such as the Lotus Eletre and the Radar RD6. ZEEKR has recently presented its first, the 009, which also uses that electric platform.Conghui An disclosed the plans in a roundtable with press members on November 1. According to Reuters, Geely's president and ZEEKR CEO did not mention exactly when sales will begin, who will sell the cars, what prices the company will charge for the 001, or if it will ever be produced in Europe. At first, it should only be exported from China.Considering it does not come from a known brand, the 001 sold fairly well in China. Reuters said that ZEEKR sold 39,474 units of the liftbackfrom January until September 2022. It also compared its sales with those of the Tesla Model Y in that country, but these vehicles only compete in price.It would not be strange if the ZEEKR 001 for the European market would already arrive with the Qilin CTP 3.0 battery pack. CATL said that it would have a 1,000-kilometer (621-mile) range and would be sold in China in the second quarter of 2023. Although these numbers were probably obtained in CLTC (China light-duty vehicle test cycle), thefigures should not be much different.That would ensure ZEEKR had a blasting European premiere, even if it is not a widely known brand outside China perhaps even in its local market. When the 001 arrives, it will not feel misplaced: Chinese car companies are invading Europe at a fast pace and are causing a good impression with customers and journalists. Pashinian and the 14 other members of the board were elected by 1,024 delegates of a party congress held in Yerevan on Saturday. Subsequent reports in the Armenia said that some delegates, including senior party figures not elected to the board, demanded a recount because they suspect that the vote results were rigged. Lawmakers affiliated with Civil Contract and the party spokesman pointedly declined to comment on those suspicions on Thursday morning and afternoon. Another senior party member, Tigran Avinian, told Factor.am later in the day that the ballots cast for board candidates have been recounted and revealed some inaccuracies. It emerged that two of the newly elected board members, Deputy Prime Minister Hambardzum Matevosian and Civil Contracts parliamentary leader Hayk Konjorian, got fewer votes than Emergencies Minister Armen Pambukhchian and former Health Minister Arsen Torosian. The initial vote results showed that Pambukhchian and Torosian did not win enough support to remain in the party leadership. The latter is understood to have been among those who demanded the recount. Avinian suggested that this was the result of organizational and technical issues, rather than deliberate fraud. The issue will be discussed at the Civil Contract board meeting tonight, he said. Pashinian and his political team claim to have eliminated electoral fraud in Armenia after coming to power in 2018. The prime minister regularly states that power finally belongs to the people. Arayik Harutiunian, the chief of Pashinians staff and a former party chairman, denied any vote irregularities at the Civil Contract convention when he spoke to journalists on Wednesday. The people elected to the board are the ones for whom most delegates voted, said Harutiunian. Its a bit strange for me that your filters are stuck in 2017. This is the most democratic party that has ever existed in Armenia. According to the initial vote results, the new Civil Contract board will comprise several newcomers. At least three of them defected to Pashinians party from other political groups after the 2018 regime change. They got more delegate votes than some veteran party figures. Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigorian and his Azerbaijani counterpart Shahin Mustafayev head commissions on border demarcation and delimitation set up by their governments this spring. They chaired the first joint session of the two commissions in May. The latest session was arranged and facilitated by European Union officials, including Toivo Klaar, the EUs special envoy to the South Caucasus. Stefano Sannino, the secretary general of the EUs External Action Service, greeted the Armenian and Azerbaijani officials at the start of the meeting. The European Union urges the sides to take steps to improve security on the ground and to achieve progress on delimitation, Sannino tweeted afterwards. The Armenian Foreign Ministry said that the two sides continued discussing delimitation issues in view of understandings reached by Armenias and Azerbaijans leaders in different formats. They addressed organizational and procedural issues and agreed to speed up efforts to work out practical modalities of their joint work, the ministry said in a statement. No other details were reported. Both the EU and Russia have been trying to facilitate the delimitation process. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday again expressed readiness to provide Soviet-era military maps for that purpose. Armen Grigorian, the secretary of Armenias Security Council, said on October 12 that Baku and Yerevan are planning to both complete the delimitation and sign a bilateral peace treaty before the end of this year. He said they reached such understandings during high-level peace talks that followed the September 13-14 fighting on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. The talks were organized by the EU and the United States. For Linda Jost, helping others was always first nature to her. Jost is a homeopathic practitioner, where she uses natural remedies to cure sic Representatives from over 27 local Hindu mandirs and communities, such as Hindu Counil of Kenya, ISKCON Temple, Balaji Temple, Pattni Brotherhood, Oshwal Community, Lohana Samaj, Sikh Community, Patel Brotherhood and others, attended the Unity Forum at BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir, Nairobi. Titled Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam the forum featured discussions on protecting and preserving Vedic Hindu Sanatan Dharma. Addressing the assembly, Mahamahopadhyaya Bhadreshdas Swami talked about the importance of coming together to sustain bhasha (language), bhusha (attire), bhojan (food) and bhajan (spirituality) the four roots Hindu culture. He reminded everyone about the importance of respecting every place of worship, their traditions and culture. He also explained the importance of mandir (temple), shastra (scripture) and sant (spiritual leader) as the foundations of Sanatan Hindu Dharma, and of encouraging youths to daily read our shastras. He prayed for harmony and peace amongst all, and the strengthening of Vedic Sanatan values. His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj sent his blessings for the event, In the spirit of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, meaning the world is one family, lets extend the circle of global harmony. All who attended appreciated the BAPS Sansthas efforts to promote harmony and unity by organizing the Unity Forum and were inspired with renewed pride for Vedic Sanatan Dharma. Shutterstock.com The Bible is universal.The Bible is available in 426 languages and the New Testament is available in 1,115 languages, but there is more work to be done according to christianresearch.org. There are "Over 4,500 languages still wait for even one book of the Bible. This means millions either have no access to the Bible at all or can only encounter it in something other than their heart language." There are 17 historical books.There are 17 historical books of the Bible. There is Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther. The oldest men in the Bible.The oldest man in the Bible was Methuselah, a descendant of Adam and Noah's grandfather. According to Genesis 5:27 he "Lived 969 years and then he died." The second oldest man of the Bible was a sixth-generation descendant of Adam and Eve named Jared. He at the age of 962, making him the second-oldest person mentioned in the Bible. There are specific ways to approach prayer.Did you know there are 9 ways to approach prayer according to the Bible? They can be found in the New and Old Testament. There is the act of praise, confession, thanksgiving, petition, commitment, intercession, benediction, confidence and forgiveness. God miraculously helped Hezekiah.Hezekiah was struggling on how he would be able to defeat the king of Assyria. He cried out to the Lord at the temple. Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Give ear, Lord, and hear; open your eyes, Lord, and see; listen to all the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God." The Lord answered by sending an angel to put 185,000 Assyrian soldiers to death overnight. Jesus and John the Baptist were second cousins.Jesus' mother, Mary and John's mother, Elizabeth were second cousins. However, the word "cousin" can mean "relative" as it was interpreted by 17th Century scholars for the King James Bible published in 1611. John the Baptist and Jesus could be second cousins as indicated in Luke 1:36. "What's more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her 6th month." The sun moved backward.Hezekiah had great moments with God for sure. He witnessed another miracle in Isaiah 38:8, "I will make the shadow cast by the sun go back the 10 steps it has gone down on the stairway on Ahaz." So the sunlight went back the ten steps it had gone down." The sun stopped.The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down for about a full day when Joshua asked the Lord for help as he needed aid against his attackers. "The sun stood still, and the moon stayed until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. And there has been no day like that, before it or after it, that the Lord heeded a voice of a man; for the Lord fought for Israel." There was a really tall man.Okay, did you know that there was a man so tall that he needed a 13-foot bed? According to Deuteronomy 3:11, King Og of Bashan was the last survivor of the giant Rephaites. "His bed was made of iron and was more than 13-feet long and 6-feet wide. It can still be seen in the Ammonite city of Rabbah." A talking donkey.According to Numbers 22, Balaam was paid by King Balak to curse the Israelites. But God had other plans and it was through his talking donkey. The angel of the Lord said: "What have I done to make you beat me these 3 times?" Balaam answered the donkey, "You have made a fool of me! If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now." But the donkey responded "Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?" "No," Balaam answered. Then Balaam saw the angel of the Lord and bowed to him and said, I have sinned. I did not realize you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now if you are displeased, I will go back. Balaam never got to curse the Israelites and repented. The Bible is enthralling whether it's on the pages or how it has impacted the world. No wonder it endures as a best-seller. Corine Gatti-Santillo is a freelance digital journalist, editor, and content producer. She is also the The Christian Post Voices Editor. She is also a former editor at Beliefnet.com. The word "Bible" comes from the Greek and Latin words which mean "the book" and it's the hottest book ever to be sold and it remains true today. A survey by the Bible Society concluded that around 2.5 billion copies were printed between 1815 and 1975, and it is estimated that the Bible has sold over 5 million copies worldwide. According to Pew, "Christianity is the world's largest religion , with an estimated 2.2 billion adherents, nearly a third (31 percent) of all 6.9 billion people on Earth." If this is true we should know everything about the Bible, correct? Let's be straightforward, most of us never read the entire Bible and we just scan over it for the most part. There are things we don't know about the Good Book inside and outside the pages, however. Here are 10 intriguing facts about the Bible. People attend a rally organized by the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) at the Eidgah ground, in the city of Rangpur in Bangladesh, Oct. 29, 2022. Bangladeshs main opposition party is holding weekly protest rallies drawing tens of thousands of people who are demanding that a neutral caretaker administration be set up to oversee the next general election in order to guarantee a free and fair vote. Headed by Sheikh Hasina, the Awami League government has been in power uninterrupted for almost 14 years. There hasnt been a fair election in the country since Awami abolished the caretaker government system in 2011, the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its supporters say. According to analysts, the BNP rallies have created new political momentum, which is putting pressure on the government while Bangladesh reels from economic woes such as inflated prices for food and gas. The opposition is in the streets with very legitimate demands and a peaceful movement, and the Awami League is becoming concerned, Tofail Ahmed, a governance expert, told BenarNews. The BNP has held four public rallies since Oct. 12, and plans six more until Dec. 10, which is observed worldwide as Human Rights Day. The rallies have attracted huge crowds, with the one in Chattogram on Oct. 12 seeing nearly 100,000 participants, party officials say. The BNPs demands are the resignation of the Awami League from power, restoring the election-time non-party caretaker government system and dissolving the parliament, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said. The parliament should be dissolved after reintroducing the caretaker government, as no election will be free and fair under a partisan government, Fakhrul told BenarNews. After the abolishment of the caretaker government system in 2011, most political parties, including the BNP, boycotted the 2014 general election but they participated in the last one in 2018 that, BNP officials allege, was tampered with. The next national polls are due at the end of 2023 or early in 2024. BNP will not participate in any polls without a caretaker government and it will not allow the Election Commission as well as the government to hold any polls without restoring the caretaker government system, Fakhrul said. The Awami League government has said that appointing a caretaker government is unconstitutional. Government became nervous Meanwhile, the BNP claims that Hasinas government is rattled by the partys reportedly successful rallies and has tried to block them by engineering transport strikes as well as using state machinery to organize police raids on opposition leaders homes before rallies. The ruling Awami League people and government agents forced the transport owners to stop vehicular movements ahead of BNP rallies as the government became nervous after seeing the presence of people in BNP rallies, the BNPs Fakhrul said. According to him and other BNP workers, many transport associations controlled by the Awami League went on strike before the second and third rallies, in and around the cities where they were set to take place. Ahead of the next rally scheduled for Nov. 5, a bus-owners group has already called a strike, BNP workers say. However, a transport association executive denied allegations about deliberately timed strikes. There is no relation between BNP rallies and transport strikes, Shajahan Khan, president of the Bangladesh Road Transport Workers Federation, told BenarNews. The BNP is trying to play a blame game, he said. Khan, who is also an Awami League member, said transport owners were afraid whenever the BNP announced an event, because supporters of the party had torched and vandalized vehicles before the 2014 polls. On Thursday, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal denied that the Awami League or the police had tried to block BNP events. We are not aware why transport owners are calling strikes during BNP programs. But, there is no government hand behind it, he said at a press conference. Despite the strikes the partys rallies are attracting thousands because our demands are very legitimate, the BNPs Fakhrul said. Thats why people are joining our rallies, despite the massive obstacles erected by the Awami League and police. The government should show respect to the demand of the people and go immediately, he said. One human rights activist noted that peoples involvement in street protests had changed since the United States imposed sanctions on the notorious Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) security force and its seven current and former officials for their allege gross violations of human rights. Dec. 10 will also mark the first anniversary of the action by the U.S. Following the U.S. sanctions, people have become courageous about their rights while police have become more careful about the rule of law, said Nur Khan Liton, executive director of Ain-O-Salish Kendra. Opposition parties, including the BNP, are now feeling better to come out on to the streets as the behavior of law enforcers has changed a little bit after the sanctions. People are also joining in street rallies with their demands now. The Awami League denies it is running scared. The Awami League is not afraid of the movement of the BNP. Our leader, Sheikh Hasina, welcomes all democratic movements, Muhammad Abdur Razzaque, a party presidium and cabinet member, told BenarNews. But if the BNP becomes violent, it will be prevented with an iron hand. Kiribati Attorney General Tetiro Semilota speaks at her swearing in ceremony to become acting chief justice on Oct. 29, 2022. Kiribatis government is facing international scrutiny after its attorney general was appointed acting chief justice, part of a political battle that has compromised the independence of the Pacific countrys judiciary. Kiribati, which has relied on foreigners to fill top judicial positions, has no senior judges after President Taneti Maamau earlier this year attempted to deport a High Court judge who is the husband of the countrys opposition leader and suspended the chief justice and three other judges. Attorney General Tetiro Semilota was sworn in as the top judge on Oct. 28 in front of Maamau and cabinet ministers, the presidents office said in a statement released a day after the ceremony. It is unclear whether Tetiro Semilota remains attorney general. Maamaus office did not respond to a request for comment. This current government in Kiribati is not particularly concerned about how it is perceived by outsiders, said Tess Newton Cain, who leads the Pacific Hub at Griffith Asia Institute. Its a very sort of self-referential inward looking government led by an inward looking president, she said. Semilotas appointment as chief justice, Newton Cain said, could undermine the separation of powers between the branches of government, which is meant to prevent abuses of power, and violate Kiribatis constitution. Kiribati President Taneti Maamau (far left) looks on as Attorney General Tetiro Semiloat speaks at her swearing in ceremony to become acting chief justice, Oct. 29, 2022. [Handout photo/Kiribati government] Maamau, in his Oct. 29 statement, said Semilotas appointment was historic as she is the first woman and indigenous Kiribati citizen to become the countrys chief justice. The government is committed to upholding the rule of law, he said. Kiribati, home to some 120,000 people, is among the poorest countries in the Pacific. Comprising about three dozen low-lying atolls, it is threatened by coastal erosion and higher sea levels. Australia, China and New Zealand are its three largest development aid donors. The chief justice appointment has drawn incredulity and concern in the region. Solomon Islands opposition leader Matthew Wale said in a Twitter post that it made a laughing stock of Kiribatis government. A regional mechanism is needed to help countries address such ludicrous decisions, he said. The United Nations special rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, and bar associations in Australia and New Zealand, had already expressed concern about the assault on the independence of Kiribatis judges. Australias Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said on Thursday that it was encouraging the resolution of these issues as part of our ongoing engagement with Kiribatis government. New Zealand is concerned by Semilotas appointment given the potential conflicts of interest involved and is seeking further information from Kiribatis government, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson said. We have previously registered New Zealands concerns for the independence of the judiciary with the Government of Kiribati at the highest level. New Zealands High Commissioner to Kiribati didnt attend a special High Court session on Wednesday to welcome the new chief justice, the spokesperson said. The Australian High Commissioner also didnt attend but had a pre-existing commitment. Annual talks between senior Australian and Kiribati officials went ahead as planned on Tuesday. Kiribati changed its diplomatic recognition to China from Taiwan in 2019 and last month Maamau effusively praised Chinas economic development in an interview with Chinese state media that was published during the annual National Congress of Chinas ruling Communist Party. Former Kiribati president Ieremia Tabai said the judicial crisis was a domestic issue, driven by the governments aim to destabilize the political opposition, Radio New Zealand reported on Wednesday. He said Maamaus government could face a no-confidence vote in parliament next month. Kiribatis government had sought to limit the tenure of High Court judge David Lambourne, an Australian citizen who is married to Kiribati opposition leader Tessie Lambourne. He agreed under duress to a backdated three-year term after the Kiribati government stopped paying his salary and refused to allow him on any repatriation flight during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Diego Garcia-Sayan, the U.N. special rapporteur on judges. Kiribati attempted to deport him after he returned to the country in August this year and dismissed expatriate New Zealand judges when Lambournes appeal against his own suspension was due to be heard. Lt. Gen. Bartolome Bacarro speaks as he takes over as the Philippine military chief during a change of command ceremony at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Aug. 8, 2022. Battlefield victories in a counter-insurgency campaign have slashed the strength of communist rebels in the Philippines by nearly 75 percent to two dozen guerrilla fronts, the countrys military chief said Thursday. The number of guerrillas in the communist New Peoples Army (NPA) has also fallen since the campaign began in 2018, said Lt. Gen. Bartolome Bacarro, the armed forces chief of staff. We are happy to report that right now, out of the 89, were confronting just 24 guerrilla fronts, Bacarro told reporters in an online news conference after a high-level meeting of the national anti-communist task force (NTF-ELCAC). In terms of their manpower, we have reduced them to 2,112 [fighters]. Established under then-President Rodrigo Duterte, the task force is responsible for executing the governments strategy to end the communist insurgency that began in 1969, and is the longest-running one in Asia. The NPA is the military wing of the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines. The strategy has focused on sustained military operations against guerrilla units coupled with local government programs to entice rebels to defect, including amnesty and economic aid packages. Duterte created the task force shortly after he terminated peace talks with the communists in 2017, when he accused them of treachery by carrying out attacks while they engaged Manila in peace negotiations. Human rights groups, meanwhile, have warned against the task forces overarching powers, including its propensity to accuse political opponents of being communists or communist supporters despite a lack of evidence. They accused Duterte of using the task force to silence critics . The challenge we have right now Bacarro said 19 of the 24 guerrilla fronts had been significantly weakened and would be declared dismantled soon. The military has been going after five active guerrilla fronts in the central province of Samar and in South Cotabato, a province in the main southern island of Mindanao. These rebel units operations encompass more than 150 villages. We are focusing on those active guerilla fronts. That is the challenge that we have right now, Bacarro said. The NPAs overall armory is down to an estimated 1,800 firearms, according to Bacarro who did not say how authorities got this information. Previously, military leaders estimated the NPA had about 5,000 fighters nationwide scattered across remote areas, down from at least 20,000 at its peak in the 1980s. The military recently declared Dutertes southern home town, Davao city, as free of communist insurgency. It is the third area after Ilocos and Zamboanga to receive such a declaration. Bacarro admitted that the military failed to crush the NPA forces by the time Duterte ended his six-year term on June 30. The conditions then were not favorable, we had COVID-19. So that is our priority now, he said of efforts to dismantle all the NPA guerrilla fronts. National Security Adviser Clarita Carlos, the task force vice chairman, convened a top-level meeting on Thursday to review the governments anti-insurgency goals. What we have done in this four-hour long meeting of the NTF-ELCAC would really be to reiterate the philosophical and operational basis of the NTF-ELCAC which is the whole of nation and a whole of government work, Carlos said. Which means everybody has to row together in the same direction to obliterate all the obstacles to our national development. This would be in the case of the enemies of the state to make sure that all our 42,000 barangays would really have a chance to be part of our economic growth, he said. Adiyaa fled China in early 2021, arriving in Thailand via Cambodia, after local police started following him and monitoring his movements in the wake of the language-teaching protests in the fall of 2020. An ethnic Mongolian Chinese national who fled the country after his involvement in 2020 protests over a ban on Mongolian-medium teaching in schools has been released on bail by authorities in Thailand after being held by Chinese state security police in Bangkok, and remains at high risk of forced repatriation, Radio Free Asia (RFA) has learned. Adiyaa, 34, who uses the Chinese name Wu Guoxing on his passport and ID card, fled China on Jan. 3, 2021, arriving in Thailand via Cambodia, after local police started following him and monitoring his movements in the wake of the language-teaching protests in the fall of 2020. Adiyaa had obtained refugee status from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, and was waiting for the UNHCR to arrange for him and his family to start a new life in a third country. On Oct. 3, he was in his rented apartment when his landlord knocked on his door with an immigration official who asked to see his documents, Adiyaa told RFA following his release on bail on Wednesday. Then they took me, without my documents, to the immigration office and told me China had me on a wanted list for repatriation, he said. I was detained in the police detention center that night. The following day, he was taken to a Thai immigration detention center and told on Oct. 8 that Chinese government personnel were en route to bring him back to China. The next day, four people were sent from the Chinese Embassy, one of whom was from the Inner Mongolia police department, [two of whom were] from the ministry of public security, Adiyaa said. They asked me to confess to the facts of my crime in China, and to fill out an application form to return to China and plead guilty. They were physically and verbally threatening, and asked me to read out a confession they had prepared beforehand verbatim, he said. I told them I was a refugee registered with the United Nations and had protection, and they said [that protection] only lasted 15 months, after which the Chinese Embassy could force me to go back to China. I told them I didnt want to, and that I wasnt going home. Mongolian language ban Adiyaa said the charges against him were related to illegal business activities after he set up a private Mongolian-language school in Horchin Right Middle Banner, a county-like administrative division, in the wake of the ban on Mongolian-language teaching in state schools. The government said I was strictly prohibited from continuing to operate ... so I refunded all of the tuition fees to the students and paid all of the teachers salaries, he said. The investors had made an agreement to share the risk of the company not being able to operate. Calls by BenarNews to Thai immigration authorities for comment went unanswered. Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping has imposed policies on ethnic minority regions in recent years aimed at forging a national consciousness, and the sinicization of religious practice, ushering in a nationwide crackdown on Muslims, Christians and Tibetan Buddhists, as well as a ban on minority languages as a teaching medium in schools. The ban on Mongolian prompted street protests and class boycotts by students and parents across Inner Mongolia, prompting a region-wide crackdown by riot squads and state security police in the fall of 2020. Tibetan, Uyghur and Korean-language teaching is also being phased out of schools in ethnic minority areas, local parents and teachers have told RFA. Adiyaa told RFA he believes he was targeted because he took part in a demonstration in Hohhot, the regional capital of Chinas Inner Mongolia region, which borders the independent country of Mongolia. We took part in a demonstration outside the high school affiliated to the Inner Mongolia Normal University; all in all I and a few friends went to three or four protests, Adiyaa said. Then, the police came and searched my home, and confiscated my mobile phone, computer and external drive ... and the state security police had me under daily surveillance, monitoring when I went out and where I was going every day. He fled China via Cambodia with the help of a people smuggler and spent time in Chiang Mai with his brother and family. But it soon became clear that Adiyaa still wasnt safe. In Chiang Mai, four of us me, my brother, sister-in-law and nephew were hit by a car driven by a Chinese plainclothes operative, he told RFA. Under Thai law, Adiyaas bail conditions require him to report to the police station once a week, as well as barring him from leaving Thailand, but place him at risk of kidnap and rendition by Chinese agents, he said. The Southern Mongolian Human Rights and Information Center quoted Adiyaas sister Turgowaa as saying that her brother holds a UNHCR refugee identification card, but had been told nonetheless that the Thai authorities are actively cooperating with the Chinese Embassy to ensure he is forcibly repatriated. It is all too clear that the Thai immigration bureau is ganging up with the Chinese state security authorities, disregarding the United Nations conventions on refugees and human rights, she told the group. This story was produced by Radio Free Asia, a news service affiliated with BenarNews. 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. Ethiopias warring sides have formally agreed during talks in South Africa to a permanent cessation of hostilities in a 2-year conflict whose victims could be counted in the hundreds of thousands Community News Editor / Librarian Jeannie Maschino is community news editor and librarian for The Berkshire Eagle. She has worked for the newspaper in various capacities since 1982 and joined the newsroom in 1989. News Reporter Matt Martinez is a news reporter at The Berkshire Eagle. He worked at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service, graduated Marquette University. He is a former Report for America corps member. What to do with your Halloween pumpkin? You can smash it at a compost pile in North Adams on Friday Massachusetts election predictions The first in a two-part series seeking to forecast the outcomes of Tuesday's statewide elections. This piece focuses on the four statewide ballot questions, while the next will focus on races for statewide office. The presence of referendum questions on a statewide ballot usually means that the Legislature failed to address a complex or controversial issue, prompting citizens or special interests to take the initiative. That is the case this fall in three of the four questions on the Nov. 8 ballot. The questions must be phrased concisely and dont always capture the nuances of a difficult issue. If passed, the Legislature has to fill in the gaps, a process that often leads to dissatisfaction from advocates and opponents alike. The ballot question legalizing the sale of marijuana, which the Legislature was too timid to do, provides an example. The referendum process also gives too much influence to deep-pocketed special interests (Question 3). It can give those who dont care for an admirable measure duly passed into law through our republican system of government a chance to subvert it (Question 4). All that said, there is no ignoring them. Heres a look at the four questions on this years ballot and how voters might act on them. Question 1 The so-called Fair Share Amendment would impose an additional four percent state income tax on annual taxable income above $1 million, with the money earmarked for education and infrastructure. Foes warn that passage will trigger an exodus of the wealthy from the state, but opponents issue similar warnings over property tax hikes at the local level to federal tax increases, and these predictions arent borne out statistically. Sounds great; lets pass it. But the devil is in the details or in the lack of details. While Question 1, which comes in the form of a constitutional amendment, earmarks the funding for education and transportation, it also declares that the money would be subject to appropriation. This means the funds would go into the legislative sausage-making process. Could money designated for transportation be dumped into the bottomless pit that is the MBTA in Eastern Massachusetts while Berkshire bridges continue to crumble? Possibly if not probably. Would the revenue be over and above that already provided as the sponsors of Question 1 intend, or can it be used to replace current funding that is shifted elsewhere? It is worrisome that the Democratic majority rejected a Republican amendment requiring that the revenue raised by the ballot question be in addition to money already spent. These are just a few of the questions raised by Question 1. Polls indicate the Fair Share Amendment will pass, and if it does, voters may have to pressure lawmakers to assure that worthy recipients of the funding get their fair share. Prediction: Question 1 passes. Question 2 Dental insurance reform is long overdue and Question 2 takes a crack at it. If passed, dental insurers, who are not subject to the same regulations as medical insurers, would be required to spend at least 83 percent of premiums on dental expenses and quality improvements. The goal is to force insurers to spend premiums on dentistry as opposed to executive salaries and bureaucracy. Dental insurers would also be required to share their financial information with state regulators so everyone can see where patient premium money is going. The Legislature has attempted dental insurance reform over the years but has succumbed to pressure from the insurance industry. Opponents claim passage of the referendum will raise dental costs, but proponents counter that the measure would enable the commissioner of the state Division of Insurance to block excessive premium increases. A No on 2 flyer residents have found in their mailboxes lists five insurance companies among their contributors. Prediction: Question 2 passes. Question 3 Increasing the number of retail liquor licenses is always controversial and the Legislature has punted on the issue. Question 3, the result of a compromise proposal by the Massachusetts Package Store Association, would lift the cap immediately, most notably by doubling the number of licenses available to retailers, and then lift it incrementally. It gives something to those who favor the status quo while acknowledging the need to increase competition. Then Total Wine & More, a Maryland-based retailer with seven stores in the state, came big-footing into the picture. The retail giant has spent upwards of $2 million through its local subsidiary Massachusetts Fine Wine and Spirits LLC, in a media campaign urging a no vote on Question 3. Leaflets have been packing mailboxes claiming the question is unfair to small, family-owned retailers, an odd stance for a mega-retailer to take. Total Wine and other giants oppose license caps and apparently would prefer that the reasonable compromise that is Question 3 be defeated. Unfortunately, well-financed negative campaigns are often effective. Prediction: Question 3 fails. Question 4 The Work and Family Mobility Act, passed into law earlier this year, permits some undocumented aliens in the state to receive drivers licenses. The benefit to them is that they can get to work, take their children to school and become productive members of society. The benefit to everyone else is safer roads and millions of dollars in license and registration fees. The opponents are culture-warriors who pushed this awkwardly worded question onto the ballot. (A Yes vote keeps the law on the books.) Foes argue without merit that it will lead to voter fraud, the right wings familiar monster in the closet. That hasnt happened in the 16 states, including red states like Texas, and D.C., all of which have enacted similar laws. Opponents simply dont like illegals. And in keeping with the post-2020 philosophy of the far right, if votes dont go their way they petulantly try to overturn them. The Work and Family Mobility Act has both logic and compassion on its side. Prediction: Question 4 passes. Author and playwright T.S. Eliot, shown in 1956, won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1948. But hes best remembered for "The Waste Land," a poem that leaves people dazed and confused, though often moved, according to columnist Donald Morrison. About the HEALing Communities Study Scientists from the nations leading health agencies and four major academic institutions are partnering with communities in four states to test a set of interventions to combat the opioid crisis. The study aims to reduce opioid overdose deaths by 40 percent in participating communities, which include North Adams and Pittsfield. Technical details and specifics about the study design and how intervention success will be evaluated can be found at HEALingCommunitiesStudy.org. The United States has passed a grim, heartbreaking milestone: A record number of Americans are dying as a result of drug overdose. Between April 2020 and April 2021, drugs mostly synthetic opioids such as fentanyl took the lives of more than 100,000 of our sons and daughters, loved ones and neighbors, community members and friends. Preliminary data from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health indicate confirmed overdose deaths from opioids have increased 7 percent from 2020 to 2021. Overdose deaths from synthetic opioids primarily fentanyl have also increased. This rise in opioid overdoses across the country is largely due to illicit fentanyl contaminating street drugs or non-regulated drugs. Pharmaceutical fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is FDA-approved as a patch or lozenge for the treatment of severe pain. Fentanyl is at least 50 times more potent than heroin. Most recent cases of fentanyl-related harm, overdose and death in the U.S. are linked to illegally made fentanyl that is mixed into drugs, like counterfeit painkillers and benzodiazepines, heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine. Because we have an unregulated and criminalized drug supply, there is no way to tell if a street drug that a person is using is 100 percent safe. This means that someone may use a substance that they believe their body is able to tolerate, but it might actually be much stronger than they expect due to being contaminated with fentanyl, without knowing. Data from the Department of Public Health tells us that in Berkshire County overdoses increased from 56 in 2020 to 62 in 2021; this is an 11 percent increase and almost twice that of the average in Massachusetts. The following are rates of fatal overdoses per 100,000 residents in 2021: Massachusetts: 33 Berkshire County: 61 Cheshire: 96 Pittsfield: 78 North Adams: 70 Adams: 62 Lee: 53 The opioid crisis is not confined to a particular subset of our population, and these numbers do not mean that any one town or area is immune. The epidemic affects wealthy and poor, Black and white, rural and urban, and every corner of The Berkshires The street drug supply has always been unpredictable and inconsistent. This is especially true now. Assume overdose risk no matter what drug youre using, and practice as much harm-reduction as possible, as consistently as possible. These conditions hold true for recreational drug use as much as for regular use and are not restricted to any one type of drug on the open market. Fentanyl has been found in heroin, crack/cocaine and pressed pills. Go slow. Use less. Try not to use alone, and if you do, have someone check in on you. If youre using in a group, have naloxone on-hand and take turns so someone is always alert and available to respond. Know the signs of an overdose. Carry naloxone and know how to use it. Look out for others in the community, and administer naloxone if you suspect an overdose. In 2021, Berkshire Harm Reduction gave out 1,757 naloxone kits between Pittsfield and North Adams. These kits will be more readily available in the near future for anyone interested in supporting the health of our community. By following these harm reduction strategies, together, we can heal our communities and reduce preventable overdose deaths. To learn more about fentanyl and naloxone, visit HealTogetherMA.org/Pittsfield and HealTogetherMA.org/NorthAdams. The Yelp website is shown on a computer screen in 2010. Columnist Seth Brown writes about reviews in his latest Grammar Guy column, and why sites like Yelp have watered down the importance of a once-vital bit of information sharing. PULLMAN - From November 4-6, 2022, the Washington State University U.S. Army ROTC program will welcome their counterparts from nearly a dozen schools across the region for a Ranger Challenge. Each Ranger Challenge team is composed of nine cadets and two alternates. At WSU, members range from sophomores to seniors. The Ranger Challenge functions as the varsity sport for the U.S. Armys Reserve Officers Training Corps programs nationwide. It features an array of events that test physical and mental abilities, ranging from physical fitness trials to weapon accuracy measurements and land navigation challenges. Partway through the regional competition, the teams will undertake a 14-mile march with 35 pound rucksacks on their backs, journeying from Martin Stadium to the University of Idaho campus, where theyll be picked up and transported to Camp Grizzly for the final stretch of the competition. Last year, WSUs Ranger Challenge Team finished second among the 10 schools that comprise the U.S. Army ROTCs 8th brigade, Task Force East. The group extends as far north as Alaska and as far south as California, with schools in Washington, Idaho, Montana and Nevada included. The WSU team fell just short of advancing into the nationwide stage of the competition. And while they are looking to change that this year, captain of WSUs Ranger Challenge team Evan Smiths goal is to help his fellow cadets with their military-oriented goals and to set ablaze in them a passion for the program. Each weekday, the team assembles as early as 5:00 a.m. to practice the skills thatll be tested as part of Ranger Challenge. Some days its weightlifting or swimming at the Student Recreation Center, others its tactical challenges like nighttime exfiltration and recon at the WSU Arboretum. The U.S. Army ROTC program at WSU, known as the Cougar Battalion, has been a part of the Pullman campus for more than 100 years. It has never been easier to generate income simply by expressing who you are. Social media platforms have given people from all corners of the globe the opportunity to connect and broadcast their lives, interests and content in exchange for monetary rewards. However, with this (influencer) power comes great responsibility. Image source: Ron Lach from Pexels What/who are social media influencers? Colloquially known as influencers, these people can be understood to be those who engage in influencer marketing (generally through social media platforms). Influencer marketing is a form of marketing which involves endorsements and product placements from one company, the advertising undertaking, by an influencer (an individual via a social media account) through posts directed to their social media following. This can be an effective form of marketing for many reasons including: The targeted nature of the advertising allows the advertising undertaking access to an identified target audience. The advertisements are more relatable to individual consumers. These advertisements are cost effective. The re-sharing potential and reach for these advertisements is almost unlimited. In addition to being beneficial to the advertising undertaking, it is beneficial for the influencer as they can get remunerated by the advertising undertaking for making these posts and obtain individual brand sponsorships in their personal capacity. Due to the international reach of social media posts, influencers should be cautious when conducting themselves to ensure that they do not contravene any regional laws. In an African context, the laws of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) are relevant. What is Comesa and its scope? Comesa is a regional African economic community between 21 African countries throughout southern and eastern Africa. These member states are: Burundi, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, eSwatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. In order to facilitate trade between member states, Comesa has enacted regional legislation which binds its members. One such legislation is the Comesa Competition Regulations of 2004 (Regulations). The Regulations apply to all economic activities between natural or juristic persons within, or having an effect within, the Comesa region. Although the advent of influencer marketing appeared much later than 2004 when these Regulations were promulgated, there are provisions that regulate the conduct of influencers. The primary provisions of which are summed up as dos and donts below: Consumer protection donts Article 27 of the Regulations provides that a person shall not, in trade or commerce, and in connection with the promotion of the supply of goods or services falsely represent that they have a sponsorship, approval or affiliation which they do not have. This will be relevant where the influencer, while engaging in trade by receiving payment or goods/services in return for their advertisements, does not tag a particular post as an advertised post paid for by the advertising undertaking. This, according to the Regulations, could be considered to be misleading in that a consumer should not be misled as to whether the particular advertisement (and the message behind it) is neutral or commercial in nature. Competition law donts Article 19 of the Regulations provides that it is an offence for competing undertakings to reach an agreement or understanding to: fix prices; restrict the terms and conditions of sale; allocate customers; or collectively refuse to supply goods or services to a potential purchaser. These agreements are more commonly known as cartels. Although competition law is usually associated with companies and other juristic persons, the Regulations (and particularly the provisions condemning cartels) apply to undertakings. Undertakings are defined broadly enough to include any person involved in the provision of services. This would include influencers and the advertising services they provide. This understanding seems to coincide with the Comesa Competition Commissions approach where it recently stated that visa processing companies acting on behalf of public bodies should be regarded as undertakings for the purpose of the Regulations. This means that influencers, if they receive remuneration or goods/services, could be regarded as undertakings for the purposes of the Regulations. If this is so, influencers, who compete with one another to provide advertising services for advertising undertakings, cannot come together and agree to set rates for their services, standardise conditions, allocate customers between them or collectively refuse to supply services. Because influencers can individually be regarded as undertakings in their own right, they are unlikely to be viewed as employees and will not fall into the exception that the Regulations provides for which excludes collective bargaining from the ambit of these cartel provisions. What are the dos? Before getting to the dos, it is important to note that contravening the articles mentioned in the consumer protection or competition law sections above may result in the imposition of fines up to 10% of annual turnover of the units affected by the conduct within the Comesa region. This would of course be on top of any reputational harm that the influencers may suffer as a result. In an industry where your reputation and social presence are everything, this may have severe consequences. In order to limit the risk of contravening the consumer protection and competition law articles referred to above, influencers should do the following: Always clearly tag the advertising undertaking that is sponsoring the advertisement to indicate that the content is of a commercial nature. Act independently from (and not consort with) other influencers when negotiating commercial terms such as price etc. with advertising undertakings. Avoid discussing competitively sensitive information such as future advertising undertakings prices, conditions of services and advertising strategies with other influencers. With this in mind, is this enough to influence you? The search for solutions to climate change is reminiscent of the tragedy of the commons where neighbours benefit from shared goods, such as an area of pasture or an irrigation pond, but their overexploitation ends up degrading the shared resource. Faced with a situation that harms everyone involved - in this case, out-of-control greenhouse gas emissions - the actors are unable to reach consensus positions that guarantee the common good, i.e., limiting global warming to below 2?. To address this tragedy, the United Nations will host the 27th summit on climate change (COP27) in Sharm el-Sheikh (Egypt) from 6-18 November. What are COP meetings and what are they for? In 1992, the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, better known as the Rio Conference, established the Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), among other agreements. The summits known as COPs (Conference of the Parties) are some of the instruments that attempt to reach binding international agreements on emission reductions. The UNFCCC has hosted an annual COP, from the first one in 1995 in Berlin to the 26th in Glasgow last year. Perhaps the most famous COP was the third (COP3), in 1997, which established the Kyoto Protocol: a set of commitments to achieve the decarbonisation of society and limit the damage from climate change. Another particularly important COP was COP21, held in Paris in 2015. Countries there signed an agreement to limit global warming to 2. It also included the aspiration to limit it to 1.5. What happened at COP26? Last years COP is considered by many to have fallen short of its expectations, but some progress was made. A firm commitment on zero emissions by 2050 was expected in order to maintain the possibility of limiting global warming to 1.5. This required a 45% cut in emissions in 2030 compared to 2010 emissions. However, the agreements signed set us on a path for an average temperature increase of about 2.4. Last-minute negotiations were particularly frustrating as the term phase out of carbon was changed to phase down just before the negotiations were due to close. Another key issue at COP26 was how to finance clean development in poorer countries and how to compensate them for the damage they have suffered because of climate change, for which more industrialised countries are responsible. At COP15 in Copenhagen in 2009, a climate fund of $100bn per year was pledged for developing countries from 2020 onwards. The current figures are still far below that target. CO2 emissions and temperature have increased in recent decades despite multiple climate conferences. CC BY click to enlarge What can we expect from COP27? This years COP is seen as the one that will bring concrete actions and commitments on emission reductions and also on the financing of losses and damages resulting from climate change to the Global South. It has been called the African COP because important commitments are expected, in particular for the African continent. Its one of the most vulnerable continents to climate change from an environmental and social point of view, but paradoxically one of the least involved in the historical accumulation of emissions. Despite agreements at previous COPs, the UN estimates that emissions in 2030 will be higher than in 2010, which eliminates the possibility of limiting warming to below 2. COP27 is, therefore, expected to be the one where effective emission reduction policies are implemented. The risk of greenwashing COP27 is also expected to make significant progress in the fight against tropical deforestation. Terrestrial ecosystems are essential in the fight against climate change, absorbing 25% of greenhouse gas emissions. But we must be vigilant that the possible establishment of the Forests and Climate Leaders Partnership (FCLP) does not end up being a propaganda strategy or greenwashing that would allow big business to continue to emit while hiding behind uncontrolled and unmonitored tree plantations which often generate more environmental damage than benefits and undermine the interests of indigenous communities. Impact of the war in Ukraine The war in Ukraine has highlighted Europes vulnerability due to dependence on fossil fuels and the need to rethink its energy model. After decades of calling on developing countries to grow through renewable energy, Europes energy crisis is forced to be exemplary and to make a firm commitment to non-fossil fuel energy. Otherwise its credibility and opportunity to influence the global energy transition will be undermined. It is also foreseeable that the US will try to reinforce its technological leadership by promoting ambitious initiatives and gain the ground lost during the previous administration. Another possible consequence of the war is whether the resulting new geopolitical status quo will affect emissions. In addition to the traditional influence of Western countries, China has a growing presence in Africa, which may encourage important agreements to strengthen its position on the continent. Is international cooperation really possible? COPs are often experienced with a certain optimism and excitement before they begin and with disappointment after they close. Replacing the main source of energy - fossil fuels - and the current short-term economic growth model is extremely complex. The outcome will not be known until the end of the 12-hour meeting on the final day. Whatever the final outcome, the scientific community has a key role to play in rigorously documenting the impacts of climate change, the future risks for different regions and integrating the social perspective with the ecological one. Different studies show examples of possible consensus solutions to avoid overexploitation of shared resources and, ultimately, tragedy. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. For the past 50 years, the Effie Awards have become the global symbol of achievement in marketing effectiveness. This pre-eminent award in the industry, recognises all forms of marketing that contribute to a brand's success. This year, Ogilvy was announced as the overall winner of the event, receiving the Grand Prix, one gold, two silvers and one bronze. Furthermore, Ogilvy was honoured to receive eight of the total 30 finalists, announced by the 2022 Effies jury, in partnership with the ACA. As the impact agency, we believe in the power of creating work that works and creating ideas that help change categories, grow businesses, shape culture and shift societies," comments Pete Case, Ogilvy creative chairman and CEO. Winning work included campaigns for Carling Black Label, Castle Lite and Cadbury, across the Positive change, Sustained brand success, Snacks & desserts effectiveness and Environmental impact categories. Neo Makhele, Ogilvy chief strategy officer adds: These campaigns are proof of our convictions that brands should inspire people to impact the world. There is a huge expectancy on brands by consumers to impact society positively, to fill the gaps that institutions have sometimes failed to deliver on. People expect more from brands than ever before, they expect brands to go beyond their mandate. Ogilvy believes in developing ideas that inspire brands and people to impact the world. We also realise that social and media platforms, in the hands of South Africans, have increasingly become the tools and means to shape culture. Case continues: Our teams and clients have been exceptionally proud and grateful to win recognition earlier this year from various creatively led awards shows such as Cannes, Bookmarks and Loeries. These wins are, however, made even more valuable when the same work wins on the Effective Marketing stage of Effies; showing their true impact and measure of success. Underlining our work that works mantra, and the knowledge that the bravery our clients took by backing these ideas and platforms, ultimately created the change and growth that we set out to achieve together. Brands impacting society for social good and positive change Bride Armour for Carling Black Label tackled the difficult reality of the rising levels of intimate partner violence in South Africa. Not only highlighting the issues, but creating measurable impact and change, using the power of social engagement and media innovation, to shine a light on a societal malaise and driving positive action. The campaign engaged both men and women towards changing mindsets and toxic behaviours. Brands impacting society by championing generosity in literacy Cadbury created a crowd-sourced library in indigenous South African languages to promote childhood literacy, called #inourownwords. A digitally enabled campaign, which uniquely unlocked the generosity of South African society, to help increase low literacy levels in our country. Brands impacting business growth by driving sustained product success Carling Black Label, SAs definitive masculine brand, bravely confronted the shadow side of its product and the image of the traditional Champion Man it had shaped for the past 56 years, and successfully rebuilt the brand for growth. CBL did not look away from the delicate issue of gender-based violence, it stepped right towards it, at great risk of alienating its older market base, and redefined masculine strength in a credible way, which attracted the younger consumers driving massive sales volumes and making Carling Black Label South Africas most loved beer brand. Brands impacting the environment by brewing beer with alternative energy The final winner for Ogilvy was Castle Lite, promoting the use of alternative energy in the brewing of their beer. Launched at a time in history where South Africa has been short of vital energy resources and requires behavioural change towards the use of energy. Salesforce has released its eighth annual state of marketing report with South African marketers saying their work provides increasing value despite macroeconomic and labour headwinds. The report also reveals how marketers in the countries surveyed are adapting to changes in privacy regulations all while managing more data sources than ever before. Greater Value Eight-six percent of South African marketers say their work provides greater value than it did a year ago a 34% point increase from last year. However, they face an uphill battle in an uncertain economy: Thirty-seven percent of South African marketers cited budgetary constraints and 64% of South African marketers agreed that customer expectations are more difficult to meet than they were a year ago. To help meet the moment, marketers are focusing on: Improving use of tools and technologies Modernising tools and technologies Meeting customers digital-first expectations is increasingly the main priority for CMOs and their marketing teams, and the pressure is on to do more with less, while accommodating evolving data privacy laws to prepare for a cookieless future, says Zuko Mdwaba, area vice president and country leader, Salesforce South Africa. The trends revealed in the State of Marketing report were collected from a survey of 6,000 marketing leaders across 35 countries and six continents, including 200 from South Africa. Insights include the following: The march toward digitally-led engagement treads new and familiar paths: Marketers are investing in a combination of channels and technologies to reach audiences in new places and build lasting relationships. Audio, TV/OTT and digital ads have seen the largest increase in usage in the last year by South African marketers. However, email marketing remains dominant, accounting for over 80% of all outbound marketing messages, according to trillions of messages sent from Salesforce Marketing Cloud. Marketers navigate a complex technology and regulatory landscape: Marketers are adapting to changes in privacy regulations and calls for data transparency. Although 71% of South African marketers still invest in third-party data, 73% say they have a fully defined strategy to shift from third-party data.KPIs shift as marketers pursue real-time intelligence. Across every stage of the funnel, marketers are tracking more metrics year over year than ever before. Speed to insight remains a competitive advantage. Eighty-three percent of South African marketing organisations engage customers in real time across one or more marketing channels. Over the past two years, global healthcare systems have faced significant disruption and strain due to the Covid-19 pandemic. During this time, the skills and dedication of nurses and doctors - as frontline workers - have been highlighted. Paresh Soni These skills now face a further, possibly bigger, challenge. How do we translate these skills into an increasingly digitised world? The Fourth Industrial Revolution poses a specific and significant challenge: how do we digitise healthcare so that patients have access to quality contactless intervention? Many health practices, and hospitals, have embraced this challenge and begun migrating to hybrid healthcare models where consultations for common conditions (such as the flu, the common cold, or allergies) are done over the phone or by virtual visits (using Zoom or WhatsApp video calling) while more complex medical conditions are dealt with in-person. There is also a significant shift towards managed healthcare. Through innovative technology, healthcare professionals will be able to continually monitor patients reducing the need for in-person care while increasing patient contact. How does this impact doctors and nurses who have dedicated their lives to furthering their education to help sick people? What skills are needed for an increasingly digitised future? A critical skills shortage Research by the World Health Organisation (WHO) predicts a global workforce shortage of approximately 18 million healthcare workers by 2030, with South African statistics being even more concerning. There is a pressing need for South Africa to not only increase its training of doctors and nurses, but to equip them with the skills that will help them remain relevant in a future where healthcare is becoming increasingly digitised, says Paresh Soni, Director: School of Healthcare, MANCOSA. Global research shows that by 2040, healthcare, as we know it today, will no longer exist. There will be a fundamental shift from healthcare to health. And while disease will never be completely eliminated, through science, data, and technology, we will be able to identify it earlier, intervene proactively, and better understand its progression to help consumers more effectively and actively sustain their well-being. The future will focus on wellness and management by companies that assume new roles to drive value in the transformed health ecosystem. This again points to a health ecosystem where the skills learned today will rapidly become irrelevant without supplementing them with key skills that can be used in a digitised future. An institution that encourages innovation With healthcare becoming increasingly digital with many healthcare providers being forced into the model of virtual healthcare provision. While this is a change that may have taken 10 or 15 years to take place, the Covid pandemic has forced an immediate reaction. How do we equip our healthcare professionals with the necessary skills to fit into a world of digitised healthcare. Healthcare technology companies have a massive opportunity to introduce the right tools to help both patients and healthcare providers provided they have the necessary learning to use these digital tools effectively. MANCOSA has a significant edge when it comes to dealing with the disruption felt by many health schools who have also been forced into models that embrace distance learning, says Soni. We were founded in 1995 and have grown from strength to strength through the change that South Africa experienced when it became a democracy, and now the Covid-19 pandemic. How is MANCOSA addressing the challenge of equipping health professionals with the necessary future skills while embracing a model of distance education? MANCOSA recently launched its School of Healthcare (SOH) which aims to address the continuous professional development needs of healthcare workers in the country. Backed by MANCOSA's 27 years of experience in distance and online higher education, the School of Healthcare will serve to meet the changing demands placed on South Africas complex, and challenged, health workforce. "Over the past two decades, MANCOSA has established itself as a progressive, responsive, and future-ready institution," saysSoni. We must realise that the Covid-19 pandemic has reshaped the education and training needs of the overall healthcare workforce. Upskilling, reskilling and continuous professional development is necessary across all healthcare functions. MANCOSA intends to empower the healthcare workforces to remain attuned and responsive to the needs of future healthcare systems. Global shifts demand an appropriate response As pointed out the fundamental shifts in the global healthcare sector towards digitisation means that the healthcare workforce will need to be upskilled and reskilled in order to meet increasingly complex demands. MANCOSAs SOH will contribute to the development of a future-ready healthcare workforce initially through a range of futuristic short learning programmes covering a wide range of healthcare-related topics, says Soni. In addition, Soni says that MANCOSA is currently in the process of rolling out healthcare-related formal learning programmes such as the Higher Certificate in Healthcare Management. The initial suite of short learning programmes will draw on MANCOSA's higher education expertise, providing a combination of innovative, tech-driven and simulated programmes to deliver practical training required for healthcare workers. We believe that our programmes will assist healthcare workers to hone their clinical and patient skills in preparing them to positively contribute to South Africas healthcare goals, says Soni. An article by Forbes points out that remote patient monitoring is becoming more widely accepted. Having exponentially grown in popularity throughout the pandemic, this now includes wearable technology with impressive capabilities, from remote monitoring of vitals to remote echocardiograms. If not for the pandemic, it probably would have taken the healthcare industry another decade to reach where it is today. This is the future that we have to align with, says Soni, an even horizon that would have taken 10 to 15 years to become a reality has taken place in two years. South Africa needs to make sure that its healthcare professionals are fully equipped with the knowledge and skills to become the benchmark for the African continent. The MANCOSA School of Healthcare not only addresses these concerns but will continually help professionals grow their skills in line with the requirements of a digitised health system, says Soni. The six finalists from the R&D Postdoctoral Challenge will be awarded by AstraZeneca with fully funded research positions for two years at one of the company's strategic R&D centres in Cambridge, UK, Gaithersburg, US or Gothenburg, Sweden. Unlike traditional pre-defined industry postdoctoral initiatives, the Challenge which launched in March 2022, encouraged early career scientists to submit their own research proposals to accelerate drug discovery for some of the worlds most complex diseases. From more than 120 proposals, six winners were selected by a judging panel of AstraZeneca and external life science leaders, based on scientific merit and potential to create a real impact for patients, society and healthcare systems. These winners are Dr Ana Filipa Dias Louro, Catia Alexandra Marques Bonito Ferreira, Dr Goncalo Emanuel Duarte Rosas da Silva, Dr Mark Waterhouse, Dr Rakhee K. Ramakrishnan and Dr Patience Chihomvu. Prof. Sir Mene Pangalos, executive vice president, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, said: We launched the R&D Postdoctoral Challenge to promote diversity of thought and stimulate research opportunities across the globe. The final event was successful in bringing together the brightest minds to help them turn their ideas into meaningful benefits for patients and fuel their early career development. I look forward to re-running the programme in future years. The winners from Africa, the Middle East and Europe have been awarded fully funded postdoctoral research positions with access to the companys expertise, compounds, novel tools and technologies, and mentoring support to turn their ideas into reality. The research of Ramakrishnan, postdoctoral research associate at the Research Institute for Medical and Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, UAE focuses on microbiome-based therapeutics for asthma. The project by Chihomvu, postdoctoral fellow, University of the Witwatersrand Medical School, South Africa examines the phytochemical profile of the plant Lippia Javanica a medicinal plant commonly known as the fever tea and its anti-inflammatory properties. For more on the winners and their projects, view the full finalist biographies here. Noun: An act of breaking or failing to observe a law, agreement, or code of conduct. Blue Weaver and Helco Promotions are pleased to announce the publication Breach by Ronen Aires. The global launch on Amazon took place on Monday 24 October, and the book is already number one in the following categories: Global marketing Consumer behaviour Workplace culture Social science research Entrepreneurship and small business We are constantly surrounded by chaos. The world is complicated and ever-changing. Young people, looking at the world they are inheriting, are standing up and shouting, "Hell No!" Generation Z is primed to breach the status quo. They aim to disrupt the establishment and define life on their own terms, with their collective values leading the way. This innovative group of youth is destined to change the workplace, the concept of leadership and the way we connect with one another. As their elders, we have a choice to make: Fight this change or embrace it. Leaders feel the stress of this fast-paced world. In the battle to stay relevant, we must look towards young people, to listen to their needs and wants. As an entrepreneur with more than 20 years of experience working with youth and brands, Ronen has learned to harness the genius of Generation Z so that organizations and their people thrive. While it might seem that Generation Z comes with different factory settings, in reading this book you will come to understand they are not so different from us. They are the future of the workplace. They are your clients, your consumers, and your leadership team. They hold the key to your success. If we learn to guide them wisely, we will all benefit from the breach they are forging. We may even find ourselves living in a better, kinder world. Author detail A man of many talents youth marketing expert, active trail junkie, dynamic public speaker and thought-provoking author Ronen Aires is passionate about a lot of things after a good cup of coffee. As the renowned co-founder and CEO of Student Village, South Africas most prominent student marketing and graduate development specialists, Ronen dedicated much of his career to supporting youth and guiding them to greatness. Whether its speaking on podcasts and news programmes, or writing articles and a book, Ronen utilises all available platforms to highlight the genius of todays young adults. In his role as global activist and investor, Ronen excitedly shares his knowledge of psychedelic healing and breathwork. He strongly advocates for the importance of living a full and holistic lifestyle, encouraging others to accelerate their potential by embracing ancient wisdom. Ronen Aires is a husband, father, advocate, entrepreneur, guide, and investor among other things. His preferred title? Young Elder. Publication detail Title: Breach Author: Ronen Aires Publisher: Merack Publishing Distributor: Blue Weaver Genre: Non-Fiction Leadership, Mentorship, Workplace Culture, Consumer Behaviour Book size: 21.5 x 13.9cm Number of pages: 220 Publication date: October 2022 RRP: R250.00 ISBN: 978-1-949635-72-0 Availability: Amazon, Takealot, print on demand through Burble (https://burbleonline.co.za/p/3060/breach) and all good bookshops. For all media enquiries, review copies, or interview requests please contact Helen Holyoake at Helco Promotions on Tel (082) 452 9488 or email az.oc.ocleh@neleh. Africa is exploding right now. Digital infrastructure is really gaining traction. More people can shop online than ever before, so the big challenge Africa's online retail customers want answered now is, "How do I get my parcel delivered to my home, town or village?" Charl Fouche, COO of AfriGIS, says over 495 million Africans are online, they will create $155 billion in economic value by 2025, but something as simple as a valid address stands in the way of their contribution and the companies that would serve them. Charl Fouche, COO of AfriGIS Addresses seem straightforward but even in developed economies, where people have high levels of education and literacy, they can struggle with multiple address formats, multiple postal codes, multiple spellings and many other discrepancies, he says. Sometimes they lack data altogether or there is a lack of international standards application. At other times they lack or have poorly maintain databases and lists, experience changing formats, new construction developments, language differences, or poor physical infrastructure. There are still more challenges, such as a variety of naming conventions for different regions, including province, county, and state. These all complicate an already difficult environment, particularly for multinationals venturing into new markets. Africa is the next online retail harvest, but companies first have to figure out how to crack the delivery nut. Quality geospatial data goes the last mile In many cases in Africa address data does exist in one form or another. Its part of a field called geospatial analysis. The problem is that address data is usually incomplete, poorly maintained, and in a variety of formats, which makes it exceptionally difficult to incorporate into efficient business processes. The result is that its expensive to take care of whats called the last mile in online retail, delivering actual packages to peoples homes and places of work. If you cant do that, you cant do business, its that simple. Businesses need the data in standardised structures, they need complete data they can trust, and they need to complement the basic address data with enriched data so they can make better business decisions about how to serve the people who live there, says Fouche. You have to know with certainty that every address you have actually exists, what the borders of a property are and where the entrances are, the borders of suburbs, counties, provinces, districts, municipalities, and other demarcated boundaries. Thats how businesses plan delivery routes, logistics, the infrastructure they put in place to serve the communities, how they ascribe business risk for things like loans, short and long-term insurance, and many other operational activities. You can imagine how big the job is to get all of that data together for an entire country. Now imagine doing it for more than 21,000 towns and 490,000 suburbs across the whole of Africa. Its a monumental project. Weve been in this business for more than 25 years and it still took all of our experts from South Africa, Bangladesh and Ireland two years to create a repeatable, reliable, and robust process to provide regular updates. International collaboration The international team of data scientists at AfriGIS systematically set about overcoming the challenge. They gathered data from a variety of government and other sources. They integrated it into a database that adheres to international geospatial address standards then linked it to administrative structures such as country, provincial, county, state and other boundaries. The biggest challenge has been gathering and cleaning the administrative data levels beneath those layers, the districts, suburbs, and street level data. It has been a massive undertaking, but we have applied unique IDs to each address so that we can track it throughout the process and ensure we maintain the standard, regardless of the format it enters the system in or how it gets used, says Fouche. We merged many data sets and created structure, linking the data to standard and accepted formats that companies such as couriers, banks, and financial services typically use. Standard APIs make the data accessible to anyone who needs to use it and quarterly releases keep it up to date. It has been a highly complex task, but weve removed all the complexity for the companies that need to use the data to do business, open new markets, and create competitive advantage. Getting to the next level The next step, says Fouche, is adding points of interest and other information for people to overlay on the base data. It is also building out town and village boundaries and understanding the topographical distribution of the population. Knowing the topographical population density is important because it informs a lot of business decisions, he says. We currently used mathematical algorithms to estimate population densities because there is no other data available. This is not a perfect solution, but it is the best solution out there today. And, using the estimates, we have started to fill in the actual data. Fouche says that creating the database required considerable collaboration with industry peers. There is a lot of work that goes into getting this right and it takes a lot of experts collaborating to ensure the success of a project of this scope, he says. Weve been part of the international geospatial community since the beginning, but, at the end of the day, customers dont care about that. They care about using an API for a simple database lookup so they can get their work done. Thats what its all about. About AfriGIS AfriGIS is the leading Geospatial Information Science company in Southern Africa that specialises in location-sensitive data and solutions. It provides customers across the board with a suite of web-based tools and APIs to connect to, enhance, and enrich their own data with location intelligence, insights, and trusted data. The organisation was founded in 1997 and celebrates 25 years in business this year. It is a level 1-certified broad-based black economic empowerment (B-BBEE) business, with more than 100 employees, in Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town in South Africa, Dublin in Ireland, and Dhaka in Bangladesh. Urban Zulu has released a capsule collection in honour of the late Mam'Busi Mhlongo. Image supplied: The MamBusi Mhlongo capsule collection The late songstress was born in 1947 and she wouldve been 75 years old. We saw it befitting to create a collection to celebrate her majestic and timeless legacy on the day she graced the earth because she had a profound impact on the foundation of the brand Urban Zulu as it is named after her album Urban Zulu. The title is a reference to her fluid and urbane artistic persona, says Papy Kaluw, founder of Urban Zulu. In 2020, the fashion brand showcased a summer collection paying homage to Mam Busi Mhlongo and some of the items were modelled by great artists such Bongeziwe Mabandla, Wanda Baloyi and Max-Hoba- all of whom are inspired by the late South African music icon. This year we going bigger and bolder as the range will be accompanied by The Busi Mhlongo Music Festival in partnership with Soweto Theatre and weve lined up quite a few surprise musical acts who form part of our New Age All Stars and whose musical journey is heavily influenced by the late South Africa music legend, added Kaluw. Image supplied: The MamBusi Mhlongo capsule collection The festival will take place at the Soweto Theatre on 14 December 2022. The festival curation is cemented with loads of lifestyle expressions, insightful urban-cultured conversations, and music celebrations. The experience is planned to be a memorable event, featuring Mam Busi Mhlongos long-time friend and bandmate Madala Kunene and the cultural enthusiast and composer Mbuso Khoza amongst others. The MamBusi Mhlongo collection will be available on Urban Zulus online store. The Luxe 100 Best Awards, which celebrates the best of South African hospitality, has announced its 2022 winners. Source: Supplied The Luxe 100 Best was introduced following the success of the Luxe Restaurant Awards. The awards reflects the diversity of South Africas luxury hospitality sector and celebrates the growth of the countrys product offering as well as positioning South Africa as a globally competitive destination. The award categories ranged from the 10 Best Bars in South Africa to the 10 Best Game Lodges in South Africa, with winners emerging from across the country. Well-renowned SA celebrity, Shashi Naidoo MCed the event in style. Those in attendance included culinary social media superstars Mogau Seshoene and Zanele Van Zyl, as well as celebrated food critic Steve Steinfeld and entrepreneur Nicky Van Der Walt with his wife and model, Lee-Ann Liebenberg. Source: Supplied The nominees were selected via industry experts and customer reviews. All nominees in the award categories were ranked according to their "Luxe Score", determining their placement in the relevant categories. The panel of judges was convened by Chad Fourie, chief judge of the Luxe Awards and managing director of The Hospitality Counsel, who said: "The Luxe 100 Best Awards supports, promotes and develops the South African travel and tourism industry by identifying and rewarding excellence and inspiring its practitioners to continually raise the standards of their product and service offering." Category winners are as follows: 1. Best Bar in South Africa: Zioux 2. Best Chef in South Africa: Mmabatho Molefe 3. Best Restaurant in South Africa: Salsify at the Roundhouse 4. Best Hotel in South Africa: Babylonstoren 5. Best Boutique Hotel in South Africa: Tintswalo Atlantic 6. Best Game Lodge in South Africa: Singita Boulders Lodge 7. Best Villa in South Africa: Sandcastle Luxury Villa 8. Best Wine Farm in South Africa: Delaire Graff Estate 9. Best Eco Lodge in South Africa: Grootbos - Private Nature Reserve 10. Best Spa in South Africa: Vivari Spa Unions worldwide play an essential role in protecting the rights and interests of employees, particularly at lower income levels where individuals may not have recourse to legal services and representation. Correcting the power imbalance between employer and employee is often a critical function performed by unions. As such, the right of unions to exist and to represent their members is a critical and constitutionally protected right, and the way in which unions organise themselves internally and in their relations with employers is a highly regulated sector of labour law. Image source: Vitaliy Vodolazskyy 123RF.com However, as with all regulated areas, the devil is in the detail and employers who wish to ensure that unions comply with the roles mapped out for them in legislation, as well as adopted by their own constitutions, should be aware of recent cases which have clarified when unions can act for employees, and when their right to represent employees may be constrained. A starting point for considering the right of a union to represent its members is the scope of industry in which the union operates; for example, the scope for the National Union of Mineworkers is self-explanatory, and employers have often assumed that if a union carves a place for itself in a particular industry, that it is constrained to operating in that industry alone. The extent of the scope of the union is usually self-imposed, and is to be found in the constitution of the union. Since the general principle in relation to the establishment of trade unions is that the union is bound by its constitution, it follows that if the constitution of the union sets out a limited scope, the union cannot exceed the powers it has given itself, by representing employees who are employed in industries outside of that scope. Although a union may allow such membership, the courts and employers would be expected to be entitled to disregard such members when considering the rights of the union when engaging in collective bargaining. For example, in the 2019 case of Lufil Packaging v Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration and others, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) attempted to compel Lufil to grant it organisational rights. Numsa admitted at the outset of the proceedings that Lufil, which manufactures printed and plain paper bags and associated paper or paper-derivative-based packaging products, was not an employer in the scope of the union, which even though quite broad, generally relates only to the Iron, Steel, Engineering and Metallurgical Industry, the Electrical Engineering Industry, the Plastics Industry, the Automobile Manufacturing Industry, and the Motor Industry. In counting the number of employees who could be taken into account for determining if Numsa was sufficiently representative within Lufil's workplace, the Labour Court found that the correct legal position, therefore, is that Numsa had to show that it was sufficiently representative. The employees on which it relied in alleging it was sufficiently representative could not be and thus were not, in law members of Numsa, as they did not fall within the scope of the union in terms of Numsas constitution. As such, Numsa was not sufficiently representative of the employees at the workplace and therefore was not entitled to any organisational rights. Since the employees were employed by an employer which did not operate in any industry that fell within the union's scope, they were not lawful members for the headcount which the union relied upon. They could be members of the union, but the union could not treat them as members for the purposes of asserting a claim to organisational rights, and the employer was entitled to disregard these members. The scope of the industry for the union is therefore of critical importance, and the union will be held to the limits of such scope, which it has taken upon itself. However, in the recent case of National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa and others v Afgri Animal Feeds, the Labour Appeal Court had already held that it is not the business of an employer to concern itself with the relationship between individual employees and their union in matters which do not involve collective bargaining. In this case, Afgri dismissed approximately 100 workers, and when the union attempted to represent these workers on the basis that they were its members, Afgri objected. This objection was on the basis that these workers were employed in a sector which fell outside of the scope of the industries in which the union was entitled to represent its members, under its own constitution. On the basis of the Lufil case, this point seemed likely to succeed. However, the Labour Appeal Court has held that a trade union is a voluntary association and that if a union accepts a person as a member outside of the prescribed scope of its constitution, it can do so in order to represent that person in the particular dispute and in order to ensure adequate access to justice for that person. The Labour Appeal Court consequently held that the union could represent these workers, even if they were employed in an industry which fell outside the scope of the unions constitution. As such, when an employer assesses the right of a union to represent its members, the issue must be distinguished: organisational rights disputes, such as disputes over wages, changes to terms and conditions of employment, the establishment of the required levels of representivity required in a workplace or bargaining unit in order to determine whether a union is sufficiently representative, a majority union, or otherwise, must be distinguished from disciplinary issues. A trade union, according to the Labour Appeal Court and Afgri Animal Feeds case, can represent whomever it chooses in disciplinary matters; it is only when it seeks rights against an employer, based on its membership, that adherence to the scope of its constitution when assessing membership numbers will be enforced. When you plan a safari or bush holiday and you imagine your trip ahead of time, it's unlikely that you are picturing yourself scrolling through social media or watching Netflix. You are more likely imagining what it will be like to unplug and disconnect for a while. For many, however, this is often easier said than done. Picking up our phones or logging on to our laptops has become something of a habit. While we love seeing the photos that our guests post of our hotel and location, we do love it more when we see them enjoying the moment without technology, says Sarah Watson, guest relations manager at Kruger Gate Hotel. Our hotel just on the outside of the Kruger National Park is something truly special as we have a watering hole right outside and animals often come right up to the hotel to use it. Moments like this dont come around often and its best enjoyed by observing with your eyes rather than through your phone. In fact, various reports show that capturing a memory in a photograph can impact the brain's ability to accurately retain that memory. A study by Linda Henkel of Fairfield University in Connecticut revealed that students on a walking tour who took photos were unable to recall details about the things they took photos of. On the other hand, the students who were tasked with observing without a camera were able to better recall what they saw on the walking tour. When we rely on our cameras to memorise things for us, we dont let our brains enjoy the moment and take everything in, Watson explains. With this in mind, we have a few suggestions on how to have a digital detox in the bush in order to truly enjoy the memories you make. Leave your laptop at home With the ability to work from anywhere these days, its far too tempting to work from everywhere. When you take time off work to go on holiday into the bush or anywhere else, leave the laptop at home. If you have done an adequate handover and all your bases at work are covered, then it should be absolutely fine to step away from your emails and work for a bit. The time off could actually benefit you when you get back, as your brain would have been given the break it needs to be creative and productive once again. Delete social media apps from your phone If you are someone who perhaps spends too much time on social media, then this one's for you. For the duration of your holiday, delete your social media apps from your phone and other mobile devices. You dont need to do a daily roundup of your activities on Instagram. You can #latergram once the trip is done and you reinstall your apps. Far too often we spend too much time mindlessly scrolling through our social feeds. Take a break. Put your phone on airplane mode To avoid receiving calls, messages or notifications, simply put your phone in airplane mode. Be sure to keep the Wi-Fi off, too, otherwise some messages may sneak through. This way, no one will be able to bother you while you are on holiday, enjoying sundowners from the deck of your lodge or on a game drive. You can still use your phone as a camera if you wish to, but then its just that and nothing else. Set your messenger status to OOO Some messenger services allow users to update their status to well, whatever they feel like. You could change yours to say do not disturb or currently in the bush, chat when I get back. If your messenger service doesnt offer this, there is always the option of updating your profile picture to clearly illustrate that you are out of office and that you do not wish to be disturbed. This will minimise the number of people reaching out to you when all you want to do is enjoy your holiday. Get hard copies of your travel guides Theres an app for everything these days including travel guides. But before apps there were guide books and printed maps. These are still readily available at your accommodation venue or local travel agent. You could also print one ahead of your holiday and keep it with you. This way, you wont need to log into an app every time you try to figure out what to do for the day or where to do it. Use the safari vehicle services Lodges such as Kruger Gate Hotel have safari vehicles for guided game drives in the Kruger National Park. Yes, you could always do a self-drive and use the popular Paul Kruger Gate nearby, but then you would most likely need Google Maps and you would keep your phone on you to ensure you can contact someone in case of an emergency. If you do a guided game drive, the experienced game rangers will be able to take care of you and ensure that you have the best time possible. Watson suggests leaving your phone at the lodge and, at least once, taking everything in visually rather than experiencing it via a screen. Schedule a set time to check in with loved ones Of course, loved ones will want to know where you are and what you are doing and vice versa. Instead of being available 24/7, schedule a time to check in with them. Let your family and friends know ahead of time that, for example, you will call them or message them at 5pm every day to catch up. This way, they know exactly when to hear from you and they are less likely to disturb you outside of those hours. Time in nature and away from the stressors of life is good for both your mental and physical health. Instead of using it to do an even deeper dive of social media, use it to truly relax and unwind. You will be grateful that you did, Watson concludes. Imraan Christian, a director and artist at Arcade in Cape Town, is among the 31 winners from 10 countries for The One Club for Creativity's prestigious Young Guns 20 competition. Image supplied. Imraan Christian, a director and artist at Arcade in Cape Town, has been named a winner in The One Club for Creativitys Young Guns 20 competition Young Guns, which celebrates international creative professionals age 30 or younger, is the industrys only global, cross-disciplinary, portfolio-based awards competition that identifies and celebrates todays vanguard of young creatives. With every passing year, evolving technology and new ways of working continue to expand and redefine what creativity means, says Paula Goldner, VP, global agency partnerships at Shutterstock, a sponsor of the Young Guns 20 and other One Club activities. By empowering young artists to unlock their artistic potential, Shutterstock and The One Club demonstrate their belief in the fact that creativity should be cutting-edge, yet human-centric, she says. Young Guns 20 winners will be celebrated at a special in-person event on 16 November 2022 at Sony Hall in New York, co-hosted by noted artist, author, and designer Timothy Goodman (YG7), and designer Zipeng Zhu (YG13), founder and creative director at Dazzle Studio New York. Young Guns 20 Creative Choice Award The One Club is also holding the Young Guns 20 Creative Choice Award, where the global creative community can explore the work of this years winners and vote on which one they believe stands above all others. Voting is open now through 11 November 2022, 9 pm ET, with the winner announced at the Young Guns 20 awards ceremony. Young Guns Cube 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 get 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. Programme branding and design of the Cube award is reimagined each year by a past Young Gun winner. This years YG20 branding and award are designed by Zipeng Zhu, with branding font created by NaN Berlin. The complete list of Young Guns 20 winners can be viewed here, and all 84 finalists from 23 countries can be viewed here. This years entries were judged by a diverse jury of 96 top creatives many of whom are past YG winners from 41 countries. Andrew Bourne, regional manager at Zoho Africa These figures spotlight the markets move away from static legacy applications and toward end-to-end solutions that empower organisations to be agile, scale, and adapt to changes in their industries. Launched in 2017 as a first-of-its-kind suite with 35 integrated applications, Zoho One now offers a comprehensive, scalable platform comprising 45 unified applications with end to end services including AI, business intelligence, contextual communication, and unified search, allowing businesses to run every aspect of their organisation from sales and marketing to finance, HR, and analytics. Siloed systems cause business silos," said Andrew Bourne, regional manager, Zoho Africa. An integrated organisation, therefore, is typically a reflection of integrated systems underneath. This is what we see with our own customers. Nearly half of Zoho One customers use 20 or more apps across functions, integrating their organisation and reporting higher returns. SMEs and startups especially benefit from an all-in-one solution that allows them to scale without data silos, integration hassles or multi-vendor contracts, and also bring down total cost of ownership. Expansion and unification Over the last five years, Zoho One has added 10 new apps and countless services in dialogue with businesses to meet their evolving needs, while acutely reducing customers' total cost of ownership in adopting and maintaining the platform. It has the scope and power to run any business out of the box, while carrying the tools necessary for organisations to customise the solution to fit their requirements. Zoho One is built entirely in-house, on a single technology stack, resulting in a truly unified, end-to-end platform with hundreds of integration points across its applications. Consistent, ground-up unification provides businesses with a deeper connection between sales, marketing, customer support, accounting, human resources, and other functions. Its upmarket growth is made possible by the platform's capacity to tightly integrate with third-party solutions without causing data and operational silos or impacting the efficiency of a businesss existing system. Zoho One pricing Zoho One is available immediately with a flexible user price of R1,125 per month or an employee pricing of R450 per month. For comprehensive pricing information, please go to https://www.zoho.com/one/pricing/. Zoho privacy pledge Zoho respects user privacy and does not have an ad-revenue model in any part of its business, including its free products. The company owns and operates its data centers, ensuring complete oversight of customer data, privacy, and security. More than 80 million users around the world, across hundreds of thousands of companies, rely on Zoho everyday to run their businesses, including Zoho itself. For more information, please visit https://www.zoho.com/privacy-commitment.html. About Zoho With 55+ apps in nearly every major business category, Zoho Corporation is one of the world's most prolific technology companies. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, with international headquarters in Chennai, India, Zoho is privately held and profitable with more than 12,000 employees. For more information, please visit www.zoho.com. The 74th World News Media Congress, which draws together news media leaders from all over the world, will take place from 28 to 30 June 2023 in Taipei. Wan-Ifra and Taiwan's media and technology company United Daily News Group (UDN) will organise the 2023 event. A newly opened Hall 2 at Taipei's Nangang Exhibition Centre will host the event. The official conference hotel is the Grand Hyatt Taipei, near Taipei 101. The largest city in Crimea and the home of Russia's Black Sea Fleet woke up to heavy explosions and anti-aircraft fire during an attack Russian officials say included aerial drones and especially unmanned surface vessels (USV), both of which were 'suicide' or 'kamikaze' types mean to explode when they arrive at their targets. The Ukrainian Armed Forces have since released incredible footage purportedly from aboard several unmanned surface vessels used in the attack. The video shows the purported attack run on a guided missile frigate and Russian forces engaging the USVs with machine-gun fire. The USVs appear to be of the same design as the mystery drone boat found near Sevastopol in September. Russian officials claimed that only one vessel was slightly damaged while all Ukrainian aerial drones were destroyed and that "British specialists" were involved, without offering any proof. Russian-installed officials in occupied Crimea call it "the most massive since the beginning of the special operation." The low-light footage clearly shows a Project 11356R Admiral Grigorovich-class frigate one of Russia's most modern and powerful warships underway, as well as Sevastopol harbor. There are reports that the Admiral Makarov, reportedly the Black Sea Fleet's new flagship after the Project 1164 Slava-class cruiser Moskva sank in April, was damaged in the attack. At this time, The War Zone cannot independently confirm reports about damage to the Admiral Makarov, though the low-light footage from the USV appears to show it getting very close to the missile frigate before cutting to other video of the harbor and an explosion on CCTV. Ukrainian officials previously claimed in May that the Admiral Makarov sank like the Moskva after being hit by Ukrainian anti-ship missiles, though this was later debunked. Photos: YouTube A joint security team in Luwero district Tuesday launched a manhunt for unknown persons who allegedly raided a police station 33km outside Kampala, shooting two policemen dead in the process while injuring another. The incident occurred at Busiika Police Station in Busiika town council in Luwero district at around 7.30 pm. The deceased have been identified as Moses Wagaluka, the officer in charge of the Criminal Investigation Department, and Alex Ongoro. Another policeman, Steven Ondama, also attached to Busiika Police Station, sustained injuries and was rushed to Bombo military hospital. Monday, another joint security team arrested the overall commander for the so-called rebel group, Uganda Coalition Front for Change (UCFC). Our joint security task teams including the joint intelligence components that are carrying out counter operations aimed at dismantling activities of hostile elements in the country managed to arrest Frank Ssemwogerere David aka Ndugwa aka Colonel who is the overall commander of the Uganda Coalition Front for Change, police spokesperson Fred Enanga said. Ssemwogereres rap sheet has been spelled out as the government accuses him of masterminding UCFCs several attacks in Wakiso, Mityana and Kiboga where security officers were killed and their guns robbed. No mention whatsoever has been made about the assailants who killed at least 28 people in Masaka City and Lwengo District last year. Yet the two eruptions of violence are most certainly connected by their use of machetes and willingness to put Gen. Musevenis junta to the sword. This is worrying because either the conditions under the Museveni junta are incubating a host of incipient rebel groups or these groups are mere bogies formed by the Museveni junta as a false-flag operation against Bobi Wines National Unity Platform. As to the latter, a rash of insurgents have arisen to remind Ugandans that only the army can settle any restive security situation. Hence Bobi Wine (real name Robert Kyagulanyi) is not the right person to succeed Gen. Museveni when a military man, Gen. Muhoozi, is waiting in the wings, professionally ready to defend life and limb. This is the power of Suggestion, which in psychology is the process by which a person guides another person's desired thoughts, feelings, and behaviours by presenting stimuli (rebel activity) that may elicit them (our thoughts, feelings and behaviours) as reflexes instead of relying on conscious effort. In brief, the suggestion of Gen. Muhoozis leadership is embedded in a growing security problem which will make the average citizen look to the junta for protection and therefore choose Gen. Muhoozi instead of Bobi Wine in the coming succession battle. Also, this latest spate of violence maybe used as a means of purging the security forces of any internal dissent. After all, violence is a cleansing force, Gen. Museveni wrote in his university of Dar Es Salaam undergraduate dissertation. He was aping Frantz Fanons theory on violence, particularly as outlined in his book: The Wretched of the Earth. However, although Fanon believed violence would be a powerful instrument against colonialism and oppression, Gen. Museveni uses violence as an instrument against all those who oppose his oppressive rule. A rule that was founded in violence and has been preserved by the same. This diabolical plan is further helped along by its location in Buganda. After being defeated in the central region by Bobi Wine, who is also from the central region, Gen. Museveni will be able to better terrorize the region and blame it on the rebels. This is punitive as well as palliative to his rule in that its massages his bruised ego by exacting revenge on those people who rejected him outright at the last general elections. All told, my biggest worry is that such violence will beget violence as Uganda sinks into a spiral of endless violence. Feature: Tanzanian woman witnesses growing Tanzania-China cultural ties Xinhua) 09:34, November 03, 2022 DAR ES SALAAM, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- On the bright afternoon of Tuesday, 32-year-old Florida Ferdinand Mtani who works at the China Cultural Center in Tanzania along the Ali Hassan Mwinyi Road in the port city of Dar es Salaam was busy receiving guests to an art exhibition. The art exhibition that features Tingatinga art, a unique and vibrant style of painting that originated in Tanzania in the second half of the 20th century was being organized by the China Cultural Center. The exhibition which opened Tuesday and showcased important artworks from both Tanzania and China was held in an effort to boost cultural exchanges between the two countries through art. In an interview, Mtani said she has been working with the China Cultural Center since 2020. The center was the first of its kind set up in the east African region in 2015, with an aim to enhance cooperation and closer ties between Tanzania and China. The center, located in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania's largest city, has been well-received by the locals over the years. At the center, a series of cultural activities are held, including Chinese painting and calligraphy exhibitions, martial art courses, Chinese language training sessions, and cooking workshops. Mtani said after she completed her university studies, she applied for a job as a receptionist and office assistant at the center which she secured. "I love Chinese culture. I started learning Chinese culture, including Kung-Fu and their language when I was studying at the University of Dodoma," said Mtani. "Since I had known that the Chinese have a very good culture, I became interested in working with them. That is how I came to work with the China Cultural Center in Tanzania," said the soft-spoken woman. "When I was in university, I learned Chinese language and Chinese martial arts like Kung-Fu." She said her job as a receptionist and office assistant involves welcoming guests and helping her Chinese colleagues to plan and host events. "I like my job. We have several events here. This year we had the Mid-Autumn Chinese festival which I loved the most." She said Tanzanians are interested in learning Chinese Kung-Fu after they had watched and been inspired by movies like Bruce Lee's. "They always come here to register for Kung-Fu courses. The Kung-Fu courses help them to cultivate discipline and improve their self-defense." She added that more Tanzanians also tried to learn the Chinese language because many Chinese companies based in Tanzania prefer hiring Tanzanians who speak Chinese. She meanwhile said that the Chinese are also learning Kiswahili to make communication easier between them and the local people. From Wednesday to Friday, Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan will pay a state visit to China. Mtani believes the visit will significantly cement the long-time cultural and economic cooperation between the two countries. "The visit will also play a major role in opening wider Tanzania's investment opportunities to Chinese investors." (Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Liang Jun) Social media was abuzz last month with anecdotal reports from Airbnb hosts about a collapse in bookings. There was precious little sign of that in the homestay platforms earnings report this week, which saw a 29 per cent increase in quarterly revenue from the year-earlier period to $US2.9 billion ($4.6 billion). If theres a problem - and its a nice one from shareholders point of view - its that Airbnb is making too much money, not too little. The company risks alienating customers by advertising a low daily rate and then tacking on exorbitant service and cleaning fees. Happily, its promising more transparency, and thats long overdue. Nice problem to have: If anything, AirBNB is making too much money. Credit:iStock Airbnb did warn of moderating booking growth and pressure on average daily home rates, which spooked shareholders a little. But management said its seeing no hints of a decline in peoples demand and willingness to travel, and is anticipating still impressive revenue growth of around 20 per cent in the fourth quarter. The company reported a record $US1.2 billion of net income, equivalent to a 42 per cent profit margin, as the average daily rate of properties booked on its site exceeded $US150. Airbnbs algorithms prioritising better all-in pricing might account for some of those anecdotal accounts of bookings collapsing, management said. Despite buying back shares, Airbnb is sitting on cash and equivalents worth almost $US10 billion. The owner of two of the countrys biggest bookmakers will no longer sponsor the jerseys of Australian professional teams amid a growing backlash against gambling advertising in sport. English wagering giant Entain said its Ladbrokes and Neds brands would no longer appear on the shirts of sportspeople as part of a bigger reduction in the groups sponsorship of sport. Entain, owner of Ladbrokes and Neds, will no longer sponsor the jerseys of professional teams as part of a bigger walk back of the groups sponsorship of sport. Credit:Getty While we have had many great partners in this space over a long period of time, we understand some of the community sentiment around this and feel it is the right time to step away from this area. Its understood the decision is the first part of a considered plan to wind back Entains sponsorship of sport in Australia. A little known cryptocurrency trading house that appears to have most of its operations in Hong Kong and Singapore has emerged as the sixth-largest operation by income in Australia for the 2022 tax year. WX Trading which appears to be affiliated with WX Capital, a large cryptocurrency trading site reported $33 billion in income for the year, ranking it between supermarket giant Coles and Perth-headquartered conglomerate Wesfarmers in terms of total annual income. WX Trading director Dongtao Yu listed this Brighton home as his home address on ASIC company records. Property titles show the Yu family recently sold the home for $9.2 million. According to the ATO data, WX Tradings taxable income was only $5.9 million, and it paid $1,774,084 in income tax during the year. The company counts three Millennials Dongtao Yu, Zhang Li and Wiuxaun Lui, all born between 1993 and 1995 from Melbourne and Canberra as its directors. Lui and Yu are also both directors of another Australian-registered company, WX Capital, which was set up in 2021. For two years, bad news has kept piling on for Chinese property developers. The nations worsening credit crisis has led to defaults, failure to deliver homes on time and an unrelenting market selloff. Now a new phenomenon is happening: Builders founders are leaving. Pan Shiyi and Zhang Xin, who now live in New York, resigned in September as chairman and CEO, respectively, of their real estate empire, Soho China. Credit:Getty Longfor Groups Wu Yajun resigned on Friday as executive director and chair, shortly after Soho China Ltd.s Pan Shiyi quit in September. While Wu cited health reasons, the timing has startled analysts. Its very likely that we will see more mainland property founders leaving important roles in their firms, said Kakei Lam, fund investment officer at Metaverse Securities in Hong Kong. The golden age of Chinese property is gone, and they probably dont see too much they can do to help. LONDON, 7th December. News has been received from Egypt of a sensational archaeological find, which eclipses all previous discoveries on the part of Egyptologists. For many years past the Earl of Carnarvon, who has won distinction as an archaeologist, has financed excavation of ancient sites in Egypt, under the direction of Mr. Howard Carter, who has spent his life in this work. For the past seven years Mr. Carter has been excavating in the Valley of the Tombs of Kings at Luxor, the site of the ancient city of Thebes, where many important discoveries had been made in the past. Many Egyptologists had come to the conclusion that this site had nothing more to reveal. But at last Mr. Carters efforts have been rewarded by a discovery that is sensational from the point of view of treasure as well as archaeology. It is stated that the financial value of the treasure already discovered will reach several million pounds, and it is confidently predicted that the find is by no means exhausted. Under the law which governs excavation in Egypt by foreigners, everything discovered belongs to the Egyptian Government, and must be placed in the Cairo Museum. What Mr. Carter has discovered is a sepulchre containing the funeral paraphernalia of King Tutankhamen, who reigned in Egypt 3000 years ago. At present it is not known whether the sepulchre is the tomb in which this King was interred at his death, or whether the valuable funerary furniture it contains was removed here from his tomb, in order to save it from thieves. The entrance to the tomb of Ramses VI [R] and is the entrance to the tomb of Tutankhamun [far R]. Credit:iStock The Valley of the Tombs of the Kings, writes Mr. Arthur Weigall, who was formerly Inspector-General of Antiquities to the Egyptian Government, lies behind the first range of barren hills and cliffs which form, as it were, the western boundary walls of the fertile valley of the Nile over against the town of Luxor, the site of the ancient Thebes, some 450 miles up stream from Cairo. Here, amongst the desolate and sun-scorched rocks, most of the Pharaohs of the Eighteenth Dynasty (1550-1350 B.C.) caused themselves to be buried more or less secret tombs hewn out of the hill sides, where they hoped to be safe from the robbers who, they knew, had plundered the more accessible sepulchres of their predecessors, in search of the treasures which were interred with them. The tombs were each entered through a small and rough hole in the rocks, easily able to be concealed by superimposed gravel and rocks; but this insignificant passage opened out into a series of fine subterranean corridors, stairways, and chambers, leading down to the actual burial hall, where the kings mummy lay in a gilded coffin, placed within a stone sarcophagus. The tomb which Mr. Carter has discovered is situated just below the later tomb of Rameses VI., a stones throw from the but where the native watchmen have their quarters, and the removal of surface gravel and debris during the systematic search of the valley which is now being conducted revealed its entrance. There was a sealed outer door, and beyond this some sixteen steps led down to a passage about 25 ft. in length, at the end of which was another sealed door. On opening this the excavators found themselves in a chamber filled with wonderful objects; many of them inscribed with the name of King Tutankhamen. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Grant Nundhirribala has driven through the night. From Maningrida, 14 hours, non-stop, he boasts as kids and grandkids spill from a silver dual cabin Hilux with red dirt trim. I was filling up at Jabiru, then from Jabiru to Katherine. Im feeling tired but every festival when you call me Im coming there straight away. The people of Beswick are thrilled to see him. Hes soon sitting in regal command on the shipping container stage of the Djarmalak Festival, still wearing his Aussie flag truckers cap, his family transformed with white paint and red lap-laps (loincloths) into the Red Flag Dancers. Grant Nundhirribala: When I [feel] goosebump, I know my father is next to me. And I sing really strong. Credit:Anthony Gray His songs come in short, urgent bursts, clapsticks ringing and dancers kicking up sand as the big blue sky pales to yellow. This ones called Sunset. Aeroplane is about the big bird that astonished his grandfather over the mission in Numbulwar. Each is followed by a roar of appreciation that balanda (white-man) acts seldom muster up here. I am Songman for Red Flag, he explains later. Its a role bestowed by birth, passed from father to son. The red flag songs are connected to the seafaring Macassan traders of Indonesia, who began visiting northern Australia around the middle of the 18th century. Young performers at this years Djarmalak Festival. Credit:Paz Tassone Every bedtime my father used to sing all these songs, all the red flag songs and the smoking ceremony songs, he says. I listen all the time. When I went hunting together with my father; always singing. Advertisement How many songs? Thousand songs, he says. Songs from my grandfather. Too much. How does he keep track of them? He taps his head. All in here. Djarmalak is an annual celebration in memory of Nundhirribalas nephew, the local legend now referred to as Balang T.E. Lewis, star of music, film and theatre from The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith to The Shadow King. Over many years, Lewis Walking With Spirits festival put this small community 90 minutes east of Katherine on the map for a limited number of tourists permitted to visit the spectacular Beswick Falls site nearby. Since his passing in 2018, the party has moved here to the community hub of the Djilpin Arts Centre, run by his widow, Melbourne arts veteran Fleur Parry, in consultation with Jawoyn elders. She sits on the steps as visitors learn about bush medicine and grass weaving, or buy local art and textiles. Its about cultural survival, she says. Part of my job is to consult all the time with my board and work with them. Ill say What do you want to be doing? And every time without fail, Weve got to keep culture alive cause were seeing it fading every day. Young audience members at the 2022 Djarmalak Festival. Credit:Paz Tassone Dance is super important, painting... but the big thing is the stories. Its all a bit of a tapestry and I guess the cultural dispossession thats happened is pulling at the threads but whats critical is language. You could have a hundred dancers but if theres no songman, they cant get up. Advertisement Songs From Walking With Spirits was one of Lewis most inspired survival projects. In 2007, he recorded four Arnhem Land songmen with new musical backing by himself, Melbourne guitarist Ross Hannaford, Gurrumuls bassist Michael Hohnen and others. Each of those songmen (Hannaford too) has since passed, but their voices are now about to take the next step into eternity on streaming services worldwide. The embrace of Apple Music, which negotiated an early release of the songs this week, seems to illustrate a growing hunger for this kind of material. Ngulmiya, for example, is Grant Nundhirribalas new album with the Budapest Art Orchestra, sung in Wubuy language peppered with old Indonesian words; language that tells a long story in and of itself. Then theres Yirrkala songman Rrawun Maymurru, recorded by classical-electronic artist Nick Wales for a Sydney Dance Company production a few years ago. His just-completed collaboration with pianist-composer Sophie Hutchings promises another frontier for ancient songlines infiltrating contemporary music landscapes in 2023. The new drones are neither here nor there to Lewis sister Loretta George, a teacher at Beswicks Wugularr School. You can mix it all up together, she says, as long as the stories are delivered faithfully. Loretta George, whose brother, Balang TE Lewis, is celebrated at the annual Djarmalak Festival. Credit:Paz Tassone Some of the kids know their culture, but some of them dont know their land, their stories. Thats why we do learning on-country at school This one, she says, indicating the Walking With Spirits CD, you really want them to learn about and really start singing because thats [disappearing]. I told the school mob to let the young boys listen. Some of them, they know how to do the didgeridoo but somebody needs [to be] the songman. The storyteller. She names a few boys who are learning, but the absence of living teachers concerns her. Songs by the late Victor Hood and Jimmy Wesan, sung in endangered languages Dalabon and Rembarrnga, might have been saved by the miracle of digital streaming but they need to hear it [live] to sing strong, the young ones, she says. Whats really good is if one of the older men could get this back for the younger ones, to keep it alive again. Advertisement Loading Todays Djarmalak headliner is Torres Strait hip-hop artist Mau Power, a mighty presence on-stage and off. The sky is dark purple when he takes the stage. We come all the way from Torres Strait to share culture. The dancers come to call the spirits down, he booms as they stalk the stage in stunning plant-fibre capes and headdresses, wielding stylised paddles like downward-pointing spears. Raise your hands and feel the energy of our ancestors here with us. As the DJ kicks in, the visitation turns a little eerie as a pack of normally sedate town dogs noisily surrounds the dancers on their way back to the dressing room. Later, Power and his team are convinced the animals saw the ghosts. When we call the ancestors, the spirits come and get embedded into the gear. They can actually haunt you. Thats happened to our surprise all the time, he says. Mau Power with dancers at the Djarmalak Festival. Credit:Paz Tassone Back in ancient times, they had the turtle shell masks; the eyes are made of pearl. If you want to move the masks, you must remove the eyes because they actually watch you. And if you dont, it haunts you. Even the British Museum curators know this. Because the elders came over and told them. On a good day like this one, the elders ghosts are everywhere. When I perform in these places I can feel my father next to me, says Nundhirribala, back at his Hilux and preparing for the next leg of his journey. He pinches his arm. When I [feel] goosebump, I know my father is next to me. And I sing really strong. Everywhere he follows me, no matter where. Advertisement Guillermo del Toros Cabinet of Curiosities Director Guillermo del Toro steps out of the shadows at the beginning of each of these delicious horror tales, like a modern Alfred Hitchcock, complete with a small miniature he retrieves from a literal cabinet of curiosities to introduce each self-contained episode. Del Toro curates eight tales, each from a different director, and while the styles vary, del Toros signature style vivid colour palettes, lavish production design, old-school gore is present throughout. The series opens with director Guillermo Navarro, cinematographer of del Toros Oscar-winning Pans Labyrinth. Based on a story by del Toro, Lot 36 follows Nick (Tim Blake Nelson), a bitter, fascist-leaning army veteran who buys abandoned storage units in the hope that their contents can pay off his nasty debt collectors. When Nick buys Lot 36, the facility manager tells him it has been visited every day for 40 years by the man who rents it. Nick enters the storage unit, and discovers some old furniture pieces that he thinks will make him a nice profit but these are no ordinary antiques. Lot 36, a dark morality tale, sets the tone for the series. Keziah (Lize Johnston), Nancy Bradley (Essie Davis) and Blobman (Kevin Keppy) in Guillermo del Toros Cabinet of Curiosities. Credit:David Lee, Ken Woroner/Netflix Other directors here include David Prior (The Empty Man), whose episode The Autopsy features a reanimated corpse, Keith Thomas (Firestarter) who adapts H.P. Lovecrafts story Pickmans Model, about an artist who creates terrifying paintings and Catherine Hardwicke (Miss Bala), updates another Lovecraft tale, The Dreams in the Witch House, about a man trying to reach his dead sister by breaching the dimension between the living and the dead. Last Friday, after 25 years, the doors of the last remaining map shop in NSW closed. The small, old bell that would sound each time a customer entered became the shops death knell as the final days approached. It heralded the lost opportunities of discovery, learning and camaraderie customers would experience as they perused the shelves. The diversity of people who entered enriched the experience for all. This small shop was a microcosm of what community should be. A recent article by Tim Barlass explained the reasons for the looming closure of Map Centre in Parramatta, where I have worked for the past 18 months. Since that article, the shop was inundated with online orders, phone inquiries and customers, many of whom had not been aware the shop still existed, or indeed, ever did. Jane Foster, who worked at the recently closed map centre. Credit:Fairfax This strong response has reaffirmed for Dianne Eggins, the owner, that the printed map is still wanted, needed and preferred, and not just by a pre-GPS or pre-Google map demographic. Younger people do hold an appreciation for the printed map. It is a compulsory component of study in NSW schools and, although that may not translate to a love of mapping and navigation, it gives exposure to the printed map and how to use it. Young and old alike want to know where they are in the world, where they are going and more importantly, that they have not lost their way. During the recent school holidays, Ollie, about 10 years old, wandered into the shop with his mum and older sister. Maps were his thing and he wanted to learn how to read them. With saved money in hand, he looked carefully for some time before choosing a 1:25K topo of his local area and a protractor (a 1:25K topo is a topographical map showing contour lines that indicate elevation with 1cm on the map indicating 250m in the field). He waited patiently as the map was printed, trimmed and folded. Police find body in search for two Sydney fathers Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. Were working to restore it. Please try again later. Dismiss A man and woman are expected to front court on Friday over the death of a seven-month-old baby boy north of Brisbane. The pair were taken into custody on Thursday, Queensland Police Detective Inspector David Jackman said, and charged later that afternoon with one count each of murder and torture. The investigations uncovered injuries to the child that are enough for us to charge with murder, Jackman said earlier. I have been a detective for 30-odd years, its one of the most confronting scenes that Ive seen. In the past week, authorities seized 80 firearms, 18 imitation weapons and 75 guns in the state as part of Operation Athenea, a nationwide campaign to clamp down on the making and trading of illegal firearms. There are about 3.5 million registered firearms in Australia and a quarter of a million illicit ones. Associate Professor Philip Alpers, who maps the use of guns in Australia and other nations, said many of the guns now used by criminals in Melbourne had been in Australia for years. Sam The Punisher Abdulrahim in a photo from his Instagram page. Credit:Instagram They are grey market firearms guns once sold legally that werent handed in during the governments 1996 buy-back program. One of the guns they found was a revolver, a fearsome-looking thing from the Boer War, he said. The bitter colonial war between Britain and the self-governing Afrikaner republics in South Africa ended in 1902. Alpers said a gun had a long decay curve, meaning if you look after it, keep it oiled, prevent it from rusting and dont fire it too much, it will last centuries. This makes them prized commodities among criminals, who often source them from the black market or steal them from licensed shooters. Sawn-off shotguns have become the weapons of choice for criminals. Police intelligence suggests crooks cruise the streets of small towns looking for vehicles parked in driveways with the bumper stickers of gun manufacturers, which indicate the occupant likely has guns. Images from a video showing the crashed getaway vehicle and one of the masked gunmen running from the scene after allegedly shooting Abdulrahim. Once they crack open the gun safe, they often cut the barrel and handle of the shotgun, both illegal modifications, so the hunting tool can be tucked into a belt and quickly drawn. Alpers said criminals were also increasingly looking overseas, including the United States, for crucial parts, such as barrels, triggers and breeches. Those are often sent in separate parcels or smuggled inside sea containers through Australian ports. Intelligence from the Australian Border Force indicates the bulk of firearms and parts smuggled into Australia come disclosed as other cargo from China. A lot of those containers cant be X-rayed to the degree of sophistication and strength that you need to pick up a part that small, so if youre importing a car, you might hide an entire gun inside the engine block, Alpers said. Investigators leave a public housing block in Fitzroy after a man was shot dead nearby. Credit:Jason South Once the parts have made it to their destination, criminals use blueprints available online to build ghost guns; firearms that dont have a serial number and cannot be traced. Most recently, this has included using 3D printers to manufacture the body of a weapon. In the past, 3D-printed guns were notoriously unreliable, exploding on the shooters hands or backfiring. However, Alpers said designs were becoming increasingly sophisticated and incorporated breeches and barrels made of steel that turned them into semi-automatic weapons. Law enforcement agencies are growing more concerned about the homemade weapons falling into the hands of organised crime syndicates after making significant seizures in Victoria, NSW and South Australia. In my career, this is really recent technology. Its concerning, Victoria Police Crime Command acting commander Paul OHalloran told reporters. We need to do everything we can to prevent this from occurring. The toy-like, but very serious, 3D-printed semi-automatic assault rifle seized by WA Police. Credit:Nine West Australian police recently confiscated from a teenager a 3D-printed semi-automatic assault rifle capable of firing 15 rounds of ammunition in a single pull of the trigger. The toy-looking weapon had allegedly been printed and assembled by the 18-year-old at a home. In Victoria, police uncovered a gun-trafficking outfit operating out of two homes in Melbournes northeastern suburbs last week. The arsenal of 48 guns included eight homemade firearms, four of which were military-style weapons. It is alleged that 3D printers were also used in the operation. Criminologist Rick Sarre said intelligence from law enforcement agencies suggested firearms were being smuggled into Australia in significant numbers and feeding a growing black market. Theres no doubt at all theres a worrying trend about illicit firearms coming into the country, and, of course, they have to be illicit because once they get here, theyre banned, he said. A truck unloads prohibited firearms at a scrap metal yard in 1997 after the Port Arthur massacre a year earlier. Credit:Reuters While the number of firearms intercepted at the border has dropped in the past two years due to pandemic-related disruptions to air mail and shipping routes, Australian Border Force officials nabbed more than 970 undeclared guns, parts and accessories at the border in the past financial year alone. Those were in addition to more than 1000 illicit guns confiscated by Victoria Police in 2021. Data from the Coroners Court of Victoria shows guns are far more likely to be used in self-harm incidents than fatal shootings. Since the start of the year, 11 people have died in shootings, compared to 26 instances of suicide. Loading However, statistics indicate gun violence is on the rise following the lockdown lull, which saw fatal shootings halve from 16 in 2019 to eight each year in 2020 and 2021. Gun violence tends to follow a cyclical pattern, with spikes in shootings followed by periods of relative calm. Graham Banks, acting superintendent at Victoria Polices anti-gangs division, believes firearm prohibition orders are making a dent in gang-related shootings. When a person has one of these orders imposed on them, they are prevented from acquiring or carrying a firearm, and police have additional powers to search them if they suspect they might be breaching the order. There are more than 1600 active orders in Victoria which have led to police taking about 150 illicit firearms, parts and ammunition off the streets since the program was introduced in 2018. This moment is not the end of the peace process, said Olusegun Obasanjo, a former Nigerian president representing the African Union, but the beginning of it. Abiy agreed to the deal at a moment of military supremacy, following weeks of sweeping military advances by his troops across Tigray with the help of allied forces from Eritrea, the neighbouring country to the north. But it also came against a backdrop of loud warnings from the United States and the United Nations about the possibility of new atrocities in a war already scarred by widespread abuses, including ethnic cleansing. The situation in Ethiopia is spiralling out of control, the UN secretary-general, Antonio Guterres, warned last month. The scale of fighting in Ethiopia rivals that of Ukraine, the US ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said last month. As many as half a million people have died as a result of the war, and the US was deeply concerned about the potential for further mass atrocities, she said. Tigrayan women Tarik, centre, and Meresaeta, left, roast coffee beans over a wood stove in a classroom in Mekele which became a makeshift home to thousands displaced by the conflict. Credit:AP As African Union-led peace efforts floundered this year, US diplomats brought the two sides together for three secret meetings outside Ethiopia. But while that initiative resulted in a five-month humanitarian ceasefire, it also provided both sides with a chance to rearm for the round of fighting that erupted in August. After that, US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said they were considering imposing sanctions, authorised by President Joe Biden last year, in an effort to force the belligerents to stop fighting. But they wanted to give the talks a chance. Ned Price, a US State Department spokesperson, welcomed the deal as an important step toward peace. Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House spokesperson, said, The United States remains committed to supporting this African Union-led process. Abiy hailed it as a monumental deal, seeking in a statement to frame it as part of a broader program of reforms led by his government. In a less conciliatory note, Ethiopias ambassador to Kenya, Bacha Debele Buta, said in a tweet that Ethiopia has prevailed and the federal government would rule Tigray through a command post. Members of the Tigrayan community protest against the conflict between Ethiopia and Tigray rebels in Ethiopias Tigray region, outside the the United Arab Emirates embassy in Pretoria, South Africa last month. Credit:AP Still, there was no immediate reaction from Eritrea, which has played a key role in the fighting on the side of the Ethiopian government and which was not formally represented in the peace talks. The autocratic leader of Eritrea, Isaias Afwerki, has for decades harboured a bitter rivalry with the leaders of Tigray. It was unclear if he had agreed to the deal signed in South Africa and, crucially, if he would withdraw his troops from the region. Equally uncertain was the political reception by the leaders of Ethiopias ethnic Amhara group, who provided political and military support to Abiy in his campaign against the Tigrayans. They have long claimed that western Tigray, where Ethiopian forces were accused of ethnic cleansing, rightfully belongs to the Amhara region. The war in Tigray, one of several conflicts in Ethiopia, is rooted in the seismic shifts that have defined the country over the past three decades. From peacemaker to warmonger: video from Abiys Twitter account in November 2021 showed him on the battlefront of the countrys then year-long war against Tigrayan forces. Credit:AP The main Tigrayan group, the Tigrayan Peoples Liberation Front, came to power in 1991, when it led a rebellion that ousted a Marxist dictator. It was shunted aside in 2018, after Abiy, a former ally, came to power amid a popular clamour for change in Ethiopia. The two sides coexisted uneasily for several years. The Tigrayans retreated to their stronghold in the north of the country. Abiy built an unlikely alliance with Isaias, the leader of Eritrea, who had long despised the Tigrayans. Tensions came to a head in September 2020, when the Tigrayans held regional elections in defiance of Abiy. Two months later, the feud erupted into war. The joint agreement signed on Wednesday (Thursday AEDT) outlines a plan to allow humanitarian access to Tigray, where a punishing government siege of the region has cut off electricity, banking and other vital services for more than 16 months. The deal also has provisions for reintegrating Tigrays regional government back into the central government, and noted that the Ethiopian government would rebuild all infrastructure damaged in the war. Loading The two sides also agreed to a detailed program of disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of Tigrayan forces, they said. Analysts said that the coming days would be crucial in determining if the deal could stick, and that much depended on how leaders on both sides sold it to their most vociferous, and heavily armed, supporters. In South Africa, Uhuru Kenyatta, a former president of Kenya who helped broker the deal, warned in brief comments that unnamed destructive actors from within or without could scupper the deal a likely reference to the leader of Eritrea and the Amhara militias that have been fighting alongside the Ethiopian military. The devil will be in the implementation, Kenyatta said. We still have a lot of work to do in terms of beginning the political process. Loading For civilians across northern Ethiopia, the deal is a welcome respite from a conflict that has become notorious for gross abuses. At least 2.4 million people have been forced from their homes, according to the UN. Rights groups have accused both sides of war crimes including extrajudicial killings, looting and sexual violence. UN investigators recently singled out Abiys forces for engaging in warfare by starvation and submitting detained women to sexual slavery. US officials said that the same abuses had recurred alongside the recent surge in fighting. After the breakthrough, Price said, Its our hope that what was announced today will see an end to those reports and, ultimately, the underlying abuses and atrocities. For much of the conflict, it has been hard to know exactly what was going on in Tigray. Abiys government cut off the internet and electricity to Tigray in June 2021 and prohibited reporters from visiting the area. How much that will change now remains unclear. But the main priority for aid groups, and many international officials, will be to open up access to a region that has undergone immense suffering in the past two years. The World Health Organisation said last week that Tigray had run out of vital medicines, including vaccines and antibiotics. Doctors had resorted to using rags to dress wounds, it said. In the joint statement, Abiys government said it would cooperate with humanitarian agencies to continue expediting aid to those in need of assistance. London: Google, Apple and other tech giants must switch off services helping the Russian military in Ukraine, according to an international expert group on sanctions set up by President Volodymyr Zelensky. Western firms, including Google, Microsoft, Meta and Apple, continue to provide hardware, software and services that aid Russias military and government, a report from the Yermak-McFaul Group published on Thursday says. In this hand out photo from Russias military, a soldier prepares an Orlan-10 reconnaissance drone for launch. A report has called on tech giants not to supply IT components that help Russias war on Ukraine. Credit:AP It explains that most of the products and services created by leading technology companies fall outside the current sanctions regimes imposed on Russia by the West, leaving the firms to decide for themselves how to proceed. And it calls on tech companies to limit the damage their technology causes to the people of Ukraine, and the cost borne by... sanctioning nations in paying for the damage this technology allows on Ukrainian soil. These details are contained in the FBIs affidavit, filed this week. If theyre accurate, were looking at a textbook case of terrorism. It is quite plainly violence enacted for a political cause. It even has that performative element so common in terrorism: that it is intended to send a message to a broader audience. Of course, this is not how it was meant to go. As DePape explained to San Francisco police, he was planning to hold Pelosi hostage until she told him the truth. If she lied, hed break her kneecaps . That way, when she was next wheeled into Congress, her colleagues would know there are consequences for their lies. Now it has been chillingly reprised as David DePape allegedly broke into the Pelosi home, failed to find Nancy, and proceeded to take to her husbands skull with a hammer instead. If the history of the second American civil war is ever written, there might be a chapter titled Wheres Nancy?. This phrase has become a touchstone of the American far-rights war on American democratic institutions. It was first shouted during the January 6 insurrection as self-styled American patriots stormed the Capitol building hunting for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Right now, this sort of thing is exploding. While Paul Pelosi was being assaulted, a Pennsylvania man pleaded guilty to making death threats against a Democrat Congressman. A couple of days before that, three men in Michigan were convicted of a plot to kidnap and kill the Governor for her COVID policies. And on Monday, a Democrat candidate for the Pennsylvanian Congress was knocked unconscious outside his house. He cant say for sure that the attack was politically motivated but in the past few weeks as Americas midterm elections rapidly approach hes had someone spray-paint threatening messages on his garage door and throw a brick through a window of his house. Before that, he says, his neighbourhood had no crime. US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her husband Paul in 2019. Credit:AP Now we see all the usual post-terrorism tropes play out. Where once we had September 11 conspiracy theories of an inside job, we now have conspiracy theories of the Pelosi attack as a false flag operation perpetrated by Democrats to make the far-right look bad (and other far more bizarre ones). Where once we saw attempts to categorise Osama bin Laden as something other than a Muslim, we see attempts to cast DePape as a left-wing, nudist hippy. Where right-wing politicians would castigate Muslims for failing to condemn terrorism clearly enough, now Republicans are largely stopping short of saying that violence is never acceptable, even if they say this is a terrible attack. Some Trumpist commentators have simply mocked the whole thing. We shouldnt be terribly surprised at this because, while terrorist attacks vary wildly and obviously September 11 is light years away from anything like the Pelosi attack the basic psychology of radicalisation is the same. It is always rooted in a loss of faith in the machinery of conventional politics. This means mainstream political action is insufficient and something more radical is required. From there, extreme action like violence becomes a morally viable option, perhaps even a moral necessity. But you can only really act on that once youve come to see your enemy as something less than human. Evil, even. Indias electric two-wheeler market, which was likely to touch 1 million units by 2022-23 (FY23), may fall short of the target, even as sales at most firms have been advancing at a fast clip, reveals the Society of Manufacturers of (SMEV) an association representing Indian manufacturers of (EVs) and EV components. About 95 per cent of Indian electric vehicle (EV) makers are not doing it right and a lot of them are developing products in an ad hoc manner without consideration of safety, durability, and quality, said Horace Luke, chief executive and co-founder of Taiwaneese EV major Gogoro. The company operates approximately 80 per cent of EVs in . There have been multiple EV fire incidents in India this year involving companies, such as Okinawa Autotech, Ola Electric, Pure EV, and Boom EV, following which they recalled specific batches of EVs from the market. Luke on Thursday launched Gogoro in India with a pilot project in collaboration with ZyppElectric. In the pilot, Gogoros 100 vehicles with its trademark swappable batteries will be deployed with B2B riders in Delhi to gather data. The company will also establish six battery-swapping stations in Delhi under the pilot project. Gogoros existing products, batteries, and swapping stations are being tested in India to know how to successfully commercialise them in the country with a partner or partners eventually, Luke told reporters. Will Gogoro launch its own EVs in India? We dont know that yet, Luke replied. He said the pilot would go as long as it was required to get sufficient data, after which the company will decide its future course of action. The CEO said there was too much excitement in India regarding EVs. There are a lot of people rushing into creating shiny bits (products), and creating solutions that are put together in an ad hoc manner without consideration of safety, durability, quality, and usability. That is where Gogoro comes in, Luke said. He said Gogoro did not enter the Indian market earlier because it was not ready. Gogoros own electric scooters S1, Viva, SuperSport, Delight, etc. are sold in and other countries. Indias largest two-wheeler maker had in April last year signed a pact with Gogoro to establish a battery-swapping network across the country and collaborate on EV development. Luke said the collaboration with was open and a work in progress. Gogoro is free to launch its own vehicles and battery-swapping ecosystem in the country, he added. He said Gogoros battery swapping ecosystem should help the Indian EV industry build itself. There are 200 EV makers in India. I would say that 190 of them are not doing it right. But can they do it right? Have they seen a battery swapping system? Can they use one to build their business? Should there be 200 EV makers? Maybe. Maybe not, Luke noted. He said Gogoro would be able to provide comprehensive real world data from India that will come from usage of its battery-swapping ecosystem (during the pilot project). He asked the Indian EV makers if this was something that could help them build their business on. I think those kinds of conversations are healthy ones, he said. Brands like Yamaha and Suzuki are using Gogoros swappable batteries. Gogoro and partners have about 95 per cent market share in Taiwan, Luke said. / -- AG&P Pratham, a leading player in the Indian Distribution (CGD) industry and the Government of signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the development of Distribution (CGD) networks to supply reliable, economical, and environment-friendly natural across fifteen districts of . The MoU was signed during the Global Investors Meet 2022 being held in Bangalore from 2nd to 4th November 2022. Under the MoU, AG&P Pratham will invest INR 8,000 crores over the next eight years to build CGD networks in districts of Kolar, Mysuru, Mandya, Chamrajnagar, Hassan, Chikkamagaluru, Kodagu, Bagalkot, Koppal, Raichur, Kalaburagi, Vijayapura, Shivamogga, Uttara Kannada and Haveri. The area being developed by AG&P accounts for more than 55% of the state's geographical area and 42% of its population. Over the next 8 years, AG&P plans to build ~ 1000 km of steel pipelines, and ~5000 km of MDPE pipelines to bring natural gas to 5 million households and several industries & commercial establishments. It also plans to set up ~600 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) stations and Liquified Natural Gas stations to service the transport sector. The Government of is committed to providing support to enable the development of the much-awaited CGD infrastructure, which will deliver uninterrupted supply of Piped Natural Gas to households, commercial and industrial customers, and CNG/LNG stations. To date, AG&P Pratham has launched 60 CNG/LNG stations in the state, while several such stations are at various stages of development. The Company has also developed ~200 kms of steel pipeline and has started providing household connections and industrial connections in Mysuru city. Commenting on the occasion, Mr Abhilesh Gupta, Managing Director & CEO, AG&P Pratham said, "We are honoured to further strengthen our association with the Government of Karnataka to promote clean energy options across the State. This MoU is a testament to our consistent efforts in aligning with the Government's vision to catapult industrial growth, providing clean and green fuel to the public at large and generating employment." With AG&P Pratham's constant endeavour to create an environment-friendly ecosystem, they are promoting the use of CNG which has several merits over traditional fuels like diesel and petrol. CNG has the strongest safety record and compelling economic benefits to vehicle owners. Natural Gas helps reduce air pollution caused by vehicles and industries and helps the country move towards responsible growth and energy sufficiency. About AG&P AG&P Pratham is 100% Foreign Direct Investment Company comprising marque shareholders i.e. United States Based I-Squared Capital, Osaka Gas, Japan, Japanese Overseas Investment Corporation and AG&P Global. It has authorizations to develop CGD networks in 12 Geographical Areas covering 35 districts across 8% of India and 64 million people in the states of Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala. In these 35 districts, AG&P Pratham is developing and operating CNG stations for vehicles, and piped natural gas to homes, industries, and commercial establishments. AG&P Pratham through its India-wide CGD network plans to cover more than 278,000 square kilometres and will have over 1,500 CNG stations and more than 17,000 inch-km of steel pipelines. AG&P Pratham has recently won the India 2022 'Energy Company of the Year' at 'The Economic Times Energy Leadership Awards'. AG&P Pratham is presently operating CNG Stations in the districts of Andhra Pradesh: Anantapur, Kadapa, Chittoor, Sri Sathya Sai, Sri Balaji, Annamayya and Nellore Districts; Karnataka: Kolar, Mysuru, Mandya, Chamrajnagar, Hassan, Chikkamagaluru, Kodagu, Bagalkot, Koppal, Raichur, Kalaburagi, Vijayapura, Shivamogga, Uttara Kannada and Haveri; Tamilnadu: Kanchipuram, Chengalpet, South East Chennai, Vellore, Ranipet, Tirupattur and Ramanathapuram; Kerala: Alappuzha, Kollam, and Thiruvananthapuram; Rajasthan: Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Barmer. Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1936415/AGP_Pratham_Logo. (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.) Facebook-parent Meta Platforms Inc said on Thursday that its India head, Ajit Mohan, has stepped down after four years, while a media report said he would join rival Snap Inc . Manish Chopra, director and head of partnerships at Meta India, will take over on an interim capacity, a company spokesperson told Reuters. Mohan will serve as the President of the Asia-Pacific business, Techcrunch reported, citing sources. "Over the last four years, he (Ajit Mohan) has played an important role in shaping and scaling our India operations," Nicola Mendelsohn, Vice President, Global Business Group at Meta said in a a statement. "We remain deeply committed to India and have a strong leadership team in place to carry on all our work and partnerships," Mendelsohn said. (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.) Indias most valuable start-up, online-education giant Byjus, is finalising plans for a $1-billion initial public offering of its tutoring business Aakash Educational Services, according to people familiar with the matter. The company is in talks with at least four foreign banks JPMorgan Chase & Co, Citigroup Inc, Goldman Sachs Group Inc, and Morgan Stanley, as well as Indian banks, including Kotak Mahindra Bank and Axis Bank, as it seeks arrangers for the listing, said one of the people, who asked not to be named discussing confidential conversations. The unit may be valued at $3.5 billion to $4 billion, the person said. Byjus, co-founded by Byju Raveendran, could pick the lead bank within two weeks, and a Draft Red Herring Prospectus, the document to kick off an IPO process in India, is set to be filed in January or February, the people said. Byjus aims for the IPO to take place around August-September, they said. The three-decade-old Aakash, acquired by Byjus for about $950 million last year, runs brick-and-mortar centers to help teenagers prepare for the grueling tests that rank them for entry into coveted schools such as the Indian Institute of Technology. The offline test prep leader has more than 200 centers dotting the country and has ramped up its digital test prep offerings as well. A Byjus spokeswoman declined to comment. Representatives for Citigroup and Goldman Sachs declined to comment, while JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley, Kotak and Axis didnt immediately respond to requests for comment. Citigroup is among the frontrunners to lead the IPO since it had helped Aakash prepare for a stock-market debut a few years ago. Bloomberg The plans were shelved and Blackstone Inc. came on as an investor instead. The conversations with bankers were earlier reported by TechCrunch. Aakashs annual revenue is set to double in the current year ending in March 2023 and its operating margin is about 20%. The strong financials make Aakash stand out among Indias recent IPOs high-profile but unprofitable tech Paytm, Zomato Ltd. and Policybazaar have floundered since their debuts. Meanwhile, Byjus has put talks over its own stock-market listing on the back burner, said one of the people, as global markets arent supportive of fresh technology debuts. Byjus had been in conversations with multiple special purpose acquisition vehicles for a listing but a global economic slowdown and slumping tech stocks have stalled those plans. A successful Aakash listing could encourage Byjus to do IPOs for other recent acquisitions too, and higher-education platform Great Learning could be considered next though its much smaller in size, one of the people said. CashKaro, the coupons and platform, has raised Rs 130 crore in a Series C funding round led by Affle Global Pte. Ltd (AGPL). The funding will be used for the expansion of CashKaro and EarnKaro, new technology and product development. Including this round, CashKaro has so far raised over Rs 255 crore from Kalaari Capital, Ratan Tata, chairman emeritus of Tata Sons, Korea Investment Partners and others. We are excited to welcome AGPL as our shareholder. This investment would strategically strengthen our unique Business-to-Consumer (B2C) engagement model as we scale CashKaro from our current 20 million user base to 100 million+ over the next few years. This deal will augment our position as the largest savings destination in India, said Rohan Bhargava, co-Founder CashKaro and EarnKaro. We are elated to announce our minority investment in CashKaro as they enter into the next phase of scalability and monetization. We appreciate the team, their strategic execution focus on profitable growth and commitment towards good corporate governance. We are optimistic of their product market fit for India and look forward to the continued growth trajectory of CashKaro, said Anuj Khanna Sohum, founder and chairman of AGPL. The company operates apps called CashKaro, EarnKaro, CashKaro Stores (for assisted ecommerce), and BankKaro. It offers coupons, price comparison, deals to consumers and enables its 20 million members to earn and rewards for online shopping at over 1,500 sites. brands include horizontals like Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra to vertical leaders like Mamaearth, Boat, Tata 1mg, Nykaa & more. CashKaro has seen fast and cost-efficient growth over the last 2 years, scaling from Rs. 100 crores revenue in FY21 to Rs. 225 crores in FY22, while consistently keeping losses under Rs. 10 crores. We felt it was the right time to raise money and scale up our user acquisition, marketing, expansion into new business verticals, product development and hiring new talent, said Swati Bhargava, co-Founder, CashKaro and EarnKaro. In FY22, CashKaro claims to have driven gross merchandise value worth Rs 4,000 crore. The countrys largest agrochemical player, UPL, beat revenue growth expectations in the July-September quarter (second quarter, or Q2) on the back of higher realisations. While volumes in the quarter declined 7 per cent, a 21 per cent jump in prices and favourable foreign exchange led to an 18 per cent year-on-year growth in the top line. In a sharp fall in fortunes, Limited (HPCL) posted a consolidated net loss of Rs 2,172.14 crore in Q2 FY23 (2022-23) as against a net profit of Rs 1,923.51 crore in Q2 FY22. The company blamed depressed marketing margins on motor fuels and as the main reason for its profitability being impacted over the latest quarter. Sequentially, the July-September quarter represented the second straight quarterly loss for the company despite revenue rising 30 per cent to Rs 1.13 trillion. Net sales (excluding excise duty) jumped 30.5 per cent to Rs 1.08 trillion in the latest quarter, up from Rs 82,774 crore posted in the corresponding quarter of the previous financial year. However, total expenses also increased by 36.6 per cent YoY to Rs 1.17 trillion in Q2, due to higher raw material costs which went up 2.6 times YoY, the company said on Thursday. Higher costs of purchases of stock-in-trade, up 9.2 per cent YoY over the quarter, also contributed to this. The company reported a pre-tax loss of Rs 2,893 crore in Q2 FY23 as compared to a profit before tax of Rs 2,361.24 crore reported in Q2 FY22. suffered a loss despite taking into account a one-time grant the Centre had announced on October 12 for oil majors to make up for the losses incurred on selling cooking gas below its cost in the last two years. In its quarterly report, acknowledged it had received Rs 5,617 crore to compensate under-recoveries incurred on the sale of domestic during the financial year 2021-22 and current period. While domestic sales rose 12.3 per cent to 9.87 MMT, exports improved 67.7 per cent to 0.52 MMT in Q2 FY23 over Q2 FY22. Meta Platforms on Thursday said Ajit Mohan, vice-president and managing director (MD) of India unit, stepped down from his role to pursue another opportunity outside of the company. He took over as the MD of Meta India in January 2019 from his previous job as the of Star Indias video-streaming service . Ajit has decided to step down from his role at Meta to pursue another opportunity outside of the company. Over the past four years, he has played an important role in shaping and scaling our India operations so they can serve many millions of Indian businesses, partners, and people, said Nicola Mendelsohn, vice-president of global business group, Meta. The company has announced Manish Chopra, who serves as the director and head partnerships as the interim chief for the India business. According to media reports, Mohan is likely to join network Snap, the parent of the photo-sharing application Snapchat. The reports came days after Snap Incs net loss surged 400 per cent to $360 million in the quarter that ended in September. Its revenue grew 6 per cent year-on-year, which was the first time that it dropped to single digits since the companys public market debut in 2017. Out of its 363 million daily active users worldwide, Snapchat has over 144 million users in India. The ad revenue of India online services, the main business of Meta in India jumped 74 per cent in the year ended March 2021. The company reported its gross ad revenues for ~16,189 crore in a regulatory filing. The net profit grew 132 per cent ~297 crore during the same period, compared to the previous year. India is the largest user base for Facebook, WhatsApp, and the three major platforms owned by Meta Platforms Inc. The platform added more than 200 million users in India, under Mohans leadership since 2019. We remain deeply committed to India and have a strong leadership team in place to carry on all our work and partnerships. We are grateful for Ajits leadership and contribution and wish him the very best for the future, Mendelsohn said. Debt-laden telecom operator Ltd reported a wider-than-expected loss for the second quarter on Thursday, hit by a continued decline in subscribers and higher expenses. The consolidated loss after tax widened to 75.96 billion Indian rupees ($916.14 million) for the three months ended Sept. 30, from 71.32 billion rupees, a year ago. Analysts, on average, expected the company to incur a loss of 69.25 billion rupees. said its subscriber base declined to 234.4 million from 240.4 million in the first quarter, while total expenses rose 10% to 183.02 billion rupees. However, its average revenue per user (ARPU), a key performance indicator for telecom firms, saw a rise of 19.5% to 131 rupees helped by tariff hikes. In the previous quarter, ARPU stood at 128 rupees. ARPU of larger rivals Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel was at 177.2 rupees and 190 rupees in the quarter, respectively. Vodafone Idea, a merger between the Indian unit of Vodafone Group and Aditya Birla Group's Idea Cellular, was formed in 2018 to withstand Reliance Jio's price war that disrupted the domestic telecom industry. Vodafone Idea, however, has been posting losses since then, with subscribers switching to the bigger rivals. Burdened with massive government debt and spectrum dues, it has been unable to strike a fund raising deal. The company was in continued talks with lenders and investors for fund raising for network expansion and 5G rollout, Chief Executive Akshaya Moondra said in a statement. The company's net debt stood at 2.2 trillion rupees as of September end. Revenue from operations rose 12.8% to 106.15 billion rupees. In January, Vodafone Idea's board approved conversion of the interest on dues into equity after the government announced a relief package for the sector. Post the conversion, the government will have a 35.8% stake in the company. (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.) As many as 10 lakh Agniveers are ready to serve the borders to protect India while another 10 lakh youths will get government jobs in near future through Mission Rozgar, thanks to the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said Chief Minister during an election rally in on Wednesday. The Chief Minister held election rallies in the Hamirpur, Mandi and Solan districts of the state. Adityanath emphasized the government's commitment to make India a developed country where the interests of all the soldiers, the youth, the women, the divyang and the old - are protected and the entire population experiences prosperity together; the heritage is respected and conserved; as well as the integrity of the country is maintained while all the remnants of slavery are done away with as part of Pancha Pran, which PM Modi announced from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the occasion of Independence Day. Yogi said that the demolition of a monument after 500 years to build a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya bears testimony to the respect being accorded to India's heritage today which was missing during Congress rule, a party that ruled the country for 55 years. Describing the temple in Ayodhya as a 'national temple', Yogi hit out at the Congress for not having conservation of heritage on its agenda and listed out the Modi Government's efforts to renovate several temples including Kashi Vishwanath, Mahakaal in Ujjain, Mathura and Vrindavan as well as Kedarnath Dham. "Congress Party never respected India's heritage. You could not have imagined the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya under a Congress regime. Today construction of a grand Ram Temple is going on a war footing in Ayodhya. It shows the respect that PM Modi attaches to heritage," he said. The Chief Minister further remarked that the Prime Minister has always respected soldiers and has been committed to protecting their interests and that's why he launched the long pending demand for the "One Rank One Pension scheme" for them while Congress Party never showed any respect for soldiers. "India's development is scaling new heights of development under the leadership of PM Modi and the country's image globally has improved a lot as the world has started to look at India with hope during the crisis. The Congress in more than five decades of its rule made India a follower, whereas PM Modi has made it a leader, with other countries following us," said Adityanath. He pointed out that as the country celebrated Amrit Mahotsava marking 75 years of independence, many unprecedented things have happened, citing the election of Rishi Sunak, a man of Indian origin as the new prime minister of the United Kingdom and India superseding the UK to become the fifth largest economy as an example. "If you want the pace of development to continue like a bullet train, you must vote for the double-engine government of the BJP. Congress Party has only created several layers of corruption in the name of governance and stands for corruption and crime. The party has been reduced to its miserable condition because of having just family on its agenda, rather than the development of the country or well-being of the people," he added. Yogi also said that mafia and criminals have been driven away from Uttar Pradesh, and they must not be allowed to run the state of with the help of Congress. He also mentioned the provision of free tests, treatment and vaccines, in addition to free rations to 80 crore people in the country during the COVID-19 pandemic, the pension schemes for destitute women, differently-abled and the old and health insurance scheme like Ayushman Bharat provided by the Yogi Government for the welfare of people. Appealing to the people to vote for the BJP candidates and leave the Congress to die its natural death, the Chief Minister further said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has an old association with when he worked as a party worker in the district traveling from district to district and village to village. He also called the state 'Devbhoomi' and its people a fine blend of firmness and strength of the mountains and compassion of water, which motivated them to become soldiers to serve the country. The Chief Minister sought votes for BJP candidates Maya Sharma, Dilip Thakur and Dr Rajiv Saijal who are contesting from Badsar, Sarkaghat and Kasauli seats. (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.) The army on Thursday foiled an bid and gunned down a terrorist in an encounter along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, officials said. "At about 1000 hours today, alert soldiers of the army observed suspicious movement of some individuals along the Line of Control in the Poonch sector (J-K), wherein they were trying to infiltrate across the Line of Control into the Indian side," a defence spokesman said. The soldiers challenged the infiltrators who opened fire on them, he said, adding that in an ensuing fire fight, one terrorist was killed. His body has been recovered along with two AK-47 rifles, a pistol and war-like stores, the spokesman said. The operation continues and a search of the area is underway, he said. (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.) Jharkhand Chief Minister on Thursday termed the Enforcement Directorate's summons to him as a weapon used by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to target him and said if he has committed a serious offence then he should be directly arrested. Soren on Thursday skipped summons issued by the ED to face questioning in connection with a case of alleged illegal mining and arrived in Chhattisgarh to attend a pre-scheduled programme. The central agency had asked the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader to appear for questioning at its regional office in Ranchi. Speaking to reporters at the Swami Vivekananda Airport in Raipur, the Jharkhand Chief Minister accused the BJP, which is in the Opposition in the eastern state, of hatching a conspiracy against him as his government is taking pro-people measures. Soren is here to attend the concluding ceremony of the three-day Tribal Dance Festival and Chhattisgarh's statehood celebration event called 'Rajyotsava 2022'. Queried about his no-show before the ED, Soren said, Do you think we are 'chor-uchakke' (thief-miscreants) or 'hatyare' (murderer)? They issued the summons yesterday (Wednesday) and asked me to appear today (Thursday). Don't we have our engagements? I got an invitation to attend the tribal dance festival (in Raipur) a month ago and my programme was already fixed. The chief minister said instead of sending summonses, the anti- agency should arrest him if it thinks he has committed any serious offence. If the ED thinks there is a serious offence then arrest me instead of issuing summonses. When have I avoided (arrest)? It is a well-planned conspiracy of the opposition (BJP) as people are appreciating and celebrating the work done by my government, Soren said. I understand that it is not a summons of the ED...rather it is a weapon being used by the BJP," he added. (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.) The lawyer of fugitive businessman on Thursday told the that he was not receiving any communication from him and sought to be discharged from the case as a counsel. A bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and Hima Kohli allowed the discharge of advocate E C Agrawala from the case and asked him to furnish the e-mail ID of the liquor baron along with his present residential address in the United Kingdom to the apex court registry. "Counsel seeking discharge the case because in spite of communication from his end, no instruction is forthcoming," the bench said and asked the lawyer to follow the process of discharge. Agrawala told the top court, "I want to be discharged from this matter as I am not receiving any instructions from my client. I am not able to establish contact with him. He is incommunicado for a long time." The top court discharged the lawyer from the two petitions filed by Mallya against the October 5, 2018 and September 13, 2019 orders of the Karnataka High Court directing him to pay Rs 3,101 crore to a consortium of banks. In a separate case, on July 11, the top court had sentenced Mallya to four months in jail for contempt of court, and directed the Centre to secure the presence of the fugitive businessman who has been in the UK since 2016 to undergo the imprisonment. The top court had said Mallya, 66, never showed any remorse nor tendered any apology for his conduct and adequate punishment must be imposed to maintain the majesty of the law. The top court had also imposed a fine of Rs 2,000 on Mallya, who was held guilty of committing contempt of court by the top court on May 9, 2017, for transferring USD 40 million to his children in violation of court orders. According to the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, a person may be punished with simple imprisonment of up to six months, or with a fine up to Rs 2,000, or both for contempt of court. The top court had directed that Mallya and the beneficiaries under the said transactions relating to USD 40 million shall be bound to deposit the amount received along with interest at the rate of eight per cent per annum with the recovery officer concerned within four weeks. It had said in case the amount is not deposited, the recovery officer concerned shall be entitled to take appropriate proceedings for recovery of money and the Government of India and all agencies concerned shall extend assistance and complete cooperation. The top court had said that the fine shall be deposited in the apex court registry within four weeks and upon such deposit the amount shall be handed over to the Legal Services Committee. It said in case the fine amount of Rs 2,000 is not deposited within the stipulated time, Mallya shall undergo a further sentence of two months. The apex court said in spite of repeated opportunities afforded to Mallya, no submissions were advanced on his behalf either on the purging of contempt or on the quantum of punishment. The transactions referred to in the judgement and order dated May 9, 2017 in terms of which the amount of USD 40 million was disbursed to the beneficiaries are held to be "void and inoperative", the court had said. It had noted that in its May 9, 2017 verdict, the apex court had found that the action on part of Mallya in disbursing the amount of USD 40 Million was against the "text and tenor" of orders passed by the Karnataka High Court and that the contemnor was guilty of contempt. It had said the Government of India, including the Ministry of External Affairs and all other agencies or instrumentalities, shall carry out the directions issued by the court with due diligence and utmost expediency. Mallya is an accused in a bank loan default matter of over Rs 9,000 crore involving his defunct Kingfisher Airlines. The apex court had in 2020 dismissed Mallya's plea seeking a review of the May 2017 verdict. Mallya has been living in the United Kingdom since March 2016. He is on bail on an extradition warrant executed by Scotland Yard on April 18, 2017. A consortium of lending banks led by State Bank of India had moved the apex court alleging that Mallya was not following the court orders on repayment of the loan which was then over Rs 9,000 crore. Separately, Mallya has also challenged Karnataka High Court orders of October 5, 2018 and September 13, 2019. The orders upheld the decision of the Debts Recovery Appellate Tribunal (DRAT), Bangalore to deposit Rs 3,101 crore as a precondition to hearing his appeal against a Debt Recovery Tribunal (DRT) order. The DRT Bangalore had on January 19, 2017 directed Mallya to pay Rs 6,203 crore with interest to a consortium of banks led by State Bank of India, who had lent money for now defunct Kingfisher Airlines. Mallya challenged the order in 2018 before the DRAT, which dismissed the appeal for want of appearance and non-compliance of objections. He again moved DRAT and filed an application seeking restoration of his appeal. The DRAT, on March 28, 2018, directed Mallya to deposit Rs 3,101 crore on or before April 25, 2018 and observed that in case of failure in compliance, the appeal will be liable to be dismissed automatically. Mallya then challenged the March 28, 2018 order before the High Court, which dismissed his appeal on October 5, 2018 and subsequently he knocked the door of the apex court. (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.) The has seized USD 4,97,000, worth Rs 4.1 crore, at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport here, an official said on Thursday. After receiving a tip-off, the Air Intelligence Unit of Airport intercepted three members of a family who were about to fly to Dubai on Wednesday morning, he said. An examination of their baggage led to the recovery of USD 4,97,000 in cash, hidden inside sarees, footwear and in a bag, the official said. All three were arrested and a local court sent them in judicial custody. Further probe is on, the official said. (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.) People of Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) on Thursday woke up with complaints of choking and 'eye burning' due to smog and air pollution leaving people gasping for breath. Arjun Prajapati, a resident of Noida, alleged that despite ban being imposed by the government, there was unreportedly a huge amount of cracker sales made across Delhi and NCR region. "Despite the government's ban, so many firecrackers were sold leading to this condition post-Diwali. There is so much difficulty in breathing that I cannot even breathe. There is burning in the eyes. Pollution is increasing. The government should take cognizance of it," he said. The (AQI) in the national capital at 8 am was at 364 (in the 'Very Poor' category) and at 7 am the recorded AQI stood at 408 ('Severe'). Unfavorable meteorological conditions with slower wind speed and sudden spike in farm fire incidents are attributed to the dip in air quality. Apart from this, elder people are complaining of respiratory illness as the city reels under smog. [{646234ff-9d51-4c06-bc5b-48db84013b03:intradmin/ANI-20221103055702.jpeg}] "Amid the baseload of the pollution, we suffer difficulty in breathing, burning in the nose. When we came here for a morning walk, the whole area was covered in smog," an elder person said. The National Capital Region (NCR) witnessed bad air as Noida, which is part of the national capital region, slipped to an AQI of 393, in the 'very poor' category, while Gurugram's AQI stood at 318 and continued to remain in the 'very poor category, as per data released by SAFAR (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research) India. Another resident of the NCR, also woke up to a thick layer of smog today morning. [{1ff2feea-b28b-4e9f-abd8-8f3e38e026a8:intradmin/ANI-20221103055724.jpeg}] "The government is putting a lot of restrictions but nobody followed, recently in Diwali, despite the crackers ban. Lots of people burst firecrackers," he said. "When I came for a morning walk I suffered from eye-itching and throat infection. The neighboring states are failing to stop the farm fires. As of now, we are entering into the winter season which is contributing to the pollution," he added. The locals are complaining about stubble burning from the adjoining states, Punjab and Haryana. [{16e14ae5-16fe-4d80-a937-d4c6845276fa:intradmin/ANI-20221103060623.jfif}] "We should hold ourselves accountable, along with the politicians. People are suffering due to stubble burning too," locals in New Delhi said. Meanwhile, schoolchildren unanimously demanded to their school administration to shut down schools until the situation normal. [{17ef2d1b-a2bf-4a02-9917-ec0cc1ebddb7:intradmin/ANI-20221103055920.jpg}] Divyansh, a student of Gyan Ganga Siksha Niketan School, Haldoni indicated emissions from the tail-end pipes of the private vehicles. "The schools should also be shut down, apart from this government should close factories and offices, so that people do not use private vehicles," Divyansh said. According to data by SAFAR, Dhirpur in Model Town plunged to an AQI of 457-a level at which even healthy people can fall ill. The AQI near IGI Airport (T3) also stood in the 'Very Poor' category today at 346. On Wednesday, the AQI in the area was recorded 350. With air pollution worsening in the national capital, Delhi authorities halted all construction work and demolition activities till further orders. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has urged the Delhi government to shut schools till air quality improves. (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.) A central panel on Thursday directed implementation of the fourth stage of the Graded Response Action Plan in Delhi- Capital Region, as the index (AQI) in the capital remained in the severe bracket and touched 450. According to the and Weather Bulletin for Delhi NCR on Thursday, the overall over Delhi is likely to remain severe till Sunday. Under GRAP stage IV, there will be curbs on vehicles entry of commercial trucks into Delhi, diesel commercial vehicles for intra-Delhi movements, and non-BS-VI passenger vans and light motor vehicles in Delhi. Close down all industries in NCR, even in areas which do not have PNG infrastructure and supply but are still running on fuels, other than the fuels as per the Standard list of approved fuels for NCR. There will be a ban on construction and demolition activities in linear public projects. NCR State Governments / GNCTD can also decide on allowing public, municipal and private offices to work on 50 per cent strength and the rest to work from home. The may take a decision on permitting work from home for offices. State Governments can also consider additional emergency measures like closure of schools/ colleges/ educational institutions, closure of non-emergency commercial activities and plying of vehicles on odd-even basis etc. Union Bhupender Yadav on Wednesday blamed the in Punjab for a rise in farm fires in the northern state as a consequence of which Delhi and its satellite cities have turned into a gas chamber with its air quality deteriorating to very poor level, choking Delhi. Union Bhupender Yadav on Thursday said Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had officially refused to use bio-decomposer to prevent stubble burning in Punjab. Kejriwal had Wednesday blamed the for rising incidents of stubble burning in Punjab ruled by his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), saying it had declined requests to provide cash incentive to farmers for not burning crop residue. The Delhi CM had earlier written a letter to the Centre, saying the implementation of Pusa bio-decomposer had been successful in Delhi. But he himself officially refused to use it in Punjab, the Union minister told the media. . Stubble-burning cases in the northern states have increased by 8 per cent from the previous year. A total of 29,413 burning events were detected in the six states Punjab (24146), Haryana (2,377), Uttar Pradesh (842), Delhi (7), Rajasthan (462) and Madhya Pradesh (1,579 ) from September 15 to November 3. Residue-burning incidents saw an increase of 17 per cent in Punjab from the previous year. External Affairs Minister will pay a two-day visit to beginning November 7 during which he will hold wide-ranging talks with his Russian counterpart . The (MEA) announced Jaishankar's visit on Thursday. During visit to Moscow, Jaishankar will hold talks with Lavrov focusing on bilateral, regional and international issues, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said at a media briefing. The visit is taking place amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. In the last few months, India has increased the import of discounted crude oil from notwithstanding increasing disquiet over it by several Western powers. Jaishankar and Lavrov have already met four times after the Ukraine conflict began in February. The Russian foreign minister visited India in April during which he held extensive talks with Jaishankar and met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Russian President Vladimir Putin visited India in December last year to attend the India- annual summit. (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.) The Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education today released the Performance Grading Index (PGI) for States/UTs for 2020-21, a unique index for evidence-based comprehensive analysis of school across State/UTs. "The Indian is one of the largest in the world with about 14.9 lakh schools, 95 lakh teachers, and nearly 26.5 crore students from varied socio-economic backgrounds. DoSE & L devised PGI for States/UTs to provide insights and data-driven mechanisms on the performance and achievements of on the success of school education across all States/UTs. The prime objective of PGI is to promote evidence-based policymaking and highlight course correction to ensure quality education for all. So far, DoSE & L has released the PGI report for the year 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20. The present report is for the year 2020-21," read an official statement. The PGI structure comprises 1000 points across 70 indicators grouped into 2 categories viz., Outcomes, Governance Management (GM). These categories are further divided into 5 domains, viz., Learning Outcomes (LO), Access (A), Infrastructure and Facilities (IF), Equity (E) and Governance Process (GP). As was done in the previous years, PGI 2020-21 classified the States/UTs into ten grades viz., the highest achievable Grade is Level 1, which is for State/UT scoring more than 950 points out of a total of 1000 points. The lowest grade is Level 10 which is for a score below 551. The ultimate aim of PGI is to propel and UTs towards undertaking multi-pronged interventions that will bring about the much-desired optimal education outcomes covering all dimensions. The PGI is expected to help and UTs to pinpoint the gaps and accordingly prioritize areas for intervention to ensure that the school is robust at every level, informed the Ministry. "A total of 7 and UTs, Viz., Kerala, Punjab, Chandigarh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Andhra Pradesh have attained Level II (score 901-950) in 2020-21 as compared to none in 2017-18 and 4 in 2019-20. Gujarat, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh are the new entrants to the highest achieved level of any state so far," the statement added. The newly formed UT viz., Ladakh has made significant improvement in PGI from Level 8 to Level 4 in 2020-21 or improved its score by 299 points in 2020-21 as compared to 2019-20 resulting into the highest ever improvement in a single year. "PGI Scores and grades achieved by States/UTs in 2020-21 bear testimony to the efficacy of the PGI system. The indicator-wise PGI score shows the areas where a state needs to improve. The PGI will reflect the relative performance of all the States/UTs in a uniform scale which encourages them to perform better and to adopt best practice followed by performers," added the statement. (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.) Singapore's sovereign wealth fund and ESR Group Ltd have formed a joint venture to set up a USD 600 million-fund to acquire logistics and industrial assets in India. On Thursday, and ESR announced an 80:20 strategic partnership to establish the fund worth USD 600 million (around Rs 5,000 crore) to acquire the "income-producing assets". ESR is already developing various industrial and logistics parks across major Indian cities. The joint venture represents an extension of the existing partnership in India between the and ESR, which was initiated in 2020, with the initial capital pool dedicated to investing in development and value-add to logistics and industrial opportunities across India. It will invest in stabilised operational assets in strategic locations across Tier 1-2 cities in the country, according to a statement. With an upsurge in the share of organised retail and e-commerce, supported by emerging sectors such as electric vehicles and semiconductors, the industrial and logistics asset class is expected to outperform other real estate and infrastructure asset classes in the medium term. Jeffrey Shen and Stuart Gibson, ESR Co-Founders and Co-CEOs, said, "capital partner support has been key to the growth of ESR's new economy real estate platform. We are excited to work with GIC to capitalise on the strong growth in the logistics sector in India." Abhijit Malkani, CEO of ESR India, said, India is at the cusp of a supply chain transformation supported by automation, digitisation, and favourable government policies. "Class-A industrial and logistics developments offer a variety of features to enable increased operational efficiency, which is vital to this shift". ESR India, part of the ESR Group, is a leading developer and manager of industrial and logistics real estate with assets under management of about USD 1.7 billion and over 18 million square feet of gross floor area. ESR is APAC's largest real asset manager and the third largest listed real estate investment manager globally. With over USD 140 billion in total assets under management, ESR's fully integrated development and investment management platform extends across key APAC markets, including China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Singapore, India, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia. ESR is the largest sponsor and manager of REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts) in APAC with a total assets under management of USD 45 billion. Recently, property consultant Colliers India said leasing of industrial and warehousing space rose 9 per cent during January-September to 17.5 million square feet across five cities -- Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru and Pune -- on better demand. The gross leasing stood at 16 million square feet across five major cities in the year-ago period. (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.) Calling the Global Investors' Meet (GIM) a grand success, Large and Medium Industries Minister Murugesh Nirani said that the state received investment proposals worth nearly Rs 8 lakh crore and is expected to go beyond government's expectation by the end of the three-day event. The Minister was addressing media persons after the grand opening ceremony at Palace Ground in Bengaluru. Elated over the overwhelming response that GIM received on the inaugural day, Nirani added that the event was a grand success. "We are pleased that the GIM attracted 100 per cent attendance and overwhelming response from all the stakeholders." "We have received investments worth nearly Rs 8 lakh crore so far and we are expecting more by November 4," the Minister said. "These investments are expected to create more than five lakh jobs in the state. The Chief Minister will announce the exact amount of investments on the concluding day. We will release a booklet containing the full details of investments, including the names of companies, places and the number of jobs that are going to be created," Nirani added. Expressing his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who praised the state government for holding the GIM and its efforts in pushing industrial growth in the country. "I'm thankful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his support and encouraging words for our efforts. Our government is working hard to realise his dream of making India a five trilion dollar economy by 2025 and our contribution would be one trillion dollar," the Minister said. The Minister stressed on the need to improve connectivity for economic progress. He added that the airports in Hassan, Shivamogga and Vijayapura would be operational soon, adding the next GIM would be held in January 2025. --IANS mka/khz/ (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.) India will demand "action" in terms of climate finance, technology transfer and capacity building from developed countries to help developing countries fight climate change, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said on Thursday, ahead of the 27th edition of the Conference of Parties (COP) to UNFCCC. "COP27 should be COP for action in terms of climate finance, technology transfer and capacity building. This is our overall approach. India will seek clarity as to what is being termed as -- whether it is grants, loans or subsidies. Public and private finance should be separated. These issues will be taken up strongly," the minister told reporters here. US President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and more than 100 heads of states are expected to attend the conference which will be organised at Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt in from November 6 to 18. It is not yet clear if Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend it. "Even some developed countries" will join India in strongly raising the issue of USD 100 billion per year for climate action in developing countries, an official said. At COP15 in Copenhagen in 2009, developed countries had committed to jointly mobilize USD 100 billion per year by 2020 to help developing countries tackle the effects of . India will also push for a new collective quantified goal (NCQG) for -- a key accompanying decision to the 2015 Paris Agreement -- from a floor of USD 100 billion per year. "The developed countries should not only fulfil the promises made earlier, new collective quantified climate finance goals should be set. There should be transparent mechanisms to track climate finance," Yadav said. A senior ministry official said India will seek more clarity on adaptation finance. "Adaptation finance is something very crucial for the lives and livelihoods of people vulnerable to . What are the soft loans that are available, what is the credit mechanism, insurance requirements... These are the issues that India will flag very strongly," the official said. The country will also look for collaborations in technology development in renewable energy and hard to abate sectors. Yadav asserted that India is one of the few countries who have met the climate targets set in Paris in 2015. India this year updated its nationally determined contributions (NDCs) in keeping with the promises made by Prime Minister Modi at COP26 in Glasgow. According to the updated NDCs, India now stands committed to reducing emissions intensity of its GDP by 45 per cent by 2030, from 2005 level, and achieving about 50 per cent cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by 2030. To further a healthy and sustainable lifestyle, "LIFE - Lifestyle for Environment as a key to combating climate change" has been added to India's NDC. NDCs are plans and pledges made by countries to limit global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius. (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.) is set to host the 11th edition of India StoneMart, the international stone industry . Scheduled to be held at the and Convention Centre, Sitapura Industrial Area, from November 10 to 13, the is considered one of the biggest of its kind in India. Additional Chief Secretary (Industries Department) Veenu Gupta said the Centre for Development of Stones (CDOS) was organising this event, and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) was the co-organiser. State Industrial Development and Investment Corporation (RIICO) is the principal sponsor of this event. Natural stones, quartz stone slabs, mining and processing machinery, heavy earth moving machinery, tools, consumables, etc will be displayed, Gupta said. This event will bring together stakeholders including domestic and foreign producers, exporters, importers, and consumers. Besides these, buyers, experts, providers, architects, builders, developers, companies, etc will be brought under one roof. Gupta said more than 350 exhibitors from India and abroad were expected to participate. and will have their state pavilions. Turkey, Iran, and Portugal will display their products at the international pavilion. Italy and have confirmed their participation in this event, she said. A large number of business delegations, along with trade visitors/ from many parts of the country, are expected to attend the exhibition. Jharkhand Chief Minister on Thursday skipped summons issued by the Enforce Directorate to face questioning in connection with a case of alleged illegal mining, and is going to Chhattisgarh to attend a tribal programme instead. The ED had asked Soren to appear for questioning at its regional office here at 11 am but he did not go there. "The ED has summoned me following a conspiracy. Come and arrest me if I have committed a crime instead of sending a summons for questioning. I am neither afraid nor worried. Rather I am emerging stronger. If people of Jharkhand wish, opponents will not find a place to hide," Soren said while addressing JMM workers near his residence. He said he will fly to Raipur to attend a Tribal Mahotsav' during the day, for which he had received an invitation. The JMM executive president alleged that the BJP is making attempts to destabilise his democratically elected government ever since it was voted to power. (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.) The on Thursday gave directions to the and pre university colleges in the state to ensure 10 minutes session for students. State Education Minister B.C. Nagesh said that necessary directions have been given with regard to conducting session in and colleges for 10 minutes every day. The step is taken to increase concentration, health, and good thoughts. It will also help students to beat stress and acquire knowledge freely in and pre-university colleges, the Minister said. The 'dhyan' session is being conducted at schools in many districts of the state. The requests have been made to allow meditation classes for 10 minutes in all schools and colleges, he stated. It is appropriate to conduct meditation session for students regularly. The school and college managements should fix a time and conduct meditation session for students, Minister Nagesh stated. The move is likely to draw flak as progressive thinkers and minority organisations have been criticising the ruling BJP for "saffronisation of education". --IANS mka/svn/ (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.) Chief Minister on Wednesday inaugurated four Mahila Mohalla Clinics, developed as special primary healthcare facilities exclusively for . The Chief Minister inaugurated the clinics at a ceremony held at the Mahila Mohalla Clinic developed at DIZ Staff Quarters, Kali Mandir. The first four clinics have been opened at Basti Vikas Kendra J.J. Camp Moti Lal Nehru Camp, Munirka; Sector - 4 DIZ Area; Sapera Basti, Kondli and DJB Sewage Pumping Station Batla House, Okhla. CM Kejriwal and his Deputy Manish Sisodia took stock of all the facilities provided at the clinic, and interacted with the doctors and staff present there. While inaugurating the in the city, Kejriwal said that the need was felt to have some facilities that are exclusively for . "Therefore, based on the needs of the in Delhi, such facilities are being opened on a large scale. He informed that soon 100 such facilities will be available for the women of . "This Mahila Mohalla Clinic Model is the first of its kind innovation in our country. Only women and children aged under 12 will be treated at Mahila . All employees in Mahila will be females and like normal Mohalla Clinics, all the treatment will be free here," he said. "These facilities are exclusively for women and children under the age of 12 years, so basically it is a gynae as well as paediatrics facility. So, all the health issues of women and mostly pregnant women and adolescent children will be taken care of in these facilities. The staff in all of these facilities will also be women," he said. In addition to the 239 types of tests done at Mohalla Clinics, all tests related to female and adolescent healthcare will be done in Mahila Mohalla Clinics, he added further, he added. " has always had the big hospitals such as AIIMS, Safdarjung, LNJP, GTB and GB Pant but for primary healthcare, people did not have an alternate facility that would cater to them. After our party came to power we started more than 500 Mohalla Clinics all over the city. This enabled the people to visit the clinics in their own 'mohallas' and get their health issues addressed," Kejriwal said. --IANS avr/pgh (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.) Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Thursday rejected allegations by Chief Minister that the former was politically interfering in the appointment of Vice-Chancellors to universities in the state and offered to resign if even one example of the same could be shown. Khan also openly challenged the Chief Minister, asking whether he would be able to resign if he was unable to prove or substantiate his allegation. "They (Left government, CM) are saying I am doing this (action against VCs) to bring RSS people. If I have nominated even one person, not just of RSS, any person, on my own using my authority, then I will resign. Will he (CM) be able to resign if he is not able to prove it? I am asking you (media)," he said, speaking to reporters in New Delhi. "When you make such a serious charge against me, you have to substantiate the same," he added. He was responding to reporters when his stand was sought on Vijayan's allegations against him on Wednesday at a convention in Thiruvananthapuram where the CM said the Governor was trying to make universities in the state a centre of RSS and Sangh Parivar and that Khan was trying to implement the saffronisation agenda of these groups. (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.) With Delhi's air quality index (AQI) a notch short of entering the "severe plus" category, a central panel on Thursday directed authorities to ban the plying of four-wheeled diesel light motor vehicles in Delhi and adjoining NCR districts and the entry of trucks into the capital as part of anti-pollution measures under the final stage of the Graded Response Action Plan. Meta (formerly Facebook) India country head Ajit Mohan has quit from the company with immediate effect on November 3, according to new reports. US to seek Iran's ouster from United Nation's top women's rights body Meta (formerly Facebook) India country head Ajit Mohan has quit from the company with immediate effect on November 3, according to new reports.US to seek Iran's ouster from United Nation's top women's rights body The United States announced Wednesday it will seek to oust from the UN's premier global body fighting for because of its violation of the rights of women and girls and its ongoing crackdown on demonstrators who took to the streets in September after the death of a 22-year-old woman taken into custody by the morality police. Vice-President made the announcement of the US intention to work with other countries to remove from the Commission on the Status of Women, saying no nation that abuses women's rights should play a role in any international or body charged with protecting these very same rights. Russian invasion has uprooted 14 million Ukrainians: UN refugee chief Russia's invasion of Ukraine has driven some 14 million Ukrainians from their homes in the fastest, largest displacement witnessed in decades, sparking an increase in the number of refugees and displaced people worldwide to more than 103 million, the UN refugee chief said Wednesday. Filippo Grandi, who heads the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, told the that Ukrainians are about to face one of the world's harshest winters in extremely difficult circumstances, including the continuing destruction of civilian infrastructure that is quickly making the humanitarian response look like a drop in the ocean of needs. Telangana minister asks to refrain from violence Condemning the attacks on the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) workers, Telangana Minister KT Rama Rao on Wednesday warned to refrain from violence and said that physical attacks are not appropriate in a democracy. Along with State Home Minister Mahmood Ali, KTR visited Mulugu ZP Chairman Kusuma Jagadish who was injured in the attack on Tuesday. Demanding release of adequate funds under the MGNREGA scheme to all the 16 districts of the state, the All Tribals Development Grievances Forum (AMTDGF) on Wednesday called for an indefinite economic blockade on two vital National Highways, which are life lines of Manipur, from Thursday onwards. National Highway-2 (Dimapur-Imphal) and National Highway-37 (Jiribam-Imphal) connect with the rest of the country by road through Nagaland and Assam. AMTDGF President Hesho Lorho and General Secretary Gangonglung Khumba said in a joint statement that the state government's "adamant stand" of not releasing sufficient funds to all the districts led to a serious economic crisis among the people living in the interior and tribal dominated areas of . The tribal forum urged people, truck and transport associations and civil society groups to cooperate with AMTDGF to make its agitation successful. It also cautioned the people to remain alert of "vested organisations masquerading as service messengers of tribals and trying to mislead and confuse the people of the state through social media". "The forum had submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister N. Biren Singh on October 10 demanding the release of adequate funds sanctioned under MGNREGA by the Union Rural Development Ministry. "On October 10, the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department of the state government released only a meagre amount to 16 districts of Manipur under MGNREGA," the AMTDGF statement claimed. Various other local organisations have extended their support to the AMTDGF's economic blockade on the two vital . State government officials refused to make any comments on the AMTDGF's claims about release of . --IANS sc/arm (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.) Fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya's lawyer, facing extradition, told the on Thursday that he has been incommunicado for a long time and requested the court to discharge him from representing Mallya in the matter. A bench comprising Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and Hima Kohli asked the lawyer to provide Mallya's email and residential address in the UK to the court registry. Counsel submitted that he wants to be discharged from the case since he is not receiving any instructions from Mallya. The top court permitted the lawyer to initiate the procedure for withdrawing his legal representation for the fugitive. The bench was informed that the top court had also directed the central government to take steps to secure the presence of Mallya in India. The apex court was considering a plea filed by Mallya in relation to a monetary dispute with the State Bank of India. In July, the sentenced Mallya to four months' imprisonment for contempt of court in 2017, as he suppressed information from the court. The top court also ordered Mallya to deposit USD 40 million -- which he had transferred to his family members in violation of the court orders -- failing which attachment of his properties will begin. The top court had said: "In the circumstances, in order to maintain the majesty of law, we must impose adequate punishment upon the contemnor and must also pass necessary directions so that the advantages secured by the contemnor or anyone claiming under him are set at naught and the amounts in question are available in execution of the decrees passed in the concerned recovery proceedings." The bench noted that Mallya never showed any remorse nor tendered any apology for his conduct, as it imposed a sentence of four months and fine of Rs 2,000 on him. It added that in case the amount of fine is not deposited within the time stipulated, Mallya would undergo a further sentence of two months. --IANS ss/dpb (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.) in Delhi are teeming with people suffering from cough, nasal congestion, shortness of breath and even asthma attacks as an eye-stinging smog blankets the capital. With Delhi's remaining 'severe', doctors advised a return to wearing masks to guard against pollution. While forecasters on Wednesday predicted the to improve due to stronger winds, Delhi's overall Index (AQI) stood at 426 at 9.10 am. An AQI of above 400 is considered 'severe' and can affect healthy people and seriously impact those with existing illnesses. At Holy Family Hospital in Okhla, there has been a 30 per cent increase in such patients coming to out-patient departments, said Dr Sumit Ray, head of department of critical care. Last year, the hospital had started writing "pollution-related" in diagnosis in what was probably a first for a medical facility here. "There were two ICU (intensive care unit) patients for whom we wrote that diagnosis. For writing that diagnosis, you have to rule out several probable factors that could have triggered the illness. For the patients who are currently admitted, we will need a few more days to arrive at that diagnosis," Ray said. Shedding light on the problems faced by patients, Dr Ashish Kumar Prakash, consultant (respiratory and sleep medicine) at Medanta in Gurugram, said they had been attending to patients complaining of cough, nasal congestion and breathing difficulty since Diwali. "Currently, I have 25 to 30 patients in my OPD with such conditions and the entire unit/department has approximately 50-75 cases in total. Patients suffering from respiratory illnesses such as COPD, asthma, and others are reporting acute exacerbations, an increase in symptoms such as coughing, dyspnea and acute nasal problems," he said. Prakash said apart from worsening AQI, the change in weather was another factor behind a lot of the problems in patients with respiratory illnesses. "As the weather transitions to cold and breezy, the cold, dry air and sudden shifts in the weather can irritate the airways, causing one to produce more mucus and leading to exacerbations if the patients are not taking their medications properly," he said. Dr Suresh Singh Naruka, senior consultant (ENT) at Indraprastha Apollo in Delhi, said there has a been a "significant jump" in the number of patients visiting him in his OPD post Diwali due to rising pollution levels. "ENT patients have been showing hyper response since Diwali and they are coming with increased coughing, runny nose, nasal symptoms, watery eyes. Among the patients I am seeing daily, 50 per cent of those are related to allergic symptoms induced by pollution, which earlier was about 10-15 per cent," Naruka told PTI. are also seeing patients with no previous history of respiratory ailments coming for treatment. When the respiratory system is affected, it can lead to persistent cough, said Dr Ravi Shekhar Jha, director (pulmonology) at Fortis Escorts Hospital in Faridabad. Nowadays, even patients with no previous history of respiratory illnesses are coming with severe intractable cough and breathing difficulty. "Those patients who have respiratory history like asthma are getting more frequent attacks and even inside the hospital, patients are taking more than usual to recover from asthma and COPD attacks. Viral infection is fairly common in this weather but even those who did not have any evidence of viral infection are taking longer and higher doses of medicines for recovery," he told PTI. Dr Hemant Kalra, a chest specialist at Maharaja Agrasen Hospital in New Delhi, concurred with Jha and said the rise in pollution along with the cold and dry air due to the changing season could irritate the airways and cause symptoms such as shortness of breath, coughing, wheezing and asthma attacks. Excessive, continuous exposure to polluted air not only worsens pre-existing respiratory conditions leading to frequent asthma attacks and COPD flare-ups but also newer cases, he asserted. He advised patients to follow preventive measures like staying indoors or wearing a face mask when stepping out. "This should be combined with a ready action plan prepared in consultation with your doctor, an inhaler by your side in the case of asthmatics and taking regular inhalation therapy as prescribed by your doctor. Additionally, a peak flow meter can also be used to monitor your lung health and manage your condition better," he said. Jha said people have stopped wearing masks and advised people to start using them again. "People in the habit of wearing masks are getting fewer attacks. It is also very important to note that normal masks do not protect us properly from particulate matter (PM2.5), so wearing an N95 mask with a valve/filter is recommended," he said. Many doctors are also recommending patients to use air filters at home and avoid stepping out during early morning and evening, especially the vulnerable like the elderly, children and people with respiratory ailments. Dr Rahul Sharma, additional director (pulmonology) at Fortis Hospital in Noida, said, "HEPA (high efficiency particulate) filters work well and we recommend them to patients, especially those who are homebound. "The purifier works in a limited cubic metre of space. While buying a purifier one should check the capacity of how much air it can purify in accordance with the capacity of your home. Another important thing is that there are HEPA filters and HEPA-like filters, which are not as effective as HEPA filters. (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.) The high-level committee formed by the Union government to look into the issues of pharma marketing practices is starting its consultations with stakeholders. It will be meeting members of various industry associations on Friday. Representatives from the Indian Drug Manufacturers Association, the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance, the Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers of India (OPPI) will meet the committee on Friday. The central government formed a five-member committee led by V K Paul, member (health) of NITI Aayog, to consider a "legally enforceable" mechanism for regulating the marketing practices of pharmaceutical firms. This was done in September. S Aparna, secretary in department of pharmaceuticals (DoP); Rajesh Bhushan, secretary in the ministry of health and family welfare (MoHFW); Nitin Gupta, chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT); and a joint secretary (policy) from the department of personnel (DoP) are the four other members of the 'high level' committee. Paul is its chairperson. Guidelines for pharmaceutical marketing already exist. The DoPs Universal Code of Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP) for pharmaceutical firms came into effect from January 2015. The memorandum said the Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002, which comes under the Medical Council Act, 1956 details the relationship between healthcare professionals and pharmaceutical companies. The UCPMP is voluntary and there is no legal penalty for violating the code. The is hearing a plea seeking direction to the government to give the UCPMP a statutory basis. External Affairs Minister on Wednesday said that the political compulsions of the day should not make the country's borders vulnerable or harm the larger interest of the nation. The union minister, while interacting with the students at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Calcutta, said that the temporary provision given under Article 370 to Jammu and Kashmir continued for more than 70 years due to the " of the day". "It is important to put the national interest first. of the day should not hamper the larger interest of the nation. All politicians should have that approach in the first place, he said, adding that of the day should not lead our borders to be vulnerable. Speaking on the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, Jaishankar rhetorically asked what was the reason for a temporary provision to continue so long other than the politics of the day. "The fact that we had such a messy issue there... the whole world used it," he said. Jaishankar said there is a need to create public opinion on this issue as it impacts the politics of the country. Addressing the issue of advanced fighter jets such as F 16 being given to Pakistan, the external affairs minister said, If you look at last 75 years, it has not served the world well by propping up military dictatorship." Without naming India's western neighbour, he also asked Pakistan to go in for a "performance evaluation" over the issue of that nation's support to terrorism outside its borders. Many analysts have earlier pointed out that Pakistan's use of proxy religion-based terror groups has spawned religious militancy within that country too. Jaishankar, who has served as a career diplomat for several decades before joining the Narendra Modi government as a minister, also pointed to the need to connect diplomacy with issues which concern the common citizens. "Diplomacy is a bread and butter issue. If an Indian consumer is paying less for petrol, an Indian farmer is assured of fertilizer at the right time, an Indian household is getting food at right price, to me these are really benchmark of successful diplomacy", he said. India has been striving to seal deals with Russia and other nations to buy crude at cheaper prices despite its western allies frowning on these moves. (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.) President will arrive in on Thursday on her maiden two-day visit to the Northeastern state. Murmu is scheduled to land at the Lengpui airport near Aizawl at 1.50 pm, from where she will fly to University (MZU) at Tanhril on the western outskirts of the state capital by helicopter to attend its convocation, officials said. More than 6,800 students will be conferred with degrees, including PhD (38) and M.Phil (six), they said. This is Murmu's first visit to after becoming the president. She had visited the state for the presidential poll campaign on July 7. Murmu will inaugurate various education-related projects, including the permanent campus of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC-Aizawl), officials said. The president will also inaugurate and lay foundation stones of various projects of the Centre and the state government, they said. After gracing the MZU convocation, the president will also interact with woman students, and members of self-help groups at the varsity. She will also attend a cultural programme at Raj Bhavan in the evening. Murmu will address a special session of the Mizoram assembly at 10.15 am on Friday before leaving the state. She is the third president to address the state assembly after APJ Abdul Kalam (2005) and Ram Nath Kovind (2017), officials said. Aizawl district's Superintendent of Police C Lalruaia said security has been tightened in the state, especially in the capital, in view of the president's visit. All policemen in the state capital have been engaged in the security arrangements, he said. Security checks have also been intensified at Lengpui airport, Raj Bhavan, Mizoram University and other places the president will visit, another police officer said. Aizawl's SP (Traffic) Rodingliana Chawngthu notified traffic regulations as part of the security arrangements. "No parking" will be enforced and no material or stuff be placed along the stretch of MZU to Raj Bhavan road on Thursday between 6 am to 6 pm, and also along the road between Raj Bhavan and Thuampui helipad via Chaltlang from 9 am on Thursday to 12:30 pm on Friday, the notification said. The notification also urged the people to ensure that the movement of the president is not interrupted during her visit. Aizawl district administration issued an order banning drone cameras and other related devices in and around Lengpui, Sairang, ITI Mualpui, MZU, Pachhunga University College and Raj Bhavan. The president visited Nagaland on Wednesday, and she will fly to Sikkim after addressing the Mizoram assembly on Friday, officials said. (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.) President on Thursday inaugurated various education-related projects in Mizoram, including two girls' hostels, a government college and the permanent campus of Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) here. Addressing the 17th convocation ceremony of University (MZU), Murmu, who is on a two-day maiden visit to the northeastern state, urged students to use the knowledge and skills they have gained for the progress of the society and the nation. She urged them to take up the responsibility of educating the uneducated. Murmu also noted that the university has made "serious efforts in promoting academics", resulting in remarkable progress in the fields of science, arts, commerce, engineering and medical Sciences. More than 6,800 students, including 52 gold medalists, were conferred various degrees, including PhD and MPhil, on the occasion. The president expressed happiness over the fact that girls comprise over 50 per cent of the students that graduated in the academic session of 2021-22. "If women are empowered and their status lifted, Indian will achieve immense progress in various fields," Murmu said. "We should also ensure that participation of women in education should translate into increased participation in the workforce," she said. The president added that the inauguration of the girls' hostels is a "step towards empowering female students by providing them access to quality education and other facilities". (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.) President is scheduled to visit in Odisha's Puri on November 10, an official said on Thursday. Murmu will arrive here on a two-day maiden visit to her home state (Odisha) on November 10. "We have received an official communication regarding the President's visit to Puri. She will visit . We will have a district-level preparatory meeting for the proposed visit of the President on Friday," said Puri Collector Samarth Verma. After arriving here, the President is scheduled to visit Puri to seek obeisance of . She will stay for some time in Puri Raj Bhavan. Later, she will return to Bhubaneswar, where she will be accorded civic reception at Raj Bhavan in Bhubaneswar, official sources said. The President will pay floral tribute at the statues of several veteran leaders and freedom fighters of in the capital city. The Governor will host a state banquet in her honour at Raj Bhavan on the night of November 10. Next day, the President will visit Tapoban High School at Khandagiri, Government Girls High School, Uni-II, and Kuntala Kumari Sabat Tribal Girls Hostel. Later in the day, she will visit Jaydev Bhawan and inaugurate Odia textbook for engineering and a portal (e-Kumbh) before flying back to Delhi. --IANS bbm/pgh (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.) on Thursday witnessed 2,666 farm fire incidents with Sangrur district seeing maximum crop residue burning cases. With the fresh number of farm fires, the cumulative farm fire cases during September 15 till November 3, rose to 24,146, according to the Ludhiana-based Remote Sensing Centre data. The state had reported 39,178 and 20,433 crop residue incidents during the same period in 2020 and 2021 respectively. Out of total 2,666 farm fire incidents on Thursday, Sangrur topped the districts with maximum 452 farm fires, followed by 336 in Bathinda, 269 in Ferozepur, 254 in Barnala, 205 in Mansa, 180 in Moga and 168 in Patiala. The state had reported 2,413 and 2,512 active fire incidents on November 3 in 2020 and 2021 respectively, as per the data. Currently, the districts in Malwa region are reporting a rising number of incidents. The farmers continued to set crop residue on fire in order to clear fields for sowing the next crop--wheat and vegetables. Meanwhile, many places in Haryana on Thursday evening reported air quality indices in 'poor', 'very poor' and 'severe' categories while witnessed air quality in 'moderate', 'poor' and 'very poor' categories. Haryana's Charkhi Dadri reported its air quality index at 458, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data. Among other areas in Haryana, Rohtak reported AQI at 443, followed by 440 each in Bhiwani and Gurugram, 435 in Bahadurgarh, 426 in Jind, 417 in Manesar, 392 in Kaithal, 382 in Faridabad, 369 in Panipat, 354 in Sonipat, 332 in Hisar, 315 in Fatehabad and 253 in Ambala. An AQI between 0-50 is considered "good", 51-100 "satisfactory", 101-200 "moderate", 201-300 "poor", 301-400 "very poor", and 401-500 "severe". While in Punjab, Amritsar, Bathinda, Khanna, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Mandi Gobindgarh and Patiala reported their respective AQIs at 223, 250, 191, 319, 215, 388 and 277 respectively, as per the data. Union Territory Chandigarh, the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana, reported its air quality at 200. Paddy straw burning in Punjab and Haryana is one of the reasons behind the alarming spike in air pollution levels in the national capital in October and November. As the window for Rabi crop wheat is very short after paddy harvest, farmers set their fields on fire to quickly clear off the crop residue. Punjab generates around 180 lakh tonne of paddy straw annually. The state recorded 71,304 such fire incidents in 2021, 76,590 in 2020, 55,210 in 2019, 50,590 in 2018, 45,384 in 2017 and 81,042 in 2016. (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.) The has granted relief to Busy Infotech, a subsidiary company of IndiaMART, in the ongoing legal battle with Xpert Tricks Softwares and others in an Intellectual Property infringement case. The Court restrained Xpert Tricks Software from reproducing/storing/installing/issuing copies/selling/offering for sale/downloading and/or using any pirated/unlicensed/crack version of Busys software. The court restrained the use of its trademark Busy. Busy Infotech, incorporated in 1997, is an on-premise ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) and Accounting Software Company dealing in software development and marketing. passed an order for the suit filed by Busy Infotech (Plaintiff) in which the company sought to protect its software BUSY from any infringement. In the suit filed by Plaintiff, it was stated that BUSY, a GST/VAT-compliant Business Accounting Software has more than 300,000 licenses sold in over 20 countries. All computer programmes, that is, software products including BUSY are sold with a soft version of the Software Licence Agreement, Registration Card, and relevant User Manuals, all contained in the original CD-ROM carrying the actual software. As per the terms of the agreement, license to use the software becomes valid only after full payment has been realised by the Plaintiff and for use of the software, it is mandatory to enter into the Licence Agreement. According to the plaintiff, the defendants were offering a cracked version of the software to small businesses illegally. The present suit has been filed seeking a permanent injunction restraining the defendants from reproducing, storing, installing, or using any pirated or unlicensed version of BUSY software and its various versions or editions resulting in copyright infringement. The plaintiff also sought to stop the usage of the trademark Busy. Retail leasing in India increased by 114 per cent year-on-year and crossed 3.4 mn sq ft in the first nine months of 2022, said CBREs India Market Monitor report for the third quarter. Hyderabad, Delhi-North Capital Region (NCR), Mumbai, and accounted for 79 per cent of overall absorption. Hyderabad contributed 29 per cent, followed by with 25 per cent and with 13 per cent. contributed 12 per cent to the absorption. In the third quarter (Q3), total supply grew by 102 per cent quarter-on-quarter (Q-o-Q). However, total supply addition in 9 months grew almost 110 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y), said the report. Fashion and apparel retailers continued to drive leasing activity, with a share of 46 per cent in Q3 2022. Other categories that led absorption during the quarter included food and beverage (13 per cent) and consumer electronics (9 per cent). The regional share of leasing activity in the third quarter was led by domestic companies (73 per cent) and then by Europe, the Middle East and Africa (16 per cent), and American firms (9 per cent). Nearly 40 per cent Y-o-Y growth in leasing activity was observed in the retail sector in Q3 2022 and 114 per cent Y-o-Y between JanuarySeptember 2022. Owing to the high growth potential, we expect many international brands to continue to view India as a growth market, said Anshuman Magazine, chairman and chief executive officer, India, South-East Asia, Middle East & Africa, . Retail leasing is expected to strengthen during the festive season. In Q3 2022, the overall retail absorption and supply were 1.1 mn sq ft and 0.5 mn sq ft respectively, said Ram Chandnani, managing director, advisory & transactions services, India. Strong leasing momentum across Hyderabad, Delhi-NCR, and indicates regained retailer confidence and expansion potential, he added. Direct-to-consumer brands are expected to lead demand. The report said that tier-II, III, and even tier-IV locations are expected to gain traction as retailers look to leverage the spending power of these towns and cities. The on Thursday told the Centre not to allow planting genetically modified (GM) until the next hearing on the matter on November 10. The Centre told the court it needed time --- till Monday --- to put the latest facts on record. The courts direction could come in the way of the early of this rabi season because the ideal planting time closes in 10-15 days. The Bench of Justice Dinesh Maheshwari and Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia said the petitioners had pointed out the crop was hazardous. Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for petitioner Aruna Rodrigues, said the court-appointed Technical Expert Committee (TEC) had advised against using any herbicide-tolerant crop. It also said the regulatory system in India is in a shambles and needed to be revamped, he said. Bhushan said the shoring up of the system needed at least 10 years. During this time there should be a moratorium on any kind of environmental release of GM varieties. A Parliamentary Committee Report of 2017 had said the same thing, he said. The plea stated modified seeds could contaminate non- crops and the of such seeds should be put on hold. The petition cited the reasons for not using herbicide-tolerant (HT) crops, the first being that such crops had led to the emergence of superweeds, seen in Canada and the US. In the US alone, superweeds were estimated to occupy an area of over 24 million hectares as of 2012. For India, it will be disastrous with our small farm holdings. The plea said a lot of women employed for weeding would not get any alternative work if such crops were introduced. The petition said the TEC recommendations asked for a ban on HT crops. It also said the contamination caused by mustard HT DMH 11 and its HT parents would be irremediable and irreversible. The contamination of our seed stock and germplasm as will happen with mustard HT DMH 11 and its HT parents will be irremediable and irreversible making our food toxic at the molecular level without recourse, the plea said. Talking to Business Standard, Minister for Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav said: The court has not banned but has only given the next date for hearing the matter. We will file a detailed response in this regard. Scientists of the Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) and Trust for Advancement of Agricultural Sciences (TAAS), the bodies representing the countrys top agricultural scientists, in a recent press briefing said at present around 10 kg of the mother DMH-11 seed was available. Of that around 2 kg has been sourced by the Directorate of Rapeseed and Mustard, which is under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, in Bharatpur. The window for mustard planting for the ongoing rabi season will close in next 10-15 days. Therefore, things will have to move fast from here onwards, T Mohapatra, president of the NAAS, had told reporters. He had said if things moved according to plan, in less than three years GM mustard would be available for commercial use. The on Thursday ordered status quo on the decision of the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) allowing the environmental release of genetically modified (GM) for seed production and testing. The apex court has scheduled the next hearing in the matter on November 10. A bench comprising justices Dinesh Maheshwari and Sudhanshu Dhulia ordered status quo on the GEAC's decision of October 18 2022, and subsequent decision of the Ministry of Environment and Forests of October 25, to allow environmental release of genetically modified mustard/ HT /DMH 11 in 5 states on an interim application filed by Aruna Rodrigues in her pending writ petition. Advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing Rodrigues, contended that the apex court in 2012 constituted a technical expert committee with broad terms of reference to examine in detail the matter of genetically modified crops in India. The bench queried the Centre's counsel on the current status in connection with the environmental release of . The counsel after taking instructions informed the court that seeds were going to be planted in facilities of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). The bench told the Centre's counsel to ensure that "no precipitative action is taken" until the application is heard and scheduled the matter for consideration on November 10. Bhushan said that the committee called HT crops "unsustainable" and "unsuitable" for India and noted that the herbicide sprayed on HT crops caused cancer, and it had recommended that non-GMO alternatives were available in the country. He added that the committee recommended a "total ban" on all HT crops on "precautionary principle" as no long-term safety studies were done on the impact of edible in India on human health, animal health, and bio-diversity. Citing apex court orders passed in 2016 and 2017, Bhushan said the submission of the Centre was recorded that as of that time no decision had been taken to release in the environment and if such a decision were to be taken it would be placed before the court. --IANS ss/pgh (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.) India on Thursday urged the international community to "call out those" who provide safe havens to and come to their defence including in the UN Security Council sanctions regimes, a veiled reference to Pakistan and China. Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra made the remarks while speaking at the open debate held under Ghana's Presidency of the 15-nation Council on Peacebuilding and sustaining peace: Integrating effective resilience-building in peace operations for sustainable peace.' "The threat posed by needs a unified voice from the international community. We should strengthen capabilities of the host state security forces, join hands in preventing the terrorist forces from gaining access to financial resources and must collectively call out those who provide safe havens to as also those who stand with them and come to their defense including in the UNSC sanctions regimes, he said. His remark appeared to be a veiled reference to Pakistan and China. In the past five months, China, a permanent, veto-wielding member of the UN Security Council, has put holds on as many listing proposals by India and the US to designate Pakistan-based under the Council's 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee regime. Since June, China, Islamabad's all-weather ally, has put holds on proposals to blacklist Pakistan-based terrorist Hafiz Talah Saeed, Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists Shahid Mahmood and Sajid Mir, senior Jaish-e-Mohammed leader Abdul Rauf Azhar and Abdul Rehman Makki under the Al Qaeda Sanctions regime. India and the US had submitted proposals to designate the Pakistan-based terrorists and subject them to asset freeze, travel ban and arms embargo but hit stumbling blocks when Beijing placed holds on the proposals. In his remarks, Kwatra said that UN peacekeeping operations commenced seven decades ago as relatively simple, largely unidimensional missions, designed to keep the peace and to facilitate political processes aimed at finding lasting solutions to conflicts. "This context has changed profoundly over the years. Today, both political and security environment as also the nature of conflict have undergone paradigm shifts. It has become more complex, uncertain, volatile and ambiguous. Conflicts are far more fragmented with the participation of non-state actors, including armed militias, terrorist and organised criminal groups, in many instances with political support, he said. He said technological advances have also contributed to the changing nature of such conflict in many ways. "Terrorist and radical extremist groups have unprecedented access to various technological tools to incite, do propaganda, and undertake recruitment, as well as for the purchase of weapons and funding of illegal money transfers, he said. Noting that the conflict scenarios are often characterised by breakdown in the rule of law, absence of effective state institutions, proliferation of illicit economic activities and illegal exploitation of natural resources, he said these factors are also manipulated by terrorist and radical groups to serve their nefarious objectives. Kwatra stressed that the need of the hour is a holistic approach, coordinated action and a clear strategy that addresses the challenges to peacekeeping operations and peacebuilding. He noted that in contemporary conflicts, solutions often lie in the political and social domains, not just the security. "As such, peace operations can create conditions for political and social processes to take hold, but not replace them," he said. India pointed out that peacekeeping and peacebuilding are mutually exclusive and attempts to extend the role of peacekeeping missions to peacebuilding tasks would strengthen neither. Indeed weaken both." Further, he said that the military component of peacekeeping can only play an enabling role but cannot on its own bring about peacebuilding. "Realistic assessment in this regard is the need of the hour, he said. Kwatra added that when it pertains to Africa, it is important that solutions anchored in African regional organisations are given a priority and as a good road ahead for resolution of many contemporary armed conflicts. "India recognises the primacy of governments and authorities in identifying and driving priorities, strategies and activities for sustaining peace. What is needed is to work closely with member states, in line with their requirements and needs rather than advocate prescriptions and solutions from outside," he said. He noted that as the world's largest democracy, India is convinced that representative and inclusive governance structures will help stabilise peace, safeguard fundamental rights, protect rule of law, and make governance representative, transparent, responsive and people centric. "We need to encourage nurturing such governance structures in countries in conflict settings. This also requires giving them both the time and space they need to deliver efficiently, he said, while also underling that gender sensitivity and inclusivity in the governance and security sector strengthens nation-building. India also underscored the urgent need for predictable and sustainable financing for peacebuilding efforts to be more effective. "Inadequate financing for peacebuilding activities continues to remain a stumbling block," he said. Kwatra stressed that in each of these areas, India has made significant contributions. "We have been a bridge builder and a facilitator of consensus on many of the contentious files that this Council has dealt with in the last two years. (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.) The Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister on Wednesday approved a mechanism for procurement of by public sector Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) under Blended Petrol (EBP) programme. The CCEA has approved higher price derived from different sugarcane-based raw materials under the EBP programme for the forthcoming sugar season 2022-23 during ESY 2022-23 from December 1, 2022, to October 31, 2023. "The price of ethanol from C heavy molasses route be increased from Rs.46.66 per litre to Rs 49.41 per litre, the price of ethanol from B heavy molasses route be increased from Rs.59.08 per litre to Rs.60.73 per litre, the price of ethanol from sugarcane juice/sugar/sugar syrup route be increased from Rs.63.45 per litre to Rs.65.61 per litre, additionally, GST and transportation charges will also be payable," the Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) statement reads. All distilleries will be able to take benefit of the scheme and a large number of them are expected to supply ethanol for the EBP programme. A remunerative price to ethanol suppliers will help in early payment to cane farmers, in the process contributing to minimize the difficulty of . The government has been implementing Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme wherein OMCs sell petrol blended with ethanol up to 10 per cent. This programme has been extended to the whole of India except the Union Territories of Andaman Nicobar and Lakshadweep islands with effect from April 1, 2019, to promote the use of alternative and environment-friendly fuels. This intervention also seeks to reduce import dependence for energy requirements and give a boost to the agriculture sector. The government has notified and administered the price of ethanol since 2014. For the first time in 2018, the differential price of ethanol based on feedstock utilized for ethanol production was announced by the government. "These decisions have significantly improved the supply of ethanol, consequently, ethanol procurement by Public Sector OMCs has increased from 38 crore litre in Ethanol Supply Year 2013-14 (ESY - currently defined as ethanol supply period from 1st December of a year to 30th November of the following year) to contracts of over 452 crore litre in ongoing ESY 2021-22. The target of achieving an average of 10 per cent blending has been achieved in June 2022, much ahead of the target date of November 2022," the statement reads. The government has advanced the target of 20 per cent ethanol blending in petrol from earlier 2030 to ESY 2025-26 and a "Roadmap for ethanol blending in India 2020-25" has been put in the public domain. Other recent enablers include: the enhancement of ethanol distillation capacity to 923 crore litre per annum; Long Term Off-take Agreements (LTOAs) to encourage setting up of 431 crore litre per annum capacity of Dedicated Ethanol Plants (DEPs) in ethanol deficit States by private players which is expected to bring in investments of Rs.25,000-Rs.30,000 crores in coming years; multimodal transportation of ethanol and ethanol-blended petrol by railways and pipelines. All these steps add in facilitating ease of doing business and achieving the objectives of Atmanirbhar Bharat. The government has taken many decisions for the reduction of cane farmers' dues including the diversion of sugar and sugar-based feedstock for the production of ethanol. Now, as, a large quantity of ethanol is available right from the beginning of sugar season due to the conversion of sugarcane juice and B heavy molasses to ethanol, it has been decided to redefine Ethanol Supply Year as a period of ethanol supply from November 1 of a year to October 31 of the following year from November 1, 2023 onwards. Moreover, as the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of sugarcane & ex-mill price of sugar have undergone changes, there is a need to revise the ex-mill price of ethanol derived from different sugarcane-based feed stocks. (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.) A bumper apple production in this season has failed to cheer up growers as their produce is being sold at nearly 30 per cent lower rates than last year. Faced with huge losses, apple farmers have now sought government intervention. The Kashmiri apple hogged the headlines in September after an uproar over frequent disruption in its transportation from the orchards in the valley to markets outside the Union territory, including Azadpur Mandi, Asia's largest wholesale market. produces about 75 per cent of the total apple crop in the country and is considered the backbone of its economy, contributing about 8.2 per cent to Jammu and Kashmir's . "The rates of apple coming from this season are down by about 30 per cent compared to 2021, and there is no doubt the growers are suffering huge losses. It is very difficult for them to overcome the losses without government support," Chamber of Azadpur Fruit and Vegetable Traders president Metha Ram Kriplani told PTI. Kriplani, who is also a member of the Delhi Agricultural Marketing Board and president of the Kashmir Apple Merchants Association, listed several reasons for this. "There was a quality bumper crop this season, but the expenses like packaging and transportation charges have almost doubled compared to last year. The rates are directly linked to the supply and demand, and since the supply is more, the product rate is down by about 30 per cent," he said. Grower-cum-trader Bashir Ahmad Baba, a resident of Chrar-e-Sharief in central Kashmir's Budgam district, said hopes of a good return for the produce this season have dashed, and most of the growers and traders were apprehensive of their financial wellbeing. "The frequent closure of the Srinagar-Jammu national highway due to landslides during the peak harvesting season and the stranding of fruit-laden trucks for days together have had its impact as we were late to the mandis," Baba said. The administration shifted the senior superintendent of police, Srinagar-Jammu national highway, in September after political parties slammed it for alleged failure to facilitate smooth movement of fruit-laden trucks from Kashmir to outside markets. Chief Secretary A K Mehta visited the landslide-prone areas on the highway several times to ensure that debris was removed immediately and fruit-laden trucks cleared on priority. Baba said the expenses on each apple box weighing 16 kg is over Rs 500, which includes packaging, freight charges and use of pesticides and fertilizers but "we are only getting an average of Rs 400 per box". More than half of Kashmir's population is directly or indirectly linked to the horticulture industry, which is said to be worth Rs 10,000 crore. The annual production of apple is around 21 lakh metric tonnes. It is cultivated over an area of 1.45 lakh hectares of land. "The government has to come forward and rescue us, otherwise it is very difficult to overcome the huge losses given the prevailing conditions," Baba, who is also the Budgam district president of the Kashmir valley fruit growers and dealers union, said. Supporting Baba's demand, Kriplani said the central government has to pay full attention to the horticulture industry in which has a lot of potential to generate employment across the country. "It is our humanitarian and religious duty to safeguard them (growers) The government can provide subsidies on the products used in packaging, provide good quality cardboards, fix transportation charges and abolish tax on trucks transporting fruit. If there is a decline in expenses, farmers and those linked with the (apple) trade can be saved from distress," he said. Kriplani advocated a waiver of interest on bank loans and also soft loans for farmers, saying, "The situation is such that they might lose a huge chunk of their capital this season and may not be able to pay back their monthly installments on loans." He said the chamber was ready to share its experience, including organising regular workshops in the Valley, to modernise the horticulture sector. Kriplani, a frequent visitor to Kashmir over the past many decades, suggested construction of macadamised roads covering all orchards for fruit transportation, setting up of controlled atmosphere (CA) cold stores at the village level and encouraging farmers to install the latest machinery for grading. Advocating a duty on apples imported from Iran via Afghanistan to avoid taxes, he said it was the government's job to ensure that farmers in the country can sell their produce at right costs. "Kashmiri apples are also exported to different countries, including Bangladesh. The government should take measures to include the product in duty-free items after taking up the issue with the governments concerned," he added. Truck drivers Shabir Ahmad Dar and Bashir Ahmad, who had reached the Azadpur Mandi from the valley to unload their fruit-laden vehicles, said the disruption of traffic on the highway forced the growers to hold back their produce. "The apple from both plains and hilly areas reached the markets in bulk together. Usually, the apple from plains of the valley comes before those from the hilly areas, especially Himachal Pradesh, which has also recorded a good crop this season," Ahmad said, adding that the markets failed to stabilise after the initial jerk. He said all controlled atmosphere (CA) cold stores in the valley are packed and "we are expecting that the transportation of the apple will continue for the next four months". (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.) An estimated Rs 14,000 crore is expected to be injected into the rural economy of through the procurement of paddy in the current 2022-23 kharif marketing season. During the current procurement cycle effective for five months during October-February the is targeting to procure 7 million tonnes (MT) of paddy across the state. In the 2022-23 kharif season, the minimum support price (MSP) has been fixed at Rs 2,040 per quintal for common paddy and Rs 2,060 per quintal for Grade A paddy. The average procurement price juxtaposed with the procurement target translates into a total farm payout of nearly Rs 14,000 crore in direct benefit transfer (DBT) mode if the government achieves its procurement target of 7Mt. The paddy purchase is likely to gain momentum in the coming weeks, since the process has also begun in the eastern UP districts, where procurement commences from November 1. Procurement in western UP region begins on October 1. Meanwhile, UP Chief Minister has directed officials to ensure timely payment to farmers, and warned against slackness in matters concerning the farmers community. Reviewing the procurement process here recently, he underlined that centres should run smoothly so that farmers were not inconvenienced owing to the lack of proper infrastructure/resources or manpower. About 4,000 procurement centres have been set up across the state to facilitate the institutional purchase of paddy, a senior government official said. In UP, the procurement of paddy, wheat and sugarcane provides the bulk of financial resources, estimated at more than Rs 50,000 crore annually, to state farmers. While paddy and wheat are mainly procured by the central and state government entities, most of the sugar mills in UP are operated by the private sector. is expecting to sign deals worth Rs 7.5 trillion during the three-day Invest 2022, the states (GIM) which started on Wednesday. This is an increase of Rs 2.5 trillion to the previous target set by the government. Union Finance Minister said on Wednesday that initially when this global meet was planned, the expectations and targets were somewhere in the range of Rs 5 trillion. She said that has moved upwards to Rs 7.5 trillion worth of proposals. She added that Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has already cleared proposals worth Rs 2.8 trillion. The sectors in which various companies have committed investments include green manufacturing, hydrogen and derivatives, electronics systems, e-mobility, aerospace and defence, and data centers. The other areas include infrastructure, industrial and logistics parks, and renewable energy. For instance, ABC Cleantech will bring in Rs 50,000 crore in terms of . Vedanta is bringing Rs 80,000 crore . O2 Power is investing Rs 10,000 crore. Al Abdulla Group of Companies & NDS Eco Motors is investing Rs 2,000. Airtel is bringing an investment of Rs 15,000 and Reliance Jio Infocomm is investing Rs 11,000 crore. Shared electric mobility startup Yulu also signed an MoU with the Karnataka government. Yulu will invest Rs 1200 crore to deploy a fleet of 1 lakh EVs and operationalize the largest EV battery charging and swapping infrastructure in the State over the next 5 years. It will create about 7000 direct jobs across its value chain activities. We are committed to redefining urban mobility by reducing congestion and pollution, and a thriving government-industry partnership will play a foundational role in achieving this vision, said R K Misra, co-founder, Yulu. GIM in Karnataka is aimed at attracting prospective investors and setting up development agenda for the next decade. The speakers at the event include some of the top industry leaders including Kumar Mangalam Birla, Sajjan Jindal, and Vikram Kirloskar. Along with this, a number of business exhibitions with more than three hundred exhibitors, and country sessions would run parallelly. The country sessions would each be hosted by the partner countries - France, Germany, Netherlands, South Korea, Japan, and Australia - which would be bringing in high-level ministerial and industrial delegations from their respective countries. Amid a debate on the ethical issues surrounding 'moonlighting', income-tax authorities have raised concerns about its tax implications for those who take up additional assignments outside their regular employment. Cautioning technology professionals about the tax implications, the authorities have urged them to declare any income from 'moonlighting' in their tax filings, according to a report in The Economic Times. Several techies have already reached out to their tax planners, discussing with them how to declare this secondary source of income and how to minimise their tax burden. They are also trying to understand whether the extra earnings can be treated as professional income. The concerns from tax authorities come at a time when there is an ongoing debate on how far 'moonlighting' by employees can be allowed. Some companies -- like Wipro and Infosys -- reportedly terminated the services of some of their employees over ethical issues. Others say they may allow their employees to take up gig work if these do not come in direct conflict with their primary jobs. "Many people are interested in discussing or understanding this (issue) better, Amarpal S Chadha, tax partner and India mobility leader, EY India, told ET. Chadha added that not disclosing such income may lead to a mismatch in income reported by an individual versus the data available with the tax authorities, since Form 26AS, Annual Information Statement and Taxpayer Information Summary are "quite elaborate". Taxation experts said that the Income-Tax Department may initiate an enquiry if undeclared income is detected in future, possibly esulting in penalties. Given the advancement of technology, it will be very difficult to conceal the second earnings for long, Prabhakar KS, CEO of Shree Tax Chambers, a Bengaluru-based tax consultancy firm, told the publication. R Ravichandran, principal chief IT commissioner, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry & Kerala, explained that an individual or a company making a payment of more than Rs 30,000 to a person in return for a contract job (under Section 194C of IT Act, 1961) or pays a professional fee (Section 194J) are liable to deduct tax at source (TDS) at the applicable rate. The TDS will also be applicable if payments to the person exceed Rs 1 lakh in a financial year under Section 194C. Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad has promised to put safety first, as its Board of Governors approved rebuilding parts of the old campus around the iconic Louis Kahn Plaza and its Harvard steps. The premier B-school has decided that it will not continue with any further restoration of the faculty blocks, classroom complex and dorms other than D15. After careful consideration, an RFP (request for proposal) process will be initiated later for the reconstruction of the faculty blocks, classroom complex, and the peripheral dorms 16 to 18 with the same exterior facade, a seismically safe structure, and non-major renovation of the internal space to improve its functionality to suit the needs of the users. The other dorms will be remodelled, in line with the Louis Kahn heritage and keeping in mind the functional needs of current and future residents of the campus, the B-school stated on Thursday. According to IIMAs Board of Governors, over the last two decades, the institute has conducted regular inspections, studies and repairs whenever experts recommended or if a problem was visible on the buildings. The safety of our people is our primary responsibility, and with that in mind, the Board felt there was a need to address this issue rather than opt for temporary solutions such as restorations, which had been attempted but were not as effective, it said. The Board had consulted experts and discussed the issue for several months before taking a decision on reconstruction of parts of the old campus. All reports indicate that most structural elements have insignificant residual life, and thus restoration will be technically impractical and ineffective despite investment of time, effort, and funds. As a result, rebuilding in such sections of the old campus is unavoidable. We express our deep gratitude for the wisdom and advice provided by our various stakeholders and experts throughout the process, the board said. IIMA Director Errol DSouza said that over time it became obvious that maintaining the buildings was very difficult. Read also: Louis Kahn Plaza: The shape of an icon The amount of deterioration is extensive and we asked for more details from a team of experts. Safety of people on campus was paramount for us. We want to maintain a legacy, but we do not want to do that if it is going to hurt or kill people on campus. We have had cases where parts of the building have fallen off and it has become dangerous, he added. An RFP will be placed for restoration work in the next few months. It will take at least three years for the work to be completed. We aim to at least put out an RFP in the next few months. The institute will continue to raise funds for the reconstruction work, DSouza told Business Standard. On behalf of the board, its member and IIMA faculty Ajay Pandey said discussions on campus restoration and eventual reconstruction work began in September 2017 with several meetings with the architect community, alumni, faculty and students. The board finally decided to reconstruct, instead of restoring, certain parts including some of the dorms after reports by two teams of experts, said Pandey. Read also: Louis Kahn's architectural legacy is integral, symbiotic In 2020, sections of the architectural community and alumni had raised concerns over reconstruction of some parts of the old campus, leading to IIMA clarifying that it would explore other options. In the 1960s and 1970s, Kahn, an exponent of exposed brick architecture, had built 18 dormitories around the Louis Kahn Plaza, which comprises the Vikram Sarabhai Library, faculty and administrative blocks as well as classrooms. However, following gradual wear and tear as well as some structural damage due to the 2001 earthquake, IIMA took up restoration work of these buildings. The B-school held a competition in 2014 to grant the restoration and update work of all of Kahns buildings. Mumbai-based firm Somaya & Kalappa Consultants Consultants emerged the winner. The librarys restoration, in fact, bagged the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Award for Cultural Heritage and was widely appreciated for its conservation work. However, the 18 dorms (D1 to D18) have been facing problems like leakages and dampness in walls, apart from the damage caused by the earthquake. Barring Dorm 15, which has been restored, and 16-18, which will be restored, the others are in the inner core. After unsatisfactory results from restoring one of the 18 dorms that have become dilapidated over a time, IIMA had put out an expression of interest with an aim to rebuild around 14 dorms. The move had, however, drawn flak from Indian and international architectural communities and experts who raised concerns over a potential damage to Kahns legacy. In a second major decision, IIMAs Board of Governors has decided to launch a redesigned website along with a refreshed logo. For a digital-first world, the refreshed logo has IIMA as a single wordmark while the Sanskrit inscription Vidya Viniyogadvikasa (development through the distribution or application of knowledge) continues to be an integral part of the logo. The logo also has refreshed the jaali (net) work with clear and bold lines and curves in navy blue. While retaining the original aesthetics of the logo art, the fresh logo makes it digitally discernible on any device and adaptable to all formats. The jaali in the logo of the institute symbolises the roots of the institute in Ahmedabad city. As IIMA and its ethos shapes and adapts to global shifts, the institute felt the need to re-envision the IIMA website and renew its visual identity, which is represented by its logo. The new website embodies the IIMA brand philosophy of Simple, Bold, and Global. After consulting with and incorporating feedback from relevant stakeholders, the logo refresh was also completed. The refreshed logo aims to convey a more vivid and vibrant brand identity while retaining all the elements of the existing IIMA logo that evoke and channel trust, authenticity, and legacy by emphasising a strong connection to Indian culture, the Board of Governors said. Meanwhile, the new website will reflect IIMAs position as a preeminent institution of management. The idea was to make the website more engaging with prospective students, alumni, current students and faculty, and reflect the institutes voice as a leader in research, teaching and innovation while maintaining its bold and global image. IT major Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp. (CTSH) on Wednesday posted a 15.6 per cent rise in net profit at $629 million in the third quarter of calendar year 2022 (Twitter) HYDERABAD: IT major Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp. (CTSH) on Wednesday posted a 15.6 per cent rise in net profit at $629 million in the third quarter of calendar year 2022 compared to $544 million in the yearago period. The company's revenue increased by 5.6 per cent to $4.86 billion in the period, as against year-ago revenues of $4.74 billion, which fell short of analysts' expectations. The Teaneck, New Jersey-based company said for the current quarter ending in December, it expects revenue in the range of $4.72 billion to $4.77 billion. The company expects full-year earnings in the range of $4.43 to $4.46 per share, with revenue expected to be $19.3 billion with a growth of seven per cent, which is lower than the 8.5-9.5 per cent guidance it gave for the full year in the June quarter. The Election Commission will announce the schedule for the Gujarat assembly polls at 12 noon on Thursday. The poll panel has convened a press conference to announce the schedule. The term of the 182-member Gujarat assembly ends on February 18 next year. Citing the convention followed in 2017, the poll panel had not announced the Gujarat election schedule when it came out with Himachal Pradesh poll dates last month. While in Himachal Pradesh will be held in a single phase on November 12, the counting of votes will take place on December 8. By keeping the counting date for Himachal Pradesh nearly a month after the polling, the commission had given a clear hint that votes for Gujarat would also be counted on December 8. In 2017, the polls in the two states were announced on different dates but the counting took place together on December 18. Floods in Gujarat had led the EC to hold polls in the state after the Himachal Pradesh poll schedule was announced. (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.) Prime Minister will address two rallies in Sindar Nagar and Solan on Saturday in his campaign for the BJP in the scheduled for November 12. Official sources said he will also visit Radha Soami Satsang in Beas in Punjab. The sect has a large following in the hill state as well. The BJP will release its 'vision document' (manifesto) for a day later in Shimla on Sunday. It was earlier expected to be released on Friday. The BJP is in power in the state and is pulling out all stops to remain in the saddle by breaking the precedent of the incumbent being voted out. (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.) The Morbi suspension collapse was one of the reasons for the delay in announcement of the assembly elections, the Election Commission said on Thursday. Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) told a press conference that the commission would also examine whether the release of the inquiry report into the Morbi tragedy, which left 135 people dead, would disturb the level playing field in the two-phase scheduled for on December 1 and December 5. The Morbi assembly seat, currently represented by Brijesh Merja of the BJP, goes to polls in the first phase on December 1. "The Model Code of Conduct guidelines have been prescribed specifically. If any decision disturbs the level playing field, then the commission will look into it," Kumar said responding to questions on whether the release of the inquiry report into the collapse would violate the model code. He indicated that the could have been announced a couple of days earlier, but for the Morbi collapse tragedy in which plunged the state into mourning. "We also had to take note of the tragedy that had befallen the state. That was also one factor for the delay. There was state mourning in the state till yesterday (Wednesday). So, it is (because of) multiple factors," Kumar said responding to questions on the delay in announcement of the Gujarat polls. The commission had announced the Himachal Pradesh on October 14. Counting of votes in both the states will be held on December 8. While opposition parties, including the Congress, criticised the poll panel for allegedly delaying the Gujarat poll announcement, the CEC brushed aside claims of bias. He contended that the commission had to factor in many aspects, including weather, the last date of the term of the assembly and the number of days the model code of conduct should be in force. The term of the Gujarat assembly ends on February 18 next year and the elections have been announced 110 days in advance, Kumar said. "It is a combination of multiple factors and we are well within the factors of consideration, including polls in nearby states," he said. On the larger question of impartiality of the Election Commission, Kumar said a large number of assembly elections have thrown up surprising results. "Actually, actions and outcomes speak larger than words. In a large number of assembly elections, results have shown, at times, those who were critical of the commission have got surprising results. I do not want to go into the details," he said, in an apparent reference to the BJP's rivals winning state polls while questioning the integrity of electronic voting machines (EVMs). "Before elections, we get long letters about EVMs, but the same EVMs have elected the complaining party. Then that question ends there and the result is accepted," Kumar said. He said the "impartiality" of the Election Commission is the singular focus of the commission. "It is not new to us. It is a matter of legacy. It is a proud legacy of the country," Kumar said. (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.) State-owned on Thursday reported a nearly 10 per cent decline in net income to Rs 960 crore for the September 2022 quarter on higher provisioning, which more than doubled to Rs 1,912 crore. The bank had made a provision of only Rs 894 crore in the year-ago period, which negated other improvements in the key numbers, such as net interest income rising from Rs 9,523 crore to Rs 11,497 crore and lower taxations at Rs 502 crore in the reporting quarter against Rs 733 crore. Another reason for the fall in the bottom-line is the higher interest outgo, which rose from Rs 6,000 crore to Rs 6,414 crore. The bank has registered a sharp uptick in net interest income to Rs 5,083 crore in the reporting quarter from Rs 3,523 crore in the year-ago period. The NII jumped sharply as the bank booked higher margins from loans as it had passed on the repo rate hike to borrowers. Accordingly, it booked a NIM of 3.04 per cent, up 64 bps from 2.42 per cent in the year-ago period and from Rs 2.55 per cent in the June quarter. On the asset quality front, the bank said its net NPAs improved to 1.92 per cent from 2.79 per cent year-on-year or at Rs 8,836 crore from Rs 10,576 crore. Its gross NPAs declined sharply to 8.51 per cent or Rs 42,014 crore from 12 per cent or Rs 50,270 crore. This had its slippage ratio slipping to 0.30 from 0.36 and the credit cost ratio jumping nearly threefold to 0.60 from 0.26. Advances rose to Rs 8,130 crore from Rs 6,510 crore, while deposits remained stagnant at Rs 5,702 crore. managing director AK Das said provisions ballooned as there were a few large accounts that defaulted for a few days towards the end of the quarter, forcing it to fully provide for those accounts. The bank made much lower recoveries during the quarter with the same falling to a third from Rs 3,218 crore to Rs 1,340 crore, but upgrades improved to Rs 471 crore from Rs 278 crore and so did the written-off accounts, which fell to a third from Rs 3,583 crore to Rs 1,883 crore. This helped the bank to nearly halve its bad loan quantum to Rs 3,694 crore from Rs 7,079 crore. (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.) may rely more on raising funds through certificates of deposits for the rest of the year, as credit demand remains strong and inflows from retail deposits lag, leading to tighter liquidity in the banking system, analysts said. have raised over 3.51 trillion Indian rupees($42.41 billion) through certificate of deposits (CDs)in April-October, 22% higher than the 2.87 trillion rupees raised in 2021-2022, data from Prime Database showed. Mutual funds are the biggest buyers of CDs. "CD issuances should rise, especially now because we are entering into a busy credit season, so liquidity mismatch in the system should only increase," said Anil Gupta, senior vice president and company group head for financial sector ratings at ICRA. In that scenario, CDs will be an important source of funds for . The last few weeks have seen major state-run lenders, including Punjab National Bank, Union Bank of India and Indian Bank raising funds this way, while private banks IDFC First Bank, Federal Bank and IndusInd Bank also turned frequent borrowers, traders said. saw a 17.95% on-year jump in credit growth for the fortnight ended Oct. 7, RBI data showed, and market participants expect growth pace to pick up in coming months. Deposit growth lagged at 9.63% during this period. While banks could raise deposit rates to bridge the gap, it is easier to use CDs, ICRA's Gupta said. LIQUIDITY STRAINS Banking system liquidity that was under deficit for last couple of weeks is expected to remain under stress for the rest of this financial year. "Liquidity is expected to remain tight in the remainder of the year amidst normalisation of monetary policy," Swati Arora, senior economist at HDFC Bank, said. Banking system liquidity deficit had surged to near 1 trillion rupees towards the end of October, which is the highest in over three years. Even though it is now in surplus, traders expect it to be short-lived. "Besides, a rise in currency leakage which usually takes place in the second half of the financial year, a further pick up in credit growth and intervention by the RBI in the foreign exchange market are likely to weigh on liquidity," HDFC Bank's Arora said. ($1 = 82.7670 Indian rupees) (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.) Post-tax profit of public sector increased 145 per cent at Rs 504.52 crore during the second quarter of the current fiscal against Rs 205.4 crore in the similar previous similar period. The Kolkata-based lender said in a regulatory filing that the operating profit of the bank during the quarter decreased to Rs 1,190 crore as compared to Rs 1,334.2 crore in the previous similar period. Domestic revenues of the bank during the second quarter stood at Rs 4,794.76 crore while international revenues stood at Rs 170.08 crore. The capital adequacy ratio of the bank at the end of the second quarter stood at 14.02 per cent, registering a marginal decline from 14.31 per cent in the corresponding previous period. The Gross NPA of the lender declined to 6.58 per cent at the end of the second quarter from 8.98 per cent, while the net NPA stood at 1.99 per cent from 3.37 per cent in the previous similar period. restructured MSME accounts 25,255 with an outstanding amount of Rs 1433.70 crore as on September 30, 2022. (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.) Police Queensland has announced a record one million dollar reward for the public to catch an Indian nurse who fled to India after allegedly murdering an Australian woman on a beach four years ago in 2018. Toyah Cordingley, 24, was walking her dog on Wangetti Beach, 40km north of Cairns when she was killed in October 2018, 7news.com reported on Thursday. Rajwinder Singh, 38, who worked as a nurse in Innisfail, is the key person of interest in the case but fled the country two days after Cordingley was killed, leaving behind his job, wife and three children in Australia, the report added. Queensland Police is now offering 1 million Australian dollar, the largest ever offered by Queensland police, for information from the public in the ongoing search for Singh, with Detective Acting Superintendent Sonia Smith noting the reward is unique. We know that Singh departed Cairns on October 22, the day after Toyah was murdered, and then flew from Sydney to India on the 23rd. His arrival in India has been confirmed, she was quoted as saying by 7news.com. We have confirmed today that the last known location for Singh was India. An investigation centre has also been established in Cairns and police officers from across the state who can speak both Hindi and Punjabi have been flown in, News.com reported. These officers will be able to receive information from anyone in India who might know Singh's whereabouts via WhatsApp, the report added. We know that people know this person, they know where this person is and we're asking those people to do the right thing, Police Minister Mark Ryan told reporters on Thursday. This person is accused of a very heinous crime; a crime which has ripped a family apart. Deputy Commissioner Tracy Linford said in a statement that this was the first time an initial reward of 1 million Australian dollar had been offered in Queensland. We are very grateful for the Government's support in approving this significant reward which we believe will assist us in tracking down Rajwinder Singh, she said. It is critical we capture the attention of an audience to reach this individual. Police will not give up we remain incredibly determined to find answers for Toyah's family and will do whatever we can to bring them closure. Cordingley's mother Vanessa Gardiner spoke on Thursday about the reward and her beautiful, spiritual daughter. Her life was taken way too early. I see her friends and stuff getting married with kids and that now and think of everything she has missed out on in her life, Gardiner said. She was just about to start her first full-time job on Monday, which never happened. (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.) Europe's largest nuclear power plant was relying on emergency diesel generators to run its safety systems on Thursday after external power from the Ukrainian electric grid was again cut off, Ukrainian and UN officials reported. Fighting in Ukraine has repeatedly damaged power lines and electrical substations that the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant requires to operate in-house safety systems, forcing operators to turn to backup generators to cool its six reactors until regular power is restored. All six reactors have been shut down. The generators have enough fuel to maintain the plant in southeastern Ukraine for just 15 days, state nuclear power company Energoatom said. The countdown has begun, Energoatom said, noting it had limited possibilities to maintain the ZNPP in a safe mode, raising fears of a potential nuclear disaster. The UN's Atomic Energy Agency confirmed the switch to backup diesel generators and said that underlines the extremely precarious nuclear safety and security situation at the facility". The development again demonstrates the plant's fragile and vulnerable situation, said Rafael Grossi, the director general of the UN nuclear watchdog, adding that relying on diesel generators is clearly not a sustainable way to operate a major nuclear facility." "Measures are needed to prevent a nuclear accident at the site. The establishment of a nuclear safety and security protection zone is urgently needed, he said. Russia and Ukraine have traded blame during the war for shelling at and around the plant. Energoatom said on Thursday that Russian shelling knocked out the last two high voltage transmission lines feeding the Zaporizhzhia plant. Russia gave a different account, blaming Ukraine. The Russian state-run news agency Tass quoted an official at Russia's nuclear power operator, Rosenergoatom, as claiming that Ukraine had switched off the two power lines. The official, Renat Karchaa, confirmed that emergency backup diesel generators had to be switched on to run safety systems, but denied the problems had been caused by Russian shelling of power lines. He said the move deprived the city of Energodar, where plant's workers live, of heating. Russian forces have occupied the plant since the early days of the war. The plant is located in the Zaporizhzhia region, part of which has been occupied by Russian forces and illegally annexed, along with three other provinces, by Russian President Vladimir Putin last month. Although Putin signed a decree transferring the to Russian ownership, Ukrainian workers continue to run the plant. Energoatom said Russian officials are trying to connect the power station to Russia's power grid so it could supply electricity to Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, and Ukraine's Donbas region, annexed by Putin this fall. Across the Dnieper River from the power plant, the city of Nikopol was also shelled again, damaging residential buildings, a gas station and several businesses, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office said on Thursday. The UN nuclear agency is also tracking Russia's unfounded claims that Ukraine is planning to set off radioactive dirty bombs. The IAEA said on Thursday its inspections have found no evidence to support such claims after examining three locations in Ukraine. Western nations have called Moscow's repeated claim transparently false. Russia used drones, missiles and heavy artillery to hit several Ukrainian cities, leaving six civilians dead and 16 wounded, according to the president's office. Attacks in Zelenskyy's native city of Kryvyi Rih left several districts without electricity or water. Further east in the Donetsk region, battles continued for the towns of Bakhmut and Avdiivka, where authorities said the population was under constant shelling and living without electricity or heat. Over the past day, six cities and villages in the region came under attack from Russian heavy artillery, while in the northeast, three Russian missiles hit Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, officials said. On the humanitarian front, seven ships carrying 290,000 tons of agricultural products set sail from Ukrainian seaports for Asia and Europe, a day after Russia agreed to resume its participation in a wartime agreement allowing the export of Ukrainian grain. Putin said Moscow had received assurances that Ukraine wouldn't use the humanitarian corridors to attack Russian forces. Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleh Nikolenko denied that Kyiv had made any new commitments. Ukraine did not use and did not plan to use the grain corridor for military purposes. The Ukrainian side clearly adheres to the provisions of the grain agreement, Nikolenko wrote on Facebook. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov cautioned on Thursday that Russia's decision did not mean the deal would be extended after it expires on November 19. Russia had suspended its participation in the grain deal last weekend, citing an alleged Ukrainian drone attack against its Black Sea fleet in Crimea. Ukraine didn't claim responsibility for the attack, and Zelenskyy said on Wednesday that Moscow's return to the agreement showed Russian blackmail did not lead to anything. In Moscow, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned British Ambassador Deborah Bronnert on Thursday to protest what it alleges was the participation of British instructors in the October 29 attack by drones on Black Sea fleet facilities in Sevastopol, Crimea. Bronnert made no comment after the meeting. Under the grain export deal, Russia was supposed to be allowed to resume fertilizer and grain exports, but Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday he hadn't seen progress on that issue. The ships that set sail Thursday from Ukraine included one carrying 29,000 tons of sunflower seeds for Oman and one carrying 67,000 tons of corn to China. Since the deal was reached in July, 430 ships have exported 10 million tons of Ukrainian agricultural products to countries in Africa, Asia and Europe. Ukraine's infrastructure ministry said export volumes in October could have been 30-40 per cent higher if Russia had not artificially blocked inspections. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres hailed the 10 million-ton milestone and appealed to all parties to renew the agreement. I'm not optimistic, I'm not pessimistic. I'm determined, Guterres told reporters in New York, emphasizing it's important to clear obstacles for Russian food and fertilizer exports, which include insurance and port guarantees for Russian ships that Western businesses have avoided. The grain deal is one of the few areas where the warring parties are cooperating. Another is exchanges of prisoners and the bodies of war casualties. Both sides announced another prisoner exchange Thursday, this involving 107 military personnel on each side. Elsewhere, a Ukrainian military official said Russia is using Belarusian territory to launch drone strikes. Oleksii Hromov, a representative of the Ukrainian military's General Staff, said Iranian drones are flying into Ukraine from a military base in the Belarusian city of Luninets, 100 kilometres (62 miles) north of the Ukrainian border. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has supported Russia's attack on Ukraine, prompting criticism and sanctions against his government in Minsk. (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.) Top diplomats from the world's major industrialised democracies grappled with the implications of Russia's war in Ukraine, China's growing economic clout and aims on Taiwan, and Iran's crackdown on anti-government protesters as they opened two days of talks on Thursday. Meeting in the western German city of Muenster, foreign ministers from the Group of Seven nations were taking stock of the situation in Ukraine more than eight months since Russia invaded the country, exacerbating food and energy shortages and creating ripple effects far from Europe. While we are steadfast in our support for Ukraine, we must not forget that the impacts of Russia's aggression, interference and hostility extend across the world," British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said ahead of the meeting. Russian President Vladimir Putin's actions are plunging the world's poorest further into despair, putting global food security on the brink and pushing up energy prices", he said. "These actions only serve to demonstrate Putin's true intentions and further unite the community against his callous plans. We won't accept that the Russian president succeeds with his strategy of ... breaking Ukraine, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said. The meeting in Muenster comes nearly a year after the G-7 nations -- the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States -- banded together to warn Russia of massive consequences if it went ahead with plans to invade Ukraine. Putin denied having such plans, and some nations saw the West's repeated alerts of a Russian troops buildup near Ukraine as exaggerated at the time. Since delivering the initial warning to Moscow -- two months before the invasion was launched in late February -- the G-7 nations have largely followed through with their vow to punish Russia, although sanctions have done little to deter the Kremlin. Russia has instead escalated its attacks targeting civilian infrastructure, sent more troops, illegally annexed areas of Ukraine and shown no interest in a diplomatic solution. A senior US official travelling with Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Muenster said Putin had doubled down" and, in some cases, tripled down on his position. Although a potential world food crisis was averted on Wednesday when Russia agreed to rejoin a wartime agreement that allowed Ukrainian grain and other commodities to reach global markets, other emergencies loom. They include the war's impact on energy supplies, Russia's unfounded claims that Ukraine is preparing to use a radioactive dirty bomb and suggestions Moscow might respond with nuclear weapons. Senior US officials said they expected the discussions at Muenster's town hall which local officials say was last used to host an diplomatic event in 1648, for the signing of the Treaty of Westphalia that ended the 30 Years War to reaffirm G-7 alignment and consistency on Ukraine. Blinken made reference to the 374-year-old document at an event with Germany's Baerbock, saying Russia's actions in Ukraine were a direct attack on the concepts of national sovereignty and territorial integrity that some believe the treaty enshrined. These are the very principles that are being challenged today by Russia, he said. If we let that be challenged with impunity, then the foundations of the order will start to erode and eventually crumble, and none of us can afford to let that happen. The ministers were also to discuss other issues, including joint approaches to China, which has sided with Russia over Ukraine while also seeking to boost investments in critical and sensitive infrastructure in the West, and Iran, which in addition to conducting a brutal crackdown on protesters is accused of supplying Russia with armed drones and possibly other weapons for use in Ukraine. The G-7 has weathered major changes since the foreign ministers issued their stark pre-war ultimatum to the Kremlin last December in Liverpool, England: Britain is on its third prime minister, there's a new right-wing government in Italy, relations between Germany and France have frayed and control of the US Congress may be about to shift, with potential implications for Ukraine policy. The ministers' discussions in Germany will look at holding the bloc together in the face of the Ukraine conflict, which has exacerbated global shortages of food and energy as famine looms in parts of Africa and winter approaches in Europe. The European Union is considering moving forward with price caps on Russian energy imports aimed at further stifling Russia's income, a move that some hope might help convince the Kremlin to stop the fighting and engage in diplomacy. On China, US officials said the G-7 would be looking to further harmonise their policies related to Chinese investment in their countries as well to caution against antagonistic moves that Beijing might take against Taiwan. Beijing is not just a partner on international questions but also a competitor and, much more strongly, a rival, in view of its understanding of the international order", Baerbock said. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is visiting Beijing this week, becoming the first European leader to make the trip since the war in Ukraine began. Chinese investment in a major port project in Germany has raised concerns in Washington and other capitals that might gain a controlling interest in critical infrastructure in the heart of an allied country. US officials said they were pleased the Hamburg port contract was amended to reduce China's stake to a minority position but said it was important that all nations look carefully at proposed Chinese investments and the potential security threats they might bring. Scholz has pledged to use his trip to make the case for Chinese moderation and assistance in calming the situations with Ukraine and Taiwan. (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.) German officials have agreed on the main details of a plan to provide up to 200 billion euros ($198 billion) in subsidies to households and businesses to ease the strain of high gas, electricity and heating prices. Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the governors of Germany's 16 states agreed Wednesday on a two-stage plan to tackle high gas prices that largely mirrors the recommendations last month of an expert panel. Some other countries think the move by the 27-nation bloc's biggest should have been coordinated with them and have expressed concern that it could push up prices elsewhere. Scholz has repeatedly defended the plan, insisting that is showing solidarity with the rest of Europe and its programme is similar in scope to other countries'. Scholz's Cabinet agreed that the state will take on the cost of gas customers' monthly bill in December. That will be followed by a price subsidy for part of what households use starting in March and through April 2024. Officials aim to backdate the start to February 1; state governors are still pressing the federal government to find a way to make it valid for January too. For businesses, the so-called brake is being introduced in January already. In addition to that, an electricity price brake is to take effect on January 1, capping the cost of part of what households and businesses use. It will be financed in part by using windfall profits that many electricity generators have run up as a result of high costs. German officials say the plan, which will limit subsidies to a proportion of pre-crisis use, will still encourage people to save . One thing is clear -- (costs) won't quite go down to the level we had before the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, but the increase won't be as enormous as what some people have received in the way of bills, Scholz said. Both houses of parliament have cleared the way for the government to borrow the money for the plan. (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.) CPC national congress well balances policy continuity, change: scholars Xinhua) 09:41, November 03, 2022 BEIJING, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) that concluded last month in Beijing has unveiled a new, attention-drawing blueprint for China's development in the next five years and beyond, which well balances policy continuity and change, and is conducive to both China and the world, scholars said at a recent press briefing. The event was hosted by the China Public Diplomacy Association on Tuesday. Cao Li, a professor with the Party School of the Central Committee of the CPC, said that the report to the congress underscored advancing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization. "More than 1.4 billion people are moving into a modern society. It is a task that no country that has achieved modernization has ever faced. We can imagine how challenging it is," Cao said. Noting that the most challenging and arduous tasks in building a modern socialist China in all respects remain in rural areas, Cao said the report points out that China will advance rural revitalization across the board and move faster to build up its strength in agriculture, which is highly relevant and encouraging. This is the latest rural development target set by China after winning the biggest battle against poverty in human history. Fan Jishe, another professor with the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, said he was impressed by the report's assessment of China's external environment that the world is entering a new period of turbulence and change. "But China has always been committed to its foreign policy goals of upholding world peace and promoting common development, and building a community with a shared future for mankind," Fan said. "While finding changes in the outside world, China wants to be a responsible country, a predictable player and a stabilizing force," Fan said. (Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Liang Jun) Maoists appealed to farmers not to get trapped by seed companies (DC File Photo) WARANGAL: Maoists have warned corporate seed companies to desist from making farmers victims of their experiments. They have also asked farmers not to fall into the trap of seed corporates. In a letter released here, the banned extremist groups Venkatapuram-Wazedu area committee secretary Sudhakar told farmers that by cultivating hybrid seeds for companies like Syngenta, CP, Pioneer, Kaveri and Hytech, they end up using high quantities of fertilisers, making their soil unfit for cultivation in the long run. Sudhakar accused corporate companies of minting money for themselves while turning farmers into labourers in their own fields, right from sowing of seeds, irrigating fields and marketing those seeds, without entering into any agreement with the farmers. If any damage occurs to the crop due to a natural calamity like sudden rainfall, pest or fungal attack, the entire loss has to be borne by farmers and companies do not pay any compensation to them. The extremist groups secretary accused three companies Syngenta, Pioneer and CP and their representatives Godavarti Narasimha Murthy and Sunkara Prasad of cheating farmers. The Maoist charged the company representatives of claiming compensation from government for the crop loss and not paying anything to farmers. Sudhakar demanded that agents of corporate companies pay 1 lakh per acre as compensation to farmers and warned them against cheating the innocent farmers. He appealed to farmers not to get trapped by seed companies and become bonded labourers in their own fields. has achieved a new record in grain output this year, harvesting 150 million ton to date, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said. As harvesting is coming to an end across the country, the agricultural sector has shown an excellent result this year, which will increase the level of Russia's food security, Mishustin added at a government meeting on Wednesday. There were notable increases in the yield of potatoes, greenhouse vegetables, fruits, soybeans and rapeseed compared to the same period last year, he said. According to Mishustin, the Russian government allocated about 380 billion rubles (nearly $6.2 billion) earlier this year to fund the country's agricultural development, Xinhua news agency reported. On Wednesday, Russian President told Indonesian President Joko Widodo during a phone call that is ready to ship "considerable amounts" of grain to the poorest countries free of charge as humanitarian aid. --IANS int/khz/ (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.) on Thursday sustained bullet injury on his leg when a gunman opened fire on the container-mounted-truck carrying him during his protest march, killing one person, but the former prime minister was out of danger in what his party claimed was an "assassination attempt." The incident occurred near Allahwala Chowk of Wazirabad town in Punjab when 70-year-old Khan was leading the long march to Islamabad demanding early elections. In a statement, the Punjab police said that seven people were injured and one person was killed during the attack on Khan. It added that a suspect has been taken into custody. Asad Umar, the senior leader of Khan's Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, told the media that a bullet hit Khan's leg. He, however, didn't blame anyone for the attack. Khan underwent surgery at Shaukat Khanum Hospital in Lahore, his party leader Omar Ayub Khan said. Senior party leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that Khan is out of danger now. He added that the "attack was not just on but on the Pakistani nation." Former information minister Fawad Chaudhry said that the attack on Khan was a "well-planned assassination attempt. "It was not 9mm [pistol], it was burst from an automatic weapon, no two opinions about that it was a narrow escape, he tweeted. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack on the cricketer-turned politician. His close aide Senator Faisal Javed was injured when a bullet grazed his face. According to eyewitnesses, a gunman fired on the campaign truck carrying Khan from a close range. They said one person has been arrested from the spot. " was shot in the leg but was stable while being taken to hospital. He waved at supporters too," his party said in a tweet. Geo TV reported that the attacker was identified as Naved. The attacker, in his early 20s and wearing salwar-kameez, had been walking along the container and fired from the left side, the channel said. The suspect caught by police has said that he wanted to kill Khan because he was misleading the public. "He (Khan) was misleading the people and I could not bear watching it so I attempted to kill him, he said in a video confession. PTI leader Imran Ismail said that he was standing with Khan when he was attacked. "It was a straight fire... the bullet was meant to kill, not to scare," he claimed. Senior PTI leader Shahbaz Gill said that "Imran Khan is our red line and an attempt has been made to cross that red line." He said that Khan will fight till his last breath. Pakistan's top leadership, political leaders and the military strongly condemned the attack on Khan. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack and directed the Interior Minister for an immediate report on the incident. "I pray for the recovery and health of PTI chairman & other injured people. Federal government will extend all support necessary to Punjab govt for security & investigation. Violence should have no place in our country's politics," Sharif tweeted. He has instructed Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah to seek an immediate report on the incident from the police. Prime Minister Sharif also postponed a press conference on his recent trip to China after the firing incident, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb tweeted. President Arif Alvi termed the attack on Khan as "heinous assassination attempt." "I thank Allah that he is safe but injured with few bullets in his leg & hopefully non-critical. This attack is shocking, alarming, disgraceful, deceitful & cowardly. May Allah give him health & to all those injured," tweeted Alvi, who belonged to Khan's party before assuming presidency. The Army has issued a statement condemning the attack on Khan. Firing incident during Long March near Gujranwala is highly condemnable. Sincere prayers for precious life lost and speedy recovery and well being of Chairman PTI Mr Imran Khan and all those injured in this unfortunate incident, it said. Former premier Nawaz Sharif also condemned the firing incident. "I condemn the firing incident on Imran Khan and his companions and pray for their recovery of all those injured, he tweeted. Foreign Minister and Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari "strongly condemned" the attack on Khan and prayed for his swift recovery. Bilawal's mother, former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, was killed during an election rally in Rawalpindi in 2007. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that the firing incident is a manifestation of increasing violence in the of the country, in an apparent reference to Khan's aggressive approach in . "I believe today's incident shows the deterioration in our politics, he said while speaking on the floor of the National Assembly. The entire nation is condemning this incident. He also said use of words like killing and burning in by politicians give a licence to their followers to use such methods. He urged the politicians to realise that when they say such things, they sow seeds which will result in a bitter harvest. Meanwhile, there are reports that supporters of Khan are holding protests in different cities to condemn the attack and show solidarity for their leader. In Quetta, protesters blocked traffic at the airport road leading to a massive traffic jam in the area. The protesters in Mardan also took to the streets. In Karachi, protests were reported in several parts of the city such as Sharae Faisal, North Nazimabad, Landhi, Quaidabad, North Karachi, Hub River road and Mauripur. PTI leader Hammad Azhar has said that party member Ahmad Chattha, who was injured by two gunshots during an attack, is out of danger. A video footage showed a PTI worker tackling the attacker from behind and trying to grab the gun of the attacker. Ehtisam, who tackled the attacker, told the media that he forced the gun of the attacker downward and stopped further mayhem. Initially, it was reported that Khan was safe while some people were injured. Former human rights minister Shireen Mazari accused the interior minister for the attack and demanded his arrest. She also said: The string pullers, the Establishment will also be held responsible by the nation for this murderous attack on Imran Khan. Khan, who was ousted from power in April after losing a no-confidence vote in his leadership, has talked about a 'threat letter' from the US and claimed that it was part of a foreign conspiracy to remove him as he was not acceptable for following an independent foreign policy. The US has bluntly rejected the allegations. He has been demanding early elections and he is leading the long march towards Islamabad to force his demands. The term of the National Assembly will end in August 2023 and fresh elections should be held within 60 days. (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.) Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has said that an Iranian delegation will travel to in the coming days for talks on enhancing cooperation with the Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), state media reported. Speaking to a joint press conference with his visiting Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad in Tehran, Amir-Abdollahian on Wednesday added that President of the Atomic Energy Organization of (AEOI) Mohammad Eslami and IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi have agreed on the arrangement. He expressed hope for progress to be made in the talks as long as the IAEA sticks to a technical approach and follows an agreement it reached with AEOI on the nuclear watchdog's "certain accusations against Iran". Amir-Abdollahian was referring to the IAEA report of not providing "technically credible explanations" for nuclear activities at three undeclared sites, and the ensuing anti- resolution passed by its Board of Governors in June. Iran has repeatedly said the claims are based on "fabricated and false information". Besides, indirect exchange of messages still continues between Tehran and Washington over the nuclear talks in Vienna, Amir-Abdollahian noted. Iran signed a nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with world powers in July 2015, agreeing to curb its nuclear programme in return for removing sanctions on the country. However, Washington quit the agreement and reimposed unilateral sanctions on Tehran in 2018, prompting the latter to drop some of its commitments under the pact, Xinhua news agency reported. The talks on the JCPOA's revival began in April 2021 in . No breakthrough was achieved after the latest round of talks in early August. --IANS int/khz/ (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.) Italy's new interior minister on Wednesday defended the government from criticism that a decree banning rave parties could be used to clamp down on sit-ins and other forms of protest while thousands of fascist sympathisers were allowed to march to the crypt of the country's slain Fascist dictator. The decree on illegal raves was among the first actions of Premier Giorgia Meloni's far-right-led government. Both the political opposition and judicial magistrates voiced alarm the tough law-and-order stance signalled the government's possible intolerance of disobedience. Critics noted that no action was taken against the weekend march by several thousand Mussolini admirers wearing Fascist symbols and singing colonial-era hymns in Predappio, the late dictator's birth and burial place, while the government in Rome took extraordinary action to break up a rave party in the northern city of Modena. Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera that he deplored in the most absolute way the march marking the 100th anniversary of the March on Rome that ushered in two decades of Fascist rule. Still, he dismissed the event as a clownish stunt. He said similar gatherings had happened throughout the years without trouble and under control of police, and that any acts that violated Italian laws criminalising apology of fascism would be turned over to magistrates. We live in a democratic country with solid institutions and a constitution in which all political parties are recognised. We have the antibodies to defeat whoever wants to go in another direction,'' Piantedosi said. Meloni's government is the first led by a party with neo-fascist roots since Mussolini's fascist dictatorship was ousted during World War II, ending a disastrous and murderous alliance with Hitler's Germany. Meloni has tried to chart a moderate course, seeking to distance her Brothers of party from its neo-fascist origins and denouncing Mussolini's racial laws that sent thousands of Italian Jews to Nazi death camps. But many remain concerned about the more militant pasts of the premier and some of the ministers serving in her government. Speaking to Corriere della Sera, Piantedosi denied that the decree targeting illegal raves would be used in other contexts, calling such suggestions offensive. The decree, which still must be debated and approved by parliament to become law, would make the organisers of unauthorised gatherings of more than 50 people in public or private settings eligible for prosecution and prison terms of up to six years. According to legal experts, the decree cites the presence of 50 people for creating a gathering, a term which could be applied to political, union or even sporting events. An expert in criminal law at the University of Bologna, Vittorio Manes, told Italian newspaper Quotidiano Nazionale the measure was extremely generic and therefore slippery,? Italy's Constitution allows limits on the right to assembly only for proven reasons of public safety and security, and does not discuss threats to order or public health - the rationales cited in the decree, Giovanni Maria Flick, a former president of Italy's constitutional court, told daily newspaper La Repubblica. Flick said the government's drawing up a new law looked especially heavy-handed when existing statutes could be applied to break up rave parties. The decree was approved on Monday as some 2,000 young people from throughout Europe gathered in the northern Italian city of Modena for a rave in an abandoned warehouse. Authorities said the warehouse was dangerous and risked collapsing from loud music vibrations. They also cited the impact on traffic. Event participants abandoned the site when instructed. (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.) In the wake of the excessive rise in crime against in since the seized power, the United Nations Assistance Mission in (UNAMA) stated in its report the human rights violation of at least 200 reporters. UNAMA tweeted on Wednesday on the occasion of the Day to End Impunity for Crimes against that the crackdown on media is still persistent in the country and that arbitrary detentions and intimidation are a part of a media person's life in Kabul, Khaama Press reported. Taking to Twitter, UNAMA said, "Human rights abuses of more than 200 reporters in recorded by UNAMA since August 2021. Record high numbers include arbitrary arrest, ill-treatment, threats and intimidation." "Media in #Afghanistan is in peril. Let us all help #ProtectJournalists #EndImpunity," UNAMA tweeted. The UNAMA called for the protection of Afghan media at all costs and added that the media is in "peril". In addition, Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, stated that more than 70 have died this year as a result of their job, reported Khaama Press. "We must end the common culture of impunity and enable journalists to do their essential work," Guterres wrote on his Twitter handle. Meanwhile, according to Tolo News, some journalists in the capital said that they were faced with restrictions while covering security events and access to information. "Security forces don't allow us to cover events and that is a serious problem because media and people who watch the media want to be aware of events," said another reporter, Abid Momand. Since the took over Afghanistan in mid-August last year, it rolled back women's rights advances and media freedom revoking the efforts on gender equality and freedom of speech in the country. According to a report by the South Asian Media Solidarity Network (SAMSN) over 45 per cent of journalists have quit since the terrorist outfit assumed power. The ever-increasing restrictions against media in Afghanistan have also drawn widespread criticism globally with the United Nations (UN) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) decrying the arrests, demanding the stop harassing local journalists and stifling freedom of speech through continued detentions and threats. The Taliban had promised women's rights, media freedom, and amnesty for government officials in the group's first news conference after the takeover in August. However, activists, former government employees, and journalists among continue to face retribution. (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.) For days North Korean officials have raged over US-South Korean military drills, promising a violent response. That response came this week, when the North fired more than 20 missiles one of which splashed down near the South Korean sea border. It was a significant escalation in a year that has already seen the most North Korean missile test launches ever, and it raises an important question: How much further will they go? North Korea's playbook has traditionally been to continually ratchet up provocations until it gets US attention and can then negotiate for sanctions relief or other concessions from what it sees as a position of power. The bar for getting attention these days may be higher, with the United States focused on upcoming elections and Russia and the West consumed by the war in Ukraine. That could mean the North has to do more to get the reaction it wants but it also increases the possibility that Pyongyang could end up pushing too far. Already there is growing discussion in Seoul about creating an indigenous nuclear programme. observers have long sketched out the various levels Pyongyang uses to express its anger. At the bottom of the list is fiery rhetoric in state-controlled media. That may then progress into shorter-range missile launches of the type seen Wednesday. After that would come longer-range tests, including ICBMs designed to target the United States or intermediate missiles like the ones that the North has sent hurtling over the Japanese archipelago in the past, deep into the Pacific. At the top of the list is a test detonation of one of their nuclear devices. Each new level cranks up already soaring tensions on the Korean Peninsula, where hundreds of thousands of troops from both sides and the United States square off along the world's most heavily armed border. And while bloodshed these days is fairly rare (2010, by contrast, saw 50 South Koreans killed in attacks), this many troops operating with these types of powerful weapons in a relatively confined geographic area increases the chances that a miscalculation could lead to a clash. One of the 23 missiles fired Wednesday landed close enough to a South Korean island for air raid sirens to sound and residents there to evacuate to underground shelters. Another landed 26 kilometers (16 miles) from the Koreas' shared border. Anxiety was already running high because hours earlier threatened to use nuclear weapons so that the United States and would pay the most horrible price in history. For months, South Korean and US officials have been expecting to test a nuclear bomb. It would be the seventh such test, and be met with a push at the United Nations for even stronger sanctions. Whether Russia and China, nations that have traditionally protected the North, will allow further UN punishment is unclear. It's important to note that each North Korean weapons test whether of the shortest range missile or a nuclear bomb inches Pyongyang's scientists closer to their ultimate goal of a fully functional nuclear arsenal capable of targeting every city on the US mainland. A recent analysis based on satellite imagery showed that the North has made dramatic progress on new construction at its Sohae Satellite Launching Station. In addition to expanding its ability to send up satellite launch vehicles, the station could support technology development also useable by North Korea's emerging intercontinental ballistic missile programmes, wrote Joseph S Bermudez Jr, Victor Cha and Jennifer Jun, of the Center for Strategic and Studies think tank in Washington. The latest launches follow a string of North Korean tests of nuclear-capable missiles. And a new North Korean law authorises the preemptive use of nuclear weapons in a broad range of situations, though there's widespread doubt the North would use those bombs first in the face of US and South Korean forces. North Korea says it is responding to US-South Korean military drills that it views as a rehearsal for an invasion. But Pyongyang is also well aware of what's happening in the world especially as it relates to its rivals. US President Joe Biden is preparing to travel to Asia for a series of summits, and is facing crucial midterm elections this month. A lot is vying for Biden's attention, but Pyongyang has also previously timed its weapons tests around American elections, presumably in the hopes of pushing itself higher on presidents' foreign policy to-do lists. There's also the war in Ukraine, where Russia has suffered a series of setbacks recently. North Korea may realise that Moscow, which has been a supporter of the North and its military for decades, could benefit from the distraction the missile tests create for Washington. And the barrage also comes as mourns the deaths of more than 150 people when a crowd of Halloween revellers surged the country's largest disaster in years. But another North Korean nuclear test could also be a risk for the North itself, Jeffery Robertson, an associate professor of diplomatic studies at Yonsei University, wrote recently. Over the last thirty years, a rough balance has been established between South Korea's vastly superior conventional capacity (and its alliance with the US) and North Korea's nascent nuclear weapons capacity, he said. (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.) fired multiple missiles on Thursday, including a possible failed intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), prompting the United States and to extend air drills that have drawn Pyongyang's ire. Despite an initial government warning that the apparent had flown over Japan, triggering warning alarms for some residents, Tokyo later said that was incorrect. The launches came a day after the North fired a daily record 23 missiles, including one that landed off the coast of for the first time, and drew swift condemnation from Washington, Seoul, and Tokyo. Since Monday, and the United States have been conducting one of the largest air exercises ever, with hundreds of South Korean and U.S. warplanes, including F-35 fighters, staging around-the-clock simulated missions. After Thursday's launch, the allies agreed to extend the drills past Friday, when they had been scheduled to end, South Korea's Air Force said in a statement. "A strong combined defense posture of the ROK-U.S alliance is necessary under the current security crisis that is escalating due to North Korean provocations," the statement said, using the initials of South Korea's official name. Late on Thursday Pak Jong Chon, secretary of the Central Committee of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party, said that the United States and South Korea had made a very dangerous decision by extending the drills, and were "shoving" the situation out of control. "The United States and South Korea will find that they have made a terrible mistake that cannot be reversed," Pak said in a statement carried by state news agency KCNA. He had previously issued statements demanding the drills be stopped. The South Korean and U.S. stealth aircraft simulating attacks during drills are most likely what led to test a record number of missiles this week, experts say, but Pyongyang may also be turning up the heat before a potential nuclear test. LAUNCH Officials in South Korea and said one missile on Thursday may have been an ICBM, which are North Korea's longest-range weapons, and are designed to carry a nuclear warhead to the other side of the planet. also launched two short-range . South Korean officials believe the ICBM failed in flight, Yonhap news agency reported, without elaborating. Spokespeople for the South Korean and Japanese ministries of defence declined to confirm the possible failure. Japanese Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada said the government lost track of the missile over the Sea of Japan, prompting it to correct its announcement that it had flown over . Retired Vice Admiral and former Maritime Self Defense Force fleet commander Yoji Koda said the loss of radar tracking on the projectile pointed to a failed launch. "It means at some point in the flight path there was some problem for the missile and it actually came apart," he said. North Korea has had several failed ICBM tests this year, according to South Korean and U.S. officials. The United States condemned North Korea's ICBM launch, State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement. "This launch is a clear violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions," he said. It also demonstrates the threat from North Korea's unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programmes, Price added. EMERGENCY WARNINGS South Korea issued rare air raid warnings and launched its own missiles in response after Wednesday's barrage. On Thursday, the South's transportation ministry announced that air routes had reopened in the area where the missile had fallen, having been closed for around 24 hours. After the first launch on Thursday, residents of Miyagi, Yamagata and Niigata prefectures in Japan were warned to seek shelter indoors, according to the J-Alert Emergency Broadcasting System. "We detected a launch that showed the potential to fly over Japan and therefore triggered the J Alert, but after checking the flight we confirmed that it had not passed over Japan," Hamada told reporters. The first missile flew to an altitude of about 2,000 kilometres (1,242 miles) and a range of 750 km, he said. Such a flight pattern is called a "lofted trajectory", in which a missile is fired high into space to avoid flying over neighbouring countries. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the long-range missile was launched from near the North Korean capital, Pyongyang. About an hour after the first launch, South Korea's military and the Japanese coast guard reported a second and third launch from North Korea. South Korea said both of those were short-range missiles fired from Kaechon, north of Pyongyang. REGIONAL REACTION South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun-dong and US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman strongly condemned North Korea's series of missile launches as "deplorable and immoral" during a phone call on Thursday, Seoul's foreign ministry said. In brief comments to reporters a few minutes later, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said, "North Korea's repeated missile launches are an outrage and absolutely cannot be forgiven." Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Thursday at a regular news briefing avoided commenting directly on the missile launches or potential sanctions on North Korea, instead repeating the standard line from Beijing that it hoped all parties could peacefully resolve issues through dialogue. U.S. President Joe Biden and his national security team were "assessing the situation," National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement, which added the United States would take "all necessary measures" to ensure security. After North Korea's launches on Wednesday, including one missile that landed less than 60 km (40 miles) off South Korea's coast, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol described the flights as "territorial encroachment" and Washington denounced them as "reckless". On Oct. 4, North Korea launched a ballistic missile over Japan for the first time in five years, prompted a warning for residents there to take cover. It was the farthest North Korea had ever fired a missile. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) South Korea's military says has fired at least one ballistic missile toward its eastern sea, the latest in a series of weapons tests that have raised tensions in the region. Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff didn't immediately confirm what type of missile was fired Thursday or how far the weapon flew. The launch came a day after fired more than 20 missiles, the most it has fired in a single day ever. One of those missile flew in the direction of a populated South Korean island and landed near the rivals' tense sea border, triggering air raid sirens and forcing residents in Ulleung island to evacuate. quickly responded by launching its own missiles in the same border area. Wednesday's launches came hours after threatened to use nuclear weapons to get the US and to pay the most horrible price in history in protest of ongoing South Korean-US military drills that it views as a rehearsal for a potential invasion. (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.) said on Wednesday that will not allow anyone who has been kicked off the site to return until it sets up procedures on how to do that, a process that will take at least a few weeks. That would mean people banned from the site for violating Twitter's rules for harassment, violence, or election and COVID-related misinformation will not be able to return before next Tuesday's US midterm elections. The pledge came after Musk, who took control of the social-media site last week after buying it for USD 44 billion, said in a tweet that he had met with a handful of civil-society leaders about how will continue to combat hate and harassment and enforce its election integrity policies." Those attending the meeting on Tuesday asked Musk not to restore the banned users ahead of the midterms, said Jessica Gonzlez, an attorney and co-CEO of the advocacy group Free Press who attended the meeting. The attendees including leaders from the NAACP, Anti-Defamation League and Color of Change also requested have a transparent process on how it plans to restore accounts. Musk has publicly said that he would let former President back on the site, though Trump who routinely touts his own platform Truth Social has given no indication as to whether he will return. Gonzlez said the attendees also requested Twitter enforce election-integrity measures that are already in place, and encouraged him to hear from a diverse array of people particularly racial minorities and those who've been targeted by hate and harassment campaigns. He agreed to all of those things in our meeting, but actions speak louder than words, Gonzlez said. I've had a lot of meetings with tech CEOs. And I've been made a lot of empty promises. And with in particular, he's shown himself to be inconsistent, saying one thing that one day and another thing the next. So we fully intend to hold him accountable to these promises and more. The NAACP, for its part, said in a statement that it expressed to Musk its concerns about the dangerous, life-threatening hate and conspiracies that have proliferated on Twitter under his watch. The organisation cited a report about a spike in hate speech on Twitter in the hours following the Musk acquisition, saying a failure to take action will put human lives at risk and further unravel our democracy. It also said any account that perpetuates misinformation about elections should not be allowed on the platform. As long as hate, misinformation, and disinformation spread across Twitter, the bird cannot be free, the organization said. After taking over Twitter last week, Musk tweeted the bird is freed, a reference to the site's logo. In a separate letter to Musk on Tuesday, the NAACP, along with the National Urban League and the National Action Network, said they were alarmed by the rise of racial and religious hatred on Twitter and accused the billionaire of unwittingly unleashing the worst of human nature." Musk said last week he won't make major decisions about content or restoring banned accounts before setting up a content moderation council with diverse viewpoints. He reiterated that point on Wednesday, adding the council he's assembling will include the civil rights community and groups who face hate-fueled violence. No group representing the LGBTQ community was present during Tuesday's meeting and Twitter did not immediately reply to a request for comment on whether Musk plans to meet with one. The billionaire Tesla CEO has said in the past that he supports transgender people, but has criticised the use of different pronouns. In a tweet this summer referring to Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson, who was locked out of his account following a post about transgender actor Elliot Page that seemingly violated Twitter's rules, Musk said the platform was going way too far in squashing dissenting opinions. A spokesperson for the advocacy organisation GLAAD said the group remains in communication with Twitter and expects to continue to provide feedback and research about LGBTQ safety on the site, as it does with every other leading platform. Twitter and other platforms have long been awash with misinformation about voting and elections, as well as the COVID-19 vaccine. The platform is retaining its misinformation labels for the 2022 midterms and attempting to debunk tweets that contain misinformation with links to credible information. In one part of the meeting on Tuesday, Gonzlez said the group told Musk who posted and deleted an article over the weekend that contained misleading claims about the attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband that he needs to set the tone for what he expects on the platform. Some of the groups in the meeting were part of a coalition that sent an open letter to top Twitter advertisers on Tuesday, calling on them to commit to halting advertising on the site if Twitter under Musk undermines community standards and guts content moderation. In his own open letter to advertisers, the primary source of Twitter's revenue, Musk said last week that he would not let the site become a free-for-all hellscape in his quest to promote free speech. Meanwhile, David Cruz, the national director for The League of United Latin American Citizens, said Sindy Benavides, who seemingly represented the Hispanic civil rights organisation at the meeting, was not a member of the organisation. In an email, Cruz called Benavides a rogue, former respected leader who has decided to place herself above the organisation that trusted her". (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.) agreed Wednesday to rejoin a wartime agreement that allows Ukrainian grain and other commodities to be shipped to world markets. The UN's refugee chief, meanwhile, put the number of Ukrainians driven from their homes since the Russian invasion eight months ago at around 14 million. It is the fastest, largest displacement witnessed in decades, said Filippo Grandi, who heads the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. In announcing that would rejoin the grain pact, President said Moscow had received assurances that would not use the humanitarian corridors to attack Russian forces. He warned that reserves the right to withdraw again if Kyiv breaks its word. Putin praised Turkey's mediation efforts to get the deal back on track, as well as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's neutrality in the conflict as a whole and his efforts at ensuring the interest of the poorest countries. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he also thanked Erdogan on Wednesday, for his active participation in maintaining the grain agreement, and his unwavering support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of . Russia had suspended its participation in the grain deal over the weekend, citing an alleged drone attack against its Black Sea fleet in Crimea. Erdogan said shipments would resume Wednesday, prioritising those to African nations, including Somalia, Djibouti and Sudan. That's in line with Russia's concerns that much of the exported grain had ended up in richer nations, since Moscow and Kyiv made separate agreements with Turkey and the UN in July. UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said Monday that 23 per cent of the cargo exported from under the grain deal went to lower-or lower-middle-income countries, which also received 49 per cent of all wheat shipments. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres hailed Russia's announcement, and a spokesman said Guterres remains committed to removing the remaining obstacles to the exports of Russian food and fertiliser. Ukraine and Russia are major global exporters of wheat, barley, sunflower oil and other food to developing countries. A loss of those supplies before the grain deal had pushed up global food prices, led to soaring energy costs, and helped throw tens of millions into poverty. The July agreement brought down global food prices about 15 per cent from their peak in March, according to the UN After the announcement Wednesday that Russia would rejoin the deal, wheat futures prices erased increases seen Monday, dropping more than 6 per cent in Chicago. Meanwhile, in Kyiv, the local power-grid operator said electricity had been fully restored after a wave of Russian drone and artillery strikes had targeted energy infrastructure. About 300,000 households reportedly got their power back, but local authorities called for continued controlled blackouts to reduce strain on the system. Grandi, the UN refugee official, noted that Ukrainians are about to face one of the world's harshest winters in extremely difficult circumstances. He said those include the continuing destruction of civilian infrastructure, which is quickly making the humanitarian response look like a drop in the ocean of needs. Grandi said the 14 million Ukrainian refugees had increased the overall number of displaced people worldwide to more than 103 million. Power outages also were reported in the southern cities of Nikopol and Chervonohryhorivka after a large-scale drone attack," Dnipropetrovsk Governor Valentyn Reznichenko said. The two cities lie across the Dnieper River from the huge Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Russia and Ukraine have traded blame for months for shelling at and around the plant that the UN's nuclear watchdog warned could cause a radiation emergency. In a development easing some fears, Ukraine's state nuclear company Energoatom, said the plant has been reconnected to the country's power grid after shelling forced it to rely on generators to cool spent nuclear fuel. The plant is held by Russian forces, but Ukrainian staff continues to run it. Energoatom has called for the creation of a demilitarized zone around it. The company also said Russian soldiers have cordoned off the plant's spent nuclear-fuel storage facility and began unspecified construction there. They don't let anyone in, they don't report anything, the company said. Russian shelling continued in southern and eastern Ukraine, causing at least four civilian deaths between Tuesday and Wednesday, according to Zelenskyy's office. The epicenter of the fighting was around the city of Bakhmut, neighbouring Soledar and the wider Donetsk region, Ukraine's Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malya told Ukrainian TV. She said Ukrainian defenders around Bakhmut were facing a very difficult task. But the main thing is that Ukraine will not give up a single inch of land, she said. In southern Ukraine, Russian-installed authorities in the occupied Kherson region announced they were temporarily halting traffic across the wide Dnieper River, citing increased military danger as Kyiv's forces edged closer to the region's capital, the city of Kherson. The move would also prevent civilians from crossing back into Ukrainian-held territory. The Moscow-backed authorities have said they are relocating tens of thousands of civilians further into Russian-held territory in anticipation of the Ukrainian counterattack. (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.) HYDERABAD: Etala Rajendar, a two-time former minister in the TRS government who left the party in power and is currently a BJP MLA from Huzurabad, claimed on Wednesday that the TRS was plotting his murder under the direction of Pragati Bhavan. Rajendar stated at a news conference that the attack on him by TRS members and officials on Tuesday in Palivela village in the Munugode constituency was preplanned with an intention to kill him. "The Chief Minister has turned bitter and vengeful against me after I won the Huzurabad by-election. I was campaigning in Palivela, which is my wifes village. My wife and Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy's spouse K. Lakshmi were repeatedly stalked and insulted by intoxicated TRS workers. We're not going to put up with these assaults. The TRS had to keep in mind that I am a member of the national executive of the party in-charge of national policy, he said. Rajendar said the Chief Minister will be held accountable if something happens to him because the government issued gun licences to criminals in Huzurabad. Even during the peak of the statehood movement, we were confident we could return home safely travelling in a single vehicle with no convoy. Now, under the Chandrashekar Rao government, we are not sure if we can return home safely. Yesterday, had my security personnel and my staff not shielded me, my head would have cracked in the attack supervised by TRS MLC Palla Rajeshwar Reddy, Rajendar said. Referring to how TRS leaders and workers obstructed Union Minister G Kishan Reddys campaigning, Rajendar claimed Telangana had devolved into a lawless state where even a Union minister could not participate in electioneering. He sharply criticised Director General of Police M. Mahendar Reddy, saying that "the state's top police officer was not doing his job, and could not even protect his own DSP on duty at Munugode who was beaten up by Palla Rajeshwar Reddy." Wont put up "The Chief Minister has turned bitter and vengeful against me after I won the Huzurabad by-election. I was campaigning in Palivela, which is my wifes village. My wife and Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy's spouse K. Lakshmi were repeatedly stalked and insulted by intoxicated TRS workers. We're not going to put up with these assaults. Etala Rajendar, Huzurabad BJP MLA Not long after Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine, soldiers broke down the office door of Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fedorov. They put a bag over his head, bundled him into a car and drove him around the southern city for hours, threatening to kill him. Fedorov, 34, is one of over 50 local leaders who have been held in Russian captivity since the war began on Feb. 24 in an attempt to subdue cities and towns coming under Moscow's control. Like many others, he said he was pressured to collaborate with the invaders. The bullying and threats did not stop for a minute. They tried to force me to continue leading the city under the Russian flag, but I refused, Fedorov told The Associated Press by phone last month in Kyiv. They didn't beat me, but day and night, wild screams from the next cell would tell me what was waiting for me. As Russians seized parts of eastern and southern Ukraine, civilian administrators and others, including nuclear power plant workers, say they have been abducted, threatened or beaten to force their cooperation something that legal and human rights experts say may constitute a war crime. Ukrainian and Western historians say the tactic is used when invading forces are unable to subjugate the population. This year, as Russian forces sought to tighten their hold on Melitopol, hundreds of residents took to the streets to demand Fedorov's release. After six days in detention and an intervention from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, he was exchanged for nine Russian prisoners of war and expelled from the occupied city. A pro-Kremlin figure was installed. The Russians cannot govern the captured cities. They have neither the personnel nor the experience, Fedorov said. They want to force public officials to work for them because they realise that someone has to clean the streets and fix up the destroyed houses. The Association of Ukrainian Cities (AUC), a group of local leaders from across Ukraine, said that of the more than 50 abducted officials, including 34 mayors, at least 10 remain captive. Russian officials haven't commented on the allegations. Moscow-backed authorities in eastern Ukraine even launched a criminal investigation into Fedorov on charges of involvement in terrorist activities. Kidnapping the heads of villages, towns and cities, especially in wartime, endangers all residents of a community, because all critical management, provision of basic amenities and important decisions on which the fate of thousands of residents depends are entrusted to the community's head, said Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, head of the AUC. In the southern city of Kherson, one of the first seized by and a key target of an unfolding counteroffensive, Mayor Ihor Kolykhaiev tried to stand his ground. He said in April that he would refuse to cooperate with its new, Kremlin-backed overseer. Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the Russian-installed regional administration, repeatedly denounced Kolykhaiev as a "Nazi, echoing the false Kremlin narrative that its attack on Ukraine was an attempt to de-Nazify the country. Kolykhaiev continued to supervise Kherson's public utilities until his arrest on June 28. His whereabouts remain unknown. According to the U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, 407 forced disappearances and arbitrary arrests of civilians were recorded in areas seized by in the first six months of the war. Most were civil servants, local councilors, civil society activists and journalists. Yulia Gorbunova, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, said the abuse violates law and may constitute a war crime," adding that Russian forces' actions appeared to be aimed at obtaining information and instilling fear. The UN human rights office has warned repeatedly that arbitrary detentions and forced disappearances are among possible war crimes committed in Ukraine. Several mayors have been killed, shocking Ukrainian society. Following the discovery of mass burials in areas recaptured by Kyiv, Ukrainian and foreign investigators continue to uncover details of extrajudicial killings of mayors. The body of Olga Sukhenko, who headed the village of Motyzhyn, near Kyiv, was found in a mass grave next to those of her husband and son after Russian forces retreated. The village, with a prewar population of about 1,000, is a short drive from Bucha, which saw hundreds of civilians killed under Russian occupation. Residents said Sukhenko had refused to cooperate with the Russians. When her body was unearthed on the outskirts of Motyzhyn, her hands were found tied behind her back. Mayor Yurii Prylypko of nearby Hostomel was gunned down in March while handing out food and medicine. The prosecutor general's office later said his body was found rigged with explosives. Ukraine's government has tried to swap captive officials for Russian POWs, but officials complain that Moscow sometimes demands Kyiv release hundreds for each Ukrainian in a position of authority, prolonging negotiations. It's such a difficult job that any superfluous word can get in the way of our exchange, said Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine's human rights commissioner. We know the places where prisoners are kept, as well as the appalling conditions in which they are kept. There has been no news about the fate of Ivan Samoydyuk, the deputy mayor of Enerhodar, site of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Samoydyuk, abducted in March, has repeatedly been considered for a prisoner swap, but his name was struck off the list each time, Mayor Dmytro Orlov told the AP. The 58-year-old deputy mayor was seriously ill when seized, Orlov said, and we don't even know if he's alive. At best, Samoydyuk is sitting in a basement somewhere "and his life depends on the whim of people with guns, he added. More than 1,000 Enerhodar residents, including dozens of workers at Zaporizhzhia, Europe's largest nuclear plant, were detained by the Russians at one time or another. The vast majority of those who came out of the Russian cellars speak of brutal beatings and electric shocks, he said. Gorbunova, the HRW senior researcher, said torture "is prohibited under all circumstances under law, and, when connected to an armed conflict, constitutes a war crime and may also constitute a crime against humanity. Each week brings reports of abductions of officials, engineers, doctors and teachers who won't cooperate with the Russians. Viktor Marunyak, head of the village of Stara Zburivka in the southern Kherson region, is famous for appearing in Roman Bondarchuk's 2015 documentary Ukrainian Sheriffs, an Academy Award contender. The film explores the separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine that began in 2014. While the film didn't win an Oscar, it cemented Marunyak's salt-of-the-earth reputation. After Russian troops seized Stara Zburivka in spring, Marunyak held pro-Ukrainian rallies and hid some activists in his home. He was eventually taken prisoner. At first, they put (electrical) wires on my thumbs. Then it seemed not enough for them, and they put them on my big toes. And they poured water on my head so it would flow down my back, he told the AP. Honestly, I was so beaten up that I didn't have any impressions from the electric current. After 23 days, Marunyak was released to die, he said. Hospitalized for 10 days with pneumonia and nine broken ribs, he finally left for territory controlled by Kyiv. History professor Hubertus Jahn of Cambridge University said that from the time of Peter the Great onward, the tactic by imperialist of co-opting locals targeted elites and nobility, with resistance often bringing Siberian exile. During World War II, he said, German SS units operated in a similar way, by targeting local administrators in order to pressure residents into submission. Jahn called it an obvious strategy if you don't have the strength to subordinate a region outright. Historian Ivan Patryliuk of Kyiv's Taras Shevchenko National University said municipal authorities in Soviet Ukraine often fled before Nazi occupation forces arrived, which helped avoid mass executions of officials. The kind of torture and humiliation (of) city leaders that the Russians are now perpetrating ... is one of the darkest and most shameful pages of the current war, Patryliuk said. (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.) has shared intelligence with American officials that suggests could be preparing for an imminent attack on the kingdom, three US officials said on Tuesday. The heightened concerns about a potential attack on come as the Biden administration is criticising Tehran for its crackdown on widespread protests and condemning it for sending hundreds of drones as well as technical support to Russia for use in its war in Ukraine. We are concerned about the threat picture, and we remain in constant contact through military and intelligence channels with the Saudis, the National Security Council said in a statement. We will not hesitate to act in the defence of our interests and partners in the region. did not respond to requests for comment. Iran's mission to the United Nations told The Associated Press on Wednesday the US claims are baseless. Western and Zionist regimes spread biased news aimed at creating a negative mood towards the Islamic Republic of and destroying the current positive trends with regional countries, the mission said in a statement. One of the officials who confirmed the intelligence sharing described it as a credible threat of an attack soon or within 48 hours. No US embassy or consulate in the region has issued alerts or guidance to Americans in Saudi Arabia or elsewhere in the Middle East based on the intelligence. The officials were not authorised to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. Asked about reports of the intelligence shared by the Saudis, Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said US military officials are concerned about the threat situation in the region." "We're in regular contact with our Saudi partners, in terms of what information they may have to provide on that front, Ryder said. But what we've said before, and I'll repeat it, is that we will reserve the right to protect and defend ourselves no matter where our forces are serving, whether in Iraq or elsewhere. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said America was concerned about the threat picture, without elaborating. The Wall Street Journal first reported on the Saudis sharing the intelligence earlier on Tuesday. has alleged without providing evidence that Saudi Arabia and other rivals are fomenting the dissent on its streets by ordinary Iranians. Of particular ire is protest coverage by Iran International, a London-based, Farsi-language satellite news channel once majority-owned by a Saudi national. The US and Saudis blamed Iran in 2019 of being behind a major attack in eastern Saudi Arabia, which halved the oil-rich kingdom's production and caused energy prices to spike. The Iranians denied they were behind the attack, but the same triangle-shaped, bomb-carrying drones used in that attack are now being deployed by Russian forces in their war on Ukraine. The Saudis have also been hit repeatedly in recent years by drones, missiles and mortars launched by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. Saudi Arabia formed a coalition to battle the Houthis in 2015 and has been internationally criticised for its airstrikes in the war, which have killed scores of civilians. In recent weeks, the Biden administration has imposed sanctions on Iranian officials for the brutal crackdown on demonstrators after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in September after her arrest by Iran's morality police. The administration has also hit Iran with sanctions for supplying drones to Russia for use in its war in Ukraine. At least 288 people have been killed and 14,160 arrested during the protests, according to the group Human Rights Activists in Iran. Demonstrations have continued, even as the feared paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has warned young Iranians to stop. Iran already launched a series of attacks targeting Kurdish separatist positions in northern Iraq amid the protests, killing at least 16 people, including an American citizen. US relations with Saudi Arabia have also been strained after the Riyadh-led alliance of oil producing nations, OPEC+, announced in October that it would cut production by 2 million barrels per day starting in November. The White House has said it is reviewing its relationship with the Saudis over the move. The administration said the production cut is effectively helping another OPEC+ member, Russia, pad its coffers as it continues its war in Ukraine, now in its ninth month. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby on Tuesday reiterated that the administration remains concerned that Iran may also provide Russia with surface-to-surface missiles. We haven't seen that concern bear out, but it's a concern we have, Kirby said. Even as the US and raise concerns about possible Iranian action, the administration has not ruled out the possibility of reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which was brokered by the Obama administration and scrapped in 2018 by the Trump administration. The US special envoy to Iran, Robert Malley, said on Monday that the administration was not currently focused on the deal, which has been stalled since August. Still, Malley refused to declare the deal dead and said the administration makes no apology for trying to do everything we can to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. The deal had provided Tehran with billions of dollars in sanctions relief in exchange for the country agreeing to roll back its nuclear programme. It includes caps on enrichment and how much material Iran can stockpile and limits the operation of advanced centrifuges needed to enrich. (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.) on Thursday held a second round of crucial talks with its bilateral creditors, state minister of finance Shehan Semasinghe said as the crisis-hit island nation attempts to get assurances of debt restructuring from them to close a deal with the IMF. held talks with the Monetary Fund on October 16 on the release of a USD 2.9 billion rescue package by the Fund, the completion of which hinged on assurances from the country's creditors on debt restructuring. The first round was in Washington. We scheduled another meeting to ensure that all matters will be clarified, Semasinghe told a meeting of Inland Revenue officers here. All bilateral creditors would be participating to review the progress of the debt restructuring talks, in addition to the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, the IMF, and financial and legal advisers, the minister said. Financial assurances from our bilateral creditors would be important for us to obtain the approval of the IMF board of directors," he said. Details of the talks were not available. reached a staff-level agreement with the IMF in late August for a USD 2.9 billion rescue package over 4 years. Its completion depends on assurances from Sri Lanka's creditors on debt restructuring. Sri Lanka has large debt rollover volumes (Gross Financing Need) running up to 37 per cent of GDP in 2022, which the IMF wants to bring down, according to the EconomyNext news portal. The exact GFN target is not known, but other countries under restructure have levels around 15 per cent, and some less, it said. President Ranil Wickremesinghe who steers the talks with the IMF said this week he was hopeful of the realisation of the facility by January. The Sri Lankan government in May appointed legal and debt advisors for debt restructuring after the country declared its debt default for the first time in history. Sri Lanka is nearly bankrupt and has suspended repaying its USD 51 billion foreign debt, of which it must repay USD 28 billion by 2027. Sri Lanka, a country of 22 million people, plunged into financial and political turmoil earlier this year as it faced a shortage of foreign currencies. Due to this, the country has been unable to afford key imports, including fuel, fertiliser and medicine, leading to serpentine queues. (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.) Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that his war-torn country will soon get new military and humanitarian assistance from . At a joint press briefing after talks with visiting Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares, Kuleba said on Wednesday that soon will receive from a battery of the Aspide anti-aircraft missile system and missiles to it, reports Xinhua news agency. will also transfer to four Hawk air defence systems, anti-tank missile systems, guns and shells, as well as other military equipment as part of a new military aid package, Kuleba added. For his part, Albares said Spain is donating 30 ambulances to Ukraine, and will soon deliver five groups of electricity generators to power Ukraine's medical facilities. --IANS ksk/ (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.) The voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to condemn the American economic embargo of for the 30th year, with the Biden administration continuing former President Donald Trump's opposition and refusing to return to the Obama administration's 2016 abstention. The vote in the 193-member General Assembly was 185 countries supporting the condemnation, the United States and Israel opposing it, and Brazil and Ukraine abstaining. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said before the vote that since 2019, the US government has escalated the siege around our country, taking it to an even crueler and more humane dimension, with the purpose of deliberately inflicting the biggest possible damage on Cuban families. During the first 14 months of the Biden administration, the damage to the Cuban economy was estimated at USD 6.35 billion, equivalent to more than USD 15 million a day, Rodriguez said. Thursday's 185-2 vote was similar to previous years. The General Assembly's vote in November 2019 was 187-3, with the US, Israel and Brazil voting no and Colombia and Ukraine abstaining. The assembly's 75th session began in September 2020, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic the vote on the resolution was postponed until June 2021, when the vote was 184-2 as the US and Israel voted no and Brazil, Colombia and Ukraine abstained. General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding and are unenforceable, but they reflect world opinion and the vote has given an annual stage to demonstrate the isolation of the US in its decades-old efforts to isolate the Caribbean island nation. The embargo was imposed in 1960 following the revolution led by Fidel Castro and the nationalisation of properties belonging to US citizens and corporations. Two years later it was strengthened. Then Cuban President Raul Castro and President Barack Obama officially restored relations in July 2016, and that year the US abstained on the resolution calling for an end to the embargo for the first time. But Obama's successor, Donald Trump, sharply criticized Cuba's human rights record, and in 2017 the US again voted against the resolution. (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.) The United States announced Wednesday it will seek to oust from the UN's premier global body fighting for gender equality because of its violation of the rights of women and girls and its ongoing crackdown on demonstrators who took to the streets in September after the death of a 22-year-old woman taken into custody by the morality police. Vice-President made the announcement of the US intention to work with other countries to remove from the Commission on the Status of Women, saying no nation that abuses women's rights should play a role in any or body charged with protecting these very same rights. She said is unfit to serve on the commission and its presence discredits the integrity of its work. At an informal meeting of the UN Security Council later Wednesday on the protests in Iran, US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield added that Iran's membership is an ugly stain on the commission's credibility and in our view it cannot stand. Established in 1946, the Commission on the Status of Women plays a leading role in promoting women's rights, documenting the reality of women's lives around the world and shaping global standards to empower women and achieve gender equality. Its 45 members, from all regions of the world, are elected for four-year terms by the UN Economic and Social Council. Iran was elected from the Asian region and its term ends in 2026. Thomas-Greenfield said that while Iran's systematic oppression of women is not new, thanks to the bravery of the Iranian people, the regime's abuses have been brought to the fore. The nationwide protests first erupted over the September 16 death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of the country's morality police. She was detained for allegedly violating Iran's strict dress code for women, accused of wearing her headscarf improperly. Although the protests first focused on Iran's mandatory headscarf, or hijab, they have since transformed into a campaign for women's rights and one of the greatest challenges to the ruling clerics since the chaotic years following the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Before the Security Council meeting, Iran's UN Ambassador Amir Saied Iravani read a statement accusing the United States of a disinformation campaign in a blatant hypocrisy, and of interfering in the country's internal affairs in violation of the UN Charter. He claimed that Iran has always been and continues to be committed to the promotion and protection of human rights. He added that Every government is responsible to protect its people against insecurity and violent and terrorist acts, and upholding law and order, and Iran is no exception. He refused to answer any questions. At the informal council meeting, Prof Javaid Rehman, the UN special investigator on human rights in Iran, called the situation since September 16 an unfortunate reflection of the impunity and absence of accountability for rights violations in the country. Women and girls in Iran have for decades been brutalised, he said. Rehman called for the prompt establishment of an independent investigative mechanism to investigate all human rights violations leading up to and since the death of Mahsa Amini. Thomas-Greenfield said the United States strongly supports his call for an independent, investigation to hold Iranian officials accountable for the violence we're seeing. (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.) ESAF will complete refiling the draft prospectus for its initial public offering (IPO) by December after being unable to complete the process to an earlier timeline, said Kadambelil Paul Thomas, the firms MD and CEO. Thomas said the bank would now opt for a smaller IPO than the earlier planned offering of Rs 998 crore. Exact amount has not been decided but the general view is that we will go for a smaller size. Current CRAR is 20 per cent. We require capital. It will take 2 months to get Sebis approval, he said on the sidelines of a banking event in Mumbai, referring to the market regulator. We could not complete the earlier timeline. We are in the process of re-filing draft prospectus. We got the approval last year but we could not complete. (It will be done) In a months time, so by December, Thomas said. The IPO will likely happen in the next financial year. In October 2021, the Kerala-based received Sebis approval to go ahead with its IPO. The company had filed its draft papers in July 2021. Thomas said that the was unable to go through with the earlier timeline because of volatile market conditions, with the Ukraine war contributing to the turbulence. The earlier plan of a Rs 998 crore public issue had comprised a fresh issue of equity shares worth Rs 800 crore and an offer for sale of Rs 197.78 crore by existing selling shareholders. have wiped about $7 billion off Saudi National Banks market value amid growing concern over the lenders plans to purchase a stake in Group AG. The Saudi lender, which is 37% owned by the kingdoms sovereign wealth fund, is set to become one of the Swiss banks biggest after announcing its first major international acquisition a week ago. Its poised to own a stake of 9.9% if it participates in Credit Suisses rights offering, after agreeing to buy shares for about 1.17 billion Swiss francs ($1.16 billion). plans to raise 4 billion francs through a rights offering and selling shares to including SNB. The overhaul is an urgent attempt to restore credibility at the bank after a succession of big losses and management chaos shattered its status as one of Europes most prestigious lenders. Realization of any synergies from this transaction to be easier said than done, Citigroup Inc. analyst Rahul Bajaj wrote in a note last week, downgrading SNB to neutral. We do not expect investors to bake in any major upside for SNB in the near-term from this transaction. As SNBs international exposure grows, Bajaj said investors might question its valuation premium to peers, which has so far been justified due to its exposure to Saudi government initiatives to diversify the economy. The lender trades at 11.8 times forward earnings, higher than the EM Banks Indexs price-to-earnings ratio of 7.3. Separately, the Financial Times reported that Qatar Investment Authority plans to increase its stake in Credit Suisse, citing unidentified people with knowledge of the talks. It will join Saudi National Bank in Credit Suisses planned share placement, and the deal could result in up to a quarter of stock being owned by Middle Eastern investors, the FT said. Shares in SNB rose 1.2% by 12:48 p.m. in Riyadh on Thursday. For Edmond Christou, an analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, the Credit Suisse stake purchase isnt just about the returns. A tie-up may allow SNB to develop its product capabilities in areas such as private and investment banking, he wrote in a note on Thursday. Saudi National Bank likes Credit Suisses new leadership and their resolve to execute on its turnaround plan, though any additional equity for the moment is out of the question, Chairman Ammar Al Khudairy said in an interview with Bloomberg TV earlier this week. The Sensex and Nifty indices are heading for a weak start on Thursday after the US Fed delivered a 75 bps rate hike overnight and maintained its hawkish tone. in the US fell up to 3 per cent on Wednesday. Asian indices were also in red this morning led by losses in Hang Senf, which slipped over 2 per cent. At 07:30 am, the SGX Nifty futures quoted at 18,010, indicating an opening loss of over 100 points on the Nifty index. That said, here are some out in trade today: Q2 earnings watch: HDFC, Hero MotoCorp, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation, Vodafone Idea, Adani Enterprises, Ajanta Pharma, Amara Raja Batteries, Adani Total Gas, Adani Wilmar, Devyani International, SRF, and Welspun Corp will release their today. Adani Transmission: The board granted in-principle approval for issuance of non-convertible debentures worth up to Rs 1,500 crore. The company on Wednesday reported a 32 per cent dip in its consolidated net profit at Rs 194 crore in September quarter compared to year ago, mainly due to adverse forex movement adjustment. Read here Dalmia Bharat: Cement maker Ltd on Wednesday reported a 76.84 per cent decline in consolidated net profit at Rs 47 crore for the quarter ended September. Its revenue from operations increased 15.11 per cent to Rs 2,971 crore in the quarter. Read more JK Paper: The company has reported more than two-fold increase in consolidated net profit at Rs 326.93 crore in the second quarter of FY23, helped by higher sales volume and enhanced sales realisation. Read here JSW Steel: Sajjan Jindal-led is eyeing a capacity of 50 million tonne (mt) by 2030 mirroring the countrys growth. It will be adding about 10 mt capacity by FY25. To further its growth plans, JSW may also look at acquisitions. Read more Wipro: The company has launched a new financial services consulting capability in India named Capco. Piramal Enterprises: The companys board will meet on Nov 7 to consider issuance of NCDs. JK Cement: Subsidiary Jaykaycem (Central) has successfully commenced cement grinding capacity of 2 million tonne per annum at its newly set up cement manufacturing facilities at Panna, Madhya Pradesh. MTAR Technologies: The defence company posted a 30 per cent year-on-year increase in consolidated profit at Rs 24.7 crore in Q2FY23. Revenue was 38.2 per cent up to Rs 126.2 crore vs a year-ago. Nelcast: The company has reported a 262 per cent year-on-year increase in consolidated profit at Rs 12.15 crore for Q2FY23 while its revenue rose 37.4 YoY to Rs 328.52 crore. SIS: The company has reported a 1.4 per cent year-on-year decline in consolidated profit at Rs 67.4 crore for Q2FY23. Revenue for the quarter rose 14 percent YoY to Rs 2,768 crore. Jindal Stainless: The company has reported a 63 per cent YoY decline in consolidated profit at Rs 151.84 crore for Q2FY23. Revenue grew 11.5 percent YoY to Rs 5,604 crore for the quarter. Rail Vikas Nigam: Life Insurance Corporation of India has offloaded a 2.02 per cent equity stake in the company via open market transactions. With this, LIC's shareholding in the company has been reduced to 6.7 per cent from 8.72 per cent earlier. Triveni Turbine: Board approved buyback of shares via a tender offer. The company will spend up to Rs 190 cr on the share buyback at Rs 350 a share. Manali Petrochemicals: The company has approved an additional investment up to $35 million in its wholly owned subsidiary AMCHEM Speciality Chemicals Private Limited, Singapore for potential overseas acquisitions. Spandana Sphoorty Financial: Its board has approved the issuance of NCDs of up to Rs 50 crore on a private placement basis. The project will offer a booking value potential of approximately Rs 500 crore. The Mumbai-based real estate developer Godrej Properties said that it has entered into an agreement for outright purchase of a land parcel in the fast-developing micro market of Manor, Palghar. The proposed project, which is spread across approximately 50 acres, is estimated to have a developable potential of approximately 1.2 million square feet of saleable area comprising primarily of residential plotted development. Manor, Palghar, Boisar, and Wada due to their popularity as famous weekend destinations of historic and religious significance have become popular investment micro-markets. Manor is a self-sufficient town with good infrastructure consisting of numerous schools, colleges, hospitals, and marketplaces. The subject land parcel is in proximity to the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway which connects major cities of Maharashtra and Gujarat. The proposed Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train will also have its station close to Manor in Boisar. On the basis of the current business assumptions, the company expects that the project to offer a booking value potential of approximately Rs 500 crore. Mohit Malhotra, MD & CEO, Godrej Properties, said, "Manor is a promising micro-market for plotted development and we are happy to add this project to our portfolio. Post-Covid demand for premium second homes has seen an uptick. This project will address that consumer segment and complements our strategy of deepening GPL's presence across residential micro markets. Godrej Properties is the real estate arm of the Godrej Group. It is subsidiary of Godrej Industries, which holds 47.34% of the company's equity shares as on 30 September 2022. The company currently operates in various cities and focuses on residential, commercial, and township development. On a consolidated basis, the company's net profit surged to Rs 45.55 crore in Q1 June 2022 as against Rs 17.03 crore in Q1 June 2021. Net sales zoomed to Rs 244.67 crore in Q1 FY23 from Rs 86.16 crore in Q1 FY22. The scrip fell 2.05% to end at Rs 1241.10 on the BSE yesterday. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) TRS working president K.T. Rama Rao called on party leaders and workers who were injured in Palivela and are undergoing treatment at a private hospital in LB Nagar. (Twitter/@trspartyonline) HYDERABAD: The TRS strongly condemned allegations of BJP legislator Etala Rajendar that Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao was plotting his murder. Speaking to the media here on Wednesday, energy minister G. Jagadish Reddy, and senior leaders B. Lingaiah Yadav, Banda Prakash and Dasoju Sravan said that Etala was resorting to these 'cheap publicity tricks' to help BJP gain political mileage in Munugode ahead of Thursdays polling. Reddy said Etala's allegations were aimed at gaining 'sympathy' of voters after realising that BJP is heading for a shocking defeat even after spending hundreds of crores. He said that it was actually frustrated BJP leaders who were resorting to physical attacks on TRS workers in Munugode. "BJP deployed anti-social elements from Hyderabad to create violence in the poll-bound constituency and attack TRS leaders and workers. They attacked us in Palivela village on Tuesday on coming to know that TRS would get a big majority in the village," he alleged. Meanwhile, TRS working president K.T. Rama Rao called on party leaders and workers who were injured in Palivela and are undergoing treatment at a private hospital in LB Nagar. Later speaking to the media, Rao said BJP was resorting to violence frustrated at an imminent defeat in Mungode. "Amit Shah and J.P. Nadda cancelled their public meetings because of the same reason. BJP men are resorting to attacks like they did during West Bengal Assembly elections," Rao stated. He warned BJP that if TRS leaders and workers run out of patience they would be forced to retaliate tit for tat. Manali Petrochemical (MPL) dropped 10.32% to Rs 83.90 after the company's consolidated net profit tumbled to Rs 90 crore in Q2 FY23 from Rs 117.28 crore in Q2 FY22. Revenues during the quarter decreased 34.5% year on year to Rs 268.08 crore. Profit before tax in Q2 FY23 stood at Rs 16.69 crore, steeply lower than Rs 157.53 crore posted in Q1 FY22. EBITDA slipped 85.38% to Rs 23.96 crore in the second quarter as against Rs 163.83 crore in the same period previous year. Ashwin Muthiah, chairman at MPL and founder chairman of AM International, Singapore said: In spite of the current macro-uncertainty, our robust business model will help us navigate the challenges successfully. Further, the recent clearance from the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, Government of India, for the PG expansion project is a significant, much-awaited development. Together, these factors will enable us to create continued value for our entire stakeholder value chain. Ravi, MD of MPL and CEO, Petrochemicals division of AM International Group said that the downtrend in economy impelled by global events continued to affect the performance, which is being experienced since the last quarter of the previous year. Though sales volume could be maintained, product prices had been falling on the one hand and the input costs going up on the other, wearing down the margins. All possible steps are being taken to improve the performance, he added. Meanwhile, the board of directors approved proposal for investment in AMCHEM Speciality Chemicals, Singapore, a wholly owned subsidiary of the company, upto $35 million in one or more tranches, for funding its overseas acquisition plans. Further, the company's board has appointed R Chandrasekar as the wholetime director & CFO, for a period of three years effective from 3 November 2022, subject to approval of the members. He has nearly 35 years of experience in finance, accounts, audit, taxation, legal & secretarial functions in diverse segments such as engineering consultancy, EPC & construction, manufacturing, mining, etc. Manali Petrochemicals is a petrochemical manufacturer based in Chennai, India. It markets propylene glycol and polyols. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) SRF's consolidated net profit climbed 25.77% to Rs 480.99 crore on 29.72% surge in net sales to Rs 3,651.03 crore in Q2 FY23 over Q2 FY22. The chemicals business reported an increase of 62% in its segment revenue from Rs 1,126 crore to Rs 1,830 crore during Q2 FY23 over CPLY. The company said that during the quarter, both fluorochemicals and specialty chemicals businesses performed exceedingly well on account of higher sales volumes, especially driven by international revenues and better realizations. Demand for existing and new, niche products aided overall sales. Price of some key raw materials remained elevated during the quarter, impacting overall profitability. The packaging films business segment reported 24% YoY increase in revenue to Rs 1,331 crore during Q2 FY23 when compared with CPLY. The company said that margins of biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate (BOPET) films were under pressure owing to excessive supply. High energy costs due to the prevailing geopolitical scenario significantly impacted operations in Hungary. However, this trend was partially offset with a sustained demand of BOPP films. BOPET film margins are expected to remain muted in the near-term. The technical textiles business reported a decline of 16% in its segment revenue to Rs 466 crore during Q2 FY23 from Rs 558 crore reported in Q2 FY22. The company said that subdued demand for nylon tyre cord fabrics negatively impacted the business. However, belting fabrics and polyester industrial yarn segments witnessed healthy growth during the quarter. The other businesses reported an increase of 16% in its segment revenue to Rs 100 crore in Q2 FY23 when compared with CPLY. The company said that both the coated and laminated fabrics business performed reasonably well in a difficult external environment. Earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) increased 21% to Rs 689 crore in Q2 FY23 when compared with corresponding period last year (CPLY). The company's profit before tax increased by 16.09% to Rs 618.08 crore in Q2 FY23 from Rs 532.42 crore recorded in same period a year ago. The company's board has approved capex aggregating Rs 604 crore for four new plants in the agrochemical space and capacity enhancement of an existing plant at Dahej, India. These projects are a part of the company's overall expansion strategy in the specialty chemicals business and are likely to be completed in the next ten-to-twelve months. In addition, the board has approved a project to develop a Kilo Lab at Bhiwadi to address the needs of the Pharma market at a projected cost of Rs 9.8 crore. As of 30 September 2022, the company has applied for a total of three hundred and seventy-eight patents. Till date, the company has been granted one hundred and twenty-seven patents globally. Ashish Bharat Ram, chairman and managing director, said: "Our chemicals business has performed exceedingly well once again. The packaging films business is witnessing historically low margins in the polyester film segment and the technical textiles business is suffering from weak demand for tyre cord. Despite a challenging global scenario, we remain cautiously optimistic about the near-term outlook for our chemicals business." SRF is a chemical based multi-business entity engaged in the manufacturing of industrial and specialty intermediates. The company's diversified business portfolio covers fluorochemicals, specialty chemicals, packaging films, technical textiles, coated and laminated fabrics. Shares of SRF rose 0.44% to end at 2,560.25 on the BSE Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Utilties stocks were trading in the negative zone, with the S&P BSE Utilities index falling 58.22 points or 1.44% at 3989.39 at 13:45 IST. Among the components of the S&P BSE Utilities index, Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (down 2.21%), Adani Power Ltd (down 1.92%),NTPC Ltd (down 1.63%),KPI Green Energy Ltd (down 1.54%),Adani Transmission Ltd (down 1.49%), were the top losers. Among the other losers were JSW Energy Ltd (down 1.33%), Adani Green Energy Ltd (down 1.31%), CESC Ltd (down 1.3%), Gujarat Industries Power Co Ltd (down 1.18%), and PTC India Ltd (down 1.11%). On the other hand, Orient Green Power Company Ltd (up 5.93%), NLC India Ltd (up 2.36%), and Nava Ltd (up 1%) moved up. At 13:45 IST, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 93.29 or 0.15% at 60812.8. The Nifty 50 index was down 32.65 points or 0.18% at 18050.2. The S&P BSE Small-Cap index was up 9 points or 0.03% at 28965.28. The S&P BSE 150 Midcap Index index was up 12.72 points or 0.14% at 9067.83. On BSE,1678 shares were trading in green, 1717 were trading in red and 133 were unchanged. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Vedanta Ltd is quoting at Rs 302.35, up 1.72% on the day as on 12:49 IST on the NSE. The stock is down 3.16% in last one year as compared to a 0.59% jump in NIFTY and a 6.4% jump in the Nifty Media index. Vedanta Ltd is up for a third straight session today. The stock is quoting at Rs 302.35, up 1.72% on the day as on 12:49 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is down around 0.33% on the day, quoting at 18022.55. The Sensex is at 60721.32, down 0.3%. Vedanta Ltd has gained around 8.31% in last one month. Meanwhile, Nifty Media index of which Vedanta Ltd is a constituent, has gained around 5.08% in last one month and is currently quoting at 6075.7, down 0.22% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 129.55 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 102.31 lakh shares in last one month. The benchmark November futures contract for the stock is quoting at Rs 302.75, up 1.19% on the day. Vedanta Ltd is down 3.16% in last one year as compared to a 0.59% jump in NIFTY and a 6.4% jump in the Nifty Media index. The PE of the stock is 6.12 based on TTM earnings ending September 22. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Wipro: The company announced the launch of a new financial services advisory capability in India. Capco, a Wipro company, will supplement Wipro's presence in the Indian financial services sector through its business in Mumbai to jointly offer end-to-end transformation services for this sector. Piramal Enterprises: Piramal Enterprises said that the board of directors of the company will be held on 7 November 2022, to consider and approve the issuance of non-convertible debentures, on a private placement basis. Godrej Properties: The Mumbai-based real estate developer said that it has entered into an agreement for outright purchase of a land parcel in the fast-developing micro market of Manor, Palghar. Procter & Gamble Hygiene and Health Care: The company reported 29% fall in net profit to Rs 154 crore on 1% fall in sales to Rs 1045 crore in Q2 FY23 over Q2 FY22. JK Cement: JK Cement said Jaykaycem (Central), the wholly owned subsidiary of the company has successfully commenced cement grinding capacity of 2 million tonne per annum on 2 November 2022 at its newly set up cement manufacturing facilities situated at Panna, Madhya Pradesh. The clinkerisation is at advanced stage and would to be commissioned shortly. Triveni Turbine: The board of directors of the company approved the proposal for buyback of equity shares of the company through tender offer route at Rs 350 per share for an aggregate amount not exceeding Rs 190 crore. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At a time when the government is keen to establish Indias status in the international community, the 11th volume of the Report of the Official Language Committee, headed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, appears to represent a big step back. Though the details of the parliamentary committee report are not in the public domain, information about some key recommendations suggests that Hindi is to be made the medium of instruction in (IITs), Indian Institutes of Management (IIM), and central universities. The report has also suggested that the language of communication in the administration in northern states should be Hindi and bureaucrats will be evaluated on their use of the language in the annual appraisals. Not surprisingly, this has sparked protests from the southern states, particularly Kerala and Tamil Nadu, where the anti-Hindi movement has deep roots, though it has been clarified that the recommendation would exclude those states broadly outside the Hindi belt. and have topped the chart in terms of the Employee Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) coverage, with 61.5 per cent and 51.4 per cent of their working population, respectively, under the social security ambit of the organisation, according to the vision document of released on November 1. Haryana is at the third spot with 35.3 per cent of its working population under EPFO, followed by Karnataka (29.6 per cent) and Uttarakhand (26.7 per cent). The coverage is the lowest in Tripura, Assam, and Meghalaya. coverage of the working population for 15 of 26 states and Union Territories, for which data is available, is below the national average of 13.5 per cent. In terms of absolute number of working age population covered by EPFO, Maharashtra leads the chart with 11.9 million EPFO subscribers, followed by Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Amid the row over the MLA poaching case, Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao on Thursday alleged that the (BJP) is making attempt to topple state governments in Telangana, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan. Addressing a press conference, said, "I urge Prime Minister Modi, I am your political colleague. I have been working with you for eight years now. I am also holding a constitutional position. I suggested you earlier too. Stop this scandal. Such a blow is not right. It will malign your position in the country." The TRS chief released a series of videos backing his claim that is poaching his party MLAs. "This kind of open purchasing of MLAs, dethroning government...They are openly saying in videos that they have dethroned eight governments and are in process of dethroning four governments - Telangana, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan. It is not an easy task, and needs to be looked into with great concern," said the Chief Minister. He said government agencies investigated the matter and the prosecution submitted the report to High Court on Thursday. "I am sending submission also to Chief Justice of India, Supreme Court judges, Chief Justices of all High Courts, Central Bureau of Investigation, Enforcement Directorate, Central Vigilance Commission, prominent media companies, chief ministers of States and political party chiefs," added . The MLAs poaching case in Telangana took a new turn after it emerged on Sunday that the government had withdrawn the general consent earlier given to the Central Bureau of Investigation. The state government issued GO on August 30, 2022, which came to light today. This was informed by the Additional Advocate General (AAG) to the Telangana High Court during arguments on a petition filed by the seeking a CBI or SIT investigation into the TRS MLAs poaching case for a fair probe. The notification dated August 30, 2022, was released by the state government today which stated that prior consent will be required on a case-to-case basis for probe in any case. This comes after the moved Telangana High Court seeking the transfer of the TRS MLAs poaching case to the CBI. The Cyberabad Police had arrested the three persons Ramachandra Bharati alias Satish Sharma, Nandu Kumar and Simhayaji at a farmhouse in Ranga Reddy on Wednesday evening, after being informed by the TRS MLAs about the poaching bid, which the leaders alleged was done by the . The Telangana High Court, hearing the plea by Cyberabad Police seeking the arrest and remand of the three accused, on Saturday ordered the three accused in the MLA poaching case to surrender before the Cyberabad police commissioner for further investigation. (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.) Voting for the will be held in two phases on December 1 and 5, respectively, and the results will be announced on December 8, along with those of Himachal Pradesh, the (EC) said on Thursday. Voting for 89 of the 182 Assembly seats will be held on December 1 and the rest on December 5, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said. The EC rejected charges made by the Congress that it had delayed announcing the dates to give the BJP an advantage. Kumar said the election dates were well within schedule. The Election Commissions impartiality is a proud legacy. We are 100 per cent impartial, he said. However, he did say that the Morbi bridge collapse was one reason the announcement was delayed. The Congress and other Opposition parties accused the election body of not announcing the dates along with Himachal Pradesh last month to give Prime Minister time to finish his campaign in before the model code of conduct comes into force. Kumar said: Some try to create a negative atmosphere... Actions and outcomes speak louder than words. At times, those parties critical of the commission have got surprise results in elections. There is no third umpire in this case but the results are testimony. The model code of conduct has kicked in and will be in place for 38 days. On allegations of a delay, Kumar said: The tenure of the Gujarat Assembly is till February 18, so there is still time. There is a 72-day gap between the counting day and the day the Gujarat Assemblys term gets over. Kumar added that several factors were considered while deciding the polls weather, the date of the last term of the Assembly, the tradition of Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh results being announced together, among others. With the dates announced, all the political parties are readying their candidate lists. Manoj Sorathiya, general secretary of the Aam Aadmi Partys (AAPs) state unit, said: Tomorrow (Friday), will announce the CM candidate for the upcoming through public opinion. Twenty-two candidates for the elections will also be announced on Friday. More than 80 names have already been made public. The BJP state unit went into a huddle with Union Home Minister and Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel holding meetings with other party leaders. It is expected to announce around 40 names on Friday. The Congress will meet on Friday to finalise its list. In Gujarat, the BJP is looking for a sixth consecutive win, with the looking to play spoilsport in what is traditionally a Congress-BJP fight. In 2017, the BJP won 99 seats and Congress 77, but after a series of defections, the BJPs tally went up to 111. Bengal Chief Minister on Wednesday slammed the Centre for the possible implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, claiming that the was raking the issue ahead of the Gujarat assembly election. Hours later, Union Minister of State for Home Nisith Pramanik asserted that the CAA will be gradually implemented across the country. The Centre had on Monday decided to grant Indian citizenship to minorities mostly from Pakistan, who have migrated to India, and are currently living in two districts of Gujarat, under the Citizenship Act, 1955, and not the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 (CAA). "Stop all these . They (BJP) are doing it because there are elections in Gujarat. We will not let them implement it. To us, all are citizens (of India). We are against this," Banerjee told reporters at the Kolkata airport before leaving for Chennai. She has travelled to the southern Indian city to attend a family gathering of Bengal Governor La Ganesan. "I would say that elections are not that important, are not that important, people's lives are more important," she added. Union minister Pramanik, after landing at Bagdogra airport in the northern part of Bengal, told reporters that the legislation will be implemented across the country. The CAA is for the deprived and oppressed Hindus and others. It will be implemented not only in Gujarat but also gradually all over India, he said. Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari of the on Tuesday claimed that the process of CAA implementation has started in the country and the state will not be left out of it. MLA Ashim Sarkar, however, on Tuesday sang a different tune wondering what was the need for in 2019 if citizenship was granted under the 1955 Act. The Narendra Modi government wants to grant Indian nationality to persecuted non-Muslim migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians who had come to India till December 31, 2014. The CAA was passed by the Parliament in 2019 but the law is yet to be implemented as rules under it have not been framed. The promise of implementing the controversial CAA had been a major poll plank of the BJP in the last Lok Sabha and Assembly polls. The saffron party's leaders consider it a plausible factor that led to the rise of the BJP in West Bengal. The panchayat election is due in the state in 2023. (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.) The top cop said that security at all 298 polling stations will be tight, with seven deputy superintendents of police and two assistant superintendents of police roped in to supervise the poll. (DC FIle Image) HYDERABAD: From the installation of three-tier security for strongrooms, a first, and deploying over 4,000 personnel to setting up special teams for 105 sensitive polling stations and introducing strike forces, the police are well-prepared for the Munugode by-poll on Thursday, Nalgonda superintendent of police (SP) Rema Rajeswari said. The top cop said that security at all 298 polling stations will be tight, with seven deputy superintendents of police and two assistant superintendents of police roped in to supervise the poll. The 4,435-strong police force, including paramilitary staff, will work under senior officials and DSPrank officials will be deployed in each mandal, Rajeswari said. For the sensitive polling booths, Rajeswari said that additional teams, comprising a circle inspector, a sub-inspector and six to eight constables, including women staff, will be deployed. The teams also have a list of persons with criminal records to keep an eye on them, she said. Tech giant has announced an ambitious new project to build a single AI language model that supports the world's 1,000 most spoken . According to The Verge, as a first step toward this goal, the company is unveiling an AI model trained on over 400 languages, which it calls "the largest language coverage seen in a speech model today." "The company believes that creating a model of this size will make it easier to bring various AI functionalities to that are poorly represented in online spaces and AI training datasets (also known as "low-resource languages)," Zoubin Ghahramani, vice president of research at AI was quoted as saying. "By having a single model that is exposed to and trained on many different languages, we get much better performance on our low-resource languages," he added. These language models have already been integrated into Search, despite criticism about their functionality. Models of language have some flaws, such as re-enacting harmful societal biases such as racism and xenophobia and failing to comprehend human-oriented language. The company has fired its own researchers for publishing papers highlighting these issues, according to a report. Moreover, the company shared new research on text-to-video models, a prototype AI writing assistant called Wordcraft, and an update to its AI Test Kitchen app that allows users access to under-development AI models like Imagen, which converts text into images, it added. --IANS shs/svn/ (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.) Q: What is the role of Switch Mobility in Ashok Leyland's journey towards electric vehicles? Ans: *Switch is positioned as a global company *Our vision is democratising zero-carbon mobility *We will operate both in passenger and goods segments *Lot of synergies and support as a subsidiary of Ashok Leyland *We have leveraged Ashok Leyland assets significantly in past 2 years) Q: How many buses have you supplied in the Indian market so far and what growth potential do you see? Ans: *We had about 100 buses at the start of the year *We have around 100 buses running in the UK as well *We have around 600-plus orders this year *Moving from delivering 60 buses last year to 600 now) Q: How are you looking at the upcoming tenders by the government? Ans: *Govt, CESL tenders are futuristic *Lot of investment, action on sustainable mobility *Next tender is for 5,400 buses *India ahead of many developed countries in electric buses Q: How is the global expansion strategy of Switch going ahead, especially with the current crisis that the international market is going through? Ans: *India a bright spot amid global turmoil *Facing policy flip-flops in UK, energy crisis in Europe *Will take specific actions tailored to countries, regions *International markets will stabilise in long run Q: You were in talks with financial investors for raising funds. What is the status of that? Ans: *No issue in raising funds from the group or getting strategic partner *All partners will be in place by FY23-end if all goes well *Working on $250-300-mn deal between Switch and Ohm) Since the 1996 Peace Accords, no Guatemalan party has won consecutive presidencies. Its just what President Alejandro Giammattei, secretary general of Vamos, hopes to accomplish in the elections set for June even though he wont be on the ballot. Despite having an approval rating of under 20 percent, rivaled in the hemisphere only by Perus Pedro Castillo, the president has made a special effort to repeatedly appear at public events with congressman Manuel Conde, widely viewed as the anointed candidate. Conde, 65, who came in eleventh place in the 2007 presidential elections with the PAN party, aligned with Vamos in 2020 and has supported legislation appealing to the military and to conservative Christians, like the bill proposed in September 2021 against gender identity disorders. To bolster Condes candidacy, in recent months Giammattei, the man behind prison-or-exile lawfare against independent prosecutors who investigated his 2019 campaign on allegations of illicit finance, has unveiled a string of public works projects like a public hospital in Izabal and has increased 2023 funding to mayors offices. Vamos is also expanding its ranks by absorbing ex-members of UCN, a party tarnished by drug trafficking ties that was annulled in January. Construction firms tied to this party have received 312 million quetzales ($40 million) in contracts from the current administration. Giammattei is campaigning and the TSE lacks the courage to apply the law, Jorge Mario Valenzuela, TSE president from 2016 to 2017, told radio station ConCriterio, citing the use of partisan color palettes at government events and infrastructure projects. Campaigning is prohibited before election season in January, but that hasnt stopped Vamos from holding rallies like one in July, when Giammatteis closest confidant, Miguel Martinez, poised to run for Congress, sang the Tigres del Norte anthem, Jefe de Jefes. Rios Montts long shadow Giammatteis main adversary comes from the same right wing. Polling in the past three months suggests that the most popular politician in Guatemala is Zury Rios, a four-term legislator from 1996 to 2012 and daughter of General Efrain Rios Montt, the former dictator convicted in 2013 of genocide in the early 1980s against the Maya Ixil people. Rios stayed at her fathers side in court. In an interview with El Faro a month before the conviction, she justified military excesses by arguing that Guatemala would have become Managua, La Habana, or Venezuela, and denied the charges for image reasons: We would be unable for generations to shake the stigma of being considered a genocidal country. While Rios party, Valor, has voted with Giammattei in Congress, her tone is changing as the electoral season approaches. The crisis of the pandemic revealed the problems of our public health and education systems, and of course corruption has robbed the public of schools, housing, and medicine, she said in a video posted to Twitter on Sep. 11. In a previous post in July, she nodded to Salvadoran President Nayib Bukeles state of exception, calling it a model of reference. Election authorities have said nothing of these apparent campaign ads. In 2015 and 2019 the Supreme Electoral Tribunal expelled her from the race, citing a prohibition of the office for the offspring of coup presidents. This May, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights issued a settlement agreement between Rios and the Guatemalan state, arguing that the prohibition violated her rights, setting the stage for a legal showdown next year. Other Vamos-aligned politicians have begun to position themselves, like congresswoman and perennial presidential hopeful Sandra Torres, from UNE, which claims to be left-of-center and holds 33 of 160 seats in Congress, the most of any party. Torres, who had her 2019 bid dashed largely by lack of support in the capital, would face added hurdles given that UNE is split in two factions and is fighting cancellation for illicit campaign finance. Also purportedly in the mix is Roberto Arzu, the son of arch-conservative Alvaro Arzu, who was president from 1996 to 1999 and later mayor of Guatemala City for 14 years. Having the most dynastic family name in Guatemala wasnt enough to propel Roberto past fifth place in the 2019 presidential race. Big-tent opposition? The Supreme Electoral Tribunal hasnt said anything about Giammattei and Rios courting the public ahead of campaign season, but it did issue a warning in August to Maya Mam politician Thelma Cabrera, who came in fourth place in the 2019 presidential race with the left-wing Peoples Liberation Movement (MLP). In their notification, electoral authorities pointed to a hashtag on one of the cited posts. It read, #EstadoPlurinacionalGt a call for the creation of a plurinational state. Whom the Supreme Electoral Tribunal chooses to sanction, or even allow to run, is a major question facing the electoral season. Only after officials banned the candidacies of his two leading rivals, Rios and now-exiled former Attorney General Thelma Aldana, did Giammattei take the presidency in 2019. In a country dominated by parties close to religious conservatives and the military, its also unclear whether groups of other political stripes who have joined protests against Giammattei leftists, progressive university students, Indigenous authorities, anti-corruption activists can negotiate a big-tent opposition front and settle on a candidate who can survive to the August run-off. Theres a wide range of progressive parties and movements. They have to recognize that they failed before because they were divided, said former human rights ombudsman Jordan Rodas, who fled the country in August but says he plans to return for a presidential or congressional run in 2023, in a September 22 interview with El Faro. Three opposition parties Semilla, Winaq, and the former guerilla party URNG have agreed to propose joint mayoral candidates, but not yet for the presidential race. Its difficult for there to be an electoral alliance on the Left because the main group, the MLP, will not ally itself with anyone, asserted political analyst Gustavo Berganza to El Faro English. They are following their own project. Their candidate is already traveling the country and has name recognition, he added, in an allusion to Cabrera. In recent months the MLP rejected the offer from Semilla, Winaq, and the URNG for a municipal alliance, proclaiming itself radical and anti-system. In the last year, electoral alliances or the lack thereof have made or broken elections in Central America. Last November the Nicaraguan opposition factions failed to propose a single candidate against Ortega, partly over differences on religious matters and sexual and gender diversity. That same month in Honduras, it was an uncomfortable electoral alliance between Xiomara Castro and Salvador Nasralla, leader of a party he named after himself, Salvador de Honduras (Savior of Honduras), that delivered her the presidency. Now in Guatemala and El Salvador, opposition groups have begun mulling over united fronts against authoritarianism and corruption, despite the fact that they have never been more corralled and weakened than they are now. No one is questioning that Mitsubishi Motors Philippines (MMPC) has been relatively quiet when it comes to new products of late. With the ex... Southern Province 9M profit contracts to SAR238m ICR Newsroom By 03 November 2022 The net profit after zakat and tax of Saudi Arabia-based Southern Province Cement Co declined by 28.1 per cent YoY to SAR238m (US$63.5m) in the 9M22 from SAR331m. Revenues fell by 12.3 per cent YoY to SAR887m in the 9M22 period from SAR1.01bn in the 9M21. Third-quarter 2022 financial results In the third quarter of 2022, the companys net profits after zakat and tax saw a 20.3 per cent improvement to SAR89m when compared with SAR74m in the 3Q21. When compared with the previous quarter (2Q22) net profits increased by 45.9 per cent from SAR61m. Revenues were up 13.7 per cent YoY to SAR323m from SAR284m in the 9M21 while QoQ the increase was 38 per cent. Domestic sales expanded to 1.45Mt in the 3Q22 from 1.43Mt in the 3Q21, while export sales increased significantly. Clinker exports to Yemen reached 432,300t, according to Aqeel Kadasah, the company's CEO. Outlook Domestic cement demand is expected to grow going forward, supported by announced projects, and sold at a higher price, according to Mr Kadasah. Published under Last week was a big week for the city of Soddy Daisy and citizens of North Hamilton County as a state commission approved the building of a free-standing emergency room in Soddy Daisy. This will give the many rural area residents up around the lake, in Sale Creek, Bakewell, the north end of Walden's Ridge, Sequoyah - as well as Soddy Daisy; a safety net for emergency care and a way to transfer to major hospital centers should that be a next step. As we begin this season of Thanksgiving I am thankful for former County Mayor Coppinger and all the local citizens who gave up a day to travel to Nashville to speak in support of this project. Other important voices of support were County Mayor Wamp, Commissioner Greg Martin, State Rep. Hazelwood and State Senator Bo Watson. Of course, it all began with the unanimous support and push by my fellow Soddy Daisy city commissioners and our city manager, all of whom put energy and effort into seeing this through to the end. Kudos to them. Hundreds of local residents turned out for community meetings, made phone calls and wrote letters because they fully understand the need for more health services in our fast-growing part of Hamilton County. Finally, thanks to Tom Ozburn and his team at HCA-Parkridge Hospital for realizing our community need and providing the model for the free-standing ER. It was great working with you on this approval process and we look forward to the ribbon-cutting in a year. Mayor Rick Nunley City of Soddy Daisy The Chattanooga Fire Department encourages all residents to check their smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors when setting their clocks back one hour this Sunday."Please take this opportunity to change your clocks and change your batteries," officials said. "Do you have working smoke alarms in your home? Smoke alarms save lives!! Smoke detectors that are properly installed and maintained play a vital role in reducing fire deaths and injuries. If there is a fire in your home, you need smoke alarms to give you time to get out."This Sunday, Nov.6, the CFD will be hosting an event to make sure that citizens have working smoke alarms to protect their families. Firefighters will be at our Training Center at 3200 Amnicola Hwy. handing out free smoke alarms to the public from noon-2 p.m., while supplies last. Recipients can then take them home and install them for life-saving protection for their families."Make sure you have working smoke alarms on every level of your home," officials said. "Test smoke alarms at least once a month. Press the test button to be sure the alarm is working. When a smoke alarm sounds, get outside and stay outside. Smoke alarms that are more than 10 years old do not offer reliable fire protection any longer. Determine the age of your smoke alarms by checking the manufacture date on the back of the alarm. Regardless of whether the alarms are hard-wired or battery powered, they should be replaced if they are 10 years or older." A former Chattanooga firefighter has won a remand of his case against the Chattanooga Fire and Police Pension Board. Casey Phillips worked as a Chattanooga firefighter for approximately 20 years. During his tenure, and as enumerated in detail in his petition, Mr. Phillips said he witnessed many horror inducing events. As a result of his prolonged exposure to tragedy and trauma at work, he (allegedly) developed permanent and chronic PTSD. He filed for disability benefits with the pension fund, which denied his application by letter dated Oct. 27, 2020. On June 28, 2021, he filed a request for rehearing with the board; the board denied rehearing by letter dated Aug. 19, 2021. On Sept. 10, 2021, he filed a petition for writ of certiorari seeking review in the trial court, and the CFPPF moved to dismiss under Tennessee Rule of Civil Procedure 12.02. Chancellor Jeffrey Atherton held that the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act applied and further held that the boards Oct. 27, 2020 was not compliant with the UAPA requirements for final orders. Nonetheless, the trial court held that the Oct. 27, 2020 letter was a final order so as to trigger the 60-day time for filing for review in the trial court and dismissed the petition with prejudice. The Tennessee Court of Appeals said, "Because the Oct. 27, 2020 order was not UAPA-compliant, it did not constitute a final order so as to trigger the running of the 60-day statute of limitations. As such, the trial court erred in dismissing Appellants petition with prejudice. Reversed and remanded." More than 100 people filled Chattanoogas Walden Club to capacity Tuesday evening to honor longtime Circuit Court judges Thomas W. Rusty Graham and Curtis J. Smith. Both men retired earlier this year after decades on the bench. Each served the 12th Judicial District of Tennessee, comprised of Bledsoe, Franklin, Grundy, Marion, Rhea, and Sequatchie counties. No person is above the law and all persons are entitled to its benefits, expressed Judge Graham. I have attempted to uphold the law and to afford all litigants a reasoned, unbiased, and compassionate forum in which to resolve their disputes. It has been my privilege and honor to have served the people as judge for the past 32 years. Judge Graham, a lifelong resident of South Pittsburg, began his legal career 49 years ago. He briefly served as counsel for CTAS (County Technical Assistance Service) in Nashville, before returning to Marion County and establishing private practice. One of four members of the South Pittsburg High School class of 1964 to attend Vanderbilt University, Judge Graham earned a finance degree in finance in 1968. He then completed a military tour in Vietnam before entering law school at the University of Tennessee in 1971. He took the law school admission exam (LSAT) in Vietnam during the height of the war. Judge Graham received many accolades in law school, including serving on the Deans advisory board and as student body president. Judge Smith, a Dunlap native, became a lawyer in 1973. Initially opening a solo practice, he soon joined the Sequatchie County firm of Greer and Smith. Judge Smith was an excellent, astute judge, praised veteran Jasper attorney Harvey Cameron. Sharing comments solicited from other attorneys, attorney Cameron noted, Judge Smith was laser-focused and expected attorneys to be prepared for their cases. He embraced the opportunity to teach young lawyers. Pikeville attorney and Sessions Court Judge Howard Upchurch humorously pointed out the contrasting personalities the two judges exhibited from the bench. I would describe Judge Smith as the Mr. Rogers of judges very calm, serene, and predictable, Upchurch opined. I would describe Judge Graham as the Saturday Night Live Chris Farley of judges. In a trial you never knew where you would end up with Judge Graham and I guess thats what made practicing in front of him so interesting. Jared Smith, Clerk and Master for Sequatchie County Chancery Court, and Judge Smiths son, spoke briefly about his fathers impact on him and others. Whats the rule? Whats the legal authority? the younger Smith asked, quoting two questions his father often inquired of attorneys appearing before him. My dad largely influenced how I learned to practice law, he said. He was always mindful of the impact that his judicial decisions had upon persons before the court. Active judiciary members of the Twelfth District, including Circuit Court Judge Justin C. Angel and Graham and Smiths successors, newly elected Judges Bradley Sherman, of Winchester, and John Cam Cameron, of Jasper, spoke in honor of the retirees, as did Chancellor Melissa Willis, who was instrumental in establishing the event. A woman on Fairleigh Street told police when she came out of her home at 6 a.m. she realized the front driver side door of her Chevy truck was slightly open. She said her son's Nike multi-colored sneakers (est. $100) and black and royal blue Jordan backpack (est. $29) were stolen from the back seat. She said these were the only items that were stolen. She believes she left her door unlocked. Police did not observe any signs of forced entry or any property damage to the woman's vehicle. The woman said she did not have any camera footage of the incident. * * * Police were called to Builtwell Bank, 728 Broad St., to observe a damaged window. Police observed an office window with a small hole consistent with a BB gun. Security footage did not provide a suspect. * * * An employee at Eyear 1 Hour Optical, 5969 Brainerd Road, told police that at an unknown time, someone damaged the front window of the business. There is no suspect information. * * * A man told police that at an unknown time someone cut the catalytic converter off of his 2008 Toyota Prius while parked at Medical Towers, 1000 E. 3rd St. * * * Police responded to a damaged property accidental at the intersection of Apison Pike and Old Lee Highway. Police met with a man and a woman. The man was in his vehicle behind the woman and they were both stopped at the light. The man started to drift forward and struck the woman's bicycles, whose front tires were hanging out of her tailgate. Both said there was zero damage to their vehicles, but the bicycles were very expensive and were damaged. The man provided his insurance information (State Farm) and the woman provided an estimate of damage to her bicycles, as well as the serial numbers. * * * A man told police that while his Ford F150 was parked in the Hamilton Place Mall parking lot, someone damaged the driver's side door of his truck. * * * A man told police he located his stolen 2006 Nissan Titan pickup in front of a residence on 13th Avenue. The vehicle was taken a month ago in Walker County, Ga. Dispatch sent a request to the Walker County Sheriff's Office to remove this vehicle from NCIC. Police released the vehicle back to the owner, who signed a release form. Police checked for any usable evidence to process, but nothing was located * * * A man told police someone damaged his vehicle while it was parked at Janta Farmers Market, 6500 Lee Hwy., around 5 p.m. He said he found the passenger rear of the vehicle dented and the bottom cover falling off. The man said he would like a report for his insurance. * * * A man told police his Glock 23 was stolen out of his vehicle. He was at work at Royal Chemical, 4013 Industry Dr., and when he went back to the vehicle afterwards he noticed his center console was open. He said that is where he stores his gun. The man does not have the serial number now, but will get it over the weekend and call back in. There were other employees that had stuff taken out of their vehicles that day also. * * * A man at Edwin Bohr Electronics, 4250 Benton Dr., told police that at approximately 4:25 p.m. he saw two skinny black males enter a black GMC Sierra and remove items from it. The man said when he confronted them they left the scene in a Ford (later found to be stolen) without taking anything. * * * A man at Leadership Ministries Worldwide, 3755 Pilot Pt., told police someone stole the keys from inside his vehicle. He said someone went through his vehicle and only took his keys. He said the keys were worth $150. * * * The owner of a nail salon at 6940 Lee Hwy. told police a suspicious man entered the store and demanded a pedicure. She said the man appeared to be homeless, but he said he would be able to pay with cash or card. She said she attempted to help the man, but his feet were in terrible shape with numerous large blisters. She said the man became upset, belligerent and was causing a disorder. She said they asked the man to leave and he shouted profanity and made derogatory statements before leaving. The man left his ID in the store. She said he was a white male and he left walking in the direction of the Hooter's. Police checked the area but were unable to locate the man. Police collected the ID and entered it into Property. Less than a week from now, if they havent taken advantage of early voting, citizens around the country will stream to the polls to cast votes for a variety of races and issues. At stake are governorships, U.S. Congressional races, state and local contests, amendments and referendums. The mid-term elections are under way. How could we forget, with the bombardment of political ads weve been enduring for months? Much has been expressed about the ramifications of the election, of this or that party keeping or losing control of the House and the Senate, along with who will lead key states in the coming years. Whenever an ad for a candidate comes on virtually any candidate Im reminded of the old perfume commercial that advised, Promise her anything but give her Arpege. Because politicians are notorious for making campaign promises, for pretty much anything, only to promptly forget those vows and assurances once theyre sworn into office. But lets suspend our disbelief. Lets set aside the ample evidence that while all politicians promise, few truly keep those promises. Lets suppose that through some civic miracles, those elected will decide to abide by what theyve said they would do. Will things really change all that much? Im all in favor of the political process, subscribing to Abraham Lincolns Gettysburg Address notion in 1863 that ours is a government of the people, by the people and for the people. Unlike monarchies, dictatorships, and tyrannical forms of government that give citizens little or no voice in how their countries and communities are run, we get to vote. The people and parties we favor dont always win, but at least weve had the opportunity to cast our ballots and indicate our preferences. To ensure I would not fail to vote on Election Day due to illness or some emergency, I took advantage of the opportunity to go to a local polling place a couple weeks ago. My votes have been cast and recorded. Exercising my civic duty and Constitutional right, Im hoping the right candidates are elected. However, I return to my earlier question: Will things really change all that much? The reason I ask is because of a simple truth stated and reaffirmed in the Scriptures: For all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). No matter how well-intended they are, in electing people to represent us in any level of government, we are choosing flawed, sinful individuals to serve on our behalf. Romans 3:10-12 expresses it even more emphatically: There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks Godthere is no one who does good, not even one. I dont think God could not have made it more clear. Sometimes in reading this passage, I wonder whether politicians were the first collection of folks the Lord had in mind. This was why, when the people of Israel asked the prophet Samuel for a king, it was an affront to God. But when they said, Give us a king to lead us, this displeased Samuel. And the Lord told him, Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected Me as their king (1 Samuel 8:6-7). Then God admonished Samuel, Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do (1 Samuel 8:9). The prophet obeyed, giving the warning and then concluding, When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the Lord will not answer you in that day (1 Samuel 8:18). The Israelites did not listen, insisting that they have a king just like the nations around them. And indeed, starting with King Saul and a parade of kings that followed him, they were ruled by imperfect, sometimes very corrupt kings. The parade of leaders with feet of clay (or worse) commences in 1 Samuel, continuing through 2 Chronicles and beyond. Does this imply the Scriptures are opposed to the democratic process, including the right to vote and elect our governmental leaders? Definitely not. But after reading the biblical narratives in which even the best kings sometimes wallowed in sin, our voting should take a buyer beware approach. No candidate or party is going to become the panacea for the ills of our nation or the world. As Jesus taught, No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon (Matthew 6:24). While the context of this statement concerns material wealth and possessions, the point is clear: We cannot give our allegiance both to God and to worldly matters. When we vote, our responsibility is to choose candidates and issues that we believe align best with biblical teachings, and then trust in the assurance of Romans 13:1, Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. He alone is the true King. If we dont ask Him to give us the leaders we need, Hell give us the leaders we deserve. Lord have mercy! * * * Robert J. Tamasy is a veteran journalist, former newspaper editor and magazine editor. Bob has written, co-authored and edited more than 15 books. These include the newly published, Marketplace Ambassadors; Business At Its Best: Timeless Wisdom from Proverbs for Todays Workplace; Tufting Legacies, The Heart of Mentoring, and Pursuing Life With a Shepherds Heart. A weekly business meditation he edits, Monday Manna, is translated into more than 20 languages and sent via email around the world by CBMC International. The address for his blog is www.bobtamasy.blogspot.com. His email address is btamasy@comcast.net. Red Clay State Historic Park will host the Cherokee Cultural Celebration on Saturday and Sunday, November 12-13, featuring demonstrations, traditional dancing, craft vendors and food vendors from federally recognized Cherokee tribes.The public is invited to the event scheduled from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. The cost is $5 per vehicle.The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the Cherokee Nation will attend, and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians may also be present. Vendors and demonstrators are all citizens of the tribes and all crafts at the celebration will be handmade by the vendors.The event also comes as November is recognized as Native American Heritage Month.Troy Wayne Poteete, a former Supreme Court justice of the Cherokee Nation, will give a lecture titled, Motivations and Considerations of the Treaty Party: Why a group of Cherokee leaders would risk their lives to sign an illegal treaty.Red Clay State Historic Park is the site of the last seat of the Cherokee national government before the 1838 enforcement of the Indian Removal Act of 1830 by the U.S. military. The law resulted in most of the Cherokee people in the area being forced to move west. The Trail of Tears began at every familys doorstep, and at Red Clay Council grounds they learned they were going to lose their mountains, streams and valleys forever. The Eternal Flame at Red Clay State Park is a memorial for the Cherokee people and those who were lost on the Trail of Tears.Red Clay is a significant and sacred site to the Cherokee people, said Park Manager Erin Medley. It is of the utmost importance for them to be actively involved in the interpretation. The Cherokee Cultural Celebration is a way for them to come back to their homeland and educate future generations about their history and culture. It is such an honor to host this event.Two Cherokee leaders made statements about the upcoming event.Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. of the Cherokee Nation said, Red Clay is a significant and historical site for the Cherokee people, the last seat of our Cherokee national government before the 1838 enforcement of the Indian Removal Act of 1830. At Red Clay, the eternal flame is a memorial to those lost on the Trail of Tears. It symbolizes the spirit of the Cherokee people and our historic connection to this site in Tennessee.As Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, I appreciate the commitment of those at Red Clay State Park to not only maintain the historical connection of the land and the Cherokee people, but to also share our story with all who visit the beautiful site throughout the year. We are a proud sponsor for this event. We look forward to working more closely with Red Clay State Park on future celebrations, as this site is of enduring historic significance to the Cherokee people.Chief Richard Sneed of the Eastern Band of Cherokee said, The Eternal Flame represents the Ceremonial Fire of the Cherokee people, which has burned from time immemorial. In 1984, I had the distinct honor of joining nine other Cherokee men as torch runners bringing the Eternal Flame to Red Clay, from Cherokee, NC. Relighting the flame at Red Clay will restore the visible reminder to all who visit the park, that the Cherokee are now, and have always been, the Aniyvwiya, the Principal People.Red Clay State Park is home to Blue Hole Spring, a natural landmark used by the Cherokee for their water supply during council meetings. The James F. Corn Interpretive Facility contains exhibits on the 19th Century Cherokee, the Trail of Tears, Cherokee art, a video theater, gift shop and small library. More information on the park is available at tnstateparks.com. China's top legislator meets Pakistani PM Xinhua) 09:43, November 03, 2022 Li Zhanshu, chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, meets with Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 2, 2022. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei) BEIJING, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislator Li Zhanshu on Wednesday met with Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif in Beijing. Li, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, said Sharif's official visit to China shortly after the conclusion of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) reflects the special friendship between the two countries. He said China is ready to carry forward the ironclad friendship with Pakistan, strengthen strategic coordination, deepen practical cooperation, and enhance people-to-people and cultural exchanges to build an even closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future. Li Zhanshu, chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, meets with Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 2, 2022. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei) Li said that Xi Jinping's re-election as general secretary of the CPC Central Committee reflects the heartfelt support of more than 96 million CPC members and the firm determination of hundreds of millions of Chinese people to follow his lead to create a great cause. China's NPC is willing to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with the Pakistani parliament at all levels, Li added. Sharif expressed his congratulations on the successful conclusion of 20th CPC National Congress, and his belief that China will make greater achievements in its future development under President Xi Jinping's leadership. Noting that Pakistan and China are all-weather friends and always firmly support each other, Sharif said Pakistan will work with China to push for the in-depth development of bilateral relations. (Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Liang Jun) This blog covers software patent news and issues with a particular focus on wireless, mobile devices (smartphones, tablet computers, connected cars) as well as select antitrust matters surrounding those devices. One year ago today, my husband, along with a group of 40 others, was fired from BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee (BCBST) over the COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Between October and November 2021, BCBST terminated 41 of their employees after BCBST implemented a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for 900 "customer facing roles." Many of these 900 employees who were not "customer facing" were full time telecommuters and had been working from home during the entire pandemic. The livelihoods of these 900 employees were threatened if they refused to comply with BCBST's vaccine mandate. Out of the 900, 41 refused to comply with BCBSTs mandate and were fired from their positions. In October 2021, 19 employees were terminated. In November 2021, 21additional employees were fired weeks ahead of a Tennessee law being passed to prevent BCBST from moving forward with the mandate. Many submitted requests for religious exemptions and reasonable accommodations. Rather than provide a reasonable accommodation such as a telecommuting option (an option that was currently in place and was continuing for the entire year) or a testing option, BCBST's response was that you have 30 days to change your religious beliefs and get the shot, find a new job, or be fired. Religious exemptions were ignored. One former BCBST employee from the group, Anne Frase, describes her experience over the last year: This last year has been very hard both emotionally and financially. I loved my position, planned on retiring from BCBST and to be discriminated against, my exemption request not accepted, and fired for this has been devastating. Im almost 62 years old and it has been difficult for me to find another job. Another former employee from the group, Kerrie I., described being terminated: I was a top performer dedicated to the mission of BCBST and the work of my team, she said. To be cast aside and treated as less than was, simply put, a slap in the face. BCBSTs decision to fire us affected me emotionally, to a point where I had experienced a crisis of faith and even questioned my self-worth. Patricia P., also a former employee, states: I still do not have a job. I had a few interviews at first, but when the prospective employer found that I had been terminated, they either declined or did not call back. After a few months, I stopped getting calls. Many others among the group share these sentiments, some having been with BCBST for nearly two decades. None received any severance pay. When asked about the news of the reinstatement of New York workers fired for the mandate, one former BCBST employee says: Im glad something is being done, but remain empathetic of those families. Its nothing until its something. Its a positive move in the right direction, but I am still cautious until you see something actually happen for those people and their families. It has to go through the courts and of course there will be an appeals process. I see it, but I dont get my hopes up. These former BCBST employees were fired over a vaccine mandate that is proving, with time, to be an increasingly unpopular and unjustified decision. Evidence continues to mount in the court of public opinion, as well as in the legal courts, that these decisions were reckless and irresponsible, and highly politicized in the name of profit, personal gain, and selfish agendas. This vaccine campaign is the biggest social experiment in our lifetime and these employees, along with many others who did not comply, are being vindicated more and more with each passing day. The mRNA shot is experimental and lives and livelihoods were the guinea pigs. From Faucis beagles (used for other experimental testing) to eight mice to grandma and your babies. But the science. The BCBST employees have obtained legal representation and are now moving forward to fight their unlawful termination. A spokesman for the employees says their group reported their individual cases to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) after termination from BCBST. Since November 2021, the EEOC has been reviewing the alleged Title VII violation(s) and is currently considering grouping the alleged violation(s) of BCBST as a single action. Holly Abernathy Whats next for Tully and Kate? Netflixs just-released trailer for Firefly Lane Season 2 promises more drama for the two long-time best friends. The upcoming nine episodes will also deliver an answer to the big question everyone had at the end of season 1: What could have ended Tully and Kates 30-year friendship? Firefly Lane Season 2 trailer shows Johnny in the hospital, Tully striking out on her own RELATED: Firefly Lane Has 1 Major Error That Makes It Hard to Believe The first look at Firefly Lanes second and final season starts by revealing what happened to Johnny (Ben Ryan) after he was involved in an explosion in Iraq in the final moments of season 1. Hes in the hospital, and his ex-wife Kate (Sarah Chalke) and Tully (Katherine Heigl) are trying to talk their way into his room. Im his wife, ex-wife. Were divorced Were still very close. Its complicated, Kate tells an unsympathetic soldier whos standing guard outside the door. Johnny apparently recovers from whatever injuries he suffered in the explosion. But PTSD puts a further strain on his relationship with Kate. Shes concerned and wants him to talk to someone about what happened. Were not married. You dont have to worry about me, he says. Yeah, well I still do, she replies. Meanwhile, Tully is dealing with some career fallout after quitting her job as the host of The Girlfriend Hour at the end of season 1. Not only is she unemployed, but it looks like shes in a legal battle with the creepy producer (Martin Donovan) who got his hands on her show. Of course, Tully isnt going to let this setback knock her down. He took my show. He took my voice. So Im taking it back, she says. Her next move? Making a documentary about her efforts to find the father shes never known. The trailer teases the end of Tully and Kates friendship Sarah Chalke as Kate and Katherine Heigl as Tully in Firefly Lane Season 2 |Courtesy of Netflix 2022 Firefly Lane Season 2 will continue to feature the timeline jumps that were so prominent in season 1. In the shows 1970s storyline, a teenage Tully (Ali Skovbye) convinces Kate (Roan Curtis) to run away with her. A man giving them a ride asks if theyre sisters, and Tully says theyre best friends. Well, dont ever take that for granted, he says. Not everyone gets a best friend. But will Tully and Kates friendship endure? Season 1 ended with a two-year flash-forward that saw Kate and Tully meeting at her fathers funeral. It wasnt a happy reunion. No one wants you here, Kate told her former bestie. Dont you think youve punished me enough? Tully asked. When I said I could never forgive you for what you did, what did you think that meant? Kate replied. The episode didnt reveal what had ended Tully and Kates friendship. But Netflix promises that well get the answer in season 2. The trailer shows Kate and Tully passing each other on the street without saying a word. Firefly Lane Season 2 premieres Dec. 2 Ali Skovbye as Young Tully and Roan Curtis as Young Kate in episode 202 of Firefly Lane Season 2 | Courtesy of Netflix 2022 RELATED: Firefly Lane: Will [Spoiler] Die Like in Kristin Hannahs Book? Firefly Lane Season 2 premieres Friday, Dec. 2 on Netflix. The 16-episode season will be split into two parts. The first nine episodes will be available to stream first, with the final seven to follow sometime in 2023. Season 2 will see Kate grappling with the painful aftermath of Johnnys ill-fated trip to Iraq, while Tully faces a lawsuit after walking away from her talk show, and must start her career over from the bottom, according to the synopsis from Netflix. In the 1980s timeline, well see the early days of Kate and Johnnys relationship, while Tully fights and flirts with sportscaster Danny Diaz (Ignacio Serricchio). In the 70s, Tully and Kate struggle to keep their friendship alive when Tully is sent to live with her grandmother after her mothers arrest. For more on the entertainment world and exclusive interviews, subscribe to Showbiz Cheat Sheets YouTube channel. TL;DR: Keith Richards said one of The Rolling Stones songs is really ambiguous. Mick Jagger discussed the inspiration behind the track. The public reaction to the song in the United States and the United Kingdom was very different. The Rolling Stones | J. Wilds/Keystone/Getty Images Keith Richards said one of The Rolling Stones songs was interpreted in many different ways. Subsequently, he seemed to imply the song had something to do with protests against the Vietnam War. Notably, the song performed differently in the United States and the United Kingdom. Keith Richards implied one of The Rolling Stones songs is about trying to be revolutionary The book Keith Richards on Keith Richards: Interviews & Encounters includes a 1971 interview. During the interview, he discussed Street Fighting Man. The timing of those things is funny because youre really following whats going on, he said. Thats been interpreted thousands of different ways because it really is ambiguous as a song. Trying to be revolutionary in London in Grosvenor Square, he said. Mick went to all those demonstrations and got charged by the cops. Richards seemed to be referring to demonstrations against the Vietnam War. During a 1995 interview with Rolling Stone, Jagger said the Vietnam War Street Fighting Man was inspired by the Vietnam War and the student protests going on in France at the time. RELATED: The Rolling Stones Changed a Crap Songs Genre and It Became a Hit Keith Richards discussed the way Brian Jones played sitar on the song Subsequently, Richards discussed how Street Fighting Man came together in the studio. The basic track of that was done on a mono cassette with very distorted overrecording, on a Phillips with no limiters, he said. Brian [Jones] is playing sitar, it twangs away. Hes holding notes that wouldnt come through if you had a board; you wouldnt be able to fit it in. But on a cassette if you just move the people, it does, he said. Cut in the studio and then put on a tape. Started puttin percussion and bass on it. That was really an electronic track, up in the realms. Some songs, with a 16-track, I dont really need all that. Its nice to make it simpler sometimes. RELATED: Mick Jagger Compared 1 of The Rolling Stones Songs to The Beach Boys California Girls How The Rolling Stones Street Fighting Man performed on the pop charts in the United States and the United Kingdom Street Fighting Man hit No. 48 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for six weeks. The track appeared on the album Beggars Banquet. The album reached No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and remained on the chart for 32 weeks. According to The Official Charts Company, Street Fighting Man hit No. 21 in the United Kingdom and lasted on the chart for eight weeks. On the other hand, Beggars Banquet peaked at No. 3 and spent 12 weeks on the chart. Street Fighting Man was not one of The Rolling Stones big hits but it inspired a lot of speculation. RELATED: Mick Jagger Once Responded to Listeners Who Felt 1 of The Rolling Stones Songs Was Anti-Feminist Language barriers are often a big challenge on The Amazing Race as contestants travel all around the world. For Derek Xiao and Claire Rehfuss, one language barrier led to a hilarious misunderstanding. While completing a leg in Amman, Jordan, as seen on The Amazing Race Season 34 Episode 6, Derek and Claire asked a local for directions or so they thought. Apparently, the Big Brother couple accidentally asked the person for drugs. Derek and Claire recalled the hilarious behind-the-scenes moment on their YouTube channel. Derek Xiao and Claire Rehfuss on The Amazing Race Season 34 | CBS The Amazing Race Season 34 brought racers to Amman, Jordan The Amazing Race Season 34s second leg in Jordan came with a slight twist. Unfortunately, Abby and Will were forced to go home due to a positive COVID-19 test. That elimination meant the remaining seven teams would stay in the competition at the end of the leg, even the team in last place. However, to keep the stakes high, host Phil Keoghan revealed that the last team to make it to the Pit Stop would have a 45-minute delay in the next leg. And with that, everyone raced away to complete their challenges in Amman. They needed to find a clue at a bookstore, which turned out to be a challenge itself given the stores obscure location. Then, the teams could complete either Step by Step or Letter by Letter. In the former, teams had to learn and perform a Jordanian wedding dance. Meanwhile, in Letter by Letter, they had to memorize and recite the Arabic alphabet. After the Detours, the teams ran to their Roadblock, where they had to build a cart and wheel it to the Pit Stop. Glenda and Lumumba Roberts arrived in last place, giving them the penalty in the next leg. Derek and Claire shared the hilarious story of accidentally asking for drugs in Jordan In a recap of the episode on YouTube, Derek and Claire spoke about the trouble they had finding the location of their Detour. They tried to find a local who spoke English and could tell them where to find the Al Hashemi Plaza. Derek found a local teen outside a store, and the teen seemed to understand what the couple was asking. Hes saying, Hashemi? Hashemi? And I think hes saying, Hashemi. Turns out, hes saying, Hash,' Derek explained. Of course, at the time, Derek had no idea he was actually asking for cannabis. He enthusiastically told the teen, Yes, so the teen went into the store and returned with drugs. Literally just drugs. That was literal hash, Derek said with a laugh. We thought he was bringing us a map or something, Claire added. Once Claire and Derek realized what they had asked for, they quickly apologized to the local, turned down the drugs, and left. Its too bad the moment didnt air on TV, but Claire and Dereks memory of it is just as hilarious. How did Derek and Claire do on The Amazing Race in Amman? RELATED: The Amazing Race Season 34 Continues at a New Time Tonight, Nov. 2 Claire and Derek would have benefited from learning the Arabic language. As it turns out, Derek tried to teach himself while training for The Amazing Race, but Claire insisted he wouldnt need it. Little did she know they would be running around Jordan and reciting the Arabic alphabet. Thankfully, the drugs mishap didnt slow down Derek and Claire too much. They arrived at Letter by Letter in good time and passed the challenge, although Derek had trouble rolling his Rs. Then, Claire completed the Roadblock, and they made it to the Pit Stop in fourth place. New episodes of The Amazing Race air on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on CBS. The Good Nurse is one of Netflixs newest true crime movies. It tells the story of serial killer Charles Cullen, a nurse who confessed to killing dozens of people during his 16-year career in medicine. Since 2006, Cullen has been serving 11 consecutive life sentences in jail. So how many people did he murder before he was apprehended? What is The Good Nurse about? The Good Nurse stars Tobias Lindholm, Eddie Redmayne, Jessica Chastain, Krysty Wilson-Cairns, and Amy Loughren | David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Netflix The film stars Eddie Redmayne as Cullen. Jessica Chastain plays Amy Loughren, one of Cullens coworkers who suspects foul play when patients start dying under Cullens care. The Good Nurse is about Cullen and his crimes. But Redmayne and Chastain made it clear that the movie focuses on Loughren. The thing I liked so much about the film is that we see so often films about a serial killer or a story and its fetishized, Chastain told Deadline. She shared that The Good Nurse doesnt celebrate or glorify Cullen; instead, it tells Loughrens story. Charles Graeber wrote The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness, and Murder, the book that was the basis for the Netflix movie. How do you respond when you find out that someone that you care about so deeply is murdering people? Amy Loughren helped secure the conviction of notorious American serial killer Charles Cullen. She told us how it impacted her. Read our NEW article for more of her story BBC Woman's Hour (@BBCWomansHour) October 12, 2022 He echoed Chastains statements, telling the LA Times that Loughren was the heart of the story and that she was the whole reason he felt the need to tell the story. Graeber also praised the movie for its accuracy, explaining that it didnt oversimplify any of Cullens crimes, but focused on the banality of evil. Is everything in The Good Nurse true? The Good Nurse closely follows real-life events. But a few changes were made to streamline the story. One of the biggest changes is Cullens relationship with Loughrens children. In the show, the murderer spends time in Loughrens home and meets her kids. In real life, he never went to her house and did not know her children. Other elements of the movie, such as Loughrens severe heart issues and her confrontation of Cullen while wearing a wire, came straight from real life. How many people did Charles Cullen kill? Is he really the most prolific serial killer in history? Did no one else raise the alarm? And was that really his motive? https://t.co/fLJu2vVaMB Slate (@Slate) October 27, 2022 Cullen was arrested in 2003 and charged with one count of murder and one count of attempted murder. While in police custody, he admitted to murdering over 40 patients during his nursing career. However, police are unsure of the total number of Cullens victims. While being questioned about his crimes, Cullen could not remember all his victims names. He has 29 confirmed victims, but experts think the real number might be closer to 400. Its difficult to confirm Cullens victims for several reasons. Many hospitals records have been destroyed or are incomplete. This makes it difficult to find or dispute a presumed victims cause of death. Where is Charles Cullen today? Cullen confessed to killing up to 40 patients and was sentenced to 11 life terms https://t.co/aCr3d3VAXH Sky News (@SkyNews) October 26, 2022 Cullen confessed to the murders and plead guilty to killing 13 patients and attempting to murder two more. As part of a plea bargain, he agreed to cooperate with authorities if they did not seek the death penalty. In a separate trial in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Cullen pled guilty to murdering six patients and attempting to murder three others. Today, Cullen is held in the New Jersey State Prison after receiving eleven consecutive life sentences. He will not be eligible for parole until 2403. RELATED: The Good Nurse: Eddie Redmayne Attended Nursing School and Hired a Movement Coach to Portray Serial Killer Charles Cullen You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close In Texas, a prisoner named Dennis Wayne Hope has served 27 years in solitary confinement. He is attempting to have his case heard by the Supreme Court of the United States, arguing that the practice of isolating incarcerated individuals long-term violates the 8th Amendments ban against cruel and unusual punishments. Whether the Court will eventually consider his case remains to be seen. But throughout the nation, there is increased scrutiny of the prison system, including right here in Connecticut. On Oct. 26, a group of advocates opposed to the use of solitary confinement rallied on the sidewalk in front of Cheshire Correctional Institution on Highland Avenue. They say the state is not doing enough to comply with Public Act 22-18, known as the Protect Act, which Governor Ned Lamont signed back in May. (The Protect Act) enacts limitations on the amount of time and circumstances under which an incarcerated person may be held in isolated confinement in state prisons and jails, and places new requirements on its use, per a state release. Barbara Fair, founder of Stop Solitary Connecticut, organized the rally and spoke passionately against what she characterized as continuing state violations of the new laws letter and intent. Im getting letters from people all the time (from prison), she said, explaining that her correspondents report conditions such as 2223 hours a day of confinement, non-emergency lockdowns, lack of access to education, and arbitrary discipline for minor violations. Underlying the criticism of specific practices is Fairs philosophy that people were not meant to be in cages. The (state) took away their liberty, but they didnt take away the right to be treated as human beings, she continued. Fair pointed to the United Nations Mandela Rules where the First Rule reads, All prisoners shall be treated with the respect due to their inherent dignity and value as human beings. No prisoner shall be subjected to, and all prisoners shall be protected from, torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, for which no circumstances whatsoever may be invoked as a justification. The safety and security of prisoners, staff, service providers and visitors shall be ensured at all times. Most institutions in Connecticut are failing to meet that basic standard, in her telling. Is this the way we should treat human beings? Fair asked. Several of those in attendance at the rally spoke from experience about the emotional and physical hardships of solitary confinement. At one point, a prisoner phoned in from Osborn Correctional Institute in Somers, making claims of inhumane treatment, including prisoners being forced to relieve themselves on themselves, use of four-point restraints, and suffering from hallucinations brought on from extended time in solitary. The lawyers for Dennis Wayne Hope make similar claims in their petition. Mr. Hopes vocal cords have atrophied from lack of use, his muscles from having only a three-foot-square space for movement, and his eyesight from staring only at the inside of a cage. He has been plagued by hallucinations and thoughts of suicide, they write. Though Texas and Connecticut may seem worlds apart at times, Fair says Connecticut must do far more to follow its own laws. How dare they disobey the law without consequence, Fair said, suggesting that the next steps for her organization might be turning to the federal Department of Justice if reforms are not implemented. Pointing out that many of those who end up in prison suffer from untreated mental illness, Fair said that, Mental illness is (also) being created by people being put into cages. People are not coming out rehabilitated and we are responsible for their recidivism. Pastor John Lewis from Life Center Ministries of New Haven, who spoke during the rally, called it a movement, not a moment, and asked for more churches and faith leaders to do Gods work of advocating for those who have lost their freedom and are suffering. Fair mentioned that 40% of those (in Cheshire Correctional Institute) are pre-trial detentions, meaning they have not been convicted or sentenced. They just cant afford to get out, she said. Although the Governors passage of the Act after an initial veto was welcome progress for reformers, Fair insists that much more work needs to be done for justice. We have to stay on top of the Protect Act. We need you to continue to show up in Hartford, she told the dozens of supporters gathered on Highland Avenue. Fair also passed out gas money to some of those in attendance to help defray their costs. I believe (the Protect Act) strikes the right balance between maintaining a safe and secure environment for everyone within the Department of Corrections facilities, while also working towards the objective of minimizing the effects of long-term impact of incarceration, Department of Correction Commissioner Angel Quiros said in a statement. This signing of this bill also shows what can be accomplished through negotiation and collaboration. At the end of the day, we all have the same goal the successful reintegration of those in our care. 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 Over the last century, the worldwide average life expectancy has more than doubled due to advancements in medicine, working, and living conditions with people around the globe living to be over seventy years old. But, in 2020, virtually every country was faced with the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. And this month, a new study conducted by researchers at the University of Oxford revealed that the virus caused a prolonged life expectancy decline in numerous nations. The study used data from twenty-nine countries in Europe including Norway, Denmark, Italy, Spain, Greece, Germany, France, and more as well as the United States and Chile. And perhaps unsurprisingly, every single country suffered lower life expectancies in 2021 as compared to what pre-pandemic trends predicted. In the past, global epidemics such as the Spanish flu also witnessed steep declines in life expectancy. However, the bounce back rate was much more rapid as compared to COVID-19. This fact alone disputes the widespread claims that the pandemic was no more impactful than the common flu. Still, the study did reveal a prominent geographical divide in 2021. Many countries in Western Europe such as France, Belgium, Switzerland, and Sweden experienced complete bounce backs in which their life expectancies returned to 2019 pre-pandemic levels. England and Wales did not experience the same rise, though, and only experienced a partial bounce back. Additionally, Northern Ireland and Scotland remained stagnant at the same 2020 life expectancy. The United States and Eastern Europe experienced even worse or compounding life expectancy losses over the same time period, though. In fact, the researchers paralleled the COVID-19 losses in Eastern Europe against the losses experienced during the Soviet Union break in 1991. Sign up for Chip Chicks newsletter and get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. SURABAYA, Indonesia, November 2, 2022 (Morning Star News) Two local officials in Indonesia joined Islamist organizations call to block construction of a Christian church, triggering objections nationwide the past two months, according to published reports. In western Java Islands Banten Province, Cilegon Mayor Heldy Agustian and his deputy, Sanuji Pentamarta, were among those who signed a petition to ban construction of a church building in Cilegons Grogol District in early September, sparking complaints of government interference in religious freedom, according to media outlet Detik.com. This incident harms the 1945 Constitution, which guarantees equality of every citizen to adhere to a certain religion and to worship freely in accordance to their own religions, the Rev. Jerry Sumampow, spokesman for the Communion of Churches in Indonesia (Persekutuan Gereja-gereja di Indonesia, or PGI), said in a Sept. 9 statement. The two Cilegon officials signed the petition opposing construction of Maranatha Church after a demonstration against it in early September that included members of the Cilegon chapter of the Indonesian Ulema Council (Majelis Ulama Indonesia, or MUI), the countrys top body of Islamic scholars. Reportedly leading the demonstration was a group called the Cilegon City Local Wisdom Defender Committee, which along with the MUI, other Islamist groups and the two city officials then signed a petition opposing the construction. The proposed church building was to serve a congregation belonging to the Protestant Christian Batak Church (Huria Kristen Batak Protestant, or HKBP). Abd Rohim Ghazali, executive director of the Jakarta-based Maarif Institute for Culture and Humanity, said in a Sept. 9 press statement that involvement of the Cilegon mayor and deputy against the church violates Indonesias constitutional rights of religion and belief. The following day, representatives of the Wahid Foundation, established in 2004 to promote tolerance and non-violence, issued a statement saying government officials should abide by the constitution and not succumb to the pressure of the masses. Rights advocates say requirements for obtaining permission to build houses of worship in Indonesia are onerous and hamper the establishment such buildings for Christians and other faiths. When Indonesias minister of Religious Affairs, Hajj Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, invited the conflicted parties for discussion, Mayor Agustian said the church met construction permit requirements at lower administrative levels, but that the process had not reached the municipal level. Such processes typically have to pass through four levels of bureaucracy before reaching the municipal level. Besides the opposition that the church faces, most applications for church construction permits in Indonesia take decades to process without support from high-ranking officials. Addressing HKBP leaders, Qoumas said he would do everything in his power to ensure that the religious freedom guarantees in the Indonesian constitution were upheld in Cilegon. Appearing to agree with Mayor Agustian, however, Quomas suggested that the real problem is not at the base but the hardline [lower-level] local administration, as quoted by Asia News. Historical Influences The provinces port city of Banten anchored the Banten Sultanate, an Islamist trading power of the 16th and mid-17th centuries, and persecution of Muslims by Dutch colonists centuries later contributes to todays opposition to non-Muslim faiths, Christians in the region believe. Dutch colonists of the 19th century prohibited Muslim calls to prayer, forced them to pay tribute and publicly hung rebel clerics, according to the secretary of the Cilegon chapter of the Religious Harmony Forum (FKUB), Agus Surahmat. Such oppression has fostered sentiment against adherents of other faiths that has been passed down from generation to generation, Surahmat told outlet SuaraBanten.id. People understand that those [Dutch] who hung them were non-Muslims, he told SuaraBanten.id. In addition to such history, Christians believe past pacts influence local Muslims mindset. When Indonesia established its largest steel mill, Krakatau Steel Co., Ltd., in Cilegon in cooperation with the former Soviet Union in 1962, it was accompanied by an agreement to ban Christian houses of worship, according to local news reports. Cilegon has no non-Muslim house of worship, according to Wawan Wahyudin, president of the Banten-based Sultan Maulana Hasanuddin Islamic State University. Official state data from 2019 recorded 382 mosques and 287 Muslim prayer rooms in Cilegon, with no record of any houses of worship of other faiths. In a city whose population is now near 435,000, the number of Protestant Christians was recorded in 2019 as 6,740, in addition to 1,743 Catholics, 215 Hindus and 215 Buddhists. Indonesia ranked 28th on Christian support organization Open Doors 2022 World Watch List of the 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian. Indonesian society has adopted a more conservative Islamic character, and churches involved in evangelistic outreach are at risk of being targeted by Islamic extremist groups, according to Open Doors WWL report. There are certain hotspots, such as West Java or Aceh, where extremist groups are strong and exert a strong influence on society and politics, the report states. In some regions, church groups face difficulties getting permission to build churches. Even if they manage to fulfill all legal requirements (including winning court cases), the local authorities still often ignore them. If you would like to help persecuted Christians, visit http://morningstarnews.org/resources/aid-agencies/ for a list of organizations that can orient you on how to get involved. If you or your organization would like to help enable Morning Star News to continue raising awareness of persecuted Christians worldwide with original-content reporting, please consider collaborating at https://morningstarnews.org/donate/? Article originally published by Morning Star News. Used with permission. Photo courtesy: Getty Images/Vector The image was of a pair of underwear with a hammer, and the caption said, Get it now: Paul Pelosi Halloween costume. After a friend sent me the link, I was almost shaking with rage. Within an hour or so, Donald Trump Jr. would post the same image with a similar message, but it was the first one that left me angrybecause it was posted by someone who claims to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Keep in mind what we have witnessed this week: A man with a history of following conspiracy theoriesincluding 2020 election denialbroke into the San Francisco home of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, took a hammer, and beat the Speakers husband until he needed critical surgery. Police report that the man went through the house, yelling Wheres Nancy? The language is a direct echo of screams from insurrectionists on January 6, who swarmed outside the Speakers office after attacking and ransacking the Capitol. Within hours of the Pelosi attack, the typical internet mobs spread lies and conspiracy theories about the event, some of them too vile and obviously fabricated to even mention here. A friend asked why I was so upset about the allegedly evangelical man who posted the joke about Pelosis attempted murder. After all, weve seen for years his troll-like behavior on and off social media. Why are you surprised? my friend said. That guy has shown who he is for years. I feel sorry for him. But thats the point. This is not an isolated incident from one sad, angry, and extremely online guy. It reflects an increasing trend among some Christians. Take for example Charlie Kirk, who responded to the Pelosi attack by saying, If some amazing patriot out there in San Francisco or the Bay Area wants to really be a midterm hero, someone should go and bail this guy out. Bail him out and then ask him some questions. Thats the same Kirk who claims to be a born-again Christian and whose name was merged with that of Jerry Falwell Jr. into the Falkirk Center at the nations largest Christian university (until Falwells departure). While all of this is going on, hordes of online commenters and conspiracy theory websites either deny the attack happened at allas a false flag by the Deep Stateor positively delight in the humor of it all. Many of them have Christian. Husband. Father or some similar designation in their social media bios. All of this would be bad enough if it were simply happening in the fog of disinformation. But even after the official Department of Justice affidavit was released with details from the police officers interview with the alleged assailantwho admits to breaking into the Pelosi home to harm the Speakerwhere are the apologies for spreading the lies? Where is the shame at delighting in what could easily have turned into murder? When looking at some of the responses to the Pelosi beating, Mona Charen asked, What the hell is wrong with these people? The answer, of course, is hell. James, the brother of Jesus, tells us that the tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of ones life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell (James 3:6). He goes on to say to the churches that bitter envy and selfish ambition lead to deny[ing] the truth, and that leads to disorder and every evil practice (vv. 1416). This imagery of fires from hell shows just how much damage can be done by lies and how easily they can burn out of control. The threat of political violence hangs over our country in ways perhaps not seen since the fiery days of the 1960s. Article continues below Indeed, the situation could easily become even more intense. After all, people back then didnt have social media incentives for getting attention through character degradationthe kind that could lead large numbers of people to communicate sympathy with Lee Harvey Oswald, James Earl Ray, or Sirhan Sirhan. Where does much of this violence or the threat of it come from? Lies. The idea that the election was stolen by a vast conspiracy of liberals is a lie. That elected officials are part of a secret cabal to drink the blood of babies is a lie. That Jews are pulling the strings of the globalist order is a lie. That the federal government designed COVID-19 as a hoax is a lie. That your pastor is a cultural Marxist for preaching what the Bible teaches on race and justice is a lie. Whats worse, many of the people spreading such lies know them to be lies. God is a God of truth, and he commands against both the bearing of false witness and the taking of human life. Jesus himself said the devil was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). The apostle Paul, too, points to the connection between lies and murder when he speaks of people under the power of sin as those whose tongues practice deceit and whose feet are swift to shed blood (Rom. 3:1315). We are in a precarious and dangerous time, and whats worse, weve become more accustomed to all of it. In early December 2020, when a Republican election official from Georgia called for an end to lies about a stolen election, he warned, Someones going to get shot; someones going to get killed. A little over a month later, police officers were beaten at the United States Capitol. People were chanting Hang Mike Pence! And, yes, people were yelling out, Wheres Nancy? Is this really the sort of society in which we want to live? Is this really the United States of America we want to leave to our children? And, more importantly, is this the witness of the church we want to display? People will rightly note that the figures spreading conspiracies or joking about this recent assassination attempt are fringe and hyperpoliticized figures, not respected spiritual leaders. They will rightly observe that most evangelical Christians support neither the lies nor the political violence. That is all correct. And thats why we must say so. Thats why we must say to those who spread lies and who fuel violence, You will not do this in our name, and you will definitely not do this in the name of Jesus Christ. Whats more, were ethically obligated to tell these bad actors the warning of Jesusthat the path of lies leads not just to violence toward the innocent but also to the damnation of the liars themselves (Rev. 21:8). We should be people of the truth. And at the judgment seat of Christ, when every lie is uncovered, dont be the person who must say, I left my soul in San Francisco. Russell Moore is editor in chief at Christianity Today. A healthy congregation isnt monolithic. Like the kingdom of God, it likely includes people of various ages, personalities, socioeconomic backgrounds, and cultures. And, hopefully, on a given Sunday, it includes the spiritually curiousthose who dont yet believe in Jesus but are interested in learning more. This variety brings great glory to God, but it can also pose an immense challenge for preaching. How can a pastor effectively connect Gods Word to so many different listenersall in one sermon? These new and recent books equip pastors to take on this challenge. Preaching to a Divided Nation: A Seven-Step Model for Promoting Reconciliation and Unity by Matthew D. Kim and Paul A. Hoffman (Baker) Preachers in North America face an enormous challenge today: People both inside and outside the church are divided over ethnic, racial, gender, and political issues. How can preachers faithfully proclaim the gospel and promote peace and healing in a church and society ... 1 ADL warns of 'disturbing' spike in anti-Semitism on college campuses A recent report from the Jewish advocacy group Anti-Defamation League highlighted an increase in anti-Israel activities at U.S. colleges and universities, raising concerns about the incidents and their impact on Jewish students. According to the ADLs annual Campus Report published earlier this month, more than 350 anti-Israel incidents occurred on college campuses during the 2021-2022 school year. Some of the incidents included 143 anti-Israel events, 165 protests and actions, and 20 Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) resolutions and referenda. In addition, the ADL reported 11 instances of vandalism, 19 instances of targeted verbal and written harassment, and one case involving a physical assault. During an April 18 protest against Israeli military action organized by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, a student threw a rock at a group of Jewish students. While no one was hurt, the perpetrator has been charged with a hate crime. Such an attack against Jews gathered at a Jewish institution is a blatant act of anti-Semitism, the report states. The advocacy group noted the trend on many college campuses of accusing Israel of genocide or ethnic cleansing or labeling the country an apartheid state. The report also noted that campuses calling to boycott and divest from Israel and Israel-based companies appeared to be another trend during the 2021-2022 school year. At some secondary institutions, the report found that Jewish students were ostracized and barred from participating in campus organizations due to their assumed support for Israel and Zionism. The anti-Semitic vitriol directed at pro-Israel students is deeply unsettling and makes our colleges and universities feel less safe and secure for Jewish students, said Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of ADL, in an Oct. 12 statement. University leaders must learn how to recognize and adequately respond to anti-Semitism whenever it arises, including when anti-Israel activities cross the line into anti-Semitic hatred. ADLs campus report comes at a time when violence against Jews has reportedly reached record levels in the United States. Last year, the advocacy group reported 2,717 incidents of assault, harassment and vandalism against Jewish people, the highest number on record since the ADL began tracking anti-Semitic incidents in 1979. In 2019, then-President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to treat anti-Semitism as a violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The act bars discrimination based on race, color, and national origin for activities and programs that receive federal assistance. The order was intended to combat anti-Semitism, particularly at institutions that receive federal funding. Another study released in April 2016 by the AMCHA Initiative, a nonprofit that investigates anti-Semitism on U.S. campuses, documented more than 300 anti-Semitic incidents on campuses in 2015. The report noted that the strongest predictor of anti-Jewish hostility on campus" is the presence of a BDS campaign against Israel. The more BDS activities on campus, the more likely anti-Semitic incidents are to occur, according to the report. Faculty members notably took part in BDS efforts and shared anti-Israel sentiment on campuses at the time of AMCHA Initiatives report. During a talk at Vassar College in February 2016, Rutgers professor Jasbir Puar accused Israel of harvesting Palestinian organs. She also claimed that Israel was conducting scientific experiments in "stunting" the growth of Palestinians' bodies. In April 2016, 40 Columbia University professors signed a BDS petition. The petition stated that the signatories stand with Columbia University Apartheid Divest, Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine, and with Jewish Voice for Peace in calling upon the University to take a moral stance against Israels violence in all its forms. Gen Z more close-minded than parents, grandparents' generations: 'Young, illiberal progressives' Generation Z is less open-minded and more intolerant than older generations, according to a recently released study by the left-leaning British media outlet Channel 4. Defined as people aged 13-24, Gen Z were more likely to believe that people should be canceled for their views and held less acceptance of different opinions than older generations. For its study, Channel 4 drew from a survey of 1,500 people, which was divided into cohorts of people aged 13-24 and people older than 25. Channel 4 Chief Executive Alex Mahon noted in a speech on Tuesday about the study that it documented the rise of what she described as young, illiberal progressives (YIPs). These are progressive people in that they support the freedoms won by earlier generations who changed social attitudes toward issues such as sexuality and equality. Indeed, they are significantly more progressive than their parents and even than millennials on some issues, said Mahon. But, and it is a big but, young people could be said to be less liberal because they are less tolerant of the views of others than their parents and grandparents surely a novelty. Mahon added that a quarter of Gen Z say they have very little tolerance for people with beliefs that they disagree with. They dont believe in unrestrained free speech, with nearly half agreeing that some people deserve to be canceled. There is an obvious paradox between this intolerance and their genuinely stated desires for everyone to have their rights and freedoms defended, she added. This is probably a completely rational response to the confusing online world we have, but is it either what they want for themselves or what we want for them? Channel 4s research also found a generation gap on gender ideology, with 48% of Gen Z respondents saying there are only two genders, contrasted with 68% of those older than 25. There was also disagreement on the source of Gen Z stress, with 50% of over-25 respondents believing that social media was the top cause of stress, but only 35% of Gen Z respondents agreed. Despite some key generational differences, the research also found that three out of five Gen Z respondents considered their parents to be role models, while one-quarter considered at least one grandparent as a role model. According to a 2021 survey of 1,000 adults in the United States by Rasmussen and The National Pulse, 72% of respondents believed that cancel culture had gotten out of control. Additionally, the 2021 study found that 75% of respondents believed that protecting free speech is more important than protecting people from speech that is offensive. SBC president, Executive Committee chair respond to proposed amendment on female pastors Any discussion concerning women serving as pastors in Southern Baptist churches must be informed by past decisions made by the Southern Baptist Convention, two key SBC figures said Wednesday. In a joint statement, SBC Executive Committee Chairman Jared Wellman and SBC President Bart Barber said a commitment to affirming Southern Baptist polity and the Baptist Faith and Message remains central in the ongoing debate over female pastors, which gained national attention last week after a Virginia pastor released an open letter to the Executive Committee. The document, written by Pastor Mike Law of Arlington Baptist Church in Arlington, Virginia, called on the board to recommend an amendment to the SBCs constitution to include verbiage requiring Southern Baptist churches not to affirm, appoint, or employ a woman as a pastor of any kind. Since its publication, the letter, titled A Call To Keep Our Unity, has received more than 800 signatures in support of Laws motion, which was initially introduced at the SBC's Annual Meeting in Anaheim, California, last June. Wellman and Barber acknowledged that while the SBC did not reach a moment in Anaheim where the messengers were able to vote on these questions, as far as it lies within our authority to do so, we are committed to letting these questions come before messengers at the SBC's Annual Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana, in June 2023. The SBC's constitution and bylaws can only be changed by a vote of messengers at the Annual Meeting. Messengers are representatives from cooperating Southern Baptist churches who gather to decide on policy and budget questions for the convention. While the statement signaled an intent to "protect the messengers rights, answer the messengers questions, and implement the messengers instructions" regarding the issue of female pastors, Wellman and Barber also stated support for the Baptist Faith & Message, the Convention's statement of faith, adding, We believe that the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture. These words represent our own individual doctrinal convictions. More importantly, these words represent the sentiments of the messenger body in their past decisions. As we discharge our own duties, we will do so in ways that implement these past decisions that the messengers have given to us. Should the SBC decide ultimately to change the Conventions constitution, any church found to be in violation of SBC bylaws would no longer be a part of the Convention. In his letter, Law noted the Baptist Faith & Message statement adopted in 2000 already affirms that while both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture. Prior to that, Law said the SBC through its Resolution On Ordination And The Role Of Women In Ministry already recognizes the Bible excludes women from pastoral leadership and pastoral functions. This matter has long been settled by Southern Baptists, he wrote. While a "resolution" is informative as a "snapshot" of where Southern Baptists are on a particular issue at a particular moment, and the Baptist Faith and Message "Confession" is instructive as a reliable summary of what Southern Baptists most surely believe, neither one is binding on the conscience of an individual Southern Baptist or on a Southern Baptist church. However, the constitution and bylaws are binding on a Southern Baptist church. Any church that violates the constitution and bylaws would no longer be, by definition, a member of the Southern Baptist Convention. While theres little data on the number of women serving in pastoral roles in Southern Baptist churches, fewer than one-tenth of 1% of SBC-affiliated churches in 2000 had a woman serving as senior pastor, according to a study from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Last year, Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, drew scrutiny from many within the SBC when the church ordained three women Liz Puffer, Cynthia Petty and Katie Edwards. Since then, the prominent California megachurch has received increased attention for its support of female pastors. Recently installed lead Pastor Andy Wood, who replaced pastor and bestselling author Rick Warren as leader of Saddleback, listed his wife, Stacie, as a teaching pastor on the churchs website. Earlier in October, Stacie preached a sermon at Saddleback, with her being identified as a Teaching Pastor. Also last month, trustees at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, unanimously approved a resolution encouraging the seminary's administration to continue theologically training both men and women, "but with men alone reserved for the office and function, and thereby title of pastor." "It is further resolved that this Board encourages The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary administration and faculty to continue its theological training with this stated conviction graduating both men and women for service to the church, but with men alone reserved for the office and function, and thereby title of pastor," the resolution states in part. The resolution commended the stance of SBTS President Albert Mohler, who helped revise the Baptist Faith & Message 2000, the official statement of faith for the SBC. Shortly after the SBC's Annual Meeting last June, Mohler was joined by Chuck Kelley and Richard Land, who also were members of the revision committee, in publishing a statement clarifying the meaning of the word "pastor," titled, "A Statement Concerning the Baptist Faith & Message and the Word' Pastor.'" Mohler has served as president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary since 1993, Kelley served as president of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary for 23 years, and Land served as president of the SBC's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission from 1988-2013 and is president emeritus of Southern Evangelical Seminary in North Carolina. The Confession Revision Committee assigned the three men to write a study guide for the new 2000 Baptist Faith & Message Confession. Aiming to bring clarity to a fractious debate within SBC life, the theologians said that when it comes to the word "pastor," Southern Baptists have always understood the term. In keeping with the spirit of Baptist Faith and Message 2000, "pastor" means "one who fulfills the pastoral office and carries out the pastor's functions." United Methodist Church elects first Native American bishop A regional body of The United Methodist Church has elected the first Native American bishop in the history of the mainline Protestant denomination. The Rev. David Wilson, assistant to the bishop of the Oklahoma and Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference, was elected Wednesday as a bishop in the UMC South Central Jurisdictional Conference. Delegates meeting in Houston, Texas, chose the 59-year-old Wilson on the first ballot, with him getting 92 votes out of 151 valid ballots cast, passing the minimum requirement of 77 votes, or 60%, reported UM News. Wilson had previously served as a conference superintendent for 19 years, lead coordinator for the North Oklahoma City Native American Ministry for eight years, and director of promotions and interpretations for the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference for seven years. He also served as a pastor of a couple of churches in Oklahoma, and as campus minister for the Native American Campus Ministry program at Northeastern State University. At a press conference held shortly after his election, Wilson spoke about the history of his people coming to Christianity and in gradually entering ministry roles in the Methodist Church. People ask often why would Native people want to be part of the Methodist Church or Christianity given whats happened in this history? Wilson said. When we look at Christianity, when we talk to our elders, the premise of that is so much like our spirituality. You take care of each other, you love one another, and in essence, thats what Christianity is. Wilson went on to explain that after his ancestors were forcibly moved out West, one of the very first things our people did was to recreate the Methodist churches. Were proud of being United Methodists. Were proud of the work we do in Oklahoma, he added. In addition to Wilson, other bishops elected by the South Central Jurisdictional Conference included the Rev. Laura Merrill, capital district superintendent for the UMC Rio Texas Conference, and the Rev. Dee Williamston, assistant to the bishop and director of Clergy Excellence for the UMC Great Plains Annual Conference. Williamstons election was also historic, as she became the first female African American bishop in the history of the South Central Jurisdictional Conference. God showed up through the South Central Jurisdiction to elect their first African American woman bishop, said Williamston, as reported by UM News. It means a lot to stand here and represent and finally say we are here and we are not done. A lot of people have sacrificed for me to be here in this moment. It means we are moving forward ever so slowly, but we are moving. What keeps me still going after 30 years of Harvest Crusades Harvest has held large-scale evangelistic events at Angel Stadium for 32 years. Over 6 million people have attended in person, and over 600,000 have made professions of faith to follow Jesus Christ. When I started these crusades, I was in my late 30s. Now, this December, I turn 70. People often ask me why Ive done this for so long. Honestly, these events are a lot of work. They take months of planning, asking thousands of people to volunteer their time and energy, not to mention the considerable expense to put on a free event for a packed-out stadium each year. As the event approaches each year, I come under a lot of pressure and spiritual attack. Calling it a day and thanking God for all He has done these last three decades would be easy. But here we are doing it again at Angel Stadium this weekend. Buy why? Because of the power of the Gospel. The Apostle Paul said, For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes (Rom. 1:16). The word that Paul uses for power is from the Greek word dunamis, which translates to explosive power. There is explosive power in the simple message of the Gospel. We have seen God change lives over the years in supernatural ways. Marriages are healed, addictions are overcome, suicidal people are given new hope, and the list goes on. But the most important thing for all those who have prayed to ask Jesus into their life down on that field after the invitation or altar call, as it is sometimes called, is this: their eternal address changed from Hell to Heaven. If we as Christians believe in an afterlife, specifically Heaven and Hell, how can we sit by complacently, knowing that we have loved ones who could potentially face a future judgment? The Bible says, To him that knows to do good and does not do it, is sin (James 4:17). Its called the sin of omission. The sin of commission is knowing what is wrong and doing it anyway, like breaking a commandment. In contrast, the sin of omission is knowing what is right and not doing it. Lets say you were walking down the street and saw a house was on fire, and a family was trapped inside, screaming for help. You might choose to be a hero and rush in and try to save them. At the very least, you would call 9-1-1. But what if you saw this home in flames with a family sure to perish inside, and you just kept walking? That would be criminal. Now, take that analogy and think about your family, your friends, and your neighbors. Their situation is worse than a house fire. Do they know there is a God in Heaven who loves them? That is where you and I come in. The Bible asks, But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? (Rom. 10:14). Unless someone tells them. Gods primary way of reaching nonbelievers is through the verbal articulation of the Gospel. Some argue, I dont have a gift for preaching. I will just be a good example of what a Christian should be! By all means, please be that. God knows we need to be good examples. But Jesus did not say, Go into all the world and be a good example! Instead, He said, Go into all the world and preach the Gospel (Mark 16:15). To preach the Gospel, you need to articulate the message. But the most challenging part of sharing the Gospel is getting the conversation started. So, I have a tool for you that has worked powerfully and effectively for thousands of believers for three decades of Harvest Crusades in New York City, Philadelphia, Seattle, Oahu, Atlanta, and even Australia and New Zealand. Invite someone to the Harvest Crusade. Even if you arent in SoCal this weekend, you can attend for free via livestream. You can start the conversation with, Have you heard about the SoCal Harvest at Angel Stadium? People might say, Oh yes, I have seen the billboards and the bumper stickers. Then you ask, Would you like to go to one with me? Its a free event with amazing music and a message that could change your life. Lets take advantage of the SoCal Harvest Crusade this weekend. Dont send someone, bring them. Eighty-five percent of those that come down to the field to follow Christ were brought to the stadium by a friend. Be that friend to someone. Extend that invitation. I hope to see you there! P.S., For those asking how long I plan to continue my crusade work: I had the privilege of spending a lot of time with Billy Graham toward the end of his ministry. I attended and helped him with his message preparation and had a front-row seat to watch the greatest evangelist of modern times. Its as though I enrolled in the finest evangelistic university on earth. Billy kept preaching the Gospel well into his 80s. I figure, God willing, there are many more people to reach. So as long as I have breath, I will preach the Gospel. Benjamin Netanyahu calls indictment on corruption charges a 'political coup' Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been indicted on an assortment of charges, including breach of trust, bribery, and fraud. Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit made the announcement on Thursday, marking the first time in the history of the modern state of Israel that a sitting prime minister has been indicted. This is a hard and sad day, explained Mandelblit in a speech given before the Justice Ministry, as reported by The Jerusalem Post. I am bringing an indictment on public corruption against the prime minister in three cases. It is sad for me personally and for the country. Mandelblit also said that he admired the work of Netanyahu and this was not a matter of left or right or of politics or a political issue, but rather our duty. Out of a deep commitment to the law and the public interest, law enforcement is not something we can choose, he continued. It is an obligation imposed on all of us those who are part of law enforcement, and on me personally as the one who stands as its head. ... There is no man who is above the law. For his part, Netanyahu has denied the charges and argued in a televised address Thursday evening that the proceedings are nothing more than a political coup. I give my life to this state, I fought for it, I was wounded for it. I have to say this is a very hard day, the prime minister said, NBC News reported. This is a contaminated process, we need to investigate the investigators, they didnt want the truth, they were after me personally. In February 2018, Israeli authorities recommended that Netanyahu be indicted on charges of breach of trust and bribery, following a 14-month investigation. At issue are two cases, known as "Case 1000" and "Case 2000, according to The Jerusalem Post. Case 1000 alleges that the prime minister improperly accepted high-priced gifts from various businessmen. Case 2000 alleges that he engaged in an unethical quid pro quo deal with an Israeli publisher, requesting favorable coverage in return for supporting legislation that would have harmed a rival of the publisher. Netanyahu also faces a charge stemming from Case 4000, another media bribery scheme in which he allegedly received positive coverage from news company Walla in return for Netanyahu making government policies favoring owner Shaul Elovitchs Bezeq company. The indictment has further complicated efforts on the part of Netanyahu to form a coalition government following the September elections and, according to some commentators, will lead to another round of elections in March, according to The Associated Press. Couples who marry due to family, social pressure 50% more likely to divorce: study Couples who get married due to family or social pressure are up to 50% more at risk of having a union that ends in divorce, according to a recent study from the Marriage Foundation in England and Wales. The study, "Attitudes towards marriage and commitment," published in October, asked 2,000 adults who had ever married how much they agreed or disagreed with each of 12 reasons presented by researchers for why they got married. To ensure that the findings were relevant to todays families, researchers then focused on 905 couples from the sample who married for the first time after the year 2000 when online dating emerged. What this research shows conclusively is that the reasons why people get married has a significant material impact to whether they stay together. While this might seem obvious, this has never been quantified, said Harry Benson, Marriage Foundations research director, in a statement about the study shared with The Christian Post. But the message is clear. Get married for love and your future together and not because it is either expected of you or because of family pressure. Respondents who said they felt they had to marry due to family pressure registered a significantly higher probability of divorce at just 34% compared to 23% of couples who did not identify these reasons. Put another way, couples who tied the knot due to family pressure were 50% more likely to split up, the foundation noted. Respondents who agreed that their marriage just kind of happened (slide into it) also had a 29% probability of divorce over the duration of the study compared to 22% of those who disagreed. The findings took into account measures such as gender, age at marriage, occupation, where the couple met, whether they had done some form of marriage preparation or signed a prenuptial agreement, how much their wedding cost, how many guests they had, and whether one of them earned more than the other or was better educated than the other. Researchers also found that factors such as having an expensive wedding costing more than $22,000 (20,000), having met online or at work rather than meeting through family and friends, and having fewer than 10 guests at the wedding were all associated with higher risk of divorce in the early years of a marriage. Individuals who view their marriage as a cornerstone of building a life together generally fared better than those who got married due to social pressure. The difference in probabilities is non-trivial. Again taking into account all of the other reasons and factors, [couples who married to build a life together] were more likely to stay together. The probability of divorce for the average marriage in our sample was 23% if they agreed, compared to 33% if they disagreed, Benson wrote. Couples who got married to declare their commitment to each other also tended to do better, as did those who married because they wanted to have children who grew up in a two-parent household, but that observation came with a caveat. This latter finding needs to be interpreted with some caution as couples may be staying together for the sake of their children in the short-term but to the detriment of their longer term marriage, Benson said. "In my analysis of the pre-2000 weddings, I found a statistically lower risk of divorce in the early years but a statistically higher risk overall. The main point however stands. Couples who are intentional about their marriage do better. Couples who slide into their marriage do not. Indonesia: Christians react to gov't officials joining effort to block construction of church in Java SURABAYA, Indonesia Two local officials in Indonesia joined Islamist organizations call to block construction of a Christian church, triggering objections nationwide in the past two months, according to published reports. In western Java Islands Banten Province, Cilegon Mayor Heldy Agustian and his deputy, Sanuji Pentamarta, were among those who signed a petition to ban construction of a church building in Cilegons Grogol District in early September, sparking complaints of government interference in religious freedom, according to media outlet Detik.com. This incident harms the 1945 Constitution, which guarantees equality of every citizen to adhere to a certain religion and to worship freely in accordance to their own religions, the Rev. Jerry Sumampow, spokesman for the Communion of Churches in Indonesia (Persekutuan Gereja-gereja di Indonesia, or PGI), said in a Sept. 9 statement. The two Cilegon officials signed the petition opposing construction of Maranatha Church after a demonstration against it in early September that included members of the Cilegon chapter of the Indonesian Ulema Council (Majelis Ulama Indonesia, or MUI), the countrys top body of Islamic scholars. Reportedly leading the demonstration was a group called the Cilegon City Local Wisdom Defender Committee, which along with the MUI, other Islamist groups and the two city officials then signed a petition opposing the construction. The proposed church building was to serve a congregation belonging to the Protestant Christian Batak Church (Huria Kristen Batak Protestant, or HKBP). Abd Rohim Ghazali, executive director of the Jakarta-based Maarif Institute for Culture and Humanity, said in a Sept. 9 press statement that the involvement of the Cilegon mayor and deputy against the church violates Indonesias constitutional rights of religion and belief. The following day, representatives of the Wahid Foundation, established in 2004 to promote tolerance and non-violence, issued a statement saying government officials should abide by the constitution and not succumb to the pressure of the masses. Rights advocates say requirements for obtaining permission to build houses of worship in Indonesia are onerous and hamper the establishment of such buildings for Christians and other faiths. When Indonesias minister of Religious Affairs, Hajj Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, invited the conflicted parties for discussion, Mayor Agustian said the church met construction permit requirements at lower administrative levels, but that the process had not reached the municipal level. Such processes typically have to pass through four levels of bureaucracy before reaching the municipal level. Besides the opposition that the church faces, most applications for church construction permits in Indonesia take decades to process without support from high-ranking officials. Addressing HKBP leaders, Qoumas said he would do everything in his power to ensure that the religious freedom guarantees in the Indonesian constitution were upheld in Cilegon. Appearing to agree with Mayor Agustian, however, Quomas suggested that the real problem is not at the base but the hardline [lower-level] local administration, as quoted by Asia News. Historical influences The provinces port city of Banten anchored the Banten Sultanate, an Islamist trading power of the 16th and mid-17th centuries, and persecution of Muslims by Dutch colonists centuries later contributes to todays opposition to non-Muslim faiths, Christians in the region believe. Dutch colonists of the 19th century prohibited Muslim calls to prayer, forced them to pay tribute and publicly hung rebel clerics, according to the secretary of the Cilegon chapter of the Religious Harmony Forum (FKUB), Agus Surahmat. Such oppression has fostered sentiment against adherents of other faiths that has been passed down from generation to generation, Surahmat told outlet SuaraBanten.id. People understand that those [Dutch] who hung them were non-Muslims, he told SuaraBanten.id. In addition to such history, Christians believe past pacts influence local Muslims mindset. When Indonesia established its largest steel mill, Krakatau Steel Co., Ltd., in Cilegon in cooperation with the former Soviet Union in 1962, it was accompanied by an agreement to ban Christian houses of worship, according to local news reports. Cilegon has no non-Muslim house of worship, according to Wawan Wahyudin, president of the Banten-based Sultan Maulana Hasanuddin Islamic State University. Official state data from 2019 recorded 382 mosques and 287 Muslim prayer rooms in Cilegon, with no record of any houses of worship of other faiths. In a city whose population is now near 435,000, the number of Protestant Christians was recorded in 2019 as 6,740, in addition to 1,743 Catholics, 215 Hindus and 215 Buddhists. Indonesia ranked 28th on the Christian support organization Open Doors 2022 World Watch List of the 50 countries where it's most difficult to be a Christian. Indonesian society has adopted a more conservative Islamic character, and churches involved in evangelistic outreach are at risk of being targeted by Islamic extremist groups, according to Open Doors WWL report. There are certain hotspots, such as West Java or Aceh, where extremist groups are strong and exert a strong influence on society and politics, the report states. In some regions, church groups face difficulties getting permission to build churches. Even if they manage to fulfill all legal requirements (including winning court cases), the local authorities still often ignore them. Man shares how God's voice saved from him from suicide while in prison for murder While in prison for murder, Raynard Dugger remembers the day he planned to commit suicide from in his cell like it was yesterday. He also remembers how the voice of God stopped him. "My cell was rigged a certain way so that ... it would close, but won't lock. And then, when the officer made his last rounds, I was going to leave out and go hang myself. I had everything prepared. I was sitting on my bunk and I started just contemplating, seeing it in my head," Dugger recounted in a recent episode of Delafe Testimonies on YouTube. "There was something inside [of me] that was not convinced. ... I just felt inside there has to be another way. I don't even know where that came from at the time. But, I promise, the moment I said that, I heard the voice of God in my cell [say], 'try me.'" Years later, Dugger reflectc on where he has come from and how he believes God saved him. Dugger shared his Christian testimony with Delafe Testimonies, a YouTube channel with a following of 171,000 subscribers that highlights powerful testimonies of Christ's followers. The channel is described as a "global project with a mission to save souls, build community and set people free" through sharing testimonies to Christ. Dugger said if he could use two words to describe that time in his life before he found Christ, it would be: "not Jesus." Dugger grew up in a crime-ridden Washington, D.C. neighborhood ironically called "Paradise." Although raised in a church-going family with both parents and two sisters, Dugger said he didn't know anything about Jesus and did not have "a desire for God [or] anything spiritual." "We had struggles. My dad was the only one working. My mom [had hearing] complications. So she couldn't work a lot [or] get certain jobs," Dugger described of the time. "In my house, nobody really cared for each other that much or showed that they did. It was always about my dad trying to survive, my mom trying to be content with her situation, my sisters trying to make it out here as females, and me, now I'm in the streets." Dugger said he became a drug dealer at the age of 12, with "some of my friends' parents" being among his customers. He eventually recruited his friends to help. "When you grow up in an environment that's kind of rocky and shaky, ... you want something you can call your own. You want something that nobody can take from you, that you can make for yourself and survive. So I thought that being a drug dealer, I would make a name for myself," Dugger detailed. Early on, he started carrying a gun, sneaking the weapon into school. "When you're carrying guns, you either get locked up with it, or you have to use it," Dugger said. "And in my case, there was a situation where I used it." At age 22, Dugger shot someone to death. "I look back now. I regret that situation with everything that I have in me. I see so many ways it could have went. But it happened. I understand now that everybody has a decision to make. You're not forced to do anything," Dugger said. "In those times and in those moments, where you feel like I just have to do this, I wish somebody would have told me, 'no, you don't.'" When Dugger stood in front of a judge to have his murder case evaluated, he felt called to take a plea deal, noting, "I told God that whatever I'm going to have to say, I'm just going, to tell the truth." Dugger recalled the first day he was shut into the mechanical cell doors and realized he couldn't "pry this open" or "wiggle" his way out. Stuck behind bars, Dugger said he contemplated suicide to avoid a 20-year sentence, thinking that suicide was "how I could win." "It made sense because I still wanted to be in control to the point where I was willing to take my own life just so I could still stay in control of my destiny," Dugger said. Looking back, he finds it strange that he thought "winning was taking my life." Moments before he was to attempt suicide, Dugger said he heard God's voice and suddenly began to think about other people, such as his then 2-year-old son. "This was literally the first time I had ever decided to change my mind on something that I wanted to do," he explained, noting that he "heard the voice of God in my cell." "And it wasn't like spooky or like the movies or like I had to look up or try to figure out where this voice is coming from. I knew that it was God. It was a knowing." "This voice was so familiar. I just knew it. And it brought so much freedom and joy to me in that moment. [I remember] literally transitioning from crying to about to take my life to hearing God's voice and just immediately feeling loved." Dugger went on to actively preach the Gospel while in jail, saying he was "on fire" for God. Duggar said his sentence was later reduced by the grace of God, spending six years and eight months in prison before his release. "Everyone at that time knew me for serving the Lord," he said. "They knew me for praising God. They knew me for being a witness for Jesus, even around the whole entire jail." After jail, Duggar found a job, got married and had a child. "Coming home, I realize its time to run for Jesus out here," he said. "I'm going to link up with people, going to link up with church, and we are going to be on fire for God. In prison, the reason God had his name spread throughout the jail using my life is because the fire of God that was in that place. ... People don't play about God in prison because that is really all you got." Not everything was easy after Duggar's release from prison. He recalled times when he was turned down for jobs because of his criminal background, even though he was fasting and praying for employment. "Now, living for the lord, I have been home six years," he said. "I have been home for more days than I was in, and God has continued to be faithful. I realize that when you are called by God and when He calls you, it don't matter what nobody got to say. It's His voice that matters. Sometimes I look back and think, 'Somebody lost their life so I could be saved.' I don't get that. But it's not really for me to get because I'm here, and it happened. I accept it. I pray for everyone that I have ever crossed paths with. But I know God called." Naftali Bennett sworn in as Israels new prime minister; PLO, Hamas threaten to attack Jerusalem As Naftali Bennett was sworn in as Israels new prime minister Sunday, ending the rule of the longest-serving prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Palestine Liberation Organization and Hamas threatened to attack Jerusalem. The parliament approved by a razor-thin 6059 majority a new government of change led by 49-year-old Bennett, while Netanyahu, 71, pledged he would soon return to power, The Epoch Times reported, adding that as part of a deal with his centrist and left-wing coalition, Bennett will be replaced as prime minister by 57-year-old Yair Lapid in 2023. Bennett is not likely to introduce any drastic measures in relation to sensitive international issues, including policy toward the Palestinians, and has said he will focus more on healing the countrys divisions and restoring a sense of normalcy, The Associated Press reported. Netanyahus support had declined since 2009, and he was going through a corruption trial though he had denied any wrongdoing. The new prime ministers alliance includes a party that represents its 21% Arab minority, which has close family relations with the Palestinians, although Bennett is opposed to Palestinian independence and supports Jewish settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Bennett is also expected to maintain Israels hard-line stance on Iran and oppose U.S. President Joe Bidens efforts to revive its international nuclear deal, according to analysts. Bennett has briefly served as head of the West Bank settlers council, called Yesha, and as cabinet minister of diaspora affairs, education and defense in various Netanyahu-led governments. On the day of his swearing-in, the PLOs Jerusalem Department threatened to carry out an explosion to push his administration to cancel a march called Flag Parade, which is planned to be held Tuesday in celebration of Jerusalem Day, YNet News reported. In a statement, the PLO said that its violence could extend beyond Jerusalem to the Palestinian territories if the march takes place. Hamas has also reportedly issued a warning saying it had not ruled out the option of resuming rocket fire at cities across the country. Organizers of the march have reached an agreement with police and altered the route to avoid the Damascus Gate and the Old Citys Muslim Quarter, where violence could erupt, Israel Hayom reported. The parade, which is to commemorate the reunification of Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War, was scheduled for May 10, which was Jerusalem Day this year but was postponed after Hamas fired rockets at Jerusalem, which led to 11 days of hostilities. Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden spoke to the new Israeli prime minister on the phone late Sunday to congratulate Bennett and to continue to strengthen ties between the two countries, The Jerusalem Post reported. On behalf of the American people, I congratulate Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Alternate Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, and all the members of the new Israeli cabinet, Biden said in a statement. Israel has no better friend than the United States. The bond that unites our people is evidence of our shared values and decades of close cooperation. Biden added, My administration is fully committed to working with the new Israeli government to advance security, stability, and peace for Israelis, Palestinians, and people throughout the broader region. The Foreign Ministry of the United Arab Emirates also congratulated both Bennett and Lapid, saying, We look forward to working together to advance regional peace, strengthen tolerance and coexistence, and embark upon a new era of cooperation in technology, trade, and investment. Netanyahu wins election as Israels prime minister 16 months after defeat Benjamin Netanyahu has once again become prime minister of Israel in the country's fifth election in less than for years. Yair Lapid conceded defeat on Thursday after nearly all the votes were counted, allowing the 73-year-old Netanyahu to claim victory in the election. The State of Israel comes before any political consideration, Lapid said. I wish Netanyahu success, for the sake of the people of Israel and the State of Israel. Netanyahus return to the executive office came as his Likud Party formed a political alliance with two other political parties known as Jewish Power and Religious Zionism. Religious Zionism and its allies have weathered claims that they are extremists who will target the nations minority Arab community, and the LGBT community if they take power. Were not going to hammer anyone, said MK Orit Strock, a member of Religious Zionism, as quoted by the Times of Israel. We will serve all citizens, including those who do not think like us and whose lifestyles are different. Strock did say that her party wants to bring order to the public space, apparently taking issue with lewd, vulgar and pornographic aspects of LGBT pride events. Regardless of pride, there shouldnt be marches of people walking down the street naked or half naked, she added. The problem is with years-long efforts, not just here but around the world, to force things on the public. Before Thursday, multiple news outlets had predicted a victory for Netanyahu and the creation of a more right-leaning national government. With 99% of the votes counted, the Jewish News Syndicate reported that the total number of seats for the coalition government had decreased from an expected 65 seats to 64. Nevertheless, the JNS added, Netanyahu only needed 61 seats to have a majority in the 120-seat Knesset. In 2019, Netanyahu became the first sitting prime minister in the history of the modern state of Israel to be indicted, with various charges, including breach of trust, bribery and fraud. This is a hard and sad day, said Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit in a speech given before the Justice Ministry at the time, as reported by The Jerusalem Post. I am bringing an indictment on public corruption against the prime minister in three cases. It is sad for me personally and for the country. For his part, Netanyahu denied the allegations, labeling the indictment a political coup and a contaminated process, in which he felt the investigators were after me personally. In June 2021, Netanyahu lost his position as prime minister after 12 years in the role, being replaced by Naftali Bennett, who held on to power with a very slight majority in the Knesset. Canadian pastor acquitted of violating COVID-19 restrictions after spending 21 days in jail A Canadian pastor has been acquitted of violating coronavirus worship restrictions after spending time in jail last year for holding worship services. The Provincial Court of Alberta acquitted Pastor Tim Stephens of Fairview Baptist Church in Calgary of charges that he violated public health orders imposed by the provincial government during the coronavirus pandemic. Stephens was jailed for 21 days after refusing to abide by the ongoing worship bans and was fined several times. A previous court ruling dropped four of the tickets levied against the pastor. Tuesday's decision dealt with the remaining two. He was represented by the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms. "We are pleased that the Court has acquitted Pastor Stephens on the charges of not complying with a public health order," the law firm said in a statement. "Pastor Stephens was illegally arrested and imprisoned for having allegedly violated the Public Health Orders, which have since been shown to be ineffective and harmful. This decision sets the record straight about the justifiability of his actions and about the importance of respecting Charter rights and freedoms." In a Wednesday blog post on his church's website, Stephens elaborated on his ordeal over the past year. "After a trial on September 15, 2021, where I took the stand to make my defense on two counts of violating the Chief Medical Officer's COVID health orders, the written decision was given yesterday by the judge. In short, the judge found me not guilty," Stephens wrote. Stephens listed the charges that he faced throughout his legal battle: "3 [Public Health Act] violations for failing to wear a mask all withdrawn; 2 PHA violations for exceeding capacity limit both withdrawn; 2 PHA violations for failing to physical distance went to trial, acquitted on both counts; 1 contempt of court charge spent 3 days in jail, then withdrawn; 1 criminal charge for violating a court order spent 18 days in jail, then withdrawn; 1 PHA violation against the church waiting to schedule trial." The ruling dealt with tickets issued in response to church services on Feb. 28, 2021, and Mar. 7, 2021, that authorities said did not comply with coronavirus worship restrictions and social distancing requirements. Stephens characterized the decision as a "small victory" that he attributed to "the special providence of God." "In God's plan it was this judge presiding over the matter who seemed to have no desire to continue the heavy handed use of the law to punish dissenting opinions," he concluded. "As I reflect on recent events, I'm certainly pleased with the outcome yet realize there is more work to be done." Stephens believes the work to be done is not "political" or "legal" but "theological." "Our society with its laws, mandates, and opinions reflect a change of 'god' with corresponding views of authority and humanity that will lead to dystopia unless there is repentance," Stephens wrote. "No longer are we a nation built upon the supremacy of God and the rule of law, but we are seeking to do away with God and his law to enshrine the shifting and harmful opinions of sinful man and his selfish machinations," Stephens lamented. "The need of the hour is the proclamation of the good news of the kingdom of God and for his kingdom to be manifest in our churches, households, and society." Stephens is one of several Canadian pastors who became entangled in the legal system because of their advocacy against coronavirus worship restrictions and hosting in-person worship services. Artur Pawlowski, a Calgary pastor also represented by the Justice Centre, went viral after tense exchanges between the Polish-born church leader and government officials seeking to enforce coronavirus worship restrictions circulated online. Pawlowski also spent time in jail for holding an in-person worship service in violation of coronavirus worship restrictions. He detailed his experience in a previous interview with The Christian Post. He recalled receiving more than two dozen tickets, three court orders, two injunctions and two court contempt trials. Pawlowski won a legal victory when the Alberta Court of Appeal dismissed a contempt-of-court charge levied against him by a lower court. While public officials touted the coronavirus worship restrictions as necessary to stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 6.5 million people worldwide and over 46,000 people in Canada, critics such as Stephens and Pawlowski saw the restrictions as unnecessarily stringent and hostile toward people of faith. In his blog post, Stephens said, "the health orders and court orders used to scare many into compliance were overly broad, hurried into use, and do not provide the legal right for the government to regulate the worship of the church with lockdown measures that have proved harmful and ineffective." Study: 88% of colleges, universities restrict free speech in some form A new study from the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education has found that 88% of American universities restrict free speech in some form. FIREs 2021 Spotlight on Speech Codes looked at the free speech policies of 478 colleges and universities, 372 public institutions and 106 private colleges and universities. Based on a schools written policies on free speech, it was assigned into one of four categories: Red light, yellow light, green light or warning. Factors examined when compiling the ratings included a universitys policies on free speech zones, hate speech, internet usage, tolerance, respect and civility, harassment, obscenity and security fees. A red light institution maintains at least one policy both clearly and substantially restricting freedom of speech, or bars public access to its speech-related policies by requiring a university password and login for access. The Ivy League universities of Princeton and Harvard as well as other notable private colleges such as the University of Notre Dame and John Hopkins University were among the 21.3% of higher education institutions that received red light ratings. Yellow light institutions maintain policies that could be interpreted to suppress protected speech or policies that, while clearly restricting freedom of speech, restrict relatively narrow categories of speech. The Ivy League universities of Columbia and Cornell as well as several schools in the University of California system were among the 65.3% of colleges and universities reviewed by FIRE that were given yellow light ratings. The warning label, reserved exclusively for private universities, is assigned to a school that clearly and consistently states that it holds a certain set of values above a commitment to freedom of speech. Baylor University and the United States Naval Academy were among the 1.7% of schools assigned warning labels. Colleges and universities awarded green light ratings have policies that do not seriously threaten campus expression but a green light rating does not necessarily indicate that a school actively supports free expression in practice; it simply means that the schools written policies do not pose a serious threat to free speech. Green light institutions, 11.7% of those examined by FIRE, include Florida State University, George Mason University and the University of Chicago. Speaking to The Christian Post, Laura Beltz, the lead author of the report, explained that while the numbers in the report may seem disheartening, the situation regarding free speech on campus has improved overall. A decade ago when we put this report together, most of the schools in our database were getting our worst rating. Now, the number of schools that are maintaining those most clearly and substantially restrictive policies are going down, which may surprise folks from things that they hear about the state of free speech on campus, she said. Beltz attributed the improvement, in part, to the fact that a lot of state legislatures are passing free speech-supporting bills that apply to [public] colleges. The number of green light schools increased from 50 last year to 56 now. There are some schools that are revising their policies totally so that they meet First Amendment standards, she said. While the number of red light schools has decreased, the number of yellow light schools has increased. According to Beltz, It seems like red light schools are just revising their policies enough to get to the yellow light category. So as the red goes down, the yellow goes up. Although FIRE focuses on higher education, Beltz acknowledged the importance of making sure that respect for free speech is instilled in students before they arrive on campus. We are paying attention to whats going in the K-12 context just because we know that students dont form their beliefs about things like free speech principles once they get to college; theyre learning about these things beforehand. So we have things like high school curriculum material to try to get students to learn about free speech principles before they get on campus so thats a part of how were trying to target that group, she noted. Since FIREs founding in 1999, the national debate about free speech has changed significantly, Beltz contended, saying, Some things have improved but others have gotten worse. She pointed to an online mob factor, where if a professor says something controversial on Twitter, suddenly you have all these people on Twitter replying that the person should be fired even though the speech is protected speech, as an example of the respect for free speech deteriorating. FDA warns prescribing abortion pills before pregnancy could endanger women's health The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has spoken out against healthcare providers prescribing abortion pills to non-pregnant women in light of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, saying it could endanger women's health. "The FDA is concerned about the advance prescribing of mifepristone for this use," an FDA spokesperson told Politico on Friday. "Mifepristone is not approved for advance provision of a medical abortion." The government's statement comes as telemedicine and in-person providers have started prescribing abortion pills mifepristone and misoprostol to women before they're pregnant in case they plan to have an abortion in the future, and their state restricts access. The Supreme Court's June ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization restored the state's authority to ban abortion, with several states outlawing or severely restricting the procedure following Roe's reversal. The FDA noted the risk of a woman taking mifepristone weeks or months after the prescription is filled. Mifepristone is the first drug in the chemical abortion pill regimen that stops the flow of progesterone to the fetus to prevent it from growing. The agency stated that a physician likely will not have had the chance to screen the woman for an ectopic pregnancy or other potential complications, which could endanger patients. Dr. Susan Bane, a board member of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, a group of thousands of pro-life medical professionals, agrees with the FDA's assessment. Bane wrote in a statement submitted to The Christian Post that doctors do not have medical authorization to prescribe mifepristone before a woman is pregnant. "The risks of medical abortion are the same whether the pregnancy is wanted or not," Bane wrote. "The first risk is failing to diagnose an ectopic pregnancy." The doctor said a pregnancy occurs outside the uterine cavity during an ectopic pregnancy and can be life-threatening if the fallopian tube ruptures. "Determination of pregnancy location, intrauterine (in the uterus) versus ectopic (outside the uterus), requires an ultrasound," Bane wrote. "Since the medications used to induce an abortion do not treat ectopic pregnancy, women who desire an abortion and receive abortion medications without an ultrasound may result in delayed detection and treatment of an ectopic pregnancy, increasing the risk of greater internal bleeding and risk for death." Cindy Adam, CEO of telemedicine provider Choix, disagrees, calling chemical abortion pill restrictions "unnecessary." In a statement to Politico, Adam insists that the process is "safe." The telehealth provider began offering women abortion pills before pregnancy due to the court's decision this summer. "Science has consistently shown that when people have accurate information and access to abortion pills they can safely end a pregnancy in their own homes," she said. "Providing abortion care through advance provision should be no different." Choix did not immediately respond to The Christian Post's request for comment. Another group offering women abortion pills before pregnancy is Aid Access, a European organization that vowed to continue shipping abortion pills to the United States after Roe's reversal. The organization started offering abortion pills in advance last fall when Texas' six-week abortion ban took effect. Over a month after the court overturned Roe in June, Aid Access reported that it received 4,000 requests daily for abortion pills, up from 600 to 700 a day. Last year, pro-life activists condemned the FDA's decision to eliminate the in-person dispensing requirement for abortion pills, allowing women to obtain the drugs by mail without seeing a doctor. The FDA announced a temporary suspension of the requirement last April due to COVID-19, but in December, the organization made the decision permanent. In a statement, Randall O'Bannon, director of education and research at National Right to Life, claimed the FDA is endangering women. "Making this change permanent puts women at greater risk because they may not be adequately screened to make sure they have no disqualifying conditions like allergies or ectopic pregnancy and are not so far along that the drugs will not work or are more likely to result in life-threatening complications," O'Bannon said. "Without that screening or monitoring, the likelihood of hemorrhage, infection, and missed ectopic pregnancy are greatly increased, and there is a greater possibility that a woman experiencing these adverse events may end up in the emergency room and could arrive too late for life-saving treatment." According to a 2015 study published by Obstetrics & Gynecology titled "Incidence of Emergency Room Department Visits and Complications After Abortion," chemical abortions have a higher complication rate than surgical abortions. The study used data from 2009 and 2010 to assess the abortion complication rate for California women who had abortions through Medicaid and those treated at the emergency room instead of the clinic. Researchers found that the complication rate was 5.2% for women who took the abortion pill compared to 1.3% for women who had a first-trimester surgical abortion. The major complication rate for the abortion pill was .31% in contrast to .16% for first-trimester surgical abortions. Pastor under investigation for campaigning during church services 'The individual who is running against me even came and spoke from my pulpit' A Virginia pastor is facing allegations that he used his pulpit to promote his campaign for Newport News City Council, a move that critics contend runs afoul of the law. Willard Maxwell serves as pastor of New Beech Grove Baptist Church in Newport News, Virginia. According to the Virginia Public Access Project, Maxwell is running as an independent for a seat on the Newport News City Council against fellow independent candidate Curtis Bethany. The candidates campaign website reveals that he is seeking Newport News City Councils North District Seat B. Documents obtained by The Christian Post reveal that Maxwell encouraged his congregants to support his campaign during a recent sermon. We have signs out there if you want to take a sign to your house, that would be great, he said in the speech. Anytime you want to donate $5, $25 it doesnt matter, or get other people to donate, I would really appreciate it, he added. Maxwell acknowledged the concerns that political campaigning from the pulpit constitutes a violation of the law, which prohibits tax-exempt churches from engaging in political campaigning. Specifically, the Internal Revenue Code prohibits tax-exempt organizations such as churches, religious organizations and charitable organizations from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office. The Internal Revenue Code identifies contributions to political campaign funds or public statements of position (verbal or written) made on behalf of the organization in favor of or opposition to any candidate for public office as a violation of federal law. I know a lot of people say you cant use certain things or say stuff at church, Maxwell added. Republicans and Democrats alike have been trying to tell me I cant say nothing. If I cant say nothing, you cant say nothing because its my house. Maxwells comments at the pulpit prompted a woman identified as Sharon Richardson to contact Newport News Commonwealths Attorneys Office, the Voter Registrars Office and the Daily Press. An Oct. 17 email from Newport News Commonwealths Attorney Howard Gwynn to Richardson, obtained by the Daily Press, described the content of the video as very disturbing. He assured her that this matter is under investigation and is being taken very seriously. The Christian Post reached out to Maxwell, the attorneys office and the voter registrars office for comment. A response was not received by press time. In addition to the comments made during the video, Richardson provided The Christian Post with supporting documentation including a screenshot from an email advertising an Aug. 27 campaign event titled Leading Ladies for Maxwell. The email informed recipients that tickets for the event were available in the New Beech Grove Baptist Church office, suggesting a direct link between the pastors campaign for public office and the church itself. Additionally, Richardson included a picture of campaign literature passed out during a church service. Richardson also shared a screenshot of the New Beech Grove Baptist Church website that had a link to Maxwells campaign website. Maxwell denied all allegations of wrongdoing to the Daily Press. He maintained that the link to his campaign website appeared on the churchs website because the group he hired to work on his various websites added a link to the campaign on the church website by accident. The Christian Post confirmed Tuesday that a link to the campaigns website is not on the churchs website. That hasnt been there for months, he assured the publication. Addressing claims that he was improperly using the pulpit to advance his political campaign, Maxwell stressed that I let Democrats come; I let Republicans come, recalling that the individual who is running against me even came and spoke from my pulpit. Bethany spoke at New Beech Grove Baptist Churchs 11 a.m. service on Oct. 9. If found to have violated any portion of the Internal Revenue Code, churches could have their tax-exempt status revoked. While churches can engage in some forms of political speech, including presenting public forums and publishing voter education guides or other activities intended to encourage people to participate in the electoral process such as voter registration and get-out-the-vote drives, they cannot explicitly endorse candidates. The situation involving Maxwell and New Beech Grove Baptist Church is not the first time Virginia churches have faced scrutiny for dabbling in electoral politics. Last year, ahead of the Virginia gubernatorial election, the secular group Americans United for Separation of Church and State raised concerns about a campaign ad slated for viewing at more than 300 predominantly African American churches featuring Vice President Kamala Harris urging congregants to support Democrat Terry McAuliffe. This year, the elections for the North District Seat B and other seats on the Newport City Council will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 8. The winners will go on to serve four-year terms. Paul Pelosi's accused attacker David DePape: 4 things to know New details have emerged about the perpetrator behind the attack on Paul Pelosi, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband, as investigators search for a political motive amid conflicting information about the suspects views. On Tuesday, San Francisco Judge Diane Northway ordered the accused attacker, David DePape, 42, to be held in jail without bail. Attorney Adam Lipson, a public defender appointed to represent DePape, entered a not guilty plea on behalf of his client during a hearing in Superior Court in San Francisco. DePape is scheduled to return to court on Friday. Paul Pelosi, 82, was attacked at his home in the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco early Friday morning. After the attack, the San Francisco Police Department released a statement saying, ... at approximately 2:27 a.m., San Francisco Police Officers from Northern Station were dispatched to the residence of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for an 'A-priority' well-being check. When officers arrived on [the] scene, they encountered an adult male suspect and Mrs. Pelosis husband, Paul. Officers observed Mr. Pelosi and the suspect, each with one hand on a single hammer. Moments later the suspect gained control of the hammer and violently assaulted Mr. Pelosi with it, the statement added. The police then tackled the DePape to the ground and disarmed him. DePape faces a variety of charges including attempted homicide, first-degree burglary, violent felony enhancement, assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery with serious bodily injury and elder abuse. Nearly a week after the assault, much remains unknown about the circumstances that led to the attack as details continue to emerge about the perpetrator. Here are four facts that have become known about the attacker. 1 2 3 4 5 Next Supreme Court weighs if race should factor in college admissions, hears affirmative action cases The U.S. Supreme Court heard several hours of arguments on whether education institutions can consider race as one of many factors in determining student admissions, with both sides invoking concerns over discrimination and diversity. The nation's highest court held oral arguments Monday in the cases of Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. University of North Carolina and Students for Fair Admissions Inc. v. President & Fellows of Harvard College. At issue are race-based affirmative action policies for the two institutions, with SFFA arguing that these measures have led to discrimination against white and Asian students. The academic institutions and their allies argued that the policies were necessary to help foster diverse campus communities, which would benefit minorities and the overall student body. The high court first heard arguments on UNC's affirmative action policy. After a brief recess, justices heard arguments on Harvard's policy. For the latter, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson recused herself, as she spent six years on Harvard's board of overseers, which often debated the school's affirmative action policy. Some have speculated that the cases might lead to the overturning of the 2003 Supreme Court ruling in the case of Grutter v. Bollinger, in which a five-justice majority upheld a University of Michigan Law School policy that used race as a factor in admissions. A majority of the Supreme Court justices concluded in 2003 that the Michigan policy was lawful because racial preference was only one of many parameters for admission. The majority opinion authored by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor stated that "race-conscious admissions policies must be limited in time" and predicted that "25 years from now, the use of racial preferences will no longer be necessary to further the interest approved today." During arguments for both cases, there was considerable debate over how long these schools will keep their affirmative action policies in light of the 25-year timeline mentioned in the 2003 decision. Attorneys defending UNC and Harvard did not provide an exact date for when they would discontinue their policies, arguing that it would be dependent on various campus climate factors. Justice Samuel Alito asked North Carolina Solicitor General Ryan Y. Park, who was arguing on behalf of UNC, if the UNC student body's racial makeup would "coincide almost exactly to the percentage of those racial groups in the general population," would Park believe that have "achieved diversity"? Park said "no," adding that he did not believe that UNC needs "to reach those levels," but noted that UNC officials were "trying to comply" with Supreme Court precedent, "which require the minimum consideration of race on a holistic basis." Justice Amy Coney Barrett then asked Park when consideration of race in the application process would end, invoking the Grutter decision's timeline. Park replied, "we enthusiastically embrace the durational requirement," but "we don't think that the compelling interest in diversity will ever expire." Jackson expressed concern during the UNC oral arguments that the rule advocated by SFFA attorney Patrick Strawbridge was that a school "can take into account and value all of the other background and personal characteristics of other applicants, but they can't value race." "What I am worried about is that that seems to me to have the potential of causing more of an equal protection problem than it is actually solving," said Jackson. As a hypothetical, Jackson asked if an applicant who wanted to go to UNC would have less chance of being admitted if their application spoke about a family history of slavery instead of a family history of attending UNC. "As I understand, your no race-conscious admissions rule, these two applicants would have a dramatically different opportunity to tell their family stories and to have them count," she continued. Strawbridge answered that "nothing stops UNC from honoring those who have overcome slavery," however, he critically asked if that is "a basis to make decisions about admission of students who were born in 2003?" "And I don't think that it necessarily is," he added. "I don't think that the Equal Protection Clause suggests that it is." Solicitor General Elizabeth B. Prelogar, representing the Biden administration in support of UNC and Harvard, argued that the policies were necessary to help prepare students for life in a racially diverse United States. "A blanket ban on race-conscious admissions would cause racial diversity to plummet at many of our nation's leading educational institutions," Prelogar argued. "Race-neutral alternatives right now can't make up the difference, so all students at those schools would be denied the benefits of learning in a diverse educational environment. And because college is the training ground for America's future leaders, the negative consequences would have reverberations throughout just about every important institution in America." In recent years, SFFA filed challenges to the UNC and Harvard policies, only to have different lower courts reject both lawsuits. In January, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the SFFA cases, with SFFA President Edward Blum saying in a statement he is "grateful" for the appeal. "It is our hope that the justices will end the use of race as an admissions factor at Harvard, UNC and all colleges and universities," stated Blum earlier this year. Fatal shooting of 81-year-old pastor under investigation, police say Despite some reports suggesting he might have been killed in self-defense, the Topeka Police Department in Kansas said they are still investigating the fatal shooting of 81-year-old Arizona Pastor Donald Woolridge during a recent visit with his family. The Topeka Police Department said that just after 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 24, officers were called to the 3300 block of SE Fremont St. in response to a shooting. When they arrived, Woolridge, who leads Union Baptist Church in Florence, Arizona, was found dead at the scene. Police took one person into custody for questioning but that person was released. No other suspects were reported. Investigators reportedly told local media that self-defense was being considered in the pastor's death. The Pinal Central Newspaper reported that Woolridge had made frequent trips to Topeka to help a family member who was experiencing legal problems. When asked about the report that Woolridge might have been killed in self-defense, Detective Jesse Sherer of the Topeka Police Department told The Christian Post that the case remained an ongoing investigation. What I can tell you is its an ongoing investigation, Sherer told CP. Ive done two search warrants this morning. I am still seeking evidence in the case. I cant tell you what the final outcome is going to be because I dont have all my information yet. Steven Salazar, one of Woolridges neighbors in Arizona, told AZ Family that the pastors killing was senseless. It shouldnt have happened. He was such a nice man, Salazar said. The pastors wife, Vallarie, told the news outlet that she did not expect to get a call about her husbands death after he left their home in Arizona to go visit family in Kansas. If somebody is sick and youre expecting them to go, you kind of prepare for it, Vallarie Woolridge said, recalling how she learned that her husband of more than 40 years had died. Its never easy, but for it to be so sudden and happen like that, its very different, she told the CBS News affiliate. He was just a person who loved people, he loved God first, and thats the kind of heart God gave him. To be a helper of people, thats what he did, she added. Kroger will pay $180K to employees fired for refusing 'rainbow' logos on their uniforms The supermarket chain Kroger will create a religious accommodation policy and implement new training for store management after settling a lawsuit from two former employees who objected to wearing a logo they believed signaled support for the LGBT community. U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which filed the suit on behalf of the two employees, announced that Kroger Limited Partnership I agreed to pay $180,000 to settle the lawsuit. The Ohio-based entity is one of the subsidiaries of the Kroger corporation. The EEOC tried to reach a voluntary pre-litigation settlement prior to filing the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas, Central Division, in 2020. Both parties agreed to resolve the case to avoid accruing further legal costs and any confusion related to future litigation. "The EEOC commends Kroger on its decision to create a policy describing the process for requesting a religious accommodation," Faye A. Williams, regional attorney of the EEOC's Memphis District Office, said in a statement. "This policy will provide guidelines for requesting religious accommodation. The parties in the case worked in good faith to resolve this matter, and the Commission is pleased with the resolution." Kroger did not immediately respond to The Christian Post's request for comment. The EEOC accused Kroger of violating federal law by firing and failing to make accommodations for the two employees who felt a logo on new company aprons violated their religious convictions. The lawsuit describes how an Arkansas-based Kroger store required employees to wear an apron with what has been deemed a rainbow-colored heart on the bib. Although the heart only consists of four colors, the employees believed the symbol signified support for the LGBT community. Kroger contends that the logo carries no attachment to LGBT causes. According to the lawsuit, one of the women agreed to wear the apron with the emblem covered, and the other offered to wear an apron without the emblem. The company allegedly refused to accommodate the two women, firing them for refusing to wear the apron without the emblem covered. "Companies have an obligation under Title VII to consider requests for religious accommodations, and it is illegal to terminate employees for requesting an accommodation for their religious beliefs," Delner Franklin-Thomas, district director of the EEOC's Memphis office, said in a statement. "The EEOC protects the rights of the LGBTQ community, but it also protects the rights of religious people." In July, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Lansing, Michigan, accusing the city of discriminating against a worker's religious beliefs. The DOJ claimed the city violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan. According to the complaint, Lansing failed to accommodate its employee Sylvia Coleman, a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, when she asked not to work from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday for religious reasons. The employee began working as a detention officer for the city's police department in early 2018, explaining from the onset that she could not work sundown Friday to sundown on Saturday. Shortly after she was hired, Coleman was scheduled to work a 12-hour shift Saturday, and requested that she be allowed to work an overnight shift instead. "Prior to terminating Coleman's employment, Lansing management didn't establish that accommodating Coleman would cause undue hardship on the conduct of its operations," the complaint reads. "Coleman suffered emotional distress, pain and suffering, inconvenience, loss of enjoyment of life, humiliation, and other non-pecuniary damages as a result of Lansing's discriminatory actions. Coleman suffered monetary loss as a result of Lansing's discriminatory actions." The complaint alleges that the city refused to allow her to switch to another shift and eventually terminated her employment. Coleman filed a charge with the EEOC in July 2018, which agreed the employee had "reasonable cause" for a discrimination suit and referred the case to the DOJ. "Employees should not have to choose between their religion and their livelihood, particularly when the employer can accommodate their religious beliefs," Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the DOJ's Civil Rights Division said in a July statement. "The Civil Rights Division is committed to protecting the religious rights and religious freedom of employees by ensuring that no one faces unlawful discrimination in the workplace." Why mobile abortion clinics are a terrible idea After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, President Joe Biden and the abortion industry started scrambling. They didnt think this would happen. When I worked at Planned Parenthood, none of us thought this day would come and while we had some loose plans in case it did, they were on the backburner. So the question the entire industry was trying to answer in June was how they could still keep their cash cow of abortion going. How would they provide abortions to women in states where it would now be illegal? Initially, the idea that was floated was to have abortion camps on federal land. Visiting the Grand Canyon? Have an abortion there, too! That didnt go over well and surprisingly the Biden Administration said the idea had dangerous ramifications. They didnt elaborate much but the idea was canned. Then in the fall, Planned Parenthood announced they would be using an abortion bus to help women in red states obtain abortions. My family has used RVs to travel and they can be fantastic for saving money on hotels and food costs. But heres what they are not good for: abortion. Why? So many reasons. Lets start on the privacy aspect. Abortion RVs or buses will not have space for a big waiting area so they will be forced to wait in their cars or outdoors, compromising patient privacy. It gets worse on the recovery aspect as well. Abortion clinics typically have a separate recovery room for women after they had their abortions where they provide crackers and juice and then send them on their way, or take care of them if they have life-threatening bleeding, which absolutely happens. In an abortion bus, where will these women wait to make sure they are okay before they are sent on their way? In the Planned Parenthood announcement of these mobile abortion buses, there is no mention of having a recovery room. What if they do have complications? Right now, these abortion buses will travel the border of Illinois, which border five states, three of which have stringent bans on abortion. There will be towns that are more rural. Where will the medical care be if something goes wrong during the abortion? How far away will the nearest hospital be? What happens if something goes wrong after the woman returns home following the abortion? Where will the doctor be that did the abortion? There are so many questions that must be answered. The other big concern about Planned Parenthoods abortion bus is cleanliness. If youve ever browsed CheckMyClinic.com, you know that abortion clinics are not the most sanitary places on the planet. Its not uncommon to find reports of rusty and stained equipment, equipment that has not been properly sanitized being used from woman to woman, blood-stained chairs and tables, improper disposal of waste, expired medications, improper storage of narcotics the list goes on. There also have been several instances of failure to report rape and to keep accurate records. Abortion clinics like Planned Parenthood make money through abortions and do everything they can to get women in and out as quickly as possible. Many women have no idea who the doctor is who is performing the abortion. The doctor-patient decision is a complete ruse because each woman may only have five minutes in the operating room and none of that time is spent discussing her other options. Thats what this abortion bus is all about. Planned Parenthood needs to keep the money flowing and getting as close to women as possible where abortion is illegal is their best bet. Mobile clinics arent a new invention. Pregnancy Resource Centers have been driving around ultrasound buses for years. Mammography RVs are all over the country reaching women who may have trouble traveling for the exam. But none of these places are doing invasive surgery that carries risks for women, that may shatter their privacy, and that can leave them in a vulnerable place both mentally and physically while driving off to the next abortion spot. The solution is meeting women where they are and helping them with whatever it is they need that they believe is forcing them to choose abortion. This can be as simple as being a listening ear or paying for new tires so they can get to work or as complicated as finding them housing and childcare. My ministry, Loveline, does that for women and their families. Our caseload and donations have more than tripled since Roe was overturned and we are more than happy to be that source of support for women. They deserve better than abortion, especially abortion in a traveling bus that leaves them worse off and in the dust. Canada considering bill to remove final consent for assisted suicide Canada is considering a bill that would allow individuals to sign a waiver that would remove final consent for assisted suicide or what that country refers to as "medical aid in dying" (MAiD), in which a physician or nurse practitioner carries out the death by chemical injection. Known as Bill S-248, the proposed legislation was given a first reading in June and is now undergoing a second reading, having been recently debated by members of Parliament. According to the bill summary, the legislation would amend Canadian law to permit an individual whose death is not reasonably foreseeable to enter into a written arrangement to receive medical assistance in dying on a specified day if they lose the capacity to consent to receiving medical assistance in dying prior to that day. It would also permit an individual who has been diagnosed with a serious and incurable illness, disease or disability to make a written declaration to waive the requirement for final consent when receiving medical assistance in dying. S-248 would allow the waiving of final consent under certain conditions, namely if a person loses the capacity to consent to receive medical assistance in dying, is suffering from symptoms outlined in the written declaration, and has met all other relevant safeguards outlined in the Criminal Code. Canadian Senator Pamela Wallin, who introduced the bill, said in a speech last month that she considered her proposed legislation to be a common sense answer to a gap in the current law. It will allow those diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimers the freedom from this possible Catch-22: You cant ask in advance of a diagnosis, and once diagnosed its too late to ask for some time in the future, Wallin said. This bill will allow a person to apply long before they actually wish to die and long before they have lost capacity to ask for [medical assistance in dying]. This offers peace of mind and a better quality of life for the time they have left with much less stress and anxiety as they live out their final days. Alex Schadenberg, executive director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, was a critic of the bill, declaring in a blog post published Monday that euthanasia without consent is too dangerous and beyond what should be considered tolerable. Bill S-248 and the recent push by the Quebec College of Physicians to approve infant euthanasia, undermine that a person needs to be able to request or consent to euthanasia, wrote Schadenberg. Tell [Parliament] that you oppose the extension of MAiD to infants, who cannot consent, and you oppose the extension of MAiD to people with dementia or other cognitive issues, who cannot consent. In 2016, Canada passed a law legalizing physician-assisted suicide. The law applied to citizens or permanent residents aged 18 or older who had a serious and incurable disease, illness or disability that included enduring and intolerable suffering. The 2016 law also required medical approval, a 15-day waiting period, and mandated that two witnesses must be present when a patient signed a request for an end-of-life procedure. Last year, Canada expanded the law to allow those with non-life-threatening disabilities to die by assisted suicide, though it still prohibited the premature death of those suffering from mental illness. In addition to Bill S-248, Canada is also considering Bill C-7, which would expand euthanasia to those who have a mental illness and so-called mature minors seeking to die prematurely. Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Albert Mohler Jr. denounced last years move to expand MAiD, seeing it as proof that physician-assisted suicide was a slippery slope. The Canadian Parliament have now extended the logic that they had insisted would be limited to those who had a reasonable expectation of death in a short time. You've seen that that promise never is kept, said Mohler in a 2021 episode of his podcast, The Briefing. Once you buy into the logic of physician-assisted suicide or euthanasia, you find yourself in almost every case just extending the logic further and further. According to the National Post, around 1,000 Canadians underwent physician-assisted suicide in 2016 when it first became legal. That number swelled to over 31,600 last year. Masters of the Madonna: Botticelli and Gauguins reimagining of an icon Inspired by one of the most recognizable images in art history, these visionary artists in the collection of Paul G. Allen reinvigorated traditional subjects nearly 400 years apart With roots dating back to the Roman Empire, the image of the Madonna and Child has defined centuries of artistic creation. The earliest known example is in the Catacomb of Priscilla, an ancient burial site in Rome. Representations of the Madonna and Child have evolved greatly, transforming across Byzantium and Medieval Europe, until a more naturalistic approach emerged in the early Italian Renaissance. Alessandro Filipepi, known as Sandro Botticelli, along with his contemporaries Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, revolutionised this classical image during the Florentine Renaissance, forever shaping our views of biblical imagery. In later eras, depictions of the Madonna and Child were adapted to modern settings. In the 19th century, Paul Gauguin revisited the subject through a series of paintings that portray Tahitian women posed to reflect the iconic motif. Separated by nearly 400 years, Botticelli and Gauguin each reinvigorated the archetypal Madonna and Child in their paintings. Looking at examples from the collection of Paul G. Allen which will be offered in an unprecedented auction at Christies New York on 9 November 2022 we come to better understand these visionary artists, whose approaches to this timeless subject are nothing short of transcendent. The Madonna revisited Botticellis celebrated Madonna of the Magnificat, in the Uffizi in Florence, showcases the artists inventive spirit. Painted circa 1483 the tondo or, round painting was a particular specialty of the artist, who was adept at creating visual harmony within its compositional constraints. Open a larger version of this image Fra Filippo Lippi, Madonna and Child with Two Angels, c. 1455-1466. The Uffizi, Florence This autograph version of the Uffizi painting, which was probably painted toward the end of the 1480s, shows Mary with the infant Jesus in her lap. To the left are three angels dressed in contemporary Florentine clothing. Mary holds a quill with an open book before her, the text clearly legible as the Song of Zacharias from the Gospel of Luke including the Magnificat, Marys proclamation of praise to God. Now a famed devotional work of art, the Madonna of the Magnificat was a departure from tradition in many ways. Here, Botticelli bridges the visual realism favoured by his mentor Fra Filippo Lippi with the spiritual beauty of the divine. He presents us not with a biblical episode but an imagined scene inspired by scripture. Infused with emotional depth, the intimacy of the subjects goes beyond iconographic depiction. Mother and Child gaze at one another, while the angels lean together with affection, evoking a warmth particular to Botticelli. This marriage of originality and depth characterises the most magnificent of his works. Four centuries later, Gauguin reinterpreted the motif during his second stay in Tahiti, where the artist would remain until his death in 1903. Maternite (II) (1899) is characteristic of his later works, in which he moved away from the documentation of daily Tahitian life towards more fantastical, timeless portrayals. Open a larger version of this image Paul Gauguin (1848-1903), Maternite II, 1899. Oil on burlap. 37 x 24 in (94.7 x 61 cm). Sold for $105,730,000 in Visionary: The Paul G. Allen Collection on 9 November 2022 at Christie's in New York In an earlier example, Ia Orana Maria (1891), now in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gauguin makes direct reference to Christian themes. Describing the painting in a letter from March 1892, Gauguin writes, An angel with yellow wings reveals Mary and Jesus, both Tahitians, to two Tahitian women...I'm rather happy with it. Gauguin continues this exploration in Maternite (II). Posed within Edenic surroundings, two women flank a kneeling mother as she nurses her baby. The standing women hold fruit and flowers, nods to female fertility and perhaps emblematic of offerings to the Madonna-like figure. They look outwards towards the viewer, emphasizing our intrusion upon an intimate moment of motherhood. With its symbolism and lush beauty, Gauguin delivers a tribute to femininity and maternity. Gauguin completed this painting during a time when few artists were concerned with religious representations, focusing instead on reflections of the world around them. In Maternite (II), Gauguin melded these two ideas, inserting the divine into his illustrations of Tahitian life. In doing so, he revived an interest in intimate depictions of mother and child, a motif that is still pervasive today. Breaking with tradition Since antiquity, artistic interpretations of the New Testament have traditionally been created for the purpose of religious devotion, depicting biblical scenes in which each figure is identifiable within the narrative. Both Botticelli and Gauguins renderings push beyond this realm. In Botticellis Madonna of the Magnificat, Mary appears to be writing Magnificat anima mea Dominum (My soul doth magnify the Lord). While the Magnificat was seldom represented in art, it was even rarer to show the Virgin inscribing the canticle herself. Female literacy was uncommon during Botticellis time, and it was especially extraordinary for women to write, even if they could read. In this unusual depiction, Botticelli elevates Mary through the blessing of God. This is also reflected in the elegance of her clothing and gold-streaked hair. Botticelli rejects the naturalism of Lippi, which he believed made the Virgin too common, and instead glorifies her through beauty. He illustrates Marys spiritual transformation from a humble woman to an instrument of God. Open a larger version of this image Paul Gauguin, Ia Orana Maria (Hail Mary), 1891. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York In Maternite (II) Gauguin makes a similar departure, reimagining a traditional motif through abstraction. Surrounded by the vibrancy of the tropics, Gauguin experimented with colour in Tahiti. He used bright hues and arabesque lines to infuse his works with mystery and magic. With its yellow sky streaked with pink clouds and a foreground of blue, bright red and emerald green, Maternite (II) employs the expressive potential of colour to further the mythical vision of mother and child. Just as Botticelli elevated his figures through beauty, Gauguin does so through the majestic handling of colour. Using these vibrant hues, the artist underscores the monumentality of the scene before us. Working centuries apart, these two visionary artists brought their own sensibilities to a traditional subject, and the impact of their unique interpretations reverberate to this day. The summers final Live on the Waterfront concert was held Wednesday evening at Prince Arthurs Landing. The popular series in Thunder Bay has completed nine weekly shows that began on July 13. Wednesdays concert was unique as it was held one hour later in the evening to mesh with the 10 p. Employers in the Canadian tech industry can fast-track hiring highly skilled foreign talent through the Global Talent Stream. Global Talent Stream: Bringing highly skilled foreign tech talent to Canada Employers in the Canadian tech industry can fast-track hiring highly skilled foreign talent through the Global Talent Stream. Global Talent Stream: Bringing highly skilled foreign tech talent to Canada Employers in the Canadian tech industry can fast-track hiring highly skilled foreign talent through the Global Talent Stream. Global Talent Stream: Bringing highly skilled foreign tech talent to Canada Employers in the Canadian tech industry can fast-track hiring highly skilled foreign talent through the Global Talent Stream. Vimal Sivakumar Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif Sans Font Size A A Canada currently has north of one million job vacancies across the country. These job vacancies are spread throughout nearly every employment sector, which is why Canada has created several programs to aid employers with hiring foreign talent. One such program, specific to highly skilled foreign professionals in the tech industry, is the Global Talent Stream (GTS). The GTS is a fast-tracked program employers can use to bring foreign talent to this country and allow them to utilize their skills in the service of helping innovative Canadian companies grow. Schedule a Free Work Permit Consultation with the Cohen Immigration Law Firm Part of Canadas larger Global Talent Strategy and contained within the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), the GTS expedites the processing of work permit applications and temporary resident visas (if applicable) so that qualified applicants can start working in around two weeks from the date of submission. Accordingly, this program also works to benefit the general Canadian tech landscape, as it ensures that organizations in this space can quickly access the talent they need to continue to thrive. Exemptions Note: Two exemptions under the Global Talent Stream enable certain applicants to enter Canada without a work permit. First, highly-skilled workers in skill type 0 or skill level A occupations of the NOC will not require a permit under this program if they are working in Canada for a period of 15 days over six months or 30 days over 12 months. Additionally, researchers coming to Canada will not need a work permit should they be working in Canada for a period of 120 days over 12 months on research projects at a publicly-funded degree-granting institution or affiliated research institution. Breaking down the Global Talent Stream Under the Global Talent Stream, there are two distinct categories. Category A Category A: High-growth companies who are referred to the GTS by one of over 40 designated referral partners (in Canada, excluding Quebec) and can demonstrate the need to hire unique specialized talent from abroad. The list of designated referral partners varies for employers in Quebec, and therefore, also for applicants looking to work in that province. That list can be found in French on the website of Quebecs Ministry of Immigration, Francisation, and Integration. Category B Category B: Companies looking to hire for specific roles designated by the Global Talent Occupations List. This list, which may be updated periodically to reflect changing labour market needs and priorities, includes an expansive list of jobs that have been deemed in demand and appear to suffer from a lacking number of available workers domestically. Some occupations on the Global Talent Occupations List for Category B include: Computer and information systems managers Web designers and developers Computer network technicians Workers in digital media and design The full list of occupations for this category can be found here. Wages in the Global Talent Stream One of the most important elements of this program is the wages that employers pay to successful applicants. There is a wage-related requirement that employers in either category must meet when bringing on foreign talent through the GTS. This requirement states that employers must pay workers at whichever of the following five rates is highest. The occupations median wage on the Canadian governments Job Bank The wage within the range that the employer pays to current employees (in the same position, at the same location, and with the same skills/experience) The minimum wage floor determined by the Global Talent Occupations list (category B) An hourly salary that matches the prevailing wage for the occupation in question and amounts to no less than $80,000 (for the first two positions requested under category A) Note: For any additional number of positions (more than two), an hourly salary that matches the prevailing wage for the occupation in question and amounts to no less than $150,000 How the Global Talent Stream benefits Canada and Canadians The GTS benefits both Canadians and the country at large by requiring employers to develop a Labour Market Benefits Plan. This plan, established in conjunction with Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), identifies how the hiring of foreign talent through this program will work to benefit the Canadian labour market. Additionally, these plans outline activities the employer will facilitate to encourage job creation or invest in skill development and training for Canadians (the primary benefits of the GTS). More specifically, it is the responsibility of employers in category A to encourage job creation, either directly or indirectly, for Canadian citizens and permanent residents. Meanwhile, category B employers are accountable for increasing investments in skills and training for Canadians. Employers in both categories, in addition to the above, will need to undertake business activities for the purpose of fulfilling an additional two complimentary labour market benefits. These benefits include, but are not limited to, the following two items: Transferring knowledge to Canadian citizens and permanent residents Improving company performance The full list of activities that can be used to fulfill any labour market benefit can be reviewed on the Government of Canadas website. For reference, however, some of those activities include: Hiring more Canadian citizens or permanent residents Training current employees in new techniques Creating paid co-op or internship programs for local students Increasing revenue and investments Finally, it is worth clarifying that employers applying to hire talent in both categories will be required to commit to one activity related to each primary benefit job creation and skill development/training as well as two complimentary benefits. Note: To ensure compliance with the Labour Market Benefits Plan and to monitor the success of the program generally, employers utilizing the Global Talent Stream may be monitored for the duration of the foreign hires employment. Schedule a Free Work Permit Consultation with the Cohen Immigration Law Firm CIC News All Rights Reserved. Visit CanadaVisa.com to discover your Canadian immigration options. One reason open source is popular in the enterprise is that it provides well-tested building blocks that can speed up the creation of sophisticated applications and services. But third-party software components and the convenience of packages and containers bring risks along with the benefits because the applications you build are only as secure as those dependencies. Software supply chain attacks are becoming so widespread that Gartner listed them as the second biggest threat on for 2022. By 2025, the research firm predicts 45% of organizations globally will have experienced one or more software supply chain attacks and 82% of CIOs think they will be vulnerable to them. These include attacks via vulnerabilities in widely used software components such as Log4j, attacks against the build pipeline (c.f., SolarWinds, Kaseya, and Codecov hacks), or hackers compromising package repositories themselves. Attackers have shifted priority from production environments to software supply chains because software supply chains are the weakest link, explains Lior Levy, CEO of Cycode. As long as software supply chains remain relatively easy targets, software supply chain attacks will increase. Recent high-profile incidents have been a wake-up call for the software development industry, says Rani Osnat, senior vice president of strategy at Aqua Security. Weve uncovered decades of opacity and lack of transparency and thats why its such a big deal. Studies of codebases that use open source code shows that vulnerabilities and out-of-date or abandoned components are common: 81% of codebases had at least one vulnerability, 50% had more than one high-risk vulnerability, and 88% used components that werent the latest version or had no new development in two years. These issues are unlikely to dent the popularity of open source though and commercial software and services are also vulnerable. When LastPass was attacked it didnt lose customer data, but an unauthorized party was able to view and download some of its source code, which might make it easier to attack users of the password manager in the future, and the Twilio breach enabled attackers to launch supply-chain attacks on downstream organizations. The shadow code threat Just as security teams defend their networks as if already breached, CIOs must assume all code, internal or external, and even the development environments and tools their developers use have already been compromised and put policies in place to protect against and minimize the impact of attacks against their software supply chains. In fact, Osnat suggests CIOs think about this shadow code the way they do about shadow IT. This needs to be looked at as something that is not just a security problem, but really something that goes deep into how you obtain software, whether its open source or commercial: how you bring it into your environment, how you update it, what kind of controls you want to have in place and what kind of controls you want to demand from your suppliers, he says. Transparency: Toward a software bill of materials Physical supply chains already use labels, ingredient lists, safety data sheets, and bills of materials so regulators and consumers know what ends up in products. New initiatives aim to apply similar approaches to software, helping organizations understand the web of dependencies and the attack surface of their software development process. White House executive order 14028 on software supply chain security requires software vendors supplying the federal government to provide a software bill of materials (SBOM) and use the supply chain levels for software artifacts (SLSA) security checklist to prevent tampering. Because of this, were seeing a lot of enterprises take a much more serious look at their software supply chain, says senior Forrester analyst Janet Worthington. All companies today both produce and consume software and were seeing more of the producers come to us and say, How do I produce software that is secure and that I can attest to with a software bill of materials. There are numerous cross-industry projects, including NISTs National Initiative for Improving Cybersecurity in Supply Chains (NIICS), the Supply Chain Integrity, Transparency, and Trust (SCITT) initiative from Microsoft and other IETF members, as well as the OpenSSF Supply Chain Integrity Working Group. Everybody is taking a more holistic approach and saying, wait a minute, I need to know what Im bringing into my supply chain that Im creating the software with, Worthington says. A recent Linux Foundation survey found that SBOM awareness is high, with 47% of IT vendors, service providers, and regulated industries using SBOMs today and 88% expecting to use them in 2023. SBOMs will be most useful to organizations that already have asset management for software components and APIs. People who have robust software development processes today find it easier to slot in tools that can generate a software bill of materials, Worthington says. SBOMs can be created by the build system, or they can be generated by software composition analysis tools after the fact. Many tools can integrate into CI/CD pipelines and run as part of a build, or even when you pull down libraries, she says. It can warn you: Hey, you have this component in your pipeline and its got a critical issue, do you want to continue? For that to be useful, you need clear policies on how developer teams acquire open-source software, says Chainguard CEO Dan Lorenc. How do developers know what their companys policies are for whats considered secure and how do they know that the open source they are acquiring, which constitutes the great majority of all software being used by developers these days, is indeed untampered with? He points at the open-source Sigstore project that JavaScript, Java, Kubernetes, and Python use to establish provenance for software packages. Sigstore is to software integrity sort of what certs are to websites; they basically establish a chain of custody and trust verification system, he says. I think a CIO should start by indoctrinating their developer teams in these fundamental steps of using emerging industry standard approaches for one, locking down build systems, and two, creating a repeatable method to verify trustworthiness of software artifacts before bringing them into the environment, Lorenc says. Making the contribution Whether its components, APIs, or serverless functions, most organizations underestimate what theyre using by an order of magnitude unless they run routine inventories, Worthington points out. They find out that some of these APIs arent using proper authentication methods or are maybe not written in a way that they expected them to be and maybe some of them are even deprecated, she says. Beyond vulnerabilities, evaluating the community support behind a package is as important as understanding what the code does because not all maintainers want the burden of having their code treated as a critical resource. Not all open source is made the same, she warns. Open source may be free to download but certainly the use of it is not free. Your use of it means that you as are responsible for understanding the security posture behind it, because its in your supply chain. You need to contribute back to it. Your developers need to participate in fixing vulnerabilities, says Worthington, who suggests organizations should also be prepared to contribute monetarily, either directly to open-source projects or to initiatives that support them with resources and funds. When you create an open-source strategy, part of that is understanding the budget and implications. Dont think of that as just an expense, but as an opportunity to better understand the components you depend on. It even helps retain developers because they feel like theyre part of the community. Theyre being able to contribute their skills. They can use this on their resume, she adds. Remember that vulnerabilities can be found anywhere in your technology stack, including mainframes, which increasingly run Linux and open source as part of the workload but often lack the security processes and frameworks that have become common in other environments. Protecting your pipeline Protecting your software delivery pipeline is also important. NISTs Secure Software Development Framework (SSDF) and SLSA is a good place to start: This covers best practices at various maturity levels starting with a simple build system, then using logs and metadata for audit and incident response through to a fully-secured build pipeline. The CNCFs Software Supply Chain Best Practices white paper, Gartners guidance on mitigating software supply chain security risks, and Microsofts OSS Secure Supply Chain Framework, which includes both processes and tools, are also helpful. Its important to note, however, that simply turning on automated scanning tools intended to find malicious code can produce too many false positives to be helpful. And although version control systems such as BitBucket, GitHub, GitLab, and others include security and access protection features (including increasingly granular access policy controls, branch protection, code signing, requiring MFA for all contributors, and scanning for secrets and credentials), they often have to be explicitly enabled. Also, projects such as Factory for Repeatable Secure Creation of Artifacts (FRSCA) that aim to secure build pipelines by implementing SLSA in a single stack arent yet ready for production, but CIOs should expect build systems to include more of these practices in future. Indeed, while SBOMs are only part of the answer, the tools to create and work with them are also still maturing, as are the processes for requesting and consuming them. Contracts need to specify not only that you want SBOMs but how often you expect them to be updated and whether they will include vulnerability reports and notifications, Worthington advises. If a new important vulnerability like Log4j is found, is the vendor going to tell me or am I going to have to search myself in the SBOM to see if Im affected? Organizations will also need tools to read SBOMs and put in place processes to take actions on what these tools find. I need a tool that can tell me what are the known vulnerabilities [in the SBOM], what are the licence implications, and does that happen continuously, Worthington says. CIOs should keep in mind that an SBOM is an enabler but it doesnt actually solve anything in terms of securing your supply chain. It helps you cope with incidents that might come your way, says Osnat, who is optimistic about both the speed of industry response and the broad collaboration thats going on around standards for SBOMs and code attestation that will help make tools interoperable (something organizations raised as a particular concern in the Linux Foundation research). That could lead to the same improvements in the standards of transparency and reporting across the industry that SOC 2 delivered. That said, CIOs dont have to wait for new standards or tools to begin making security as much a part of the developer role as quality has become in recent years, Osnat says. His suggestion: Start by getting your CISO and lead engineer in a room together to figure out what the right model is to make that work for your organization and how that transformation will occur. BNM anunta concurs pentru postul vacant de expert coordonator (durata determinata) responsabil de control pe teren si din oficiu a sistemelor de plati HONG KONG (AP) Schools and offices closed and some events were canceled in Hong Kong on Wednesday as Tropical Storm Nalgae swept south of the city, while a finance conference meant to restore Hong Kongs image as an international business center went ahead. As the city braced itself, temporary shelters were opened and theme parks were closed. Afternoon trading was suspended in the stock market, and some ferry and bus services were halted. The Hong Kong Jockey Club scrapped the evenings horse races. The Hong Kong Observatory raised a No. 8 typhoon signal, the third-highest warning under the citys weather system, as Nalgaes maximum sustained winds hit 90 kilometers (56 miles) per hour. Residents were urged to stay away from the shoreline and avoid water sport activities, the observatory said. The government halted various public services, ranging from vaccinations to childcare and elderly centers. The storm was passing over waters south of Hong Kong at night before making an expected landfall in southern China on Thursday. As of 8 p.m., the city was left largely unscathed with just nine reports of fallen trees. No reports of landslides or flooding were received, according to the government. While Nalgae was expected to weaken, stiff winds were forecast to affect the city until Thursday morning. The No. 8 warning, which prompted workers to return home, was to remain in force until at least 2 a.m. Thursday. Whether it would be downgraded later would depend on the strength of the storm and its distance from the city, the observatory said. Nalgae killed more than 130 people in the Philippines days ago before moving closer to Chinas southeastern and southern coastal regions. Hong Kong, a former British colony, returned to Chinas rule in 1997. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday declared a state of calamity for six months in four storm-battered regions, including a five-province Muslim autonomous region in the south where rescuers continued to search for villagers feared buried in a huge mudslide in a mountainside community. Associated Press writer Jim Gomez in Manila, Philippines, contributed to this report. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. A woman who was injured in a crash while driving a rental car provided by an auto insurer may collect uninsured motorist benefits from more than one policy, the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled Wednesday. In a 3-2 decision, the high court ruled that an anti-stacking provision in a policy written by State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. does not apply because the language was unclear about whether a replacement rental car fell within the terms of the exclusion. Because both parties offer reasonable interpretations of the policy language, we believe an ambiguity exists, which we construe against the drafter, the majority opinion says. Myra Windham was involved in two accidents within the span of six days in 2012, through no fault of her own. On Sept. 29, her Toyota Camry collided with another vehicle. The other drivers insurer, Allstate, provided Windham a rental vehicle while her Camry was being repaired. On Oct. 5, a motorist ran a stop sign and struck the rental car. The crash injured Windhams back and resulted in surgery to install a spinal cord stimulator, according to her attorney. Windham and her family owned five vehicles, each insured by State Farm with a $100,000 uninsured motorist limit. State Farm, however, contended that she could collect from only one of those policies because state law prohibits stacking insurance benefits for accidents involving vehicles that are not owned by the policyholder. The insurer paid Windham $100,000 but denied anything was owed from the policies on the other four vehicles. State Farm filed a lawsuit seeking a declaratory judgment. The Lexington County Circuit Court agreed that coverage was owed from only one policy. The Court of Appeals reversed, determining that the policy language clearly allowed coverage for an accident while the policyholder is driving a temporary substitute car. The Supreme Court agreed that separate coverage was owed but found that the policy was far from clear on that point. It affirmed the Court of Appeals decision, but for different reasons. The majority opinion explained that in South Carolina, a policyholder must be a Class I insured to stack benefits. State law allows coverage from only one vehicle if the damages result from an accident that does not involve the insureds or named insureds vehicle. Previous cases have established that a vehicle does not have to be owned by an insured person to be considered an insureds vehicle, the opinion says. Drivers of cars that are leased or borrowed, for example, are also Class I insureds. One sentence in State Farms policy seems to make clear that stacking is not allowed for non-owned cars. But a separate sentence in the policy says, if a car qualifies as both a non-owned car and a temporary substitute car, then it is considered a temporary substitute car only. The majority said that language creates an ambiguity because if a car is considered only a temporary substitute car, it cannot also be a non-owned car. While it is debatable that this alone transforms them into owned vehicles, that is nevertheless a reasonable interpretation, the majority opinion says. On one hand temporary substitute vehicles are not-owned, but on the other, the policy clearly states they are not to be considered non-owned. Windhams attorney, Stephen H. Cook with Koon Cook and Walters in Columbia, said he intends to seek a jury verdict for the full $500,000 in coverage available. He said the spinal stimulator inserted into his clients back will have to be replaced after eight years. Also, his clients ability to earn income has been negatively affected because employers are often reluctant to hire workers who have suffered back injuries. Cook said Windhams situation provides a strong argument for motorists who own multiple vehicles to make sure the policy limits on each are the same. He said many car owners will buy lower-limit policies for vehicles that their children drive. Cook said if a certain amount of coverage is needed, it makes no sense to limit the potential recovery according to which vehicle is involved in a crash. Cook said he expects State Farm to file a petition for reconsideration, but he said the Supreme Courts opinion should stand. He said if Windham had been driving one of her other vehicles at the time of the crash, there would be no question that she was entitled to coverage from all give insurance policies. Justices George C. James and John Cannon Few dissented. James wrote in a dissenting opinion that the majority ignored the fact that Windham did not own the rental car, which clearly excluded in from coverage. The US Navy gave Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) the contract to construct and design a fourth America class Landing Helicopter Assault ship. The deal's total cost for HII is $2.4-billion to be added to the current cost of the amphibious assault ship. Huntington Ingalls Industries Gets US Navy Contract This nameless ship will include a well deck for deploying and recovering other naval vehicles, improving the fleet's potential for special operations warfighting, reported Defense Post. HII President Kari Wilkinson asserts that the firm is prepared to construct the Navy's latest amphibious ship and emphasizes the significance of the venture for bolstering USN's abilities. It plays a crucial role in an amphibious task force, expeditionary strike group, or amphibious ready group. Vessels of this class are created to boost Marine Corps aerospace as they could provide required assistance for the tilt-rotor MV-22 Ospreys and the F-35B Joint Strike Fighter. Furthermore, the large-deck amphibious attack vessels have top-of-the-line healthcare centers for hurt sailors. Ships of this class include the USS American, Tripoli, and Bougainville, one serving in the US naval fleet, and a fourth America-class Landing Helicopter Assault ship coming soon. Textron Aerosonde Drone as part of USS Miguel Keith Missions The US Navy has granted Textron Systems a $22-million contract to utilize its Aerosonde unmanned aerial system (UAS) to support the USS Miguel Keith's seafaring expeditions. The five-year deal guarantees the US Navy's Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB-5) warship augmented operational support through Aerosonde's longer-range intelligence, monitoring, and intelligence gathering (IRS) offerings. To offer additional mission support, the firm will also send a few of its representatives to collaborate with the US Navy Air Systems Command crew of the United States Navy. Read Also: Mark Zuckerberg Net Worth 2022: How Did Facebook Founder Lose $30 Billion in 1 Day? Textron Senior Vice President Wayne Prender said it is a fee-for-service arrangement that will enable the Navy to continue expanding its shipboard ISR requirements while aiding with current real-world operations. He discussed the advantages already felt by the DDG and ESB-class ships and further service optimization to provide the best operational and logistical capabilities for HII customers. They are in high demand to complete their tasks and stay safe. By 2023, the following year, the company's UAV is anticipated to begin operations on the USS Miguel Keith. The USS Miguel Keith becomes the fourth US Navy vessel to acquire Aerosonde UAS assistance from Textron. A firm was selected to provide operational support to the USS Hershel "Woody" Williams in 2018, and in June of this year, it received an additional $18,3 million to continue the support. The company claimed that the company improved two unknown guided missile destroyers. USS Miguel Keith The USS Miguel Keith is the third ESB ship inaugurated last May 2021, according to the US Navy. Expeditionary Sea Base ships are extremely configurable platforms recognized for crucial logistical support movement from sea to shore to strengthen the US Navy's wide range of military activities. According to the US Navy, ESBs, including a four-spot flight deck, mission deck, and hangar, have been designed around four key competencies: aerospace facilities, anchorages, equipment organizing support, and central command resources. The US Navy gave Huntington Ingalls Industries; the signal to build and design the fourth America class Landing Helicopter Assault ship. But in comparison to Chinese shipbuilding, that is different. Related Article: Iranian Shahed-136 UAV Shoots Down Ukrainian Air Force MiG-29 in First Air-to-Air Drone Kill @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. After a tragic mass stampede in Seoul, South Korea, on Wednesday that killed 156 people during Halloween festivities, investigators raided several police stations as part of their probe. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency revealed the news as investigators went to eight of their officers and took internal reports and documents that related to reports made by members of the public to the 112 emergency hotline. Itaewon Crowd Crush Investigation Part of the raid was the Yongsan district police station which was responsible for overseeing the nightlife neighborhood of Itaewon, where the tragic incident took place. The probe comes as South Korean officials face criticism and frustration from their citizens. Witnesses have argued that there was little to no crowd control during the Itaewon stampede despite police receiving several warnings beforehand. The deadly crowd crush on Saturday happened in a section of narrow alleyways. Witnesses described how they were unable to move or breathe within the crowd as more and more people gathered in a street that was no more than four meters wide. Since then, it was revealed that members of the public had already reported to police to warn of overcrowding hours before the first deaths were even reported, as per CNN. The raids on Wednesday following the stampede were carried out by a special investigative unit that was created on the day prior by the National Police Agency (NPA) to look into the incident. Officials from the agency said that they suspended the chief of the Yongsan police station amid the investigation. The NPA released a statement saying that Chief Lee Im-jae cannot carry out his normal duties given the situation. Authorities added that the successor of the police chief would be announced later that day. According to Aljazeera, despite receiving 11 reports prior to the deaths of the stampede, police responded to only four by deploying officers to the sites to disperse crowds. After they were dispersed, the law enforcement personnel returned to other duties and took no action in the case of the seven other emergency calls. Read Also: North Korea Fires 10 Missiles Off South Korea Coast, Prompting Seoul To Respond with Air-to-Ground Missile South Korean Officers Raid Police Stations The Yonhap News Agency reported that a "Code 0" police order that called for the promptest possible response had been issued for one of the 11 reports. Meanwhile, the second-highest, "Code 1," was applied to seven other reports. However, police officers still failed to take appropriate action. Transcripts of the emergency calls revealed warnings regarding the unfolding situation in the alley in the Itaewon area. Most of the victims of the incident were young revelers who fell and piled up on each other. More than 150 others were injured in the stampede, including 29 who are still in serious condition. One woman who made the first report on October 29 said that she felt so chilling in the midst of the crowd in Itaewon. She also described a chaotic scene on the narrow streets of the Seoul nightlife district. Ms. Park, an Itaewon shopkeeper, described people getting off at the Itaewon subway station and coming up the narrow alley while mixing with people who were trying to leave the area as well as others slinging up to enter clubs, BBC reported. Related Article: South Korea President Vows North Korea Will 'Pay the Price' After Missile Lands Near Territory @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. According to recently leaked material, the US accuses North Korea of covertly supplying Russia with artillery shells for the Ukraine War by hiding the destination of their delivery. In addition to the drones and other weapons that Russia has gotten from Iran, US officials see the covert North Korean shipments as more proof that even Moscow's conventional artillery arsenals have shrunk over the course of eight months of fighting. North Korea Secretly Ships Weapon to Russia According to the intelligence, North Korea is attempting to conceal the shipments by having the ammunition appear to be headed for Middle Eastern or North African nations. About two months ago, the US intelligence agency stated that it thought Russia was on the verge of purchasing millions of rockets and artillery rounds from North Korea for use in combat. The fresh charges were not supported by any proof from the officials, as per CNN. The declassified material also lacked information on the number of weapons included in the shipments or the method of payment. After Iran started sending Shahed-136 drones in late August, known as "kamikaze" drones for their capacity to plow into targets and deploy payloads, North Korea is the second significant US adversary to provide Russia support. Tehran later stationed Iranian forces in Ukraine to assist in directing Russians on the systems, NY Post reported. According to allegations in the media on Tuesday, Iran is allegedly prepared to increase its role in Ukraine and is getting ready to supply Moscow ballistic missiles and more kamikaze drones. The shipment is expected to contain 1,000 weapons, including precision-guided surface-to-surface missiles for the first time. Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon's press secretary, acknowledged Tuesday reports that Iran was delivering ballistic missiles, but he was unable to confirm whether the plan was already underway. Read Also: North Korea Fires 10 Missiles Off South Korea Coast, Prompting Seoul To Respond with Air-to-Ground Missile US Rivals Help Russia Three of the four primary rivals identified in America's 2022 National Defense Strategy are cooperating now that Iran and North Korea are aiding Russia. Only China has not been openly identified as having assisted in supplying Russia with weapons by US authorities. As the war approaches its ninth month, Ryder claimed that Moscow's request for assistance from Iran and North Korea "speaks to the status of Russia's weapons capabilities." As the West continues to supply Ukraine with cutting-edge weapons through regular military aid packages, Russia's supplies are running low. It is unknown whether the artillery shells, which are being transported across the Middle East and North Africa, have reached Russia, according to John Kirby, the White House's national security spokesman. The United States doesn't think the new weaponry will change how the war develops. In September, North Korea declared that it had never sent Russia any weapons or ammunition and has no intention of doing so. Per NY Times, the Biden administration claimed that Russia was looking to buy rockets and artillery shells from North Korea. The possibility that Iran is transporting surface-to-surface missiles and drones worries the United States as well. Kirby claimed that Russia had already made acquisitions and had stopped looking for such artillery. He declined to provide into further detail about how the weapons were being carried or whether the US intended to attempt to stop them. If the North Korean weapons do make it to Russia, the United States thinks Ukraine will still be able to defend itself. Ned Price, the spokesperson for the state department, stated at a news conference on Wednesday that the United States would "look at additional tools and authorities that we may be able to call upon to counter this activity" in addition to using "every tool" to enforce current sanctions against North Korea. Additionally, he asked countries with ties to North Korea to exert pressure on the country's leadership to refrain from supplying weapons to Russia. Related Article: Iran Sending 1000 Weapons, Including Attack Drones, to Russia for Ukraine War After Pentagon Raises Big Concerns @YouTube @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Feature: "A moment closer to dream" -- ASEAN schoolers talk to Chinese astronauts 09:46, November 03, 2022 By Chen Jiabao ( Xinhua BANGKOK, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Thai student Siwattin has never felt so close to his dream of being an astronaut when he had a chance to talk to three Chinese taikonauts in space. The 13-year-old boy was one of the students from member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) who had a conversation via video links on Tuesday with three Chinese astronauts now in China's Tiangong space station for a six-month mission in orbit. He raised questions such as how astronauts drink, eat and sleep in space, while the Chinese astronauts Chen Dong, Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe gave their answers patiently. "It's inspirational and unforgettable. It's my dream to become an astronaut. The unique opportunity to talk with taikonauts makes me feel closer to achieving my dream," the middle school boy told Xinhua. Thanks to the program known as "ASEAN Students Talk with Taikonauts," hundreds of students from China and ASEAN countries such as Brunei, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam asked questions ranging from whether astronauts can surf the internet in space and what happens if they get sick, to how to become an astronaut and what the most impressive thing in space is. "We have a water distributor and convection heater. We can drink boiled water and eat fresh food," the astronauts responded. "Though we experience sunrise and sunset every 90 minutes, we still sleep for seven hours at night with Beijing time." When asked about how many hours of training it took for a female astronaut to have a chance to work in space, Liu Yang, the only woman astronaut of the three, said, "The training standard for man and woman astronauts is the same, and for women, we need to work harder. It takes several years before going for a space mission." "The earth is the most beautiful scenery I've seen in space," she added. Pasit Lorterapong, deputy permanent secretary of the Thai Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, thanked China for sharing such a rare opportunity of "talking with astronauts" with Thailand, which will inspire more Thai students to pursue their dreams of space. There was no such event before, the Thai official noted. The National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand and Princess Sirindhorn AstroPark are hubs for astronomical research and development for Thailand and Southeast Asia, according to Pasit. "All these agencies are working closely with space agencies in China. There are huge opportunities for youth in our country," he said. Thanapant Raicharoen, a senior executive of Thailand's National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, told Xinhua that the event helped inspire youth and encouraged them to explore space. "We encourage the youth to study space technology and cultivate more astronauts," he said. (Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Liang Jun) The Ethiopian government and Tigrayan forces made a surprise truce to end a two-year-old war that has already led to thousands of deaths and resulted in warnings of a famine in the region. The African Union (AU) called the truce a new "dawn" and is an agreement between the Ethiopian government and Tigrayan forces that would allow aid deliveries to resume. Nearly all of the people located in the northern Tigray region are in need of food assistance, said the World Health Organization (WHO). Ethiopia, Tigray Truce Nearly a third of the children in the region are found to be suffering from malnutrition, and despite the truce being a major breakthrough, many would receive it with some form of caution. The recent deal is not the first ceasefire in the conflict as a previous one was breached in August, only months after both sides committed to it. However, the latest agreements have gone a step further, with Ethiopian government officials and representatives of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) signing up for a disarmament plan and restoration of crucial services, including aid supplies, as per BBC. A joint statement that officials released said that Ethiopia has only one national defense force and noted that the TPLF made a major concession, which was to disarm, demobilize, and reintegrate fighters into the federal army. In a statement, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed described the deal as "monumental" and committed to implementing it properly. Furthermore, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, who mediated the deal after a week of negotiations in South Africa, called it the beginning of the peace process. According to the Washington Post, Obasanjo noted that both sides formally agreed to the cessation of hostilities and to systematic, orderly, smooth, and coordinated disarmament, restoration of law and order, restoration of services, unhindered access to humanitarian supplies, and protection of civilians. Read Also: Is North Korea Supplying Russia With Artillery Shells for Ukraine War? US Officials Make Shocking Allegation End of the Civil War While the full document of the truce has yet to be released, the deal was announced on live television. The national security adviser to Ethiopia's federal government, Redwan Hussein and Getachew Reda from the TPLF praised the truce. Redwan expressed his gratitude to the countries that had continued to support Ethiopia and criticized other nations. The European Union froze budget support to Ethiopia while the United States suspended the region's much-valued preferential trading status over human rights abuses that were committed during the war, including gang rapes and mass killings of civilians conducted by the Ethiopian military and its allies. The official added that people from Africa remained true to their principled stance that Ethiopians must own and resolve their differences. He had hoped that others would learn such a generous and firm direction. The war, which broke out in November 2020, was where Tigrayan soldiers seized military bases across Tigray after months of worsening relations with the new central government. The latter dominated national politics for nearly three decades until the appointment of Ahmed in 2018. However, two important parties to the conflict were not represented in the negotiations: the government of Eritrea and representatives from Ethiopia's Amhara region, the Washington Post reported. Related Article: South Korea President Vows North Korea Will 'Pay the Price' After Missile Lands Near Territory @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Funeral services for Colorado House Minority Leader Hugh Monroe McKean will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 12 at Resurrection Fellowship Church, 6502 E. Crossroads Blvd., Loveland. The public is invited to attend. McKean's remains will lie in state in the Colorado Capitol Rotunda on Thursday, Nov. 10. That service will include a military honor guard, and a formal arrival and departure ceremony, starting at noon. Gov. Jared Polis, former Gov. Bill Owens, Speaker of the House Alec Garnett and the House GOP caucus's newly-elected minority leader, expected to be Rep. Colin Larson of Littleton, are all slated to speak. McKean is believed to be the first sitting lawmaker to be so honored, although the honor is not without precedent. Secretary of State Vicki Buckley, who died in 1999, also was accorded that honor, as was former Gov. and U.S. Sen. Edwin Johnson, who died in 1970. McKean died of a heart attack early Sunday morning. He was 55. He served three terms in the Colorado House, including as minority leader in the 2021 and 2022 sessions. Born Oct. 27, 1967, in Bucks County, Pa., and raised a Quaker, McKean grew up on a farm in Missouri, but also spent time in Dallas, where he worked at Love Field, and in New Mexico before moving to Colorado. He earned a bachelor's degree in liberal arts in 1996 from Colorado State University. He is survived by his son, Aidan; daughter Hanna; mother, Janet McKean; brother, Andrew; sister Summer; their spouses, various nieces and nephews; and his partner, Amy Parks. McKean described Parks' son, Kolten, as his best friend. As the threat of climate change continues to rise, it was discovered that Europe has warmed twice as fast as any other region, based on a new State of the Climate in Europe report released by the World Meteorological Organization. The report comes before the United Nations' international climate summit that will be held in Egypt. It is also one of a series of reports released in the last several weeks that highlight how the world is off-track on its climate goals to control global warming. Europe's Rapidly Rising Temperature Not only are countries worldwide missing the mark on their efforts to reduce planet-warming fossil fuel emissions, but the measurements also show that temperatures are already skyrocketing. Since the industrial revolution, global temperature has already gone up by roughly 1.2 degrees and scientists noted that this should be limited to only 1.5 degrees in order to avoid the most severe impacts of the weather on our planet. Furthermore, some continents are feeling the rise of temperature much faster than others, with Europe being shown as having increased more than twice the global average over the last three decades with a rate of about 0.5 degrees Celsius per decade, as per CNN. Recent reports have also shown that the region's temperature was fueling extreme weather to occur. The number of wildfires year-to-date through July in the EU was quadruple the average in the last 15 years. In the United Kingdom, a deadly, record-breaking heatwave has strained public health and buckled infrastructure. Furthermore, exceptional drought has plagued the continent this summer, drying up some of the world's most economically critical rivers. According to DW News, the rise in temperature in Europe has also caused Alpine glaciers to lose 30 meters in ice thickness from 1997 to 2021. Furthermore, Greenland's ice sheet was also discovered to be melting away and was contributing to an acceleration in rising sea levels. Read Also: Space Observatory Captures Stunning Image of Giant Star's 'Ghost' Made up of Cosmic Dust, Gas Effects of Climate Change In a statement, WMO chief Petteri Taalas said that Europe represents a live picture of a level of global warming and reminds us that even well-prepared countries are not safe from the devastation of climate change. The WMO added that in the summer of 2021, a melt event in Greenland resulted in the "first-ever recorded rainfall at its highest point." Various weather-related events in the region have already caused hundreds of fatalities and have affected more than half a million people, causing damage in excess of $50 billion. While the majority of these events were found to be floods or storms, the deadliest of the extreme climate events in Europe were heatwaves, particularly those in western and southern Europe. The main reason for the situation is that a large part of the continent is in the sub-Arctic and Arctic, which is the fastest-warming region on Earth. Furthermore, it is also the region that experiences the fastest changes in climate feedback, said scientists. One instance of the visible effects of climate change is that there are fewer clouds over Europe during the summer, which means that more sunlight and heat are able to reach the continent, said senior scientist with the Copernicus Climate Change Service, Freja Vambog, Reuters reported. Related Article: NASA Earth Space Mission Discovers 50 Methane 'Super-Emitters' That Significantly Contribute to Climate Change @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Young 'Harry Potter' fans were "hurt" by JK Rowling's trans opinions, according to actor Daniel Radcliffe. The actor claimed he believed it was "really important" to come out against the author's comments, which some people perceived as being anti-trans. Why Daniel Radcliffe Denounced JK Rowling? In June 2020, the author of the 'Harry Potter' series came under fire for a string of tweets that were perceived as transphobic. JK Rowling vehemently refuted the claims. After speaking with LGBT+ community members, Daniel Radcliffe stated that he "wanted them to know that not everyone in the franchise felt that way." Per Telegraph via MSN, the 33-year-old actor claimed that many young, queer, and transgender fans of the show had been "hurt on that day" in a recent interview with online outlet IndieWire. JK Rowling claimed she was inspired to speak out about transgender issues because of her experience with domestic abuse and sexual assault after the argument started as a result of her words. Additionally, she claimed that "hundreds of trans activists" have threatened her since, activities that the UK government has denounced. The author appeared in the 'Harry Potter' 20th reunion special earlier this year, but only in archive video clips. For the 20th anniversary of the publishing of 'Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone,' Daniel Radcliffe and fellow cast members Emma Watson and Rupert Grint reunited in the HBO Max special ''Return To Hogwarts.' Read Also: Migos Rapper Takeoff Shot and Killed; Celebrities, Fans Mourn Over Tragedy JK Rowling's Anti-Trans Views In 2020, when Rowling criticized an opinion item that used the words "those who menstruate" on the website Devex, a media outlet for the global development community, she sparked fury on Twitter. After a backlash over her remarks, the renowned author was accused of being transphobic. When the author objected to an online piece about "people who menstruate," she was subjected to what she later described as "relentless attacks." Since then, she has asserted that she has been the target of numerous threats from "trans activists." It comes after a former SNP minister was hailed a "heroine" by Miss Rowling for abruptly leaving the party in opposition to Nicola Sturgeon's extreme gender recognition legislation. After resigning as minister of community safety last week as the SNP Government unveiled its intentions to make it simpler for transgender persons to legally alter their gender, Ash Regan, 48, was dubbed a "principled politician" by the author of the Harry Potter series. In a harsh letter, the First Minister chastised Regan for leaving her post and insisted that she had never objected to the contentious Gender Recognition Reform Bill, Daily Mail reported. The author of the 'Harry Potter' series has already expressed concern that the Bill may lead to attacks on "the most vulnerable women" by individuals who are able to take advantage of developments in places like jails and domestic abuse shelters. JK Rowling received a lot of criticism online for her tweets about transgender people while posting an article about equality. She republished an opinion piece that mentioned "those who menstruate," evidently objecting to the use of the term "women." Many criticized JK Rowling's comments and emphasized that a person's gender is not always determined at birth. Meanwhile, Daniel Radcliffe is currently preparing for the publication of 'Weird: The Al Yankovic Story' on the business front. Daniel Radcliffe plays the lead part, with Evan Rachel Wood and Rainn Wilson co-starring as Madonna and Dr. Demento, respectively. The release is November 4, as per Republic World. Related Article: Jeffrey Dahmer Netflix Series: Actor Evan Peters Reveals Unbelievable Preparation To Stay in Character Before Filming the Show @YouTube @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The Missourians Opinion section is a public forum for the discussion of ideas. The views presented in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missourian or the University of Missouri. If you would like to contribute to the Opinion page with a response or an original topic of your own, visit our submission form North Korea fired three missiles Thursday, including an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), South Korea and Japan said. The incident happened after Pyongyang blasted a record 23 missiles the day before. NBC News reports that Japanese authorities were concerend that one of the missiles might pass over the country, prompting them to activate an early warning system to alert people in the northern prefectures of Miyagi, Yamagata, and Niigata to seek shelter indoors or underground. Officials then reported the missile did not travel over Japan and vanished over the ocean. US Calls North Korea's Missile Launch a 'Flagrant' Offense As this week's extensive joint military drills between the United States and South Korea continue, North Korea has intensified its missile testing and fervent rhetoric. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un wants to strengthen his nuclear arsenal, and compel the US to remove sanctions. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the long-range ballistic missile was shot at 7:40 a.m. (6:40 p.m. Wednesday ET) from Pyongyang's Sunan area. An hour later, North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles from Gaechon, South Pyongan. In a statement, US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said that Washington harshly condemned North Korea's ICBM launch and that US President Joe Biden and his national security team are closely working with allies and partners to analyze the situation. Watson said that North Korea's missile launches this week constitute "a flagrant violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions and needlessly raises tensions and risks destabilizing the security situation in the region." Watson stated the US will do everything it takes to protect itself and its allies. Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada later clarified that the missile "did not cross the Japanese archipelago, but disappeared over the Sea of Japan," contradicting an earlier statement from Tokyo that the missile had flown over Japan, according to BBC. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida subsequently blasted North Korea's "repeated missile launches." In October, North Korea conducted what it said was a test of a new intermediate-range ballistic missile, which experts believe could theoretically hit Guam, a major US military headquarters in the Pacific. Navy Captain Choi Yong Soo, who is in charge of public relations for South Korea's Defense Ministry in Seoul, dodged the question of whether or not the ICBM launch was successful, saying that the data is still being examined. Read Also: US Midterms: Biden Blasts Trump, Republicans For Threatening 'American Democracy' In Latest Speech Days Ahead Elections North Korea Will Face Grave Consequences If It Pushes 7th Nuke Test Experts say North Korea is intensifying its weapons tests in an attempt to exploit a rift in the UN Security Council over Russia's assault on Ukraine to develop weapons. North Korea has accompanied its increasing number of nuclear tests with an increasingly hostile nuclear doctrine that allows for nuclear preemption in a wide range of vaguely defined crisis conditions. A seventh North Korean nuclear test might push the country closer to its ambition of establishing full-fledged weaponry, endangering US allies and the US mainland, experts believe. Ned Price, a spokesman for the State Department, warned on Tuesday that a seventh nuclear test would be a "dangerous, reckless, destabilizing act" with "additional costs" and repercussions should North Korea proceed with the nuclear weapons test per AP News. Due to disputes on a relaxation of the debilitating US-led sanctions against North Korea in exchange for denuclearization steps, nuclear disarmament negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang have remained dormant since 2019. Related Article: Saudi Arabia Raises Alarm on Iran Threat, Attack; Iraq Where US Troops Are Deployed Also a Possible Target @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Spurred by the global pandemic, the Great Resignation saw an exodus of people from the workforce; over the past year, more than 4 million US employees each month have left jobs for a myriad of reasons. Some employees said they were highly dissatisfied with work, but others cited more practical reasons. For example, women left the workforce more than men because of caregiving responsibilities, whether it was for children or elderly relatives, according to Amy Loomis, research director for IDCs worldwide Future of Work market research service. A recent study by management consulting firm McKinsey & Company showed that women leaders in the workplace are stretched thinner than men, with 43% of those surveyed saying they're burned out, compared to only 31% of men at their level. Although women are slightly more likely this year than last to say that their employer offers flexible work policies, the number is still low: just one-third say their company has flexible work, according to a study by Deloitte. And when asked about policies introduced during the pandemic, only 22% cited corporate flexibility around where and when they work. With that backdrop, many organizations have responded to workplace churn and a dearth of tech talent by upskilling or reskilling existing workers and removing college degree requirements on job postings. Others are hiring through nontraditional approaches that include graduates of coding bootcamps, low-code training, and from population areas outside the norm. Earlier this year, Expedia Group launched a return-to-work project called the Return Ticket Returnship Program, which can be attended by any worker with a caregiving gap on their resume greater than two years. The prospects don't have to be former Expedia Group employees anyone with at least five years of tech career experience who left the workforce to care for someone can apply. Expedia Group, which owns travel booking platforms Expedia.com, Hotels.com and Vrbo, integrates prospects into teams and matches them with a dedicated manager. The program is meant to sharpen worker skills, help them update resumes with new experiences, make networking connections, and have them begin contributing to an Expedia team with the aim of converting them to a full-time position. Expedia Groups goal is to have 50-50 gender balance by the end of 2025 at all levels. (Currently, women represent 47% of the companys workforce.) The first group of interns in the Return Ticket program seven women graduated in April; the second group, which started in August, has 11 women and will run through the end of January. Forty-five percent of those involved in the Return Ticket program have already converted to full-time employees at Expedia Group "because of their strong performance in the program." Expedia Group Expedia Group's CTO Rathi Murphy Rathi Murthy, CTO of Expedia Group, is herself a mother and helped to shepherd the Return Ticket program. She responded to Computerworld questions about the organization's efforts to return workers to the workplace. The following are her responses: What prompted the creation of the Return Ticket program? "Were always looking for ways to build our tech talent pipeline, while also creating a more inclusive and diverse workforce. When a caregiver has to pause their career to take care of a child or an elderly parent, they can have a very tough time getting back into the workforce, because either their technical skills have lapsed, or theyve lost their network connections. "As a mother myself, there were definitely points in my career where I had to prioritize my family, but I was very lucky with always having amazing mentors who guided and supported me. At Expedia Group, we want to provide caregivers not just with the opportunity to pick up their careers, but with the support, mentorship and experience to truly excel." How has the Great Resignation affected your upskilling and reskilling initiatives? "Listening to our employees is important to retaining the great talent we have at Expedia Group, which is why feedback has always been a core part of our culture. When we hear their desire for more training or career development opportunities, it's on us to make sure we act on it. "We used feedback from our workforce to become more transparent about career advancement in the company. Weve introduced a new approach to career development, including a tool that provides personalized recommendations for reaching individuals career goals. "We also look for opportunities to upskill and reskill our people. Our recent investment in Udemy gives employees access to a self-paced online learning library to learn new IT skills on a schedule that works for them. Also, our learning team is currently reassessing teams' skill needs with marketplace research and employee listening sessions. These insights show us the skills that are important today and in the future, so we can make sure our employees are set up for long-term success." How do upskilling or reskilling programs boost employee retention and why? "When employees see that weve acted on their feedback, it shows that were invested in them and their growth. Our new career development tool launched less than a month ago has already been used by more than 50% of our employees. This kind of engagement shows just how hungry they are for learning opportunities. When we set up our employees for success, it helps them to fulfill their potential and us to achieve our mission. It's a win-win." In terms of IT, in what ways is 'empowerment important so IT staffers have a voice at the C-level table? "I invest a large amount of energy into developing relationships and empowering everyone on the product and technology team. Its important that theyre highly motivated team players, who move quickly in a choreographed way to win. "Im also a huge proponent of reverse mentoring. I have learned a lot from new graduates coming in with fresh ideas and new ways of solving old challenges. In this field, its important to open your mind to new ways of working and learning from everyone no matter their age." Do you see a problem with IT not having enough of a voice now? "Todays CTOs and CIOs have a much broader remit and are more tuned in to business objectives than ever before. These days, technology is the backbone of every company, which means that tech and IT strategies need to align with business goals to be successful. Businesses can change rapidly, and too often IT projects are paused or changed before they can deliver value, so there needs to be a firm commitment from all parties to stay the course. "Its also important to have defined business metrics and demonstrate clearly how technology is moving the needle for the company. The team responsible for delivery should also be set up in the right way they will be accountable for delivering business outcomes, so durability is essential." What is more important on a candidates resume their degrees or skills? Has that balance shifted recently? "When we hire, we're looking for the most qualified candidate. A candidate's skillset, experience, willingness to learn, and enthusiasm for our mission and values are always part of our evaluation. As we build our presence as a technology company powering travel, we need an experienced team with a diverse set of skills who can work through challenges and who want to continue to grow and learn throughout their career. "We also strongly believe in creating equitable employment opportunities in tech. We have an apprenticeship program, which is an 18-month rotational program for people who do not have a degree. Their skills and experience get them in the door, and we provide on-the-job learning opportunities and prepare them for a role in our tech organization. "Hiring is key to representation, and we continue to focus on hiring talent that represents the diverse travelers we serve." You've used the term 'mindful tech leadership' in describing your approach to a healthy workforce. What is that and why is it important? "I have a passion to create a stress-free corporate America. In my personal time, I practice yoga and meditation, which teaches the importance of mindfulness. My experience with digitally transforming tech companies has convinced me that there is a better path forward for a more mindful approach to tech leadership that empowers teams. "Fostering data-driven cultures where leaders are empowered to continuously reprioritize workstreams means that teams can focus on solving problems that create the most value for the business. I spend a lot of time and energy empowering my team so that were all pulling in the same direction. This helps us be more agile and ship solutions faster while sharing wins." Two kinds of justice Betrayal by governments till 2014 Betrayal by present RSS/BJP rulers Renowned journalist Manoj Mitta, author of the book When a Tree Shook Delhi: The 1984 Carnage and Its Aftermath' straightforwardly says, "Despite the BJP rule, there has hardly been any will to enforce accountability for the massacres that took place under the Congress. Its as if there is a tacit deal between the sponsors of 1984 and 2002". It was no oversight that during the 2019 parliamentary elections the 1984 massacre was totally forgotten. This is not what outsiders or critics of the RSS have been telling. The perusal of the contemporary RSS documents show that major focus was on condemning the Sikh extremism, eulogizing Indira Gandhi and welcoming the crowning of Rajiv Gandhi as new prime minister. RSS ideologue Nanaji Deshmukh's attitude towards Sikh massacre The most important proof of such a dehumanized attitude towards the massacre of Sikhs is a document circulated by Nanaji Deshmukh, a prominent whole timer and ideologue of the RSS [now deceased]. This document titled as 'Moments of Soul Searching' was circulated by Deshmukh on November 8, 1984, may help in unmasking the whole lot of criminals involved in the massacre of innocent Sikhs who had nothing to do with the killing of Indira Gandhi. This document may also throw light on where the cadres came from, who meticulously organized the killing of Sikhs. Nanaji Deshmukh in this document is seen outlining the justification of the massacre of the Sikh community in 1984. This document also shows the true degenerated and fascist attitude of the RSS towards all the minorities of India. The RSS has been arguing that they are against Muslims and Christians because they are the followers of foreign religions. Street play on 1984 massacre, 1985. Prof Islam can be seen performing This document was The author of the following document is known as an ideologue and policy formulator of the RSS. After the killing of Prime Minister (Indira Gandhi) he distributed this document among prominent politicians. It has a historical significance that is why we have decided to publish it, violating policy of our weekly. This document highlights the new affinities developing between the Indira Congress and the RSS. We produce here the Hindi translation of the document. Deshmukh in his document 'Moments of Soul Searching' is seen outlining the justification of the massacre of the Sikh community in 1984. His defence of the carnage can be summed up as in the following words The massacre of Sikhs was not the handiwork of any group or anti-social elements but the result of a genuine feeling of anger. Deshmukh did not distinguish the action of the two security personnel of Indira Gandhi, who happened to be Sikhs, from that of the whole Sikh community. According to his document, the killers of Indira Gandhi were working under some kind of mandate of their community. He believed, Sikhs themselves invited these attacks, thus advancing the Congress theory of justifying the massacre of the Sikhs. He glorified the Operation Blue Star and described any opposition to it as anti- national. When Sikhs were being killed in thousands he was warning the country of Sikh extremism, thus offering ideological defense of those killings. Sikh community as a whole was responsible for violence in Punjab, he suggested, insisting, Sikhs should have done nothing in self-defence but showed patience and tolerance against the killer mobs. Here we find them justifying the butchering of Sikhs who according to their own categorization happened to be the followers of an indigenous religion. In this document we will hear from the horse's mouth that the RSS like the then Congress leadership believed that the massacre of the innocent Sikhs was unavoidable.This document was published in the Hindi weekly Pratipaksh edited by George Fernandes, who later became Defence Minister of India in the NDA regime, in its edition of November 25, 1984 titled 'Indira Congress- RSS collusion' with the following editorial comment:The author of the following document is known as an ideologue and policy formulator of the RSS. After the killing of Prime Minister (Indira Gandhi) he distributed this document among prominent politicians. It has a historical significance that is why we have decided to publish it, violating policy of our weekly. This document highlights the new affinities developing between the Indira Congress and the RSS. We produce here the Hindi translation of the document.Deshmukh in his document 'Moments of Soul Searching' is seen outlining the justification of the massacre of the Sikh community in 1984. His defence of the carnage can be summed up as in the following words The massacre of Sikhs was not the handiwork of any group or anti-social elements but the result of a genuine feeling of anger.Deshmukh did not distinguish the action of the two security personnel of Indira Gandhi, who happened to be Sikhs, from that of the whole Sikh community. According to his document, the killers of Indira Gandhi were working under some kind of mandate of their community. He believed, Sikhs themselves invited these attacks, thus advancing the Congress theory of justifying the massacre of the Sikhs.He glorified the Operation Blue Star and described any opposition to it as anti- national. When Sikhs were being killed in thousands he was warning the country of Sikh extremism, thus offering ideological defense of those killings.Sikh community as a whole was responsible for violence in Punjab, he suggested, insisting, Sikhs should have done nothing in self-defence but showed patience and tolerance against the killer mobs. He added, Sikh intellectuals and not killer mobs which were responsible for the massacre, and that they had turned Sikhs into a militant community, cutting them off from their Hindu roots, thus inviting attacks from the nationalist Indians. Moreover, he treated all Sikhs as part of the same gang and described attacks on them as a reaction of the nationalist Hindus. He described Indira Gandhi as the only leader who could keep the country united and assassination of such a great leader such killings could not be avoided. Rajiv Gandhi who succeeded Indira Gandhi as the PM and justified the nation-wide killings of Sikhs by saying, When a huge tree falls there are always tremors felt, was lauded and blessed by Deshmukh at the end of the document. Shockingly, the massacre of Sikhs was being equated with the attacks on the RSS cadres after the killing of Gandhiji, and we find Deshmukh advising Sikhs to suffer silently. Everybody knows that the killing of Gandhiji was inspired by the RSS and the Hindutva Ideology whereas the common innocent Sikhs had nothing to do with the murder of Indira Gandhi. There was not a single sentence in the Deshmukh document demanding from the then Congress government at the Centre or the then home minister Narsimha Rao (a Congress leader dear to the RSS who later silently watched demolition of Babri masjid by Hindutva goons as PM of India in 1992) remedial measures for controlling the violence against the minority community. Deshmukh circulated this document on November 8, 1984, and from October 31 to this date Sikhs havebeen left alone to face the killing gangs. In fact November 5-10 was the period when the maximum killings of Sikhs took place. Deshmukh was just not bothered about all this. It is generally believed that the Congress cadres were behind this genocide. This may be true but there were other forces too which actively participated in thismassacre and whose role has never been investigated. It could be one of the reasons that actual perpetrators remain unknown. Those who witnessed the genocide were stunned by the swiftness and military precision of the killer/marauding gangs (later on witnessed during the Babri mosque demolition, burning alive of Dr. Graham Steins with his two sons, 2002 pogrom of the Muslims in Gujarat and cleansing of Christians in parts of Orissa) which went on a burning spree of the innocent Sikhs. This, surely, was beyond the capacity of the thugs led by many Congress leaders. It is shocking that Deshmukh presented 1984 massacre of Sikhs as an issue between Sikhs and Hindus. He wrote: "I feel proud of all those Hindu neighbours who protected lives and property of troubled Sikh brothers without caring for their lives. Such things one being heard from all over Delhi. These things have practically increased the faith in natural goodness of human behavior and particularly faith in Hindu nature." He remained oblivious to the fact that these were not only Hindus but Muslims, Jains, Buddhists, Christians, Atheists, Communists who defended Sikhs' lives and properties. RSS attitude towards Sikh massacre The Deshmukh document did not happen in isolation. It represented the real RSS attitude towards Sikh genocide of 1984. It may be relevant to know here that the RSS cadres did not come forward in defence of the Sikhs. The RSS is very fond of circulating publicity material, especially photographs of its khaki shorts-clad cadres doing social work. "It will always be difficult to believe that the Indira Gandhi is no more. One had got so used to hearing her myriad voices for so long, that everything looks so blank without her. The violent manner of her death is the most shocking horror story, giving the nation the creepsIt is a case of treacherous fanatics stigmatizing the whole nation by butchering a remarkable specimen of Indian womanhood She literally served India to the last drop of her blood according to her own lights." The same editorial ended with the words supporting newly installed PM, Rajiv Gandhi who "deserves sympathy and consideration". The Organizer also carried statement of RSS Supremo Balasah Deoras titled 'Balasaheb condemns assassination, Delhi carnage' in a single column. He mourned and condemned the carnage but not even once referred to the fact that Sikhs were under attack. For him it was "infighting in the Hindu Samaj". He also overlooked the fact that it was not only Delhi where Sikhs were butchered/burnt but in many other parts of India too. According to this statement "swayamsevaks have been instructed to form or help in forming Mohalla Suraksha Samitis" for restoring peace and rehabilitation of the sufferers. However, there are no documents available in the contemporary RSS archives to show how these Samitis functioned. It is a fact that RSS which is fond of displaying photographs of its cadres doing social work did not publish any visual of the activity of these Samitis. In the same statement Deoras reacting to the assassination of Indira Gandhi stated: "It is shocking beyond words to express the feelings at the murder of PM Mrs. Indira Gandhi by some fanatic elements. She had been carrying on almost the entire burden of the country since 1966. She was loved and respected not only in this country but all over the world. Her passing away at this critical juncture will create a void in India and also in the world." According to the above mentioned Organizer: "RSS Sarkyavah, Rajender Singh issued instructions to all the branches in the country to hold a special meeting in Shakha condemning the dastardly murder of the PM and paying homage to the departed soul. He also issued instructions to cancel all public functions to be held by RSS during the period of mourning". Of course, RSS archives do not contain any instructions from RSS top brass ordering to mourn the Sikh martyrs. RSS against former PM Manmohan Singh's apology for 1984 massacre The RSS downplaying 1984 Sikh massacre will be clear by the perusal of charter of demands submitted to the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) in last July. The senior RSS ideologue, Dina Nath Batra, on behalf of RSS-affiliated Shiksha Sanskriti Utthan Nyas submitted five pages containing list of items to be removed from school text-books. Batra demanded that any reference to violence against minorities in the text-books should be removed which included references to a simple apology tendered by the former PM Manmohan Singh over 1984 violence. It is to be noted that in an apology in Parliament on August 12, 2005, Manmohan Singh, the then PM of India stated: I have no hesitation in apologizing to the Sikh community. I apologize not only to the Sikh community, but to the whole Indian nation because what took place in 1984 is the negation of the concept of nationhood enshrined in our Constitution. So the search for finding the perpetrators of Sikh massacre of 1984 continues endlessly. The present RSS/BJP rulers who claim to be co-religionists of Sikhs prove no different from Congress. The only hope is that those Indians who have stakes in continuation of democratic-secular Indian polity will come forward to force the Indian State to identify and punish the killers. The scholars who have been involved in the study of religious violence are unanimous in the conclusion that if 1984 massacre was not allowed to happen, there would not have been 1992- 93 (violence against Muslims in pre/post Babri mosque demolition period), 2002 (massacre of Muslims in Gujarat), Kandhmal 2008 (cleansing of Christians) and many other massacre of the minorities of India. Allowing the 1984 massacre the Indian State, let it be known to all the majoritarian fascist organizations that in such criminal happening the former would remain silent! Deshmukh awarded 'Bharat Ratna' As if it was not enough injustice to the martyrs and survivors of the 1984 massacre, on the eve of the last Republic Day (January 25, 2019) RSS/BJP rulers of India, bestowed the highest national award BHARAT RATN (gem of India) on Nanaji Deshmukh. PM Modi praising Deshmukh said, "He [Nana Deshmukh] personifies humility, compassion, and service to the downtrodden. He is a Bharat Ratna in the truest sense". If anybody wants to understand the exact meaning of the proverb 'to rub salt into the wound' this Bharat Ratna to Deshmukh is the fittest example! --- *Formerly with Delhi University, click here for some of Prof Islam's writings and video interviews/debates. Facebook: https://facebook.com/shamsul.islam.332. Twitter: @shamsforjustice. Blog: http://shamsforpeace.blogspot.com/ The RSS downplaying 1984 Sikh massacre will be clear by the perusal of charter of demands submitted to the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) in last July. The senior RSS ideologue, Dina Nath Batra, on behalf of RSS-affiliated Shiksha Sanskriti Utthan Nyas submitted five pages containing list of items to be removed from school text-books.Batra demanded that any reference to violence against minorities in the text-books should be removed which included references to a simple apology tendered by the former PM Manmohan Singh over 1984 violence. It is to be noted that in an apology in Parliament on August 12, 2005, Manmohan Singh, the then PM of India stated:So the search for finding the perpetrators of Sikh massacre of 1984 continues endlessly. The present RSS/BJP rulers who claim to be co-religionists of Sikhs prove no different from Congress. The only hope is that those Indians who have stakes in continuation of democratic-secular Indian polity will come forward to force the Indian State to identify and punish the killers.The scholars who have been involved in the study of religious violence are unanimous in the conclusion that if 1984 massacre was not allowed to happen, there would not have been 1992- 93 (violence against Muslims in pre/post Babri mosque demolition period), 2002 (massacre of Muslims in Gujarat), Kandhmal 2008 (cleansing of Christians) and many other massacre of the minorities of India. Allowing the 1984 massacre the Indian State, let it be known to all the majoritarian fascist organizations that in such criminal happening the former would remain silent!As if it was not enough injustice to the martyrs and survivors of the 1984 massacre, on the eve of the last Republic Day (January 25, 2019) RSS/BJP rulers of India, bestowed the highest national award BHARAT RATN (gem of India) on Nanaji Deshmukh. PM Modi praising Deshmukh said, "He [Nana Deshmukh] personifies humility, compassion, and service to the downtrodden. He is a Bharat Ratna in the truest sense".If anybody wants to understand the exact meaning of the proverb 'to rub salt into the wound' this Bharat Ratna to Deshmukh is the fittest example!--- For the 1984 violence they have none. In fact, Deshmukh's article also made no mention of the RSS cadres going to the rescue of Sikhs under siege. This shows the real intentions of the RSS during the genocide. The RSS English organ, Organizer in its combined issue dated November 11 and 18, 1984 carried an editorial titled 'Stunning Loss' which praised Indira Gandhi in the following words: Modi also forgot to share the fact that as per the autobiography of LK Advani (page 430), it was his party which forced Indira Gandhi to go for army action infamously named as Operation Blue Star which killed large number of Sikh pilgrims.Renowned journalist Manoj Mitta, author of the book When a Tree Shook Delhi: The 1984 Carnage and Its Aftermath' straightforwardly says, "Despite the BJP rule, there has hardly been any will to enforce accountability for the massacres that took place under the Congress. Its as if there is a tacit deal between the sponsors of 1984 and 2002".It was no oversight that during the 2019 parliamentary elections the 1984 massacre was totally forgotten. This is not what outsiders or critics of the RSS have been telling. The perusal of the contemporary RSS documents show that major focus was on condemning the Sikh extremism, eulogizing Indira Gandhi and welcoming the crowning of Rajiv Gandhi as new prime minister.The most important proof of such a dehumanized attitude towards the massacre of Sikhs is a document circulated by Nanaji Deshmukh, a prominent whole timer and ideologue of the RSS [now deceased]. This document titled as 'Moments of Soul Searching' was circulated by Deshmukh on November 8, 1984, may help in unmasking the whole lot of criminals involved in the massacre of innocent Sikhs who had nothing to do with the killing of Indira Gandhi.This document may also throw light on where the cadres came from, who meticulously organized the killing of Sikhs. Nanaji Deshmukh in this document is seen outlining the justification of the massacre of the Sikh community in 1984.This document also shows the true degenerated and fascist attitude of the RSS towards all the minorities of India. The RSS has been arguing that they are against Muslims and Christians because they are the followers of foreign religions. (Human beings are still alive;They are ashamed to be alive!)For almost last three decades, on every anniversary of the horrific 1984 massacre of Sikhs in India, this author has been reminding the nation how the Indian State and the judiciary did not bother to punish the perpetrators of this horrendous mass killing of the innocents of the second largest religious minority of our country.On every anniversary the author hoped that now justice would be done and he would not have to write the painful story once again as a reminder. It has not happened in year 2021 also; the saga of the criminal betrayal by the Indian Republic has no end and author like the victims continues to cry before a deaf and dumb Indian State.However, the shameless Indian State with the 38th anniversary approaching made noises as if it was working for getting justice to the victims, like in the past!The National Minority Commission was kind enough to issue notices on October 30, 2021 to Delhi, Jharkhand, Orissa, West Bengal, Bihar, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh to file reports with the Commission detailing the victims, compensation paid so far and arrests and action taken against the accused in these cases.Earlier, in January 2021, the UP government told the nation that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up by the Yogi Adityanath government to probe cases related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in Kanpur has claimed to have collected evidence of murder and arson from a house in the districts Naubasta area where two people were killed and set ablaze [in 1984].It took the Indian State 37 years to achieve these two goals in search for the killers of 1984.Whenever the country witnesses large-scale violence against the minorities and Dalits, the search for perpetrators continues endlessly and the criminals are rarely identified or punished. Major incidents of violence against minorities like Nellie massacre (1983), Sikh massacre (1984), Hashimpura custodial massacre of Muslim youth (1987), pre/post-Ayodhya mosque demolition violence against Muslims (1990-92), Gujarat carnage (2002) and Kandhmal cleansing of Christians (2008) are testimony to this reality.But when the victims are Dalits or minorities, no such urgency is shown. In such cases Indian State is fond of playing commission-commission. Enquiry Commissions after commissions would be constituted to see that the heinous crimes disappear from the public memory.The horrendous massacre of Sikhs in different parts of India in 1984 is a living testimony of this criminal attitude of the Indian justice system with the motto in Sanskrit: Yato Dharma Tato Jaya [Where there is righteousness and dharma, there is victory]. Judiciary must explain what it means by Dharma. Does it include religions of minorities and right of Dalits also?The scenario of the anti-Dalit violence is no different. The major incidents of persecution and massacre of Dalits; 1968 Kilvenmani massacre, 1997 Melavalavu massacre, 2013 Marakkanam anti-Dalit violence, 2012 Dharmapuri anti- Dalit violence (all in Tamil Nadu), 1985 Karamchedu massacre, 1991 Tsundur massacre (all in AP), 1996 Bathani Tola Massacre, 1997 Laxmanpur Bathe massacre (all in Bihar), 1997 Ramabai killings, Mumbai, 2006 Khairlanji massacre, 2014 Javkheda Hatyakand, (all in Maharashtra), 2000 Caste persecution in (Karnataka), five Dalits beaten/burnt to death for skinning a dead cow 2006, 2011 killings of Dalits in Mirchpur (all in Haryana), 2015 anti-Dalit violence in Dangawas (Rajasthan) are some of the thousands of incidents of the Dalit persecution. In almost all these cases perpetrators are yet to be identified. Even if identified, the prosecution rate never exceeded 20%.On the other hand, the Dalit, working class and minority 'perpetrators' of violence are efficiently put on trial by constituting special investigation teams and punished by fast track courts. In order to meet the end of 'justice', 'national security' and 'wish of the society' they are hanged and jailed. The over-all reality is that whenever victims are minorities, working class and Dalits the State and judiciary go into coma.After giving free run to the killer gangs the government-appointed one man Marwah Commission to find out the perpetrators of the 1984 'riots'. As this exercise was proving inconvenient, it was asked to disband itself within short period of its existence and a sitting Supreme Court Judge Ranga Nath Mishra was asked to conduct inquiry into 1984 'riots' who submitted his report in 1987. Shockingly, this fact finding (or fact-hiding) commission headed by Misra observed that "riots which had a spontaneous origin later attained a channelized method at the hands of gangsters".The massacre was reduced to 'riots' as if Sikhs equally participated in the violence. It was a brazen lie. The 'apostle of justice', Mishra, champion of the theory of spontaneity was not, naturally, able to find out from where these gangsters came! According to Jarnail Singh author of the book I Accuse: The Anti-Sikh Violence of 1984 for this service to the State he was awarded a berth in Rajya Sabha.In the next two decades, not less than nine commissions of inquiry were instituted. For the Indian State it became a routine to announce constitution of some new commission or some more compensation to the families of victims in order to deflect the mounting anger at the times of elections. Highlighting the anti-minority bias of such commissions, HS Phoolka, a renowned lawyer, commented that instead of getting convicted many of the political perpetrators get promoted as rulers.In the latest development, the Supreme Court of India on August 16, 2017 ordered the constitution of a panel comprising two of its former judges to examine the justification for closing 241 anti-Sikh riot cases probed by SIT in next 3 months; these three months are yet to be over!RSS claims to have always stood for Hindu-Sikh unity. It occasionally expresses its gratitude to Sikhism for saving Hinduism from the Muslim aggression. It may not be irrelevant to note here that RSS does not treat Sikhism as independent religion, which discarded Casteism and Brahmanical hegemony, but part of Hinduism.The RSS/BJP leaders blamed the Congress for anti-Sikh violence. Modi while addressing a public rally during last parliamentary elections at Jhansi (October 25, 2013) asked Congress leaders to explain who "killed thousands of Sikhs in 1984" and "has anyone been convicted for the Sikh genocide so far?" Modi during Punjab elections and 2014 general elections kept on referring to 'qatl-e-aam' or genocide of Sikhs.Modi after becoming PM in a message (October 31, 2014) said that anti-Sikh riots in the aftermath of Indira Gandhi's assassination were like a "dagger that pierced through India's chestOur own people were murdered, the attack was not on a particular community but on the entire nation."Hindutva icon, RSS whole-timer and PM, Modi lamented culprits were yet to be booked and tried for this massacre. However, Modi did not tell the nation what NDA governments which ruled this country from 1998 to 2004 did to persecute the culprits. November 7, 2023 General Election Candidate Information Page last updated November 3, 2022 11:55 AM The City of Houston will conduct a general election on Tuesday, November 7, 2023, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at voting sites available throughout the City of Houston, at which there will be elected the following officers of the City: Mayor Council Member, District A Council Member, District B Council Member, District C Council Member, District D Council Member, District E Council Member, District F Council Member, District G Council Member, District H Council Member, District I Council Member, District J Council Member, District K Council Member, At-Large Position 1 Council Member, At-Large Position 2 Council Member, At-Large Position 3 Council Member, At-Large Position 4 Council Member, At-Large Position 5 City Controller CANDIDATE FILING PERIOD The first day to file an application for a place on the ballot is Saturday, July 22, 2023. The last day to file for a place on the ballot is Monday, August 21, 2023 by 5:00 p.m. The last day to file a declaration as a write-in candidate is Friday, August 25, 2023, by 5:00 p.m. Applications for a place on the ballot must be filed in the Mayors Office, 901 Bagby, 3rd Floor, Houston, Texas, 77002. Applications may also be submitted via e-mail to mayor@houstontx.gov. Please note that, for applications submitted via e-mail, the filing fee or petition in lieu of a filing fee must still be filed in person. Please also note that the first day of the filing period is set by state law and does not move; the hours of operation for the Mayors Office are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m. The complete candidate packet will be available on this website and in the Mayors Office in 2023. REDISTRICTING The City Council approved new Council District boundaries on October 12, 2022 as part of the redistricting process after the 2020 federal census. The new boundaries will be used for electing District Council Members at the November 7, 2023 City General Election for terms of office beginning on January 2, 2024. Visit the Citys Redistricting Website to learn more about the redistricting process and determine what Council District you reside in for the 2023 City General Election. CANDIDATE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS Pursuant to Texas Election Code section 141.001 and Article V, section 4 of the City of Houston Charter, to be eligible for public elective office, a candidate for City elective office: MUST BE a United States citizen; a United States citizen; MUST BE 18 years of age or older on or before the first day of the term to be filled at the election; 18 years of age or older on or before the first day of the term to be filled at the election; MUST NOT have been determined by a final judgment of a court to be 1) totally mentally incapacitated or 2) partially mentally incapacitated without the right to vote; have been determined by a final judgment of a court to be 1) totally mentally incapacitated or 2) partially mentally incapacitated without the right to vote; MUST NOT have not been finally convicted of a felony from which the person has not been pardoned or otherwise released from the resulting disabilities; Please note that pursuant to Election Code section 141.031(a-1), a person who has been finally convicted of a felony must include in the application proof that the person is eligible for public office. Release from or successful completion of probation or parole does not make a convicted felon eligible for a place on the ballot or able to hold elected office. have not been finally convicted of a felony from which the person has not been pardoned or otherwise released from the resulting disabilities; MUST have resided continuously in Texas for 12 months immediately preceding the filing deadline for a candidates application for a place on the ballot (or for write-in candidates, the date of the election at which the candidates name is written in); For candidates for Mayor, City Controller, or At-Large Council Member, MUST have resided continuously in the City for 12 months immediately preceding election day; For candidates for District Council Member, MUST have resided continuously in the territory encompassed by the City Council District to be served for 12 months immediately preceding election day; and Per Local Government Code Section 43.130, a resident of an area annexed for limited purposes is not eligible to be a candidate for or to be elected to a municipal office. have resided continuously in Texas for 12 months immediately preceding the filing deadline for a candidates application for a place on the ballot (or for write-in candidates, the date of the election at which the candidates name is written in); MUST be registered to vote in the territory from which the office is elected on or before the date of the filing deadline for a candidates application for a place on the ballot (or for write-in candidates, the date of the election at which the candidates name is written in). CANDIDATE APPLICATION Each application or declaration should be checked to ensure that: It has been completed in accordance with the instructions and properly notarized; and It is accompanied by either: the appropriate filing fee, or the properly completed and acknowledged Petition for a Place on the City General Election Ballot containing the required number of signatures and other information required by the Texas Election Code. The petition must be signed by registered voters residing in the territory from which the office is elected equal in number to the greater of: a) twenty-five, or b) one-half of one percent of the total received in the territory from which the office is elected by all candidates for mayor in the most recent mayoral regular election. Filing Fee: Cash, cashiers or certified check payable to the City of Houston. No personal checks or money orders accepted. Filing fees are non-refundable. (See City Charter, Art. V, Sec. 6.) Position Fee Mayor $1250.00 Controller $750.00 Council Member $500.00 CAMPAIGN FINANCE Campaign finance reports must be filed electronically, unless the filer is exempt pursuant to section 18-103(c) of the City of Houston Code of Ordinances. The electronic filing system can be found here: http://www.houstontx.gov/campaignfinance/. You can find answers to frequently asked questions regarding campaign finance here: https://www.houstontx.gov/campaignfinance/faq.html. Today is 22 years since the first residential crew was welcomed aboard the International Space Station. On this day in the year 2000, a NASA astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts embarked on a mission that paved the way for human's continuous exploration of space. Expedition 1 Marked The Beginning Of A New Era The Expedition 1 crew opened up the possibilities for international cooperation in space, between space agencies from the United States, Russia, Canada, Japan, and Europe. These agencies agreed to work together on the ISS to launch its first components into orbit late in 1998, HIstory writes. This was only fitting since the three-man crew was composed of William "Bill" Shepherd who was expedition commander, and flight engineer Sergei Krikalev, and Soyuz commander Yuri Gidzenko. The team launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, and only took two days following the launch to begin their historic mission. According to Space Center Houston, once the crew reached the outpost, they spent their time setting up equipment, unpacking supplies, and getting critical life support systems functioning. However, this did not come easy to the crew at all, as it took them days to make sure that everything was working as they were supposed to. The Expedition 1 crew also conducted the first experiment on the station, which focused on protein crystals, helping with the treatment of diseases on Earth. During their time in space, the three were resupplied with necessities by two unnamed Russian rockets, and three shuttle missions. According to History, the three spacemen also became the first humans to have to adjust to long-term life in Earth's low orbit, circling the planet 15.5 times each day. Shepherd, Gidzenko, and Krikalev flew home on March 19 the next year, riding Discovery as they became the only crew to have celebrated the beginning of a new century and millennium in space. Read More: Italian Woman Takes Command of International Space Station The Expedition 1 Crew Had The Opportunity To Do Their Missions Televised Since the Expedition 1 crew's mission, hundreds of individuals have visited the ISS, conducted spacewalks, and hosted research and investigations. This is because of the crew's valiant efforts to install and activate communications systems that integrated space shuttle crews to continue assembling the ISS. Due to this, the crew was able to transmit live feeds that televised their missions at the Mission Control Center at NASA's John Space Center in Houston, where they were monitored. A month into their mission, the trio had guests who were the crew of the space shuttle Endeavor, which visited the ISS on a mission to install a truss segment, ABP Live says. The Integrated Truss Structure had components that allowed the attachment of solar arrays, thermal control radiators, and external payloads on the space station. In March 2001, shortly after the Expedition 1 crew were brought home, their replacements called the Expedition 2 arrived at the ISS. Shepherd, Gidzenko, and Krikalev were replaced by Yuri V. Usachev, James S. Voss, and Susan J. Helms. After 141 days in space, the first expedition to ISS ended as the Expedition 1 crew touched down at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on March 21, 2001. Related Article: International Space Station Performs Avoidance Maneuver, Dodges Russian Anti-Satellite Test Debris According to ESG research, 52% of organizations believe that security operations are more difficult today than they were two years ago, due to factors such as the dangerous threat landscape, growing attack surface, and the volume/complexity of security alerts. In analyzing this data, I see a common theme: scale. Security teams must be able to scale operations to deal with the increasing volume of everything coming at them. Faced with a global cybersecurity skills shortage, CISOs need alternatives to hiring their way out of this quagmire. How can organizations proceed? By automating security operations processes. ESG research reveals that nearly half (46%) of security operations center (SOC) teams are automating security operations processes extensively, while another 44% are automating security operations processes somewhat. Multiple approaches to security automation When it comes to security operations process automation, one might equate this activity with security orchestration, automation, and response (SOAR) technology. In some cases, this is a correct assumption, as 37% of organizations use some type of commercial SOAR tools. Interestingly, more than half (53%) of organizations eschew SOAR, using security operations process automation functionality within other security technologies instead security information and event management (SIEM), threat intelligence platforms (TIPs), IT operations tools, or extended detection and response (XDR), for example. Those organizations using SOAR admit that it is no day at the beach 80% agree that using SOAR was more complex and time consuming than they anticipated. Technology aside, security professionals acknowledge that there are a few major impediments to security operations process automation. For example, 39% claim that their SOC team doesnt have the software programming skills necessary for developing automation workflows, and 21% say that their security operations processes are relatively immature, requiring re-engineering before they can be automated. This last obstacle reflects Bill Gatess well-known observation about process automation: Automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiencyautomation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency. Tips toward security automation success Clearly, theres work to be done before many organizations can and should apply resources to security operations process automation. Is it worth the effort? Yes. The research exposes that security pros believe security operations process automation can lead to benefits like improved mean time to respond (MTTR), improved threat detection using playbooks, improved staff productivity, and faster acceleration of addressing critical alerts. The balancing act is in achieving benefits while addressing security operations process automation complexity and skills requirements. Based upon countless interviews with SOC personnel, ESG suggests: The US White House this week convened its Second International Counter Ransomware Initiative Summit (CRI), bringing together leaders from 36 countries and the European Union in person to build on the work of its first ransomware summit in 2021. At a press briefing before the Summit, a White House spokesperson said, "While the United States is facilitating this meeting, we dont view this solely as a US initiative. Its an international partnership that spans most of the worlds time zones, and it really reflects the threat that criminals and cyberattacks bring. Later, the White House issued a fact sheet stating that throughout the summit, CRI and private-sector partners discussed and developed concrete, cooperative actions to counter the spread and impact of ransomware around the globe. In closing remarks at the summit, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan stressed the importance of international collaboration in tackling the ongoing ransomware crisis. Weve been focused on really strengthening collaboration with our partnersdoing this in partnership with other countries because any one country solving their cyber problem is not really getting after the root of this problem, which is a network problem that affects all of us, he said. In addition to the 37 countries, 13 companies and organizations participated in this years CRI including Crowdstrike, Mandiant, Cyber Threat Alliance, Microsoft, Cybersecurity Coalition, Palo Alto Networks, Flexxon, SAP, Institute for Security + Technology, Siemens, Internet 2.0, Tata TCS, and Telefonica. The Summit participants were divided into five working groups focused on resilience, disrupting bad actors, countering illicit cryptocurrency movements, bringing diplomatic pressure on bad actors, and establishing public-private partnerships. Borderless threats call for a borderless response Several common themes emerged at the summits closing session. First, all the country participants appreciated the Biden administration hosting the CRI and, like Sullivan, emphasized the critical role international collaboration needs to play in defeating ransomware. Michael Pezzulo, secretary of the Department of Home Affairs in Australia, said, It's a borderless threat, so, therefore, it needs a borderless response. I am so grateful that this group is a global group, at least with a global reach and global ambition, Tanel Sepp, Estonias ambassador at large for cyber diplomacy, said. We are all sharing the same challenge, and we need the same solutions. Lt. Gen Rajesh Pant, national cyber security coordinator at the National Security Council Secretariat of India, said, The exponential growth of ransomware attacks worldwide has underscored the need for global and regional cooperation in both mitigating the attacks as well as devising internationally accepted policies and procedures to attribute and disrupt the threat actors. David Koh, commissioner of cybersecurity and chief executive of the Cyber Security Agency (CSA) of Singapore, said, Ransomware is a common threat to our respective countries, companies, and citizens. It poses economic, social, and even national security harm to us. Interestingly, we are all facing a common threat. The bad guys are out there. We are all on the same side. This is an area where countries from a wide political spectrum can find common cause and work together collaboratively. Carl Fredrik Wettermark, the senior cyber policy advisor in the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, said that when the Kaseya supply chain attack hit in 2021, he was on an island in the Stockholm archipelago. I had two thoughts when that happened: One was I would not be able to get food because there was only one store on the island. And that was very unfortunate, and it made me very sad. My second thought, though, was that if a cyberattack on a company in Miami is preventing me from getting meatballs and herring for my kids on a remote island in Sweden, I'm really living in a very interconnected world. Ransomware threatens societies and national security Another common theme of the summit is that ransomware has risen over the past five years from a petty money-making criminal enterprise to become an existential threat to all nations' social functioning and national security. Ransomware is a growing national security threat in Canada, Patricia Geddes, associate deputy minister of public safety in Canada, said. It compromises the safety of Canadian citizens, the security of their online environment, and the prosperity of our economy. Pavel Stepanik of the Czech Republic said that Ransomware is a national security imperative. We can no longer see ransomware as a type of organized crime carried out by non-state actors. Touching on the glaring absence from the summit of Russia, which tolerates and by all accounts encourages ransomware actors within its borders, Stepanik added, Cybercriminals very often act in close coordination and on behalf of states including Russia. Ransomware has become a great source of illicit profit for authoritarian regimes, and we must work together to counter this threat. Richard Browne, director of the National Cyber Security Centre in Ireland, said that everybody knows that ransomware has grown from a nuisance issue to being a real proximate risk to national security and our future prosperity. And that kind of crosscutting dynamic international problem requires a global response. Legal clarifications for borderless response to ransomware are needed Several participants raised the need to respect that different nations have different legal authorities governing how far they can work with other countries. We need to respect the fact that we have different legal authorities and capacities, Australias Pezzulo said. I think we've worked through those issues very well [during the CRI] and got to a good equilibrium that balances the need for an aggressive borderless response, but one that respects the equities of national jurisdictions. We have started to think how to solve the international legal issue so we can get the attackers in cyberspace and not in legal space, Aviram Atzaba, executive director of strategy and international cooperation at Israel National Cyber Directorate, said. Janusz Cieszynski, secretary of state, Government Plenipotentiary for Cyber Security, said, I'd like to stress that we have no time to spare. I hope we will be able to take the can-do attitude that is in this room back to our home countries and go straight through the legal, security, and all the other teams to make action items from our meeting possible soon. Our commitment must be a long-term one and must include the development of capacities of the legal framework and common tactical, operational, and policy approaches, Iulian Fota, director general at the Romanian Diplomatic Institute, said. The private sector is a key player Most of the participants say that any strategy to combat ransomware requires the participation of the private sector to succeed. Dr. Bernd Pichlmayer, advisor to the federal chancellor at the Federal Chancellery of Austria, said that A whole-of-society approach to delivering a deeply needed piece to solve the global ransomware puzzle needs to include predefined interfaces and cooperation with the private sector. Jose Montilla Suero, digital vice minister in the Dominican Republic, said, the government cannot achieve our cyber resilience goals alone. The private sector owns and operates much of our nation's critical infrastructure. There is only one way to defend the state from cyber threats, and that is through government industry and civil society working together, sharing appropriate information, and raising awareness and education as allies behind the same goals. Brendan Carr, one of the five commissioners of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), is asking the US government to ban TikTok in the country. Carr's decision to call for the ban of the popular app is connected with how the China-owned social media platform handles the data of users in the US. "I don't believe there's a path forward for anything other than a ban," Carr said to Axios in an interview. TikTok Negotiates with CFIUS to Remain Operational in the US Currently, TikTok is negotiating with the Council on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS) to determine whether the platform can remain operational in the US if the Chinese parent company ByteDance sells it to an American company. CFIUS is an interagency committee in charge of reviewing foreign companies' deals to determine their implication for national security. Carr called on CFIUS to take action to ban TikTok in the country due to the company's alleged lack of ability to handle the data of users in the US safely. Carr, together with Republican and Democrat lawmakers, expressed their growing concern on the possibility that China-based ByteDance is sharing data of users in the US with Beijing officials. In addition, there have been criticisms that it is highly possible that the Chinese Communist Party might use the app to try to influence US politics and discourses in social media. The FCC, according to New York Post, does not have the regulatory power to ban TikTok in the country. However, according to the FCC commissioner, the CFIUS should seek action to immediately ban the app in the country. Previously, TikTok already issued a statement that China-based ByteDance employees do not have access to the data of American users. According to a TikTok spokesperson, the FCC commissioner plays no important role in the confidential discussion between ByteDance and the US government concerning the app. Moreover, the spokesperson also said that it seems Carr is only expressing his views independent of his role as an FCC commissioner. Furthermore, the TikTok spokesperson said that ByteDance is confident that they will eventually reach an amenable agreement with the US government that will address all issues concerning national security. Read Also: TikTok Is Laying Off Staff in Different Parts of the World, Including US, UK Carr Claims TikTok Poses a National Security Risk to US It can be recalled that in June, Carr wrote a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook urging him to ban TikTok from App Store. Likewise, he penned a letter to Google CEO Sundar Pichai requesting him to ban the app from Play Store. According to Carr, the app is a sophisticated surveillance tool that collects an extensive amount of information from users through search, browsing histories, keystroke patterns, and biometric identifiers, including voice prints and face prints. With this, TikTok poses a grave national security risk with its extensive data collection in addition to the unchecked access of Beijing to sensitive data. If the US government bans the app, roughly 94.1 million users in the country would be affected. In the incident that the US issues a ban, it would be the second country next to India to issue an outright ban on TikTok, as per CNET. Related Article: FCC Commissioner Wants TikTok Removed From App Stores Due to National Security Concerns Foxconn plant in Zhengzhou, China, also known as iPhone city, is on a seven-day lockdown beginning on Wednesday, Nov. 2, to restrain the Covid outbreak. Authorities at Zhengzhou Airport Economy Zone had previously ordered a lockdown on Foxconn's 150-square mile industrial complex but granted a Wuhan-style closed-loop arrangement instead. This time, according to a Wall Street Journal report. Gov. Wang Kai of Henan province, during a plant visit on Tuesday, Nov. 2, said a total lockdown was necessary to rein on the surging cases of Covid in Zhengzhou, Henan's capital. He said that the lockdown would ensure that protocols to contain the surge are in place. That includes Foxconn's iPhone manufacturing plant. Closed Loop Operation President Xi Jinping's draconian Covid policy requires a place to be placed on total lockdown to counter the Covid cases rise. At the height of the pandemic, the Chinese government granted companies in Wuhan to operate on a closed loop. This means the workers must stay on-site with the company providing them with accommodation. The workers cannot leave the site. They can move only from the company housing facility to the factory. Foxconn had been granted the same mode of operation to maintain its production. The iPhone maker's over 200,000 workers have to live, work, eat, and sleep within the industrial complex during the lockdown. Local officials said the city is bent on strictly imposing the lockdown order. Zhengzhou has a population of about 10,000 people. Some 167 cases of locally transmitted infections had been recorded in the last seven days, significantly higher than the 97 reported cases in the previous week. Read Also: Foxconn Predicts Drop in iPhone Supply Following COVID Outbreak, Worker Exodus Harrowing Conditions Harrowing conditions with more Covid infections inside the industrial complex forced some workers to flee by climbing fences to escape and go home to their families. Although the company said it wouldn't stop the workers from leaving, it offered incentives to entice them to stay on campus. The company had already quadrupled the bonuses to its workers after a number of workers fled the production site. Assembly line workers will receive no less than $55.02 (400 yuan) a day, Yahoo Finance reports. Local authorities said the lockdown of the Zhengzhou Airport Economy Zone would end at noon on Nov. 9. The lockdown had paralyzed public transport, and authorities advised the people to work remotely. Foxconn on Lockdown Already grappling with the Covid situation inside the plant, the Taiwan-based Foxconn has to contend with a government-mandated total lockdown. The Wall Street Journal said the lockdown would mean a total shutdown of the operations, but Foxconn insisted it is continuing its production activities. A Foxconn spokesperson, according to a Wall Street Journal report, said the company is operating on a closed loop. Other Production Sites To compensate for the lost production, Foxconn boosted its production outputs by contracting the services of smaller regional factories. Given the Chinese government's rigid Covid policy, the Taiwanese iPhone maker has no other recourse but to comply with the lockdown order and continue its production with the help of smaller factories on a closed loop. One thing is clear, however. The Covid situation inside Foxconn's factory in Zhengzhou is not getting any better. Related Article: Apple iPhone Maker Foxconn Refutes a Claim From a Video Alleging Covid Deaths at China Factory; Investigation Concluded It's 'Maliciously Edited' On Oct. 24, the University of Oregon held presidential search forums for students, faculty, non-faculty staff and external community members at the Redwood Auditorium in the EMU. They also held forums on Oct. 25 in Portland at the White Stag Block. Forum attendees were briefed on the presidential search process. Attendees gave input about what kind of president UO needs and who they would like to see in the position. They were also allowed to ask questions about the search. The search follows former UO President Michael Schills departure from the University in August after serving more than seven years in the role. According to a statement from the Board of Trustees, it started discussions surrounding the search for the universitys permanent president at their regular board meeting on Sept. 15 and 16. By the time Schill left, he was making $780,000 a year, according to a May contract with the Board of Trustees. UO hired Parker Executive Search, a firm that often helps colleges find leadership like presidents, to compile a search profile and identify a potential next UO president. A search profile is a compilation of qualities a community would like to see in its next leader, and it acts as a job description for presidential candidates. According to the presidential search webpage and an announcement from Search Chair Connie Seeley and Vice Search Chair Renee Evans Jackman, the final document of the presidential search profile will be submitted to the Board of Trustees for approval at their December meeting. Undergraduate and graduate students, along with a few people from the search committee and one on the Board of Trustees, attended the student forum. Laurie C. Wilder, president of Parker Executive Search, said the search team is compiling information from students, staff and others through forums and online surveys, such as the online feedback survey and theonline recommendation survey in order to create the search profile. Wilder said the search profile is a chance for the UO community to state what kind of a president they want. It serves to get the ball rolling, she said. Until the search profile is completed and approved by the Board of Trustees, candidates wont have a comprehensive idea of the job description. In the student forum, some students said theyd like to see an empathetic president who is in touch with the student body and interacts more with students. Students brought up diversity, equity and inclusion as principles they would like to see valued by the next president. Porsha Williams, vice president of Parker Executive Search, said UO is not alone in wanting to see more DEI at their school and universities across the country are looking to implement it. Luda Isakharov, ASUO president and member of the Presidential Search Committee, said the 22 person search committee is composed of a variety of people including undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, classified staff, non-classified staff and administrative, each representing different parts of campus. The president is the person that kind of creates one direction for the university and one vision and brings all that together, Isakharov said. Besides making financial decisions, the president sets the culture of the university, University Secretary and Advisor to the President Tim Inman said. The president creates an environment which determines whether or not students feel taken care of and whether faculty want to come to work everyday, Inman said. The president is kind of like a mayor. We are a small city with over 5,000 staff and faculty and over 20,000 students, and so they help set the tone for the culture thats expected, Inman said. How the transition from Interim President Patrick Phillips will go remains to be seen. Thats really up to the new president to decide what to do with their team, Seeley said. The board is incredibly thankful and feels good that were in a position to have such a strong interim in place, Seeley said. The search should be over in early spring, Wilder said. Seeley said she is optimistic that the search will be over by spring-ish. Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter has led some professionals and celebrities to think of leaving the social media network. But in hindsight, they can't just leave the platform for a variety of reasons. Torn between these two choices, professionals like Timothy Caulfield, chair of Canada Research in Health and Law at Alberta University, are grappling for answers. Response To The Takeover What could be our response to the takeover? Caulfield asked this question after Musk took control of Twitter. The answer, he said, is to stay on the platform until at least in the near future. The danger is great that Twitter will become an echo chamber for lies and trash if sensible people and people with science-informed opinions leave the social media platform. Celebrities, Too Caulfield was among the many Twitterati who were overwhelmed by the thought of a Musk-owned Twitter. Several celebrities had also considered abandoning the platform over fears of the unknown. These groups of actors and artists said they don't want to see what Musk will do to Twitter. On the cusp of the takeover, the billionaire, publicly known as a free speech absolutist, had already made his about "free speech" and how he will implement it without clashing with the European Union's regulations. To be lenient on hate speech and lies in the name of free speech will only encourage more hate and lies, the users said. Read Also: Elon Musk, Twitter's Legal Battle Now Involved Signal Messages Who's Who Those who have aired their intention to abandon Twitter include Neil Young and Joni Mitchell. Both had withdrawn their music from Spotify over disagreement with the company for allowing Joe Rogan to stream Covid misinformation on the platform. Below is the list of at least eight celebrities and professionals who considered deactivating their Twitter account: 1. Sara Bareilles, known for her songs "Brave" and "King of Anything," hinted she will be seeing people on other platforms. 2. Tea Leoni. The 56-year-old actress wrote on Saturday, "I will be coming off Twitter today." 3. Toni Braxton said she was "shocked and appalled at some of the free speech." The R&B artist announced she will stay off Twitter, calling the platform under Musk an unsafe place for her. 4. Ken Olin is an actor and producer. He wrote on Twitter last week encouraging others to protect democracy. 5. Brian Koppelman told his followers on Twitter to find him on Instagram. 6. Shonda Rhimes said she would no longer hang around. The 52-year-old producer is not interested to see what Musk will do with Twitter. 7. Stephen King is an author. The 75-year-old had a debate with Musk on Tuesday over the fee to be collected for verified accounts. 8. Josh Gad. He hesitated to stay on Twitter or not. Some Have to Stay Twitter has become the common platform for public health officials, journalists, politicians, and academicians to stay connected and use the platform for the dissemination of public information. Many the security officials, schools, and government agencies have grown their affinity to Twitter in informing the public. For the health of everybody, Heidi Tworek, a professor at the University of British Columbia, said professionals have to stay. Related Article: Elon Musk's Twitter Takeover Sparks Organized Trolling If you have listened to the BBC this week, then you might be under the impression that much of the country want to see our borders flung open. On its flagship Today programme on Radio 4 yesterday, listeners heard an interview with a migrant who had been housed at the Manston processing centre in Kent in which the living conditions were described by the reporter as akin to a prison camp. We cant go to the toilet, we cant take a shower... we dont have any clothes, the man claimed, talking about the suffering he has endured. There is no doubt that Manston is failing as it faces an overwhelming surge in arrivals. But what was lacking in that Today item was any sense of perspective. No discussion of the impact that the 40,000-odd asylum seekers who have crossed the Channel this year have on our already overstretched resources. Another BBC politics show this week described the intensifying migrant crisis as a culture war, as if wanting controlled borders is a confected issue not worthy of serious attention. If you have listened to the BBC this week, then you might be under the impression that much of the country want to see our borders flung open Yet the BBCs virtue signallers have actually got it all wrong. New polling by my firm People Polling shows that 60 per cent of people think the Government has lost control of Britains borders. And that the vast majority of Brits also reject the idea that those arriving on small boats should be allowed to stay. All of this speaks to a deeper point. In 2016, the British people voted resoundingly to Take Back Control of a broken immigration system. Six years on and with the daily hotel bill for housing immigrants now topping 6.8million many will be asking: what, if anything, has changed? The Establishment has, of course, never forgiven Brexiteers for the result of the referendum, and continues to do its best to thwart an independent Britain. But it is also true that our political class has consistently over-promised and under-delivered. And the problem is that people wont put up with it for much longer. Perhaps unsurprisingly, when my firm asked voters which leader they think would best manage the crisis on our beaches, the most popular answer was none of them followed by Nigel Farage, the former Brexit Party leader who was among the first to highlight the problem many years ago. This should ring alarm bells in No10. For unless the Prime Minister and his Conservative government get a grip of this crisis, unless they ignore the shrieking media propped up by the hard-Left on Twitter and the Establishment Blob and listen to what voters up and down this country really want, the Tories will suffer a wipeout at the next election. On its flagship Today programme on Radio 4 yesterday, listeners heard an interview with a migrant who had been housed at Manston processing centre in Kent in which the living conditions were described by the reporter as akin to a 'prison camp' So what is the solution? Well, if Rishi Sunak is serious about this then I would tell him to prioritise the following four things immediately. Firstly, he should strive to strike a new deal with the French to help them smash the Albanian gangs in northern France who are responsible for much of the illicit boat trade. So far this year, the French have broken more than 50 people smuggling rings. We need to help them to break more but we also need to hold them to account when they fail to deliver value on the tens of millions of pounds we have been giving them in recent years. Secondly, Sunak should turn up the volume on the current deterrent by striking more Rwanda-style deals, making it clear if people travel through other safe countries to come to Britain they will be sent elsewhere to be processed. Many readers will recall the Rwanda plan the brainchild of former home secretary Priti Patel has already been stifled. In June an anonymous judge from the European Court of Human Rights signed off an 11th-hour injunction grounding a jet that had been due to fly asylum seekers to Rwanda, despite UK courts ruling that the flight could go ahead. This should ring alarm bells in No10. For unless the Prime Minister and his Conservative government get a grip of this crisis, unless they ignore the shrieking media propped up by the hard-Left on Twitter and the Establishment Blob and listen to what voters up and down this country really want, the Tories will suffer a wipeout at the next election That is why, thirdly, the PM must be pushing back much harder against this dead hand of Europe that continues to loom large. In our poll, we found that only 14 per cent of the country think judges in Strasbourg should be able to override decisions over borders made in British courts. If necessary, Mr Sunak must be prepared to leave the ECHR altogether. Fourthly, he must create a bespoke route for the immediate deportation of the rapidly rising number of Albanians entering Britain illegally. Reports that immigration minister Robert Jenrick plans to fast-track the removal of migrants who have no right to stay are promising. For Albania, remember, is not a war-torn country. It is a peaceful state that is even in talks to join the European Union and abides by the same modern slavery laws as Britain. Over the last two years the number of Albanians arriving in Britain in small boats has rocketed from just 50 to 12,000, with 10,000 of them being single, working-age men. Many of these people are not fleeing war or persecution; they are making bogus asylum claims. One Home Office official told Parliament this week, while a staggering 2 per cent of Albanias adult male population has come to the UK in small boats, many are put in touch with Albanian gangs in the UK who are involved in organised crime, drug smuggling, prostitution and violence. Many readers will recall the Rwanda plan the brainchild of former home secretary Priti Patel has already been stifled Following Liz Truss's disastrous spell in office, Sunak will have his work cut out to fend off Labour at the next election. Retaining Boris Johnson's 2019 majority seems nearly unimaginable. But he has to try The British people are not stupid. They see this scam for what it is. In our poll, more than 60 per cent said they want Albanians who arrive across the Channel to be put on a plane and returned home directly. The conversation on the BBC and elsewhere will tell you nothing of the sort. But as they ruthlessly march on in their biased pursuit of the progressive and the woke, the PM and his Home Secretary must hold firm. A tough line on this crisis will be well received by the majority of the British public who are good-hearted, tolerant and welcoming but simply now feel that they are being taken for a ride. Following Liz Trusss disastrous spell in office, Sunak will have his work cut out to fend off Labour at the next election. Retaining Boris Johnsons 2019 majority seems nearly unimaginable. But he has to try. Sir Keir Starmer has shown time and again he has no plan to deal with immigration. The PM must prove he is different. He must find the strength to stare down the mob and deliver to the British people the strong and controlled national borders they are crying out for. If he doesnt, theyll show him at the ballot box what they think of such weakness. Professor Matt Goodwin is the author of National Populism: The Revolt Against Liberal Democracy. A nationally representative poll of 1,212 adults was conducted by People Polling. Couple spent seven years developing shampoo which is stocked in Selfridges A mother-of-two who started out her career making 4-an-hour crimping pasties has revealed how she racked in 17,000 within hours of launching her 'miracle' anti-hair loss shampoo. Aimee Kidd, 40, worked part-time in a Cornish pastry shop near her home in Penzance to put herself through her law degree at King's College in London from 2002 to 2005. In 2006, the newly-qualified lawyer relocated to Sydney to work, where she met her salon owner husband Patrick, 43. Although she originally moved across the world for her job as a Business Development Manager for Australian brand Maddocks, Aimee always dreamt of starting her own business one day. Seeing Patrick's salon go from strength-to-strength, the mother came up with the idea of starting their own haircare line which they could sell to their pre-existing customers. Aimee Kidd, 40, and her husband Patrick, 43, share two children. The couple - pictured in 2020 with their daughter - met after Aimee relocated from the UK to Australia in 2006 Aimee - who grew up in Penzance - revealed it took the couple seven years to develop their first shampoo. Pictured viewing her products in a store in Australia The couple's 28 SH1 Daily Thickening Shampoo is stocked in Selfridges and won an Esquire's award for the best thickening shampoo in 2021. To begin with, Aimee gave their chemist an 'open budget' to create a strengthening shampoo which treats thinning hair while the pair concentrated on creating the luxury packaging. She explained: 'It took us seven years to develop and launch our first product, because we were obsessed about every single detail, consciously combining performance, design and sustainability. 'We even did a recording of the lid clicking closed to perfect the sound, in the same way Audi manufacturers do with their car doors!' The first product the couple launched was their 28 SH1 Daily Thickening Shampoo, which is now stocked in Selfridges and Harrods. Before and after: Impressed customer shares what their hair looked like before trying the shampoo and three months after using it daily. The product contains Capixyl, a biomimetic peptide combined with red clover extract, which has been clinically proven to strengthen hair Before and after: a customer shared this photo of his hair regrowth after using the strengthening shampoo for six weeks. It took the Patricks founders seven years to develop a hair product they were happy with Aimee - pictured in the company's Sydney headquarters - recalled how she gave the chemist who created the shampoo an 'open budget' The shampoo contains Patricks patented lab formulated PRC PLUS compound, with 20 active ingredients, including high percentages of four key, clinically trialled blends. Aimee continued: In 2021 we won Esquire's award for the best thickening shampoo with SH1. We were over the moon.' Well aware that they needed to keep developing products to keep up in the beauty industry, the couple set about creating a follow-up to their highly successful shampoo which specifically targets hair loss. The mother added: 'The day after the awards the first thing we did was call our laboratory to tell them we wanted to make an even better shampoo, money no object. Earlier this year, the couple released their SH Plus ultra thickening shampoo - which costs 52 for a 200ml bottle. The couple - pictured with their two children on holiday - have now launched their second shampoo, which they claim sold over 325 in just a few hours. How does the regrowth shampoo work? The Patricks shampoos contain Capixyl, a biomimetic peptide combined with red clover extract, which has been clinically proven to strengthen hair. Both the SH1 Daily Thickening Shampoo and the new SH Plus ultra thickening range also have dihydrotestosterone in their formulas, which are often used to treat male pattern baldness. The award-winning shampoos are contain Epigallocatechin Gallate extract. A 2020 US study by the National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health found that this plant compound can increase hair growth in people struggling with hormone-related hair loss. Advertisement Commenting on the high price point, Aimee added: 'SH1 is still the best (reasonably priced) anti-hair loss shampoo on the market. [Our Plus shampoo] is what you get when you put SH1 on steroids!' The two products both contain Capixyl, a biomimetic peptide combined with red clover extract, which has been clinically proven to strengthen hair. However, their new product - which costs almost double the price of their original shampoo - contains eight extra actives. Within hours of their launch, the couple claim to have sold out of their 325 units which made them a cool 17,000. Innovation is our passion,' Aimee added. 'And the Plus range is our most impressive passion project yet. Having already launched in Selfridges, Harrods and Mr Porter in the UK, Aimee has broken into the international markets in recent months too - signing deals with US companies such as Bergdorf Goodman, Bloomingdales, Nordstrom and Saks. The mother has also secured a lucrative deal with Warner Bros. and DC Comics to developed a 137 custom capsule skincare collection for Wayne Enterprises - which shares the name of Bruce Wayne's fictional company. Advertisement While the horses battled it out for a $1million prize on the track at Flemington, the real competition took place on the field as Australia's celebrities brought their sartorial A-game on Kennedy Oaks Day. Traditionally known as 'Ladies Day', the nation's celebrities braved the breeze in Melbourne in an array of bright and pastel colours, baffling ensembles and eye-catching lengths. Many nailed the racing fashion brief, but others missed the mark with bizarre asymmetrical cuts, strange colour combinations and unflattering dress lengths. Among those was Andy Lee's girlfriend Rebecca Harding, whose strange semi-sheer skirt, asymmetrical shirt and bustier and pastel blue headpiece hit all the wrong notes. Her grey wool houndstooth bustier was by Fendi and retails for $3,190. Andy Lee's girlfriend Rebecca Harding's strange semi-sheer dress, asymmetrical jacket and pastel blue headpiece hit all the wrong notes (pictured); joining Rebecca was the TV host Melissa Leong, whose Cinderella-inspired bejewelled ensemble was a bizarre choice The Block star Sharon Johal also chose a garish green number that served to swamp her figure (pictured) Jules Robinson's grey Elle Zeitoune dress and Serena Lindeman bunny ears fascinator washed out her beautiful pale complexion (pictured), while Hannah Ferrier's floral ensemble had a similar effect Joining Rebecca was Masterchef Australia judge Melissa Leong, whose Cinderella-inspired bejewelled blue ensemble fell at an equally awkward, unflattering length, and marked her second appearance in FEMAIL's worst dressed list this week. Melissa paired her strange sheer bling-y ensemble with burgundy accessories, and ended up with an outfit that looked mismatched. Jules Robinson's grey Elle Zeitoune dress and Serena Lindeman bunny ears fascinator washed out her beautiful pale complexion, while Hannah Ferrier's floral ensemble also did nothing for the TV star. The Block star Sharon Johal also chose a garish green number that served to swamp her figure. Making an appearance in both best and worst dressed was supermodel Nicole Trunfio, who first wowed in a stunning tweed pink mini suit that was a tribute to the late Chanel designer, Karl Lagerfeld, but later changed into a neon-form fitting pink outfit, complete with elbow-length gloves and a floor-length satin coat Making an appearance in both best and worst dressed was supermodel Nicole Trunfio, who first wowed in a stunning tweed pink mini suit that was a tribute to the late Chanel designer, Karl Lagerfeld, but later changed into a neon-form fitting pink outfit, complete with elbow-length gloves and a floor-length satin coat. Melbourne model and Josh Daicos' girlfriend Annalise Dalins, 21, opted for a risky blue thigh-high split that was a slightly racy choice for the conservative Flemington. The otherwise pretty dress was bizarrely paired with pearl-encrusted sheer sleeves which did nothing for the overall outfit effect. Model Nikki Phillips narrowly missed the best dressed list with her bright orange asymmetric-sleeved Mariam Seddiq dress, which swamped her delicate figure thanks to a strange statement waist detail. Racing royalty Kate Waterhouse was also a whisker away from best dressed, with her stunning pink and red houndstooth two-piece suit, but her choice of hat didn't quite match. Melbourne model and Josh Daicos' girlfriend Annalise Dalins opted for a blue thigh-high split that was a slightly racy choice for conservative Flemington, while Nikki Phillips narrowly missed the mark with her statement-waisted Mariam Seddiq dress While Jamiee Belle Kennedy's choice of Barbie-pink dress was beautiful, the combination of the plunging neckline and frou-frou sleeves was more garish than girlish (pictured); racing royalty Kate Waterhouse (pictured) narrowly missed best dressed The 29-year-old style icon Jamiee Belle Kennedy's choice of bright pink dress and matching headpiece perfectly nailed the Barbie-core trend (pictured) The newly single Olivia Molly Rogers' outfit choice was another sartorial standout. Her pastel blue Oglia Loro Couture dress was incredibly ladylike, especially when paired with a Valentino clutch bag and Stephanie Spencer hat (pictured) But the show stopping outfits weren't all for the wrong reasons - with some A-listers absolutely nailing their look on the day. Among them was the always stylish Kennedy Luxury Group creative advisor Jamiee Belle Kennedy. The 29-year-old style icon's choice of bright pink dress and matching headpiece perfectly nailed the Barbie-core trend, while her accessories were well-coordinated. The newly single Olivia Molly Rogers' outfit choice was another sartorial standout. Her pastel blue Oglia Loro Couture dress was incredibly ladylike, especially when paired with a Valentino clutch bag and Stephanie Spencer wide-brimmed hat. Some A-listers absolutely nailed their look on the day, including the almost-always stylish Tayla Damir (left) and model and Melbourne Cup Carnival Ambassador Demi Brereton's Audrey Hepburn-inspired outfit (right) Christian Wilkins also ensured all eyes were on him, with the son of TV star Richard Wilkins turning heads in a floral peplum dress with the word 'God' emblazoned across the front, along with a Matador-inspired hat and leather boots (pictured) Tayla Damir impressed the fashion crowd in a green slip dress and pink hat, while model and 2022 Melbourne Cup Carnival Ambassador Demi Brereton was the picture of Audrey Hepburn-inspired elegance in her powder blue dress and white gloves. Christian Wilkins ensured all eyes were on him, with the son of TV star Richard Wilkins turning heads in a floral peplum dress with the word 'God' emblazoned across the front, along with a Matador-inspired hat and leather boots. Amelia had made an appearance at Choose Love store opening in the afternoon Lady Amelia Windsor showed off her midriff in a chic crop top and pleated skirt as she she squeezed two exclusive London parties into one day. The royal, 27, looked effortlessly elegant as she arrived at Kloto's 'Them Us You Me' jewellery launch at the Istanbul brand's Marylebone shop last night. The youngest child of George Windsor paired her sleeveless green ripped top with a black-and-red printed midi skirt. She finished off her ensemble with a trendy pair of black patent leather brogues and added a pop of colour with some khaki socks. Lady Amelia Windsor, 27, pictured at Kloto's 'Them Us You Me' jewellery launch at the Istanbul brand's Marylebone shop last night. The fashionista paired her green ripped crop top with a black-and-red pleated skirt Lady Amelia posed for pictures with fellow model Eunice Olumide before sitting down for a dinner to celebrate the brand's new jewellery collection at their Marylebone shop Lady Amelia attended the reopening of the Choose Love charity shop off of Carnaby Street in Soho, Central London in the late afternoon. She was pictured in the same 450 Rixo coat she'd worn earlier that day Before sitting down to dinner to celebrate the brand's new collection, Lady Amelia posed for pictures with fellow model Eunice Olumide. Starting at 100 for silver rings, Kloto's more expensive items - such as their 18 carat gold necklace - can fetch up to 7,000. Earlier in the day, the fashionista stopped by Bodyism and shared a selfie from the changing room. The Westbourne Grove-based company specialises in personalised wellness plans and charges customers a minimum of 130 a month for membership. Amelia shared glimpses of the new shop with her 103,000 Instagram followers. The charity shop allows customers to buy essential items - such as warm clothing and food - for refugees and displayed people across the world. Before she attended the charity shop reopening, Amelia stopped by Bodyism in Westbourne Grove, which specialises in personalised wellness plans Amelia then attended the reopening of the Choose Love shop next to Carnaby Street in Soho, Central London in the late afternoon. She was pictured arriving at the event wearing a 450 pin-stripe coat from Rixo and a grey-and-black leather crossbody bag. The charity shop allows customers to buy essential items - such as warm clothing and food - for refugees and displayed people across the world. Sharing glimpses from inside the store with her 103,000 Instagram followers, Amelia wrote: 'All your Christmas presents sorted - a variety of critical essentials to donate to refugees.' Lady Amelia Windsor was effortlessly elegant as she enjoyed an autumnal stroll in a chic 450 pin-stripe coat from Rixo The royal, 27, cut a sophisticated figure in the elegant ensemble, which featured a posh fur collar The royal was pictured yesterday morning taking an autumnal stroll near her London home. Wearing her same fluffy-collared Rixo coat, Amelia teamed the navy pinstripe piece of outwear with some colourful 120 trainers from NO NAME. Amelia looked deep in thought with her wireless headphones on, carrying a citrus-infused water bottle on the go. She carried her phone - adorned with a playful beaded strap - opting for a youthful, fresh-faced make-up look. The cinched waist detail made for a careful silhouette as the fashionable model (pictured left and right) strode on, teaming her stylish ensemble with colourful 120 trainers from NO NAME The royal wore her wavy blonde tresses down, giving her a gorgeous windswept look during the outing. She completed the autumnal look with a two-toned cross-body tote bag. Once called 'the most beautiful royal', Amelia recently took to the runways for the Zeynep Kartal x Li & Fung show. The aristocratic fashionista has become a red carpet regular, attending star-studded fashion events such as the Dior show in Paris. Amelia looked deep in thought with her wireless headphones on, carrying a citrus-infused water bottle on the go The royal wore her wavy blonde tresses down, giving her a gorgeous windswept look during the outing She also walked the catwalk in the Manchester designer's show wearing a a pale pink three piece suit, in a wide leg trouser and a lilac dress featuring a plunging neck line, side split and ruffles. The stylish royal was also recently snapped at Milan Fashion Week wearing another low-key ensemble, complete with black trousers and an orange and black vest. Amelia, who has been on the cover of Tatler, has spoken in the past of her love of fashion and art, and loves to decorate the apartment she shares with her sister, Marina in Notting Hill. She is the second daughter and youngest child of George Windsor, Earl of St Andrews. Her grandfather was a first cousin of the Queen. She is currently 42nd in line to the British throne and was among the members of the extended royal family who attended the late Queen's emotional funeral in London and Windsor on September 19 An American woman who spent her whole life searching for her birth parents finally tracked them down in Britain - just months before they both tragically passed away. Megan Kennedy, 37, grew up knowing she was adopted. And on her 18th birthday she applied for her original birth certificate, finding her biological mother's name - Patti Neil. In December 2018 new records were made available online. And after trawling through them, Megan eventually found her mother's details. She discovered her mother lived in Scotland, where Megan was set to travel from her home in Birmingham, Alabama, in June 2019. Megan Kennedy with her biological mother Patti Neil, who she met in 2019 in Scotland after years of searching Megan's biological father, Johnny Cavalier (pictured) tragically died before his long-lost daughter could meet him Megan Kennedy, 37, grew up knowing she was adopted and on her 18th birthday she applied for her original birth certificate and found her biological mother's name - Patti Neil. Megan reached out to her birth mother, Patti, 64, a retired sales person, on Facebook, who was delighted to hear from her - and the pair reunited in Glasgow, sitting and chatting for hours. But sadly, Patti died in February 2022 unexpectedly after struggling with stomach issues. Megan, a wedding photographer, said: 'It's almost hard to put into words how it feels - it's an immense feeling of peace. 'Every birthday I spent hours looking for Patti, it's amazing to think I will never have to look again. 'It's bittersweet, but I'm so grateful I reconnected with my biological parents before they passed.' Megan then found she had a genetic match with a half-sister, Kayla, 30, in 2018, via GEDmatch and then an aunt, Kathy, 66, in September 2020. These matches led her to discover her biological father, Johnny Cavalier, 62, a retired businessman. But Johnny tragically died in February 2022 from polycystic kidney failure before they could meet in person. Patti gave birth to baby Megan following a month long affair with handsome lady's man Johnny Megan said when the pair met at Glasgow train station, she felt 'every emotion' and ran across the platform to hug her mother In total, Megan travelled more than 4,000 miles across the world to reunite with her long-lost family - and despite losing both birth parents, feels she has found her 'true identity' and 'all her people'. She recalls how she first introduced herself to her biological mother. Reaching out to her on Facebook, she became nervous because Patti did not respond straightaway. She said: 'I told her thank you for giving me up for adoption - I introduced myself. 'I wrote, "Hi this may be an odd message - I'm looking for my biological mom, her name was Patti Neil Whiting, I thought I looked a lot like you". 'Patti replied: "Oh my goodness. Megan you're beautiful - was just thinking about you last night." 'I screamed - it was a guttural scream. 'Every dream and wish I had come true, every birthday I've ever had I've looked for her.' Megan was over-the-moon when her biological mother, Patti, agreed to meet up in June 2019. She said: 'I was so nervous but so excited. 'I felt every feeling you could have felt - we met at Glasgow train station and literally ran across the platform to hug each other. 'Everyone watching cried, it was like a movie.' Patti explained her mother, Megan's grandmother, was from Wales, and her father, Megan's grandfather, was from Fort Worth, Texas, and he fought during the second World War. Patti, who had dual citizenship, grew up Fort Worth, Texas, and when she was 27 went to go and live with her sister, Sherrie, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Patti - who was married at the time - worked on the boats as a deck hand and fell for 'lady's man', Johnny, 24, who was a diver. Meghan, pictured here with her family, husband Lee and their young daughter while on their visit to Scotland Patti says she didn't tell Johnny when she fell pregnant - as she was already married. She says she gave Megan up in the hope she would have a better life. She told Megan they had a month-long relationship and that's when their daughter was conceived. Patti says she didn't tell Johnny when she fell pregnant - as she was already married. She says she gave Megan up in the hope she would have a better life. She gave birth in Mobile, Alabama, US, where Megan was adopted by Arthur Forehand, 71, a retired pharmacist, and Cassie Wilson, 72, a medical transcriptionist, through an adoption agency. As for her father, Patti couldn't remember his name, but Megan received a DNA match on website for a half-sister, Kayla, 30, stay-at-home mother, from New Orleans, Louisiana, US. 'I was ecstatic, I cried because I've always looked for a mother and a father - I never thought I would have siblings,' she said. 'It was the biggest bonus.' The sisters downloaded their 'raw DNA' and uploaded it onto another website - GEDmatch - and the data comparison revealed they shared an 'X chromosome' - meaning they shared a father. In September 2020, the sisters were on FaceTime and they both received anmatch out of the blue. The website revealed they had a match - an aunt, Kathy Colllins, 66, in Highlands, Texas, US - and they quickly reached out. Kathy told them: 'There's going to be some surprises, you need to buckle in..' Their aunt revealed she had two brothers - one had been married since high school, so they ruled him out as a potential father, she then sent over photographs of her other brother, Johnny. 'When I saw the photo, my heart dropped to my toes,' Megan said. 'I knew it was him, he looked like Kayla.' Kathy reached out to Johnny on the girls' behalf, and he asked for them to send letters. 'He completely accepted us both, he was so open and sweet and wanted to get to know us,' Megan said. 'He has a wife, Ragnhildur, 35, two years younger than me and a seven-year-old child, Ajay, my little brother,' she revealed. Johnny and his family all lived in Roatan, an island off the coast of Honduras. In September 2021 Megan was set on travelling to meet her father but she was sceptical of Covid, had her three-year-old, Cora, and flights were extortionate. They decided to hold off but in November 2021, Johnny was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease and Megan didn't realise just how ill he was. Megan was booked to finally meet her father in January 2022 but was struck with Covid and couldn't travel. Two weeks later, Megan received an earth-shattering phone call from his wife, Ragnhildur, to say Johnny was in hospital and it wasn't looking good. He died a few hours later on 17th February 2022. 'That was terrible. It was so hard, I hated we got Covid the week we were meant to go,' Megan said. 'I've had therapy that was provided to me through my adoption agency, but I miss my biological parents every day.' In March 2022, Megan travelled down to Roatan to spread her late father's ashes in the Caribbean sea in an emotional celebration of his life on a boat. 'We all spread his ashes in the Caribbean Sea, and it was the only time I got to touch and hold him,' she said. 'We sat on the boat and stared out into the horizon, and I reflected on where this journey has taken me to find all of my people.' Megan met her little half-brother Ajay, seven, for the first time and her step-mother Ragnhildur. On her ancestral journey she has met her aunt, Kathy, 66, and discovered another sister, Jennifer, 36 - Patti's daughter - who was conceived three months after she put Megan up for adoption. 'I always had a feeling I didn't belong and when my husband, Lee, and I married in Louisiana in 2011 I felt a strange sense of belonging, as if I were at peace,' she said. 'I feel like a transformed person from the woman I was in 2019, I have found all of my people. 'When you look at your biological parents and see your features in them, it is the purest self you have ever known.' Juan Carlos' ex-mistress Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn has labelled the former King of Spain 'unhinged' and claimed he used to call her 10 times a day at her office using a fake name. The 57-year-old who had a five-year affair with the European monarch from 2004 will appear in the new investigative podcast series called Corinna and the King, which will delve into the start of her relationship with the former King and how it eventually played a key part in Juan Carlos' abdication in 2014. Launching next week, the series which has been created by journalist Bradley Hope is likely to coincide with Corinna's High Court case against Juan Carlos for alleged harassment and spying. The Danish businesswoman said that she felt 'married' to Juan Carlos, 84, during their relationship and described him as the 'husband of [her] heart', The Times reports. Describing him as 'funny and quite persistent' albeit in an amusing way, she labelled him, 'one of the biggest seducers in the royal world'. In the podcast she explains her feeling that she was more a wife than a mistress, even after discovering that he had had multiple affairs. Corinna Larsen, 57, is pursuing a High Court case against her former lover Juan Carlos, 84, for alleged harassment and spying. The mother-of-two pictured arriving at the court hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice on March 29, 2022 In podcast series, Corinna revealed she first met the then-King in 2004 at a hunting party in Southern Spain. The pair pictured at the Schloss Schockingen castle in Stuttgart, Germany on February 2, 2006 Corinna and Juan Carlos were lovers for five years and she described how she felt 'married' to him in this time. The Spanish King pictured greeting his lover at the Laureus Awards in Barcelona on May 22, 2006 Corinna explained that she first met the then-King at the Duke of Westminster's estate La Garganta in southern Spain when they both attended a hunting party. That evening, the mother-of-two who was married but separated from her second husband Prince Casimir zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn at the time says she made an impression on the King by breaking royal protocol and leaving the table before he was finished eating. Her boldness obviously impressed the King because after the countryside getaway ended, Corinna claims the King started sending her flowers and love letters every day. The following year, the businesswoman separated from her husband and she says the affair with the King only became more intense as the years went on. Juan Carlos abdicated in 2014 and handed over the throne to his son King Felipe amid a money-laundering scandal. King Felipe VI of Spain (second left), his wife Queen Letizia (far left), their daughters Princess Sofia (front left) and Princess Leonor (front right), former King Juan Carlos I (second right) and his wife former Queen Sofia (right) pose before attending the traditional Easter Sunday Mass of Resurrection in Palma de Mallorca on April 1, 2018 Using the fake name 'Mr Sumer', Corinna claims Juan Carlos would call her '10 times a day' at her office in Madrid. The former monarch had chosen the pseudonym as 'Sumer' is an acronym of 'Su Majestad el Rey', which translates as His Majesty the King. Although Corinna tried to pass it off as a business call, she said colleagues could see through the pretense because they recognised the King's 'booming and distinctive' voice. Corinna's new podcast series will also cover her involvement in Juan Carlos' money-laundering investigation in Switzerland and Spain. Following their break-up, Corinna claims the former monarch harassed her into returning 65 million [56m] that he had transferred into her bank account in 2012. Corinna described her ex-lover as 'ruthless and unhinged' after he allegedly spied on and harassed her into returning the 65 million he had transferred into her bank account in 2012 This sum was a key aspect of the corruption case brought against the ex-King, which led to him fleeing to Abu Dhabi in 2020. He fled after Swiss prosecutors opened an investigation into bank accounts allegedly held by Juan Carlos in tax havens. Spain launched its own investigations based in part on information shared by Switzerland including one about cash the former king allegedly received as part of his involvement in a high-speed Saudi Arabia rail contract. Aisde from a brief visit to Spain earlier this year to attend a sailing regatta in Galicia, when his son King Felipe refused to allow him to stay at the royal palace, he has stayed away. The King who 'bedded 5,000 women': From trying to woo Princess Diana to being 'injected with testosterone blockers' to control his sex drive - the VERY colourful love life of Spain's greatest seducer Juan Carlos was 'injected with female hormones to control his rampant sex drive', an ex-police chief sensationally claimed earlier this year. The former King of Spain pictured arriving in Santiago in 2018 He was the King of Spain from 1975 until his controversial abdication in 2014 - and during that time, Juan Carlos is rumoured to have 'bedded over 5,000 women'. In October, an ex-police chief sensationally claimed in a parliamentary hearing that the exiled former Spanish king Juan Carlos was 'injected with female hormones to control his rampant sex drive'. Jose Manuel Villarejo also said the disgraced former monarch, now living at a luxury hotel in Abu Dhabi, was given testosterone blockers by the Spanish secret service after his libido was categorised as a 'state problem.' Villarejo, a former Spanish Police commissioner currently on trial in a blackmail case, said, according to The Times: '[The National Intelligence Centre (CNI)] injected female hormones and testosterone blockers to control his libido because it was considered a problem of state that he was so horny.' Danish-German philanthropist Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, Spanish singer Sara Montiel, Belgian governess Liliane Sartiau and Italian princess Maria Gabriela de Saboya are just some of the women he is rumoured to have bedded besides his wife, Queen Sofia. News of the disgraced former king's legendary libido are not new, however. It comes after a Spanish author and military historian Amadeo Martinez Ingles wrote a book entitled 'Juan Carlos: The King Of 5,000 Lovers', piecing together evidence of his sexual history and painting the king as a rampant sex addict. Spanish royal family expert Pilar Eyre said the former King attempted to bed Princess Diana, claiming Juan Carlos made a 'tactile' advance to Diana when she was just 25 Princess Diana is rumoured to have been just one of the young ladies the ex-king pursued in a romantic career in which like his namesake, the seducer Don Juan he is said to have bedded almost 5,000 women. Villarejo, who has been accused of spying on and working to discredit some of Spain's most high-profile politicians as a key figure in the nation's 'sewer politics', also insisted he was asked to get rid of medical documents which would have proved the medication went on. He denied having any involvement in the effort to bring Juan Carlos' notorious sex drive under control and said he found out about it from Corinna Larsen, a former lover of the ex-monarch now living in London. Larsen, also known as Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, 58, had an affair with the 84-year-old monarch - who is married to Queen Sofia, 84 - between 2004 and 2009. One of Juan Carlos early sexual encounters is said to be with Maria Gabriela de Saboya, daughter of the last king of Italy (pictured 1966) In his explosive book published in 2016 called 'Juan Carlos: The King of 5,000 lovers', author Martinez Ingles dubbed the ex-king a sex addict and said he had hundreds of relationships even after marriage to his wife Queen Sofia in 1962. The book claimed he had had 62 lovers in one six-month period alone, and during his 'passionate period' between 1976 and 1994, the king had slept with a staggering 2,154 women. Spanish royal family expert Pilar Eyre has corroborated Martinez Ingles' claim that the former King attempted to bed Princess Diana, saying said Juan Carlos made a 'tactile' advance to Diana when she was just 25. Diana herself denied anything untoward had happened but admitted that while the libidinous king was 'charming' he could be a 'little too attentive.' One of Juan Carlos early sexual encounters is said to be with Maria Gabriela de Saboya, daughter of the last king of Italy. Later, Juan Carlos, who was crowned king in 1975, allegedly became estranged from his wife after the queen found him in a compromising position with Spanish actress and singer, Sara Montiel. It is rumoured that Queen Sofia caught him in the act with Montiel just weeks after their coronation, but she denied any affair. An explosive book published in 2016 called 'Juan Carlos: The King of 5,000 lovers', dubbed the ex-king a sex addict, claiming he had hundreds of relationships even after marriage to wife Queen Sofia in 1962 (pictured together in 1994) In January 2017 it was claimed spymasters paid a former Miss World contestant millions of pounds of taxpayers' money to stop her spilling the beans on her supposed affair with Juan Carlos when he was still King of Spain. Former beauty queen-turned-actress Barbara Rey reportedly had the cash paid into an offshore account to make sure she kept quiet about her long-standing romance with the ex-monarch. A Belgian housewife has also claimed to be the daughter of Juan Carlos, alleging that the former King had an affair with her mother, governess Liliane Sartiau. In 2015, her daughter Ingrid brought a paternity suit to the Spanish courts. But the writ was thrown out on the basis of the kings legal inviolability under Spanish law. Spanish waiter Albert Sola also claimed around the same time as Ingrid that he was an illegitimate son of Juan Carlos - but his attempts to be recognised failed early on. Advertisement But all charges against him were dropped in the last year because of a lack of evidence, immunity he experienced as head of state and the statute of limitations expiring. The decision was taken after he paid millions of pounds in tax regularisations. Commenting on the money-laundering claims, Corinna said: 'It became clearer and clearer to me [that] he was conducting not just a double life, he was conducting a quintuple life. 'There's something quite unhinged about him and something quite ruthless. It's all about self-preservation. Imagine that someone who says you were the love of their life would frame you in a criminal investigation.' In her High Court claim, Corinna alleges Juan Carlos caused her 'great mental pain' by spying on and harassing her. However, Juan Carlos has always denied any wrongdoing against his ex-mistress. Lawyers representing Juan Carlos argued he is 'entitled to immunity from the jurisdiction of the English courts in his capacity as a senior member of the Spanish royal family'. But after a hearing in London in March, High Court judge Mr Justice Nicklin ruled against the former king, saying the claim can now go ahead. The former King abdicated in 2014 due to a separate public outcry involving marital infidelities. King Juan Carlos I, 84, was pictured arriving at the 'reception of the century' at Buckingham Palace with Queen Sofia amid an alleged row with the Spanish government over his attendance at Her late Majesty's state funeral King Juan Carlos I, a cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, was invited to the late monarch's funeral by Buckingham Palace, but the Spanish government has reportedly asked him not to attend. The late Queen and disgraced King pictured watching a flamenco dance display at the Alcazar Palace during an official tour of Spain in 1998 In September 2022, Juan Carlos defied the Spanish government's request not to attend the King's funeral. Spanish news outlet El Debate reported that Juan Carlos, the late Queen's cousin, was asked by Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez to let his son and his wife Queen Letizia travel to the UK alone. The government reportedly made it clear they wished for King Felipe VI, Carlos's son, to be the Spanish representative at the state funeral, as his father was still awaits trial in the UK for the harassment case. Despite once counting himself among the world's most popular monarchs, polling showed that approximately two-thirds of Spain wanted the king to abdicate when he stepped down underlining how quickly public opinion can shift. Juan Carlos returned to Spain for a brief visit in 2022 but has spent the past two years living in exile in Abu Dhabi. All the trips of Don Juan Carlos makes abroad are carefully observed by Spanish officials, according to El Mundo, with the government keenly aware of the history the monarchy has played in shaping the state. A 'mischievous' sausage dog was caught on camera using her pooch pals to help her escape the stair gate - climbing on her big brother so she could make her getaway. Mary Warwick, from Burbage, Leicestershire, said she'd routinely return home to discover her one-year-old dachshund Darcie peering back at her from the window sill - despite securing her dogs in the kitchen using a stair gate. Perplexed as to how the savvy sausage dog was pulling off such a stunt, the 30-year-old decided to install a camera in the kitchen and was stunned at what the footage captured. Mary Warwick, from Burbage, Leicestershire, caught her 'mischievous' sausage dog on camera using her pooch pals to help her escape the stair gate - climbing on her big brother so she can make her getaway The one-year-old dachshund Darcie has been described as more 'mischievous' than the other dogs Her clip reveals tiny 'ringleader' Darcie hopping on top of 'gentle giant' American pocket bulldog Benson - who actively lowers his back legs so that his pal can climb aboard. Then, with an incredible display of balance, she places her front legs on top of the gate. Benson along with her two other dachshunds Mollie and Vegas peer intently through the gate as if keeping a lookout before daring Darcie takes a massive leap and disappears out of sight. The mum-of-one said that she'd been forced to adjust the height of the gate while she waits for a door to be delivered to prevent 'ring leader' Darcie from making any further getaways. The pooches owner decided to install a camera in the kitchen and was stunned at what the footage captured Mary, 30, (right) pictured with her husband Scott Warwick, 38, and their daughter Ellie Warwick, seven (centre) Mary said: 'We recently had brand new settees and they're a little bit higher than the previous ones and dachshunds can have problems with their backs, so we put a stair gate there to stop her from jumping up. 'We were coming home and she was sat in the window sill or I'd open the front door and she'd come running out and I was wondering how and why. 'We noticed that she kept getting out and we couldn't work out how so we put a camera there and obviously she was using Benson to jump over. 'She's always been an absolute monkey since I've had her and it's only her that escapes. Her clip reveals tiny 'ringleader' Darcie hopping on top of 'gentle giant' American pocket bulldog Benson - who actively lowers his back legs so that his pal can climb aboard Benson along with her two other dachshunds Mollie and Vegas peer intently through the gate as if keeping a lookout before daring Darcie takes a massive leap and disappears out of sight Mary's daughter Ellie pictured with the adorable pooch who is known as a 'gentle giant' Benson, three 'The others probably could but they just don't. 'She's more mischievous than the other dogs, she's like the ringleader.' The personal assistant for the director of a civil engineering company said that docile Benson weighs around five stone and Darcie is more than seven times lighter than him. She described her seven-year-old brown sausage dog Mollie as a 'bossy boots' while her four-year-old speckled sausage Vegas is a calm and relaxed 'gentle soul'. Mary said: 'Benson is a gentle giant. Owner Mary said that docile Benson weighs around five stone and is a real gentle giant She described her seven-year-old brown sausage dog Mollie as a 'bossy boots' while her four-year-old speckled sausage Vegas is a calm and relaxed 'gentle soul' (Pictured: Mary's dogs Vegas, four, (back) Mollie, seven,(centre) and Benson) 'Obviously he's absolutely massive and weighs around five stone and looks like he could eat you alive, but he's the biggest softie ever. 'He absolutely adores my little girl, sleeps with her and is really protective over her.' 'Darcie's the one that if there's a toilet roll available, she'll go and thread it. You can't leave washing in the kitchen as she'll pull all the clothes down. 'She's just a little bit naughty. We did really well with having well-behaved dogs and she's just come along and completely ruined it, she's really mischievous. Advertisement Netflix series From Scratch has swept the nation recently, leavings thousands of people around the world in emotional turmoil after watching the heart wrenching love story - and it's actually based off a true story. The show, which premiered on October 21 and dethroned The Watcher as the streaming platform's most-viewed title this week, is about an American student named Amy who falls in love with an Italian chef named Lino while she's studying abroad in Florence. After Lino decides to move to America to be with his new love, their relationship is quickly put to the test when his parents reveal that they don't approve of the whirlwind romance. People quickly got caught up in Lino and Amy's adorable love story, but when he tragically died of cancer at the end of the show, many were left 'weeping' and 'sobbing' from the heartbreaking twist. The Netflix series From Scratch has swept the nation recently - leavings thousands of people around the world in emotional turmoil after watching the heart wrenching love story The show is about an American student named Amy who falls in love with an Italian chef named Lino. Amy (named Tembi in real life) is seen in the show (left) and in real life (right) The series is actually based off of a true story, as it came from a memoir written by Tembi Locke. She is seen with her late husband, who inspired the book and show, and their daughter Viewers quickly got swept up in Lino (seen in the show) and Amy's adorable love story, but when he tragically died of cancer at the end of the series, many were left 'weeping' and 'sobbing' from the heartbreaking twist And it turns out, the devastating series is actually based off of a true story. That's right, it was inspired by a memoir, called From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home, written by Tembi Locke. The show, which starred Zoe Saldana, Eugenio Mastrandrea, Danielle Deadwyler, Judith Scott, Kellita Smith, and Luca Sardo, was created by Tembi and her sister, Attica Locke, who co-wrote the script and executive produced it alongside Reese Witherspoon. Like Amy in the series, Tembi moved to Italy in 1990 to study abroad, where she met a man named Rosario 'Saro' Gullo. And Tembi told the Today show that the series was so accurate in its depiction of the early stages of their relationship that she couldn't even watch it because she was worried it would taint her real memories of Saro. 'I didn't watch the visuals because I want to maintain and protect my own memories. Suddenly you start to remember the thing that was made, and you forget the original images,' she explained. Like Amy in the series, Tembi moved to Italy in 1990 to study abroad, where she met a man named Rosario 'Saro' Gullo. Tembi is seen in the early 2000s with her daughter Tembi (seen on set of the show) told the Today show that the series was so accurate in its depiction of the early stages of their relationship that she couldn't even watch it She also told Shondaland.com that writing the memoir helped her re-fall in love with her husband, but also reignited the 'tremendous pain' she felt after his death She also told Shondaland.com that writing the memoir helped her re-fall in love with her husband, but also reignited the 'tremendous pain' she felt after his death. 'It gave me joy to fall in love with my husband again in the writing of the book,' she said. The show, which starred Zoe Saldana, Eugenio Mastrandrea, Danielle Deadwyler, Judith Scott, Kellita Smith, and Luca Sardo, was created by Tembi and her sister, Attica Locke, who co-wrote the script and executive produced it alongside Reese Witherspoon. Tembi and Attica are seen on set 'I had the tremendous pain of revisiting his death and his early years of illness. But I had supportive people around me. I had folks I would call after really harrowing writing days.' She added of making the show: 'It was too much. Shooting in Sicily was logistically difficult; it was difficult to be in places where we once walked together and had memories.' Tembi, originally from Texas, said that it really was love at first sight for her and Saro, and that right away he knew they would be 'something great.' 'He had a vision of an us and greatness so effortlessly that it suddenly seemed as right as butter on bread. I was taken aback by his boldness, his certainty,' she gushed to Today. 'He soothed the places I hadnt known needed soothing, seemed perfectly willing to embrace the parts of me that were wanton, unsettled, unfinished, and contradictory. 'Together we had engaged life as two forks eating off one plate. Ready to listen, to love, to look into the darkness and see a thin filament of the moon.' Just like in the show, the two eventually decided to move to Los Angeles, California, together, where Saro faced a slew of difficulties while getting used to living in a new country. Tembi, from Texas, said that it really was love at first sight for her and Saro, and that right away he knew they would be 'something great.' He is seen in the show (left) and in real life (right) Just like in the show, the two eventually decided to move to Los Angeles, California, together, where Saro faced a slew of difficulties. Their characters are seen in the show Their worlds were shaken when Saro got diagnosed with a rare form of cancer that started in the soft muscle tissue, called leiomyosarcoma. He is seen in real life with their daughter He was diagnosed with the disease in 2002, and he tragically died 10 years later. Together, the couple adopted a daughter named Zoela (pictured with Saro), from Africa, before his passing '[The show is] about what it means to be a European immigrant in LA, which my husband was, and how it was a challenge,' she dished to Shondaland.com. 'Its about what it means coming to a place for love and working to make it work, even when you dont recognize a new place, a new country. His big issue was Tembi, where do I get a good coffee? Starbucks? Thats not coffee.' Their worlds were shaken when Saro got diagnosed with a rare form of cancer that started in the soft muscle tissue, called leiomyosarcoma. He was diagnosed with the disease in 2002, and he tragically died 10 years later. Together, the couple adopted a daughter named Zoela, from Africa, before his passing. 'Zoela came to us during that time [when he was sick]. And I think one of the things that I learned is life is still happening all around us and for us, wed always wanted to be parents,' she told Today. In the show, their daughter's name is Idalia, which Tembi said Zoela picked out. 'My daughter picked the name of Idalia, the character based on her. We had fun creating these alternate versions of us,' she continued. In the series, their daughter's name is Idalia, which Zoela picked out. Tembi explained: 'We had fun creating these alternate versions of us.' Zoela and Saro's characters are seen in the show As for why they decided to change their names , Tembi (seen with executive producer Reese) said she wanted to create a 'psychic distance' between the real people and characters While chatting with Shondaland.com, Tembi reflected on some of the biggest lessons that Saro taught her - many of which still impact her today. She is seen on set of the show As for why they decided to change the names in the Netflix series, Tembi explained that she wanted to create a 'psychic distance' between the real figures and the characters. She added: 'I needed the space to allow the character to grow, to bend and to fictionalize things.' 'He showed me the poetry of life. He taught me to slow down,' Tembi (pictured with Zoela recently) revealed. 'He taught me to love fully and deeply. 'My heart is bigger because of him' While chatting with Shondaland.com, Tembi reflected on some of the biggest lessons that Saro taught her - many of which still impact her today. 'He showed me the poetry of life. As the son of a farmer, he taught me to slow down and see the beauty of an artichokes gradation of color, for example,' she revealed. 'He had a poeticism about him. To live with him for 20 years, it stayed with me. He taught me to love fully and deeply. 'My heart is bigger because of him. He would always say, Everything makes the soup, an Italian saying that means basically that everything makes life. 'We just have to go with it. Another one was: You wanted the bicycle; now pedal. Its about wanting things in life, and you get what you ask for. Now ride.' After Saro's death, Tembi spent three summers in Sicily, which she said helped her deal with the immense grief she felt from losing Saro, explaining that being in the country gave her constant 'reminders that she was still living' and 'that there was still life and abundance.' Tembi has since found love again with a man (seen) whose name she has yet to reveal. And despite them not supporting their relationship at first, she is now close with Saro's family The show premiered on October 21 and dethroned The Watcher as the streaming platform's most-viewed title this week. Zoe and Tembi are seen at the premiere After its premiere, many viewers took to Twitter to share their thoughts, with one admitting it left them an 'emotional wreck,' and another saying they had a 'deep, ugly cry' after watching it Despite them not supporting their relationship at first, Tembi, who has since found love again with a man whose name she has yet to reveal, said she is now close with Saro's family. 'Love lasts and transmutes. It doesnt leave us,' she concluded to the Today show. After its premiere, many viewers took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the show, with one admitting it left them as an 'emotional wreck,' and another writing that they had a 'deep, ugly cry' after watching it. 'Do not watch From Scratch on Netflix, it will ruin your life,' one person warned, alongside a meme that showed SpongeBob SquarePants in tears. 'PSA: Do not watch From Scratch on Netflix if you do not feel like crying harder than you did at The Titanic and The Notebook combined,' agreed another. Someone else said: 'Why did I watch From Scratch on Netflix last night? I cried myself to sleep. That is the best miniseries I've seen in years.' 'From Scratch on Netflix got me so emotional. I need three to five days to recover from watching that show,' read a fourth tweet, while a fifth said, 'The way this show has had me ugly crying for four episodes straight.' 'From Scratch needs a disclaimer,' a different twitter user wrote. 'Why am I crying so much?' Vodafone Italia warns customers of a possible data breach that may compromise their personal data after its reseller was cyber-attacked. FourB S.p.A., which is a reseller of the telecommunications company's services in the country, was hacked back in September, exposing sensitive user details. Vodafone Sends Notice To Customers According to Secure Blink, the company released a notice to its subscribers that revealed subscription details, identity documents, and contact details have been exposed. However, Vodafone Italia claims and reassures its subscribers that no account password or network traffic data have been leaked as a result of the attack. Europe's leading telecom service provider also strongly advised its customers to remain vigilant against correspondence that may increase their risk of being phished. In light of the rising frequency of cyber scams, Vodafone Italia confirms that FourB S.p.A. has closed its servers to prevent the hackers from reentering them. Bleeping Computer writes that the reseller has since implemented a higher level of security on its systems to avoid the incident from happening again. While Vodafone Italia and FourB S.p.A. have not yet provided more details about the data breach, it is suspected that the incident is linked to the September 3 hack. Last month, a group of hackers called KelvinSecurity claimed a cyber attack against the telecommunications company. This cybercrime ring put up a cache of 295,000 files or 310 GB worth of data stolen from Vodafone Italia on hacker chats and forums to sell. Secure Blink reports that Vodafone Italia issued a brief statement at the time, claiming no evidence of unauthorized access had been found in the company's internal IT systems. However, in response, the company assured the public that they would continue investigating the suspected cyber attack. KelvinSecurity is a notorious data seller that also sells access to databases to other hackers on hacker forums. Read More: Vodafone Has Accessed Journalist's Text Messages Vodafone Has Been Targeted By Hackers Multiple Times This Year The recent data compromise affecting Vodafone Italia subscribers is not the first time for the telecom company as its Portuguese counterpart was also attacked in February. According to Reuters, Vodafone Portugal's services were disrupted by cyber criminals when its system faced technical problems in February. Because of this, service subscribers were unable to get calls through and access the internet as a result of the deliberate attack. Meanwhile, in August, Vodafone Idea, a merger company between Vodafone India and Idea Cellular was also reported to have been hacked, Indian Express writes. CyberX9, a cybersecurity research team, said that the company's attacker exposed sensitive customer information, which Vodafone Idea denied. However, CyberX9 argued that vulnerabilities were discovered that might have compromised call logs, SMS records, location details, phone numbers, and personal and billing information. In previous years, Vodafone had already been sued and fined for its negligence in the service and customer security departments. Vodafone is a leading company in Europe and Africa that deals with telecommunications to develop products and services that connect digital societies for a better future. Related Article: Latest Vodafone Hack Accessed About 2,000 Customers' Information Queen Letizia of Spain was effortlessly elegant in a chic dress as she and her husband greeted Paraguay's President and First Lady for a luncheon at the Royal Palace in Madrid today. The royal, 50, cut a sophisticated figure in the white, flowy number which featured sheer, polka-dot adorned trumpet sleeves. She appeared deep in thought as she chatted to their guests, Mario Abdo Benitez and his wife Silvana Lopez Moreira. The queen teamed her look with black stilettos, opting for a simple, glamorous make-up look which accentuated her eyes. Queen Letizia of Spain (left) appeared deep in thought as she chatted to their guests, Mario Abdo and his wife Silvana Lopez (right) The queen (far left) was effortlessly elegant in a chic button-up dress as she and her husband (second right) greeted Paraguay's President (second left) and First Lady (far rigth) for a luncheon at the Royal Palace in Madrid The queen (left) teamed her look with black stilettos, opting for a simple, glamorous make-up look which accentuated her eyes She wore her chestnut tresses down in loose waves and smiled for photos with the visitors. Elsewhere her husband, 54, looked dapper as he welcomed the President on his state visit in a sleek black suit and periwinkle tie. King Felipe VI was also snapped smiling as he strolled alongside Letizia before the Luncheon Ceremony. Meanwhile Silvana, 48, appeared to twin her look with the royal's as she stunned in an ornate, embroidered white dress. Meanwhile Silvana, 48 (right), appeared to twin her look with the royal's as she stunned in an ornate, embroidered white dress Silvana's long-sleeve ensemble features colourful designs along the skirt, and complemented the First Lady's silhouette with its A-line cut King Felipe VI was also snapped smiling as he strolled alongside Letizia before the Luncheon Ceremony The long-sleeve ensemble features colourful designs along the skirt, and complemented the First Lady's silhouette with its A-line cut. She paired the gown with cream heels and threw her caramel locks into an elegant half-up half-down. President Abdo, 50, appeared in high spirits as he spoke to the king, sporting a navy suit and matching tie. It is his first state visit to Spain since taking office in August 2018. President Abdo, 50, appeared in high spirits as he spoke to the king, sporting a navy suit and matching tie. Pictured with his wife and the Spanish king and queen Earlier in the day, Felipe and Mario (pictured with their wives) enjoyed a meeting at the Palace of Tarthuela, joined by several other officials Earlier in the day, Felipe and Mario enjoyed a meeting at the Zarzuela Palace, joined by several other officials. Commencing the lunch with the few words, Felipe said he is 'extremely pleased' with the visit, and called for a 'relaunch of international relations' following the pandemic and other difficulties. It comes as yesterday Letizia flashed some leg as she donned a chic 112 check skirt - with a large cut out hole in it - as she attended a Film Festival in Navarra. The royal was effortlessly elegant in a black long sleeved polo top which she paired with the fashion forward skirt for Opera prima: Ciudad de Tudela at the Moncayo cinema. Felipe, 54, looked dapper as he welcomed the President on his state visit in a sleek black suit and periwinkle tie Commencing the lunch with the few words, Felipe (second right) said he is 'extremely pleased' with the visit Letizia wore her chestnut tresses down in loose, glossy waves and smiled for photos with the visitors She completed her show-stopping H&M x TOGA checked skirt with black stilettos and a chic leather handbag. Looking typically stylish, she opted for a glamorous make-up look, with a brown smokey eye and a glossy lipstick. She added accentuated the look by accessorising with small diamond cuff earrings. The queen attended the Opera Prima Film Festival Ciudad de Tudela which is a contest specialised in first national feature films. A woman who was crowned Miss Great Britain celebrated alongside her mother who was one of the top-placed competitors in the Ms Great Britian Classic rounds. Amy Meisak, 29, from South Lanarkshire, Scotland beat 37 other hopefuls to scoop up the coveted crown after competing in Leicester at the end of October. At the same event, her 60-year-old mother Laurie, finished first runner-up in the Ms Great Britain Classic competition. Amy encouraged Laurie to enter after her mum spent years accompanying her to pageants and being her biggest 'cheerleader'. Amy (right) and her mother Laurie (left) both did well in the famous pageant after a 'tough' year for the family Amy told a BBC radio host that she believes she stood out due to her support group for women called Limitless The mother-of-four told the BBC that doing pageants gave her back her confidence and she was 'loving life'. Laurie, from Hamilton, told BBC Scotland's Mornings with Kaye Adams she had been hesitant to enter because of her age saying: 'She said: 'You always do have a wee bit of 'Oh should I or shouldn't I at my age now?' but, you know something, I absolutely love being my age' Daughter Amy admitted that the past 12 months had been a 'challenge' for her family after being diagnosed with autoimmune disease Lupus and losing her grandfather. Laurie was hesitant to enter because of her age, but found the confidence to love herself and go for it Sisters? The mother and daughter duo struck gold when they decided to enter the competition together The pair show off their svelte figures and long blonde hair as they pose together prior to the pageant She told the radio host that she believed she stood out from the crowd because she had created a ladies' empowerment workshop called Limitless. It seeks to support women by giving them the tools and skills they need to overcome life challenges. Poperty investor daughter Amy also told the programme she had been taking part in pageants for years and her mother was always a great support. She said: 'Mum has always come to the pageants with me and always been my cheerleader. 'She knew all the pageant mums and she loved the glitz and the glamour. 'I said 'Mum, you should really think about entering this' and I think her words were, 'well, if you do it, I'll do it'.' She told the radio host that she believed she stood out from the crowd because she had created a ladies' empowerment workshop called Limitless. The mother and daughter duo say that pageants are not just about superficial qualities. They said it was a place where women supported one another. After both of their successes in the competition, Amy and Laurie are unsure if they will return to the pageant world, but both say 'never say never'. A new mother was forced to take a drug test in front of state officials after she tested positive for opioids in the hospital before giving birth - but only because she had eaten an everything bagel for breakfast, and poppy seeds contain small amounts of morphine. Caitlyn Marie Ricci, a 29-year-old makeup artist from New Jersey, welcomed her first child - a baby boy - on October 2, but her birthing experience certainly didn't go as planned. Upon arriving at the hospital to get induced at 39 weeks, the expecting mother took a standard-required drug test, and expected that it would come back negative since she 'obviously' hadn't taken any illicit substances. However, she was stunned when the results said she was positive for opioids - which launched a neglect investigation by Child Protective Services. A mom was forced to take a drug test in front of state officials after testing positive for opioids in the hospital before giving birth - but only because she ate an everything bagel for breakfast Caitlyn Marie Ricci, a makeup artist from New Jersey, welcomed her first child - a baby boy - on October 2, but her birthing experience certainly didn't go as planned Upon arriving at the hospital to get induced at 39 weeks, the expecting mother took a standard-required drug test, and expected that it would come back negative It turns out, the test only showed opioids in her system because she had eaten a bagel with poppy seeds on it hours earlier, without realizing that the seeds actually contain trace amounts of morphine and codeine. How eating an everything bagel resulted in a positive drug test Poppy seeds contain anywhere from 17.4 to 18.6 micrograms of morphine and 2.3 to 2.5 micrograms of codeine inside them Opioids can be found in urine samples for as long as two days after eating poppy seeds, and for up to 60 hours if larger quantities are consumed Sources: PubMed.gov and WinchesterHospital.org Advertisement Despite her baby boy testing negative for the drug, CPS forced her to take another test four days after his birth in front of them, probed her with numerous questions, and even inspected her living situation. She opened up about the horrifying situation on TikTok, while urging other expecting mothers to stay away from the popular breakfast food before giving birth. 'I just had a baby eight days ago, I just wanted to share a little bit about my experience because I don't think anyone should have to go through some of the things I went through,' she shared in a clip posted on October 11, which has now been viewed more than 44,000 times. 'I feel like the OB offices need to be more transparent about potential things that could happen. 'I get to the hospital to get induced at 39 weeks and they drug test you in New Jersey hospitals, which is not a big deal, I wasn't worried about it. 'But they come back and tell me that my drug test came back positive for opioids - opioids?! I was like, "Uh no, definitely not. Did you mix my sample up? I'm very confused." 'My husband and I realized, we had everything bagels that morning. The nurse was like, "[Did you have] a good amount of poppy seeds?" We were like, "Oh my God, we had everything bagels this morning."' However, she was stunned when the results said she was positive for opioids - which launched a neglect investigation by Child Protective Services It turns out, the test only showed opioids in her system because she had eaten a bagel with poppy seeds hours earlier, and they have small amounts of morphine in them (stock image) Despite her baby testing negative for the drug, CPS forced her to take another test four days after his birth in front of them, probed her with numerous questions, and inspected her home While chatting to Yahoo Life, Caitlyn said 'she did not take any drugs,' and that she later learned that as little as one teaspoon of poppy seeds is enough to show a false positive on a drug test. According to PubMed.gov, poppy seeds contain anywhere from 17.4 to 18.6 micrograms of morphine and 2.3 to 2.5 micrograms of codeine inside them. MotherToBaby.org added that 'eating small amounts now and then' is 'not known to be a risk during pregnancy or breastfeeding.' Caitlyn said the doctors told her it would be 'totally fine' and it was 'not a big deal,' however, they were forced to report the incident to the state. She recalled: '[The doctors] were like, "It's totally fine, this happens, it's not a big deal. We've seen this. We're going to test the baby when he's born and if everything's clear, all good, you're totally fine. If he's negative, obviously you weren't doing anything." 'His test came back negative and we think everything is fine - but no. Apparently, it needs to be reported to the state, to Child Protective Services.' She opened up about the horrifying situation on TikTok , while urging other expecting mothers to stay away from the popular breakfast food before giving birth While chatting to Yahoo, Caitlyn said 'she did not take any drugs,' and that she later learned that as little as one teaspoon of poppy seeds is enough to show a false positive on a drug test According to PubMed.gov , poppy seeds contain anywhere from 17.4 to 18.6 micrograms of morphine and 2.3 to 2.5 micrograms of codeine inside them. Caitlyn's baby boy is pictured After spending 40 hours in labor and undergoing an emergency C-section, Caitlyn had to speak to CPS, which she said she agreed to because she 'genuinely had nothing to hide.' 'It literally [became] a child neglect case, so I had to have CPS come and interview me after having an emergency C-section after 40 hours of labor,' she explained on TikTok. 'They interviewed me in the hospital and had to come and check my home before I could even leave the hospital with the baby. 'They came back again once the baby was here, and [made me] take another drug test four days after having a C-section.' She added to Yahoo Life: 'My husband had to leave myself and our newborn at the hospital for this home check. 'After seeing that we have a perfectly suitable home, [the official] told us he needed to come back again to physically see the baby in our home. We once again complied.' She said she has not heard anything from CPS since then, but assumed that 'no news is good news in a situation like this' In her TikTok video, Caitlyn begged doctors and nurses to be more transparent about the potential side effects that poppy seeds can have on drug tests She said she has not heard anything from CPS since then, but assumed that 'no news is good news in a situation like this.' In her TikTok video, Caitlyn begged doctors and nurses to be more transparent about the potential side effects that poppy seeds can have on drug tests. 'I feel like this needs to be something that's told [to patients] because I would have skipped the bagel had I known that this was gonna happen,' she concluded. 'Long story short, avoid poppy seeds in your third trimester, especially if your hospital drug tests because this is something that could potentially happen.' A doula from Dallas, Texas, named Misty Gigler, told Yahoo Life that Caitlyn got lucky because it could have been much worse for her. 'The ramifications of testing positive could potentially get their baby taken away from [its parents],' she said. 'Funny, they will give you fentanyl while in labor but take your baby away if you ate poppy seeds.' The Princess of Wales today spoke of the vital need for community spaces to enable people to meet up face-to-face instead of living on social media at home. Kate, 40, was speaking to a group of young people at a centre in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, when the discussion turned to safe places where they could get together. She said: With social media everyone is at home online now, and finding community spaces where people can come and meet up together - in a really informal way so it isnt structured - is vital, and missing in a lot of communities we have visited. She and her husband were in the north of England to launch their first Community Impact Day. The Prince and Princess of Wales (pictured) visiting The Street, in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, a community hub that hosts local organisations to grow and develop their services, as part of their visit to the area to launch funding to support young people's mental health With the Royal Family undertaking hundreds of engagements across the country each year, William and Kate want to ensure that as many as possible of these visits create a lasting legacy and impact. They have spent the last three months working with their own Royal Foundation and the Two Ridings Community Foundation to raise 350,000 from local private donors which will go to mental health services in the Scarborough area. Sources close to the royal couple say they have been proactive in getting the project started as the cost of living crisis is set to bite. Local teenagers are now distributing the money donated by businesses and individuals, as well as the Royal Foundation itself. Further partnerships are expected next year as part of the couples vision for a modern monarchy. The Princess of Wales spent much time during her visit to Scarborough speaking with the local people. She also found her heels stuck in the mud At community hub The Street the princess braved soggy turf in heels and a classic but elegant all-beige outfit including a 460 Max&Co coat and 60 woven waist belt from Boden and a 295 DeMellier London handbag. At times she appeared unsteady on her feet but gladly shook hands, spoke, and posed for pictures with around 100 members of the public who had waited to greet the couple. Charlie Lou, 22, said: I was in tears. Im still shaking. Louise Mansfeld, 50, of Scarborough said: I introduced her to my mother and the Princess of Wales said it was lovely that we lived together and look after each other. She had been given some Scarborough rock. In the centres main hall, Kate received a painting and a bunch of flowers from two-year-old Carrie Rose Wood-Sheader. The Princess of Wales said that young people need somewhere to meet face-to-face away from social media. She said it was 'vital' for these safe spaces to be created Prince William and Catherine, playing with Modelling Dough with children in the Nursery during a visit to The Rainbow Centre During her visit to Scarborough the Princess of Wales spoke about how there needs to be more safe spaces for young people Kate bent down and said: Thank you so much, and what a pretty dress. William told charity workers: Weve been hearing about young people not having enough to do. He had a go on Dato Duo synthesiser brought in by David Owen, creative director at Flash Company Arts. Kate laughed as William played tunes and said: I can see this is really good for children particularly starting off in music. In an off-the-cuff speech without notes, the Prince of Wales told charities, children and donors: We heard a lot about mental health priorities and some safe spaces and food are key issues resonating today. Kate spoke to groups of young people, where she shared ideas of 'vital' safe spaces in the age of social media Particularly on mental health side of things, tackling that stigma and talking about mental health and providing services to the community crucial to how we go forward and mental health issues many, many people face. For Catherine and I, the legacy of today is bringing together and collaborating and shown what can be done when a community comes together is something wed like to follow on and I hope can be represented more widely across the country. You are leading where others follow. Prince William spoke about the couples work within communities and the importance of bringing local people together Nigel Jowett of In-site Property Solutions Ltd, who donated to the new community fund, said: There is no shortage of worthy causes around here. There are all sorts of hurdles and stumbling blocks for small charities so the Prince and Princess of Wales and Royal Foundation can help clear those obstacles which is important to the mental health of young people. Jan Garrill of the Two Ridings Community Foundation, added: The donors are ordinary people who want to put something back. The Prince and Princess of Wales put a spotlight on the work in the community to support hundreds of charities which wouldnt normally get access to money. These are non-national charities, hundreds of local charities that can do a great deal with grants of just 5,000. I would hope that the Prince and Princess of Wales will come back in 12 months and see the impact. This is long-term funding, not a flash in the pan. The couple have been together for three years but recently married and are frequently the face of criticism due to their public relationship A young married couple faced backlash after revealing their 'controversial rules' that see them sharing their location 24/7 and never being alone with someone of the opposite gender. Newlyweds Jaden and Andy, recent graduates from Abilene Christian University in Texas, have maintained their relationship by adapting strict 'rules', and while they swear by these orders, social media has slammed the young couple for being 'toxic' and 'obsessive'. Frequently sharing couples content, the lovebirds shared a video that garnered over 7.3 million views and riled up social media users as the couple shared their 'controversial' marriage 'rules.' Captioning the video, 'Controversial things about our marriage that we didn't realize are controversial,' the couple said they didn't 'realize' there regulations 'would cause such a fuss on TikTok.' Newlyweds Jaden and Andy faced backlash after revealing their 'controversial rules' that see them sharing their location 24/7 and all of their passwords Jaden and Andy shared three of their marriage rules in a viral video, noting that they never hang out with the opposite gender The recent Abilene Christian University graduates have maintained their relationship by adapting strict 'rules' that social media has branded as 'toxic' Jaden and Andy shared three of their marriage rules in the viral video, while doing multiple poses. 'Sharing location on Life360,' the text overlay read, sharing their first 'weird' rule. Striking another pose, the couple said they also share 'all passwords' and have 'no secrets.' Lastly, the couple stood side-by-side and shared their third rule, 'Not hanging out with the opposite gender alone.' Jaden and Andy seemed to have met while in college and have been together for the past three years, and recently married after graduating. The two have frequently been the face of criticism as they constantly post about their relationship on their joint couple's TikTok account, where they boast 126,000 followers. 'Sharing location on Life360,' and 'sharing all passwords' so that they have 'no secrets' were the couples other rules The couple have been together for three years but recently married and are frequently the face of criticism due to their public relationship And while the couple has gotten used to the judgmental comments, they were met with a much larger wave of criticism when they shared their marriage rules And while the couple has gotten used to the judgmental comments, they were met with a much larger wave of criticism when they shared their marriage rules. Users were shocked by their rules and even questioned their relationship, many branding them 'toxic' and 'obsessive.' 'Toxic as hell,' wrote one user. 'This is the definition of lack of trust, every aspect of it,' said another user. Another user added: 'It's obsessive lol.' 'Bad vibes on the last one, if you can trust the other partner then there's no need,' said one person. Users were shocked by their rules and even questioned their relationship, many branding them 'toxic' and 'obsessive' And while many couldn't believe the couple followed such strict rules, other applauded them, even saying they do the same thing. 'I do and agree with all of these things and I'm a marriage therapist,' one viewer wrote. Another user added: 'That's not weird at all! My husband and I do the same! Leaves no room for insecurity.' 'We do the same,' commented one user. 'I see no problem with this, me and my husband are the same,' confessed another user. It was Christmas Eve. The tradition for more than 20 years, thanks to my German husband, had been a European-style clan gathering at home. Real candles on the tree, at least 20 feasting around the table and opening presents the night before Christmas rather than on the day itself. This year was going to be different, though. My husband, Christian, and I had been separated for close to three years and Id had a new man in my life for two. But now my ex had a new, younger woman. This year she was going to be the hostess, in her apartment, and civilised folk that we were trying to be my new partner, Ronny, and I were going along with Thomas, the son my ex and I shared. The plan my plan, at least was to get drunk as fast as possible. And, no matter how lovely the new man in my life, to do so while looking so good that the old one might feel a stab of regret at what he had left behind. Creating a mini tornado in my dressing room, I settled on a sleeveless, figure-hugging, knee-length red dress and vertiginous black patent heels. A cliche, perhaps, but with a strong message. Id show him and her that at 58 I was still a force to be reckoned with. I told Ronny Id chosen the dress on the grounds of red being a Christmassy colour; he merely raised an eyebrow. I rang Janes bell and, as she opened the door, I wanted to turn on those heels. Tall, slim, dark and glamorous, with a mass of hair compared to my meagre locks, she was wearing an almost identical dress and heels. I gasped. She gasped. At least it broke the ice. I thought of Jane when I saw the recent pictures of Jerry Hall, 66, enjoying a cosy lunch with her ex Mick Jagger, 79, their daughter Georgia May, 30, and Micks current squeeze and mother to his eighth child, Melanie Hamrick, 35. It was all smiles. Linda Kelsey (left) with her ex-husband's partner Jane, who is eight years her junior. Despite the unusual circumstances, the pair have become close friends I thought of Jane when I saw the recent pictures of Jerry Hall, 66, enjoying a cosy lunch with her ex Mick Jagger, 79, their daughter Georgia May, 30, and Micks current squeeze and mother to his eighth child, Melanie Hamrick, 35 I understood Jerry said of her exs subsequent partners that, Im close with the mothers. Its really important to me that theres not conflict in the family. But Id bet the generosity behind those words and that big beam came at a price. Though there are only eight years between Jane and me, I spent that wretched evening in 2011 sneaking glances at her toned arms, thinking how poorly mine measured up, and bitterly wishing Id taken a cardigan. She seemed so confident and in charge; I felt myself shrinking. When she and Christian exchanged presents and showered Thomas with gifts, I felt physically sick. Christmas Eve was supposed to be our thing, not this interlopers. Theoretically, mine and Janes situation was much simpler than that of Jerry and Jaggers other partners, especially as the seventh of Micks mighty brood was conceived while he and Jerry were still together. My husband left after 23 years and I met Ronny soon after, a good while before Christian met Jane. No other parties were involved, life just moved on. But feelings do not always run along rational lines, as any psychotherapist would be quick to point out. The presence of this new person in my exs life still hurt on a number of levels and the feelings took years to navigate. First, I nursed the sense my husband had left to get away not only from me, but from the predictable life we were living. Our ideas for the future diverged. He dreamt of travel, maybe living abroad, to the point of obsession. Money became an issue. We lost the ability to back one another up, became cold and stopped communicating. It was as though he was in search of the free-spirited young man he had once been and our life together was holding him back. Why, then, after he had roamed the world for some time, did he come back and get together with this woman who, if not a doppelganger, certainly seemed to have an uncanny amount in common with me? Not only was Jane on the fringes of our shared social circle, with a number of mutual friends, and living in a neighbouring postcode, she also worked in a creative profession (she a successful film producer, me a successful editor and writer) and is Jewish as am I when he is not. If Christian had been looking for a new way of being, I asked myself, why recreate an uncannily similar, parallel life with this younger, fresher, sparkier version of me? It hurt far more than if hed got together with my opposite. Whats more, Jane had a young daughter to whom he had become quite close. I had not been able to conceive a second child was Janes daughter the little girl I couldnt provide him with? Then I started to hear through the grapevine that Christian and Jane had been out for dinner with this couple, or on short breaks with that one; all friends who had featured in my previous life. Theoretically, mine and Janes situation was much simpler than that of Jerry and Jaggers other partners, especially as the seventh of Micks mighty brood was conceived while he and Jerry were still together On one occasion, my closest friend announced she was meeting up with the two of them and was that OK? No! I said. I dont mind you meeting him I dont own him and youve been mates for years but not her. Im not ready for that. When she went anyway, it hurt, hugely, and I burst into tears, which shocked me as much as it did her. It was as if Id become a small child again, usurped by the new girl at school. Did I feel sorry for myself and abandoned? You bet. I found myself withdrawing from certain people I had been fond of or did they withdraw from me? And Jane, however blameless, was at the centre of it. There was the time my son mentioned he was doing Friday night at Janes. For secular Jews, Friday night dinner is a ritual that involves nothing more sacred than a quick prayer over the Sabbath candles, the breaking of challah bread and then on to the real business of chicken soup, roast chicken and convivial chat. But it took me the entire weekend to get over that image of them all around her table. When Thomas graduated from university, Christian and I drove up the M1 to attend the ceremony together. He and Jane had been a couple for a few years by now. While we were sitting and waiting for the proceedings to commence, a WhatsApp message pinged on his phone. I dont remember the exact words, but they ran along the lines of: Good morning, darling. A proud day for you. My love to Thomas It was a sweet gesture. But maybe she was also reminding him who he was with now. For something else had occurred to me that Christmas Eve: perhaps the message behind Janes red dress was much the same as mine. I mentioned this occasion to her the other day when we were at an art exhibition she had invited me to, and we laughed over the fact that, once again, we were in matching outfits this time jeans, chunky black ankle boots and blazers with colourful sweaters underneath. Because the ironic thing is that, these days, Jane and I are good pals. From the ashes of my failed marriage rose the phoenix of an unexpected friendship that took off after she and Christian realised their own relationship wasnt going to go the distance. For all my misgivings, I had also noted, when we all met together in her apartment, that her warmth towards my son seemed genuine. And I had to concede Id rather Christian be with someone smart and generous-spirited than someone I couldnt respect. However much I had hated that first evening from start to finish, the curious truth is, I had never hated Jane. Almost the opposite. I would still bump into her every now and again after she and Christian broke up, and a shift from politeness to something more meaningful began to take place. If we met at a party, we would find ourselves chatting and inevitably end up in a corner talking about our main mutual interest the ex. She opened up about certain elements of their relationship and we ended up analysing this essentially good man who had got rather lost along the way for several reasons. I suppose neither of us ever quite managed to work him out, but our feelings for him remained warm. For Janes part, she never seemed to have any particular issues with me because I was already with Ronny and it seemed clear to her that Christian and I werent going to get back together. I didnt pose a threat and, she has told me, she didnt agonise. We had met at various times over the years so I wasnt this mysterious, scary or threatening figure and we didnt need to be involved over Thomas because he was already an adult. In other words, I was no big deal for her, while, for me, a sense of insecurity and unfinished business had hung in the air. Maybe it will always be unfinished, but once Jane and Christians relationship was done, mine and Janes continued to develop. We started arranging to meet for walks on our local heath. Over lockdown we played ping pong together outdoors. I enjoyed getting together with her and Twiggy, her adorable Cavapoo. We seemed able to talk about most things art, relationships, our kids, work, politics, clothes, ailments, movies, people we know, all the stuff of proper friendship. More recently weve been in even closer contact, helping each other with all the red tape and tricky situations associated with sponsoring Ukrainian refugees we were planning to host. Sometimes we dont even mention Christian. I like having this strong, smart, resourceful woman in my life and suppose I should thank my ex-husband for making that possible. Would I be friends with Jane today if she and he were still together? I do not know. Because while you can bring your exs new partner into your life, Im not sure you can ever bring her into your heart while she is firmly embedded in his. Vapes need graphic cigarette-style warnings slapped on them, health campaigners say. The gadgets, popular among children, are judged to be much safer than smoking by top experts. But the long-term effects of e-cigarettes remains a mystery and doctors fear a wave of lung disease and even cancer in the coming decades. Experts told MailOnline the products should be sold under the same rules as regular cigarettes to dissuade young people from picking up the habit. Professor Stephen Turner, a respiratory paediatrician at Royal Aberdeen Children's Hospital, said: 'I am very keen that children should not use any nicotine-containing products. 'E-cigarettes should be sold under the conditions currently applied to other over-the-counter nicotine-containing products.' Cigarettes are currently sold with graphic warnings and in plain packaging. Professor Andrew Bush, a paediatric respirologist at Imperial College London, said: 'These things have not been around long enough for us to be complacent about them. 'I think they should be treated in the same way as tobacco. 'They are being aggressively marketed to teenagers and younger, and this must stop.' Vapes need graphic cigarette-style warnings slapped on them, health campaigners say Graphic warnings have been a mainstay of tobacco products in the UK since 2008, when smoking was first banned in pubs and restaurants. They were made bigger in 2016, and manufacturers were forced to put the messages on the front and back of packets Calls for tougher action come amid soaring vaping rates have doubled among children over the past decade What do the recent studies on e-cigarettes say? People who vape experience 'worrisome changes' in their blood pressure Vaping causes your blood pressure and heart rate to spike immediately afterwards, a study claimed. University of Wisconsin experts found vaping and smoking cause people's heart rates to spike 15 minutes after use and put the body in 'fight or flight' mode. The study, presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2022, looked at data for 395 participants 164 vapers, 117 smokers and 114 who had no history of nicotine, e-cigarette or tobacco use. Co-lead author Matthew Tattersall, an assistant professor of medicine at the university, said: 'Immediately after vaping or smoking, there were worrisome changes in blood pressure, heart rate, heart rate variability and blood vessel tone (constriction).' But the study has not been peer-reviewed and was only observational, so researchers could not prove vapes were actually causing the heart issues. E-cigarette users are less fit than people who do not vape Vapers perform worse when exercising than non-smokers and are more akin to smokers, a study claims. Researchers looked at data from the same participants as the previous study. After 90 minutes on the machine, they were given four heart screenings to determine overall health of the organ. People who vaped scored 11 per cent lower than those who did not use nicotine. Smokers had test scores 16 per cent lower than the control group. Dr Aruni Bhatnagar, a professor of Medicine at the University of Louisville said: 'These studies add to the growing body of science that shows similar cardiovascular injury among people who use e-cigarettes and those who smoke combustible cigarettes.' Vaping is 'just as bad as cigarettes for your heart' Vapers are at the same risk of heart disease as cigarette users, according to US federally-funded research. In two studies, one on mice and one on people, e-cigarettes were found to cause similar damage to blood vessels as smoking tobacco. The findings from experts at the University of California, San Francisco were published in the American Heart Associations journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology (ATVB). Despite the difference in ingredients that make up e-cigarette aerosol and cigarette smoke, the researchers found that blood vessel damage does not appear to be caused by a specific component of cigarette smoke or ecigarette vapor. Rather, it appears to be caused by airway irritation which triggers biological signals in the valgus nerve. Dr Matthew Springer, a professor of medicine in the division of cardiology at the University of California, San Francisco said: 'We were surprised to find that there was not a single component that you could remove to stop the damaging effect of smoke or vapors on the blood vessels.' 'As long as theres an irritant in the airway, blood vessel function may be impaired,' he said. Advertisement Calls for tougher action come amid soaring vaping rates among British children. Despite it being illegal to sell e-cigarettes to under-18s, one in 10 secondary school pupils are now regular users double the proportion less than a decade ago. Almost every high street now has a designated vape shop, with e-cigarettes sold for as little as 5. Unlike tobacco, however, the gadgets don't need to be hidden behind shutters. This is despite some being built to contain as much nicotine as 50 cigarettes. They are often sold in glossy displays and in a variety of snazzy colours and child-friendly names and flavours, like bubble-gum and strawberry milkshake. The marketing of the devices has been linked to alcopops, alcoholic drinks sold in bright neon-colours which are ultra sweet or fruit flavoured. A Government-commissioned review published in June recommended a review of vape flavours to ensure they don't appeal to young people. The paper, by former children's charity chief Javed Khan, also recommended that cartoons and images on vaping products be banned. It did not call for cigarette-style warnings, although it did admit warning labels about e-cigarettes' harm do increase people's perception of the risks. The researchers said more studies are needed about the effectiveness of warning labels 'highlighting the relative harms of smoking and vaping'. Graphic warnings have been a mainstay of tobacco products in the UK since 2008, when smoking was first banned in pubs and restaurants. They were made bigger in 2016, and manufacturers were forced to put the messages on the front and back of packets. They include both text and picture health warnings, such as an image of cancerous lungs. Vapes are currently only required to be sold with labels warning that they contain nicotine, which is highly addictive. But these are often much smaller than those seen with cigarettes due to the packaging size and do not warn of other potential health risks. E-cigarettes allow people to inhale nicotine in a vapour produced by heating a liquid, which typically contains propylene glycol, glycerine, flavourings, and other chemicals. Unlike cigarettes, they don't contain tobacco, nor do they produce tar or carbon which are two of the most dangerous elements. But they can include hundreds of unregulated chemicals, some of which are 'known carcinogens', according to a study published in Frontiers in Pediatrics last October. Professor Bush said: 'They are not regulated and they are not tested, and if anyone can find a website listing what's in all these liquids and safe toxicity data, I'm his holiness the Pope. 'We cannot be confident, which is why I cannot say they are safe.' Experts also fear the high nicotine content might increase blood pressure and cause other heart problems. A study published last week suggested that vaping causes 'worrisome changes' to blood pressure, heart rate and people's fitness levels. But the study, not peer-reviewed and was only observational, so researchers could not prove vapes were actually causing the heart issues. And the University of Wisconsin team admitted they were not able to directly compare the effect of vaping and smoking on the heart because smokers in the study were much older. Several other papers, including the Government-commissioned report, suggest vaping has fewer cardiovascular risks than smoking and people making the switch have better heart function. Hazel Cheeseman, deputy chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, told MailOnline: 'There are far too many scare stories about vaping and not enough rational discussion of the evidence. 'If you are a smoker switching to vaping is much less risky than continuing to smoke. The information in these studies does not change this fact. 'Smokers should not be put off from using something that might literally save their lives.' Health officials believe e-cigarettes can play a key role in weaning the remaining 5million smokers in Britain off tobacco and putting an end to the killer habit. The Government has set an ambition to become the smoke-free by 2030, and sees e-cigarettes as a vital tool to helping people quit. One suggested travel times to abortion clinics have tripled to about 100 minutes They were released just a week ahead of the midterm elections Abortion travel times have tripled and sales of overseas termination pills have surged since Roe v. Wade was overturned. The human impact of the landmark decision in June has been laid bare in more than a dozen analyses and reports published Tuesday. They were released just a week ahead of the midterm elections, where some expect abortion rights to be a key issue. One of the newly published studies estimated it now takes about 100 minutes to travel to an abortion clinic on average, compared to just 30 minutes last year. A second report showed overseas orders of abortion pills have soared, especially in states including Louisiana and Arkansas where the operation has been banned. A third study suggested depression and domestic violence could rise as a result of unintended pregnancies. Since Roe v. Wade was overturned, 13 states have banned abortions while five others have placed restrictions on the procedure. This map shows estimated travel times to abortion clinics across the US last year, before restrictions on abortion were introduced The above shows the estimated travel time to abortion clinics now Roe v. Wade has been overturned across America, with it rising to about 100 minutes on average. The 18 states highlighted have imposed restrictions on abortion or banned it outright There were 79,620 abortions in August figures show, down six per cent in April. Abortions fell to almost zero in states where it was banned or restricted over this period, but rose by nearly 5,000 in those where the procedure was still permitted. Many mothers have come forward with horror stories of being denied medical care due to the stringent rules. Missouri hospital investigated for 'denying medical abortion' A hospital in Missouri is under investigation after it denied an abortion to a woman whose water's broke early. The Freeman Hospital West in Joplin, south-west Missouri, is accused of sending the woman away in late October. She was forced to travel to another state in late October. Full details of the case which is being investigated by Federal authorities are yet to be released. A total of 13 US states have placed outright bans on abortion. But in July the Biden Administration reminded hospitals that they were still required to give them in life- or health-saving emergencies under federal law. The investitigation is being carried out under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, or EMTALA, which supercedes state law. Situations where it comes into force include a woman's waters breaking early, which can lead to serious infections and threaten the life of the mother. Advertisement Just yesterday the federal Government launched its first investigation over a woman being denied a medical abortion. The Freeman Hospital West in Joplin, Missouri, has come under fire after a hospital refused to terminate a pregnancy in a woman whose waters broke early. She eventually sought medical help outside the state. The Biden Administration has reminded providers in states where abortion is banned that federal law requires them to provide it in life- or health-based emergencies. Abortion has now been banned in Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia and Wisconsin. The procedure is restricted in Arizona, Florida and Georgia. In one of the latest study, published in JAMA Network Open, researchers modelled the average time taken to travel to an abortion clinic across the contiguous US. Analysis of travel times was carried out when 749 clinics were open last year, and compared to 671 still operating after June this year. In 2021, researchers estimated it took about 30 minutes to travel to each clinic on average. But by September this year models suggested the time had risen to about one hour and 30 minutes on average or tripled as bans came into force. They also estimated the proportion of women living more than an hour from a clinic doubled from 14 to more than 33 per cent. Researchers at Boston Children's Hospital in Massachusetts warned travel times were 'significantly greater' in the post-Roe America. In a second study, scientists looked over anonymized data from Aid Access, a physician-run telehealth service based in Europe which prescribes abortion pills via the mail. The company said it saw a surge in requests for self-managed abortions. The service received around 214 daily requests from June to August, compared to 83 from September 2021 to May 2022. Mississippi saw prescriptions surge 254 per cent the biggest uplift of the states studied followed by Arkansas, Alabama and Oklahoma. Louisiana was the state with the most prescriptions of termination pills, at a rate of 14.9 pills per 100,000 women up 166 per cent since Roe v. Wade was overturned. The above shows how prescriptions of abortion pills per capita have risen across states where it has been outlawed This shows how rates of prescriptions for abortion pills have risen across states where it has been limited Researchers at the University of Texas, Austin, who led the study, found most women were requesting the pills because of the current state restrictions. In some cases, they were being ordered by women who were not pregnant to be stored for emergencies. Dr Abigail Aiken, a global health expert who led the paper, and others wrote: 'Requests for self-managed abortion through online telemedicine increased following Dobbs. 'The largest increases occurred in states that implemented total bans, with requestors frequently citing these bans as their motivation for accessing the service.' Abortion is restricted or outright banned in states largely concentrated in the southern US A third meta-analysis looked at 524,000 women who had intended and unintended pregnancies. It found that those who had fallen pregnant without wanting a baby were 59 per cent more likely to be depressed during pregnancy, and 51 per cent more likely after the baby was born. There was also a 21 per cent higher risk of pre-term birth in the group, and nine per cent higher risk of having a baby with a low birthweight. Researchers from the Kaiser Permanente Health System said in the study that unintended pregnancy was 'significantly associated with adverse maternal and infant outcomes'. Another study warned of the health risks for women aged 10 to 13 years old who fall pregnant and don't have access to abortions. Scientists sifted through the Premier Healthcare Database which covers 25 per cent of births in America from January 2019 to May 2021. Mothers were divided by age from 10 to 13 years, and then every year up to the age of 19. Of the 90,876 births included in the study, there were 206 deliveries among girls who were 10 to 13 years old. The youngest age group had the highest risk of pre-term delivery, C-section and pre-eclampsia among the group. They were also most likely to suffer a stillbirth, or need to be admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). The mind-altering properties of hallucinogenic and party drugs have been known for centuries. But psychiatrists now believe the same trip-inducing effects of the substances might revolutionise mental health treatment. In the name of science, patients with anxiety, depression and addiction issues have over the past decade been given ecstasy, ketamine and DMT to see if they ease their suffering. The latest set of results unveiled yesterday in one of the world's most prestigious medical journals suggest that magic mushrooms could one day be added to the arsenal of doctors. A synthetic version of psilocybin, the ingredient responsible for the vision-distorting properties of shrooms, helped ease depression in patients who failed to respond to traditional treatments. Researchers are now progressing to phase three trials, testing psilocybin's safety and efficacy on a bigger group. They hope it could be green-lit by regulators within years. MailOnline looked at how the drugs are being used in the fight against depression, anxiety and PTSD. A synthetic version of the hallucinogenic chemical in magic mushrooms could be rolled out on the NHS to treat depression, scientists say WHAT IS PSILOCYBIN? Psilocybin is a chemical found in several species of psilocybe mushrooms, known as 'magic mushrooms' or 'shrooms'. Researchers, led by Oxford University's Dr Guy Goodwin, created a synthetic version of psilocybin. They say it works by stimulating a receptor in the brain called 5-HT2A in an unusual way. This triggers a clinical state that is 'best described as a waking dream' that users can remember afterwards. It also releases a surge of dopamine which is involved in mood regulation. Glutamate, a neurotransmitter, is also released. This puts the brain in a more flexible state, 'opening a therapeutic window of opportunity', the team say. This can lead to positive changes in the mind of people suffering treatment-resistant depression. Advertisement Magic mushrooms Magic mushrooms are a Class A substance in Britain and a Schedule I in the US the categories for drugs considered to be the most harmful. Possession comes with an up to seven-year and two-year jail term, respectively. But dozens of studies have linked psilocybin the psychedelic compound in shrooms to easing depression. The latest study, in the New England Journal of Medicine, saw 200-plus patients with treatment-resistant depression given varying amounts of the drug as a one-off treatment, alongside therapy. Patients who received the highest dose saw the severity of their depression fall most over the course of 12 weeks. They were most likely to go into remission. Researchers are now progressing to phase three trials, testing its safety and efficacy on a bigger group. They plan to wrap these tests up within three years, before passing their data to the UK, US and European drug regulators. Previous studies have found the drug may also ease other mental health problems, such as anxiety, anorexia and addiction. Scientists believe it works by 'opening up' the brains of those with mental health problems making them more flexible and fluid and less entrenched in negative thoughts for up to three weeks. Previous studies have also suggested that psilocybin can also help alcoholics kick their habit. New York University researchers tracked around 90 heavy drinkers who were given psilocybin or a placebo twice over two months. Results showed those in the test group were twice as likely to give up drinking, and 83 percent more likely to stop drinking heavily. Ecstasy It's another Class A and Schedule I drug notoriously taken at parties and raves, which can trigger feelings of alertness, anxiety and panic. But research suggests ecstasy, also known as MDMA, can ease the flashbacks, nightmares and insomnia that plague those suffering post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A University of California study that gave 90 PTSD-sufferers a 40mg dose of the party drug, alongside therapy, showed that they no longer suffered the condition after two months. Research suggests ecstasy (pictured), also known as MDMA, can ease the flashbacks, nightmares and insomnia that plague those suffering post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Neurologists believe it works by boosting trust between patients and their therapists, making therapy more effective. Psychiatrists at Kings College London are set to begin trialling the drug this year on former servicemen suffering with post-traumatic stress. Volunteers will take the drug in the company of a therapist in three eight-hour experiences, spaced one month apart. They will also have regular 90-minute therapy sessions. Researchers say it's not just that the drug eases poor mental health but that they make therapy more effective. It has been suggested that the 1.5 million research project its financial backers include NHS England could secure approval for clinical use from UK regulators as early as 2024. Experts predict MDMA will be the first of these psychedelic substances to soon win approval from UK regulators. MDMA is already being trialled for severe PTSD in the US, Canada, Israel and Switzerland. Ketamine Despite its reputation as a party drug, some studies say ketamine can rid depressed patients of their negative thoughts. The Class B and Schedule I drug, famously used as a horse tranquiliser, has been licensed as an anaesthetic for years. It is also prescribed in low doses to manage severe pain. But following a swathe of studies linking it to improved mental health, private clinics can legally prescribe it off-licence for depression in the UK. The drug can make users feel happy and relaxed but also anxious and confused. In one study, researchers at the University of Montpellier, in south east France, recruited 160 patients admitted to hospital with suicidal thoughts. Each was given an IV infusion of ketamine or a placebo drug. Despite its reputation as a party drug, some studies say ketamine (pictured) can rid depressed patients of their negative thoughts Results showed that twice as many ketamine users were free from suicidal thoughts within three days, compared to the placebo group. And clinical trials of a Esketamine a ketamine-based nasal spray developed by Belgium-based drugs company Janssen showed the drug put 47 per cent of patients into remission and eased symptoms within hours. However, the UK prescribing body has so far resisted approving ketamine-based treatments for use on the NHS over concerns about their efficacy and cost despite approvals in the US and EU. Some doctors have argued the bar of evidence required for mental health treatments to be approved is too high. DMT DMT, a hallucinogenic Class A and Schedule I drug with similar psychedelic effects to LSD and magic mushrooms, could boost wellbeing, and lower the risk of depression and eating disorders, studies suggest. The drug, which when possessed can come with a seven-year jail term, can be smoked, snorted or mixed into 'ayahuasca' a traditional Amazonian plant medicine used by some tribes to bring 'spiritual enlightenment'. Ongoing UK studies are examining whether DMT which can users to hallucinate and feel frightened or confused can alleviate depression in those who haven't gotten better with traditional drugs and therapy treatment. The trials, run by Canadian Small Pharma in partnership with Imperial College London, mark the first time DMT has been given to patients with moderate to severe depression in Britain. It is thought the drug might 'loosen' fixed pathways within the brain linked to depression, which can then be reset in talking therapy after a course of the drug. The drug's effects have been compared to 'shaking a snow globe', throwing negative thought patterns into the air, with therapy then used to resettle thinking. DMT can be smoked, snorted or mixed into 'ayahuasca' a traditional Amazonian plant medicine used by some tribes to bring 'spiritual enlightenment' (pictured) Previous research had already suggested that DMT could benefit mental health. This includes University College London a study into ayahuasca which counts DMT as its active ingredient. It found the so-called 'jungle tea' may boost wellbeing and lower the risk of depression. The UCL researchers, who examined results from the Global Drug Survey, said those who took the plant, which causes hallucinations that last up to six hours, were also less likely to develop eating disorders. The team said the findings provide 'further evidence that it may be a safe and promising treatment'. Ian Hamilton, an alcohol and drugs expert at the University of York, told MailOnline that there is lots of research into the potential of hallucinogenic drugs due to the possibility that they could 'revolutionise the treatment' of millions suffering mental health problems. He said: 'Although there are some really encouraging findings from research into these drugs as a treatment, many of the research trials combine talking therapy with these drugs. 'This may work well in research trials; the difficulty is in ensuring this is replicated in the real world where, as many people know, there are long waiting lists to access psychotherapy and other talking treatments. 'The other potential stumbling block in rolling out this type of treatment is that the therapist dispensing and monitoring these drugs needs to be trained and know what to do if the patient develops side effects. Mr Hamilton added: 'In practice what this means is that those that can afford to pay for talking treatments combined with these types of drugs are more likely to get the help they need and therefore benefit from this novel treatment package. 'Unfortunately this will leave behind those that don't have the means to pay for this type of treatment, essentially creating a two tier service which is clearly unfair.' Treatment delays are causing an extra 33 people to die from heart disease every day, a charity has warned. Long waits for ambulances and potentially life-saving hospital tests and procedures are resulting in an additional 230 deaths a week, according to analysis by the British Heart Foundation (BHF). Some 30,000 people have died needlessly from heart problems since the start of the pandemic, they estimate. Experts warned the worrying trend in excess deaths since Covid will continue unless the NHS can get to grips with the growing backlog of care. Long waits for ambulances and potentially life-saving hospital tests and procedures are resulting in an additional 230 deaths a week, according to analysis by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) Dr Charmaine Griffiths, BHF chief executive, called for an urgent heart strategy to prevent more heartbreak and needless loss of life, adding there was 'not a moment to lose'. She said: 'It is devastating that the ongoing and extreme disruption to heart care has meant that 30,000 more families have lost a loved one. 'Today many hundreds of thousands of people fear that their heart condition could get worse before they get treatment potentially stopping them from working or enjoying a full life. 'Many more are completely unaware they now have a condition putting them at a greater risk of early death from a heart attack or stroke.' NHS's 'terrifying' hidden cancer toll More than 25,000 patients on NHS waiting lists are likely to have cancer despite being referred to hospital for a different condition, a worrying study suggests. GPs will have had no suspicion of the disease and it will only be discovered when patients finally have scans or start treatment for something else. It means delays tackling the record NHS backlog of 7million people could prove deadly as cancer is easier to treat when caught early. Patients referred to a specialist with suspected cancer should be seen within two weeks and have the disease diagnosed or ruled out within 28 days. But people sent to a consultant for a non-cancer reason currently wait an average of 43.3 weeks for any diagnosis ten times longer. This extended period may give tumours time to grow and spread, reducing survival chances. Advertisement Data from the Office for National Statistics show weekly deaths are still 17 per cent higher than pre-Covid, with heart disease believed to be among the most prominent causes. There are around 7.6million people living with a heart or circulatory disease in the UK, which is responsible for a quarter of all deaths. Around 100,000 people are taken to hospital every year suffering from a heart attack, while 900,000 are living with heart failure. The BHF blames significant and widespread disruption to heart care services is driving the surge in excess deaths involving heart disease in England. Latest figures show average ambulance response times for suspected heart attacks have risen to 48 minutes in England against a target of 18 minutes. Meanwhile, the vast backlog of time-sensitive cardiac care has grown by almost 50 per cent since the pandemic began to nearly 350,000 people. Delays to diagnosis and treatment of conditions like coronary heart disease and abnormal heart rhythms, increase the risk of someone developing permanent heart damage, becoming disabled from heart failure, and ultimately dying. The charity warned there are also millions of 'missing' heart patients with conditions like high blood pressure who have struggled to access care, putting them at high risk of heart attack and stroke. NHS England modelling suggests that the decline in blood pressure management since the pandemic began could lead to an extra 11,190 heart attacks and 16,702 additional strokes over a three-year period. Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, associate medical director at BHF, said: 'Far too many people continue to face long waits for time-sensitive heart care, putting them at higher risk of becoming more unwell the longer they wait with potentially devastating consequences. 'Delays on such an extreme scale are likely leading to avoidable emergency admissions, permanent heart damage, disability from heart failure, and early death. 'There aren't enough NHS staff to deal with the ever-rising tide of heart problems, and those that remain are overstretched, overwhelmed, and close to leaving. 'This can't become business as usual - heart care staff need fit-for-purpose facilities and a clear plan so patients can receive their time-critical care, allowing them to lead a fuller, healthier life away from hospital beds and waiting rooms.' An NHS spokesperson said: 'While Covid has inevitably had an impact with fewer people coming forward for care, there has been a significant increase in referrals for cardiac care over the last year and staff are already making significant progress on the longest waiters - many of whom are cardiac patients - with the number of people waiting more than 18 months 60 per cent lower in August compared to the same month last year. 'Our national elective recovery plan set out a comprehensive blueprint for tackling backlogs and local teams are working hard to restore their cardiac services to pre-pandemic levels while maintaining a focus on preventing heart disease in the first place, so if you are worried about symptoms please come forward for care.' Chinese vice premier calls for enhancing cooperation with Singapore Xinhua) 09:52, November 03, 2022 Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng meets with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in Singapore, Nov. 2, 2022. Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng visited Singapore from Tuesday to Wednesday upon invitation and co-chaired four meetings of bilateral cooperation mechanisms here. During his visit, Han met with Singaporean President Halimah Yacob, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, and Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean, respectively. Han co-hosted with Heng on Tuesday the 18th China-Singapore Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation Meeting, the 23rd China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park Joint Steering Council Meeting, the 14th China-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City Joint Steering Council Meeting and the 6th China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity Joint Steering Council Meeting. (Xinhua/Li Tao) SINGAPORE, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng visited Singapore from Tuesday to Wednesday upon invitation and co-chaired four meetings of bilateral cooperation mechanisms here, saying that China will continue to deepen cooperation and mutual learning with Singapore to promote the modernization causes of both countries. During his visit, Han met with Singaporean President Halimah Yacob, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, and Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean, respectively. When meeting with Singaporean leaders, Han first conveyed cordial greetings from Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang to President Halimah and Prime Minister Lee. Halimah and Lee expressed their gratitude and asked Han to convey their good wishes to Chinese leaders and their congratulations on the success of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Currently, China-Singapore relations maintain a sound momentum of development, which not only helps the development of the two countries, but also contributes to the development of the region and the world, Han said. Noting the 20th CPC National Congress has made it clear that the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts should be advanced through a Chinese path to modernization, Han said development is the CPC's top priority in governing and rejuvenating the country, and China is committed to achieving high-quality development and high-level opening-up. The two countries share a lot of common ground on modernization, he said, calling on the two sides to follow through the important consensus reached by the leaders of both countries, in order to further promote bilateral ties. He also called for promoting the transformation and upgrading of cooperation projects to set a benchmark for high-quality cooperation, and deepening economic globalization and regional integration to maintain regional prosperity and stability. China welcomes Singapore's positive response to the Global Development Initiative and expects the two sides to translate the consensus into actions and inject strong impetus into regional development, Han added. Halimah, Lee and other Singaporean leaders said that Singapore and China have long-standing and time-tested friendship. Attaching great importance to developing relations with China, Singapore stands ready to keep close high-level interaction with China and strengthen practical cooperation in various fields, so as to take bilateral relations to a new high and benefit the two countries and their people, they added. They expect China to achieve greater development and are willing to work with the Chinese side to safeguard the multilateral trading system and rules, promote regional stability and openness, and promote sustainable development of the world. On Tuesday, Han co-hosted with Heng the 18th China-Singapore Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation Meeting, the 23rd China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park Joint Steering Council Meeting, the 14th China-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City Joint Steering Council Meeting and the 6th China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity Joint Steering Council Meeting. They reviewed the bilateral practical cooperation in an all-round way, focused on and exchanged views on the Belt and Road Initiative, economy and trade, sustainable development, innovation, finance, public health and people-to-people exchanges, and mapped out priorities for future cooperation. The two sides agreed to foster stronger synergy between development strategies, strengthen cooperation in various fields for high-quality development, and further deepen cooperation on such projects as the Suzhou Industrial Park, Tianjin Eco-City, the Chongqing connectivity project, Guangzhou Knowledge City, and Singapore-China (Shenzhen) Smart City Initiative. They also agreed to collaborate to build the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, speed up follow-up negotiations on upgrading the China-Singapore free trade agreement, implement the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership at a high level, coordinate and promote people-to-people and cultural exchanges and cooperation, and enhance cooperation on leadership building to make governance systems and capabilities better suited to development needs. After the meetings, Han and Heng jointly announced 19 important outcomes in such fields as green development, digital economy and connectivity between the two countries. (Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Liang Jun) The new film, "The Apartment with Two Women," depicts a complicated relationship between a mother and daughter. Courtesy of Challan Film By Lee Gyu-lee Relationships between loved ones, especially among family members, can be complicated, going through a constant phase of conflicts and love. Director Kim Se-in of film "The Apartment with Two Women" / Courtesy of Challan Film The new film, "The Apartment with Two Women," explores this complicated yet ironic relationship between mother and daughter, through a candid, realistic narrative of Korean culture. "Our society places boundaries on women to put them into a set of prejudice and stereotype of a mother-and-daughter relationship and motherly love. And women are solely responsible and accountable for the issues that arise within that stereotype," director Kim Se-in said during a press conference for the film in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul, Tuesday. "I wanted to capture that through the camera for the viewers to see beyond (that established stereotype). Instead of putting them on a scale of judgment to weigh what's right and what's wrong, I wanted (viewers) to think about the reasons behind the actions of the characters in the film," Kim added. Kim's feature film directorial debut revolves around a middle-aged, single mother named Soo-kyung (Yang Mal-bok), and her daughter Yi-jung (Lym Ji-ho), who is an office worker in her late 20s. Soo-kyung is a self-assertive, gregarious woman with red highlighted hair. She raised her daughter by herself, making ends meet by running a small aroma therapy spa, a place for neighborhood wives to gather and gossip. She is hot-tempered and takes out her frustration from work and life on her sensitive, withdrawn daughter, who still lives in Soo-kyung's apartment. The film, "The Apartment with Two Women," is set to hit local movie theaters on Nov. 10. Courtesy of Challan Film One day, Soo-kyung hits Yi-jung with her car. Soo-kyung claims the car accelerated due to a malfunction. But Yi-jung believes her mother did it on purpose. The rocky relationship escalates to a new level when Yi-jung sides against her mother who sues the car manufacturer for the glitch. The film, which is set to hit local theaters on Nov. 10, has been sweeping awards at local film festivals, including five wins at last year's Busan International Film Festival and the highest honor in the Discovery Section at the Seoul International Women's Film Festival this year. It has also been invited to screen at numerous overseas film festivals, including Germany's Berlin International Film Festival and Italy's Udine Far East Film Festival. The director shared that she was surprised with the film's reception by the global audience, as it was different from the feedback from local audiences who were able to relate to the authentic mother-daughter story. "It was interesting how the audiences, especially in western countries, reacted to the film which was different from the local audiences they take this as a black comedy, probably due to the cultural difference, whereas the audiences from our country see this as a film that talks about the issues and struggles they also go through," she said, adding that this is the film with deeply Korean sentiments. A scene from the film, "The Apartment with Two Women" / Courtesy of Challan Film The film's Korean title translates to "Two Women Wearing Same Underwear," a much more direct title that shows the irony of their relationship, sharing a very private, personal belonging underwear despite their contrasting personalities. "As the film deviates from the standard depiction of a mother-and-daughter relationship, I wanted the title to have the same approach," the director said, explaining the reason for the explicit, long title. "I have always explored complicated relationships that cannot be defined with one single emotion. The nature of the relationship has been my biggest interest. The relationship between families is the epitome that shows the irony in human connection, especially the mother-daughter relationship." Yi-jung constantly shows bitterness toward her mother for not being the mother figure and caretaker, while depending on her and longing for her love. Soo-kyung, on the other hand, is seeking to finally have her own life after raising her daughter by herself, finding a boyfriend and a new hobby. The director said that she intended the film to show the two characters as separate individuals. "I wanted to show that the two are different people with their own history," she said. The film, "The Apartment with Two Women," notched five trophies at last year's Busan International Film Festival. Courtesy of Challan Film She added she also wanted to point out the flaws of the system that society enforces on its people. "Inevitable things that happen around the world are never an individual's fault nor are something that they should be accountable for; but rather, I think those are due to the flaws or inadequacy in the system," she said. "The characters in the piece are not born to be faulty, withdrawn, or overbearing from the start. I believed that if I portray the characters interesting enough, the audiences will resonate with them and understand why the characters are acting the way they do." She shared that the film's plot touches on the topic of relationships beyond just a mother-daughter connection. "The film is about the story between mother and daughter, but in a broader scope, it's simply about relationships. People learn about human connection as they go through trials and errors of maintaining a distance from each other and having a good time with each other," she said. It might be known for ironing out wrinkles. But scientists say Botox might also smooth out erectile difficulties in men. Injecting impotent men straight into their penis relaxes the organ, allowing blood to rush into it. Belgian urologists said the treatment showed 'clear benefit', although further studies are needed. The jab only appeared to work for three months. Around half of all men suffer with some form of erectile dysfunction at some point in their lifetime. Botox could help treat men with erectile dysfunction, a study claims. Belgian urologists say the treatment could be effective as a 'nearly permanent' therapy for the problem, although further studies are needed What is the erection hardness scale? Doctors use a four-point scale to assess the strength of erections. The scale is self-reported and up to the man's opinion. It is measured as: 0: penis does not enlarge; 1: penis is larger but not hard; 2: penis is hard but not hard enough for penetration; 3: penis is hard enough for penetration but not completely hard; 4: penis is completely hard and fully rigid Advertisement NHS doctors aren't currently allowed to give impotent men Botox, despite studies suggesting it helps. Instead, they are usually given drugs to lower blood pressure or statins because difficulties tend to be brought on by circulatory problems. Viagra can be bought from pharmacies without a prescription, while Cialis, Levitra and Spedra require a doctor's approval. Botox is also not approved in the US, although it is offered at some private clinics. Fresh research, published in the journal Urology, reviewed seven studies on Botox and erectile dysfunction. The studies, involving 362 men, dated back to the 1990s and included human and animal data. The review did not specify whether all the men even had erectile dysfunction or how severe their cases were. Either Botox or a placebo was injected into the base of their penises. Effectiveness was measured using the erection hardness scale. It quantifies erection strength on a four-point scale, ranging from zero (penis does not enlarge) to four (penis is completely hard and fully rigid). They also measured blood flow into the penis with an ultrasound and surveyed men to determine the extent of their erectile dysfunction before and after treatment. One study showed around half of those given Botox responded positively on all three counts up to three months later. But the effects had worn off after six months. Another showed 40 per cent of impotent men given an injection were able to have sex three months after the treatment. The team, led by Dr Rawad Abou Zahr, a urologist at Universite Libre de Bruxelles, said all the studies showed Botox helped improve erection problems. Writing in the journal, they said: 'As for the duration of benefit from the BoNT-A injections, the above studies described a clear benefit within the first three months of treatment. 'This benefit seems to regress reaching the six months period. This sheds the light on the importance of maintenance regimens in such patients.' But they said the small sample size meant further studies are needed and Botox should not be dished out for ED until clinical trials have finished. Botox is thought to improve erections by temporarily relaxing the smooth muscle in the walls of blood vessels in the penis. It blocks nerve signals that usually constrict these muscles, meaning more blood is able to enter the organ. Advertisement The 2014 Ebola outbreak may have been borne out of an accidental lab leak at a US Government-funded facility, according to a bombshell analysis. Virologist Dr Jonathan Latham a former researcher at the University of Wisconsin and journalist Sam Husseini say there are a number of inconsistencies in the official timeline of the West African epidemic. They claim the virus likely emerged during routine research activities from a laboratory in Kenema, Sierra Leone, which at the time was receiving funding from the US government for its work on Lassa fever. The lab specialized in hemorrhagic viruses similar to Ebola though it's unclear whether it actually handled the epidemic-causing pathogen. Most experts still believe Ebola emerged naturally during a spillover event from animals in Guinea, around 175miles from the lab. Bats known to harbor Ebola were identified in a village where the first official patient was diagnosed but researchers never found the original animal host. An independent expert responding to the findings told DailyMail.com the theory was 'certainly possible', but raised several questions about the credibility of the authors. Dr Latham has a Masters degree in crop genetics and a PhD in virology, and was a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Wisconsin. He runs a website that has received a strike by online fact-checkers for misleading scientific claims in the past. Writing in the investigation, the authors said: There is so far no evidence for an animal reservoir for Zaire Ebola in West Africa. 'The... strains sudden appearance in the region was thus unexpected and is still unexplained. Furthermore, the epidemiological investigations in Guinea and Sierra Leone were inconclusive and unconvincing. There was, however, a single spillover event, which is also consistent with a lab origin. And last, there was a research laboratory nearby that specialized in viral hemorrhagic fevers. 'The VHFC lab may or may not have housed Ebola viruses but it certainly had a dubious biosafety record. All of the evidence is therefore consistent with a lab origin. The popular origin story for Ebola is that Emile Ouamouno, known as patient zero, contracted the virus from bats. But a new investigation suggests it could have come from a government lab in Kenema. In 2009, a project called PREDICT started looking at Ebola and other viruses, and collecting animal samples. They could have been studied in the Kenema lab, the new analysis claims. But in 2014, Dr Fabian Leendertz concluded bats in Guinea were the likely culprit and published a well-received research paper. But in July that year, officials in Sierra Leone instructed the Kenema lab to stop Ebola testing, and the US government cut its funding to partners of the lab Sierra Leone had the highest concentration of cases during the 2014 epidemic, followed by Liberia and Guinea, where the outbreak is widely believed to have originated from This map shows the supposed start point of the 2014 Ebola outbreak in Guinea, but a new investigation claims the first cases originated in Sierra Leone and were missed Ebola went on to cause over 11,000 deaths globally, but only a handful of cases occurred outside of Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia Ebola virus, also known as Zaire ebolavirus, has a fatality rate of up to 90 per cent in humans. The Makona variant was responsible for the 2014 epidemic. According to the CDC, there were 28,652 Ebola cases globally eight years ago, with all but 36 of those occurring in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. In total, the outbreak caused 11,323 deaths. Eleven people were treated for Ebola in the US during the 2014 epidemic. Two died a Liberian and a doctor from Sierra Leone who had both travelled to US. WHAT IS EBOLA? Ebola, a hemorrhagic fever, killed at least 11,000 across the world after it decimated West Africa and spread rapidly over the space of two years. That epidemic was officially declared over back in January 2016, when Liberia was announced to be Ebola-free by the WHO. The country, rocked by back-to-back civil wars that ended in 2003, was hit the hardest by the fever, with 40 per cent of the deaths having occurred there. Sierra Leone reported the highest number of Ebola cases, with nearly of all those infected having been residents of the nation. WHERE DID IT BEGIN? An analysis, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found the outbreak began in Guinea - which neighbors Liberia and Sierra Leone. A team of international researchers were able to trace the epidemic back to a two-year-old boy in Meliandou - about 400 miles (650km) from the capital, Conakry. Emile Ouamouno, known more commonly as Patient Zero, may have contracted the deadly virus by playing with bats in a hollow tree, a study suggested. HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE STRUCK DOWN? WHICH COUNTRIES WERE STRUCK DOWN BY EBOLA DURING THE 2014-16 EPIDEMIC? (CDC figures) COUNTRY CASES DEATHS DEATH RATE (%) GUINEA 3,814 2,544 66.7% SIERRA LEONE 14,124 3,956 28.0% LIBERIA 10,678 4,810 45.0% NIGERIA 20 8 40.0% SENEGAL 1 0 N/A SPAIN 1 0 N/A US 4 1 25.0% MALI 8 6 75.0% UK 1 0 N/A ITALY 1 0 N/A Figures show nearly 29,000 people were infected from Ebola - meaning the virus killed around 40 per cent of those it struck. Cases and deaths were also reported in Nigeria, Mali and the US - but on a much smaller scale, with 15 fatalities between the three nations. Health officials in Guinea reported a mysterious bug in the south-eastern regions of the country before the WHO confirmed it was Ebola. Ebola was first identified by scientists in 1976, but the most recent outbreak dwarfed all other ones recorded in history, figures show. HOW DID HUMANS CONTRACT THE VIRUS? Scientists believe Ebola is most often passed to humans by fruit bats, but antelope, porcupines, gorillas and chimpanzees could also be to blame. It can be transmitted between humans through blood, secretions and other bodily fluids of people - and surfaces - that have been infected. IS THERE A TREATMENT? The WHO warns that there is 'no proven treatment' for Ebola - but dozens of drugs and jabs are being tested in case of a similarly devastating outbreak. Hope exists though, after an experimental vaccine, called rVSV-ZEBOV, protected nearly 6,000 people. The results were published in The Lancet journal. Advertisement The widely accepted theory is that the outbreak was triggered when a one-year-old boy named Emile Ouamouno from Guinea became infected after playing with bats in a tree. He died from the disease in December 2013. It is believed the boy infected his mother, who was pregnant at the time, and sister, who both also died. The mainstream theory was first floated in a research paper published on December 30, 2014. The severe Ebola virus disease epidemic occurring in West Africa stems from a single zoonotic transmission event to a two-year-old boy in Meliandou, Guinea', it concluded. Lead author Fabian Leendertz, a wildlife veterinarian from the Robert Koch Institute in Germany, had travelled to Meliandou in April 2014 and identified a bat-filled tree where Emile supposedly played. The team collected blood and tissue samples from 159 bats from three different 13 species in Guinea. But the results were overwhelmingly negative: No EBOV RNA was detected in any of the PCR-tested bat samples [and] attempts to demonstrate the presence of IgG antibodies against Ebola viruses were inconclusive (data not shown). In addition, no samples were collected from any of the suspected cases, which were based on only symptoms, meaning there is no laboratory evidence that Emile did have Ebola. Scientific tests for Ebola only became available in West Africa in March 2014, so diagnoses before then were relying on symptoms alone. However, Emile's condition met the criteria and past tests have shown the species of bats native to Guinea's 'ground zero' can carry the virus, leading the researchers to settle on this as the source. Professor Paul Hunter, an infectious disease expert from the University of East Anglia in the UK, told DailyMail.com: It is often really difficult and sometimes impossible to nail the exact start of an epidemic and why such an epidemic started. Epidemiology only works at the level of probabilities so rarely can we say it definitely was this or that, we only say it was probably this or that. Professor Hunter said the a lab leak is certainly possible even if not plausible. But he raised concerns about the validity of the authors' claims. Dr Latham runs Independent Science News, which has been described as hosting 'conspiracy-pseudoscience' content by fact-checking site Media Bias/Fact Check. Professor Hunter told DailyMail.com: Ebola work is done in containment level 4 laboratories which have very high biosecurity levels so a lab leak would be very unlikely but not impossible. Although we cannot absolutely exclude a lab leak for the west African epidemic, in my view it is still very unlikely. Dr Latham and Mr Husseini believe the Kenema Government Hospital laboratory in southeastern Sierra Leone could be to blame for a potential leak. The accused research facility is a biosafety level-3 lab, meaning it is authorized to handle dangerous pathogens, and is run by the US-based Viral Hemorrhagic Fever Consortium (VHFC). The new investigation claims that the lab could have been storing or even testing Ebola samples collected in a US-government funded research project, called PREDICT. Ebola, among other viruses, was being looked for in animals in the Congo basin as part of the program, which was funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), an independent agency of the US government. The USAID allocates projects to researchers which are funded by The National Institutes of Health (NIH). The Kenema lab could have been used to preserve and test samples brought from the Congo basin, Dr Latham and Mr Husseini suggested. Or, samples or strains of Ebola could have been shared by Metabiota with colleagues at the Kenema lab to help develop treatments or ways to diagnose the virus. In the middle of the Ebola outbreak in July 2014, Sierra Leones Ministry of Health and Sanitation instructed the Kenema lab to stop Ebola testing, which the investigation said implies that the lab was carrying out experiments with the virus. And two weeks later in August, the US government cut its funding to Tulane University and the VHFC. The NIH rejected a proposal from Tulane University to renew the five-year contract worth $15million for its work on Lassa fever, which would have in turn reduced resources for any Ebola research. In 2015, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) published a report which spoke of a hidden outbreak in Sierra Leona and accused the Kenema lab of failing to find Ebola cases. It said: The detective work of the epidemiologists revealed some unconnected chains of transmission in different locations in the Guinee forestiere region, many of whom had family in neighboring Liberia and Sierra Leone. The new report added that from the start of the epidemic, partners of the Kenema lab, US biotech company Metabiota, and Tulane University, in Louisiana, were meant to track suspected cases. It said: Their investigations came back Ebola negative, while their ongoing surveillance activities seem to have missed the cases of Ebola that had emerged in the country. And in 2016, CBS reported on emails found from World Health Organization official and outbreak specialist Eric Bertherat to colleagues about misdiagnoses at the Kenema lab. He said there was no tracking of the samples and absolutely no control on what is being done, leading to total confusion. He added: This is a situation that WHO can no longer endorse. A 2017 research paper by the WHO found that incompleteness of contact tracing led to considerable unmonitored transmission in the early months of the epidemic. Dr Latham and Mr Husseini speculated that early testing and diagnostic failings in Sierra Leone could have generated the notion that Ebolas origin was in Guinea. Were they deliberate? If so, were they intended to divert attention away from the Kenema lab? the researchers asked. They argued that the three first confirmed cases in Guinea in 2014 were misallocated and actually occurred in Sierra Leone. The cases represent spillovers from an undetected outbreak in Sierra Leone and were only attributed to Guinea because that is where they were picked up, due to more effective sampling and contact tracing, they claim. Republicans are expected to ramp up their probe into the origins of the Covid pandemic when, as many pollsters expect, they gain control of the House of Representatives. Several leading GOP lawmakers on influential committees have signaled their intent to launch a full-throated investigation into the possibility the outbreak was a devastating result of risky gain-of-function research and escaped from a high security lab. The GOP will not only investigate the biological origins of the coronavirus and the Chinese government's attempts to obscure its role in the origins of the pandemic, but also the use of taxpayer money in the form of research grants to fund risky research. The Wuhan Institute of Virology, from which many on the right believe the coronavirus escaped, was one beneficiary of government funding for high risk research. Dr Anthony Fauci, the government's top infectious disease expert who shot to stardom for his leadership in curbing the spread of Covid-19, is also a target. Rep Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) who is poised to ascend to the Energy and Commerce Committee chairmanship would gain the power to subpoena government officials as part of an investigation into Covid's origins Rep James Comer (R-KY) intends to pressure Dr Anthony Fauci on the origin of Covid and his role early in the pandemic to silence dissenting voices in the scientific community who did not subscribe to the natural spillover theory. The question of whether the global outbreak began with a spillover from wildlife sold at the market or leaked out of the Wuhan lab just eight miles across the Yangtze River has given rise to fierce debate about how to prevent the next pandemic. New studies point to a natural spillover at the Huanan wildlife market. Positive swab samples of floors, cages and counters also track the virus back to stalls in the southwestern corner of the market (bottom left), where animals with the potential to harbor Covid were sold for meat or fur at the time (bottom right) Security personnel keep watch outside the Wuhan Institute of Virology during the visit by the WHO team tasked with investigating the origins of Covid, February 3, 2021 Republicans such as Rep James Comer, a Kentucky Republican who could soon run the House Oversight and Reform Committee, intend to compel Dr Fauci to testify regarding apparent efforts by him to silence scientific experts who supported the lab leak theory. While Fauci said in August that he intended to leave government service by year's end, Rep Comer indicated that the doctor could still be on the hook to appear before Congress. 'Retirement cant shield Dr. Fauci from congressional oversight,' Rep Comer said. With Democrats controlling both chambers of Congress, GOP-led efforts to probe the lab leak theory have lost momentum. But if Republicans on committees such as Energy and Commerce, and Oversight and Reform, are able to take over leadership positions, they will gain sweeping subpoena powers that would compel government health officials to comply with an investigation. Rep Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) who is poised to ascend to the Energy and Commerce Committee chairmanship, said over the summer: There are so many questions that need to be answered about the governments response to Covid-19. How the pandemic started, thats probably the most important public health question that needs to be answered, she said. Gaining that subpoena power would give Republicans the green light to compel testimony and obtain documents, likely sparking fierce political showdowns in Congressional hearings and partisan bickering behind the scenes. The debate around the origins of Covid has been ongoing since the virus first began wreaking havoc in early 2020. The theory that the virus was transferred from animals to humans was the prevailing one at that point, but the lab leak theory has gained considerable traction. Proponents of the lab leak theory including former President Donald Trump were initially dismissed as conspiracy theorists or denounced as xenophobes. Republicans have embraced the argument that the coronavirus escaped from the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China, where scientists study pathogens with pandemic potential, and the government there acted to cover it up. Many GOP members also maintain that the Biden administrations leading public health officials including Dr. Anthony Fauci and former NIH Director Francis Collins acted clandestinely to quash dissenting voices in the scientific community who supported the lab leak theory. Republican House members are gearing up to summon Dr Fauci, despite his August retirement, to testify before committees about his moves to promote the theory that Covid-19 originated in animal reservoirs and was able to mutate so that it could then humans. Rep Comer has already trained his focus on Dr Fauci and top Biden administration officials. He said in August: The American people have many questions for Dr. Fauci and we are determined to get answers. For the past two years, Republicans on the House Oversight and Reform Committee have called for Dr. Fauci to testify before the committee and provide documents and information related to our investigation into COVID origination. However, Democrats have shielded Dr. Fauci from any meaningful congressional oversight and have refused to invite him to appear before the committee. The origin of COVID-19a virus with a death toll surpassing one million Americans and then six million globallyis a question that must be answered, Rep Comer added. The Senate GOP, meanwhile, is similarly intent on probing the origins of Covid-19, though whether it will be able to remains to be seen. While Republicans are heavily favored to win the House, it remains a dead heat in the Senate. In the event that the GOP successfully takes the upper chamber, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, a staunch conservative, would become chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Sen Paul has clashed repeatedly with Dr Fauci in heated Congressional hearings dating back to the first year of the pandemic. He said in a campaign stop earlier this month that, Its not about Fauci going to jail, although that probably would be appropriate. I promise you I will subpoena every last record from Dr Fauci, Sen Paul said. Senate Republicans have carried on their own investigation into the exact origins of the pandemic. The party released a report last week that concluded the most likely scenario was that the COVID-19 pandemic was, more likely than not, the result of a research-related incident.' The blockbuster report, which drew from hundreds of public research, said: 'Nearly three years after the COVID-19 pandemic began, critical evidence that would prove that the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 and resulting COVID-19 pandemic was caused by a natural zoonotic spillover is missing.' The report's authors accepted there is still crucial missing information about how the pandemic truly came to be with no direct evidence for either natural or synthetic origin. At other times they were unable to make informed choices about treatments In some cases patients have been left 'stressed' due to the drug American Dental Association says not to smoke weed before visiting the dentist Half of doctors have been forced to treat a patient who is high on marijuana or other drugs, according to a shock survey. The American Dental Association (ADA) said it was due to more states legalizing the drug, warning using it before an appointment 'may affect treatment'. Experts said patients who came in high may be 'stressed', with nearly half of medics telling a survey they had to limit medical care for these individuals. Dr Tricia Quartey, a New York-based dentist and ADA spokeswoman, suggested using marijuana before an appointment may leave patients struggling to make informed choices about their care. Previous research has also suggested they need more anesthetic because the drug makes them more sensitive to pain. An ADA survey found half of medics said high patients left them with no choice but to 'limit' treatment. Americans are being urged not to take marijuana or other drugs before going to the dentist (file photo) Dr Quartey said: 'Marijuana can lead to increased anxiety, paranoia and hyperactivity, which could make the visit more stressful. 'It can also increase heart rate and has unwanted respiratory side effects, which increases the risk of using local anesthetics for pain control.' She added: 'Plus, the best treatment options are always ones a dentist and patient decide on together. A clear head is essential for that.' She also warned that smoking marijuana raises the risk of someone developing cavities in their teeth. Drug users can get the 'munchies', at which mans dentists warn that they 'don't always make healthy food choices'. The ADA's survey involved 557 dentists from across the United States. It also carried out a second poll involving 1,006 customers to establish how widespread cannabis use is. Nearly four in ten of respondents said they used marijuana, while a quarter admitted to vaping. A total of 19 states and the District of Columbia have already legalized recreational marijuana use. Next week another five states are set to go to the polls on the decision. Sixteen per cent of Americans smoke cannabis, estimates suggest, mostly in younger age groups. But this figure is continuing to grow as the drug is legalized for recreational use in other states. Advertisement This is America's first mobile abortion clinic a 37-foot long RV that will operate on the outskirts of states where the procedure has been outlawed. The clinic is operated by the women's health non-profit Planned Parenthood and will travel along the Illinois border to provide abortions to residents in Kentucky and Missouri. It only contains three rooms, big enough to hold a few people at a time. There is a waiting room at the entrance before a long, narrow, hallway brings a woman to a small operating room in the back where the procedure is performed. Outside, there is a window and canopy for women to discuss case with a Planned Parenthood member before coming inside. By the end of the year, the clinic hopes to be able to provide abortions by medication. Surgical abortions will be accessible within the clinic next year, Planned Parenthood says. The organization says that abortions at their clinics cost up to $750, though the procedure will often be covered by a woman's insurance. Kentucky and Missouri have implemented heavy restrictions on abortion in the time since the Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v Wade ruling from 1973. In Missouri, abortion is banned without exception. The state had a trigger law that went into effect when the high court passed down the ruling in June. Kentucky women are barred from receiving an abortion except in cases were serious injury or death is likely if they give birth. Planned Parenthood hopes that women in these states will be able to easily travel to Illinois - where there are no restrictions - and safely get the procedure. A recent report found the average travel time for an abortion has tripled since the Dobbs v Jackson decision, from 30 minutes to 100. Abortion has been banned outright in a dozen states, with the portion severely restricted in both Georgia and North Dakota as well. In 19 states, there are no restrictions on abortion. The clinic includes a waiting room, lab and two operating rooms Planned Parenthood hopes it can provide abortions to women in Missouri and Kentucky where the operation is banned The clinic will also be outfitted with cameras and a security guard to protect it from attacks, which the DoJ warns have become more common this year Americans were given there first look inside Planned Parenthood's new mobile abortion clinic This map shows estimated travel times to abortion clinics across the US last year, before restrictions on abortion were introduced Travel time for abortions has TRIPLED and sales of overseas termination pills have doubled since Roe V Wade Abortion travel times have tripled and sales of overseas termination pills have surged since Roe v. Wade was overturned. The human impact of the landmark decision in June has been laid bare in more than a dozen analyses and reports published Tuesday. One of the newly published studies estimated it now takes about 100 minutes to travel to an abortion clinic on average, compared to just 30 minutes last year. A second report showed overseas orders of abortion pills have soared, especially in states including Louisiana and Arkansas where the operation has been banned. A third study suggested depression and domestic violence could rise as a result of unintended pregnancies. Since Roe v. Wade was overturned, 13 states have banned abortions while five others have placed restrictions on the procedure. Advertisement 'Our priority is making sure that the constituents who have been left behind in those states have access to basic health care,' Dr Colleen McNicholas, chief medical officer of the St Louis region Planned Parenthood chapter, told CBS. The clinic has to exam rooms, a waiting room and a laboratory. Planned Parenthood said that its southern Illinois clinics have already seen a 370 per cent increase in demand for abortions since the June decision. 'We're really at a critical moment, a public health crisis where we need folks to be thinking differently, to be working together, to be acting boldly and to be taking risks,' Dr McNicholas continued. Some patients are traveling from even beyond Missouri to Illinois, a state whose southern neighbors have all banned the procedure from the time of conception. Many of these states have had to halt operations and even close abortion clinics in the time since the ruling. A report last month from the pro-choice Guttmacher Institute found that 66 abortion clinics in 15 states where the procedure was restricted had closed in recent months. The Department of Justice has warned that many remaining clinics are still vulnerable to violence. It reports at least seven attacks on abortion clinics this year, and 23 since 2011. To avoid these issues for the mobile clinic, is equipped with cameras and will have an on-site security guard. 'We were really thoughtful about the safety and security of the unit,' Dr McNichols explained. Planned Parenthood says that an abortion could cost up to $750 and could be covered by insurance. The procedure has been banned outright in some form in Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Many other states also carry some sort of restriction, usually tied to the week of pregnancy the woman is at. The right to an abortion was protected across the US after the 1973 Roe v Wade decision. Regulating abortion was handed back to states this year though, when the Supreme Court ruled on June 24 that a right to an abortion was not protected by the Constitution. They will also say patients on strong doses should not have them abruptly cut US health chiefs have dropped advice to limit opioid prescriptions to three days Rules around prescribing opioids were relaxed Thursday in a u-turn by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC no longer suggests trying to limit opioid treatment for acute pain to three days, partly reversing guidance instituted in 2016. While the previous rule succeeded in reducing inappropriate and dangerous prescribing, many doctors and patients say it created an 'untreated pain crisis' in which sufferers with valid reasons were denied the drugs. The agency is also dropping the specific recommendation that doctors avoid increasing dosage to a level equivalent to 90 milligrams of morphine per day. The change is designed to ensure that patients get compassionate and safe pain care, officials said. Campaigners applauded the move, saying it would help curb the 'unintended consequences' of the previous orders. But there will be concerns that it could fuel America's unhealthy addiction to the pain meds. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued the rules to curb unnecessary and 'dangerous' prescriptions in 2016 Alaska is predicted the biggest increase in overdose deaths, at 43.82 per cent (burgundy). It was the only US state to have an increase of 40 per cent or more. Eight states have predicted decreases between April 2021 and April 2022 The above graph shows the CDC estimates for the number of deaths triggered by drug overdoses every year across the United States. It reveals they have now reached a record high About 50million American adults or one in five suffers from chronic pain estimates suggest, triggered by arthritis or a previous injury among others. The new rules drop specific limits on the dosing and duration of opioid prescriptions to reduce pain. It includes an overturning of the previous guidance that opioid prescriptions for acute pain should not last beyond three days. Which stringent rules were relaxed? Guidelines on prescribing opioids were today relaxed. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had brought them in to curb America's drug epidemic. But over the last few years drug deaths have ticked up to a record high even as prescriptions have tumbled. Below are the changes they made: No longer suggests trying to limit opioid treatment for acute pain to three days; No longer suggests the specific recommendation that doctors avoid increasing dosage to a level equivalent to 90 milligrams of morphine per day; For patients on higher doses, doctors should not abruptly halt treatment unless there are indications of a life-threatening danger. Patients should be tapered off the drugs. Advertisement The CDC's acting head for the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Christopher Jones, said in a briefing today that the guidelines were 'voluntary'. 'It's not meant to be implemented as absolute limits of policy or practice by clinicians, health systems, insurance companies or governmental entities.' The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) applauded the CDC decision. A spokesman said the agency had 'made clear' how the guidelines should and should not be used. 'This should go a long way toward curbing the unintended consequences of the past,' they added. Dr Antje Barreveld, medical director of the Pain Management Services at Newton Wellesley Hospital in Washington state, told NPR the new rules were 'very comprehensive and compassionate'. 'Those arbitrary marks of what's acceptable and not acceptable is what got us into trouble with the 2016 guidelines, because it made this blanket cut off for our patients and that's not what pain management is about,' she said. Patient advocates also suggested the update would make 'little difference' to those with pain that had already been taken off the drugs. Cindy Steinberg, from campaign group the US Pain Foundation, said: 'Most people I know and I know a lot of people living with chronic pain have already been taken off their medication. 'Doctors are incredibly fearful of prescribing at all.' About 225million opioid prescriptions were being written every year in 2012, figures suggest. But eight years later and amid the new guidelines this had fallen to 142million. Experts today urged the CDC to ensure that their updated guidelines reached hospitals and insurance companies to ensure they were applied. Dr Leo Beletsky, a law expert at Northeastern University in Massachusetts, warned that their limit on morphine although advisory had already been used to establish legal limits. 'The 2016 guideline itself was clear that this was not a bright line rule,' he said. 'But it became a de facto label, separating appropriate and inappropriate prescribing.' The CDC released a draft of the updated guidance this February, and received more than 5,500 comments from both patients and medics. Last year the American Medical Association urged the agency to scrap its 2016 guidelines. POETRY COMPLETEWORKS OF W.H. AUDEN POEMS VOLS I AND II edited by Edward Mendelson (Princeton 48 each, 848pp and 1140pp) In the phenomenally successful film Four Weddings And A Funeral (1994), the actor John Hannah recited a poem of love and loss at the funeral of his dead partner Gareth, played by Simon Callow. Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone... it began, and ended with the bleakest acceptance of permanent grief: The stars are not wanted now; put out every one/Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun/Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood/For nothing now can ever come to any good. Funeral Blues was written by one of the greatest poets of the 20th century, W.H. Auden (pictured). Because of Richard Curtis's film Four Weddings And A Funeral it became a hit Few cinema-goers moved by that scene will have known that Funeral Blues was written by (arguably) one of the greatest poets of the 20th century. But because of the film, W. H. Auden enjoyed a popular renaissance for Tell Me The Truth About Love, a pamphlet edition of Funeral Blues plus nine other poems, sold more than 275,000 copies, 21 years after the poets death. Some critics say that Auden was derivative and wrote too much doggerel. For others he surpasses even Yeats and Eliot. Serious poetry-lovers have a treat in store if they choose to invest in two new, handsome and heavy volumes: the definitive edition of his poetry by Professor Edward Mendelson. These books are aimed at scholars, but as an admirer of Auden I have enjoyed revisiting the work and learning more about it. His breadth alone makes him due for a revival. Wystan Hugh Auden was born in York in 1907 into a middle-class (or, as he would have said in his Marxist phase, bourgeois) family. He was just 15 when he decided he wanted to become a poet instead of a mining engineer. Six years later he travelled to Berlin, witnessed street fights between Nazis and Communists, and became aware of class injustice. W.H. Auden enjoyed a popular renaissance for Tell Me The Truth About Love, a pamphlet edition of Funeral Blues plus nine other poems, sold more than 275,000 copies, 21 years after the poets death He was also able to set himself loose within the flourishing, often dark, gay sub-culture of Berlin, where he and his lover, the playwright Christopher Isherwood, enjoyed cabaret, low life and promiscuous sex. This was somewhat at odds with his work (for many years) as a dedicated school teacher. His first poetry was published by T.S. Eliot in 1930 and made an immediate impact. Auden was 23 and still trying out his voices. He could peddle Marxist propaganda, write bitter little ballads, delight casual readers with light verse and give voice to the angst of a whole era especially in the truly great poem, 1 September 1939, which he later disowned because he thought it dishonest. That poem contains the line We must love one another or die, a poignant, challenging statement as often quoted as Larkins What will survive of us is love. W H Auden (1907-1973), English-American poet, photographed prior to a poetry reading at the Madison campus of the University of Wisconsin Modern poets (whose increasing complexity, I regret to say, can keep readers at arms length) tend to scorn such simplicities. But Auden was not afraid of direct statements that remain in the mind and the heart for ever. In 1939, Auden and Isherwood sailed for the U.S, earning dislike, even hatred, from those who thought they were choosing an easy option and betraying Britain at war. That year he also fell in love with the young man who was perhaps to make him regret his earlier erotic adventures. Chester Kallman was Audens junior by 14 years and Auden viewed their love as a true marriage. But in 1941 Kallman refused his demand for mutual fidelity, causing Auden to feel stripped of selfcontrol and self-respect and dangerously angry. That pain was one factor which led him back to Christianity, but a nonsexual relationship with his great love was to continue for the rest of his life. Auden influenced a whole generation and now deserves new readers. His clipped, satirical tone rings truer than ever in our irreverent, angst-ridden age and he would have recognised the theatre of cruelty that is social media. These two glorious volumes, containing nearly 2,000 pages of poems, variations and notes, have convinced me of his greatness all over again. And amid all those words, two simple lines encapsulate the agonising, beautiful complexity of human need and love: If equal affection cannot be/ Let the more loving one be me. Glaxosmithkline has been boosted by soaring demand for its shingles vaccine and treatment for Covid-19. The drugs giant said sales hit 7.8billion in the three months to the end of September up 18 per cent on a year earlier while profits jumped 18 per cent to 2.6billion. And in a huge boost for chief executive Emma Walmsley, GSK raised its forecasts for sales and profits for the second time this year. Pain relief: In a huge boost for chief exec Emma Walmsley (pictured), GSK raised its forecasts for sales and profits for the second time this year The FTSE 100 firm said sales growth may hit 10 per cent this year, up from an earlier forecast of 8 per cent. And profits will grow by up to 17 per cent not 15 per cent as thought. It marked the second set of bumper results since Walmsley spun off its consumer health business Haleon in July to concentrate on new medicines and vaccines. Sales of the shingles vaccine Shingrix jumped 51 per cent in the third quarter to a record 760million prompting Walmsley to hail an excellent performance. The 53-year-old added that GSK is really excited about its vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a disease which usually causes mild symptoms, but leads to thousands of hospitalisations and deaths globally each year in toddlers and the elderly. GSK is racing Pfizer to develop a vaccine, and in a further boost for Walmsley amid criticism from activist investors, GSK has a priority review for the vaccine by the US regulator. That opens the door to the drug being approved by May. EToro investment analyst Mark Crouch said: GSK has blown consensus forecasts for the third quarter out of the water, thanks in part to record sales of its shingles vaccine. These results were crucial. But shares fell 0.03 per cent, or 0.4p, to 1445.60p, as fears remain over litigation over its former heartburn drug Zantac. The once-popular drug in the US and UK, which was developed by GSK, was pulled in 2019 amid fears it contained a cancer-causing chemical. The incident has led to more than 2,000 cases being filed in the US. GSK said yesterday it has set aside 45million for legal fees but analysts believe its liabilities could top 1billion. GSK said the litigation is still at the very early stage and GSK will defend vigorously against the claims. Walmsley said: There is no evidence of causation between ranitidine and cancer. A German energy giant has reported a 35bn loss one of the biggest in corporate history after Russia choked off gas supplies. Uniper, which yesterday published results for the first nine months of the year, has become the biggest corporate casualty so far of the Kremlin's action. The group, which has seven power stations in the UK as well as a gas storage facility, high-pressure gas pipelines and an operation in Kent to convert imported liquid natural gas (LNG) back into natural gas, is in the process of being nationalised as a result of the crisis. Uniper, which yesterday published results for the first nine months of the year, has become the biggest corporate casualty so far of the Kremlin's action Shares fell more than 5 per cent on the latest results and are down by 93 per cent for the year to date, taking its value from 13.3bn to 960m. When Russia cut off gas to Europe it left Uniper having to buy supplies at much higher prices, which were not passed on to consumers. Paying for the more expensive supplies saw the company incur losses of up to 87m a day when gas prices spiked over the summer, falling to less than 9m a day by the end of October as prices cooled. That has added up to nearly 9bn so far with an expected 27bn of future losses related to the same issue pencilled in. Chief financial officer Tiina Tuomela said the situation 'has left massive scars' in the business's financial results. Uniper has threatened legal action against Russia's Gazprom, which had been its main supplier, which could see it seek billions in compensation. Renu Mukherjee is a policy analyst at the Manhattan Institute. This piece was adapted from an earlier version originally printed at City Journal Justice Clarence Thomas voiced what we're all thinking. What IS diversity, anyway? Some of America's elite universities claim to know, as they defend the use of affirmative action in college admissions. But the dishonesty at the heart of their view is painfully obvious. Their pitifully narrow understanding of diversity has damaged America. 'I've heard the word diversity quite a few times and I don't have a clue what it means,' Thomas said during oral arguments in the Supreme Court on Monday. 'Give us a specific definition of diversity' he asked Ryan Park, the solicitor representing the University of North Carolina, alongside Harvard University, in their defense of race-conscious admissions programs. It was a pointed question. Apparently, Park didn't see it coming. 'Racially diverse groups of people . . . perform at a higher level,' Park responded. 'The mechanism there,' he continued, 'is that it reduces groupthink and that people have longer and more sustained disagreement, and that leads to a more efficient outcome.' Thomas' next cut went deep. 'I guess I don't put too much stock in that,' he replied, 'I've heard similar arguments in favor of segregation, too.' Thomas is right to be skeptical. Justice Clarence Thomas voiced what we're all thinking. What IS diversity, anyway? He knows firsthand the evils of discrimination based on race, and now he's being asked to endorse them? Just as America has thrown the discredited 'separate but equal' lie underpinning segregation in the garbage, so should we trash this diversity myth. The patronizing justification for race-based university admissions is that racial diversity generates diversity of view points, ideologies and ideas on campus. Apparently, that contributes to the lively exchange of ideas. Have any of these lawyers been to a college campus lately? They are among the most intolerant places in the country. The truth is that diversity of thought is grotesquely short supply at colleges throughout America, including Harvard. And an overwhelming number of students are terrified of voicing their opinions, especially if they hold conservative views. Every year since 2013, the Harvard Crimson has published survey results profiling the incoming freshman class. These reports show that an overwhelming majority of Harvard's incoming students identify as politically and socially progressive. Of the graduating class of 2025, only 1.4 percent identify as very conservative; only 7.2 percent as somewhat conservative; and only 18.6 percent as moderate. By contrast, 72.4 percent of freshmen identify as predominantly liberal. Yet this class is the 'the most diverse class in the history of Harvard,'according to the university. It's a sick joke. The class is diverse in one very narrow and frankly, superficial way skin color. Other survey responses drive the point home. Members of the Class of 2025 who supported a candidate in the 2020 presidential election overwhelmingly backed Joe Biden, at 87 percent. The truth is that diversity of thought is grotesquely short supply at colleges throughout America, including Harvard. The Supreme Court's thinking on race-conscious admissions has centered not just on the legality of the policy but on its implications for higher education. This doesn't sound like viewpoint diversity to me. And without viewpoint diversity as a justification, affirmative action may be a goner. The Supreme Court's thinking on race-conscious admissions has centered not just on the legality of the policy but on its implications for higher education. Is Harvard aware of this? Could that be why the Harvard Crimson didn't publish this year's feature on the incoming freshman class nor reply to my inquiry about whether they would do so? It's a fair question to ask. Defenders of affirmative action have also long argued that racial diversity would lead to more productive debates. Pathetically, the opposite has happened. In 2003, America's first female justice, Sandra Day O'Connor argued that racial and ethnic diversity increased tolerance of differing opinions. It hasn't. A 2021 survey of 37,104 students found that more than 80 percent of students reported some self-censorship. It's almost as if students are living in China as opposed to a vibrant campus in America. Another study showed that 65 percent of college students felt today's 'campus climate prevents people from saying what they believe for fear of offending someone'. Author Renu Mukherjee is a Paulson Policy Analyst at the Manhattan Institute and a PhD student in American politics at Boston College where her dissertation will focus on affirmative action Less than half of all college students 'said they were comfortable offering dissenting opinions to ideas shared by other students or the instructor'. This isn't diversity, it's a bland uniformity. 71 percent of students who identified as Republican 'felt that the campus climate chilled speech'. How depressing. American colleges have some nerve to claim that through racial discrimination they're making campus a better place. The Supreme Court seems likely to strike down the use of race-conscious admissions in higher education next summer. The decision will rely most heavily on legal protections that prohibit racial discrimination. But it may also have something to say about the faulty premise underlying the practice for all these years. To answer Justice Thomas' question: true diversity is not skin deep. Artist Oh Sung-cheol, who defected from North Korea seeking creative freedom, poses for a photo in front of his works in his studio in Eunpyeong District, northwestern Seoul, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Kwon Mee-yoo By Kwon Mee-yoo Artist Oh Sung-cheol continuously challenges himself to explore the essence of life. The 44-year-old artist has been known for his unique background: he worked for the propaganda department of North Korea's military before he escaped the reclusive state. "Artists in a socialist state are no more than technicians who work a little more comfortably than physical laborers," Oh said during an interview with The Korea Times at his studio in Eunpyeong District, northwestern Seoul, Tuesday. "I have liked drawing and painting since I was little, and in North Korea, your school teacher documents your disposition. That's how I was chosen by the propaganda department," he said. Oh said that there is virtually no printer in the North Korean military and everything put on the walls from propaganda posters to notices is created by propaganda artists. "There is no creative freedom in North Korea. Drafts or sketches of posters are handed down from the Mansudae Art Studio and when those are assigned to brigades of propaganda artists, we had to imitate those with limited supplies of paint. Sometimes we bartered rice from the military warehouse for paint at pigment companies," he said. "Sometimes I painted tigers on Mount Paektu when military officers moved into a new apartment and needed something to hang on the wall I learned how to paint in North Korea, but I was no more than a propaganda tool. It is systematic and there was no room for my thoughts." Artist Oh Sung-cheol, who defected from North Korea seeking creative freedom, poses for a photo in front of one of his works in his studio in Eunpyeong District, northwestern Seoul, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Kwon Mee-yoo A senior detective has dropped a bombshell in a Sydney court claiming he believes that William Tyrrell's foster mother knows where the missing toddler's body is. 'I've formed the view (the foster mother) knows where William Tyrrell is', Detective Sergeant Andrew Lonergan told the Downing Centre Local Court on Thursday afternoon. The court also heard police told the foster mother 'we know why, we know how' William disappeared and his body was disposed of. Det Sgt Lonergan made the comments under cross-examination by the foster mother's barrister John Stratton. William vanished from his foster grandmother's home in Kendall, on the NSW north coast, on September 12, 2014 and has not been seen since. His foster mother, a 57-year-old from the city's north who cannot be named for legal reasons, is facing a two-day court hearing, charged with giving false or misleading evidence to the top secret NSW Crime Commission. She has pleaded not guilty. William Tyrrell's foster mother (above in June) will spend two days at a hearing into allegations she lied to the top secret NSW Crime Commission just days before a high intensity dig for her missing foster son The Crime Commission hearings police alleged the foster mother lied to were held just days before investigators launched a surprise high-intensity dig at Kendall for the remains of William Tyrrell (above) When Mr Stratton asked Det Sgt Lonergan if he was pursuing the foster mother on charges to 'break her spirit', the police officer said the purpose of her appearing before the Crime Commission was to 'find the location of William Tyrrell.' It comes as the court heard police had bugged the foster parents' homes with nine listening devices and eight hidden cameras. Dramatic audio was also played in court of audio of a ten-year-old child - who is not William - crying and yelling out 'no, no, nooooo' as she was allegedly disciplined with a wooden spoon in January 2021. The court heard that the foster mother had denied having struck the girl - who cannot be identified - to the Crime Commission last November. Police prosecutor Senior Sergeant Amin Asaad told the court that 'allegations involving the child ... were put to the accused' at the Crime Commission. Sen Sgt Asaad said that the foster mother had 'denied those propositions' and then 'seconds or minutes after event contacted her husband and added certain things disclosing the offence ... and certain observations regarding the event'. The audio begins with a female voice, possibly of the girl, saying, 'I am calling the police' and then a child screaming 'no' and crying, panting and In the conversation after the incident Snr Sgt Asaad told the court, the foster mother told her husband, 'shes been hit really hard with that wooden spoon. Shes going to have massive welt on her leg.' The foster mother has never been charged in relation to William's disappearance, not has any other person. The court heard that when Det Sgt Lonergan and another police officer who interviewed the foster mother, Sgt Scott Jamieson, told the foster mother that they knew how and why William disappeared. Mr Stratton said the foster mother had been told ' we are not saying you hurt him' and then Sgt Jamieson said, 'we know how it happened, we know why it happened, we know where he is' Asked by Mr Stratton whether he was lying about police knowing the location of William's body, Det Sgt Lonergan said he wasn't and cited an area in the town of Kendall. The location, on the corner of Batar Creek Road and Cobb and Co Road, was the area investigated during the high intensity search made last November and December. 'We believe it was disposed' in that area, 'yes', Det Sgt Lonergan said. The foster mother of William Tyrrell is facing a two day hearing on a charge of lying to the Crime Commission. The foster father will front court next year for allegedly making a false statement to the top secret crime fighting body Then there is the sound of a possible slap and the foster mother ordering the child, 'Stand up. Stand up'. The child said 'no, please no, Nooooooo' and the being told to 'Sit down. Sit.' The court was played a subsequent conversation between the foster mother and foster father in which he says, 'Oh that's not good. We've got a problem. We've got a big problem.' In cross-examination of Det Sgt Lonergan about detectives' purpose in pursuing the foster mother on charges, John Stratton SC accused the detective of lying, which he repeatedly denied. The officer agreed when Det Sgt Lonergan asked whether William Tyrrell's body had ever been located and that the foster mother had 'made complaints about police lack of progress in the investigation'. But when asked whether it was his hope to break the foster mother's 'spirit', Det Sgt Lonergan told the court the woman had 'committed an offence'. 'She was given an opportunity to give her evidence at the Crime Commission where she could tell the truth and she wouldn't be punished, as in charges'. Detective Andrew Lonergan (second right) with Professor Jon Olley, who found murdered Queensland schoolboy Daniel Morecombe's remains in 2011, at the William Tyrrell dig in Kendall late last year The foster mother arrived at court on Thursday wearing black trousers and a black and white checked jacket and in the company of two marketing consultants, Clare and Alice Collins, who run the Where's William PR campaign. Ex-detective Gary Jubelin, the former boss of the task force investigating William's disappearance, also listened in to the hearing. The hearing continues. Both Georges' pleaded not guilty and the younger one could face life in prison if convicted for the eight murders Angela and Jake testified that he devise the plan to kill the Rhoden family and her other son George IV helped plan it Jake's father George Wagner III said his son couldn't kill Hannah May Rhoden, 19, over fears that her family would come after his Her son Jake, now-29, wanted to kill his baby's mother over a custody dispute and because he thought his toddler Sophia was getting abused, Angela said Angela Wagner, 52, testified on Tuesday that it was her husband George 'Billy' Wagner III's idea to kill the Rhoden family A mother who helped with the Pike County Massacre of a family of eight claimed the idea was her husband's as she testified in court against her son. Angela Wagner, 52, testified on Tuesday that it was her husband George 'Billy' Wagner III's idea to kill the Rhoden family as he feared they would seek revenge if their son Jake, now-29, killed his baby's mother. Wagner took the stand to testify against her son George Wagner IV, 31, who could face the death penalty if convicted. Angela Wagner said that her younger son, Jake, had wanted to kill his child's mother, Hannah May Rhoden, 19, but that her husband, Billy, 50, objected because he believed the woman's family would seek revenge. '"They'll know, and then they come for Jake. They'd shoot him, if not all of us,"' Angela Wagner said her husband had told her. He also said the rest of the woman's family '"had to be murdered,"' she testified. The slayings stemmed from a child custody dispute involving another of Angela's sons and one of the victims, authorities have said. She testified it was her husband George 'Billy' Wagner III's idea to kill the Rhoden family as he feared they would seek revenge if his son Jake, now-29, killed his baby's mother (pictured L-R) Angela and Billy Wagner) Angela testified that they feared Jake's daughter Sophia was being sexually abused because she would return to their home with her genital area 'red' and it had 'strong odors.' She testified that the murders were performed to protect the child, Fox 19 reported. When asked why the family didn't contact Child Services, she reportedly said she didn't know. Hannah, alongside her father Christopher Rhoden Sr, 40, mother Dana Rhoden, 37, and brothers Clarence, 20, and Christopher Jr, 16, Clarence Rhoden's fiancee, Hannah Gilley, 20, Christopher Sr.'s brother, Kenneth Rhoden, 44, and cousin Gary Rhoden, 38, were all shot execution-style while they slept across four different homes in rural Ohio in April 2016. Angela Wagner, who was asleep when the murders happened but knew about it, pleaded guilty in September 2021 to 14 counts and agreed to testify against her older son and her husband. In return, prosecutors dismissed eight counts of aggravated murder and agreed to not seek the death penalty. Angela Wagner has arrived for court this morning. We will have a live stream and updates from the courtroom once court begins this morning. - @FOX19 pic.twitter.com/QvNfUgVCiL Payton Del Bradley (@PaytonBradleyTV) November 3, 2022 Angela Wagner, 52, (pictured) was seen walking into court on Thursday as she prepared to testify against her son George Wagner IV Her son Jake (right) suspected his daughter Sophia was getting sexually abused as she would return to his house with her genitals being 'red' and had a 'foul odor,' according to Angela. Jake and Angela took plea deals and agreed to testify against George IV (left), who has pleaded not guilty When asked how she could fall asleep knowing what her family was doing, she told the court: 'It was a long day, and I had worked all day. I took some prescription ibuprofen. It made me go to sleep.' She accepted a plea deal so she would one day be able to see her grandchildren. The grandmother will be around 80 years old when she is released. Jake pleaded guilty in April 2021 to shooting five of the victims, saying he had no choice but to kill the mother of his daughter, a toddler at the time. He, too, will testify against his brother as part of his plea deal. He took the stand earlier this week to graphically detail how he shot five people and wounded a sixth. He also testified that his father killed the others and that his brother George IV never fired a single shot but had extensively participated in the preparation and cover-up. Jake was handed eight full life sentences without the option of parole in 2021 after agreeing to a plea deal with no possibility of the death penalty for himself and his family members. He pleaded guilty to 23 felony charges, including eight of murder, while his mother pleaded guilty to several counts of aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence and other charges. George IV is the first person to go on trial for the killings and he has taken most of the blame for the fall, his mother said. His father has pleaded not guilty and likely won't go on trial until next year. Mark Collins, an attorney representing Billy, declined comment to AP on Wednesday citing the judge's gag order in the case. The entire family, minus Billy, wanted to move to Alaska after the murders, the father wanted to stay in Ohio due to his own dad being ill, Angela said. '[His mother] had a big crying episode and begged me not to take him to Alaska,' Wagner testified. Hannah Rhoden, the 19-year-old mother of Jake Wagner's toddler daughter, was shot multiple times while sleeping with her newborn baby. Her 16-year-old brother Christopher Jr, right, was also killed in the slayings Christopher Rhoden Sr., 40, and his ex-wife Dana Rhoden, 37, were among those killed in April 2016 in Ohio Christopher Rhoden Sr.'s brother Kenneth Rhoden, 44, (left) and a cousin, Gary Rhoden, 38, were also shot dead. Clarence 'Frankie' Rhoden, 20, and his fiancee, Hannah Gilley, 20, were shot dead while sleeping with their child The family did live in Alaska in Spring 2017, and both Angela's father and her husband's father died during that time. 'If I would have known my dad was as bad as he was, I wouldnt have left,' she said, according to Fox 19. While in Alaska, state agents conducted a search of their property at home and found shell casing that matched the same one that were found on the murder scenes. Angela testified on Thursday that she had worried 'something was going to be found that shouldn't be found,' but her husband had assured her that he had 'got all the shell casing.' State agents would later meet them at the Montana border and separate them for interviews. The agents and the Ohio Attorney General's Office later named them persons of interest in the case. 'It was very, scary, very nerve-wrecking,' Angela testified this week. The four members of the Wagner family were not arrested until more than two years after the slayings. The Wagner's lived in Alaska (pictured) briefly in spring 2017. Everyone but Billy wanted to live there permanently after the murders, but the father didn't because his own dad was ill Investigators claim the family bought ammunition, a magazine clip, brass catchers and a bug detector to prepare for the crimes. It is claimed that they constructed a homemade silencer that was used in the shootings and used 'counter-surveillance devices' on the properties as well as tampering with phones, cameras and parts of a home security system. Forged documents were found on the computer purporting that Hanna Rhoden had agreed to shared custody. The Wagner's took phones from six of the victims, as well as a recording device and trail cameras. Angela reportedly confessed that the family took a vote on whether they would commit the murders and both her sons and husband said yes. Prosecutors claim that Billy lured Christopher Sr to his death by setting up a fake 'lucrative' drug deal at the Union Hill Road Property before he was shot dead. George and Jake were hidden in the car and are accuse of ambushing Hanna's father before going on to three other homes along the road. Christopher Sr is the only victim who was believed to have been awake when they were shot, suffering nine gunshot wounds in his forearm, torso and cheek. HIs brother Gary was shot twice in the head and a third time in the face, with an autopsy report saying a 'muzzle stain' was left on his head, suggesting at one point a shot was fired while the gun was pressed against him. Dana Rhoden was carefully shot four times around her head and a fifth time from under her chin. She was sharing a trailer with Christopher Jr. and Hannah who were both shot in the head multiple times. Frankie Rhoden and Hannah Gilley were also shot in the head, but their six-month-old child, who was sleeping between the couple, was spared. Hannah was shot five times in total, with one shot hitting her left eye and Kenneth Rhoden was shot only once, with the bullet entering his right eye. Australia's transition to renewable power will, by all accounts, be one of the most expensive and complex undertakings in the nation's history - and it's a transition even Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen knows will require 'unprecedented' effort from thousands of people. The rapid shift to net zero emissions is now the 'law of the land' thanks to the Albanese government's ambitious climate change bill passing in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. But exactly what it will cost is yet to be pinned down, and despite the government's insistence the lights will stay on and power bills will drop, commentators have begun to question if we are 'speeding towards a renewables wreck'. 'No-one in authority has the courage and intellectual honesty to explain the magnitude of the power transition this country is forced by law to embark on and the dire consequences of its likely failure,' Peta Credlin, Tony Abbott's former chief of staff, wrote in a column for The Australian on Wednesday. In late September, Mr Bowen admitted that to meet the government's net-zero goal, 40 large wind turbines a month and 22,000 solar panels a day would need to be erected by 2030. Mr Bowen said this would require Australia to 'mine, move and manufacture immense volumes of material, energy and equipment and to train and mobilise hundreds of thousands of skilled workers (in a) collective endeavour that is almost of unprecedented scale'. Coal-fired power currently accounts for about 60 per cent of Australia's electricity needs but will need to be rapidly phased out Peta Credlin (pictured), former chief-of-staff to Tony Abbott, claimed the nation was 'speeding towards failure' in trying to shift to 100 per cent renewable power too quickly Nationals leader David Littleproud told Today on Thursday that 'Labor's ideology doesn't match the practical reality'. He claimed the government should be investing more in mining natural gas and associated infrastructure instead of 'ripping away tens of millions of dollars in more exploration'. 'This reckless path they are taking us on means everyone will pay,' he said. At a forum in October, featuring chief executives from the country's top electricity companies, Alinta CEO Jeff Dimery warned power prices would rise by 35 per cent next year, pointing out it would take an $8billion investment in renewables to replace $1billion worth of fossil fuel capacity. Origin Energy CEO Frank Calabria said at the same forum that based on current wholesale costs, electricity prices would increase sharply when new tariffs are set next July. The government's climate change bill requires greenhouse gas emissions to drop 43 per cent by 2030 and hit net-zero by 2050. 'Coal will have to drop from supplying 60 per cent-plus of our power needs to under 10 per cent within eight years. And renewables will have to rise from supplying about 30 per cent now to more than 80 per cent,' Credlin wrote. 'In practical terms, that's 28,000km of poles and wires with the trained trades to erect it, and necessary access to farming land and property across the country.' Huge investments in battery storage will be needed to cover Australia's needs when wind and solar power is inactive Last month, 2GB host Ben Fordham claimed the nation's politicians had 'moved too fast' on climate promises. 'They have attempted to jump off the boat before we reached the dock,' he said. In the October budget, the government revealed retail electricity prices would rise by 56 per cent and gas prices would jump by 40 per cent during the next two years. The government is reportedly considering capping gas prices in an attempt to reduce bill shock for Australian households, but Chair of the Australian Energy Regulator Clare Savage insisted this alone 'isn't enough'. Mr Bowen told Sky News the government 'will not stand by and allow these pressures to flow through to households and industry'. Yet in the same interview, Mr Bowen admitted he was 'reluctant to intervene (in market pricing) without being entirely sure of the implications of what we're doing'. Labor's shift to net-zero by 2050 and a 43 per cent reduction in emissions by 2030 is now law (pictured: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen) Peta Credlin urged the government to change its plan. 'If we keep heading for the same destination at the same speed (in the renewable electricity transition), a train wreck is inevitable. Only instead of saying slow down or change course, almost our entire political class is saying to push on even faster,' Credlin said. While most Australians support action to reduce climate change, a recent YouGov poll showed only 4 per cent would be prepared to see their power bills rise to $1,200 a year. A separate poll of 2,691 people from the Climate of the Nation Report released Thursday shows Australians do support taxing power companies more. Almost two-thirds of those surveyed, at 62 per cent, support a levy on fossil fuel exports to help keep fuel in Australia, rather than allowing companies to export it overseas for massive profits. CNN caught the moments when Joshua's body was recovered by Russian officials in the Zaporizhzhia region last week Gossett says she was not given any more information on what caused them to investigate Now, she says that officials have told her they are working on a second autopsy and will need her to send them a DNA sample On October 26, Gossett said she received a call saying that Ukraine had negotiated for Joshua's body Misty Gossett, 48, says her son, Joshua Jones, 24, was killed in the Donbas region in August and that his body was being held by Russian troops The body of a man who was serving as a volunteer in Ukraine is being held pending a potential war crimes investigation, according to his family An American family who has been waiting to receive their son's body back after he died fighting in Ukraine says his remains are now being held pending a possible war crimes investigation. Joshua Jones, 24, was killed on August 26 while fighting for the Ukrainian Foreign Legion. After his death, the soldier's body was held by Russian troops for several weeks in the Donbas region. Last week, the family was finally told that Joshua's body had been given to Ukraine following a negotiation period. Now, however, his family says that they are being told his body will not be sent back just quite yet. Joshua Jones, 24, was killed in August while fighting for the Ukraine Foreign Legion Misty Gossett, 48, says the body of her son Josh is being held in Ukraine pending a potential war crimes investigation CNN caught the transfer of Joshua's body in the Zaporizhzhia region last week, before his family was told that a second autopsy would be conducted Misty Gossett, 48, Joshua's mother, recently sat down with NBC News to talk about the latest heartbreaking update. The mom told the national news outlet that this is yet another step in what feels like a nightmare. Gossett said that the family had already begun to prepare to receive Joshua's body. 'Every day this gets prolonged and we're just trying to put him to rest,' Gossett said during the interview. The mother said that she was not given any additional details, including what is going on with his body or why. She also said that the Ukrainians who got in touch with her told her they would be conducting a second autopsy and needed family members to send a DNA sample for testing, but did not specify what kind of testing. 'We don't know anything as far as how much longer it's going to be, when he's coming home. The communication is exhausting.' This news she gave to NBC on Tuesday, less than one week after she said she was informed that her son's body had been secured. Josh's parents and family members have memorialized him while they wait for his body to return home so that they can properly bury him Joshua was killed in August while fighting for Ukrainian independence, according to his family A CNN team witnessed the transfer of Joshua's body in the Zaporizhzhia region on October 26. The two sides had agreed to a two-hour ceasefire in no man's land between Russian and Ukrainian-held Ukraine. In a phone call with CNN last week, Jeff Jones, Joshua's dad told the outlet: 'We got him back!' 'I cannot tell you what a burden is lifted off this family,' the father said at the time. 'I couldn't give up that hope.' CNN was at the scene in Ukraine when the Russians handed off Joshua's body on October 26 Joshua's mother told NBC that she is terrified of the next steps and how long the process could take. Gossett says it's already been a difficult process for all of those involved. 'We got to the point that we were at a standstill and were told over and over, 'He's on a list, he's on a list, he's on a list,'' she said. The mother said that even getting his body back to Ukraine seemed impossible at times. She told a reporter that family members would spend eight to 10 hours a day making calls trying to see how the process could be moved along. The mom also said the family accumulated two notebooks of contacts they used to try and bring Josh home. Gossett, far left, said that she and other family members worked eight to 10 hours a day trying to get Joshua's body to Ukraine from Russia Despite having been told that her son had died, Gossett told NBC News that she often held onto hope that they may have been wrong and that Joshua may have survived. 'Your mind during grief plays tricks on you,' she said during her recent interview. 'He was so strong that I thought there was a chance. On Wednesday it's just emotions that bounce back so cruelly.' The hope has since died as the family continues to advocate for their loved one to be brought home and laid to rest. She said that her son was a 'rebellious yet loving child' who was committed to serving his country, which he ultimately did. Joshua was in the U.S. Army for three years, his family said. He decided to leave for Ukraine in March after news of the invasion had broken. His mom said he left the day before his birthday. Joshua's mom also said she filled up two whole notebooks worth of contacts she made while attempting to locate and bring her son's body home The mom says that if nothing else, she hopes that other families and Americans learn about the 'exhausting' process they have been through. 'It's just so unorganized and exhausting,' Gossett told NBC. 'If your child goes or your spouse goes there and you lose them, what you have to go through is something no one should have to do on top of losing someone they love. The national news outlet spoke with individuals who have dealt with similar cases and they estimated that this new hold up could take weeks or even months. 'We've seen this process take a month or so from when the Ukrainians get the body,' said Dominik Byrne, the leader of a nonprofit that helps families who have lost a loved one fighting in Ukraine. The country remains ravaged with war as Russians and Ukrainians continue to battle for Ukrainian land The office building of a car retailer destroyed during a Russian missile attack in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, in early October Firefighters cover the body of a man killed by Russian shelling on the city of Zaporizhzhia last month Russia has repeatedly denied any of the war crimes allegations that have been lodged against the massive nation. Ukraine, however, continues to document instances of potential war crimes carried out by the country and its troops. Ned Price, the spokesperson for the State Department, released the following statement last week after the news of Joshua's body being recovered had broken. 'The United States expresses our condolences to the family of the U.S. citizen killed in the fighting in Ukraine, whose remains have now been identified and released to Ukraine's custody,' he said. 'They will soon be returned to the family. The United States is appreciative of Ukraine for including recovery of this individual's remains in its negotiations with Russia.' Josh, left, had previous military experience before he decided to join the fight in Ukraine Josh's family said he served in the U.S. Army for three years, which is what he had wanted to do since he was a child In early October, another American fighting in Ukraine was identified as having been killed while volunteering in the country, which has been attacked by Russian troops. Dane Partridge was struck and killed by shrapnel, his family confirmed in a Facebook post last month. On October 10, Dane's sister, Jenny Partridge Corry, shared an update to his Facebook page, telling his friends that he had been involved in an incident and that he was on life support. One Kyiv military doctor spoke with the family, letting them know that Dane's scans showed 'brain damage and edema,' with extensive damage to the spinal cord, brain stem, and neck. Family posted heartbreaking photos of Dane on life support after the incident. His sister, Jenny, said that shrapnel entered his brain Dane Partridge was an Army veteran who leaves behind a wife and several children after his death 'fighting for freedom' in Ukraine At the time, the doctor, according to a Facebook post, told the family that the results were 'not conducive to life.' Less than 48 hours after that post, Jenny shared another grim update. 'We have just been informed that Dane aka Bird has passed away while still being on life support,' Jenny wrote. 'He was a fine soldier who fought with valor and bravery on the battlefield. We have been told that he was known to be at the front of his team-leading his men as he would never ask his men to do anything that he wasn't willing to do,' Jenny said. Dane had traveled to Ukraine in April after saying he felt a call to help the people and the country during their time of need. Dane will always be remembered by friends and family as a courageous warrior who was selfless in his pursuit of freedom, according to posts made on social media He said at the time he 'felt a need to go,' and that he was confident in his choice. 'I've felt a need to go to Ukraine. This has been discussed with several people and I am confident in my decision to go. I am reaching out to see if I can get some support in getting over there,' Dane wrote. Dane left behind a wife and children, whom he loved very much, according to his sister. The first-ever riverboat casino to roam the rivers of the United States has reappeared thanks to receding water levels after sinking just a year ago. The Diamond Lady, which first set sail with its sister boat The Emerald Lady in 1991, was covered in muck and mud when it reemerged. Rich Westfall, the marketing director for the company that moved the boats from Iowa to Mississippi 30 years ago, said: 'It made my heart sink. I didnt really know what happened to it.' In 2008, The Diamond Lady was stored in Lake McKellar off the river, then sank just last year due to a freeze. The boat became visible again this year due to historically low levels on the Mississippi River. The first-ever riverboat casino to roam the rivers of the United States has reemerged after sinking just a year ago The Diamond Lady (pictured left in 1992) has been exposed again as the waters of the Mississippi River receded enough recently The riverboat, which first set sail with its sister boat The Emerald Lady in 1991, was covered in muck and mud when it was rediscovered In photos, The Diamond Lady is shown somewhat left in tact, though its smokestacks have depressed and the entire boat has become dirty, though you can still see her name on the hull. Westfall told NOLA.com that in its original form, The Diamond Lady was 'such a beautifully built riverboat, sturdy and fast.' The boats were built in Iowa in 1990 by Bernie Goldstein, a man known as the 'father of riverboat gambling.' They were meant to be similar as the boats that ran the river in the late 19th century. Westfall noted that the boat's ribbon cutting was a huge event, attended by Wheel of Fortune's Vanna White. The Diamond Lady, like the Emerald Lady, moved southward in 1992 after casino space was limited by Iowa law. By 2008, The Diamond Lady had been stored in Lake McKellar off the river and sank just last year due to a freeze The boat became visible again this year due to historically low levels on the Mississippi River In photos, The Diamond Lady is shown somewhat left in tact, though its smokestacks have depressed and the entire boat has become dirty, though you can still see her name on the hull The boats were built in Iowa in 1990 by Bernie Goldstein, a man known as the 'father of riverboat gambling.' They were meant to be similar as the boats that ran the river in the late 19th century Both were filled with every slot and table game that the state of Mississippi would allow. In 1999, The Diamond Lady was taken out of commission and replaced with even bigger riverboats. By 2016, the boat was largely used as an excursion boat, renamed 'The Belle of Cincinnati' and largely moved around Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky. Westfall noted: 'It was built to last and it was a beautiful boat.' Receding water levels are happening across the world. In China, plunging water levels have revealed a submerged island and a trio of Buddhist statues on it. Weeks of baking drought across the world in August saw water levels in rivers and lakes plunge, exposing long-submerged ships, historical sites and ancient statues. Europe's worst drought in what could be 500 years has revealed so-called 'hunger stones', German warships sunk during the Second World War and a prehistoric stone circle dubbed the 'Spanish Stonehenge'. In China, plunging water levels have revealed a submerged island and a trio of Buddhist statues on it that are believed to be 600 years old, while in the US a drought-stricken lake revealed the bodies of five people believed to have been killed by the Mafia. SERBIA: The wreckage of a German warship sunk during the Second World War has appeared in the Danube in Prahovo, Serbia on August 18 amid plunging water levels CHINA: A once submerged Buddhist statue sits on top of Foyeliang island reef in the Yangtze river, which appeared after water levels fell due to a regional drought in Chongqing on August 20 Along the River Elbe, which flows from the Czech Republic to Germany, the drought has revealed the ominously named 'hunger stones', which bear the inscription 'if you see me, then weep' SPAIN: The Dolmen of Guadalperal, sometimes also known as "The Spanish Stonehenge" is seen above the water level at the Valdecanas reservoir, which is at 27 per cent capacity, on July 28 in the Caceres province TikTok has hired President Joe Biden's former campaign national press secretary to 'manage policy communications' for the U.S. and the Americas. Jamal Brown, who also served as the No. 2 spokesman for the Department of Defense, has joined the video sharing phenomena amid a crackdown on the company for its alleged misuse of U.S. consumer data, posing a national security threat. The hire is the latest in a pattern of top Hill staffers being snapped up by TikTok parent company ByteDance for its influence operations. Missouri Republican Senator Josh Hawley told DailyMail.com: 'This sort of cozy relationship between the Biden Defense Department and TikTok is alarming. 'TikTok and their Chinese parent company present a serious national security threat but Joe Biden continues to dither as they gobble up Americans' personal information. 'Get serious: make ByteDance sell TikTok.' It also comes as FCC commissioner Brendan Carr called on the Biden administration to ban the app in an interview on Tuesday, over concerns it is housing millions of consumers' data on insecure servers in China. Brown is a well-connected hire for TikTok, which is currently fighting an intense PR battle over its U.S. presence. Jamal Brown, who served as a press secretary for Joe Biden's 2020 campaign, has been hired by TikTok to work on their communications team Josh Hawley, senator for Missouri, said the TikTok hire was a sign of the 'cosy' relationship between the Biden administration and TikTok Brown is well-connected and likely to be busy with the challenges to TikTok's operation in the U.S. TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, is readying for a battle with U.S. regulators Zhang Yiming, founder and global CEO of ByteDance, attends the World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit on December 17, 2015. The app was launched in 2016 Wisconsin Republican Congressman Mike Gallagher also slammed the hiring moves by the Chinese-owned company. 'This is a shocking example of how the CCP uses the swamp against us,' he told DailyMail.com. 'Given the threat TikTok poses to user privacy and the potential for its algorithm to be manipulated by the CCP at any point to influence American public opinion, we need to ban the app before it is too late.' Brown served as Biden's national press secretary for his 2020 campaign, after more than six years' experience working in the Obama White House. During the presidential debates in October 2020 Brown tweeted highlighting his bosses' allegations about Donald Trump's ties to China, used to combat the scandal of First Son Hunter Biden's business deals with Beijing-backed Chinese companies. '@JoeBiden: 'Russia is paying you a lot. China is paying you a lot. Release your tax returns, or stop talking about corruption.' #Debates2020' he tweeted. Brown also appeared in TV interviews ahead of the election trying to dismiss the laptop as 'misinformation' after which DailyMail.com proved it was real. Biden campaign National Press Secretary @JTOBrown responds to Twitters decision to block a New York Post story about Hunter Biden. Twitters response to the actual article itself makes clear that these purported allegations are false. #CheddarLive pic.twitter.com/PdPEkMZ85p Cheddar News (@cheddar) October 15, 2020 'I think Twitter's response to the actual article itself makes clear that these purported allegations are false and they're not true. I'm glad to see social media companies like Twitter taking responsibility to limit misinformation,' he told financial cable news channel Cheddar. Brown's first government role was in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) where his policy brief included cybersecurity. He was sworn in at the Department of Defense in February 2021 as Deputy Press Secretary, working out of the Office of the Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs. TikTok does not appear to have released any statement announcing Brown joining their spin team. His hiring was first mentioned in one line of a Politico newsletter on Tuesday. The bullet, listed among other DC job announcements, described Brown's role to 'manage policy communications for the Americas, primarily focusing on the United States.' TikTok is believed to be ramping up its lobbying and PR operation, ahead of expected battles over its presence in the United States Press releases on the DoD website with statements attributed to Brown include announcements about COVID vaccinations for the military. He was quoted on DefenseNews.com giving a statement about increasing diversity at the Pentagon, and on a Milwaukee CBS channel about Biden's order to cancel DoD help with southern border wall construction. The news of his hiring comes hot on the heels of warnings by U.S. regulators about the Chinese government getting its hands on the data of the 200 million Americans who use the app. Carr, a commissioner for the Federal Communications Commission, told news site Axios on Tuesday: 'I don't believe there is a path forward for anything other than a ban.' He said there was not 'a world in which you could come up with sufficient protection on the data that you could have sufficient confidence that it's not finding its way back into the hands of the [Chinese Communist Party].' In June, Carr wrote to the CEOs of Apple and Google to urge them to ban the app from their platforms. 'At its core, TikTok functions as a sophisticated surveillance tool that harvests extensive amounts of personal and sensitive data,' the commissioner's letter to the tech heads said. 'Indeed, TikTok collects everything from search and browsing histories to keystroke patterns and biometric identifiers, including faceprints and voiceprints.' TikTok is currently in talks with CFIUS, a committee of various government agencies that regulates foreign companies in the US, to see whether it can be sold by ByteDance to an American company. The New York Times reported last month that Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, who is leading the negotiations over TikTok's U.S. status, 'has concerns that the terms are not tough enough on China,' according to two sources. The company released a statement saying: 'We are confident that we are on a path to reaching an agreement with the U.S. Government that will satisfy all reasonable national security concerns.' Stacy Ettinger, a partner in a D.C. law firm, was hired by TikTok to represent them. She was previously an aide to Chuck Schumer TikTok appears to be on a hiring spree to bring top spin doctors into its fold. Another job posting on its website offers a position for 'Senior Policy Communications Manager, Americas', with 10 or more years of experience in public affairs. The role includes responsibility to 'Develop strategies for engaging with and educating policymakers around issues important to TikTok and our community', and being able to 'Manage reactive communications for policy and regulatory issues'. According to lobbying disclosures, ByteDance also hired Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's former aide to lobby for them this year. Stacy Ettinger, a partner at lobbying group K&L Gates, was part of a team paid $40,000 to make ByteDance's case in Washington DC. She was previously senior legal and policy advisor to Schumer, before joining the law firm. Two men inside the ute cab were able to escape the vehicle and make it to safety Police have been searching for them since they went missing on Monday night The two men are Lebanese fathers Bob Chahine and Ghosn Ghosn from Sydney Two men swept away in floodwaters from the back of a ute have been identified A desperate search is continuing after two men last seen sitting in the back of a ute tray four days ago were swept away in raging floodwaters. Sydney dads Bob Chahine and Ghosn Ghosn were in the back of the ute when it drove across a flooded causeway outside the NSW town of Boorowa, around four hours southwest of Sydney, on Monday night when the car was swept away. Two men in the cab of the ute managed to escape the car and make their way to safety however Mr Chachine and Mr Ghosn are still missing. Police said they have been unable to find the two fathers despite almost four days of exhaustive searching. The two men swept away in floodwaters from a ute try in Boorowa have been identified as Sydney fathers Bob Chahine and Ghosn Ghosn (pictured left to right, Ghosn Ghosn, Remonda Chahine, Bob Chahine and Sarah Ghosn) Boorowa remains under a watch and act flood warning with 103 other warnings issued for NSW on Thursday (pictured, Boorowa flood) Their distressed wives, Remonda Chahine and Sarah Ghosn, shared a message written by family friend Melissa Lattouf, asking their Lebanese community to pray for their safe return. 'Please bring our husbands home,' Mrs Chahine wrote. Mrs Lattouf's message said: 'Family and friends, please pray that God sends Bob and Ghosn home safely. The power of prayer is real. Please pray with all your heart.' Prime Minister Anthony Albanese commented on the fathers' disappearance and urged people in flooded communities to stay safe. 'Can I just express my concern at the news that authorities and volunteers are searching for two men who've gone missing in Boorowa,' Mr Albanese said on Wednesday. Two other men managed to escape from the cab of the ute while Bob Chahine (left) and Ghosn Ghosn (right) were carried away by floodwater 'This is a dangerous time. These floods are having a real impact. 'We've already seen a loss of life on the east coast, and I just hope that we receive some positive news in the coming hours.' NSW SES had 103 active flood warnings on Thursday, including 22 at emergency status. The SES are preparing for record-breaking floods in Forbes with a slight break in the rain forecast to end soon. The Lachlan River is set to reach its peak in the coming days while Murrumbidgee River continuing to rise. Boorowa is under a watch and act warning. Advertisement After CBS host Stephen Colbert claimed Michigan's GOP candidate for governor had fabricated a story about a voter who abandoned the Democrats to vote Republican, the voter himself is speaking out to express fury. In a monologue last week on The Late Show, Colbert mocked Republican candidate Tudor Dixon for a story she shared in her recent debate with incumbent Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer. In the debate, Dixon described how a man attending her campaign rally said he was a longtime loyal Democrat, but had decided to switch parties over his frustration at 'sexually explicit books' in school libraries -- a story that Colbert joked was 'totally made up'. 'Fine. That happened,' joked Colbert, using air quotes to express his skepticism. Now it turns out the voter is very real, and very unhappy. 'To claim that I'm not here, I don't exist, I'm not human, that's absolute ignorance,' Khalil Othman, 41, told the Detroit Free Press, saying that he did attend a Dixon rally, where he declared his intention to switch parties. 'If this person did his due diligence and start researching, or has his team do a little bit of research of who's this person who attended Dixon's rally, they will be able to find my name right away easy on social media. Just Google it,' added Othman. CBS host Stephen Colbert claimed a story about a voter defecting from the Democrats to the GOP was 'totally made up', but now the voter in question is speaking out 'To claim that I'm not here, I don't exist, I'm not human, that's absolute ignorance,' Khalil Othman, 41, (above) told the Detroit Free Press regarding Colbert's remarks Tudor Dixon (right) shared Othman's story, without identifying him by name, in her recent debate with incumbent Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer (left) A spokeswoman for The Late Show did not immediately respond to a request for comment from DailyMail.com on Wednesday evening. Othman, a father of five originally from Yemen, is a former candidate for Dearborn's city council and the Michigan House of Representatives and ran for both offices as a Democrat. 'Ever since immigrating to this great country almost 20 years ago, I've been a loyal Democrat,' he explained in a Facebook post. 'Never once did I ever vote Republican. However, the situation with the sexually explicit material in the schools was for me a bridge too far. When it comes to my kids and my family, I will not budge. Family before party!' he wrote. Othman wrote that feeling his concerns were ignored or downplayed by Democrats, he decided to hear Dixon speak at a rally and 'make my own judgement.' He shared that he was encouraged by her remarks, and by his conversations with the candidate and her supporters, and announced his 'divorce' from the Democratic Party. Othman is seen at an event for Dixon with other supporters of the GOP candidate. He previously ran for state and local offices as a Democrat Othman (second from left) has shared his story publicly on social media, and expressed disappointment that Colbert would question his very existence on national television Othman is part of a group of parents who have been protesting in recent weeks over books in Dearborn's public school libraries that they say have inappropriate sexual content, including several with LGBTQ themes. 'I am a proud Muslim American who expresses my values and concerns all the time,' Othman told the Free Press. 'Dearborn has been voting Democrat blue for the last decade or two decades. But not anymore. On behalf of myself and my family, I guarantee you for sure that my family and my friends will vote for Republicans,' he said. Dixon, a former conservative radio host, gained the GOP nomination in Michigan after securing Donald Trump's endorsement and support from the wealthy family of former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who major political players in the state. Although Dixon has trailed Whitmer in the polls for the duration of the campaign, the gap has narrowed considerably as the November 8 election approaches. The latest RCP polling average shows Whitmer with a narrow lead of just 3.4 points, with multiple recent polls showing the race in a dead tie. In her October 25 debate with Whitmer, Dixon shared Othman's story, without identifying him by name, saying that a voter had approached her at a rally and said he was switching his vote to the GOP because he felt his concerns were being ignored by Democrats. 'He said: "I found content in my school library describing how to have sex to my son. I went to the Democrats and I said, I cannot believe that this is in there,"' recalled Dixon. 'He said because Democrats won't stand up for our children and go back to the basics, "I'm leaving the Democratic Party,"' added Dixon. Dixon, a former conservative radio host, gained the GOP nomination in Michigan after securing Donald Trump's endorsement. She trails in the polls by a slim margin Whitmer, the incumbent Democrat, has focused her campaign on abortion rights. Whitmer had an early fundraising advantage over Dixon but the gap has narrowed On the campaign trail, Dixon also slammed Colbert for questioning whether Othman existed. 'I told his story,' Dixon told a rally on Sunday. 'And Stephen Colbert picks it up. ... And they make this whole skit about how this has never happened. That's what he said, this story never happened. That's where the Democrats are right now. You don't exist, your stories are not important.' In his monologue, Colbert argued that even if Othman's story was true, his expectation that the Democratic Party could address his concerns was misplaced. 'If someone found a book that didn't like the school library, why would they go to the Democrats?' said Colbert. 'That's like saying: "Excuse me is this Chuck Schumer's office? I didn't like the finale of House of the Dragon,"' joked Colbert. Adopting the imperious tone of an outraged voter, Colbert added: 'Also, this natural peanut butter is way too oily when it's in the cupboard, but it gets too hard when it's in the fridge. I'm voting Republican! Good day, sir.' Daniel Mota Dos Reis, 36, is an illegal immigrant and the main suspect in the break-in and burglary of Democrat Katie Hobbs' campaign headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona The suspect who broke into Katie Hobbs' Arizona campaign headquarters is an illegal immigrant, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP). A federal immigration official told Phoenix 12News that Daniel Mota Dos Reis, 36, is a Portugal citizen who overstayed his student visa and is now violating 'the terms of his admission' to the U.S. Police responded to a break-in and burglary Tuesday at Hobbs' Phoenix campaign offices. Mota was caught on surveillance camera footage in the offices Monday wearing a green shirt and gray shorts and was carrying a backpack. He was arrested for criminal trespassing and burglary. According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) public affairs officer Yasmeen Pitts O'Keefe, Mota is 'currently at-large for administrative immigration violations for failing to maintain his status as a registered student at an academic institution.' ICE notes that before an immigration detainer could be issued, Mota was released on bond. Surveillance images show Mota, who police say is homeless, walking around the office building where Hobbs' headquarters are located. According to ICE, Mota is 'currently at-large for administrative immigration violations for failing to maintain his status as a registered student at an academic institution' Arizona is one of the states most hard-hit by the southern border crisis, with thousands of migrants crossing every day into the state bordering Mexico. Hobbs, who is currently the Arizona Secretary of State, blamed the break-in on her Republican opponent Kari Lake's rhetoric. It is unclear if there is any political motivation behind Mota's break-in. Lake pegged it as a 'Jussie Smollett Part Two,' suggesting that Hobbs was inflating or faking the entire incident to distract from the razor-thin polling margins. The television reporter-turned-Republican gubernatorial candidate topped Hobbs in the polls in early October after months of the Democrat consistently polling 5-7 points higher. The drop-off is likely due to Hobbs' refusal to debate Lake ahead of Election Day on November 8. An average from FiveThirtyEight now shows Lake ahead of Hobbs by 2.6 percent with just days until the 2022 midterms. Initially, Hobbs blamed the break-in on Republican gubernatorial opponent Kari Lake's rhetoric and suggested it was a politically motivated incident Lake called Hobbs' reaction to the burglary a 'Jussie Smollett Part Two', suggesting she was inflating it to distract from her drop in polls after she refused to participate in a debate with Lake Phoenix Police say that Mota is homeless and accused of breaking into at least two different office suites at a complex in Phoenix over three different occasions between October 22-25. One of the offices is campaign headquarters for Hobbs. The morning of Wednesday, October 26, Mots was running from officers and pushed a 60-year-old female security guard to the ground before he was arrested, according to police. Mota had burglary tools and a new camera in his backpack at the time of arrest. It was not initially known that Mota was connected to the burglary at Hobbs' office. When a patrol officer was watching the news on October 26, she saw surveillance footage from Hobb's office and recognized the image of Mota from the earlier arrest. Mota originally came to the U.S. in 2018 as a registered student, but overstayed and is now in the U.S. without legal status. He has prior convictions of assaulting an officer and shoplifting Qantas claims the data Choice used for the award was factually incorrect It was slammed for its poor service, lost luggage, delays and cancellations The Shonky award is given to the worst companies in Australia every year Qantas has slammed consumer watchdog Choice for giving it a 'Shonky' award and labelling it one of the worst companies in Australia while dubbing the airline the 'Spirit of Disappointment'. The Australian airline was one of five brands given a Shonky Award by Choice, which names and shames major brands for poor service or subpar products. The award for Qantas came after a difficult year for the airline, marred by cancelled flights, poor customer service, lost luggage and frequent flight delays as it struggled to resume operations after the Covid travel bans. But Qantas has fired back at Choice, claiming its measures to determine the award were unfair and based on data that was factually incorrect. Qantas fired back at consumer group Choice after they gave the airline a 'Shonky' award and dubbed them the 'Spirit of Disappointment' (pictured, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce) 'These awards are clearly out of date and the data Choice is using is itself a bit shonky,' a spokesperson for the airline told Daily Mail Australia. Qantas acknowledged that the airline had 'several months of poor performance earlier this year' but said the service had improved 'significantly' since August. 'We've been very transparent with our performance figures, both good and bad, but Choice is using figures that are just wrong,' the spokesperson continued. 'No one is disputing the fact we had issues earlier this year, and we apologised for that, but it's disappointing that Choice failed to acknowledge the impact that Covid and border closures have had on the entire aviation industry.' Qantas put forward alternative figures to Choice, made comparisons to rival airlines and explained how it had improved its service. It claimed to have 'beaten' rival airline Virgin for flights being on time across eight of the past 12 months. In some of those months, the spokesperson said Qantas was better than Virgin 'by a significant margin'. The airline said its call wait times were 'less than half what Choice is claiming' and customers had 'redeemed more than $1 billion in Covid-related flight credits'. Australia's flagship airline said the data Choice used to determine its eligibility for the award was factually incorrect and its service had improved 'significantly' since (stock image) Choice awarded Qantas with a Shonky amidst months of cancelled flights, poor customer service, lost luggage and endless delays (pictured, People lined up at Qantas' domestic arrivals terminal at Melbourne airport) Choice said Qantas being awarded a Shonky this year came after multiple complaints were sent to the consumer group about the airline. 'If there was ever a company that appeared to deliberately be going out of its way to win a Shonky Award, it's Qantas,' Choice travel expert Jodi Bird said. 'People are still paying premium prices to fly Qantas, but it's clear from the complaints we've heard, they're not getting a premium service.' 'Qantas has made it difficult and confusing for their customers to use flight credits for cancelled travel. 'This includes forcing many people to spend extra money, putting limits on available flights, being unable to make bookings using credits online the list goes on.' Qantas offered $50 vouchers to millions of its frequent flyer members in August after passengers suffered relentless delays and cancellations, as well as lost baggage. Hundreds of passengers took to social media to slam the airline for taking days to return their luggage, with those on a recent flight to London from Sydney via Darwin told their bags were being left behind in Australia. Qantas said ongoing operational problems were caused by staff sickness and isolation requirements - which were scrapped in September. The response from the airline comes after millions of Qantas frequent flyers were offered $50 discounts in August after numerous issues (stock image) Aviation supply chain issues from manufacturers Boeing and Airbus are also being touted as a cause of delays, as well as an industry-wise labour shortage. CEO Alan Joyce recently revealed the company was just 11 weeks from going broke at the start of the Covid pandemic in March 2020. Mr Joyce warned the issues plaguing Qantas would likely continue for the next 18 months due to aviation supply chain issues from plane manufacturers. Despite its woes, Qantas has reported a return to profitability after five consecutive half-year losses. Mr Joyce said the carrier expected a 'very strong' profit before tax of between $1.2billion and $1.3billion for the first half of the 2022/23 financial year. 2022 Shonky award winners Qantas - for being the Spirit of Disappointment VetPay - for a finance product targeting distressed pet owners Steggles Chicken Nuggets Boosted with Veggies - for hiding veggies so well that we could barely find them Bloomex - for flowers that don't deliver Zega Digital cookware - for an expensive 'self-cooking' smart pot that doesn't properly cook Advertisement A Choice mystery shop tested the airline in September, which uncovered staggering wait times for phone enquiries. 'Our research revealed on average, you'll be on the phone for 21 minutes before your call is answered, and up to 50 minutes,' Mr Bird said. 'By comparison, Virgin came in under a quarter of that average time with five minutes wait, and a maximum of 13 minutes.' Choice CEO Alan Kirkland slammed the airline for 'making redeeming flights credits a nightmare'. A soldier watches a TV report at Seoul Station on Nov. 2, about North Korea's launch of at least three short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea earlier in the day. One of the missiles flew across its de facto maritime border with South Korea. Yonhap North Korea's launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), believed to be a Hwasong-17, apparently ended in failure Thursday, a defense source here said, as the Kim Jong-un regime has intensified its military threats, especially amid large-scale joint air drills of South Korea and the United States. The missile was launched from the Sunan area in Pyongyang at around 7:40 a.m. and flew about 760 kilometers at an apogee of around 1,920 km at a top speed of Mach 15, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). Following the second stage separation, however, the ICBM seems to have failed in normal flight, the source said later on background, adding it is presumed to be a Hwasong-17 type. It marked the North's seventh firing of an ICBM this year and the first since late May. The JCS also said it detected the firing of two short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) from Kaechon in South Pyongan Province from around 8:39 a.m. They traveled some 330 km at a maximum altitude of around 70 km at a top speed of Mach 5, it said. The North is viewed as having again sought to demonstrate its military might in protest against the five-day massive air exercise of the allies that kicked off Monday. A Melbourne Cup race-goer has shocked the internet after video of her licking an escalator handrail went viral on TikTok. Boozed-up Jamie-lee McCabe, 30, from nearby Kensington, was filmed by her brother Luke Peffer as the pair rode up the escalator at Flemington racecourse on Tuesday. Clutching a can of Smirnoff Double Black, her phone and a vape while dressed in a classy Cup frock and fascinator, Ms McCabe sticks her tongue out for the camera. She then leans down and licks the handrail for around seven seconds, to the horror of racegoers around her, as a male voice says: 'We're going to party - party hardy.' Melbourne Cup race-goer Jamie-lee McCabe has shocked the internet after video of her licking an escalator handrail went viral on TikTok 'I think I was licking down the side of it,' Ms McCabe told Daily Mail Australia on Thursday. 'I did have black s*** in my mouth by the end of it so Im thinking it was also possibly part of the handrail. 'If I had it my way again, I would have steered completely clear of the handrail and just licked up the side.' The clip, which has been seen almost 650,000 times, was greeted by shock and disbelief on TikTok, with commenters reacting with horror and laughter. Boozed-up Jamie-lee McCabe, 30, from nearby Kensington, was filmed by her brother Luke Peffer as the pair rode up the escalator inside Flemington racecourse Clutching a can of Smirnoff Double Black, her phone and a vape while wearing her classy Cup frock and fascinator, Ms McCabe sticks her tongue out for the camera before licking the rail 'My whole body contorted while watching this,' posted one. 'I've developed permanent frown lines, thanks.' 'OMG is she still alive?' asked another. 'Ahahahah.' Another reacted: 'Noooo - you'd have to pay me sooooo much money to do that.' 'Immunity level god,' added another. 'Being a germaphobe, watching this made me wanna throw up omfg.' The clip, which has been seen almost 650,000 times, was greeted by shock and disbelief on TikTok, with commenters reacting with horror and laughter But Ms McCabe insisted she escaped unscathed from the intimate moment with the handrail - although she was still trying to shake off her hangover 48 hours later. 'I'm still recovering,' she admitted. 'I have been to the Melbourne Cup before and other races too and my behaviour still remains the same. 'I mean, I thought this was pretty placid...' Truck-driver brother Luke, 23, posted the video with the caption: 'Sister told me she was only gonna have a couple then this happened.' He added to Daily Mail Australia on Thursday: 'She did survive but I think the alcohol killed her more than the handrail.' Jamie-lee McCabe (pictured with brother Luke Peffer), who also runs her own OnlyFans page, said it was far from the most outrageous thing she's done in the past Social media was horrified by the video when it went viral on TikTok, with almost 650,000 views in 24 hours Ms McCabe, who runs her own OnlyFans page, said it was far from the most outrageous thing she's done in the past. 'Without possibly incriminating myself, I did ride a bike through the main drag of Newcastle butt-naked,' she revealed. 'And I have been known to drink out of the dogs bowl - but Ive grown up a hell of a lot since then obviously.' A British expat has turned DIY detective after fraudsters stole thousands of dollars from him, retracing his steps during a boozy night out as he tried to chase the perpetrator across Sydney. Joshua Fox, 31, a content producer who posts videos crashing Married at First Sight weddings, went into full-CSI mode on Wednesday as he tried to piece together how money was stolen from his bank account. He had $300 taken from his account at a Sydney ATM before he received a warning someone had used his card to spend another $1,017 at a tobacconist on October 27. The scammers tried their luck a third time, this time trying to make a purchase for $1,015.80 - but by now he'd blocked the card so the transaction failed. A British expat has turned DIY detective after fraudsters stole thousands from his account (Pictured, Joshua Fox with Mishel from MAFS) After Mr Fox was unhappy with the responses of both his bank and the police, he went into full detective mode, setting up his own version of a CSI-type evidence wall on his bedroom wall After Mr Fox was unhappy with the responses of both his bank and the police, he went into full detective mode, setting up his own version of a CSI-type evidence board on his bedroom wall. He even bought himself a portable siren in case he had to try and chase down the fraudster himself. 'I'm on a mission to make Sydney a safer place for drunk people taking street taxis home at midnight,' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'This could happen to anyone, we all need to be aware.' Mr Fox reported the fraudulent transactions to Commonwealth Bank, which told him it could take up to 45 days to get the money back. 'I don't wanna be $1,300 down for a month and a half when we're in a cost of living crisis,' Mr Fox said. He decided to try and retrace his steps to try and work out how it happened - and it all pointed back to a boozy Wednesday night at Frankie's Pizza in the Sydney CBD (Mr Fox, left, is pictured with Jessika Power at a magazine event in 2019) Mr Fox had $300 taken from his account a Sydney ATM then he received a warning someone had spent another $1,017 at a tobacconist on his card on October 27 'I've got bills to pay, Commbank.' But he added it was about a wider cause. 'It's about tracking down Fake Taxi. He will be doing this every day and stealing thousands from unsuspecting people a week.' He decided to try and retrace his steps to try and work out how it happened - and it all pointed back to boozy Wednesday night at Frankie's Pizza in the Sydney CBD. As he went on his quest, Mr Fox documented the whole journey on his Instagram, with fascinated followers backing his efforts to find justice. As Mr Fox went back through his movements in October, one thing bothered him - he had a receipt for a taxi trip worth $30.58 - but the transaction never appeared on his bank statement. As Mr Fox went back through his movements in October, one thing bothered him - he had a receipt for a taxi trip worth $30.58 - but it never showed up on his bank statement Mr Fox came to the conclusion his card was skimmed on a cab trip home from Frankies Pizza Slowly he pieced together the drunken night, first finding he paid for his last drinks at Frankies Pizza at 10.44pm. His ride share app showed he ordered a cab at 11.05pm and the receipt said he paid at his Bondi address at 11.36pm. 'I never ever take my debit card out of the house and only use ApplePay, except for when I was drunk recently and flagged a random taxi from home Hunter Street in the CBD,' he said. 'The driver said ApplePay doesn't work and asked me to run inside my apartment to pay with my actual card which I thought nothing off. 'Then he said contactless doesn't work, so I had to push my digits in which is when he would have skimmed my card and cloned the data. 'This is the smoking gun of the investigation! His little card machine didn't charge me, it just cloned my details.' Mr Fox took his theory to the police - along with the dodgy cab receipt. Mr Fox decided to stake out a Sydney tobacconist where his card was used and bought a siren in case he needed to chase the fraudster Inside the tobacconist, located in Sydney's inner west, Mr Fox asked to see the store's CCTV and was told they didn't have one 'I [told] them it had to be the driver, but they said they didn't want the receipt or want to look into the driver. 'Instead, they said they can't do much as the fraud occurred at shops out of my local station's area and they'd pass it over and someone might eventually head to the tobacconist. 'So I thought no worries, I'll go [there] myself.' Inside the tobacconist, located in Sydney's inner west, Mr Fox asked to see the store's CCTV and was told they didn't have one. They clearly did. He filmed his own video of the interaction in which he said the shop's CCTV camera was on the wall behind the assistant. 'He was rattled. When I then said I can see he has a camera behind him, he said he doesn't speak English.' He later staked out the tobacconist hoping to find the fraudster returning to make more dodgy transactions - and anticipating a chase, even bought his own siren. 'On the way there I fully expected I'm going to see him, I'm going to have to chase him, so I bought myself a siren,' he said. 'It's not a police siren, it's just a siren that sounds like the police. The bank where Mr Fox's ATM card was used to withdraw $300 in Sydney 'I'm not impersonating an officer. I'm just a man with a siren chasing a criminal, well, I wish I was chasing a criminal.' Back at home, Mr Fox shared a screenshot of his google search results, which said 'How to catch a criminal: making fools of fugitives.' 'I am not letting this go,' he said. His Instagram followers lapped up the drama. 'I'm calling Netflix. This needs to be a documentary,' one follower said on Mr Fox's Instagram. Several posted suggestions about where his investigation should go next. One wondered if his banking app contained 'useable info' on the taxi driver. Another suggested: 'Call the taxi company and threaten legal action. Demand to know the driver's details!' Mr Fox admitted 'I've got no idea which [taxi company] it was. Only details I have is the ABN of a company which is inactive [from the receipt].' 'Do your neighbours have CCTV to get the taxi plate licence?' They didn't. 'I'm trying to track down any footage of me getting into the taxi to get his license plate and proceed from there,' he said. Late on Wednesday Mr Fox posted another Instagram story indicating he was running out of steam. 'What's my next move people, I've hit a brick wall,' he said. That was followed by: 'It's almost 1am, I've had a few whiskies... I'm a bit drunk and delirious.' NSW Police confirmed it received reports of the fraudulent transactions and that 'an investigation has commenced with inquiries continuing'. Daily Mail Australia does not suggest that the tobacconist referred to is in any way involved in the scam. A Commonwealth Bank spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia: 'Where there is fraudulent activity, our process is to fully reimburse our customers as quickly as possible to minimise inconvenience.' 'Despite the commitment and best efforts of regulators, law enforcement agencies and the banking industry, such frauds and scams sadly still occur. 'Customers need to remain vigilant, protect their banking details and be smart about who they send money to.' A British travel blogger has fondly remembered her time at an Australian solar farm - but admitted the hefty pay packet she took home from the 'best job' she's ever had meant only having one day off a week and working 12 hour days. Paige Copeland, now 28, has spent the last four years travelling the world, spending 12 months backpacking in Australia between 2019 and 2020. One of her highlights from working Down Under was a five-month stint she spent earning $2,500 a week doing 12-hour shifts as a labourer at the Darlington Point solar farm just outside of Griffith, in the NSW Riverina region. Ms Copeland recently shared a video to TikTok of her working hard on the farm, admitting she often worked up to 72 hours a week with only one day off. 'For the money, I was working 12-hour days, six days on, one day off so you do work a lot of hours,' she said. 'But it is the best job I've ever had in my life, I swear to God.' Paige Copeland spent five months working as a labourer on a solar farm in regional NSW The British travel blogger described her stint on a solar farm as the best job's she ever had 'Some of my best times in Oz!' she captioned the video. Ms Copeland highly recommended the labouring job to other international backpackers looking to complete their working holiday visa. 'And the $2,500 a week was alright too,' she added. The video quickly went viral and was inundated with more than 500 comments. 'Looks like Im moving to Australia then,' one viewer commented. Other backpackers shared similar experiences. 'Any labourer job in construction in Oz was brilliant always $2000+ wages a week,' one person commented. Another commenter said they had also done the solar farm job and it was 'the best few months of my life'. Currently in Central America, Paige Copeland has looked back fondly on her time in Australia The interest in the clip prompted Ms Copeland to film a follow-up video to address the questions her viewers had. 'Getting into a solar farm can be hard but sometimes it's about who you know,' she explained. 'You just apply to be a labourer. You don't need any experience. I had no experience, apart from working in the construction industry as recruitment consultant. 'I had friends working on the farm and that's how I got into it. 'It's such good craic (a UK slang term for a good social time). The work is kind of hard because it's long but it's actually not physically draining.' Paige Copeland worked 12-hour shifts, six days a week at the Darlington Point solar farm She also confirmed the job counted towards the 88 days backpackers are requiring to work in a rural area to get a second year on their working holiday visa. Originally from Southampton in England's Hampshire region, Ms Copeland sold her car and quit her job in November 2018 to travel the world on a one-way ticket. She's been blogging and documenting her travels ever since and is currently in Guatemala in Central America. The clip comes as Australia faces up to soaring power prices as the country attempts to transition to renewable energy. The federal Budget predicted the cost of electricity would soar by up to 50% next year. This is the shocking moment an elderly woman in a care home in Kosovo was slapped repeatedly by a nurse. In the footage shared on social media, the worker at Orenda residence for the elderly, in Peje, holds the woman's hands and slaps her several times. There are two other women seen in the video and another is filming it - who is heard laughing loudly as her colleague assaults the elderly woman. The nurse is heard saying 'just a tiny slap, as I know, a tiny kick', according to Albanian Daily News. In the footage shared on social media, the worker at Orenda residence for the elderly, in Peje, holds the woman's hands and slaps her several times The elderly woman appears to be in severe distress as she is assaulted by the employee. Following the incident, the nurse and a housekeeper were arrested. The housekeeper was arrested for not reporting the assault to the police. In a statement, Kosovo Police said that based on the recording circulating social media, officers identified the location at around 2.10pm yesterday and arrested two suspects. The nurse is heard saying 'just a tiny slap, as I know, a tiny kick', according to Albanian Daily News There are two other women seen in the video and one filming it - who is heard laughing loudly as her colleague assaults the elderly woman They said: 'The suspects are being interviewed by the investigators of the police station in Peje and further actions will be taken in full coordination with the state prosecutor.' Reacting to the incident, Xhelal Svecla, the interior minister of Kosovo, said the actions were even more serious when they occur in an environment that should offer help and care. Mr Svecla called for all those involved to be brought to justice. North Korea added to its barrage of recent weapons tests on Thursday, firing at least three missiles including an intercontinental ballistic missile that forced the Japanese government to issue evacuation alerts and temporarily halt trains. The launches are the latest in a series of North Korean weapons tests in recent months that have raised tensions in the region. They came a day after Pyongyang fired more than 20 missiles, the most it has fired in a single day ever. South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected the North firing an ICBM from an area near its capital Pyongyang around 7:40 a.m. and then firing two short-range missiles an hour later from the nearby city of Kacheon that flew toward its eastern waters. The longer-range missile was fired on a high angle, apparently to avoid reaching the territory of neighbors, reaching a maximum altitude of 1,920 kilometers (1,193 miles) and traveling around 760 kilometers (472 miles), according to South Koreas military. It wasnt immediately clear whether the launch was successful. Japans Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada announced similar flight details but said that his military lost track of the weapon after it "disappeared" in skies above waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. The ICBM test was swiftly condemned by neighbors and the United States, which said its willing to take 'all necessary measures' to ensure the safety of the American homeland and allies South Korea and Japan. The Biden administration also warned of unspecified additional costs and consequences if the North goes on to detonate a nuclear test device for the first time since September 2017. A TV screen showing a news program reporting about North Korea's missile launch with file footage is seen at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022 North Korea continued its barrage of weapons tests on Thursday, firing at least three missiles including a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile that forced the Japanese government to issue evacuation alerts and temporarily halt trains A South Korean army soldier passes by a TV screen showing a file image of North Korea's missile launch during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2022 Choi Yong Soo, a South Korean Navy captain who handles public affairs for Seouls Defense Ministry, didnt answer directly when asked whether the military believes the launch might have failed with the missile exploding in midair, saying that the test was still being analyzed. Citing anonymous military sources, South Koreas Yonhap news agency reported that the missile possibly failed to maintain normal flight following a stage separation. The Japanese government initially feared that the ICBM would fly over its northern territory, but later revised its assessment, saying there were no overflies. The office of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida broadcast alerts through television, radio, mobile phones and public loudspeakers to residents in the northern prefectures of Miyagi, Yamagata and Niigata, instructing them to go inside firm buildings or underground. There have been no reports of damage or injuries from areas where the alerts were issued. Bullet train services in those regions were temporarily suspended following the missile alert before resuming shortly. Kishida condemned the North's launches and said officials were analyzing the details of the weapons. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks to media members at his official residence in Tokyo, Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022, following North Korea's weapons tests Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada speaks to media members at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo, Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022, following North Korea's weapons tests The office of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said his national security director Kim Sung-han discussed the launches during an emergency security meeting where members talked about plans to strength the countrys defense in conjunction with its alliance with the United States. The office said South Korea will maintain its combined military exercises with the United States in response to North Koreas intensifying testing activity, which it said would only deepen the Norths international isolation and unleash further economic shock on its people. One of the more than 20 missiles North Korea shot on Wednesday flew in the direction of a populated South Korean island and landed near the rivals tense sea border, triggering air raid sirens and forcing residents on Ulleung island to evacuate. South Korea quickly responded by launching its own missiles in the same border area. Those launches came hours after North Korea threatened to use nuclear weapons to get the U.S. and South Korea to "pay the most horrible price in history" in protest of ongoing South Korean-U.S. military drills that it views as a rehearsal for a potential invasion. North Korea has been ramping up its weapons demonstrations to a record pace this year. It has fired dozens of missiles, including its first demonstration of intercontinental ballistic missiles since 2017, as it exploits the distraction created by Russias war in Ukraine and a pause in diplomacy to push forward arms development and dial up pressure on the United States and its Asian allies. The North has punctuated its tests with an escalatory nuclear doctrine that authorizes preemptive nuclear attacks over a variety of loosely defined crisis situations. U.S. and South Korean officials say North Korea may up the ante in the coming weeks with its first detonation of a nuclear test device since September 2017. A TV screen showing a news program reporting about North Korea's missile launch with file footage is seen at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022 A TV screen showing a news program reporting about North Korea's missile launch with file footage of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is seen at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022 Thursday's launches came a day after Pyongyang fired more than 20 missiles, the most it has fired in a single day ever. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a telephone call with South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin over Wednesdays missile launches, including the one that "recklessly and dangerously" landed near the South Korean coastline, and stressed the "ironclad" U.S. commitment to the security of its ally, according to their offices. State Department spokesperson Ned Price also addressed concerns about possible North Korean preparations for another nuclear test, which would be its seventh overall. Experts say such tests could possibly bring North Korea a step closer to its goal of building a full-fledged arsenal threatening regional U.S. allies and the American mainland. "Should it go forward with a seventh nuclear test there would be additional costs and consequences," Price said, noting that the test would be a "dangerous, reckless, destabilizing act." North Korea last flew a missile over Japan in October in what it described as a test of a new intermediate range ballistic missile, which experts say potentially would be capable of reaching Guam, a major U.S. military hub in the Pacific. That launch forced the Japanese government to issue evacuation alerts and pause train services. Experts say North Korea is escalating a brinkmanship aimed at forcing the United States to accept the idea of the North as a nuclear power and negotiating economic and security concessions from a position of strength. Nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang have been stalled since early 2019 over disagreements in exchanging the release of crippling U.S.-led sanctions against the North and the Norths denuclearization steps. The North has so far ignored the Biden administrations calls for open-ended talks, insisting that Washington should first discard its "hostile" policy, a term North Korea mainly uses to describe sanctions and combined U.S.-South Korea military exercises. White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby on Wednesday underscored that the Biden administration has repeatedly sought to reach out to North Korean officials through diplomatic channels and has made clear "were willing to sit down with North Korea without precondition to discuss the denuclearization of the peninsula." __ Yamaguchi reported from Tokyo. AP writer Ellen Knickmeyer contributed to the story from Washington. Another of TV star Danny Masterson's accusers tearfully told jurors Wednesday how he raped her in the shower at his home, then - despite her pleadings for him to stop - raped her again on his bed, 'pounding from behind like a jackhammer.' 'It was rape - and he was like a predator,' Jane Doe 2 said of the Scientologist actor, adding that he targeted her 'like a piece of meat.' Masterson, 46 - who has been free on $3.3 million bail since his arrest in June 2020 - has pleaded not guilty to raping three women at his Hollywood Hills home between 2001 and 2003. He is facing a sentence of 45 years to life in prison if he's convicted at the end of his trial where Elvis Presley's daughter, ex-Scientologist Lisa Marie Presley, is on the witness list. His accusers - whom DailyMail.com is identifying only as Jane Does 1 through 3 - are all former Scientologists and are also suing him and the Church of Scientology in civil court, claiming that they've been harassed and intimidated since reporting him to police. Actor Danny Masterson is seen on Wednesday arriving in court for his rape trial in Los Angeles. He is pictured with his wife Bijou Phillips Masterson, 46, was arrested in June 2020 and has pleaded not guilty to the rape charges Masterson and Phillips, both Scientologists, have been married since October 2011 and are parents to an eight-year-old daughter, Fianna Francis Masterson - who starred on TV's That '70s Show - showed up Wednesday at the criminal court in downtown Los Angeles in a navy blue blazer, gray pants and grey shirt and tie. Jane Doe 2 - the third of his three accusers to testify against him at his trial - told the court that when she was around 22 or 23 , she would often hang out with a crowd of young Scientologists that included Masterson. One night between October and December 2003 at a Hollywood bar called The Wall, she was with two other friends and Masterson who started 'staring at me in such a laser-focused way, like he was boring a hole in my head,' she said. 'It was very intimidating.' Despite feeling anxiety, she was 'a little flattered' by his attention and gave him her cell phone number when he asked for it, the court heard. Masterson texted her a day or two later, she told the court. 'He was very aggressive. He started commanding and demanding that I come over right now and saying 'bring a bathing suit, you're going in my pool and my Jacuzzilike I was some floozie or something. 'It was obnoxious. I was like, ask me on a date why don't you.' Jane Doe 2 is seen in court on Wednesday, testifying that Masterson raped her in 2003 All the alleged rapes are said to have taken place in Masterson's $6.2 million mansion in the Hollywood Hills Jane Doe 2 said that a close friend of hers had told her 'Danny really likes you' so, in spite of her misgivings, she agreed to walk to Masterson's home which was close by. But, she told the court, 'I set conditions - I thought I could probably control the situation. 'I told him I'm not going in your pool, I'm not going in your Jacuzzi, I'm not putting on a bikini, I'm not taking off my clothes. I told him we could talk, have a glass of wine, then I'd go home.' When she got to his house, she went on, 'He handed me a glass of red wine right away. He was staring at me and he said, 'Drink it now.' She asked him for a tour of his house and he said no, she said. 'He just told me 'Just drink that, finish the wine, just drink it.'' They moved out to his yard where the pool and Jacuzzi are, she said, and Masterson 'ordered me to 'take off your clothes right now. You're going in the Jacuzzi. If you don't take off your clothes, I will.' He was like a drill sergeant. She told jurors that 'I think (Masterson) started to take off my clothes' and at that point she 'started to feel very heavy in my body. Thinks became much more fuzzy.It was like a numbness, very intense - like being drunk.' She told the Deputy District Attorney that she had 'never' had a reaction like that before to red wine. She and Masterson ended up in the Jacuzzi. 'I can't remember how I got in there,' she said. 'I remember us kissing heavily, groping.fingering. 'But I was trying to keep it from escalating. I did not want to have sex, intercourse. I did not want to be in the Jacuzzi. I did not want him touching my vagina. 'As this escalated I said, 'We cannot have sex, Danny.' I was trying to control the situation.' When she got out of the Jacuzzi, she said, 'Masterson ordered me to 'go get in my shower right now.' I obeyed because he was so commanding.' She went upstairs and got in the shower where Masterson joined her, she told the court. Jane Doe 3 gave a graphic and detailed account of her allegations in court on Wednesday 'I was against the wall and he was kissing me very intensely. I think he started to finger me. I said, 'No, no.' 'All of a sudden he went inside me, my vagina, with his penis. And I freaked out. I felt, 'What the f-!.' 'I told him, 'What are you doing? I told you no.' 'I had told him earlier that there would be absolutely no intercourse. One hundred per cent, I was not ok with anything more than kissing.' She said that after the shower, he commanded her to 'Get on my bed.' 'I was at the point where I was obeying him,' said Jane Doe 2, who estimated that she was about 122 pounds and 5ft 8in at the time of the encounter. 'He had just raped me in the shower. I did not know what to do other than obeying him now.' She told the jury that on the bed, she 'pleaded' with Masterson. 'I said, 'Please Danny, we cannot have sex. Will you promise me?' And he said 'OK, OK.' 'I was pleading with, saying Danny we can't have sex and then he said, 'That's it.' And he flipped me over on the bed and started pounding me from behind, really hard. 'He was standing, holding my hips from behind thrusting fast and hard. He was penetrating my vagina. 'I was shocked. I told him, 'I told you not to do that. What are you doing?' 'I looked around behind me and I could see he didn't have a condom on. I said, 'If you're not going to listen to me, at least put a condom on.' 'I think he might have put a condom on - I'm not sure. He just kept pounding and pounding so hard it hurt. 'It felt like he was hitting my cervix..It was like a jackhammer.' Masterson looks on as Jane Doe 3 testifies against him in court on Wednesday She said Masterson flipped her on her back and started having sex with her again. 'I was feeling awful, out of it, scared, in pain,' she told the court. 'Like a rag doll, not totally in charge of myself. Just limp, spent, exhausted.' Jane Doe 2 added that Masterson ejaculated on her stomach and said to her, 'Wait there, I'll get a hot, wet towel for you.' 'Like now he was trying to be a gentleman. He went to get the towel and wiped it off.' Jane Doe 2 - an actress who starred on a network TV sitcom in 2000 - told the court that after the sex encounter with Masterson, she didn't want to believe that she had been raped. 'I was confused, overwhelmed,' she said. 'I was trying to arrange it so it would not be violent in my head. I did not want it to be rape for so many reasons. 'We (Masterson and her) were in the same church. I did not want to think of somebody in the church who I was friendly with as a rapist. 'Emotionally, at that time I could not process a rape. I could not think of him that way. In the church (of Scientology), he was considered more important than me.' Asked by Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller: 'Do you feel differently about it today?' Jane Doe 2 answered: 'Absolutely. It was rape and he was like a predator.' She added that Masterson targeted her 'like a piece of meat.' Under questioning from Mueller, Jane Doe 2 admitted that when she spoke to her mother a few days later about the the Masterson sex incident, she did not tell her she had been raped. 'I could not say that to my mom,' she told the court. 'I told her he was very rough with me.' She also told the jury that she didn't report the alleged rape to the Church of Scientology because of an experience she had the year before when, she claimed, she was raped by a different man who was also a church member. In that earlier case, 'I said I felt that this was rape and the (Scientology) chaplain showed me policy that it was not allowed under any circumstances to accuse, think about or report it to law enforcement.' She said she understood at if she did report the alleged rape to police, 'I would be excommunicated, lose my standing in the community and my friends and declared a suppressive person and evil.' It wasn't until January 2017 that Jane Doe 2 finally went to Los Angeles Police Department to report the alleged 2003 rape by Masterson. Asked by Mueller if she had been subject to harassment, stalking and intimidation since turning in Masterson to the cops, she responded: 'Yes, for six years, constant. It began when I reported my rape to law enforcement.' She criticized Detective Esther Reyes, the officer assigned to the cases of Masterson's three accusers, saying she was doing 'shoddy, suspicious things'. 'I felt we (she and the other two alleged victims) were in danger. She (Det. Reyes) was not professional. She was not interviewing other witnesses.' It was her mistrust of the 'corruption' in the investigation, she told the court, that made her ignore Reyes' instruction not to talk to the other alleged victims, Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 3, or witnesses. Explaining to the court that 'cross pollination' - or sharing of the stories of different victims - could compromise an investigation, Masterson's attorney Philip Cohen asked Jane Doe 2: 'Did you follow Detective Reyes' instructions?' 'No,' she replied. 'Did you tell Detective Reyes it was your right to speak with whoever you wanted to speak with?' asked Cohen. 'I did,' she answered. Asked by Cohen if she, Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 3 had 'flooded each other' with information about their cases, she responded: 'I don't know.' And when he asked her if the three were seeking money in their clivil lawsuit against Masterson and the Church of Scientology, she said: 'I don't know yet.' Challenging Jane Doe 2's version of what happened the night of the alleged rape at Masterson's house in late 2003, she admitted that earlier in the evening she was attracted to his confidence and that fact that he 'had his s*** together.' She said she 'could have had something romantic' in mind when she first agreed to go to his house and that she was 'ok' with flirting, even kissing, between the two of them. When Cohen suggested it was possible she may have had more than one glass of wine that night, she said: 'I don't know.' And when he asked her if it was possible that she may have started undressing herself before getting in the Jacuzzi, she said: 'I suppose it's possible. I was out of it.' Cohen suggested she had 'voluntarily' gone upstairs to the shower. 'I obeyed him (Masterson),' she fired back. She admitted Cohen's assertion that on the bed they 'continued to fool around.' But when he went on to ask her if she was 'getting into it,' she retorted: 'He was getting heavy and intense - I was trying to manage it.' John Major won't thank Channel 5 for reminding viewers of his four-year affair with Edwina Currie. In a forthcoming documentary entitled Yes, Yes, Yes, Prime Minister he is accused of hypocrisy over his 1993 'back to basics' speech five years after his infidelity. But odium is reserved for Currie by ex-MP Ann Widdecombe, who describes her 2002 disclosure of the liaison as 'yuk, yuk', accusing her of betrayal. 'I still am shocked by people who betray others years down the line,' she barks. Currie famously praised Major's gentlemanly behaviour, sitting at the tap end during romantic shared baths. Could the plight of Kuti Miah, owner of the Southampton waterfront Indian brasserie where the teenage Rishi waited tables, be a grim omen for the PM? Kuti, who describes Sunak as 'very talented, very nice and very human', may have to close. 'All the electricity has gone up, gas has gone up, we cannot pass it on to our customers,' he says. 'In 42 years this is the hardest time I am going through ever.' What will Rishi do if Liz says she would prefer the red benches to the green after her blink-and-you-miss-it Downing Street stint? No ex-prime minister has sat in the Lords since Margaret Thatcher. Edward Heath and Winston Churchill declined the honour. Only seven of the late Queen's 15 prime ministers were raised to the peerage. Baroness Truss of Kamikaze may have to wait a while. Bewigged Tory backbencher Michael Fabricant proudly announces he turned down three lucrative offers from ITV to appear on I'm A Celebrity... adding: 'They did say to me, 'You could just do the programme for a week... go on and be obnoxious on the first programme and you'll be voted off straight away'.' How many bad hair days could Michael survive in the jungle? Gabby Logan, packing her factor 50 sunscreen for Qatar, admits to a sturdy constitution, describing an outing with her pets: 'I was hungry. I'd just been for a facial, and the shop next door was a luxury pet shop in Chelsea. They had these biscuits I bought for my dogs. But I got caught in traffic on the way home. So I thought, I'm going to have a biscuit. And then I had six.' Qatar's exotic dishes of machboos and saloona will hold no challenges for Gabby, pictured. Author Kate Mosse, celebrating forgotten achievements of women in history, tells the Petworth Literary Festival that a plaque at Bristol Cathedral marking the first ordination of women priests in 1994 had to be replaced when it was observed that it named the men who did the ordaining but not any of the women. To rub it in, the trailblazing priests had each been asked to contribute 15 towards it. When Emma Manners met her future husband David he presented her with a card embossed with 'Marquess of Granby'. 'I thought he might own a pub,' she recalls. Now she's the Duchess of Rutland living in Belvoir Castle. Fancy! Tens of thousands more people are now living at home with their parents than a decade ago, the census reveals. Detailed analysis shows there are now 1.39million households in England and Wales made up of married couples with sons or daughters aged over 18, up from 1.31million in 2011. And there are another 180,000 families made up of unmarried couples with so-called non-dependent children, up 56 per cent from the 115,000 recorded at the previous census. Detailed analysis shows there are now 1.39million households in England and Wales made up of married couples with sons or daughters aged over 18, up from 1.31million in 2011 (file photo) The Office for National Statistics said this represented the greatest increase among single family households. Overall there are now 24.8million households nationwide, up 6.1 per cent in a decade, most of them home to a family but 7.5million containing just one person. The proportion of adults who are married or in civil partnerships has fallen slightly to 44.6 per cent in 2021, while 37.9 per cent have always been single. And there are another 180,000 families made up of unmarried couples with so-called non-dependent children, up 56 per cent from the 115,000 recorded at the previous census (file photo) Census figures also disclose that the population is ageing with the median age now 40 across the country, up from 39 a decade ago. In North Norfolk the average resident was 54 while in Tower Hamlets, east London, they were 30. Nottingham, Cambridge, Oxford and Manchester all had average ages of 31 thanks to their student populations. Truck was carrying a load of ammonium nitrate emulsion, used in mining A road train carrying tonnes of mining blasting material caught fire and exploded, sending a mushroom cloud of hazardous smoke into the sky. One of the vehicle's wheels caught fire near Cosmo Newbury - about 1,000km east of Perth in the remote West Australian Goldfields region - with the truck driver frantically decoupling his truck from the load. The driver managed to get a safe distance away before his ammonium nitrate emulsion cargo exploded. The blast - which occurred about 12pm on October 24 - was so big it left a 1.5m deep crater in the middle of the road. The truck exploded, sending a mushroom cloud (pictured) of hazardous smoke into the sky and leading police to call a 2km exclusion zone Burning debris from the explosion started several small spot fires in the surrounding bushland, the ABC reported. The explosion was so loud, it was heard and felt far into the distance. An investigation is now underway. A contractor at the Gruyere gold mining operation - which was where the truck was headed - said the blast was felt by workers there. 'The blast shock wave was felt throughout the mine site buildings 40 kilometres away,' the man, who did not want to be named, told ABC. 'They ran out to see what went wrong and saw a huge white smoke ammonium cloud up in the air.' Gruyere mine's emergency response team and local police attended the scene. The police were able to set up a two-kilometre exclusion zone around the trailer before it exploded. A Western Australia Department of Fire and Emergency officers arrived at the scene shortly after the blast. Road crater: The truck was scuttled by its driver after one of the wheels caught fire near Cosmo Newbury, about 1,000 kilometres east of Perth An inspection was carried out after the explosion to determine if the area was safe before the incident was taken over by the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (DMIRS). Samples were collected for analysis to help identify the cause of the explosion. 'While dangerous goods are transported on WA's roads daily, the storage, movement and handling of these goods is strictly controlled,' said Steve Emery, a director at DMIRS. The blast - which occurred about 12pm on October 24 - was so big it left a 1.5m deep crater (pictured) in the middle of the road The blast near Cosmo Newbury is, however, follows other resource-related accidents being investigated, after two people died in WA mines within three days last month. Laverton Shire president Pat Hill said it was very fortunate that no one was injured in the October 24 explosion. 'It's lucky it happened out there where no one was around, not driving through a town like Laverton, Kalgoorlie or Coolgardie,' he said. A report on the ammonium nitrate emulsion blast is expected in the coming days. Popular social media user Annie Knight shared footage from the party to TikTok It had expensive decor, two bars, dance floor, DJ, makeup room and was catered A lavish Halloween party was held at one of Australia's most pricey properties A young millionaire has held an epic Halloween party at their $88million mansion - one of the most expensive properties in Australia. The extravagant party, located at a property in the upmarket Melbourne suburb of Toorak, had more than 400 people in attendance. Social media influencer and Onlyfans user Annie Knight gave a brief tour of the event in a video she uploaded to her popular TikTok account. The party featured extensive Halloween-inspired decor and neon lights, a dance floor, DJ, a performance from an 'international guest', two bars with signature cocktails, catering, a make-up room with professional artists and photo booth. Popular social media user Annie Knight (pictured right) attended an extravagant Halloween party held at an $88million mansion The wild event was held at a mansion in the ritzy Melbourne of Toorak. The property is one of the most expensive in the country Annie began the video by showing off her and her girlfriend's costumes as they posed for the camera. 'This is what a Halloween party at the most expensive house in Melbourne looks like,' she said. She described the event as 'insane' as she showed footage of the front of the mansion, which was covered in smoke and multiple red neon crosses. 'There was people dressed up as zombies and werewolves when we walked in to scare us, and the house was decorated like crazy,' Annie continued. The popular social media user then cut the footage to the lively dance floor with attendees in their costumes before showing one of the cocktail bars. 'The party featured a full-sized dance floor, a DJ, cocktails by Nick and Norah, it was also catered by Yakimono, and there were five professional make-up artists who could do your makeup for you,' she said. The front of the property was shrouded in smoke and featured numerous red neon crosses Annie said there were people 'dressed up as zombies and werewolves' out the front who were hired to scare people The party featured extensive halloween-inspired decor, a full-sized dance floor (pictured), DJ, performance from an 'international guest', catering and two bars with signature cocktails 'There was so many fun, different little rooms. There was a poker table, a photo booth, two separate bars. All the girls loved the make-up room.' The TikToker complimented the work of the makeup artists at the party as she screened footage from the makeup room. Annie also praised the 'portaloos' which she said were 'crazy' and 'better than my bathroom at home'. She explained that property owner, who she said was 26-years-old, was planning to knock down the mansion and rebuild soon. There were more than 400 people who attended the party dressed in a variety of costumes There was a makeup room (pictured) where five professional artists were hired to do people's makeup This file photo, released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency, shows an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) being launched from North Korea's Pyongyang International Airport on March 24. Yonhap Department of State spokesperson Ned Price also called on all countries to fully implement U.N. Security Council sanctions on North Korea. "The United States condemns the DPRK's intercontinental ballistic missile launch," the spokesperson said in a released statement, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "This launch is a clear violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions and demonstrates the threat the DPRK's unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs pose to its neighbors, the region, international peace and security, and the global non-proliferation regime," he added. The rare statement from the State Department spokesperson came after North Korea test-fired an ICBM early Thursday (Seoul time), marking its seventh ICBM launch this year and first since May. North Korea fired more than 20 short-range missiles the day before, one of which landed in waters south of the de facto maritime border with South Korea, known as the Northern Limit Line. "This action underscores the need for all countries to fully implement DPRK related U.N. Security Council resolutions, which are intended to prohibit the DPRK from acquiring the technologies and materials needed to carry out these destabilizing tests," Price said. Elon Musk's Twitter revamp is set to kick off tomorrow, with the billionaire expected to cut half of all Twitter jobs on Friday and introduce a controversial $8-a-month blue check-mark charge for verified users by Monday. Musk, 51, wavered throughout his attempt to buy Twitter on how many positions he would eliminate, originally saying as many as 75 percent of the company's 7,500 workers (5,625) would be cut, before some reports suggested it would actually be 25 percent (which would amount to 1,875). The 3,700 cuts now being touted would amount to about half the staff, and would see them follow out five high-level executives who have resigned in the past week. Since acquiring the San Francisco-based social media company for $44 billion, Musk, 51, has been looking for ways to drive down costs and increase revenue. Another idea he has pitched is a charge for a blue tick - the mark used to identify verified users - claiming the move will end the current 'lords and peasants' system. The 'badges' could go live as soon as Monday, Bloomberg reported, with current blue check holders receiving a 'grace period' of multiple months before being forced to either pay or lose the badge, which is as a verification mark for high-profile users. Musk's touted move has been criticised by some, who say key users of the platform create the content that gives it value. Others have said previous attempts by companies to monetise something previously free have seldom been successful. What are Musk's plans for Twitter? Here are five things the world's richest man has touted to bring down costs, raise revenue, and bring it more in-line with his vision: Begin charging users $8-per-month to have a blue tick next to their username Cut around 3,700 jobs - half of Twitter's staff End Twitter's 'work from anywhere' policy, introduced earlier this year Makes changes to Twitter's moderation policy to promote 'free speech' and reduce what Musk sees as overzealous suspensions and bans Introduce a new paid video feature, that has been likened to OnlyFans Elon Musk's plans for Twitter are coming into view, with the billionaire set to slash 3,700 jobs by the end of this week and starting to sell subscription blue checks for $8 a month to start next week Musk, 51, has been pitching his idea for a blue check fee since he bought the company, claiming it will end the current 'lords and peasants' system on the social media platform In addition, by the end of this week, Musk plans to eliminate about 3,700 employees and end Twitter's 'work from anywhere' policy in an attempt to drive down costs According to Bloomberg's sources, Musk and his advisers have been deliberating between a variety of scenarios for job cuts and other policy changes. The sources said Musk is planning on notifying affected staff members of job losses on Friday, and will ask all employees to work from Twitter's offices. One scenario being considered will see workers being offers 60 days' severance pay, two of the sources told the news outlet. Ever since Musk looked likely to completed his $54.20 a share purchase, Twitter's employees have been bracing themselves for sweeping layoffs. Musk cleaned house and axed some of the senior staff on Thursday evening, including CEO Parag Agrawal. Other members of staff chose to leave Twitter HQ after the dismissals. Musk has also dissolved Twitter's board. The billionaire will take the interim CEO position for himself, and named himself as the 'Chief Twit' in his bio on the social platform he now owns. Bloomberg reported that senior personnel on Twitter product teams were told to target a reduction of 50 percent in headcount - with a layoff list drawn up based on how much code individual employees had produced in the last month. Another change Musk is looking to make is to start charging $8-per-month to users wanting to dosplay the verified check mark. He originally suggested $20 a month for verification but appeared to lower the cost after an exchange earlier this week with horror writer Stephen King, where he offered him a discount. The billionaire is looking to make good on his promise to make the social media platform turn a profit by introducing a charge for Twitter users wanting to keep their verification badge. Musk suggested publishers who are 'willing to work' with Twitter will get a 'paywall bypass' and social media stars will also be getting a secondary heading like politicians. Content creators will also get rewarded through a revenue stream. 'You get what you pay for,' the father-of-eight tweeted on Wednesday. He also celebrated 'being attacked by both the right and left simultaneously,' calling it a 'good sign.' But in a sign that the price might not be a done deal, Musk responded to a tweet from the author of The Shining complaining about the new charge. '$20 a month to keep my blue check? F*** that, they should pay me,' wrote King, who has 6.9 million followers. 'If that gets instituted, I'm gone like Enron.' But Musk, noticing the author's complaints, seemed to be in the mood to haggle. Author Stephen King, who wrote The Shining, said he will leave the platform if Musk introduces a blue-tick verification charge 'We need to pay the bills somehow! Twitter cannot rely entirely on advertisers. How about $8?' he replied. It wasn't immediately clear whether the discount would apply only to King or to the wider Twitter user base as well, but the comments suggested the $20 figure was not exactly set in stone. Musk went on to say that he will 'explain the rationale in longer form' before the charge is implemented, but added that it is 'the only way to defeat the bots & trolls'. When users replied to say King could more than afford the fee, he replied: 'It ain't the money, it's the principle of the thing.' The author, who has previously said he 'admires Elon Musk', hasn't yet responded to the chief executive directly. But many of his fans rushed in to comment in his stead. '44 Billion to buy the place and his new revenue stream is to push a tin cup at Stephen King,' said one Twitter user. 'It's nice of you to give Stephen King who is worth $500M a $12/mo discount,' said another. 'He's not leaving. They all threaten but they need this platform,' said a third user. Actress, writer and comedian Kathy Burke also said she wouldn't pay if a charge is introduced tot he platform Searches for 'How to delete Twitter' have surged by 500% in the past week Google search engine data suggests Twitter users really are leaving the platform in their droves now Elon Musk is the new owner. Experts at security firm VPNOverview have used Google Trends to establish search increases over the past week since Musk's $44 billion (38 billion) takeover. Globally, searches for 'How to delete Twitter' surged by 500 per cent in the past week, from October 24 to October 31, the firm found. Searches for 'boycott Twitter' are also up 4,800 per cent in the last seven days, from October 26 to November 2. It's already known many Twitter users are losing followers due to accounts disappearing, likely due to deletion. Deleting a Twitter account is actually a 'straightforward and easy process' that can be completed in a few steps, VPNOverview says, although users wanting to 'disengage' from the site should not feel compelled to do so. Naj Ahmed, a privacy expert at VPNOverview, said it's 'unlikely' that there will be immediate wholesale changes at Twitter and that the takeover 'doesn't mean a whole lot right away'. 'Twitter's not trying to revolutionise the way people communicate, or disrupt an existing industry, unlike most of Mr Musk's existing companies,' Ahmed said. 'This is quite different from most of Mr Musk's portfolio, as it's one of the few times that he's bought an established company that isn't trying to push the boundaries of what's possible.' By Jonathan Chadwick For Mailonline Advertisement King isn't the only blue-tick Twitter user to threaten to abandon their check marks if a charge is introduced to the platform. Actress, writer and comedian Kathy Burke also said she wouldn't pay. 'Musk can f*** off with his idea of charging blue-tickers. I give my all to this hell site for FREE. Cheeky b**** should be paying ME. Don't need the poxy thing anyway.' Celebrities who have threatened to boycott the site include TV screenwriter Shonda Rhimes, actor Mia Farrow, as well as Madam Secretary star Tea Leoni, She Hulk actor Jameela Jamil, as well as authors and activists Shaun King and Amy Siskind. George Takei, who played Hikaru Sulu on Star Trek, also said he would consider heading for the digital door. Entrepreneur Jason Calacanis posted a poll on Monday asking people if they would pay $5, $10 or $15 a month, or nothing for verification. Around 81 per cent said they wouldn't pay, as of the time of writing. 'Interesting,' said Musk in response to the poll. There are roughly 400,000 verified users on Twitter. Should all users currently with a blue tick decide to pay the $8-a-month fee, Twitter would rake in $3.2 million per month, and $38.4 million each year - which is unlikely to cover the costs incurred from Musk's $44 billion acquisition. Another prominent Twitter user, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), called out Musk for trying to sell 'free speech' with the blue check charge - leading Musk to retort: 'Your feedback is appreciated, now pay $8.' AOC, 33, isn't shy when it comes to making her opinions known on SpaceX founder, and on Tuesday evening she called out Musk over the proposal. 'Lmao at a billionaire earnestly trying to sell people on the idea that "free speech" is actually an $8/[month] subscription plan,' she wrote. A blue tick badge allows other Twitter users to verify that other users are who they say they are. The feature has always been free since Twitter's inception, but since Musk first promised to buy Twitter, the world's wealthiest man has made it clear he planned to shake things up at the social media giant. The price will cover unspecified features which have not yet been revealed. Elon Musk is pictured speaking with employees at Twitter HQ. The CEO allegedly issued an ultimatum to the platform's engineers, telling them to revamp the platform in two week A blue tick badge allows other Twitter users to verify that other users are who they say they are. The feature has always been free since Twitter's inception, but Musk is promising to shake up the company's operations The exchange comes after the new Twitter boss allegedly issued an ultimatum to the platform's engineers, telling them to revamp Twitter's verification system in less than a fortnight or face the sack. Employees were only told of the project on October 30, and have until November 7 to deliver. Since Elon's take over, the social media site has limited some content moderation tools - just before the midterm election. It may hamper staff's ability to stop misinformation, as they will not be able to manually change or punish accounts. The change is the latest implemented by Musk and comes after he made significant staff cuts and fired the Twitter board, making himself the sole member. The architect of the Governments flagship social care cap yesterday warned ministers it would be cruel and just wrong to delay its implementation. The Daily Mail revealed yesterday that Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and Health Secretary Steve Barclay have agreed to postpone the cap for at least one year in order to save money. This means it is unlikely to be introduced before October 2024, and may not come into force until after the next election raising questions about if it will ever happen. Economist Sir Andrew Dilnot, who devised the blueprint for the care cap, said it would be completely unacceptable to delay the plan. The architect of the Governments flagship social care cap, Sir Andrew Dilmot (pictured) yesterday warned ministers it would be cruel and just wrong to delay its implementation He told Radio 4s World At One: To let some of the most needy and vulnerable people in our society down again seems to me would be a terrible, terrible thing to do. 'It will be a breach of the manifesto. The social care cap is designed to limit the amount anyone will have to pay for care in later life to 86,000. Delaying it for a year would save the Treasury 1billion. Council chiefs have urged the Government to delay the plans, saying that the cash-strapped social care system cannot cope with additional burdens. Sir Andrew said families were already budgeting for the introduction of the cap next October, and warned it would be cruel and just wrong to remove that certainty. The Daily Mail revealed yesterday that Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and Health Secretary Steve Barclay have agreed to postpone the cap for at least one year in order to save money He accused ministers of kite-flying ahead of the Budget on 17 November and urged people to lobby the Government to back down. Martin Tett, of the County Councils Network, said the adult social care system was creaking at the seams and already facing a 3 billion black hole. He said council chiefs broadly support the introduction of the cap but want it delayed for at least a year. Mr Tett, Tory leader of Buckinghamshire County Council, said: The Government deserves credit for grasping the nettle but these proposals will add to the cost and they will need additional staff who simply dont exist. GPs are calling for their hours to be slashed to 9 to 5, claiming longer days discriminate against medics who want a family life. The family doctors, who earn an average of 111,900 a year, say it is unfair to expect them to start earlier or finish later than 'most other jobs'. Representatives will vote on the proposals at the annual conference of England's local medical committees this month and could lobby NHS England for the changes if passed. Current core opening hours are 8am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday. The GPs say other doctors would provide out of hours cover. The motion will be voted on by elected GPs at the annual conference of England's local medical committees (LMCs). Official figures show GPs' average pay spiked during the pandemic shooting up about 10,000 to almost 112,000 in the latest reporting period Two-thirds of appointments with family doctors in England last month were in-person, according to the latest data from NHS Digital. The 66.1 per cent figure is still well below the 80 per cent average before the pandemic struck. However, it is the highest rate since March 2020, when the UK was plunged into its first national lockdown as the coronavirus swept across the country Some 48.5 per cent of appointments in August were with family doctors, while the same proportion were with other practice staff, such as nurses. The mode was not logged for three per cent of consultations The family doctors, who earn an average of 111,900 a year, say it is unfair to expect them to start earlier or finish later than 'most other jobs' NHS wants ANOTHER 7billion for budget Bosses of the ailing NHS want billions more cash to keep key services running this winter as Rishi Sunak rules out cutting its budget as part of the public spending squeeze. The 152billion-per-year health service is seeking an extra 7billion this year the equivalent of an extra five per cent of its budget to counter the effects of sky-high inflation , pay rises and Covid costs. Finance chiefs have warned that vital cancer, mental health and GP services face being axed unless the Treasury stumps up the cash. Rishi Sunak's Government this week confirmed the NHS will not fall victim to funding cuts, set to be detailed in a fortnight. But the health service, described by campaigners as being a 'blackhole of taxpayer cash', will have to overhaul its spending and operate more efficiently in return for having its cash protected, Whitehall insiders claim. Advertisement The statutory body is recognised as the professional organisation representing individual GPs and GP practices as a whole. Its opinion helps shape British Medical Association policy and negotiations with NHS England regarding GP contracts, with a new contract due in April 2024. A motion submitted to conference by Gateshead and Tyneside LMC describes core hours as a 'relic of history'. It calls on delegates to note 'they total 52.5 hours per week, starting earlier and finishing later than most other jobs, including childcare'. It adds: 'They indirectly discriminate against GPs who wish to have families. 'Due to the still-patriarchal nature of English society, this is discrimination that mostly affects female GPs.' The motion, first revealed by GP magazine Pulse, calls for the hours to be cut to 9am to 5pm, but with practices to start earlier or finish later on 'some days in order to meet local need and practice ability to staff this'. Surgeries are generally expected to offer a comprehensive service between core hours, although there is some degree of flexibility to account for local demand. Some also take extra NHS funding to offer extended services, with earlier opening times and later closing times. A UK-wide conference of GPs voted against cutting core hours in March this year, with delegates arguing it should be a matter for individual nations. It comes after data earlier this year showed that more than half of family doctors worked for six sessions or fewer each week in 2021, with each session being four hours and 10 minutes. On average, doctors worked 6.3 sessions per week lower than the 2019 average of 6.6 sessions, according to the University of Manchester team. And the average time spent at work per week fell to an all-time low of 38.4 hours. GPs dismiss claims that they are working part-time hours, arguing their hours extend well beyond their sessions, and those working less sessions often devote their remaining hours to other parts of the NHS. School leavers have been given a chance to take home 'six-figure salaries' down the track, as a top professional services firm scouts for new talent. Graduates can take on a three-year pilot traineeship at KPMG Australia next year, without first having gone to university. The rapid growth of the tech sector combined with a reduced number of migrants to Australia who previously filled such roles sparked an employee drought as the firm found it tough to fill graduate positions. The rapid growth of the tech sector and lack of immigrants largely used to fill the roles have sparked a drought in technology graduates for the company KPMG's head of technology consulting Richard Marrison told 7News the pandemic 'cut off' the steady stream of immigrants coming into the labour market. So the advisory firm went to the schools of Western Sydney to hunt for potential recruits this year, handpicking 11 high school graduates to enter the program. The region has a lower prevalence of school leavers who take up university studies. In some schools their access to laptops was restricted. 'We thought, well, there's probably a large number of really smart young people but, for whatever reason, and it may be social, cultural, economic reasons, (they) choose not to go to university,' Mr Marrison said. 'But they're still smart kids that could work in our industry.' The job program has been successful with all the high school recruits passing their TAFE studies in the first year, with no drop outs The recruits hired last year went to TAFE one-day a week and spent the rest of the time working across KPMG's sectors, including data analytics, cyber work and software implementation The recruits hired last year went to TAFE one day a week and spent the rest of the time working across KPMG's sectors, including data analytics, cyber work and software implementation. The job program has been successful with all students passing their TAFE studies in the first year, with no drop outs. Mr Marrison said the engagement and enthusiasm had been very high, with great feedback from both sides. KPMG plan to increase graduate numbers in Sydney for next year and expand the program to other offices in the country. KPMG's head of technology consulting Richard Marrison (pictured) said the engagement and enthusiasm had been very high, with great feedback from both sides 'We think we're doing something really positive by giving kids that wouldn't ordinarily have the opportunity to join our profession,' he said. Mr Marrison said the salary could 'very quickly get well into six-figures'. '(The average salary) is pretty high,' he added. Entry-level tech sector jobs pay 32 per cent more than the economy-wide average, a 2022 Tech Council of Australia report said. 'On a weekly basis, tech sector jobs pay 64 per cent more than the economy-wide average,' it said. 'Around 40 per cent of people in the tech sector do not have a tertiary degree. 'Australians who attended public schools outnumber those who attended private schools 1.5 to 1 in the tech sector.' Graduates can take on a three-year pilot traineeship at KPMG Australia next year, without having racked up a HELP debt through university studies A drink driver crashed into four cars after celebrating the removal of an alcohol monitoring tag with a Stella Artois binge. Anthony Wilson, 34, sped off at 60mph when pulled over by police but got only 200 yards before hitting a parked car in Torquay in Devon, in July, Exeter Crown Court heard. He carried on for 600 yards before crashing into three parked cars. Wilson, who admitted dangerous driving, driving while unfit, leaving the scene of an accident and having no licence or insurance, was jailed for ten months, suspended for two years, banned from driving for two years and sent for alcohol treatment. Anthony Wilson, 34, sped off at 60mph when pulled over by police but got only 200 yards before hitting a parked car in Torquay in Devon, in July, Exeter Crown Court heard He had only been driving for a matter of seconds but caused thousands of pounds of damage and endangered the lives of pedestrians in the centre of Torquay at the height of the holiday season in July, the court heard. The road where he crashed contained two play parks and a social club, and a judge said it was pure chance that nobody was killed or seriously injured. Wilson had just finished a three-month alcohol abstinence order imposed for earlier offences of criminal damage that required him to wear a tag which was triggered if he drank anything. He is an alcoholic who normally drinks 12 cans of Stella a day, Exeter Crown Court was told. Paul Dentith, defending, said Wilson was appalled by his actions and is determined to overcome an alcohol addiction which is the result of a difficult upbringing. The Manchester Arena bombing was 'preventable' and there was a 'perfect storm of failures', an ex-terror officer has claimed on the eve of the release of a damning public report into the response of emergency services to the attack. The terror attack, which took place during an Ariana Grande concert in May 2017, injured hundreds and claimed the lives of 22 people, with the youngest victim being an eight-year-old girl. But it took paramedics 43 minutes to reach the venue, firefighters based just three miles away did not arrive until the last seriously injured victim had been rushed to hospital and police had wrongly reported a marauding gun incident. Andrea Bradbury, a retired counter terrorism police inspector who was herself injured in the 2017 attack, said emergency services were 'unprepared and totally caught off guard' by the bombing. It comes as a public inquiry into the response of emergency services is set to publish a heavily critical report outlining a number of failures today, The Times reports. More than 150 of the victims and bereaved families are also preparing civil claims ahead of the report today. The terror attack, which took place during an Ariana Grande concert in May 2017, injured hundreds and claimed the lives of 22 people A report due to be published today is set to heavily criticise the response of emergency services to the terror attack Terrorist Salman Abedi detonated a suicide bomb at the end of the concert, killing 22 people Undated handout file photos issued by Greater Manchester Police of the 22 victims of the terror attack during the Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena in May 2017. (top row left to right) Off-duty police officer Elaine McIver, 43, Saffie Roussos, 8, Sorrell Leczkowski, 14, Eilidh MacLeod, 14, (second row left to right) Nell Jones, 14, Olivia Campbell-Hardy, 15, Megan Hurley, 15, Georgina Callander, 18, (third row left to right), Chloe Rutherford,17, Liam Curry, 19, Courtney Boyle, 19, and Philip Tron, 32, (fourth row left to right) John Atkinson, 28, Martyn Hett, 29, Kelly Brewster, 32, Angelika Klis, 39, (fifth row left to right) Marcin Klis, 42, Michelle Kiss, 45, Alison Howe, 45, and Lisa Lees, 43 (fifth row left to right) Wendy Fawell, 50 and Jane Tweddle, 51 The latest report, the second by the public inquiry's chairman Sir John Saunders, is expected to be examined closely after its release was delayed following requests from emergency services for more time. The inquiry earlier heard how a 'catastrophic' litany of failings led to victims waiting for hours for treatment before finally being taken to hospital. It is feared that two of the 22 deaths may have been avoided if emergency services had responded to the incident faster, The Telegraph reports. Mr Saunders is expected to make a number of recommendations that will include improved communication, clearer planning and a more efficient system for deciding where emergency services will be sent in the event of a terror attack. When Salman Abedi detonated a suicide bomb at the end of the concert, Ms Bradbury immediately knew it was an explosive device and called the on-call counter-terrorism officer. But the response was filled with delays, miscommunications and inaccurate information that the incident was ongoing. Ambulance services bosses were said to be concerned about the risk of a secondary explosive device and, as a result, held back support despite armed police establishing that there was no further threat. It left members of the public having to provide first aid to seriously injured victims. Ms Bradbury said: 'People were left in the time of need. It was so wrong, especially when experienced officers who did go in were demanding assistance and firearms teams had secured the building. 'It was horrific, but what has always frustrated and angered me is the fact that it was preventable in the first place and after it did happen, people were so badly let down by the police and the emergency services.' The public inquiry's chairman has already stated that there were nine missed opportunities to stop the deadliest attack on British soil since 2005. Abedi sitting in the foyer at Manchester Arena, where police officers should have been on patrol and confronted him In June last year, Mr Saunders ruled that Abedi should have been identified as a threat to security on the night of the attack. In a blistering summary, he criticised 'serious shortcomings' by stewards for Showsec, particularly after a worried parent drew their attention to the bomber lurking around suspiciously for nearly an hour but a poorly-trained security guard did not want to confront him for fear of being called racist. He also slammed British Transport Police after officers drove five miles for a kebab over a two-hour lunch break, leaving no one on duty in the City Room Foyer, where Abedi blew himself up on May 22, 2017 during an Ariana Grande concert. Sir John said he considered it was likely the bomber, 22, would still have detonated his device if confronted 'but the loss of life and injury is highly likely to have been less'. He is expected to publish a third report in the new year highlighting intelligence failings. Ruth Murrell, who suffered injuries along with her daughter while her friend died in the attack, recalled 'people dying in front of your eyes' as scores of people tried to ring 999. Figen Murray, whose son Martin was killed, is pushing for Martyn's Law, which would make it a legal requirement for venues to improve security. Figen Murray, the mother of Martyn Hett, speaks to the media outside Manchester Magistrates' Court in June last year The former therapist, who is now studying for a master's degree in counter-terrorism, says the public is at risk by delays to safety reform. Earlier this year, the Government announced proposals for a so-called Protect Duty for venues, but no legislation has yet been tabled. Speaking ahead of the publication of the latest report from the inquiry into the arena attack, Ms Murray said: "I keep getting told we have the support of the Government, yet legislation is being consistently delayed. Martyn's Law would save lives and every day it's not in place is another day we are putting the public at risk. 'I have now met five different security ministers, all of whom have said how important it is and how imminent the legislation is. 'Yet over five years on from the attack, we are yet to see it. We are now hearing rumours that some in Government are trying to water it down to such an extent that it would pass in name only. 'I know that politics has been in turmoil in recent months, but there is no excuse for delaying or weakening legislation that could save thousands of lives.' Cath Hill, who was at the arena with her son on the night of the attack and has since set up the Manchester Survivors choir, added: 'We have all been through so much pain in the last five years. One of the few hopes we cling onto is that what happened to us will mean we learn the lessons and protect others. 'But for that to happen the Government needs to change their warm words into concrete legislation.' Nick Aldworth, former UK Counter Terrorism national coordinator, also said: 'When you consider that myself and other senior police officers were calling for this legislation within days of the Manchester Arena attack, it's time for that experienced view to be listened to and survivors and victims to be respected.' The Melbourne Cup has a new hard-partying 'Wheelie Bin Girl' - with a racegoer embracing viral TikTok fame after she was caught being sick at Australia's biggest race day. Stephanie Browne, 20, said she became 'friends' with the wheelie bin around midday at Melbourne's Flemington Racecourse after travelling from Geelong with a group of friends. 'I started drinking on the ferry over to the city which was at 9am and was drunk by the time we got off. I just went downhill from there,' she told Daily Mail Australia. Stephanie said she was keen to let her hair down alongside her friend, Mia Dyson, and five other mates after a long week working in aged care. The Melbourne Cup's new favourite Wheelie Bin Girl Stephanie Browne (right) attended the Melbourne Cup with her friend Mia Dyson (left) and five other mates Stephanie was caught by a cameraman vomiting in a bin after a long day of drinking at the Melbourne Cup but decided the best way to handle it was to 'dance it off' 'It was an amazing day!,' she said. 'The weather was crazy, changing between sunny and rainy.' Stephanie said the crowd was wild with everyone drinking and celebrating Australia's biggest horse race. 'Mia and I got everyone up and dancing at the Headquarters Tavern which was fantastic,' she said. But at 1.30pm, all the fun started catching up with Stephanie, as she ran towards the nearest bin to empty her stomach. Stephanie said she 'can't remember' the moment she whipped around and saw the camera filming her. 'Obviously my first thought was to dance it off,' she joked. 'It was the best part of my day.' Her friend caught the whole interaction on camera, sharing the footage on TikTok for a laugh - where she has garnered more than 200,000 views. Stephanie said despite her wheelie bin moment, she didn't get into any trouble. Stephanie (pictured with Mia) said she kicked off the day by drinking on the ferry to Melbourne from Geelong Stephanie said she had an 'amazing' time at the races with her friends (all above) and said the cameraman busting her moment at the bin was the 'best part' of the day 'The police there were absolutely fantastic,' she said. 'I had amazing chats with them all.' Stephanie's wheelie bin moment comes six years after Kiwi-born punter Jade Jillings went viral for her antics after the 2016 race. The last Ms Jillings has been heard from on the subject of her wheelie bin ride was in a series of interviews immediately after she went viral. In one such interview with Nova, she admitted she 'woke up a bit drunk this morning still'. The New Zealander said free champagne on the day had contributed to the bin ride. She, along with her then-housemate Tyler Johnson, also appeared on Channel 10's The Project, where they said they 'were just having a laugh'. Ms Jillings said she was embarrassed when the photos emerged, but joked that she was just having 'a wheelie good time'. Jade Jillings (left) made headlines around the world when she decided to ride a wheelie bin as if it was a horse, while her housemate Tyler Johnson and a security guard watched on The red-faced Jade and her housemate Tyler Johnson, who was dressed in a beige suit in the photos, appeared on The Project from Oaks Day where they told the panel they were 'just having a laugh' Stephanie was just one of at least 70,000 people that attended the Melbourne Cup this year, with many revellers choosing to celebrate the day with a few beverages. Photos taken after the races - held in both Melbourne and Sydney on Tuesday - showed racegoers falling over, cheering, kissing and having a good time. This year's Melbourne Cup crowd was all too happy to let down their hair and celebrate Australia's favourite race (pictured, women out in Sydney on Tuesday night) Revellers got wild at this year's Melbourne Cup with many revellers choosing to celebrate the day with a couple beverages Crowd favourite horse Gold Trip won the race that stops the nation with jockey Mark Zahra. The win was a redemption for Zahra who was forced to sit back and watch his ride Verry Elleegant win the 2021 Melbourne Cup after he was suspended for breaching Covid rules. 'This time last year I was watching Verry Elleegant win and getting told off for drinking too much. To come a full year and have redemption on a horse like this with good mates of mine.. it's just an unbelievable feeling,' he said. 29 per cent of working-class senior managers said that they had experienced it Respondents said their abilities were judged badly for not speaking 'BBC English' Almost a third of students and a quarter of professionals have been mocked for their accents, research has found. A survey suggests the way people speak still acts as a major factor in how they are accepted by peers and colleagues. In many cases, respondents said their abilities were judged as worse because they did not speak BBC English. This is despite only 10 per cent of the UK population having this accent. The poll by the Sutton Trust charity found that 30 per cent of university students reported being mocked, criticised or singled out on campus as a result of their accents. A quarter of professionals reported the same in work settings. These experiences were particularly prevalent for those from lower socio-economic backgrounds, who reported significantly more mocking or singling out. Almost a third of students and a quarter of professionals have been mocked for their accents, research has found More than a quarter (29 per cent) of senior managers from working-class families said they had experienced it, compared with 22 per cent of those from better-off backgrounds. Sutton Trust founder Sir Peter Lampl said: This report recommends that action should be taken to diversify the workplace so that there is a range of accents within the organisation. It comes after a study earlier this year found northerners with strong accents are subjected to 'profound' social, economic and educational harm compared to those with southern accents. Researchers at Northumbria University said that those with strong northern accents are seen as 'less intelligent' and 'less educated' by those in the south. Earlier this year, Angela Rayner hit back at people who she said had 'criticised her accent and grammar' during an interview on the radio. Dr Robert McKenzie, who led the project, also pointed to Labour's Jess Phillips as an example of a politician who experiences accent-ism. The professor acknowledged that it can work both ways. Another, less obvious, political victim was Jacob Rees-Mogg. A poll commissioned by OnBuy.com in 2020 found that the Yorkshire accent was deemed to sound the most trustworthy in the country, with Received Pronunciation - the Queen's English - coming a close second (pictured) Meanwhile, a woman this week revealed her crippling phobia of Scottish accents, so severe it makes her feel sick and gives her heart palpitations. Kirsty Baker, 32, from Hampshire, winces at the sound of the Celtic twang and has turned down dates because of her irrational fear - even running out of a supermarket when she met a Scot. Since she was a child she has switched the TV and radio off when she hears the dreaded accent. Once a fan of David Tennant, Ms Baker now cannot bear to watch the actor on TV and says going to Scotland would be her 'worst nightmare'. The 32-year-old also says her love life has suffered as a result, adding: 'I've definitely missed out on some good looking guys because of my fear.' It comes after a poll commissioned in 2020 found that people who have a Yorkshire accent sound 25 times more trustworthy than someone with a Brummie accent. In a poll commissioned by OnBuy, 2,221 people listened to 15 accents from around the UK and were then asked who they would trust and favour in job interviews based on their accent alone. Of the 2,221 people involved in the poll, 60 per cent selected the Yorkshire accent as being the most trustworthy with adjectives such as 'intelligent' and 'calming' commonly used by those polled to describe it. Having been selected by 57 per cent of participants, the Received Pronunciation, commonly found in Kent, London and Hertfordshire, came in at a close second place. At the other end of the scale, the Brummie accent was deemed to sound the least trustworthy and was picked by only four per cent of those polled. The US has admitted it is 'increasingly concerned' over Moscow's nuclear sabre-rattling after it emerged top Russian military officials discussed nuking Ukraine. The New York Times report, which cited unnamed US officials, said Russian President Vladimir Putin did not take part in the discussions, and there was no indication that the Russian military had decided to deploy the weapons. White House national security spokesman John Kirby said: 'We have grown increasingly concerned about the potential as these months have gone on.' Kirby did not confirm the report that said high-level Russian military officials recently discussed when and how they might use tactical nuclear weapons on the battlefield. But Kirby said any comments on the use of nuclear weapons by Russia are 'deeply concerning,' and said the US takes them seriously. He pointed to recent Putin comments talking about nuclear weapons and referencing the bombs US forces dropped on the Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki near the end of World War II. The New York Times report, which cited unnamed US officials, said Russian President Vladimir Putin did not take part in the discussions, and there was no indication that the Russian military had decided to deploy the weapons He pointed to recent Putin comments talking about nuclear weapons and referencing the bombs US forces dropped on the Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki near the end of World War II. Pictured: A Russian nuclear missile is fired during testing drills last week 'We take note of that,' Kirby said. 'It increasingly is unsettling in terms of the degree to which he feels he has to continue to stretch to prosecute this war,' he said. At the same time, Kirby reiterated, Washington sees no indications that Russia is making preparations to use nuclear weapons, adding that US intelligence does not necessarily see or know everything. The US has been warning Moscow for weeks over public comments from top Russian officials that they could use nuclear weapons in Ukraine in certain cases, particularly if they felt there was a threat to Russian territorial integrity. The most recent threat came from former Russian president and senior security council official Dmitry Medvedev. Medvedev said on Tuesday that Ukraine's objective to reclaim all its territories occupied by Russia, which include the Donbas region and Crimea, would be a 'threat to the existence of our state.' That, Medvedev said, would be 'a direct reason' to invoke nuclear deterrence. In September, Jake Sullivan, President Joe Biden's national security advisor, said that the US has warned Russia at 'very high levels' of 'catastrophic consequences' for using nuclear arms However, early Wednesday Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Western media was 'deliberately pumping up the topic of the use of nuclear weapons.' Moscow does 'not have the slightest intention to take part in this,' he said, calling the Times report 'very irresponsible.' In September, Jake Sullivan, President Joe Biden's national security advisor, said that the US has warned Russia at 'very high levels' of 'catastrophic consequences' for using nuclear arms. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned on October 13 that Russian forces would be 'annihilated' by the West if Putin uses nuclear weapons against Ukraine. Russia's nuclear stockpile, the largest in the world, consists of 'tactical', lower-yield bombs and strategic weapons that can annihilate cities and population centres. Its tactical nukes, with a yield of between ten and 100 kilotons, are designed for use on the battlefield in contested territory. In comparison, the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945 was approximately 18 kilotons. Ukrainian servicemen fire artillery from a self-propelled howitzer toward Russian positions near Bakhmut, Ukraine, on Tuesday Ukrainian servicemen prepare to fire a self-propelled howitzer at Russian positions on Tuesday Last week, Putin spoke at length about nuclear weapons, having threatened the West several times with an atomic strike sparking fears he may also use one in Ukraine. The despot denied he has any plans to use one on his neighbour, saying there is 'no political or military justification' for doing so. But he also referred back to Russia's nuclear doctrine which allows them to be used in the event the country is threatened which at least according to the Kremlin now includes occupied parts of Ukraine. Fears of escalation have been building as the war in Ukraine grinds into its ninth month, with Kyiv on the front foot and Putin nowhere near achieving his aims. Though the official purpose of the invasion remains the 'liberation' of the eastern Donbas region, according to Putin, in reality his troops have stopped advancing almost everywhere besides the town of Bakhmut, in Donetsk. Meanwhile they are being pushed back in the northern Kharkiv region and southern region of Kherson the latter of which Putin has declared to be part of Russia. That has sparked fears he could resort to nukes, after he said he would use 'all available means' to defend the territory. It comes after Moscow alleged that Ukraine is preparing to detonate a so-called 'dirty bomb' on its territory, meaning a conventional explosive laced with radioactive material to cause contamination. Kyiv said accusations it would use such tactics on its own territory are absurd, but that Russia might be planning such actions itself to blame Ukraine. The UN's atomic watchdog has been dispatched to two areas of Ukraine where Putin alleges the bomb is being prepared at Kyiv's insistence as President Volodymyr Zelensky and his allies dismiss the claims as fiction. Instead, they said Russia may be preparing the ground to use one of its own nukes as a pretext for escalating the conflict. US President Joe Biden, asked about Putin's assertion he would never use nukes in Ukraine, responded last week: 'Why does he keep talking about it? 'Why is he talking about the ability to use a tactical nuclear weapon? He's been very dangerous in how he's approached this and he should just get out. 'He can end this all, get out of Ukraine.' The term grandparents has been replaced with the 'do gooder' word 'grandfriends' at a number of school events - outraging many Australians. NSW schools in Spring Farm, Bradbury, Concord, Drummoyne, Gillieston, Heathcote East, Kiama, Neutral Bay and Newtown have each renamed Grandparent's Day to 'Grandfriend's' Day in a bid to be 'more inclusive'. But Ian Barnett, the Founder of the National Grandparent Movement, said it is an odd move and rather than being inclusive, it in fact excludes 'one of the most significant people' in a child's life. 'The implication behind that is of course, if grandparents are now grandfriends, it means the next logical step is that parents become "friends",' he told Channel Nine's Today show on Thursday. The term 'grandfriends' (pictured) has begun to take over from grandparents in some schools. 'It's strange to do it and I don't know the reasoning behind it either.' Grandparent's Day has long been used as an opportunity for senior members in a child's life to join them at school for a morning tea or lunch that celebrates their relationship. In recent years, many schools have expanded the name to make it 'Grandparent's and Grandfriend's Day', but the decision to remove grandparents from the title or water down its importance has annoyed many people. 'I can understand maybe they want to make it easier for others to come onboard, but even little ones who have lost their grandparents do have others in their life that take on the role of a grandparent,' Mr Barnett said. 'It's such a significant phrase and concept and it's disappointing to actually think that we can no longer use that and we're changing into something like grandfriends. Poll Should the term 'grandfriends' replace 'grandparents' in school events in Australia? Yes, it's more inclusive and that's the way society is going No way. This is political correctness gone mad Maybe. It depends on the situation. Some kids don't have grandparents and may wish to invite another older person along Should the term 'grandfriends' replace 'grandparents' in school events in Australia? Yes, it's more inclusive and that's the way society is going 7 votes No way. This is political correctness gone mad 696 votes Maybe. It depends on the situation. Some kids don't have grandparents and may wish to invite another older person along 37 votes Now share your opinion 'They understand whether they are actually physically connected to the child or not, they love the fact they can be a grandparent and connect and live out that part of their life.' Online commenters are mostly vehemently opposed to using the term grandfriends, though. 'What a load of rubbish,' said one. 'I am a very proud grandparent. I am so over all the do gooders wanting to change history and relationships just to confuse and include and wrap everyone in cotton wool so that they don't get offended.' Another said 'I am a very proud grandparent, my five grandchildren call me Nonna. Stop offending me.' 'Changing everything does not make us more inclusive,' said another poster. One commenter spoke for many in saying 'Grandparents have knowledge and experience no one will ever have until they are mature enough and lived through life. 'They deserve, and all grandparents demand the utmost RESPECT this title holds.' NSW schools have been slammed for changing the term grandparents to 'grandfriends' on some school invitations. Pictured is a stock image of a grandmother cooking with her grandchildren In a statement to Daily Mail Australia, the NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell, addressed the situation in one particular school. 'Spring Farm Public School used this term to promote their event as they had invited residents from a local aged care facility who are pen pals with the students. 'This was an opportunity for young students who have sadly lost their grandparents to feel included in the day's celebrations,' she said. North Korean flags are carried during a celebration of its 73rd founding anniversary in Pyongyang, in this Sept. 9, 2021, file photo. AP-Yonhap By Jung Min-ho North Korea may have spent as much as $75 million on the missiles fired in its record single-day test, according to a military expert. The North launched 25 missiles Wednesday, including one that landed near the South's waters, in protest of a series of combined military exercises between Seoul and Washington over the past several weeks. Bruce Bennett, a senior defense analyst at the Rand Corporation, a California-based policy think tank, told Free Asia Broadcasting that the total cost of North Korea's missile launches, including of short-range ballistic and surface-to-air types, was between $50 million and $75 million. The amount far exceeds North Korea's September exports to China $14.2 million and is equivalent to the amount of money the North had spent on importing rice from China in the year before the COVID-19 pandemic. In July, the North imported 10,000 tons of rice worth about $5.1 million, Chinese customs data showed. "North Korea appears to have chosen a shorter-range missile (which costs between $2 million and $3 million a shot) cheaper than a medium-range missile which costs between $10 million and $15 million per shot," Bennett said. North Korea has been carrying out weapons tests at an unprecedented pace this year, which means unprecedented costs attached to them. According to the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, a defense research center under the Ministry of Defense, North Korea had spent nearly $700 million for the first nine months of 2022, firing 36 ballistic missiles including six intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) and an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM). North Korean farmers plant rice using a rice seedling transplanter at Chongsan Cooperative Farm in Nampho, South Pyongan Province, in this May 9 file photo. AP-Yonhap Australians who work from home could soon lose the option of being able to easily claim their phone, internet and electricity bills on tax - potentially leaving them up to $1,400 a year worse off. At the start of the Covid pandemic in March 2020, the federal government introduced a shortcut tax return method for Australians working at home. It would allow them to claim back the cost of their energy use, internet and telephone costs at a flat rate of 80 cents an hour. That simple method of just multiplying their hours by 80 cents - rather than adding up their bills - expired on June 30 this year. All that now remains is an option for workers to claim a lower 52 cent an hour rate, provided that they have proof and are willing to manually calculate their expenses. But Daily Mail Australia can reveal the Australian Taxation Office is planning to replace that rate with a new flat 67 cent rate for every hour worked in the home study or dining table. This would effectively halve the amount a professional working from home could potentially claim as a tax deduction. Australians who work from home could soon lose the option of being able to claim their phone, internet and electricity bills on tax - leaving them up to $700 a year worse off (pictured is an Adelaide professional) What the tax office is planning Australians working from home would no longer be able to easily claim phone, internet or energy expenses on tax. A new 67 cent an hour rate would replace 52 cent an hour rate for those who add up expenses manually. The flat 80 cent an hour rate expired on June 30, 2022. The new 67 cent an hour rate would be backdated to July 1, 2022 even though it hasn't even been finalised. Those working from home would still be able to make separate claims for office equipment and furniture. Advertisement It would also be retrospectively backdated it to July 1, 2022 - meaning those who kept their receipts in recent months may have been wasting their time. A draft proposal has been sent to accounting and community groups explaining those working from home will no longer be able to make claims for phone calls, internet connection, electricity bills, stationery or computer parts like ink cartridges if they claimed a new 67 cent an hour flat rate. 'This means you cannot claim an additional separate deduction for any of these expenses,' the tax office document said. 'The rate per hour calculates the total of your deductible expenses for energy, internet, mobile and/or home telephone and stationery and computer consumables for the income year.' A white collar professional working from home would not be able to claim their mobile phone calls as a separate deduction. 'For example, if you use your mobile phone when you are working from home and when you are working from somewhere other than your home, your total deduction for mobile phone expenses for the income year will be covered by the hourly rate of 67c per hour,' the tax office said. 'The revised fixed-rate method apportions the following additional running expenses you incur on a fair and reasonable basis by using a fixed rate of 67c per hour for each hour you worked from home during the income year.' The Australian Taxation Office quietly released a consultation document on Wednesday afternoon announcing that changes to making tax claims would be backdated to July 1, 2022 (pictured is a Canberra shop front) H&R Block director of tax communications Mark Chapman said the new 67 cent rate would replace both the 52 and 80 cent an hour rates, and make life harder for those working from home. 'This is generally bad news for taxpayers,' he told Daily Mail Australia. An ATO spokesman said the old 80 cent an hour flat rate, which was extended for a year, was only meant to be temporary. 'We have taken the opportunity to refresh the fixed rate method to better reflect contemporary working arrangements,' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'The fixed rate method is intended to provide a proxy methodology to help taxpayers manage what can be complicated apportionment calculations for common costs incurred when working from home.' The tax office argued the new 67 cent rule increased the 52 cent an hour rule, but it's less flexible. The existing 52 cent rule allowed for a percentage of mobile, internet and stationery to be claimed, based on actual costs. Electricity for heating or cooling was included based on hours worked. The new 67 cent rule now covers all communications expenses, meaning an employee who is out of pocket may not be able to make the same deductions. Taxpayers, however, would be able to make separate claims for depreciating office equipment and furniture under the new rule. The shortcut method of being able to claim a flat 80 cent an hour rate expired on June 30, having been introduced at the start of the pandemic in March 2020. A new 67 cent an hour rate would replace the existing 52 cent an hour rate for manually adding up internet, phone and electricity bills The new rule would also be backdated to July 1, 2022 instead of being introduced on July 1, 2023. 'Retrospectively introducing new rules in November - and in draft form at that, they could change before finalisation - does not inspire taxpayer confidence,' Mr Chapman said. H&R Block calculated that someone working from home for a year, under the old 80 cent rule, would typically get a deduction of $1,536. This increased to $2,618 under the existing 52 cent rule, because someone could claim mobile phone, internet and stationery manually. But under the new 67 cent an hour rule, that fell back to $1,286.40, as these items would not be claimable anymore. That equates to a difference of $1,400 a year comparing the new method with the existing 52 cent method. Items like furniture costing less than $300 can be claimed in one financial year under the new 67 cent rule, and the existing 52 cent rule. Under the old 80 cent rule, Australians working from home weren't required to retain their utility bills to prove they had incurred the cost. The new 67 cent rule would require them to keep their monthly or quarterly power bills to demonstrate they worked from home. Those wishing to forego the new 67 cent flat rate would need to account for the cost of all their expenses, including electricity (stock image) 'This is new and imposes a significant compliance burden particularly for people who previously claimed the 80 cents per hour method, who were only required to keep a record of the number of hours worked,' Mr Chapman said. Tamara Burns, a chartered accountant and director of PB Taxation Services in Port Macquarie, said those preferring the 'actual cost method' instead of the new flat 67 cent rate would need to have a designated office space to make any claim for electricity on a percentage basis of their home floor area 'The compliance requirements are more stringent. 'As well as a record of time spent working from home - a carry-over from both of the old methods - the taxpayer also needs to keep evidence for each of the additional running expenses that they incurred.' The tax office, at least, under the changes will no longer require those working from home to have a specific study area to claim the new 67 cent rate. 'We welcome the decision that taxpayers do not need to have a separate home office or dedicated work area set aside in order to claim the revised fixed rate method,' Mr Chapman said. 'It recognises that for many - for example, people living in apartments and small houses - it is not feasible to have a dedicated home office within the footprint of their home and that many people use, for example, the living room or the kitchen as their home working space.' But those foregoing the 67 cent flat rate and opting for the 'actual cost' method would still need have designated space and records to demonstrate the costs incurred of heating or cooling their work area. Tamara Burns, a chartered accountant and director of PB Taxation Services in Port Macquarie, told Daily Mail Australia this was unrealistic. 'You would have to have a designated space not shared with other areas of the house in order to make any claim for electricity, a luxury not available to everyone,' she said. 'Not everyone has a spare bedroom they could convert to an office.' The tax office released a draft document on Wednesday afternoon but consultation closes on November 30. A top national security aide to Donald Trump has been granted immunity from prosecution in order to allow him to testify about the storage of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. Kash Patel, 42, told Breitbart News in May that the former president declassified troves of information prior to leaving the White House. Thousands of documents - many of them classified - were found in storage at Trump's Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, following a series of raids. After the third and final search, on August 8, the FBI opened an investigation into whether classified information was mishandled. Patel in early October appeared before a grand jury as part of the investigation, but invoked the Fifth Amendment multiple times, saying he could not speak for fear of incriminating himself. On Wednesday multiple sources confirmed that Patel had been granted immunity, as had been widely predicted, in order to obtain his testimony. Kash Patel, 42, has been granted immunity to testify about Donald Trump's storage of documents at Mar-a-Lago. Patel was a senior national security advisor to the then-president, and remains a strong ally Patel is seen in February interviewing Trump for The Epoch Times Patel in early October appeared before a grand jury as part of the investigation, but invoked the Fifth Amendment multiple times, saying he could not speak for fear of incriminating himself On Wednesday multiple sources confirmed that Patel had been granted immunity, as had been widely predicted, in order to obtain his testimony The 42-year-old told Breitbart News in May that Donald Trump 'declassified whole sets of materials in anticipation of leaving government' Agents stand guard outside Mar-a-Lago on August 8, as the FBI was searching the property Documents seized during the search of Trump's estate on August 8 are pictured on August 30. Trump's lawyers have declined to say in legal filings whether Trump had ordered them declassified while he was in office and had the authority Thousands of documents - many of them classified - were found in storage at Trump's Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, following a series of raids Patel, a staunch Trump loyalist, is a key player in the Trump team's efforts to fight off the Justice Department investigations into Trump and his allies. Earlier this year, amid the repeated requests for Trump to hand the documents over to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), Trump made him one of his representatives to NARA. Patel in May told Breitbart News: 'Trump declassified whole sets of materials in anticipation of leaving government that he thought the American public should have the right to read themselves. 'I was there with President Trump when he said "We are declassifying this information."' Among the documents found in the search were files related to Iran, China, and French President Emmanuel Macron. In the third and final search on August 8, agents seized about 13,000 documents - 103 of them classified and 18 of them top secret, according to court papers. Trump himself has repeatedly said that he declassified the documents. In September, he told Fox News host Sean Hannity that as president he could declassify documents just by thinking it. Trump in September spoke to Fox News host Sean Hannity about the Mar-a-Lago raid Trump told Sean Hannity, in an interview from his Mar-a-Lago home, that he could declassify documents just by thinking about it Trump is pictured on October 9 speaking at a rally in Mesa, Arizona. He has claimed he declassified the documents Hannity asked him whether the documents seized over the course of three searches - in January, June, and August - were declassified, as Trump has repeatedly claimed, and the former president replied: 'I did declassify, yes.' Hannity asked him how they were declassified. 'There doesn't have to be a process, as I understand it,' Trump said. 'Different people see different things. 'If you're the president of the United States you can declassify just by saying it's declassified. Even by thinking about it - because you are sending it to Mar-a-Lago or wherever you're sending it. 'It doesn't have to be a process, it can be a process but it doesn't have to be. You're the president you make that decision. So when you send it, it's declassified. I declassified everything.' His own lawyers, however, have stopped short of claiming in their legal arguments that he declassified the files. One of Australia's top health officials has warned the country faces being swamped by another wave of Covid-19 cases from two new Omicron variants. NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant echoed concerns from interstate counterparts that sub-variants BQ. 1 and XBB will soon overtake BA.5 as the dominant strain in Australia. The XBB strain, which recently emerged in Singapore, has ripped through Australia with cases rising tenfold in a matter of weeks. There are 25 people in intensive care nationwide with Covid - while there are almost five times that number in ICU due to influenza. XBB has been described by some international experts as the 'nightmare variant' and the 'most vaccine-resistant yet'. Covid cases are expected to spike again in the coming weeks with the arrival of two new variants. Pictured are crowds at Randwick Racecourse in Sydney last month In a video message Dr Chant warned: 'We're starting to see an increase in Covid-19 cases and changes in the variants circulating in NSW, which tells us that we're entering the next Covid wave.' 'By looking at all the local information we have, and what's happening overseas, we believe Covid cases will rise in the coming weeks.' Dr Chant reiterated vaccination was the best protection against the new strain and urged sick people to stay home, just weeks after the final Covid restrictions were scrapped in Australia. 'The protection the NSW community has from vaccination and previous infection continues to reduce the risk of severe illness,' Dr Chant said. 'However the elderly and those with underlying health conditions continue to be at risk.' Her warning comes as University of Queensland's School of Biomedical Science researchers found on Thursday that Covid-19 activates the same inflammatory response in the brain as Parkinson's disease. Their findings have been published in scientific journal Molecular Psychiatry. 'We studied the effect of the virus on the brain's immune cells, "microglia", which are the key cells involved in the progression of brain diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's,' Prof Trent Woodruff said. NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant (pictured) expects sub-variants BQ. 1 and XBB to become the new dominant Covid strains in Australia 'Our team grew human microglia in the laboratory and infected the cells with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. We found the cells effectively became "angry", activating the same pathway that Parkinson's and Alzheimer's proteins can activate.' It creates a 'fire' in the brain, which leads to a 'chronic and sustained' process of killing off neurons. 'It's kind of a silent killer, because you don't see any outward symptoms for many years,' Dr Albornoz Balmaceda added. 'It may explain why some people who've had Covid-19 are more vulnerable to developing neurological symptoms similar to Parkinson's disease.' Health bosses have warned people who have Covid symptoms to stay home while they're sick Pictured, commuters at Sydney's Central train station NSW recorded 9707 cases in the week ending October 28, an increase of 11.4 per cent from the previous week. Around 227 cases were admitted to hospital, including 18 in intensive care while 17 deaths were recorded. 'There are several subvariants of the virus circulating and BA.4 and BA.5 dominance is diminishing (63%),' the latest NSW Health report released on Thursday stated. 'We are closely monitoring S-gene target and sequencing data in relation to the BA.2 sub-lineages and we are also monitoring other emerging variants.' The two new variants emerged after the final Covid restrictions were recently scrapped (pictured, a Sydneysider being swabbed at a drive-through clinic) In Victoria, Covid cases rose by nearly a quarter within a week while hospitalisations rose by 20 per cent, sparking concerns from health officials about 'the start of another Covid-19 wave'. 'Surveillance shows the presence of multiple Omicron subvariants in Victoria including rapid growth of (the Omicron subvariant) BQ. 1 and XBB in the past month, with a combined prevalence of approximately 10 per cent in wastewater and clinical sample,' Victoria's chief health officer Professor Brett Sutton said last week. 'With case numbers on the rise locally and internationally, particularly in Europe and in South-East Asia, Victorians are reminded that vaccination, masks, ventilation, testing, staying home when sick and COVID-19 treatments are highly effective at reducing transmission, illness and deaths and also protect the health system.' Queensland counterpart Dr John Gerrard admitted this week it was 'quite possible' the Sunshine State will soon experience another wave of the virus. 'The virus will probably remain with us forever,' he said. 'At this stage, it is difficult for our epidemiologists to predict what the pandemic is going to do going forward.' Leading infectious disease experts estimate around 80 per cent of Australians have had Covid in the three years since the pandemic hit our shores in January 2020. The World Health Organisation has not yet classed XBB as a concerning variant. Australia's newest betting agency Betr launched in a flurry of hype and controversy just weeks before the Melbourne Cup. Desperate to grab market share from rivals TAB and Sportsbet, it took an outrageous risk offering 100-1 odds on every horse, even hot favourite Deauville Legend. Gold Trip's storming victory on Tuesday meant the NewsCorp- backed firm dodged a disastrous $50 million payout, but not everyone is happy with the stunt. Betr is now facing fines from the gambling regulator and the wrath of furious punters who claim their accounts were deactivated so they couldn't collect their winnings. But no one who wants to see the upstart agency fail should bet against its man at the helm - arguably Australia's most successful betting pioneer, Matthew Tripp. Matthew Tripp (pictured with his family) is the founder of Australia's newest betting agency, Betr Desperate to grab market share from rivals TAB and Sportsbet, it took a huge risk offering 100-1 odds on every horse, even hot favourite Deauville Legend Mr Tripp, 47, bought a near-bankrupt Sportsbet for just $250,000 in 2005 and sold it to Irish betting giant Paddy Power for $388 million just six years later. He then snapped up BetEasy for $6 million and sold it twice, first with a 66 per cent stake to James Packer's Crown in 2014 and then to The Stars Group in 2019. When Mr Tripp took it on, the company had just 20,000 punters signed up. When TSG snapped it up, it was valued at $1.255 billion and Mr Tripp walked away with $94.5 million for his last stake alone. Despite being a diehard AFL fan, he weeks later became executive chairman of the Melbourne Storm NRL team, in which he had long owned a 12.5 per cent stake. But his close friend professional gambler Scott Woodward revealed meticulously studying betting odds isn't the only secret to his method. 'He is superstitious and always wears his underpants inside out and insists on double-strength toilet paper and a bottle of water near his bed,' he wrote in his book. Making noise with a huge risk like Betr's Melbourne Cup stunt is nothing new to its hard-charging founder, who wagered $1 million on Hawthorn to win the 2008 AFL Grand Final - and won. In the 2022 Melbourne Cup, Gold Trip stormed home at Flemington to win Betr was so worried about paying out on Deauville Legend that it hedged millions with other bookmakers and offered punters $150 to cancel their bets. But after Gold Trip crossed the line, Mr Tripp was hailing the launch as a masterstroke and one of the most successful of all time. 'Its been literally the talk of every pub and bar in the country,' he said after 300,000 punters signed up in just two weeks. Mr Tripp celebrated after the race with close mate Todd Buckingham, part owner of Gold Trip and chief executive of Betmakers, which provides the wagering technology for Betr. They dined and partied at upscale Melbourne restaurant Coda, which Mr Tripp owns along with similarly priced Tonka. Adding to a year of high emotions was the death in April of Mr Tripp's daughter Isabella in April, aged just 14, after a battle with leukemia. Despite his high-flying life running billion-dollar betting agencies and sport teams, Mr Tripp finds time to go on exotic holidays with his wife Yasmina, son Alex, and daughters Matti and Bella, before her death. Family photos show them boating on the River Nile and posing with Millie Mouse at Disneyland. Mr Tripp with his son and eldest child Alex Tripp Family tragedy for Betr founder amid the launch of betting agency Mr Tripp's daughter Isabella died in April, aged just 14, after a battle with leukemia. The little girl won the hearts of the Melbourne Storm's players, where her father is executive chairman and co-owner through her illness. Storm star Nelson Asofa-Solomona painted his hair blue and orange to fulfil her dying wish before a match. 'I was blessed to come into the hospital, me and Paps (Ryan Papenhuyzen), to say our goodbyes,' he said. Storm star Nelson Asofa-Solomona painted his hair blue and orange to fulfil her dying wish before a match just hours after The little girl won the hearts of the Melbourne Storm's players, where her father is executive chairman and co-owner through her illness 'I came up with the idea to get a template and she colours it in and I'll colour my hair, just so she could get her mind off the situation and put a smile on her face.' However, Bella died hours before the match and never got to see him with the coloured hair. The Storm took a moment to honour her memory before the NRL match in the NSW country town of Mudgee, and a memorial was held in St Kilda on April 22. Bella's relative Scott Woodward said her dad gave a moving speech. 'He told the audience that his daughter had shared with him that she had found the man she wanted to marry Ryan Papenhuyzen,' he recalled. In honour of Bella Tripp. Visiting Bella in hospital last week, NAS said he would colour his hair to whatever she decided looked good in her drawing of him. We think Bella will be smiling. pic.twitter.com/UkjpBNycZ1 Melbourne Storm (@storm) April 8, 2022 Advertisement Mr Tripp was brought into the gambling world by family, too. His father Alan Tripp was a legendary bookmaker claimed to be 'the most convicted in Australia' during the 1980s and 90s crackdown on the then-illegal industry. In those days, the TAB was a collection of state government-owned monopolies and private start-price bookie were illegal. As the country's biggest, he was public enemy number one of police vice squads in NSW, Victoria, and the ACT and arrested numerous times. He was famously raided in 1992 when ACT Police discovered he was running a betting operation from the luxury Hyatt Hotel in Canberra. Despite this, he kept running his very profitable enterprise with high-rolling clients ranging from the cream of Australian society to notorious gangsters. They included media mogul Kerry Packer and underworld figures like Lewis Moran and Alphonse Gangitano, and Mick Gatto made famous by TV series Underbelly. Gatto is said to have once summoned Tripp Sr to Melbourne restaurant Pellegrini's and in the kitchen told the bookie that gambler Harry Kakavas had been speaking ill of him and he wished to mediate it. Tripp took $5,000 out of his pocket and handed it to Gatto as a thank you after the controversial businessman set Kakavas straight. Keen gambler and former prime minister Bob Hawke also became a close family friend after they met through Coburg Football Club during the 1980s when they were all club committee members and sponsors. The politician often bet enough to keep Alan Tripp afloat in hard times and they once shared a pizza and drained a $2,000 bottle of Penfolds Grange Hermitage at Mr Hawke's home. Mr Tripp celebrated at his upscale restaurant Coda (pictured) after the Melbourne Cup with close friend and business partner Todd Buckingham, a part owner of winning horse Gold Trip Mr Tripp also owns similarly priced restaurant Tonka elsewhere in Melbourne Alan Tripp eventually moved to the Pacific island of Vanuatu, where sport betting was legal, and opened Number One Betting Shop. His son's first time running a gambling business when Tripp Sr sold the company to British agency Sportingbet for $35 million. Much to the new owner's shock, it was blocked from getting a gambling licence in the newly legalised industry because of its association with Alan Trip. Eventually a deal was struck to be licenced in the Northern Territory, still a haven for betting agencies so long as the radioactive old bookie wasn't involved. Matt Tripp was tasked with transferring the operation to Australia and keeping hold of the clients, before handing over to new Australian boss Michael Sullivan. Tripp Sr has mostly retired to the town of Yarrawonga on the Victoria-NSW border, where Matt Tripp and his sister Elizabeth grew up, but still spent time in Vanuatu. Mr Hawke was photographed by local media playing golf with his old friend, saying he was on the island to 'have a very relaxed visit with my good friend Alan Tripp'. AFL star, and self-confessed gambling addict, Brendan Fevola was spotted on the Tripp family superyacht Majestic II with his wife Alex and their three children in 2013. Fevola was at the time playing for the Yarrawonga Pigeons team years after his AFL retirement, of which Sportsbet was a major sponsor. A few years after the Sportingbet sale, Mr Tripp took over the floundering Sportsbet, which at the time was circling the drain and far from the $1 billion profit company it is today, pumping out the larrikin ads Australians can't escape from. By 2008 it was pulling in more than a billion dollars in revenue and by 2011 not only had it in a position for a $388 million sale to Paddy Power, but stuck around as chief executive until April 2013. Mr Tripp was now worth $115 million but needed only $6 million of this to buy another struggling betting agency in March 2014, BetEzy, which he quickly renamed BetEasy. The company at the time only had 20,000 users compared to 300,000 at Sportsbet, but that did not deter him. By September it had another 60,000 thanks to a new betting platform and mobile app, three per cent of the market, 130 staff, and $300 million in revenue. Mr Tripp (right) with Melbourne storm co-owner Gerry Ryan and non-executive chairman Bart Campbell. Mr Tripp has been a co-owner for many years and became executive chairman in May 2020 A few months later, James Packer bought a 66 per cent stake and the agency changed its name to CrownBet. A big reason for BetEasy's growth was Mr Tripp's enormous offer in 2014 of $6 million for the exclusive rights to advertise on the AFL's platforms, and first dibs with its broadcast partners. This was far more than the $500,000 TAB was paying and shocked the gambling world, laying the foundations for a lucrative part of the league's revenue today. But by November 2017, Mr Packer wanted out and broke the news to Mr Tripp after summoning him to his luxury lodge in Aspen. As soon as the Melbourne Cup and spring racing carnival was over, Mr Tripp dashed around the world trying to find a buyer for Mr Packer's $150 million asking price. His weeklong jaunt started in London with Paddy Power, William Hill, and Ladbrokes before Canadian outfit The Stars Group heard about it. Mr Tripp met with cheif executive Rafi Ashkenazi in Toronto but things suddenly became more complicated when William Hill wanted to sell out of Australia. TSG secretly agreed to buy CrownBet on February 25, 2018, and the two companies jointly bid to buy William Hill. After about a week, they came up with a winning price of $300 million. The deal still left Mr Tripp and his backers 20 per cent of CrownBet, which changed its name back to BetEasy. During this time William Hill had bought out Sportingbet, the company Mr Tripp's father sold his Vanuatu agency to in 2001, and Mr Tripp wanted to use it again. However, his old firm Sportsbet blocked the name change as being too similar to its own and could 'mislead or deceive' punters. Mr Tripp stayed on as chief executive until January 1, 2020, after TSG bought out the rest of the company for about $250 million. He received $94.5 million for his remaining 3.8 per cent stake and was also linked to a similar sized holding in the name of his relative Catherine Tripp. Among others with smaller stakes to cash in was former Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting, who collected $12.5 million. BetEasy at the time was Australia's third-biggest betting agency behind TAB and Sportsbet with 400,000 customers. As all this was going on, TSG did a deal to merge with Flutter, owner of both Paddy Power and Sportsbet, and BetEasy was folded into Sportsbet - bringing Mr Tripp full circle. This merger put on hold discussions between Mr Tripp and News Corp about plans to open the betting agency that would eventually become Betr. Talk started in 2018 and heated up last year before it finally launched on October 12, just before The Everest and Caufield Cup, with News Corp owning 33 per cent. Rupert Murdoch already failed to start his own betting firm with the spectacular disaster of Sun Bets in the UK, which cost the company and its joint venture partner TAB tens of millions. The media mogul hopes the surest bet in the business can strike him lucky on a second attempt. Despite a bit of drama, so far so good. Just 23 minutes before the race got underway she received an email that read; 'Your betr account has been deactivated. You will not have any access to your account until you choose to activate it by sending an account activation request to cutomerservice@betr.com.au' Furious punters besiege Betr claiming their accounts were locked so they couldn't claim their 101-1 odds winnings as regulators circle While Betr dodged the $50 hit on Deauville Legend, the company isn't out of the firing line, with furious punters who backed Gold Trip accusing the company of deactivating their accounts rather than paying out their $1,000 windfall. Tyler Chalwell told Daily Mail Australia he received an exciting call from his wife Kelly saying they were $1,000 richer after backing the winner, only to then discover the betting agency had deactivated her account. 'She is 'pretty p**sed off,' Mr Chalwell said. 'We opened the account a few weeks ago when having a few drinks with friends and family. 'So my wife and some friends signed up as I was talking about the Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup offer. 'She chose Gold Trip in the account, and her account was verified.' Tyler Chalwell (right) told Daily Mail Australia he received an exciting call from his wife Kelly (left) that her $10 bet on Gold Trip at $100/1 won and they were $1,000 richer Betr is desperately trying to stem the massive losses with a frantic text offering $150 in free bets to anyone who backed Deauville Legend under the offer. As well as the $150 in free bets, punters will also get a refund of their $10 stake if they scrap the wager on Deauville Legend before the first race at Flemington Ms Chalwell also backed hot favourite Anamoe in the Cox Plate at Betr's promotional odds of 20/1 for any runner - and was able to withdraw her collect from that win. 'Today she saw Gold Trip won and she was stoked but went to login and saw her account had been deactivated,' her husband said. Just 23 minutes before the race got underway she received an email that read; 'Your betr account has been deactivated. You will not have any access to your account until you choose to activate it by sending an account activation request to cutomerservice@betr.com.au.' Desperate attempts to contact Betr to have her account reactivated were unsuccessful. Others online have also voiced similar stories. 'You are a joke, why have I been deactivated. So angry,' one social media user commented. 'Same happened to my wife,' another wrote. Betr had frantically been trying to lay off its exposure to a Deauville Legend win before Tuesday's race - offering customers $150 in bonus bets, plus a refund of $10, if they agreed to cancel their bet on the favourite. 'EXCLUSIVE to your account. Lock in a win with Deauville Legend,' read the begging Betr text to Melbourne Cup punters who backed the favourite at 100/1. 'Follow the steps below before Race one at Flemington tomorrow and you can cash out your bet on Deauville Legend for $150 in Bonus Cash + your original stake refunded.' More than 80,000 racegoers (pictured) flocked to Flemington to see Gold Trip storm to victory in the 162nd Melbourne Cup In further bad news for Betr, which is 33 per cent-owned by media giant News Corp, the 100-1 promotion is now being probed by gambling watchdogs in NSW. 'Liquor & Gaming NSW has serious concerns that this advertising may constitute a prohibited inducement under NSW gambling laws,' a statement from the regulator said. 'Broadly speaking, L&GNSW considers that an inducement includes any offer that may be capable of persuading or encouraging a person to participate, or to participate frequently, in any gambling activity, including to open a betting account. 'We are investigating and will respond to any breaches with the full force of the law.' The probe could also cost News Corp after its newspapers published adverts for the offer nationwide, which may also have been in breach of local state laws. Betr was launched less than three weeks ago in time for racing's Spring Carnival in a joint venture with bookie entrepreneur Matthew Tripp, who previously launched Sportsbet and BetEasy. It was designed to harness and leverage the reach and power of News Corp's Foxtel sports channel and state newspapers to boost its business, based on the successful Sky BET in the UK and FOX Bet in the US. Betr launched with 60 staff and plans to quickly expand to 120 by targeting the lucrative under 35s market. It had also looked at buying the $1billion licence for TAB wagering rights in Western Australia but later withdrew due to naming-rights restrictions. The murders include one of his friends, a suspected prostitute and bikie kingpin Mr Death is suspected of killing 13 people with at least three killed in his home The two-bedroom Cremorne home featuring a backyard is up for $490 per week The home of one of Australia's most infamous serial killers is now up for rent. At a glance the former home of Dennis 'Mr Death' Allen looks like a steal with the central Melbourne house featuring a front and back yard, two bedrooms and a decent living space at just $490 per week. But the home's gruesome past is likely to be off-putting for most perspective tenants. Allen was born into a crime-riddled family but he took their infamy to new heights. Abandoning the 'code of honour' criminals of old held themselves to, Allen would rob, betray and kill anyone who got in his way until he was at the top of Melbourne's underworld. Dennis 'Mr Death' Allen (pictured wearing his famous gold chains) was a serial killer and underworld kingpin in the 1980s Mr Death's Cremorne home (above), where at least three suspected murders took place, is available to rent at $490 a week He ran brothels, organised drug peddlers and maintained his fearsome status all from his quiet Cremorne home. At least three of Allen's 13 suspected murders are believed to have been carried out inside the plain-looking home in Melbourne's inner-east. One was a close friend of Allen, Wayne Stanhope, who the cold-blooded killer shot at close range and slit the throat of during a drug-fueled house party while guests screamed and vomited in horror. No clear motive was established for Stanhope's death but it is believed he made the unforgivable mistake of scratching one of Allen's favorite records, Bob Marley's Buffalo Soldier. Another of Allen's victims known to spend their final hours in his home was Helga Wagnegg who worked at one of his 'massage parlours'. Allen is believed to have killed at least three people inside his home (pictured in the 80s) - Wayne Stanhope, Helga Wagnegg and Anton Kenny The home's living space (above) still features the downlights Allen installed himself in the 1980s Allen reportedly sent one of his brothers down the road to collect a bucket of water from the Yarra River to pour down Ms Wagnegg's throat so it would look like she'd drowned. But maybe the home's most grisly murders was that of Hells Angels full-patch member Anton Kenny in 1985. Allen reportedly shot the bikie in the chest at close range and was working on fitting the body into a barrel when rigor mortis set in. Determined to get the job done, Allen used a chainsaw to remove Kenny's legs before cramming his body in the barrel and dumping it in the Yarra River. Disgusted Life and Crimes podcast host Andrew Rule told 3AW radio host Dee Dee Dunleavy he'd go nowhere near the home knowing its history, even some 50 years later. Allen's home at 37 Stephenson Street, Cremorne, was last sold in 1994, seven years after his death (pictured, the home's backyard) 'It's not a place I'd wanna live,' he said. When asked if Mr Death was a fair name for the serial killer, Rule said: 'Yep, he deserved that and anything else you could throw at him. 'It's the sort of evil, evil person that Dennis Allen was.' Allen's home at 37 Stephenson Street, Cremorne, was last sold in 1994, seven years after his death. A practice of removing a condom during sex without consent is about to be criminalised, with offenders facing penalties of up to life in prison. 'Stealthing' will be outlawed in South Australia once it passes the state parliament's lower house after being approved by the upper house on Wednesday. One in three women have fallen victim to the 'repugnant act of betrayal', a Monash University study found in 2018. 'Stealthing' will be outlawed in South Australia once it passes the state parliament's lower house after being approved by the upper house on Wednesday The 'repugnant and disgusting act of betrayal' should have been criminalised years ago, SA Best MP Connie Bonaros said in a statement. 'Under the new legislation, the removal of a condom during sex without the consent of the other person will now be a crime punishable by up to life imprisonment,' she said. Monash University research revealed one in three women and one in five men, who have sex with other men, had been victims of the practice, after 2,000 participants were surveyed. The stealthing act was described by the amendment to the criminal law consolidation act as when a 'person agrees to engage in the activity because of a misrepresentation (whether express or implied) as to the use of a condom during the activity', the ABC reported. Ms Bonaros said the practice is 'more common than most people believe', with her private bill being backed by the government. SA Best MP Connie Bonaros (pictured) said the practice is 'more common than most people believe', with her private bill being backed by the government Attorney-General Kyam Maher said the bill will make sure the 'insidious practice' is covered by the state's criminal law. 'There have been many calls from advocates to criminalise this under state law to make sure we're explicitly ruling this as a crime. 'Other states have moved in this direction Tasmania and the ACT have already passed laws.' A pilot faced court last month for allegedly hindering the crash investigation The helicopter he was hanging from collided with a tree and crashed in the NT National Geographic TV star and crocodile wrangler Matt Wright has opened up about his struggle coming to terms with the death of his close friend and fellow Outback Wrangler castmate, Chris 'Willow' Wilson. Mr Wilson, 34, was killed on February 28 when the helicopter he was hanging from collided with a tree and crashed in west Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory. The father-of-two, who was attached to a line with a harness, was attempting to harvest crocodile eggs from nests in swampy areas while the helicopter hovered above. Mr Wright said that the death of his mate had hit close to home and it still felt 'pretty raw'. Outback Wrangler TV star Matt Wright (pictured) has shared his struggle coming to terms with the death of his close friend and fellow castmate, Chris Wilson Chris 'Willow' Wilson (pictured) died last February when the helicopter he was hanging from collided with trees and crashed in west Arnhem Land 'It's still pretty fresh,' he told express.co.uk. The National Geographic TV sensation was short on words when it came to how Mr Wilson's death had affected him and struggled to speak about the devastating details. 'Maybe in time, you know I'll explain,' he added. Mr Wright explained that he was not on the job as he was overseas at the time promoting a new Tourism Australia campaign. 'It wasn't with myself, we weren't on the jobs or anything,' he said. The crocodile wrangler claimed his friends were 'out doing another job with another pilot'. 'Unfortunately, the machine went down and Willow was killed in the process. So, it's taken a horrible toll this year.' The crashed helicopter was one of three involved in collecting eggs on the day. It was found by one of the other crews after it failed to respond to radio calls The crashed helicopter was one of three involved in collecting crocodile eggs on the day. It was found by one of the other crews after it failed to respond to radio calls Matt Wright (right) said the death of Mr Wilson (centre) was 'still pretty fresh'. The pair were cast members on the Outback Wrangler TV series with Jono Brown (left) Helicopter pilot and director of Remote Helicopters Australia, Michael Burbidge, 44, was arrested in September over an alleged plot to hinder the investigation into the crash. He was charged with a number of offences including destroying evidence, conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, providing a false statement in a declaration and attempt to pervert the course of justice. Mr Burbidge fronted Darwin Local Court over the matter last month, with the trial scheduled to continue at a later date. He is not allowed to contact Outback Wrangler star Matt Wright as part of his bail conditions. The pilot appeared in many episodes of the Outback Wrangler series. NT policeman Neil Mellon was also arrested and charged with 31 offences in relation to the investigation. Mr Wilson was hanging 30 metres below a Robinson R44 helicopter trying to harvest crocodile eggs when the rotor blade struck a tree trunk multiple times Mr Wilson was hanging 30 metres below a Robinson R44 helicopter trying to collect crocodile eggs when it crashed. His body was found 40 metres from the main wreckage at the King River crash site, a preliminary Air Transport Safety Bureau report revealed in April. A preliminary ATSB analysis of the site indicated the accident happened when the helicopter's main rotor blade struck and cut through a tree trunk multiple times before the aircraft hit the ground. Initial assessments indicated the engine had stopped prior to the helicopter colliding with the ground. An examination found no defects likely to cause the engine to stop and there was no visible damage to the tail rotor blades and drive system. Teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg has called the United Nations climate change conference a 'scam' in a TV interview. Ms Thunberg made the remarks ahead of the Conference of Parties meeting in Egypt on Sunday, where Australia will be represented by Energy Minister Chris Bowen. In an interview to be aired on ABC's 7.30 program on Thursday evening, Ms Thunberg also said Australia must 'wake up and treat the climate emergency like an emergency.' Ms Thunberg also Australians not to trust politicians to take the action needed to halt global warming and said she doesn't support Green political parties by default. 'It seems like many people in Australia think that now we have a new government, everything will be fine,' she said from her home in Sweden. 'Of course, that is very, very far from true.' Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg (pictured) has called on Australia to 'wake up and treat the climate emergency like an emergency' The 19-year-old said she has 'never supported any (political) party and that all sides of politics have failed to address climate change. 'People sometimes assume that I'm supporting Green parties and so on, which is of course not true. 'All the current ideologies and party politics have failed to create the necessary changes.' Ms Thunberg, who has campaigned internationally on climate issues since she was 15, said people often ask her is she's a pessimist or an optimist on saving the planet. 'And I always say that I'm a realist. It is definitely possible for us to avoid the worst consequences of this crisis, but not if we continue like now. 'There is certainly opportunities and chances for us to be able to save what we can possibly save. 'But as long as we continue like we are now, there is not very much hope in sight,' she said. This weekend, around 35,000 delegates from around the world will gather at Sharm el Sheikh for the COP 27 climate change conference. Australian Energy Minister Chris Bowen (pictured in a selfie with his dogs) is leading the Australian delegation at the COP 27 climate conference in Egypt starting this weekend Chris Bowen will lead the Australian delegation, while US President Joe Biden will be among the other 100 world leaders attending. But Ms Thunberg said politicians use words 'to make it seem like they're doing something when they're not'. Climate summits 'serve as an opportunity for big polluters to greenwash themselves using PR tactics and communication strategies disguised as politics,' she said. Greta Thunberg (pictured) said 'All the current ideologies and party politics have failed to create the necessary changes' When she started her climate activism as a 15-year-old student, Ms Thunberg inspired a worldwide movement by holding a school 'strike', hoping to raise awareness climate issues. On her Twitter account she describes herself as being an 'Activist with Asperger's' and said her direct manner of speaking has helped her spread her message. 'I tell it as it is, I don't try to package any message in order to fit anyone else's view in order to please anyone,' she told ABC's 7.30. 'Even though many of the communication experts say we need to be optimistic in our reporting, and we need to communicate in an optimistic way, in a positive way, that doesn't really go in line with the fact that we are facing an existential crisis.' Ms Thunberg said acting on climate change is 'a question of morality it's not politics anymore. It's just common sense and basic morality.' Greta Thunberg has opened up about her everyday teenage life, confessing that she has never been drunk and worries about romance for fears of being vulnerable She has just released a new book called The Climate Book, which includes input from more than one hundred experts, including geophysicists, oceanographers, meteorologists, engineers, economists, mathematicians, historians, philosophers and indigenous leaders. Ms Thunberg recently opened up about her everyday teenage life, confessing that she has never been drunk and worries about romance for fears of being vulnerable. She said she is extremely conscious of everything she does - living solely on her student grant. While she aims to walk everywhere she can, rather than take taxis, she has made one exception during a period that she had to have security guards after Donald Trump's public attack on her. When Thunberg was named Time's Person of the Year in 2019, then president Trump tweeted, following her speech to the UN General Assembly: 'She seems like a very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future. So nice to see!' Then 17, she was met with an overwhelming flurry of death threats and media attention - forcing her to recruit security. She got her payback however, when Mr Trump was kicked out of the White House, tweeting: 'He seems like a very happy old man, looking forward to a bright and wonderful future. So nice to see!' Greta Thunberg's interview will air on the ABC's 7.30 program tonight at 7.30pm AEDT. A man allegedly flashed the girls, 8 and 4, at a Gold Coast shopping centre Cops released photos of a man they want to speak with as part of investigations A man is wanted after allegedly exposing himself to at least two young girls Police are on the hunt for a man who allegedly exposed himself to at least two children in a shopping centre. The man is alleged to have flashed two girls aged four and eight-years-old on separate occasions in the Harbour Town Shopping Centre at Biggera Waters on the Gold Coast. It's alleged the man entered the shopping centre's food court on Wednesday, September 28 and took up a seat nearby to an eight-year-old girl who was sitting with her mother. Police say he then exposed himself to the girl before promptly leaving the building about midday. Police allege the man went back to the food-court a month later on October 12 and sat at a table beside a four-year-old girl and her mother. He then allegedly exposed himself to the girl and left the centre. 'Investigations indicate the man strategically positions himself at a table so the childrens parents are unaware of the offending at the time,' a police spokeswoman said. Police have released images of a man they wish to speak to after two instances of indecent exposure in a Gold Coast shopping centre in September and October (above) Another image of the man police wish to speak to in relation to incidences of wilful exposure at a Gold Coast shopping centre Now, police have released images of a man they wish to speak to in relation to the incidences of wilful exposure. He slipped shopping centre security earlier this week, after guards spotted and followed him. When he noticed he was being tailed, the alleged offender dashed across a main road. No one was physically injured during the incidents, police have confirmed. Police urged anyone with information to contact Policelink on 131 444 or their local police station. A man and woman have been arrested and are expected to be charged with murder after police found a seven-month-old boy dead in one of the 'most confronting' scenes detectives have ever witnessed. Queensland Police were called to a home on Mount Samson Road in Yugar, in northwest Brisbane, at about 6.45am on Thursday. Addressing the media on Thursday afternoon, Detective Inspector David Jackman said a 33-year-old man and 22-year-old woman have been taken into custody and are expected to be charged with murder shortly. 'I cannot comment in relation to their relationship with the deceased child. However, they all are known to one another,' Inspector Jackman said. 'The investigations uncovered injuries to the child that is enough for us to charge with murder.' Detective Inspector David Jackman said the scene was 'one of the most confronting' he has seen in his 30 years in the job Inspector Jackman said police were alerted to an 'unresponsive male child' by the man. 'From what I've seen, the child was not neglected in terms of nourishment and such, but it's quite confronting,' he said. 'I have been a detective for 30-odd years, and it is one of the most confronting scenes I've seen. 'The child was found in the house, but where in the house, I'm not at liberty to say.' The couple and the child are understood to have been living together in the home but were not known to police. A 33-year-old man and 22-year-old woman have been arrested and are expected to be charged with murder over the death of a seven-month-old baby boy in Yugar, northwest Brisbane (above) Detectives from the Inner West Child Protection and Investigation Unit and Criminal Investigation Branch set up a crime scene at the address where the baby boy's body was found. Police are going back through the family's history, and speaking with family members as part of their investigation. Queensland Police has established Operation Uniform Salwood to investigate the death. Anyone with relevant information is urged to contact contact police immediately. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un walks around what Pyongyang says is a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile on a launcher at an undisclosed location in North Korea, March 24, in this photo distributed by the North Korean government. AP-Yonhap South Korea, US to extend Vigilant Storm air exercise amid NK provocations By Kang Seung-woo North Korea continued its saber-rattling for the second day straight, Thursday, by firing at least six missiles, but its military show of force ended up being compromised after the launch of the country's largest and most powerful intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) failed while in flight. The unsuccessful ICBM launch may cause further delays to the possible next nuclear test by the North, which is believed to have been fully prepared for it since May, as it is still short of putting the United States on high alert or gaining its attention, according to diplomatic observers. According to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), North Korea launched what was presumed to be an ICBM from the Sunan area of Pyongyang at 7:40 a.m., then two short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) from Kaechon in South Pyongan Province at 8:39 a.m. The JCS also said that it detected three SRBMs between 9:35 p.m. and 9:49 p.m. traveling toward the East Sea from Koksan County in North Hwanghae Province. As for the ICBM, the JCS did not specify what type of missile North Korea had prepared, but it was presumed to be the Hwasong-17, which analysts say may be capable of carrying multiple warheads and traveling up to 15,000 kilometers, far enough to strike anywhere in the U.S. The missile was first unveiled in October 2020. The ICBM flew about 760 kilometers at an apogee of around 1,920 kilometers and a top speed of Mach 15, but something seemed to have gone wrong following second-stage separation, the JCS added. The alleged test-firing of a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile from an undisclosed location in North Korea, March 24, is seen in this photo distributed by the North Korean government. AP-Yonhap According to Japanese authorities also, the ICBM was initially expected to fly over Japan, but its defense ministry later evaluated that the missile did not cross over the country and lost track of it, raising speculation of a possible missile failure. North Korea has test-fired ICBMs on seven occasions this year, but two attempts ended up failures. North Korea fires 3 more short-range ballistic missiles toward East Sea North Korea slams US, S. Korea's decision to extend air drills as 'dangerous and false choice' North Korea's record single-day missile launch flurry cost as much as $75 million On March 16, it launched a Hwasong-17 that failed immediately after launch. Although the country claimed to have successfully test-fired the missile on March 24, the South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities concluded that North Korea had in fact fired the Hwangsong-15, another ICBM that it had already test-launched in 2017, another one that is theoretically capable of reaching anywhere on the U.S. mainland. "Given the stage separation, it must be an ICBM. However, it reached an apogee of only 2,000 kilometers, data similar to that of the Hwasong-12, so I think North Korea has failed in developing the Hwasong-17," said Shin Jong-woo, a senior researcher at the Korea Defense and Security Forum. The Hwasong-12 missile is an intermediate-range ballistic missile that can strike the U.S. territory of Guam, a Pacific base for Washington's strategic assets that will be sent to the Korean Peninsula in times of crisis. "As North Korea seeks to apply advanced devices to the Hwasong-17, it appears that it is struggling to develop the missile," Shin added. As for the two SRBMs, they traveled some 330 kilometers at a maximum altitude of around 70 kilometers at a top speed of Mach 5. The missile launches came one day after the Kim Jong-un regime launched more than 20 ballistic and other missiles, the most it has fired in a single day ever. In addition, one of them landed in South Korean territory for the first time since the 1950-53 Korean War. The South Korean military also responded by the firing of three air-to-surface missiles into the sea north of the inter-Korean maritime border. There has been rampant speculation that North Korea's next nuclear test is imminent, and the South Korean and U.S. governments have been urging Pyongyang to refrain from military provocations and return to the negotiating table. However, Shin said Thursday's failed launch may prevent the North Korean regime from detonating a nuclear device. Two EA-18G Growlers participate in the Vigilant Storm exercise over Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, Wednesday. South Korea and the United States agreed, Thursday, to extend the exercise amid North Korea's continued provocations. Courtesy of ROK Air Force "Ahead of a nuclear test, North Korea should prove its capability to strike the U.S. mainland in order to put the U.S. on alert over its nuclear arsenal. In that respect, the North's envisaged nuclear test may be postponed further," he said. In fact, North Korea has test-fired ballistic missiles on 30 occasions this year, but the U.S. government has disregarded them, saying they do not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory, or its allies. "As many experts predict, North Korea is expected to stage a series of high-intensity provocations to ratchet up tensions to gain attention from the U.S. and the country will punctuate them with a nuclear test," Shin added. Meanwhile, South Korea and the U.S. agreed, Thursday, to extend the ongoing Vigilant Storm, a combined air exercise in response to North Korea's continuing provocations. The state's top secret crime-fighting agency has grilled William Tyrrell's foster mother accusing her of hiding the toddler's body after the boy fell from the verandah of his foster gran's home, a Sydney court has heard. Extraordinary details have emerged about how NSW Crime Commissioner Michael Barnes and counsel assisting Sophie Callan piled pressure onto the 57-year-old, who cannot be named, in closed door hearings last November. William, three, vanished from his foster nana's home in Kendall, on the NSW north coast, on September 12, 2014. The little boy has not been seen since, despite being one of Australia's most high profile cold cases. William Tyrrell's foster mother (left) faced a Sydney court on Thursday to fight a charge she gave false or misleading evidence to the NSW Crime Commission in November last year William Tyrrell, three, vanished from his foster nana's home in Kendall, on the NSW north coast, on September 12, 2014 and has not been since The foster mother faced court on Thursday to fight a charge she gave false or misleading evidence to the Crime Commission - with a senior detective telling the court he believed the foster mother 'knows where William Tyrrell is'. William's foster mother faced the hearing after pleading not guilty and has not been charged in relation to William's disappearance. The court heard police told the foster mother 'we know why, we know how' William disappeared and his body was disposed of. In fiery evidence put before the Crime Commission and played to the court the foster mother repeatedly denied the accusations about William. She challenges investigators to 'dig up' the area where they claimed the three-year-old's remains were buried. The foster mother was summonsed to appear before the Crime Commission along with William's foster father on November 10 and 11 last year. In recordings from closed door hearings, Commissioner Michael Barnes suggested 'William went around on that verandah and he toppled over and it was nobody's fault what happened', to which his foster mother replied, 'No, I would have found him. But I didn't find him' (pictured is the Kendall home where William was last seen in September, 2014) William Tyrrell's foster mother has emphatically denied she 'put or dumped' the remains of her three-year-old foster son near a riding school in Kendall in recordings from closed door hearings before the NSW Crime Commission last November She was told by Commissioner Barnes 'we are here to find the body of William Tyrrell'. When it was suggested the foster mother 'put ... or dumped' William's remains 'near the riding school' at Kendall, she answered back 'do you think I did that?' Sobbing, she continued: 'No, absolutely not'. When the Commissioner suggested 'William went around on that verandah and he toppled over and it was nobody's fault what happened', the foster mother replied, 'No, I would have found him. But I didn't find him.' When Ms Callan said, 'I want to suggest you did find him, you put his body in your mother's car', the foster mother replied, 'I didn't, I didn't'. The court heard police told William's foster mother (left) in closed door hearings last November 'we know why, we know how' the child disappeared and his body was disposed of When Ms Callan said, 'I want to suggest you did find him, you put his body in your mother's car' (pictured), the foster mother replied, 'I didn't, I didn't'. Ms Callan then told her: 'They can handle it in a way that does not connect you'. The foster mother replied: 'I haven't, I didn't. I've not touched him. 'I don't know where he is. You can search with ground penetrating radar. 'You can search the whole house. Dig it up!' The foster mother then held her hand over her mouth, sobbing. William Tyrrell's foster mother (above in June) will spend two days at a hearing into allegations she lied to the top secret NSW Crime Commission just days before a high intensity dig for her missing foster son The account of the foster mother's secret testimony came after a senior detective dropped a bombshell in the hearing, claiming he believes the foster mother knew where William's body was. 'I've formed the view (the foster mother) knows where William Tyrrell is', Detective Sergeant Andrew Lonergan told the Downing Centre Local Court. Det Sgt Lonergan made the comments under cross-examination by the foster mother's barrister John Stratton on Thursday afternoon. When Mr Stratton asked the detective if he was pursuing the foster mother on charges to 'break her spirit', he said that the purpose of her appearing before the Crime Commission was to 'find the location of William Tyrrell.' When asked whether he was lying about police knowing the location of William's body, Det Sgt Lonergan said he wasn't and cited an area in the town of Kendall. The location, on the corner of Batar Creek Road and Cobb and Co Road, was the area investigated during high intensity searches in last November and December. 'We believe it was disposed of' in that area, 'yes', Det Sgt Lonergan said. Police allege the foster mother lied to detectives just days before investigators launched a surprise high-intensity dig at Kendall for the remains of William Tyrrell (above) It comes as the court heard police had bugged the foster parents' homes with nine listening devices and eight hidden cameras. Dramatic audio was played of audio of a ten-year-old child - who is not William - crying and yelling out 'no, no, nooooo' as she was allegedly disciplined with a wooden spoon in January 2021. The court heard the foster mother had denied having struck the girl to the Crime Commission last November. Police prosecutor Senior Sergeant Amin Asaad told the court that 'allegations involving the child ... were put to the accused' at the Crime Commission. Sen Sgt Asaad said that the foster mother had 'denied those propositions' and then 'seconds or minutes after the event contacted her husband and added certain things disclosing the offence ... and certain observations regarding the event'. In recordings played to the court on Thursday, William Tyrrell's foster mother challenged investigators to 'dig up' the area where they claimed his remains were buried (pictured, search efforts in bushland about four kilometres from where William was last seen in June, 2018) The foster mother of William Tyrrell is facing a two day hearing on a charge of lying to the Crime Commission. The foster father will front court next year for allegedly making a false statement to the top secret crime fighting body The audio begins with a female voice, possibly of the girl, saying, 'I am calling the police' and then a child screaming 'no' and crying, panting and sobbing. Then there is the sound of a possible slap and the foster mother ordering the child, 'Stand up. Stand up'. The child said 'no, please no, nooooooo' and then was told to 'Sit down. Sit.' Snr Sgt Asaad told the court that in a conversation after the incident the foster mother told her husband 'she's been hit really hard with that wooden spoon. She's going to have massive welt on her leg.' The court was played a subsequent conversation in which the foster father says, 'Oh that's not good. We've got a problem. We've got a big problem.' Detective Andrew Lonergan (second right) with Professor Jon Olley, who found murdered Queensland schoolboy Daniel Morecombe's remains in 2011, at the William Tyrrell dig in Kendall late last year The foster mother arrived at court on Thursday wearing black trousers and a black and white checked jacket and in the company of two marketing consultants, Clare and Alice Collins, who run the Where's William PR campaign. Ex-detective Gary Jubelin, the former boss of the task force investigating William's disappearance, also listened in to the hearing. The hearing continues. In February 2021 four kilos of crystal methamphetamine were discovered Former Olympic swimmer Scott Andrew Miller's unorthodox and lonely youth led him down the treacherous path to importing over $2million worth of meth, a court has heard. 'That became a lonely and depressed adulthood, marred by substance abuse and depression,' his lawyer Arjun Chabra told the NSW District Court on Thursday. 'The circumstances only seem to explain what led him down this treacherous path.' He added Miller's life as a boy was 'regimented and geared towards competition', where he was 'mismanaged'. Miller (pictured with a girlfriend in 2014), 45, has pleaded guilty to two counts of supplying a commercial quantity of a prohibited drug Miller, 45, has pleaded guilty to two counts of supplying a commercial quantity of a prohibited drug. He was arrested in February, 2021 at his Sydney home after four kilos of crystal methamphetamine were found concealed in eight candles. With each candle containing 500 grams of the drug, police estimate the total haul could have sold on the streets for more than $2million. The former Australian swimming star submitted two letters of apology detailing his mental health struggles and his unorthodox childhood at his sentencing hearing on Thursday. 'He missed out on school, on making friends, and the academic and emotional training one would expect to receive in teenage years was beyond his grasp,' Mr Chabra said. Miller pictured with his then wife Charlotte Dawson. His former wife's body was found the morning after Miller's 39th birthday Scott Miller became a lonely and depressed adult whose life was 'marred by substance abuse and depression,' his lawyer Arjun Chabra told the NSW District Court on Thursday (pictured, Miller with a silver medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta) 'He lived a life that was heavily regimented and geared towards competition. He was mismanaged and not treated and considered to be homesick.' At the time of offending, Miller was suffering from depression and anxiety, and was regularly using ice and heroin, the court heard. His lawyers also pointed to the breakdown of his marriage to Charlotte Dawson, who took her own life in 2014. Her body was found the morning after Miller's 39th birthday. 'Being a media personality he took blame for that and that was again brought into public limelight,' Mr Chabra said. Miller was arrested in February, 2021 at his Sydney home after four kilos of crystal methamphetamine was found concealed in eight candles (pictured, right Miller at his arrest) 'That public shaming and embarrassment has exacerbated his life today.' However, the Crown argues Miller's drug offences are only loosely connected to the downfall of his swimming career. 'It is very peripherally plausible to deliberately engage in the business of being a drug dealer some 20 years later,' crown prosecutor David Scully said. 'It falls into the category of background material but has no significant effect on reducing the moral culpability of the offender.' His lawyers also pointed to the breakdown of his marriage to Charlotte Dawson (pictured with Miller), who took her own life in 2014 The swimmer is in custody and is also facing one count of participating in a criminal group and one count of dealing with the proceeds of crime. He is in custody and will be sentenced alongside his two co-accused Wayne Allan Johnson and Justin Szabolics. Johnson, who is out on bail, is facing one charge of participating in a criminal group, two charges of possessing a prohibited drug, and one charge of taking part in the supply of a prohibited drug. Szabolics is in custody and faces one charge of supplying a large commercial quantity of a prohibited drug and one charge of participating in a criminal group. A fourth man Luke Mathew Peake was sentenced to a maximum term of imprisonment of two years and six months in March this year for his role in the drug syndicate. His 15-month non-parole period ended on May 13. Police previously said the drugs, from Sydney, were bound for regional NSW. Appearing via video link, Miller was emotional and teary during his lawyer's submissions. He is due to be sentenced on November 10. At the time of offending, Miller (pictured at the men's 100-metre butterfly final at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta) was suffering from depression and anxiety, and was regularly using ice and heroin The woman accused of causing a horror car crash that killed an aspiring actress and injured her twin sister and boyfriend has been detained for mental health reasons. Police allege Carlie Eileen Richards, 38, was behind the wheel of the car that bumped the red Toyota Prius carrying Erica Hoy, 26, her twin Lisa and her boyfriend Mark Reader, 29, into the path of a truck just after 9pm on Tuesday night. Ms Richards had been just five minutes from home when the horror smash unfolded on the Port River Expressway in Gillman in northwest Adelaide. Erica sadly died of her injuries at the scene while her twin sister and boyfriend were rushed to the Royal Adelaide Hospital. Ms Richards has been charged with one count of causing death by dangerous driving, three counts of causing harm by dangerous driving, leaving the scene of the accident and two counts of driving without due care. She will also face charges for hindering police investigations into the crash by allegedly not answering questions or providing her name and address. Young actress Erica Hoy (above) has been identified as the victim of a fatal Adelaide car crash Carlie Eileen Richards, 38, has been charged with one count of causing death by dangerous driving, three counts of causing harm by dangerous driving She remained silent during a bedside hearing at Queen Elizabeth Hospital on Wednesday after she was deemed mentally unfit to front court in person. Duty solicitor Tyson Leung asked Magistrate Paul Bennett for Ms Richards to be detained under section 269x of the criminal law act. Mr Leung said the order - which will see investigations into the defendant's mental competence - would likely pre-empt an application for bail in two weeks time. Ms Richards was taken into custody for a short time after the hearing before returning to hospital, The Advertiser reports. Meanwhile, Erica's heartbroken dad Greg Hoy has paid tribute to his daughter, saying it brought him comfort to know she died with her loved ones nearby. Erica was a passionate actress and was driving home from an acting course with her boyfriend and twin when she was killed (pictured, twins Erica and Lisa) Carlie Eileen Richards (left) is accused of causing the crash that killed Erica, fleeing the scene and hindering the police investigation 'She was a bright, happy, positive young girl,' Mr Hoy said. 'I'm glad she didn't pass away alone.' Mr Hoy said Erica had spent the day she died doing what she loved most, acting. 'She was coming back from an acting course ... when it happened,' he said. The proud father said his daughter was a top student in school but acting was her passion with Erica starring as the lead in her school musical, Alice in Wonderland. She also appeared on the screens of the Adelaide Film Festival in a web series called The Reality of Humanity in 2021, and had a leading role in the 2020 mini series Jo-Anne Spirit Guide. Erica died at the scene while Mr Reader and Lisa were seriously injured and rushed to the Royal Adelaide Hospital (pictured, Erica and Lisa in The Reality of Humanity released in 2021) Erica (above) was driving with her boyfriend Mike Reader, 29, and her twin sister Lisa Hoy It is alleged Erica's car was struck by another vehicle and pushed in front of a truck on the Port River Expressway just after 9pm on Tuesday (pictured, the aftermath of the crash) Erica, Lisa, their Australian father and Japanese mother migrated to Australia in 2015. Both twins studied at Flinders University in Bedford Park, where Erica completed her Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Chinese and French. The all-rounder also tried her hand at modelling and walked the runway for The Boutiques to promote diversity in the fashion industry. A Miami mother whose autistic six-year-old son was kidnapped by his father and taken to Canada has said she lived in terror that the little boy would be murdered, saying she feared her ex-husband had 'lost his mind'. Yanet Concepcion was reunited with her son, Jojo Morales, on Tuesday - over two months after he disappeared. A massive international manhunt was launched, with Concepcion contacting a team of private investigators specialized in missing minors, who used sniffer dogs to learn the boy had been spirited across the border from Maine into Canada. Police found the little boy with his father, Jorge Morales, 45, and his grandmother, Lilliam Pena Morales, 68, in in the Canadian providence of New Brunswick after they were spotted at a Walmart by a tipster who called cops. Concepcion was reunited with her son on Wednesday, and told DailyMail.com in an exclusive interview that they had 'been hugging since last night'. Concepcion on Wednesday held a welcome home party for her son, and told DailyMail.com they have 'been hugging since last night.' She said: 'It's a terrible nightmare that I hope no one goes through.' Yanet Concepcion is pictured on Wednesday evening with her six-year-old son, Jojo Morales. The little boy was kidnapped by his father in August, and found with them in Canada Relatives and well-wishers crowded into the Miami home to celebrate Jojo's return on Wednesday night The little boy, who loves cars, is seen on Wednesday at his welcome home party opening his gifts. Joe Carillo, who worked to find Jojo, is pictured behind him Concepcion filed for divorce from Morales in January 2019, and the pair were involved in a bruising custody battle. On August 27 she went to collect their son from his father's home, and found the house empty and no one to be seen. Jorge Morales, 45, will now face serious charges for alleging kidnapping his son. Morales and Concepcion had been in engaged in a brutal custody battle following her January 2019 petition for divorce Concepcion told DailyMail.com o that she feared for her little boy's life, and for her ex-husband's sanity. 'He became this paranoid person. He thought the government was conspiring against him,' she said. 'He thought we were all against him - the school, the therapist, and we just wanted to attack him somehow.' Concepcion said she was struggling to understand what motivated him to snatch their son - and she was terrified that Morales might harm their son. 'I'm not sure what went through his mind,' she said. 'I think he lost his mind. And my son kept on repeating that, when he was seven or eight he was going to go to heaven and I guess he was planning on making that happen.' Concepcion said there were key dates approaching in their custody battle, which perhaps pushed Morales to act. 'He was also pending a psychiatric evaluation from the board and we were pending a final court date for this custody battle. So I guess his fear was he'd lose it all.' Jojo is seen playing with his new toy cars. His mother said she intends to keep the celebrations going Concepcion is seen surrounded by balloons and gifts as friends and family welcomed Jojo home to Miami The little boy was intend on his new toys, evidently delighted with the celebrations in his honor Concepcion thanked the tipster who spotted her son with his father and grandmother in Canada, and helped secure his safe return to Florida Asked what she wanted to happen now to Morales and his mother, she said she had not had time to think about it. 'Whatever they are going to go through is part of what they put themselves into,' she said. And she thanked all those involved in returning her son - saying she had been overwhelmed by the support. 'I just want to thank everyone who was involved - social media came along in a way I didn't expect it,' she said. 'It made it as far as Canada. 'I had the National Missing Children's center supporting in Canada. 'So I just want to thank everybody. There were a lot of people helping - a lot.' Wednesday night's celebration was attended by a private investigator, Joe Carillo, 67, who founded the Bring Them Home Project, to assist with missing minor cases. Concepcion contacted Carillo and asked him to help. 'In this case, Yanet reached out to us - kind of had the opinion that things weren't moving fast enough,' Carillo told DailyMail.com. 'We came to see her and took on the case, immediately dispatched investigators to Maine.' He said they 'came up with some good evidence' and then sniffer dogs 'indicated they went through to Canada'. Carillo said that at that point 'no one knew if they had gone north, south, east or west.' He said it was a 'tedious' investigation because they needed to interview a lot of people. 'There came a point when it was time to put out a net. And that's when we went to the press. 'We started contacting the Walmarts, the pet stores, the pizza places.' He added: 'When a child returns under these circumstances, it's a true miracle. 'I kept on telling her that Jojo was alive, and we'd bring him back.' Joe Carillo, 67, founder of the Bring Them Home Project for missing minors, attended the party Carillo is pictured on Wednesday night with other friends and relatives of Concepcion and her son Surrounded by balloons and accompanied by friends and family, Jojo opened presents to mark his return - playing with brand new toy cars. Concepcion said that her young son was a car fanatic. She said that they intend to keep the celebrations going. 'We're going to recreate Halloween, we're going to recreate my birthday, which he missed both,' she said. Concepcion admitted it will now be hard to let Jojo out of her sight. An Amber Alert was issued in late August for the missing child, sparking a nationwide search. Maine State Police say Jojo and his father and grandmother may have been spotted in an SUV that was located in Littleton, Maine - close to the Canadian border. Investigators say Morales and his mother were arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police after a tipster spotted Jojo at a Walmart. The grateful mother said she spoke to the tipster, and thanked her. 'We were both crying and I told her: 'Thank you for saving my son's life,' Concepcion said. 'She said: 'The only thing I want is if you could update me, send me a picture on the holidays, here or there.' 'I said, 'Of course! I will bring you here!' Concepcion said she hopes one day to meet the woman in person. After two months she described as living a nightmare, Concepcion got a call from an FBI agent on Sunday that her son had been found and was safe. The pair were reunited Tuesday night at the Miami International Airport. Concepcion said she had 'missed that voice so much' and that she just wanted to hug her son Jojo was greeted Tuesday night by hugs, kisses and toys from his mother and other family members after returning to the area for the first time since August In August, an Amber Alert was sent out for Jojo sparking a nationwide search for the child. Several days ago, Jojo and his father and grandmother were spotted in a Walmart in New Brunswick, Canada Jojo Morales, 6, was allegedly kidnapped in August by his father and grandmother. He was spotted safe and healthy two months later in Canada and has now been returned to his mother Yanet Concepcion (right) Concepcion previously said she believes her ex had been researching living off the grid for the better part of a year. Prior to the alleged kidnapping, Morales had allowed his nursing license to lapse. His mother had sold their house. In August, Concepcion had gone to Morales' apartment to retrieve her son when she found the place empty and Jojo missing. 'Everything was gone. Everything was gone from his apartment,' she said. 'His phones were off. His mom's phone was off.' At the time she said that her son, who is on the autism spectrum, had told her that his father wanted to 'tale him to live on a farm with windmills and wanted me to go with him.' Concepcion filed for divorce in January 2019, and she and the boy's father were engaged in an ongoing custody battle. Lilliam Morales, 68, Jojo's grandmother, was also arrested in Canada for abducting her grandson. She had, prior to the alleged abduction, sold her Miami-area house Police say the three may have been spotted in an SUV in Littleton, Maine, near the Canadian border several weeks ago The SUV found in Littleton, Maine with some of Jojo's possessions in it. Concepcion said her ex-husband spent the better part of a year researching how to live off the grid Morales and his mother have now been arrested, and are facing felony charges. Miami-Dade Police Director Freddy Ramirez said the successful effort to locate Jojo and get him home was an example of police cooperation. He said it was thanks to 'local, state, federal, and international law enforcement, along with the United States and State Attorney's Office, coming together for the safety of a child.' He added they 'will continue to work together to fight the greater evil.' A tourist has been killed after a huge block of ice broke off a frozen cave and smashed down on to his head in Argentina. The Brazilian man was exploring the Jimbo Cave in the Andorra Valley when he was struck by the ice which fell from a height of 50ft. Another hiker was filming at the moment tragedy struck, as they ignored signs warning them to stay away from the off-limits area for their own safety. A tourist has been killed after a huge block of ice broke off a frozen cave and smashed down onto his head in Argentina The Brazilian man was exploring the Jimbo Cave in the Andorra Valley when he was struck by the ice which fell from a height of 50ft Footage shows the unnamed victim walking towards the mouth of the cave, an opening under a glacier, as one of his companions warned him to take care. Some members of the group appeared to stop and heed his warning momentarily before moving forward again, but the one at the front seemed to pay no attention and carried on walking towards the cave while recording it on his mobile phone. Suddenly the ice roof cracked and a huge chunk plummeted to the ground directly on top of the explorer. The man who had been filming their approach to the cave immediately dropped his camera as he warned colleagues to turn back and avoid any more falling blocks of ice. Footage shows the unnamed victim walking towards the mouth of the cave, an opening under a glacier, as one of his companions warned him to take care The man who had been filming their approach to the cave immediately dropped his camera as he warned colleagues to turn back Emergency services were alerted around 5pm local time but the tourist was already dead by the time first responders arrived on foot following a six-mile hike to reach the scene. The six people hiking with him are expected to be questioned by police in the coming hours before an autopsy takes place once the man's body is taken to Ushuaia. An investigating judge has been placed in charge of an ongoing probe into the incident. The spot where the tragedy occurred is part of the Tierra del Fuego National Park, a national park on the Argentine part of the island of Tierra del Fuego. It was the first shoreline national park to be established in Argentina. Local authorities sounded warnings about the dangers of going near the Jimbo Cave, Cueva de Jimbo in Spanish, after studies showing it was risk of collapse. A year earlier rescue workers had reminded visitors access to the cave was prohibited for safety reasons. Rimmer tried to kill herself and was found by police officers next to her lover's dead body in the house they shared in Haverhill, Suffolk, on the 29th December 2011 A Thai carer who beat her pensioner lover to death with a claw hammer after he changed his will to leave her 340,000 has been refused a move to an open prison. Callous Bunthawee Rimmer, then 49, was jailed for a minimum of 11 years in July 2012 after being found guilty of murdering her elderly lover Paul Norfolk the year before. Rimmer launched the frenzied attack on the 77-year-old former soldier with a 12oz hammer as he slept in the house they shared in Haverhill, Suffolk, on the 29th December 2011. She then tried to commit suicide and was found by police officers next to her lover's dead body. Rimmer had head injuries and was unconscious. She had also taken an overdose, but survived. Rimmer told police she believed Mr Norfolk planned to throw her out of his home, a claim which a judge rejected. Rimmer accepted killing Mr Norfolk, but denied murder and claimed diminished responsibility, blaming depression she was suffering from at the time. A jury found her guilty of murder by a majority verdict having deliberated for seven hours and 35 minutes. Rimmer, now 59, became eligible for a parole hearing after serving her minimum term this year and had the appeal in August. She was told this had been rejected in September. The Parole Board also decided not to recommend her for a transfer to an open prison. She is currently held in closed conditions. Rimmer failed to convince the three-person board that she had made significant progress in jail and was still too dangerous for open conditions. She will be eligible for a new hearing in 2024. Paul Norfolk (pictured), then 77, was bludgeoned to death with a 12oz hammer as he slept by his Thai lover Bunthawee Rimmer, then 49, after he left her everything in his will A spokesperson for the Parole Board said: 'We can confirm that a panel of the Parole Board refused the release of Bunthawee Rimmer following a paper hearing in August 2022. The panel also refused to recommend a move to open prison. 'Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community. 'A panel will carefully examine a huge range of evidence, including details of the original crime, and any evidence of behaviour change, as well as explore the harm done and impact the crime has had on the victims. 'Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority. Rimmer (pictured) has been refused a move to an open prison after failing to convince the board that she had made significant progress in jail and was found to still be too dangerous for open conditions 'Under current legislation she will be eligible for a further review in due course. The date of the next review will be set by the Ministry of Justice.' Rimmer arrived in Britain in 1998 after her late husband Geoffrey Rimmer met her on a Thai beach while she was selling doughnuts. Mr Rimmer, who died from natural causes, was a close friend of Mr Norfolk and the pair had travelled to Thailand regularly during the 1990s. Bunthawee started a sexual relationship with Mr Norfolk in 2010 after she was employed to care for his sick wife Esme, who suffered from Alzheimer's. Rimmer stayed living with Mr Norfolk after his wife, who also suffered a stroke, was taken into care. Mr Norfolk first changed his will in early 2011 to leave his house to Rimmer and then again in October 2011 to leave her any cash left in the estate. When police broke into Mr Norfolk's home they found Rimmer lying on the bed next to his bloodied body. At her two-week trial at Ipswich Crown Court in March 2012, the jury was told that Rimmer murdered Mr Norfolk in the early hours of 30th December 2011 by hitting him 12 times on the head with a hammer. The court heard she had heard voices when she got up in the night, saying: 'Dead, dead, dead.' Speaking through an interpreter, Rimmer, who has a son from a previous marriage, said that she had felt sad because Mr Norfolk told her he wanted to 'dump her'. Andrew Johnson, prosecuting, said: 'I put it to you that, for reasons that you do not want to tell this jury, you decided to kill Mr Norfolk.' Rimmer replied: 'I have never thought of killing Mr Norfolk. I love him. I have no reason to kill him.' The jury did not believe her version of events and found her guilty of murder by a majority verdict. Jailing her, Mr Justice John Saunders said Rimmer's attack had been 'wicked'. He said: 'I do not lose sight of the fact that a decent man has lost his life in a brutal fashion at the age of 77. 'Paul Norfolk was by all accounts a well liked, decent man. His death is a tragedy for his family, some of whom have given evidence and demonstrated admirable fairness and restraint in the way they did this. 'No one should lose their life in the way that Paul Norfolk did. 'It was a wicked thing to do, as I am satisfied the defendant recognised and led to her trying to kill herself.' Mr Justice John Saunders added: 'I am satisfied that the defendant's account that Paul Norfolk was saying that he was going to dispense with her services as a carer was untrue. 'It is inconsistent with the rest of the evidence which was to the effect that Paul Norfolk was saying that he couldn't live without the defendant. 'In the early hours of the morning of the 30th December the defendant armed herself with her hammer and struck Paul Norfolk at least twelve fierce blows with the hammer. 'I will deal with the defendant on the basis that this was a determined attempt on her own life and she did cause herself significant injury. 'I do not know why she killed Paul Norfolk. Thereafter in prison I am satisfied that her mental state, which was affected by depression, deteriorated further.' The court was told that Mr Norfolk served in the army's Tank Regiment for three years from the age of 18. Later, he worked for scent firm International Flowers and Fragrances (IFF), in Haverhill. Following the sentence Mr Norfolk's family released a statement paying tribute to him. It read: 'Paul was the youngest of a family of four and had a happy childhood in the village of Ridgewell. We were a happy and united family. Paul was a popular and well liked member of the community. 'At eighteen years old, he joined the Tank Regiment and served in the army for three years. He was well-liked by his army friends and was still in touch with one of them at the time of his death. 'For thirty years he was employed at IFF in Haverhill. Upon marriage he settled into his house in Castle Lane, where he was still living at the time of his death. 'Paul was a very generous, kind and sympathetic man. He was liked and respected by everyone who knew him especially by his neighbours and their children by whom he was affectionately called 'Uncle'. He was always ready to help others. 'His brother and I (both in our eighties) are completely devastated by the wickedly cruel way in which our gentle, loving and much loved brother was taken from us. It was a blow from which we shall never recover. 'Our remaining years will be spent grieving for him, who brought joy and happiness into our lives and whom we shall always remember as our dearest Paul. With all our love, Peter and Pansy.' Lisa Wilkinson has questioned whether victims of 'stealthing' really stand a chance of getting a conviction under new laws that could see offenders of the 'repugnant' sexual practice thrown behind bars for life. Consent campaigner Chanel Contos appeared on The Project on Thursday night to discuss the physical and psychological impacts of the sexual act on victims. Stealthing is the non-consensual removal of a condom during sexual intercourse, with South Australia recently becoming the latest jurisdiction to outlaw the practice - joining the ACT, Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales. Ms Contos said the new laws will protect and validate victims and the community about what is acceptable in Australian society. However, Wilkinson questioned if sexual assault victims would ever see justice. 'As we know sexual crimes are so hard to successfully prosecute against. Even with this legislation it seems like this would be even harder,' she said. 'Do stealthing victims really stand a chance of being able to achieve a conviction?' Lisa Wilkinson (left) asked consent campaigner Chanel Contos if victims of 'stealthing' really stand a chance of getting a conviction as the sexual act is outlawed in five jurisdictions Ms Contos said that while only a handful of people had been prosecuted for stealthing globally it was preventative measures and education that were important. 'What we need next is unified stealthing laws around the country. We now have five jurisdictions in Australia where stealthing is criminalised,' she said. 'We have three more to go. That is Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia. And it is really important that this occurs as soon as possible because we are one country, people travel between states and territories all the time.' Ms Contos said stealthing could have devastating physical and psychological impacts on victims such as unwanted STI's and pregnancies as well as depression. Ms Contos said stealthing could have devastating physical and psychological impacts on victims such as unwanted STI's and pregnancies as well as depression (stock image) South Australian Best MP Connie Banaros described stealthing as 'the ultimate act of betrayal' as her state outlawed the practice this week. Ms Bonaros said the practice is 'more common than most people believe', with her private bill being backed by the government. One in three women and one in five men in same sex couples have fallen victim to the 'repugnant act of betrayal', a Monash University study found in 2018. Of the 2,000 people surveyed only 60 per cent defined stealthing as sexual assault and only 1 per cent reported the incident to police. One in three women and one in five men in same sex couples have fallen victim to the 'repugnant act of betrayal', a Monash University study found in 2018 (stock image) Attorney-General Kyam Maher said the bill will make sure the 'insidious practice' is covered by the state's criminal law. 'There have been many calls from advocates to criminalise this under state law to make sure we're explicitly ruling this as a crime. 'Other states have moved in this direction Tasmania and the ACT have already passed laws.' No stealthing conviction is yet to be recorded in Australia. This is the terrifying moment an 85-year-old man was found dangling upside down from a window above a 150ft drop. Horrified passers-by spotted the man hanging out of his high-rise apartment window with his foot apparently stuck in a window frame in the city of Shaoguan, Guangdong province in southern China. While some called emergency services, others let themselves into the flat and tied sheets around his ankle to stop him from falling. The 85-year-old was spotted dangling by his foot from his high-rise apartment window in Shaoguan, Guangdong province, southern China. Some of the horrified passers-by contacted emergency services One of the rescuers - who was named as Ms Yang - told local media that she was passing by while shopping for food. After seeing the old man hanging upside down she immediately contacted the emergency services. Then she called a young man and a woman from the next building to rush upstairs to rescue him. Rescuers let themselves into the flat and tied sheets around his ankle to stop him from falling. One of them, named as Ms Yang, said that he was still conscious when they found him, but noted that he was groaning Ms Yang recalled that as she was walking towards the shops, she saw the person seemingly hanging from the window of a tall building. She explained: 'Because the window opening was very small, we couldn't pull the old man up.' According to Ms Yang, the old man was still conscious at the time, but he kept groaning and couldn't speak. Ms Yang said the window was very small so they could not pull the old man up. After the police and firefighters arrived at the scene, the old man's daughter also rushed home to thank the rescuers The old man had just undergone brain surgery, according to local media Ms Yang said: 'Although it was only a few minutes, I was very nervous, and I was always afraid that the old man would fall.' He had just undergone brain surgery, according to local media. After the police and firefighters arrived at the scene, his daughter also rushed home to thank the rescuers. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak surprised commuters this morning by selling poppies at Westminster Tube station in central London. The PM joined several Army personnel and civil servant Stephen le Roux to raise money for the Royal British Legion's (RBL's) annual Poppy Appeal at around 8am on Thursday. A small crowd of people gathered around to catch a glimpse of the 42-year-old premier as he held a tray full of poppies and talked to members of the public during the brief appearance to which no media was invited. The RBL said they were 'grateful to the PM for generously giving up his time to collect with us during the morning rush hour'. Mr Sunak, dressed in a coat, shirt and red tie - sporting a poppy on the left side of his chest - even posed for selfies with passersby. Mr Sunak takes a moment to pose with one man buying a poppy from him at Westminster Tube Station Crowds gathered to take photos of the PM as he posed for selfies and gave a 'thumbs up' to members of the public One man called Lewis, who filmed himself buying a poppy from the PM, said: 'Rishi, I would love to buy a poppy from you.' 'Well, we'd love to have your support,' Mr Sunak replied as the man handed over a 5 note and the PM gave him a thumbs up. Speaking to after meeting the PM, the data and operations analyst - who did not want to give his last name - added he 'didn't expect to meet the chap'. 'I went to buy my ticket at Westminster Station and he was there selling poppies with the military men and women,' he said. Lewis said that having been critical of the way Mr Sunak ousted Boris, he 'turns out to be ok', adding he is 'down to earth' and 'approachable'. He told MailOnline: 'I was surprised how different he is outside the public eye. In person having met for the first time he is actually down to earth. Nothing like how he is portrayed on TV.' Other surprised commuters took to social media to express their disbelief in seeing the PM. One tweeted: 'Saw Rishi Sunak selling poppies at Westminster Station. Bought one off him for a fiver. What a morning.' Another wrote: 'My dad just met rishi sunak in westminster... he was selling poppies...' The Royal British Legion's Director of the Poppy Appeal, Simon O'Leary, said commuters had been blown away by the PM's tube station surprise. He told MailOnline: 'We are incredibly grateful to the Prime Minister for generously giving up his time to support London Poppy Day and collect with Armed Forces personnel during the morning rush hour. 'Commuters were surprised, but clearly thrilled to pick up their poppy from the Prime Minister and we can't thank him enough for his support in our attempt to raise 1 million in a day.' The PM's surprise appearance comes days after he was joined by his wife Akshata Murty and their dog Nova on the steps of 10 Downing Street to promote this year's appeal. On Tuesday, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, a retired soldier, was seen selling poppies outside Downing Street following a cabinet meeting. About 2,000 serving military personnel, veterans, cadets and volunteers are dotted across railway stations in London selling poppies. The RBL is aiming to raise 1 million on Thursday for the London Poppy Day. Events in the capital include RBL ambassador Ross Kemp rallying the troops on Horse Guards Parade alongside members of the Irish Guards. Meanwhile, thousands of Army, Navy and RAF personnel are joining Poppy Appeal collectors in handing out poppies and gathering donations at Network Rail and Transport for London stations, in offices and on the streets of the capital. The voice of EastEnders star Shane Ritchie will also be heard across the London Underground network encouraging commuters to take part in a recorded tannoy announcement. Labour Shadow Defence Secretary John Healey, right, pictured selling poppies with volunteers at King's Cross railway station this morning Labour's Shadow Defence Secretary John Healey has today urged the public to throw their weight behind the Poppy Appeal. Speaking to MailOnline from a Royal British Legion stand at London's King's Cross railway station, he said: 'It was such a pleasure to join service personnel, veterans and Royal British Legion volunteers to support the London Poppy Day at Kings Cross this morning. 'Ahead of Remembrance Sunday I urge everyone to donate to the poppy appeal and ensure the Legion can keep doing its fantastic work.' The RBL launched the annual appeal last week with an installation involving a huge red wall covered in paper flower tributes which tell the stories of those in the armed forces community. People can support the appeal by buying a poppy, donating at https://www.britishlegion.org.uk or taking part in a 5k charity Poppy Run. Russia has warned of 'dangerous consequences' after summoning the UK's ambassador to show her 'evidence' that Britain helped plan attacks on the Nord Stream pipes and its Black Sea Fleet. Deborah Bronnert was hauled into the foreign ministry in Moscow this morning and forced to run a gauntlet of stage-managed protesters holding placards that said 'Britain is a terrorist state' and 'Britain will answer for the Nord Stream'. Moscow said it had delivered a 'strong protest' to Bronnert, adding that 'such confrontational actions of the English carry a threat of escalation and could lead to unpredictable and dangerous consequences.' The UK has not given its own run-down of the meeting, but denies carrying out any direct attacks on Russia or its assets. Britain has been upfront about providing aid to Ukraine's war effort, which Moscow was warned about before Putin invaded. Deborah Bronnert, the British ambassador to Russia, was summoned to the foreign ministry this morning to see 'evidence' the UK helped attack the Nord Stream pipes and Black Sea Fleet Protesters - who appeared to be stage-managed - carried banners reading 'Britain is a terrorist state' and 'Britain will answer for the Nord Stream' Bronnert arrived at Moscow's towering Soviet-era foreign ministry building, with a line of people chanting 'Britain is a terrorist state', state media showed. The foreign ministry said it had handed 'concrete facts' of London's 'hostile provocations' to her. 'A demand was put forward to stop them immediately,' it said. Moscow claimed UK military specialists were training Ukrainian special forces in the southern city of Ochakiv, 'including training for underwater saboteurs for operations in the waters of the Black and Azov seas'. Russia last week also accused the UK of being implicated in explosions on the Nord Stream pipelines in September. The UK says these are 'false claims on an epic scale.' Western officials said on Wednesday that Russia's increasingly wild allegations about nuclear weapons and sabotage attacks are a way to distract from its failing war. The protests follow a frenzy of anti-British claims, while demands to retaliate against the UK have come from Russian officials and state TV. The UK is being spuriously blamed for explosions in the Nord Stream gas pipelines and a drone attack on the naval port Sevastopol in annexed Crimea. 'The UK ambassador will be summoned and will be given the appropriate materials,' said foreign ministry spokesman Maria Zakharova a day ahead of the meeting. The official alleged 'the participation of British specialists in the preparation of Kyiv's attacks'. Russia has ramped up the rhetoric against the UK as its invasion in Ukraine has faltered, with Western officials saying the wild claims are a distraction tactic Demonstrations in central Moscow are rare and usually quickly crushed by police - suggesting Thursday's action was carried out with tacit support from authorities Britain is likely being targeted because it is leading support for Ukraine - having given more than any other country bar the US If anti-Putin protesters want to organise a demonstration in Moscow, it is almost impossible to get permission. Close Putin crony Nikolai Patrushev - secretary of the Russian security council - repeated the allegations against Britain in a Moscow speech today. 'According to the Russian defence ministry, representatives of the British naval forces took part in [the] planning and implementation [of attacks],' he said. 'It is impossible not to pay attention to the SMS message, which at that time British Prime Minister Liz Truss immediately reports to US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken after the gas pipelines were blown up that 'everything is done'.' He claimed: 'Literally from the first minutes after the reports of explosions on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines, an active campaign was launched to accuse Russia. 'However, it is obvious that the main beneficiary of these terrorist attacks is the United States.' Ms Zakharova had accused Bronnert of 'criminal hypocrisy' in laying flowers at the Solovetsky Stone on the eve of the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Political Repression while Britain was supposedly involved in the drone attacks on the weekend. Russia's Black Sea Fleet was targeted by drone boats over the weekend in an operation that Moscow said was orchestrated by British special forces In this Aug. 16, 2019, file photo carried by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency, a short-range missile is launched from Tongchon County in Gangwon Province, North Korea. Yonhap North Korea fired three more short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea Thursday night, the South Korean military said, about an hour after Pyongyang slammed Seoul and Washington's decision to extend joint air drills as a "very dangerous and wrong choice." The missiles were launched from Koksan County in North Hwanghae Province at around 9:35 p.m., according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The JCS later said the North Korean missiles flew some 490 kilometers at apogees of some 130 kilometer at a top speech of Mach 6. North Korea also fired some 80 artillery shells from around 11:30 p.m. Thursday into the military buffer zone in the East Sea, violating the 2018 agreement with South Korea designed to reduce military tension, according to the JCS. A deeply religious couple have been charged with the alleged torture and murder of a baby boy in one of the 'most confronting' scenes detectives have ever witnessed. The seven-month-old's father, Reinhardt Bosch, 33, and his partner Noemi Kondacs, 22, were charged on Thursday evening after police were called to their Mount Samson Road home in Yugar, in northwest Brisbane, at about 6.45am. Queensland Police will allege baby Rhuan's horrific injuries were caused by Mr Bosch one day before officers attended the semi-rural property - with the couple accused of spending up to 24 hours praying for his recovery before calling an ambulance. Ms Kondacs has been charged under the unusual murder definition of reckless indifference. Detectives say the couple's religious beliefs will form part of the investigation. The seven-month-old's father, Reinhardt Bosch, 33, and his wife Noemi Kondacs, 22 (pictured together), were charged on Thursday evening after police were called to their Mount Samson Road home in Yugar, in northwest Brisbane , at about 6.45am Queensland Police were called to a home on Mount Samson Road in Yugar, in northwest Brisbane , at about 6.45am on Thursday where the toddler was found dead 'From what I've seen, the child was not neglected in terms of nourishment and such, but it's quite confronting,' Queensland Police Detective Inspector David Jackman said. 'It certainly hits home. I have been a detective for 30-odd years, and it is one of the most confronting scenes I've seen. 'The child was found in the house, but where in the house, I'm not at liberty to say.' Investigators are also looking into how long the boy was dead before Bosch called for an ambulance, with the baby allegedly deceased as early as Wednesday morning. Bosch and his partner, understood to originally be from South Africa, spent the day being questioned at Ferny Grove police station before they were both charged with one count of murder and torture. The pair will appear before Brisbane Magistrates Court on Friday. Police will allege baby Rhuan's horrific injuries were caused by Mr Bosch (pictured) one day before officers attended the semi-rural property. Ms Kondacs has been charged under the unusual murder definition of reckless indifference Detective Inspector David Jackman said the scene was 'one of the most confronting' he has seen in his 30 years in the job On Bosch's Twitter - which has since been removed - his bio quotes the verse of Romans 8.28: 'And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purposes.' Detectives are going back through the family's history, and speaking with family members as part of their investigation but so far police 'door knocks' have not uncovered anything untoward. Nearby neighbours told the Courier Mail they had never spoken to the family. 'They kept to themselves ever since they moved into the property about a year ago,' one said. Another neighbour revealed 'The woman was noticeably pregnant when they moved in,' she said. Queensland Police has established Operation Uniform Salwood to investigate the death. Anyone with relevant information is urged to contact contact police immediately. A man accused of stealing a car with an 11-month-old child inside claims he didn't know the baby boy was on board for hours. Dean Robertson has indicated he wants to plead guilty to the charge of child stealing, to avoid putting the boy's mother under any further stress. But his lawyer and prosecutor are at odds over how long he knew the baby was in the car. When Dean Robertson allegedly stole a car from a Melbourne street in March (pictured) he took a strapped in baby with him while the mother gave desperate and despairing chase Prosecutor Yildana Hardjadibrata argued it's improbable the 11-month-old would have remained quiet in the back seat for long after Robertson - a tattooed, shirtless and bearded stranger - got in the car. Robertson allegedly jumped behind the wheel of a car in Putt Grove, Keysborough on March 1 this year while the child's mother was looking at some hard rubbish on the street. She was left screaming hysterically as her baby was driven away soon after 2pm. He was handed to a group of women at a hall in Cranbourne nearly three-and-a-half hours later. Amanda Hurst, for Robertson, said her client was a father of three daughters himself and didn't want to put the boy's mother through any more trauma by having to give evidence. "This man didn't want a baby, he just ended up with one when he stole a car," she told Melbourne Magistrates Court on Thursday. Ms Hurst applied for the case to be finalised in the lower level court but the application was refused on the basis the penalties available are not sufficient. Robertson's lawyers say he suffers from schizophrenia and had taken drugs which led to him believing he was being chased by aliens The court heard if Mr Hardjadibrata was right about when Robertson became aware of the baby in the back seat, a higher sentence would be imposed. If Ms Hurst's claim Robertson didn't know about the baby until several hours later was correct, then that would reduce the ultimate sentence, the magistrate found. Robertson left the baby unattended in the car for a long period, including while he went shopping, played pokies at a hotel, and got a haircut, prosecutors said. Ms Hurst said it was only after returning from the shops that Robertson discovered the baby, who was then crying, behind the driver's seat. Robertson, who is diagnosed with schizophrenia, was malnourished, had taken drugs the night before and believed he was being chased by aliens at the time, she said. He has been remanded in custody and is due to return to court on November 28. But insurers of other motorist later uncovered Ms Cartridge's Facebook posts Told doctors that she was 'prevented' from exercising six months after accident An insurance account handler who exaggerated her car crash injuries to boost her compensation has evaded jail after she posted pictures scaling the Sydney Harbour Bridge and swimming with dolphins online. Lois Cartridge, 24, from Bournemouth, suffered minor soft tissue injuries after she was involved in a road accident as a back seat passenger in November 2018. But shortly after the crash, Cartridge posted a photo swimming with dolphins alongside her boyfriend with the caption 'can't get much better'. She later told a doctor who examined her just over six months on from the accident that she was still so badly injured that she was 'prevented' from exercising. But LV the insurers of the other motorist in the crash later uncovered her Facebook posts which suggested otherwise. They revealed that she had completed a 5km obstacle race the same day she saw the doctor and that shortly afterwards she had scaled the Sydney Harbour Bridge with her boyfriend whilst travelling Down Under. Cartridge admitted exaggerating her symptoms and has now been given a suspended 16-week jail term and will pay an estimated 20,000 in lawyers' bills for contempt of court at the High Court in London. Lois Cartridge, 24, has been given a suspended jail term for contempt of court after exaggerating injuries from a car crash. Shortly after telling doctors that she could not exercise, she scaled Sydney Harbour Bridge with her boyfriend (pictured together) Shortly after the car crash in November 2018, insurers found that Cartridge had posted this image of her swimming with dolphins alongside her boyfriend along with the caption 'can't get much better' Paul Higgins, for LV, told Judge Richard Pearce that Cartridge claimed that she had 'tenderness' and 'restricted movement' in her back and neck which stopped her exercising and carrying out normal household tasks, including ironing. But alarm bells rang when insurance investigators looked at her social media posts, he said. Cartridge admitted exaggerating her symptoms and has now been given a suspended 16-week jail term and 20,000 in lawyers' bills One day after the accident, she posted that she had been shopping and on a dinner date, he told the judge, adding: 'On 5th December 2018, she posted a status update stating, "Can't get much better' alongside a photo showing what appears to be her swimming with dolphins. 'On June 1 2019, notably that same day she was medically examined, she posted a status update stating, "We completed the 5k inflatable run this morning... and I can now say I'm never doing anything like that again' along with a photo which appears to show her and four others with medals around their necks. 'On 12th June 2019, she was tagged in a status update at Heathrow Terminal 3, stating, "Australia bound happy 21st Lois Marie Cartridge'. 'On 16th June, she posted a status update at Bridge Climb Sydney, stating, "Time to climb the bridge" and she was tagged in another status update stating, "Cool night doing the Sydney bridge climb".' She had told the doctor 'that she normally engages in regular sporting and leisure activities, including swimming, training in the gym and walking' and that at the time of the examination 'these continue to be prevented as a result of her symptoms'. She also told the doctor that she had problems with cleaning, cooking, DIY, dressing, driving, ironing, self-care and vacuuming. The barrister told the judge: 'It is respectfully not possible to reconcile walking and training in the gym being prevented with an ability to complete a 5km run involving a number of obstacles or to understand how swimming was prevented if she was fit enough to enjoy snorkelling. 'It is not possible to reconcile this list of alleged difficulties with her social media material or the completion of a 5km obstacle run. 'She had completed the inflatable run immediately before the examination.' He asked the judge to jail her and to make her pay the estimated 20,000 costs of the case. It was LV - the insurers of the other motorist in the crash - who uncovered her Facebook posts But Andrew Mckie, for Cartridge, asked the judge for mercy, telling him to take into consideration that she would lose her job because of what she had done. 'She has apologised to the court and does so again,' he said. 'She is deeply remorseful that this has happened, it is her first offence, she is young and this episode has had a deep impact on her emotional, financial and professional wellbeing. 'She will lose her job and career in insurance over this.' Judge Pearce, sentencing, said: 'This is exaggeration, not invention, but a custodial sentence is inevitable. 'I do not wish to give out the message that simply because somebody is of good character and in employment they can expect to get away with it. 'However, I also cannot ignore any of those factors. 'I have been impressed with her straightforward apology to the court and I take into account that this finding will have serious financial consequences for her.' He handed her a 16-week jail term, suspended for a year, for contempt of court. The judge ordered her to pay the first 10,000 of the estimated 20,000 legal costs within 14 days. Alex Wilkinson, Partner at HF solicitors - who also investigated the case - said: 'Combatting insurance fraud doesnt stop with defeating a claim. Miss Cartridges claim was defeated back in November 2020. 'Bringing our own claim against Miss Cartridge sends a strong message to others not to do what she did. Taking action in the way we have in this case will drive down the number of dishonest claims faced by insurers. 'At HF we have a firm focus on combatting not only fraud but fraudsters themselves.' A Met Police officer and beauty queen has been thrown out of the force after a cannabis farm and Class A drugs were found at her home and old address. PC Rasvinder Agalliu, 47, was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to supply the drugs after police searched her two London properties in 2020. An officer for almost 20 years, PC Agalliu claims to have joined the Met at the age of 17, before she was dismissed without notice by a misconduct panel on Tuesday. It comes as a report by the leading police watchdog yesterday found that hundreds, if not thousands, of corrupt officers may be serving in England and Wales forces. A 'glamorous' Met Police officer and beauty queen has been thrown out of the force after a cannabis farm and Class A drugs were found at her home and former address An officer for almost 20 years, PC Agalliu claims to have joined the Met at the age of 17, before she was dismissed without notice by a misconduct panel on Tuesday Officers raided her house on June 25, 2020, where they found Class A drugs, drugs paraphernalia, a large quantity of cash and a Metropolitan Police radio. On October 25 that year, officers also executed a search warrant at a former address of PC Agalliu. There they seized items including body armour belonging to her, a set of handcuffs, items of uniform and a set of case papers and interview discs relating to PC Agalliu's investigation of an offence. The married mother-of-three takes part in beauty pageants, claims to be a fitness instructor and said she 'dreams' of being cast in film or TV. In one of her modelling profiles, PC Agalliu wrote: 'So just a little story about me. I have been a police officer for 17yrs get told your so glamorous by colleagues to the point they make me feel I am should be doing more creative role. PC Rasvinder Agalliu, 47, was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to supply the drugs after police searched her two London properties in 2020 'I am a type of woman who likes taking pride in my appearance and putting my face on every morning which really motivates me for the day.' The former PC, who was based at the Met's Central West Command Unit, was not charged with drug offences but was found to have breached the Met's standards of professional behaviour. The misconduct panel also found she breached the force's standards on respect of honesty and integrity, discreditable conduct, duties and responsibilities and orders and instructions. In one of her modelling profiles, PC Agalliu (pictured with her husband) wrote: 'So just a little story about me. I have been a police officer for 17yrs get told your so glamorous by colleagues to the point they make me feel I am should be doing more creative role' Chief Superintendent Owain Richards, of the Central West Command Unit, said: 'This officer's actions were a gross breach of the trust afforded to them by the people of London. 'PC Agalliu has quite rightly been dismissed and there is no place in the Met for officers who behave in this way. 'We are determined to get rid of any officer who fails to meet our standards and ensure that they can never work in law enforcement again.' He added that PC Agalliu will now be added to the barred list held by the College of Policing. This means she cannot be employed by police, local policing bodies, the Independent Office for Police Conduct or His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS). Yesterday's HMICFRS report found it was 'too easy' for officers at eight forces, including those with criminal convictions and linked to organised crime, to join the police. The inspectorate warned that more rigorous vetting procedures should have been in place across the forces, which included the Met. Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu held a nearly unassailable lead Thursday with vote counting almost complete following this week's election, setting him up to form what may be the most right-wing government in Israeli history. With more than 90 percent of ballots counted, according to the Central Elections Committee, the results so far put former premier Netanyahu's right-wing bloc ahead in the country's fifth election in four years. His Likud party, its ultra-Orthodox Jewish allies and a surging far-right alliance called Religious Zionism were on track for a clear majority in Israel's 120-seat parliament, spelling the end of an unprecedented period of political deadlock. With more than 90 percent of ballots counted, according to the Central Elections Committee, the results so far put former premier Netanyahu's right-wing bloc ahead in the country's fifth election in four years Caretaker Prime Minister Yair Lapid, pictured, a bitter Netanyahu rival, has not yet conceded defeat, telling supporters of his centrist Yesh Atid party that the country needed to wait until all votes were counted Caretaker Prime Minister Yair Lapid, a bitter Netanyahu rival, has not yet conceded defeat, telling supporters of his centrist Yesh Atid party that the country needed to wait until all votes were counted. As the remaining ballots were being tallied, the bloc that supports Netanyahu still held 65 seats. The small left-wing Meretz party was hovering around the 3.25 percent threshold needed to secure a minimum four parliament seats. If Meretz crosses the line, it could alter Netanyahu's margin of victory, but would not necessarily threaten his majority. The 73-year-old Netanyahu was poised to clinch his comeback after roughly 14 months in opposition. He remains on trial over corruption allegations, which he denies, with the case returning to court on Monday. Netanyahu has already begun talks with coalition partners on the make-up of a new government, Israeli media reported, but there was no immediate confirmation from his Likud party. The 73-year-old Netanyahu, pictured, was poised to clinch his comeback after roughly 14 months in opposition. He remains on trial over corruption allegations, which he denies, with the case returning to court on Monday If the final results confirm Netanyahu's victory, President Isaac Herzog, pictured, will next week give him 42 days to form a government If the final results confirm Netanyahu's victory, President Isaac Herzog will next week give him 42 days to form a government. The veteran hawk, who has served as premier for longer than anyone in Israel's history, will then be tasked with sharing out cabinet posts with his coalition partners. That will likely mean prominent roles for the co-leaders of far-right Religious Zionism, which is projected to win 14 seats, doubling its representation in the last parliament. Itamar Ben-Gvir, a firebrand known for anti-Arab rhetoric and incendiary calls for Israel to annex the entire West Bank, has said he wants to be public security minister, a post that would put him in charge of the police. In recent days, Ben-Gvir has called repeatedly for the security services to use more force in countering Palestinian unrest. 'It's time we go back to being masters of our country,' Ben-Gvir said on election night. Itamar Ben-Gvir, pictured, a firebrand known for anti-Arab rhetoric and incendiary calls for Israel to annex the entire West Bank, has said he wants to be public security minister, a post that would put him in charge of the police Whatever the final result, Ben-Gvir was described as 'the big winner of this election' by politics lecturer Julia Elad-Strenger of Israel's Bar-Ilan University. 'He took from the haredim (ultra-Orthodox), from the Likud, of course new young voters and people who had no one to vote for,' Elad-Strenger said. The US State Department expressed veiled concern over the prospect of far-right ministers in a future coalition government. Religious Zionism co-leader Bezalel Smotrich has indicated he wants the defence ministry, likely an uncomfortable request for Netanyahu who has branded himself as the guardian of Israel's security during decades in public life. The vote was held Tuesday against a backdrop of soaring violence across Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank. Religious Zionism co-leader Bezalel Smotrich, pictured, has indicated he wants the defence ministry, likely an uncomfortable request for Netanyahu who has branded himself as the guardian of Israel's security during decades in public life At least 30 Palestinians and three Israelis have been killed in the territories since early October, according to an AFP tally. In the latest bloodshed Thursday, an unidentified assailant stabbed an Israeli officer in Jerusalem's Old City before being shot dead, police said. While many candidates cited security as a concern, none pledged to revive moribund peace talks with the Palestinians. Palestinian prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said the projected results highlighted 'growing extremism and racism in Israeli society'. The remaining votes to be counted were those of special groups, including soldiers, diplomats and prisoners. Palestinian prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh, pictured, said the projected results highlighted 'growing extremism and racism in Israeli society' A key factor seen as boosting Netanyahu was the split among Arab parties, who ran as three separate factions instead of the joint list that saw them win a record number of seats in March 2020. Separately, not all the factions reached the threshold for representation in parliament, meaning their votes were wasted. Sami Abou Shahadeh, the head of the Balad party that rejects any cooperation with Israeli governments, defended his party's decision to run independently, even though it was set to be shut out of parliament. 'We may be losing our representation in the Knesset but we won the love of our people,' he said. A necrophiliac double murderer has admitted to sexually abusing 23 dead women in hospital mortuaries. David Fuller, 68, pleaded guilty to 12 counts of sexual penetration of a corpse and four counts of possession of extreme pornography between 2007 and 2020 at Croydon Crown Court on Thursday. The former Tunbridge Wells Hospital electrician, who is already serving life for killing two women and sexually abusing 78 female corpses, appeared in court to face 16 new sex charges earlier this year. Fuller could access all areas of the hospital and carry out his depraved crimes. Kent Police said an investigation had led to evidence relating to a total of 101 victims and the latest charges relate to the 23 remaining victims, all of whom were dead adult women - 10 have not been identified. The pensioner was imprisoned for beating and strangling Wendy Knell, 25, and Caroline Pierce, 20, to death before sexually assaulting them in two separate attacks in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, in 1987. He also filmed himself abusing corpses, including a nine-year-old girl, two 16-year-olds, and a 100-year-old woman, over 12 years before his arrest in December 2020. The necrophiliac, who is already serving life for killing two women and sexually abusing 102 female corpses, appeared in court to face 16 new sex charges earlier this year Police bodycam footage captured the moment Fuller was arrested Fuller received two whole life sentences in December 2021 after pleading guilty at Maidstone Crown Court to the murders, as well as 51 other offences, including 44 charges relating to 78 victims in mortuaries between 2008 and November 2020. His crimes first came to light after he was linked to one of Britain's longest unsolved double killings more than 30 years ago. During the investigation, Fuller was linked to the cold cases by a DNA breakthrough that then led police to his stash of sickening recordings of himself abusing corpses. The inquiry into Fuller's crimes was announced in November last year by the Secretary of State of Health and Social Care. It has worked with the families of the more than 100 dead victims. The inquiry was due to publish its phase 1 report by the end of this year. This will investigate how Fuller was able to carry out his crimes on corpses and 'why they went unnoticed'. But this initial report will now not be published until 'the first half of next year'. A statement from the inquiry said: 'The volume of evidence the inquiry has and continues to receive, and the number of witnesses to interview, is far greater than anticipated. 'In order to ensure all evidence is considered and analysed thoroughly, the inquiry will therefore require more time than originally planned. 'Sir Jonathan Michael [inquiry chairman] and his team are committed to being thorough and will balance that with working at pace. 'This means that the inquiry's initial report on matters relating to Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, will now be published in the first half of 2023.' The additional charges brought against Fuller are 'not currently expected to alter the timeline of our work'. Azra Kemal, 24, was one of Fuller's victims. The warped hospital electrician sneaked into the mortuary at Tunbridge Wells Hospital in Kent three times to sexually abuse her body Fuller, 67, admitted killing Wendy Knell, 25, (left) and Caroline Pierce, 20, (right) in 1987 in what became known as the 'Bedsit Murders' one of Britain's longest unsolved murder cases The inquiry into Fuller's crimes was announced in November last year. Pictured: The murderer after being arrested and put into custody Three-times wed Fuller was finally arrested on December 3, 2020 after the DNA breakthrough. But detectives only realised the true extent of his crimes when they uncovered what was described by prosecutor Duncan Atkinson KC as "a library of unimaginable sexual depravity" concealed in a hide at his home. Stored on hard drives were videos and photos Fuller had recorded of himself abusing dozens of women and girls over a 13-year period in mortuaries of the hospitals, where he worked as a technical supervisor. Fuller, who had been employed by Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust since 1989, would wait for mortuary staff to finish their shifts before accessing fridges where the bodies were stored. The victims, some of whom the 68-year-old violated more than once, included three who were under 18 at the time of death. Several others were said to be over 85 years old. The court heard he then used mortuary records to log their details in his own notebooks, and even looked up some of his victims on Facebook. He was still working for the NHS trust when arrested and had had access to all areas in both hospitals via a swipeable identity card. He will spend the rest of his life in prison after he was convicted of two counts of murder and the sexual abuse of bodies - both at Tunbridge Wells and the former Kent and Sussex Hospital Also on the hard drives were a staggering four million indecent images of children - mostly downloaded from the internet. Fuller initially denied the historic murders on the grounds of diminished responsibility before unexpectedly changing his pleas to guilty amid dramatic scenes on the fourth day of his trial. The depraved killer was subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment with no possibility of parole. At the time of the sentencing, 81 of the mortuary victims had been identified. However, due to difficulties in identifying all the corpses he abused and fearing there may have been hundreds of others going back to when Fuller's hospital employment record began, Kent Police set up a call centre at the conclusion of the trial to deal with any public concerns. The government also announced an independent public inquiry would be held, while NHS England ordered all hospitals to review their security. Following Fuller's conviction, the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate were able to identify a total of 101 victims. The latest charges are connected to the 23 remaining victims - all deceased adult females - whose corpses were abused between 2007 and 2020. An extensive and complex identification process led officers to formally identify 13 of these 23 further victims. Police were unable to establish the identities of the other 10 victims, however the charges reflect offending against all of them. No evidence has been found of any further victims. But her mother claimed she is no longer a suspect and is set to return 'very soon' Lithuania confirmed that Sobchak had entered the country with Israeli passport She fled Russia last week as a suspect in extortion case involving her colleagues Ksenia Sobchak is an opposition politician who has known Putin since childhood A week after fleeing Russia for the West amid fear of arrest, there are suggestions that Vladimir Putin's 'goddaughter' is soon to return to her homeland. TV star and opposition politician Ksenia Sobchak, 40, was seen last week walking across the border between Belarus and Lithuania in dramatic CCTV footage. Her attempt to flee came after her luxury home near Moscow was searched amid reports she was a suspect in a criminal case that could see her jailed for up to 15 years. She has remained largely quiet since fleeing Russia, having shared only one short message to her followers that read: 'Yes, I am in trouble. Possibly, in big trouble.' But her mother Lyudmila Narusova, a senator, told a state-run news agency Ksenia is set to return to Russia, saying: 'She will, very soon.' Narusova confirmed her daughter had used an Israeli passport to flee to Lithuania, noting that 'the constitution of the Russian Federation allows dual citizenship'. Contrary to earlier fears, Narusova claimed Ksenia was not a suspect in an extortion case against her business partner Kirill Sukhanov and former Russian Tatler editor Arian Romanovsky. Her lawyers were appealing against the move to search her house, said Narusova, who has been a staunch critic of Putin's war in Ukraine. Sobchak's desperate dash to Lithuania came amid suspicions she was tipped off by a senior Russian official of moves to arrest her, giving her time to flee. TV anchor and journalist Ksenia Sobchak attends a session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in Russia last year A socialite-turned-politician, Sobchak was once called the Paris Hilton of Moscow CCTV footage appeared to show the moment Sobchak fled to the West on foot to avoid arrest - hours after police raided her mansion Sobchak, who has known Putin (pictured) since she was a child, fled Russia for Belarus before entering Lithuania hours after Russian investigators raided her luxury home in a prestigious Moscow suburb Ksenia Sobchak's commercial director Kirill Sukhanov is pictured in court As she left the country, Sobchak was named as a suspect in the same case as Sukhanov and Romanovsky, namely 'extortion to obtain property on a particularly large scale'. But Narusova has pointed to reports that her daughter is no longer a suspect in the case, and Sobchak earlier dismissed Sukhanov's detention as 'laughable nonsense.' The moves were 'more oppression' against her and the Russian media, she said. The alleged victim of the 'extortion' was Sergey Chemezov, chief executive of Rostec Corporation, a close KGB colleague of Putin's in the Cold War who has remained close ever since. CCTV footage last week appeared to show the moment Sobchak fled to the West on foot to avoid arrest - hours after police raided her mansion. The TV star was seen crossing into Lithuania, a member of NATO, at the Vidzy frontier point 106 miles north of Minsk, according to reports. Sobchak, accompanied by an unknown man, was shown covering her face and wearing a cap as she crosses the border, reports RIA Novosti news agency. The video was apparently leaked from Belarusian border cameras - and Lithuania later confirmed that Sobchak had entered the Baltic state using an Israeli passport. Sobchak, who has known Putin since she was a child, fled Russia for Belarus before entering Lithuania hours after Russian investigators raided her luxury home in a prestigious Moscow suburb. The CCTV from the border reportedly shows a man carrying Sobchak's bag and at one point, he appears to look back to see if they are being followed. The CCTV footage from the Belarusian border appears to show a man carrying Sobchak's bag and at one point, he appears to look back to see if they are being followed. At one point the man appears to warn Sobchak to lower her head to avoid being seen by the cameras Sobchak (pictured) fled Russia for Belarus before entering Lithuania hours after Russian investigators raided her luxury home in a prestigious Moscow suburb Sobchak's father is former St Petersburg Mayor Anatoly Sobchak, pictured here with wife Lyudmila, and Vladimir Putin (circled), who he was close friends with At one point the man appears to warn her to lower her head to avoid being seen by the cameras. The footage apparently shows Sobchak going through Belarus passport control at 13.32 local time last Wednesday and telling a border control officer that she is heading to Lithuania. Sobchak is then seen being accompanied by two uniformed men as she carries her own bag to the frontier. The video was leaked, likely with official sanction, to a Telegram channel called Three Sisters with less than 2,000 subscribers. It has links to the security apparatus of Belarus president Alexander Lukashenko. Lithuania's director of the State Security Department (VSD) Darius Jauniskis confirmed that Sobchak had entered Lithuania. He told radio station Zhinyu Radijas that she had Israeli citizenship and could enter and remain for 90 days without a visa. Earlier in the war Sobchak had travelled to Israel and back to Russia but at the time denied reports that she had been issued with an Israeli passport. Lithuania normally now blocks entry to Russian citizens due to Putin's war. Separately, Russian political scientist Sergei Markov claimed that a 'high-ranking official' had tipped off Sobchak that she faced arrest. The timing of the Russian state media announcement that she had left Belarus for Lithuania was only 36 minutes after she had apparently been cleared for exit by the Belarus border guard. This may indicate that Putin had given her tacit permission to flee to the West rather than see his 'goddaughter' held in detention like his other political foes. The footage apparently shows Sobchak going through Belarus passport control at 13.32 local time on Wednesday and telling a border control officer that she is heading to Lithuania Putin, Lyudmila Narusova, and Ksenia Sobchak pictured together in St Petersburg in November 2003 Sobchak reportedly bought tickets to both Turkey and Dubai to 'confuse' state investigators seeking her arrest. Then she travelled to Belarus by car and left for the West in a 'smart operational escape plan in order to avoid arrest'. A socialite-turned-politician, Sobchak was once called the Paris Hilton of Moscow. She was a popular reality TV presenter and once posed for Playboy. She hosted the Russian version of Big Brother and went on to stand as a liberal candidate against Putin in the 2018 presidential election - rigged in Putin's favour - when she came fourth. One of Russia's best known faces, she now runs independent media outlets which have angered Putin's officials. Putin has known her since her childhood and he attended her baptism in the Orthodox Church, leading to rumours he is her godfather. Her father, Anatoly Sobchak, was Putin's law professor and mentor who later gave the KGB spy his first foothold in politics as his deputy when he served as mayor of St Petersburg. Later Putin even smuggled Ksenia's father out of Russia for medical treatment in the West at a time when his patron was accused by foes of corruption. Putin was later pictured at the former mayor's funeral in 2000, alongside Ksenia, and her mother. Ksenia was earlier a popular reality TV host and posed for Playboy before going into politics Narusova has voted against war-linked legislation in the Russian parliament and accused his state TV of 'shameless lies' over the conflict. Despite criticising Putin, Ksenia held a private meeting with the Russian leader before announcing she would oppose him in the poll. This led to claims that she was conspiring with him to give a cloak of respectability to a rigged election. The close family links have not saved Sobchak from harassment by Putin's police. Sobchak was named as a suspect in the same case, namely 'extortion to obtain property on a particularly large scale'. Footage showed the other men involved in the criminal case, who face sentences of up to 15 years, in court. Had she not fled, Sobchak would also have been brought to court on the same accusation. Police were reported as seeking to detain Sobchak at a VIP Moscow airport when it was announced she had reached the West by land. Sobchak had dismissed Sukhanov's detention as 'simply delirium', adding: 'It is laughable, nonsense.' She said her outlets were 'the last free media office in Russia', which Putin's regime had decided to 'shut'. 'They have got nothing to dig on us, which infuriates them,' she said of Putin's authorities. When details of the criminal case emerged, pro-Putin propagandist Sergei Mardan said it was a warning for her to flee. 'The land is burning under Sobchak and the best way out would be to change her country of residence, and at the same time citizenship,' he posted. 'Perhaps the detention of Kirill Sukhanov and the searches at Sobchak's place are a subtle hint from above about the undesirability of her further stay on the territory of Russia.' Political scientist Sergei Markov said: 'If you are ready to arrest for a trifle, for simple extortion, for money, even the daughter of President Putin's beloved teacher and mentor, who everyone forgave for many years, then there are no untouchables now.' The exit of Sobchak, who was both loved and loathed, led to trolling on social media, accusing her of abandoning her motherland. She had earlier denied claims she had secret Israeli citizenship, and insisted she would not quit Russia. There is no passport control between 'union state' Russia and Belarus, which means the Vidzy crossing acted as her exit point from Russia. Belarus has been used as a transit point by some escapees from Putin's mobilisation in recent weeks. This is the heart-stopping moment when two safari guides held their nerve in front of a charging elephant - and bravely gave it the chance of life. Many in their position would have taken the option of a panicked shot to save their own skins, but this pair gave the tusker the benefit of the doubt. The enraged three-ton beast was bearing down on Devon Myers, 38, and Sean Carter, 37, at speed and ready to trample them both to death. But the highly experienced off-trail guides shouted at the top of their voices and stood fast to try and convince the elephant to put on the brakes. Their courage paid off as the rampaging elephant in the wilds of the Pafuri region of Kruger National Park, South Africa broke off the attack. When the female elephant was 20 feet away, she finally swerved in a swirl of dust just in the very nick of time, avoiding being shot I believe that this recent incident happened in Northern Kruger near Pafuri. These guides were just chilling under a tree having picnic when out of the blue the day went a bit pear shaped . Absolutely brilliant professionalism and composure , especially as to the fine line of not pulling the trigger ! Posted by Marlon Lewinsky on Saturday, September 17, 2022 Trumpeting loudly and throwing up a cloud of dust it was just yards away from Myers and Carter and their six guests taking cover beneath a tree. Myers, who works at African-Born Safaris, which takes clients on private adventures off-the-beaten track in eight countries, said: 'It was a very close call for sure. 'If it had come a fraction of a second closer we would have had no choice. 'There was a herd of female elephants and their young moving quickly as they were being followed by five bull elephants keen to try their luck on them. 'We had picked a place to take a break from the sun in the shade of mahogany trees and it gave us a good view of what was happening all around us.' Devon Myers, who works at African-Born Safaris, said the herd of female elephants and their young were moving quickly as they were being followed by five bull elephants He added: 'The elephant herd was down wind of us and would have smelt us and knew we were there so it was important to stay in cover and not get into the open. 'A few decided to come and check us out but could not see us in the shade which is why we stood up and shouted so they knew where we were. 'But the final female decided to charge and some say you can tell if it is a mock charge or a full charge depending on whether their ears are back or are out. 'I am not so sure myself and I am sure some have paid the price for believing that to be the case and at the end of the day you just can't take that chance.' Myers and Carter watched the herd from a spot under a tree in Kruger National Park, South Africa. Suddenly, one of the elephants charged at them Myers said that as it approached, they had no choice but to take aim with their guns, in order to protect the group He said their fingers were on the triggers and they were shouting to try and divert her Myers continued: 'Our fingers had taken up the slack on the triggers and we were shouting to try and divert her and standing still but she just kept on coming and coming. 'When she was 20 feet away which would have been our firing position for a brain shot she finally swerved in a swirl of dust just in the very nick of time. 'We dedicate our lives to the conservation of animals and the wild but if we need to save our lives and those of others we're not prepared to be martyrs. 'Both of our fingers were on the triggers and had ready to fire and if it had come half a meter further then we would have had to have taken the shot. 'We shouted and shouted and held our ground to show we were not running to try and break its charge and fortunately for us it worked out.' Myers added that she just kept on coming and coming, but broke off at the last moment The female fully-grown elephant cow was part of a large herd of females and calves moving quickly in the bush to avoid the attention of young bulls. Myers, from Hoedspruit, Limpopo Province, said: 'Some people do question why we are out in the wilderness and "intruding" in the territory of wild animals. 'But that is not the view of the informed as homo-sapiens have been in the African wilderness for thousands of years before the safari industry arrived. 'Elephants, buffalo, lions and zebra - in fact all animals - are all used to human beings living around them and they know exactly what we are all about.' He added: 'What we are doing out on these primitive trail walks is giving people a chance to reconnect with the wilderness in a natural but non-threatening way. 'It is not a thrill-seeking activity, although spotting an elephant or lion while on foot will certainly raise the pulse, but by and large we all get on together. 'By going off the roads used by safari vehicles we are also coming across vital intelligence of poacher activity, which we can feed back to game rangers. 'I have been charged a number of times by elephants but fortunately have never had to pull the trigger but this was for sure a very close call indeed. 'The elephant was about 30 years old and she went back to her herd and they carried on quickly moving through the bush ahead of five bulls in hot pursuit!'. Myers said he dedicates his life to the conservation of animals and the wild, but he is also there to protect the group The walking safaris are tailor-made for guests, but when on Primitive Trails there are no tents and visitors sleep under the stars and drink from rivers. Myers said: 'Your water comes from the streams the animals drink from and your food you carry and when you sleep you lay down and you sleep.' A female fully-grown elephant can weigh up to 3.3 tons and stand 8 feet and 6 inches at the shoulder. It can run at up to 25mph, so that it would quickly catch a fleeing human. The male elephants can weigh up to twice as much and grow to 10 feet 6 inches at the shoulder. Between them, the herbivores kill up to 500 people a year in the wild. With an estimated 415,000 left, they are listed as endangered, mainly due to poaching. They live up to 70 years and are the largest living land animal on earth. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's dispute with new Twitter CEO Elon Musk continued today - after she claimed her account 'conveniently' stopped working after she called him out over plans to charge $8-a-month for a blue tick. Musk, 51, had previously hit back at critics of the proposal, which could begin to be implemented as soon as Monday, saying that the current 'lords and peasants system' in place at Twitter was 'bulls**t.' The blue check mark is used by the platform to show when a user has been verified as authentic. There are around 400,000 verified users on Twitter, covering anyone from celebrities, journalists, brands and politicians - including AOC and Musk. And the representative called out Musk again this morning - questioning his grand plans for free speech when her own account was seemingly 'bricked' after she spoke out yesterday. She wrote today: 'Yo Elon Musk while I have your attention, why should people pay $8 just for their app to get bricked when they say something you dont like? 'This is what my app has looked like ever since my tweet upset you yesterday. Whats good? Doesnt seem very free speechy to me.' AOC, 33, yesterday called out Musk's new plan for verification on the app, writing: 'One guy's business plan for a $44 billion over-leveraged purchase is apparently to run around and individually ask people for $8. 'Remember that next time you question yourself or your qualifications.' Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's (left) dispute with new Twitter CEO Elon Musk (right) continued today when she claimed her account 'conveniently' stopped working after she called him out over plans to charge $8-a-month for a blue tick AOC shared a screenshot of her account and complained that her app had been 'bricked' 'One guy's business plan for a $44 billion over-leveraged purchase is apparently to run around and individually ask people for $8,' AOC wrote in a tweet (pictured). 'Remember that next time you question yourself or your qualifications.' Her Tweet came after Musk hit back at her criticisms, pointing to a sweatshirt on AOC's campaign website that costs $58, in an attempt to defend the touted fee. 'Proud of this and always will be,' AOC quickly hit back at the tweet. 'My workers are union, make a living wage, have full healthcare, and arent subject to racist treatment in their workplaces. Items are made in USA. Team AOC honors and respects working people. You should try it sometime instead of union-busting.' She added in another post: 'Not to mention all proceeds go to community organizing like our Homework Helpers program which gives private tutoring to kids whove needed learning support since COVID: Check out our shop!' she added. Shortly after, she claimed that her Twitter account had stopped working properly. 'Also my twitter mentions/notifications conveniently arent working tonight, so I was informed via text that I seem to have gotten under a certain billionaires skin,' she wrote. 'Just a reminder that money will never but your way out of insecurity, folks.' Others hit back at Musk by posting pictures of Tesla apparel, including sweatshirts, being sold for even more than AOC's, while pointing out that the Congresswoman sells the clothes as a way to raise funds for her political campaigning. Earlier, AOC had criticized Musk for heralding his purchase of Twitter as a victory for free speech - before announcing the $8 charge. 'Lmao at a billionaire earnestly trying to sell people on the idea that 'free speech' is actually an $8/[month] subscription plan,' she wrote. It was to this that the billionaire responded with the picture of the sweater. Musk hit back at AOC's criticisms, pointing to a sweatshirt on AOC's campaign website that costs $58, in an attempt to defend the touted fee (pictured) 'Proud of this and always will be,' AOC quickly hit back at the tweet. 'My workers are union, make a living wage, have full healthcare, and arent subject to racist treatment in their workplaces. Items are made in USA. Team AOC honors and respects working people. You should try it sometime instead of union-busting.' Musk, who's estimated to be worth $223billion, announced earlier on Tuesday that the current 'lords and peasants system' in place at Twitter was 'bulls**t.' 'Power to the people! Blue for $8/[month],' he wrote. As part of his proposed plan, verified users will get 'priority in replies, mention, and searches... ability to post long video and audio, and half as many ads.' He also said that publishers who are 'willing to work' with Twitter will get a 'paywall bypass' and social media stars will also be getting a secondary heading like politicians. Content creators will also get rewarded through a revenue stream. 'You get what you pay for,' the father-of-eight tweeted Wednesday. He also celebrated 'being attacked by both the right and left simultaneously,' calling it a 'good sign' for his proposed changes. Musk originally suggested $20 a month for verification but appeared to lower the cost after an exchange earlier this week with horror writer Stephen King, where he offered him a discount. The billionaire is looking to make good on his promise to make the social media platform turn a profit by introducing a charge for Twitter users wanting to keep their verification badge. However, there are roughly 400,000 verified users on Twitter. Should all users currently with a blue tick decide to pay the $8-a-month fee, Twitter would rake in $3.2 million per month, and $38.4 million each year - which is unlikely to cover the costs incurred from Musk's $44 billion acquisition. The 'badges' could go live as soon as Monday, Bloomberg reported, with current blue check holders receiving a 'grace period' of multiple months before being forced to either pay or lose the badge, which is as a verification mark for high-profile users. Musk's touted move has been criticised by some, who say key users of the platform create the content that gives it value. Others have said previous attempts by companies to monetise something previously free have seldom been successful. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, 33, called out Elon Musk, 51, for 'selling people on the idea that 'free speech' is actually an $8/[month] subscription plan' Musk, who's estimated to be worth $223billion, announced earlier on Tuesday that the current 'lords and peasants system' in place at Twitter was 'bulls**t' On Wednesday, the new Twitter CEO celebrated being 'attacked by both the right and left simultaneously' and said 'you get what you pay for' The Tesla CEO has received plenty of backlash on his proposal from other corners, including author Stephen King and actress Kathy Burke. His plan to reportedly charge $20-a-month, however, appeared to sit poorly with King, who tweeted: '$20 a month to keep my blue check? F*** that, they should pay me,' wrote King, who has 6.9million followers. 'If that gets instituted, I'm gone like Enron,' he said. Musk replied: 'We need to pay the bills somehow! Twitter cannot rely entirely on advertisers. How about $8?' he asked, which is the price he's settled on. King isn't the only blue-tick Twitter user to threaten to abandon their checkmark if a charge is introduced to the platform. Actress, writer and comedian Kathy Burke also said she wouldn't pay, tweeting: 'Musk can f*** off with his idea of charging blue-tickers. I give my all to this hell site for FREE. 'Cheeky b**** should be paying ME,' she added. 'Don't need the poxy thing anyway.' Celebrities who have threatened to boycott the site include TV screenwriter Shonda Rhimes, actor Mia Farrow, as well as Madam Secretary star Tea Leoni, She Hulk actor Jameela Jamil, as well as, authors and activists Shaun King and Amy Siskind. George Takei, who played Hikaru Sulu on Star Trek, also said he would consider heading for the digital door. Musk detailed his plan on the platform, proposing those who pay will get 'priority in replies, mention, and searches...ability to post long video and audio, and half as many ads' Entrepreneur Jason Calacanis posted a poll on Monday asking people if they would pay $5, $10 or $15 a month, or nothing for verification. Around 81 percent said they wouldn't pay, as of Tuesday. 'Interesting,' said Musk in response to the poll. Critics have derided the mark, often granted to celebrities, politicians, business leaders and journalists, as an elite status symbol. But Twitter also uses the blue check mark to verify activists and people who suddenly find themselves in the news, as well as little-known journalists at small publications around the globe, as an extra tool to curb misinformation coming from accounts that are impersonating people. Musk appears to have taken Monday's criticism from the public to heart as he opted to lower the proposed blue mark cost following his outing to Klum's premier Halloween party. Author Stephen King said he will leave Twitter if Musk brings in a $20-a-month charge for him to keep his blue check Author Stephen King, who wrote The Shining, said he will leave the platform if Musk introduces a blue-tick verification charge English actress, writer and comedian Kathy Burke also said she wouldn't pay if a charge is introduced tot he platform She told Musk he can f**k off with his idea and that he should be 'paying ME' Meanwhile, Musk's is expected to cut half of all Twitter jobs on Friday. He wavered throughout his attempt to buy Twitter on how many positions he would eliminate, originally saying as many as 75 percent of the company's 7,500 workers (5,625) would be cut, before some reports suggested it would actually be 25 percent (which would amount to 1,875). The 3,700 cuts now being touted would amount to about half the staff, and would see them follow out five high-level executives who have resigned in the past week. An 'abusive' former mayor allegedly hit an NHS nurse with his car twice as she worked at a Covid testing centre in a queue-jumping row, a court has heard. Susan Dyett was working in scrubs at the centre when Vaughan Hewett, 66, is said to have become 'very angry' before hitting her twice with his vehicle and telling her: 'I pay your wages'. He is also said to have 'clipped' a security guard with his vehicle when they arrived on the scene after Ms Dyett alerted them to Mr Hewett's 'aggressive' behaviour. Hewett, who was elected mayor of Medway Council in Kent in 2012, is said to have become infuriated after a vehicle drove into a bay ahead of him, but he told the court Ms Dyett was a 'queue controller' who he claimed was putting on a 'performance' for the jury. He also claimed he had been 'attacked' by the nurse when she allegedly rapped her pen on his car. The ex-councillor, from Rainham, Kent, is on trial accused of assault and dangerous driving. He ceased to be a councillor in 2015. Vaughan Hewett, now 66, was elected mayor Medway Council in Kent in 2012 The incident took place at Medway Maritime Hospital's 'drive thru' Covid testing facility He had taken his wife Jennifer, who had previously been diagnosed with terminal secondary breast cancer, to the 'drive-thru' testing centre in the grounds of Medway Maritime Hospital in Gillingham on the morning of April 16 last year. But is alleged that following the retired geophysicist's 'aggressive and abusive' outburst after a Mercedes car had pushed in front of his Skoda Yeti, he drove forward, striking Ms Dyett while she was standing in front of his vehicle noting down his registration number. Around 9.40am Ms Dyett heard a man shouting and 'causing a scene' as she came out of her office in the Covid testing area in the hospital grounds. The court was told when she approached the Skoda, Hewett was angry and, with an abusive tone, asked her: 'Is this how you work now? People are allowed to jump the queue.' Ms Dyett said she assured him no one would be seen before his wife but he continued shouting. 'He was still going on about how people had jumped the queue and then he told me he pays my wages,' she told jurors as she gave evidence on Wednesday. 'I was kind of taken aback and embarrassed he had come out with that because there were so many other people around. 'You don't expect people to be shouting they pay your wages because they haven't been able to get into a bay before someone else.' Ms Dyett said his wife was asking him to calm down but he continued to be abusive. Mrs Hewett was then asked to step out of the car so her swab test could be performed. The trial at Maidstone Crown Court heard Ms Dyett was left with 'soft tissue' damage 'She told me I should have answered her husband quicker with the response I had given him that, I assume, no one would have been seen before her,' added Ms Dyett. The court heard that when Hewett would not calm down, Ms Dyett decided to alert security over the radio. 'I was there as a professional just doing my job. I didn't like the way he was acting and I did explain that was the reason I was calling security because no one should have to put up with that kind of aggression,' she told the jury. 'We are there to do a service and why should we put up with that? We are not there to take that abuse from people.' However, Hewett was said to have 'carried on shouting about people pushing in' and would not speak to the two security officers when they arrived. Ms Dyett told the court she stood a couple of feet in front of the vehicle, wanting to take his registration number as 'a precaution' because she knew his wife, who by now had returned to the vehicle, was going to be a 'regular customer'. Describing the moment she was hit, Ms Dyett said: 'I am crouching down to read the plate, not a full bend, and as I have looked up, he has looked at me and just driven and hit me with the car. 'He clearly could see me, I could clearly see him. He hit me on my right hand side, on my hip or leg area. 'It made me jump because I didn't realise he would actually do that. I didn't realise anyone could treat someone in that way. 'We are there to do a service and the abuse he gave and the way he drove his car was just embarrassing, really embarrassing. 'I moved out of the way so he could come out of the bay and he did, he just drove off. 'He didn't stop and ask if I was okay. He didn't do anything. He just drove away.' Ms Dyett added the first hit was the harder of the two, and the second occurred 'because I didn't move out of the way quick enough'. But she told the court she only suffered soft tissue damage and did not require treatment. She denied when cross-examined by defence barrister Nicolas Robinson that she had been 'very worked up' with Hewett and 'lost all perspective'. Ms Dyett, dressed in her blue scrubs, felt her leg being hit around the hip area, Maidstone Crown Court heard. She told jurors that although she had been bending down to read the number plate, Hewett could clearly see her before he moved forward and deliberately hit her. Hewett however maintained he had not shown any aggression and had simply been 'seeking clarification' when he had asked about the need to queue. He said he raised his voice because he was wearing a Covid mask and his window was only lowered a few inches. He also denied make any contact in his car with Ms Dyett after she, he claimed, had 'recklessly rushed' in front of him. He told the jury the 'queue controller' was putting on 'a performance' for the court, and described her behaviour during the incident as being 'like a pantomime'. Hewett also claimed when giving evidence that he had been 'attacked' by Ms Dyett when she rapped on his car window with a pen. Security guard Jordan Brown told the court although Hewett's window was partly lowered, he would not speak to him other than to raise his voice and shout 'What you are doing is illegal'. He told the court Ms Dyett was directly in front of the Skoda when Hewett 'rolled' forward and hit her. Mr Brown, who claimed his leg was also 'clipped' by the vehicle, added he then ordered everyone to let the car leave and that they would pass the information on to police. Another hospital worker told police he had heard Hewett 'shouting expletives' and then 'revving his engine' as the car moved forwards. Hewett, however, told the court that as he started moving, Ms Dyett had 'just appeared out of a crowd' and ran in front of him. 'She was shouting 'Stop him! He is getting away' and plonked herself in the middle of the road,' he explained to the jury. 'I put the brakes on. Ms Dyett was standing in front of me and I could still see the bottom of her blue scrubs. 'She started dancing around saying 'Oh, you've hit me'... She made a pantomime of it.' He maintained throughout his evidence in court that he had not been aggressive, and had asked 'a straightforward question' about the need to queue after his wife told him the Mercedes had pushed in. He also denied making the remark about paying Ms Dyett's wages. He told jurors he had asked whether she was 'NHS or voluntary worker' and then told her that as she was 'paid NHS' he could report her for not managing the queue properly. Asked to explain his 'illegal' comment to Mr Brown, Hewett said that having been told to leave by Ms Dyett's supervisor, he felt his wife was being denied her test and so would not get her cancer medication. He denied he had sat in his car 'stewing and frustrated' before losing his temper and driving at Ms Dyett. Asked by prosecutor John FitzGerald for a reason why she and her colleagues might be lying about his behaviour that day, Hewett replied: 'Somebody who got up from a bad hair day, overheard my conversation with Jennifer and wanted to stir the hornets' nest up.' Hewett's wife, Jennifer, told the court that when Mrs Dyett first spoke to them, she 'wanted to pick a fight'. Giving evidence today/yesterday (THURS), she said her husband had raised his voice from their car because he was wearing a mask and spoken in a 'strong' tone to ask about the need to queue. 'She responded very aggressively. Her body language to me indicated somebody who was grumpy, got out of bed the wrong side and was spoiling for a fight,' Mrs Hewett told the jury. 'She strolled across to the car to take exception....She came to the driver's side of the car and knocked on the window with her Biro.' Ms Hewett said another member of staff approached and her husband was accused of being aggressive and shouting. 'They were trying to get him to admit he was in the wrong,' she added. Having said she joined a walk-in queue when told the Covid test would not be performed in the car, Ms Hewett told the court she heard Ms Dyett say she was calling security. She said they were then about to drive off when the uniform-clad nurse shouted 'Stop him, he is getting away'. 'She ran in front of the car to write down the number plate....The car was just about to move but as soon as he saw her there, he stopped immediately and there was a sudden jerk on the car,' explained Ms Hewett. 'She stood to one side and Vaughan and I decided it was time to disengage ourselves from this silly situation.' She maintained the car had not hit Ms Dyett. 'If he had hit her, he would have got out of the car to see that she was alright,' she added. Asked how her husband had behaved that day, Ms Hewett said it was 'not in his nature' to be aggressive or to swear. 'I would say he was behaving normally. He was a bit frustrated but nothing more than that,' she told the jury. Hewett, who once described himself as 'a modern Conservative', served as a Tory councillor for Rainham North for seven years, before becoming an Independent Conservative in 2014 and then defecting to Ukip in 2015. The court heard that as a result of the alleged incident with Ms Dyett he was banned from the hospital for a year. Hewett said his wife, who he married in 2010, was able to start her cancer drug treatment but is now undergoing chemotherapy. The trial continues. Paramedics and police officers prepare to transfer victims of the Itaewon crowd crush tragedy to a hospital, Oct. 30. Yonhap By Lee Hyo-jin In the wake of the deadly large-scale crowd crush in Itaewon, which has highlighted the importance of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and first aid skills, the government is expanding CPR training to teenagers and workers at youth-related facilities. During the crowd crush disaster that occurred on the night of Oct. 29, the paramedics, police officers and ordinary people on the streets were seen desperately performing CPR on dozens of people suffering from cardiac arrest after they were trapped and crushed in the area's narrow alleys. CPR is an emergency lifesaving procedure involving chest compressions and rescue breathing, performed when a person's heart stops beating. Immediate CPR can double or triple the chances of survival after cardiac arrest. The Itaewon disaster has raised public interest on the lifesaving technique. Online users are sharing on social media video clips on how to perform CPR, while many people are signing up for free training classes offered by local government offices. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family announced Thursday that it will expand CPR education on teenagers and workers at youth centers. During the last three days, the ministry has distributed CPR education materials to the youth centers, while making the training course obligatory to those wishing to get employed at such facilities. The Ministry of Education, for its part, said on Tuesday that it will increase CPR trainings at schools across the nation. Under the current school curriculum, students in elementary, middle and high schools receive CPR training and other first aid skills for two hours per year. However, due to a lack of resources such as CPR kits, not all schools have been able to give practical training. The education ministry said it will expand cooperation with related authorities to provide necessary education, and will revise safety education programs to include safety measures in crowded places. Students of an elementary school in Daegu participate in a CPR training class, Tuesday. Yonhap Hundreds of stolen designer shoes and household goods have been uncovered by police after they were exchanged for drugs in a so-called 'shoplifters' swap shop'. The mammoth haul was found in boxes stacked floor to ceiling following a raid on a house in Rosegarth Walk in Highbury Vale, Nottingham, on October 19. A 36-year-old woman has since been arrested on suspicion of possessing cannabis, handling stolen goods and possession of criminal property. Around 240 boxes of designer shoes, 40 boxes of household goods and cosmetics as well as clothes were seized by the authorities. It is believed the goods had been stolen from shops across Nottinghamshire with thieves swapping the items for drugs. Officers say the stolen items were due to be sent abroad and sold on the black market. Hundreds of stolen designer shoes and household goods have been uncovered by police after they were exchanged for drugs in a so-called 'shoplifters' swap shop' (haul pictured) The mammoth haul (pictured) was found in boxes stacked floor to ceiling following a raid on a house in Rosegarth Walk in Highbury Vale, Nottingham, on October 19 Around 240 boxes of designer shoes, 40 boxes of household goods and cosmetics as well as clothes were seized by the authorities (haul pictured) PC Gordon Fenwick, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: 'This was quite a find and not something that my officers thought they would encounter when they executed the warrant on October 19. 'It is hard to put a price on the amount of goods we have seized but we believe they are stolen items from high street stores and supermarkets. 'We also have intelligence to suggest these items were to be shipped overseas. We believe we have uncovered a shoplifting ring. 'We believe this property was potentially used by the shoplifting fraternity to trade stolen items for drugs. 'Shoplifting is not a victimless crime. It can seriously affect businesses and result in their closures. 'It also feeds drug addiction and has a huge impact on local communities in terms of crime and anti-social behaviour. 'This was a great result, but the investigation is far from over as we work at bringing those who ran this operation to face justice.' It comes after warnings that shoplifting is on the rise as the cost-of-living crisis continues to put a strain on families across Britain. Retailers in May said theft levels are 'off the charts so far this year', according to analysts as well as anecdotal evidence from supermarket bosses to their trade journal, The Grocer. Thefts have soared since the beginning of the year and are continuing to increase in the wake of price rises, retailers have warned The magazine said: 'Store managers have told The Grocer of higher crime rates as they're noticing 'new first time shoplifters' as opposed to 'the usual suspects.'' Professional shoplifters tend to target high value goods they can sell on, such as alcohol, razors and other items but a new breed are stealing even the cheapest of products from the shelves, said The Grocer. It added: 'One store manager reported shoplifting starting to rise across everyday and low-value items 'that you'd find in your weekly basket' in contrast to the more regularly targeted luxury, high-cost items.' Retail analyst, Bryan Roberts, of Shopfloor Insights said: 'The situation is definitely getting worse' and said the crime rate was 'off the charts'. Some shops have reintroduced the one-way entry and exit points that were around during Covid to help socially distance customers but are now there to make it easier to track who comes in and out. Others have beefed up security in terms of personnel and/or CCTV cameras. The Eritrean, 27, had been staying at a hotel near Wigan at tax payer's expense Met police confirmed a 17-year-old boy and man in his 30s have been arrested Another child, under the age of 13, was reportedly sexually assaulted there An illegal immigrant who was put up in a hotel at the taxpayer's expense was jailed for nine years today for raping a drunken woman during a night out. Ablolom Okbazge, 27, was put behind bars for exploiting the 'paralytic' victim's condition to lure her to a fire escape before subjecting her to an hour-long sex ordeal. At the time the Eritrean national had been resident at a Brittania Hotel in Standish, near Wigan, Greater Manchester which had been housing asylum seekers under a Government scheme. It comes as a teenage boy was allegedly raped at a London hotel where roughly 400 refugees are currently being housed. An alleged sexual assault against a child is also said to have taken place in the same facility in Walthamstow. Both incidents, which took place within weeks of each other, are being investigated by the Metropolitan police. A 17-year-old has been charged with one count of sexual touching of a child under 13 and a man in his 30s was arrested following reports of a rape, Met police said. Ablolom Okbazge, 27, has been jailed for nine years for raping a drunk woman on a night out The illegal immigrant had been staying in a hotel near Wigan at the tax payer's expense In response to the alleged rape and sexual assault at a London hotel, a Home Office spokesperson said: 'It would be inappropriate to comment on an ongoing police investigation. 'We work around the clock with the police and local authorities to ensure the children in our care are safe.' Bolton Crown Court heard that Okbazge's attack last Christmas occurred just weeks after complaints that asylum seekers staying at the hotel had been harassing local schoolgirls by filming PE lessons at their high school causing parents to stopping their daughters from going out. Okbazge was convicted of rape after a trial in which jurors and the victim were condemned to watch CCTV footage which captured of the assault. The asylum seekers were housed in the hotel under a scheme run by the Home Office and Serco He is expected to be automatically deported when he is freed early in six years but the court heard there could be delays if he fought the decision. It was not disclosed when he arrived in the UK and whether he had filed a claim for asylum. The incident occurred on December 18 after the woman who cannot be named had been out on an all day pub crawl with friends. By the early hours she had become separated from her friends and was said to be 'paralytic' and 'falling over' drunk. Okbazge had been to visit a friend in Wigan and stayed on to have a drink in local bars. He spotted the victim in a 'heavily inebriated state' as he walked down the street and was seen to have changed direction to accost her. He forced her to a staircase at the back of a pub where he repeatedly forced her into intercourse in different positions. After the attack the pair went to a cab rank when she got a taxi. The taxi driver said she so was drunk she tried to pay her fare twice when she got home and later that day after a few hours sleep she told her sister she might have been sexually assaulted. She mistakenly said she thought the attack occurred in an alleyway over just a few minutes. The court heard Okbazge was brought up in Eritrea and was said to have a 'difficult childhood' after his father was killed when he was young In a statement read to the court, the victim said: 'What happened to me will stay with me for the rest of my life. I am constantly breaking down crying regularly especially when I think about what happened. It always invades my day to day living and creeps into my mind at some point every day - no matter how hard I try to stop it.' The court heard Okbazge was brought up in Eritrea and was said to have a 'difficult childhood' after his father was killed when he was young. He left school at 13 and worked on a farm before coming to the UK. Sentencing him Judge Tom Gilbart said Okbazge was responsible for 'a brutal piece of criminality'. He said: 'Once you had encountered your victim, you were determined to achieve your aim. You used force to take advantage of her vulnerability and the court was required to watch footage of what happened on a number of occasions. 'The attack on that staircase was prolonged and sustained and you were with her for over an hour and stopped her getting away. 'It would have been obvious to anyone seeing this lone extremely drunken woman that she needed help - yet your reaction was to take her to a secluded spot where you used force to rape her in a prolonged and deeply unpleasant attack.' Okbazge was also ordered to sign the Sex Offender Register. The asylum seekers were housed in the hotel under a scheme run by the Home Office and Serco. The issue of housing migrants in hotels has been hotly debated following criticisms of over crowding and unsafe facilities such as Manston Detention Centre - where an estimated 4,000 people stayed last night despite its 1,600 capacity. Home Secretary Suella Braverman is visiting Dover today as pressure mounts on her to get a grip on migrant chaos and overcrowded centres. Yesterday Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama accused the Home Secretary of 'finding scapegoats' when 'failed policies' are to blame for the migration crisis. Ms Braverman has previously described such accommodation as 'nice hotels' that cost up to 150 per person a night. The Guardian reported that Grace Williams, the leader of Waltham Forest council, has written to Braverman about the lack of safeguarding at the London facility. Williams said the hotel, which the council does not want to identify, is not suitable for long-term use. She said: 'We have continuously expressed our view that accommodating families with children in contingency hotels is detrimental to children's wellbeing. It is now evident that it is a risk to their safety too.' Missouri's Department of Health and Senior Services confirmed they are investigating Freeman Hospital West in Joplin, Missouri, over the claims Abortions are included in those treatments, which cover patients experience emergency pregnancy complications The Biden administration issued a warning in July that federal law requires hospitals to provide life or health-saving medical procedures The federal government has launched its first investigation into a hospital after a woman was denied an abortion despite experiencing a medical emergency. Mylissa Farmer, 41, was 18-weeks pregnant when her water broke, leaving her at risk of life-threatening complications - but the hospital refused to perform an abortion despite her 'baby dying inside her'. Missouri's Department of Health and Senior Services confirmed to DailyMail.com that they were investigating Freeman Hospital West in Joplin, Missouri. The investigation has been launched under the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labour act and was authorized by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. President Biden reminded hospital in physicians in July that federal law requires healthcare providers to provide life or health-saving medical services to patients experiencing emergency pregnancy complications. The warning was issued to the 13 states which have outlawed most abortions, adding that the law requires them to provide the treatments, if necessary, under those conditions. Under the 1986 EMTALA law hospitals and physicians are required to provide screening and stabilizing treatment in emergency situations even if the state has laws barring abortion. Missouri is one of the states which quickly reinstated abortion bans after the Supreme Court overturned Roe. v Wade earlier this year. Mylissa Farmer, 41, had her waters break early in her pregnancy which left her in a life-threatening situation, but the hospital refused to perform an abortion because of state law Republican Attorney General Eric Schmitt pushed through a law to ban abortion in the state after the overturning of Roe v. Wade earlier this year Hospitals and physicians who don't comply with the federal mandate could face civil fines and termination from Medicare and Medicaid programs. Situations where they are required to perform abortion include ectopic pregnancies, severe blood pressure spikes known as preeclampsia, and premature rupture of the membrane causing a woman's water to break before her pregnancy is viable, which can lead to serious infections and threaten her life. Farmer went to Freeman Hospital on August 2 after her water broke nearly 18 weeks into her pregnancy and she suffered from bleeding and cramping. She and her boyfriend Matthew McNeill had already picked out a name for their daughter, Maeve, when they were told that her chances of survival at 17 weeks and vie days were zero. Doctors recommended terminating the pregnancy because it was not viable, and she had lost amniotic fluid which meant she faced risk of serious infection. The hospital said that they could not offer her an abortion, as it was 39 days after Missouri banned the procedure despite being able to offer the couple a chance to say goodbye to their daughter the year before. The couple were forced to make a series of trips across three states to secure an abortion and wanted to be able to grieve the loss of their daughter with Farmer saying she was left with a 'baby dying inside' her. Farmer eventually got an appointment at the Hope Clinic for Women, across the state border in Granite City, Illinois, where she went into labor and received a procedure to end the pregnancy August 6 Farmer appeared in a political advert for Democratic nominee Trudy Busch Valentine, a nurse, criticising current republican Attorney General Eric Schmitt over her experience Hospitals and physicians who don't comply with the federal mandate could face civil fines and termination from Medicare and Medicaid programs She eventually got an appointment at the Hope Clinic for Women, across the state border in Granite City, Illinois, where she went into labor and received a procedure to end the pregnancy August 6. Speaking to the Springfied News-Leader she said: 'I know it sounds horrible, but we just wanted to finish the process. 'My doctors said it was an emergency, and I felt it was an emergency. It was hard. You could tell the doctors were trying to tell us what we needed to do, but at the same time, trying to protect themselves. We're not angry with them. 'They said because I lost all of my amniotic fluid, that my uterus would be deforming our child and if we were able to carry another 6 weeks, she would come out deformed. 'Her lungs wouldn't be any more developed than they were at 17 weeks because the amniotic fluid I guess helps lungs develop. 'If she were to develop, she would come out deformed and with major disabilities with breathing, and she'd be on a ventilator for a very long time.' Farmer went to Freeman Hospital on August 2 after her water broke nearly 18 weeks into her pregnancy and she suffered from bleeding and cramping Farmer claimed that Schmitt was 'too extreme' and said that he 'doesn't care about women like me' Doctors could only intervene if her vitals plummeted or infection set in, or if the foetus' cardiac activity stopped. Farmer confirmed she was contacted and questioned in October for the EMTALA investigation. She contacted her state senator, Bill White, to explain her situation and was told that Attorney General Eric Schmitt would be contacted. The Missouri investigation could provoke a new legal showdown between the Biden administration and Republican state elected officials who favor strict abortion bans. A Texas federal judge issued a temporary restraining order in August saying the guidance was 'unauthorized' and went beyond EMTALA, which Federal officials have appealed. An Idaho federal judge sided with the Biden administrations advice, with officials asking him to reconsider his ruling. Farmer appeared in a political advert for Democratic nominee Trudy Busch Valentine, a nurse, criticising current republican Attorney General Eric Schmitt over her experience. DailyMail.com have reached out to Freeman Hospital West in Joplin, Missouri, over the claims Hillary Clinton also weighed in on the row, but wrongly claimed that the state was investigating Farmer Farmer confirmed she was contacted and questioned in October for the EMTALA investigation She said: 'When my water broke at 17-and-a-half weeks, I found out I was going to lose my daughter and my Missouri doctors weren't allowed to give me the care that I needed. 'All because of the mandate Eric Schmidt put into place. Eric Schmidt doesn't care about women like me imposing a mandate that doesn't have exceptions for rape, incest or health of the mother. 'It could even send women and doctors to jail. He's just too extreme.' Local reports claim that Schmitt's campaign lawyers sent letters demanding the ad be taking down because it was inaccurate to state women could go to prison for having an abortion. Hillary Clinton also waded into the argument, by tweeting a news link to Farmer's story online but wrongly claimed that the state was investigating her. DailyMail.com has contacted the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and Freeman Hospital West for a comment. Experts have claimed that it is 'dangerous' to have politicians and lawyers looking over their shoulders when trying to make a decision if a pregnancy should eb terminated. Cleveland OB-GYN Dr Kim Puterbaugh told KHN: 'This is medicine, not law, and it's very complicated. Setting arbitrary limits on blood pressure or bleeding when determining if a pregnancy is in distress, that's ridiculous. There are too many variables.' Dr. Mehmet Oz for the first time surpassed John Fetterman in polling just days before the midterms and one week after their debate where the lingering effects of his Democratic rival's stroke were on full display. The two point gap 48 percent to 46 percent continues a steady improvement for Oz, whose support from likely Pennsylvanian voters has increased by 5 percentage points since September, according to polling from The Hill/Emerson College. It also mirrors a national trend as Republicans surge in polls, with some tying or overtaking their Democratic challengers in the days ahead of the election after months of trailing. Meanwhile, Fetterman's support only ticked up by 1 percent from the September poll from the one taken October 28-31. The split between the two candidates is within the poll's plus or minus 3 percentage point margin of error. Consistently, this particular polling has shown Fetterman, 53, ahead of Oz, 62. A new poll from The Hill/Emerson College shows Dr. Mehmet Oz pulled ahead of Democrat rival John Fetterman for the first time with just five days until the 2022 midterms The results of the poll comes just one week after Fetterman (left) and Oz's (right) only debate, where the effects of the Democratic candidate's May stroke were on full display A RealClearPolitics average earlier Thursday morning showed Fetterman's lead among all polling has narrowed to just 0.2 percent after he was ahead by between 4 and 10 percentage points for months. Later in the day it updated to show for the first time Oz leading Fetterman by 0.3 percent in the average of its poll tracking. Doubt increased following the debate over Fetterman's fitness for office after suffering a stroke in May, which could account for Oz pulling ahead with just five days until the official Election Day for the 2022 midterms on November 8. Nearly 1 million voters 962,810 to be exact have cast their early mail-in ballots in the Pennsylvania election so far, according to a tracking by the United States Elections Project. Fetterman says he doesn't regret doing the debate, but says he knew it wouldn't be easy for him as he still struggles with auditory issues and understanding speech. 'I always understood it wasn't going to be easy,' Fetterman told CNN's Don Lemon this week, adding: 'It was no secret that I was going to miss some words that I was going to mush some words together.' 'I thought it was important that I show up,' he added. Current projections show Republicans taking the majority in the Senate in the midterms. Oz is trying to keep retiring Senator Pat Toomey's seat red The candidate insists he will be better by the time he is sworn in and says he has been 'transparent' about his recovery and struggles. He won't, however, commit to allowing his doctors to brief the press to prove his fitness for office. Pennsylvania officials are warning that the results of Pennsylvania's Senate, gubernatorial, U.s. House and local races may not be known until 'days' after Election Day because a law in place does not allow counting to begin of early ballots until the morning of November 8. The latest poll released Thursday shows that 54 percent of Pennsylvania voters expect Oz to win compared to just 47 percent who say they think Fetterman, the state's current Lieutenant Governor, will be victorious. It comes just one week after Fetterman's head-to-head with Oz in the only Pennsylvania Senate debate. Fetterman's rocky performance followed an interview with NBC News where a camera angle showed the Democratic candidate had to use real-time closed captioning as an assist to understand the questions being asked of him. He says that his 'transparency' about struggles he still experiences in the months after his stroke should comfort voters and prove that he isn't lying when he says he is fit to serve as a U.S. senator for Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman (left) has consistently polled ahead of Trump-backed celebrity surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz (right) but the margins have narrowed in the days ahead of Election Day Oz's public appearance far outshine Fetterman's. The former television doctor and celebrity surgeon has had years of perfecting his on-camera and public persona. Therefore, the debates and public appearances show Oz in his element, whereas Fetterman the sweat-shirt-wearing, heavily tattooed candidate seems more uncomfortable and awkward. The two are competing to take retiring Republican Senator Pat Toomey's seat, which Republicans are trying to keep red and Democrats are attempting to turn blue in an effort to solidify their majority in the upper chamber. Pennsylvania is a battleground state that could determine which party controls the Senate come 2023. The mother of Libby Squire who was raped and murdered after a night out has said she is 'really grateful' to her daughter's attacker for agreeing to meet her so she can ask him how he killer her. Lisa Squire is preparing to meet the sexual predator who murdered her eldest daughter Libby, 21, in Hull in 2019. Polish butcher Pawel Relowicz, 26, was convicted of killing the philosophy student when he chanced upon her after she had been out with friends. Mrs Squire said she is 'grateful' to Relowicz for so far agreeing to meet her to talk - as she had not expected he would say yes. Libby's mother even described Relowicz as braver than herself for accepting the proposed meet, saying 'it must be incredibly hard to sit across the table with the woman whose daughter you've killed.' Mrs Squire said it's 'incredibly difficult not knowing how your child has died' as she appeared on Good Morning Britain today, adding 'he is the only person that can tell me that.' Libby Squire's mother Lisa told GMB presenters Ben Shephard and Kate Garraway she is 'grateful' to her daughter's killer for agreeing to meet her to talk Libby disappeared during a night out with university friends in Hull in January 2019 Pawel Relowicz, 26, was on the prowl looking for a vulnerable victim when he murdered Libby on February 1, 2019 Libby's mother told presenters Ben Shephard and Kate Garraway: 'For me, it's about honouring her and knowing. I feel if I don't find out, I'm letting her down in a way. 'Also my other three children - it would be nice to be able to say to them this is what happened. It's the end of her life and it's important to know.' Mrs Squire said she's 'not as tortured about it' as she was in the 'early days'. 'I don't actually think too much about him [Relowicz] which has been a conscious choice because you can go down a very dark path and there's enough to deal with without having to deal with him as well,' she said. 'But I was actually really grateful that he said yes because when I first started this process I thought he's just not going to do it because he didn't show any remorse in court. Ms Squire said she is 'grateful' to Relowicz for agreeing to meet her to talk - as she had not expected he would say yes 'I'm really quite grateful that he's considering it and so far has said yes. 'He won't get anything from doing this, they don't get a reduction in sentence - he's still quite a young man, young enough to be my son in reality and it must be incredibly hard to sit across the table with the woman whose daughter you've killed. 'So it's quite brave of him. People say it's brave of me but I think it's actually probably more brave of him.' Mrs Squire has previously said: 'I don't hate him, I really don't. I find anger and hatred incredibly draining, so I choose not to go down that route. Just trying to muddle through life without Libby is hard enough and there are days when I don't even want to mother my other three children, or go to work, or walk the dog. I just want to wallow in my Libby world. 'Grief can be all-consuming. So if I had hatred to contend with on top of all that it would just be an extra layer of s***; too much to cope with.' Relowicz, who is now serving 27 years for his heinous crimes, has always denied his guilt. Libby's mother said it's ' incredibly difficult not knowing how your child has died' Lisa Squire has previously said she feared no lessons have been learned since her daughter (pictured together) was raped and murdered in 2019 Libby disappeared during a night out with university friends in Hull. She had gone to a nightclub but doormen considered her too drunk to be admitted. Her friends put her into a taxi, paid the fare and gave instructions for her to be taken home. But after the driver dropped her at her shared student house, she'd wandered off into the cold, snowy night and became hypothermic, confused and tearful. She was in this vulnerable state when Relowicz pounced. It was seven weeks before her body was dredged from the Humber Estuary, submerged for so long that pathologists were unable to determine the cause of her death. No date has yet been set for Lisa's meeting with Relowicz, arranged via a restorative justice charity, and although he has said he does not want to talk about what happened on the night he killed Libby, Lisa has previously said: 'I will wear him down eventually. I'll keep on until I find out.' Advertisement Protests erupted across Pakistan on Thursday after an assassination attempt on former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was leading a march through the capital Islamabad. Thousands of Khan's supporters took to the streets to protest the attack in small and major cities across the country, including Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Multan, Gujranwala and Peshawar. Khan accused the country's current premier Shehbaz Sharif of being involved in the attempt to assassinate him after he was shot in the leg during a rally. Khan's shocking claim comes as video showed the terrifying moment the politician took cover as he was shot and wounded at the rally. Footage showed Khan standing at the front of an open top container truck during a protest march to demand snap elections when a gunman fired at the politician with an automatic pistol. As the sound of bullets filled the air, a shocked Khan, 70, tried to take cover but he was shot in the leg. Khan's team quickly surrounded him, as people in the crowd could be heard screaming. Injured former Pakistan PM Imran Khan is escorted into a room by aides shortly after the failed assassination attempt In Islamabad yesterday Supporters of former prime minister Imran Khan shout slogans during a protest after Khan was shot at near Wazirabad, in Karachi Former PM Khan remains a popular figures among Pakistan's masses, with many taking to the streets in support of him after the failed assassination attempt Thousands of Khan's supporters took to the streets to protest the attack in small and major cities across the country Throngs of activists took to Pakistan's streets as Khan accused the country's current premier Shehbaz Sharif of being involved in the attempt to assassinate him Many protesters had seen the dramatic footage video which showed the terrifying moment Khan took cover as he was shot and wounded at the rally Activists raised their hands and shouted in the streets of Peshawar in a unified show of support for former PM Khan 'This was an attempt to kill Khan, to assassinate him,' his senior aide, Raoof Hasan, said, as protesters poured out on to the streets in some parts of the country and his supporters demanded justice The violent footage from the scene shows the suspected gunman firing a burst of shots at Khan. A second man is seen trying to wrestle the gun from the would-be assassin, as the gunman tries to escape before being arrested. Khan's ex-wife, British socialite and screenwriter Jemima Goldsmith, tweeted a picture of the man who wrestled the shooter, hailing him as a 'hero'. Goldsmith, who has two sons Kasim and Sulaiman Isa with Khan, said: 'The news we dread. Thank God he's okay. And thank you from his sons to the heroic man in the crowd who tackled the gunman.' Video later shows Khan wearing a bandage on his leg, waving to supporters after getting shot before he was helped down from an open top container truck and placed carefully into a vehicle. The politician was rushed to the Shaukat Khanum Hospital in Lahore where surgeons are now removing bullet fragments from his leg. One of Khan's supporters was killed in the attack, while nine others were wounded. 'This was an attempt to kill Khan, to assassinate him,' his senior aide, Raoof Hasan, said, as protesters poured out on to the streets in some parts of the country and his supporters demanded justice. Khan began his march last week as part of his campaign aimed at forcing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his government to hold snap elections after he was ousted following a no confidence vote. Khan, who has also been a vocal critic of Pakistan's powerful military for supporting the current PM, accused Sharif, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and Major General Faisal of being behind the attack. It comes after the gunman was arrested at the scene, and police later released a video of him in custody, allegedly confessing to the shooting and saying he acted alone. 'He (Khan) was misleading the people, and I couldn't bear it so I attempted to kill him,' said the suspect, identified as Faisal Butt. 'I tried my best to kill him. I wanted to kill Imran Khan only and no one else.' Video shows Khan standing at the front of an open top container truck during a protest march to demand snap elections when a gunman fired at the politician with an automatic pistol Video later shows Khan wearing a bandage on his leg being helped through a room after shooting Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan is helped after he was shot in the shin in Wazirabad Footage from the scene also appears to show the gunman shooting towards Khan's convoy. A second man (right) is seen trying to wrestle the gun from the shooter, but he manages to escape Video grabs show the moment the suspected gunman was arrested by police, as a crowd of Khan's supporters tried to hit him A crowd of Khan's supporters try and hit the suspected gunman after he opened fire on the former Prime Minister The gunman was arrested at the scene, and police later released a video of him in custody, allegedly confessing to the shooting and saying he acted alone. 'Only Imran Khan was my target,' said the suspect, identified as Faisal Butt. 'He (Khan) was misleading the people, and I couldn't bear it.' Among the wounded was Faisal Javed, a lawmaker from Tehreek-e-Insaf. In a video statement, with blood staining his clothes, Javed said Khan's protest march to Islamabad would not stop One person was killed in the attack (pictured) and nine others were wounded after the gunman opened fire in district in the Wazirabad eastern Punjab province Supporters of former prime minister Imran Khan shout slogans during a protest after Khan suffered bullet injuries near Wazirabad, in Karachi, Pakistan Supporters of Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan, take part in a protest against the assassination attempt on Khan, outside the hospital where Khan is admitted, in Lahore on Thursday Khan's ex-wife, British screenwriter Jemima Goldsmith, tweeted a picture of the man who wrestled the shooter, describing him as a 'hero' Khan, who has also been a vocal critic of Pakistan's powerful military for supporting the current PM, accused Sharif (pictured with Putin in September, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and Major General Faisal of being behind the attack Pakistan's history of coups and assassinations 2007 - Two-time Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto is assassinated in a gun and bomb attack after holding an election rally in Rawalpindi. A few months before her death, she survives a suicide bomb assassination attempt in Karachi, where at least 139 people are killed in one of the country's deadliest attacks. 1999 - Former army chief Pervez Musharraf seizes power in a bloodless coup. He is sworn in as president and head of state in June 2001. He resigns in 2008 and Asif Ali Zardari, Benazir Bhutto's husband, takes over as president. 1988 - Military ruler President Mohammad Zia ul-Haq is killed when the Hercules C-130 aircraft carrying him crashes in mysterious circumstances. Conspiracy theorists have suggested a case of mangoes put aboard the plane shortly before takeoff contained a timer device that released gas that knocked out the cockpit crew. 1979 - Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, the father of Benazir who was elected as prime minister in 1970, is hanged on a disputed conviction for conspiring to commit a political murder by Zia ul-Haq. 1977 - Zia ul-Haq seizes power after a coup against the Bhutto government. He puts Bhutto under house arrest, imposes martial law, suspends the constitution and bans political parties 1973 - Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto elected as prime minister, taking over from General Yahya Khan. 1958 - In Pakistan's first military coup, Governor-General Iskander Mirza enforces martial law with General Ayub Khan as chief martial law administrator. Ayub Khan later assumes the presidency and sacks Mirza, who is exiled. 1951 - Pakistan's first Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan, after the 1947 partition of India, is shot dead at a political rally in Rawalpindi. Advertisement Khan, who was married to British screenwriter Jemima Goldsmith for nine years before their divorce, was shot at as he stood alongside officials on the top of a modified container truck as it slowly drove through a thick crowd near Gujranwala. One person was killed in the attack and nine others were wounded after the gunman opened fire in district in the Wazirabad eastern Punjab province. Goldsmith described the man who was killed in the attack as a 'hero' because he had tried to chase after the gunman when he was shot. 'Condolences to his family,' Goldsmith wrote. Describing the attack, former information minister Fawad Chaudhry, who was standing behind Khan, said: 'There was a guy who was in front of the container who had this automatic pistol. He fired a burst. Everyone who was standing in the very front row got hit.' He said supporters in the crowd tried to snatch the gun from the attacker. 'In that scuffle he missed the target. There was so much blood on the container.' Among the wounded was Faisal Javed, a lawmaker from Tehreek-e-Insaf. In a video statement, with blood staining his clothes, Javed said Khan's protest march to Islamabad would not stop. Officials from Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf said Khan was being treated at a hospital in Lahore and was in stable condition. Video published on social media shows Khan being in hospital with a bandage around his right calf. In a tweet, Pakistan's President Arif Alvi called it 'a heinous assassination attempt'. 'I thank Allah that he is safe but injured with few bullets in his leg & hopefully non-critical,' he said. Before Khan made the accusation that Sharif was behind the assassination attempt, the current PM 'strongly condemned' the attack. 'I strongly condemn the firing at Imran Khan's rally. An immediate report of the incident has been sought from the Interior Minister,' he wrote on Twitter. 'We pray for the speedy recovery of Imran and other injured. 'The Federation will provide all possible support to the Punjab government in the security/investigation of the incident. 'Violence should have no place in national politics.' Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan has been shot in the leg in an assassination attempt at a rally. He is seen here waving to fans after being shot Footage from the scene also appears to shows a suspected gunman (left in circle wearing a black top) shooting towards Khan's convoy. A second man (in a blue and red top in cicle) is seen trying to wrestle the gun from the shooter, but he manages to escape. The shooter manages to escape but a huge crowd chase him down the street Supporters of Khan's party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, chant slogans as they block a road during a protest to condemn a shooting incident on their leader's convoy, in Karachi, Pakistan, on Thursday Supporters of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan's party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, chant slogans as they block a road during a protest to condemn a shooting incident on their leader's convoy, in Karachi, Pakistan, Supporters of Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan, take part in a protest against the assassination attempt on Khan, in Peshawar on Thursday Supporters of Pakistan former Prime Minister Imran Khan, block a road following the shooting incident on his long march in Wazirabad, during a protest in Karachi, on Thursday Police officers stand guard outside the Shaukat Khanum hospital where former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who suffered bullet injuries during a protest march near Wazirabad, is shifted to for treatment, in Lahore, Pakistan Pakistan 's former Prime Minister Imran Khan (pictured yesterday at a different rally) has been shot in the leg in an assassination attempt at a rally Khan, who was married to British screenwriter Jemima Goldsmith (pictured together in London in 2000) for nine years before their divorce, had been speaking at the rally when he was shot by the gunman Political instability in Pakistan sparks violence The attempted assassination of former Prime Minister Imran Khan during a rally has raised new concerns about the growing instability in Pakistan. Since Khan's ouster in a no-confidence vote in Parliament in April, Khan has mobilised mass rallies across the country, where he has whipped up crowds with claims that he was a victim of a conspiracy by his successor, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, and the United States. Both the new premier and Washington have denied such allegations. Khan began his march to Islamabad a week ago as part of his campaign aimed at forcing Sharif and his government to hold early elections following his ouster. The prime minster has repeatedly declined Khan's call for early elections, saying parliamentary elections will take place as scheduled in 2023. The shooter said his motive for the attack was that Khan 'was misleading the people'. Faisal Butt added: 'I couldn't bear it so I attempted to kill him. I tried my best to kill him. I wanted to kill Imran Khan only and no one else.' The attack, where the shooter said comes amid heightened tensions in Pakistan. Khan has been a vocal critic of Pakistan's powerful military for supporting the current Sharif and he has refused to back down from his plans to march on the capital. 'We are not sheep, we are human beings and no one is going to accept neither the imported thieves of this government nor their facilitators,' Khan lashed out during a speech Saturday. The military has said that although Khan had a democratic right to hold a rally in Islamabad, no one would be allowed to destabilize the country. Authorities in Islamabad have already deployed additional security around the city to deter any clashes or violence. Khan's latest challenge to the government comes after Pakistan's elections commission disqualified him from holding public office for five years for allegedly selling state gifts unlawfully and concealing assets as premier. Khan, who has challenged the disqualification in a pending court case, has said he would sue Chief Election Commissioner Sikandara Raja, who was behind the decision, for calling him a 'dishonest person.' Pakistan has a decades-long history of political assassinations, including that of Benazir Bhutto, the first democratically elected female leader of a Muslim country, in 2007. She died when a huge bomb detonated near her vehicle. Advertisement At the time of the shooting, Khan and his supporters had been travelling in a large convoy of trucks and cars heading towards the capital, Islamabad, as part of his campaign aimed at forcing the government to hold early elections after he was ousted from office this spring. The attack raised new concerns about growing political instability in Pakistan, a nuclear-armed nation with a massive population of 225 million people. Pakistan has a decades-long history of political assassinations, including that of Benazir Bhutto, the first democratically elected female leader of a Muslim country, in 2007. The attack happened less than a week after Khan began his march from Lahore, the capital of Punjab province, along with thousands of supporters. Each day during his so-called 'long march' 70 year-old Khan has mounted a shipping container towed by a lorry, making speeches from the open top to crowds of thousands in cities and towns along the way. Since his ouster in a no-confidence vote in Parliament in April, Khan has alleged that his ouster was a conspiracy engineered by his successor, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, and the United States - claims that both the new premier and Washington have denied. Still, Khan - a former cricket star and national sports hero turned Islamist politician - remains a hugely popular figure and his convoy's journey, expected to be capped with an open-ended rally in Islamabad, could present a significant challenge to the new administration. Khan has also been a vocal critic of Pakistan's powerful military establishment for supporting the current Sharif. 'We are not sheep, we are human beings and no one is going to accept neither the imported thieves of this government nor their facilitators,' Khan lashed out during a speech Saturday. Khan has promised his march will remain peaceful and aimed at forcing Sharif to call early elections - but his attempted assassination attempt shows just how divided the nation is. The prime minster has repeatedly declined this call for early elections, saying parliamentary elections will take place as scheduled in 2023. Khan's latest challenge to the government comes after Pakistan's elections commission disqualified him from holding public office for five years for allegedly selling state gifts unlawfully and concealing assets as premier. Khan, who has challenged the disqualification in a pending court case, has said he would sue Chief Election Commissioner Sikandara Raja, who was behind the decision, for calling him a 'dishonest person.' It was also not immediately known if Khan's convoy would proceed on to Islamabad. Earlier, Fawad Chaudhry, a senior leader in Khan's party, said they plan to enter Islamabad on Friday. The attack comes at a time when impoverished Pakistan is grappling with the aftermath of unprecedented floods that struck this Islamic nation over the summer, killing 1,735 people and displacing 33 million. From partying playboy to pious PM: As Imran Khan cheats death, how the cricket star ditched London nightclubs (and his many glamorous girlfriends) to become a devout leader of Pakistan By Jack Newman for MailOnline He was once a fixture on the dancefloors of London, never far from his latest squeeze who he rattled through as quickly as the terrorised batsmen he faced down throughout his cricketing career. But Imran Khan the lothario playboy soon became Imran Khan the devout politician as he dedicated himself to public service in his home country of Pakistan. Today, the former prime minister's political ambition nearly cost him his life as he survived an assassination attempt during an anti-government rally. The 70-year-old was shot in the shin with an AK-47 while in an open-top vehicle on a protest march to demand snap elections, six months after he was ousted from power. The Oxford educated star was driven from office by what an aide at the time called a judicial coup by the Supreme Court, which overturned the his decision to dissolve parliament and ordered lawmakers to return to the lower chamber. He lost a subsequent no confidence vote. But that has not stopped his popularity among millions of Pakistanis who are fighting to see their hero return to office. Imran Khan was one of London's most eligible bachelors, dating a number of high profile women including fashion model Marie Helvin (left) and marrying Jemima Goldsmith (right) The firebrand nationalist's fame and charisma saw him come to power in Pakistan in 2018 (pictured at a 1997 election rally) The sportsman grabbed the cricketing world's attention in the early 1970s as an aggressive fast-paced bowler with a distinctive leaping action (pictured at the Oval in 1987) Born in 1952, the son of a civil engineer, Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi described himself as a shy child who grew up with four sisters in an affluent urban Pashtun family in Lahore, Pakistan's second-biggest city. He was then privately educated in England, before he went on to the University of Oxford where he graduated with a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. The sportsman grabbed the cricketing world's attention in the early 1970s as an aggressive fast-paced bowler with a distinctive leaping action. He went on to become one of the world's best all-rounders and a hero in cricket-mad Pakistan, captaining his team to an unlikely World Cup victory in 1992. As his cricket career flourished, the handsome casanova developed a playboy reputation in London in the late 1970s. Khan was a regular at the socialite's haven Tramp in Mayfair while playing for Sussex. The cricketing star is pictured in 1987 beside the Marquis of Worcester at a Valentino party at Annabel's club in London Princess Diana is pictured alongside Imran and Jemima Khan during a tour of Pakistan in May 1997 As his cricket career flourished, the handsome casanova developed a playboy reputation in London in the late 1970s (pictured with Marie Helvin) His home was a Knightsbridge flat that boasted a mirrored dining room and canopied bedroom with a painted tiger on the wall. One visitor called it: 'A bedroom of great expectations.' Khan's female friends included girls-about-town such as Susannah Constantine (who had dated Princess Margaret's son Viscount Linley), Lady Liza Campbell and society artist Emma Sergeant. As his friend, the model Marie Helvin sighed: 'Everyone falls for Imran. He has a scent that is very attractive to women.' A regular in gossip columns, always linked to some new beauty, Khan was defiant about his lifestyle, telling a 1984 interviewer: 'In Pakistan you just don't meet single girls. There are no discos, no bars, no meeting places.' While he dated many stars including Goldie Hawn and Stephanie Beacham, many girlfriends were unknown and were referred to as 'mysterious blondes' by The Times. Meeting women was among 'the very decadent pleasures in life which I enjoy,' Khan said. But Khan claimed he rediscovered his faith in the mid 1990s, a shock to many who had witnessed his party antics throughout his life. In 1995, he married Jemima Goldsmith, daughter of business tycoon James Goldsmith. In 1995, he married Jemima Goldsmith, daughter of business tycoon James Goldsmith (pictured after their civil wedding ceremony in Richmond in 1995) Jemima, who had another son, Qasim in 1999, began making trips to London to finish the degree she'd started at Bristol (pictured in London in 1999) Khan's female friends included girls-about-town such as Susannah Constantine (pictured together) The then 42-year-old proposed to the 20-year-old Bristol student on their second date. Goldsmith, who was raised as a Christian and has Jewish background via her father, was an unlikely match for the star with burgeoning political ambitions back home. But within a few weeks they had married she converted to Islam, learned Urdu and moved to Islamabad. Photos then emerged of the couple making love on a poolside of a Mallorcan villa. But as a favour to the Goldsmith family, the editor of Hello! Magazine bought them up and they were never published. Jemima soon gave birth to her first son, Sulaiman Isa Khan, and was living in a compound in Lahore with Imran's extended family. There was no washing machine and she was said to find the food so repellent that she was existing on chocolate bars. Jemima was presented to her husband's countrymen at a rally in Peshawar, and made a speech in Urdu, asking women to vote in the elections. Witnesses said her legs trembled throughout. A second brief marriage to BBC weather girl Reham Nayyar Khan (pictured) also ended in divorce after just ten months together The divorced mother of three met him in 2012 after she moved to Pakistan and interviewed him for a television news channel The party did not win a single seat in that election, and only one in 2004. It was becoming clear that the very fact that Imran Khan had married a woman of Jewish extraction was to be used against him. 'In the beginning, the idea was that we would campaign together,' he said. 'But I had to pull her out of politics to shield her from it. That is when our problems began because we were spending time apart. That then exacerbated the problems of a cross-cultural marriage and she inevitably missed her friends, family and home more than she might have.' Jemima, who had another son, Qasim in 1999, began making trips to London to finish the degree she'd started at Bristol. She then decided to do a Masters in Middle East politics, which again meant spending time in London. Relieved to be free of the constraints of her life as a political wife, Jemima also needed to physically recover from the continuous attacks of gastroenteritis which plagued her in Pakistan. With Imran spending three weeks of each month away from home, engaged in politics and charity fundraising, she had become demoralised and lonely. For the final two years of the marriage, Jemima was based in England, and in 2004 they called time on the union. His third marriage to Bushra Bibi, a spiritual leader whom Khan had come to know during his visits to a 13th century shrine in Pakistan, reflected his deepening interest in Sufism Khan claimed he rediscovered his faith in the mid 1990s, a shock to many who had witnessed his party antics throughout his life. He has now married devout Muslim Bushra Bibi (pictured) 'I think she gave up,' Khan mused. 'She thought it was a never-ending struggle and she didn't believe I would make it.' Nonetheless, they remain close, and Jemima is guardian to Khan's daughter with Sita White, Tyrian. A second brief marriage to BBC weather girl Reham Nayyar Khan also ended in divorce after just ten months together. The divorced mother of three met him in 2012 after she moved to Pakistan and interviewed him for a television news channel. After a second interview, he invited her to dinner, she said, telling her he had something important to discuss and then proposed marriage. Astonished, Reham accepted, but her disillusionment was swift. She claimed that he was so spoiled he did not know how to use a microwave oven or a cashpoint. 'He's the only celebrity we have in Pakistan and expects everyone to do everything. I told him: 'You're like Rapunzel in the tower you have no connection to real life.' 'He's so narcissistic and single-minded about his goal [of becoming prime minister] that he forgets the appropriate emotional response to things. He thinks he's God. I married him because I believed in him and his mission.' In a self-published memoir, she sensationally claimed that Imran has fathered five children out of wedlock something his advisers strenuously deny. Imran's friends say her book is nothing more than 'the ravings of an embittered ex'. She wears a veil in front of men other than her husband and Khan did not see her face until after their wedding The end of the marriage came after Imran apparently told her not to attend a political rally. It was reported that she had hit him across the back of the head with an open hand during a disagreement over her political role. Reham was notified of their Islamic divorce talaq by text and email seven days later. One friend of Khan's observed: 'He thought he was getting Jackie Kennedy, but instead ended up with Hillary Clinton.' His third marriage to Bushra Bibi, a spiritual leader whom Khan had come to know during his visits to a 13th century shrine in Pakistan, reflected his deepening interest in Sufism - a form of Islamic practice that emphasises spiritual closeness to God. Because she wears a veil in front of men other than her husband, Khan did not see her face until after their wedding although he had seen a photograph of her as a young woman. 'I did not catch a glimpse of my wife's face until after we were married . . . I was not disappointed, and now am happily married,' he said, adding: 'I have gradually realised that although I know more about physical attraction, the mind and intellect are much more important than the physical. I have great respect for my wife's intellect and character.' Pakistan 's former Prime Minister Imran Khan (pictured yesterday at a different rally) has been shot in the leg in an assassination attempt at a rally He also became known for his philanthropy, raising 22million to open a cancer hospital in memory of his mother, before entering politics with the establishment of his Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), or Pakistan Movement for Justice party, in 1996. Despite his fame, the PTI languished in Pakistan's political wilderness, not winning a seat other than Khan's for 17 years. Khan claimed he rediscovered his faith in the mid 1990s, a shock to many who had witnessed his party antics throughout his life. This period had its dramatic moments, however. In 2007, Khan escaped house arrest by leaping over a wall amid a crackdown on opposition figures by then-military ruler General Pervez Musharraf. In 2011, Khan began drawing huge crowds of young Pakistanis disillusioned with endemic corruption, chronic electricity shortages and crises in education and unemployment. He drew even greater backing in the ensuing years, with educated Pakistani expatriates leaving their jobs to work for his party and pop musicians and actors joining his campaign. His goal, Khan told supporters in 2018, was to turn Pakistan from a country with a 'small group of wealthy and a sea of poor' into an 'example for a humane system, a just system, for the world, of what an Islamic welfare state is'. That year he was at long last victorious, marking a rare ascension by a sporting hero to the pinnacle of politics. Observers cautioned, however, that his biggest enemy was his own rhetoric, having raised supporters' hopes sky high. Once in power, Khan embarked on his plan of building a 'welfare' state modelled on what he said was an ideal system dating back to the Islamic world some 14 centuries earlier. His government made a number of key appointments based on qualifications and not political favours and sought to reform hiring in the bureaucracy and civil service. Other measures included making it easier for citizens to lodge complaints and the introduction of universal healthcare for the poor in one province, with plans to expand the programme nationally. The government also began a project to plant 10 billion trees to reverse decades of deforestation. To bolster a crippled economy, Khan made a significant U-turn in policy and secured an IMF bailout for Pakistan and set lofty, albeit unmet goals, to expand tax collection. But his anti-corruption drive was heavily criticised as a tool for sidelining political opponents - many of whom were imprisoned on charges of graft. Pakistan's generals also remained powerful and military officers, retired and serving, were placed in charge of more than a dozen civilian institutions. A serial sex offender has admitted to committing a horrific total of 93 rapes in a near decade-long reign of terror in South Africa which saw him prey on girls as young as 12. During a hearing in Guateng High Court on Tuesday, 32-year-old Nkosinathi Emmanuel Phakathi pleaded guilty to a total of 148 charges. They included nearly 100 rapes and dozens of counts of kidnapping, robbery, theft and possession of an unlicensed firearm in the Ekurhuleni municipality. He initially faced 203 charges, but the state dropped 55 of those brought against him, according to a spokesperson for South Africa's National Prosecuting Authority. Phakathi began targeting young women and girls aged between 12-20 in several locations in Ekurhuleni as early as June 2012. His heinous crimes were put to a stop last year when he was shot in the leg while fleeing from police and subsequently had his leg amputated. The serial rapist has languished in prison awaiting trial since March 2021 and is expected to face life in prison when he is sentenced next week. During a hearing in Guateng High Court on Tuesday, 32-year-old Nkosinathi Emmanuel Phakathi pleaded guilty to a total of 148 charges, including 93 of rape Phakathi is seen entering Guateng high court earlier this week on crutches. He had one leg amputated after he was shot while fleeing from police Phakathi's first rape was committed more than ten years ago, against a 12-year-old girl in Benoni City in June 2012, and he went on to rape a woman in neighbouring Daveyton just three months later. Three years later, his crimes had become more perverse. In 2015 Phakathi raped a 15-year-old girl in Benoni, this time forcing a nine-year-old boy to witness the act. It is unclear whether this boy was the brother of the victim. He carried out a similar attack a year later, this time sexually abusing a 16-year-old girl and forcing a boy of the same age to watch. In the same year, the serial rapist forced a 14-year-old boy to sexually abuse two 15-year-old girls in Etwatwa before going on to sexually abuse them himself. This pattern of reprehensible behaviour continued unchecked until February 2021, when Phakathi committed what would be his final crime. Having charmed his way into a woman's house, according to the indictment, Phakathi told her that he was a violent criminal and threatened to stab her unless she followed his orders. 'He ordered her to undress and raped her repeatedly, with and without a condom,' News24 reported. Phakathi is pictured entering Guateng High Court on crutches following the amputation. He will be sentenced on November 8 and is expected to receive life in prison Phakathi was finally arrested in March 2021, putting an end to his terrifying spree. He sustained a gunshot wound to his right leg while attempting to flee from police in Benoni and suffered considerable blood loss, so much so that doctors were forced to amputate the limb. The serial sex offender was committed to the prison hospital at Modderbee Correctional Services Centre, and was refused bail upon his release from medical care. He has remained in prison since his arrest, and is likely to receive a life sentence when he appears before Guateng High Court on November 8. After he pleaded guilty earlier this week, judge Lesego Makolomakwe granted permission to members of the media to publish images of the offender. Russia is planning to retreat from the city of Kherson and play it off as a civilian evacuation, Western officials said today. Putin's troops are in the advanced stages of preparing for the retreat, the officials said, having moved conscripts into the city to cover the backs of the fleeing soldiers and beefed up defences on the other side of the Dnipro River. While no final call has been made, officials believe Russian commanders have decided that Kherson 'is not worth defending' and that fleeing to better positions across the Dnipro will improve their chances of holding on as winter falls. They spoke as footage emerged from Kherson showing a Russian flag that has been flying over city hall for months has suddenly disappeared. Meanwhile Colonel-General Alexander Lapin, head of Russia's central military district now thought to be responsible for defences in Donbas, has 'probably' been sacked. Russia has removed a flag from the top of city hall in Kherson as Western officials say commanders are in advanced stages of planning a retreat If the retreat goes ahead then Russia will attempt to play it off as an evacuation to protect civilians, officials said (file image, Ukrainian HIMARS in the region) It comes after General Lapin came under heavy criticism from both Ramzan Kadyrov and Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin loyalists and hardliners, for perceived failings since the start of the war. General Lapin was the last commander who ordered Russian forces across Ukraine's border in February who was still in post. His departure, if confirmed, speaks to a shift of power taking place inside the Kremlin away from the Ministry of Defence and to warlords such as Kadyrov - Chechen dictator - and Prigozhin - founder of Wagner. News of Russia's withdrawal from Kherson follows weeks of back-and-forth claims about the situation there - with Russia hinting the city is about to fall while Ukraine insists Putin is reinforcing it. Complicating the situation is a near-total news blackout from Ukrainian forces on the frontlines as they try to break through Russian defences. Two weeks ago, there was hope the city was on the verge of being liberated as General Surovikin - head of Russian forces in Ukraine - warned of a 'tense' situation and began evacuating civilians. But as the days ticked by with no sign of a Ukrainian breakthrough, Kyiv began briefing that wet weather and mud was hindering its advance. Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine's military intelligence, then gave an interview in which he said Russia is sending reinforcements to the city and plans to defend it. He confidently predicted that Kyiv's forces would push the Russians out, but said it would take until the end of this month to do so. Amidst the conflicting reports, some have suggested that Moscow is playing a disinformation game aimed at luring Ukraine into a death-trap. Vladimir Putin (right) has 'probably' sacked Colonel-General Alexander Lapin (left), the commander thought to be responsible for defences in the Donbas Workers clean debris off of the street in front of a destroyed storage complex in the recently recaptured village of Archangelske, Kherson Oblast Western officials, speaking on condition of anonymity on Thursday, sought to clarify the situation by saying Russia is planning an 'orderly, well-planned and deliberate' retreat to the east bank of the Dnipro. Russia's commanders have already crossed the river, they added, leaving a force of regular troops - largely conscripts - behind to face the Ukrainians. However, they refused to say when the retreat might take place and admitted that Ukraine's advances have been 'slow going' - which will likely get even slower as wetter weather turns the ground to mud. Losing the city of Kherson - the only regional capital that Russian forces have captured since February - would be the most-humiliating loss Putin has yet suffered. It is also the capital of the wider Kherson region, which he recently annexed to Russia and vowed to use 'all forces' to defend. That has raised fears that he could deploy Russia's nuclear arsenal, though the Western officials said they have not yet seen any sign of that happening. Putin is likely to come under huge pressure from within Russia if Kherson falls. The last retreat - a disorderly route in Kharkiv - saw sharp criticism levelled at his generals for failing to hold the territory and led to mobilistion being declared. That order, in turn, sparked protests across Russia and saw hundreds of thousands flee the country, further worsening Putin's situation. Losing Kherson would also open the door for Ukraine to mount an offensive towards Crimea, the jewel in Putin's imperialistic crown. The peninsula was annexed during his last invasion, in 2014, and has become a symbol of Putin's personal prowess and power as a Russian leader. Losing control of that would spell disaster - not just for his invasion, but for his rule of Russia and could see him toppled from power. Ms Hammond had texted Carpenter the previous day, telling him that 'she did not want to be touched or manipulated by him' and to not make things awkward A woman who had repeatedly rejected romantic advances made by her co-worker has been shot dead by the man outside the workplace, police said. Nicole Hammond, 28, was shot in the neck with a handgun by co-worker Jordan Carpenter on October 24, police said. The incident happened at around 7am in the parking lot of Dubow Textile in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Police arrived shortly after and found the 28-year-old's body 'laying in the parking lot with a gunshot wound'. Police said they attempted life saving measures on Ms Hammond, but she died at the scene. Jordan Carpenter, 36 had already fled the scene. However, police found Carpenter almost three hours later at a house in Sauk Rapids. Nicole Hammond, 28, was allegedly shot and killed by her co-worker Jordan Carpenter, 36, in St. Cloud, Minnesota Carpenter was then taken into custody to be questioned by police and arrested on second-degree murder charges. The alleged killer did not admit to gunning down Ms Hammond, according to a probable cause statement obtained by the Kansas City Star. However, he did say he was walking toward Ms Hammond's car when the gun sounded. Carpenter told police that he ran away because he 'was too traumatized' after seeing Ms Hammond's body. Police said Carpenter 'didn't render aid, go to work, nor did he call 9-1-1.' Ms Hammond had repeatedly told Carpenter that she was not interested in a romantic relationship with him. Jordan Carpenter was taken into custody and arrested on second-degree murder charges The media release issues by St. Cloud police says that Jordan Carpenter was arrested and transported to Benton County Jail where he is held on charges related to homicide A probable cause statement showed that Ms Hammond had rejected Carpenter's advances by text message the night before. Ms Carpenter told him that 'she did not want to be touched or manipulated by him' and asked him 'not to make things uncomfortable at work,' the police statement said. She had 'repeatedly' rejected his advances over the previous month. Police also said that they found a text send by Ms Hammond telling a friend that Carpenter was mad at her. Co-workers of Ms Hammond told the Kansas City Star that Carpenter had repeatedly harassed her and had a 'bad temper'. However, the CEO of Dubow Textile, Rob Dubow, told Fox that this was never reported to management. Mr Dubow told Fox: 'Unfortunately, we had no idea. Any time there is anything that requires out intervention we step in. But in this case, we had no indication that there was anything awry.' Nicole Hammond was shot and killed outside her workplace in St. Cloud Minnesota Ms Hammond's obituary said he had one day hoped to own her own jewelry business Savannah Shawn Townley remembered Nicole Hammond as a 'beautiful, smart, determined young woman' Ms Hammond's obituary said she had one day hoped to own her own jewelry business. In her spare time, she loved photography and kayaking. Her family said she was a talented writer and enjoyed working on her car with her father, Steve. The obituary said: 'Nikki is survived by her parents, Steve (Sandy Yurrick) Hammond of Aitkin and Terri (Christopher) Anderson of Leesburg, Florida; siblings, Amy Hammond of Ocean Shores, Washington, Chad Hammond of Orlando, Florida, Troy Hammond of Riverton and Cody Hammond of Aitkin; other relatives and many friends.' Ms Hammond's co-worker, Savannah Shawn Townley, remembered her as a 'beautiful, smart, determined young woman.' In a tribute posted to her Facebook page, Ms Townley said: 'You deserved to live your best life but instead got your life taken from you. Even though we were not close outside of work, you were one of the best employees anyone could ask for. Our team is forever broken without you. Fly High Angel! A Missouri man killed a mother-of-five and then himself just weeks after taking the lives of two South American researchers. Kevin Ray Moore, 42, shot and killed Misty Brockman, 40, who has five young sons, before killing himself on October 16 - two weeks after he murdered two researchers inside their Kansas City apartment. Brockman was found dead in her car, along with Moore, in a wooded area in Northland, Missouri, in what police have described as a murder-suicide. The pair were found near Northeast 48th Street and Randolph Road around 2pm after many 'flagged down' first responders and directed them to the car, according to Law and Crime. Brockman and Moore were found 'suffering from apparent trauma' and pronounced dead on the scene. Their relation to each other is unknown and Clay County is investigating the deaths. Two weeks prior, he killed Camila Behrensen, 24, of Argentina, and Pablo Guzman-Palma, 25, of Chile, according to the Jackson County Prosecutor's Office. Their bodies were found with 'trauma' wounds inside the apartment on Oak Street and the Kansas City Police Department used 'phone and computer data, surveillance videos, ballistic testing as well as DNA tests' to determine Moore as a suspect. They also tapped into the scientist's Amazon Alexa to see if they could hear possible conversations between Moore and his victims in the hours before the murders. Kevin Ray Moore, 42, killed Misty Brockman, 40, (pictured) a mother-of-five, before killing himself on October 16, two weeks after he killed Stower researchers on October 1 Two weeks prior, he had killed Camila Behrensen, 24, of Argentina, (left) and Pablo Guzman-Palma, 25, of Chile (right) After he killed the pair, he set their apartment on fire intentionally, which police have determined was to conceal a crime. The Stowers Institute for Medical Research said in a tweet in October that both Behrensen and Palma were predoctoral researchers there. Detectives believe that the murderer spent a 'considerable amount of time' at the apartment before the bodies were found 'based on physical evidence at the scene,' and hope an Alexa device might have captured audio of the crimes being committed. They obtained a search warrant for the device found in the apartment on October 1. Police hope that Amazon's home assistant device recorded conversations between the killer and the victims, but it is unclear if it did. 'Our deepest sympathies are with their families,' the Stowers Institute said in a tweet. 'During this difficult time, and most importantly, out of respect to the two families, we want to honor and remember the joy, optimism, and exceptional work these two individuals embodied and all that they have accomplished.' Behrensen was described as 'a brilliant young woman with a vibrant intellect' by colleagues and faculty at the Stowers Institute. She had been 'looking forward to living on her own in a different country' when she joined the organization's 2020 class of researchers. After killing the two researchers, he set their Oak Street apartment on fire to conceal the crime, Kansas City Police said. Police have also tapped into the pair's Amazon Alexa inside the apartment on October 1, hoping to find conversations between them and the killer It is unclear if police found anything, but they did identify Moore as a suspect through 'phone and computer data, surveillance videos, ballistic testing as well as DNA tests' (pictured: crime scene) Palma earned his Bachelor of Science and master's degrees in biochemistry at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, the institute said. His research was focused on nervous system development and organization, with one previous project centered around spinal cord regeneration. A GoFundMe has been set up for Brockman's five children, with organizer Ceejae Coberley writing: 'Our hearts bleed in agony. She didn't leave behind just those who love her but even worse her 5 beautiful young boys.' Behrensen and Guzman-Palma worked at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research (pictured) Behrensen was described as 'a brilliant young woman with a vibrant intellect' by colleagues and faculty at the Stowers Institute Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin met with former Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso in Seoul on Thursday and exchanged views on ways to improve bilateral relations frayed over wartime forced labor and other issues related to Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula. Aso, vice president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, was on a visit here as head of a Japan- Korea cooperation committee established in 1969 following the normalization of relations between the neighboring countries. Speaking to reporters ahead of the meeting, Park expressed hope for "listening to good opinions" in order to find "reasonable solutions" in resolving longstanding disputes between Seoul and Tokyo. On Wednesday, President Yoon Suk-yeol met with Aso and asked him to help promote the development of bilateral relations, according to Yoon's office. (Yonhap) He is now charged with two counts of homicide and is being held on a $4million bond Gonzalez was able to escape with only minor injuries and was filmed on the scene getting a sobriety test Both cars immediately burst into flames, with video showing the front of Gonzalez's Toyota Camry mangled in the aftermath, while the Mustang was completely engulfed in a fire Andrea Bullo, 60, the owner of Moonshadows Malibu, and his son, Marco, were pronounced dead on the scene of a fiery high-speed collision in Woodland Hills Tuesday night Advertisement The owner of an oceanfront Malibu restaurant frequented by A-list celebrities and his son have been killed in a fiery high-speed crash after a 21-year-old suspected drunk driver rear-ended their vintage Mustang. Andrea Bullo, 60, the owner of Moonshadows Malibu, and his 13-year-old son, Marco, were pronounced dead on the scene yesterday following the smash in Woodland Hills at around 9pm. Lt Matthew Bielski, with the LAPD's Valley Traffic Division, told KTLA a preliminary investigation suggested Kevin Gonzalez was traveling east on Mulholland Drive when he rear-ended their vehicle. Both cars immediately burst into flames, authorities said, with video from the scene showing a blaze on the front of Gonzalez's Toyota Camry, while the Mustang was engulfed in a flames. Firefighters acted quickly to put the fire out but it was too late to save the Bullos. Gonzalez, however, managed to escape his Toyota Camry and sustained only minor injuries. He was filmed doing a sobriety test at the scene. Police say Gonzalez has now been arrested on two counts of murder, and is being held on a $4million bond. Meanwhile, the popular restaurant remains closed. 'Andrea will be truly missed. A unique friend, father,-and figure to follow. He will irreplaceable,' Moonshadows said in a statement to FOX 11. Bullo was married to Ira Soebroto, the mother of his son, Marco. They are pictured here enjoying a night out The father and son duo are pictured here enjoying a nice dinner last year when Marco was just 12 years old Bullo was killed in the fiery crash along with his 13-year-old son, Marco, pictured here with his mother, Ira He was filmed Tuesday night getting a sobriety test at the scene. Gonzalez is now charged with two counts of murder People are seen leaving Moonshadows down by the coast on Thursday afternoon following the devastating news Cars were parked outside the famous restaurant as some walked inside before leaving later in the day on Thursday afternoon Left: A woman can be seen calling to another as they entered the restaurant. Right: People leave the popular celeb hotspot on Thursday afternoon Bullo was born and raised in Murano, Italy before he immigrated to the United States. He received certificates from the UCLA Hotel Restaurant Management Program, and in 1989 he joined Spectrum Food Line, a group of restaurateurs in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Orange County and San Diego. Bullo opened Moonshadows Malibu with a group of friends of Italian descent in 2001, combining typical Venetian cuisine with American fare. The restaurant has since received awards including the Wine Spectator's Award of Excellence, the Michelin Award and The Best of City Search. It is now on Yelp's list of 100 places to dine. Bullo had been set to travel back to Italy to visit his mother during the Thanksgiving holiday, an Italian outlet reports, and she would then join him in the United States for Christmas. Friends told NBC Los Angeles how he will be 'sorely missed' and was a 'great dad.' Andrea Bullo, 60, the owner of Moonshadows Malibu (pictured) and his son, Marco, were pronounced dead on the scene following a fiery collision in Woodland Hills Tuesday night The family is pictured enjoying a sunset dinner at the restaurant in 2020 for Marco's birthday Friends have described Andrea Bullo as a 'great dad' and a family man. He is pictured here with Marco when the boy was younger The Murano, Italy native, center, opened the famed restaurant in 2001 with a couple of friends. It is now a major hang out spot for A-list celebrities Two Malibu residents were killed in a fiery crash Tuesday night in Woodland Hills after a suspected drunk driver rear-ended their vintage Ford Mustang. Firefighters are pictured here springing into action following the collision The vintage Mustang was completely destroyed from the fire, with pictures showing it a mangled wreck in the aftermath The high-speed collision set both cars on fire, a Toyota Camry and the vintage Ford Mustang Kim Kardashian was spotted enjoying a lunch at the restaurant with her friend, Jonathan Cheban, in 2016 amidst drama with singer Taylor Swift Singer Britney Spears and her husband Kevin Federline were also snapped enjoying a romantic dinner at Moonshadows, with the singer carrying a Kabbalah bible in her hand 'He had great integrity,' said fellow restaurant owner and friends Michael Cardenas. 'He was honest to others and a family man. Just a good human being.' They were said to be planning to take their children to Italy together. The famed restaurant has been in the news in the past for becoming a major hang out spot among A-list celebrities. In 2006, actor Mel Gibson was arrested for drunk driving after leaving the restaurant. TMZ reported at the time that he left the restaurant, walking past a valet attendant with his head down and hands behind his back saying 'I'm f***** up.' He then allegedly crossed the street to his car, pulled out, made a U-turn and proceeded to step on the gas. Gibson was arrested a short while later for driving 87mph in a 45mph zone with a blood alcohol level of 0.12. Kim Kardashian was also spotted enjoying a lunch at the restaurant with her friend, Jonathan Cheban, in 2016 amidst drama with singer Taylor Swift, and Britney Spears had also been snapped enjoying a romantic dinner with her husband Kevin Federline at Moonshadows, with the singer carrying a Kabbalah bible in her hand. They unfortunately had to leave early, though, after Spears started complaining of stomach pains. The driver of the Toyota Camry, 21-year-old Kevin Gonzalez, was able to escape with only minor injuries The front of the Toyota Camry was mangled after it rear-ended the vintage Mustang at a high rate of speed Tuesday Bullo sought to combine traditional Venetian cuisine and American fare at the famed restaurant, which is set atop a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean Bullo opened Moonshadows Malibu, an oceanfront restaurant (pictured), with a group of friends in 2001 The restaurant has received awards including the Wine Spectator's Award of Excellence, the Michelin Award and The Best of City Search. It is now on Yelp's list of 100 places to dine Hope Rader shared this picture of her family last year, saying they came to visit her in her new home and country club In the Instagram post, Rader, who identified Marco as her nephew, wrote: 'Devastation does not begin to describe our sorrow' Following the news of his passing, tributes started flooding in for Andrea and Marco on Facebook Following the news of his passing, tributes started flooding in for Andrea and Marco on social media. Hope Radar posted on Instagram that Andrea and Marco visited her at her new home and country club last year. 'We have now lost them both last night to a drunk driver,' she wrote. 'Devastation does not begin to describe our sorrow. Our hearts are beyond irrevocably broken.' Lisa McAteer also posted on Facebook that she is heartbroken by the news, noting that she had known Andrea for 40 years. She called him an amazing 'man, father [and] husband.' Maribel Hernandez also posted on Thursday: 'It is with great sadness in my heart that I inform you of the great loss of my friend Andrea Bullo and his son Marco. 'Moonshadow will not be the same without you my friend, always so kind, cordial and funny,' she wrote, 'but above all with a big heart, a family man always ready to help.' And Marjan Consari wrote that Andrea was 'the face of Moonshadows, and he was Class all the way.' 'He was engaging, funny, so generous and full of life!' she wrote. 'My deepest condolences go out to his family who's suffered the most unimaginable loss.' Do you know the identity of this Grinch? Let us know at newsUS@dailymail.com Police are asking for helpful tips and say the culprit could face possible criminal mischief charges The suspect was caught on surveillance camera recently and appears to be a woman dressed in dark clothing Painstakingly draped Christmas garland in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania has twice now fallen victim to a Grinch who continues to yank down the town decor In Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, Christmas arrives early, but so does the Grinch. Video surveillance shows a woman crossing a town bridge in the middle of the night, yanking down the Christmas garland members of the town's Old Fashioned Christmas Committee had spent hours assembling. Just days into November, this is the second time garland has been pulled off of the Morganza Bridge this year. Residents of the town of fewer than 10,000 are hoping the suspect will stop terrorizing the Christmas displays in time for the holiday spirit to properly set in. The suspect caught on surveillance video appears to be a woman with long, dark hair, a dark vest, dark pants, and according to police, no shoes. Christmas garland in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania has repeatedly been yanked off a local bridge this year as the town attempts to get into the Christmas spirit Members of the Old Fashioned Christmas Committee spend hours decorating the bridge and have twice now reassembled the garland after a vandal altered the display Surveillance footage shows a woman with long dark hair wearing dark clothing and shoeless yanking the garland from a local bridge overnight Tips to local law enforcement have already begun rolling in. Gloria Dunkle, who sits on the town's committee, said it took residents 'four hours just to put every bow on there, making sure the garland is straight.' She said the decorations, which include a life-size nutcracker and life-size snowmen, in addition to the garland and twinkle lights, are representative of 'the spirit of Cannonsburg, the spirit of Christmas.' Dunkle added, 'This is for Christmas, it's a great holiday, and to just trash it like it's nothing - it's really, it's upsetting.' The Christmas committee posted a statement to its Facebook page condemning the vandal. 'As much as we try to make the town look beautiful and get ready for Christmas, there are those who like to ruin things,' they wrote before asking residents for help identifying the suspect. One user commented, 'I pray that this person is found and helped, She is clearly someone that is reaching out.' The decorative garland has since been rehung and red bows tied with care and hopefully safe from further incident. The local police chief says once the suspect is apprehended, she may face charges of criminal mischief. Canonsburg, located about 20 miles outside of Pittsburgh, is known for its holiday cheer. In addition to its Christmas spirit, the Washington County borough plays host to an annual Oktoberfest celebration as well as the second largest 4th of July parade in the state. Gloria Dunkle condemned the vandalism of the garland installed by the Old Fashioned Christmas Committee, which goes to great lengths each year to install holiday cheer in Canonsburg He admitted two counts of sexual assault but denied having a drinking problem When a female police officer intervened, he then kissed her as well, court heard A man who kissed a police officer and dancer at Notting Hill Carnival without their consent avoided jail after the women described feeling 'violated' by the assaults. Florin Matei, 46, first kissed a dancer who was performing at Europe's biggest street party and then did the same to the female officer who tried to intervene. He had been drinking excessively prior to the incident, which occurred on the second day of the carnival on August 28. Matei admitted to two counts of sexual assault at Westminster Magistrates Court on Thursday after both victims read out impact statements. He was sentenced to 16 weeks imprisonment suspended for two years for sexually assaulting two women, and given a community order to complete 150 hours of unpaid work. The 46-year-old must sign on to the sexual offenders' register for seven years and was made subject of a sexual harm order banning him from drinking in public. Matei must also pay the victims 250 each in compensation. Florin Matei, 46, first kissed a dancer who was performing at Europe's biggest street party and then did the same to the female officer who tried to intervene In her victim impact statement, the officer said: 'At no point did I give the defendant permission to come close to me. The incident made me feel dirty and violated. 'I was left with the defendant's saliva on my face following the incident and had no way to wash it off. I was angry and at no point did he apologise.' She had come to the defence of the dancer, who moments earlier had also been approached by Matei. The dancer said: 'This made me feel put on and confused. I didn't want it to happen, I didn't like it and I didn't feel comfortable. 'I was trying to focus - after the incident it was very challenging.' Representing himself in court, Matei said he had been drunk and made a mistake. He had been drinking excessively prior to the incident, which occurred on the second day of the carnival (pictured) on August 28 District Judge John Zani said Matei, who lives in Islington but is originally from Romania, was in denial about his drinking problem. He said: 'I've seen some people in denial and I'm afraid you are one of them. This conduct is totally unacceptable. 'This young lady was there at the carnival enjoying herself, then suddenly you appear at the scene, and then when the police officer intervened you behave in the same way to the police officer. 'You're just not willing to take accountability for your actions. There's no remorse for what you've done.' Judge Zani said he was 'entirely satisfied' Matei had a drinking problem, despite his denials. 'The probation report says you drink every morning before going to work - and on the night before this happened you had been drinking until 5am, beer, wine and spirits and you don't think you've got a drink problem?' the judge said. The 46-year-old must sign on to the sexual offenders' register for seven years and was made subject of a sexual harm order banning him from drinking in public 'You're never going to answer that question honestly even if we're here until Christmas. 'I'm entirely satisfied that you have issues with alcohol, but it's a matter for you, you're 46 not a 15-year-old.' Judge Zani said: 'What were you doing kissing a police officer who was on duty? You think it's okay to approach two women who you don't know and kiss them when they have no desire to be kissed by you? 'If you don't sort out your drinking we'll keep seeing you here and you'll be in and out of prison. 'You've got to learn from these terrible experiences of these two ladies. There's a difference between a few beers after work and drinking the way you're drinking so you have little concern about your actions.' Walter's remarks come just days before the midterm elections, which the left and right alike have been characterizing as a battle over democracy itself Walter is the author of the 2022 book How Civil War Starts, which argues that the US is becoming increasingly unstable and headed for war Walter said civil wars tend to start by ethnic and religious groups which were once in power but begin to see their position decline A California professor and former CIA analyst said that white Christian men are poised to start a civil war in America Barbara F. Walter, author of the 2022 book How Civil War Starts, made her inflammatory comments on PBS Tuesday evening while speaking with anchor Hari Sreenivasan. Walter's remarks come just days before the midterm elections, which the left and right alike have been characterizing as a battle over democracy itself. Sreenivasan asked Walter - who said she studied foreign nations on the brink of civil war for the CIA - how far off a war within the US could be. Walter then went on to explain the past '100 years' showed that civil wars are typically started along divided religious and ethnic lines, when a previously dominant group begins to see their position wane. She then went on to say that 'white men' who 'also tended to be Christian,' were beginning to see such a decline in their position in the US, and that they had 'almost exclusively' been the perpetrators of violent extremism in the country since 2008. Walter is a professor of pacific international relations at the University of California San Diego. She describes herself as 'one of the world's leading experts on civil wars, political violence, and terrorism' on her website. Her latest book claims that 'healthy democracies' tend to be safe from civil wars, but suggests the US is becoming increasingly unstable. Walter's website calls her book 'urgent and disturbing,' and says it is about identifying the signs of a civil war in the US in the hopes of avoiding one. A California professor and former CIA analyst Barbara F. Walter said that white Christian men are poised to start a civil war in America Walter made her inflammatory comments on PBS Tuesday evening while speaking with anchor Hari Sreenivasan. Walter explained her credentials before launching into her lecture, telling Sreenivasan she worked for a 'US government task force that was run through the CIA, that was designed to help our government predict where around the world civil wars and political instability, and political unrest was likely to break out.' She said the CIA - which she noted was 'not a politicized organization' - very clearly understands what tends to cause civil wars, then explained that she thinks the US is currently facing similar problems. 'We know very clearly that the two big risk factors are whether a country has a weak and partial democracy, and whether in those countries its political parties had divided along racial, religious, and or ethnic lines.' 'The groups that tend to start civil wars, especially ethnically-based civil wars, are the groups that had once been dominant and are in decline.' Walter's 2022 book, How Civil Wars Start, claims that 'healthy democracies' tend to be safe from civil wars, but suggests the US is becoming increasingly unstable Walter is a professor of pacific international relations at the University of California San Diego. She describes herself as 'one of the world's leading experts on civil wars, political violence, and terrorism' Walter then explained that she felt white Christian men felt their power was waning, and had been behind extremist violence in the US for the past 14 years. 'We've seen a significant rise in violent extremism since 2008,' she said. 'Some of it's been on the left, but the vast majority of it has been on the far-right. And it's been perpetrated almost exclusively by White men.' 'And again, if you look at the history of the United States, the group that had been dominant since the very inception of our country were white men. They also tended to be Christian, and they are losing that position.' She then said that white Christian men's notion that they are the 'true identity' of the nation, and a fear over losing that ownership, was driving the nation towards violent war. 'You see a subset of this population becoming increasingly resentful, angry, and they truly feel that this is their country,' she said. 'And that they're being patriots by saving what they believe is the true identity of this country and they're willing to use violence to do it.' Walter's comments come as speculation over whether the US is headed for civil war has increased in in the fallout of the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, and as rhetoric from democrats and republicans has increasingly characterized the other side as threats to the very foundation of the country. An August poll found that over 40 percent of Americans believe the country is headed toward civil war within the next 10 years, while nearly everyone believes political divisions have gotten worse since the start of 2021. Forty-three percent of adults overall believe the nation will fight a civil war within the next 10 years, 35 percent believe civil war is not very likely or not at all likely, while 22 percent responded 'not sure,' according to a new Economist-YouGov poll. Fourteen percent of 'strong Democrats' responded that civil war within the decade was 'very likely' while 26 percent said it was somewhat likely. Sixty-six percent of Americans believe political violence has increased since the start of 2021 while 17 percent believe it has stayed the same and eight percent think it has decreased. Republicans are more likely than Democrats to say the nation has become more politically divided - 79 percent to 59 percent. The survey was conducted from 1,500 U.S. adults. Commuters are bracing for six days of hell from Saturday as thousands of railway workers prepare to take industrial action - while militant union bosses weigh up more strikes for the end of the month. Members of the RMT, Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) and Unite are walking out as part of a long-running dispute over pay, jobs and conditions. Strikes will be held on Saturday (November 5), the following Monday (November 7) and Wednesday (November 9), bringing services to a halt and causing knock-on delays on days between the walkouts. Affected services on Saturday consist of the Great Western Railway, South Western Railway, Cross Country, Greater Anglia, LNER, East Midlands, C2C, Northern Trains, South Eastern, Transpennine Express, West Midlands Trains, GTR (including Gatwick Express) and Avanti West Coast. Monday will see a 24-hour strike by RMT members at Network Rail, as will Wednesday, with with the addition of some TSSA staff at Avanti West Coast, Southeastern and South Western Railway. On Thursday November 10, RMT members on the London Underground and Overground will walk out, resulting in a very limited or no service on the Tube and a severely reduced Overground service. Before nationwide action however, TSSA members at West Midlands Trains (WMT) will walk out tomorrow (Friday) in a dispute over pay, job security and conditions. Control room, ticket office and station staff will be on strike, hitting services across the West Midlands. It comes as train drivers' union Aslef is set to meet next week to decide on further strike action later this month, following a lack of progress since their last walkout during the Conservative party conference in October. And both RMT and Aslef are to ballot their members for a further strike mandate that would allow for repeated industrial action until July 2023. This has raised fears of strikes over the busy Christmas period, which sees thousands of Brits travelling home to be with families for the holidays. Members of the RMT, Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) and Unite are walking out as part of a long-running dispute over pay, jobs and conditions. Pictured: Secretary General of the RMT, Mick Lynch (centre) at the picket line outside London's Euston Train Station in August Strikes will be held on Saturday (November 5), the following Monday (November 7) and Wednesday (November 9), bringing services to a halt and causing knock-on delays on days between the walkouts. Pictured: Empty platform at Paddington railway station on October 8 during the third of three days of industrial action last month Train drivers' union Aslef is set to meet next week to decide on further strike action later this month, following a lack of progress since their last walkout during the Conservative party conference in October Which services will be affected by the strikes and when? Friday, November 4 Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) in West Midlands Trains (WMT) will walk out on Friday in a dispute over pay, job security and conditions. Control room, ticket office and station staff will be on strike, hitting services across the West Midlands. Saturday, November 5 Affected services on Saturday include Great Western Railway, South Western Railway, Cross Country, Greater Anglia, LNER, East Midlands, C2C, Northern Trains, South Eastern, Transpennine Express, West Midlands Trains, GTR (including Gatwick Express) and Avanti West Coast. Monday, November 7 A 24-hour strike by RMT members at Network Rail. Wednesday, November 9 A 24-hour strike by RMT members at Network Rail and some TSSA staff at Avanti West Coast, Southeastern and South Western Railway. Thursday, November 10 RMT members on the London Underground and Overground will walk out on Thursday November 10, meaning a very limited or no service on the Tube and a severely reduced Overground service. Advertisement There are hopes of a reprieve after new Transport Secretary Mark Harper said he would be 'very happy to meet the trade unions', marking a dramatic shift from his predecessor Grant Shapps, who flat out refused such meetings. Mr Harper said: 'The negotiations are obviously going to take place between the unions and the employers: Network Rail and the train operating companies. 'But I think it's helpful for ministers to meet trade union leaders and to listen to their concerns. 'I'm very happy to do that and my department will be reaching out to those trade union leaders in due course.' The travel misery will first hit rugby fans hoping to watch Wales and New Zealand in Cardiff on Saturday, while also putting a dampener on Bonfire Night celebrations. Network Rail has urged passengers only to travel if absolutely necessary, warning that just one in five trains will be running while the strikes take place - and only between 7.30am and 6.30pm. Rugby fans attending the Wales versus New Zealand game at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday have also been told to avoid travel by train. Up to 35,000 people normally travel into Cardiff by train for international rugby matches, with more than 20,000 getting a return home. Due to the strike, inbound capacity by rail in the hours leading up to kick-off at 3.15pm will be heavily reduced - two thirds lower than usual - and there will be no trains scheduled from Cardiff after the match. Music fans hoping to travel to central London on Monday to see Kendrick Lamar and Aly & AJ will also be among those affected. On strike days across Network Rail's Western route - between Penzance and London Paddington - passengers were warned to expect an extremely limited service with no CrossCountry trains running and no services south west of Weston-super-Mare, including the whole of Devon and Cornwall. Rugby fans attending the Wales versus New Zealand game at the Principality Stadium (pictured) in Cardiff on Saturday have been told to not travel by train General Secretary of the RMT, on the picket line at Euston Station during industrial action earlier this month Some rail workers to strike TOMORROW ahead of nationwide walkout Workers at a rail operator will strike on Friday ahead of a fresh wave of national industrial action in the coming week which will cripple services across the country. Members of the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) in West Midlands Trains (WMT) will walk out on Friday in a dispute over pay, job security and conditions. Control room, ticket office and station staff will be on strike, hitting services across the West Midlands. TSSA organising director Nadine Rae said: 'Our members in West Midlands Trains are seeing the real value of their wages plummet in this Tory cost-of-living crisis. This cannot be allowed to continue. 'TSSA members want the same as anyone does right now: job security, a decent day's pay for a decent day's work, and reasonable working conditions. We're ready to negotiate any time, but West Midlands have to be able and willing to negotiate with us, and right now they simply are not. 'New Transport Secretary Mark Harper and the Department for Transport need to allow West Midlands Trains to make a reasonable offer on pay and job security - either by coming to the table themselves or allowing WMT to negotiate freely. The string pulling and blocking negotiations that took place under Grant Shapps must stop.' The company said a limited service will be in operation on Friday. Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union at Network Rail and rail operators across the country will strike on November 5, 7 and 9 in the long running disputes over pay, jobs and conditions, threatening widespread disruption to train services. Advertisement It was also announced that a very limited GWR service will run on the following routes between: London Paddington and Bristol Temple Meads, London Paddington and Cardiff Central, London Paddington and Oxford, Reading and Basingstoke, Oxford and Didcot Parkway, Cardiff Central and Westbury via Bristol Parkway, Bristol Temple Meads and Weston-super-Mare, and Branch lines serving Windsor, Marlow and Henley-on-Thames. The latest wave of strikes comes as the next phase of Elizabeth line services will be launched on Sunday, with the lines from Reading, Heathrow, and Shenfield connecting with the central tunnels of the new cross-London route. While the launch will not be taking place on a strike day, services will start later than usual and passengers are encouraged to check on the TfL website for the latest timetable information during the week of strike action. Network Rail's interim Western route director David Davidson, said: 'I would like to sincerely apologise to passengers for another period of disruption owing to this latest strike action. 'Our message to passengers is clear - please only travel if absolutely necessary. For those passengers who must travel by train during time, please expect severe disruption, plan ahead and check the time of your last train home. 'Please continue to check with your train operator on the services they are running or visit the National Rail Enquiries website for more information.' Glynn Barton, Transport for London's interim chief operating officer, added: 'It's highly disappointing that the RMT union is planning strike action on the London Underground and Overground on November 10. 'We are encouraging them to withdraw this disruptive action and continue to engage with us and Arriva Rail London, operator of the London Overground, to avoid disruption to our customers. 'No changes to TfL pensions are currently tabled, and no one has or will lose their job as a result of any changes proposed. 'Customers should check before they travel from November 5-11, as strike action will impact different modes of transport each day. 'For November 10, we are advising customers to expect very limited or no service on the Tube, a reduced service on London Overground and for the rest of the network to be very busy.' RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch this week claimed rail bosses had 'yet to make an offer that will create the conditions for a negotiated settlement'. Network Rail said it has offered workers an 8 per cent pay rise over two years in a 'fair and affordable' deal. Chief executive Andrew Haines accused unions of being 'more intent on more damaging strikes than working with us to compromise and agree a deal'. He added: 'These strikes undermine the railway's recovery from the pandemic and drive passengers away at a time when everyone involved in the railway should be focused on attracting more passengers and freight forwarders to the network, at the same time as building a railway fit for the future.' The first-time mother of a baby allegedly murdered by Lucy Letby told a court today how she was rushed into a room full of medical staff to see her daughter dying in front of her. The baby, referred to as child D, died on June 22, 2015 at the Countess of Chester Hospital after Letby allegedly injected air into her bloodstream. The prosecution allege child D was the third child murdered by the nurse in a two-week period, with another baby suffering a life-threatening collapse during that time. Letby, 32, has denied all allegations. Giving evidence at Manchester Crown Court on Thursday, child D's mother described seeing Letby 'hovering around' in the neonatal unit on the evening before her daughter's death. The following morning she and her husband had been woken by a nurse in the post-natal ward who told them: '(Baby D) is very poorly. You need to come down'. The first-time mother was helped into a wheelchair and rushed to the neonatal unit of the Countess of Chester Hospital on June 22, 2015. As they burst in she saw a paediatric doctor, Andrew Brunton, holding the infant and trying to resuscitate her. 'He was trying really hard,' the mother told a jury at Manchester Crown Court. 'I couldn't really see D from the way he was holding her. We were standing there and watching her dying'. The mother of a baby allegedly murdered by Lucy Letby (pictured) told a court today how she was rushed into a room full of medical staff to see her daughter dying in front of her Letby denies murdering seven babies and attempting to murder ten others between June 2015 and June 2016 She recalled a nurse she later identified as Lucy Letby holding a phone to Dr Brunton's ear as he spoke to a consultant. The person on the other end of the line seemed confused about the identity of the baby being resuscitated. Click here to listen to The Mail+ podcast: The Trial of Lucy Letby In the latest episode of the Trial of Lucy Letby podcast, Liz and Caroline focus on the case of Baby B, the twin of Baby A. She was allegedly attacked 27 hours after her brother, but survived. We'll hear testimony from nurses and doctors who successfully resuscitated Baby B when she collapsed. Liz and Caroline also chat to experienced journalist Kim Pilling, who works for the Press Association and has one of just a handful of media seats in the actual courtroom. Advertisement 'Someone was holding a phone to his ear and he kept shouting 'This is D!' He was quite agitated. 'A doctor next to him was tapping him on the shoulder, saying 'You've got to let her go'. 'I had to leave. I couldn't be there any more. I asked (my husband) to take me away'. Jurors were later shown a series of WhatsApp messages exchanged between Letby and some of her colleagues in the neonatal unit. In some of the texts, one woman tries consoling the alleged killer about the 'tough time' she was having following a string of recent deaths on the ward. Just hours after the death of Baby D, Letby sent one message that read: 'We had such a rubbish night. Our job is just far too sad sometimes.' Letby refers to Baby B being 'messed about a couple of times', and mentions a rash that 'looked like overwhelming sepsis'. The colleague replies by telling Letby she 'needs a break'. In later texts, she says: 'I'm always here for you. We have the s*****t job in the world at times. And the best'. The jurors were shown evidence of Letby's shift patterns for June 2015. She worked long day shifts on June 2, 4, 17, 19, 27 and 28, and night shifts on June 8, 9, 13, 14, 21 and 23. Baby A died on the night of June 8-9, while his twin sister, Baby B, suffered a non-fatal collapse on June 9-10. Baby C died on the night of June 13-14, and Baby D on the night of June 21-22. Baby D had been born at 4.01pm on 20, weighing 3.13kg (6lb 14oz) and needed breathing support at birth. She was admitted to the neonatal unit at 7.30pm because she was 'grunting' and her skin colour was 'dusky'. Staff inserted an endotracheal tube at the second attempt, and a short time later noted that the infant was 'starting to put a few breaths in for herself now'. A later note said the father appeared 'visibly upset' when told that his daughter would remain in the unit for 'at least 48 hours'. He was given 'lots of reassurance'. At 4.30am on June 21 the nursing notes reported 'good respiratory effort' and good blood gas readings. Staff reduced ventilation support. By 9am the infant's blood gas remained satisfactory. However, at 10.15am Nurse Kate Bissell reported that a new blood gas reading showed signs of respiratory acidosis. As a result Baby D was put back on CPAP. Two hours later staff noted 'a further deterioration with increasing metabolic acidosis'. The infant's perfusion was 'poor' and a doctor approved a decision to give her medicastion. The prosecution in the trial of Letby, 32, allege child D was the third child murdered by the nurse in a two-week period, with another baby suffering a life-threatening collapse during that time. Letby, 32, originally from Hereford, denies murdering seven babies and attempting to murder a further ten. The court heard the mother's waters had broken on June 18 2015 but she was not given a Caesarean section until two days later, on June 20, after attempts to induce labour. The mother said she had been concerned about getting an infection but was not given antibiotics. When child D was delivered she looked 'lifeless' and following the operation the mother was worried because the baby seemed to be limp, struggling to breathe and not an even colour, she said. Nick Johnson, KC, prosecuting, asked if the mother knew the name of the nurse who had been holding the phone to Dr Brunton's ear. She replied: 'Lucy Letby'. The mother said she had previously seen Letby the night before when she walked into a room on the neonatal unit to see her daughter for only the second time since her birth by emergency C section on June 20. Mr Johnson asked: 'What was going on when you went in?' She replied: 'That's a question I asked. As I was pushed in she (Letby) was sort of hovering around D, but not doing much. She had a clipboard to take notes. 'She was looking at the machines. I didn't know what she was doing. I asked if everything was ok. She said 'Yes, fine'. 'I would have expected she could have just left us to it. It was the first time I'd seen D (since her birth). She just stuck around. I asked my husband to ask her to go away, to give us some privacy'. Baby D's mother is the first parent to have given 'live' evidence to the jury. She recalled feeling concerned for her baby's health as soon as she was lifted over the medical screen so she could see her. Giving evidence at Manchester Crown Court on Thursday, child D's mother described seeing Lucy Letby 'hovering around' in the neonatal unit on the evening before her daughter's death 'She seemed very lifeless. She didn't scream. There was no sound. It was quiet in the room'. The infant was immediately taken away by staff, while her mother was taken through the recovery procedure and later wheeled up to the post-natal ward. Later she tried to breast-feed her baby, but the infant was 'completely limp' and was unable to suckle. Baby B struggled to breathe during the night, but by the morning staff 'didn't seem too concerned' about her condition. 'They seemed to think they had things under control'. The mother added: 'She was a good size baby even though she was early. They didn't seem overly concerned. They tested her blood and she seemed fine.' She smiled briefly as she recalled seeing her baby that evening, June 21, in the presence of Dr Brunton. 'She looked like a good pink, healthy baby'. The baby's father was allowed to remain with his wife during the night. It was around 4am that they were awoken and told to rush to the neonatal unit. In a statement, child D's father said she was on the neonatal ward for 36 hours and had equipment to help her breathe. In a written statement read out to the court, Baby D's father said that as soon as he and his wife reached the neonatal unit he realised it was 'a very serious situation'. 'Andrew seemed to be in charge,' he said. 'I remember someone mentioning adrenalin, and just a real sense of emergency. 'Andrew had a phone held to his ear and he was discussing the situation with the person on the other end. He was trying to explain 'There seemed to be some confusion. The person didn't seem to understand that it was D. Andrew was saying 'No! Not (baby's name). It's D!' The news of his daughter's death was broken to him by Dr Elizabeth Newby. 'I think Dr Newby had to tell Andrew to let her go. She seemed shocked and upset'. He and his wife remained in the room for about five minutes. 'I don't recall seeing Lucy Letby. We went to the maternity ward and I rang family to let them know what had happened'. Earlier, he recalled popping in and out of the neonatal unit to sit with his daughter for an hour or so at a time. It was Father's Day, and the nurses gave him a card during the afternoon. 'The staff had put it together and it had a message from D to say 'Happy Father's Day'. Inside the card were some photographs of his baby, showing here attached to a CPAP machine. Later, nurses gave him a second card as a 'welcome' to the infant. These showed her 'looking a lot healthiernot on CPAC. There were signs of her getting a lot better'. The father said that before his daughter's fatal collapse staff had never given the impression that her condition was life-threatening. 'It didn't even cross my mind that she was in danger of dying. As far as I was led to believe, babies get infections all the time. 'When she died we were just not prepared for itNothing that I saw appeared out of the ordinary, but I didn't have anything to compare their actions to'. He said: 'I was never given the impression that (child D's) condition was life-threatening and it didn't even cross my mind that she was in danger of dying. 'When she died, we just were not prepared for it.' Ben Myers, KC, defending, asked the mother whether it might have been a nurse other than Lucy Letby that she had seen the evening before her daughter's death. She replied: 'I don't think so'. The trial continues. James Stunt today denied being 'in business with colourful characters' as a court heard gold bars branded with his name were a 'cover story' for money laundering. The prosecution claim the cash behind the gold business came from 'criminals', but Stunt denied knowingly having business dealings with anyone with a criminal background. 'I have never been in business with any colourful characters,' he told Leeds Cloth Hall Court. Stunt, 40, said the business model was for Fowler Oldfield, the Bradford-based gold dealer he was in a 'joint venture' with, to collect scrap gold from different jewellers. That gold would be refined at his Sheffield refinery and turned into gold bars branded with the Stunt name. He made money available for Fowler Oldfield to buy the scrap gold, the court heard. Stunt said that his company made 'just shy' of 1,000 gold bars. But prosecutor Nicholas Clarke KC told Stunt that the case was 'not about gold being made into bars' and that this was 'just a cover story'. James Stunt arrives at Leeds Cloth Hall Court with his girlfriend, Helena Robinson, this morning The KC said in 2015 and 2016, although some 'small amounts of scrap' were still coming in, millions of pounds was being paid via his company Stunt and Co's office. Stunt said his office was just being used as a 'cash collection agency.' Mr Clarke suggested that by this time Fowler Oldfield was no longer getting cash for gold bars but was getting cash and buying gold grain and bars from the Bank of Nova Scotia to make into Stunt gold bars. Stunt replied: 'Yes, but I didn't know that at the time.' Asked if any of the cash was from criminal conduct, Stunt said: 'It's not a matter for me to speculate on. I'm trying to be a humble honest man and tell you I don't know.' On his gold refinery business, he added: 'This was no cover story. This was an utterly transparent and legitimate gold bullion business bearing my name.' Asked about hundreds of thousands of pounds being paid into Fowler Oldfield's accounts via his office, he said: 'NatWest didn't question it so why would we find it nefarious?' In court today, Stunt also described acquiring the Duke of Cumberland title by buying a small piece of land as a 'youthful dalliance'. Stunt claimed he bought the land, which also gave him the title Marquis of Cumbria, when he was 17 or 18. But the court heard that he bought the title for 995 when he was 27 and used it on his driving licence and bank accounts. The socialite then claimed he was around 19 when it was bought. Stunt's billionaire lifestyle of gambling and big spending was in stark contrast to income declared on his tax returns, the court heard this morning. While living in 'America's biggest house' and married to Formula One heiress Petra Ecclestone, 33, the socialite had a 'total legitimate income' of 11,403 in 2013 to 2014 and even got a 206 tax rebate. Stunt's total after-tax income in 2011, the year of his lavish wedding, was 68,000, with Stunt describing himself as 'tax-efficient', the jury heard. He disagreed with the claim he became increasingly 'reliant' on the Ecclestone family and his father for money. 'They are equally reliant on myself,' he said, when questioned by Mr Clarke. The Los Angeles mansion Stunt and Petra Ecclestone lived in, which was dubbed 'America's biggest house' Analysis of Stunt and his ex-wife's financial affairs revealed they jointly spent 69million during their seven-year marriage, the court heard. He also said he had the world's 'biggest allocation' of a number of fine wines. Asked if Ms Ecclestone contributed the majority of funds to their joint account, he replied: 'On the face of it, yes.' Stunt told the court that before his marriage, he was given free shares in the betting company Betfair and ended up making a profit of 'around 10million to 15million' from selling his stake. He said he was given the shares for 'bringing in high-end rollers'. Mr Clarke told Stunt a key question he wanted to address was 'where is the cash from'. The barrister said this referred to all 266million of allegedly criminal cash that was said to have been 'money-laundered'. Stunt admitted from that point he had never had a 'nine-to-five job' but said he was 'around lots of high-net-worth individuals'. He told the jury: 'It's not difficult to put them together to make deals and be on the receiving end of lots of generosity.' The court heard in 2013 to 2014 he had a total income of 11,403. Stunt said of this figure: 'On the face of it yes, but in reality it's not always the same.' In 2013 to 2014 while Stunt was married to Ms Ecclestone (pictured) he had a 'total legitimate income' of 11,403 and even got a tax refund from the government of 206 Stunt added that his assets did not appear on tax returns and he had the world's 'biggest allocation' of certain fine wines. He said: 'Things can appear a certain way that are not a certain way.' After being asked about figures on his HMRC tax returns, Stunt told the jury: 'There's a big difference between tax avoidance, tax evasion and tax efficiency. 'I believe everyone should pay tax but be as tax-efficient as possible.' Earlier in the trial, Stunt had told the jury at one point he was the world's 'second-largest gambler' and agreed he probably lost many millions of pounds. Mr Clarke asked the socialite about his own assessment that he was not a 'glib or arrogant man.' He has insisted his firm, set up to manufacture gold bars, was legitimate. Heidi Buckler, 45, Greg Frankel, 44, Paul Miller, 45, Haroon Rashid, 51, Daniel Rawson, 45, Francesca Sota, 34, Stunt and Alexander Tulloch, 41, all deny money laundering. Stunt and Sota also deny forgery. The trial continues. Paul Pelosis alleged hammer attacker faces deportation to Canada after his criminal case for the failed attempt to kidnap the House Speaker and break her kneecaps. David DePape, 42, is a Canadian citizen who was in the US illegally before he stormed the $6million California home Nancy Pelosi shares with her 82-year-old husband. The Department of Homeland Security has now confirmed that officials will seek DePape's deportation once the criminal case against him concludes. He arrived legally in the US in March 2008 via Mexico and was admitted as a 'temporary visitor' traveling for pleasure. But DePape eventually settled illegally in California. The development came as fresh comments emerged from his pedophile ex-wife, who claimed DePape was suffered from paranoia and 'thought he was Jesus'. Confirming he faces deportation, DHS officials said: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged an immigration detainer on Canadian national David DePape with San Francisco County Jail, November 1, following his October 28 arrest. David DePape, who allegedly beat Nancy Pelosi's husband with a hammer, faces deportation to Canada after the criminal case after it emerged he was living in the United States illegally DePape attacked Paul Pelosi during a failed attempt to kidnap and kneecap Nancy, it is alleged Oxane 'Gypsy' Taub, DePape's pedo former lover, said he wasn't violent but suffered paranoia Pelosi is escorted by security to a vehicle outside the California home she shares with Paul A detainer is a request sent to local and state law enforcement asking them to inform ICE once a suspect who's eligible for deportation is released. Deportation usually only happens once the criminal case is resolved - meaning DePape still faces conviction and imprisonment in the US. DePape grew up in British Columbia, his relatives have said. Federal records show he entered the US legally in March 2008 via Mexico and was admitted as a 'temporary visitor' traveling for pleasure. He crossed at the San Ysidro port of entry, an official crossing between San Diego County and Tijuana. Canadians who enter as temporary visitors are typically only allowed to stay for up to six months. Records show DePape, who was in the US illegally, arrived via the San Ysidro port in 2008 DePape's ex-partner Oxane 'Gypsy' Taub, who once protested naked in front of San Francisco City Hall (above), was convicted in 2021 for child abuse after stalking a 14-year-old boy DePape, pictured recording the nude wedding of Gypsy Taub outside San Francisco City Hall in 2013, wanted to kidnap House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and break her kneecaps, it is alleged Paul Pelosi remained badly injured in hospital on Wednesday after the brutal hammer attack Nancy and Paul Pelosi's home in San Francisco, California, where the hammer attack happened DePape's nudist ex-lover, Oxane 'Gypsy' Taub, 53, has claimed he was wasnt violent during their two-decade relationship - but did suffer from mental health issues. Taub, who describes herself DePapes ex-life partner, is currently in jail for the attempted kidnap of a 14-year-old boy. She also allegedly bought sex dolls for her sons to use. Speaking from prison, Taub told NBCs Today show the couple were very progressive in our views, and we never disagreed about it. But following a break in their relationship, DePape returned with signs of mental illness. When he was away from us for a year and a half, he came back and for a while, he was paranoid, Taub said. He thought people were following him. He thought that, you know, he was Jesus. Following his disappearance and subsequent mental health issues, it took a good year or two to get back to, you know, being halfway normal, Taub said previously. He is mentally ill. He has been mentally ill for a long time,' she told ABC 7 from the Californian Institution For Women in Corona, California, where she is serving time. Taub, 53, who was convicted in 2021 for trying to kidnap a 14-year-old boy, is a longtime nudist activist. The two previously lived together in Berkeley. Taub says she first met DePape two decades ago when he had political views like her own, although the 'hemp jewelry maker's' more recent postings have contain anti-Semitic themes and QAnon conspiracies as well as election fraud claims. 'Well when I met him, he was only 20 years old, and he didn't have any experience in politics, and he was very much in alignment with my views and I've always been very progressive. I absolutely admire Nancy Pelosi,' said Taub. The couple raised two sons and a daughter, and split seven years ago, she said. DePape appeared in San Francisco Superior Court on six charges including attempted murder Aerial footage showed broken panes and shattered glass at the backdoor of Pelosi's home DePape was carrying zip ties with him when he broke into the Paul and Speaker Nancy Pelosi's home in the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco, calling out 'Where's Nancy' the same phrase used by Capitol rioters on January 6. DePape was formally charged with attempted murder in court in San Francisco Tuesday afternoon. He wore a prison issue orange sweatshirt and sweat pants for the brief hearing and had his right arm strapped up in a sling said to be the result of the early morning struggle with Pelosi. His shoulder length hair was visibly graying and appeared unkempt and greasy. The 42-year-old spoke once during the 15-minute appearance in front of Judge Diane Northway replying with a brisk yep when she asked him if she had pronounced his name correctly. DePape is facing six counts in total which include residential burglary, false imprisonment of an elder and assault with a deadly weapon - and pleaded not guilty to all six via his lawyer, Public Defender Adam Lipson. Taub's former lover, DePape, has been charged with attacking Paul with a hammer and yelling for Nancy (the couple pictured together in April) inside their $6million San Francisco home Despite facing a possible life sentence, he appeared impassive during the session, tipping his head to the side at one point to confer with Lipson. No member of the Pelosi family were in court but they said via their attorney that they had hoped to watch proceedings via a Zoom link. In response, Judge Northway said there had not been enough time to prepare a remote link but said one will be provided during future hearings. Paul Pelosi declined to give a statement to the court and issued a plea for privacy. The incident, just days before the November elections, has renewed calls in Congress to beef up security in light of a growing threats against lawmakers. The speaker, who gets a security detail, was not home at the time of the incident. U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger said in a weekend memo to lawmakers that the attack 'is a somber reminder of the threats elected officials and families face in 2022.' Wentzel, a retired detective, spent years hunting down sources and leads in the hope her daughter's murderer would be apprehended The children of an Arizona woman murdered by an ex-US Marine were left relieved when their grandmother tracked him down after six years on the run telling her 'we can sleep now without worrying about him killing us.' Krystal Mitchell, 30, was strangled by Raymond McLeod, 34, while the pair were vacationing in San Diego on June 10, 2016. He left the mother-of-two's body in the apartment, before taking her car to the airport where he rented another vehicle and fled to Mexico. McLeod kept US Marshals looking for him for six years, before Krystal's mother retired detective Josephine Wentzel launched her own investigation and hunted him down. He was captured by authorities while teaching English in the small town of Sonsonate in El Salvador in July this year. Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com Wentzel, 63, revealed that she came across many 'crooks, thieves and thugs' in the hunt for her daughter's killer. Krystal's children were just six and seven when their mother was brutally murdered, and they have been cared for by their grandmother ever since. Josephine Wentzel, a retired police detective, launched her own investigation after her daughter Krystal, right, was killed by ex-Marine Raymond McLeod Krystal Mitchell, 30, was strangled by Raymond McLeod, 34, while the pair were vacationing in San Diego on June 10, 2016 Krystal's daughter told her grandmother after McLeod was arrested 'at least we can sleep without worrying about him coming here and killing us' Wentzel said: 'When I asked my grandchildren how they felt about his capture, you just don't realise what's going on in these kids' heads. 'They look fine, and they are not showing any aggression and are doing well in school. But when I asked them my granddaughter said, 'at least we can sleep now without worrying about him coming here and killing us.' 'I didn't even realized that was a thought in her head, some days she wanted her dog to sleep in her bed with her and maybe that was why. 'My grandson had a wooden sword that he would sleep with too. It's tragic for them and it's important that I lead the life that I do for their sakes. 'You never have closure thinking someone is out there, they could be coming down the street at any point. If he's in there for 25 years, that's the least I'm praying for as the kids will be in their early 30s. 'I'm just hoping he pleads guilty to stop any more distress to my family. If there is any ounce of a man in him, then he should plead guilty.' McLeod had told people that he was Canadian and use the fake name 'Jack Donovan' while on the run and was moving around various countries. Krystal was found strangled after she had visited a bar with McLeod, who had got into an argument with another man, also an ex-Marine He was captured by authorities while teaching English in the small town of Sonsonate in El Salvador in July this year Her mother used Facebook to make contacts in the various places McLeod was spotted, eventually hunting him down to El Salvador Krystal was found strangled after she had visited a bar with McLeod, who had got into an argument with another man, also an ex-Marine. All three were kicked out of the bar and McLeod and Krystal returned to the rental apartment, where she was found dead the next day. Marshals appealed for help in hunting him down , but warned he was considered 'armed and dangerous' - describing him as 'an avid bodybuilder and a heavy drinker'. Wentzel tracked him down to Belize and Guatemala, where she risked her own life crossing Central America chasing leads on the case. She was threatened with a knife and attacked savagely by a wild dog when she travelled to Guatemala, but most of her detective work was conducted online. El Salvador had not been on her radar before his arrest, with Wentzel explaining that authorities were tipped off by a local woman who saw a flyer appealing for information about McLeod. Using social media, the retired detective posted various advertisements in both English and Spanish with contact details for herself and the US Marshals. Wentzel said: 'When I came out of my grief five months after her death, I was trying to make sense of what was going on. At the time of Krystal's murder in 2016, McLeod was out on bond on a felony charge of inflicting injury on his estranged wife in Riverside, California McLeod had told people that he was Canadian and use the fake name 'Jack Donovan' while on the run and was moving around various countries 'I couldn't believe that there was no real system in place, and I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out. 'In my mind, a killer had fled the country like Osama Bin Laden and I thought that they would say okay let's go and get him, but that wasn't the case. 'I just started going on Facebook, because I knew that I needed to get the public to see the case and know who she was. That was my goal. 'When I was online, I started looking at different areas in Mexico to try and find him. I thought the best way initially was to make the poster in Spanish and get it out to Spanish speaking areas. 'As soon as the San Diego police department said they thought he was in Belize that is when I started really pursuing it. 'I contacted people who lived there, expats, anyone I could contact on Facebook. They would tell me yes he was here at the store, my restaurant or he was at this bar. Wentzel is also proposing a new law, which would create a strict definition of a cold case and allow families to request a fresh set of eyes look over the evidence after three years He left the mother-of-two's body in the apartment, before taking her car to the airport where he rented another vehicle and fled to Mexico Wentzel came face to face with her daughter's killer shortly after he was arrested and extradited from Central America back to California - pleading not guilty to her murder 'One of the girls I met was from Europe, she almost became a friend and was tipping me off when she would see him which is how I found him at the Almost Famous hostel. 'He had obviously left by the time anyone got there, but I just kept pushing it out online, contacting hostels, hotels everything. 'I knew that if you are on the run you'll probably be on border towns to jump into another country, so I was putting out the ads in coastal areas and the border towns. 'Facebook will stop you from spamming, so I had to wait a few days in between to message people. I think understanding law enforcements workload I knew not to take what they did personally. 'They were following their rules and orders, and they needed me to investigate, and I understood that. 'They trusted me, they knew I wasn't going to run out there damaging the case. I personally chose to not know the details of the case for that reason. Her mother used Facebook to track down McLeod, with her tip off to officers directly leading to his arrest She described her daughter's killer as a 'sadist' who she hoped would 'never be released' from jail 'It is not a good idea, you can jeopardise your own case without realising, and it can be hard to separate your emotions from the investigation. 'My El Salvador source told me that she had seen him teaching there, and that was that.' She came face to face with her daughter's killer shortly after he was arrested and extradited from Central America back to California - pleading not guilty to her murder. While she is 'relieved' that he has finally been captured, with Marshals giving her the credit for his arrest, Wentzel hopes that he will receive life for his crimes. At the time of Krystal's murder in 2016, McLeod was out on bond on a felony charge of inflicting injury on his estranged wife in Riverside, California. He had also pleaded guilty to a 2009 misdemeanor aggravated assault charge and for violating a restraining order. That charge was later dismissed as part of a plea deal that required the murderer to complete a domestic violence counseling program. Wentzel said: 'I went to the arraignment and asked for the best seat in the house. But he couldn't look at me in the eye. Krystal has been described as being 'full of life', with her mother missing her 'laughter and her wisdom' Marshals appealed for help in hunting him down , but warned he was considered 'armed and dangerous' - describing him as 'an avid bodybuilder and a heavy drinker'. 'He tried to sneak a peek at me, I wanted to make eye contact with him, but he kept jerking his head up and dropping it down. 'After all my searching and running into all these crooks and criminals I anticipated his arrest to be something a little bit different. 'I thought it might end with him fleeing, or a shootout. I didn't anticipate him being picked up and humiliated in front of his class and peers. 'He is in California and it's a crying shame. First degree murder is 25 to life, it's a nightmare night after night. 'Me doing this has given me the power to say I am Krystal's mother, and you will never forget her name or face. I made sure he knew his victim very well, knew who she was. 'I hope that the guy repents his sins, realised what he has done and turns his life around. 'Not that I want anything great for him but in this world, there is no sense continuing to promote violence. 'I hope that he is never let back out. He is a very dangerous man, a sadist and unpredictable. I hope to God he never steps outside of jail again.' While she is 'relieved' that he has finally been captured, with Marshals giving her the credit for his arrest, Wentzel hopes that he will receive life for his crimes Wentzel is also proposing a new law, which would create a strict definition of a cold case and allow families to request a fresh set of eyes look over the evidence after three years. She is hoping to get it passed first in her home of Washington State, and then try to roll it out over the entire country calling it 'Because of Krystal'. The retired detective added: 'I'm not going to solve everyone's cases and I'm not going to find every person. '99 percent of the time police departments have done their due diligence in the investigation. But I'm pushing for equality in justice to allow families to have a fresh set of eyes. 'The agencies won't take over the case, just reassess the evidence. I am already in contact with a legislator here and we are working to create something by the end of the year. 'Another issue to tackle is the lack of crime lab availability, it takes such a long time before you get results back. But that is a different issue to tackle.' Barack Obama confronted a heckler who went after him for his remarks on the economy during a rally in Phoenix, Arizona, on Wednesday night. The former president also used the incident to echo President Joe Biden's warning that democracy is on the ballot next week when voters decide which political party will control the House and the Senate. Obama was arguing Republicans want to reward the wealthy when a heckler gave him grief about his own millionaire status. Barack and Michelle Obama made a mint after they left the White House, which included six-figure deals with Netflix and Crown Publishing. Republicans want 'an economy that's very good for folks at the very top, but not always so good for ordinary people,' Obama was saying when he was interrupted. 'Like you, Obama!' a young, male heckler yelled at him. 'Are you gonna start yelling?' Obama replied. The crowd of nearly 1,000 people began to boo loudly in an attempt to drown out the protester. Barack Obama confronted a heckler who went after him for his remarks on the economy during a rally in Phoenix, Arizona, on Wednesday night The young, male heckler who interrupted Obama during his remarks Obama tried to restore calm. 'Hold up, hold up, everybody,' Obama said. 'Hey, young man, just listen for a second. You know you have to be polite and civil when people are talking, then other people are talking and then you get a chance to talk.' As the crowd continued to roar, Obama told them to 'settle down. Stay focused.' He then pivoted to make his main argument - that politics has become too demonized and it's leading to people getting hurt. 'This is part of what happens in our politics these days. We get distracted,' Obama said. 'You got one person yelling and suddenly everybody's yelling. You get one tweet that's stupid and suddenly everybody's obsessed with the tweet. We can't fall for that. We have to stay focused,' he said. Arizona has become ground zero for election controversies. The 2020 result was repeatedly challenged in the state and two lawsuits already have been filed in federal court on behalf of voters who felt intimidated by the aggressive patrols at ballot drop boxes late last month. Obama said voters in the state have a choice and the result may mean 'democracy as we know it may not survive in Arizona.' 'Democracy as we know it is on the ballot. And nowhere is that clearer than here in Arizona,' the former president said. 'If you've got election deniers serving as your governor, as your senator, as your secretary of state, as your attorney general, then democracy as we know it may not survive in Arizona,' Obama said. 'That's not an exaggeration. That is a fact.' He was referring to Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, a former TV actor and election denier. Lake has said she would not have certified the results of the 2020 presidential election. She also has hedged when asked if she would accept the results of her own contest. Lake and other GOP candidates across the country have been repeating Donald Trump's 'Big Lie' that he was the winner of the 2020 contest and was the victim of voter fraud. Multiple lawsuits and recounts have confirmed Biden's victory. Lake is running slightly ahead of Katie Hobbs, the Democratic nominee. Arizona became a hot bed for political conspiracies in the wake of the last presidential contest. Biden won the state by less than one point over Trump. Multiple recounts confirmed his victory but election deniers demanded recount after recount - even going as far as looking for bamboo in the paper ballots as they tried to argue foreign powers intefered. No evidence of that was found. Biden's victory was upheld. But Trump has handpicked the candidates for top office on the ballot in Arizona this year - governor, senator and secretary of state, which is the office that oversees elections. Barack Obama (right) campaigned for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Katie Hobbs (center) and Democratic Senator Mark Kelly (left) Barack Obama gets a hug as he works the crowd after his remarks Projections from Real Clear Politics show the Republicans are projected to win the House and the Senate next Tuesday Barack and Michelle Obama became millionaires after they left the WHite House and bought a home on Martha's Vineyard Obama on Wednesday was also campaigning for Democratic Senator Mark Kelly, who is battling Republican Blake Masters. Masters also has denied the results of the 2020 election. State Rep. Mark Finchem, who is running for secretary of state, is famous in election conspiracy circles. If he wins, he will oversee the 2024 contest in the state. Obama specifically targeted Lake, who is close to Trump. Some Democrats fear she could be his running mate if he makes a 2024 bid - or could run for president herself. Obama charged that Lake was running 'to be Donald Trump's best friend.' 'She's good in front of the camera because she's been doing it for a long time,' Obama said of Lake. He noted she interviewed him in 2016, when she was a local TV anchor and he was running for president. 'I have to admit, I don't have a clear memory of the interview, it's a little fuzzy,' he said. But, he added: 'If we hadn't just elected somebody whose main qualification was being on TV, you could see maybe giving it a shot. What's the worst that could happen? Well now we know! It doesn't just work out just because somebody's been on TV.' 'It turns out being president or governor is about more than snappy lines and good lighting,' he said. Democrats have been pushing the November 8th election as a choice between democracy and autocracy even as voters say the economy and the high cost of living are their top concerns. Republicans are favored to win the House in next week's election. The Senate is seen as up for grabs. Barack Obama criticized Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, who has said she would not have certified the 2020 election results Arizona Senator Mark Kelly with his wife Gabby Giffords Biden on Wednesday night, in a speech warning of threats to democracy, warned that 'dark forces with a thirst for power' could prevail in next week's midterms. Crime is also another concern, voters say. Both Biden and Obama cited last week's attack on Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband in their speeches. Paul Pelosi is in the hospital after being beaten with a hammer by a man who broke into their San Francisco home looking for the speaker. She was in Washington D.C. at the time. Obama said he's spoken to Paul. 'Thankfully I spoke to Paul a couple of days ago and he's gonna be okay,' he said. The free trade pact between Korea and Israel will take effect next month, Seoul's trade ministry said Thursday. The two nations signed a free trade agreement (FTA) in May last year after they struck the deal in 2019. Korea's National Assembly ratified the deal in September. The pact will come into force on Dec. 1 to make Korea the first Asian country to have a free trade deal with the Middle Eastern nation, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The FTA is expected to boost their trade of such advanced goods as semiconductors. Korea is also expected to see its exports of cars, auto parts, textiles and cosmetics grow under the agreement, the ministry said. The Seoul government held a briefing session Thursday regarding the trade pact, which brought together Israel's Ambassador to Seoul Akiva Tor, officials from related ministries and domestic companies interested in making inroads into the Israeli market. "The FTA is expected to create new chances of growth for the countries and businesses amid heightened global uncertainties. In addition to greater market access, expanded technology cooperation is also expected to allow the two countries to secure a competitive edge in the global market," ministry official Kim Jeong-hoe said. (Yonhap) North Korea has test-fired another missile into the sea just hours after sparking terror in Japan. It takes the total number of missiles fired today to at least four, although the rockets failed mid-flight and dropped into the ocean, South Korea has said. Sirens sounded in Miyagi, Yamagata and Niigata prefectures early Thursday after the missile was launched near the North Korean capital Pyongyang and looked set to fly over the northern end of Japan's main island, with people fleeing to bomb shelters. But Tokyo and Seoul said they lost track of the rocket - presumed to be a new kind of intercontinental ballistic missile - over the Sea of Japan, suggesting it broke apart mid-flight. North Korea also fired two short-range missiles that landed in the sea. Had the ICBM failed over Japanese territory then it could well have struck an inhabited area and sparked a major crisis. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called the launch 'absolutely intolerable' and lodged a protest with the North. It is just the latest in a series of highly provocative missile tests carried out by Kim Jong-un's regime that the US says could end with a nuclear test. On Wednesday, Kim test-fired 25 missiles including one that crossed the ocean border with South Korea. North Korea test-fired a long-range missile towards Japan this morning with alerts put out in three provinces as the rocket looked set to fly over the island - but broke up mid-flight The launches are the latest in a series of North Korean weapons tests in recent months that have raised tensions in the region Wednesday's launches - involving a mixture of short-range missiles - were the most carried out by North Korea in a single day ever. Seoul responded by firing three air-to-surface missiles back across the maritime border that landed near North Korean territorial waters. Pyongyang is furious at joint US-South Korean war games taking place on its borders which it says are rehearsals for an invasion. Washington and Seoul have denied that, saying the drills are defensive and designed to deter Pyongyang. On Thursday, the allies said the exercises - which were due to end Friday - have now been extended to an indefinite date. The two shorter-range missiles that North Korea tested were fired from Kaechon and flew around 200 miles before crashing down into the Sea of Japan. Japan's Defense Minister Yasukazu said one of the North Korean missiles reached a maximum altitude of 2,000km (1,200 miles) and flew about 750km (460 miles). The Japanese government initially said at least one of the missiles flew over its northern territory but later revised its assessment, saying there were no overflies. The office of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida issued warnings to residents in the northern prefectures of Miyagi, Yamagata and Niigata, instructing them to go inside firm buildings or underground. There have been no reports of damage or injuries from areas where the alerts were issued. Bullet train services in those regions were temporarily suspended following the missile alert before resuming shortly. Kishida condemned the North's launches and said officials were analyzing the details of the weapons. The office of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida issued warnings to residents in the northern prefectures of Miyagi, Yamagata and Niigata, instructing them to go inside firm buildings or underground North Korea test-fired a total of 23 missiles Wednesday, one of which crossed the unofficial maritime border and hit the ocean 37 miles off the coast of South Korea, and 100 miles shy of an inhabited island A South Korean Air Force F-15K fighter fires an air-to-surface missile across the maritime border with North Korea in retaliation for a missile that was test-fired in the other direction early Wednesday One of the more than 20 missiles North Korea shot on Wednesday flew in the direction of a populated South Korean island and landed near the rivals' tense sea border, triggering air raid sirens and forcing residents on Ulleung island to evacuate. South Korea quickly responded by launching its own missiles in the same border area. Those launches came hours after North Korea threatened to use nuclear weapons to get the US and South Korea to 'pay the most horrible price in history' in protest of ongoing South Korean-US military drills that it views as a rehearsal for a potential invasion. North Korea has been ramping up its weapons demonstrations to a record pace this year. It has fired dozens of missiles, including its first demonstration of intercontinental ballistic missiles since 2017, as it exploits the distraction created by Russia's war in Ukraine and a pause in diplomacy to push forward arms development and dial up pressure on the US and its Asian allies. The North has punctuated its tests with an escalatory nuclear doctrine that authorizes preemptive nuclear attacks over a variety of loosely defined crisis situations. US and South Korean officials say North Korea may up the ante in the coming weeks with its first detonation of a nuclear test device since September 2017. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a telephone call with South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin over Wednesday's missile launches, including the one that 'recklessly and dangerously' landed near the South Korean coastline, and stressed the 'ironclad' US commitment to the security of its ally, according to their offices. State Department spokesperson Ned Price also addressed concerns about possible North Korean preparations for another nuclear test, which would be its seventh overall. Experts say such tests could possibly bring North Korea a step closer to its goal of building a full-fledged arsenal threatening regional US allies and the American mainland. An American F-35B stealth fighter taxis for takeoff alongside South Korean KF-16 fighters - a modified version of the US F-16 - during combat drills taking place near North Korea's borders 'Should it go forward with a seventh nuclear test there would be additional costs and consequences,' Price said, noting that the test would be a 'dangerous, reckless, destabilizing act.' North Korea last flew a missile over Japan in October in what it described as a test of a new intermediate range ballistic missile, which experts say potentially would be capable of reaching Guam, a major US military hub in the Pacific. That launch forced the Japanese government to issue evacuation alerts and pause train services. Experts say North Korea is escalating a brinkmanship aimed at forcing the US to accept the idea of the North as a nuclear power and negotiating economic and security concessions from a position of strength. Nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang have been stalled since early 2019 over disagreements in exchanging the release of crippling US-led sanctions against the North and the North's denuclearization steps. The North has so far ignored the Biden administration's calls for open-ended talks, insisting that Washington should first discard its 'hostile' policy, a term North Korea mainly uses to describe sanctions and combined US-South Korea military exercises. White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby on Wednesday underscored that the Biden administration has repeatedly sought to reach out to North Korean officials through diplomatic channels and has made clear 'we're willing to sit down with North Korea without precondition to discuss the denuclearization of the peninsula.' Jeff Bezos is being sued by his fired housekeeper for racial discrimination and poor working conditions after she claimed she was forced to work 14-hour days without a break in 'unsanitary conditions.' Mercedes Wedaa worked at the billionaire Amazon CEO's Seattle residence for nearly three years, in which time she was claims she was disrespected because of her race and was wrongly terminated for raising complaints about discrimination. She and other workers allege that they had to climb out of windows to access the bathrooms during long shifts after being barred from using one inside the main house. They were also never allowed to take breaks or eat lunch, according to the suit filed in King County Superior Court in Seattle - but Bezos' attorney has bashed the claims, saying they have 'no merit.' The lawsuit is against Bezos and two companies which he uses to manage his personal investments and properties, Zefram LLC and Northwestern LLC. Wedaa worked at Bezos' main 5.3-acre Seattle-area residence in the exclusive suburb of Medina, but sometimes would also work at his other homes. It's believed Bezos paid $10million for the property in 1998, on which he has two homes. Jeff Bezos is facing a lawsuit after one of his former housekeepers at his Seattle residence said she was fired after complaining about discrimination. She also claims that there were no breaks during her long shifts while working for Bezos' household Mercedes Wedaa (pictured) was a lead housekeeper in Bezos' Medina, Seattle, home. She was earning six figures during her role there. She was fired, and then filed the lawsuit against the billionaire and two companies which he uses to manage his personal investments and properties, Zefram LLC and Northwestern LLC Bezos owns two homes on the same plot of land in Medina, an exclusive Seattle suburb. He paid $10million for the 5.3-acre property in 1998 She was hired in September 2019, and she later became lead housekeeper, overseeing five to six people. She would sometimes interact with the billionaire when he was at the home, the lawsuit claims. Wedaa was paid a six-figure salary and was fired for performance issues, one insider told Geekwire. It was only after her termination that she lodged the issues against Bezos. Before working for Bezos, she had been a housekeeper for wealthy and high profile families for 18 years, according to the lawsuit. It claims that she sometimes worked up to 14 hours a day with no breakroom and nowhere to sit and rest. There also was 'no reasonably accessible bathroom for the housekeepers,' and for 18 months they were forced to climb out the laundry room window to the outside, before running along a path to the mechanical room to use the toilet. She claims that housekeepers 'frequently' developed UTIs from not being able to use the restroom when they needed to. The lawsuit claims that 'no one ever told [Wedaa] she was entitled to breaks and no one ever told her to take a break. [She] did not know she was legally entitled to rest and lunch breaks.' But Bezos' lawyer has rubbished the allegations - telling DailyMail.com that she was in fact responsible for her own break and meal times. Wedaa also claims that the house managers 'treated [her] and later the other Hispanic housekeepers who were hired different from Caucasian employees.' They allegedly mocked, ridiculed, disrespected, and demeaned her. The suit claims that because she complained about 'discrimination, retaliation, violation of wage and hour laws, violations of workplace health and safety laws, and laws against hiring undocumented workers' her managers retaliated and fired her. Before working for Bezos, she had been a housekeeper for wealthy and high profile families for 18 years, according to the lawsuit They were also never allowed to take breaks or eat lunch, according to the suit filed in King County Superior Court in Seattle Jeff Bezos and his girlfriend Lauren Sanchez On her termination papers, they cited the 'ridiculously concocted reason' that she was 'unhappy' and having a negative effect on the team, the lawsuit claims. Wedaa's Linkedin profile suggests she left the job at the private household in September 2022, just two months before lodging the lawsuit. Patrick Leo McGuigan, of HKM Employment Attorneys LLP, who filed the suit on behalf of Wedaa, told Geekwire: 'My client is extremely credible. 'She's a hard-working American, a person who's been in this industry for some years now, housekeeping for wealthy, high-profile families. She's never had any issues with anyone.' Harry Korrell, an attorney who represents Bezos, said: 'We've investigated these claims, they have no merit, and we'll defend against them. 'Ms. Wedaa made over six figures annually and was the lead housekeeper. She was responsible for her own break and meal times, and there were several bathrooms and breakrooms available to her and other staff. 'The evidence will show that Ms. Wedaa was terminated for performance reasons. She initially demanded over $9million, and when the company refused, she decided to file this suit. 'Given their backgrounds, the suggestion that Mr. Bezos, Ms. Sanchez, or Northwestern LLC discriminated against Ms. Wedaa based on her race or national origin is absurd.' Bezos owns two homes on a large property in Medina, an exclusive Seattle suburb that is also home to Bill Gates. He and his ex-wife paid $10million for the 5.3-acre property 24 years ago, according to the Wall Street Journal. One of the homes covers 20,600 square feet with five bedrooms and five bathrooms. The other is 8,300 square feet with five bedrooms and five bathrooms. The latter is rumored to have cost $53million to build. The estate with 310 feet of Lake Washington shoreline underwent a $28million renovation in 2010. Bezos was married to Mackenzie Scott from 1994 until 2019, and his current girlfriend Lauren Sanchez was married to Endeavor talent agency co-founder Patrick Whitesell from 2005 until 2019. Bezos split with Scott in January 2019, and he published a blog post about how American Media Inc. owner David McKenzie threatened to post pictures of him and Sanchez, while they both were married. Sanchez split with Whitesell in April 2019, with their divorce finalized in August 2019. Hundreds of email complaints have emerged that lift the lid on parent and student attitudes to critical race theory (CRT), Covid-19 mask rules and other interventions in Virginia's school system. The roughly 350 emails, which were released by Gov. Glenn Youngkin's office after a legal fight with media outlets, show parents expressing anger and frustration with teachers, administrators and school policies. They were made to the helpeducation@governor.virginia.gov address that Youngkin created to deliver on his campaign pledge of giving parents more say in their kids' schools, especially over 'divisive practices' like CRT lessons. Still, only a small share of the complaints focussed on classroom wokery. Parents and campaigners also praised teachers and called for more access for disabled students, and even to keep an algebra class open. One parent, whose name was redacted from the files released by Youngkin's colleagues, complained about remote learning during the pandemic and wanted copies of her 7th-grade child's lesson plans. 'As a Parent, I have the right to validate (through the Lesson Plans) that [my child] is NOT being taught divisive concepts (or in Biology not being taught divisive gender-bending LGBT-campaigns with overly sexualized lesson content),' the parent wrote. Virginia's Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin takes photos with students at Colonial Forge High School in Stafford. He campaigned on a promise of giving parents more say in schools WHAT IS CRITICAL RACE THEORY? Cornell Law School Prof. William Jacobson launched a CRT database CriticalRace.org Critical race theory (CRT) is a way of thinking about America's history through the lens of racism. Scholars developed it during the 1970s and 1980s in response to what they viewed as a lack of racial progress following the civil rights legislation of the 1960s. It centers on the idea that racism is systemic in the nation's institutions and that they function to maintain the dominance of white people in society. The architects of the theory argue that the US was founded on the theft of land and labor and that federal law has preserved the unequal treatment of people on the basis of race. Proponents also believe race is culturally invented, not biological. Kimberle Crenshaw, executive director of the African American Policy Forum, a social justice think tank based in New York City, was one of the early proponents. Initially, she says, it was 'simply about telling a more complete story of who we are.' While most Americans support teaching high schoolers about slavery and racism in US history, many are opposed to CRT, which many conservatives see as a rewrite of history to indoctrinate children with 'woke' ideology. Advertisement The parent also accused the school board of a 'secret leftist, politically motivated agenda and Critical Race Theory-CRT brainwashing.' One complaint about teaching came from a student, who objected to how the Old English epic poem Beowulf, set in the sixth century, had been clumsily used to explore modern-day issues like sexism. 'Much to my dismay, my teacher has based the entire curriculum around Critical Theory,' wrote the high school senior in Montgomery County. 'All my teacher wants to talk about is how the book is sexist because it portrays the warriors as men and not women.' Another shared excerpts of seven books in their school libraries, including George M. Johnson's All Boys Aren't Blue one of several titles about gay or trans lifestyles that some conservatives want pulled from schools. 'These books distort what healthy relationships are and rob our children of their innocence,' the person wrote. Another parent complained about a reading text that was 'sympathetic' to immigrants. About 10 people sent emails to the tip line complaining about mask mandates. One parent from Spotsylvania County in February complained about the number of remote learning days at her child's high school, saying there was 'no new material being taught' to students. Another, in Fairfax County, complained about a free online tutoring program, that the parent said offered 'no Controls over what these (supposed) Tutors might be telling our children.' 'This seems like just another potential path for unknown perverts to gain 1-on-1 access to our children,' they wrote. Mital Gandhi, a father of two in Loudoun County, used the tip line to successfully push for more 6th-grade algebra classes. He praised Youngkin for a process that 'put more power to the parents'. Others tried to subvert the intention of the tip line, some by praising the state's teachers. One user urged the Republican governor not to ban CRT or controversial books or move the state of some 8.6 million people 'away from progress by supporting these backward notions'. About half of the 350 released emails came from Kandise Lucas, a disabilities advocate representing families of special needs students in wrangles with school officials, who wrote that she was pushing for 'real not red-herring issues'. Youngkin, who won his November 2021 election by a razor-thin margin after campaigning on education and promising parents more power, introduced the tip-off scheme soon after he was inaugurated in January. He touted it in an interview as a way to ensure that his administration was aware of what was happening in Virginia's schools and enable it to tackle divisive practices in classrooms. A teachers union, Virginia Democrats in the General Assembly, some parents and other observers bashed the tip line as divisive, illiberal and unfairly focussed on teachers. News outlets filed requests for records on the tip line, but the governor's office declined to provide them, saying they were 'working papers and correspondence' of a private nature. Parents and community members at a school board meeting in Loudoun County, Virginia, in June 2021. The academic doctrine known as Critical Race Theory was on the agenda A coalition of 13 news organizations, including The Washington Post, USA Today, CNN, NPR, and The Associated Press, filed suit in April, claiming Youngkin had violated public records laws. They reached a deal with Youngkin last month that called for officials to produce some 350 documents, including tip line complaints, dated from the first few months of 2022. They are thought to represent only a small fraction of the tips. The release of files comes amid debates over teaching CRT and gender identity that have exploded into angry face-offs involving parents and teachers at school board meetings across the nation. CRT rests on the premise that racial bias intentional or not is baked into US laws and institutions, and that the legacy of slavery and Jim Crow racial segregation laws continues to create an uneven playing field for non-white Americans. While most Americans support teaching high schoolers about slavery and racism in US history, many are opposed to CRT, which some conservatives see as a rewrite of history to indoctrinate children with 'woke' dogma. Secret Service are conducting an urgent sweep of Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club after police responded to a trespassing call at the property on Thursday. Palm Beach Police were parked outside the back of Trump's $100 million Florida club and residence Thursday morning, but have since left. Captain Will Rothrock of Palm Beach Police told DailyMail.com it was a 'routine trespass complaint', detailing that the department received a call at 8:08 a.m. claiming that a male was refusing to leave the Mar-a-Lago property. The subject received a written warning and left the area, according to Rothrock. No additional details about the incident or who the subject is are known. The trespassing call follows a rise in violence and public hostility against politicians recently. It also comes three months after the FBI raided the former president's private Palm Beach residence. Palm Beach police responded to a trespassing call at former President Donald Trump's Florida Mar-a-Lago resort on Thursday The morning of the alleged call, Trump sent out a flurry of endorsements just five days before the 2022 midterms after President Joe Biden accused him and his supporters for the recent rise in politically-motivated violence At the same time the report was posted to Twitter, Trump was sending out a flurry of endorsements from his Save American PAC email on Thursday morning just five days until the 2022 midterm elections on November 8. President Joe Biden on Wednesday evening blamed MAGA Republicans for a rise in politically-motivated violence. A man broke into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's San Francisco home where the suspect beat her husband Paul over the head with a hammer and allegedly said he was there to bash in the politician's kneecaps. Arizona Democratic gubernatorial candidate Katie Hobbs' campaign headquarters was burglarized last week but it does not appear so far that the crime was politically motivated. Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence was raided by the FBI in August to recover boxes of documents and materials that the former president took from the White House when he left office. Pictured: Police patrol outside Mar-a-Lago's gates the day after the raid on August 9, 2022 Biden delivered a speech Wednesday evening from Washington, D.C.'s Union Station where he blamed the rise in political violence on Trump, his supporters and the January 6 Capitol riot. Republicans immediately pegged the speech as 'divisive' and 'patronizing' and said Biden is focused on insulting Trump and his supporters because he can't defend his record ahead of the midterm elections. Rishi Sunak has junked his predecessor Liz Truss's plan to move the British embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Downing Street confirmed today. No10 revealed the new Prime Minister had 'no plans' to pursue a controversial relocation of the British consulate in the Middle East country. 'It has been looked at. There are no plans to move the British embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv,' a Downing Street spokeswoman said. During her short spell in power, Ms Truss had told the Israeli government she would review the current location of the British embassy. After talks at the UN General Assembly in New York in September, Israeli PM Yair Lapid claimed Ms Truss had told him she was 'positively considering' moving the embassy to Jerusalem. Had such a relocation occurred, it would have marked a major shift in British foreign policy. It would also have copied Donald Trump's controversial action when he was US president. Rishi Sunak has junked his predecessor Liz Truss's plan to move the British embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem After talks at the UN General Assembly in New York in September, Israeli PM Yair Lapid claimed Liz Truss had told him she was 'positively considering' moving the embassy to Jerusalem Countries have usually been loathe to base their embassies in Jerusalem as it is regarded as a capital by both Israel and the Palestinian leadership. The majority of international embassies in Israel are based in Tel Aviv, which is viewed as a more neutral choice. In 2017, Britain joined other members of the UN Security Council to reject the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. It followed Mr Trump's announcement of his decision to move the US embassy to the city, which prompted bloody protests. The US embassy officially opened in Jerusalem in May 2018, which coincided with the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the state of Israel. Former PM Theresa May condemned Mr Trump's decision at the time. She reiterated Britain's 'clear and long-standing' position on Jerusalem's status - that it should be determined as part of a peace settlement between the Israelis and Palestinians and should ultimately be a shared capital. Sacha Deshmukh, chief executive of Amnesty International UK, welcomed Mr Sunak's decision not to pursue a relocation of the British embassy. 'Any relocation of the UKs Israel embassy to Jerusalem would have sent a clear message that the UK was failing to take seriously decades of human rights violations by the Israeli authorities,' he said. 'Palestinian human rights defenders are currently enduring a major crackdown by Israeli authorities, so a UK embassy move to Jerusalem would have devalued their plight as well as undermined basic principles of international law. 'As an important ally of Israel, the UK should be consistently pressing the Israeli authorities to dismantle the system of apartheid governing Palestinians in Israel and in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. 'The UK needs to be consistent in upholding international law, protecting civilians and human rights, and opposing racism, in Israel as much as anywhere else in the world.' British Gas apologised and said the bill 'clearly isn't right' A tiny shack on a beach which sells seafood has hit out at British Gas after it was smacked with a more than 44,000 energy bill. Riley's Fish Shack, in Tynemouth, North Tyneside, is famous for its fresh fish and idyllic location on King Edward's Bay. It was given a glowing review by food popular food critic Jay Rayner who called his lunch a 'marvel' for just around 10. But despite its renown the restaurant has only three tables inside, a balcony area with a bench and seats outside on the beach where diners eat in the open air. Riley's Fish Shack (pictured), in Tynemouth, North Tyneside, is famous for its fresh fish and idyllic location on King Edward's Bay and has been slapped with a 44,000 energy bill Riley's has been given a glowing review by food critic Jay Rayner and was even paid a visit by Tom Cruise last year while he was filming part of Mission Impossible in the North East 'Are you for real?!' Riley's Fish Shack shares there balance of -44,006.85 on their British Gas account The restaurant has taken to Instagram to berate British Gas for their quoted energy bill. Sharing a screenshot of a business account that had a balance of minus 44,006.85, the shack said: '@britishgas are you for real?! 'I've decided to join in this 'share your bill on social media' game - can anytime beat this?' The restaurant has only three tables inside (pictured), a balcony area with a bench and seats outside The social media post added: 'Needless to say, there's not enough in that account to cover it!!!' A social media user commented: 'That is outrageous'. Another added: 'Disgusting'. British Gas spokesperson told MailOnline: 'We're sorry, clearly this bill isn't right. We're getting in touch with our customer to help manage this and will ensure we resolve it for them as soon as possible.' The parents of a man accused of mowing down and killing a pregnant scientist and her elderly father while high on drugs have been charged with perverting the course of justice. Barjunsing and Sadhana Bissendary, aged 58 and 55 respectively, are accused of 'concealing potential evidence' to help their 30-year-old son Nitesh Bissendary. Nitesh, of Manston, Kent, killed Yoram Hirshfield, 81, and Noga Sella, 37, when he hit them with his black Alfa Romeo as they walked back to their hotel at around 9.35pm on August 10 this year, prosecutors allege. He is accused of having been high on drugs before fleeing the scene of the incident, which also left Mrs Sella's husband Omer and their two children aged six and eight injured. Mrs Sella's family previously revealed she was five weeks pregnant when she was allegedly hit by Nitesh's vehicle outside a carpark in Ramsgate. The mother was a consultant physicist and systems engineer with Cambridge Design Partnership and lived in the university city with her family. Her father - a former maths Professor at Tel Aviv University - was understood to be visiting her from Israel when tragedy struck. Nitesh Bissendary (pictured), 30, of Manston, Kent, killed Yoram Hirshfield, 81, and Noga Sella, 37, when he hit them with his black Alfa Romeo as they walked back to their hotel at around 9.35pm on August 10 this year, prosecutors allege Cambridge physicist Noga Sella (left), 37, and Israel-based professor Yoram Hirshfeld (right), 81, both died when they were hit by a black Alfa Romeo in Ramsgate, Kent around 9.35pm on August 10 Mrs Sella's husband Omer (pictured together) sustained serious injuries as they were struck by the car as they walked back to their hotel in the seaside town. Two children were also hurt in the collision The black Alfa Romeo collided with five people on August 10. Nitesh Bissendary, 30, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of causing death by dangerous driving. He will appear at Canterbury Crown Court on November 28 As part of the investigation, the parents of the man accused of causing their deaths have now both been charged with perverting the course of justice. Kent Police said the charges relate to the alleged concealing of potential evidence. The two suspects, who are also both from Manston, have been bailed to appear at Medway Magistrates Court on Friday November 4. Nitesh was previously charged with two counts of causing death by dangerous driving, two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, failing to provide a sample, failing to stop, and driving while unfit through drugs. He will appear at Canterbury Crown Court on November 28. A father of a Washington Democrat running for the State House has accused his son of lying about serving as a nuclear submarine officer and says the politician actually has 'disdain' for the military. Former Marine, Brett Shavers, 55, of Kirkland, has accused his former Navy sailor and Washington State House hopeful son, Clyde Shavers, 33, of Oak Harbor, of lying about being a Submarine Officer. 'Clyde was never a submarine officer, not even for a day,' Brett wrote in a scathing letter to his son's opponent. 'Prior to Clydes announcement to run for office, he had asked me how to explain his failure of the submarine officer pipeline training. 'I stressed to Clyde that he must be truthful and simply state that he went through the many weeks of training. Yet, as seen in campaign materials, Clyde chose instead to claim that he was a submarine officer.' In an archived version of Clyde's website, he claimed to have spent 'more than eight years' serving as a 'nuclear submarine officer and public affairs officer with tours in the Middle East and Southeast Asia.' His website has since been amended to state: 'He [was] commissioned into the nuclear submarine community and later transitioned as a public affairs officer in 2015. 'After Nuclear Power School and NPTU Prototype, his operational tours included US Naval Forces Central Command/US 5th Fleet in the Middle East and Destroyer Squadron 7 in Southeast Asia.' Former Marine, Brett Shavers, 55, of Kirkland, has accused his former Navy sailor and Washington State House hopeful son, Clyde Shavers, 33, of Oak Harbor, (pictured center) of lying about being a Submarine Officer. Clyde is running to be the state representative for LD10 Clyde (pictured) served eight years in the US Navy. He claimed earlier in his campaign to have been a nuclear submarine officer, but naval records, obtained by DailyMail.com, does not show that he completed all the training courses for the title The politician did complete Navy Nuclear Power School in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2013 and a Nuclear Power Training Unit in Ballston Spa, New York - near Albany - in 2014. However, in order to become a Submarine Officer, sailors would have to complete the Submarine Officer Basic Course in Groton, Connecticut, but his records do not indicate that he was ever in course (pictured: official Navy records) Clyde's naval records, obtained by DailyMail.com, show that the politician did complete Navy Nuclear Power School in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2013 and a Nuclear Power Training Unit in Ballston Spa, New York - near Albany - in 2014. After completing the two courses, students qualify as an Engineering Officer of the Watch. However, in order to become a Submarine Officer, sailors would have to complete the Submarine Officer Basic Course, a 12-week course based in Groton, Connecticut. Clyde's naval records do not indicate that he ever spent any time in Connecticut, and therefore, could not have completed the Submarine Officer course. 'Clyde has only disdain for the military,' Brett wrote in a letter on Sunday to his son's opponent Greg Gilday. 'I have seen Clydes use of veteran status used heavily as a seal of endorsement of honor and integrity, even as he or his campaign continually use the phrase "son of a Marine" for his credibility. 'There are no words that I have that could come close to overemphasize Clydes negative view of the military, his disdain of enlisted service members, and his revulsion to wear the uniform. This is from conversations that I have had with my son, when trying to convey the honor and privilege of being able to wear such a uniform fell flat on his ears.' The Marine, who served four years, also claimed his son 'never wanted to go into the military' and that Clyde reportedly 'bluntly stated animosity against the military and the people in it.' 'I obviously credit his service, but not the abuse of it,' Brett wrote. 'This is the most difficult letter I have ever had the misfortune to write, because it is about my son, my wifes son, and my daughters brother. We have nothing if we have no integrity. We have nothing if we have no honor. In an archived version of his campaign website, he said he served as a 'nuclear submarine officer and public affairs officer' (above). It has since been updated to read: 'He [was] commissioned into the nuclear submarine community and later transitioned as a public affairs officer in 2015' (below) 'We only have the truth to guide us. As Clydes parents, it is our duty to impress the importance of these values upon him, even at our personal risk of being attacked, defamed, or discredited. Our love for our children does not wane, but our values will not be compromised either.' Clyde has since publicly responded to his father letter on his official Facebook page, writing: 'My fathers writing [of] a politically motivated and inaccurate letter has been one of the most painful experiences of my life.' He also told the Herald Net that he had no 'disdain' for the military and was 'honored to be accepted to the US Naval Academy and [to] serve my country.' 'I stayed in the military beyond my service requirement because of dedication to country and the brothers and sisters who served alongside me,' he told the outlet. The House hopeful also claimed his father's 'far-right leanings led him to Washington DC on January 6. Brett confirmed to the Herald Net that he did travel to DC, but did not participate in the riot. DailyMail.com has attempted to reach Clyde and Brett for comment. Brett wrote a letter to his son's opponent Greg Gilday, claiming his son lied and that Clyde also had 'disdain' for the military. The Marine, who served four years, also claimed his son 'never wanted to go into the military' and that Clyde reportedly 'bluntly stated animosity against the military and the people in it' Clyde disputed these allegations, saying he was 'honored to be accepted to the US Naval Academy and [to] serve my country.' He said: 'I stayed in the military beyond my service requirement because of dedication to country and the brothers and sisters who served alongside me' Clyde also told the Herald Net that he has 'never said' that he was deployed on a submarine, only that he 'was commissioned as a nuclear submarine officer.' He also told the outlet that he decided to go a different way in the military after completing his second nuclear power training course and served six years as a public affairs officer. Brett also claimed his son's only connection to his district is the 'current bed and breakfast' he is reportedly staying at, however, Clyde has disputed those allegations. 'I moved to Oak Harbor in April 2021 to live in a community of veterans back home in Washington after returning from serving in the Middle East and continuing my legal education,' he told the Herald Net. Clyde graduated from Yale University with a law degree, but has not passed the bar. The Herald Ne has taken back its endorsement of Clyde and is now endorsing Gilday. Meredith Kerchers heartbroken sister has questioned why no-one else has been charged with murdering her sibling after the only man jailed was freed after serving just 14 years - despite the court ruling he did not act alone. Stephanie Kercher, 39, spoke out just days after the 15th anniversary of Merediths murder and after Amanda Knox and her former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, who were both accused of the killing and later cleared, were pictured meeting up in what was slammed as poor taste reunion. Leeds University student Meredith, 21, was found stabbed to death in the bedroom of the house she shared with American Knox in the Italian hill-top town of Perugia on November 2, 2007 and drifter Rudy Guede was later convicted of her murder and released last year after serving 14 years of a 16 year sentence. According to the court file, judges said Guede acted together with Knox and Sollecito but did not materially carry out the murder - although Knox and Sollecito were later cleared after serving four years and Stephanie has now questioned who the others are in an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. Stephanie Kercher, 39, (left), pictured with her sister (right), spoke out just days after the 15th anniversary of Merediths murder Leeds University student Meredith, 21, pictured, was found stabbed to death in the bedroom of the house she shared with American Knox in the Italian hill-top town of Perugia on November 2, 2007 and drifter Rudy Guede was later convicted of her murder and released last year after serving 16 years of a 30 year sentence She said: There is a sense of disappointment as the final reasoning from the judge does not conclude their findings. 'The sentence given stated that there were others involved, yet no further investigations have been made. There are many unanswered questions to this day. 'Therefore there should either be ongoing investigations, to which the case is now closed or the verdict summary should be revised to clarify Guede's role.' Stephanie also spoke out on the reunion picture of Knox and Sollecito and told the Italian paper: It would have been appreciated if the media focus was on Meredith for the 15th anniversary.' When asked if she thought Guede alone was responsible for her sisters murder, Stephanie replied: The answer to this question must come from the Italian judicial system, as I have already said instead it leaves many questions unanswered. The paying tribute to Meredith, she added: Her smile was memorable. Its contagious when I look at her photo. She was fun loving, intelligent and caring with family and friends, especially my mother. Stephanie also spoke out on the reunion picture of Knox and Sollecito, pictured, and told the Italian paper: Lets say I would have appreciated more if the 15th anniversary of Mezs death the attention had been focused more on her memory' Guede who says he was using the bathroom at the time Meredith was stabbed said: I heard a voice, it sounded like Amanda and then I heard Meredith, she said You and I need to talk. Pictured: Guede in 2007 If I close my eyes I can still see her, hear her, the void she has left can never be filled, the pain will always remain even with the passing of time. There will always be a place for her in my heart and thoughts. She was very interested in politics, like my mother. She loved writing and for that she took after my father. Im sure that if shed lived her life she would have made a great impact on the world. I always think of her and I have a memories box which I lovingly keep. After she died with my parents we put her homework, school books and photographs inside so that we could always have it with us, a piece of her close to us. Then speaking of the stop start court cases that went on for years in Italy, Stephanie said: The length of the trial was a wound that made it all the more difficult to mourn. Attending hearings was really hard and above all it was tough for my parents. Last year Guede, 34, following his release from jail pointedly suggested that Knox, 35, knows the truth and I know the truth and he has repeated his claims in a book out last month called The Benefit of the Doubt. Pictured: Guede in 2020 Paying tribute to Meredith, Stephanie added: 'Her smile was memorable. Its contagious when I look at her photo. She was fun loving, intelligent and caring with family and friends, especially my mother. Pictured: Stephanie at a news conference in 2011 Then speaking of the stop start court cases that went on for years in Italy, Stephanie said: The length of the trial was a wound that made it all the more difficult to mourn. Attending hearings was really hard and above all it was tough for my parents. Pictured: Meredith's family at a press conference in 2014 Last year Guede, 34, following his release from jail pointedly suggested that Knox, 35, knows the truth and I know the truth and he has repeated his claims in a book out last month called The Benefit of the Doubt. In it he insisted he was innocent of Merediths murder and repeated the verdict that if he was convicted with others and Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito were cleared where are the others? He also repeated claims made at his trial that Meredith did not get on with Knox despite the American claiming they did and that Meredith had told him she had taken her rent money. Guede who says he was using the bathroom at the time Meredith was stabbed said: I heard a voice, it sounded like Amanda and then I heard Meredith, she said You and I need to talk. He added that when he came out he had found Meredith lying on the floor in a pool of blood and that as he looked through the blinds of the bedroom he saw Knox fleeing along with an unidentified man. Knox and Sollecito were arrested four days after the murder and initially convicted twice before being eventually cleared while Guede was jailed after his bloody fingerprints and DNA were found at the scene but he insists these were left as he attempted to save Merediths life. The couple revealed they had met up earlier this year in the Italian town of Gubbio, which they had planned to visit the day Merediths body was found but they were unable to do so because they were being questioned by police. Knox and Sollecito were arrested four days after the murder and initially convicted twice before being eventually cleared while Guede was jailed after his bloody fingerprints and DNA were found at the scene but he insists these were left as he attempted to save Merediths life Stephanie's words come after Meredith's heartbroken family released an emotional tribute to her marking the 15th anniversary of her murder - just days after pictures of former suspects Amanda Knox and ex-lover Raffaele Sollecito smiling together at a reunion in Italy were slammed as 'poor taste'. Leeds University student Meredith, 21, was found lifeless in her bedroom of the apartment she shared with Knox in the Italian hilltop town of Perugia on November 2, 2007. The Kercher family have always maintained a respectful silence following the death of Meredith and in their statement, it emerged parents John and Arline had died within weeks of each other in 2020. In a tribute to Meredith, who was known by the nickname Mez, her surviving siblings said: 'Every anniversary of Meredith's death gives us pause for thought, but of course as with anyone who has lost a loved one - especially in such tragic circumstances - it does not take an anniversary to remember them; it's something you carry with you every day. 'Fifteen years has passed in the blink of an eye but yet we have lived a lifetime in between - something Meredith sadly, was never afforded. 'Losing both our parents within just four months of each other in early 2020 brought its own tragedy but we can take some solace in knowing that they are now united with Mez and no longer have to live with the grief which consumed them. 'Meredith will always be in our thoughts and forever in our hearts.' Meredith Kercher, from Coulsdon, Surrey, was killed just three months after moving to Italy for a study abroad programme at Perugia's prestigious university (pictured: in an undated photo released in November 2007) Meredith's parents Arline (centre) and John (right) Kercher - who both died in 2020 - and her sister Stephanie (left) at a press conference in Perugia in November 2007 Covid curbs had meant little was known of 74-year-old Arline's death, but she is thought to have died at a hospital in Carshalton, Surrey, during the initial phase of the pandemic and is buried next to Meredith in Croydon cemetery, south London. Brave Arline earned widespread praise for the dignified manner in which she dealt with the aftermath of Meredith's gruesome killing, when she was stabbed and sexually assaulted while an exchange student in Perugia, Italy. Arline travelled to the country to identify her daughter's body, vowing to fight for justice alongside her ex-husband and Meredith's father John, even though they divorced in 1997. Tragically, she never got the closure she wanted and questions have once again resurfaced after Rudy Guede, 34, who was convicted of Meredith's killing, was released from prison after serving 13 years of a 30-year term and made the pointed suggestion that Knox 'knows the truth and I know the truth'. Supported by her two remaining devoted children, Arline rarely spoke about the family's anguish but once described it as a 'nightmare' while insisting 'there are a lot of unanswered questions that seem to have been ignored'. Her death in May 2020 was four months after her ex-husband John, 77, passed away. He was found in a road close to his home in Croydon, south London with two fractured legs, a broken arm and a head injury in January 2020 and died in hospital three weeks later. At a later inquest a coroner was unable to conclude whether he had died from a hit and run incident. American Knox, 35, and computer engineer Sollecito, 38, were initially arrested and convicted twice of the brutal murder and spent four years in jail before being eventually cleared on appeal by Italy's Supreme Court over lack of evidence. Amanda Knox (left), from Seattle, was falsely convicted of Meredith's murder twice and served four years in prison and Raffaele Sollecito (right), 38, originally from Milan, was convicted alongside his former lover Amanda Knox (pictured speaking in 2019, file photo) wrote an article called 'Patrolling the Trolls: The Sorry State of Reporting Online Abuse' - recalling when she received death threats in prison Meredith Kercher's killer Rudy Guede (pictured waving from the window of a volunteer centre in 2016, file photo) was formally released from prison 13 years after the grisly murder Meredith, from Coulsdon, south London, was in Perugia as part of her university course year abroad. Knox and Sollecito met earlier this year in the town of Gubbio, the place they had planned to visit the day Meredith's body was found. They had not seen each other for ten years and described it as a 'bitter-sweet reunion'. A source close to the family told MailOnline: 'Of course they have seen the picture of Knox and Sollecito together in Italy but they don't want to comment publicly on that as neither of them are of any interest to them and they don't want to add to their media visibility. 'What they have found astonishing is the timing of the decision to publicise this reunion, [it] beggars belief in terms of respect for Meredith.' Knox and Sollecito were arrested four days after the murder and convicted along with Ivory Coast drifter Guede, whose bloody fingerprints and DNA were found at the scene. He is now working in a local library in Viterbo and has written a book called 'The Benefit of the Doubt' and has continued to insist he is innocent of Meredith's murder. In an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera, Guede, said:' I was convicted of acting in conjunction with Knox and Sollecito but the judges said I didn't materially commit the crime so if they are innocent who was I supposed to have been with ?' Guede confirmed he was in the house at the time and added: ' I was there, I'm not denying it. I wasn't in a corner. I was with Meredith and we had been making out, we started to have sex but I then went to the bathroom, we didn't have any condoms.' He has always insisted that when he came out he found Meredith on the floor fatally stabbed and a man and a woman in the house. Guede added:' The man said 'Let's go they will find the negro.' Guede said: 'What I will never forgive myself for is not doing enough to save Meredith. There were not enough towels to soak up the blood, I panicked and I fled. For this I will never forgive myself. I accept I behaved badly but I am not a murderer.' Detective tracked Guede down to Germany after listening in on Skype calls he made to a friend in Italy and he was later extradited to face trial. She felt powerless to report the incident until she had a session with Gibson, and 'freaked out' when he said he was doing a movie with Weinstein Weinstein allegedly offered her a book deal after the incident and told her they were now 'close friends' 'I was terrified, I thought I was about to get raped,' she said, describing how Weinstein aggressively barged into a bathroom she was in The masseuse, identified only as Jane Doe 3, said Weinstein groped her and masturbated in front of her after a massage session in 2010 A message therapist who alleges she was sexually assaulted by Harvey Weinstein said the first person she told was actor Mel Gibson A massage therapist broke down on the stand at Harvey Weinstein's trial in Los Angeles, where she described being sexually assaulted by the disgraced producer and feared speaking up about it until she told one of her other clients, Mel Gibson. The masseuse, identified only as Jane Doe 3, said Weinstein, 70, groped her and masturbated in front of her in a bathroom after one of their appointments. She said she was 'young and naive' at the time and felt like she couldn't tell her authorities or her fiance, but when Gibson indicated he'd be working with Weinstein, she told him what happened. Weinstein is accused of 11 rape and sexual assault counts in the trial, and has pleaded not guilty and said all encounters were consensual. The first assault allegedly occurred after a massage session with Weinstein in a Montage Hotel bathroom in 2010. Jane Doe 3 said Weinstein masturbated in front of her and groped her chest after a massage session in 2010, and said they were 'close friends' when she asked why he did it 'He tried to normalize what he did to me. He made me feel like it was strange for making it awkward like masturbation is something everybody does,' the accuser said of Weinstein Weinstein is accused of 11 rape and sexual assault counts in the Los Angeles trial, and is currently serving time behind bars after being convicted of assaults in New York When we she went to wash her hands in the bathroom, the movie mogul barged in naked and began masturbating before pushing her up against a wall and groping underneath her shirt. 'He went toward me in a very aggressive manner. He pushed me against the wall. Thats when he started to put his hand under my bra and feel my chest,' she said. She said the relentless assault continued despite her clearly asking him to stop and saying 'this is not appropriate.' 'I was terrified, I thought I was about to get raped,' she said. After he finished, the masseuse asked him 'why did you do this to me?' to which he responded 'We're close friends now, you have full access to me. I want to get you a book deal to write about massage.' 'He tried to normalize what he did to me. He made me feel like it was strange for making it awkward like masturbation is something everybody does. Basically humiliating me, like my reaction wasn't normal' she said. Weinstein offered her a book deal which eventually fell apart, and she was left scared to tell the police out of fear she'd lose her other 'high-end' clients for reporting the assault. 'I blame myself because I didnt do more. I blame myself because I just wish I did more,' she added. Jane Doe 3 and Weinstein had more massage sessions, and at a later one, he again masturbated 'about six feet away' from her and asked her to watch him. When actor Mel Gibson told Jane Doe 3 he would be working with Weinstein, she 'freaked out' and told him about the assault, leading to him testifying at the trial against him Jane Doe 3 said the assault occurred after a massage session at the Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills in 2010 'Thats one of the reasons why I didnt want to come forward. Because this is embarrassing,' she said. But when actor Mel Gibson said he would be working with Weinstein, she 'freaked out.' 'I freaked out, I started basically saying how could you ever want to work with this man, why would you ever want to work with this person? He asked what happened,' said Jane Doe 3. 'I went into shock and I started crying. He was the first person that I finally opened up to about what happened. I told him that he sexually assaulted me, but I didnt want to get into all the details, I was embarrassed and humiliated,' she said. Gibson asked if she would like to report the assault to the police or speak to a lawyer, but Jane Doe 3 said she was overwhelmed because 'it was the first time I had ever opened my mouth and told someone about it verbally.' Gibson is set to take the stand in support of her allegations, though Weinstein's lawyers have indicated they will ask Gibson about his past anti-Semitic and racist remarks. Judge Lisa B. Lench said Gibson cannot be cross-examined over those incidents, but the defense can ask whether Gibson had a motivation against Weinstein because he is Jewish. Weinstein's attorneys argued against allowing Gibson to testify, saying that what he learned from the woman while getting a massage from her does not constitute a 'fresh complaint' by the woman under the law by which Gibson would take the stand. A 'fresh complaint' under California law allows the introduction of evidence of sexual assault or another crime if the victim reported it to someone else voluntarily and relatively promptly after it happened. Gibson did not remember the timing of the exchange, but the prosecution will use another witness, Allison Weiner, who remembers speaking to both Gibson and the woman in 2015. Judge Lench said Gibson's testimony will depend on how the accuser describes the exchange with him when she takes the stand, and she may choose to rule against it at that time. Chest infection cases rise amid air pollution in India's capital 09:55, November 03, 2022 By Pankaj Yadav ( Xinhua NEW DELHI, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Air pollution in India's capital Delhi and its surrounding areas continues to be a problem, as chest specialists cautioned against exposure to polluted air amid rising chest infection cases. The problem burgeons mainly in winter months when air density comparatively decreases. Slow wind speed also sometimes contributes to air pollution here. During the past 24 hours, the overall air quality index (AQI) in the Indian capital dipped to 354, described as "Very Poor," while at certain places it was recorded at over 400 which is categorized as "Severe." According to data from the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research, the Dhirpur area in North Delhi registered an AQI of 443 (Severe). The AQI near IGI Airport (Terminal-3) also stood in the "Very Poor" category on Wednesday with an AQI of 350. The Delhi University area in North Delhi reported an AQI of 387 during the day. As air pollution continues to look northward, hospitals in Delhi and surrounding areas are reporting a spike in pollution-related complications such as cough, wheezing, tightness of the chest, shortness of breath, sore throat, runny nose and weakness. "We have a higher number of people coming to our ICUs with chest infections, pneumonia. It is a fact that following the peaks of pollution, there is a recorded increase in the number of people getting admitted to ICUs with pneumonia and chest infections," said Arvind Kumar, chairman of the Institute of Chest Surgery at a multi-specialty hospital near Delhi. He said the long-term effects of air pollution on the brain make children hyper-irritable. "I think it's neuro-inflammation because of the toxins from the pollutants. In elderly people, it increases the risk of stroke by 10 times," he added. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) on Wednesday wrote a letter to the Delhi government, asking it to "consider taking a decision to close down schools till the time the air quality improves, in view of the best interest of children." Delhi's Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Wednesday said that vehicular pollution was the major source of air pollution in the city. He particularly pointed out that the buses running on diesel from neighboring states, mainly Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, contribute heavily towards air pollution. In a bid to cut down vehicular pollution, he appealed to the citizens to avoid driving and opt for car and bike-sharing, or work from home. "Vehicular pollution contributes to nearly 50 percent of the air pollution in Delhi. We must minimize the number of vehicles on roads," he said, adding that wood and coal burning should be discouraged. The number of vehicles in Delhi is more than the number of vehicles in the rest three major cities in India -- Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. "We have rolled out emergency measures, including a ban on construction activities and the deployment of 521 water sprinklers and 233 anti-smog guns whose usefulness in combating the annual crisis remains questionable," said Rai. A ban on construction and demolition activities has been imposed across Delhi and its surrounding areas. During the winter months, smog envelops the national capital and its adjoining areas, thus hampering visibility on roads, besides people facing difficulty in breathing. Heavy monetary fines are imposed on those found flouting the ban conditions. On Tuesday, a fine of 500,000 Indian Rupees (around 6,041 U.S. dollars) was imposed on Larsen and Toubro (L&T) construction company for flouting CAQM ban orders in central Delhi. Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday announced financial support of 5,000 Indian Rupees (around 60.41 U.S. dollars) per month to each construction worker. (Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Liang Jun) Flowers and bottles of traditional Korean alcohol are placed near a framed message dedicated to those who lost their lives during the Halloween tragedy last Saturday in a makeshift memorial site near Itaewon Station in Seoul on Oct. 31. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul By Kang Hyun-kyung The wounds are still fresh. Korea is reeling from the deadly crowd crush that took the lives of 156 people and injured many others who gathered in the alleys of central Seoul's Itaewon last Saturday for Halloween celebrations. The tragedy is ongoing as families of the victims are gripped by the deep pain of loss and 38 others who were injured during the nightmare are still hospitalized and receiving medical treatment. Among those who lost their lives are 26 foreign nationals from 14 different countries, which has brought messages from around the entire world in mourning for the tragic losses. As the international community grieves, The Korea Times is receiving condolence messages from the chiefs of mission at embassies in Korea to share with our readers. Their messages will be published in our newspaper in an effort to relieve the pain and agony shouldered by the families who lost their loved ones. The race for the governorship remains a tossup, with a new poll showing a narrow lead for the Republican candidate in a state that hasn't elected a Republican governor since 1982. Republican Christine Drazan leads Democrat Tina Kotek in the race, 44 to 41 per cent, according to a new Nelson Research poll, KOIN reported. That gives Drazan a 2-point lead in the RealClearPolitics polling average, having narrowly led in every poll this fall. The race pits the former House speaker, Kotek, against the former minority leader, in a heavily Democratic state. But term-limited incumbent Kate Brown is unpopular, and Democrat-turned-independent Betsy Johnson has the potential to serve as a spoiler. She is at 5 per cent in the poll. Republican Christine Drazan holds a narrow 44 to 41 per cent lead over Democrat Tina Kotek in the latest Nelson Research poll for Oregon governor. Top prognosticators have rated the race a tossup, even though a Republican last won the governorship in 1982 She has raised the most money of the trio, hauling in more than $11 million by mid-September, according to the Cook Political Report, which rates the race a true tossup. Kotek has led in fundraising, bringing in $21 million since last year, while Drazan was nearly at parity with $17 million raised. Johnson has raised $17 million and spent nearly all of it, making her a key factor, although her poll numbers have been slipping. Nike founder Phil Knight, who usually backs Republicans, donated $3.75 million to Johnson, then gave $1 million to the Republican Drazan this month, Oregon Live reported. Republican gubernatorial candidate Christine Drazan also holds a narrow lead in a polling average Democratic gubernatorial nominee Tina Kotek, the former state House speaker, is seeking to succeed unpopular Democratic Gov. Kate Brown Gubernatorial candidate Betsy Johnson could be a spoiler. Johnson is running as an independent in the race for Governor. Nike founder Phil Knight donated $3.75 million to Johnson In a debate last month, Drazan accused Kotek of undergoing a 'stunning' reversal on defunding the police. Drazan, meanwhile, refused to condemn fellow GOP candidates who deny the results of the 2020 election or promote QAnon conspiracy theories. 'It's not about other races. It's not about other candidates,' Drazan said when asked about Oregon's Republican Senate hopeful Jo Rae Perkins, who thanked 'Q' and former President Donald Trump when she won the GOP primary. In August, Drazan was quoted saying she 'wishes all other Republican candidates well.' Drazan also blamed Kotek for a string of homeless encampments throughout Portland, as the state and city battle a housing crisis and drug use as well as a spike in crime. 'This is the greatest indictment of Tina Kotek's leadership is how she failed to act on this issue,' Drazan said. Kotek served as speaker from 2013 to 2022 and is the first out lesbian speaker of any state legislature. As minority leader Drazan battled the governor's emergency COVID-19 orders. The trial of two Just Stop Oil protesters for criminal damage has been delayed after they struggled to get legal representation due to lawyers being overwhelmed with cases. The two climate change protestors glued themselves to the frame of John Constable's masterpiece The Hay Wain with the help of double sided sticky tape. Hannah Hunt, 23, co-founder of Just Stop Oil and Eben Lazarus, 22, staged the protest at the National Gallery on July 4. The pair were held after allegedly sticking large sheets of paper over the 1821 Suffolk landscape of what activists called 'an apocalyptic vision of the future'. The image featured scenes of scorched trees, polluted skies, and discarded household waste. The Brighton students then glued their hands to the frame, it is alleged. They appeared at City of London Magistrates Court today for trial, but it was adjourned as they had no representation. The pair claim their actions were necessary to address the climate crisis. Eben Lazarus (left) and Hannah Hunt (right) pictured outside City of London Magistrates Court on Thursday Eco-zealots from Just Stop Oil cover John Constable's The Hay Wain with their own apocalyptic pictures The trial was adjourned as Hunt (left) and Lazarus (right) had no representation at court Hunt attended wearing her hair in a pony tail, a grey striped jumper and red trousers while Lazarus wore a white shirt and his hair in a bun. The trial was adjourned as a lawyer from Hodge Jones & Allen solicitors, who have a department dedicated to protest cases, did not attend as they had not been paid. Ms Hunt explained that the firm was overwhelmed by the amount of protest cases taking place at the moment. Lazarus told the court he now has no fixed address but letters could still be sent to his parent's address in Wiltshire. Lazarus said: 'Until yesterday our understanding was we were being represented, going ahead today wouldn't give us enough time to put a defence together as we're not experienced. 'We have a right to a fair trial and it would be an unfair trial if it went ahead today.' Adjourning the case, district Judge Nina Tempia said: 'If you aren't represented on the next occasion the case will go ahead without you and you will have to represent yourselves.' Hannah Hunt has previously come under fire for her past holidays abroad to exotic destinations such as Bali Hunt is the co-founder of Just Stop Oil but is said to be a keen yachtswoman with her Instagram account showing her holidaying in Australia, Greece and Bali. The protest is said to have happened in front of school children at around 2.15pm and forced the evacuation of the gallery room where the masterpiece hangs. Psychology student Hunt and music student Lazarus were sporting t-shirts bearing the Just Stop Oil logo at the time of the stunt. Earlier this year Hunt glued herself to the red carpet at the Bafta awards, and she has broken into an ExxonMobil oil refinery in Hampshire. Hunt and Lazarus were both arrested at around 4.45pm the same day following their eco-vandal stunt. Ms Hunt said during the stunt: 'We can forget our "green and pleasant land" as further oil extraction will lead to widespread crop failures which means we will be fighting for food. Ultimately, new fossil fuels are a death project by our government. 'So yes, there is glue on the frame of this famous painting, but there is blood on the hands of our government. 'The disruption will end as soon as the UK government makes a meaningful statement that it will end new oil and gas licenses.' The Hay Wain depicts a rural Suffolk scene, next to the River Stour, of a wagon returning to the fields across a shallow ford for another load. Just Stop Oil have said their reimagined version of the priceless work shows a 'nightmare scene that demonstrates how oil will destroy our countryside'. The protestors covered it with an image of an old car dumped in front of the Mill and the Hay Wain cart carrying an old washing machine. After the incident, the National Gallery said only 'minor damage' was caused to the frame with 'disruption to the surface of the varnish on the painting'. The pair will appear at Westminster Magistrates' court on December 6 for a two hour trial. Both remain on bail under the condition that they do not attend any art gallery or exhibition in England and Wales. They are also banned from possessing any adhesive substances including glue and tape in public. Police did not authenticate the woman's claims before knocking on Clark's door without identifying themselves and ultimately tasing him as he stood in his home Clark's neighbor, a convicted felon and accused violent criminal, told the police Clark had punched her over a noise dispute The elderly Clark is now wheelchair bound and has had his independence stripped away following an encounter with two officers Michael Clark was awarded a record-breaking settlement by the city of Idaho Springs after being tased by police in May of 2021 A record breaking $7 million settlement has been awarded to an elderly man by the City of Idaho Springs, Colorado following the unlawful use of a taser on him that occurred while he was standing in his own home. Michael Clark, 76, has faced a number of devastating medical complications following the incident including a stroke and subdural hemorrhage that have left him wheelchair bound and reliant on medical care to keep him alive. The massive settlement comes from a civil suit filed in July 2021 against ex-Officers Nicholas Hanning and Ellie Summers, as well as Corporal Richard Sonnenberg and the Idaho Springs Police Department. In addition to tasing Clark, one of the officers placed a knee on the elderly man's neck as they handcuffed him for allegedly assaulting a neighbor, a claim they did not verify. Michael Clark, 76, suffered a stroke, subdural hemorrhage and permanent cognitive impairments because of the tasing. He is now wheelchair bound and has lost his independence Police body cam footage of the May 2021 incident show Clark being tased and dragged from his apartment by two police officers who have since left or been dismissed from the force Clark's attorney Sarah Schielke spoke Wednesday morning about the record $7 million settlement awarded to Clark by the city of Idaho Springs in the aftermath of the attack One of the officers placed a knee on Clark's neck as he was handcuffed. The officers can also be seen in body cam footage removing Clark's fish bone sword from his house and placing it in the hallway Close to 10-minutes of police bodycam footage showed officers interacting with Clark's neighbor, Brittany Odom, prior to the assault. Odom, who was drunk at the time of her interaction with the police, claimed Clark had punched her in the face after growing aggravated with noise coming through her apartment. Though police footage shows it was in fact Odom who threatened Clark's life multiple times to the officers. In 2021, after obtaining the police bodycam footage, Schielke said that the officers who were part of the incident involving Clark 'took no steps to protect him from Ms. Odom, who, in addition the repeated declarations we see her make on video stating she would kill Mr. Clark, also has a violent criminal history that includes an aggravated assault charge for stabbing a man in the neck. 'How could so many individuals at so many levels of government fail so repeatedly and deliberately to execute their duties to keep this innocent, elderly man safe? It is a culture of recklessness, indifference and self-protectionism,' she said. Police spoke with Odom, a convicted criminal who has previously been charged with aggravated assault and attempted murder, for roughly 90 seconds before moving no to Clark's apartment. After being tased, Clark suffered a series of medical complications, including a 'stroke, subdural hemorrhage,' and 'permanent cognitive impairments,' according to his attorney. Clark's lawyer, Sarah Schielke, also argued that Clark has lost 'nearly all independence as a result of Idaho Springs Police's gruesome attack and mistreatment.' 'He will never again be able to drive a car, cook himself a meal, or even take a walk down the street with his grandchildren,' she said. 'He is wheelchair bound and now forever dependent on his family and doctors to survive.' Prior to the incident with the police, Schielke described Clark as a widower who was living a 'rich, happy life' in Idaho Springs, who spent his time volunteering and tending to his two pet cats. The multi-million dollar settlement was described by Schielke's law firm as a 'record-breaking settlement amount for a civil rights case in Colorado not involving wrongful death.' Michael Clark's daughter, Cynthia Flageolle, said her father 'went from doing everything he loved when he wanted and on his own to having to have someone with him to care and assist him, 24 hours a day' Michael Clark before the tasing incident. His attorney said he had been enjoying a 'rich, full life' Nicholas Hanning was fired by the police department and originally charged with a felony assault, but later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault. He additionally gave up his peace officer training certification, meaning he will never be able to serve as an officer in Colorado again Brittany Odom, Clark's neighbor who told the police the elderly Clark had punched her, was not charged with any sort of crime for potentially lying to police - she is a convicted felon and has been charged with violent crimes in the past Ex-officer Ellie Summers, who has previously been involved in a number of police dust ups that include misuse of her weapon, can be seen here pointing her weapon at Clark as he opens the door Footage from the nearly 10 minute video showed officers Hanning and Summers knocking on Clark's door without identifying themselves as officers of the law. Clark then opened the door in nothing but boxer shorts, holding a collectible sword made from the bill of a sawfish, which he proceeded to put down when police asked him to. The officers yelled at him to 'get out here!' and 'get on the ground!' which he refused to do. Hanning then tasered Clark, who fell backwards and lost consciousness for close to two-and-half minutes. Hanning can also be seen on body cam footage moving the fish sword from Clark's apartment into the hallway. In the aftermath of the debacle, Hanning was fired from the police department and pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor - he was initially charged with felony assault of an at-risk adult. He was sentenced to supervised probation, in addition to 120 days of electronic home monitoring and 150 hours of public service. He agreed to give up his peace officer training certification, which means he can never serve as an office in Colorado again. At his sentencing hearing, Hanning apologized and said he had 'tarnished the badge I once wore.' Summers also resigned after receiving a reprimand from the department and facing multiple lawsuits. She had previously been the subject of incidents in which she pointed her gun at a woman's dog and stopped a deaf man for running a stop sign and using her taser on him. At a press conference on Wednesday morning following the announcement of the settlement, Clark's son Jeremy said, 'I hope we never see someone standing in front of you guys like this, talking about settlements for someone hurt by the people meant to keep them safe.' His daughter, Cynthia Flageolle, said her father deserves 'every penny' of the settlement 'and more.' 'But it doesn't bring him back to who he was and how he used to live,' she added. 'Our father went from doing everything he loved when he wanted and on his own to having to have someone with him to care and assist him, 24 hours a day.' Clark's children have additionally advocated for a charge against Odom, whose actions, they claim were catalyst for police action against their father. Odom was previously convicted of lying to police in 2016 in Florida. She was also charged with felony aggravated domestic assault in 2011 and attempted murder in 2012. He pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to charges of attempted murder, domestic violence kidnapping and domestic violence assault Authorities say Chae broke her Apple Watch, stabbed her and buried her in a 19-inch deep grave over a dispute about their divorce and finances But by the time police got to the house in suburban Washington, Chae Kyong An, 53, had already driven off to the woods where he would bury her alive A dispatcher realized she was in danger and sent authorities to the scene Young Sook An, 42, could be heard making muffled screams in a desperate attempt to get help after she was hogtied and gagged by her ex-husband A woman who was bound and gagged by her estranged husband could be heard screaming for help in a newly-released 911 call she was able to make on her Apple Watch before she was buried alive. Throughout the seven-minute call, obtained by FOX News, Young Sook An, 42, could be heard making muffled screams in a desperate attempt to get help after she was hogtied and gagged by her estranged husband Chae Kyong An, 53, at her home. A dispatcher on the other end struggled to understand the desperate woman, but quickly realized Young Sook was in danger, telling her: 'Hold on one second, I'm going to get help started for you.' But just a few moments later, authorities say, Chae dragged Young Sook to the garage, where he broke her watch, threw her into a minivan and drove off to the woods about seven miles away, where he would bury her alive. Video from a neighbor's surveillance camera captured his vehicle passing by a police SUV that was just arriving at the woman's house in a suburb of Washington about 60 miles southwest of Seattle. Chae is then said to have brought Young sook to the woods in Lacey, Washington about seven miles away where he stabbed her and buried her in a shallow grave over a dispute about their divorce and finances. She was only able to get free after spending several hours digging herself out. On Tuesday, Chae Kyong pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted first-degree murder, first-degree domestic violence kidnapping and first-degree domestic violence assault. He is being held without bail and is due back in court on November 16. Young Sook An, 42, was able to make a 911 call on her Apple Watch as she was bound and gagged by her ex-husband, Chae Kyong An, 53, last month Authorities say Chae attacked his wife at the home he used to share with her at around 1pn on October 16. He allegedly followed Young Sook into the bedroom where she had gone to change, when he punched her and duct taped her hands behind her back. He is also said to have placed tape across her eyes, thighs and ankles. Still, Young Sook was able to call 911 with her Apple Watch, and sent an emergency notification to her 20-year-old daughter and her best friend, before Chae dragged her to the garage and smashed the watch with a hammer. She was then dragged to the garage and put in An's 2006 Dodge Caravan. Surveillance footage from a neighbor's house shows the van parked at the family home and then speeding off a little while later. But the call continued on the wrecked Apple Watch, as a dispatcher vowed to stay on the line with her until police arrived at the home. After about five minutes of silence, FOX News reports, police could be heard entering the home saying: 'Lacey Police Department, make yourself known.' Police said they were unaware at the time that the woman had been abducted. 'The dispatch was an "unknown trouble call,"' said Sgt Shannon Barnes. 'So [the officer] had no information about anything he was walking into.' Surveillance footage caught Chae Young entering his 2006 Dodge Caravan, after allegedly forcing Young Sook into the vehicle Chae was seen speeding off as police vehicles arrived on the scene of the house in suburban Washington Meanwhile, Chae Kyong was able to get Young t a wooded area, where he allegedly stabbed her in the chest and buried her alive in a 19-inch deep grave. The probable cause document reads that 'a heavy tree' was also 'put on top of her.' 'After being put in the ground she could hear her husband walking around the hole and dirt being put on top of her,' it continues. She said her husband told her she was going to die. But fortunately, Young was able to survive, recalling to authorities how she was struggling to breathe but managed to keep dirt off her face by continually squirming around. As the day turned to night, Young Sook said she was able to free herself from the duct tape. Once the tape was off her eyes, she saw the van's window was steaming and a light was on inside. She then got up and ran for about 30 minutes until she found a home. According to court documents, she was found hiding behind the shed in the front yard of a property just before 1.00am on October 17. The residents had called 911. When police arrived and identified her as the missing female she exclaimed, 'My husband is trying to kill me! Help me!' According to a Thurston County Superior Court filing, when Young Sook ultimately escaped and called the police, she 'had duct tape still wrapped around her neck, lower face and ankles.' 'There was also extensive bruising to her legs, arms and head and her clothing and hair were covered in dirt.' Police found Chae Kyong in the woods about six hours later, standing near the shallow grave. They also found fragments of the Apple Watch stuck to duct tape at the scene. On Tuesday, Chae Kyong pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted first-degree murder, first-degree domestic violence kidnapping and first-degree domestic violence assault According to the probable cause document, the home has a 'history of domestic and violence.' Young Sook's friend who received the emergency notification and was on the scene at the house when the police arrived told authorities that Chae had previously told his estranged wife, 'I'm not going down alone.' Now, Young Sook is pleading with a judge to keep her husband in jail. She described her husband as 'extremely smart,' having worked in intelligence for the US Military. According to a statement by Young Sook - delivered on her behalf by her attorney in court - she has requested he continue to be held without bail. 'Please no bail. I am really afraid for my life. I just want to emphasize that I fear him so much and he will kill me again if he is out.' A digital marketing boss accused of raping a woman at his apartment told a court she demanded rough sex and wanted her throat held. South African Edward Love, 32, allegedly forced himself on the woman at his home in Notting Hill, London, after she refused to have sex with him unless he wore a condom. Love, who works as an SEO manager for the fashion retail group TFG London, denies rape, assault by penetration and sexual assault. He told a court he did as he 'was instructed' and stopped when the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told him to. Love claimed he'd told his flatmate 'something to the effect that (she) had a rape fantasy.' He was asked by his barrister Allister Walker about the first night he spent with the woman, two days before the alleged assault on 23 August 2020. Love told jurors at Southwark Crown Court: 'Things got a bit weird. They started out normally. 'She wanted really rough sex. She wanted her throat held. She had a habit of saying 'no' under her breath.' 'She said something to the effect of 'I'm testing you'. He said that when she said no he stopped immediately, but she told him to carry on. 'She said carry on so I carried on. I was doing as I was instructed.' Edward Love at Southwark Crown Court. He is accused of raping a woman at his apartment in Notting Hill, London Love said he 'explicitly' told the complainant he was in contact with another woman he met on the dating app Hinge. 'I didn't want to hide anything,' said Love. Love was then asked about the night he allegedly raped her. 'She asked me if I had a condom. I said I didn't. She asked me if I had had sex with [the woman he met on Hinge]. I said no I hadn't slept with her. I alluded to the fact that I was clean, that I had no STD.' When Mr Walker asked him 'did you have full intercourse,' Love replied: 'Yes.' Mr Walker then asked: 'As far as you are concerned, did you have any impression that she did not want to have sex?' Love answered: 'Initially no. She was essentially talking to herself, like she was having an out of body experience. She said 'no' to herself.' He claimed when the woman said 'stop' he did. Charles Royle, prosecuting, asked Love how he felt about the first time he'd had sex with the woman. 'I found it a bit uncomfortable,' he said. 'I'm quite vanilla (ordinary) myself.' Mr Royle asked Love why he met her a second time. 'I had just come out of a long-term relationship. I was lonely,' he said. 'It was not just about sex. I was lonely and wanted companionship. Sex was obviously a bonus. 'I thought I was conducting myself like a gentleman.' Love said he spoke to his flatmate about the kind of sex he had had with his alleged victim. 'I told him something to the effect that (she) had a rape fantasy.' Mr Royle asked him if he told her he thought it was weird. Love replied: 'No I didn't tell her I thought it was weird, but I told friends. 'I'm not going to never see a girl ever again because she has kinks.' Love, of Notting Hill, denies rape, assault by penetration and sexual assault (stock photo of Southwark Crown Court) Love later told prosecutor Charles Royle during cross-examination: 'With all due respect sir I know what consensual sex is.' Mr Royle said: 'You knew when the victim got in your bed that she wanted to go to sleep, she made it entirely clear she didn't want any sexual activity.' Love replied: 'That's not true.' Mr Royle continued: 'You were touching her breasts and her backside?' 'And she was touching me,' Love claimed. 'She told you twice, she didn't want to have sex. You then wouldn't stop [...],' Mr Royle said. Love said: 'I didn't do that.' Mr Royle said: 'And she pushed your hands away, it was obvious to you she wasn't consenting.' Love answered: 'With all due respect, this was not my recollection at all sir.' Mr Royle told him: 'You got on top of her and you were touching her everywhere.' Love replied: 'I did get on top of her but that was during sex.' Mr Royle then asked 'you told her to 'open' her legs' to which Love replied: 'No.' 'She was telling you to stop,' Mr Royle said, to which Love said: 'No it was completely consensual, when she said stop I stopped.' Mr Royle told the defendant: 'You were holding her arms hard enough to bruise her.' Love said: 'I was holding her wrist because I thought she'd like that.' Mr Royle added: 'Your reaction to the victim since has been to deny and confuse and make up a long-complicated story to explain a line you knew you crossed wasn't it?' Love answered: 'Why would I tell my housemate about it the next morning?' 'Well, the alternative is to tell your housemate 'I raped a girl last night,' Mr Royle continued. You were dealing with her text messages trying to keep her sweet trying to stop her complaining.' Love insisted: 'That's not true.' Love, of Notting Hill, denies rape, assault by penetration and sexual assault. The trial continues. It is now thought to be housing mainly Venezuelans and Senegalese migrants A Bronx imam helped to coordinate their arrival to Randall's Island from Brazil Some 113 Senegalese migrants have arrived at a 'tent city' facility commissioned by New York City mayor Eric Adams - which until last week was almost empty. The Senegalese migrants mostly made their way up to the facility on Randall's Island from the southern border via buses on Sunday. Their arrival in New York was coordinated by an Imam from the Bronx who had been housing migrants independently before hearing that the facility was empty. Omar Niass of the Masjid Ansaru-Deen Islamic house of worship said that the majority of the migrants had been working in Brazil. When they heard the border was open they left their jobs to migrate, many of them taking Greyhound buses up to the city, he told the New York Post. Last month there were just seven men in the 500-bed facility - formally called the Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center - which cost around $325,000 to build according to a city official. One man told the New York Post that there were about 200 men living there and that they come from Senegal and South America. 113 Senegalese migrants arrived at a facility New York City commissioned by mayor Eric Adams and known as 'tent city' New York City Mayor Eric Adams tours the Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center on Randall's Island A call center set up at the Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center on Randall's Island The facility known as 'Adams Tent City' was opened a few weeks ago on October 19. Since then it has remained largely vacant because a deal brokered by the US with Mexico meant that Venezuelans were being turned back and busloads of them were not arriving in NYC. The facility consists of 500 beds in rows in a large tent and offers migrants access to washing machines and three meals a day. It drew some controversy when it was revealed that in a lounge area flat screen TVs and X-Box consoles had been setup. 'This is a place people can come, rest, relax and kick their feet up after the journey they have been on,' Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol told reporters at the facility on Randall's Island, the Post reported. The facility has a number of couches set up in front of large screen TVs Industrial kitchens ready to prepare food for the migrants expected at the Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center Extensive laundry facilities for the 500 migrants expected at the Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center Serigne Ndiaye, 34, from Dakar, Senegal, who had recently been admitted into the facilty told the Post: 'It's good conditions. We can't complain.' 'We can stay as long as we want,' he said. 'My friends heard about the tents from an imam who has been looking after them. My friend sent me a message and told me to come here,' he added, referring to Niass - the Bronx iman. A spokesperson for City Hall would not confirm to the Post how many migrants were now in the facility or where they came from, but said they thought they were from Venezuela and Africa Niass has been working with the migrants for some time and would often pick up those arriving at JFK airport. 'Sometimes, the church gives them plane tickets to JFK and I have to go and pick them up,' he said. Niass said that he had been working with Pastor Gilford Monrose, executive director of Adams' Office of Faith-Based and Community Partnerships, to organize the arrival of the migrants . Rows of tables and chairs in the cafeteria of the asylum seeker center on Randall's Island in New York City Construction on the project originally began at a location in the Bronx, but that work was scrapped after ten days due to water drainage issues so the facility was moved to Randall's Island. When it opened the city announced its plan was to bring single men in once they arrive at the main Manhattan bus terminal and to house them there for some days. Families with children would instead be housed in hotels and shelters across the city. 'We needed a different type of operation that gave us the time and space to welcome people, provide them a warm meal shower, a place to sleep, to understand their medical needs, to really then work with them to figure out what their next step is going to be,' said Iscol. The white tents also include a space where migrants can meet with case workers to determine their next steps. The city said it will be able to double the sleeping capacity of the tents, if needed. A spokesperson for City Hall would not confirm to the Post how many migrants were now in the facility or where they came from, but said they thought they were from Venezuela and Africa. Advertisement Jeers were heard as Suella Braverman visited the migrant processing centre at Manston, Kent, this afternoon. The embattled Home Secretary, who is under huge pressure to get a grip on the Channel migrant crisis, travelled to the site by RAF Chinook helicopter. She was spotted disembarking from the aircraft wearing a Top Gun-style pilots' helmet. After landing, Mrs Braverman was ushered into a waiting black BMW and driven in a six-car convoy to the main gate at 2.20pm. Shortly after her arrival, howls, whistles and boos could be heard from the camp, near Ramsgate. Two police helicopters buzzed overhead as officers kept a close eye on those on the ground. Mrs Braverman, who is facing widespread criticism of her handling of Britain's asylum system, was met by Home Office officials and shown some of the tents set up for migrants to live. She also visited the catering facilities and mobile shower blocks. The Home Secretary later left the Kent site through a side gate, away from media gathered at the main entrance. Her visit comes after ministers admitted the Manston facility is not operating legally amid overcrowding and reported outbreaks of disease. There were an estimated 3,500 people remaining at the facility last night, despite it having a maximum capacity of only 1,600. Downing Street today said the number of people at Manston had continued to fall, with more than 1,000 having now been relocated to alternative accommodation since Sunday as officials conduct a frantic search for hotel rooms. 'Currently there are around 2,700 people on the site at Manston but those numbers are continually changing as we move people into alternative accommodation,' a No 10 spokeswoman said. The spokeswoman revealed Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is receiving twice daily updates on the situation at the centre. The Home Office said steps were being taken to bolster the 24/7 medical facilities already on-site, as well as to provide extra bedding, improved catering facilities and more activities to support migrant welfare, including for children. Mrs Braverman said after her visit: 'I wanted to see first hand how we're working to reduce the number of people in Manston, support people there, and thank staff for all their efforts. 'I am incredibly proud of the skill and dedication shown to tackle this challenging situation here on a daily basis. 'This is a complex and difficult situation, which we need to tackle on all fronts and look at innovative solutions. 'To break the business model of the people smugglers, we need to ensure that the illegal migration route across the Channel is ultimately rendered unviable.' Mrs Braverman's decision to use an helicopter to arrive at the Manston centre, a former RAF base, raised eyebrows. But sources close to the Home Secretary said it was so she could 'see the breadth of the coastline' that Border Force officials are having to monitor as thousands continue to arrive in Britain from across the Channel. During the helicopter journey, Dan OMahoney, Border Forces clandestine threat commander, was said to have pointed out locations to Mrs Braverman where migrants' small boats are brought to shore. The Home Secretary had earlier visited another migrant processing facility at Dover's Western Jet Foil, which is 20 miles from Manston - a half-hour car journey. Suella Braverman arrived - by Chinook helicopter - at the migrant processing centre at Manston, Kent, this afternoon The embattled Home Secretary is facing huge pressure to get a grip on the Channel migrant crisis Mrs Braverman's visit came after ministers admitted the Manston facility is not operating legally amid overcrowding and reported outbreaks of disease Sources close to the Home Secretary said she travelled by helicopter so she could 'see the breadth of the coastline' that Border Force officials are having to monitor Mrs Braverman spoke with Dan OMahoney, Border Forces clandestine threat commander, during her visit to Kent today Campaigners are threatening legal action against the Home Secretary over conditions at Manston and the 'unlawful treatment' of people held at the facility Mrs Braverman this week denied claims she had ignored legal advice that migrants were being detained for unlawfully long periods at Manston Residents at the Manston centre gesture through a fence during Mrs Braverman's visit Downing Street defended Mrs Bravermans use of a military helicopter. A No10 spokeswoman said: 'The Home Secretary was in Dover to receive an update on operations on the ground. That obviously involved operations in the Channel. 'She travelled on a military aircraft to see the area of operations at sea.' Natalie Elphicke, the Tory MP for Dover, accused Mrs Braverman of failing to meet with local MPs and council leaders during her trip to Kent. She said: 'The small boats crisis is not just in the migrant processing facilities, it is on our Kent beaches, schools, services and housing. 'Its a great pity that the Home Secretary wasnt able to meet with Kent MPs and Kent council leaders to discuss first hand the serious local impact of this issue which Kent leaders have described as at "breaking point".' Campaigners are threatening legal action against the Home Secretary over conditions at Manston and the 'unlawful treatment' of people held at the facility. Mrs Braverman this week denied claims she had ignored legal advice that migrants were being detained for unlawfully long periods at Manston. She also denied having blocked the transfer of thousands of migrants to hotels this summer, which is claimed to have directly led to overcrowding and outbreaks of scabies and diptheria. At least three coaches full of people were moved from the Manston site during Mrs Braverman's visit today. The Home Office is continuing a frantic search for more hotel rooms for asylum seekers to relieve pressure at the overcrowded processing facility. Immigration minister Robert Jenrick said the Government was trying to transfer people from crisis-hit Manston 'as quickly as possible'. But Tory backbenchers have staged a revolt about the block-booking of accommodation in their constituencies. Those MPs who have complained about the use of hotels in their areas include David Davis (Haltemprice and Howden), Selaine Saxby (North Devon), Kate Kniveton (Burton), Jo Gideon (Stoke-on-Trent Central), Tom Hunt (Ipswich) and Katherine Fletcher (South Ribble). The grim conditions at the Manston centre were this week laid bare in a letter thrown by a young girl over the perimeter fence to a photographer. The note, written in broken English and addressed to 'journalists, organisations, everyone', appeared to suggest 50 families had been held there for more than 30 days. It also claimed there were pregnant women and sick detainees at the site. Lawyers on behalf of charity Detention Action and a woman held at Manston this week sent an urgent pre-action letter to the Home Office. It said the woman - from a non-European country - 'was unlawfully detained by the Home Secretary at the Manston facility in egregiously defective conditions'. The legal complaint also includes claims of 'serious threats to the safety of children'. Among the other concerns raised by the woman and the charity are 'the routine prolongation of detention beyond statutory time limits; failure to adhere to essential safeguarding measures for children; and women and children sleeping alongside adult men to whom they are unrelated'. There are also claims of 'inadequate or non-existent access to legal advice for those detained' and 'exposure to infectious diseases due to overcrowding and poor sanitation'. Migrants were seen leaving the Manston processing centre in coaches this afternoon There were an estimated 3,500 people remaining at the Manston facility last night, despite it having a maximum capacity of only 1,600 Campaigners are threatening legal action against the Home Secretary over conditions at Manston and the 'unlawful treatment' of people held at the facility A charity has expressed concerns about the safety of children at the site The grim conditions at the centre were this week laid bare in a letter thrown by a young girl over the perimeter fence to a photographer The letter, written in broken English and addressed to 'journalists, organisations, everyone', appeared to suggest 50 families had been held at Manston for more than 30 days Braverman 'invasion' claim was 'unfortunate', admits minister Climate minister Graham Stuart conceded 'unfortunate language' had been used after Albanian prime minister Edi Rama criticised Home Secretary Suella Braverman. The Home Secretary has come under fire from opposition parties and some of her own side over the stark language in the Commons on Monday. Defending her handling of the crisis amid reports of overcrowding and outbreaks of disease at the Manston processing facility, Ms Braverman said the UK asylum system is 'broken' and illegal migration is 'out of control'. She suggested only the Tories were 'serious about stopping the invasion on our southern coast'. Right-wing MPs have lined up behind her, saying she was only 'speaking the truth' after nearly 40,000 cross the Channel this year. But Mr Stuart told Sky News today: 'So we are trying to work in co-operation, but clearly there's pressure. You can see it from councillors, you can see it from members of parliaments, you can hear it from people and journalists around the country. 'It can lead to language which is sometimes unfortunate and it is worth putting on record our gratitude to the Albanian government for their co-operation in working to sort this out.' Advertisement Earlier today, Mrs Braverman met with Border Force staff and military personnel at Dover to discuss operations in the Channel. Her visit to the Western Jet Foil came four days after the same immigration centre was targeted in a petrol bomb attack. There are concerns that the Government's failure to stem the number of migrants crossing the Channel in small boats could be fuelling far-right activity. The Home Office did not invite media to Mrs Braverman's visit to Kent today, although No10 denied the Home Secretary had been banned from speaking to reporters. It follows criticism of Mrs Braverman's comments about Britain facing an 'invasion on our southern coast' earlier this week. The Home Secretary has admitted Britain's asylum system is 'broken' and illegal migration 'out of control', with the Government continuing to stuggle to get its Rwanda scheme up and running. Labour have dismissed the 120million plan to send those arriving illegally in the UK to the African country as a 'gimmick'. But Downing Street did not deny reports today that the Government is seeking other Rwanda-style deals with Belize, Peru and Paraguay. A No10 spokeswoman said: 'We do plan to negotiate similar deals with other countries, akin to the Rwanda partnership, but its not helpful for us to comment on speculation around potential discussions.' The reports threatened a further international row over the Government's handling of the Channel migrant crisis. Eamon Courtenay, the foreign minister of Belize, dismissed the 'offensive' claim that the Caribbean country could become a destination for those deported from Britain. He said: 'Belize is not in negotiations with the UK or anyone else to take migrants. The very idea of exporting migrants is offensive to us. It will not happen.' The Home Secretary earlier arrived in the pouring rain at a migrant processing centre on the Western Jet Foil at Dover The Home Office did not invite media to Mrs Braverman's visit to Kent today, although No10 denied the Home Secretary had been banned from speaking to reporters Mrs Braverman is facing widespread criticism of her handling of Britain's asylum system Suella Braverman's popularity plummets among Tory members Suella Braverman's popularity among Tory members has plummeted in recent weeks, a new survey has shown. The embattled Home Secretary now sits fifth-bottom when Cabinet ministers are ranked by their net satisfaction ratings among Conservative activists. In the previous three versions of the monthly surveys, conducted by the ConservativeHome website, Ms Braverman had sat within the top four most popular Cabinet ministers. In the October survey, the Home Secretary has a net satisfaction rating of 20.4. This is a dramatic fall from her previous three scores of 57.7, 51.9 and 52.6. In recent weeks, Ms Braverman has been forced to resign as Home Secretary after admitting to sharing Government documents from a personal email address. And, since being reappointed to the role by Rishi Sunak, she has also attracted severe criticism of her handling of the Channel migrant crisis. Advertisement The Government has already become embroiled in a war-of-words with the Albanian Prime Minister and the country's Royal Family over the arrival of migrants in Britain from the Balkan state. Albanian PM Edi Rama has taken aim at Mrs Braverman with an accusastion she is 'fuelling xenophobia' by branding Channel crossings 'an invasion' and scapegoating his citizens to distract from the UK's 'failed policies'. Downing Street attempted to cool tensions by welcoming joint UK-Albania efforts to stem small boat arrivals from across the Channel. 'We remain extremely grateful for the co-operation of the Albanian government, we have a strong working relationship with them, which we would want to continue to build on,' the No10 spokeswoman said. She added that Albanian nationals made up to over a third of small boat arrivals this year, with rising crossings putting 'unprecedented pressure' on Britain's asylum system. The Channel migrant crisis has seen 40,000 people arrive on the South Coast already this year. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt today admitted Britain had an asylum system that 'isn't working' and had 'got particularly bad in the last couple of years'. 'You look at the number of small boat crossings, theyve shot up in the last few years, and were determined to grip that problem,' he told broadcasters. Asked why Mrs Braverman was not, like him taking questions from reporters, Mr Hunt said: 'The Home Secretary did a number of public appearances this week in Parliament. 'Shes been prepared to face the music this week and Im sure youll continue to have a chance to ask her questions.' Mrs Braverman has spoken in the House of Commons once this week. New Home Office statistics published today revealed Albanians continued to be the most common nationality to be referred for support as potential victims of modern slavery. Albanians accounted for more than a quarter (28 per cent) of all potential victims between July and September. The number of Albanians referred under a national framework in those three months was 1,294, which was the highest figure since the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) was set up in 2009. The number of Albanian nationals being referred has now surpassed the number of UK nationals, the second-most commonly referred nationality, for a third consecutive quarter. There were 1,076 UK nationals referred under the NRM between July and September, with Eritrean nationals (324) the third most commonly referred nationality. Mrs Braverman this week warned MPs that many Albanian nationals arriving in Britain were 'abusing our modern slavery laws'. Immigration minister Robert Jenrick, who also visited Dover today, last night confirmed that a judicial review is being brought against the Home Office after reports of severe overcrowding at the Manston centre. Mr Jenrick estimated 3,500 people remained at the facility on Wednesday night. Its maximum capacity is 1,600. Hundreds of people have been removed from the site in recent days, with Mr Jenrick expressing hope that Manston will return to being 'legally compliant' soon. Mohammed Shah Subhani, known as Shah, was reported missing on May 7, 2019 when he failed to return to his home in Hounslow, west London Three men have denied murdering a father-of-one and disposing of his body in woodland three years ago. Mohammed Shah Subhani, known as Shah, was reported missing on May 7 2019 when he failed to return to his home in Hounslow, west London. The 27-year-old's remains were found by chance buried in woodland in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, on December 19 2019. Although the cause of death has not been ascertained, an examination of bones suggested his hands were tied and there had been burning to the body. On the day of his disappearance, Mr Subhani, a father of one, allegedly went to a plumbing premises and was killed. Prosecutors claim he was lured into a trap when he went to meet Amraj Poonia, 27, at R & J Plumbing in Derby Road, Hounslow, in a row over cannabis dealing. Mr Shah Subhani was never seen again and his remains were found in woodland between Beaconsfield and Gerrards Cross, Buckinhamshire, shortly before Christmas 2019. His hands had been tied together before his body was burnt. On Thursday, brothers Amraj Poonia, 27, and Raneel Poonia, 25, along with Gurditta Singh, 25, pleaded not guilty to his murder on May 7 2019. Mr Shah Subhani's remains were found in woodland between Beaconsfield and Gerrards Cross, Buckinhamshire, shortly before Christmas 2019 His body was recovered in woodland in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, on December 19, 2019 They also denied perverting the course of justice between May 6 and May 12, 2019. The charge alleges they assisted with the removal of the victim's body and two vehicles from the plumbing business. It also states that they helped in the depositing of Mr Subhani's body in woodland off Hedgerley Lane. Amraj Poonia, of Horley, Surrey; Raneel Poonia, of Slough, Berkshire; and Singh, 25, of Slough, were remanded into custody. The defendants, who appeared in court by video link, face a trial from April 11 next year. A further case management hearing was set for the Old Bailey on December 1. The trial is expected to last an estimated three months. A Boogaloo Boi arrested by the FBI was pictured with his rifle-mounted grenade launcher outside the Ohio Capitol building just days before Joe Biden's inauguration, unearthed images show. Aron McKillips, 29, is a far-right extremist who stockpiled silencers and bomb-making materials as well as building his own machine guns in a plot to 'kill as many government officials as possible'. McKillips was arrested by members of a task force from the FBI's Cleveland Division on Tuesday and is a 'well known member' of the Boogaloo Bois a militia group. And DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal images of the suspected extremist from January 17, 2021 where he proudly showed off his grenade launcher on the streets of Columbus, Ohio. McKillips was among the 50 protesters who gathered at the Statehouse 20 months ago. He was armed with a rifle-mounted grenade launcher - which was mentioned in his criminal complaint during his arrest. He wore a skull mask and a helmet as he paraded near the state building as snow fell on the ground - and he gripped his terrifying weapon. Other supporters around him were seen speaking through megaphones, and also armed with ammunition and guns, just weeks after pro-Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building in Washington DC. Ohio State Highway Patrol Staff Lieutenant Craig Cvetan described the protest as 'peaceful' at the time, despite some of the demonstrators being heavily armed. Aron McKillips (pictured) is seen armed with a rifle-mounted grenade launcher outside the Ohio Statehouse just days before Biden's inauguration in January 2021 McKillips was among the 50 protesters at the Statehouse Ohio State Highway Patrol Staff Lieutenant Craig Cvetan described the protest as 'peaceful' at the time, despite some of the demonstrators being armed He has been charged with unlawful possession of a machine gun and interstate communication of threats The 29-year-old is part of the Ohio branch of the militia group, which seeks to overthrow the government by sparking off a second Civil War. He has been charged with unlawful possession of a machine gun and interstate communication of threats. McKillips also posted a sick meme mocking House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her husband Paul after he was attacked with a hammer by an intruder last week. A criminal complaint unsealed in Toledo federal court revealed that McKillips regularly spoke to other members about his violent plans, according to the Daily Beast. Investigators claim he wanted to 'blow up the IRS', destroy Facebook headquarters and carry out a copycat attack of the 2017 deadly mass shooting at a Las Vegas concert which killed 58 people. He also expressed a desire to detonate a pipe bomb at a local child support office last year over processing fees. In an audio recording in a Signal chart room, which had several federal informants in it, McKillips said: 'The main f***ing beginning was kill feds, kill police, kill government officials. 'Kill them. Murder them. Unalive them. Delete them. Get rid of them. And then it became 'we're gonna do this peaceful.' F*** that.' He also spoke about 'burning down federal buildings' and 'shooting federal agents', adding 'this s*** started out being a f***ing way to kill feds.' McKillips was also heard complaining that no one wanted to 'raid a government building' with him, before saying that he wanted to 'mail a feds head back to his wife'. The 29-year-old is part of the Ohio branch of the group, which seeks to overthrow the government by sparking off a Civil War McKillips shared a disgraceful meme regarding the brutal attack on Paul Pelosi last week, which saw the 82-year-old attacked with a hammer and forced to undergo brain surgery Aron McKillips was arrested by members of a task force from the FBI's Cleveland Division on Tuesday and is a 'well known member' of the Boogaloo Bois a militia group The arrest comes days after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had her house targeted by David DePape, 42, who fractured her husbands skull in a brutal attack. DePape, a help jewelry maker, broke into their $6million San Francisco home and hit Paul, 82, over the head with a hammer after shouting 'Where is Nancy'. He reportedly had a 'hit list' of other politicians that he wanted to target as well as an anti-government manifesto. McKillips shared a disgraceful meme regarding the brutal attack, which saw Paul undergo brain surgery. Neil McElroy, his court-appointed attorney, confirmed that he was due to appear before a judge two days ago. McKillips was initially arrested by the Sandusky Police Department on New Year's Eve 2020, with officer finding 'several hundred rounds of 5.56mm and 9mm ammunition, body armor, AR-15 rifle upper receiver, parachute flares, medical kits, firearm components, and military style equipment' in the rear of his car. Boogaloo Bois: Far-right extremists who want a second Civil War... but are named after 1984 breakdancing movie The Boogaloo Bois believes in a coming second U.S. Civil War, which they refer to as the 'boogaloo'. During 2020, Boogaloo adherents increasingly attended protests and riots, and they often sought to capitalize on high tensions to incite violence and chaos. The group is named after a 1980s film about breakdancing and is generally associated with the extreme right. While some Boogaloo adherents promote white supremacist beliefs, others have also been known to provide security at Black Lives Matter protests. At least two people who participated in the January 6 Capitol riots are associated with the movement. The group believes that there will be a coming uprising against the government, and actively prepare for the eventuality. The group is named after a 1980s film about breakdancing and is generally associated with the extreme right It is thought that the movement originated on 4chan's /k/ imageboard, which is dedicated to discussions about weapons and firearms. In March 2020, police in Potomac, Maryland, shot and killed Duncan Lemp while serving a no-knock search warrant related to Lemp's alleged illegal possession of firearms. In the wake of Lemp's killing, individuals shared memes on Boogaloo social media groups, listing his name next to those of Black Americans killed by police, such as Breonna Taylor, implying they were all victimized by the same strain of police brutality. In December 2020, two affiliates of a Boogaloo network called the Boojahideen pled guilty to conspiring to support the foreign terrorist organization Hamas in exchange for money to finance Boogaloo activities. In February 2021, the FBI arrested two members of a different Boogaloo network, the United Pharaoh's Guard, for criminal activities committed while providing security, namely walking alongside marchers and escorting demonstrators to their cars, during racial justice protests in the aftermath of the killing of Breonna Taylor by police in Louisville, Kentucky. Advertisement Cops also found two marijuana roaches in the center console in the centre console, issuing him a citation and releasing him. In January last year half a dozen confidential informants provided investigators with screenshots from a Signal chat in which a photo of an AR-15 -style rifle with a grenade launched was posted. The profile called PrisonOh, meaning Prison Ohio - was linked to an Ohio phone number which was linked back to McKillips home address. McKillips claimed that the government took money from him and he still owed them money, before offering to sell the gun with a grenade launcher attached as well as three 'flash bang's and a pouch which holds three rifle magazines. He also sent his approval for another Boogaloo member who killed a law enforcement officer, as well as claiming he filled the top of his door with Tannerite which would cause it to explode if it was shot with a gun. In April 2021 McKillips is accused of supplying drop-in auto sears, firearm attachments which turn semi-automatic firearms into fully automatic gun, to several Boogaloo Bois in Michigan. Prosecutors say McKillips instructed them as to how it worked, before performing a function check on the weapons themselves. He also discussed trading the devices for a silencer, and McKillips later boasted about 'handing out machine guns in Michigan'. McKillips admitted that he wanted to 'shoot someone in the chest with a grenade launcher' and said if her were arrested 'he would not be taken alive' claiming he slept with his rifle. Another informant then told investigators that McKillips attended a protest at Richland County Jail in Mansfield, Ohio, to support a prisoner who had been killed by a corrections officer. In June McKillips attended a Black Lives Matter protest in Louisville, providing security and blocking off traffic for other protesters. He also complained that he didn't have a 'federal badge of a corpse' so his time wasn't done before adding 'I'm only here for the violence'. The extremist supported burning down Walmart, Target and the White House but said 'leave Sears alone cause they got really good selection of tools and stuff cause I'm poor'. During 2022 McKillips is accused of continuing to build automatic rifles, bragging that he was ready to do 'God's work'. In April he posted an image of himself driving on the highway with the comment 'omw to raid Columbus ATF office', before posting a picture of an AR-15 pointing at a police car. Last month he claimed that he thought he was going to be raided by law enforcement, adding: 'Needless to say 2 cops were on the corner I didn't notice at first, so now my AR is on my chest.' McKillips is also reportedly a member of the New Sons of Liberty (NSOL) militia group, which advocates violence in pursuit of a far-right future. President Joe Biden flew West on Thursday to try and shore up Democratic candidates in states he won two years ago as Republicans gain momentum in battleground races like Pennsylvania. The president will be in New Mexico to campaign for Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who has pulled ahead of her GOP opponent after polls last week showed her on shaky ground. He then heads to California to campaign for Rep. Mike Levin in San Diego. And he's make a stop in Chicago with a focus on boosting suburban Chicago congressional incumbents - Reps. Sean Casten, Lauren Underwood and Bill Foster - who are in races that may be tightening. Biden is making a last-ditch effort to rally Democrats as election forecasters predict Republicans will win control of the House in next Tuesday's election. And the battle to control the Senate is tightening. But most Democratic candidates have held the president at arms' length amid worries his low approval ratings and voter anger over his stewardship of the economy could bounce back on them. The White House insists the president is 'traveling around the country' and press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Thursday argued his message reaches beyond where he's speaking. 'When the President speaks, it is covered widely and broadly,' she told reporters on Air Force One during the flight West. President Joe Biden flew West to campaign in blue areas of New Mexico and California In Pennsylvania, a crucial state, Republican nominee Dr. Mehmet Oz has, for the first time, surpassed Democratic candidate John Fetterman in polling. The two point gap 48% to 46% shows steady improvement for Oz, whose support from likely Pennsylvanian voters has increased by 5 points since September, according to polling from The Hill/Emerson College. Biden will be in Philadelphia on Saturday - along with Barack Obama - to campaign for Fetterman. But the president won't be appearing in other states with close contests, including Nevada and Georgia. Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez Masto is in a neck-and-neck race fighting for her political life. Obama came was in the state on Tuesday to try and rally Democrats her way. The Georgia Senate race is also a nail biter but neither incumbent Democrat Raphael Warnock nor Republican nominee Herschel Walker are polling above 50%. State law mandates that candidates must receive a majority of the vote in order to win an election; if no one does so, the top-two finishers advance to a runoff. With the Senate currently sitting at 50-50 - and Vice President Kamala Harris providing the tie breaking vote - any race could decide which party is in the majority next year. New poll in Pennsylvania shows Republican candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz (right) leading Democrat John Fetterman (left) in their Senate race The president's party typically faces significant losses during midterm elections. Since 1934, only Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1934, Bill Clinton in 1998, and George W. Bush in 2002 saw their parties gain seats in the midterms. Biden, Obama, Vice President Kamala Harris and first lady Jill Biden are hitting the campaign trail with five days to go until the midterm election. They are trying to rally their base to get out and vote. 'Vote, vote, vote,' is the mantra Biden uses to close his campaign pitches. Donald Trump, meanwhile, will head head out to rally Republicans. He'll do four rallies in five days - hitting the battleground states of Iowa, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Florida. Polls show that the economy remains a top concern for American voters. More than half say the price of gas and consumer goods is the economic issue that worries them the most in a new Quinnipiac University national poll. President Biden will campaign for Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (above) in New Mexico In New Mexico, however, Biden will focus on student debt. He'll talk about his administration's efforts to 'lower college costs and provide extra breathing room' to student borrowers, a White House official said, while also warning of 'disastrous consequences for middle-class American families if Republican officials succeed in their plan to rob tens of millions of borrowers of their opportunity to receive debt relief.' Republicans argue Biden's plan is too costly and have sued in federal court to stop it. Nearly 26 million people have submitted their information to the Department of Education to be considered for loan forgiveness, according to the White House, with 16 million applications expected to be approved by the end of the week. On behalf of the people and government of the United States, I want to express our profound sorrow and deep condolences to the Korean people after the tragic events in Itaewon on Saturday night. We send our thoughts and prayers to the bereaved families of those young people who lost their lives in the tragic event and wish those injured a speedy recovery. A marine biologist has won more than 100,000 in a pregnancy discrimination case after she was made redundant from her job at a university despite it claiming it would protect 'vulnerable' workers during the pandemic. Caroline Law, 35, lost her job in June 2020 just two months before she was due to go on maternity leave, an employment tribunal heard. At the time of being made redundant, her boss at the University of Cumbria gave the expectant first-time mother advice on parenting. But Ms Law has now won 129,133 after successfully suing the university for pregnancy discrimination and unfair dismissal. The tribunal praised the married mother-of-one for representing herself at the four-day tribunal while juggling being a new mother, moving her family to Scotland, and arranging care for her elderly and disabled father. The tribunal in Manchester heard during the meeting in which Ms Law was told she was being made redundant she was left 'embarrassed and upset' by 'weird and inappropriate' remarks by Rachel Lowthian. The tribunal in Manchester heard during the meeting in which Caroline Law was told she was being made redundant she was left 'embarrassed and upset' by 'weird and inappropriate' remarks by her boss Rachel Lowthian (pictured) Ms Lowthian gave her advice on securing child benefits, finding second hand baby clothes and techniques to bathe a newborn, the panel heard. She also suggested Ms Law might be able to work from home while the baby slept and that if she worked hard she would get good 'karma'. When Ms Law tried to appeal her sacking in June 2020 the university's CEO David Chesser took a 'perfunctory' approach to her claim and rejected her argument that her pregnancy made her 'vulnerable'. This was despite statements by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Julie Mennell, PhD, that the University would not permit vulnerable staff to be disproportionately affected by its Covid response. She explained that she felt she was vulnerable due to her pregnancy. However, Mr Chesser - who did not give evidence at the tribunal - 'dismissed' this comment, the panel heard. Ms Law joined the University of Cumbria in Carlisle in 2015 before becoming a manager and then being promoted to an academic lead in 2019. The 'well thought of' academic also helped teach the zoology course, but mainly worked on an externally funded project. The panel heard in January 2020 she discovered she was pregnant and told her line manager before discovering she had an increased risk of pre-eclampsia - a condition that causes high blood pressure which can be brought on by stress. When Ms Law tried to appeal her sacking the university's chief operating officer David Chesser (pictured) took a 'perfunctory' approach to her claim and rejected her argument that her pregnancy made her 'vulnerable' Unfortunately when the UK was hit by the pandemic, the funding to support the work she had been doing 'vanished' as it was instead being funnelled into Covid-relief work, the panel heard. The tribunal was told Ms Law had been on various contracts during her five years at the university and she was reassured that the University 'had every intention of retaining her in the department' once the funding expired. However, Ms Lowthian brought her in for a formal meeting to say her contract would be ending in June, two months before her maternity was due to start in August 2020. Ms Law and her husband had been struggling financially after he was also being made redundant by an unrelated employer. The panel heard: 'In the context of Mrs Law facing financial difficulty, Mrs Lowthian volunteered some advice about securing child benefit, sourcing second-hand baby-clothes and also [although the context for this is less clear] the benefits of a particular type of thermometer and techniques for bathing a baby. 'She told Mrs Law she would introduce her to another member of staff... whose wife was currently pregnant.' Although the comments were 'well-intentioned', Ms Law found them 'weird and inappropriate' and left her wondering whether her redundancy had anything to do with her pregnancy, the panel heard. The tribunal heard Ms Lowthian sent the 'Babies' email minutes after the meeting, but Ms Law ignored it. Ms Law then began to look into her redundancy rights and asked about other possible roles. Ms Law has now won 129,133 after successfully suing the University of Cumbria (pictured)for pregnancy discrimination and unfair dismissal The panel heard in another meeting: '[Mrs Lowthian] suggested that Mrs Law might be able to do marking work from home whilst the baby slept and that if she kept working hard then 'karma' would mean things would work out for her. 'Mrs Law was unhappy that, so far as she was concerned, Mrs Lowthian saw no other outcome than that she would be leaving the University and would not to anything to try to prevent that.' During the appeal meeting, the panel found Mr Chesser 'dismissive' when Ms Law raised her concern that her pregnancy may have impacted on the process and outlined what she felt were 'inappropriate' comments by Ms Lowthian. Ms Law referred to statements by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Julie Mennell, PhD, that the university would not permit vulnerable staff to be disproportionately affected by the University's Covid response. Employment judge Joanne Dunlop concluded: 'Mrs Lowthian was well-intentioned and [we] believe that this was also apparent to Mrs Law. 'Mrs Law's concern was not so much about the advice itself, but about what it said about the redundancy process that Mrs Lowthian was spending the meeting dispensing such advice. 'It seems Mr Chesser was rejecting Mrs Law's reasonable point that pregnancy itself creates a vulnerability. 'Having regard to that context, we find Mr Chesser's comments were unfavourable treatment on the grounds of her pregnancy. 'Mr Chesser's approach to the appeal was perfunctory. Mrs Law had raised serious and difficult issues which merited exploration and explanation at the very least.' Ms Law and her husband, who is Scottish, relocated to South Ayrshire in Scotland after he received a job offer. She is still looking for a job and considering taking an MA in data analytics at the University of Aberdeen. Peloton shares slumped around 16 percent on Monday morning after the fitness firm which boomed during the pandemic reported a worse-than-expected drop in sales. The New York-based companys quarterly revenue was down 23 percent to $616.5million - lower than its forecast of between $625 million and $650 million. And Peloton also said sales for the current quarter, which includes the lucrative holiday period, will be lower than analysts predicted. Pelotons statement this morning said sales in the second fiscal quarter running through December will be $700 million to $725 million - 37 percent lower than the same period last year. Analysts had estimated sales of $874 million for the quarter. The worse-than-expected outlook briefly sent Peloton shares tumbling as much as 16 percent on Thursday morning. Peloton stock price has fallen 90 percent since pandemic highs and revenue has also declined Peloton stock price has tumbled by a massive 90 percent since its highs during the pandemic Peloton shares have nosedived by 90 percent since their pandemic highs of more than $160 Peloton shares have now lost a staggering 90% of their value since the peak during the pandemic. Stock closed at $8.63 on Wednesday and hit lows of $7.24 on Thursday morning, a roughly 16 percent decline. The stock rebounded to nearly $8.60 following the initial slump. The company was a darling of the pandemic as sales exploded due to lockdown restrictions that forced people to exercise at home. The company hitting a peak market valuation of nearly $50 billion in early 2021. But with people returning to gyms the company saw demand for its fitness equipment dwindle. Bosses have been forced to draw up cost-cutting plans which include hundreds of job cuts as they attempt to save the beleaguered company. Earlier this month, around 500 workers were told they face losing their jobs - the fourth round of cutbacks this year. CEO Barry McCarthy told the Wall Street Journal: There comes a point in time when we've either been successful or we have not. 'We need to grow to get the business to a sustainable level. In an internal memo to employees, McCarthy said: I know many of you will feel angry, frustrated, and emotionally drained by today's news, but please know this is a necessary step if we are going to save Peloton, and we are. Peloton founder John Foley resigned earlier this year amid the company's post-covid struggles The fitness company recently announced it will axe 500 jobs as it attempts to steady the ship Speculation is brewing over McCarthy's comments, including some suggesting that the company could merge or be bought by a larger entity. Peloton could have widespread appeal to companies already in the fitness space and those looking to branch out. The company statement on Thursday said subscription revenue increased by 36 percent in the first fiscal quarter - but sales of equipment plunged nearly 60 percent. Subscriptions were still down on the same quarter last year, however. Peloton also said it was on track to achieve break-even free cash flow by the second half of 2023, but the company warned it was not a 'guaranteed outcome'. 'There are risks we will underachieve our forecast, particularly in this economic climate and given the outsized importance and uncertainty of the holiday selling season on overall performance,' the company said in a letter to shareholders. The company has introduced various measures such as tweaking bike prices, introducing Peloton Row, offering its products through third-party retailers and focusing on digital subscription plans to stimulate demand for its equipment and services. 'Given macro-economic uncertainties we believe near-term demand for Connected Fitness hardware is likely to remain challenged,' according to Peloton. Chief Executive Barry McCarthy has insisted the 'ship is turning' despite the gloomy outlook Peloton's popularity surged during the covid pandemic but has dramatically declined since McCarthy has insisted the ship is turning for Peloton. Peloton also reportedly ended June with $1.25 billion in cash reserves and a $500 million credit line. Earlier this year, the company announced a pause on the manufacturing of bikes and treadmills due to the losses. When that announcement was made, Peloton's shares were selling at just over $24 a pop. Before the pandemic began, the company had a mere 3,700 employees. As more people shifted to at home workers, increased demand prompted the company to bring in nearly 5,000 additional workers. In February, the company announced some 2,800 layoffs, as well as the replacement of the company's founder, John Foley, with McCarthy. Foley, 51, launched the fitness firm in 2012, with the first studio in Manhattan in which instructors led classes that were also beamed into members' homes. After the company went public in September 2019, shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic, it reached an all-time high in stock price at $162 in December 2020. A surge of popularity during the pandemic ensued as public gyms closed and millions began to exercise in their homes. Sen. Ted Cruz called out former President Trump for keeping his campaign coffers to himself this midterm season amid races coming down to the wire that will determine which party controls Washington. The Texas Republican also accused Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of 'abandoning' candidates who are 'pro-Trump' with his own PAC's dollars. Cruz in an episode of his podcast 'The Verdict with Ted Cruz' said the former president has spent 'almost none' of his $100 million war chest to boost Republican Senate candidates he's endorsed in next week's elections. 'I will say by the way I wish Trump was spending some of his money,' Cruz said. 'Trump's got $100 million and he's spending almost none of it to support these candidates.' Cruz in an episode of his podcast 'The Verdict with Ted Cruz' said the former president has spent 'almost none' of his $100 million war chest to boost Republican Senate candidates he's endorsed in next week's elections Much of Trump's involvement in the races over the past year and a half has consisted of rallies and endorsement for candidates who toe the line on his election fraud claims He added:'It would be nice if Trump would spend some of that $100 million to help some of these candidates who Mitch is abandoning because they're pro-Trump.' 'Those are the two pockets of money that are there, and right now neither of them are spending in a number of these states. They're not.' Trump's at the start of the year bragged about having $122 million on hand across the seven PACs affiliated with him. In keeping those campaign funds close to his chest rather than using them to sway this year's elections, Trump gives yet another signal that he is soon to announce a presidential run in 2024. But a newly formed super PAC backed by Trump, MAGA Inc., has begun to dole out millions in the final days of the campaign, pouring nearly $15 million into opposition ads targeting Democrats in key Senate races. The PAC has been most active in Arizona, spending over $3 million advocating for Blake Masters over Democrat Sen. Mark Kelly. Trump's PAC stepped in after McConnell's Senate Leadership Fund cut spending their to focus on other states. The McConnell-aligned super PAC has spent $215 million so far this election cycle. Much of Trump's involvement in the races over the past year and a half has consisted of rallies and endorsement for candidates who toe the line on his election fraud claims. Trump-favored candidates in Georgia, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Arizona are all locked in tight races to determine control of the upper chamber. Delphi murders suspect Richard Allen had his initial bail set at $20million after he was arrested for the 2017 slayings of two teenage girls. Allen, 50, was arrested last week in a shock development by authorities who had never publicly linked him to the case before. Liberty German, 14, and Abigail Williams, 13, were killed as they went for a hike together along the Delphi Historic Trail near the Monon High Bridge on February 13 in Indiana. The culprit behind the murders remained a mystery for five years, as cops remained tight-lipped about how the girls were killed. Authorities are continuing to keep details of the murders under lock and key, with prosecutor Nicholas McLeland has sealing the charging documents of Allen. Judge Benjamin Diener today gave permission for some details to be released about the case, with a hearing set for November 22 to determine if the documents will remain under seal. A docket of the crimes has indicated that Allen has been charged under a specific subsection of Indianas statute which involves at least one underlying offense though it is unclear what they are. Richard Allen, 50, has been charged with the slayings of Libby, 14, and Abigail Williams, 13, in Delphi, Indiana in 2017 Abigail Williams, left, and Liberty German, right, were murdered in February 2017 after going for a walk along the Delphi Historic Trail near the Monon High Bridge However under Indiana law they could be killing another person while committing or attempting to commit: arson, burglary, child molesting, consumer product tampering, criminal deviate conduct, kidnapping, rape, robbery, human trafficking, promotion of human labor trafficking, promotion of human sexual trafficking, promotion of child sexual trafficking, promotion of sexual trafficking of a younger child, child sexual trafficking, or carjacking. Indiana law requires the probable cause affidavit to be publicly released once a suspect is arrested, but McLeland asked for them to be sealed under Rule 6 of Indiana Rules to Access Court Records. It states that in extraordinary circumstances the document can be excluded from the public access by a court though it is unclear exactly why McLeland made this request. The document would reveal in more detail why officers linked Allen to the heinous crime, with several media outlets lodging appeals against the sealing. Currently the only details that have been released are that Allens initial bail was set at $20million following his arrest, though he is reportedly now being held without bond. A case summary showing the previous and upcoming court dates are now available, as is a case number to allow members of the public to follow new details and events in the case. Judge Diener also claimed that his court staff has been overwhelmed by the storm of requests relating to the public records. A photo shows Richard Allen, 50, smiling with his wife - while over his shoulder, a police sketch strongly resembling him is posted on the wall inside Bob Matlock's bar Libby German was filmed by her friend and fellow victim Abigail Williams in February, 2017, moments before they were murdered Carroll County Sheriff's Office has requested that Allen be moved from the county jail to a state prison for safekeeping and he will be transferred to the Indiana Department of Corrections. Police reports seen by Fox 59, revealed that officers were sent to Allens home on 18 June 2015 at around 3.30am to reports of a domestic incident. A composite sketch was released in 2017 showing a possible suspect in the case Sheriff Tobe Leazenby said Allen, a dad-of-one and a CVS technician, was allegedly drunk, and his wife took him to a hospital for a medical evaluation. Authorities confirmed that their role was to keep the peace during the incident and no arrests or charges were filed. Indiana cops released Snapchat footage documented by the girls of a man following them closely on a bridge shortly before their deaths who was dubbed 'Bridge Guy'. Libby and Abigail went for a walk together along the Delphi Historic Trail near the Monon High Bridge on February 13 but were reported missing when they failed to show up to meet their parents. Their bodies were found close to the bridge the day after they vanished, with several suspects being linked to the case over the years, but no arrests were made until last week. It is unclear if Allen is the man in the footage or the voice which uttered the phrase 'down the hill' recorded by Libby's cell phone shortly before the crime. Allen is pictured here with his wife, Kathy, in an undated picture. They live just miles from the bridge from where the two teens disappeared in 2017 Carroll County Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland said Allen's arrest is a 'step in the right direction' The bridge where the girls were last seen is located just a few miles from Allen's home which is also just a half-mile from the middle school the two teens attended. Libby had shared a 'snap' on Snapchat of herself walking along the railroad tracks on the day of her murder, with the social media updates causing a sensation that made the case one of the United States' most notorious unsolved murders. After news of Allen's arrest broke, a disturbing photo emerged showing his own daughter posing in the same spot where the teenage victims were last seen alive. Brittany Zapanta, 28, is pictured posing on the Monon High Bridge. The photo was posted to Facebook by Allen's wife Kathy, 50, in 2018 just over a year after the girls disappeared in February 2017. It's unclear when the photo was taken and also no indication as to who took the snap on the Monon High Bridge Trail. The arrest of Allen could be the end of a years-long investigation during which numerous possible leads have led nowhere, and police have remained tight-lipped about the details of the case. An unidentified man now believed to be Allen was filmed approaching Libby and Abby before their deaths Indiana State Police announced on Monday that Allen had been charged in the murders of the two girls The family members of Libby German and Abigail Williams listened intently during the news conference Exactly how the girls died remains unknown to the public, and the state their bodies were discovered also remains shrouded in mystery. Over the summer, the details of a search warrant revealed that Libby and Abigail were found covered in blood and that their killer appeared to have taken a souvenir of some sort from the murder site. The warrant offered no further detail on what the souvenir was - although it did say that 'the rest of [the girls'] clothing was recovered,' implying that the killer had taken something they'd been wearing. The murderer also reportedly 'staged' the girls' bodies in a particular way after killing them - although it remains unclear exactly how he did this. Investigators believed photographs or videos were likely shot of the grotesque set-up to 'memorialize' the crime scene. Over the years numerous people have been put forth as possible suspects in the case. Ron Logan, who died in 2020, had long been the prime suspect. Allen was photographed sitting close to this sketch. It is one of several released following the February 2017 murders Allen is seen with his wife Kathy in an undated photo. He does not appear to have a prior criminal history and was known locally for working in the local CVS The photo of Allen's daughter, 28-year-old Brittany, was posted to Facebook by his wife Kathy, 50, in 2018 - just over a year after the girls disappeared in February, 2017 The girls' bodies were discovered on his property - just 1,400ft from his house - and it was revealed over the summer that his alibi for the day of the murder did not line up. His home was searched and he was arrested shortly after the killings, but he was released and never charged. The voice in the clip was described as being 'not inconsistent' with that of Logan, the FBI investigation concluded. Another man, Kegan Kline, 27, of Peru, Indiana, was also previously named as a suspect in the murders. He is said to have admitted to talking to Libby German using a fake Instagram profile called Anthony_shots. Kline - who is heavy-set and pasty-faced - used an image of a ripped and muscular young man to trick underage girls into speaking to him. He is said to have arranged to meet with Libby on the Delphi High Bridge the day before she was murdered while walking along it. But he is also said to have shared his Anthony_shots password with others - including his father - and said his father could be a prime suspect in the killings. Kline is being held in jail after being arrested on separate child porn charges in 2020 The Indiana State Police Department's tip line can be reached by email at abbyandlibbytip@cacoshrf.com or by phone at 765- 822-3535. Mining giant Glencore must pay out 281million in a landmark bribery case after private jets were used to ferry cash to some of the world's poorest countries. Glencore Energy UK Limited, part of the huge commodities trader, admitted five counts of bribery and two of failure to prevent bribery earlier this year. Staff flew millions of pounds in cash in private jets to bribe local officials across Africa, Southwark Crown Court heard on Thursday. The money was part of a 20million slush fund paid out by Glencore Energy UK to make 111m in profits in the company's oil operations in Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, and South Sudan. Glencore was given a confiscation order of 93,479,338.95, fined a total of 182,935,392 and was also ordered to pay prosecution costs of 4,550,362 - making a total of 280,965,092.95. Glencore chairman Kalidas Madhavpeddi arrives at Southwark Crown Court, London, for the sentencing of Glencore Energy UK Limited after the company admitted five counts of bribery and two of a failure of a commercial organisation to prevent bribery earlier this year Glencore, based in Switzerland, is the first company to be the subject of a criminal prosecution by the Serious Fraud Office for paying bribes. Passing sentence at the end of a two-day hearing, Mr Justice Fraser said: 'The facts demonstrate not only sustained criminality but sophisticated devices to disguise it, including drawing significant cash sums for other stated purposes that would be legitimate, such as the expenses of opening a new office, which were in reality used for corrupt purposes. 'The bribery was across borders and in different jurisdictions.' The judge said the company 'played a leading role in organised and planned unlawful activity', using agents and corrupting local officials in what was 'an abuse of the defendant's dominant market position'. For some of the charges, he added, there were not 'isolated acts of bribery that occurred on single occasions' but rather 'the same techniques were used month after month, for the whole period covered by the relevant count in the indictment'. Mr Justice Fraser said: 'Bribery was clearly part of the culture for a number of personnel on the West Africa desk. Glencore's chairman Kalidas Madhavpeddi and Glencore's general counsel Shaun Teichner leave Southwark Crown Court 'These counts represent sophisticated offending that was sustained over prolonged periods of time that are measured in years.' Confiscation is when a convicted defendant is ordered to pay back criminally obtained assets. This is the first time a UK corporation has been convicted of authorising bribery from the top, rather than simply turning a blind eye to it at other levels of a company. The 93 million is the largest amount that will have ever been recovered through confiscation in the UK, according to the Serious Fraud Office (SFO). The organisation said it is also a landmark corporate conviction and the first corporate prosecution under Section 1 of the Bribery Act 2010. The SFO said it carried out a 'large, highly complex' case reviewing more than one million documents and conducted interviews under caution. Prosecutors said money to be used as bribes had often been flown by private jet. The court heard that Glencore's anti-bribery and corruption policies and procedures had been 'largely ignored because corruption was condoned at a very senior level within the company generally'. The money was part of a 20million slush fund paid out by Glencore Energy UK to make 111m in profits in the company's oil operations in Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, and South Sudan Prosecutor Alexandra Healy KC told the court this week that Glencore had pleaded guilty to 'paying bribes through its agents and employees to officials in several jurisdictions for commercial advantages, namely securing crude oil cargoes at specific grades and on preferred dates'. Payments were made in Nigeria, Cameroon and Ivory Coast 'through intermediaries, agents and employees intending a portion to be paid as bribes to those concerned in allocating crude oil, primarily officials in state-owned oil companies'. In Equatorial Guinea and South Sudan, Glencore made payments to its agents and 'failed to prevent them from using a portion of those funds to pay bribes to officials in order to secure valuable oil contracts'. The judge said Glencore has 30 days to make all of the payments ordered. Describing the total costs as 'significant', the judge warned that 'other companies tempted to engage in similar corruption should be aware that similar sanctions lie ahead'. SFO director Lisa Osofsky said earlier: 'This significant investigation, which the Serious Fraud Office has brought to court in less than three years, is the result of our expertise, our tenacity and the strength of our partnership with the US and other jurisdictions. Pictured: Lisa Osofsky (second right), Director of the Serious Fraud Office, arriving with her team from the SFO Victoria Jacobson (left), Elizabeth Collery (second left), and Sara Chouraqui (right) Southwark Crown Court 'We won't stop fighting serious fraud, bribery and corruption, and we look forward to the next steps in this major prosecution.' Chief executive Gary Nagle said: We acknowledge the misconduct identified in these investigations and have cooperated with the authorities. This type of behaviour has no place in Glencore, and the board, management team and I are very clear about the culture that we want and our commitment to be a responsible and ethical operator wherever we work. We have taken significant action towards building and implementing a world-class ethics and compliance programme to ensure that our core controls are entrenched and effective in every corner of our business. This is the moment a woman travelled along a 70mph dual carriageway during rush hour on her mobility scooter. The woman made her way down the V7 Saxon Street through Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire as cars passed her by. The maximum speed for most mobility scooters is 8mph, although they have a 4mph maximum speed limit on pavement. Footage of the woman's preferred method of transport was shared on social media and met with significant praise. 'I want to be her,' one woman said. 'This lady is a legend,' another added. THIS WORLD NEVER STOPS AMAZING ME ....NO INDICATION AT ALL THIS LADY IS A LEGEND ..... Posted by Tony Hill on Thursday, October 13, 2022 This is the moment a woman travelled along a 70mph dual carriageway during rush hour on her mobility scooter One person said she often sees the same woman travelling the route and urged her family to remind her of the dangers of the road. Musician Tony Hill shared the footage, which was taken on October 13 from above the road on a footbridge overlooking cars below. The woman appeared to make a left turn at the Eaglestone Roundabout onto the H7 Chaffron Way. Cars travelling behind the woman were quick to move into the right hand lane to overtake her. The woman made her way down the V7 Saxon Street through Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire as cars passed her by Others pointed out the Redway system in Milton Keynes is designed to offer safe passage for pedestrians, cyclists and people using mobility devices. But the law states class 3 mobility scooters are in fact permitted to travel on certain roads, including dual carriageways. The Gov.UK website stipulates a mobility scooter must use an amber flashing light for visibility. It must also have an efficient braking system, front and rear reflectors, direction indicators, an audible horn and a rear-view mirror. A US Air Force tanker appeared to draw a penis in the sky nearby Russia's Syrian naval base as the war in Ukraine persists. The cheeky sighting on Tuesday night was hard to ignore as the US KC-135 Stratotanker refueling plane outlined the ballsy drawing over Russia's naval facility in Tartus off the Mediterranean, according to Politico. US military members took off in the planes amid the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. Earlier this week Russia lost 950 soldiers to Ukraine, marking the deadliest day for Vladimir Putin. It's unclear whether the drawing was intentional or where the refueling plane came from. A US Air Force tanker appeared to draw a penis in the sky nearby Russia's Syrian naval base on the Mediterranean It's unclear if it was intentional but a US KC-135 Stratotanker refueling plane was used for the act The plane was nearly right above Russia's naval base in the Syrian Mediterranean port of Tartus (pictured above) It's unclear where the US Military plane flew in from This weeks event wasn't the first time US military aircrafts got too close to Russian territory. Before the war between Russia and Ukraine, three US navy planes closely approached Russian aircraft in the Mediterranean in February, according to Reuters. The unintentional approach occurred as tension was rising between Russia and Ukraine a week before the war broke out on February 24. While the interactions are common, the Pentagon was concerned at the time about the potential outcomes during the uncertain time. 'While no one was hurt, interactions such as these could result in miscalculations and mistakes that lead to more dangerous outcomes,' a Pentagon spokesperson said. Earlier this week Russia lost 950 soldiers to Ukraine, marking the deadliest day for Vladimir Putin. Pictured: Ukrainian soldiers on October 31 A Russian base with military equipment is shown above on October 31. The base was in the Kharkiv region The Russian base Ukraine destroyed on Sunday is pictured above Ukraine military was seen on Monday unloading shells from a military truck near the town of Bakhmut The war between Russia and Ukraine persists as nearly 1,000 Russian soldiers were killed on Sunday in Ukraine, Kyiv. The event went down as the deadliest day for Putin since his troops invaded eight months ago. The Russian death toll in Kyiv is now up to at least 71,200. It comes as as Russia tries to round up as many men as possible and quickly push them to the front lines, regardless of skill, training and equipment. The UK's Ministry of Defense (MoD) said in its latest intelligence briefing that Russia has deployed several thousand newly mobilized reservists to the front line in Ukraine - but in many cases they are 'poorly equipped'. 'In September, Russian officers were concerned that some recently mobilised reservists were arriving in Ukraine without weapons,' the MoD said. Russia has intensified its attacks on Ukraine's power plants and other key infrastructure as the war enters its ninth month. Large parts of Ukraine are already experiencing rolling power cuts as a result. It also alleges Pratt had a history as a domestic abuser himself, including threatening to murder a partner The suit refers to a traffic stop in Moab, Utah, in 2021, when police pulled the couple over after reports of domestic abuse Gabby Petito's parents officially filed a wrongful death suit against the Moab police, arguing the police officer who pulled the fighting couple over failed to intervene because he was a domestic abuser himself. The explosive suit alleged officer Eric Pratt - who responded to a bystander's 9-11 report that Brian Laundrie was assaulting Petito - previously threatened to murder an ex-lover with a crowbar. Speaking at a press conference Thursday, an attorney for the Petitos accused Pratt of being 'fundamentally biased' and of 'identifying with Gabby's abuser' when he encountered them. The lawsuit, obtained by The Sun, also alleged that Pratt had an admitted history of intentionally finding 'loopholes' while responding to cases because he didn't want to do the requisite paperwork that properly handling incidents would require. The Petito family is seeking $50million in damages from the Moab Police Department. Moab Police rebuked the allegations in a statement to DailyMail.com, saying the Petito family was suggesting their officers could 'see into the future based on a single interaction.' The Department did not comment on the allegations about Pratt's history. Brian Laundrie and Gabby Petito. The suit was filed by Petito's family, and asks for $50million in damages The suit also alleges that responding officer Eric Pratt had an admitted history of shirking police duty to avoid doing paperwork Gabby Petito's parents filed announced the filing of their $50million lawsuit against the Moab Police Department on Thursday Gabby Petito's mother, Nichole Schmidt, during a press conference announcing the lawsuit on Thursday Speaking at a press conference announcing the lawsuit on Thursday, Petito's mother Nichole Schmidt said the Moab Police failed to enforce laws put in place to avoid the exact situation that left her daughter dead. 'We feel we need to bring justice, because she could have been protected that day,' Schmidt said through tears. 'There are laws put in place to protect victims, and those laws were not followed. And we don't want this to happen to anybody else.' The lawsuit stated that officers failed to 'recognize the obvious indicators of abuse' during the August 2021 traffic stop in Moab. Had police done their due diligence, the suit stated, 'it would have been clear to them that Gabby was a victim of intimate partner violence and needed immediate protection.' One of the Petito's attorneys, Brian Stewart, said that as an abuser himself, officer Pratt was inherently biased to not suspect Laundrie during their interaction. 'Officer Pratt himself has been a domestic abuser, who has misused authority and threats of violence to control sexual partners, making clear why Officer Pratt was fundamentally biased in his approach to the investigation,' Stewart said. 'Identifying with Gabby's abuser, ignoring the victim and her injuries, and intentionally looking for loopholes to get around the requirements of Utah law and his duty to protect Gabby.' Bystanders had called 9-11 to report that they'd seen Laundrie 'hitting' and 'slapping' Petito on the sidewalk outside a restaurant. Cops then pulled the couple over after seeing their van driving erratically out of town. When interviewing the couple Petito appeared in a state of panic, crying and hyperventilating throughout, while Laundrie was full smiles as he gave conflicting accounts of the fight they'd had. Charges were not filed, with officers ultimately ruling that Petito was the 'primary aggressor' in the fight and the couple was separated for the night. Laundrie strangled Petito to death in Wyoming two weeks later. Gabby Petito during the Moab police stop. The lawsuit alleges she exhibited clear signs of being a domestic abuse victim Laundrie was full smiles during the police stop, but gave conflicting accounts of the fight he and Gabby had The suit claimed that responding officers overlooked blatant signs that Laundrie was abusing Petito, including evidence of 'the violent nature of Brian's attack' which led to the traffic stop. 'The photo shows that Gabby's face was grabbed across her nose and mouth, potentially restricting her airway,' the suit said. It also points that Petito exhibited 'classic hallmarks of an abused partner' when answering officers' questions during the stop. '[Gabby was] attempting to take the blame for the fight because she had hit Brian first and did not want to be separated from him,' the suit said. 'Whether for lack of training or refusal to follow their training, the officers did not press further.' The pair had been traveling on a cross-country trip together, starting on July 2, when they left New York. Petito was reported missing on September 11 The suit also claimed that the responding officers were woefully ill-informed about the laws they were enforcing. 'Officer Pratt decided - incorrectly - that Utah law only recognizes assault if the perpetrator intended to cause bodily injury,' the suit read, referring to Pratt telling the couple he would need to detain Petito because she was ruled the aggressor. 'Based on that incomplete and incorrect understanding of the law, Officer Pratt questioned Gabby about whether she intended to cause Brian bodily injury when she hit him. Gabby said no.' The suit said the officers finally decided not to detain Petito and merely ordered the couple separated for the night, and pointed out that Pratt said it 'wouldn't be the officer's responsibility' if the couple reunited later. The suit noted that Petito's parents were on the phone with her during the traffic stop, begging her to leave Laundrie and come home, but that when they realized the police were involved they agreed she was in safe hands and hung up. 'Upon learning the police were involved, they accepted Gabby's assurances that she should continue her trip,' the suit read. The suit said that because of the department's negligence, Petito 'was brutally murdered' days later. Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie. The couple were trying to become social media stars, but Brian murdered Gabby instead Petito's remains were found on September 19, 2021, and she died exactly one year ago today The suit further claimed that Office Pratt had a history of dodging police duties because he didn't like the labor involved in doing the job right. Pratt previously served as the police chief in Salina, Utah, but resigned in 2017 citing disillusionment with the job. The suit points out that he admitted on a podcast that he regularly looked for 'loopholes' to work his way out of cases to avoid the work. 'As an officer who described himself as being 'disillusioned' with police work and admitted to 'finding loopholes' to avoid applying the law, Officer Pratt should never have been rehired as an officer for the Moab Police Department,' the suit read. 'Pratt's dangerous approach is evident throughout his interaction with Gabby and Brian as he manipulates the invest intentionally looking for loopholes to get around the requirements of Utah law and his duty to protect Gabby.' Gabby Petito's mother, Nichole Schmidt, holds up a photo of her daughter in September, 2021 Brian Laundrie and Gabby Petito with the van they were driving around the country together in The suit also claimed that an extramarital lover of Pratt's - of which he had many, according to the suit - said Pratt regularly talked about flubbing police work to avoid doing paperwork. The ex-lover quoted Pratt regularly saying 'It's too much paperwork,' and 'There's no way I'm doing all that paperwork,' according to the suit. The same woman also said that Pratt threatened her life on numerous occasions. 'Pratt pulled Witness 1 over in her car, with her 5-year-old daughter in the back seat,' alleged the suit. 'Pratt credibly and clearly threatened her stating, 'If any of this gets out, I will kill you with a crowbar.' The suit also said Pratt once told her 'If this had been a week ago, I would have been digging a grave and you would have been in it.' Officer Eric Pratt is pictured second from right. The Petito family alleged he had a history as a domestic abuser The Moab Police Department released a statement in response to the lawsuit's allegations. 'The death of Gabrielle Petito in Wyoming is a terrible tragedy, and we feel profound sympathy for the Petito and Schmidt families and the painful loss they have endured. At the same time, it is clear that Moab City Police Department officers are not responsible for Gabrielle Petitos eventual murder.' 'Ms. Petito is believed to have died in Wyoming in late August 2021, more than two weeks after she and Brian Laundrie visited Moab and interacted with Moab City Police. At that time, our officers acted with kindness, respect, and empathy toward Ms. Petito.' 'The attorneys for the Petito family seem to suggest that somehow our officers could see into the future based on this single interaction. In truth, on Aug. 12, no one could have predicted the tragedy that would occur weeks later and hundreds of miles away, and the City of Moab will ardently defend against this lawsuit.' All schools in the area have been ordered to shelter in place as police warn not to approach Brown Residents of Pulaski, Virginia were ordered to shelter in place on Thursday after a man attempted to run over two cops with a stolen police car Residents of a Virginia town were ordered to shelter in place on Thursday as police try to find an 'armed and dangerous' man after he stole a police car during a domestic call and attempted to run two cops over. Police say Jerrod Celablee Brown, 34, also stole additional firearms from the police vehicle, fled on foot and is currently 'at-large.' They responded to a domestic call on Thursday morning that was described as 'calm,' and they currently do not know why Brown stole the car. Reporters at the scene said they heard gunshots which they believe are from Brown, but they do not think he was shooting at anyone. Police have asked residents not to approach Brown as officers gather in the Southside of Pulaski to search for the fugitive. Police say Jerrod Celablee Brown stole a cop car, tried to run over two officers with it and then stole firearms from the car before fleeing on foot Footage from the scene shows armed police searching the wooded area for Brown, with some dressed in camouflaged fatigues A dog was also spotted on scene, likely to try and track down Brown across a large area 'ALL RESIDENTS IN SOUTHSIDE SHOULD SHELTER IN PLACE. DO NOT APPROACH SUBJECT!!! CALL 911 IF YOU SEE ANYTHING SUSPICIOUS,' said the Pulaski Police Department on Facebook. Brown has a long list of criminal offenses, starting with a charge for drunk driving in 2007. Other charges include trespassing, assault and other drug and alcohol offenses. The reporter added 'this is all taking place off of Valley Road in the town of Pulaski and police are urging everyone to avoid the area.' A police spokesperson said he is likely in the trail system of Draper Mountain, though they cannot be certain. The spokesperson indicated there are multiple agencies working on finding Brown. She said she could not confirm how many guns had been stolen, but knew of one. Brown has a long list of criminal offenses, starting with a charge for drunk driving in 2007 The police ordered all schools to shelter in place, though they noted there are no actual issues inside any of the school buildings Despite the alarming nature of the situation, the statement said 'This is just a precautionary measure and there are no actual issues inside any Pulaski County Public Schools buildings.' They listed the school buildings ordered to shelter in place as Pulaski Elementary School, Critzer Elementary School, Dublin Elementary School, Pulaski County Middle School, Pulaski County High School and The School Board Office. This is a developing story, check back for more updates. CEO Chris Licht called the trio 'compelling and reliable' as CNN experiences a shift in operations Last month, Lemon said his move to the mornings was 'a promotion' despite rumors that CNN was replacing journalists too critical of the GOP 'New Day' had an average of 50,000 more viewers per show The CNN show replaced 'New Day,' and saw less than 390,000 viewers in its opening 'This Morning' with Don Lemon premiered to dismal ratings on Tuesday morning It was a rough start for Don Lemon on his new CNN morning show alongside Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins. 'CNN This Morning' debuted to less than 390,000 viewers this week after heavy promotion from the network, following the cancelation of its predecessor, 'New Day.' The numbers are dismal in comparison to the show's competition, including 'Morning Joe' on MSNBC, which brought in 793,000 viewers. 'FOX and Friends,' saw 1.5 million viewers. 'CNN This Morning' also debuted to 50,000 less viewers on average than the 'New Day,' with just 71,000 viewers considered the network's demographic. Poppy Harlow, left, Don Lemon (center), and Katilan Collins looked excited Tuesday for their first day on 'CNN This Morning,' which saw low viewership New CNN CEO Chris Licht is responsible for the shake-ups at the network During its final show, 'New Day' brought in just over 350,000. That number still only saw 75,000 from the network's main demographic of adults aged 25-54. On November 1, 'Morning Joe' had 114,000 in the same category and 'FOX and Friends' saw 236,000. Before it began losing viewers en masse, the show averaged 413,000 viewers in 2022. The numbers signal trouble for the network which has been reportedly purging journalists who are too far to the political-left and too critical of Donald Trump and the GOP. At the time of the announcement of Lemon's move from his primetime show, the anchor called the shake-up a 'promotion.' Lemon said in October the network wasn't making him change his left-leaning views. 'This is not someone saying you must move to the right, Don Lemon, and must not give so much of your perspective. None of that has happened,' Lemon said. 'All of that is Fodder for Twitter.' 'This is an opportunity for me to create something around me and I get to work with two great ladies.' The show was pitched to potential viewers as 'a more relaxed approach' to morning news. Kaitlan Collins (left) and Poppy Harlow (right) co-anchor 'CNN This Morning' alongside Lemon Lemon appeared to look excited while waking up in the early morning hours for his first day on the new show Despite him looking upbeat and happy about his new schedule in the Instagram video, fans of the CNN anchor begged him to return to his night time show Lemon took to Instagram on Tuesday, the day the show debuted, to share his 'excitement' over the start of the new era. The CNN anchor posted a video to Instagram Reels showing himself getting ready for his first morning shift with the show. Despite the cheery disposition in the video, commenters on the video were not shy when it came to asking for him to move back. 'Sorry D! CNN made a mistake w this 1. U need to renegotiate and get your PRIME Spot back ASAP!' said one person. 'Great first day BUT I don't like you being hushed in an AM program slot. You need to get back on to primetime where you can discuss the issues, get to the heart of the matter and make your point!' another wrote. 'Don I miss you on CNN at night. Please go back to the 10:00 pm time slot' one said Tuesday. 'Well I wish you the best but it doesn't look like you are a newscaster anymore ! CNN is turning into the view,' exclaimed another. Don Lemon (left) insisted that his move to the mornings was not a demotion and was just an attempt to 'shake things up' 'There is no stronger combination of talent than Don, Poppy, and Kaitlan to deliver on our promise of a game-changing morning news program,' CEO Chris Licht wrote in a statement in October. 'They are uniquely intelligent, reliable and compelling; together they have a rare and palpable chemistry. Combined with CNN's resources and global newsgathering capabilities, we will offer a smart, bold and refreshing way to start the day.' The call is one of Licht's most prominent decisions as he seeks to rid of the outlet away from 'opinion-based partisan news' and anchors who slam conservatives and the GOP. Lemon has worked at CNN for 16 of his 40 years in journalism. Collins (left) is known for covering the White House for CNN, including during the term of former President Donald Trump The news of the disappointing reviews for Lemon's new show comes as Licht is reportedly telling employees to brace for big changes in the coming weeks and months. In a letter to employees sent Wednesday, the CNN CEO said there was 'widespread concern' about the global economy that will impact 'people, budgets, and projects'. Just six months into the position, Licht's review of the company recently found that some departments inside the 4,500 employee workplace are 'bloated.' The CEO said he and other execs want to figure out who will be cut 'by the end of the year so we can start 2023 feeling settled and prepared for the future'. CEO Chris Licht (above) has signaled that major changes are coming to CNN in the coming weeks and months as the news source looks to 'trim the fat' Licht is reportedly hoping to change CNN's reputation of being a 'woke' media source Licht also has a 'hands off' style that reportedly concerns staff as he and others involved in the process begin to evaluate who will be on the chopping block. Despite the 'unsettling' changes, the new boss said he hopes CNN will tell stories that families will discuss around the table, with less focus on politics. Licht took over following the resignation of Jeff Zucker, a network stalwart who quit over an undisclosed consensual relationship with ex-CNN executive Allison Gollust. That emerged after former star Chris Cuomo - a close friend of Zucker's - was axed from his CNN show for briefing his brother Andrew - the disgraced ex-Governor of New York - on how to survive allegations of sexual harassment. Italian Ambassador to Korea Federico Failla Shock, sadness and anguish this is my reaction to the tragedy that occurred last Saturday in the Itaewon district of Seoul. I join also on behalf of the entire Italian community in Korea in the despair of the Korean people at the sudden and unjust loss of the lives of so many young women and men. BBC bosses have found that an episode of The Papers on its BBC News channel on October 23 failed to meet its editorial standards on impartiality. Presented by Martine Croxall, the programme was aired at 10.30pm, just 90 minutes after it was announced that former PM Boris Johnson had pulled out of the race to be re-elected as Tory leader following the resignation of Liz Truss. Bosses found the programme contained 'insufficient counter and challenge to some of the opinions expressed by guests' and 'reactions and remarks' which could lead a viewer to infer an editorial stance on the Conservative Leadership contest. Ms Croxall said at the beginning of the programme: 'Can we even show you the front pages just yet, have they arrived? No they haven't arrived. 'It's all a little bit, you know, lastminute.com isn't it? Because all the front pages were probably out of date by the time we received them.' She then added: 'Well this is all very exciting, isn't it?' adding: 'Am I allowed to be this gleeful? Well I am.' She is due to return to live newsreading on Friday following the completion of the investigation. BBC News presenter Martine Croxall presenting the Newspaper Review on BBC News channel and of Boris Johnson's decision not to run, saying with a big smile: 'Am I allowed to be this gleeful? Well I am' The BBC said in a statement: 'In this programme several remarks and reactions from the presenter caused a significant risk that the audience could believe opinions were being expressed on the Conservative leadership contest. 'In addition, there was insufficient counter and challenge to some of the opinions expressed by guests on the programme. 'Taken together, this meant that this edition of The Papers did not meet our editorial standards, as it gave the audience the opportunity to infer an editorial position on the part of the BBC. 'This does not accord with the BBC's commitment to editorial impartiality.' The corporation told MailOnline that it does not comment on individual staff matters - but it is understood Ms Croxall will return to programming tomorrow. At the time the 53-year-old journalist's action sparked a furious backlash, with outraged viewers demanding action from regulator Ofcom or that she is sacked by the BBC. Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson arriving at Gatwick Airport in London, as he announced he would not stand for the Tory leadership Ms Croxall told viewers she felt 'gleeful' - although she did not confirm what this feeling related to Who is Martine Croxall? Martine has been a journalist with the BBC for almost 30 years. She first joined BBC Radio Leicester in 1993 before moving to BBC's London base to join its regional team covering the south-east. But since May 2021, she has been a presenter on the BBC News Channel and BBC World News often appearing on air between Thursday and Sunday. In 2015 she was praised for her coverage of the terror attack in Paris. The journalist was also championed in April, 2021, when she tearfully broke the news of Prince Philip's death. A technical gaffe in January 2020 saw Ms Croxall going viral when a rogue camera panned past her during a live broadcast. Away from the news, as Ms Croxall was crowned Celebrity Mastermind in March, storming to victory against the likes of The Vivienne from Ru Pauls Drag Race, presenter Maria McErlane and DJ, Ace. Advertisement Ms Croxall never commented on specifically what she was 'gleeful' about during the show. She was taken off air following the incident while the BBC looked into whether she had breached impartiality guidelines. The episode also saw Ms Croxall suggest that her comments could have breached BBC guidelines. Speaking about reports that Mr Johnson thinks he would be well placed to lead the Tories into a general election in 2024, guest Tony Grew of the Sunday Times said: 'Boris Johnson thinks he should be world king, of course he thinks he's best placed to win an election in 2024. 'He probably thinks he is best placed to win the American election in 2024.' Responding to the joke aimed at Mr Johnson, she said: 'I shouldn't probably (laugh). I'm probably breaking some terrible due impartiality rule by giggling.' Some viewers, including several Tory MPs, reacting to a clip on social media, complained it displayed bias. On that Sunday, Mr Johnson claimed he had the nominations needed to make it on to the ballot paper but admitted he could not unite his warring party. The former prime minister said there was a 'very good chance' he could have been back in No 10 by the end of the week if he had stood. However, his efforts to 'reach out' to his rivals, Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt, to work together had not been successful so he was dropping out. The news broke late into the evening leading to a scramble at newspapers across the UK to rethink their planned edition. The BBC issued a statement the morning after the segment aired saying it was 'urgently reviewing' the programme. Many online criticised the newsreader after watching the segment, claiming her reporting was not impartial. The Mail understands that Deborah Turness, who became the BBC's new chief executive of news and current affairs last month, was integral to the decision to take swift and 'robust' action in Ms Croxall's case, and that she regards the issue as incredibly serious. A BBC insider suggested that Ms Turness, former chief executive at ITN, regarded the incident as very 'frustrating' given the lengths to which the corporation has gone to remain strictly impartial during a tumultuous political period. It comes after many Conservatives have claimed in recent months that the BBC is not unbiased and has gone 'woke' - though critics say this is not the case and the BBC are simply holding the government to account for their actions. The corporation and other media outlets were particularly criticised for their reporting during the Partygate scandal which ultimately helped topple Boris Johnson as PM. It was claimed by Conservatives that coverage was unfair. Later, it was confirmed that both Boris Johnson and then-Chancellor Rishi Sunak broke lockdown rules and were fined by police. It is not the first time Ms Croxall has made the headlines due to an on-air gaffe: in January 2020 she was involved in a blunder which quickly saw her go viral online. As she started to read the top stories of the day, the camera panned straight past her to the news desk, in a humiliating gaffe. 'Hello everybody, this is Afternoon Live,' the presenter began, before she disappeared as the camera zipped straight past her. 'I've lost you,' she said. 'I shall make my way back to the desk. 'I think that's the safest thing to do. Do excuse me, I shall tell you all about our story in just one second.' In the aftermath of October's incident, former culture secretary Nadine Dorries accused Ms Croxall of bias and said on Twitter: 'The BBC is a public service broadcaster paid for by the general public who overwhelmingly voted for a Conservative government. 'This lack of impartiality demonstrates how deep seated the bias is.' Ex-prime minister Theresa May's former joint chief of staff Nick Timothy tweeted: 'Whatever you think of Johnson, if you care about the BBC you cannot think this is in any way acceptable from one of its presenters.' The BBC has been contacted for comment. While Rogan acknowledged the rumors were false on Wednesday, Republican Senate candidate Don Boluc doubled down on them Such claims have been widely circulated in recent weeks as part of a conservative talking point in the culture war over gender and school bathrooms Joe Rogan said the story he shared last month about a school allowing a 'furry' student to use a litter box in the girl's bathroom was unfounded. Last month, the Spotify podcaster told former congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard that his friend's wife was a teacher at 'a school that had to install a litter box in the girls room because there is a girl who's a furry.' Rogan has since walked back on his story, saying on Wednesday, 'I don't think they actually did it. I think there was discussions about doing it because there was one particularly wacky mother, but there is it doesn't seem that there's any proof that they put a litter box in there.' Rogan statement comes a Republican Senate candidate Don Boluc, of New Hampshire,' doubled down on the debunked claim often used by conservatives in the culture war over gender identities and bathrooms in schools. Joe Rogan admitted on Wednesday (above) that the story he shared last month about a school installing litter boxes in the girls' bathroom was not true He initially made the claim on October 12 (above). The podcaster has since lamented spreading the unfounded rumors that have become a popular conservative talking point in the culture war over gender and school bathrooms When interviewing author Michael Shermer on Wednesday's episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, the writer spoke to Rogan about the bogus stories circulating about kitty litter in school. As Shermer pointed out that it was talking point to attack liberals, Rogan lamented that he too was swept up in the rumors. 'I fed into that,' he said, noting that he went back to the source of his original story but could not verify that it was real. Fact checkers say the bogus claim is based on reports that some schools have stocked up on litter trays in case children are locked for hours inside classrooms during an active shooter event. Rogan added that he was inclined to believe the rumor because of what he saw when he stumbled upon a furry convention in Pittsburg while attending a UFC event 10 years ago. 'So we check into the hotel... the front desk was saying how crazy it was that these folks were asking for their food to be delivered in bowls on the ground so they could eat it like animals,' Rogan recalled. 'And then he said they asked for a litter box in the lobby. Now they didn't put a litter box into the lobby, but someone, according to this man, asked him for a litter box.' While Rogan worked to shoot down the rumors of children using litter boxes in schools, Boluc has continually reiterated the false claims. NEW: Don Bolduc- only to @NBCNews says the school he accused of using litter boxes for children who identify as animals needs to "prove" the claim wrong. He tells me a parent and a student told him it was happening and he is "not backing down." pic.twitter.com/s7CLx09uu2 Ryan Nobles (@ryanobles) November 2, 2022 Don Bolduc is running for the Senate in New Hampshire. On Wednesday he defended his claims about schools giving litter trays to students who identify as cats Bolduc, a retired Army brigadier general who is challenging Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan in New Hampshire, shared the hoax at a weekend event. When Bolduc was challenged about his claim on Wednesday he took care not to say that it was true. Instead he said it was what he had been told. 'So what I was talking about is all the craziness going on in our schools. And this is just one of them,' he told NBC News. 'And I had a parent and a student in that audience who came up to me and told me all about it. I've had that all across the state. 'So I'm only articulating what I heard from Granite Staters, parents, children.' Culture war battles over gender identity and education have seen the litter tray hoax picked up by a range of Republican politicians. At a lunch for Republican women in Colorado last month, Rep. Laurent Boebert claimed schools were 'putting litter boxes in schools for people who identify as cats.' A candidate for governor in Minnesota, Scott Jensen a month earlier reportedly asked during a campaign stop: 'Why do we have litter boxes in some of the school districts so kids can pee in them, because they identify as a furry?' The debunked rumor has a long online life, and has been picked up by conservatives trying to make a point about education and gender identity - triggering ridicule A recent NBC News review found at least 20 conservative candidates or elected officials had made similar claims. Although 'furries' exist as a subculture of people who like to dress in animal costumes, school districts have repeatedly denied that litter trays have ever been used to cater for children who identify as cats. But one school district in Colorado told NBC that it had included cat litter in 'go buckets' that contain emergency supplies in case students are locked in a classroom during a shooting. That has not stopped the myth continuing to flare up on social media and in conservative speeches on gender identity and education. CNN obtained audio of Bolduc making similar claims 'Guess what? We have furries and fuzzies in classrooms,' he told the crowd. 'They lick themselves, theyre cats. 'When they dont like something, they hiss people walk down the hallway and jump out, he said, as a hissing sound could be heard. 'And get this, get this: Theyre putting litter boxes, right? Litter boxes for that. ' Passengers complained of long waits at Heathrow Airport today after the biometric scanners at passport control broke down. BBC journalist Michael Cowan shared an image of a gridlocked queue after landing at Terminal 3 at around 9am this morning. He claimed 'not one' of the so-called e-gates operated by Border Force were working, after 'thousands of people' arrived from long overnight flights. 'Woman collapsed in queue - horrendous,' he wrote, before adding: 'An hour later and some biometric scanners are now working.' Heathrow Airport responded to his tweet, writing: 'We are sorry to hear about these delays & we have responded to your DM. 'There was an issue impacting the e-gates in T3, which are staffed & operated by @UKBorder. Our team worked closely with @UKBorder, found a solution, & T3 is now fully operational again.' A spokesperson for the airport told MailOnline that the woman collapsed in an 'unrelated incident to the queues which resulted from the e-gate issue.' BBC journalist Michael Cowan shared an image of a gridlocked queue after landing at Terminal 3 at around 9am this morning. He claimed 'not one' of the so-called e-gates operated by Border Force were working, after 'thousands of people' arrived from long overnight flights Heathrow Airport responded to say it was 'aware' of issues with the scanners this morning but that that they 'should be fully operational now', although it admitted: 'There may be a bit of a back up.' But there appeared to be further issues at the same terminal this afternoon, as one passenger tweeted at around 3pm: 'What on Earth is happening at Terminal 3 passport control?!', above a photo of a long queue. Heathrow Airport responded to say it was 'aware' of issues with the scanners this morning but that that they 'should be fully operational now', although it admitted: 'There may be a bit of a back up.' Others took to social media to complain of waiting for over an hour for their baggage on Thursday. It comes after issues were reported at Terminal 5 yesterday, with one Twitter user claiming the check-in area had queues going 'back to the doors', branding the situation 'horrifying.' He wrote: 'Horrifying to see @HeathrowAirport still being desperately mismanaged. It comes after issues were reported at Terminal 5 yesterday, with one Twitter user claiming the check-in area had queues going 'back to the doors', branding the situation 'horrifying' (pictured) 'This is just one of the security queues in the check-in area of T5 - goes back to the doors. What are you doing to this place? 'Should easily be able to handle this sort of capacity early November.' A spokesperson for MailOnline said T5 security queues were 'longer yesterday after a busy period of departing passengers' but said the queue 'did remain moving'. They said security at the terminal is 'operating normally today.' It comes after Britons were warned to brace for thunderstorms, hail and lightning after flash flooding wreaked havoc today by submerging roads and stopping public transport. Forecasters have also told people across the UK to 'get their ice scrapers out' and prepare for frost this week as temperatures are set to drop to -2C in some areas tomorrow. The rain has mostly affected the South East, where earlier today flooding blocked sections of the M25, A41 and A1 in London and caused long delays on the Underground. Heavy rain has been falling across parts of the South East overnight and has continued to pour down this morning. Pictured: A motorist climbs out of his vehicle stuck in a flood on the A41 Hendon Way, London A council member of staff attempts to clear floodwater in a street in Moulsecoomb, Brighton, where household waste bins are floating down the road Floodwater fills a subway next to the A41 Hendon Way in north London, which is now completely closed following torrential rainfall The capital was heavily congested during the morning rush hour due to road closures, while drivers have been pictured abandoning their cars on waterlogged roads after attempting to drive through deep water. The London Fire Brigade was called out to more than 11 flooding incidents an hour between 5am and 9am today, and crews rescued a man and two children who were trapped in a car by floodwater in Harrow, north-west London. Videos posted online showed commuters on buses with their feet in water and residential roads submerged. A yellow weather warning remained in place across the South East until 3pm this afternoon but another warning is in force from 8pm. A new weather warning is being issued for tomorrow, predicting thunderstorms along the southern coast from Kent to Dorset and much of Wales overnight. The Met Office revealed 64mm of rainfall fell in Horsmonden, Kent, in just the last 24 hours. The UK's national average for November is 89mm. In London, the Bakerloo and District lines were part suspended, while the Metropolitan, Overground, Circle, Hammersmith and City and Piccadilly lines were all facing delays. Joseph Hart, 37, of Greenville, Rhode Island was arrested after rushing Republican New Hampshire Senate candidate Don Bolduc and allegedly trying to punch him Police arrested a Rhode Island man for attempting to assault Republican New Hampshire Senate candidate Don Bolduc ahead of his debate with incumbent Democratic Senator Maggie Hassan on Wednesday. The Goffstown Police Department identified Joseph Hart, 37, of Greenville, Rhode Island as the man arrested and facing charges for criminal trespassing and disorderly conduct. The arrest preceded the third and final New Hampshire Senate debate between Bolduc and Hassaon Wednesday evening at St. Anselm College. Buldoc's campaign is calling for a decrease in the temperature of the political climate. A statement on the incident from the campaign claims the man tried to hit Bolduc. Also on Wednesday, Biden delivered a speech from Washington, D.C. where he blamed former President Donald Trump, his supporters and the January 6 Capitol attack for recent spikes in political violence including in the break-in and hammer attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband Paul. Goffstown police say the incident involving Bolduc is still under investigation. 'St. Anselm College instructed a male party that they were no longer welcome on their property,' police said of the pre-debate debacle. 'A short time later, a disturbance occurred when Mr. Hart approached Mr. Bolduc who was greeting his supporters,' the police department added. 'Officers converged on the area and all parties were separated.' 'Following that disturbance, Mr. Hart was taken into custody by the Goffstown Police Department and charged with criminal trespass and disorderly conduct.' While speaking to a line of supporters outside the location for the third and final debate on Wednesday night, Bolduc was rushed by Hart, who is now being charged with criminal trespass and disorderly conduct, according to Goffstown Police Department Hart was released on bail and will face arraignment on December 1 in New Hampshire. Bolduc's campaign released a statement on the 'disturbance'. 'As the General said on stage tonight, it's time to lower the temperature of the political discourse in this country,' Bolduc's campaign manager said. 'Prior to the debate, an individual in the crowd gathered outside attempted to punch the General and was quickly apprehended and arrested. We are grateful to the quick response from law enforcement on the scene,' they added. Hanssan's campaign said the Libertarian Party is to blame for the altercation. 'Disgusting behavior,' Hanssan spokesperson Kevin Donohoe said in a social media post. 'We saw this same libertarian party activist get aggressive with our campaign volunteers at this debate and the last.' Libertarian New Hampshire Senate candidate Jeremy Kauffman has earned between 2-4 percent in polling, which does make a difference in the race considering Hassan is only ahead of Bolduc by about 3 percentage points with just five days until Election Day. But Biden said MAGA Republicans are the problem, however, with rising violence when it comes to politicians. Bolduc's campaign says 'it's time to lower the temperature of the political discourse in this country', while the Democratic incumbent Senator Maggie Hassan's team blamed the attack on Libertarians President Joe Biden delivered a 'divisive' speech Wednesday night that got under Republican lawmakers' skin with less than a week until Election Day as he linked the attack on Paul Pelosi to former President Donald Trump's refusal to accept the results of the 2020 election and labeled the 2022 midterms as a battle between democracy and autocracy 'This institution, this intimidation, this violence against Democrats, Republicans, and nonpartisan officials just doing their jobs, are the consequence of lies told for power and profit, lies of conspiracy and malice, lies repeated over and over to generate a cycle of anger, hate, vitriol, and even violence,' he said from Union Station during a rally Wednesday. 'We the people must decide whether the rule of law will prevail or whether we will allow the dark forces and thirst for power put ahead of the principles that have long guided us,' the president added. Republican Representative Lee Zeldin, who is challenging Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul, was attacked during a campaign stop for his gubernatorial bid in July. Zeldin was speaking at a VFW near Rochester when a man climbed on stage and allegedly attempted to stab him he was not injured. Paul Pelosi was attacked with a hammer last week by a man who broke into the House Speaker and her husband's San Francisco home in an apparent attempt to 'kneecap' the Democratic congresswoman. Arizona gubernatorial candidate Katie Hobbs' campaign office was burglarized last week although it is unclear if that crime was politically motivated. Phyliss Golden-Gottlieb - 1980s Phyliss Golden-Gottlieb, now 82 A former executive who worked with Moonves at Lorimar Television in the 1980s, Golden-Gottlieb alleges Moonves forced her to perform oral sex on him. She told Ronan Farrow that he 'grabbed my head and he took it all the way down onto his penis, and pushed his penis into my mouth.' She also recalled how the insident made her physically sick. In another attack, Golden-Gottlieb claims Moonves, angry over a work-related issue, threw her against a wall. Now 82, said she made no complaint at the time because she was a single mother supporting two children. After she rejected Moonves' advances, Golden-Gottlieb said he retaliated against her professionally, moving her to smaller and smaller offices. 'Every two days, hed find a darker space, or a place downstairs, or something. He absolutely ruined my career,' she said. She later left the television industry to become an elementary teacher in LA. The executive also said she looked to pursue criminal charges with Los Angeles police in the wake of the #metoo movement. She said they found her claims credible but did not to pursue charges because the statute of limitations has expired. Dinah Kirgo - 1980s The Emmy-winning writer of The Tracey Ullman Show met Moonves in the early 1980s with her sister and producing partner Julie Kirgo to discuss a television deal. After a productive meeting, the women were confident they had a deal. When Dinah got home, she received a call from Moonves asking her to dinner. She said she and her sister would be happy to oblige, to which he allegedly replied, 'No, just you and me. You're very expensive, and I need to know you're worth it.' Kirgo claims she declined the offer and said, 'Well, Leslie, I don't think your wife would appreciate us having that kind of dinner.' She claims Moonves then hung up and never contacted her again. Later on, her agents began to hear reports she was difficult to work with, a claim no one had said before and, she suggested, could have been spread by Moonves as revenge for turning him down. Linda Silverthorn - 1984 In 1984, when she was an assistant, and he was a vice-president at Twentieth Century Fox, Moonves had propositioned her, offering to help her career. The two had consensual sexual encounters in his office over the course of about a month, she says. But when the pair met up again Silverthorn thought she was meeting Moonves on a professional basis. As soon as she entered his office, Silverthorn alleges Moonves shut the door to his office, took several swigs of coffee, grabbed her, and pulled her up from the chair where she was seated. 'He kissed me while we were standing up. Coffee was on his breath,' she recalled. 'And then he just pulled his penis out' and moved it towards her hand. After the episode, Moonves told her the studio didn't have any opportunities for her, she claims. 'It was unwelcome, it was unwanted,' she said. '[Despite the encounters six years earlier, I was there for a legitimate business meeting at nine o'clock.' But it wasn't just women working in the entertainment business who were allegedly assaulted but in the hospitality industry as well. Janet Jones - 1985 In the spring of 1985, Jones was trying to get into the industry as a writer, so was delighted when producer Mike Marvin helped arrange a meeting between her and Moonves, then vice-president of Twentieth-Century Fox. Jones was surprised when Moonves offered her a glass of wine before her pitch, so she declined and sat down on the couch. But then, she told the New Yorker, 'he came around the corner of the table and threw himself on top of me. It was very fast.' Moonves, she alleged, started kissing her and when she struggled shouted, 'What do you think you are doing?' He then remembered him saying: 'Well, I was hitting on you. I wanted a kiss.' As she left he called out to her to 'calm down'. Reaching the door, she realized it was locked. 'If you don't open this door,' she told him, 'I am going to scream so loud and so long that everyone on the lot is going to come over.' Moonves, she then said, walked to his desk to unlock the door, rather than do it directly. Jones said that made her upset as she realized he had prepared for such a situation. After telling several people about the meeting, Jones claims Moonves phoned her and threatened her to stay quiet about what happened or he would 'ruin your career'. Deborah Morris - 1980s Morris was a junior executive working at Lorimar in the 1980s. She went over to Moonves' office to discuss various projects where she was offered a glass of wine which she felt unable to refuse. 'All of a sudden, he was next to me,' she told the New Yorker. 'He said, 'How about a kiss?' I said no. And he said, 'No, come on, how about a kiss? It's nothing. How about a little kiss?'' Moonves continued his advances over several months, she claims. She told the magazine how one night the pair were in his Porsche when he suddenly grabbed her and tried to kiss her. Morris ended up pulling away and hitting Moonves. She got out of the car and ran. After the encounter Moonves refused to speak to her, and she was frozen out of meetings at Lorimar, she alleged. 'I was hung out to dry,' she said. 'And that was pretty much the end of my career. I wasn't going to get a reference.' When Morris contemplated filing a formal complaint without naming names, she said she was discouraged by the company's legal and human resources departments. 'Who's going to believe you? You're no one,' she recalled her contact in the legal department saying. 'His statement was incredible. Absolutely incredible. It made me sick,' she told me. 'He's cunning. He's calculating. And he's a predator.' Prominent actress (unnamed) - late 1980s A leading actress who played a policewoman in a popular CBS programme also came forward to tell her story, but refused to give her name out of fear of reprisals. Moonves invited her out for lunch in the late 1980s at the height of her show's popularity. She had known Moonves for years, and at the time he was working for a production company called Lorimar. At the lunch, Moonves told the actress he had a crush on her but had not said so before because she had been in a relationship. She thanked him for the lunch but declined his advances. When Moonves had become CBS president in 1995, she phoned up to congratulate him. 'You should have f**** me when I asked you too,' he told her. Taking it as a joke, the actress replied, 'No s***!' and they both laughed. However, shortly afterwards the actress was informed her series deal with CBS had been cancelled. Shocked, she called Moonves and they met in his office. There, Moonves explained he had let her go because he was targeting younger talent, but repeated again that he was 'attracted to her', she says. After the actress said she was going to leave, Moonves told her to sit down. She did, then fidgeted with the food on her plate until she made an excuse to leave and stood up to go. Then, she claims, 'I walked over and leaned to give him a kiss on the cheek' but Moonves forcibly kissed her and 'shoved his tongue down my throat'. Sickened, she left the room in tears and never worked for CBS again. 'Kimberley' - 1992 A former child star who only wanted to be identified by her first name met Moonves in 1992 after a friend said he could help her get back into television. The three sat down to a dinner, which began by Moonves asking questions about her acting career. When her friend left to use the bathroom, she claims Moonves turned to her and said, 'Let's go. Let's just get a hotel room. Let's just do this.' She was shocked and explained she had a husband and a child, after which Moonves got angry and left. CBS said Moonves had no record of the meeting. Responding to the above six stories, Moonves told the New Yorker: 'Throughout my time at CBS, we have promoted a culture of respect and opportunity for all employees, and have consistently found success elevating women to top executive positions across our company. 'I recognize that there were times decades ago when I may have made some women uncomfortable by making advances. Those were mistakes, and I regret them immensely. 'But I always understood and respectedand abided by the principlethat "no" means "no," and I have never misused my position to harm or hinder anyone's career. 'This is a time when we all are appropriately focused on how we help improve our society, and we at CBS are committed to being part of the solution.' Jessica Pallingston - 1994 The writer alleges Moonves coerced her into performing oral sex on him when she worked as his temporary assistant at Warner Bros. in spring 1994. When she refused his moves, he became hostile and called her a 'c***', she claims. On her first day at work, Pallingston claims she went to Moonves' suite at the Regency Hotel and found him in a bathrobe. She told the New Yorker Moonves offered her wine at 10am. He then went on to ask her personal questions including whether she was single and her sexual orientation, she claims. Then Moonves allegedly asked her for a massage. Pallingston said 'it was uncomfortable, but I was trying to act like I was tough and cool, like I could handle it all.' She says she remembers Moonves saying: 'I could help you with your writing. I could help you, and if you do something nice for me I could do something nice for you.' She said Moonves then kissed her, shoving his tongue down her throat 'like he was trying to reach my stomach.' Then, 'he said, 'I want you to suck my c***.' 'He pushed my head down, hard,' she said. 'It was very violent, very aggressive. There was real hostility in it.' Moonves allegedly began groping her breasts and, she said, 'kept saying, 'C'mon, let's f***.' Before leaving, she said: 'He took my hand and shook it and said, 'You did a great job.'' The pair met up again when Pallingston worked as Moonves' assistant when he made a trip to New York. She told the magazine he was 'a little gropey, but not much.' On a third occasion she alleges she was groped almost immediately upon the pair meeting. Pallingston lied and said she had become engaged. She recalls Moonves grew 'cold as ice, hostile, nasty because I turned him down.' Pallingston said for many years she felt ashamed about what had happened and rarely told the story to friends and colleagues. It was only after the MeToo movement gained momentum that she realized she no longer had to feel embarrassed. Illeana Douglas - 1996 Six Feet Under actress Illeana Douglas said during a 1997 meeting with Moonves he kissed her 'violently' and then pulled up her skirt while thrusting his aroused groin into her Douglas told The New Yorker she found herself fending off Moonves in 1996 after signing a $300,000 first-look deal with CBS. They two spent months working together and Douglas said she came to see him like a 'father,' until the day he allegedly forced himself on her in his office. Douglas, who had just split from Marin Scorsese and was working on the network's sitcom Queens, said it all happened in a flash. 'In a millisecond, he's got one arm over me, pinning me,' said Douglas, who described the 'physicality' of the incident as horrendous. Douglas said she eventually broke free from Moonves, but unable to function on set she found herself out of a job soon after and was replaced in the network's sitcom. She told multiple people and got a lawyer, which resulted in CBS paying her $125,000 for her work on Queens and $250,000 to star in a television miniseries. 'I go from being sexually assaulted, fired for not having sex with Les Moonves, fired by everyone, to 'We are going to pay you in full and we also want you to be on this miniseries',' Douglas said. 'My understanding is, this is what they were going to do in exchange for not suing.' When asked to comment on the miniseries deal and payment to Douglas, CBS said: 'There were no funds added for settlement purposes. The amount paid was half of what she was owed, which is not what one might do if concerned about a claim such as this.' Dr. Anne L. Peters - 1999 Dr. Anne Peters described an attack by an anonymous patient in 1999 in a medical journal entry about the MeToo movement this May. Vanity Fair named Moonves as the patient on Sunday and he conceded that he tried to kiss Peters but she rejected him Independent from the accusations in Farrow's two New Yorker pieces are those of Dr. Anne L. Peters who penned her account of being sexually harassed by an unnamed VIP patient in May this year. Its title was 'A Physician's Place in the MeToo Movement.' It appeared in The Annals of Internal Medicine. Though Peters did not name her alleged attacker, she described the man trying to force himself on her twice then masturbating when she refused him. She was not allowed to name him out doctor-patient confidentiality. In her account, she wrote: 'I did my usual initial interview, and then we stood to move to the examination table. He grabbed me as I stepped forward. He pulled himself against me and tried to force himself on me. 'He did this twice; when I rebuffed him, he stood beside the examination table and satisfied himself. She said she felt 'ashamed' afterwards but found someone to report him to. 'I had no idea what to do. I felt ashamed, I hadn't screamedI was supposed to be offering extra-special service to this man because he was rich and powerful and good for my institution (a place I no longer work). 'I don't quite remember how I figured out who to call to report this incident. However, I did call, largely because I wanted a note placed in his chart warning other women never to be alone with him.' The unnamed patient called her the next day to apologize and that he had done the 'same thing' with 'many women'. 'He said that he had a terrible problem and that he had done the same thing with many other women,' the doctor wrote. On Sunday, after Farrow's second piece on Moonves' alleged misconduct was published, Vanity Fair named him as the subject of the medical journal. In response to the magazine, Moonves admitted trying to 'kiss' the doctor during their only visit in 1999 but said he did not force himself on her. 'The appalling allegations about my conduct toward a female physician some 20 years ago are untrue. 'What is true, and what I deeply regret, is that I tried to kiss the doctor. Nothing more happened,' he said. Dr. Peters would not go on record. Deborah Kitay - late 1990s Massage therapist Deborah Kitay reveals she was harrassed by Moonves in the 1990s Kitay worked as a massage therapist in Los Angeles and said Moonves harassed her when she gave him massages at his office and home in the late 1990s. 'Bottom line is, every time I went in there for about a year and a half to two years, he would ask me to work higher up his leg in a way that was clearly sexual.' On one occasion she alleges Moonves asked her to touch his penis and threw off a towel that was covering him, thereby exposing himself. She said the experience was 'very stressful,' but never stopped the sessions, fearing any complaints from Moonves could hurt her career. Kitay told the New Yorker the treatment she received from Moonves eventually saw her turning down male clients and then leave massage therapy altogether. The above claims were made in the most recent New Yorker article on Sunday. Moonves said in response to the six stories above: 'The appalling accusations in this article are untrue. 'What is true is that I had consensual relations with three of the women some 25 years ago before I came to CBS. And I have never used my position to hinder the advancement or careers of women. 'In my 40 years of work, I have never before heard of such disturbing accusations. I can only surmise they are surfacing now for the first time, decades later, as part of a concerted effort by others to destroy my name, my reputation, and my career.' Christine Peters - 2000s Christine Peters, who accuses Moonves of forcing himself on her in a business meeting, is pictured in Los Angeles on December 21, 2017 The producer also described Moonves forcing himself on her during a business meeting. By the early 2000s, Peters was already an industry veteran, having worked on hit films including The Godfather and Chinatown, often relying on her long term friend and confidante Sumner Redstone for advice and help. In 2006, Peters and Redstone had dinner with Moonves, then CBS chairman, to discuss his plans to launch CBS Studios. Redstone suggested Peters could be an executive at the studio, an idea that seemed to excite Moonves. The pair met in his office to discuss the prospect, and Peters began delivering a detailed plan and her idea to target the female demographic. As she continued, Peters joined her on the coach and sat uncomfortably close, she told the New Yorker. Then, she claims, he put his hand up her skirt, and touched her underwear. In a state of shock, Peters claims she tried to make an excuse to leave to her car. Deborah Green - 2000s Green was a freelance makeup artist who worked for CBS in the early 2000s. One day, she had been tasked with applying Moonves' makeup before a video shoot. Afterwards, she went back to his office to remove the makeup whereupon Moonves allegedly asked for a massage. Then he stood up, turned around and grabbed her, she claims. 'He stuck his tongue down my throat,' she told The New Yorker. 'It was like a forceful hold.' Green decided not to report the incident. 'I didn't want my livelihood to be jeopardized,' she said. 'Knowing that Les is powerful is why I didn't speak out at the time. I was a makeup artist who had no voice. Ten Greenpeace activists who blocked a jetty at an oil terminal, forcing a tanker carrying Russian diesel to U-turn, will claim in court that their actions were lawful as they were 'preventing a crime'. The defendants, aged between 27 and 72, have gone on trial at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court. Monali Ralerasker, prosecuting, said the operations manager of Navigator Terminals in Grays, Essex, was made aware that protesters had breached the jetty at around 11.10pm on May 15 this year. 'They had gained access from the riverside by dinghy boats,' the lawyer said. She said the jetty is 'important' to the terminal's infrastructure as it is 'used for large tankers to dock'. Greenpeace activists (left to right) Lyndall Stein, Mike Grant, Ben Hearne-Salter, Henry Rayner, David James, Rhiannon Wood, Kim Harrison, Benji Bailes, Ian Mills and Zoe Pontida outside Chelmsford Magistrates' Court, Essex before their trial for blocking a jetty at an oil terminal in Grays, Essex Activists attached themselves to the structure and displayed a banner that said 'oil fuels war'. Ms Ralerasker said a vessel due to dock on May 16 was turned around in the River Thames. 'The Port of London Authority made the decision to turn the ship around and return her to anchorage so no fuel was discharged,' she said. The protesters were later arrested and taken into custody in Colchester. Describing what the issue in the case would be, Ms Ralerasker said: 'What they say is they were acting in an honest belief that they were preventing a crime being committed here.' In a TikTok video played in court, a protester at the site said: 'We're sending a message to the UK Government to stop importing Russian oil. 'We're here to stop a ship carrying Russian oil from docking here in the UK.' Andromeda a Greek registered Oil Taker arrives in the River Thames to offload 33,000 Tonnes of Russian Diesel 24 hours late after members of Greenpeace held up its discharge on May 10 One of the activists who scaled the jetty, former lieutenant colonel Michael Grant, 62, told the court: 'The purpose of the action was to draw attention to the fact that fossil fuels were being imported and thereby funding Putin's war. 'Our aim was to really highlight what I would call state-level hypocrisy that was hiding in plain sight.' He said that he is in the Greenpeace climb team and they targeted the Andromeda tanker, which was 'Greek-flagged and it was carrying Russian oil'. Grant said his background was 'ex-military' and he had more than 25 years' service in the Parachute Regiment and was a lieutenant colonel. 'I've been in multiple high-risk situations and I thought I had some skills to bear,' he said. Asked by Henry Blaxand KC, defending, if he had considered what else he could have done, Grant said: 'I've written many letters in my time, signed hundreds of petitions, been on multiple marches. 'These things don't have an immediate impact and time is a factor.' One of the Greenpeace activists pictured as the group stopped a tanker carrying 33,000 tonnes of Russian diesel from docking in Essex He said it was two months into the invasion of Ukraine at the time and he equated the number of deaths to the 'equivalent of a Manchester Arena bombing every day'. 'We didn't have time to take the usual routes,' he said. He continued: 'If I walked into a police station and raised the issue of imports of oil being used to fund effective war crimes in Ukraine I think you know what would have happened - I would have been dismissed as a crank.' The 10 defendants deny a single charge of obstructing or disrupting a person engaged in a lawful activity under the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994. It is said they trespassed on land at Navigator Terminals and blocked the jetty, obstructing or disrupting 'a lawful activity, namely fuel distribution'. The defendants are: Benji Bailes, 38, of Gloucester; Michael Grant, 62, of Rosewell, Midlothian; Kim Harrison, 38, of Oldham, Greater Manchester; Benjamin Hearne-Salter, 41, of Kashmir Road, south London; David James, 62, of Bromfelde Road, south London; Ian Mills, 56, of Chippenham, Wiltshire; Zoe Pontida, 32, of Oxford; Henry Rayner, 28, of Ivanhoe Road, south London; Lyndall Stein, 72, of Surrey Row, south London; Rhiannon Wood, 27, of Hedge End, near Southampton, Hampshire. The trial, being heard before district judge Christopher Williams and due to last two days, continues. An Albanian convicted murderer held at Manston processing centre was jailed for entering the UK illegally - but has still been allowed to continue his asylum application. Mariglen Shoshari, 31, arrived in Kent in October after the small boat he was crossing in was intercepted by the authorities. He had been convicted of murder and firearm offences in Greece in 2012 and had been given a 18-and-a-half year sentence. Shoshari was brought ashore and taken to the former Ministry of Defence site in Thanet, which has been turned into an asylum seeker processing centre. On the processing form he filled in he admitted his previous crimes and was charged with entering the UK illegally and yesterday jailed for 60 days. The Manston facility has come under the spotlight as it has emerged 3,500 people are being detained there for weeks - although it is intended to hold 1,600 for just days. Mariglen Shoshari, 31, arrived in Kent in October after the small boat he was crossing in was intercepted by the authorities. He was taken to Manston (pictured) A note thrown over the perimeter fence by a young girl yesterday suggested 50 families had been held there for more than 30 days. Among the thousands being detained was Shoshari, who was asked to fill in a questionnaire form given to new arrivals. On it Shoshari, of no fixed address, told authorities of the murder and jail sentence. As a result of what he admitted on the questionnaire, immigration authorities charged him with arriving in the UK without valid entry clearance. After 23 days in immigration detention, Shoshari appeared at Folkestone Magistrates' Court on Wednesday and pleaded guilty to the offence. Julie Farbrace prosecuting, told magistrates Shoshari had arrived on the small vessel on October 10 with others and was taken to Manston for processing. She added: 'He was brought to shore and it was confirmed he was an Albanian national. 'At Manston he was asked to fill in an asylum questionnaire where he confirmed he's been arrested in Greece and charged with murder and firearm offences. 'He said he'd been sentenced to 18-and-a-half years, but served eight years and seven months. 'He has no UK convictions and no immigration history in this country. He was not the pilot and there were others in the boat.' Chairman of the bench, Mark Tucker asked the prosecutor why others on the same boat had not been charged with the same offence of entering the UK illegally. Ms Farbrace replied: 'Everyone on the boat could be charged with the offence, but it doesn't happen at the moment. But it could happen in the future.' The court also heard Shoshari applied for asylum in this country on October 12, two days after his arrival and that his application would continue. Magistrates decided to jail Shoshari for 60 days for the offence and ordered he pay a victim surcharge of 154 after his release. This week hundreds of people have been moved out of the Manston facility following concerns it had become dangerously overcrowded. The site, located at a former Ministry of Defence fire training centre, opened in January. The Prison Officers' Association (POA) has warned tensions within the facility are rising. In a statement this week, it said: 'A POA member working at the site likened the situation to a pressure cooker coming to the boil with a jammed release valve. 'She described the ability to move people on from the site in a timely manner as that pressure release valve. 'We have had reports of incidents escalating, altercations between residents boiling over and resulting in injury with police having to be called to the site to investigate assaults and provide support to staff.' The Hamptons hit-and-run driver who mowed down an 18-year-old has been sentenced to three months in prison after the teenager's devastated family pleaded with a judge to give him jail time. Daniel Campbell, 20, fatally struck Devesh 'Devu' Samtani with his Honda Pilot on Old Stone Highway in Amagansett on August 10, 2021 with such force that he was thrown six-feet into the air. At the time, Campbell had nine other people in his car. He'd been labeled a 'driving menace' after racked up a string of driving offenses, including speeding tickets days before the fatal crash, a head-on collision and even having his license stripped from him. Campbell first pleaded guilty on August 5 to a single felony charge of leaving the scene of an accident that led to the victim's death. At the time, Judge Richard Ambro said he planned to sentence Campbell - whose mother owns a boutique in Montauk and whose father is an SVP at a luxury furnishings store - to six months of community service in lieu of jail time. That decision that was met with outrage from Samtani's parents, who traveled from Hong Kong to court hearings, urged him to reconsider. On Thursday, Ambro sentenced Campbell to 90 days in jail, 450 hours of community service and five years' probation. Before being led out of the Suffolk County Criminal Court in Riverhead in handcuffs, Campbell addressed his victim's family for the first time since the tragedy. 'The night of the accident was a terrible tragedy. My lawyers told me not to speak for one year but, I wish I could've met with the family to tell them how sorry I was for ruining all of their lives. I am sorry for all the pain and devastation,' he told Samtani's parents. Daniel Campbell, 20, fatally struck Devesh 'Devu' Samtani in Amagansett on August 10, 2021. He was sentenced to three months in jail on Thursday Devesh 'Devu' Samtani, 18, was planning to attend NYU in Fall 2021, weeks before his life was cut short, when Campbell plowed into the teen killing him on August 10, 2021 Samtani's parents, Kishore and Mala Santani hold a picture of their son and a cap worn by him, outside court ahead of Campbell's sentencing Campbell arrives at court for his sentencing, flanked by his mother Gretchen Smith Campbell (left) who owns a Montauk boutique, and his father, Daniel Campbell (right) - the SVP of a modern luxury furnishings firm 'I wish I could have gone to Stony Brook Hospital to see your son. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about the agony you have gone through. I wish I did not panic. I would give everything to change that night and to change the outcome. I prayed every single night when he was in the hospital. You showed me what a beautiful son he was. I know the loss be with you forever. I know you may never forgive me but know how remorseful and sorry I am. I am sorry guys.' On the night Samtani was killed, he had been walking along Old Stone Highway with his cousin Kabir Kurani, 18, and their friends trying to get service to get an Uber back home. But he was hit by Campbell - driving a Honda Pilot packed with nine passengers - so hard he flew 6ft into the air, with his shoes flying off his feet. Campbell then drove off and left the NYU economics student to die on the highway surrounded by his friends. At Campbell's sentencing on Thursday, Judge Ambro claimed he was unaware of Campbell's three prior car accidents until he was informed by the DA's office and Samtani's family lawyer. 'On September 9 I became aware of three accidents and a speeding ticket. I could no longer honor the no jail time commitment,' he said. The tragic accident happened on Old Stone Highway near where the road curves at Eastwood Court, according to the accident report. The driver identified as Daniel Campbell, 20, plowed into Devu and kept on driving. His 2012 Honda Pilot was packed with 9 passengers Daniel Campbell outside his mother's Montauk boutique, Bontemps, in August Campbell was involved in at least two crashes before the fatal night - including in February 2021 when he drove down a one way street in White Plains, New York, in the wrong direction He added that Campbell had declined a trial after pleading guilty in August, and the 90-day sentence was 'fair and reasonable'. As part of his sentence, Campbell's licence will be revoked and he will be fined $2,000. At least 30 members of Samtani's family, including his parents Kishore and Mala Samtani, were in court for the hearing. Before the sentencing, Kishore Samtani told DailyMail.com that Campbell has previously asked the judge to delay his sentencing so that he could spend Thanksgiving with his family. 'On the 25th of August, Campbell was requesting for a delay in sentencing because he wanted to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with his family. Thanksgiving for what? Thanking God for what ... for getting off? So he will be missing one Thanksgiving and one Christmas,' he said. 'I heard they are upset about this and if they are upset about this what about our position.' Kishore Samtani said he was furious that Campbell's driving history was only uncovered after the family hired a private investigator, saying: 'It doesn't seem right.' 'I am tired. We are going back. There is nothing we can do. Right. It won't make a difference to us - one year two years. Actually, we are not happy with the system. We could afford lawyers. We could afford investigators. So we got his three months. What about the regular people?. They won't be able to do anything,' he said. 'There was a lot of frustration happening in our family ... We put up something, an example for other kids - come on, please don't leave someone there dying.' Daniel Campbell (center) arrives at court ahead of his sentencing, flanked by his lawyers Campbell (left left) was sentenced to 90 days in prison after the judge - who'd previously promised not to jail him - learned that he had a string of driving offences Campbell was involved in at least two crashes before the night he killed Samtani - including in February 2021 when he drove down a one way street in White Plains, New York, in the wrong direction. It happened five months before incoming New York University freshman Samtani's horrific death. And just eight days prior to the fatal smash, Campbell was slapped with six points over a June 2021 speeding offense in the Bronx. But his heedless driving history goes back to 2020 with multiple violations, including 8 points off of his license that he racked up in less than a year's time, according to documents seen by DailyMail.com. Celebrity lawyer Benjamin Brafman, who represents Samtani's devastated family, told DailyMail.com in September: 'One of the accidents he was involved in was a head-on collision with another vehicle on a road that was clearly marked one-way. 'He was headed in the wrong direction. It was a miracle that no one was killed or hurt.' Speaking about Campbell himself, Brafman added: 'We describe him as a driving menace.' More than 30 of Samtani's family and friends traveled to Long Island for Thursday's sentencing Samtani's mother, Mala, looks devastated as she speaks to people ahead of the sentencing As well as the previous collisions and speeding tickets, Campbell was handed two points on his license in May 2021 for disobeying traffic devices in the town of Brookhaven, Suffolk County. He was also fined a total of $184 for driving an uninspected and unregistered vehicle in November 2020 in Westchester County. Campbell was seen working at his mother's Montauk boutique, Bontemps in the months before his sentencing. He and his family lives part-time in area, with their primary residence in Hastings-on-the-Hudson in Westchester County. The family-owned store, which opened in spring of 2021, is a beach clothing store that sells hoodies, sandals, hats, beach bags and sunglasses among other items, which has generated close to a million dollars in annual sales, public records show. Campbell's father, Daniel Campbell, 51, is the SVP of a modern luxury furnishings firm, that he has been with for more than 17 years, according to his Linkedin profile. His mother Gretchen Smith Campbell, 52, told DailyMail.com that she 'had no comment' when asked about the details surrounding the night of the crash. The French parliament was suspended today after a black MP was told to 'Go back to Africa!' by a far-Right opponent. Carlos Martens Bilongo, a 31-year-old from a Congolese background, was asking a question about climate change when he was verbally attacked on Thursday afternoon in the Paris National Assembly. 'Go back to Africa!' was heard from the benches of the National Rally the far-Right party led by Marine Le Pen. The duty vice-president, the equivalent of the Speaker, immediately asked: 'Who is the MP who said that phrase? It's not possible.' There were chances of 'Out, out, out!' by Mr Bilongo's colleagues, of the left-wing France Insoumis (France Unbowed) party. Carlos Martens Bilongo, a 31-year-old from a Congolese background, was asking a question about climate change when he was verbally attacked on Thursday afternoon in the Paris National Assembly. Pictured: The national assembly today Then the culprit was identified as Gregoire de Fournas, the 31-year-old National Rally MP for the Gironde department in south west France. Mr De Fournas immediately tried to explain himself by saying he had been referring to 'an African boat' which had difficulty 'getting back into port'. It follows Ms Le Pen, who was runner up in presidential election this year, pledging to change the image of her notoriously racist party, which used to be called the National Front. It was founded by Ms Le Pen's father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, who is now a convicted racist and Holocaust denier. Frances Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin suggested that Ms Le Pens racist party had not changed at all. Mr Darmanin tweeted: 'Racism of a member of the National Assembly: from the FN to the RN, the name changes, but the hideous references and despicable habits remain. What a disgrace.' It follows Ms Le Pen, pictured, who was runner up in presidential election this year, pledging the change the image of her notoriously racist party, which used to be called the National Front Mr Bilongo accused the RN of targeting him because of the colour of his skin. He said: 'Today, I was reduced to my skin colour. I was born in France, I am a French MP. We see the true face of the National Rally. It's shameful. I thank all the MPs who have united with me' Parliamentary authorities meanwhile said there would be a full investigation into Mr De Fournass words. The RN celebrated its 50th birthday earlier this month, with Marine Le Pen saying it was 'ready to govern'. Her party won 89 seats in the National Assembly its largest number ever, since Jean Marie Le Pen founded the party in 1972. An aspiring rapper who saved four siblings from their burning home in Iowa after he made a wrong turn, checks on them every day since the fire - and even took the youngest trick-or-treating on Halloween. Brendon Birt, 26, is called Blase 96 in his music career, and is now being called an honorary member of the Lehman family after his heroic actions last month. Birt was driving to a friend's home in Red Oak just before 2 a.m. on October 23 when he made a mistake that ended up saving the lives of four people, who he now calls family, evident in new photos they've shared together on social media. When Birt accidentally turned onto Prospect Street and came across a house engulfed in flames, he jumped out and did everything he could to do to alert the occupants to the fire. He screamed fire and banged on the doors, and was about to run to the back of the house to try to break in when two teenage girls and a younger boy busted through the front door screaming and crying for help. They said it was Birt's banging that woke them up. 'It was a huge relief when I saw them running out,' Birt told The Washington Post. 'If they had waited one more minute, they probably wouldn't have gotten out of there.' Brendon Birt, 26, pictured here with Tender Lehman and the oldest sibling Bryce Harrison, took a wrong turn in the town of Red Oak, Iowa when he came upon the burning home and alerted the Lehman family, saving the lives of four siblings Birt and Lehman embrace after he saved her four children from the October blaze. She said she is forever grateful for Brit, who they call a hero and an honorary member of their family According to the Stanton Fire and Rescue, firefighters battled the blaze for five hours. The is a total loss and not covered by house by insurance, Lehman said He discovered that the four siblings Bryce, 22, Kindred, 17, Spirit, 14, and Christopher, 8 were asleep inside the house when the fire broke out. Their mother, and owner of the house, Tender Lehman, was in Montana due to a family emergency, and her husband, Chris Lehman was working in Muscatine, Iowa. She had left the children in the care of the oldest sibling, Bryce Harrison. When Birt came upon the burning house, he had a feeling, given the late hour, that someone was in the house and he had to stop. 'I imagined it being my family in there,' Birt said. 'There was no other way around it.' Lehman said she is forever grateful for Brit, who they call a hero, and an honorary member of their family. 'I think it's such an epidemic in this country, people pulling out their cellphones and recording tragedy instead of jumping in to help,' she said. 'He pulled out his cellphone and he called 911. He knew that they didn't have time to wait.' The horrific fire broke out on the night of October 23 in Red Oak, Iowa Four siblings, ages 22, 17, 14 and 8, remained asleep inside as the flames engulfed the home Birt said he didn't even hesitate when deciding to stop to help that night of the fire. 'I just had to assume somebody was in there. I was throwing stuff at the house, hitting the windows, yelling everything I could to try to get them out of the house.' His persistent banging woke the siblings up, they said, as came rushing out the front door. They're older brother, however, was still inside. Birt said about a minute went by, which 'felt like forever,' he said, before Bryce came running out, flames licking at his heels. Bryce, who had been in the basement when the fire broke out, later said he ran up the stairs with his pistol because he heard the commotion and thought there was a home intruder. 'I ran up the basement stairs with my pistol, ready to do what I had to do, and then like just froze when I saw a wall of fire,' he said. 'I can guarantee you if it had not been for Brendon, it would have been 10 times worse than it was,' he added. All four siblings escaped the burning house, but five of the family's seven dogs were killed in the fire. 'My kids were very shaken up,' Tender said. 'They lost their dogs. They were devastated.' Lehman was not able to get home right away, so Birt stayed with the Lehman siblings for nearly three hours after the fire, 'hugging them and talking to them, and trying to make them feel better,' he said. 'He is a special, special guy,' Leham said, adding that Birt is 'is still rescuing my children,' she said, explaining that he checks on them every day. 'They're healing each other. They're the only five people on the planet that know what that night felt like.' Brendon Birt, pictured here, is an aspiring rapper who goes by the name Blase 96 Birt has checked on the Lehmans every day and visited several times since the fire. He even took the youngest, Christopher, trick-or-treating on Halloween A GoFundMe page that has been set up for the family has raised over $28,000 at the time of writing. The goal of the page is $30,000 Birt has checked on the Lehmans every day and visited several times since the fire. He even took the youngest, Christopher, trick-or-treating on Halloween. 'I never knew taking the wrong turn was such a good thing,' the youngest Christopher said. 'I'm just thankful that he's been with us every second that we've asked him to,' said his sister, Spirit. 'He actually did something and saved all of us,' Kindred added. 'It was pretty unbelievable.' Lehman said: 'I told him, 'You just gained another family.' He's going to be in all the Christmas cards,' she said. 'He's an incredible human.' The family's house is a total loss, and the damage is not covered by insurance, Lehman said Pumpkins on the front porch for Halloween are now scorched from the fire The house and the contents of the house was all destroyed in the fire Lehman posted the video showing the moment that her family escaped certain death on Instagram. The video was recorded by her Ring doorbell camera. She wrote in the caption: 'The day our lives changed forever! But, from the ashes right??' The video showed Lehman's three young children escaping, they are followed by their eldest sibling. The hero continued: 'They came out the door. Like, I just felt like, I just wanted to break down and cry. Like, I don't even know these people here.' The Red Oak Fire Department said that the cause of the fire is under investigation. The family's house is a total loss, and the damage is not covered by insurance, Lehman said. A GoFundMe page that has been set up for the family has raised over $28,000 at the time of writing. The goal of the page is $30,000. It took Brendon Birt's heroic actions to rouse the family from their beds to safety According to local reports, the family's smoke detectors did not go off as the fire spread According to the page, that was set up by Tender Lehman's mother, Windy Monjarez, the family's home is a 'total loss.' The page reads: 'My son in law is a Union Boilermaker and my daughter is in college to become a nurse. Anybody who knows them, knows their hearts!' It continues: 'They would and have helped everybody who has ever needed it. They are homeless and have nothing left.' On her Facebook page, Monjarez wrote of Birt: 'This young man doesn't look like a hero with his saggy pants, two tone braids and a stocking cap but he is our hero.' She added: 'Brendon Birt you are my hero! You will always be in my heart as the 25 yr old hipster hero that saved my four grandkids. I love you!' According to his Facebook page, Birt is a native of Red Oak, Iowa, and attended the University of Iowa. In 2020, Brendon released his first album Misunderstood that ironically includes a track titled Get Out. He followed that up with his second album, Black Side. In this Sept. 21 file photo, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol shakes hands with Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in New York. Courtesy of South Korea's presidential office By Nam Hyun-woo Speculations of a Korea-Japan summit have erupted ahead of two major multilateral summits to be held later in November, following an increase of political interaction between officials of the two countries. President Yoon Suk-yeol and Taro Aso, vice president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of Japan had a close-door meeting on Tuesday. Aso, as the head of a Japan-South Korea cooperation committee, paid a courtesy visit to the South Korean president Details of the Yoon-Aso meeting were not made public as the presidential office released a short statement confirming the meeting. Yoon asked about Aso's role in developing the bilateral relations through promoting people-to-people exchanges. The former Japanese prime minister responded that conversations and cooperation should continue between the two countries, and pledged his efforts for the speedy recovery and further development of bilateral relations. South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin, right, shakes hands with former Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso during their meeting at a hotel in Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs On Wednesday morning, Aso had a meeting with Seoul's Foreign Minister Park Jin. Park told reporters that the two countries' leaders have intentions to improve bilateral relations, and that improved ties will be beneficial for each other's national interests. Along with Aso, a bipartisan group of lawmakers from Japan visited Seoul on Wednesday to attend a joint general meeting of the Korea-Japan Parliamentarians' Union and the Japan-Korea Parliamentarians' Union on Wednesday. The Japanese lawmakers offered their condolences to the victims of the Halloween crowd crush in Itaewon, Seoul, during a visit to the memorial altar in Seoul Plaza, on Wednesday evening. In the deadly disaster on Saturday night, at least 156 people have died, including two Japanese nationals. Ruling conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lawmaker Fukushiro Nukaga, chairman of the Japan-Korea Parliamentarians' Union, signed the condolence book. During Wednesday's meeting between South Korean and Japanese lawmakers, Seoul's ruling People Power Party interim chief Chung Jin-suk said, "The pending issues between the two countries can be addressed for the sake of their mutual benefits and national interests." "Yesterday, a North Korean ballistic missile flew south of the Northern Limit Line (an inter-Korean demarcation line) for the first time since the separation of the two Koreas, and the missile was (aimed) toward South Korea and Japan," Chung said. "Pyongyang is targeting both South Korea and Japan, and it is now inevitable to confront a nuclear-armed North Korea, increasing the necessity for Seoul-Tokyo economic and security cooperation." Nukaga said that the two countries' leaders have agreed to maintain close bilateral relations for North Korea's complete denuclearization, and that the parliamentarians' union should also deliver strong messages. Ruling People Power Party interim chief Chung Jin-suk, third from left, shakes hands with ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Fukushiro Nukaga, second from left, during the general assembly of Korea-Japan Parliamentarians' Union and Japan-Korea Parliamentarians' Union. A corrupt stockbroker faces jail after he promised more than 300 investors huge returns for pouring 5.4million into a South American gold mine Stephen Todd, 41, masterminded the swindle through IPR Capital Ltd offering shares in the mining company in Ecuador, a court heard. Todd was disqualified from being a company director for 10 years in 2017 for unfit conduct while running a series of disreputable firms in the City, including White Square Investments and Hamilton Bentley. He faces jail along with financial analyst Steven Mayne, 42, David Williams, 41, and 54-year-old John Andrews. Southwark Crown Court heard 344 people were persuaded to invest 5.4million in the project between May 2013 and January 2015. Alexander Mills, prosecuting, said: 'The reason the conspiracy came to an end was that in February 2015, the Insolvency Service shut it down, as it was seen to be against the public interest. 'Investors lost all their money. This has been categorised at various points as a boiler room fraud. Stephen Todd (pictured), 41, masterminded the swindle through IPR Capital Ltd offering shares in the mining company in Ecuador, a court heard 'That is not in fact a correct description. It is quite clear that there was a genuine intention to set up a profitable and functioning gold mine in Ecuador, and it was hoped that it would result in investors receiving a substantial increase in the amounts they had invested. 'Over time it was quite clear that this was not a viable investment. 'Mr Todd was capable of behaving in a domineering if not dictatorial manner in relation to others involved with IPR. 'Mr Todd at this time was capable of being a bully, particularly in relation to Steven Mayne. 'He was capable of domineering him, bullying him, and persuading him to do things that were against his better judgement.' The court heard that workers in the gold mine had to be laid off before Christmas last year. 'Having to lay off workers before Christmas, due to lack of funds from England, is a very striking feature in this case. 'Starvation of funds was one of the main reasons it was not profitable. 'So much of the funds from investors were going nowhere near [the mine] but into the pockets of various individuals.' Mr Mills explained that Todd would never have been authorised to run the scheme by the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) because of his past conduct. Todd (above) was disqualified from being a company director for 10 years in 2017 for unfit conduct while running a series of disreputable firms in the City, including White Square Investments and Hamilton Bentley 'Both (Todd and Mayne) must have been aware that this investment scheme would always have been categorised as a collective investment scheme, and that Mr Todd would never be authorised to run it.' Todd was jailed for seven years for 'carrying on a business with intent to defraud creditors' at Croydon Crown Court in 2018. A year later he received a consecutive sentence of 12 months imprisonment for a scam involving The Commodities Link Limited, which offered investments in rare earth metals. Mayne had no previous convictions and had published articles in the financial press as well making TV appearances. He worked in the City as a regulated broker and had his own firm called EGR Broking Ltd which had ceased trading. Andrews was a former NCO in the British Army who has also admitted dealing in a 'large quantity of MDMA'. He was described as 'a close friend and business acquaintance to Stephen Todd for more than eight years'. Mayne's lawyer, Roderick Johnson, KC, said: 'Mr Mayne and his partner had a young daughter in May. He is not the same man he was 10 years ago when this happened. 'He is ashamed to have been involved in a matter that caused fraudulent activity to so many people. Southwark Crown Court (pictured) heard 344 people were persuaded to invest 5.4million in the project between May 2013 and January 2015 'He now teaches special needs children. The very fact of a conviction may make that work difficult to continue, but he will never go back to the Square Mile city life he had before. 'He went into this with good intentions. He was offered the opportunity to come in and do research and marketing. 'From then on he was under the direction of Mr Todd, whose venture this really was, he was his boss, Mr Mayne was an employee in the circumstances talked about. 'Mr Mayne is desperate to get on with his life as a father and respectable member of society. He will never go back to financial world and he will never, regardless of today, appear before a court again. 'Mayne was under intimidation and he did try to keep the project alive so investors would have returns - it was all of course too little too late.' Jason Sugarman, KC, for Andrews, said he has been on remand serving time for his MDMA offence. He said: 'He has been in custody for another offence. He has served extra time because of this case because he has not been eligible for early release, and he has suffered from the delays of Covid and this case hanging around. 'He has a child he hasn't seen since his third birthday, who is six in early March.' Todd, of Limehouse, east London, and Mayne, of Earl's Court, admitted conspiracy to defraud. Williams, of Minster-on-Sea, Kent, admitted converting criminal property between May 19, 2014, and February 3, 2015, namely 60,553, knowing or suspecting it to constitute or represent in whole or in part a person's benefit from criminal conduct. Andrews, of Greenhithe, Kent, admitted converting criminal property between June 14 and 30, 2014, namely 60,000, knowing it to constitute and hold at least in part proceeds from criminal conduct. The sentencing hearing continues. Boy, aged 12, has been arrested this morning in connection with the incident A 12-year-old schoolboy has been arrested after a firework was set off on a bus in Gorleston. A shocking video shows the firework exploding on the top deck of a bus yesterday afternoon at 3.15pm on in Gorleston, Great Yarmouth. The video, believed to be filmed by other students on Snapchat, shows the firework being lit and then being thrown towards the front of the bus. It then explodes, leaving the bus filled with smoke. A shocking video shows the firework exploding on the top deck of a bus yesterday afternoon at 3.15pm on in Gorleston, Great Yarmouth A 12-year-old boy from Great Yarmouth has been arrested this morning on suspicion of arson, causing a public nuisance, and for two offences under the Fireworks Regulation, and Explosives Acts. He was taken to Great Yarmouth Police Investigation Centre for questioning. A number of passengers were on board at the time, but no one is believed to have been injured. One young mother was on board the bus at the time with her two-year-old son. She told the Great Yarmouth Mercury: 'Schoolkids will be schoolkids and they were making quite a bit of noise and were being a bit boisterous'. 'But as the bus pulled off from the hospital, you could hear screaming upstairs. All of a sudden there was this massive bang. Everybody came running down the stairs and the whole bus filled with smoke.' A number of passengers were on board at the time, but no one is believed to have been injured Chris Speed, Operations Director at the bus company, First Eastern Counties, said: 'On Wednesday afternoon we experienced a serious incident when a firework was lit by school children on a bus in Gorleston, thankfully no injuries were sustained to any of our passengers or driver on board, but this mindless activity is very concerning. 'We are working closely with the Police to iidentify and apprehend the people involved. 'The safety and wellbeing of our staff and customers is our priority at all times and if we experience any further incidents, we may need to cancel or divert services away from where the activity is taking place at that time. We apologise in advance but this worrying activity inevitably has an impact on our ability to operate buses safely which unfortunately can affect the wider community we serve if we need to temporarily divert services'. A spokesperson for Ormiston Academies Trust, which runs the school involved, said: 'A serious incident took place after school yesterday on a public bus, involving one of our students. As soon as we were made aware, we took immediate action to investigate the incident and liaise closely with the relevant authorities and parties involved. 'This has included immediately implementing the appropriate sanctions in line with our robust behaviour policies and actively providing pastoral support for those students who witnessed the incident. 'Fortunately no one was physically harmed, but we are clear that this behaviour is entirely unacceptable and goes against the values and expectations we have in place to keep our students, and the wider community, safe'. The hunter said he wanted to convey the importance of wearing a harness while hunting from a tree perch, which he was not doing before falling One deputy said he had never before dealt with a hunting incident quite like this one First responders were ultimately able to cut the man out of his boot and remove him safely from the tree A deer hunter in Texas was suspended in the air for close to 90 minutes after falling out of a climbing tree stand Law enforcement officers in Texas worked alongside first responders to rescue a deer hunter who became stuck upside down and 18 feet in the air in a climbing tree stand. The incident occurred Monday afternoon in Tyler, Texas - located about an hour-and-a-half southwest of Dallas. Sheriff Bryan Weatherford told local outlet KFDM that the hunter was rescued at about 5.30pm in the Spurger area. The hunter, who preferred to remain anonymous in local reports, said the first responders 'saved my life.' He had been hanging upside down for more than an hour before he was successfully lowered into a brush truck belonging to the city. Image from the Tyler, Texas county sheriff's office of the anonymous hunter stuck upside down, hanging by a boot, in a tree The hunter's boot had to be cut off before he could be safely removed from the tree and placed in a Spurger brush clearing vehicle Deputy Corey LeBlanc said the hunter managed to call 911 at about 4.25pm saying he had fallen out of his climbing stand and become stuck. 'He was high off the ground, withfhis right foot wedged in the framework of his climbing stand,' said LeBlanc. There was an ambulance nearby, but the hunter did not end up requiring any medical attention. Regarding the novelty of the incident, LeBlanc said, 'It's my first time dealing with this type of thing, but it happens. It's not uncommon.' 'My advice to hunters is that this is a prime example of the need to use a safety harness,' he continued. 'He'd been hanging long enough that his fluids and blood were rushing to his head. He'd been hanging an hour and a half.' Following the ordeal, the hunter shared the advice he would give to other hunters, 'Use a harness.' 'It was in my truck. I've done this all my life, fishing and hunting. I just got complacent,' he said. 'I was 18 feet up and my ankle was the only thing that was holding me up. I help my phone in my mouth. I knew if I dropped this, I'll die.' He said that when the first responders reached him, they appeared to be in shock at the situation they were encountering. The rescuers, who were led to the precise scene of the incident by the man's hunting partner, had to cut off his boot in order to extract him from the tree, It is currently bow hunting season for deer hunter in Tyler, Texas. Gun hunting season begins this coming weekend. A rape suspect who is facing extradition to the United States but who claims to be the victim of mistaken identity will face a hearing next week to establish who he actually is. The 35-year-old - who courts in Utah have said is fugitive Nicholas Rossi - is fighting an extradition request by authorities who allege he raped a 21-year-old in the state and attacked women elsewhere in the US. The man, who says his name is Arthur Knight, appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court by video-link for a hearing on Thursday. Junior counsel Chris Miller, defending, requested the full hearing, which is due to go ahead on November 7, be delayed into 2023 to allow him more time to look at the case. The hearing set to take place on Monday will focus solely on identifying the man after prosecutors described an 'emerging pattern' in delaying hearings. The 35-year-old - who courts in Utah have said is fugitive Nicholas Rossi (pictured left) - claims it is a case of mistaken identity and his name is Arthur Knight (pictured right - man who claims to be Mr Knight) The hearing set to take place on Monday will focus solely on identifying the man after prosecutors described an 'emerging pattern' in delaying hearings Mr Miller said he had only been given the man's legal papers from previous lawyers 'on the steps of the courts' on Thursday morning, hours before the hearing started at 11am. The accused had stopped working with his previous lawyers on October 25 and the Public Defence Solicitors' Office was only instructed for a lawyer late on Tuesday, the court heard. Mr Miller said: 'We have not had the opportunity to be instructed with this person. Future reports may be required. 'Given the fact that we are at this stage and have only had two days to look at this, my decision would be to continue this in 2023.' But advocate depute Paul Harvey told the court there is an 'emerging pattern' in delaying hearings. He described it as 'a tactic' of the man, who he referred to as 'the man who the USA authorities seek'. Advocate depute Paul Harvey told the court of an 'emerging pattern' in delaying hearings and described it as 'a tactic' of the man, who he referred to as 'the man who the USA authorities seek' Mr Harvey then listed the dates of multiple hearings that have happened this year since the case started in December 2021, and named six different lawyers who the man has worked with on the case so far. Mr Harvey told the court: 'There is now an emerging pattern, and if this case does not proceed next week... it is difficult to escape the conclusion that this is a tactic which he may seek to repeat. 'The court can't count that this isn't going to recur.' Judge Norman McFadyen refused the request for next week's hearing to be adjourned and confirmed it will go ahead on Monday. This will focus solely on the question of the man's identification, the court heard. Ten witnesses are due to be called, including police, a GP and a registrar for the prosecution, and the man's wife for the defence. Miranda Knight, the wife of the defendant, arriving at Edinburgh Sheriff And Justice Of The Peace Court, for a hearing on the extradition of Nicholas Rossi to the US Mr Miller then requested bail for the man, which has previously been turned down, but this was refused again. The court was then adjourned for a brief moment after the man was heard attempting to speak, and seen raising his hand on the screen. When the case continued, Mr Miller, who then referred to the man as Mr Knight, made a final request for delays to proceedings following discussions with his client about obtaining a potential birth certificate from Ireland. But Mr Harvey said the request was 'not an appropriate reason' and insisted the man had taken months already to produce the document. 'If it was not produced in the previous 11 months, it is highly unlikely to be now,' he told the court. Advertisement The UK is 'too deep' in the Ukraine war, Russia's ambassador warned - while insisting that Putin will not use nuclear weapons in an attack despite a series of thinly veiled threats. Diplomat Andrei Kelin alleges he has evidence of UK special forces' participation in a Ukrainian drone attack on Russia's Black Sea fleet, which he claims to have passed on to his UK counterpart. Speaking to Sky News' Mark Austin, Mr Kelin said: 'We perfectly know about the participation of British specialists in [the] training, preparation and execution of violence against the Russian infrastructure and the Russian fleet in the Black Sea. We know that it has been done.' Mr Kelin told media that the evidence will be made public 'pretty soon'. He said: 'It is dangerous because it escalates the situation. It can bring us up to the line of... I won't say "no return", because return is always possible. But anyway, we should avoid escalation. 'And this is a warning actually that Britain is too deep in this conflict. It means the situation is becoming more and more dangerous.' The ambassador also insisted that President Putin wants a negotiated settlement to the war in Ukraine. He said: 'We need a certain outcome, a negotiated outcome and we are not hiding away from the negotiations.' But UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverley has strongly rejected the Russian ambassador's claims, tweeting a report by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which found no evidence of undeclared nuclear activities in the areas suggested by Russia. Mr Cleverley tweeted: 'The world sees through Putins continued disinformation campaign. Russias baseless allegations have been heard, investigated and rejected. I welcome the IAEAs independent report finding of no undeclared nuclear activities by Ukraine.' A photo released by Russia's Defense Ministry on Monday shows a Russian warship launching a cruise missile at a target in Ukraine Diplomat Andrei Kelin alleges he has evidence of UK special forces' participation in a Ukrainian drone attack on Russia's Black Sea fleet, which he claims to have passed on to his UK counterpart Smoke rises on the outskirts of Kyiv during a Russian missile attack, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues Members of the public fill containers with water from public water pumps in Kyiv UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverley has strongly rejected the Russian ambassador's claims, tweeting a report by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which found no evidence of undeclared nuclear activities in the areas suggested by Russia However Mr Kelin suggested that any settlement may require some Russian troops to remain in Ukraine to protect the Russian population - something the government in Kyiv has rejected. 'If we will need to protect the Russian population which is populating all this area right now, of course we will need Russian troops to stay over there,' he said. Mr Kelin insisted that Russia had no intention of using nuclear weapons in the conflict. 'Nuclear war cannot be won and it should never be fought. We stick strongly to this statement. We will not use a nuclear weapon because it is designed for different purposes,' he stated. Russia has previously warned of 'dangerous consequences' after summoning the UK's ambassador to show her 'evidence' that Britain helped plan attacks on the Nord Stream pipes and its Black Sea Fleet. Britain's ambassador to Russia Deborah Bronnert was hauled into the foreign ministry in Moscow Thursday morning and forced to run a gauntlet of stage-managed protesters holding placards that said 'Britain is a terrorist state' and 'Britain will answer for the Nord Stream'. Moscow said it had delivered a 'strong protest' to Bronnert, adding that 'such confrontational actions of the English carry a threat of escalation and could lead to unpredictable and dangerous consequences.' The UK has not given its own run-down of the meeting, but denies carrying out any direct attacks on Russia or its assets. Britain has been upfront about providing aid to Ukraine's war effort, which Moscow was warned about before Putin invaded. Deborah Bronnert, the British ambassador to Russia, was summoned to the foreign ministry this morning to see 'evidence' the UK helped attack the Nord Stream pipes and Black Sea Fleet Protesters - who appeared to be stage-managed - carried banners reading 'Britain is a terrorist state' and 'Britain will answer for the Nord Stream' Bronnert arrived at Moscow's towering Soviet-era foreign ministry building, with a line of people chanting 'Britain is a terrorist state', state media showed. The foreign ministry said it had handed 'concrete facts' of London's 'hostile provocations' to her. 'A demand was put forward to stop them immediately,' it said. Moscow claimed UK military specialists were training Ukrainian special forces in the southern city of Ochakiv, 'including training for underwater saboteurs for operations in the waters of the Black and Azov seas'. Russia last week also accused the UK of being implicated in explosions on the Nord Stream pipelines in September. The UK says these are 'false claims on an epic scale.' Western officials said on Wednesday that Russia's increasingly wild allegations about nuclear weapons and sabotage attacks are a way to distract from its failing war. The protests follow a frenzy of anti-British claims, while demands to retaliate against the UK have come from Russian officials and state TV. The UK is being spuriously blamed for explosions in the Nord Stream gas pipelines and a drone attack on the naval port Sevastopol in annexed Crimea. 'The UK ambassador will be summoned and will be given the appropriate materials,' said foreign ministry spokesman Maria Zakharova a day ahead of the meeting. The official alleged 'the participation of British specialists in the preparation of Kyiv's attacks'. Russia has ramped up the rhetoric against the UK as its invasion in Ukraine has faltered, with Western officials saying the wild claims are a distraction tactic Demonstrations in central Moscow are rare and usually quickly crushed by police - suggesting Thursday's action was carried out with tacit support from authorities Britain is likely being targeted because it is leading support for Ukraine - having given more than any other country bar the US If anti-Putin protesters want to organise a demonstration in Moscow, it is almost impossible to get permission. Close Putin crony Nikolai Patrushev - secretary of the Russian security council - repeated the allegations against Britain in a Moscow speech today. 'According to the Russian defence ministry, representatives of the British naval forces took part in [the] planning and implementation [of attacks],' he said. 'It is impossible not to pay attention to the SMS message, which at that time British Prime Minister Liz Truss immediately reports to US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken after the gas pipelines were blown up that 'everything is done'.' He claimed: 'Literally from the first minutes after the reports of explosions on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines, an active campaign was launched to accuse Russia. 'However, it is obvious that the main beneficiary of these terrorist attacks is the United States.' Ms Zakharova had accused Bronnert of 'criminal hypocrisy' in laying flowers at the Solovetsky Stone on the eve of the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Political Repression while Britain was supposedly involved in the drone attacks on the weekend. Russia's Black Sea Fleet was targeted by drone boats over the weekend in an operation that Moscow said was orchestrated by British special forces Smoke rises over Sevastopol - Russia's main naval base in Crimea - after it was attacked by drones over the weekend Earlier today, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Ukrainian forces can retake the strategic southern city of Kherson from Putin's troops, in what would be a major defeat for Russia in its invasion of its neighbor. Austin's remarks coincided with a Russian-installed official in Kherson region saying Moscow was likely to pull its troops from the west bank of the Dnipro River, signaling a significant treat, if confirmed. Ukraine said it was still fighting in the area and was wary of the occupying Russian forces setting a trap. Austin did not answer a question about whether Russian forces were preparing to leave. But, in perhaps his most optimistic comments yet on the Ukrainian counter-offensive, expressed confidence in their ability to beat back Russian forces. 'On the issue of whether the Ukrainians can take the remaining territory on the west side of the Dnipro river and in Kherson, I certainly believe that they have the capability to do that,' Austin told a news conference at the Pentagon. 'Most importantly, the Ukrainians believe they have the capability to do that. We have seen them engage in a very methodical but effective effort to take back their sovereign territory.' The region's capital and river port Kherson is the only big city Russia has captured intact since its invasion began on February 24. In the wake of the sickening, violent attack on Paul Pelosi, husband of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, we were treated to a rare sight: Democrats demanding justice on behalf of the victim of a violent crime. Pelosi's attacker, David DePape, horrifyingly told police he had intended to tie-up Mrs. Pelosi and break her kneecaps. But when he broke into her home to find the speaker away, he attacked her 82-year-old husband and fractured Paul's skull with a hammer. There is no sane American who wasn't revolted and deeply saddened by this abominable attack. On Tuesday, DePape was charged with attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, residential burglary, false imprisonment and threatening the life of or serious bodily harm to a public official. He was held without bond for the time being due to the 'extreme public safety risk he poses.' It is exactly the way a violent, mentally ill, homeless individual who attacked a vulnerable, elderly person should be treated. And yet, all too often, progressives spend their time lobbying for perpetrators of crimes, their victims be damned. Think of Keaira Bennefield, a mother of three, who shared with police footage of her estranged husband savagely beating her. There is no sane American who wasn't revolted and deeply saddened by this abominable attack. 'I was screaming for help the whole time,' she told investigators. 'I thought I was going to die.' But her husband was charged with just a misdemeanor and released without bail, whereupon he murdered Keaira in front of her three children. Or think of Tommy Bailey, a father of three who was stabbed to death on a New York City subway by a homeless man, Alvin Charles, who was released without bail after stabbing another man on another subway. Or remember Saiko Koma, who was killed by a man with three arrests for armed robbery on his record, who was out on probation when he murdered her. Or think of Rong Xin Liao, an 84-year-old grandfather who, much like Paul Pelosi, had his head bashed in when 24-year-old Eric Ramos-Hernandez jump-kicked him in the face. Unlike David DePape, Ramos-Hernandez was released from jail and 'diverted' back to his own home for 'mental health treatment.' Too bad Rong Xin Liao and Saiko Koma and Keaira Bennefield didn't have the good luck of being rich, white, and married to political royalty, or they may have seen justice, too. They may have been met with representatives who cared about them, the victims of heinous violent acts, more than their assailants and killers. Instead, because they were not white and rich and royal, they were treated to the usual fare from a party that endlessly lobbies for bail reform laws and homeless encampments in working class neighborhoods and compassion for violent, mentally ill drug addicts. Why don't they have more sympathy for their own voters? 81 percent of Black Americans and 82 percent of Black Democrats told the Pew Research Center that crime is a 'very important' factor in who they will be voting for these midterms. They're right to worry: Violent crime is on the rise across the nation, and it's disproportionately impacting Black Americans. From New York to Mississippi to Louisiana, Black Americans make up the majority of the victims of homicide, despite being a small minority of the total residents. You would think that the party that has relied on Black voters for every political victory in recent memory would be prioritizing their most loyal voting bloc. You would be wrong. Unfortunately for the victims of violent crime, that same Pew study that found that just 33 percent of white Democrats are also greatly worried about it. Call it the wokeness gap. All too often, progressives spend their time lobbying for perpetrators of crimes, their victims be damned. After DePape broke into her home to find the speaker away, he attacked her 82-year-old husband and fractured Paul's skull with a hammer. White Democrats are increasingly part of an overeducated coastal elite who live in tony neighborhoods far from where crime is rampant, where they drive up real estate values with their two-income professional households in increasingly economically and racially segregated areas in America's most expensive cities. Meanwhile, they sentence their working-class neighbors to live in enclaves increasingly ruled by violent crimewhile they burnish their elite credentials by supporting movements like Defund the Police that make their neighbors even less safe. It's just adding insult to injury that so much of this progressive posturing is done in the name of racial justice. And when faced with a choice between working-class minorities and upper-class white progressives, it's clear which of their constituencies Democratic politicians have chosen to cater to. While working-class liberals struggle with crime and paying the bills, their party is increasingly speaking to elites whose biggest concerns are abortion and climate change. That's what another Gallup poll found: Republican voters are most motivated by the economy, immigration, and crimeall concerns for lower income Americans living in more dangerous neighborhoods with jobs that pay less and are threatened by immigrant labor. Meanwhile, Democratic voters are most concerned with abortion, climate change, and gun policy; they want to decriminalize illegal possession of a handgun, but God forbid someone have a hunting rifle in their home! At the end of the day, this may look like a political divide, but it's not: It's about class. One party is increasingly speaking to the working class, while the other party is speaking only to its privileged elites who make a career out of policing each other's language and calling each other racist if they don't support abolishing prisons and police. Instead of heeding the concerns of desperate Americans across the nation, Democrats and their media allies have been putting immense amounts of energy into downplaying crime. A year ago, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called concern over the crime wave headline-driven hysteria. 'We are seeing these headlines about percentage increases,' Ocasio-Cortez said during a virtual town hall in July. 'Now, I want to say that any amount of harm is unacceptable and too much, but I also want to make sure that this doesn't drive a hysteria and that we look at these numbers in context.' New York City Mayor Eric Adams (above) for example, lambasted the false 'perception' of rising crime on the subway. The Congresswoman provided the template that Democrats and the media would turn to again and again since: Ignore your voters and cast their concerns as hysteria created by conservative media. New York City Mayor Eric Adams for example, lambasted the false 'perception' of rising crime on the subway. 'We have an average of less than six crimes a day on a subway system with 3.5 million riders,' Adams told CNN's Chris Wallace. 'But if you write your story based on a narrative, then you're going to look at the worst of those six crimes and put it on the front pages of your paper every day.' 'Cannot overstate the degree to which gruesome surveillance footage of black people committing violent crimes has become the quasi-permanent wallpaper on Fox these days,' tweeted MSNBC host Chris Hayes in October. One wonders why Hayes sees only the perpetratorsbut never the victims of violent crime, who are also overwhelmingly black. Democrats have an opportunity after the horrific attack on Paul Pelosi to do a little soul searching, now that they have exercised that muscle one uses to feel for the victims of horrific acts of violencelong-atrophied on the Left. One hopes they learn to extend its use to poor and working-class black Americans, whose votes they covet. They are deserving of some sympathy as well. Fake heiress Anna 'Delvey' Sorokin will host exclusive dinner parties out of her New York City apartment for well-known influencers and influencers while under house arrest. The infamous fraudster, 31, is set to organize an invite-only 'salon series' from her box-sized one-bedroom apartment in a five-floor walk-up in trendy East Village after being released from jail where she was serving time for grand larceny. Russian-born Sorokin managed to convince a judge to let her out of prison while she fights deportation. However, she is required to remain in her home 24 hours a day and most wear her ankle monitor at all times. But her house arrest clearly will not stop her from socializing - as it's now revealed she will bring her elite circles to her for intimate dinner parties each month. Her publicist has already been getting the details sorted for her dinner series, as Eater revealed they were securing 'table settings, general table decor, alcohol, items for gifting' and other donations from different brands. The exclusive guestlist will comprise of around 12 well-known founders, influencers, media, and celebrity talent friends - and the meet-up will be free for those attending. And her invite-only salons will be hosted monthly from her fifth-floor walk up apartment, which is said to cost $4,250 a month - as she is forced to stay indoors under her bail terms. Fake heiress Anna 'Delvey' Sorokin will host exclusive dinner parties out of her New York City apartment for well-known influencers and influencers while under house arrest. Pictured, her looking outside of her fifth-floor walk up East Village apartment window Anna Delvey is seen in Brooklyn after attending a parole meeting on October 24, 2022 in New York City Russian-born Sorokin managed to convince a judge to let her out of prison while she fights deportation Those esteemed enough to sit around the dinner table with Delvey will have lots to talk about, as each event will focus on different topics about 'social good movements' and 'collective experiences across industries.' The convicted fraudster was in an upstate New York prison for the 18 months. But her attorneys successfully appealed to a judge to grant her release. She's since been papped waving from her East Village apartment window - and walking in and out of a Brooklyn court in glam designer outfits. Sorokin faces deportation to Germany after completing her criminal sentence in February 2021 - for convictions of grand larceny and thefts totaling $275,000, including stealing at least one flight on a private jet. Her looting lifestyle was serialized in the Netflix docuseries Inventing Anna. In an interview with the NYT following her release, Sorokin spoke about her bracelet, remarking: 'Apparently if I have any issues with it, then somebody will come fix it. It's a 24/7 service. I'm thinking what I can do with it.' Last month, US Immigration Judge Charles Conroy agreed to the release, putting her on house arrest, because 'she has demonstrated interest in pursuing legitimate employment in the Untied States, pursuits that will face heavy public scrutiny.' Judge Conroy said that because she was infamous, it would be hard for her to fly under the radar and avoid detection. 'She will be required to abide by conditions of release imposed both by the New York State Parole Board and immigration authorities, which, combined with her status as a public figure, will make it particularly difficult for her to avoid detection. 'For all of these reasons, the Court finds that [Sorokin's] risk of flight sufficiently mitigated,' he said in his ruling. The convicted fraudster was in an upstate New York prison for the 18 months. But her attorneys successfully appealed to a judge to grant her release. Pictured, outside of her apartment where she will now host dinner parties for VIPs Anna Sorokin spotted peeking out her window in October as her publicist Juda Engelmayer visited with takeout lunch in NYC Anna Sorokin seen leaving her apartment building to head to the courthouse in Lower Manhattan in October In her interview with the Times: 'It's just impossible to have been through what I've been through without changing. I learned so much being in jail.' Sorokin elaborated on how she got her apartment saying that her lawyer, John Sandweg, sorted out the details. She said: 'I have a great team around me, so it was all thanks to them.' When asked about how the rent was being paid, Sorokin said: 'I guess you'll have to ask the government.' Although she later stated in the piece that the money used for her bail and the apartment was hers. The fraudster remained coy about her future plans saying: 'I have so many projects that I'm working on. Art is definitely one of them.' She added: 'I have a lot going on. I'm working on my own podcast with different guests for each episode. But it's not shaped up yet. It was pretty hard to record anything high quality from jail. And then there's my book. I'd love to do something with criminal-justice reform to kind of highlight the struggles of other girls.' A Florida sheriff captured a huge 10-foot-long 75-pound boa constrictor in a residential neighborhood. Deputy Clay Mangrum responded to a 911 call that a large snake was seen in the Tall Pines neighborhood of St. Lucie county, Florida, on October 28. Deputies received a call from a family reporting that there was a large animal in their garage, Deputy Brian Hester told WPBF News. They did not expect that animal to be full-size adult constrictor. Officials have suggested that as the boa is so large it may have been a pet that was let loose. Mangrum has experience with snakes but had never attempted to capture a boa before, he told Fox Weather. 'I was able to gain control of the snake by grabbing it behind its head,' he said. 'I then pulled it from where it was hiding and gained some control of its body. Other deputies on scene assisted by holding the snake bag.' Florida Sheriff's Deputy Clay Mangrum, pictured, captured a huge 10-foot-long 75-pound boa constrictor in a residential neighborhood Deputies received a call from a family reporting that there was a large animal in their garage. They did not expect that animal to be full-size adult constrictor St. Lucie County Sheriff's Department put out a social media post showing the 10 foot snake wrapped around the deputy, and his hand grasping it behind the head. 'Living and growing up in South Florida, I have been around snakes my whole life. I used to have snakes when I was a kid, as well,' said Mangrum. 'I have never handled large constrictors and have never handled a snake near the size of this boa before. It was an exciting experience, for sure.' 'I advised deputies on scene that I was en route to attempt to capture and identify the snake. Once on scene, I realized what I was dealing with and just kind of jumped head first into the situation,' he said. The snake is now being looked after by Chandler's Wild Life in St. Lucie's County. Deputy Mangrum grew up in South Florida around snakes but had never attempted to capture a boa constrictor before. The 10-foot boa was discovered in St. Lucie County The Sheriff's Department said that the snake will not be euthanized so was handed to a local snake handler Chandler Kamanesh who is now planning to build an enclosure for it Chandler Kamenesh of Chandler's Wild Life said that he plans on building an enclosure for the snake and that there are no plans to have it euthanized. Kamenesh noticed when he received the boa that it was agitated and had an aggressive demeanor. The handler joked that the snake hadn't been hugged enough. 'The way it's acting tells me that it's either always been a cranky snake or maybe it's been out for a fat minute eating people's neighborhoods cats and opossums,' he said. Officials speculate that the snake was likely somebody's pet that was released into the wild. Deputy Hester, pictured, with the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Department warned owners of large pets to be responsible Deputy Hester encouraged people to deal with pets too large for their homes responsibly. 'There's ways that we can make sure that that animal is sent to a wildlife refuge or somewhere safe to where it doesn't harm the community,' he said. 'You know releasing something like that into the community, not only pets, but kids and elderly adults, could easily attack them,' Hester said. 'If this was your pet and you want it back, you can contact Chandler's Wild Life.' Chrissy Teigen has been branded 'The Faker' after being accused of ripping off the designs for the packaging of her new baking mixes by a Kiwi baker, known as The Caker. Jordan Rondel, who owns The Caker, made the accusation this week - a month after the pair launched a collaboration for a spiced carrot cake mix, which also featured the star's husband, John Legend. Rondel - originally from New Zealand but now based in Los Angeles - said she was 'shocked' to see the packaging Teigen's brand look remarkably similar to her own. 'Even her little story part where I describe where I have my story and then I sign it off with my signature, and then the way she describes what you need and what you get, is the same,' she told Stuff.co.nz. 'I think they've taken heavy inspiration from us, I do. Let's just say I do feel like some heavy inspiration has been taken. 'We're a tiny little pinprick of a brand here and we've invested everything we have in building a brand... But now I'm just like, s***, some of that market is being taken by someone else and we're just being pushed to the side.' Fans of The Caker have now branded Teigen 'The Faker', with one supporter saying: 'It's obviously a direct rip off of your designs. She sucks.' A spokeswoman for Teigen's Cravings strenuously denied the claims when approached by DailyMail.com. 'It's disheartening and surprising to see The Caker's recent social posts and commentary regarding our products,' a Craving's spokeswoman said in a statement. Jordan Rondel, aka The Caker, has accused the pregnant Chrissy Teigen's Cravings brand of ripping off her 'elevated baking mixes' after the two launched a collaboration in September Rondel said that she knew Teigen was launching a cake mix, but was reassured that the creation would be an entirely different product. PICTURED: The back of The Caker's packaging (bottom) compared with the front of the Cravings packaging (top) Cravings provided these pictures to DailyMail.com showing the front of the packaging side by side Rondel said that she knew Teigen was launching a cake mix, but was reassured that the creation would be an entirely different product. However, she was horrified when she saw the new boxes launched by Cravings, with both featuring bold photography on a white background with a hand interacting with the final project. The model and TV personality launched her mixes on October 20, which consists of Chrissy's Ultimate Banana Bread Mix, Buttermilk Mochi Pancake and Waffle Mix, and Salted White Chocolate Macadamia Cookie Mix. Rondel has not taken legal action against Teigen due to financial constraints. She also claimed that Cravings tried to can their collaboration, saying that they had already 'secured a new equity partner and it was out of their control'. Rondel acknowledged she 'didn't invent the concept of a cake mix', which retails for $25, but said she had worked hard to secure a niche with a 'luxury, elevated cake mix'. 'I find it hard to believe she doesn't get a say on her own product line,' she told Stuff. 'Sure, if she just isn't involved at all, this is a slightly different story, but I do find that hard to believe... There's so much similarity it's crazy.' She first posted about her concerns on her Instagram, posting a comparison between the designs to her 64,000 followers. Rondel acknowledged she 'didn't invent the concept of a cake mix', which retails for $25, but said she had worked hard to secure a niche with a 'luxury, elevated cake mix'. But, she said the similarities between the packaging of her own brand's and Teign's was 'crazy' Teigen began developing her own food products after launching her mini-food empire under the Cravings brand since 2016. She collaborated on a spiced carrot cake mix with The Caker last month, in a campaign that also featured husband John Legend Rondel was been left 'shocked' to see Teigen's brand, retailing between $7 to $10, launch their new line which she says bears a stark similarity to her own A spokeswoman for Cravings strenuously denied the claims surrounding the baking mixes and told DailyMail.com in a statement: 'We are so proud of the now sold-out Cravings x The Caker Spiced Carrot Cake Kit with Salted Caramel. 'It's disheartening and surprising to see The Caker's recent social posts and commentary regarding our products. 'In May 2022, The Caker team was made fully aware that Cravings would be launching a line of baking mixes in the Fall following our one-off collaboration. 'The Caker chose to move forward with the carrot cake collaboration, and out of respect for the partnership, Cravings held off on producing a cake mix and launched banana bread, pancake and cookie mixes on October 20th.' Rondel's followers have been quick to slam Teigen after she posted the two boxes side-by-side - with one calling her 'the Faker' Chrissy Teigen's many controversies Chrissy Teigen has found herself in hot water several times in the past and was 'cancelled' after Courtney Stodden publicly called her out for trolling her by telling her to 'kill herself' in private messages. She was accused of bullying the non-binary star, 26, when they were just 16, and has since apologised for her behaviour. Teigen said she was 'sick with herself' for what she did, admitting that she had 'done something wrong' and was 'lost and depressed'. The model clashed with New York Times food columnist Alison Roman fired in May 2020 for criticising her website and accused her of being racist. She also regularly slammed former president Donald trump on Twitter, hitting out at Equinox and SoulCycle for hosting a fundraiser. Teigen was forced to shut down rumours after Twitter trolls claimed that she and her husband John Legend were on Epstein flight logs after the conspiracy theory resurfaced online. She was also slammed after old social media posts which appeared to mock Lindsay Lohan's self-harming in 2011 and calling Teen Mom star Farrah Abraham a 'w****'. Abraham said last year that the star has not apologised for her words, adding that she was also responsible for hurting her child with comments about her mother. In now-deleted tweets Teigen allegedly insulted child actress Quvenzhane Wallis in 2013, calling her 'cocky' after she was at the Oscars award show. Advertisement The spokesperson for Cravings added: 'We absolutely did not copy their packaging. Below are the actual side by side pictures of our respective boxes. 'Images posted on social media by The Caker team compared the front of our box and the back of their own. 'The front of their packaging is different from the photographic approach we took, with their design tending to be a solid, bold color, which is actually a sleeve rather than the traditional box style we have used. 'We wish nothing but the absolute best for The Caker and their business, which was the spirit behind our collaboration and transparent communication.' Teigen began developing her own food products after launching her mini-food empire under the Cravings brand since 2016. The model has been sharing her love of food and sharing recipes with her 38million Instagram followers and runs a food blog, family cooking videos and an online store. She previously shared tagged The Caker in an Instagram story in February, praising Rondel's flourless dark chocolate gold leaf cake posting a photo of it half-eaten. The pair collaborated after Rondel replied to Teigen to thank her, throwing her the long-shot offer. Rondel's followers have been quick to slam Teigen after she posted the two boxes side-by-side. One branded her 'The Faker', before adding 'it's obviously a direct rip off of your designs. She sucks.' Another said: 'This is honestly so s*** and disgraceful of her! Your cake kits and business are 1000x better than hers. You're the queen of cakes and the real OG.' Some even targeted the Cravings Instagram account with comments, writing: Didn't you just promote a collaboration for a similar product with an independent, woman owned business? A second said: 'Everything you collab on somehow becomes your own business opportunity to exploit & profit off of. Yay! How positively embarrassing.' Representatives for Rondel did not immediately respond to a request for comment by DailyMail.com. The foreign ministers of South Korea and Japan condemned North Korea's recent series of missile firings, including an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch on Thursday, Seoul's foreign ministry said. Foreign Minister Park Jin and his Japanese counterpart Yoshimasa Hayashi talked over the phone to discuss Pyongyang's provocations, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Earlier in the day, North Korea fired an ICBM and two short-range missiles toward the East Sea, just a day after it launched a barrage of missiles, including one that flew across its de facto maritime border with the South for the first time since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. The two diplomats denounced Pyongyang's recent ballistic missile launches, saying that they were in violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions and threaten peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and the world. They also blamed North Korea for increasing tensions on the Peninsula by continuing to commit provocations to upgrade its nuclear and missile capabilities. Park and Hayashi agreed that North Korea's recent provocations go against humanity at a time when South Koreans are mourning the deadly Halloween crowd crush, which claimed more than 150 lives. (Yonhap) The New York Police Department is searching for a man who sexually assaulted a child at knifepoint last month on a train. According to officials, the incident happened around 3.30pm on October 18. An 11-year-old girl was riding the northbound No. 4 train, approaching East 149th Street and Grand Concourse station in the Bronx when the unknown man approached her. The man terrorized the young girl by showing her a knife and then telling her, in Spanish, to be quiet. This is the man police say sexually assaulted an 11-year-old girl riding the subway on October 18 in the Bronx The girl was riding the northbound No. 4 train when the man approached her and told her to be quiet in Spanish. He then proceeded to grope her leg, waist, and butt before exiting The unknown man groped the young girl's leg, waist, and butt before getting off the train at the Yankee Stadium stop, located at 161st Street. The 11-year-old wasn't injured, luckily, police said. The victim was able to give police a description, which a sketch artist was able to turn into a drawing released by law enforcement. Anyone who may know the identity of the man in the sketch is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS. The agency said Thursday that they are offering a reward of up to $3500 for information leading to the man's identification and arrest. DailyMail.com reached out to NYPD officials for any updates, including what is being done to find the man involved. The assault of the 11-year-old is just the latest in a never ending series of crimes that have riddled New York's streets and subways. Less than two weeks ago, a 14-year-old girl was stabbed and injured on a train after she got into an argument with two other girls. The 14-year-old was on a train at Saint Nicholas Avenue and 191st Street in Washington Heights when she was stabbed in the torso. She was taken to hospital in stable condition. A 14-year-old girl was knifed on a New York subway located in Washington Heights in October In this latest incident, the 14-year-old girl - who has not been identified - was seen on the train about 4pm at the 191 St station in Washington Heights on Saturday 'She was holding her side the whole time because it happened on the train and there was no blood trail,' MTA cleaner Walter R. Lewis told the New York Post of the stabbed 14-year-old. 'She said she had history with the girl, whoever it was, that stabbed her.' The girl was with a 13-year-old boy who was also injured - but not stabbed - while attempting to break up the fight, NYPD told DailyMail.com. Since the start of the year, nine people have been killed on the subway system and another 13 have been victims of senseless shoves. The latest shoving victim was attacked in late October. Mayor Eric Adams has now been forced to confront the escalating violence, and on Saturday said that he will flood the subways with more cops to curb attacks on commuters. Transit crime in New York City is up 31 percent, year on year Just last week, police released footage of a crazed attacker who shoved a 22-year-old woman down a flight of stairs at a Queens subway station. The victim was standing on the platform at the 82nd Street station waiting for No. 7 train when a man approached her from behind and began punching her in the face, police said. He continued assaulting her before pushing her down the stairs, throwing her bag after her when she was laying at the bottom of the stairs. The man then turned about-heel and left the injured women on the lower platform of the subway. DCPI released photos of a man who punched a woman in the face multiple times before pushing her down the staircase leading to the mezzanine, photographer on October 23 In May, another shocking video surfaced online of a woman crying out for help while being assaulted by a man on the subway while other riders ignored her. In the video, the man is seen storming around the train car while screaming expletives. As others attempt to flee from him, the woman who he sat down next to also gets up to go. Before she is able to get away, however, he grabs her and begins to terrorize her. The man can seen in the video grabbing hold of the woman's hair while pushing her down into the seat. The female victim visibly distraught is crying out: 'Help! Help!' as other riders ignore her pleas The victim cries out: 'Help! Help!' as other riders ignore her cries. Moments later, the man screams to the woman, 'Get Up!' before shoving her to another area of the subway car. Mayor Adams has previously stated that there is only the perception that crime in NYC is out of control and that only six crimes on average happen per day on the subway. Adams pledged recently, however, to take extra security measures to make residents and visitors feel safe. A new initiative announced by the mayor that he will add 1,200 more shifts, or 10,000 more hours per day to enhance security in the subway. 'We must address both the perception and reality of safety, and the expanded partnership we are announcing today with Governor Hochul will do just that, while building off the successes of our Subway Safety Plan,' Adams said. Mayor Eric Adams says that on average, there are only six crimes on the NYC subway everyday 'The bottom line is that riders will see more officers in the system, and so will those thinking of breaking the law.' Subway police will also have to undergo new training on how to care for mentally ill riders. The plan will complement the two new psychiatric facilities that will soon open soon in the city. The mayor of Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman's hometown is building a new museum that will have exhibitions that will pay homage to some of Mexico's most notorious drug traffickers. Badiraguato Mayor Jose Luis Lopez Elenes said that while the goal of the museum is to spark interest the western Mexican city's tourism industry, it was impossible to exclude the troubled past of El Chapo and his old associates. 'We cannot deny our history,' Lopez Elenes told local outlet Noticiero Altavoz on Tuesday. 'We have to recognize it and we are going to work on that basis. It is possible that we can have drug trafficking museum.' Groundbreaking for the new museum, which is part of an economic redevelopment plan, took place in May. The Mexican city of Badiraguato will be opening up a new museum that will host exhibits dedicated to the history of drug trafficking, including notorious cartel bosses Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo, Rafael Caro Quintero, Juan Jose 'El Azul' Esparragoza and Joaquin 'El Chapo, Guzman Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman is among a number of drug traffickers who were born in the western Mexico city of Badiraguato Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo (pictured in a 2021 interview with Telemundo) was the founder of the Guadalajara Cartel and linked to the 1985 kidnapping and killing of DEA agent Kiki Camarena Badiraguato Mayor Jose Luis Lopez Elenes said his city has to come to terms with the troubled past that has marked it as he met with the press Tuesday and revealed plans of a new museum that will have exhibits that will tell the story of the drug trade The Sinaloa state government set aside around $730,000 to fund the cost of the construction of the museum, which is set to be completed in December. The building features columns at the entrance and is located on top of a hill. It will be 116 square meters and the ceiling is 22 feet high. Local press has reported that the museum will exhibit photographs and other objects of Badiraguato native sons who helped shaped the transnational drug trafficking business. Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo, Rafael Caro Quintero and Juan Jose 'El Azul' Esparragoza all played a pivotal role in the creation of the Guadalajara Cartel in the 1970s. Gallardo, who is known as 'The Boss of the Bosses' and 'The Godfather,' was jailed for the 1985 kidnapping and killing of DEA agent Kiki Camarena. A court sentenced the 76-year-old to 40 years in prison in 1989 for crimes that included racketeering, firearms possession and bribery. However, it wasn't until 2017 that a court found him guilty of the special agent's murder and handed him a 37-year sentence. In September, a Mexican federal court approved Gallardo's remaining sentence to be served in the confines of his residence because of his poor health. Juan Jose 'El Azul' Esparragoza (pictured) was one of the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel until his death of an alleged heart attack in 2014 Mexican drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero (center) was arrested by security forces in Sinaloa on July 15. He now awaits extradition to the United States, where he is accused of killing DEA agent Kiki Camarena in 1985 Caro Quintero was apprehended in July after almost 10 years on the run. The 69-year-old is also accused with the killing and kidnaping of Camarena. He was released from in August 2013, after 28 years in prison, when a court overturned his 40-year sentence Camarena's murder, which marked a low point in US-Mexico relations. The Supreme Court upheld the sentence five days following his release. El Chapo worked under the Guadalajara drug trafficking network before he ventured off with El Azul to form the Sinaloa Cartel alongside Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada. El Chapo is currently serving a life sentence in the United States and El Azul died of an alleged a heart attack following after surviving 2014 car crash. Mayor Lopez Elenes hopes the museum will help 'overcome this stigma of drug trafficking by pushing economic development to favor the municipality.' Republicans voters in Florida are using early voting in larger numbers than Democrats, including in the deep blue city of Miami, a sign of high enthusiasm among the GOP and a troubling indicator for President Joe Biden's party. The number of registered Republicans voting early in Miami-Dade County surpassed Democrats on Wednesday one day after Biden visited the area to campaign for his party's candidates amid concerns the GOP will win control of the House in next week's midterm election. It's a good sign for Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is seeking a second term, and for GOP Senator Marco Rubio, who's also running for re-election. The Miami voting numbers also indicate Hispanics are coming out in droves for Republicans. The county is nearly 72% Hispanic. Overall Hispanics represent 12% of the state's voters. Republicans have been making heavy in-roads with that population since the 2018 election. About 30% of the Hispanic population in Florida is Cuban, a group that nationwide favors the GOP by 20 points, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey. In Florida, 3.58 million registered voters have voted early overall, according to the United States Elections Project. And 44% of those have been Republican voters compared to the 38% who are Democrats. In Miami-Dade, nearly 27% of GOP voters had voted by Wednesday, compared to 21% of Democrats. Republicans voters in Florida are using early voting in larger numbers than Democrats, including in the deep blue city of Miami, in a good sign for Gov. Ron DeSantis Miami-Dade is the most populous county in Florida with more than 1.5 million registered voters. It, along with Broward and Palm Beach counties, have been Democratic strong holds for years. If those numbers stay on track, DeSantis could become the first Republican governor to win in Miami-Dade since Jeb Bush in 2002. Only Broward County has more registered Democrats in Florida. Democrats have been worried about a lack of enthusiasm among their base, which was one of the reasons Biden was in the state. The president criticized DeSantis as 'Donald Trump incarnate' at a fundraiser for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist. Charlie is running against Donald Trump incarnate. This guy doesnt fit any of the categories I talked about. The way he deals, the way he denies, Biden said at an the event on in Golden Beach. DeSantis leads Crist by 12 points in the RealClearPolitics polling average. Trump and DeSantis were once close and the then-president helped him win the governor's office. But the two have drifted apart as DeSantis' star has risen on the political stage and speculation abounds he will run for president in 2024. President Joe Biden stands with Democratic U.S. Senate candidate, Rep. Val Demings (D-FL) and gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist during a rally at Florida Memorial University Meanwhile, across the nation, Democrats seem uninspired to cast their ballot in next week's election. An NPR/PBS/Marist survey found that enthusiasm is down among Democratic voters compared to Republicans. Black voters, Latinos and young voters - all key Democratic voting groups - are among the least fired up about the election. Meanwhile, older voters, Trump voters, white evangelical Christians and rural voters all major Republican groups are ready to vote. Democrats see preserving democracy and abortion rights as motivators for their base. Since the Supreme Court ruling in the Dobbs case, which overturned Roe v. Wade, Biden and his surrogates has emphasized reproductive rights are at a risk and point to Republican efforts to pass laws outlawing abortion. Biden mentions both issues on the stump frequently, including at a campaign rally in Miami on Tuesday night. It's the economy, stupid... and has been for a while: As Biden focuses on election deniers - scores of polls overwhelmingly show voters have been worried about their pockets over abortion and social issues for MONTHS by Morgan Phillips President Biden on Wednesday night centered one of his final closing arguments for the midterms on the dangers to democracy, election deniers, and political violence after the attack on Paul Pelosi. The topics have been a focal point for the White House and the Democrats in the build-up to the vote Biden has insisted it will be the 'most consequential' in history. But as the months since the Uvalde school shooting and the overturning of Roe - voters have zeroed in on one concern when going to the ballot: The economy. Factors such as abortion, gun rights, election reform, climate and social issues - that the Democrats put at the top of their message - have dwindled in priority while Americans have faced rising prices from the gas pump to the grocery store. Republicans have focused their message on the economy and crime in their midterm messaging, and early indications show it will pay off with at least a majority in the House. Democrats have slowly come around and some in their own party such as California Governor Gavin Newsom admit they have been 'crushed' by the GOP in their messaging. With five days to go until millions of Americans head to the ballot box - if they haven't already voted- DailyMail.com has broken down the top issues voters are considering when they decide who to back, and how the Democrats have been behind on what issues matter most. Economic issues vs. social issues - as inflation persists, matters like gun rights are not top of mind The economy and inflation, rather than social issues, are top of mind for most voters this year by nearly every measure of polling. Voters tend to trust Republicans more on economic issues and Democrats more on social issues. A Quinnipiac poll released Thursday showed that inflation was the number one issue for 36 percent of respondents, while abortion was the next most-urgent, the top priority for 10 percent of respondents. The poll showed that Republicans (57 percent) and Independents (41 percent) ranked inflation as their number one issue, while Democrats say it is abortion (19 percent) followed by inflation (15 percent) and gun violence (14 percent). Asked in a recent New York Times/Siena College poll what types of issues are 'most important,' 44 percent of voters said 'economic issues such as jobs, taxes or the cost of living' while 40 percent said 'societal issues such as abortion, guns or democracy.' Just over the summer in June gun policy ranked as high with voters as did the economy, according to Gallup polling, with 55 percent of voters saying each matter was 'extremely important.' That was shortly after the May 24 Uvalde school shooting. But four months later, after Congress passed a gun reform bill that advocates say did not nearly go far enough, the matter has slipped 17 percentage points where only 38 percent say it's extremely important. Vulnerable moderate Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin, Mich., said her party has done a 'poor job' messaging on economic issues. 'The truth is, Democrats have done a poor job of communicating our approach to the economy,' she told the New York Times in a report published Tuesday. 'I have no idea if I'm going to win my election it's going to be a nail-biter. But if you can't speak directly to people's pocketbook and talk about our vision for the economy, you're just having half a conversation.' Presidential referendum - Biden's unpopularity is weighing on Democrats Midterm elections are always a referendum on the party in power, specifically in the presidency but this time Democrats control the White House and Congress. Democrats will have to defy historical headwinds that typically show the party not in power performing well in midterm elections. Biden's polling average is teetering at 42.4 percent, meaning he will not be able to offer any major boost in vulnerable states. Voters under 40 have the most distaste for the White House's current occupant. Only 10 percent of voters under 40 'strongly approve' of Biden's job in office, while 25 percent strongly disapprove, according to an NBC poll. The younger voting bloc remained largely apathetic - 26 percent said they 'somewhat approve' while 22 percent said they neither approve nor disapprove. Biden's favor has fallen off with white suburban women, a key voting bloc courted by both parties that makes up 20 percent of the electorate. A new Wall Street Journal poll shows white suburban women now favor Republicans over Democrats by 15 points, falling off for Democrats by 27 points since WSJ's August poll. Asked about a potential 2024 matchup between Biden and Trump, 41 percent of white suburban women said they would vote for Trump while 52 percent said Trump. In August, the figures had been 55 percent for Biden and 39 percent for Trump. Economy - only 19 percent believe it's headed in the right direction Thirty-four percent of voters say that rising prices are what most motivated them to get out and vote, according to a recent Wall Street Journal poll. In a sign that spells trouble for Democrats, only 19 percent say the economy is headed in the right direction, down 11 percent from August. Overall inflation remains stubbornly high with the consumer price index clocking in at 8.2 percent in September, despite the Fed hiking up interest rates to tamp down prices. Another jumbo rate hike came out of the Fed meeting Wednesday, with interest rates now at 3.75-4 percent. Meanwhile, 71 percent of voters lack confidence in President Biden's economic leadership, according to the WSJ poll. Only 27 percent say his policies have had a positive impact on the economy and 54 percent say they have had a negative impact. At the same time the number who said they thought congressional Republicans were best suited to get inflation under control was nearly double those who said Democrats 48 percent to 27 percent. Asked in an ABC News/Ipsos poll from this week what the most important issue is, 50 percent of respondents said the economy and inflation and 16 percent said abortion. For Democratic registered voters, about the same amount (28 percent) say either the economy or inflation are their top issue as those who say abortion is the top priority (29 percent). Democrats, for their part, point to their deliverables in Congress as ways to reduce costs - namely through the Inflation Reduction Act. The bill aims to fight price rises by capping prescription drug costs for Medicare and Medicaid, offering renewable energy tax credits and cracking down on wealthy tax cheats. Crime - second-most important issue for Republicans, fifth most important for Democrats Republicans are hitting the crime wave hard as a key election issue. Crime data from various sources shows the murder rate rose significantly in 2020 after the Covid-19 pandemic and amid nation-wide police brutality riots and has remained nearly 40% higher than in 2019. Republicans have been trying to tie Democrats to the 'defund the police' movement and policies implemented in liberal cities like bail reform. A Reuters/Ipsos poll from last week found crime and corruption were a top issue for about 1 in 10 voters, lagging far behind the economy but ahead of issues like abortion and climate change. Polling also showed voters trust Republicans to handle crime issues more than Democrats. The matter seems to be hitting home in some races - New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has seen her lead over Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin shrink to just single digits, one year after New York City elected a tough-on-crime former Republican as its mayor. In new Gallup polling, crime was second-most important, in between the economy and abortion. The Gallup poll found 71 percent of voters said crime was 'extremely' or 'very important to their vote, compared to 85 percent for the economy and 66 percent for abortion. The poll came after another Gallup survey showed more than half (56 percent) of Americans said crime was going up in their area, the highest mark Gallup ever measured in the five decades it has been asking the question. Political fervor on the matter is divided politically - for Republicans, crime tied with immigration as their second-most important issue. For Independents, it ranked third behind the economy and abortion. For Democrats, it ranked fifth. Border - good for GOP turnout but not a number one issue for swing voters Immigration is the third prong of Republicans' pitch to voters, after fiscal year 2022 saw two million unlawful border encounters and GOP governors made a show of bussing migrants from border towns to blue cities. Border matters may rev up GOP voter turnout - with 55 percent ranking it 'extremely important' it ties with crime for second-most important issue for Republicans according to Gallup - but it does less to attract Independent and Democratic voters. Only 32 percent of Independents rank it 'extremely important' and 22 percent of Democrats. Abortion - majority disagree with SCOTUS decision but the matter now sways fewer votes While a majority of Americans oppose the high court's undoing of Roe v. Wade (about 3 in 5 Americans), the matter is not top of mind for most voters. Abortion is a number one issue for 17 percent of Wall Street Journal respondents. A New York Times/Sienna College poll from mid-October found abortion was a top issue for just 5 percent of respondents - tied with those who said the southern border is their top issue. Those who say abortion is a top issue for them say they trust Democrats on the issue more than Republicans. Fifty-two percent of voters say they would rather vote for a candidate who believes abortion should be always legal (29 percent) or mostly legal (23 percent) while 31 percent say they would rather vote for a candidate who believes the procedure should be mostly illegal (24 percent) or always illegal (7 percent.) In June the Supreme Court sent shockwaves across the country when it overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that legalized abortions at least up until around 20 weeks. Thirteen states were ready with so-called 'trigger laws' that were ready to ban abortion immediately upon Roe's undoing, but abortions only fell 6 percent in the months after, according to the Society for Family Planning. Democrats have clung to the issue, counting it as a key matter that plays in their favor - an Associated Press estimate found that Democrats had spent a whopping $124 million on TV abortion ads from January to September 2022. A Washington Post analysis found they've poured in another $103 million since Labor Day, far outpacing their spending on any other issue. Republicans, meanwhile, have largely tried to steer clear of the issue and keep focus on the economy and crime. They have spent only $4 million on abortion ads, compared with ads about taxes ($89 million) and crime ($49 million)and Joe Biden ($63 million). An ABC News/Washington Post poll from late September found that abortion ranked fifth in importance of top matters to poll respondents - behind the economy, education, inflation and crime and just ahead of immigration. And while Democrats had been hopeful the abortion matter would boost their standing with white suburban women, it has fallen to third on their list of priorities - behind the economy (34 percent), threats to democracy (28 percent) and abortion (16 percent). But in Michigan, where abortion is specifically on the ballot as a voter referendum, the matter seems to be turning out votes in Democrats' favor. Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is leading GOP candidate Tudor Dixon by about eight points, according to Fox News polling. Michigan women are out-registering men by a margin of 8.1 percent and Democrats are out-registering Republicans by 18 percent, according to data analysis conducted by TargetSmart. Voting rights and threats to democracy - over a third of electorate does not care who a candidate thinks won 2020 presidential election Voting rights and threats to democracy, where Democrats seem to have the edge, rank low on the list of voter priorities, according to the NY Times/Siena poll. Forty-three percent of respondents would rather vote for a candidate who believes Joe Biden won the election, 19 percent said one that believes Donald Trump won, but 35 percent said they don't care who the candidate believes won in 2020. A scathing report into the response of emergency services to the Manchester Arena terror attack has identified a litany of failings after communication breakdowns and a lack of stretchers led to delays evacuating victims. Bereaved families were also told today that two of those who died in the suicide bombing could have survived with better treatment. The second of three reports into the attack, led by public inquiry chairman Sir John Saunders, identified that the response from emergency services fell 'far below the standard it should have been'. John Atkinson, a care worker from Radcliffe, Greater Manchester, suffered serious leg injuries when the bomb was detonated just six metres away from him. He was dragged to a footbridge outside the venue and then to a casualty clearing station on the concourse of Victoria railway station. But he had to wait for an hour and 29 minutes to be placed into an ambulance and subsequently suffered a fatal cardiac arrest. Sir John also said that in the case of the youngest victim, eight-year-old Saffie-Rose Roussos, from Leyland, Lancashire, he could not 'exclude the possibility' that she could have been saved. He said: 'Significant aspects of the emergency response on May 22, 2017, went wrong. This should not have happened. 'Some of what went wrong had serious and, in the case of John Atkinson, fatal consequences for those directly affected by the explosion.' Turning to the youngest victim, he added that although it was 'highly unlikely that she could have survived her injuries', there was a 'remote possibility she could have survived with different treatment and care.' Sir John highlighted a number of individual failings with police, the ambulance service and firefighters: A damning report into the response of emergency services to the Manchester Arena terror attack has identified a litany of failings Saffie-Rose Roussos (pictured left) and John Atkinson (right), who were killed in the Manchester Arena bombing which claimed the lives of 22 innocent people could have been saved, a damning report released today has found Thursday's report by Manchester Arena Inquiry chairman Sir John Saunders pictured outside Manchester Hall yesterday The 22 victims of the Manchester Arena bombing. Pictured (top row left to right) Off-duty police officer Elaine McIver, 43, Saffie Roussos, 8, Sorrell Leczkowski, 14, Eilidh MacLeod, 14, (second row left to right) Nell Jones, 14, Olivia Campbell-Hardy, 15, Megan Hurley, 15, Georgina Callander, 18, (third row left to right), Chloe Rutherford,17, Liam Curry, 19, Courtney Boyle, 19, and Philip Tron, 32, (fourth row left to right) John Atkinson, 28, Martyn Hett, 29, Kelly Brewster, 32, Angelika Klis, 39, (fifth row left to right) Marcin Klis, 42, Michelle Kiss, 45, Alison Howe, 45, and Lisa Lees, 43 (fifth row left to right) Wendy Fawell, 50 and Jane Tweddle, 51. Abedi at Victoria Station making his way to the Manchester Arena, on May 22, 2017, where he detonated his bomb A litany of emergency services failings: The 12 key findings from Sir John Saunders second report into the Manchester Arena bombing Manchester Arena Inquiry chairman Sir John Saunders highlighted 12 key failures of the emergency response to the May 2017 terror attack. They were: A lack of communication between emergency responders, both through the act of physically co-locating at a single multi-agency RVP (rendezvous point) and via radio. A f ailure to have available either a multi-agency control room talk group or to set one up on the night. This would have allowed control rooms to speak to each other directly. F ailure to have available either a multi-agency control room talk group or to set one up on the night. This would have allowed control rooms to speak to each other directly. ailure to have available either a multi-agency control room talk group or to set one up on the night. This would have allowed control rooms to speak to each other directly. Greater Manchester Police's (GMP) force duty officer (FDO) Inspector Dale Sexton did not inform other emergency services of his declaration of Operation Plato, a pre-determined response to a marauding armed terrorist, or keep it under review. The FDO and others in GMP failed to consider zoning the scene, following the declaration of Operation Plato, in the early stages of the response. No forward command post, for senior officers to liaise, was set up. This was principally the responsibility of GMP, the inquiry found. Delays by North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) in getting ambulances and paramedics to the scene. Failure to send members of NWAS's specialist Hazardous Area Response Team into the City Room foyer, the scene of the explosion, to assist with triage and life-saving intervention of casualties. Failure to send non-specialist paramedics into the City Room to assist with triage. A failure to get stretchers to the City Room to help evacuate the injured. Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) did not arrive on scene and make any contribution in removing the injured that its officers could have done. Staff at North West Fire Control did not pass on important information to officers in GMFRS. No one in a senior position at GMFRS took a grip of the situation during the critical period of the response Advertisement Ambulance service Sir John today found that North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) did not deploy ambulances to the arena until nearly 30 minutes after the blast. Crews were instead initially sent to Manchester Fire Station at a meeting point as the chaos unfolded. In his report, Sir John said: 'The failure to dispatch the ambulances already at, and travelling to, Manchester Central Fire Station meant that there were fewer resources available to the NWAS Operational Commander in the first five minutes of his command than there should have been.' Operational commander Dan Smith decided that non-specialist paramedics should not be deployed into the venue's City Room foyer, the scene of the explosion. Sir John said had Mr Smith spoken to the first of only three paramedics to enter the City Room, where Salman Abedi detonated the device, or a police chief at the scene then he would have been informed they regarded it as 'safe enough' to work in. By 10.50pm the City Room was a 'cold zone', ruled Sir John, in which it was assessed that there was no immediate threat to life from an armed terrorist. Two members of the ambulance service's Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) later followed into the City Room, but Sir John said four others should have joined them. Sir John said: 'Police, members of the public and Arena staff used makeshift stretchers to bring down to Victoria station concourse. 'Daniel Smith believed that the evacuation was going well, and so he thought that he did not need to do anything further. 'He should have realised that the system for evacuation needed to be improved. Moving casualties in this way was a risk to them. It was painful for many. It risked making injuries worse. The NWAS evacuation plan was inadequate.' As the post-attack 'golden hour' ended, the emergency response had failed to achieve effective evacuation, he continued. Just after midnight there were still 36 casualties waiting to be taken to hospital - with 29 seriously injured - and it was not until 2.50am on May 23 that the final casualty departed. Sir John concluded: 'To those who experienced it, this period of time will have seemed interminable. It must not happen again. 'One of the most emotional and upsetting parts of the inquiry was listening to the evidence of the people in the City Room, both rescuers and the injured, who heard the sirens of the ambulances outside and expected to see paramedics arriving imminently, and then hearing of their despair when so many fewer than they reasonably expected actually arrived in the City Room. 'The failure of the paramedics to arrive in numbers was a terrible disappointment to the injured and the rescuers in the City Room who did not have the skills to triage the injured and give them the life-saving medical help they might need prior to be moved. Paramedics had these skills. Armed police officers pictured beside ambulances outside Manchester Arena following the terrorist attack Emergency services have been heavily criticised for their response to the terror attack in a scathing report published today Daren Mochrie, chief executive of the North West Ambulance Service, said he accepted its findings of the report and 'apologised wholeheartedly' 'The injured were desperate for help, not realising that decisions that had been made meant they would not see paramedics in the City Room in the numbers hoped for and expected. 'The evacuation of the City Room would have worked much better for everyone if there had been a more co-ordinated response. 'No one wanted the injured and dying to suffer more than they needed. Everyone involved in the emergency no doubt thought that they were doing their best. In some cases, their best was not good enough.' In response to the scathing report, Daren Mochrie, chief executive of the North West Ambulance Service, said he accepted its findings of the report and 'apologised wholeheartedly' for its failures, saying they weighed heavily 'on us as individuals and us as an organisation'. He added: 'For everyone connected with the atrocity on May 22, 2017, the last five years have already produced painful reminders of that nights events. And although Im well aware this day has been a long time coming for many I know the feelings of pain, loss, fear and anger do not go away. 'My thoughts and sympathies are with you all, particularly with the bereaved families and the injured. We will never forget the profound impact of the attack on you every member of the ambulance service, and the communities we serve. His statement continued: 'I am confident that if something like this happens again the response will have more effective preparation, management and coordination between the blue light partners here today. I also believe that everyone at NWAS would strive to respond with professionalism, compassion, and the desire to help. 'On occasions like this, the word sorry has the risk of sounding hollow. Nevertheless, I want to make it clear that while our actions were well-intentioned, we apologise wholeheartedly for our failures. They weigh heavily on us individually and as an organisation.' The 22 victims of the Manchester Arena bombing in May 2017 Elaine McIver , 43 : the off-duty police officer died in the attack, which injured her husband and children; : the off-duty police officer died in the attack, which injured her husband and children; Saffie-Rose Roussos , eight : the youngest victim was separated from her mother and sister in the seconds after the blast; : the youngest victim was separated from her mother and sister in the seconds after the blast; Sorrell Leczkowski , 14 : schoolgirl died in the bomb blast, while her mother, Samantha and grandmother Pauline were badly hurt; : schoolgirl died in the bomb blast, while her mother, Samantha and grandmother Pauline were badly hurt; Eilidh MacLeod , 14 : confirmed dead having been missing since being caught up in the blast with her friend Laura MacIntyre; : confirmed dead having been missing since being caught up in the blast with her friend Laura MacIntyre; Nell Jones , 14 : farmer's daughter travelled to the pop concert with her best friend for her 14th birthday; : farmer's daughter travelled to the pop concert with her best friend for her 14th birthday; Olivia Campbell-Hardy , 15 : her family searched desperately for her for nearly 48 hours and went on TV to plead for news; : her family searched desperately for her for nearly 48 hours and went on TV to plead for news; Megan Hurley , 15 : the Liverpool schoolgirl was with her brother who suffered serious injuries in the blast; : the Liverpool schoolgirl was with her brother who suffered serious injuries in the blast; Georgina Callander , 18 : met Ariana Grande backstage at a previous gig and died in hospital with her mother at her bedside; : met Ariana Grande backstage at a previous gig and died in hospital with her mother at her bedside; Chloe Rutherford , 17, and Liam Curry , 19 : couple from South Shields 'wanted to be together forever and now they are', their family said; : couple from South Shields 'wanted to be together forever and now they are', their family said; Courtney Boyle , 19 , and Philip Tron , 32 : criminology student and her stepfather were confirmed dead following a Facebook appeal; , : criminology student and her stepfather were confirmed dead following a Facebook appeal; John Atkinson , 28 : pop fan from Radcliffe, Greater Manchester, was in a local dance group and was leaving the gig when the blast happened; : pop fan from Radcliffe, Greater Manchester, was in a local dance group and was leaving the gig when the blast happened; Martyn Hett , 29 : public relations manager from Stockport, who was due to start a two-month 'holiday of a lifetime' to the US two days later; : public relations manager from Stockport, who was due to start a two-month 'holiday of a lifetime' to the US two days later; Kelly Brewster , 32 : civil servant from Sheffield who died trying to shield her 11-year-old niece from the bombing; : civil servant from Sheffield who died trying to shield her 11-year-old niece from the bombing; Marcin Kils , 42 , and Angelika Kils , 39 : both killed as they waited for their daughters who both survived the blast; , : both killed as they waited for their daughters who both survived the blast; Michelle Kiss , 45 : mother-of-three from Clitheroe, Lancashire, went to the Ariana Grande concert with her daughter; : mother-of-three from Clitheroe, Lancashire, went to the Ariana Grande concert with her daughter; Alison Lowe , 44, and friend Lisa Lees , 43 : both killed when they arrived to pick up their teenage daughters who were not hurt; : both killed when they arrived to pick up their teenage daughters who were not hurt; Wendy Fawell , 50 : mother from Leeds was killed by the blast while picking up her children at the Arena with a friend; : mother from Leeds was killed by the blast while picking up her children at the Arena with a friend; Jane Taylor , 50 : mother-of-three from Blackpool was killed as she waited to collect a friend's daughter from the concert Advertisement Fire service A decision to send fire appliances three miles away from the scene of the bombing led to crews not arriving until more than two hours after the incident, the report said today. Station manager Andy Berry rejected the suggestion by a police inspector at the scene of a rendezvous point at Manchester Cathedral car park, near to the Arena. Instead, firefighters were sent to Philips Park fire station as they awaited further instructions. Sir John said: 'The effect of station manager Berry's decision to mobilise to Philips Park fire station was that the fire appliances at Manchester Central fire station drove away from, not towards, the incident. 'While driving away from the incident, the Manchester Central fire appliances drove past ambulances travelling in the opposite direction.' Mr Berry set off from home to Philips Park, but on his 20-mile journey became lost due to traffic diversions, as Sir John said he was 'effectively in charge of the GMFRS (Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service) response throughout the entire time he was driving'. Sir John said other GMFRS senior officers who became involved in the response should have acted more decisively before 11.45pm, when someone was finally appointed in command of the incident. Mr Berry had assumed at an early stage that GMFRS was responding to marauding terrorists and, while in an 'information vacuum', he overestimated the risk. Sir John concluded: 'There was an apparent unwillingness by other senior officers to intervene as time passed. 'This was a different sort of aversion to risk. It was an aversion not to danger but to stepping outside of their role. 'The unavailability of the FDO (Greater Manchester Police's force duty officer) played a very significant role. 'Even allowing for this, the response of an entire fire and rescue service should not stall just because one person does not answer the telephone.' In response to the findings, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service Chief Fire Officer Dave Russel said it had made for 'very difficult reading' as he 'wholeheartedly apologised' to the bereaved families and the survivors 'whose live are changed forever'. In a statement, he said: 'Our response that night was wholly inadequate and totally ineffective, and that will forever be a matter of deep regret for our Service. We let the families and the public down in their time of need and for that I am truly sorry. 'I know that no apology will take away the pain and suffering of the families who lost loved ones and of the survivors. But I want them to know that I fully accept the Inquirys criticisms of our Service and I accept the recommendations in full. 'The inquiry process has been one of the most challenging times in our Services history and today is a very difficult day for many, especially those who so desperately wanted to help that night.' The fire service arrives at Manchester Victoria station after the Arena bomb. Fire crews not arriving until more than two hours after the incident In response to the findings, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service Chief Fire Officer Dave Russel said it had made for 'very difficult reading' Mr Russel said the service has made 'significant changes' to address the failings and ensured 'this will never happen again'. He continued: 'I know the spotlight today is rightly on what our Service got wrong on the night of the attack and I want to reiterate my deepest apologies to the families and survivors. 'I want the public to know the same mistakes would not be made today and have confidence that, never again, will we fall short of what the public should rightly expect of their fire and rescue service. 'I hope that the public will recognise that Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service is a very different organisation today to what it was in 2017, and that the improvements weve made and continue to make will provide confidence that we are prepared and able to respond to support the people of Greater Manchester when its fire and rescue services are needed.' Timeline: Key events in the emergency response to the Manchester Arena attack on May 22, 2017 Here is a timeline of the key events in the emergency response in the minutes and hours after the Manchester Arena bombing. May 22, 2017 6pm - Doors open for the Ariana Grande concert, and the Arena and surrounds begin filling with the 14,000 people attending the show. 9.29pm - Salman Abedi begins his final journey to the City Room, after twice visiting the area earlier in the evening on 'hostile reconnaissance'. 10.31pm - Abedi detonates his rucksack bomb packed with shrapnel in the packed City Room foyer of the Arena. Most of the 22 killed die shortly afterwards from unsurvivable injuries. 999 calls are made almost instantly after the blast. 10.34pm - North West Fire Control is first notified of the bombing and mass casualties. They also, wrongly, receive reports of an 'active shooter'. 10.41pm - Within the first two minutes a British Transport Police (BTP) officer is on scene and within 10 minutes, at least 12 BTP officers had reached or were in the immediate vicinity of the City Room. 10.45pm - Greater Manchester Police (GMP) declare Operation Plato, a pre-planned response to a suspected marauding terrorist firearms attack (MTFA), later proved false. 10.46pm - North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) declare a major incident but believe an active shooter is also on the rampage. 10.50pm - First paramedic arrives on scene in the City Room but is the only one there for the first 40 minutes after the blast. 10.55pm - A BTP officer calls his control room asking: 'Where's our ambulances please?' The controller responds: 'We don't know, we are calling them again.' 11.00pm - Ambulances begin to arrive at the Arena but paramedics do not deploy en masse to the City Room. 11.00pm - Sergeant Kam Hare and his team from the Tactical Aid Unit of GMP, who is in the City Room tells a Pc, 'We need the f****** medics!' 11.02pm - A GMP officer calls his control saying: 'We need paramedics like f****** yesterday!' 11.10pm - Eight ambulances are by now on scene but only one paramedic actually enters the City Room. Only one person is taken out on a makeshift stretcher in the first 40 minutes. 11.12pm - NWAS Hazardous Area Response Team, with specialist equipment and training arrives 43 minutes after the explosion. 11.17pm - John Atkinson, 28, is evacuated from the City Room on a makeshift stretcher, 46 minutes after the blast, to a triage area at Victoria Station, where he remains for another 24 minutes. 11.23pm - An ambulance transporting Saffie-Rose Roussos arrives at Royal Manchester Children's Hospital - 52 minutes after the bombing. 11.40pm - Saffie-Rose Roussos is pronounced dead. 11.47pm - John Atkinson goes into cardiac arrest from blood loss as he is taken away from the Arena by ambulance. 11.52pm - The final casualty is evacuated from the City Room on a makeshift stretcher made from cardboard and a crowd barrier, one hour and 20 minutes after the explosion. May 23 12.24am - John Atkinson is declared dead at Manchester Royal Infirmary. 12.27am - Sgt Hare's bodycam footage is switched off, shortly before he is recorded saying: 'F****** hell, we weren't ready for this, were we.' 12.37am - The first fire engine arrives on scene, two hours and six minutes after the bombing. Some firefighters had been close enough to hear the bomb go off. 1.00am - GMP officially declare a major incident, two and a half hours after the blast. 1.00am - The BTP bronze commander, tasked with co-ordinating events at ground level, arrives at the Arena. 2.05am - Last casualty departs for hospital. Advertisement Police The police inspector in initial command of the bombing response 'quickly became overburdened by the number of tasks he had to undertake', the public inquiry found. As Greater Manchester Police's (GMP) force duty officer (FDO) Inspector Dale Sexton became overwhelmed, it led to a 'direct impact on the effectiveness' of the response. Sir John said: 'It affected who received information, what resources were made available and the decisions of other commanders.' He ruled that Inspector Sexton made an early 'significant" mistake when he failed to declare a major incident - an error compounded by other GMP commanders until the situation was rectified at nearly 1am the next day. Sir John also criticised the time it took for a tactical/silver commander to arrive at the scene - some 52 minutes after the explosion. Following erroneous reports of gunshots, Sir John said Mr Sexton correctly declared Operation Plato - a predetermined response to a marauding armed terrorist. The GMP plan required him to share the declaration with other emergency services, but he failed to so. 'The burden of his responsibilities as FDO meant that he overlooked it," Sir John said. 'The failure to communicate the Operation Plato declaration had significant consequences. It affected the ability of the emergency services to work together by jointly understanding the risks. 'Op Plato required zones to be applied - the purpose to ensure emergency responders are protected from any terrorists who may be present. 'There was a substantial failure by GMP at every level of armed command in relation to the zoning of the Victoria Exchange Complex during the 'golden hour'. 'By 10.57pm (26 minutes after the blast) the FDO was struggling to manage the different roles that he was required to fulfil. It was difficult for anyone to reach the FDO on the phone.' Mr Sexton, now retired, told the inquiry he was not overwhelmed and he decided not to tell his emergency service counterparts as he feared they would not send key responders into the City Room. But Sir John today ruled: 'I consider that Inspector Sexton was overburdened on the night. He simply had too much to do.' The inquiry heard evidence about Exercise Winchester Accord in May 2016, which included a mock terror attack at Manchester's Trafford Centre. Sir John said the FDO in that exercise was also overwhelmed, particularly in the early stages, and it proved to be a 'significant missed opportunity' to plan an adequate and robust response to a similar incident. In 2016, an Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services' (HMICFRS) inspection took place at GMP on its preparedness for a terror attack, particularly a marauding terrorist attack. An inspector gave a 'hot debrief' to an assistant chief constable in which he told her about the risk that the FDO would become overburdened in an Operation Plato situation and the need for something to be done about this urgently. Sir John said: 'It (GMP) had longstanding corporate knowledge of the risk that the FDO would become overburdened in the event that Operation Plato was declared.' He also criticised the fact there were three Operation Plato plans at GMP by May 22, 2017. Sir John said: 'The evidence revealed that different officers, including those who performed vital roles, had different views about which plan was the one that ought to be followed on the night of the attack. 'The situation that GMP allowed to develop was dangerous. Even if it led to no loss of life on May 22 2017, it was capable of doing so.' Sir John also noted GMP's response to an information gathering request from Lord Kerslake who was tasked by Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham in July 2017 to review the emergency response locally. He said: 'More than nine months after the attack, the senior leadership of GMP had not realised that the FDO had not communicated the Operation Plato declaration to other emergency services. 'That was a highly significant fact which should have been identified by GMP at an early stage.' Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Stephen Watson apologised 'unreservedly' for the force's failings. He said: 'I fully accept the findings of the Chair, Sir John Saunders. The police inspector in initial command of the bombing response 'quickly became overburdened by the number of tasks he had to undertake'. Pictured: Officers at the scene As Greater Manchester Police's (GMP) force duty officer (FDO) Inspector Dale Sexton became overwhelmed, it led to a 'direct impact on the effectiveness' of the response. Pictured: Armed officers at the scene Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Stephen Watson apologised 'unreservedly' for the force's failings 'Beyond the selflessness and professionalism of so many of our frontline staff, however, it is also clear that our coordination of the response to this atrocity was inadequate. 'We had failed to plan effectively, and the execution of that which had been planned, was simply not good enough. 'Our actions were substantially inadequate and fell short of what the public had every right to expect. For this, I apologise unreservedly.' Further apologies British Transport Police Chief Constable Lucy D'Orsi also released a statement today to apologise to the victims of the terror attack as the failings of emergency services were laid bare. She said: 'Significant errors were made in the hours leading up to this horrendous attack and in the immediate aftermath. Our planning and preparation was inadequate to respond to an incident of this magnitude. 'For those errors, I want to apologise to the families of the victims and to every one of you affected by that terrible night. On behalf of everyone in the British Transport Police I am truly sorry. There were mistakes and misjudgements, but there was also compassion and bravery. Police officers and staff who ran towards the attack without hesitation, as well as security staff and members of the public. In the time that has passed, those responders have also carried the trauma of that night. They too, deserve our support. This is a part of BTPs history we will never forget. And as you would expect, todays report does not mark the start of our improvements but acts as an invaluable aid to build on the improvements we have already made and are continuing to make - since May 2017. Her statement added: 'The families and friends of the victims, and the city of Manchester, will continue to grieve for years to come. We share this heartache, not just as an organisation, but as individuals. 'No learning can turn back the clock. No apology can mend a broken heart. We can only reflect on todays report with candour, and I promise you, we will do better. Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham added: 'To those injured, to everyone still struggling and, most importantly, to the families of those who died particularly Johns family and Saffies family I wish to say this very clearly: you were badly let down on that night; you were entitled to expect much better from our emergency services than the response provided; and, as you have heard from them today, everyone here is truly sorry that did not happen. British Transport Police Chief Constable Lucy D'Orsi said released a statement today to apologise to the victims of the terror attack Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said the victims of the terror attack 'were badly let down' 'Of course, there were many people who did act courageously and selflessly in the moment as Sir John said himself today. We recognise what they did. Police officers and paramedics did run into what they believed to be a dangerous situation as did Arena staff, Travel Safe officers and staff from Northern Rail at Victoria Station. 'In particular, the members of the public who helped others in a desperate situation deserve our huge thanks and more recognition for what they did. Many people in all emergency services did do their jobs properly. But they were let down by the lack of a properly organised response.' He added: 'In conclusion, over the last five years, I have had the privilege of getting to know the families who lost loved-ones on that night. They are without exception wonderful people who, as I said at the start, deserved so much better. 'I have also got to know many of those injured and have seen first-hand how they have come together to help each other, through initiatives such as our incredible Survivors Choir. 'I hope they all know me well enough by now to know that I would never give them platitudes like lessons will be learned. 'What I can instead say to them today is that major changes have already been made on the back of what happened and more are to come.' Joe Biden's spokesperson is facing an ethics complaint for claims she violated the Hatch Act by telling voters from the briefing room podium that they should not vote for Trump-supporting candidates. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre frequently says she cannot answer reporters' questions because it would go against the Hatch Act, which prevents certain federal officials from campaigning because it can unfairly influence elections. On Wednesday, Jean-Pierre opened her briefing by disparaging Donald Trump voters and candidates who align themselves with the former president and urged Americans not to vote for Republicans. 'Unfortunately, we have seen mega MAGA Republican officials who don't believe in the rule of law,' she told reporters. 'They refuse to accept the results of free and fair elections, and they fan the flames of political violence through what they praise and what they refuse to condemn.' The comments came with less than a week until the 2022 midterms. It also was just hours before Biden's speech later Wednesday evening in Washington, D.C. where he blamed a rise in political violence on Trump and attacked 'MAGA Republicans.' An ethics complaint is seeking an investigation into White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre for allegedly violating the Hatch Act by attacking 'mega MAGA Republicans' from the briefing room podium on Wednesday and urging Americans not to vote for Trump-supporting Republican candidates Jean-Pierre thwarts answering reporters' questions at briefings by citing the Hatch Act, which prevents some federal officials from using their position to campaign because it could unfairly sway election results 'While the President is not subject to the Hatch Act, Karine Jean-Pierre is and must be held accountable,' Ethics watchdog Protect The Public's Trust wrote in a complaint. In a letter Thursday to the U.S. Office of Special Counsel's Hatch Act Unit and Counsel to the President Stuart F. Delery, the group requested an investigation be launched into Biden's top spokeswoman. Protect the Public's Trust notes Jean-Pierre's 'statements regarding 'mega MAGA Republican officials' appear to be clear violation of Hatch Act provisions.' Jean-Pierre, the watchdog claims, was attempting to 'sway an election' with her comments Wednesday. 'In the wake of multiple successful Hatch Act complaints against her colleagues, Karine Jean-Pierre nevertheless took the occasion of a daily briefing to vilify officials of the opposing political party,' Protect the Public's Trust Director Michael Chamberlain said in a statement on the complaint. 'The comments appear to be clearly designed to influence voters in next week's election,' he added. 'A quick and complete investigation into these statements would be a good first step in helping to restore the American public's trust in its government.' The Hatch Act prohibits Executive Branch appointees with the exception of the president and vice president from engaging in certain forms of political activity. It can often be used as an excuse to avoid accountability by claiming an answer could in some way be perceived as political or campaigning activity. Advertisement A Kansas man has been reunited with his restored 1959 red Corvette following a six-year legal battle with the state. Rich Martinez had bought the classic car legally in Indiana in 2016 for $50,000 and had it restored in Illinois. Registration in those two states went smoothly, KCTV reports. But when he brought it back to Kansas in 2017, Martinez discovered that during the restoration the original Vehicle Identification Number plate was removed and was replaced with rivets instead of the original Phillips head screws. And under Kansas state law at the time, any vehicle with a 'destroyed, removed, altered or defaced VIN' is considered 'contraband' and must be crushed. Martinez, though, managed to delay his beloved car's destruction as he fought for six years to get it back, questioning how a legal purchase in another state with documented paperwork could be considered stolen property. The grandfather eventually managed to gain the attention of Kansas state lawmakers who voted to change the statute earlier this year to exempt any car that is more than 35 years old and needs to be refurbished As a result, Martinez was finally able to get his keys back late last month but only after he spent $30,000 in legal fees. The 1959 red vehicle had been seized in 2017 under a Kansas state law that deemed any vehicle with a 'destroyed, removed, altered or defaced VIN' is considered 'contraband' Rich Martinez was finally able to get the classic Corvette he bought for $50,000 returned to him late last month He now faces another $28,000 to get the car repaired after it was left for years in parking lots and storage sheds, where other cars and boats would bang up against it. Still, he said, it will be worth it when he can take his grandchildren around town in the refurbished car. 'It's been a long six years,' he told KCTV. 'But it's home and we are going to start fresh.' Martinez had fought in court for six years to get Kansas state officials to question the law, as the car sat idly in a lot The Kansas grandfather now must spend around $28,000 to repair the vehicle after it was left sitting in parking lots and a storage facility in Topeka, where it was banged up by other cars and boats Martinez's plight gained the attention of Kansas State Rep. Leo Delperdang, who introduced a bill to change the statute in order to exempt older cars Throughout his legal battle, KCTV reports, he never blamed the Kansas Highway Patrol, saying they were just doing their job. Instead, he sought to get Kansas officials to question the state laws, noting that it may be necessary to remove a VIN plate on a restored vehicle. Eventually, Kansas state officials even admitted he was innocent under the law, as he did not actually remove the VIN plate himself or steal the car and he gained the support of the Kansas Justice Institute. 'Asset forfeiture is bad enough,' said KJI Litigation Director Sam MacRoberts. 'But it's especially bad in this case because the governments admits Mr. Martinez did nothing wrong. 'When the government knows someone is innocent, they shouldn't use their power and resources to take their property,' he noted, according to Reason Magazine. MacRoberts added: 'The United States and Kansas constitutions do not permit the government to acknowledge the person's innocence on the one hand, and with the other, declare the innocent person's property "contraband" and take it.' As news of his legal battle spread last year, Kansas State Rep. Leo Delperdang realized, 'it was up to us to change the laws and make it more reasonable.' Martinez had already spent $30,000 on legal fees, but was rewarded $20,000 after the law was rewritten earlier this year Martinez says he now hopes to drive his grandchildren around town in the refurbished vehicle His bill to exempt classic cars from the forfeiture clause was ultimately approved by the Kansas State Legislature earlier this year and the case against him was thrown out, with a judge awarding him $20,000. But after all that, Martinez questions whether the fight was worth it as he now has to pay an estimated $28,000 in repairs after already spending $30,000 in legal fees. The engine no longer starts, after sitting idly for so long, and the once shiny red coat is now covered in a layer of dust from the years it spent in a Topeka storage facility. 'Financially, emotionally, no' it was not worth the fight, Martinez admitted. 'But I hope somebody watching this understands that sometimes you may be the only one standing out there to fight. 'What's wrong is wrong and needs to be corrected,' he said. A man has been found not guilty of intent to cause criminal damage after turning up at Sajid Javid's home with adhesive spray and posters. Geza Tarjanyi travelled to the then Health Secretary's home in Fulham, south-west London on January 3 to stage a protest against the coronavirus vaccine rollout. The 61-year-old, from Leyland, Lancashire, had spray adhesive and a number of posters, which prosecutors said he was carrying with the intention of destroying or damaging property - a charge the defendant denied. After a two-day trial at Isleworth Crown Court, the jury found Mr Tarjanyi not guilty this afternoon. Prosecutor Archie Mackay had opened the trial, saying: 'This case is about the defendant, Mr Geza Tarjanyi, finding out where Sajid Javid lived - the politician - going to Sajid Javid's family home and, as a form of protest, tried to get arrested. Geza Tarjanyi (pictured outside Isleworth Crown Court in February) has been found not guilty of intent to cause criminal damage Mr Tarjanyi turned up at the home of then Health Secretary Sajid Javid (pictured) with adhesive spray and posters 'And the prosecution's case is that, to make sure he was arrested, he was prepared, if necessary, to use a heavy-duty adhesive spray and glue some posters on to Mr Javid's family home. 'If he had done so, that would have been criminal damage. 'In fact, you will see he was arrested before he needed to do that.' The court heard that the defendant went to the address with 'basic filming equipment (and) an envelope of paperwork' alongside another man, who could film the protest. The jury was shown the footage in which Mr Tarjanyi could be seen ringing the doorbell and handing Mr Javid's daughter an envelope. He proceeded to read a copy of this letter to the camera, saying he had just 'served a notice' to Mr Javid, threatening to sue the minister for any harm or death caused by the Covid-19 vaccine. 'I'm exposing their involvement in the biggest fraud and threat facing our national security,' he read. The defendant can also be heard saying that he wants to be arrested and 'face these monsters in court'. After he finishes reading out his script, he could be seen in the footage taking what looks like a canister out of his bag. The 61-year-old was arrested by Metropolitan Police officers outside Mr Javid's home in Fulham, south-west London on January 3 The court also heard that Mr Javid's daughter had rung her mother, who was with the Health Secretary and two personal protection officers, at a nearby pizzeria. One of the officers returned to the house where he monitored the situation until Mr Tarjanyi pulled out the canister. At this point, the officer detained the protester until Metropolitan Police officers arrived and formally arrested him. Mr Mackay told the jury the defendant said in his police interview that he 'never intended to cause damage and only intended to get arrested'. It's unclear if this is the same threat that the FBI alluded to The Jewish Institute for National Security of America also revealed this afternoon that there has been an elaborate phishing and hacking scheme by someone purporting to be one of their employees Locals in New Jersey should 'stay alert,' as the FBI said they will share more information as soon as they can The FBI said on Thursday afternoon: 'The FBI has received credible information of a broad threat to synagogues in New Jersey' There is currently a 'broad threat' to a number of synagogues in New Jersey, the FBI warned. The bureau said on Thursday afternoon that they were aware of a threat to Jewish places of worship - and that those in danger should call the police. They said that they received 'credible information' leading to the news alert. Locals in New Jersey should 'stay alert' and be vigilant within their communities, as the FBI said they will share more information as soon as they can. The FBI added that they are taking proactive measures while their investigative processes are carried out. Visitors tour Congregation Ahavas Sholom, a small synagogue in Newark, New Jersey (stock image) The FBI said on Thursday afternoon: 'The FBI has received credible information of a broad threat to synagogues in NJ. 'We ask at this time that you take all security precautions to protect your community and facility. 'We will share more information as soon as we can. Stay alert. In case of emergency call police. 'We are taking a proactive measure with this warning while investigative processes are carried out.' The Jewish Institute for National Security of America also revealed this afternoon that there has been an elaborate phishing and hacking scheme by someone purporting to be one of their employees. Cyber experts determined that the perpetrators were either from Irans IRGC or working under the IRGCs authorization, they said. It's unclear if this is the same threat that the FBI alluded to. This is a breaking news story. Days before world leaders are set to gather in Bali for the G20 Summit meeting, Indonesia's foreign minister says he doesn't know whether Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend. Putin, who has been overseeing Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine, phoned Indonesian President Joko Widodo Wednesday. The country's foreign minister Retno Marsudi told Reuters that Putin's own attendance is still up in the air, and the answer might not be clear until shortly before it begins. 'Let's wait until D-Day,' she said. Russian President Vladimir Putin has not announced whether he will attend the upcoming G20 summit in Indonesia Putin himself has been playing coy, saying recently that he will send a high-level delegation if he is unable to attend. President Biden is going, at the tail end of a trip that will also send him to the ASEAN summit of Southeast Asian nations in Cambodia, with an early stop at the COP27 summit in Egypt. He has called Putin a 'war criminal,' following reports of horrific attacks on civilians in Ukrainian towns and villages. President Widodo visited Moscow and Kiev this summer in preparations for his role as host. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whose nation is not a member of the G20 but who has been invited at the request of allies, says he won't go if Putin does. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he won't go if Putin attends President Biden will attend the summit later this month 'My personal position and the position of Ukraine was that if the leader of the Russian Federation takes part, then Ukraine will not take part. We'll see what it will be like in the future,' he said. Administration officials say they are trying to discourage even a 'sideline' meeting between Biden and Putin at the meeting, should Putin attend. Biden himself had earlier said last month, 'Look, I have no intention of meeting with him, but look, if he came to me at the G20 and said, "I want to talk about the release of [detained American Brittney] Griner," I would meet with him, but that would depend.' Officials have stressed there is no meeting in the works. The State Department said Thursday U.S. embassy officials in Moscow had finally been able to meet with WNBA star Brittney Griner, who was sentenced in a Russian court to nine-years in prison after being arrested at a Moscow airport with a small amount of cannabis oil. Bleeding from horrific injuries caused by shrapnel from Salman Abedis home-made bomb, John Atkinson was begging for help, crying: Im going to die, arent I. First to the 28-year-olds side in the moments after the deadly attack was Ron Blake, who dialled 999 and used his wifes belt as an improvised tourniquet around the care workers leg. He assured him help was coming but instead Mr Atkinson lay scared and terrified where he had fallen for 47 minutes a delay his untrained would-be rescuer said it felt like lasted forever. Mr Atkinson was only seen by a paramedic after police at the scene lost patience and dragged him out on a makeshift stretcher constructed from advertising hoardings and a metal barrier. However even then he was not rushed to hospital, and at 11.47pm, an hour and 16 minutes after the explosion, he went into cardiac arrest. He was taken to hospital but did not survive. Bleeding from horrific injuries caused by shrapnel from Salman Abedis home-made bomb, John Atkinson (pictured) was begging for help, crying: Im going to die, arent I First to the 28-year-olds side in the moments after the deadly attack was Ron Blake (above), who dialled 999 and used his wifes belt as an improvised tourniquet around the care workers leg Yesterday the inquiry chairman said that had Mr Atkinson received the treatment and care he should have, it is likely that he would have survived. It is likely that inadequacies in the emergency response prevented his survival, Sir John Saunders added. Welcoming the finding, Mr Atkinsons family said he had been totally failed at every stage and instead was left dying, without his dignity, on the floor. Mr Atkinson, from Radcliffe, Greater Manchester, was at the concert with his best friend, Gemma ODonnell, who was also injured. As he waited by his side, Mr Blake who had arrived to pick up his daughter as the concert drew to a close engaged Mr Atkinson in conversation, asking him his name. Speaking today for the first time about his courageous efforts, he told of his shock at learning of Mr Atkinsons death from media reports the next day while being treated for his own injuries. Mr Atkinson, who cared for people with autism, was still talking when Mr Blake left him with a paramedic. I went outside... and just broke down, he told the BBC. Abedi at Victoria Station making his way to the Manchester Arena, on May 22, 2017, where he detonated his bomb The 22 victims of the Manchester Arena bombing. Pictured (top row left to right) Off-duty police officer Elaine McIver, 43, Saffie Roussos, 8, Sorrell Leczkowski, 14, Eilidh MacLeod, 14, (second row left to right) Nell Jones, 14, Olivia Campbell-Hardy, 15, Megan Hurley, 15, Georgina Callander, 18, (third row left to right), Chloe Rutherford,17, Liam Curry, 19, Courtney Boyle, 19, and Philip Tron, 32, (fourth row left to right) John Atkinson, 28, Martyn Hett, 29, Kelly Brewster, 32, Angelika Klis, 39, (fifth row left to right) Marcin Klis, 42, Michelle Kiss, 45, Alison Howe, 45, and Lisa Lees, 43 (fifth row left to right) Wendy Fawell, 50 and Jane Tweddle, 51. Describing the agonising wait for a medical professional, Mr Blake added: It just seemed to last forever. It seemed to go on and on and on and no one was coming, so I just kept trying to talk to John. He kept saying, Im going to die, arent I. I kept saying, No you are not. Mr Atkinsons family have previously praised Mr Blakes heroic efforts. For his part, Mr Blake insisted he did what anybody else would have done. There would have been a window of about 40 minutes before Mr Atkinson would have lost too much blood to survive emergency surgery, Colonel Jonathan Clasper, a professor in trauma and orthopaedics for the British military, told the public inquiry. Lawyers representing North West Ambulance Service told the inquiry that while there was in theory a window during which Mr Atkinsons life could have been saved, there were simply not enough paramedics at the scene. Inquiry chairman Sir John Saunders said today that responsibility for the failure to treat Mr Atkinson appropriately at the scene lay with Emergency Training UK, the first aid provider, and SMG, the arena operator, which should have ensured it was competent. Thursday's report by Manchester Arena Inquiry chairman Sir John Saunders pictured outside Manchester Hall yesterday More paramedics from the North West Ambulance Service should have been in the bomb-blasted City Room before 11.16pm to identify the need for urgent treatment and evacuation of Mr Atkinson, he added. Sir John said firefighters could have assisted with evacuation had they been sent to the scene sooner. Mr Atkinsons family said today that it had become crystal clear that due to the failings of medical providers and the ambulance service, he could and should have survived. They said that on the night of the bombing he had been totally failed at every stage. John must have known that he was dying, and the pain that causes us is too great to put into words, they added. This should simply never have been allowed to happen. They concluded by demanding that action was taken on Sir Johns recommendations, saying: Talk is cheap, and actions speak louder than words. Mr Atkinsons mother has previously accused the emergency services of effectively murdering her son. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo presides over a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters at the government complex in Seoul, Nov. 3. Yonhap Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Thursday renewed the government's pledge to provide all necessary support to foreign victims of the Itaewon crowd crush. Han instructed the foreign ministry to make sure that nothing goes wrong when bereaved families of the foreign victims receive support, including aid for funeral arrangements. "Please make sure there is no problem in providing information on related issues, such as support for funeral expenses," Han told a response meeting. At least 156 people, including 26 foreign nationals, were killed during the crowd surge in the popular nightlife district of Itaewon last Saturday. The body of a Brooklyn bakery worker was found inside a walk-in freezer after he got trapped while cleaning it out overnight. Mahamadou Dansogo, 33, was found dead in Beigel's Bakery walk-in freezer around 8.45am on Thursday after accidentally locking himself inside while cleaning it around 3am, according to police. One worker at the shop said Dansogo had worked at the bakery for three months and was an immigrant from Africa, according to New York Daily News. The bake shop is located in the heart of Brooklyn and is known for its freshly baked goods, including its black and white cookies that date back to 1949. A police source said the freezer the bakery used was similar to a meat locker. 'I'm not sure how long you can survive in one of those,' the source told the New York Post. No trauma was found on the 33-year-old's body. A 33-year-old bakery worker from Africa had only been on the job for three months when his body was found in a Beigel's Bakery freezer on Thursday. Pictured the Bakery where the body was found Police said preliminary findings suggest that the man accidentally locked himself in the freezer around 3am - and he wasn't discovered until 8.45am No trauma was found on his body but the investigation is ongoing David Greenberger, the company's manager, made a statement outside the bake shop earlier on Thursday. 'We are devastated by the loss of our employee in this accident,' Greenberg said, according to ABC 7. 'The family has been notified and we extended our deepest condolences to them. 'Grief counselors are on the site to provide counseling and support to the family and to our employees. This is an ongoing situation and we are cooperating with all investigations. We have no further comment at this time.' The investigation is ongoing. A police source told the NY Post that the freezer was similar to a meat locker The bake shop has been open in New York City for decades and is famously known for it's black and white cookies. Pictured: The facility above Before opening up in Brooklyn, the Beigel family opened up a bakery where they lived in Krakow, Poland back in 1934, according to their website. When the Nazi invasion began, the bakery owners stepped in to feed those whose livelihoods became threatened and provided starving people with bread. More than a decade later in 1949, Beigel Bakery moved to the Big Apple and quickly became a favorite stop in the Lower East Side following the war. The bakery's famous Black and White Cookie was introduced in New York around this time and quickly became the most popular buy. As the company grew, the bakery then expanded into Williamsburg and then to Clinton Hill in 1970. Eventually, the company's growth led them to Canarsie in 2016. Issue linked to a chemical that becomes more volatile under high temperatures Majority of deaths and injuries have occurred in US states with warm weather Takata has been bankrupted by scandal but cars with air bags are still on roads Three more people have been killed in the US by faulty Takata airbags which have now caused the deaths of 32 people worldwide, it has emerged. The US government and car maker Stellantis have now issued an urgent recall for 276,000 older vehicles fitted with the airbags. Takata airbags have killed dozens of people worldwide since 2009 and injured hundreds more, with the majority of victims in the US. Stellantis, formerly Fiat Chrysler, is now warning people to stop driving Dodge Magnum wagons, Dodge Challenger and Charger muscle cars and Chrysler 300 sedans from the 2005 through 2010 model years. A deployed Takata manufactured airbag is seen on the driver's side of a 2007 Dodge Charger vehicle in Detroit in 2015 Stephanie Erdman, a First Lieutenant in the US Air Force, survived a crash on September 1 2013 which fired metal shrapnel from the Takata airbag in her 2002 Honda Civic into her neck and right eye The company announced details of the three further deaths on Thursday, confirming the driver's air bag inflators blew apart in two cases, killing two drivers of 2010 Dodge Chargers. The company suspects an inflator rupture in another case that also killed a driver of an unspecified 2010 Dodge. All three deaths were in warm-weather U.S. states and happened between April and November, the company said. The issue is linked to a chemical used in the airbags which can become more volatile over time when exposed to moisture in the air and repeated high temperatures. None of the people who formed part of today's announcement have been named. The Stellantis vehicles under the 'Do Not Drive' warning were all recalled in 2015, and free repairs were available since then. Ann Carlson, acting administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said in a statement on Thursday: 'Left unrepaired, recalled Takata air bags are increasingly dangerous as the risk of an explosion rises as vehicles age. 'Every day that passes when you don't get a recalled air bag replaced puts you and your family at greater risk of injury or death.' DANGEROUS AIR BAGS CAN SPEW SHRAPNEL Takata air bags can inflate with too much force, which causes a metal canister to rupture and spew shrapnel into the vehicle. Tokyo-based Takata, unlike other manufacturers, uses the chemical ammonium nitrate to create a small explosion that inflates air bags in a crash. But the chemical can deteriorate when exposed to prolonged high heat and humidity and can burn faster than designed. That can blow apart a metal canister designed to contain the explosion. The problem touched off what is now the largest auto recall in US history. More than 69million inflators have been recalled in the US and more than 100million worldwide. Advertisement The NHTSA said even minor crashes can cause air bags to inflate with the potential for explosions that can kill or hurt people. In its statement, NHTSA said it's aware of other suspected Takata inflator ruptures in vehicles made by other automakers. The agency says it's working with manufacturers to confirm the ruptures, but it would not give further details. Around 210 million attempts have been made to reach owners with recalled Takata air bag inflators, including letters, courier deliveries, emails, text messages, phone calls and home visits. Stellantis has recalled nearly 2 million vehicles with Takata inflators. In the three recent cases in which people were killed, Stellantis said it made 153 attempts to reach owners. The company said it 'extends its sympathies to the families and friends of those affected by these incidents'. The most recent victim to be identified is 23-year-old Navy officer Hayden Jones Jr, who died on July 7 when his 2006 Ford Ranger pickup crashed in Pensacola, Florida. Jones was found dead at the wheel with neck injuries that police initially thought were gunshot wounds. His family claim there is ample evidence the death was caused by an exploding Takata air bag. Jones's relatives, who have a lawsuit against Ford, also say they did not receive a recall notice. Ford claims the owner was notified. In June 2018, Armando Ortega, of Yuma, Arizona, died three days after his 2002 Honda Civic was involved in a crash near Phoenix. He was killed by an exploding Takata airbag. Delia Robles, a 50-year-old grandmother, died after a collision while driving her 2001 Honda Civic, fitted with the defective air bag, in Riverside County, California. Hayden Jones Jr., 23, of Pensacola, Florida, was in a 2006 Ford Ranger when he died on July 7, 2022 In March 2016, 17-year-old Huma Hanif died within seconds of a minor crash in her 2002 Honda Civic Her son, Jose Contreras, said his mother was 'a very safe driver' who was traveling at 25mph when she died. In March 2016, 17-year-old Huma Hanif died within seconds of a minor crash in her 2002 Honda Civic. She was killed by metal shards from the exploding Takata airbag when she rear ended another vehicle in Houston, Texas, in a crash which investigators said she should have survived. Joel Knight was killed by shrapnel from a Takata airbag when his Ford Ranger hit a cow in South Carolina in December 2015. Like in other cases, police initially suspected a shooting may have caused the injuries. At the time, his vehicle was not subject to a recall. Stephanie Erdman, a First Lieutenant in the US Air Force, survived a crash on September 1 2013 which fired metal shrapnel from the Takata airbag in her 2002 Honda Civic into her neck and right eye. Erdman, who was blinded in her right eye, later testified to a 2014 Senate hearing about the airbags. Potential for the dangerous malfunction led to the largest series of auto recalls in U.S. history, with at least 67 million Takata inflators recalled. The U.S. government says that millions have not been repaired. About 100 million inflators have been recalled worldwide. The exploding air bags sent Takata Corp. of Japan into bankruptcy. Most of the deaths have been in the U.S., but they also have occurred in Australia and Malaysia. The first death caused by a Takata inflator occurred in Oklahoma in 2009. The last known Pearl Harbor survivor in Nevada died in his sleep this week at the age of 99, but not before joking around with his nurses once last time. Edward 'Ed' Hall died around 2:45 a.m. on Wednesday at the North Las Vegas VA Medical Center, according to his friend Greg Mannarino. Mannarino told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he visited his longtime friend the night before he passed away, and that he was 'full of life' as he joked with the nurses. Hall was in the U.S. Army Air Corps and only 18 years old when Japan launched a surprise attack at Pearl Harbor that left 2,403 Americans dead. Ed Hall, 99, the last known Pearl Harbor survivor in Nevada, died on Wednesday at the North Las Vegas VA Medical Center. Pictured: Hall standing during anthem at Anaheim Ducks and Vegas Golden Knights game on November 14, 2018 in Las Vegas Hall was in the U.S. Army Air Corps and only 18 years old when Japan launched a surprise attack at Pearl Harbor that left 2,403 Americans dead Hall's longtime friend Mannarino visited him on Tuesday, the night before he passed. 'He passed away peacefully in his sleep,' Mannarino confirmed. 'He joked with the nurses last night. Before I left he said "I love you." He seemed still full of life. The doctor told me that "When we went to check on him, he was unresponsive." I just fell over completely. He was the greatest guy, from the greatest generation. Those men were cut from a different cloth.' Hall had told the Review-Journal in an August 2020 interview that he was saddened to hear that he was believed to be the last living Pearl Harbor survivor in the state of Nevada. In the interview, he also said that December 7, 1941 was a day he would never forget. 'It'll be forgotten, just like the Civil War, or the Spanish American War,' Hall said. 'This country better wake up or it's going to happen again, that nobody will pay attention to the warning signs, like that day of December 7, 1941.' On that fateful day, the former Army private was on kitchen duty and cleaning a frying pan, he has said, when he heard what he thought was a malfunctioning air compressor. But when he walked outside the mess hall at Hickam Field (now Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam), he was met with the sights and sounds of a full-blown attack. 'What the hell's going on?' he remembered yelling as fighter planes roared above him. A fellow serviceman pulled him down and shouted, 'Do you want to die?' 'There was shooting going on like you wouldn't believe,' Hall told the paper decades later. 'I'm still amazed I didn't get hurt.' While they took cover, Hall said he remembers seeing an explosion that he later learned was the USS Arizona being struck, killing 1,177 sailors and Marines. While they took cover, Hall said he remembers seeing an explosion that he later learned was the USS Arizona (pictured) being struck, killing 1,177 sailors and Marines The USS Arizona Memorial is shown during a ceremony in 2019 mark the 78th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor When Hall was discharged from the Army in 1946 at the age of 23, he tried to go back to school. But he was turned away. He eventually got married, had a child and moved to Chicago where he worked as an elevator installer for 40 years. In 1994, he retired in Las Vegas. But education remained important to Hall so in 2017, he finally received his high school diploma. 'I am just overwhelmed to know that I am now a high school graduate,' he told the Review-Journal at the time. Hall also told the paper that there was just one more thing left on his bucket list - to live to be 100. 'If I can do that, that'll fill the bucket,' he said. The attack by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941, came with no warning. The surprise military strike was intended as a preventive action to keep America's Pacific Fleet from interfering with actions Japan was planning in South east Asia. The Pearl Harbor base was attacked by 353 Japanese fighters, bombers and torpedo planes in two waves, launched from six aircraft carriers. There were eight U.S. Navy battleships at the harbor. All were damaged with four being sunk. The Pearl Harbor base was attacked by 353 Japanese fighters, bombers and torpedo planes in two waves, launched from six aircraft carriers The USS Oklahoma floats on its side as rescue crews struggle to save whatever sailors they can on December 7, 1941. The ship later foundered and remained underwater for two years Six of the ships were eventually repaired and returned to service later in the war. The Japanese also sank or damaged three cruisers, three destroyers, an anti-aircraft training ship and one minelayer. They destroyed 188 U.S. aircraft, killed 2,403 Americans and wounded 1,282 others. Japan lost 64 men and 29 planes. One Japanese sailor was captured. President Franklin Roosevelt declared that day a 'date which will live in infamy.' The following day he declared war on Japan. In the tumultuous weeks and months to follow, men and women across the States pledged to sign up for the Armed Forces to play their part in the defeat of Japan. The NSW Police Commissioner said she was 'gravely concerned' by the incident Witness accounts and video shows Iwauns was staggering and unbalanced after He was allegedly almost five times over the alcohol limit at the time of the crash The father and son weren't seriously injured in the Ashcroft crash on Wednesday A rookie cop staggered around a suburban street after allegedly crashing his car into a father and son while almost five times over the alcohol limit. Traumatised father Rabeh said he thought he was 'going to die' after probationary constable Krystian Iwauns, 25, crashed into him in Ashcroft, southwest Sydney, on Wednesday afternoon. The father and his young son were on their way home from school when Iwauns allegedly crashed his Honda sedan into the front of Rabeh's Hilux ute, sending the pair into a nearby fence. Sydney policeman Krystian Iwauns (above) of four months staggered around a suburban street after crashing into a father and son while allegedly almost five times over the alcohol limit Video filmed by witnesses of the crash showed Iwauns staggering around the street and appearing unbalanced after getting out of his car. Witness Troy Stutchbury claimed the officer, who only graduated from the police academy four months ago, was oblivious to what happened. 'He had no idea what was going on. He was just walking in circles,' he said. Another witness told 2GB the scene of the crash was next to two school so there were a lot of schoolchildren and parents around. Rabeh said he thought he was 'going to die' as the horror crash unfolded. 'I've never seen my son so pale,' he told Nine News. Both Rabeh and his son weren't seriously injured in the crash but were taken to Liverpool Hospital for a precautionary check. Officers stuffed Iwauns into the back of a police car (above) after the crash and took him to Liverpool Police Station where he allegedly returned a breath test reading of 0.243 Empty can and bottles of beer and wine are seen in the back of Iwauns's car that crashed into a ute in Sydney's south-west on Wednesday Investigators later found the backseat of Iwauns's car was littered with empty cans and bottles of high-alcohol cider, beer and a cask of wine. He was then taken back to Liverpool Police Station where a breath analysis returned an alleged reading of 0.243. NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said the South West Metropolitan Region officer's alleged behaviour 'gravely concerned' her. 'His employment status will be reviewed today,' she told 2GB radio on Thursday. She said she cannot sack people on the spot, but there is 'a lower threshold for probationary constables'. 'There's a process that I've got to serve him papers, he gets a chance to respond but I can start all of that and intend to start all of that before the court matter comes up. 'I don't know how you defend it.' Iwauns is set to appear in Liverpool Local Court on December 14 for a high-range drink driving charge. If found guilty, he could face a fine up to $3,3000 and a 12-month loss of licence. Iwauns allegedly crashed his car (above) into the front of a ute, sending a father and son into a nearby fence A teenage school pupil was tragically killed today after being struck by a train in Devon. The youth, aged 15 or 16, was a year 11 pupil at Ivybridge Community College in the town of Ivybridge. The incident is understood to have occurred just minutes into the school day. A pupil attending Ivybridge Community College (pictured) in Devon was tragically killed on a railway line this morning British Transport Police were called to the scene just after 9am after reports of a casualty on the track. But the victim was sadly pronounced dead at the scene. BTP said the death was not suspicious and a file will be prepared for the coroner. The school - which is located just 100 metres from the railway line - later told parents and carers of pupils that 'one of our much loved students from Year 11 tragically died'. The college principal Rachel Hutchinson said the pupil's family had been informed and students had also been informed of the death. Around 2,400 pupils attend the school which has more than 250 staff. Senior Ukrainian presidential adviser Dasha Zarivna said 'demanding Ukraine start negotiating with an aggressor state... is nothing short of a disgrace' The group blames the invasion of Ukraine on NATO expansion and imperialism The event on November 19 is organised by hard-left group The People's Forum Jeremy Corbyn set to appear at 'Real Path to Peace in Ukraine' event in New York Ex-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was last night branded one of Vladimir Putin's 'useful idiots' by Ukraine's government for agreeing to speak at a Russian propaganda event in New York. The MP for Islington North, who now sits as an independent, is set to appear at the 'Real Path to Peace in Ukraine' on November 19. He lost the party whip in October 2020 when he said the scale of anti-Semitism within Labour during his tenure had been 'dramatically overstated'. Hard-left organisers The People's Forum parrot pro-Moscow talking points on the event's web page, blaming the invasion of Ukraine on NATO expansion and US imperialism. Mr Corbyn will join a panel that urges Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to talk peace with Putin and tells Kyiv's Western allies to halt the delivery of arms. 'There is no road to peace if US government policy remains to obstruct negotiations and send endless weapons into the war zone,' the activist group said. His decision to join the conference that calls on Ukraine to back down to Russia could even raise eyebrows amongst some of his most ardent Left-wing backers. Ex-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (pictured) is set to appear at the 'Real Path to Peace in Ukraine' in New York on November 19 Hard-left organisers The People's Forum parrot pro-Moscow talking points on the event's web page, blaming the invasion of Ukraine on NATO expansion and US imperialism Russia's armed forces have been accused of committing horrific war crimes by UN experts during the eight-month war. They include deliberate attacks on civilian targets, massacres of civilians, torture and the rape of women and children. One grisly video showed Russian troops castrating a Ukrainian soldier alive with a box-cutting knife before shooting him in the head. Mr Corbyn claims on his official website that his interests in global affairs 'are widespread with particular attention to human rights, peace and justice'. Dasha Zarivna, a senior Ukrainian presidential adviser, told the Mail that the hard-Left forum aims to 'spread narratives that have been carefully crafted by the Russian intelligence services'. 'Once again Jeremy Corbyn finds himself cosying up to known associates of Vladimir Putin and other useful idiots manipulated by the Kremlin,' Miss Zarivna said. Dasha Zarivna (pictured), a senior Ukrainian presidential adviser, told the Mail that the hard-Left forum aims to 'spread narratives that have been carefully crafted by the Russian intelligence services' 'Demanding that Ukraine start negotiating with an aggressor state and calling on the West to end the supply of weapons that allow us to defend ourselves from an illegal, unprovoked invasion that has caused a genocide of the Ukrainian people is nothing short of a disgrace,' she added. The 'Real Path to Peace in Ukraine' will also feature ex-Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein, who was wined and dined by Putin at a 2015 Moscow gala. On the very night the Kremlin despot invaded the country, Miss Stein went on a bizarre Twitter rant that backed Russia's reasoning for the war by blaming US and NATO 'provocations'. 'In 2014 the US backed a coup in Ukraine led by far-right insurrectionists,' she wrote of the 2014 Maidan revolution. 'The US kept pouring weapons into Ukraine and peddling the pipe dream of NATO membership, sabotaging the actual solution for peace and security.' Fellow participant Brian Becker, a self-styled anti-war activist, has also argued that the 2014 Maidan Revolution in Kyiv was a 'Nazi-led coup d'etat'. Another speaker, Eugene Puryear, is a former presenter for Moscow-funded Kremlin mouthpiece Sputnik Radio. Labour leader Keir Starmer has refused to return the whip to Mr Corbyn after he called in April this year for NATO to be disbanded. The 'Real Path to Peace in Ukraine' will also feature ex-Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein (pictured), who was wined and dined by Putin at a 2015 Moscow gala But he remains a member of the party having served a suspension after a damning probe into anti-Semitism during his five-year tenure in charge. However, a Labour spokesman was unable to say whether sharing a platform with pro-Moscow propagandists would see him kicked out of the party for good. But Mr Corbyn told the Mail last night that he was unaware of who would be joining him for the event that has been widely advertised on social media. 'I don't even know who is on the panel yet,' he said, refusing to be drawn on whether he would make the journey to New York in person or address the conference online. Not a single Ukrainian has been invited to the so-called debate. Richard Pusey, the Porsche driver who filmed four police officers dying after they were hit by a runaway truck, has been rushed to hospital. Pusey was previously jailed for 10 months for outraging public decency by filming the dying officers rather than rendering assistance immediately after they were struck on Melbourne's Eastern Freeway in 2020. The former mortgage broker is now facing fresh charges of using a carriage service to cause offence and committing an offence while on bail, reports the NCA Newswire. Pusey has pleaded not guilty to those charges. Pusey applied for bail in Victoria's Supreme Court on Thursday but the hearing was postponed after the court was told Pusey had been taken to St Vincent's Hospital where case notes were lost. Richard Pusey (pictured) told a court on Thursday that they had been taken to St Vincents Hospital as they face fresh charges over the 2020 Melbourne Eastern Freeway Crash Pusey spent Thursday morning in a bed before the court appearance and was then returned to a separate unit and 'stripped of everything', the court heard. Pusey spoke about the 'fantastic stuff' in submission notes for the bail application but no longer had access to them. The bail application was adjourned. It comes one week after Pusey was dragged naked from their prison cell to face a hearing over the newest charges. The Porsche driver had refused to get dressed and attend a court hearing in Melbourne's west. Pusey had to be carried naked, covered in a blanket, by guards from prison cell to the court transit vehicle, Sunshine Magistrates Court heard. Two Denver firefighters received suspensions and demotions after they declared a woman dead after a wellness check, only to realize she was still alive. The incident dates back to June 24, when firefighter Marshall Henry was sent on a welfare check to a woman who hadn't been heard from in five days to assist the city's police department. One police officer went to check on the woman and said she had blue-purple discoloration of her skin, fluid leaking from her body, and smelled like she was decomposing. Denver Fire Lieutenant Patrick Lopez told his crew members not to bother going in because she was 'obviously dead' and asked them to remain outside. Lopez told Henry - despite neither having actually checked on the woman themselves - to call the city's health services to get a pronouncement of death from a doctor. Two Denver firefighters received suspensions and demotions after the declared a woman dead after a wellness check, only to realize she was still alive The incident dates back to June 24, when firefighter Marshall Henry was sent on a welfare check to a woman who hadn't been heard from in five days to assist the city's police department One police officer went to check on the woman and said she had blue-purple discoloration of her skin, fluid leaking from her body and smelled like she was decomposing The doctor gave them the pronouncement based on Henry's description of the woman's condition as 'in an advanced state of death' and answered the doctor's questions in a way that suggested he had assessed her when he had not. When a police officer went back inside to look for weapons in the woman's home, he noticed her moving and called both fire and EMS to return and take the woman to the hospital, the Denver Gazette said. Henry admitted to his mistake and both he and Lopez informed their supervisors, while a police officer denied having told the fire crew not to go inside the house. An investigation determined it was 'more likely than not' that Lopez lied to supervisors to try and blame the police officer. Lopez has since been demoted from lieutenant and been given a suspension without pay, while Henry was suspended but not demoted. When a police officer went back inside to look for weapons in the woman's home, he noticed her moving and called both fire and EMS to return and take the woman to the hospital Lopez has since been demoted from lieutenant and been given a suspension without pay, while Henry was suspended but not demoted Both have served out the suspensions and returned to work, as they had no prior violations on record. The current condition of the woman is unclear. Carmaker Audi and General Mills, the packaged-food titan behind Cheerios, have joined a growing list of companies halting their ad spending on Twitter in the wake of Elon Musk's takeover. 'We have currently paused paid support on Twitter and will continue to evaluate the situation,' an Audi spokesperson told DailyMail.com on Thursday, one week after the completion of Musk's $44 billion buyout. Likewise, a spokesperson for General Mills, which also makes Pillsbury, Betty Crocker, and Haagen-Dazs, confirmed a pause, saying: 'We will continue to monitor this new direction and evaluate our marketing spend.' Carmakers appear especially worried about fair treatment under Musk, who is the CEO of rival Tesla, and last week General Motors announced it had 'temporarily paused' all paid advertising on Twitter. As well, Oreo-maker Mondelez International and pharmaceutical giant Pfizer have both paused their Twitter ad spending, according to a Wall Street Journal report citing people familiar with the matter. Carmaker Audi and General Mills, the packaged-food titan behind Cheerios, have joined a growing list of companies halting their ad spending on Twitter under Elon Musk's ownership General Mills, which makes Cheerios, Pillsbury and Haagen-Dazs, confirmed a pause, saying: 'We will continue to monitor this new direction and evaluate our marketing spend' 'We have currently paused paid support on Twitter and will continue to evaluate the situation,' an Audi spokesperson told DailyMail.com on Thursday Spokespersons for Mondelez and Pfizer did not immediately respond to requests for comment from DailyMail.com on Thursday evening. Twitter has stopped responding to all press inquiries, except for the few that Musk answers by tweet. Musk last week promised advertisers he would keep Twitter from turning into a 'free-for-all hellscape' and is now scrambling to convince advertisers that he will uphold the commitment. Some advertisers have reportedly vowed to boycott Twitter for good if former president Donald Trump is allowed to return. Musk said on Wednesday it would be several weeks before a process is in place to reinstate banned accounts. A media buyer at one major ad agency, who declined to be named for fear of reprisal, said the agency would meet with Musk this week to ask how the Tesla boss plans to handle misinformation on the social media platform. The buyer also wanted to know how Musk's pledge squared with his own actions, including one tweet over the weekend that spread a baseless conspiracy theory about the attack against US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband Paul. Other topics include Musk's plan to raise the cost of Twitter's subscription service and serve 'half as many ads,' and who will serve as advertisers' point of contact after a procession of senior executives, including Twitter's ad chief, left the company since he took over. The ad agency's top clients are expected to join the meeting, the media buyer said. Oreo-maker Mondelez International has also reportedly paused Twitter ad spending Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer also paused its Twitter ad spend, according to a Wall Street Journal report citing people familiar with the matter After tweeting in 2019 about his dislike of advertising, Musk is now under pressure to avoid alienating the advertisers who contribute more than 90 percent of Twitter's revenue. He is spending his first week as CEO in New York, with venture capitalist friends joining him in meetings to reassure companies that contribute more than $5 billion annually to Twitter. Jason Calacanis, an angel investor and podcast host who is assisting Musk in his first week of ownership, tweeted on Monday that Twitter had a 'very productive day' of meetings with advertisers and marketers. Another media buyer who spoke with Reuters said their agency will not meet with Musk until he articulates a direction for Twitter or provides a substantive update on how the platform will serve advertisers. Some clients have already begun to pause ad spending on Twitter this week, said the second media buyer, who declined to name the advertisers as the source was not authorized to do so. The buyer said some clients had already pulled out of Twitter due to the months-long chaos around the deal, and some in response to concerns about child sexual abuse material on Twitter. Jason Calacanis, who is assisting Musk in his first week of ownership, tweeted on Monday that Twitter had a 'very productive day' of meetings with advertisers Musk took to Twitter on Wednesday night with a poll asking users whether advertisers should support freedom of speech or 'political correctness' IPG, an advertising holding company that represents major clients including Coca-Cola and American Express, has advised clients to pause their Twitter ads for the next week, according to a person familiar with the matter. Even as Musk took meetings with major agencies and advertisers this week, he took to Twitter on Wednesday night with a poll asking users whether advertisers should support freedom of speech or 'political correctness.' Of more than two million votes, nearly 80 percent answered 'freedom of speech.' 'Those type of provocations are not helping to calm the waters,' the media buyer said. More marketers also took to LinkedIn to voice their concerns about Musk's takeover of the platform. 'Unless Elon hires new leaders committed to keeping this 'free' platform safe from hate speech, it's not a platform brands can/should advertise on,' said Allie Wassum, global director of social and integrated media for Jordan shoe brand, which is owned by Nike, in a post on Linkedin. Wassum did not respond to a request for further comment. Advertisement Paul Pelosi returned home Thursday after he was released from the hospital, the same San Francisco residence where he was attacked by a man wielding a hammer and suffered a fractured skull six days before. The 82-year-old husband of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was taken for treatment after David DePape allegedly broke into his San Francisco house with a hammer and beat him. 'The Pelosi family is thankful for the beautiful outpouring of love, support and prayers from around the world,' Pelosi's office said in a statement. 'Paul is grateful to the 911 operator, emergency responders, trauma care team, ICU staff, and the entire ZSFGH medical staff for their excellent and compassionate life-saving treatment he received after the violent assault in our home,' said the statement. 'Paul remains under doctors care as he continues to progress on a long recovery process and convalescence. He is now home surrounded by his family who request privacy.' Doctors operated on Pelosi, a successful investor, to treat a skull fracture he sustained while struggling with his attacker. Secret Service agents are pictured in front of the home of US Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday, after her husband Paul Pelosi was released from hospital and returned home six days after illegal migrant's 'hammer attack' The 82-year-old husband of House speaker Nancy was taken for treatment after David DePape allegedly broke into his San Francisco hammer and beat him 'The Pelosi family is thankful for the beautiful outpouring of love, support and prayers from around the world,' Pelosi's office said in a statement Paul Pelosi was released from hospital six days after suffering a fractured skull when he was attacked by a hammer, according to multiple reports Police say they arrived at Pelosi's home around 2am Friday to find Pelosi and DePape both gripping a hammer. They say DePape pried it away and used it to strike Pelosi on the head, knocking Pelosi unconscious. The Speaker's office said following the attack Mr. Pelosi is expected to make a full recovery. The US Capitol Police indicated Thursday they are undertaking an investigation of security procedures for the raft of lawmakers who receive some form of protection. The Speaker herself has a 24-hour security detail who travels with her. Immigration officials confirmed Thursday morning that Canadian native DePape, who is in custody, entered the U.S. illegally by crossing at the Mexican border in 2008. CNN reported that Pelosi is at home resting, recovering from his injuries to his head, arm, and hand. Pelosi's office announced after the attack that Mr. Pelosi was admitted to Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, where he 'underwent successful surgery to repair a skull fracture and serious injuries to his right arm and hands. His doctors expect a full recovery.' DePape, 42, was carrying zip ties with him when he broke into Paul and Speaker Nancy Pelosi's home in the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco, calling out 'Where's Nancy' the same phrase used by Capitol rioters on January 6. DePape was formally charged with attempted murder in court in San Francisco Tuesday afternoon. He pleaded not guilty to charges against him, including assault, attempted murder, and attempted kidnapping. Daid DePape is accused of breaking into Pelosi's home and attacking him with a hammer David Wayne DePape, 42, who is charged with breaking into U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's San Francisco home and clubbing her husband in the head with a hammer, sits next to his public defender Adam Lipson and prosecutor Phoebe Maffei before Judge Diane Northway at the Criminal courts in San Francisco Capitol Police were able to review security camera footage before the incident, which took place while the speaker was away The assault took place after 2 am in the Pacific Heights neighborhood DePape wore a prison-issued orange sweatshirt and sweat pants for the brief hearing and had his right arm strapped up in a sling said to be the result of the early morning struggle with Pelosi. His shoulder-length hair was visibly graying and appeared unkempt and greasy. The 42-year-old spoke once during the 15-minute appearance in front of Judge Diane Northway replying with a brisk yep when she asked him if she had pronounced his name correctly. DePape is facing six counts in total which include residential burglary, false imprisonment of an elder, and assault with a deadly weapon - and pleaded not guilty to all six via his lawyer, public defender Adam Lipson. On Wednesday President Joe Biden linked DePape to MAGA election deniers and warned of 'dark forces with a thirst for power,' drawing attacks from elected Republicans afterward. DePape's online trail shows links to a series of conspiracy theories, as well as antisemitism and election fraud claims. His longtime partner said in a jailhouse interview that DePape has been 'mentally ill for a long time' and had paranoid delusions. Oxane 'Gypsy' Taub, 53, who was convicted in 2021 for trying to kidnap a 14-year-old boy, is also a longtime nudist activist. She says during her two decades with DePape says she saw him transform following a disappearance of more than a year. 'He came back in very bad shape. He thought he was Jesus. He was constantly paranoid, thinking people were after him,' Taub told Bay area affiliate ABC 7. 'He is mentally ill. He has been mentally ill for a long time,' she said from the Californian Institution For Women in Corona, California, where she is serving time. The two previously lived together in Berkeley. Loyd Brown, commander of U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan-Casey, pays tribute at a joint memorial altar for the victims of a crowd crush in Seoul's Itaewon district at a square in front of a subway station near the scene of the accident, Oct. 31. Yonhap A trio of foreign heroes praised for saving more than 30 lives from last Saturday's tragic crowd crush in Seoul turned out to be American soldiers stationed in Korea, some survivors said Thursday. One of the survivors, known only as a twentysomething man living in Cheongju, central Korea, told Yonhap News Agency he believes the three foreign heroes are U.S. soldiers serving in Camp Casey in Dongducheon, about 50 km north of Seoul. The man told local media earlier he was pulled out of the chaos in a narrow alleyway in Itaewon before fainting and being carried to safety. He said he is convinced the heroic Americans are Jarmil Taylor, 40, Jerome Augusta, 34, and Dane Beathard, 32, after belatedly learning of their interviews with French news agency AFP published Sunday. He said he went to Itaewon on Saturday to enjoy the Halloween festivities with his friends but fell down in the crowd in the narrow alleyway before being crushed for about 15 minutes. The Cheongju man, who is 182 cm tall and weighs 96 kg, said a strong black man rescued him from the crowd as if pulling radishes from a field. "The circumstances of the Itaewon disaster and rescue activities that the three U.S. soldiers revealed in their interviews are exactly identical to what I experienced," he said. He said he truly wants to meet with the Americans to say thanks to them, noting the number of casualties decreased thanks to their active rescue efforts. The soldiers told AFP they pulled people out of the "crushed tangles of limbs" in the narrow alleyway for hours and carried them to safety so that emergency responders could perform CPR. (Yonhap) Jeremy Hunt is planning a Budget raid on dividends in a move that will hit investors and small businesses. The Chancellor is drawing up plans for a second raid in a year on those who benefit from share income as he tries to fill a 50billion hole in the public finances. Whitehall sources said Mr Hunt was looking at raising the rate of tax investors pay on share dividends. The tax-free allowance for dividend income could also be slashed. A source said the proposal was in line with Rishi Sunaks stated aim that those with the broadest shoulders should be asked to bear the greatest burden. However, it will dismay the army of older investors who rely on shareholdings to supplement their pensions. And it will deal a blow to the many small business owners who pay themselves through dividends. Mr Sunak raised dividend tax rates by 1.25 per cent this year to help fund the new Health and Social Care levy. Jeremy Hunt is planning a Budget raid on dividends in a move that will hit investors and small businesses Former chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng announced in September that the rise would be reversed at the same time as a similar increase in national insurance. At the time the Treasury said the move signals renewed support for entrepreneurs and investors as part of the Governments drive to grow the economy. But Mr Hunt abandoned the plan last month when he tore up Mr Kwartengs controversial mini-Budget. Now he is looking at raising dividend tax rates by a further 1.25 per cent. In addition, the tax-free allowance, which has already been whittled away to just 2,000 could be cut again to 1,000. Dividend tax is levied at three rates: 8.75 per cent for those who pay basic rate tax; 33.75 per cent for those on higher rate tax; and 39.35 for those on top rate tax. A basic rate taxpayer with 5,000 in dividend income would see their tax bill rise from 262.50 to 400. Someone paying 40p tax with 10,000 in dividend income would see their tax bill jump from 2,700 to 3,150. Whitehall sources said Mr Hunt was looking at raising the rate of tax investors pay on share dividends The move is expected to raise the Treasury a sum in the low billions of pounds. However, a rise in dividend tax is likely to have a serious impact on small business owners and entrepreneurs who pay themselves through dividends. Roger Barker of the Institute of Directors, told the Financial Times: Small businesses are not big earners as a whole, and they have already been penalised during the pandemic. Craig Beaumont, of the Federation of Small Businesses, said the Government was making it harder and harder for small business owners to make any profit. Its the opposite of what youd do if you want growth. Mr Hunt has been boxed in by a Tory pledge not to raise the rates of income tax, VAT and national insurance, which are the principal sources of government income. As dozens lay bleeding and dying on the floor, the casualties and those tending to them waited desperately for paramedics. But while the wail of sirens could be heard outside Manchester Arena soon after Islamic State-inspired killer Salman Abedi detonated his rucksack bomb, hopes of quick help were soon dashed. As the smoke cleared and with no paramedics to be seen for more than 20 minutes, off-duty nurse Bethany Crook felt an overwhelming sense of powerlessness. She told yesterday's inquiry into the atrocity: 'Never had I felt so helpless, lost or alone.' Having left her own 13-year-old daughter with arena staff, she went to help dying casualties including the youngest, Saffie-Rose Roussos, eight, and Georgina Callander, 18. Miss Crook recalled: 'All I had before me were my two bare hands, no equipment, some skills, my faith and hope that somewhere there were people trying to get to us to help. But this wasn't the case. 'No-one was coming and what may have been seconds to you all felt like minutes for me, what were minutes felt like hours, and what were hours felt like an eternity, alone with people and children's lives literally in my bare hands.' The inquiry heard how an 'unduly cautious' response by North West Ambulance Service meant only one paramedic turned up at the City Room foyer the scene of the explosion at 10.53pm, 22 minutes after the blast, followed by two more at 11.15pm. Others waited at the adjacent Victoria rail station for casualties to be carried downstairs by police, arena staff and the public using 'anything they could find' including advertising hoardings, crowd barriers and tables. Inquiry chief Sir John Saunders said: 'From the start, it ought to have been possible to get medical assistance to the injured in the City Room speedily... that is not what happened.' As dozens lay bleeding and dying on the floor, the casualties and those tending to them waited desperately for paramedics. Pictured: Victim John Atkinson But while the wail of sirens could be heard outside Manchester Arena soon after Islamic State-inspired killer Salman Abedi detonated his rucksack bomb, hopes of quick help were soon dashed. Pictured: Saffie-Rose Roussos (the youngest person to die) The failure to deploy paramedics en-masse stemmed from police declaring a terrorist incident and fears of a 'marauding gunman'. But firearms officers had secured the City Room by 10.50pm before the first paramedic had even entered and Sir John said it should have been declared a safe 'cold zone'. That information was not passed on to emergency crews. Firefighters did not attend until two hours and seven minutes after the bomb went off. Sir John said: 'Everyone involved in the emergency no doubt thought that they were doing their best. In some cases, their best was not good enough.' The inquiry report found 12 main failings by the emergency services, notably in their failure to communicate with each other despite a training exercise for a major incident only a year earlier. 'There were total failures in joint working,' Sir John said. Ambulance crew caution An 'unduly cautious' response by the ambulance service led to insufficient numbers of paramedics attending, Sir John found. He identified delays in deploying ambulances and a failure to send all specially-trained Hazardous Area Response Team paramedics into the City Room. Only two went in, following advance paramedic Patrick Ennis, who had left 'triage tags' used to identify the most seriously injured patients in his car and instead wrote notes on his glove. Sir John also highlighted 'the failure to send non-specialist paramedics into the City Room to assist with triage' and a failure to bring stretchers to the scene. KEY FINDINGS OF THE REPORT At least one, and possibly two, of the 22 innocent victims of the bombing could have survived if emergency services had responded properly. Only three paramedics entered the scene of the bomb blast to treat casualties because ambulance bosses were 'unduly cautious'. Fire crews who could have helped evacuate casualties were held back three miles away and did not attend Manchester Arena for more than two hours. Emergency services failed to communicate with each other, leading to chaos and confusion. Most egregiously, police failed to declare that the City Room was safe and under protection of armed officers within 19 minutes of the attack. Casualties were left with serious injuries for up to four hours before they were taken to hospital. Police and staff at Manchester Arena were inadequately trained in first aid, while an unqualified officer was put in a senior command post. Advertisement Operational commander Daniel Smith 'never sought or obtained the assessment' of Mr Ennis who worked alone for more than 20 minutes about the safety of the City Room. Although 'police officers in the City Room were literally shouting out for paramedics to attend', Sir John said 'arrangements made by [Mr Smith] were not sufficient to meet needs of the casualties'. Only seven of the 319 ambulances operating that night were available immediately. They were initially held half a mile away at Manchester Central Fire station, and not deployed to the arena until 11pm. It took an hour and 11 minutes for the last casualty to be brought to the clearing station at 11.42pm, and until 2.50am for the last patient to be taken to hospital. Fire crews 2 hours late Fearing the closest fire station to the arena might not be safe, a 'critical' error of judgment meant Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue crews mustered three miles away. That resulted in fire crews arriving two hours late, with fire engines driving 'away from, not towards, the incident' and going 'past ambulances travelling in the opposite direction'. The decision to rendezvous elsewhere was made by a senior officer responsible for liaison with other services, Andrew Berry. No actual commander was in place until 11.30pm and Sir John said he had heard from 'a number of very angry firefighters who were ashamed of the fact that they did not get to join in the rescue.' Sir John said other emergency crews 'did not notice' the absence of firefighters, despite the fact 'they could have provided very substantial assistance'. Police overwhelmed While praising officers for helping casualties at the scene, Sir John was critical of Greater Manchester Police (GMP) commanders. He said that while Force Duty Officer Inspector Dale Sexton correctly enacted procedures for Operation Plato dealing with a firearms attack fire and ambulance personnel were not informed, causing confusion. He also, shockingly, failed to declare a major incident. Even without knowledge that Plato had been enacted, other emergency services remained concerned about armed terrorists or a second bomb. Insp Sexton, presented with the Queen's Policing Medal in 2018, then failed tell other emergency services the City Room was safe. The inquiry heard how an 'unduly cautious' response by North West Ambulance Service meant only one paramedic turned up at the City Room foyer the scene of the explosion at 10.53pm, 22 minutes after the blast, followed by two more at 11.15pm Others waited at the adjacent Victoria rail station for casualties to be carried downstairs by police, arena staff and the public using 'anything they could find' including advertising hoardings, crowd barriers and tables While praising officers for helping casualties at the scene, Sir John was critical of Greater Manchester Police (GMP) commanders Sir John said he 'failed because he was overburdened on the night'. A senior officer, Temporary Superintendent Arif Nawaz, was also given the status of silver commander despite lacking knowledge of terrorism procedures, meaning he 'made no contribution of substance'. Sir John said: 'Because of his lack of understanding, [he] was not competent to perform the role.' British Transport Police (BTP) officers were the first emergency services at the bomb scene but commanders made several failures. The force did not pass on information to other blue light services or have a written tactical plan. Meanwhile, its Gold Commander 'had not read or received any training' on major incidents. One of its commanders did not arrive at the scene until 1am. Front-line GMP and BTP officers were 'inadequately trained' in first aid. Arena's first aid failures Manchester Arena operator SMG contracted out medical provision at concerts to Emergency Training UK, whose staff were inadequately trained. Director Ian Parry's qualifications in major incident management and advanced life support had expired six years earlier. Staff were 'not adequately prepared for a real-world mass casualty incident' or even providing tourniquets. Commander was like rabbit in headlights, says female ex-cop A newly-retired police counter-terrorism officer caught up in the Manchester Arena bombing accused emergency services of failing 'on every level' and abandoning people 'in their hour of need'. Andrea Bradbury said she gave police clear descriptions of the scene and despite being wounded sought out the so-called gold incident commander to offer information. Mrs Bradbury, who had retired following a 30-year career with Lancashire Police eight weeks before the attack, said the atrocity and scale of casualties were 'preventable'. She added: 'It was a perfect storm of failures in terms of the security services, the event organisers and our policing and emergency services. They were unprepared and totally caught off guard.' Mrs Bradbury had been waiting with a friend to collect their daughters when the bomb went off. She said: 'People were left in their time of need. It was so wrong.' Having dragged herself off the floor, looking around at motionless bodies and a scene of total devastation, she said she 'went into police mode'. Mrs Bradbury focused on getting her friend to safety and finding their children, then alerted emergency services. She said: 'I called the on-call counter terrorism officer within minutes of the explosion. I made it clear that a massive emergency response was needed.' Mrs Bradbury, who was awarded an MBE in 2012 for spearheading the Government's Prevent strategy on extremism, added: 'As I left the arena I saw emergency vehicles rushing to the area and I believed they were heading in, in numbers, to help people, but that didn't turn out to be the case.' She then went to the headquarters of Greater Manchester Police to offer further assistance before attending hospital where she needed surgery for shrapnel wounds. At the police station she met the gold commander whom she likened to 'a rabbit in the headlights'. She added: 'I could have provided so much more information, drawn a map of where it all happened, detailed where people were, and offered thoughts on how to get survivors out. They didn't have a plan at all. People were so badly let down.' She said that 'despite many individuals trying their best', failures were 'due to a lack of communication, training, planning and preparation. It was entirely unforgivable.' Advertisement As Manchester bomb victims' families condemn failings of emergency crews...What on earth has happened to our 999 services? By Richard Marsden and James Tozer Appalling failings by the emergency services left Manchester Arena bomb victims 'dying without dignity on the floor', furious families said last night. A highly critical report into the 2017 suicide attack found one and possibly two of the 22 innocent victims could have survived if the authorities had responded properly. But the conduct of the police, fire and ambulance services fell 'far below the standard it should have been', retired High Court judge Sir John Saunders said. Inquiry chairman Sir John said identical mistakes were made by emergency services to those in the aftermath of the 7/7 terror attacks on the London transport system in 2005, when 52 people died. The father of the youngest victim of the arena attack, eight-year-old Saffie-Rose Roussos, said last night he could never forgive those who failed to do 'everything possible' to save her. Appalling failings by the emergency services left Manchester Arena bomb victims 'dying without dignity on the floor', furious families said last night The 22 victims of the Manchester Arena bombing. Pictured (top row left to right) Off-duty police officer Elaine McIver, 43, Saffie Roussos, 8, Sorrell Leczkowski, 14, Eilidh MacLeod, 14, (second row left to right) Nell Jones, 14, Olivia Campbell-Hardy, 15, Megan Hurley, 15, Georgina Callander, 18, (third row left to right), Chloe Rutherford,17, Liam Curry, 19, Courtney Boyle, 19, and Philip Tron, 32, (fourth row left to right) John Atkinson, 28, Martyn Hett, 29, Kelly Brewster, 32, Angelika Klis, 39, (fifth row left to right) Marcin Klis, 42, Michelle Kiss, 45, Alison Howe, 45, and Lisa Lees, 43 (fifth row left to right) Wendy Fawell, 50 and Jane Tweddle, 51. And having heard that quicker medical attention could well have saved the life of 28-year-old John Atkinson, his family said he had been 'totally failed at every stage'. Highlighting 'serious failings', Sir John said yesterday: 'There had been failures to prepare. There had been inadequacies in training. Well-established principles had not been ingrained in practice. 'Why was this? Despite the fact that the threat of a terrorist attack was at a very high level, no one really thought it could happen to them. For those who are critically injured, minutes or seconds can count. None of the emergency services had gripped the response to the attack as they should have.' The report revealed: A senior fire officer who blocked deployment of crews 'overestimated the risk' to their safety but there was 'an apparent unwillingness by other senior officers to intervene'; North West Ambulance Service's response was 'unduly cautious'; Survivors some with serious injuries including broken legs waited for more than four hours to be taken to hospital; As chaos and confusion reigned, communication between the three emergency services was 'non-existent'. Greater Manchester's chief fire officer, Dave Russel, said last night: 'Our response that night was wholly inadequate and totally ineffective, and that will forever be a matter of deep regret for our service.' Saffie-Rose, who had been among the thousands attending an Ariana Grande concert on the fateful night in May 2017, had a 'remote possibility' of survival 'with different treatment and care', Sir John said. Abedi at Victoria Station making his way to the Manchester Arena, on May 22, 2017, where he detonated his bomb Thursday's report by Manchester Arena Inquiry chairman Sir John Saunders pictured outside Manchester Hall yesterday Her father Andrew told Sky News the family 'believe 100 per cent that if she got that chance, she would have survived'. Chilling echo of 7/7 mistakes Fatal mistakes made by emergency services in Manchester are a chilling echo of the July 7 terror attack. The London atrocity in 2005 was made worse by a confused response from emergency workers and the health and safety protocols that stymied them. There were harsh lessons to learn from 7/7, and yet in the damning conclusion of the Manchester report, the 'same things went wrong again'. After the London Tube and bus bombings, 17 of the 52 victims were alive for some time after the blasts, their 2011 inquests found at least three for more than an hour. Rescuers were hindered by red tape, poor communication and lack of equipment. Fire engines were sent to the wrong stations and at least one ambulance was stuck in traffic. Some 999 workers refused to go into bomb sites until London Underground staff confirmed they had switched off the electricity in the tracks, despite a police officer standing on the 'live' rail to prove it was safe. At King's Cross, deadliest of the four attacks, victims were trapped for more than an hour as firemen were delayed by red tape. Coroner Lady Justice Hallett's 'prevention of future deaths' report set out what went wrong. The public was assured lessons had been learnt and the emergency services had repeated drills so those lessons would sink in. But on the night of May 22, 2017, this pledge was to prove woefully short of the mark. Advertisement The family's solicitor, Nicola Brook, from Broudie Jackson Canter, said the report revealed failings 'on an enormous and unfathomable scale', adding: 'To finally learn today that Saffie was denied medical care that had the potential to save her life is a devastating blow.' The inquiry report said care worker Mr Atkinson, who bled to death after waiting 76 minutes for an ambulance, had injuries which should have been 'survivable'. Even after he was finally evacuated from the bomb scene, his family said he was 'left, dying, without his dignity, on the floor'. 'John must have known that he was dying and the pain that causes us is too great to put into words,' they added. The family demanded action be taken on Sir John's 149 recommendations, saying: 'Talk is cheap, and actions speak louder than words.' Some of the biggest failings included the deployment of just three paramedics to the arena's City Room foyer where the bomb went off, and the fire service failing to send crews for more than two hours as commanders believed the scene was not safe. In fact, Greater Manchester Police firearms officers had secured the City Room where the casualties lay within 19 minutes of the bombing but commanders did not share the information with other emergency services. Chief Constable Stephen Watson, who took over Greater Manchester Police last year, said: 'Poor communications, poor planning, inadequate training and shortcomings in strategic leadership all played a part in our failure.' Daren Mochrie, who took over as chief executive of North West Ambulance Service in 2019, apologised 'wholeheartedly' for its 'failures'. A dozen specific failures were outlined by the 884-page report, concerning poor communication, the lack of paramedics at the scene and even a failure to deploy basics such as stretchers. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: 'It is my solemn commitment to the victims, survivors and their loved ones that we will learn from the lessons of this inquiry.' This was Sir John's second report into the attack. His first published in June last year focused on security issues. The third and final report will focus on bomber Salman Abedi's radicalisation, what the intelligence services and counter-terrorism police knew, and if they could have prevented the attack. Britain has witnessed many terrorist atrocities in recent years, but the bombing of the Manchester Arena in 2017 stands out. On that terrible night, the innocent joy of young concert-goers attending a performance by pop star Ariana Grande suddenly gave way to butchery and horror as Salman Abedi, a Libyan-born Islamist, detonated a massive explosive device laden with shrapnel in his rucksack. Altogether, 22 innocent people were killed and more than 1,000 injured. But what has compounded the countrys shock at this incident is the patently inadequate response of the emergency services, whose misjudgments, hesitations and poor leadership, it emerged later, may have heightened the grim death toll. Paralysed by excessive caution and crippled by misapplied procedures, the police, fire and ambulance services badly let down the victims that night. When these organisations should have been at the heart of the action helping to save lives, they were lingering on the sidelines. Britain has witnessed many terrorist atrocities in recent years, but the bombing of the Manchester Arena in 2017 stands out. On that terrible night, the innocent joy of young concert-goers attending a performance by pop star Ariana Grande suddenly gave way to butchery and horror as Salman Abedi, a Libyan-born Islamist, detonated a massive explosive device laden with shrapnel in his rucksack Yesterday, these failings were laid bare in the report published by Sir John Saunders, the distinguished judge who has led the official inquiry into the Manchester bombing. Focused on the emergency services, this was the second of three reports that will result from his inquiry. For me, as a counter-extremism expert and former prison governor, with long experience of serious-incident command, it made depressing reading. I once coined the phrase institutional timidity to describe the risk-averse, buck-passing paralysis that can seize some public organisations. In hiding behind bureaucracy, hierarchy, rules and ideology, they lose their sense of purpose. Institutional timidity is exactly the phrase to describe the handling of the Manchester bombing. In his wealth of meticulously gathered evidence, Sir John has delivered a searing indictment of the people responsible for emergency management, who were overwhelmed by the challenge that confronted them. Their approach, in his damning verdict, was far below the standard it should have been. It is true that a large number of frontline responders are blameless: many junior officers from all the 999 services acted in an exemplary fashion in responding to the awful scene. Yet their decisiveness was badly undermined by those further up the chain of command, who failed utterly in their duty to get a grip. As confusion reigned and communications broke down, the injured and dying were waiting for help that didnt come when it should. One perhaps deadly mistake was the early belief that a gunman was marauding through the venue, after reports of a massive explosion. This meant that under the mandate of the standard tactical response known as Operation Plato, armed police were meant to secure the space by neutralising any threat before other emergency services could enter. Altogether, 22 innocent people were killed and more than 1,000 injured. But what has compounded the countrys shock at this incident is the patently inadequate response of the emergency services, whose misjudgments, hesitations and poor leadership, it emerged later, may have heightened the grim death toll This led to excessive delays, during which injured people lay bleeding or were transported to ambulances on makeshift stretchers. It was a problem made worse by the unduly cautious attitudes of the North West ambulance chiefs. So why did the emergency services fail so badly that night? British people have long been used to swift and effective responses from police, fire and ambulance services. Their recruits were tough, public-spirited types who would run towards danger, instead of away from it. Their courage and reliability were part of the fabric of our society. I dont believe that aspect has changed. The men and women who devote their lives to the emergency services are usually motivated by a brave, selfless determination to protect and help the vulnerable. I saw that for myself when I spent five years as a volunteer police officer with Devon and Cornwall Constabulary. Nor is it credible to blame lack of resources or inadequate procedures, the usual excuses wheeled out to defend failing public agencies. Yes, many emergency service workers had experienced online training to save money. As one police officer told Sir John, e-learning does little to prepare trainees for the nightmare reality of a terrorist incident. But at Manchester, the biggest problem was that both personnel and equipment were deployed late and badly not that they were in short supply. An advanced plan for a multi-agency response to a major incident did exist, but it fell to pieces on contact with bloody reality. This is bad enough, but a far more serious problem also occurred that night. In a tragic reversal of priorities, the protection of emergency personnel was at times put before the desperate needs of the wounded. We have seen this elsewhere recently: in the name of safety, managers and chiefs stop first responders from carrying out their essential duties. Paradoxically, this official obsession with risk assessments can actually become a risk to the public, as revealed by the case of Alison Hume, who in 2008 fell down a disused mineshaft in Galston, Scotland, and lay for hours at the bottom, badly injured. When firefighters volunteered to rescue her using a winch, they were overruled by their superiors who slavishly followed rules which said the equipment could be used only for saving themselves, not members of the public. Instead they waited through the early hours of the morning for a police mountain rescue team to arrive. Mrs Hume died from a heart attack brought on by hypothermia shortly after being lifted out. This is a classic example of officialdom devoid of common sense, humanity and any understanding of the reason for their organisations existence. If a fire service is stopped from saving lives, then what is its point? The same institutional timidity can be found abroad: look at the terrorist massacre at the Bataclan concert venue in Paris in 2015, or the mass shooting at the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, earlier this year. In both cases, heavily armed police delayed their intervention despite desperate pleas from survivors and bystanders. That safety first approach combined with the incompetence of senior officers backfired terribly on both occasions. It is a worrying trend for which the public could ultimately pay a high price. Since the Manchester bombing, there have been a string of apologies from police, fire and ambulance chiefs. There is also the promise that procedures will be changed to ensure it never happens again, particularly through the prospect of new legislation named Martyns Law named after one of the Manchester victims, Martyn Hett, whose mother has campaigned heroically for improved security at public venues. But all the new rules and expressions of regret will not change anything unless the toxic culture of excessive, enfeebled restraint is vigorously challenged. Sir Johns excoriating report should be a call to arms to uphold the traditions of courage and service and to move our emergency services away from the tyranny of health and safety obsessives. Professor Ian Acheson led the independent review of Islamist extremism in prisons and the probation service, commissioned by the Ministry of Justice. He is a former prison governor. Bosses of firms providing first aid at events should face the threat of prison sentences if they fail to meet proper safety standards, the Manchester Arena inquiry chairman said. Sir John Saunders blasted serious shortcomings by the first aid provider at the arena on the night of the bombing. Emergency Training UK which was under contract to venue operator SMG was not adequately prepared for responding to a mass casualty event, he found. Shockingly, not all staff on duty were trained in applying tourniquets. In addition, its director, Ian Parry, had failed to refresh his expired qualifications on major incident management and advanced life support. Sir John said he had little doubt that such serious shortcomings occurred elsewhere at other venues. Sir John Saunders (pictured) blasted serious shortcomings by the first aid provider at the arena on the night of the bombing Saying there was inadequate regulation by the state, the inquiry chairman called for a change in the law to ensure the providers were inspected by the Care Quality Commission. Regulation should have teeth as such firms may be responsible for the lives of very many people, he said. Sir John said there was a strong argument for civil and criminal consequences of failing the public, including the possible imposition of custodial sentences. It was among 149 hard-hitting recommendations in yesterdays report, which include that schools should teach pupils how to cope with catastrophic injuries to help the public fill a care gap while they wait for paramedics to arrive. There should also be an examination of whether it is possible for people such as police officers to drive ambulances so paramedics can stay at the scene of an attack Techniques such as applying tourniquets and dressings, and keeping open airways, should be taught as part of the national curriculum, he said. In a recognition that the emergency services may again be overwhelmed immediately after a mass casualty attack, Sir John said it was inevitable that members of the public caught up in it would ignore Government advice to run, hide, tell and instead try to help survivors. BBC film added to families' grief Sir Johns report said families expressed concern that it contained graphic footage of the scene of the attack The grief of families of the victims of the bombing was compounded by a BBC documentary broadcast on its first anniversary, the inquiry report revealed. Manchester: The Night of the Bomb was shown on BBC Two on May 22, 2018. Sir Johns report said families expressed concern that it contained graphic footage of the scene of the attack. They had received no warning about the footage, in which there were able to identify their loved ones as they lay dead, he wrote. As well as interviews with survivors, the film featured testimony from British Transport Police officers who were first on scene and battled to save victims with totally inadequate first-aid kits. Sir John said the families questioned whether it was appropriate for them to have co-operated at a time when the adequacy of the emergency response was in question. The film provoked criticism at the time from then-Greater Manchester Police chief constable Ian Hopkins, who claimed it was entirely inappropriate to show such explicit footage. The BBC was approached for comment. In 2018 it defended the documentary, saying it had taken considerable care to minimise offence to the families. Advertisement Still others would run towards danger to provide their assistance, he added. Since September 2020, all primary and secondary school pupils have to be taught first aid, as part of the national curriculum. In a recognition that the emergency services may again be overwhelmed immediately after a mass casualty attack, Sir John said it was inevitable that members of the public caught up in it would ignore Government advice to run, hide, tell But Sir John said the Department for Education should consider broadening that to cover dealing with catastrophic bleeds or airway impairment. The grief of families of the victims of the bombing was compounded by a BBC documentary broadcast on its first anniversary, the inquiry report revealed In addition, he recommended that trauma kits containing life-saving equipment should be installed in public locations such as stations and concert venues. There should also be an examination of whether it is possible for people such as police officers to drive ambulances so paramedics can stay at the scene of an attack. The report called for bosses to ensure that adequate stretchers were always available for use by the emergency services and in appropriate locations. And it said all ambulance service trusts should review their capacity to respond to a mass casualty incident. Sir John said: Not only do ambulances contain the personnel and equipment able to provide many life-saving interventions, but they are also the vehicles by which casualties are best transported to hospital. If ambulances do not attend the scene quickly and in sufficient numbers, lives will be lost. Sir John criticised SMG for not carrying out basic checks that would have revealed major deficiencies in ETUKs approach, or having its work scrutinised by external experts. The effect of doing neither was that SMG saved money, he added. ETUK is no longer operating. The inquiry chairman said he would require witness statements from bosses of each organisation addressed in his recommendations in the next six months, followed by hearings next summer on what has been done. Advertisement Some of the world's most famous glaciers will disappear by 2050 due to global warming, whatever the temperature rise scenario, according to a UNESCO report. This includes the Dolomites in Italy, the Yosemite and Yellowstone parks in the United States and Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. UNESCO monitors some 18,600 glaciers across 50 of its World Heritage sites and said that a third of those are set to disappear by 2050. While the rest can be saved by keeping global temperature rise below 1.5C (2.7F) relative to pre-industrial levels, in a business-as-usual emissions scenario, about 50 per cent of these World Heritage glaciers could almost entirely disappear by 2100. Some of the world's most famous glaciers will disappear by 2050 due to global warming, whatever the temperature rise scenario, according to a UNESCO report. Pictured: the glacier at the top of Mount Kilimanjaro UNESCO monitors some 18,600 glaciers across 50 of its World Heritage sites and said that a third of those are set to disappear by 2050 Which glaciers are at risk? Africa Glaciers in all World Heritage sites, including Kilimanjaro National Park and Mount Kenya Asia Glaciers in Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas (China) Glaciers in Western Tien-Shan (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan) Europe Glaciers in Pyrenees Mont Perdu (France, Spain) Glaciers in The Dolomites (Italy) Latin America Glaciers in Los Alerces National Park (Argentina) Glaciers in Huascaran National Park (Peru) North America Glaciers in Yellowstone National Park (US) Glaciers in Yosemite National Park (US) Glaciers in Waterton Glacier International Peace Park (Canada, US) Oceania Glaciers in Te Wahipounamu (New Zealand) Advertisement The 50 World Heritage sites in the report are home to about 10 per cent of the Earth's glaciers. But the report warns that these glaciers have been retreating at an accelerated rate since 2000 due to carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, which are warming temperatures. Together, the glaciers are losing 58 billion tons of ice every year - the equivalent of the combined annual water use of France and Spain. What's more, they are responsible for nearly five per cent of observed global sea-level rise. Worryingly, the report concludes that glaciers in a third of the 50 sites will disappear by 2050 - regardless of efforts to limit temperature increases. In Africa, this includes all glaciers in World Heritage sites, including Kilimanjaro National Park and Mount Kenya. In Asia, glaciers in Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas and those in Western Tian-Shan are at risk. And in Europe, glaciers in Pyrenees Mont Perdu and The Dolomites are very likely to disappear by 2050. But there is hope. UNESCO says it's still possible to save the glaciers in the remaining two thirds of sites, if global temperature rise is kept below 1.5C (2.7F). Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO's Director-General, said: 'This report is a call to action. 'Only a rapid reduction in our CO2 emissions levels can save glaciers and the exceptional biodiversity that depends on them. 'COP27 will have a crucial role to help find solutions to this issue. 'UNESCO is determined to support states in pursuing this goal.' Alongside reducing carbon emissions, UNESCO is calling for the creation of an international fund to monitor and preserve glaciers. Images from 2000 (left) and 2019 (right) reveal how the glacier at the top of Mount Kilimanjaro in the United Republic of Tanzania has retreated Landsat images from 1999 (left), 2016 (middle) and 2021 (right) illustrate both the retreat and separation of the Upsala Glacier from the Bertacchi Glacier in Los Glaciares National Park in Argentina This fund could be used to implement early warning and disaster risk reduction measures. According to UNESCO, half of the world's population depends on glaciers as their water source, either directly or indirectly. It adds that glaciers are also 'pillars of biodiversity' and feed into many ecosystems. 'When glaciers melt rapidly, millions of people face water scarcity and the increased risk of natural disasters such as flooding, and millions more may be displaced by the resulting rise in sea levels,' said IUCN Director General Dr Bruno Oberle. 'This study highlights the urgent need to cut greenhouse gas emissions and invest in Nature-based Solutions, which can help mitigate climate change and allow people to better adapt to its impacts.' Copernicus Sentinel-2 image from 2019 of the Jakobshavn Isbrae Glacier in Ilulissat Icefjord in Denmark. The red arrow shows the glacier's terminus position in 2000, the orange arrow the 2010 position and the yellow arros the 2019 position Worryingly, the report concludes that glaciers in a third of the 50 sites will disappear by 2050 - regardless of efforts to limit temperature increases. Pictured: a simplified diagram of glacier dynamics UNESCO's report comes shortly after the World Meteorological Organization's 'State of the Climate in Europe' report warned that temperatures in Europe have increased by more than twice the global average over the past 30 years. This rise of about 1.3F (0.5C) per decade is the largest of any continent in the world, and has contributed to melting ice sheets and rising sea levels. WMO Secretary-General Professor Petteri Taalas said: 'Europe presents a live picture of a warming world and reminds us that even well prepared societies are not safe from impacts of extreme weather events. 'This year, like 2021, large parts of Europe have been affected by extensive heatwaves and drought, fuelling wildfires. 'In 2021, exceptional floods caused death and devastation.' Carbon dating suggests the monastery was constructed between 534 and 656 AD Remains of an ancient Christian monastery have been discovered in the United Arab Emirates Advertisement An ancient Christian monastery unearthed off the coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was built more than 1,400 years ago, making it older than Islam's the Prophet Mohammed who was born in 570 AD. Remains of the monastery suggest Christian worshippers prayed within a single-aisle church, which had additional rooms for baptism and baking wafers for communion. Cells where monks spent time in solitude were also uncovered. This is only the second of its kind discovered in the region, the other was in 1990, and historians believe the two were eventually abandoned as Christians began to convert to Islam as the faith became more prevalent in the region. Christianity is a minority religiton across the wider Middle East, but the UAE guarantees freedom of religion as long as it does not conflict with public policy or morals. An aerial view of the Christian monastery shows its intricated details. There is a single-aisle church, which had additional rooms for baptism and baking wafers for communion. Cells where monks spent time in solitude were also uncovered Archaeologists also unearthed cells where monks spend time in solitude (pictured). The complex is believed to be more than 1,400 years old, which pre-dates Islam in the region However, certain Middle Eastern countries, like Iraq, Syria and Egypt, persecute Christians. For example, 99 Egyptian Christians were killed by extremist groups in 2017, with 47 killed on Palm Sunday in Tanta and Alexandria But the religion was practiced long before Islam began. The ancient monastery was discovered on Siniyah Island, part of the sand-dune sheikhdom of Umm al-Quwain. Carbon dating of samples found in the monastery's foundation date between 534 and 656. Islam's Prophet Muhammad was born around 570 and died in 632 after conquering Mecca in present-day Saudi Arabia. Next to where the monastery stood remains of a separate building with four rooms, which archaeologists believe surrounded a courtyard and was likely the home to the head of the monastery. Carbon dating of samples found in the monastery's foundation date between 534 and 656. Pictured is a bronze lamp found at the site and a glass vial (right) This is only the second of its kind discovered in the region, the other was in 1990, and historians believe the two were eventually abandoned as Christians began to convert to Islam as the faith became more prevalent in the region For Timothy Power, an associate professor of archaeology at the United Arab Emirates University who helped investigate the newly discovered monastery, the UAE today is a 'melting pot of nations'. 'The fact that something similar was happening here 1,000 years ago is really remarkable and this is a story that deserves to be told,' he said. Siniyah Island shields the Khor al-Beida marshlands in Umm al-Quwain, an emirate some 30 miles north east of Dubai along the coast of the Persian Gulf. The island has a series of sandbars coming off of it like crooked fingers. On one, to the island's north east, archaeologists discovered the monastery. Historians said early churches and monasteries spread along the Persian Gulf to the coasts of present-day Oman and all the way to India. Archaeologist have found other similar churches and monasteries in Bahrain, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia and these nations are also known to persecute Christians. Next to where the monastery stood remains of a separate building with four rooms, which archaeologists believe surrounded a courtyard and was likely the home to the head of the monastery In the early 1990s (pictured), archaeologists discovered the first Christian monastery in the UAE, on Sir Bani Yas Island In the early 1990s, archaeologists discovered the first Christian monastery in the UAE, on Sir Bani Yas Island. This complex, similar to the recently discovered one, featured monks cells, kitchens and animal pens surrounding a courtyard dominated by a church. In addition, archaeologists found more than eight houses surrounding the monastery, suggesting this was a permanent settlement. The monastery is believed to have been an important destination for pilgrims traveling along a trade route to India. Archaeologists believe the settlement was 'peacefully' abandoned around 750AD. Advertisement A medieval warrior whose face was split open in one of Europe's most savage battles has been brought back to life in a stunning recreation, 660 years after his gruesome death. Experts reconstructed the fighter's visage after his skull was recovered from a mass grave outside Visby on the Swedish island of Gotland. It was there in 1361 that a Danish force of some 2,500 men, many of them experienced mercenaries, perpetrated a massacre. A medieval warrior whose face was split open in one of Europe's most savage battles has been brought back to life in a stunning recreation The warrior's mouth was smashed by an axe, with additional wounds above his left eye and on the left cheek bone probably caused by a pole weapon The Battle of Visby The Battle of Visby was fought between the forces of the Danish king and the Gutnish country yeomen on the island of Gotland in 1361. On 22 July, 1,800 Gotland farmers lost their lives in a brutal clash with Danish troops under King Valdemar Atterdag. He was intent on subjugating Gotland after conquering parts of Skane and Oland. He had now landed on the island with a professional army and was preparing to march on Visby. Part way there, in the marshlands of Masterby, the Gotland farmers tried, unsuccessfully, to halt his advance. Source: Historiska Advertisement They faced a rural militia of roughly 2,000 poorly-armed peasants at least a third of whom were minors or the elderly, excavations suggest. In the slaughter that followed, the defenders suffered some 1,800 dead. Among them was the warrior, whose mouth was smashed by an axe, with additional wounds above his left eye and on the left cheek bone probably caused by a pole weapon. Now Brazilian graphics expert Cicero Moraes has brought his features to life by importing his skull into a digital interface. He said: 'Once the skull was ready, a series of soft tissue thickness markers were spread across the skull. 'These markers, roughly speaking, indicate the skin boundaries in some regions of the face. 'To complement the data, we imported a CT scan of a living donor and deformed the bones and soft tissue from the CT scan to match the face being approximated. 'With the basic face defined, we finalised the approximation and generated the most scientific image, in shades of gray, with eyes closed and without hair.' The skull itself yields an incomplete set of data, so some aspects like the size of the nose, mouth and eyes are projections based on statistical data. Meanwhile, matters like hair and skin tone are subjective. Brazilian graphics expert Cicero Moraes has brought his features to life by importing his skull into a digital interface 'With the basic face defined, we finalised the approximation and generated the most scientific image, in shades of gray, with eyes closed and without hair,' said Moraes But the end result is an approximation of what the warrior would have looked like at his time of death. Whether it was blow from axe that proved fatal remains unknown. Mr Moraes said: 'It is difficult to estimate this with the skull alone. 'But surely such an injury would not be an easy thing to treat, considering the year and the reality at the time it was inflicted.' For Mr Moraes, the images bring home the reality of war. 'These images are quite impactful,' he said. 'Today we have several conflicts happening in the world and we usually observe the scenes from afar, having no idea what happens to the combatants. The end result is an approximation of what the warrior would have looked like at his time of death. Whether it was blow from axe that proved fatal remains unknown The Battle of Visby was fought between the forces of the Danish king and the Gutnish country yeomen on the island of Gotland in 1361 'Imagine how it is for those who receive such violence.' After the battle, the citizens of Visby the island's capital surrendered to avoid further bloodshed. The victorious King Valdemar IV was paid a heavy ransom and claimed the island as part of his kingdom. Both Sweden and Denmark continued to claim the island until the Second Treaty of Bromsebro was signed in 1645, following Denmark's defeat in the Torstenson War. Five mass graves were ultimately found outside Visby's walls, with the first archaeological excavations in 1905 revealing many of the dead were buried in their armour. Mr Moraes completed his reconstruction using a three-dimensional model of the skull shared by the Swedish History Museum in Stockholm. He published his study in the 3D computer graphics journal OrtogOnLineMag. It has been deemed a 'worrying step' towards more companies selling user data TikTok has revealed that its staff in China are able to spy on UK user data. Elaine Fox, TikTok's head of privacy in Europe, claims this is to ensure its 'global workforce' can make TikTok 'consistent, enjoyable and safe'. As well as China, user data is accessible to employees in Brazil, Canada, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Singapore and the United States. While the type of data that is be shared across the world has not been specified, it could include names, phone numbers, ages, emails and approximate locations. Jake Moore, a cybersecurity expert, told MailOnline he believes this is a 'worrying step' towards more tech companies selling off consumers' personal data. A TikTok spokesperson said: 'The TikTok platform does not operate in China and we have never provided user data to the Chinese government. 'Our app is not unique in the amount of information it collects, compared to other mobile apps. 'In line with industry practices, we collect information that users choose to provide to us and information that helps the app function, operate securely, and improve the user experience. 'We strive to be open and transparent about how we collect and process our users' information, which is why we continually review and update our Privacy Policy.' TikTok has revealed that its staff in China are able to spy on UK user data TIKTOK: A CHINESE-OWNED SOCIAL MEDIA APP SPECIALISING IN SHORT VIDEO CLIPS TikTok is a Chinese social media app where users can live stream and create short videos. TikTok's tagline is 'Make every second count'. It was the most downloaded app in the US in 2018 and the world's fourth most downloaded app in 2018, ahead of Instagram and Snapchat. TikTok is known in China as Douyin where it was launched in 2016 and then made more widely available around the world in 2017. It offers users a raft of colourful modification and editing tools including overlaying music, sound, animated stickers, filters and augmented reality (AR) for creating short videos. The Beijing-based social network has downloaded almost 4billion times and the company is now worth more than $75billion (58billion). In 2020 Donald Trump called for the US arm of TikTok to be sold to an American company over fears the app posed a national security risk. Advertisement Speaking to MailOnline, Mr Moore said: 'Most apps on your phone will try to scrap together and analyse as much personal data as possible but TikTok is attempting to view more than most. 'Their algorithm not only helps users soak up personalised content but TikTok is constantly learning user habits in order to profit from and even share among third parties. 'This all may sound normal in today's technology age, but the alignment TikTok has with the Chinese government is a worrying step in breaking down company privacy and could pave the way for more companies into selling off sensitive data on their users. 'To explicitly use TikTok safely and securely in confidence that private data will not be spied upon, it is recommended to use a completely separate device for TikTok use.' TikTok said the policy applies to 'the European Economic Area, United Kingdom and Switzerland'. The popular app could be using the data to improve the performance of its algorithm, which recommends content to users based on their previous app activity. Ms Fox says the employees who have access to the data have demonstrated that they need it 'to do their job'. She added that TikTok did not collect 'precise location information' from users in Europe, despite its privacy policy stating 'with your permission, we may also collect precise location information (such as GPS)'. Regardless of this, Mr Moore added the user data would be 'very interesting to controlling organisations'. 'This data will naturally improve content in feeds but we should be concerned about all of this private information getting into the wrong hands which users didn't sign up for,' he said. 'Terms and Conditions are difficult to check and most people just accept them to make apps work. 'However, there is usually a lot more in them than expected and this will usually spell out where data is going but not always when used with clever language. 'Apple and Google do a lot to protect devices from tracking but it is extremely difficult to use these apps without some personal data being shared.' The update comes amid a flurry of regulatory concerns about Chinese access to personal data stored by the app by the UK and US. The hugely popular app could be using the data to improve the performance of its algorithm, which recommends content to users based on their previous app activity US commissioner calls for TikTok to be banned This week, Brendan Carr, a commissioner for the United States Federal Communications Commission proposed banning TikTok in the country. He told Axios: 'I don't believe there is a path forward for anything other than a ban.' He said there was not 'a world in which you could come up with sufficient protection on the data that you could have sufficient confidence that it's not finding its way back into the hands of the [Chinese Communist Party].' Advertisement TikTok, which has more than a billion users worldwide, is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, that has been linked to the Chinese Communist Party. However, both ByteDance and TikTok have repeatedly insisted they are not controlled by the government. Back in July, a letter by TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew confirmed that its China-based employees could access a 'narrow set of non-sensitive' US user data. It did also confirm that it had migrated US users' information to servers run in Austin, Texas by software giant Oracle. The letter came after audio from more than 80 internal TikTok meetings was leaked as part of an investigation by BuzzFeed News. One of the clips is of a director at TikTok who referred to a ByteDance engineer as a 'Master Admin' who 'has access to everything', according to BuzzFeed. However, the CEO wrote that the 'allegations and insinuations' from the BuzzFeed News article are 'incorrect and are not supported by facts'. This week, Brendan Carr, a commissioner for the United States Federal Communications Commission proposed banning TikTok in the country. He told Axios: 'I don't believe there is a path forward for anything other than a ban.' He said there was not 'a world in which you could come up with sufficient protection on the data that you could have sufficient confidence that it's not finding its way back into the hands of the [Chinese Communist Party]'. In July this year, the UK Parliament opened up an account on the app, but it only lasted just over a week before it was taken down. As ByteDance is based in China, MPs raised concerns about user data being sent to Beijing. The app was also investigated by the Irish Data Protection Commission in September. It looked into whether it was acting in line with EU laws over transferring personal data to countries like China, as well as how it was processing personal data of children. Joe Cole heaped praise on Fede Valverde following his man of the match performance against Celtic on Wednesday evening. Valverde helped Real Madrid secure a 5-1 win over Celtic during their Champions League game at the Bernabeu - scoring their final goal in the 71st minute. Cole said Valverde's performance was on par with the likes of Jude Bellingham and hinted he could become one of the 'best' midfielders in the world. Joe Cole heaped praise on Fede Valverde for is man of the match performance against Celtic Cole said the 24-year-old had to 'bide his time and learn from the likes of Casemiro, Kroos and Modric' to reach the top. Speaking on BT Sport, Cole said: 'He's standing right at the top of the tree with Bellingham in the young players, and he's on the verge of becoming the best. 'He's box-to-box, he scores goals, he's a technician he was the unsung hero in the final, I thought he was outstanding against Liverpool. 'He drove that team forward, he's a powerful boy, took his goal lovely, and he's one that I earmarked about two years ago. Valverde helped Real Madrid secure a 5-1 win - scoring their final goal in the 71st minute BT pundit, Cole, said that Valverde could become one of the 'best' midfielders in the world 'He's found it tough getting into Casemiro, Kroos and Modric, they've been incredible. He's had to wait, bide his time and learn from the greats, take a little bit from everyone's game. 'His stats this year are unbelievable, his goals, assists, goal involvements, incredible player and we talk a lot about Bellingham in this country, but this kid is every bit as good as Bellingham.' Meanwhile, Valverde heaped praise on his team-mates following their victory over Celtic. He said: 'I'm really pleased with everyone's effort. 'Congratulations to the team because it belongs to them as well. It was a great game, we took our chances and got the goals we needed. We've been working hard, things don't go our way sometimes and it feels like everything is a negative, but we did well today'. Cole said Valverde's performance was on par with the likes of Jude Bellingham (above) Speaking specifically about his performance, Valverde added: 'I get tired, but my objective is to continue scoring goals and supporting the team. 'That's the way I operate: run and give everything. There were a lot of people close to me who were quite right that I should take advantage of my shot and I'm doing that now and quite enjoying it. 'I like to strike it on the laces, it's my best shot, but I also sometimes like to hit it with the inside of my foot when I feel confident and today I was lucky enough to catch the ball right. They always joke with me that one day I'll break the ball'. Advertisement Kim Kardashian claimed she's a 'shape shifter' who can 'squeeze into anything' as she tried to obtain Marilyn Monroe's iconic 'Happy Birthday Mr. President' dress for the Met Gala in this week's episode of Hulu's The Kardashians. The 41-year-old reality star was given a replica of the dress to try on first before trying on the actual dress - which was purchased by Ripley's Believe It Or Not for a whopping $4.8 million in 2016, a record price for a dress. While Kim was able to fit into the replica, she was left FUMING when she couldn't fit into the original, which sent her on a journey to lose at least 10 pounds before the Met Gala. Shape shifter: Kim Kardashian clamed she's a 'shape shifter' who can 'squeeze into anything' as she tried to obtain Marilyn Monroe's iconic 'Happy Birthday Mr. President' dress for the Met Gala in this week's episode of Hulu's The Kardashians Replica: The 41-year-old reality star was given a replica of the dress to try on first before trying on the actual dress - which was purchased by Ripley's Believe It Or Not for a whopping $4.8 million in 2016, a record price for a dress Fuming: While Kim was able to fit into the replica, she was left FUMING when she couldn't fit into the original, which sent her on a journey to lose at least 10 pounds before the Met Gala Kim first broaches the idea of wearing Marilyn's dress when she meets up with fashion editor/stylist Carlos Nazario, who Kim says she met on her Vogue cover shoot. 'So I always love seeing what's out there and building connections and relationships, so we're doing a little style-up,' Kim adds in confession. She tells Carlos that she wasn't planning on going to the annual Met Gala this year, 'because it was like, how do you top last year with Balenciaga? It was such a moment.' Idea: Kim first broaches the idea of wearing Marilyn's dress when she meets up with fashion editor/stylist Carlos Nazario, who Kim says she met on her Vogue cover shoot Moment: 'So I always love seeing what's out there and building connections and relationships, so we're doing a little style-up,' Kim adds in confession Kim jokes that she never thought - back in the days when she wasn't invited - that she would ever skip a Met Gala. Star of the show! Kim pictured in the original Marilyn Monroe dress at the Met Gala earlier this year 'It's scary and exciting to do this all by myself. This is a big deal for me,' Kim says in confession, referring to the fact this will be her first Met Gala without her ex Kanye West styling her. 'This is like a big deal for me. The Met is so important to me. Honestly, I wasn't even invited until I went with Kanye, so I am so excited just to do my own vision this year,' Kim adds in confession. 'I had this thought and I was like what is more American than Marilyn Monroe? When she sang Happy Birthday to JFK, who is, like, America, and I thought, where is the dress that she wore?' she tells Carlos. She adds in confession, 'When I thought of this idea I immediately called Julien's Auctions, cause I knew that's who sold it.' 'Julien's Auctions said we sold it to Ripley's Believe It Or Not and we will put you in contact with them. The conversation went amazing. They said that I can try on the dress,' she adds in confession. Kim tells Carlos that it was 'scandalous' that Marilyn wore, 'a sheer nude dress' adding it was the, 'the first time anyone had worn a naked dress.' She shows Carlos photos of the dress and adds in confession that she's, 'fascinated' by Marilyn because she, 'did things her way.' 'She transformed herself to be this complete icon and now everyone on the planet knows who she is. Much respect,' Kim adds in confession. Marilyn: 'I had this thought and I was like what is more American than Marilyn Monroe? When she sang Happy Birthday to JFK, who is, like, America, and I thought, where is the dress that she wore?' she tells Carlos Transformed: 'She transformed herself to be this complete icon and now everyone on the planet knows who she is. Much respect,' Kim adds in confession Khloe arrives and tells Kim her 'boobs look amazing' as Kim adds that her boyfriend Pete Davidson will go with her. Kim says she's gonna try on the dress and hope it fits while Khloe jokes that she tailors her underwear and, 'it's never gonna be the way you want it.' Later in the episode, Kim receives the replica of Marilyn Monroe's iconic dress. Boobs: Khloe arrives and tells Kim her 'boobs look amazing' as Kim adds that her boyfriend Pete Davidson will go with her Joke: Kim says she's gonna try on the dress and hope it fits while Khloe jokes that she tailors her underwear and, 'it's never gonna be the way you want it' Replica: Later in the episode, Kim receives the replica of Marilyn Monroe's iconic dress 'The Marilyn dress is here,' Kim tells her stylist Danielle Levi and tailor Samuel Ososki, adding, 'it's a replica and, 'if this does not fit me, I can't even try the original.' 'I've Googled her measurements, I'm looking at my measurements, the width of my shoulders and my body makes me like a shape shifter, I can squeeze into anything,' Kim adds. She adds that no fashion companies would 'trust' them for years and then they would actually realize, 'Oh wait, she actually fits in our stuff.' Here: 'The Marilyn dress is here,' Kim tells her stylist Danielle Levi and tailor Samuel Ososki, adding, 'it's a replica and, 'if this does not fit me, I can't even try the original' Shapeshifter: 'I've Googled her measurements, I'm looking at my measurements, the width of my shoulders and my body makes me like a shape shifter, I can squeeze into anything,' Kim adds No trust: She adds that no fashion companies would 'trust' them for years and then they would actually realize, 'Oh wait, she actually fits in our stuff' 'So I don't know how to convince the guy who owns the original Marilyn dress that I'm a shape shifter. This has stretch the original doesn't have stretch. So I've got one shot and I just f***ing ate,' Kim adds. Kim adds in confession there is, 'no back-up plan' joking the back-up plan is her being in her SKIMS pajamas at home eating. She goes into a room and is heard saying, 'Oh my God,' before the door opens and Kim comes out stating, 'Oh my God it fits. It's a little big, actually.' Just ate: 'So I don't know how to convince the guy who owns the original Marilyn dress that I'm a shape shifter. This has stretch the original doesn't have stretch. So I've got one shot and I just f***ing ate,' Kim adds Fits: She goes into a room and is heard saying, 'Oh my God,' before the door opens and Kim comes out stating, 'Oh my God it fits. It's a little big, actually' 'The replica dress fits me and is like big on me and I thought, 'Oh my God this is perfect, I bet the fabric shrunk a little bit over time but the dress will fit. I am one step closer to bringing my vision to life,' Kim adds in confession. She shows her stylist and tailor that she had to wear her, 'tallest stripper shoes' to fully pull off the dress because Marilyn is, 'so much taller than me.' Danielle adds that Marilyn had, 'a shawl that was falling at one point,' as the show footage from her now-iconic performance on May 19, 1962. Big: 'The replica dress fits me and is like big on me and I thought, 'Oh my God this is perfect, I bet the fabric shrunk a little bit over time but the dress will fit. I am one step closer to bringing my vision to life,' Kim adds in confession Taller: She shows her stylist and tailor that she had to wear her, 'tallest stripper shoes' to fully pull off the dress because Marilyn is, 'so much taller than me' Footage: Danielle adds that Marilyn had, 'a shawl that was falling at one point,' as the show footage from her now-iconic performance on May 19, 1962 Kim adds in confession that, 'ever since I did the Balenciaga look with the face mask and covered head to toe, it changed the way that I feel about just looking pretty on a red carpet. It's not about just looking pretty. It has to be a story, a whole vibe. And this dress is such a good story.' Danielle shows her video of the performance as Kim wonders where JFK's wife, Jackie Onassis, was, as Danielle jokes she was probably, 'crying in the bathroom.' Kim looks into the camera and gives her best impression of the Marilyn Happy Birthday performance as Danielle can't help but laugh. Story: Kim adds in confession that, 'ever since I did the Balenciaga look with the face mask and covered head to toe, it changed the way that I feel about just looking pretty on a red carpet. It's not about just looking pretty. It has to be a story, a whole vibe. And this dress is such a good story' Footage: Danielle shows her video of the performance as Kim wonders where JFK's wife, Jackie Onassis, was, as Danielle jokes she was probably, 'crying in the bathroom' Happy Birthday: Kim looks into the camera and gives her best impression of the Marilyn Happy Birthday performance as Danielle can't help but laugh Kim goes to meet Kourtney and Khloe for lunch, where she revealed, 'They just pulled the whole thing from me and I'm fuming.' 'I had to try the prototype first and see if it fit, and once it fit, they sent the original. And when I went to put it on, it wouldn't even go up over my hips, and I just was like devastated,' Kim explained. They show footage of Kim failing to bring the dress up over her hips, as she says, 'You know what, I'll try everything and if I really get 10 pounds down, then we'll try it again.' Lunch: Kim goes to meet Kourtney and Khloe for lunch, where she revealed, 'They just pulled the whole thing from me and I'm fuming' Prototype: 'I had to try the prototype first and see if it fit, and once it fit, they sent the original. And when I went to put it on, it wouldn't even go up over my hips, and I just was like devastated,' Kim explained Hips: They show footage of Kim failing to bring the dress up over her hips, as she says, 'You know what, I'll try everything and if I really get 10 pounds down, then we'll try it again' Back at lunch, Kim says, 'I was so prepared to go in my head, that it's gonna make me so sad to not,' adding if they won't let her wear the dress she won't go to the Met, as Kourtney says, 'I'm sorry.' Kim adds, 'I wrote them a groveling, begging email, but they were very firm. They were like we can't get the insurance, we'll get the insurance. I have an answer for everything and they're like no, we can't. I just found that out today so I'm devastated.' Later in the episode, after Easter in Palm Springs, Kim is seen walking on a treadmill, determined to lose the weight needed to wear the Marilyn Monroe dress. Sad: Back at lunch, Kim says, 'I was so prepared to go in my head, that it's gonna make me so sad to not,' adding if they won't let her wear the dress she won't go to the Met, as Kourtney says, 'I'm sorry' Grovelling: Kim adds, 'I wrote them a groveling, begging email, but they were very firm. They were like we can't get the insurance, we'll get the insurance. I have an answer for everything and they're like no, we can't. I just found that out today so I'm devastated' Treadmill: Later in the episode, after Easter in Palm Springs, Kim is seen walking on a treadmill, determined to lose the weight needed to wear the Marilyn Monroe dress 'I have about three weeks to fit into this dress. I'm going to do every last thing that I can to try and make this happen,' Kim says in confession. She's seen working out with a trainer, adding in confession she will have to eat 'so clean' and also cut out sugar which is, 'so hard' for her. 'Please let me try it on again. I'm not going to take no for an answer,' Kim adds in confession as they show her continually working out. Three weeks: Later in the episode, after Easter in Palm Springs, Kim is seen walking on a treadmill, determined to lose the weight needed to wear the Marilyn Monroe dress Clean: She's seen working out with a trainer, adding in confession she will have to eat 'so clean' and also cut out sugar which is, 'so hard' for her' Please: 'Please let me try it on again. I'm not going to take no for an answer,' Kim adds in confession as they show her continually working out The preview for next week's eighth episode of The Kardashians reveals Kim flew to Florida to try on the Marilyn dress at Ripley's and even that took some convincing. 'They weren't even gonna let me try it on, until Kris Jenner called,' Kim adds in confession, as she's seen continuing her workouts with four days left until the Met Gala. 'I have honestly been working my ass off. I will be crushed if this doesn't pay off,' Kim says in confession, while Khloe reveals she has been invited to the Met Gala. Call: 'They weren't even gonna let me try it on, until Kris Jenner called,' Kim adds in confession, as she's seen continuing her workouts with four days left until the Met Gala Work: 'I have honestly been working my ass off. I will be crushed if this doesn't pay off,' Kim says in confession, while Khloe reveals she has been invited to the Met Gala While she only wore the original dress briefly on the red carpet, changing into a replica for the rest of the evening, though it caused controversy when it was revealed the original dress was slightly damaged. Ripley's loaned the dress to Kim for the Met Gala, with Kim reportedly losing upwards of 16 pounds to fit into the dress for the bash. The event became controversial a month after the Met, when before-and-after photos revealed that some of the embedded crystals were now missing and there was also reportedly damage to one of the dress' zippers. Briefly: While she only wore the original dress briefly on the red carpet, changing into a replica for the rest of the evening, though it caused controversy when it was revealed the original dress was slightly damaged Controversial: The event became controversial a month after the Met, when before-and-after photos revealed that some of the embedded crystals were now missing and there was also reportedly damage to one of the dress' zippers Despite the photos, Ripley's released a statement claiming, 'she did not, in any way, damage the garment in the short amount of time it was worn at the Met Gala.' Ripley's Vice President of Publishing and Licensing, Amanda Joiner, added: 'From the bottom of the Met steps, where Kim got into the dress, to the top where it was returned, the dress was in the same condition it started in.' The episode begins at Khloe Kardashian's house where she's getting everything ready for her daughter True's fourth birthday party, taking snaps all over their backyard. True's birthday: The episode begins at Khloe Kardashian's house where she's getting everything ready for her daughter True's fourth birthday party, taking snaps all over their backyard 'I cannot believe that True is turning 4. I'm entrusted in raising her and I take that role so seriously. I have an opportunity to shape her into an incredible young woman and I'm not gonna take that job lightly. I'm gonna do the best job I can do,' Khloe says in confession. Khloe's sisters Kim Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian, Kylie Jenner and Kendall Jenner arrive, though Kim - decked out in an orange Balenciaga jersey and ripped blue jeans - didn't notice the party's theme on the invite. 'Wait, was the theme purple?' Kim asks as Kylie says, 'It was pastels,' though Kim asks, 'How was I supposed to know it was pastel?' Birthday girl: 'I cannot believe that True is turning 4. I'm entrusted in raising her and I take that role so seriously. I have an opportunity to shape her into an incredible young woman and I'm not gonna take that job lightly. I'm gonna do the best job I can do,' Khloe says in confession Arrive: Khloe's sisters Kim Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian, Kylie Jenner and Kendall Jenner arrive, though Kim - decked out in an orange Balenciaga jersey and ripped blue jeans - didn't notice the party's theme on the invite Theme: 'Wait, was the theme purple?' Kim asks as Kylie says, 'It was pastels,' though Kim asks, 'How was I supposed to know it was pastel?' 'Cause it says on the invite, Kim,' Khloe - wearing a frilly pink top and matching pants - says, as she noticed Kourtney - wearing black from head to toe - also didn't follow the theme. 'Was it supposed to be pastels?' Kourtney asks Khloe, who jokes that both Kourtney and Kim didn't see that, 'it's literally on the invite.' Khloe shows event planner Mindy Weiss that True's father Tristan Thompson got his daughter a diamond necklace for her birthday. Invite: 'Cause it says on the invite, Kim,' Khloe - wearing a frilly pink top and matching pants - says, as she noticed Kourtney - wearing black from head to toe - also didn't follow the theme Birthday: Khloe shows event planner Mindy Weiss that True's father Tristan Thompson got his daughter a diamond necklace for her birthday Mindy asks if he was going to come to the party, but Khloe says, 'He can't, he has a game today.' 'I don't know, if Tristan was here today, that would add more stress to me. We do co-parent really well but I haven't seen Tristan in person since before Christmas time,' Khloe admits in confession. Kris Jenner arrives to the party on theme in a purple pastel dress, telling Khloe this is,' the cutest thing I've ever seen,' referring to the party setup. Don't know: 'I don't know, if Tristan was here today, that would add more stress to me. We do co-parent really well but I haven't seen Tristan in person since before Christmas time,' Khloe admits in confession Kris arrives: Kris Jenner arrives to the party on theme in a purple pastel dress, telling Khloe this is,'the cutest thing I've ever seen,' referring to the party setup She adds in confession that she can't believe True is four years old, adding, 'it feels like yesterday when she was born.' A producer asks what Khloe was like when she was four years old, as Kris reveals, 'When Khloe was four years old, she thought she was a dog and so she would bark at everyone.' They show throwback snaps of young Khloe as Kris adds, 'She would lick a stranger's legs, she would beg for food. She was wild.' Can't believe: She adds in confession that she can't believe True is four years old, adding, 'it feels like yesterday when she was born' Khloe as a kid: A producer asks what Khloe was like when she was four years old, as Kris reveals, 'When Khloe was four years old, she thought she was a dog and so she would bark at everyone' Wild: They show throwback snaps of young Khloe as Kris adds, 'She would lick a stranger's legs, she would beg for food. She was wild' Back at the party, Kris tells Khloe that Tristan called her, 'and he said that he privately went ahead and took care of the whole party.' 'No, he's not taking care of the whole party,' Khloe sharply responds, but Kris says he already did. 'That's nice, but I won't let that happen,' Khloe adds though Kris says she should let him, adding he was, 'so excited to do it.' Called: Back at the party, Kris tells Khloe that Tristan called her, 'and he said that he privately went ahead and took care of the whole party' No: 'No, he's not taking care of the whole party,' Khloe sharply responds, but Kris says he already did 'And I'm so excited that I could do it all by myself,' Khloe says as Kris continues that Tristan wanted to do this for his daughter. 'That's very nice, but I won't let him do that,' Khloe says before walking away from her mother. Khloe adds in confession, 'I work really hard to do elaborate things for True and I don't need anyone's help.' Myself: 'And I'm so excited that I could do it all by myself,' Khloe says as Kris continues that Tristan wanted to do this for his daughter No help: Khloe adds in confession, 'I work really hard to do elaborate things for True and I don't need anyone's help' They light the candles on True's elaborate cake that she picked out as they all sing Happy Birthday to True, while Kris adds in confession that they have 'a million things going on but these are the days that mean the most to me, because I really get to connect with everybody and just unplug and love on my family.' The guests all cheer for True as Khloe gives her a big hug. The episode cuts to Palm Springs, California, where Kylie meets up with her glam team, revealing that she decided, 'very last minute' to go to the Met as well. Candles: They light the candles on True's elaborate cake that she picked out as they all sing Happy Birthday to True, while Kris adds in confession that they have 'a million things going on but these are the days that mean the most to me, because I really get to connect with everybody and just unplug and love on my family' Last minute: The episode cuts to Palm Springs, California, where Kylie meets up with her glam team, revealing that she decided, 'very last minute' to go to the Met as well 'I just had a baby and it just didn't feel like it was in me this year, and then, last minute, I thought, I would love to go and support Off-White and Virgil (Abloh) and that would just mean everything to me, so here we are,' Kylie says in confession. She is going over looks with her team, including her personal stylist Mackenzie Grandquist adding there are some looks that were in the Off-White finale show that will also be showcased at the Met, at the late Virgil Abloh's request, before the designer passed away from a rare and aggressive form of cancer in November 2021 at just 41 years of age. 'I have very early memories with Virgil. He used to work with Kanye and I just felt like it would be really special to honor him and wear his clothes. I love his work. I love everything he's done, so it's very special,' Kylie added in confession. Last-minute: 'I just had a baby and it just didn't feel like it was in me this year, and then, last minute, I thought, I would love to go and support Off-White and Virgil (Abloh) and that would just mean everything to me, so here we are,' Kylie says in confession Looks: She is going over looks with her team, including her personal stylist Mackenzie Grandquist adding there are some looks that were in the Off-White finale show that will also be showcased at the Met, at the late Virgil Abloh's reques R.I.P.: The designer passed away from a rare and aggressive form of cancer in November 2021 at just 41 years of age Kylie is seen trying on a strapless white gown as she jokes, 'It feels like my wedding day,' while Kris Jenner arrives asking who she's getting married to and Kylie jokes, 'Myself.' 'When I first try it on it's giving me very wife, bridal vibes. I feel like I'm I'm a little concerned that it's gonna look like I'm getting married but I also kinda love that,' Kylie adds in confession. Kris says she likes it and Kylie says she likes it too but doesn't want it to look like a wedding dress, while Kris adds, 'You never know what will happen that night.' Wedding vibes: Kylie is seen trying on a strapless white gown as she jokes, 'It feels like my wedding day,' while Kris Jenner arrives asking who she's getting married to and Kylie jokes, 'Myself' Never know: Kris says she likes it and Kylie says she likes it too but doesn't want it to look like a wedding dress, while Kris adds, 'You never know what will happen that night' 'You're right. Always be prepared to get married,' Kylie jokes as the rest of her team laughs. Kylie tries on the backwards white snapback hat to go along with the dress and thick gold link necklace, while Kendall walks in as Kylie asks her to help decide. They mention the look she's wearing was on the runway as a 'signature' piece, as Kendall adds, 'Well then that's a no-brainer for me that it should be this one.' Snapback: Kylie tries on the backwards white snapback hat to go along with the dress and thick gold link necklace, while Kendall walks in as Kylie asks her to help decide No-brainer: They mention the look she's wearing was on the runway as a 'signature' piece, as Kendall adds, 'Well then that's a no-brainer for me that it should be this one' Kendall adds in confession that she's also going to the Met Gala, wearing Prada, after her first successful runaway show earlier this season. 'Since I went to Italy and walked for Prada, I am continuing my relationship with them and I'm going with them to the Met,' Kendall added in confession. Kylie adds in confession, 'This year I'm very stress-free. I don't care what people think. This dress is much more than just a dress for me. It's such a special night honoring my friend and his work and that's why I'm here.' Kendall is going: Kendall adds in confession that she's also going to the Met Gala, wearing Prada, after her first successful runaway show earlier this season Prada: 'Since I went to Italy and walked for Prada, I am continuing my relationship with them and I'm going with them to the Met,' Kendall added in confession Kylie decides on the look she's wearing and thanks her team for making the trip out to Palm Springs. The episode cuts to Kourtney, Khloe and Kim meeting for lunch at an Italian restaurant dubbed Il Fornaio, with Kourtney telling Khloe her camel toe is out and in 'full effect.' Kourtney jokes in confession that Khloe's camel toe is called, 'Camile the Camel,' adding it's, 'very famous.' Thanks: Kylie decides on the look she's wearing and thanks her team for making the trip out to Palm Springs Lunch: The episode cuts to Kourtney, Khloe and Kim meeting for lunch at an Italian restaurant dubbed Il Fornaio, with Kourtney telling Khloe her camel toe is out and in 'full effect' Kim arrives with a look that was BASHED online - a fiery top black and orange top with orange skirt and boots - that people online compared to Guy Fieri and The Incredibles. Kourtney says, 'That's a fab outfit,' when Kim arrives at their table, and Khloe reacts, 'Oh my gosh. I don't think we should walk together. Wait till you see my pants.' Kim says she almost wore the same thing, before they start talking about their now-infamous 'True photoshopping incident.' Bashed: Kim arrives with a look that was BASHED online - a fiery top black and orange top with orange skirt and boots - that people online compared to Guy Fieri and The Incredibles Fab outfit: Kourtney says, 'That's a fab outfit,' when Kim arrives at their table, and Khloe reacts, 'Oh my gosh. I don't think we should walk together. Wait till you see my pants' 'Oh my God, I'm so sorry, I forgot we made up that story,' Khloe says, as Kim explains she has a 'grid for IG and I'm doing pinks and blues.' 'There was the cutest picture of Chi(cago) and (Kylie's daughter) Stormi at Disneyland, and they're wearing pink. I sent it to Kylie for approval, she goes, 'No, I really don't want any pics of Stormi out right now.' I respect it, so I photoshop True's face onto Stormi's body,' Kim says with a laugh. Kourtney says, 'I've seen this and I was thinking there's no way anyone would ever do that,' while Khloe adds, 'She sent it to me and I was like, 'Wait, you took True to Disneyland without me?' Cutest: 'There was the cutest picture of Chi(cago) and (Kylie's daughter) Stormi at Disneyland, and they're wearing pink. I sent it to Kylie for approval, she goes, 'No, I really don't want any pics of Stormi out right now.' I respect it, so I photoshop True's face onto Stormi's body,' Kim says with a laugh Forgot: 'Oh my God, I'm so sorry, I forgot we made up that story,' Khloe says, as Kim explains she has a 'grid for IG and I'm doing pinks and blues' Kourtney added that Khloe then posted a photo of True's first time at Disneyland, and now, 'everyone thinks it's like a major scandal.' Kim turns directly into the camera and says, 'You heard it here first. It's not a major scandal. I just wanted my grid pink and blue. Photoshop fail, but whatevs.' After Kim discussed her Marilyn dress, Khloe interjects, with her hatred of any red carpet event like the Met Gala. Fail: Kim turns directly into the camera and says, 'You heard it here first. It's not a major scandal. I just wanted my grid pink and blue. Photoshop fail, but whatevs' Hatred: After Kim discussed her Marilyn dress, Khloe interjects, with her hatred of any red carpet event like the Met Gala 'I just can't believe that's something you find enjoyable. Going on a red carpet gives me the most anxiety, I don't understand why we have to do them, I f***ing hate them. I don't ever want to do them. I will do photoshoots, I will be out with paparazzi, anything more than a f***ing red carpet.' 'Red carpets are literally the worst thing in my life,' Khloe says, while Kim adds, 'They're my dream come true.' 'It's like open season for people to critique you. Talk about this, talk about this get off my d**k. The Met seems like oh my god, I see how many cameras there are why? Just why? Unless I'm Kendall, it's not happening,' Khloe tells her sisters. Worst: 'Red carpets are literally the worst thing in my life,' Khloe says, while Kim adds, 'They're my dream come true' No way: 'It's like open season for people to critique you. Talk about this, talk about this get off my d**k. The Met seems like oh my god, I see how many cameras there are why? Just why? Unless I'm Kendall, it's not happening,' Khloe tells her sisters Kourtney adds, 'I used to feel that way, and now I'm like, 'Oh my God I'm gonna laugh' as Khloe says, 'That's cause you're with Trav though and you have fun.' Kourtney shows Khloe her Met look while adding in confession, 'I used to feel that like going to the Met would be terrifying with all the cameras and I used to think it would give me such anxiety, but I think going with Travis and having a good time and laughing and having a good night together, I don't know, it just feels like something I'm excited to do.' Kim gets a call from their attorney Michael Rhodes, as Kim asks them about the part of the case where Blac Chyna had to hand over her records. Used to: Kourtney adds, 'I used to feel that way, and now I'm like, 'Oh my God I'm gonna laugh' as Khloe says, 'That's cause you're with Trav though and you have fun' Call: Kim gets a call from their attorney Michael Rhodes, as Kim asks them about the part of the case where Blac Chyna had to hand over her records Khloe reminds viewers in confession that Blac Chyna is suing Kris, Kylie, Kim and Khloe for defamation and interference of contract, adding the trial starts next week. 'She is saying that the Rob & Chyna Show didn't get a second season because we interfered with it not because they weren't in a relationship anymore,' Khloe says in confession. The lawyer says they made a motion that will be heard on Friday to exclude her damage claim because she didn't give her what they requested. Remind: Khloe reminds viewers in confession that Blac Chyna is suing Kris, Kylie, Kim and Khloe for defamation and interference of contract, adding the trial starts next week Motion: The lawyer says they made a motion that will be heard on Friday to exclude her damage claim because she didn't give her what they requested Kim and Khloe ask if Blac Chyna didn't fulfill her end of the bargain, why should the case move forward? The lawyer answers she could claim, 'novel damages' and she could want the case to go forward to show that she was right, even though she won't win any damages. 'It wouldn't end the case, per se, but it would take a lot of the sting out of it,' the lawyer says, while Kim adds in confession that she's getting nervous about the trial. Bargain: Kim and Khloe ask if Blac Chyna didn't fulfill her end of the bargain, why should the case move forward 'I know from a lot of the justice reform work that I'm in, that when a jury is involved, there's no telling how people will side, and even if you have the truth on your side and believe in your team, there's just you have no idea what the outcome will be,' Kim says in confession. Kim says she hasn't been to a trial since she was 14 years old - referring to the O.J. Simpson trial her father Robert Kardashian worked on. 'Well, you're gonna see one in the next 10 days. It's gonna be a real spectacle,' the lawyer says before disconnecting the call. Spectacle: 'Well, you're gonna see one in the next 10 days. It's gonna be a real spectacle,' the lawyer says before disconnecting the call 'She's suing us for over $100 million and we're leaving our fate in the hands of 12 random people. What if they hate us?' Khloe says. Kourtney jokes that, 'no one hates us,' while Kim simply hopes they get jurors who don't know who the family is. Khloe says she's not worried about anything she has done, but added the trial will be, 'stressful and annoying, and while she's suing us, Dream's at my house,' referring to Rob and Blac Chyna's five-year-old daughter. Hate: 'She's suing us for over $100 million and we're leaving our fate in the hands of 12 random people. What if they hate us?' Khloe says No hate: Kourtney jokes that, 'no one hates us,' while Kim simply hopes they get jurors who don't know who the family is Kourtney adds that she's sad they can't go to Milan for her dress fitting because of this 'stupid trial.' 'While you and Travis are living your best life in Italy, Kim and I will be in a courtroom dealing with the law,' Khloe says. The episode cuts back to Palm Springs again, where most of the family are heading to celebrate the Easter holiday. Law: 'While you and Travis are living your best life in Italy, Kim and I will be in a courtroom dealing with the law,' Khloe says Palm Springs: The episode cuts back to Palm Springs again, where most of the family are heading to celebrate the Easter holiday Meanwhile, Kourtney and Travis open up presents from Kris - matching pajamas for them both, including Kourtney's kids and Travis' kids. 'We made a decision to really put all our energy we were putting towards trying to have a baby, into our wedding. We have decided to put IVF on hold, but the physical and mental toll it can take on me, I think we felt it was really important to not think about it and just enjoy the process of thinking about our wedding,' Kourtney says in confession. The rest of the family arrives, as Kris tells the camera it is, 'amazing' to have her whole family there for Easter and they do this every year. Pajamas: Meanwhile, Kourtney and Travis open up presents from Kris - matching pajamas for them both, including Kourtney's kids and Travis' kids Energy: 'We made a decision to really put all our energy we were putting towards trying to have a baby, into our wedding. We have decided to put IVF on hold, but the physical and mental toll it can take on me, I think we felt it was really important to not think about it and just enjoy the process of thinking about our wedding,' Kourtney says in confession Every year: The rest of the family arrives, as Kris tells the camera it is, 'amazing' to have her whole family there for Easter and they do this every year Kylie tells her sisters that she really enjoyed her fitting as Kim tells Kylie that they 'pulled the plug' on her Marilyn Monroe dress and she has 'no idea' what she's going to do. 'At this moment, I'm not going to the Met, so I can already feel the FOMO happening. I'm not gonna give up,' Kim says in confession. Back in L.A., Kourtney and Travis board their private jet to Italy in matching pajamas as Kourtney says a prayer for them both. FOMO: 'At this moment, I'm not going to the Met, so I can already feel the FOMO happening. I'm not gonna give up,' Kim says in confession Matching: Back in L.A., Kourtney and Travis board their private jet to Italy in matching pajamas as Kourtney says a prayer for them both 'Travis and I are going to Milan to do our fittings for our wedding and our wedding weekend. I'm bringing some of my best friends and my stylist,' Kourtney says in confession as we see Kourtney's good friend Steph Shepherd and stylist Dani Michelle. Kourtney reveals that Travis doesn't like to leave his kids for a long period of time as Kourtney adds in confession that they're the same in that way. 'This is also the longest time period that me and Travis are leaving our kids. From Milan we go to New York for the Met, and then we finally get to come home to our kids. We're both really similar and get this guilty feeling, but we shorten it up as much as we can,' Kourtney says in confession. Fittings: 'Travis and I are going to Milan to do our fittings for our wedding and our wedding weekend. I'm bringing some of my best friends and my stylist,' Kourtney says in confession as we see Kourtney's good friend Steph Shepherd and stylist Dani Michelle Kids: Kourtney reveals that Travis doesn't like to leave his kids for a long period of time as Kourtney adds in confession that they're the same in that way Guilty: 'This is also the longest time period that me and Travis are leaving our kids. From Milan we go to New York for the Met, and then we finally get to come home to our kids. We're both really similar and get this guilty feeling, but we shorten it up as much as we can,' Kourtney says in confession They start looking at wedding bands, since Kourtney has to order hers ASAP, though Travis hasn't been a fan of any he's seen so far. 'I want to be able to wear it all the time. I don't want it to feel like it's fancy,' Travis says, as Kourtney mentions he won't be able to drum with it ever, as he mentions, 'it will bend my finger like immediately.' Kourtney goes to take a nap as they are well on their way to Milan. Bands: They start looking at wedding bands, since Kourtney has to order hers ASAP, though Travis hasn't been a fan of any he's seen so far Finger: 'I want to be able to wear it all the time. I don't want it to feel like it's fancy,' Travis says, as Kourtney mentions he won't be able to drum with it ever, as he mentions, 'it will bend my finger like immediately' The episode transitions to Milan with Kourtney adding their wedding is, 'less than 30 days away,' while Travis adds in their van that it's so nice to travel and not be on a 'hectic schedule.' Kourtney mentions this is their first time in Milan together, adding in confession that they traveled to Portofino and Venice last summer. They both marvel at their luxurious hotel room as Kourtney jokes they won't want to leave as Kourtney finds a photo of them together in Venice, with Travis adding they went out of their way. They head to Dolce & Gabbana's private offices, which have been completely set up for just them. Van: The episode transitions to Milan with Kourtney adding their wedding is, 'less than 30 days away,' while Travis adds in their van that it's so nice to travel and not be on a 'hectic schedule' Last summer: Kourtney mentions this is their first time in Milan together, adding in confession that they traveled to Portofino and Venice last summer Hotel: They both marvel at their luxurious hotel room as Kourtney jokes they won't want to leave as Kourtney finds a photo of them together in Venice, with Travis adding they went out of their way Private: They head to Dolce & Gabbana's private offices, which have been completely set up for just them 'I feel so special like a princess for the way they set this all up,' Kourtney adds in confession, while telling the team, 'I'm like is someone filming this? But they are,' as they laugh. They both share a coffee before they both go their separate ways to try on their wedding outfits, while Kourtney is brought an ornate gold crown, as family friend Simon Huck joins them. Kourtney tries on the crown, which Steph says is, 'A look. This is how you should greet everyone,' while Kourtney blows a kiss to the camera. Simon: They both share a coffee before they both go their separate ways to try on their wedding outfits, while Kourtney is brought an ornate gold crown, as family friend Simon Huck joins them Crown: Kourtney tries on the crown, which Steph says is, 'A look. This is how you should greet everyone,' while Kourtney blows a kiss to the camera Steph asks if she's nervous as Kourt says, 'I don't want to be drugged or anything, but I need to' as her party laughs. Steph admits that, 'nerves are normal, but you're with people you love, so you could like trip and fall and roll down the aisle and people will still be like, 'This is the best wedding ever.' 'I think about it all the time. Will I survive, or will I pass out? It just makes me nervous,' Kourtney says, before they separate to try on their looks for their wedding weekend. Normal: Steph admits that, 'nerves are normal, but you're with people you love, so you could like trip and fall and roll down the aisle and people will still be like, 'This is the best wedding ever' Pass out: 'I think about it all the time. Will I survive, or will I pass out? It just makes me nervous,' Kourtney says, before they separate to try on their looks for their wedding weekend Kourtney explains to Simon that D&G, 'remade archived looks' for this while she keeps trying on outfit after outfit. We see a number of Travis' different looks before it goes back to Kourtney, with Steph saying it feels 'really real.' They both get back together and claim it was a 'huge success' as Kourtney adds, 'Anything that compares to my looks, we better stash away so that no one has access.' Remade: Kourtney explains to Simon that D&G, 'remade archived looks' for this while she keeps trying on outfit after outfit Stash: They both get back together and claim it was a 'huge success' as Kourtney adds, 'Anything that compares to my looks, we better stash away so that no one has access' Simon says he can't believe they got on a flight and, 'went right into this,' as Kourtney says, 'I'm so jet-lagged I'll start crying right now,' as the episode comes to an end. Meanwhile, Kourtney tries on her wedding dress and Khloe continues to worry about the trial as the preview comes to a close. The episode's traditional post-credit scene features Kim revealing more about her controversial fiery look that she was seen wearing to lunch with her sisters. Close: Meanwhile, Kourtney tries on her wedding dress and Khloe continues to worry about the trial as the preview comes to a close 'Let me just say one thing about this flame outfit that everyone wants to talk about and on the Internet destroyed me like 'Ha ha this is what she gets... not being with Kanye. Finally one look she dresses herself, the Kanye outfits must have run out.' The tea is, this is one of the outfits he styled and picked out,' Kim said. 'So if you guys knew that and if we were together you guys would think it's the coolest outfit in the world. Everyone is so f***ing fickle,' Kim says, and when a producer asks, 'Can that be in the credits?' Kim answers, 'Absolutely.' President Yoon Suk-yeol bows his head in silent tribute to the victims of the Halloween crowd crush at a mourning altar in front of City Hall in Seoul on Nov. 3. Yonhap President Yoon Suk-yeol instructed his aides Thursday to set up a "one-stop" support center where families of victims and others affected by the Halloween crowd crush can continue to receive medical and other assistance after the national mourning period ends. Yoon also told his aides to focus their efforts on providing trauma recovery and psychotherapy services to the public in the wake of the tragedy, according to deputy presidential spokesperson Lee Jae-myoung. "The one-stop integrated support center, which will be created under the prime minister's office jointly by relevant ministries, will provide all necessary services from a single place, ranging from funeral arrangements for the victims to treatment for the injured, payment of relief money and psychological therapy," Lee said during a press briefing. He also said the National Center for Disaster and Trauma will expand its services in line with Yoon's instructions not only to victims' families, the injured, witnesses and emergency response workers who were at the scene but also to the general public suffering from psychological stress. Kylie Jenner reveals why she chose her hot mess wedding dress for her 2022 Met Gala look on this week's episode of The Kardashians. The new episode - entitled What's More American Than Marilyn Monroe? - revealed that the 25-year-old cosmetics mogul decided at the 'last minute' to go to the Met. While she originally had no plans to attend the annual bash, she decided to go to honor her late friend, Off-White founder Virgil Abloh, with her dress featured in the designer's final show before he passed away in November 2021. Dress: Kylie Jenner reveals why she chose her hot mess wedding dress for her 2022 Met Gala look on this week's episode of The Kardashians Final show: While she originally had no plans to attend the annual bash, she decided to go to honor her late friend, Off-White founder Virgil Abloh, with her dress featured in the designer's final show before he passed away in November 2021 Early on in the episode, Kylie meets with her team in Palm Springs, California, where she decided, 'very last minute' to go to the Met as well. 'I just had a baby and it just didn't feel like it was in me this year, and then, last minute, I thought, I would love to go and support Off-White and Virgil (Abloh) and that would just mean everything to me, so here we are,' Kylie says in confession. She is going over looks with her team, including her personal stylist Mackenzie Grandquist adding there are some looks that were in the Off-White finale show that will also be showcased at the Met, at the late Virgil Abloh's request, before the designer passed away from a rare and aggressive form of cancer in November 2021 at just 41 years of age. Team: Early on in the episode, Kylie meets with her team in Palm Springs, California, where she decided, 'very last minute' to go to the Met as well Support: 'I just had a baby and it just didn't feel like it was in me this year, and then, last minute, I thought, I would love to go and support Off-White and Virgil (Abloh) and that would just mean everything to me, so here we are,' Kylie says in confession Finale: She is going over looks with her team, including her personal stylist Mackenzie Grandquist adding there are some looks that were in the Off-White finale show that will also be showcased at the Met, at the late Virgil Abloh's request, before the designer passed away from a rare and aggressive form of cancer in November 2021 at just 41 years of age 'I have very early memories with Virgil. He used to work with Kanye and I just felt like it would be really special to honor him and wear his clothes. I love his work. I love everything he's done, so it's very special,' Kylie added in confession. Kylie is seen trying on a strapless white gown as she jokes, 'It feels like my wedding day,' while Kris Jenner arrives asking who she's getting married to and Kylie jokes, 'Myself.' 'When I first try it on it's giving me very wife, bridal vibes. I feel like I'm I'm a little concerned that it's gonna look like I'm getting married but I also kinda love that,' Kylie adds in confession. Memories: 'I have very early memories with Virgil. He used to work with Kanye and I just felt like it would be really special to honor him and wear his clothes. I love his work. I love everything he's done, so it's very special,' Kylie added in confession Married: Kylie is seen trying on a strapless white gown as she jokes, 'It feels like my wedding day,' while Kris Jenner arrives asking who she's getting married to and Kylie jokes, 'Myself' Kris says she likes it and Kylie says she likes it too but doesn't want it to look like a wedding dress, while Kris adds, 'You never know what will happen that night.' 'You're right. Always be prepared to get married,' Kylie jokes as the rest of her team laughs. Kylie tries on the backwards white snapback hat to go along with the dress and thick gold link necklace, while Kendall walks in as Kylie asks her to help decide. Never know: Kris says she likes it and Kylie says she likes it too but doesn't want it to look like a wedding dress, while Kris adds, 'You never know what will happen that night' Prepare: 'You're right. Always be prepared to get married,' Kylie jokes as the rest of her team laughs Kendall: Kylie tries on the backwards white snapback hat to go along with the dress and thick gold link necklace, while Kendall walks in as Kylie asks her to help decide They mention the look she's wearing was on the runway as a 'signature' piece, as Kendall adds, 'Well then that's a no-brainer for me that it should be this one.' Kendall adds in confession that she's also going to the Met Gala, wearing Prada, after her first successful runaway show earlier this season. 'Since I went to Italy and walked for Prada, I am continuing my relationship with them and I'm going with them to the Met,' Kendall added in confession. No-brainer: They mention the look she's wearing was on the runway as a 'signature' piece, as Kendall adds, 'Well then that's a no-brainer for me that it should be this one' Met: Kendall adds in confession that she's also going to the Met Gala, wearing Prada, after her first successful runaway show earlier this season Runway: 'Since I went to Italy and walked for Prada, I am continuing my relationship with them and I'm going with them to the Met,' Kendall added in confession Kylie adds in confession, 'This year I'm very stress-free. I don't care what people think. This dress is much more than just a dress for me. It's such a special night honoring my friend and his work and that's why I'm here.' Kylie decides on the look she's wearing and thanks her team for making the trip out to Palm Springs. Stress-free: Kylie adds in confession, 'This year I'm very stress-free. I don't care what people think. This dress is much more than just a dress for me. It's such a special night honoring my friend and his work and that's why I'm here' Kim Kardashian clapped back at online haters who blasted a unique flaming outfit that drew comparisons to Guy Fieri and The Incredibles. The 41-year-old was spotted out in the unique outfit - featuring an orange flaming top with black shoulders plus matching orange pants, skirt, boots and gloves - back in mid-April. While many social media users blamed the look on her ex Kanye West not styling her anymore, Kim revealed during the post-credits scene of The Kardashians that it was actually a look Kanye set up for her. Kim's look: Kim Kardashian clapped back at online haters who blasted a unique flaming outfit that drew comparisons to Guy Fieri and The Incredibles Blame Kanye: While many social media users blamed the look on her ex Kanye West not styling her anymore, Kim revealed during the post-credits scene of The Kardashians that it was actually a look Kanye set up for her Each episode of The Kardashians has featured a brief post-credits bit, with this week's featuring Kim setting the record straight on this look. 'Let me just say one thing about this flame outfit that everyone wants to talk about and on the Internet destroyed me like "Ha ha this is what she gets... not being with Kanye. Finally one look she dresses herself, the Kanye outfits must have run out." The tea is, this is one of the outfits he styled and picked out,' Kim said. 'So if you guys knew that and if we were together you guys would think it's the coolest outfit in the world. Everyone is so f***ing fickle,' Kim says. One thing: 'Let me just say one thing about this flame outfit that everyone wants to talk about and on the Internet destroyed me like "Ha ha this is what she gets... not being with Kanye. Finally one look she dresses herself, the Kanye outfits must have run out." The tea is, this is one of the outfits he styled and picked out,' Kim said Coolest: 'So if you guys knew that and if we were together you guys would think it's the coolest outfit in the world. Everyone is so f***ing fickle,' Kim says When a producer asks, 'Can that be in the credits?' Kim answers, 'Absolutely' as the post-credit scene came to a close. Kim wore the outfit to a lunch with her sisters Kourtney and Khloe at the Italian restaurant Il Fornaio. Kourtney says, Thats a fab outfit, when Kim arrives at their table, and Khloe reacts, Oh my gosh. I dont think we should walk together. Wait till you see my pants. Outfit: Kim wore the outfit to a lunch with her sisters Kourtney and Khloe at the Italian restaurant Il Fornaio Lunch: Kim wore the outfit to a lunch with her sisters Kourtney and Khloe at the Italian restaurant Il Fornaio When the paparazzi pics of Kim in the outfit were revealed, it didn't take long for several people on Twitter to chime in. Some compared her fiery look to Guy Fieri's flame print shirts, while others compared her look to Elastigirl from the Pixar animated film The Incredibles. 'A grown woman looking like a flaming hot Cheetos bag,' one Twitter used said, while another asked: 'Is Kanye's offer to be her stylist still on the table?' Paparazzi: When the paparazzi pics of Kim in the outfit were revealed, it didn't take long for several people on Twitter to chime in Compared: Some compared her fiery look to Guy Fieri's flame print shirts, while others compared her look to Elastigirl from the Pixar animated film The Incredibles Grown: 'A grown woman looking like a flaming hot Cheetos bag,' one Twitter used said, while another asked: 'Is Kanye's offer to be her stylist still on the table?' 'Her entire stylist team are screaming for Ye's help,' another tweet read. The outfit transitioned from black fabric to the vibrant shades of red and orange that made up the cartoonish flames. And there were plenty of tweets that picked up the animation-inspired aspect to the ensemble. 'Kim is going to be great in the DC Universe,' someone joked, while another said: 'Don't disrespect the MCU like that.' The bold look included a leather wrap skirt that cinched tightly to her ultra trim waistline and her gloves poked out from under the long-sleeves of her catsuit. DC: 'Kim is going to be great in the DC Universe,' someone joked, while another said: 'Don't disrespect the MCU like that' Reactions: Fan reactions to Kim Kardashian's flaming look Strictly's Janette Manrara and Aljaz Skorjanec have revealed that they 'can't wait' to be parents one day. The Cuban-American professional dancer, 38, and her Slovenian husband, 32, said they are not 'putting pressure on how, when and in what capacity that will be'. In a new interview with Prima, the couple said they were 'leaving it up to the universe' and will 'take whatever they're blessed with'. Exciting: Strictly's Janette Manrara and Aljaz Skorjanec have revealed that they 'can't wait' to be parents one day The pair first met in 2010 and married in 2017 and have always been busy starring on Strictly Come Dancing or taking on other presenting gigs. On their hopes to start a family Janette told the publication: 'We believe in leaving it up to the universe and taking whatever we're blessed with. 'We want to be parents and can't wait for the day that comes, but we're not putting pressure on how, when and in what capacity that will be.' On their relationship being love at first sight Janette explained: 'Not quite! We met in 2010; I'd just moved to London to do the dance show Burn The Floor and I was rehearsing when Aljaz came in, looking like Prince Charming. Candid: The Cuban-American professional dancer, 38, and her Slovenian husband, 32, said they are not 'putting pressure on how, when and in what capacity that will be' Plans: In a new interview with Prima, the couple said they were 'leaving it up to the universe' and will 'take whatever they're blessed with' 'Everyone just froze in awe except for me. I was so focused on travelling the world and living my best life, I wasn't looking for a boyfriend. On one of our first nights out with the cast, he kept trying to buy me a drink and I kept saying no. 'Then he said, 'You watch, I'm going to marry you one day!' But Aljaz added: 'I just knew from the first moment I saw her. And after months of begging, I finally convinced her to go out with me!' On what drew them to one another, Janette added: Obviously he's a beautiful man, but it was when he started talking about his family values and priorities in life. He had such emotional intelligence and I remember thinking, 'Wait a minute, he's lovely on the inside, extremely talented, funny and handsome!' Honest: On their hopes to start a family Janette told the publication: 'We believe in leaving it up to the universe and taking whatever we're blessed with!' Motherhood: Janette added: 'We want to be parents and can't wait for the day that comes, but we're not putting pressure on how, when and in what capacity that will be' Aljaz went on to explain: 'Meanwhile, I was ready to propose five hours after meeting her! You know how they say there's someone out there who's just right for you? Janette is perfect proof of that.' Read all about it: The December issue of Prima is on sale from 3 November It comes after last week Janette was left red-faced as she accidentally dropped the F-bomb in Italian live on TV on Friday. The presenter was interviewing assistant choreographers Arduino Bertoncello and Ash-Leigh Hunter on Strictly It Takes Two when the awkward moment happened. As she was ending the interview she thanked the pair in Italian before accidentally saying 'Che Cazzo', which translates to 'what the f***'. The guest was left amused but politely replied: 'Grazie,' meaning thank you. The Cuban-American television presenter spotted her mistake and was quick to repeat 'Grazie'. During the episode, Kym Marsh revealed how she struggles to contain her emotions whilst appearing on the show and has meltdowns backstage. The December issue of Prima is on sale from 3 November. Selena Gomez has responded to the online frenzy over last month's pictures of her cuddling up to Hailey Bieber at the Academy Museum gala. Hailey is married to Selena's ex Justin Bieber, which has led some Selena fans to relentlessly troll Hailey over the past few years. However the two women demonstrated with their photos last month that they themselves are on friendly terms, whatever their respective admirers might think. Now in a new interview with Vulture, Selena said the snaps were 'not a big deal' and added: 'It's not even a thing.' 'Not a big deal': Selena Gomez has responded to the online frenzy over last month's pictures of her cuddling up to Hailey Bieber at the Academy Museum gala Photographer Tyrell Hampton, who captured one of the images of Hailey and Selena at the gala, posted it to Instagram at the time and wrote: 'plot twist.' Hailey had already previously indicated on the Call Her Daddy podcast that her equation with Selena was 'all respect' - and during the same interview she staunchly denied that Justin had cheated on Selena with her. Selena and Justin were teenage sweethearts but had their last breakup in 2018, months before he had a courthouse marriage to Hailey. The month after Justin married Hailey, Selena reportedly suffered a breakdown connected to her lupus and entered treatment for her mental health. Dynamic duo: the two women demonstrated with their photos last month that they themselves are on friendly terms, whatever their respective admirers might think A day after news broke of Selena's alleged breakdown, Justin was spotted looking anguished as he sat in his car beside Hailey. Hailey has received blowback from diehard Selena fans throughout her relationship with Justin, whom she has now been married to for over four years. When Justin and Hailey attended the Americana-themed Met Gala together in September 2021, onlookers chanted 'Selena!' at them. Hailey's cousin Ireland claimed that the couple were unfazed by the jeering Selena fans, writing on social media: 'Theyre one of the happiest and most in love couples Ive ever gotten the chance to be around. They dont care about them.' Duo: Hailey is married to Selena's ex Justin Bieber, which has led some Selena fans to relentlessly troll Hailey over the past few years; 'Jailey' are pictured in September Remember when: When Justin and Hailey attended the Americana-themed Met Gala together in September 2021, onlookers chanted 'Selena!' at them Back in 2020 Justin shared a social media post by a Selena fan who encouraged others to flood Hailey's livestream with remarks that 'Jelena was better.' 'It is extremely hard to choose the high road when I see people like this try and rally to gather people to bully the person I love the most in this world,' Justin wrote. Hailey became so exasperated that this April she posted a TikTok begging the trolls who are 'in my comments every single time I post' to 'leave me alone, please.' Possibly referring to how long ago Justin and Selena broke up, she added: 'Enough time has gone by where its valid to leave me alone. I beg of you, truly.' Love Island Australia star Claudia Bonifazio has made a shock return to the Spanish villa after getting the boot in the first episode. Claudia was kicked out of the competition after a tricky couple swap saw her rival Holly Oakes Ferguson steal her partner Jordan. The drama began when host Sophie Monk let the ladies ask the gents a series of questions before the couples paired up. Love Island Australia star Claudia Bonifazio (right) has made a shock return to the Spanish villa after getting the boot in the first episode The first-round couples were Claudia and Jordan, Phoebe and Mitchell, Jessica and Conor, Layla and Austen and Stella and Andre. Holly was left without a partner due to the women outnumbering the men - only to be told she had the power to steal a man. The blonde bombshell went on to steal Jordan, saying she felt he was a 'genuine' guy who was in the villa for the right reasons. Holly (pictured) was left without a partner due to the women outnumbering the men - only to be told she had the power to steal a man. The blonde bombshell went on to steal Jordan, saying she felt he was a 'genuine' guy who was in the villa for the right reasons 'So, I'd like to couple up with this boy because he's shown me a really genuine soul which is what I am looking for,' she said. 'The boy I would like to couple up with is... Jordan.' This man-stealing move left Claudia without a partner and she was sent packing. This man-stealing move left Claudia without a partner and she was sent packing. Holly is now coupled up with mullet-haired bogan Jordan (pictured) She received the dreaded text: 'Claudia, you are now single and must leave the Villa. Please pack your bags and say goodbye to your fellow Islanders.' The Islanders were shocked with some of the girls bursting into tears. However, the following day saw Claudia return to the villa with a pair of handsome intruders ready to shake things up. Stream Love Island Australia exclusively on 9Now Khloe Kardashian posted the first photos of her infant son, although not his face, when she showed off her kid's Halloween costumes. In the Instagram post, True was all made of up as Owlette Disney Junior show PJ Masks, while her boy could partially be seen decked out as the cartoon character Tigger on Monday. But Halloween didn't and there for Khloe, as the mother of two took back to Instagram on Wednesday to showcase a series of snaps of herself and True dressed identically as grey cats. Extended Halloween: Khloe Kardashian, 38, and daughter True, four, dressed up like the family's pet cat 'Grey Kitty', as second costumes for Halloween 'Ladies and gentlemen. Grey Kitty!' The Kardashians star announced in the caption, adding, 'What True wants, True gets.' She went on to confess: 'I know. I know. A cat?! For Halloween,' before ending the post with a little sarcasm: 'Ground breaking.' It turns out mother and daughter didn't dress up as just any kind of cat. It appears True got the idea to dress up like her family's cat, named Grey Kitty, which happens to be her first-ever pet. Matching grey cats: The proud mom announced their second's Halloween costumes, where she confessed: 'What True wants, True gets,' in the caption Working it: The first six pictures show Khloe and True striking various poses for the camera, including four with the reality star holding the real-life Grey Kitty in her arms Feline like: The duo did their best car impersonations during the photoshoot The first six pictures show Khloe and True striking various poses for the camera, sitting down and standing up, which includes the duo using their hands as claws. Both of them wore skin-tight grey bodysuits, that came complete with long grey tails and matching ears, and had black noses and whiskers painted on their faces. In an added touch of style, the Good America founder also wore thigh-high silver stiletto boots to her cat ensemble. There's also one image where the adorable little girl starts to play with her tail while she flashes her infectious smile towards the camera. Cat-like: At one point, True started to play with her long tail as she flashed her adorable smile Family of cats: In an added touch of style, the Good America founder also wore thigh-high silver stiletto boots with her skin-tight bodysuit and matching ears Cute: Khloe also snapped a closeup shot of her daughter doing an imitation of her pet cat by crinkling her nose and using her fingers as claws Outdoor cat: The final photo is another solo snap of True, only this time she's outside posing under the blue skies with a big beaming smile on her face By the third image in the post, Khloe brought the real-life Grey Kitty into the photoshoot, and held the sleek kitten in her arms. Khloe also snapped a closeup shot of her daughter doing an imitation of her pet cat by crinkling her nose and using her fingers as claws. The final photo is another solo snap of True, only this time she posed outside under the blue skies with a big beaming smile on her face. Two days earlier, Khloe was seen at a family Halloween party, with her ex-partner and baby daddy Tristan Thompson, dressed up as a black cat, while True was feeling pretty confident in her Owlette ensemble. The former couple, True and their infant son were among the partygoers that were seen in a TikTok video that was posted by niece North West nine. It appears Khloe got the real Grey Kitty back in early June, and then made her first post of True holding the kitty in her arms on June 9. Family: Khloe and Tristan reunited over the weekend to spend Halloween with their two children. The reality TV star, was glimpsed in a TikTok video from a family Halloween party posted by niece North West, nine where she was joined by the NBA free agent First photos: The proud mom also shared a heartwarming photo of True in an Owlette costume, holding her baby brother, who was dressed up as Tigger First photos: Khloe shared a glimpse of her son's leg and foot wearing sneakers Julie Bishop rubbed shoulders with some very famous faces at a book launch party in London on Wednesday night. The former foreign minister, 66 was joined at the launch of Dr Gene Sherman's The Spoken Object by Princess Beatrice, former British Prime Minister David Cameron and A-list actress Isla Fisher. The glamorous socialite stole the spotlight in a silver sparkly mini dress by Max Mara, which retails for $1405. Julie Bishop rubbed shoulders with royalty, famous actors and former British Prime Minister David Cameron at a swanky book launch in London on Wednesday evening She teamed the sequined frock with diamond and crystal ball drop earrings and her short blonde hair was coiffed in its signature style. Ms Bishop was excited to be attending the event, sharing a series of photos of herself posing alongside the stars on Instagram. 'The Princess, the Prime Minister and the Actor. A simply extraordinary evening for @sherman_gene book launch 'The Spoken Object,' she wrote. It comes after Ms Bishop divided opinions after she appeared in a striking hot pink leather dress at a fashion event in London last month to give a speech about clothing and feminism. She turned heads in an eye-catching buttoned mini dress and sparkly heels as she took to the stage to speak at the Sherman Centre for Cultural Ideas Fashion Hub event at London's Design Museum. The glamorous socialite stole the spotlight in a silver sparkly mini dress by Max Mara, which retails for $1405 as she posed alongside Princess Beatrice However, some attendees were said to be 'privately furious' she was named as a speaker at the prestigious event, because she once rejected being called a 'feminist' altogether, according to Nine newspapers' CBD column. During the speech, Ms Bishop talked up her contribution to equality and talked about how she was looked down upon by some colleagues for being more fashionable than other ministers. But during her time in Parliament, Ms Bishop said: 'I don't find the need to self-describe in that way [as a feminist]' and said she did not find the term useful. Respected Australian activist and photographer Juno Gemes reportedly noted Ms Bishop was 'a strange choice'. 'The Princess, the Prime Minister and the Actor. A simply extraordinary evening for @sherman_gene book launch 'The Spoken Object,' she wrote. Pictured Julie and Isla Fisher Ms Bishop reportedly told the crowd her cabinet colleagues had disapproved of her fashion sense during her time in parliament and revealed she was told to wear 'more cardigans' when she was appointed aged care minister - an anecdote she has regularly told since leaving politics. Ms Bishop also spoke about the power of fashion in diplomacy, noting that she learned to wear colours to reflect the place she was dealing with. That meant white in The White House, red for China. The centre promoted the event with more photos of Ms Bishop in another pink dress, this time an extraordinary two-toned ruffled gown. It comes after Ms Bishop divided opinion after she appeared in a striking hot pink leather dress at a fashion event in London last month to give a speech about clothing and feminism One of the images had Ms Bishop standing next to a giant mining dump truck. 'The intriguing intersection of politics and fashion - delighted to speak at the Sherman Centre for Culture and Ideas in London,' Ms Bishop wrote in an Instagram post after her speech. She also thanked Bradley Lauten, David Jones' personal styling suite manager, in a social media post featuring photos of herself in the dress. Designed by Leo Lin, it retails for $899 at David Jones. Leo Lin said it designs for 'the new era of femininity is laced with strength, fearlessness, and confidence'. She turned heads in an eye-catching buttoned mini dress and sparkly heels as she took to the stage to speak at the Sherman Centre for Cultural Ideas Fashion Hub event at London's Design Museum An Australian TikTok star begged her social media followers for help this week after her autistic brother went missing on Queensland's Sunshine Coast. Brooke Styles raised the alarm on Wednesday, sharing an Instagram post explaining her brother had not returned home from a morning walk. 'Please share! My brother is missing. He is 15 years old and has high-functioning autism,' she wrote next to a recent photo of her brother. Australian TikTok star Brooke Styles (pictured) begged her social media followers for help this week after her autistic brother went missing on Queensland's Sunshine Coast 'He usually goes on a walk when he needs to self-regulate but didn't return this morning,' she added. 'We noticed he was missing from 4.30am this morning and [he] hasn't taken any items with him so has no access to food and water. No money.' Ms Styles described her brother as being 6ft and 'looking like an adult from afar', and urged anyone with information to immediately contact police. Her post quickly went viral, with popular Instagram account Influencer Updates re-sharing the message to its own followers. Ms Styles raised the alarm on Wednesday, sharing an Instagram post explaining her brother had not returned home from a morning walk Her brother was eventually found safe and well, with Ms Styles updating her Instagram followers later on Wednesday Her brother was eventually found safe and well, with Ms Styles updating her Instagram followers later on Wednesday. 'We found him!' she wrote. 'Thank you so much to everyone for sharing. Thanks to you, the lovely people who found him saw my story. He's safe at home. Thank you again, everyone.' Ms Styles last made headlines in January after she shared a TikTok video herself blindly choosing her next hairstyle Ms Styles last made headlines in January after she shared a TikTok video herself blindly choosing her next hairstyle. With her eyes closed, she chose between two options written on pieces of paper before unveiling her finished look of gorgeous blonde waves. She told Daily Mail Australia she couldn't decide between dyeing her hair red or blonde, and stumbled across the 'fun' concept on TikTok. She captured the process in a short video, which later went viral on Instagram racking up more than 98,000 views. Kyle Sandilands and Jackie 'O' Henderson were surprised to discover how difficult the Australian citizenship test really is. The radio hosts were put to the test on Thursday by newsreader Brooklyn Ross, who read out several questions asked of new citizens. Henderson, 47, answered most of the questions correctly, but Sandilands, 51, got only a handful correct. Kyle Sandilands (left) and Jackie 'O' Henderson (right) were surprised to discover how difficult the Australian citizenship test really is They both agreed if you weren't born in Australia, the test would be 'hard' to pass, and Sandilands said he was 'impressed' his co-host got so many right. She attributed her success to a book she read 'years ago' called The Little Book of Australian History, saying: 'It gives you everything that you need to know, that you should know, if you live here.' The official practice test has 20 multiple-choice questions and you must get 15 (75 per cent) correct to pass. The answers are at the end of this article. The radio hosts were put to the test on Thursday by newsreader Brooklyn Ross (pictured), who read out several questions asked of new citizens 1. What do we commemorate on Anzac Day? a. The landing of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps at Gallipoli, Turkey during World War I b. The arrival of the first free settlers from Great Britain c. The landing of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove 2. What are the colours of the Australian Aboriginal Flag? a. Black, red and yellow b. Green, white and black c. Blue, white and green 3. What is the Commonwealth Coat of Arms? a. The national anthem b. Australias national flower c. The official symbol of Australia, which identifies Commonwealth property 4. What happened in Australia on 1 January 1901? a. The Australian Constitution was changed by a referendum b. The separate colonies were united into a federation of states called the Commonwealth of Australia c. The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps was formed 5. What is the capital city of Australia? a. Brisbane b. Canberra c. Perth 6. Which of these is an example of freedom of speech? a. People can peacefully protest against a government action b. Men and women are treated equally in a court of law c. Australians are free to not follow a religion 7. Which of these statements about government in Australia is correct? a. The government does not allow some religions b. The government in Australia is secular c. Religious laws are passed by Parliament The test includes questions about Australia's history and system of government. (Pictured: Opposition leader Peter Dutton in Parliament House on October 27) 8. Which of these is an example of equality in Australia? a. Everyone follows the same religion b. Men and women have equal rights c. Everyone belongs to the same political party 9. Which of these is a responsibility of Australian citizens aged 18 years or over? a. To attend local council meetings b. To vote in federal and state or territory elections, and in a referendum c. To have a current Australian passport 10. Which of these statements about passports is correct? a. Australian citizens can apply for an Australian passport b. Permanent residents can hold an Australian passport c. Australian citizens need a passport and visa to return to Australia One of the first things new Australians do after getting citizenship is apply for a passport 11. Which of these statements about voting in Australian elections is correct? a. People are free and safe to vote for any candidate b. Voting is by a show of hands c. People must write their name on their vote 12. What is the name of the legal document that sets out the basic rules for the government of Australia? a. The Australian Federation b. The Australian Commonwealth c. The Australian Constitution 13. What is a referendum? a. A vote to change the government b. A vote to change the Australian Constitution c. A vote to change the Prime Minister 14. Which arm of government has the power to interpret and apply laws? a. Legislative b. Executive c. Judicial 15. Which of these is a role of the Governor-General? a. The appointment of state premiers b. Signing all Bills passed by the Australian Parliament into law c. The appointment of the Head of State One sample test question asks which arm of government has the power to interpret and apply laws? (Pictured: the High Court of Australia in Canberra) 16. Which of these statements best demonstrates Australian values about freedom of expression? a. Everyone can peacefully express their opinions within the law b. People with different views from me need to keep quiet c. Only approved topics can be discussed 17. Should people in Australia make an effort to learn English? a. People in Australia should speak whichever language is most commonly spoken in their local neighbourhood b. There is no expectation to learn any particular language in Australia c. Yes, English is the national language of Australia and it helps to get an education, a job, and to integrate into the community 18. In Australia, can you encourage violence against a person or group of people if you have been insulted? a. Yes, if you do not intend to carry out the violence b. No, it is against Australian values and the law c. Sometimes, if I feel very offended One sample question asks what is a role of the Governor-General. (Pictured: Australia's Governor-General David Hurley) 19. Should people tolerate one another where they find that they disagree? a. It is against the law to disagree with one another b. No, people only need to treat each other with respect if they agree with one another c. Yes, peaceful disagreement reflects Australian values in relation to mutual respect 20. Which of the following is an example of contributing to the Australian community? a. Volunteering or fundraising for a charity is a great opportunity to strengthen our community b. I should not make any effort to get to know other people c. People in Australia should not contribute to the community because Australia is a free country The Block's Jenny Heath is hoping to extend her time in the spotlight after the hammer falls at auction this season. Speaking to 9Now this week, the 25-year-old said she's on the hunt for a talent manager and is keen to 'see what's out there' in the world of celebrity. 'You just don't know what could happen after The Block, so much could happen,' Jenny said. The Block's Jenny Heath has announced she is seeking out a talent agent to 'see what is out there' after this season wraps. Pictured: Jenny and fiance, Dylan Adams Jenny's fiance, Dylan Adams, 29, was the one to encourage her to seek out a manager. When asked what the future might hold for the couple, Jenny simply replied: 'We're just gonna flip homes and continue on in the outside world.' Dylan then interrupted Jenny: 'Who knows what you could end up doing as well.' Jenny's fiance, Dylan Adams, 29, was the one to encourage her to seek out a manager Elsewhere in the chat, the couple admitted they would be keen to return to The Block for another season, despite their grueling experience this year. It comes after Jenny recently told New Idea that family will be their sole focus after their time on The Block is over. 'I'm so excited for the next chapter. I know there is nothing Dylan and I cant get through,' she gushed. Elsewhere in the chat, the couple admitted they would be keen to return to The Block for another season, despite their grueling experience this year The couple have been dating for several years after first meeting in Canada. They are now planning to tie the knot at the InterContinental Sanctuary Cove Resort on the Gold Coast in March 2023. They have already invited the hosts of their hit series, Scott Cam and Shelley Craft. The five renovated homes in Gisborne South, Victoria, will go under the hammer on Saturday, November 6, reports TV Tonight. Each house has five bedrooms and three bathrooms, and is listed with a price guide of $4million to $4.4million The Block finale airs Sunday at 7pm on Channel Nine and 9Now President Yoon Suk-yeol attends a National Security Council meeting on North Korea's latest ballistic missile launches at the presidential office in Seoul, Nov. 3. Yonhap The presidential National Security Council strongly condemned North Korea's latest missile launches Thursday as President Yoon Suk-yeol ordered the military to maintain a firm combined defense posture with the United States to protect the people's lives against the North's intensifying provocations. North Korea fired one presumed intercontinental ballistic missile and two short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea, continuing a barrage of weapons tests that included the launch Wednesday of a missile that landed near South Korean territorial waters for the first time since the 1950-53 Korean War. "The participants deemed North Korea's ballistic missile launch as a grave violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions and serious provocations raising tensions on the Korean Peninsula and in the region, and strongly condemned it," the presidential office said of an NSC meeting presided over by National Security Adviser Kim Sung-han and joined by Yoon. "In particular, they made clear that South Korea-U.S. combined defense exercises aimed at protecting our people's lives and safety in response to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats will continue unwaveringly," it said. Grammy nominee Travis Barker announced the death of his beloved French Bulldog Blue on Wednesday. Frenchies typically have a life span of 1014 years and, judging by the wealth of white fur on Blue's cheeks, he appeared to live a long life in the 46-year-old pop-punk drummer's 10K-square-foot Calabasas compound. Travis - who boasts 13.2M social media followers - wrote via Instastory: 'I'll miss you Blue. You were the best dog. I was always waiting for you to say something. Love you 4ever boy.' RIP: Grammy nominee Travis Barker announced the death of his beloved French Bulldog Blue on Wednesday Blue was primarily raised by Barker's 16-year-old daughter Alabama Luella, who posted several touching tributes to her canine companion. 'I love you Blue. You will never understand how much you helped me on my darkest days,' the not-so-typical teenager - who boasts 4.4M social media followers - wrote. 'You slept next to me, the way I would throw your ball and you would run with excitement, or the eyes you had that just touched everybody, I'll never forget you my baby. I know you'll have the most amazing time up in doggy heaven. Until we meet again my love' Alabama also wrote on TikTok: 'I love you my baby. Your mommy loves you more then life could imagine. [You're] going to have the most amazing life in heaven. Until we meet again my son I love you more then life itself.' Privileged pooch: Frenchies typically have a life span of 1014 years and, judging by the wealth of white fur on Blue's cheeks, he appeared to live a long life in the 46-year-old pop-punk drummer's 10K-square-foot Calabasas compound Travis - who boasts 13.2M social media followers - wrote via Instastory: 'I'll miss you Blue. You were the best dog. I was always waiting for you to say something. Love you 4ever boy' 'You will never understand how much you helped me on my darkest days': Blue was primarily raised by Barker's 16-year-old daughter Alabama Luella, who posted several touching tributes to her canine companion The Pretty Little Thing paid partner also posted a snap of herself age 8 in 2014 petting Blue and holding one of the family's other three French Bulldogs. Alabama is Barker's youngest of three children - including son Landon, 19; and stepdaughter Atiana De La Hoya, 23 - from his on/off three-year marriage to Miss USA 1995 Shanna Moakler, which ended in 2008. On October 13, the platinum blonde - who should still be enrolled in high school - launched a 53-piece footwear/purse collection with the UK brand Public Desire. Alabama was named after Patricia Arquette's character Alabama Whitman from Tony Scott's 1993 film True Romance, which was famously written by Quentin Tarantino. 'Until we meet again my son': The not-so-typical teenager also posted a snap of herself age 8 in 2014 petting Blue and holding one of the family's other three French Bulldogs 'My mini me': Alabama is Barker's youngest of three children - including son Landon, 19; and stepdaughter Atiana De La Hoya, 23 - from his on/off three-year marriage to Miss USA 1995 Shanna Moakler (L, pictured in 2021), which ended in 2008 'You guys aren't ready!' On October 13, the Pretty Little Thing paid partner - who should still be enrolled in high school - launched a 53-piece footwear/purse collection with the UK brand Public Desire The DTA Records founder is also stepfather to his neighbor-turned-wife Kourtney Kardashian's three children - son Mason, 12; daughter Penelope, 10; and son Reign, 7 - from her on/off nine-year relationship with Talentless CEO Scott Disick, which ended in 2015. Travis and the 43-year-old Poosh founder tied the knot over three wedding ceremonies - April 4, May 15, and May 22 - following a whirlwind 16-month romance. Catch more of the Barkers' wedding and IVF baby journeys in the second season of her dismally-reviewed reality TV spin-off The Kardashians, which airs Thursdays on Hulu. The Edging rocker reunites with his Blink-182 bandmates Mark Hoppus and Tom DeLonge for an 87-date World Tour 2023-2024, which kicks off March 11 in Tijuana. 'What's more American than Marilyn Monroe?' Catch more of the DTA Records founder and his neighbor-turned-wife Kourtney Kardashian's (R) wedding and IVF baby journeys in the second season of The Kardashians, which airs Thursdays on Hulu Kanye West paid a settlement to a former employee who alleged that he praised Hitler and Nazis during business meetings, reports NBC News. The embattled rapper, 45 - who has seen his career and reputation go into freefall after he vowed to go 'death con 3 on Jewish people' in a vile Twitter post last month - is said to have paid the employee after they allegedly witnessed 'more than one' instance in which he praised the fascist leader and his party. The publication states that while West paid the employee, he denied the claims made by them in the agreement. The former employee - who asked to remain anonymous due to signing a non-disclosure agreement - claims that West praised Hitler in 2018 during a meeting about apparel, alleging he said the tyrant 'had some good qualities' and that 'he wasnt all bad.' They said: 'He would kind of present things as like questions to ask people their opinion on something but then he would go really hard and aggressive on, like, what he thought about it and on really just topics that would upset people, like there were people always visibly upset.' Claim; Kanye West paid a settlement to a former employee who alleged that he praised Hitler and Nazis during business meetings, reports NBC News They also claimed they signed multiple NDAs while working with the musician. NBC News reports they received proof the settlement had been paid to the employee. Last week, in what appears to be a separate incident, West's former business executive said the star created a hostile work environment with his anti-Semitic remarks, leading him to ultimately quit. The unnamed person is said to have reached a settlement with Ye and some of his companies over workplace complaints, including harassment, and asked not to be named due to a confidentiality agreement and fear of retribution. As part of the agreement, CNN reports, West denied the accusations against him. Tyrant: The embattled rapper, 45, is said to have paid the employee after they allegedly witnessed 'more than one' instance in which he praised the fascist leader (pictured) and his party Conceptual artist Ryder Ripps, who is Jewish and who worked with West from 2014-2018 also claimed to NBC News that West praised Hitler and the Nazis and discussed 'anti-Jewish conspiracies' during meetings in the summer and fall of 2018. Ripps said he called out West on the comments at the time but didn't think they were 'that dangerous' - but in light of his recent anti-Semitism, now thinks differently. He said: 'This is dangerous, and disgusting, and actually violent. With this pattern thats happening and with the doubling and tripling down of all this, its pretty obvious that this is some kind of disgusting, hate-filled, strange Nazi obsession.' Ripps claims West told him Nazis are good at propaganda' and asked him if he was offended that the star was 'interested in Nazis' regarding an unhappy Jewish employee - adding that Jews have the codes a lot'. Ripps says he told West he was 'wrong' to which he allegedly did not respond - and added that in the wake of West's recent anti-Semitic tirade, he had seen an increase of people personally attacking him on Instagram. Post: Last month, Ye declared he was going 'death con 3 on [the] Jewish people' The publication reports to have spoken with six additional people who have worked with West in the past five years, and have claimed to hear him praise Hitler and mention conspiracy theories about Jewish people. Three of the people claimed they heard West use anti-Semitic language while the other three alleged the musician went on an 'anti-Semitic rant' at TMZ's offices in 2018. Three of the former employees also claimed the rapper asked them to sign numerous NDAs. It was also claimed by one of the six people that they recalled 'multiple instances dating back to 2019' of West comparing himself to Hitler, blaming Jews for certain events and discussing 'anti-Jewish conspiracy theories.' This comes after a former TMZ employee claimed in a podcast last month that West made anti-Semitic comments that the outlet chose not to publish in 2018. Speaking on his Higher Learning podcast, Van Lathan Jr said that when he confronted West over his remarks that slavery 'sounds like a choice,' West also spoke about his love of Nazis. 'I already heard him say that stuff at TMZ,' Lathan Jr said. 'I mean, I was taken aback because that type of anti-Semitic talk is disgusting. It's like, I'm taken a back any time anyone does that, right? 'But as far as [West], I knew that that stuff was in him because when he came to TMZ, he said that stuff and they took it out of the interview,' Lathan Jr revealed. Conceptual artist Ryder Ripps, who is Jewish and who worked with West from 2014-2018 claimed to NBC News that West praised Hitler and the Nazis and discussed 'anti-Jewish conspiracies' 'He said something like, "I love Hitler, I love Nazis," something to that effect when he was there,' the former TMZ employee said. 'And they took it out of the interview for whatever reason,' he claimed, adding: 'It wasn't my decision.' He then went on to say that he actually brought up the Holocaust while rebutting Ye's comments about slavery. 'If you look at what I said at TMZ, it goes from me saying like, "Hey Kanye, there's real-life, real-world implications to everything that you just said there." 'What I say after that if I can remember, it's been a long time was "12 million people actually died because of Nazism and Hitler and all of that stuff," and then I move on to talk about what he said about slavery.' In the video from his rant back then, West could be heard saying: 'We are controlled by the media, and today it all changes.' He then goes on to ask TMZ employees if they 'felt something that I said today,' at which point Van Lathan Jr replies: 'I actually don't think you're thinking anything. 'I think what you're doing right now is the absence of thought, and the reason why I feel like that, because Kanye you're entitled to your opinion, you're entitled to believe whatever you want but there is fact and real-life, real-world consequences behind everything that you just said. 'And while you are making music and being an artist and living the life that you've earned by being a genius, the rest of us in society have to deal with these threats to our lives. 'We have to deal with the marginalization that has come from the 400 years of slavery that you said, for our people, was a choice.' Last week it was reported by CNN that West has long admired Nazi leader Adolph Hitler, and once wanted to name an album after him Van Lathan went on to say: 'Frankly I'm disappointed, I'm appalled, and frankly, brother, I am unbelievably hurt by the fact that you have morphed into something, that to me, is not real.' Another former employee, who worked with West for three years, claims the star openly said 'I love Hitler' before looking around the room for 'reactions.' DailyMail.com has contacted representatives for Kanye West and TMZ for comment. Last week, insiders claimed West has long admired Nazi leader Hitler, and once wanted to name an album after him. Sources close to the now disgraced rapper told CNN how West was 'obsessed' with Hitler and even wanted to name his 2018 hit album after the fascist leader before ultimately releasing it under the name 'Ye.' It is unclear why he changed his mind. 'He would praise Hitler by saying how incredible it was that he was able to accumulate so much power, and would talk about all the great things he and the Nazi Party achieved for the German people,' a former business executive said. The unnamed source claimed that people in West's inner circle were 'fully aware' of his interest in Hitler, as he would speak openly about reading Mein Kampf, Hitler's 1925 manifesto, and expressed his 'admiration' for the Nazis for their propaganda. A host of high profile brands have dropped Ye in recent days and weeks amid ongoing controversy over his social media posts and rants The Nazis, under the direction of Hitler, killed six million Jews in the Holocaust. On Tuesday it emerged Jewish staff members at Kanye West's Donda Academy have quit in droves since the rapper began his anti-Semitic tirade last month, his friend has confirmed. Poet Malik Yusef, who has previously identified himself as an 'administrator' at the school, told the New York Post how 'staff members of the Jewish faith were lost' in the weeks since the rapper first threatened to go to war with the Jewish people. The confirmation comes amid reports that the $15,000-a-year school no longer has enough teachers to operate. It remains unclear whether all of the staff have quit after the school abruptly closed last week only to reopen a few hours later. 'I know we had a couple people of the Jewish faith [who] basically recused or resigned in light of public pressure from, I am sure, friends and family,' Yusef said. 'You got to go with your team when your family is saying it's not possible to stay there,' he added. Tamar Andrews, a highly-regarded education consultant who works as the director of early childhood education at Temple Isaiah and the American Jewish University, is said to have handed her resignation at Donda Academy 'immediately' after West's anti-Semitic tweet Among the staff members who are said to have left in recent weeks is Tamar Andrews, a highly-regarded education consultant who works as the director of early childhood education at Temple Isaiah and the American Jewish University. Her last day was on October 11, according to the Hollywood Reporter, just two days after West tweeted he was planning to go 'death con three on the Jewish people. 'Dr. Andrews immediately resigned from Donda Academy following Ye West's tweet,' Allison Samek, president of Temple Isaiah of Los Angeles, told THR noting that Andrews 'felt she could no longer support the organization.' Meanwhile, Brianne Campbell's LinkedIn profile shows she stopped working at the school last month as well. She was the principal and executive director. Meanwhile, Brianne Campbell's LinkedIn shows that she stopped working as the principal and executive director of the Donda Academy last month DailyMail.com has reached out to Campbell for comment. The rapper is now seeing his billion dollar empire crumble around him after tweeting he would go 'death con three on the Jewish people' and claimed Jews in the media are conspiring against him. Last month Adidas dropped his Yeezy shoe line - a deal which was worth $1.5billion - with Gap, Footlocker, TJ Maxx, and Balenciaga all following suit and cutting ties with the rapper. The termination of the Adidas deal has now knocked Ye out of the billionaire ranks, according to wealth tracker Forbes. The rapper was embarrassingly escorted out of Skechers headquarters on Wednesday after showing up unannounced to pitch his Yeezy brand a day after being dropped by Adidas and having his songs banned by Peloton. Skechers representatives said in a statement: 'Considering Ye was engaged in unauthorized filming, two Skechers executives escorted him and his party from the building after a brief conversation. Skechers is not considering and has no intention of working with West. 'We condemn his recent divisive remarks and do not tolerate anti-Semitism or any other form of hate speech. The Company would like to again stress that West showed up unannounced and uninvited to Skechers corporate offices.' The rapper's removal from the shoe brand's office comes mere hours after Adidas announced that it will continue to sell Yeezy products while removing the rapper's moniker. How much is Kanye really worth? Forbes estimate that Kanye is worth around $2billion, with DailyMail.com breaking down his individual deals: ADIDAS - $1.5billion West's deal with Adidas was the crowning jewel of his fortune, with sales climbing to $1.7billion in 2020 earning him $191 million in royalties. Forbes estimates that the Yeezy business with Adidas is worth $1.5billion, and the company confirmed that they were likely to lose up to $250million of their net income in 2022 as a result of the split. GAP X BALENCIAGA - $970million His GAP collection was estimated at around $970million when the deal was announced in 2021, but he has since terminated his work with the retailer. Initial products sold out in 2021, after being announced in June 2020, in a partnership which was expected to last for ten years but was cut short by West. GAP were also part of a deal between Yeezy and Balenciaga, with estimates claiming they would bring in $1billion in projected sales. SKIMS - $160million West, who divorced Kim Kardashian in 2020, remains a partner in Skims but it is unclear how much he earns from that. He previously ranted about owning 5 percent of the business, which is estimated at a $3.2billion net worth. If that is the case then he would have a $160million stake in the company. MUSIC - $90million He has sold over 140 million albums worldwide, and documents seen by Forbes show that his own recorded music and publishing rights is worth at least $90million. Between mortgages, advances and other liabilities, Forbes say West owes about $100 million. Advertisement Management said that they will sell the items under their own brand at the beginning of 2023, according to analysts. Adidas broke off their deal with Ye on Tuesday after pressure from fans over the rapper and designer's recent anti-Semitic comments. It ended the lucrative partnership, which included royalty payments and other fees. He is now worth just $400 million, which Forbes estimates comes from real estate, cash, his music catalog, and a 5 percent stake in ex-wife Kim Kardashian's shapewear firm, Skims. But as corporations around the world break off deals with Ye, music streaming service Spotify said it would not remove the rapper's music unless his label requested it. Recent anti-Semitic remarks made by the rapper are 'just awful comments,' and would have warranted removal from Spotify for violating its policies if they had been on a podcast or recording, Spotify chief Daniel Ek said. However, music from the artist now known as Ye does not violate anti-hate policies, and any anti-Semitic comments he has made cannot be found on the music streaming platform. 'It's really just his music, and his music doesn't violate our policy,' said Ek, adding, 'It's up to his label, if they want to take action or not.' Questions over whether Spotify would pull Ye's music come after Hollywood super-agent Ari Emanuel called for major streaming services to end their business relationships with West. But Spotify has faced backlash in the past when it punished musicians for their personal misconduct. The streaming service removed R Kelly's music from its playlists and recommendations in 2018 following allegations of sexual misconduct only to later walk back the policy after other artists threatened boycotts. Instead, the streaming platform now gives users a mute button to block particular artists with whom they may disagree. If Ye's label asks for the rapper's catalog to be removed, Ek said, 'Obviously we'll respect their wishes.' TJ Maxx has also stopped doing business with the rapper, after he was previously dropped by talent agency CAA and fashion label Balenciaga. Footwear retailer Foot Locker also announced they would 'not be supporting any future Yeezy product drops, and we have instructed our retail operators to pull any existing product from our shelves and digital sites.' Universal Music's Def Jam label, which owns the copyright to West's recordings from 2002 through 2016, and continued distributing his releases until last year, also issued a statement condemning Ye's remarks. 'There is no place for anti-Semitism in our society,' the record label said. But it has not yet asked for the removal of Ye's recordings, many of which are critically acclaimed works. Meanwhile, production studio MRC recently announced that they are shelving a documentary they made about the rapper. MRC studio executives Modi Wiczyk, Asif Satchu, and Scott Tenley announced in a memo Monday: 'We cannot support any content that amplifies his platform. And even auction house Christie's which was handling the private sale of a rare Nike Air Yeezy 1 prototype worn by West to the 2008 Grammy's is no longer proceeding with the sale. Stella McCartney looked effortlessly stylish as she stepped out in London on Wednesday. The designer, 51, looked chic in a black trouser suit and heels as she announced the winner of her sustainable design competition, which was held in conjunction of her self-titled brand and Lenovo. Stella presented student Peter Nasielski with the winning internship on the evening, appearing in high spirits as she celebrated all things fashion and design. Tailored: Stella McCartney cut a stylish figure in a trousersuit and heels on Wednesday as she announced the winner of her sustainable design competition, powered by Lenovo Stella, who is the daughter of Beatles star Paul McCartney, wore a tailored black jacket with a black high-neck top underneath. She teamed the look with baggy trousers and heels. The redhead wore her short locks out and around her face, and natural-looking makeup. Flawless: The redhead wore her short locks out and around her face, and natural-looking makeup Chic: Stella, who is the daughter of Beatles star Paul McCartney, wore a tailored black jacket with a black high-neck top underneath She happily posed with Peter as he won the internship. Peter has been awarded a three-month internship at Stella McCartney in a department of his choice and all four finalists have received an internship with Lenovos design innovation team at their headquarters in North Carolina. It's been a busy few months for Stella. Earlier last month, she celebrated her Paris Fashion Week show and was supported by her family at the coveted event. Winner: Vice President of Design at Lenovo, Brian Leonard, winning designer Peter Nasielski and Stella at the Lenovo x Stella McCartney sustainable design competition The acclaimed designer, 51, debuted her latest collection at the Centre Pompidou with her father Paul, 80, and his wife Nancy Shevell, 62, in the audience, while her sister Mary, 53, was working hard photographing the celeb-packed runway and front row. Bella Hadid, 25, turned heads when she walked the runway for the anticipated show, going braless under a sheer nude unitard which was covered in embellishments. There was a host of celebrities present on the day - including the likes of Karlie Kloss and Paris Jackson. In her element: Stella presented student Peter Nasielski with the winning internship on the evening, appearing in high spirits as she celebrated all things fashion and design She also recently launched her new sustainable skincare line, called STELLA. In September, she revealed she gave her father Paul her own skincare range for his 80th birthday and spoke about her late mother Linda. She told The Telegraph at the time: 'He'll love it, he positively mourned the passing of my first skincare line.' Stella went on to speak about her relationship with her late mother Linda, who died of cancer at the age of 56 in 1998. She candidly admitted she wants to do things in life that her mother never had the chance to do. 'I was riding my horse there the other morning and living my best life and thinking, all that matters is that I get to do all the things I wish my mum had,' she said. Stella also said that aim has continued into her professional life, as she said she believes her mother would 'love' and 'trust' her new 'clean' and beauty line. She said her business means 'so much' to her and said she wants to try and change things in the world, like her animal rights activist mother Linda did. Ryan Murphy has spoken out against Netflix's removal of an LGBTQ tag for his miniseries Dahmer: Monster The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. 'What are the rules now?' Murphy asked. 'Should we never do a movie about a tyrant?' The producer, 56, chatted with The New York Times Saturday about the controversy, which cropped up in September after the streaming service received multiple complaints from viewers over the association of the tag to the infamous serial killer. The latest: Ryan Murphy, 56, has spoken out against Netflix's removal of an LGBTQ tag for his miniseries Dahmer: Monster The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. He was pictured last week in LA 'There was a moment on Netflix where they removed the LGBTQ tag from Dahmer and I didn't like it,' Murphy told the newspaper. 'I asked why they did that and they said because people were upset because it was an upsetting story. 'I was, like, "Well, yeah." But it was a story of a gay man and more importantly, his gay victims.' The Emmy-winning creator of shows such as Glee, Pose and American Horror Story said he doesn't think 'that all gay stories have to be happy stories.' Murphy said that amid complaints about re-traumatizing of the families of the victims - many of whom were Black - he was using the content of the series to illustrate how racism and homophobia allowed Dahmer to continue on his murder spree. He said, 'It was the biggest thing I've ever seen that really sort of examines how easy it is to get away with things with the white privilege aspects.' Murphy spoke out after Netflix removed an LGBTQ tag for its miniseries Dahmer: Monster The Jeffrey Dahmer Story amid flak for the classification. Evan Peters is seen in the titular role in the series The Emmy-winning creator of shows such as Glee, Pose and American Horror Story said he doesn't think 'that all gay stories have to be happy stories' Murphy appeared at a promotional event for the series at the DGA Theater in LA last week The series initially hit the streaming service with the tags 'LGBTQ,' 'ominous,' 'psychological,' 'horror,' 'vintage crime,' and 'dark' upon its debut September 21, with many viewers taking to social media to criticize the streaming service for the inclusion of the LGBTQ classification. One user wrote, 'Hey hi @netflix I IMPLORE you please reconsider having Dahmer with the LGBTQ tag, especially as one of its tags right when you open the app.' Another said, 'netflix added the Jeffrey Dahmer series to the LGBTQ+ tag. I am gobsmacked.' One user noted, 'If I need to stay in my lane absolutely tell me but anyone else think it's pretty gross of @netflix to list Dahmer under #LGBTQ, especially when the True Crime tag would have worked?' Another use pointed out the misleading nature of the tag for viewers, saying, 'Slapping the LGBTQ tag on Dahmer like Looking for LGBTQ content?? Well boy do we have the show for you! Where every episode another LGBTQ person gets massacred & eaten! Its like saying Schindlers List is a family flick for Jewish people.' The true crime series has also been at the center of criticism over the continued commercial success of the true crime genre, and the traumatic impact it might have on survivors. The notorious serial killer was seen in a mugshot in a prior arrest The streaming service faced criticism over its classification of the 10-part series Netflix subsequently removed the LGBTQ tag from the miniseries Netflix faced a torrent of criticism over its initial decision to add the LGBTQ classification The sister of Dahmer victim Errol Lindsey, Rita Isbell, speaking with Insider, said that Netflix never reached out to her about the series, calling it harsh and careless. 'I feel like Netflix shouldve asked if we mind or how we felt about making it,' she said. 'They didnt ask me anything. They just did it. But Im not money hungry, and thats what this show is about, Netflix trying to get paid.' The ten-part series retells the story of Dahmer from the perspective of his victims, and explores major mistakes Wisconsin police made in handling the probe of the notorious mass murderer, who made national headlines for acts of cannibalism and necrophilia. The show features at least 10 incidents in which authorities nearly took Dahmer into custody, but didn't, extending the twisted crime spree. The success of the series has not come without its share of criticism, as many people took to Twitter expressing disgust over the continued commercial success of the true crime genre, and the traumatic impact it might have on survivors One user took to Twitter to remember Dahmer's victims amid the renewed interest in the case A person who said they were related to a victim of Dahmer's said that the miniseries was 'retraumatizing' Crime: Dahmer in 1992 was convicted of 16 murders he'd been charged with, and sentenced to 16 life sentences in prison. He was beaten to death by another inmate in November of 1994 at the Columbia Correctional Institution in Portage, Wisconsin Murphy last week said he and his team reached out to 'around 20 of the victims' families and friends' in hopes of gleaning insights for the series, in response to allegations from relatives of the victims that Murphy never reached out to them about the series.' 'It's something that we researched for a very long time,' Murphy said at a promotional event for the series at the DGA Theater in Los Angeles, according to The Hollywood Reporter. 'Over the course of the three, three and a half years when we were really writing it, working on it, we reached out to 20, around 20 of the victims' families and friends trying to get input, trying to talk to people and not a single person responded to us in that process.' The show also features actors Niecy Nash, Penelope Ann Miller, Shaun J. Brown, Colin Ford, and Richard Jenkins, with directors Paris Barclay, Carl Franklin, and Janet Mock. Miller and Jenkins play the roles of Dahmer's parents, while Nash portrays Dahmers neighbor Glenda Cleveland, who tried in vain to report his bizarre behavior to authorities. The infamous Milwaukee serial killer murdered 17 people between 1978 and 1991. Dahmer in 1992 was convicted of 16 murders he'd been charged with, and sentenced to 16 life sentences in prison. He was bludgeoned to death with a metal bar in November of 1994 by Christopher Scarver, another inmate at the Columbia Correctional Institution in Portage, Wisconsin. The gruesome story of Dahmer has past been chronicled in the 2002 movie Dahmer, in which Jeremy Renner played the titular role; as well as 2017's My Friend Dahmer, in which Ross Lynch played a teen version of the nascent serial killer. Murphy has past created 1990s true crime sagas with American Crime Story projects including 2018's The Assassination of Gianni Versace and 2016's The People Vs. OJ Simpson. Jimmy Fallon was officially extended an invitation to reprise his Almost Famous role in the Broadway adaptation of the 2000 classic film, which starred Kate Hudson. The TV personality, 48, welcomed former writer and director of the original movie, Cameron Crowe, onto The Tonight Show earlier Tuesday. Amid the interview where the two discussed the anticipated musical, also written by Cameron, the filmmaker asked Jimmy to take on the role once again, and received a jubilant response of, 'I'm in!' Reprising a role! Jimmy Fallon, 48, accepted the invitation from filmmaker and writer, Cameron Crowe, to reprise his Almost Famous role of Dennis Hope in the upcoming Broadway adaptation; seen in 2001 Jimmy appeared to be in high spirits as he sat down with Cameron, during a brief segment. The talk show host revealed his first big movie role was in Almost Famous, where he portrayed the character of Dennis Hope, a music manager. The talented filmmaker, who has worked on various other projects such as Jerry Maguire, was thrilled when Jimmy asked, 'Is my character still in the play?' Accepting the part: After asking if he would take on his Almost Famous role once again, the talk show host happily expressed, 'I'm in!' (Fallon pictured in character as Dennis Hope in 2000) Big moment: The writer of the Broadway adaptation of Almost Famous told Jimmy on The Tonight Show on Tuesday, 'I would like you to come on the Broadway stage and play your part of Dennis Hope' 'I'm really glad you bring this up,' Cameron announced, adding, 'Because we love Dennis Hope of the movie, and as you know, we became kind of a family making the film...' He continued by explaining to Jimmy that, 'You came in and rocked your scene so well...' 'And my dream has always been to have you come and be the link between the two casts....So, I would like you to come on the Broadway stage and play your part of Dennis Hope,' the director announced. Iconic: The TV personality originally took on the role of Dennis Hope (seen above) in the 2000 classic, Almost Famous The audience immediately jumped to a round of applause while Jimmy tried to conceal his surprise. After a brief moment, Jimmy hardly needed any hesitation and responded with, 'I am in! Absolutely, I am in!' The current cast member playing the role of Dennis is both actor and musician, Jakeim Hart. Jimmy humorously stated to Cameron, 'I'll talk to Jakeim. We'll work it out,' possibly hinting he will perform on certain dates in the future. Talented: Jimmy has taken on a number of projects in his career, including acting and as a sketch comedian on Saturday Night Live for a number of years Almost Famous will have its official opening later this week on Thursday at the Bernard B Jacobs Theater. Cameron was heavily involved in the special Broadway adaptation, and wrote the musical himself. The 2000 classic not only starred Jimmy, but also other talented actors such as Kate Hudson, Billy Crudup, Anna Paquin, and Zooey Deschanel. Excited: Cameron both wrote and directed the original 2000 classic, and recently wrote the Broadway musical adaptation; Jimmy seen in 2021 in Washington D.C. The premise of the film followed a high-school boy 'given the chance to write a story for Rolling Stone magazine about an up-and-coming rock band,' and set in the 1970s, according to IMDB. After its release, the comedy-drama received critical acclaim and also received a total of four Academy Award nominations. Despite not receiving any Oscars, the film garnered two Golden Globe wins, along with a Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack. Jimmy seemed to be more than excited to step back into the shoes of Dennis, and is no stranger to acting. Aside from his talk show host duties, the star has notably worked on Saturday Night Live and films such as Taxi (2004). Sam Mac recently discovered his autobiography Accidental Weatherman had been marked down to $1 at Kmart. And after this bargain-basement discovery, the Sunrise weather presenter was dealt a fresh blow when he found his book at a charity shop this week. He shared a video on Instagram of himself browsing the bookshelves at a Salvation Army store, only to discover his tome among the titles on sale. Sunrise weatherman Sam Mac (left, with two exotic dancers on Thursday) has revealed how he discovered his autobiography on sale for a few bucks at a Salvation Army charity shop He made fun of himself by playing the song Dreams by Gabrielle in the background, implying his 'dreams' had 'come true' by finding his book, which he had worked hard on for months during the Covid pandemic, on sale second-hand for just a few bucks. Sam's book details his rise to fame on breakfast television, and how a boy from Adelaide landed one of TV's most high-profile jobs without knowing the first thing about meteorology. During his tenure as roving weatherman, he has gone swimming with sharks, taken the plunge on a bungee rope and even attended the Logies with his mum. He shared a video on Instagram of himself browsing the bookshelves at a Salvos store, only to discover his book Accidental Weatherman among the titles on sale Back in July, Sam laughed off the fact his autobiography was on sale at Kmart for $1. He posted a screenshot on Instagram of a text message from a friend informing him the book had been slashed to just a fraction of its RRP. The funnyman then raced to his nearest Kmart on a mission to find 'what they valued more than my book'. Back in July, Sam laughed off the fact his book was on sale at Kmart for $1 To his dismay, he discovered Tic Tacs were on sale for $2, which was double the price of Accidental Weatherman. He also found a food scoop for $6 and a padlock for $7 at the department store. Sam released his book Accidental Weatherman in 2021. Denise van Outen's ex boyfriend Eddie Boxshall has confessed their break-up 'took its toll' on him after she dumped him when he was caught having phone sex. Speaking to MailOnline at The Last Heist premiere in Leicester Square in London on Wednesday, the Gogglebox star, 49, revealed he channelled his energy into exercise in order to cope with the split after his cheating was revealed. Denise, 48, who recently went public with her new Italian boyfriend Jimmy Barba, ended their seven-year relationship back in January this year after discovering the messages on his phone. Speaking out: Denise van Outen's ex boyfriend Eddie Boxshall has confessed their break-up 'took its toll' on him after she dumped him when he was caught having phone sex When asked about the split, Eddie said: 'There aren't many breakups that that are easy ones and, you know, they take their toll and it's not a nice thing and so for me to keep myself so focused on something... Exercise is a huge part of my life.' Eddie went on to say that he hopes to meet someone new in a more traditional sense, rather than finding romance on a dating app. He said: 'I've been in two long term relationships. I don't think I'll go on apps. Over: Denise ended their seven-year relationship back in January this year after discovering unfaithful messages 'So I think you know, I'm a very social guy. So I think for me when I'm out, if something's meant to be and it's right and I meet someone then it's right.' 'But it'll be a slow start. I don't wanna rush things. I've only been split up for a year now. And yeah, just take it easy. If the right lady comes my way, I look forward to meeting her.' After appearing on Celebrity Gogglebox with Denise, Eddie said he'd be open to one day returning to the show. 'I was on there for three seasons and and I thoroughly loved it. Enjoyed it. Yeah, if something comes my way and if I'd like to go on never say never,' he said. 'Breakups take their toll': Eddie revealed that he had turned to the gym to help both his physical and mental wellbeing after his split with Denise Denise ended their seven year relationship back in January this year, after discovering unfaithful messages. In July, he appeared to make a dig at his ex-girlfriend via Instagram, sharing a story with a voiceover explaining: 'It is so much better to be alone than to be with someone who makes you feel alone'. It came just a week after Denise went public with her new Italian boyfriend, Jimmy. Back in April, he posted a photograph of his dinner of pie and mash at London's Manze pie shop, adding a cryptic caption where he said: 'there ain't no pleasing you. Everything I ever did was wrong, I should have known it all along. There ain't no pleasing you! (but this pleases me!)' In July, he appeared to make a dig at his ex-girlfriend via Instagram, sharing a story with a voiceover explaining: 'It is so much better to be alone than to be with someone who makes you feel alone' And before that, he appeared to brand Denise the 'worst detective in the world', after it was revealed that she found out of his cheating after discovering pictures and messages on his iPad. He posted a black-and-white image of Inspector Clouseau, who is described as an 'inept and incompetent police detective in the French Surete' - and the accompanying caption led many to believe he was alluding to his ex's detective skills. An Italian reality star, her new man Jimmy became a household name in Italy back in 2010 after starring in the eleventh series of Big Brother (Grande Fratello) where he finished in fourth place. What followed was a short-lived pop career, with Jimmy releasing three singles between 2012 and 2013 - although they failed to light up the charts. More recently, Jimmy - who described his career as being a dancer and farmer when he appeared on Grande Fratello - has shunned the world of showbiz to become a property developer. The Last Heist will be available on digital download from November 14 The Block's grand finale is just days away. And with the competition heating up in the lead-up to auction day, property experts have revealed who they believe will walk away with the biggest profit. Alice Stolz, Greville Pabst, Frank Valentic and Nicole Jacobs from Domain all agree Tom and Sarah-Jane from House 1 will take the crown, but The Block host Shelley Craft has her money on House 2 by Rachel and Ryan. Property experts from Domain agree Tom and Sarah-Jane (pictured) from House 1 are most likely to win The Block when the Gisborne homes go under the hammer this weekend Ms Stolz, Domain's national managing editor, said the appeal of all five homes stems from the 'allure' of breaking free from the 'treadmill life' in the city. She pegged House 5 as a dark horse and House 2 as a personal favourite for its functionality, but ultimately picked House 1 as the most likely winner. 'What I love about these houses is that they really celebrate what was a hard time and they have created absolutely exceptional homes that I would imagine are a dream to most Australian families,' Ms Stolz said. Alice Stolz (pictured), Domain's national managing editor, said the appeal of all five homes stems from the 'allure' of breaking free from the 'treadmill life' in the city. She said House 2 was her favourite due to its functionality, but ultimately picked House 1 as the most likely winner Mr Pabst, a buyer's advocate, echoed Ms Stolz's pick, saying the floor plan, functionality, layout and quality of the finishes and fittings in House 1 were superior to the other properties. 'House 1 has all of the functionality and the elements that mean it should win it feels really good when you walk in,' he said. The expert went on to rank House 3 as second best due to its size, but warned the 'eclectic' interior design could be a huge risk. Greville Pabst, a buyer's advocate, echoed Ms Stolz's pick, saying the floor plan, functionality, layout and quality of the finishes and fittings in House 1 were superior to the other properties Mr Valentic, also a buyer's advocate, added: 'A lot of our buyers are looking for lifestyle facilities and amenities because they're not going to travel as much due to the high airfare costs.' He said House 1 'resonated with a lot of my buyers' because of its 'high-end' feel. Tom and Sarah-Jane's position at the top of the Domain Superpower Leaderboard also makes them a shoo-in to win, Mr Valentic said, as this has been an indicator in previous seasons. Frank Valentic (pictured), also a buyer's advocate, said House 1 'resonated with a lot of my buyers' because of its 'high-end' feel. Tom and Sarah-Jane's position at the top of the Domain Superpower Leaderboard also makes them a shoo-in to win, he added The third buyer's advocate, Ms Jacobs, touted the lifestyle of the Macedon Ranges as a push factor for owner occupiers to buy The Block properties. 'Buyers don't look at these just to grab one; they really are looking at them and how they're going to work for them as a family long-term it's all about buying the right house,' she said. With that in mind, Ms Jacobs picked House 1 and House 2 as her contenders for first place, citing their 'layout' as well as 'tones and their overall interpretation of the spaces'. The third buyer's advocate, Nicole Jacobs (pictured), touted the lifestyle of the Macedon Ranges as a push factor for owner occupiers to buy The Block properties. With that in mind, Ms Jacobs picked House 1 and House 2 as her contenders for first place Craft, who has been a long-time host of The Block alongside Scott Cam, tapped into her seasoned expertise when offering her predictions. 'Interiors can be altered and changed to suit your personality; what you can't change is the aspect and outlook,' she said. The 46-year-old went on to say Rachel and Ryan's House 2 was her personal favourite and the most likely to win in her eyes. The Block finale airs Sunday at 7pm on Channel Nine and 9Now Eamonn Holmes' GB News co-presenter Isabel Webster has said it's been 'heartbreaking' to see how pain her colleague has endured over the last few months. The former This Morning presenter, 62, recently fractured his shoulder after a nasty fall at his Surrey home just weeks after undergoing spinal surgery. And with the TV favourite now likely to be off screens until the New Year as he recovers, Isabel has said she misses him 'just as much as viewers'. Heartbreak: Eamonn Holmes' GB News co-presenter Isabel Webster has said it's been 'heartbreaking' to see how pain he has endured (pictured together earlier this year) Speaking to The Daily Mail's Richard Eden she said: 'It's been heartbreaking to see him in so much pain, Eamonn has had such a run of back luck. The Irish broadcaster underwent spinal surgery just weeks ago to treat chronic pain in his back and legs but tumbled down the stairs shortly afterwards and then had to undergo another operation. Eamonn and Isabel, 39, have presented the breakfast show on the cable news channel since January after being relieved of his hosting duties on This Morning. Agony: The former This Morning presenter, 62, recently fractured his shoulder after a nasty fall at his Surrey home just weeks after undergoing spinal surgery (pictured earlier this year) He and wife Ruth Lansford, who have hosted Friday's edition of the show since 2006, were replaced by Alison Hammond and Dermot OLeary. Isabel went on to say: 'I know how much out audience is missing Eamonn, and I am too'. Eamonn's representative told The Express: 'He's naturally gutted by the setback, but the good news is the surgery on his shoulder went well. He's now receiving fantastic care and resting. Breakfast buddies: Eamonn and Isabel have presented the breakfast show on the cable news channel since January after being relieved of his hosting duties on This Morning (pictured earlier this year) 'Sadly it means Eamonn is likely to need a longer period off TV than he first thought in order to get himself better and heal. 'But despite being in an awful lot of pain, he's remaining positive and is looking forward to doing what he loves most and being back on TV and presenting on GB News just as soon as he can.' The spokesperson concluded that the TV personality is thankful for the NHS's 'wonderful care' and is 'determined' to rest and get better. Get well soon! The spokesperson concluded that the TV personality is thankful for the NHS's 'wonderful care' and is 'determined' to rest and get better (pictured earlier this year) MailOnline has contacted Eamonn's representative for further comment. Eamonn and his wife Ruth were no where to be seen at the NTAs last month - because of his recent vital back surgery and her QVC schedule clash. The married presenting duo, who used to host NTA winning show This Morning on a regular schedule, are normally firm attendees of the biggest night in TV. But his recent health woes and her work with teleshopping channel QVC meant that the pair were not sat with their industry colleagues as they usually do on a star-studded night in London. The Northern Irish presenter recently told his new channel GB News that he was operated on around two weeks ago, talking on 5 October: 'Its early days, itll probably be about three weeks before they know if its been a success or not.' Ruth on the other hand shared her busy schedule to her Instagram stories, with one showing her travelling to and presenting at her fashion segment on the QVC teleshopping channel. Eamonn - who suffers from shingles - was forced to take a step away from his show to prepare for the vital back surgery on 28 September. No show: Eamonn and his wife Ruth Langsford were no where to be seen at the NTAs last month - because of his recent vital back surgery and her QVC schedule clash (pictured in 2021) The television personality said that he was 'praying' ahead of the operation which will relieve pressure on his static nerves. The broadcaster has suffered from long-term difficulties, previously telling of his battle with chronic back pain after a dislocated pelvis led to three slipped discs. He told The Express: 'It's an operation that carries a 20 per cent risk of going wrong, but such is the pain and restrictions that I have been suffering for the past 18 months, I've decided it is a risk I am willing to take. 'In fact, it's a risk I want to take because, at this moment in time, nothing could seem worse than the constant pain that runs through my lower back and legs.' He said that he 'prays that God will guide [his] surgeon's hand this week' to help him get back to the 'man he used to be.' Busy woman: Ruth on the other hand shared her busy schedule to her Instagram stories, with one showing her travelling to and presenting at her fashion segment on the QVC channel He went on to reveal to the publication that the agony can be so intense that sleep is sometimes his own 'escape'. He added that someone can be surrounded by family and friends but that severe pain can feel like your companion. Before saying that he hopes his recovery can offer hopes to those who can no longer deal with their depression at anger with chronic pain. By missing the NTAs, the married couple missed out on seeing their former regular presenting gig This Morning bag a gong for the best daytime show. Holly Willoughby snuck out of the National Television Awards before the ceremony had ended on Thursday, leaving Phillip Schofield to face the music as he was awkwardly asked about their 'queuegate' controversy. Poorly: Eamonn recently revealed he felt 'humiliated' as his co-star Isabel was forced to help him through the crowds while reporting on the Queen's funeral outside Buckingham Palace last month The TV presenters were booed at the event when This Morning won the Best Daytime award, following allegations they had skipped the queue to see the Queen lying in state last month. Holly departed the awards show - held at London's OVO Arena Wembley - just before 10pm, more than half an hour before the ceremony finished. The GB News presenter previously made his feelings about their 'queue jumping' known. He made no bones about the fact he didn't believe his former colleagues and said they 'messed up'. Chatting with presenter Clare Muldoon, Eamonn said: 'I'll tell you what's strategic. Why is Holly fighting to keep her job, according to The Sun, but Mr Phillip isn't? Clare replied: 'Who knows? Twitter, last night, was saying she didn't want to vacate her job at This Morning. 'Who wouldn't want to give up 600,000 a year and everything else that comes with it? I think the brand is very damaged. There has to be a change from the top down to the bottom on This Morning.' Eamonn, who presents his new show with Isabel Webster on GB News, temporarily stepped down from his role as the co-presenter in June while after receiving hospital treatment due to his painful condition. Last week, he revealed that he felt 'humiliated' as his co-star Isabel Webster was forced to help him through the crowds while reporting on the Queen's funeral outside Buckingham Palace last month. The broadcaster, 62, is currently recovering from back surgery after suffering long-term difficulties, previously telling of his battle with chronic back pain after a dislocated pelvis led to three slipped discs. Scandal: Tearful Holly Willoughby was booed at the National Television Awards on Thursday before sneaking out of show early after backlash over 'queue-gate' - while flustered Phillip Schofield stumbled as he was quizzed over the scandal And joining the show on Wednesday via video from him home following his operation last week, Eamonn reflected on how he felt with Isabel, 39, having to assist him as he stumbled and struggled on his crutch during the presenting stint, telling her: 'It was an issue for me'. As they chatted through their coverage of the Queen's death and subsequent funeral in September, Isabel reflected that they were 'up against the crowds', explaining: 'There was a pack of around eight people wide, walking, all trying to see the royal procession and we were going against the crowd arm in arm, and it was a long walk.' Praising his pal for helping him, Eamonn then said: 'You're one of my dearest friends in life Isabel, and you go above and beyond the call of duty. 'I mean, there is such a beautiful heart with you. But I mean it was humiliating for me. You took me through that crowd. And I stumbled a few times, and my leg gave way a few times. 'And after that I was a bit humiliated really. You didn't make any issue of it, but it was an issue for me.' The broadcaster has suffered from long-term difficulties, previously telling of his battle with chronic back pain after a dislocated pelvis led to three slipped discs. Former This Morning host Eamonn left GB News viewers wondering where he was when he wasn't on-screen, with the journalist taking to Twitter to clear things up, writing: 'Many of you have been asking why I haven't been presenting GB News. 'Unfortunately, due to a reoccurrence of a long-term back condition, I've had to undergo some unexpected hospital treatment and am now following Doctor's orders by taking a short time off. Rosamund Pike looked elegant as she attended a screening and Q&A for Matthew Heineman's new documentary, Retrograde, in London on Wednesday. The actress, 43, looked stylish in a black lace blouse and a houndstooth skirt as she moderated the Q&A at the Picture House. According to IMDB, Retrograde 'tells the story of the last months of the 20-year war in Afghanistan through the intimate relationship between American Green Berets and the Afghan officers they trained'. Elegant: Rosamund Pike looked stylish in a black lace blouse and houndstooth skirt at a screening and Q&A for Matthew Heineman's Retrograde in London on Wednesday The blonde teamed the look with a simple black watch and black leather sandals as she stepped out. Rosamund appeared in high spirits on the evening, joining the likes of film producer Caitlin McNally at the event. Matthew is known for 2015's Cartel Land, a documentary that looked at the drug problem on the US-Mexican border. High spirits: Rosamund appeared in high spirits on the evening, joining the likes of film producer Caitlin McNally at the event Moderator: The actress, 43, looked stylish as she moderated the Q&A at the Picture House According to Variety, his latest documentary is a powerful insight to the final days of America's involvement in the war. He captured 'all kinds of cinematic sights: A brawny soldier smashes a heap of computer monitors, helicopters airlift vehicles out, and things go boom as a team tosses all remaining ammo into a trench, douses it in gasoline and lights the pile with a well-aimed rocket.' Meanwhile, one of Rosamund's latest roles is in Amazon Prime's Wheel of Time. Rosamund plays Moiraine in the six-part fantasy-drama, which is based on the Robert Jordan novels of the same name. While the release date for season two is unconfirmed, there are fourteen books in the series - meaning the show has plenty of content to work with. Lee Jae-myung, second from left, head of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), and other DP officials pay tribute at a joint memorial altar for the victims of a Halloween crowd crush in Seoul's Itaewon district, Oct. 31. Yonhap The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) will submit a request for a parliamentary investigation into the Itaewon crowd crush, its floor leader said Thursday, amid criticism the tragedy could have been prevented if the government properly handled early warnings. "As public outrage has surpassed the critical point, we cannot let the government conduct an investigation of itself," DPK floor leader Park Hong-geun said. "We can no longer leave the situation as it is one in which those subject to investigation conduct an investigation and those responsible take no responsibility." Public anger has been growing following revelations that 11 emergency calls alerting police to dangerous overcrowding in the nightlife district of Itaewon started coming in four hours before the disaster, but police did little to prevent the disaster that killed at least 156 people, mostly in their 20s. "It has become clear that the Itaewon accident was a man-made disaster caused by the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's overall incompetence," Park said, accusing the government of trying to evade responsibility by claiming the disaster happened due to holes in the safety management system. Elsa Pataky ran like the wind on Wednesday as she sped through the streets of Byron Bay like she was still on the set of The Fast and the Furious. The Spanish actress, 46, was enjoying a day out with her children, India, Tristan and Sasha, and her father Jose Francisco Lafuente, when she suddenly burst into a sprint. Elsa, who is married to Thor actor Chris Hemsworth, looked very windswept as she hightailed it across the street in the coastal NSW town. Elsa Pataky ran like the wind on Wednesday as she sped through the streets of Byron Bay like she was still on the set of The Fast and the Furious She wore a high-collared white blouse with structured shoulders and form-fitting black pants, which highlighted her toned legs. Elsa completed her look with knee-high cowboy boots with tassels, and drew attention to her natural beauty by wearing minimal makeup. Her blonde hair blew in the breeze as she darted across the road, before she was later seen tucking her locks behind her ears after coming to a stop. The Spanish actress, 46, was enjoying a day out with her children, India, Tristan and Sasha, and her father Jose Francisco Lafuente, when she suddenly burst into a sprint Elsa, who is married to Thor actor Chris Hemsworth, looked very windswept as she hightailed it across the street in the coastal NSW town Her blonde hair blew in the breeze as she darted across the road, before she was later seen tucking her locks behind her ears after coming to a stop Her three kids opted for sporty looks, with one of her twin sons dressed in a white graphic T-shirt and black trackpants. Elsa's father stood out from the group in a bright yellow polo shirt, white cargo shorts and a pair of sunglasses. At one point, she held her daughter's hand as they crossed the street while little India looked down intently at her phone. She wore a high-collared white blouse with structured shoulders and form-fitting black pants, which highlighted her toned legs Elsa completed her look with knee-high cowboy boots with tassels, and drew attention to her natural beauty by wearing minimal makeup Elsa's father (right) stood out from the group in a bright yellow polo shirt, white cargo shorts and a pair of sunglasses It comes after the movie star was a special guest at Derby Day in Melbourne. She made a stylish arrival at Flemington Racecourse in a stunning black skirt and corset from Christian Dior. Elsa is an enthusiastic equestrian who owns several horses at her Byron Bay estate. Elsa certainly had her hands full as one of her sons clung to her waist At one point, she held her daughter's hand as they crossed the street while little India looked down intently at her phone Meadow Walker flaunted her svelte figure in a body-hugging brown dress with a cut-out across the stomach at the Wall Street Journal Innovator Awards. The 23-year-old daughter of late actor Paul Walker, flashed her flat tummy as she arrived at the event in New York City on Wednesday night. Meadow, modeled the long, off-the-shoulder number with poise and confidence while posing on the red carpet. Beauty: Meadow Walker flaunted her svelte figure in a body-hugging brown dress at the Wall Street Journal Innovator Awards The rising fashion model looked enchanting with her jet black hair styled in a deep middle part. Her glossy bob haircut dusted her collarbone as she tucked the front pieces behind her ears. Walker - who made headlines last year as she married Louis Thornton-Allan - was elegant in her long-sleeved dress, which matched her brown manicure. The ensemble featured two textured fabrics as it switched between a velvet and ribbed material in stripes. The 23-year-old daughter of late actor Paul Walker, flashed her flat tummy as she arrived at the NYC event Wednesday night It ruched at the center and had two low-cut dips at the chest and midriff, exposing her toned abs. Meadow stacked necklaces around her neck - one that was made of silver-toned interlinks, which matched her drop earrings, and another covered in diamonds. The DNA Models talent carried her belongings in a small, black, heart-shaped clutch. Her makeup complemented the elegant outfit, with the star accenting her features with black eyeliner and contoured cheeks. Rounding out the presentation, she teamed sheer black tights with understated open-toe black heels. Stunner: Meadow modeled the long, off-the-shoulder number with poise and confidence while posing on the red carpet Edgy: The rising fashion model looked enchanting with her jet black hair styled in a deep middle part Gorgeous: Her glossy bob haircut dusted her collarbone as she tucked the front pieces behind her ears Taking to Instagram to share the evening's look with her three million followers, she uploaded a short video. The Pencils of Promise global ambassador floated across the screen as she was pushed on a bellhop cart by a friend. She stared with a steely facial expression as a flash ripped across the image while someone else recorded the scene. Meadow wrote in the caption, 'Coming soon.' Playful: Taking to Instagram to share the evening's look with her three million followers, she uploaded a short video showing her being pushed on a bellhop cart by a friend Last month the stunner took to Instagram to wish her husband a happy one-year anniversary. 'Happy anniversary my love! One year married to you,' she wrote on a dark image that showed the couple embracing in front of an outdoor horse stable. And on her Instagram Stories, she posted a picture of her spouse smiling in a grey and white jacket with tousled hair as she captioned it, 'ONE YEAR,' with a red heart. First Contact: An Alien Encounter Rating: * Grand Designs Rating: *** The most revealing moment in a long, dreary fantasy about life on other planets came when a scientist said: 'I'd say there's decades of work to be done.' That sums up the whole extraterrestrial scam, the billions spent on telescopes in space and radio receiver dishes on mountaintops. The whole business, from the $10 billion (8,700 million) James Webb space telescope (pictured) built by Nasa and the European Space Agency, to Elon Musk's grandiose obsession with colonising Mars, is an insane waste of resources What the astrophysicists are really searching for is not some non-human civilisation on a distant planet, but a guarantee of lifelong funding for their labs. The whole business, from the $10 billion (8,700 million) James Webb space telescope built by Nasa and the European Space Agency, to Elon Musk's grandiose obsession with colonising Mars, is an insane waste of resources. Scientists disguise this by pretending their research is glamorous and even dangerous. First Contact: An Alien Encounter (BBC2), a fictional documentary by writer and director Nic Stacey, imagined the consequences if we spotted an interstellar object zooming through our solar system. Social media erupts in blind panic, rioters and looters take to the streets, the world's supermarkets run out of toilet paper all over again and only the fearless data-crunching of the professional space-watchers can save humanity from implosion. If you were kept from viewing this 90-minute film by more important commitments, such as an urgent need to comb the hamster or dust the lightbulbs, here's a summary: the object turned out to be billion-year-old debris from a dead planet. The story, if you could call it that, was told with 'dramatised scenes and repurposed archival footage'. This made it impossible to tell whether we were watching actors, news footage of other events, computer-generated video of stars, or real images from space The looters all calmed down and gathered in harmony to wave candles at the sky. Everyone was very happy, especially the presenters in a Japanese TV studio who kept popping up to beam with joy about how wonderful science is. The story, if you could call it that, was told with 'dramatised scenes and repurposed archival footage'. This made it impossible to tell whether we were watching actors, news footage of other events, computer-generated video of stars, or real images from space. To give credence to the idea that extraterrestrial intelligence is out there, various professors filled us in about all the times in the past that they thought they'd discovered aliens (but hadn't). These included an observatory in Ohio that detected the so-called 'Wow Signal' in 1979, a burst of noise that amounted to a deep space belch. And in the 1990s, telescopes identified the existence of other solar systems, dubbed 'exoplanets' presumably because this makes them sound thrilling, like something out of a superhero movie. That's apt, since intergalactic science is like a superhero movie. It costs a ridiculous amount of money, it's bone-numbingly boring and most of its fans are desperate to believe it's real. On the edge of the Pennines, builder Paul and wife Carol were shovelling their retirement savings into a project big enough to be seen across the galaxy, in Grand Designs (C4). 'I feel I'm pouring money down a hole in the ground,' fretted Paul, as his colossal, upside-down house, with five bedrooms on the ground floor, failed to take shape. Kevin McCloud first visited the site in 2015 and, when we saw it last, the project was not completed. This report, really an updated repeat, revealed that the house was now finished but at a cost of more than half a million and a heart attack. Paul is back to full health, working out in the indoor swimming pool. Perhaps out of tact, or because he's not really interested in anything but the architecture, Kevin didn't clear up the outstanding questions from 2015 . . . such as, did they ever manage to sell their old house? And why did they need five huge bedrooms anyway? Character sketch of the night: 'He is concerned and caring, but is said to be rather self-centred,' intoned Tom Bradby on Charles: Our New King (ITV). If the monarch feels that's a barbed compliment, the savaging he receives in The Crown will be truly hurtful. Newly single Olivia Molly Rogers made a show-stopping appearance at Kennedy Oaks Day in Melbourne on Thursday. The former Miss Universe Australia, 30, looked sensational in a backless blue dress as she arrived at Flemington Racecourse. The beauty queen's figure-hugging frock featured lace and floral applique detail. Newly single Olivia Molly Rogers made a show-stopping appearance at Kennedy Oaks Day in Melbourne on Thursday Olivia accessorised her elegant gown with a retro white brimmed hat and a Valentino clutch. She tied back her long brunette hair and opted for a neutral palette of makeup consisting of blush and eyeliner. Olivia recently confirmed her split from husband Justin McKeone after just seven months of marriage. The former Miss Universe Australia, 30, looked sensational in a backless blue dress as she arrived at Flemington Racecourse Rumours about Olivia and Justin's marriage began swirling in September after fans noticed she'd reverted to her maiden name on Instagram and unpinned all the photos from her February wedding. The former couple, who met in 2018, were last pictured together in August in a series of loved-up holiday snaps from their trip to New York City. Olivia finally addressed her break-up in an Instagram post on October 3. Olivia's outing comes after she recently confirmed her split from husband Justin McKeone (left) after just seven months of marriage 'After 4.5 years together, Justin and I have come to the difficult decision to separate as a couple,' she wrote. 'I do not wish to make any further statements about this in the near future. 'Please respect our decision and privacy at this time. Thank you for all your private DMs, kindness and support.' Phoebe Burgess looked every inch the fashionista as she stepped out in Sydney on Wednesday. The former NRL WAG, 33, rocked a smart-casual monochromatic outfit comprising of a black long-sleeve top and white designer trousers. She paired her getup with a black leather jacket draped over her shoulders and $550 Camilla and Marc sandals. Phoebe Burgess looked every inch the fashionista as she stepped out in Sydney on Wednesday Phoebe's blonde hair hung around her shoulders in loose waves and she sported a pair of designer sunglasses. She clutched her trusty $6700 Bottega Veneta handbag and accessorised with statement gold jewellery. The mother-of-two could not wipe the smile off her face as she rans errands in the leafy Sydney suburb. The former NRL WAG, 33, rocked a smart-casual monochromatic outfit comprising of a black long-sleeve top and white designer trousers Earlier this year, Phoebe revealed she could 'write a book on celibacy' because she's the 'most boring woman in Australia' after giving up sex and booze. She added on her podcast Under the Gloss she 'misses sex' but has revaluated her relationship since her divorce from former NRL star Sam Burgess. In May, the mother-of-two revealed she's not had sex since her bitter split from Sam in 2019. She clutched her trusty $6700 Bottega Veneta handbag and accessorised with statement gold jewellery Sam appeared on the last season of SAS Australia where he admitted infidelity with a woman in Melbourne in 2017. The couple married in 2015, separated in late 2018 and resumed their relationship in early 2019. They split permanently on October 2 that year and later divorced. The former couple share daughter Poppy, four, and son Billy, two. Nicole Trunfio doesn't do things by halves. The supermodel looked incredible in not one, but two designer outfits at Oaks Day in Melbourne on Thursday. The 36-year-old started out the day in a traditional pink Chanel tweed suit with matching pink suede sling back heels and a mini quilted Chanel wallet on chain bag around her waist. Nicole Trunfio looked incredible in not one, but two designer outfits at Oaks Day in Melbourne on Thursday She also accessorised with Chanel jewels, including a pearl cross necklace and one of the French Fashion House's iconic chain belts and a Double C choker. The brunette beauty also wore Chanel pearl earrings and a coat of baby pink nail polish. It wasn't long before Nicole slipped into another designer ensemble. The fashion star channelled her inner Barbie Girl in a $10,000 Versace pink satin bodycon dress She wore a matching pink jacket over the top, Opera gloves and a headband Earlier in the day, the 36-year-old was pretty in a traditional pink Chanel tweed suit with matching pink suede sling back heels and a mini quilted Chanel wallet on chain bag around her waist The fashion star channelled her inner Barbie Girl in a $10,000 Versace pink satin bodycon dress. She wore a matching pink jacket over the top, opera gloves and a headband. Nicole also made quite the entrance at Penfolds Derby Day over the weekend. She parted the crowds as she sauntered through The Birdcage in form-fitting, strapless dress that showed off her sensational figure. She also accessorised with Chanel jewels, including a pearl cross necklace and one of the French Fashion House's iconic chain belts and a Double C choker The mother-of-three wore her brunette locks in a sleek half-up half-down style and rocked a smoky eye and nude lip for makeup The black frock featured an asymmetrical neckline as it hugged her waist and flaunted a hint of cleavage. She wore a pair of long black velvet gloves as she clutched a little Balenciaga handbag while steadying an extravagant wide-brimmed hat perilously balanced at an angle on her head. Pointed velvet pumps matched her black gloves and she perched a pair of dark cat-eye sunglasses low on her nose, looking over them with a content expression. Nicole recently traded in the runway for a cooking channel. She started her new cooking influencer career back in 2020 but abandoned it in July last year for unknown reasons. Nicole returned recently with some new camera angles and a higher production budget as she kicked things off with two new recipes on Instagram and YouTube. Nicole posed up a storm in her very expensive designer ensemble in the exclusive Birdcage enclosure She whipped up a delicious Pineapple Sherbet Margarita and a mouth-watering Pumpkin Sage Ravioli. Nicole gave no explanation as to her absence on the cooking channel, but she did acknowledge it on Friday when she posted a series of photos to her personal Instagram. 'I know we have been gone for toooooo long (Im sorry) to make up for it we are dropping 2 eps this week! (The next might be my fave),' she captioned the reel which showed snaps of her cooking up a storm in the kitchen. Nicole is the founder of brands Bumpsuit, Erth Jewellery and Erth Swim, and has been married to American musician Gary for four years. They share three young children. Sharon Stone encouraged her followers to seek second opinions after she said a 'large fibroid tumor' was found in her body after a previous medical misdiagnosis. Stone, 64, took to Instagram Stories Tuesday with a personal message about her health, saying she 'just had another misdiagnosis and incorrect procedure,' and went for 'a double epidural' to treat pain she was in. The Oscar nominee said that amid 'worsening pain,' she went for a second opinion from a different doctor that revealed she has 'a large fibroid tumor that must come out.' The latest: Sharon Stone, 64, took to Instagram to encourage her followers to seek second opinion after a 'large fibroid tumor' was found in her body after a previous medical misdiagnosis. She was snapped in LA this past June Stone took to Instagram Stories Tuesday with a personal message about her health The Specialist star advised to her 3.4 million followers, 'Ladies in particular: Don't get blown off. GET A SECOND OPINION. It can save your life.' Stone said she would be 'down for 4-6 weeks for full recovery,' and thanked fans for their care, adding, 'It's all good.' The Sliver actress has past spoken publicly about her health issues, as she said in her 2021 autobiography The Beauty of Living Twice that in 2001, benign tumors were removed from her body that she described as 'gigantic' and 'bigger than my breast alone.' Stone pictured in 2001, the year she suffered a stroke and cerebral hemorrhage She said that in the wake of the medical procedure, a plastic surgeon gave her larger breast implants that she had consented to in a breast reconstruction surgery following the removal of the tumors. Stone also dealt with a stroke and cerebral hemorrhage in 2001, when she was 43-years-old. Appearing on the Today show in March of 2021, Stone shared details of the critical moments as she was hospitalized and a doctor told her she had nearly died. 'The room was so silent,' Stone said. 'When the room is so silent and no one's running around trying to fix you, that's when you realize how near death is and how serious everything is.' Stone achieved breakout fame in the 1992 hit Basic Instinct opposite Michael Douglas Stone would go on to recover, but she said that the stroke impacted her career and the way she was treated by others. 'People treated me in a way that was brutally unkind,' she told Variety in 2019. 'From other women in my own business to the female judge who handled my custody case, I don't think anyone grasps how dangerous a stroke is for women and what it takes to recover - it took me about seven years.' She added: 'I had to remortgage my house. I lost everything I had. I lost my place in the business. I was like the hottest movie star, you know? It was like Miss Princess Diana and I were so famous - and she died and I had a stroke. And we were forgotten.' Earlier this year, Stone also revealed has lost nine children by miscarriage. The actress - who is the mother of three sons Roan, 22, Laird, 17, and Quinn, 16, through adoption - insists women are made to feel that losing a baby is 'something to bear alone and secretly with some kind of sense of failure'. In an Instagram comment, she wrote: 'We, as females don't have a forum to discuss the profundity of this loss. I lost nine children by miscarriage. It is no small thing, physically nor emotionally yet we are made to feel it is something to bear alone and secretly with some kind of sense of failure. Instead of receiving the much needed compassion and empathy and healing which we so need. Female health and wellness left to the care of the male ideology has become lax at best, ignorant in fact, and violently oppressive in effort.' Karlie Kloss made a stunning appearance in an eye-catching silk ensemble as she walked the red carpet at the WSJ Innovator Awards in NYC. The supermodel, 30, was all smiles as she arrived at the star-studded event held in the big apple earlier Wednesday evening. The special ceremony was held to help honor creatives and industry leaders, and some of the honorees included actress, Margot Robbie, and comedian, Maya Rudolph. Beautiful: Karlie Kloss, 30, turned heads in a silk pleated skirt and matching blouse as she attended the 2022 WSJ Innovator Awards earlier Wednesday evening The talented beauty stepped in front of the cameras once she arrived at the event held at the Museum of Modern Art in the heart of Manhattan. Karlie flaunted her long, toned legs in a champagne-colored, high-low pleated skirt. The right portion of the piece was short, while the opposite side fell from pleated silk to sheer material. The star opted for a matching, long-sleeved blouse which she tucked into the waist of her flowy skirt. The top buttons of the blouse were left unbuttoned, showcasing a glittering necklace with a teardrop embellishment on the front. Radiant smile: The stunning supermodel sent a cheerful smile to the cameras as she posed for a quick photo session at the event To further accessorize her gorgeous look for the evening, Karlie added a pair of small earrings that matched the rhinestone necklace. She slipped into a pair of champagne-colored, open-toed heels that were secured with thin straps at the ankles. Her long locks were slicked pack into a tight, chic ponytail, allowing her hair to fall down behind her. Karlie carried a mini clutch bag in her right hand that sparkled under the bright lights. The supermodel kept her makeup classic and elegant, comprising of black mascara, a peach-colored blush and a nude-colored lipstick. Special evening: The WSJ Innovator Awards gathers both creatives and industry leaders to honor those who have made positive changes Star-studded guests: At the award ceremony earlier Wednesday, some other guests aside Karlie that were in attendance included Hailey Bieber, Kate Moss, and Jerry Seinfeld; seen in October in Paris The 2022 Wall Street Journal Innovator Awards was created to bring together a large number of creatives and industry leaders to honor individuals who have made positive changes in the world. According to WSJ, some of the talented honorees at the ceremony included Margot Robbie, Maya Rudolph, and Yves Saint Laurent creative director, Anthony Vaccarello. To support the honorees, a list of celebrity guests were also in attendance, such as Hailey Bieber, Kate Moss, Amber Valletta, and Jerry Seinfeld. Karlie has been working through a busy schedule, and recently flew to Arkansas to attend a previous star-studded affair at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Stunning: Karlie recently attended an art event in Arkansas shortly before Halloween at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Arts Fun night: Earlier last week before Halloween, the model attended the Grit to Glamour event at an Arkansas art museum and shared memorable moments onto her Instagram page She donned a sparkling, strapless gold dress that showcased her fit physique while accentuating her slim waist. Karlie not only was a special guest among other celebrities, but was also an executive chair for the event. The beauty uploaded memorable moments from the Grit to Glamour experience as she gandered at the numerous pieces of artwork at the museum. Christian Wilkins turned heads on Thursday when he arrived at Oaks Day dressed in a floral peplum ensemble with the word 'God' emblazoned across the front. The fashion icon, 27, added more drama to his look with some platform leather boots and a Matador-inspired hat, but none could tear their eyes away from the bold white letters printed across his chest. He revealed to the Herald Sun his towering heels were the reason for the word, saying they made him 'feel closer to God'. Christian Wilkins, 27, (pictured) turned heads on Thursday when he arrived at Oaks Day dressed in a floral peplum ensemble with the word 'God' emblazoned across the front Christian, who used to go by the nickname Prince, also joked he has since 'updated' to godhood. 'I'm wearing Alix Higgins and the hat is Loewe. He's a young queer designer and I love the look. I just love a tall girl in a heel. I feel closer to God,' he said. 'Have I been updated from Prince to God? It's ladies day and to wear pink florals, it suits the day perfectly.' The fashion icon added more drama to his look with some platform leather boots and a Matador-inspired hat, but none could tear their eyes away from the bold white letters printed across his chest The model attended the event as a guest of Lexus alongside his television host father Richard Wilkins and his two sisters, and they spent much of the time in the exclusive Birdcage at Flemington Racecourse. Christian has had the time of his life this past week as he attended all the biggest events of the race that stops the nation. He was feeling footloose and fancy free on Tuesday when he was quick to show off his dance moves, shimmying and shaking his money maker to the music playing on the grounds. He revealed to the Herald Sun his towering heels were the reason for the word, saying they made him 'feel closer to God' Flexing his long limbs, Christian, who was wearing a tiara and mint green suit, was having a ball while boogying to the Madonna hit Like a Prayer. He was soon joined by a friend, the pair throwing their hands in the air as they sung along with the lyrics. Christian kept the party going when the next track, Beyonce's Cuff It, came on, and he whipped other partygoers up into a frenzy. Christian has had the time of his life this past week as he attended all the biggest events of the race that stops the nation An excited group formed around the influencer, with a makeshift dance party breaking out. Earlier in the day Christian spoke out after a troll called him 'an attention-seeking r****d' while criticising his outfit at Penfolds Derby Day on Saturday. He told Daily Mail Australia at the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday he would rather be called a 'f*g' than have trolls make fun of people with disabilities. He's known for his quick-wit and humour. But Sunrise weatherman Sam Mac came close to losing his cool on Thursday when he risked his neck in a death-defying car stunt live on the breakfast show. The 40-year-old climbed into a buggy and was driven at high-speed over a ramp at Movie World on the Gold Coast. New dad Sam Mac risked his life as he performed a death-defying car stunt live on Sunrise on Thursday morning Sam laughed in fear as the black vehicle, driven by a stunt man, flew into the air before landing heavily. 'Good morning Australia,' Sam screamed as the buggy, equipped with a roll-cage, soared metres into the air after hitting the ramp. The stunt was part of Movie World's regular attraction, Hollywood Stunt Driver 2. Sam, who recently welcomed his first child with partner Bec James, later admitted he made a gaffe during the hair-raising stunt. The 40-year-old climbed into a buggy and was driven at high-speed over a ramp at Movie World on the Gold Coast During a cross to Sunrise co-anchors Natalie Barr and David Koch, he said he grabbed the arm of the driver during the stunt. 'I dont think its part of the protocol,' he said, 'Thank goodness it was his arm!' 'Whoops! That almost couldve been a disaster!,' a shocked Natalie told Sam. During a cross to Sunrise co-anchors Natalie Barr and David Koch, Sam said he grabbed the arm of the driver during the stunt It followed an earlier Sunrise segment on Thursday when Sam almost went too far on the family friendly breakfast show. Parents were sent rushing to cover their children's eyes when Sam filmed inside a cabaret club in Queensland. Shown during Sam's weather report, it featured two scantily clad burlesque dancers performing a racy aerial routine. Iran arrests "U.S.-Saudi-sponsored" individuals linked with recent unrest: media Xinhua) 10:09, November 03, 2022 TEHRAN, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Iran has arrested three individuals linked with the recent unrest in the country, who were sponsored by "the United States and Saudi Arabia," the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Wednesday. The three persons were actively involved in the recent "riots" in Iran in the guise of citizen journalists, Tasnim cited an informed source as saying. The source said the three arrestees "cooperated with American institution Tavana Tech and Saudi-sponsored television Iran International." The source added the three people have received a remarkable amount of money from their American and Saudi sponsors to carry out their missions in Iran. According to the source, the modus operandi of the people linked with these two institutions is using the "money laundering model," in which they receive money from foreigners and employ a method known as "news laundering" in providing them with news and information. Unrest erupted in Iran following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini who died in a Tehran hospital a few days after collapsing at a police station in the Iranian capital. (Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Liang Jun) Ruling party leader Chung Jin-suk stressed the importance of security cooperation between South Korea and Japan on Thursday, saying it has become more important than ever in the face of Pyongyang's intensifying nuclear threats. "Reflecting on the grave security circumstances, the importance of security cooperation between South Korean and Japan should be emphasized more than ever," Chung of the People Power Party told a news conference ahead of an annual general meeting of the parliamentary friendship union between the two countries. Claiming North Korea's missile provocations cannot be overlooked, Chung called for South Korea to deal with the North in a "resolute" manner. Chung noted the two countries are moving to mend their ties frayed over historic issues, like wartime forced labor, and other issues related to Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula. "Flights connecting Gimpo and Haneda airports have resumed, and there have been measures to expand exchanges by normalizing visa waivers," Chung said. "The leaders of the two countries have secured the momentum to recover their trust and confirmed their determination for this goal." "It is undeniably true that historic issues of discord remain," the ruling party chief said. "The countries should strive to find a point of agreement through diplomatic channels and find a resolution through joint efforts." (Yonhap) Dame Helen Mirren lovingly gazed up at her husband Taylor Hackford while attending The American French Film Festival awards ceremony in Neuilly-sur-Seine on Wednesday. The British actress and the Santa Barbara-born filmmaker - both 77 - originally met in 1986, and they'll celebrate an impressive 25 years of wedded bliss on December 31. Taylor donned a black double-breasted suit while Helen flashed her undergarments in a black sheer ensemble as they posed on the black carpet inside France's SACEM (Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers of Music). The look of love! Dame Helen Mirren lovingly gazed up at her husband Taylor Hackford while attending The American French Film Festival awards ceremony in Neuilly-sur-Seine on Wednesday Mirren fastened a black headband over her long white locks and she wore a matching lace jacket over a tea-length mesh dress, cranberry tights, and Baroque-style booties selected by stylist Rachel Fanconi. Hackford plans on directing the L'Oreal Paris brand ambassador as a femme fatale enforcer called 'The Spider' in his upcoming detective noir thriller Sniff alongside Al Pacino, Morgan Freeman, and Danny DeVito. The two-time Grammy winner - who has a 43-year-old son Alexander - is still grieving the loss of his eldest son Rio, who died on April 14 at age 51 from uveal melanoma. Helen - who's only a Grammy away from elite EGOT status - hosts the six-episode fourth season of critically-acclaimed mockumentary series Documentary Now!, which airs Wednesdays on IFC and AMC+. Still going strong! The British actress and the Santa Barbara-born filmmaker - both 77 - originally met in 1986, and they'll celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary on December 31 Well matched: Taylor donned a black double-breasted suit while Helen flashed her undergarments in a black sheer ensemble as they posed on the black carpet inside France's SACEM (Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers of Music) See-through: Mirren fastened a black headband over her long white locks and she wore a matching lace jacket over a tea-length mesh dress, cranberry tights, and Baroque-style booties selected by stylist Rachel Fanconi Still happening? Hackford plans on directing the L'Oreal Paris brand ambassador as a femme fatale enforcer called 'The Spider' in his upcoming detective noir thriller Sniff alongside Al Pacino, Morgan Freeman, and Danny DeVito RIP: The two-time Grammy winner - who has a 43-year-old son Alexander - is still grieving the loss of his eldest son Rio, who died on April 14 at age 51 from uveal melanoma 'I'm never comfortable with comedy. I'm so out of my depth with comedy. The only way I can deal with it is to be as serious as I possibly can be,' Mirren (born Mironoff) admitted to Consequence last month. 'And that was the nice thing. When [creators Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, Seth Meyers, and Rhys Thomas] asked me originally to do the presentation for this, [I knew] this needed to be played completely straight and very very serious, like Masterpiece Theater. So I knew that I could do that.' The Philosophy of Modern Song reader will also star as matriarch Cara Dutton in opposite Harrison Ford in Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone spin-off 1923, which premieres December 18 on Paramount+. 'I'm so out of my depth with comedy': Helen - who's only a Grammy away from elite EGOT status - hosts the six-episode fourth season of critically-acclaimed mockumentary series Documentary Now!, which airs Wednesdays on IFC and AMC+ All-American western: Mirren will also star as matriarch Cara Dutton in opposite Harrison Ford in Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone spin-off 1923, which premieres December 18 on Paramount+ (pictured with What's Wrong With My Family actress Sofia Essaidi) Four-time Oscar-nominated filmmaker Michael Mann presented the jury award trophy to Diary of a Fleeting Affair writer-director Emmanuel Mouret, who was wearing two button-up shirts on top of each other. The Worst Ones co-director Lise Akoka proudly clutched her first film award trophy while clad in a b&w long-sleeve top, grey wide-leg pants, and glossy black boots. Fairplay writer-director Zoel Aeschbacher sported a flight jacket with shearling collar before winning a jury award for his short film. Congrats! Four-time Oscar-nominated filmmaker Michael Mann (L) presented the jury award trophy to Diary of a Fleeting Affair writer-director Emmanuel Mouret (R), who was wearing two button-up shirts on top of each other Champ! The Worst Ones co-director Lise Akoka proudly clutched her first film award trophy while clad in a b&w long-sleeve top, grey wide-leg pants, and glossy black boots She's been living it up all week at the Melbourne Cup. And Thursday was no exception for socialite Rozalia Russian who showed off her trim pins in a pretty pink dress at Oaks Day. The 34-year-old wife of nightclub owner and former mayoral candidate Nick Russian dressed to perfection in a $1500 Blumarine number with pretty butterfly embellishments which wrapped around her neck right down to her thigh. Rozalia Russian showed off her trim pins in a pretty pink dress at Oaks Day on Thursday She styled the thigh-skimming number with white leather heels and popped a pink veil over her face. Traditionally Oaks Day is all about colour, especially pastels with the Melbourne socialite nailing the trend. Rozalia has certainly been making the most of the festivities and was caught ordering UberEats on her phone while inside the The Birdcage at the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday. The 34-year-old wife of nightclub owner and former mayoral candidate Nick Russian dressed to perfection in a $1500 Blumarine number with pretty butterfly embellishments which wrapped around her neck right down to her thigh She styled the thigh-skimming number with white leather heels and popped a pink veil over her face. She is pictured with husband Nick Russian The fashion influencer was seen browsing the food delivery app and selecting a Happy Meal option. The 34-year-old appeared to be ordering food for her children back at home. Footage of Rozalia ordering Macca's was posted on Instagram by hairstylist Hermiz Daniel, who wrote: 'Being a mum while working still. Thank god for UberEats.' Hours later, Rozalia shared a photo with her two kids, Willow, eight, and Kingston, five, after a long day of celebrations. Rozalia is a former ballerina-turned-influencer who promotes major brands such as Dior, Louis Vuitton and L'Oreal Paris. She tied the knot with Nick back in 2012, and they share two children together (pictured Thursday) 'Now home to these two,' she wrote in her Instagram Story. Rozalia and her husband Nick looked very stylish indeed as they arrived at Flemington Racecourse earlier on Tuesday. She dressed modestly in an Indiana Jones-esque tan get-up by Effie Kats and matching brimmed hat by Lauren J Ritchie Millinery. The long-sleeved dress has padded shoulders, making her look business-chic. She dressed modestly in an Indiana Jones-esque tan get-up by Effie Kats and matching brimmed hat by Lauren J Ritchie Millinery (pictured Tuesday) Rozalia is a former ballerina-turned-influencer who promotes major brands such as Dior, Louis Vuitton and L'Oreal Paris. She tied the knot with Nick back in 2012, and they share two children together. Nick rose to fame on dating show Temptation Island in 2002 and is Melbourne's most prolific nightclub owner and entrepreneur. Hours later, Rozalia shared a photo with her two kids, Willow, eight, and Kingston, five, after a long day of celebrations. 'Now home to these two,' she wrote in her Instagram Story He became an official candidate for Lord Mayor of Melbourne in 2020, after the Liberal Party reportedly called for him to make a bid for the city's top job. Following his stint as a reality TV star, Nick ran the popular nightclub Eve Bar, where he became friends with a slew of celebrities before selling the venue in 2015. He now runs Together Events, which is 'a luxury lifestyle and events brand created for sophisticated, fun and fashion-conscious individuals'. Tilly Ramsay has confirmed that she's in a relationship and is 'really enjoying spending time' with her new boyfriend. The daughter of Gordon Ramsay, 22, has told how he hasn't met her famous chef dad yet but that he will try to be a 'big, scary person' when they do. It comes after Gordon left Tilly red-faced as they appeared on Friday's episode of Celebrity Gogglebox for Stand Up To Cancer where he alluded to her being in a relationship. Loved-up: Tilly Ramsay has confirmed that she's in a relationship and is 'really enjoying spending time' with her new boyfriend Speaking on Gordon's new show Uncharted Showdown Tilly said: 'I am in a relationship but dad hasn't met him just yet. 'I'm really enjoying spending some time with them. But dad's going to meet him soon. 'Dad's great in that kind of situation. He loves to be this big, scary person. But really, he's just as friendly to anyone that any of us bring home so it's great.' Family: The daughter of Gordon Ramsay, 22, has told how he hasn't met her famous chef dad yet but that he will try to be a 'big, scary person' when they do It comes after Gordon probed whether she has a boyfriend on Gogglebox, with Tilly eventually confessing that she is in a relationship - as her dad jumped for joy and exclaimed 'finally'. It came after the young star's stint on Strictly Come Dancing last year, which ignited rumours of a romance between her and pro partner Nikita Kuzmin. Appearing on the celebrity version of Channel 4's Gogglebox, Gordon took the opportunity to question his daughter on her dating life before they got stuck into the TV. Exciting: Speaking on Gordon's new show Uncharted Showdown (pictured) Tilly said: 'I am in a relationship but dad hasn't met him just yet' The father-daughter pair were filmed in their living room as they watched TV, with with the chef asking: 'Have you got a boyfriend? Yes or no?' A mortified Tilly slumped into her chair more, before confessing that she was in a relationship with a tight-lipped reaction. And dancing with joy, Gordon exclaimed: 'Yes! She's got a boyfriend finally!' It comes after reports of Tilly growing close to her former Strictly partner Nikita, with the pair sharing a close bond since appearing on the show together. Mortified: It comes after Gordon left Tilly red-faced as they appeared on Friday's episode of Celebrity Gogglebox for Stand Up To Cancer where he alluded to her being in a relationship Tilly and Nikita formed a close bond during the show, and set tongues wagging last year when they were seen leaving his flat together. The pair have reunited many times since, but insisted they were just close friends - with Tilly reportedly seeing the dancer as a 'big brother' figure. And back in December, the star allegedly joined celebrity dating app Raya during her search for love, which appears to have come to an end. She appeared on the Channel 4 show with Gordon in matching navy blue onesies, aiming to raise money for Stand Up To Cancer. Gordon shared of the TV appearance: 'We're always happy to support the superb work that Stand Up To Cancer do, and despite our TV tastes being polar opposites, we had a lot of fun filming this very special episode of Gogglebox.' Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted Showdown airs on National Geographic from November 9 at 8pm, including Gordon Ramsay Vs. Tilly Ramsay finale special on November 23. Fans have called on Eddie Redmayne and Jessica Chastain to win Academy Awards for their 'extraordinary' performance in The Good Nurse. The true crime thriller, based on the story of a nurse who murdered patients in hospitals, was released on Netflix last month and currently boasts a 79 percent Rotten Tomatoes rating. With Eddie, 40, taking on the role of serial killer Charles Cullen and Jessica, 45, starring alongside him as the nurse determined to bring him to justice, viewers have been left in awe of the performance and started Oscar-buzz ahead of next year's ceremony. Amazing: Fans have called on Eddie Redmayne and Jessica Chastain to win Academy Awards for their 'extraordinary' performance in The Good Nurse Viewers tweeted: 'The Good Nurse is so goooooood!!! Disgusting and gut wrenching but good.' ;'Watching the good nurse on Netflix, crying my eyes out'; 'The Good Nurse needs to be nominated for an Oscar 'ok so whens jessica chastains oscar for the good nurse being shipped out to her'; 'jessica chastain and eddie redmayne are harrowingly brilliant actors. their performances in The Good Nurse are oscar worthy.'; 'Give Eddie that Oscar immediately! Chills watching The Good Nurse'; 'Im only back for a sec because I had to announce to the world that Eddie Redmayne should win an Oscar for his role in The Good Nurse and, more specifically, for one specific scene in a diner that lasted seconds and where he didnt even speak. 'eddie redmayne in the new the good nurse movie on netflix holy s**t he is amazing and actually had me scared someone give him an oscar'; 'That boy in good nurse deserves an Oscar just for screaming I cant like that Back to the Oscars: With Eddie, 40, Jessica, 45, starring alongside each other viewers have been left in awe of the performance and started Oscar-buzz ahead of next year's ceremony. 'He deserves every award he has received so far for it '; 'i just finished watching the good nurse. the film is solid proof why eddie and jessica won their oscars; their performances are nothing short of extraordinary. 'This seems crazy to say because she just won an Oscar earlier this year but I feel like more people are discovering Jessica Chastain and seeing what a MARVEL she is at EVERYTHING, watching The Good Nurse proves what a graceful screen presence she has.'; 'We just finished watching The Good Nurse and dang @jes_chastain and Eddie Redmayne should be handed their Oscars right now.. amazing performances!!'; 'Jessica Chastain and Eddie Redmayne's performances in The Good Nurse are breathtaking. Definite Oscar contenders imo'; 'Started The good nurse, fifteen mins in and Jessica Chastain already needs an Oscar.' Loving it: Viewers flocked to Twitter to share their excitement at the film and praise the stars If the Oscars-campaign is successful it would be the second award for the actors. Last year Jessica received the Best Actress award for her portrayal of the televangelist Tammy Faye in The Eyes of Tammy Faye. Eddie picked up the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything. Eddie recently revealed he attended nursing school to prepare for The Good Nurse but was 'totally s*** at it'. The award winning actor opened up about how he prepared for to play real-life serial killer Charles Cullen by hanging saline bags and inserting PICC lines. The star spent two weeks at the school mastering the nurses' actions despite never going to drama school and just 'winging' each role as they come. Eddie told GQ Hype: 'I was totally s*** at it, you never want me in a crisis. I have no grand plan, I'm just winging it.' Award: Eddie picked up the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything The Oscar winner stars in the true-crime thriller alongside Jessica who plays a struggling single mother trying to stay afloat with her demanding career as a nurse at a New Jersey Hospital. She initially strikes up a good rapport with a new nurse (played by Eddie), but after several of her patients who seemed to be improving die under unusual circumstances, she comes to suspect him of foul play. Eddie plays Cullen in the film who was responsible for 29 confirmed deaths. Excellent: Last year Jessica received the Best Actress award for her portrayal of the televangelist Tammy Faye in The Eyes of Tammy Faye However, the serial killer claimed to have killed as many as 40 people, and some investigators involved in the case believe he may have killed more than 300 people. This makes him possibly the most deadly American serial killer, according to Charles Graeber's 2007 New York Magazine story, which was the basis for his 2013 book and, in turn, the film. Cullen was handed down six life sentences in 2006 after he admitted poisoning at least 40 people in New Jersey and Pennsylvania over the course of his 16-year nursing career. Christian Wilkins had fans scratching their heads on Thursday when he announced he was 'pregnant' with his first child. The model and influencer, 27, shared a photo on Instagram of himself attending Oaks Day at Melbourne's Flemington Racecourse. He joked in the caption he was 'very excited to announce my pregnancy' - a reference to his flared top which gave the illusion he had a baby bump. Christian Wilkins (pictured at Oaks Day) had fans scratching their heads on Thursday when he announced he was 'pregnant'. He said on Instagram he was 'very excited to announce my pregnancy' - a reference to his flared top which gave the illusion he had a baby bump 'Baby Chritney coming 2023,' he added. Christian, the son of Channel Nine presenter Richard Wilkins, turned plenty of heads in The Birdcage in a floral peplum ensemble. The Victoria Racing Club ambassador completed his look with platform boots. But the centrepiece of his feminine ensemble was the bold white letters printed across his chest: 'God.' 'Baby Chritney coming 2023,' he joked He told the Herald Sun his towering heels were the reason for the bold slogan, saying they made him 'feel closer to God'. 'I'm wearing Alix Higgins and the hat is Loewe. He's a young queer designer and I love the look. I just love a tall girl in a heel. I feel closer to God,' he said. 'Have I been updated from Prince to God? It's Ladies' Day and to wear pink florals, it suits the day perfectly,' he added, referencing his former nickname 'The Prince'. Christian, the son of Channel Nine presenter Richard Wilkins, turned plenty of heads in The Birdcage in a floral peplum ensemble Christian attended Oaks Day as a guest of Lexus alongside his father and two sisters, and they spent much of their time in the exclusive Birdcage at Flemington. He has attended all the major races this past week, opting for both masculine and feminine looks, reflecting his diverse and androgynous sense of style. He was feeling footloose and fancy free at the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday when he showed off his dance moves, shimmying and shaking his money-maker. The centrepiece of his feminine ensemble was the bold white letters printed across his chest: 'God.' He told the Herald Sun his towering heels were the reason for the bold slogan, saying they made him 'feel closer to God' Christian, who was wearing a tiara and mint green suit, was having a ball while boogying to the Madonna hit Like a Prayer. He was soon joined by a friend, with the pair throwing their hands in the air as they sang along to the lyrics. Christian kept the party going when the next track, Beyonce's Cuff It, came on. He was feeling footloose and fancy free at the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday when he showed off his dance moves, shimmying and shaking his money-maker An excited group formed around him, with a makeshift dance party breaking out. Earlier in the day, Christian spoke out after a troll called him 'an attention-seeking r****d' while criticising his outfit at Penfolds Derby Day on Saturday. He told Daily Mail Australia he would rather be called a 'f*g' than have trolls make fun of people with disabilities. Rarely seen Roman Polanski enjoyed a night out in Paris with his French actress wife Emmanuelle Seigner on Wednesday. The film director, 89, wore a stylish black leather jacket as he stepped out with his partner who followed on behind him. He completed his look with a dark green jumper, dark jeans and trainers while sweeping back his long grey hair. Stepping out: Rarely seen Roman Polanski enjoyed a night out in Paris with his French actress wife Emmanuelle Seigner on Wednesday Meanwhile Emmanuelle Seigner, 56, cut a casual figure in a long grey coat, patterned white T-shirt and jeans, while keeping warm with a beanie hat. The pair looked happy and relaxed as they stepped out, as fans on the street posed for pictures with him and chatted away. It comes after prosecutors in Los Angeles revisited his 45-year-old rape case. Roman and Emmanuelle married in 1989, 11 years after he fled the US on the run from the law. Together: The film director, 89, wore a stylish black leather jacket as he stepped out with his partner who followed on behind him Polanski is awaiting a decision in the long drawn out case of him raping an underage girl at Jack Nicholson's home in 1977, when he was in his early forties and the victim, Samantha Geimer was 13. He admitted having sex with the minor after Geimer - who has since come forward to identify herself publicly - told police he drugged her champagne and forced himself on her. While awaiting sentencing, Polanski fled L.A. for Europe. He has long claimed he was the victim of judicial misconduct and that the judge reneged on a promise not to jail him. In July, after decades of secrecy, court documents from the case were unsealed and they appeared to uphold Polanski's claim that the judge behaved improperly. Night out: He completed his look with a dark green jumper, dark jeans and trainers while sweeping back his long grey hair. Now, Polanski and his attorneys are fighting for him to be sentenced in absentia, bringing an end to his decades-long status as a fugitive. In 1978, he was due to be sentenced to probation by Judge Laurence Rittenband but at the last minute, discovered the judge planned to instead jail him for up to 120 days. Rittenband, who died in 1993, said he had been influenced by the media and needed to be tougher on the then 45-year-old movie director. He promised to get him out in under 120 days but Polanski, skittish after their reneged-deal and fearing he may be put behind bars for longer, ran for France. He has remained in Europe ever since, fighting off effort to have him sentenced in absentia or extradited to the US as a fugitive. Difficult: Roman and Emmanuelle married in 1989, 11 years after he fled the US on the run from the law For decades, the case has been ringfenced by prosecutors in the L.A. District Attorney's office but it is now being revisited. The newly unsealed documents are hundreds of pages of testimony from former Deputy District Attorney Roger Gunson that have been unsealed after a request from journalists to make the papers public. The request is supported by everyone involved - Polanski wanted them to be made public to prove judicial misconduct and Geimer, now 59, wants the case to be dismissed. Last week, after resisting efforts to make the documents public like his predecessors, L.A. DA George Gascon agreed that they should be unsealed. Old case: Samantha Geimer, 13, (pictured) told police that Polanski spiked her champagne and forced her into having sex with him at Jack Nicholson's house in 1977 One of his advisers told Variety: 'The suspicion has been around this case for 40 years. Many people are suspicious that something untoward occurred. We share that curiosity and that concern.' The California Court of Appeals in Los Angeles ordered them unsealed shortly afterwards. Gunson gave the testimony in 2010 at the request of Polanski's legal team. At the time, he was suffering from unspecified health issues that Polanski's team feared may prevent him from testifying later, if the case was ever reopened. The testimony seems to confirm Polanski's claim that the judge behaved improperly and shows how almost everyone involved - the prosecutors, Polanski and the victim - were dissatisfied. Difficult: Roman says he was lied to by Judge Laurence J. Rittenband (pictured) and that he is why he went on the run. Rittenband, who died in 1993, told the actor's legal team he would jail him for up to 120 days after initially promising not to jail him at all 'The judge had promised him on two occasions... something that he reneged on. 'So it wasnt surprising to me that, when he was told he was going to be sent off to state prison... that he could not or would not trust the judge,' Gunson said. He testified that Rittenband took advice on the case from 'all over the place', being easily influenced by the media and celebrities. Gunson even tried to have him recused but his request was shot down by his superiors. Court: Roman is shown in 1977 after being arrested for rape. He pleaded guilty to unlawful sex with a minor in exchange for prosecutors dropping drug, rape and sodomy charges He said that it was wrong for Rittenband to renege on his promise of a light sentence, but that it was wrong to have offered Polanski the deal in the first place. He also testified about other flaws in the investigation. According to him, police officers who went to Nicholson's home were caught taking photographs with the actor's Oscars. Polanski's attorneys are fighting for him to be sentenced in absentia in order to end his current status as a fugitive. Their goal is for him to be handed a time served sentence. Geimer, who won $600,000 from Polanski in a civil settlement, wants the case to be dropped. She previously testified before a grand jury that during a photo shoot at Jack Nicholsons house in March 1977 when the actor wasnt home, Polanski gave her champagne and part of a sedative, then forced her to have sex. She didnt fight him because she was afraid of him but her mother later called police. When she refused to testify in court, Polanski pleaded guilty to unlawful sex with a minor in exchange for prosecutors dropping drug, rape and sodomy charges. Rittenband sent Polanski to state prison in 1978 for 90 days. He spent 42 days there for a psychiatric evaluation, and received a recommendation from the prison that the film director should not serve any additional time. Gunson, the prosecutor, wrote that Rittenband thought the recommendation was 'whitewash' and told Polanski's team he would sentence him to 120 days in prison, but would get him out sooner. Gunson acknowledged during his testimony that the judge had discretion to sentence Polanski up to 50 years because there had been no agreed-upon sentence. Fearing the worst, Polanski fled. Having her say: Geimer, pictured in 2017, has long been fighting for the documents to be made public and for the case to be dismissed. She says the decades-long saga has prolonged her suffering Rittenband, who also presided over the divorce between Elvis and Priscilla Presley, vowed to stay on the bench until the director returned to the US. He retired in 1989 and died four years later. The L.A. District Attorney's Office has long resisted revisiting the case or making any of the documents public. In the past, prosecutors have cited Geimer as their reason for the secrecy, despite her repeated requests to unseal the documents and dismiss the case. In 2017, she traveled from her home in Hawaii to Los Angeles to urge a judge to end 'a 40-year sentence which has been imposed on the victim of a crime as well as the perpetrator.' 'I implore you to consider taking action to finally bring this matter to a close as an act of mercy to myself and my family,' Geimer said. Geimer went public years ago and wrote a memoir titled 'The Girl: A Life in the Shadow of Roman Polanski.' The cover features a photo shot by Polanski. Last month, she implored Gascon to agree to the documents being unsealed. In a statement in July, he agreed. 'This case has been described by the courts as one of the longest-running sagas in California criminal justice history. For years, this office has fought the release of information that the victim and public have a right to know,' he said. The California Appeals Court then ordered the documents to be made public. Johnny Depp is reportedly set to make a guest appearance at Rihanna's hotly-anticipated fourth Savage X Fenty fashion show. The actor, 59, will feature as a surprise guest in the Savage X Fenty Vol 4 show, which will premiere on Amazon Prime Video on November 9, according to reports. Production sources told TMZ Johnny will not take to the runway but will be the first man to front one of the show's 'star' moments, which has previously featured Cindy Crawford. New project: Johnny Depp is reportedly set to make a guest appearance at Rihanna's hotly-anticipated fourth Savage X Fenty fashion show. Pictured: Rihanna in her 2nd show Johnny has reportedly already filmed his part for the show and he and Rihanna, 34, are both said to be very excited about the collaboration. MailOnline has contacted Johnny and Rihanna's representatives for comment. It comes after Amazon Prime shared in a press release that Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 4, featuring Rihanna's Savage X Fenty collection, would debut on November 9. It is the follow-up to the Emmy-winning Vol 3, which starred Madonna's daughter Lourdes Leon, Gigi Hadid and Vanessa Hudgens. Guest: The actor, 59, will feature as a surprise guest in the Savage X Fenty Vol 4 show, which will premiere on Amazon Prime Video on November 9, according to reports This year's show will feature the latest Savage X Fenty styles from the icon, and it will stream exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide beginning November 9. The 'trailblazing event is raising the bar yet again with a new all-star lineup of models, actors, some of the biggest names in music,' the release said. 'A seductive fashion fever dream, this years show blends Emmy award-winning choreography, style, and music with the hypnotic essence of nocturnal nature. Featuring a star-studded cast all wearing the newest Savage X Fenty looks, the show is an un-missable visual feast,' the release said. Rihanna has served as executive producer and creative director of Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 4. New show: It comes after Amazon Prime shared in a press release that Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 4 would debut on November 9. Pictured: Rihanna in Vol 3 show 'We want to make people look good and feel good,' she said. 'We want you to feel sexy and have fun doing it.' A year ago, she had an all-star lineup of musicians, models, actors, and dancers for Volume 3. The show featured performances from Nas, Daddy Yankee, BIA, Jazmine Sullivan, Ricky Martin, Normani, and Jade Novah. Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 3 also had models Adriana Lima, Aleali May, Alek Wek, Alva Claire, Behati Prinsloo, Bella Poarch and Eartheater. Excited: Johnny has reportedly already filmed his part for the show with the Edward Scissorhands star and Rihanna, 34, both said to be very excited about the collaboration And Emily Ratajkowski, Erykah Badu, Gigi Hadid, Gottmik, Irina Shayk, Jeremy Pope, Joan Smalls made appearances too. Vol. 4 is shaping up to be an equally star-studded affair after reports of Johnny joining the show for its 'star' moment segment. Johnny has been keeping busy in recent weeks after joining musician Jeff Beck on his tour and made surprise return to his hometown of Owensboro in Kentucky in recent days. The Hollywood star reportedly asked fans to keep his visit a secret until after he had left the area, according to Fox19Now. It was also reported he could make a return to the Pirates Of The Caribbean franchise after being dropped from the franchise during his legal battle with ex-wife Amber Heard. He was the major lead in five Pirates movies over the past 15 years and made what was thought to be his final voyage on the Black Pearl in Dead Men Tell No Tales which was released in 2017. Stars: It is the follow-up to the Emmy-winning Vol 3, which starred Madonna's daughter Lourdes Leon, Gigi Hadid (pictured) and Vanessa Hudgens But a source told Poptopic that the actor has been in talks with Disney about a '$300million deal' after winning his defamation trial against Amber Heard. The insider revealed that Disney are interested in patching up the relationship with Johnny and have recently reached out to him. They said: 'They reached out to the actor prior to his defamation trial against Amber Heard and asked whether he would be interested in returning for another pirate film or two. The source added that another project is in the works for Disney Plus. Claims: It comes after it was reported that Johnny is set 'to return' to Pirates of the Caribbean after being dropped from the franchise in 2018 (pictured at Disney's D23 in 2015) They said: 'The deal is reportedly for Johnny Depp to return as Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean 6 and a spin-off Disney Plus series about the early life of the Captain of The Black Pearl.' They continued: 'What I can tell you is that the studio has already penned up a draft for a film about Jack Sparrow so they are very hopeful that Johnny will forgive them and return as his iconic character.' The source said that the media house is working on a '$301 million deal' to coax Depp back soon and are also reportedly adding a 'sizeable donation' to a charity of Depp's choice as a gesture of goodwill. The Edward Scissorhands star previously told the jury he would not work with Disney again after he was scrubbed from the sixth Pirates movie. His legal team claims Johnny lost out on a $22million payday after Amber published her Washington Post op-ed in 2018 that didn't identify Johnny, but clearly branded him as a domestic abuser. Johnny said he felt as if he was 'guilty until proven innocent' with Disney executives. Original Pirates script writer Stuart Beattie was the first to publicly confirm that Disney Studios were ditching the star in 2018 as they rework the entire franchise. Jacqueline Jossa and Dan Osbourne posed in Christmas pyjamas with their daughters on Thursday as they got into the festive spirit early. The former EastEnders actress, 30, and the former TOWIE star, 31, looked every inch the doting parents for family shots with kids Ella, seven, and Mia, four. In one sweet shot they all wore matching red sets with cute white reindeer on them as they beamed next to a Christmas tree and stockings by the fire. It's not even Bonfire Night yet! Jacqueline Jossa and Dan Osbourne posed in Christmas pajamas with their daughters on Thursday as they got into the festive spirit early In another they wore black sets with fun snow slogans on while sat on a festively decorated staircase and the kids looked adorable as they smiled. Jacqueline looked glowing in the snaps as she wore her brunette tresses in glossy waves over her shoulders and opted for a bronzed makeup look. She penned in the caption: 'IT'S TIME FOR OUR FAMILY XMAS PJS!!! Sooo excited about these you guys know that I LOVE Christmas and we have stepped it up with the matching family pjs this year with @inthestyle. Cute: The former EastEnders actress, 30, and the former TOWIE star, 31, looked every inch the doting parents for family shots with kids Ella, seven, and Mia, four 'No matter what your family set up we've got you covered!!! Adults, kids, babies and even dogs !! 'I know I've mentioned on my stories too but this year we have introduced a very special 'spend and save' option! 'We know it's tough this year for families at Xmas, but even with costs rising on fabrics and freight ITS have kept prices level to last year and we've also introduced a spend and save which basically means the more you have to buy for the more affordable it will be for you all!' Family: In one sweet shot they all wore matching red sets with snowflakes on them as they beamed next to a Christmas tree and stockings by the fire It comes after Jacqueline recently made a return to the EastEnders set for a special episode for Dot Cotton's funeral. The BBC soap unveiled that six actors will be reprising their roles for the special tribute episode which sees Albert Square residents say a final goodbye to the beloved launderette worker. Among those returning is Jacqueline, who played Dot's grand-daughter Lauren Branning and said it was a 'no-brainer' to return, and Tom Watt, who portrayed George 'Lofty' Holloway. Christmas: Jacqueline looked glowing in the snaps as she wore her brunette tresses in glossy waves over her shoulders and opted for a bronzed makeup look While completing the line-up of returning actors are Colin Russell (Lord Michael Cashman CBE), Barry Clark (Gary Hailes), Mary 'the punk' Smith (Linda Davidson) and Disa OBrien (Jan Graveson). It was previously revealed that soap bosses were working on a tribute for EastEnders legend June Brown, who died in April of this year at the age of 95. And now, further details of the funeral scenes have been revealed, with each of the returning characters sharing their memories of Dot throughout the years. While viewers will get a chance to discover what the characters have been up to since they last stepped foot in Walford. Promotion: She penned in the caption: 'IT'S TIME FOR OUR FAMILY XMAS PJS!!! Sooo excited about these you guys know that I LOVE Christmas and we have stepped it up with the matching family pjs this year with @inthestyle!' The episode sees Dot's step granddaughter Lauren return to Albert Square for the first time since leaving for a new life in New Zealand with son Louie. And while much of her former home has changed, there is once Walford resident that catches her eye. On how she feels to come back for the emotional storyline, Jacqueline shared: 'Coming back to EastEnders for Dot's funeral was a no-brainer, and it was a real honour to be invited back. 'I had a lot of fun but, of course, it was bittersweet. It was amazing to be back, but hard to be filming this storyline. I can tell the viewers now that Dot gets the beautiful send-off that she deserves.' Sorely missed: It comes after Jacqueline recently made a return to the EastEnders set for a special episode for Dot Cotton's funeral She concluded: 'June was the light and joy of EastEnders. I had so much fun working with her, the incredible stories and how infectious & witty she was. June is a legend and I miss her very much.' The beloved character of Dot left the show in January 2020 to go to Ireland with her grandson Charlie. She portrayed the role of Dot for 35 years, and was part of the Branning clan after marrying character Jim Branning in 2002. Luke Evans has weighed in on the argument of whether only gay actors should play gay roles, saying he 'wouldn't have a career' if that rule was applied across the board. The actor, 43, who is known for roles in The Hobbit, Beauty and the Beast and Nine Perfect Strangers, said talent should be the top consideration for casting. Luke, who is gay, said he has only played gay characters twice in his career so far and would have hardly worked if actors were cast based on their sexual orientation. Interview: Luke Evans has weighed in on the argument of whether only gay actors should play gay roles, saying he 'wouldn't have a career' if that rule was applied across the board Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, the film star was asked about his thoughts on Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies saying only gay people should play gay parts. Luke replied: 'I'm not sure about that. Gay people have definitely missed out on gay roles, for sure. Russell spoke very powerfully, passionately, about this point. I get it, and I totally think that things do need to change. 'But from my perspective: firstly, I wouldn't have had a career if gay people played gay roles and straight people played straight roles. I'd have played two roles out of the 36 projects I've worked on, or whatever [the number] is.' Expanding on his view, Luke said it should be that 'the right person gets the job. Talent and ability, and a bit of luck and timing ... That should be the reason why you get a job. It shouldn't have anything to do with anything else.' Candid: The actor, 43, who is known for roles in The Hobbit, Beauty and the Beast and Nine Perfect Strangers, said talent should be the top consideration for casting Luke recently told he is planning to have children within the next five years by the age of 48 - after revealing his romance with graphic designer Fran Tomas this summer. He told The Times: 'I'd love to have my own kids in the next five years, but if that happens I must accept that I wouldn't be a young dad. 'I want to be an active dad, one that really gets involved and isnt limited in what they can do.' The star, who came out publicly as gay in 2002, went on to say he was scared to tell his Jehovah's Witnesses parents Yvonne and David of his sexuality during his teens. He said: 'I wouldn't have had a career if gay people played gay roles and straight people played straight roles. I'd have played two roles out of the 36 projects I've worked on' He explained: 'I was scared about telling my parents I was gay when I was a teenager. Times were different then, especially coming from a religious background. 'It can be lonely and confusing not being able to speak up during such formative years. 'I take my hat off to parents like mine who accept and love their kids unconditionally. You can get through the challenges you face if youre happy with yourself.' In May it was reported that Luke had found love with Spanish graphic designer Fran after the pair met a year earlier while he was working in Australia. Sienna Miller has revealed that she was told to 'f**k off' by an 'extremely powerful' Broadway producer after asking for equal pay to her male co-star. The model and actress, 40, told how she was offered less than half of what he was going to earn a week for the play. Sienna did not mention which Broadway producer it was but starred in Cabaret in 2015 and After Miss Julie in 2009. Unfair: Sienna Miller has revealed that she was told to 'f**k off' by an 'extremely powerful' Broadway producer after asking for equal pay to her male co-star (pictured in Cabaret in 2015) She told British Vogue: 'I said to the producer, who was extremely powerful, it's not about money it's about fairness and respect, thinking they'd come back and say, 'Of course, of course.' 'But they didn't. They just said, 'Well f**k off then'.' It was a pivotal moment for her, as she added: 'I realised I had every right to be equally subsidized for the work that I would have done.' It was with this attitude that Sienna asked for higher compensation in the 2019 action movie, 21 Bridges. Not happy: The model and actress, 40, told how she was offered less than half of what he was going to earn a week for the play (pictured in After Miss Julie in 2009) The late actor Chadwick Boseman reallocated some of his salary so her fee could be met for the film, on which Boseman was also a producer. She told him: '''What you did was extraordinary and meant the world.'' He came up to me when we wrapped and said, 'You got paid what you deserved.' Elsewhere in the wide-spanning interview Sienna spoke about her past love life and said she spent years investing in a relationship with someone who was 'a bucket with a hole in it of a person'. The star revealed she thought she would be married with children by her 30s but the relationships she was in during those years didn't work out. Work: Sienna did not mention which Broadway producer it was but starred in Cabaret in 2015 and After Miss Julie in 2009 (pictured on the opening night of After Miss Julie) Sienna said: 'I'd invested what felt like the important years in something that was just a bucket with a hole in it of a person. I wasted time. And I felt like time was really my currency.' She was quick to point out she was not referring to Tom Sturridge, who she dated from 2011 to 2015 and shares daughter Marlowe, ten, with. Prior to her relationship with Tom, Sienna was engaged to fellow actor Jude Law in 2004 after he popped the question on Christmas Day. He apologised to her in July of the following year for having an affair with the nanny of his children. Couples: Elsewhere in the wide-spanning interview Sienna spoke about her past love life (Sienna is currently in a relationship with model Oli Green, 15 years her junior - pictured in 2022) Sienna also had a highly publicized affair with the actor Bathlazar Getty in 2008. Reflecting on her thirties being difficult, she added: 'There was a lot of anxiety. Relationships hadn't worked out I imagined that I would be married with three kids, being a great mum. I love being a mother. It's what I do best.' Now, Sienna is dating model Oli Green, 15 years her junior, saying: 'There's a misogyny that is ingrained in men of my age and older that I don't see in [the] generation below'. Sienna's ex Tom is now in a relationship with presenter and fashion designer Alexa Chung with the actress saying she is 'really happy' for the couple. Ex: Sienna got engaged to fellow actor Jude Law in 2004 after he popped the question on Christmas Day (pictured in 2010) She said: 'It's genuinely lovely. Marlowe comes home with Alexa's jumpers that I steal. I've got one upstairs.' On her unconventional co-parenting set-up, including spending lockdown in Upstate New York with respective partners at the time, Sienna said: 'I had my then boyfriend. And Tom's then girlfriend came and... it was definitely eccentric. 'I can't go into detail but the wheels came off and everything went horribly wrong.' [...] 'It will make a fantastic play.' Sienna said she was 'excited' to turn 40, adding: 'As a young woman I was so trivialised and so insubstantial-seeming, but there's very little that anyone can say to a 40-year-old woman. And I also don't give a f**k. 'It was such a headline in my life what people thought of me. It was so loud that I believed it. Now I've got to a point where it's absolutely none of your business.' See the full feature in the December issue of British Vogue available via digital download and on newsstands from Tuesday 15th November. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo speaks at a press conference with foreign media on the Itaewon crowd disaster at the Korea Press Center in Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of Prime Minister's Office By Lee Hae-rin While President Yoon Suk-yeol has visited the memorial altar to the victims of the Halloween crowd disaster four days in a row since Monday, the gaffes of his close aides have infuriated the public. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo offered an apology for an inappropriate joke made during a press conference on the incident with foreign reporters at the Korea Press Center, Tuesday. "Regardless of its context, I apologize for making people uncomfortable (with my behavior)," Han said in a statement released by the Prime Minister's Office, Wednesday. When asked by a foreign correspondent what the prime minister thought about "where the Korea government's responsibility begins and ends, especially in a situation that seems like it is no one's fault," referring to the Itaewon disaster, Han said that he was unable to hear the question well because of the interpreter and asked the reporter to repeat the question. After answering that Korea needs to improve its crowd management system, the prime minister looked around and answered jokingly with a smile, "What are the beginning and the end of the responsibility of someone responsible for this audio issue?" The joke was not translated into English by the interpreter. The way the prime minister reacted sparked fierce criticism online. Many saw his behavior as inappropriate and too light-hearted and claimed that such a high-ranking government official should have been more serious considering the circumstances. In a statement, the Prime Minister's Office said Han intended to "ask for forgiveness from the foreign correspondents about the delay caused by technical issues," as many complained that they could not hear the interpretation. Rep. Cho Eung-cheon of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) criticized Han's behavior during an interview on a local radio news program, Thursday. "The prime minister is the second-highest official after the president and he dared to think about making a joke amid these circumstances? I believe he is either unaware of what the role of the prime minister entails or wasn't taking his job seriously," the lawmaker said. Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min has also been slammed for some remarks which have been seen as reckless. He apologized for a statement made during Sunday's briefing, which had also caused a stir. The day after the tragedy on Sunday, the minister said the crowd crush "was not a problem that the advance deployment of police and firefighting forces could have solved," and that "the security forces were dispersed due to protests in various spots in downtown Seoul." His remarks were lambasted as "irresponsible." "I offer my humble apology to the people for the accident," he said during a meeting of the National Policy Committee at the National Assembly, Tuesday. He said the government has "unlimited responsibility for the safety of the people" and promised to take necessary measures to investigate the cause of the tragedy, manage post-accident procedures and prevent future disasters. Lee Byung-chul, a YouTuber and Taoist, speaks about the Itaewon crowd tragedy in a video posted on his YouTube channel on Wednesday. Screenshot from the internet Paul McCartney showed that he was ever the romantic on Wednesday as he stepped out to buy a bouquet of roses for his wife Nancy Shevell. The Beatles star, 80, was snapped with the floral arrangement while heading into his car, looking smart in a black blazer and white shirt. Proving that all you need is love, he has been married to Nancy for eleven years - with the pair tying the knot at London's Marylebone Town Hall in 2011. All you need is love! Paul McCartney, 80, stepped out on Wednesday to buy a lavish bouquet of roses for wife of 11 years Nancy Shevell Sporting the crisp shirt and buttoned-up dark blazer, Paul held the flowers in one hand while opening the car door with his other. The beautiful bouquet included a collection of light flowers - including white and blush roses. Heading back to his wife, he stepped into a large burgundy car with white leather interior. Smart: was snapped with the floral arrangement as he headed into his car, looking smart in a black blazer and white shirt Pretty: The beautiful bouquet included a collection of light flowers - including white and blush roses Nancy is Paul's third wife, after saying 'I Do' to first wife Linda back in 1968, staying married until her death from breast cancer at age 56 in 1998. The pair shared four children, Mary, Stella, James and Heather, Linda's daughter from a previous relationship, who Paul legally adopted. He then embarked on a relationship with Heather Mills in 2000, marrying two years later - before a messy 2008 divorce. Loved up: Showing that all you need is love, he has been married to Nancy for eleven years - tying the knot in 2011 (pictured together in October) But finally getting his happily ever after with Nancy, the pair's wedding had special meaning to it - taking place in the same location as Paul's wedding to Linda. Nancy is the vice president of her family transportation business, the Shevell Group - initially crossing paths with Paul more than 20 years ago, when they both owned houses in the Hamptons. The legendary music star dated the businesswoman for four years before their intimate wedding, where they welcomed 30 guests - including his Beatles' bandmate Ringo Starr. She's been enjoying a sunsoaked getaway with friends. And Naomi Campbell looked every inch the beach babe as she stripped down to a bikini for a series of snaps with model pal Alton Mason on Thursday. The supermodel, 52, showcased her sensational figure in a tiny two-piece that flattered her toned physique. Stunning: Naomi Campbell looked every inch the beach babe as she stripped down to a bikini for a series of snaps with model pal Alton Mason on Thursday The mother-of-one looked incredible as she posed up a storm in a series of snaps, showcasing her flexibility and agility as she leapt into the air. The star styled her raven locks into loose waves for the day while she also sported several gold necklaces. Alton, 24 - who made history as the first black male model to have walked for Chanel - also looked incredible as he displayed his ripped physique in linen trousers. Jumping for joy! The mother-of-one looked incredible as she posed up a storm in a series of snaps, showcasing her flexibility and agility as she leapt into the air Beach babe: The supermodel, 52, showcased her sensational figure in a tiny two-piece that flattered her toned physique Stunning: The star styled her raven locks into loose waves for the day while she also sported several gold necklaces The pair have been holidaying alongside PrettyLittleThing founder Umar Kumani, who also shared snaps from their getaway on Wednesday. Umar, 34, opted for a casual look as he donned a white open shirt along with a matching pair of trousers. The PrettyLittleThing founder was accompanied by his fiancee Nada Adelle who looked stunning in a white crop top and matching skirt. Fighting fit: Alton, 24 - who made history as the first black male model to have walked for Chanel - showed off his impressive strength in a series of snaps It comes after Naomi recently faced criticism from gay right's campaigners for agreeing to host a 'spectacular' fashion show in Qatar. Gay men and women are persecuted in the Arab nation where homosexuality is considered abnormal and punishable by three years in jail. Human rights organisation Amnesty International has said women and LGBTQ+ people 'continue to face discrimination in law and practice' in the country. Holiday: The pair have been holidaying alongside PrettyLittleThing founder Umar Kumani, who also shared snaps from their getaway on Wednesday with Nada Adelle Naomi has often publicly voiced support for the LGBT community. In 2021, she joined a host of celebrities in signing a letter of support for the LGBT community in Ghana. She once said: 'If it wasn't for gay men, I would not exist... I owe my life to gay men. It's just what I have grown up with. It's my family.' Gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, who said he was this week detained by officials while protesting about gay rights in Qatar. He said: 'Miss Campbell's involvement is inconsistent, given the country's appalling restrictions on women and the criminalisation of LGBT.' Naomi's spokesman said: 'She is famously supportive of the LBGTQ+ community and she understands that being engaged in places like Qatar is an essential step towards positive change. 'To suggest that her Emerge initiative is in any way an affront to the LGBTQ+ community shows a lack of understanding of who [she] is as a person and as a global citizen.' Kourtney Kardashian spoke about her pre-wedding jitters during an episode of The Kardashians that aired on Thursday. The 43-year-old reality television personality expressed that she was particularly nervous in the days leading up to her ceremony, although she remarked that she was enjoying the event's planning process. The entrepreneur and her husband, Travis Barker, tied the knot in front of several of their friends and family members during a lavish wedding that took place in Portofino, Italy, this past May. Mixed feelings: Kourtney Kardashian spoke about her pre-wedding jitters during an episode of The Kardashians that aired on Thursday; she is seen with Travis Barker in May in Italy at their splashy wedding Kardashian began by expressing via Us Weekly that she was preparing herself for the emotional toll of the ceremony. She stated: 'I think about it all the time. Will I survive or will I pass out? It just makes me nervous. It freaks me out. I am like, "How did I get to this place?"' The social media powerhouse added: '[I am] so nervous. I don't want to be, like, drugged or anything.' She went on to remark that having her now-husband around her during high-profile events, including the Met Gala, greatly reduced her level of stress regarding the situation. At ease: She went on to remark that having her now-husband around her during high-profile events, including the Met Gala, greatly reduced her level of stress regarding the situation 'I used to think it would give me such anxiety...I think going with Travis and having a good time it feels like something I am excited to do,' she stated. Kardashian then revealed that she and Barker, 46, temporarily placed their plans to start a family on hold in order to focus on their nuptials. 'We made a decision to really put all of our energy that we were putting into having a baby into our wedding...I felt it was really important not to think about it and enjoy the process of thinking about our wedding,' she said. The entrepreneur went on to state that she and her now-husband had to leave their children behind for their respective fittings. Priorities: Kardashian then revealed that she and Barker, 46, temporarily placed their plans to start a family on hold in order to focus on their nuptials 'This is also the longest time period that me and Travis are leaving our kids...we are both similar and get this guilty feeling, but we shorten it up as much as we can,' she said. Kardashian did express, however, that she was particularly pleased with Dolce And Gabbana's choice to set up offices just for the clothing of both her and her spouse. 'It is like a fairytale and I feel like a princess with the way they set this up for us,' she stated. The reality television personality and the drummer were friends for an extended period of time before they began dating last year. Stylish: Kardashian did express, however, that she was particularly pleased with Dolce And Gabbana's choice to set up offices just for the clothing of both her and her spouse; they are seen in May The former of the pair was previously in a long-term relationship with Scott Disick, with whom she shares sons Mason and Reign, aged 12 and seven, as well as daughter Penelope, 10. Barker was previously married to both Melissa Kennedy and Shanna Moakler, and he shares his son Landon and daughter Alabama, aged 19 and 16, as well as a stepdaughter named Atiana, 23, with the latter. The now-married couple went public with their relationship in February of last year and became engaged last October. The happy pair held an unofficial wedding in Las Vegas this past April, and they were legally married in Santa Barbara in May, just before they held their second ceremony in Italy. Selena Gomez drew back the curtain on her current mental state this week at the Los Angeles premiere of her new documentary. The 30-year-old pop star, who has bipolar disorder, is the subject of the new film Selena Gomez: My Mind And Me out Friday on Apple TV+. 'I have a very healthy relationship with my therapist, so let's start there,' she told People, declaring that she wants to be 'proactive' in promoting mental health. Candor: Selena Gomez drew back the curtain on her current mental state this week at the Los Angeles premiere of her new documentary 'I'm doing things with my Rare Impact Fund. I'm having these conversations, I'm meeting people,' she said. 'I went to the White House for the mental health summit and... I'm wanting to be as proactive as I can.' Selena visited the White House in May and held a meeting with US President Joe Biden, First Lady Jill Biden and Surgeon General Vivek Murthy. While plugging her new documentary this week, she also pointed out that the movie follows her travels from Africa to Europe. 'All of the things I was experiencing in Kenya were truly life-changing and moving, and it really was something that I felt like I connected with,' she dished. Incoming: The 30-year-old pop star, who has bipolar disorder, is the subject of the new film Selena Gomez: My Mind And Me (pictured) out Friday on Apple TV+ Holding forth: 'I have a very healthy relationship with my therapist, so let's start there,' she told People , noting that she wants to be 'proactive' in promoting mental health 'And then going into London and Paris, it was really complicated to have those feelings and be in such a vain industry.' Selena Gomez: My Mind And Me was directed by Alek Keshishian, whose filmography includes the landmark 1991 documentary Madonna: Truth Or Dare. Alek, who previously worked with Selena on her 2015 music video for Hands To Myself, gushed that she has 'really blossomed' in the years since. 'She went from, I think, feeling the pressure of wanting to prove herself in that transition from child star to young adult artists,' he said. 'And I think there was a lot of pain involved in that transition. She's been through obviously very dark times, but now when I see her, she's better than I've ever seen her.' Top brass: Selena Gomez: My Mind And Me was directed by Alek Keshishian (left), whose filmography includes the landmark 1991 documentary Madonna: Truth Or Dare Selena's new remarks come after she responded to the online frenzy over last month's pictures of her cuddling up to Hailey Bieber at the Academy Museum gala. Hailey is married to Selena's ex Justin Bieber, which has led some Selena fans to relentlessly troll Hailey over the past few years. However the two women demonstrated with their photos last month that they themselves are on friendly terms, whatever their respective admirers might think. Now in a new interview with Vulture, Selena said the snaps were 'not a big deal' and added: 'It's not even a thing.' 'Not a big deal': Selena Gomez has responded to the online frenzy over last month's pictures of her cuddling up to Hailey Bieber at the Academy Museum gala Photographer Tyrell Hampton, who captured one of the images of Hailey and Selena at the gala, posted it to Instagram at the time and wrote: 'plot twist.' Hailey had already previously indicated on the Call Her Daddy podcast that her equation with Selena was 'all respect' - and during the same interview she staunchly denied that Justin had cheated on Selena with her. Selena and Justin were teenage sweethearts but had their last breakup in 2018, months before he had a courthouse marriage to Hailey. The month after Justin married Hailey, Selena reportedly suffered a breakdown connected to her lupus and entered treatment for her mental health. Dynamic duo: the two women demonstrated with their photos last month that they themselves are on friendly terms, whatever their respective admirers might think A day after news broke of Selena's alleged breakdown, Justin was spotted looking anguished as he sat in his car beside Hailey. Hailey has received blowback from diehard Selena fans throughout her relationship with Justin, whom she has now been married to for over four years. When Justin and Hailey attended the Americana-themed Met Gala together in September 2021, onlookers chanted 'Selena!' at them. Hailey's cousin Ireland claimed that the couple were unfazed by the jeering Selena fans, writing on social media: 'Theyre one of the happiest and most in love couples Ive ever gotten the chance to be around. They dont care about them.' Duo: Hailey is married to Selena's ex Justin Bieber, which has led some Selena fans to relentlessly troll Hailey over the past few years; 'Jailey' are pictured in September Remember when: When Justin and Hailey attended the Americana-themed Met Gala together in September 2021, onlookers chanted 'Selena!' at them Back in 2020 Justin shared a social media post by a Selena fan who encouraged others to flood Hailey's livestream with remarks that 'Jelena was better.' 'It is extremely hard to choose the high road when I see people like this try and rally to gather people to bully the person I love the most in this world,' Justin wrote. Hailey became so exasperated that this April she posted a TikTok begging the trolls who are 'in my comments every single time I post' to 'leave me alone, please.' Possibly referring to how long ago Justin and Selena broke up, she added: 'Enough time has gone by where its valid to leave me alone. I beg of you, truly.' Victoria Beckham slipped back into the stunning gown she wore at son Brooklyn's wedding as rumours of a feud with her daughter-in-law rumble on. In an Instagram post on Thursday, the 48-year-old designer looked incredible in the silver dress as she revealed she's now selling the designs. The announcement came days after Nicola, 27, once again addressed their 'feud' with mother-in-law stating the rumours began after she didn't wear Victoria's wedding dress design at her nuptials. Revisiting a look: Victoria Beckham slipped back into the stunning gown she wore at son Brooklyn's wedding as rumours of a feud with her daughter-in-law rumble on Yet Victoria brushed off the interview as she got to work promoting her eponymous design. The mother-of-four looked sensational in the low-cut garment as she revealed the 'very special and delicate' gown was inspired by the reflection of the moonlight on the ocean. It first appeared on the runway in a vibrant yellow tone but Victoria had it customised in a beautiful silvery-grey shade for her son's wedding. The garment can now be purchased in silver or gold at a hefty price tag of 2,450. Gorgeous: In an Instagram post on Thursday, the 48-year-old designer looked incredible in the silver dress as she revealed she's now selling the designs Over the weekend, Nicola spoke to The Times about her relationship with Victoria and denied that the frosty tensions were a 'feud' and explained that Victoria 's atelier simply hadn't had time to make the dress, as she insisted: 'No family is perfect.' Nicola said: 'It's not a feud! I keep seeing everywhere that word, 'feud, feud, feud!?' I mean, maybe they picked up on something? And now they're labelling it feud?' 'I think it all started, and I've said this before, because I didn't end up wearing Victoria's wedding dress, but the real truth is, I really, really wanted to wear it and I thought it was so beautiful that Brooklyn's mom got to make that for me! And I was really excited to wear it! And I didn't end up wearing it.' Gorgeous: Nicola stunned in an incredible Valentino bridal gown for her wedding to Brooklyn after Victoria's atelier failed to make her a dress on time Candid: Nicola addressed her rumoured 'feud' with mother-in-law Victoria in a new interview with The Times as she doubled down on the dress claims (pictured together in 2021) She went on to say: 'But I, truthfully, was really excited to wear her dress. It makes me sad when I read things that people say I was never planning on wearing it. That's just not true.' This is not the first time Nicola has dismissed the feud narrative and said that she believes it all started when she opted for Valentino couture instead of Victoria's design. She told Variety: 'I was going to and I really wanted to, and then a few months down the line, she realized that her atelier couldn't do it, so then I had to pick another dress. 'She didn't say you can't wear it; I didn't say I didn't want to wear it. That's where it started.' Brooklyn, in a rather muted defence, added: 'Everyone gets along, which is good.' However, Victoria did manage to dress herself and other loved ones in designs from her eponymous fashion label -including BFF Eva Longoria, mother Jackie Adams and son Romeo's then-girlfriend Mia Regan. Former Emmerdale star Kelli Hollis has been falsely accused of 'kerb crawling' by police - but claims it's a case of mistaken identity. The actress, 46, has been sent a letter by police warning that she faces a fine or arrest should she reoffend, after her car was caught roaming the streets of Newham, Greater London, soliciting prostitutes for sexual activity. However, speaking in a video uploaded to TikTok, Kelli revealed she sold the car to a friend after moving to Thailand, but its new owner failed to change log details, so she's still the vehicle's official registered keeper. Setting the record straight: Former Emmerdale star Kelli Hollis has been falsely accused of 'kerb crawling' by police - but claims it's a case of mistaken identity The Leeds-born mother-of-two, who also starred in Channel 4 show Shameless, also revealed her friend has racked up a number of speeding fines, also in her name. Kelli explains: 'Just before I left for Thailand I let my friend use my car because they wanted to go somewhere, they had no brakes or M.O.T, so it was pretty dangerous for them to drive their car. 'Begrudgingly I lent them my car and when I decided to go to Thailand for definite, I just said 'why don't you buy the car off me?' Warning: The actress, 46, has been sent a letter by police warning that she faces a fine or arrest should she reoffend, after her car was caught roaming the streets of Newham, Greater London, soliciting prostitutes for sexual activity (pictured in Emmerdale in 2014) 'So when I was in Thailand they transferred me the money and reassured me, as I had no access to the log book. 'I explained what they had to do, take 25 off the car money and apply for a log book - easy peasy. 'But they didn't do that, and for the past couple of months I've been getting ticket after ticket, about five in all so far, but this is the icing on the cake.' Kelli then showed her followers a letter sent from the MET Police, confirming her white Suzuki motor vehicle had been spotted kerb crawling and warning of her potential consequences. Mistaken identity: However, speaking in a video uploaded to TikTok, Kelli revealed she sold the car to a friend after moving to Thailand, but its new owner failed to change log details, so she's still the vehicle's official registered keeper She continued: 'So apparently on June 30 2022, in the London Borough of Newham, my car's been seen kerb crawling and I've had a letter warning me about it - what the actual f***?' Kelli played Abi Spencer in Emmerdale between 2011-2015 and had hoped to return until her character was killed off, away from screen, in 2018. She previously featured in Shameless, where she made her name, starring as Yvonne Karib for six series. Contact: Kelli then showed her followers a letter sent from the MET Police, confirming her white Suzuki motor vehicle had been spotted kerb crawling and warning of her potential consequences Last year, it was revealed Kelli was working in a cafe, but her agent confirmed it was purely so she could help out a friend and she had 'lots of wonderful acting gigs about to commence;. Shortly after leaving Emmerdale she launched her own production company called Book To Screen, focusing on adapting novels for television and film. Kelli also had roles in Sky drama Wolfe, plus BBC1 soap Doctors and Channel 4 comedy Ackley Bridge. She moved to Thailand permanently with partner Martin Dawson in recent months, having made numerous visits to the country on holidays. Liam Neeson has donned a handlebar moustache for his latest role as an ageing mobster in his new thriller Thug. Snapped on location in the ocean-side community of Winthrop, Massachusets, Neeso, 70, filmed scenes with co-star Yolonda Ross, 48, who's character looked to by trying to talk to Liam as he walked off in haste. The Northern Irish actor, wore a pair of blue jeans with a grey turtleneck jumper and a brown leather jacket, matching his smart brown leather shoes for the role. On set: Liam Neeson has donned a handlebar moustache for his latest role as an ageing mobster in his new thriller Thug Filming: Snapped on location in the ocean-side community of Winthrop, Massachusets, Neeso, 70, filmed scenes with co-star Yolonda Ross, 48 Academy Award-winning Liam wore his facial hair in a Frank-Zappa-esque style beard shape, with the handlebar moustache and a tuft on his chin. The 'ageing mobster' look was completed with his hair do, keeping his warm brown locks in a swooped back style. In Thug, Liam's gangster character tries to build bridges with his children, but his colleagues in the dodgy industry are not happy, leaving violent outbursts to follow. Also starring in the film is Ron Perlman, 72, best known for his role in Sons of Anarchy and Hellboy, Yolonda Ross and Daniel Diemer, 25. On location: The Northern Irish actor, wore a pair of blue jeans with a grey turtleneck jumper and a brown leather jacket, matching his smart brown leather shoes for the role Takes: Yolonda's character looked to by trying to talk to Liam as he walked off in haste on Thursday No official release date has been set yet but the Boston-based filming is well underway. Co-star Yolonda wore a brown and pink midi dress with a dropped brown leather jacket and chesnut shoulder handbag. She slipped her feet into a pair of white canvas trainers as she acted out the scenes with Liam. Busy working: No official release date has been set yet but the Boston-based filming is well underway Co-stars: Academy Award-winning Liam wore his facial hair in a Frank-Zappa-esque style beard shape, with the handlebar moustache and a tuft on his chin His appearances comes after the news that Liam was in 'early talks' with bosses of comedy classic The Naked Gun for him to star in a reboot of the show. The Hollywood Reporter said that while The Lonely Island member Akiva Schaffer is already attached to the project as director. While many social media users were excited at the opportunity to see Neeson go all in on comedy after focusing almost exclusively on dark action films in recent years, some fans of the original film and its sequels were concerned that he might not be able to live up to Leslie Nielsen's side-splitting performance. Ageing thug: In Thug, Liam's gangster character tries to build bridges with his children, but his colleagues in the dodgy industry are not happy, leaving violent outbursts to follow Gangster: Also starring in the film is Ron Perlman, 72, best known for his role in Sons of Anarchy and Hellboy, Yolonda Ross and Daniel Diemer, 25 Earlier this year, Liam admitted reports of of him having fallen for a mystery woman while filming in Australia were the result of a joke he tried to make based on the title of one his own movies. The actor, 69, who has barely dated since the death of his wife Natasha Richardson 13 years ago, spent several months in Melbourne while filming action movie Blacklight in 2020. Despite the city being in stage-four lockdown at the time as a consequence of the coronavirus pandemic, Neeson claimed he found himself in a romantic entanglement with a woman, but unfortunately she was 'taken'. Priscilla Presley and her son Navarone Garibaldi were spotted leaving a dinner at a restaurant in Los Angeles on Wednesday evening. The 77-year-old actress and the 35-year-old musician appeared to be enjoying each other's company as they had a short conversation before going to their cars. The former wife of rock star Elvis Presley is currently serving as an executive producer on her upcoming biopic, which recently started filming. Bonding time: Priscilla Presley and her son Navarone were spotted while stepping out for dinner in Los Angeles on Wednesday evening Presley wore a black long-sleeve shirt and a matching pair of pants during her time with her son. The actress also wore a set of dual-tone sneakers and kept a fanny pack around her waist. The Dallas actress' brightly dyed red hair fell onto her shoulders and gave her look a bit of extra color. Navarone opted for a black t-shirt that was worn underneath a dark green jacket as he had dinner with his mother. Keeping it consistent: Presley wore a black long-sleeve shirt and a matching pair of pants during her time with her son The performer, whose father is 67-year-old Marco Garibaldi, also wore a wide-brimmed hat and a pair of checkered pants. Development on the biopic, entitled Priscilla, was revealed to the public last month. The Sofia Coppola-directed movie will be based on Presley's biography Elvis And Me, which was originally published in 1985. The book was previously adapted into a television movie that premiered in 1988. Major project: Development on the biopic, entitled Priscilla, was revealed to the public last month The actress was also portrayed by Olivia DeJonge in Elvis, which debuted to much praise this past May. It was subsequently announced that Presley would be played by Cailee Spaeny. The actress is set to star opposite Jacob Elordi, who will portray Elvis. Coppola spoke about why she chose Spaeny for the role of Priscilla during an interview with Vogue. Her famous union: The beauty with Elvis Presley on their wedding day in 1967 Leading lady: It was subsequently announced that Presley would be played by Cailee Spaeny; the actress is seen in 2020 The filmmaker stated: 'The character goes from the age of 15 to 27 over the course of the film, so she had to be able to act and age across a big span of time.' The director went on to state that she was confident in Spaeny's ability to play a wide-ranging role. She stated: 'It was really important for me to have the same actress playing Priscilla at those different stages of her life, and I think Cailee can pull it off. She's such a strong actress, and she also looks very young.' Coppola, who also penned the feature's screenplay, also discussed why she was interested in taking on the project in the first place. No worries: The director Sofia Coppola went on to state that she was confident in Spaeny's ability to play a wide-ranging role; she is seen in January 'I was just so interested in Priscilla's story and her perspective on what it all felt like to grow up as a teenager in Graceland. She was going through all the stages of young womanhood in such an amplified world,' she stated. Physical production on the project commenced last month, with Toronto serving as a primary filming location. Priscilla's release date has not been revealed to the public as of yet. Ryan Thomas shared a sweet tribute to his friend Chris Fountain as he continues to recover from a mini-stroke. Back in August, Chris, 35, was admitted to hospital when he suddenly began speaking 'like a toddler', later discovering he'd suffered a Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA) as a consequence of blood clotting in his brain. Reflecting on his friend's recovery, Ryan, 38, revealed he aspired to be like Chris and 'looked up to him as a friend'. 'He's someone I aspire to be': Ryan Thomas shared a sweet post with former Corrie co-star Chris Fountain after the actor suffered a mini-stroke Alongside a picture of the pair together when Chris was in hospital, Ryan penned: 'Shortly after this picture was taken three months ago Chris was told he had a stroke & the reason Im posting this is to highlight the sheer bravery & determination of this man! 'When someone tells you " youve had a stroke " you automatically think the worst but he quickly turned this emotion around into a massive positive & has never looked back since. 'Hes the healthiest iv ever seen him, inside & out! constantly challenging himself for 'the better someone I aspire to be & look up to as a friend. 'I always say my wealth is my friends & @fountain1987 is true example of that [sic].' Traumatic: Chris was admitted to hospital following the incident on August 11, after which he was left speaking 'like a toddler' (pictured earlier this month) Ryan concluded: 'Lastly please guys remember these 4 words F - face drooping. A - arm weakness, S - speech difficulty, T - time to call 999 'These 4 words potentially saved Chriss life 'Love you brother thankyou for always being there xx [sic]'. The pair became firm friends when they appeared on Coronation Street together, and Chris recently spoke about the depression he suffered after being axed from the soap. Last month, Chris discussed his health scare and revealed he realised something was seriously wrong after waking to discover he could no longer articulate his speech. Speaking on This Morning he explained: 'I woke up in the morning to a call from my mum. While I was on the phone, I was trying to say something but I couldn't remember what I was saying and it wasn't coming through. I said I would call her back and couldn't put my finger on it. 'I was trying to identify things in my house, like a towel but couldn't say what I was thinking, my brain and mouth weren't on the same page. 'The thing that made it more obvious to me, I picked up a book and tried to read it, it was working in my head but not aloud.' Terrifying: Former Coronation Street star Chris says he lost the ability to speak and 'feared for his life' after suffering a mini-stroke two months ago He then went on: 'Physically I felt fine but when I sat with the nurse it became very difficult to speak, I was embarrassed and panicked and scared. 'They kept me in hospital for a CT scan which was clear and then they kept me in overnight and tested me for an MRI scan. WHAT ARE WARNING SIGNS OF A MINI STROKE? A transient ischemic attack (or, TIA) involves a temporary lack of blood flow to the brain, which causes momentary dizziness, confusion, tingling, and numbness in the arms. You should call 999 if you suspect you are suffering a TIA. Symptoms include: vision changes dysphasia (trouble speaking) confusion balance issues tingling an altered level of consciousness dizziness passing out an abnormal sense of taste an abnormal sense of smell weakness or numbness on just one side of the body or face, determined by the location of the blood clot in the brain Advertisement Opening up about his shock, Chris said: 'The doctor said the word stroke and although it was a mini stroke, as soon as he said it I was looking at him and going why has this happened, will it happen again? 'It was like someone had pulled a rug from underneath me. I keep myself fit and last year did a mad health kick. 'I found out that I have a hole in my heart, apparently this is quite common and many people will not realise, but the clot went through the heart to the brain.' Despite the awful experience, Chris explained that he felt lucky, saying: 'As traumatising as it has been, it could have been so much worse for me. I could have lost my arm and my face could have dropped. 'For the first few days after coming out of hospital, I was stumbling over my words a bit and I became irritable.' The actor - best known for his former role as Tommy Duckworth in Corrie - later discovered he'd suffered a Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA), commonly referred to as a mini-stroke, as a consequence of blood clotting in his brain. He told The Mirror: 'When the doctors confirmed Id had a TIA and said the word stroke, I just couldnt believe it, there was a moment of sheer panic just fearing what it meant for the rest of my life. 'Would I have another one? Would the next one be even worse and Id lose the use of my arms or legs? I was really scared and just broke down in tears.' Chris was eventually transferred to the The Royal London Hospital, where he underwent further tests over a five day period before being released into the care of his worried family. He added: 'The doctors said they saw some damage to the left hand side of my brain which is where your cognitive abilities are controlled from. 'Whats scary is if I hadnt have called 111 when I did and got to hospital so quickly I dont know if that clot could have travelled to the wrong place in my brain, I could have died. That clot was like a ticking bomb in my head.' Doctors have since discovered the clot was triggered by a small, previously undetected hole in his heart allowing blood to flow into his brain - meaning he will need an operation to close it. The actor is now working with a speech therapist and says his ability to speak has almost completely returned, but still struggles when required to read aloud. But he insists he will use the experience positively and is now intent on 'living life to the max'. He said: 'Going through something like this makes you realise just how fragile life is, it can really be snatched away from you at any moment.' If you have questions about TIA or want to speak to someone, call the TIA Helpline on 0303 3033 100. George Clooney, Jennifer Aniston, Chris Evans, and Kenny Chesney are among the celebrities who donated personal items to be auctioned off for a good cause. Homes For Our Troops will be holding their annual auction in order to raise funds for injured military veterans and it certainly features several sought after luxury items and experiences from A-listers. No doubt one of the highest profile items is George Clooney's Omega Speedmaster watch which even includes a case autographed by the star himself. Sweet: George Clooney and Jennifer Aniston are among the celebrities who donated personal items for a good cause as they will participate in the charity auction for Homes For Our Troops Of his involvement in the cause, the 61-year-old actor said in a press release: 'Homes For Our Troops is doing incredible work for our nations severely injured Veterans. I am excited to be headlining the auction for its sixth year,' Also up for grabs will be Jennifer Aniston's black and red checkered leather Louis Vuitton Petite Malle bag complete with her initials monogrammed in gold on it. Chris Evans is also putting a few special items up for grabs including personalized video message, autographed Captain America shield, and Captain America movie poster. Country music fans will be pleased to see one of Kenny Chesney's acoustic guitars complete with an autograph on the pickguard. Tip of the cap:Chris Evans is also putting a few special items up for grabs including personalized video message, autographed Captain America shield, and Captain America movie poster There is also a drum cymbal autographed by Luke Bryan, Tim McGraw, Florida Georgia Line, The Band Perry, and Cassadee Pope. There will also be amazing experiences to bid on including a lunch for two in Manhattan with actor Paul Rudd and CNN personality Jake Tapper. The celebrity auction is being hosted by Tapper, Clooney, Wynonna Judd, Don Cheadle, and Mindy Kaling. Strumming along: Country music fans will be pleased to see one of Kenny Chesney's acoustic guitars complete with an autograph on the pickguard featuring Blue Chair Bay rum logo Icon: Kenny is seen performing in Nashville last month The 53-year-old Lead With Jake Tapper host said in a statement: 'The need for adaptive housing for severely injured post-9/11 Veterans remains critical. This auction raises funds and awareness for this worthy cause. It is a privilege to host this event for Homes For Our Troops for a sixth year in a row.' One can also bid on a chat on Zoom with Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis in addition to either real-life or online meetups with the likes of Bryan Cranston, Whoopi Goldberg, and Jake Gyllenhaal. Dave Matthews Band diehards will definitely be going for two tickets and hospitality lounge passes to see the musical act in addition to a Zoom call with Dave Matthews. Dynamic duo: There will also be amazing experiences to bid on including a lunch for two in Manhattan with actor Paul Rudd and CNN personality Jake Tapper If that already wasn't enough, another high-profile auction would be for a personalized video message from retired chat show host Ellen DeGeneres. Homes For Our Troops is a publicly funded nonprofit organization that builds and donates specially adapted custom homes nationwide to severely injured post-9/11 Veterans. The press release continued: 'Most of these Veterans have sustained life-altering injuries including multiple limb amputations, partial or full paralysis, and/or severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Making the time: If that already wasn't enough, another high-profile auction would be for a personalized video message from retired chat show host Ellen DeGeneres 'These homes restore some of the freedom and independence our Veterans sacrificed while defending our country, and enable them to focus on their family, recovery, and rebuilding their lives.' The organization builds the homes wherever the Veteran chooses to live as its services do not just end there as they continue their relationship in the rebuilding of their lives. It has been a very successful cause as nearly 90 cents of each dollar spent since 2004 has gone to the organization's program services which support Veterans. The 6th Annual Veterans Day Celebrity Auction will launch on eBay on Thursday, November 3 at 7pm EST as it will conclude on Sunday, November 13 at 6pm EST just two days after Veterans Day. By Tom Coyner Following last Saturday's Itaewon tragedy, the predictable sessions of finger-pointing have begun among politicians, bureaucrats and the public.?While there is ample blame to be shared, it is better to draw practical lessons from the crowd disaster, so events like this may not happen again. Here are a few points I have gleaned since Sunday morning: First, young Koreans have become too complacent in subjecting themselves to dangerously crowded environments. Nightclubs often allow too many guests in too narrow of quarters. Korean fire marshals or their equivalent need to be given greater authority to monitor, manage and cancel events indoors or outdoors. Second, a generation gap between partygoers and government authorities may have played a role. A chauvinism by authorities towards very young adults resulted in a callous disregard for people in their late teens and 20s allowing them to engage in dangerous group behavior that would not likely be tolerated of older citizens. The younger generations have different values and unsurprisingly act peculiar by older people's standards. But that is not enough reason to treat them differently when safety controls are needed. The authorities need to study this unfortunate case seriously and reflect on their attitudes to all demographics. Third, new ordinances regarding public sound levels need to be created and enforced. Various accounts complained how difficult it was to follow directions with music blaring from several directions while the incident took place. Fourth, the police need to do more than simply study crowd control. They need to train beforehand. During Sunday evening, very good counterexamples were shown on television as to how the Japanese police controlled thousands of partygoers at Tokyo's famous Shibuya crossroads. True, the streets and alleys in Japan are wider than in Itaewon, but clearly the Japanese police were in full command of the situation. Fifth, the current alibis by the government, including that of Arirang Television's editor-in-chief denying government negligence during her BBC interview, need to be refuted. Yes, the government could have done a better job with more police. But an extra 200 police to address a mob of 100,000? Give me a break. Some rumors suggest that the 200 were from the narcotics division rather than trained in crowd control. ? And the discussions go downhill from there. No doubt many of the criticisms are politically motivated, but whatever the reasons, there were clearly many more police monitoring the well-orchestrated political demonstrations taking place concurrently in Gwanghwamun than the anticipated mega mob in Itaewon. There was a lack of on-site emergency vehicles?at the ready beyond the Itaewon Fire Department. When emergency response vehicles arrived, illegally parked cars in addition to thousands of dazed young people blocked their path. At least during times of special celebration, parking regulations need to be vigorously enforced, including towing vehicles parked illegally. Finally, once the hubris has cleared, there needs to be a full review about the deployment of crowd control police. There are allegations that the so-called riot cops are allocated on a district-by-district basis, and there had not been adequate reallocation of such personnel after the presidential office and residence were relocated from Jongno District to Yongsan District. But that was not the case, since there are two units assigned to presidential protection, separate from the Jongno and Yongsan police forces. In any event, crowd control personnel, for whatever reason, were not properly allocated. There needs to be a serious review of the command and control function for the entire presidential office for major social and political events' safety. That includes dealing with large crowds lacking any formal organizations with which the police may coordinate. There were large police deployments to the concurrent political demonstrations in Gwanghwamun that were coordinated by formal organizations. But Itaewon was an anticipated mob lacking any coordinated response. Looking at the total, I reflected how if stuck in a foxhole during a battle, my first choice of comrades would be Koreans given their tactical skills in quickly assessing and taking remedial actions. On the other hand, my last choice for my general would be a Korean. Similar to the 2014 Sewol ferry tragedy, major changes will no doubt follow to address mistakes and flaws. But why must we wait to make changes when we can see major errors of tragic proportions waiting for the next disaster to take place? Tom Coyner ( tom@softlandingkorea.com ) is president of Soft Landing Consulting in Seoul. Mindy Kaling looked back on a 'scary' moment she and her longtime friend B.J. Novak shared during her appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! earlier this week. The 43-year-old actress and writer recalled being briefly frightened after a man broke into Novak's car while they stepped out for dinner when she was eight-and-a-half months pregnant While recounting the eerie event, Mindy recalled how the would-be thief complimented the two, who have had a years-long, occasionally romantically charged relationship, for their work on The Office before breaking into Novak's vehicle. Frightening: Mindy Kaling, 43, recalled a scary time when a man broke into B.J. Novak's car while they were out to dinner during a visit to Jimmy Kimmel Live! earlier this week; seen together in July 'The most genuinely scary situation Ive ever been in was when I was actually eight-and-a-half-months pregnant with [daughter Katherine],' said the Mindy Project stars. In addition to the four-year-old, she also has a two-year-old son Spencer. The evening got off to an odd start once they arrived at the restaurant they planned to dine at. 'He parked the car and we got out of the car, I noticed there was a weird kind of guy, staring at us from the parking meter,' she recalled. 'When we got out, he was like, "Hey, love you guys in The Office!' But after the brief foray, Mindy and B.J., 43, returned to the car after discovering that they had showed up at the restaurant on a day that it was closed. Whoops! Mindy was with B.J., 43, while eight-and-a-half months pregnant. When they went to a restaurant, a man broke into their car while they were out, but they returned minutes later because the restaurant was closed; seen October 15 in LA 'When we walk back to the car what we think is the car were like, "Oh, thats probably not it, because theres somebody sitting in the drivers seat," and we keep walking,' Mindy continued. 'We go back to the car and the guy that we had talked to by the meter had gotten into B.J.s car, was sitting in the drivers seat and had B.J.s laptop open and was on B.J.s laptop.' Oddly enough, the man seemed more focused on rifling through B.J.'s belongings than making off with any goods in the car. But even though she was just weeks away from giving birth, Mindy was willing to put her safety on the line to make sure the intruder didn't try to make off with anything from the car. 'My sense of justice was greater than my sense of wanting to live,' she joked. Familiar face: She said the man complimented them on The Office before they walked to the restaurant. 'We go back to the car and the guy that we had talked to by the meter had gotten into B.J.s car, was sitting in the drivers seat and had B.J.s laptop open and was on B.J.s laptop' In harm's way: Mindy, who is raising Katherine, four, and Spencer, two, said she blocked the car door until the man returned the laptop After the man, who was trapped in the car, returned all of B.J.'s belongings, she said the actor, 'nodded to me, like, "You can open the door and let him out."' Mindy recalled being shocked when the man treated his attempted burglary as some kind of teachable moment for the two. '"You guys should be careful. Anybody could just get into your car,"' she remembered the man telling her as he left. 'As though this whole thing had been this like, ruse, he had planned to teach us a valuable lesson. 'By the way, it did teach us that! And then he kind of wandered away,' she said. Exes: The two dated from 2004 to 2007 while working on the American remake of The Office (pictured), and Kaling has joked about their complicated relationship ever since Mindy and B.J. originally met while working on the American remake of the Office and dated from 2004 to 2007, though the two have remained entwined in each others' lives. The now-classic show aired from 2005 until it wrapped up its ninth season in 2013. B.J. has gone on to serve as the godfather to his ex's two children, but the two have been oddly reticent about the status of their relationship. Back in August, she spoke to Marie Claire about how often people assume that Novak is the father of her children, though she has never revealed their father. 'It doesnt bother me,' she said of the speculation. 'Hes the godparent to both my kids and they have such a great relationship. So [the speculation hasnt] affected my happiness at all, it hasnt affected my kids or B.J. If thats what is going to be titillating to people, Ill take it.' She also explained that she wants the two kids to be mature enough for her to tell them who their father is before she makes those details public knowledge. Eric McCormack has a new series. The 59-year-old Will & Grace star has joined the cast of The Other Black Girl, according to a Thursday report from Deadline. Both he and Bellamy Young had signed on as series regulars. The upcoming series is currently set to premiere on the Hulu streaming service. On screen: Eric McCormack has joined the cast of The Other Black Girl, according to Deadline; he is seen in 2019 The Other Black Girl is based on Zakiya Dalila Harris' novel of the same name, which was published last year. The show will follow a character named Nella, an African-American individual who becomes excited when another Black woman named Hazel is hired at the publishing company where she works. However, when her new coworker quickly rises through the ranks, Nella begins to suspect suspicious activity from her higher-ups. McCormack is set to portray Richard Wagner, the head of the company where the characters work. Basis: The Other Black Girl is based on Zakiya Dalila Harris' novel of the same name, which was published last year The cast of the show will be led by Sinclair Daniel, who was confirmed to play Nella this past October. The series' lineup will be rounded out by performers such as Ashleigh Murray, Brittany Adebumola and Hunter Parrish. Development on the program was initially revealed to the public this past August. Harris herself serves as one of the program's executive producers, alongside figures such as Rashida Jones. Hard at work Development on the program was initially revealed to the public this past August; McCormack is seen in 2019 The Other Black Girl's release date has not been revealed to the public as of yet. McCormack is best known for his work on Will & Grace, which ran for a total of eleven seasons. Other cast members included Debra Messing, Sean Hayes and the recently-deceased Leslie Jordan. The latter of the three passed away last month at the age of 67 after he crashed his car after experiencing what was reported to be a medical emergency. In memoriam: Numerous tributes from his former castmates and friends poured out in the days after his death, and McCormack shared a pair of shots featuring his old costar to his Instagram account Numerous tributes from his former castmates and friends poured out in the days after his death, and McCormack shared a pair of shots featuring his old costar to his Instagram account. In one of his posts, the actor expressed that he was 'crushed to learn' about Jordan's passing. He also described his former castmate as 'the funniest and flirtiest southern gent I've ever known.' The performer concluded his message by writing that Jordan was 'gone about 30 years too soon. You were loved sweet man.' Samantha Womack has given an update on her health as she returns to work while battling breast cancer. The EastEnders actress, 49, took the theatre by storm to play her part of the White Witch on stage in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe on Wednesday night. Last month Samantha announced that she she'd 'started her own battle' with the disease as she paid tribute to Olivia Newton-John, who died aged 73 after long fight with cancer. Brave: Samantha Womack has given an update on her health as she returns to work in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe while battling breast cancer Ahead of her performance and return to Narnia, Sam, who recently underwent chemotherapy treatment, said: 'I'm back at work at the Gillian Lynne Theatre. 'It's been a rough couple of months but I am blessed to be back.' She looked incredible in her outfit which consisted of leather sections and a fluffy shawl as she captivated the audience. Scary: Last month Samantha announced that she she'd 'started her own battle' with the disease as she paid tribute to Olivia Newton-John, who died aged 73 after long fight with cancer It comes after last month Samantha revealed she's been struggling with headaches and a loss of appetite after beginning her chemotherapy for breast cancer. The star, shared a sweet snap with her boyfriend Oliver Farnworth after he cooked her a delicious open fire dinner. Penning a candid caption, Samantha revealed she had started to regain her appetite several days after her first round of 'red devil' chemotherapy, with many celebrity pals offering their support in the comments. In the image shared to Instagram, Samantha could be seen beaming at her boyfriend Oliver as they enjoyed a vast meal together. Amazing: The EastEnders actress, 49, took the theatre by storm to play her part of the White Witch on stage in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe on Wednesday night Her caption read: 'This was a few days ago - after getting appetite back - following ''Red Devil chemo'' Oli made this on an open fire in Valencia. 'Struggling with migraines at the moment, but Xena the rescue dog by my side, keeping her Topaz eyes on me..' Red devil is the nickname for the chemotherapy drug doxorubicin, due to its bright red colour. In October, Samantha revealed that she was set to undergo her first chemotherapy session as she shared a health update with her fans. Candid: It comes after last month Samantha revealed she's been struggling with headaches and a loss of appetite after beginning her chemotherapy for breast cancer She took to Instagram to thank her 87,600 followers for their support following her breast cancer diagnosis. Her health revelation came back in August, when the soap star shared a tribute to the late Olivia Newton-John, who passed away from breast cancer. Samantha is currently starring as the White Witch in The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe, which opened to rave reviews at the Gillian Lynne Theatre in the West End last month, and is running until January. 'I'm feeling very humbled': Earlier this month, Samantha revealed that she was set to undergo her first chemotherapy session as she shared a health update with her fans Samantha has two children, Lili and Benji, with former husband Mark Womack, who appears in Emmerdale. They split up four years ago, but have carried on living together. For the past two years she has been dating actor Oliver Farnworth, 40, and the three of them now form a 'blended parenting unit' dividing their time between homes in Bedfordshire and Liverpool. The Macmillan Support Line offers free, confidential support to people living with cancer and their loved ones. Call 0808 808 00 00 for support. Difficult: In September Samantha announced that she she'd 'started her own battle' with the disease as she paid tribute to Olivia Newton-John, who died aged 73 after long fight with cancer BBC Breakfast's Naga Munchetty has hit out at weather woman Carol Kirkwood for 'abusing' her live on air by mistakenly calling her 'Nana'. The 60-year-old Scottish weathercaster was presenting her regular slot on the morning news programme before she handed it back to Naga and Charlie Stayt. But with the nature of live TV, Carol slipped up and accidentally called her female colleague 'Nana' - who she says is a producer on the show - much to Naga's apparent annoyance. Blunder: BBC Breakfast's Naga Munchetty has hit out at weather woman Carol Kirkwood for 'abusing' her live on air by mistakenly calling her 'Nana' As she finished her forecast, Carol said: 'The winds will be lighter, just a few showers coming in from the north-west and temperatures ranging from nine to 13 degrees, Nana.' She immediately adds: 'Naga, sorry, we've got a producer called Nana.' The 47-year-old broadcaster quickly snapped back: 'You say that every single time, and I come and visit you, and you have a cup of tea. I bring you a cup of tea, and have a nice chat - and I've never met Nana, Jibing around with her co-star, Naga said: 'I think Nana is a phantom producer that you just make up so you can abuse me by mispronouncing my name.' Embarrassed: The 60-year-old Scottish weathercaster was presenting her regular slot on the morning news programme before she handed it back to Naga and Charlie Stayt Carol quips back: 'The shame, Naga, the shame,' with her face held in her hands. She then goes on to explain to viewers who she accidentally called Naga: 'Nana is very much alive and kicking and very lovely with it,' to which Naga replies, 'I have met Nana. Nana is very nice. 'You are very lucky to have such a nice producer especially when you behave so badly.' Making an apparent dig, Carol tells Naga: 'You are awful, but I do like you.' I can explain! But with the nature of live TV, Carol slipped up and accidentally called her 'Nana' - who she says is a producer on the show, much to Naga's apparent annoyance Not best pleased: The 47-year-old broadcaster quickly snapped back: 'You say that every single time... and I've never met Nana!' It comes two weeks after Naga admitted she was branded 'b***dy useless' by bosses in the early days of her career. The TV presenter, 47, has said she had copy 'thrown at her' and left the office in 'floods of tears' back when she was a print journalist. Talking to Radio Times, Naga said that the harsh treatment made her better at her job in the long-run. She said: 'I had copy thrown at me when I first started in newspapers. I was told I was b****y useless. Laugh it off: Jibing around with her co-star, Naga said: 'I think Nana is a phantom producer that you just make up so you can abuse me by mispronouncing my name' 'I did go home many a day in tears, but equally, I learnt not to make mistakes, that mistakes werent acceptable. She said that this made her do her research 'twice as well and to the best of her ability.' 'That fear of making a mistake meant that you did your research twice as well, and to the best of your ability,' she explained. 'I remember when I first decided I wanted to explore being on air, I was told, "You are quite sensitive." 'You do take criticism quite hard and you dwell on things. You need to toughen up". And I did.' Naga recently revealed that she has tried to 'hide' her Asian heritage in the past in a bid to fit in. The presenter admitted she tried to distance herself from her Asian background during her younger years. She told the BBC: 'I know what it's like to hide parts of my whole self, to play down my Asian heritage - it's difficult to acknowledge that I've done it, and hard to admit. Since I was young, I felt I needed to, so that I fitted-in more easily.' Rebel Wilson and her fashion designer girlfriend Ramona Agruma have hit a milestone in celebrity relationships - launching a capsule collection together. In an Instagram video this Thursday, Rebel, 42, announced the limited edition line and revealed it was called the R&R Club. The sweats collection currently consists of just two items - trousers that cost $149 and a hoodie that sells for a whopping $179. Making it happen: Rebel Wilson and her fashion designer girlfriend Ramona Agruma have hit a milestone in celebrity relationships - launching a capsule collection together Rebel hawked the line with an Instagram video of herself lolling around in bed while modeling a full R&R ensemble. 'Okay, if you like R&R, then youre like me and guess what you can get this limited edition drop, R&R Club, hoodies and track pants,' she plugged. 'Theyre available now, guys, and they are so soft. Theyre great for this holiday season. Get one for yourself or your loved one.' She advised her fans to 'be quick because these are super limited, just a limited drop that were just doing as a little experiment, and theyre the best!' 'Disney Princess': She and Rebel had already been dating for months before the Australian actress announced the relationship and came out of the closet in June Promotion: Rebel hawked the line with an Instagram video of herself lolling around in bed while modeling a full R&R ensemble The Bachelorette actress also took the show to her Insta Stories, posting a couple of her snaps wearing the sweats and hoodie. Ramona is based in Los Angeles and heads up a sustainable fashion brand called Lemon Ve Limon, which she founded last year. She and Rebel had already been dating for months before the Australian actress announced the relationship and came out of the closet in June. 'I thought I was searching for a Disney Prince... but maybe what I really needed all this time was a Disney Princess,' wrote Rebel on social media. 'They are so soft': Okay, if you like R&R, then youre like me and guess what you can get this limited edition drop, R&R Club, hoodies and track pants,' she plugged Move fast: She advised her fans to 'be quick because these are super limited, just a limited drop that were just doing as a little experiment, and theyre the best!' It then emerged that she took the romance public in order to beat the Sydney Morning Herald to the punch after they found out about Ramona and gave Rebel two days to comment before they published a story outing her. Andrew Hornery, a gossip columnist for the paper, wrote a piece slamming her for deciding to 'gazump' his scoop by coming out of the closet herself. The columnist, who is gay himself, found himself facing a deluge of backlash and subsequently apologized for the 'tone' of his article. 'Get my comfy sweats!': The Bachelorette actress also took the show to her Insta Stories, posting a couple of her snaps wearing the sweats and hoodie 'As a gay man I'm well aware of how deeply discrimination hurts,' he wrote. 'The last thing I would ever want to do is inflict that pain on someone else.' Rebel has since remarked on social media that the newspaper's 'actions did cause Ramona and I a lot of distress, and while weve remained classy, there are still pains from having to rush this news publicly which we are dealing with.' However she noted: 'We moved on, focusing on all the absolutely amazing new things in our life, though! Sending love to everyone.' Alessandra Ambrosio was featured on the cover of Glamour Mexico's new issue, which was released on Thursday. The 41-year-old supermodel donned an eye-catching outfit while posing for the magazine, which honored her as one of their Women of the Year. The fashion industry powerhouse also penned a short message in her post's caption where she expressed that 'it means so much to me to be included alongside so many other extraordinary women.' Front and center: Alessandra Ambrosio was featured on the cover of Glamour Mexico' s new issue, which was released on Thursday Ambrosio wore an eye-catching red leather Moschino overcoat while posing for the cover. The former Victoria's Secret Angel's outfit also featured several gold portions that added extra elements of shine to her look. The supermodel made a point of showing off one of her toned legs by sticking it out from the bottom of her outerwear. Her beautiful brunette hair fell onto her shoulders and paired well with the bright tone of her clothing. Opening up: Ambrosio also sat down for an interview with the media outlet, during which she discussed various aspects of her personal and professional live Ambrosio also sat down for an interview with the media outlet, during which she discussed various aspects of her personal and professional lives. At one point, the supermodel spoke about the importance of personal wellness in her own life. She stated: 'It's essential to find the time in the day to dedicate yourself to yourself, as I believe that if you don't take care of yourself, you can't take care of others.' Being honest: At one point, the supermodel spoke about the importance of personal wellness in her own life The fashion industry personality then expressed that becoming a mother had changed her outlook on wellness. 'I didn't really exercise before I had my kids, but ever since I had Anja and Noah, training has been an integral part of my wellness routine. It doesn't matter if I'm doing my workout, writing in my journal or meditating,' she said. Ambrosio went on to offer a bit of advice regarding healthy habits that she had taken up over the years. New priorities: The fashion industry personality then expressed that becoming a mother had changed her outlook on wellness She recommended 'pilates, meditation, spa and lots of laughs. I try to incorporate one of those every day.' The supermodel then recommended self-care for anyone looking to change up their daily routine. 'It is very important to schedule time for yourself every day. To be the best version of yourself, make sure you do things that make you happy and healthy,' she wrote. Glee stars Kevin McHale and Jenna Ushkowitz have discussed the 'emotionally raw' process of grieving for their former co-star Naya Rivera. Kevin, 34, and Jenna, 36, who played Artie Abrams and Tina Cohen-Chang on the hit show, told US Weekly Naya's accidental death from drowning aged 33 in 2020 brought the cast closer together and allowed them to heal. The duo also reflected on the passing of Cory Monteith (who played Finn Hudson), who died from a heroin overdose aged 31 in 2013 - noting that the show still being on the air at the time prevented them from processing the death fully. Tragedy: Glee stars Kevin McHale and Jenna Ushkowitz have discussed the 'emotionally raw' process of grieving for their former co-star Naya Rivera (pictured together in 2011) Discussing the loss of Santana Lopez star Naya, Kevin said: 'Everyone was so emotionally raw and just sort of like, "How is this happening? Why is this happening? Lets talk about it, Lets talk about everything. 'It was really nice that everybody could find a space to feel comfortable and open and trusting enough to do that. On July 8 2020, Naya accidentally drowned while boating on Lake Piru, California with her four-year-old son. Another boater raised the alarm after seeing the vessel drifting and the child asleep on board. Naya's son Josey has told investigators that he got back on the boat and his mother did not. Kevin and Jenna also discussed how the cast united over the death of Cory - which happened just before the show was due to begin filming its fifth season. Jenna said: '[Cory] did bring us together as well but we were still doing the show. There was a lot to lose. There were, you know, jobs at stake. There was just a lot. Much missed: The duo also reflected on the passing of Cory Monteith (who played Finn Hudson), who died from a heroin overdose aged 31 in 2013 'Like Kevin said, after Naya passed, it was like we had a lot of space away from the show and a lot of time to process, and a lot of people had time to actually sit with their feelings. And I think that was also really good for us because we had had the time to reflect.' Glee ran for six seasons from 2009 to 2015 and throughout its time on air and the years following, trauma has reigned supreme - leading to claims of a 'Glee Curse'. In what was the start of the show's behind-the-scenes demise, on 13 July 2013, Cory was found dead of a drugs overdose in his Vancouver hotel room, after taking a lethal combination of heroin and alcohol. Four months before his death he had completed a stint in rehab. Cory was dating Lea Michele at the time of his death. Five years after his death, Cory's mother Ann McGregor insisted her son had been on pain medication following dental work to cap his teeth in the weeks before his overdose and that he 'never meant to die'. She said he had battled his fair share of demons from a young age, drinking and smoking marijuana from 13, and with two stints in rehab by the time he was 19. While he managed to get clean for a time, he fell back into bad habits when he went to Hollywood. RIP: Discussing the loss of Santana Lopez star Naya, Kevin said: 'Everyone was so emotionally raw and just sort of like, "How is this happening? Why is this happening? Lets talk about it, Lets talk about everything'( Kevin and Naya pictured 2013) Cast: Jenna said: '[Cory] did bring us together as well but we were still doing the show. There was a lot to lose. There were, you know, jobs at stake. There was just a lot' (Cory pictured with Chris Colfer, Lea Michele, Kevin and Darren Criss in 2011) Ann admitted her son began using drugs again in December 2012, seven months before his death. The programme centred on the William McKinley High School Glee club and starred Lea Michele, Matthew Morrison, Cory Monteith, Darren Criss, Chris Colfer, Jane Lynch, Amber Riley, Mark, Heather Morris and Kevin McHale. The most horrific of the show's woes was undoubtedly Mark Salling's 2015 arrest and subsequent conviction in 2017 for possession of more than 50,000 images and 600 videos which showed girls, some of whom as young as three, being raped. It was described as 'the worst pornography collection the nation has seen'. Salling, who played Noah "Puck" Puckerman on the show, had tried to conceal them by masking his IP address and storing them on an encrypted hard drive. They were revealed to police by an ex-girlfriend who he showed them to. She was sickened and notified authorities. In his plea deal, the extent of his collection was described in harrowing detail. Glee Curse: Glee ran for six seasons from 2009 to 2015 and throughout its time on air and the years following, trauma has reigned supreme - leading to claims of a 'Glee Curse' He was found dead from suicide by hanging on 30 January 2018 near his home in Sunland, Los Angeles. His death came shortly before his sentencing, which was due to take place on March 7. He had attempted suicide the previous year by slashing his wrists, after which he was treated for psychological problems. Salling dated Naya from 2007 to 2010. In her 2016 memoir, Sorry Not Sorry: Dreams, Mistakes, and Growing Up, the actress admitted that she was not surprised by his horrendous convictions. She wrote: 'I cant say I was totally shocked. When Mark dumped me, I thought it was the worst thing ever, but can you imagine if that didnt happen?... 'And I was laying there in bed when the battering ram came through the door?' Prior to his death, in January 2013, Salling's ex-girlfriend Roxanne Gorzela accused him of sexual battery by forcing her to have unprotected sex without consent. He denied the charges and filed a countersuit for defamation. In March 2015, they out of court with judges ordering him to pay her $2.7million. Rumours are swirling former foreign affairs minister Julie Bishop is dating again, four months after her long-time partner broke up with her over dinner. The glamorous ex-politician has been enjoying the company of Sydney entrepreneur Luke Hepworth, with whom she has attended several high-profile events recently, including last month's Perth Telethon. Hepworth fuelled speculation after posting a series of photos on Instagram of the pair attending various events together in Sydney and Perth. However, he strongly denied he and Bishop are an item, insisting they're just friends. Luke Hepworth (left) has denied rumours of a romance with newly single Julie Bishop (right) The former foreign affairs minister (pictured in Melbourne on October 12) has been single since splitting from her long-time partner David Panton in August 'We are working on a charity project for the Children's Cancer Institute. We are definitely not dating, mate,' Hepworth told The Daily Telegraph. 'I am not in a relationship,' he added. 'She is just a good friend of mine and a wonderful human, so we have been to a couple of charity events.' But Hepworth did confirm he's known Bishop for several years after they first met at the ritzy Gold Dinner charity gala. He describes himself as an adventure philanthropist and adrenaline junkie. Hepworth recently posted photos of the pair attending Channel Seven's annual Telethon in Perth, which raised $9million for sick children. He also shared images of them attending a function at Nobu restaurant at Crown Sydney, a Sydney Dance Company launch and the inaugural Street Side Medics Gala Ball. Bishop attended the ball in August, just weeks after she split from her long-time partner David Panton. Luke Hepworth (right) says he and Bishop (left) are just friends. The pair are pictured together at a recent Sydney Dance Company launch Bishop stole the spotlight in a silver sparkly mini dress by Max Mara, which retails for $1,405, as she posed alongside Princess Beatrice at a book launch in London earlier this week Bishop, 66, is currently in London, where she rubbed shoulders with some very famous faces at the launch of Dr Gene Sherman's The Spoken Object. She stole the spotlight in a silver sparkly Max Mara mini dress as she posed with Princess Beatrice, former British Prime Minister David Cameron and Australian actress Isla Fisher. Bishop's eight-year romance with property developer Panton ended over dinner in Sydney in July - just a week after the couple visited London together and dined with Prince Charles. Hepworth (second from left) described Bishop (second from right) as a wonderful human The couple went to dinner in Sydney's CBD where Mr Panton told a shocked Bishop their relationship had run its course. 'I'm going to be focused on living in Manly and Melbourne for the foreseeable future,' Mr Panton told the Sydney Morning Herald at the time. 'I wish Julie all the best in her ongoing stellar career.' Ms Bishop was understood to have been 'blindsided' by the sudden breakdown of her relationship, sources close to the former politician said. During their partnership, she took Mr Panton to the United Nations to meet world leaders, Buckingham Palace to hobnob with British royalty and to the White House where he met Donald and Melania Trump. The pair first stepped out publicly in 2014, and were pictured at countless celebrity events over the years, including the 2018 wedding of Karl Stefanovic and Jasmine Yarbrough. Married At First Sight star Hayley Vernon has slammed a popular restaurant chain that went cashless in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Like many businesses, Nando's Australia announced in 2020 it would no longer be accepting cash payments over hygiene concerns and to limit the interaction between employees and customers. But by refusing cash as a method of payment across its Australian restaurants, the South African company has angered some long-time patrons, including Ms Vernon. Married At First Sight star Hayley Vernon has slammed popular restaurant chain Nando's after it went cashless in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic Vernon called out Nando's on Instagram on Thursday, saying the move was harmful to vulnerable Australians. 'Nando's has stopped taking cash. This will be the last Nando's meal I eat,' the 32-year-old wrote. 'Cash is so important to keep in a society. Without cash we limit access to basics to those in impoverished circumstances, like the homeless.' By refusing cash as a method of payment across its Australian restaurants, the South African company has angered some long-time patrons, including Ms Vernon (pictured) Vernon called out Nando's on Instagram on Thursday, saying the move to EFTPOS-only payments was harmful to vulnerable Australians She continued, 'This is bulls**t and you should do better, Nando's. I will not support a cashless society or businesses that won't take cash.' In 2020, Nando's announced it would only be accepting EFTPOS and gift cards as payment across its Australian stores. 'Like many food businesses, we've moved to cashless payments to limit the handling of money in our restaurants,' the company tweeted. 'This supports our heightened hygiene protocols in the wake of Covid-19 and is an extra measure to protect both our customers and our staff. 'Nando's has stopped taking cash. This will be the last Nando's meal I eat,' Vernon, 32, wrote. 'Cash is so important to keep in a society. Without cash we limit access to basics to those in impoverished circumstances, like the homeless' 'We appreciate this is a big transition and really apologise for any inconvenience caused. Thank you for your understanding as we work together to keep our community safe.' Nando's website states it only accepts digital and card payments for online orders. 'We currently accept all major credit cards, Paypal, Google Pay and Apple Pay for online orders,' a notice reads. 'You can also use Nando's gift cards or your PERi-Perks points, provided you have enough accrued points to cover the entire order cost.' Vernon's boycott of Nando's comes after she went on a rant earlier this week after hearing several people refer to 'Halloween candy' while trick-or-treating Vernon's boycott of Nando's comes after she went on a rant earlier this week after hearing several people refer to 'Halloween candy' while trick-or-treating. 'What the f**k are you all calling lollies and bars of chocolate "candy"?' she wrote on her Instagram Stories. 'I'm dying at the sheep complex on most people copying and paraphrasing American terms,' she added. Hayley noted that no ordinary Australian uses 'candy' in general conversation. 'Sure so what your telling me is that you send your husband to the shops to "pick up some candy"? Get f**ked,' she said. Candice Swanepoel flaunted her incredible physique once again on Thursday when her eco-friendly fashion brand Tropic of C released stunning new images of its bikini-clad founder. The supermodel, 34, dropped jaws on Instagram in a skimpy bikini emblazoned with a beautiful 'desert flower' print. These new images are the latest in Swanepoel's eye-popping campaign to promote her sexy and sustainable swimwear line. Tropical flower: Candice Swanepoel, 34, flaunted her incredible physique once again on Thursday when her eco-friendly fashion brand Tropic of C released stunning new images of its founder wearing a skimpy bikini emblazoned with a beautiful 'desert flower' print 'Soak up the sun in our new desert flower print,' captioned Candice's brand Tropic of C before including the hashtags '#ecofriendly #sustainability #sustainablefashion.' Candice certainly soaked up the sun in her gorgeous design. With her glowing skin tanned to perfection, the South African stunner closed her eyes and looked up at the sun while striking a pose. According to Tropic of C's website, Swanepoel's bikini top retails for $80, while her bikini bottom sells for $70, but if bought together the combined eco-friendly look comes down to $100. This affordable ensemble is one of many, as the supermodel-turned-designer has an entire collection of 'eco sets' that retail for $100. Eco-friendly: The supermodel-turned-designer has an entire collection of 'eco sets' that retail for $100. Candice recently modeled another eco set in a yellowgreen color she and her team have deemed 'meadow' Candice recently modeled a similar cut of bikini in a yellowgreen color she and her team have deemed 'meadow.' Lounging on a couch with an open shirt that features a desert flower pattern, Swanepoel artfully holds her hands on her head and arches her hips forward, stretching her abs. The siren launched Tropic of C in 2018. 'Tropic Of C is a brand with purpose, partnering with like-minded people to make a positive impact on the environment & beyond,' reads the company's website. 'This vision is realized through our core values of sustainability, empowerment, community and quality.' Triangle of hotness: Candice set Instagram ablaze once again last week in a black-and-brown triangle-patterned bikini. Tropic of C released a new image on Thursday of that stunning look, which Candice accessorized with a belly chain and jewelry designed by Jacquie Aiche Candice frequently proves herself to be the ultimate model for her brand, setting Instagram ablaze once again last week in a black-and-brown triangle-patterned bikini. Tropic of C released a new image on Thursday of that stunning look, which Candice accessorized with a belly chain and jewelry designed by Jacquie Aiche. Born in the small coastal village of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, the supermodel was discovered in the harbor city of Durban when was just 15 years old. The Mothers2mothers ambassador shares two young sons with her former boyfriend Hermann Nicoli, 40, a Brazilian model. Motherhood and sustainability certainly go hand in hand for the supermodel as she seeks to combat climate change for the sake of her children's future while building a thriving business for her career beyond the runway. By Michael Breen A mourner lays flowers at a makeshift memorial for the victims of the deadly Halloween crowd surge, outside a subway station in the district of Itaewon in Seoul, Monday. /AFP-Yonhap Advertisement Hailey Bieber is starring in a new commercial for the Tiffany & Co x Andy Warhol holiday campaign. The 25-year-old wife of pop star Justin Bieber sizzled in a low-cut black dress that showed off her chest as she wore her hair down and was dripping in diamonds. 'Ready for the holidays drenched in @tiffanyandco forever the perfect gift,' wrote the cover girl daughter of actor Stephen Baldwin in her Instagram caption. Gift me please: Hailey Bieber is starring in a new commercial for the Tiffany & Co x Andy Warhol holiday campaign The diamond life: The 25-year-old wife of pop star Justin Bieber sizzled in a low-cut black dress that showed off her chest as she wore her hair down and was dripping in diamonds Tiffany wrote on their Instagram page, 'Hailey is hosting the ultimate party and youre invited. This holiday, love comes in a little blue box. A Tiffany Holiday, Warhol Foundation, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.' Shot by Mario Sorrenti in New York City with photography by Raymond Meier, the Tiffany & Co. x Andy Warhol campaign makes the most of the 25-year-old Vogue model. 'This holiday season, we wanted to celebrate Andy Warhol and uplift his connection to Tiffany & Co. by taking inspiration from the iconic greeting cards that he created for our clients in the '50s and '60s,' said Alexandre Arnault, Executive Vice President, Product and Communication. Gift time: 'Ready for the holidays drenched in @tiffanyandco forever the perfect gift,' wrote the daughter of actor Stephen Baldwin in her Instagram caption Just for you: Tiffany wrote on their Instagram page, 'Hailey is hosting the ultimate party and youre invited. This holiday, love comes in a little blue box. A Tiffany Holiday, Warhol Foundation, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc' So many blue boxes! Tiffany & Co is known for their beautiful blue boxes; for the holidays they seem to have added a red ribbon The campaign video brings these elements together by paying homage to the company's longstanding relationship with the one of the world's most celebrated artists. 'The video celebrates the spirit of giving amid a soiree reminiscent of those decadent nights at Warhol's infamous downtown Factory,' it was added. 'In an expansive space illuminated by festive decor, Super-8 camera projections and sparkling Tiffany & Co. designs, Hailey Bieber is the glamorous host of this ultimate holiday party. As the partygoers trickle in, Bieber is the star and center of attention, handing out Blue Boxes to the guests in attendance. Haute stuff: Bieber looked smoldering in a low cut black dress as she starred in the new Tiffany & Co x Andy Warhol holiday print campaign Shining star: The sizzling images were released on Wednesday to DailyMail.com. Shot by Mario Sorrenti in New York City with photography by Raymond Meier, the Tiffany & Co. x Andy Warhol campaign makes the most of the wife of Justin Bieber Proud of their star: 'This holiday season, we wanted to celebrate Andy Warhol and uplift his connection to Tiffany & Co. by taking inspiration from the iconic greeting cards that he created for our clients in the '50s and '60s,' said Alexandre Arnault, Executive Vice President, Product and Communication Looking good: Shot by Mario Sorrenti in New York City with photography by Raymond Meier, the Tiffany & Co. x Andy Warhol campaign makes the most of the 25-year-old wife of Justin Bieber A behind the scenes look: The supermodel siren was also seen on the screen during the shoot 'Celebrating into the night, guests exchange exceptional gifts, such as Jean Schlumberger's iconic Bird on a Rock brooch. 'A Christmas tree made entirely from Blue Boxes makes one thing clear: there's no holiday party like a Tiffany & Co. holiday party.' In addition to the Warhol-inspired film, the House will also offer exclusive Tiffany & Co. x Andy Warhol limited-edition designs at its stores and on Tiffany.com, a press release shared with DailyMail.com on Wednesday said. Accompanying in-store installations and immersive experiences will further celebrate the artist's holiday greeting cards for Tiffany & Co. and the jeweler's longstanding connection to the art world. Jewel feel: The campaign video brings these elements together by paying homage to the company's longstanding relationship with the one of the world's most celebrated artists The look: 'The video celebrates the spirit of giving amid a soiree reminiscent of those decadent nights at Warhol's infamous downtown Factory,' it was added The tattoos did NOT get covered up: She showed off her stunning array of tattoos which included her Lover inking 'In addition to celebrating the timeless creations of Tiffany & Co. and Andy Warhol, this unique collaboration will generously support the Warhol Foundation's endowment from which it has distributed over $275M in cash grants to visual arts organizations,' said Michael Dayton Hermann of the Warhol Foundation. 'The foundation is delighted to draw attention to the enduring power of art with Tiffany & Co. during this 'Warholiday' season.' Tiffany & Co was founded in New York City in 1837 by Charles Lewis Tiffany. Since its founding in 1987, in accordance with Warhol's will, The Andy Warhol Foundation has established itself among the leading funders of contemporary art in the United States. The Foundation has distributed more than $275,000,000 in cash grants which support the creation, presentation and documentation of contemporary visual arts, particularly work that is experimental, under-recognized or challenging in nature. Lena Dunham has revealed she's built a house '10 feet behind' her parents' home as she seeks to strike the perfect balance between 'dependence and solitude.' Speaking to Architectural Digest, the Girls actress, 36, admitted she used to 'dread ever leaving' her childhood home growing up, so has now ensured she never has to with the construction of a one and a half bedroom home in Connecticut. The star said her ongoing love of the 'culture of her family' and her longing for a 'sense of permanence' amid the pandemic flitting between London, Brooklyn and Manhattan led to her family beginning construction on her colorful new home. Wow: Lena Dunham has revealed she's built a house '10 feet behind' her parents' home as she seeks to strike the perfect balance between 'dependence and solitude. Lena's parents, artist Laurie Simmons, 73, and painter father Carroll Dunham, 72, spearheaded the project, with the star's home - The Carriage House - built on the plot of land where the former boarding school family compound is. Lena revealed her initial vision for her dream home was to 'paint the house pink so it looks like I live in a strawberry' - an idea vetoed by her architect David Bers and contractor Rick McCue. Lena's father quipped the initial sketch of the home with a peaked roof 'looked like a kindergartner drew a house' - with the star's home now boasting pale strawberry cement floors, turquoise parrot wallpaper in the bedroom and a custom painting table in raw wood and white enamel. The star, who has spoken openly about her many health conditions, also detailed how the home had been ergonomically adapted to help her get around - while adding the decor is inspired by her love languages of 'productivity and coziness.' Family first: Speaking to Architectural Digest , the Girls actress, 36, revealed she had constructed a one and a half bedroom home in Connecticut (pictured Lena's parents Carroll Dunham and Laurie Simmons in 2018) She said: 'David also created a deceptively simple and ergonomic design that made me feel, in some new way, adult. He also considered the challenges of my chronically ill body. 'The low staircase is perfect for the days my arthritic hips give me trouble, with a custom carved banister that is rounded like the corners of a marshmallow, and the bathtub has a pull-up bar in case I get dizzy. Lena was away for much of the construction due to the pandemic, with her ailments making travel difficult. She described the emotional moment she returned to the home and saw how much care and attention had been paid to the decor. She said: 'I walked through the house in awe, understanding that while my stoic mother hadnt been overtaken with emotion when wed packed a moving truck, she had shown me her deepest feelings by setting up this house, running her lean, silver-manicured fingers along every object Id hauled through my 35 years, showing me just how well she knew me.' Glorious: The star said her ongoing love of the 'culture of her family' and her longing for a 'sense of permanence' amid the pandemic flitting between London, Brooklyn and Manhattan led to her family beginning construction on her colorful new home No: Lena revealed her initial vision for her dream home was to 'paint the house pink so it looks like I live in a strawberry' - an idea vetoed by her architect David Bers and contractor Rick McCue The interview comes one month after a tweet form Lena drew a hailstorm of criticism , as the actress made a request on the social media site that rubbed people the wrong way. 'When I go, I want my casket to be driven through the NYC pride parade with a plaque that reads she wasnt for everyone, but she *was* for us- who can arrange?' the Girls star wrote. A number of users questioned exactly why Dunham would be honored by the LGBTQ community. 'And what have u ever done for the LGBTQ? Sis you aint no gay icon,' one user said, while another said, 'Pride is for us, not gratifying the egos of straight people who see us as accessories.' One user said, 'Its called gay pride not straight shame,' as another added, 'girl, no. we don't claim you like that.' Comfort: The star, who has spoken openly about her many health conditions, also detailed how the home had been ergonomically adapted to help her get around - while adding the decor is inspired by her love languages of 'productivity and coziness Oh dear: A Lena Dunham tweet drew a hailstorm of criticism last month, as the actress made a request on the social media site that rubbed people the wrong way Said one user: 'Ummmwere going to pass, but thanks for the offer?' Some people wondered why Dunham assumed the LGBTQ community would make her a centerpiece of the Pride parade. 'You aren't actually for anyone except older millennials who keep getting kicked out of social spaces for saying slurs,' one user said, while another added, 'Counterpoint: we drive a photo of you through the jersey shore with a sign that says "were not sure who she is either."' A number of users posted memes joking that the Sharp Stick director-actress had put her foot in her mouth, or was fishing for attention with the tweet. Said one user: 'She died as she lived: in a ploy for attention that was as puzzling as it was desperate.' The Golden Globe winner in 2014 was awarded by the gay advocacy group Point Foundation with the Horizon Award, earmarked toward 'a young trailblazer who has taken a leadership role as an advocate' for the LGBTQ community, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Former Real Housewives Of Orange County star Braunwyn Windham celebrated having what she thought was her healthiest relationship yet in a new interview. The 44-year-old former reality star raved to Page Six about finally finding a partner who was 'mentally stable' after starting a relationship with her girlfriend Jennifer Spinner, 38, whom she went Instagram official with back in late August. Her new romance comes just weeks after she filed for divorce from her estranged husband Sean Burke, whom she had initially tried to stay married to even after coming out as gay. About time: Braunwyn Windham, 44, gushed about finally having a 'mentally stable' partner as she raved about her girlfriend Jennifer Spinner (pictured together in October) in an interview with Page Six 'I think this is my first relationship with someone thats mentally stable,' Braunwyn shared. 'Ive never had that before,' she added. 'And a part of me thought, "Is that going to be boring?"' The truth seems to be far from that though, and the former Housewife seemed happier than ever. 'Its actually really nice to be with someone that has their life together [and] is mentally stable. We dont really fight, we just talk things out,' she said. 'Wow, its a game-changer.' Didn't work: Her new romance comes just weeks after she filed for divorce from her estranged husband Sean Burke , whom she had initially tried to stay married to even after coming out as gay Braunwyn, who ended her relationship with model Victoria Brito in June after nine months together, revealed that she initially planned to spend some time single to decompress after the breakup. 'When I broke up with my ex-girlfriend, I guess I was doing this emo Taylor Swift moment thing [on my Story],' she said, before Jennifer DMed her. 'And shes like, "Oh, my God, girl, youre 44. Knock it off." She was like, "Pull yourself together,"" she recalled, laughing. 'And she was so funny. We have the same kind of sarcastic sense of humor. And then within like five minutes, Im like, "OK, heres my number." We started talking. We got along so well.' It was an unlikely connection for the two, as Braunwyn said Jennifer admitted that she 'couldn't stand' her TV persona when she was on RHOC. 'She was like, "Oh, my God, that ones the worst." She had gone to BravoCon three years ago and wouldnt go to the side of the room I was taking photos,' Braunwyn continued. 'Like, she legit couldnt stand me.' What a difference! 'Its actually really nice to be with someone that has their life together [and] is mentally stable. We dont really fight, we just talk things out,' she said of Jennifer. 'Wow, its a game-changer' It wasn't until Braunwyn came out as gay and left the series that Jennifer came around to her, and she started following the reality star because of a connection to her then-girlfriend Victoria. Braunwyn recounted how her now-girlfriend confessed that her real-life persona was 'nothing like how you were on the show.' Since coupling up, Jennifer has turned out to be exactly who Braunwyn needed at this point in her sobriety journey. After 100 alcohol-free days, she noted that she was 'really, really lucky' because her new girlfriend, whose sister is also sober, supported her desire to stay clean. 'Jen has a family that is also part of the recovery community. She understands that being an alcoholic in recovery isnt just not drinking. She knows the backstory from her own family,' she explained. 'And I love that. I love being with her family because they dont drink. They understand recovery. Its so beautiful.' The couple seem to be settling in for the long haul, and Jennifer who currently lives in both New York and Germany has been looking into a place in Orange County to keep her close to Braunwyn. In it together: Braunwyn, who shares seven children with her ex-husband, appreciates that Jennifer supports her sobriety struggle. She recently celebrated 100 days without alcohol As her latest romance heats up, the reality star is looking to finally end her marriage to Sean Burke. Despite coming out as a lesbian, Braunwyn initially tried to stay married to Sean, but they called it quits after less than two years when she filed for divorce last month, citing irreconcilable differences. 'I know that I made the right choice. This has been a long time coming,' she said. 'Obviously, Im gay, Im in a relationship with a woman. But I had this idea of a modern family, and I really did think we were going to be able to pull it off,' she mused. 'I really did, like, with my whole heart. 'It takes two people, and it takes a lot of honesty, it takes communication, and it just wasnt what I thought it was,' she added. Notably, Braunwyn didn't delve into what made her finally decided to have a clean split. Braunwyn filed for divorce from Sean in October, citing irreconcilable differences. 'It just wasnt what I thought it was' she said of her failed 'modern family'; seen in December 2020 Although another marriage doesn't seem to be in the cards for her, Braunwyn wasn't willing to say never, especially considering how well things were going with Jennifer. 'I could change my mind in a heartbeat because, at the end of the day, I am a hopeless romantic. And there would be something nice [about] walking down an aisle and see [her] waiting for me,' she fantasized. 'That would be pretty beautiful.' The lovestruck former Housewife added, 'I love her. I love her so much. I just, I love her.' Following her divorce filing, Braunwyn is seeking spousal support and physical custody of her and Sean's seven children: Bella, 21; Rowan, 19; Jacob, 16; twins Curran and Caden, nine; Koa, seven; and Hazel, four. Sean previously said that he was 'excited about getting my own place' and 'figuring out the rest of our lives' in an Instagram video filmed with his then-wife. Advertisement Rumours are afloat that actor Johnny Depp's latest romance has fizzled out barely months after it had begun - supposedly during the court battle with his ex-wife Amber Heard. Depp, 59, was dating London lawyer Joelle Rich, 37, a privately-educated mother of two. The pair were seen shooting each other tender glances during his court case this spring in Fairfax, Virginia, and Rich was spotted travelling to court with Depp by car. When news of the liaison broke last month, it was said that they enjoyed off the scale chemistry. However there was no sign of the actor when Rich attended a family wedding in Ibiza last weekend and sources in New York believe that the relationship is fizzling out and may actually already be over. A friend of Depps said: Are they still an item? We are not talking about a normal couple here. Its not a big, stable, committed love affair and Im not sure that it ever was. Johnny Depp, 59, was dating London lawyer Joelle Rich, 37, a privately-educated mother of two. The pair were seen shooting each other tender glances during his court case this spring in Fairfax, Virginia , and Rich was spotted travelling to court with Depp by car. A source said: Firstly, he has just come out of a massive legal battle [with ex-wife Amber Heard - pictured here together], so who would want to commit after that? It has been an extremely traumatic period for him' I dont know if they are together in any way at this point. Certainly I dont believe it is a serious romantic relationship, or even an exclusive one. The source added: Firstly, he has just come out of a massive legal battle [with ex-wife Amber Heard], so who would want to commit after that? It has been an extremely traumatic period for him. Secondly, hes Johnny Depp and I dont think a standard committed relationship is going to be his thing. London friends of Rich say that her plans for a divorce from husband Jonathan are still progressing. Joelle and Jonathan have two children and lived together in a 1.5 million house in North London. They were married in 2011. Since the trial, in which Depp sued Heard over an article she wrote for the Washington Post, the actor has spent a few months in France making the French language film Jeanne du Barry, in which he plays Louis XV. Since that wrapped last month he has taken up his music career again, playing dates in the U.S. with guitar hero Jeff Beck, and planning a UK tour next year with Alice Cooper in supergroup Hollywood Vampires. Rich remains a partner at UK law firm Schillings and is said to earn 250,000 a year. She met Depp in 2018 when the company was hired to sue The Sun for libel, after the tabloid called him a wife-beater. He lost his libel action, but the tables were turned in the U.S. trial. It ended with humiliation for Heard, who was ordered to pay him 9.2 million in damages. Law Society guidelines state that a relationship between a solicitor and client is acceptable as long as there is no conflict of interest. There is no suggestion that such a conflict existed in this case. Last month, Depp was greeted by enthusiastic fans as he stepped out in Boston, Massachusetts. The 59-year-old sported an eclectic look that included a blue cotton jacket, a striped button down shirt and gray pants. The actor added some splashes of color with green sneakers, and an aubergine belt. Eclectic: Johnny Depp, 59, sported an eclectic look that included a blue cotton jacket, a striped button down shirt and gray pants as he stepped out in Boston Splashes of color: The actor added some splashes of color with green sneakers, and an aubergine belt. The Pirates of the Caribbean star placed a blue page boy cap over his long dark hair Autographs: Many of the fans who waited for a glimpse of the actor held signs for inviting him to come speak with them. The Black Mass star obliged and signed autographs The Pirates of the Caribbean star placed a blue page boy cap over his long dark hair. His graying beard was cropped close to his face. The star has joined rocker Jeff Beck, 78, on tour. The duo were scheduled to play in Boston Thursday and are set to play across the US through November 12. Many of the fans who waited for a glimpse of the actor held signs for inviting him to come speak with them. The Black Mass star obliged and signed autographs. The actor has recently wrapped work on the film, Jeanne du Barry, in which he plays King Louis XV of France. The film is being directed by Maiwenn, who also stars as the title character. The French actress plays a young courtesan who went on to become the king's official mistress. The film is supposed to be his comeback vehicle after many the gory details of his marriage to former wife Amber Heard were aired during his defamation lawsuit against his former spouse. The big budget period piece has no release date yet, but is expected to make to the big screen sometime in 2023. Amber Heard has recently been spotted in Mallorca, with it emerging that she's trying to 'escape the spotlight by living under a pseudonym in a luxury villa'. According to Spanish press reports, the 36-year-old actress is said to be renting the multi-million-euro mansion from the family of Maria Antonia Munar, a local politician who was sentenced to 14 years in prison for corruption in 2013 but released early in 2020. The property, built in 2020, is in the historic centre of the small rural town of Costix, which is located in the centre of the Spanish island. Heard appears to have deactivated her Twitter account within days of her ex-boyfriend Elon Musk acquiring the platform, as a string of celebrities push back against the takeover. A search for @realAmberHeard as of Thursday showed the movie star's account was missing. It was not immediately clear why Heard shut down her account, with some Twitter users speculating she may have wanted a break from the backlash over her defamation trial with ex-husband Johnny Depp. But others wondered if having her ex-boyfriend as head of her social media account gave her second thoughts about staying. Heard and Musk began dating in 2016, going public with their relationship a year later after dating in secret. In February 2018, reports emerged that the pair had split for good. She already has four children with her husband Mark Webber - Bodhi Rain, eight, Forest Sage, five, Poet Lake, three, and Prairie Moon, one - and is stepmother to his son from a previous relationship. And Teresa Palmer is aiming to add more to her brood. The Hollywood star says she wants at least three more kids and is hoping she falls pregnant with twins. Mother-of-five Teresa Palmer says she wants more children and is hoping to have at least eight kids, including twins, with her husband Mark Webber 'Twins run in the family. I might get two for one next time,' she said in an interview with The Daily Telegraph. Teresa said she told Mark on their first date she wanted six kids. 'He said he also wanted six,' she added. 'So I am holding him to that number.' The couple share Bodhi Rain, eight, Forest Sage, five, Poet Lake, three, and Prairie Moon, one - Teresa said the pressures of raising five kids has meant juggling the demands of a career. 'I don't think I've slept properly in about eight years,' she joked. Teresa is a dedicated stepmother to Mark's 14-year-old son Isaac Love, whom he shares with his ex, SMILF actress Frankie Shaw. Teresa is also stepmother to Mark's son Isaac Love (second from right) The couple, who were in Sydney this week to attend the SEE Louis Vuitton Exhibition, divide their time between Teresa's hometown, Adelaide and Los Angeles. The star recently completed work on the new blockbuster Australian series The Clearing for streaming giant Disney+. Based on the novel of the same name by J.P. Pomare, the eight-part thriller is a ficitonalised account of the so-called 'Doomsday Cult', founded in the 1960s by Anne Hamilton-Byrne. She co-stars with Australian favourite Miranda Otto, 54, who plays a cult leader in the event series. Meanwhile, Teresa plays a former member who tries to break away to lead a normal life. She is a style icon and accomplished model. But Gigi Hadid was making up her own fashion rules on Thursday. The style icon, 27, made a quirky fashion statement with a bold clash of colors as she stepped out in New York. Breaking all the rules! Gigi Hadid made a quirky fashion statement with a bold clash of colors as she stepped out in New York on Thursday Gigi wore colorful jewelry, jeans with a 90s style smile patch, and cheetah print loafers slipped over bright pink socks. She rocked a glossy metallic hued button down, cardigan, and retro inspired shades. Her necklaces were made up of a bold assortment of bright beads, including one which appeared to have been inspired by a candy necklace. She even took a fashion risk with her earrings - she wore just one single dangling earring with a lime green heart from her right ear. No missing her! Gigi wore colorful jewelry, jeans with a 90s style smile patch, and bright pink socks As usual, she looked stunning with a touch of blush and lipstick polishing up her natural beauty. The outing comes amid ongoing romance rumors swirling around Gigi and Leonardo Dicaprio. The duo were allegedly 'seen hanging out at a lavish Halloween bash in NYC' over the weekend, according to Page Six. I want candy! Hadid wore a colorful necklace which resembled a throwback candy necklace The website reports the actor, 47, and the supermodel both attended Circolocos Halloween soiree at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, arriving via party bus with Gigi's sister Bella, model Irina Shayk and art dealer Helly Nahmad. They added that Leonardo's mask was 'half monster, half zombie' - with other stars in attendance including Stella Maxwell and Matt Smith. Stella Maxwell and Yankee Giancarlo Stanton also attended the party, as well as House of Dragon star Matt Smith, who we hear was dressed as a vampire. DailyMail.com has contacted representatives for Leonardo DiCaprio and Gigi Hadid for comment. Meanwhile: The outing comes amid ongoing romance rumors swirling around Gigi and Leonardo Dicaprio Leonardo has previously opted for creative Halloween costumes to hide his famous face, in 2018 he donned a bizarre clown mask, and in 2021, dressed as a '100-year-old man'. Leo was pictured with Gigi for the first time since news of their reported romance broke, in exclusive photos obtained by DailyMail.com in September. The pairing appears to be the first time the Oscar winner has ever dated a woman older than 25, and Gigi would also be the first woman he has dated who is a mother. Following the leaking of the new pictures, a source close to to the couple said while they are dating, they are 'taking it slow,' according to Page Six. The source went on to say that the couple have been out together just the two of them as well as hanging out in groups with the pair not calling themselves 'exclusive' yet. The person added: '[DiCaprio] is not someone who is in-and-out of relationships. He doesn't jump around hooking up. They are taking it slow.' Ruby Rose has locked in her next film project, coming aboard to star alongside Eva Green in the action-thriller Dirty Angels. Rose, 36, and Green, 42, will topline the new project from director Martin Campbell (Casino Royale), according to The Hollywood Reporter. Production is expected to begin in December on the Millennium Media project, on location in Morocco and Millennium's Nu Boyana Studio in Greece. New film: Ruby Rose has locked in her next film project, coming aboard to star alongside Eva Green in the action-thriller Dirty Angels The story - written by Alissa Silverman - is a fictional tale set against the true backdrop of the United States withdrawing military forces from Afghanistan in 2021. The plot follows a group of female soldiers who are providing medical support in Afghanistan. Their world is turned upside down when they are sent to rescue a group of kidnapped teenagers who are caught between ISIS and the Taliban. Soldiers: Their world is turned upside down when they are sent to rescue a group of kidnapped teenagers who are caught between ISIS and the Taliban Millennium's Rob Van Norden and Yariv Lerner are producing alongside Signature Pictures Moshe Diamant. Millennium Medias Avi Lerner, Boaz Davidson, Trevor Short, Jonathan Yunger, and Jeffrey Greenstein will serve as executive producers. It's unclear if Millennium has a release schedule planned out at this time. Backdrop: The story - written by Alissa Silverman - is a fictional tale set against the true backdrop of the United States withdrawing military forces from Afghanistan in 2021 Rose most recently starred in the gaming comedy 1UP and she'll next be seen alongside Machine Gun Kelly in Taurus, debuting November 18. She starred in a trio of 2021 films - Stowaway, Vanquish and SAS: Red Notice, along with 2020's The Doorman. She recently attended her first public event - a skincare launch in West Hollywood - for the first time since her on-set spinal injury in 2019 on the set of Batwoman. First event: She recently attended her first public event - a skincare launch in West Hollywood - for the first time since her on-set spinal injury in 2019 on the set of Batwoman Green stars in the upcoming Nocebo with Mark Strong and Chai Fonacier, which debuts on November 22. She next stars as Milady in a pair of 2023 films, The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan and The Three Musketeers: Milady. She also has the TV series Liason in post-production and the film A Patriot with Helen Hunt and Charles Dance in pre-production. 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Ireland United States Minor Outlying Islands United States of America 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 By Slavoj Zizek LJUBLJANA With Ukrainian forces reclaiming territory and sending Russia's demoralized occupiers scurrying in retreat, Russian President Vladimir Putin has escalated his threat to use nuclear weapons. Politicians have issued stern warnings to the Kremlin, and commentators have compared the current moment to the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis and other episodes of high tension that could have ended in nuclear Armageddon. But some 15,000 Ukrainians have met the prospect of annihilation in a less abstract way: They have reportedly signed up for a massive sex party. Participants in "Orgy on Shchekavystsa: Official" outside Kyiv are expected to "decorate their hands with stripes denoting their sexual preference. People interested in anal sex have been asked to draw three stripes; those interested in oral sex have been asked to display four stripes." Similar groups have popped up elsewhere, including one announcing an orgy on Derybasivska Street in Odessa. Why, after eight months of Russian bombardment and brutal fighting, would anyone be interested in such an event? According to one eager participant: "It's the opposite of despair. Even in the worst-case scenario, people will look for something good. That's the mega-optimism of Ukrainians." One should accept this testimony on its face. In a time of extreme anguish, an orgy can be a life-affirming project. There is no need for a "deeper" pseudo-Freudian explanation in which collective trauma precipitates the disintegration of individual inhibitions and conventional social norms. The truly uncivilized sex acts are those being committed by Russian soldiers and their leaders. According to Pramila Patten, the United Nations special representative on sexual violence, Russian commanders are dispensing Viagra to their troops. Sexual assault of Ukrainian women is a "deliberate tactic to dehumanize the victims," she told Agence France-Presse. Sadly, other outside observers have effectively toed the Russian line. Much to my own country's shame, Matjaz Gams, a member of the Slovenian state council, reacted to the orgy story by suggesting that when a civilization enters its period of decay, "strange, morbid ideas" appear. But, again, which is stranger and more morbid: a sex party (where all activity is voluntary and consensual), or Russia's indiscriminate attacks on civil infrastructure and civilians (including the use of systemic rape as a military tactic)? Putin's latest nuclear threats were accompanied by his illegal annexation of four Ukrainian territories that he does not fully control, but which the Kremlin insists "are inalienable parts of the Russian Federation Their security is provided for at the same level as the rest of Russia's territory." The implication, of course, is that Ukraine is already deserving of a nuclear strike, because it is making gains in territories that supposedly fall under Russia's nuclear umbrella. No wonder online betting sites are offering odds on Russia carrying out a nuclear attack this year, with thousands putting money on "yes." Lending additional credibility to the threat, Russian officials have ordered an evacuation of Kherson, which is now almost encircled by Ukrainian forces. The intended message seems clear: If Ukrainians retake the city, they will be a perfect target for a nuclear bomb. In the struggle against "Satanism," as Putin recently put it, everything is permitted. But equally morbid is the Western peacenik argument that Europe should send a big delegation to Russia to start negotiating the terms of peace. Obviously, we should do everything possible to prevent a new world war; but to achieve that, we must begin with a realistic appreciation of what Russia has become. That means abandoning the idea of Eurasian unity and rejecting the argument that Europe should form a power bloc with Russia to avoid becoming a junior partner to the U.S. in its conflict with China. At this point, it is Russia, not China, that poses the greater threat to Europe. Moreover, for Europe to pursue negotiations with Russia, it also would have to pressure Ukraine to accept a compromise. That is precisely what the Kremlin wants; it would reinforce Putin's own argument that Ukraine is merely a Western proxy, rather than a real country with its own agency. What is to be done? Since Russia obviously cannot be ignored, the best option is to reach out to those in Russia and in its satellites who oppose the war. As Sawomir Sierakowski recently pointed out, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's administration has a natural ally in the Belarusian opposition, which has been quietly doing what it can to frustrate the Russian war effort. And yet, no alliance has emerged. Instead, Ukrainian officials have publicly shown contempt for Belarusians, depicting them as "wimps and conformists." As Sierakowski points out, this is not only immoral, but also "politically stupid." Russian opponents of the war find themselves in the same predicament, criticized by Putin's establishment as traitors and by Ukraine as Russians. In this way, the meaning of the Ukrainian war is obfuscated. It is not a struggle between "European truth" and "Russian truth," as both Putin's ideologist Aleksandr Dugin and some Ukrainians are claiming. Ukraine is a front in the global struggle against the new nationalist fundamentalism that is gaining strength everywhere, including in the United States, India, and China. If there is anywhere that Ukrainians have ceded a sliver of the moral high ground, it is here, in the failure to universalize their fight, not in any Dionysian dissipation outside Kyiv. Slavoj Zizek, professor of philosophy at the European Graduate School, is international director of the Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities at the University of London and the author, most recently, of "Heaven in Disorder (OR Books, 2021)." This article was distributed by Project Syndicate (www.project-syndicate.org). By Michael Reagan I just called our realtor. My wife and I just put our house in Los Angeles on the market. We're selling everything except our washer and dryer. Then we're going to buy a really nice tent and move to Encino and live on the street. We'll find a fire hydrant and a long extension cord, hook up the washer and dryer and live happily ever after for free As you no doubt know, L.A.'s homeless population was in the news again last week. This time, it was because of the washing machine that was installed on a sidewalk by one of the homeless citizens of L.A.'s sprawling tent cities. But homelessness is no joke in L.A. It's a serious and growing problem that the crooked politicians here can't or won't fix. The city's permanent homeless population now numbering about 42,000 people can be found in just about every neighborhood, but it's concentrated in downtown L.A. Featured in all their squalor on Tucker Carlson's show, L.A.'s "unsheltered" people are not just a huge social problem or a civic embarrassment, they are responsible for about 70 percent of the city's crime. They set buildings on fire, rob and beat each other, break into cars and when they are caught, they aren't arrested. The city of Los Angeles spends tens of millions of dollars a year caring for the needs of the mentally disturbed people, drug addicts and petty criminals that it has allowed to take root on its sidewalks and streets. L.A. has been raising taxes and floating bonds to pay for the homeless for years but the problem has only gotten worse for civilized citizens. For the homeless, it's a great place to be. The weather is great. The ocean is nearby. And the city government and a bunch of do-gooder organizations will fall over themselves to take care of your every need. If you can't hook up a washing machine, you can always use Laundry Truck LA, a free laundromat on wheels that will come around and wash, dry and fold your clothes. One person running for L.A. mayor on a law-and-order theme the candidate I'll vote for is Rick Caruso. A former Republican who changed his party to Democrat so he'd have a chance to win in a deep blue city, Caruso is promising to expand the police force and build tiny homes for 30,000 homeless persons. Complete with wi-fi, they'll cost $60,000 per unit plus land costs. There are 15 already built not far from me, though I don't know how they'll fill them when crazy people and drug users are not eligible. Meanwhile, Caruso's opponent, the anti-gun, anti-cop Democrat Congresswoman Karen Bass, is promising to build 115 tiny homes around the city. "Elect me, elect me," they both say, "and I promise to fix the homeless problem." Yeah, right. It'd be nice if someone who is already in office would actually do something to solve the homeless problem, but city hall is populated by political hacks who are not only incompetent but often racist or corrupt. You've probably seen the latest scandal involving Latino city council members who were caught on tape making racist statements about blacks and other ethnic groups. Before that, a federal corruption investigation looking into bribery, extortion and money laundering put one council member in prison and charged half a dozen city officials with kickbacks and various pay-to-play crimes. L.A.'s racist city council president has stepped down in disgrace, but it doesn't matter because her replacement will probably be just as racist and incompetent. The same kind of politicians get elected again and again in L.A. They promise voters they'll fix problems like homelessness, but they never do. There's a Republican Red Wave coming to America on Nov. 8 that will sweep the Democrats out of power in Congress. But most important elections are local ones city councils and school boards. And not even a Red Tsunami can flush away the incompetents ruining the City of Angels. Michael Reagan reagan@caglecartoons.com, the son of President Ronald Reagan, is an author, speaker and president of the Reagan Legacy Foundation. His article was distributed by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate. CID personnel arresting Ayyanna Parudu in his home at Narsipatnam on Thursday. (Photo by arrangement) Visakhapatnam: Telugu Desam party leader and former minister Ayyanna Patradu and his son Rajesh were arrested by the Crime Investigation Department (CID) from their residence early on Thursday on charges of forging documents related to the construction of a wall in their house, which were submitted to the High Court. Responding to the arrests, the TD has called for bandh in protest against the police's behaviour. Police personnel were deployed to avoind untoward incidents. The CID arrested them from their residence in Narsipatnam of Anakapalli district and took them to a court in Eluru. The CID registered a case based on a complaint of the irrigation officials that both of them had submitted a fake certificate to the High Court during the demolition of the house wall by the irrigation officials. The Ayyanna family occupied the Ravanapalli irrigation canal and took up the construction of the house, the police quoted the complainant. Ayyanna's wife Padmavati criticised the government for the arrest without prior information. However, the CID officials said that they have followed the correct rules. She demanded that the government should take full responsibility for the life of her family members. TD Chief Chandrababu Naidu said that the arrest is an attempt to suppress the voice of backward class leaders. Naidu said that the Jagan government has been chasing Ayyanna's family since coming to power. SRINAGAR: In the latest attack on non-local seasonal workers by suspected separatist militants in Kashmir Valley, a Nepali national and a resident of Bihar were shot and injured on Thursday evening. The police said that the shooting incident took place in southern Anantnags Wanihama village. (A) terrorist fired upon two outside labourers (one from Bihar & second from Nepal), who were working at a private SAPS school at Bondialgam in Anantnag district. Both are being shifted to hospital. Further details shall follow, the Kashmir zone police tweeted. The local sources said that the duo was shot and wounded by a lone gunman at Wanihama near the Sabir Abdullah Public School. They were immediately evacuated to Anantnags Government-run Medical College Hospital. Medical Superintendent of the hospital, Dr. Iqbal told local news agency KNO that both are receiving treatment and further details will be shared with the media later. Government and businesses need extraordinary resolve Amid the continuing trade deficit, even exports have declined. According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Korea's foreign shipments in October fell 5.7 percent year-on-year to $52.48 billion. It was the first time in two years that monthly exports have decreased. In contrast, imports jumped 9.9 percent, resulting in a trade deficit for seven consecutive months for the first time since the 1997 Asian financial crisis. As a result, the cumulative trade shortfall in the first 10 months of this year widened to a record $35.6 billion. It is more than serious that exports, the backbone of the Korean economy, recorded negative growth. Moreover, the export drop comes as the nation's currency fell to its lowest level against the U.S. dollar in years, indicating Korea's growth engine is spluttering severely. According to a report by the Korea Development Institute, the trade deficit might have swollen to $2 billion had it not been for the weakening currency. Korea's foreign exchange reserves also dwindled by $20 billion in September, marking the steepest fall since the global financial crisis of 2008. The widening trade gap is due mainly to the aggravating external environment, such as Russia's war in Ukraine, major countries' monetary tightening and the global business slump. Even so, the government cannot afford to wait for external conditions to improve. Later in the day, trade officials checked the status of exports and said, "The government will go all out and mobilize all means available to bolster exports." However, the government must show a higher level of determination. At an economic emergency meeting last month, President Yoon Suk-yeol vowed to make preemptive moves and work out detailed steps to keep the nation's current account in the black. However, to make good on the promise, the government should carefully examine internal structural problems that weaken major export items' international competitiveness, find ways to improve them and ask for the National Assembly's cooperation if needed. It then should actively seek measures to support export companies and conduct a campaign to encourage the public to join national efforts to stave off the looming crisis. Members of the community said there is a need to sensitise the public about LGBTQ rights in society (AP/Representational Image) HYDERABAD: The LGBTQ community of Hyderabad will hold its pride march, titled Queer Swabhimana Yatra, from Charminar to Exhibition Grounds on November 13 after a gap of three years. Members of the community said there is a need to sensitise the public, especially in the Old City, about LGBTQ rights in society. Around 800 members are expected to take part in the march. Anil Kumar, an organiser, said that many of them feel unsafe while shopping near Charminar even during the day. Many are unaware of Section 377 itself, let alone it being decriminalised in 2018. Coexisting in a secular and democratic country needs to be acknowledged. We would like to share our challenges and ask them to give us basic human rights. We have been receiving a lot of calls and support, especially from college youngsters and corporate employees, Kumar said. The organisers are also planning a carnival on November 12 at St. Francis College in Begumpet. Patruni Sastry, a classical dancer from the community, who got married last year, said, Anyone who wishes to show support can take part in the events. Being open about my sexuality is one thing, but being able to walk with pride in my own city is a big deal, Sastry said. Neeti Ravindra, a final-year medical student, who is a part of the organising committee, said, Apart from a walk for visibility, this is a socio-political statement by the community. This walk is to break social stigma. I took part in the previous walk in 2018 at Begumpet. This year, we chose Charminar as it is a conservative area. We want to break into that space and walk with dignity, Ravindra said. Members of the transgender community said they are most discriminated against and that the same must be addressed. Rachana Mudraboyina, a trans rights activist, said, Few people helped us during the lockdowns and it was mostly the trans community taking care of its own. Trans voices have been silenced a lot, not just in Hyderabad. It is the heteronormative privilege of the society that discriminates and sidelines the trans people and hijra community. We need to celebrate our identity and also have an equal space in the community, Mudraboyina said. NEW DELHI: The political heat is building up in Jharkhand after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summoned chief minister Hemant Soren for questioning in a money-laundering case linked to an alleged illegal mining scam. Sources from Ranchi said the state police has been asked to make the necessary arrangements for Mr Hemant Soren to appear before the investigating agency in Ranchi at 11 am on Thursday (November 3). This comes days after the chief ministers close aide Pankaj Mishra and two others were arrested by the ED. The probe agency is said to have unearthed an illegal mining scam in the state to the tune of Rs 1,000 crores so far. The ED had carried out massive statewide searches in July and seized unaccounted money from the possession of Pankaj Mishra. Reports suggest that several documents, including cheques signed by Hemant Soren, were also recovered from the residence of Mr Mishra. Earlier, in May, action was also taken against senior IAS officer Pooja Singhal, her businessman husband and a chartered accountant. After the raids, Ms Singhal, who was the mining secretary, was suspended by the state government. Talking about the ED notice, chief minister Hemant Soren termed it a conspiracy by the opposition BJP to topple his government. He said: The Opposition has been conspiring to disturb my government. They are doing this because a tribal is a chief minister of this state. I have been summoned by a probe agency, but I am not scared. Amid the latest developments, the Opposition BJP said Wednesday that the summons was sent to Mr Soren after the probe agency recovered several documents from his associate Pankaj Mishra, which pointed towards his involvement in the case. The BJP has also demanded Mr Hemant Sorens resignation. The chief minister has been summoned for questioning. He also holds the mining portfolio. I think he should first resign on moral grounds and then appear before the probe agency, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey said. If he satisfies the probe agency then it would be better for him, but if he fails then his condition will be like Lalu Prasad Yadav in Bihar and Madhu Koda in Jharkhand, Mr Dubey added. Earlier, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) had charged the BJP with trying to create a political crisis in the state by using the Central probe agencies against the chief minister and the state government. Talking to reporters, JMM leader Vijay Pandey said: These things have been happening wherever they are not in power. This is their tactic to destabilise the state government in Jharkhand. There are also reports that the JMM is working out a strategy to tackle the crisis and making efforts to keep its house in order after the summons. The ED wants to question and record the statement of the chief minister under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Besides Pankaj Mishra, the ED had earlier arrested two others -- local muscleman Bachhu Yadav and Prem Prakash -- in this case. The ED probe began after the agency raided Mr Mishra and his alleged associates on July 8, covering 19 locations in Sahibganj, Barhait, Rajmahal, Mirza Chauki and Barharwa in Jharkhand. The PMLA investigation revealed that Mishra, who enjoys political clout, being the representative of the chief minister, MLA from Barhait, Sahibganj, Jharkhand controls the illegal mining businesses as well as inland ferry services in Sahibganj and its adjoining areas through his accomplices. He exercises considerable control over the mining of stone chips and boulders as well as installation and operations of several crushers, set up across various mining sites in Sahibganj, the ED had alleged after filing a chargesheet in the case before a special court in Ranchi. Forty-seven search operations have been conducted and cash worth Rs 5.34 crores has been seized, bank balances worth Rs 13.32 crores have been frozen, an inland water vessel worth Rs 30 crores has been seized apart from five stone crushers, two trucks and two AK-47 assault rifles (these weapons were later claimed by the Jharkhand police as its own) till now, the ED said. Hyderabad: A day after the campaigning for the Munugode by-poll ended, Bhongir MP Komatireddy Venkat Reddy returned from Australia after avoiding campaigning for the Congress candidate, who is up against Reddys brother Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy, after his switch to the BJP. Venkat Reddy went missing from the campaign despite being declared a star campaigner by the Congress. He was then issued a notice, on October 22, by the AICCs disciplinary committee for allegedly supporting his brother over the Congress candidate. Still, the MP did not respond to the notice despite the 10-day deadline for the same elapsing. Repeated attempts by Deccan Chronicle to contact Venkat Reddy went unanswered, with senior Congress leaders saying they did not get a response from Reddy. V. Hanumantha Rao, a former PCC chief, said, I tried to reach out to him but there was no response. Some others in the party also tried to contact me. He should have at least responded to the show-cause (notice). Taking part in the election campaign is altogether a different issue, but he should have participated in Rahul Gandhis Bharat Jodo Yatra. Being an MP, he should have shown some respect. The notice was issued after a video of Venkat Reddys conversation with a Congress colleague, asking him to support his brother, on October 21 went viral. In the purported video clip, he is heard saying: Congress wont win in Munugode and cannot spend the money like the ruling party. Why should I campaign for a losing poll? He (brother) will be winning. I won elections five times. I wont be submitting to him (Revanth). Deccan Chronicle could not independently verify the authenticity of the video. However, his trip to Australia, instead of replying to the allegations, compounded the matter. Search engine giant Google has announced a new feature that would allow users to track their product delivery status within the Gmail app. "With the holiday season coming up fast, it wont be long before your inbox is filled with more order and shipping confirmations, tracking numbers, and even the occasional delay notification. So this year, Gmail is introducing new features to help you save time and stay on top of all your shipments," said Ilya Brown, VP, product, Gmail. Users when they order a product and receive the confirmation note on Gmail. The latter offers an option--Track your packages in Gmail- and you can either allow or decline. Gmail will soon offer the option to track package delivery. Credit: Google If you allow, Gmail will then automatically look up order statuses using your tracking numbers and surface them in the inbox. And, users can opt-out at any time through the Gmail settings. Package tracking feature will be available within Gmail app. Credit: Google The new feature is expected to come with an update to Gmail soon before the Christmas holidays. In a related development, Google has finally found a permanent place for Google Lens on its search website. Rajan Patel, VP of Engineering at Google (Search experience, Image Search, and Lens) took to Twitter to announce that Google Lens will be easily available for access within the search tab. The google homepage doesn't change often, but today it did. We're always working to expand the kinds of questions you can ask and improving how we answer them. Now you can ask visual questions easily from your desktop. pic.twitter.com/p9ldYvXnTK Rajan Patel (@rajanpatel) November 1, 2022 Previously, this arrangement was seen only on Google and Chrome apps for phones. Now, it will be available on the Google.com website for PCs. With this users, can directly tap the camera icon to allow the device's camera or upload photos for visual image search. Get the latest news on new launches, gadget reviews, apps, cybersecurity, and more on personal technology only on DH Tech. US President Joe Biden's administration on Thursday voted against a UN General Assembly resolution calling for an end to the US economic embargo on Cuba, leaving relations frosty between the two longtime rivals. The non-binding resolution was approved by 185 countries and opposed only by the United States and Israel, with Brazil and Ukraine abstaining. It was the 30th time the United Nations has voted to end the embargo. Biden has eased some sanctions on communist-run Cuba implemented by his predecessor, Donald Trump, loosening tough US restrictions around remittances, flights, tourism, and migration. But US Political Coordinator John Kelley told the UN General Assembly Thursday that the United States would hold the Cuban government accountable for alleged human rights violations following widespread protests on the island in July of 2021. "The United States opposes this resolution, but we stand with the Cuban people and will continue to seek ways to provide meaningful support to them," Kelley said. "We join international partners in urging the Cuban government to release political prisoners immediately and unconditionally and to protect the freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly of all individuals in Cuba." Cuba's representative at the United Nations, Yuri Gala, lashed back during the UN session in New York, calling US allegations of rights violations false. "Cuba does not need lessons on democracy and human rights, much less from the United States," Gala said. "If the United States government was really interested in the welfare, human rights and self-determination of Cubans, it could lift the blockade." The trade embargo was put in place following Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution and has remained largely unchanged, though some elements were stiffened by Trump. The web of US laws and regulations complicate financial transactions and the acquisition of goods and services by the Cuban government. The long-running dispute between the two countries shows little sign of detente, despite some modest gestures of goodwill in recent months. The Biden administration in October offered $2 million to Cuba for emergency relief efforts following Hurricane Ian. It also donated firefighting equipment after a blaze destroyed a oil tank farm on the island in August. China has vowed to support its all-weather strategic partner Pakistan in safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity even as India recently reaffirmed its resolve to take back its areas illegally occupied by its western neighbour. Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Beijing on Wednesday. They agreed to advance with greater efficiency the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which, according to New Delhi, undermined the sovereignty of India. Xi also assured Sharif of all assistance from China to help Pakistan stabilise its financial situation as well as of providing additional emergency relief to support reconstruction efforts in the areas hit by the recent devastating floods. China will continue to firmly support Pakistan in safeguarding its sovereignty, territorial integrity, development interests and dignity, and in achieving unity, stability, development and prosperity, Xi told Sharif, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Chinese Government. Beijing reassured Islamabad less than a week after New Delhi invoked the resolution adopted in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on February 22, 1994. The resolution had reaffirmed that the entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and Ladakh had been, were and would remain an integral part of India. Also Read | At SCO meeting, India refuses to endorse Chinese President Xi's ambitious BRI Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on October 27 said that Indias journey of development would not be complete without reaching Indias territories illegally occupied by Pakistan, including Gilgit and Baltistan. His comment was seen as a reaffirmation of New Delhis resolve to wrest back the control of Indias territories under occupation of Pakistan. After Prime Minister Narendra Modis government in August 2019 initiated the process to strip J&K of its special status and to reorganize the erstwhile state into two Union Territories, China had joined Pakistan to oppose New Delhis move and run an international campaign against India. China also stepped up its aggression along the disputed boundary with India in eastern Ladakh in April-May 2020, resulting in a military stand-off, which has not been fully resolved yet. Xi on Wednesday expressed great concerns over the safety of China's citizens in Pakistan. He asked Sharif to ensure security of Chinas entities and individuals living and engaged in cooperation projects in Pakistan. Three Chinese working at the Confucius Institute of the Karachi University in Pakistan had been killed in a suicide bombing carried out by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) on April 26. A citizen of China had been shot dead and two others were injured in Karachi on September 28. The BLA has been opposing the CPEC and the other development projects funded by China in Pakistan, anticipating that they have all been designed to exploit the natural resources of Balochistan without any benefit for the local indigenous people, who could be further marginalized. Xi and Sharif, however, on Wednesday agreed to turn the CPEC into an example of high-quality development cooperation between China and Pakistan under the Belt and Road Initiative, which the Chinese President launched a few years back, but triggered controversy due to predatory lending practices and debt-trap diplomacy by the government of the Communist country. India has been opposed to the CPEC, a flagship project of the BRI, as it passes through its territories illegally occupied by Pakistan. Just a day before the Xi-Sharif meeting, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday tacitly reiterated New Delhis concerns, stating that connectivity projects should be carried out respecting the sovereignty of the nations. India also stayed away from the BRI perceived as Chinas bid to expand its geostrategic influence. Xi and Sharif on Wednesday agreed to accelerate the construction of auxiliary infrastructure for the Gwadar Port, which China built in Pakistan as a dual asset for its power projection in the region. Assiduously as it might work to retain its strategic space and preserve its security interests in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), trouble for India in the Maldives is never too far away. In recent days, New Delhi stands accused of making Male change its stance on its territorial dispute with Mauritius over the Chagos islands. The Maldives sprung a surprise late last month by declaring that it supported Mauritius in its efforts to decolonise the Chagos islands from the United Kingdom. Until this declaration, the Maldives had always backed the UK's continuing control of the Chagos islands that Mauritius has been seeking to reclaim. An indication of the Chagos islands' huge geo-strategic significance is the presence of a US military base on one of its atolls, Diego Garcia. The US, while not a claimant to the islands, has had a naval base on Diego Garcia, the largest of the atolls that comprise the Chagos archipelago, for long. It came up after the US and UK signed a pact in 1966 despite legitimate questions over who had jurisdiction over the Chagos islands. The base has provided the US with a vital presence in the IOR, more so with the increasing forays of Chinese warships in the region. Read | India wants Bangladesh to move fast to clear way for installing coastal radars While Mauritius ceased to be a colony of the UK in 1968, it never got back the Chagos islands which comprise seven atolls and 60 islands, even though they had been its dependency. For, the UK cleverly declared the islands British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) in 1965 itself, thereby refusing to cede jurisdiction over the Chagos islands to Mauritius. The Maldives U-turn on Chagos has stirred a hornet's nest in the archipelago. Predictably enough, some quarters within the Maldives have drawn India into the controversy by blaming New Delhi for Male's change in position. In the Maldives, a country where the Opposition is often eager to stoke anti-India sentiments, this latest charge comes at a time when New Delhi-Male relations are warm and robust. The reason, perhaps, for some in the Maldives to claim that the Ibu Solih-led government has switched tracks at New Delhi's behest. Leading the anti-India charge has been a former attorney general of the Maldives, Dr Mohamed Munavvar, who has claimed that the shift in the Maldives' position will work to New Delhi's advantage. Munavvar cited the close ties between New Delhi and Port Louis as well as the presence of a huge Indian diaspora in Mauritius for Male's about-turn. He also made the rather ludicrous claim that India's aim is to control the Chagos islands once Mauritius has jurisdiction over them. The Maldives' changed stance came to light after it expressed support for the 'Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice on the legal consequences of the separation of the Chagos archipelago from Mauritius in 1965'. This advice was given after the UN General Assembly sought its opinion on the matter. In this opinion, the ICJ said that "the process of decolonisation of Mauritius was not lawfully completed when that country acceded to independence" and that "the UK is under an obligation to bring to an end its administration of the Chagos Archipelago as rapidly as possible". The decision to support Mauritius on the issue of decolonisation was revealed during a hearing before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), where Maldives and Mauritius are locked in a territorial dispute over their contesting claims on the waters separating them in the Indian Ocean. The archipelago's government also said before ITLOS that it has already written to the Prime Minister of Mauritius, Pravind Jugnauth, in August this year, informing him that Maldives would vote in favour of the UNGA resolution. Facing flak for its decision, the Solih government has maintained that the Maldives territorial dispute over a maritime boundary before ITLOS is a separate matter. Adding fat to the fire over the changed position is former Maldives President and now Parliament speaker, Mohamed Nasheed. Nasheed, who belongs to the same party as President Solih, the Maldives Democratic Party, has proven to be a disruptive element for his presidency. He has penned an article stating that the Chagos islands were historically a part of the Maldives and, therefore, should be given to it. India's own position on the Chagos territorial dispute has seen it throwing its weight behind Mauritius over the years as it involves the question of decolonisation as well as sovereignty. India has supported UN General Assembly resolutions and ICJ rulings backing Mauritius' claims on Chagos and Diego Garcia. Just as much as it would like to have Mauritius regain control of Chagos, India has been in favour of the presence of the US base in Diego Garcia. It knows well that the US base is useful for keeping an eye on Chinese moves in the IOR. With the UK continuing with what is widely perceived as its unlawful jurisdiction over Chagos, it's time, perhaps, for the world to redouble its efforts to give Mauritius what rightfully belongs to it. As for the UK and the US, on the same page when it comes to Diego Garcia, they need to live up to their declarations about the need to adhere to the rule of law. (The writer is a senior journalist) Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH. Leading construction company, Henry Brothers, has been named winner of the GB and Republic of Ireland Construction Project of the Year at this years Construction Employers Federation (CEF) Excellence Awards. Launched in 1999, the Construction Excellence Awards are considered the most prestigious event in the Northern Ireland construction calendar and are designed to reward the achievements of the industry whilst highlighting the contribution it makes to the local economy. Magherafelt firm Henry Brothers received the Construction Project of the Year Award in the Over 2.5million category for its completion of a 4.4m woodland day nursery and forest school at Staffordshire University. Ian Taylor, Managing Director of Henry Brothers Midlands, said: We are pleased to have received industry recognition for our very first carbon neutral project, representing a significant milestone in Henry Brothers strategy to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. "Congratulations must go to our exceptional staff which have delivered an outstanding modern nursery and forest school on campus, with sustainability at its core. "Henry Brothers is privileged to provide Staffordshire University with a truly future-proof facility which will provide significant benefit to staff, students, and their families. "We look forward to constructing many more carbon-neutral projects for our valued clients in the years to come. The Woodlands Day Nursery and Forest School is a single-storey timber frame building located close to the Universitys nature reserve at the heart of its Leek Road site in Stoke-on-Trent. The facilities were designed to meet high demand from both students and staff nursery places and to provide additional places for the wider local community. Sustainability, digital technology, and nature are at the forefront of the build, which features REHAU earth tubes and air source heat pumps which use passive cooling/heating rather than mechanical ventilation; along with roof mounted solar photovoltaic panels to offset carbon emissions. Sally McGill, Chief Financial Officer and Executive Lead for Sustainability at Staffordshire University said, On behalf of the University I would like to extend my congratulations to Henry Brothers as winners of the award for Construction Project of the Year. "Henry Brothers has created a truly unique facility here at Staffordshire University which as our greenest building, forms a significant part of our green campus transformation and sustainability plans. "As our first carbon neutral building on campus, this facility will support the next generation as well as communities, bringing the forest setting to our city through teaching, learning and embedding our ambitions for a more sustainable future. In addition to Henry Brothers, the project team consisted of Mace as project and cost managers, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios as lead designer and architect, Max Fordham as building services engineers, Civic Engineers as structural engineers and transport consultants, and Re-form Landscape as landscape designers. The Henry Brothers design team included CPMG Architects, structural and civil engineer Hexa and Couch, Perry, Wilkes for M&E services. Henry Brothers is part of The Henry Group, which comprises a number of manufacturing and construction sector companies, ranging from external construction through to interiors fit-out. In partnership with clients, it has a proven track record in education, defence, accommodation, commercial, industrial, transport and healthcare sectors. A Magherafelt optometrist has been honoured by the founders of Specsavers. Michael Foster has received a medal in recognition of his clinical excellence by Doug and Dame Mary Perkins. Mr Foster, an optometrist of Specsavers Magherafelt, is one of only 14 colleagues from across the UK and the Republic of Ireland to receive a Doug and Dame Mary medal for clinical excellence and outstanding customer care. Recipients also received a gift of 1,000 prize money. It is the first time that the prestigious medals have been handed out in the UK and the Republic of Ireland by the Specsavers founders, having been first launched in Australia and New Zealand. I am immensely honoured to receive this award, said Michael. I take great pride in striving to be the best I can be within my profession, delivering the best possible care for my customers, supporting my colleagues and the wider profession of optometry. "To be recognised in this way by Dame Mary and Doug Perkins is very special, as the founders of Specsavers who sought to change lives through better sight and hearing. Michael was nominated by his team due to his commitment to delivering excellent customer care, and his willingness to share his vast experience with colleagues both in his own stores and all Specsavers stores across NI. He represents the profession on the committee of the NIOS (Northern Ireland Optometric Society) and during the pandemic often guided colleagues as they managed complex cases, with reference to his experience within the hospital eye service. Paying tribute to his Magherafelt team, Michael added: My colleagues make a difference daily and this award is as much for them too. Supporting them in their careers and inspiring them is hugely important to me and Specsavers. "Clinical excellence, professionalism and kindness have always been our local team goals. I hope that we can inspire other colleagues to work towards recognition such as this award over the coming years. Specsavers founder Doug Perkins said: These two new awards are very special. They celebrate and recognise colleagues' professionalism, and passion, in the areas of clinical and customer care. "The winners are outstanding, and all go above and beyond to deliver exceptional clinical customer care. IN PICTURES: Gaelscoil Neachtain celebrate ten years ABOVE: Pictured with Bishop McKeown, Fr. Seamas Kelly PP and Principal Marian Ui Cheallllaigh are the support staff. Wednesday October 26 was a day of great celebration at Gaelscoil Neachtain, Dungiven, as the Gaelscoil community came together to mark its tenth anniversary. The day started with the celebration of a special anniversary Mass, in Irish, in the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Gortnaghy. Chief celebrant, Bishop of Derry, Dr. Donall McKeown, was joined by Fr. Seamus Kelly, PP, Dungiven, Fr. Joseph Varghese, CC, Dungiven, Fr. Art O Reilly, PEm. Banagher, and Fr. Pat O Hagan, PP, Bellaghy-Ballyscullion Parish. Pupils, R.1 R.7, and staff at the Mass were joined by past pupils, parents, grandparents, governors, past and present, and friends of the Gaelscoil down through the years. Thanksgiving was the central theme of the Mass with representatives of the school community including staff, pupils, governors and parents, taking part. During the homily, Bishop McKeown spoke directly to the pupils and referenced the Gospel, telling them they were the light of the world Is sibhse solas an domhain and also the readings as he encouraged them not to be worried about anything Na bigi imnioch faoi rud ar bith and reminded them that God is with them, always ta mise taobh leat. The Mass of celebration was further enhanced by beautiful music from Muinteoir Fionnuala and Cor Neachtain along with Nodlaig Ni Brollaigh and harpists from Scoil Ruairi Dall. Before Mass ended, Principal Mairin Ui Cheallaigh spoke to those present. After thanking Bishop McKeown and the priests who concelebrated the Mass, she thanked the staff, past and present. She went on to thank the parents, past and present, for entrusting their children to the care of Gaelscoil Neachtain and for their support over the years. The Principal also spoke of the day as a day for reflection, saying: "We remember, with gratitude, all those who worked tirelessly to establish Gaelscoil Neachtain, more than ten years ago, especially the founding Governors. "We remember especially Francie Brolly who was at the heart of setting up Gaelscoil Neachtain. Ar Dheis De go Raibh a Anam." "We also remember the parents who took a leap of faith ten years ago and who supported the Gaelscoil no matter how challenging the circumstances. "They had great vision and believed that if you do something for the right reasons, good will come from it. And so it has. Go raibh maith agaibh." An open invitation was extended to all present to return to Gaelscoil Neachtain where the celebrations continued with excellent refreshments being provided by Cairde Neachtain, the Gaelscoils Parents Association. Because the installation of new seating was not complete in St. Patricks Church, Dungiven, Gortnaghy was the chosen location for the anniversary Mass where pupils travelled to by bus, thus adding extra excitement to their day. The Principal acknowledged and thanked Patricia, the sacristan, for her work and preparations for the Mass. Allies should be prepared for North's next nuclear test North Korea test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) toward the East Sea on Thursday, further raising tensions on the Korean Peninsula. It also launched two short-range ballistic missiles. The test-firing posed a great threat to South Korea and its neighboring countries in East Asia although the ICBM seems to have failed in flight. It was also a grave threat to global peace and stability. The ICBM launch was the seventh of its kind by the North this year and the first since late May. The missile, presumed to be Hwasong-17, flew about 760 kilometers at a maximum height of 1,920 kilometers and at a top speed of Mach 15 after being fired from the Sunan area in Pyongyang. The provocation is a clear violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions which prohibit the North from developing ICBMs and other weapons of mass destruction. The launch came a day after the North fired about 25 missiles and more than 100 multiple rocket launchers, the biggest-ever barrage in a single day. More seriously, one short-range ballistic missile flew southward past the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the East Sea, the de facto maritime inter-Korean border, for the first time since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. The air-raid siren went off on Ulleung Island, frightening residents. Such a missile launch is a violation of the bilateral military agreement signed in Sept. 19, 2018. We express grave concerns about the North's continued provocations. The North has fired ballistic missiles 27 times and cruise missiles three times so far this year. It has made missile provocations 16 times since President Yoon Suk-yeol took office May 10. Pyongyang has been recklessly trying to drag the peninsula into a military confrontation. North Korea cited this week's combined air drills of South Korea and the United States as the reason for its saber-rattling. It is wrong for Pyongyang to make accusations against Seoul and Washington's joint military exercises, which are purely defensive in nature, as a "preparation for invasion." It is hard to figure out what is the real motive for their incessant provocations. Yet the Kim Jong-un regime is trying to raise tensions on the peninsula and in East Asia in order to put more pressure on South Korea and the U.S. Its continued test-firing of various missiles and artillery are seen as a prelude to the North's seventh nuclear test. Military officials and experts believe that the North has already completed its preparation for another nuclear test which stands a high chance of taking place before the U.S. midterm elections scheduled for Nov. 8. The North recently conducted drills to test ballistic missiles that can carry tactical nuclear warheads. The North is apparently focused on acquiring technology needed to miniaturize nuclear warheads through the test. The Kim regime has become emboldened to complete its nuclear weapons and missile development program amid the escalating Sino-U.S great power rivalry, Russia's prolonged war in Ukraine, and the emerging new Cold War. Pyongyang may believe that the United Nations cannot impose more sanctions on the North for additional ICBM launches and a new nuclear test. But it should realize that such reckless provocations will only deepen its isolation and worsen its economic woes. Seoul and Washington should step up their security cooperation to thwart any further military threats from Pyongyang. It is imperative to strengthen the U.S.' extended deterrence to protect the South from any nuclear threats from the North. Kim should take more seriously the U.S.' warning that his regime would collapse if it uses nuclear weapons. We urge Pyongyang to stop its provocations and return to dialogue. A campaign has been launched calling for the reopening of two key railways that served Derry city until they were closed in the 1950s and 60s. Local group Into The West campaigns for the improvement and expansion of rail across counties Derry, Donegal, Tyrone and Fermanagh. The organisation was founded in 2004 when they successfully defeated a proposal by civil servants to shut the Derry-Belfast rail line west of Ballymena. Since then they have also secured a major track upgrade of the Derry-Coleraine line and a new transport hub at Derrys historic Duke Street station. In recent years the organisation has broadened its focus onto making the case for the restoration of key rail routes across the west of Ulster. And now they are launching a campaign for what they describe as the number one rail-reopening priority on the island. It is almost 60 years since trains last ran on the Great Northern line between Derry and Portadown, with stops at Strabane, Omagh and Dungannon before travelling on directly to Dublin and Belfast. The line was controversially closed in 1965 in a decision that ended a century of rail access for Tyrone and Donegal and stripped the west of Ulster of most of its infrastructure. The closure also severed a vital link between Dublin, Belfast and the north-west of the island, and ushered in decades of car dependency here. The railway line between Letterkenny and Derry had been previously closed in 1953, which greatly impacted the citys role as a key transport hub and regional capital. Desire Since these closures two whole generations have been raised in Tyrone and Donegal without access to a transport mode that much of the rest of the island takes for granted. And that has had a negative impact upon the economic growth, population and tourist appeal of the North-West and the west of Ulster as a whole. The publics desire to see rail return and expand across the North-West has remained strong ever since. This was shown earlier this year when the public consultation for the cross-border All-Island Rail Review Strategy had its highest number of contributions from the Fermanagh-Omagh and Derry-Strabane Districts. This confirmed the huge interest that exists across the north-west of the island for the return and expansion of rail within this region. Into The West have therefore launched a major campaign that seeks to turn that aspiration into a reality. They are calling for the restoration of what they have christened The North West Rail Corridor - which combines two former rail segments into a new corridor reconnecting most of the largest towns in west Ulster to the islands rail network. The North West Rail Corridor route would see trains start in Letterkenny and travel through Derry, Strabane/Lifford, Omagh and Dungannon to Portadown, from where they would continue onwards to either Dublin or Belfast via the existing rail network. Indicative journey times from Derry would be 15mins to Strabane, 20mins to Letterkenny and just over 3hrs direct to Dublin. A visual showing indicative journey times between the towns on the NWRC and Belfast/Dublin. Chair of Into The West, Steve Bradley, commented : The North West Rail Corridor is an exciting proposal to reopen a much-missed spine of rail that previously connected the North-West of the island to Dublin and Belfast. It would mark the return of rail to two of Irelands largest counties Tyrone and Donegal and put key towns like Letterkenny, Strabane/ Lifford and Omagh back on the rail map. By linking these towns and counties directly to the islands main economic and tourism hubs, the Corridor would enable employment, tourism and population growth in towns that currently feel neglected and left on the periphery. And it would also help bind the North West City Region of Derry, Letterkenny and Strabane much closer together. Mr Bradley continued: No other initiative would have as profound an impact across the north-west as restoring its rail access would. And no other rail project on the island would connect such a large number of people across so many significant towns and counties. Thats why the North West Rail Corridor should be the top priority rail reopening for governments north and south, and the number one focus for cross-border funding. For too long the north-west of the island has been left disconnected, disadvantaged and disregarded. Committing to the North West Rail Corridor would enable the authorities north and south to finally prove they are serious about addressing that. Support Into The West have launched this campaign in-advance of the release of the findings from the All-Island Rail Review Strategy, which is likely to be published in the New Year. They aim to galvanise public support across the region to influence that reports findings and to build a head of steam around making the North West Rail Corridor a priority reopening on both sides of the border. Into The West highlight that the North West Rail Corridor would also serve as a foundation block for further rail re-openings across the West of Ulster. Mr Bradley explained: Fermanagh has been left without rail for 70 years, and the UK Governments 2021 Union Connectivity Review identified Enniskillens lack of trains as a particular barrier to its tourism potential. The most likely way rail will ever return to Enniskillen would be via Omagh so realistically the only way to get trains back to Fermanagh is by reopening the North West Rail Corridor. In addition - Mid-Ulster is the fastest growing part of NI and a significant industrial centre. He continued: Restoring the North West Rail Corridor to Dungannon could therefore enable future re-openings north from there to fast growing towns like Cookstown and Magherafelt. Public events Into The West are holding a series of public events about the North West Rail Corridor and their campaign to reopen it in each of the main towns along the route. The dates and locations for these are as follows : DERRY: Monday 7th November, 7pm (Holywell Trust, 10-14 Bishop Street, BT48 6PW). LETTERKENNY: Tuesday 8th November, 7pm (Station House Hotel, Lower Main Street, F92 ERV1 OMAGH: Wednesday 9th November, 7pm (Strule Arts Centre, Townhall Square, BT78 1BL) DUNGANNON: Monday 14th Nov, 7pm (Tower Room, Ranfurly House, Hill of the ONeill, BT70 1AB STRABANE: Thursday 17th November, 7pm (Alley Theatre, Railway Street, BT82 8EF). The Derry, Letterkenny and Omagh events will feature a guest speaker from the inspirational Campaign for Borders Rail, which successfully lobbied for the reopening of 35 miles of railway line through the rural Borders region of Scotland in 2015. Anyone interested in finding out more about the North West Rail Corridor & the campaign to re-open it is encouraged to attend these free meetings. Into The West are also calling on everyone who would like to see this vital transport corridor restored and rail returned to Donegal to visit their website (www.IntoTheWest.org) and sign their petition, which can be found on Change.org (search for Restore the North West Rail Corridor). Mr Bradley concluded: In an era of climate change, poor air quality, increasing road congestion and unbalanced regional development, it is no longer acceptable for the north-west corner of the island to be left almost entirely without access to rail. There is a very strong case for the restoration of the North West Rail Corridor - but it wont happen without a huge display of public support and pressure. It is therefore essential that people in Derry, Donegal, Tyrone and beyond get behind this campaign to show politicians north and south that the public demand the reintroduction of rail across this region. Its finally time to close the huge gap in the map of the islands rail provision. This week, local musician Gemma Doherty joins Bono on the tour to promote his book, Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story. The tour, featuring fourteen dates in North America and Europe, sees Bono playing songs from throughout his career as well as stories from his life. Gemma will be one of two musicians backing him, playing the harp for what should be very interesting arrangements of classic U2 songs. It is being produced by legendary producer Jackknife Lee. You may not recognise the name Jackknife Lee, but its a pretty safe bet youve heard his work. As a producer, Lee has worked on albums including Taylor Swifts Red (both the original and Taylors Version), R.E.M.s last two albums, Neil Diamonds Melody Road and U2s Songs of Experience. As well as this, Lee is a prolific solo artist and has released a number of albums, most recently as part of the duo Telefis, along with the late Cathal Coughlan (the duos second album, a Do can be found in Cool Discs). The main man on this tour is, of course, Bono. Obviously, the majority of Bonos musical career has been as frontman of U2. Unlike most frontmen, Bono has yet to release a solo album. He has, however, appeared as a solo artist a number of times in the past. Anyone who saw last weeks 'MacD on Music' column will have seen his cover of Hallelujah mentioned as one of the few that is actually half-decent, not an easy thing to do, considering the song has been covered, with varying degrees of decency, by everyone from Bob Dylan (one of the first to do it) to Alexandra Burke. Bonos cover, featured on the Leonard Cohen tribute album Tower of Song (also available in Cool Discs), is totally unlike any other version, and thus is actually worth listening to. Bono has also taken part in a number of charity songs over the years, including Sun City in 1985 and Homeward Bound in 2018. The later featured the first musical crossing between Bono and Gemma, who shared a line on the title track on the album. This brings us back to the main focus of the article: Gemma. Gemma has been making waves since 2014 as half of NI Music Prize-winning duo Saint Sister. Along with Morgana MacIntyre, theyve released two excellent albums (Shape of Silence in 2018 and Where I Should End in 2021) and an EP (Madrid, 2015). Built mainly around keyboards and Gemmas harp, Saint Sister have created a unique sound that makes them stand out from the crowd among a nation of guitar-based bands. To date, theyve played support slots with Lisa Hannigan, Keane, and, most recently, Tori Amos. Gemma will be playing the Olympia Theatre, Dublin with Bono on the 21st November. In April 2019, 29-year-old journalist Lyra McKee was murdered on the streets of Derry. Lyra was covering rioting in the Creggan area of the city when she was sadly shot dead. Lyra was one of Northern Irelands most promising young journalists, and three years after her passing, a poignant film about the life of the trailblazing journalist is coming to theatres across Ireland. The film also seeks answers to her senseless killing through Lyras own work and words. It is a complex picture of Northern Irelands political history, bringing into sharp focus the ways in which the 1998 Good Friday Agreement - with its promised end to violence for future generations - has struggled to be fully realised. Three years in the making and made by Lyra's close friend and Bafta award-winning filmmaker, Alison Millar, the film is set to give the public an insight to the women behind the headlines. Lyra was a true rising star. She was published internationally for Buzzfeed, Private Eye, The Atlantic and Mosaic Science. At just sixteen years old, Lyra was named Sky News Young Journalist of the Year in 2006. Forbes magazine had named her as one of their 30 under 30 in media in Europe in 2016. Speaking to Derry News, Alison said she couldn't believe Lyra's talent at such a young age: "I knew Lyra from when she was 16," Alison said. "We met on a project I was working on years ago. I thought she was on a school placement because she looked so young. "I was busy asking her, "What school are you at? What A Levels are you doing?" and she said to me, "I've just won Sky's Young Journalist of the year. I said I was so sorry and we became friends and had lots of projects that we wanted to do together. "Most of the films that I have worked on or made, Lyra would have been involved in some way. She was so talented." Lyra, originally from Belfast, was determined to spark real change in her beloved hometown and beyond. In an emotive letter she wrote to her 14 year old self, Lyra wrote: "It wont always be like this. Its going to get better." A passionate gay rights advocate, Lyra continiously gave a voice to communities who had either been silenced or forgotten. She tirelessly covered difficult issues specific to Northern Ireland, such as post-conflict suicide, equal rights for the LGBTQ+ community and unsolved crimes. This crucial work continued right up until her untimely death. Lyra's death sent shockwaves throughout the world and united communities across the country. A few weeks after her death, whilst Lyra's mum, sister, Nichola; and partner, Sara, continued their quest for justice, they approached Alison to make a film. Alison was initially nervous to say yes. Alison had been at the family home whilst many visited and paid their respects as Lyra's mum did not leave her daughter's side. Alison found it extremely difficult, "All of that was hard," Alison explained. "I was nervous to make a film about her; terrified I would get it wrong. Her family insisted it should be me and so here we are." The film has since won awards after only a handful of previews. It was awarded The Cork Audience Award, The Tim Hetherington Award and Best Documentary at its Italian Premiere. Alison continued: "We have had a great response. People were just in tears. It is sad because Lyra is no longer with us and it is wrong and it is awful. But the thing is as well, Lyra was really funny and uplifting and a real character. "You can't help but laugh, she is so funny and brilliant. She was just so amazing." Alison hopes that the film encourages young people to pursue journalism and hopes they are inspired by Lyra's work and not just the story around her death. Alison found Lyra's old dictaphone and mobile so the film includes voice recordings and interviews from Lyra herself as she tells her own story. "It is important young people head to the cinema and see this too," Alison said. "Lyra was 29. She really wanted to change things for the better and it would be great to have that sense that people are inspired by her and her work. "Nobody wants to go backwards, everybody wants to go forwards. There can't be any more deaths, there have been too many in this country. "We all love and miss her and wanted to do her story justice but we also wanted to capture the real Lyra. "We wanted to capture her laugh; it made us laugh, it was sort of ridiculous," Alison joked. "She always carried a small notebook and her dictaphone but in this enormous bag; you could have put a pile of spuds in it. It was an enormous satchel with very small things in it but she loved it. There are bits in the film that make us laugh because it is just so Lyra." Alison says the film has already achieved a lot more than she could have ever hoped for and she is so thrilled that audiences all over Ireland will get to see the film. Alison added: "It is amazing. There are screenings all over the country. Everyone has heard the horror but that is not what I want her to be remembered for. "I am so excited that so many people will have the chance to meet Lyra." LYRA is due to be screened in cinemas from tomorrow (November 4) at Derry's Omniplex on Strand Road and Brunswick Moviebowl. British comedian Rob Beckett has become a well-known face on our screens over the last decade. He has become a staple name on popular chat shows, comedy panels and podcast airwaves since he made his stand up comedy debut in 2009. Rob was a co-host on the ITV2 spin-off show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! NOW! and has been a team captain on the E4 panel show 8 Out of 10 Cats and the narrator of the reality series Celebs Go Dating in recent years. He has also become a father of two girls and hosts a parenting podcast with comedian Josh Widdicombe called 'Parenting Hell.' Despite his TV success, Rob told the Derry News that touring is his favourite thing to do, "Stand up has always been my favourite, I love anything with low prep," he said. "You obviously have to prepare the show but I prepare the show in a low-prep way. I literally walk on stage in comedy clubs and talk and funny stuff comes out and I repeat it. Anything that's low prep and in the moment is definitely my favourite. "I don't write anything down, it's just all in my head. I'll talk to people about being in Derry, I'll talk to people in the front row and in the audience. I like every gig to be different. If I don't use the jokes I have planned then I know it's been a good gig. The tour changes at every venue." Rob says he wants people to come to his show as an escape from all the madness in the world right now, "I just go on stage and I'm funny for an hour and a half, that's it really. I basically walk out, I'll be funny and you'll leave happier. "I talk to the crowd a lot and will hear all the local chat. I will turn up and be funny for cash. I think people will turn up and think, 'you know what that was worth twenty quid.' That's like two and half pints now isn't it? "I don't chat about everything going on in the world, I'd like to think the show is an escape from that. After a full day of politics and the news, the show is a break from the outside world. If I came to a show and it was like that I'd be like, 'I've had the news all day, I don't need you to be funny about it.' I just want people to turn up, switch off, laugh and leave." Rob has never been to Derry and says he can't wait to see new faces and new places, "I've never been to Derry, I'm looking forward to it. This is the last minute dash to finish the postponed gigs. I have a few gigs left, Derry and Belfast and then a few in Scotland and then I'm off to Australia. It's the fun and exciting gigs now and the finish line is in sight. "I love coming to Ireland as well and I have never been to Derry. I love travelling and doing gigs in places I've never been before. I find it so exciting because I'll be honest with you, I'm a bit bored going to Norwich now." Rob says in spite of becoming a father, he has thankfully not lost his sense of humour an d leaves dad jokes to other dads, " Dad jokes are just because dads don't care anymore, they don't care about it being impressive or funny, it's just something to say- and no one's listening anyway. My favourite dad joke is, 'Why did the squirrel swim on its back? To keep its nuts dry.' My girls tell that one on stage sometimes if they're at my show." Despite Rob's busy schedule he doesn't miss out on any quality time with his girls and loves the craic with the family, "I gig and work non stop when the girls at school; I graft while they graft. "They don't want to speak to me or do anything during the school term anyway. They don't tour with me but I'm off when they're off so it works better. We are silly in our house. "I think it's normal but sometimes when we see other parents and they're a bit strict but no we're very silly in our house and we like laughing. I just think, 'what's the point, if you're not laughing, what's the point?' I don't like talking to anyone that doesn't make me laugh, what a waste of time, it's pointless, life is too short." Rob Beckett will be at the Millennium Forum on November 10 with his rescheduled show, WALLOP, and has said he will definitely be "trying a bit of salt and chilli." Tickets can be purchased at: https://www. millenniumforum.co.uk/shows/ rob-beckett-wallop/ Google has added package tracking support on Gmail. The email client can pull tracking number in the email body and use that to track packages automatically. Well, this will work on an opt-in basis. So, once you allow Gmail to track your packages, it will show you updates on package status from shipping carriers. Heres how that looks in action: Gmail Package Tracking: How it works As already mentioned, its a matter of granting permission to Gmail to scan for the tracking number/code and the Google wizardry will take care of the rest. You will see order statuses right in your inbox. You can opt-in to it through Gmail settings or grant permissions if the prompt appears on the inbox feed itself. And if you dont like it, you can opt out of the Gmail Package Tracking whenever you want through the Gmail settings itself. Going forward Gmail will also show delays in shipments, an ability which is missing right now. Google is going to roll out package tracking feature in the US in the "coming weeks." The availability for other markets is currently unknown. In the US, the feature will be working with leading shipping carriers. Overall, this new Gmail feature removes the extra step involved in going to a different website and entering details to check the shipment status. It also makes Gmail an even more convenient and capable email client. It is likely to come in handy for the Gmail users during the forthcoming festive shoppings. For more technology news, product reviews, sci-tech features and updates, keep reading Digit.in. Recently, the telecom service provider Vodafone Idea discontinued its RedX plans. To replace them, the company has now launched Vi Max plans. The price of the new Vi Max plans starts from Rs. 401 a month. With these new postpaid plans, Vodafone Idea promises to offer more data, OTT platforms and priority customer service. Here are all the new data plans, their price and the benefits they provide to users. Spoiler alert - all the plans offer access to over 1,000 games in the Vodafone Idea app. New Vi Max plans are here - Rs. 401 plan To begin with, Vodafone Idea has released a new Rs. 401 plan, which is valid for 30 days. For this amount, users will get 50GB of monthly data and a rollover facility of 200GB. Further, if users use the internet between 12 AM and 6 AM, it won't impact their data allowance. With the Rs. 401 postpaid plan, VI provides 3000 SMS per month and unlimited voice calling. Now, coming to the added benefits: the subscription plan offers free access to a Sony LIV membership that costs Rs. 599 a year and six months of ad-free music via Hungama. As a bonus, users who get the postpaid plan through Vodafone Idea's website will get an extra 50GB for the first billing cycle. Vodafone Idea Rs. 501 plan includes Amazon Prime membership The second VI Max plan costs Rs. 501 per month, offering up to 90GB of high-speed data (for 30 days) and a data rollover of 200GB. Other benefits remain the same as the Rs. 401 plan, including unlimited voice calling, 3000 SMS, and free data from midnight to six in the morning. However, it is the added benefits that differ. The Rs. 501 Vodafone Idea postpaid plan includes the following: 1. Six months of Amazon Prime Membership. 2. Twelve months of Disney+ Hotstar membership (Rs. 499). 3. Six months of ad-free access to music via Hungama. Rs. 701 and Rs. 1,101 Vodafone Idea plans For those who rely upon mobile data heavily, Vodafone Idea's new Rs. 710 Max plan offers unlimited data for 30 days. Standard benefits of the plan include unlimited voice calling and 3000 SMS. The complete list of added benefits is given below: 1. Six months of Amazon Prime subscription. 2. One year of Disney+ Hotstar Super subscription. 3. Digital access to The Wall Street Journal for a year. 4. Six months of access to ad-free music via the Hungama Music app. Last but not least, there is an Rs. 1,101 RedX plan, which appears to be targeting professionals or business owners. It offers unlimited data, voice calls and 3000 SMS for 30 days. 1. There's also a subscription to Amazon Prime Video for six months. 2. Sony LIV for one year. 3. Disney+ Hotstar for one year. 4. The Rs. 1,101 RedX VI plan offers access to international and domestic airport lounges (four times a year). 5. A 7-day international roaming pack (Rs. 2,999). 6. Up to 10% discount on booking flights and hotels via MakeMyTrip. 7. Digital access to The Wall Street Journal for a year. 8. Five gold games via the VI app. For more technology news, product reviews, sci-tech features and updates, keep reading Digit.in. Subscriber content preview CHICAGO (AP) Boeing is promising Wall Street that it will make big improvements in airplane production and cash-flow generation in the next few years. Company officials told analysts Wednesday that Boeing will generate $10 billion in annual cash flow by 2025 or 2026. That upbeat forecast is based on boosting production of its best-selling plane, the 737 Max, from 31 to 50 per month. . . . Washington Supreme Court ruling could bring changes to the construction industry The court struck down contractual time limitations in residential construction contracts. By KARL F. OLES, MARK BARAK, EVAN BROWN and SEAN JAMES Stoel Rives LLP Barak Oles In a 5-4 decision, the Washington Supreme Court recently ruled in Tadych v. Noble Ridge Construction, Inc. that a contract provision providing a one-year limitation period for filing a construction defect lawsuit was unconscionable and therefore unenforceable. The court's ruling revives a lawsuit filed by Gregory and R. Sue Tadych against their homebuilder, Noble Ridge Construction (NRC) for alleged construction defects in their Seattle home. The case also calls into question the enforceability of other contractual time limitations on claims, which are common in construction contracts. James Brown The trial court had granted NRC summary judgment because the Tadychs did not file suit within one year of occupying the home, as required by a provision in their construction contract. The Washington Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court's ruling, but the Supreme Court reversed and remanded the case for trial, reasoning that the one-year limitation provision is substantively unconscionable because it unduly benefits the contractor at the expense of the homeowner's right to bring a legitimate claim that would otherwise be allowed under the six-year statutory limitation and repose period provided by the Revised Code of Washington. The Tadychs executed their contract with NRC in 2012. The contract included a warranty provision that stated in relevant part: Warranty ... Any claim or cause of action arising under this Agreement, including under this warranty, must be filed in a court of competent jurisdiction within one year (or any longer period stated in any written warranty provided by the Contractor) from the date of Owner's first occupancy of the Project or the date of completion as defined above, whichever comes first. Any claim or cause of action not so filed within this period is conclusively considered waived. The Tadychs moved into their home in April 2014. In February 2015, the Tadychs observed that their home had shifted and their flooring was unlevel. NRC assured the Tadychs the home was fine and promised to fix the flooring. Over the next two years, the Tadychs notified NRC of various other issues with their home, which NRC repeatedly promised to fix but never did. In early 2017, the Tadychs hired an expert who identified numerous construction defects in the home. On Aug. 1, 2017, well after the one-year period had elapsed, the Tadychs filed a lawsuit against NRC for breach of contract. NRC moved for summary judgment, citing the one-year contractual claim period specified in the contract. The trial court granted NRC's motion and awarded NRC close to $160,000 in attorney's fees and costs pursuant to an attorney fee provision in the contract. The Tadychs appealed the decision, arguing, among other things, that the one-year limitation period is substantively unconscionable. The Court of Appeals affirmed, but the Supreme Court accepted review and reversed. The court noted that a contract term can be deemed substantively unconscionable if it is one-sided or overly harsh, shocking to the conscience, monstrously harsh, or exceedingly calloused, and its analysis focused on whether the contract limits a statutorily established right. The court found that the one-year limitation provision in the Tadychs' contract deprived them of their ability to exercise their statutory right to seek damages for faulty construction within the six-year period allowed by statute. In effect, the court reasoned that the Legislature's balancing of competing interests in enacting statutes of limitation and repose should be weighed heavily against the parties' ability to privately order their own time limitations. However, the court also went out of its way to note that the Tadychs are laypersons, that NRC drafted the contract, that the warranty provision was buried within several paragraphs, and that (no) indication exists that this one-sentence (claim limitation) provision was bargained for, negotiated, or any separate consideration paid. These facts, indicative of a disparity in bargaining power and legal sophistication between the contractor and the homeowner, appear to have been central to the majority's decision. The court stated the new rule as follows: A contract provision becomes substantively unconscionable when it eliminates otherwise established statutory rights and is one sided, benefiting the contract drafter, is also not prominently set out in the contract, is not negotiated or bargained for, and provides no benefit to the affected party. It remains to be seen whether the Tadych decision will be limited in its applicability to similar factual scenarios involving an imbalance of bargaining power and legal sophistication between laypersons and businesses, and whether limitations on claim timing in construction between sophisticated negotiating parties will remain enforceable. A vigorous dissent argued that one year to bring a lawsuit is not unreasonable, particularly given that the Tadychs were aware of problems with their home within the first year of occupancy. The dissent also pointed to prior Washington cases in which contractual limitations periods were enforced, cases that the majority did not distinguish. Home purchasers can learn a valuable lesson from this new decision: Read contracts with care, both at the time of the transaction and later. Had the Tadychs reviewed the warranty clause when they first noticed problems with their home and commenced a timely lawsuit, they could have avoided years of costly litigation. There are lessons here for home sellers too. To manage risk by limiting purchaser claims, consider the following (all of which would need to be adapted to the needs of a specific transaction): Make limitations on the purchaser's rights prominent (bold type, larger font size) to avoid any suspicion that the clause was not understood. Tie the purchase price to the protective clauses, e.g., The purchase price is based on the claim limitation clause; an extension of the claim limitation period is available at an additional charge. Offer warranty walk-throughs during the claim period. Promptly fix problems noted. As with any court decision, care should be taken to understand the reasoning and context when applying it to a new set of facts. Karl Oles, Mark Barak, Evan Brown and Sean James are attorneys based in the Seattle office of Stoel Rives LLP. Oles, Barak and Brown are members of the firm's Real Estate, Development & Construction practice group, and James is a member of the firm's Litigation practice group. Previous columns: Subscriber content preview SEATTLE A century-old duplex at 609 10th Ave. E. sold for a little under $2.1 million, according to King County records. The seller was a formerly local investor who acquired the property in 2005 for $635,000. Over the years, it's been both an office building and the two apartments, with many modifications to the structure. . . . Samsung Electronics' Pyeongtaek Semiconductor plant in Gyeonggi Province / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics By Kim Hyun-bin Korea's dependence on semiconductor equipment from the U.S., Japan and the Netherlands has reached 77.5 percent, sparking worries that the high level of dependence could be geopolitically and diplomatically risky in the future. Some experts are advising Korea to join the Chip 4 Alliance to ensure a stable supply of semiconductor equipment, according to a Korea International Trade Association (KITA) report, Thursday. The KITA released a report titled, "Recent Semiconductor Equipment Trade Trends and Implications," and it states that global semiconductor equipment trade increased 2.4 percent year-on-year in 2018 due to a surge in global semiconductor equipment investment, recording a record high of $101.2 billion. The top three export countries for semiconductor equipment were Japan ($31.2 billion), the U.S. ($28.4 billion), and the Netherlands ($20.1 billion). In the global semiconductor equipment market, five major semiconductor equipment companies, including Applied Materials (U.S.), Lam Research (U.S.), KLA (U.S.), Tokyo Electron (Japan) and ASML (Netherlands), account for 79.5 percent of the total. Korea is highly dependent on semiconductor equipment supplied by these companies. As of last year, China ($38.6 billion), Taiwan ($29.8 billion), and Korea ($25 billion) were ranked as the top three importers of semiconductor equipment, while Korea was more dependent on foreign equipment imports than Taiwan and China. As of last year, Korea's dependence on equipment imported from the U.S, Japan and the Netherlands reached 77.5 percent, which is higher than Taiwan (70.6 percent) and China (56.2 percent). The report pointed out that Korea's semiconductor equipment imports are likely to increase further in the future. China's import of semiconductor equipment has started to decline due to U.S. sanctions on the export of advanced semiconductor equipment, which is likely to result in a spike in domestic imports in the near future. The KITA added that Korea's semiconductor supply chain structure is vulnerable to diplomatic and geopolitical risks because of its heavy dependence on overseas semiconductor equipment. The fact that Korea's self-sufficiency in domestic semiconductor equipment is only 20 percent is of concern. The report predicted that it will be difficult to localize the production of semiconductor equipment or diversify the countries from which the equipment can be imported right away due to the characteristics of the market, and emphasized that it is necessary to take part in the Chip 4 Alliance in order to increase profits through a stable supply of semiconductor equipment. "As China's semiconductor boom has been on a decline due to the U.S.' export restrictions on semiconductor equipment, we have an opportunity to get some kind of reflective benefits," a KITA official said. "We have to widen the gap with China and strengthen the domestic semiconductor industry base." CCI slaps Rs1,338-cr fine on Google for Android manipulations The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has imposed a fine of Rs1,338 crore on tech giant Google for abusing its dominant position in multiple markets with its Android mobile operating system. The CCI action was based on information provided by Umar Javeed and Sukarma, both researchers at CC,I and Umars younger brother Aaqib, who was a law student at the University of Kashmir The information was submitted to CCI, the countrys anti-trust regulator, in August 2018. CCI initially imposed a fine of Rs136 crore on Google in 2018 for abusing its dominant position in online search and web advertising. While imposing the second fine, of a whopping Rs1,338 crore, the CCI put forward ten measures for Google, including that Android device makers shouldnt be forced to pre-install its services and that Google shall not restrict users from uninstalling of its pre-installed apps, the report said. The latest and third fine of around Rs36 crore was imposed on 25 October, for abuse of dominance in the app store market. According to Sukarma, under the Indian competition law, individuals do not lodge complaints or cases with the CCI but only submit information. After considering this information submitted by the trio, the CCI launched an investigation in April 2019 into Googles conduct in the Android mobile device ecosystem, which eventually resulted in the 20 October CCI judgment and fine. In its response, Google had said it would review the competition watchdogs decision. CCIs decision is a major setback for Indian consumers and businesses, opening serious security risks for Indians and raising the cost of mobile devices for Indians, it said. The trio had followed up the issues related to Google in Europe. The European Commission, the EUs competition watchdog, had, in July 2018, imposed a whopping 4.34 billion Euros fine on Google for violating EU antitrust rules. While Android had a major market share in the Indian mobile market, the Indian consumers are generally unaware of the manipulations in the digital marketing field and tend to ignore such issues. Tata Advanced Systems to build military aircraft Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL), also known as Tata A&D, is looking to make big strides in the defence sector with plans to tender for supply of combat aircraft for the Indian Air Force. TASL has already entered into a collaboration with Airbus Defence and Space under which 40 of the 56 C-295 transport aircraft for which order has been placed with Aibus Defence will be produced in India by the Tata consortium of TASL and Tata Consultancy Services. Airbus Defence will deliver 16 C-295 aircraft in flyaway condition from Spain, reports cited defence secretary Ajay Kumar as saying. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the cornerstone of a manufacturing facility for the C-295 medium transport aircraft at Vadodara in Gujarat on 30 October in a move that is being seen as a boost for the government's Make in India initiative. The facility will be used to produce the 40 C-295 modern transport fleet of the Indian Air Force. The defence ministry has entrusted TASL to build the C-295 tactical airlifter, in partnership with Airbus Defence and Space. The defence ministry is also expected to soon float the biggest-ever tender for acquisition of 114 multi-role combat aircraft (MRCA). ASL is looking for a share in the worlds biggest fighter acquisition, say reports. TASL has formed three joint ventures by partnering with three global defence OEMs Lockheed Martin, Sikorsky and Boeing. Lockheed Martin, the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of the iconic F-16 fighter aircraft, hopes to win the Indian Air Force (IAF) tender. That would trigger a shift in the F-16 production line to India, where a joint venture (JV) between TASL and Lockheed Martin would build the F-21 an advanced version of the F-16 fighter. TASL hopes to become Indias biggest A&D manufacturer, and, perhaps, build the F-21 in India. The Tata Group has identified A&D as an area of strategic growth and has structured TASL as the lead entity to pursue growth in this sector. TASL is composed of six entities, which were earlier the defence verticals of six Tata Group companies. Earlier this year, The Boeing Company chose TASL as its Supplier of the Year, 2022, in the teeth of fierce competition from 11,000 supplier companies. TASLs infrastructure is spread across three locations in India Hyderabad, Nagpur and Bengaluru with complementary capabilities and certifications. This helps in mitigation of risk, say company executives. In barely a decade, TASL has industrialised more than a million square feet, setting up facilities for in-house engineering, product re-engineering, process engineering, tooling, machining, fabrication, special processes, and major assemblies. This includes Rs 200,000 square feet of detailed part fabrication capability; 450,000 square feet of composites manufacturing capability; 450,000 square feet of major assembly capability; and 106,000 square feet of aero engines capability. These production lines supply to many of the worlds top A&D companies, including Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Airbus, Sikorsky, General Electric and Rolls-Royce. According to company executives, TASL is a single-source supplier on 20 A&D manufacturing programmes around the world. PM lays foundation stone for C-295 aircraft manufacturing facility in Vadodara Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday laid the foundation stone of the Tata-Airbus C-295 Aircraft Manufacturing Facility at Vadodara, Gujarat. He also visited an exhibition showcasing technological and manufacturing strides in the aerospace industry under Aatmanirbhar Bharat. Addressing the gathering, the prime minister said, Today we have taken a big step in the direction of making India the manufacturing hub of the world. India is making fighter jets, tanks, submarines, medicines, vaccines, electronic gadgets, mobile phones and cars that are popular in many countries. India, he said, is moving forward with the mantra of Make in India, Make for the Globe and now India is becoming a huge manufacturer of transport aircraft in the world, adding that India will soon be manufacturing big passenger aircraft that will proudly bear the words Made in India. He said the facility for which the foundation stone was laid today, has the power to transform the countrys defence and transport sector, adding that it is for the first time that such a big investment is taking place in the Indian defence sector. Transport aircraft manufactured here will not only give strength to the armed forces but it will help in developing a new ecosystem of aircraft manufacturing. Vadodara, which is famous as a cultural and education centre, will develop a new identity as an aviation sector hub, he said. The prime minister noted that more than 100 MEMEs are also associated with the project. He said that the promise of Make in India, Make for the Globe will gain new push from this land as the project will be able to take orders for export to other countries in the future. Commenting on the fast growing aviation sector of India, the prime minister said India is about to be among top three countries in the world with regard to air traffic. UDAN scheme is helping in turning many commuters into air travelers, he said. Highlighting the increased demand for passenger and cargo aircraft, the prime minister stated that India will need more than 2,000 aircraft in the next 15 years. The prime minister pointed out that the new facility is a crucial step in this direction and India has already begun preparations for the same. Modi also highlighted that India is presenting an opportunity for the world that is beset by the Corona pandemic and war and the resultant disruptions in the supply chain. He pointed out that the growth momentum of India has been constant even among such tough circumstances. He explained that operating conditions are constantly improving and India is focusing on cost competitiveness as well as quality. India is presenting the opportunity of low cost manufacturing and high output, the prime minister remarked, adding that India has a huge talent pool of skilled manpower. With the reforms undertaken by the government in the last 8 years, the prime minister said that India is creating an unprecedented environment for manufacturing in the country. The prime minister gave examples of creating a simplified corporate tax structure while making it globally competitive, opening up the 100 per cent FDI route, opening up defence and space sectors for private participation, reframing 29 central labour laws into 4 codes, abolishing 33,000 compliances, and the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax that put an end to a complex web of dozens of taxes. A new saga of economic reforms is being written in India today and the manufacturing sector is reaping the most benefits from this apart from the states, he said. The prime minister attributed the success to a change in mindset. Today, India is working with a new mindset, a new work-culture. Highlighting the investment friendly policies of the government, the prime minister remarked that its benefits are clearly visible in FDI. In the last eight years he said, companies from more than 160 countries have invested in India. He further elaborated that such foreign investments are not limited to certain industries but spread across 61 sectors of the economy and covers 31 states of India. The prime minister informed that more than $3 billion has been invested in the aerospace sector alone. He noted that post 2014, investment in this sector grew 5 times of what was invested during the year 2000 to 2014. Modi highlighted that in the coming years, the defence and aerospace sectors are going to be the crucial pillars of the Atmanirbhar Bharat campaign. We aim to scale our defence manufacturing beyond $25 billion by 2025. Our defence exports will also exceed $5 billion he added. The prime ninister pointed out that the defence corridors being developed in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu will immensely help in scaling-up this sector. Modi also praised the defence ministry and the government of Gujarat for organising the biggest ever Def-expo in Gandhinagar. He underlined that all the equipment and technologies displayed in the Def-expo were made in India. The reflection of Project C-295 will also be visible to us in the Def-expo of the coming years, the prime minister added. Elon Musk finally acquires Twitter for $44 bn Elon Musk, the worlds richest man, finally took control of Twitter, in a $44 billion deal, ending the uncertainty over his willingness to take over the social networking giant. Musk also sacked its chief executive Parag Agrawal, as well as the chief financial officer and its head of legal policy, trust and safety, US media reported late on Thursday. "The bird is freed," Musk tweeted after he completed his $44 billion acquisition on Thursday, referencing Twitter's bird logo in an apparent nod to his desire to see the company have fewer limits on content that can be posted. The announcement was made just hours ahead of the deadline imposed by the court for Musk to seal his on-again, off-again deal. Agrawal had taken the Tesla chief to court accusing him of trying to wriggle out of the terms of the takeover deal. Musk tried to step back after Twitter accepted his unsolicited offer in April. The Tesla chief said in July he was canceling the contract because he was misled by Twitter over the number of fake "bot" accounts - allegations the company rejected. On 4 October, just as Twitter's lawyers were all ser for Musks trial that was to start later in the month, he made a U-turn and offered to complete the deal as promised. The Delaware judge gave him a 28 October deadline to close the transaction and avoid the trial. Musk tweeted on Thursday that he was buying Twitter "because it is important to the future of civilization to have a common digital town square, where a wide range of beliefs can be debated in a healthy manner." Musks Twitter deal was reportedly finalised on 27 October. He initially wanted to limit his own investment in the $44 billion deal to around $15 billion, while his Tesla stake would support loans to the tune of $12.5 billion. However, he ultimately gave up on the borrowing plan and instead sold roughly $15.5 billion worth of shares in Tesla in two waves, in April and in August. In the end, the 51-year-old would personally pay the transaction a little over $27 billion in cash. As part of the agreement, Larry Ellison, the co-founder of the software business Oracle, wrote a $1 billion cheque in addition to the $5.2 billion from investment organisations and other sizable funds. Musk signaled the deal was on track this week by changing his Twitter profile to "Chief Twit" and posting a video of himself walking into the company's California headquarters carrying a sink. Musk also said during a recent Tesla earnings call that he was "excited" about the Twitter deal even though he and investors are "overpaying." Musk, however, has not offered details on how he will achieve all this and who will run the company. But he has announced plans to cut jobs, which has left Twitter's approximately 7,500 employees worried about their jobs. He also said he did not buy Twitter to make more money but "to try to help humanity, whom I love." Musk has indicated that Twitter can be the foundation for creating a "super app" that would offers everything from money transfers to shopping and ride hailing. "The long-term potential for Twitter in my view is an order of magnitude greater than its current value," Musk said on Tesla's call with analysts on 19 October. The idea of Musk running Twitter has alarmed activists who fear a surge in harassment and misinformation, with Musk himself known for trolling other Twitter users. The Tesla chief said he wanted to "defeat" spam bots on Twitter, make the algorithms that determine how content is presented to its users publicly available, and prevent the platform from becoming an echo chamber for hate and division, even as he limits censorship. But Musk said Twitter "cannot become a free-for-all hellscape where anything can be said with no consequences." This while vowing to keep content moderation to a bare minimum. Musks takeover of Twitter is expected to clear the way for former US president Donald Trumps return to the platform. The then-president was blocked due to concerns he would ignite more violence like the deadly attack on the Capitol in Washington to overturn his election loss. SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won speaks during a ceremony to mark the 60th anniversary of SK Innovation at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Seoul, Oct. 13. Yonhap SK Innovation said Thursday its third-quarter net profit sank 65.5 percent from a year earlier on narrowing refinery margins amid a fall in global oil prices. Net income reached 175.2 billion won ($122.7 million), compared with 507.1 billion won the previous year, the refinery and energy unit of SK Group said in a regulatory filing. Operating profit grew 5.3 percent on-year to 704 billion won for the July-September period. Revenue rose 82.5 percent to 22.75 trillion won in the same period. The earnings fell behind market expectations. The average estimate of net profit by analysts stood at 194.9 billion won, according to a survey by Yonhap Infomax, the financial data firm of Yonhap News Agency. "The operating profit steeply declined from the previous quarter due to the impact from a fall in oil prices and refining margins amid global recession concerns," SK Innovation said. Increases in the petroleum distillation operation and improved production capability of new battery plants contributed to the revenue hike, the company said. Petroleum distillation, also known as the crude distillation unit (CDU), refers to the first processing unit of the petroleum refinery that separates crude oil into different fractions of oil, such as naphtha, kerosene, diesel and paraxylene. The refining margin is forecast to recover due to the rise in seasonal demand for heating fuel and others expected for winter, SK Innovation said. SK On, its battery-making subsidiary, posted 2.19 trillion won in sales in the third quarter, up 906.2 billion won from the previous quarter's 1.28 trillion won. The operating loss narrowed to 134.6 billion won from 326.6 billion won, as selling prices went up by reflecting higher raw material costs. The petroleum division reported a tumble in operating profit by 1.9 trillion won to 316.5 billion won in the third quarter, amid faltering demand and China's expansion of its fuel export quota. The company's chemical segment booked 108.3 billion won in operating profit, up 32.3 billion won from three months ago, on widened margins and a weaker Korean currency. The lubricant oil sector reported 336 billion won in operating profit, a record quarterly high and up 80.8 billion won on-quarter. The oil exploration unit reported an operating profit of 160.5 billion won, down 5.7 billion won from three months ago. Shares in SK Innovation jumped 3.27 percent to 189,500 won on the main Seoul bourse Thursday, outperforming the broader KOSPI's 0.33 percent decline. The earnings results were released shortly after the market opened. (Yonhap) A Government minister has insisted the date for a Northern Ireland election will be confirmed soon. Steve Baker, a junior minister in the Northern Ireland Office, made the statement amid ongoing uncertainty over whether voters in the region will be heading to the polls this winter. Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris faced criticism for failing to set a date for a new election last Friday when a legislative deadline for calling one passed. He had previously vowed to announce a poll the minute the deadline lapsed. The 24-week deadline for forming a functioning assembly and powersharing executive in following Mays election ran out at midnight on Friday. A DUP boycott of the devolved institutions, in protest at Brexits Northern Ireland Protocol, has prevented an administration being formed in the wake of the election result. While the UK government is now under a legal responsibility to call a fresh election within 12 weeks, it could move to amend legislation at Westminster that would either extend or remove that time limit. Mr Heaton-Harris held talks with Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney about the Stormont impasse on Wednesday. Afterwards, Mr Coveney said he believed the UK government had not yet decided whether to call an election. However, NIO minister Mr Baker told a Westminster debate that a date would be confirmed. In line with his legal obligation, my right honourable friend the Secretary of State will soon confirm the date of the next Northern Ireland Assembly election, as required by law, he said. Following that election, and regardless of the result, the Northern Ireland parties really do need to come together to restore the devolved institutions and lead the people of Northern Ireland through the challenging times ahead. In a statement issued after his meeting with Mr Coveney, Mr Heaton-Harris offered no further detail on his intentions around an election. The UK and Irish governments continue to share a commitment to peace and prosperity in Northern Ireland, he said. I reiterated (during the meeting) my deep regret that the Executive has failed to form and the duty that has been placed on me. Mr Coveney said he believed a final decision had not been taken. However, he said he expected Mr Heaton-Harris would be providing clarity soon. On Tuesday, the Northern Ireland Secretary pledged to provide an update on what steps he intended to take next in due course. Mr Coveney said he reiterated the Irish governments view to Mr Heaton-Harris during their meeting that an election would be unhelpful. We dont have clarity on a way forward as of yet, but certainly were not going to have to wait weeks for that clarity, he said. Mr Coveney added: I made it clear that the Irish Governments position is that we dont believe an election at this time is a good thing for Northern Ireland, in the context of the pressures that families and households are facing now, and also in the context of the reality that weve had an election only a number of months ago. So, we discussed options and views on a way forward. No decisions have been finalised yet, but I dont think were going to have to wait for very long before decisions are made in relation to the way forward. There really are only two options here: there is a legal obligation to set a date for an election, or else there will need to be new legislation to avoid an election at this time. Mr Heaton-Harris has acknowledged he has a legal duty to call an election but has avoided setting a date, prompting Northern Irelands chief electoral officer, Virginia McVea, to apologise to election workers who are on stand-by to assist on the basis that polling day would be December 15. The Government has vowed to secure changes to the protocol, either by a negotiated compromise with the EU or through proposed unilateral domestic legislation, the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, which would empower ministers to scrap the arrangements without the approval of Brussels. The European Commission has said the latter approach would breach the terms of an international treaty and potentially prompt retaliatory action. Mr Coveney added: For us, we think that an election would be unnecessary and unhelpful at this time, thats been the Irish Governments view for some time. But these are difficult choices for the British Government and for the Secretary of State because of his obligations under NDNA (the New Decade New Approach agreement). On Tuesday, Mr Heaton-Harris expressed concern at the enormous 660 million-plus black-hole of an overspend facing the rudderless Stormont system in the absence of a powersharing executive, and made clear action would be needed to set a budget for Northern Ireland. He also said he would be looking to cut the pay of MLAs. 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. A priest said openly gay politicians who support same sex marriage, including Tanaiste Leo Varadkar, will go to hell if they dont repent their sin and seek forgiveness. Retired priest Fr Sean Sheehy made the comments as he tried to defend his address in a Co Kerry church over the weekend, in which he said gay couples were sinful and criticised free contraception being provided by the HSE. Fr Sheehy has been banned from saying Mass following his controversial sermon at St Marys Church in Listowel. He claimed to be preaching the word of God. A spokesman for the Tanaiste hit back at the priests comments. The Tanaiste profoundly disagrees with Fr Sheehys views, however he respects his right to express his religious beliefs freely, the spokesman said. The Tanaiste does not believe that gay people will go to hell for being who they are, nor does he believe that any man or woman can make such a judgment. As Pope Francis said: Who are we to judge? As the Bible says: Judge not lest you be judged. We are all Gods children. Fr Sheehy also said that sin is enshrined in legislation while referring to same-sex marriage and abortion. As those things are legislated, people think those things are OK and thats not true, the priest added. Right and wrong is determined by God and the teaching of scriptures. Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys called on the priest to apologise and withdraw his remarks. She said: Those are absolutely unacceptable comments and Im disappointed to hear that a priest would make comments like that. However, I understand the bishop has apologised. Ms Humphreys added: I think that those comments are absolutely wrong. He should not have said that. Theyre very hurtful comments and I expect that he should really come out and apologise. Yes, theyre wrong. Its a terrible thing to say and it shouldnt have been said. Asked if she believes the Catholic church should sanction the priest, Ms Humphreys said it is a matter for the church. She refused to say if she believes the comments would be classed as hate speech. Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney also called for the priest to apologise. He said: I think they are disgraceful comments and I think they are a reflection on the person that made those comments rather than a reflection on anything else. They should be withdrawn and there should be an apology. Fr Sheehy told Kerry Today radio station on Wednesday gay people will go to hell. Asked if politicians who are openly gay, including Mr Varadkar, are going to hell, he said: Absolutely, if they dont repent on their sin and seek forgiveness. What they are doing is contrary, first of all to the law of nature and secondly, and more importantly, its contrary to the law of God. A video of Fr Sheehys comments from Sundays ceremony has been shared widely online and prompted condemnation of his views. A number of people walked out of the Mass in response to his comments. In response to the comments, Bishop of Kerry Ray Browne apologised to those who were upset by Fr Sheehys offending homily and said his views do not represent the Christian position. He said to have total respect for one another is a fundamental Christian teaching, and for these issues to be spoken of in such terms at a weekend parish Mass was inappropriate. I am aware of the deep upset and hurt caused by the contents of the homilies in question delivered over the weekend, Bishop Browne said. I apologise to all who were offended. The views expressed do not represent the Christian position. An Irish minister has called for common sense to prevail in a row over whether Dublin citys live animal crib should take place this Christmas. It emerged over the weekend that the live animal crib would not be set up outside the Mansion House, the Lord Mayor of Dublins residence, as has been tradition for 25 years. The current lord mayor Caroline Conroy, a Green Party member, said that the crib was good, but we can do better, suggesting choirs, games, or a Santa postbox would be more interactive for children. Fine Gael councillors criticised the decision as Grinch-like and said they would submit an emergency motion at a November 7 council meeting with the aim of overturning the decision. Fine Gael junior minister Patrick ODonovan said he was working with the Irish Farmers Association, who manage the animals at the crib, on a new location in the event that the decision is overturned. Since then the row has escalated, with various elected politicians weighing in on whether the live animal crib should be held in the capital. Former Irish president Mary McAleese is reported to have written to Ms Conroy about the issue, while former education minister and Fianna Fail councillor Mary Hanafin put Dun Laoghaire forward as an alternative location. Exactly this from @NARACampaigns. I fully support @caroline1conroy in her decision as @LordMayorDublin. Next year will be a @fiannafailparty Mayor & they can bring back dancing monkeys & put a real baby in the live crib or whatever they & @FineGael think defines Christmas. pic.twitter.com/4UKCu8ZINc Cllr Claire Byrne (@CByrneGreen) October 31, 2022 When asked about the issue on Tuesday, Taoiseach Micheal Martin avoided being drawn into the debate, suggesting that it was beyond his pay grade. Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys told reporters on Wednesday that her grandson has the chance to see farm animals in her native Co Monaghan. People in the city dont get that same opportunity, she said. And I think for a young child to get that experience, to see those live animals in the centre of the city, was something that many families enjoy and I would say I hope that common sense prevails here and a solution is found. She added: What Im saying is that its something that I think common sense should prevail, and that a solution should be found. I think its important to say that a child going to look at an animal, Im sure youve seen it yourself, the joy they have in seeing, whether its sheep, whether its goats, whether its cattle, its something to behold and I hope that common sense prevails. The HSEs interim chief executive has warned of pressures on hospitals ahead of the busy winter period, with attendances to emergency departments up 5% compared with 2019. The health services chief operations officer admitted that he was concerned for patient safety amid a shortage of staff as healthcare services experience high demand. The pressure on services is significant, Stephen Mulvany said speaking at Dr Steevens Hospital in Dublin. A key challenge right now for the health service is the consistent and sustained increase of emergency attendance admissions to our acute hospitals, and the congestion that is causing in our emergency departments. More than a million people have attended emergency departments (EDs) so far this year, many of them frail, elderly people with very complex healthcare needs, he said. There has been a 13% increase in ED admissions of people aged over 75 years, which was of particular concern and will be a focus of the HSEs winter plan. The HSEs chief clinical officer Colm Henry said he was of course worried about patient safety in hospitals during busy periods and staff shortages. Of course Im worried about patient safety and of the impact of congested emergency departments primarily because of the discomfort it causes to patients but also to their welfare and to their outcomes. So, of course, its not safe to have to have the kind of staffing levels that are below what they should be and thats why were working to bring more healthcare professionals into the system into emergency departments. Id love to give reassurance that everything is going to get better overnight, but its not. This is tough, and were competing in an international market for very good, highly-qualified graduates in medicine and nursing and social-care professions that can travel, and do travel. And after two or three years of Covid where people werent able to travel and work abroad, and many are making the choice to go abroad now. We want to keep them here, we want them to work safely. Mr Mulvany encouraged people to consider all urgent care options as the pressure on the health service grows, and suggested people use the 12 injury units across the country, out-of-hour GPs and pharmacists. He also advised citizens to take certain actions, asking that those eligible for a vaccine against Covid-19 or the flu to avail of it; to stay at home if they have symptoms; and to practise good coughing and hand hygiene etiquette as well as wearing a mask in some settings. Damien McCallion, chief operations officer at the HSE, said that the 30,120 attendances to EDs last week was the highest on record for the year. The number of people waiting on trollies in hospitals, a common gauge of how busy hospitals are, is lower than in 2019, with 408 people on trolleys on Thursday morning compared with 448 in 2019. Mr McCallion said they are looking at ways to enhance community care, as well as emphasise injury units and out-of-hour GPs. Some of our sites are under sustained pressure, (with) a lot of improvement work going on to try and make sure were working as optimally as we can, with a particular focus on length of stay and patient experience, he said. Giving an update on Covid-19, Dr Henry said that there was no indication that Omicron, the current dominant Covid-19 variant, poses a greater threat than previous variants of concern. Dr Henry said that the impact of Covid on the health service in the past two years is slightly unclear, as it coincided with the advent of a new variant, Delta and Omicron. Underlying seasonality of SARS-CoV-2 is not yet clear, but may well in time and because we only have the two years of experience, during winters, it may well resemble other respiratory viruses during winter. But it remains to be seen, he said. Eileen Whelan, the national lead of the HSEs test, trace and vaccination programme, said Ireland had moved from a test and trace strategy to a surveillance strategy. She said that the number of people self-referring for a PCR test is currently 2.2% of the number of people doing so last January. The recommendation is that if you have symptoms, if youre over 55 and youre fully boosted, you dont need a PCR test. Youre advised to self isolate and to stay at home. If youre under 55 and youre fit and healthy, you also dont need a PCR test. Ireland has a vaccination rate of 97%, and a first booster dose rate of 80% of the eligible population. Ms Whelan said that 74% of over 65s had received their second booster, with just 13% of healthcare workers receiving their second booster to date. Mexico slams U.S. refusal to lift trade embargo against Cuba Xinhua) 10:28, November 03, 2022 People participate in a rally against U.S. embargo in Havana, Cuba, Aug. 5, 2021. (Photo by Joaquin Hernandez/Xinhua) De la Fuente called on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and member countries to continue demanding the end of the embargo, a demand whose continued rejection by the United States is unacceptable, he stressed. MEXICO CITY, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Mexico on Wednesday condemned the United States' refusal to lift its six-decade trade embargo against Cuba despite the repeated and near unanimous calls of the international community to end the sanctions. During a UN General Assembly session studying Cuba's draft resolution to lift the embargo, Mexico's permanent representative to the United Nations, Juan Ramon de la Fuente, said the sanctions harm not just Cuba's economy, but also the health and welfare of Cubans. The embargo, said de la Fuente, prevents crucial international cooperation, even at such critical times as a global pandemic like COVID-19, and a natural disaster like Hurricane Ian that devastated parts of western Cuba in September. "We have seen how the embargo hindered the arrival of medical supplies to tackle the pandemic, as well as food for the Cuban people," he said. "Making the civilian population suffer from hunger is another conduct prohibited by international humanitarian law," he said, adding that Mexico believes "there should be no sanctions of any kind" against any country, outside those the UN Security Council decides to adopt. The embargo violates the UN Declaration on Principles of International Law, which rejects imposing unilateral coercive measures, or sanctions, for political purposes. De la Fuente called on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and member countries to continue demanding the end of the embargo, a demand whose continued rejection by the United States is unacceptable, he stressed. Last year, for the 29th time in a row, 184 countries voted in favor of lifting the embargo, and the United States and Israel voted against. According to Cuba's estimates, the U.S. embargo against the island nation has resulted in more than 150 billion U.S. dollars in economic losses at current prices, strangling the island's development and undermining the quality of life. (Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Liang Jun) Jason Lee, left, senior manager of Global Business Division at Yungjin Pharm, explains the company's new drug pipelines to an Indian buyer at the company's booth during the CPHI exhibition in Frankfurt, Germany, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Baek Byung-yeul By Baek Byung-yeul FRANKFURT The CPHI exhibition has become a place for finding new growth engines for Yungjin Pharm, Daewon Pharmaceutical, Kyongbo Pharm and other small Korean bio companies as they actively try to attract new clients for their contract manufacturing organization (CMO) business, according to the companies, Wednesday. They are all in agreement that developing new drugs or selling the intellectual property of candidates for new drugs to big pharmaceutical companies is the best option to leap forward. However, they added that new drug development is too costly and takes a lot of time with a slim chance of success, which eventually leads them to turn their focus on manufacturing drugs for global biopharmaceutical companies. "Many Korean bio companies are trying to develop new drugs to diversify their business portfolios. But, the probability of failure is very high, so companies with production facilities are paying a lot of attention to producing medicines for their customers. In that regard, it is very important to participate in the CPHI trade show where they can meet and talk directly with many clients," an official of a Korean bio company participating in the show said. Promotional booths of Korean bio companies are seen at the CPHI exhibition in Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Baek Byung-yeul The CPHI event, arguably one of the world's largest biopharmaceutical exhibitions, has been providing them valuable opportunities as the three-day trade show held in the German city of Frankfurt features over 2,500 companies from 170 countries, including more than 60 companies in Korea. While large companies such as Samsung Biologics, Celltrion and Lotte Biologics have set up their own promotional booths, smaller companies joined the event via financial and administrative support from two state-run agencies: the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) and the Korea Pharmaceutical Traders Association (KPTA). Yungjin Pharm, a subsidiary of tobacco maker KT&G, said they joined the event with their own booth. The company said its primary goal is to promote its bio-raw materials and finished products such as its antibiotic products to global buyers. But at the same time, the company also wants to generate new clients for its CMO businesses to grow its presence in the global market further. "Our company is not building a separate production facility only for the CMO business, but is using our existing facilities for that business. Our Jeonju plant mainly produces raw materials and the Hwaseong plant produces finished products, and they all meet GMP (good manufacturing practice) standards," said Jason Lee, a senior manager of the Global Business Division at Yungjin Pharm. "Many customers visit our booth to inquire about our new drug development pipeline and the capabilities of our CMO business," the senior manager added. Officials of Daewon Pharmaceutical promote its products and technology to visitors during the CPHI exhibition in Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Baek Byung-yeul European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, right, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz pose for a family photo during the 'Western Balkans Conference' at the Chancellery in Berlin,Thursday. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is hosting a meeting of European Union officials and Western Balkan leaders at the Chancellery in Berlin. / EPA-Yonhap The timing of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's imminent trip to China and what signals he will give to Beijing have raised questions at home, a German member of the European Parliament said Thursday. Reinhard Butikofer of the Green Party, which is part of the governing coalition, said in Taiwan that Scholz's one-day trip is ''probably the most controversially debated visit in the country for the last 50 years.'' Scholz, who will visit Beijing on Friday, will be the first European leader to visit China since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which Germany has strongly opposed. Beijing has provided Moscow with diplomatic backing, accused the U.S. and NATO of provoking the attack and scathingly criticized punishing economic sanctions imposed on Russia. Some in the ranks of Scholz's three-party governing coalition have questioned at least the timing of his visit. His trips to Ukraine and Russia in February also stirred controversy. Butikofer, part of a group of European lawmakers visiting Taiwan, spoke to a joint news conference from his hotel room, where he was under quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19. ''Just as in other European countries and the EU, all together China policy will be in transformation in transition for some time,'' Butikofer said. ''We cannot return to the China policy of yesterday here, because the realities have changed.'' Scholz has pledged to use his trip to make the case for Chinese moderation and assistance in calming the situations with Ukraine and Taiwan. In the face of Chinese threats to annex Taiwan by military force, the self-governing island republic has drawn increasing support from Western politicians, even while their governments maintain only unofficial relations with Taipei in deference to Beijing. Butikofer said Germany's governing coalition had agreed on a first-ever ''clear expression of support for Taiwan's democracy against China's aggression,'' as well as Taiwan's ''meaningful participation'' in international organizations from which it is currently excluded at China's insistence. Butikofer is one of five members of the European Parliament banned from visiting China, a step taken by Beijing after the EU, Britain, Canada and the United States launched coordinated sanctions against officials in China over human rights abuses in the far-western Xinjiang region. The European Parliament has said it won't ratify a long-awaited business investment deal with China as long as sanctions against the legislators remain in place. Visiting along with Butikofer were legislators Els Van Hoof of Belgium, Sjoerd Sjoerdsma of Holland and Mykola Kniazhytskyi of Ukraine. In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian called the lawmakers' visit a ''clumsy political hype-up'' and said efforts by Taiwan's governing Democratic Progressive Party to garner foreign support are ''doomed to fail.'' At a news conference, Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said the delegation's visit ''demonstrates the strength of the relations between Taiwan and the European Union and the bond that unites us with like-minded democracies across the globe.'' Sjoerdsma said the visit had special resonance following last month's twice-a-decade congress of China's ruling Communist Party, at which Xi Jinping reiterated Beijing's determination to ''reunify'' with Taiwan. The sides split amid civil war in 1949 and the vast majority of Taiwanese reject Beijing's calls to accept Chinese rule. ''We have a message to Beijing and I think the core message of our visit here is ... that Taiwan is not to be isolated, but that contacts will only increase, that we will not be intimidated, that will be coming over more often, and that our relations and our friendships are not to be determined by others,'' Sjoerdsma said. Scholz's visit to Beijing was also criticized by Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Nathan Law, who said it risked sending mixed messages over Russia's Ukraine invasion. ''German Chancellor Scholz's visit is damaging the unity that the world has against Russia's war efforts,'' Law told The Associated Press during a visit to Taiwan. Scholz's trip is ''definitely giving a lot of opportunity for Xi Jinping to see it as a badge of honor, to see it as means to dismiss the unity of the free world and silently to decrease pressure for Russia,'' said Law, who fled arrest in Hong Kong during a Beijing-ordered crackdown on dissidents in the semi-autonomous Chinese city. ''I think this is such a bad move.'' (AP) Some 113,200 residents left the city last year, contributing to a record 1.6 percent drop in Hong Kong's population. SCMP More than half of Hong Kong companies have found it harder to hire talent in the past 12 months than at any point in the last five years, a job recruitment platform has said, noting corporate sales and business development roles were especially difficult to fill. JobsDB's Hong Kong managing director Bill Lee on Thursday said a skills and talent mismatch was the "cause" of the city's labor shortage, adding that the Covid-19 pandemic had reshaped requirements for workers. "All sectors are undergoing reorientation, thus drastically transforming their demand for different skill sets, with available labor however not yet [able] to catch up [with] the change [as] companies take time and resources for such internal training and upskilling, expectedly sustaining a prolonged talent mismatch," he said. JobsDB, one of the city's biggest recruitment portals, collected responses from 481 local businesses in September about their hiring outlook. It found that 68 percent of companies had found it harder to hire talent in the past 12 months compared with the last five years. The survey results showed that the sectors with the most employers facing hiring difficulties were corporate sales and business development, at 26 percent, followed by accounting, merchandising and purchasing as well as administration and human resources. Marketing and branding, as well as the transport and logistics industry, also recorded a year-on-year increase in employers facing recruitment issues, from 8 to 12 percent and 6 to 11 percent respectively. A supervisory role or manager was the most wanted position among 64 percent of the companies surveyed, followed by middle management and officer or non-managerial staff. Respondents attributed the labor shortage to raised expectations for salary and benefits, difficulties in recruiting talent and challenges in hiring experienced staff. But 38 percent of the employers also said they believed that more Hongkongers had been planning to emigrate, making hiring more difficult. The city has suffered an emigration wave in recent years as many residents have been lured by bespoke citizenship pathways offered by Britain, Canada and Australia. Some 113,200 residents left the city last year, contributing to a record 1.6 percent drop in Hong Kong's population, marking a second consecutive annual decline. Residents bid farewell to loved ones at Hong Kong International Airport. SCMP Flooding in Pakistan on Aug. 30, 2022 is an example of why nations need to improve climate adaptation. FIDA HUSSAIN / AFP via Getty Images As extreme weather events this year from flooding in Pakistan to historic global heat waves make clear, the climate crisis is already with us. Yet nations are not doing enough to adapt to this new normal, especially when it comes to funding adaptation projects in the most vulnerable countries. Thats the conclusion of the UN Environment Programmes Adaptation Gap Report 2022, released Thursday ahead of the COP27 climate conference in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, from November 6 to 18. Adaptation needs in the developing world are set to skyrocket to as much as $340 billion a year by 2030. Yet adaptation support today stands at less than one-tenth of that amount. The most vulnerable people and communities are paying the price. This is unacceptable, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement on the release of the report emailed to EcoWatch. Adaptation must be treated with a seriousness that reflects the equal worth of all members of the human family. Its time for a global climate adaptation overhaul that puts aside excuses and picks up the toolbox to fix the problems. Progress on climate adaptation so far has been too little, too slow. UNEPs 2022 #AdaptationGap Report highlights the urgency to develop national adaptation plans to help the most vulnerable communities cope with the accelerating impacts of #ClimateChange. https://t.co/yyBKAm0RZN UN Environment Programme (@UNEP) November 3, 2022 The report, subtitled Too Little, Too Slow Climate adaptation failure puts world at risk, found that at least 84 percent of the countries that are Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) do have plans, strategies, laws and policies in place to respond to climate impacts, and this was up five percent from the year before. More than a third of these countries have plans with timelines and quantifiable goals and nearly 90 percent of these plans consider the needs of marginalized groups including women and Indigenous people. However, what is missing is the funds to realize these plans, especially in the developing world. To adapt, these countries need an estimated $160 to $340 billion by 2030 and $315 to $565 billion by 2050. Yet international finance for these countries reached only $28.6 billion in 2020. Currently, needs are five to 10 times higher in the developing world than the international community is funding, and this gap will only increase if nothing changes. Further, adaptation actions themselves are falling short of impacts. So far, adaptation projects have focused on the agriculture, water, ecosystems and cross-cutting sectors. But the world at 1.1 degrees of warming above pre-industrial levels is already a world of increasing extremes, and this will only worsen. This years UN Emissions Gap Report found that current national climate pledges put us on track for 2.4 to 2.6 degrees Celsius of warming by 2100, and every tenth a degree of warming makes the climate crisis more dangerous. Climate change is landing blow after blow upon humanity, as we saw throughout 2022: most viscerally in the floods that put much of Pakistan under water, UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen said in a statement emailed to EcoWatch. The world must urgently reduce greenhouse gas emissions to limit the impacts of climate change. But we must also urgently increase efforts to adapt to the impacts that are already here and those to come. In a statement responding to the report, Guterres recommended four actions that nations could take to improve adaptation, beginning at COP27: Increasing Finance: During last years COP26 climate conference, developed nations promised to double adaptation funding to developing nations to $40 billion a year by 2025. At COP27, they must establish an actual plan for doing so. Improving Business Models: Currently, many financial institutions do not consider the adaptation plans of governments to be investable projects and this must change. Localizing Data: Vulnerable countries especially need to be able to access relevant data about climate risks in order to plan effectively. Expanding Warning Systems: Guterres repeated his call for universal early warning systems to be in place within five years. The report comes amidst a variety of immediate crises including the coronavirus pandemic and the skyrocketing of energy and cost-of-living costs following Russias invasion of Ukraine. The UN acknowledged these events but said that countries could not forget to plan for climate impacts while they respond to other events. Yes, the war in Ukraine, global supply shortages and the COVID-19 pandemic have contributed to an energy and food security crisis. Costs of living are going through the roof. Climate adaptation may not seem like a priority right now. It is, Andersen said in a statement emailed to EcoWatch. Even if all commitments are implemented immediately, the reality is that climate change is going to be with us decades into the future. And the poorest keep paying the price for our inaction. It is therefore imperative that we put time, effort, resources and planning into adaptation action. 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. Nearly 70 people have been arrested in Egypt ahead of the COP27 UN climate conference, and Indian climate activist Ajit Rajagopal was briefly detained on his planned foot journey to the summit. COP27 is being held in the Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh from November 6 to 18. However, several human rights and environmental groups have expressed concerns about Egypts record on human rights and how that conflicts with civil societys ability to participate in the summit at a crucial moment for the global fight against the climate crisis. Why did the Egyptian government request to host the Climate Summit, as long as the security restrictions will obstruct the simplest movements and manifestations of protest against the environmental crises? the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms (ECRF) said in a statement condemning Rajagopals arrest. ECRF condemns the detention of Indian environmental activist Ajit Rajagopal and demands his releasehttps://t.co/m3MkJEU4vi ECRF (@ECRF_ORG) October 31, 2022 ECRF director Mohamed Lotfy said that, in recent days, at least 67 people had been arrested in Cairo and other Egyptian cities as of Monday over calls on social media for protests on November 11 in conjunction with the climate conference, Reuters reported. Public protest has essentially become illegal in Egypt since 2013, when then-army chief and current President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ousted Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Mursi and took power. Another crackdown followed a burst of demonstrations in 2019 in which thousands were arrested. The Egyptian government has said protests connected to COP27 will only be allowed in a designated area separated from the conference center, according to The Guardian. More than 1,000 environmental and human rights groups and advocates including Greta Thunberg have signed a petition calling on Egypt to allow more room for civil society and release everyone arbitrarily detained ahead of the conference. However, the detention of Rajagopal was not a positive sign for the role of civil society at the conference. The architect and activist was detained on Sunday at the start of a planned eight-day walk between Cairo and Sharm el-Sheikh, The Guardian reported. He was participating in the Walk for the Planet campaign, which was started in Africa in conjunction with COP27 to raise awareness about greenhouse gas emissions and promote more sustainable alternatives, according to ECRF. Rajagopal was stopped at a checkpoint and, when he called his friend and lawyer Makarios Lahthi, Lahthi was detained as well. The pair were released Monday but were not given food, water or the ability to make a phone call during their detention, Al Jazeera reported. Rajagopal was held for more than 24 hours in total, which is against the law. After his release, Rajagopal said he would still try to get accreditation to attend COP27, but would not continue his walk, Reuters reported. For years, advocates have been saying you cannot have climate justice without human rights. Heres an example from Egypt on why, human rights lawyer Mai El-Sadany wrote on Twitter of the incident. Ajit was stopped at a checkpoint & detained by authorities. When he contacted his friend Makarios for help, Makarios too was detained. Though both have since been released, the incident underscores how even a basic act of awareness-raising in Egypt, host of #COP27, is off limits. pic.twitter.com/C78xXhDwgq Mai El-Sadany (@maitelsadany) October 31, 2022 Mina Thabet, an exiled human rights expert and PEN Internationals Middle East and North Africa coordinator, told The Guardian that Rajagopals experience exemplified how restrictive the Egyptian government has become. The regime wants to use the summit to greenwash its grim human rights record, but western countries must take a stance now. We cannot separate climate talks from human rights, Thabet said. Neither Egypts interior ministry nor its COP27 presidency responded to requests for comments on the arrests, Reuters reported. More than 100 Brazilian firms have been approved to export corn to China China's General Administration of Customs has approved 136 Brazilian traders, cooperatives and facilities to export corn to China, Argus Media reported. The terminals approved include Tgg, Teg, Cutrale, T12a and T39 at Santos; Interalli, Cargill, Rocha, and Bunge at Paranagua; and Amaggi, and Viterra at Itaqui. Jose Guilherme Leal, Brazil's agriculture ministry's defence secretary, said the list of authorised facilities and traders was sent by Brazil's ministry of agriculture. Since then, traders have been waiting for GACC to formally disclose the list it received from the Brazilian government and start issuing import permits. Only three of the 45 approved entities on a previous list from Brazil's agriculture ministry, which was made available to Argus last month and contained 16 different companies' names, belonged to port terminals, frustrating market participants. The Brazilian agriculture ministry has received certification requests from a total of about 600 units. Leal stated that the inspection work is still ongoing and that a new list of recently accredited units will be published between December and January. In May, Brazil and China signed a deal on sanitary standards for grain imports, which updated quarantine regulations. However, it was decided in August that there would be no need for on-farm controls for corn that had already been harvested during the 202122 crop year. The agreement had originally planned for exports to start in the 202223 crop year. From that point forward, the units of businesses that had requested the required phytosanitary certificate to export corn to China were checked by the Brazilian ministry of agriculture. Brazil must demonstrate to China that its cargo is free of any of the 18 pests listed in the protocol the two nations signed. - Argus Media South Sulawesi, Indonesia, in joint effort with Australia to fight FMD The provincial government of South Sulawesi, Indonesia, is cooperating with Australia on fighting the foot and mouth disease (FMD). "We appreciate the assistance provided by Australia for overcoming FMD. This shows the strong relationship between the two countries, especially its (Australia's) ties with the people of South Sulawesi," South Sulawesi Governor Andi Sudirman Sulaiman said. To help check the spread of FMD in South Sulawesi, the Australian government has donated as many as 200 thousand doses of the FMD vaccine, he said. In addition, on October 2627, more than 500 people, including veterinarians, veterinary paramedics, as well as military and police personnel were trained in vaccinating livestock. The training was supported by the Agriculture Ministry and the Australia-Indonesia Health Security Partnership (AIHSP). "Communities were taught about the proper handling of animals, the vaccination process and the reporting of FMD immunisations," Sulaiman said. Meanwhile, Australian Consul-General, Bronwyn Robbins, said in Makassar, South Sulawesi, that her party has so far organised vaccination field training in 23 districts in the province. The training, which has involved vaccinators and livestock data encoders, has covered practice on administering FMD vaccines. "At the end of the training, more than 13,900 livestock throughout South Sulawesi were vaccinated," she said. According to Robbins, 1.4 million doses of the FMD vaccine that arrived in Indonesia on October 26 were a part of the Australian government's commitment to supplying four million doses of the vaccine to Indonesia, as conveyed by Australia's Foreign Affairs Minister and Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry in August 2022. "Australia is committed to helping Indonesia eradicate FMD in this country," Robbins said. Earlier, Indonesia's Agriculture Ministry said it is targeting to administer 500,000 doses of the FMD vaccine to livestock in South Sulawesi. The ministry is cooperating with the South Sulawesi Livestock and Animal Health Office and the AIHSP to hold training for vaccinators and data encoders. - Antara Farmers in Inner Mongolia profit from shrimp aquaculture Shrimp aquaculture has become a lucrative source of income for farmers in in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, thanks to Wu Tao, a local sci-tech expert who discovered that the area's high salinity in the soil could be beneficial to shrimp farming, Fish Information & Services reported. Wu Tao was dispatched to Inner Mongolia by the Ordos agriculture and animal husbandry bureau. Wu said there were many challenges, such as the shrimp seedlings had to undergo a 10-day desalination process prior to reaching the same salinity as the nearby water,. Before being planted in outdoor ponds, the seedlings were raised for an additional 20 to 30 days in the greenhouse. For the past few years, local villagers have been involved in shrimp farming. Wu's employer, the Hangjin League, intends to produce more than 250 tonnes of shrimp this year with total sales of CNY million yuan (~US$2.1 million; CNY 1 = US$0.14) Shrimp farming makes positive environmental contributions as well. According to Zhu Changbo, a researcher with the South China Sea Fisheries Research Institute affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, desert regions experience little rainfall and intense sunlight, and the groundwater evaporating from these areas transports a lot of salt to the surface. As salinization rises, fewer plants will be able to survive, and the topsoil will eventually turn to sand, he said. Farmers typically soak the land in Yellow River water to remove surface salt in the saline and alkaline areas along the Yellow River in Inner Mongolia, and then the saline water is discharged through the drainage canal. Consequently, a lot of saline water resources are lost each year. Saline water can be used in shrimp farming ponds, Zhu said. Harvesting shrimp is the same as taking a lot of salt out of the water in one go. The presence of ponds raises groundwater levels, which is advantageous for plant growth and soil stabilisation to prevent desertification. By creating a "fishery oasis" in the desert, experts hope to transform saline water fishing into a distinctive component of desert management. Since 2012, China has sent nearly 300,000 science and technology specialists to rural areas as part of efforts to reduce poverty, according to the Ministry of Science and Technology. Sending these experts to rural areas has the following goals: to popularise agricultural science and technology, to encourage sci-tech innovation and entrepreneurship, to support efforts to end poverty, and to promote rural vitalization. - Fish Information & Services Honduras shrimp exports generate US$222.3 million Shrimp aquaculture producers in Honduras said shrimp exports have generated US$222.3 million by the end of the third quarter of this year, shipping 53.2 million pounds of shrimp, Fish Information & Services reported. The Honduras Monthly Index of Economic Activity (IMAE) for August 2022 showed that shrimp farming has been able to recover its yields following the conditions experienced in previous months. The report also emphasised how the year's first rains improved shrimp larvae survival, increasing their production. Moreover, exports of 53.2 million pounds increased by 614,000 pounds over the 52.5 million pounds that were shipped to the global market during the same period of 2021. In comparison to the 203 million dollars received at the time of analysis the year before, that volume generated 222.3 million dollars in foreign currency, an increase of 18.6%. In this way, the Honduras government continues to support the various production sectors in the nation by implementing development projects, providing technological incentives, and providing farmer training. - Fish Information & Services Singapore suspends imports of live chicken broilers from two Malaysian farms The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) has suspended imports of live chicken broilers from Meng Kee Poultry (M) Sdn Bhd and Sdian Hup Farming Sdn Bhd after detecting Salmonella enteritidis in samples from their shipments, The Edge reported. On October 11, Malaysia lifted its export restriction on live chicken broilers to Singapore. Due to issues with chicken supply and pricing in the nation, the Malaysian government had previously banned the export of up to 3.6 million chickens beginning on June 1. Singapore imports 34% of its chicken from Malaysia, almost entirely as live birds that are then butchered and chilled locally. Based in Malaysian state of Johor, Mee Kee Poultry and Sdian Hup Farming have operations in the areas of Yong Peng and Pontian, respectively. According to the company website, Mee Kee Poultry is a division of Kee Song Bio-Technology Holdings Ltd, a business that has been listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange since 2011. Since its founding in 1987, Kee Song and its affiliates have provided fresh and frozen chicken products to Singaporean restaurants and bars. Meng Kee Poultry and Prestige Fortune Sdn Bhd are exporters of live chicken broilers on behalf of Sdian Hup Farming, according to a Singapore Food Agency list of chicken farms authorised to export live broilers to Singapore. The website for Prestige Fortune showed that the business was founded in Singapore in the 1970s. It stated that the company had received official registration as a private limited company (Sdn Bhd) in Malaysia in 1990. Prestige Fortune representative Irene Jocelyn said that the business had not been suspended for exporting live chicken broilers into Singapore. Irene said she would like to make it absolutely clear that we are not one of the companies that have been suspended. - The Edge In Defence of Marxism is committed to safeguarding your privacy. At all times we aim to respect any personal data you share with us, or that we receive from other organisations, and keep it safe. This Privacy Policy (Policy) sets out our data collection and processing practices and your options regarding the ways in which your personal information is used. This Policy contains important information about your personal rights to privacy. 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Please let us know if you have any queries or concerns whatsoever about the way in which your data is being processed by emailing the Data Protection Manager at webmaster@marxist.com Bioprinted body parts could prove vital to future medical treatments, and scientists are going to great lengths to test it in a very literal sense. NASA, Redwire and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences Center for Biotechnology (4DBio3) are sending a new 3D printer to the International Space Station, Redwire's BioFabrication Facility, to bioprint a human knee meniscus in orbit and study the result on Earth. Ideally, this will lead to treatments for the meniscal injuries that US soldiers all-too-frequently face. Redwire hopes to 3D print whole organs in space, although it characterizes this as a "long-term" goal. The company is also using NASA's Advanced Plant Habitat for a project to identify genes for space-friendly plants. Another investigation will use a NASA furnace to create and demo passive cooling for electronics in low gravity. The BFF printer will fly to the ISS aboard a supply rocket launching as soon as November 6th from NASA's Wallops Island spaceport. The mission will carry three extra payloads. Turn on browser notifications to receive breaking news alerts from Engadget You can disable notifications at any time in your settings menu. Not now Turned on Turn on This isn't NASA's first spaceborne 3D printer. Last year, NASA carried a Redwire printer to the ISS to demonstrate printing lunar soil. That technology could one day help Moon colonists build habitats without carrying an abundance of supplies from Earth. The bioprinter is more immediately practical, of course. If the research pans out, doctors could replace damaged body parts without resorting to donations or inorganic implants. If you're an Apple TV user who was considering switching to Netflix's new ad-supported plan, it might be best to hold off for now. The more budget-friendly version of the service (the "Basic with ads" tier) currently isn't supported on Apple TV devices, including the new Apple TV 4K unit. Basic with ads plan support on tvOS is not available at launch but coming soon," Netflix told Variety. As spotted by 9to5Mac, a Netflix support page notes that you'll only be able to watch Netflix on Apple TV if you're subscribed to the Basic, Standard or Premium tiers. Otherwise, you'll need to access Netflix through a different device. Netflix didn't explain why the Basic with ads plan doesn't work on Apple TV as yet, but it seems a bit of an oversight. It originally planned to start offering that $7 per month tier in early 2023, but it moved the timeline up to this month. It wanted to get out of the gate before Disney+ launches its ad-supported plan in December. Turn on browser notifications to receive breaking news alerts from Engadget You can disable notifications at any time in your settings menu. Not now Turned on Turn on As of today, Netflix's ad-supported plan is live in the UK, UK, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, South Korea and Spain. It became available in Canada and Mexico on Tuesday. Beyond the inclusion of ads, the plan has some other downgrades from Netflix's higher tiers, such as video resolution maxing out at 720p (the same as the ad-free Basic plan), some content being unavailable and a lack of offline viewing. In 2022, Bangladesh celebrates 50 years of its birth as a nation, once again drawing the worlds attention to the tumultuous story of its genesis. This journey began in 1947, with the birth of two other nations: Pakistan and India. Even before 1947, when the Indian subcontinent was partitioned by the departing British, the dreams of a free Pakistan had been a nascent but significant aspect of Indian nationalism. From the 1940s onwards, Muslim intellectuals had pondered on the lineaments of Pakistan that would encompass the rising social and political aspirations of a new middle class. This aspiration was a way to define modernity in a society perceived to be suppressed by Hindu intellectual traditions and hesitant to embrace Western education. The contours of Muslim identity formation that enunciated a Pakistan-centric political, social, and religious autonomy were expressed in a literary and linguistic renaissance through journals and newspapers in both Urdu and Bangla. However, the partition created a geographically anomalous Pakistan: the two halves, the East and the West, were separated by thousand miles of Indian territory. Fairfield, MT (59436) Today Overcast. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Low 3F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Overcast. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Low 3F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph. Photo illustration by PxHere (Creative Commons) Katie Samson remembers the last moment she had with her son, Cooper, as the nurse turned to take his frail body wrapped in a knitted white blanket out of the room. Cooper died just short of 17 weeks gestation. I just remember her turning her back to walk away, and I said, Oh, wait, just I want one second, she said through tears in an interview with the Daily Montanan. She turned around and she said, Do you want him back? Do you want to say goodbye again? I was like, Oh, never mind. Its OK. So the nurse walked out of the room at Northern Montana Hospital in Havre. That was more than a decade ago, but Samson holds regret about the last moment she had with Cooper. I wish I would have given him another kiss, Samson said. Samson, a registered nurse, talked to the Daily Montanan this week about LR-131, a ballot initiative aimed at requiring medical intervention for born alive infants, even if medical intervention would not change the fatal outcome. Proponents of the measure say there arent legal protections for infants who have survived abortions, and that they have been left to die. Samson, who worked in neonatal intensive care as well as labor and delivery all together for nearly a decade, said she believes most people inclined to vote for the referendum have good intentions and think theyre helping born alive babies that have a chance of survival. But she said that isnt so. Theyre thinking that this might save babies in that situation, Samson said. But health care providers, we already offer all of the resuscitation support that we can to save the babies that are savable. Infanticide, or killing an infant, is already illegal in Montana, as outlined in the Montana Code Annotated. Samsons experience with Cooper would not fall under LR-131 as Cooper died before being delivered by cesarean section. She said if the medical team tried to attempt resuscitation on her son if he had been born with a heartbeat, holding him would not have been the experience she had in 2011. Having a background in nursing, I know for a 17-week fetus there is no ET tube for intubation small enough to even intubate a baby like that, she said, of an endotracheal tube. LR-131 imposes penalties for doctors who dont comply, including a $50,000 fine and up to 20 years in prison. Samson said experiencing her own loss made her a better nurse, and that she could make a difference in her patients emotional recovery. I could empathize with those patients, and I wanted to help them because I knew how hard it could be to lose a baby, she said. I kind of remembered some things that were healing when I went through that loss. LR-131 has been opposed by the medical community, the Montana Medical Association, the Montana Nurses Association, the Montana Hospital Association and the Montana Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Medical experts point out the referendum applies to all newborns unable to survive, including those born through natural labor. Samson said she couldnt fault people who didnt know what happened behind the scenes if they hadnt experienced loss themselves or seen it as a health care provider. But she asked people to trust that caregivers save lives when its possible. And when its not possible to save those babies, trust us to help the parents and provide the compassion and care that they deserve and that baby deserves, she said. Samson and her husband were allowed to take as much time as they needed with Cooper in the hospital, spending about seven hours holding him, taking pictures, and receiving a blessing from a local pastor, she said. His grandparents each took turns holding him. He was just in perfect shape, she said. He had my husbands nose. She said the actions that are taken by the professionals around and during that loss have a potentially huge impact on the grieving process. That really is a big concern of mine with LR 131 if its passed, just imagining how different that experience could be for those families that are going through that loss, she said. She said that either way its an excruciating situation, but forcing resuscitation is not considered compassionate care. It would just make a horrible situation so much more traumatic. The ballot language stems from HB-167, which was introduced by Rep. Matt Regier, R-Kalispell. In a guest column in The Missoulian last week, Regier said that LR-131 would not require that a hospice infant be taken from its family. This law only affects medical providers intentionally allowing children born alive to perish, he wrote. Hospice care is appropriate and it is disingenuous of the opposition to misconstrue and belittle the hospice line of healthcare. Regier was not available for comment by phone on Wednesday. At a press event in Helena last week, medical leaders said the law, if passed, could also impact the ability for Montana hospitals to recruit and retain health care workers at a time when many are already understaffed. Samson said if she was still working in the NICU or Labor and Delivery, she doesnt know if she would stay if LR-131 passed. She said she didnt think she would be able to take a baby out of a mothers arms against her will, adding that resuscitation attempts on a baby who wont survive causes harm to the baby and the family. She compared this situation to when adults have Do Not Resuscitate orders. When an adult doesnt have the capability of making medical decisions for themselves anymore, you appoint a person whos responsible for that, she said. For these babies, its their parents. Samson and her husband have two kids, Kayley, 12, and AJ, 9, and she now works at Helena Surgery Center. Both of her children know about Cooper. Having some peaceful memories within that traumatic experience can help with your mental health and emotional health and how that carries through for the rest of your life, she said. I would just hate for those peaceful moments to be taken away. She said the days after losing Cooper are mostly blocked from her memory, but she remembers some. Instead of bringing a baby home from the hospital, youre picking up ashes from the funeral home, she said. The post Montana nurse, mom, says LR-131 makes a horrible situation so much more traumatic appeared first on Daily Montanan. The Blenheim Estate is looking to build the UKs most powerful solar farm, which it says would have the capacity to generate electricity for 330,000 homes. The proposed development of Botley West Solar Farm would sit on 1,000 hectares of agricultural land, located on the Oxfordshire estate. According to Blenheim Estate, the site would have the capacity to generate 840 MW of electricity to the National Grid. The proposal would also deliver new native woodland and hedgerow planting, the creation of new greenways, and cycle routes and footpaths. Following the end of the solar farm's operation, the equipment would be removed and the site returned to agricultural use, Blenheim Estate said. The estate's chief executive, Dominic Hare said: As we contribute our land to this project, we do so knowing it could deliver enough clean energy to power 330,000 homes, enough to power every home in Oxfordshire. "At Blenheim we are uniquely positioned to take action to protect future generations and support global efforts to reduce carbon emissions, but also focus on the impact to our local area. We are proud to make ambitious steps like this project to help the UKs energy needs today and in doing so fight climate change for the generations who follow us, he added. Sitting on 1,000 hectares, the solar farm would be constructed by Photovolt Development Partners (PVDP), who deliver large-scale solar projects in Europe and Japan. They are launching an initial six-week public consultation where people can find out more about the new development. Ceredigion farmer Aled Lewis has been hailed a 'Sustainable Agriculture Champion' for his economic, environmental, social and cultural contribution to Wales. This year's Sustainable Agriculture Award, which was first presented in 2019, was awarded today (3 November) at NFU Cymru's annual conference. Aled Lewis, from Penbont, Tregaron, farms in partnership with his brother with the core business milking 150 dairy cows in an all-year round calving system. He invested in a robotic milking system in 2019, the robotic system is integrated into a grazing system with cows coming in to be milked when they finish grazing. As well as embracing technological advances with the robotic milking system, the first diversification into renewable energy took place in 2011 with ground source heating to Aleds parents house. Since then, they have installed 4kw of roof mounted solar panels and a 185kw biomass boiler. The farm now houses four combined heat and power units which produces 40kw of electricity per unit when at full capacity. These meet all the electricity requirements of the farm and any surplus electricity is sold to the grid. Aled has been committed to Glastir schemes since 2013 and is also managing significant areas of SSSI land on Cors Caron. He also manages areas of woodland hedgerows which were originally planted by the family of James Kitchener Davies, a well-known Welsh poet and playwright. On the farm, Aled has created a pond which is habitat for water voles and various amphibian mammals, which has been an invaluable water resource for the livestock during the recent hot weather. Sensitive management of the riverbanks and riparian corridors takes place along two miles of the River Teifi which runs through the farm, as well as harvesting rainwater from the rooves of the farm buildings. This is collected in two tanks with all the water used for washing down the yards and milking parlour. Off farm, Aled has been a retained firefighter at Tregaron Fire Station for the last 30 years and has been watch manager for eight years, in charge of a crew of 12 firefighters. He also volunteered as the local co-ordinator and point of contact for his local area during the coronavirus pandemic. Aled has also hosted local school pupils who have special educational needs, helping them to learn practical skills. Hedd Pugh, NFU Cymru rural affairs board chairman, who was one of the judges, congratulated Aled on winning this award today (3 November) at the NFU Cymru conference. The use of technology mixed with the dedication he shows to producing milk whilst enhancing the environment makes him a fantastic example of how productive, efficient food production, environmental management can go hand in hand. The wide and varied roles that Aled plays in his rural community alongside his support of our language and culture make him a true Sustainable Agriculture Champion. "[He is] a shining example of the contribution that Welsh farmers make to the economic, environmental, social and cultural well-being of Wales. On receiving the award, Aled was presented with a prize of 500 and a Welsh slate engraved barometer. The dairy sector has announced plans to double the value of exports over the next ten years, a pledge made at the NFU Dairy Exports Summit. The NFU brought together key dairy industry producers, processors and exporters to discuss how the sector can build on the ambitious plan. Last year, dairy exporters sold 1.4 billion of goods to 135 countries across Europe, North America, Asia and the Middle East. Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch MP opened the conference, before representatives from across the sector examined ways of how they can boost exports. The NFU Dairy Exports Summit, held jointly with the Department for International Trade, follows the launch last year of the NFUs Dairy Export Strategy. That document set out actions and recommendations to enhance the industrys export performance and sell more British dairy products overseas. It also asked for future trade deals to not allow Britain's domestic standards of production to be undermined. NFU Deputy President Tom Bradshaw said the export goal required commitment and resource from the government, in partnership with the industry. British dairy is a success story. Its an ambitious and innovative sector, producing food such as milk, cheese, yogurt, and butter to some of the worlds highest environmental and animal welfare standards. With further government investment to boost ongoing market development work and to increase the number of agriculture attaches around the world, the industry can then take advantage of this work to boost our dairy exports." Speaking after the conference, Kemi Badenoch said the British dairy sector's reputation was "one of high standards, environmental protections and quality goods". "I am determined to ensure we remain world leaders in the dairy market. When more farmers trade and export, it means more jobs, higher wages and a stronger economy. The NFU Dairy Exports Summit was held on Wednesday 2 November at Harper Adams University. Fewer dairy farmers have left the industry when compared with previous years despite a surge in input costs, a survey by the AHDB shows. The levy organisation's most recent survey of major milk buyers estimated that in October 2022 there were 7,850 dairy producers in Great Britain. This is a reduction of 150 producers - or 1.9% - when compared to October 2021, and a decrease of just 30 (0.4%) when compared to April this year. Whilst input costs have continued to rise over the last year, the AHDB said increased milk prices had helped to offset higher costs. "This may be why fewer farmers have left the industry when compared with previous years," said Charlotte Forkes-Rees, AHDB analyst. "However, variations between contract prices may have encouraged a number of producers to switch contracts over the last 6 months." (Graph: AHDB) The latest figures suggest that the average volume per farm in GB is 1.57 million litres per day, in line with those seen in both October 2021 and April 2022. Getting a true picture of the number of dairy producers in the country is often difficult due to the different reporting methods used. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) can be used to track producer numbers across England and Wales, based on the number of farmers registered to produce milk. However, deregistering is voluntary, and therefore unlikely to be top of the to do list for a farmer leaving the industry. The AHDBs estimate represents the number of producers actively contributing to British milk production. It is based on the number of active producers and temporary inactive producers from the milk buyers that contribute to the Daily Milk Deliveries survey. This covers approximately 82% of volumes in GB, and so the estimate has been adjusted accordingly. MPs from across the political parties showed their support for British farmers yesterday as part of the annual Back British Farming Day initiative. A sea of wheatsheaf badges could be seen on the lapels of MPs on both sides of the chamber as part of the annual initiative, which is spearheaded by the NFU. The badges were worn during Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs), with MPs showing their support of the role farmers play as food producers and as protectors of the environment. The wheat pin badge is made from British wheat and wool, and is seen as an emblem of Back British Farming Day. On Wednesday (3 November), the UK's new prime minister Rishi Sunak voiced his support for the industry during PMQs and on social media. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer also showed his support for the initiative by wearing the wheatsheaf pin badge throughout the session. MP for Totnes, Anthony Mangnall asked Mr Sunak: Will the Prime Minister recognise with all members of the House the important role farmers play and recognise that public money for public good means producing food in this country?" MPs were asked to wear their wheatsheaf pin badge, now an emblem of the day, to show their support He responded, saying: I agree with my honourable friend, British farmers are indeed the lifeblood of our nation. I join him in celebrating their contribution and I agree with him that we need to prioritise food security. NFU President Minette Batters said it was 'hugely important' to see MPs actively showing their support for farmers, both in their constituencies and across the nation. "Driving this industry forward are farmers, people who not only produce high quality, environmentally and climate-friendly food, but who play a central role in our rural communities. "I want to take forward the support shown by MPs for our industry today on Back British Farming Day and work with government to ensure all future policies ensure British food, farming and the country thrive. The NFU also held a reception in parliament which centred around winners of the new Community Farming Heroes award, who were nominated by MPs. The winners include farmers who have gone the extra mile for their communities, including donating supplies to Ukraine and providing safe and supportive homes for vulnerable women and children. Some winners also used their farms as outdoor classrooms, while dozens have fundraised thousands of pounds for charities. They were presented their awards by Defra Secretary of State Therese Coffey and Farming Minister Mark Spencer. Apparel imports of Middle East stood at $3.108 billion during January-June 2022. Amongst all the exporting nations, China ranked first on the suppliers list with a share of 31.43 per cent ($977.016 million), followed by Bangladesh, Turkiye, Italy and India. Asia-Pacific region supplied about two third of the total apparel imported by the Middle East. Apparel imports of Middle East stood at $3.108 billion during January-June 2022. Amongst all the exporting nations, China ranked first on the suppliers' list with a share of 31.43 per cent ($977.016 million), followed by Bangladesh, Turkiye, Italy and India. Asia-Pacific region supplied about two third of the total apparel imported by the Middle East. Fibre2Fashions market insight tool TexPro. The supply from the top five countries to the region surged in the first six months of this year over the same period of last year. The imports from China grew by 31.89 per cent in January-June 2022 on a yearly basis, compared to the mild growth of 0.88 per cent in January-June 2021, according to Apparel imports of Middle East stood at $3.108 billion during January-June 2022. Amongst all the exporting nations, China ranked first on the suppliers' list with a share of 31.43 per cent ($977.016 million), followed by Bangladesh, Turkiye, Italy and India. Asia-Pacific region supplied about two third of the total apparel imported by the Middle East. TexPro. Middle Easts apparel imports from Bangladesh rose to 62.76 per cent in the first half of this year from 0.46 per cent during the same period of last year. The share of Bangladesh in the total imports by Middle East in the first half of this year was 11.55 per cent. The share of Turkiye, Italy and India stood at 9.36 per cent, 6.46 per cent and 5.66 per cent, respectively. Morocco, Vietnam, Georgia, Spain, and Cambodia take the next 5 spots on the list of top 10 apparel supplier countries to Middle East, as per Apparel imports of Middle East stood at $3.108 billion during January-June 2022. Amongst all the exporting nations, China ranked first on the suppliers' list with a share of 31.43 per cent ($977.016 million), followed by Bangladesh, Turkiye, Italy and India. Asia-Pacific region supplied about two third of the total apparel imported by the Middle East. Asia-Pacific was the largest sourcing region for the Middle East with imports amounting to $1.928 billion or 62.04 per cent of the total imports. The Middle Easts apparel imports from all over the world stood at $2.959 billion in the second half of 2021, $2.269 billion in the first half of 2021, $2.416 billion in the second half of 2020 and $1.904 billion in the first half of 2020. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KUL) German exports were down by 0.5 per cent and imports by 2.3 per cent in September this year on a calendar- and seasonally-adjusted basis compared with August. Based on provisional data, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reported that exports increased year on year (YoY) by 20.3 per cent and imports by 30.7 per cent during the month. After calendar and seasonal adjustment, Germany exported goods to the total value of 134.5 billion and imported goods to the value of 130.8 billion in the month. German exports were down by 0.5 per cent and imports by 2.3 per cent in September this year on a calendar- and seasonally-adjusted basis compared with August. Based on provisional data, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reported that exports increased year on year (YoY) by 20.3 per cent and imports by 30.7 per cent during the month. The foreign trade balance thus showed a surplus of 3.7 billion in September. On a calendar- and seasonally-adjusted basis, Germany exported goods worth 73.4 billion to the member states of the European Union (EU), while it imported goods worth 64.3 billion from those countries in September. Compared with August this year, calendar- and seasonally-adjusted exports to the EU countries dropped by 1.7 per cent and imports from those countries by 1.2 per cent. The value of the goods exported to euro area countries totalled 51.5 billion (minus 1.6 per cent) and the value of the goods imported from there was 44.3 billion (minus 0.6 per cent). Goods worth 21.9 billion (minus 1.9 per cent) were exported to EU countries not belonging to the euro area, while the value of the goods imported from those countries was 20.1 billion euros (minus 2.5 per cent). Exports of goods to countries outside the EU (third countries) amounted to 61.1 billion in September, while imports from those countries totalled 66.5 billion on a calendar- and seasonally-adjusted basis. Compared with August this year, exports to third countries increased by 1 per cent and imports from those countries fell by 3.4 per cent. Most German exports went to the United States in September. Exports to China decreased by 2 per cent to 8.9 billion and exports to the United Kingdom fell by 0.3 per cent to 6.1 billion. Most imports came from China in September. Goods to the value of 16.7 billion were imported from there, which was a 5.4 per cent increase compared with the previous month, after calendar and seasonal adjustment. Imports from the United States were down by 1.3 per cent to 8.1 billion. Imports from the United Kingdom increased by 3.7 per cent to 3.5 billion in the same month. Exports to Russia declined a calendar -and seasonally-adjusted 5.4 per cent to 1 billion in September compared with August and dropped by 52.6 per cent from September 2021. Imports from Russia fell by 33.1 per cent to 1.8 billion in September over the August figure. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS) The United States and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) signed a major new clean energy framework on November 1 in Abu Dhabi. The US-UAE Partnership for Accelerating Clean Energy (PACE) is set to catalyse $100 billion in financing, investment and other support and deploy globally 100 gigawatts of clean energy by 2035 to advance the energy transition and maximise climate benefits. PACEs ambitious plan is built upon four pillars: clean energy innovation, deployment and supply chains; carbon and methane management; nuclear energy; and industrial and transport decarbonisation. The United States and the UAE signed a major new clean energy framework on November 1 in Abu Dhabi. The US-UAE Partnership for Accelerating Clean Energy (PACE) is set to catalyse $100 billion in financing, investment and other support and deploy globally 100 gigawatts of clean energy by 2035 to advance the energy transition and maximise climate benefits. Both sides will set up an expert group to identify priority projects, remove potential hurdles and measure PACEs progress in achieving its goal of catalysing $100 billion, a White House fact sheet said. In addition to investing in both countries clean energy futures, the two sides intend to elevate climate action by vigorously pursuing and encouraging investment in clean energy in emerging economies as well as offer them technical and financial assistance. PACE plans to help facilitate investment in mining, production and processing of critical minerals and materials that are vital for clean energy production. It seeks to encourage existing and new technologies and pathways to cut harmful emissions from the hydrocarbon sector. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS) The value of Dutch trade in goods in 2021 was nearly 15 per cent above its pre-pandemic level, according to Statistics Netherlands (CBS). The higher import and export value was related to increased energy and raw material prices, but also to greater demand following COVID year 2020. Trade with Germany, China and Belgiumthe largest trading partnersgrew in particular. In 2021, the value of Dutch goods exports stood at approximately 587 billionnearly 22 per cent higher than in the previous year and almost 14 per cent more than in 2019. The value of Dutch trade in goods in 2021 was nearly 15 per cent above its pre-pandemic level, Statistics Netherlands said. The higher import and export value was related to increased energy and raw material prices, but also to greater demand following COVID year 2020. Trade with Germany, China and Belgiumthe largest trading partnersgrew in particular. The strongest export growth was recorded to neighbouring Germany and Belgium. Exports to China grew mainly in 2020 before declining slightly in 2021. Exports in 2021 still exceeded the pre-pandemic level. In 2021, the value of exports to the top ten partner countries was higher than in 2019, with the exception of the United Kingdom. The total value of exports to the United Kingdom fell by 1.9 billion between 2019 and 2021 due to a decline in re-exports to the United Kingdom by 6 billion euros. The Netherlands is no longer a logical stopover for non-EU goods (e.g. Asian goods) since the United Kingdom left the European Union. The value of goods imports stood at 527 billion in 202124 per cent more than in the previous year and 15 per cent more than in 2019. A significant part of the import growth can be explained by increased import prices; they were up by 12 per cent on 2020 and by 6.6 per cent on 2019. For each of the ten largest origin countries, the import value in 2021 exceeded pre-pandemic levels. Especially, imports from Germany, China and Belgium grew substantially in 2021: by 13 per cent, 11 per cent and 7 per cent respectively relative to 2019. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS) The Philippines is interested in resuming negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA) with the European Union (EU), according to the formers department of trade and industry (DTI), which recently said trade secretary Alfredo Pascual spoke at the European Parliament last month on the monitoring process for the renewal of the generalised scheme of preferences plus (GSP+). Pascual delivered a strong message of commitment to the EU-Philippine partnership in trade and investment before the EU Parliament committee on international trade, DTI said. GSP+ is an incentive arrangement that grants the Philippines zero tariffs on 6,274 products or 66 per cent of all EU tariff lines. The Philippines is interested in resuming negotiations for a free trade agreement with the European Union, according to the former's department of trade and industry, which recently said trade secretary Alfredo Pascual spoke at the European Parliament last month on the monitoring process for the renewal of the generalised scheme of preferences plus. The Philippines is an attractive investment destination given its solid macroeconomic fundamentals, enabling policy environment, and young and trainable workforce. With a stable and predictable political regime, our country is well-positioned in the Indo-Pacific to become a regional hub for manufacturing, innovation, training, and education, Pascual was quoted as saying by Philippine media reports. DTI also emphasised that the GSP+ has benefited EU companies as well, as they invest in manufacturing facilities in the Philippines to take advantage of the countrys extensive and expanding domestic market. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS) Historic Partnership Supports Poland's Energy Goals with Proven Reactor Technology The Polish government announced today that it has selected Westinghouse Electric Company's AP1000 nuclear reactor technology to advance the country's clean and secure energy future. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221102006171/en/ The Westinghouse AP1000 reactor is setting operational records in China and is the only operating Generation III+ reactor with fully passive safety systems, modular construction design and has the smallest footprint per MWe on the market. Photo courtesy of Sanmen Nuclear Power Company Poland's Council of Ministers formally approved a resolution selecting Westinghouse to be the technology supplier for the Polish government's six to nine GWe nuclear program. This program will start with three reactors at the Lubiatowo-Kopalino site in northern Poland. U.S. Ambassador to Poland Mark Brzezinski welcomed the announcement by the Government of Poland. "I am grateful for the leadership that Prime Minister (Mateusz) Morawiecki showed by overseeing the selection of Westinghouse for this historic project. Today, Poland is investing in a clean and secure energy future for all of the Polish people," said Ambassador Brzezinski. "This is an historic day for Poland and for Westinghouse. We are honored to partner with the Polish government on the launch of a new era of energy security, one that will bring reliable, affordable carbon-free electricity and economic benefits to the people of Poland," said Patrick Fragman, Westinghouse President and CEO. "This project will create thousands of jobs during construction and for many decades of operation of the plants." Westinghouse announced in September Memoranda of Understanding with 22 additional companies in Poland for cooperation on construction of AP1000 reactors in Poland and at other potential projects in Central Europe. Westinghouse has committed to establishing a major engineering center and is planning various additional industrial investments to support training and development of Poland's nuclear power talents and workforce. Westinghouse contemplates engaging on a broad scale both the U.S. and European supply chains on this exceptional project, in order to build a fleet of AP1000 reactors in the region. The AP1000 nuclear reactor is the only operating Generation III+ reactor with fully passive safety systems, modular construction design and has the smallest footprint per MWe on the market. In addition to two AP1000 units being completed at the Vogtle site in the United States, four AP1000 units are currently setting operational performance records in China with four additional units under construction. Westinghouse AP1000 technology also has been selected for two additional units in China, nine units in Ukraine, and is under consideration at multiple other sites in Central and Eastern Europe, the United Kingdom, and in the United States. Westinghouse Electric Company is shaping the future of carbon-free energy by providing safe, innovative nuclear and other clean power technologies globally. Westinghouse supplied the world's first commercial pressurized water reactor in 1957 and the company's technology is the basis for nearly one-half of the world's operating nuclear plants. Over 135 years of innovation makes Westinghouse the preferred partner for advanced technologies covering the complete nuclear energy life cycle. For more information, visit www.westinghousenuclear.com and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221102006171/en/ Contacts: Media@Westinghouse.com Thunder Bay, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - November 2, 2022) - Thunder Gold Corporation (TSXV: TGOL) (FSE: CGK1) (OTC Pink: TNMLF) (formerly White Metal Resources Corp) ("Thunder Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into an option amending agreement with Himba Metals (Pty.) Ltd. ("Himba"), a privately held company incorporated pursuant to the laws of Namibia, in respect to the Company's 95% interest in the Okohongo Copper-Silver Property ("Okohongo") in Namibia (the "Amending Agreement"). The Amending Agreement amends the option to purchase agreement dated July 15, 2022 (the "Original Option Agreement") pursuant to which Himba or its assigns, has the option to acquire the Company's 95% interest in Aloe Two Hundred and Thirty -Eight (Pty) Ltd.("Aloe 238"), a privately held company incorporated pursuant to the laws of Namibia, which holds the exploration license EPL7071 (the "License") associated with the Okohongo property (the "Option"). In accordance with the terms of the Original Option Agreement as amended by the Amending Agreement, to exercise the Option, Himba or its assigns is required to: Pay to the Company US$50,000 as a non -refundable deposit (the payment of which was previously made under the Original Option Agreement); Pay to the Company US$50,000 upon completion of a 45-day due diligence period in favour of Himba (the payment of which was made under the Original Option Agreement); Pay to the Company US$400,000 on or before May 31, 2022 (the payment of which was made under the Original Option Agreement); Pay to the Company US$500,000 on October 28, 2022 (the payment of which was made on October 28, 2022, under the Amending Agreement); and Grant to the Company a 1.00% net smelter royalty (the "NSR") over Himba's or its assign's share of Aloe 238's commercial production from the property covered by the License; In accordance with the terms of the Original Option Agreement and the Amending Agreement; Himba shall assist Iron Bull Mining Inc. ("Iron Bull"), which owns 100% of Himba, in becoming a publicly traded company on a recognized stock exchange in Canada ("Recognized Exchange"). Having made the payment of the US$500,000 referred to in (d) above, Himba acquired the right to have the shares of Aloe 238 owned by the Company (the "Aloe Shares") transferred to it in consideration of the issuance to the Company by Iron Bull of a convertible promissory note (the "Note") which will be issued to the Company in conjunction with the completion of the transfer of the Aloe Shares by the Company to Himba which is expected to take place within a week. The Note will contain the following terms and conditions: the Note shall be in the aggregate sum of US$1,000,000 (the "Note Amount"), shall be non-interest bearing and shall mature on March 31, 2023; the Note Amount shall, based on an exchange rate at the time of conversion, be convertible into units of Iron Bull ("Units") at a price of C$0.40 per Unit, each Unit consisting of one common share and one common share purchase warrant exercisable at C$1.20 for three years from the date of issuance; the Note Amount shall, at the option of Iron Bull, be converted into Units at any time after Iron Bull has had its common voting shares listed on a Recognized Stock Exchange; and the Note shall impose the requirement on Iron Bull, should either party exercise its right of conversion under the Note, to issue additional common voting shares of Iron Bull (the "Top-Up Issuance") to the Company, after Iron Bull's common voting shares have been listed on a Recognized Stock Exchange, if the Iron Bull shares' volume-weighted average price for the preceding 14-day period ended on the day that is two (2) years after the day Iron Bull common voting shares are issued to the Company is less than CAD $0.40 per Iron Bull common voting share(the "Dilution Price"), on the following basis: [(C$0.40 / Dilution Price) x the number of Iron Bull common voting shares held by the Company at the time of the Top-Up Issuance] less the number of Iron Bull common voting shares held by the Company at the time of the Top-Up Issuance. The Original Option Agreement as amended by the Amending Agreement also contains the following terms and conditions: in the event that Himba has failed to cause the shares of Iron Bull to be listed on a Recognized Stock Exchange by October 28, 2023, either directly or through a reverse takeover Himba will, at the option of the Company, cause the Aloe Shares transferred to it to be transferred back to the Company; the Company will be granted a 1.0% Net Smelter Return royalty ("NSR") over Himba's or its assign's interest in the property covered by the License with the right of Himba or its assigns to purchase 0.25% of the NSR for US$1.0 million; the Company will be paid US$1.0 million and be issued such number of common shares of Iron Bull having an aggregate value of US$1,000,000 if a NI 43-101 compliant mineral resource estimate is outlined on the property covered by the License that exceeds 50 million tonnes of copper at greater than or equal to 1.0% Cu equivalent; and Himba or its assigns will repay to the Company taxes paid by the Company to the Namibian government as a result of the transfer of the shares of Aloe 238 to Himba upon Himba reaching commercial production or within a maximum of six months from the start of commercial production. Wes Hanson P.Geo., CEO of Thunder Gold notes: "Himba has shared their strategic plan for Okohongo focused on establishing early cash-flow from the currently defined, near surface mineral resource that can fund future exploration within the existing license area. Himba's interpretation of the available geological and remote sensing data for the license suggests excellent discovery potential to increase the overall copper resource outside the currently drill defined, sub-surface resource area. Of particular interest are a series of sub-parallel zones, equal in size to the defined resource area, which are isolated by long wavelength infrared tomography ("LWIT") data. At least four, sub-parallel lenses, believed to be folded strata, were isolated by the LWIT dataset, each of which returned a response that is stronger than that returned over the existing sub-surface resource. None of the four targets identified have been tested by drilling and each represents a compelling target for resource expansion as LWIT highlights sub-surface chalcocite-bornite copper mineralization. Himba's strategic plan envisions immediate infill drilling to upgrade the existing inferred mineral resource to the measured and indicated classification in advance of a pre-feasibility study evaluating the economic viability of the existing resource. This amended agreement positions Thunder Gold to participate in both the short- and long-term upside of the team and strategic plan Himba has put in motion to advance Okohongo." About the Okohongo Project and Deposit Situated within the Kaoko Belt and hosted by metasedimentary strata, the Okohongo Cu-Ag deposit is considered analogous with the stratiform sediment-hosted Central African Copperbelt deposits of Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Using a cut-off grade of 0.30% Cu and assuming 10% geological loss, the Inferred Mineral Resource is estimated to be 7.7 Mt grading 1.55% Cu and 26.77 g/t Ag with a calculated copper equivalent (CuEq) of 1.82% Cu. The effective date of the Mineral Resource Estimate ("MRE") is August 11, 2021. The MRE was prepared by Caracle Creek International Consulting MINRES (Pty) Ltd. ("CCIC MINRES"), South Africa, in accordance with current (2014) CIM Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Reserves. The Okohongo deposit is interpreted to sit on the western limb of a shallow synclinal structure that outcrops to the west and east. TECT Geological Services ("TECT") has been appointed to undertake modelling of the basin architecture, remodel the current deposit, and generate targets for immediate testing. In collaboration with Dr Niel Pendock, TECT has confirmed a significant target of approximately 10 km of potential bornite and chalcocite mineralisation along the eastern limb of the Okohongo syncline. The shallow occurrence of the copper deposit, maximum depth of 250 meters, allows for rapid and cost-effective drill confirmation, which Iron Bull will be pursuing. Iron Bull will also pursue the development of a small-scale mining operation targeting an initial production throughput of 30,000 tonnes per month. Test work to determine the appropriate processing options is also planned. TECT has experience in the DRC/Zambia copper belt and concurs that the Kaokoland shares significant similarities to the African Copper Basin. The Okohongo Project shows excellent potential to expand the copper-silver resources along multiple fold limbs north and south of the current defined resource. About the Tower Mountain Gold Property The Tower Mountain Gold Property is located 5-kms off the Trans-Canada highway, 50-km west of Thunder Bay, Ontario and consists of unpatented and patented lands totalling 1,968 ha. Exploration to date suggests the property offers a large gold endowment. Gold mineralization is widespread and drilling to date has identified low-grade gold mineralization extending outward for at least 500-meters from a central alkalic intrusion known as the Tower Mountain Intrusive Complex. Drilling has established persistent gold grades from 0.1 to 1.0 g/t along a 1500-meter-long x 500 meter wide x 500-meter deep block of volcanic-volcanoclastic rocks immediately west and adjacent to the central alkalic intrusion. The remaining 6,000 meters of strike length surrounding the intrusion are untested. Tower Mountain shows many of the classic indicators of being an Intrusion Related Gold Deposit a highly desirable exploration target. Mineralization hosted by established operations and other exploration projects is not necessarily indicative of mineralization hosted on the Company's Property. About Thunder Gold Corp. Thunder Gold Corporation, formerly White Metal Resources. is a junior exploration company focused on gold discovery in Canada. For more information about the Company please visit www.thundergoldcorp.com. On behalf of the Board of Directors Wes Hanson, President and CEO For further information contact: Wes Hanson, CEO (647) 202-7686 whanson@thundergoldcorp.com THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE HAS NOT REVIEWED AND DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE The information contained herein contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements relate to information that is based on assumptions of management, forecasts of future results, and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. Any statements that express predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: risks related to failure to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis and on acceptable terms; risks related to the outcome of legal proceedings; political and regulatory risks associated with mining and exploration; risks related to the maintenance of stock exchange listings; risks related to environmental regulation and liability; the potential for delays in exploration or development activities or the completion of feasibility studies; the uncertainty of profitability; risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of drill results, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; risks related to the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses; results of prefeasibility and feasibility studies, and the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations; risks related to gold price and other commodity price fluctuations; and other risks and uncertainties related to the Company's prospects, properties and business detailed elsewhere in the Company's disclosure record. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company's expectations or projections. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/142884 Alberto Morales to assume Chief Executive Officer position Juan Carlos Sandoval named as Chief Financial Officer Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - November 2, 2022) - Andean Precious Metals Corp. (TSXV: APM) (OTCQX: ANPMF) ("Andean" or the "Company"), a silver producer with the only large-scale commercial oxide plant in Bolivia, announced it is moving its main corporate functions to Monterrey, Mexico from Toronto, Canada. Monterrey is the business capital of Mexico and home to many large multinational companies. The Company's registered office will remain in Canada. "Consolidating our main corporate functions into one office is an important step for Andean as we focus on the next stage of our growth," said Alberto Morales, Andean's Founder and Executive Chairman. "I would like to express appreciation to our Canadian employees and contractors for their dedication and continued support in assisting with a smooth transition process." The move, which is planned to take place by the end of January 2023, is expected to result in near-term cost efficiencies and greater cross-functional collaboration to improve decision-making. Executive Changes Additionally, the Company announced changes to its senior leadership team. Effective November 14, 2022, Andean's Founder and Executive Chairman, Alberto Morales, will assume the role of CEO. Prior to the Company's completion of its qualifying transaction in March 2021, Mr. Morales was the CEO of Ag-Mining Investments AB, the company that in early 2018 purchased Empresa Minera Manquiri S.A. ("Manquiri") from Coeur Mining. Manquiri is the entity that holds a 100% interest in Andean's San Bartolome mine. Under Mr. Morales' lead, Manquiri grew its cash position to approximately US$50 million1 by the end of fiscal 2020, which allowed him to maintain a majority stake upon completion of the qualifying transaction. Andean's current CEO, Simon Griffiths is resigning from Andean's board of directors effective immediately and will be stepping down as President and CEO as of the end of the day on November 13, 2022. He will assist in the transition and stay on as an advisor to the Company for a period of time. Toronto-based Jeff Chan, CFO, will also be stepping down from his role effective November 30, 2022. He will remain with the Company in an advisory capacity to support his successor in the transition until December 31, 2022. "On behalf of the Company, I would like to thank Simon and Jeff for their contributions as well as their ongoing support," stated Mr. Morales. "Through their efforts and the work of the entire team, Andean has a strong foundation to grow and execute on its vision of becoming a mid-tier precious metals producer. We have a debt-free balance sheet and cash and marketable securities of more than US$90 million2, positioning us well for the future. On behalf of everyone at Andean, we thank Simon and Jeff for their contributions and wish them every success in the future." Effective December 1, 2022, Juan Carlos Sandoval will join Andean as Chief Financial Officer, leading the corporate finance team. Mr. Sandoval has more than two decades of banking, finance, accounting and M&A experience mostly focused on mining, energy and resource sectors. Mr. Sandoval joined BNP Paribas in 2000 and took on advancing roles as he moved from BNP's New York office to its Paris headquarters and then to Houston, where for 12 years he worked on US and Latin American mining, energy and infrastructure transactions. In 2014, he was appointed as Head of the Houston Structured Debt Team for the Americas. In 2017, Mr. Sandoval moved to the Mexican energy group Perseus as CFO of the upstream business. Mr. Sandoval holds a BA in Accounting from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education. He is a FINRA US registered licensed representative and is fluent in Spanish, English and French. "We are delighted to welcome Juan Carlos to our senior leadership team," commented Mr. Morales. "He brings extensive expertise as well as a depth of experience in banking, finance, accounting and M&A and will be a key asset to the Company as we look to grow." Lead Independent Director The Company also announced the appointment of its first Lead Independent Director, Grant Angwin. Mr. Angwin joined Andean's board as an independent director in July 2021 and is Chair of the Health, Safety, Environment, Social and Sustainability Committee and Chair of the Compensation Committee as well as a member of the Audit and Nomination & Corporate Governance Committees. "As Andean evolves, the time has come to appoint a Lead Independent Director. Grant joined our board last year and is a well-respected veteran of the precious metals industry," stated Mr. Morales. "We are pleased that he has agreed to take on this important role as we look to build Andean into a multi-jurisdictional mid-tier producer." Mr. Angwin has nearly 40 years' experience in precious metals, most recently as President of Asahi Refining NA. In addition, he was former Chair of the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA), past Member of the Shanghai Gold Exchange International Advisory Board and a Board Member of the Silver Institute. He currently sits on the ICE Benchmark Precious Metals Oversight Committee for LBMA gold and silver prices. He studied Chemistry and Business & Finance at the University of Hertfordshire (UK) and completed the Executive Management Programme at Queen's University School of Business (Canada). "I am honoured to be Lead Independent Director. Good governance is essential to our success and our board is committed to continuing to advance Andean's governance standards and independence on behalf of the Company's stakeholders," stated Mr. Angwin. About Andean Precious Metals Andean Precious Metals is a growth-focused silver producer that owns and operates the San Bartolome project located in the department of Potosi, Bolivia. San Bartolome has been operating continuously since 2008, producing an average of over five million ounces of silver equivalents per year. The Company is also exploring its wholly owned San Pablo project and seeking other accretive opportunities in Bolivia and the wider Americas. Andean is committed to fostering safe, sustainable and responsible operations. For more information, please visit www.andeanpm.com . Company Contact Trish Moran VP Investor Relations tmoran@andeanpm.com T: +1 416 564 4290 North America Anna Speyer NATIONAL Capital Markets aspeyer@national.ca T: +1 416 848 1376 Europe Charles Vivian Tavistock andean@tavistock.co.uk T: +44 20 7920 3150 Neither the TSX Venture Exchange, Inc. 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. Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains statements which constitute "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws (collectively, "forward-looking statements"), including statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs and current expectations of Andean with respect to future business activities and operating performance. Forward-looking statements are often identified by the words "may", "would", "could", "should", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" or similar expressions. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements are not based on historical facts but instead reflect Andean's expectations, estimates or projections concerning future results or events based on the opinions, assumptions and estimates of management considered reasonable at the date the statements are made. Although Andean believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements involve risks and uncertainties, and undue reliance should not be placed thereon, as unknown or unpredictable factors could have material adverse effects on future results, performance or achievements of Andean. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Although Andean has attempted to identify important risks, uncertainties and factors which could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be others that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended and such changes could be material. Andean does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update the forward-looking statements except as otherwise required by applicable law. 1 Includes cash of US$38.5 million, restricted cash of US$10.0 million and marketable securities of US$2.5 million as at December 31, 2020. For more information, please refer to the Financial Statements for RTO Acquirer (1254688 B.C. Ltd.) for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, filed April 30, 2021 on www.sedar.com under Andean's profile. 2 Andean reported $88.4 million in cash and cash equivalents and $4.0 million marketable securities as of June 30, 2022. For more information, please refer to the Company's financial statements for the period ended June 30, 2022, which are available on the Company's website and under the Company's profile on www.sedar.com. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/142886 Global Urea Formaldehyde Market is anticipated to hold ~3%-4% of the market share in the Global Urea market. Building and construction sector accounted to 18.8% overall urea formaldehyde sale. China is the major producer of furniture, accounting for around 39.8% share in the global furniture production. NEWARK, Del., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The global urea formaldehyde market stands at US$ 6.57 Bn as of now and is expected to reach US$ 10.13 Bn by the year 2032 at a CAGR of 4.4% between 2022 and 2032. Urea formaldehyde resins are used for adhesion of several products like plywood, firewood, particle board, and likewise, especially to suffice the automotive and construction verticals. The properties of urea formaldehyde include low absorption of water, higher tensile strength, higher heat distortion temperature, higher surface hardness, and likewise. Get a Sample Copy of the Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-576 Particle board comes across as one of the eco-friendly materials. It is made from sawdust, wood chips, and wood shavings - all mixed with a resin to have boards. This urea formaldehyde resin could be found in several grades based on size of particles used in material. Smaller the particles, stronger the particle board. Urea formaldehyde resins also prove to be cost-effective as compared to the other formaldehyde-based resins like phenol-formaldehyde resin. In construction vertical, particle boards find their presence in the form of web plates for beams, as base material to cover strips, parquet floors, and in fittings and fixtures. At the same time, there are certain limitations on the part of urea formaldehyde; like - the chances of higher emission of formaldehyde at the time of production can't be ignored. Also, there could be swelling on coming in contact with water. This actually renders it misfit for outdoor applications. Future Market Insights has walked through these facts with future perspectives in its latest market study entitled 'Urea Formaldehyde Market'. Key Takeaways from Urea Formaldehyde Market The Asia-Pacific holds more than 50% of the market share. This could be credited to unprecedented growth of automobile, electronics and electrical manufacturing sectors, and also the furniture vertical. Urea formaldehyde is being preferred due to better reactivity, lower price, and high class performance. India and China are dominating the Asia-Pacific . holds more than 50% of the market share. This could be credited to unprecedented growth of automobile, electronics and electrical manufacturing sectors, and also the furniture vertical. Urea formaldehyde is being preferred due to better reactivity, lower price, and high class performance. and are dominating the . Europe holds the second-largest market share due to extensive demand for urea formaldehyde from Germany , Italy , and Russia . Germany is subject to expansion in the automotive sector, which is expected to keep the hopes high for urea formaldehyde market. holds the second-largest market share due to extensive demand for urea formaldehyde from , , and . is subject to expansion in the automotive sector, which is expected to keep the hopes high for urea formaldehyde market. LATAM and Central America are witnessing an ever-increasing demand for urea formaldehyde from end-use applications like healthcare, cosmetics, food & beverages, and oil & paint verticals. are witnessing an ever-increasing demand for urea formaldehyde from end-use applications like healthcare, cosmetics, food & beverages, and oil & paint verticals. North America is at the matured stage of urea formaldehyde market and would continue with this streak even in the forecast period. Visit for Customization @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/customization-available/rep-gb-576 Competitive Gist Hexion Inc., in July 2022 , came up with bio-based methanol to produce formaldehyde as an inevitable part of 'sustainable product development process'. , came up with bio-based methanol to produce formaldehyde as an inevitable part of 'sustainable product development process'. Bakelite Synthetics has its standard portfolio of formaldehyde products that does offer aa wide spectrum of grades, whereas robust in-house technical expertise facilitates tailor-made grades to cater to specific needs. Silver and MO-catalyzed process are used herein. Capital Resin comes across as one of the manufacturers of urea formaldehyde resin, which, on regular basis, does develop custom amino acids to address specific applications. It has been into business since the year 1976, specializing in creation and development of specialty chemicals for numerous verticals. Siva Chemical Industries produces polyvinyl butyral resins, which have been into use across the industrial belts of India . "Urea formaldehyde is in great demand from verticals like textiles, foundry sand, paper, agriculture, electrical appliances, and wood glue. This factor is bound to accelerate the urea formaldehyde market in the near future", says an analyst from Future Market Insights. What's more with Urea Formaldehyde Market? Future Market Insights offers an exclusive perspective and various real-time insights on the urea formaldehyde market in its latest study, presenting historical demand assessment of 2016 - 2021 and projections for 2022 - 2032. The research study is based on form (liquid, powder, and solid), by end-use (furniture (plywood, laminates, particle board, wood adhesives, and medium density fibreboard), automotive (decorative laminates, plywood, molding compounds, abrasives, and tires), electrical appliances (electronic adhesives, coatings, molding compounds, and plywood), agriculture, building and construction (plywood, particle board, wood adhesives, roofing, and foundry and molds), textile (wrinkle resistant fabrics and cotton blends), and others (paper, paints, and surface coatings). Growing demand for particle board, especially from furniture sector coupled with construction vertical asking for MDF (medium density fibreboard) is expected to help the urea formaldehyde market go great guns in the forecast period. Urea Formaldehyde Market by Category By Form: Liquid Powder Solid By End-Use: Furniture Plywood Laminates Particle Board Wood Adhesives Medium Density Fiberboard Automotive Decorative Laminates Plywood Molding Compounds Abrasives Tires Electrical Appliances Electronic Adhesives Coatings Molding Compounds Plywood Agriculture Building and Construction Plywood Particle Board Wood Adhesives Roofing Foundry sand molds Textile Wrinkle Resistant fabrics Cotton Blends Others Paper Paints Surface Coatings By Region: North America Latin America Europe East Asia South Asia & Pacific & Pacific Middle East & Africa Further Assistance in Purchasing this Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/checkout/576 Table of Content 1. Executive Summary 1.1. Global Market Outlook 1.2. Demand Side Trends 1.3. Supply Side Trends 1.4. Technology Roadmap 1.5. Analysis and Recommendations 2. Market Overview 2.1. Market Coverage / Taxonomy 2.2. Market Definition / Scope / Limitations 3. Key Market Trends 3.1. Key Trends Impacting the Market 3.2. Product Innovation / Development Trends Explore FMI's Extensive Coverage on Chemicals & Materials Domain The global agrochemical additive market is expected to reach a valuation of US$ 1.7 Bn in 2022. Sales of agrochemical additves is expected to increase at a CAGR of 4.6% and are expected to top a valuation of US$ 2.7 Bn by 2032.https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/agrochemical-additives-market Decorative laminates are laminated sheets made of kraft papers and decorative printed papers, which are fused together with the help of pressure and heat. They are the surface materials used to protect and improve the aesthetics of engineered wood. https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/decorative-plastic-paper-laminates-market The global plywood market size is estimated to be valued at US$ 80.5 Bn in 2022, and register a CAGR of 6.1% to reach a valuation of US$ 115 Bn by 2028. https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/plywood-market The textile chemicals market will register a year-on-year (YoY) growth at 3%CAGR, surpassing a valuation of US$ 22,126.3 Mn in 2021. According to Future Market Insights, overall textile chemicals sales are set to rise at 5.40% CAGR during the forecast period of 2021 and 2031. https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/asia-textile-chemicals-market The global foundry additives market is expected to reach around US$ 2 Bn in 2022. The overall sales of foundry additives are expected to increase by 1.5x, exceeding US$ 3 Bn by the end of 2032. https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/foundry-additives-market About Future Market Insights, Inc. Future Market Insights, Inc. is an ESOMAR-certified business consulting & market research firm, a member of the Greater New York Chamber of Commerce and is headquartered in Delaware, USA. A recipient of Clutch Leaders Award 2022 on account of high client score (4.9/5), we have been collaborating with global enterprises in their business transformation journey and helping them deliver on their business ambitions. 80% of the largest Forbes 1000 enterprises are our clients. We serve global clients across all leading & niche market segments across all major industries. Contact: Future Market Insights Inc.? Christiana Corporate, 200 Continental Drive, Suite 401, Newark, Delaware - 19713, USA? T: +1-845-579-5705? For Sales Enquiries: sales@futuremarketinsights.com?? Browse latest Market Reports: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1197648/FMI_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/global-urea-formaldehyde-market-is-estimated-to-reach-us-6-6-bn-in-2022-and-is-anticipated-to-progress-at-a-healthy-cagr-of-4-4-to-reach-us-10-1-bn-by-2032-end--future-market-insights-inc-301666581.html Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 2, 2022) - Colossus Resources Corp. (TSXV: CLUS) ("Colossus" or the "Company") announces the resignation of board member, George Heras. Colossus would like to thank George for his contributions to the Company's Board of Directors and wish him the best in his future endeavors. ABOUT COLOSSUS RESOURCES CORP Colossus Resources is a junior mineral exploration company focused on maximizing shareholder value through the acquisition, discovery, and advancement of high-quality copper - gold projects in the Americas. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD Charalambos (Harry) Katevatis President CEO https://colossusresources.com/about/ Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This news release contains certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical fact, which address events or developments that Colossus Resources 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", "indicate" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although Colossus Resources believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guaranteeing of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/142900 Of the 117 journalists killed in 2020-21, 91, or 78% were killed while off the clock. At the same time, UNESCO is releasing new data showing that the impunity rate for killings of journalists is still at the shockingly high number of 86% for example, at home, in their vehicles, or in the street but not on a specific assignment. Several were killed in front of family members, including their children. Journalists who reveal stories of public interest are often attacked and killed. Already this year over 70 journalists have had to pay the ultimate price. 9 out of 10 killings go unpunished. Impunity for crimes against journalists affects the core of our freedoms of expression and -information. Silencing a journalist has consequences for everyone. We cannot turn a blind eye to impunity. We cannot let their deaths be invisible to society. The last year we have also seen the number of killed women journalists rising from 6-11% of the total, a worrying trend continuing this year. In the 2020-2021 period, 6 journalists were killed while covering protests, riots or demonstrations. This confirms the trend identified in the previous Director-Generals Report which noted a rise in the number of journalists killed in such contexts. Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn Articles similaires Sydney, Australia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 2, 2022) - The Australian Minister for Resources Madeleine King says Australia has "an unmissable opportunity and a remarkable responsibility" to help lead the global transition to a decarbonised future. Addressing the International Mining and Resources Conference (IMARC) in Sydney today, Minister King said mining was fundamental to the energy transition. She said Australia's leadership was critical in helping drive change, while at the same providing the exports, regional investment, jobs, and First Nations employment opportunities that make the sector one of the most important industries in Australia. "The Australian resources sector and the great value of the exceptional natural endowment of this country dwarfs all other industries," Minister King said. "It represents 70% of our exports, 10% of our GDP and around $450 billion in economic activity in this financial year alone. It currently employs a record 285,000 Australians and generates around $43 billion annually in the taxes and royalties that provide the essential services the country needs. "But this does not all happen by luck. It takes people and their ingenuity and determination and commitment to create the industry that has become the backbone of Australia's economy." Minister King said the Australian energy and resources sector was in a period of major transition, and it was instrumental to global ambitions for a decarbonised economy. "Net zero cannot be achieved without the resources sector. We will need to mine more minerals, not less. Many of our resources are vital to the clean energy transition and a decarbonised global economy, such as batteries, wind turbines and electric motors." "Vast quantities of these minerals will be needed, and Australian production will be required to meet the ambition of the global goal of decarbonising our economies." "Australia boasts some of the richest deposits of critical minerals reserves in the world. This presents us with an unmissable opportunity, but also a remarkable responsibility." "We must bring forward a new wave of investment in our resources sector and further demonstrate how Australia is not only reducing our emissions at home but is also a crucial player in the global effort to reach net zero emissions." Minister King said gas and coal continued to be fundamental to the economy. "The recent energy crisis highlights the importance of gas and coal not just in our domestic economy but in the economies of our regional neighbours." "Our gas and coal play a critical role in meeting global energy demand and providing our neighbours with secure and dependable energy sources." Minister King said IMARC was a valuable opportunity to hear and share ideas from mining and resource leaders from around the world and to better communicate its purpose to the wider community. "A strong resources sector is the foundation for the next generation of jobs and industries. But the industry needs to find way to tell its story better so more Australians will understand the role the sector will have in achieving net zero." "The road to net zero emissions runs through the resources sector and the industry needs to ensure this message cuts through, otherwise developing new resources will only get harder and the world as a whole will suffer." Minister King is one of the 35 Ministers from around the world who will be attending IMARC concluding on Friday. The premier event has attracted delegates from over 110 countries over the course of the 3-day conference. About The International Mining and Resources Conference (IMARC) is where global mining leaders collaborate on trends in mining, investment and innovation towards a sustainable future. As Australia's largest mining event, it brings together over 7,500 decision makers, mining leaders, policy makers, investors, commodity buyers, technical experts, innovators, and educators from more than 110 countries for three days of learning, deal-making and unparalleled networking. IMARC is developed in collaboration with its founding partners the Victorian State Government of Australia, Austmine, the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM) and Mines and Money. For more information, please visit https://imarcglobal.com/ Media Enquiries Jim Carden +61 429 112 381 To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/142909 - Shareholders of Kitchen Culture have requisitioned for an EGM pursuant to Section 177 of the Companies Act to effect the removal of 5 existing board of directors and to appoint 5 new directors; - SGX RegCo notified of requisition request and existing board of Kitchen Culture urged to immediately publish the Notice of EGM on SGXNet and Kitchen Culture's website, so that shareholders whose shares are placed under nominee accounts will not be unfairly disadvantaged and can attend the EGM to vote; - EGM will now be held via "Live EGM Webcast" and "Live EGM Audio Feed; - Details to access and vote at the EGM is set out in Notice of EGM which has been published on 3 November 2022 in The Business Times pursuant to the Company's Constitution. SINGAPORE, Nov 3, 2022 - (ACN Newswire) - Relevant Shareholders[1] of Kitchen Culture Holdings Ltd. today announced that the new Extraordinary General Meeting of the Company (EGM) will be convened on 25th November 2022 at 9am. The Live EGM Webcast and the Live EGM Audio Feed has been arranged in place of a physical EGM. The Relevant Shareholders have informed the Company's Board on 2nd November 2022 in a letter of the same date of their intention to convene an EGM pursuant to Section 177 of the Companies Act[2]. The full notice of the EGM has been published on The Business Times on 3rd November 2022. The EGM seeks to remove 5 of Kitchen Culture's current Board of Directors and to appoint 5 new members to the Board. (See Annex A for details) Shareholders who have pre-registered will be able to watch or listen to the EGM proceedings through the Live EGM Webcast or the Live EGM Audio Feed via mobile phone, tablet, computer or any such electronic device. Details of the steps for pre-registration for the Live EGM Webcast or Live EGM Audio Feed, submission of substantial and relevant comments, queries and/or questions in advance of the EGM or through real-time electronic communication during the EGM, and voting live at the EGM by members themselves via real-time remote electronic voting or voting by appointing of a proxy(ies) or the Chairman of the EGM as proxy are set out in the Notice of EGM which has been published on The Business Times on 3rd November 2022. All Shareholders including those who have bought shares using SRS monies must pre-register online at https://registration.ryt-poll.com/home/index/kchl-egm by 9.00 a.m. on Tuesday, 22nd November 2022 (being not less than 72 hours before the time appointed for holding the EGM) to enable verification of their status. Following the verification and upon the closure of pre-registration, authenticated shareholders will receive email instructions to access the Live EGM Webcast and the Live EGM Audio Feed of the EGM proceedings by 9.00 a.m. on 24 November 2022 (being 24 hours before the time appointed for the holding of the EGM). The email instructions will contain the user ID, password details, and URL link to access the Live EGM Webcast and the Live EGM Audio Feed. Reasons for changing to a new EGM date The Relevant Shareholders of Kitchen Culture wish to highlight that the Company had previously refused to publish a Notice of EGM on SGXNet and on the Company's website, contrary to Catalist Rule 704(14) of the SGX Listing Manual ("Rule"). Under the Rule, the Company is required to immediately announce the details of any general meeting, such as publishing a copy of the Notice of the EGM on SGXNet and the Company's website regardless of any advice sought or action to be taken. The failure to do so is a breach of the Rule and unfairly disenfranchises shareholders who wish to attend and exercise their vote at a general meeting. The Relevant Shareholders[3] said, By requisitioning for a new EGM date, we want to ensure that this time round, all shareholders of Kitchen Culture are given the opportunity to attend and vote at the EGM on 25th November 2022 (9:00am). Alternatively, those who are unable to attend the EGM can vote by proxy by 23rd November 2022 (9:00am). As shareholders, they should have the right to decide who they wish to appoint to act in their interests as the directors of the Company. We would like to thank all shareholders of Kitchen Culture who have supported our efforts thus far in the proposed appointment of our new board of directors, whom if elected, will make a significant difference in providing strong leadership and strategic direction to take the Company forward." "We also wish to inform all shareholders that the requisitioning of the previous EGM, was in compliance with all relevant statutes/rules, but we decided to take the difficult (but correct) decision to postpone the EGM date to ensure that all shareholders can make informed decision and vote accordingly." We have sought legal advice to review Article 71 of the Company's Articles of Association and was advised to reschedule the EGM, giving 21 days' notice to pre-empt any possible dispute on the length of the notice period." [1] "Relevant Shareholders" refer to OOWAY Group Ltd., Koh Cher Chow, Lin Xiao Long, Ling Chui Chui, Koh Ngin Joo, Lim Cheng Huat, Chew Yu Sheng and Soh Koon Eng who together hold more than 10% of Kitchen Culture's issued share capital. [2] Section 177 Notice constituting a special notice under Section 152(2) read with Section 185 of the Companies Act 1967 of Singapore (the "Companies Act") of the intention of the Relevant Shareholders to convene an extraordinary general meeting of the Company (the "EGM") pursuant to Section 177 of the Companies Act. [3] See Annex B Issued by Relevant Shareholders of Kitchen Culture Ltd. Media and Investors Contact: Email: query@oowayasia.com Annex A: Extract of Agenda for EGM: At the upcoming EGM, the 2 main agenda items among others to be raised are: 1. Removal of the following 5 Directors on the existing Board: a. Mr. Lau Kay Heng b. Mr. Lim Wee Li c. Mr. William Teo Choon Kow d. Mr. Ang Lian Kiat and e. Mr. Peter Lim King Soon 2. Appointment of the following individuals to the Board: a. Mr James Beeland Rogers, Jr. to be appointed as a Non-Executive Director of the Company; b. Mr Yip Kean Mun to be appointed as an Executive Director of the Company; c. Mr Lam Kwong Fai to be appointed as an Independent Director of the Company; d. Mr Tan Meng Shern to be appointed as an Independent Director of the Company; and e. Mr Cheung Wai Man to be appointed as an Independent Director of the Company. This Notice of EGM has been advertised on 3rd November 2022, one English Language daily newspaper circulating in Singapore, namely The Business Times, pursuant to Article 71 of the Company's Constitution. Printed copies of this Notice of EGM and Proxy Form will NOT be sent to members. Instead, these documents ought to be made available by the Company to shareholders solely by electronic means via publication on the Company's website and on the SGXNet. Copies of the redacted curriculum vitae, Form 45 (Consent to Act as Director), confirmations of independence (where applicable) and Catalist Rules undertakings of these new directors proposed to be appointed to the board will be made accessible at these links: Link 1: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/mobile/folders/1iEag3gqRV_OAMPuErTOrWmTsji4KRyvp?usp=sharing Link 2: https://tinyurl.com/5bkvtepr Annex B: Notice to Company The Relevant Shareholders have also informed the Kitchen Culture Board that prior to the conclusion of the EGM, the Company, including the current Directors of the Company, should not: 1. Take any action to effect any casual appointment of Director(s) or action that will affect the number of existing issued shares of the Company or carry out any corporate action that is dilutive in nature to the minority shareholders of the Company; 2. Carry out any transaction that would result in the divestment or acquisition of any business interest or asset for or on behalf of the Company; 3. Enter into any transaction committing or exposing the Company to any potential liability of a significant nature. Kitchen Culture Holdings Ltd. [SGX: 5TI] [BBG: KCH:SP] [RIC: KCHL.SI] https://kcholdings.com.sg Source: Relevant Shareholders of Kitchen Culture Ltd. Copyright 2022 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved. Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de Illegal fishing, overfishing and climate change contribute to high death rates in one of world's most dangerous professions WASHINGTON, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 100,000 fishing-related deaths occur each year, a new study finds. Nearly 300 fishers die each day-a much higher estimate than all previous assessments-according to research from the FISH Safety Foundation (FSF) commissioned by The Pew Charitable Trusts. The significant death toll disproportionately affects low-income fishers-including children forced into labor-and is predominantly driven by dangerous working conditions and unsafe vessels. The FSF identified several factors responsible for fisher mortality, including poverty; geopolitical conflict; overfishing; illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing; and climate change. IUU is a significant driver, particularly as the demand for fish protein increases globally. Industrial illegal operators cut corners and ignore safety rules while contributing to the overexploitation of highly profitable catch. This in turn drives what has been identified as "IUU by necessity," in which small-scale, artisanal fishers are driven to break rules or take part in unregulated, dangerous activities as it becomes more difficult to find fish. These conditions are exacerbated by climate change and the changing distribution of fish stocks. "While fishing can be inherently risky, the harsh reality is that many of these deaths were and are avoidable. With 3 billion people reliant on seafood and the demand expected to rise, stronger policies are urgently needed to keep fishers safe, including ones that address the true drivers of these deaths," said Peter Horn, a project director with Pew's international fisheries project, which is focused on ending and preventing illegal fishing. Eric Holliday, chief executive of FSF, said, "It has been widely speculated that fisher mortality estimates have undercounted and hidden the danger of fishing. Our analysis is the first of its kind and conclusively shows that a lack of transparency in the fishing industry endangers lives by obscuring the full picture of what occurs on vessels or at fishing grounds, making it difficult for governments to set effective policies to improve safety. While we may never be able to pinpoint an exact number of fisher deaths, this should serve as a wake-up call to governments, telling them that in order to save lives, urgent action-informed by better reporting and sharing of mortality data-is needed." By reviewing publicly available data and by cross-referencing it with investigative journalism and news articles, social media, and private communications with government officials and others, the study authors were able to provide the most complete picture to date of the number of fishing-related fatalities worldwide. But even with all these available tools, data gaps remain, and the total number is nearly impossible to quantify. Insufficient and inaccurate data has made it difficult for decision makers to implement necessary policy changes that ensure the safety of industrial and subsistence fishers at international, state and local levels. Based on the study results, Pew urges action on multiple fronts. Domestically, more needs to be done to implement fisher safety measures and address key drivers. Given the disproportionate levels of fatality in low-income communities, financial support and capacity building are urgently needed. Internationally, improved data collection, transparency and information-sharing efforts will help governing bodies better understand the problems fishers face, more accurately quantify additional risks presented by IUU fishing and adopt policies for stronger vessel safety measures. There are also existing regulatory frameworks available that are designed to stop illegal fishing and protect fishers. Specifically, countries should ratify and implement the Cape Town Agreement, adopted by the International Maritime Organization in 2012, which sets safety standards for the construction and design of fishing vessels; implement the FAO Agreement on Port State Measures, which works to prevent illegally caught fish from entering the seafood supply chain; and continue implementation of the 2007 ILO Work in Fishing Convention C188, which sets standards for living conditions onboard vessels at sea. Member States of regional fishery management organizations should also set clear policies that strengthen efforts to fight IUU fishing and overfishing. "Fortunately, there are a number of tools available that can help stop industrial IUU and overfishing and improve safety concerns in one of the world's most dangerous professions," Horn added. "While not addressing all the issues, they clearly demonstrate intent to tackle this problem. International authorities must also prioritize counting these deaths. Only with a clearer picture of what is happening on the water can officials know when-and where-stronger action is needed. This study should be a clarion call to international authorities, national governments and fisheries managers around the globe, to be accountable for addressing their piece of the problem. Fishers should no longer be dying in the dark, and governments can no longer ignore the severe human injustices and inequities resulting from insufficient action on IUU fishing, overfishing and climate change." Contact: Leah Weiser, lweiser@pewtrusts.org, +1-202-591-6761 Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1934287/Cycle_of_IUU_Infographic.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/more-than-100-000-people-die-annually-across-global-fishing-sector-new-research-shows-301666895.html With a pilot installation in Italy and phased release in select European countries, the Tigo Energy Intelligence (EI) Residential Solar Solution will be unveiled at the Key Energy conference in Italy. Tigo Energy, Inc., the solar industry's leading Flex MLPE (Module Level Power Electronics) supplier, will unveil the Tigo EI Residential Solar Solution for the European market at the Key Energy conference in Rimini, Italy. Starting with rollouts in Czechia, Germany, and Italy, the new solar-plus-storage platform is designed to ensure faster and simpler design, installation, and service, while providing EU installers with flexibility and more efficient energy management. Solar installers and PV professionals are invited to attend the official unveiling of the EI Residential Solar Solution at Key Energy in booth (B7.163) on November 9th at 11:30 am. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221102006083/en/ To learn more about Tigo EI Residential Solar Solution and the Tigo Flex MLPE product family, please visit Tigo at Key Energy (Quartiere Fieristico di Rimini, Italy, Pavilion B7, Booth 163) from November 8th to 11th, 2022. (Graphic: Business Wire) The Tigo EI Residential Solar Solution for the European market consists of Tigo TS4 Flex MLPE products, a new line of single-phase and three-phase inverters, modular DC-coupled energy storage components, and the Tigo EI Link, which acts as the communications hub and central connection point for all grid, inverter, PV, and battery connections. Through module-level monitoring, energy data from the EI Residential Storage System is processed by Tigo Energy Intelligence software, allowing installers to monitor and manage their fleet of customer systems with a few mouse clicks. Tigo customers in the EU will also benefit from industry-leading warranties and a skilled, multilingual support team to ensure that installers are never on their own with Tigo products. "The Tigo EI Residential system again confirms Tigo as a dynamic company that evolves with the market," said Cinzia Bardiani, marketing manager at Coenergia. "Tigo products have always been reliable and given installers great flexibility; this all-in-one platform is particularly compelling because it makes communication between the components of the entire system seamless. I am also thrilled to have Tigo as the single point of contact-for the entire system-for everything from design and installation support to warranty matters." The Tuscany-based solar installation company, Cecconi snc, and Coenergia, a PV distributor with a fifteen-year presence in the Italian market, deployed the first EI Residential system in Italy. The system includes 15kW of solar generation and 12kWh of energy storage. "To stay close to my customers for service and upgrades, I must have a dependable system that expedites operations and tracks performance at the module level, and Tigo delivers exactly that with the EI solar-plus-storage setup," said Massimo Cecconi, technical manager and CEO at Cecconi snc. "Tigo's stackable configuration and flexible handling made the installation of this system brilliantly simple. I particularly like the pre-cabled EI Link box because it centralizes all connections in a single place and a clear connection diagram on the safety lid. Tigo thinks of the powerful combination of the end customer and the installer." Key Energy attendees will have access to Tigo executives and technical experts, including the installer who completed the first EI Residential installation in Italy. Following the conference, several roadshow events around Italy during November and December will showcase the Tigo residential solar-plus-storage solution. Roadshow dates and locations will be announced at the conference. "With the EI Residential Solar Solution, Tigo now offers the European market a complete home energy solution that delivers the unique added value for which our products are known, with the simplicity that empowers our installer partners," said Mirko Bindi, senior vice president of sales EMEA and MD Europe at Tigo Energy. "I am particularly happy about working with the teams at Coenergia and Cecconi to deploy this first system in Europe. Both are outstanding partners who make valuable contributions to the entire solar value chain for Tigo in Europe, especially the end customers we all share." To learn more about Tigo EI Residential Solar Solution and the Tigo Flex MLPE product family, please visit Tigo at Key Energy (Quartiere Fieristico di Rimini, Italy, Pavilion B7, Booth 163) from November 8th to 11th, 2022. For access to product information and collateral that will be available at the show, visit the Tigo at Key Energy Resource Page. And for a more in-depth discussion, schedule an appointment with a Tigo representative ahead of time here. About Coenergia Coenergia is an important distribution company based in Italy, specialized in renewable energy products, including photovoltaic, storage systems, electric charging stations, solar systems (thermic-thermodynamic) and air conditioning. Since the beginning, the company has always granted to customers a wide range of products allowing them to choose the best solution according to any specific requirement. About Tigo Energy Tigo Energy, the worldwide leader in Flex MLPE (Module Level Power Electronics), designs innovative solar power conversion and storage products that provide customers more choice and flexibility. The Tigo TS4 platform increases solar production, decreases operating costs, and enhances safety. When combined with the Tigo Energy Intelligence (EI) platform, it delivers module, system, and fleet-level insights to maximize solar performance and minimize operating costs. The Tigo EI Residential Solar Solution, a flexible solar-plus-storage solution for home installations, rounds out the Company's portfolio of solar energy technology. Tigo was founded in Silicon Valley in 2007 to accelerate the adoption of solar energy, and its global team supports customers whose systems reliably produce gigawatt hours of safe solar energy on seven continents. Find us online at www.tigoenergy.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221102006083/en/ Contacts: Gilberto Lembo EMEA Marketing Manager at Tigo Energy marketing@tigoenergy.com Highlights positive impact of the natural diamond industry on education, conservation, and local business DUBAI, UAE, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Natural Diamond Council's newly appointed Global Ambassador actress Lily James visited the country of Botswana to experience first-hand the positive impacts of the natural diamond industry, and incredible process of recovering the rare, billion-year-old precious gems. Her trip began with four days on Safari at The Selinda Reserve, a picturesque wildlife sanctuary home to thousands of elephants and the famous Selinda lion pride. From there, she visited the Orapa Game Park-part of the De Beers Diamond Route-which illustrated firsthand the impact of the natural diamond industry's conservation efforts. Ms. James also met with students and teachers at the Livingstone House Primary School, one of four schools in the community that are run by Debswana-a diamond mining company owned by De Beers and the government of Botswana. This was followed by the opportunity to see natural diamonds at their point of origin with a visit to Lucara Diamond Corp's Karowe Diamond Mine, as well as the De Beers Global Sightholder Sales facility in Gaborone, the capital of Botswana. Her last stop was the KGK Diamonds cutting and polishing facility in Gaborone, where she met with some of their remarkable employees-a majority of which are native citizens whose livelihoods are supported by the natural diamond industry. "I've been awestruck by the natural beauty and the vibrant communities I've seen in Botswana," says Lily James. "To know so much of this land-over 1,000 square miles globally is protected by the natural diamond industry makes me incredibly proud to be the NDC's Global Ambassador." "It's been incredible to experience Botswana for the first time with our Ambassador, Lily James. I'd heard so much about the positive impact of the natural diamond industry in this country, but nothing can prepare you for the real experience," says David Kellie, CEO of Natural Diamond Council. "The natural diamond industry is an example to others as to how collaborations between governments and business can transform the lives of so many people and the communities in which they live." Located in the middle of the Kalahari desert and believed to be the birthplace of humans 200,000-300,000 years ago, Botswana is a country with a population of 2.35 million people that has been inhabited and remained an important place in the world. Natural diamonds were discovered there in 1967. Natural diamonds support the livelihood of more than 10 million people worldwide and nowhere is the positive impact felt more than in Botswana, contributing 33% of Botswana's GDP in 2021. Botswana also has the highest percentage of women-owned businesses in the world. The diamond industry's partnership with the government of Botswana sustains a school system educating on average 552,000 children a year. In 1966, there were just three secondary schools. Today there are 300 and every Botswanan child receives free primary and secondary education. Additional benefits of the natural diamond industry include providing healthcare for more than 4 million people globally and funding critical infrastructure development including schools, hospitals, and roads. Further information regarding the natural diamond industry's contributions to economies and communities can be found at the Natural Diamond Council's Thank You, By The Way campaign, which has recently gained support from industry retailers such as Jared and Ben Bridge Jewelers. The photography and videography were captured by Molly SJ Lowe and Pierre-Alain and Paul-Alexandre Forsans of Carbone Production respectively with the help of digitech Roberto Ranalli of Officina Otto. Rebecca Corbin-Murray provided fashion styling for Ms. James, while Halley Brisker and Valeria Ferreira provided hair and makeup styling respectively. About The Natural Diamond Council: The Natural Diamond Council (NDC) inspires and informs consumers about the incredible world of natural diamonds through its Only Natural Diamonds platform. The platform is the authoritative publisher on all things natural diamonds including celebrities and pop culture, epic diamonds and jewelry trends, engagements and weddings, and diamond buying guides. The NDC supports the integrity of the natural diamond industry by providing transparency and insight on the progress of this sector and its commitments to further betterment. NDC is a global organization whose members' operations span four continents and ten countries including Canada, South Africa, and Botswana. Their operations support the livelihood of 10 million industry employees and their families around the world. The NDC operates in the US, China, India, UAE, and Europe. @onlynaturaldiamonds |'To Treasure, Now & Forever' Campaign Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1935114/Natural_Diamond_Council.jpg Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1935113/Natural_Diamond_Council_Logo.jpg View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/natural-diamond-council-global-ambassador-lily-james-visits-botswana-301667174.html Orosur Mining Inc. - Notice of AGM Notification of Investor Q&A Session LONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / November 3, 2022 / Orosur Mining Inc. ("Orosur" or "the Company") (AIM:OMI)(TSX-V:OMI), a South American-focused minerals explorer and developer, with current operations in Columbia, Brazil and Argentina, announces that copies of the Notice of Annual General Meeting ("AGM'), including the Management Information Circular and proxy forms have been posted to shareholders. Copies are also available on the website at: https://www.orosur.ca/ The AGM will be held on 2nd December 2022 at 12pm GMT at the offices of SP Angel Corporate Finance LLP, Prince Frederick House, 35-39 Maddox Street, London, W1S 2PP. Shareholders are strongly encouraged by the Board to vote by proxy by completing their form of proxy in accordance with the instructions on the proxy form. Notification of Investor Q&A Session Orosur is pleased to announce that following the AGM on 2nd December 2022, Brad George, the Company's Chief Executive Officer and Louis Castro, Chairman, will be holding a live Investor Q&A session via the Investor Meet Company platform on 5th December 2022 at 10.00am (UK Local time). The presentation is open to all existing and potential shareholders. Questions can be submitted pre-event via your Investor Meet Company dashboard up until 9am the day before the meeting (4th December) or at any time during the live presentation. Investors can sign up to Investor Meet Company for free and add to meet the Company via: https://www.investormeetcompany.com/orosur-mining-inc/register-investor Investors who already follow Orosur on the Investor Meet Company platform will automatically be invited. 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. For further information visit www.orosur.ca , follow on twitter@orosur or contact: Orosur Mining Inc Louis Castro, Chairman Brad George, CEO info@orosur.ca Tel: +1 (778) 373-0100 SP Angel Corporate Finance LLP - Nomad & Joint Broker Jeff Keating / Caroline Rowe Tel: +44 (0) 20 3 470 0470 Turner Pope Investments (TPI) Ltd - Joint Broker Andy Thacker JamesPope Tel: +44 (0)20 3657 0050 Flagstaff Strategic and Investor Communications Tim Thompson Mark Edwards Fergus Mellon Tel: +44 (0) 207 129 1474 orosur@flagstaffcomms.com About Orosur Mining Inc. Orosur Mining Inc. (TSX-V: OMI; AIM: OMI) is a minerals explorer and developer focused on identifying and advancing projects in South America. The Company currently operates in Colombia, Brazil and Argentina and has discontinued operations in Uruguay. 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: Orosur Mining Inc View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/723673/Orosur-Mining-Inc-Announces-Notice-of-AGM-and-Investor-QA-Session Electro-Mechanical Contract Awarded for the Araguaia Nickel Project, Brazil LONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / November 3, 2022 / Horizonte Minerals Plc (AIM:HZM)(TSX:HZM), a nickel company developing two Tier 1 assets in Brazil, is pleased to announce that it has selected MIP Engenharia & Milplan Engenharia ("MIP/Milpan") to provide the Electro-Mechanical installation services at Horizonte's 100%-owned Araguaia Nickel Project ("Araguaia" or "the Project"). Following a competitive tender process that involved the leading industrial construction companies active in the mining sector, MIP/Milpan was selected as the preferred provider. MIP/Milpan has a strong track record and importantly, prior rotary kiln-electric furnace ("RKEF") experience from Vale's Onca Puma mine, a ferronickel mine with a similar processing flow sheet to Araguaia, and a number of other major mining projects in the Carajas region. MIP/Milpan is well placed to be able to provide access to a skilled workforce, which can be redeployed from projects that are being completed elsewhere in Para, Brazil, further de-risking Araguaia's development schedule. Highlights Milplan Engenharia & MIP Engenharia have strong delivery track records, recently undertaking work at both Vale's S11D and Anglo American's Minas-Rio mine; Mobilization of workforce already underway to begin furnace assembly activities on site at Araguaia; and The award of the Electro-Mechanical contract takes the level of committed spend over US$400m as part of the Araguaia development. Jeremy Martin, CEO of Horizonte Minerals, commented: "We are pleased to welcome Milplan Engenharia & MIP Engenharia, both world-class partners, to the team for the construction of Araguaia and we look forward to building a long-term relationship with them. MIP/Milplan have a proven track record of successfully delivering large projects in Brazil and across the mining sector, in particular a wealth of experience at a similar ferronickel project, having worked on Vale's Onca Puma ferronickel mine. "This is another important step forward in the construction of Araguaia, further de-risking the Project's timeline, which remains on schedule for first nickel in Q1 2024. With the award of every new contract, we take a step closer to our objective of becoming a global leader in primary nickel production." Information on Milplan Engenharia & MIP Engenharia MIP Engenharia has a history of heavy industrial construction projects across Brazil. With more than 300 industrial projects completed and more than 1,000,000 tons of steel assembled, the company works with some of the largest mining companies including Vale, Anglo American, Gerdau and Kinross, among others. The experience accumulated in almost six decades brings together delivers a leading health and safety culture, technical competence, quality in the execution of services, strong financial backing, and a focus on value creation for their customers and the communities they operate in. Milplan Engenharia has a 40-year history in Brazil, having completed approximately 430 industrial projects again for many of the leading mining clients such as Anglo American, Arcelor Mittal, Gerdau and Vale. Milplan is an expert in the execution of construction and electromechanical erection works, most recently at Vale's S11D, from where an experienced workforce is able to be re-deployed to Araguaia. For further information, visit www.horizonteminerals.com or contact: Horizonte Minerals plc Jeremy Martin (CEO) Simon Retter (CFO) Patrick Chambers (Head of IR) info@horizonteminerals.com +44 (0) 203 356 2901 Peel Hunt LLP (Nominated Adviser & Joint Broker) Ross Allister David McKeown +44 (0)20 7418 8900 BMO (Joint Broker) Thomas Rider Pascal Lussier Duquette Andrew Cameron +44 (0) 20 7236 1010 Tavistock (Financial PR) Emily Moss Cath Drummond +44 (0) 20 7920 3150 ABOUT HORIZONTE MINERALS Horizonte Minerals plc (AIM & TSX: HZM) is developing two 100%-owned, Tier 1 projects in Para state, Brazil - the Araguaia Nickel Project and the Vermelho Nickel-Cobalt Project. Both projects are large scale, high-grade, low-cost, low-carbon and scalable. Araguaia is expected produce 29,000 tonnes of nickel per year to supply the stainless steel market. Vermelho is at feasibility study stage and will produce 25,000 tonnes of nickel and 1,250 tonnes of cobalt to supply the EV battery market. Horizonte's combined near-term production profile of over 60,000 tonnes of nickel per year positions the Company as a globally significant nickel producer. Horizonte is developing a new nickel district in Brazil that will benefit from established infrastructure, including hydroelectric power available in the Carajas Mining District. CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION Except for statements of historical fact relating to the Company, certain information contained in this press release constitutes "forward-looking information" under Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, the ability of the Company to complete the acquisition of equipment as described herein, statements with respect to the potential of the Company's current or future property mineral projects; the ability of the Company to complete a positive feasibility study regarding the second RKEF line at Araguaia on time, or at all, the success of exploration and mining activities; cost and timing of future exploration, production and development; the costs and timing for delivery of the equipment to be purchased as described herein, the estimation of mineral resources and reserves and the ability of the Company to achieve its goals in respect of growing its mineral resources; the realization of mineral resource and reserve estimates and achieving production in accordance with the Company's potential production profile or at all. Generally, forward-looking information 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 statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking information is based on the reasonable assumptions, estimates, analysis and opinions of management made in light of its experience and its perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, as well as other factors that management believes to be relevant and reasonable in the circumstances at the date that such statements are made, and are inherently subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to risks related to: the inability of the Company to complete the acquisition of equipment contemplated herein, on time or at all, the ability of the Company to complete a positive feasibility study regarding the implementation of a second RKEF line at Araguaia on the timeline contemplated or at all, exploration and mining risks, competition from competitors with greater capital; the Company's lack of experience with respect to development-stage mining operations; fluctuations in metal prices; uninsured risks; environmental and other regulatory requirements; exploration, mining and other licences; the Company's future payment obligations; potential disputes with respect to the Company's title to, and the area of, its mining concessions; the Company's dependence on its ability to obtain sufficient financing in the future; the Company's dependence on its relationships with third parties; the Company's joint ventures; the potential of currency fluctuations and political or economic instability in countries in which the Company operates; currency exchange fluctuations; the Company's ability to manage its growth effectively; the trading market for the ordinary shares of the Company; uncertainty with respect to the Company's plans to continue to develop its operations and new projects; the Company's dependence on key personnel; possible conflicts of interest of directors and officers of the Company, and various risks associated with the legal and regulatory framework within which the Company operates, together with the risks identified and disclosed in the Company's disclosure record available on the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com, including without limitation, the annual information form of the Company for the year ended December 31, 2021, the Araguaia Report and the Vermelho Report. Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. 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: Horizonte Minerals PLC View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/723706/Horizonte-Minerals-PLC-Announces-Electro-Mechanical-Contract-Awarded-for-Araguaia BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - German luxury fashion brand Hugo Boss AG (HUGSF.PK) reported Thursday that its third-quarter net income attributable to equity holders of the parent company grew 10 percent to 58 million euros from last year's 53 million euros. Earnings per share improved to 0.84 euro from 0.76 euro last year. In the third quarter, HUGO BOSS increased its operating profit or EBIT by 8 percent to 92 million euros from last year's 85 million euros. Group sales increased 24 percent to 933 million euros from 755 million euros a year ago. Group sales grew 18 percent on a currency adjusted basis. Compared to 2019 levels, currency-adjusted sales growth was 27 percent. Looking ahead for fiscal 2022, HUGO BOSS raised its top and bottom-line outlook in light of the strong financial performance in the third quarter. Group sales for fiscal year 2022 are now expected to increase between 25 percent and 30 percent to 3.5 billion euros to 3.6 billion euros, compared to previously expected increase between 20 percent and 25 percent to a level of 3.3 billion euros to 3.5 billion euros. EBIT in 2022 is now expected to increase between 35 percent and 45 percent to a level of 310 million euros to 330 million euros, while prior outlook was an increase between 25 percent to 35 percent to an amount of 285 million euros to 310 million euros. For more earnings news, earnings calendar, and earnings for stocks, visit rttnews.com Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. With more than 4.6 million members, JOYclub.com , Europe's biggest sex positive platform, splashes into the UK market , biggest sex positive platform, splashes into the UK market Post pandemic, the UK audience is thirsty for a place to explore, connect, meet and play Sex positive, diverse, and inclusive events find a new home for the first time under one umbrella in the United Kingdom London, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- JOYclub, Europe's biggest sex positive, inclusive community is thrusting into the United Kingdom this week. Beginning with a large out of home advertising campaign across London, co-hosted events, and a large digital presence, JOYclub brings the UK audience what it really wants: a place to explore their kinky side, connect in a safe, respectful place, meet new people and play out their wildest desires. "As we expand into the global market, the UK was the obvious next step. Demand is very high here for safe, inclusive spaces to explore one's sexuality. Of all of Europe, the UK is most aligned with Berlin's culture of clubs, parties and events, with a very vibrant and thriving sex positive kink culture. Where better for singles and couples than JOYclub.com? Unlike other well-known brands in the market, who feel exclusive, for "insiders", or only for the "rich and beautiful people," JOYclub is unique. Whatever your sexuality, your orientation, your preferences, or where you are in your sexual journey, JOYclub is a home for everyone." Ingmar Ackermann, CEO. Post pandemic, people are hungry for a "real" good time "During the pandemic, sex positive culture turned online. People felt safe to explore and experiment there. We saw a huge upsurge in visits to our site and responded with a range of erotic online workshops, meet-ups and livestream features. Now, people want to get out from behind the screen and back into the real world. They want fun: kinky clubs, events, private sex parties and erotic online events. And they want a space that's real: real bodies, real profiles and people, and where the events they attend are inclusive and diverse. No matter a person's experience level, or where they are on the kink continuum, they'll find a home at JOYclub.com" says Stephan Strehlow, Chief Marketing Officer, on JOYclub's motivation to expand into the UK. Bringing together thrill seekers, event organisers, and parties into one safe space for the first time JOYclub is also unique in the UK sex space. "We offer a holistic kink community, bringing together pleasure seekers with event organisers, sex party hosts, sex positive educators, and content creators. We've watched micro sexual movements open up to a wider sexual revolution across the world and we provide a home for this revolution," CEO, Ingmar Ackermann Featured in a wide variety of publications, including Cosmopolitan, GQ, Vice, and Der Spiegel, UK audiences can get to know JOYclub's platform and explore, connect, meet and play at JOYclub.com . About JOYclub Founded in Leipzig in 2005, JOYclub.com is a community for sex positive people. Well established, JOYclub has over 4.6 million happy members, over 2.000 new registrations per day, over 3.000 sex positive groups, more than 700 Livestreams per day, Europe's biggest kinky event calendar with more than 4.500 online and offline events per month. JOYclub's unique features protects real members and creates a safe space for explicit content and communication: real member verification through authenticity check and age verification, a no-dick-pic filter, and a no-thanks-button keeps away undesired content. JOYclub is available for web and app ("JOYCE"). Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1936509/JOYclub.jpg View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/joyclubcom-satisfies-uks-deepest-desires-with-national-market-entry-301666537.html Sydney, Australia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 3, 2022) - First Nations delegates are playing a key role at the International Mining and Resources Conference (IMARC) at the ICC Sydney this week. With 80% of future resources on Indigenous land or that of land-connected people, it's pivotal First Nations communities are included in the conversations and collaborations about the future of the sector. Setting the tone for the focus on this inclusion, Florence Drummond, the CEO of Indigenous Women in Mining and Resources Australia (IWIMRA) delivered a powerful First Nations Partner address. "IWIMRA started in 2017 and at that point we only had about half a per cent of indigenous women participating in the industry here in Australia so I'm very glad to see the development of initiatives to welcome more indigenous women into the industry." IWIMRA has partnered with IMARC, working to raise the profile of First Nations women and contributing to best practice solutions ensuring the visibility, voice and quality participation of Indigenous women within the sector. Ms. Drummond also chaired a panel of influential industry leaders at IMARC, discussing the importance of Indigenous participation across the supply chain with a focus on the engagement and procurement of Indigenous businesses. It's a very personal topic for panellist and Chair of the Barada Barna Aboriginal Corporation, Luarna Dynevor, a First Nations business owner who says it's vitally important that Indigenous organisations have the first right to refusal when mining companies are contracting third party vendors. "No one's ever asked me why I own a business. I own a business to employ my own people and keep them going and make sure they have success and that's why I push for those contracts," says Ms. Dynevor. She says in the last three years engagement of Indigenous businesses has improved, but there are still a lot of obstacles. "We're making these companies accountable and they're giving us the first right of refusal. The biggest challenge though, is compliance. Big companies make it so hard for small businesses to weave and navigate their way through compliance and if you don't have assistance in that, you're going to fail." Jim Walker is the Chair of the Cooperative Research Centre for Transformation in Mining Economies' (CRC TiME) First Nations Advisory Team, and says the importance of building relationships with Indigenous communities and businesses cannot be underestimated. "Indigenous people need to be included not as stakeholders but as rights holders. We need to be part of the decision making. We want a real participation in all things relating to mining and beyond," he says. Whitehaven Coal, the sponsor of IMARC's Indigenous Participation Program, spent $8.73 million with 14 local Aboriginal run businesses in 2021 and the company's Aboriginal Community Relations Manager Bob Sutherland says it's a vital contribution to these communities. "One of the things we are keen to do is make sure First Nations businesses are successful on all levels because the biggest employers of Indigenous people are Indigenous businesses and we want to make sure they are strong, resilient and able to move forward. "These businesses are changing people's lives, locally. We're making a difference, not only to the economic development within Aboriginal communities, but right across the north west of NSW," says Mr. Sutherland. Crucial conversations such as this will progress into the afternoon on IMARC 2022's final day as global mining leaders continue to collaborate on trends in mining, investment and innovation towards a sustainable future ENDS About The International Mining and Resources Conference (IMARC) is where global mining leaders collaborate on trends in mining, investment and innovation towards a sustainable future. As Australia's largest mining event, it brings together over 7,500 decision makers, mining leaders, policy makers, investors, commodity buyers, technical experts, innovators, and educators from more than 100 countries for three days of learning, deal-making and unparalleled networking. IMARC is developed in collaboration with its founding partners the Victorian State Government of Australia, Austmine, the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM) and Mines and Money. Media Enquiries Jim Carden +61 429 112 381 To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/142922 Research Findings Showcase How Different HEOR Modeling Methods Combined with RWD/RWE Are Taking the Industry's Conversations with the Payers to the Next Level Vienna, Austria, Nov. 03, 2022conference that combine different modeling methods with the latest advanced analytics technologies. Both will highlight the clinical and economic benefits of anti-arrhythmic drugs (AADs) for treating atrial fibrillation (AFib) as well as glargine insulin for treating type 2 diabetes. The poster findings underscore Axtria's work leading the evolution of advanced data analytics and intelligent software technology in the application of different real world evidence. The first Axtria poster, Clinical and Economic Outcomes Associated with Use of Anti-Arrhythmic Drugs Versus Ablation in Atrial Fibrillation (AFib), to be presented on Monday, November 7 at 15:00 (CET), utilizes a modeling approach called Rhythm Control to demonstrate the cost benefits of AADs compared to ablation as a treatment for AFib. The second Axtria poster, The Economic Value of Insulin Glargine 300 U/Ml (GLA-300) in People =18 Years of Age with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Value-Based Economic Model from a U.S. Payer Perspective, to be presented on Tuesday, November 8 at 15:00 (CET), uses another approach called prevalence-based value-based modeling to demonstrate the value and affordability of the insulin biosimilar glargine (Gla-300) over basal insulins for treating type 2 diabetes. Axtria's two posters at ISPOR Europe 2022 follow research the company presented at ISPOR 2022 last May that showed the cost-lowering and therapeutic benefits of administering dronedarone versus other AAD drug combinations in treating AFib). "With the evolution in new and advanced analytics and AI/ML models, overlaying and combining these models with the diversity of traditional RWE study approaches and an ever-growing range of clinical and patient data sets, the field of HEOR has never been in a better position to help all healthcare decisionmakers determine the most effective and cost-efficient drug therapies and treatment regimens for patients across multiple disease categories," said Won Chan Lee, Principal and Head, RWE/HEOR, Axtria. "We look forward to sharing the results of our work in integrated RWD/RWE analytics with the HEOR professional community at ISPOR Europe 2022 via our poster findings. We feel that our posters shed significant new light on what therapies show the best value and benefits in such diverse diseases and conditions as type 2 diabetes and AFib," added Lee. To schedule a meeting with Axtria's HEOR team at ISPOR Europe 2022 and/or to learn more about Axtria's integrated RWE/HEOR analytics solutions, please click here. About Axtria Axtria is a global provider of cloud software and data analytics to the life sciences industry, helping companies transform the product commercialization journey to drive sales growth and improve patient healthcare outcomes. Axtria strongly focuses on sales and marketing operations. With customers in over 75 countries, Axtria is one of the life sciences industry's most prominent global commercial solutions providers. Axtria helps customers improve operational effectiveness with solutions that leverage Big Data, cloud software, predictive analytics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. Axtria DataMAx, Axtria InsightsMAx, Axtria SalesIQ, Axtria MarketingIQ, and Axtria CustomerIQ are cloud-based software platforms that enable customers to efficiently manage data, deliver insights for sales and marketing planning, and manage end-to-end commercial operations. For more information, visit www.axtria.com. Connect with Axtria on: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/axtria/ (https://www.linkedin.com/company/axtria) (https://www.linkedin.com/company/axtria) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AxtriaInc (https://www.facebook.com/AxtriaInc) (https://www.facebook.com/AxtriaInc) Twitter: https://twitter.com/Axtria (https://twitter.com/Axtria) (https://twitter.com/Axtria) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifeataxtria/ (https://www.instagram.com/lifeataxtria/) Trademarks Axtria, Axtria SalesIQ, Axtria CustomerIQ, Axtria Marketing IQ, Axtria InsightsMAx, and Axtria DataMAx are trademarks or registered trademarks of Axtria. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. ### Attachment BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - RS Group plc (RS1.L) reported that its first-half adjusted profit before tax increased to 191.6 million pounds from 141.8 million pounds, prior year. Adjusted earnings per share was 31.5 pence compared to 23.0 pence. Profit before tax increased to 182.5 million pounds from 136.1 million pounds, last year. Earnings per share was 29.8 pence compared to 21.4 pence. Revenue was 1.46 billion pounds compared to 1.21 billion pounds, prior year. Revenue growth of 21% included a 16% like-for-like contribution and a 5% currency benefit. RS Group plc also announced that the Board has agreed for Lindsley Ruth, Chief Executive Officer, to take a leave of absence from the business with immediate effect. David Egan will assume Lindsley's duties in addition to his role as Chief Financial Officer, with support from members of the Group's senior management team. For more earnings news, earnings calendar, and earnings for stocks, visit rttnews.com. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. The company, founded by Matthieu Courtecuisse, announces the creation of a Life Science Consulting division, focused on supporting pharmaceutical, biotech, medical device, diagnostic and animal health industry and financial players. With the acquisition of Latham BioPharm Group, nearly 60 life science consultants become immediately available in the United States. The goal is to reach 200 employees with this new division by 2024. The Life Science sector is projected to represent 10% of the group's activity in 2024 and will be deployed in North America, Europe and Asia. Acquisition of Latham BioPharm Group. Sia Partners is accelerating its growth with the launch of a division dedicated to Life Science Consulting, thanks to the acquisition of Latham BioPharm Group (LBG), a comprehensive team of nearly 60 life science consultants with recognized global Life Sciences expertise, founded in 1996. With a turnover of nearly $20m, LBG is one of the top Life Science Consulting specialty firms supporting Non-Dilutive Funding, Product Development, and Strategic decision making for a wide range of sectors and clients. LBG is considered one of the leading companies in the US supporting the search for and securing of non-dilutive funding from recognized US government agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), including; BARDA, NIH, DoD (including CDMRP, DARPA, and DTRA), CEPI and others. For Product Development, LBG offers full functional product development support, including discovery, preclinical/toxicology, CMC (Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls), regulatory, clinical research, and project management. LBG's expertise also spans all major product types including small molecules, vaccines/large molecules, diagnostics, gene therapy, cell therapy, diagnostics, and medical devices. LBG's Strategic Consulting services include market research, financial analyses, and transaction-related support. "Since the creation of LBG, our ambition has been to help our clients save and improve lives through the funding and development of their Life Science offerings. The wave of scientific innovation we are experiencing is unprecedented, particularly at the intersection of the Life Sciences and Information Technologies. The merger with Sia Partners opens up new horizons for us, both geographically and in terms of access to new clients such as major players in the tech industry. It also strengthens our client offerings including in the areas of BioIT and digital health," explains LBG Founder Peter Latham. Together, activity in the pharmaceutical sector will represent nearly 30m, or 7.5% of the group, with a mix of Life Science consulting and strategy consulting. Peter Latham will head Sia Partners' new global Life Science division within the group's ExCom, and Joshua Speidel and Michael McGinnis will be appointed Partners within the group. All three join the U.S. management team. With this combination, the U.S. business will reach the $150m mark in the fiscal year ending June 2023, or 32% of the group, and is expected to exceed $200m in the year 2023. "The biopharmaceutical sector is at the heart of the current major transformations, and therefore, of our priorities. Developing first in the United States is obvious and bringing this expertise to Europe and APAC makes sense after Covid, at a time when governments have become aware of the need to have first-rate research units as well as production plants on their territories. The establishment of the European BARDA is an opportunity that we want to support," explains Matthieu Courtecuisse. "Pete and I have agreed on a global goal, supported by significant financial resources, that will allow us to grow organically at more than 20% per year but also to consider new acquisitions in the biopharmaceutical sector. Sia Partners, supported by a growth of +45%, has just passed the mark of 2,800 employees worldwide, spread across 40 offices. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221102005878/en/ Contacts: Sandrine Carreau sandrine.carreau@sia-partners.com DB Schenker boosts warehouse efficiency with automated components, picking systems and 100 autonomous mobile robots (AMR) HAMBURG, Germany, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- DB Schenker, one of the leading global logistics service providers, has partnered with Korber to implement automated warehouse operations for its new distribution center near Prague, CZ. The AMR installation, in particular, will be part of a highly automated logistics ecosystem and represents one of the largest AMR deployments of its kind in Eastern Europe. The implementation consists of a comprehensive breadth of automation and software components. This includes a large conveyor system, value added service lines, a packaging area as well as a cross belt shipping sorter and over 100 highly integrated AMRs provided by Geek+, a trusted partner of Korber. Korber's software solution will handle the work assignment orchestration of the BoTs allowing for fast, efficient goods-to-person picking activities. Approximately 15 workstations will be equipped with advanced put-to-light and pick-by-light systems for enhanced ergonomics and performance. These systems will be working completely integrated and intertwined to enable optimized strategies for enhanced customer services. The site consists of 18,000 sqm facility, dedicated to support the needs of a leading electronics company. "DB Schenker has experienced outstanding success since its inception as an early innovator in the Eastern European market. With COVID-19 driving more consumers online, we are well placed to increase and improve the service offering for our rapidly growing consumer base," says Ingo Brauckmann, Executive Vice President Contract Logistics / SCM Europe at Schenker. The relationship between Korber and DB Schenker dates back to 2006, testified by many successful projects in warehouse management software, automation, voice and simulation. With implementation progress in record time and an anticipated go-live in early 2023, Korber adds to this as DB Schenker's global preferred supplier for AMR-related systems. The robots will provide Schenker the capability to scale flexibly and gradually invest while increasing operational efficiency and performance, which is forecasted to double by 2034. "Our research has found that more than three out of four businesses make digitization and process automation a strategic priority," says Dirk Hejnal, CEO at the Korber Business Area Supply Chain. "At the same time, the issues around workplace safety and labor retention have never been greater. That's why we at Korber look forward to continuing our long-standing collaboration with Schenker." "Korber offers the benefits from both a safety and efficiency perspective to turn today's supply chain complexities into opportunities for future-proof business operations," adds Chad Collins CEO Software, Korber Business Area Supply Chain. "With our uniquely unrivaled depth of solutions, we empower our customers stay ahead of their competition." About DB Schenker With around 76,100 employees at more than 1,850 locations in over 130 countries, DB Schenker is one of the world's leading logistics providers. The company operates land, air, and ocean transportation services, and it also offers comprehensive solutions for logistics and global supply chain management from a single source. In 2022, DB Schenker celebrates its 150th company anniversary. In order to achieve its ambitious goal of climate neutrality by 2040, the logistics service provider is continuously investing in innovative transport solutions, renewable energy, and carbon-neutral products for its customers. About the Korber Business Area Supply Chain Supply chains are growing more complex by the day. Korber uniquely provides a broad range of proven, end-to-end supply chain solutions fitting any business size, strategy or appetite for growth. Our customers conquer the complexity of the supply chain thanks to our portfolio that includes software, automation, mail and parcel solutions, voice solutions, robotics, and materials handling - plus the expertise to tie it all together. Korber helps to manage the supply chain as a competitive advantage. Conquer supply chain complexity - with Korber. The Business Area Supply Chain is part of the global technology group Korber. Find out more on www.koerber-supplychain.com Contact: Mary-Jane Wuerker mary-jane.wuerker@koerber-supplychain.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1936499/Korber_Supply_Chain_DB_Schenker.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/warehouse-automation-2-0-db-schenker-relies-on-korbers-robotic-solution-for-next-generation-omnichannel-fulfillment-301667066.html SEOUL, South Korea, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Robert Yu, CEO of Yuyu Pharma, has been attending biopharmaceutical conferences held in Germany, BIO-Europe and CPHI. The purpose is to explore opportunities to expand into international markets, such as Europe. While attending BIO-Europe (Leipzig) and CPHI (Frankfurt), Robert Yu has focused on meeting with contract research organizations, Key Opinion Leaders, and potential clinical sites in preparation for clinical trials in US and Europe for Yuyu's dry eye drug, YP-P10, and androgenetic alopecia drug, DUT. Yuyu Pharma is currently conducting Phase 2 clinical trials for YP-P10 in the United States at 7 sites with 240 patients. Additionally, Robert Yu plans to meet with global pharmaceutical companies to discuss potential collaboration opportunities as well as meet with European officials in connection with regulatory affairs and drug registration. Robert Yu "by attending such conferences provides an opportunity to introduce the company and the portfolio of drug discovery program in development. We have received positive feedback about Yuyu's new drug pipeline and hope that this will turn into commercial success in the future." About Yuyu Pharma Yuyu Pharma (KRX: 000220) is a Korean pharmaceutical company founded in 1941 that manufactures and distributes pharmaceutical products, medical devices, and food supplements. The company is also committed to developing innovative therapeutics in the areas of Neurology, Urology, and Ophthalmology. Yuyu's Mission is to improve the quality of life and enhance well-being for all individuals by developing innovative healthcare products and services. Media Contact Sean Yoon hjyoon@yuyu.co.kr Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1936958/Yuyu_Pharma_attendance_at_European_Pharmaceutical_Conference.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/yuyu-pharma-attendance-at-european-pharmaceutical-conference-301667331.html - Butternut Box becomes one of only two pet food manufacturers to certify as a B Corporation - The certification comes as positive encouragement to the brand as it looks to focus more efforts towards reducing its carbon footprint in 2023 LONDON, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The UK's number one subscription dog food service, Butternut Box, has announced today its certification as a B Corporation, becoming one of only a handful of B Corp pet food brands in the UK, and only two in the manufacturing space. Following a rigorous certification process involving 285 questions, Butternut Box has been certified by B Lab, the not-for-profit behind the B Corp movement, as having met rigorous social and environmental standards which represent its commitment to goals outside of shareholder profit. With a holistic approach to sustainability, Butternut Box is committed to finding ways to make the most positive and long-lasting impact across all areas of its business. Focussed around three key pillars - environmental sustainability, charity & people - sustainable decision making is integrated across the entire business. "At Butternut, we've always believed in doing better. Cooking better food for dogs, providing better service to our customers, and being a better business in general," said Emma, Sustainability Manager at Butternut Box. "So we are honoured and delighted to have achieved B Corp status. We know that dog food manufacturers make a significant impact on the planet and natural world, but truly believe that change needs to come from high-impact businesses, those that need to work that bit harder to do good, by the sole nature of their industry. Collective action is key, and we want to use B Corp to help drive others to be better too." Butternut Box began its journey to certification in March 2021, when production was moved in-house by building Rudie's Kitchen, a fully integrated manufacturing, cold storage and fulfillment facility; giving full visibility and control over emissions. Following a ten month transition period, including a significant change in business model as the company grew from 80 to 450 employees, operational efficiency was significantly improved and food waste reduced to under 2%. The company also switched to 100% renewable electricity in November 2021, and in 2022 released two new low-carbon, meat-free recipes for dogs. The B Corp certification addresses the entirety of a business's operations and covers five key impact areas of Governance, Workers, Community, Environment and Customers, as well as a full transparency disclosure. Applicants are required to reach a benchmark score of over 80 while providing evidence of socially and environmentally responsible practices relating to energy supplies, waste and water use, worker compensation, diversity and corporate transparency. To complete the certification, the company will legally embed their commitment to purpose beyond profit in their company articles of association. Butternut Box is now part of a community of businesses globally who have certified as B Corps. The B Corp community in the UK, representing a broad cross section of industries and sizes, comprises over 950 companies and include well-known brands such as The Guardian, innocent, Patagonia, The Body Shop and organic food pioneers Abel & Cole. About Butternut Box: ?Butternut Box is a UK-based startup, founded by two friends, Kev & Dave. The two started the company after seeing the benefits that home-cooked food had on Dave's poorly rescue dog, Rudie. Butternut's mission is to deliver health and happiness to dogs and their humans all over the world. Butternut Box delivers delicious, human-quality meals for dogs, full of freshly prepared ingredients, straight to customers' doors. All meals are made with human-quality meat and vegetables, gently cooked to create simple, tasty and complete meals, and created with the right balance of vitamins and minerals for dogs of every age. Committed to changing the dog world for good, for every new dog that signs up, Butternut Box donates a much-needed meal to a dog in need, providing greater care and support to dogs across the nation. For more information, visit www.butternutbox.com. About B Lab UK: B Lab UK is transforming the economy to benefit all people, communities, and the planet. A leader in economic systems change, our global network creates standards, policies, and tools for business, and we certify companies-known as B Corps-who are leading the way. To date, our global community includes 5,575 B Corps in 83 countries and 157 industries, and over 150,000 companies manage their impact with the B Impact Assessment and the SDG Action Manager. http://bcorporation.uk Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1936956/Butternut_Box_B_Corp.jpg Contact: Jordan Carp +44 (0)7982 320380 poochpress@butternutbox.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/butternut-box-certifies-as-a-b-corporation-301667341.html - Second of two satellites to be placed at Eutelsat's flagship 13-degree East position - Bringing newest resources and enhanced services at Eutelsat EMEA'S leading TV neighbourhood - Capex optimization with replacement of three existing satellites by two, and application of design-to-cost policy - Satellite hosting the EGNOS GEO-4 payload, enabling the EUSPA to deliver reliable and secure space-based services Regulatory News: Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) (Paris:ETL) announced that EUTELSAT HOTBIRD 13G satellite was successfully launched into Geostationary Transfer Orbit by American space launch provider SpaceX using a Falcon 9 rocket that lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA at 1.22 am Eastern time on November 3rd (corresponding to 5.22 am UTC and 6.22 am CET on November 3rd The separation of the all-electric satellite occurred after a 35-minute flight and the spacecraft systems initialisation was successfully completed over a period of 3 hours. EUTELSAT HOTBIRD 13G is the second of two satellites built by manufacturer Airbus Defence and Space to be placed at Eutelsat's flagship 13-degree East neighbourhood position, replacing three older satellites. It is also based on the Eurostar Neo telecommunications satellite platform, developed under an ESA Partnership Project with Airbus designed to foster innovation and competitiveness in the European space industry. Once into orbit and positioned, the satellite EUTELSAT HOTBIRD 13G will, with its twin EUTELSAT HOTBIRD 13F launched on October 15th, reinforce and enhance the broadcast of more than a thousand television channels into homes across Europe, Northern Africa and the Middle East. Moreover, the two satellites will offer advanced features in terms of uplink signal protection and resilience. In February 2021, Eutelsat was entrusted once again by the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) to host the EGNOS GEO-4 payload, which is on board EUTELSAT HOTBIRD 13G. Eutelsat already operates the EGNOS GEO-3 payload on its EUTELSAT 5 West B satellite. EGNOS is the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service that acts as an augmentation service to global positioning systems, to improve the reliability of positioning information. This is ensured by a crucial integrity message which is essential in aviation where the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) alone does not satisfy strict operational requirements set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). It is especially important during critical aircraft flight stages such as the final approach. Other transport means including maritime and rail benefit from this EGNOS Safety of Life service. EGNOS also increases the positioning accuracy for other applications, such as precision farming, geomatics, land management and maritime. Eva Berneke, Eutelsat Chief Executive Officer said: "EUTELSAT HOTBIRD 13G is now on its way to join EUTELSAT HOTBIRD 13F at our flagship 13-degree East position. We also look forward to completing the GNSS network for our European Union long term customer and partner, the EUSPA. My congratulations to the Eutelsat, Airbus and SpaceX teams for another successful launch into geostationary orbit." About Eutelsat Communications Founded in 1977, Eutelsat Communications is one of the world's leading satellite operators. With a global fleet of satellites and associated ground infrastructure, Eutelsat enables clients across Video, Data, Government, Fixed and Mobile Broadband markets to communicate effectively to their customers, irrespective of their location. Around 7,000 television channels operated by leading media groups are broadcast by Eutelsat to one billion viewers equipped for DTH reception or connected to terrestrial networks. Committed to promoting all facets of sustainable development across its business activities, Eutelsat leverages its in-orbit resources to help bridge the digital divide while maintaining a safe and uncluttered space environment. As an attractive and socially responsible employer, Eutelsat assembles 1,200 men and women from 50 countries who are dedicated to delivering the highest quality of service. For more about Eutelsat go to www.eutelsat.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005704/en/ Contacts: Media Anita Baltagi Tel.: +33 1 53 98 47 47 abaltagi@eutelsat.com Daphne Joseph-Gabriel Tel.: +33 1 53 98 47 47 djosephgabriel@eutelsat.com Investors Thomas Cardiel Tel.: +33 1 53 98 46 81 tcardiel@eutelsat.com Alexandre Illouz Tel.: +33 1 53 98 46 81 aillouz@eutelsat.com SINGAPORE, Nov 3, 2022 - (ACN Newswire) - Kitchen Culture Holdings Ltd. ("Kitchen Culture" or the "Company") said today it will seek fresh legal advice on the validity of a letter from a law firm and fresh notice received by a group of 8 shareholders ("requisitioners") seeking to remove 5 of 6 directors via an Extraordinary General Meeting ("Second Intended EGM") proposed for 25 November 2022.The directors of SGX Catalist-listed provider of solutions and products for kitchens and wardrobes received the new notice ("Second Concatenation Purported Notice") as well as a lawyer's letter yesterday. The requisitioners also published an advertisement for the Second Concatenation Purported Notice in The Business Times today.OOWAY Group Ltd. ("OOWAY") - the Company's largest shareholder - and 7 individuals who own an aggregate of 21.71% of the Company's shares had issued Purported Notices under Section 177 of the Companies Act 1967 - on 30 September 2022 and 14 October 2022 - to remove the 5 directors. Kitchen Culture responded that the Purported Notices were defective and that any resolution passed on 1 November 2022 would be invalid.Kitchen Culture's Board, with the exception of Madam Hao Dongting, has said that there are no grounds to justify the resignations of the 5 directors - Mr Lim Wee Li (Executive Director), Mr Lau Kay Heng (Non-Executive Director and Vice-Chairman), and 3 Independent Directors, Mr Ang Lian Kiat, Mr William Teo Choon Kow and Mr Peter Lim King Soon.Mr Lau Kay Heng and Mr Peter Lim King Soon were named as new directors to on 15 July 2022, the same day that Mr Lincoln Teo, an OOWAY representative and former Interim CEO of Kitchen Culture, ceased to be Executive Director. The Company stressed that OOWAY had in fact supported the re-appointments of Mr William Teo Choon Kow and Mr Ang Lian Kiat at the Annual General Meeting held on 18 March 2022.Addressing the letter and notices received yesterday from a law firm, which did not confirm for whom they were acting, Kitchen Culture said:- The undated Second Concatenation Purported Notice contained resolutions for the proposed for Second Intended EGM scheduled for 25 November 2022 that were substantially similar to those proposed for the 1 November 2022 EGM that was 'postponed'. Yet it made no mention nor explained the so-called 'postponement' advertised by requisitioners on 29 October 2022 in The Business Times despite having issued a press release on 24 October 2022 urging shareholders to attend;- As the above documents gave notice of the "Second Intended EGM" "to be convened and held only be electronic means" on 25 November 2022, it remains unclear if requisitioners have detracted from the "postponed" 1 November 2022 EGM which they had earlier urged shareholders to attend;- The letter received from the law firm failed to explain how 2 earlier notices filed by requisitioners ahead of the earlier EGM (1 November 2022) can be "reissued" as a "composite" in the form of the Second Concatenation Purported Notice to call for the Second Intended EGM; and- The requisitioners did not confirm whether the requisitioners regard the Second Intended EGM to be in anyway connected with the 1 November 2022 EGM that was called off.The Company will seek to communicate with the requisitioners to minimise, if not to clear up, the confusion among shareholders which might have been caused by the requisitioners' actions or by the documents or omissions contained in the documents received yesterday.Kitchen Culture urged shareholders in the meantime "NOT to accept unquestioningly the Second Concatenation Purported Notice of EGM or its related Proxy Form, or the validity the Second Intended EGM. Instead, they should await further announcements of the Company to give updates on this subject."Kitchen Culture shares have been suspended from trading since July 2021. Its Board has seen several changes since the involvement of OOWAY in October 2020.Issued by:Kitchen Culture Holdings Ltd.9 Raffles Place, #52-02, Republic PlazaSingapore 048619Tel: +65 6471 6776, Fax: +65 6472 6776Media & Investor ContactWhatsapp (Text): +65 9748 0688kitchenculture@wer1.netThis press release has been reviewed by the Company's sponsor, SAC Capital Private Limited (the "Sponsor"). It has not been examined or approved by the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited (the "SGX-ST") and the SGX-ST assumes no responsibility for the contents of this press release, including the correctness of any of the statements or opinions made or reports contained in this press release.The contact person for the Sponsor is Ms. Lee Khai Yinn (Tel +65 6232 3210), at 1 Robinson Road, #21-00 AIA Tower, Singapore 048542.Kitchen Culture Holdings Ltd. [SGX: 5TI] [BBG: KCH:SP] [RIC: KCHL.SI] https://kcholdings.com.sgSource: Kitchen Culture Holdings LtdCopyright 2022 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved. A new partnership launched by Let Hutch Help and Bottomline Concepts is helping business owners claim their maximum allowable Employee Retention Credit rebates, which may be up to $26,000 per employee. Englewood, Colorado--(Newsfile Corp. - November 3, 2022) - Let Hutch Help and Bottomline Concepts have launched a new rebate application service to help small and medium-sized businesses claim tax credits through the Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC) program. More information about ERTC rebates, eligibility, and applications can be found at https://claimemployeeretentioncredit.com ERTC Grant Payroll Tax Rebate Application Service Launched By Let Hutch Help To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8814/142925_5826452c74125ba1_001full.jpg The rebate program helps employers to take advantage of several amendments to the ERTC program that have increased the maximum amount employers can claim and expanded the eligibility requirements. To qualify for the new rebate application, employers must have had between 5 and 500 W-2 employees during 2020 and 2021, excluding family members and owners, and had their businesses affected by the pandemic. The new program allows employers to claim rebates even if they have already enrolled in and received a loan through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Unlike the PPP, ERTC rebates are not a loan. Rebates claimed through the new service will never require repayment and have no restrictions on how they can be spent. Employers whose businesses suffered significant financial losses during the pandemic shut their doors due to government orders such as a lockdown, or had to operate at a reduced capacity, may be able to claim up to $26,000 per employee with the new rebate service. Let Hutch Help and Bottomline Concepts have included a no-cost, no-obligation eligibility assessment on the website to help employers determine if they qualify. The assessment is available to all small and medium-sized businesses, including startups and non-profit organizations, and uses four simple yes or no questions to determine if a business may qualify for rebates. Business owners can also enroll in a new informative webinar from the CEO of Bottomline Concepts, Josh Fox, to learn more about the program. The new webinar is available at no cost, and includes details about changes to the ERTC program, claiming rebates with PPP loans, and how much a business may be able to claim. The new rebate service includes no up-front fees and no risk. Businesses will not be charged until after their applications have been approved and their rebates received. Any business that does not qualify for or receive rebates will not be charged. More information about the ERTC webinar with Bottomline Concepts CEO, Josh Fox, can be found at https://claimemployeeretentioncredit.com/webinar-registration Contact Info: Name: Ryan Hutchison Email: hutch@lethutchhelp.com Organization: Let Hutch Help LLC Address: 3531 S Logan St D334, Englewood, Colorado 80113, United States Website: https://www.lethutchhelp.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/142925 Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - November 3, 2022) - Copper Fox Metals Inc. (TSXV: CUU) (OTCQX: CPFXF) (FSE: HPU) ("Copper Fox" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has retained Creative Capital Corporation ("Creative") to provide the Company investor relations services (the "Services") for an initial period of 12 months (the "Initial Term"), subject to the terms of the services agreement (the "Agreement"). The Agreement is subject to the approval of the TSXV and/or OTCQX. Elmer B. Stewart, President and CEO of Copper Fox stated, "The Company has retained Creative to provide heighten market awareness, and to broaden the Company's reach within the investment community." The Company is engaging Creative to increase general market awareness of Copper Fox. Pursuant to the Agreement, Creative is required to comply with all applicable securities laws and the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV") and the OTCQX Market ("OTCQX") in connection with the Services. The Services will include Investor Relations Activities as such term is defined under the Policies of the TSXV and OTCQX. Creative will receive a monthly fee of $6,500 CAD plus applicable taxes for the Services during the Initial Term, unless terminated by the Company. The fee to be paid by the Company to Creative is for the Services only. The Company and Creative act at arm's length, and Creative has no interest, directly or indirectly, in the Company or its securities or any right to acquire such an interest. Creative is incorporated in the Province of Alberta, operating out of Airdrie, and is run by Mr. Jason Shepherd. Mr. Shepherd has been providing investor relations ("IR") services to several companies since 1994, including a previous time with Copper Fox from 2005 to 2014. Mr. Shepherd's knowledge of the Company, along with his vast experience in the IR field, make him an excellent choice to expand the investor outreach of Copper Fox. Jason Shepherd, the President of Creative commented "Copper Fox has an exciting portfolio of exploration and development stage projects including its Van Dyke project in Arizona that is at the PEA stage along with its joint venture with Teck Resources Limited on the Schaft Creek project in BC. I'm excited to let more people know about the great potential of these projects in a rising copper price environment." About Copper Fox Copper Fox is a Tier 1 Canadian resource company focused on copper exploration and development in Canada and the United States. The principal assets of Copper Fox and its wholly owned Canadian and United States subsidiaries, being Northern Fox Copper Inc. and Desert Fox Copper Inc., are the 25% interest in the Schaft Creek Joint Venture with Teck Resources Limited on the Schaft Creek copper-gold-molybdenum-silver project located in northwestern British Columbia and the 100% ownership of the Van Dyke oxide copper project located in Miami, Arizona. For more information on Copper Fox's other mineral properties and investments visit the Company's website at www.copperfoxmetals.com. On behalf of the Board of Directors Elmer B. Stewart President and Chief Executive Officer For additional information contact: Jason Shepherd at 1-844-464-2820 or investor@copperfoxmetals.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of the Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking information is generally identifiable by use of the words "believes," "may," "plans," "will," "anticipates," "intends," "budgets", "could", "estimates", "expects", "forecasts", "projects" and similar expressions, and the negative of such expressions. Forward-looking information in this news release include statements about: heighten market awareness; broadening the Company's reach within the investment community; the purpose of the Creative engagement; the payment by the Company for the Services and the timing thereof; the approval of the TSXV and/or OTCQX; and the intended content of the Services. In connection with the forward-looking information contained in this news release, Copper Fox and its subsidiaries have made numerous assumptions regarding, among other things: the Services will be provided as expected and will produce the intended results; and the Company will receive all required approvals, if any, in connection with the Agreement. While Copper Fox considers these assumptions to be reasonable, these assumptions are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies. Additionally, there are known and unknown risk factors which could cause Copper Fox's actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information contained herein. Known risk factors include among others: required approvals for the Agreement, if any, may not be obtained; the Services performed may not be as expected or may not have the expected results; and the Agreement may be terminated early. A more complete discussion of the risks and uncertainties facing Copper Fox is disclosed in Copper Fox's continuous disclosure filings with Canadian securities regulatory authorities at www.sedar.com. All forward-looking information herein is qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement, and Copper Fox disclaims any obligation to revise or update any such forward-looking information or to publicly announce the result of any revisions to any of the forward-looking information contained herein to reflect future results, events, or developments, except as required by law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/142856 U.S. school shooter sentenced to life in prison for 2018 attack Xinhua) 14:34, November 03, 2022 WASHINGTON, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- The perpetrator of the 2018 Parkland school shooting, one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Wednesday. Broward Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer sentenced Nikolas Cruz to 34 life terms for killing 17 people and injuring 17 others in the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Cruz, 24, was ordered to be transferred to the custody of the Florida Department of Corrections. He had been tried for months for the massacre after pleading guilty last year to murdering 17 people, including 14 students. (Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Liang Jun) Explore the potentials of Malaysia Healthcare at World Travel Market London 2022 LONDON, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Malaysia Healthcare is strengthening its global proposition for preventive healthcare via strategic partnerships at the World Travel Market 2022 ("WTM") in London. As a nation, Malaysia eagerly encourages global citizens to prioritise preventive care by taking charge of their health and well-being. Malaysia Healthcare is at the forefront of this phenomenon with a health system that has been evolving from curative care and treatments to preventive health and wellness. This has led to the debut of Malaysia Healthcare's Premium Wellness Programme, an industry-wide collaborative effort with numerous top-tier private hospitals, hotels and travel companies in Malaysia which integrates comprehensive health screening with world-class hotel accommodation, leisure tour itinerary with options for healthcare travellers to add on dental aesthetics and cosmetic procedures as well as other treatments such as Hepatitis C, cancer, and heart screening. "In line with the third Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of the United Nations to 'ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages', Malaysia is committed to consistently progressing our healthcare system to empower and encourage healthier lifestyles with enhanced health screening capabilities, for everyone," said Mohd Daud Mohd Arif, Chief Executive Officer of the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC). Malaysia is a top-of-mind destination for healthcare travellers from around the world and was awarded "Destination of the Year" by UK-based healthcare travel authority International Medical Travel Journal (IMTJ) in 2020. Malaysia's strong reputation as a destination for travel and healthcare attracted 1.06 million European tourists and 1.22 million healthcare travellers in 2019 alone, with the top 10 countries of arrivals to Malaysia for healthcare travel being Australia, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, Somalia, United Kingdom, and United States. Malaysia's niche treatment areas include cardiology, oncology, fertility, orthopaedics, neurology, and aesthetics such as bariatric treatments, as well as dental and other cosmetic services. In addition to its commitment to providing affordable, accessible, seamless, and end-to-end quality healthcare, it is also fortifying its healthcare offerings through strategic partnerships with travel agents and healthcare facilitators at regional and global levels. Also present at WTM are the country's tourism partners, including Tourism Malaysia and state tourism bodies from Sarawak, Sabah, Penang, Selangor, Johor, Perak and Melaka who work closely with Malaysia Healthcare, alongside leading private hospitals of Malaysia to provide a holistic and seamless healthcare experience through premium wellness packages. MHTC will also be signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with SHINON Healthcare, a leading medical assistance and healthcare consultant which assists patients to seek treatment outside of their country and act as their local guarding in the chosen destination. With healthcare travel being a key economic driver for Malaysia, WTM provides a synergistic platform for interested international parties to pursue business collaborations with Malaysia's key stakeholders and realise opportunities for 2023 and beyond. "We recognise how crucial it is to form strategic partnerships to catalyse industry recovery moving into 2023. It is key for Malaysia Healthcare to identify and join forces with other industry partners who share the same value system and commitment towards service excellence. We are at WTM London to reach out to travel agents and healthcare facilitators, whose markets have been historically coming to Malaysia for both healthcare and tourism opportunities, for collaborative opportunities and training programmes, such as the Health Facilitator Training Programme. Our intention is to ensure we engage the like-minded partners, such as SHINON Healthcare, in realising our ambition of offering the Best Healthcare Travel Experience," continued Mohd Daud. The Health Facilitator Training Programme is a capacity building effort aimed at equipping tour and travel agents with the necessary knowledge and skills to thereafter provide services to returning and potential healthcare travellers who recognise Malaysia as a preferred destination for healthcare. "Malaysia is currently home to over 250 private healthcare facilities that are highly regulated by the Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH) and recognised globally. The MOH oversees the ceiling rates for healthcare treatments in Malaysia, thus ensuring fair price structures for all healthcare travellers. As such, healthcare travellers are assured of accessible and affordable healthcare with little to no waiting time. We welcome all healthcare travellers to experience the best of healthcare travel with Malaysia Healthcare and take advantage of the seamless end-to-end services provided, from point of enquiry to post-treatment care," said Mohd Daud. Visit the Malaysia Healthcare booth at the Malaysia Pavilion this 7th to 9th November 2022 at World Travel Market at ExCel, London, for opportunities to network with representatives from Malaysia Healthcare and explore exclusive healthcare packages. For more information, please visit https://www.malaysiahealthcare.org/, www.facebook.com/MHTCMalaysia or LinkedIn (Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council). Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1937265/MHlogoJul22_copy__1.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/malaysia-seeks-strategic-global-partnerships-to-accelerate-its-growth-trajectory-as-a-preferred-healthcare-destination-301667402.html ETF for politically conservative investors continues to outperform the S&P 500 while excluding 25% of the companies perceived as most hostile to conservative values* WASHINGTON, DC / ACCESSWIRE / November 3, 2022 / American Conservative Values ETF (ACVF) celebrated another successful year of relative performance and advocacy. It has outperformed the S&P 500 this year (and since its inception.) The ETF steers politically conservative investors away from companies that are either openly hostile to their values or are aggressively promoting "the woke" liberal political agenda at the expense of shareholders. The companies that are excluded from its portfolio currently represent 25% of the S&P 500*. *Performance data vs. the S&P 500 as well as a list of excluded companies is provided on ACVF's Sep-22fact sheet. ACVF's priority is shareholder returns and providing an investment alternative for politically conservative investors. Simply put, ACVF seeks to boycott as many companies perceived as hostile to conservative values as possible without sacrificing performance. "We are doing exactly what we intended when we launched ACVF in October 2020. We provide an S&P 500 investment alternative for politically conservative investors" states ACVF CEO and co-founder William Flaig. Adding "Conservative investors found themselves alienated with limited choices as the corporate world become more and more willing to cater to the demands of the political left. In response, we created this ETF to service fellow conservative investors." ACVF's President and co-founder, Tom Carter, reiterated: "ACVF has proven its ability to balance advocacy with delivering large cap performance. While demonstrating proof of concept, a conservative fund can effectively compete in a market dominated by well-established, left-leaning institutions. ACVF's advocacy strategy is an expression of our guiding principle - companies should not play politics." Believing the economic tool of denying companies capital is a powerful and immediate impetus for management to focus on business. ACVF refuses to invest in the companies most at risk to the "woke liberal agenda" and what we believe is a wasteful misallocation of investors' capital. "Our boycotts should reflect concerns within the conservative community - such as suppression of conservative voices by big tech, CEOs engaging in political speech, and companies pushing the woke agenda," said Flaig. Tom Carter stated, "We do not want to give the companies that are eagerly working to destroy conservative values our hard-earned investment dollars, and neither should you. Companies like Walt Disney, Blackrock, Google, Amazon, and others." Most Woke Companies Survey Results Beyond divestment, ACVF's shareholder engagement targets corporate initiatives that appear to prioritize activities beyond the interests of the shareholders. These activities need either to be justified to shareholders or ceased. "The desire to limit the financial impact of political speech by executives as well as rolling back corporate initiatives that push environmental, social and governance (ESG) policies, particularly diversity and inclusion initiatives are targets of ACVF's shareholder advocacy," said Carter. He added, "We believe in meritocracy in employment and although diversity can be good in certain instances, mandated diversity can negate hiring policies that should be based on merit." As such ACVF's adviser Ridgeline Research has submitted the following proposal for consideration at Microsoft's December 13th, 2022 Annual Meeting. "Diversity and Inclusion Cost/Benefit Analysis Proposal" - Shareholder Proposal 1 on Page 71 of their proxy statement. Microsoft's Notice of Annual Shareholders Meeting and Proxy Statement 2022 "We are proud of ACVF's accomplishments and its value proposition for our conservative friends and families," ended Flaig. Links InvestConservative.com 30sec Video ACVF Factsheet About ACVF The American Conservative Values ETF (ACVF) is based on the conviction that politically active companies negatively impact their shareholder returns as well as support issues and causes that conflict with our conservative political ideals, beliefs, and values. ACVF's priority is shareholder returns and providing an investment alternative for politically conservative investors. Simply put, ACVF seeks to boycott as many companies perceived as hostile to conservative values as possible without sacrificing performance. ACVF is designed to replace your current large-cap investments. To schedule an interview with Mr. Flaig or Mr. Carter, please contact them at wflaig@ridgelineresearch.com, 301-685-7121 tcarter@ridgelineresearch.com, 301-685-7122 www.InvestConservative.com SOURCE: American Conservative Values ETF View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/723587/American-Conservative-Values-ETF-Celebrates-Its-Second-Anniversary-continuing-its-track-record-of-Performance-and-Advocacy Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 3, 2022) - Thesis Gold Inc. (TSXV: TAU) (WKN: A2QQ0Y) (OTCQX: THSGF) ("Thesis" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Company has received just over C$7.5 million from the exercise of 10,055,820 warrants (the "Warrants") that expired on October 31st 2022, with a strike price of $0.75. As of November 03, the Company has 64,885,864 million common shares outstanding. Proceeds from the exercise of the warrants will be used by the Company to help fund future exploration on its Ranch Gold Project, located in the Golden Horseshoe of north-central British Columbia, Canada. Ewan Webster, President, and CEO commented, "We would like to thank our existing shareholders for their continued support and vote of confidence in the project. The proceeds brought in by the exercise of the warrants strengthen our treasury and will allow us to continue advancing exploration on our Ranch Project. The majority of drill results from our summer 2022 drill program remain outstanding and we look forward to sharing those as they become available in the near future." On behalf of the Board of Directors Thesis Gold Inc. "Ewan Webster" Ewan Webster Ph.D., P.Geo. President, CEO, and Director About Thesis Gold Inc. Thesis Gold is a mineral exploration company focused on proving and developing the resource potential of the 17,832-hectare Ranch Gold Project located in the "Golden Horseshoe" area of northern British Columbia, approximately 300 km north of Smithers, B.C. For further details about the Ranch Gold Project and the 2021 drill program, please click here to watch videos on the project. For further information or investor relations inquiries, please contact: Dave Burwell Vice President The Howard Group Inc. Email: dave@howardgroupinc.com Tel: 403-410-7907 Toll Free: 1-888-221-0915 Nick Stajduhar Director Thesis Gold Email: nicks@thesisgold.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, without limitation, statements regarding the use of proceeds from the Company's recently completed financings and the future plans or prospects of the Company. Generally, forward-looking information 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 state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions that, while considered reasonable by management, are inherently subject to business, market, and economic risks, uncertainties, and contingencies that may cause actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Other factors which could materially affect such forward-looking information are described in the risk factors in the Company's most recent annual management's discussion and analysis, which is available on the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/142889 Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award is one of the world's top awards in nursing with the highest prize money. The first edition was held in Dubai on International Nurses Day in May 2022 . on International Nurses Day in . Nurses from over 184 countries have submitted their nominations till date. Other nurses can apply via www.asterguardians.com by November 30, 2022 . . Registered nurses can apply in any of the seven Languages - English, Mandarin, Hindi, Spanish, French, Arabic or Tagalog DUBAI, UAE, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Aster DM Healthcare, one of the largest integrated healthcare providers in GCC and India, has announced London as the next destination for Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award 2023 ceremony. The award was announced on International Nurses Day 2021 as an initiative by the group to recognize the contribution of nurses to mankind and to the healthcare community. The inaugural edition was held in Dubai on International Nurses Day in May 2022. Commenting on this, Dr. Azad Moopen, Founder Chairman and Managing Director of Aster DM Healthcare, said, "Being the largest awards for the nurses in the world, Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award has been recognized and applauded by the medical fraternity and public across globe. After successfully conducting the first award function In Dubai this year, the organizing committee decided to have the second edition of the award function in Europe next year. London is considered the ideal venue due to many reasons including being the headquarters of the commonwealth. We hope this will be a good tribute to the millions of nurses from many countries who have been serving the healthcare systems in various European countries like the NHS in United Kingdom. We anticipate large participation of nurses from across the world, especially Britain." The Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award 2023 has started accepting registrations from nurses across the world to apply for the award by submitting nomination of their work in their preferred language - English, Mandarin, Hindi, Spanish, French, Arabic or Tagalog via www.asterguardians.com. The deadline for the submission is November 30, 2022. Nurses can apply in one Primary and up to two Secondary areas of contribution, namely - Patient Care, Nursing Leadership, Nursing Education, Social or Community service and Research or Innovation. The secondary areas of contribution can be optional. To know more, please visit: https://www.asterguardians.com/. About Aster DM Healthcare Aster DM Healthcare Limited is one of the largest private healthcare service providers operating in GCC and in India. With an inherent emphasis on clinical excellence, we are one of the few entities in the world with a strong presence across primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary healthcare through our 29 hospitals, 121 clinics, 421* pharmacies, 17 labs and 109 patient experience centers in seven countries, including India. We have over 27,200 plus dedicated staff including 3,441 doctors and 7,901 nurses across the geographies that we are present in, delivering a simple yet strong promise to our different stakeholders: "We'll treat you well." We reach out to all economic segments in the GCC states through our differentiated healthcare services across the 'Aster', 'Medcare' and 'Access' brands. * Including 176 Pharmacies in India operated by Alfaone Retail Pharmacies Private Limited under brand license from Aster. For more information about us, please contact: Lavanya Mandal Head of PR and Internal Communications Aster DM Healthcare Tel: +971-528126577 Email: lavanya.mandal@asterdmhealthcare.com Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1736797/Aster_Guardians_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/aster-guardians-global-nursing-award-2023-worth-250-000-to-be-held-in-london-301667415.html WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Cigna Corp. (CI) said, for 2022, the company now expects adjusted income from operations per share of at least $23.10, an increase of $0.20 from previous guidance. Adjusted revenues is anticipated to be at least $179.0 billion, an increase of $1.0 billion from prior guidance. The company noted that the outlook includes the impact of expected future share repurchases and anticipated 2022 dividends. Third quarter adjusted income from operations was $1.9 billion, or $6.04 per share, compared with $1.9 billion, or $5.73 per share, last year. Analysts on average had expected the company to earn $5.71 per share, according to figures compiled by Thomson Reuters. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items. Earnings totaled $2.76 billion, or $8.97 per share compared with $1.62 billion, or $4.80 per share, a year ago. Total revenues for third quarter 2022 were $45.3 billion. Adjusted revenues were $45.36 billion compared to $44.31 billion, prior year, and reflect strong performance led by Evernorth. Analysts on average had estimated $44.76 billion in revenue. For more earnings news, earnings calendar, and earnings for stocks, visit rttnews.com. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Sierra Metals Inc (TSX: SMT) (BVL or Bolsa de Valores de Lima: SMT) (NYSE AMERICAN: SMTS) ("Sierra Metals" or "the Company") announces the filing at the BVL by its subsidiary, Sociedad Minera Corona S.A. ("Corona") of its unaudited Financial Statements and the Management's Discussion and Analysis ("MD&A") for the third quarter of 2022 ("Q3 2022"). The Company holds an 81.8% interest in Corona. The unaudited Financial Statements and MD&A can be viewed at: SMV -- Superintendencia del Mercado de Valores -- Informacion Financiera To search for the Company's financial statements, enter the following parameters in the empty fields: Empresa: Sociedad Minera Corona S.A. Periodo: 2022 and Trimestre III Sierra Metals will be releasing its Q3 2022 consolidated financial statements on Monday November 14th, 2022, with an investor conference call taking place on Tuesday November 15th, 2022. About Sierra Metals Sierra Metals Inc. is a diversified Canadian mining company with Green Metal exposure including copper production and base metal production with precious metals byproduct credits, focused on the production and development of its Yauricocha Mine in Peru, and Bolivar and Cusi Mines in Mexico. The Company is focused on increasing production volume and growing mineral resources. The Company has large land packages at all three mines with several prospective regional targets providing longer-term exploration upside and mineral resource growth potential. The Company's Common Shares trade on the Toronto Stock ESxchange and the Bolsa de Valores de Lima under the symbol "SMT" and on the NYSE American Exchange under the symbol "SMTS". For further information regarding Sierra Metals, please visit www.sierrametals.com. Continue to Follow, Like and Watch our progress: Web: www.sierrametals.com Twitter: sierrametals Facebook: SierraMetalsInc LinkedIn: Sierra Metals Inc Instagram: sierrametals Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian and United States securities legislation. Forward-looking information relates to future events or the anticipated performance of Sierra and reflect management's expectations or beliefs regarding such future events and anticipated performance based on an assumed set of economic conditions and courses of action. In certain cases, statements that contain forward-looking information can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", "believes" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved" or the negative of these words or comparable terminology. By its very nature forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual performance of Sierra to be materially different from any anticipated performance expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking information, including, without limitation, the risks described under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's annual information form dated March 16, 2022 for its fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 and other risks identified in the Company's filings with Canadian securities regulators and the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, which filings are available at www.sedar.com and www.sec.gov, respectively. The risk factors referred to above are not an exhaustive list of the factors that may affect any of the Company's forward-looking information. Forward-looking information includes statements about the future and is inherently uncertain, and the Company's actual achievements or other future events or conditions may differ materially from those reflected in the forward-looking information due to a variety of risks, uncertainties and other factors. The Company's statements containing forward-looking information are based on the beliefs, expectations, and opinions of management on the date the statements are made, and the Company does not assume any obligation to update such forward-looking information if circumstances or management's beliefs, expectations or opinions should change, other than as required by applicable law. For the reasons set forth above, one should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005348/en/ Contacts: Investor Relations Sierra Metals Inc. Tel: +1 (416) 366-7777 Email: info@sierrametals.com Luis Marchese CEO Sierra Metals Inc. Tel: +1 (416) 366-7777 LAGOS, NIGERIA / ACCESSWIRE / November 3, 2022 / Jumia Technologies AG (NYSE:JMIA), ("Jumia"), today announced that it will release its results for the quarter ended September 30, 2022 before the U.S. market opens on Thursday, November 17, 2022. Management will host a conference call at 8:30 a.m. US Eastern Time on the same day. Details of the conference call are as follows: US Dial-in (Toll Free): 877 545 0523 International Dial-in: 973 528 0016 United Kingdom Toll Free: 0808 189 0336 Entry Code: 611795 A live webcast of the earnings conference call can be accessed on the Jumia Investor Relations website: https://investor.jumia.com/ An archived webcast will be available following the call. Please visit the Investor Relations website to view the press release and accompanying slides ahead of the conference call. About Jumia Jumia is the leading pan-African e-commerce platform, present across 11 countries in Africa. Its mission is to improve the quality of everyday life in Africa by leveraging technology to deliver innovative, convenient and affordable online services to consumers, while helping businesses grow as they use Jumia's platform to better reach and serve consumers. The Jumia platform consists of a marketplace, which connects sellers with consumers, a logistics service, which enables the shipment and delivery of packages from sellers to consumers, and a payment service, which facilitates transactions among participants active on the Jumia platform in selected markets. On the marketplace, more than 100,000 sellers offer a broad range of goods and services. Jumia Logistics facilitates the delivery of goods in a convenient and reliable way, leveraging an extensive network of third-party logistics service providers, seamlessly integrated through the Jumia proprietary technology platform. JumiaPay offers a safe and easy solution to facilitate online payment transactions on the Jumia platform, with the intention of integrating additional financial services in the future. Contacts Safae Damir Head of Investor Relations investor-relations@jumia.com Abdesslam Benzitouni Head of PR and Communications press@jumia.com SOURCE: Jumia Technologies AG View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/723718/Jumia-to-Announce-Third-Quarter-2022-Results-on-November-17-2022 COEUR D'ALENE, ID / ACCESSWIRE / November 3, 2022 / Idaho Strategic Resources, Inc. (NYSE American:IDR) ("IDR", "Idaho Strategic" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the conclusion of its first-phase exploratory drilling on its Diamond Creek Rare Earth Elements Project; after a two-month delay of the program due to the Moose Fire. IDR completed twelve drillholes from five different pads for a total of 1,200 meters (m). The following is a letter to shareholders from Idaho Strategic's VP of Exploration, Rob Morgan. I am extremely optimistic about our progress so far. As I reflect on our first full field season in central Idaho, we not only completed our first drill program at Diamond Creek we also continued sampling and mapping both the Roberts area and parts of Lemhi Pass. Beginning the drill program, we aspired for Rare Earth Element (REE) intercepts of 1-meter true thickness and with grades up to 1% total rare earth oxide (TREO). Upon completion of the program, our preliminary inspections of the drill core, using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis, show encouraging results with zones exceeding 3-meter widths and potential TREO grades up to 2%. Of course, these results are not from an accredited laboratory, but it does make us eager to get the holes into the lab for results as quickly as possible. It is going to take a couple of months to properly log, sample, and assay our core, which is why we felt our stakeholders would appreciate a "you now know what we know" update. It is apparent from looking at the core, that we had a successful test with this drill program at Diamond Creek. One drill hole completed on the Lucky Gem drill pad successfully center-punched the zone and intercepted 46 meters of brilliantly colored REE mineralization. In addition to nice concentrations of REE's, we also noted areas with higher readings of Niobium and Titanium. We are still working on what this might mean economically if it holds true with assay results. I would especially like to thank locals Chuck, Gary, and Larry (who probably have 175 years of experience between them) for bringing their 'A' game. Their assistance proved invaluable to the successful completion of our drill program, especially as we navigated the challenges associated with the Moose Fire. Through this drill program and with the help of our friends in Salmon, we have not only advanced the Diamond Creek REE project, as Idahoans we have advanced a property that is included in our national inventory of Rare Earths by the USGS, that is well studied by the Idaho Geological Survey (IGS), and is now ready to help bring Idaho and the Salmon area into the national conversation. At Diamond Creek, the REE mineralization occurs along a 2-mile length of the Diamond Creek Fault. The project consists of four distinct areas identified as Contact, Lucky Gem, Simer, and Frank Burch. The 2022 drill program tested two of these areas; the Contact area located in the north, and the Lucky Gem area located in the north-central portion of the project (Figure 1). The first four drillholes were conducted from two pads in the Contact area; and the remaining eight holes were completed from three pads in the Lucky Gem area, approximately 650 m along trend to the south of Contact. Initial assumptions for the program were that mineralization was in near vertical sheeted veins, however we were pleasantly surprised as it became evident that the REE mineralization at Diamond Creek appears to be a 'hydrothermal fracture and replacement system'. The first three exploration holes attempted to cross as many structural features in the Contact area as possible including two REE zones and the Diamond Creek Fault. Visual inspection of these holes showed moderate to strong REE replacement alterations at each anticipated interval. A fourth hole was conducted from a second pad site approximately 100 m south. This hole targeted the Diamond Creek Fault and an outlier REE zone. Again, cursory visual inspection of this hole showed surprising enrichment of REE's at the Diamond Creek Fault. The next three holes were conducted from a pad in the Lucky Gem area. All holes encountered shallow, brightly colored, gossanous REE mineralization, and aided in defining a bedding conformable zone. Building on this information, the fourth hole was positioned in an attempt to center-punch this zone by drilling down-dip. This hole successfully intercepted 46 meters of brilliantly colored REE oxides (Photos 2 & 3). The last four holes targeted various directional, 25 m step-outs, from mineralization. Mineralization remains open in three directions. Additionally, due to the delay caused by the Moose Fire, we were able to adapt our efforts into further examining the Roberts/Mineral Hill district; and add to our expansive project portfolio in the Lemhi Pass District. In fact, after our additional field work it is apparent that the Lemhi Pass area, being well known for its abundance of REEs and recognized as the #1 Thorium district in the U.S., is really comprised of 5 distinct and identifiable 'district-scale' project areas. On a last note, as the drill rig was moving out of Diamond Creek, we were able to cut and sample a trench along the drill pad during reclamation (Photo 4). This trench exposed REE mineralization for more than 30 meters of strike length. Qualified person IDR's Vice President of Exploration, Robert John Morgan, PG, PLS is a qualified person under S-K 1300 and is a specialist in the fields of geology, exploration, and Mineral Resources and Reserves estimation and classification. Mr. Morgan is considered a QP for this report and has reviewed and approved the technical information and data included in this press release. About Idaho Strategic Resources, Inc. Domiciled in Idaho and headquartered in the Panhandle of northern Idaho, Idaho Strategic Resources (IDR) is one of the few resource-based companies (public or private) possessing the combination of officially recognized U.S. domestic rare earth element properties (in Idaho), the largest known concentration of thorium resources in the U.S., and Idaho-based gold production located in an established mining community. Idaho Strategic Resources produces gold at the Golden Chest Mine located in the Murray Gold Belt (MGB) area of the world-class Coeur d'Alene Mining District, north of the prolific Silver Valley. With over 7,000 acres of patented and unpatented land, the Company has the largest private land position in the area following its consolidation of the Murray Gold Belt for the first time in over 100-years. In addition to gold and gold production, the Company maintains an important strategic presence in the U.S. Critical Minerals sector, specifically focused on the more "at-risk" Rare Earth Elements (REE's) and Thorium. The Company's Diamond Creek and Roberts REE properties are included the U.S. national REE inventory as listed in USGS, IGS and DOE publications. IDR's Lemhi Pass Thorium-REE Project is recognized by the USGS and IGS as containing the largest concentration of thorium resources in the country. All three projects are located in central Idaho and participating in the USGS Earth MRI program. With an impressive mix of experience and dedication, the folks at IDR maintain a long-standing "We Live Here" approach to corporate culture, land management, and historic preservation. Furthermore, it is our belief that successful operations begin with the heightened responsibility that only local oversight and a community mindset can provide. Its "everyone goes home at night" policy would not be possible without the multi-generational base of local exploration, drilling, mining, milling, and business professionals that reside in and near the communities of the Silver Valley and North Idaho. For more information on Idaho Strategic Resources click here for our corporate presentation, go to www.idahostrategic.com or call: Travis Swallow, Investor Relations & Corporate Development Email: tswallow@idahostrategic.com Phone: (208) 625-9001 Forward-Looking Statements This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended that are intended to be covered by the safe harbor created by such sections. Often, but not always, forward-looking information can be identified by forward-looking words such as "intends", "potential", "believe", "plans", "expects", "may", "goal', "assume", "estimate", "anticipate", and "will" or similar words suggesting future outcomes, or other expectations, beliefs, assumptions, intentions, or statements about future events or performance. Forward-looking information includes, but are not limited to, Idaho Strategic Resources targeted production rates and results, the expected market prices of gold, individual rare earth elements, and/or thorium, as well as the related costs, expenses and capital expenditures; the potential advancement of the Company's projects, the potential development of its Diamond Creek project, the pending lab analysis of the Diamond Creek drill core, and the reliability of X-ray fluorescence (XRF) results. Investors are cautioned not to put too much reliance on XRF analysis as it is not representative or indicative of the pending REE analysis from an accredited lab. Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of Idaho Strategic Resources as of the date such information is provided and is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance, or achievements of IDR to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. The forward-looking statement information above, and those following are applicable to both this press release, as well as the links contained within this press release. With respect to the business of Idaho Strategic Resources, these risks and uncertainties include risks relating to widespread epidemics or pandemic outbreaks, if they occur, including our ability to access goods and supplies, the ability to transport our products and impacts on employee productivity, the risks in connection with the operations, cash flow and results of the Company relating to the unknown duration and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; interpretations or reinterpretations of geologic information; the accuracy of historic estimates; unfavorable exploration results; inability to obtain permits required for future exploration, development or production; general economic conditions and conditions affecting the industries in which the Company operates; the uncertainty of regulatory requirements and approvals; fluctuating mineral and commodity prices; the ability to obtain necessary future financing on acceptable terms; the ability to operate the Company's projects; and risks associated with the mining industry such as economic factors (including future commodity prices, and energy prices), ground conditions, failure of plant, equipment, processes and transportation services to operate as anticipated, environmental risks, government regulation, actual results of current exploration and production activities, possible variations in ore grade or recovery rates, permitting timelines, capital and construction expenditures, reclamation activities. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, or intended. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such information. Additional information regarding the factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from this forward-looking information is available in Idaho Strategic Resources filings with the SEC on EDGAR. IDR does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or other such factors which affect this information, except as required by law. Figure 1 Photo 1- First Drill Pad Photo 2 - DC 22-8 Core at 35.4 m Photo 3 - DC 22-8 Core, at 39.3 m Photo 4 - Lucky Gem Excavator SOURCE: Idaho Strategic Resources, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/723699/Idaho-Strategic-Announces-Completion-of-its-2022-Diamond-Creek-Rare-Earth-Element-Drill-Program-Via-a-Letter-to-Shareholders-from-its-VP-of-Exploration TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / November 3, 2022 / Aston Bay Holdings Ltd. (TSXV:BAY)(OTCQB:ATBHF) ("Aston Bay" or the "Company") today reports final assay results from the 2022 drill season, confirming significant near surface high-grade copper at the Storm Copper Project ("Storm" or the "Project") on Somerset Island, Nunavut, Canada. This is the maiden drilling program for American West Metals Limited ("American West"), who are the project operator, since entering an option agreement with Aston Bay in March 2021. Highlights Diamond drilling continues to define near surface high-grade copper at Storm, more than doubling the mineralized envelope at the 2750N Zone and substantially enhancing the resource potential New significant intersections include: 19m @ 2.08% copper (Cu) from 58 metres (m) downhole, including; 2m @ 15.98% Cu from 70m downhole (ST22-06) 10m @ 2.36% Cu from 53m downhole, and; 7m @ 1.08% Cu from 79m downhole (ST22-04) 2m @ 1.81% Cu from 36m downhole, and; 7m @ 1.00% Cu from 40m downhole, and; 1m @ 5.75% Cu from 13m downhole (ST22-07) A high volume of near-surface high-grade copper at the 2750N Zone has now been confirmed with mineralization open to the west along a 1km prospective strike length Potential to further define near-surface high-grade copper deposits, with future drilling of the 2200N and 4100N Zones where multiple intersections of massive copper sulfides have been discovered by historical drilling Drill core samples from the 2022 program are being shipped to Perth for further beneficiation test work, to follow-up the initial test work that produced a Direct Shipping Product with a grade >53% Cu "These drill results confirm the near-surface high grade copper mineralization at the 2750N Zone, likely doubling the volume of mineralization, once again demonstrating the enormous potential of the Storm Project," stated Thomas Ullrich, CEO of Aston Bay. "We look forward to next season's drill campaign, which aims to define further resources at the 2750N Zone as well at other areas of near-surface high-grade copper mineralization, such as the 2200N and 4100N Zones. "Samples are enroute for the next phase of beneficiation test work to be conducted over the winter, with the objective of developing a definitive flowsheet for a potential direct shipping product mining operation. We are excited by the very successful efforts of our partner American West to so rapidly advance the project." Figure 1: Plan view of the 2750N Zone showing drilling and gossans over aerial photography. Stated drill hole intersections are all core length, and true width is expected to be 60% to 95% of core length. The final batch of assays results has been received for diamond drill holes ST22-03, ST22-04, ST22-06, ST22-07 and ST22-08 (Table 1). A total of 997m of shallow drilling was completed at the 2750N Zone during the 2022 program (See Table 3 for previously reported significant intervals). All drill holes completed at the 2750N Zone were designed to test the continuity and extensions to the copper mineralization encountered in historical drilling (Figure 1) and to confirm the potential for potentially mineable volumes of copper mineralization. Thick intervals of copper mineralization in these recent drill holes located in the western portion of the 2750N Zone give strong indications that the mineralization may continue across a large north-south oriented gully (interpreted to be a fault). High-grade copper at surface and extensive geochemical anomalies along strike of the 2750N Zone supports the growth potential of the prospect to extend a significant distance to the west. Drilling within the east portion of the 2750N Zone shows that the mineralization may pinch out or be offset by faulting. The results of surface geochemistry to the east supports the apparent waning in the strength of near surface mineralization in this direction. Faults are believed to be a major control on mineralization. Further drilling will aim to define the structural architecture of the 2750N Zone and to expand the economic potential of the Storm Project by defining additional resources at the highly prospective 2200N and 4100N Zones. These opportunities offer outstanding upside and large-scale potential for a low-footprint, direct shipping product (DSP) type operation. Figure 2: Orthographic view of the 2750N drilling showing mineralized envelope (>0.5% Cu) and copper grades Drill Hole Details Drill holes ST22-06 and ST22-07 were drilled in the western part the 2750N Zone and successfully encountered thick intervals of copper sulfides. Mineralization encountered in these two drill holes is similar to that observed in other drill holes in this area and, importantly, is dominantly chalcocite. Mineralization at Storm is typically zoned, with a margin of pyrite-chalcopyrite-sphalerite-galena mineralization surrounding a copper-rich chalcocite core (chalcocite contains 79.9% copper). The presence of chalcocite suggests that these two drill holes are in the core of the mineralized system, with additional mineralization potentially located to the west. Drill holes ST22-03, ST22-04 and ST22-08 are all located in the eastern portion of the 2750N Zone. ST22-04 was drilled within the same section as ST22-05 and encountered strong copper mineralization, including 2m @ 4.04% Cu and 1m @ 8.29% Cu within a broader interval of 10m @ 2.36% Cu from 53m downhole. The assay results for ST22-03 and ST22-08 shows intervals of lower grade copper, which is a function of the fined grained/veinlet style of the mineralization encountered in these drill holes. The assays also indicate that some mineralization initially logged within ST22-03 and ST22-08 is sooty pyrite and marcasite, not chalcocite, and this would support the interpretation that this may be a marginal part of the ore system to the east within this zone. Another interpretation is that the mineralization in the east may be offset by a series of north-south oriented faults. The presence of brecciated rock in drill hole ST22-02 and at the surface, accompanied with very fine-grained (sooty and potentially milled) pyrite and apparent left-lateral offset of the zone may indicate fault offsets of the mineralization. The drill holes completed this year within the 2750N Zone have confirmed the thicknesses and grade of the historical copper intersections and continuity between drill holes. The mineralized system is interpreted to be open to the west and we expect further discoveries along strike. Early indications suggest that given the high grades, increasing volumes and shallow nature of the copper mineralization, there is high potential that the 2750N Zone could support an initial small footprint DSP type operation. Table 1 summarises the significant intersections in drill holes ST22-03, ST22-04, ST22-06, ST22-07 and ST22-08. Intersections are expressed as downhole widths and are interpreted to be approximately 60 to 95% of true width. A cut-off grade of 0.5% copper is used to define a significant intersection and is based on sulphide mineralogy, mineralization habit and expected beneficiation performance. Previously announced significant drill intervals from the 2022 drilling program are presented in Table 3. Hole ID From (m) To (m) Width Cu % Zn % Ag g/t ST22-03 11 12 1 0.97 - - 96 98 2 0.55 - - 106 108 2 0.81 - - ST22-04 39 41 2 0.63 - - 53 63 10 2.36 - - Including 57 59 2 4.04 - - And 61 62 1 8.29 - - 71 72 1 0.56 - - 79 86 7 1.08 - - ST22-06 53 54 1 1.33 58 77 19 2.08 - - Including 70 72 2 15.98 - - 83 86 3 0.54 - - 95 97 2 0.58 - - ST22-07 13 14 1 5.75 - - 17 23 6 0.52 - - 36 38 2 1.81 - - 40 47 7 1.00 - - Including 44 45 1 3.89 - - ST22-08 55 56 1 2.05 - - 65 66 1 0.51 - - 69 70 1 0.57 - - Table 1: Summary of significant drilling intersections for drill holes ST22-03, ST22-04, ST22-06, ST22-07 and ST22-08 (>0.5% Cu). Expansion Potential of Near Surface Mineralization This drill program has highlighted the continuity of the near surface copper mineralization and the potential for significant tonnages within the 2750N Zone. This zone is one of five major zones of high-grade mineralization that has been identified by historical exploration; four remaining zones await follow-up drilling to confirm potential additional copper mineralization. The areas of immediate exploration interest are the 2200N and 4100N Zones, where thick intervals of copper mineralization have already been defined by historical drilling. Additional drilling at these zones is expected to significantly increase the scale of the near surface copper mineralization within the Storm Project area. Figure 3: Plan view of the 2200N and 2750N Zones showing copper grade distribution within drilling, shallow and deep EM anomalies, outcropping copper mineralization and faults overlaying regional geology. The largely untested 2200N Zone has a strike extent of at least 300m. Stated drill hole intersections are all core length, and true width is expected to be 60% to 95% of core length. 2200N Zone The 2200N Zone is located approximately 540m to the south of the 2750N Zone and is characterized by extensive outcropping of chalcocite over several hundred metres. The 2200N Zone is also located within an area of faulting related to the main graben structures. Historical drilling has intersected bornite and chalcocite mineralization including 6.4m* @ 7.38% Cu from surface and 22.35m* @ 1.56% Cu from 22.9m downhole (ST97-03), similar to the 2750N Zone. Drill hole and geochemical data indicate that the main part of the 2200N Zone may be up to 300m long, 60m wide and 40m thick. Extensions to this zone are supported by the presence of a shallow and strong Fixed Loop Electromagnetic (FLEM) anomaly that was defined in the 2021 survey (see December 14, 2021 news release) and historical Induced Polarization (IP) data. Both the 2750N and 2200N Zones are located above a large, flat lying and deeper 1,800 x 1,000m Fixed Loop Electromagnetic (FLEM) anomaly that was also identified in the 2021 EM program. This feature is coincident with strong gravity anomalism between the major graben faults (Figure 5), which is an ideal location for the accumulation of sedimentary copper mineralization. 4100N Zone The 4100N Zone is a blind zone of mineralization defined by a historical Versatile Time domain Electromagnetics (VTEM) anomaly that is over 1km long, and multiple untested shallow FLEM plates that were defined in the 2021 survey. Given the lack of false-positive anomalies encountered in drilling to date and extensive copper mineralization in historical holes, these EM conductors could represent further occurrences of copper sulfide mineralization. Historical drilling at the 4100N Zone includes 15m* @ 3.88% Cu (ST99-47), and 4.8m* @ 3.7% Cu and 5.8m* @ 3.6% Cu (ST99-53). The copper mineralization intersected to date is dominantly chalcocite, which occurs in breccias and steeply dipping veins (typical of the near surface mineralization at Storm). The 4100N offers considerable room for expansion (Figure 4). The known mineralization in the zone extends over an area of at least 1,000m x 400m and is open to the north, east and west, with potential for deep extensions to the mineralization across a fault on the south side of the Zone. Seventeen holes have been drilled at spacings of 100m to 200m, and all have encountered copper mineralization. The mineralization drilled to date is irregular but extensive and lies at a predictable stratigraphic position. Figure 4: Plan view of the 4100N Zone showing copper grade distribution within drilling, shallow/deep EM anomalies and faults overlaying regional geology. The main 4100N Zone has drill hole copper intersections supported by untested EM anomalies over 1km of strike. Stated drill hole intersections are all core length, and true width is expected to be 60% to 95% of core length. The recent drill results from hole ST22-10 (see September 28, 2022 news release) suggest that near surface mineralization is related to a large sedimentary copper style system at depth. This large-scale potential is highlighted by a series of coincident EM, IP and gravity anomalies in the 4100N Zone, which are over 5km in length (Figure 5). The 2200N and 4100N zones present as compelling and high priority target areas to add further potential high-grade copper resources at surface, and to significantly increase the scale of the copper endowment within the Storm Project. In addition, there remains considerable discovery potential in exploration of the deeper FLEM conductors that may represent sedimentary copper style mineralization. Figure 5: Plan view of the entire Storm Project area showing drilling, major graben faults, deep electromagnetic plates and induced polarization anomalies overlaying regional gravity image. Note that the coincident IP, EM and strong gravity anomalies lay adjacent to or between the major graben faults - typical locations for the accumulation of sedimentary copper style mineralization. Drilling Program Summary Hole ID Prospect Easting Northing Depth (m) Azi Inclination ST22-01 2750N 466230 8172841 128 180 -50 ST22-02 2750N 466202 8172763 155 360 -65 ST22-03 2750N 466293 8172778 119 359 -68.6 ST22-04 2750N 466276 8172827 146 182 -60.3 ST22-05 2750N 466275 8172827 89 180 -45.8 ST22-06 2750N 466178 8172828 152 180 -53 ST22-07 2750N 466164 8172804 101 197 -52 ST22-08 2750N 466328 8172822 107 180 -55 ST22-09 Loop10_1 466947 8172552 155 018 -60 ST22-10 Loop7_2 464323 8174299 382.6 180 -68.4 Table 2: Drill hole details. Planned Program Work will continue to progress both the near-surface development and exploration/discovery paths for the Storm Project. Further diamond drilling is planned to expand the shallow, high-grade 2750N Zone, and to define initial resources at the 4100N and 2200N Zones where shallow high-grade copper mineralization has been intersected in historical drilling. Exploration activities including drilling and geophysics are also planned to follow-up the significant new discovery of sediment hosted style copper mineralization, which is associated with a large EM anomaly to the west of the previously recognized and highly mineralized 4100N Zone. With six EM anomalies similar to the one that has successfully yielded copper mineralization remaining to be tested, there is potential for multiple large-scale mineralized systems to occur at these deeper levels. Physical properties measurements on drill core from the new discovery will also be conducted to further refine the geophysical modeling and future drill targeting. Beneficiation and metallurgical test work will soon commence on drill core (ST22-02) from this year's program. The aim of this work is to create a definitive flow sheet for a direct shipping product operation from the 2750N Zone. Previous test work on Storm drill core has produced a >53% copper product using a full-scale ore sorter and with no further processing or optimization (see April 11, 2022 news release). Hole ID From (m) To (m) Width Cu % Zn % Ag g/t ST22-01 50 53 3 0.77 - - Including 50 51 1 1.05 - - 65 71 6 2.3 - - Including 66 67 1 10.6 - - 82 83 1 1.69 - - ST22-02 8 56 48 2.92 - - Including 14 15 1 21.9 - - And 29 37 8 7.86 - - Including 34 37 3 12.12 - - And 48 50 2 10.24 - - And 53 56 3 3.07 - - 82 83 1 3.93 - - 87 88 1 4.97 - - ST22-05 38 79 41 4.18 - - Including 47 62 15 10.05 - - Including 48 53 5 24.28 - - ST22-10 29.11 37.00 7.89 - 0.18 2.33 Including 32.00 33.00 1.00 - 1.05 7 41.27 56.00 14.73 - 0.09 1.56 63.00 66.00 3.00 - 0.02 1 145.50 150.50 5.00 - 0.04 2.2 311.00 317.00 6.00 0.12 - 1 Including 313.00 314.00 1.00 0.41 - 2 323.00 327.00 4.00 0.27 - - Including 323.00 325.00 2.00 0.44 - - 358.00 366.50 8.50 - 0.04 - Table 3: Significant drill intervals announced previously for the 2022 drilling program. Interval cut-off grades for ST22-01, ST22-02 and ST22-05 (>0.5% Cu), and for exploration drill hole ST22-10 (>0.1% Cu, >0.01 Zn). About the Storm Copper and Seal Zinc-Silver Projects, Nunavut The Nunavut property consists of 117 contiguous mining claims and six prospecting permits covering an area of approximately 302,725 hectares on Somerset Island, Nunavut, Canada. The Storm Project comprises both the Storm Copper Project, a high-grade sediment hosted copper discovery (intersections including 110m* @ 2.45% Cu from surface and 56.3m* @ 3.07% Cu from 12.2m) as well as the Seal Zinc Deposit (intersections including 14.4m* @ 10.58% Zn, 28.7g/t Ag from 51.8m and 22.3m* @ 23% Zn, 5.1g/t Ag from 101.5m). Additionally, there are numerous underexplored targets within the 120-kilometre strike length of the mineralized trend, including the Tornado copper prospect where 10 grab samples yielded >1% Cu up to 32% Cu in gossans. *Stated drill hole intersections are all core length, and true width is expected to be 60% to 95% of core length. Figure 6: Storm Copper Project, Location Map. QA/QC Protocols The analytical work reported on herein was performed by ALS Global ("ALS"), Vancouver Canada. ALS is an ISO-IEC 17025:2017 and ISO 9001:2015 accredited geoanalytical laboratory and is independent of Aston Bay Holdings Ltd., American West Metals Limited, and the QP. Drill core samples were subject to crushing at a minimum of 70% passing 2 mm, followed by pulverizing of a 250-gram split to 85% passing 75 microns. Samples were subject to 33 element geochemistry by four-acid digestion and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) to determine concentrations of copper, silver, lead, zinc, and other elements (ALS Method ME-ICP61a). Overlimit values for copper (>10%) and were analyzed via four-acid digestion and ICP-AES (ALS Method Cu-OG62). Aston Bay Holdings Ltd. and American West Metals Limited followed industry standard procedures for the work carried out on the Storm Project, incorporating a quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) program. Blank, duplicate, and standard samples were inserted into the sample sequence and sent to the laboratory for analysis. No significant QA/QC issues were detected during review of the data. Aston Bay Holdings Ltd. and American West Metals Limited are not aware of any drilling, sampling, recovery, or other factors that could materially affect the accuracy or reliability of the data referred to herein. Qualified Person Michael Dufresne, M.Sc., P.Geol., P.Geo., is a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information in this press release. About Aston Bay Holdings Aston Bay is a publicly traded mineral exploration company exploring for high-grade copper and gold deposits in Virginia, USA, and Nunavut, Canada. The Company is led by CEO Thomas Ullrich with exploration in Virginia directed by the Company's advisor, Don Taylor, the 2018 Thayer Lindsley Award winner for his discovery of the Taylor Pb-Zn-Ag Deposit in Arizona. The Company is currently exploring the high-grade Buckingham Gold Vein in central Virginia and is in advanced stages of negotiation on other lands with high-grade copper potential in the area. The Company is 100% owner of the Storm Project property, which hosts the Storm Copper Project and the Seal Zinc Deposit and has been optioned to American West Metals Limited. About American West Metals Limited AMERICAN WEST METALS LIMITED (ASX: AW1) is an Australian company focused on growth through the discovery and development of major base metal mineral deposits in Tier 1 jurisdictions of North America. They are a progressive mining company focused on developing mines that have a low-footprint and support the global energy transformation. Their portfolio of copper and zinc projects include significant existing mineral resource inventories and high-grade mineralization that can generate robust mining proposals. The company is commitment to the ethical extraction and processing of minerals and making a meaningful contribution to the communities where our projects are located. The company is led by a highly experienced leadership team, with strategic initiatives that lay the foundation for a sustainable business which aims to deliver high-multiplier returns on shareholder investment and economic benefits to all stakeholders. For further information on American West, visit: www.americanwestmetals.com. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS Statements made in this news release, including those regarding the Option Agreement, grant of the Option and the expected closing date, American West's interest in the Storm Project and its other acquisitions and plans, plans for the upcoming field season, management objectives, forecasts, estimates, expectations, or predictions of the future may constitute "forward-looking statement", which can be identified by the use of conditional or future tenses or by the use of such verbs as "believe", "expect", "may", "will", "should", "estimate", "anticipate", "project", "plan", and words of similar import, including variations thereof and negative forms. This press release contains forward-looking statements that reflect, as of the date of this press release, Aston Bay's expectations, estimates and projections about its operations, the mining industry and the economic environment in which it operates. Statements in this press release that are not supported by historical fact are forward-looking statements, meaning they involve risk, uncertainty and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although Aston Bay believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on these statements, which apply only at the time of writing of this press release. Aston Bay disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required by securities legislation. For more information contact: Thomas Ullrich, Chief Executive Officer thomas.ullrich@astonbayholdings.com 416-456-3516 Salisha Ilyas, Investor Relations salisha.ilyas@astonbayholdings.com 647-209-9200 SOURCE: Aston Bay Holdings Ltd. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/723651/Aston-Bay-Announces-New-Assays-Confirming-Significant-High-Grade-Copper-at-Storm-Project-Nunavut Topcon Positioning Systems has committed to making two significant donations to TU Dublin, Ireland's first technological university, which will enhance students' experience with education on the latest digital construction methods. The announcement marks another step in the longstanding relationship between the two organizations. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221102005912/en/ Topcon representatives and TU Dublin President David FitzPatrick and staff are pictured with students during the announcement at the Grangegorman campus. (Photo: Business Wire) As a designer, manufacturer and distributor of precision measurement and workflow solutions, Topcon has a unique opportunity to support the university with an initial equipment donation worth 1.5 million in market value, which will be continually updated with the latest technology available. This approach is part of what Topcon terms its "Learn-Apply-Build" (LAB) initiative, helping universities keep pace with the rapid changes in advanced technologies for hands-on training, equipping students with knowledge of the most current construction and geopositioning tools as they enter the workforce. Additionally, Topcon has committed to be a TU Dublin Cornerstone Donor, providing a philanthropic donation of 500,000 over a period of five years. This funding will support the development of a new Design Construct Centre at TU Dublin's Broombridge site in Cabra, which will be a National Centre of Excellence for construction, engineering, and architectural education, and expand the university's footprint in the Dublin 7 area. The donation also includes two fully funded, four-year scholarships to the university, and the relationship will see students given the opportunity to take part in internships across the globe in Topcon locations. Current estimations predict that the Irish construction sector will employ only 78,000 workers by 2025, but with the Irish government's ambitious National Development Plan requiring 180,000 construction workers1, a boost to the sector's workforce is imperative. Topcon's partnership with TU Dublin aims to address not only Ireland's skills gap, but also strengthen the pipeline of highly skilled workers entering the sector across Europe. To mark this philanthropic support, a visit to the Broombridge site was recently made by Topcon representatives. The group met with TU Dublin staff and students to see first-hand how valuable the investment will be for their education and future careers. Topcon is driving digitalization and automation in the construction industry, with its advanced positioning technologies and digital construction workflows improving productivity and profitability on projects internationally. Ivan Di Federico, executive vice president and chief strategy officer for Topcon Positioning Systems, said, "It is with great pride that we are able to enhance our relationship with TU Dublin and support the future of the construction industry. The university has historically provided Topcon with a fantastic pool of talent and many alumni now occupy senior positions throughout the business. We are excited to be able to provide the students with the latest technology to advance their education and support the next generation as they prepare to enter the workforce. It's only by investing in the future that we can ensure continued success for a sector that supports the development and growth of the world around us." President of TU Dublin, Professor David FitzPatrick, said, "I am thrilled to welcome Topcon to our campus at Grangegorman today as we announce another phase of their extraordinary and ongoing support of the university. Responding to the needs of the sector, TU Dublin is developing the Design and Construct Centre for collaborative, multidisciplinary education that will drive growth and performance in the architecture, engineering, and construction industries, through the development and deployment of talent and technology. Topcon's incredible generosity will accelerate our vision to deliver first-class learning for students across all levels and disciplines from apprenticeships to PhDs, as well as providing education and research facilities that will be critical to the next generation of graduates." Video of the event is available here vimeo.com/762826893/93da806114. For more information about Topcon, visit www.topconpositioning.com. For more information about TU Dublin, visit www.tudublin.ie. About Topcon Positioning Group Topcon Positioning Group, always one step ahead in technology and customer benefits, is an industry leading designer, manufacturer and distributor of precision measurement and workflow solutions for the global construction, geospatial and agriculture markets. Topcon Positioning Group is headquartered in Livermore, California, U.S. (topconpositioning.com, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook). Its European head office is in Capelle a/d IJssel, the Netherlands. Topcon Corporation (topcon.com), founded in 1932, is traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (7732). We are TU Dublin Deeply embedded in our region, TU Dublin has campuses in Dublin City Centre, in Blanchardstown and in Tallaght, and, through our major infrastructural development plan, we are currently investing over 500 million in new, state-of-the-art, technology-enabled facilities to enhance our students' experience. A leader in STEM disciplines, TU Dublin also supports the largest cohorts of students of business, media, culinary arts, and the creative and performing arts. We are passionate about life-long learning, and as the largest provider of part-time education, we make an important contribution to the economic life of Ireland, enabling capacity building for the future. Our distinguished researchers and innovators are pioneers in science and technology discovery, play active roles in informing policy and standards; and contribute to the creative life of Ireland. Our award-winning technology transfer and business incubation activity has delivered over 400 new sustainable businesses with an economic value of almost 700 million. With an international outlook, we welcome students and staff from around the world, while our strong international partnerships provide opportunities for student and staff exchange programmes, major cross-collaboration research projects, and employment opportunities. We are immensely proud of our network of 100,000+ TU Dublin graduates who are making their careers here in Ireland and in 70 countries worldwide. Joining the ranks of exceptional technological universities around the world, TU Dublin is planning an exciting future... Infinite Possibilities. https://www.tudublin.ie/ 1 https://www.independent.ie/business/irish/construction-worker-shortage-could-derail-ambitious-ndp-plans-41063389.html View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221102005912/en/ Contacts: Tangerine Communications TEP@tangerinecomms.com EMEA: +44 161 817 6600 Topcon Positioning Group CorpComm@topcon.com Staci Fitzgerald, +1 925-245-8610 LONDON, Oct. 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- At a press conference in Male, Maldives on 22ndOctober 2022, Judge Malcolm Simmons said: "Judicial performance evaluation programmes identify gaps in judicial skills and knowledge, increase transparency, consistency and accountability of the judicial system, improve case and court management, and promote greater public understanding of the courts. They are an essential tool in improving the quality of the judiciary and the effectiveness and efficiency of the justice system." The judicial performance evaluation policy was drafted by Judge Malcolm Simmons. Following the successful conclusion of a pilot project earlier this year, all judges and magistrates in the Maldives will now be subject to a performance review every two years. The evaluation process will identify gaps in knowledge and skills and assist the Judicial Academy in delivering training courses to meet identified training needs. The new evaluation policy will focus on legal reasoning, impartiality and integrity, professionalism, communication and case management. Judges will be assessed against a judicial competency framework. Judges who consistently fail to meet acceptable standards may be removed from office. "Judicial performance evaluation will serve to enhance public confidence in the administration of the justice system," said Judge Simmons. Since 2017 Judge Malcolm Simmons has advised senior judiciary and those responsible for the administration of justice. Judge Simmons has significant experience in major justice and rule of law projects in the Maldives and Asia. He conducted an assessment of the provision of judicial training; drafted the current training curriculum for judges; developed the policy to evaluate judges and magistrates; conducted training of trainer's programs in, amongst other programs, criminal practice and procedure, judicial case management, ethics and conduct, legal reasoning and judgment writing, sexual and gender-based violence and civil procedure. He also drafted the Criminal Courts Bench Book. His Honour Judge Malcolm Simmons is the resident judge in the Falkland Islands, Acting Supreme Court Judge and His Majesty's Coroner for the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, the South Sandwich Islands and British Antarctica. He previously served as an international judge hearing war crime and serious and organised crime cases. He is particularly well-known for his judicial reform work and has more that 20 years of experience training judges, prosecutors and lawyers. He has worked in judicial reform projects in Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo, Serbia, Pakistan and Maldives. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1932758/Edward_Montague.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/judge-malcolm-simmons-and-the-united-nations-development-programme-in-maldives-concluded-a-three-day-training-for-senior-court-judges-on-the-implementation-of-the-new-judicial-performance-evaluation-process-301662636.html Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / November 3, 2022 / Forward Water Technologies Corp. ("Forward Water" or the "Company") (TSXV:FWTC) is pleased to announce that it has been awarded $97,773 in matching funds as part of The Canadian Food Innovation Network's Innovation ("CFIN") Booster Program. Forward Water is developing an entirely new, food-safe process for cold concentration of foodstuffs, resulting in up to 10x the concentration capability when compared to thermally based technologies. This technology which stems from the forward osmosis proprietary process already used by the Company, is expected to advance the competitiveness of Canada's food business ecosystem through the production of higher quality end products with reduced GHG emissions associated with conventional processing. President and CEO, Howie Honeyman comments, "The ability to cold concentrate liquid food and beverage streams preserves the high quality of the product while intensifying flavours and aromas, produces no secondary waste stream, and accomplishes the process using only a fraction of the energy that traditional thermal processes require. The net result is a superior product made at reduced costs that lowers GHG emissions. The support from CFIN will enable us to accelerate this development and get to market even faster". The CFIN Food Innovation Challenge seeks to support disruptive start-ups in the food service industry who are on the cusp of development and commercialization. The challenge is limited to Canadian-led collaborations and grants are awarded based on merit. "This project is a great example of the transformative innovation happening across Canada's food sector that often goes unnoticed or undercelebrated. We're excited to support Forward Water as they bring their sustainable cold concentration process technology to market where it can enhance and improve several products and process while reducing energy consumption." -- Joe Lake, CEO of CFIN About Forward Water Technologies Corp. Forward Water Technologies Corp. is a publicly-traded Canadian company dedicated to saving the earth's water supply using its patented Forward Osmosis technology. The Company was founded by Green Centre Canada a leading technology innovation centre, supported by the government of Canada. The Company's technology allows for the reduction of challenging waste streams simultaneously returning fresh water for re-use or surface release. The Company's mandate is to focus on the large-scale implementation of its technology in multiple sectors, including industrial wastewater, food and beverage concentrates, oil and gas, mining, agriculture and ultimately municipal water supply and re-use market sectors. For more information, please visit www.forwardwater.com . About Canadian Food Innovation Network: The Canadian Food Innovation Network (CFIN) is a national non-profit, member-based organization that's stimulating transformative and transferrable innovation across the Canadian food sector. We connect the Canadian food ecosystem to fresh insights, ideas, and technologies to elevate their business and increase their innovation capacity. You can become a CFIN member (for free!) in less than five minutes. To learn more about CFIN, please visit www.cfin-rcia.ca . Mr. Howie Honeyman, Ph.D., President & Chief Executive Officer Forward Water Technologies Corp. howie.honeyman@forwardwater.com Phone: (519) 333-5888 For further information please contact: Kayla.ferderber@forwardwater.com Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this news release constitute "forward-looking information" as such term is used in applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking information is based on plans, expectations and estimates of management at the date the information is provided and is subject to certain factors and assumptions, including, the ability to scale the technology and the adoption of the technology by potential customers. Forward-looking information is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause plans, estimates and actual results to vary materially from those projected in such forward-looking information. Some of the risks and other factors that could cause results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: unanticipated operating events; the availability of capital on acceptable terms; the need to obtain required approvals from regulatory authorities; stock market volatility as well as the other risks and uncertainties applicable to the Company as outlined in the Company's continuous disclosure filings filed under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com . The Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, other than as required by applicable law. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. SOURCE: Forward Water Technologies Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/723661/Forward-Water-Technologies-Awarded-CFIN-Innovation-Booster-Grant-in-Partnership-with-Canadian-Food-Innovation-Network TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / November 3, 2022 / ARway Corporation ("ARway" or the "Company") (CSNX:ARWY), an augmented reality no-code spatial computing platform and indoor wayfinding solution for the real world metaverse is pleased to announce that the Company has upgraded its Visual Positioning System (VPS) to incorporate the use of multiple QR codes enabling localization from multiple locations within a map. These updates are critical for the mass adoption of the company's AR wayfinding. Users can now access augmented reality wayfinding at a facility from multiple QR code access points . This enables deployment at scale at large multi-purpose facilities. Visitors have a ubiquitous experience in a facility across multiple floors and can orient and position themselves wherever they are by scanning the nearest ARway QR codes. This enhancement provides greater flexibility for property owners and brands to deploy wayfinding and Augmented Reality experiences across their venue further driving the rapid adoption and seamless movement and navigation of visitors using ARway. Visual Positioning System (VPS) - QR codes ARway's proprietary VPS provides the following benefits and features: Enhanced image tracking technology provides a meaningful visual marker for users to enter wayfinding and AR experiences. QR codes are ubiquitous symbols in today's world and scanning one is synonymous with Augmented Reality activations. The ARway system provides auto generated sets of QR codes to be deployed at locations. Scanning an ARway QR code provides centimeter precise accuracy of persistent AR content including wayfinding destinations, spatial templates and more. ARway's Visual Positioning System (VPS) strengthens ARway's hardware-free solution, and enhances the ease of implementation and visitor experience. With these upgrades ARway is positioned to make an impact on two markets: Indoor Navigation and Spatial Computing: According to research fom Technavio , "the global indoor positioning and indoor navigation (IPIN) market size will grow by USD 23.03 billion from 2020 to 2025, and the growth momentum of the market will accelerate at a CAGR of 33.21% during the forecast period." The market growth will be led by North America, as this region will account for 40% of the market's growth during the forecast period. This represents a substantial revenue opportunity for ARway as it aims on becoming the leading service provider for indoor navigation across all industries. Stock Options The Company has granted 2,730,000 stock options to directors, officers, employees and consultants of the Company. The Options vest over three years, at a price of CDN $0.91 per share, being the closing price of the last trading day prior to the date of grant. All Options were granted in accordance with the Company's 3-year stock option plan. Recent ARway News Oct 27: Spin-Out of Nextech AR's Spatial Computing Platform, "ARway" is Now Complete Oct 27: Investment Pitch Media: ARway Corp is one of the latest new listings on the Canadian Securities Exchange Oct 25: Nextech AR's ARway Signs Deal For Kid Cudi Backed XR Music App, "Encore" Oct 19: Nextech AR Announces Major Upgrades to Its Spatial Computing - Augmented Reality Navigation Platform "ARway" Spin-Out On October 26th, Nextech AR Solutions (OTC:NEXCF and CSE:NTAR) spun-out its spatial computing platform, ARway, as a stand-alone public Company. Nextech AR believes ARway (CSNX: ARWY) is the first publicly traded "pure play" spatial computing platform and retains a majority stake with 13 million shares. The Company has already begun the listing process for ARway to trade on the Frankfurt exchange and the OTC Market and expects trading on those exchanges within 60 days of its CSE debut. To learn more about ARway, please follow on Social Media: Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook, and visit our website: www.arway.ai For further information, please contact: Investor Relations Julia Viola Email: investor.relations@arway.ai Website: https://www.arway.ai/investors ARway Corporation Evan Gappelberg CEO and Director 866-ARITIZE (274-8493) About ARway Corp ARway is a no-code no-BLE beacon spatial computing platform for the real-world Metaverse. It enables AR-enhanced indoor navigation and wayfinding solutions for large, multi-purpose venues enabled by marker-based tracking using QR codes. Visitors can access a venue map by scanning a QR code with their smartphone upon entering the venue to navigate to any Point of Interest (POI) with step by step directions, learn information about those POIs, and interact with rich AR content and experiences along the way. The Web-Based Creator Platform provides 'advanced' authoring capabilities including the ability for creators to upload their own OBJ/GLB files, and create their own 3D objects. Try the ARwayKit SDK for developers and or Mobile App. With the ARway mobile app, ARway provides several pre-loaded 3D objects which creators can leverage to populate their metaverse. Download the Mobile App Apple iOs - click here Google Play Store - click here Forward-looking Statements The CSE has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Certain information contained herein may constitute "forward-looking information" under Canadian securities legislation. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as, "will be" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "will" occur. Forward-looking statements regarding the completion of the transaction are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. ARway Corp. will not update any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information that are incorporated by reference herein, except as required by applicable securities laws. SOURCE: ARway Corporation View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/723636/ARway-Corp-Releases-Platform-Upgrades PesoRama's 21 st store is under construction and is expected to open in December 2022 Located in a busy neighbourhood Power Center in San Marcos, situated approximately 20 minutes outside of Mexico City Other anchor tenants in the Power Center include Walmart, Home Depot & Office Max Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - November 3, 2022) - PesoRama Inc. (TSXV: PESO) ("PesoRama" or the "Company"), a Canadian company operating dollar stores in Mexico under the JOi Dollar Plus brand, today announced that the Company's 21st store in Mexico is under construction. This new store is situated in the bustling Jardines de la Hacienda neighbourhood of San Marcos. This busy middle-class neighbourhood's premier shopping destination, Power Center San Marcos, offers a strong mix of retailers in an outdoor mall setting. "After launching operations in 2019, we have targeted prominent neighbourhoods in Mexico City for our store locations as we continue to strengthen our brand awareness. The vibrant Jardines de la Hacienda neighbourhood in San Marcos fits our neighbourhood shopping model well, making this our 21st store location," said Erica Fattore, President & Chief Executive Officer of PesoRama. "The Power Center San Marcos is high traffic, easily accessible, and close to established major retailers, attracting customers who desire convenience, and consistency. Thank you to the entire team at PesoRama - we can't wait to celebrate the opening with you this December." "We are excited that our 21st store is under construction and currently on track to open in the heart of the December holiday shopping season in Jardines de la Hacienda," said Rahim Bhaloo, Founder & Executive Chairman of PesoRama. "Our strategy is uniquely meeting the needs of Mexico's growing middle class, offering an unmatched value proposition in the Mexican market. As we continue to significantly scale across the country, we can celebrate the success of our growth-oriented business model and the opportunity that the Mexican market presents." The store is located at Av Chalma 281, Jardines de la Hacienda, Cuautitlan Izcalli CP 54720, and is expected to open in December 2022. The Power Center San Marcos To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/5801/142848_80a682fc44fa2867_002full.jpg. Aerial view of the Power Center San Marcos To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/5801/142848_80a682fc44fa2867_003full.jpg. About PesoRama Inc. PesoRama, operating under the JOi Dollar Plus brand, is a Mexican value dollar store retailer. PesoRama launched operations in 2019 in Mexico City and the surrounding areas targeting high density, high traffic locations. PesoRama's 20 stores offer consistent merchandise offerings which include items in the following categories: household goods, pet supplies, seasonal products, party supplies, health and beauty, snack food items, confectionery and more. For further information please contact: Rahim Bhaloo Founder & Executive Chairman rahim@rahimbhaloo.com 416-816-3291 Erica Fattore President & Chief Executive Officer erica@joi.mx Alyssa Barry Investor Relations investors@pesorama.ca Cautionary Note This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including, among other things, statements regarding the Company's planned expansion, new store openings and expected future developments and other factors that have been considered appropriate. While the Company believes that the expectations reflected in this forward-looking information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on them because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Readers are cautioned to not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Actual results and developments may differ materially from those contemplated by these statements, including due to changes in consumer behaviour, general economic factors, the ability of the Company to execute its strategies, the availability of capital and the risk factors which are discussed in greater detail in the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's prospectus dated January 31, 2022 and filed under the Company's profile on www.sedar.com. The statements in this press release are made as of the date of this release. PesoRama undertakes no obligation to comment on analyses, expectations or statements made by third-parties in respect of PesoRama, its securities, or its financial or operating results (as applicable). 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/142848 TOKYO (dpa-AFX) - The United States has called on all countries to fully implement UN Security Council resolutions related to North Korea in the wake of a series of intercontinental ballistic missile launches carried out by the Communist regime. The UN resolutions call for sanctions which are intended to prohibit North Korea from acquiring the technologies and materials needed to carry out these destabilizing tests. North Korea fired a number of missiles near South Korea's waters on Wednesday, evoking a corresponding response from the South. On Thursday, Pyongyang launched an intercontinental ballistic missile that fell in the Sea of Japan, and followed it up with sending two short-range ballistic missiles. South Korea claimed that the missile tests have failed. The ICMB launch triggered emergency alert by the Japanese government on Thursday morning to residents in some of its northern regions to take shelter. The launches evoked condemnation by the governments of the United States, South Korea and Japan. 'This launch is a clear violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions and demonstrates the threat the DPRK's unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs pose to its neighbors, the region, international peace and security, and the global non-proliferation regime,' the U.S. State Department said. 'Together, with the international community, we call on the DPRK to refrain from further provocations and engage in sustained and substantive dialogue. Our commitments to the defense of the Republic of Korea and Japan remain ironclad,' it added. A statement by NSC Spokesperson Adrienne Watson said President Joe Biden and his national security team are assessing the situation in close coordination with Washington's allies and partners. 'This launch, in addition to the launch of multiple other ballistic missiles this week, is a flagrant violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions and needlessly raises tensions and risks destabilizing the security situation in the region,' he added. Watson urged all countries to condemn these violations and call on North Korea to cease its destabilizing actions and engage in serious dialogue. He warned that the United States will take all necessary measures to ensure the security of the American homeland and Republic of Korea and Japanese allies. Joint US-South Korea military drills in the air involving hundreds of aircraft and thousands of troops from both countries this week are seen as the immediate provocation behind the missile launches by Pyongyang. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de Solution includes new Analytics Content Hub to bring together business intelligence solutions from multiple vendors ARMONK, N.Y., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM ) has announced new software designed to help enterprises break down data and analytics silos so they can make data-driven decisions quickly and navigate unpredictable disruptions. IBM Business Analytics Enterprise is a suite of business intelligence planning, budgeting, reporting, forecasting, and dashboard capabilities that provides users with a robust view of data sources across their entire business. Along with IBM Planning Analytics with Watson and IBM Cognos Analytics with Watson, this suite also includes a new IBM Analytics Content Hub that helps streamline how users discover and access analytics and planning tools from multiple vendors in a single, personalized dashboard view. According to an August 2022 Forrester report, advanced insights-driven organizations are 1.6x more likely to report using data, analytics, and insights to create experiences, products, and services that differentiate them within the market when compared to beginners1. However, companies are currently facing a highly dynamic operating environment where they must navigate unpredictable events such as supply chain disruptions, labor and skills shortages, evolving regulations, and more. The complexity of storing data across disparate silos can make this more challenging as teams collaborate across different analytics and business intelligence tools. To become data-driven, businesses can differentiate themselves by creating an enterprise-wide strategy that enables them to bring together their tools and put insights into the hands of decision makers. Building on IBM's existing portfolio of business intelligence solutions, IBM Business Analytics Enterprise includes a new IBM Analytics Content Hub. It is designed to allow users to view planning and analytics dashboards from multiple vendors, including tools like IBM Cognos Analytics with Watson, IBM Planning Analytics with Watson, and other common business intelligence tools into a single view that combines elements from each in a dashboard tailored to their unique needs. Additionally, it features algorithms that can recommend role-based content to help users surface new stories, reports, and dashboards from across the organization to aid in decision-making. As more users click through materials within the IBM Analytics Content Hub, the solution analyzes usage patterns to recommend content that aligns with their specific interests. New Capabilities for IBM Cognos Analytics with Watson; IBM Planning Analytics with Watson expected to be available on AWS With today's news, IBM Cognos Analytics with Watson, an AI-powered business intelligence solution, now also includes new integration capabilities and enhanced forecasting that allows users to consider multiple factors and seasons in their trend predictions. Additionally, IBM Planning Analytics with Watson, an AI-powered solution that helps streamline financial and operational planning, is expected to be available as-a-Service on AWS later this year. IBM Business Analytics Enterprise is designed to help break down silos so that the right teams can get the right data at the right time. For instance, an organization's sales, HR, and operations teams each require access to data and insights from different business intelligence and planning tools for their specific needs, such as optimizing sales goals, building workforce forecasts, or predicting operational capacity. But when it's necessary to share data and reporting across departments, complexities can arise because those teams are using multiple solutions. This can result in duplicate content across applications, which can threaten data consistency and quality. IBM Business Analytics Enterprise helps enterprise data be more easily shared, while remaining protected and avoiding data duplication by giving users across departments a single point of entry to view the data they need. "Businesses today are trying to become more data-driven than ever as they navigate the unexpected in the face of supply chain disruptions, labor and skills shortages and regulatory changes," said Dinesh Nirmal, General Manager of Data, AI and Automation, IBM. "But to truly be data-driven, organizations need to be able to provide their different teams with more comprehensive access to analytics tools and a more complete picture of their business data, without jeopardizing their compliance, security or privacy programs. IBM Business Analytics Enterprise offers a way to bring together analytics tools in a single view, regardless of which vendor it comes from or where the data resides." ALH Gruppe is a leading finance and insurance company in Germany, and with thousands of employees who need access to data insights, the majority of whom are not data scientists or highly technical users, they sought a solution to help streamline their data infrastructure even more. "We've been using IBM Cognos Analytics with Watson for well over a decade now to support decision-making of all kinds across our business. We frequently use it in conjunction with other business intelligence tools, and one challenge was that those tools were always standing side-by-side with no connection between them and the data was separated," said Bernd Oerthle, Head of Analytics Reporting and Infrastructure, ALH Gruppe. "With the new IBM Analytics Content Hub, we plan to connect internal stakeholders to multiple different BI solutions for easy access to self-service data, enabling better support for our end customers." The launch of Business Analytics Enterprise further builds on IBM's strategy to provide businesses with tools to support data-driven decision-making. IBM Cloud Pak for Data and IBM's business intelligence solutions work in tandem to help clients create a data fabric architecture that simplifies data integration, allowing them to run their analytics anywhere and take advantage of data across different environments. Learn more about IBM Business Analytics Enterprise by reading the blog post or get started today by visiting: https://www.ibm.com/products/business-analytics-enterprise Statements regarding IBM's future direction and intent are subject to change or withdrawal without notice, and represent goals and objectives only. About IBM IBM is a leading global hybrid cloud and AI, and business services provider, helping clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. Nearly 3,800 government and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM's hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently, and securely. IBM's breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and business services deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM's legendary commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity, and service. For more information, visit www.ibm.com. Media Contacts: Tyler Martin IBM Media Relations tyler.martin@ibm.com Sarah Murphy IBM Media Relations srmurphy@us.ibm.com ______________________________ 1"The State Of The Insights-Driven Business, 2022," Forrester Research, Inc., August 24, 2022 Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/95470/ibm_logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/ibm-launches-new-software-to-break-down-data-silos-and-streamline-planning-and-analytics-301667380.html TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / November 3, 2022 / Big Tree Carbon Inc. (the "Company" or "Big Tree") (TSXV:BIGT) wishes to announce the evolution of its Natural Asset Resource business from a Carbon Offset focus to include a new Biodiversity approach. As global markets establish the protocols to licence and market carbon offsets, the next phase of the Natural Asset Resource business is emerging through the development of protocols to value Biodiversity. Capitalism is the only aspect of human nature which can move quickly enough to alter the ongoing impact of human consumption on the planet. In approximately 70 days the population will pass the 8 billion mark, with consumerism heavily impacting the harvesting, extraction and utilization of the remaining natural assets. In order to continue to extract and utilize earth's diminishing assets, we as a species have to establish a new partnership and enter into a new stage of Natural Resource development through the maintenance, regeneration and sustainability of natural resources for the continued benefit of life on earth. Biodiversity management is a new field of business which provides for the protection and preservation of global natural assets by maintaining the areas of the planet that remain relatively undisturbed by human activity. Biodiversity works as an offset or credit opportunity for companies who wish to impact the planet by allowing those companies to offset the impact by paying for the protection and preservation of other natural biodiversity assets. From a recent Financial Post article dated Oct. 27, 2022 headlined "Require Biodiversity Information, businesses tell governments" (Marisa Coulton) Montreal - "Hundreds of businesses around the world made an unusual request Wednesday, asking governments to force them to disclose how their operations impact biodiversity. / Three hundred and thirty businesses from 52 countries signed the COP15 Business Statement for Mandatory Assessment and Disclosure in advance of the UN Biodiversity Conference, COP15, which will be held Dec. 7 to 19 in Montreal." By having companies disclose the impact their operations have on biodiversity, a framework can be created for monetizing the preservation of biodiversity assets. A natural evolution of the capital markets is to understand and value the enhancement and protection of biodiversity. Big Tree proposes to focus on developing a framework to understand the true value of Nature in the sustainability of all species on earth. Big Tree is the only public resource company with a majority board of directors representing an Indigenous culture of North America. Canada has substantial untouched Boreal Forest, a significant proportion of which lies within the traditional territories of the First Nations of Canada. Big Tree continues to work on fulfilling its role in the emerging Carbon Offset business and now announces the intention to expand into Biodiversity, something the executive team has been working on for over 36 months. Using its experience in the Carbon Offset business and its relationships with First Nations, Big Tree is well-positioned to develop a biodiversity business. Big Tree has begun conversations with communities outside of Ontario and outside Canada to begin expanding the global Indigenous lead Biodiversity business. Underlining the success of the biodiversity business will be a partnership with Nature, backed and supported by global finance, to mark the highest future asset class on earth, global sustainability. ABOUT BIG TREE CARBON INC. Big Tree is a carbon sequestration natural resource developer and a mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition, exploration, and development of gold properties. Big Tree has a portfolio of Forest Carbon projects under development namely the Lac Seul and Agoke projects - and several mineral exploration assets in Ontario, which include the Richardson Lake, Ranger Lake, Dancing Man and Bridget Lake gold properties. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Big Tree Carbon Inc. Christopher Angeconeb President and C.E.O. (807) 737-5353 christopherangeconeb@gmail.com Ian Brodie-Brown Director of Business Development (416) 844-9969 bigtree007@icloud.com Forward Looking Statement: Some of the statements contained herein may be forward-looking statements which involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Without limitation, statements regarding potential mineralization and resources, exploration results, and future plans and objectives of the Company are forward looking statements that involve various risks. 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 mineral commodities, general market conditions, risks inherent in mineral exploration, risks associated with development, construction and mining operations, the uncertainty of future profitability and the uncertainty of access to additional capital. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events may differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. AurCrest undertakes no obligation to update such forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE: Big Tree Carbon Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/723667/Big-Tree-Announces-Focus-on-Biodiversity-Resource-Management An independently managed investment subsidiary of Investindustrial Growth III SCSp ("Investindustrial") has signed multiple agreements to create Arterex a global provider of diversified manufacturing solutions to the medical device, healthcare and life-sciences industries through the acquisitions of Formula Plastics, Inc., Kabo S.r.l., Luc Bel S.r.l. and ModenPlast S.r.l. in Italy and North America. Investindustrial has partnered with seasoned industry executives Charles M. Stroupe, Jeffrey S. Goble and Paul Jazwin in the establishment of Arterex. With approximately 100 m in sales, Arterex has been established to serve the specialised needs of global and regional OEMs with best-in-class service and manufacturing assets across multiple verticals. The group combines design and development, engineering, compounding, extrusion, injection molding, tooling and mold builds, and assembly capabilities that allow it to produce a broad range of medical products, components, and medical devices. Arterex operates through 4 state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in 3 continents and has more than 800 employees. The combination of Formula Plastics, Kabo, Luc Bel, and ModenPlast represents the first step of an ambitious international build-up plan with significant synergies. Formula Plastics, for example, complements and supports the European assets by contributing nearshore North American injection molding assets, capacity for incremental production and assembly, and significant additional commercial opportunities through its established and growing medical client mix. Charles M. Stroupe, Jeffrey S. Goble and Paul Jazwin will assume the roles of Executive Chairman, CEO and CFO of Arterex, respectively. Charles, Jeffrey, and Paul have decades of operating experience in the contract manufacturing medical devices industry, having previously led the build-ups of industry leaders such as Providien and Medegen. Andrea C. Bonomi, Chairman of Investindustrial's Advisory Board, said: "This opportunity is the result of Investindustrial's successful healthcare industry experience in creating leaders in their verticals combined with the ability to accelerate their internationalisation through global transformational investments such as the recently executed buildups of Bakelite, CSM Ingredients and La Doria. We are excited to partner with Charlie, Jeff and Paul, as well as the entrepreneurs leading Formula Plastics, Kabo, Luc Bel and ModenPlast. We look forward to support the teams at Arterex in the coming years Jeffrey S. Goble, CEO of Arterex, commented: "We are excited to bring to our customers in Europe and North America the benefits of having a reliable global provider of specialised and multi-capability manufacturing solutions. Arterex's partnership with Investindustrial is a testament to the power of shared vision and true partnerships. The combination of our people and capabilities is exciting and great news for our existing and future customers in the medical sector, in which we are proud to play a key role." About Investindustrial Investindustrial is a leading European group of independently managed investment, holding, and advisory companies with 12 billion of raised fund capital. With ESG principles deeply embedded into the Firm's core approach, Investindustrial has more than a 30-year history of providing mid-market companies with capital, industrial expertise, operational focus, and global platforms to accelerate sustainable value creation and international expansion. Certain companies of the Investindustrial group are authorized by and subject to regulatory supervision of the FCA in the United Kingdom and the CSSF in Luxembourg. Investindustrial's investment companies act independently from each other and each Investindustrial fund. Additional information is available at www.investindustrial.com. About Arterex Arterex is a global provider of diversified high-precision manufacturing solutions to the medical device, healthcare, and life-sciences industries created through the acquisition of four companies in Europe and North America: Formula Plastics, Kabo, Luc Bel, and ModenPlast. Arterex combines design and development, engineering, compounding, extrusion, injection molding, tooling and mold builds, and assembly capabilities that allow it to produce a broad range of medical products, components, and medical devices for its global and regional OEM customers. The company operates through 4 state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in 3 continents and has more than 800 employees. Investindustrial Advisors Limited is registered in England and Wales with its registered address at 16 Palace Street, London SW1E 5JD and company number 01316019. Investindustrial Advisors Limited is authorised and regulated by the United Kingdom's Financial Conduct Authority (Financial Services Register number: 170924). View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221102006150/en/ Contacts: International Media H/Advisors David Sturken Mob: +44 (0) 7990 595 913 Email: dsturken@h-advisors.global H/Advisors Jonathan Cook Mob: +44 (0) 7730 777 865 Email: jcook@h-advisors.global US Media Edelman Smithfield Jamaal Mobley Tel: +1 771 201 8274 Email: jamaal.mobley@edelmansmithfield.com Investindustrial Carl Nauckhoff Senior Principal and Head of Investor Relations Tel: +44(0) 207 664 2138 Email: cnauckhoff@investindustrial.com EMEA Data Protection Leader, Formerly Qush Security, Enters North American Market with Presence in Boston, MA Next DLP ("Next"), formerly Qush Security, a leader in data loss prevention (DLP), announced today the company's expansion into the North American market with a leadership presence in Boston, MA and intent to double the size of the team to bolster customer support, sales and partnerships. In conjunction with the expansion, Next announced Constance "Connie" Stack as the company's new CEO. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005146/en/ Next DLP Announces Entry into the North American Market with new CEO (Graphic: Business Wire) "North America is a critical region for us. We see thousands of companies who need to fulfill data security, compliance and regulatory needs that have not been adequately served by legacy DLP solutions," said Connie Stack, CEO of Next DLP. "We are proud to be in the business of protecting sensitive data and ultimately preventing it from being lost or stolen by threat actors inside and outside an organization. Our US expansion demonstrates our commitment to addressing the market's needs, and represents a significant step forward in our growth strategy." Next's cloud-native Reveal Platform helps organizations discover risks, educate employees, enforce policies, meet audit reporting requirements and ultimately stop data loss. Unlike legacy DLP, which requires data discovery and classification before any value is delivered to the customer, Next's patent-pending endpoint agent leverages machine learning to content-inspect "on the fly". The result is the most accurate sensitive data detection and protection on the market today. "Part of the challenge with legacy DLP is that its core tech was built before the emergence of cloud computing; before collaboration engines like Zoom and Slack came to market; and well before the COVID-19 pandemic drove knowledge workers to a work-from-anywhere model that is here to stay," said Tom Cope, Chief Security Officer of Next DLP. "Put plainly, legacy DLP can't meet the needs of the modern organization and does not defend against today's threats." Next's low-footprint agent prioritizes the most important alerts for the business without impacting user or machine performance, regardless of where the user is working from. Incidents and alerts are correlated to reduce triage and investigation time, strengthening security posture and decreasing operational costs. With built-in data protection training, customers can educate employees in real-time, at the point of risk. This approach ensures they make appropriate decisions when handling sensitive data while reinforcing corporate security policies and promoting good cyber hygiene. To learn more about Next DLP and Reveal Cloud, please visit: https://www.nextdlp.com/ About Next DLP: Next DLP ("Next") is a leading provider of data protection solutions for organizations with valuable data who need to uncover risk, educate employees and fulfill security, compliance and regulatory needs. Next's mission is to reinvent data protection for today's distributed organization and it is disrupting the legacy data loss prevention market with a user-centric, flexible, cloud-native, AI/ML powered solution built for today's threat landscape. The company's leadership brings decades of cyber and technology experience from HelpSystems, DigitalGuardian, Forcepoint, Mimecast, IBM, Cisco and Shopify. Next is trusted by organizations big and small, from Fortune 100 finance and retailers to fast growing healthcare and technology companies. For more information, visit www.nextdlp.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005146/en/ Contacts: Danielle Ostrovsky Phone: 410-302-9459 EMail: ostrovsky@hi-touchpr.com The former Agoda Head of International Travel Recovery Products will accelerate product innovation at the insurtech LONDON, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Insurtech MGA, Pattern, is delighted to announce Ido Hertz has joined the Tel Aviv office as VP of Products, as it continues its rapid growth in the global embedded insurance market. Ido Hertz brings more than 20 years of experience in the tech industry to the role, where he will oversee the company's product vision, strategy, and execution. Most recently, Ido was based in Asia as the Head of International Travel Recovery Products for Agoda, where he spearheaded company-wide initiatives and addressed the changing needs of travelers during the pandemic. "My breadth of product experience from telecom, consumer goods and IT, as well as travel, means I can bring real innovation to Pattern as VP of Products," shares Hertz. "I have closely followed Pattern's impressive growth as a comprehensive embedded insurance solution. I look forward to working with the team to reshape the future of insurance and travel in a new exciting way." Meitav Harpaz, CEO and Co-Founder of Pattern, adds, "Ido is a fantastic addition to our growing team. His expertise in product management makes him the perfect fit to drive our next phase of innovation. Pattern's vision is to protect consumers' purchases and co-create personalized insurance offerings, seamlessly integrating into the customer journey. I know Ido can help us achieve this on an even larger scale." Pattern Insurance is a fast-growing global InsurTech MGA that empowers online travel, recreation, and events companies to design, build and distribute innovative insurance offerings seamlessly in their customer journey. Pattern leverages emerging technology and data to create an amazing customer experience. Pattern works to eliminate all the reasons insurance gets a bad reputation. Pattern operates globally with offices in Silicon Valley, London, Paris, and Tel Aviv. Their products are integrated into leading brands, including Amadeus, Lastminute.com, Liknoss, Gulliver, Invia, Issta and Variety Cruises. About Pattern Pattern is a global InsurTech MGA that empowers online travel, recreation, and events companies to design, build and distribute innovative insurance offerings seamlessly in their customer journey. Pattern protections address risks associated with a change of plans, travel disruption, inclement weather and medical assistance, amongst others, to build consumer confidence and boost revenues. Patterns parametric protections dispense customer compensation automatically when an event is triggered. For more information, visit www.patterninsurance.com View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/pattern-insurance-welcomes-ido-hertz-as-vp-of-products-301667570.html Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 3, 2022) - American Copper Development Corporation (CSE: ACDX) ("ACDC" or the " Company") announces the appointment of Mr. Tom Peregoodoff as Director, effective November 1st, 2022. Rick Van Nieuwenhuyse, Chairman of the board, comments: "We are thrilled to have Tom and his vast technical and executive experience join our board. Tom's experience includes value-add roles with Pretium (sold to Newcrest in 2022), BHP, Peregrine Diamonds (sold to DeBeers Canada in 2018) and Apollo Silver." Mr. Peregoodoff has 30+ years industry leadership experience through all stages of exploration. He was previously VP of Early Stage Exploration at BHP and CEO at Peregrine Diamonds. Currently Mr. Peregoodoff is CEO of Apollo Silver and a board member and independent director of American West Metals Limited. Tom Peregoodoff replaces James Walchuck as a member of the board. The Company thanks Mr. Walchuck for his contributions. About the Company The Company is conducting its fall and winter exploration program on the high grade past producing Copper District Property "Lordsburg" in New Mexico. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available. American Copper Development Corporation For further information, please contact: Daniel Schieber Chief Executive Officer and Director Phone: (778) 372-9888 Email: invest@american-copper.com Website: https://american-copper.com Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information This news release includes certain "forward-looking information" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information involves risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results, performance, prospects, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is necessarily based on a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Accordingly, the forward-looking information discussed in this release, may not occur and could differ materially as a result of these known and unknown risk factors and uncertainties affecting ACDC. Although ACDC believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on this information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. Except where required by law, ACDC disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward- looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/142913 The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Electricite du Cambodge (EDC) have signed an agreement to develop 2 GW of solar in the Southeast Asian country. EDC will conduct a nationwide study to identify potential solar and storage projects for implementation up to 2030.The Asian Development Bank and Cambodia's national utility, EDC, have signed a transaction advisory services mandate to support the development of 2GW of solar power in Cambodia. EDC will conduct a nationwide study to identify potential solar projects for implementation from this year to 2030. The study will also identify opportunities ... Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. TheEurasian Development Bank (EDB) held consultations with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on cooperation in energy and infrastructure projects in Central Asia and Armenia. The EDB also discussed with Export-Import Bank of India (EXIM) the scope for using national currencies in international settlements. Nikolai Podguzov, Chairman of the EDB Management Board, and Shixin Chen, Vice President of the ADB, met in Manila, Philippines, to discuss cooperation on the sidelines of the 45th Annual Meeting of the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP). Nikolai Podguzov highlighted the Bank's experience in implementing common projects with multilateral development institutions. The ADB operates in four of the six EDB member countries: Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. "We look forward to opportunities to work together with multilateral development banks to support infrastructure projects in Central Asia and Armenia. Given the ADB's experience and expertise, and the EDB's experience in working on significant infrastructure projects in cooperation with multilateral development institutions, we would like to propose that we participate in syndicated financing for energy and infrastructure projects," said Nikolai Podguzov. During the meeting, the ADB expressed interest in exploring further the implementation of the EDB's key investment mega-projects such as the Eurasian Commodity Distribution Network and the Eurasian Transport Network, which includes the international North-South and Europe-Western China transport corridors. The delegations noted that the financial institutions have similar targets for the next strategic period to promote the sustainable development of their member countries and to increase the share of ESG projects in their investment portfolios. "Our institutions could cooperate in a number of areas that have a major impact on the development of the Eurasian countries. These include climate change and a green economy as well as fostering sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth and the development of entrepreneurship and the private sector. We believe that the priority areas for cooperation are the joint implementation of sustainable development projects in the fields of renewable energy, energy efficiency, infrastructure, and water management. Other significant activities include consultations, experience sharing and joint research," Nikolai Podguzov added. Separately, Nikolai Podguzov met Shri Ramesh, Deputy Managing Director of India EXIM Bank, on the sidelines of the ADFIAP meeting. The parties discussed the potential use of national currencies in international settlements as well as financial mechanisms to support exports and imports of the EDB's member countries. Another item on the agenda was the research conducted by the two institutes and the possibility of launching joint studies. Additional Information: The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) is an international financial institution investing in Eurasia. For more than 16 years, the Bank has worked to strengthen and expand economic ties and foster comprehensive development in its member countries. The EDB's charter capital totals US $7 billion. Its portfolio consists principally of projects with an integration effect in transport infrastructure, digital systems, green energy, agriculture, manufacturing, and mechanical engineering. The Bank adheres to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and ESG principles in its operations. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005804/en/ Contacts: The EDB Media Centre: pressa@eabr.org www.eabr.org Halifax, Nova Scotia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 3, 2022) - E-Tech Resources Inc. (TSXV: REE) ("E-Tech or the Corporation") is pleased to announce that its Phase 2 diamond drilling program has again successfully intersected shallow and thick REE mineralisation at its 100% owned Eureka REE Project Highlights from the diamond drilling include: Drill Hole ED028 intersected 8.2m at 2.6%TREO from 83m (including 3.7m at 4.7% TREO) Drill Hole ED027 intersected 7.9m at 1.4%TREO from 58m (including 4.9m at 2.1% TREO) Jim Megann, Interim CEO commented, "The significant scale potential of the Eureka Project continues to be underscored by our repeatable quality REE results and we look forward to further drilling commencing this month. These intercepts of shallower and wider zones of mineralization will add significant tonnage potential to the current Zone 1 and 3 areas." A total of 376 samples (including standards, duplicates and blanks) from the 11 hole 2226 meter diamond drilling program have been analysed. The objective of this diamond drill program was to gain a firm understanding of the structural and lithological controls on mineralization at Zones 1, 2 and 3. Following this program, further RC and diamond drilling will be undertaken over these new areas as well as those already identified along strike. The recently completed detailed magnetic and radiometric ground survey has resulted in the identification of anomalies prospective for REE mineralization. The magnetic data indicates that there is potential for similar styles of REE mineralization up to >4km in strike extent, with significant potential identified beyond the initial drilling targets. The company is therefore currently undertaking a full review of all its exploration results and data received to date, with a view to announcing our next stage of exploration. Christopher Drysdale, Director added, "These diamond drilling results represent the final outstanding drill results from the Phase 2 drill program conducted earlier this year. Our understanding of the petrophysical properties of the Eureka project has expanded exponentially. This understanding has continued to identify new targets and trends, and on which to date we have not conducted any drill testing. We look forward to receiving more exploration results and to inspecting the new targets on our project area." FIGURE 1: Plan view of drill hole positions at Eureka illustrating all assay results received from diamond drilling campaign. Purple areas represent the current 2021 Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE). To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6102/142932_e929a32844f40a0a_001full.jpg. Hole From To Interval m TREO % Co-ords Zone ED021 78.9 79.4 0.5 2.9 526415 7562603 Zone 1 ED021 166.1 167.7 1.6 3.5 Zone 1 ED022 111.7 112.9 1.2 3.1 526330 7562373 Zone 3 ED022 140.0 141.0 1.0 1.2 Zone 3 ED022 197.9 198.2 0.3 2.0 Zone 3 ED023 73.3 74.6 1.3 1.6 526163 7562410 Zone 2 ED023 98.9 99.6 0.7 0.5 Zone 2 ED023 195.4 195.9 0.5 2.6 Zone 2 ED024 97.0 98.5 1.5 0.7 526200 7562479 Zone 2 ED024 105.9 106.3 0.4 0.8 Zone 2 ED024 110.2 111.6 1.4 1.3 Zone 2 ED024 142.1 142.7 0.6 0.5 Zone 2 ED024 154.1 154.5 0.4 1.7 Zone 2 ED024 170.0 171.1 1.1 0.4 Zone 2 ED024 187.1 187.5 0.4 1.5 Zone 2 ED025 123.0 123.7 0.7 1.5 526255 7562441 Zone 3 ED025 137.9 138.9 1.0 0.6 Zone 3 ED025 142.6 143.4 0.8 0.5 Zone 3 ED025 152.5 154.6 2.1 0.3 Zone 3 ED025 157.4 160.8 3.4 0.3 Zone 3 ED025 174.2 175.5 1.3 0.6 Zone 3 ED025 179.1 179.7 0.6 0.5 Zone 3 ED025 188.9 190.5 1.6 0.9 Zone 3 ED025 200.8 201.5 0.7 1.6 Zone 3 ED026 57.1 57.6 0.5 0.7 526464 7562554 Zone 1 ED026 66.9 68.7 1.8 1.4 Zone 1 ED026 74.9 75.6 0.7 2.9 Zone 1 ED026 139.8 141.0 1.2 6.4 Zone 1 ED026 149.0 150.2 1.2 2.0 Zone 1 ED026 187.0 187.6 0.6 0.9 Zone 1 ED027 58.0 65.9 7.9 1.4 526174 7562210 Zone 3 S incl. 61.0 65.9 4.9 2.1 Zone 3 S ED027 70.5 71.5 1.0 0.5 Zone 3 S ED027 76.4 77.4 1.0 2.0 Zone 3 S ED027 89.6 90.7 1.1 3.9 Zone 3 S ED027 92.3 92.6 0.3 1.1 Zone 3 S ED027 93.5 94.9 1.4 2.9 Zone 3 S ED027 108.9 109.3 0.4 1.1 Zone 3 S ED027 140.2 141.0 0.8 0.6 Zone 3 S ED028 36.9 39.4 2.5 1.9 526293 7562185 Zone 3 S ED028 83.0 91.2 8.2 2.6 Zone 3 S incl. 83.0 86.7 3.7 4.7 Zone 3 S ED028 97.5 97.9 0.4 2.2 Zone 3 S ED028 153.7 154.7 1.0 1.5 Zone 3 S ED028 157.5 158.0 0.5 0.9 Zone 3 S ED028 173.0 173.7 0.7 4.5 Zone 3 S ED028 185.2 185.9 0.7 1.9 Zone 3 S ED030 62.2 63.1 0.9 1.1 526252 7562079 Zone 3 S ED030 96.3 96.9 0.6 0.9 Zone 3 S ED030 125.8 126.5 0.7 1.6 Zone 3 S ED031 25.0 26.6 1.6 1.1 526361 7562056 Zone 3 S ED031 145.4 146.6 1.5 0.7 Zone 3 S ED031 161.1 161.7 0.6 2.6 Zone 3 S TABLE 1: Significant intercepts from the 2022 Diamond Drilling campaign. * *Hole locations are provided in UTM Zone 33S. Reported intercepts are drilled lengths while the true thickness of the mineralisation is estimated to range between 60 and 80 per cent of the drilled lengths. Further drilling is necessary to establish the true thickness of the mineralisation. Eureka Project Technical Disclosure The current Mineral Resource Estimate ("MRE") for the Eureka Project was prepared by SRK Consulting (UK) ("SRK") effective from 2 August 2021, while an independent Technical Report titled "Independent Technical Report: Eureka, Rare Earth Project, Namibia" was released on the 15 September 2021 and prepared by SRK, supporting the disclosure of the MRE, and is available on SEDAR and the Corporation's website. (https://etech-resources.com). Quality Assurance / Quality Control All E-Tech sample assay results have been independently monitored through a quality assurance / quality control ("QA/QC") program including the insertion of certified reference standards, blanks and duplicate samples. QA/QC samples make up 10% of all samples submitted. Drill core is sawn in half on site and half drill-core samples are securely transported to Activation Laboratories Ltd. sample preparation facility in Windhoek, Namibia. The core is dried, crushed to 90% passing 2 mm, riffle splitting a 250 g sub-sample and pulverizing to 95% passing 105 m. Sample pulps are sent to Activation Laboratories Ltd. in Ontario, Canada for analysis. REE analysis is by method 8-REE. The sample is milled to 95% -200 mesh. To ensure complete fusion of resistate minerals, lithium metaborate/tetraborate fusion is used with analysis by ICP-OES and ICP-MS. Qualified Person Pete Siegfried, BSc. (Hons), M.Sc., is a Consulting Geologist and director of GeoAfrica Prospecting Services CC. Mr Siegfried has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information in this news release. Mr. Siegfried is a member of The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM) membership number: 221116 (CP Geology), and a Qualified Person for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101. About E-Tech Resources Inc. E-Tech Resources Inc. (TSXV: REE) is a rare earth exploration and development company focused on developing its Eureka Rare Earths Project in Namibia. The Eureka Project is located approximately 250 km north-west of Namibia's capital city Windhoek and 140 km east of Namibia's main industrial port Walvis Bay. The project is situated next to the national B1 highway in the Erongo Region of Namibia. The Eureka deposit lies in the Southern Central Zone of the Neoproterozoic Damara Belt within Exclusive Prospecting Licence ("EPL") number EPL 6762; which covers Eureka Farm 99 and Sukses Farm 90. Namibia is recognized as one of Africa's most politically stable jurisdictions, with an extremely well-established national infrastructure and a clear and transparent mining law. Further details are available on the Corporation's website at www.etech-resources.com or contact Jim Megann, CEO of E-Tech Resources Inc., at +1 902 334 1949 Cautionary Statements This press release may contain forward-looking information, such as statements regarding the completion of the work in Namibia by E-Tech and future plans and objectives of E-Tech. This information is based on current expectations and assumptions (including assumptions in connection with the continuance of the applicable company as a going concern and general economic and market conditions) that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict, including risks relating to the ability to satisfy the conditions to completion of exploration programmes and work in Namibia. Actual results may differ materially from results suggested in any forward-looking information. E-Tech assumes no obligation to update forward-looking information in this release, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those reflected in the forward-looking information unless and until required by applicable securities laws. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties is contained in filings made by E-Tech with Canadian securities regulators, copies of which are available at www.sedar.com. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/142932 APP MONETIZATION COMPLIANCE FROM AGE GATE ADOPTION POWERS KIDOZ RECORD GROWTH ANGUILLA, BWI / ACCESSWIRE / November 3, 2022 / Kidoz Inc. (TSXV:KIDZ) (the "Company"), mobile AdTech developer and owner of the market leading Kidoz Contextual Ad Network (www.kidoz.net) and the Kidoz Publisher SDK, announced today its Q3 2022 network growth and corporate update. Network Growth highlights Q3 2022 over Q2 2022 include: 503 million monetized impressions were delivered during the third quarter of 2022 recording 24.1% growth over the 405 million paid impressions delivered in the second quarter of 2022; 255 million video views were delivered during the quarter representing a 42% increase over the 180 million video views in the second quarter of 2022; Over 170 Million rich media ads were played in the third quarter of 2022 for 23.6% growth over the 138 million in the second quarter of 2022; Retains 2022 Revenue guidance of US$16M to US$18M, representing approximately 35% year over year growth. Fiscal Q3 financial reports to be released November 14, 2022, and AGM 2022 to be held November 30,2022. Market Position The global mobile advertising market which is expected to hit $144 billion in 2022, has recently seen a slowdown in the second half of 2022 with significant revenue misses announced by Amazon, Google, Snapchat and many other major companies with advertising revenues. Most recently, Roblox announced the cessation of all advertising and sponsorship to the 47% of its player base that are under the age of 13. Kidoz has not experienced a downturn in advertising demand and in fact has seen strong double-digit growth in demand. Such powerful growth within the kids segment of advertising could be a signal of the growing acceptance that Kid-Safe advertising solutions are becoming a standard component in more advertising campaigns. Kidoz specializes in safe and compliant monetization for app developers who are responsible for adhering to tight government regulations for advertising to children that come with high penalties if broken. In addition to government policy, app developers must follow the policies set by the platform owners, Apple and Google, who protect children with strict rules regarding data tracking and the requirement for apps that appeal to children to segment traffic with the use of an age gate. Age gates are the key to monetization compliance as app developers are then properly treating different cohorts of users in the appropriate way. As more app developers adopt safe and compliant monetization strategies through the use of age gates, Kidoz growth advances. While no official figures exist, Kidoz estimates less than 1% of apps currently use age gates in their monetization strategies so the potential for long-term sustained growth is high. In Q3 2022, Kidoz continued on a high growth trajectory while remaining focused on profitability for the 2022 fiscal year. We anticipate over 50% of our annual business will be conducted in the upcoming Q4. The Kidoz network continues to grow rapidly in size and now boasts more than double the SDK app adoption than its closest direct mobile ad competitor. Kidoz continues to build value and trust with advertisers by facilitating pre-campaign contextual app list planning, live campaign optimizations, and detailed post-campaign reporting and analysis while maintaining Kidoz's niche offering of private, safe, and contextual advertising. Kidoz has added a large number of new exciting app publishers including leading organizations such as HyperBeard and Dramaton. These new partnerships increase Kidoz's market leadership position and will enable the Company to secure a larger share of the global mobile advertising market which according to Fortune Business Insights, "the mobile advertising market is projected to grow from $144.08 billion in 2022 to $621.63 billion by 2029, exhibiting a CAGR of 23.2% during the forecast period." The full Information Circular detailing the matters to be reviewed and voted on at AGM 2022 can be found on SEDAR or on the Company's website at https://investor.kidoz.net/category/company/agm/ and will be held in Anguilla on November 30, 2022. The Form of Proxy (Proxy card) and voting instructions has been mailed to all shareholders eligible to vote at the meeting. The Form of Proxy Notice presents only a brief overview of the considerably more detailed information of the proposed resolutions to be voted on. The more complete information and rational as to the matters to be voted on can be reviewed in the Information Circular. About Kidoz Inc. Kidoz Inc. (TSXV:KIDZ) (www.kidoz.net) owns the leading COPPA & GDPR compliant contextual mobile advertising network that safely reaches hundreds of million kids, teens, and families every month. Google certified and Apple approved, Kidoz provides an essential suite of advertising technology that unites brands, content publishers and families. Trusted by Disney, Hasbro, Lego and more, the Kidoz Contextual Ad Network helps the world's largest brands to safely reach and engage kids across thousands of mobile apps, websites and video channels. The Kidoz network does not use location or PII data tracking commonly used in digital advertising. Instead, Kidoz has developed advanced contextual targeting tools to enable brands to reach their ideal customers with complete brand safety. A focused AdTech solution provider, the Kidoz SDK and Kidoz Programmatic network have become essential products in the digital advertising ecosystem. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a "safe harbor" for forward-looking statements. Certain information included in this press release (as well as information included in oral statements or other written statements made or to be made by the company) contains statements that are forward-looking, such as statements relating to anticipated future success of the company. Such forward-looking information involves important risks and uncertainties that could significantly affect anticipated results in the future and, accordingly, such results may differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements made by or on behalf of the company. For a description of additional risks and uncertainties, please refer to the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Specifically, readers should read the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the SEC on March 30, 2022, and the prospectus filed under Rule 424(b) of the Securities Act on March 9, 2005 and the SB2 filed July 17, 2007, and the TSX Venture Exchange Listing Application for Common Shares filed on June 29, 2015 on SEDAR, for a more thorough discussion of the Company's financial position and results of operations, together with a detailed discussion of the risk factors involved in an investment in Kidoz Inc. For more information contact: Henry Bromley CFO ir@kidoz.net (888) 374-2163 SOURCE: KIDOZ Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/723705/Kidoz-Record-Network-Growth-Continues-in-Q3 South Carolina-based Claflin University used ThreatBlockr's network security solution and had significant results to report TYSONS, VA / ACCESSWIRE / November 3, 2022 / ThreatBlockr today released a case study about their client Claflin University, providing practical insights on what it looks like to use their network security solution, ThreatBlockr, for defending against cyber threats. The staff at Claflin University, a historically black university with 2100 students, chose to leverage ThreatBlockr when their small team needed a better way to secure the school's technology. With 5G internet connections and a fibered network with 850 access points running through a nearby downtown area, they wanted to improve their network security posture without adding to their 8-person team. Additionally, the security solution could not hinder students from accessing and using the network. The team at Claflin chose ThreatBlockr, with its bottom line of "blocking every threat" and IP-based filtering techniques. "We wanted a way to block security threats without a dedicated team needing to look at incoming network traffic," said Joey Brenn, Associate Vice President of IT at Claflin University. "Our small staff is already stretched thin, and it's often difficult to find new personnel in today's workforce. So, a solution like ThreatBlockr that just sits on top of our security stack and automatically blocks cyber threats at such a high level was a great fit. It enables us to run secure technology for our students without compromising their ability to connect to our high-speed networks and ultimately learn, grow and succeed on our campus." Within the first 24 hours of using ThreatBlockr, Claflin University blocked two million threat actors before students had arrived on campus for the new semester. With the anticipation of more than 5G of internet traffic, ThreatBlockr will scale and support the IT team to continue keeping professors, staff, and students secure. In addition, Claflin will continue to leverage ThreatBlockr to achieve the NIST standards by identifying where security gaps exist that could prevent them from being compliant. "It's been great to see the immediate impact and protection ThreatBlockr has been able to provide to the security team at Claflin University," said Brian McMahon, CEO of ThreatBlockr. "Our active defense security platform was a great fit for a higher education institution that also needed to provide a consistent, high-speed network service to their students. ThreatBlockr focuses on blocking malicious IPs which not only makes it more effective but significantly more lightweight as well. Higher Ed institutions face a number of unique security solutions such as unpredictable raw traffic and multiple access points, and our team has been able to tackle them in this space." ThreatBlockr's simple but powerful network solution works alongside any pre-existing security stack. Rather than replacing the functionality of any current firewalls or security toolkits, it works to filter out known malicious IPs, blocking threat actors before they can reach the security stack in the first place. To find out more about ThreatBlockr, visit their website: https://www.threatblockr.com/ . About ThreatBlockr ThreatBlockr is the only active defense cybersecurity platform that fully automates the enforcement, deployment, and analysis of cyber intelligence at a massive scale. As the foundational layer of an active defense strategy, ThreatBlockr's patented solution blocks known threats from ever reaching customers' networks. ThreatBlockr utilizes immense volumes of cyber intelligence from over 50 renowned security vendors to provide unparalleled visibility over the threat landscape resulting in a more efficient and effective security posture. Security teams at companies of all sizes use ThreatBlockr to deploy active security, gain real-time network visibility into threats and policy violations, ensure their network is protected, and reduce manual work. Block. Every. Threat. at threatblockr.com . Media Contact: Anna Stevenson York IE anna@york.ie SOURCE: ThreatBlockr View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/723502/ThreatBlockr-Releases-Case-Study-Focused-on-Work-with-a-University-Client VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / November 3, 2022 / The Top Line CEO Interview by The Market Herald has announced the release of a new interview with AMPD Ventures discussing their latest news. The Top Line CEO Interview by The Market Herald provides investors with an in-depth look of what they need to know about the company's latest news through exclusive insights and interviews with company executives. AMPD Ventures (CSE:AMPD) to consult on metaverse content production facility "click image above to play onsite video" AMPD (AMPD) will consult on MQDC's metaverse content production facility in Thailand. The facility will include a virtual production LED volume stage and a Departure Lounge media production studio. The project will be a component of MQDC's new large-scale, mixed-use project in Bangkok's Sukhumvit Innovative District. CEO Anthony Brown spoke with Brieanna McCutcheon about the agreement. For the full interview with Anthony Brown and to learn about AMPD Ventures, click here. Interviews for The Top Line CEO Interview by The Market Herald are released daily. To learn more about the companies featured in The Top Line CEO Interview or to explore our other interviews visit?The Top Line CEO Interview by The Market Herald About The Market Herald https://pr.report/fPxXEevZ The Market Herald Canada is the leading source of authoritative breaking stock market news for self-directed investors. Our team of Canadian markets reporters, editors and technologists covers the entire listed company universe in Canada. We cover over 3,985 businesses, their people, their investors, and their customers. We write the stories that move the Canadian capital markets. 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CONTACT: The Market Herald marketing@themarketherald.ca themarketherald.ca SOURCE:?The Market Herald View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/723576/The-Top-Line-CEO-Interview-by-The-Market-Herald-Releases-a-New-Interview-with-AMPD-Ventures-Discussing-Their-Latest-News Collaboration will offer local brokers and policyholders coverage for enterprises with up to EUR 1 billion in revenue Corvus Insurance, the market-leading specialty insurance MGA offering Smart Commercial Insurance products powered by AI-driven risk data, today announced it has partnered with The Travelers Companies, Inc., an industry leader in personal, business, and specialty insurance, to back its Smart Cyber Insurance offering. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005231/en/ (Graphic: Business Wire) The venture will provide cyber insurance products and services to companies in continental Europe and follows the recent opening of the company's Frankfurt office, overseen by Oliver Delvos, Head of International at Corvus. Subject to regulatory approval, the European expansion of Corvus's Smart Cyber Insurance offering will initially be geared toward small- and medium-size enterprises and middle market businesses with annual revenues up to EUR 1 billion. "Corvus is uniquely positioned in today's European market," said Madhu Tadikonda, CEO of Corvus Insurance. "We're thrilled to partner with Travelers to bring our transparent, data-driven, and expert approach to underwriting and risk mitigation to a new audience of brokers and policyholders." This robust new offering will focus primarily on Germany and Austria, providing brokers and policyholders with localized and unmatched cyber insurance tools, along with the combined cyber underwriting expertise of both Corvus and Travelers. As part of its long-term growth strategy in Europe, Corvus will continue to expand its international business, opening additional offices across the continent. About Corvus Corvus Insurance is building a safer world through insurance products and digital tools that reduce risk, increase transparency, and improve resilience for policyholders and program partners. Our market-leading specialty insurance products are enabled by advanced data science and include Smart Cyber Insurance and Smart Tech E+O. Our digital platforms and tools enable efficient quoting and binding and proactive risk mitigation. Corvus Insurance offers insurance products in the U.S., Middle East, Europe, Canada, and Australia. Current insurance program partners include AXIS Capital, Crum Forster, Hudson Insurance Group, certain underwriters at Lloyd's of London, R&Q Accredited, and SiriusPoint. Corvus Insurance, Corvus London Markets, and Corvus Germany are the marketing names used to refer to Corvus Insurance Agency, LLC; Corvus Agency Limited; and Corvus Underwriting GmbH. All entities are subsidiaries of Corvus Insurance Holdings, Inc. Corvus Insurance was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts with offices across the U.S., in the UK, and Germany. For more information, visit corvusinsurance.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005231/en/ Contacts: Inkhouse PR, Jen Weber corvus@inkhouse.com Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 3, 2022) - Boosh Plant-Based Brands Inc. (CSE: VEGI) (OTCQB: VGGIF) (FSE: 77i) ("Boosh" or the "Company") a premier plant-based brand in the "better for you" food sector, announces that it has arrange a non-brokered private placement to raise up to up to $500,000 through the issuance of up to 10,000,000 units (each a "Unit") at a price of $0.05 per Unit (the "Offering"). Each Unit will comprise of one common share and one share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). Each Warrant shall be exercisable to acquire one Common Share (a "Warrant Share") for a period of 12 months. Directors and officers of the Company may acquire Units in the Financing, which participation would be considered to be a "related party transaction" as defined under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 ("MI 61-101"). Such participation is expected to be exempt from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101. Finder's fees may be paid to registered dealers or other qualified parties in connection with the Financing. Beanfields Chips To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7944/142954_BF_550.jpg The net proceeds from the Offering will be used for working capital and general corporate purposes as the company works towards increasing annual gross revenues for the core asset, Beanfields, back up to its pre pandemic levels of $15M USD per year. The Company continues to receive close to $1M USD monthly in Purchase Orders for Beanfields Chips and requires this additional operating capital to pay for the purchase of raw materials and production. With the purchase orders and high demand for products the focus is on revenue creation and shareholder value. Amuse Boosh plant-based cheese and Vege pate has recently been listed at Urban Fare and the entire line of 7 varieties will be available in all of their fine locations in BC. Urban Fare is owned by Jim Pattison Group and considered an upscale market with a focus on organic, high end and imported foods. Boosh shelf stable Mac n Cheese continues to grow in popularity and production of this line has been moved to the company's Amuse Boosh facility in Penticton BC to streamline production. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to or for the account or benefit of a U.S. person (as defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act) unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available Connie Marples Founder/President connie@booshfood.com Telephone: 778 840 1700 www.Booshfood.com www.beanfields.com About Boosh Plant-Based Brands Inc.: Boosh Plant-Based Brands Inc., through its wholly owned subsidiary, Boosh Food (www.booshfood.com) offers high quality, non-GMO, gluten free, 100% plant-based nutritional comfort foods for the whole family. Through a separate subsidiary, Beautiful Beanfields, (www.beanfields.com) the Company owns Beanfields, a plant-based chip brand sold in over 7,000 stores throughout North America. Boosh, good for you and good for planet earth. The information in this news release includes certain information and statements about management's view of future events, expectations, plans and prospects that constitute forward looking statements. These statements are based upon assumptions that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Because of these risks and uncertainties and as a result of a variety of factors, the actual results, expectations, achievements or performance may differ materially from those anticipated and indicated by these forward looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, the Company's expectations concerning the size of the Financing, its ability to close the Financing in whole or in part or at all and its plan for the proceeds of the Financing. Any number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements as well as future results. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in forward looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurances that the expectations of any forward looking statements will prove to be correct. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward looking statements to reflect actual results, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions, changes in factors affecting such forward looking statements or otherwise. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/142954 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 3, 2022) - Li-FT Power Ltd. (CSE: LIFT) (FSE: WS0) ("Li-FT" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has closed its previously announced brokered private placement of 428,400 common shares of the Company issued on a "flow-through" basis (each a "FT Share") at a price of $16.34 per FT Share for aggregate gross proceeds of $7,000,056 (the "Offering"). The FT Shares will qualify as "flow-through shares" (within the meaning of subsection 66(15) of the Income Tax Act (Canada) and section 359.1 of the Taxation Act (Quebec)). The Offering was led by Canaccord Genuity Corp. on behalf of a syndicate of agents (collectively, the "Agents"). The gross proceeds of the Offering will be used by the Company to incur eligible "Canadian exploration expenses" (as defined in the Income Tax Act (Canada)) that qualify as "flow-through critical mineral mining expenditures" (as proposed to be defined in the Income Tax Act (Canada)) (the "Qualifying Expenditures") related to the projects of the Company in Quebec, primarily being the Company's Rupert project. The Company will renounce the Qualifying Expenditures to the subscribers of the FT Shares with an effective date no later than December 31, 2022, and in the aggregate amount of not less than the total amount of the gross proceeds raised from the issuance of the FT Shares. The FT Shares issued in the Offering are subject to resale restrictions under applicable Canadian securities legislation until March 4, 2023. The FT Shares have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended ("U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities law and may not be offered or sold in the United States unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available. The Company also announces it has entered into a loan agreement with an arm's length third party for a $300,000 unsecured principal amount loan to fund its short-term non-flow through expenditures. The loan will bear interest at a rate of 3% per annum and has a maturity date of April 30, 2023. About Li-FT Li-FT is a mineral exploration company engaged in the acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral properties, specifically lithium pegmatite projects located in Canada. The Company currently holds a 100% interest on the Rupert Project, which is a 155,000 hectare greenfield lithium pegmatite exploration initiative, and has recently signed an option agreement for a 15,323 hectare project with 70% interest on the Pontax Property. On September 21, 2022, the Company additionally entered into an option agreement for a 18,535 hectare property with a 100% interest on the Lac des Montages Project. All properties are located in the James Bay region in Quebec, Canada. For further information, please contact: Julie Hajduk Chief Executive Officer Tel: (604) 609-6185 Email: info@li-ft.com Website: www.li-ft.com Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information Certain statements included in this press release constitute forward-looking information or statements (collectively, "forward-looking statements"), including those identified by the expressions "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "may", "should" and similar expressions to the extent they relate to the Company or its management. These statements relate to, among other things, the use of proceeds of the Offering, the tax treatment of the FT Shares as well as the renunciation (and timing thereof) of the Qualifying Expenditures. The forward-looking statements are not historical facts but reflect current expectations regarding future results or events. This press release contains forward looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and various estimates, factors and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors. Forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions which are difficult to predict. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include the continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions, including the effects of COVID-19. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those implied by such statements. Although such statements are based on management's reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that the statements will prove to be accurate or that management's expectations or estimates of future developments, circumstances or results will materialize. The Company assumes no responsibility to update or revise forward-looking information to reflect new events or circumstances unless required by law. Readers should not place undue reliance on the Company's forward-looking statements. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States of America. THIS NEWS RELEASE IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. 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/142953 TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / November 3, 2022 / The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Foundation will host the twelfth Royal Canadian Air Force Remembrance Day Ceremony from the steps of the Mount Pleasant Cemetery Mausoleum, where Wing Commander William G. Barker VC is interred. W/C Barker, VC is Canada's first leader of the RCAF and is still the most decorated officer in the British Commonwealth. The ceremony will be both in-person and broadcast live online. Senior Representatives of the RCAF will attend along with uniformed members of 16 Wing Borden, Royal Canadian Air Cadets, and students from nearby Hodgson Middle School. All COVID protocols will be followed. Members of the Media are invited to attend in person and view online. The ceremony begins at 10:20 AM sharp. Click here to register for the online event - livestream. 10:20 am ET Welcome William Barker VC - his contribution to Canada and the RCAF Students' Letters to members of the RCAF Raising the RCAF Flag RCAF Cadet Honour guard 10:40 am ET Parade and flag party - 16 Wing Borden National Anthem of Canada Commemoration Flanders Fields Act of Remembrance Last Post 11:00 am ET Two minutes of silence Lament Reveille Laying of wreaths God Save the King Weather permitting, around 11:00 am ET the RCAF will undertake a flyby by a CC-130J Hercules aircraft. The aircraft will fly east to west over Mount Pleasant Cemetery's mausoleum. Following the formal ceremony, all attendees and the media are invited to join a procession towards the gravesite of Captain Frank Quigley, an airman of the First World War, honouring fallen Canadians of the RCAF and RAF along the way. The RCAF Foundation is an arms-length not-for-profit organization whose mission is to recognize, foster and celebrate the Royal Canadian Air Force through community engagement, education programs and commemorative activities. Follow us: Instagram: @rcaf_foundation , Twitter: @rcaf_foundation , Facebook: RCAF Foundation / Fondation de l'ARC Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries is a not-for-profit organization established in 1826. It maintains 10 cemeteries, nine funeral establishments, four cremation centres, and 14 mausoleums across the Greater Toronto Area. -30- Contact: RCAF Foundation - For interviews with Jeremy Diamond, CEO, or HCol. John Wright, Foundation Chair please contact Jennifer Blake: jennifer@rcaffoundation.ca or (647)504-2220. or (647)504-2220. Mount Pleasant Group - Brandon Garcia, Family Service Manager, (416) 485-9129 x 6734, bgarcia@mountpleasantgroup.com 16 Wing Borden - Public Affairs Officer, Lieutenant Niles, 705-424-1200 Loc 1316 2021 RCAF Foundation Remembrance Day Ceremony SOURCE: RCAF Foundation View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/723561/12th-Annual-Royal-Canadian-Air-Force-Foundation-Remembrance-Day-Ceremony-at-Mount-Pleasant-Cemetery-Toronto-on-November-11-2022 LYON, France, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Elkem recently celebrated the Grand Opening of its brand-new state-of-the-art production site located in York, SC, USA. Elkem Silicones Advanced Specialties is a specialized facility for producing high purity biomedical grade silicone materials with class 8 clean room and packaging in class 7 clean rooms. Operations at this site are controlled under one quality management system that meets the requirements of ISO 9001, ISO 13485 and IPEC Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) guidelines meeting the MedTech and Pharma market requirements. Elkem's Silbione Biomedical products are supported by Master Access Files (MAF), and where applicable Drug Master Files (DMF), filed with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Elkem's investment in this highly specialized facility demonstrates our commitment to growing with our customers around the world in medical implantable and pharmaceutical applications. Serving as Elkem's global center of excellence for biomedical grade silicones, the company produces there medical grade liquid silicone rubber (LSR), high consistency rubber (HCR), high purity silicone gels, silicone adhesives and dispersions marketed under the Silbione Biomedical brand. Silbione Biomedical range will also be presented at COMPAMED 2022 (Dusseldorf, Germany, from November 14th - 17th) at the Elkem booth 8b K16. Silbione products are supported by the relevant regulatory documentation. With the current changes in medical device regulations, Elkem's experts are able to provide personalized support to offer high quality silicone materials to meet the specific needs of their customers. At this trade fair, Elkem will also be showcasing its Silbione range of medical grade silicones for healthcare applications including wound care, prosthetics, and medical devices. This year, we are also proud to launch Silbione RTV 4450 CLR at COMPAMED 2022 especially developed for biomedical electronics and diagnostics applications. Its specific properties (transparency, flexibility, dielectric strength, durability), support the manufacturing operations and efficient use of those advanced diagnostics and medical devices. CONTACT: Caroline MOINE Business Development manager EMEA for Healthcare + (33) 6 27 83 62 80 caroline.moine@elkem.com The following files are available for download: https://mb.cision.com/Main/17898/3660954/1648158.pdf PR_Elkem_Medica_2022 https://news.cision.com/elkem-silicon/i/elkem-plant-2022,c3110281 elkem plant 2022 https://news.cision.com/elkem-silicon/i/miniaturized-endoscope-capsule2022,c3110282 miniaturized endoscope capsule2022 View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/elkem-capacity-expansion-for-high-purity-biomedical-grade-silicones-301667718.html JERUSALEM (dpa-AFX) - Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, John Kerry will lead the U.S. delegation to the 2022 UN Climate Conference (COP27), to be held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, during November 6-18. The U.S. delegation, consisting of senior officials from more than 16 agencies and organizations, will also include Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, and Samantha Power, Administrator, U.S. Agency for International Development. More than 100 heads of state and government will participate at the Sharm El-Sheikh Climate Implementation Summit that will take place on November 7 and 8. COP27 will focus on three main areas: Reducing CO2 emissions, helping countries to prepare for and deal with climate change, and securing technical support and funding for developing countries to fight these challenges. Following the summit's inauguration, several roundtables will be held to focus on six key topics: Just Transitions, Food Security, Innovative Finance for Climate and Development, Investing in the Future of Energy, Water Security, and Climate Change and The Sustainability of Vulnerable Communities. On the sidelines of the global negotiations, the COP27 Egyptian Presidency has also designated several key thematic days that will include panel pledging opportunities, discussions, roundtables, and side events. More than 40,000 delegates from around the world are expected to participate in the annual climate change negotiations. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Chemonics' climate experts will be at the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt this November. SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Climate change affects every corner of our planet and every development sector, from expanding the range of infectious diseases and driving conflict over limited natural resources to threatening energy supplies and agricultural outputs. As one of the most urgent challenges of our time, climate change requires collaboration and innovation to support countries on their journey towards inclusive, climate-resilient development and net zero carbon emissions economies. From November 8-10, we will be in Sharm El-Sheikh during COP27 hosting a series of in-person discussions with climate experts and advocates from around the world. "Addressing the global climate crisis is more urgent than ever, and we are proud to be part of COP27 this year to represent the issues - and opportunities for change - in the global development sector," says Anna Slother, Chemonics' executive vice president. At Chemonics, we leverage our decades of experience in international development and environmental management to support implementation and decision-making based on empirical, science-informed climate information while bolstering the capacity of communities to address climate risks and vulnerabilities and build more resilient livelihoods. "Information about changes in climate and related changes in vulnerability and risk needs to be conveyed to users in a way that they can use it to inform decisions that strengthen rather than threaten their livelihoods," says Chris Perine, managing director of Chemonics' Climate Group. "This is critical to get the buy-in for sustainable adaptation and mitigation strategies that actually work." Climate change stresses social, economic, and political systems, acting as a multiplier for development challenges and enhancing the likelihood of - and impacts from - conflict. On Tuesday, November 8, 2022, we will focus on Exploring Climate and Fragility in Conflict Prevention, Mitigation, and Recovery with Dr. Ruth Citrin, Executive Director of the Cross-Border Conflict Evidence Policy and Trends (XCEPT) research program funded by UK Aid, Emma Whitaker, Senior Advisor at adelphi, Paul Currie, Associate Director of the Urban Systems Centre at ICLEI Africa, and Brian App, Chemonics' Senior Climate Services Director. Lack of regulation, comprehensive standards, and equitable stakeholder engagement in nature-based carbon projects has led to pervasive issues for communities and could undermine the credibility of these projects and credits in the voluntary carbon market. On Wednesday, November 9, 2022, join us for a discussion on Enhancing the Quality of Nature-based Carbon Credits with Candace Vinke, Senior Director of Nature-based Innovation at Verra, Dr. Daniel Nepstad, Founder and President of the Earth Innovation Institute, Roberto Gomez, Director of Innovative Conservation Models on the USAID Paramos and Forests Activity, and Maxwell Mcgrath-Horn, Chemonics' Senior Climate Finance Advisor. Over the last decade, there has been an increase in adaptation programming but only scant evidence of what has - or has not - worked under different contexts. On Thursday, November 10, 2022, we will host our final conversation on Measuring the Effectiveness of Climate Adaptation Interventions with Laurie Ashley, Resilience and Climate Adaptation Advisor at USAID, Emilie Beauchamp, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Lead at the International Institute for Sustainable Development, David Nicholson, Chief Climate Officer at Mercy Corps, and Nik Steinberg, Chemonics' Senior Climate Risk Advisor. Learn more about our work in climate change and our events at COP27. About Chemonics International? Founded in 1975, Chemonics is an international development consulting firm. In more than 70 countries around the globe, our network of 5,000 specialists share a simple belief: that the challenges we face today are best solved through the right partnerships - sharing knowledge, expertise, and experience to deliver results. Where Chemonics works, development works. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter or visit us at www.chemonics.com. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1040652/Chemonics_International_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/leading-international-development-firm-chemonics-attends-annual-united-nations-climate-conference-301667757.html Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 3, 2022) - CaNickel Mining Limited (TSXV: CML) ("CaNickel" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the appointment of Shirley Anthony as Vice President, Corporate Development, effective immediately. In this role, Ms. Anthony's responsibilities will include corporate development, contract negotiations, and oversight of the legal and financial matters of the Company. Ms. Anthony has over 14 years of corporate communications, corporate development, and strategic marketing experience at numerous publicly traded North American resource companies ranging from early-stage exploration to production. Most recently, she held the role of VP Investor Relations and Communications with Cassiar Gold Corp. Prior to that, she held roles as Director, Corporate Communications with Maple Gold Mines; VP, Corporate Communications for International Tower Hill Mines; Manager, Corporate Communications for Corvus Gold; and Corporate Communications Manager for Silvercorp Metals. Ms. Anthony holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of British Columbia and is based in Vancouver, B.C. ABOUT CANICKEL CaNickel Mining Limited is a Canadian junior mining company with a 100% interest in the formerly producing Bucko Lake Mine and nickel sulphide project located near Wabowden, Manitoba. The project hosts significant unmined historical nickel sulphide resources and the Bucko Lake Mine has a 1,000 tpd processing mill facility and tailings disposal management area along with a 100-person camp. The mine has been under care and maintenance since 2012. For more information, please contact: Shirley Anthony VP Corporate Development Email: shirley@canickel.com Tel: 778-999-2771 CaNickel Mining Limited P.O. Box 35 1655-999 West Hastings Street Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6C 2W2 To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/142867 LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Glencore Energy UK ltd., the U.K. subsidiary of Glencore plc (GLCNF.PK, GLNCY.PK, GLEN.L), announced Thursday it has fully resolved investigation by UK authorities and will pay financial penalty and costs of 280,965,092.95 in respect of the previously announced resolution of the UK Serious Fraud Office (SFO) investigation. The penalty was determined by the Southwark Crown Court, where the company previously admitted to five counts of bribery and two counts of failure to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act 2010. The settlement is part of previously announced coordinated resolutions of investigations by authorities in the US, UK and Brazil into past activities in certain Group businesses related to bribery, and separate US investigations related to market manipulation. The aggregate payments to resolve the UK, US and Brazilian investigations do not differ materially from the $1.5 billion provision recorded in Glencore's fiscal 2021 results. Glencore noted that it continues to cooperate with a previously disclosed and ongoing investigation by the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) into Glencore International AG for failure to have the organisational measures in place to prevent alleged corruption, and an investigation of similar scope by the Dutch Public Prosecution Service. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. LONDON, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Wavestone features in the first edition of the "World Best Consulting Firms" list launched by Forbes and powered by Statistica. 250 consulting firms were chosen and ranked by the clients themselves, to help business leaders select the best consulting firms in the market. Wavestone is delighted that the UK is ranked as one of four of its countries and eighteen of its categories of expertise. About the Forbes | Statista survey Forbes has recognized Wavestone, a business and digital consulting firm, as one of the "World's Best Management Consulting Firms 2022". The annual ranking is a go-to resource for business leaders to evaluate when they need help selecting a trusted advisor. Wavestone's inclusion among this year's top management consulting firms is a testament to its success delivering a winning mix of extensive hands-on experience, powerful analytical skills, and creative problem-solving to address clients' most critical transformations. To determine the list, Forbes and Statista conducted an independent evaluation of thousands of multinational management consultancies across 13 industries and 14 functional areas, in the United States, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and Japan. These firms were evaluated based on survey results of peers, including partners and executives from the management consultancies, as well as recommendations from clients to identify the world's best. To make it to this year's list, global consulting companies were assessed on their ability to adapt and remain competitive during the COVID-19 pandemic, while also evolving to better provide services to their client's changing needs. They were ranked according: to five stars for very frequently recommended , four stars for "frequently recommended", and three stars for "recommended". Focus on Wavestone's performance Wavestone is a transformation consulting firm that offers a seamless combination of business, technology, and sustainability skills. Forbes | Statistica has been recommended as a top firm (4-star rating) in two categories - Digital Transformation and Change Management - in the scope of the United States, United Kingdom, Switzerland, and France. In the other 17 areas, Wavestone also scored three stars, including in the area of Data Analytics & Big Data, Energy & Environment, and IT Strategy & IT Implementation. "We are honored to be ranked by Forbes Statista, which recognizes the work of our teams globally. Our collective commitment is, and always has been, to put our clients' needs first and serve as their go-to partner as they navigate these complex times," said Reza Maghsoudnia, Strategic Development Director at Wavestone. "Creating sustainable business outcomes that accelerate transformation journeys is our passion. Lowering cost and risk, driving operational excellence, and moving businesses forward is our expertise. Congratulations to all the Wavestone professionals who make this a reality." Mike Newlove, UK Practice Lead comments: "I am delighted that the UK is recognised in this ranking. We pride ourselves in delivering the best outcomes for our clients, so being part of this ranking is a true testament to this. I'm proud of our team for continuing to deliver outstanding results for our clients." About Wavestone In a world where knowing how to drive transformation is the key to success, Wavestone's mission is to inform and guide large companies and organisations in their most critical transformations, with the ambition of a positive outcome for all stakeholders. It's an ambition anchored in the firm's DNA and embodied in the signature "The Positive Way." Wavestone draws on about 4,000 employees across Europe - where it is a leading independent player in consulting, the United States and Asia. Wavestone is listed on Euronext Paris and recognised as a Great Place to Work. More information on www.wavestone.com About the Forbes Institute Forbes is an American business magazine founded in 1917 by Bertie Charles Forbes. The magazine is known for its numerous annual rankings of companies, personalities, and places. More information at www.forbes.com About Statista Statista is an online portal offering statistics from institute data, market, and opinion research as well as data from the economic sector. Within just a few years, Statista managed to establish itself as a leading provider of market and consumer data. More information on statista.com Wavestone Laura Gordon laura.gordon@wavestone.com Tel: +44 (0)7787 115 642 Wellcom PR Agency Sonia El Ouardi sonia.elouardi@wellcom.fr Tel: +33 1 46 34 60 60 Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1937543/Wavestone_Forbes.jpg View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/wavestone-ranked-in-forbes-worlds-best-management-consulting-firms-2022-list-301667840.html ELBA, Italy, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Elba Island, the island of Napoleon Bonaparte, launches "Napoleon Experience": a new series of tourist-experiential travel experiences that will allow visitors to go back 200 years when the great Corsican Bonaparte ruled Elba Island. "Napoleon Experience" will take off in 2023, allowing visitors to enjoy an all-around holiday in a Napoleonic key, thanks to a unique travel experience that mixes culture, food and wine, nature, folklore, and, of course, sea and relaxation. It will be like travelling back in time to the period when the emperor led the capital of the Tuscan Archipelago. Napoleon was a great innovator who made a decisive contribution to making Elba Island a modern place for that time, with measures that are even today part of its culture. "Napoleon Experience" will immerse visitors in the atmosphere of the time: they will experience the excitement of the great parties at which Pauline, the sister of the emperor, was admired, dine at their table, and taste the Aleatico wine that Napoleon loved so much, walk along the roads that always look towards his native Corsica, discover how people lived surrounded by refined craftsmanship and precious minerals extracted from the island belly, and much more. The new project is starting in 2023 and will last seven weeks from May to September, one week for each municipality on Elba Island. The travel plans will be presented soon and offer various experiences from which visitors will be free to choose, creating their unique Napoleonic holiday. "Napoleon Experience" is the result of a partnership between the public and private sectors: a virtuous mechanism that makes it possible to build innovative touristic initiatives and project Elba Island into the future. Elba hosted the emperor for ten months. A period as short as intense profoundly affected the life of the people and its signs are still evident today. His landing took place on 4 May 1814 in Portoferraio, where it is still possible to see the spot where the first French Emperor set foot. From that moment until 27 February 1815, the life of the Elban community was turned upside down by Napoleon's presence and his traces are still everywhere. Among them is the Elban symbol flag, which presents three golden bees on a red stripe on a white field. To immerse yourself in Napoleon's time, have a look at this video: https://bit.ly/3WrmV8H. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1937525/Elba_Island_Experience.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/elba-island-offers-the-napoleon-experience-from-2023-301667855.html Recognized for increasing efficiencies and reducing enterprise risk by automating reconciliation and financial close processes with Trintech's Cadency Platform DALLAS, TX / ACCESSWIRE / November 3, 2022 / Trintech, a leading global provider of cloud-based financial close solutions for the Office of Finance, announced today that its customer, Serco, a leading provider of professional, technology, engineering and management services, has been named the winner in the "Office of Finance" category of the 15th annual Ventana Research Digital Leadership Awards. Serco's win is attributed to its innovative use of Trintech's Cadency Platform to standardize and automate its reconciliation and financial close processes. "We want to congratulate Serco for its use of Trintech's solution in applying automation in its accounting close to speed processes in a complex business, enable staff to focus more of their time on high-value efforts and promote greater confidence in the integrity of its financial statements," remarked Robert Kugel, Senior Vice President and Research Director at Ventana Research. Following the successful roll-out of Cadency, Serco has achieved a single, standardized approach to balance sheet management on a global scale. Reconciliations now require less manual effort thanks to increased automation and the application of a risk-based strategy. In addition, the use of a centralized global solution has provided greater insight into the total number of reconciliations performed as well as their timeliness and accuracy. "I am honored to accept this award on behalf of the Project Team who implemented Cadency and the BAU team who continues to use and promote continuous improvement within our reconciliation process," said Paul Adams, Head of New Business & R2R at Serco. "The transformative success our team has been able to achieve with Trintech's Cadency solution has been remarkable and we look forward to additional successes as we continue our financial transformation journey with Trintech." Automation has not only reduced Serco's cost but also allows their team to focus on more value-added tasks. "Competition for talent is a big focus and challenge for many organizations today," continued Adams. "Automation can help retain your resources by allowing them to focus on value-added tasks instead of the manual, transactional processes." Today, Serco is running 5,000 balance sheet reconciliations through Cadency on a monthly basis. In addition, they are auto-reconciling 15,000 accounts which has saved their team a total of 500 hours per month. To gain even further efficiencies, Serco also utilizes Trintech's pre-built Cadency SAP-Certified Connector. "This connector automatically interfaces data flows from our SAP instance into Cadency so our team can begin analyzing it within minutes. Having the direct interface from SAP also gives confidence in the data matching between the two systems," continued Adams. From a reporting perspective, Serco's leadership team also now has full visibility into a Reporting dashboard that allows them to drill-down into any account and identify risk on the balance sheet. Looking ahead, Serco is looking to continue to expand its automation strategy to gain further efficiencies across their processes. "If it is a repeatable process, the benefits of having technology doing it is far superior to any human. Automation is vital for process efficiency and cost-effectiveness," concluded Adams. ### About Trintech Trintech Inc., a pioneer of financial corporate performance management software, combines technical and financial expertise to create innovative, cloud-based software solutions that deliver world-class financial operations and insights. From high volume transaction matching and streamlining daily operational reconciliations, to automating and managing balance sheet reconciliations, intercompany accounting, journal entries, disclosure reporting and bank fee analysis, to governance, risk and compliance - Trintech's portfolio of financial solutions, including Cadency, Adra, and targeted tools, ReconNET, T-Recs, and UPCS, help manage all aspects of the financial close process. Trintech's excellence in both innovation and client support have been recognized with a variety of awards over the years including most recently "Easiest to Do Business With" and "Fastest Implementation" in G2's Fall 2022 Report. Over 3,500 clients worldwide - including the majority of the Fortune 100 - rely on the company's cloud-based software to continuously improve the efficiency, reliability, and strategic insights of their financial operations. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Trintech has offices located across the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, and the Nordic countries, as well as strategic partners in South Africa, Latin America, and the Asia Pacific. To learn more about Trintech, visit www.trintech.com or connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. Media Contact: Kelli Shoevlin Sr. Manager, Global Corporate Marketing & Communications kelli.shoevlin@trintech.com SOURCE: Trintech, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/723414/Trintech-Client-Serco-Named-Winner-in-15th-Annual-Ventana-Research-Digital-Leadership-Awards ORLANDO, FL / ACCESSWIRE / November 3, 2022 / New Frontier Energy, Inc. (OTC:NFEI), exclusive licensor of Resonance And Micronization System (R.A.M.S.) technology, has reported a reduction in liabilities totaling $604,941, comprised of $342,441 in accrued salary and $262,500 in convertible debt obligation, in conjunction with its exit from the real estate business. "Getting these debts off the books of the company significantly improves our balance sheet and will allow us to focus a far greater percentage of any future funding on growing our R.A.M.S. business," said Richard Edelson, CEO of NFEI. "While we did shed our former real estate assets to eliminate these liabilities, our Board continues to believe that our current business strategies present a more robust opportunity for our shareholders to benefit, as compared to the fledgling real estate platform from which we operated previously," Mr. Edelson concluded. About R.A.M.S. The micronized R.A.M.S. technology is able to remove from shale rock either pollutants or kerogen, the coveted precursor to crude oil, in seconds and minutes versus hours and days. It reduces levels of emissions and toxic materials many times over that of conventional processes. In the energy industry, separating raw oil shale and kerogen, the crude oil precursor, is of particular interest. Resonance disintegration technology is considered "clean removal." It is performed before the retorting, or heating process, and retains the natural composition without activating toxic elements . This results in a purer product and greater yield of shale oil over conventional methods. Until recently, removing oil from shale rock relied on crushing, pulverizing, and grinding milling processes using high-impact machines. In contrast, the resonance disintegration technology causes materials to be liberated from within, maintaining the integrity of the original material while protecting nearby groundwater. Kerogen Capture . Although oil shale itself does not contain oil, it possesses the precursor to crude oil - an organic material called kerogen. The goal is to remove the kerogen. When kerogen is heated it can be converted to synthetic crude oil and other derivatives. Using this technology, the kerogen is shattered from within the shale matrix instead of being ground or crushed. The fine particles enable the coveted separation of the oil from the mineral solids. Because only the kerogen is heated and not the solid particles, the amount of energy expended in the retorting process is drastically reduced from conventional methods. Another economic benefit. Conventional oil shale mining requires a process called retorting. This involves heating organic shale to about 900 degrees F after which it decomposes into gas, a solid residue, and condensable oil. If this process takes place while the shale is still in the ground, it is known as "in situ" mining. This necessitates an explosive to create injectable spaces or voids, hydraulic pressure, and an injection of hot fluids. The downsides of this method are low efficiency rates of recovery, collapsing surfaces, and the potential for groundwater contamination. Another method of processing oil shale is called, "ex situ" mining. During this method, oil shale is first extracted from the Earth by surface or through underground mining. Once above ground, the rock is crushed, and then retorted to release the shale oil. This method is able to recover up to 90% of the oil shale reserves. After the complex procedure of pulverizing the ore, the oil and organic materials are finally separated during the heating process. When complete, the remaining solid material is 20 - 30% greater in bulk than initially. Most of the retorted shale can be disposed of in the original mine, but the remaining increased volume will need to be trucked to other disposal sites. As a result, both the environment and operating costs are negatively affected. Cleaner, Purer, Cheaper, A New Frontier . However, using R.A.M.S. for that same mine, by separating the kerogen before the retorting process, the oil yield is much higher from the concentrated kerogen. Also, expansion of the mineral matter does not occur and it could be returned in whole to the site from where it was mined. The need for above ground disposal would be eliminated, reducing operating costs while benefitting the environment. Generative pulsating resonances break down, or disintegrate, biomass materials near their natural fracture sites. Particles are reduced to submicronic or granular size, in under a second in many cases, via vortex-generated shearing forces and shock waves. No physical contact is needed, and costs are significantly reduced compared to conventional processes. The technology will work on hundreds of materials. Each material has a unique frequency for the best results of disintegration. Currently most of those materials are destroyed by conventional pulverization methods. Abundant Oil Shale Reserves . Oil shale exploration in the United States has faded since 1991 because of high start-up and operational costs coupled with lower energy prices. Yet, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Energy Resources Program, almost 35% of the known oil shale reserves in the world can be found in the Green River formation, an area in western Colorado, eastern Utah, and southwestern Wyoming covering about 17,000 square miles. There is an estimated 1.2 trillion barrels of oil in reserves within the Green River formation. Major oil companies received several patents for new recovery technologies for oil shale previous to the current favorable price of oil. This conveys interest in extracting oil shale deposits concurrent to the rise of oil prices. With R.A.M.S. technology already on the market, multi-national oil companies who own mining rights to vast oil shale deposits in the Green River formation are considered potential end-users. These sites are the easiest to recover, and by far the richest oil shale reserves in the world. Colorado Acknowledgment . In a letter from the former Director of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, Brian Vogt, said, "I understand the potential this technology has for mining applications specific to the State of Colorado. The comments advanced by the technical review personnel of the Department of Energy anticipate the great contribution this technology will make toward resolving our dependence on foreign oiland will make a significant contribution to national oil requirements for decades to come." "It is clear that R.A.M.S. (Resonance And Micronization System) is energy efficient, environmentally sound, and economically competitive and the production of mill equipment and its related industries could add significant capital and thousands of jobs to the State's economy. Opportunities exist beyond shale oil and range from hard rock mining industry to the agricultural sector." Stay Up to Date. For news and updates, shareholders, prospective investors, and prospective business partners are encouraged to follow NFEI_Info on Twitter. About NFEI New Frontier Energy is further developing a breakthrough oil shale extraction technology to access the abundant oil shale reserves within our own borders, bringing us closer to energy independence. By using a patented Resonance And Micronization System (R.A.M.S.), New Frontier Energy is able to extract kerogen from oil shale by using high frequency sound waves that pulverize rock as opposed to traditional methods of crushing or grinding. The R.A.M.S. technology significantly reduces the costs of oil shale extraction while avoiding many of the negative environmental impacts. The end result is a cleaner, purer and cheaper form of kerogen extraction. Safe Harbor Statement This current press release contains "forward-looking statements," as that term is defined in Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Statements in this press release which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future, including, but not limited to, any products sold or cash flow from operations. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Such factors include, among others, the inherent uncertainties associated with distribution and difficulties associated with obtaining financing on acceptable terms. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and we assume no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Although we believe that the beliefs, plans, expectations and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions will prove to be accurate. Investors should consult all of the information set forth herein and should also refer to our most recent annual report for our last fiscal year, our quarterly reports, and other periodic reports filed from time-to-time with OTCMarkets.com. Contact: New Frontier Energy, Inc. 631-747-0117 rich@nfeicorporate.com SOURCE: New Frontier Energy, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/723808/New-Frontier-Energy-Highlights-Over-600000-Reduction-in-Liabilities-Including-262500-of-Convertible-Debt-Associated-With-Recent-Exit-from-Real-Estate-Business Harris Williams, a global investment bank specializing in M&A advisory services, announces it advised St Pierre Groupe (St Pierre), an international market leader in the bakery sector, on its sale to Grupo Bimbo (BMV: BIMBO). St Pierre was previously owned by its founders and BGF. The transaction was led by Will Bain, Ryan Freeman, Andreas Poth and Will Baker of the Harris Williams Consumer Group. "St Pierre is a rare breed; it combines exceptional brand strength and multi-category coverage with phenomenal growth rates across the U.S. and European markets. Its leading position in the premium French bakery sector made it a 'must have' brand for key international strategics. Grupo Bimbo will be a fantastic partner for St Pierre as it embarks on its next phase of growth," said Will Bain, a managing director at Harris Williams. "The premium, authentic French brand positioning of St Pierre enabled the company to achieve significant growth and scale in the U.S. and Europe and also resonates with consumers globally," said Ryan Freeman, a managing director at Harris Williams. "Given the strength of the St Pierre brand and the attractiveness of the business, we targeted only a select group of global companies that were best positioned to further accelerate the growth and success of St Pierre around the world." "Grupo Bimbo emerged as the logical buyer for an asset-light business like St Pierre that will benefit from the global capabilities of Grupo Bimbo, the world's largest bakery," said Andreas Poth, a director at Harris Williams. Paul Baker, a co-founder of St Pierre, said, "We selected Harris Williams as our M&A advisor not only because of their extensive expertise in bakery and fast-growing international brands, but also due to their access to global strategic buyers. They delivered in spades my fellow shareholders and I could not have been more impressed with what they did. We are very grateful to Will, Ryan, Andreas and the whole team for a job well done; they demonstrated a passion for our business that equaled ours. Most importantly for the business, they helped us find the ideal partner in Grupo Bimbo to deliver on St Pierre's long-term growth plan." St Pierre is an international market leader in the bakery sector, delivering world-class bakery products under three distinctive brands St Pierre, Baker Street, and Paul Hollywood. Its products are stocked in over 35,000 retail and wholesale stores worldwide in the U.K., U.S., Europe, and the Middle East. BGF was set up in 2011 and has invested over 2.5 billion in more than 400 companies, making it the most active growth capital investor in the U.K. BGF is a minority, non-controlling equity partner with a patient outlook on investments, based on shared long-term goals with the management teams it backs. BGF invests in growing businesses in the U.K. and Ireland through its network of 16 offices. In 2018, Canada launched its equivalent the Canadian Business Growth Fund and in 2020, Australia did the same, both based on BGF's approach and funding model. Grupo Bimbo is the largest and leading baking company in the world and a relevant participant in snacks. Grupo Bimbo has 203 plants and more than 1,700 sales centers strategically located in 33 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Its main product lines include fresh and frozen sliced bread, buns, cookies, snack cakes, English muffins, bagels, pre-packaged foods, tortillas, salted snacks, and confectionery products, among others. Grupo Bimbo produces over 13,000 products and has one of the largest direct distribution networks in the world, with more than 2.8 million points of sale, around 53,000 routes, and more than 135,000 associates. Its shares trade on the Mexican Stock Exchange (BMV) under the ticker symbol BIMBO, and in the over-the-counter market in the United States with a Level 1 ADR, under the ticker symbol BMBOY. Harris Williams, an investment bank specializing in M&A advisory services, advocates for sellers and buyers of companies worldwide through critical milestones and provides thoughtful advice during the lives of their businesses. By collaborating as one firm across Industry Groups and geographies, the firm helps its clients achieve outcomes that support their objectives and strategically create value. Harris Williams is committed to execution excellence and to building enduring, valued relationships that are based on mutual trust. Harris Williams is a subsidiary of the PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC). The Harris Williams Consumer Group has completed transactions across a variety of verticals, including food, beverage and agribusiness; branded consumer products; consumer services; and restaurant and retail. For more information on the Harris Williams Consumer Group and recent transactions, visit the Consumer Group's section of the Harris Williams website. Harris Williams LLC is a registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA and SIPC. Harris Williams Co. Ltd is a private limited company incorporated under English law with its registered office at 8th Floor, 20 Farringdon Street, London EC4A 4AB, UK, registered with the Registrar of Companies for England and Wales (registration number 07078852). Harris Williams Co. Ltd is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Harris Williams Co. Corporate Finance Advisors GmbH is registered in the commercial register of the local court of Frankfurt am Main, Germany, under HRB 107540. The registered address is Bockenheimer Landstrasse 33-35, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany (email address: hwgermany@harriswilliams.com). Geschaftsfuhrer/Directors: Jeffery H. Perkins, Paul Poggi. (VAT No. DE321666994). Harris Williams is a trade name under which Harris Williams LLC, Harris Williams Co. Ltd and Harris Williams Co. Corporate Finance Advisors GmbH conduct business. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103006108/en/ Contacts: For media inquiries, please contact Julia Moore at media@harriswilliams.com. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 3, 2022) - LeanLife Health Inc. (CSE: LLP) (FSE: LL1) (the "Company" or "LeanLife") announces further to its press release of September 13, 2022, the Company and its auditors are continuing to work diligently to complete the audit of the Company's annual financial statements for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022, the related management's discussion and analysis and CEO and CFO certifications (collectively, the "Annual Filings") by the prescribed deadline of July 29, 2022. The Company has also failed to file its first Quarter Financial Statements, management's discussion and analysis and CEO and CFO certifications (collectively, the "Interim Filings") for the period ended June 30, 2022. The Company's 2022 audit currently remains ongoing and as previously disclosed, is experiencing delays caused by complexities arising from the Company's financials. The CTO will remain in place until such time as the Annual Filings and Q1 filings are filed by the Company, currently expected before November 4, 2022 respectively. The CTO prohibits the trading by any person of any securities of the Company in each jurisdiction in Canada in which the Company is a reporting issuer, including trades in the Company's common shares made through the Canadian Securities Exchange, for as long as the CTO remains in effect; however, the CTO provides an exception for beneficial securityholders of the Company who are not currently (and who were not as of August 5, 2022 ) insiders or control persons of the Company and who sell securities of the Company acquired before August 5, 2022 if both of the following criteria are met: (i) the sale is made through a "foreign organized regulated market", as defined in section 1.1 of the Universal Market Integrity Rules of the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada and (ii) the sale is made through an investment dealer registered in a jurisdiction of Canada in accordance with applicable securities legislation. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to remedy its filing default and have the CTO lifted in a timely manner or at all. The Company is not currently subject to any insolvency proceedings. The Company also confirms that there is no other material information concerning the affairs of the Company that has not been generally disclosed as of the date of this press release. The Company further announces that it is has applied to the CSE to extend the expiry date on 20,844,600 warrants expiring on November 30, 2022. The proposed date for the new expiration date is November 20, 2023. The exercise price of the warrants will continue to be $0.075 each. About LeanLife Health Inc. LeanLife Health Inc. was born from a desire to offer high-quality omega-3 plant-based oils to the world. Evidence of over 50 years supports the numerous health benefits of flaxseed omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid. LeanLife Health recognized that over 50% of North Americans do not consume enough omega-3 fats and eat far too many omega-6 fats. Our omega-3 flaxseed formulation is stable for 2 years which will allow more food companies to add the oil to their products and more consumers to meet their nutritional needs. Proprietary methods initially developed at a Polish University in 2007 have been continuously improved upon to result in the most nutritionally stable plant-based omega-3 oils that are on the market today. New initiatives have driven our team to incorporate more products to diversify our offerings and enrich shareholder value. We are excited to be rolling out the Mike Tyson-endorsed Iron Energy Drinks into the soft drink market across the United States in 2021. LeanLife Health Inc. is confident this strategy will propel us forward with positive gains in the foreseeable future. The Company has engaged a team with global expertise in omega-3 science and production, energy drink sales, and direct-to-consumer marketing. Our professionals are working to ensure our omega-3 flaxseed oil is the healthiest, most stable, and the most convenient available today. In addition, our team is working diligently to launch Amazon and convenience store sales of Iron Energy Drinks (endorsed by Mike Tyson) across the United States. For more information, visit our website at https://www.leanlifehealth.com/ or contact: Anis Barakat, CEO (416) 669-4303 anis@leanlifehealth.com Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This release contains certain "forward-looking statements" and certain "forward-looking information" as defined under applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements and information can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may", "will", "expect", "intend", "estimate", "upon" "anticipate", "believe", "continue", "plans" or similar terminology. Forward-looking statements and information include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the profitability and anticipated sales, product expansion or potential Amazon orders. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/142986 AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of "a+" (Excellent) of GreenStars BNP Paribas S.A. (GreenStars) (Luxembourg), a subsidiary of BNP Paribas SA (BNP Paribas). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable. The ratings reflect GreenStars' balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its strong operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management. The ratings also consider, in the form of rating lift, AM Best's expectation that BNP Paribas will provide financial support to the company, if needed. The shareholder has historically allowed GreenStars to retain all of its earnings since its incorporation in 2009. GreenStars' very strong balance sheet strength is supported by its risk-adjusted capitalisation at the strongest level, as measured by Best's Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR). AM Best expects GreenStars' risk-adjusted capitalisation to remain at the strongest level, supported by good internal capital generation and low net underwriting leverage. Dependence on reinsurance is high, although the associated credit risk is mitigated partially by GreenStars' diversified and well-rated reinsurance panel. GreenStars' strong operating performance is demonstrated by its return on capital and surplus of 18.0% for the five-year period ending in 2021, as calculated by AM Best. Historical performance has been driven largely by the company's low loss experience, which has helped it obtain high inward ceding and profit commissions. AM Best expects prospective performance to remain strong, albeit subject to potential volatility stemming from weakened global macroeconomic conditions. GreenStars' extensive reinsurance programme helps to mitigate the effect of potential claims volatility on a net basis. GreenStars provides support for BNP Paribas' lending operations, as a credit-risk management tool. The company's business profile benefits from having direct access to the group's good quality credit risks. While GreenStars is concentrated in credit insurance, its business profile assessment reflects its diversification by geography, type of credit risk and obligor. AM Best remains the leading rating agency of alternative risk transfer entities, with more than 200 such vehicles rated throughout the world. For current Best's Credit Ratings and independent data on the captive and alternative risk transfer insurance market, please visit www.ambest.com/captive This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Best's website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Best's Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Guide to Best's Credit Ratings. For information on the proper use of Best's Credit Ratings, Best's Performance Assessments, Best's Preliminary Credit Assessments and AM Best press releases, please view Guide to Proper Use of Best's Ratings Assessments AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specialising in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com Copyright 2022 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103006189/en/ Contacts: Morgane Hillebrandt Senior Financial Analyst +31 20 308 5422 morgane.hillebrandt@ambest.com Dr. Mathilde Jakobsen Director, Analytics +31 20 308 5427 mathilde.jakobsen@ambest.com Christopher Sharkey Manager, Public Relations +1 908 439 2200, ext. 5159 christopher.sharkey@ambest.com Al Slavin Communications Specialist +1 908 439 2200, ext. 5098 al.slavin@ambest.com VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / November 3, 2022 / The Power Play by The Market Herald has announced the release of new interviews with Mullen Group, Blockmate Ventures, Fabled Copper and Gitennes Exploration discussing their latest news. The Power Play by The Market Herald provides investors with a quick snapshot of what they need to know about the company's latest press release through exclusive insights and interviews with company executives. Mullen Group (TSX:MTL) details its ESG focus Mullen Group (MTL), a leading logistics provider, is committed to operating through progressive ESG values. The company adopts LEED principles focused on sustainable site development and continually invests in electric and reduced-emission vehicles. Lee Hellyer, Mullen's VP of Operations, sat down with Daniella Atkinson to expand upon the company's ESG commitments and initiatives. For the full interview with Lee Hellyer and to learn about Mullen Group, click here. Blockmate Ventures (TSXV:MATE) launches new cryptocurrency instant-buy websites Blockmate Ventures launched new cryptocurrency instant-buy websites: blockchain.com.au (Australia) and blockchain.eu (Europe). The websites facilitate purchasing of cryptocurrencies by a credit card or local payment methods. Customers are invited to select a cryptocurrency that they wish to purchase and then nominate a digital wallet to receive the currency upon checkout. Dom Carosa, Blockmate CEO & President, sat down with Daniella Atkinson to discuss the launch. For the full interview with Dom Carosa and to learn about Blockmate Ventures, click here. Fabled Copper Corp. (CSE:FABL) announces the results of 2022 surface fieldwork on its Muskwa Copper Project Fabled Copper announced the results of 2022 surface fieldwork on its Muskwa Copper Project in northern B.C. Fabled Copper President and CEO Peter Hawley sat down with Sabrina Cuthbert to discuss the results. For the full interview with Peter Hawley and to learn about Fabled Copper, click here. Gitennes (TSXV:GIT) options its JMW and Maxwell properties Gitennes Exploration (GIT) announces that it has signed agreements to option two properties to Newfoundland Discovery Corp.. The JMW and Maxwell properties are located in the Chapais-Chibougamau Area, Quebec. Ken Booth, President of Gitennes Exploration, sat down with Sabrina Cuthbert to discuss the news. For the full interview with Ken Booth and to learn about Gitennes Exploration, click here. Interviews for The Power Play by The Market Herald are released daily. To learn more about the companies featured in The Power Play or to explore our other interviews visit? The Power Play by The Market Herald. About The Market Herald The Market Herald Canada is the leading source of authoritative breaking stock market news for self-directed investors. Our team of Canadian markets reporters, editors and technologists covers the entire listed company universe in Canada. We cover over 3,985 businesses, their people, their investors, and their customers. We write the stories that move the Canadian capital markets. DISCLAIMER: Report Card Canada Media Ltd. ("Report Card") is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Market Herald Limited, an Australian company ("Market Herald"). 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CONTACT: The Market Herald marketing@themarketherald.ca themarketherald.ca SOURCE:?The Market Herald View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/723824/The-Power-Play-by-The-Market-Herald-Releases-New-Interviews-With-Mullen-Group-Blockmate-Ventures-Fabled-Copper-and-Gitennes-Exploration-Discussing-Their-Latest-News Redde Northgate Plc - Transaction in Own Shares NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO OR FROM ANY JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO WOULD CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF THE RELEVANT LAWS OR REGULATIONS OF SUCH JURISDICTION 3 November 2022 REDDE NORTHGATE PLC ("Redde Northgate" or the "Group" or the "Company") Transaction in Own Shares Redde Northgate plc (LSE:REDD) announces that on 3 November 2022 it purchased the following number of its own shares to be held in treasury: Class of shares : Ordinary shares of 50p ("shares") Number of shares purchased : 280,000 Weighted average purchase price paid : 338.994 pence per share Highest purchase price paid : 342 pence per share Lowest purchase price paid : 336.5 pence per share Following the above transaction, the Company's issued share capital consists of 246,091,423 ordinary shares of 50p each, of which 14,176,710 ordinary shares are held in treasury, and 1,000,000 preference shares of 50p each which do not carry any rights to vote. Therefore the total number of voting rights in the Company is 231,914,713 which may be used by shareholders as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in the Company under the FCA's Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules. In accordance with Article 5(1)(b) of Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 (the Market Abuse Regulation) as incorporated into UK domestic law by the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, the schedule below contains detailed information about the purchases made by Numis Securities Limited on behalf of the Company as part of the Company's buyback programme. Schedule of Purchases - Individual Transactions (all of 3 November 2022) Number of shares purchased Transaction price (GB pence per share) Time of transaction Transaction reference number Venue 493 338.00 08:09:43 00061921263TRLO0 LSE 680 339.00 08:26:33 00061922852TRLO0 LSE 1000 339.00 08:26:33 00061922853TRLO0 LSE 500 339.00 08:26:33 00061922854TRLO0 LSE 105 339.00 08:26:33 00061922855TRLO0 LSE 3186 338.50 08:34:26 00061923358TRLO0 LSE 28 341.00 09:09:13 00061925171TRLO0 LSE 2289 341.00 09:10:11 00061925219TRLO0 LSE 2317 340.50 09:16:13 00061925654TRLO0 LSE 204 340.00 09:28:23 00061926392TRLO0 LSE 63 340.00 09:28:23 00061926393TRLO0 LSE 34 340.00 09:29:23 00061926438TRLO0 LSE 2016 340.00 09:29:23 00061926439TRLO0 LSE 2019 339.00 09:47:02 00061927165TRLO0 LSE 200000 339.00 09:49:32 00061927214TRLO0 LSE 12 338.50 09:53:30 00061927346TRLO0 LSE 638 338.50 09:53:30 00061927347TRLO0 LSE 590 338.50 09:53:30 00061927348TRLO0 LSE 171 338.50 09:53:30 00061927349TRLO0 LSE 988 338.50 09:53:30 00061927350TRLO0 LSE 1984 338.00 10:27:46 00061928481TRLO0 LSE 2 337.50 10:49:17 00061929383TRLO0 LSE 411 337.50 10:50:05 00061929409TRLO0 LSE 2120 337.50 10:50:05 00061929410TRLO0 LSE 268 340.00 11:13:17 00061930428TRLO0 LSE 250 340.00 11:13:17 00061930429TRLO0 LSE 1758 340.00 11:13:17 00061930430TRLO0 LSE 1500 340.50 11:16:43 00061930508TRLO0 LSE 500 340.50 11:16:43 00061930509TRLO0 LSE 357 340.50 11:16:43 00061930510TRLO0 LSE 446 340.50 11:23:51 00061930739TRLO0 LSE 500 340.50 11:23:51 00061930740TRLO0 LSE 562 340.50 11:23:51 00061930741TRLO0 LSE 500 340.50 11:23:51 00061930742TRLO0 LSE 90 340.50 11:23:51 00061930743TRLO0 LSE 2326 340.00 11:34:04 00061931050TRLO0 LSE 661 339.50 12:00:00 00061932012TRLO0 LSE 58 339.50 12:00:00 00061932013TRLO0 LSE 1000 339.50 12:00:00 00061932014TRLO0 LSE 415 339.50 12:00:00 00061932015TRLO0 LSE 610 340.00 12:11:48 00061933007TRLO0 LSE 1434 340.00 12:11:48 00061933008TRLO0 LSE 124 338.00 12:36:14 00061934271TRLO0 LSE 2264 338.00 12:36:14 00061934273TRLO0 LSE 2127 337.50 13:51:40 00061938842TRLO0 LSE 802 337.50 13:51:40 00061938843TRLO0 LSE 1639 337.50 13:51:40 00061938844TRLO0 LSE 1146 337.00 14:01:03 00061939903TRLO0 LSE 1703 337.00 14:01:03 00061939904TRLO0 LSE 87 336.50 14:01:06 00061939934TRLO0 LSE 95 336.50 14:02:51 00061940254TRLO0 LSE 57 336.50 14:02:51 00061940255TRLO0 LSE 492 336.50 14:05:45 00061940722TRLO0 LSE 1539 336.50 14:05:45 00061940723TRLO0 LSE 905 336.50 14:05:45 00061940724TRLO0 LSE 1139 336.50 14:05:45 00061940725TRLO0 LSE 339 336.50 14:20:02 00061941737TRLO0 LSE 71 336.50 14:20:02 00061941738TRLO0 LSE 2211 337.00 14:46:20 00061943414TRLO0 LSE 2 337.00 14:58:20 00061945051TRLO0 LSE 2039 337.00 14:58:20 00061945052TRLO0 LSE 2 337.00 15:07:20 00061946095TRLO0 LSE 2 337.00 15:07:20 00061946096TRLO0 LSE 2 337.00 15:07:20 00061946097TRLO0 LSE 2071 338.00 15:16:34 00061947354TRLO0 LSE 2264 338.00 15:16:34 00061947355TRLO0 LSE 10 338.00 15:16:34 00061947356TRLO0 LSE 1137 339.00 15:25:30 00061948087TRLO0 LSE 2651 339.00 15:25:30 00061948088TRLO0 LSE 1292 339.00 15:25:30 00061948089TRLO0 LSE 422 339.00 15:25:30 00061948090TRLO0 LSE 489 339.00 15:25:30 00061948091TRLO0 LSE 2301 339.00 15:25:30 00061948092TRLO0 LSE 528 339.00 15:25:30 00061948096TRLO0 LSE 1873 339.50 15:40:26 00061949388TRLO0 LSE 2327 339.50 15:40:26 00061949389TRLO0 LSE 408 339.50 15:40:26 00061949390TRLO0 LSE 895 341.00 16:07:52 00061952334TRLO0 LSE 2966 341.00 16:14:42 00061953103TRLO0 LSE 1034 341.00 16:14:42 00061953104TRLO0 LSE 302 341.00 16:15:07 00061953149TRLO0 LSE 3158 342.00 16:21:10 00061953945TRLO0 LSE Notes This announcement is made in accordance with the requirements of Listing Rule 12.4.6. For further information contact: Buchanan David Rydell/Jamie Hooper/Hannah Ratcliff +44 (0) 207 466 5000 Notes to Editors: Redde Northgate is the leading integrated mobility solutions platform providing services across the vehicle lifecycle. The Company offers integrated mobility solutions to businesses, fleet operators, insurers, OEMs and other customers across seven key areas: vehicle rental, vehicle data, accident management, vehicle repairs, fleet management, service and maintenance, vehicle ancillary services and vehicle sales. The Company's core purpose is to keep its customers mobile, whether through meeting their regular mobility needs or by servicing and supporting them when unforeseen events occur. With its considerable scale and reach, Redde Northgate's mission is to offer a market-leading customer proposition and drive enhanced returns for shareholders by creating value through sustainable compounding growth. The Group aims to achieve this through the delivery of its strategic framework of Focus, Drive and Broaden. Redde Northgate services its customers through a network and diversified fleet of over 120,000 owned and leased vehicles, supporting over 600,000 managed vehicles, with more than 170 workshop, body shop and rental locations across the UK, Ireland and Spain and a specialist team of over 6,000 automotive services professionals. Further information please visit the Company's website: www.reddenorthgate.com Combined customer counts almost doubled for the press release business based on customers who have worked with both organizations within the last 12 months Press release distribution revenues increases 100% Transaction results in an expanded communications product lineup, that aligns with Issuer Direct's strategic direction RALEIGH, NC / ACCESSWIRE / November 3, 2022 / Issuer Direct Corporation (NYSE American:ISDR) (the "Company"), an industry-leading communications and compliance company, today announced it acquired iNewsWire.com LLC ("Newswire"), a leading media and marketing communications technology company that provides press release distribution, media databases, media monitoring, and newsrooms through its Media Advantage Platform. "We are very pleased to complete the strategic acquisition of Newswire as part of our plan to grow and invest in our Communications business. We are excited to welcome Newswire customers and employees to the Issuer Direct family," said Brian Balbirnie, CEO of Issuer Direct. "With this transaction completed, Issuer Direct strengthens its entire communications portfolio and grows its press release distribution business to be a significant provider in the industry. The combination of ACCESSWIRE and Newswire will now be one of North America's largest press release distribution platforms, almost doubling our press release customer base. The acquisition of Newswire combines what we think are the very best in people, distribution, technology and brands. Newswire customers will benefit from the global footprint ACCESSWIRE has built over the last 7 years, whereas Issuer Direct's customers will have access to Newswire's brand new media database platform, analytics, as well as its Media Advantage Platform, something which we are very excited about." Mr. Balbirnie added, "This strategic acquisition will also result in meaningful operational synergies in the combined company and we expect the acquisition will be accretive to earnings in the first full quarter of combined operations. The acquisition is projected to increase Issuer Direct's annual revenues by over 50%, and our Communications business by over 80%." Joe Esposito, Newswire's CEO, added, "We believe the combined assets of both companies along with our shared joint mission values and cultures will ensure a rapid transition to operational excellence. Every employee will have a strategic role to play in the Company to ensure our continued focus on accelerated growth, cash flow, product superiority and unrelenting attention to customer success. We expect this merger of people, process and technology offers significant benefits for all employees, customers, and shareholders. We are excited to get started on this journey together." Transaction details A definitive agreement was entered into November 1, 2022, whereby the Company acquired one hundred percent (100%) of the membership interests of iNewswire.com LLC. in exchange for cash, stock, and a seller's note. For additional details relating to the transaction, please see the Company's Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 3, 2022. Conference Call information The Company intends to discuss the acquisition on its scheduled earnings call today (November 3, 2022 at 4:30pm Eastern time). Webcast: https://www.webcaster4.com/Webcast/Page/1/46931 Toll Free: 888-506-0062 International: 973-528-0011 Access Code: 515746 About Issuer Direct Corporation Issuer Direct is a leading communications and compliance company, providing solutions for both Public Relations and Investor Relations Professionals. Our comprehensive solutions are used by thousands of customers, from emerging startups to multi-billion-dollar global brands, ensuring their most important moments are reaching the right audiences, via our industry leading newswire, IR website solutions, events technology, and compliance solutions. For more information, please visit www.issuerdirect.com About Newswire Newswire is a media technology company that provides its clients press release distribution, media databases, media monitoring, and newsrooms for greater brand awareness through earned media, increased online visibility through greater SEO recognition, and more sales inquiries through targeted digital marketing campaigns. Through its disruptive Media Advantage Platform, relentless commitment to customer satisfaction, and passion for customer performance, Newswire is automating media and marketing communications for large and small businesses seeking to deliver the right message to the right audience at the right time for the right purpose. For more information, please visit www.newswire.com . Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act") (which Sections were adopted as part of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). Statements preceded by, followed by or that otherwise include the words "believe," "anticipate," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "plan," "project," "prospects," "outlook," "see," and similar words or expressions, or future or conditional verbs, such as "will," "should," "would," "may," and "could," are generally forward-looking in nature and not historical facts. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the Company's actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any anticipated results, performance, or achievements for many reasons, including the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The Company disclaims any intention to, and undertakes no obligation to, revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, a future event, or otherwise. For additional risks and uncertainties that could impact the Company's forward-looking statements, please see the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, including but not limited to the discussion under "Risk Factors" therein, which the Company filed with the SEC and which may be viewed at http://www.sec.gov/ . For Further Information: Issuer Direct Corporation Brian R. Balbirnie (919)-481-4000 brian.balbirnie@issuerdirect.com Hayden IR James Carbonara (646)-755-7412 James@haydenir.com SOURCE: Issuer Direct Corporation View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/723828/Issuer-Direct-Acquires-iNewsWirecom-LLC-Acquisition-Increases-Issuer-Directs-Communications-Revenues-By-More-Than-80-andAlmost-Doubles-Customers Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 3, 2022) - Westmount Minerals Corp. (CSE: WMC) ("Westmount" or the "Company") announces that it has changed its auditor from Harbourside CPA, LLP (the "Former Auditor") to Davidson & Company LLP (the "Successor Auditor") effective November 1, 2022. The board of directors of the Company appointed the Successor Auditor as the new auditor until the next Annual General Meeting of the Company or until such time as determined by the Board of Directors. There are no disagreements or consultations (as those terms are defined in NI 51-102) in connection with the change of auditor nor have there been any reservations or modifications in the Former Auditor's reports on the Company's financial statements relating to the period during which it was auditor. The Company has sent a Notice of Change of Auditor (the "Notice") to the Former Auditor and to the Successor Auditor and has received a letter from each, addressed to the securities commissions in each of British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario stating that they agree with the information contained in the Notice. The Notice, together with the letters from the Former Auditor and the Successor Auditor and the cover letter are available on www.sedar.com. About Westmount Minerals Corp. Westmount is focused on mineral exploration in the Americas. The Company is advancing the Douay East gold property located within the greater Abitibi Greenstone Belt region in Quebec to the drill stage. In addition, the Company is exploring the recently acquired Otatakan and East Pilot lithium properties located in northwestern Ontario, a region where numerous lithium deposits have been delineated. On Behalf of the Board of Directors David Tafel Chief Executive Officer and Director For further information, please contact: David Tafel Chief Executive Officer and Director (604) 683-1991 Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements: This news release includes certain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, statements regarding future capital expenditures, anticipated content, commencement, and cost of exploration programs in respect of the Company's projects and mineral properties, anticipated exploration program results from exploration activities, resources and/or reserves on the Company's projects and mineral properties, and the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Often, but not always, forward looking information can be identified by words such as "pro forma", "plans", "expects", "will", "may", "should", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", "believes", "potential" or variations of such words including negative variations thereof, and phrases that refer to certain actions, events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, that market fundamentals will result in sustained precious and base metals demand and prices, the receipt of any necessary permits, licenses and regulatory approvals in connection with the future exploration of the Company's properties, that the COVID-19 global pandemic will not affect the ability of the Company to conduct future exploration of the Company's properties, the availability of financing on suitable terms, and the Company's ability to comply with environmental, health and safety laws. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks and other factors include, among others, statements as to the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, including the Company's option to acquire its Projects, the proposed expenditures for exploration work thereon, the ability of the Company to obtain sufficient financing to fund its business activities and plans, delays in obtaining governmental and regulatory approvals (including of the Canadian Securities Exchange), permits or financing, changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting mining operations, risks relating to epidemics or pandemics such as COVID-19, including the impact of COVID-19 on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations, the Company's limited operating history, currency fluctuations, title disputes or claims, environmental issues and liabilities, as well as those factors discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's prospectus dated February 14, 2022, and other filings of the Company with the Canadian Securities Authorities, copies of which can be found under the Company's profile on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements in this news release except as otherwise required by law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/143004 Locus Chain is a distributed data-storing system where the participators can freely add data. Recently, the company has made new recruitment by hiring Nimrod Lehavi, a former CEO of Simplex, as an advisor. Seoul, South Korea--(Newsfile Corp. - November 3, 2022) - Locus Chain is a public blockchain platform that facilitates its users with scalability while maintaining decentralization. In the latest expansion, the company is pleased to announce that Nimrod Lehavi, founder and former CEO of Simplex, has joined Locus Chain as an advisor. Nimrod Lehavi discovered the bitcoin white paper in 2011 and was instantly fascinated. Nimrod Lehavi has spent 15 years at Lehavi Solutions Software, tackling technical, business, and product difficulties for various unique and challenging enterprises and industries. He intended to buy Bitcoin when it was around $10 but found the purchase process to be somewhat tricky, so he created Simplex to address the issue. Since he made Simplex in 2014, he has been on the board of the Israeli Bitcoin Association and has managed the company as a market leader. Regarding the on/off ramps for fiat currency, Israel-based Simplex is a market leader in cryptocurrency. It makes it possible for the cryptocurrency and conventional financial sectors to interact. More than 350 businesses, wallets, cryptocurrency exchanges, and applications use the Simplex platform, which is also a key participant in the Visa network and is used by Bitpay and Binance, the largest exchange in the space. Through the Simplex platform, partners can buy cryptocurrencies with Visa, Mastercard, debit cards, and direct bank transfers. The recent acquisition of Simplex by a publicly traded business cost an astounding $300 million. Sang-Yoon Lee, CEO of Bloom Technology and developer of Locus Chain, expresses the new recruitment of his company, "We are very happy and excited to have Nimrod Lehavi as an advisor to Locus Chain. As a crypto expert, he has maintained a high reputation since the beginning of the blockchain industry and clearly recognizes the limitations of existing blockchain solutions. I believe that Nimrod Lehavi will help Locus Chain grow into the most reliable layer 1 blockchain." In response, Nimrod Lehavi stated, "I think Locus Chain is a very special, and fundamental layer 1 blockchain among other various Layer 1 blockchain projects I have seen so far. It is a blockchain that is built by exceptional technical talent, enjoying complete decentralization and scalability at the same time. I am happy to participate as an advisor to Locus Chain, and I am looking forward to cooperation with Locus Chain." About Locus Chain Locus Chain is a public blockchain protocol that provides complete decentralization and scalability. It is used in various NFT games and next-generation creator metaverse projects worldwide, with Nimrod Lehavi onboard. The company expects significant progress in the tasks running on Locus Chain. About Nimrod Lehavi Nimrod Lehavi earned a computer science degree from Israel's Reichman University. He is a serial entrepreneur who created Lehavi Solutions and Simplex and was an advisor to other crypto and technology firms. His expertise and standing in the blockchain sector are anticipated to be crucial in helping Locus Chain build a variety of retail and financial ecosystems. For further information, visit the following links: Website: https://www.locuschain.com/ Telegram: https://t.me/locusofficial Twitter: https://twitter.com/LocusChain Contact: David Wang | Email: info@locuschain.com Locus Chain To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8703/143003_e233095714093898_001full.jpg To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/143003 Early is Good (EIG), an Indianapolis, IN-based diagnostic solutions company focused on renal disease, closed a $4m seed funding round. Social Capital, a Silicon Valley-based technology investment firm managed by Chamath Palihapitiya, made the investment. The funds will be used to complete clinical trials for EIGs first product, BCDx, a lab-developed test (LDT) for early bladder cancer detection. Led by founder and CEO Thakshila Liyanage, Ph.D., EIG aims to enable the early, accurate, and widely accessible detection of renal system diseases, including bladder, kidney, and prostate cancers, by assessing specific biomarkers found in urine. The BCDx test uses advanced nanotechnology to quantify a panel of biomarkers found in a patients urine to diagnose bladder cancer and the stage of the disease. The BCDx assay uses a single lab-developed test to evaluate a range of biomarkers from proteins, microRNAs, and mRNAs to long noncoding RNAs. The non-invasive technology does not require extraction or amplification and uses a hybrid dual read-out method to accurately quantify specific biomarkers. FinSMEs 03/11/2022 Logiwa, a Chicago, IL-based cloud fulfillment platform for high-volume direct-to-consumer (DTC) and omnichannel businesses, completed its Series B funding, closing a $10M second round of investment. The round was led by Prologis Ventures and BAM Elevate. Logiwa previously announced a $16.4M round of funding led by NewRoad Capital Partners. Existing investors Valor Siren Ventures, Runway Venture Partners, Spider Capital and Launch Capital also participated in this round. The company intends to use the funds to accelerate development of its platform, expand operations and its business reach. Led by Erhan Musaoglu, CEO, Logiwa provides cloud fulfillment software for high-volume direct-to-consumer brands, wholesalers, and 3PLs. The Logiwa Cloud Fulfillment Platform is an integrated WMS and order fulfillment system that makes it easy to run a digital warehouse and scale high-volume DTC fulfillment operations. The solution connects quickly with new online stores and marketplaces, makes it easy to run a digital warehouse, and is easily updated to support dynamic warehouse environments. FinSMEs 03/11/2022 Novadip Biosciences, a Mont Saint-Guibert, Belgium-based clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of regenerative tissue products to accelerate healing of large bone defects and injuries in a single treatment, raised an additional EUR 40m in a Series B equity round and non-dilutive funding. The EUR 40m financing is comprised of EUR 24m in new equity and EUR 16m in non-dilutive financing mainly by the Walloon Region. CR-CP Life Science Fund (China) joined existing investors, including New Science Ventures (US), Fund+, SRIW Life Sciences, VIVES Louvain Technology Fund, InvestSud, family offices and private investors, such as Pierre Drion and Olivier van der Rest, to support the equity round. The funding will accelerate the clinical development of two of Novadips investigational adipose stem cell (ASC)-derived tissue regeneration products: NVD-X3, an allogeneic therapeutic that can provide accelerated, durable bone union in spinal fusion procedures and non-healing fractures, and NVD-003, an autologous bone engraftment product designed to provide a single treatment cure for patients with critical size bone defects such as congenital pseudoarthrosis of the tibia (CPT). Co-Founded in 2013 by Denis Dufrane, MD, PhD, CEO, Novadip Biosciences is a clinical stage company developing best in class tissue regeneration therapies to elevate the standard of care for critical size bone defects, common orthopedic conditions, and cancer. Its 3M tissue regeneration technology platform has the potential to generate an array of product candidates to address hard and soft tissue reconstruction for patients with limited or no treatment options. FinSMEs 03/11/2022 Terraformation, a Kailua-Kona, Hawaii-based global reforestation company, has launched a biodiversity-focused, carbon-funded forest accelerator program. The the Seed to Carbon Forest Accelerator will provide early-stage financing, training in resilient native ecosystem restoration, and tools to increase project transparency in critical early The accelerator builds on Terraformations pilot restoration projects. Since the company began its global programs in 2020, it has launched 16 restoration projects across 11 countries and created more than 400 new sustainable jobs. Applying to and participating in the Seed to Carbon Forest Accelerator is free and open to all forestry teams that prioritize biodiversity and benefits to local communities. Interested organizations and forestry teams are invited to apply to the accelerator beforeNovember 27, 2022. Selected teams will receive a feasibility study to assess carbon project viability on their land, as well as access to expert training in seed collection and banking, biodiverse forest restoration, sustainable business models, marketing and finance. Teams will also receive access to carbon buyers, as well as to new, state-of-the-art project tracking software to streamline monitoring, reporting and verification of project progress, and more. Forestry teams selected to participate in the first cohort will be announced in early 2023. Founded in 2019 by Yishan Wong, former CEO of Reddit, Terraformation is dedicated to restoring the worlds forests to stabilize our climate, revive ecosystems, and build thriving communities. Its current partner network spans five continents and includes diverse landowners and organizations. FinSMEs 03/11/2022 Vaxess Technologies, a Cambridge, MA-based life sciences company developing a sustained-release vaccine patch, raised $27M in Series B funding. The round was led by RA Capital Management with participation from MITs The Engine, Mission BioCapital, and Global Health Investment Corporation. The company intends to use the funds to support its recently-launched phase 1 trial for the H1 influenza vaccine delivered by VX-103. Led by CEO Michael Schrader, Vaxess Technologies is developing the MIMIX sustained release patch technology, an effective way to administer vaccines and therapeutics. For vaccines, the controlled release simulates the pace of a natural infection, helping the body produce a slow, strong, and enduring ramp-up of immune response, ultimately boosting a vaccines effectiveness. Engineered for stability, Vaxesss patch does not require refrigeration and can be shipped to and applied in low resource settings. FinSMEs 03/11/2022 On October 30th and 31st 2022, Ambassador Chen Daojiang contributed an signature article titled The Far-reaching Significance of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China for China and Beyond to Jamaica Observer, Gleaner, and Our Today website, introducing the the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. The full text is as follows: The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China(CPC) was successfully convened in Beijing from 16th to 22nd October, 2022. The Congress took stock of the great changes and remarkable achievements in various fields since the 18th CPC National Congress, and outlined the grand blueprint and chartered the path for building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects. On October 23rd, the new CPC leadership was elected at the First Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee. Xi Jinping was re-elected as the General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, which reflects the common will of over 96 million CPC members and over 1.4 billion Chinese people, and is of decisive significance for advancing the cause of the CPC and China in the new era and for driving forward the historic process of national rejuvenation. China will advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization. From now on, the central task of the CPC will be to lead the Chinese people of all ethnic groups in a concerted effort to realize the Second Centenary Goal of building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects and to advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization. Chinese modernization is socialist modernization pursued under the leadership of the CPC. It contains elements that are common to the modernization processes of all countries, but it is more characterized by features that are unique to the Chinese context. Chinese modernization is the modernization of a huge population, common prosperity for all, material and cultural-ethical advancement, harmony between humanity and nature, and peaceful development, which will provide new choice for and contribute new wisdom to humanitys modernization. China will accelerate the creation of a new development pattern and pursue high-quality development. Pursuing high-quality development is the first and foremost task for China to build a modern socialist country in all respects. China will fully and faithfully apply the new development philosophy on all fronts, continue reforms to develop the socialist market economy, promote high-standard opening up, and accelerate efforts to foster a new pattern of development that is focused on the domestic economy and features positive interplay between domestic and international economic flows. China will build a high-standard socialist market economy, modernize the industrial system, advance rural revitalization across the board, promote coordinated regional development and promote high-standard opening-up. China will promote world peace and development and build a human community with a shared future. China has always been committed to its foreign policy goals of upholding world peace and promoting common development, and it is dedicated to promoting a human community with a shared future. China will remain firm in pursuing an independent foreign policy of peace, never seek hegemony or engage in expansionism, adhere to the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence in pursuing friendship and cooperation with other countries, stay committed to its fundamental national policy of opening to the outside world and pursue a mutually beneficial strategy of opening up, play an active part in the reform and development of the global governance system, and strive to make global governance fairer and more equitable. China will work with all other countries to hold dear humanitys shared values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy, and freedom so as to join forces to meet all types of global challenges. The success of the 20th CPC National Congress holds great significance for the development process of the CPC and China, and will exert profound influence on the whole world, injecting new impetus into Chinas pursuit of friendship and cooperation with Jamaica and all other countries. As emphasized by General Secretary Xi Jinping, Just as China cannot develop in isolation from the world, the world needs China for its development. The Chinese economy has great resilience, potential and latitude. Its strong fundamentals will not change, and it will remain on a positive trajectory over the long run. China will open its door ever wider. We will be steadfast in deepening reform and opening up across the board and in pursuing high-quality development. A prosperous China will create many more opportunities for the world. Jamaica was the first English-speaking Caribbean country to establish diplomatic relations with China. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Jamaica. Over the past 50 years, China-Jamaica relations have maintained steady and sound development. The bilateral practical cooperation has continuously been enhanced, and the broad-based people-to-people exchanges between the two countries have been carried out, bringing many tangible benefits to our countries and our peoples. A reception celebrating the Golden Jubilee of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Jamaica will be held on November 14th, 2022, which will speak volumes about the bright future of China-Jamaica relations and the huge potential of China-Jamaica cooperation, and to provide new momentum for raising China-Jamaica Strategic Partnership to a new level. On the new journey, China stands ready to work with Jamaica to share development opportunities, create more benefits for people of our countries and beyond, and make new and greater contributions to building a human community with a shared future! Xi Jinping President of the Peoples Republic of China In the charming season of autumn, I will be making a state visit to the friendly country of Kazakhstan at the invitation of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. After an interval of five years, it will be my fourth visit to the beautiful country known for its vast steppe, majestic landscape and hospitable people. I very much look forward to the visit. Bound together by mountains and rivers and common interests, China and Kazakhstan are good neighbors, good friends and good partners. For thousands of years, the two peoples have had amicable ties, jointly writing an epic of east-west interactions along the ancient Silk Road. Huen Tsang, an eminent Tang Dynasty monk (602-664), and Chen Cheng, a Ming Dynasty envoy (1365-1457), both set foot on Kazakhstan. Al-Farabi the Eastern Aristotle, Abai Kunanbayev the sage poet, and other towering cultural figures of Kazakhstan enjoy widespread fame in China. To this day, their stories are still being told among the two peoples. This year marks the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Kazakhstan. Over the past three decades, we have braved wind and rain, with our hands always held firmly together. Our interactions and cooperation have become ever more vibrant, and we have travelled an extraordinary path side by side. Over the past 30 years, China-Kazakhstan relations have made big strides. We have continuously advanced our relationship from good neighbors to strategic partners and to permanent comprehensive strategic partners. This incomparable characterization of our ties has enabled us to develop a new type of state-to-state relations featuring mutual respect, good-neighborly friendship, solidarity in trying times, and win-win cooperation. We always give each other unwavering support on the core issues bearing on our respective sovereignty, security and territorial integrity. We always respect each others choice of development path based on national conditions. And we always take pleasure in each others sustained progress in development and national rejuvenation. We are friends to trust and partners to count on for each other, and our peoples always stand shoulder to shoulder with each other. Over the past 30 years, China-Kazakhstan cooperation has yielded remarkable results. In recent years, China has been solidly one of Kazakhstans leading partners for trade and investment. Navigating the impact of COVID-19, we were able to again bring our bilateral trade above the US$25 billion mark last year, jointly giving a boost to global economic recovery. China and Kazakhstan are pioneers in production capacity and investment cooperation; our cooperation list includes 52 projects worth a total of more than US$21.2 billion. We have completed a number of major strategic projects, such as the 100-MW Zhanatas wind farm, the JAC automobile factory, and Shymkent Oil Refinery modernization. They have been a strong driving force for economic and social progress in Kazakhstan, and have delivered tangible benefits to our two peoples. Over the past 30 years, China and Kazakhstan have built extensive infrastructure links. We have put in place a multidimensional transportation network composed of road, railway, aviation, and oil and gas pipelines. And we are resolved to build a Eurasian land-sea multimodal transportation artery to offer convenient and efficient services. At all of our five road crossings and two rail crossings, normal cargo flows have resumed. And we are in close communication about opening another rail crossing. At the China-Kazakhstan International Logistics Base in the eastern Chinese port of Lianyungang, products from Kazakhstan set sail for the Pacific Ocean. The China-Europe freight trains are running through Kazakhstan via more routes, making an important contribution to the stability of global industrial and supply chains. Over the past 30 years, China-Kazakhstan friendship has taken deep roots among our peoples. In Kazakhstan, there are five Confucius Institutes; in China, four universities have opened institutes on Kazakhstan studies and two have added the Kazakh language as a major. The heart-warming story of Xian Xinghai and Bakhtzhan Baikadamov, two great composers in our respective countries, has been turned into a movie. Dr. Saulebek Kabilbekov of Kazakhstan has been working for 24 years in the Daqing Ophthalmology Hospital of Heilongjiang Province, treating nearly 200,000 Chinese patients. China and Kazakhstan will soon establish cultural centers in each others countries, and Kazakhstan will host a center of traditional medicine and a Luban Workshop. Our cultural and people-to-people exchanges will make greater strides, and the friendship between our peoples will continue to thrive on an increasingly solid foundation. Having stood the test of the changing circumstances and the passage of time, China-Kazakhstan relations have long become rock-solid. We should cherish this hard-won achievement, and work harder to carry on the cause of friendship between our two countries. During my upcoming visit, I will have in-depth discussions with President Tokayev on how to further the China-Kazakhstan permanent comprehensive strategic partnership and how to advance our mutually beneficial cooperation across the board. We will set out plans for working together to promote China-Kazakhstan relations with the objective and vision of building a China-Kazakhstan community with a shared future. First, we need to carry forward our good-neighborly friendship. Deep political mutual trust is the bedrock of the steady and sustained development of China-Kazakhstan relations. China is willing to work with Kazakhstan to make top-level designs for the relationship from a strategic and long-term perspective, maintain close high-level interactions, and enhance exchanges and cooperation between our governments, legislatures, political parties and localities at various levels. We should make good use of the regular Prime Ministers Meetings and the China-Kazakhstan Cooperation Committee and its sub-committees, continue to give each other firm support on issues concerning our respective core interests and major concerns, and make continuous efforts to cement the political foundation of China-Kazakhstan relations. Second, we need to further deepen mutually beneficial cooperation. Next year will be the tenth anniversary of the Silk Road Economic Belt initiative that I first proposed during my visit to Kazakhstan in 2013. From laying the groundwork to building pillars and frameworks, to delivering results on the ground, and to achieving sustainable progress, the Belt and Road Initiative has become a platform for international cooperation that is open, inclusive, mutually beneficial and promotes win-win cooperation and a global public good widely welcomed by the international community. Setting our sight beyond the pandemic, China would like to partner with Kazakhstan to remain pioneers in Belt and Road cooperation. We should improve investment and trade facilitation, fully unleash the potential of border ports and cross-border transportation, and cultivate new sources of growth such as artificial intelligence, big data, digital finance, e-commerce and green energy. We should commit ourselves to a series of new quality projects that are high-standard, sustainable, and beneficial to the people, bring bilateral cooperation to a higher level, and put the Global Development Initiative into action, so as to contribute our shares to world economic recovery. Third, we need to firmly safeguard common security. In the face of complex regional and international landscapes, only by embracing unity and cooperation can we overcome difficulties of our times and resolve challenges in security governance. China would like to deepen law enforcement, security and defense cooperation with Kazakhstan. Guided by the Global Security Initiative, we should act on the concept of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and work together to promote the implementation of the Data Security Cooperation Initiative of China+Central Asia. We should join hands to combat terrorism, separatism, extremism, drug trafficking and transnational organized crimes, and ensure the security of oil and gas pipelines and other large cooperation projects and their personnel. We should resolutely oppose interference by external forces and work together for lasting peace and long-term stability of our region. Fourth, we need to strengthen international coordination in all respects. We need to enhance coordination within multilateral frameworks such as the UN, the SCO, CICA, and China+Central Asia. We should exchange views timely on international governance, food security, energy security, industrial and supply chains stability, and regional hotspots. We should reject unilateralism and bloc confrontation, and jointly push for an international order that is more just and more equitable. The Communist Party of China (CPC) will convene its 20th National Congress soon. It will be a gathering of great significance at an important moment as the CPC embarks on a new journey of building a modern socialist country in all respects and marching toward the second centenary goal. We are glad to see that the construction of a New Kazakhstan has been fully launched, and that Kazakhstan is making strides toward the goal of becoming one of the worlds top 30 most developed states. China stands ready to continue to share development achievements with Kazakhstan and learn from each others development experience. Chinas door of opening-up and friendly cooperation will always be open to Kazakhstan. As a Kazakh proverb goes, Friendship is an inexhaustible wealth. China believes that as long as we keep to the principle of good-neighborly friendship and deepen all-round win-win cooperation, we will surely usher in a more splendid thirty years in China-Kazakhstan relations. On the morning of September 15 local time, President Xi Jinping met with Turkmen President Serdar Berdymukhamedov at Forumlar Majmuasi Complex in Samarkand. President Xi Jinping said that since China and Turkmenistan established diplomatic relations 30 years ago, the two countries have enjoyed sustained, sound and steady growth of bilateral relations, and the strategic partnership has reached a high level. China always views China-Turkmenistan relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, respects Turkmenistans independently chosen development path that suits its own national conditions, and opposes any external interference in Turkmenistans internal affairs and process of stability and development. China will continue to work with Turkmenistan to firmly support each other, advance bilateral relations and deliver more benefits to the two peoples. President Xi emphasized the need for the two sides to increase the size and scale of natural gas cooperation and inject new impetus into the development and revitalization of the two countries. He noted the need to accelerate cooperation in non-resource fields and to synergize the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) with Turkmenistans strategy to revive the Great Silk Road. The two sides need to deliver on mutually setting up cultural centers as soon as possible to provide a new platform for people-to-people and cultural exchanges between the two countries. The Chinese side is ready to set up a Luban workshop in Turkmenistan at an early date and continue to strengthen COVID response cooperation with Turkmenistan. The Chinese side is ready to strengthen cooperation with the Turkmen side within the China+Central Asia (C+C5) Meeting mechanism, implement the Global Development Initiative and Global Security Initiative, enhance international coordination, uphold the converging interests of the developing countries, and contribute to world peace and development. President Serdar Berdymukhamedov wished the 20th CPC National Congress a full success and expressed his conviction that under the wise leadership of President Xi Jinping, the 20th CPC National Congress will draw a blueprint for Chinas future development and guide China toward more great achievements. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Turkmenistan and China 30 years ago, bilateral relations have developed smoothly and cooperation in various fields has been expanding. Turkmenistan highly values its strategic partnership with China, and is ready to further deepen mutually beneficial cooperation with China in various fields including economy and trade, natural gas, cross-border transportation, and people-to-people and cultural exchanges. Turkmenistan firmly supports the one-China principle and firmly supports China in safeguarding its national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Turkmenistan supports a series of major initiatives put forward by China, which are conducive to maintaining international peace and security and achieving the sustainable development goals of the United Nations. Turkmenistan is ready to work with China to build stronger synergy between the BRI and Turkmenistans strategy to revive the Great Silk Road, and closely cooperate with China within multilateral frameworks of the United Nations, the C+C5 Meeting mechanism and so on. Ding Xuexiang, Yang Jiechi, Wang Yi, He Lifeng and other officials attended the event. On September 19, 2022 local time, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Demeke Mekonnen Hassen on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Wang Yi said, China and Ethiopia are comprehensive strategic cooperative partners with mutual trust. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations over half a century ago, no matter how the international landscape evolves, bilateral relations have always moved forward with sound and steady development. Mutual trust has kept deepening and pragmatic cooperation has been at the forefront of China-Africa cooperation. China highly appreciates Ethiopia's adherence to the one-China principle and its firm stand with China on issues concerning China's core interests. China will also continue to uphold justice on issues concerning Ethiopia's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. China attaches great importance to deepening and carrying forward mutual trust and friendship with Ethiopia and stands ready to make joint efforts to elevate the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries to new levels. Demeke Mekonnen Hassen expressed that he thanked Mr. Foreign Minister for his visit to Ethiopia last year at a time when Ethiopia was in difficulties. Ethiopia cherishes the deep and strong friendship with China, and is ready to strengthen the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and carry out all-round cooperation with China, and hopes that China will increase support for Ethiopia's personnel training. Ethiopia definitely agrees with the principle of non-interference in internal affairs and will continue to stand firmly with China. Demeke Mekonnen Hassen briefed on Ethiopia's commitment to advancing the peace talks on the northern conflict, and spoke highly of China's proposal on the "Outlook on Peace and Development in the Horn of Africa". Wang Yi said, China appreciates Ethiopia's efforts for peace and supports Ethiopia in independently handling its own affairs. China will continue to provide assistance within its capacity to Ethiopia in dealing with temporary difficulties and jointly uphold the principle of non-interference in internal affairs. China appreciates Ethiopia's active support for the "Outlook on Peace and Development in the Horn of Africa" and supports Ethiopia's proposal for the institutionalization of the Horn of Africa Peace Conference. China is ready to maintain close communication with all parties to encourage regional countries to build common ground, independently handle regional affairs and advance the process of regional integration. On October 28, 2022, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi received a courtesy call from US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns. Wang Yi welcomed Burns to China for assuming the new post, and briefed him on the main achievements and great significance of the 20th CPC National Congress vis-a-vis China-US relations. Wang Yi noted that China-US relations are now at a critical juncture, and the international community generally expects to see stable development of China-US relations. As President Xi Jinping has pointed out, China and the US need to respect each other, live in peace and pursue win-win cooperation. These are the fundamental principles China follows in developing relations with the United States. As two major countries, neither China nor the US can change the other side. The US should stop trying to deal with China from a position of strength, and stop aiming at suppressing and containing China's development. Wang expressed the hope that Burns, as the US Ambassador to China, will act to build bridges between the two sides. Burns said that he has followed closely the 20th CPC National Congress, and studied carefully the report to the 20th National Congress, noting that the briefing by the Chinese side will help the US side gain a deeper understanding of the report. He noted that the US-China relationship is of consequential importance to the two countries and the larger world, and that the US is ready to strengthen communication with China to manage differences and advance cooperation. On November 1, 2022, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi had a phone call with French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna at request. Wang Yi said, the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has been successfully concluded. General Secretary Xi Jinping was unanimously re-elected, and it fully reflects the common will of the whole Party and the people. It ensures that China, like a giant vessel, will continue to sail forward along the established direction, riding the wind and cleaving the waves. The Congress has drawn up a blueprint for China's future development, injecting important certainty to the turbulent and uncertain world. The Congress reaffirmed China's independent foreign policy of peace. China will continue to uphold world peace, promote common development and provide great positive energy for the international community to tackle global challenges. China will maintain consistency and stability in its policies toward France and Europe. We stand ready to continuously enhance the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership and deepen the China-France strategic coordination and cooperation. The two sides should jointly plan and design high-level exchanges and cooperation in various fields, so as to open up new prospects for China-France relations. Colonna expressed that France and China have always maintained mutual trust and cooperation and jointly safeguarded world peace and stability. France hopes to keep closer high-level exchanges and in-depth communication with China to enhance mutual benefits and tackle common challenges. The two sides also exchanged views on Ukraine, the Korean Peninsula and other issues of mutual concern. On the afternoon of 3 November, President Xi Jinping held talks with President Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania at the Great Hall of the People during her state visit to China. The two presidents announced the elevation of the bilateral relationship to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. President Xi noted that President Hassan is the first African head of state China has received after the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC). It speaks volumes about the two countries close ties and the important position of China-Africa relations on Chinas diplomatic agenda. President Xi recalled putting forth, while visiting Tanzania in 2013, the principle of sincerity, real results, amity and good faith to guide Chinas cooperation with African countries. It has now become the basic policy guiding Chinas solidarity and cooperation with other developing countries. Under the new circumstances, the sound growth of China-Tanzania relations not only advances the common and long-term interests of the two countries, but also carries great significance for building a China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era. President Xi briefed President Hassan on the proceedings of the 20th CPC National Congress. He pointed out that starting from now, the central task of the CPC will be to lead the Chinese people of all ethnic groups in a concerted effort to realize the Second Centenary Goal of building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects and to advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization. Modernization does not mean Westernization. China has already found a development path suited to its national conditions. Chinese modernization is grounded in Chinas own realities, with features that are unique to the Chinese context. Both the CPC and the Tanzanian Revolutionary Party (CCM) shoulder the historical mission of strengthening themselves and the country they govern. The CPC will expand exchanges and cooperation with the CCM and support the curriculum and operation of the Mwalimu Julius Nyerere Leadership School. President Xi stressed that China views its relations with Tanzania from a strategic perspective and will always be a trustworthy friend of Tanzania. Moving forward, the two sides should advance friendship and cooperation across the board, in keeping with the China-Tanzania comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. China firmly supports Tanzania in upholding its sovereignty, security and development interests, and in exploring a path of development that suits Tanzanias conditions. China and Tanzania will continue to show firm support on issues involving each others core interests and major concerns. China will further increase import of specialty products from Tanzania, and support Chinese companies in investing and operating in Tanzania, so as to contribute to the economic and social development of Tanzania. China is ready to exchange experience and best practices with Tanzania on rural revitalization, and support the betterment of livelihood there. President Xi pointed out that the Tazara Railway marks a milestone in China-Tanzania and China-Africa friendship. Even when China was poor, it tightened its belt to help its African brothers build this railway. Now that China is more developed, it is better placed to act on the principle of sincerity, real results, amity and good faith, help our African friends achieve common development, and build a stronger China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era. In growing China-Africa relations, both sides need to remain committed to the overall direction of mutual trust, mutual benefit, mutual learning and mutual assistance. Both China and Africa need to build on their time-honored traditional friendship, carry forward the spirit of China-Africa friendship and cooperation, and show greater historical initiative in advancing friendship between China and Africa. Chinas continuous development will create new opportunities for Africa. China will speed up the implementation of the ongoing nine initiatives for cooperation with Africa. With a particular focus on infrastructure, we will continue to nurture new drivers for China-Africa cooperation through trade, investment and financing. China stands ready to work with African countries to uphold the basic norms governing international relations including the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, actively operationalize the Global Development Initiative, increase the representation and voice of developing countries in global governance, and do more to bring about a community with a shared future for mankind. President Hassan noted that she was excited and honored to be invited to visit China soon after the successful conclusion of the 20th CPC National Congress. The visit is a testament to the high level of Tanzania-China relations. On behalf of the CCM and the Tanzanian government, President Hassan once again extended warm congratulations on the success of the 20th CPC National Congress and President Xis re-election as General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee. Tanzania views China as its top real friend and will always be a trustworthy partner for China. With the establishment of a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, Tanzania will work with China to strengthen practical cooperation across the board, take the relationship to a new height, and turn it into an exemplar for Africa-China relations in the new era. Tanzania will continue to firmly support China on issues relating to Taiwan, Xinjiang, Hong Kong and other core interests of China. President Hassan expressed appreciation for Chinas support in the development of the Mwalimu Julius Nyerere Leadership School, and conveyed the hope of southern Africas six sister parties to step up experience sharing with China on national governance in order to achieve better development. The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) has not only boosted the development of African countries in various fields, but also had a demonstrative effect in driving other countries cooperation with Africa and helped enhance Africas international standing. Tanzania will continue to take an active part in and support the development of FOCAC. The Global Development Initiative put forth by President Xi is very timely and conducive to addressing the global challenges of today. Tanzania will work with China to operationalize this initiative and build a community with a shared future for mankind. The two heads of state agreed to: keep up the momentum of high-level exchanges and dialogue, and enhance exchanges and cooperation at all levels between the localities, legislatures and political parties of the two countries; expand the scale of bilateral trade, boost the level of trade and economic cooperation, deepen high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, advance cooperation projects on infrastructure, enhance industrial complementarity and production capacity cooperation, and expand mutually-beneficial cooperation in such areas as manufacturing and processing, green development and digital economy; strengthen people-to-people and cultural exchanges, hold a China-Tanzania year of tourism and culture at an appropriate time, encourage more exchanges between the academics and media organizations of the two countries, and carry forward the friendship between the two peoples; enhance cooperation in international and multilateral settings, step up communication and cooperation on climate change and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and jointly uphold international fairness, justice and the common interests of both sides. At the end of the talks, the two presidents witnessed the signing of bilateral cooperation documents covering trade, investment, development cooperation, digital economy, green development and blue economy. The two sides issued a Joint Statement on Establishing a Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership between the Peoples Republic of China and the United Republic of Tanzania. Prior to the talks, President Xi held a welcoming ceremony for President Hassan in the Northern Hall of the Great Hall of the People. Upon President Hassans arrival at the Great Hall of the People, a 21-gun salute was fired in Tiananmen Square to greet her. Seventeen honor guards lined up the steps on both sides of the red carpet to salute her and trumpeters blew horns to welcome her. The two presidents stepped onto the review stand, after which the military band played the national anthems of the two countries. Accompanied by President Xi, President Hassan then reviewed the guard of honor of the Peoples Liberation Army and watched the march-past. After the talks, President Xi held a welcoming banquet for President Hassan at the Golden Hall of the Great Hall of the People. Wang Yi and He Lifeng, among others, were present at the events. Pancheros Mexican Grill Expands into Somerset; Opens First Location in Massachusetts Fast-Casual Restaurant Brand Opens in Fairfield Commons Plaza November 03, 2022 // Franchising.com // SOMERSET, Mass. - Pancheros Mexican Grill announced the opening of its newest location in Somerset, November 1. The restaurant is conveniently located at 550 Grand Army Highway on Route 6 in Somerset, across from the Home Depot. The restaurant is owned by a trio of investors; Dustin Deboer, Douglas Stack and Kevin OShea with Deboer and Stack as operating partners. The group has ample experience in the restaurant business, as Stack and OShea own two Sonic locations that Deboer serves as the Director of Operations of, with one being located across the street from the new Pancheros. Alongside a trusted team of managers, the group takes a hands-on approach to running their new restaurant. We are delighted to join the Pancheros family and bring the first location to Massachusetts, said Deboer. Following the success of my business partner's Sonic location in Somerset we knew the area was a prime market for business development and we were eager to explore more ownership options. We met with numerous franchises to find the best fit, and once we met the Pancheros team we knew we had struck gold. Their team is the epitome of authenticity, the food is top-notch and their values and story really resonated with us. As a brand thats been around for 30 years, Pancheros has proven to be an industry leader while still maintaining the small-town feel they started with, and thats exactly the type of brand we want to align with. We pride ourselves on our longstanding commitment to bettering the communities were located in, said Rodney Anderson, founder and President of Pancheros. Our community roots are integral to our brand mission, and its a value we share with Dustin, Douglas and Kevin. As business owners in the Somerset area, they have been serving the local community for a while, which makes them ideal franchisees to bring Pancheros to the market. Were confident that Pancheros will be a welcome addition to the town. To celebrate the restaurant opening in Somerset, Pancheros is offering $1 burritos through the Pancheros mobile app from November 8 to November 15. Beginning on November 8, guests can use code somerset1 to receive the offer. There are only 4000 codes available and limited to one per guest. SOURCE Pancheros ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus Wilmington, Delaware, Nov. 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Protext Mobility, Inc (OTC PINK: TXTM) and RSAMMDA LLC (Delaware) (RSAMMDA.LLC) are pleased to provide the following shareholder update and announce an initial order for 2.33 million pounds of Genus Cannabis Sativa under a supply agreement. Dr. Ahmed Jamaloodeen (Dr.J), Protext Chairman commented, This is a terrific milestone and demonstrates years of hard work and relentless pursuit of educating the masses and government collaboration. The initial order calls for the delivery of 2.33 million pounds of cannabis, arguably the largest single cannabis flower and biomass order in history to date post legalization. The specific strain we are growing for this order is Charlottes Angel for high percentage CBD flower and biomass. Everything we do is under South Africa federally issued permits, and license to import, export, grow hemp and cannabis from seed to sale, R & D, as well as develop and distribute our own brand of finished products. Our proprietary, branded CBD product line and online marketplace is anticipated to launch shortly. Due to our early pioneering of hemp and cannabis as a massive community uplift opportunity in South Africa, we were approved as the first government sponsored pilot project that would enable proof of concept to other farms as a blueprint of this business model. This early blueprint is now a proven business model for South African farmers , and we are now at the forefront of SA becoming a recognized global leader in hemp and cannabis production . To further these efforts, last week I attended the AFASA AGM conference and gave a presentation to 1000s of farmers who are now part of the Cannabis Commodity Cluster Formation, which Ive been appointed as National Cannabis Commodity Chairman The first in history. (link to Dr.J Cannabis Expo 2022 presentation discussing SA community uplift and cannabis: youtube.com/DR.J ) Dylon Du Plooy , Protext CEO , commented, The hemp renaissance is well underway, with renewed interest from global industrial companies to find cheaper and greener resources that can be used to produce 1000s of end product. America is decades behind the sustainable materials revolution. That represents a big opportunity for us to unlock the potential of industrial hemp in the worlds strongest economy, with the lowest cost product available globally. For South Africa, the opportunity is to take a global role in what we believe is the beginning of an industrial hemp renaissance. We can not only produce product at the lowest cost basis on a global basis, but we can monetize the farm with 3 annual grows, making our hemp, biomass, and cannabis much sought after from customers around the world. In fact, this substantial off take agreement for an initial 2.3 m illion pounds is being delivered to a US customer. Why? Not only for the quality of the product, but our cost basis is so competitive we can deliver product that includes freight shipping cost to US customers, that is lower than they can get anywhere in North America. #TXTMTribe #TXTMTribeRaok #TXTMRaok. Dr. J continued, As we have previously discussed, we believe there is significant value in the human capital derived from our knowledge, Government and other relationships, compliance, resources, facilities, biomass, and infrastructure that is invaluable. The Permits we are in possession of allow for Genus Cannabis Sativa import, export, grow & cultivation, research, testing, and end product development for global distribution, all of which are anticipated to be utilized by Protext with the end goal to commercialize the live plant extraction technology and bring superior end products to the global market. Having technology thats been tested and proven to increased bioavailability by 10-15x is significant and puts us miles ahead of all competitors. Additional testing is anticipated to be conducted with cannabis being grown on the farm right now. The testing will focus on maximizing yield as well as testing various strains of Genus Cannabis Sativa. We will also begin conducting the R&D using the New Age Extraction Technology for other Indigenous Plant Flora with medicinal properties including Psilocybin. We believe that the significance of the implications our live plant Extraction Technology can have on not only our yield, but also on an entire industry with its 10-15X Bioavailability has been over looked due to the complexity of the science. In laymans terms we stand to produce Natural Plant Based Medicine with 10-15 times more bioavailability than current products on the market, at a fraction of the cost. As we previously discussed, but worth repeating, we entered into this transaction with Protext as we believe there to be numerous synergies by allowing access to certain assets of our established business with Protext as well as commercialize the Protext proprietary live plant extraction technology and processes into our existing Genus Cannabis Sativa infrastructure. Prior to the merger, Protext had collaborated with RSAMMD whereby the companies utilized Protexts proprietary live plant extraction technology along with Kettle extraction equipment to conduct a series of live cannabis extraction testing at New Castle Farm under permits for Genus Cannabis Sativa, with the goal to produce an emulsion rich with cannabinoid but with little to no conversion of THC-A to psychoactive THC. We undertook a series of tests to prove out that the Kettle system and extraction technologies did what they were supposed to do. As part of our previous investigations, various tests were completed using live cannabis flower and leaf, rendered into liquid emulsions supplied by the farm in New Castle. Prior to now, it was hypothecated that processing live Genus Cannabis Sativa under lower temperatures would yield a rich nano-emulsion of phytocannabinoids while retaining the non-psychoactive precursor acid form (THC-A). Our investigations have conclusively demonstrated that full-spectrum cannabinoids can be extracted using the proprietary Kettle system, with minimal metabolic conversion, paving the way for advancement of medical research using non-psychoactive cannabis. What has also intrigued us are the findings from prior research and clinical trials that have shown that the Kettle system, when applied to other medicinal plants, can create an extract that is significantly more bioavailable (10-15x) than a standard extract. This means that our cannabis extract should be more potent while providing a dose that could potentially last up to 24 hours in the bloodstream, which is in-line with prior clinical results using other medicinal plants. Medically, this opens the door to a line of natural pharmaceuticals derived from cannabis but at a fraction of the price and with potentially superior outcomes. From a business perspective, an increase of bioavailability in that magnitude can be a game changer for cultivators as it essentially could increase the net yield by a factor of 10-15x per plant, per acre, per farm. This initial order is just the beginning and leadership is excited for whats to come. We will lead the change we want to see in our world concluded Dr.J. CONTACT INFORMATION For further information, or inquiries relating to partnerships in SA, JV opportunities and/or off-take/supply agreements please feel free to contact us Dylon Du Plooy at: dylon@rsammd.co.za Dr.J at: exportintl@aol.com Follow us at: https://twitter.com/RSAMMD https://twitter.com/ProtextP About Protext (OTC PINK: TXTM) Through its prior acquisitions, Protext has engaged in the research, testing and development of highly bioavailable botanical products all-natural ingredients formulated for nutraceutical and pharmaceutical applications through the use of proprietary live plant extraction technology. Website: www.protxtm.com About RSAMMDA.LLC: RSAMMDA.LLC. is a wholly owned subsidiary of TXTM focused on acquisitions with two principals, Mr. Dylon Du Plooy and Dr. Ahmed Jamaloodeen (Dr. J). Mr. Du Plooy is a South African pioneer in the research, cultivation, production and distribution of medical cannabis and cannabinoids. Dr. J operates the 5000 Hectare New Castle Farm as well as federally issued hemp permits issued by the Government of South Africa. Together, we partner with leading hospitals and universities globally to advance the clinical benefits and applications of cannabinoids. RSAMMDA.LLC founders are a group of medical doctors and pharmacists, and cannabis activists who have been at the forefront of medical cannabis legislation and South African cannabis legalization, which took place in September 2018. We are committed to the advancement of technology and scientific research that leads to an improved quality of life for patients around the world. Website: www.rsammda.com Safe Harbor Statement This release contains forward-looking statements that are based upon current expectations or beliefs, as well as a number of assumptions about future events. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements and the assumptions upon which they are based are reasonable, we can give no assurance or guarantee that such expectations and assumptions will prove to have been correct. Forward- looking statements are generally identifiable by the use of words like "may," "will," "should," "could," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "believe," "intend," or "project" or the negative of these words or other variations on these words or comparable terminology. The reader is cautioned not to put undue reliance on these forward- looking statements, as these statements are subject to numerous factors and uncertainties, including but not limited to: adverse economic conditions, competition, adverse federal, state and local government regulation, international governmental regulation, inadequate capital, inability to carry out research, development and commercialization plans, loss or retirement of key executives and other specific risks. To the extent that statements in this press release are not strictly historical, including statements as to revenue projections, business strategy, outlook, objectives, future milestones, plans, intentions, goals, future financial conditions, events conditioned on stockholder or other approval, or otherwise as to future events, such statements are forward-looking, and are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The forward-looking statements contained in this release are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the statements made. The company disclaims any obligation to update information contained in any forward-looking statement. This press release shall not be deemed a general solicitation. South Africa: NATJOINTS ready to deal with national security threats Cabinet has reassured the public that the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) has an intelligence-driven capacity to deal with threats to the countrys national security, including terrorism. This comes after the Embassy of the United States of America last week issued a security alert to its citizens in South Africa, warning that terrorists may be planning to conduct an attack targeting large gatherings of people in Sandton. In a post-Cabinet statement, government said: Through NATJOINTS, the security of the country is assessed regularly for any possible security threat. As part of the cooperation agreements with other intelligence agencies from other countries, South Africa also benefits from the exchange of relevant intelligence information that can ensure the safety of the nation. Cabinet in the statement called on the public to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious and illegal activities to law enforcement agencies. Do not keep quiet; if you see something, say something. Together we can keep the nation safe, Cabinet said. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2022-11-03. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Naval troops carry out joint rescue exercise China Military Online) 15:39, November 03, 2022 A rescue and salvage vessel attached to a naval salvage ship flotilla sails on the sea during a real-combat rescue exercise on October 8, 2022, which was jointly carried out by the flotilla and a naval aviation regiment under the PLA Northern Theater Command. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Ma Yingming) (Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Liang Jun) Alberta, Nov. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Bhayana Family Foundation, in partnership with United Ways across Alberta, CCVO (Calgary Chamber of Voluntary Organizations), and ECVO (Edmonton Chamber of Voluntary Organizations), held the first annual celebration of the Alberta Bhayana Awards. The Alberta Bhayana Awards celebrate the value and contribution of the non-profit sector across the province, as an example of greater provincial recognition of the non-profit sector in Alberta. A total of 20 awards were handed out in a virtual ceremony, honouring the work of staff from non-profit organizations across the province for leadership, innovation, partnership, and community building. The Alberta Bhayana Awards are made possible by a generous donation from Raksha M. Bhayana and the Bhayana Family Foundation. As a former member of United Way Torontos Board of Trustees, Raksha is a dedicated community volunteer and a passionate champion for the recognition of frontline workers who make a difference in the community every day. Were really excited to expand our national awards program to all of Alberta. The staff of the non-profit sector and their passionate commitment to creating social impact is the invisible scaffolding of our communities. Through their inexhaustible work, they transform lives and help clients reach their goals. There is no horizon too far and no barrier too high that they wont leap. I am always inspired by their stories. Raksha M. Bhayana, CEO and Co-founder of the Bhayana Family Foundation By created partnerships with United Ways across Canada, the Bhayana Family Foundation recognizes the extraordinary work done by the non-profit sector. The Alberta Bhayana Awards event was hosted in collaboration with United Way of Calgary and Area, United Way Alberta Capital Region, United Way Alberta Northwest, United Way Central Alberta, United Way Fort McMurray and Wood Buffalo, United Way Lethbridge & South Western Alberta, United Way Lloydminster & District, CCVO, and ECVO. We are thrilled to celebrate the first-ever Alberta Bhayana Awards, in partnership with the Bhayana Family Foundation. Every day we work with individuals and organizations who do tremendous work in the community, and they are all worthy and deserving of recognition. The Alberta Bhayana Awards will help foster a stronger non-profit sector in our province. Karen Young, President and CEO, United Way of Calgary and Area The 2022 Alberta Bhayana Award recipients include: The Banff Public Library staff, who received a Partnership, Collaboration & Connection Award for developing an item lending program where residents can borrow a variety of items ranging from power tools to sewing machines. This program stimulated lifelong learning, encourages social connection as community volunteers share with residents how to use the items, and reduces waste and fights barriers in accessing these resources in a rural area. Lena Awwad, the Research & Programs Director at the Islamic Family & Social Services Association in Edmonton, who received an Innovative Leadership Award. She helped build their refugee sponsorship program and leads programs to help newcomers find employment. Lenas work has been recognized by the International Refugee Council in Geneva and the Canadian Refugee Council. The virtual program was held on Wednesday, October 26th and featured a keynote from Dr. Joel Christie, Chair of the Premiers Council on Charities and Civil Society along with a special performance from the Cantilon Choir. For the full list of award recipients, please visit AlbertaBhayanaAwards.ca. -30- About Bhayana Family Foundation Incorporated in 2006, the Bhayana Family Foundations mission has been to close the recognition gap that exists for charitable and non-profit sector employees. In partnership with United Ways across Canada, they sponsor high-profile national awards program that recognizes staff excellence in the areas of leadership, innovation, dedication, partnership, community building and team achievement. The awards are affectionately known as the Oscars of the non-profit sector. Over the last 15 years, close to 1,500 outstanding staff from more than 350 non-profit organizations have been awarded through this program. bhayanafoundation.org About United Way of Calgary and Area United Way of Calgary and Area brings together local agencies, corporations, donors, volunteers, and government to create lasting social change in our city. Born as part of a worldwide movement more than a century ago, United Ways unwavering focus continues to be improving lives through the power of communities. As a local social impact organization, we strategically invest in, partner with, and mobilize local community agencies to solve complex social issues. Our work and our investments stay in Calgary and the surrounding area, supporting thousands of local people every year. calgaryunitedway.org SALT LAKE CITY, UT, ROCHESTER, NY, Nov. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CallTower, an international leader in delivering cloud-based enterprise-class unified communications, contact center and collaboration solutions, was recognized by Frost & Sullivan as a Leader in the UCaaS Market in their October 2022 Frost Radar report after recent analysis. This position was driven primarily by CallTowers significant success with Microsoft Teams and Cisco Webex solutions and integrations. The report notes, in part: [CallTowers] comprehensive cloud solutions portfolio addresses diverse client needs and delivers complete end-to-end, turnkey, multi-platform, and hybrid solutions for customerscapabilities that are likely to drive growth in the future. CallTowers solutions enable CallTower to fully manage the customer experience and relationship. CallTowers Microsoft Teams and Cisco Webex solutions provide the ultimate best-in-breed communications capability for organizations of any size. They also deliver a seamless user and IT management experience with high-quality, scalable web and video capabilities. CallTowers offerings are easytouse business communication technology tools that support mobility, messaging, conferencing and presence management. Globally, CallTower is one of few organizations certified to provide voice with Microsoft Teams for Operator Connect and Direct Routing. We are thrilled to receive this distinguished recognition from Frost & Sullivan for our UCaaS offerings for another year, added CallTower Chief Revenue Officer William Rubio. Our solutions offer everything in UCaaS and CCaaS with the highest redundant voice quality and collaboration services all integrated with productivity tools and network support which empowers our customers to have choices in how they communicate with their customers and vendors in a global business landscape. Frost & Sullivans Frost Radar recognizes 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 the 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. About CallTower Since its inception in 2002, CallTower has evolved into an international leading cloud-based, enterprise-class Unified Communications, Contact Center and Collaboration solutions provider for growing organizations in over 100 countries and 6,000 cities globally with local calling. CallTower provides, integrates and supports industry-leading solutions, including Native Microsoft Teams Direct Routing, Microsoft Operator Connect, Office 365, GCC High Teams Direct Routing, Cisco Webex Calling, UCM, HCS, Webex Collab Suite, CT Cloud UC, CT Cloud Boost, CT Cloud Meeting powered by Zoom and three contact center options, including Five9 for business customers. For more information, contact marketing@calltower.com Dublin, Nov. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Kenya - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Kenya's universal service fund extends broadband to underserved areas Kenya's telecom regulator has been working to close the digital gap between urban and rural areas of the country, largely relying on the USF. This supports the updated national broadband strategy, which is focused on providing a broadband services of at least 3Mb/s to 90% of the population by 2023. In addition, a 10Mb/s service should be available to all schools, healthcare centres, and government facilities by the end of 2022. Further goals for 2030 include providing a 10Mb/s service nationally and a 100Mb/s to 80% of the population. The government commissioned a study (the ICT Access Gaps study) in 2016, which found that 166 of 7,149 locations in the country had no telecom coverage, while an additional 418 had less than 50% population coverage and 5,655 locations were fully covered. The 166 localities accounted for about 2.66 million people. Phase 1 of the project (funded by teh USF) was launched in late 2018, with Safaricom and Telkom Kenya contracted to carry out the work. This work was incomplete, and in February 2021 the regulator identified 101 localities to be covered with telecom services. It committed KES1.57 billion, which formed Phase 2 of the USF. Contracts were awarded to Safaricom, Airtel Kenya, and others, and the work by these companies must be completed within two years. Key Topics Covered: Key statistics Regional Africa Market Comparison Market characteristics Market Leaders Market Challengers Market Emergents TMI vs GDP Mobile and mobile broadband penetration Fixed versus mobile broadband penetration Country overview Telecommunications market Market analysis Regulatory environment Regulatory authority Fixed-line developments Mobile network developments Mobile market Mobile statistics Mobile infrastructure Mobile data Mobile broadband Major mobile operators Mobile content and applications Fixed-line broadband market Introduction and statistical overview Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) networks Fibre-to-the-Premises (FttP) networks Other fixed broadband services Digital economy E-learning E-commerce E-government E-agriculture Fixed network operators Telkom Kenya Liquid Telecom Kenya (KDN) Jamii Telecom Access Kenya Telecommunications infrastructure Overview of the national telecom network National Optic Fibre Backbone Infrastructure (NOFBI) International infrastructure Appendix Historic data For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/lpyo9m HRCI subsidiary now offers two organizational certifications to support organizations and set them apart from the competition by aligning with globally accepted Human Resource Management standards ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Human Resource Standards Institute (HRSI), a subsidiary of HRCI, today announced the creation of a new organizational certification in Human Capital Reporting (HCR). HRSI Organizational Certification allows organizations to assess HCR initiatives against International Organization for Standardization (ISO) guidelines, ISO 30414:2018 Human Resource Management (HRM) HCR for internal and external reporting surrounding organizational performance and sustainability. As Human Capital includes the cumulative knowledge, skills and abilities of an organizations people and their impact on an organizations long-term performance, achieving this certification helps organizations demonstrate a commitment to excellence in HRM. Through the certification process, organizations provide better transparency, accountability and visibility into HRM and business practices and support the sustainability of their workforce. The HRSI Organizational Certification based on ISO 30414:2018 also verifies an organizations commitment to offering world-class human resources practices. It can be earned by any organization, regardless of business type, size, nature, complexity or whether in the public, private or not-for-profit sectors. The HRSI ISO 30414:2018 review and certification mirror ISO guidelines for 12 clusters of metrics, including: compliance and ethics, costs, diversity, leadership, organizational culture, organizational health, safety and well-being, productivity, recruitment, mobility and turnover, skills and capabilities, succession planning, and workforce availability. We are excited to announce our new organizational certification that will empower leaders to lean in, assess and affirm that their Human Capital Reporting initiatives fulfill guidance from the ISO standard, which is recognized by the SEC as meeting their required Human Capital disclosures, said HRSI President Dr. Denise Caleb, PHR. By aligning with globally accepted standards in Human Resource Management, including HCR, organizations increase their ability to attract, retain, develop and advance top talent. HRSI organizational certifications also enhance an employers brand and reputation through association with the ISO brand, which signifies quality to the market and the commitment to an employer of choice. HRSI now offers two certifications that allow organizations to earn and show the market they align with ISO standards in HRM. In May 2022, HRSI launched with an organizational certification measured against ISO 30415:2021 HRM: Diversity and Inclusion (D&I). The HRSI D&I Organizational Certification is heralded around the globe as a template for continual improvement of integrating D&I into organizations. HRCI CEO Dr. Amy Dufrane, SPHR, CAE, commented, In a few short months, HRSI has made tremendous strides when it comes to using the ISO 260 standards developed by the international community for the purpose of advancing human resources management across organizations. This momentum aligns with the HRCI mission, and we are very supportive of HRSIs continued progress. To learn more about HRSI and the path to organizational certification, visit https://www.hrsi.org. About HRSI HRSI headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, is the worlds premier standards and credentialing institute for private, publicly traded, not-for-profit and small, medium and enterprise (SME) organizations. A subsidiary of HRCI, HRSI creates and offers organizational certifications based on International Organization for Standardization (ISO) human resources management (HRM) standards. Through HRSI certifications, organizations align with globally accepted HRM practices and utilize that knowledge in the development of HR processes that adhere to those standards. Learn more at www.hrsi.org . About HRCI HRCI, headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, is the premier credentialing and learning organization for the human resources profession. For over 45 years, we have set the global standard for HR expertise and excellence through our commitment to the development and advancement of businesspeople in the people business. HRCI develops and offers world-class learning, as well as the administration of eight global certifications, and is dedicated to helping professionals achieve new competencies that drive business results. Learn more at www.hrci.org. YERINGTON, Nev., Nov. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nevada Copper (TSX: NCU) (OTC: NEVDF) (FSE: ZYTA) (Nevada Copper or the Company) is pleased to provide an update on restart and operational activities for its underground mine (the Underground Mine) following the closing of the restart financing package that provides up to US$123 million of liquidity to the Company, as announced in the Companys October 28, 2022 press release. Additionally, the Company announces the addition to its Board of Directors of Guillaume de Dardel, Head of Energy Transition Metals and part of the Energy Transition desk at Mercuria Energy Trading SA (Mercuria), one of Nevada Coppers largest shareholders. Operational Updates Optimized Mine Plan John Wood Group plc, has completed an optimized life-of-mine plan that focuses on accessing the larger, higher-grade stopes of the East North Zone (EN Zone) to bring value forward in the mine life. This optimized plan is being incorporated into our development and mine planning in preparation for restart of mining operations. Final Dike Crossings As indicated in the Companys October 5, 2022 press release, the Company continues to build on the significant progress made to date with the completion of the second dike crossing. This critical achievement provides access to the higher-grade stopes of the EN Zone that is estimated to represent the highest value area of the underground reserve. This zone also represents the most competent geotechnical rock mass within the reserve which is expected to allow larger stopes to be extracted, significantly improving production efficiencies. The Company is encouraged by the rock quality being encountered beyond the dike as progress is made on development headings into the EN Zone, and appears to be as predicted by the geotechnical models. To date, nine of the first stopes to be mined have been drilled to provide critical data for final stope design in preparation for the commencement of mining in the second half of 2023. The underground crews have transitioned to work on the final dike crossing which is expected to be completed in early 2023. A well-known industry grouting and geotechnical consultant has been engaged in developing the final dike crossing design and plan. The completion of the dike crossing will provide necessary access for a development contractor to begin rapid development into the EN Zone in early 2023. Development Contractor The Company has received indications of interest in providing proposals for development mining from six large, well-known, and established mining contractors. Discussions are in the advanced stages with these contractors and the Company expects to award a contract by the end of 2022. Capital Projects Proceeding The Company has signed a letter of intent (LOI) with an engineering firm to bring critical capital projects to completion, including the coarse ore bin, permanent dewatering system, vent shaft rehabilitation and surface fans. The scope of the LOI includes delivery of construction execution plans within the next 30 days. These execution plans would identify any procurement or fabrication of materials and equipment to complete the construction activities, labor requirements, and necessary activities ancillary to these capital projects. The Company has also secured the remaining long-lead item for the coarse ore bin project, the underground jaw crusher, which is expected to be delivered in November 2022. Strengthening the Site Technical Leadership The operations leadership has been strengthened with the recent additions of highly experienced individuals in critical technical and operational roles. Included in these recent additions are an Underground Mine Manager, a Capital Projects Manager, a Senior Paste Backfill Engineer, a Contracts Manager, and a Senior Geotechnical Engineer. The Company has also started to fill out the underground operations crews with several skilled mining and operations crews that will focus on capital development projects ahead of stope mining that is planned to begin in the second half of 2023. Board Addition Guillaume de Dardel, Head of Energy Transition Metals and part of the Energy Transition desk at Mercuria, will join the Board of Directors of the Company effective November 4, 2022. Mercuria is a significant shareholder in Nevada Copper. Mr. de Dardel studied in Sao Paulo and Switzerland and holds a BA HSG (magna cum laude) from the University of St. Gallen. Mercuria is one of the worlds largest independent global energy and commodities groups and makes strategic investments to provide access to key infrastructure and physical commodity markets. They have expanded rapidly into renewables and the energy transition which has become a core pillar of Mercurias strategy. Qualified Person The technical information and data in this news release has been reviewed by Steven Newman, Registered Member SME, Vice President, Technical Services for Nevada Copper, who is a non-independent Qualified Person within the meaning of NI 43-101. About Nevada Copper Nevada Copper (TSX: NCU) is a copper producer and owner of the Pumpkin Hollow copper project. Located in Nevada, USA, Pumpkin Hollow has substantial reserves and resources including copper, gold and silver. Its two fully permitted projects include the high-grade Underground Mine and processing facility, which is now in the production stage, and a large-scale open pit project, which is advancing towards feasibility status. Randy Buffington President & CEO For additional information, please see the Companys website at www.nevadacopper.com, or contact: Tracey Thom | Vice President, IR and Community Relations tthom@nevadacopper.com +1 775 391 9029 Cautionary Language on Forward Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking information and forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. All statements in this news release, other than statements of historical facts, are forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking information and forward-looking statements specifically include, but are not limited to, statements that relate to the development plans for the Underground Mine and the expected results thereof. Forward-looking statements and information include statements regarding the expectations and beliefs of management. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements and forward-looking information can be identified by the use of words such as plans, expects, potential, is expected, anticipated, is targeted, budget, scheduled, estimates, forecasts, intends, anticipates, or believes or the negatives thereof or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might or will be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements or information should not be read as guarantees of future performance and results. They are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results and events to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information. Such risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, those relating to: requirements for additional capital and no assurance can be given regarding the availability thereof; the outcome of discussions with creditors and vendors; the ability of the Company to complete the ramp-up of the Underground Mine within the expected cost estimates and timeframe; the impact of COVID-19 on the business and operations of the Company; the state of financial markets; history of losses; dilution; adverse events relating to milling operations, construction, development and ramp-up, including the ability of the Company to address underground development and process plant issues; ground conditions; cost overruns relating to development, construction and ramp-up of the Underground Mine; loss of material properties; interest rate increases; global economy; limited history of production; future metals price fluctuations; speculative nature of exploration activities; periodic interruptions to exploration, development and mining activities; environmental hazards and liability; industrial accidents; failure of processing and mining equipment to perform as expected; labour disputes; supply problems; uncertainty of production and cost estimates; the interpretation of drill results and the estimation of mineral resources and reserves; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; possible variations in ore reserves, grade of mineralization or recovery rates from managements expectations and the difference may be material; legal and regulatory proceedings and community actions; accidents; title matters; regulatory approvals and restrictions; increased costs and physical risks relating to climate change, including extreme weather events, and new or revised regulations relating to climate change; permitting and licensing; dependence on management information systems and cyber security risks; volatility of the market price of the Companys securities; insurance; competition; hedging activities; currency fluctuations; loss of key employees; other risks of the mining industry as well as those risks discussed in the Companys Managements Discussion and Analysis in respect of the year ended December 31, 2021 and the quarter ended March 31, 2022 and in the section entitled Risk Factors in the Companys Annual Information Form dated March 31, 2022. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release are based upon assumptions management believes to be reasonable, including, without limitation: no adverse developments in respect of the property or operations at the project; no material changes to applicable laws; the ramp-up of operations at the Underground Mine in accordance with managements plans and expectations; no worsening of the current COVID-19 related work restrictions; reduced impacts of COVID-19 going forward; the Company will be able to obtain sufficient additional funding to complete the ramp-up, no material adverse change to the price of copper from current levels; and the absence of any other factors that could cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. The forward-looking information and statements are stated as of the date hereof. The Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update forward-looking statements or information except as required by law. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events, or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information and statements, there may be other factors that could cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Specific reference is made to Risk Factors in the Companys Managements Discussion and Analysis in respect of the year ended December 31, 2021 and the quarter ended March 31, 2022 and Risk Factors in the Companys Annual Information Form dated March 31, 2022, for a discussion of factors that may affect forward-looking statements and information. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, should other risks or uncertainties materialize or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results and events may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements and information. For more information on the Company and the risks and challenges of its business, investors should review the Companys filings that are available at www.sedar.com. The Company provides no assurance that forward-looking statements and 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. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3d89cb97-1129-4757-aab3-d6866ec82a97 Dublin, Nov. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Integrated Cloud Management Platform (ICMP) Market with COVID-19 Impact Analysis, by Component (Solutions, Services), Organization Size, Vertical (BFSI, IT & Telecom, Government & Public Sector), and Region - Forecast to 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global ICMP Market is expected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 15.2% during the forecast period, to reach USD 5.8 billion by 2027 from USD 2.9 billion in 2022. The COVID-19 Impact on the global ICMP Market The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the market is covered throughout the report. The pandemic has had a positive impact on the integrated cloud management platform market. Corporates are increasingly adopting technology-aided tools that can be leveraged remotely and can ensure hiring as well as business continuity amid disruptions. Due to this, the demand for the SaaS platform is continuously growing. Top companies, such as Microsoft, are witnessing a high number of subscribers during this period. This is driving the growth of integrated cloud management platforms amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic to cater to the growing adoption of multi-cloud and hybrid cloud models, with the growing adoption of remote working models. The COVID-19 pandemic has created an enormous challenge for businesses globally in continuing operations despite the massive shutdown of offices and other facilities. The increasing use of technologies, especially in the pandemic situation, to stay connected and efficiently operate businesses, is expected to drive the market during COVID-19. Services segment to grow at a higher CAGR during the forecast period Based on the component, the market is segmented into two categories: solutions, and services. The services segment is expected to grow at a higher CAGR during the forecast period. Services, including consulting, integration and implementation, training and education, and support and maintenance, are required at various stages, from pre-sales requirement assessment to post-sales product deployment and execution, thus enabling the client to get maximum RoI. Services constitute an integral part in deploying the solution onboard, imparting training, and handling and maintaining the software solution. Companies offering these services encompass consultants, solution experts, and dedicated project management teams specializing in designing and delivering critical decision support software, tools, and services. SMEs segment to grow at a higher CAGR during the forecast period The ICMP market is segmented by organization size is segmented into SMEs and large enterprises. The SMEs segment is expected to grow at a higher CAGR during the forecast period. Cost-effectiveness is an important factor for SMEs, as they always have a tight budget, leaving them with limited ways to market themselves and gain visibility. The implementation of cloud storage is expected to result in increased revenues, desired outcomes, and improved business efficiency for SMEs. SMEs adopt the pay-as-you-go model, which offers flexibility to manage their IT infrastructure according to their requirements. SMEs face intense competition from large enterprises; thus, to gain a competitive edge, they are adopting integrated cloud management platforms, which would enable quick responses, timely decisions, and overall enhanced business productivity. Consumer goods and retail vertical to grow at a higher CAGR during the forecast period The consumer goods and retail industry vertical is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The world of retail is changing rapidly, not just in terms of the stores we buy from, but how we shop, when how we pay for goods and the way in which those goods move through the supply chain. The impact of this has redefined the perception of customer experience and the standards retailers today are expected to reach and exceed. Multi-cloud platforms provide retailers with flexibility and allow them to do storage and computing at a lower cost. Examples of this are the UK's retailing giant, Sainsbury's and Argos. The merger of the two companies was facilitated by the adoption of a multi-cloud platform because combining the operational requirements of both businesses would have been impossible on-premises. Through multi-cloud, the businesses were able to blend their business processes and maximized reach. Retailers use data to connect the e-commerce and in-store shopping experiences, and the only way they can do this accurately and efficiently is through flexible, scalable technology. The rise of selling on social media platforms also means integrating payment into the user experience, bringing security and protection of customers' data to the forefront of retailers' minds. The hybrid cloud provides the portability and control needed to bring retailers into the new era of customer experience. APAC to grow at a higher CAGR during the forecast period The APAC market is gaining huge traction among global businesses. The Asia Pacific region comprises emerging economies, such as China, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, and the rest of Asia Pacific. The region is gaining huge traction among global businesses. It consists of countries with a complex ecosystem of start-ups, governments, SMEs, and large multinational companies using and developing an array of valuable ICT solutions. Major factors for technological advancements in the region are the rising levels of urbanization, technological innovation, and government support for the digital economy. Rapid advancements in telecommunications, cloud computing, and IoT have led to several organizations adopting cloud-based strategies. The region is expected to experience huge growth during the forecast period. With the increasing adoption of cloud technologies and the rising amount of business processes, there has been a significant rise in the adoption of integrated cloud management platform solutions. Key Topics Covered: 1 Introduction 2 Research Methodology 3 Executive Summary 4 Premium Insights 4.1 Brief Overview of the Integrated Cloud Management Platform Market 4.2 Market, by Component, 2022 vs. 2027 4.3 Market, by Organization Size, 2022 vs. 2027 4.4 Market, by Vertical, 2022 vs. 2027 4.5 Market - Investment Scenario 5 Market Overview and Industry Trends 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Market Dynamics 5.2.1 Drivers 5.2.1.1 Increased Mobility, Shifting Workload Toward Cloud Environments, and Growing Trend of Bring Your Own Device 5.2.1.2 Facilitating Simplified Management of Complex and Heterogeneous Cloud Environments 5.2.1.3 Growing Adoption of Hybrid Cloud and Multi-Cloud Strategies Across Enterprises of Different Industry Verticals 5.2.1.4 Rising Adoption of Cloud-Based Business Utility Solutions and Services due to COVID-19 5.2.1.5 Increased Savings and Workforce Productivity 5.2.1.6 Emergence of AI-Enabled Tools in IT Operations 5.2.2 Restraints 5.2.2.1 Concerns About Cyber-Attacks and Data Breaches 5.2.2.2 Difficulties Involved in Application Portability 5.2.3 Opportunities 5.2.3.1 Emergence of Hybrid Cloud Infrastructure 5.2.3.2 Increasing Investments in AIOps Technology 5.2.3.3 Proactive Investments by Enterprises in Cloud-Based Models 5.2.3.4 COVID-19 Outbreak to Foster Adoption of Cloud-Based Solutions 5.2.4 Challenges 5.2.4.1 Complexity in Designing the Network for Cloud and Security Concerns 5.2.4.2 Limited Expertise Among Enterprises to Utilize Cloud System Management Solutions 5.2.4.3 Increasing Number of Changes in IT Operations 5.3 Case Study Analysis 5.3.1 Case Study 1: Azure Arc-Enabled Data Services are Powering a Faster App Pipeline and Helping RBC to Deliver on a Long-Desired On-Premises Database as a Service (DBaaS) 5.3.2 Case Study 2: Empowering Businesses with Cisco Workload Optimization Manager 5.3.3 Case Study 3: With VMware vRealize Suite, Cognizant Realized Its Vision of a Hybrid Cloud Environment with 'Any Cloud, Any Application' Capability 5.3.4 Case Study 4: CloudBolt's Cloud Management Platform Enables Hamburg Sud to Provide a Wide Range of Cloud Services from VMS, Storage, and Databases Automatically Within Minutes 5.4 Ecosystem 5.5 Supply Chain Analysis 5.6 Pricing Analysis 5.7 Key Stakeholders and Buying Criteria 5.7.1 Key Stakeholders in the Buying Process 5.7.2 Buying Criteria 5.8 Patent Analysis 5.9 Technological Analysis 5.10 Key Conferences and Events in 2022-2023 5.11 COVID-19 Driven Market Dynamics 5.12 Porters Five Forces Analysis 5.13 Tariff and Regulatory Landscape 6 Integrated Cloud Management Platform Market, by Component 6.1 Introduction 6.1.1 Component: Market Drivers 6.1.2 Component: COVID-19 Impact 6.2 Solutions 6.2.1 Cloud Automation and Orchestration 6.2.2 Governance and Compliance 6.2.3 Performance Monitoring 6.2.4 Security Solutions 6.2.5 Cost Management Solutions 6.3 Services 6.3.1 Professional Services 6.3.2 Managed Services 7 Integrated Cloud Management Platform Market, by Organization Size 7.1 Introduction 7.1.1 Organization Size: Market Drivers 7.1.2 Organization Size: COVID-19 Impact 7.2 Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises 7.3 Large Enterprises 8 Integrated Cloud Management Platform Market, by Vertical 8.1 Introduction 8.1.1 Vertical: Market Drivers 8.1.2 Vertical: COVID-19 Impact 8.2 Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance 8.3 IT and Telecom 8.4 Government and Public Sector 8.5 Manufacturing 8.6 Retail and Consumer Goods 8.7 Healthcare and Life Sciences 8.8 Energy and Utilities 8.9 Other Verticals 9 Integrated Cloud Management Platform Market, by Region 10 Competitive Landscape 10.1 Introduction 10.2 Key Players' Strategies/Right to Win 10.2.1 Overview of Strategies by Key Integrated Cloud Management Platform Vendors 10.3 Market Share of Top Vendors 10.4 Historical Revenue Analysis of Top Five Vendors 10.5 Key Market Developments 10.5.1 New Launches 10.5.2 Deals 10.5.3 Others 10.6 Company Evaluation Quadrant 10.6.1 Stars 10.6.2 Emerging Leaders 10.6.3 Pervasive Players 10.6.4 Participants 10.7 SME Evaluation Quadrant 10.7.1 Progressive Companies 10.7.2 Responsive Companies 10.7.3 Dynamic Companies 10.7.4 Starting Blocks 10.7.5 Competitive Benchmarking 11 Company Profiles 11.1 Introduction 11.2 Key Players 11.2.1 Microsoft 11.2.2 IBM 11.2.3 VMware 11.2.4 Dynatrace 11.2.5 Microfocus 11.2.6 Snow Software 11.2.7 Cognizant 11.2.8 BMC Software 11.2.9 Lumen Technologies 11.2.10 Splunk 11.2.11 Oracle 11.2.12 Cisco 11.2.13 Hewlett Packard Enterprise 11.2.14 NetApp 11.2.15 Nutanix 11.2.16 Flexera 11.2.17 Datadog 11.2.18 Red Hat 11.2.19 New Relic 11.2.20 ServiceNow 11.2.21 HashiCorp 11.2.22 Turbonomic 11.3 Startups 11.3.1 Abiquo 11.3.2 Hypergrid 11.3.3 Rafey Systems 11.3.4 Centilytics 11.3.5 Stacklet 11.3.6 Rackware 11.3.7 Cirrusform 11.3.8 Corestack 11.3.9 Morpheus Data 11.3.10 CloudBolt 12 Adjacent Market 13 Appendix For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/o2d9zr Attachment TORONTO, Nov. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Drilling and assay results from Lavras Gold Corp.s (TSXV: LGC) LDS Project in southern Brazil confirm that a significant new gold deposit has been found at its Matilde target. These results come just two months after Lavras Gold announced bonanza gold grades at Zeca Souza and three months after a NI 43-101 compliant resource for the Cerrito Deposit increased the Companys consolidated gold resources to 1 million ounces. We are very gratified with these results from Matilde, said Michael Durose, Lavras Golds President and Chief Executive Officer. We are seeing long broad zones of continuous intercepts of important gold mineralization accentuated with multiple narrower higher-grade intervals and in certain instances, bonanza gold grades associated with visible gold. Long continuous zones of gold mineralization both laterally and to a vertical depth of more than 480 metres where it is still open, indicate a very strong and large gold system at Matilde. Our next steps will be to follow up on these results to test for extensions to gold mineralization along strike to the west and to the northeast where we are drilling at Matilde Extension. Work will also focus on better defining the nature of the structures that host the gold, alteration styles associated with mineralization, and their relationship to the large 3-kilometre-long gold in soil anomaly that is centered on the Matilde target. Matilde highlights: continuity, open, moderate gold mineralization accentuated by narrower higher-grade intervals, and bonanza grades Located approximately 4.5 kilometres south of the town of Lavras do Sul (Figure 1), Matilde is one of six priority drilling targets. There are 23 known gold occurrences at LDS. Other drilling targets include Matilde Extension, Caneleira, Vila Marieta, Mato Feio, and Zeca Souza. Important gold mineralization occurs in 91% or 30 out of 33 holes totalling 9,847 metres drilled at Matilde to date. This news release discloses new assay results from 26 drillholes totalling 8,349 metres. The results from the other seven historical drillholes are also discussed here for completeness. Highlights are as follows: Strike-length continuity Drilling has confirmed gold mineralization extends over an east-west strike length of at least 250 metres. The structure bends to the northwest along the western part of the magnetic anomaly before trending west again. The structure turns to the northeast at the eastern side where it strikes towards the Matilde Extension target about 750 metres away. Drilling is currently testing for extensions of gold in both directions at Matilde where mineralized zones remain open. Depth and continuity open Long continuous intervals of gold mineralization occur in holes 20MT-001, 20MT-002, 20MT-008, and 22MT-034. As highlighted in Figure 3, hole 22MT-034 is particularly noteworthy as the hole was drilled 557 metres (approximately 483 metres vertical distance) and bottomed in gold mineralization. This suggests that Matilde has deep roots, typical of porphyry style mineral systems. Zones of gold mineralization are usually associated with green to musky green coloured hydrothermally altered granodiorites consisting of sericite (phengite), quartz and 2-3% disseminated pyrite. These mineral associations are typical of a phyllic style of alteration in porphyry systems. However, evidence of potassic alteration is beginning to develop at a depth of approximately 419 metres (drill core interval) in the form of potassium feldspar (see Figure 7). This is important, as it is common for the potassic zones of porphyry systems to host higher gold and copper grades. Broad continuous zones of moderate gold mineralization accentuated by narrower higher-grade intervals As Figure 4 demonstrates, long-intervals of gold characterized by zones of moderate grades in the 0.4-0.7 g/t gold range are accentuated by narrower higher-grade intervals typically in the 1-1.5 g/t gold range, but sometimes as high as 2-4 g/t gold. Examples include: 20MT-001 62.53 metres grading 0.62 g/t gold from 189.70 metres including 12.77 metres grading 0.89 g/t gold from 191.48 metres and 14.00 metres grading 1.13 g/t gold from 228.40 metres 20MT-002 144.60 metres grading 0.69 g/t gold from 117.00 metres including 27.00 metres grading 1.04 g/t gold from 184.0 metres 21MT-008 10.00 metres grading 0.88 g/t gold from 83.00 metres including 3.00 metres grading 1.33 g/t gold from 83.00 metres 21MT-026 28.00 metres grading 1.05 g/t gold from 174 metres including 8.00 metres grading 2.59 g/t gold from 189.00 metres 22MT-034 19 metres grading 0.67 g/t gold from 56.00 metres including 3.00 metres grading 1.04 g/t gold from 64.00 metres; 29.00 metres grading 0.82 g/t gold from 198.00 metres including 4.00 metres grading 2.57 g/t gold from 203.00 metres; and 2.00 metres grading 4.13 g/t gold from 205.00 metres. As Figure 4 demonstrates, long-intervals of gold characterized by zones of moderate grades in the 0.4-0.7 g/t gold range are accentuated by narrower higher-grade intervals typically in the 1-1.5 g/t gold range, but sometimes as high as 2-4 g/t gold. Examples include: Bonanza gold grades (more than 10.00 g/t) usually associated with visible gold At least two different relationships have been observed: Cross-cutting (interpreted) lamprophyre dykes suggesting a possible gold precipitation mechanism in at least two areas: 20MT-002 yielded 0.60 metres grading 30.90 g/t gold from 261.00 metres. Visible gold specs are observed within an aphanitic glassy matrix of quartz adjacent to a quartz-carbonate veinlet and an interpreted lamprophyre dyke. The lamprophyre dyke appears to have assimilated quartz fragments (see Figure 5). 22MT-034 returned a zone of 1.00 metres grading 2.84 g/t gold from 407.00 metres. The gold grade seems unusually low given the presence of visible gold and the sample is being re-assayed. Nevertheless, visible gold is observed within an aphanitic matrix of silica (glassy quartz) adjacent to an interpreted lamprophyre dyke that appears to have been silicified (see Figure 6). It is possible this interpreted silicified lamprophyre dyke is a felsic dyke. Visible gold associated with a late-stage centimetre-scale cross-cutting milky quartz veinlet within hydrothermally altered granodiorite (see Figure 7). 22MT-034 returned 0.66 metres grading 13.10 g/t gold from 419.34 metres. The hydrothermal alteration includes sericite (phengite), chlorite, potassium feldspar, silica, and hematite. Further work focusing on better understanding the nature of these relationships is on-going. At least two different relationships have been observed: A northeast-southwest structural trend is emerging This trend leads directly to the Matilde Extension target about 675 metres to the northeast where drilling is underway. This structure is interpreted to have been intersected in drillholes 21MT-007 and 21MT-009A. The geological field team are selecting drill targets to test along this trend. Seven holes have tested the Matilde Extension target, and results will be released once all assay results are received. Gold targets associated with structures immediately south of Matilde east-west structural corridor have been identified and require follow-up These targets are characterized by coincident magnetic low signatures overlying gold in soil anomalies. Petrographic work confirms gold from Matilde has a magmatic hydrothermal origin In addition to the drilling program, Renaud Geological Consulting of London, Ontario, completed petrographic studies on samples from the Matilde target (sample 20MT-002) (Figures 8 and 9). The study concludes that Matilde is a highly altered intrusive rock with primary textures dominantly replaced by hydrothermal alteration. The rock has undergone multiple hydrothermal events dominated by poikilitic growth of hydrothermal quartz and feldspar. The rock is dominated by a distinctive green-yellow colour attributed to a groundmass of phengitic micas, chlorite, and albite. The rock appears brecciated and sealed by extremely fine-grained phengitic-paragonitic muscovite, albite, iron-chlorite, and manganese-iron carbonate. Sulphide minerals include pyrite, arsenian pyrite, arsenopyrite, marcasite, silver-bearing tetrahedrite, and electrum. The rock is cross-cut by late-stage anastomosing veinlets of quartz-carbonate. These conclusions add to the growing evidence that the gold-bearing fluids that formed gold at Matilde are of a magmatic hydrothermal origin, and that this is primarily a large intrusive hosted gold system with epithermal and porphyry characteristics. Discussion of drilling results The drill program tested a portion of a coincident 3.0 kilometre long gold in soil anomaly centered on an east-west trending magnetic-low anomaly (Figure 2) that is interpreted to be a major gold-hosting structure. Drilling defined a gold system hosted within an east-west structural corridor in hydrothermally altered granodiorite. Gold mineralization begins at surface and has been traced over a strike length of at least 250 metres and to a minimum vertical depth of 483 metres. The deposit is open to expansion along strike and at depth. In a general sense, the mineralization consists of broad zones of moderate-grade gold accentuated by narrower intervals of higher-grade. In addition, bonanza gold values are usually associated with visible gold adjacent to interpreted lamprophyre dykes and late-stage milky quartz veins. Typical alteration mineral associations include quartz, sericite and pyrite, and occasionally visible gold suggesting a phyllic style of alteration associated with porphyry systems. However, there is evidence that a potassic style of alteration is beginning to develop at depth as evidenced by pink potassium feldspar at a drill core depth of 418 metres in 22MT-034 (see figure 7). This is important, as higher gold and copper grades typically exist in the potassic zones of porphyry systems. EAST-WEST STRUCTURAL CORRIDOR Thirty-three drillholes totalling 10,324 metres evaluated part of a 3-kilometre-long gold-in-soil and magnetic low anomaly centered on the Matilde gold target. The latest drilling program followed up on two major intervals of gold mineralization discovered in a 2020 drilling program defined by drillholes 20MT-001 and 20MT-002. These two holes intercepted a major east-west gold-bearing structural corridor over a 50-metre strike length demonstrating that gold mineralization begins at surface and shows good continuity over broad intervals and across a wide structural corridor. Highlights from this previous drilling includes: 20MT-002 drilled from north to south across a gold-bearing structure returned 144.60 metres grading 0.69 g/t gold from 117.00 metres including 92.60 metres grading 0.87 g/t gold from 170.00 metres, 8.00 metres grading 1.02 g/t gold from 174.00 metres, and 27.00 metres grading 1.04 g/t gold from 184.00 metres. The follow-up program focused on extending the strike extension of the east-west mineralized corridor and the down dip extension. The program has been successful on both fronts. The strike length was increased five-fold to 250 metres, and known mineralization was nearly doubled from a vertical distance of 250 metres in drillhole 20MT-002 to 483 metres in drillhole 22MT-034. Matilde remains open along strike and at depth. Highlights of drilling are as follows: 21MT-008 collared 112 metres west of 20MT-001 and drilled from north to south returned multiple zones of gold mineralization from surface to the end of the hole at a depth of 415.55 metres. The hole bottomed in gold mineralization and remains open. Highlights include: 1.60 g/t gold over 3.02 metres from 48.30 metres 2.03 g/t gold over 3.43 metres from 56.23 metres 0.88 g/t gold over 10.00 metres from 83.00 metres including 1.33 g/t gold over 3.00 metres from 83.00 metres 0.54 g/t gold over 58.00 metres from 207.00 metres including 3.57 g/t gold over 1.00 metres from 207.00 metres 1.99 g/t gold over 1.00 metres from 246.00 metres 0.79 g/t gold over 7.00 metres from 252.00 metres 0.76 g/t gold over 15.55 metres from 351.0 metres including 1.34 g/t gold over 4.00 metres from 355.00 metres collared 112 metres west of 20MT-001 and drilled from north to south returned multiple zones of gold mineralization from surface to the end of the hole at a depth of 415.55 metres. The hole bottomed in gold mineralization and remains open. Highlights include: 22MT-027 collared about 60 metres west of drillhole 21MT-008 and drilled from south to north. The purpose was to try to understand the dip direction of the east-west structural corridor. The gold-bearing east-west structure was encountered as follows: 0.41 g/t gold over 25.76 metres from 254.24 metres including: 0.93 g/t gold over 0.88 metres from 255.12 metres 0.74 g/t gold over 8.00 metres from 272.0 metres 1.01 g/t gold over 1.00 metres from 279.0 metres collared about 60 metres west of drillhole 21MT-008 and drilled from south to north. The purpose was to try to understand the dip direction of the east-west structural corridor. The gold-bearing east-west structure was encountered as follows: 22MT-028 collared 62.00 metres east of hole 22MT-027and drilled from south to north. The purpose of this hole was to test the dip direction of the east-west structural corridor. Multiple zones of elevated gold values were encountered throughout the hole beginning from surface including: 1.78 g/t gold over 1.00 metre from 33.00 metres 1.41 g/t gold over 3.73 metres from 122.00 metres 0.56 g/t gold over 14.50 metres from 253.00 metres including 5.47 g/t gold over 0.62 metres from 253.84 metres 0.39 g/t gold over 11.18 metres from 283.82 metres including 3.17 g/t gold over 1.07 metres from 286.93 metres collared 62.00 metres east of hole 22MT-027and drilled from south to north. The purpose of this hole was to test the dip direction of the east-west structural corridor. Multiple zones of elevated gold values were encountered throughout the hole beginning from surface including: 22MT-0034 collared 70 metres west of 20MT-001 and drilled from north to south returned multiple zones of gold mineralization from surface to the end of the hole at a depth of 557.30 metres. This included: 1.06 g/t gold over 8.00 metres from 23.00 metres 0.67 g/t gold over 19.00 metres from 56.00 metres Included 0.80 g/t gold over 3.00 metres from 56.00 metres 1.04 g/t gold over 3.00 metres from 64.00 metres 1.70 g/t gold over 1.00 metre from 67.00 metres 0.81 g/t gold over 5.52 metres from 68.00 metres 0.63 g/t gold over 9.00 metres from 163.00 metres including 0.96 g/t gold over 2.42 metres from 163.00 metres 0.82 g/t gold over 29.00 metres from 198.00 metres including 2.57 g/t gold over 4.00 metres from 203.00 metres 4.13 g/t gold over 2.00 metres from 205.00 metres 0.54 g/t gold over 23.71 metres from 346.92 including 0.95 g/t gold over 6.00 metres from 361.00 metres 0.86 g/t gold over 5.00 metres from 404.00 metres including 2.84 g/t gold over 1.00 metre from 407.00 metres 3.00 g/t gold over 5.93 metres from 418.00 metres including 13.10 g/t gold over 0.66 metres from 419.34 metres 4.57 g/t gold over 0.53 metres from 420.00 metres 8.83 g/t gold over 0.34 metres from 421.66 metres 1.07 g/t gold over 5.57 metres from 434.67 metres including 1.81 g/t gold over 3.00 metres from 436.00 metres 2.27 g/t gold over 2.00 metres from 437.00 metres 1.15 g/t gold over 1.00 metres from 478.00 metres collared 70 metres west of 20MT-001 and drilled from north to south returned multiple zones of gold mineralization from surface to the end of the hole at a depth of 557.30 metres. This included: NORTHEAST STRUCTURAL CORRIDOR In addition to the east-west structural corridor, there may be a northeast trending structure beginning to develop. Holes 21MT-007 and 21MT-009A appear to have intersected mineralization striking in a northeast-southwest direction parallel to a northeast-southwest magnetic low anomaly in the aeromagnetic data. This structural trend continues 675 metres towards the northeast where the Matilde Extension target is being drill tested. The main intercepts near Matilde that tested this northeast trending structure include: 21MT-007 collared south of the major east-west structure and drilled from south to north. This hole intersected: 0.76 g/t gold over 17.68 metres from 68.00 metres including 1.24 g/t gold over 3.0 metres from 73.00 metres collared south of the major east-west structure and drilled from south to north. This hole intersected: 21MT-009A collared south of the major east-west structure and drilled from south to north. This hole returned multiple intercepts from the beginning of the hole. Highlights include: 1.08 g/t gold over 19.00 metres from 137.00 metres including 4.74 g/t gold over 1.00 metres from 137.00 metres 1.32 g/t gold over 6.00 metres starting from 150.00 metres. collared south of the major east-west structure and drilled from south to north. This hole returned multiple intercepts from the beginning of the hole. Highlights include: Next steps These drilling results are being incorporated into the geological database for further interpretation and analysis. The 16,000-metre drilling program is on-going and consists of two drills. The program will continue to test for extensions of gold mineralization to the west/northwest and east/northeast at Matilde. The down dip extensions of mineralization will also be further investigated. Drill targets will also examine Matilde Extension where another mineralized zone is being defined. Results from Matilde Extension will be released once all assays have been received. A drill was also recently mobilized to Zeca Souza to follow up on positive results disclosed earlier this year. An on-going regional soil survey is underway, and results will be integrated with the regional aeromagnetic drone survey that was completed in the summer. Qualified person Michael Durose, Lavras Golds President and CEO, is a qualified person as defined by NI 43-101. He has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information contained in this release. Quality assurance and quality control Sample handling, preparation, and analysis are monitored through the implementation of formal chain-of-custody procedures and quality assurance/quality control programs designed to follow industry best practices. All drillhole samples in this drilling program consist of split NQ diamond drill core. Drill core is logged and sampled in a secure facility located in Lavras do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. Drill core samples for gold assay are cut in half using a diamond saw and submitted to ALS Laboratories Inc. in Goiania, Goias State, Brazil for preparation by crushing to 70% passing 2.0 mm, riffle splitting to obtain 500 g aliquots, and pulverizing to 85% passing 75 microns. Pulps are shipped to ALS Laboratories in Lima, Peru and analyzed by a 30 g fire assay and AAS finish. For assays above 10 ppm gold, a cut of the original pulp was re-assayed with a gravimetric finish. Certified standards, non-certified blanks and field duplicates are inserted into the sample stream at regular intervals, so that QA/QC accounted for about 10% of the total samples. Results are routinely evaluated for accuracy, precision, and contamination. About Lavras Gold Lavras Gold (TSXV: LGC) is a Canadian exploration company focused on realizing the potential of a multi-million-ounce gold district in southern Brazil. Its Lavras do Sul Project is located in Rio Grande do Sul State and is primarily an intrusive hosted gold system of possible alkaline affinity. More than 23 gold prospects centred on historic gold workings have been identified on the property, which spans more than 22,000 hectares. Follow Lavras Gold on www.lavrasgold.com, as well as on LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube. Contact information Michael Durose President & CEO 416-844-6284 investor@lavrasgold.com Annemarie Brissenden Investor Relations 416-844-6284 investor@lavrasgold.com DISCLAIMER Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this news release. FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION This news release contains certain forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as plan, expect, project, intend, believe, anticipate, estimate, may, will, would, potential, proposed and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions may or will occur. These statements, including those on planned exploration activities and goals, are only objectives and predictions. Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the information is provided, and 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, including the risks and factors that generally affect exploration and the uncertainty of exploration results. For a description of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company and its business, refer to the Companys Managements Discussion and Analysis recently filed under the Companys profile on www.sedar.com. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or managements estimates or opinions should change, unless required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. FIGURE 1 Location of Matilde relative to Butia Gold Deposit, Cerrito Gold Deposit, the Town of Lavras do Sul, and Zeca Souza. Red lines indicate gold mineral rights controlled by Lavras Gold. FIGURE 2 Plan map of Matilde gold discovery showing location of drill holes relative to magnetic anomaly. FIGURE 3 Cross section looking east of drill hole 22MT-034 showing multiple zones of gold mineralization at Matilde that begin at surface and end at 552.00 metres, where it remains open. FIGURE 4 Cross section of Matilde gold zone looking east showing gold composites highlighting interpreted multiple higher grade gold intervals with broad based moderate gold grades. FIGURE 5 Drillhole 20MT-002 returned 0.6 metres grading 30.9 g/t gold from 261.00 metres. Visible gold within aphanitic glassy matrix of silica adjacent to quartz-carbonate veinlet interpreted as a lamprophyre dyke (left side of slide). Lamprophyre dyke has absorbed subangular glassy quartz fragment (bottom left side of photo) Field of view estimated to be 2 centimetres. This hole was drilled 289.10 metres, representing a vertical depth of 250.40 metres. FIGURE 6 Drillhole 22MT-034 returned 1.00 metre grading 2.84 g/t gold from 407.00 metres. Visible gold specks within aphanitic glassy matrix of silica and greenish-yellow sericite (phengite) adjacent to an interpreted lamprophyre dyke (top of picture). The lamprophyre dyke appears silicified as evidenced by millimetre-scale cross-cutting quartz veinlets and appears to have absorbed numerous subangular glassy quartz fragments (top of picture). Alternatively, this is a felsic dyke. The field of view is estimated to be 6 centimetres. This hole was drilled to 557.38 metres representing a vertical depth of 482.69 metres. FIGURE 7 Drillhole 22MT-034 returned 0.66 metres grading 13.10 g/t gold at 419.34 metres. Visible gold specks within aphanitic matrix of milky quartz. Milky quartz appears to be a late-stage event as evidenced by comb textures, and cross-cutting relationships with glassy-gray aphanitic quartz veinlets (right hand side) and remnant hydrothermally altered granodiorite. The field of view is estimated to be 10 centimetres. This hole was drilled to 557.38 metres, representing a vertical depth of 482.69 metres. FIGURE 8 Drill core from 20MT_002 showing hydrothermally altered granodiorite. There is a phyllic style of alteration that consists of green muscovite (phengite), gray quartz, and fine-grained disseminated pyrite cross-cut by millimetre-scale dark green chlorite veinlets and greyish white millimetre scale carbonate veinlets. FIGURE 9 Drill core 20MT-002 showing a grain of pyrite and arsenian pyrite (dark yellow), chalcopyrite (red), and tetrahedrite (light yellow). These sulphides are within a groundmass of fine-grained phengitic muscovite, chlorite, and albite. The field of view is 2 millimetres. TABLE 1: SUMMARY OF MATILDE ASSAY RESULTS (assumes cut-off grade of 0.25 g/t gold and no top-cut) Hole Azimuth (degrees) Dip (degrees) End of hole (metres) From (metres) To (metres) Gold interval (metres) Gold grade (grams/tonne) Comment LDH-196 320 -60.0 20.50 23.00 2.50 1.41 Historical Hole 124.50 127.00 2.50 0.36 LDH-198 320 -60.0 115.00 116.00 1.00 0.54 Historical Hole 144.00 145.00 1.00 0.50 159.00 160.00 1.00 0.30 168.00 169.00 1.00 1.04 229.00 230.00 1.00 0.38 238.00 239.00 1.00 3.49 247.50 250.00 2.50 0.68 LDH-199 0 -60.0 10.00 14.50 4.50 0.38 Historical Hole 60.00 64.00 4.00 0.59 176.50 179.00 2.50 2.91 195.00 197.00 2.00 0.91 208.00 209.00 1.00 5.55 LDH-201 320 -60.0 66.50 67.50 1.00 0.32 Historical Hole 108.50 109.50 1.00 0.55 134.50 135.50 1.00 0.73 264.00 266.50 2.50 0.44 279.00 281.50 2.50 0.33 LDH-203 17.50 20.00 2.50 0.65 Historical Hole 68.00 73.00 5.00 0.37 175.00 176.00 1.00 0.62 207.50 210.00 2.50 0.46 212.50 215.00 2.50 0.34 20MT-001 180 -60.0 3.00 4.00 1.00 0.57 Historical Hole 7.00 9.28 2.28 0.70 12.33 14.08 1.75 0.63 16.00 17.00 1.00 0.66 20.00 22.00 2.00 0.52 26.00 27.00 1.00 0.74 31.09 32.23 1.14 0.59 35.70 38.83 3.13 1.20 61.45 62.18 0.73 0.37 76.00 84.00 8.00 0.30 96.00 97.00 1.00 0.51 125.00 126.00 1.00 0.40 132.82 135.00 2.18 0.40 139.73 140.73 1.00 0.66 162.65 163.41 0.76 0.77 177.00 178.80 1.80 0.58 181.86 185.62 3.76 0.33 189.70 252.23 62.53 0.62 including 191.48 204.25 12.77 0.89 including 207.00 211.87 4.87 0.69 including 228.40 242.40 14.00 1.13 20MT-002 180 -60.0 2.00 17.00 15.00 0.42 Historical hole 23.00 24.00 1.00 0.44 29.39 47.20 17.81 0.40 65.00 74.00 9.00 0.57 79.00 80.00 1.00 0.34 102.00 103.00 1.00 0.33 109.90 110.67 0.77 0.36 117.00 261.60 144.60 0.69 including 170.00 262.60 92.60 0.87 Including 174.00 182.00 8.00 1.02 including 184.00 211.00 27.00 1.04 230.00 236.00 6.00 0.94 261.00 261.60 0.60 30.90 Visible Gold 20MT-003 180 -50.0 0.00 1.00 1.00 0.37 66.00 67.00 1.00 1.25 79.00 80.00 1.00 0.37 89.00 90.00 1.00 0.84 116.00 119.00 3.00 0.35 129.00 130.00 1.00 0.32 140.00 141.00 1.00 0.86 164.00 165.00 1.00 0.97 169.00 171.00 2.00 0.69 219.00 220.25 1.25 0.50 229.00 230.00 1.00 0.42 20MT-004 180 -50.0 1.00 4.00 3.00 0.47 54.00 55.00 1.00 0.60 62.00 63.00 1.00 0.38 71.00 72.00 1.00 0.33 76.00 77.00 1.00 0.32 102.00 103.00 1.00 0.37 111.00 112.00 1.00 0.59 128.00 132.00 4.00 0.38 136.00 137.00 1.00 0.73 141.00 143.00 2.00 0.62 157.00 158.00 1.00 0.59 175.00 177.00 2.00 0.60 186.10 187.00 0.90 0.61 213.77 218.00 4.23 0.51 20MT-005 180 -60.0 3.00 4.00 1.00 0.64 22.90 24.00 1.10 0.87 39.70 48.00 8.30 0.46 including 47.00 48.00 1.00 2.42 53.00 54.40 1.40 0.31 55.60 56.80 1.20 0.36 61.00 62.00 1.00 0.37 67.00 76.35 9.35 0.66 including 67.00 68.00 1.00 1.36 including 73.00 75.00 2.00 1.44 84.00 85.00 1.00 0.43 102.00 104.00 2.00 0.38 106.00 107.00 1.00 0.42 126.00 130.00 4.00 0.34 134.00 139.00 5.00 0.32 145.00 152.00 7.00 0.36 163.00 164.00 1.00 0.60 167.00 170.00 3.00 0.36 242.00 243.00 1.00 0.46 20MT-006 0 -60.0 20.00 22.00 2.00 0.57 34.00 35.00 1.00 0.42 96.00 97.00 1.00 0.37 104.00 105.00 1.00 0.58 178.00 179.00 1.00 0.50 194.00 199.00 5.00 0.79 including 198.00 199.00 1.00 3.50 226.00 236.00 10.00 0.30 including 233.00 234.00 1.00 1.11 235.00 236.00 1.00 1.04 21MT-007 0 -60.0 4.54 5.64 1.10 0.60 23.00 24.00 1.00 0.42 44.00 45.00 1.00 0.43 68.00 85.68 17.68 0.76 including 73.00 76.00 3.00 1.24 including 82.00 85.68 3.68 1.96 162.00 163.00 1.00 0.35 174.00 175.00 1.00 0.34 21MT-008 180 -60 11.00 12.00 1.00 0.49 22.00 23.00 1.00 0.41 32.00 33.27 1.27 0.43 40.00 41.00 1.00 0.34 48.30 51.32 3.02 1.60 56.23 59.66 3.43 2.03 83.00 93.00 10.00 0.88 including 83.00 86.00 3.00 1.33 104.00 106.00 2.00 0.50 111.66 115.58 3.92 0.48 126.00 127.00 1.00 0.34 167.00 168.00 1.00 0.32 201.00 202.00 1.00 0.38 207.00 265.00 58.00 0.54 including 207.00 208.00 1.00 3.57 including 246.00 247.00 1.00 1.99 Including 252.00 259.00 7.00 0.79 272.00 333.00 61.00 0.44 including 297.00 304.00 7.00 0.68 310.00 344.00 34.00 0.45 including 310.00 322.00 12.00 0.72 including 327.00 330.00 3.00 0.72 including 343.00 344.00 1.00 0.92 351.00 366.55 15.55 0.76 including 355.00 359.00 4.00 1.34 370.00 371.00 1.00 0.60 389.00 401.00 12.00 0.42 including 399.00 401.00 2.00 0.97 21MT-009A 0 -60.0 65.00 67.00 2.00 0.50 71.00 73.00 2.00 0.34 79.00 80.00 1.00 0.36 88.64 90.00 1.36 0.75 98.00 99.00 1.00 0.92 123.60 127.00 3.40 0.47 137.00 156.00 19.00 1.08 including 137.00 138.00 1.00 4.74 including 150.00 156.00 6.00 1.32 167.00 169.00 2.00 0.54 183.00 184.00 1.00 0.36 193.00 194.00 1.00 0.55 224.73 233.12 8.39 0.48 including 230.13 233.12 2.99 1.03 21MT-010 180 -60.0 41.00 42.00 1.00 0.38 64.00 65.37 1.37 0.61 112.00 113.00 1.00 0.30 125.00 126.00 1.00 0.32 152.00 153.00 1.00 1.01 21MT-011 180 -60.0 28.00 29.00 1.00 4.69 34.00 35.00 1.00 1.05 45.00 45.80 0.80 0.56 68.00 69.43 1.43 0.59 95.56 96.18 0.62 0.42 173.00 174.00 1.00 0.57 21MT-012 0 -60.0 1.60 2.90 1.30 0.31 5.37 8.00 2.63 0.46 28.55 29.83 1.28 2.53 59.00 61.00 2.00 0.59 85.00 86.00 1.00 0.68 110.00 111.00 1.00 0.31 128.00 130.00 2.00 0.81 181.00 182.00 1.00 0.38 189.00 190.00 1.00 0.58 204.00 206.00 2.00 0.58 21MT-013 180 -60.0 38.00 39.00 1.00 1.23 130.00 131.00 1.00 0.32 291.00 292.00 1.00 0.79 294.00 295.00 1.00 0.49 316.00 318.00 2.00 0.35 21MT-014 180 -60.0 168.00 169.00 1.00 0.45 176.00 177.00 1.00 0.53 21MT-015 180 -60.0 37.00 38.00 1.00 0.56 93.00 94.00 1.00 0.40 100.00 101.00 1.00 5.00 110.00 111.00 1.00 1.11 157.00 158.00 1.00 4.58 189.00 190.00 1.00 0.50 374.00 375.40 1.40 0.67 392.50 394.00 1.50 1.34 397.00 398.00 1.00 0.31 21MT-016 0 -60.0 27.00 28.00 1.00 0.32 151.00 152.00 1.00 1.12 180.00 181.00 1.00 0.96 193.00 194.00 1.00 0.66 199.00 200.00 1.00 1.27 202.00 203.00 1.00 0.72 207.00 209.00 2.00 0.44 215.00 220.00 5.00 1.39 Including 219.00 220.00 1.00 6.01 235.00 236.00 1.00 0.36 251.75 253.75 2.00 0.39 265.00 266.00 1.00 0.46 269.00 270.00 1.00 0.47 281.00 300.00 19.00 0.56 Including 285.00 286.00 1.00 4.97 Including 298.00 300.00 1.00 1.21 21MT-017 0 -60.0 24.00 26.00 2.00 0.61 32.00 34.00 2.00 0.40 43.00 44.00 1.00 0.41 53.00 54.00 1.00 0.74 60.00 62.00 2.00 0.40 142.00 142.91 0.91 0.46 168.00 170.00 2.00 0.76 174.00 175.00 1.00 0.82 230.00 231.00 1.00 0.74 21MT-019 180 -60.0 20.00 22.00 2.00 0.55 48.00 56.00 8.00 0.41 84.00 90.00 6.00 0.31 96.00 97.00 1.00 0.35 99.00 100.00 1.00 0.33 105.00 112.52 7.52 0.31 118.00 119.00 1.00 0.34 124.00 133.90 9.90 0.37 144.00 145.00 1.00 0.72 149.00 152.00 3.00 0.43 161.00 162.00 1.00 0.42 21MT021 135 -60.0 No significant values 21MT022 0 -60.0 No significant values 21MT-023 0 -60.0 21.00 21.62 0.62 0.90 189.00 190.00 1.00 0.39 221.00 222.00 1.00 0.43 21MT-024 0 -60.0 No significant values 21MT-025 0 -60.0 28.00 31.00 3.00 0.35 103.00 104.00 1.00 0.53 174.00 175.00 1.00 0.35 21MT-026 280 -60 17.00 20.00 3.00 0.38 44.00 45.00 1.00 1.51 64.00 65.00 1.00 0.82 84.00 88.00 4.00 0.67 106.00 114.00 8.00 0.92 including 106.00 110.00 4.00 1.27 122.00 123.00 1.00 14.65 131.00 134.00 3.00 0.39 174.00 202.00 28.00 1.05 including 174.00 175.00 1.00 1.51 including 189.00 197.00 8.00 2.59 including 195.00 196.00 1.00 9.47 243.00 244.00 1.00 1.16 298.00 299.00 1.00 0.49 324.00 325.00 1.00 0.70 382.00 385.00 3.00 1.63 including 383.00 384.00 1.00 2.27 387.00 388.00 1.00 0.32 393.00 394.00 1.00 0.51 22MT-027 15 -60.0 120.75 121.32 0.57 0.34 254.24 280.00 25.76 0.41 including 255.12 256.00 0.88 0.93 Including 272.00 280.00 8.00 0.74 including 279.00 280.00 1.00 1.01 22MT-028 15 -60.0 8.00 9.00 1.00 0.43 23.00 24.00 1.00 0.61 33.00 34.00 1.00 1.78 82.00 83.00 1.00 0.26 90.00 91.00 1.00 0.35 100.00 101.45 1.45 0.27 122.00 125.73 3.73 1.41 210.00 211.00 1.00 0.55 253.00 267.50 14.50 0.56 including 253.84 254.46 0.62 5.47 283.82 295.00 11.18 0.39 including 286.93 288.00 1.07 3.17 22MT-031A 180 -60.0 199.00 200.00 1.00 0.28 254.00 255.00 1.00 0.36 270.00 271.00 1.00 2.55 308.00 309.00 1.00 0.53 317.00 320.00 3.00 0.30 22MT-034 180 -60.0 14.00 15.00 1.00 0.32 23.00 31.00 8.00 1.06 34.00 51.00 17.00 0.33 including 34.00 35.00 1.00 1.04 including 42.00 44.00 2.00 0.63 56.00 75.00 19.00 0.67 including 56.00 59.00 3.00 0.80 including 64.00 67.00 3.00 1.04 including 67.00 68.00 1.00 1.70 68.00 73.52 5.52 0.81 106.88 107.49 0.61 0.96 117.48 119.12 1.64 0.41 132.74 141.00 8.26 0.55 Including 136.00 141.00 5.00 0.78 144.00 145.00 1.00 0.43 149.00 150.00 1.00 0.39 163.00 172.00 9.00 0.63 Including 163.00 165.42 2.42 0.96 177.00 178.00 1.00 0.42 181.00 182.00 1.00 0.55 187.00 195.00 8.00 0.36 including 194.00 195.00 1.00 0.75 198.00 227.00 29.00 0.82 including 203.00 207.00 4.00 2.57 including 205.00 207.00 2.00 4.13 235.00 236.00 1.00 0.62 238.00 239.00 1.00 0.35 240.62 241.62 1.00 0.38 252.00 253.00 1.00 0.41 261.00 262.00 1.00 0.37 270.00 271.00 1.00 0.31 274.00 275.00 1.00 0.31 286.00 289.00 3.00 0.29 294.00 297.18 3.18 0.33 309.00 319.00 10.00 0.63 including 313.09 316.00 2.91 0.84 321.95 341.99 20.04 0.51 including 327.99 329.00 1.01 1.26 346.92 370.63 23.71 0.54 including 361.00 367.00 6.00 0.95 389.00 390.00 1.00 0.41 404.00 409.00 5.00 0.86 including 407.00 408.00 1.00 2.84 Visible Gold 418.00 423.93 5.93 3.00 including 419.34 420.00 0.66 13.10 Visible Gold including 420.00 420.53 0.53 4.57 including 421.66 422.00 0.34 8.83 434.67 440.24 5.57 1.07 including 436.00 439.00 3.00 1.81 including 437.00 439.00 2.00 2.27 451.00 452.00 1.00 0.37 461.00 462.00 1.00 0.43 478.00 479.00 1.00 1.15 520.05 520.70 0.65 0.44 551.00 552.00 1.00 0.54 Photos accompanying this announcement are available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/318a05d5-ddaa-4d04-9cef-52ed6ec33fbc https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d8793a64-b804-46bb-9429-7ad49bf30760 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/52302c7a-f548-460e-8803-7255bdb33f3f https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/fc19ba06-6fd5-4d4e-a03a-7a9b811663dd https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/71e15da6-e45b-4ade-b309-e52579099fde https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2daf656b-40b5-46aa-9ce5-f6218e412d97 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0ac809e8-6f5b-4e49-a633-6a42ed9ba212 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/997e0272-4d4b-4d90-93c3-bee40bb2cdde https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ec4088f7-5c65-430f-9672-4016a528a03a A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking the image or link above. New Store, Beyond Hello Dickson City, Located in Economic Hub of Activity and Features New Store Layout, Displays, Accessories and Wide Selection of Medical Marijuana Products BOCA RATON, Fla., Nov. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Jushi Holdings Inc . (Jushi or the Company) ( CSE: JUSH ) ( OTCQX: JUSHF ), a vertically integrated, multi-state cannabis operator, announced the opening of its relocated Beyond Hello Westside dispensary in Pennsylvania, through its subsidiary, Pennsylvania Dispensary Solutions. The new store location, Beyond Hello Dickson City, is located at 32 Scranton Carbondale Highway in Dickson City, and is centrally located in a hub of economic activity in the Greater Scranton Area, and will begin serving medical cannabis patients and caregivers in Northeast Pennsylvania and beyond on Tuesday, November 8th at 10:00 a.m. Beyond Hello Dickson City is located just two minutes from I-81, the Viewmont Mall and a host of hotels, restaurants, shops and grocery stores, said Jim Cacioppo, Chief Executive Officer, Chairman and Founder of Jushi Holdings Inc . Designed by our in-house team, this new store features a lighter, brighter color palette with a focus on display cases that highlight our curated selection of medical marijuana products and accessories. With plenty of parking spots and a seamlessly integrated shopping experience with beyond-hello.com , Beyond Hello Dickson City is well located to serve patients across the Greater Scranton Area. Open daily from Monday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and on Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Beyond Hello Dickson City patients can choose from four of Jushis in-house brands: Seche, its flower line; The Lab , its high-quality vaporization line; The Bank , its award-winning flower brand; and Nira+ , its THC and CBD-rich medicinal line, which are all locally grown at Jushis nearby grower-processor facility in Scranton. Beyond Hello Dickson City patients can also find other popular cannabis brands and products such as dry leaf, concentrates, cartridges, tinctures, topicals, capsules, pills, and various ancillary products such as approved batteries and devices. In addition, as part of this commitment to exceeding patients expectations, well-trained staff, will be on-site to dispense products, answer questions and provide service to patients and caregivers. For more information, visit Beyond Hello Pennsylvania . About Jushi Holdings Inc. We are a vertically integrated cannabis company led by an industry-leading management team. In the United States, Jushi is focused on building a multi-state portfolio of branded cannabis assets through opportunistic acquisitions, distressed workouts, and competitive applications. Jushi strives to maximize shareholder value while delivering high-quality products across all levels of the cannabis ecosystem. For more information, visit j ushico.com or our social media channels, Instagram , Facebook , Twitter , and LinkedIn . Forward-Looking Information and Statements This press release contains certain forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation as well as statements that may constitute forward looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Act of 1995 Section 27 A of the Securities Act, and Section 21 E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, contained in this press release, including statements regarding our strategy, future operations, intended expansion of our retail operations and production capacity, intended expansion of our cultivation facilities, future financial position, projected costs, prospects, plans and objectives of management, including without limitation Q4 2022 annualized guidance, as well as expected filings, materiality or significance and effects of errors on current or prior period financial statements, and any anticipated conclusions of the Company, the Audit Committee or the Companys management related thereto, are 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. The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained herein may include but are not limited to, information concerning the expectations regarding Jushi, or the ability of Jushi to successfully achieve business objectives, and expectations for other economic, business, and/or competitive factors. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release, including risks related to the ability of Jushi to successfully and/or timely achieve business objectives, including with regulatory bodies, employees, suppliers, customers and competitors; changes in general economic, business and political conditions, including changes in the financial markets; changes in applicable laws; and compliance with extensive government regulation. Should one or more of these risks, uncertainties or other factors 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. The foregoing list of risk factors is not exhaustive. You should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other risks and uncertainties described in the Risk Factors section of Jushi Holding Inc.s prospectus filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) on August 12, 2022, its Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on September 26, 2022, its Management Discussion & Analysis filed on SEDAR on September 26, 2022, and other documents filed or to be filed with the SEC ( www.sec.gov ) and/or on SEDAR ( www.sedar.com ). There may be additional risks that Jushi Holdings Inc. does not presently know or that Jushi Holdings Inc. currently believes are immaterial that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing, and the expectations contained in, the forward-looking information and statements are reasonable, readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and Jushi Holdings Inc. assumes no obligation and do not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Jushi Holdings Inc. does not give any assurance that it will achieve its expectations. All written forward-looking information and statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf is expressly qualified in its entirety by this notice. For further information, please contact: Investor Relations Contact: Michael Perlman Executive Vice President of Investor Relations 561-281-0247 investors@jushico.com Media Contact: Ellen Mellody 570-209-2947 jushi@mattio.com Photos accompanying this announcement are available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/32c1ec78-a0bd-43ab-adf7-41ac707dbab6 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/24ad5c68-cd2c-4bbf-a2c9-61e2b58fd3cc https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2ac69947-b7ab-4663-bbaa-12e1a70250ea https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/78f6a6f2-066a-4fce-a6e0-071ffe341719 Dublin, Nov. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Rheometer & Viscometer Market Analysis by Product, by Sample Type by End user, and by Region - Global Forecast to 2029" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The rheometer & viscometer market size is estimated to be USD 648.6 million in 2021 and is expected to witness a CAGR of 6.79% during the forecast period 2022-2029. The advanced technologies, the growth of the petrochemical and material manufacturing industries, the increasing strictness of the regulatory framework for product safety compliance in the cosmeceutical, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical industries, escalating investments to support product innovation, and the growing world burden of target diseases factors contributing to the market growth. However, increasing cost of rheometer and viscometer and shortage of skilled professionals are expected to hinder the growth. By Product Based on product, the market is bifurcated into rheometer and viscometer. In 2021, the viscometer segment accounted for the highest revenue share owing to the increasing use of viscometers amongst pharma researchers, petro-refinery businesses, and laboratory employees due to the procedural advantages afforded by these devices, such as the ability to analyze samples in a variety of circumstances, high accuracy, versatility in assessing various samples, ease of handling, short process time, and equipment mobility. By Sample Type On the basis of sample type, the market is categorized into pastes & gels, resins & coatings, suspensions and slurries, and other samples. In 2021, the resins & coatings segment accounted for the highest revenue share due to the increasing accessibility of cutting-edge and reasonably priced equipment in developing nations, the development of rheometer and viscometer use among paint and coating producers, and the rising use of rheometers and viscometers by petrochemical producers; the rising output of paints, coatings, binders, solvents, pigments, fillers, and additives. By End user Based on end user, the market is segregated into pharmaceutical, cosmeceutical, & biotechnology companies, food & beverage manufactures, petroleum product manufacturers and petrochemical refineries, chemical and material manufacturers, research laboratories and academic institutes, and other end users. In 2021, the petroleum product manufacturers and petrochemical refineries segment accounted for the highest revenue share owing to the increasing capacities & manufacturing output of significant goods producers. Regional Markets In 2021, North America region accounted for the highest revenue in the rheometer & viscometer market and is expected to maintain its dominance during the forecast period. This is attributed to continuous technological improvements in the field of rheometers and viscometers, increasing number of disease diagnostic procedures based on viscosity/rheology analysis, a significant presence of major device manufacturers, and the region's wide availability of rheometers and viscometers. Competitor Insights Some of the key players operating in the rheometer & viscometer market are Anton Paar (Austria), Spectris (UK), and Waters Corporation (US), Brookfield Engineering Laboratories (US), Cannon Instruments Company (US), Thermo Fisher Scientific (US), Emerson (US), BARTEC (Germany), and GBC Scientific Equipment (Australia). Key Topics Covered: 1. Research Methodology 2. Introduction: Rheometer & Viscometer 3. Executive Summary 4. Market Dynamics 4.1.Market Drivers 4.2. Market Restraint 4.3.Market Opportunities 4.4.Market Trends 4.5.Market Challenges 5. Market Environment Analysis 5.1.Porter's 5 Forces Analysis 5.2.PESTEL Analysis 5.3.Value Chain Analysis 5.4.SWOT Analysis 5.5.Benchmark 6. COVID-19 Impact Analysis: Rheometer & Viscometer Market 6.1.COVID-19: Overview 6.2.COVID-19 Impact on the Global Market 6.3.COVID-19 Impact on the Regional Markets 7. Market Analysis by Product 7.1.Rheometer 7.1.1.Rheometer Market Forecast, 2021-2029 (USD Million) 7.2.Viscometer 7.2.1.Viscometer Market Forecast, 2021-2029 (USD Million) 8. Market Analysis by Sample Type 8.1.Pastes & Gels 8.1.1.Pastes & Gels Market Forecast, 2021-2029 (USD Million) 8.2.Resins & Coatings 8.2.1.Resins & Coatings Market Forecast, 2021-2029 (USD Million) 8.3.Suspensions and Slurries 8.3.1.Suspensions and Slurries Market Forecast, 2021-2029 (USD Million) 8.4.Other Samples 8.4.1.Other Samples Market Forecast, 2021-2029 (USD Million) 9. Market Analysis by End User 9.1.Pharmaceutical, Cosmeceutical, & Biotechnology Companies 9.1.1.Pharmaceutical, Cosmeceutical, & Biotechnology Companies Market Forecast, 2021-2029 (USD Million) 9.2.Food & Beverage Manufactures 9.2.1.Food & Beverage Manufactures Market Forecast, 2021-2029 (USD Million) 9.3.Petroleum Product Manufacturers and Petrochemical Refineries 9.3.1.Petroleum Product Manufacturers and Petrochemical Refineries Market Forecast, 2021-2029 (USD Million) 9.4.Chemical and Material Manufacturers 9.4.1.Chemical and Material Manufacturers Market Forecast, 2021-2029 (USD Million) 9.5.Research Laboratories and Academic Institutes 9.5.1.Research Laboratories and Academic Institutes Market Forecast, 2021-2029 (USD Million) 9.6.Other End Users 9.6.1.Other End Users Market Forecast, 2021-2029 (USD Million) 10. Regional Market Analysis 10.1.Regional Market Trends 10.2.Regional Market: Comparative Analysis 11. North America Rheometer & Viscometer Market 12. Europe Rheometer & Viscometer Market 13. Asia Pacific Rheometer & Viscometer Market 14. Latin America Rheometer & Viscometer Market 15. MEA Rheometer & Viscometer Market 16. Competitor Analysis 16.1.Market Share Analysis, 2021 & 2029 16.2.Competitive Mapping 16.3.Key Players Market Place Analysis 16.4.Major Recent Developments 17. Company Profiles 17.1.Anton Paar (Austria) 17.1.1.Company Snapshot 17.1.2.Company Overview 17.1.3.Financials 17.1.4.Sample Type Benchmarking 17.1.5.Recent Developments 17.2.Spectris (UK) 17.2.1.Company Snapshot 17.2.2.Company Overview 17.2.3.Financials 17.2.4.Sample Type Benchmarking 17.2.5.Recent Developments 17.3.Waters Corporation (US) 17.3.1.Company Snapshot 17.3.2.Company Overview 17.3.3.Financials 17.3.4.Sample Type Benchmarking 17.3.5.Recent Developments 17.4.Brookfield Engineering Laboratories (US) 17.4.1.Company Snapshot 17.4.2.Company Overview 17.4.3.Financials 17.4.4.Sample Type Benchmarking 17.4.5.Recent Developments 17.5. Cannon Instruments Company (US) 17.5.1.Company Snapshot 17.5.2.Company Overview 17.5.3.Financials 17.5.4.Sample Type Benchmarking 17.5.5.Recent Developments 17.6.Thermo Fisher Scientific (US) 17.6.1.Company Snapshot 17.6.2.Company Overview 17.6.3.Financials 17.6.4.Sample Type Benchmarking 17.6.5.Recent Developments 17.7. Emerson (US) 17.7.1.Company Snapshot 17.7.2.Company Overview 17.7.3.Financials 17.7.4.Sample Type Benchmarking 17.7.5.Recent Developments 17.8.BARTEC (Germany) 17.8.1.Company Snapshot 17.8.2.Company Overview 17.8.3.Financials 17.8.4.Sample Type Benchmarking 17.8.5.Recent Developments 17.9.GBC Scientific Equipment (Australia) 17.9.1.Company Snapshot 17.9.2.Company Overview 17.9.3.Financials 17.9.4.Sample Type Benchmarking 17.9.5.Recent Developments 18. Conclusion & Recommendations For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/m388rj DENVER, Nov. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tri Pointe Homes (NYSE: TPH), one of the largest homebuilders in the U.S., announced today that Kelly Taga has been appointed as its new division president in Colorado. With nearly 18 years of homebuilding experience in a variety of positions and in markets nationwide, Tagas standout leadership record will be an asset to the new position. He will focus on strategic growth in the division as well as continued expansion of the divisions offerings across a variety of price points and market segments. Kellys diverse background and remarkable track record in the homebuilding industry will be a tremendous asset as we continue to develop our operations and offerings in Colorado, said Tom Mitchell, president and chief operating officer of Tri Pointe Homes. I believe he will make a phenomenal impact on our team members and partners as well given his ability to build relationships, strengthen processes and inspire teamwork. Tagas initial efforts as division president will include working on operational strategies and processes while bolstering camaraderie and aligning all team members on strategic goals to further the performance of Tri Pointe Homes in Colorado. Tri Pointe Homes owned or controlled approximately 2,000 lots in Colorado as of September 30, 2022 and has opened six communities and neighborhoods in the past two years. In his new role, Taga will oversee multiple new openings, including the Townhomes at Candelas in Arvada, Sugar Mill Village in Longmont, and three new neighborhoods in The Aurora Highlands in AuroraCrescendo, Prelude and Ensemble. In total, these communities are anticipated to bring approximately 450 new homesites to market. Furthermore, Taga will be involved in the planned opening of Tri Pointes new design studio in late spring 2023, which has been designed to give customers the ability to personalize their home in a way that best fits their distinct lifestyle preferences. Im thrilled to be joining Tri Pointe Homes and for the opportunities we have to strengthen our market position and footprint in Colorado, said Taga. Tri Pointe Homes is committed to broadening its range of new home offerings to adapt to varying buyer profiles, including first-time homebuyers looking for more attainable options. I believe that our strong national resources and backing, combined with our experience and relationships in the central U.S. region, will help set us up for long-term success. Prior to joining Tri Pointe Homes Colorado, Taga spent a total of 15 years at Richmond American Homes, ultimately holding the position of senior division president in Northern Colorado. Before that, he served as division president in Washington and Oregon as well as CIO and vice president of IT for Richmond American Homes parent company, M.D.C. Holdings, Inc. He also had roles managing purchasing and business operations improvement efforts nationwide. About Tri Pointe Homes One of the largest homebuilders in the U.S., Tri Pointe Homes, Inc. (NYSE: TPH) is a publicly traded company and a recognized leader in customer experience, innovative design, and environmentally responsible business practices. The company builds premium homes and communities in 10 states, with deep ties to the communities it servessome for as long as a century. Tri Pointe Homes combines the financial resources, technology platforms and proven leadership of a national organization with the regional insights, longstanding community connections and agility of empowered local teams. Tri Pointe has won multiple Builder of the Year awards, most recently in 2019. The company made Fortune magazines 2017 100 Fastest-Growing Companies list, was named as a Great Place to Work-Certified company in both 2021 and 2022 and was named on several Great Place to Work Best Workplaces lists in 2022. For more information, please visit TriPointeHomes.com . Forward-Looking Statements Various statements contained in this press release, including those that express a belief, expectation or intention, as well as those that are not statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our strategy, projections and estimates concerning the timing and success of specific projects and our future production, land and lot sales, operational and financial results, including our estimates for growth, financial condition, sales prices, prospects, and capital spending. Forward-looking statements that are included in this press release are generally accompanied by words such as anticipate, believe, could, estimate, expect, future, goal, guidance, intend, likely, may, might, outlook, plan, potential, predict, project, should, strategy, target, will, would, or other words that convey future events or outcomes. The forward-looking statements in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release, and we disclaim any obligation to update these statements unless required by law, and we caution you not to rely on them unduly. These forward-looking statements are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, regulatory and other risks, contingencies and uncertainties, most of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond our control. The following factors, among others, may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements: the effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which are highly uncertain and subject to rapid change, cannot be predicted and will depend upon future developments, including the emergence and spread of new strains or variants of COVID-19, the severity and the duration of the outbreak, the duration of existing and future social distancing and shelter-in-place orders, further mitigation strategies taken by applicable government authorities, the availability and acceptance of effective vaccines, adequate testing and treatments and the prevalence of widespread immunity to COVID-19; the impacts on our supply chain, the health of our employees, service providers and trade partners, and the reactions of U.S. and global markets and their effects on consumer confidence and spending; the effects of general economic conditions, including employment rates, housing starts, interest rate levels, availability of financing for home mortgages and strength of the U.S. dollar; market demand for our products, which is related to the strength of the various U.S. business segments and U.S. and international economic conditions; the availability of desirable and reasonably priced land and our ability to control, purchase, hold and develop such parcels; access to adequate capital on acceptable terms; geographic concentration of our operations, particularly within California; levels of competition; the successful execution of our internal performance plans, including restructuring and cost reduction initiatives; the prices and availability of supply chain inputs, including raw materials and labor; oil and other energy prices; the effects of U.S. trade policies, including the imposition of tariffs and duties on homebuilding products and retaliatory measures taken by other countries; the effects of weather, including the occurrence of drought conditions in parts of the western United States; the risk of loss from earthquakes, volcanoes, fires, floods, droughts, windstorms, hurricanes, pest infestations and other natural disasters, and the risk of delays, reduced consumer demand, and shortages and price increases in labor or materials associated with such natural disasters; the risk of loss from acts of war, terrorism, civil unrest or outbreaks of contagious diseases, such as COVID-19; transportation costs; federal and state tax policies; the effects of land use, environment and other governmental laws and regulations; legal proceedings or disputes and the adequacy of reserves; risks relating to any unforeseen changes to or effects on liabilities, future capital expenditures, revenues, expenses, earnings, synergies, indebtedness, financial condition, losses and future prospects; changes in accounting principles; risks related to unauthorized access to our computer systems, theft of our homebuyers confidential information or other forms of cyber-attack; and additional factors discussed under the sections captioned Risk Factors included in our annual and quarterly reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The foregoing list is not exhaustive. New risk factors may emerge from time to time and it is not possible for management to predict all such risk factors or to assess the impact of such risk factors on our business. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/589fcbdc-a844-4fa7-b315-64add1032c57 Ottawa, Ontario, Nov. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nov. 3, 2022, Ottawa ON The Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) is announcing today the recipient of its prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award for 2022, Bill Knowlton. A seasoned professional and accomplished leader with more than five decades in the industry, Bills storied career has taken him from tour directing for Tauck Tours in the 1970s to becoming a partner at Jonview Canada, where he was instrumental in growing the company to become one of the countrys leading inbound receptive tour operators. This award, recognizes an individual who has made a significant contribution of energy, service and talent towards the growth of the Canadian tourism industry, says Beth Potter, President & CEO of TIAC. I can think of no one who has better exemplified the values of dedication, integrity and leadership - as well as passion for our beloved industry - over the years, than my colleague and friend, Bill. Bill served as Jonviews Executive Vice President from 2017 to 2022, after leading sales, marketing and product development for almost three decades as Vice President, Marketing and Sales. He pioneered the expansion of the companys product base, introducing a new product approach to cater to the emerging market for independent travellers. Bill firmly believed that creating trusting relationships with clients and suppliers alike was critical to long term success. As such, he regularly travelled within Canada as well as attending international trade shows and spent weeks each year visiting clients in person in their offices. I am privileged to be in the company of the extremely significant individuals who have previously been honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award, says Bill. Our Canadian tourism industry is vast, touching every part of the country, and supported by hundreds of thousands of dedicated individuals who are welcoming, sincere, exciting, and creative. These individuals embody the spirit of Canada - I am just one of them and it has been a thrill to be part of this vibrant industry driven by so many passionate Canadians. His other career highlights include a decade at TPT Canada (Transpacific Tours), as Director of Marketing and Sales where he was well known for his instinct in developing innovative product and finding the right distribution channels to drive sales. Bill has also been a major contributor to tourism boards such as Destination Canada and Destination Ontario, and an active member of various committees and volunteer organizations that have led towards the improvement of the industry as a whole; including serving on TIACs Board of Directors from 2003 to 2009, in addition to multiple terms in the late 1980s into the 1990s, as well. TIAC will be honouring Bill with the Lifetime Achievement Award at a gala ceremony on Nov. 23 during its Tourism Congress 2022, as well as unveiling the winners of its greatly anticipated Canadian Tourism Awards. Registration to Tourism Congress is now open to accredited media; to inquire, please send an email to Mary Wimmer, Director of Communications & Media Relations, at: mwimmer@tiac-aitc.ca. - 30 - ABOUT TIAC Founded in 1930 to encourage the development of tourism in Canada, the Tourism Industry Association of Canada serves today as the national private-sector advocate for the pre-pandemic $105 billion travel sector. Based in Ottawa, TIAC takes action on behalf of Canadian tourism businesses and promotes positive measures that help the industry grow and prosper. TIAC is responsible for representing tourism interests at the national level, and its advocacy work involves promoting and supporting policies, programs and activities that will benefit the sector's growth and development. TIAC's membership reflects partnerships among all sectors of the industry, and provincial, territorial and regional tourism associations, enabling the association to address the full range of issues facing Canadian tourism. For more information, visit: tiac-aitc.ca. Attachment New York, Nov. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Europe HVAC Services Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06360572/?utm_source=GNW Key Highlights The market sizing encompasses the revenue generated through the provision of HVAC services in different regions in Europe, such as the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Nordic region, and the rest of Europe. The study also tracks the key market parameters, underlying growth influencers, and major vendors operating in the industry, which supports the market estimations and growth rates over the forecast period. The construction sector plays a vital role in driving the demand for HVAC systems in Europe. With the increase in the construction of commercial and residential buildings, the demand for HVAC equipment and services has been rising consistently in the region. In line with Europes net-zero emissions goals, along with the introduction of several energy conservation policies in the region, there is an increasing trend of replacing existing HVAC systems with energy-efficient ones. As the dynamic HVAC industry continues to grow and change, it is faced with a growing skilled labor shortage. A primary factor for the shortage is due to an aging workforce in Europe and many other regions in the world, with many baby boomers (people born between 1945 and 1960), which form a significant share of the existing HVAC technicians and installers, preparing to retire within the next couple of years. The pandemic highlighted the importance of ventilation, a significant factor driving the demand for many HVAC systems in the region. Several studies suggested that COVID-19 transmission was particularly effective in crowded, confined indoor spaces, such as workplaces (offices, factories) and other indoor settings, such as churches, restaurants, shopping centers, and vehicles. Ventilation with outdoor air was deemed to dilute contaminants in closed spaces and increase the time required for exposure to an infectious dose. In addition to ventilation, air filtration reduced the risk of virus transmission, compared to only increasing the air exchange rate in closed spaces. As such, the demand for installation services related to air filters increased considerably during the COVID-19 pandemic. Key Market Trends Increased Construction Activities to Drive the Market The construction sector plays a vital role in driving the demand for HVAC systems in Europe. With the increase in the construction of commercial and residential buildings, the demand for HVAC equipment and services has been rising consistently in the region. According to the latest EU Construction Outlook report by ING, the European construction sector is expected to grow by 2.5% in 2022 due to new investment from the EU recovery fund. As per the organization, business confidence at the beginning of 2022 was positive among most contractors in the European Union and back to pre-covid levels. The study also revealed that the EU infrastructure sector grew by 1.5% (Y-o-Y) in November 2021. According to Atradius, after a 14% contraction in 2020, the construction output across the United Kingdom is expected to rebound by almost 15% in 2021 and grow by more than 5% in 2022. Though commercial construction activity in the country remains slightly hampered by subdued demand for retail and office space, growth is driven by residential buildings and large public infrastructure projects. Growth in the housebuilding sector in the United Kingdom is also spurred by the stamp duty exemption, which has fueled the demand for housing among buyers in 2021. During the pandemic, the cost of stamp duty was reduced for properties up to GBP 500,000. Starting July 1, 2020, lasting until October 1, 2021, the stamp duty didnt apply to homes that cost below GBP 250,000. Recently, UK chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng has revealed plans to announce a new cut in stamp duty, which is expected to raise the demand for houses. In Germany, the construction activities of several infrastructure projects started during Q3 2021, which are expected to support the construction industrys growth in the near term. Some notable infrastructure projects for which construction activities have started include the Berlin Data Center Campus, Digital Park Fechenheim, Kieler Forde Shipbuilding Facility Development, and Lorrach Central Hospital Campus Development. Nordic Region Holds Significant Market Share The Nordic region covers countries such as Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, and Finland. Owing to the colder climatic conditions, the demand for cooling solutions is limited to certain industries and commercial facilities; in addition to this, the stringent regulations regarding sustainability. For instance, in 2020, the Nordic Council of Ministers released new public procurement guidelines which exclude HFC refrigerants in refrigeration and air-conditioning, where alternative low GWP or zero GWP refrigerants are approved. A significant share of the heating demand is driven by the district heating solution in the region; hence the demand for de-centralized heating solutions is recently gaining traction in major countries in the region; in addition, the countries are increasingly focusing on becoming carbon neutral. In April 2022, As part of a government energy reform that included a strategy for Denmark to reduce its reliance on Russian gas, the minister of climate and energy announced the aim. According to the government, natural gas currently provides heating for almost 400,000 homes in Denmark. According to the plan, up to 30 to 50%of those residences can be converted to district heating and will do so continuously until 2028. By 2030, electric heat pumps will be installed in more places. Such initiatives by the governments in the region are expected to increase the need for HVAC installation, maintenance, and repair services in the region, thereby contributing to the market growth of HVAC services in the region. According to Statistics Norway, Housing Starts in Norway increased to 2777 units in May from 1929 units in April of 2022. Furthermore, in January 2022, The Norwegian municipality of Stavanger gave Swedish construction company Skanska a USD 85.5 million (NOK750 million) contract to develop a new municipal town center. The Storhaugneighborhood of Stavanger will receive the LervikQuarter development project. The 26,00-meter square structure would have parking places, a primary school, a kindergarten, offices, a grocery shop, a multipurpose hall, and other amenities. on the parallel lines, an increase in construction projects like this is expected to increase the demand for HVAC services in the market. With the increasing expansion of various residential, commercial, and industrial constructions in Nordic countries, the demand for HVAC services is expected to grow with it. In October 2022, BravidaNorge AS was awarded a contract by Morrows battery factory in Arendal for the installation of an HVAC system along with heating and plumbing, and automation services. Morrows battery factory would be engaged in the manufacturing of sustainable batteries for electric vehicles in the region. Such installation, maintenance, and repair contracts as a part of HVAC services are also expected to increase the demand for HVAC services in Nordic countries during the forecast period. Competitive Landscape The Europe HVAC Services Market is highly competitive and consists of several major players. The market players are focusing on expanding their customer base across various countries. These companies leverage strategic collaborative initiatives like partnerships to increase their market share and profitability. The companies operating in the market are also acquiring companies working on AI platforms to strengthen their product capabilities in HVAC services. August 2022: AAF International and ClearSphere, a company specializing in controlled environment solutions, entered a strategic partnership to provide enhanced products and services related to air filtration for the cleanroom industry in Ireland. July 2022: Modine partnered with Texas Air systems to expand access to the Airedale Product Line. Through this access expansion, the company could offer an array of HVAC solutions to its potential clients. Additional Benefits: The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format 3 months of analyst support Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06360572/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Latin Metals Inc. (Latin Metals or the Company) - (TSXV: LMS and OTCQB: LMSQF) announces the results of its surface rock sampling program at the 100%-own Auquis Project (the Project), located in Peru. A total of 200 additional rock samples were collected, returning anomalous mineralization grading up to 5.8% copper and 236ppm molybdenum. A total of 434 rock samples have now been collected across the Project area, defining a core area of high-grade mineralization that measures 1.5km by 1.5km. Ongoing rock sampling results from Auquis continue to expand the footprint of copper mineralization on the project with the core area expanded by more than 100% as a result of recent exploration, stated Keith Henderson, Latin Metals President & CEO. The project has potential scale and grade, which are important ingredients required to secure a future partner. Plate 1. Typical porphyry B-type veins in outcrop (left) and outcropping copper oxide mineralization (right) from within the core area of high-grade mineralization (shown on Figure 1). Rock Sampling Results The results of additional rock sampling completed in August 2022 have expanded the core area of high-grade mineralization to approximately 1.5km by 1.5km (red outline, Figure 1). Within this core area, combined results of 265 rock sample results return grades ranging from 6ppm to 5.8% copper (average 0.10% copper) and from 0.3ppm to 236ppm molybdenum (average 4.9ppm molybdenum). Previous rock sampling results at Auquis were disclosed in a news release dated July 20, 2022 (234 samples). Mineralization Within the core area of copper-molybdenum mineralization, porphyry-style mineralization has been recognized and sampled (Plate 1). In the western portion of the property an interpreted contact with carbonaceous rocks has potential to host skarn mineralization. This contact is cover by volcanic rock, but hydrothermal alteration has been recognized within limestone units to the west. Figure 1. Map showing all rock sample locations on the Project and highlighting rock samples not previously disclosed with a larger symbol. All copper grades greater than 0.2% copper are labelled. The area defined by red square shows consistent copper mineralization over 1.5km x 1.5km extent. Next Steps Latin Metals is planning to complete a ground magnetic survey covering the core copper-molybdenum anomalies for a total of approximately 60-line km. The magnetic survey is designed to determinate the dimension of the porphyry target mapped on surface and the potential skarn mineralization to the west. Coastal Copper Belt The Coastal Copper Belt in Peru is a Cretaceous belt hosting a variety of deposit types including Porphyry, Epithermal, VMS and IOCG. Latin Metals 100%-owned Auquis, Lacsha, Yanba, Tillo, Para and Loli projects are all located in the northern Lima-Ica portion of the coastal belt. QA/QC The work program at Auquis was designed and supervised by Eduardo Leon, the Company's Exploration Manager, who is responsible for all aspects of the work, including the quality control/quality assurance program. On-site personnel at the project rigorously collect and track samples which are then security sealed and shipped to the ALS laboratory in Lima. Samples used for the results described herein are prepared and analyzed by multi-element analysis using an inductively coupled mass spectrometer in compliance with industry standards. Qualified Person The technical content of this release has been approved for disclosure by Keith J. Henderson P.Geo, a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101 and the Companys CEO. Mr. Henderson is not independent of the Company, as he is an employee of the Company and holds securities of the Company. About Latin Metals Latin Metals is a mineral exploration company acquiring a diversified portfolio of assets in South America. The Company operates with a Prospect Generator model focusing on the acquisition of prospective exploration properties at minimum cost, completing initial evaluation through cost-effective exploration to establish drill targets, and ultimately securing joint venture partners to fund drilling and advanced exploration. Shareholders gain exposure to the upside of a significant discovery without the dilution associated with funding the highest-risk drill-based exploration. On Behalf of the Board of Directors of LATIN METALS INC. Keith Henderson President & CEO For further details on the Company readers are referred to the Company's web site ( www.latin-metals.com ) and its Canadian regulatory filings on SEDAR at www.sedar.com . For further information, please contact: Keith Henderson Suite 890 999 West Hastings Street Vancouver, BC, V6C 2W2 Phone: 604-638-3456 E-mail: info@latin-metals.com Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. securities legislation, including the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, statements regarding the negotiation of the Option Agreements and exercise of the Option for the Properties, the anticipated content, commencement, timing and cost of exploration programs in respect of the Properties and otherwise, anticipated exploration program results from exploration activities, and the Company's expectation that it will be able to enter into agreements to acquire interests in additional mineral properties, the discovery and delineation of mineral deposits/resources/reserves on the Properties, and the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Often, but not always, forward looking information can be identified by words such as "pro forma", "plans", "expects", "may", "should", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", "believes", "potential" or variations of such words including negative variations thereof, and phrases that refer to certain actions, events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, market fundamentals will result in sustained precious metals demand and prices, the receipt of any necessary permits, licenses and regulatory approvals in connection with the future development of the Companys Argentine projects in a timely manner, the availability of financing on suitable terms for the development, construction and continued operation of the Company projects, and the Companys ability to comply with environmental, health and safety laws. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such risks and other factors include, among others, operating and technical difficulties in connection with mineral exploration and development and mine development activities at the Properties, including the geological mapping, prospecting and sampling programs being proposed for the Properties (the "Programs"), actual results of exploration activities, including the Programs, estimation or realization of mineral reserves and mineral resources, the timing and amount of estimated future production, costs of production, capital expenditures, the costs and timing of the development of new deposits, the availability of a sufficient supply of water and other materials, requirements for additional capital, future prices of precious metals and copper, changes in general economic conditions, changes in the financial markets and in the demand and market price for commodities, possible variations in ore grade or recovery rates, possible failures of plants, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated, accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry, delays or the inability of the Company to obtain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required, including TSX-V acceptance for filing of the Option Agreements, any current or future property acquisitions, financing or other planned activities, changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting mining operations, hedging practices, currency fluctuations, title disputes or claims limitations on insurance coverage and the timing and possible outcome of pending litigation, environmental issues and liabilities, risks related to joint venture operations, and risks related to the integration of acquisitions, as well as those factors discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's latest Management Discussion and Analysis and other filings of the Company with the Canadian Securities Authorities, copies of which can be found under the Company's profile on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward looking statements. Except as otherwise required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking information in this news release or incorporated by reference herein. Photos accompanying this announcement are available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c5d012f0-70e7-41b2-a1ab-68e58a1594bc https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/919069fb-9a4c-4e11-ae98-b2ac6dacd62f MONTREAL, Nov. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Now Combining over 50 years of experience pricing, grading, and validating products' authenticity, Two Authenticators Inc. (2a) supports luxury vintage retail operations through innovative methods and impeccable customer service. Packaged to optimize businesses' above-market gross margins, companies' top-selling brands, such as Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Gucci, Dior, and Hermes, are shipped within five business days. While assisting its partners in tripling their sales during this holiday season, 2a continues to align with first-class, institutional partners. Two Authenticators (2a) announced they successfully onboarded U.S. Army and Air Force retailer The Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) and hypermarket superstores tycoon Fred Meyer. Both inaugural launches are scheduled for November 2023. To ensure an impeccable and stress-free, automated customer experience, Mr. Pete Vu Ngoc will be leading Two Authenticators (2a)'s Information technology department. Following his debut with 2a, Pete declared, "In a world where environmental initiatives are core to our future, I am thrilled to join Two Authenticators in leading the way to offer second-hand, long-lasting luxury goods to the world. It is exciting to be part of this circular economy and doing it with a team that has 50+ years of combined experience in vintage luxury." Additionally, Mr. Todd Howard will be joining 2a as Executive Vice President, Business Development. Prior to joining Two Authenticators inc., Todd was co-CEO of Buffalo David Bitton, where he led the company's transformation from a niche brand to a global powerhouse in denim and sportswear for both men and women. Before Buffalo David Bitton, Mr. Howard held the position of President of NYDJ, where he managed the company's global expansion. During his tenure, NYDJ was one of the fastest-growing wholesale denim businesses in the world. Mr. Howard also served as a divisional president with Tommy Hilfiger during its period of record-setting growth. At Tommy Hilfiger, he managed 19 product divisions with aggregate sales of more than US $800 million. When joining 2a, Todd stated, "Having worked in the vintage luxury industry for more than five years now, I see a market has grown with so much more growth to come. Two Authenticators(2a) has a unique approach to this fast-growing market that positions us and our retail partners for great success. I am thrilled to continue developing business in this exciting space." Disclaimer: Two Authenticators Inc. (2a) is not related to any of the brands it sells. Brands are not responsible and do not guarantee the authenticity of goods sold. Authenticity is certified by Two Authenticators Inc. (2a). Contact Information: Philippe McAllister Info info@2a.co (866)351-4221 Related Images Image 1 This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. Attachment CHICAGO, Nov. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- P&M Corporate Finance ("PMCF") is pleased to announce that it has successfully closed two sell-side M&A transactions within the corrugated packaging industry during the third quarter of 2022. The shareholders of Progress Container & Display ("Progress Container") and the owners of Kentwood Packaging Corporation ("KPC") each selected PMCF's Packaging Group, led by John Hart, to serve as the exclusive financial advisor/investment banker. Sale of Progress Container to The Royal Group Based in Winder, Georgia, Progress Container is a premier solutions provider in the corrugated industry, offering a range of packaging for industrial, retail, eCommerce, and point-of-purchase display customers. Progress Container was acquired by The Royal Group ("TRG"), a wholly owned subsidiary of Schwarz Partners, in September 2022. "This is a fantastic opportunity for TRG to expand our capabilities and solutions for our customers," said Bob McIlvaine, CEO of TRG. "Progress Container is a well-respected name in our industry, and their commitment to high graphics solutions and state-of-the-art equipment further enhances our mission statement to provide value-added solutions to the most demanding customers." Progress Container marks the 17th manufacturing facility and 37th TRG location nationwide. This acquisition supports TRG's strategic focus centered around growth, innovation and people. This will be the second TRG location in Georgia, including Dalton Box, and provides expanded coverage and capabilities to customers in the southeast. "We're really excited to join The Royal Group," said Jim Johnson, Jr., President of Progress Container & Display. "Coming into another family business who share the same values, culture, and integrity in business is very important to our family and builds upon the legacy that my father started 51 years ago." Johnson added, "John and the PMCF team were critical to the success of this once-in-a-lifetime transaction for my family. They spent considerable time with us prior to launching a transaction and guided us through every step of the transaction process. I am very pleased with the outcome and would highly recommend John and the PMCF team to other corrugated packaging companies considering a transaction." Hart also commented on the transaction. "We were proud to represent Progress Container on this transaction and enjoyed working with Jim and his sisters. The company has been a long-time innovator in the corrugated industry and has a unique culture. TRG turned out to be the perfect buyer, bringing a similar culture and the ability to leverage what Jim and his father have built over many years." Sale of KPC to Hood Container Corporation Located in Walker, Michigan, KPC specializes in providing custom packaging solutions to a wide variety of industries, including automotive, appliance, agricultural, consumer, furniture, electrical, and electronics. KPC was acquired by Hood Container Corporation ("Hood"), a wholly owned subsidiary of Hood Companies, Inc., in August 2022. Jack Skoog and Tom Boluyt, co-owners of KPC, stated, "We have built this business successfully over the last 30 years by creating a customer-centric business model. Our focus has been to partner and collaborate with our employees, customers, and suppliers. We are extremely excited to be joining a family-owned company in Hood, whose values and culture truly mirror ours. We will be a stronger partner for our customers with the benefits of Hood's national footprint and their ability to offer vertical supply chain integration." Charlie Hodges, President and COO of Hood Container Corporation, commented, "Kentwood Packaging has a long history of providing superior products and customer service to the Grand Rapids markets. Tom Boluyt and Jack Skoog have created a company that has at its core, a culture of strong leadership, care for their employees, and stellar product and service offerings to support and surpass their customers' needs. Hood sees Kentwood as an excellent fit with our own company's guiding principles and desires to be the best supplier to our customers in the markets we have elected to serve. The addition of Kentwood will help us to continue to build on those key qualities as we merge Kentwood and our own cultures going forward." Skoog added, "John and his team were instrumental to the success of this transaction. Their strong understanding of the corrugated packaging space was apparent; they helped find the best partner for our company and efficiently navigate each step of the transaction process. I would highly recommend PMCF to other packaging companies considering a transaction." Tom Boluyt added, "PMCF did a great job preparing us for the transaction process and best positioning the company for discussions with potential partners. John clearly has a lot of experience in our space and a strong network of relationships." "We were proud to represent KPC in this transaction. Jack and Tom built a highly successful and unique packaging company that should continue to do well under Hood Container's ownership. It was an honor to work with Jack, Tom, Bill, and their team in achieving this major milestone," commented Hart, Managing Director of PMCF. About PMCF PMCF is a client-centric middle-market investment bank providing merger-and-acquisition advisory services to privately held shareholders as well as public, and private equity-owned companies worldwide. The firm combines expansive industry and transactional expertise with highly engaged, senior-level bankers to create tailored solutions for clients. PMCF has been serving the packaging industry for over 20 years and has a long track record of successful transactions involving specialty, niche players across most segments of the industry. Please visit pmcf.com to learn more. PMCF is a trade name for PMCF Advisors, LLC and P&M Corporate Finance, LLC, a FINRA-registered broker-dealer and SIPC member firm. PMCF Advisors, LLC provides M&A advisory services, and P&M Corporate Finance, LLC provides capital-raising services. These firms are related by common control and professional staffing. Contact Information: John Hart Managing Director, P&M Corporate Finance (PMCF) john.hart@pmcf.com (248) 223-3468 Related Images Image 1: PMCF Advises Two Corrugated Packaging Industry Transactions in Third Quarter 2022 This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. Attachment WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Nov. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Electriq Power, Inc. (Electriq), a leading provider of intelligent and integrated home energy storage solutions, announces it has expanded its leadership team to build and scale solar and storage deployments that will help cities, utilities and municipalities achieve their sustainability goals. The team expansion follows two recent Electriq announcements the launch of the Santa Barbara Home Power Program , focused on delivering affordable, sustainable and resilient energy to Santa Barbara County residents through fully financed residential solar microgrids, and a new channel partnership that will enable solar-only homeowners to achieve energy resilience. The new executives will oversee these programs, as well as future initiatives in program management, marketing, customer acquisition, installation services and customer lifecycle management. Troy Anatra joins Electriq as Chief Commercial Officer and has over 20 years of experience in the energy industry, primarily focused on clean, distributed energy programs. Prior to joining Electriq, Anatra worked at Generac Grid Services where he led the Market Development team responsible for Generacs participation in wholesale energy markets. He joined Generac via its acquisition of Enbala Power Networks, where he was part of the leadership team focused on supporting sales of VPP & DERMS software to electric utilities. Prior to Enbala, Anatra worked for a number of companies in the energy industry including Comverge (later acquired by Itron), where he held several roles of increasing responsibility, including the management of utility demand response programs representing over 500 MW of electric capacity. Anatra attended the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, Syracuse University. Frank Evans joins as Chief Services Officer with 25 years of experience in delivering operational projects. Prior to joining Electriq, Evans was the Senior Vice President Eastern Region at Willdan Energy Solutions, a national engineering company providing energy consulting to municipalities, utilities and large commercial customers. Under Evans leadership, Willdan grew to one of the largest engineering firms in the New York/New Jersey area, performing microgrid studies and utility programs. Prior to Willdan, he started the installation and services division for residential customer programs for Comverge, including grid operations, and was a Transition Executive with AT&T Solutions, running large-scale global network implementation projects. Evans received his MBA from Rutgers Business School. Pravin Bhagat joins as Chief Marketing Officer and brings 25 years of experience leading marketing teams in the energy and telecommunications industries. Prior to joining Electriq, Bhagat was the Director of Marketing at Itron where he led the consumer marketing division responsible for deploying customer acquisition programs on behalf of electric utilities. He joined Itron via the Comverge acquisition, where he was Vice President of Marketing in a similar role. Under Bhagats stewardship, the Itron and Comverge program marketing teams received industry recognition for successfully enrolling 2.3 million customers in energy efficiency and demand response programs. Prior to joining Comverge, he worked at AT&T with roles in marketing, strategy and product management. Bhagat received an MBA from Lehigh University. The new executives join an already strong team including, Jim Van Hoof, COO and former CFO of UTC Power; Petrina Thomson, CFO and former Finance Leader at Tyco & Sun Microsystems; Jan Klube, CTO and former Head of Engineering at Enphase; and Ozlem Fonda, CHRO and former Senior HR Manager at Raytheon Technologies. This is an exciting time for Electriq Power, and were thrilled to have Troy, Pravin and Frank join our team, said Frank Magnotti, CEO of Electriq Power. Not only do they bring decades of experience in the energy industry, but they have also successfully scaled start-ups and acquired millions of program participants and installations across North America. Over the next five years, the industry is expected to more than double the amount of solar currently installed. Additionally, homeowners and businesses are increasingly demanding solar systems that are paired with battery storage for clean backup power. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association , It is expected that by 2025, approximately 30% of all new behind-the-meter solar systems will be paired with storage. With such large-scale solar and storage deployment opportunities ahead, Electriq has put in place a very capable and proven management team that can help achieve economies of scale while enabling cities, utilities, and municipalities across the US to meet their resiliency, sustainability, and clean energy goals, said Magnotti. About Electriq Power Electriq Power is an energy storage company developing fully integrated energy management and storage solutions for homes and small businesses. Based in California and Florida, Electriq Power is dedicated to maximizing inclusion in the clean energy transition, regardless of socio-economics. Through residential solar and energy efficiency programs across North America and Puerto Rico, Electriq Power seeks to expand access to renewable energy where such options might be economically out of reach. For more information, visit www.electriqpower.com or contact info@electriqpower.com . Contact Natalia Manez Trevi Communications for Electriq Power natalia@trevicomm.com (631) 662-5481 Photos accompanying this announcement are available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/52050eb9-326c-43cc-aa2d-feafb702d1b5 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4e511b7c-64da-4fc0-a277-e4d6f7ea4c77 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/92f8388c-be8a-4a62-9b67-eab575e3a2de Detroit, Nov. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Generates reliable electricity through a balanced and diverse mix of cleaner energy sources Achieves 85% CO 2 emission reductions in 2035 [1] for DTE Electric through accelerated coal plant retirements while supporting Michigans economy-wide reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in a way that surpasses the states interim timelines Proposes enough Michigan-made solar and wind energy to power about 4 million homes Invests $9 billion into Michigan's economy over the next 10 years, supporting more than 25,000 jobs Reduces the cost of the clean energy transition by a projected $1.4 billion[2] DTE Energy (NYSE:DTE) today released its CleanVision plan, a 20-year proposal to dramatically transform how the company generates electricity as part of its clean energy journey, all while investing in a modern grid that is reliable and affordable. The proposed plan increases investment in solar and wind energy, accelerates the retirement of coal plants, and includes the development of new energy storage all reinforcing DTEs commitment to cleaner energy. Across the country, and here in Michigan, the energy landscape is changing rapidly and fundamentally, said Jerry Norcia, chairman and chief executive officer, DTE Energy. We are excited to drive this transformation by powering the grid with Michigan-made renewable energy, existing nuclear and natural gas. These new solar and wind assets, enough to power approximately 4 million households, will replace our retiring coal power plants, resulting in a cleaner environment for Michigan families, communities and businesses. We are proud our plan invests $9 billion into Michigans economy over the next 10 years, supporting more than 25,000 Michigan jobs and the great, local communities we partner with across the state. This transformational plan is complimented by our announcement last year to invest an additional $8 billion to modernize the electric grid, making it more resilient to extreme weather and more reliable as we plan for increased customer demand. DTEs proposal will be filed with the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) in what is referred to as an Integrated Resource Plan (IRP). Key details of DTEs proposal include: Transforming how the company generates electricity over the next two decades. Developing more than 15,000 MW of renewables to power homes, as well as businesses and industrial facilities. This renewable energy generation is equivalent to powering approximately 4 million homes. Building more than 1,800 MW of energy storage to support the Companys clean energy transformation more than doubling current storage capacity. Ending DTEs use of coal in 2035 with a responsible, phased retirement schedule of the Belle River and Monroe coal power plants, which account for approximately 40% of the Companys current energy mix. Accelerating the retirement of coal at the Belle River Power Plant to 2026 from 2028. Launching the phased retirement of the Monroe Power Plant, one of the largest coal plants in the country, in 2028, nearly 12 years earlier than the original planned date of by 2040, supported by future 24/7 emerging technologies. Delivering long-term customer value through: Projecting $1.4 billion in future cost reductions. Repurposing an existing coal power plant at a fraction of the cost of building a new plant while accelerating reductions in carbon emissions. By investing in cleaner sources of energy and accelerating the retirement of coal, DTE Electric plans to surpass its previously announced carbon emission reduction goals. The Companys emission reduction goals are ahead of the timelines in the MI Healthy Climate Plan (MHCP) and will help support Michigans economy-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions interim timelines. DTEs new goals include: Achieving 32% CO 2 emissions reductions in 2023 two years ahead of the MHCP timeline of 28% by 2025 emissions reductions in 2023 two years ahead of the MHCP timeline of 28% by 2025 Reducing CO 2 emissions 65% in 2028 (previously 50%) which also surpasses the MHCP timeline of 52% by 2030 emissions 65% in 2028 (previously 50%) which also surpasses the MHCP timeline of 52% by 2030 Targeting 85% CO 2 reduction in 2035 reduction in 2035 Targeting 90% CO 2 reduction (previously 80%) by 2040, and reduction (previously 80%) by 2040, and Meeting its ultimate net zero goal by 2050 Were doubling down on our investment in Michigan by developing solar and wind energy right in our state, guided by our commitment of getting as clean as we can as fast as we can while providing reliable and affordable energy through a modern grid, said Trevor Lauer, president and chief operating officer, DTE Electric. We also know natural gas plays an important role in a diverse energy mix, and that is why repurposing our Belle River power plant to run on natural gas instead of coal, alongside 24/7 carbon-free nuclear energy, will significantly reduce emissions while providing energy to meet periods of high customer demand. These 24x7 assets allow the Company to add thousands of megawatts of renewables onto the grid while also creating a bridge to new, emerging technologies that we expect in the years to come, Lauer added. As DTE transforms how it produces electricity and retires its remaining coal plants, the Company will provide re-training for employees impacted by the coal plant retirements, and will also partner with the local communities, who for years, hosted these coal-fired plants. DTE Electric undertook a year-long, comprehensive analysis that reflected insights shared by the Companys customers and other stakeholders to build the plan. It offers a balanced and diversified approach for the transition of the Companys generation fleet, while complementing its commitment to build a reliable and resilient electric grid. Last year, DTE announced a plan to develop this grid of the future that will withstand increasingly unpredictable and severe weather while meeting the evolving demands like transportation electrification of its customers and communities. Additional information on DTEs CleanVision Integrated Resource Plan can be found at www.dtecleanenergy.com. About DTE Energy DTE Energy (NYSE:DTE) is a Detroit-based diversified energy company involved in the development and management of energy-related businesses and services nationwide. Its operating units include an electric company serving 2.3 million customers in Southeast Michigan and a natural gas company serving 1.3 million customers in Michigan. The DTE portfolio includes energy businesses focused on power and industrial projects, renewable natural gas, and energy marketing and trading. Through our commitment to cleaner energy, DTE Electric plans to reduce CO 2 emissions by 90% and DTE Gas will plan to reduce methane emissions by more than 80% by 2040 to produce cleaner energy while keeping it safe, reliable and affordable. DTE Electric and Gas aspire to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. DTE is committed to serving with its energy through volunteerism, education and employment initiatives, philanthropy and economic progress. Information about DTE is available at dteenergy.com, empoweringmichigan.com, twitter.com/dte_energy and facebook.com. Certain information presented herein includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 with respect to the financial condition, results of operations, and businesses of DTE Energy (the Company). Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future results and conditions, but rather are subject to numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties that may cause actual future results to be materially different from those contemplated, projected, estimated or budgeted. In particular, among other statements, statements relating to the Companys climate-related policies, procedures, initiatives or goals (including, for the avoidance of doubt, net zero goals) and the Companys targets, aims and objectives in connection with those ambitions, and to the Companys expectations, targets and aims for capital expenditure, are subject to change, and are aspirational and not guarantees or promises that all targets, aims and objectives will be met. Statistics and metrics relating to ESG and climate-related matters are estimates and may be based on assumptions or developing standards. Actual results may differ materially from any forward-looking statements. [1] Baseline set in 2005. [2] From 2019 plan. Attachments English French 20212022 assessment data now available for each school and school board in Ontario English-Language Schools TORONTO, Nov. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Following the release of the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO)s provincial data of its assessments administered during the 20212022 school year, EQAO is making the school- and board-level results available today. This information provides additional insights into students attitudes and perceptions around learning during the pandemic, and whether students are meeting curriculum expectations in reading, writing and mathematics at key stages of their education. These evidence-based data can be analyzed by educators across the province as they review and develop strategies to support each student on their learning journey. EQAO data show that Ontarios student outcomes are similar to those of other jurisdictions, where the pandemic has had a more significant impact on mathematics than on literacy achievement. Assessment, contextual and attitudinal data for each school and school board are made available, as one element of EQAOs mandate is to contribute to the accountability of Ontarios education system. More than 600,000 students across the province completed EQAO assessments at the elementary and secondary levels during the 20212022 school year in the English- and French-language school systems. For the first time, EQAO is reporting on the achievement results of its new digitalized assessments at the school- and school board-level. EQAOs large-scale modernized assessments introduced a new online model of assessment delivery that differs from that of the prior paper-based assessments. This year, in addition to the individual school and school board search function, EQAO introduces a new platform, available through EQAOs website, that leverages interactive and user-friendly dashboards for educators, parents and guardians and the public to access assessment and questionnaire data at the provincial and local levels. This EQAO data reporting tool contributes to the ongoing conversation on student learning and achievement. QUOTES EQAOs large-scale assessments administered in the French and English school system across the province help to foster accountability in Ontarios publicly funded education system by providing an independent source of evidence-based data. School and school board data are useful to trustees responsible for ensuring the quality of the education in their respective school districts. Ontarians deserve to know how public investments are supporting student learning in every part of the province. Dr. Cameron Montgomery, Chair, EQAO EQAO data from assessments and questionnaires at the local level are used by educators to further identify gaps in learning in their schools and boards, and also to understand how their students approach and view their own learning. This year, we are pleased to introduce a new interactive reporting tool that will facilitate access to EQAO assessment data further, and assist with the analysis of this important information for our stakeholders and the public alike. EQAO aims to always offer reliable information that contributes to promoting positive student outcomes, as all of us are committed to student success in an ever-changing world. Dan Koenig, Chief Executive Officer, EQAO LINKS For further information, please contact Sophie Auclair Communications Officer Sophie.Auclair@eqao.com New York, NY, Nov. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- City of Faith: Religion, Activism, and Urban Space, a new exhibition opening November 18th at the Museum of the City of New York, looks under the surface of New Yorks image as a secular city and maps the complex and often surprising relationships that connect religion to public space. Using art as a mode of imagination and critical inquiry, City of Faith explores how New Yorks secularism renders specific communities foreign and therefore hyper-visible. Focusing primarily on South Asian American communities, the exhibition shows how activists and artists use art and collective action to claim space in the city and to build solidarity with others. As a topic, religion is often seen as the third rail but the truth is that it is omnipresent in our lives and inextricably linked with the story of New York City, says Whitney Donhauser, Ronay Menschel Director and President of Museum of the City of New York. Religion extends beyond iconic places of worship and annual rituals and celebrations; it is part of the citys political landscape as well as its soundscapes and scent-scapes. Using art and the work of activists, City of Faith explores the political, racial, and labor systems that underpin those manifestations. We tend to think of religion as something segregated from the daily life of the New York City, neatly contained in designated and clearly recognizable spaces or relegated to certain days of the week, says Dr. Azra Dawood, the exhibitions curator and a Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow at the Museum. With City of Faith, I want to show how religion is often a subtext in the very places that we imagine it to be absent. I am interested in thinking about the normalization of Protestantism and to an extent, Catholicism and Judaismin the citys spaces, and how other communities must make space for themselves in this context, both for religious practice, but also, more crucially, against religious profiling. New York City has always been demographically diverse, but until the 19th century Protestantism was the main religion accommodated by the city fathers. The religions relative power normalized it in the city, rendering its sites and practices ordinary and therefore invisible. Against this backdrop, Catholic and Jewish communities worked to claim public space for themselves. More recently, this task of making space has fallen to other communities, whose perceived difference from the mainstream results in their hyper-visibility and surveillance. City of Faith spotlights South Asian American communities, which include people with ties to as many as eight countries, numerous border-spanning cultural groups, diaspora communities, and several religious groups (Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs, for e.g.). Particularly since 9/11, these diverse communities have been grouped and conflated with Muslims originating from other parts of the world and with Arab Americanstogether, all have been racialized and religiously profiled by state actors, the media, and often the public, who erroneously perceive them all as only Muslim, which has become a convenient and false shorthand for enemy. (Meanwhile, in further acts of erasure and flattening, the actual category of Muslim often leaves out Black American Muslims.) City of Faith is divided into two main sections: Ambient Faith features objects and installations that show that the relationship between religion and public space goes beyond the built environment and includes the sounds and scents of the city. It also shows how ambience is not just a sensory phenomenon but is also racialized and, therefore, political. Art and Activism shows how art and collective action go hand in hand towards documenting injustices and organizing for social and political change. And, some of the artwork and imagery featured includes: A Love Supreme (2022) - A scent-installation commissioned from Tanais, perfumer and author of the award-winning book, In Sensorium. The piece is composed of hand-braided Nepali lokta paper, filled with powdered incense and dipped in fragrant oils. Drawing on the speculation that the title of John Coltranes legendary album A Love Supreme is a nod to the phrase Allah Supreme, this installation is a remembrance of lineages: from the first Muslims on this land, enslaved Africans, to Black American Muslims and the newer waves of immigrants from 1965, the year A Love Supreme was released. ALHAMDU | MUSLIM FUTURISM (2021) - Portraits by MIPSTERZ, a Muslim arts and culture collective. The featured images were shot in, and reclaim, the public spaces of New York City, and are part of a larger series of over 200 portraits telling the story of a Muslim future world. CURB (2019), Quilts (2021), and 4044'57"N, 7353'27"W (2022) An artists book by bookmaker Aaron Cohick and poet Divya Victor, and related short films by Amarnath Ravva, Vivek Vellanki, and Tayla Blewitt-Gray, explore the religious profiling and subsequent assaults and murders of South Asians in public spaces in the U.S. Index of the Disappeared (2004ongoing) An updated version of an interactive piece by Chitra Ganesh and Mariam Ghani that uses official documents, secondary literature, and personal narratives to foreground the difficult histories of immigrant, "other," and dissenting communities in the US since 9/11, as well as the effects of US military and intelligence interventions globally. Jasmine Blooms at Night (2017-ongoing) These portraits by artist Jaishri Abichandani are taken from a larger series depicting South Asian American feminist activists, whose wide-ranging work covers issues related to race, religion, and caste alongside gender, housing, disability, and labor justice. The artist is herself an activist: In 1997, Abichandani founded the South Asian Womens Creative Collective (SAWCC) to provide a platform to artists normally overlooked by mainstream institutions. Pilgrims/This is Not That Dawn (2022) A multimedia installation commissioned from Utsa Hazarika explores intersecting legacies that connect Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to South Asian politics and migration. Religious Diversity in the Borough of Queens (20142022) An animation of images taken from Joseph Heathcotts photographic series documenting the urban-spatial practices of the boroughs religious communities. Sikh Project (2016) - Five portraits from the series by photographers Amit Amin and Naroop Jhooti, embodying the beauty, resilience, and perseverance of NYCs Sikh community members. Somewhere in America (2015) - This meticulously designed work by Saks Afridi resembles an illuminated Quran but is an English-to-Arabic transliteration of Jay-Z's Somewhere in America and offers an examination of the miseducation of blind faith. Survival Mosque (2005) A photomontage by artist and historian Azra Aksamija depicting a wearable mosque kitted out with elements for self-protection. The piece is a critique of the surveillance and targeting of Muslim communities in the aftermath of 9/11. Unlocking the Eruv (2010ongoing) Photographer Margaret Olins ongoing series examines the rabbinic institution of the eruv, which symbolically extends the private domain of Jewish households into public areas and permits activities that are normally forbidden in public on the Sabbath. Unto Dust (1997-ongoing) Portraits by Greg Miller from his ongoing photography series documenting Catholic community members on Ash Wednesdays. Vishnu? (2016) - a photograph from a larger series documenting murthis, by artist, curator, and scholar Andil Gosine. The exhibition also features art by and photographs documenting the work of activist and community organizations such as Desis Rising Up and Moving (DRUM); Sikh Coalition; and Chhaya CDC. (Approved press images and artist bios available here.) As well, visitors will have the opportunity to learn more via public programs. Currently scheduled programs are: Halal and the City Thursday, November 17th, 6:30PM Tickets: $40; part of our Eat Your Heart Out series, co presented with MOFAD Where does halal food fit into the context of New York City dining? And how do issues of religion, class, and bureaucracy impact the halal food thats available and who is able to sell it? In an evening led by Krishnendu Ray, author of The Migrants Table and The Ethnic Restaurateur, well learn the answers to questions such as these and more as we hear from a New York City halal food street vendor and Mohamed Attia, director of the Street Vendor Project. Additionally, well go beyond the street cart with Sameen Choudhry of Muslim Foodies, a NYC halal restaurant blog run by three women who are seeking to bridge the gap between mainstream restaurants and halal restaurants *** Religion, Race, and Urban Space in NYC Thursday, December 1, 2022, 6:30pm Tickets: $15, co-presented with Columbia Universitys Institute for Religion, Culture and Public Life (IRCPL) In this talk, curator Azra Dawood will be joined by leading scholars of religion in New York City including Nathaniel Deutsch, professor of History at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and Hussein Rashid, the project director of Lilly Endowment-funded Arts of Devotion at the Smithsonians National Museum of Asian Art to explore the intersections of race, religion, and urban space. The conversation will encompass Muslim spaces, Orthodox Jewish communities, and Africana religions. Additional speakers to be announced. *** Cocktails & Culture: Winter Soulstice Celebration Thursday, December 8, 2022, 6-9pm Tickets: Free, with museum admission At our December edition of Cocktails & Culture, celebrate with us the winter solstice season in New York as the sun transits towards the Tropic of Capricorn and visit our new exhibition, City of Faith: Religion, Activism, and Urban Space. Groove into the holidays with a live set by the legendary DJ Rekha, founder of Basement Bhangra. About the exhibition City of Faith was curated by Dr. Azra Dawood and designed by Isometric Studios. Support/special thanks City of Faith is made possible in part by the Henry Luce Foundation and the Charles and Mildred Schnurmacher Foundation. The Museum gratefully acknowledges the Mellon Foundations support for exhibition curator Dr. Dawoods fellowship. City of Faith: Religion, Activism, and Urban Space is her capstone project. Special thanks to the input and insights from our advisors, Matthew Engelke, Courtney Bender, Hussein Rashid, Margaret Olin, R. Scott Hanson, Asad Dandia, Divya Victor, and Nandini Bagchee, and community organizations such as Desis Rising Up and Moving (DRUM) and Sikh Coalition. About the Museum of the City of New York The Museum of the City of New York fosters understanding of the distinctive nature of urban life in the worlds most influential metropolis. Winner of "Best Museum" in Time Out New York's "Best of the City 2021" and multiple American Alliance of Museums (AAM) awards, MCNY engages visitors by celebrating, documenting, and interpreting the citys past, present, and future. To connect with the Museums award-winning digital content, visit www.mcny.org; or follow us on Instagram and Twitter at @MuseumOfCityNY and on Facebook at Facebook.com/MuseumofCityNY. Attachment LULING, Texas, Nov. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Buc-ee's, home of the world's cleanest bathrooms, freshest food and friendliest beaver, will break ground on its new travel center in Luling, Texas, on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022. The start of construction will be celebrated at 11 a.m. CST with a ceremony attended by local leaders. The new Buc-ee's Luling will be the largest Buc-ee's location in the country, ensuring Texas remains home to the world's biggest Buc-ee's. Occupying more than 75,000 square feet, the updated Buc-ee's Luling will replace the city's current Buc-ee's store, which was the brand's first family travel center, built in 2003. Located at 10070 I-10, Buc-ee's Luling will offer 120 fueling positions just outside its store with thousands of snack, meal and drink options for travelers on the go, as well as the same award-winning restrooms, cheap gas, quality products and excellent service that have won the hearts, trust and business of millions in the South for nearly 40 years. Buc-ee's favorites, including Texas barbeque, homemade fudge, kolaches, Beaver Nuggets, jerky and fresh pastries, will all be available. Attendees of the Buc-ee's Luling groundbreaking ceremony will include Mayor CJ Watts of Luling, former Mayor Mike Hendricks of Luling, Caldwell County Judge Hoppy Haden, and Luling City Manager Mark Mayo. Founded in Texas in 1982, Buc-ee's is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. Buc-ee's operates 43 stores across Texas and the South. Since beginning its multi-state expansion in 2019, Buc-ee's has opened travel centers in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Buc-ee's is now headed West with store groundbreakings in Colorado and Missouri. "Beaver and Don's pioneering concept of the Buc-ee's family travel center debuted in Luling 20 years ago," said Stan Beard of Buc-ee's. "As we continue to share the Buc-ee's experience with the rest of the country, we are grateful for the opportunity to deepen our Lone Star roots and to keep our flagship, and the largest Buc-ee's ever, in Luling." Throughout the project, Buc-ee's corporate development team will continue to work closely with local partners, including the City of Luling, the Luling Economic Development Corporation, and Caldwell County. Buc-ee's Luling will add even more jobs to the area, employing at least 200 team members, with starting pay beginning well above minimum wage, full benefits, a 6% matching 401k, and three weeks of paid vacation. About Buc-ee's Buc-ee's is the world's most-loved travel center. Founded in 1982, Buc-ee's now has 34 stores across Texas, including the world's largest convenience store, as well as nine locations in other states. Buc-ee's is known for pristine bathrooms, a large amount of fueling positions, friendly service, Buc-ee's apparel and fresh, delicious food. Originally launched and still headquartered in Texas, Buc-ee's has combined traditional quality and modern efficiency to redefine the pit stop for their customers. For more information, visit www.buc-ees.com. Contact Information: Rachel Austin Publicist rachel@hometownsocial.net Related Images Image 1 This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. Attachment MELBOURNE, Australia, Nov. 04, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to leading Melbourne snowboards retailer Twelve Board Store, the new K2 Party Platter snowboards are designed to be ridden everywhere. With a very limited quantity available worldwide, these boards won't be around for long. While most "shaped" snowboards are built to focus on one specific riding style, Twelve Board Store explains the K2 Party Platter is purpose-built to excel on all terrains, from groomers to deep snow. Eliminating toe and heel drag, these boards are also ideal for carving. Built on a Combination Camber profile blending traditional Camber and Rocker profiles, the K2 Party Platter provides stability at higher speeds while also allowing edges to track and hold while carving. With a smooth and even flex, the BAP Core is constructed with sustainably harvested timber. The strong yet lightweight core eliminates vibration for control in all conditions, says Twelve Board Store. Strategically placed between the inserts, the Carbon Ollie Bar gives the board plenty of snap and rebound for launching side hits while the Sintered 4000 base composed of tough and durable material soaks up wax and gives the glide and speed riders desire. Co-designed with legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk and the entire team at Birdhouse Skateboards, the K2 Party Platter features one-of-a-kind Tony Hawk x Birdhouse graphics, making it a true collector's item to be both ridden and cherished. Available in four sizes 142cm, 147cm, 152cm and 157cm, these extremely limited edition snowboards won't be available for long, with no more in production. With over 30 years' combined experience in the snowboard, skateboard and longboard industry, Twelve Board Store provides customers with the best advice, products, brands and prices. To learn more about the K2 Party Platter and to shop for all the gear needed for the mountain including snowboard boots and snowboard gloves at the best prices, visit Twelve Board Store online. Contact Information: Twelve Board Store Marketing Manager info@twelveboardstore.com.au 03 9421 2293 Related Images Image 1: Twelve Board Store Twelve Board Store This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. Attachment HOUSTON, Nov. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Equus Total Return, Inc. (NYSE: EQS) (Equus or the Company) today announced that shareholders, collectively holding 7,166,015 shares (53.01% of the Companys issued and outstanding common stock), have authorized the Companys Board of Directors (hereinafter, the Board) to cause the Companys withdrawal of its election to be classified as a business development company (BDC) under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the 1940 Act) as part of a potential strategic transformation of Equus into an operating company. In connection with this authorization, the Company has filed an Information Statement on Schedule 14C, dated November 3, 2022. Over the past several years, the Company has examined a number of potential transactions in a variety of sectors, including natural resources, containers and packaging, real estate, media, technology, telecommunications, and energy. Recently, the Company has concentrated its efforts on evaluating potential transactions in midstream and upstream oil and gas production and development. These evaluations have included consideration of potential strategic transactions to maximize value to shareholders as an operating company not subject to the 1940 Act. The authorization granted by the Companys shareholders allows the Board to withdraw the Companys BDC authorization on or prior to February 28, 2023 as part of a potential strategic transformation of Equus into an operating company. Although Equus has been authorized to withdraw and terminate the Companys BDC election under the 1940 Act, it will not submit any such withdrawal unless and until Equus has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire an operating company. Risks and Uncertainties The transformation of Equus into an operating company is subject to various conditions, risks, and uncertainties. Such risks should be considered in addition to the items identified as Risk Factors in the Companys most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) on March 30, 2022. Potential Advantages The Company believes that an operating company structure, in lieu of a closed-end fund structure, could be advantageous to Equus and its shareholders in various ways, including: (i) a greater number of growth opportunities through merger with and acquisition of other operating companies, (ii) a valuation of Equus based on typical operating criteria such as earnings, revenue, and gross profit, instead of net asset value, (iii) lower proportional compliance costs due to Equus not being regulated under the 1940 Act, and (iv) greater flexibility to issue common and preferred equity, as well as other types of securities as consideration for acquisitions and growth of the Company. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains certain forward-looking statements regarding possible future circumstances. These forward-looking statements are based upon the Companys current expectations and assumptions and are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in such forward-looking statements including, in particular, the performance of the Company, including our ability to achieve our expected financial and business objectives, our ability to execute our reorganization under the Plan and complete the transactions contemplated thereby, the other risks and uncertainties described herein, as well as those contained in the Companys filings with the SEC. Actual results, events, and performance may differ. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as to the date hereof. The Company undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to these forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. The inclusion of any statement in this release does not constitute an admission by the Company or any other person that the events or circumstances described in such statements are material. Contacts: Patricia Baronowski Pristine Advisers, LLC (631) 756-2486 NEW YORK, NY, Nov. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Music Acquisition Corporation (TMAC or the Company) will be holding a virtual Special Meeting of Stockholders on Wednesday, November 30, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. eastern time. The record date for the meeting is 5:00 p.m., New York Time, on October 31, 2022. At this special meeting, holders will be asked to vote on proposals related to an amendment (the Charter Amendment Proposal) to TMACs amended and restated certificate of incorporation (the Charter) and an amendment to the investment management trust agreement, dated February 2, 2021, by and between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer and Trust Company, as trustee (the Trust Amendment Proposal), which would, if implemented, allow TMAC to redeem all of its outstanding Class A common stock (the Public Shares) on or prior to December 30, 2022 in advance of the contractual termination date of February 5, 2023 and liquidate the trust account maintained for the benefit of the public stockholders. Stockholders of record as of the record date will be able to listen and vote and submit questions pertaining to the proposals by logging in at https://www.cstproxy.com/musicacquisition/2022. Stockholders will need the 12-digit control number that is printed in the box marked by the arrow on the stockholders proxy card for the meeting to enter the virtual special meeting website. A technical support number will become available at the virtual meeting link 10 minutes prior to the scheduled meeting time. For more information, please see the definitive proxy statement filed with the SEC on November 3, 2022. Pursuant to TMACs Charter, a public stockholder may request that TMAC redeem all or a portion of such stockholders Public Shares for cash if the Charter Amendment Proposal is approved and the Charter is amended. Specific procedures regarding redemptions can be found in the definitive proxy statement. Holders of TMAC units (NYSE: TMAC.U) must elect to separate the underlying Public Shares (NYSE: TMAC) and public warrants prior to exercising redemption rights with respect to the Public Shares. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to the warrants, which will expire worthless at the amended termination date if the Charter Amendment Proposal is approved and the Charter is amended. Stockholders are encouraged to contact their brokerage firm or bank or TMACs transfer agent for additional information regarding redemption procedures. Forward-Looking Statements The foregoing communication includes certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements relating to the proposed early redemption of the Company's public shares and related liquidation of the trust account. These forward-looking statements involve many risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements, including, without limitation, the receipt of the requisite stockholder approval to effect this proposed transaction. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of the foregoing communication, and the Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to disseminate any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statement contained herein to reflect any change in its expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based. Please refer to the publicly filed documents of the Company, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, for risks and uncertainties related to the Companys business which may affect the statements made in this communication. Additional Information Nothing in the foregoing communication shall constitute a solicitation to buy or an offer to sell any of the Companys securities. The Companys stockholders and other investors are urged to read the definitive proxy statement (which has been filed with the SEC) because it contains important information relating to the proposed transaction. Copies of the Companys SEC filings are available free of charge at the SECs website (http://www.sec.gov). Copies of the filings together with the materials incorporated by reference therein will also be available, without charge, by directing a request to: The Music Acquisition Corporation, 9000 W. Sunset Blvd #1500, Hollywood, CA 90069, email: info@musicacquisition.com, telephone: (747) 203-7219. Participants in a Solicitation The directors and executive officers of TMAC and other persons may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies in respect of any proposals relating to the proposed transaction. Information regarding the directors and executive officers of TMAC is available in its definitive proxy statement, which was filed with the SEC on November 3, 2022. Other information regarding the participants in the proxy solicitation and a description of their direct and indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, is available in the proxy materials regarding the proposed transaction. Free copies of these documents may be obtained as described in the preceding paragraph. About The Music Acquisition Corporation The Music Acquisition Corporation is a blank check company incorporated for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities. The Company focused its efforts on identifying a prospective target business either directly or indirectly connected with the music sector, with particular emphasis on businesses where its significant strategic and operational expertise and long-standing position within the music industry would be a value-additive proposition to potential target businesses, though it was permitted to pursue targets in any industry or geographic region. Investor Relations Contact Investor Relations The Music Acquisition Corporation 9000 W. Sunset Blvd #1500, Hollywood, CA 90069 E-mail: info@musicacquisition.com Telephone: (747) 203-7219 PRESSURE groups have exploded in anger and condemned all forms of abuse of children following the arrest of a Macheke couple accused of raping their OWN children. The couple appeared before Marondera magistrate, Ignatius Mhene, facing charges of raping their biological children. The matter came to light when the two minors were caught simulating a sexual act by their uncle, whom they had visited in Mutoko. It is the States case that the childrens mother allegedly found her 41-year-old husband raping their eight-year-old daughter in their bedroom. However, she did not report the matter. The mother went on to rape her 11-year-old son, with one of the incidents allegedly happening last year, when she reportedly lured the child into her matrimonial bedroom. Reacting to this SHOCKING story yesterday, a number of pressure groups urged Zimbabweans to desist from abusing children. Rev Nyanhete, of the Zimbabwe Network for Children Welfare, said it is was barbaric and shameful act that should be condemned. We condemn that kind of barbaric act. Its painful that we have such people who are so ruthless to their children to such an extent. I think those parents are not suitable parents. The Government should deny them the right to keep on living with their children, he said. Rodrey Mutombo said law enforcement agencies, and other State institutions, should take action to protect the children. As Women Excel Trust, we challenge law enforcement agencies and other State institutions to take urgent action to protect children from abuse. We will be happy if justice will be served, not only in this case at hand, but in every case where childrens rights are being infringed, he said. Shamwari Yemwanasikanas Ekeria Chifamaba said this case was a sad reality of the plight of many children in this country. Sadly, perpetrators in this case are parents who are supposed to provide safety nets for their children, said Chifamaba. Its disheartening to imagine the trauma of being sexually exploited by the most trusted people in your life, who are supposed to be your shield, and strength. We need to intensify awareness campaigns about child protection. Let the message be heard and shared in churches, communities, schools, and on various social media platforms. Chifamaba added: Our judiciary has to be harsh on parents who fail in fulfilling their rights and responsibility towards their children. Let the policies enacted be fully implemented. The accused couple should be given a harsh sentence to deter would-be offenders from committing similar offences. H Metro A Series of Delays in the 19th Century 21st-Century Complications On Nov. 3, Americans will turn on their televisions, pull up their Twitter apps, and log on to political news websites, eagerly anticipating election updates. They might be disappointed. While some results will filter in as the evening progresses, we may not know the outcome of the presidential election until weeks later. The delay would be frustrating, but it would not be a sign that the system had failed. A few important historical examples demonstrate that Americans have endured electoral delays in the past and have survived. We can do it again and should be prepared to be patient.The election of 1800 has received a great deal of attention in this election cycle, and rightfully so. 1801 marked the first peaceful transition of power from one party to another, the election was a repudiation of anti-immigrant and anti-free speech legislation, and the outcome required extensive negotiations in the House of Representatives to resolve an Electoral College tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr.With all of those important historical implications, its unsurprising that we overlook the most basic element of the election of 1800 it took a really, really long time to resolve. In 1800, each state established its own voting practices, including when its citizens voted. As a result, voting began in April and continued through November of 1800. The House of Representatives opened the returns on Feb. 11, 1801, when they discovered that the two Jeffersonian-Republican (or Republican for short) candidates had tied. From Feb. 11 to Feb. 17, the House of Representatives cast a series of ballots to determine which man would become the third president. On the 36th ballot, the House finally broke the stalemate and selected Jefferson Local citizens penned a flurry of letters updating their friends and family about the next president and newspapers quickly printed and distributed the results of the election. Ships, carriages, and men on horseback carried the news across the country. Depending on the method of travel, the news took a few days or weeks to reach its intended destination. A few local readers read the identity of the next president as Jefferson was preparing to take the oath of office. In 1800, some citizens had waited up to 11 months, almost a full year, from the time they voted to the time they learned that Jefferson had won the election of 1800.While the election of 1800 offers an extreme example, it is hardly the only election with less than instantaneous results. In 1845, Congress passed a bill establishing that the presidential elections would take place on the Tuesday next after the first Monday in the month of November. In other words, until 1845, the states determined when they held their elections, so many citizens had to wait months to hear about the results. Once Congress had certified the electoral votes from each state, the news then took days, weeks, or months to cross the growing country.Of course there are exceptions to the rule, both then and now. In 1824, four men competed for president: John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, Henry Clay, and William Crawford. States cast their votes from Oct. 26 to Dec. 1, 1824. When Congress counted the electoral votes, no one candidate had won a majority. The terms of the 12th amendment forced the House of Representatives to hold a contingent election, which Adams won on Feb. 9, 1825 . By this point, news traveled a bit faster. On Feb. 18, former president John Adams wrote his son John Quincy after learning of his election, Never did I feel so much solemnity as upon this occasionthe multitude of my thoughts and the intensity of my feelings are too much for a mind like mine in its ninetieth yearMay the blessing of God Almighty continue to protect you to the end of your life as it has heretofore protected you in so remarkable a manner from your cradle.By 1860, the federal government had designated a single day for national elections and voters turned out to the polls in record numbers. In fact, turnout was 81.2 percent , second only to the turnout in the election of 1876. While voters didnt have to wait months for other states to cast their ballots, the stakes of the election were higher than ever before. As news of Abraham Lincolns victory trickled across the country, states in the south seceded from the Union. From Dec. 24, 1860 , to Feb. 2, 1861 , South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas announced their departure from the Union and the creation of the Confederacy. While the country knew the results of the presidential election relatively quickly, which states would remain in the Union remained uncertain and cast a dark shadow on Lincolns inauguration. 1860 proved there are worse things than not knowing which candidate won the election.History remembers the 1876 election as one of the most controversial in the U.S. On Nov. 7, citizens cast their votes. Democratic candidate Samuel J. Tilden had won the popular vote and 184 electoral votes to Republican candidate Rutherford B. Hayess 165 votes. But 20 votes from Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Oregon remained unresolved after Republicans accused local Democrats of ballot fraud and violence. Facing a potential constitutional crisis, Congress passed legislation on Jan. 29, 1877, to create an Electoral Commission. The 15-person commission was comprised of five members from the House, five members from the Senate, and five members from the Supreme Court. The commission helped broker a deal in which all 20 disputed electoral votes were awarded to Hayes, giving him a 185 to 184 electoral vote victory. In return for the presidency, Hayes promised to withdraw federal troops from South Carolina and Louisiana. The departure of federal troops marked the end of Reconstruction and removed a significant barrier to Jim Crow laws that targeted Black civil rights. After arranging this compromise, the commission adjourned on March 2, 1877 almost four months after election day. Hayes was inaugurated just three days later.Until the invention of television, most citizens didnt learn the results of the presidential election until a few days after they cast their vote. Even then, modern technology did not eliminate electoral suspense. Most readers probably have personal memories of the confusion after the 2000 presidential election, but heres a refresher. On Nov. 7, citizens cast their votes. George W. Bush had clearly won 246 votes and Albert Gore won 250. Wisconsin and Oregon were too close to call , but the election came down to Florida and its 25 electoral votes. By the next morning, Bush was winning in Florida by fewer than 2,000 votes, triggering an automatic recount. Lawsuits on the recount went to the Supreme Court, which upheld the previous tally, thus ending the recount on Dec. 12, 2000. On Jan. 6, 2001, a joint session of Congress certified the electoral votes and Bush took the oath of office on Jan. 20, 2001.The 2020 election comes with many additional electoral complications. First, its not clear how COVID-19 will affect turnout for in-person voting, making polls unpredictable. Journalists and new agencies will be less likely to rely on unpredictable exits polls in order to call states for one of the candidates. Second, many more citizens are voting absentee. While some states vote entirely by mail in every election, including Oregon and Colorado , others are less prepared to handle the influx of absentee ballots and may still be tallying votes many days after the election. Third, there is a real threat that legislation will tie up the results for weeks or months after the election.We might have results by the end of the evening on Nov. 3 and we can all go to sleep with answers. Much will depend on whether President Donald Trump or former Vice President Joe Biden wins certain states, and of course on the voters. For example, Ohio and Florida both count their in-person and absentee ballots as they are received, so they typically report electoral returns pretty quickly. If Biden wins both of those states, Trumps path to victory becomes almost impossible and the powers that be are likely to call the election for Biden. But that outcome is not guaranteed and we should be prepared to be patient. Weve done it before, and we can do it again. Bloom Energy Corporation inaugurated its high-volume commercial electrolyzer line at the companys Newark facility, increasing the companys generating capacity of electrolyzers to two gigawatts. The award-winning technology is the most energy-efficient design to produce clean hydrogen to date. In the last decade, the facility has produced more than 1 gigawatt (GW) of fuel-cell-based Energy Servers. The Bloom Electrolyzer relies on the same, commercially proven solid oxide technology platform used to produce electricity, so streamlining existing manufacturing for higher volume electrolyzer output allows Bloom to best meet the needs of the market. The technologys significant capabilities for hydrogen production are being demonstrated in partnerships with Xcel Energy and Idaho National Labs to harness nuclear and steam power, and will be demonstrated with LSB Industries, Inc. to decarbonize industrial and agricultural sectors. Internationally, the technology is in use in South Korea. The Bloom Electrolyzer supports a trajectory for hydrogen to become economically accessible by producing hydrogen up to 45% more efficiently than PEM and alkaline electrolyzers when combined with external heat. By operating at high temperatures, Blooms electrolyzer consumes 15% less electricity than other electrolyzer technologies when electricity is the sole input source. This allows for the Bloom Electrolyzer to be deployed across a broad variety of commercial hydrogen applications, using multiple energy sources, including intermittent renewable energy and excess heat at manufacturing facilities and businesses. In addition to its work on the east coast, Bloom Energy marked the expansion of its growing American manufacturing footprint this July, with the grand opening of its new 164,000 square foot, multi-gigawatt facility in Fremont, California. This facility represents a $200-million investment and is expected to create more than 400 additional clean energy jobs by year-end, bringing Blooms California headcount to nearly 2,000 in addition to its 715 Delaware employees. A team from Penn State University and start-up EC Power has developed a material-agnostic technology based on asymmetric temperature modulation with a thermally stable dual-salt electrolyte to achieve stable fast charging for Li-ion batteries. In a paper in Nature, the team reports charging of a 265 Wh kg1 battery to 75% (or 70%) state of charge in 12 (or 11) minutes for more than 900 (or 2,000) cycles. This is equivalent to a half million mile range in which every charge is a fast charge. Further, we build a digital twin of such a battery pack to assess its cooling and safety and demonstrate that thermally modulated 4C charging only requires air convection. This offers a compact and intrinsically safe route to cell-to-pack development. The rapid thermal modulation method to yield highly active electrochemical interfaces only during fast charging has important potential to realize both stability and fast charging of next-generation materials, including anodes like silicon and lithium metal. Wang et al. This 10-min fast-charging battery was developed for electric cars, with the black box on the top containing a battery management system to control the module. Credit: EC Power. Our fast-charging technology works for most energy-dense batteries and will open a new possibility to downsize electric vehicle batteries from 150 to 50 kWh without causing drivers to feel range anxiety. The smaller, faster-charging batteries will dramatically cut down battery cost and usage of critical raw materials such as cobalt, graphite and lithium, enabling mass adoption of affordable electric cars. Chao-Yang Wang, co-corresponding author The technology relies on internal thermal modulation, an active method of temperature control to demand the best performance possible from the battery, Wang explained. Batteries operate most efficiently when they are hot, but not too hot. Keeping batteries consistently at just the right temperature has been major challenge for battery engineers. Historically, they have relied on external, bulky heating and cooling systems to regulate battery temperature, which respond slowly and waste a lot of energy, Wang said. Wang and his team decided to instead regulate the temperature from inside the battery. The researchers developed a new battery structure that adds an ultrathin nickel foil as the fourth component besides anode, electrolyte and cathode. Acting as a stimulus, the nickel foil self-regulates the batterys temperature and reactivity which allows for 10-minute fast charging on just about any EV battery, Wang explained. True fast-charging batteries would have immediate impact, the researchers write. Since there are not enough raw minerals for every internal combustion engine car to be replaced by a 150 kWh-equipped EV, fast charging is imperative for EVs to go mainstream. EC Power is working to manufacture and commercialize the fast-charging battery for an affordable and sustainable future of vehicle electrification, Wang said. EC Powers Thermally Modulated Cell Technology (TMCT) heats cells from the inside out. The other coauthors on the study are Teng Liu, Xiao-Guang Yang, Shanhai Ge and Yongjun Leng of Penn State and Nathaniel Stanley, Eric Rountree and Brian McCarthy of EC Power. The work was supported by the US Department of Energy, the US Department of Defense, the US Air Force and the William E. Diefenderfer Endowment. Resources Solaris won a tender held by public transport operator Miejskie Przedsiebiorstwo Komunikacyjne (MPK) in Cracow for the delivery of electric buses. At the end of October the carrier signed a contract with the manufacturer for the delivery of 18 articulated electric vehicles. The contract is worth more than PLN 98 million (US$20.6 million). The contract includes an option to order an additional three Urbino 18 electric units. The e-buses chosen by MPK in Cracow will be adapted for both charging using a plug-in connector and pantograph charging. The energy storage system will consist of Solaris High Energy batteries with a capacity of more than 400 kWh. To boost the buses efficiency and to reduce energy consumption even further, the propulsion system will employ innovative SiC technology, using silicon carbide-based circuits. The buses will feature a 2-2-2-2 door layout and will be able to carry 141 passengers, including 43 seated. The buses will boast an efficient air conditioning system, a comprehensive passenger information system, a video surveillance system and USB ports for charging smartphones. All systems and devices installed in the bus, including heating, will be powered solely by electricity. In July of this year, the carrier placed an order for 20 Solaris e-buses: 7 Urbino 18 electric and 13 Urbino 12 electric units. This batch will now be joined by the 18 Urbino 18 electric vehicles, which means that next year a total of 38 Solaris e-buses, including 25 articulated vehicles, will make their way to Cracow. Currently, the citys fleet boasts 76 e-buses manufactured by Solaris. All in all, Cracow will soon boast an impressive fleet of 114 Urbino electric vehicles. It was Cracow where the launch of the new hydrogen-fueled model, Urbino 18 hydrogen, took place in September. MPK Krakow has been testing the 12-meter hydrogen-powered Solaris bus within its network since June. Justin T. Spicer, AAMS of the financial services firm Edward Jones recently received a promotion to the position of regional leader for the Wyoming region. Spicer will now be responsible for the firm's branch offices in this region while continuing to help the people of his community with their investment needs. In addition to serving as a role model, the position of regional leader carries with it the responsibilities of serving as a leader in client service and performance, assisting new financial advisors and periodically visiting branch offices. Spicer also will be responsible for keeping company officials apprised of the financial needs and concerns of the people in his region. Spicer said he is honored to be promoted to this position. "I believe in this firm and its commitment to individual investors," Spicer said. "I am ready for the challenge of sharing my experience and enthusiasm with our financial advisors in this region as I support them in making a difference for their clients, colleagues and communities." Spicer has been with Edward Jones for nearly 9 years. Spicer's office is located at 548 Broadway Street in Rock Springs. Justin Spicer and branch office administrator Carrie Doan can be reached at (307) 362-0800. You may also visit their website at http://www.edwardjones.com/justin-spicer. After iOS 16.1 rolled out last month, Apple started to test iOS 16.2, both with developers and the public enrolled into its beta program. Today the company has confirmed to The Indian Express that next week's beta build of iOS 16.2 will finally include 5G support for iPhones in India, on Airtel and Jio. This comes after a lot of pressure from the Indian government, following the launch of 5G services in the country on October 1. Apple previously stated that the final version of iOS 16.2 is due to go out to all supported devices in December. In the meantime, if you want to test the 5G functionality in India, you can head over to the beta program website and enroll your device. You'll then receive the current beta, and next week you should get the new build which enables the high-speed connections. All this said, do note that these beta builds might have bugs and things that just don't work in them, so if you're sensitive to that it's best to simply wait for the stable release occurring next month, after all the issues will have been ironed out. Source The Samsung Galaxy S23 and S23 Ultra's US variants popped up on Geekbench last month with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC that's expected to go official at the Snapdragon Summit between November 15-17. Now, the US version of the Plus model has also been spotted on the benchmark database with Qualcomm's upcoming flagship silicon. The US variant of the Galaxy S23+ has model code SM-S916U and runs Android 13, presumably with One UI 5.0 on top. The smartphone has 8GB of RAM onboard, but there will likely be more RAM options to choose from. Samsung Galaxy S23+ US model on Geekbench Despite having the same chipset and RAM amount, the S23+ scored lower than the vanilla and Ultra models in Geekbench's single-core tests but achieved a higher multi-core score. These are likely pre-production units, so we'll reserve our judgment until we get our hands on the retail units, which will probably have better performance. That said, it's still unclear if the Galaxy S23 series will use the Snapdragon chip in all markets or if Samsung will go with the Exynos chip in some countries. Via With over a decade of making waves and creating space for emerging artists in the local art scene, Joshua Barrigadas work proves that Guam is a place where working artists can thrive. Over the span of his career, Barrigada (whose real name is Joshua Agerstrand), has contributed directly to creating opportunities for working artists he served as the curator for the Guam Art Exhibit, or GAX, from 2011 to 2019, and since 2017 hes been the director of Worldwide Walls, an arts and murals festival that used to be branded as POW! WOW! Worldwide. For the last 10 years, the art scene has grown a lot. Theres so many more people creating high caliber work. When we did the POW! WOW! events and we had some of the artists come in from off island, I remember people would say it in a lot of different ways, but the compliments were the same from people who were professional high-level artists. Theyd say wow, the level of artistry in Guam is really high for such a small place, its pretty impressive to have this many high caliber artists in one little place. I think thats an advantage that we have. Theres not a lot to do on Guam, so you kind of go into your hobbies, you go into being a highly trained MMA fighter, or a diver, or a fisherman, or a surfer, or an artist. People who we have that are here that go deep into those hobbies, theyre stronger than most because theres not a lot of distractions. You have time here to really concentrate on your hobby and make an impression, he said. Unknown Projects Most recently, hes launched Unknown Projects, a new arts organization that aims to continue the GAX tradition of buzz-worthy art shows. We wanted to start fresh and have a new organization and a new name, switch stuff up a little bit, he added. Their first exhibit was Unknown Projects: Freshman Class, which was featured at the Guam Museum on Sept. 30. The gallery included work from a collection of artists and included selected pieces from students who participated in the Fanhita Manhoben: Decolonization Through the Arts conference, which was organized by the Commission on Decolonization. The whole conference was focusing on decolonization through the arts, which can be as simple and as apolitical as affirming your identity, Barrigada explained. For Unknown Projects: Freshman Class, Barrigada wanted to showcase artists whose work reflected a strong sense of identity. We can look at efforts to decolonization by focusing on aspects which make us us. For example, Im Filipino and American and Im born here. A lot of my art does have to do with where it came from, the experiences that Ive seen in my life. So even those little things, when youre exploring your identity, it goes towards the same thing with decolonization, where its trying to study yourself and study your roots and know who you are, he said. Barrigada led a workshop during the conference and aimed to give youth guidance on pathways for having a career in the arts on Guam. The idea that just because youre in Guam doesnt mean that you cant have an exciting kind of career, that doesnt mean that you cant have a career in the arts. Just because you dont go out to LA, or move out to New York doesnt mean you cant become a working artist and someone whos making artwork that they feel very strongly about or making a career where they can support themselves, he said. A young artists journey This speaks to his own journey as a young artist. No matter what was happening in my life at the time, I would just always try to find a way to make it work. I did artwork since I was a little kid, and I wanted to either be an animator or a painter or something, he said. As a young adult, he moved to the states and explored different career paths. I was just kind of working in a restaurant, working a minimum wage job and thats where I had some of my first success as a young artist. I was doing mainly illustration back then, and I got artwork published in Fantagraphics, which was one of my first big wins that was internationally published, he said. He began to grab the attention of art magazines. I was hanging out in the states. As a young person, I started to get my artwork published in magazines and featured in certain kinds of blogs. I was just pushing myself and that was just like being a dishwasher in Tallahassee, Florida. I was still very focused on making artwork and getting out there, as big as I could, he added. Barrigada recalls entering a contest to be in a book when he was 22. The book featured a swath of famous artists. The theme was myths and legends, and he submitted artwork of a taotaomona. I think they published like three amateur artists in that book. And I got to be one of them, he said. He also was able to work on a comic for Image Comics, which was published and won a prestigious Eisner award for best anthology. His career began to take off, and he worked on a pitch for Nickelodeon and considered attending art school. And then, like a lot of people on Guam, I got the call like Oh hey, your mom needs help. Theres some family struggles, I know youre having fun but I think you got to come home. Thats like the standard for Guam, a lot of people here go through that. A lot of people who are younger come back home to help their family, he said. He describes going through a transition period upon returning home and had to let go of the Nickelodeon show opportunity. He began to reframe his career and decided that he didnt want to do artwork that determined hed have to live in the states to do it. I switched gears on Guam. I cant stop making artwork, so how am I going to make it work?, he said. He remembered going to art shows in the states and decided to take a stab at putting together shows on the island. I just decided, okay, if Im to be here, Im going to have the same career that I would have had. I want to learn all of the things that I would have learned. I want to learn how to paint, so I learned how to paint. I want to be in art shows, so I just made the art shows, he said. Theres always a way Reflecting on his journey, he added: I think its important as artists, if you just try to find a way to make it happen no matter what. I think theres always a way. Through curating art shows, Barrigada also began to cultivate a community of local artists. GAX released open calls for artists to participate in shows, and through each show, Barrigada would meet more artists that he didnt know existed. Barrigada is a trailblazer in Guams art scene, and recently landed the coveted Louis Vuitton mural down in Tumon. The production of the mural was delayed due to the pandemic, which gave him more time to practice using spray paint after he realized that the building wouldnt take well to his standard medium. I usually do house paint for my murals. I knew that it wouldnt take the house paint really well, because I tested it out on my samples, he said. During the pandemic, Barrigada was renting a house in Chalan Pago with a large retaining wall in the back. Throughout the entire pandemic, I would just practice doing faces with spray paint and graffiti, he said. The vibrant seascape mural took six weeks from start to finish. Barrigada is looking forward to attending DesignerCon in November, which will be his first art convention. Its clear that hell continue to innovate and uplift the community through his passion and dedication. I was talking to my moms friend on Facebook the other day, and I knew them when I was like in second grade. She was saying oh, Im happy you really achieved your dreams. I didnt know what she was talking about, but she said you always wanted to be an artist, you were always very clearly focused on that even as a little kid. I didnt realize until she explained to me that I was very focused on this ever since I was a young kid, this was gonna be my path, he said. A TV screen shows a file image of North Koreas missile launch during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul on Nov. 2, 2022. Prosecutors are offering criminal immunity to Brian Bishop Mendiola, the man Nicholas Wayne Moore is accused of shooting on Oct. 15, 2020, in Agana Heights. Moore is charged with terrorizing and possession of an unregistered firearm, with a special allegation of use of a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony. Moore pleaded not guilty. Although prosecutor Sean Brown said Mendiola will still testify in the ongoing trial, he wanted to allow Mendiola to speak without the worry of incrimination. He doesnt need it, but Im providing it to be safe, Brown said. Defense attorney Michael Phillips said Mendiola refused to answer certain questions during Tuesdays cross-examination. The court recessed and asked the defense, prosecution and Mendiola to return Thursday to address the situation. During the Thursday trial, presiding judge Alberto Tolentino questioned Mendiola about whether he had been pressured to either assert or waive his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. No, said Mendiola. Mendiolas attorney, Peter Santos, said his client received a draft of the document, but there are still a couple of changes that need to be made. Santos said Mendiola is inclined to testify once the agreement is in place. Moore has also been charged in the murder of Michael Castro, which took place about two weeks after the shooting. He also was indicted on two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct in another case. Construction of the Salvation Army treatment center for women facing drug and alcohol problems, Guma Famalaoan, is expected to be completed March 2023. This was announced during the Rotary Club of Guam meeting on Thursday at the Hyatt Regency Guam in Tamuning. The facility will house 16 to 20 women, said Salvation Army Lighthouse Recovery Center Director Valerie Reyes. Women who are pregnant have top priority. They do not get placed on a waitlist and we will reserve a bed placement for these ladies, said Reyes. She said when a mother comes in it is their goal that they connect her with her child as soon as possible. A lot of ladies who seek treatment will prolong treatment because they are worried about their children. We want them to see their kids and to know their kids are fine and to get better, Reyes said. She said helping a mother recover as soon as possible and stay clean will benefit her children and other members of the household. The center also will have a family room for mothers and children can do homework together, along with two detoxification beds, two Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant beds, group rooms, two living rooms and a kitchen. Reyes also spoke of updates about the Salvation Army Thanksgiving meal drive, an annual event that traditionally feeds about 1,000 homeless and food-insecure residents. Normally held at the CHamoru Village, plans were changed this year, according to program coordinator Lourdes Hongyee. About 400 balutan-style meals will be delivered around the island to homeless shelters and other locations. Each container will have turkey, ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce. The nonprofit is asking for monetary donations to cover the cost of these food items. To learn how to donate, call Hongyee at 671-486-6522 for information. Michael Lujan Bevacqua is an author, artist, activist and the curator for the Guam Museum. Lia Barcinas and Rico Diaz exit Merizo Martyrs Memorial School on Oct. 29, 2022, after casting their votes for the general election. Haiti - FLASH : The Biden administration is preparing for a possible mass exodus of Haitians The Biden Administration is weighing options to respond to what could soon be a mass exodus of Haitian migrants to the United States. Among these options, the temporary detention of migrants in a third country or the increase of capacities in an existing establishment at the American prison of Guantanamo Bay (Cuba), according to two American officials and an internal planning document Let's recall that for more than 30 years, Guantanamo Bay has had an operations center (which is not part of the prison for terrorism suspects) which houses migrants intercepted by the Coast Guard in the Caribbean. Plans are under consideration that would double the capacity of this Center to 400 beds, according to the document. In addition, the National Security Council (CSN) of the White House asks the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) what is the number of Haitian migrants that the United States would require to designate a third country. The Biden administration predicts that when fuel is no longer blocked in Haiti, migrants will be able to buy gasoline for boats and there could be a mass exodus of Haitians trying to make the dangerous journey by road. sea to the United States. In recent days, the CSN has held a series of meetings on the issue, involving DHS, Defense and the State "The United States Government is always planning to be on the safe side and for a wide range of possible scenarios." said a spokesperson for the National Security Council, noting "These migration contingencies existed long before the Biden-Harris administration." A spokesperson said DHS "continues to closely monitor the situation in Haiti, and long-standing contingency plans are ready in the event of heavy maritime migration" recalling "[...] DHS components, including the United States Border Patrol, Air and Maritime Operations, and the United States Coast Guard, along with our federal partners, maintain a continuous presence with air and maritime assets in the Florida Straits and the Caribbean Sea, as part of a multi-tiered approach to prevent illegal migrants from entering the United States." HL/ HaitiLibre Published on 2022/11/03 | Source Korean movies opening today 2022/11/03 in Korea: "Walk Up", "Next Door", "Hit Man", "Changgeuk, Chunhyang" and Korean-American documentary "Chosen" Advertisement "Walk Up" (2022) Directed by Hong Sang-soo With Kwon Hae-hyo, Lee Hye-young-I, Song Seon-mi, Jo Yoon-hee-I, Park Mi-so-I, Shin Seok-ho,... Synopsis Korean auteur Hong Sang-soo adds a new chapter to his impressive body of work, taking a gently delightful new perspective on themes dear to his poetics. "Next Door" (2021) Directed by Yeom Ji-ho With Oh Dong-min, Choi Hee-jin-I, Lee Jung-hyun-I,... Synopsis What happened last night? When I wake up with a terrible hangover, I find myself in an unfamiliar room. It's room 404 next door, which has mesmerized me with the noise between the walls. So is the dead person here, the owner of the house? And is the culprit... me???! "Hit Man" (2022) Directed by Kang Tae-ho With Jung Je-woo, Park Ji-soo, Go Won-seok, Seol Jae-geun, Lee Chang-wook-II, Seo Kab-sook,... Synopsis The merciless hitman's hunt for raw humans begins! If you set a goal, a mysterious family fire case comes in from an 'expert' who has the iron rule of eradicating it by any means and methods. An unidentified person intervenes in the smooth plan, causing a setback in the cold-blooded hunt... "Changgeuk, Chunhyang" (2022) Directed by Kim Myung-gon Synopsis Every moment of love, a melodic Korean opera blooms abundantly "Changgeuk, Chunhyang" focuses on the bright and healthy love of Chunhyang. From Chunhyang who loves passionately and protects the love she chooses to see through till the end, we learn about the courage and faith necessary to live in the era. "Chosen" (2022) Directed by Joseph Juhn Synopsis A Korean-American co-production. In November 2020, the Senate and House of Representative elections took place along with the Presidential election in the United States. Five Korean Americans of vastly diverse backgrounds with competing political views ran for the House election. David Kim is the only underdog with limited resources vying to be the first Korean American representative from Koreatown in Los Angeles. 23rd Jeonju International Film Festival High season for sea cucumber harvesting in Liaoning Xinhua) 16:15, November 03, 2022 DALIAN, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- At dawn, Lyu Dapeng skillfully put on a diving suit, carried an oxygen tank and jumped into the sea to start his work searching for sea cucumbers on the seabed at an aquaculture farm at Wangjia Island, northeast China's Liaoning Province. "This year's climate is suitable for sea cucumber growing. It is a bumper year," said the 36-year-old diver as he picked up a sea cucumber with a plump body and big thorns. Lyu fished out more than 50 kg of sea cucumbers in a half-day of work. He said divers earned 16 yuan (about 2.2 U.S. dollars) for a kilo of cucumber. Lyu can earn more than 800 yuan a day. The sea cucumber cultivation boomlet has brought wealth to locals in this coastal area. Sea cucumbers can grow big in the cold water in the northern part of the Yellow Sea. Sea cucumbers in this area live at a depth of 20 meters and are harvested every spring and autumn. Sea cucumbers are considered nutritious food and are made into pricey delicacies valued in Chinese cuisine, and thus have high economic value. Sea cucumbers brought ashore are immediately taken to factories for processing to keep them fresh or for them to be dried. Zhuanghe City, which administrates Wangjia Island, is aiming to become a "blue grain barn" through the development of marine aquaculture. Located on the Liaodong Peninsula, it enjoys a sound ecological environment. The city's fishery and aquaculture area reached 838,000 mu (55,867 hectares) in 2021, when the total output of aquatic products amounted to 573,400 tonnes, with an output value of 10.23 billion yuan. Currently, the sea cucumber harvest is about to peak in Zhuanghe. From there, boxes of packed sea cucumbers are sold nationwide to enrich people's dining tables. (Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Liang Jun) Led by Mika Niemela , the head of the budget department at the Ministry of Finance, the task force published its final report on a series of principles designed to bring an end to the growth of central government debt by the end of the decade. ECONOMISTS on Wednesday commended the strict economic policy principles outlined by a task force at the Ministry of Finance, reports Helsingin Sanomat. While commendable, the principles would require a degree of political commitment that may not be attainable in the present circumstances, economists estimated during a panel discussion organised by the Ministry of Finance on Wednesday. Paivi Puonti, the head of forecasting at ETLA Economic Research, underlined that policy makers should realise that the responsible management of public finances is not an obstacle, but rather a precondition, to political aims such as increasing well-being. As long as we hear statements about pitting these against one another and delaying resuscitating the public economy because of other political goals, itll be hard to get the political commitment, she was quoted saying by the daily newspaper. Patrizio Laina, the chief economist at the Finnish Confederation of Professionals (STTK), reiterated the trade unions view that the framework for steering central government finances should account for not only expenditures, but also revenues. Incorporating taxation into the framework, he stated, is an absolute requirement for making the framework flexible enough to facilitate various political aims. The need for greater flexibility was identified also by Markus Lahtinen, the managing director of Pellervo Economic Research. This takes control an inch too far and has an inch too little flexibility. No one knows what the next crisis will be like, he commented at the panel discussion. Lahtinen identified problems with the notion of introducing a separate budgetary provision to make sure the well-being services counties can respond to unexpected factors, estimating that specifying the size of the provision could prompt counties to operate as if the provision is part of their regular budget. The next government, he added, has to set a precedence when it comes to practices concerning the well-being counties. Matti Okko, the director of sustainable government finances at the National Audit Office (VTV), viewed that it is nonetheless positive that funding for the well-being counties was incorporated into the framework. Many of the experts raised an eyebrow about the extent of power the proposal would grant to the Ministry of Finance. The task force is proposing, for example, that government decisions to derogate from the spending limits would be evaluated by the economics department at the ministry. Youre giving quite a lot of responsibility to the economics department, noted Okko. Aleksi Teivainen HT A CHEF has blamed the closure of his restaurant on rising costs and a lack of staff. Stephen Luscombe, who ran Luscombes at the Golden Ball in Lower Assendon for 15 years, formally announced his decision on Saturday. It is the second fine dining restaurant in Henley to shut in a week following the closure of Crockers in Market Place, as reported in last weeks Henley Standard. Owner Luke Garnsworthy blamed financial difficulties and a lack of trade but also accused diners of being disrespectful and being unwilling to pay for quality, which has prompted a backlash from locals. The Golden Ball, which is owned by Brakspear, has been taken over by Ben Watson and Priya Arora-Watson, from London, and will re-open on November 23. Mr Luscombe said he had tried to keep the closure a secret until the deal had been agreed. He said: It was a very hard decision to close a successful business after 15 years. It has always been a success. I had a great following. It was my first business, so it was the heart of my career. Mr Luscombe, who is married with three children, said he had carefully considered his decision to close the restaurant. He said: I had staff issues, rising costs and other problems. I feel the number one problem was staffing. I dont think it is to do with Brexit. It is happening all over Europe. I am not sure why. We didnt want to carry on a business with such high standards if we couldnt maintain them because of our staff levels. Another reason was that I wanted to freshen up my opportunities after working there for 15 years. After being in a kitchen since the age of 12 and working in some of the toughest kitchens from Paris to the USA, I wanted to find balance in my life. He and his family have moved permanently to Mallorca, where they have had a home for five years. It is a better life, said Mr Luscombe. Spain is in a never-ending summer; it is currently 28C here. I live a five-minute bike ride from the beach. In the UK, the children are indoors watching Nickelodeon; out here, they are learning languages, playing outdoors and meeting people from around the world. Mr Luscombe said he had sorted out his staff before closing. Everyone was pretty much on a temp basis anyway, he said. We had a pretty limited service at the end. The last head chef who left was the last of what I called my A-team, which was seven chefs who worked at the same time, particularly during the high point of our business in 2018. Mr Luscombe said he would miss the people of Henley. I was so lucky from the day the doors opened, he said. I made a lot of friends around Henley, having been in the area for 20 years. People start to come to you for business you do their childrens christenings, weddings and then, sadly, wakes. He will continue catering with his company Home and Away Events, which offers private catering for parties of all sizes. The business is co-run by Sharon Harper, who was the front of house manager at Luscombes. Ms Harper, from Woodcote, also retrained during the covid pandemic to drive 40-tonne lorries for the BMW factory in Oxford. Mr Luscombe said that if the move to Spain did not work out, he would return to the UK as he had a huge following and a great reputation here. The chef, who is originally from Devon, trained under Marco Pierre White and Herbert Berger. He said: When I moved to London, I stumbled into Marco Pierre Whites restaurant and asked if he had work. He said I had 24 hours to prove myself. Six months later, I was plating up the pass with him, so he was clearly impressed. I worked like a dog and kept my head down. Any budding chef should cut their mustard in a high-end establishment for three years and get to grips with it. For me, the experience catapulted my talent into something else and fine-tuned me. Mr Luscombe came to Henley in 2000 and worked as executive chef for Leander Club in the early Noughties. Luscombes had many celebrity customers, including Brian Johnson of AC/DC, Gary Lineker and Brad Pitt. Mr Luscombe said Pitt stayed in the restaurant for eight hours and they chatted about their children. He said: They like to come here because they dont get disturbed and can have a table around the corner. In London, they have to deal with the paparazzi. In 2017, Mr Luscombe was fined almost 10,000 by Oxford Magistrates Court for undercooking calf liver, which led to a client contracting campylobacter food poisoning. Tom Davies, chief executive of Brakspear, said: Steve really put the Golden Ball on the map as an amazing place to eat and Sharon and the team offered amazing hospitality. It has s been a pleasure working with Steve and Sharon and we wish them well for their next chapter. Were excited to be working with Ben and Priya and know the Golden Ball is in good hands with their hard work and talent. Meanwhile, Henley Standard readers have hit back at Mr Garnsworthys claim that he had never been so disrespected by customers as he was in Henley. He said customers would not pay for the quality they expected and he had received complaints about his wine list. He also that his staff had received racist bile from diners and that Henley was 60 years out of date. But readers of www.henleystandard.co.uk questioned his attitude and apparent lack of research of the market. Sam Brown said: Blaming your customers for your lack of business sense I feel is more the reason you are going under than anything. Sam Sims said: This guy sounds very entitled. Good riddance to Crockers. Emma Hawes Taylor said: He didnt have the clout of Tom Kerridge, the menu was limited and expensive and clearly his attitude needs work. Other readers criticised the poor treatment they said they had received at the restaurant, including bad service and having trouble booking tables. Jo McDonagh-Hughes said: He would have had a good reputation if he had treated his staff better and then, in turn, the public. I went in there once and was treated awfully. Good riddance to bad management. Jamie Taylor said: To paraphrase, entitled trust fund kid opens restaurant, makes a complete dogs lipstick of it and blames absolutely everybody but himself. Lisa Dipper said: Lets be a total d*** about Henley people all because your business plan failed. Why would you do that? Just why? Oh, and jumping on the mental health aspect all to save your ego just sums you up. Get a grip and stop defaming the people of our town. So annoying. Matt Stone said Mr Garnsworthy appeared to blame absolutely everything except himself, adding: He says his wine list is in line with Tom Kerridge. Yes, but you arent Tom Kerridge. Laura Holmes said: This is a shame but not the whole story. I booked a table a few weeks ago through their website, then got a phone call saying I couldnt have it. Then, on the day, they were posting on their Instagram stories that tables were available. Henley town councillor Glen Lambert said: I asked a friend who worked there how best to try it out and was advised to book the chefs table. Despite being a few weeks before the desired date, they said there was no availability on the midweek date I wanted, nor the weekends either side of it, so we just went to Cote. Much cheaper. No hassle. Janet Harrison Tinnion said: Orwells in Shiplake do so well without the footfall that Henley town centre offered Crockers. Other readers wrote letters to the Henley Standard. Michael Roberts, from Rotherfield Greys, said: Deeply unattractive was dissing the townsfolk for failing to appreciate such an astronomic gem and implying that they possess unsophisticated palates. F T Pryce, from Henley, said Mr Garnsworthys claims were an insult to ordinary Henley people. Ann Shankland, of Paradise Road, Henley, said: As a long-term resident of Henley, and also a regular Henley diner, I object most strongly to being described by Mr Garnsworthy as disrespectful and/or unwilling to pay for quality. Its ridiculous to blame the failure of his restaurant on the customers. Maybe Crockers did not succeed because it was overpriced. Maybe the food just wasnt very good? Other people recommended other restaurants in the area. Keith Elliot, from Nettlebed, said: Mr Garnsworthy may have benefited from observing his neighbour a few doors away where The Square continues to thrive. He is clearly feeling sorry for himself. His tone appears to be one of its not me thats at fault, its everyone else. Audrey Glickman, a survivor of the 2018 Tree of Life synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh, blows the shofar outside the building in the new HBO documentary "A Tree of Life." (JTA) Trish Adlesic was visiting her father in Pittsburgh on the day a gunman walked into the city's Tree of Life synagogue building and murdered 11 people. Almost immediately, the director started filming her surroundings with the aim of producing a documentary about the tragedy, bringing on a Tree of Life congregant, Eric Schuman, as an editor and producer. Drawing on her own experiences conducting "trauma-informed" interviews, Adlesic reached out to survivors hoping to create "a platform for them to speak out, to speak about their loved ones, to honor them, to pay tribute, [and] to... Did you know that some of America's most popular candies (Tootsie Rolls! Peeps! Peanut Chews!) were invented by Jews? How and why this came to pass is a remarkable tale that needs no sugarcoating. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Jewish beet farmers throughout the Russian empire produced the bulk of the sugar necessary to satisfy the high demand of the European market. When many of these impoverished farmers fled their shetls at the turn of the 20th century and immigrated to the United States, they leveraged their sugar-processing skills to find employment in candy factories. Many went on... Jews have played a major part in inventing, creating, and running companies. Here are three early industry game-changers. Levi Strauss: Jeans from Jewish Genes Bavarian immigrant to the U.S. Levi Loeb Strauss (1829-1902), in partnership with Latvian-born inventor, Jacob W. Davis (18311908), and Levi's brother in-law, David Stern (1820-1875), also from Bavaria founded Levi Strauss & Co following the "creation" of the ubiquitous jeans by Strauss and Davis. Levi Strauss arrived on American soil in 1847, became a peddler and was lured West by the Gold Rush, sailing to San Francisco in 18... Hatred of Jews has been a feature of world history for centuries. But only in the late 19th century did a new specific word emerge to describe it. What prompted the coining of the neologism antisemitism was the perception of an altered relationship between Jews and the peoples among whom they lived that could not accurately be described as mere Judeophobia or Jew-hatred. The need for a new word affected not just self-identified antisemites. It was recognized by Jews and non-Jews throughout Europe and wherever Europeans settled in the world. Antisemitism, as a concept... (JTA) A feud between two Jewish bagel shop owners in Columbus, Ohio, has spilled out of the oven and into full public view, resulting in a lawsuit and restraining order. The Columbus Jewish News reports that the owner of Blocks Bagels, a local Jewish deli mainstay since 1967, last week sued former business partner Jeremy Fox, owner of the Foxs Bagels & Deli chain, after the latter moved to rebrand two shops the parties had been operating jointly. In court earlier this week, the judge in the case ordered two Foxs locations to continue purchasing products from Blocks, saying t... (JNS) The recently struck Lebanon-Israel maritime border agreement may prove beneficial economically, but it will not benefit Israels security, analysts said during a policy webinar organized by the Jewish Institute for National Security of America on Thursday. Their take suggests that Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid overstated the benefits of the deal. I think economically its a good deal. Strategically, we might face many problems as a consequence of this, said IDF Maj. Gen. (ret.) Yaakov Amidror, former Israeli national security advisor. The deal settles a disagreement... (JNS) - Russia's Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar on Wednesday called on Moscow to denounce a top official's "vulgar" antisemitism, saying it posed a "huge danger" to the Jewish community in the country. The call to condemn Alexei Pavlov, assistant secretary of Russia's Security Council, came in response to an article (Russian) he wrote claiming that "neo-pagan cults," including the Chabad movement, had taken over Ukraine. Pavlov added that Chabad's guiding principle was to enshrine its superiority "above all nations and peoples," and therefore it had become "increasingly urgent to carry out the de-... At Harvard University, a poster criticizing the campus appearance by Palestinian activist Mohammed El-Kurd, who has made a series of antisemitic comments. (JNS) - Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology recently hosted events with Palestinian activist Mohammed El-Kurd, who has made a series of anti-semitic comments. El-Kurd, who appeared at MIT on Oct. 22 and Harvard on Oct. 24, has described Zionism as a "death cult," "murderous", "genocidal," and "sadistic," according to research compiled by the CAMERA media watchdog. He has also said that Israelis have "an unquenchable thirst for Palestinian blood." More than 60 MIT students sent a protest letter to the heads of the departments responsible for inviting El-Kurd.... WASHINGTON (JTA) - Israeli president Isaac Herzog had a message and stuck to it: Israel and the United States are on the same page no matter who wins elections in both countries next month. "We have elections in Israel, and you're having midterm elections in the United States," Herzog told President Joe Biden in the public portion of their meeting Wednesday, Oct. 26, in the Oval Office. "But one thing is clear - and I think this visit epitomizes it best - is that our friendship and strong bond transcends all political differences and opinions and parties. Herzog made the same point Tuesda... (JNS) It took guts for Israel to sign the American-brokered maritime border deal with Lebanon, U.S. President Joe Biden told Israeli President Isaac Herzog ahead of their Oval Office meeting on Wednesday. I have just completed a very detailed, in-depth discussion with the president of the United States, Joe Biden, a true friend of Israel, as part of the unique relationship, the unbreakable bond, the historic relations between Israel and the United States. We had an open and frank discussion on many issues. I thanked the president for the U.S. leadership in carving out the Leba... (JNS) Illegal Palestinian construction in the Israeli-controlled regions of Judea and Samaria, known collectively as Area C, increased by 80 percent over the past year, according to a new report by Israeli NGO Regavim. According to the report, titled The War of Attrition, 5,535 illegal Palestinian structures have been built in Area C during Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantzs tenure. Meanwhile, Regavim pegs the total number of illegal Arab-built structures in Area C at 80,000. The organizations members recently protested outside of Gantzs home by building a Pal... (JTA) Over the past several years, dozens of Spanish courts have rejected Israel boycotts by nonprofits, municipalities and other groups. Now, the countrys top court has ruled that the movement to boycott Israel represents discrimination that infringes on basic rights. Separately, the Spanish parliament on Wednesday passed legislation that bars public funding for organizations that promote antisemitism. The law uses the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism, which cites as examples of antisemitism some forms of Israel criticism. The... (JTA) After years of negotiation and military posturing, Israel and Lebanon signed a U.S.-brokered agreement that establishes maritime boundaries between the countries, allowing each to explore for fossil fuels unthreatened by the prospect of an attack. Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, heading into an election next Tuesday and under fire from his rival, former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who says the deal concedes too much, cast the deal as a historic breakthrough. This is a diplomatic achievement, Lapid said at the start of the Cabinet meeting, which approved the deal. ... (JNS) While under investigation in 20 states for anti-Israel bias, Chicago-based investment firm Morningstar repeatedly pointed to an independent report purportedly absolving it of such behavior. But White & Case, the law firm that authored the report, was listed this week as a sponsor of a program at the University of Chicagos Law School that featured a virulently anti-Israel activist and perpetuated the notion that Israel practices apartheid. A flyer for the program held on Oct. 12, titled Apartheid: International Law in the Israel-Palestine Conflict, revealed White & Case... Minister of Israel, David Ben-Gurion, meeting with Albert Einstein at Princeton University, New Jersey. (JTA) - An $18 million museum dedicated to the legacy of Albert Einstein will be built in Jerusalem. The Israeli government approved a plan Sunday to establish a new home for Einstein's extensive materials, including some 85,000 documents, on the campus of the Hebrew University, which Einstein helped found a century ago. It's the largest collection of papers and objects related to Einstein in the world and includes his Nobel Prize and the original notes he produced while developing the general theory of relativity in 1916, according to Benyamin Cohen, who is writing a biography of the... On Sunday and Monday, celebrities shared an Instagram post in solidarity with Jews dealing with antisemitism. (JTA) - As images of the banner held above Interstate 405 in Los Angeles claiming "Kanye is right about the Jews" ricocheted around the internet this weekend, Jessica Seinfeld decided to take a stand A cookbook author and wife of comedian Jerry Seinfeld, Seinfeld posted a simple piece of text on a black background that reads "I support my friends and the Jewish people" and encouraged her 580,000 followers to share the post. Seinfeld, who is Jewish, was weighing in two weeks after West, the rapper who now goes by Ye, launched a spree of antisemitic comments, including a call to "go death co... WASHINGTON (JTA) The daughter of a Holocaust survivor, a gay man in a conservative-leaning area, and a Black woman from California all are among the nearly two-dozen Jews who are hoping to enter Congress next year. Among the 46 Jewish nominees for the U.S. House of Representatives are 22 incumbents 21 Democrats and a single Republican. (Five Jewish incumbents retired or lost a primary this cycle.) The remaining 24 are challengers or running in open seats. Using a number of nonpartisan sources, including the Cook Political Report and 270 to Win, weve selected what we believe a... A lot of people, including Jaguars owner Shad Kahn, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry, the University of Florida and the University of Georgia spoke out clearly against the antisemitic message posted during the Gators/Bulldogs game last weekend. The message Kanye was right about the jews [sic] flashed on the outside of one of the end zones at TIAA Bank Field stadium. The Universities of Florida and Georgia issued a joint statement condemning the hate speech at the stadium as well as in other areas around Jacksonville. Mayor Curry stated, ... (JNS) In response to its student papers editorial board endorsing the controversial Boston Mapping Project of Jewish sites around Massachusetts, Wellesely College condemned the project for promoting antisemitism. While it is not my practice to comment on the newspapers editorials, I do feel the need to make it clear that Wellesley College rejects the Mapping Project for promoting antisemitism, Wellesley College President Paula A. Johnson wrote in a letter to the community. Johnson said she is concerned that the project poses a significant threat to the physica... Last week, Jews around the world read the Torah portion about Noah (Genesis 6:9-10). Noah is fascinating. God doesnt say he was a great guy. What happens after the ark comes to rest, after the floodwaters subside, planting a vineyard and getting drunk, is a great example. The Torah says he was righteous in his generation, which means he was better than others, deserving of being saved along with his family, and reliable enough to gather every species of animal to repopulate the world. Even though God made a covenant never to destroy the world again, at least with a flood like He did the... (JNS) Transportation Minister Merav Michaeli, the head of Israels falsely dubbed center left Labor Party, doesnt even bother these days to temper the radicalism that makes her indistinguishable from Meretz leader Zahava Gal-On. This isnt the sole reason that the outspoken feminist who has boasted of carrying on the legacy of the late (assassinated) prime minister Yitzhak Rabin is polling so poorly in the run-up to the Nov. 1 Knesset elections. Her drawing of such a comparison would be merely comical if it didnt serve a purpose beyond that of self-aggrandizement... (JNS) Vladimir Putin is slaughtering Ukrainian men, women and children. Xi Jinping is committing genocide against the Muslims of East Turkistan. Ali Khamenei is murdering Iranian girls for wearing their hijabs in what he considers a provocative manner. What is the United Nations doing in response to these crises? Its going death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE. That quote, of course, is from a recent tweet by Kanye West. DEFCON, an acronym for defense readiness condition, is how the U.S. military indicates states of alert, ranging from one (the highest) to five. Apparently,... (JNS) This month, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong reversed the previous governments decision to recognize western Jerusalem as Israels capital. The question that should be asked is why that recognition was controversial at all. No fair-minded person who believes in two states for two peoples thinks Israel should not be entitled to at least the western part of Jerusalem in any future settlement with the Palestinians. This principle has been part of every peace proposal in recent memory and the area has been in possession of the Jewish state since it was founded. On multiple... (JNS) The saga of Kanye Wests antisemitism is not without irony. Even after he had engendered controversy by engaging in anti-Jewish rants, West, who now calls himself Ye, boasted that his status as a rap music star and fashion mogul rendered him exempt from facing any real financial consequences for spreading hatred. The Adidas brand, in particular, would, he said, stick with him. I can literally say antisemitic s*** and they cannot drop me, he said. A few days later, he found out this wasnt true when Adidas dropped him, on the grounds that his various statements an... InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, part of IHG Hotels & Resorts Luxury & Lifestyle Collection, is today celebrating a new era of luxury with the unveiling of InterContinental Lusaka which reopens after a two year multi-million dollar renovation. InterContinental Lusaka has been a landmark in the city for over 50 years and been deemed as one of Zambia's icons of hospitality. The property has now undergone a complete renovation and as one of the first international luxury hotel brands in Lusaka. The reopening marks a new standard set for luxury in the region. Luxury design for functionality With InterContinental Hotels & Resorts pioneering luxury travel across the globe since 1946, InterContinental Lusaka is one of the brand's legacy hotels. It was designed in 1968 by architect William B. Tabler under the lead of industry pioneer Neal Prince, IHG's Lead Designer at the time. This time the hotel worked with London-based designer Dexter Moren Associates, who created a scheme influenced by rich Zambian materials, patterns and high-quality furnishings. Rooms & public areas have been designed to cater to local & international business & leisure guests seeking discreet luxury. For a distinctively luxurious atmosphere, the design also incorporated Zambia's unique lines and warm colours - emerald green and copper - creating harmony between materials for an exquisite finish. Luxurious amenities and suites for all needs InterContinental Lusaka now has four types of room that are tailored to various needs, including spacious Classic Rooms, Junior Suites, Executive Suites to Presidential suites. The seven-storey hotel has 106 non-smoking guest rooms with 87 suites. InterContinental Lusaka provides authentic experiences that amplify the spirit of both the city and the countryside with particular attention having been given to symbolic features of Zambia's beautiful scenery in the intricate details of the copper decor. Delectable culinary journeys and meeting experiences After a long hiatus, guests can now indulge in an array of new restaurants. The Makumbi Club Lounge on the 7th floor is a unique feature, offering a serene indoor and outdoor dining experience from breakfast, high tea and evening canapes with a wide selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. The Makumbi Club Lounge also offers four private meeting rooms and an outdoor deck, a perfect place for relaxation. Diners could also opt to savour the best tastes of Italian cuisine along with all international delicacies at "Curate" presented by seasoned chef Chef Giuliano. The all-day dining restaurant also offers freshly prepared breakfast, buffet selection of pastries, fresh squeezed juices, salads, cold cuts and a live cooking station. Hotel signature Botanical Bar offers gin cocktails including the Zambian Signature "Iconic" Gin manufactured in Zambia with the art of Swiss precision, combined with Zambia's lushness and "lightness of being". In addition to offering an outstanding ambiance, accommodation, food and beverage offerings and boasts a state-of-the-art conference facilities for both small and large meetings, conference and social events up to 700 guests. IHG Hotels & Resorts has been delivering True Hospitality in meetings and events for decades, and has combined this wealth of knowledge, with industry best practices and the expertise behind IHG Way of Clean, to bolster the global Meet with Confidence commitment. Hotel website InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), one of the world's leading hotel companies, today announced a new partnership with Shenzhen Tian An Yuncheng Investment Development Group Co., Ltd to develop the first voco hotel in Guangdong province - voco Shenzhen Bantian Cloud Park. Scheduled to open in 2027, the hotel will be built on Phase 3 of Bantian Tian An Cloud Valley, one of the major platforms along the Guangzhou-Shenzhen Sci-Tech Innovation Corridor. This signing resonates with China's national strategy to develop the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), enhancing IHG's presence in Guangdong and further emphasizing its long-term commitment to the China market. As one of the first international hotel groups to enter China, IHG has been growing and prospering in the local hotel industry for decades. Greater China is now IHG's fastest-growing market worldwide, with over 1,000 hotels opened and in the pipeline. The company's continued adherence to its "in China, for China" local strategy, with a dedicated attitude amid any headwinds, demonstrates its commitment to the market, carefully upholding national and regional development policies for nearly 50 years. This year, the celebration of IHG's 600th hotel opening milestone in Greater China is strong evidence of the Group's continued investment and sustained development in China. The new voco hotel will be situated at Phase 3 of Bantian Cloud Park - the future China Silicon Valley. Following the "One core, Two Hubs" development strategy, the Park has attracted groups of industry-leading enterprises in the information and communication technology sectors, bringing colossal business and travel accommodation needs. The Park's development has been constructed into six phases as a demonstration project to promote China's industrial transformation and upgrading via urban renewal. The first two stages were completed and gathered nearly 50,000 talents and over 600 outstanding enterprises. Once the project is completed, it is expected to become an industrial-related community to provide one-stop services such as R&D space, resource platforms, and commercial and leisure facilities for enterprises and talents. The signing of voco Shenzhen Bantian Cloud Park is not the first time that IHG has collaborated with Shenzhen Tian A Yuncheng Investment Development Group Co., Ltd. EVEN Hotels Shenzhen Guangming Cloud Park and Holiday Inn Express Shenzhen Guangming Cloud Park are already in pipeline, which has proved the successful strategic partnership between the two companies. IHG currently has 12 brands in operation with a footprint in over 200 cities in Greater China. As the first upscale international hotel brand to enter China in the post-COVID-19 era, voco will mainly be present in first- and second-tier cities. IHG created voco with a solution for quick conversion, making it fast and easy for owners of high-quality, independent hotels to become part of IHG's system. Thanks to the reliability, surprising individuality, and quality of the voco brand, combined with the charm and comfort of each hotel, voco hotels around the globe report increased guest satisfaction post-conversion into the IHG system. As the global expansion of voco continues, IHG is tracking well against its growth goal of 200 voco hotels in attractive urban and leisure locations around the globe within 10 years. Boasting 264 rooms with 4 room types, the voco Shenzhen Bantian Cloud Valley will be strategically located at the beating heart of Phase 3, the Bantian Tian An Cloud Park project, which aims to offer a comfortable stay for guests. Introducing Voco to Guangdong province can bolster IHG's brand portfolio in the region, satisfy the diverse needs of Chinese guests and owners, and boost the GBA's development into a cultural exchange hub and world-class tourism destination. Hotel website Second South Florida Hotel for New York Based Loews Hotels & Co. Loews Hotels & Co, a wholly owned subsidiary of Loews Corporation (NYSE:L), today opens the Loews Coral Gables Hotel. The hotel is bringing a new level of hospitality just four blocks from the Gables' iconic Miracle Mile. Loews Coral Gables boasts 242 guestrooms, including 21 stylish suites featuring a sophisticated, modern design, luxe amenities, spa, fitness center, pool and four restaurants and lounges. Additionally, 30,000 square feet of indoor/outdoor meeting space includes a 9,000 square foot ballroom - the largest in the city - and a 9th floor event deck with spectacular views of downtown Coral Gables, appropriately known as The City Beautiful. The hotel is the second property in the greater Miami area, for New York based Loews Hotels & Co, joining the iconic 790-room Loews Miami Beach Hotel, located in the epicenter of South Beach. In partnership with Agave Holdings, Loews Coral Gables is part of The Plaza Coral Gables. The Plaza Coral Gables is revitalizing Miami's business district section with a full range of services and community opportunities, which also includes class "A" offices, street-level shopping and dining areas, and residential lofts and apartments. The new design, created with beauty and balance as a top priority, incorporates a 1-acre open to the public plaza facing Ponce de Leon Blvd. and the soon-to-be-improved Ponce Circle Park. Food & Beverage will be prominently featured, placing emphasis on culinary excellence, hand crafted cocktails and creativity. The concepts of the bars and restaurants are: Americana Kitchen - An ode to the Americana Hotel built by the Tisch Family - owners of Loews Hotels & Co - in 1956 in what is now Bal Harbour, FL. Deformalized fine dining offering American classics including breakfast favorites and locally-infused, regional lunch and dinner cuisine. Notable fact: The Americana Hotel was the last major hotel build in the area until Loews Miami Beach Hotel opened in 1998. On the day it opened, the CEO of Loews Hotels was Jonathan Tisch, son of Robert Tisch, who opened the Americana 32 years earlier. Americana Bar - Bustling lobby bar shaking up classic cocktails handcrafted in the tradition of old school American glamour, complimented by an expansive wine collection. Bustling lobby bar shaking up classic cocktails handcrafted in the tradition of old school American glamour, complimented by an expansive wine collection. Phineas - Poolside 9th floor oasis, celebrating the Latin flavors of South Florida via small plates and specialty cocktails, with sky high views of Coral Gables. Notable Fact: Named after Phineas Paist, the Supervisor of Color and Supervising Architect for Coral Gables' founder George Merrick's corporation. Paist played an integral role in realizing Merrick's dream of bringing Coral Gables to life. Miami Joe Coffee Co. - Locally-inspired grab and go market featuring locally roasted coffee, homemade pastries, fresh salads, sandwiches, snacks and gelato. Coastal Construction, constructed the Loews Coral Gables, with Miami based CRTKL overseeing both the architecture and design side of the project. Hotel website Susurros del Corazon, Auberge Resorts Collection is a vibrant oceanfront enclave nestled between jungled cliffs on a breathtaking stretch of beach overlooking the Bahia de Banderas in Punta de Mita on Mexico's Pacific Coast. The resort features 59 studios, casitas and suites with ocean views and 30 two-to-five bedroom villas and oceanfront residences, including a seven-bedroom signature suite. In addition, the resort boasts several dining venues, including Casamilpa, a signature Mexican farmhouse restaurant and La Boquita, an open-air taqueria, as well as a pool bar and beach villas with private dining experiences day and night. Onda spa, three infinity-edge pools cascading down to the beach, Charralitos kid's club and unscripted adventures bring together Mexico's vibrant culture with the playful spirit of a laid-back surf retreat in an unspoiled oceanside oasis. Hotel website Six Senses is coming to Grand Bahama as part of a project that will boost local tourism, development, and investment. With social and environmental responsibility at its heart, the new resort and residences will create employment opportunities for Grand Bahamians, encourage sustainability and regenerative activity on the island, and engage the surrounding community while protecting the land for future generations of locals and visitors to Grand Bahama. Resort village Designed by architects 3XN, the resort village will comprise 45 waterfront and canal villas enjoying 2,400 feet (732 meters) of beach frontage and water on three sides. In addition to the guest accommodations, plans are afoot for a signature restaurant, beach venue, boathouse, and pool bar. Future development of the 36-acre site will see direct access to a new marina. Six Senses CEO Neil Jacobs said, "We're eager to reflect the authenticity of Bahamian lifestyle, culture, and landscape through organic pathways and architectural design to create a community blended with our signature ethos of wellness, sustainability, crafted guest experiences, and emotional hospitality." Units are planned to be modular and prefabricated to minimize on-site impacts and adhere to the high sustainability targets. Commenting on the design, 3XN's founder Kim Herforth Nielson said, "This is a great opportunity to investigate new construction methods and define a specific and new approach to sustainability in The Bahamas - both for the buildings and to respect the exceptional local nature." The resort village will host an Experience Center along with artist studios, relaxed meeting spaces, a fitness center, and Six Senses Spa. In addition to the Earth Lab, there will also be a Marine Research and Dive Center focused on coastal resiliency, native plantings, and land restoration. Additional land and sea areas will be designated as preserves, further enhancing the local biosphere. Transformative model for The Bahamas and Caribbean projects Today's challenges are answered through actions, not words. At Six Senses Grand Bahama, a team of experts in coastal resilience, marine ecology, and sustainable design will collaborate with Bahamian consultants to ensure their wealth of knowledge is incorporated and applied to all aspects of the development. The development and investment team, led by Weller Development Partners and Pegasus Capital Advisors, has a proven track record of environmental sustainability and a reputation for delivering transformative projects. One priority is to recruit from the communities directly surrounding the project and the aim is to partner with Blue Action Lab to collaborate with the local community on job training and skills enhancement. With a formal launch expected to kick off within weeks, the project will create hundreds of jobs for Bahamians, both in the construction phases and when the resort opens its doors. Founding Partner and President of Weller Development Partners Marc Weller said, "We are dedicated to ensuring that our developments have a positive social impact on surrounding communities. Our team uses sustainable practices that reduce our carbon footprint, establish resilient and healthy communities, and preserve our natural environment. We want to build trust and work with the people of Grand Bahama to achieve their priorities and realize the potential of this amazing island." The development will receive an investment from the Global Fund for Coral Reefs, to provide capital and technical assistance leading to increased resilience of reefs and the communities that depend on them. Creating a resort with a hurricane-insulating coastline, while minimizing environmental impacts through self-sufficient energy and waste ambitions, will also act as an exemplar for future sustainable tourism models on Grand Bahama and across the Caribbean. Dale Galvin, a partner at the Global Fund for Coral Reefs, adds, "There is a wealth of knowledge and data that exists within local Bahamian organizations and communities, and we look forward to partnering with these institutions to create a symbiotic relationship between the development and the sustainable protection of the marine environment." Branded residences Under an hour by plane or 2.5 hours by boat from Miami or Fort Lauderdale, Grand Bahama is the gateway to The Bahamas and a short commute to and from South Florida and major international hubs. Designed by world-renowned architect Olson Kundig, there will be approximately 20 branded residences for owners seeking a home-away-from-home near the cosmopolitan and family-friendly capitol, Freeport. One of the last of the islands to develop in the mid-20th century, Grand Bahama is a laid-back, accessible community that balances modern infrastructure, restaurants, and hotels with golden beaches and aquamarine waters. Outside the city, the island is an explorer's delight with expansive mangrove forests, sea caves, and sandy cays. Talking about the partnership, Principal, Owner and Founder of Olson Kundig, Tom Kundig, stated, "Six Senses' immersive approach to hospitality, travel, and wellness offers guests an opportunity to experience something extraordinary at all levels. I couldn't be more thrilled to partner with them on the design of their new resort on Grand Bahama and support our shared agenda for wellness, sustainable design, community, connectivity with nature, and transformative experiences." Summing up the project, the Founder and CEO of Pegasus Capital Advisers Craig Cogut said, "Our aim is always to create nature-based solutions and sustainable infrastructure while generating social and environmental outcomes that are intentional, material, and scalable." Pegasus Capital Advisors specializes in investments in sustainable ocean production, eco-tourism, and infrastructure. Six Senses Grand Bahama is slated to open in 2026. Hotel website SHENYANG, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- As the moon rose and night fell, visitors flocked to Mukden Factory, a three-story red brick historical building in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province. The popularity of this venue stemmed not only from its distinctive industrial architecture and expansive expanses for viewing the starry night sky, but also from a digitized version of Vincent van Gogh's "Starry Night" projected onto its floors and walls. The 3D and AR technologies offered visitors a chance to immerse themselves in the deceptive world of swirling and spiraling motifs from the artist's masterpieces, but in reality, they were surrounded by the two chimneys of a nearly century-old equipment factory. "I never expected I could appreciate the beauty of my favorite painting in such an immersive dreamscape," said Li Dayong, a 70-year-old retiree, with visible excitement. Projectors worth over 1 million yuan (about 138,509 U.S. dollars) infused new life to the once-abandoned structure by illuminating its walls with works by prominent artists from around the world. Industrialization has played a crucial role in the development of China's economy and people's living standards while shaping the lifestyle and mindset of the Chinese. However, the emergence of other modern industries has accelerated the demise of heavy industries in recent decades. China has made enormous efforts to protect industrial heritage and relics by raising public awareness and through diversified repurposing. Since 2017, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has successively released five national industrial heritage protection lists of nearly 200 sites. Shenyang's Tiexi District was the center of the former industrial powerhouse and once a byword for the country's industrial spirit, boasting a wealth of industrial sites after industrial upgrading and relocation. Within 3 km of the Mukden Factory, a batch of industrial sites has been repurposed into post-industrial parks, forming a creative industry cluster. Among them is the 1905 creative industry park, a former metal workshop, with its saw-shaped roof and steel beams that supported the gantry crane still intact. The rusty and out-of-use industrial sites separate the enormous space of nearly 10,000 square meters into numerous cubicles, an ideal incubator for the start-ups of young artists, where coffee shops, galleries and restaurants are located. In 2019, it was inaugurated as the national entrepreneurship incubation demonstration zone for the creative industry, encouraging many musicians, dramatists and designers to launch their own businesses. Besides the avant-garde artists, an increasing number of Gen Z'ers have relocated to the heartland of China's heavy industry, impelled by legions of industrial heritage and the spirit of enterprise behind the sites. Outside the 1905 creative industry park stood the enormous, gleaming metal letters "Tiexi" that were cast in the last furnace of molten steel of Shenyang Heavy Machinery Group prior to its relocation. Guo Zhongxiao, head of the Tiexi district government, said the district represents a number of firsts in the country's industrial history, and boasts a pronounced industrial wealth and the glorious memory of the city. The integration of creative sectors with industrial sites across the nation prevents the loss of a beloved place that was a homelike atmosphere for numerous industrial workers as well as a community for many in the industrial zone. In Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, the former Pearl River brewery has been transformed into a beer culture and creative art park, where young people gather to enjoy the Pearl River's beautiful nightlife with a beer. In central China's Wuhan, the establishment of the Hanyangzao creative industry park has brought about new possibilities for the once-famous Hanyang ordnance factory. Its industrial aspect combined with modern art made it a popular tourist destination. "Industrial heritage is not about cold steel and masonry," said Zhang Sining, a researcher with the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences. "With China's urbanization entering a new phase of quality improvement, cities have focused on the richness of the industrial spirit. The historical memory and the humanistic spirit behind the old factories and workshops will inject new impetus into urban renewal and upgrading." Vidal-Soto is a graduate of Universidad Del Este in Puerto Rico, receiving a bachelor's degree in Hotel Management Science in 2010, in addition to a certificate in Hospitality Management from Florida Atlantic University following a post-graduate program to continue his industry education in 2020. Before his appointment as Director of Sales at Fairmont El San Juan Hotel, Vidal-Soto held roles as General Manager, Operations Manager, and Operations Director within the hospitality industry at Marriott International, Hyatt Hotels, and Crescent Hotels and Resort, overseeing operations at a number of properties across the United States. Most recently, Vidal-Soto served as the Regional Group Sales Manager for MGM Resorts International's Northeast and West Coast Regions, supervising MICE and pharmaceutical group sales revenue. Vidal-Soto looks to bring his unique managerial skills, supervisory skills, and complex problem-solving ability to his role at Fairmont El San Juan Hotel. In his new position, Vidal-Soto will be tasked with generating revenue and managing various accounts. He will also be responsible for the training, development, and performance of team members, in an effort to continue to bring talented industry professionals to the growing team at Fairmont El San Juan Hotel. Twenty Four Seven Hotels, a third-party hospitality management company for premium-branded, select-service and lifestyle hotel segments in the western U.S., today announced that it has named Phil Norman executive vice-president of people resources & development. In the newly created position, Norman will oversee and provide executive oversight for talent management, including leadership development, organizational capability and change management. Most recently, Norman was chief human resources officer with Canyon Ranch where he operated HR functions across geographically distributed locations and brands with 1,840 U.S. employees across hotels and cruise ships. He also held similar positions as human resources director at both the Homestead, America's oldest resort property dating to 1766, and the Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa, overseeing 1,250 team members, while ensuring safety and building an inclusive environment. Norman is accredited as Senior Certified Professional by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM-SCP) and Senior Professional in Human Resources by HRCI (SPHR). Nicola van Heemsbergen from Belgium brings a wealth of culinary experience gleaned at some of the world's best hotels and restaurants to his role as new executive chef at Hyatt Regency Phnom Penh. Van Heemsbergen embarked on his path as a professional chef almost 30 years ago when he completed a traineeship at t'Fornius, a Michelin-starred venue in the Belgian city of Antwerp that is rated as one of the country's finest restaurants. And he has not looked back since those early years setting out on a culinary odyssey as a chef that has taken him to glamorous locations around the world. Notable assignments along the way include stints at Michelin-starred restaurants like Lasserre in Paris and the legendary La Pyramide in Vienne, France. Previous hotel experience, meanwhile, includes periods at properties like Dubai's Burj Al Arab, Raffles Singapore, The Peninsula in Manila, and Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti in Tanzania. Most recently he worked at Marineau, one of the best seafood restaurants in Antwerp. Now he is applying his culinary expertise to the new role overseeing the Food and Beverage offerings at Hyatt Regency Phnom Penh. The property has earned widespread acclaim since opening in January 2021. Most recently, it was ranked "top city hotel" in Cambodia at Asia's Best Awards 2022 by leading travel publication Travel & Leisure Southeast Asia. Van Heemsbergen will oversee the operations of all five food and beverage outlets, including the hotel's two main dining venues, FiveFive Rooftop Restaurant & Bar and Market Cafe Restaurant & Lounge, while upholding Hyatt's commitment to sourcing the most sustainable and seasonal products from Cambodia by working with local farmers, growers and distributors. Today we issued our third quarter 2022 financial results. You can read the details here. Airbnb Co-Founder and CEO Brian Chesky said: The third quarter of 2022 demonstrates we continue to drive growth and profitability at scale. Guest demand on Airbnb remains strong, our Host community continues to grow, and this was our most profitable quarter ever. Overview of Q3 2022 results Q3 was our biggest and most profitable quarter ever despite geopolitical and macroeconomic headwinds. In Q3 2022, we had nearly 100 million Nights and Experiences Booked, up 25 percent year-over-year, and $15.6 billion in Gross Booking Value, up 31 percent year-over-year (or 40% ex-FX). Revenue grew 29 percent year-over-year (or 36% ex-FX) to $2.9 billionour highest quarter ever. We also had our most profitable quarter with net income of $1.2 billion, up 46 percent year-over-year, representing a 42 percent net income margin. Free cash flow of $960 million increased more than 80 percent from a year ago. And, over the last twelve months, we generated $3.3 billion in FCF, representing a FCF margin of more than 40 percent. Our Q3 results demonstrate that Airbnb continues to drive growth and profitability at scale. And regardless of continued macro uncertainties, we believe were well positioned for the road ahead. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, guest demand remains strong. We believe new use cases, including long-term stays and non-urban travel, are here to stay as millions of people have newfound flexibility in where they live and work. At the same time, weve also seen recovery of urban and cross-border travel, which comprised the vast majority of our business before the pandemic. Second, were seeing strong growth in the number of new Hosts on Airbnb. Just like during the Great Recession in 2008 when Airbnb started, people are especially interested in earning extra income through hosting. Thats why on November 16, were introducing an all-new, super easy way for millions of people to Airbnb their homes as part of our 2022 Winter Release. Q3 2022 financial results Here is a snapshot of our Q3 2022 results: Q3 revenue of $2.9 billion was our highest quarter ever. Revenue grew 29% year-over-year (or 36% ex-FX) driven by the combination of growth in Nights and Experiences Booked and continued strength in ADR. Revenue grew 29% year-over-year (or 36% ex-FX) driven by the combination of growth in Nights and Experiences Booked and continued strength in ADR. Q3 net income of $1.2 billion was our most profitable quarter ever. Net income improved by $380 million compared to Q3 2021 primarily due to our revenue growth and expense discipline. In Q3 2022, we delivered a net income margin of 42%, up from 37% in Q3 2021, and $1.6 billion of net income in the last twelve months. Net income improved by $380 million compared to Q3 2021 primarily due to our revenue growth and expense discipline. In Q3 2022, we delivered a net income margin of 42%, up from 37% in Q3 2021, and $1.6 billion of net income in the last twelve months. Q3 Adjusted EBITDA of $1.5 billion was a record best. Adjusted EBITDA in Q3 2022 increased 32% compared to $1.1 billion in Q3 2021. Adjusted EBITDA margin was 51% for Q3 2022, up from 49% in Q3 2021. This further improvement in Adjusted EBITDA demonstrates the continued strength of our business and discipline in managing our cost structure 1 . Adjusted EBITDA in Q3 2022 increased 32% compared to $1.1 billion in Q3 2021. Adjusted EBITDA margin was 51% for Q3 2022, up from 49% in Q3 2021. This further improvement in Adjusted EBITDA demonstrates the continued strength of our business and discipline in managing our cost structure . Q3 Free Cash Flow of $960 million was our highest Q3 ever. Q3 2022 net cash provided by operating activities was $966 million, up from $535 million in Q3 2021. The increase in cash flow was driven by revenue growth and net margin expansion. Our TTM FCF was $3.3 billion, representing a TTM FCF margin of 41%1. Business highlights Our strong quarter was driven by a number of positive business trends: Guest demand on Airbnb remains strong. Even with macroeconomic uncertainties, Nights and Experiences Booked increased 25% in Q3 2022 compared to a year ago. We continued to see longer lead times for bookings in Q3 2022, supporting a strong backlog for Q4. Globally, guest arrivals during the quarter exceeded 90 millionanother record. Even with macroeconomic uncertainties, Nights and Experiences Booked increased 25% in Q3 2022 compared to a year ago. We continued to see longer lead times for bookings in Q3 2022, supporting a strong backlog for Q4. Globally, guest arrivals during the quarter exceeded 90 millionanother record. Guests are increasingly returning to cities and crossing borders. Even with foreign currency fluctuations, we saw cross-border travel to all regions increase in Q3 2022 from last year. Cross border gross nights booked increased 58%, while high-density urban nights booked grew 27% compared to Q3 2021. While the business mix remains very different from pre-pandemic levels, weve seen consistent acceleration in both areas. In Q3 2022, high-density urban nights booked was 48% of total gross nights booked (versus 58% in Q3 2019) and cross-border was 43% (versus 48% in Q3 2019). Even with foreign currency fluctuations, we saw cross-border travel to all regions increase in Q3 2022 from last year. Cross border gross nights booked increased 58%, while high-density urban nights booked grew 27% compared to Q3 2021. While the business mix remains very different from pre-pandemic levels, weve seen consistent acceleration in both areas. In Q3 2022, high-density urban nights booked was 48% of total gross nights booked (versus 58% in Q3 2019) and cross-border was 43% (versus 48% in Q3 2019). Guests continue to stay longer on Airbnb. Even with more companies requiring employees to return to the office, nights booked from long-term stays remained stable from a year ago at 20% of total gross nights booked. While the majority of long-term stays occurred in EMEA and North America, we also saw long-term stays become substantially more popular in Asia Pacific compared to a year ago. Even with more companies requiring employees to return to the office, nights booked from long-term stays remained stable from a year ago at 20% of total gross nights booked. While the majority of long-term stays occurred in EMEA and North America, we also saw long-term stays become substantially more popular in Asia Pacific compared to a year ago. Our Host community continues to grow. Our strong supply growth during the quarter was driven by several factors. First, demand drives supply. In Q3 2022, we saw total urban supply accelerate from a year ago as guests return to cities. Second, since our founding in 2008, Hosts have turned to Airbnb as a form of supplemental income, and to date, have earned more than $180 billion. Third, we believe our product improvementsincluding the new Host onboarding flow, AirCover for Hosts, and Ask a Superhostare working. But weve just scratched the surface in growing our Host community. Were focused on addressing the obstacles there are to becoming a Host and on November 16, were excited to introduce an easier way to host on Airbnb. 1A reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures to the most comparable GAAP measures is provided at the end of the letter. About Airbnb Airbnb was born in 2007 when two Hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to over 4 million Hosts who have welcomed more than 1 billion guest arrivals across over 220 countries and regions. Travel on Airbnb keeps more of the financial benefits of tourism with the people and places that make it happen. Airbnb has generated billions of dollars in earnings for Hosts, most of whom are individuals listing the homes in which they live. Among Hosts who report their gender, more than half are women, and one in five employed Hosts are either teachers or healthcare workers. Travel on Airbnb also has generated more than $4 billion in tax revenue around the world. Airbnb has helped advance more than 1,000 regulatory frameworks for short-term rentals, including in 80% of our top 200 geographies. In late 2020, to support our continued expansion and diversification, we launched the City Portal to provide governments with a one-stop shop that supports data sharing and compliance with local registration rules. We continue to invest in innovations and tools to support our ongoing work with governments around the world to advance travel that best serves communities. About Airbnb.org Airbnb.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to facilitating temporary stays for people in times of crisis around the world. Airbnb.org operates independently and leverages Airbnb, Inc."s technology, services, and other resources at no charge to carry out Airbnb.org"s charitable purpose. The inspiration for Airbnb.org began in 2012 with a single host named Shell who opened up her home to people impacted by Hurricane Sandy. This sparked a movement and marked the beginning of a program that allows Hosts on Airbnb to provide stays for people in times of need. Since then, the program has evolved to focus on emergency response and to help provide stays to evacuees, relief workers, refugees, asylum seekers, and frontline workers fighting the spread of COVID-19. Since then, Hosts have offered to open up their homes and helped provide accommodations to 100,000 people in times of need. Airbnb.org is a separate and independent entity from Airbnb, Inc. Airbnb, Inc. does not charge service fees for Airbnb.org supported stays on its platform. Airbnb Press Airbnb Press Office Airbnb Crans-Montana, Switzerland The Spark Innovation Sphere Summit has gathered last week around 100 hospitality and tech experts on Les Roches Global Hospitality Education campus nested in the Swiss Alps, to discuss The Impact of New Technologies on Traditional Hospitality. While travel and hospitality will always be essentially a people thing, the industry is in quest for innovations. During the event, speakers from the hospitality & tech industries shared insights and discuss about how some technologies such as AI, robotics, VR, holograms, Web3 and others are changing the hospitality industry, especially to enhance customer experience and revenue. For Pablo Garcia, Director of Spark at Les Roches Crans-Montana, the key highlights of the summit are: Technology is here and there is no way back, we need to be educated around it, embrace it and lead it. It is a culture we need to foster among hospitality students. The purpose of Innovation is not just about technology, is about making life easier to employees and customers. Innovation and sustainability go together. We need innovation and innovators to create solutions to support a sustainable development. Technology will not replace human being; it will enhance their added value. Innovation is not just about technology; it is a process innate to human beings. Covid 19 has changed our society. We live now in a new normality with hybrid realty and possibilities. Ever-changing business environments are part of this reality. No matter what the type of industry it is, all companies need to re-thinking how to deliver the best customer experience. Susana Garrido, Director of Spark Marbella recommended an: open innovation and a co-creation approach in which Hospitality players have to learn to attract and retain talents to design solutions that ignite change and to choose only those innovative approaches that will be valuable to all stakeholders, avoiding technology just for the sake of technology. Carlos Diez de La Lastra, CEO of Les Roches has called for: a collaboration between industry, education and public institutions, private actors and start-ups which is key to create a strong eco-system looking at adding value to businesses, employees and customers alike. With Spark, Les Roches has created a worldwide innovation platform to endorse hospitality invention which encompasses pre-incubation and incubation solutions for entrepreneurs that are delivering revolutionary ideas to the hospitality and tourism sector. Spark empowers learners, graduates, and corporate allies to design and implement novel hospitality solutions in on-campus living laboratories. About Les Roches Les Roches is a Swiss institution focused on creating the innovative and entrepreneurial minds of tomorrow. Founded in 1954, Les Roches offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees in Hospitality and Tourism Management following the Swiss model of education. With campuses across Switzerland and Spain; a student body of more than 100 different nationalities, the institution provides students with a unique culturally diverse experience. As of 2021, Les Roches also has an academic alliance with the Indian School of Hospitality (ISH) with a partner campus in Gurugram (Delhi NCR). Les Roches ranks among the world's top 5 higher education institutions for hospitality and leisure management and for Employer Reputation (QS World University Rankings by Subject, 2022). Part of Sommet Education, worldwide leader in hospitality education, Les Roches is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE). For more information, visit Les Roches. Anouck Weiss Chief Communication Officer, Sommet Education Les Roches View source Louvre hotels group, the 2nd largest european hotel group, is the first hotel group to support the growth of the solikend startup by forming a unique partnership. winner of the golden travel 2022, this social justice and solidarity company enables hotels and their clients to donate solidarity nights to associations. solikends solidarity nights: how does this work? Launched in the Basque country in September 2019 by Yoann Magnin, Lucille Ducalet and Guillaume Magda, Solikend is the first solidarity platform for hotel reservations. The three founders noticed that many hotels have vacant rooms each year and thought it would be important to open these up to associations and the public. In practice, each hotel manager donates a minimum of 20 nights per year during dates when the hotel is not fully booked. The client who wants to work with associations then goes to the Solikend site where they can see the participating hotels (Golden Tulip, Campanle, Kyriad, etc) with the available dates. When they make their reservation, they choose the social cause they wish to support from among the associations proposed by Solikend: recognized French associations such as the SPA, Secours Populaire, Amnesty International, SOS Childrens Villages or local associations recommended by partner hotels. The total cost of the reservation is paid by the client at the hotel and then transferred to the chosen association. Additionally, if they wish, the client can pay more than the room rate in order to donate more to the association. Louvre hotels group commits to sustainable and solidarity tourism. Today, sustainable tourism has become an essential criteria in travelers choices, both for its environmental aspects as well as its societal ones. Currently 73% of travelers prefer to reserve in a hotel that incorporates sustainable practices. Solidarity and societal commitment are at the heart of Louvre Hotels Groups CSR strategy. So, this partnership is an excellent way for the group to bring awareness to their clients and allow their collaborators and partners another option for sustainable tourism. In fact, the hotels can also exchange with Solikend to recommend local associations of their choice to their clients We are very proud to actively participate in Solikends development by offering this solution to all of our hotels, whether they are affiliates or franchised partners. We hope to have a hundred hotels on the platform by 2024. This solidarity platform is a fantastic tool to highlight the commitment and solidarity of our hotel managers who are already engaged in their local regions, but also to make our clients aware of the causes that are dear to us. More than ever, we are convinced that tourism has a large role to play in societys solidarity movement. And Solikend is also a relevant solution to encourage tourism in the off season, by giving access to open rooms during that time. Marie Nonell Marie Nonell, CSR Director of Louvre Hotels Group Solikend is a young entity, begun in Biarritz in 2019. Despite the difficult Covid period, Solikend has progressively developed by attracting a growing number of hotels, associations and clients. Today we are very happy that a group as important as Louvre Hotels Group has joined the Solikend adventure by partnering with us for a more united world. Such a partnership will allow us to continue to grow throughout France, and even perhaps one day throughout Europe, making SOLIKEND a major player in solidarity as well as shining light on the solidarity values of our hotel managers and our regions! Yoann Magnin, Founder, Solikend About Louvre Hotels Group The Louvre Hotels Group is a major player in the worldwide hotel industry, whose portfolio today includes over 1500 hotels in 54 countries. It offers a range of hotel stays from 1 to 5 stars, with the historical brands of the Louvre Hotels Group: Royal Tulip, Golden Tulip, Campanile, Tulip Residences, Kyriad, Kyriad Direct, Tulip Inn, and Premiere Classe; the five brands of the Sarovar network in India; the Hotels et Preference Group, as well as the Chinese brand Metropolo. The group also has a distribution agreement with the Barriere Group. The Louvre Hotels Group is an affiliate of Jin Jiang International Holdings, Co, Ltd., the 2nd largest hotel group in the world. Do you dream of making a professional dent on the Food & Beverage landscape but don't have four years of study-time available? Then EHL's CREM course (Culinary & Restaurant Management certificate) might just be your winning ticket. This intensely rich, fast-paced program offers key insights into the professional world of restaurant management. Ideal practical learning for future entrepreneurs armed with motivation, creative vision, critical thinking and a service-oriented mindset. Food & Beverage industry - learning from the experts The CREM is a five-month full-time certificate based on EHL Campus Lausanne, Switzerland. During the 680 hours of tuition and 25 masterclasses, students are taught the practical pillars of restaurant and hospitality business stretching across the two main axes of operations and management. The program is especially devised to give insider know-how thanks to the participation of many world renowned industry professionals (e.g., Chef Franck Giovannini, head of the award-winning Hotel de Ville restaurant in Crissier - and also patron of the CREM course). In addition to his endorsement of the program, Chef Giovannini personally welcomes groups of EHL students to his restaurant on a weekly basis and shares his insights on how to create a 3* Michelin customer experience and all the preparation that goes into running such an establishment. This is just one of the many examples of how the CREM is defined by learning exclusively from the experts. The program includes field trips to successful food entrepreneurs, producers and suppliers, and numerous networking events featuring key players from the industry. The CREM learning experience also offers optional internship possibilities and the all important gateway to becoming part of the prestigious EHL global alumni family. The CREM program - Tools for entrepreneurs Designed for young professionals with a post-secondary education, this fast-paced program is dedicated to strengthening culinary know-how and developing managerial skills for the Food & Beverage industry. CREM students are immersed daily in a variety of culinary operations and management contexts from the luxury (working at EHLs gastronomic Berseau des Sens restaurant) to the mundane (understanding the essentials of takeaway food). The 25 masterclasses taught by EHL's award-winning practical arts faculty and industry experts take students through the essential aspects of running an F&B business, sharing real-life, tried and tested tools for foodie entrepreneurs. The course has a 55/45 split of hands-on workshops vs. theoretical masterclasses. On the operational side, for example, students study service skills, creative menu design, cooking techniques, events catering, culinary research & development. On the management side, students learn the art of creating a winning business plan, cost and quality control, innovation & sustainable mindsets, HR, leadership and team skills - to name but a few. This well-balanced course applies EHL's Swiss-quality hospitality methods to develop dual expertise. You will develop your F&B skills as well as strengthen your management competencies CREM brochure. CREM students graduate with: Culinary basics for operations Management skills to develop and run F&B businesses Innovative mindsets Swiss/European/international cultural awareness A strong global network of peers, industry leaders and alumni CREM includes three professional certifications: EHL Culinary & Restaurant Management Certificate EHL HACCP and Food Safety for the Restaurant Industry Certificate Sous-vide certification (with CREA) Award-winning CREM lecturer, Frederic Girodon, Q&A As EHL senior lecturer in the Practicals Arts for the past 15 years, Frederic Girodon specializes in bar & restaurant outlets, front of house operations, service skills and mixology workshops for the CREM course. His deeply practical, creative and interactive approach has recently earned him EHL 2021-2022 Teacher of the Year award, especially for his knowledge of global alcoholic beverages. Here, he answers questions about what makes the CREM so special from a teacher's and a student's perspective. 1. EHL offers many programs that aim to give students practical knowledge of the hospitality industry, what makes the CREM certificate stand out? The CREM certificate focuses on management, operational and leadership skills related to the hospitality industry. The course aims to teach "savoir etre & savoir faire" (roughly translated as "knowing how to be and how to do"). What makes the program stand out is that fact that over a short and intense period of time, the essentials on running a successful F&B business are imparted by true industry professionals in a very hands-on context. 2. Who is the CREM aimed at? It is really aimed at anyone who wants to discover the world of culinary hospitality and learn all types of F&B catering, operational or managerial activities. The CREM is for professionally-minded people wishing to create their own business in the F&B industry, set up a luxury brand, take over a family establishment or possibly work for well-known organizations. But on the whole, about 80% of our graduates go on to create their own ventures. Most CREM students enrol on the course having already-developed a hospitality business mindset, and wish to expand it even further to be fully equipped for real success in the industry. 3. In terms of innovation and entrepreneurship, what does the CREM offer? The CREM students are invited to work in many innovative environments, e.g., a dish creation project to present to their sponsor, chef Franck Giovannini; learning sous-vide cooking methods with Dr Bruno Goussault; carrying out research in connection with Nestle NRC during the food Research & Development week; exploring methods of affordable nutrition. We encourage students to experiment. Our job is to push them to think outside of the F&B box, discover new angles, new demands, new techniques. In my workshops, we go on field trips to visit - for example - distilleries, and see the evolution and trends of the beverage industry (alcoholic and non-alcoholic). Our students are positioned very close to the industry thanks to the many visits to talk to successful entrepreneurs and startups, and the participation of the experts. With regards to my course on Global Spirits, I regularly invite a brand ambassador of alcoholic beverages allowing a great exchange on how the business has been developed, what are the constraints, what are the strengths, and more importantly, how to stand out from competition with an innovative mindset. 4. How has digitalization impacted the CREM program? The mixology workshop uses a flipped classroom approach where the class is semi-digitalized. Students watch videos and read texts at their own pace, then we deepen the knowledge in synchronous class time with interactive activities such as demonstrations of distillation, quizzes and role play exercises allowing students to acquire the skills and reach the objectives. A particular highlight is when we use the BDS lounge bar for making and inventing cocktails for real guests. The synchronous activities in class encourage collaborative learning. The team spirit on the CREM program is always very strong, (a reflection of the EHL spirit, which in turn impacts the EHL alumni network making it even stronger). 5. Does being passionate have a role in the CREM (both as teacher and learner) Definitely yes! In five months, you discover most of the domains related to hospitality industry across theory mixed with practice and lots of group projects. The passion of teaching and learning the CREM program helps to overcome any difficulties with regards to the fast-paced intensity. There's possibly more bonding between lecturers and students since the age gap is less pronounced than with the preparatory year students. Here, many learners come from having already worked in the hospitality sector, hence they are slightly older with a maturer attitude and a more developed sense of ambition. The maturity of the CREM students makes the workshops more interactive and challenging. I am also learning a lot from my students as some of them come from industry sectors that are unknown to me, making the teacher-student exchange more authentic. I too am receiving rich insights from my class. Frederic Girodon is a really dedicated teacher, he manages to keep his students interested in every class at all times. By including games into the learning process, his students have fun while learning. Additionally, the daily midterm quizzes are a great way to stay on top of the class material and Mr. Girodons way of asking specific questions and digging deeper into his students knowledge really makes this learning journey enjoyable and memorable. Feedback from the CREM class representative CREM career possibilities There are endless professional openings available to CREM graduates. The course specializes in developing a 'can-do' entrepreneurial attitude that lends itself to setting up one's own business. But equally important are the world-renowned EHL skill sets that balance out the soft and hard knowhow, making any EHL graduate a very sought-after employee. Some popular positions that many CREM graduates transition to: F&B manager Entrepreneur Restaurant manager Executive chef Head chef Private chef Chef instructor/consultant Culinary production manager Food stylist Concept developer Restaurant, cafe, Bar Gourmet bakery or specialty foods Events/catering company Street food truck Family food business Food writer and critic Consulting Sophie, CREM class of 2020: From a law degree to food-tech startup After a Law degree in London, Sophie pursued her passion for gastronomy and joined the EHL CREM course not only to acquire F&B knowledge and skills, but also to engage with innovation and growth mindsets. Today, Sophie is co-founder at Amfora SARL, a sustainable, farm direct food tech startup that connects conscious consumers and businesses in Switzerland with artisanal producers in Greece, disrupting the extra virgin olive oil industry one kitchen at a time. Amfora is at the forefront of zero waste and on demand food delivery. Eat well, do good! CREM: next start date - March 1, 2023 EHL Hospitality Business School Communications Department +41 21 785 1354 EHL View source The Louvre Hotels Group is a major player in the worldwide hotel industry, whose portfolio today includes over 1500 hotels in 54 countries. It offers a range of hotel stays from 1 to 5 stars, with the historical brands of the Louvre Hotels Group: Royal Tulip, Golden Tulip, Campanile, Tulip Residences, Kyriad, Kyriad Direct, Tulip Inn, and Premiere Classe; the five brands of the Sarovar network in India; the Hotels et Preference Group, as well as the Chinese brand Metropolo. The group also has a distribution agreement with the Barriere Group. The Louvre Hotels Group is an affiliate of Jin Jiang International Holdings, Co, Ltd., the 2nd largest hotel group in the world. Considering goals: Partnering with your doctor to help manage a chronic inflammatory disease Berkshire Athenaeum Accepts Digital Literacy Grant PITTSFIELD, Mass. The library trustees accepted a Public Library Association digital literacy workshop incentive grant in the amount of $7,000. "This is a cohort of 160 libraries nationally who are using the shared curriculum to provide digital literacy classes, workshops for the community. So this grant is in the amount of $7,000 that can be used toward these workshops," Berkshire Athenaeum Director Alex Reczkowski said. Libraries across the nation have been receiving more challenges on the materials the provide and although he hasnt seen much pushback on content here, Reczkowski felt it was important the board have a conversation on the topic. Most of these material challenges have centered around LGBTQ titles, or representations in books, he said. Berkshire Athenaeum did have one patron concerned about a children's book regarding the 1921 Tulsa, Okla., race massacre. This book is well publicized and was written for children and was a Coretta Scott King Award winner. Reczkowski said there was a conversation with the patron to explain why this book is on the shelf. It can be difficult and uncomfortable to talk about sensitive topics and books are a great way of providing a foundation for these tougher conversations, he said. "One thing that I can say is, I think that we've worked really hard to create an inclusive and welcoming environment," he said. The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners and Massachusetts Library System has been providing training or workshops to talk about these challenges. The board also approved American historian and author Richard Snow's request to use the 1847 portrait of Herman Melville in its collection in his new book that will be published by Scrivener Publishing. The book will be on the 1842 mutiny on the U.S.S. Somers, the last mutiny in the Navy. One of the officers on the Somers was Lt. Guert Gansevoort, a cousin of Melville's. There are no portraits of Gansevoort but, said Reczkowski, "it is said he and his first cousin Herman looked very much alike that they could have been twins." In other news, The library is no longer doing its Food For Fines event because it no longer has fines, however, it has partnered with Downtown Pittsfield Inc. food drive. The library got a grant through the Boston Children's Museum for a collaboration it is doing with the Berkshire Museum. The library filed the final report for a state grant for a preservation assessment. An environmental scan using a sensor in each of three areas of the library is constantly checking the temperature, humidity, and light UV rays to make recommendations for changes. The library is working with literacy volunteers to make office space for the city social worker. Also, starting Nov. 7, Central Berkshire Habitat for Humanity will have one of its community navigators at the library on Mondays from 9 a.m. until noon and Wednesdays from 11 until 2. "This is somebody who knows about all of the services available in the community, and will be able to talk more to folks, spend some more one on one time, and hopefully help connect people to resources in a little bit deeper way than our staff are really able to do," Reczkowski said. The library's planning committee is still scrubbing through the data that it received from its community survey. The committee has already consolidated the results and turned it into a strategic plan with values, a vision, and goal, and is assessing action steps. The survey reached those who are attached to the library but their plan for the future is to build more relationships in the community to reach those who are not attached to the library. The librarys nominating committee is continuing to build a relationship with some of the members of Latinas 413, who do a book group at the library. The committee is hoping that the cultivation of that relationship might lead to potential interest in the board. The library announced that its new young adult librarian May Ramirez started on Nov. 2. It is also in the process of checking references to make an offer for a local history supervisor position. The library's negotiating committee held its initial meeting on Nov. 1 when it dealt primarily with procedural matters. Their next meeting is Nov. 29. Pittsfield Adds New Languages to Emergency Notification System PITTSFIELD, Mass. The city of Pittsfield's emergency notification system, CodeRED, now features Spanish, French, and Portuguese language options. CodeRED notifications, which are produced and generated by the city of Pittsfield, include both citywide calls as well as neighborhood specific messaging. Updates can range from missing persons alerts, severe weather events, road closures, hydrant flushing, water main breaks, and other emergencies. Currently, a total of 16, 212 users, from both residences and businesses, are signed up for CodeRED and receive updates via phone messages, texts, and emails. The notification system is operated by Onsolve, a Georgia-based company and has been utilized by the city since 2013. New sign ups have the option to select their preferred language of choice. Visit here to register: "As we want to ensure that all city residents have access to these important messages, it was essential to expand our language offerings to reflect the growing communities in Pittsfield," said Roberta McCulloch-Dews, director of administrative services and public information officer. "The city is home to many Spanish-speaking community members, and after reaching out to the Berkshire Immigrant Center, we also learned that there are many members from the Ivory Coast of West Africa and Brazil who call Pittsfield home as well." In addition to these new offerings, it's also a great opportunity for those who aren't signed up to register as well, said McCulloch-Dews. "CodeRED is one of the ways in which the city of Pittsfield shares important and timely information," she said. "It's our hope that everyone who is able to sign up for this critical resource will do so." Individuals will have the option to choose one of three types of accounts: single sign-on, managed, or non-managed. "The single sign-on account will allow registrants to use their credentials from either Google, Facebook, or Twitter. However, we encourage users to create a managed account as they will be able to update their information as needed," said McCulloch-Dews. Individuals who would like to update their preferred language also have the option of deactivating their existing account and re-enrolling to make a new language selection. To sign up, visit here CodeRED frequently asked questions: What is CodeRED and what is it used for? CodeRED is an emergency notification system that enables local public safety personnel to notify residents and businesses by telephone, text message, email, social media and more oftime-sensitive information, emergencies or urgent alerts. The system can reach hundreds of thousands of individuals in minutes to ensure information such as evacuation notices, missing persons, inclement weather advisories and more are quickly shared. Only authorized officials have access to send alerts using the CodeRED system. When will CodeRED be used? Any message regarding the safety of our residents and community will be disseminated using CodeRED. We will send out alerts via phone, text, email, and social media in a variety of situations including boil water notices, gas leaks, evacuation notices, police activity, fire emergencies, missing persons and more. This is a community alert system to ensure you remain informed of important information. Please keep in mind that as you register to receive CodeRED, you have the ability to select the types of alerts you wish to receive and your preferred means of communication. Is there a cost to register for CodeRED? No, registering for CodeRED phone calls, text messages, and email is free. Simply sign up on our enrollment website and select your preferred means of communication. How will I know when CodeRED is calling? A CodeRED message will have the caller ID # 866-419-5000 for emergencies and caller ID # 855-969-4636 for non-emergencies. We suggest that you program these numbers into your cell phone as a "new contact" and use "CodeRED" as the contact name. If you need to replay the message received, you can dial this number and listen to the message again in its entirety. Why is CodeRED important to me? CodeRED helps keep you informed and prepared for any emergencies that may occur in our area. Officials will send messages to alert you of emergency details, instructions or precautions that you need in order to make well-informed decisions and remain safe. This system is precise enough to geotarget residents within an exact area of impact, so that only those people who are affected by an emergency situation are notified. How do I sign up? Does CodeRED already have my telephone number? No resident should assume that their information is in the system. Please visit our website and look for the link for the CodeRED Enrollment page to register online. Can I register more than one phone number or email for my address? Yes, you can register more than one phone number and/or email address for your location when you register for CodeRED. Please note that it is highly recommended you register at least one phone number and one email address to ensure that you will receive CodeRED alerts in the event of a power outage or an incident that may occur late at night when you are generally asleep. What do I do if I receive a CodeRED alert? If you receive a CodeRED phone call, listen carefully to the entire message. You can repeat the message by pressing any key. Do not call 911 for further information unless directed to do so, or you need immediate aid from the police or fire department. If you receive a CodeRED email or text message, please be sure to read the entire message carefully and follow all instructions. What if I miss a CodeRED phone call? The CodeRED system will leave a message on your answering machine or voicemail if you miss the phone call. If you do not have an answering machine, the system will consider the call as "incomplete" and will attempt to call again after several minutes have passed. If your phone line is busy, CodeRED will try two more times to connect. At any point, you may re-dial the 800 number on your caller ID to hear a replay of the message sent. Do I ever need to renew my registration? Renewals are not necessary as long as your contact information has not changed. If you move, however, you must update your information to ensure you will continue receiving these valuable alerts. iciHaiti - Corail : One of Haiti's major criminals wanted, mortally wounded Eleus Vilanor (33 years old) alias "Zion" 2nd leader of the Kanaran gang led by Patrick alias "Pachouko", under arrest warrant since February 2nd, 2022 and actively wanted, was fatally injured in a shootout with the National Police of Haiti (PNH). "Zion" was one of the major criminals wanted by the police and accused, among other things, of the murder, in March 2022, of police officer Henry Mark Millans https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-36310-icihaiti-pnh-funeral-of-police-officer-marck-millans-henry.html and Toussaint Roger in Jerusalem 8, an agent of the Protected Areas Surveillance Brigade. In addition, he was present in the attack against Radio and Revision Zenith https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-28024-icihaiti-security-radio-tele-zenith-attacked.html and was involved in various criminal acts on the RN#3 at Koray-Seysles. It was in this area that he carried out kidnappings, hijacked goods trucks, attacked buses going to Mirebalais and robbed people at gunpoint... Eleus Vilanor is one of those who took the initiative to unite all the gangs operating in Kanaran and Corail and it was he who was responsible for buying them ammunition... IH/ iciHaiti Sri Lanka has an unfortunate history of impunity for crimes against journalists and media workers. The actions of the Rajapaksa family and government crackdown during Sri Lanka's ongoing social unrest require action. Media and press freedom organisations in Sri Lanka should take advantage of international action and social momentum to challenge impunity, writes Ruki Fernando Opportunities to challenge impunity for crimes against journalists in Sri Lanka Many journalists have been killed and subjected to enforced disappearances in Sri Lanka, with the Jayewardene-Premadasa-led UNP governments of 1977-1994 and the Rajapaksa-led UPFA government of 2006-2014 committing grave media rights violations across their regimes. Across several governments, journalists and media workers have faced arrest, detainment assault, threats, intimidation and harassment. Media outlets have been subjected to arson and legal crackdowns, with the English-language weekend paper Sunday Leader and Tamil-language newspaper Uthayan being among the worst affected. Impunity has reigned for all these. Crimes against journalists continue to the present. in October 2020, Shanmugam Thavaseelan and Kanapathipillai Kumanan were assaulted when they were covering illegal deforestation in the highly militarized Mullaitheevu district. Though some arrests were made, suspects were quickly released on bail and two years later, no one has been held accountable. In July 2021, Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police, Deshabandu Tennakoon, threatened prominent investigative journalist Tharindu Jayawardena through Facebook comments (including implied death threats) after a report about him was published. Despite a formal complaint to the Inspector General of Police, there have been no proper investigations and Tennakoon has not been held accountable to date. This year, journalists covering protests have also faced reprisals. An investigation was ordered into MTV networks, a popular private television channel. The investigation aimed to blame the channels live broadcast of a major protest outside the then-president's house for the violence that occurred. A group of journalists from the same private channel were beaten by Special Task Force (STF) police officers on July 9 2022, while covering a major protest outside the Prime Ministers residence. One of those beaten up and injured was Waruna Sampath, who was also one of the two journalists beaten up and injured in August 2008, by then Minister Mervyn Silva and a group of goons. Waruna had courageously filed Fundamental Rights petitions concerning both incidents. While the Supreme Court awarded him compensation for the 2008 incident, his Fundamental Rights petition for the 2022 incident has been postponed until next year. No one has been held legally accountable for either the 2008 or 2022 incidents, despite both incidents happening in front of police, media cameras, and thousands of people. Many journalists fear challenging impunity, and have subjected themselves to self-censorship or fled into exile. More are likely to follow. Protests and International Developments This year, an unprecedented economic crisis led to a historic series of protests that toppled the racist, corrupt and authoritarian Rajapaksa ruling family who were known to crack down on dissent. The Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association (SLWJA) placed huge billboards of murdered, tortured and disappeared journalists on the fence of the Presidential Secretariat, the most prominent protest site in the country. The billboards were removed and destroyed but were quickly re-installed. During the protests, ordinary citizens also demonstrated by holding smaller placards in remembrance of murdered and disappeared journalists and demanding justice. The protests coincided with significant international developments to address impunity in Sri Lanka. In 2021, the Permanent Peoples Tribunal in The Hague held hearings into the murder of The Sunday Leader journalist and editor Lasantha Wickrematunge. The hearing was based on an indictment presented by a coalition of international press freedom organizations and analysed the greater context of impunity for crimes against journalists and found Lasanthas murder was one incident in systemic attacks on journalists and media workers during the civil war. Forty-four names of journalists and media workers killed or disappeared between 2004 to 2010, the majority of whom are Tamils, were read out by Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka while acknowledging there had been many more killed and disappeared before that. The tribunal judgement noted that the Sri Lankan government, through their lack of investigations, lack of reparations to victims, and impunity for crimes against journalists, was guilty of grave violations of the human rights of Lasantha Wickrematunge, specifically the right to life, the right to freedom of expression, the right to an effective remedy and the right to freedom from discrimination based on political opinion, covering articles 6, 19, 2 and 26 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The Hague Tribunal hearings follow other international initiatives to seek justice for Lasanthas murder. In 2019, the Center for Justice and Accountability filed a civil suit in the United States against former Secretary of Defence Gotabaya Rajapaksa and former president Mahinda Rajapaksa for their alleged involvement in his killing. In 2021, Lasanthas daughter Ahimsa Wickrematunge filed a complaint to the United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHCR). There is also a pending complaint at the United Nations Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances (UNWGEID) on disappeared journalist and cartoonist Prageeth Ekneligoda. In November 2021, The UNWGEID wrote to the Sri Lankan government about reprisals faced by his wife Sandya Ekneligoda in her efforts to challenge impunity. Last month, she spoke at the United Nations Committee against Enforced Disappearances. Impunity for serious crimes against journalists has featured prominently in UNHCR Commissioner reports to the Human Rights Council. Last month, the UNHCR voted on a resolution on Sri Lanka that decided to continue the evidence-gathering process related to crimes in Sri Lanka and support prosecutions. This could include serious crimes against journalists. Judicial Processes in Sri Lanka These international initiatives have become significant as entrenched impunity has served as a license for continuing crimes and violence against journalists. Not a single person has been convicted for serious crimes against journalists and only two cases have reached the prosecution stage. In one of them, the murder of journalist Mylvaganam Nimalarajan in Jaffna in October 2000, media reported that the Attorney General had instructed the courts not to continue the case against the suspects last year. The case of journalist and cartoonist Prageeth Ekneligodas disappearance in January 2010 also failed to materialise. After a courageous and determined campaign by his wife Sandya Ekneligoda, several army personnel were arrested, and indictments were filed against the nine accused. Most of the cases progress was made under the Sirisena government, but the return to power of the Rajapaksa family in November 2019 presented new obstacles with the Rajapaksa government pledging not to prosecute war heroes, military personnel. A top investigator on the case went into exile and the chief overseeing the investigations was arrested and detained, before being released on bail by a higher court and going into retirement. Opportunities for Media Freedom Organisations Though primarily driven by Sri Lankas economic crisis, protesters on the streets of Colombo have been insisting on radical long-term institutional reform. This has provided fresh momentum to push for an independent and effective criminal justice system with independent and professional law enforcement, prosecutors, and judiciary. For decades, media freedom organizations in Sri Lanka have been campaigning against impunity. Though they often demand criminal accountability through judicial processes and international involvement, their work in the judicial sphere and internationally has been limited. There were no strong interventions concerning the Hague Tribunal or the various UN initiatives to address impunity in Sri Lanka. There has been very little legal assistance offered to the survivors of crimes or the families of victims who can wait for years for justice and compensation. The judicial system offers opportunities to challenge impunity, such as filing writs, Fundamental Rights cases and intervening in ongoing cases. A writ filed by a former prisoner and rights activist led to a landmark prosecution and conviction of a senior prison official involved in a prison massacre. Systematic trial observations and advocacy in significant court cases would also be important in addressing impunity. None of these options have been explored meaningfully by media freedom organisations in Sri Lanka. In the last few months, leaders of the Young Journalists Association (YJA) have filed court cases at a Magistrate Court and Fundamental Rights case at the Supreme Court to address impunity relating to freedom of expression and assembly violations by the police. YJA has also challenged impunity for crimes against free expression through their lodging of complaints to the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka about demonstrations in Sri Lanka. Their activism, along with some families of victims such as Sandya Ekneligoda and Ahimsa Wickramatunge, have been inspiring in the greater action against impunity. This year of crisis, uncertainty and hope could also become a turning point to challenge impunity for crimes against journalists. Innovation, creativity, consistency, commitment and courage from local media freedom organizations, especially in the judicial and international spheres could be vital in challenging impunity. Ruki Fernando is a Sri Lankan journalist and has been involved in human rights activism and social justice advocacy since 1997. Early on Thursday, gold prices increased. According to the GoodReturns website, 10 grams of 22-karat gold were trading at Rs46,850 after increasing by Rs300. During this time, silver prices fell by Rs 600, and 1 kilogramme of the pricey metal is now being sold for Rs 58,900. The price of ten grammes of 24-karat gold h increased by Rs330 to Rs51,110. In Delhi, Bengaluru, and Chennai, 10 grammes of 24 karat gold are priced at Rs51,260, Rs51,160, and Rs51,720, respectively. Given that the precious metal is currently trading at Rs51,110, the cost of 10 grammes of 24 karat gold in Mumbai is comparable to that of gold in Hyderabad and Kolkata. Given that the metal is being sold for Rs58,900, the price of 1 kilogramme of silver in Delhi is comparable to that of Kolkata and Mumbai. In Chennai and Bangalore, 1 kilograms of silver costs Rs64,500. For feedback and suggestions, write to us at editorial@iifl.com Following a Rs 330 price hike, 10 grammes of 24 karat gold are now being sold for Rs 51,110. In Delhi, Bengaluru, and Chennai, 10 grammes of 22-carat gold cost correspondingly Rs. 47,000, Rs. 46,900, and Rs. 47,410. Given that the yellow metal is currently trading at Rs 46,850, the price of 10 grammes of 22-carat gold in Mumbai is comparable to that of the precious metal in Kolkata and Hyderabad. Customs officials have seized gold worth Rs 2.95 crore at Delhi airport that was being smuggled into the country by three passengers who had hidden the contraband inside body shapers, according to an official statement. The three accused were intercepted after they arrived on a flight from Sharjah on October 28. A thorough examination of the baggage revealed seven rectangular-shaped pouches containing chemical paste in which the gold was mixed. The paste was concealed in the pockets of body shapers belts kept in the handbags. Around 6.67 kg gold was extracted from this paste which was moulded into 19 rectangular-shaped bars of gold valued at Rs 2.95 crore, the Customs department said in a statement. The three passengers have been arrested and further investigations to uncover the smuggling racket are on. As Turkish president Reccep Tayip Erdogan was touring the areas of Nagorno Karabakh, the disputed territory between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which the latter wrested from the formers control in a war two years ago, amply aided by Turkey, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian was paying his first official visit to Armenia. Erdogan was visiting the Karabakh territories, along with Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev, to mark the second anniversary of Azerbaijans victory over Armenia in the Karabakh war of 2020 and also to attend the inauguration ceremony of the Zangilan airport, the second international airport that Azerbaijan has opened in those territories. Though such visits are planned days ahead, the timing may not be coincidental. On the eve of the visit, Irans Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) launched large-scale military exercises named Mighty Iran along the countrys border with Azerbaijan. The territory where the exercises took place are reported to border the Nakhchivan exclave of Azerbaijan. Apart from other things these exercises stand out because for the first time, pontoon temporary bridges were deployed to train forces and military vehicles to navigate through water obstacles. This is significant given that at many points the Aras River forms the natural border between Iran and Azerbaijan. Just a year ago this time Azerbaijan and Iran had been embroiled in a war of words because of the military drills that Tehran decided to conduct along its border with Azerbaijan, involving armoured and artillery units as well as drones and helicopters. They were accompanied by a statement released by Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) which said We warn all those who are trying to destabilize the northern borders of Iran, and assert our preparedness to impede the evil designs of our enemies. The allusion was to increasing Azerbaijani rhetoric about Greater Azerbaijan, or subtle irredentist claims on Irans Azeri province. The Azeris in Iran, widely known as South Azerbaijan, are protesting against the Mullahs: Were neither pro-Mullah nor pro-Shah. Were the nationalists. The Azeris in South Azerbaijan are increasingly calling for an independent state of their own. pic.twitter.com/PA5qWZezGo Vugar Bakhshalizade (@therealvugar) November 3, 2022 Since the 2020 Karabakh war, which Azerbaijan won wresting back the Armenian majority enclave from its neighbor and rival Armenia, which had held on to it for two decades, Azerbaijan has been upping the ante on reclaiming other lands which it believed historically belonged to it. And, there is no small encouragement from Turkey, whose arms, drones, and military advisors had won the 2020 war for Azerbaijan. The war also resulted in some bordering areas of friendly Armenia now becoming part of Irans border with Azerbaijan. A year later, Baku conducted military drills on its territory together with its new found pals Turkey and Pakistan. Tehran is worried that the newly stirred up nationalism witnessed in Azerbaijan during the war, especially following its victory, may stir up similar sentiments and provoke secessionist tendencies among its Azeri population, many of whom had batted for Azerbaijan during the 2020 war. With riots and protests raging on in Iran over the hijab case for weeks now, Iran is all the more on tenterhooks. This is why Iran is also against the Zengazur Corridor that Azerbaijan has been demanding from Armenia. It is a land corridor that Azerbaijan envisages would connect it to the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhichevan in western Armenia and onward to Turkey without Armenian border control over it. It cuts through Armenias southernmost province of Syuni which borders Irans Azeri province in the north. Armenians explain they are not against any land corridor as connectivity is critical for countries like it. However, since it runs through Armenian territory, it should be subject to Armenian control. For both Azerbaijan and Turkey, this land corridor without Armenian control would open up routes to Central Asia, fan pan-Turkism, and would give Azerbaijan control over the borders with Iran which it can then cut off at will, cutting Iran completely off from the northern route, rendering the International North South Transport Corridor (INSTC) useless, or put it at the will of Azerbaijan-Turkey combine. This is why too around the same time Irans Trade Promotion Organization, Alireza Peymanpak, announced: Two alternative Iran-Eurasia transit routes will replace Azerbaijans route. First opens in a month via Armenia after [the] end of repair work, and the second via sea by purchasing and renting vessels. It was no coincidence that months preceding Peymanpaks announcement, the Indian Ambassador to Iran, Gaddam Dharmendra had announced that India was planning to connect the Chabahar port on Irans eastern cost (a seaport heavily invested in by India) and the Indian Ocean with Eurasia and Helsinki through the INSTC which would run through the territory of Armenia. On the virtual meeting to mark Chabahar Day last year, India also invited not just its traditional partners, but also Armenia. While India pitched for connecting the Chabahar port to Irans Bandar Abbas port which connects to the INSTC, both India and Iran have decided that the INSTC, originally envisaged to run through Azerbaijans territory will now run instead through Armenian territory. Defence Minister of #Armenia Suren Papikyan participated in the conference of #Defence ministers on the Indian Ocean Region and Partners theme. During the conference, current issues of international security and the possibilities of solution were discussed. pic.twitter.com/Sy96FhkgPd MoD of Armenia (@ArmeniaMODTeam) October 19, 2022 It is, therefore, interesting to note that while Abdullahian was on his first visit to Yeravan, the Armenian Defence Minister was in Gujarat expanding defence and military cooperation with India. Both India and Iran are wary of Bakus new found belligerence. Iran is wary of Israeli presence on Azerbaijans territory. For India, Israel is a close friend and partner. But Azerbaijans rhetoric on Kashmir complements Turkeys belligerence on Kashmir. It was not unpredictable but symptomatic that on 27 October when Pakistans embassy in Baku hosted an event to (falsely) commemorate Kashmir Black Day, in attendance were members of Azerbaijans parliament as well as officials from its Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Bakus new found belligerence is paving the way for an India-Iran-Armenia trilateral cooperation, one which may make Bakus strategic location irrelevant. Also Read: Indias defence ties with Armenia are a step in the right direction India must up its ante as Bangladeshs opposition parties including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) are now gearing up to hold rallies and processions and even blockade the country in a bid to oust the current Sheikh Hasina led Awami League government. Bangladesh Prime Minister Hasina yesterday said in Parliament that the opposition parties are trying to stir up political instability in her country. When the country is in a transition period (crisis), Ive not seen such concern among those who are in our opposition. Rather Ive seen that they are trying how to create a political instability, taking its advantage. Is it fair to do that? she said. Amanullah Aman, senior member of the BNP said on October 8 that his party is planning to launch a new programme across the country targeting the government. If necessary, we will be martyrs but no election under [Prime Minister] Sheikh Hasina will be allowed. We will return home after ensuring the removal of this government, Aman said. Earlier, a report by the European Foundation for South Asian Studies (EFSAS) noted that the behind-the-scenes role of the Pakistani agency the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), has hugely boosted the BNP and other radical outfits. The Awami League has been in power in Bangladesh since January 2009. Bangladesh has witnessed unprecedented growth in the last 10 years. This is due because Hasina in a pragmatic way prioritised economy over ideology. Simply put, she has delivered, geopolitical and security analyst Navita Srikant told India Narrative. Now it is slated to exit UNs Least Developed Countries (LDC) list in 2026, Bangladesh, which was considered a basket case at its birth in 1971, reached lower-middle income status in 2015, driven by Hasinas economic policies. But the recent economic crisis in the country has provided it with a solid issue around which to mobilize people, the Diplomat said. India is home to more than 200 million Muslims and unrest in Bangladesh has a direct impact on Indian polity, especially its northeastern states, which border the South Asian nation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi described Bangladesh as a joho jatri or a co-passenger in Indias economic and social journey. India and Bangladesh enjoy a strong relationship, we need to grow together and we need greater collaboration to weed out extremism in the region. Peace has to prevail for both economies to grow and enhance economic cooperation, Srikant said. From time to time, Bangladesh has witnessed anti India activities. Despite Hasinas repeated urge to maintain peace and uphold the principles of secularism, a Kali temple in Dautiya village in Jhenaidah district was vandalised just last month. In 2021, the Durga Puja festival was marred by violence leaving at least seven people dead. Since a long time, radical elements have been part of the society, which otherwise has been driven by its culture where both Nazrul Geeti and Rabindra Sangeet have been prevalent. These radical forces have been playing a part from time to time, Anil Trigunayat, former diplomat, told India Narrative earlier. The Hefazat-e-Islam, which launched violent protests last year during Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Dhaka, continues to pose challenges to the Hasina government, though sources said that Dhaka has tried to make peace with the radical outfit in a bid to maintain overall peace. Just a few days ago the HeI said it will write a letter to Hasina seeking withdrawal of all cases filed against the organisations leaders and activists since 2013. It will also demand the release of their leaders who are in prison. Also read: Modi and Hasina send a big messageIndia and Bangladesh are re-shaping Asia In a letter to Modi, Sheikh Hasina pledges to add lustre to India-Bangladesh special ties Reports say that Pakistan has mounted a large-scale military offensive using fighter jets and helicopter gunships to rescue its two soldiers abducted by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA). Sources from among Baloch rebel groups say the Pakistani Army is using jets in its latest offensive against Baloch nationalists in the hills of Bolan in Balochistan. The Baloch rebel groups are resisting the Pakistani military operations and have killed two Pakistani SSG commandos, Muhammad Qaiser Abbasi and Mohammed Shafiullah, though unverified reports say many more soldiers have been killed. Breaking: The military operation in Bolan has been further intensified. Fighter jets have been spotted bombarding different areas of Bolan. Today is the third day of a very intense military operation in the area. Earlier today BLA claimed it had killed 8 SSG commandos in clashes. The Balochistan Post English (@TBPEnglish) November 1, 2022 In the latest reports, The Balochistan Post reported that the military operation is going in the areas of Bolan, Kaman, Yakho, Uch-Kaman, Gumbadi, Darag Pirani, Saro, Buzgar, Sibi and Harnai. It added that helicopters have been seen shelling in Uch-Kaman areas and massive explosions have also been heard. Baloch sources told India Narrative that more details regarding the intensity of the operation are not available due to a communications blackout in the region. They, however, added that the Pakistani military has used fighter jets against the community earlier also. From 2006 till 2011 Pakistan used fighter jets regularly against our people. After that it began using helicopters. The fighters are not very effective against our fighters but the Pakistani armys main objective is collective punishment, said one of the Baloch spokespersons, adding: the Pakistani armys doctrine is that this will create harassment and panic among common Baloch people so they will refrain from supporting Baloch guerrillas. Four rebels also have been killed in the operations. The Pakistani militarys public relations agency ISPR has claimed that it has recovered arms and ammunition including improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Pakistani forces launched the operations in strife-torn Balochistan after an ultimatum given by the BLA about a prisoner-swap did not materialise. The BLA, which had abducted the two soldiers JCO Kaleem Ullah and military intelligence officer Mohammad Faisal, from Harnai, Balochistan, on September 25 wanted the Pakistani government to exchange the soldiers in return for Baloch political prisoners. The offer did not elicit any reaction from the Pakistan government. On October 28, the BLA finally gave the Pakistani army a one week deadline to swap the prisoners. In a statement BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch said: The Pakistani military has so far failed to agree to our demands regarding the prisoner swap, adding that in the last three weeks of negotiations the military has demonstrated delaying tactics. The BLA has also said that it is following international laws of war regarding the detained soldiers but would deliver immediate sentence to the detainees if the Pakistani army showed aggression. Over the last two months the Baloch rebels have claimed to have shot down two helicopters of the Pakistani military. The families of the two abducted soldiers have held protests asking the government to negotiate with the BLA for the safe release of the soldiers. Also Read: Baloch rebels interrogating Pak soldiers captured before helicopter crash By Ricardo Verdum for Debates Indigenas. The National Indian Foundation is an active agent of a political strategy to expose peoples in voluntary isolation to contact with outsiders. The Piripkura people, the Pirititi Indigenous Land and the Itu... But does the roadmap go far enough? Some global firms have set stronger targets. Last year, Ernst & Young Global Limited, commonly known as EY, the London headquartered multinational professional services company, committed to net zero by 2025. We believe that combatting climate change is a vital element of building a better working world, said Carmine Di Sibio, EY global chair and CEO. Read more: ICA releases net zero roadmap for insurers In October, EY released its fourth Global Climate Risk Disclosure Barometer. The Barometer provides a snapshot of climate-related disclosures by more than 1500 companies around the world, including more than one hundred from Australia. The world remains far from where we need to be in terms of allocating capital to the processes of decarbonisation and resilience, said Terence Jeyaretnam (pictured above), EY's APAC leader and partner for climate change and sustainability services. What does Jeyaretnam think of the ICAs roadmap? He suggested that the roadmap is a positive start that could be falling short. The insurance industry, I think, has a much bigger role in terms of advocacy, and advocacy around policy and customers, which I think the sector is starting to do well, and the roadmap does commit to doing more in that space, said Melbourne-based Jeyaretnam. The climate change specialist said there are essentially four targets in the roadmap. Theres an operational net zero target of 2030, and others including supply chain, underwriting and investments latest net zero by 2050, he said. I think that's in line with where we need to go, but I would like to see ICA members being as bold as possible within the 2050 construct, given that the sector is at the pointy end of climate risk. Jeyaretnam encouraged insurance industry companies to aim for net zero by 2043. For Australia, if we look at our trajectory, we need to be net zero, for example, in the financial sector, by about 2043, he said. It would be good to see ICA members follow Net Zero Insurance Alliance trajectories for Australia. The ICAs roadmap suggests various measures to help insurers achieve net zero for their operations by 2030, including investing in energy efficiency, rooftop solar for office buildings and transitioning corporate fleets to electric. The roadmap also outlines a pathway for insurers to undertake the more difficult task of reducing emissions associated with underwriting activities, the claims supply chain, and investments to achieve net zero by 2050. As a financial service focused on risk, insurance is already bearing the cost of worsening extreme weather driven by climate change, said Hall. The total cost of these extreme weather events is forecast to be unlike anything we have experienced, with climate-related extreme weather events expected to cost $39.3 billion a year by 2050. Read next: Extreme weather events leave Australians exhausted and unprepared Allianz Allianz Australia welcomed the ICA's climate change roadmap. At Allianz, our purpose is to help secure the future for our customers, employees, and the community, said Jodi Fullarton-Healey, chief general manager of the corporate governance and legal division at the firm. Allianz supports the ICA's climate change roadmap as an excellent step in ensuring our industry is working towards clear goals. Zurich Financial Services Australia (Zurich), which has been carbon neutral since 2014 and is one of the founding members of the Net Zero Insurance Alliance, also welcomed the announcement. Zurich has had ambitious net zero targets for some time and we are proud of the progress we have made, said Shaneen Marshall, head of strategy and sustainability at Zurich Australia and New Zealand. This transition requires significant collaboration and partnership, so joining forces with our industry to support the ICA climate change roadmap is an important step. Suncorp Group (Suncorp) offered similar sentiments. The ICA climate change roadmap is the insurance industry's signal that we are determined to play our part in enabling the transition of our economy towards net zero, said Suncorp Group CEO for product and portfolio Lisa Harrison. Founded in 1946, McDougall is a significant player in the Ontario P&C distribution market, representing more than 50 insurance companies and with operations across over 40 branches with more than 450 employees. This is a broker that is very well known, said Rowan Saunders (pictured, above left), president and CEO of Definity, when discussing the deal at the Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario (IBAO) Annual Convention in October. It's an outstanding organization, and theyre exceptionally good at serving their communities and growing their business organically, and now more recently, with some inorganic activity. They got to the stage, as many brokers do, where they're looking for a partner for the next phase of their journey. Definity and McDougall have been partners for about five years. The brokerage first accepted an equity investment from the insurer in 2017, and since then it has completed 14 broker acquisitions and more than doubled its annual premium base to approximately $500 million. Read next: Definity increases ownership interest in P&C broker McDougall Insurance The opportunity for Definity to purchase a majority stake in McDougall came at the perfect time, according to Saunders, who described the deal as a logical extension of our partnership. We have capital to deploy, he said. We said to our investors: Wed like to deploy it. We want to get bigger as an insurance company, so were looking to participate in what we think is going to be a consolidating marketplace over the years and it has been if you look at the last 10-20 years. Weve also said that we want to invest in distribution. Thats a very good, complementary source of income to a company like ours. We like the channel, were bullish on the channel and so, for us, this was a logical expansion. With respect to the philosophy going forward, what we see in that organization is a great leadership team and theyre going to continue to be as entrepreneurial as theyve ever been. Theyre going to continue to run their business in an independent broker model, and theyre going to continue their expansion. Were delighted to be a part of that, and to be able to support that. Not breaking new ground Saunders was addressing the McDougall acquisition on the CEO panel at the IBAO Annual Convention, sat next to Carol Jardine, president of Canadian P&C Operations at Wawanesa Insurance, Louis Gagnon, CEO of Canada at Intact Financial Corporation, and Matthew Turack, group president at CAA Insurance. The Definity leader made the point that an insurer investing in or buying a broker is not breaking new ground. In fact, Intact Financial Corp. owns BrokerLink, a national network of insurance brokers, with over 200 branches and 3,000 employees. Both Saunders and Gagnon emphasized investors vote of confidence in the broker channel. The value of the brokerage is a strong financial proposition right now, said Gagnon (pictured, above right). Its a very coveted asset by so many people. Right now, theres not very many brokers that are buying other brokers [] its companies, PEs [private equity firms], and VCs [venture capital firms] that are in the market to buy brokerages. Thats where the capital is. Why? I think its because the returns are so good. Who will work with insurer-owned brokerages? Gagnon believes the Canadian market is unique, in that it has a very flexible, very approachable distribution landscape, with room for all sorts of brokerages, all sorts of direct writers, and all sorts of different ways of doing things. Intact Financial Corp. is a good example of that because has both direct-to-consumer and broker-based businesses. It owns BrokerLink, and therefore has financial partnerships with close to 200 brokerages, but also deals with over 2,000 independent brokerages across Canada. That gives you a sense of whats going on in the market, said Gagnon. Read more: BIG's Stephen Billyard on how AI and automation is transforming personal lines underwriting The Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company represented on the CEO panel by Carol Jardine (pictured, below) - relies solely on broker distribution. Jardine said Wawanesa, as an underwriter, has strong partnerships with all of the insurance company-owned brokerages. Most importantly, the question we always ask is: What degree of influence is the company placing on you? If we see an undue influence on behalf of the underwriter who owns the brokerage, then were going to have either that conversation with the brokerage or the underwriter, depending on the situation, she explained. The most important piece is that the individual brokerages maintain their independence, maintain their advocacy [] and hold onto their value proposition. Some insurers, like CAA Insurance, will not work with company-owned brokerages. CAA Insurance started distributing through brokers in 2017, with a promise that it will only partner with truly independent brokerages. Its not one broker partner versus another broker partner. Its really living up to the commitment we made to broker partners when we entered the broker channel [] that we wont partner with insurance company-owned insurance brokerages, said Turack (pictured above). True to their word, CAA Insurance has already dealt notices of termination to broker partners who have sold to insurance companies, and Turack said the company would continue to do so. What are your thoughts on insurance company-owned brokerages? Whether youre a broker testing the M&A waters, or an insurer looking for broker partners, please share your comments below. The colors and iconography in the new logo were purposefully designed to mirror the diversity of Everests stakeholders and the digital-first world, the company said. The new logo features a modernized E and a nod to the companys legacy mountain imagery. The brand is now set in Everests new signature blue, an intentionally vibrant shade optimized for digital, screen-based communications. Read next: Everest Re taps new A&H head The company said that the brand refresh is another step in the execution of its strategic plan, outlined last year to the investment community. The identity brings together the strength of Everests purpose-driven culture and people-first philosophy that unifies the companys work in more than 100 countries around the world, the company said. Never before has the work we do been more consequential, making this the perfect moment to unveil our brand evolution, Andrade said. It comes at a pivotal time for our company and stakeholders as Everest continues to diversify and progress as a top-performing investor and customer platform in the P&C market. We are expanding our primary insurance business to benefit more people and places worldwide, while simultaneously building on our position as a preeminent global reinsurance leader and preferred partner. Our ability to consistently deliver outstanding service and unmatched risk solutions, coupled with our strong, inclusive culture, sets Everest apart. While modeling risk is the core of our business, humanity is the spirit that drives it. We are proud of how our refreshed brand brings this powerful value proposition to life. The brand refresh comes on the heels of Everests announcement that it has expanded its primary insurance operations in Europe with the opening of new branches in Paris and Dusseldorf. A third new branch is planned for Madrid later this year. In Q3, SiriusPoint suffered an underwriting loss worth $47 million, while net investment loss in the quarter amounted to $28 million. In the nine-month span, the company enjoyed a $25 million underwriting income but took a blow with a $375 million net investment loss. Meanwhile, aside from the firms interim results, SiriusPoint also announced major changes including office closures. SiriusPoint is restructuring its underwriting platform to support the future shape of its business, it stated. As part of its ongoing strategy to strengthen underwriting results and align the companys operating platform to its business portfolio, SiriusPoint will be making changes to the structure and composition of its international branch network. The company will reduce the locations from which it underwrites property catastrophe reinsurance. As a result, SiriusPoint will close its offices in Hamburg, Miami, and Singapore, and reduce its footprint in Liege and Toronto. Following the anticipated closures and scaling of its operating platform, SiriusPoint will continue to serve clients and underwrite North American property catastrophe business from Bermuda, and international property catastrophe business from Stockholm. New chief executive Scott Egan described the rescaling as a vital move. [The] announcement and the rescaling of our property catastrophe platform is an important step in stabilizing SiriusPoints reinsurance business and positioning the company for underwriting profitability in this volatile market, declared Egan. With these actions, we provide clarity on our future priorities, our risk appetite, and our strategy to win in a competitive market. As a result of this transformation, we believe that SiriusPoint will be a more disciplined company and better positioned to adapt to market developments more quickly and more effectively. The CEO went on to say: The decision to reduce our global footprint and headcount was not an easy one. It was driven by the significant, increasing effects of climate change, including under-modelled perils, and the challenges faced by the catastrophe reinsurance market, which, for consecutive years, has seen poor historical performance and inadequate returns on capital. Egan, meanwhile, offered assurances that he and his executive management team are fully committed to enabling a smooth transition for those who will be impacted by the change. Following Turbervilles appointment, Edmondson will assume the role of consultant marine underwriter for Chubb Overseas General, reporting to Chubb Overseas General executive vice president marine Andrew Williamson. Turberville joins CGM from Allianz Global Corporate and Specialty, where he served as head of hulk and liability insurance (UK) since 2012. He is a member of the Chartered Insurance Institute and also the Lloyd's Market Association's Joint Hull Committee. "I am delighted that we have been able to appoint Chris to this important role within our marine team at Chubb Global Markets, commented David Kirk. Chris joins Chubb with a proven track record within the hull market where he is a highly experienced and respected practitioner. This makes him perfectly placed to lead not only the continued growth of our hull business but also the ongoing expansion of our team as we capitalize on new opportunities." In September, Chubb promoted Alex Jackson to the role of product head of management liability for Chubb Global Markets. Jackson previously served as senior underwriter within the CGM management liability team. Through his promotion, Jackson succeeds Peter Bremner, who is leaving the business. In todays volatile geopolitical and economic climate, bad actors such as cybercriminals are lying in wait, seeking to take advantage of the situation to conduct an attack and further their criminal enterprises. Businesses often overlook this fact, which could expose them to a crippling attack, a cybersecurity expert said. Bad actors are always looking for opportunities to leverage turmoil as a prime opportunity to attack, said Jeffrey Wheatman (pictured above), senior vice president at Black Kite. The noise distracts people and organizations people often stop paying attention to things that should be top of mind, like having and maintaining good cyber hygiene. According to Wheatman, bad actors exploited the chaos caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting lockdowns. Many people were suddenly thrust into an unfamiliar work-from-home environment, which led to lapses in security. During the pandemic, stores and gyms closing threw a wrench into peoples everyday routines, Wheatman said. Goods became scarce, giving bad actors the perfect opportunity to craft fake ads to steal credit card information on Facebook and other social media platforms. Many people fell for these schemes, including me, which leads to having to cancel credit cards and get new ones. The panic that comes from not being able to easily access goods can lead to many poor decisions online. Understandably, when users are nervous about the health and well-being of friends and family, being cyber-safe takes a backseat. Bad actors also hide behind the veil of war. According to Wheatman, it is no coincidence that cyberattacks have increased since the Russia-Ukraine conflict began in February. Microsoft reported that Russian hackers have targeted more than 120 organizations in 42 countries outside Ukraine since the war began, with US-based targets making up 12% of these attacks. Geopolitical conflicts provide ample opportunity for bad actors to strike and they will, he said. Wheatman provided an example during the Russia-Ukraine war, where the Russian invaders attacked Ukraines traditional telecommunication pathways. To help regain communications, Starlink was rolled out in the closed-off regions of Ukraine. As frequently happens, when a technology becomes ubiquitous, researchers and attackers take a closer look, Wheatman said. Back in August, researchers were able to compromise a Starlink user terminal, inject code, and potentially upload code to the satellites while only using $25 worth of hardware. Would you be surprised if attackers were able to do something similar, or worse? It has long been proposed that the future of warfare will be a hybrid between traditional kinetic attacks and cyberattacks with one being used to distract defenders as a prelude to the other and I think the future is now. Given this dire situation, Wheatman said that businesses must be able to analyze the cyber weaknesses of their suppliers and other third-party vendors to reduce vulnerability to bad actors. Companies worldwide have seen an increase in cyberattacks, specifically targeting their digital supply chain as a method of access and they have experienced the shock waves of third-party incidents, Wheatman said. Even if a company considers itself to have robust security protocols, it only takes one vulnerable vendor to be susceptible to an attack. According to our latest annual Third-Party Breach Report, software vendors were the most common source of supply chain attacks, accounting for 25% of all incidents in 2021, he said. Additionally, 1.5 billion users PII was leaked due to a third-party breach. Recovery after exposing sensitive data is both expensive and time-consuming and plays into the aggregation risk of a situation. Wheatman highlighted the importance of shielding the third-party route, with analytics firm Forrester predicting that 60% of security incidents in 2022 will result from third-party incidents. In the insurance market, third-party vendors rarely meet the insurance requirements established by the companies that hire them, he said. This is a sobering fact considering by 2026, the global cyber insurance market is forecasted to grow at a compounded average of 25% yearly. Its crucial that insurance companies assess their cyber posture and make improvements now. Many major cyberattacks begin with bad actors attacking via third parties, before island-hopping their way into their target organizations. We're redefining vendor risk management with the worlds first global third-party cyber risk monitoring platform, built from a hacker's perspective, Wheatman said. Our recently announced FocusTags provide a fast and simple way for users to track high-profile cyber events and quickly identify which vendors have been affected within their supply chain. When cyber events disrupt the digital supply chain, time is of the essence. FocusTags provide immediate visibility into the cause and effect so companies can manage the incident and protect their bottom line. And Black Kites Ransomware Susceptibly Index provides unique insight into your exposure to ransomware within your digital and physical supply chain. New You can now listen to Insurance Journal articles! Newfront Names Executives at New Boston Office Insurance broker Newfront recently named several executives and leaders at its newly established Boston, Massachusetts, office. Brian Kelleher joins the Boston office as senior vice president on the property/casualty team and a founding partner. Kelleher brings 25 years of experience managing the risks of life science and technology companies. Before Newfront, Kelleher was a senior vice president at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. and William Gallagher Associates for two decades. Newly named executive vice president and founding partner Louisa Bolick leads Newfronts five-perso employee benefits team. Bolick brings more than 30 years of industry experience to her role. Previously, she served at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. and William Gallagher Associates. Industry veteran Michael Talmanson leads the Boston property/casualty team as executive vice president and founding partner. He brings nearly two decades of experience. Previously, he led the technology and cyber risk practice at William Gallagher Associates before being named area senior vice president at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Talmanson leads a group of five P/C experts. Jon Curran, new vice president, property and casualty, joined the insurance industry in 2021 following a successful, nearly decade-long PGA Tour run. While a member of the Boston office, Curran is located in Jupiter, Florida, and serves clients across the country. He joins Newfront from Gallagher, where he was area assistant vice president. Newfront is a brand name of ABD Insurance and Financial Services, Inc., which is the surviving company of the January 1, 2022 merger of three insurance agencies: ABD Insurance and Financial Services, Inc., Newfront Insurance Services, and Aviation Marine Insurance Services. Tweedy Joins Integris Group as Chief Operating Officer Integris Group, a member-owned medical professional liability insurance company, has announced that Kirk C. Tweedy has joined the firm as the chief operating officer. Integris Group is headquartered in Glastonbury, Connecticut. Tweedy has 32 years of insurance experience across multiple disciplines, product lines, and distribution channels. Most recently, he held the position of chief operating officer at Berkley Small Business Solutions in Wilmington, Delaware. Prior to that, Tweedy was the vice president, head of agencies, compliance and administration (national) at Farmers Insurance in Woodland Hills, California. Topics Agencies Leadership New You can now listen to Insurance Journal articles! Harvard Universitys failure to notify its insurer by the policy deadline has cost it up to $15 million in insurance coverage to help it defray costs related to its ongoing defense of its affirmative action admissions program. U.S. District Judge Allison D. Burroughs in Boston yesterday dismissed Harvards bid to force Zurich Insurance to pay legal costs under a $15 million excess insurance policy that she said was clear in its notification deadline and must be strictly enforced. Harvard was required to give notice, in writing, to Zurich of any claim no later than January 30, 2016. Harvard first gave notice to Zurich on May 23, 2017, well past the deadline. Put simply, because an unambiguous insurance policy must be applied as written; the notice provision in a claims-made policy must be strictly construed; and Harvards failure to satisfy a condition precedent vitiates coverage, Judge Burroughs wrote. Harvard had argued that Zurich had both constructive and actual knowledge of the claims against it prior to the deadline because its primary insurer AIG subsidiary National Union Fire Insurance Co.was covering the first $25 million of defense costs and because the issue had been widely reported in the media and even discussed at meetings where Zurich personnel were present. But none of those excuses changed Harvards obligation to provide notice in full compliance with the terms of the policy, the judge ruled. The university has been defending its admissions policy against a lawsuit brought by Students for Fair Admissions filed in 2014 and a Department of Justice investigation launched in 2017. Both the primary and excess policies covered claims made during the year ended November 2015 provided Harvard notified the insurers by January 2016. While $25 million of costs to date have been covered under the National Union Fire Insurance Co. primary liability policy, the university wanted its $15 million excess insurance policy issued to pick up costs above that amount. But Zurich denied coverage because Harvard missed the deadline for notifying it of its claim. Zurich said notice to the primary insurer did not satisfy its notice requirement. Harvard, Zurich Insurance At Odds Over $15M Coverage for Admissions Program Defense Harvard said its defense costs consist of legal fees and expenses, costs associated with electronic discovery vendors, expert witness fees and court costs. The school said it has incurred and will continue to accrue defense costs. The SFFA has contended that Harvard Colleges student admissions program uses race in a way that violates the federal Title VI civil rights act and unfairly discriminates against Asian American applicants. Harvard succeeded in winning judgment on all counts after a three-week trial. SFFA appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, which in November 2020 ruled in favor of Harvard and upheld the district courts decision. The SFFA appeal was heard by the U.S. Supreme Court just last week and the DOJ Investigation is still pending. Everest Re Group Ltd., the Bermuda-based re/insurer, has unveiled a refreshed brand, including a new logo and visual identity reflecting its positioning and commitment to underwrite opportunity for colleagues, customers, shareholders, and communities worldwide. There has never been a more exciting time to be part of the Everest community, and today that pride is palpable among our global colleagues who inspired our brand and shape our companys future, commented Juan C. Andrade, president and chief executive officer of Everest. From the reimagined mountain to the digitally optimized logo and design system, our refreshed brand honors Everests core values, growth, and strong performance in a contemporary reflection of who we are, where we are headed, and our mission to provide protection and opportunity in an increasingly complex risk environment, he added. Everest executives are interviewed in a film, which the company produced to accompany the launch. Never before has the work we do been more consequential, making this the perfect moment to unveil our brand evolution, continued Andrade. The brand evolution comes at a pivotal time for our company and stakeholders as Everest continues to diversify and progress as a top performing investor and customer platform in the P&C market, Andrade continued. We are expanding our primary insurance business to benefit more people and places worldwide, while simultaneously building on our position as a preeminent global reinsurance leader and preferred partner. Our ability to consistently deliver outstanding service and unmatched risk solutions, coupled with our strong, inclusive culture sets Everest apart. While modeling risk is the core of our business, humanity is the spirit that drives it. We are proud of how our refreshed brand brings this powerful value proposition to life, he said. This announcement comes on the heels of the companys recent move to expand its primary insurance operations in Europe with the official opening of two new branches in Paris, France and Dusseldorf, Germany. Everest will continue to advance its international expansion plans, with a third European branch opening in Madrid, Spain, this year, which follows its recent growth in Chile and Singapore. Source: Everest Re Topics Underwriting DETROIT (AP) The family of Porter Burks, a Black man fatally shot during an early morning confrontation with Detroit police, is suing the city for $50 million, their lawyer announced Tuesday. Five unnamed officers also are named in the wrongful death lawsuit filed Tuesday by attorney Geoffrey Fieger. It claims gross negligence and assault and battery, among other things. Burks Oct. 2 death was recorded by police body cameras as officers pleaded with him to drop a knife he was carrying. They initially were called to a home on the west side about a knife-wielding man who was having a mental health crisis and spoke to a man who identified himself as Burks brother. The man said Burks had slashed the tires on his car. Drop the knife for me, man. Come here real quick. Youre OK, a member of the Detroit Police Departments crisis intervention team can be heard telling Burks. Youre not in any trouble. Can you just talk to me and drop the knife? Youre not in any trouble, OK? the officer continued. I just want to help you. I just want to help you, man. OK? Can you just drop the knife for me please? Please? Whatever youre going through, I can help you. Burks _ who police say had schizophrenia _ was shot as he sprinted toward officers from the middle of the street. Police officials have said 38 shots were fired in three seconds. Burks was struck 19 times, according to an autopsy report provided Tuesday by Fieger. Detroit police are conducting an internal administrative probe into the shooting, and the officers who fired shots at Burks have been placed on administrative leave. State police are also investigating and are expected to submit their findings to the Wayne County prosecutors office. Police Chief James White told reporters at a news conference two days after Burks was shot that the mental health crisis in Detroit and around the nation is real. The Detroit Police Department will continue advocating for mental health resources, White said Tuesday in response to the lawsuit. The department also will take every opportunity to improve its response to people suffering from mental illness, White said in a statement. We firmly believe that if appropriate mental health facilities and treatment plans had been available, this situation may have been avoided, he said. Regrettably, the (department) remains the primary emergency response service for individuals suffering from mental health emergencies. On June 26, Burks was admitted to a Detroit hospital psychiatric ward after he was found walking in his neighborhood looking to fight someone, police said. He escaped two days later in hospital garb and was arrested by officers as he ran in and out of traffic. In August 2020, he stabbed his 7-year-old stepsister in the neck. That March, he stabbed his sister in the neck and his brother in the head. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Lawsuits Law Enforcement ST. LOUIS (AP) A St. Louis jury has ruled that Ford Motor Co. and other companies must pay $6 million to a Missouri family over claims that a womans death was caused by exposure to asbestos, including from dust generated during brake repairs. Linda Behling of Springfield died of mesothelioma at age 70 in 2019. Late Monday, jurors sided with Behlings husband, son and daughter after a trial that lasted more than two weeks. Behling and her husband worked at manufacturing companies in the Springfield area, and the lawsuit alleged that work was connected to her illness. Lawyers for the family said Ford failed to provide warning that asbestos was present in dust created during repairs of vehicle brakes. Ford attorneys said Behlings exposure to the dust was limited and the family failed to prove it contributed to her illness. A statement from Ford offered sympathy to the family but said an appeal is planned. In another case heard in St. Louis in March, a jury awarded $20 million to a St. Louis County man who sued Ford. William Trokey claimed exposure to asbestos while fixing Ford brakes as a gas station mechanic in the 1960s led to his mesothelioma. Ford appealed that verdict. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Lawsuits Missouri Improved and more sophisticated risk management in the cannabis industry warrant reduced insurance costs and more capacity, says the head of risk management at one of the cannabis industrys best-know publicly traded companies. Karl Long is senior director of risk management for Trulieve Cannabis Corp., a publicly traded provider in the medical and recreational cannabis and CBD products space. Long, whos company spends millions on premiums, said he was recently prompted to thank an insurer for providing coverage. We are absolutely past the point where there should be punitive pricing, punitive rate schemes, and we dont have any need to thank traditional capital markets for coming in and taking that kind of chunk of our earnings if were running correctly, Long said. And again, thats where the operational excellence comes in. Were a very good risk. Were exceedingly profitable, and I can speak to line-by-line of coverage. He made the comment during a panel discussion with Roy Bingham, CEO of cannabis data provider BDSA, and Morgan Fox, political director or NORML. They were among more than 30 speakers appearing during Insuring Journals annual virtual Insuring Cannabis Summit on Oct. 26 and 27. The two-day event featured panels on cannabis laws and lawsuits, a panel with carriers, insuring cannabis market intelligence, experts tackling tough questions, and a large roundtable panel. The panel kicked off the summit, and it offered an overview of cannabis data, politics, and cannabis risk management. Long also gave insurance sellers tips for dealing with a buyer like him, and he explained how his firm chooses insurance partners, which starts with identifying best in class expertise with our broker team. And what I mean by that is we need bandwidth, Long said. We need support, whether its, health, safety and environmental support, whether its really taking our gross data and getting simple things like payroll by class, whether its looking at our mod and seeing the mistakes there, whether its bringing in a chief underwriting officer and giving us the opportunity, quite frankly, to educate that person, and have the opportunity to have that direct dialogue. Long added: So, from a broker standpoint, forget the transaction, deliver value, support, expertise and bandwidth for us to improve our operation from seed to sale. Its not rocket science. Bingham gave a rundown of what BDSA expects for the remainder of the year and next year. He said 2022 is expected to end with cannabis sales of $27.1 billion, a growth at the national level of 7%. That is a slower pace than growth has been in prior years, according to Bingham. He blamed more mature markets, mostly on the West Coast, for the slowdown. Numerous West coast markets have seen significant price erosion this year. So, sales volumes have maintained, though not grown very much in California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, but prices have declined, Bingham said. A cannabis glut in these markets could eventually filter down into the insuring cannabis business. However, newer markets like Montana and New Mexico, contributed to the overall growth, according to Bingham. He said the trend of softness and declines in the industry is due in part to macroeconomic factors, but the biggest driver was steep cannabis price erosion, a byproduct of excess supply in many markets. Politics have also played a role in the cannabis industrys health. Stocks recently surged following an announcement from the Biden Administration of a major cannabis policy change. Fox discussed the industry and the policy change, as well as the upcoming election, which has the potential to yield five new states legalizing adult-use cannabis. Initiatives are being voted on in Arkansas, Maryland, Missouri, and North and South Dakota. A legalization sweep would put nearly 50% of the U.S. population in a state where cannabis is legal for adults, Fox noted. So, while some of those states are just right on the brink, overall, the polling is looking pretty good for most of them, particularly in states like Maryland, Fox said. He also talked about federal legalization in the wake of Bidens move in early October to pardon people who were convicted solely of cannabis offenses and calling on states to follow suit. The President gave us a very big gift in terms of being able to move legislation forward by not only providing relief for the thousands of people that will be directly impacted by federal pardons for simple possession, but also by urging state governors to begin to expedite and facilitate their own expungement of programs, of which roughly 20 states are already doing, creating better environments for regulated cannabis markets in those states, Fox said. He said Bidens move may not prompt the immediate action federal legalization and decriminalization advocates want, but it calls attention to the fact that cannabis does not belong on Schedule 1. The change in policy, a growing number of states legalizing cannabis, healthy and prospering businesses, better risk management practices that call for lower rates and more capacity, and a favorable political environment, all point to an industry that is becoming more legitimate in the eyes of society, the speakers agreed. What is legitimacy? I believe its conforming to a set of rules or regulations or its legal. If you are legal, youre legitimate. If you conform to rules, youre legitimate, Long said. Well, on both those, the answer to both those questions is a resounding clear Yes. We are very much legitimate, and we are growing moremainstream by the minute. Topics Cannabis New You can now listen to Insurance Journal articles! An experienced analyst working at the National Security Agency developed a surveillance project about a decade ago that resulted in the unauthorized targeting and collection of private communications of people or organizations in the US, newly unearthed documents show. An investigation into the matter, which hasnt been previously reported, found that the analyst acted with reckless disregard and violated numerous rules and possibly the law, according to a 2016 report by the NSAs Office of Inspector General. The agency released the report in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. The inspector generals report sheds new light on unauthorized surveillance and lax oversight at a secretive agency whose global eavesdropping methods have faced intense scrutiny for vacuuming up massive amounts of data including on Americans, who are protected by US law from being surveilled without authorization. The IGs investigation unfolded as the first news stories were being published based on leaked classified documents from former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. The inspector generals report also reveals how a single analyst was given relatively free rein to develop a surveillance technique that many of his superiors didnt understand. And it shows the lengths to which whistleblowers inside the agency went to get their allegations taken more seriously. The full report is here. Many details about the analysts project arent known. The inspector general deemed the analysts action egregious in hindsight but noted he got conflicting guidance, told by some officials that his activities were acceptable and told by others to stop. The February 2016 report, which spans more than 400 pages and had been classified top secret, is heavily redacted. Its not known if the analystor anyone elsewas held accountable for what the inspector general described as potentially illegal surveillance. The NSA didnt respond to specific questions about the report, including whether any action was taken against the analyst. But an NSA spokesperson provided a statement saying that the agency is fully committed to the rigorous and independent oversight provided by the NSA Inspector Generals Office. The NSA operates in a culture of compliance to ensure that NSAs foreign intelligence mission is conducted in accordance with all applicable laws, regulations and procedures, the spokesperson said. The analyst said he was working on a SIGDEV effort, according to the report. That is short for signals intelligence development, aimed at finding and improving new avenues for eavesdropping. Two former NSA officials who reviewed the report told Bloomberg News that he appeared to be developing a new surveillance tool to improve spying methods that had scooped up Americans communications. The former officials asked not to be named in order to discuss sensitive intelligence information. The inspector generals investigation was sparked by two whistleblowers in May 2013. The analyst was taken aback by criticism of his work and vigorously defended it. Nonetheless, he told an investigator he had been proceeding with his project in a kind of [by the] seat of the pants mode and that it was kind of dangerous and unknown territory, according to the report. The probe began a month before the first news stories appeared based on Snowdens leaks. Those stories revealed a massive, warrantless program to collect Americans phone records, map mobile phone locations worldwide and undermine encryption, and they came out at a time when the agency was already facing criticism for its expansion of surveillance capabilities after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. There is no indication in the inspector generals report that the events are related to NSA activities and programs revealed in the Snowden documents, which had been secretly authorized. However, the inspector generals investigation occurred during a period in which the NSA was under intense pressure to address alleged wrongdoings. Jon Callas, director of public interest technology at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a group that defends civil liberties in the digital space, said the episode showed there was loud and vocal dissent inside the agency. Noting failings of NSA oversight, Callas said the report also appeared to show the NSAs internal systems had permitted whistleblowers to object when they found irregularities. Provided an oral summary of the reports findings, retired Gen. Keith Alexander, who was director of the NSA from 2005 to 2014, told Bloomberg News, 99.99% of the people at the NSA are trying to do the right thing. When somebody does the wrong thing, we find them, and we hold them accountable. Snowden, who reviewed the report, said through his lawyer that the subject of the investigation clearly violated the law and the US Constitution. When I said in 2013 that while I was at the NSA I could pull the communications of anyone who passed through our netincluding Americansofficials hotly contested the claim and a lot of folks believed them, he said. But it was true, as the NSA itself secretly acknowledges. Defenders of broad surveillance authorities always insist that Americans dont have to worry because our intelligence agencies are tightly constrained by law and policy, Snowden added. But time and again weve seen that when laws are violated and powers are abused, no one is held legally accountable. The NSA is primarily responsible for conducting foreign eavesdropping but can sometimes conduct such surveillance inside the US with a valid court order from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, known as FISA court, or approval from senior government officials. The inspector generals investigation found that the NSA analyst didnt have a valid court order or other authorization to conduct his classified work. The redacted report didnt provide the name of the analyst. The identities of the whistleblowers and most of the other people involved in the probe were also withheld. In remarks to an investigator, the analyst said the foreign intelligence purpose behind his new technique was to make the collection system healthier, the analytic process richer and the system more efficient. The inspector general found that by allegedly targeting Americans communications without authorization and failing to flag the issue, the analyst violated several of the NSAs bedrock rules and may have violated the lawspecifically provisions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that refer to spying on Americans on home soil and abroad. Those conclusions were reported to the signals intelligence division, the NSA general counsels office and other NSA offices for further action. Senator Ron Wyden, who is on the Senate Intelligence Committee and has spearheaded surveillance reforms, told Bloomberg News in a statement: This report further confirms that intelligence agencies sometimes commit abuses and violations. Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon, has been pressing intelligence officials for details on its surveillance methods for years, including during a congressional hearing on March 12, 2013, just before the allegations against the analyst were first raised. In that hearing, Wyden asked then-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper if the NSA was collecting any type of data at all on millions or hundreds of millions of Americans. No sir, Clapper responded, in comments he later admitted were misleading. Not wittingly. Reached for comment, Clapper said he had no knowledge of the case. But he said it illustrates the challenges the NSA faces in balancing intelligence collection with the protection of Americans civil liberties and privacy. Less than two weeks before Clappers testimony, concerns about the analysts work were raised by a colleague. In an email that is attached to the inspector generals report and heavily redacted, the analyst responded that his management was aware of what he is doing and dismissed the accusations as purely hypothetical. How is my allegation purely hypothetical? the colleague responded, adding, Our duty is DO NO HARM. Over the next two months, one of the whistleblowers, a global network analyst, exchanged a flurry of emails and phone calls with NSA officials reiterating concerns about the analysts project. That person was told there wasnt enough hard evidence to back up the claims. Frustrated by the inaction, in early May, the global network analyst and a colleague took their concerns to NSAs inspector general, according to the report. We believe that since October 2011 he has collected or attempted to collect a large volume of phone numbers without any foreign intelligence purpose, the whistleblowers explained and detailed additional concerns, some of which were redacted. The analyst took umbrage with colleagues who reported his actions, saying they came to him only after filing a complaint. Some colleagues, eh? I did not suddenly, or ever, decide to intentionally target US [redacted] persons, the analyst wrote in a June 26, 2013 email, when questioned about his surveillance project. This is a complicated process because the [redacted] world has become far more complicated than what it was in the old [redacted] days. On Feb. 12, 2016, then NSA Inspector General George Ellard sent a five-page memo to the director of the NSAs signals intelligence office that characterized the analysts work as potentially illegal. The letter included recommendations to address the matter, which were redacted. As a result, its unclear what actions may have been taken. While its not clear what happened to the analyst, he did make his feelings known about the allegations against him. Well now I know better, he wrote to investigators. I have NO intention of getting involved in this again. Period. Photo: Edward Snowden in 2013. Photographer: Handout/Getty Images Europe Copyright 2022 Bloomberg. New You can now listen to Insurance Journal articles! Twenty-one people in nine states were arrested and charged Nov. 2 with their roles in conspiracies to steal catalytic converters from vehicles across the country and sell them for profit. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, law enforcement from the federal, state, and local levels were involved in a coordinated takedown of thieves, dealers, and processors of the valuable piece of a vehicles exhaust system containing precious metals like palladium, platinum, and rhodium. The part can be stolen in less than one minute. The DOJ said it seeks forfeiture of over $545 million from the cases involving 21 people charged in 2 federal indictments in California and Oklahoma. More than 32 warrants were also executed, and law enforcement seized millions of dollars in assets, including homes, bank accounts, cash, and luxury vehicles. To put into perspective how lucrative the theft of catalytic converters can be, the DOJ said one family in Sacramento, California bought the stolen parts from an alleged unlicensed business run out of their home, and shipped them to DG Auto Parts, with multiple locations in New Jersey. The family allegedly sold over $38 million in stolen catalytic converts to DG Auto, the DOJ said. The operators of DG Auto then extracted the precious metals from the core of the stolen catalytic converters from California and other states to a metal refinery for over $545 million, authorities added. In March, State Farm released some startling stats on claims involving catalytic converts. State Farm said it paid $62.6 million for 32,265 catalytic converter theft claims nationally. The cost to replace a stolen catalytic converter can easily top $1,000. This national network of criminals hurt victims across the country, said FBI Director Christopher Wray, in a statement. They made hundreds of millions of dollars in the processon the backs of thousands of innocent car owners. Todays charges showcase how the FBI and its partners act together to stop crimes that hurt all too many Americans. Related: Topics Trends Fraud New You can now listen to Insurance Journal articles! A Moodys Investors Service Report shows that 16 sectors holding $4.3 trillion in rated debt are exposed to high or very high environmental credit risk. Thats more than twice as much as when the Paris Agreement was announced in 2015, and it constitutes an increasing share of Moodys total rated debt universe, the rating agency said this week. Debt held by sectors exposed to heightened environmental credit risks is rising as a share of our total rated debt universe, indicating that environmental considerations are increasingly pressuring issuers credit profiles and will continue to do so, said Ram Sri-Saravanapavaan, vice president senior analyst, ESG at Moodys Investors Service. The $4.3 trillion figure is a 27% increase in rated debt facing heightened environmental risk from 2020, and a 109% increase since the Paris Agreements unveiling in 2015, according to Moodys. Sectors with high or very high environmental credit risk account for 5.1% of total rated debt outstanding, which is up from 4.2% in 2020. Six sectors face very high overall environmental risks. They are: coal mining and coal terminals, chemicals, mining (metals and other materials excluding coal), independent exploration and production, integrated oil and gas, and refining and marketing. In 2020, only coal mining and coal terminals faced very high environmental credit risk. Now, 10 sectors face high environmental credit risk, according to Moodys. California California is in a rough spot due to climate change, according to a new report that paints a bleak picture of the impacts of global warming on the nations most populous state. California is experiencing a climate crisis that is increasingly taking a toll on the health and well-being of its people and on its unique and diverse ecosystems, the report states. Every Californian has suffered from the effects of record high temperatures, dry winters, prolonged drought, and proliferating wildfires in recent years. Californias biodiversity is threatened as alterations to habitat conditions brought about by a changing climate are occurring at a pace that could overwhelm the ability of plant and animal species to adapt. That assessment comes from the fourth edition of the Indicators of Climate Change in California report, which tracks changes in the states climate and its impacts on the state. The report is produced by the California Environmental Protection Agencys Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. The report shows that since 1895, Californias annual average air temperatures have increased by roughly 2.5 degrees Fahrenheit, while warming occurred at a faster rate beginning in the 1980s. Eight of the 10 warmest years on record occurred between 2012 and 2022, according to the report. Drought conditions have also become more frequent and intense as well. In California and across the Southwestern United States, 2000 to 2021 has been the driest 22-year period over the past 1,000 years, part of what scientists call an emerging megadrought era, the report states. GFANZ A group of financial services firms is calling for G20 governments to detail their climate plans. The coalition of financial firms led by former Bank of England Governor Mark Carney called on G20 governments to raise climate ambitions and to detail their plans to decarbonize their economies, Reuters reported in an article on Insurance Journal this week. The coalition, called Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero, urged policymakers to publish transition plans with and provide clarity about the policies that would be enacted to support them. While finance is very much leaning into the challenge of supporting the transition to net zero, you cant be a substitute for government action, Alice Carr, executive director of public policy at GFANZ, told Reuters. GFANZ is led by a group of business leaders representing major firms across the financial sector. Michael Bloomberg, a UN special envoy on climate ambition and solutions, and Carney, a UN special envoy for climate action and finance, are GFANZ co-chairs. Mary Schapiro serves as the vice chair and head of the secretariat. GFANZ plans to be at COP27, the UN climate change conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, this month. Agricultural Practices Farming practices must change, or they risk destroying the planet, a new report warns. The report covered in the Guardian on Thursday highlights the key message in the report: food companies and governments need to work together to change the worlds agricultural practices. The report by a taskforce within the Sustainable Markets Initiative, a group of CEOs from companies like Bayer, Mars, and PepsiCo, focused on climate issues, calls for more regenerative farming practices that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote soil health and water conservation. Such practices must triple by 2030 to have any chance of keeping temperature increased under 1.5C, according to The Guardian article. We are at a critical tipping point where something must be done, taskforce chair and outgoing Mars CEO, Grant Reid, told The Guardian. The interconnection between human health and planetary health is more evident than ever before. He added that large food companies and agriculture must play a big part in changing the status quo. It wont be easy, but we have got to make it work, he added. Past columns: Topics Trends Pollution FedEx Corp. said it will challenge what may be the largest-ever jury verdict won by a worker suing over racial bias, $366 million awarded to a Black former saleswoman who claimed the company fired her after she complained about discrimination. The company will appeal the verdict and ask the trial judge to reduce the damages, it said Tuesday in a filing following the Oct. 25 jury award of $1.16 million in compensatory damages and $365 million in punitive damages. FedEx believes ultimate compensatory and punitive damages and pre- and post-judgment interest up to $75 million will be covered by insurance, subject to a retention of up to $10 million, the company said in the filing. An immaterial loss reserve below that retention has been recorded in its consolidated financial statement, it said. FedEx shares fell 1.3% Tuesday to close at $158.19 in New York. The stock is down about 39% this year. Unfair Treatment Claim The plaintiff, identified as Jennifer Harris, contends that she was treated unfairly at the workplace and wrongfully discharged on account of her race, the judge said while giving the jury instructions, according to a document of court records. The trial was held in federal court in southern Texas. FedEx claimed she was fired because of poor performance, according to the document. But the jury favored Harris, who alleged the companys human resource department ignored her discrimination complaint and that her boss then retaliated by firing her. She claimed the harassment was constant, obscene, obnoxious, shocking to the conscience of the ordinary person. FedEx does not engage in or tolerate retaliation, the company said Tuesday in an e-mailed statement. We followed our protocols for performance management with Ms. Harris and are confident that we acted properly regarding her termination. Large punitive damage awards are often scaled back by judges or appeals courts when they are found to be disproportionate to compensatory damages. The actual payout for the case could take a while if judged by another large jury award against FedEx that culminated with the company paying $370 million to plaintiffs and their lawyers in July for a 2012 fatal accident in New Mexico. FedEx fought that jury award, which was originally $160 million in damages but grew because of accrued interest. Fedex had appealed all the way the New Mexico Supreme Court but ultimately lost the case. With assistance from Madlin Mekelburg. Photo: Bloomberg Copyright 2022 Bloomberg. New You can now listen to Insurance Journal articles! This article was updated Nov. 6, 2022 to include more information from FEMA and Neptune Flood Insurance. Researchers at North Carolina State University have added their voices to the growing number of people who say that federal flood maps are inadequate and misleading, causing thousands of homeowners to avoid needed flood insurance. In fact, only about 4% of homeowners nationwide have flood insurance a problem that can be largely attributed to the flood maps created by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, reads the report, based on research by Georgina Sanchez, a research associate at NC States Center for Geospatial Analytics. Hurricane Ian put a stark spotlight on the issue when it caused widespread storm surge and inland flooding across parts of Florida in late September and into mid-October. Thousands of homeowners were flooded in the storm and its aftermath, but few carried flood coverage through FEMAs National Flood Insurance Program or through private carriers, reports have indicated. The FEMA flood maps show designated flood zones, known as special flood hazard areas, that are considered most susceptible to a so-called 100-year flood event. Most federally backed mortgages require homeowners in those areas to purchase flood insurance. But outside of those zones, but still in low-lying and vulnerable areas, flood insurance is not strictly required, prompting many property owners to forego policies, even though coverage can cost less than $2,000 a year on average, experts have said. The NC State study echoes what some private flood insurance companies and other research has found in recent years. The FEMA maps are wrong and FEMA knows it, said Trevor Burgess, CEO of Neptune Flood, one of the largest providers of private flood insurance in the country. A Rice University report in 2020 reached similar conclusions, noting that almost twice as many properties are at risk from a 100-year flood than the maps indicate. First Street Foundation also has done modeling that rates flood risks for properties around the country, showing many more flood-stricken areas than the FEMA maps show. And NC State researchers earlier this year used artificial intelligence to predict where flood damage was likely to occur in the United States. That study found that FEMA flood maps underestimate the extent of flood risk by about 790,000 square miles. Were seeing that theres a lot of flood damage being reported outside of the 100-year floodplain, said the studys lead author, Elyssa Collins, a doctoral candidate at the NC State Center for Geospatial Analytics. There are a lot of places that are susceptible to flooding, and because theyre outside the floodplain, that means they do not have to abide by insurance, building code and land-use requirements that could help protect people and property. Collins worked with Sanchez on the latest report, which used computer models, flood damage reports and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data from 2006 to 2020. The researchers compared the information with the 2020 FEMA flood maps and found that more than two-thirds of the damage reports came from outside of the maps high-risk flood zones. Much has been written about FEMAs Risk Rating 2.0, an update to the criteria used to help determine flood premiums for NFIP policies. The rating system, implemented starting in 2021, is designed to make property ratings more precise and make flood insurance costs more equitable reducing premiums for some properties in less vulnerable areas, and raising costs for those in the most flood-prone spots. But Sanchez report notes that FEMA is using RR 2.0 to improve estimates only for properties within the already-designated high-risk flood zones. A FEMA official confirmed that RR 2.0 does not expand the special flood hazard areas on the maps. Apart from the new rating system, the FEMA flood maps also do not account for the growing risk from higher rainfall amounts, sea-level rise, the impact of urban development, and other factors. FEMAs designation of high-risk flood zones can mislead communities about their actual risk and encourage development that borders the floodplain, resulting in greater damages when flood events exceed design levels, Sanchez said in the report. FEMA leaders have recognized some of the issues. David Maurstad, senior official of FEMAs Office of Resilience and senior executive of the National Flood Insurance Program, said in a statement to Insurance Journal that homeowners outside of the designated flood zones should always evaluate the need for flood insurance because flooding happens outside of high-risk areas. The agency would not comment directly on the NC State report, but officials have said that FEMA is moving away from a binary depiction of in or out of flood areas. In the works is a graduated scale of risk that property owners can someday use to measure flood risk. FEMAs assistant administrator for risk management, Michael Grimm, testified to a U.S. House committee about it in 2020. For now, the FEMA website shows that property owners can petition the agency to reconsider a special flood hazard designation, but no path appears available for those who want to be included in flood zones. Flood writers have, however, said they have seen an increase in Florida property owners requesting flood insurance. Neptune reported a record sales month in October for Florida, but many in the state remain without coverage. People in the Florida property insurance industry breathed a small sigh of relief after it became clear that much of the damage from Hurricane Ian was the result of flooding, something that most property policies dont cover. But some have suggested that wider adoption of flood insurance would also help P/C insurers reduce litigation costs. Without flood coverage, ruined homeowners may feel they have little choice but to duke it out with their insurer over whether the damage was from wind or water. A few industry activists have suggested requiring all Florida Citizens Property Insurance policyholders, everywhere in the state, to also obtain flood insurance. The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association, a program similar to Florida Citizens, has for years mandated that some homeowners also purchase flood. That requirement appears to be limited to properties in the highest-risk flood zones, similar to what most mortgage companies already require. Another idea that private flood carriers have pushed for seems to be stalled in the rulemaking process for the last two years. That rule would allow federally backed mortgages to accept private flood insurance, not just NFIP, which could make some policies more affordable, with higher coverage limits, a Neptune Flood official said. Others have suggested that the federal government should provide flood insurance automatically, at no charge, to all mortgagees. The NC State report said researchers are now working to create computer simulations that can show how annual flooding probabilities may change under various climate-change scenarios. The simulations will provide land-use planners across the country with computationally efficient predictions of flood risk that can be rapidly updated as conditions change or new data becomes available, Sanchez said in the report. Map: This map from NC State researchers shows the extent of development (in gray) that is just outside of FEMAs high-risk flood zones. A map produced by the New York Times shows Hurricane Ians storm surge and flooding covered almost the entire areas in gray, in Cape Coral and Port Charlotte, at a depth of at least six feet. Topics Flood New You can now listen to Insurance Journal articles! Gov. Henry McMaster has asked President Joe Biden to authorize a disaster declaration to help with Hurricane Ian recovery efforts in South Carolina, his office said Tuesday. The South Carolina Emergency Management Division and the Federal Emergency Management Agency found that 17 homes were destroyed, 232 homes had major damage and 82 had minor damage because of the storm which came ashore near Georgetown on Sept. 30 with much weaker winds than when it crossed Floridas Gulf Coast earlier that week. Still, the storm left many areas of Charlestons downtown peninsula under water. It also washed away parts of four piers along the coast, including two at Myrtle Beach. Ongoing assessments determined Ian cost state and local agencies more than $25 million. If the White House grants the request, the declaration would provide direct financial aid to residents who incurred uninsured damages to their property in Charleston, Georgetown and Horry counties through the FEMA Individual Assistance Program, according to the news release. State and local government agencies and eligible non-profits in Berkeley, Charleston, Clarendon, Georgetown, Horry, Jasper and Williamsburg counties also would qualify for reimbursement of some storm-related costs through the Public Assistance Program. FEMA pays 75% of this aid. The division of the remaining 25% will be determined at a later date. The request, if approved, may also make disaster relief programs available through the Small Business Administration, along with FEMA Hazard Mitigation Program grants to help lessen the impact of future disasters, the release said. Photo: South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (AP) Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics South Carolina New You can now listen to Insurance Journal articles! A month after federal regulators hit Dollar General stores with $1.6 million in fines for safety violations, the retailer now faces an additional $2.7 million in penalties for similar problems in Alabama, Florida and Georgia. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration said this week that the latest infractions are part of a long-standing history of unsafe practices at the low-cost stores, which have repeatedly put workers in danger. Since 2017, the agency has issued more than $12 million in fines for workplace safety violations at Dollar General sites. In the latest round, OSHA inspectors last spring and summer found 31 violations at Dollar General stores in Dothan, Clay and Odenville in Alabama; in Darien and West Point, Georgia; and in Panama City Beach, Florida. Dollar General has shown a pattern of alarmingly willful disregard for federal safety standards, choosing to place profits over their employees safety and well-being, said Doug Parker, assistant secretary for occupational safety and health. Neighborhood stores exist to support the needs of their communities the same communities in which many Dollar General employees live and that support must include following laws designed to keep workers safe from preventable injuries or worse. The latest violations, similar to those found at Dollar General stores across the country, include: Failing to label, mount, or make fire extinguishers accessible. Storing boxes in front of electrical panels, increasing the risk of fire and electrical hazards. Failing to use exit signs to facilitate safe egress in the event of an emergency. Exposing workers to electrocution by not keeping unused openings in electrical cabinets closed. Not providing handrails on stairs where required. Dollar General has 15 business days to comply, request an informal conference with OSHAs area director, or to contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. Some of the previous citations are now in litigation, OSHA said. Those previous citations: In October 2022, inspections at four locations in Alabama, Florida and Georgia uncovered numerous hazards, leading $1.7 million in penalties. In August, inspections at three other Georgia locations resulted in $1.3 million in fines for exposing workers to fire, electrical, and entrapment hazards by failing to keep exit routes and electrical panels unobstructed. In February, OSHA filed for $1 million in penalties after inspections found similar hazards at three Alabama stores and at one in Dalton, Georgia. In December 2021, an inspection in Mobile, Alabama led to $321,827 in penalties for exposing workers to slip and trip hazards, and not keeping the main storeroom orderly to allow a safe exit in an emergency. Dollar General representatives could not be reached for comment Thursday morning. Based in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, Dollar General Corp. and Dolgencorp LLC operates about 18,000 stores and 17 distribution centers in 47 states and employs more than 150,000 workers, OSHA noted in a news release. Topics Workers' Compensation Commercial Lines Business Insurance Newfront, the tech-driven insurance brokerage based in San Francisco, announced that former Microsoft leader Greg Kaplan, CFA, will serve as senior vice president over its award-winning retirement services team. Kaplan joins Newfront from Specialized Bicycle Components, an innovative bicycle manufacturer, where he was head of strategic finance and operations. He brings 15 years of experience in the financial industry and spent nearly a decade on the finance team at Microsoft, where he developed deep financial market expertise managing multi-billion-dollar investment and hedging portfolios. Woodruff Sawyer, one of the largest independent insurance brokerages in the U.S., today announced Todd Dorsey has joined the firm as vice president in the private equity and venture capital group. Before joining Woodruff Sawyer, Dorsey served three years at Lockton, providing risk mitigation solutions for private equity and private equity-backed portfolio companies. In his role, Dorsey will partner with private equity firms, growth equity firms, alternative asset managers, strategic acquirers, family offices, and their portfolio companies on various insurance-related solutions frequently utilized in middle market transactions. Topics California In an Executive Order dated September 25, California Gov. Gavin Newsom directed all agencies of state government to double down on their efforts to address climate change. The governor, state agencies and the Legislature are spending billions of dollars in efforts to address climate change. Many of these efforts, including eliminating fossil fuels, banning the sale gas powered cars and trucks, and mandating all electric homes, are fine for those that can afford them. However, with the highest poverty and homeless rate in the county, these proposals result in a regressive tax on those citizens with low and moderate incomes. Public policymakers in California should instead focus their efforts and budget dollars on the prevention of catastrophic wildfires. Wildfires are the biggest threat to accelerating damage from climate change. Since 2017, wildfires in the state have burnt more than 10 million acres, resulted in over 50 deaths, burned over 30,000 structures, threatened the habitats of protected species, wiped out entire towns, and exposed millions of citizens to the dangers of smoke filled air. A recent study by researchers at UCLA and the University of Chicago found that the 2020 wildfires alone released nearly 140 million tons of carbon dioxide into the air. That is nearly as much greenhouse gas emissions as all the passenger vehicles in California generate in a typical year. Put another way: Between 2003 and 2019, through a variety of measures, California managed to reduce annual carbon emissions by 71 million tons. The 2020 wildfire emissions alone doubled that figure. If you include wildfire emissions from the major wildfire years 2017-2022, it is very likely that all of Californias greenhouse gas emission reductions have been more than wiped out by wildfire emissions. Given these numbers, one would think the state policymakers would be focusing their climate change efforts and budget allocations on the prevention of wildfires. After all, roughly 30 million homes in California are in low to extreme vulnerability to wildfires. More than three-quarters-of-a-million homes are in extreme wildfire areas and these homes have an estimated replacement cost of more than $220 billion dollars. Property insurers in California are reducing their risk profiles or fleeing the state leaving homeowners with a restricted market for homeowners and fire insurance. Unfortunately, this is not the case. The state has allocated billions of its budget dollars to fire suppression, firefighting equipment, technology, and more firefighters, but little money has been allocated to forest maintenance and fire prevention. In fact, prevention of catastrophic wildfires does not make the top five budget items of the governor and the legislature in the last legislative session. According to recent projections released by the non-profit First Street Foundation, the number of California properties facing severe wildfire risk will grow six-fold over the next 30 years when strictly considering the impact of climate change. Any way you look at it, the risk of catastrophic wildfires in California is immense. There are still 160 million dead trees in the forests. The urban interface and brush areas throughout the state are overgrown and dried out due to the ongoing drought. The forests and foothills are overgrown with too many trees which, not only exacerbates the drought, but weakens the trees and make them more prone to infection and death by beetle bark insects. In hindsight, it can be argued that California is making the same mistake that the federal government made in the early 1900s when, after 4 million acres of the West were burned, the decision was made to fund fire suppression rather than spend money on forest resiliency. Even where money has been allocated to preventing fires and forest resiliency the state has not made huge progress in these areas. In an extensive article published by Capitol Radio published in June of 2022, former Cal Fire head Richard Wilson bemoaned the states fumbling of key fire prevention work in recent years. For example, the governor has tasked Cal Fire with preforming 500,000 acres of forest management and fire prevention on lands that are privately owned or controlled by the state. Only a fraction of that work has been done. The lack of substantial fire prevention and forest resiliency work in the state means that California will continue to be subject to catastrophic wildfires year after year. These fires will likely continue offset all the greenhouse gas emission savings the state will achieve from instituting climate change mandates like eliminating gasoline powered cars and trucks, taking away natural gas stoves and HVAC systems, and going to all electric homes. Instead, the Governor and the Legislature should prioritize and fund fire prevention and forest resiliency efforts as at least a Top 5 budget item. Norwood with Norwood Associates is a lobbyist who represents insurance agents, wholesalers and carriers in Sacramento. He earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law and is an active member of the California State Bar. Topics California Catastrophe Natural Disasters Wildfire Climate Change A California judge is allowing a lawsuit to proceed against the Los Angeles Angels over the drug-related death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs. Orange County Superior Court Judge Glenn Salter on Monday rejected the teams motion to dismiss and set the start of a 20-day jury trial for Oct. 2, 2023. Skaggs, 27, was found dead on July 1, 2019, in a hotel room in the Dallas suburb of Southlake on the same day that the Angels were supposed to open a four-game road trip against the Texas Rangers. A coroners report said Skaggs choked to death on his vomit and that a toxic mix of alcohol, fentanyl and oxycodone was in his system. Last month, Eric Kay, a former Angels public relations employee, was sentenced in Texas to 22 years in federal prison after being convicted of conspiracy and distributing the drugs that led to Skaggs death. The trial included testimony from five major league players who said they received oxycodone pills from Kay at various times from 2017-19, the years he was accused of obtaining pills and giving them to players at Angel Stadium. Skaggs widow, Carli Skaggs, sued the Angels for wrongful death and negligent hiring and supervision, alleging that team officials knew Kay was distributing drugs to players but promoted him and allowed him continued access to them. The Angels have denied the accusation, but the judge rejected a request from the team to dismiss the suit, saying, There are enough factual allegations to proceed to trial. Two lawsuits were filed, one in Texas on behalf of Skaggs parents and one in California for his widow. The Angels this year agreed to allow the parents to join the California suit, and the Texas case is expected to be withdrawn. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Lawsuits California Legislation Web Summit chief executive Paddy Cosgrave has said he doesnt see why two journalists whose invitations he had rescinded from the event should be cancelled from the planet. Mr Cosgrave said that he had received a large backlash from journalists regarding the cancelling of Max Blumenthal and Aaron Mate of The Grayzone website since their invitations to speak at the Web Summit were revoked last week. He said that when the event ends there will be time to reflect on the lessons learned from the saga. The Business Post earlier reported that the two reporters had been guests of the tech event at a private dinner in Lisbon on Wednesday night. Mr Cosgrave had made little effort to conceal the fact that the two journalists were in Lisbon, stating that they deserve to be here. The pair had been cancelled from the event at the insistence of the first lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska due to their perceived pro-Russia stance regarding the war in Ukraine. Ms Zelenska was the keynote speaker at the Web Summit launch on Tuesday evening and remained at the event under an intense security operation until Wednesday afternoon. Mr Cosgrave said that the two reporters have never been de-platformed despite their sometimes-controversial reputation, adding: I dont have a good answer for that." He said there is a great sense of collegiality between journalists, who would defend others right to report things as they saw fit. Web Summit should remain a big tent, he said. People should disagree with each other, and they should disagree fiercely. It is a very important subject, theres a balancing act, he said, adding that the event had come under pressure to also cancel renowned American social commentator Noam Chomsky from its speaking lineup on Friday, but had said no way. Not the first controversy It is not the first time the event has courted controversy over its speakers. In 2018, Mr Cosgrave cancelled far-right French politician Marine Le Pen from the Web Summit lineup after a massive backlash over her inclusion, while its inclusion of NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden in 2019 caused a deal of friction with the American government. Mr Cosgrave lauded the success of this years Web Summit, the first time the event has sold out in its 12-year history, and said the feat was especially memorable given Covid had meant the distinct possibility that Web Summit would disappear. The event, which is playing host to over 70,000 attendees in Lisbon, is the largest tech conference for investors and startups in Europe. Mr Cosgrave paid tribute to the positive relationship with the Portuguese government and said that the country is becoming the California of western Europe in terms of its positive relationship with innovation and the tech industry at large. He said he had to particularly credit the Portuguese security services whose procedures had allowed the attendance of guests including Ms Zelenska and the Ukrainian deputy prime minister Mykhailo Fedorov. Figures like the First lady of Ukraine do go places, but not generally to a venue with thousands of people, he said. In Connemara, a mother chats with her childs doctor via a computer screen. In a Waterford shop, the grocery shelves are stocked and more supplies are on the way. In Dublin, a student makes an online rent payment. In Cork, a small business owner dispatches orders to new customers in the Middle East. All those moments along with countless conveniences that pack daily life nowadays happen with the help of datacenters. Purposely nondescript, these warehouses contain tens of thousands of interconnected computer servers plus the equipment needed to ensure the servers are always running, always available. Simply put, they are the physical infrastructure behind cloud computing. And across Europe, Microsoft datacenters are operating around the clock to support a wide spectrum of critical services, from the life-saving work of doctors and first responders to essential services like groceries and online banking. At the same time, datacenters also empower everyday necessities like food deliveries, remote work and video calls to family. Market researchers and energy consultants are calling datacenters critical enablers of modern society including how they foster hybrid work schedules that reduce travel and allow office buildings to use less heat and electricity. Despite the role datacenters play in so many aspects of peoples lives, most people dont give them a second thought. Without datacenter infrastructure, which is the invisible infrastructure, will you still be able to do the things you need for working, resting and playing? Unless youre off grid, the answer is no, youre not going to be able to do any of those things, says Rahiel Nasir, an associate research director at the market research firm IDC. He is based in the U.K. They are critical to our modern society, adds Nasir, a member of IDCs European cloud and cloud data management research programs. Echoing those words, energy advisers Baringa labelled datacenters as essential for modern society the top finding of a July report published by the U.K.-based consultancy. From health care to grocery shopping, from online schools to online banking, its difficult to think of many corners of life that arent dependent on cloud services hosted in datacenters. Microsoft Azure and Microsoft Teams are products that rely on datacenters. In healthcare, hospitals and clinics in Ireland and across Europe rely on Azures cloud capabilities to track patient records, schedule surgeries and engage with patients via telehealth systems. A German software company created an Azure-based solution that has helped more than 600 European health care facilities manage the work schedules of doctors, nurses and other staff. For urgent medical matters, Microsoft datacenters support emergency dispatch services across Europe, including 112-call systems and the mapping platforms that help route emergency vehicles to people in need and to the nearest hospitals. In the world of money, financial services run their risk assessment programs in Azure, helping them to make smarter decisions about where and how to invest. The cloud also enables financial trading systems, a core driver of economic markets. Irish retailers now rely on Microsoft Teams and its cloud-based collaboration functions to communicate with employees in the aisles or checkout lanes. At the back end, datacenters allow retail managers to track stock. NGOs are also using this technology to combat food waste by connecting retailers with local charities, allowing them to donate food on a daily basis. An Irish energy provider is using Azure to monitor power stations to aid the efficient supply of electricity to homes and businesses across the country. And to keep the lights on in shops as well as in thousands of other businesses, hospitals and private homes, European utility providers trust datacenters to carry the critical workloads that help them manage electrical grids. Just looking across that list of industries and all the enablement they provide, datacenters are critical, says Corey Sanders, corporate vice president of Microsoft cloud for industry and global expansion. Across almost every industry manufacturing, transportation, even hospitality there is some aspect of dependency, whether it be legacy services running in the cloud or modern digital transformation capabilities that have been invented in the cloud, Sanders says. These businesses all greatly depend upon the services that are being run in the datacenters. The ability to ensure the cloud meets Europes needs and serves Europes values is also a core part of a new set of European Cloud Principles Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith announced in May of this year, after discussions with a number of European partners. In fact, most European companies now rely on hybrid cloud or external data services or have fully migrated to the cloud, according to Ewa Zborowska, an IDC research director based in Poland, citing IDC research. Whats more, IDC predicts that by 2026, organisations that successfully adopt a data-led approach will generate more than 25% of their revenue from digital products, services or experiences. That was the top forecast in a recent report titled IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Future of Digital Innovation 2022 Predictions. It really is difficult to imagine today a company operating and relying on just what they have in their server room, Zborowska says. (Datacenters are) critical on a country level, a society level, but also critical if you look from the perspective of individual organisations. And for consumers themselves, the modern world would be far more time-consuming and arduous without the conveniences of online purchases and fully stocked shops. This spans products that provide the elements for family meals, cold-weather attire and the latest home repairs in basic terms: food, clothing and shelter. Most items that Europeans buy in stores or online are made by manufacturing plants and transported by shipping companies that rely on the cloud and European datacenters to underpin their operations, Sanders says. Its fair to say many of the items in your house, on your shelves, in your medicine cabinet, in your garage, in your dresser are there right now because of datacenters, Sanders says. Every single product you could think of would basically struggle to get to your front door. Without datacenters, your house doesnt run. Datacenters are also increasingly necessary to making businesses run efficiently. When Ralph Haupter, president of Microsoft Europe, Middle East and Africa, speaks with European CEOs these days, one of the most pressing topics on their minds, he says, involves visualising and gleaning insights from their supply chains. Global supply chains produce massive and diverse data streams. Datacenters help companies make all that data accessible, manageable and insightful to organisations and within organisations to different departments, Haupter says. Data insights mean value creation, which adds to the bottom line. Everything around supply and the information of goods where they are, their capacity, their quality, their path to processing and production is super crucial, Haupter says. Thats particularly vital in Germany where a new law, the Supply Chain Act, requires companies to monitor potential environmental and human rights risks across their supply chains. That is relevant for a lot of companies, Haupter says. In challenging times, businesses are focusing on how to improve the top line (their revenues) and on customer insights. They are focusing on the best ways to engage with the customer and increase the value proposition. They are doing that in more efficient ways by using the right channel to reach customers, by having the best price and best product to reach them. That is all data driven. Inside those same companies, many of the employees who carry out those tasks continue to do their jobs from remote locations. They rely on the cloud to communicate with their colleagues via video calls, virtual meetings, instant messages and file sharing. Those functions the foundation of hybrid work all run through datacenters. If you turn the lights out in your datacenter, you dont have the services required to enable hybrid working, to enable anywhere working, says IDCs Nasir. During the pandemic, hybrid work enabled millions of employees to shift their jobs to their homes or to other remote locations, allowing them to safely distance while helping their companies to thrive. Many hybrid workers have continued to rely on Microsoft Teams to stay connected with colleagues and projects. At Microsoft, that required engineers to expand the Teams platform and services at unparalleled speed and scale, Sanders says. That scale was built on the back of the capacity of our datacenters, Sanders says. Without the backing of our datacenters, the hybrid story would never have been possible. And as we carry forward, hybrid work continues to be not only a reality, but actually a much-improved experience. Indeed, this is about the future of work. Businesses and entire economies are increasingly driven by the benefits of artificial intelligence, machine learning and big data the pillars of the fourth industrial revolution. All those are feeding into this future way of working, Nasir says. And thats where the datacenter comes in because without that solid, reliable, resilient infrastructure in place, the whole thing just collapses. Were back to where we were pre-pandemic and were all [going to] offices and were all commuting. Energy consultants Baringa found that the shift to working, meeting and studying online during the pandemic corresponded with a reduction in transportation emissions in Ireland of almost 2 million metric tons, according to the groups July report. Datacenters are critical enablers of decarbonisation. They meet that moment by supporting wider sustainability efforts and by decarbonising computing, Baringa stated in its report. Their research showed that cloud datacenters can be 80% more energy efficient than traditional onsite services. Whats more, the Microsoft Cloud can be between 22 and 93 percent more energy efficient than traditional datacenters, depending on the specific comparison being made, according to a study Microsoft commissioned from WSP, a global consultancy with expertise in environmental and sustainability issues. Datacenters provide energy efficiency because they centralise the long list of devices and technologies needed to generate computing power from the network to the switches to all that data storage, Haupter says. There is no need for companies to have their own hardware facilities, their own datacenter heating or cooling, their own network, their own backup, their own technology infrastructure, Haupter says. Major cloud companies are also the leading buyers of renewable energy in Europe and the world, according to Baringa. Microsoft is helping to add clean capacity to European energy grids by signing purchase agreements for multiple gigawatts of renewable energy. In Ireland, datacenters are being used to support the growth of renewables on the power grid. With variable renewables due to account for 80% of Irelands electricity by 2030, the grid will increasingly require grid-stabilisation services which are typically provided by fossil fuel power plants. Working with partners Enel X and Eaton, Microsoft is now using its uninterruptable power supply (UPS) batteries within its datacenter in Dublin for real-time interaction with Irelands power grid, helping to replace the need for fossil fuels when demand exceeds the supply generated by wind, solar and other sources. If grid-interactive UPS systems replace the grid services currently provided by fossil fuel power plants in Ireland and Northern Ireland, about two million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions could be avoided in 2025, according to Baringa. Microsofts European datacenters are also taking other steps to be more sustainable. For example, the Microsoft datacenter region in Sweden harvests rainwater for use in the facility while the servers are cooled only with outside air. The Nordic countries lead Europe when it comes to the percentage of companies that rely on that regions datacenters, according to an IDC report published in February and titled Global Cloud Datacenter Providers in Europe. In 2021, the average number of enterprises across the EU using cloud computing was 41%, but in Sweden and Finland that share was 75%, in Denmark it was 65% and in Norway it was 64%, IDC found. As people and organisations in Ireland and across Europe brace for the challenges that lie ahead, its clear that datacenters will remain critical enablers of modern society underpinning hybrid work, supply chains and the delivery of essential services. [Article created in partnership with Microsoft] Features Myanmars Lawyers Face Increasing Junta Threats Lawyers at an anti-regime protest in Mandalay in February 2021. / The Irrawaddy Myanmars defense lawyers for political detainees are facing increased threats from the junta which has carried out arbitrary arrests and extrajudicial killings since last years coup. The junta supporters watch them and encourage their arrest. There were calls for the arrest of a female lawyer who posted condolences on social media after the mother of her jailed client was killed in Octobers blasts and junta shooting at the parcel drop-off at Yangons Insein Prison. Lawyers say they can no longer express compassion for the death of innocent civilians. A pro-junta Telegram post said: Isnt it too dangerous not to do anything to lawyers that support terrorism? Arent you concerned that they would spy on confidential information at government law offices and leak it to terrorist state-destroyers? That lawyer should be interrogated. Her red Facebook profile means she does not care about the current government. Red is the color of the ousted National League for Democracy (NLD). At least 20 lawyers have been charged with terrorism and incitement since the coup for joining anti-regime protests and for having alleged links to the National Unity Government (NUG), which has been labeled a terrorist organization. Among the detained lawyers were Daw Ywet Nu Aung, who was acting for ousted Mandalay Region chief minister Dr. Zaw Myint Maung, and lawyers acting for prominent protest leader Ko Wai Moe Naing from Monywa in Sagaing Region. Some lawyers have been in hiding since arrest warrants were issued. The regime wants to stop lawyers from working by arresting some of them and deterring the others, said a lawyer. It also issued gagging orders about legal cases and clients. The legal team of detained State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was barred from talking to the media, diplomats and international agencies, limiting information about her ongoing trials. Detained lawyers have been forced to kneel with their hands tied behind their backs and have been subjected to obscenities, according to a female lawyer. Soldiers at the interrogation centers do not know whos who. One of my colleagues said they threatened to stamp on his throat and cut off his tongue if it stuck out, she said. They want to inflict psychological trauma and instill fear, she said. Lawyers who are known for acting for free for political detainees are particularly targeted. Another female lawyer said: They threaten lawyers who dare to speak boldly at a trial. I was warned and told to sign a statement that I would not do it again. I thought I would be arrested. It was at the trial at a prison. I was taken away by armed soldiers. They wanted to charge me but they could not find a reason. And they want to know why we represent [political detainees] for free and how we make a living. Many lawyers are struggling financially as they provide free legal services for political detainees. Few clients have money to pay. We try not to neglect people so we take on more cases, said a Yangon lawyer. The clients incur costs with court clerks demanding bribes for services like photocopying. Lawyers are only required to pay 100 kyats per photocopied page but clerks are demanding much larger sums, lawyers said. The Bar Council Act was amended under the NLD government to protect the rights of lawyers but the regime has abolished the right of lawyers to elect the council and enabled the junta to appoint the legal body. Under the amendment, the junta-appointed attorney general and chief justice will appoint the council. The regime has also scrapped a provision that calls for preventing and reducing unnecessary detention in police cells and prison during police work and interrogation and prevent arbitrary arrests. The regime has been ignoring other legal protections. It is prosecuting political detainees at military tribunals where defendants are denied their right to counsel and handed long prison sentences or even the death penalty. A lawyer said: The regime has instructed the courts to imprison them and so they will always get three years, even with a lawyer. It makes little difference. Across the country, I have never seen a political detainee charged with incitement declared innocent and set free. Lawyers continue to accept new clients to serve as a bridge with families who are denied prison visits and provide a level of protection against torture and abuse and help with access to food and medicines. They also want to monitor the regimes behavior. Unfair trials will be revealed in the future and those responsible held accountable, said a lawyer. There will be changes and we want to establish a fine legal tradition, he said. Interview Death from Above: How to Combat Myanmar Juntas Escalating Air Campaign? Burmese-American security expert Dr. Miemie Winn Byrd, left, and Myanmar Air Force defector Zay Thu Aung. The Myanmar juntas campaign of deadly airstrikes in resistance strongholds has sharply escalated in recent weeks, with daily attacks inflicting heavy casualties on resistance forces, ethnic allies and civilians. In exclusive interviews with The Irrawaddy, Dr. Miemie Winn Byrd, a Burmese-American professor at Hawaiis Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies and former US Army lieutenant colonel, and Zay Thu Aung, a Myanmar Air Force defector, talk about their expectations of the juntas air campaign in the coming months and how resistance force can combat the increasingly deadly aerial threat. The Irrawaddy:Myanmar resistance forces and allied ethnic armed groups are facing deadly junta airstrikes that have intensified over the last month in Kachin, Sagaing, Kayah and Karen. The air attacks are expected to escalate in the dry season. What do you foresee in the coming months? Dr. Miemie Winn Byrd: This is the expectation that the regime will increase airstrikes because thats all it has now. They can no longer win on the ground, so air power is the only thing they have left. However, airstrikes are expensive. Each sortie can cost US$200,000 to $350,000 depending on the type of munition used. Given the regimes dire financial and economic condition, a question arises as to how long it can maintain such costly attacks. How will the juntas escalating aerial campaign affect the peoples revolution, which is short of finances and anti-aircraft weapons to defend people? Are there any other options for defense? The revolution is continuing despite the militarys brutal attacks and arrest of Peoples Defense Forces [PDFs] and civilians. A large proportion of Myanmars populace continues to resist and reject the military. Increased attacks by the military have only increased the peoples commitment and resolve to resist and reject military rule. The attacks appear to be fuelling the peoples anger and motivation to reject the military. The Myanmar people will innovate ways to overcome this new development [airstrikes], just as they did with earlier attacks. There are many ways to disrupt an airstrike, in addition to shooting aircraft out of the sky. Aircraft need pilots, fuel, parts, wheels, runways, etc, to fly. If any of these elements are disrupted, they cannot fly. Fuel and parts have to be supplied and transported from somewhere knowing when and where offers clues to areas of vulnerability in the supply chain. The resistance coalition does not need to wait for anti-aircraft missiles. With careful planning, the resistance can disrupt and prevent these aircraft from flying. I believe in the Myanmar peoples ingenuity and capability. What can the civilian National Unity Government, PDFs and allied ethnic forces do to overcome the juntas escalating airstrikes? Closer cooperation, joint operations, joint command, and good intelligence. A growing number of unarmed civilians and children have been killed in the juntas indiscriminate aerial attacks. What can the international community do to prevent further such atrocities? What is happening to unarmed civilians and children is heartbreaking. These war crimes are further proof that the regime military is no longer a professional military organization but has become a militant organized crime syndicate. People both here and abroad cannot tolerate this militant organized crime syndicate in Myanmar. The NUG and Myanmars overseas diaspora community have to speak loud and clear to the international audience. Messages of unity and close cooperation among the resistance coalition are critical in attracting increased assistance from the international community. The Irrawaddy also asked Zay Thu Aung, a former captain in the Myanmar Air Force who defected following the coup. What people can expect from the juntas air campaign in the coming dry season? Zay Thu Aung: Currently, the junta is launching air attacks continuously on resistance forces. And this will only get worse. It will carry out more aerial attacks in the dry season as the skies clear for air reconnaissance missions. It will target base camps of local resistance forces and ethnic allies with aerial bombardment after reconnaissance. Ethnic allies and PDFs not in the front line could be caught off-guard. I believe the regime will bomb at unexpected times, at night or early morning. Why do you think there has been a spike in deadly airborne attacks recently? The juntas air force provides either close support or conducts joint operations with infantry troops. Attacks using the air force alone are called exclusive air missions. These missions usually aim to cut support channels to the enemys administrative mechanism. We could see this type of attack launched on base camps of PDFs and ethnic allies. If we look at the [Oct 23] attack on the KIO anniversary concert, many thought this kind of event wouldnt be targeted because they traditionally attract large crowds from even distant villages. Typically they feature artists, revelers and bystanders. But the regime doesnt care about all those people. If they think the enemy is gathering, they will bomb the event. In their heads, they dont consider whether it is a war crime or not, they only think about making the enemy suffer and gaining an advantage. How much do you think the juntas new focus on air power will affect the revolution? The main factor will be the military strategy of PDF commanders and how well they prepare. No matter how threatening, any weapon is limited in its range and [target] area. We can think of whether to keep people together or separated in camps, and how we can avoid [junta] reconnaissance. We can consider what to do on the ground including precautions and safety measures. I believe that if [resistance] ground commanders think about these things and make plans, it will be difficult for the regimes attacks to be effective. However, the main strength of the military still lies in its army. Once the army collapses, the air force and navy can do nothing. Are there any options for defense against junta airstrikes? We need to have awareness of the air attacks, both on the front lines and behind. Villages must also be aware of the dangers. And the precautions must cover everything from counterattacks, safety measures, and movement of weapons and ammunition to individual duties during the air attacks. And do not assume that they will not attack you. The regime will not launch ground offensives to seize bases because it is short of troops and facing land-mine attacks and ambushes. Thats why it is now focusing more on the air force. In Sagaing region, we rarely see regime troop columns marching around as before. Nowadays, they are stationed in bases and airlifted to surveilled targets, where they launch attacks before being picked up again by helicopters. This is how they raided the Pale Peoples administration hub [on Oct. 25]. They dont leave their people in the area after the attack. What do you know about the regimes air reconnaissance? It deploys UAV [unmanned aerial vehicle] drones and MPU aircraft to monitor targets using EOIR [Electro-Optical and Infrared] systems for night vision and surveillance. With these, it carefully surveys the areas to estimate the number of people, ambush patrols and location. Based on this data, senior officers draft plans and report to their chief of staff, who draw up a detailed scheme of attack. Thats how they launch the [air] attacks. So, we must not think they do not know this place and will not come and attack here. We should put aside that thinking. I urge all of our NUG, ethnic allies and PDFs to be on your guard. Many people expect the resistance to use anti-aircraft weapons against regime airstrikes. What are your thoughts? No matter what anti-aircraft weapons we use, it wont stop them. The regime [leadership] doesnt care about the lives of individual pilots or troops at all, only their own lives. Regime forces will also blindly follow whatever orders they get. So, I dont think anti-aircraft weapons shooting down regime aircraft will do anything to reduce or stop the air attacks. And since it is not easy for us to get anti-aircraft weapons, we need to think strategically about [different] ways to maximize the juntas suffering. Will the junta expand its capacity for aerial attacks? Yes. Russia recently gifted four more Ka-28 submarine-hunter helicopters it had pledged to deliver some time ago. The regime also has two newly arrived Su-30SME jets. And the junta has ordered FTC-2000G midrange fighter jets from China after sending a group of air force pilots to China for training. I urge the international community to help halt delivery of new aircraft, including the FTC-2000Gd and Su-30 jet-fighters, to Myanmar. Burma Australia Considers Myanmar Sanctions Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong in October. / AFP Australias Foreign Minister Penny Wong said sanctions might be imposed on Myanmar as its security and human rights situation deteriorates, although she did not suggest a timeframe. Speaking in Thailand on Wednesday, Wong said the case of jailed Australian economist Sean Turnell was a top priority, according to Reuters. The adviser to ousted State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has been in captivity since shortly after the February 2021 coup. He was sentenced to three years imprisonment in September for allegedly possessing state secrets. Turnell denied the accusations. After he was sentenced, Australias Ministry for Foreign Affairs rejected the ruling and called for his release. It said: We will continue to take every opportunity to advocate strongly for Professor Turnell until he has returned to his family in Australia. Australia has imposed sanctions on individual generals but it has not added any sanctions since the 2021 coup, unlike other democracies. In August the United Nations special envoy to Myanmar Noleen Heyzer asked regime leader Min Aung Hlaing to release the economist as a means to improve bilateral ties with Australia. The junta chief replied that if Australia had taken a positive approach to Myanmar, the regime would not have needed to prosecute Turnell. The regime has now killed more than 2,400 people while launching airstrikes on civilian areas and torching villages across the country. Burma Myanmar Junta-Controlled Innwa Bank Continues to Use Global Financial System: Report Anti-regime protesters stage a sit-in near the Singaporean embassy in Yangon in February 2021, calling on the city-state to freeze the juntas foreign currency reserves reportedly deposited with its commercial banks, including UOB. / The Irrawaddy Despite western sanctions, the junta-controlled Innwa Bank continues to make international transactions, according to groups tracking Myanmars regime-linked businesses. Innwa, owned by junta conglomerate Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC), pays salaries to officers, transfers funds to military units and sustains regime businesses. The United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar reported that Innwa plays an important role in sustaining the juntas economic interests and providing its conglomerates and owners with international financial access. Innwa records released by Distributed Denial of Secrets and Justice For Myanmar (JFM) said Australias ANZ and UOB of Singapore are among the international banks transacting with Innwa. Since US sanctions were announced on Innwa, the Hong Kong-based insurance corporation AIA used ANZ to transfer funds to the bank in August and September 2021. Malaysian company Edotco, which leases telecoms towers to Mytel mobile operator that is partly owned by MEC, also used ANZ for transactions to Innwa in 2021. JFM reported on November 2 that ANZ transactions with Innwa have dodged Australian sanctions. UOB carried out transactions between Chinese-owned Cosco Shipping Lines and MEC in June and July 2021 and between Lamintayar Company Limited, an industrial powered milk supplier to New Zealand dairy firm Fonterra. It revealed transactions between Innwa and BIDV Bank, which is majority-owned by the State Bank of Vietnam with a 15-percent stake held by South Koreas KEB Hana Bank. BIDV is a major provider of credit and financial services to Telecom International Myanmar, the parent company of Mytel. Telecom International Myanmar, which is majority-owned by MEC with a stake held by Viettel Global Investment of Vietnams Ministry of National Defence. The report reveals at least 18 BIDV transactions with Telecom International Myanmar since the 2021 coup involving payments to MEC, MEC subsidiaries Star High, Innwa and Eco Friendly Towers Company Limited. Innwa records included over 200 transactions with Myanmars Yoma Bank, which have mostly taken place since the 2021 coup. Yoma is controlled by FMI, a holding company listed on the Yangon Stock Exchange led by Serge Pun and backed by major international investors. Greenwood Capital, an affiliate of Singapores sovereign wealth fund, GIC, owns 19.7 percent of Yoma, the Norwegian development finance institution Norfund has 10.6 percent and International Finance Corporation of the World Bank Group 4.5 percent. Yoma transactions are with MEC, military personnel, Best Oil Company Limited, Pinnacle Asia and Meditech. Best Oil is a wholesale oil importer and distributor that has a seat on the juntas oil-purchasing committee. Pinnacle Asia is linked to Khin Thiri Thet Mon, the daughter of junta chief Min Aung Hlaing. Yoma issued a loan to Pinnacle Asia in 2020 to build Mytels telecoms towers. Meditech is a medical equipment distributor that represents Siemens in Myanmar and supplies Myanmars armed forces. On March 25, 2021, the US imposed sanctions on MEC in response to the coup. The UK followed on April 1 and the EU sanctioned MEC on April 19. The sanctions apply to Innwa as an MEC-owned company. JFM called on Australia, Singapore, Japan and South Korea to impose sanctions on MEC and the junta-owned Myanma Economic Holdings Limited. The activist group said junta crimes are enabled by the international financial system and banks should ban all transactions with regime-linked banks and firms or risk complicity with its atrocities. Burma Myanmar Political Prisoners Punished For Marking July Executions Insein Prison in Yangon. / AFP Political prisoners in Yangon, who marked three months since the executions of four pro-democracy activists, were beaten and four organizers put in solitary confinement, according to prison sources. The memorial service for veteran democracy activist Ko Jimmy, former National League for Democracy lawmaker Ko Phyo Zeya Thaw and activists Ko Aung Thura Zaw and Ko Hla Myo Aung was held in Insein Prison on October 23 while parcel drop-offs and trials were suspended following a bomb explosion last month. Four organizers were placed in solitary confinement. Seventeen others were reportedly beaten by fellow inmates and staff, said a lawyer representing political detainees in Insein. It is unclear if the four, identified by volunteers helping political prisoners as Ko Ye Yint Ko, Ko Ye Yint Bo, Ko Wathone San and Ko Han Thar, have been released from solitary confinement. Those who participated in the memorial were beaten by prison staff and criminal inmates, shackled and made to take part in forced labor, according to political prisoners. Analysts said the punishments were ordered by the regime. In Myanmars first use of capital punishment for more than four decades, Ko Jimmy, Ko Phyo Zeya Thaw, Ko Aung Thura Zaw and Ko Hla Myo Aung were hanged on July 23 without the knowledge of their families. Despite beating, torture and other forms of rights abuses, political prisoners across the country continue to oppose the regime. Around 16,016 people have been arrested since the military seized power in February 2021 with 12,806 in detention on October 31, according to Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. Burma Thailand Seizes Nearly $50 Million in Assets From Detained Myanmar Arms Dealer Dr. Tun Min Latt (front row left) and Upakit Pachariyangkun (back row, fourth from left) during a contract signing ceremony to purchase electricity from the Provincial Electricity Authority of Thailand for Tachileik in 2014. The two men oversaw the deal with the Tachileik Electrification Committee to purchase electricity from Thailand. / Justice for Myanmar via Tachileik Online News Bangkoks Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB) and Thailands Office of the Narcotics Control Board have seized nearly 2 billion baht (about US$50 million) in assets from a drug network belonging to an arms dealer for the Myanmar regime who was arrested in the Thai capital recently. Myanmar national Dr. Tun Min Latt, 53, was arrested in Bangkok in September along with three Thais. Since then, the tycoon has been charged with conspiring to traffic narcotics and launder money. On Thursday, The Bangkok Post reported that the seized assets, including money in a safe, cars, luxury items, hotels and resorts, were estimated at 1.8 billion baht, citing Police Major General Nitithorn Jintakanon, deputy chief of the MPB. The MPB has now sent an asset seizure report to Thailands Narcotics Suppression Bureau. Tun Min Latt enjoys close ties with Myanmar regime leader Min Aung Hlaing and runs the Star Sapphire Group of companies, which brokered imports of Israeli reconnaissance drones and aircraft parts for the Myanmar Air Force. The arms broker also has business connections with Thai Senator Upakit Pachariyangkun. Both were deeply involved in operating an illegal casino business in Myanmars Tachileik, a border town in Shan State near Thailand, profiting the Myanmar military. Following Tun Min Latts arrest, Upakit insisted he was not involved in any gray business with the mogul. However, one of the three Thais arrested along with the arms dealer was Dean Young Gultula, Upakits son-in-law. Two additional Thai nationals, identified as Pannarong Khunpitak and Kallayawee Thiraprapawong, are wanted on arrest warrants as the MPB widens its net on the drug ring, The Bangkok Post said. According to Justice Minister Somsak Thepsutin, the tycoons case is one of two that authorities have been investigating since 2019. The MPB plans to probe the tycoons tax records to try and recover the money through other channels if they cannot seize all the assets he owned. War Against the Junta More Than 20 Regime Personnel Killed in Two Days of Resistance Attacks -- Around 22 regime personnel including a pro-regime militia leader were killed and many others injured in the last two days as Peoples Defense Force groups (PDFs) and ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) continued to attack regime targets across the country. Meanwhile, regime forces executed five detained resistance members. Incidents were reported in Magwe, Mandalay, Sagaing and Tanintharyi regions and Karen and Rakhine states. Some regime casualties could not be independently verified. 16 junta soldiers killed in AA attacks in Rakhine Around 16 soldiers were reportedly killed by land mines in ambushes by the Arakan Army (AA) in Maungdaw and Thandwe townships, Rakhine State on Tuesday and Wednesday, reported the local media outlet Western News, quoting residents and an AA official. The AA official told the media outlet the group used land mines to ambush a military vehicle near a village in Maungdaw Township on Wednesday morning. Citing local residents, Western News said three junta soldiers were killed in the ambush. Another 13 soldiers were killed between Thandwe and Taungup townships, Rakhine State on Tuesday when AA troops used land mines to ambush 30 soldiers who were on foot and accompanied by a military vehicle, according to the report. Five detained PDF fighters executed by regime forces in Magwe Five detained resistance fighters were executed by junta soldiers near the border of Myaing and Pauk townships in Magwe Region on Tuesday, according to local resistance groups. The resistance fighters from Pauk Township were arrested by regime forces while traveling to join combined PDF forces from Pauk and Myaing townships preparing to fight a military detachment that was raiding villages in the area. Two PDF fighters escaped but five others were first shot in the legs and arms and then beaten to death, dying of head wounds, a representative of Myaing-PDF told the media. An aerial video shot by local PDF group Anonymous Special Task Force-Pauk shows PDF detainees being forced to lie facedown on the ground by junta soldiers. Another aerial video shows a soldier kicking the head of a slain PDF fighter. Regime forces also burned a PDF vehicle and a motorbike as well as two farm huts nearby. Two regime forces killed by KNLA snipers in Karen Two regime forces were confirmed killed in Myawaddy Township, Karen State on Wednesday when snipers of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA)s Cobra Column ambushed regime forces of the Myanmar militarys Infantry Battalion 207 who were trying to enter the Shwe Nyaung Myay area in the township, Cobra Column said. Two junta soldiers killed in PDF raid on military checkpoint in Tanintharyi The resistance group Dawei Guerrilla Revolutionary Force claimed on Tuesday that it and another PDF group managed to kill two regime troops during a raid on a military checkpoint in Dawei Township, Tanintharyi Region at 4:30 a.m. Monday. The regime forces responded by using 40-mm and 60-mm explosives and automatic rifles after being raided by the PDF groups. In the shootout, many soldiers are believed to have been injured while there were no resistance casualties, the PDF group claimed. The PDF fighters also used land mines to ambush four vehicles bringing military reinforcements to the military checkpoint. Military casualties were unknown. Junta policeman killed by PDF drone strike in Mandalay Natogyi-PDF drones drop bombs on the police station in Natogyi town, Mandalay Region on Wednesday. / Natogyi-PDF A junta police sentry was killed and another injured in Natogyi Township, Mandalay Region on Tuesday when the Natogyi-PDF group used a drone to drop bombs on the police station in the town of Natogyi, the PDF group said on Wednesday. An aerial video shot by the group shows drones dropping two rifle grenades on the compound of the police station. City hall attacked in northern Shan State The city hall in the center of Lashio town in northern Shan State was attacked by the Northern Shan State Alliance Army using a bomb on Wednesday, the PDF group said. It was not known if the attack caused any casualties. The group appealed to residents not to celebrate the junta-organized Dasaungtine Festival. Pro-regime militia leader assassinated in Bago The Tharyarwaddy Galone resistance group claimed to have killed Pyu Saw Htee pro-regime militia leader Ko Pike Tin near a village in Tharyarwaddy Township, Bago Region on Wednesday. The victim was an organizer of pro-military rallies in the township. Regime forces hit by mine in Sagaing Area 71 Defense Force Monywa claimed that it and two other PDF groups used land mines to attack soldiers walking alongside three military jammer vehicles on a road in Monywa Township, Sagaing Region on Wednesday morning. The regime forces were attacked while searching for land mines. In the mine ambush, many soldiers are believed to have been killed, the PDF group said. Military vehicles ambushed in Sagaing Many regime forces are believed to have been killed or injured in Monywa Township, Sagaing Region on Wednesday evening when five PDF groups used five land mines to ambush three military vehicles near the entrance of Monywa town, claimed Golden Eagle Force, which was involved in the ambush. The convoy was attacked while returning to the town after searching for and detonating land mines planted by local resistance groups on a road. Some military vehicles were directly hit by the blasts. Some civilians and a PDF fighter suffered injuries when regime forces began firing 40-mm explosives and small arms indiscriminately after the ambush, the PDF group said. I am an attorney who focuses my practice on the environment, specifically sustainability and resiliency. Because of my experience and background in this area, I am voting yes on Amendment 4, so that our municipal government can take the necessary steps to address flooding from sea level rise, heavier rains, and increasing storm surge risks. Perfecting and clarifying the land development and zoning code as well as updating it to include zoning definitions that allow specific criteria needed to accommodate the community needs is a cumbersome, detailed, and heavy language process that requires expert involvement and dedicated time from decision-makers. Land development code and zoning amendments are necessary to facilitate adaptation and resiliency upgrades. For example, zones can be defined to meet the specific needs of resilience projects in a location, while eliminating risk of future unwanted development in the same location. In resilience planning, zoning codes are often used to incentivize property owners to make investments to capture more water on their property through technology like green roofs, increased tree canopy, and impervious surfaces, thereby creating a public benefit. As flood risks increase, the zoning and land development code should be amended to facilitate new buildings and renovations that will withstand climate risks, while minimizing unnecessary impacts to neighboring property owners. The Florida Legislature has established an Adaptation Action Area zoning overlay, which can provide some flexibility for communities to address flooding or heat risks, in addition to opening the door to federal and state funding. Under the current code, adopting and applying this zoning overlay in Key Biscayne would require a voter referendum unnecessarily politicizing and delaying the opportunity for the community to apply the tools the zoning overlay affords and preventing the Village from tapping into the government funds often connected to it. An Adaptation Action Area is one zoning overlay tool; much more is needed to update the zoning and land development code to ensure the character of Key Biscayne is preserved. Key Biscayne is a low-lying barrier island, vulnerable to the impacts of sea level rise. The Village, Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe counties, along with 35 other municipalities, have signed on to the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact, which includes the Unified Sea Level Rise Projections, providing agreed upon sea level rise projections for planning and infrastructure decisions. As such, and through the passage of the GO Bond, Key Biscayne has made a commitment to plan for current and projected conditions. This is a tool that provides a 50-year planning horizon, applying the best science available and applicable to this region. Amendments 2, 3, and 4 give our local government the necessary tools to plan for these projected impacts. This is not about opening the door to development. It is about protecting what we have. A Miami Beach study found that private properties adjacent to adaptation infrastructure projects experienced up to a 14% increase in property value. Flood insurance rates in Florida are surging. When the Village takes action to reduce community flood risks, it can improve our Community Rating System score, thereby helping to reduce the cost of flood insurance. Heavy storms regularly make many of Key Biscaynes roads impassable, particularly when combined with high groundwater levels connected to sea level rise and king tides. Vehicles and property are often damaged in these events and the publics health is put at risk as residents are forced to wade through dirty flood waters. Amendment 4 will allow for the actions needed to protect our property, public health and property values, while helping to safeguard our access to insurance. Under the current code, where the Village Council cannot affect amendments to the land development regulations, projects the Village invests significant resources in will likely be unnecessarily delayed or halted. Where increased green space, water retention or a pump station is needed, we should have specific zoning that allows it without opening the door to future development. Stuck with a zoning code that requires a voter referendum rather than making amendments to the code that meet the exact needs of projects projects may be indefinitely delayed and given inappropriate zoning. With the governments hands tied under the existing code, we will literally prevent the actions needed to address threats facing this community. Thoughtful updates of the zoning and land development code will involve nuanced changes to preserve and better this community. Zoning codes are technical and complicated documents that should not be amended through referendum. Effective policymaking at this level occurs through the expertise of staff and consultants informing the decision-making of elected council members. These elected officials can then spend the time needed to understand the issues and make policy decisions, including consideration of input from the public. Voters are not positioned to engage at the level of detail required to address and improve the zoning code and land development regulations required to prepare Key Biscayne for climate change and to reduce flood risks. While letting the people vote sounds like a good idea, it does not work to amend and update a technical document. These decisions need to be made by elected officials who are charged with studying the issues and have access to experts and resources unavailable to the electorate. And, protections are in place: amendments would require a supermajority vote of Council and the people can force a referendum on any zoning decision via citizen petition. Our community faces a serious threat, but it is not over-development, as those opposing Amendment 4 would like you to believe. Even if anyone wanted to increase density on this island, which no one does, Its highly unlikely that it would ever be approved at the state level, as Key Biscayne is a barrier island. We must address the real challenges we face. Voting yes on Amendment 4 will help us do that. I am also voting yes on Amendments 2 and 3, as we must raise the debt cap so we can complete the necessary infrastructure projects to protect our property values. Voting yes on these Amendments will not only help ensure that projects needed to protect our property values advance, but it will also facilitate attracting state and federal funding to leverage our investment. Julie Dick is an attorney with offices on Key Biscayne and serves on the Board of Trustees for the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas Biscayne Nature Center and the Expert Advisory Council for the CLEO Institute. Hewlett Packard Enterprise has announced the next generation of its ProLiant server range, the HPE ProLiant Gen11. The new hardware delivers an intuitive cloud operating experience with trusted security by design and is optimised for computationally intense applications and virtualisation. It will be available for order from 10 November, and will also be part of the HPE GreenLake subscription service. HPE's new ProLiant release aims to power hybrid environments and digital transformation projects, delivering intuitive, trusted, and optimised compute resources. It is suited for a range of modern workloads such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, data analytics, cloud-native applications, graphic-intense applications, virtualisation, and virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI). The foundation of any hybrid strategy is compute, said HPE executive vice president and general manager for compute Neil MacDonald. HPE Compute brings businesses closer to the edge, where data is created, where new cloud experiences are delivered, and where security is integral. The new HPE ProLiant Gen11 servers are engineered for the hybrid world to deliver an intuitive cloud operating experience, trusted security by design, and optimised performance for workloads. To ensure security is embedded throughout, HPE has implemented the HPE Silicon Root of Trust - an industry-exclusive security capability to protect millions of lines of firmware code from malware and ransomware with a digital fingerprint unique to the server. Additionally, the remote management HPE Integrated Lights-Out (ILO) console is now up to version 6, and features new authentication using the security protocol and data model (SPOM). HPE has further included platform certifications and secure device identity (iDevID) by default, ensures a secure boot and system state through the trusted platform module (TPM), and guarantees the highest level of security through the HPE trusted supply chain. Performance-wise, the new HPE ProLiant Gen 11 servers support twice as much I/O bandwidth for the most demanding applications compared to the previous generation, 50% more cores per CPU for improved workload consolidation, and 33% more high-performance GPU density per server for AI and graphic-intensive workloads. We partnered with HPE and worked closely with their engineering team to help bring HPE GreenLake for Compute Ops Management to life, said InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) technical advisor of global deployment, infrastructure and integration Roger Hilton. It allows me to rest easy as an IT professional because I no longer have to worry about a component failing or a firmware update breaking our infrastructure. Imagine being on vacation and pushing out firmware without interrupting your holiday. Thats what you get. We dont have the luxury of time to relay data back to the factory to process and send results back to the track, said Mercedes-AMG Petronas formula one team IT director Michael Taylor. We need the ability to process data and make those decisions faster, at the edge, and that is why the team deployed a mobile data centre, based on HPE ProLiant servers, to provide our engineering team with the processing power required to compute and visualize data at-scale. There is no doubt that next-generation HPE ProLiant servers will provide the same level of reliability with even greater performance and capabilities to process data-intensive workloads at the edge to unlock insights in real-time. HPE ProLiant Gen11 servers featuring 4th Generation AMD EPYC processors will be available to order worldwide starting on 10 November, and available through the HPE GreenLake cloud platform. The HPE ProLiant RL300 Gen11 server using Ampere processors is available to order worldwide now. All HPE ProLiant servers can be purchased through HPE and HPEs channel partners. A HPE GreenLake for Compute Ops Management subscription provides simple, unified, and automated capabilities for customers to control their compute with global visibility and insight. They can easily onboard thousands of distributed devices, deploy faster server firmware updates, and focus their effort on the business challenges rather than managing infrastructure. The subscription also includes carbon footprint reporting. Additionally, through HPE Financial Services (HPEFS), customers can convert existing technology assets into capital to purchase new or upgraded technology. More than 250 regional and national newspaper sites in the US have accessed malicious JavaScript that is being created by an actor known as TA569, the email security firm Proofpoint claims. In a tweet thread, the company's Threat Insight unit said the media company that was serving as the host for this malicious code served content to its partners using JavaScript. "The actual number of impacted hosts is known only by the impacted media company," Proofpoint tweeted. Interested to see where this goes. When I tracked SocGholish at Microsoft, most of the infections came from legit newspaper sites - I never knew how the rogue adverts were getting inserted. https://t.co/tVIJxvCdOh Kevin Beaumont (@GossiTheDog) November 2, 2022 "We track this actor as #TA569. TA569 historically removed and reinstated these malicious JS [JavaScript] injects on a rotating basis. Therefore the presence of the payload and malicious content can vary from hour to hour and shouldn't be considered a false positive." The actor was modifying the codebase of what was described as otherwise benign JavaScript, and using it to deploy SocGholish, Proofpoint claimed. SocGholish is an initial access threat that leverages drive-by-downloads masquerading as software updates, according to the firm Red Canary. if you ever end up in the hellscape that is local newspapers on a phone browser, you will see scam adverts and popups a lot.... it seems endemic on the local news sites Quentyn Taylor (@quentynblog) November 2, 2022 "SocGholish relies on social engineering to gain execution, tricking unsuspecting users into running a malicious JavaScript payload stored within a downloaded ZIP file," the company said in a post about the threat. Proofpoint said the affected media organisations served Boston, New York, Chicago, Miami, Washington DC, Cincinnati and Palm Beach. Ransomware is a booming business judging by the claim made by a founding member of the Lockbit group that he owns three restaurants in China and two in New York. A threat researcher who goes by the pseudonym vx-underground conducted an interview with this individual who claims to be a veteran of the ransomware scene. Lockbit was founded on 3 September 2019 and the person interviewed said it had pentesters, developers, money launderers, testers and negotiators among its members. The individual said Lockbit was founded by a team of more than 10 people, adding that drug use was often an issue in ransomware groups, with cocaine or marijuana being the most common drugs abused. Members of the group rarely left, the interviewee said, adding that those who did not fit in were either fired or else forced to quit. Lockbit is among the most active ransomware groups right now and the interview subject said it had about 100 affiliates. These affiliates were not given any rewards, with the Lockbit leader saying that a stable platform on which to work was the best reward. The interviewee said between 1% and 20% of the partners had left for other countries since the Russia-Ukraine conflict began. Cashing out was described as relatively simple. "There's nothing easier than cashing out, it's the easiest thing in my job. Just transfer the money to Chinese exchanges, from there to another exchange, then to drop *** cards. You send the *** to the ATM and they bring you the cash," the ransomware group member said. There was no indication of what *** stood for. Asked how one put the cryptocurrency received as ransoms on a card, he added: "There are a lot of online services, from cryptocurrency exchanges to exchanges and local bitcoins. I always use different ways to blend in with the crowd." No money was kept as paper currency. "I don't have money under my mattress, everything I cash out I immediately invest in the business and mix it with legal money; this way I inflate my business profits and launder money. And I spend only the money that is obtained in an honest way from the profits of my business and pay with my card." The Lockbit man appeared to be somewhat arrogant going by his claim that threat intelligence people could never locate him. "Work better bums, you have to find all my competitors, but you can never find me." He had a word of advice for anti-virus companies: "Don't watch your users, please." Real estate company Harcourts says its Melbourne City franchise has been breached in what it describes as a "cyber incident", with the route for entry being a device used by the franchisee's service provider Stafflink. The company said in a statement on Thursday it became aware on 24 October that its rental property database had been infiltrated by a third party. Harcourts lists a total of 216 franchisees on its website and the statement said each office had its own operating system and IT infrastructure. Regarding the data that was accessed, the statement said: "The rental property database holds personal information relating to landlords, tenants and trades and was used by the franchisees service provider, Stafflink, to provide it with administrative support. "In this particular instance, the rental property database was used by a representative of Stafflink and accessed by an unknown third party. "We understand the unauthorised access occurred because the representative of Stafflink was using their own device for work purposes rather than a company-issued (and more secure) device." Even better, this company discussing their security 2 days before the incident.https://t.co/qg1lbJUTgF Ed Preston (@prestonsoft) November 2, 2022 Harcourts Australia chief executive Adrian Knowles said: We understand people will be deeply concerned and upset about this data breach. I would like to offer our sincere apologies to everyone who has been inconvenienced as a result. Dealing with this incident is our top priority. We are working together with the franchisee to ensure that all impacted individuals are advised of the incident. In addition, we are in the process of establishing complimentary credit monitoring and access to the IDCARE support service for impacted individuals. We have acted decisively to implement a comprehensive external investigation as well as a review of our systems and processes firm wide. We have also notified the Privacy Commissioner of this breach. This investigation is still underway and if our understanding of the impacts changes in any way we will make this clear. The breach at Harcourts means Australia has recently witnessed 10 data breaches since 22 September. The other nine were at Optus, Telstra, G4S, Costa Group, Dialog, MyDeal, EnergyAustralia, Medibank Group and Medlab. Australians have been with the same network provider for their mobile and data for more than three years despite many options that could help them save costs, according to a survey conducted by Boost Mobile. The survey revealed that 90% of Australians have made changes to their purchasing behaviour as a result of rising costsmonitoring expenses on food, cost of housing, electricity, and mobile phone plans. "As a brand that has been fighting for value for Australians for more than 20 years, it has always been important for us to listen to consumers and make sure we are doing what we can to provide great value. This research shows that there is significant financial hardship facing many Australians that may be going unreported," said Boost Mobile general manager Jason Haynes. "Despite this, many Australians are leaving savings on the table by sticking blindly with their existing mobile phone plans. To everyone reviewing their expensesdo your research and consider switching. It's an easy way to deliver real savings without making any sacrifices to your lifestyle, Haynes recommended. Cost of living bites hard in both regional and metro Australia As mentioned, 90% of surveyed Australians have changed their purchasing decisions. According to the survey, 30% have made significant changes to how they spend their money. When it comes to experiencing significant financial pressures, there is a growing divide between metro and regional Australia. While 11.5% of metro-based respondents are being kept awake at night due to financial stress, it is affecting 16.5% of those surveyed in regional areas. Only 10% responded they were fine, so far so good when asked about the increase in cost of living. While state-by-state comparisons revealed an overall consistency of concern, Queensland is below the national average for those who are fine (8.5%), and above the national average for those with significant problems (16.5%). Australians review purchasing decisions Findings reveal that the cost of daily groceries is the biggest concern facing Australians at the moment with 77% nationally identifying this as their most concerning expense. This was followed by petrol/transport (61%), electricity (57%), cost of rent/mortgage (55%) and mobile phone-related costs (20%). When focusing on age-related concerns, Australians aged 45-54 are more concerned about electricity against the national average (65% vs 57%), while those aged 25-34 are more concerned about the cost of housing than the national average (60% vs 55%). Those aged 18-24 are 8% more likely to be concerned about the cost of their mobile phone service (28% vs 20%). Regional Queenslanders are more concerned about the cost of groceries than the national average (84% vs 77%) while those from regional Victoria and New South Wales over-index against the national average for their concerns around the rising cost of electricity (63% vs 57%). Australians are loyal to their network provider yet crave price, data, and good network On average, 64% of those surveyed have been with their existing network provider for three years or more. Those 45-64 years of age are even more loyal with 73% of those surveyed remaining with their existing provider for more than three years. Those 25-34 move more frequently, but 59% are still with the same telco brand they were with three years ago. When asked the most important elements of a good network provider, good network coverage was the most important factor for 46% of those surveyed. Forty-four percent identified price as the most important factor, followed by data allowance for 27% of those surveyed. Network coverage and price where the top two factors for more than 65% of those surveyed. Phone calls are the least priority The survey found that 35% prefer to text their financial hardships and decisions rather than calling their loved ones. Phone calls were the top way to communicate for only 30% of those surveyed nationally. Facebook messenger and WhatsApp rounded out the top four responses. For those aged 25-34, text prevailed alongside the national data (35%), with phone calls (26%), with 24% of people in this age group preferring to communicate through Facebook Messenger. Regional Australia The survey delved into 18 different regional centres across the country to reveal statistics that highlight the nuances existing between specific locations. In Albury, 30% of those surveyed revealed that financial stress was keeping them awake at night double the national average. In Bundaberg and Cairns, 33% and 28% of respondents were worried about the cost of their mobile phone provider respectively. In Caboolture, residents would prefer to text or send a message via Facebook rather than making a phone call. Undertaken by PureProfile in September 2022, more than 3,200 Australians were included in the Boost Mobile Survey, with a 55% female / 45% male split. In addition to polling Australians across both metro and regional areas, Boost Mobile also focused on 18 regional cities to get a true lay of the land. From Albury and Orange in New South Wales, to Bendigo and Ballarat in Victoria, Mackay and Rockhampton in Queensland and beyond, the results show regional Australians in crisis, with more than 16% of those surveyed experiencing significant financial distress. COMPANY NEWS Slyp , the Australian fintech transforming the world of receipts, has today announced a national partnership with Brand Collective to switch on Slyp Smart Receipts across their stores including Review, Shoes & Sox, Superdry, Shoe Warehouse, Elka Collective, Hush Puppies, Clarks and Replay. Boasting a portfolio of iconic footwear and apparel brands, the partnership will see Brand Collective locations offer Slyp Smart Receipts for in-store purchases across a combined 103 stores. Slyp Smart Receipts will initially be available to NAB customers automatically in their banking app, with further payment partners including major banks due to roll out the feature in the coming months. The move comes just six months after Brand Collective announced its merger with PAS Group, making it the third largest fashion group in Australia. Trading under the Brand Collective banner, this historic partnership of two iconic brand houses is underpinned by an ambitious growth strategy to increase value-aligned partnerships and complementary acquisitions. Brand Collective is part of a growing number of household names including Veronika Maine, JD Sports, Converse, Chemist Warehouse, and over 100 more retailers offering Slyps fully itemised Smart Receipts as an intuitive and sustainable proof of purchase delivered automatically to the customers bank app. Co-founder and CEO of Slyp, Paul Weingarth said, As one of the most frequented brick-and-mortar brands on the Australian high street, Brand Collectives move to embrace Slyp Smart Receipts will have a considerable impact on how customers pay and shop. Having issued over 2.8 million Smart Receipts to date, were confident the partnership with Brand Collective will see this number increase exponentially by the end of this year. In the digital world we live in, paper receipts are no longer serving the purpose they once did. Customers require quick and seamless access to itemised records of their product purchases, and Slyp Smart Receipts do just that. Anna Samkova, Group General Manager Digital & Marketing at Brand Collective said, At Brand Collective, were committed to ensuring a sustainable environment through active management of the inputs and outputs of our processes. Slyp will play a major part in making good on that commitment as we switch on Slyp Smart Receipts across our brand portfolio. Following our recent merger with PAS Group, were focused on having the technology in place to scale at pace while simultaneously innovating on the service we provide to our customers. Weve seen values shift in recent months, so partnering with Slyp to offer the elements of sustainability and convenience shoppers are craving was a simple decision. About Slyp Founded by former PayPal executives in 2017, Slyp is a fintech transforming the world of receipts. Backed by the four major Australian banks, Slyp automatically delivers a revolutionary smart receipt right inside your banking app, eliminating paper receipts and creating a seamless customer experience. With Slyp, customers pay as normal and can immediately view and interact with their smart receipts in their mobile banking app, anytime. Slyps innovative technology is ISO certified and built in partnership with the banks, offering bank-grade security and privacy. Introducing a new world of smarter, greener receipts Slyp Smart Receipts. Find out more slyp.com.au GUEST OPINION: BeyondTrust, the leader in intelligent identity and access security today released its annual forecast of cybersecurity trends emerging for the New Year and beyond. These projections, authored by BeyondTrust experts Morey J. Haber, chief security officer and Brian Chappell, chief security strategist, EMEA/APAC, are based on shifts in technology, threat actor habits, culture, and decades of combined experience. Prediction 1: Negative, zero, and positive trust. Next year, expect products to actually be "zero trust-ready", satisfy all seven tenets of the NIST 800-207 model, and support an architecture referenced by NIST 1800-35b. Zero trust product vendors will create marketing messages that may imply positive and/or negative intent (maybe not using such simple puns on the number zero). Some will provide positive zero trust authentication and behavioural monitoring, while others will work using a closed security model to demonstrate what should happen when a negative zero trust event occurs. Prediction 2: Reputation for ransom The rise of ransom-vapourware. We will see a rise in the extortion of monies based purely on the threat of publicising a fictional breach. Society so willingly accepts the veracity of breaches reported in the news and without evidence. For a threat actor, this could mean the need to perpetrate an actual breach is reduced and a threat alone, that is not even verifiable, becomes an attack vector all in itself. Prediction 3: The foundation of multi-factor authentication (MFA) invincibility fails. Expect a new round of attack vectors that target and successfully bypass multi-factor authentication strategies. In the next year, push notifications, and other techniques for MFA will be exploited, just like SMS. Organisations should expect to see the foundation of MFA eroded by exploit techniques that compromise MFA integrity and require a push to MFA solutions that use biometrics or FIDO2-compliant technologies. Prediction 4: Cyber un-insurability is the new normal. In 2023, more businesses will face the stark realisation that they are not cyber-insurable. As of the second quarter of 2022, US cyber-insurance prices already increased 79% over the prior year. In the past 12 months, cyber insurance premiums in Australia have risen up to 80% according to Honan Group. The truth is, it's becoming downright difficult to obtain quality cyber insurance at a reasonable rate. BeyondTrust EMEA/APAC chief security strategist Brian Chappell Prediction 5: Compliance conflicts are brewing. Significant compliance standards, best practices, and even security frameworks, are starting to see a diverging in requirements. In 2023, expect more regulatory compliance conflicts, especially for organisations embracing modern technology, zero trust, and digital transformation initiatives. Prediction 6: The death of the personal password. The growth of non-password-based primary authentication will finally spell the end of the personal password. More applications, not just the operating system itself, will start using advanced non-password technologies, such as biometrics, either to authenticate directly or leverage biometric technology, like Microsoft Hello or Apple FaceID or TouchID, to authorise access. Prediction 7: Cloud camouflage is confronted. To mitigate cloud security risks, expect a push for transparency and visibility into the security operations of SaaS solutions, cloud providers and their services. The push to ensure transparency of the architecture, foundational components, and even discovered vulnerabilities, will extend beyond SOC and ISO certifications. Prediction 8: Social engineering in the cloud. Attackers will turn from their software toolkits to their powers of persuasion as they increase the number of social engineering attacks levelled at employers and organisations across the cloud. Prediction 9: Unfederated identities to infinity and beyond. Expect a push into unfederated identities to help provide a new level of services and potentially physical products that will become a mild access control and management nightmare. The size and scope will feel truly infinite unless it is well-defined for identity management teams to provide access beyond what typically is available today. Prediction 10: OT gets smarter, converges with IT. Expect attack vectors for basic operational technology (OT) to expand based on similar exploits that target IT. OT which once had a single function and purpose is now becoming smarter, leveraging commercial operating systems and applications to perform expanded missions. As these devices expand in scope, their design is susceptible to vulnerabilities and exploitation. For more details on each prediction, including a look at ten additional futuristic predictions, read the blog. About BeyondTrust BeyondTrust is the worldwide leader in intelligent identity and access security, empowering organisations to protect identities, stop threats, and deliver dynamic access to empower and secure a work-from-anywhere world. Our integrated products and platform offer the industry's most advanced privileged access management (PAM) solution, enabling organisations to quickly shrink their attack surface across traditional, cloud and hybrid environments. BeyondTrust protects all privileged identities, access, and endpoints across your IT environment from security threats, while creating a superior user experience and operational efficiencies. With a heritage of innovation and a staunch commitment to customers, BeyondTrust solutions are easy to deploy, manage, and scale as businesses evolve. We are trusted by 20,000 customers, including 75 of the Fortune 100, and a global partner network. Learn more at www.beyondtrust.com. GUEST OPINION: No platitude or fancy saying can capture the sweat and pain of supply chain professionals in recent years. The work and stress have everyone asking how they can scale up their logistics game to make life a little easier and safeguard their organizations. You can start that journey by looking at core competency areas with clear opportunities to improve and a few big issues to be mindful of as you grow. Create a review process and internal knowledge Boosting your logistics game is all about enhancing your distribution network. That covers everything from eliminating skills gaps and creating overlapping coverage to creating clear metrics for partners and ensuring your networks integrate. Break down your supply chain into as many core components as possible. Define how each of these impacts and could improve your capabilities. Ask if your partners meet those demands. When they dont, work with them to get everything to the level you need. Give partners a chance by reviewing your new requirements and establishing a review process for KPIs that everyone feels is fair. When partners cant or wont step up, especially in areas like inventory forecasting and planning, its time to move on to a company that is a better fit. The other important work here is employee retention. According to a Skill Dynamics survey, the logistics industry has a relatively high turnover rate. Professionals across the board say this is a significant threat. Turnover limits your ability to create institutional knowledge and increases risks of harm and damage. While building a review process for partnerships and internal operations, add an area to review career paths and engagement among your logistics staff. The survey notes that high turnover is often related to how logistics professionals and drivers are treated. You could become a logistics employer of choice by creating a more positive career environment for your teams. Shift your thinking to total costs Planning scenarios are most useful when your logistics team looks at how total costs impact your entire operations. Focus on your average sales order for a moment. Many companies will work to calculate their total cost of fulfillment, tracing from inbound shipments and storage to pick and pack, and then finally through last-mile deliveries. While that total cost will capture labour, packaging, and warehouse costs, it can miss some of the larger business impacts of modern logistics. When operations shift to online ordering, direct-to-customer shipping, and reviews in third-party locations, fulfillment plays a direct role in the customer experience at every step. So, errors such as shrinkage, mispicks, and poor packaging increase immediate expenses and harm long-term revenue generation. Youve got less to work with, and repeated mistakes make this even worse. Poor logistics performance erodes margins that you could use on marketing efforts to increase sales. The lower volume due to opportunity loss makes it more difficult for you to negotiate with carriers and reach high-volume shipper statuses. Theres less capital to use while putting out fires takes up more time. And when these issues come as a surprise, they hit even harder. Stagnation is the threat Pricing is often the sole bad guy in logistics and supply chain discussions, but that falls short for most operations. Costs fluctuate, and things will get hard, so the industry and professionals need to take a more proactive approach than in prior years. Often, that means the hidden threat you face is one of complacency or stagnation. For the past three years, the industry has consistently received a crash course in how painful it can be to stand still. Those policies dont work. The challenge is realizing where stagnation lies and then making plans to address it. Some areas will feel obvious. Carrier relationships have been disrupted by incredibly tight capacity and high fuel surcharges to a significant drop in volume forecasts that have not come with significant price declines. Others are only visible when you look at single points of failure or when an issue arises. The ongoing box shortage is a strong example. The industry knows pallets and containers can be difficult to secure, making it easy to overlook the need for redundancy when it comes to corrugated cardboard and reinforced boxes. Relationships are the only answer Halloween is over. Dont get tricked by the feeling that logistics work can all be handled by yourself, and dont get spooked about the need to reach out for support. Logistics is relationship work. The best supply chains follow the same rules as some of the best relationships. Everyone wants the same positive outcome, is willing to communicate openly and puts in the work to fix issues when something happens. If you want to be the best logistics professional and ensure your company is one that providers up and down the supply chain want to work with, make relationship building your core focus. Itll matter on good days when you land a better discount. And itll matter more on bad days when someone is cutting capacity, but you avoid the axe. About Author: Jake Rheude is the Vice President of Marketing for Red Stag Fulfillment, an eCommerce fulfillment warehouse that was born out of eCommerce. He has years of experience in eCommerce and business development. In his free time, Jake enjoys reading about business and sharing his own experience with others. Chinese tech giant Lenovo Group has delivered its 10th straight quarter of improved profitability year-on-year, with all main businesses contributing positive operating profit, the companys second quarter results reveal. Releasing second quarter results today, Lenovo Group reported that second quarter net income grew 6% year-on-year to US$541 million and group revenue grew to US$17.1 billion, up 3% year-on-year in constant currency. Lenovo Group notes that with all main businesses contributing positive operating profit, thisdemonstratied further progress towards the Groups goal of doubling profitability in the medium-term. Additionally, the diversified growth engines continued to drive strong performance with both the solutions and services business, as well as the infrastructure business, seeing high double-digit year-on-year growth, notes Lenovo Group. {loadposition peter{ Non-PC businesses now make up more than 37% of total group revenue. The Groups healthy cash balance means it remains committed to doubling investments in Research and Development (R&D) in the medium-term, having grown R&D spending 15% year-on-year in the quarter. While current external challenges persist, Lenovo remains agile and focused on pursuing its strategy and ensuring ongoing profitability by rebalancing resources towards its diversified growth engines and driving efficiencies and expense reduction through the business. It sees long-term opportunities built on its foundation of New IT client, edge, cloud, network, and intelligence - as the global trends of digitalisation and intelligent transformation accelerate. Last quarters results, as well as the past three years, have demonstrated that the combination of Lenovos strategy, strong execution, and resilient operations are enabling it to transcend the industry cycle. This, combined with its high-quality and innovative portfolio, unique hybrid manufacturing and supply chain, global/local principle and capability, as well as healthy liquidity will help drive further opportunities to deliver sustainable growth, and improve profitability. Lenovo Group commented. Lenovos board of directors declared an interim dividend of 8.0 HK cents per share,and Chairman and CEO Yuanqing Yang said, Lenovo once again delivered solid results, even in a challenging global market, achieving year-on-year profitability improvement for the tenth straight quarter and increasing revenue by nearly 3% (in constant currency) year on year. Our non-PC businesses are gaining momentum and now represent more than 37% of our revenue. Both solutions and services business and infrastructure business saw high double-digit revenue growth year on year. For Lenovo, these results prove that our strategic foresight, operational resilience, and consistent investment in diversified growth engines, have prepared us well for challenging times. Whether our traditional markets are booming or contracting, Lenovo consistently delivers on its commitments and outperforms market expectations. To view the Lenovo Group full second quarter results report click here. Get unlimited access to all content and features at ivpressonline.com with our Full Online Access Subscription. Read our E-Edition, the digital replica of the print newspaper online, access content in exclusive sections including Family, Teen, Business, Databases, Farm and more. This option does not include daily home delivery of the Imperial Valley Press newspaper. For home delivery service, please select Premium or Premium Plus. Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 2, 2022. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei) BEIJING, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan on his official visit to China at the Great Hall of the People on Wednesday. Xi welcomed Sharif and thanked him for his congratulatory letter right after the opening of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Noting that China and Pakistan are good friends, good partners and good brothers, Xi said amid global changes and instability in recent years, the two countries have supported each other and forged ahead, demonstrating an ironclad friendship. "China views its relations with Pakistan from a strategic and long-term perspective, and Pakistan has always been a high priority in China's neighborhood diplomacy," Xi said. China is ready to work with Pakistan to elevate the level of all-round strategic cooperation, speed up efforts to build a closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era, and inject new impetus into their all-weather strategic cooperative partnership, according to Xi. Xi stressed that China commends Pakistan's firm commitment to advancing friendship and cooperation with China, and expressed appreciation for Pakistan's support on issues vital to China's core and major concerns. China will continue to firmly support Pakistan in safeguarding its sovereignty, territorial integrity, development interests and dignity, and in achieving unity, stability, development and prosperity, the Chinese president said. "China expressed deep sympathies to the Pakistani people over the devastating floods that have hit the country, and will provide additional emergency relief to help with post-flood reconstruction," Xi said, adding that China supports Pakistan's efforts to revive agricultural production, and will strengthen cooperation with Pakistan on disaster prevention and relief and climate change. After presenting the key outcomes of the 20th CPC National Congress, Xi underscored that China will continue its fundamental policy of opening-up and provide new opportunities to Pakistan and the rest of the world through continuous development. Xi said China will further deepen synergy between its development strategies and those of Pakistan, calling on the two sides to make full use of the Joint Cooperation Committee of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), advance CPEC with greater efficiency, and make CPEC an exemplar of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. It is important to accelerate the construction of auxiliary infrastructure for Gwadar Port to unleash its role in driving interconnected development in the region, Xi said, hoping the two sides will work together to create conditions for the early implementation of the upgradation of the Main Line-1 (ML-1) and the Karachi Circular Railway project. "Pakistan is welcome to export more quality agri-products to China," Xi said, adding that China will work with Pakistan to expand cooperation in digital economy, e-commerce, and photovoltaic and other new-energy technologies, and take solid steps to advance cooperation concerning agriculture, science, technology and people's livelihood. He said China will continue to do its best to support Pakistan in stabilizing its financial situation. China supports its provinces with a strong industry in pairing up with Pakistani partners to advance industrial cooperation, and hopes the Pakistani side will provide a sound business environment. Xi expressed his great concern about the safety of Chinese nationals in Pakistan, and conveyed his hope that Pakistan will provide a reliable and safe environment for Chinese institutions and personnel working on cooperation projects there. Xi pointed out that the world, our times and history are changing in ways like never before. Facing a highly uncertain world, both sides should stand on the right side of history, keep up their strong cooperation in multilateral mechanisms, and work closely on major international and regional issues so as to uphold true multilateralism, international fairness and justice and the shared interests of developing countries, and inject certainty and positives into the world. China will work with Pakistan to advance the operationalization of the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, make the global economic governance system fairer, more equitable, inclusive and mutually beneficial, and build a community with a shared future for mankind, Xi said. These collaborative efforts will provide a strong underpinning for the development of the two countries, and contribute more to global peace, stability and prosperity, Xi said. Sharif noted that it is a great honor for him to be among the first foreign leaders to visit China after the successful 20th CPC National Congress, which marked a new milestone. He said the visit is a testament to the profound ironclad friendship between Pakistan and China. On behalf of the Pakistani government and people, Sharif once again expressed hearty congratulations to President Xi on his re-election as general secretary of the CPC Central Committee. He said that over the past decade, under the dynamic leadership of President Xi, China has created a miracle of great development achievements. He said China has upheld multilateralism, promoted global solidarity and cooperation, and made important contributions to safeguarding world peace and development. In doing so, China has lived up to its responsibility as a major country. The world cannot operate without China, and China's development cannot be isolated or contained by any force, Sharif said, expressing his confidence that President Xi, with his extraordinary vision, will continue to lead China toward even more remarkable achievements and create an even brighter future for the world. Sharif stressed that deepening Pakistan's all-weather strategic cooperative partnership with China is a cornerstone of Pakistan's foreign policy and the national consensus of Pakistan. He expressed heartfelt appreciation to the Chinese government and people for the valuable anti-COVID support, and for the generous assistance in the wake of the devastating floods. No country has ever helped Pakistan or other developing countries with such wholehearted sincerity, he said. Sharif reiterated Pakistan's firm commitment to the one-China policy and its firm support for China's position on issues concerning China's core interests including Taiwan, Xinjiang and Hong Kong. He said even as Pakistan learns from China's successful experience and tries to rely on its own efforts, Pakistan will deepen all-round cooperation with China to better develop itself. He said this is the only way forward for Pakistan. Hailing CPEC's profound impact on Pakistan's economic and social development, the prime minister said Pakistan is ready to work with China to continue promoting high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and hopes to have China's strong support in the upgradation of ML-1, the Karachi Circular Railway and other important infrastructure projects. Sharif said Pakistan will further step up security measures and do all it can to protect the safety of Chinese institutions and personnel. Sharif said Pakistan fully supports the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative put forth by President Xi, and it will strengthen communication and collaboration with China in international and regional affairs to make a positive contribution to world peace and development. The Pakistan-China friendship is unbreakable, and Pakistan will always stand firmly with China, Sharif said. After the meeting, Xi held a welcoming banquet for Sharif at the Golden Hall of the Great Hall of the People. Wang Yi and He Lifeng were present at the events. Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 2, 2022. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) This Week in Review A weekly review of the best and most popular stories published in the Imperial Valley Press. Also, featured upcoming events, new movies at local theaters, the week in photos and much more. A Paris court Wednesday sentenced a former Liberian rebel commander to life in jail over violence against civilians and complicity in crimes against humanity after France's first trial linked to Liberia's civil wars. The Paris criminal court found Kunti Kamara guilty of crimes against civilians between 1993 and 1994, including a teacher whose heart he reportedly ate, and not preventing soldiers under his command from repeatedly raping two teenage girls. The 47-year-old defendant betrayed little emotion when the verdict was pronounced. The case was brought by the crimes against humanity division of the Paris court. It was set up in 2012 to try suspected perpetrators of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide detained on French soil, irrespective of where their alleged crimes were committed. The allegations against Kamara date back to the early years of the back-to-back conflicts that would ultimately kill 250,000 people between 1989 and 2003 in the West African nation. The fighting was marked by mass murders, rape and mutilations, in many cases by child soldiers conscripted by warlords, with atrocities against civilians common. Kamara was a regional commander of the United Liberation Movement of Liberia for Democracy (ULIMO), a rebel group that fought the National Patriotic Front of ex-president Charles Taylor. The prosecution had sought a life sentence against Kamara, whose defence team had questioned the trustworthiness of the evidence against him. A Paris court on Wednesday sentenced a former Liberian rebel commander to life in jail for violence against civilians and complicity in crimes against humanity after France's first trial linked to Liberia's civil wars. The criminal court found Kunti Kamara guilty of crimes against civilians between 1993 and 1994, including a teacher whose heart he reportedly ate, and for not preventing soldiers under his command from repeatedly raping two teenage girls. The 47-year-old defendant betrayed little emotion when the verdict was pronounced. The allegations against Kamara date back to the early years of the back-to-back conflicts that would ultimately kill 250,000 people in the West African nation between 1989 and 2003. The fighting was marked by mass murders, rape and mutilations, in many cases by child soldiers conscripted by warlords, with atrocities against civilians common. Kamara was a regional commander of the United Liberation Movement of Liberia for Democracy (ULIMO), a rebel group that fought the National Patriotic Front of ex-president Charles Taylor. - 'Good news for victims' - In Monrovia, Adama Dempster, secretary general of the Civil Society Human Rights Group, hailed "good news for the numerous victims of atrocities during the Liberian civil war". "We hope that all those who were perpetrators of savage brutality will have their days in court without exception," he told AFP. Siah Tamba, 37, saw her father gunned down during the conflicts. "Every day when I get up, I pray that one day the killers of my father will also be judged," she told AFP in the Liberian capital. The case was brought by the crimes against humanity division of the Paris court after Kamara was arrested in France in 2018. It was set up in 2012 to try suspected perpetrators of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide detained on French soil, irrespective of where their alleged crimes were committed. This is the first case taken by the unit that is not related to the 1994 Rwanda genocide. The prosecution had sought a life sentence against Kamara during the three-week trial, which involved witnesses who came from Liberia. NGO Civitas Maxima, which took legal action against Kamara in 2018, paid tribute in a statement to the "courage of the victims and witnesses who came to Paris to testify". They "further contributed to this extraordinary quest for justice undertaken by Liberian victims who have been forgotten by both their government and the international community". Kamara consistently denied the allegations and claimed he was the victim of a conspiracy, with his defence team questioning the trustworthiness of the evidence against him. In his last words to the court on Wednesday, he said he was innocent and merely a simple soldier. Prosecutors had also accused Kamara of executing civilians and organising forced marches, describing ULIMO's control of Lofa county in northwestern Liberia in the 1990s as a "governance by terror". Prosecution lawyer Aurelie Belliot told the court of public executions and the distribution of human flesh and intestines used to mark checkpoints. A truth and reconciliation commission was set up in 2006 to probe crimes committed during the fighting, but its recommendations, published in 2009, have remained largely unimplemented in the name of keeping the peace. And many warlords who were incriminated are still considered heroes in their communities. So far only a handful of people have been convicted in Liberia itself for their part in the conflict, and efforts to establish a war crimes court in the country have stalled. Former Liberian warlord-turned-president Taylor was imprisoned in 2012, but for war crimes committed in neighbouring Sierra Leone, not in his own country, where he also rampaged. Other former participants in the Liberian wars have been tried abroad in recent years. The United States called on Colombia to defend "democratic norms" after its new leftist president met with Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro this week in a turnaround between the formerly estranged neighbors. The Latin American countries have reestablished diplomatic relations after a three-year hiatus, reflecting a leftist warming towards socialist Maduro, who the United States does not recognise as president and has been accused by the United Nations of crimes against humanity. "We've urged Colombia to continue working with its partners in multilateral fora to advocate for a democratic and prosperous hemisphere as well, and to hold accountable governments that have violated the democratic rights and the democratic norms," State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters. He stopped short of criticizing the move by Colombian President Gustavo Petro, sworn in as the close US ally's first leftist leader in August, and praised the country's welcome to two million Venezuelan refugees. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in talks with Petro in Bogota last month, "discussed ways we can work together with Colombia to hold the Maduro regime to account," Price said. Price called on Maduro to engage with the opposition and said that US sanctions would remain in place. "Our posture won't change until and unless we see progress on the rights of the Venezuelan people," Price said. The United States, under previous president Donald Trump and with the strong backing of Colombia's then-conservative government, declared Maduro's administration illegitimate after widely criticized elections. But Maduro has weathered sanctions, and even many critics of the Caracas government have increasingly dismissed the chances that he will fall to Juan Guaido, the opposition leader considered by Washington to be the interim president. Oil-rich Venezuela's economy has been in freefall with seven million people fleeing since 2014, according to UN figures. "Of course, extraordinary crimes can be committed by ordinary people. But not everyone is destined to become a war criminal," said prosecutor Aurelie Belliot. One retains one's free will." Speaking on Monday, October 31, she asked for a life sentence against Kunti Kamara. This former commander of the United Liberation Movement of Liberia for Democracy (ULIMO) was accused of "aggravated acts of torture and barbarism" and "complicity in crimes against humanity. In 1993 and 1994, in the midst of Liberia's civil war, Kamara was alleged to have committed multiple acts of violence in and around the town of Foya, during his armed group's bloody occupation of Lofa County in northern Liberia. Kamara has been on trial since October 10 in Paris, under universal jurisdiction, which allows French justice to judge international crimes committed outside the country, and by non-nationals. On the morning of November 2, the accused had one last opportunity to speak before the Assize Court in Paris. It lasted 30 seconds. "I have nothing to say except that I am innocent today, I will be innocent tomorrow. I was a simple soldier," he said. That same evening, the court found him guilty on all counts, sentencing him to life in prison. Rape as a crime against humanity Lofa is a county where "time seems to have stood still" for the past 30 years, explained the public prosecutor in her indictment. She was referring to the ruins of the Foya power station, which was never rebuilt after being ripped apart by ULIMO in 1993, its generator carried away during one of the notorious forced marches. These marches, true "acts of torture" in which the inhabitants were requisitioned by force, are among the crimes of which Kamara was accused. But it was because he allegedly condoned the multiple rapes of two women by his subordinates that Kamara was also prosecuted for "complicity in acts of torture constituting crimes against humanity. Unlike the other crimes of which Kamara is accused, which date back to 1993, these acts allegedly took place after March 1, 1994, the date on which crimes against humanity became part of French criminal law. The prosecution said no one could deny the widespread, systematic and massive character of the rape and sexual slavery of Lofas women when the county was under ULIMO control. These rapes were therefore part of a context and a strategy of global terror against the civilian population. But in 1994, rape was not considered to constitute a crime against humanity. The qualification retained is therefore "acts of torture constituting crimes against humanity". The defence denounced this as "legal acrobatics", but the prosecution maintained it was a reality. On October 25, witness Esther N. collapsed in the courtroom racked with pain as she was recounting what she had suffered at the hands of "Babylon", who was allegedly one of Kamara's bodyguards. Emergency staff had to intervene, permanently ending her hearing. In its judgment, the court deemed that these rapes fell into the most serious category of crimes: crimes against humanity. Testimonial evidence The first civil war in Liberia was a time of horror and chaos, said prosecutor Belliot, and the first victims were civilians. "Life was a matter of chance," she said. In Lofa, she told the court, the horror was organized. "ULIMO had the region under control, using terror as a mode of governance: public executions, cannibalism, forced labour, torture, rape and sexual slavery... This horror was recounted at length by 12 witnesses and eight civil parties in the three weeks of hearings. They formally recognized Kunti Kamara as one of the perpetrators. In a case that is almost 30 years old, "the trial is being held thanks to the words of the victims, because the evidence is scarce," acknowledged Sabrina Delattre, the civil parties' lawyer, on October 28. But these "concordant" testimonies corroborated each other, she believes, painting "a very precise picture the facts. "Testimony is not inferior evidence," said prosecutor Claire Thouault in her closing remarks. Certainly, there is very little material evidence, "but to demand it, as the defence did, is to deny the context and reinforce the impunity of perpetrators of this type of crime", she continued, saying that trials of major international crimes - committed years or even decades earlier in the chaotic context of war - are almost always based entirely on testimonial evidence. It was precisely this that the lawyer for the accused, Maryline Secci, wanted to denounce. Sometimes the accusation is based on only one direct witness," she exclaimed. This would be worth almost nothing in a common law case, so why accept it in this case? Turning to the jury, she told them: "You are being asked to rely on a handful of witnesses to convict someone of the maximum sentence." She said that because the prosecution's case was so lacking in physical evidence, "they wanted to put this testimony on a pedestal, but you don't fill holes with holes! If it was you in the [defendant's] box, you wouldn't be satisfied with that. "Not once in these proceedings has the possibility been raised that after so much time witnesses may be mistaken when they say they recognize Mr. Kamara," she continued, or that their "need for justice" is such that they accuse the man they are presented with, "for fear that if they do not, no one will listen to them". Our position is not to say that nothing happened in Liberia, but that Mr. Kamara did not commit these crimes," said the lawyer. Remember that reasonable doubt should benefit the accused. Unfair trial Secci denounced what she called an "unfair" trial stacked against the accused. "France wants to do international justice without giving itself the means," she said, recalling that no additional funding had been granted to the defence in this case involving decades-old events that took place more than 5,000 kilometres away. "In this trial presented as historic, the defence was given resources as if for a common law case. As a result, she told the jury, "you have been presented with a case only from the prosecution's side. Even during the hearings, Secci believes Kamara did not benefit from the presumption of innocence to which he is entitled. "I could observe that when my client spoke, everyone tensed up," she continued, saying his sentences were cut off, there were translation problems, misunderstandings, annoyance when his answers were evasive or not pertinent. "More was demanded of him than of the witnesses. The prosecution kept asking him 'why, if you are innocent, are so many people accusing you? But it is not up to him to explain himself and what could he have said? We can give him the floor, but if you consider from the outset that his word is worth less than that of the witnesses and civil parties, it is because you already consider him guilty." She said no one had sought to really listen to her client who "does not have the codes of our society. Secci thus questioned the legitimacy of this trial. "While the goal of universal jurisdiction is commendable, we are faced with an extremely complex context and our own ignorance. No one here has a true understanding of what the civil war in Liberia was like. We are looking at this through our own cultural prisms and that is problematic. Blanket denial "It is not a question of judging in Liberias place, but in the absence of trials there, prosecutor Claire Touault had said a few hours earlier. "Impunity still reigns in Liberia. The victims have to continue living alongside their torturers. So, while we wait for that country to choose justice over impunity, the expectations of the victims oblige us to act, continued deputy prosecutor Belliot. And France cannot become a refuge for these criminals." The crimes [of which Kunti Kamara is accused] are the most serious," she insisted. By their extreme barbarity, they undermine all of humanity. She told the jury that while they owed it to victims to fight impunity, they must also take Kunti Kamaras personal responsibility into account. She recalled that throughout the trial, the former rebel commander not only denied any responsibility for the crimes, claiming he was at the time on the front lines several kilometres from Foya town, but he also denied having witnessed any form of violence. "They would have us believe that Mr. Kamara lived in Liberia, that he was in Lofa County during the first civil war and never saw any abuses committed against a civilian, she said. This blanket denial has to be questioned." Perhaps this helped to convince the jurors of the defendant's guilt. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said Thursday that his government had secured "100 percent" of what it sought in negotiations with Tigrayan rebels that yielded a breakthrough agreement to end two years of war. The deal, unveiled Wednesday after little over a week of negotiations, was hailed by the UN, the United States and others as a crucial first step towards ending the bloodshed. Speaking before a crowd of supporters in the town of Arba Minch in southern Ethiopia, Abiy said the government had scored a victory in the deal, reached in Pretoria under African Union auspices. "In the South Africa negotiations, 100 percent of the ideas Ethiopia has proposed have been accepted," he said. The deal was announced almost exactly two years to the day since the war erupted on November 4, 2020 between federal forces and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which dominated Ethiopian politics for nearly three decades until Abiy's election in 2018. According to a joint statement signed by both parties, the agreement includes provisions for the disarmament of TPLF fighters and a public "commitment to safeguarding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ethiopia" -- a key demand by the government. But details regarding its implementation remain vague, and no mention was made of Eritrea, a major player in the conflict and a battlefield ally of Abiy's government, despite international calls for Asmara to withdraw its forces from Tigray. The agreement was greeted with cautious hope on the streets of Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa. "If the truce were done earlier, it would have been better. Many people wouldn't have been killed (and) displaced," businessman Million Tadesse told AFP. Banker Degsew Assefa also welcomed the agreement, but said it needed to "be carefully implemented so we don't relapse back to war." "There is no other option than peace," he said. The war's toll is unknown, but the US has estimated that as many as half a million people have died in the conflict, which has triggered a severe humanitarian crisis in Tigray and caused large-scale displacement in the neighbouring regions of Amhara and Afar as well. Tigray has faced severe shortages of food and medicines and limited access to electricity, banking and communications, with UN warnings that hundreds of thousands of people were on the brink of famine. UN investigators have accused Abiy's government of crimes against humanity in Tigray, including the use of starvation as a weapon -- claims rejected by the authorities. A Nobel Peace Prize winner, Abiy sent troops into Tigray to topple the TPLF after accusing the group of launching attacks on federal army camps. North Korea fired one long-range and two short-range ballistic missiles on Thursday, Seouls military said, with one warning residents of a South Korean island and people in parts of northern Japan to seek shelter. Seouls military said it had detected a long-range ballistic missile believed to have been launched into the Baltic Sea in the Sunan area of ??Pyongyang around 07:40 a.m. (2240 ??GMT), it said, referring on the corpse of water also known as the Sea of ??Japan. Shortly thereafter, it spotted what believed to be two short-range ballistic missiles fired from Kaechon in South Pyongan province at around 08:39, it added. The South Korean military is maintaining a full readiness posture while working closely with the US and increasing surveillance and vigilance, it added. The launches come a day after Pyongyang fired more than 20 missiles, including one that landed near South Koreas territorial waters. Pyongyangs multiple missile launches come as Seoul and Washington hold their largest-ever joint air exercises involving hundreds of warplanes from both sides. Local media reported that air raid sirens had gone off on South Koreas eastern island of Ulleungdo where residents were warned on Wednesday to seek shelter after one of Pyongyangs short-range ballistic missiles crossed the de facto maritime border. Tokyo also confirmed the launches on Thursday, with the Japanese government issuing a special warning to residents of the northern regions just before 8 a.m. (2300 GMT), urging them to stay indoors or seek shelter. Tokyo initially said the missile flew over Japan, prompting the issuance of a J-Alert, but Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada later said, the missile did not cross the Japanese archipelago but disappeared over the Sea of ??Japan. Very worrying Given that the missile was accompanied by evacuation warnings, we strongly recommend using IRBMs or potential ICBMs for the full-range launch, Chad OCarroll of Seoul-based specialty site NK News said on Twitter. The latter could be of great concern to some if it succeeds over a significant distance. Washington and Seoul have repeatedly warned that Kims recent missile launches could culminate in another nuclear test the seventh in Pyongyang. The flash of launches suggests that possibly tactical nuclear weapons testing will be next. Possibly very soon, added OCarroll. These are North Koreas pre-celebrations ahead of the upcoming nuclear test, Ahn Chan-il, a North Korean studies scholar, told AFP. They also act like a series of practical tests for their tactical nuclear use. On October 4, North Korea fired a missile over Japan, which also triggered evacuation warnings. Pyongyang later claimed it was a novel medium-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile. It was the first time North Korea had fired a missile over Japan since 2017. Pyongyang later claimed the launch and a blizzard of other tests around the same time were tactical nuclear exercises simulating showering South Korea with nuclear-tipped missiles. Flash of starts Pyongyang has called the ongoing US-South Korean air exercise Vigilant Storm an aggressive and provocative anti-DPRK military exercise and warned that Seoul and Washington will pay the most terrible price in history if it continues. A short-range ballistic missile crossed the northern border line, the de facto maritime border, on Wednesday, prompting a rare warning to residents of Ulleungdo Island to seek shelter in bunkers. President Yoon Suk-yeol said it was effectively a territorial invasion. South Korea also closed some air routes over the East Sea, advising local airlines to take a detour to ensure the safety of passengers on routes to the United States and Japan. Pyongyang also fired artillery barrage into a maritime buffer zone that experts said was part of an aggressive and menacing response to joint US-South Korea exercises. For its part, South Korea said it fired three air-to-surface missiles into the sea near the two countries maritime border. Julia Pogrebna has given up telling the homesick villagers that now is not the time to return to Ukraines southern front. The energetic 32-year-old volunteer distributed boxes of food to a group of pensioners who had given up waiting out the war and returned to the riverside village of Lymany. The sun sank over a yawning bay separating villagers from Russian forces pouring in from the nearby Crimea peninsula, which the Kremlin captured in 2014. Stubborn Ukrainian troops, hiding in the surrounding forests, loaded Grad rockets onto trucks before the next round in the Battle of Kherson. The hour of the nights firefights drew near, and the villagers scurried down to their cellars laden with weekly supplies of rice and canned meat. Pogrebna shook her head and donned her bulletproof vest as the sun went down. It would be a lot easier if those people werent out here, she said with a gentle smile. But how can you ask someone who has lived in a place for 70 years where they know every blade of grass to leave? Especially when he has nowhere else to go. Back to work Ukraines counter-offensive in the north and Ukraines ever-deeper encroachment to the south has encouraged increasing numbers to relocate land dangerously close to the front lines. Many return because they cannot afford to pay rent in places further from the war zone. Others feel that they have exhausted their reception from relatives or friends. And many just want to take care of their abandoned country houses and ramshackle apartments. Its gotten a lot better here in the last few days, said school janitor Yekaterinodar Dudik with a determined nod. The last bomb fell five days ago? I went back to work today, said the 27-year-old. All but a few hundred of Lymanys 4,000 residents fled when the Russians moved through the village eight months ago when they invaded eight months ago. Local officials say about 1,000 are here today. I visit four such villages a week, Pogrebna said. Some places we can only reach on foot across fields. Men go out The soldiers, who were shoving car-length missiles down the tubes of a multiple launcher system some distance away, had no hesitation when the villagers returned. Corporal Oleksandr Veretennik said artillery battles were still common in the surrounding forests and fields. But it will be a little easier for us, said the 32-year-old. I dont think theyre running out of guns. I think theyre running out of men. The Kremlin has sent reinforcements from all directions towards Kherson Ukraines gateway to Crimea and the economically important Sea of ??Azov. The eponymous region of the city is just a few minutes drive from the gated cottages in Lymany. The soldiers of the 28th Brigade brandished drone killer cannons and addressed air defense systems that made the Lymany skies seem a little safer. This is a technology and innovation driven war. And our engineers are second to none, said one soldier nicknamed the Balkans. I want to thank our allies, but most of the technology we use is our own. Less Lonely Russias retreat on the ground has forced the Kremlin to switch to an airstrike using cruise missiles and suicide drones. Moscow is mainly targeting power plants and other civilian infrastructure a campaign apparently aimed at demoralizing Ukrainians by leaving them without winter heat and light. But Lymany is already cold and dark. During the day, residents roll out gas cartridges to boil potatoes and tea. Many prefer to huddle in a central bunker at night rather than stay alone in basements. Village elder Natalia Panashiy moves around a lot because the building that houses Lymanys headquarters is now in ruins. She rushed in to direct traffic in the noisy line of locals waiting to collect their weekly food rations before dark. Of course its still too early to return, said the 54-year-old. In six months of Russian occupation and eight months of fighting, Izyum Hospital in eastern Ukraine never stopped working, operating on wounded civilians in its basement while awaiting liberation. This small but strategic city in the Kharkiv region was captured by Moscow in March and fully occupied a month later. Its recapture by Ukrainian troops on September 11 was a strategic victory for Kyiv, although the population has shrunk from around 46,000 before the war to around 8,000 or 9,000. Since then, the hospital has managed to regain some semblance of normalcy after being hooked up to a generator and workers gradually replacing broken windows. In a heated, bleach-scented hallway on the first floor, a patient in his pajamas strolls past while a cleaner mops the floor and a secretary shuffles through admissions files. We have about 200 patients today, compared to 50 in June, says Yuri Kuznetsov, a 52-year-old surgeon who heads the hospital. This is where our operating theater and intensive care unit used to be, he says, pointing to the gaping hole and the destruction left by a rocket attack in March. The hardest thing was staying alive With a weary face, the doctor attributes his exhaustion to his night shift, not to the six months he spent every waking hour tending to the wounded in dirt and rubble, in front of the Russian occupying forces camped next door. The hardest time was starting[the cast]with so much uncertainty about what they were going to do to us, he recalls. Kuznetsov said there was some fighting at the beginning but the Russians let him continue to treat Ukrainian patients, assisted by a few nurses who stayed behind. The Russian troops set up their own field hospital in a neighboring basement. They were right there, about 20 meters from my office, says Kuznetsov, who spoke to them every day but says they never asked him to operate on wounded Russian soldiers. Doing our job wasnt the hardest part, the hardest part was just staying alive, he recalls of those dark days. A few weeks after retaking the town of Izyum, Ukraine said it had discovered a mass grave in a nearby forest containing at least 450 bodies, most of which bore signs of a violent death. Thirty of them showed signs of torture, regional officials said. wear as operating tables Since the beginning of the war, the hospital has lost two of its employees: a coroner who was shot dead and a doctor who died under the rubble of his own home. As the city was ravaged by constant bombing, the hospital set up an emergency room in the basement, where stained stretchers served as operating tables among stacks of boxes and dirt. We lost patients because we didnt have the right equipment and medicines, but by the grace of God we were able to limit the number of deaths, he said. One of those rescued was a man who sustained a gunshot wound to the abdomen. A few weeks ago, my office door opened and the man walked in and said, Doctor, do you remember me? Im alive! says Kuznetsov. We all had moments when we thought about escaping. Weve all had breakdowns and bouts of depression, he admits. 2022 is a fruitful year for Lee Joo Bin as she stars in back-to-back K-dramas. From the much-awaited adaptation of "Money Heist Korea" to the rom-com series "Love in Contract" this versatile actress never fails to amaze viewers with her flexibility as an actress. With her popularity and not to mention her jaw-dropping beauty, the 33-year-old actress has been involved in dating rumors, one of which is with Kim Min Seok. Lee Joo Bin Relationship: Did She Date Kim Min Seok? In 2017, rumors sparked that Lee Joo Bin is dating 32-year-old actor Kim Min Seok. At the time, outlets cited that the duo have been dating for 5 years and was spotted having a vacation together in Fukuoka, Japan. Reportedly, all their friends knew about their relationship and praised the actor for making sure that he makes time and takes Lee Joo Bin out on dates. However, both of their agencies addressed the rumors and denied that the two are romantically together. According to a media outlet, Kim Min Seok's agency has confirmed that the "Descendants of the Sun" actor and Lee Joo Bin "are close friends but are not dating." Regarding the rumors that they went on a date in Fukuoka, the agency responded that they "were coincidentally in Japan at the same time, so they just met up and were even joined by other friends." The same goes for Lee Joo Bin's agency which expressed the same stance and shared that the model-actress "went to Japan for personal reasons but did not go with Kim Min Seok." Is Lee Joo Bin Single? As for the actress' current status, there are no dating rumors after the "Money Heist Korea" star was linked to Kim Min Seok. With this, it only means that Lee Joo Bin might be single and is focusing on her back-to-back projects, especially since the Netflix series will return for part 2. From Heist Hostage to Celebrity Lawyer Currently, the 33-year-old beauty joins Park Min Young, Go Kyung Pyo, and Kim Jae Young in the tvN K-drama where she took the role of celebrity lawyer Jung Ji Eun. She is Go Kyung Pyo's ex-wife who is also the head legal adviser of Kim Jae Young. Viewers witnessed how she perfectly portrayed a fierce lawyer who wants to fix her once-failed marriage with her ex-husband, Jung Ji Ho, played by Go Kyung Pyo. However, prior to this, Lee Joo Bin gained the public's attention after portraying the role of Yun Mi Seon, which was originally the character Monica Gaztambide, a.k.a Stockholm played by Spanish stress Esther Acebo. Viewers loved her on-screen chemistry with Denver played by Kim Ji Hoon. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 'Money Heist Korea' Tops Netflix Global Charts KDramastars owns this article Written by Geca Wills Yoo Ah In's Instagram features a heartfelt post, sharing his thoughts about life, anger, love, and pain. In a lengthy, deep caption, the actor posted a stunning photo of city lights, drawing the attention of his millions of followers. Yoo Ah In Instagram: Is His Recent Post Connected to the Itaewon Tragedy? The "Hellbound" star began his caption by saying that he is normal just like everyone else. In Yoo Ah In's Instagram post, he mentioned "chasing the brilliant things" but despite falling down, he avoided "the dirty things" but gave up adding "I decided to wear it all over. I'm trying to walk, but it's hard to take a step." The second phrase talks about the difference in how he reacts to things now versus before. He says that as a person gets older, "time flows slightly differently" and things are changing. "When I was full of anger, I opened my middle finger like a habit, but now I hold it in and hit my chest with my fist," he wrote. Moreover, the post also mentioned something about losing and gaining along the way. Trying to forget what was lost and feeling happy for the things that he gained. In the latter part of Yoo Ah In's Instagram post, the actor spoke about the "screen" which some believe that it pertains to the media and what the public sees online. "The screens that do not turn off because they use the extinguished life as a weapon, a shield, a material, a snack, and an obstacle," he wrote. Along with it, the award-winning star spoke about his regret encouraging the public to "put heart into it." "I hope that those hearts can reach the places where they are most needed right now," the actor said. Yoo Ah In's Agency Deny Rumors Regarding his Connection With the Itaewon Crowd Crush Amid several people mourning for the passing of hundreds of victims, Yoo Ah In's name is being mentioned in the Itaewon tragedy, saying that the award-winning star was in central Seoul's Itaewon. With this, his agency, United Artists Agency (UAA) released a statement addressing the issue regarding Yoo Ah In. As obtained by Korea Joongang Daily, the label shut down the rumors, stressing that the "Chicago Typewriter" star "had no part in what happened in Itaewon." In addition, UAA revealed that Yoo Ah In was not in Korea during the incident and "is currently overseas." According to some outlets, there were online rumors stating that top stars and influencers were participating in the festivities which led to a large number of people flocking to Itaewon's streets. With this, more than 150 people died while over 80 were injured, and most of the victims are in their 20s. KDramastars owns this article Written by Geca Wills Lee Young Ae has reached out to a victim of the Itaewon tragedy by offering assistance to the distressed family. According to an outlet, the Hallyu queen has provided aid to the family of the 25-year-old Russian tourist named Park Juliana, who died in the incident. Lee Young Ae to Shoulder Transportation Costs of Russian Victim Who Died at the Itaewon Stampede It came after the victim's father opened up to the media about his ordeal of transporting his daughter's dead body from South Korea to Russia. Unfortunately, the transport costs around $5,000, and was a bit much for the family. The father, who works at a nursing home, lamented about having difficulties as they could not afford to transport the body to their hometown in Russia. After airing the story of Mr. Park, Lee Young Ae reached out through the Korea Welfare Foundation for the Disabled, where she served as the chair of the Culture and Arts advisory committee and expressed her support to the bereaved family. In the same report, the actress said that she wanted to help Juliana and her family, who are unable to return to their home country due to her financial difficulties. Apart from Lee Young Ae, the Russian embassy also extended their help by helping with the transportation cost for those who cannot afford it. With this, they have decided to issue the necessary documents needed to transport the body as soon as possible. On the other hand, foreign affairs ministries of different countries are also considering shouldering the funeral costs of foreign victims. It can be recalled that out of the 156 young victims, there are 26 foreigners from 14 countries, which includes Iran, Uzbekistan, China, and Norway, who died in the Itaewon tragedy. Due to the severity of the incident, South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol declared a period of national mourning. "The government will designate the period from today until the accident is brought under control as a period of national mourning," he said, as obtained by a media outlet, as he described the devastating situation as "truly tragic." Lee Young Ae Shows Support Amid the Ukraine War Lee Young Ae's action towards the Itaewon tragedy is not the first time where the top star offered her help. It can be recalled that amid the war in Ukraine, Lee Young Ae made a generous donation to support the country. As obtained by a media outlet, Ukraine ambassador Dmytro Ponomarenko revealed to Twitter that the "Jewel in the Palace" star sent a letter along with a cheque of one hundred million won or approximately $83,331. Meanwhile, Lee Young Ae's letter includes a heartfelt message to the citizens expressing her support and encouragement not to lose hope despite the situation. KDramastars owns this article Written by Geca Wills The number of people living in the Thompson-Okanagan region who are not looking for work has risen by almost 25,000 since the start of the pandemic, the B.C. Chartered Professional Accountants note in a new report based on jobs data. The head of Ontario's critical care COVID-19 command centre has asked the provinces hospitals that treat adults to accept children 14 and older in need of intensive care to relieve pressure on pediatric hospitals. A paramedic attends to a patient in the hallway due to an at capacity emergency room at the Humber River Hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto on Tuesday, January 25, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette Doctors are like hamsters running on an exercise wheel to nowhere [PODCAST] 56 Shares Share Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes! No wonder doctors feel like hamsters running on an exercise wheel to nowhere. And this sense of futility is driving burnout. How much patient care will you get out of docs who have moved on to nonclinical jobs, retired early, or committed suicide due to burnout? The time for rumination and hand-wringing is over! It is time for medical organizations to cooperate, take prompt action, and avert a health care crisis by protecting one of their most precious health care resources. Banu Symington is a hematology-oncology physician. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, No wonder doctors feel like hamsters running on an exercise wheel to nowhere. The Podcast by KevinMD is brought to you by the Nuance Dragon Ambient eXperience. With so many demands on their time, physicians today report record levels of burnout. Burnout is caused by many factors, one of which is clinical documentation. Studies indicate physicians spend two hours documenting care for every hour spent with patients. At Nuance, we are committed to helping physicians do what you love care for patients and spend less time on clinical documentation. 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Learn more at about.cmefy.com/cme-info Its almost 700 years since Alice Kyteler was accused of witchcraft in medieval Kilkenny but her presence still lingers vividly. Her unfortunate servant Petronella de Meath was condemned to death and executed in her place, being burned alive on November 3, 1324 in front of a large crowd on a main Kilkenny street. Her confession, made after being tortured detailed making potions, consulting demons and acting as a medium between her mistress Alice, and a demon. Today two businesses in Kilkenny are named after these women; Petronellas restaurant in the Butterslip and Kytelers Inn, the site of Alices home but what do we know about the women before the accusations of witchcraft were levelled? Petronella has the distinction of being the first person in Ireland to be condemned for witchcraft and the first case of convicted heresy resulting in the death sentence. She was reportedly unrepentant for her crimes but the fact that she was tortured to obtain her confession, colours that observation. Also, because Petronella was of a lower social class there is less documentation about her so we know less about her personally, except that she was Kyteler's close confidante. Alice fled Kilkenny and disappeared into oblivion after the witch hunt: she was literally never seen or heard of again. A true hymn to heaven and earth, Beyond Stillness is a moving, sensitive exploration of our relationship with the damaged natural world, seen up close and often in astonishing, affecting detail. The latest collection by poet Mark Roper comprises of poems that express, often simultaneously, both wonder and grief and with his trademark precision Mark Ropers new collection observes and sketches the world around him with an enviable lightness, even as his perspective gradually widens to include memories of his upbringing, a growing awareness of his own health and mortality. Throughout, we hear the naturalists self-doubt (If I could learn / to go without saying River) but this only brings us closer to both the human witness and to the greater subject of his fascination. Roper, who lives near Piltown in South Kilkenny is greatly admired for his distinctive, sensitive depictions of the natural world. Roper is no stranger to listening, and the silence that arrives at the end of many of these poems is one that brims with meaning, and which, with unerring judgement, he allows to ring. Mark Roper was born in Derbyshire, England, in 1951. He moved to Ireland and has lived in Tobernabrone, Co. Kilkenny since 1982, with his partner Jane. After working in childcare for a number of years, he moved into the field of adult education, teaching literature and creative writing. A mainstay of Kilkennys Liberal Studies for over 30 years, he has also worked with the Open University and run courses and workshops in many different settings. His collections include The Hen Ark (1990), which won the 1992 Aldeburgh Prize for best first collection; The Home Fire (1998) and Whereabouts (2005). His collection A Gather of Shadow (2012) was joint winner of the Michael Hartnett Award in 2014, and was shortlisted, along with Bindweed (2018), for the IrishTimes Poetry Now Award. Even So: New & Selected Poems, was published in 2008 by Dedalus Press. He has collaborated on three books with the photographer Paddy Dwan, and wrote the librettos for two operas composed by the late Eric Sweeney. The launch of Beyond Stillness will take place at St Kieran's College on November 9 at 7pm. In July of this year, Loraine Whelan, Callan, had a life-changing experience when she travelled to Kenya with the Waterford and Lismore Diocese. As part of the trip, the 'Kenya Five', Bishop Alphonsus Cullinane, Declan Browne, Loraine Whelan, Angelina Howard and Patricia Friel, the leader of Marys Meals in Ireland, visited schools where Marys Meals operate school feeding programmes. Lorraine explains, We visited the poorest of the poor areas in Kenya and witnessed deprivation beyond our imaginations, where mothers must choose which child will eat tonight. We saw the slums that are overcrowded and have no water or toilet facilities. We saw children walking miles and miles for water in 36 degree desert heat. Experiencing life in Kenya has inspired Loraine to start a new Marys Meals Support Group in Kilkenny. Marys Meals is a global movement that sets up school feeding programmes in some of the worlds poorest communities, where hunger and poverty prevent children from gaining an education. Marys Meals currently feed 2,279,941 children every school day. The daily meal served enables children to come to the classroom rather than having to work, beg or scavenge for their food. It costs just 18.30 to feed a child in a place of education for an entire school year and Marys Meals guarantee that at least 93% of all donations goes directly towards its charitable activities. This is only made possible because of the army of volunteers who support Marys Meals; both the local people who get up at the crack of dawn to collect firewood and water to cook the food for the children, but also those here in Ireland who do so much to raise awareness and the essential funds needed to feed the next child waiting. Loraine goes on to share her motivation for starting a support group at home in Kilkenny, Despite the hardships observed, I witnessed joy beyond belief; singing and dancing; and a welcome that would fade our 'cead mile failte' into the background. I witnessed true love and gratitude. The children I met are so happy to be in school. And they are in school because Marys Meals feeds them a good meal there every school day. Because they are in school, they now dream of being doctors, lawyers, journalists, engineers. They have dreams! Kilkenny Marys Meals are asking people to hold their own Come Dine With Me night in December at home. It is suggested that participants charge their guests 15 a head to fundraise for the charity. If you would like to host an event, to learn more about the work of Marys Meals or if you would like to become involved in the Kilkenny Support Group, check out Kilkenny Marys Meals on Facebook or contact Angela Moore, Supporter Engagement Officer at 089-4339592. A foodie's paradise was the only way I can describe the October bank holiday weekend in Kilkenny. Downpours and strong winds did not dampen our spirits as old friends and new, families and food lovers descended upon Kilkennys medieval streets to sip and sample their way through the many favours at the Savour Market. Savour Market (Photo by Dylan Vaughan) My Savour Kilkenny kicked off last Thursday at the opening seven course dinner at Mount Juliet Estate. It was an exquisite tasting menu of the Lady Helen Restaurants most iconic dishes prepared by Executive Head Chef and Pastry Chef Tom Phelan. Opening Night at Mount Juliet's Lady Helen. (Photo by Vicky Comerford) General manager Mark Dunne and Mount Juliet Manor House Manage Jimmy Fitzgerald greeted the Savour Kilkenny Committee, founders, organisers, and guests with a Piaff champagne reception to mark the return of one of Ireland's best loved food festivals. On Friday, I literally rolled into the day after Thursday night's seven courses! Luckily, I could dance it off at a Salsa & Tapas at the Hibernian Hotel's Brasserie Restaurant. RTE's Dancing with the Stars judge Brian Desmond & Siobhan Donohoe at the Salsa & Tapas Night for Savour Kilkenny. (Photo by Dylan Vaughan) RTE's Dancing with the Stars head judge Brian Desmond, and I were on hand to mc the evening's proceedings. Before dinner I put Brian's dancing skills to the test, and he passed with flying colours! MC Siobhan Donohoe, Head Chef Wesley Bearpark & Dancing with the Stars judge & MC Brian Redmond. (Photo by Dylan Vaughan) Head Chef Wesley Bearpark served up tapas treats, while Jose Mader impressed guests with his cocktail making skills. Kilkenny's newest Dance Club attended with a party of keen dancers - by the end of the night the entire restaurant was on the dance floor led by Brian Redmond! Electrix Mix Saturday and Sunday we welcomed back the much-loved Savour Food Market with an eclectic mix of well-known Irish chefs, artisan food innovators, world-class street food and artisanal cuisine, and cultural food-inspired experiences showcasing the very best of Kilkenny and Irish products, chefs and culinary innovation. On the Savour Main Stage, Edward Hayden and I were on MC duties for the free drop-in demonstrations with festival favourites and pioneers of Irish cooking. Rory OConnell, Kevin Dundon and Derry Clarke gathered crowds eager to gain culinary inspiration and discover some tricks of the trade. Siobhan Donohoe & Chef Kwanghi Chan with his newest book 'Wok' Savour newcomers Daniel Lambert, Kwanghi Chan and Grainne Mullins brought in a new generation of budding chefs, and local stars Edward Hayden and Anne Neary entertained audiences with their riotous mix of cooking prowess and mischief. Siobhan Donohoe, Edward Hayden & Anne Neary who always bring fun on the Savour Stage Sundays closing demo brought the house down with Kilkennys camogie and hurling stars battling it out in the Great Bake off. The event was organised by Mountain View to raise funds for the Irish heart Foundation. The camogie girls duo Katie Nolan and Michelle Teehan won hands down as their baking skills surpassed that of the boys, Colin Fennelly and Joey Holden. Bake Off Champions camogie girls duo Katie Nolan and Michelle Teehan However, some people thought the lads were robbed as they had gone to a lot of effort with their heart inspired cake for the Irish Heart Foundation. Will there be a rematch at Savour Kilkenny 2023? Hurlers Colin Fennelly & Joey Holden putting the finishing touches to their Irish Heart Foundaation Cake A fantastic new addition to the festival this year was the late opening of the market on the Saturday evening and introducing Savour Monday to the calendar. Despite the weather, the crowds came out to support Red Mill's Madra Monday dog show and Catherine OKeeffe for her Menopause Monday chats. Festival Director Marian Flannery & co-founder of Savour Kilkenny Anne Neary of Ryeland Cookery School. (Photo by Vick Comerford) We were delighted to return to the streets, restaurants, and cafes of Kilkenny for our 16th year of the festival and celebrate our local food producers and eateries. People turned out in their tens of thousands for our market and demonstrations, and many more took part in culinary events hosted by our incredible partners in Kilkenny city and county." said Festival Director Marian Flannery. "Id like to thank everyone for showing up despite the adverse weather conditions and supporting this vibrant and crucial sector." Anna Fitzpatrick from Dunmore at Savour Kilkenny's cooking demostrations. (Photo by Dylan Vaughan) Chinese Premier Li Keqiang holds a ceremony to welcome Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif prior to their talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 2, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan) BEIJING, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang held talks with Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif in Beijing on Wednesday. Li spoke about the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries and said China attaches great importance to relations with Pakistan. Li said China stands ready to work with Pakistan to carry forward the traditional friendship, expand comprehensive cooperation and build a closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future to benefit the two peoples and promote regional peace, stability and prosperity. Li once again expressed his condolences to Pakistan regarding the major floods it has experienced this year, and said China is willing to support Pakistan in its post-disaster reconstruction, enhancing its capacity for emergency management and providing assistance within China's capacity. On practical cooperation, Li said China is willing to strengthen its synergy of development strategies with Pakistan, deepen cooperation in areas including ports, transportation, energy, industry and social livelihoods, and steadily push forward the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). He called on Pakistan to make efforts to ensure the safety of Chinese nationals, institutions and projects in Pakistan. Sharif said that consolidating and developing friendly relations with China is the cornerstone of Pakistan's foreign policy. Pakistan firmly supports China on issues relating to China's core interests and major concerns, Sharif said, adding that Pakistan is willing to work with China to actively promote the construction of the CPEC, and enhance cooperation in areas such as agriculture, infrastructure and clean energy. Pakistan will never tolerate acts that undermine the Pakistan-China friendship, Sharif said, adding that Pakistan will take all measures to ensure the safety of Chinese nationals and institutions in the country. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang holds talks with Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 2, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan) Chinese Premier Li Keqiang holds a ceremony to welcome Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif prior to their talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 2, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan) Kathy Steinhoff and David Tyson Smith are running unopposed for two seats in the Missouri House of Representatives. Steinhoff is the former head of the Columbia teachers union and Smith is already serving in the House. COLUMBIA - The Missouri Department of Transportation hosted a public input meeting Wednesday afternoon to present its preferred plans for alternatives to the Interstate 70 and US Route 63 connector. At the meeting, MoDOT revealed its preferred alternative plan to fix congestion problems at the interchange between I-70 and Highway 63. Brandi Baldwin, a project manager for MoDOT, said the volume of vehicles that use the connector every day made this project a priority. "The connector is one of the highest traveled interchanges in mid-Missouri, and we do see a lot of congestion there," Baldwin said. "Its at the top of our priority list." MoDOT's preferred alternative plan would include two fly-over ramps, which would connect northbound 63 to westbound 70 and eastbound 70 to southbound 63. "Those two movements take the bulk of the traffic out of the connector," Baldwin said. "Were going to widen things out, add some more lanes and get traffic moving through a little quicker." According to Baldwin, this is something many have wanted for a long time. "It is a need that the citizens of Missouri have told us that they want, so were here to deliver," Baldwin said. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. Jerry Kempker is one of those citizens. He now works at Mark's Mobile Glass in Jefferson City but formally worked at the location in Columbia located along the I-70 connector. He says getting to work in the morning was a struggle at times. "We would come in there to go to work in the morning at 7 a.m., and that line from 63 to get to the Conley intersection was a booger," Kempker said. "We would even exit right and go down and turn right on the other side then turn around and come back because it was so much faster." While Kempker said he does not use the connector as much as he used to, he said he believes it's a solution that he and other people in the area will support. "I think all in all, if it's better for the people of Columbia and for the people in central Missouri for exiting and entering, it's got to be a win for all people involved," Kempker said. "Thats something you can get behind." This alternative is the cheapest and most environmentally friendly of the three proposed alternatives according to MoDOT. While Wednesday's meeting did not finalize this plan, Baldwin said she does not expect there to be any major changes to this proposal. "Barring any unforeseen circumstances or some really moving comments that would make us reconsider, what were showing today as our preferred alternatives are likely to move forward," Baldwin said. The project is expected to enter the formal design phase at the beginning of 2023. For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, The Kansas City Star. Framed photos of foreign nationals who died in the crowd crush in Itaewon last Saturday are placed at a makeshift memorial altar set up near Itaewon Station in Seoul, Thursday. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk By Lee Yeon-woo Actress Lee Young-ae is back in the spotlight for helping an ethnic Korean who died in the Halloween crowd crush in Itaewon last Saturday. Lee donated money to cover the sending of Korean Russian Yuliana Pak's body back to Russia via a ferry. The 25-year-old came to Korea in 2021 to live with her father who works at a factory here. She made a living by teaching English in kindergartens. Actress Lee Young-ae / Courtesy of Warner Bros. Korea We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form More than $7,000 was raised in the second annual Rebeccas Run recently in memory of Rebecca Taylor. Proceeds were donated to Hearten House Gospel Rescue Mission in Auburn. Shown are Hearten House executive director Marisa McKenzie, assistant director Beth Loch and case manager Vickie Andrews, and Rebecca Taylors family members Rachel Voelkel, Owen Voelkel, Oliver Voelkel, Shawn Taylor and Preston Taylor. (G)I-DLE leader Soyeon quickly defended Shuhua after the member received a rude question from Lee Sang Min during the group's "Knowing Bros" appearance. The hit JTBC variety show, "Knowing Bros," finally released (G)I-DLE's episode on Oct. 29 at 8:50 p.m. KST. The girl group's five members performed their hit songs, including "MY BAG" and "TOMBOY." (G)I-DLE also performed its latest hit, "Nxde," but Lee Sang Min referenced it in the rudest way possible. What did the "Knowing Bros" host say? Read on to know Lee Sang Min and Soyeon's exchange. Soyeon Defends (G)I-DLE Co-Member Shuhua (G)I-DLE first performed their hits before introducing themselves to the MCs. They also shared real-life stories that made everyone laugh. Throughout the broadcast, the members played games with the "Knowing Brothers" cast while also showcasing their acting skills. The members were having a good time not until Lee Sang Min made an insensitive comment toward Shuhua as they talked about the group's song, "Nxde." YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: NewJeans' Official Lightstick Receives Divided Opinions Due to Resemblance To BAP's Matoki In the clip shared by Drama Gallery's YouTube channel, Soyeon can be seen and heard explaining the origin of the track. She explained that the group's concept was finalized after watching "Gentleman Prefer Blondes" and "Moulin Rouge" several times. The idol group was also inspired by Marilyn Monroe, who infamously slept with anything but Chanel No. 5. This made the cast members and the guests talk about sleeping nude. MC Lee Soo Geun started the conversation by admitting that he could not sleep with clothes on. From there, Lee Sang Min began throwing rude questions that made (G)I-DLE members uncomfortable. He asked them if they also sleep nude before looking at Shuhua and telling her, "Looking at her expression, she really sleeps nude." The group's leader immediately called him out and said, "What are you thinking? We make sure to wrap ourselves up when we sleep. You sleep nude as much as you want." Soyeon Receives Praise From (G)I-DLE Fans Following the release of the episode, fans commented on the YouTube channel's video where they applauded her for standing up for her group members. Some of the comments read: "Soyeon really handled the situation really well." "He's basically sexually harassing the girls." "(G)I-DLE is lucky Soyeon is the leader." "That's really rude of Lee Sang Min to ask something like that." Shuhua herself already spoke up about sexual harassment and violence after an incident in Tangshan happened. The (G)I-DLE member, who is Taiwanese, took her dismay on Weibo earlier this year and expressed her anger toward the men involved in the gang assault in China. For what it's worth, four women at a barbecue restaurant in the area were assaulted by a group of men. The assault reportedly lasted for four minutes before the suspects left the scene. Two of the victims sustained non-life-threatening injuries but were sent to a medical facility. Shuhua bravely said those men and other abusers should never be forgiven. Stay tuned to KpopStarz for the latest K-pop news and updates. KpopStarz owns this article. Written by Alexandria Kim. LE SSERAFIM's Kazuha looked back at the girl group's pre-debut moments in the documentary "The World Is My Oyster," where she was seen getting emotional. Before LE SSERAFIM dominated the K-pop scene, the group members gave their blood, sweat, and tears while training before their debut. They also hit a glitch when Garam left the group following her bullying scandal. Because of the hardships they went through, it is normal that they get emotional at times. But Kazuha had a different reason when she let her guard down as a trainee. Kazuha Recalls Pre-Debut LE SSERAFIM Kazuha recently graced the pages of Marie Claire magazine with her visuals. Aside from posing for the publication, she also sat for an interview where she addressed several subjects, including the "The World Is My Oyster" era. LE SSERAFIM's pre-debut documentary recorded the members' lives as they trained before they debuted earlier this year. According to the member, she somewhat feels overwhelmed whenever she watches it again. YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: NewJeans' Official Lightstick Receives Divided Opinions Due to Resemblance To BAP's Matoki Kazuha chose the scene in which she cried as the most memorable part of the documentary. She explained that, instead of feeling sad, her tears were due to the members' warm welcome toward her and the teachers who helped her overcome her nervousness soon after she arrived in South Korea. She was born and raised in Kochi, Japan, before her family moved to Osaka and stayed there until she was 16. They eventually jetted into Amsterdam where she attended the Dutch National Ballet Academy. Compared to other members, Kazuha trained the shortest by spending only three months as a trainee before her debut. Her pre-debut story came months after reports about Kazuha crying in their practice room emerged. LE SSERAFIM members revealed that she got emotional after hearing Yunjin's "Raise Y_our Glass" for the first time. Sakura and Yunjin reportedly saw their co-member cry while in the middle of their practice session. Kazuha Reveals What She Wants in The Future Although Kazuha can get emotional so easily, she is already mature enough to plan for her future. Elsewhere in her Marie Claire Magazine interview, she expressed her desire to try performances that would highlight her confidence and strength. Still, she noted that she is still in the process of making and building herself to reach that version. She added that her members are always there to help her to adjust faster in the activities she chooses to do. With LE SSERAFIM's continuous success, Kazuha aims to keep growing and improving so she can reportedly conquer bigger stages. Once she reaches that goal, the K-pop idol will reportedly show her fans her full confidence as an artist. Stay tuned to KpopStarz for the latest K-pop news and updates. KpopStarz owns this article. Written by Alexandria Kim. New York, US (PANA) - Despite severe constraints on access, UN and other humanitarian workers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have begun helping thousands displaced by renewed fighting between the DRC army and the M23 armed group around the eastern region of North Kivu, close to the border with Rwanda and Uganda Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - On the occasion of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, the United Nations Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), has saluted the "courageous" Libyan journalists, and urged the authorities to protect media professionals as a guarantee of freedom of expression The three drug peddlers were wanted in connection with the seizure of 72.5 kg heroin in Mumbai. (ANI/Photo) Gurdaspur, Punjab, [India], November 3, (ANI): In a major breakthrough in the ongoing war on drug smugglers and peddlers in Punjab at the behest of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, the Punjab Police on Thursday arrested three high-profile smugglers wanted in connection with a 72.5 kg heroin haul from Nhava Sheva Port in Mumbai. The peddlers were rounded up from Gurdaspur district, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav on Thursday. The contraband, which was kept concealed in the door border of the container containing white marble tiles, was jointly recovered by the teams of Punjab Police and Also Read | Tamil Nadu Weather Forecast For November 4: IMD Predicts Heavy Rainfall in Southern Districts on Friday. in July, this year, stated a government release, adding that the container was imported by a Delhi-based importer. The arrested drug smugglers were identified as Gurwinder Singh alias Mehak (27) from Pandori in Amritsar, Gursewak Singh alias Sewak (25) from Bhikhiwind in Tarn Taran and Manjit Singh alias Soni (34) from Mahwa in Amritsar. The trio was actively involved in a high-level trans-border and inter-state drug smuggling in Punjab, DGP Yadav said, adding that following reliable inputs, Gurdaspur Police launched a special operation on Wednesday evening and arrested the accused persons after intercepting an SUV Mahindra Thar (PB46AH0003) at Amritsar-Jammu Highway in the Dhariwal area of Gurdaspur. Also Read | Karnataka Shocker: Woman Delivers Twins at Home in Tumakuru After Hospital Refuses To Admit Her, All Three Die; Locals Stage Protest. The police team also recovered a revolver along with six live cartridges of 9mm and six live cartridges of .32 bore during the search of the vehicle, he added. Earlier, the Mumbai ATS had apprehended Harsimran Sethi from Delhi, who ordered the consignment and his aide, Mohinder Singh Rathore, who was working as a clearing agent. The DGP said that during the investigation, Mumbai ATS had nominated Gurwinder, Gursewak and Manjit as recipients of the container. They also went to Delhi to clear the consignment. SSP Gurdaspur Deepak Hilori said Gurwinder Singh and Manjit were also wanted by the Amritsar Rural Police in an attempt to murder case in which they fired upon a police party in Amritsar Rural district in October 2020. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi, November 3: The Delhi Commission for Women has issued a summon to Delhi Police after 5 out of 7 Uzbek girls who had complained about trafficking and sexual exploitation in India went missing from a private shelter home. The Commission had received a complaint of an international trafficking and prostitution racket from seven women belonging to Uzbekistan. DCW Chief Ms. Swati Maliwal stated, "Seven Uzbek girls had exposed a big international racket involving trafficking and sex slavery. Delhi Police registered an FIR, but all accused persons were not arrested and the girls' passports were not recovered from the traffickers. With great difficulty and after going through a horrific ordeal these girls managed to escape. The girls had alleged that the traffickers had followed them with a gun as well! Now, 5 of the 7 girls have gone missing from the shelter home. I am concerned that the traffickers may have orchestrated this since all of them are yet to be arrested. I have issued a summon to Delhi Police. I want them to produce these 5 girls before the commission, ensure the arrests of all traffickers and recover the girls' passports. Strongest action should be taken against such international sex rackets operating in the Capital." Red Fort Attack 2000 Case: Supreme Court Affirms Death Penalty for LeT Terrorist Mohammad Arif, Rejects Review Petition; Says 'His Guilt Is Proved'. According to DCW Chief Ms. Swati Maliwal the Uzbek women alleged that they were brought to India on the pretext of providing jobs, but when they arrived here, they were forced into prostitution and sexual slavery. They further said that some of them were brought to Delhi via Nepal and some directly to India on a tourist visa and medical visa at different times. They alleged that for those who were brought via Nepal, their passports and other documents were snatched away in Nepal itself and then they were brought to Delhi, while for other women who were brought to Delhi on a medical visa, their passports and other documents were taken away by the traffickers after arriving in India. The Commission issued a notice to Delhi Police in the matter informing that an FIR u/s 365/384/323/506/120B/370 IPC was registered at PS Chanakyapuri and 3 accused were also arrested. However, the girls had named 10 accused and 7 of them were yet to be arrested. The girls desperately needed their documents to go back to their country, but Delhi police were unable to arrange the same. Also, the girls were sent to a shelter home where they were residing since then. Now, the Commission has learned that 5 girls have been missing from the shelter home for the past few days. West Bengal: Jagadhatri Puja Celebration Is in Full Swing in Chandannagar (Watch Video). The Commission has taken this matter very seriously and has issued summons to DCP, New Delhi seeking an action taken report on the matter. The Commission has sought a copy of the FIR registered in the matter of missing girls along with detail of steps taken by police to trace and recover the missing girls. The Commission has also sought the status of the arrest of all the accused. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi [India], November 3 (ANI): The Division Bench of Delhi High Court on Thursday dismissed an appeal moved by one Samata Party challenging the Election Commission of India's decision to reserve the election symbol "Flaming Torch" for Shiv Sena Party led by Uddhav Thackeray for the upcoming Andheri East Assembly bypoll. Samta Party had approached the Division Bench challenging the single bench order rejecting its petition Also Read | Indian Army Registers 'Intellectual Property Rights' (IPR) of New Design and Camouflage Pattern Uniform (See Pic). The Division Bench headed by Delhi's Chief Justice Satish Chander Sharma also comprising Justice Subramonium Prasad found no fault in the single bench order and dismissed it on Thursday Recently, the ECI had allotted the 'Flaming Torch' symbol to the Uddhav group to be used in the upcoming Andheri East bypoll. Also Read | Goa Minister Nilesh Cabral Fined Twice for Overspeeding in Other State. Earlier, the single bench, while passing the order, noted that the Petitioner/Samata Party was declared unrecognised by the Election Commission in 2004. The Petitioner Party claimed that it was declared unrecognised by the Election Commission in the year 2004, but it was recognised as a national party. The symbol "Flaming Torch" was reserved for Samta Party and Samta Party is contesting elections constantly and in future, it may gain its recognition as a recognised party, then how can the symbol be given to some other party, stated the plea. The plea further stated that the Samata Party (SAP) petitioner organisation is a political party in India, initially formed in 1994 by George Fernandes and Nitish Kumar. It was an offshoot of the Janata Dal. The party has socialist leanings, and at one point wielded considerable political and social influence in North India, particularly in Bihar. The plea also stated that the decision of the Election Commission of India whereby it allotted the symbol of 'Flaming Torch' to Shiv Sena is erroneous. The Election Commission of India in the Impugned order dated 10.10.2022 itself states that the symbol "Flaming Torch" is not in the list of free symbol as it is reserved for Samata Party. Because of the decision of the Election Commission declaring the erstwhile reserved symbol of the Samata Party to Shiv Sena the petitioner/party has been left without any symbol and, therefore, unable to ventilate their political aspirations in the upcoming bye-elections, the plea read. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi [India], November 3 (ANI): The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued notice to the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of External Affairs and Delhi police on a habeas corpus plea moved by a Ukrainian woman to locate her 3-year-old son. The woman has claimed that the child was illegally brought to India in March during the Russia-Ukraine War by her ex-husband who is the father of the child. Also Read | Maharashtra BJP Holds Core Committee Meeting in Mumbai. A division bench of justices Sidharth Mridul and Amit Sharma on Wednesday directed Delhi Police to locate the man and his son. The bench also issued notice to the man and requested him to appear before the court at the earliest. Also Read | Kinnaur Assembly By-Election 2022: PM Narendra Modi Hails 106-Year-Old Shyam Saran Negi, Independent India's First Voter, for Exercising His Franchise in Himachal Pradesh Bypoll. The bench granted time to the counsel for the Centre and Delhi Government to take instructions in the matter. Thereafter listed the matter on November 14, for further hearing. Central Government standing counsel Ajay Digpaul had sought 3 weeks' time to file a response. The court said, "You only need to tell us if they (father-son) have entered India." "In the meantime, the Delhi Police is directed to locate the man and the three-year-old minor son," the bench further said. The woman who approached the court filing a plea through advocate Sravan Kumar answered the court's queries through a translator virtually. The petitioner told the bench that she is a divorcee and the custody of her son was granted to her in 2021 by a Ukrainian Court. The man took their son away without informing her on the basis of fabricated documents. " The first priority is to locate your son. We will hear you thereafter. We will ask further questions if needed, once your son is located," the bench said. The petition moved by the woman also stated that the man was sighted in Assam and Bihar. He was living with her in Guwahati. The bench asked the petitioner's counsel, "When you have information that he is in Guwahati, why did you not move to Gauhati High Court? Now Delhi Police will be hard-pressed to locate them in Assam. It is your own case that he is sighted in Assam or Bihar and you are moving to Delhi High Court." How the court could direct that the child be sent back to Ukraine in such turbulent times, the court further asked. The bench asked further, "Can you give us a guarantee that presently any area in Ukraine is safe... Is she certain that her ex-husband and child are in India," to which the woman's translator replied that she was completely sure that the kid is in the territory of India. The woman also claimed that her son was kidnapped by her ex-husband on March 23 when he had taken the child for a walk and did not return. A criminal case has been lodged in Ukraine in this regard. She also claimed that the child is a Ukrainian citizen. How can travel documents be provided to him to enter India without obtaining her consent? It shows that the man brought her son to India on the basis of fabricated documents. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi [India], November 3 (ANI): The process for registration of the new Camouflage Pattern and Design of Improved Combat Uniform to establish ownership of the Indian Army has been completed by the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademark, Kolkata, informed officials on Thursday. According to the official statement from the Ministry of Defence, the registration has been published in the official journal of the Patent Office vide Issue No No 42/2022 dated October 21, 2022. Also Read | Karnataka Shocker: Woman Delivers Twins at Home in Tumakuru After Hospital Refuses To Admit Her, All Three Die; Locals Stage Protest. The new Digital Pattern Combat Uniform for Indian Army soldiers was unveiled on January 15, 2022 (Army Day). As per officials, the improved uniform has a contemporary look and functional design. The fabric has been made lighter, stronger, breathable, quick drying and easier to maintain. The uniqueness of the uniform is evident with gender-specific modifications for women's combat uniforms. Also Read | Dehli Shocker: Man Shot Dead by Neighbour Over Petty Dispute in Sangam Vihar, Accused Arrested. The exclusive 'Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)' of the Design and Camouflage Pattern now rests solely with the Indian Army. Therefore, manufacturing by any vendor who is not authorised to do so will be illegal and liable to face legal repercussions. According to the official statement, the Indian Army can enforce exclusive rights to the design and can file infringement suits by way of a civil action before a competent court of law. Remedies against infringements include interim and permanent injunctions as well as damages. As part of the process of introduction of the new pattern uniform, a total of 50,000 sets have already been procured through Canteen Stores Department (CSD) and delivered to 15 CSD Depots (Delhi, Leh, BD Bari, Srinagar, Udhampur, Andaman & Nicobar, Jabalpur, Masimpur, Narangi, Dimapur, Bagdogra, Lucknow, Ambala, Mumbai and Khadki). According to the official statement from the Ministry of Defence, workshops to train civil and military tailors in stitching the new uniform as per the specified design are being organised in coordination with instructors from the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) in Delhi. Bulk procurement of 11.70 lakh sets to cater for the issue to JCOs and OR as part of the individual kit (Life Cycle Concept with a life of 15 months) is in progress and is likely to commence from August 2023. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. New Delhi, Nov 3 (PTI) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will pay a two-day visit to Russia beginning November 7 during which he will hold wide-ranging talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced Jaishankar's visit on Thursday. Also Read | Tamil Nadu Weather Forecast For November 4: IMD Predicts Heavy Rainfall in Southern Districts on Friday. During visit to Moscow, Jaishankar will hold talks with Lavrov focusing on bilateral, regional and international issues, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said at a media briefing. The visit is taking place amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Also Read | Sagar Dhankar Murder Case: Delhi Court Grants Custody Parole to Accused Gaurav Laura To Appear in Class 12 Exam in Jhajjar. In the last few months, India has increased the import of discounted crude oil from Russia notwithstanding increasing disquiet over it by several Western powers. Jaishankar and Lavrov have already met four times after the Ukraine conflict began in February. The Russian foreign minister visited India in April during which he held extensive talks with Jaishankar and met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Russian President Vladimir Putin visited India in December last year to attend the India-Russia annual summit. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Thiruvananthapuram/New Delhi, Nov 3 (PTI) Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Thursday rejected allegations by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan that the former was politically interfering in the appointment of Vice-Chancellors to universities in the state and offered to resign if even one example of the same could be shown. Also Read | West Bengal: Jagadhatri Puja Celebration Is in Full Swing in Chandannagar (Watch Video). Khan also openly challenged the Chief Minister, asking whether he would be able to resign if he was unable to prove or substantiate his allegation. Also Read | India Abstains on Russia-Sponsored Resolution Involving Ukraine and US at UN Security Council. "They (Left government, CM) are saying I am doing this (action against VCs) to bring RSS people. If I have nominated even one person, not just of RSS, any person, on my own using my authority, then I will resign. Will he (CM) be able to resign if he is not able to prove it? I am asking you (media)," he said, speaking to reporters in New Delhi. "When you make such a serious charge against me, you have to substantiate the same," he added. He was responding to reporters when his stand was sought on Vijayan's allegations against him on Wednesday at a convention in Thiruvananthapuram where the CM said the Governor was trying to make universities in the state a centre of RSS and Sangh Parivar and that Khan was trying to implement the saffronisation agenda of these groups. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Bhubaneswar, Nov 3 (PTI) Polling began on Thursday morning for by-election to the Dhamnagar assembly constituency in Odisha amid tight security, officials said. The voting began in all the 252 polling stations of the constituency in Bhadrak district at 7 am, and will continue till 6 pm, they said. Also Read | Maharashtra BJP Holds Core Committee Meeting in Mumbai. A total of 2.38 lakh voters -- 1.23 lakh males and 1.15 lakh females -- are eligible to exercise their franchise in this election. The rural constituency usually records around 70 per cent voter turn out. In the 2019 assembly election, 72.64 per cent of voters cast their votes, while it was 73.46 per cent in 2014. Also Read | Kinnaur Assembly By-Election 2022: PM Narendra Modi Hails 106-Year-Old Shyam Saran Negi, Independent India's First Voter, for Exercising His Franchise in Himachal Pradesh Bypoll. As many as 1,000 police personnel and four companies of central paramilitary forces have been deployed for the by-election. The entry and exit points of the constituency have been sealed. A total of 1,008 polling officers have been deployed. Of the total 252 polling booths, 110 have been declared sensitive, and there will be webcasting in 126 booths, officials said. There are five candidates in the fray for the bypoll. While the ruling BJD has fielded Abanti Das, the opposition BJP's nominee is Suryabanshi Suraj, son of late MLA Bishnu Charan Sethi whose death on September 19 necessitated the by-election. The Congress has fielded advocate Baba Harekrushna Sethi, while former BJD MLA Rajendra Das is in the fray as an Independent candidate. The AAP is also in the race and has fielded Anwar Sheikh. While Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik campaigned for Das, a self-help group leader, through virtual mode, Union ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and Bisheswar Tudu have extensively canvassed for Suraj. There are 15 model booths and five pink booths, which have women security personnel and polling officials. Pick-up and drop arrangements have been made available for voters with physical disabilities. The votes will be counted on November 6. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], November 3 (ANI): The Srinagar Public Relations Office (PRO) of the Ministry of Defence on Thursday paid rich tributes to Major P Purshottam, who was killed along with five other soldiers in a suicide attack by militants on this day in 1999. A defence spokesman said that wreaths were laid at the Major Purshottam Memorial in the Badami Bagh Cantonment here. Also Read | Tamil Nadu: Pregnant Woman Allegedly Denied Admission at District Hospital in Tumakuru, Dies With Newborn Twins. "In a solemn and poignant ceremony held at the Badami Bagh Cantonment in Srinagar, all ranks of the Public Relations Office paid rich tributes to Major P Purushottam and five soldiers, including one Junior Commissioned Officer and four jawans, who were killed in a Fidayeen attack on this day in 1999," Srinagar PRO said in a statement. Major Purushottam, who was posted as a Public Relations Officer (Defence) along with five of his comrades, fought the militants who had launched the attack on his office on November 3, 1999. He and his colleagues were killed while trying to save the journalists who were present in the PRO's office at the time of the attack. (ANI) Also Read | West Bengal Shocker: Man Rapes, Threatens To Kill 60-Year-Old Woman Whom He Would Call 'Mother' in Kolkata; Arrested. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Former Andhra Pradesh Minister and Telugu Desam Party leader Ayyanna Patrudu (Photo:Screengrab of video shared by N Chandrababu Naidu on Twitter) Narsipatnam (Andhra Pradesh) [India], November 3 (ANI): Former Andhra Pradesh Minister and Telugu Desam Party leader Ayyanna Patrudu and his son Rajesh were arrested from their residence in the early hours of Thursday for allegedly forging documents in the High Court regarding the construction of a wall in their house. The two leaders were arrested by the Crime Investigation Department (CID) Police earlier today and moved to the Eluru district. Also Read | Gujarat Assembly Elections 2022 Schedule: Election Commission To Hold Press Conference Today To Announce Poll Dates. It is reported that the CID had registered a case on the complaint of the irrigation officials that they had submitted a fake certificate to the High Court during the demolition of the house wall. It was alleged that the duo had occupied the Ravanapalli irrigation canal and constructed the house. Ayyanna's wife Padmavati criticized the government for arresting Ayyanna Patrudu and Rajesh without prior information. Also Read | Munugodu Assembly By-Elections: Telangana BJP President Bandi Sanjay Detained After Protest Against TRS Leaders. She demanded from the government to take full responsibility for Ayyanna Patrudu's life. The Telugu Desam Party activists have called Narsipatnam bandh in protest against Ayyanna's arrest. The arrested TDP leader and his son will be produced before a court in Eluru later. TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, took to Twitter and shared the video of Ayyanna's arrest and condemned the arrest calling it an attempt to "suppress" the voice of the backward class leaders. "The arrest of former minister and BC leader Aiyanna Patrudi in Narsipatnam after jumping over walls and breaking doors has caused consternation," Naidu tweeted in Telugu, roughly translated into English. He alleged that the Reddy government has been chasing Ayanna's family since it came to power. "The government has been chasing Ayanna's family since coming to power... more than 10 cases have already been filed. In the case of Chintakayala Vijay, the police did not change even though the CID's procedures were wrong," he tweeted. "Have there ever been situations in the state where the police raided houses like thieves and made arrests? Ayanna's arrest is to suppress the voice of BC leaders who are questioning about the exploitation of Uttarandhra by YCP," Naidu added. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi, Nov 3 (PTI) The lawyer of fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya on Thursday told the Supreme Court that he was not receiving any communication from him and sought to be discharged from the case as a counsel. A bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and Hima Kohli allowed the discharge of advocate E C Agrawala from the case and asked him to furnish the e-mail ID of the liquor baron along with his present residential address in the United Kingdom to the apex court registry. Also Read | Uma Bharti Slams Madhya Pradesh IAS Official Ashok Shah for Remark on Girls Being Deprived of Breastmilk; Asks CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan for Action. "Counsel seeking discharge the case because in spite of communication from his end, no instruction is forthcoming," the bench said and asked the lawyer to follow the process of discharge. Agrawala told the top court, "I want to be discharged from this matter as I am not receiving any instructions from my client. I am not able to establish contact with him. He is incommunicado for a long time." Also Read | India Asks Canada To Prevent Anti-India Activities by Individuals and Groups After Demand for Khalistan Rises. The top court discharged the lawyer from the two petitions filed by Mallya against the October 5, 2018 and September 13, 2019 orders of the Karnataka High Court directing him to pay Rs 3,101 crore to a consortium of banks. In a separate case, on July 11, the top court had sentenced Mallya to four months in jail for contempt of court, and directed the Centre to secure the presence of the fugitive businessman who has been in the UK since 2016 to undergo the imprisonment. The top court had said Mallya, 66, never showed any remorse nor tendered any apology for his conduct and adequate punishment must be imposed to maintain the majesty of the law. The top court had also imposed a fine of Rs 2,000 on Mallya, who was held guilty of committing contempt of court by the top court on May 9, 2017, for transferring USD 40 million to his children in violation of court orders. According to the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, a person may be punished with simple imprisonment of up to six months, or with a fine up to Rs 2,000, or both for contempt of court. The top court had directed that Mallya and the beneficiaries under the said transactions relating to USD 40 million shall be bound to deposit the amount received along with interest at the rate of eight per cent per annum with the recovery officer concerned within four weeks. It had said in case the amount is not deposited, the recovery officer concerned shall be entitled to take appropriate proceedings for recovery of money and the Government of India and all agencies concerned shall extend assistance and complete cooperation. The top court had said that the fine shall be deposited in the apex court registry within four weeks and upon such deposit the amount shall be handed over to the Supreme Court Legal Services Committee. It said in case the fine amount of Rs 2,000 is not deposited within the stipulated time, Mallya shall undergo a further sentence of two months. The apex court said in spite of repeated opportunities afforded to Mallya, no submissions were advanced on his behalf either on the purging of contempt or on the quantum of punishment. The transactions referred to in the judgement and order dated May 9, 2017 in terms of which the amount of USD 40 million was disbursed to the beneficiaries are held to be "void and inoperative", the court had said. It had noted that in its May 9, 2017 verdict, the apex court had found that the action on part of Mallya in disbursing the amount of USD 40 Million was against the "text and tenor" of orders passed by the Karnataka High Court and that the contemnor was guilty of contempt. It had said the Government of India, including the Ministry of External Affairs and all other agencies or instrumentalities, shall carry out the directions issued by the court with due diligence and utmost expediency. Mallya is an accused in a bank loan default matter of over Rs 9,000 crore involving his defunct Kingfisher Airlines. The apex court had in 2020 dismissed Mallya's plea seeking a review of the May 2017 verdict. Mallya has been living in the United Kingdom since March 2016. He is on bail on an extradition warrant executed by Scotland Yard on April 18, 2017. A consortium of lending banks led by State Bank of India had moved the apex court alleging that Mallya was not following the court orders on repayment of the loan which was then over Rs 9,000 crore. Separately, Mallya has also challenged Karnataka High Court orders of October 5, 2018 and September 13, 2019. The orders upheld the decision of the Debts Recovery Appellate Tribunal (DRAT), Bangalore to deposit Rs 3,101 crore as a precondition to hearing his appeal against a Debt Recovery Tribunal (DRT) order. The DRT Bangalore had on January 19, 2017 directed Mallya to pay Rs 6,203 crore with interest to a consortium of banks led by State Bank of India, who had lent money for now defunct Kingfisher Airlines. Mallya challenged the order in 2018 before the DRAT, which dismissed the appeal for want of appearance and non-compliance of objections. He again moved DRAT and filed an application seeking restoration of his appeal. The DRAT, on March 28, 2018, directed Mallya to deposit Rs 3,101 crore on or before April 25, 2018 and observed that in case of failure in compliance, the appeal will be liable to be dismissed automatically. Mallya then challenged the March 28, 2018 order before the High Court, which dismissed his appeal on October 5, 2018 and subsequently he knocked the door of the apex court. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi [India], November 3 (ANI): A lawyer representing fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya on Thursday urged the Supreme Court to relieve him from representing Mallya, who is residing in the United Kingdom, as he is not receiving any communications from him. Advocate EC Agarwala told a bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and Hima Kohli that he has not been receiving any instruction from Mallya and thus, he should be discharged from the case. Also Read | Uma Bharti Slams Madhya Pradesh IAS Official Ashok Shah for Remark on Girls Being Deprived of Breastmilk; Asks CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan for Action. "I want to be discharged from this matter. I am not receiving any instructions...," he said. The bench allowed the lawyer to follow the process for discharge from the case and asked him to inform the Court Registry about Mallya's e-mail id and present residential address. Also Read | Modi Government Acts Tough: Asks Canada To Prevent Anti-India Activities by Individuals and Groups After Demand for Khalistan Rises. In July, the apex court awarded four months in jail to Mallya who was found guilty of contempt of court in 2017 for withholding information from the court. It had also imposed a cost of Rs. 2,000 on Mallya while observing that he showed "no remorse" for his conduct and did not appear before it during the sentencing hearing. The top court had also directed Mallya to deposit USD 40 million with eight per cent interest within four weeks failing which, attachment proceedings will be initiated against his properties. It had said the adequate sentence must be imposed on him to "uphold the majesty of the law". In 2017, the top court had held Mallya guilty of contempt of court for withholding information from the court about transferring USD 40 million to his children in violation of the court's order and sought his presence before it on various occasions. He was found guilty of contempt of court in a case filed by a consortium of banks led by the State Bank of India. The apex court, during the hearing of the contempt case, had noted that Mallya behaves like "a free person" in the United Kingdom and no information was forthcoming about the proceedings concerning Mallya there. On February 10, the Supreme Court granted the last opportunity of two weeks to Mallya to personally present or through counsel in the contempt case against him and if he fails to do so, the court will take the matter to logical conclusion. The apex court had dismissed a plea filed by Mallya seeking a review of its May 2017 order holding him guilty of contempt. Mallya is an accused in a bank loan default case of over Rs 9,000 crore involving his defunct Kingfisher Airlines and is presently in the United Kingdom. The Supreme Court had issued its May 9, 2017, order on a plea by a consortium of banks led by the State Bank of India (SBI), claiming he had allegedly transferred USD 40 million received from British firm Diageo to his children in "flagrant violation" of various judicial orders. The banks had accused Mallya of concealing the facts and diverted the money to his son Siddharth Mallya and daughters Leanna Mallya and Tanya Mallya in flagrant violation of the orders passed by the Karnataka High Court. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi, November 3: Richest Indian Gautam Adani's conglomerate's flagship firm on Thursday reported more than doubling of its September quarter net profit on the back of strong performance at its integrated resources management and airports divisions. Adani Enterprises Ltd (AEL) posted net profit of Rs 460.94 crore in July-September compared to Rs 212.41 crore profit in the same period a year back. Revenue from operations of the flagship company of the ports-to-energy Adani Group nearly tripled to Rs 38,175.23 crore from Rs 13,218 crore in July-September 2021, the company said in a statement. Adani Enterprises Subsidiaries Secure Rs 10,238 Crore Fund for Ganga Expressway Project in Uttar Pradesh. The integrated resources management (IRM) division, the mainstay segment for the company, saw revenue more than triple to Rs 30,435.19 crore and segment profit more than double to Rs 1,069.38 crore, helped by strong volumes and improved prices. NDTV Contentions Are Baseless and Devoid of Merit, Says Adani Enterprises. Airports business clocked pre-tax profit of Rs 200.83 crore as against a loss of Rs 101 crore last year. The earnings jump will give the firm more firepower to boost investments in numerous new businesses it is nurturing. AEL, which is a new business incubator for the Adani Group, said it made progress on segments ranging from new energy business to data centre and roads. A new solar module line of 2 GW has been operationalised, while the first data centre facility with 17 MW capacity has gone online at Chennai. EBIDTA increased by 86 per cent to Rs 4,100 crore on account of strong performance by IRM and airport business, the statement said. "Adani Enterprises has yet again validated its standing as India's most successful new business incubator as it continues to build on exciting ideas strategically aligned with the diverse strengths of the Adani portfolio of companies," said Gautam Adani, chairman of the Adani Group. "AEL's accelerating pace of business incubation and its remarkably consistent success demonstrates the robustness of the Adani Group's fundamental approach to value creation as we transform sector after sector through digitisation, innovation in technology and a greater emphasis on equitable energy transition. "We continue to believe ever firmly in the India growth story and remain committed to our core philosophy of nation-building through the development of advanced, efficient and world-class infrastructure that delivers increasing shareholder value," he added. The group's airports handled 16.3 million passengers at 90 per cent of pre-COVID levels, the statement added. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi, November 3: India offers policy stability, transparency and consultative process of governance to incubate investment, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Thursday as she invited investments in prospecting energy resources in the country. Stressing that there is a need for investments in coal, she said, "We need greater investments also to help in gasification of coal. I invite all of you to energetically participate in the (sixth round of commercial mines) auction processes which have been launched today and keep your options also further extended for greater extraction of minerals in India." Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Criticises States Seeking More Funds, Says You Me Culture Wont Work. During this 'Amrit Kaal', India needs all the basic minerals as the country is in the process of rapid growth, she added. Quoting a Morgan Stanley report, the finance minister said India is the place where investment should be. Video: Nirmala Sitharaman Gets Angry at BJP Worker for Asking for a Photo With Family in Pune. "This is where action is. We are definitely creating a policy environment through which greater transparency and greater policy stability guides and invites investments. The next 25 years are critical for India for both its growth and also for employment. "And above all, in the last eight years you would have seen under Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi consistency of policy, favourable and positive environment for investments and for manufacturing. So with this, India creates greater ambience and above all consultative process with the stakeholders...," she said. The finance minister invited industries to give their inputs and be active players in the consultative process. "Keep the sharing of information...because that's what is going to help us draft policy which will be favourable for businesses to work and that in turn creates the virtuous cycle for the economy," she said. During the occasion, Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi said at a time when there are talks of recession, India is the fastest growing and best performing economy. The minister said 141 coal and lignite mines would be put on sale in the sixth round of commercial mines auction which was launched on Thursday. So far, around 67 coal mines have been put on sale under commercial mining, he noted. The ministry, he said, has eased certain provisions of the auction, including reduction in the overall upfront amount and easing of the exit route. "We are taking every effort to de-risk coal mining projects," Joshi explained. Joshi further said the finance ministry has extended Rs 6,000 crore incentive for coal gasification and Rs 250 crore for exploration process. Sitharaman said India has the fourth largest reserves of coal in the world and it is the second largest producer. The current exploration policy of the country has helped it in producing more coal. She said in the current regime, coal imports have come down significantly and the production has gone up. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi, Nov 3 (PTI) Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Thursday launched a portal on National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF) for the benefit of the farming community. The NMNF portal (http://naturalfarming.dac.gov.in) -- developed by the agriculture ministry -- was launched in the first steering committee meeting of the National Natural Farming Mission here. Also Read | Adani Enterprises Net Profit More Than Doubles to Rs 460.94 Crore in Second Quarter in 2022. The portal contains all the information about the mission, implementation outline, resources, implementation progress, farmer registration, blog etc., which will be useful for the farmers. Also, this website will help in promoting natural farming in the country, an official statement said. Tomar, who chaired the committee, said the mission of natural farming in the country would be taken forward with everyone's cooperation. Also Read | OSSC Recruitment 2022: Vacancies Notified for 2,168 Group B and C Posts, Apply Online at ossc.gov.in. In this regard, the minister asked the officers to coordinate with the state governments and central departments and enable market linkage so that the farmers get more ease in selling their products. Union Rural Development Minister Giriraj Singh and Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Uttar Pradesh Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi, Union Agriculture Secretary Manoj Ahuja and senior officers of various ministries were present in the meeting. The Jal Shakti Minister said his ministry has made a roadmap to promote natural farming and identified 75 Sahakar Ganga villages in the first phase by signing an MoU with Sahkar Bharti and training has been given to the farmers. The UP Agriculture Minister said that under the Namami Gange Project, the promotion of natural farming has been started in the state. A target has been set to work in every block and master training has been done. It was informed in the meeting that more than 4.78 lakh hectares of the additional area have been brought under natural farming in 17 states from December 2021. 7.33 lakh farmers have taken initiative in natural farming. About 23,000 programmes have been organised for the sanitisation and training of farmers. Natural farming is being implemented in 1.48 lakh hectares on the banks of river Ganga in four states, the statement added. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a ceremony to welcome visiting Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan prior to their talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 3, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan) BEIJING, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with visiting Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan in Beijing on Thursday. The two heads of state announced the elevation of China-Tanzania relations to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. Noting Hassan is the first African head of state China received after the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Xi said this fully shows the closeness of China-Tanzania relations and the important status of China-Africa ties in China's overall diplomacy. Under the new circumstances, the sound development of China-Tanzania relations not only serves the common and long-term interests of the two countries, but also is of great significance to the promotion of a China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era, Xi said. Xi stressed that China always views ties with Tanzania from a strategic height, and is always a trustworthy friend of Tanzania. The two countries should promote cooperation in various fields under the guidance of the China-Tanzania comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, he added. China is ready to continue expanding import of specialty products from Tanzania, supporting Chinese enterprises to invest there, and providing assistance to Tanzania's economic and social development as its capacity allows, Xi said. The development of China-Africa relations should stick to the direction of mutual trust, mutual benefit, mutual learning and mutual assistance, Xi said, adding the two sides should carry forward the fine tradition and enhance the spirit of China-Africa friendship and cooperation. Hassan expressed Tanzania's willingness to stand as a forever trustworthy partner of China, and to work with China to enhance pragmatic cooperation and bring bilateral ties to a new height. The two sides agreed to expand bilateral trade volume, further deepen high-quality cooperation under the framework of Belt and Road Initiative, and enhance cooperation in processing and manufacturing, green development, and digital economy, among others. Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a ceremony to welcome visiting Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan prior to their talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 3, 2022. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei) By Saurabh Trivedi New Delhi [India], November 3 (ANI): India rejected any unwarranted references to the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir that were made in a China-Pakistan joint statement during Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's visit to Beijing. Also Read | Imran Khan Assassination Attempt: Police Officers Suspended for Leaking Confession of Former PMs Attacker. Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, "We've noted that the joint statement released following the visit of Pakistan PM to China contained several unwarranted references to Indian Union Territory of J&K. Union territory of J-K and of Ladakh are and always will be integral and inalienable part of India," he said. During the two-day visit to China, the Pakistan PM held a meeting with Chinese premier Xi Jinping and focussed on expanding cooperation on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Also Read | King Charles Had Valet to Look After His Teddy Bear in His 40s According to a New Book!. On CPEC, Bagchi said, "We've consistently conveyed our protests and concerns to China and Pakistan. CPEC includes projects from the sovereign territory of India that is under forcible and illegal external occupation," he said. "We resolutely reject any attempts to utilise such projects to change status-quo in the area, any attempts to involve third parties in such activities are inherently illegal, illegitimate and unacceptable and will be treated as such by us," he added. The two leaders discussed the broad-based cooperation in the economy and investment in all areas of bilateral relations, especially CPEC projects and agreed to further strengthen the strategic partnership. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Indian firm to build Mongolia's first greenfield oil refinery to lessen dependency on Russian oil By Ashoke Raj New Delhi [India], November 3 (ANI): In a major development to lessen Mongolia's oil imports from Russia, an Indian company is all set to build the first greenfield oil refinery in the capital Ulaanbaatar. Also Read | Imran Khan, Former Pakistan PM Receives Bullet Injury After Unknown Gunmen Open Fire on His Container: Report. India's Hyderabad-based Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Limited (MEIL) has received the letter of authorisation for the Mongol Refinery Project, which entails building Mongolia's first oil refinery in the country. The company will build EPC-2 (Open Art Units, Utilities & Offsites, Plant Buildings) and EPC-3 (Captive Power Plants) at a cost of USD 790 million using advanced technology in Mongolia. Also Read | Pakistan Tehreek-E-Insaf Chief Imran Khan's Long March Enters 7th Day As Party Keeps Government Guessing. The project is part of the Development Partnership Administration initiative of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Government of India. It will be built using a line of credit from the Government of India. In the years to come, this refinery will open up a number of employment opportunities, supporting the growth of nearby small industries, and thereby leading to Mongolia's economic development. "This downstream project is of enormous importance and marks a critical turning point in the relationship between India and Mongolia and in MEIL's expansion strategy in the hydrocarbons sector. In addition, the project will bring economic prosperity and energy independence to Mongolia," a top MEIL official told ANI. "Engineers India Limited (EIL) is the Project Management Consultant (PMC) for this G2G partnership project," it added. The project aims at lessening Mongolia's dependency on oil imports from Russia. Mongolia is constructing its first greenfield oil refinery -- the Mongol Refinery. A pipeline and a power plant are part of the refinery's operations. Once completed, this refinery will be able to process 30,000 barrels of crude oil per day or 1.5 million tonnes annually. This will reduce Mongolia's dependency on Russian fuel and will help the country meet its needs for petroleum products like gasoline, diesel, aviation fuel, and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). It's being seen as a major step amid the crisis because of the Russia-Ukraine war and the cost of oil shooting up manyfold. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Bali [Indonesia], November 3 (ANI): Indonesia on Thursday handed over the Presidency of the R20 summit, the religious grouping of the Group of 20 Forum, to India which New Delhi will host in 2023. The handover ceremony was held for government and religious leaders from India which will host the G20 Religion Forum in 2023. Also Read | Australia: Police Announce $1 Million Reward To Nab Indian Suspect in Toyah Cordingley Murder Case. R20 is part of a series of G20 events initiated under Indonesia's G20 Presidency. It is being held from November 2-3 this year in Bali, Indonesia to mobilize global leaders to help ensure that religion functions as an open and dynamic source of solutions, rather than problems, in the 21st century. Also Read | Burj Khalifa Lights Up With a Special Message for Shah Rukh Khan on His 57th Birthday (Watch Video). India and Indonesia share two millennia of close cultural and commercial contact. The Hindu, Buddhist and later Muslim faith travelled to Indonesia from the shores of India. The stories from the great epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata form sources of Indonesian folk art and dramas. The shared culture, colonial history and post-independence goals of political sovereignty, economic self-sufficiency and independent foreign policy have a unifying effect on bilateral relations. The G20 summit (Group of 20 leading economies, this year headed by Indonesia) includes an official main event called R20 (Religion Forum) will be held from 2-3 November this year for the "first time ever" in Bali, Indonesia. The R20 has been recognized as an official G20 engagement group, and the R20 Summit in Bali is the main event in this year's G20 program. Joko Widodo, President of Indonesia, is scheduled to address the opening session of this year's R20 Summit on 2nd November 2022. India will assume the Presidency of the Group of Twenty (or G20) for one year from December 1, 2022 to November 30, 2023. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Abuja (Nigeria), Nov 3 (AP) Police in Nigeria said they were searching on Thursday for 21 people abducted by gunmen while working on farmland whose owner is believed to have owed the alleged kidnappers coerced payments. The people kidnapped were teenagers working on a farm in the remote Faskari council area of Katsina state when the gunmen singled out the farm and abducted them, Katsina police spokesperson Gambo Isah said. Also Read | Pakistan Tehreek-E-Insaf Chief Imran Khan's Long March Enters 7th Day As Party Keeps Government Guessing. According to our investigation, the bandits placed some levies on some of these farmers, and this particular one refused to comply with their demands. ... That was why they went to their farm and kidnapped the workers, Isah said. Police and Nigerian solderis from a nearby military outpost were working to find the abducted farm workers, who are ages 15-18, he said. Also Read | Australia: Police Announce $1 Million Reward To Nab Indian Suspect in Toyah Cordingley Murder Case. Residents in remote parts of the northwest and central regions of Nigeria targeted by armed groups have complained of gunmen requiring farmers to pay huge levies to work their farmland. The groups mostly consist of young men from the Fulani ethnic group, whose members traditionally worked as nomadic cattle herders and are caught up in a decades-long conflict with Hausa farming communities over access to water and grazing land. Nigerian security forces carry out aerial bombardments of the known hideouts of the armed groups. Authorities blame their continued operation on the cooperation of some local residents. Most of those residents are farmers who say they risk getting attacked if they do not pay the levies imposed on their villages. The police are worried and disturbed that terrorists are placing levies on people, police spokesperson Isah said. He said villagers must still desist from cooperating and from whatever demands made by these terrorists. (AP) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Skopje, Nov 2 (AP) North Macedonia's parliament adopted a law Wednesday that prevents organisations and cultural clubs from using names considered linked to fascism, a response to Bulgarian clubs with names of controversial figures opening in the country and sparking protests. The proposed law passed with 67 votes in the 120-member parliament. Also Read | North Korea Supplying Russia With Significant Number of Artillery Shells, Says White House. The law bans political parties and cultural clubs from using symbols and the names of individuals associated with fascism or considered to be directed against other religions or ethnic groups. Last month, hundreds of left-wing supporters and nationalists protested in the southern town of Ohrid against an ethnic Bulgarian association naming itself after King Boris III, a Bulgarian monarch who is deeply resented in North Macedonia for his country's role in World War II, when Bulgaria allied itself with Nazi Germany. Also Read | Alexander Pisarev Dies After Eating Poisonous Watermelon! Russian MMA Fighter Passes Away in Sleep, Wife Being Treated for Suspected Food Poisoning. Protesters held banners reading No negotiation with fascists, and threw eggs and stones at the club's premises, which were guarded by police. Earlier this year, another ethnic Bulgarian cultural club caused a stir in North Macedonia by adopting the name of another divisive WWII figure. Boris III reigned from 1918 until his death in 1943 and oversaw Bulgaria's alliance with Axis powers during World War II. That move enabled Bulgaria to occupy parts of neighbouring Greece, Romania and what is now North Macedonia. Bulgarian forces accepted Nazi German demands to round up and deport to their deaths Jews in the occupied regions, but Boris successfully resisted pressure for Bulgarian Jews to face a similar fate. Jewish community groups in North Macedonia expressed shock at the ethnic Bulgarian organisation's choice of name. According to the new legislation, newly opened clubs of Bulgarians that feature controversial names must change the name within three months or face removal from the Central Register, where all clubs and companies must be registered. Relations between North Macedonia and neighbouring Bulgaria are poor, largely due to disagreements over regional history and culture that led Bulgaria to block North Macedonia's bid to join the European Union. Bulgaria accuses the government in Skopje of disrespecting shared cultural and historic ties. Among Sofia's key demands were an acknowledgment that the language of North Macedonia is derived from Bulgarian, changes in history textbooks and the recognition of a Bulgarian minority. The size of the Bulgarian community in North Macedonia is a matter of contention. Official data from the country's 2021 census put it at 3,504 people, or about 0.2 per cent of the population. Bulgaria has disputed the figure, noting that about 90,000 of North Macedonia's roughly 2 million people received dual Bulgarian citizenship based on family roots in the last two decades. While still named Macedonia, North Macedonia had a decades-long dispute over culture and history with Greece. That ended with the country changing its name to add North, and Athens dropping its objections to its neighbour joining NATO and the EU. (AP) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Paris, Nov 3 (AP) A Paris court on Wednesday found a former Liberian rebel guilty of torture, acts of barbarism and complicity in crimes against humanity during the country's civil war almost 30 years ago, sentencing him to life in prison. Kunti Kamara, 47, had been accused of complicity in massive and systematic torture and inhumane acts against civilians in Liberia's Lofa county in 1993-1994 as one of the leaders of the Ulimo armed group. He was then less than 20 years old. Also Read | North Korea Supplying Russia With Significant Number of Artillery Shells, Says White House. Kamara repeatedly rejected all the accusations against him during the nearly four-week trial. Prosecutors requested a life sentence while defence lawyers called for acquittal, citing a lack of evidence. Also Read | Alexander Pisarev Dies After Eating Poisonous Watermelon! Russian MMA Fighter Passes Away in Sleep, Wife Being Treated for Suspected Food Poisoning. Your verdict will be historic, prosecutor Aurelie Belliot told the court, which was made up of three judges and a jury. You must send a clear message: France must not be the last shelter for authors of crimes against humanity. Kamara was arrested near Paris in 2018, following a complaint filed by Swiss-based group Civitas Maxima, specialised in helping victims of crimes against humanity. During the investigation, he acknowledged having been a battlefield commander, leading about 80 soldiers during the civil war a choice he said he made to defend himself against Charles Taylor's rival faction. With no material evidence because of the chaos of the war, accusations relied on witnesses. During the investigation, French police officers went to Liberia to identify witnesses and interview local residents. About 15 of them came to Paris to testify. Among other crimes, Kamara was accused of having allowed and facilitated rapes and sexual torture of two young teenagers by some Ulimo soldiers. One of the victims vividly described the pain and suffering she endured, crying until she felt unwell and was unable to continue testifying. She wasn't able to come back to the court, and a message from her was read the next day saying she didn't want to see Kamara again. Kamara was also accused of having participated in the killing of two civilians and an act of cannibalism. Described by Belliot as the active author of a collective killing, he is accused of having eaten the heart of the victim after it had been removed by another soldier with an ax. In addition, he was accused of having killed a sick woman, firing at her head with a rifle, and of having compelled people into forced labour under inhuman conditions. He and his group allegedly forced civilians to carry very heavy loads, including electric generators and food, for hours without food and water. Accusations also included the torture of a man, whose arms were tied behind his back before being dragged on the floor until he was very seriously wounded. The trial by the Paris criminal court has been made possible under a French law that recognises universal jurisdiction for crimes against humanity and acts of torture. Prosecutor Claire Thouault stressed that Liberia never sent to trial those who committed crimes during the country's back-to-back civil wars between 1989 and 2003 that killed an estimated 250,000 people. She said that as soon as he arrived in Europe, Kamara did everything to hide the reality of his actions and avoid any accusation. Kamara said he left Liberia after the end of the first civil war in 1997 and later went to the Netherlands. He acknowledged he lied about his past to get asylum there, including by not disclosing he used to be an Ulimo soldier. He was later granted citizenship and lived in the country for 12 years, before coming to Belgium and then France because prosecutors alleged that he felt his war activities were getting increasingly known by Dutch authorities. Rights groups hailed the trial as an important step to bring justice to victims. Speaking ahead of the verdict, Sabrina Delattre, lawyer for Civitas Maxima, said because there is total impunity in Liberia" for war criminals, "it's very important for the victims that this trial took place. It's really important that they were able to come here and give their testimony before the court. The country's post-war truth and reconciliation commission in 2009 recommended prosecution for dozens of ex-warlords and their commanders bearing greatest responsibilities for the war. But successive governments have largely ignored the recommendations, much to the disappointment and frustration of war victims. The trial in Paris followed a related case in Switzerland, where a court in June 2021 convicted a former Ulimo commander, Alieu Kosiah, to 20 years in prison for the rapes and killings of civilians among other crimes. Kosiah was the first Liberian convicted of war crimes dating from the first civil war. He appealed the decision. Kosiah's statements involving Kamara partly led to the arrest of his former comrade-in-arms. (AP) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) United Nations, Nov 3 (AP) The United States announced on Wednesday it will seek to oust Iran from the UN's premiere global body fighting for gender equality because of its violation of the rights of women and girls and its ongoing crackdown on demonstrators who took to the streets in September after the death of a 22-year-old woman taken into custody by the morality police. Vice-President Kamala Harris made the announcement of the US intention to work with other countries to remove Iran from the Commission on the Status of Women, saying no nation that abuses women's rights should play a role in any international or United Nations body charged with protecting these very same rights. Also Read | North Korea Fires Three Ballistic Missiles, Triggering Alert for Residents in Japan. She said Iran is unfit to serve on the commission and its presence discredits the integrity of its work. At an informal meeting of the UN Security Council later on Wednesday on the protests in Iran, US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield added that Iran's membership is an ugly stain on the commission's credibility and in our view it cannot stand. Also Read | North Korea Supplying Russia With Significant Number of Artillery Shells, Says White House. Established in 1946, the Commission on the Status of Women plays a leading role in promoting women's rights, documenting the reality of women's lives around the world and shaping global standards to empower women and achieve gender equality. It's 45 members, from all regions of the world, are elected for four-year terms by the UN Economic and Social Council. Iran was elected from the Asian region and its term ends in 2026. Thomas-Greenfield said that while Iran's systematic oppression of women is not new, thanks to the bravery of the Iranian people, the regime's abuses have been brought to the fore. The nationwide protests first erupted over the September 16 death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of the country's morality police. She was detained for allegedly violating Iran's strict dress code for women, accused of wearing her headscarf improperly. Although the protests first focused on Iran's mandatory headscarf, or hijab, they have since transformed into a campaign for women's rights and one of the greatest challenges to the ruling clerics since the chaotic years following the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Before the Security Council meeting, Iran's UN Ambassador Amir Saied Iravani read a statement accusing the United States of a disinformation campaign in a blatant hypocrisy, and of interfering in the country's internal affairs in violation of the UN Charter. He claimed that Iran has always been and continues to be committed to the promotion and protection of human rights. He added that Every government is responsible to protect its people against insecurity and violent and terrorist acts, and upholding law and order, and Iran is no exception. He refused to answer any questions. At the informal council meeting, Prof. Javaid Rehman, the UN special investigator on human rights in Iran, called the situation since September 16 an unfortunate reflection of the impunity and absence of accountability for rights violations in the country. Women and girls in Iran have for decades been brutalised, he said. Rehman called for the prompt establishment of an independent investigative mechanism to investigate all human rights violations leading up to and since the death of Mahsa Amini. Thomas-Greenfield said the United States strongly supports his call for an independent, international investigation to hold Iranian officials accountable for the violence we're seeing. Iranian human rights defender and Shirin Ebadi, who won the 2003 Nobel peace prize, said the two journalists who took a photo of Mahsa Amini in the hospital and published a report on her funeral in some Iranian newspapers are now in prison facing espionage charges, which carry the death penalty. I am talking about a country whose government deems no punishment for murder but considers journalism a punishable crime, she said. Ebadi said in a video briefing that the people of Iran are asking Western governments, especially the United States, to refrain from signing any agreements that will help the survival of the Iranian regime. They are also calling for a commission to investigate the situation of human rights in Iran and the recent repressions, she said, noting the Geneva-based Human Rights Council formed a commission to investigate the human rights situation in Myanmar and could do the same in Iran. Iranian human rights activist Nazanin Boniadi told the Security Council that the potential for the current protests to transform Iran from theocracy to representative government could be a geopolitical game changer, and the most important key to bringing about stability in the Middle East. She said the Iranian people want the world to stop turning a blind eye to their suffering and commit to supporting their democratic aspirations by standing united in fighting corruption and respect for human rights. Boniadi also called for an independent international investigative mechanism on human rights abuses in Iran because there are no avenues for justice domestically. (AP) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Washington, Nov 3 (AP) The Biden administration is offering a reward of up to USD 5 million for information about a Singapore-based businessman already accused by the Justice Department of facilitating fuel shipments to North Korea in violation of UN sanctions. Kwek Kee Seng, who directs a shipping agency and terminal operations company, was charged last year with arranging the deliveries, with prosecutors alleging that he used front companies and false documentation to hide the scheme. Officials say that business helps enable North Korea's nuclear proliferation programs. Also Read | Imran Khan Assassination Attempt: Police Officers Suspended for Leaking Confession of Former PMs Attacker. The US government seized a tanker ship that was used for the fuel deliveries, the 2,734-ton M/T Courageous, prosecutors have said. One exchange caught on satellite imagery showed the ship transferring more than USD 1.5 million worth of oil to a North Korea-flagged ship, the prosecutors said. Kwek remains at large despite a warrant that has been issued for his arrest. Also Read | King Charles Had Valet to Look After His Teddy Bear in His 40s According to a New Book!. The State Department on Thursday said it was offering up to USD 5 million through its Rewards for Justice programme. Kwek was also among a group of people and firms sanctioned last month by the Treasury Department. The announcement of a reward came amid heightened tensions with North Korea, which on Thursday fired at least six missiles into the sea, including an intercontinental ballistic missile that triggered evacuation warnings and halted trains in northern Japan. The Biden administration said in response to the launches that it is willing to take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of the American homeland as well as South Korea and Japan, and warned of unspecified additional costs and consequences if North Korea detonates a nuclear test device for the first time since September 2017. (AP) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Rio De Janeiro, Nov 3 (AP) In the run-up to Brazil's presidential election, many feared a narrow result would be contested and spell the death knell for Latin America's largest democracy. So far, however, the worst fears have been averted, despite a nail-biting victory for former leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva over far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro, and ongoing protests by some of Bolsonaro's supporters across the country. Also Read | North Korea Supplying Russia With Significant Number of Artillery Shells, Says White House. The conservative leader's allies quickly recognised da Silva's victory, the military stayed in the barracks and vigilant world leaders swooped in to offer support for da Silva and nip in the bud even the thought of anything resembling the January 6 insurrection that overtook the US Capitol. All of Bolsonaro's escape valves were shut off, said Brian Winter, a longtime Brazil expert and vice president of the New York-based Council of the Americas. He was prevailed upon from all sides not to contest the results and burn down the house on his way out. Also Read | Alexander Pisarev Dies After Eating Poisonous Watermelon! Russian MMA Fighter Passes Away in Sleep, Wife Being Treated for Suspected Food Poisoning. Although Bolsonaro has refused to congratulate da Silva, Brazil's institutions generally seem to have held up. Bolsonaro gave a video statement on Wednesday calling for an end to the protests by his supporters. I know you're upset. I'm just as sad and upset as you are. But we have to keep our heads straight, he said. Closing roads in Brazil jeopardizes people's right to come and go. That leaves a more vexing challenge: how the 77-year-old da Silva, universally known as Lula, unites a deeply divided country, rights a wobbly economy and delivers on the outsize expectations spurred by his return to power. One thing is clear, if anyone can do it, it's the charismatic da Silva whose political skills are admired even by his detractors. That's what we need, someone not only who can address inequality but also inspire our emotions and ideas, said Marcelo Neri, director of the Getulio Vargas Foundation's social policy centre and a former Strategic Affairs Minister for da Silva's handpicked successor, Dilma Rousseff. In many ways, the conservative movement Bolsonaro helped ignite if not the politician himself has emerged stronger from the vote, Winter said. His allies were elected as governors in several key states and his Liberal Party has become the largest in Congress, curtailing da Silva's ability to advance his own agenda after a decadelong malaise that has left millions of Brazilians hungrier than when da Silva last held office in 2010. What's more, Brazil's demographics seem to favour Bolsonaro's aggressive brand of identity politics including an anti-LGBTQ agenda and hostility to environmentalists that have earned him the moniker the Trump of the Tropics. The country's own statistics institute forecasts that the number of Brazilians identifying as evangelical Christians who preelection polls show overwhelmingly favoured Bolsonaro and skew right will overtake Roman Catholics within a decade. Thousands of Bolsonaro's supporters thronged a regional army headquarters in Rio on Wednesday, demanding that the military step in and keep him in power. Others showed up at military installations in Sao Paulo, Santa Catarina and the capital of Brasilia. Meanwhile, truckers maintained about 150 roadblocks across the country to protest Bolsonaro's loss, despite the Supreme Court's orders to law enforcement to dismantle them. At one of the road blockades held by truck drivers in the interior of Sao Paulo state, a car drove into the crowd and injured several, including children and members of the police. Since the return of democracy in the 1980s, all Brazilian leaders have been guided to varying degrees by a common belief in strong state-led enterprises, high taxes and aggressive wealth redistribution policies. Bolsonaro initially attempted to run a more austere, business-friendly government, that is, until the social devastation wreaked by COVID-19 and his own sinking electoral prospects ultimately led him to loosen spending controls and emulate the policies he once attacked. How da Silva will govern is less clear. He squeaked out a narrow victory of barely 2 million votes after building a broad coalition united by little more than a desire to defeat Bolsonaro. And with promises to maintain a generous welfare program in place through 2023, he will have limited fiscal space to spend on other priorities. His running mate from another party, former Sao Paulo Governor Geraldo Alckim, was a nod to centrist, fiscally conservative policies that made da Silva the darling of Wall Street during his early years in power. This week, da Silva tapped Alckim to lead his transition team. Also standing alongside him on the victory stage on Sunday night, however, were several stalwarts of the left who have been implicated in numerous corruption scandals that have plagued his Workers' Party and paved the way for Bolsonaro's rise. Although da Silva's supporters have downplayed the concerns about corruption the Supreme Court annulled the convictions that kept him imprisoned for nearly two years for many Brazilians he is a symbol of the culture of graft that has long permeated politics. As a result, he's likely to be held to a higher ethical standard in a country where almost every government has been accused of vote buying in Congress. This wasn't just a fever dream by his opponents, Winter said of the corruption allegations that have long dogged da Silva's party. Da Silva's victory coincides with a string of recent victories by the left in South America, including in Chile and Colombia, whose leaders revere the former union boss. During his first stint in power, da Silva led a so-called pink wave that promoted regional integration, rivalled US dominance and put the rights of overlooked minorities and Indigenous groups at the centre of the political agenda. Under Bolsonaro, Brazil largely retreated from that leadership role, even if the sheer size of its economy alone means a return to leadership is never far off. Scott Hamilton, a former US diplomat, said that da Silva will have to make a tough choice on whether to use Brazil's considerable leverage to pursue an ambitious foreign policy to tackle entrenched problems or simply use his star power on the world stage to shore up support at home. Basking in not being Bolsonaro will get him lots of positive attention in itself, said Hamilton, whose last post, until April, was as consul general in Rio. The more ambitious path would involve trying to help resolve some of the toughest political issues where democratic governments in the region are in trouble or extinguished. (AP) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi, November 3: The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the director of the AIIMS Delhi to form a team of doctors to examine the health of former Dewan Housing Finance Ltd (DHFL) CMD Kapil Wadhawan, accused of money laundering in the multi-crore Yes Bank fraud case, and sought a report within a week. Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Wadhawan, submitted before a bench comprising Justices K.M. Joseph and Hrishikesh Roy that his client has undergone five surgeries and sought his immediate release on medical grounds. Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju, representing the Enforcement Directorate, said he can be looked after in jail and opposed granting bail to Wadhawan. Yes Bank Fraud Case: Karnataka Police Obtains Crucial Evidence. The ED arrested Kapil Wadhawan and his brother Dheeraj Wadhawan under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), after registration of a CBI FIR. Rohatgi pressed that his client is entitled to go for treatment of his choice and requires constant medical attention which is not possible in jail. Noting that it is trying to balance both claims, the bench said, "We feel that the applicant must be taken immediately and examined by doctors of various disciplines on the basis of medical reports". Yes Bank-DHFL Case: CBI Files Chargesheet Against Businessmen Avinash Bhosale, Satyan Tandon. It added that to facilitate a proper report, the director of AIIMS should constitute a team of doctors required to carry out evaluation and a report should be submitted in the court within a week. The apex court has scheduled the matter for further hearing on November 10. The CBI had registered the case in connection with alleged suspicious loans granted by Yes Bank and the quid pro quo between its co-promoter Rana Kapoor and the Wadhawan brothers. The investigation agencies have alleged that Rs 3,700 crore was invested by Yes Bank in short term non-convertible debentures of DHFL between April and June 2018. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 03, 2022 01:40 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). Auckland, New Zealand, 3 November 2022 - Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corporation Limited (NZX: FPH , ASX:FPH) announced today that it intends to release on Tuesday, 29 November 2022 its financial results for the six months ended 30 September 2022. The release will be issued before 9:00am NZDT, 7:00am AEDT (3:00pm USEST, Monday, 28 November). Fisher & Paykel Healthcare will host a conference call on Tuesday, 29 November 2022 to discuss the half year result. The conference call is scheduled to begin at 10:00am NZDT, 8:00am AEDT (4:00pm USEST, Monday, 28 November) and will be broadcast simultaneously online. Webcast details To listen to the webcast, access the companys website at www.fphcare.com/investor. An online archive of the event will be available approximately two hours after the webcast and will remain on the site for two weeks. Conference call details (please note the new instructions for investors and analysts) To listen and participate in the conference call via phone, please register via GlobalMeet by clicking this link. Once registered, click Call Me and you will receive a phone call connecting you through to the conference line. About Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Fisher & Paykel Healthcare is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of products and systems for use in acute and chronic respiratory care, surgery and the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea. The companys products are sold in over 120 countries worldwide. For more information about the company, visit our website www.fphcare.com. 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: General Capital (GEN:NZ) Announces Very Strong Growth Infratil to retain investment in RetireAustralia APL - Result for the six months ended 30 September 2022 GTK - Annual Results for the Year Ended 30 September 2022 THL updates on Executive changes NZ Automotive interim results for Half Year 2023 TruScreen Half Year Results ArborGen Holdings Announces Interim Result November 29th Morning Report PCT - Further growth in Investment Partnership Etawah, Nov 3: Marriage celebrations in Uttar Pradesh's Etawah went awry when the bridegroom crushed his aunt and four other relatives while test driving the new car that had been gifted to him. The victim, Sarla Devi, 35, came under the wheels and died, while four others suffered grave injuries. A 10-year-old girl is among those injured admitted to hospital. Kanpur Shocker: Class 12 Student Strangled to Death With School Tie; Six Suspects Apprehended. The incident took place in Akbarpur village during the 'tilak' ceremony of Arun Kumar, 24, a PAC jawan. During the ceremony, Arun was handed over the keys of his new car, gifted to him by the bride's family. Arun decided to test drive the new car even though he did not know how to drive. Uttarakhand Shocker: Youth Dies by Suicide After Failing To Clear Agniveer Recruitment Test in Bageshwar. He started the car and instead of applying brakes, he pressed the accelerator and the car rammed into relatives standing nearby. Station house officer, Ekdil, Ranvijay Singh said: "We have taken the accused into custody. Once we receive a complaint, we will charge the accused with causing death by negligence, rash driving and other offences." India & Namibia held 4th round of Foreign Office consultations today. Indian side expressed its appreciation for cooperation extended by Govt of Namibia for trans-location of Cheetahs from Namibia to India & expressed hope that this cooperation would be further enhanced: MEA ANI (@ANI) November 3, 2022 (SocialLY brings you all the latest breaking news, viral trends and information from social media world, including Twitter, Instagram and Youtube. The above post is embeded directly from the user's social media account and LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body. The views and facts appearing in the social media post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY, also LatestLY does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.) A picture of a Twitter employee sleeping on the office floor has been doing the rounds on social media. The image was shared by another Twitter employee which shows Esther Crawford , who is reportedly Twitter's director of product management, sleeping on the office floor after after working overtime in order to meet the stringent deadlines. The viral image shows Esther wrapped in a sleeping bag and an eye mask behind a table and some chairs in her office. As per some media reports, Twitter employees are working longer hours as Musk has set tight deadlines on some major projects. Elon Musk To Eliminate Half of Twitters Workforce, Intends To Remove Work From Home Policy, Says Report Twitter Employee Shares Photo of Manager Sleeping on Office Floor: When your team is pushing round the clock to make deadlines sometimes you #SleepWhereYouWork https://t.co/UBGKYPilbD Esther Crawford (@esthercrawford) November 2, 2022 However, some showed concerns after the image went viral. Netizens Ask Questions About New Work Culture at Twitter After Elon Musk's Takeover: Elon Musk is making the Twitter staff work 84 hour work weeks. Told them to sleep on the floor until a deadline. He thinks he's running Daddy's emerald mine. Renee Libby (@ReneeAlida) November 2, 2022 Elon has you guys pulling all-nighters already? Bo Ren (@Bosefina) November 2, 2022 Addressing those concerns Esther said "I work with amazingly talented & ambitious people here at Twitter and this is not a normal moment in time. We are less than 1wk into a massive business & cultural transition. People are giving it their all across all functions. Twitter Manager Whose 'Sleeping on Twitter Office Floor' Photo Went Viral Speaks Out: I work with amazingly talented & ambitious people here at Twitter and this is not a normal moment in time. We are less than 1wk into a massive business & cultural transition. People are giving it their all across all functions: product, design, eng, legal, finance, marketing, etc Esther Crawford (@esthercrawford) November 2, 2022 I love my family and Im grateful they understand that there are times where I need to go into overdrive to grind and push in order to deliver. Building new things at Twitter's scale is very hard to do. I'm lucky to be doing this work alongside some of the best people in tech. Esther Crawford (@esthercrawford) November 2, 2022 (SocialLY brings you all the latest breaking news, viral trends and information from social media world, including Twitter, Instagram and Youtube. The above post is embeded directly from the user's social media account and LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body. The views and facts appearing in the social media post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY, also LatestLY does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.) San Francisco, Nov 3: Twitter Boss Elon Musk is likely to eliminate half of the micro-blogging platform's workforce to cut costs and more details on how many people might be impacted have started to emerge, a media report said. Musk met his advisors, including former PayPal executive David Sacks, to finalise a plan to fire about 3,800 workers, the Verge quoted its deputy editor Alex Heath as saying in the report. Twitter Verification Badge Charge: Want A 'Blue Tick' on Microblogging Site? Get Ready to Pay USD 20 Per Month. According to an earlier report, Musk was planning to cut 3,700 employees and the impacted people could receive 60 days of compensation. Additionally, he intends to remove Twitter's "forever" work-from-home policy, it added. Earlier, it was reported that Twitter layoffs would hit roughly a quarter of the staff, which would heavily impact teams including sales, product, engineering, legal, and trust and safety. Meanwhile, Musk has also dissolved Twitter's board of directors after his takeover, according to a US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing. Following this, the Tesla CEO, according to the filing, became "the sole director of Twitter". Vine App to Be Back? Elon Musk's Latest Tweet on Once Popular App Grabs Attention on Twitter. It confirmed that instead of joining Twitter's board of directors, Musk became their sole replacement. Musk took over as the Twitter boss last week. He has fired Indian-origin CEO Parag Agrawal, Chief Financial Officer Ned Segal, the company's policy chief Vijaya Gadde, among others. Tropical Storm Lisa has reached hurricane strength and is now officially known as Hurricane Lisa. The storm, which formed off Jamaica and the Cayman Islands in the western Caribbean Sea, hit Belize on Wednesday and is expected to also hit Guatemala and southern Mexico. According to Newsweek, Lisa gained hurricane strength on Wednesday morning, and then made landfall in Belize later that day. Storm surges are already expected in the country, as well as parts of the Caribbean. Heavy rains are also expected along the Central American coast. The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported that Hurricane Lisa could cause "a life-threatening storm surge" when it hits Belize, as well as the southern portions of the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico. The NHC also added that "Hurricane conditions are expected in the Bay Islands of Honduras early Wednesday." Belize Bracing for Impact as Hurricane Lisa Hits the Country The NHC also announced that Hurricane Lisa would have maximum sustained winds of 85 mph at landfall. Meanwhile, Belize's National Emergency Management Organization announced that they are expecting the storm to first hit the beach town of Dangriga, as well as the capital, Belize City. They also reminded residents all over the country to be prepared. Belize residents have told the Associated Press that light rain has started to fall, but there were still no high winds or storm surges yet. However, one resort manager stated that "All the guests that are in the beachfront units have been relocated" to rooms that are less exposed. Beach furniture have also been secured. READ MORE: Tropical Storm Lisa Forms in the Caribbean, Hurricane Watch Warnings Issued in Belize and Honduras Belize is expected to receive 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 centimeters) of rain. The NHC also warned that there is a danger of flooding and mudslides happening because of the heavy rainfall. The warning is not just for Belize, but also for Honduras's Bay Islands, northern Guatemala, and portions of Mexico's Chiapas State and Tabasco State. Hurricane warnings have been posted all over the region, including Roatan island and the other Bay Islands of Honduras, northern Belize, and all over Mexico's southern Yucatan Peninsula, from Chetumal to Puerto Costa Maya. Hurricane Lisa Expected To Weaken as It Moves Over Guatemala The Weather Channel reported that while Belize will bear the brunt of Hurricane Lisa, the storm is expected to weaken as it moves further inland, into Guatemala and southern Mexico. Forecasts indicate that the storm could merge over the Bay of Campeche by Friday. It would then "meander for a few days before wind shear rips it apart early next week." However, the heavy rainfall still posts a great danger, especially for those who live in the coastlines, as well as those living on hills and mountains, which could experience mudslides. Meanwhile, those living near rivers and other bodies of water could experience heavy flooding, in addition to mudslides from the mountainous areas. READ NEXT: Joe Biden Promises Massive Aid for Devastated Puerto Rico: 'They Haven't Been Taken Very Good Care Of' This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Rick Martin WATCH: Hurricanes Lisa, Martin reinvigorate 2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season - Fox 13 Tampa Bay Several senior U.S. officials had raised alarm after new intelligence reports suggested that Russia's military leaders talked about when and how Moscow would use nuclear weapons in Ukraine. The New York Times noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin was not present during the discussions. The talks were held against the backdrop of Russia's growing nuclear weapons rhetoric. The new intelligence on nuclear weapons usage was spread inside the federal government in mid-October. U.S. officials did not detail the scenarios the military leaders considered for the use of nuclear weapons. However, the CIA director, William J. Burns, previously said that Putin's "possible desperation" to have a victory in Ukraine and some setbacks in the war could lead Russia to resort to their nuclear weapons. National Security Council official, John F. Kirby, declined to comment on the details of the meeting. In late September, the Russian president warned that they would "certainly use all the means at our disposal" when it comes to their invasion of Ukraine. The talk within the Russian military came as Moscow claimed that Ukraine was eyeing to use a radioactive "dirty bomb." The claims were not supported by any evidence. READ NEXT: Joe Biden Still Thinks Vladimir Putin Will Use Nuclear Weapons, Says 'If He Has No Intention, Why Does He Keep Talking About It?' Russia Using Nuclear Weapons Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented on the said U.S. intelligence. Peskov dismissed it as "purposeful pumping" of nuclear weapons rhetoric. Concerns that Putin could call on the use of any kind of nuclear weapon in Ukraine increased last month as his Russian military troops were dealt a series of defeats while repeating from a number of villages and towns in parts of eastern Ukraine that Putin has declared as part of the Russian territory. There were also reports last month of discontent within Russia, aside from the battlefield losses. Senior Russian officials started issuing rare public concerns regarding how Putin's war is going, with hundreds and more drafted and sent to the front lines with inadequate training and equipment. Military experts noted that the use of a nuclear weapon would necessarily change the shape of war. Russia-Ukraine War Kirby noted that North Korea was secretly sending ammunition to Russia and disguising shipments seeming to be destined for the Middle East or North Africa, according to an ABC News Go report. Kirby said that North Korea was delivering a "significant number of artillery shells," but did not specify the exact number. He said that it was more than "dozens." The White House official said that the United States will continue to monitor the shipments received. Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a warning to nations with nuclear capabilities, urging them to leave efforts to interfere with each other's vital interests. The ministry warned that direct armed conflict and provocations with weapons of mass destruction can cause catastrophic consequences. Russia noted that there can be no winners if nuclear war and reaffirmed its commitment to the prevention of nuclear war. READ MORE: Russia-Ukraine Crisis: Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelensky Says if Pres. Joe Biden Acted Sooner 'There Would Be No War' This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: Live: US says it is 'increasingly concerned' by Russian nuclear threats - from FRANCE 24 English Mexico has just celebrated Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, which is a celebration of death and life. In celebration of the said holiday and Halloween, let's look at five of the scariest and most haunted places in Mexico. 5 Most Haunted Places in Mexico Mexico is an ancient land with a very bloody history, starting from the war-like Aztecs sacrificing their enemies to please the gods to the Spanish conquest, the Mexican Revolution, the Mexican-American war, and today's modern drug war. This bloody history has led to some pretty haunted places, and here are five of them. Tasquena Station Tasquena station of the Mexico City Metro system may seem like an ordinary train station to the thousands of commuters who use it daily, but it is known as one of the most haunted places in Mexico. Reports said there is much spiritual activity here, but it may not be as scary as the other places on this list. According to Travel Triangle, this station is haunted by the ghost of an old man killed in the station while traveling on his own. However, this spirit is allegedly a benevolent one, protecting solo passengers. Still, it does not make this station any less haunted. The House of Laments in Guanajuato Before the term "serial killer" was even coined, Mexico already had its own serial killer at the turn of the 20th century, and his name was Don Tadeo Fulgencio Mejia. Don Tadeo was a rich man. However, after the death of his wife during a home invasion, he reportedly consulted a witch who advised him to make ritual human sacrifices on his property, known today as the House of Laments or "Casa de Los lamentos." According to Points and Travel, Don Tadeo often killed his victims to communicate with his dead wife. Now, the property in Guanajuato is a museum that preserves the story of his madness. READ NEXT: Aztec Culture Still Alive in Mexico Even After 500 Years The La Moira House Painted completely black, the La Moira House is said to be the "most haunted house in Mexico." According to Amy's Crypt, a disturbed young man named Marcus was haunted by strange disembodied voices and an apparition of a hanged man in one of the bedrooms in this Mexico City house. After several years, the disturbed young man entered the same room he had seen the apparition of the man hanging. Marcus then proceeded to hang himself. Templo Mayor Ruins During the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, the last Aztec emperor, Cuauhtemoc, made his last stand in what is now the Templo Mayor ruins right in the heart of Mexico City. The ruins were part of what was the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan, and this used to be the site of ritual sacrifice for the Aztecs, with an estimated 4,000 people brutally killed to appease their gods. Now, shadowy figures are said to be seen not just in the ruins, but also in the nearby Aztec museum. Doll Island Doll Island is perhaps one of the creepiest places on Earth. It is an isolated island near the canals of Xochimilco, Mexico City. Featured in countless haunted places videos and even visited by Anthony Bourdain, the island filled with creepy dolls has grown quite famous. It is reportedly much haunted, as visitors heard a little girl's voice whispering in their ears. Doll Island is filled with dolls, from the floor to the buildings and trees. Many of these dolls were donated in order to appease the spirit of a little girl who drowned in the area. READ MORE: Mexico: 5 Underrated Mexican Food That Are Not Tacos This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Rick Martin WATCH: HAUNTED DOLL ISLAND MEXICO ( Isla de las munecas ) - From Exploring With Josh Kash Patel, a top Donald Trump adviser, was granted limited immunity from prosecution in exchange for his testimony regarding the highly sensitive Mar-a-Lago documents. Citing two sources familiar with the matter, The Guardian reported that the Department of Justice (DOJ) took an interest in Patel after he made claims that the Mar-a-Lago documents were declassified. Sources said Patel also commented on how the documents ended up at the Florida property and how Trump's aides and lawyers replied to requests for their return. Trump and his advisers, such as Patel, have repeatedly asserted that the Mar-a-Lago documents were declassified. However, the former president's lawyers have not repeated these claims in court filings, where they could be penalized for lying, and no evidence has emerged. The DOJ is expected to ask Patel about the circumstances behind the government documents seized by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) at Trump's Mar-a-Lago property in August. Patel still maintains a personal relationship with Trump. He was summoned earlier this month to testify before a federal grand jury in Washington hearing evidence about Trump's mishandling of government documents and possible obstruction when he refused to return the documents. READ NEXT: January 6 Committee Talking With Donald Trump's Legal Team Regarding His Capitol Riot Testimony Top Donald Trump Adviser Kash Patel Testimony on Mar-a-Lago Documents Two people familiar with the matter noted that a federal judge on Tuesday ordered Kash Patel to testify before a grand jury investigating the handling of Mar-a-Lago documents. Judge Beryl Howell of the D.C. District Court has also granted Patel immunity from prosecution on any information he provides to the investigation. CNN reported that Patel's grand jury appearance has yet to be scheduled. Patel has not been charged with any crime, while an attorney for him has yet to comment on the matter. Patel spent several hours in front of the grand jury in October at the U.S. courthouse in Washington, D.C. Stanley Woodward, Patel's lawyer, refused to say what it was about at the time. He only confirmed that he represented the former Trump adviser. Patel also received a grand jury subpoena for documents he had of any communications related to the handling of Donald Trump records in the previous weeks. Mar-a-Lago Documents The FBI found documents containing classified intelligence on Iran and China at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence. The matter was first reported by the Washington Post, but NBC News has yet to confirm that at least one of the documents seized by the investigators contains "Iran's missile program." After the report was published, Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social that the FBI and the DOJ were "leaking nonstop on the Document Hoax to the Fake News." The former president also repeated his unsupported claims that federal officials might have planted or removed documents. Shipping lists and emails between the White House and transition staff and the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) describe the details of moving the Trump White House from Washington, D.C. to Florida, which include boxes of documents. A GSA spokesperson noted that its contract with Trump only included shipping the boxes to Florida and not packing them. According to GSA emails, the planning for moving the boxes to Mar-a-Lago started in late June and included 1,400 pounds of "document boxes." READ MORE: Donald Trump Says FBI Agents Raided Mar-A-Lago Home; Agency's Visit Unannounced This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: Meet The Man Representing Donald Trump Over Missing Classified Documents | The Mehdi Hasan Show - From MSNBC President Jair Bolsonaro's supporters are clamoring for the military's intervention following Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's win in Brazil's election. However, according to military experts, an intervention from Brazil's military is out of the question. Lula won almost 51% of the vote, the country's electoral authority said on Sunday. Bolsonaro has not officially acknowledged the result. However, his cabinet has initiated a transition, Reuters reported. Lula is scheduled to take over the presidency on January 1. Bolsonaro's supporters led festive rallies in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday. The crowd was carrying Brazil's yellow-and-green flag on their shoulders while chanting anti-Lula slogans. During the rally at the entrance to an army barracks in Sao Paulo, retired government worker Reinaldo da Silva, 65, said they hoped the army would intervene in the situation. Da Silva noted that they know that "those elections were fraudulent." He added that they came to the rally because they wanted Brazil to be "free," adding that socialism does not work with the Brazilian nation. READ NEXT: Russia's Vladimir Putin Says 'Colombia Is a Promising Partner' as He Courts Latin America in the Midst of Ukraine War Brazil Election Results Lula's victory was considered to be a remarkable comeback after he was banned from running in the last presidential election in 2018 because he was in jail and banned from standing for office. The former president had been found guilty of receiving a bribe from a Brazilian construction firm in return for contracts with Brazil's state oil company Petrobras. Lula spent 580 days in jail before his conviction was revoked and returned to the political fray. The former president said in his victory speech that they tried to bury him alive and still managed to make it. Several world leaders congratulated Lula, including U.S. President Joe Biden, who said Lula's victory came "following free, fair, and credible elections." The U.S. president noted that he was looking forward to continuing cooperation. Russian President Vladimir Putin also offered his "sincere congratulations." Jair Bolsonaro on Brazil Election Results Jair Bolsonaro released a video late Tuesday, pleading with his supporters to stop blocking the roads. He said it was disrupting and hurting the economy, The New York Times reported. The Brazilian leader noted that he was "as upset and sad as you are," but that they must put their heads in the right place. Bolsonaro did not directly address the calls for military intervention. He said he would continue obeying the constitution but did not concede to Lula. Bolsonaro reportedly told members of the high court that his election battle against Lula had come to an end. Supreme Court Justice Luiz Edson Fachin, who met privately with the Brazilian president, said Bolsonaro also told him to "look ahead" since "it is over." Bolsonaro has previously claimed that the electronic voting machines in Brazil are prone to fraud. However, he has not supported his claims with evidence. Amid the protest on the election's outcome, highway police said that as of Wednesday morning, they had removed 630 blockades around the country, but over 150 are still in place. READ MORE: Brazil: Human Remains Found in Area Where British Journalist and Brazilian Indigenous Expert Were Last Seen This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: Bolsonaro Supporters Block Roads in Protest Of Brazil Presidential Election Results - From CBS Miami Peruvian cops disguised as Marvel superheroes Spider-Man, Captain America, Thor, and Black Widow have carried out a Halloween drug raid in Peru and arrested four drug dealers. In a statement on Tuesday, the Peruvian National Police said the four police officers were members of a special police squad in Peru who pretended to be promoting a Halloween concert on Saturday. According to the New York Post, the cops dressed as Spider-Man, Captain America, Thor, and Black Widow walked casually down a street in Lima's San Juan de Lurigancho neighborhood before they raided a specific house. Operation 'Marvel' in Peru Made Cops Dressed as Spider-Man, Captain America, Thor, Black Widow Police in Peru named the operation "Marvel," which is after the comic book publisher of The Avengers, a team of superheroes. San Juan de Lurigancho is reportedly one of the most dangerous areas in Peru. The police officers zeroed in on one house believed to be a drug den in the area. When the four superheroes arrived at the said house, Captain America borrowed Thor's hammer to smash down a steel door and kick it down. Along with Spider-Man, Black Widow, and 10 backup police officers, Captain America and Thor entered the house and drew their guns. According to the Daily Mail, police said the surprised occupants initially thought it was a Halloween joke until Spider-Man started pinning one of them to the ground. READ NEXT: Peru: 4 Cultural Aspects of Ancient Inca Empire Still Alive in the South American Country What Marvel Superheroes Found Inside the House in Peru Three men and one woman were arrested in the Halloween drug raid and now facing several drug-related charges. The surprising drug raid managed to bag some important pieces of evidence for the police. BBC reported that police seized around 3,250 packages of cocaine paste or a crude extract of the coca leaf. They also confiscated 287 bags of cocaine and 127 bags of marijuana. The arrested individuals were later presented to the media along with confiscated illegal drugs and other evidence against them. The four superheroes, now wearing police vests, were also there. Police Colonel David Villanueva said the entire family living in that house dedicated themselves to the "micro-commercialization of drugs." He added that the drugs will be sold in a nearby park if the police did not seize them. AFP reported that a kilo of cocaine paste sells for about $380 in Peru, while a kilo of cocaine hydrochloride, the purest form, sells for around $1,000. The tactic of launching drug raids with officers in costume is a common tactic of police in Peru that has brought some notable successes in recent years. In an anti-drug operation in 2020, two police officers dressed as Santa Claus and an elf swooped into a house in Lima to capture a suspected cocaine and dope dealer. Other agents dressed in green, red, and white outfits with flak jackets hidden underneath joined them. They arrived in a van before breaking into the house with a big hammer. READ MORE: LGBTQ Activists in Peru Demand Autopsy for Peruvian Transgender Man Who Died in Indonesia This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Rick Martin WATCH: Police Officers in Peru Dressed as the Avengers Bust Drug Dealers - From ClickHeart TV 2 The a2 Milk Company (a2MC, the Company) advises that the United States (US) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has notified the Company that it has exercised its discretion to allow a2MC to import infant milk formula (IMF) products into the US. Following the onset of IMF supply disruption in the US, FDA Guidance was released on 16 May 2022 in relation to case-by-case consideration of enforcement discretion to be applied to companies with the goal of increasing IMF supplies. a2MC applied to the FDA on 26 May 2022 under its enforcement discretion to supply IMF to the US. As announced by the Company on 10 August 2022, the FDA had deferred further consideration of a2MCs application for enforcement discretion. However, the Company has continued to engage with the FDA to meet its requirements and to reconsider a2MCs application. Pleasingly the Company has today received confirmation from the FDA that its application for enforcement discretion to import, sell and distribute a2 Platinum IMF product (Stages 1 and 2) from New Zealand into the US has been approved through to 6 January 2023. The Company is also able to supply Stage 3 toddler product in addition to this which does not require enforcement discretion. The FDA published its Infant Formula Transition Guidance on 30 September 2022 applicable to companies with enforcement discretion that are seeking to obtain permanent approval to supply IMF into the US. Under certain conditions, the transition guidance allows enforcement discretion to be extended through to 18 October 2025 to enable such companies to comply with statutory and regulatory requirements. Any extension is subject to compliance with the FDAs infant formula transition guidance and ultimately FDA approval. Product to be supplied to the US has the same formulation as a2 Platinum but has different scoops, mixing instructions and labelling requirements to meet the FDA requirements. This product is not currently available in inventory and needs to be manufactured as soon as possible. a2MC previously indicated to the FDA that if approval was obtained by 30 September 2022, it had the capacity through Synlait Milk Limited (Synlait) to manufacture 9 million cans of a2 Platinum (equivalent to 211 million 8oz bottles) by 30 June 2023 if required during the supply shortage period subject to customer demand. Whilst supply plans will need to be updated, it is expected that Synlait will have substantially the same capacity to supply such volumes over a nine-month period which is well within the limits of a2MC and Synlaits past production volumes. a2MC believes the US represents a significant opportunity to develop its brand in the IMF category over the long term. However, at this early stage, it is difficult to predict the IMF sales potential in the US which is a highly competitive market to enter. Accordingly, the Company believes sales will be significantly below indicated manufacturing capacity unless the situation changes. In the near-term, and prior to confirming distribution plans, sales during FY23 are expected to be up to 1 million cans all within 2H23, assuming enforcement discretion remains in place throughout the period. Actual sales will ultimately depend on customer demand, consumer offtake, supply shortages and market conditions at the time. In terms of FY23 earnings impact, whilst incrementally beneficial, the Company expects gross margins to be lower than average, distribution costs to be higher due to potential air freight and rework costs in the near term, and incremental marketing and trade investment to enter the category. The Company will provide an update on US IMF distribution gains and sales outlook in connection with its 1H23 interim results release or earlier as appropriate. The a2 Milk Companys Managing Director and CEO, David Bortolussi, said: We are pleased to be able to assist parents and caregivers in the US by providing access to significant volumes of high quality, a2 Platinum infant and toddler milk formula manufactured in New Zealand during this challenging period. Our a2 Platinum product meets the FDAs food safety and nutritional requirements and is made with a2 Milk, which has digestive and other potential health benefits that have underpinned the success of our brand in other markets. a2MC is well positioned to support this initiative being one of the leading premium international infant milk formula brands with annual sales exceeding 30 million cans. We have scalable production capacity in New Zealand with Synlait plus existing a2MC US sales, marketing and supply chain capability that can be leveraged. We are increasing our supply to respond to this situation, while importantly ensuring that we continue to meet the needs of our other IMF consumers and trade partners in China and other markets. If the US requires further support over an extended period, we have the proven ability to scale up significantly. a2MCs Chief Executive in the US, Blake Waltrip said, Over the past seven years, we have invested in developing our liquid a2 Milk business in the US based in Boulder, Colorado. We currently supply a2 Milk Whole, 2% Reduced Fat, Fat Free, Half and Half and HERSHEYs a2 Milk with nationwide distribution to approximately 27,000 stores in the grocery, mass, natural and club channels. We have established customer relationships with all major retailers, many of which have expressed strong interest in ranging our a2 Platinum product. 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Related News: General Capital (GEN:NZ) Announces Very Strong Growth Infratil to retain investment in RetireAustralia APL - Result for the six months ended 30 September 2022 GTK - Annual Results for the Year Ended 30 September 2022 THL updates on Executive changes NZ Automotive interim results for Half Year 2023 TruScreen Half Year Results ArborGen Holdings Announces Interim Result November 29th Morning Report PCT - Further growth in Investment Partnership The first Garda ever murdered in Ireland, a young Laois man, was killed 100 years ago this month, but his family say he never got the honorable funeral he deserved. Garda Henry Phelan was buried quietly in Camross in 1922 after he was shot dead while on duty in Tipperary, by the IRA. He is to be remembered in a memorial Mass next week, when wreaths will be laid by his family. Born in Rushin, Mountrath on Christmas Day 1900, Henry Phelan worked on his family farm until he joined the civic Guards in 1922. He was killed the same year on November 14. His great nephew Tommy Dunne has said that according to Garda Phelans Inspector at the time James Begin, no oration was delivered, not a drum was heard, Not a funeral note. We hope to right that wrong. A memorial Mass to commemorate the life of Garda Phelan will be held at St Fergals Church Camross at 11 am on November 12. A funeral note will be provided by renowned Piper Cormac Bowell, followed by a wreath laying ceremony at Garda Phelans headstone in the nearby cemetery in Camross. All are welcome to come and attend this celebration in honour of this young local hurler and friend to many, Tommy said. He has written a stirring account of Garda Phelans short life. Henry was by all accounts a decent friendly young man. His father died when he was born. He grew up at a time when most people around him joined the RIC. Henry was a young man with different ideas. He became a volunteer in the war of independence. It was serving as a volunteer that he came to the attention of his superiors In early 1922 on the establishment of the free state a new police force was being formed, An Garda Siochana was established to replace the Royal Irish Constabulary. Many of the young recruits were chosen from the volunteers of the war of independence. Young men who had proved trustworthy and of good character. Henry was one of these. They were asked to put on the Garda uniform and go unarmed out into a land torn apart by civil war.Their job was to be civic Guards unarmed and show their armed former colleagues that there was a better way, by peace and political progress. It was known that some of these young men would die for their courage. And so it was on the 14 Nov Henry was shot in Mullinahone on the Tipperary border. His crime was collecting hurleys and a sliotar to help start a new hurling team in Callan Kilkenny. He was known to have taken hurleys from Brophys, Mountrath and Dooley's, Coolrain. His death saved many others. Within a short period of his murder orders went down through the IRA ranks throughout the country. Never again to shoot or kill an unarmed Garda. This young man chose his own path. An honourable and brave path. We owe these young men for what we have today. His funeral at the time was a very quiet affair as so not to offend either side of the civil war. Let us right that wrong. Let us join together as a community to honour one of our own. A young decent chap who has lain quietly unnoticed in our local graveyard for 100 years, Tommy Dunne writes. All are welcome to attend, particularly all serving Gardai.. Light refreshments served at The Camross Inn afterwards. The Department of Education has confirmed the number of Ukrainian pupils enrolled in schools across Ireland has exceeded 12,000. The figures also reveal there are nearly 200 children who have fled the Russian invasion attending school in Laois. The data shows that there are 116 girls and boys in primary school with a further 76 pupils in the county's secondary schools. The figure for Laois represents nearly 30% of the total number of refugees from the Eastern European country who have settled in Laois since the Vladimir Putin decided to wage war on their country. The most recent figures from the CSO and Laois County Council show that there are more than 700 people from Ukraine living in Laois who have left since the war began in February. Laois County Council's CEO John Mulholland told county councillors recent that the local authority is nearly at capacity in its ability to find homes for those fleeing the conflict. According to monthly figures released by the Department, 12,544 Ukrainian pupils have been enrolled in Irish schools as of November 2022. Almost 8,000 students have been accommodated in primary schools with 4,596 pupils in post-primary schools. Over 1,900 are enrolled in Dublin schools with 1,253 in Cork, 1,222 in Kerry, and 810 in Galway. The lowest number of Ukrainian students enrolled across the country are in Monaghan (50), Longford (102), Offaly (123), and Carlow (145). Over 50,000 Ukrainian refugees have arrived in Ireland since the beginning of the Russian war. Regional Education and Language Teams (REALT) continue to operate to assist with the transition of Ukrainian refugees and their families into schools. The teams are hosted by the 16 regional education and training boards around Ireland and staffed by regionally based education support personnel. They ensure that clear, accessible information flows are in place between schools, local education support services and national support structures in relation to people arriving from Ukraine. Full list of students enrolled by county: Information for parents on accessing school places in both Ukrainian and Russian languages is available if you tap HERE. Digital payments company Stripe is to cut its global workforce by around 14%, its Irish founders have said. In an email sent to staff, Limerick brothers, and founders of the company, Patrick and John Collison said the job cuts will see Stripe have about 7,000 employees. It is not yet clear how many staff working in its Irish offices will be affected by the reduction, with the Collison brothers saying the job cuts will not be applied across the organisation. In an email sent to staff on Thursday, Patrick and John, who owns two mansions and over 1,000 acres of land worth some 20 million in Abbeyleix, said they over-hired for the world were in. Around 14% of people at Stripe will be leaving the company. We, the founders, made this decision, they said. We over-hired for the world were in, and it pains us to be unable to deliver the experience that we hoped that those impacted would have at Stripe. Theres no good way to do a layoff, but were going to do our best to treat everyone leaving as respectfully as possible and to do whatever we can to help. The brothers said Stripes leadership made two consequential mistakes. In making these changes, you might reasonably wonder whether Stripes leadership made some errors of judgment. Wed go further than that, they added. In our view, we made two very consequential mistakes, and we want to highlight them here since theyre important. We were much too optimistic about the internet economys near-term growth in 2022 and 2023 and underestimated both the likelihood and impact of a broader slowdown. We grew operating costs too quickly. Buoyed by the success were seeing in some of our new product areas, we allowed co-ordination costs to grow and operational inefficiencies to seep in. We are going to correct these mistakes. So, in addition to the headcount changes described above (which will return us to our February headcount of almost 7,000 people), we are firmly reining in all other sources of cost. The world is hard to predict right now, but we expect that these changes will set us up for robust cash flow generation in the quarters ahead. We are not applying these headcount changes evenly across the organisation, they said. John Collison purchased Abbey Leix House and estate for more than 10 million in 2021 Mr Collison intends to spend 6m renovating Millbrook House, a derelict mansion on the former DeVesci estate not far from Abbey Leix House. He purchased Millbrook from Laois County Council which bought the land via CPO to save it from dereliction. As part of purchasing the house for 400,000 he had to set out plans and budget for its restoration. Housing charity Threshold has said it helped prevent more than 1,100 households from becoming homeless in recent months. In its latest report, it said that evictions remain the biggest issue facing private renters. From July until September this year, Threshold helped 1,758 adults and 1,185 children stay in their homes or supported them to secure alternative housing. It responded to one call every 20 minutes on average from private renters facing eviction in the first nine months of the year. Renters, do you need help now? We're in your corner and ready to provide free, expert advice to help you #OwnYourRights.Get help now: https://t.co/uZa5q6sg7r pic.twitter.com/FbYumX7ium Threshold (@ThresholdIRE) September 7, 2022 Some 1,384 private renters sought Thresholds help when they received a notice of termination from their landlord, with 60% of notices issued because the landlord intended to sell the property. Threshold identified that 46% of notices were invalid. The report also details how an average of 472 private renters a month, who were facing eviction, sought assistance from Threshold between January and September this year. The housing charity said the level of insecurity and precarity of renters continues to increase. It said there has been an increasing dominance of queries relating to security of tenure including tenancy terminations, queries about possible terminations and advice on leases, since 2019. In the first three quarters of the year, queries about tenancy terminations surpassed the total number for 2021, and were significantly higher than pre-pandemic times in 2019. For those who were being evicted over the last three months, Threshold was able to help under half to remain in their home. However, 20% had to move to a new home, 8% went to stay with family and friends and 8% entered homelessness. Threshold CEO John-Mark McCafferty said: In the first nine months of the year, over 50% of queries received by Threshold concerned security of tenure and tenancy termination. This level of queries surpassed the number received on the same issue for the entirety of 2021 and was over double the number received in 2020. We are continuing to see a large exodus of landlords from the private rental sector, resulting in fewer properties available to rent and fewer housing alternatives for households who are facing eviction. Given the increasingly dire situation, it was necessary for the Government to introduce a ban on evictions to allow for short and mediumterm solutions to be implemented to combat the growing rental crisis. The charity has called on the Government to bring in a number of other measures to alleviate pressure on private tenants and landlords. It has pressed for a reduction to the Capital Gains Tax (CGT) payable when a landlord sells a rental home with the tenant in situ to a local authority or approved housing body. It also called for a reduction on the rate of tax on rental incomes from properties subject to long-term lease agreements, at a minimum of 10 years, to increase security of tenure. The charity also wants to see an increase in schemes and targets to return vacant homes for use in the rental sector and necessary measures to return properties from the short-term rental sector to the long-term rental sector. It comes as Minister for Public Expenditure Micheal McGrath said the government will not meet its target for social housing this year. He said the government expects to deliver some 8,000 social homes, 1,000 short of its target. In relation to direct social housing building, the target for 2022 is 9,000. We dont believe at this juncture that 9,000 will be met, Mr McGrath told RTE. Minister (for Housing) Darragh OBrien estimated last week that it would be of the order of 8,000 for 2022. A billion euro investment in Irish forestry has been announced by the Irish government. The Taoiseach, Micheal Martin, Minister of State with responsibility for Forestry, Senator Pippa Hackett, and Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, today (November 3) announced the proposed investment of 1.3 billion in funding for the next national Forestry Programme. It represents the largest ever investment in tree-planting by an Irish Government. Speaking about the news, Taoiseach Martin said, "This commitment by the Government to such a substantial financial package reflects the seriousness with which we view the climate change and biodiversity challenges, which affect all of society. "Forestry is at the heart of delivering on our sustainability goals and strong support is needed to encourage engagement from all our stakeholders in reaching our objectives." According to Minister Pippa Hackett, the funding comes at an appropriate time given "the urgency of taking climate mitigation measures". She said, "Im delighted to have secured a package of 1.318 billion for forestry. This will support the biggest and best-funded Forestry Programme ever in Ireland. Planting trees is one of the most effective methods of tackling climate change as well as contributing to improved biodiversity and water quality. One of my main aims is to re-engage farmers in afforestation. "Im delighted therefore to be proposing a new 20-year premium term exclusively for farmers, as well as introducing a new small-scale native woodland scheme which will allow farmers to plant up to 1 hectare of native woodland on farmland and along watercourses outside of the forestry licensing process." Minister McConalogue said, "Today we commit to providing unprecedented incentives to encourage the planting of trees that can provide a valuable addition to farm income and help to meet national climate and biodiversity objectives. "This funding guarantees continued payments to those forest owners who planted under the current scheme and who are still in receipt of premiums. It also offers new and improved financial supports to those who undertake planting and sustainable forest management under the new Programme. "We intend to increase premiums for planting trees by between 46% and 66% and to extend the premium period from 15 to 20 years for farmers." He continued: "We are approaching a new and exciting period for forestry in Ireland. The new Forestry Programme will drive a new and brighter future for forestry, for farmers and for our climate. The proposed new Forestry Programme is currently out to public consultation as part of the Strategic Environmental Assessment and Appropriate Assessment process. Consultation closes on November 29 and any changes which result from this process will be incorporated into the programme and strategy. Minister Hackett said, "I would strongly encourage all interested parties to engage with the consultation in advance of the Strategy and Programme being finalised. The new Programme is built around the principle of right trees in the right places for the right reasons with the right management. It aims to deliver more diverse forest which will meet multiple societal objectives, economic, social and environmental. Higher grant rates for forest establishment are also proposed with increases of approximately 20% to reflect rising living costs. The new one hectare native tree area scheme will also make it easier for landowners who wish to plant small areas of trees on their farm. The Taoiseach concluded: "I welcome this milestone and I believe that this funding injection will be an important catalyst in delivering on the ambition outlined in the new Forest Strategy. Our environmental challenges are huge but so is our commitment to overcoming them and this Forestry Programme is key to delivering so many of our priorities." The new Programme will be 100% Exchequer funded and is subject to State Aid approval from the EU Commission. The team at Amazons new Dublin fulfilment centre has marked the sites opening by donating 5,000 to Barretstown, which provides life changing therapeutic programmes for children affected by serious illness and their families. A donation of 5,000 was made to Barretstown Childrens Charity by the charity committee at the new Amazon fulfilment centre as part of the companys community support programme. Barretstown offers free, specially designed camps and programmes for children and their families living with a serious illness supported behind the scenes by 24-hour on site medical and nursing care. Speaking on the donation, Darragh Kelly, General Manager at the Amazon fulfilment centre in Dublin, said: The support Barretstown Childrens Charity provides for families across Ireland is fantastic and we want to lend a helping hand with this donation. Were passionate about supporting organisations that help communities across Ireland and its great to make this donation to Barretstown Childrens Charitys staff and volunteers. Amanda Kilbride works at the Amazon fulfilment centre in Dublin and was part of the team that chose the charity for the donation. She added: Im really pleased that Amazon has chosen Barretstown Childrens Charity for this support. Everyone on our team has been really excited to open our new building and what better way to mark the occasion than by making a donation to a charity that does so much for families across Ireland. Eleanor Ryan from Barretstown Childrens Charity said: Id like to thank Darragh and the team at Amazon in Dublin for this donation, on behalf of everyone at Barretstown. Donations like this means we can continue to support children and families across Ireland and were grateful for this gesture from the Amazon team. Barretstown Childrens Charity received the donation as part of Amazons programme to support communities in and around its operating locations throughout Ireland. Amazons new 630,000 square foot fulfilment centre, in Dublins Baldonnell Business Park, has created 500 new jobs and will help provide faster delivery for customers across the country seven days a week, including one-day delivery on hundreds of thousands of items. The Dublin fulfilment centre, the first of its kind in Ireland, will hold millions of items to be picked, packed and shipped to customers across the island of Ireland. The fulfilment centre in Dublin joins the two Amazon delivery stations, based in Rathcoole and Ballycoolin, to open in the Republic of Ireland. Amazon also has delivery stations in Northern Ireland, located in Belfast and Portadown. The introduction of the first fulfilment centre in Ireland builds on Amazons continued commitment to, and investment in, the country after opening the first Amazon office in Ireland in September 2004. In April 2006, Amazon opened a Customer Service Centre in Cork, and in November 2007, Amazon Web Services (AWS) launched its first infrastructure region outside of the US in Ireland. Since this time, AWS has continued to invest in Ireland and the impact of its investments today supports 8,700 jobs directly and indirectly and generates growth in economic output of 1.45 billion a year. Amazon provides competitive pay, excellent benefits and a modern, safe and engaging work environment for its employees. Amazon pays all full-time, part-time, temporary, and seasonal employees in the Republic of Ireland a minimum of 13.50 per hour. Employees are also offered a comprehensive benefits package including include private medical insurance, life assurance, income protection and an employee discount as well as a company pension plan. Anyone can find out more about what its like to work at an Amazon fulfilment centre by signing up for a virtual tour at amazonfctours.com. The conversion of the former Bank of Ireland building in Monasterevin into a remote working hub could be finalised in coming weeks. Kildare County Council said last May that it was keen to re-purpose buildings in towns and villages and was exploring all possible sources of local and national funding. Council officials also paid a site visit to the premises on the Dublin Road to assess its suitability for future development. Confirming progress on the issue, Cllr Kevin Duffy said: "The proposal to transform the old Bank of Ireland building in Monasterevin into a Remote Working Hub has taken an important step closer. "Kildare County Council made an offer to purchase Bank of Ireland Monasterevin under the Government's Rural Regeneration and Development Fund for town and village renewal and it has been accepted. "Valuation and property surveys have been completed and contracts will be signed off by Kildare County Council once all due diligence is complete by solicitors. "Once contracts are completed, the department will sign off on the purchase fund. "Hopefully the entire process will be completed before end of November." It was announced in 2021 that Bank of Ireland in Monasterevin would be closing. Bank of Ireland branches in Kilcullen, Celbridge and Edenderry were also shut. The PSNI chief constable said he has not seen any corroboration of a heightened threat of violence and disorder from loyalist paramilitaries, as he appealed to people to calm the rhetoric. Simon Byrne told a meeting of the Northern Ireland Policing Board that there were evidently tensions and palpable frustration within loyalism over the Northern Ireland Protocol. But he added that police do not foresee imminent capacity and capability of loyalists to carry out any of the attacks that have been recently reported. Last week, an umbrella group representing loyalist paramilitary groups wrote a letter to unionist politicians urging them to make clear that Irish government ministers are not welcome in Northern Ireland. There has been loyalist anger about the prospect of UK/Irish joint authority if devolution is not restored at Stormont but the move has been played down by both governments. Mr Byrne told the meeting that the PSNI is aware of the recent letter sent to political leaders by the Loyalist Communities Council and media speculation about current activities and future intent of loyalist paramilitaries. Whilst there are evidently tensions and palpable frustration within loyalism over the Northern Ireland Protocol we have not to date seen any corroboration of a heightened threat of violence and disorder from loyalist paramilitaries, Mr Byrne added. We are far from complacent on this and will continue to remain vigilant working closely with our partners and the wider community to proactively monitor community sentiment, tensions, and the capability and intent of proscribed organisations. Mr Byrne said its assessment of threats from loyalism is short term because of political instability and the tension around the protocol. You would expect us to use all sorts of lawful means, including a lot of quiet work in communities, to assess what is going on and what is behind the rhetoric, he added. Inevitably because of some of the narrative that flows from it, we have looked at the letters to see if criminality flows from what is in them. We would say not on legal advice. We want to make sure that the assets at our disposal are being used to their fullest intent to make sure we have got full sight of a planned campaign, if thats what people are intent on doing, but equally giving reassurances to communities and make sure we are not talking up the rhetoric ourselves. We dont assess in the short term any imminent capacity and capability to carry out some of the planned attacks that have been talked about in the media. Referring to a bomb scare that forced the evacuation of an event which the Irish foreign affairs minister Simon Coveney was addressing earlier this year, Mr Byrne said police can never have full knowledge of everything. Ulster Unionist MLA Mike Nesbitt said the contents of the loyalist letter was unhelpful and unnecessary. Alliance MLA John Blair said: Statements which include the words ceasefire review and dire consequences create tension in our communities and as well as that they make people feel intimidated. Sinn Fein MLA Gerry Kelly queried how the PSNI came to its conclusion about the letter. Mr Byrne said police will assess the gap between what is being said and what we see as the likelihood of it happening. Mr Kelly also raised the ongoing investigation into social media posts threatening public figures in Northern Ireland, including Queens University academic Colin Harvey. Some of the threats are calling for him to be beheaded. This is the same stuff that happened before Pat Finucane was assassinated by a number of loyalists and thats what worries me about this, Mr Kelly told the meeting. What is being done to individuals who are vulnerable, that they can be assessed and given protection, which I think they deserve? Mr Byrne said they will assess the evidence on social media and offer crime prevention advice if needed. Assistant Chief Constable for Local Policing Bobby Singleton said he has twice met a group of concerned individuals since February. We do take it extremely seriously because of the historic issues we have had around human rights advocates and academics being subject to target and attack, Mr Singleton added. I have appointed a superintendent to review the material they have brought forward that was of concern to them and appointed an inspector to oversee material. I expect there to be developments in the coming days and weeks. Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin has won the International Spirit Brand of the Year at the prestigious 2022 Wine Enthusiast Star Awards. The Leitrim brand defied the odds, competing against some of the biggest spirit brands in the world and was the only Irish brand and one of just two European distilleries make the shortlist. The Shed Distillery was also the only fully family-owned company in the running , competing against Dwayne the Rock Johnsons Teremana Tequila, Brown Foremans Woodford Reserve and Sazerac Buffalo Trace representing the USA and Moet Hennessys Ardbeg representing Scotland The win was announced live on screen from the US on Thursday (November 3rd) to over 80 staff and local supporters gathered at The Shed Distillery in Drumshanbo, Co. Leitrim The annual Wine Enthusiast Wine Star Awards are regarded as a global industry benchmark. Winners will be honoured at a Black-tie gala in January 2023 in San Francisco. Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin has become one of the great success stories of Irish business in recent years. Only launched in summer 2016, it is the first-ever brand from The Shed Distillery of PJ Rigney, Drumshanbo, Co. Leitrim, and in the course of just a few short years, it has become a remarkable global success. Now selling in over 80 countries from London to New York, Sydney to Capetown, it is one of the fastest growing super-premium gin brands in the world. With listings in prestigious venues including Disney, Cunard, Target in the US to Selfridges in the UK and listed in prestigious venues including the George V in Paris, Claridges London, The Four Seasons New York and Ashford Castle Estate in Mayo, Ireland. An aerial view of a Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) factory in Nanjing, eastern China's Jiangsu province, on August 10, 2022. STR / AFP A classified ad published in February by the world's leading chip manufacturing company, the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), made industry experts smile: Asia's most valuable company was looking for a candidate with a PhD who could analyze "geopolitical and economic changes that could affect the supply chain." A discrete revolution for a company more at ease in the shadow of its prestigious clients, like Qualcomm or Apple, than in the center of the international political arena. Eager to protect its trade secrets, the company rarely opens its doors to journalists, and its executives avoid interviews. In recent years, however, geopolitics has caught up. For example, on August 3, during her controversial visit to Taiwan, Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the US House of Representatives, took the time to meet Mark Liu, the head of TSMC. In the days that followed, as China organized military exercises near Taiwan, analysts worried as much about global supply chains as about the fate of the 24 million residents on the island, over which China claims sovereignty. Read more Subscribers only Taiwan, a key link in global supply chains There was a good reason: TSMC produces 90% of the world's most advanced chips, the ones that enable the latest iPhones to be so powerful, that allow data centers to keep up with the world's computing needs and supercomputers to solve ever more complex problems. As China steps up military and economic pressure on the island, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen dubbed TSMC the "sacred mountain protecting the nation." A troubling position We are interested in your experience using the site. Send feedback According to some, this is a troubling position because, while the United States has promised to defend Taiwan in case of a Chinese invasion, the cost of American pressure to isolate China technologically is becoming increasingly higher for the Taiwanese industry. Despite efforts to diversify the island, China remains Taiwan's largest trading partner, receiving, along with Hong Kong, 42% of Taiwan's exports in 2021, of which 55% were electronic chips, or $104 billion (107 billion), according to the Taiwanese Ministry of Finance. On October 7, the United States announced the broadest sanctions ever imposed on Chinese chip manufacturing companies, requiring any Chinese company to obtain a license from the US Department of Commerce, with the assumption that the requests will be refused. After this announcement, TSMC's stock price fell by more than 8%. UMC, another Taiwanese chip producer, saw its stock fall 47 %, while MediaTek, Taiwan's number one chip designer, lost 9%. Analysis firm Bernstein estimates that TSMC could lose between 0.4% and 5% of revenue in 2023 due to the move. You have 63.85% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only. A passerby on a street in Tokyo watches the broadcast of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's address about the new missile launches. RICHARD A. BROOKS / AFP In a sign of the excitement around the intensification of North Korea's military activities, Japan issued an unsubstantiated alert on Thursday, November 3, about a North Korean missile that would have passed over the archipelago. It was a mistake: The missile fired from the vicinity of Pyongyang would have crashed into the Sea of Japan (East Sea) before reaching the archipelago. The J-Alert system transmits alerts when an earthquake or tsunami occurs and when a missile threatens to reach or fly over Japanese territory. However, the inhabitants of Miyagi, Yamagata and Niigata prefectures (North-East) were woken up at 8 am on this holiday dedicated to culture by a message announcing that "the missile would have passed into the Pacific Ocean around 7:48 am. If you find anything suspicious, do not approach it and contact the police or fire department immediately." The alert was also sent to the residents of Tokyo. It was lifted about 10 minutes later. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was quick to call for "the safety of aircraft and ships" and to "be prepared for any eventuality." He called an emergency meeting of the National Security Council. But it was a false alarm. According to the South Korean army, North Korea fired three missiles. One of them could be an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), with the potential to fly over Japan, and was fired from the Sunan area near Pyongyang at 7:40 am. The other two were short-range ballistic missiles fired from Kaechon, the capital of South Korea. The other two are believed to be short-range ballistic missiles that were fired from Kaechon in South Pyongang Province (west of the country) at 8:39 am. All three are believed to have fallen east of the peninsula. According to the Japanese military, the alleged ICBM reached an altitude of 2,000 kilometers and traveled 750 kilometers. Read more North Korea continues missile barrage, triggers evacuation warning in Japan Threat of a seventh nuclear test "The J-Alert system was activated because the missile could fly over the Japanese archipelago. After verification, it appeared that the missile had not done so and that it had fallen into the Sea of Japan. We are continuing our investigation," said Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada, as the J-Alert system is being criticized for its effectiveness. The false alarm did not prevent Mr. Kishida from deploring the latest missile launches, whose "continuous firing" represents "an outrage and is intolerable." A North Korean intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) flew over Japan on October 4 for the first time since 2017. The November 3 launch followed the firing of 23 short-range missiles by Pyongyang the previous day. In an unprecedented move since the Korean War (1950-1953), one of these missiles fell less than 60 kilometers off the South Korean coast, near the "Northern Limit Line" (NLL), which is the de facto maritime border between the two countries, but whose delineation remains disputed. The South Korean president, Yoon Seok-youl, denounced a "de facto territorial invasion" and ordered a response. South Korean fighter jets fired three air-to-ground missiles. These developments come as the threat of a seventh nuclear test by North Korea still looms. South Korean intelligence expects it before November 8, the day of the mid-term elections in the United States. We are interested in your experience using the site. Send feedback Tensions are expected to continue rising: North Korea claims that its activities are in response to the massive maneuvers carried out by the Americans, the South Koreans and even the Japanese, which it considers a rehearsal for the invasion of its territory. After the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises in late August and the Hoguk exercises in late October, Americans and South Koreans are conducting the Vigilant Storm drills until November 4. These are the largest ever organized by the two countries, with 240 fighter jets and several thousand soldiers mobilized. The two allies decided on Thursday to extend these exercises "in view of the recent provocations of the North," announced the South Korean military. The situation is expected to dominate South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup's exchanges with his US counterparts at the Security Consultative Meeting scheduled for November 3 in Washington, an annual forum between Americans and South Koreans. Philippe Mesmer(Tokyo (Japan) correspondent) Translation of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may only be liable for the French version. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (R) looks towards NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (L) after they addressed a press conference following a meeting at The Foreign Ministry in Istanbul, on November 3, 2022. OZAN KOSE / AFP NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg urged Turkey on Thursday, November 3, to set aside its reservations over Finland and Swedens efforts to join the military alliance, insisting the Nordic neighbors have done enough to satisfy Ankaras concerns about their membership. Finland and Sweden applied for membership of the worlds biggest security alliance in the months after Russian forces invaded Ukraine in February. In doing so, they abandoned longstanding policies of military nonalignment out of concern that Russian President Vladimir Putin might target them next. But Turkey, which joined NATO in 1952, is still not ready to endorse them after months of trilateral talks. The Turkish government wants them to crack down on individuals it considers terrorists, such as supporters of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party and people suspected of orchestrating a failed 2016 coup in Turkey. "Finland and Sweden have delivered on their commitment to Turkey. They have become strong partners in our joint fight against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations," Mr. Stoltenberg told reporters in Istanbul after talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. "Its time to welcome Finland and Sweden as full members of NATO. Their accession will make our alliance stronger and our people safer," Mr. Stoltenberg said. "In these dangerous times, its even more important to finalize their accession, to prevent any misunderstanding or miscalculation in Moscow." Read more Subscribers only Turkey has turned into a trade platform between Russia and the West However, Mr. Cavusoglu said the schedule for accepting them as new members would depend on when Turkeys demands, agreed upon in a joint memorandum, were fulfilled. The 10-article memorandum was unveiled ahead of a NATO summit in June after Turkey had threatened for weeks to veto Sweden and Finland's applications. "These two countries must take important steps on combatting terror because one of the biggest threats NATO is facing today is terrorism," the Turkish minister said. "Its not possible to say right now that the two countries have completely implemented all aspects of the memorandum," he added while stressing that Turkey supports NATOs enlargement. Mr. Cavusoglu said Turkey sees the new government in Sweden as "more determined" to fulfill the memorandum signed in Madrid. The new Swedish prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, is scheduled to visit Ankara on November 8, he said. Turkey also has called for the lifting of an arms embargo imposed following its 2019 incursion into northern Syria to combat Kurdish militants. Sweden last month said it would lift the embargo, a step seen as aiming to secure Ankaras approval. Read more Subscribers only NATO tests nuclear deterrence capabilities in annual 'routine' military exercise Mr. Cavusoglu acknowledged Sweden had changed laws and welcomed the lifting of the arms embargo as "an important step." But he warned the changes must be permanent and Sweden must not reverse any steps once it secures NATO membership. But Mr. Stoltenberg, in the strongest public statement of support that he has made for the candidates while on Turkish soil, was adamant they have done enough. "I recognize your concerns. At the same time, it is clear Finland and Sweden have delivered on the memorandum and are committed to the long-term partnership with Turkey," the former Norwegian prime minister told Mr. Cavusoglu. Mr. Cavusoglu also underlined that Turkey doesnt have any major issues with Finland but because the Nordic countries want their membership process to go in tandem, the two were receiving the "same treatment" from Ankara. We are interested in your experience using the site. Send feedback All 30 NATO member countries must officially ratify the accession protocol for Finland and Sweden to join the alliance. Only the parliaments of Turkey and Hungary have yet to do so. Read more Biden signs ratification of Sweden and Finlands bids to join NATO Le Monde with AP Lemurs are an iconic animal on Madagascar. To attract more tourists, President Andry Rajoelina wants to introduce giraffes, elephants and zebras, which are not endemic to the island and may not survive there for a lack of suitable habitat. BAS CZERWINSKI / AFP Andry Rajoelina no longer wants to rely solely on lemurs to attract foreign tourists to Madagascar. The country's president now needs the animals of the African savannah, as seen in the animated movie Madagascar. He made the surprising announcement before an audience of business leaders, diplomats and foreign investors gathered on October 28 and 29 in Antananarivo for the Forum of Investments for Emergence. "We want to see giraffes, zebras, elephants. I am convinced that millions of people will come to Madagascar to see these animals," he said, promising a tax exemption to all those who will embark on the adventure to populate the protected areas with these wildlife icons. Read more Intensification of extreme weather events fuels conflict in Africa In 2005, the blockbuster produced by the American studio Dream Works put a tremendous spotlight on the country through the adventures of Marty the zebra, Gloria the hippo and Melman the giraffe, who escaped from a New York zoo and were involuntarily shipwrecked on the Big Island of the Indian Ocean. There was also Alex the lion, but the Malagasy president did not mention it. The film and its two sequels released in 2008 and 2012 garnered nearly 12 million tickets sold in France alone, which was far, very far, from the 350,000 foreign visitors recorded by Madagascar before the numbers collapsed during the pandemic. 'Crossing the Mozambique Channel' The idea of making Madagascar a safari destination, however, has left conservation experts and tourism operators alike puzzled and worried. "It's a very strange idea. These African mammals have never existed in Madagascar. None of them, apart from hippos that became extinct about a thousand years ago, managed to cross the Mozambique Channel," said Steve Goodman, a leading expert on the country's natural history and co-author of Extinct Madagascar: Picturing the Island's Past (University of Chicago, 2014). On the other hand, the island has a unique endemic fauna. "There are 170 species of mammals, starting with lemurs, which are found nowhere else. The priority should be to protect them as their habitat decreases year after year with deforestation," he continued. The president does not seem to question the ability of these species to adapt to the island's environment. "I don't think the giraffes would survive," said Jorg Ganzhorn, a professor at the University of Hamburg in Germany. "They need large trees, which are lacking in the Malagasy highlands. And the zebras might not find anything to eat either. Here, there are no large mammals." We are interested in your experience using the site. Send feedback Read more Growing insecurity in Madagascar is leading to a rise in mob justice In any case, Mr. Rajoelina's plan to compete with major African tourist destinations such as Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa may come to a halt before it even sees the light of day. The transfer of endangered species is indeed subject to very strict rules by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, to which Madagascar as well as the potential exporting countries are signatories. You have 36.74% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only. THE Shannon cluster of aviation businesses has just gotten bigger with the announcement by AerAdvise that it is to establish a new office at Shannon employing seven people. The Dublin-based company confirmed its expansion plans at the prestigious Shannon International Leasing Conference which is taking place this Thursday. Hildegarde Naughton, Minister of State at the Department of Transport, who officially opened the SILC conference at the Limerick Strand Hotel has welcomed the announcement. With over 90 aviation companies employing over 3,000 people having now made Shannon their home base, the Shannon aviation cluster is growing from strength to strength. As an island nation, we rely on aviation to maintain our connections with families, friends, and business, wherever they may be. Aviation is at the forefront in providing access to our island and plays a pivotal role in maintaining and growing our economic, political, and cultural connections with the rest of the world. Aviation also plays a central role in supporting our tourism industry, which is fundamental in providing employment on a regionally distributed basis, such as here in the Mid-West Region," she said. Commenting on the announcement by AerAdvise, an independent technical consulting and asset management company serving high value aircraft leasing clients around the world, the company's CTO John Whitty said: As AerAdvise is entering a new chapter, we are expanding our presence in Ireland beyond our headquarters in Dublin (Santry) and adding the Shannon office on the Irish map. The Shannon Cluster of aviation companies has always been an important centre of aviation in Ireland and internationally, so we are delighted to have a team available to our customers on-site in Shannon to cover their needs. Keith Butler, Managing Director of CAE, which employs 95 people in Shannon, was in attendance at SILC, where the company presented Minister Naughton with a plaque to commemorate her opening the conference this year, and to celebrate employing 27 people in the CAMO division, up from four in 2019. "Our focus is the local talent pool, with new employees coming from UL, TUS and local aviation apprenticeship programmes, based here in the Mid-West of Ireland. UL, TUS and MRO training facilitators were in attendance on the day as well. Founder of SILC Samantha Harding, John Whitty CTO of AerAdvise, Minister-of-State Hildegarde Naughton, Margareta Vrablova, Sales and Marketing Manager at AerAdvise, and Mike Byrt CCO AerAdvise Speaking about the SILC conference, now in its 7th year, its founder Samantha Harding said: With over 50% of the worlds leased fleet managed through Ireland, one of the primary goals of SILC is to create cohesion in the aviation community in Ireland, and principally in the Shannon area. SILC was created from the collective interests of Shannon and Irish aviation companies, working together to provide a range of skilled services and cost-efficient solutions to both airlines and the leasing companies. The conference, she added, provides an opportunity for technical representatives from the industry to meet and discuss up-to-date trends, listen to leading figures' opinions on the future of the industry, and engage in an open networking forum with their peers. Sponsored by the Shannon Airport Group and over 25 Shannon based aviation service companies, some 300 delegates, a combination of operating lessors, finance lessors, aircraft and engine technical support, MRO and a wide range of executives from the aerospace supply chain and aviation services sectors, attended from across Ireland, the UK and Europe. FROM culture and history to creativity and emotional resilience, the Blindboy Podcast has covered some of the most topical issues for the last five years with no signs of slowing down. Blindboy Boatclub, one half of the iconic Limerick duo the Rubberbandits, celebrated five years of the Blindboy Podcast last week. The podcast started in 2017 as Blindboy was looking for ways to promote his first book of short stories called the Gospel according to Blindboy. This was an artistic departure for me because people mostly associated me with music, or writing for television. I genuinely didnt think anyone would be interested in reading a book of fiction from the Rubberbandits lad, Blindboy said. So I started the podcast, initially as a way to read out some short stories, to give people an idea of what I was writing. Within a week, the first podcast had about 70,000 listeners and the book was a bestseller. I knew fairly immediately from that response, that this was the medium for me to explore, he added. Blindboy noted how his podcast appeals to a wider audience: I think the reason why its still growing after five years is because its a monologue podcast, and because I write it, rather than simply sit down at a mic and talk, Blindboy said. Stand-out guests from the podcast include American director, Spike Lee and Irish civil rights leader Bernadette Devlin McAliskey who Blindboy called the Irish Martin Luther King Jr. Interviewing Bernadette was an honour and quite frightening because of the sheer importance of who she is, Blindboy said. Bernadette doesnt do a lot of interviews but her grandkids asked her to appear with me on my podcast, Blindboy said. Blindboy wanted to ensure that he gave her a respectful and spacious platform to speak and to say what she needed to say without interruption. I was an outsider, with no lived experience of what is known as The Troubles. It was very humbling to be in the room that night, he said. Half a decade since the start of the podcast, Blindboy is giving no indication of stopping any time soon. I have never been happier in my career, he points out. When I was doing Rubberbandits stuff, we were working mainly in TV you dont get creative freedom. So I get to do a big deep dive into renaissance painting or a few weeks back I did a podcast about the origins of the River Shannon in Irish mythology. Theres not a hope RTE would have let me do that. Theyd want me making jokes about chicken fillet rolls or leaving on the immersion, Blindboy said. A LIMERICK-based inspector has warned that An Garda Siochana are finding it difficult to recruit new members to the force due to pay and conditions. Inspector Pat Brennan told elected members in Newcastle West at a Joint Policing Sub-Committee (JPC) meeting that despite over 1,000 expressions of interest, only 30% are turning up to interviews each day. Councillors at the meeting cited a lack of continuity and the inability to maintain consistent relationships with gardai in the community due to frequent changes of personnel. Cllr Michael Collins (FF) said: We have a relationship built up with a garda and suddenly find out that that person has moved on and often we dont know who their replacement is. Cllr Jerome Scanlan (Independent) echoed his colleagues sentiments. He stressed the extreme importance of community gardai in Newcastle West and its surrounding areas. Insp Brennan, who is currently serving as Acting Superintendent of the district due to a colleagues illness, described these changes of personnel as the nature of the beast. That is how our organisation works, you get promoted and you have to move unfortunately, he told elected members present, reminding them that when his colleague returns, he will be forced to move on from his current position. Last week, the Sunday Independent reported that since January, one in three members leaving the force have resigned rather than retired. Referencing plans set out for 200 gardai to join the slowly declining 14,500 force in November, Insp Brennan admitted that they are going to be lucky if they can even get 50 applicants in. He stated that despite 1,000 expressions of interest to join, 500 agreed to turn up to interviews, and out of 10 scheduled interviews per day, only three turned up, on average. They just cant get people in. Pay and conditions have dramatically decreased, Insp Brennan conceded to councillors. A LIMERICK priest and members of the public have been reacting to vile and hateful comments made by a priest in Listowel, County Kerry. Fr Sean Sheehy, made controversial remarks about abortion, transgender people, homosexuals and sex before marriage during his homily at Mass at the weekend. We see [sin] in the promotion of abortion. We see it in the example of this lunatic approach to transgenderism, Fr Sheehy said during Sunday Mass. We see it for example in the promotion of sex between two men and two women. That is sinful, that is mortal sin and people dont seem to realise it Fr Sheehy continued. The Bishop of Kerry Ray Browne has since apologised for the hurt caused by the remarks as 30 parishioners walked out of the sermon due to Fr Sheehys comments. Parish Priest of Caherconlish and Inch St Laurence Fr Roy Donovan believes Fr Sheehys remarks were out of order. I absolutely disagree with [Fr Sheehy]. His understanding of gay people needs massive updating. All the modern sciences, genetics and biology all show that being gay is just as normal for that person as it is for another person being straight. Fr Donovan mentioned a beautiful reading said at Mass last Sunday which he says Fr Sheehy completely ignored. God lover of life you hold nothing of what you have made in abhorrence, for had you hated anything, you would not have formed it. Love all that exists, Fr Donovan said. It has hurt a lot of people. Especially people who had a traditional understanding of sex and sexuality in the church. Its bringing a lot of people back to an old view again, Fr Donovan said. Its so hard for so many gay people to come out and be themselves and hes made that more difficult. Hes reinforced the old views, he added. In an interview on Radio Kerry on Tuesday, Fr Sheehy confirmed he is to be taken off all future Masses. Artistic director of the Polish Arts Festival in Limerick Justyna Cwojdzinska commented: I was so happy to hear he was suspended from sermons. Youd never see this in Poland. Great reaction from the church. It gives some hope. Student at the University of Limerick (UL) Joe Drennan feels that Fr Sheehy's comments are dangerous for members of the LGBTQ+ community such as himself. "As a queer person, I feel like its natural to feel disenfranchised by a system that reminds you that the way you were born (being gay) is wrong," Joe said. "His comments, vile as they are, dont surprise me. Im really thinking about whether there are more instances like this around the country that we cant see because they arent being streamed like the Mass in Listowel," Joe continued. GOVERNMENT is not considering sites for modular housing for Ukrainian refugees in Limerick, Limerick Live can reveal. Nor is Sarsfield Barracks in Lord Edward Street in the city being looked at as a place to house those displaced from the war in eastern Europe. Thus far, almost 54,000 Ukrainians have arrived in Ireland this year fleeing the conflict. But just 65 of the 393 beds pledged have been occupied locally. Appearing before the Public Accounts Committee, Kevin McCarthy, the secretary general at the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, which is leading the strategy to house Ukrainians, said there will be a total of 593m spend this year on this. And, the spend will increase to around 1bn next year. The crisis in the accommodation sector has prompted the cabinet to discuss a series of measures, including the use of military barracks, and the erection of fast-build modular accommodation, which is expected to come on stream from January. While 500 of these homes will be built nationwide with 200 in the first six months the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth has not identified Limerick in its site selection. A spokesperson confirmed: The department is not considering sites for modular housing in Limerick at present. In response to a query from Limerick Live from the Department of Defence, a spokesperson stated: I can confirm that Sarsfield Barracks, Limerick, has not been identified as a location for providing accommodation to Ukrainian refugees. Another measure being introduced by government is the doubling of payments to families renting a room in their home out to Ukrainian refugees from 400 a month to 800 a month. Figures compiled by the Irish Examiner newspaper revealed that in Limerick, some 393 beds were pledged by members of the public. However, only 65 of these were occupied as of late last week, and there had been zero inspections. Limerick Live has contacted the local authority which is administering the scheme, but queries were referred to the International Organisation for Migration, administered in Ireland by the Irish Red Cross. A further enquiry has been submitted the Irish Red Cross on the take-up of bed offers. A response is awaited. NOW is not the time for risk aversion this was the message to graduates from the Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) during their conferring ceremonies in Limerick this Thursday. President of TUS, Professor Vincent Cunnane, told graduates that they have led the way in a new era of education, that TUS will continue to lead, but that it is now time for the system to follow. As he addressed over 3,500 graduates from six campuses, the president remarked the new graduates had seen more change over the course of their studies, than students had seen for previous generations. He also reflected on what might have been lost during the pandemic, including our relationship with society as a whole. The skills of interaction and the experience of social mores that were denied to you for so long must be developed and redeveloped to match the incredible strength you have shown. You must not become an avatar of yourself, he told graduates. These days there is a tendency towards the cult of personality that I do sincerely hope will not be heightened even further in the post-pandemic era. Communities are even more important for us all now. Professor Cunnane noted that Technological Universities are an innovation, potentially allowing society to get ahead of future challenges rather than just responding after they happen. This is not a time for risk aversion, but the Irish Higher Education system probably has a quarter of a million people in it at any given time and a system of that size can have a tendency to resist change, to absorb the perturbation of change rather than adapt to it. But remember, it is easier to innovate now than to respond later, he commented. Professor Cunnane concluded: But today, you are the most important people in that system. You have led the way; your university will lead the way, and the system must follow. Over 3,500 TUS graduates will receive their parchments this week during nine conferring ceremonies in Athlone and Limerick. IT'S A double surprise for former Limerick TD Tom Neville and his partner Jenny Dixon as they announce that "through an act of god" twins are on the way. Jenny, who previously starred as KerriAnn on Fair City, took to social media to tell of an "emotional rollercoaster" that had led to the couple learning that they are 17 weeks pregnant, with twins. The London-based actress said: "Just when we thought it may never happen. It happens. Some kind of sacred magic. Faith, positivity, determination and an act of god." The pair, who wed in Dublin in July 2019, recently moved from Limerick to London, so that Tom, a former Fine Gael TD could take up an exciting new opportunity with social media giants TikTok. Taking to inform his own followers, the former Limerick Deputy, Croagh native and Crescent College Comprehensive graduate said: "Just when we thought it may never happen. It happens and it happens x2. Cant wait to meet the twins." Hearty congratulations have been pouring in from the political and acting spheres, not to mention strong messages of support from the Limerick community. Celia Holman Lee, Rosanna Davidson and Lisa Jordan have all expressed their delight at Jenny and Tom's announcement. "We cant wait to meet you. We cant wait to meet both of you," Jenny, who is also a qualified teacher told her followers. Boeing Co. executives on Wednesday said they planned to restore the plane makers financial strength over the next three years, after a string of losses in the wake of two 737 MAX crashes and other problems. NEW DELHI: Kochi will host Urban Mobility India (UMI) conference, which will discuss challenges and issues related to urban transport, during 4-6 November, the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs said in a statement. Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will jointly inaugurate 15th Urban Mobility India (UMI) Conference & Expo 2022 in Kochi on 4 November, 2022," it said. Senior officers from Central and State Governments policy makers, Managing Directors of Metro Rail Companies, Chief Executives of transport undertakings, International experts, professionals, academicians and students will participate in this event. The National Urban Transport Policy (NUTP), 2006, inter-alia, lays strong emphasis on building capabilities at the state and city level to address the problems associated with urban transport and lays down the guidelines for developing equitable and sustainable urban transport systems for all sections of the society. As part of the NUTP enunciations, the ministry has taken the initiative to organize annual international Conference-cum-Exhibition on Urban Mobility India popularly known as UMI. The primary objective of the conference is to disseminate information to cities, whose officials attend the conference to help them keep up-to-date with latest and best urban transport practices globally. The conference provides an opportunity to interact with other professionals, technology and service providers, both domestic and international, so that the delegates can carry home ideas to develop their urban transport along a sustainable path," the ministry said. The event brings together national and international experts, technology and service providers, policy makers, practitioners and officials from the urban transport sector under one roof, it added. This year, the Urban Mobility India (UMI) Conference & Expo will focus on the theme of Azadi@75 Sustainable AatmaNirbhar Urban Mobility". It will emphasize on designing and implementing efficient, high quality and sustainable transport system in the cities. Rapid Advance of information technology and innovations in the sector are enabling more optimal use of transport systems to meet the mobility needs of all. The innovations have led to a wide range of transport options to emerge, thereby widening the choice available to commuters. For example, the Metro Neo and Metro Lite have emerged as lower cost options to Metro Rail and can serve as good options for mid-sized cities. Cities are planning innovative circulator services to serve local areas, thereby obviating the need for personal motor vehicles. Mamata Banerjee has asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to do the needful so that the premium aromatic type of rice known as "Gobindobhog" can be exempt from customs duties on export. The Gobindobhog rice, also known as Govind Bhog, is very well-liked for presenting to the Almighty (Govind) both domestically and abroad, particularly in Europe and the Gulf regions, according to West Bengal's chief minister. In September, a 20% customs duty was imposed by the Centre. Because of this, the years of work that went into developing the premium Gobindobhog variety's export market have been badly damaged with a detrimental influence on the demand and domestic price of the paddy and, consequently, on the income of farmers, said Banerjee. Also Read: Mamata Banerjee slammed for excluding Jawaharlal Nehru from official collage of freedom fighters Banerjee compares Gobindobhog rice to Basmati rice, which is exempt from the 20% customs duty in a similar way, and says that Gobindobhog rice should enjoy the privilege to avoid loss of business". Only a few districts in West Bengal grow pure Gobindobhog rice, which was given geographic identity in 2017. Compared to the MSP for rice, it brings in a substantially higher price, the Bengal CM said in a letter. Since 2011, as part of our efforts to increase the revenue of Bengal farmers, the Mamata Banerjee government has encouraged the development of the premium variety in appropriate locations in place of coarse-grain rice, she added. Also Read: Prophet row: Mamata Banerjee not happy with demonstrators in West Bengal According to Banerjee, other nations - such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait among others in the gulf region, are in need of Gobindobhog rice. She claims in the letter that the state administration has encouraged exports of this premium kind of Gobindobhog rice in addition to expanding production in regions suitable for it in order to sustain demand for it abroad. Gobindobhog rice is typically used in and around Bengal for making rice-based desserts. In addition, it is also used to make flavoured rice and pulao. (With ANI inputs) Disney, NBCU and Sony are among the companies still negotiating licensing with the streaming service The framework will resolve virtually all opioid lawsuits and potential lawsuits by state, local, and tribal governments against Walmart. If you do not have a current print subscription to the Lodi News-Sentinel, but want to view unlimited articles for the month, please choose this option. Proposals to use Longford's Connolly Barrack as a possible site to alleviate the accommodation crisis for Ukrainian refugees received a mixed reaction at the October meeting of Longford Municipal District members. The use of modular homes in disused army barracks across the country was flagged by Social Protection Heather Humphreys as a possible solution to a escalating difficulty to meet the housing needs of refugees fleeing the war torn country. Minister Humphreys said old army barracks could be quickly converted to house Ukrainians as the State struggles with the rising number of people seeking refuge. Director of Services for Planning and Project Delivery, John Brannigan, confirmed hat the Office of Public Works are looking at a number of sites in county Longford. Mr Brannigan told members of the MD that emergency powers meant that Part 8 planning, which councils use to apply for planning permission to develop projects like social housing or a Strategic Development Zone, would not be needed by the OPW to progress with modular housing plans in the barracks. Mr Brannigan said members would be kept informed as more information becomes available. Plans are being developed by Government to increase the roll out of the rapid-build houses, over and above the 700 modular homes to be used to house Ukrainian refugees. Government figures show that there are 55,000 Ukrainian refugees in Ireland at present. Members reacting to the OPW plans for Connolly Barracks, which the local authority agreed a purchase deal in 2012, urged caution. The site is integral to the county town's regeneration plans. Cllr Seamus Bulter (FF) said the plans should be given careful consideration. He said responding to the biggest war since World War II required a lot of planning. Cllr Butler said if modular homes were located on the site they would be an asset to the county and once the humanitarian crisis was over they could be deployed to other parts of the county. Cllr Peggy Nolan (FG) was not happy with the manner in which the approach by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform was made: It's frightening to be told we may have to put x amount of houses on a site we have earmarked for other projects. We have to be very careful. It's a disgrace the department dictate what we do with with the site and we have no hand act or part in the process, Cllr Nolan said and pointed out that Longford vintage Club and Longford Bridge Club are headquartered in the barracks. Cllr Martin Monaghan (FF) said: As a nation have a a duty of care to people from a war torn country, but this is a dereliction of powers from central government. Cllr Monaghan said a national dictate on putting modular housing in the former army barracks bordered on a dangerous situation. Cllr Gerry Warnock (Ind) expressed dismay at the lack of engagement with elected members in the decision making process: I've stopped believing in local government. It's death by a thousand cuts. We have a dysfunctional housing market and now they want to pepper us with modular homes? Cllr Uruemu Adejinmi (FF) said while she was in favour of investment, she believed an alternative site should be considered for the modular homes. Cllr John Browne (FG) asked the executive what exactly had been the contact about the plans. Mr Brannigan said that the OPW had engaged with the council to identify potential housing options, adding that such inquiries were made with local authorities cross the country. Two young men caught in the eye of a storm as a result of a feud between families were handed down suspended sentences at Longford Circuit Court. Daniel Lawrence (31), 13 Ardagh Lodge, Prospect Woods, Longford, and David Lawrence (26), 13 The Quays, Market Square, Longford pleaded guilty to committing violent disorder during an incident in which they produced a hammer and hatchet respectively. Co-defendants Joe Lawrence, 38 Lana Aoibheann, Longford, and Patrick Lawrence, 39 Great Water Street, Longford, are both serving prison terms having been convicted of a violent hit and run on April 30, 2019, which left Kevin Stokes Snr confined to a wheelchair. State witness Detective Sergeant Keelan Brennan outlined details of the vehicular attack on members of the Stokes family. Sgt Brennan explained that at 4.15pm Kevin Stokes Snr, Kevin Stokes Jnr, Chantelle, Dylan and Margaret Stokes, and Jane Ward were walking across the Annaly car park following an appearance at Longford Court. The investigating officer said witnesses saw David Lawrence get out of a car and run at Dylan Stokes. The defendant was dressed in black and had a hammer in his hand. He directed a blow at Dylan but did not connect. David Lawrence got out of another vehicle with a small black and white hatchet and ran at Chantelle Stokes. The witnesses heard one of the car occupants shout: You give it to her, because she gave it to you, and although David Lawrence swung the weapon he did not make contact. After the failed weapons attacks the drivers turned the cars on the group. A VW Passat and a red Chevrolet, driven by Joe and Patrick Lawrence, were driven at high speed into the Stokes family. The cars hit both Kevin Stokes Snr and Kevin Stokes Jnr, with the father being hit more than once. Sgt Brennan read from the Victim Impact Statements (VIS) made by the Stokes family. Wife of Kevin Stokes, Margaret Stokes, described the real life horror film that left her feeling helpless as she witnessed the cars hit her husband and son. I never thought something like this would happen to my family. I could not do anything to prevent it, she wrote. She described watching her husband and child get run over, and the blood gushing from her husband as he lay on the ground after the attack. She said when she was told her husband may not make it her first thought was what am I going to tell my children? Ms Stokes said: The simple things that he used to do to help out with the children are no longer possible, now he has to be helped. Kevin Stokes Snr, in his victim impact statement, spoke of his life in a wheelchair after the attack. Mr Stokes said the profound injuries he sustained have caused depression. He said plans he made with his wife to take holidays when the children were grown up are no longer possible. Referring to the attack, Mr Stokes said: No parent should have to choose whether they should get hit or I should. I had to make that choice. I begged God to leave my life and save my children. I will never get Joe Lawrence's face out of my head, grinding his teeth as he drove at me, Mr Stokes recalled. He spoke of calling at his children to jump out of the way, being hit a second and third time. My life flashed before my eyes. I could see my children playing, he said. Mr Stokes said he was miserable every day because of his pain adding, I'm not living, just existing. The victim spoke of losing his independence and masculinity. He said: I will never get to have the first dance with the five daughters yet to marry. That's an opportunity stolen from me. To me I am just a cripple. Mr Stokes Snr concluded: I saw Sergeant James Rowan as an angel. I knew I wasn't going to be hit by any more cars when I saw him. Kevin Stokes Jnr observed the proceedings by video link. Sgt Brennan read from his victim impact statement which described the incident in which the victim's life changed forever. Mr Stokes Jnr sustained injuries that resulted in scarring on his face, and nerve damage to knee and forehead: I can no longer bend my knee, I am no longer a hands-on father. The victim continues to suffer pain from his injuries: I no longer know what a proper night's sleep is. Mr Stokes Jnr said he has taken tablets to address depression since the attack: Everyday it plays on my mind, the victim impact statement said, adding that his disfigurement meant that his daughter did not recognise him on his release from hospital. Chantell Stokes spoke of the horror of seeing her father run over by a car: I felt powerless, like I had no control over my own body. If I only had one wish in life, it would be that I didnt get so frightened and freeze. For the rest of my life, Ill live with that regret, Ms Stokes also suffers from depression and has regular nightmares. Any sound of a car can trigger a panic attack. She said she thought her life would end in the car park that day and spoke of holding her father cold and breathing lightly after the attack. Ms Stokes said since the incident she has become withdrawn, and no longer feel she can have a child, saying she was robbed of motherhood by the attack. In the course of the investigation both accused were arrested and questioned, but made no admissions. Daniel Lawrence claimed he was in his house all day long, but footage from CCTV proved this to be a false claim. Giving background to the matter counsel for Daniel Lawrence, Dara Foynes SC, explained her client had been in a relationship with Kate Stokes. Ms Foynes said the attack had a huge ripple effect for the Lawrence family, and Daniel feels he is to blame for everything. Counsel said the defendant has expressed remorse for his involvement in the attack. It was also stated the relationship between Daniel Lawrence and Kate Stokes broke down in the wake of the attack. Barrister Kieran Collins, acting for David Lawrence, told Judge Johnson his client has a good work record, no previous conviction, has not come to the attention of Gardai before or since and a probation report indicates he is at low risk of re-offending. Describing David Lawrence as a good man who should not have been there Mr Collins spoke of his client's remorse, asking the judge to consider a non-custodial sentence. Ms Foynes said Daniel Lawrence became reclusive after the attack and didn't leave the house. She said he developed an alcohol problem, but has been sober for the last three months. Counsel said Daniel has the prospect of getting employment if he gets the opportunity. Judge Johnson noted the charge before the court attracts a maximum sentence of 10 years. The judge referred to the life changing injuries and their effects on Kevin Stokes Snr, Kevin Stokes Jnr and Chantelle Stokes, but observed that the dispute between the families was now resolved. Judge Johnson described a 'serious offence' that was 'pre-mediated and actively engaged in'. Neither defendant connected in their attacks, the primary injuries were by the drivers of the cars, the judge observed, but added that the consequences of the offence were extremely serious. Judge Johnson said the fact Mr Stokes Snr was not looking for an immediate custodial sentence was an admirable display of magnanimity: Hopefully this attitude will bring this feuding to an end. Noting the positive probation reports; David Lawrence's good employment records and Daniel Lawrence's efforts to address his alcohol issues, and the Probation Service reports suggesting both defendants were at low risk of offending the judge said he could deal with matters by way of suspended sentence. The judge described both men as being caught in the eye of a storm at the time. He imposed a sentence of three years on the violent disorder charges, but suspended it for a period of 10 years. David Lawrence entered a bond to be of good behaviour for the duration of the suspended sentence, Daniel Lawrence's bond condition included that he engage with probation services for one year, continue with mediation service, and engage with alcohol treatment services. Local News By Chris Boyle Published: November 02 2022 Program Promotes Revitalization of Communities by Redeveloping or Eliminating Blighted Structures. Governor Kathy Hochul has announced today that the second round of Restore New York grant program applications are now open. The $250 million program encourages community development and neighborhood growth through the elimination and redevelopment of blighted structures. This round of funding makes $150 million in grants available to municipalities to support projects that focus on demolishing, rehabilitating and restoring residential, commercial and mixed-use buildings. The program, administered by Empire State Development, is designed to help local governments revitalize their communities and encourage commercial investment, improve the local housing stock, put properties back on the tax rolls, and increase the local tax base. Letters of intent are due by November 30, and applications for the second round are available here. "Revitalizing our communities starts with investing in the historic buildings that have long formed the backbone and character of our neighborhoods," Governor Hochul said. "Restore New York funding gives localities the resources to transform abandoned and neglected properties into modern, 21st century buildings. By helping to rebuild and strengthen communities across the state, we will stimulate local economies and continue to build back New York better and stronger." The goal of Restore New York is to help attract residents and businesses by redeveloping residential, commercial, and mixed-use properties. Each project should align with the regional strategic plan of the Regional Economic Development Council and projects should be either architecturally consistent with nearby and adjacent properties or consistent with the municipality's local revitalization or urban development plan. Funding can be used for vacant, abandoned, condemned or surplus buildings and these properties can be demolished, deconstructed, rehabilitated or reconstructed. Emphasis will be placed on projects in economically distressed communities, projects that leverage other state or federal redevelopment funds and the project's feasibility and readiness. Eligible applicants include counties, cities, towns, and villages within New York State based on the following criteria: Cities over 100,000 in population may apply for up to $5 million for one project. However, cities of over one million in population and counties therein must apply for projects in a distressed area of the city Cities and villages with populations between 40,000 and 99,999 may apply for one project up to $3 million All other municipalities may apply for one project up to $2 million Empire State Development may grant a limited number of special awards. Municipalities with populations of 100,000 or less and counties with populations of 400,000 or less may apply for an additional $10 million to put toward a second separate project OR toward part of a larger project in addition to the funding limits listed above. Special projects are where the property causes severe economic injury to the community, leaving a highly visible and blighted property or properties in the central business district of a highly or moderately distressed community which has a depressing effect on the overall economic development potential of the community. An intent to apply form must be received by ESD by Wednesday, November 30 and applications are due by January 27, 2023. For more detailed information on the program and requirements visit https://esd.ny.gov/restore-new-york. Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight said, "Restore New York gives municipalities the support they need to create real change in their communities, especially downtown centers. Revitalizing and rehabilitating older buildings has a way of unveiling a neighborhood's former charm and future potential, and though Restore New York, localities have a real opportunity to transform their community and generate new economic opportunities." State Senator Anna M. Kaplan said, "Blighted structures are a scar on our community and a drain on local resources, so every time we can revitalize a property and get it back on the tax rolls, it's a win for all of us. The Restore NY program will combat blight and help our communities recover from the pandemic era, and I urge every municipality to learn more and apply for funds to help move New York forward." Assemblymember Harry Bronson said, "Restore NY is quickly becoming one of our greatest assets for local governments looking to revitalize their communities. As Chair of the Assembly's Economic Development Committee, I know how vitally important community development and neighborhood growth are to boosting our local economies. I applaud the Governor and Empire State Development for their work in reshaping our communities for our families. It is my hope together we will use this funding to help create an equitable and inclusive economy for all New Yorkers." About Empire State Development Empire State Development (ESD) is New York's chief economic development agency. The mission of ESD is to promote a vigorous and growing economy, encourage the creation of new job and economic opportunities, increase revenues to the State and its municipalities, and achieve stable and diversified local economies. Using loans, grants, tax credits and other forms of financial assistance, ESD strives to enhance private business investment and growth to spur job creation and support prosperous communities across New York State. ESD is also the primary administrative agency overseeing the New York State Regional Economic Development Councils and the marketing of "I LOVE NY," the State's iconic tourism brand. For more information on Regional Councils and Empire State Development, visit regionalcouncils.ny.gov and esd.ny.gov. Community, Charity & Cause By Chris Boyle Published: November 02 2022 Exciting, suspenseful, comedy and classic DVDs are among the most requested by the troops for movie nights. Childrens movies are needed for local hospitals. Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino and the Town Board today announced a partnership with Massapequa-based Big Hy for Heroes in an effort to collect DVDs for those deployed and serving overseas in the United States Armed Forces as well as movies for childrens hospitals. Donations will be accepted November 1st through November 30th and then delivered to Chaplains, Commanding Officers, Sergeant Majors and Sergeants around the globe to distribute to troops and arrange movie nights this holiday season. Supervisor Saladino stated, The Town of Oyster Bay is proud to partner with Big Hy for Heroes for our 5th Annual DVD Collection Drive and send thousands of DVDs to troops serving around the globe as well as to children receiving care in local hospitals. Help support these brave men, women and children by donating DVDs. The Big Hy for Heroes organization was founded in 2002 by Massapequa resident and WWII veteran Hyman Strachman who, along with his son Arthur Strachman, personally began sending DVDs to U.S. troops overseas. Over the years, Big Hy for Heroes has shipped hundreds of thousands of DVDs all around the world, and continues to do so today. Exciting, suspenseful, comedy and classic DVDs are among the most requested by the troops for movie nights. Childrens movies are needed for local hospitals. Residents can donate DVDs at any of the following locations: Town Hall North 54 Audrey Avenue, Oyster Bay Town Hall South 977 Hicksville Road, Massapequa Additionally, letters of gratitude to soldiers and holiday cards for children are also welcome. For more information on the DVD Collection Drive for U.S. Troops and local Childrens Hospitals, please call (516) 624-6380. Crime By Chris Boyle Published: November 02 2022 The Sheriffs Office was recently accredited once again through the New York State Law Enforcement Agency Accreditation Council. The Suffolk County Sheriffs Office was recently accredited once again through the New York State Law Enforcement Agency Accreditation Council. Originally accredited in 2012, the Suffolk County Sheriffs Office began the reaccreditation process in 2021. The accreditation lasts for five years. The Suffolk County Sheriffs Office, originally accredited in 2012, demonstrates a high level of excellence and professionalism in the field of law enforcement by continuing to meet the standards established by the New York State Law Enforcement Agency Accreditation Council. The Council is proud to once again award accreditation to the agency for the period of September 8, 2022 through September 7, 2027, said the New York State law Enforcement Agency Accreditation Council. Accreditation is a progressive and contemporary way of helping police agencies evaluate and improve their overall performance. It provides formal recognition that an organization meets or exceeds general expectations of quality in the field. Accreditation acknowledges the implementation of policies that are conceptually sound and operationally effective. Sheriff Errol D. Toulon, Jr. commends his staff on this achievement. The thorough accreditation process requires the Sheriffs Office to meet or exceed 166 standards. This prestigious accreditation is only held by a select number of law enforcement agencies in New York who have meet the required standards. I am proud of my Correction Officers and Deputy Sheriffs for upholding the highest levels of commitment, dedication, and professionalism as they work each day for the people of Suffolk County. Crime By Chris Boyle Published: November 03 2022 Steven Wu Illegally Sold Fake Condo Units and Stole More Than $5 Million from at Least 20 Chinese Immigrant Families. New York Attorney General Letitia James today filed a lawsuit against Xi Hui Steven Wu, his ex-wife Xiao Rong Yang, and his companies TCJ Construction Inc. (TCJ Construction) and 345 Ovington LLC for taking advantage of at least 20 Chinese immigrants and their families by illegally selling them non-existent condominiums in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn and collecting fraudulent monthly mortgage payments and building fees totaling more than $5 million. Wu never provided the purchasers with deeds to the condos they bought from his company and used their deposits and monthly payments for his own personal expenses, rather than holding the funds in segregated escrow accounts as required by law. In the lawsuit filed today, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) seeks to recover all the money stolen from the families and permanently ban Wu, Yang, and his companies from conducting real estate business in New York state. Steven Wu took advantage of hardworking immigrants and sold them and their families a lie, said Attorney General James. He earned their trust as a pillar of the community only to exploit it and steal their lifes savings. These families were cheated out of their livelihoods, so were taking action to ensure they get their money back. In January 2013, Wu submitted an offering plan to OAG for a new construction 25-unit condo building at 345 Ovington Avenue in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. The offering plan and subsequent effectiveness amendment were filed with OAG at the time, but Wu never filed the necessary paperwork with the New York City Department of Finance (DOF) to make the building a condo. As a result, DOF never subdivided the building into separate tax lots, and no separate deeds were created to transfer individual condo units to purchasers. Though he could not legally transfer the titles to individual condo units in the building, Wu nevertheless proceeded to sell condo units to at least 20 immigrant families in the community who subsequently moved into the property. These purchasers knew and trusted Wu because of his role as a wealthy developer in the neighborhood, and in lieu of formal contracts, many signed just single-page agreements prepared in Chinese before paying Wu for what they believed to be a home of their own. In reality, there were no homes to sell, and the families paid Wu in exchange for nothing. Many residents of 345 Ovington Avenue believed they were condo unit owners, but Wu never legally transferred a title to a unit to any purchaser. He couldnt have, because a legal condo was never created. In addition to collecting down payments and in some cases, full payments from the families, Wu also collected monthly residential mortgage payments from many of the residents who did not pay for their units in full. Nearly all of the residents were also making monthly payments to Wu, which they believed to be monthly condominium common charges. However, because no condominium actually existed, these payments were essentially direct payments to Wu. Over the years, Wu cheated at least 20 families out of their lifes savings, totaling more than $5 million, none of which went to purchasing their units. Instead, Wu used the money for other expenses, including payments on loans against the building and building construction. Wu has repeatedly lied and fabricated documents in an effort to avoid enforcement. For example, when OAG questioned the legitimacy of the purchase agreements used to declare the offering plan effective, Wu submitted the single-page purchase agreements and documentation of individual escrow accounts, each holding a $5,000 deposit purportedly paid by the purchasers, as proof of the validity of the sales. However, OAG has since uncovered that Wu personally funded those escrow accounts to represent the deposits received but kept the purchasers additional down payments and never deposited those funds into escrow accounts as required by law. The OAGs investigation revealed Wus ex-wife Xiao Rong Yang was closely involved in executing Wus scheme, and their deception continues to this day, violating OAG regulations, the Martin Act, Rent Stabilization laws, and New York State Executive Law. Shimon Avrahami, Yechiel Shimon Sprei, and John Does #1 to #10 are named as relief defendants in the lawsuit, as they may have a financial interest in 345 Ovington but are not accused of wrongdoing. With this lawsuit filed today, OAG aims to compel full disgorgement of all stolen and illegally obtained funds to be returned to the families Wu cheated, and to permanently bar Wu, Yang, and all defendants from offering or selling real estate in New York. Recently, Wus lender, from which he borrowed $5.8 million to develop the building, began foreclosure proceedings and residents were faced with possible eviction. A group of the purchasers Wu stole from then forced 345 Ovington LLC into Chapter 7 bankruptcy in the Eastern District of New York, which paused the foreclosure. The OAG has appeared in these proceedings. Bankruptcy court may prove to be an opportunity to negotiate with Wus creditors to assist the defrauded residents and return the money they lost. Steven Wu stole the trust and life savings of more than 20 immigrant families, and in the process left them on the brink of homelessness. His actions are beyond unconscionable, said State Senator Andrew Gounardes. I applaud Attorney General James for her swift and decisive action to hold Wu accountable and to seek justice for his actions. We cannot let these families lose their homes, or the millions of dollars they collectively poured into Wu's pockets. The immigrant families of 345 Ovington Avenue were hoping to establish themselves as homeowners for the very first time the American dream. Instead, they were sold a lie by a crooked developer who knew better, said New York City Council Member Justin Brannan. I thank Letitia James for once again acting as the people's lawyer and moving to ensure those responsible for this egregious fraud will face consequences. These families deserve compensation and security in their homes, not the mass eviction they've been threatened with. I will keep up the fight for these Bay Ridge neighbors until we win a resolution that makes this right and makes them whole. The dream of owning their own homes turned into a nightmare for these families, hardworking immigrants who were only trying to create safe and sustainable futures in the community, said Thomas Yu, Executive Director, Asian Americans for Equality. It is imperative that the families who were caught up in this scheme, through no fault of their own, get their money back and have the opportunity to obtain long-term housing stability and financial security. We thank Attorney General James and all of our elected officials for their advocacy on behalf of these residents. This matter is being handled by Assistant Attorney General Nicholas Minella and Chief of Enforcement Louis Solomon of the Real Estate Finance Bureau, under the supervision of Bureau Chief Jacqueline Dischell. The Real Estate Finance Bureau is a part of the Division for Social Justice, which is led by Chief Deputy Attorney General Meghan Faux and overseen by First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy. (Alliance News) - GSK PLC on Thursday said it was stopping enrolment for its gepotidacin antibiotic trial early, following a recommendation by the Independent Data Monitoring Committee. GSK is a London-based multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company. It is currently developing gepotidacin, a novel oral antibiotic treatment for uncomplicated urinary tract infections. The company said it will stop enrolment for its phase III EAGLE-2 and EAGLE-3 trials early, based on pre-specified interim analysis of efficacy and safety data in over 3000 patients by the IDMC. Both trials, which compared the efficacy and safety of gepotidacin to nitrofurantoin, met the primary efficacy endpoint of combined clinical and microbiological resolution. The IDMC review did not flag any safety concerns about the treatment. As both trials are now closed for recruitment, GSK expects final study visits and data collection during the first quarter of 2023. The company said it would work with the US Food & Drug Administration to begin regulatory filings for gepotidacin in the first half of next year. The development of gepotidacin is the result of a public-private partnership between GSK, the US Biomedical Advanced Research & Development Authority and the Defence Threat Reduction Agency. "There has been no new class of oral antibiotics for uUTI for over 20 years. With the number of uUTIs caused by resistance bacteria increasing, new antibiotic treatments are necessary," said Senior Vice President of Development, Chris Corsico. "The IDMC's recommendation to stop the EAGLE-2 and 3 trials early for efficacy provides GSK with the opportunity to engage regulatory authorities as we work together to bring a new class of antibiotics to patients with uUTIs." The annual incidence of uncomplicated UTIs in women is 12% and around 20% in women over 65. Between 30% and 44% of uncomplicated UTI episodes are recurrent. GSK shares were trading 0.3% higher at 1,450.20 pence each in London on Thursday morning. By Holly Beveridge; hollybeveridge@alliancenews.com Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Horizonte Minerals PLC - nickel company focused on Brazil - Selects MIP Engenharia & Milplan to provide electro-mechanical installation services at its Araguaia nickel project. Says MIP/Milpan has "a strong track record" and prior rotary kiln-electric furnace experience from Vale's Onca Puma mine, a ferronickel mine with a similar processing flow sheet to Araguaia, and a number of other major mining projects in the Carajas region. Chief Executive Officer Jeremy Martin says: "We are pleased to welcome Milplan Engenharia & MIP Engenharia, both world-class partners, to the team for the construction of Araguaia and we look forward to building a long-term relationship with them. This is another important step forward in the construction of Araguaia, further de-risking the project's timeline, which remains on schedule for first nickel in [first quarter] 2024. With the award of every new contract, we take a step closer to our objective of becoming a global leader in primary nickel production." Araguaia is expected to produce 29,000 tonnes of nickel per year to supply the stainless steel market. Current stock price: 86.70 pence, up 1.4% on Thursday afternoon in London 12-month change: down 57% By Xindi Wei; xindiwei@alliancenews.com Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. (Alliance News) - Glencore PLC on Thursday said it will pay GBP281.0 million after it admitted to bribing offences in Africa. The penalty was handed to the mining firm by the Southwark Crown Court in London, where Glencore had admitted to five counts of bribery and two counts of failure to prevent bribery. Glencore was found to have used bribes to secure better access to oil in Nigeria, Cameroon and Ivory Coast between March 2012 to April 2016. "As the [UK Serious Fraud Office] noted, Glencore provided a high level of cooperation with the SFO's investigation and engaged in an extensive programme of corporate reform," the miner said. Glencore said the total amount it has paid to resolve legal matters in the UK, US and Brazil "do not materially differ" from a USD1.50 billion provision it set aside in its 2021 annual results. "The conduct that took place was inexcusable and has no place in Glencore. The company is committed to operating a company that creates value for all stakeholders by operating transparently under a well-defined set of values, with openness and integrity at the forefront. The company has taken significant action towards implementing a world-class ethics & compliance programme built around risk assessment, policies, procedures, standards and guidelines based on international best practice, associated training and awareness initiatives as well as monitoring systems," Chair Kalidas Madhavpeddi said. PA reported that this is the first time a UK corporation has been convicted of authorising bribery from the top, rather than simply turning a blind eye to it at other levels of a company. The court heard that Glencore's anti-bribery and corruption policies and procedures had been "largely ignored because corruption was condoned at a very senior level within the company generally", PA reported. Glencore had set aside a USD1.50 billion provision in its 2021 results for probes involving the US Department of Justice, the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the UK Serious Fraud Office, and the Brazilian Federal Prosecutor's Office. Glencore shares were 0.1% higher at 514.50 pence each in London on Thursday afternoon. In Johannesburg, the stock was down 1.3% at ZAR106.25. By Eric Cunha; ericcunha@alliancenews.com Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. A TV news report on DPRK's missile launch from Ulleungdo island, at a railway station in Seoul, ROK, November 2, 2022. /CFP The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) fired multiple ballistic missiles, including an intercontinental ballistic missile, toward its eastern waters on Thursday, Yonhap News Agency reported, citing the Republic of Korea's (ROK) military. The launches came a day after the DPRK fired a daily record 23 missiles, including one that landed off the coast of the ROK for the first time. Since Monday, the ROK and the United States have been conducting one of the largest air exercises ever, with hundreds of the ROK's and U.S. warplanes, including F-35 fighters. After DPRK's missile launches, the air forces of the ROK and the U.S. have agreed to extend their ongoing joint air drills "Vigilant Storm" in response, according to Yonhap. "A strong combined defense posture of the ROK-U.S. alliance is necessary under the current security crisis that is escalating due to DPRK's provocations," the ROK's Air Force said in a statement. (With input from Reuters) China has recently had some user dissatisfaction problems with the VT4 tanks China exports. Nigerian tank crews reported that in combat it took them 30 minutes to load and fire a 125mm shell. The problem turned out to be lack of training and poor maintenance. These two items have long been a problem for complex exports like tanks, artillery and warplanes. Some VT4 (also known as MBT3000) users reported problems that did not involve poor maintenance or poorly trained crews. China said it would fix it. The recent discovery of a major design flaw in all T-72 type tanks is another matter. Export tanks are often less capable (and cheaper) versions of the ones China builds for its own forces. In some cases, the export models lack new features China considers secret and not for export. In most cases export models simply get less advanced and cheaper tech. Such was the case with the VT series of tanks. These are exported and not used by Chinese forces. The VT1 (also known as MBT2000) was the export version of the Chinese Type 90 tank. Actually, the Type 90 was not accepted by the Chinese army, which instead went with the 54-ton Type 99, a superior T-72 variant that entered service in 2001, underwent a major upgrade (the 58-ton Type 99A) in 2011 and is still in production with over a 1,200 in service so far. The Chinese have over 6,000 tanks, with 2,500 of them modern designs. The rest of them are based on the Russian T-54/55. China developed many variations on this 1950s design and built them under license as the Type 59. In addition to the Type 99 there are 1,500 of the earlier Type 96, which began as the Type 88 in the 1980s as China began to develop and build variations of the Russian T-72. The Type 96 and 99 are, like most current Russian tanks, further upgrades of the successful T-72 design. By adding better engines and other mechanical and electronic components, improved armored protection and 125mm main guns, the Chinese have managed to create a force of modern tanks superior to what the Russians have. China now has more modern tanks in service than Russia, which has had to put a lot of its most modern tanks in storage because it cannot afford to maintain and operate them. Unknown to the Chinese was the fact that T-72-type tanks have a fatal flaw that was only discovered during combat with a foe equipped with Western anti-tank weapons. This was discovered recently in Ukraine. The fatal design flaw was due to the use of an autoloader for the 125mm gun. This led to the total destruction of Russian tanks hit by a top-attack ATGM (Anti-Tank-Guided Missile). None of the Russian ATGMs used top-attack because of the additional cost and the fact that Western tanks did not use autoloader and were not automatically destroyed by top-attack ATGMs. Most Chinese tanks use an autoloader. Only the older T-54/55 clones dont. The fix for this is a new turret that includes the design features found in Western tanks and require an additional crew member to load the shells. A new turret would store the 125mm ammunition in an armored area behind the main gun. That storage area would have blow-out panels. This means that if the ammo storage area is penetrated by a shell or top attack ATGM, the crew would survive because the force of the explosion would be outwards, away from the crew because the armor between the storage area and the crew is much sturdier. The new turrets would cost over a million dollars each and probably closer to two million. China has always tried to keep the price of its tanks cheap, for its own troops as well as export customers. China would have built more Type 99s were the tank not so expensive ($3-4 million each). That is why so many of the cheaper (less than $2 million each) 43-ton Type 96 tanks remain in service. In addition to being cheaper, the Type 99 and the Type 96 are considered adequate for most potential battlefield opponents. This fatal and largely unknown flaw in Russian tank designs presents a major problem to most users of T-72 -type tanks. There are many variants of the T-72 design and what makes them different is the quality of the components used. The T-72 was the most successful Russian post-World War II tank design and the basic model was, in theory, pretty solid and reliable. The T-72 also proved to be a good platform for variants that added new (or more) armor, better electronics and improved engines. This resulted in some impressive tank models. The most outstanding of these has been the Russian 46-ton T-72B3. As proof, consider that most of the new tanks the Russian army has received since 2000 have been refurbished and much upgraded T-72B3s. Currently, the Russian Army has about 2,600 tanks in service and most (65 percent) are T-72B3s, which you hear little about. The new breakthrough design, the T-14, has fewer than a hundred in service and cuts in production (which began in 2015) were recently announced with only 10-20 a year being built. The T-14 is mostly about publicity. The T-90 has been produced in large quantities, but not for Russia. The T-90 was a 1980s project that was to incorporate T-80 features into many upgrades of the T-72. Originally it was designated the T-72BU but when Russia finally began production in 1993 it was renamed the T-90. That succeeded in making the tank an export success and most (84 percent) of those produced were for export. In fact, India and Algeria each have more T-90s in service than Russia. Worse Russia has quietly put over a third of its newly 550 built T-90s into a reserve. While the T-90s were loudly proclaimed to be the next big thing, the Russian army preferred the refurbished T-72s in the form of the T-72B3. These proved to be more reliable, something that got little publicity. While all the upgrades (new engine, gun, fire control and protection) made it nearly as expensive as the T-90, it was preferred by the troops and the older officers quietly agreed that it was a better tank than the new T-90/T-72BUs. The best Chinese T-72 mod is the Type 99, which is 25 percent heavier than the T-72B3 and even more expensive to build. Thats because the Type 99 has better armor protection and electronics. The Chinese can afford this while the Russians cannot, its as simple as that. Chinese manufacturing capabilities are, on average, superior to what the Russians had when the Cold War ended and this makes a big difference for tank design and production. India and Pakistan have not been able to match Russian or Chinese production standards or development capabilities, which is largely due to corruption and government regulations that make it difficult to innovate and excel. Most of the best South Asia (India and Pakistan) design and production talent moves to the West. A glance at the design and development stars in the West, especially the United States, shows a lot of these South Asians playing leading roles. China managed to keep more of this talent at home and even attract some that had settled in the West to return. In the end high-tech, like everything else, is about the people creating it. Cambodia is a country located in Southeast Asia and it celebrates its Independence Day annually on 9th November. The date commemorates Cambodia's Declaration of Independence from France on 9 November 1953. The people of Cambodia celebrate this day in various parts of the country. The main venue where the official celebrations of the ceremony are held happens at the Independence Monument which is situated in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. Every year on this day, a high-ranking official lights a ceremonial flame at the interior portion of the Independence Monument, and people deck the monument's stairs with flower tributes. Event Cambodia Independence Day Date November 9, 2022 Day Wednesday Significance The day commemorates Cambodia's Declaration of Independence from France on 9 November 1953. Observed by Cambodia --Advertisement-- --Keep on reading-- Cambodia Independence Day History: The region now known as Cambodia has been inhabited since prehistoric times. In 802 AD, Jayavarman II declared himself king, uniting the warring Khmer princes of Chenla under the name "Kambuja." This marked the beginning of the Khmer Empire, which flourished for over 600 years. The Indianised kingdom facilitated the spread of first Hinduism and then Buddhism to much of Southeast Asia and undertook many religious infrastructural projects throughout the region. But eventually Cambodia experienced decline in its power as its neighbors Vietnam and Thailand grew stronger, leaving the country vulnerable to foreign attacks. In the 19th century, the kingdom of Cambodia fell under the control of the kingdom of Siam and became a vassal state of the kingdom of Siam. To break free from their domination, King Norodom signed a treaty with France on August 11, 1863, which led to Cambodia becoming the protectorate of France. However, this pact resulted in the occupation of Cambodia by the French. Not only did France seize control of the city, but it also took over Cambodia's trade relations and military might and then a long era of French colonization began in the country and it was later incorporated into the French Indo-China. During World War II as the French were fighting the Empire of Japan so the Japanese invaded Cambodia and occupied the country. On March 9, 1945, after a formal request by the Japanese forces, Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk proclaimed Cambodia as an independent Kingdom. The Japanese government also backed Cambodias independent status and keeping to its promise withdrew its forces. However after the defeat of the Japanese Empire in the Second World War, the country again came under the French rule. The French, however, had not given Cambodia full independence. In 1946, Cambodia was granted self-rule within the French Union. In 1949, the French took away the protectorate status from Cambodia that the treaty had established. By June 1952, King Sihanouk of Cambodia had decided to begin agitating for Cambodia's official independent status, dismissing his cabinet, suspending the constitution, and taking charge of the government as prime minister. On 9th November 1953, Cambodia proclaimed independence from France by the most revered late King-Father Norodom Sihanouk, known as the Father of National Independence. Subsequently, Cambodia has gone through many ups and downs from the glorious Sangkum Reastr Niyum to the Khmer rouge genocide regime and civil wars. The holiday was established to celebrate the anniversary of Cambodia's independence from France on 9 November 1953 and is Cambodia's national holiday. --Advertisement-- --Keep on reading-- Cambodia Independence Day Significance: Cambodia Independence Day is a day to pay tribute to the different kings that became heroes and participated in the freedom struggle of the nation. It is a day to remember their contributions. So this day is used as an opportunity to remember all of the great leaders and the freedom fighters the country has produced. It also reminds people of the brutal past of the country pro-independence and also reminds them of the sufferings and times of trouble post-independence. This day also instills pride and honor among the Cambodians. This is the moment for all the citizens of the country to take pride in their culture and history. This day also gives them an opportunity to proudly display their culture and traditions as a way of celebrations of this day. Overall this day is full of patriotic vibes and it automatically makes people to sing the song of patriotism as well. This day is celebrated all across the country with great enthusiasm and love for the country. The moment of Independence Day also fils people with hope and motivation. As the country of Calbodua has been through s lot of things in its history of the modern century. The French colonial years were very terrific for the country but even after independence the country have suffered from civil wars, genocides, conflicts, etc. So this day also fills people hearts with hope for the present and future of this nation especially for youngsters who are gonna lead the country in future. History should always be remembered because it is the root of the present. Knowing the history of one's country and how it came to be is important and that's what Independence Day does for most of the nations of our world and same is the case with Cambodia as well do people must use this opportunity to learn about their history and culture. This day is also significant because it makes people politically aware. They came to understand the benefits of an independent native government. Cambodia Independence Day Celebrations: Every year, Independence Day is a very special and happy day for the whole nation. It portrayed the Khmer success over colonization. It is also a declared public holiday in the country. It is celebrated in many places around the country, and the absolutely crucial one takes place at Independence Monument in Phnom Penh. --Advertisement-- --Keep on reading-- On Independence Day, all the leaders and representatives of state organizations and public departments must participate and celebrate the formal ceremony in the morning. Usually the roads around the Independence Monument are closed to provide the space for the ceremony. The whole ceremony is broadcast on national television and radio. Other channels also broadcast it from the National TV. Therefore, the people around the country can watch it. Every state palace is decorated with some slogans related to the independence of Cambodia, and the lights. At night, there is firework in the Chatomuk River located in front of the Royal Palace. Because it is the holiday, there are a lot of people going out to see that event in front of the Royal Palace and Chroy Changvar area, which is opposite to the Royal Palace. The morning ceremony features the raising of the national flag and the lighting of a memorial torch at the Independence Monumenty, presided by the King of Cambodia. This is followed by a gala parade featuring colorful floats and marching bands in front of the Royal Palace. In the evening, the Royal Palace and other buildings are illuminated and a huge fireworks display takes place near the riverbanks of the Royal Palace. Most Searched FAQs on Cambodia Independence Day: 1. When is Cambodia Independence Day celebrated? Cambodia Independence Day is annually celebrated on 9th November. 2. What does Cambodia Independence Day commemorates? Cambodia Independence Day commemorates the Declaration of Independence by Cambodia from France on 9th November, 1953. 3. How long did France rule Cambodia? France ruled Cambodia for 90 years. The French rule started from the treaty in 1863 announcing Cambodia as a protectorate of France to 1953. A particularly violent tropical cyclone (0r typhoon) passed through the country over the last week, leaving over a hundred dead among more than a million people who experienced the impact of the storm. The Philippines is hit with about twenty of these storms a year, some of them with winds as high as 300 kilometers (190 miles) an hour. Pacific typhoons are more powerful and destructive than the hurricanes that form in the Atlantic. The armed forces must halt training or counter-terror operations to assist with relief efforts. Leftist rebels and Islamic terrorists also suffer damage to their remote bases, although in some area these groups will continue attacking soldiers and civilians. These storms cause far more death and destruction than the rebels and Islamic terrorists. The recent storm saw leftist NPP rebels make several attacks on soldiers assisting in the relief effort. The Philippines consists of over 7,000 islands, most of them tiny. These include the Spratly Islands, which are an important part of the South China Sea areas that China considers its territorial waters. The Philippines has military detachments on nine of the disputed islands or reefs. These are part of an effort to oppose the illegal Chinese claims. In response China has put garrisons on eight islands, some of them created by dredging up sand at a reef and creating an artificial island. These eight islands, in contrast to those occupied by Filipinos, are covered with new construction, including radars, missiles (anti-air and anti-ship) as well as some cannons. There are airstrips and hangars. While the many Philippine islands protect the South China Sea from the most powerful storms, the South China Sea is one of those ocean areas where, because of its shallow waters, less powerful storms are formed. The occupied Chinese islands do not feature any high ground and are subject to flooding when there is a storm strong enough to cause a surge of water. The facilities on these islands are built to deal with this. The new structures are sturdy and contain enough multi-story buildings to shelter the garrison. Any aircraft on islands have to be flown off before the storm hits but some supply or warships docked at the islands are able to ride out storms when its less dangerous than trying to outrun or outmaneuver the storm at sea. China has built several supply ships specifically for keeping these islands supplied with food, fuel, fresh water and other necessities. The eight island bases are an expensive investment to assert ownership of areas that belong to the Philippines. Rebels And Islamic Terrorists Fade The NPA has been suffering a massive decline in popular and communist party support. Increasingly most NPA units depend on extortion, theft and other criminal activity to survive. This was causing much anger and protest in areas where the NPA still operates for the good of the people. Yet the NPA can no longer do much political work when their very survival is at risk. The NPA has been more successful at becoming gangsters to survive than have religion-based terror groups. Soldiers have largely eliminated Abu Sayyaf, BIFF (Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters) rebels and several smaller Islamic terrorist groups. These groups have not disappeared, but have become much less active because of declining membership. The government is trying, without much success, to negotiate a peace deal with the NPA. The leadership, as well as the commanders of various Fronts (groups of NPA members) are split on which peace terms are acceptable and most are continuing to operate (fighting and stealing). The NPA, to most Filipinos, have become bandits with a veneer of communist ideology to justify their crimes. The banditry option is not working well enough to assure long-term survival. This can also be seen when factions run short of money and begin to suffer from desertions. The army will grant amnesty to NPA members who surrender, especially if they bring their weapons and some useful information with them. Information on the location of NPA camps or weapons storage sites is considered useful and the fact that more NPA camps are being attacked and weapons storage sites seized indicates that the NPA is losing secrets as well as people and popular support. Some NPA leaders feel this is all a temporary setback and that a peace deal would enable a revitalized Philippines Communist Party to become a major political power. These delusions make negotiating a peace deal more difficult. Meanwhile the NPA has maintained its status as a major source of criminal (as opposed to Islamic terrorist) activity in the country. Most of the NPA senior leadership live in Europe and are considered somewhat out of touch with the reality of what the NPA has become in the Philippines. A major blow to the NPA was that Islamic terrorist and Moslem separatist violence in the south sharply declined after the 2014 vote by the majority of Moslems and Christians in the Philippines to establish an autonomous Moslem region. This consisted of the southwest coast of the large southern island Mindanao and the string of smaller islands, mainly Sulu, Basilan, Tawi-Tawi extending from southwestern Mindanao towards Malaysia. The new Moslem entity was called Bangsamoro, and provided more autonomy and responsibility. That meant the Moslems down there were responsible for maintaining the peace. This is no small matter because, more than elsewhere in the Philippines, the Moslem south has long had many more clan militias that believed it was their right to engage in private wars. Not all the clans share the official attitudes about who has the right to make war in Bangsamoro. Bangsamoro governs the four million Moslems in Mindanao and even more Christian neighbors of those Moslems. Filipino Moslems are outnumbered by Christians who had moved south during the last half century. Nationwide there are about 95 million Christians and 12 million Moslems. Christian Filipinos are generally better organized, more industrious and economically successful. Moslem separatists believed they should run Mindanao even if they were the minority, because Mindanao is the local "Islamic homeland." While some in the national government were willing to concede this, the Christian majority in Mindanao and the rest of the Philippines were not. A compromise was finally negotiated and approved by all voters. Diehard separatist groups like BIFF, ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) and Abu Sayyaf are treated as outlaws in Bangsamoro and continually lost support and members since 2014, but are still around but not nearly as active as they were before 2014. Most of the Army JTFs (Joint Task Force) units are now in Bangsamoro where they concentrate, with the help of local civilians and security forces, on eliminating the few remaining Islamic terrorists and communist NPA rebels. Islamic terrorists in the south are still active, but often feuding with each other or devoting most of their energy to remaining intact at all. Remnants of several ISIL factions have been trying to survive in this area since 2017. The most active has been DITG (Dawlah Islamiyah Torayfie Group) and has few personnel left. There have been a few DITG bombings since 2019, usually against military convoys, camps or economic targets. In mid-2021 one the last known DITG bomb-builders was killed and the army found evidence that there were more armed DITG members around than previously believed. On the plus side all or most of them had coalesced into one group led by Abu Zacharia, a veteran DITG leader. This faction was first identified and encountered in 2021 and several times since then. The troops are trying to force the Islamic terrorists into a fight, or a surrender. DITG survived four years of constant army patrols and civilians who phone in tips as well as those who provide just terrorists have been here messages. While there is cell phone coverage in 95 percent of the populated areas there are still many rural areas where people own cell phones but have to travel to a town or city to use them. Desperate Islamic terrorists will destroy existing cell towers in areas where they are being pursued. What has hurt the Islamic terrorists most is that more rural Moslems openly provide information and the security forces have lists of towns and villages where there are informants. The names of informants are often not provided but local soldiers and police know that just asking local leaders or merchants will get them to someone who has timely information to share. DITG has been trying to regroup, rebuild and move forward with more devastating attacks. Their attacks since 2019 caused little damage and few casualties. DITG was never officially acknowledged by ISIL and is composed of the survivors of the Maute Group, which was largely wiped out in 2017 when they tried to take over the nearby city of Marawi. That failed in a spectacular fashion, which is one reason ISIL does not want to be associated with this group. The government is implementing Starlink satellite Internet/cell phone service in many remote areas. One Starlink terminal (a small dish and a special modem to link the satellites to a PC) can be used to provide cell phone service to a larger area by acting as the center of a local network of cell phone towers that provide cell phone service via the Internet. Shutting Down Chinese Gangsters Chinese run online gambling companies are legal in the Philippines but Chinese gangsters operate many illegally. This has led to support for outlawing the lucrative online gambling industry. Chinese gangsters have become more of a problem that came with increased Chinese investment. Over two thousand illegal aliens, most of them Chinese, are arrested each year in the capital alone. Most of those arrested were participating in the growing Internet based criminal activities. Currently, a major crackdown on Chinese criminal organizations has led to hundreds of arrests with many of the Chinese being deported because they are in the country on tourist visas. After 2008 the Philippines slowly became a hotspot for computer hacking groups, and for nearly a decade the computer crime gangs were able to survive by bribing the right officials. Only when the cybercrime involved Islamic terrorism did the bribes not work. In 2016 the government legalized online gambling operations. These were to be regulated and taxed. Filipinos were forbidden to use the new online gaming sites because popular opinion in the country was that the online gambling sites were addictive and sometimes rigged. There was also an effort to eliminate a lot of the bribery that caused things like online gambling to become more of a problem than economic benefit. All this was complicated by new (since 2016) Chinese investment activity, which was part of a government effort to boost the economy. While the government was also at odds with China over illegal South China Sea claims, the Chinese were using large investments to reduce the popular hostility to what was going on in the South China Sea. The Chinese investments came with the usual demands that more Chinese be allowed to work in the Philippines. In return more Filipinos would be allowed to work in China. In 2016 the Filipino police were ordered by the new president (Rodrigo Duterte) to aggressively go after corruption and criminal activity. This was soon applied to the online gambling business, which were dominated by Chinese gangs. In addition to corrupting legal online gaming operations, the new flood of Chinese gangsters led to the establishment of illegal online gaming operations. All this Chinese gangster activity led to more arrests and prosecutions. The Chinese government often cooperates because many of these gangsters are moving to the Philippines to escape more intense police pressure in China. In foreign countries it was often possible to exploit the legal system and extradition treaties to avoid being sent back to China to face even more serious criminal charges. A growing number of Chinese arrests are the result of information provided by the American FBI, which had been investigating international computer and phone fraud and the hackers behind it. China has also provided information about Internet based criminals preying on individuals and businesses in China. In 2019 thousands of illegal aliens were arrested in the Philippines, most of them Chinese. For all of 2018 only 500 illegal aliens were arrested. In 2019 nearly two million Chinese traveled to the Philippines, most of them tourists. Tourism has always been good for the economy but the growing number of Chinese tourists is accompanied by more Chinese gangsters looking for a safer place to work and skilled at corrupting local officials. One side effect of this crackdown was China issuing a warning to Chinese tourists and business travelers to stay away from the Philippines because of the risk to all Chinese living or working there. While this keeps Chinese tourists away, the police report that Chinese gangsters often come to the Philippines as tourists. October 29, 2022: In the south (Negros Oriental province) soldiers, acting on civilian complaint about NPA rebels extorting locals, tracked down and confronted a group of armed NPA rebels. There was a 30-minute gun battle. The rebels managed to break contact and get away but the troops kept tracking them and clashed again and another half hour of fighting saw one rebel killed and one or more apparently wounded. The rebels again escaped but left behind weapons and backpacks. There are two NPA groups or Fronts in the province and both have suffered heavy losses since 2019 and gained few new recruits. October 27, 2022: In the north (Abra province) NPA rebels ambushed four soldiers who were driving to a storm relief assignment. Two soldiers were killed and one wounded. October 24, 2022: In the south (Lanao del Norte province) s dead man was found near a downed NGCP (National Grid Corporation of the Philippines) electricity transmission tower. It took 36 hours to restore service areas served by electricity provided by that tower. A bomb had been used to bring down the tower and three days earlier and it took time for the dead man to be identified as a member of the Islamic terrorist Maute Group, which now prefers to be called DITG Members of this group tend to fight to the death if trapped, rather than even consider surrender. The dead man near the tower apparently died as a result of the explosion. He was too close when the bomb went off. October 20, 2022: The government reported that they have managed to shut down 214 illegal Chinese online gambling operations and arrested about 400 Chinese gangsters involved with crimes against Chinese, often the country illegally, working for the online gambling operations. October 11, 2022: In the south (Maguindanao province) soldiers found a BIFF safehouse thanks to a tip from a local civilian. There were no BIFF men resent but the soldiers found several bombs and rifles along with ammunition. The bombs are normally used for attacks on army vehicles or foot patrols. BIFF has fewer members now and there have been few violent encounters with BIFF forces in the last year, although there was some violence between two BIFF factions who carried out several attacks against each other. The BIFF factions involved are from different clans and violent feuds between clans has been common in the Moslem south for centuries. The commanders of the two clans are not only from different clans but also have grudges against each other. Since 2021 most of the BIFF losses have been from BIFF gunmen surrendering. BIFF personnel who surrender or turn themselves in with their weapons and tell interrogators what they know can get amnesty. There are less than a hundred BIFF members left and most are veterans, which explains how they have remained active for so long. Because of their small numbers, BIFF has not been able to carry out any attacks lately. Just surviving has become a full-time BIFF activity, which results in many weapons being stashed in rural areas. October 10, 2022: In the south (Negros Occidental province) soldiers clashed with a group of NPA rebels and after a brief gun battle the rebels fled, except for one that was dead and quickly identified as Romeo Nanta, the commander of NPA gunmen on Negros Island, which contains two provinces (Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental). October 6, 2022: In the south (Negros Occidental province) soldiers advised over a thousand civilians leave their homes temporarily until the current fighting with NPA rebels in the area ended. The armed clashes have been frequent and unpredictable as military patrols close in on several NPA groups in the area. The violence went on for another two days. NPA will often try to hide among civilians. Russia has a reputation for being a formidable presence when it comes to Cyber War. Like many other capabilities, that reputation was tarnished and diminished during the recent war in Ukraine. For Russia the defeats were frequent and victories few in this network battle space. Russian defeats began the day before Russian troops crossed the Ukrainian border. On February 23rd Russian hackers released FoxBlade malware onto Ukrainian networks. FoxBlade was a program that attempted to get onto systems by hiding in a file attachment. Despite this known vulnerability, it can still work. Once inside the target system FoxBlade seeks to spread to all computers on the network and delete all their files. Microsoft, the creator of Windows, the most widely used PC operating system, detected FoxBlade first and notified Ukraine, which promptly took measures to defeat FoxBlade on February 24. Since the 1990s Microsoft created a formidable Internet security organization that monitors networks worldwide for signs of malware, especially new malware, being used. Network security features have been added to the Windows operating system and one of them for PCs is to automatically send back to Microsoft potential hacker presence information back to Microsoft. At the same time, Microsoft will quickly send out fixes to infected PCs. Ukraine and Microsoft began developing a cooperative relationship over the last two decades because after 1991 Eastern Europe, especially Ukraine and Russia, were major sources of hacker activity. Ukraine cooperated with Microsoft to reduce the hacker threat while Russia insisted it didnt exist. For example, back in 2009 Ukraine cooperated with the United States and Microsoft to deal with a Ukrainian gang (six specific individuals) who put together one of the largest botnets (PCs secretly controlled via hacker attacks) ever encountered. In early 2009 (February and March) the gang used spam, containing hidden programs, to take control of 1.9 million PCs. A computer security firm discovered the botnet, and cooperation between Ukraine, the United States and other countries led to the server controlling the botnet being found and taken off line. At the same time this effort identified members of the gang. Ukrainian police arrested the six after participating in the international effort to find them. The Soviet Union, which Ukraine was part of until 1991, created a lot of software engineers who worked for the government. Most of these programmers and software engineers were out of work after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. Some left for the West and found good jobs but most sought opportunities at home and the most lucrative ones involved illegal hacking, often for criminal gangs. Russia never cleaned up this problem, Ukraine did. Russia allowed the gangs to operate in Russia as long as they did not hack Russian networks and did jobs for the government. This included developing malware to be used against neighbors and Western nations in general. Ukraine vigorously enforced laws against hacking and the local hackers either left the country or found legit jobs. Other East European nations also cracked down on the hackers. Many, but not Ukraine, joined NATO, and sought to have NATO declare massive hacker attacks as a cause for war against the aggressor. After the 2022 Ukraine invasion Russia launched major Cyber War attack on Lithuania because of Lithuanian threats to disrupt access to Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave on the Baltic Coast that must use Lithuanian or Polish railroads to reach the enclave. Back in 2007 Russia planned Cyber War efforts against the more prosperous and affluent former Soviet territories. At the top of this list was Estonia, which was hit by a massive Russian Cyber War-scale attack. The Estonians withstood the attack despite the temporary damage it did to their economy. This was something a NATO member had never faced before and Estonia pointed out that if there was no NATO response to the Russian attack on Estonia, the Russians would be tempted to try it on other new NATO members in East Europe. This led to a 2010 agreement with NATO to facilitate cooperation between NATO and Estonia if Estonia is hit by another Internet based attack. In 2008, NATO established a Cyber Defense Center in Estonia. This, and the 2010 agreement, was a result of being called on by Estonia, in 2007, to declare Cyber War on Russia. That was because Russia was accused of causing great financial harm to Estonia via Cyber War attacks, and Estonia wanted this sort of thing declared terrorism, and dealt with. NATO agreed to discuss the issue, but never took any action against Russia. The new agreement did create a legal framework for striking back, or at least to defend Estonia more vigorously if there is another attack. In 2014 Russia seized Crimea province from Ukraine and half of two east Ukrainian provinces.There was not a lot of physical violence but Russia did use Ukraine as a test site for new Cyber War tactics and techniques. In late 2016 Ukraine accused Russia of employing hackers to insert trackers into cell phones used by Ukrainian military personnel fighting in Donbas. Ukraine has also found evidence of the same or similar hackers, usually civilian groups working as contractors for the Russian government, going after numerous government and commercial networks in Ukraine. Some of these hackers were also identified as going after targets in the United States. The hacking of cell phones used by military personnel is believed to be the cause of several accurate and fatal attacks on Ukrainian troops in Donbas. The hackers made it possible to track the location of the phone owners and accurately fire shells or rockets at them. These capabilities had already attracted the attention of the U.S., which was supplying Ukraine with military equipment and technical assistance. American and NATO electronic warfare experts paid close attention to what the Russians were up to in Donbas and the cell phone hack was not unexpected. When it did arrive, it was scrutinized and dissected. That led to countermeasures that were ignored by the Russians and used by Ukrainian forces fighting the 2022 invasion. By the end of 2021 Ukraine had created a network of half a million software engineers, information specialists and other experienced Internet users to deal with Russian Cyber War attacks as well as carry out information campaigns worldwide to let the world know what was really happening in Ukraine. The Ukrainian efforts were successful and this resulted in Ukrainian attacks against Russian networks and propaganda. The existence of these formidable Ukrainian Information and Cyber War capabilities is another reason NATO is eager to have Ukraine join the EU (European Union) and after that NATO. Retired Marine Master Sgt. Jerry Ensminger made it his mission to tell the world that if they lived or served on Camp Lejeune between 1953 and 1987, they may have been exposed to cancer-causing chemicals found in their drinking water. Now he wants to help people learn what to do with that information. Beginning Thursday, advocates Ensminger and Michael Partain and attorney Erin Brockovich plan to hold three town halls in three days at locations in Raleigh, Greensboro and Winston-Salem, N.C., to share information about the toxic water and offer help to those who have been exposed. They also plan to take questions from the audience. Camp Lejeune serves as the largest Marine base on the East Coast, but high levels of toxins poisoned the base's drinking water for 30 years after it seeped through the ground from a nearby dry cleaning facility, on-base units that cleaned military equipment and a fuel leak from an underground fuel storage tank. Ensminger's daughter, Janey, fell victim to the water, dying of leukemia at 9 years old. Partain was conceived and born on the base and diagnosed with breast cancer, linked to the water, as an adult. Ensminger has fought for service members and their families to be provided health care and the right to sue the government due to the exposure. Partain joined in the fight after watching Ensminger testify before Congress. In July, Congress passed the PACT Act, which gave those exposed to the water the right to sue. Ensminger and Partain are working with Brockovich, known for her fight against Pacific Gas & Electric that won victims of an unrelated water poisoning case a $333 million settlement. The trio held two town halls last week in Jacksonville and Wilmington that kicked off a tour that intends to reach Marines and their families across the country who have been affected by Camp Lejeune's water. Want to go to the town halls? Nov. 3 at 6 p.m. in Raleigh The Hibiscus Event Space 3209 Gresham Lake Road, Suite 146 Nov. 4 at 6 p.m. in Greensboro Henry K. Burtner American Legion Post 53 729 Creek Ridge Road Nov. 5 at 10 a.m. in Winston-Salem The Enterprise Conference and Event Center 1922 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. 2022 McClatchy Washington Bureau. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. The Army has found "100 to 200" cases in which troops were wrongfully entered into a federal criminal database, triggering the reopening of 1,900 cases related to a sprawling recruiting fraud investigation, service officials said Thursday. Army officials have no clear plan yet on how to compensate those impacted by the probe, with service members potentially failing criminal background checks or having their promotions stalled, despite never being arrested or charged, all because of an internal snafu investigators described as a "mistake" they said they hope to figure out by early next year. "In terms of what the longer-term impacts are, at this point in time, we're just trying to do the right thing," Brig. Gen. David Mendelson, U.S. Army assistant judge advocate general for military law and operations, told reporters Thursday at a press conference on the matter. "This is about dignity and respect. For those who have been maybe wrongly noted in the FBI index, it's correcting the record, and then providing a forum and an opportunity for those individuals to seek the remedy they need." Read Next: GOP Lawmakers Sound Alarm over Pulling F-15s from Japan Troops who were entangled in the federal database sometimes were wrongfully listed as having been arrested, potentially leading to the loss of job opportunities and security clearances, or having their promotions held up. "This has ended military careers in almost all cases, brands them as a criminal, and [they] carry with them a sense of shame that is not easily jettisoned," said Doug O'Connell, a Texas-based attorney who represents multiple clients impacted by the database issue. Army officials would not commit to providing financial compensation to those impacted by the snafu. Instead, they request individuals who think they're wrongfully in criminal databases to email the Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID). "After years of denying they were wrong, they now created a website and expect people to contact CID and now trust them," O'Connell said. "We're going to insist the Army pay damages. We expect to be litigating this in court within the next year." The Guard Recruiting Assistance Program, or G-RAP, was a staple of National Guard recruiting between 2005 and 2012, when the Iraq and Afghanistan wars were at their peak and Guardsmen made up a significant portion of U.S. combat power. They also represented 11% of fatalities, according to federal data. The Army Reserve had a smaller version of this program, which is also part of the probe. Part-time troops would receive payments of $2,000 for every applicant they referred to a recruiter. That G-RAP program was overseen by Docupak, a Defense Department contractor. In 2007, Docupak discovered instances of potential fraud. The Pentagon launched an audit, which discovered up to $29 million in fraudulent payments. One example included an Air National Guard recruiter. In 2014, Max Andolsek pleaded guilty to a $9,000 scheme embezzling money through the G-RAP program by uploading fraudulent entries on recruits shipping to basic training, earning him a $1,000 payment each time, according to court records. He served three years in prison. In total, there were 137 prosecutions related to G-RAP scams and 286 adverse administrative actions, which could include a number of disciplinary actions including reduction in rank or being removed from service. Somehow, in addition to those hundreds of troops being added to the federal criminal database, hundreds of others who were never charged or reprimanded were as well. Thus far, officials have identified "100 to 200" individuals who were incorrectly added to the system, and continue to try to find others, Gregory Ford, director of the Army's Criminal Investigation Division, told reporters. The Army National Guard is in the midst of a major recruiting crisis, and is far deeper in the hole for filling its ranks than the rest of the military. Gen. Daniel Hokanson, the chief of the Guard Bureau, told reporters in September that the troubled G-RAP program could be resurrected. "By putting the right checks and balances in place, we could really help make every single Guardsman a recruiter by paying them a bonus for anybody that they bring into the organization," he said. -- Steve Beynon can be reached at Steve.Beynon@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StevenBeynon. Related: The National Guard Is Having a Nightmarish Time Keeping Soldiers and Recruiting New Ones A quartet of prominent Republican lawmakers is pushing back on Air Force plans to replace F-15 Eagle fighter squadrons permanently stationed in Japan with rotational forces, a plan the Pentagon says is aimed at modernizing squadrons in the Pacific. In a letter this week to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the lawmakers expressed concern that pulling the F-15C fighters from Okinawa "sends the wrong signal" to both China and U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific region. "We believe that DoD's plans to replace permanently-based fighters with rotational forces will lead to a tangible reduction in American forward combat power in the Indo-Pacific, lowering the bar for aggression and demonstrating a continuing mismatch between the Biden administration's talking points on the Indo-Pacific and America's actual commitments in the region," the lawmakers wrote in the letter released Tuesday. Read Next: Here Are 2022's Best Cities for Veterans The letter was organized by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee who is in a competitive reelection race he is favored to win, and Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee's personnel subpanel. It was co-signed by Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., a former ambassador to Japan in the Trump administration, and Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The lawmakers specifically asked the Pentagon to provide a briefing "articulating specific steps to replace the deterrent value and combat capability of any assets removed from the Indo-Pacific region, as well as the administration's plan to establish a force posture in the Indo-Pacific that would be resilient to a [Chinese] attack and capable of deterring an invasion of Taiwan." Kadena Air Base in Okinawa is one of the closest installations to Taiwan at a little under 500 miles away. The letter comes after the Air Force last week confirmed plans, which were first reported by the Financial Times, for a "phased" withdrawal of the F-15s from Kadena over a two-year span. The decision affects about half of the roughly 100 U.S. fighters based in Japan. A Japanese Defense Ministry spokesperson told Stars and Stripes their country feels the U.S. plan "does not weaken deterrence." The move is "being conducted to maintain and to strengthen deterrence and response capability of the Japan-U.S. alliance as the security environment is becoming increasingly severe," the spokesperson added, according to Stars and Stripes. Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters Monday that older models of the F-15 have been used by the military for more than 30 years and that they would be replaced with newer models. Kadena Air Base in Okinawa has been using the F-15 since the late '70s. "I would just say upfront that the U.S. commitment to Japan and regional security and the defense of Japan remains ironclad," Ryder told reporters on Monday. "So we'll continue to maintain a steady state presence at Kadena Air Base by -- by rotational deployments, and this will include fourth-gen -- advanced fourth-gen and fifth-generation aircraft to backfill the F-15s as they depart." News of the F-15 retirements out of Japan comes amid rising tensions with China over recent reports detailing that the U.S. military plans to send up to six nuclear-capable B-52 Stratofortress bombers to Australia. Australia's Defence Minister Richard Marles told reporters Wednesday that "everyone needs to take a deep breath here" when asked about the move of the bombers, The Associated Press reported. Marles said the rotation is part of an initiative started in 2017, adding that U.S. bombers have visited the country since the 1980s. Additionally, China boasts one of the most technologically advanced air defense systems among world militaries, defenses that would likely prevent a B-52, a plane that started flying in the early 1950s and has neither stealth properties nor a high top speed, from delivering a nuclear bomb. Still, the move was heavily condemned by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian. "Such a move by the U.S. and Australia escalates regional tensions, gravely undermines regional peace and stability, and may trigger an arms race in the region," Lijian said during a press conference Monday. Ryder confirmed the deployment of B-52s on Monday, saying the rotation of the long-range bombers is part of a "long-standing" relationship Australia and the U.S. military share. But he also didn't shy away from saying America is ready to react if needed. "I think that it does send a clear signal to countries in the region, first of all, that the U.S. is a reliable partner," Ryder said. "But it also sends a clear message that we do have the capability to deter and, if necessary, engage." In their letter, the lawmakers briefly mention plans for F-22 Raptors to backfill the F-15 squadrons with a rotational force from Alaska, citing news reports. But the Air Force said in a press release that no final decision has been made as to what jets will ultimately be stationed there. "While the DoD has not made a decision on the long-term solution, all of the proposals under consideration include advanced capabilities that are superior to the F-15 C/D," Kadena Air Base said in an Oct. 28 press release. "Modernizing our capabilities in the Indo-Pacific theater remains a top priority for the U.S. This transition to more capable aircraft at Kadena exemplifies our continued commitment to enhancing our posture and building on the strong foundation of our Alliance with Japan." But in their letter, the lawmakers argued the decision to remove the F-15s is "puzzling" coming on the heels of the public release of the Biden administration's National Defense Strategy, which names China as the Pentagon's "pacing challenge." The strategy, released last week after first being briefed to Congress in March, also says it is a DoD priority to "deter aggression" and calls for "early and continuous" coordination with allies. -- Rebecca Kheel can be reached at rebecca.kheel@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @reporterkheel. -- Thomas Novelly can be reached at thomas.novelly@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @TomNovelly. Related: Citing Growing Threat from China, Space Force Leaders Say They Need More Money In the last couple of decades, feminist propaganda has made women commoners in society and that men are naturally oppressors of women. It claims that wives are subordinate to their husbands at home, and that, outside the home, men have excluded women from political, economic, and cultural power (Anatomy of Female power by Chinweizu). The complexities of Ghanaian society will give credence to this assertion by the good Chinweizu. Yes, I believe the work done by pro-women development groups has closed this widened gap greatly. I look to find the gaps that have been closed and draw on the lessons from how the Ghanaian social construct has committed to its realization or otherwise. To this end, one would think with advancements in civilization and technology would alleviate such opinions about women, especially with more focus on the rights of women in the 21st century, however, this is not the case. People still uphold the views of womens subjugation in the world in this contemporary times. According to statistics(www.macrotrends.net), it will amaze you that our very own country Ghana has a literacy rate of 79.04% yet the role and status of women in the society remains almost the same pre- and post-independence. Why is this so? There is a popular saying, The background of a person normally depicts the person's way of life; our culture and norms still have an impact on us despite our level of education. How our Ghanaian culture perceives women in terms of role and status is seen in the subsequent paragraphs: First, professional fields contribute to the status of women in our Ghanaian community. With the issue of professions, most women venture into nursing, counseling, teaching, and entrepreneurship among others whiles men prefer professions like engineering, painting, barbering, driving, construction, and the like. The question is, why do few women venture into driving and few men into nursing? Is it gender bias or by choice or design (the physique)? Equality is not just being equivalent in number, quantity, or measure nor is it only by treating both sexes, and people of different races and religions fairly also equality means ensuring that every individual has an equal opportunity to make the most out of their lives, talents and abilities hence, choice and design play a major role in choosing of ones profession. Our culture perceived some work to be males job and some as ladies jobs making it difficult in these modern times for some women to venture into male-dominated jobs since that will demand more physical effort and for some men to venture into nursing, teaching and the likes because they are seen as mild jobs hence a ladys job. Are women as mild as perceived? Genevieve Tetteh is Ghana's first female mining engineer. She was sent underground after just two years of service. Many doubted her strength and capabilities because mining was seen as a male job but yet Genevieve still went for it regardless. People still hold this perception that some jobs are for men whiles others are for ladies due to cultural norms. The profession should base on ones capabilities, choices, and strengths and not just what society thinks. Again, the political participation of women in Ghana depicts their status in society. Although women are guaranteed political participation right under the 1992 constitution of Ghana, there is still a lack of female representation in government; there has never been a female president even though women occupy some seats in parliament. As of 2012, there were nineteen (19) women and two hundred and forty-six (246) men in parliament, a difference of 237, such a huge one. All these are a result of the longstanding cultural norms where leadership has and is still being associated with men even in our small homes which makes it difficult for women to shoulder up with men even when they grow up. They also believe that women are mild for such leadership positions. Some women's leadership is frowned upon by society because of the mass ideology that women are incapable. A lady was aspiring for the position of president in the Students' Representative Council of her school but is currently a vice to another male candidate. Do you know why she is no longer vying for the presidency but the vice? No one wanted to vice her and not even her fellow females. That cultural idea that women are supposed to be subordinate has thrived in the political system. Women are not appreciated, women who want parliamentary positions are criticized and underestimated even by their fellow women. Being a woman does not make you incapable, that is the equality we seek. Furthermore, the educational system also contributes to the status of women in Ghana. Over a couple of years, Ghana has successfully strived hard to close the gap of educational inequality in the country even though countries like Afghanistan, Mali, Niger, and the like remain the toughest countries for a girl to get an education. According to the United Nations Girls' Education Initiative (UNGEI), educating a girl will increase their ability to gain access to a higher paying job which will increase the family's income and add up to the nation's economy unlike them being home and doing all such of domestic activities which will only benefit the family. An educated girl is less likely to marry young and more likely to lead healthy and productive lives to decrease the dependency ratio in the country. Are women educated for these? Or just to increase their dowry? Since monkeys play by size, perhaps educated men will like educated women as well. A woman with good education and strong financial backing is perceived to be disrespectful. They think that men would not want to marry them because of their standard of living. Men want to marry women who are submissive and would agree to do all house chores and be their baby-making machine. If you are a woman who holds her ground then you will not get a man to marry. This idea still thrives even after many years of civilization because of our cultural roots that labeled women as subordinates. Why then give women access to education if our status still maintains as subordinates? Finally, our Ghanaian family structure also contributes to the role and status of women. Before a family is formed, the man goes to see the woman's family before the wedding takes place. During this process, a dowry popularly known as "bride price" is paid. The "price" in there made it look as if women were bought hence properties to their husbands. In the pre-colonial era, polygamy was encouraged especially for wealthy men. This was traditionally seen as a source of labour for men, as multiple wives will call for more unpaid labour and additional wealth for fathers. In those days, the place of a woman was home, where they did most of the work whiles the men had to only provide and eat. The main issue is, 'has the role of women changed since then'? Even though most educated husbands do not consider this "property issue and presently, more Ghanaian women are now getting out of their home jobs into paid jobs, the amount of domestic work performed by women remain the same leading to the fact that men generally make little or no contribution to domestic work due to the family structure of our Ghanaian culture or society. In conclusion, as Ghanaians, we appreciate the extraordinary cultural values that have shaped our society but with the growing knowledge of civilization, things have changed. We now realize the significance of women in society in all aspects of life and not only in the kitchen. We think that it is time to put the cultural idea of women as subordinates aside and embrace the idea that women are equally capable of building society as men can. Women can thrive in all professions so far as they put their minds to it. We believe it is time to let go of that stereotypical notion. After all, it is said that "if you educate a man, you educate an individual but if you educate a woman, you educate the whole nation" (Professor Dr. Kwegyir Aggrey). There is also a popular saying, "If you can't change a situation, change the perception of it because most of the stress comes from the way you respond not the way of life" (anonymous). With this, prominent women like Yaa Asantewaa, Ama Atta Aidoo, Sophia Akuffo, Georgina Wood, Genevieve Tettey and many others have proved that, they like any other Ghanaian woman can raise above the perception of women's place in society and that with this there is more to what lies in the chest of a woman than what she is seen and expected to do. The overall impact women have on our Ghanaian society as mothers, traders, and office workers among others cannot be taken for granted because our country is even a woman, Ghana our "Motherland". Mariam Adubofour - Aidoo, (0597879202 The Effutu Constituency in the Central Region is seeing unprecedented development, all thanks to the work of the sitting Member of Parliament (MP), Hon. Alexander Afenyo-Markin. Hon. Afenyo-Markins sole ambition is to bring development to the constituency while making the livelihood of his people better. Besides many projects that have been completed by the Parliamentarian who doubles as the Deputy Majority Leader of Ghana's Parliament, he is currently embarking on a number of projects that will improve the lives of constituents. After a tour of the Constituency, ModernGhana News can report that there is an ongoing construction of a Court Complex. Even before the new court complex is completed, Hon. Alexander Afenyo-Markin has renovated the old court building located at Winneba to a befitting status. The new one-storey court complex is being constructed at Gyengyenadze, a community in Winneba. At the site where work on the court complex is ongoing, there are also ongoing projects for a new Fire Service Station, National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) office and Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) office. Strategically, the sites for all these projects are close to an estate that is already boosting the local economy of Gyengyenadze and the entire Effutu Constituency. Once the projects are completed, the estate which was developed solely by Hon. Afenyo-Markin will be on hand to provide necessary accommodation for staff that will be working in the court, the NHIS and GRA offices. With these and the many more developmental projects being undertaken by Hon. Alexander Afenyo-Markin, it is no surprise he was named the Best Majority MP for 2021 by FAKS Investigative Services. The Effutu Constituency in the Central Region is fast growing with beautiful site attractions. This has been possible with the various projects undertaken by the Member of Parliament for the area, Hon. Alexander Afenyo-Markin to modernise the constituency. These projects are improving access to education and health, good roads easing movements, social amenities improving quality of life and security for free movement without fear. Afenyo-Markin who doubles as Deputy Majority Leader of Ghana's Parliament has solely funded the construction of four police stations which includes a Divisional Police Headquarters in Winneba. In July 2021, President Akufo-Addo commissioned the newly-built edifice and handed it over to the Ghana Police Service. Hon. Alexander Afenyo-Markin has also funded the construction of three other police stations. They include a District Police Headquarters located at New Winneba, Essuekyir police station and Ateitu police station. He also renovated Winneba police station. These new police stations have drastically reduced crime with police visibility in every part of the constituency day and night. The Member of Parliament has also sponsored some 62 youth to be recruited and trained as community policing assistants. Under his leadership, 950 youth have been recruited into the security services and 100 youth in City Guarding. Meanwhile, a total of 4000 street lights and bulbs have also been installed not only in towns but roads linking the various communities in his Constituency, a move that has improved security at night. 02.11.2022 LISTEN The Constituency Chairman of the Kwadaso branch of the National Democratic Congress (Ndc) Mr Issah Moro has said the advisors of President Akufo-Addo must always remind him to speak with caution when addressing Ghanaians. Speaking to the correspondent in an interview, Moro bemoans the recent provocative comments by the President. Referring to the comments the President made on the Otec FM, chairman Moro said the words that the President used were unfortunate. "How can a whole president of a country could go to the extent of using such words on residents of NPP stronghold saying 'l don't care. They can vote for the NDC if because l have not constructed their roads.'" Chairman Moro stated, "as a leader you are supposed to accommodate some issues. Because some utterances from the citizens could likely provoke you on whether you are performing or a failure. "In other words, the citizens also have the right to criticize if they feel that their demands are not met by the government. "This is the reason why every leader should be ready to accommodate the views of the citizenry on whether their views are relevant or not and take action." According to the NDC stalwart, it is against this background that he is appealing to the Members of Council State and the religious leaders to advise the President to always control his tongue when addressing the public. The Director of Technical Services of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), Mr. Chris Arthur has praised His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo-led NPP government for still creating job opportunities for the youth in the country inspite of the economic crisis. " In the midst of global economic crisis including Ghana, President Akufo Addo led NPP Government is still creating job opportunities for the youth, a legacy that will remain forever. We are grateful for this opportunity to enable the youth feed themselves and their siblings," he noted. Speaking at an Orientation and Induction Service of Community Health Workers held at Agona Swedru in the Agona West Municipality last Monday under the theme: Nation Building; The Role of the Community Health Worker", Mr. Chris Arthur called on the Community Health Workers to adhere to the code of ethics of the Ghana Health Service. "It is worthy to note that over Ninety-seven thousand (97,000) people applied for Community Health Workers jobs at the Youth Employment Agency. Among them were graduates with various degrees from tertiary institutions. So if you were chosen among the lot, then is a huge opportunity to make yourself proud of being given a job opportunity. "It means you have to work extra harder to enable you aspire to reach your future destination. Every module under the jurisdiction of the Youth Employment Agency is grassroot-based aimed at securing jobs for the teeming unemployed youth across the country. Thanks go to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Youth Employment Agency, Mr. Kofi Baah Agyapong for increasing the number of beneficiaries from 5,000 to 6,000. "It is the hope of the Agency that these Community Health Workers will support our various health facilities to offer quality healthcare delivery to the citizenry," he stated. Mr Chris Arthur further noted that other models like Prison Office Assistant, Community Police Assistant and well as Youth in Artisanship would soon be rolled out to create more job opportunities for the youth. On the future plan for the Community Health Workers after their 2-year contract, Mr. Chris Arthur hinted the Agency has put in place prudent measures to support those with weak grades to upgrade themselves so that they could gain admission to Nurse's Training Colleges to become full medical professionals. " The good news is that these Community Health Workers will not become unemployed after their 2-year contract left alone be a financial burden on their parents." Mr. Chris Arthur assured. The Central Regional Director of the Youth Employment Agency, Madam Sarah Afful reminded them that their attitude and behaviour would determine their future. She added that the will need recommendations from their bosses to proceed to another level and therefore urged them to be respectful and submissive to higher authorities. "Am urging each one of you to work hard and also have good working relationship with your superiors so that if there is any opportunity to be given, they will consider you for that position. "The Youth Employment Agency is ever ready to assist you to go through the main system to become what you wish for yourself," she stated. Madam Sarah Afful announced that 670 people have been given the opportunity to serve as Community Health Workers in various health facilities in the Central Region. The Agona West Municipal Director of the Ghana Health Service, Madam Bertha Ewoenam Attah before the induction service took them through the code of ethics of the Ghana Health Service and advised them to be humble, respectful and disciplined. "Wherever you will be posted to, you are supposed to take instructions from your immediate supervisor, don't go out there to start doing things on your own. "Your main work will be with the patients in the facilities, have time to meet their needs. Your duty is to promote quality of health services to the patients or clients. "You are also supposed to have cordial relationships with community members and if the need be visit them at home to check their health status. "In all this, remember that you are accountable to your bosses. Bear in mind that you are not a professional nurse so be submissive and learn on the job," Madam Bertha Ewoenam Attah admonished them. Present were the Principal of the College of Community Health Nursing Madam Winnie Okai, Member of Parliament for Agona West, Hon Mrs Cynthia Mamley Morrison and the Agona West Municipal Director of Youth Employment Agency, Mr. Oscar Asare. It has become very important to take seed production seriously as an institution mandated to produce quality early generation seeds for players in the Agriculture seed sector to revamp food security against hunger. This was disclosed by the Director of the Savanna Agriculture Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research CSIR-SARI, Dr. Francis Kusi, at a field day in Binduri District, in the Upper East Region, to showcase three hybrid sorghum varieties presented to the National Varietal Release and Registration Committee (NVRRC) the previous week for inspection and recommendation. In an interview with Modern Ghana News at Manga, Dr. Kusi said, as part of the seed dissemination exercise, farmers were brought on board from Binduri and other Districts to see the performance of the varieties under cultivation and to be linked to the huge market that awaits them. He indicated that CSIR-SARI has been able to increase early generation sorghum seed production this year due to the sponsorship of Guinness Ghana Limited, an off-taker. Dr. Kusi stated that it is now crucial to produce quality sorghum seeds in the right quantities so that seed companies can obtain adequate foundation seeds to produce certified seeds for supply to farmers to scale up sorghum production to meet the huge demand from Guinness Ghana. The Market Manager, Agriculture Development for Guinness Ghana Breweries PLC (GGBPLC), Mr. Stephen Ghansah is in charge of sourcing from all the local raw materials to feed the brewery, of which sorghum is key. He added that GGBPLC has replaced barley they used to import with sorghum, hence the need to get more farmers into sorghum production. Farmers are therefore assured of ready market. The field day was also used to expose the farmers to the high-yielding varieties and educate them on the adoption of good agronomic practices for the cultivation of sorghum to increase productivity. The farmers were taken through the field to see how the improved practices have resulted in increased yields. The Officer in charge of the field demonstration, Mr. Peter Asungre stated that sorghum happens to be the best substitute for barley for the production of the various kinds of drinks brewed by Guinness Ghana, and since CSIR-SARI is the only institution responsible for the production of early generation seeds of sorghum there is, therefore, the need to champion the breeding and dissemination of breeder and foundation seeds. The Ghanaian Academic and Research Network (GARNET), a not-for-profit organization in Ghana is poised on its mission to support research and education institutions in Ghana; by providing internet connectivity and access to research and education content both locally and internationally. GARNET is the Ghana National Research and Education Network (NREN) recognized by the West and Central African Research and Education Network (WACREN). As part of its mandate to foster collaboration among researchers, GARNET is open to all accredited tertiary institutions in Ghana including research and educational institutions, Libraries, and teaching hospitals. GARNETs primary objective is to enhance the mechanisms for improving the delivery of educational resources and creating more opportunities for innovation among students, faculty, and other staff in all tertiary educational institutions in Ghana by augmenting Internet access for all. Through its product offerings such as Capacity Building, Connectivity, Eduroam, Tertiary Multiple Mobile Data, Video Conferencing, and Federated Identity Services, GARNET has fostered high-speed internet connectivity needed to enable Ghanaian education and research institutions to join its network. The institution over the years has helped streamline the business operations of most research and education institutions in Ghana by offering feasible business solutions that meet market demands. The origins of the Ghanaian Academic and Research Network (GARNET) can be traced back to 1995 when the idea was mooted. It only took a recognized significance in November 2006 at the end of a three-day workshop held by the Association of African Universities (AAU) in Accra to facilitate more effective integration of ICT into higher educations core mandate of teaching, learning, research, and information management. The institution after several years of consultations among its stakeholders was incorporated as a legal entity on August 24th, 2010, and now has over 40 institutions signed on as members: comprising 30 public institutions and 10 private institutions. In other development, GARNET held its third Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the University for Development Studies (UDS) in August to discuss company matters and address resolutions. Reports at the well-attended AGM indicate that GARNET plans to increase its membership drive across Ghana to onboard more education and research institutions as well as organize workshops to build the technical capacity of its member institutions through direct engineering services. 03.11.2022 LISTEN Mrs Monica Onyen, Bono East Regional Director for the Department of Gender has reiterated the need for Persons living with Disabilities (PDWs) to report abuses of all kinds to the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit of the Ghana Police Service to help protect and promote their welfare. Mrs Onyen noted that PWDs were more vulnerable at the household level and needs to be protected by the law, indicating that both the male and female partners were all at risk of domestic violence. She noted that however there is the need to report unlawful conduct against them so to enable stakeholders including government and its partners know the level of abuse they go through. She made the remark on Wednesday during the presentation of items to PWDs in the Techiman Municipality and its environs by the Techiman Municipal Assembly., She stated the law is proactive in putting in measures to promote their livelihoods by punishing culprits who may take advantage of their conditions. Mrs Onyen said PWDs were part of society and play a crucial role in contributing towards the socio-economic development of the country and called for support from stakeholders including government, philanthropists and individuals to help improve their welfare. Professor Kingsley Amankwah, a member of the Federation of Persons Living with Disabilities in Techiman commended government for its efforts in addressing the plight of PWDs in the area and that they were committed to using the support to empower and improve their living conditions in society. Professor Amankwah expressed worry over the way some beneficiaries misuse the items and called on government to institute an auditing scheme that would audit beneficiaries on the use of the items. Mr Solomon Anane, Techiman Municipal Social Welfare officer noted that the move was part of the Assembly's efforts to disburse to disabilities their share of the common fund and the neediest in the area to help empower them economically to improve their social status among others. Mr Anane hinted that a total amount of GHS116,000 was used to procure the items for about 63 beneficiaries including, students with disabilities, traders, skills training in areas such as carpentry, dress and shoe making and persons with poor health conditions. He disclosed that among the items procured include deep freezers, fufu pounding machines and some unspecified amount of money to help support the PWDs. Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas urged Arab leaders Wednesday to boost support in the face of "crimes" by Israel, where veteran hawk Benjamin Netanyahu looks set to clinch an election victory. Abbas was addressing the first Arab League summit since the United Arab Emirates normalised ties with the Jewish state in 2020, sparking a string of similar moves that have divided the region. Without referring to the Israeli election, the Palestinian Authority (PA) president said Israel was "systematically destroying the two-state solution and throwing away agreements it has signed". He urged Arab leaders to "save the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre before they're Judaised", referring to sensitive religious sites in the Old City of Israel-annexed east Jerusalem. On Tuesday, summit host Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune told the opening session that "our central and primary cause remains the Palestinian cause". Tebboune also called for unity to face escalating "tensions and crises", that he said were the worst in the Arab world's recent history. The 22-state Arab League has for decades been a forum for strident statements of solidarity with the Palestinians, but has had little real impact in its 77 years of existence. Leaders addressing Wednesday's session took turns in declaring support for a Palestinian state, a sentiment which will figure in the summit's final resolution. Abbas listed a string of "crimes" against his people since Britain's 1917 Balfour Declaration expressed support for a Jewish state. 'Concrete actions' not statements A handout picture provided by the Tunisian presidency press service shows Arab League leaders posing in the Algerian capital following their first summit since a string of normalisation deals with Israel. By - (Tunisian Presidency/AFP) Abbas avoided directly mentioning Tuesday's Israeli election, that looks set to deliver a comeback to power by Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister, who has long since dropped any support for a two-state solution. Netanyahu's possible return comes after Israel signed a string of normalisation deals mediated by the administration of former US president Donald Trump. The accord with the UAE was quickly followed by another with Bahrain, a provisional deal with Sudan and a re-launch of ties with Morocco, helping rekindle the kingdom's decades-old rivalry with neighbouring Algeria. Algiers remains a steadfast supporter of the Palestinians. In his speech on Tuesday, Tebboune did not directly mention the normalisation deals, but insisted that a 2002 Arab initiative -- proposing peace in exchange for Israel's withdrawal from land it occupied during the 1967 Six Day War -- was the only way to reach "a just and comprehensive peace". He also called for a United Nations General Assembly session to give full membership to the state of Palestine. Algeria's President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, a steadfast supporter of the Palestinians, at the closing ceremony of the Arab League summit. By - (AFP) But an editorial in the Palestinian Al-Quds newspaper said Palestinians "don't need any more statements, of which we've heard many, but concrete actions on the ground". It also called for the summit to take a stand "against Arab countries' normalisation deals with the occupier (Israel) which totally ignore our cause". The final resolution of the summit is expected to include diplomatic somersaults to avoid upsetting any members of the deeply divided bloc. The conflicts in Syria, Libya and Yemen are also expected to feature, while wording around Turkish and Iranian "interference" in the region is another landmine to be carefully navigated. Divisions in the Arab League are underlined by the absence of several key figures, notably Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, reported to have an ear infection, Morocco's King Mohammed VI, and Bahrain's leader. Burkina Faso's new military leader, Captain Ibrahim Traore, on Wednesday arrived in the Malian capital Bamako for his first foreign trip since taking power on September 30, an AFP journalist reported. The head of Mali's junta, Colonel Assimi Goita, who came to power in a putsch in August 2020, greeted 34-year-old Traore as he dismounted the plane at Bamako airport. The two men then headed to a VIP airport lounge for private talks before continuing on to the presidency for further meetings with their respective delegations. "The main issue will be the fight against terrorism," a Burkinabe official said, referring to the two countries' bloody struggle against jihadists. The Malian foreign ministry said Traore's "friendship and working visit" was scheduled to last around three hours. The two Sahel states rank among the poorest and most volatile nations in the world. Both leaders came to power at the head of army officers angered by failures to roll back Islamists linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group. Along with neighbouring Niger, the two countries have suffered thousands of fatalities and more than two million people have fled their homes. Traore ousted Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, who in January had toppled Burkina's last elected president, Roch Marc Christian Kabore. Under Goita, Mali began to weave closer ties with the Kremlin, acquiring aircraft to strengthen its beleaguered armed forces and bringing in Russian "trainers", described by Western countries as Wagner mercenaries. As this relationship intensified, ties with Paris, Mali's traditional ally, deteriorated and France became a target of vilification. Paris this year pulled out the last troops it had deployed in Mali under its Barkhane anti-jihadist force in the Sahel. The latest coup in Burkina has been marked by anti-French protests in which some demonstrators have waved Russian flags and demanded the departure of a contingent of 400 French special forces. On Sunday, Burkina Faso's new prime minister hinted that his country may look at stronger connections with Russia, in the light of "the new deal" in security. 03.11.2022 LISTEN The Teshie Mantse Palace has disassociated the Teshie Paramount Stool from the purported Ga State Council which seeks other Paramount Chiefs to pay obeisance to the Ga Mantse. On Thursday 13th October, 2022 while the Teshie Mantse was celebrating the annual Yam Rites for the Teshie Stool, messengers from Ga Mashie Stool brought an invite to the Teshie Mantse to attend the Annual Yam Rites for the Ga Paramount Stool. According to the Teshie palace, it was very unusual and has never happened before so the Teshie Mantse declined the invitation. The palace stated that it saw an announcement on social media relative to the formation of a Ga State Council with the Teshie Mantse being announced as a vassal to the Ga Paramount Stool. The Teshie Mantse Palace in a press statement issued on Tuesday, November 1 2022 considered the conduct of the Ga Paramount Stool as an insult and a slap in the face of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana and the Chieftaincy Act 2008 [Act 579). By the tenets of Ga Customary Law and usage, a lower rank chief is required to pull down his cloth from over the shoulders to a point below the breast, stand on his sandals before addressing a Paramount Chief. This, the Teshie Mantse wishes to inform all Ghanaians that as a fully-fledged Paramount Chief, he is not ready to pull down his cloth from over his shoulder to the chest and stand on his sandals in public to pay obeisance to the Ga Mantse who is his co-equal Paramount Chief. The Teshie Mantse gives the assurance that he has full confidence in the 1992 Constitution and the Chieftaincy Act 2008 [Act 579] and related statutory structures as his point of reference and will not subscribe to any parallel institution that has no formal or written operational structures and parameters for transparency and accountability. The Teshie palace revealed that, before the arrival of the Europeans in the then Gold Coast, there were 6 Ga States namely; Ga Mashie, Osu, La, Teshie, Nungua and Tema and all these independent towns have their own sovereign Stools and Paramount Chiefs. These Paramount Chiefs according to the palace have their own sub-Chiefs and Village Headmen and in times of war all the Ga towns come under one leader to fight external aggression. The palace further revealed that Teshie fought in the Akwamu War, the Angula War and the Katamanso War which Katamanso was won through the bravery of Teshie Warriors. These records according to the Teshie palace show that once upon a time the entire Ga State was under the leadership of the Teshie Mantse to repel an attack on Ga Mashie by Obutu aggressors hence the Teshie accolade Gonti ni ashiii see anmoo kpo. "In 1927, the colonial administration imposed the Native Administration Ordinance, (N.A.O) in the Gold Coast. Section 95 of the N.A.O provided for the establishment of the State Councils with the mandate to regulate the powers and jurisdiction of the native tribunals," Teshie palace revealed. This Law according to the palace imposed the Ga Mantse as the President of the Ga State Council. "The Ga State Council was given the mandate to deal with (1) the nomination, election or installation of any person as a chief (2) the deposition or abdication of any chief (3) the right of any person to take part in the election or installation of any person as a chief or in the deposition of any chief and (4) the power and authority for the recovery or delivery of stool property" it noted. The Teshie Mantse Palace stated that the Ga State Council was abolished in 1961 by then President of Ghana and the Chieftaincy Act, 1961 (Act 81) established the National House of Chiefs (NHCs), Regional Houses of Chiefs (RHCs) and Traditional Councils (TCs) to take over the functions of the defunct Ga State Council adding that the Chieftaincy Institution became one of the entrenched institutions under Chapter 270 of the 1992 Constitution. "The Constitution of Ghana states in unequivocal terms that no power or authority under this Constitution can override or detract the functions of any of the entrenched units of Chieftaincy Institution," it noted. The Palace revealed that in May 2011, the sub-committee of the National House of Chiefs stated that there are seven Divisions under the Ga Mashie Stool, namely, Abola, Asere, Gbese, Otu Blohum, Sempe, Akumadze and James Town and the Sub-Committee also affirmed that the Teshie Stool, the Osu Stool, the La Stool, the Nungua Stool and the Tema Stool hold no allegiance to the Ga Paramount Stool. According to the Palace, the Ga Paramount Stool never challenged this verdict at the National House of Chiefs or the Supreme Court of Ghana as prescribed by Law. Therefore, what the proponents of the purported Ga State Council are trying to do 11 years after being caught in the web of estoppel per rem judicata is to use patapaa to undermine the authority of the 1992 Constitution and the Chieftaincy Act 2008 [Act 579] instead of going to National House or the Supreme Court of Ghana to challenge the May 2011 verdict. "Regrettably, the proponents of the Ga State Council regime deliberately failed to consult any of the supposed vassals of the Ga Paramount Stool on the mechanics of the purported confederacy as well as the rights and obligations of members," the Palace intimated. Kwasi Bonzoh, Ellembelle District Chief Executive (DCE) 03.11.2022 LISTEN Mr. Ernest Owusu-Bempah Bonsu, the Head of Corporate Communications for Ghana National Gas Company (GNPC), has descended heavily on Ellembelle District Chief Executive (DCE), Kwasi Bonzoh for allowing his teeming NPP supporters to attack Dr. Ben Asante, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for Ghana National Gas Company. It will be recalled that on Sunday, October 30, 2022 some NPP polling station executives and party Communicators staged a demonstration for the dismissal of Dr. Ben Asante, the Ghana Gas Company CEO at Atuabo in the Ellembelle District of the Western Region. Speaking to the newsmen in the area, a member of Ellembelle NPP Constituency Communications Team and a diehard supporter of Ellembelle DCE, Yannick Akrowie claimed that Dr. Ben Asante has refused to employ some party members into Ghana Gas Company. He took the opportunity to call on President Akufo-Addo to sack Dr. Ben Asante as Ghana National Gas Company CEO. Some angry party members who spoke to the media claimed that in 2020 general elections, Dr. Ben Asante sponsored 'skirt and blouse' voting against Kwasi Bonzoh, the NPP Parliamentary Candidate who lost. They added that Dr. Ben Asante and Ghana Gas Company have done nothing in Ellembelle District. But speaking on Nzema FM at Axim after the demonstration, Ernest Owusu-Bempah disclosed that the CEO of Ghana Gas Company, Dr. Ben Asante has since 2017 given Ellembelle DCE Kwasi Bonzoh eight million Ghana Cedis (GHC8 = 8 billion old Ghana Cedis). "What are they talking about, just recently Ellembelle NPP Constituency Secretary came to Dr Ben Asante office and presented to him 45 people who want to do their national service at Ghana Gas Company and Dr. Ben Asante has accepted it and he is working on the list. Ghana Gas Company has given 40 percent scholarship packages to Nzema students so what are these Kwasi Bonzoh supporters talking about in Ellembelle District, they should give us a break", he said. "Kwasi Bonzoh is my witness, since 2017, Dr. Ben Asante has given him GHC8 million, I led he Kwasi Bonzoh to the office of Dr. Ben Asante so what is Kwasi Bonzoh saying. I'm daring him to come to deny it. I'm saying it on record that I Owusu Bempah led Kwasi Bonzoh to my boss's office. Dr. Ben Asante signed 8 million Ghana Cedis to Kwasi Bonzoh at his office. I can't lie against Kwasi Bonzoh because Kwasi Bonzoh is my brother and we were trained by Freddie Blay in opposition," he added. He also revealed that Dr. Ben Asante had given some money to the Ellembelle DCE, Kwasi Bonzoh to go abroad to do an educational program. "Kwasi Bonzoh should come out to deny it. We have given a lot of money to Kwasi Bonzoh to go to abroad to do an educational program and Dr. Ben Asante did that for him and I don't want to talk more about it. Dr. Ben Asante financed the business expo he did in Ellembelle District", he said. He, therefore, took the opportunity to debunk claims that Dr. Ben Asante sponsored some NPP members in Ellembelle Constituency to do 'skirt and blouse' voting against Kwasi Bonzoh in 2020. "It is most ridiculous, Dr. Ben Asante personally made sure that financially he Kwasi Bonzoh would get more money to do his campaign and Dr. Ben Asante did that in 2020 for him so it is not true that Dr. Ben Asante campaigned against Kwasi Bonzoh in 2020", he stated. He added, "we will not sit down and allow them to lie against Dr. Ben Asante and if they dare me I will disclose all the campaign materials Dr. Ben Asante gave to Kwasi Bonzoh in 2020 to do his campaign". Angry Ernest Owusu-Bempah who is also a Deputy National Communications Director of NPP warned Ellembelle DCE, Kwasi Bonzoh to call his boys to order else he would expose him more. "Recently, Kwasi Bonzoh and his Ellembelle NPP Constituency Chairman came to Dr. Ben Asante house, this time around not in his office but in his house to seek for help so what are they saying, Kwasi Bonzoh should be careful". He seized the opportunity to call for calm in the constituency and urged the supporters of Kwasi Bonzoh to respect the leadership of the party. Burkina Faso's new military leader on Wednesday visited Mali for his first foreign trip since taking power, holding what his Malian counterpart hailed as "fruitful" exchanges on peace and security. Captain Ibrahim Traore, who seized power in Burkina Faso in a September 30 coup, flew to the Malian capital Bamako for what Mali's foreign ministry said would be a roughly three-hour "friendship and working visit". Traore left Mali for Burkina's capital Ouagadougou Wednesday evening, an AFP journalist reported. "With a view to improving the security of our respective populations, (Traore) and I had fruitful exchanges this afternoon on the major challenges that impact the peace and stability of our states," Mali's Colonel Assimi Goita, who came to power in an August 2020 putsch, said on Twitter late Wednesday. He greeted 34-year-old Traore in the afternoon as he dismebarked from the plane at the airport in the capital Bamako. The two men then headed to a VIP airport lounge for private talks before continuing on to the presidency for further meetings with their respective delegations. A Burkinabe official had earlier said the main issue discussed would be "the fight against terrorism", referring to the two countries' bloody struggle against jihadists. The two Sahel states rank among the poorest and most volatile nations in the world. Both leaders came to power at the head of army officers angered by failures to roll back Islamists linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group. Along with neighbouring Niger, the two countries have suffered thousands of fatalities and more than two million people have fled their homes. Traore ousted Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, who in January had toppled Burkina's last elected president, Roch Marc Christian Kabore. Under Goita, Mali began to weave closer ties with the Kremlin, acquiring aircraft to strengthen its beleaguered armed forces and bringing in Russian "trainers", described by Western countries as Wagner mercenaries. As this relationship intensified, ties with Paris, Mali's traditional ally, deteriorated and France became a target of vilification. Paris this year pulled out the last troops it had deployed in Mali as part of its Barkhane anti-jihadist force in the Sahel. The latest coup in Burkina has been marked by anti-French protests in which some demonstrators have waved Russian flags and demanded the departure of a contingent of 400 French special forces. On Sunday, Burkina Faso's new prime minister hinted that his country may look at stronger connections with Russia, in the light of "the new deal" in security. Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has admitted that the long delay in the construction of the Pwalugu Multipurpose dam project is due to financial constraints. Speaking at the launch of the Northern Development Authority's five-year strategic plan in Tamale, Dr. Bawumia said government will look for funds to construct the dam. Even though the project is facing financial challenges, we are determined to find the resources to complete the construction of the dam. Sod was cut for the construction of the Pwalugu Multipurpose dam project in 2020 and was to be funded with a Sydohydro facility of $993 million. The project awarded to China Power International group was scheduled for completion four years after the sod cutting. The project was aimed at addressing the perennial flooding associated with the spillage of the Bagre dam from neighbouring Burkina-Faso and also providing 60MW and 50MW of hydro and solar electricity respectively. But physical construction of the project at Kurugu in the North East Region is yet to commence after two years and ten months into the project execution period. Last week, peasant farmers in the Northern part of the country demonstrated over the delay in the construction of the dam. The farmers expressed fears that the project had been abandoned and called for a probe into it. By Citi Newsroom 03.11.2022 LISTEN A security officer has been found dead at Anum Apapam in Ayensuano of the Eastern region. An eyewitness revealed that the lifeless body of the security man, who works with Ark Mining company limited, was found with multiple bruises and blood dripping from his manhood. The eyewitness added that it is likely the security man was lynched by his assailants. The Ayensuano District Police Command has conveyed the remains to the Police hospital in Accra after taking inventory of the crime scene. No arrest has been made so far. In a related development, Seven (7) police officers with the Eastern Regional Police Command killed in the line of duty from 2016 to 2022 have been remembered in a solemn memorial day observation held at the forecourt of the Regional Police Headquarters. The slain officers are General Constable Chris Quarshie with Koforidua Division who died in 2021, General Corporal Nathaniel Afriyie Marfo and General Lance corporal Balatinang Katapranang Kwasi, both at Nkawkaw division died in 2017 and 2021 respectively. The rest are Lance Corporal Alhassan Asare, and General Lance corporal Joseph Yankey all stationed at Akyem Oda division were killed in 2019 and 2020 respectively. General Sargent William Seworkpor, and General Sargent Moses Tetteh Nartey both stationed at Asamankese Division died in 2016 and 2021 respectively. Some members of the bereaved families present could not hold back their tears as they relived the painful death of their beloved ones. By Citi Newsroom The Committee on Employment, Social Welfare and State Enterprises of Parliament is asking government to desist from using the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) as its cash cow in funding activities unrelated to its mandate. Speaking in Parliament on Tuesday, the Ranking Member on the committee, Dr. Kwabena Donkor said without the injection of new funds, GNPC is on the brink of bankruptcy. The financials don't speak well of GNPC. The future is bleak for GNPC and, therefore, we must insist that GNPC stays on the straight and narrow path in its operations. The Ranking Member on the Mines and Energy Committee of Parliament, John Jinapor, also said the GNPC is on the verge of collapse due to the decrease in its profitability. He noted that the gross profit margin had reduced from 50 percent in 2018, to 26 percent in 2019 to 0.3 percent in 2020. The Committee on Employment, Social Welfare and State Enterprises in its annual financial performance report on GNPC revealed that the firms gross profit margin reduced from 50 percent in 2018 to less than one percent in 2020. The report also noted that the firm increasingly depends on gas sales to fund its operations due to the decline in the sales from crude oil. By Citi Newsroom The already high cost of organising funerals in Ghana is set to go higher due to the current hardships in the country. This is because, coffin and casket manufacturers have decided to increase their prices, effective next week. According to Agya Appiah, an experienced coffin maker in the Ashanti Region, his people are left with no choice but to increase prices to ensure they stay in business. I was an apprentice in 1992, but now I run my own business. The fabric we use to decorate the casket I bought for GHC200 on Friday, I was told today to pay GHC240. I couldnt buy, so I had to come home to solicit for the remaining amount. Things are expensive, I would also not sell them [caskets] at a reduced price. All manufacturers here have come to a consensus to increase and stick to one price, latest by next week, Agya Appiah told Joy News. The veteran coffin maker added, This casket is called Abenwaha, with the price range of GHC1,500 to GHC2,000. But now, If I dont sell it at GHC2,800, I may not be able to accrue my profit, he added. Coffin makers in the Ashanti Region are calling on the government to as a matter of urgency implement measures that will bring relief to them. They argue that if prices of materials used for coffins continue to shoot up, their families may go hungry if their business collapses. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei-Tutu II and his retinue of chiefs will on Saturday November 5 join the chiefs and people of the 36 states of Anlo to celebrate the annual traditional festival, Hogbetsotsoza. Daasebre Akuamoah Agyapong II, the Kwahuhene and King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, the Ga Mantse are also expected to be guests at the famous festival. The festival also known as Hogbeza commemorates the legendary exodus of the Ewe-Dogbo folks from Notsie in present-day neighbouring Togo. The celebration is returning this year after its suspension in 2020 and 2021 in compliance with COVID-19 protocols. The presence of the Asantehene would mark the celebration of the age-long relationship between the Anlo State and the Asanteman while that of the Kwahuhene and Ga Mantse would help forge a bond with the two kingdoms as part of the bigger objective of using the Hogbeza platform to foster unity, peace and national cohesion. Daasebre Osei Bonsu II, Mamponghene represented the Asantehene at the 2019 Hogbetsotso Festival at Anloga after Togbi Sri III, the Awoamefia of Anlo visited the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi for the 2018 Akwasidae. Mr Ken Kpedor, President of Anlo Youth Council, the umbrella body of the youth of Anlo, in an earlier interview with the Ghana News Agency, called on citizens of Anlo, both home and abroad to patronise this year's festival being held on the theme: 60 Years of Anlo Hogbetsotsoza: Uniting for Development, Sustaining our Unique Cultural Commonwealth for Future Generations. I urge all citizens of Anlo, especially the youth to come home for the single most important event on the Anlo calendar, the Hogbetsotsoza. It is ours and its celebration has benefits for us and the Anlo State. Let's patronise it to make it the best traditional festival in Ghana. Mr Silas Aidam, Publicity Chair, 2022 Hogbetsotsoza Planning Committee also appealed to the Anlo citizens, cultural enthusiasts, local and foreign tourists to the festival, which he said bounces back in a special form. Hogbeza is celebrated every first Saturday in November at Anloga, the traditional and ritual capital of Anlo State and is usually characterised by a display of rich tradition and culture with patrons treated to a variety of drumming and dancing, including the ever-popular agbadza, atsia and misego or husego, the incorporated dance style of the backward movement of the people during their escape from Notsie. GNA Amidst the current economic crisis bedevilled Ghana, the head of the Economic Management Team (EMT), Dr. Mahamadu Bawumka as well as other members cannot be held responsible directly. According to a Senior Fellow of Research at the Kumasi Technical University (KsTU), Dr. Smart Sarpong it is disingenuous on the part of so-called economists to lay blame on the Vice President. Speaking on Kumasi-based Fox Morning Drive, the government Expert strongly disagrees with the views that Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia has mismanaged the country's resources. "People are saying all sorts of things against Dr. Bawumia but let me put it on record that the team [Economic Management Team] headed by the Vice President, the members were selected and constituted by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and given to him [Dr. Bawumia] to work with them. "The Finance Minister was appointed by Nana Akufo-Addo, and the Governor of the Bank of Ghana is also appointed by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. All the Ministers constituting EMT were somebody's selection and given to Dr. Bawumia to work with them," Dr. Smart Sarpong pointed out to host, Sir John during a telephone interview. According to Sarpong, the Vice President could have done better to replace some members of the EMT should he have had the power to do so. "He didn't make the selection. The selection was made by someone and that person who is the President is not ready to change the people so we can't blame Dr. Bawumia", Dr. Smart Sarpong pointed out. The Institute for Energy Security (IES) is not convinced about government's promise to source cheaper fuel to stabilise prices at the local pumps. President Akufo-Addo in his address to the nation last Sunday admitted that the country's economy is in crisis. Among other things he said his government is doing to mitigate the hardships, President Akufo-Addo said efforts are underway to get cheaper yet reliable fuel for the country. Reports indicate that a government delegation has already left Ghana in search of the said reliable and regular sources of affordable petroleum products for the Ghanaian market. In a statement to react to the development, the Institute for Energy Security says the move by the government to search for cheaper fuel is an unrealistic hope. Meanwhile, the search for that heavily discounted fuel price from elsewhere is an unrealistic hope, and the team may return empty-handed unless the expectation/request is exchanged with something valuable to the would-be supplier, a statement by the IES said on Thursday. According to the IES, if the President and the handlers of Ghanas Energy Ministry look within, they would find what they are desperately looking for from outside the country. The Institute strongly believes that the search for a reliable and affordable source of petroleum products starts with the Tema Oil Refinery, which has been down since March 2021, due to a lack of crude oil which is the refinerys main raw material. It beats one's imagination how an oil-producing country with a refinery capacity of 45,000 barrels per stream day (bpsd), would have its top government officials abandon its domestic competitive advantage, and rather seek to import refined petroleum product elsewhere, in the name of reliability and affordability, the IES statement adds. Advocacy group, Governance Watch Ghana has noted that the approach by the government to the new property rate regime is not only illegal but also counterproductive. After a painstaking analysis and consideration of governments newly proposed Property Rate regime, Governance Watch has come to the conclusion that the initiative although laudable in principle, is unlawful and counterproductive in its current form. We have taken this view because the new arrangement flies in the face of the Local Government Act and has the potential of depriving our already under-financed and impoverished MMDAs of funds if allowed, a statement signed by Stephen Kwabena Attuh who is Executive Director for the group has said. Governance Watch Ghana in its statement explains that through its continuous vigilance it has uncovered a dubious single-sourced contract signed by the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralization and Rural Development with a service provider to develop a unified common platform for property rate collection. It added that the amorphous service provider who has no track record whatsoever in the area of revenue collection is expected to provide the funding for the evaluation of properties and undertake the collection of property rates. This arrangement, the group noted contravenes Section 144 of the Local Governance Act 2016, (Act 936), which provides that: A District Assembly shall be the only authority to levy rates for a District despite any customary law to the contrary. "Per the provisions of Act 936, the Minister of Finance and by extension, the Ministry of Finance has no power to sign a deal that seeks to centralize the collection of property rates and give responsibilities of MMDAs across the country to a single company." It is in regard to this that Governance Watch Ghana wants the government to halt the new property rate regime. We, therefore, call on Government to immediately halt this unlawful and counterproductive initiative. More importantly, we wish to call on Parliament to exercise its oversight responsibility over the Executive on this matter by ensuring strict compliance with the laws of the country by the government. We wish to serve notice, and notice is hereby served, that Government must forthwith, cease any further steps towards implementing the said illegal contract awarded, failing which we will be compelled to resist same through every lawful means, including massive street protests, the statement by Government Watch Ghana adds. Read the full statement on the matter below: Press release 3/11/22 GOVERNMENTS APPROACH TO NEW PROPERTY RATE REGIME ILLEGAL AND COUNTERPRODUCTIVE - GOVERNANCE WATCH GHANA. After a painstaking analysis and consideration of governments newly proposed Property Rate regime, Governance Watch has come to the conclusion that the initiative although laudable in principle, is unlawful and counterproductive in its current form. We have taken this view because the new arrangement flies in the face of the Local Government Act and has the potential of depriving our already under-financed and impoverished MMDAs of funds if allowed. The Finance Minister in his presentation of the 2022 Budget Statement and Fiscal Policy of Government, specifically at paragraph 303, recognizing the potential contribution of property rates to Government's revenue mobilization effort stated in part: Government, through the Ghana Revenue Authority will from January 2022, assist the MMDAs to implement a common platform for property rate administration to enhance Property rate collections and its accountability. While underscoring the critical role and mandate of MMDA's to collect Property Rates, the Minister made a commitment to Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) thus; To ensure cost recovery by Government in providing the infrastructure for the collection of the Property Rate, a sharing ratio will be agreed with the Assemblies. We do appreciate governments efforts to enhance its revenue mobilization through innovation and strengthening of tax compliance. However, this does not justify government hiding behind enhancing revenue collection to violate the laws of the country and in effect, shortchange the Ghanaian people. It is against this backdrop that we have through our continuous vigilance uncovered a dubious single-sourced contract signed by the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralization and Rural Development with a service provider to develop a unified common platform for property rate collection. The amorphous service provider who has no track record whatsoever in the area of revenue collections, is expected to provide the funding for the evaluation of properties and to undertake the collection of property rates. This arrangement contravenes Section 144 of the Local Governance Act 2016, (Act 936), which provides that: A District Assembly shall be the only authority to levy rates for a District despite any customary law to the contrary. Per the provisions of Act 936, the Minister of Finance and by extension, the Ministry of Finance has no power to sign a deal that seeks to centralize the collection of property rates and give responsibilities of MMDAs across the country to a single company. It is worthy of note that, under the new property rate regime, only 30% of property rates collected by the service provider through the common platform will be remitted to MMDAs. The remaining 70% will be shared among the Ghana Revenue Authority, the Ministry of Finance and the service provider. This arrangement is not only unlawful, but has the potential of depriving MMDAs of a substantial chunk of property rate revenues thereby weakening them further and stifling local level development. We are deeply concerned that this arrangement and the profit-sharing arrangement therein, if not immediately halted, can become yet another vehicle for misappropriation and misapplication of public funds as we have seen in times past. The mandate of MMDAs to mobilize resources at their level to aid development at the local level strikes at the core of decentralization. Under the laws of this country, only MMDAs have the mandate to undertake or to engage third parties to on their behalf, to undertake revenue collections in their jurisdictions. Section 161 Subsection (2) of Act 936 is clear about this, stating thus: A District Assembly may, in writing, authorise any suitable person, to be a rate collector in respect of a specified area of a district. It goes without saying therefore, that mandating the Ghana Revenue Authority to develop a common platform for the collection of property rates which is what has culminated in the award of a single-sourced contract to a service provider to collect property rates in the country, is illegal as no such mandate has been extended to any body or institution apart from District Assemblies. Section 153 of Act 936 provides clarity on the entities and individuals responsible for rate assessment which specifically are the Regional Minister and District Assembly. No such responsibility is extended to the Minister of Finance or the Ghana Revenue Authority. Also, in furtherance of the mandate of the Assemblies and to ensure that revenues accruing from property rates are properly accounted for, Sections 161 and 162 of Act 936 make clear where payments accruing from such rates are to be channeled. Particularly, Section 161, Subsection 3(c) states that: A rate collector shall pay the amounts collected to the District Assembly concerned. This renders a complete illegality, the engagement of an agent for the collection of these revenues into a centralized GRA account. In view of the forgoing, we are of the conviction that the new property rate regime the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government is seeking to introduce is illegal and counterproductive, as it portends grave danger for the finances of local assemblies and local level development. This is particularly so, given the devastating effects of the undue delay in Common Fund releases and the debilitating effects of the obnoxious Capping and Realignment program on the finances of MMDAs and local level development. It is totally unacceptable for government to disregard the law and award a contract that constitutes a usurpation of the powers of MMDAs in the name of property rate collections. We are of the considered view that any attempts to review and/or strengthen the property rate regime of the country as a means of increasing revenue must be done at the local level by MMDAs and not the Finance Ministry and/or the Ghana Revenue Authority. At best, efforts can be geared towards building the capacity of the District Assemblies to undertake this exercise which falls directly within their legal mandate. We therefore call on Government to immediately halt this unlawful and counterproductive initiative. More importantly, we wish to call on Parliament to exercise its oversight responsibility over the Executive on this matter by ensuring strict compliance with the laws of the country by the government. We wish to serve notice, and notice is hereby served, that Government must forthwith, cease any further steps towards implementing the said illegal contract awarded, failing which we will be compelled to resist same through every lawful means, including massive street protests. **END** Signed: Stephen Kwabena Attuh Executive Director 0547349026 Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has marked this year's International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists. The GJA marked the day with the launch of a GHS2 million support fund for journalists on Wednesday, 2 November 2022. Speaking at an event to commemorate the day, GJA President Albert Kwabena Dwumfour noted: It is not a day for celebration but it is a day to commemorate and remember journalists who were harassed, attacked, abused, and even killed in their line of duties and to hark back those crimes against journalists that go unpunished." He further noted: "Here in Ghana, we remember the likes of investigative journalist Ahmed Suale who was killed in 2019, and his family and relatives are still waiting for justice to be served for his murder. The GJA also reiterated the country's position on the World Press Freedom Index and bemoaned the non-prosecution of cases of attacks on journalists. In 2022, Ghana fell from 30 places in World Press Freedom Index to number 60 indicating a huge drop. The World Freedom Index report noted cases of journalists being attacked by law enforcement nearly all of those cases were not prosecuted. "There is no excuse for crime against journalists. They all have the right to sue for false publications. Thats why we are here to add our voice in support of the GJA 2 million cedi fund to protect and support journalists in Ghana," the GJA President stated. Mr Dwumfour revealed that the United States (US) Embassy has so far provided support for 75 reporters in Ghana, over the past few months. This US embassy has also supported the upcoming GJA Annual Awards and the West Africa Media Excellence Conference and Awards. The event was attended by the President General of the Centre of Awareness Global Peace Mission Professor Samuel Ato Duncan, a representative of the Chief Justice (CJ) Supreme Court Judge Justice Yonny Kulendi and the Deputy Inspector-General of the Ghana Police Service COP Christian Tetteh Yohuno. The Ghana Police Service in support of the GJA's newly-created fund, pledged an amount of GHS20,000. This was announced by COP Yohuno. ---classfmonline.com An Accra High Court has granted a petition by the Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, to wind up Q-net Investment Limited, for running what is akin to a ponzi scheme and swindling unsuspecting customers. The Attorney General (AG) had gone to court seeking the winding up of Q-net pursuant to Section 84(2)(d) and (e) of the Corporate Insolvency and Restructuring Act, (Act 1015) for engaging in illegal activities other than what it was registered to do. The AG sought three reliefs, including an order for the official winding up of the company, an order restraining the members, directors and officials of the company from exercising such powers relating to the purported business of the company disclosed on its document of incorporation. Mr. Dame in his petition before the court argued that Q-net was being operated for criminal and illegal purposes or carrying out business not authorised by its constitution, contrary to the national interest. Court documents per the AG's petition indicated that Q-net was registered for the principal business of mining, oil and gas, real estate development, farming, transport services, building construction, import and export services and civil engineering. According to the AG, Q-net is part of a network of a multinational marketing company owned by Quest International or QI Group, with its headquarters in Hong Kong whilst its West African offices are located in Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Mali, and Ghana. Their Ghanaian branch is said to be dominated by Togolese, Ivoirians, Nigerians, Burkinabes and Malians. The AG in his petition stated that hundreds of victims of Q-net's dishonest and illegal activities were in the Bolgatanga Municipality, and community leaders, including traditional rulers had expressed concern about the security threat the operation of the company posed to their communities. It was the case of the Attorney General that the widespread criminal and illegal purposes for which Q-net was being operated, contrary to its stated incorporation purpose, grossly undermined its existence in the Ghanaian communities, posing a direct security threat to the peace, economic and social stability of parts of the country, thereby requiring the AG to take steps to wind it up to protect the national interest. The company did not enter appearance and the AG provided corroborative statements of two witnesses who told the court about the devastating effects of the activities of Q-net in the Upper West Region, by promising them nonexistent jobs in the oil and mining sectors and have succeeded in doing so by taking various monies ranging between GH5,000 and GH15,000 from them. The court, presided over by Justice Jennifer Dadzie, after examining the facts of the petition held that the monies obtained by Q-net Investment Limited from its activities represent the proceeds of crime, and also found that the failure of the company to explain the nature of its activities and what it was doing with the monies, short of laundering the money is indicative of the company operating in an illegal or objectionable manner. Where established companies are engines of illegality, having deviated woefully from what they were established to accomplish, their continued existence must be immediately apprehended. Winding up is necessary to put an end to that unlawfulness. The petition of the petitioner to wind up the respondent (Q-net Investment Ltd) is hereby granted as prayed, the court ruled. It is hereby ordered that the respondent, Q-net Investment Limited be and is hereby wound-up, the court added. Justice Dadzie further ordered that the members, directors and officers of Q-net Investment Limited are restrained from exercising such powers as are ordinarily conferred on them by the then Companies Act 1993, Act 179, under which it was incorporated and the constitution of the company disclosed on its documents of incorporation and such other business that the company may purport to undertake in Ghana and the disposal of any assets of Q-net Investment Limited. -DGN online Mr. Samuel Bryan Buabeng, Head of New Media at the Office of the President, has given an assurance that President Nana Akufo-Addo will save Ghanaians from the current economic hardships. Just as the president did during the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Buabeng believes the current problem will soon be a thing of the past. President Nana Akufo-Addo, whose leadership saved us from COVID-19 will take us out of the current economic situation, he tweeted on Tuesday, November 1. Mr. Buabeng was responding to calls on President Nana Akufo-Addo to resign. He says the President goes nowhere. He insisted that the President would never move an inch since former President John Dramani Mahama refused to resign in his days of dumsor and hardship. In a tweet on Tuesday, November 1, the outspoken presidential staffer asserted that President Akufo-Addo will do all he can to turn things around. Nana Akufo-Addo is NOT moving an inch! John Dramani Mahama did not resign from office when life became unbearable for Ghanaians, so much so, that Hajia Zenabu, a practising Muslim resorted to pig farming to save her family," his tweet reads. Convener for the Fix the country Movement, Oliver Barker Vormawor, and Lawyer Martin Kpebu, who is organising "Kumi Preko reloaded" protest, are mounting pressure on President Akufo-Addo to resign. Speaking on Accra-based JoyNews' 'The Probe' after the President's speech on Sunday, October 30, Mr. Kpebu stated, he has overstayed his welcome, so we are begging Mr. president, he should just resign. Theres a place for resignation. The constitution itself says so, that he can resign. He can. "Once as a people we tell him that respectfully we think that he should resignarticle 66 makes provision for his resignation so he resigns and lets not forget, Lieutenant General Joseph Ankrah, he resigned over allegations concerning about GH6,000 at the time. He continued The constitution makes it clear so its not as if by all means we should run the course of 4 years. No. Once you have seen that this problem is beyond you, you are not able to get your head around it you just resign because its the same story for 6years. Nairobi, November 2, 2022The Committee to Protect Journalists on Wednesday called for accountability for the killing of broadcast journalist Mohamed Isse Hassan and the injuries suffered by two other journalists and one media worker in October 29 twin bomb blasts in the Somali capital, Mogadishu. At least 120 people were killed in two car bomb explosions outside the education ministry offices, near the busy Zobe junction in Mogadishu, according to multiple media reports. The Al-Shabaab, a militant group linked to Al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the attack, according to media reports. Mohamedalso known as Koonaaa reporter and producer with the privately owned M24 Somali TV online broadcaster, died at the scene of the explosions after suffering severe head injuries, according to M24 Somali TVs chief executive officer and founder Abdiwali Abdullahi Hussein, also known as Keytoon, who spoke to CPJ via messaging app, as well as separate statements by the Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) and the Federation of Somali Journalists (FESOJ), two local press rights groups. Reuters photographer Feisal Omar and Abdulkadir Mohamed Abdulle, director of M24 Somali TV and a contributor to the U.S. Congress-funded broadcaster Voice of America (VOA), also were injured at the scene of the blasts, according to a VOA report and Reuters statement emailed to CPJ. All three journalists had rushed to the scene to report on the first blast when the second bomb exploded, the SJS statement, Abdiwali, and a Reuters spokesperson said. In addition, Bile Abdisalan, a security guard at the Reuters bureau, suffered minor injuries to his leg in the explosions, the Reuters spokesperson said in the statement. Mohamed Isse Hassan joins a long list of Somali journalists who have lost their lives in Al-Shabaab attacks, in a country considered one of the most hostile environments for the press. Unfortunately, these attacks are often characterized by a lack of accountability for the culprits, said Muthoki Mumo, CPJ sub-Saharan Africa representative. Mohamed and the other journalists and media workers injured in the attack on October 29 deserve justice. Authorities should ensure they receive it. Mohamed and Abdulkadir were at the M24 Somali TV offices near the Zobe junction when the first bomb exploded around 2 p.m., Abdiwali and a VOA report said. Both rushed to the scene to cover the first blast and were hit when the second explosion went off minutes later, as ambulances and other first responders arrived, Abdiwali and other media reports said. The Reuters spokesperson said that Feisal was taking photographs when the secondary blast took place. Abdulkadir lost two fingers and had shrapnel wounds in his abdomen, the VOA report said. Abdiwali said that Abdulkadir was discharged from the hospital by October 31. The Reuters spokesperson said that Feisal was fine and recovering at home but still needed minor surgery to remove some debris or shrapnel that hit him in the torso. Mohamed, who is survived by his wife and a six-month-old son, previously worked with various media outlets in Mogadishu, including privately owned Universal Somali TV, where he was a reporter until a few months ago, according to Abdiwali and Universal Somali TV East Africa director Abdullahi Hersi Kulmiye, who spoke to CPJ via messaging app. Abdullahi said that Mohamed had also worked with the privately owned Somali outlets Radio Simba, Goobjoog Media Group, and Shabelle Media Network. Mohamed also published his reporting on his Facebook page using the brand Koonaa Media, according to CPJs review of that page. Mohamed is the second journalist to be killed in connection to his work in Somalia this year. On September 30, state-media camera operator Ahmed Mohamed Shukur was killed in a bomb attack by Al-Shabaab. Five years ago, on October 14, 2017, journalist Ali Nur Siad was among at least 500 people killed after a truck bomb detonated at the Zobe junction. That attack was attributed to Al-Shabaab, though the group did not claim responsibility, media reports said. In a telephone call on Tuesday evening, Somali police spokesperson Sadiq Dodishe asked CPJ to send queries via messaging app but had yet to respond to those questions by publication time. Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has launched the Medium-Term Development Strategy for Northern Ghana (MTDS) to create economic growth and improve the livelihoods of the people in the area. The MTDS, which will be implemented within the next five years (2022 2027), focuses on promoting socio-economic growth and climate change adaptation whilst unlocking the potential of the northern savannah ecological zone by building synergies of actors, and building the resilience of the people to create wealth and restore the environment. It has six thematic areas, which include accelerating human development in northern Ghana through access to quality social services, promoting private sector actions capable of delivering broad-based and inclusive economic growth in northern Ghana by 2025, sustaining livelihoods by promoting capacity development across local communities on land governance, biodiversity conservation and climate justice by 2025 amongst others. It was developed by the Northern Development Authority (NDA) in consultation with stakeholders including development partners, the private sector, various stakeholders in northern Ghana, and is aligned to the government's Medium Term Development Framework (2022-2025). Dr Bawumia, in an address to launch the MTDS at the Northern Ghana Development Summit in Tamale, said the issue of northern development was now a national security issue in view of the terrorist activities in the Sahel, which were coming towards the country. The Northern Ghana Development Summit is an annual convening platform that brings together state and non-state actors including institutions and individuals to assess, discuss and recommend actions to accelerate the progress of development in Northern Ghana. This year's Northern Ghana Development Summit, which was a two-day event, also featured an investment fair to highlight private sector development needs, opportunities and game changing investment projects captured in the MTDS as well as exhibition of products and services by businesses and corporate bodies. Dr Bawumia said This is because conflict tends to thrive where there is poverty, deprivation, exclusion where terrorists take advantage to try to recruit people. The development of northern Ghana is important to protect Ghana against terrorist threats that we are seeing from the Sahel. He reiterated the government's commitment to develop northern Ghana, citing some of the government's policies, projects and interventions undertaken in the area, saying The inclusive policies and projects implemented thus far by the government speak to this. He underscored the need for peace and security at all levels of society for development to thrive, urging Our revered Chiefs in northern Ghana to use their traditional cultural linkages and ties, which are based on partnerships, and collaboration to mobilise the energies of the youth and women to embrace this strategy and to work in oneness with NDA and Development Partners to implement this strategy, leaving no one behind. He commended the NDA for coming out with the MTDS and organising the development summit expressing hope that The Authority will go beyond this fair and take concrete steps to improve the business climate of northern Ghana, create opportunities for the youth and spur growth at all levels and in all locations. Dr Bawumia also expressed gratitude to the Development Partners for their technical support so far, saying Your inputs and suggestions have contributed to enriching the strategy. I am hopeful that as always, you will commit resources for the implementation of this strategy and actively participate in driving this process to deliver as one and leave no one behind. Mr Charles Abani, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Ghana said despite the challenges We must not relent in our efforts but reorient public and private investment towards the Sustainable Development Goals and adopt investment strategies that drive continuous commitment towards an inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and economic integration. Mr Abani assured that We, your international friends, will assist in identifying inclusive business and service delivery and capacity building approaches and models that improve access and capabilities, access to service, ensure durable peace and economic transformation and expanded productive opportunities including through facilitating access to business, social and financial services, especially for the marginalizsed and women. He expressed the need to leverage on e-commerce and digital technology to create more jobs for the teeming youthful population, which would provide them with higher quality of life. He assured that We will continue to support the three pillars of the Government of Ghana's vision which are peace and security, economic growth, and social development. GNA 03.11.2022 LISTEN One regrets to announce that henceforth, one will no longer share tagged Facebook posts, on one's widely-read Facebook page, till further notice. Full stop. Hmmm, ey3nsem piiiiii, oooo, Ghanafuo... Please note that as matters now stand, for online-existential-reasons, and longterm-brand-resiliency purposes, it matters not a whit to moi, who you are, or what your tagged post is about - just don't tag me, wai. Full stop. And, no friend requests to moi, will be accepted either. Obiara endi ni lane mu, wai, Massa. Period. Since the geniuses into whose grubby hands our Motherland, Ghana, has fallen, suddenly woke up to the threat to their egregious-dissimulation, posed online, by idiots like Kofi Thompson, on social media platforms, I have suddenly experienced a spike in Kafkaesque-type complaints to Facebook (as many as five now) that "according to independent fact-checkers", I have shared false news - all of them genuine and innocent tagged-posts I shared, only because I wanted to publicise good causes. I have had enough. I am human after all. Haaba. The question that a wise and aspirational African people like Ghanaians ought to ponder over is: Who are these faceless Kafkaesque "independent fact-checkers", who are now creating the online building-blocks for tomorrow's tyranny, in Ghana, koraaaa? Hmmm, eyeasem, ooooo... That said, let the word go out loud and clear: Kofi Thompson will not be cowed. No. No. No. Case closed. One simply refuses to allow the hirelings of Ghana's greed-filled big-thieves-in-high-places, to get yet more opportunities, to negatively impact the global-reach, and influence-footprint, of one's widely-read social media platform pages, including one's Facebook pages. Full stop. So, dear critical-readers, neither send any friend requests to moi, nor tag moi into your Facebook page posts, for now, ooooo, wai - at least not until the metaphorical muddied-waters are clearer, to moi. For your information, Kofi Thompson too knows how to read tea leaves, paaaa, oooo, wai, Massa. Sarjewah. Cool. First came the torrential rains, which burst river banks, swept away homes and upended hundreds of thousands of lives. Now, in a further cruel twist, the floods that have struck Chad, one of the world's poorest countries, are hampering people from burying the dead. Many cemeteries in the capital N'Djamena have been cut off by road, and others are awash, forcing mourners to look further afield for places where they can bury loved ones. Yamadji Mobaye's young niece had died several days before, and now the 60-year-old was aboard a canoe on a swollen river, with her elaborate coffin perched perilously on top. The boat was heading to Toukra cemetery, the city's biggest graveyard for Christians. "It's hard when God calls one of us back during this time of floods. The canoe is our only chance of getting there," she said. Waterlogged: Toukra cemetery. By Denis Sassou Gueipeur (AFP) After a 20-minute ride, the large cemetery came into view. Around a quarter of the site, including many graves, was under water. Around 100 mourners were there, also brought by canoes. "We paid 3,000 CFA francs ($4.50) for transporting the body, and the relatives who came with us paid 500 francs a head," said Mobaye. "For families who are poor it's an even harder blow." State of emergency Floods fuelled by exceptional rains have struck 18 out of the 23 provinces in this vast, arid central African country, affecting more than a million people, according to the government. Chad's leader, General Mahamat Idriss Deby, on October 20 declared a state of emergency and called for "friendly countries" to help it provide shelter, medical aid and basic needs. N'Djamena has borne the brunt of the misery, with more than 98,000 people hit by the swollen waters of the Chari river, according to the UN's humanitarian agency, OCHA. Floods have hit 18 out of Chad's 23 provinces, affecting a million people, the authorities say. By Denis Sassou Gueipeur (AFP) Water levels in some districts rose by up to five metres (16.4 feet) and swept aside makeshift defences erected by desperate inhabitants. The death toll is unknown, although Deby said, "We should thank the Almighty who has so far spared us losses in human lives." Ferryman Timothee Mbaississem, 52, said he had transported seven coffins on his canoe since the start of the week, and insisted he did not gouge on prices. "I'm happy to take the money they give me without complaining," he said. Chad. By (AFP) Another ferryman, sitting under a tree at the cemetery, said he did the trip for 500 francs, but "some of my colleagues are asking for exorbitant amounts." The flooding was even worse at Ngonba cemetery, a few kilometres (miles) away. It was completely inundated. "For burials, people can go to the Farcha cemetery," a bigger site west of the city, Amina Kodjiana, a city official, told AFP. Chad is the world's third poorest country, according to the benchmark of the UN's Human Development Index. Homes in Wali, a poor neighbourhood in the south of N'Djamena. By Denis Sassou Gueipeur (AFP) The World Bank says 42 percent of the 16 million population live in poverty, while the United Nations says 5.5 million need emergency humanitarian aid. The rainy season in the Sahel typically runs from June to September and routinely claims lives. But experts say this year's rainfall has been exceptional. In neighbouring Niger, nearly 200 people died and a quarter of a million were affected. "All our studies say that these rains can be linked with climate change," Katiellou Gaptia Lawan, head of Niger's national meteorological agency, told AFP earlier this month. 03.11.2022 LISTEN The Senators from the State of Nebraska, the United States of America and an International consultant are set to arrive in Ghana on Sunday, November 13, 2022, for a 5-day visit. Their visit is aimed at working and developing business relations between Ghana and the State of Nebraska, with a focus on Agriculture, Agro Processing, Energy, Lands and Natural Resources. In a press release issued in Accra, Agrihouse Foundation, co-host of the visiting senators, described the visit as one that will create the much desired economic path opening up and deepening opportunities between Ghana and the State of Nebraska, especially for actors in the Livestock and Agro Processing sub-sectors. The visiting Senators are upbeat about the immense mutually beneficial fallouts from their visit as they anticipate there will be more to learn about the Investment and Development opportunities in Ghana, especially through expected interactions with both the public and the private sectors' key players, as well as through field trips for first-hand experience. Through these networking engagements, the release stated that the august visitors are "positive about connecting better with Ghanaian businesses towards creating and establishing viable and fruitful business relations between Ghana and the State of Nebraska." The visiting delegation of Senators include the twenty-five years old Julie Slama, who happens to be the youngest woman serving in the State of Nebraska. Miss Slama made waves on the internet in early April 2022, when she took to the Nebraska senate floor to support the Human Life Protection Act. Earlier in the year, she had also introduced the Heartbeat bill, a bill to ban abortion after a babys heartbeat is detected. Her bills on agriculture, rural economic development, and education passed support. She presently serves on several Executive Boards in Nebraska, including the Judiciary Committee, Retirement Committee, Banking, Commerce, and the Insurance Committee; and she is very passionate about causes and issues in the Health and Agriculture sectors. Leading the delegation is former Senator Ken Schilz who served for eight years as a Nebraska State Senator representing ten counties in western Nebraska. He was elected Chairman of the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committees and served on the Banking, Commerce, Insurance, Business, Labor, Education, and General Affairs Committees. He is a Strategist who has, over the years, worked with various companies to create relationships with communities and other entities to further Economic Development, Entrepreneurship and Job Growth within the State. Before serving in the Legislature, Schilz managed a 20,000 herd feed yard for 15 years. Presently with Nebraska Strategies, the former Senator is keen on sharing and leveraging on his experience to develop and strengthen Investment, Impact Projects, especially in Agro Processing and Value Addition. Kofi Amoabin, the non-Senator amongst the visiting group, is an International Consultant on Political Affairs and International Trade. Amoabin has assisted many US companies to do business in Africa, just as he has similarly assisted sub-Saharan entities to do business in the U.S. Amoabins role as a consultant encompasses projects in the US, Germany, UK, Ghana, Nigeria, Cote dIvoire, Tanzania, Cameroon, Uganda and others. The successful Consultant who once served as an election judge in Will County, Illinois since 2008 has, also, between 2013 and 2014, worked as News Reporter in Ghana when the candidate Nana Akufo-Addo challenged Ghanas 2012 Presidential Elections. Finally, Senator Andrew La Grone who represented Nebraskas 49th Legislative District where he served as the Vice Chair of the Government, Military, and Veterans Affairs Committee, championing Voter ID and Election Integrity Legislation. Senator La Grone also led a filibuster that secured a vote on the largest property tax cut package in the State history. Prior to serving in the Legislature, Andrew served as the Legal Counsel for the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee from 2016-2019, and on the Washington, D.C. staff of Congressman Adrian Smith. He graduated from the University Of Nebraska College Of Law with High Distinction in 2015, running his own Law Firm. The leader of the eminent delegation, Senator Schilz, says that whilst in Ghana, they will also jointly launch, with Agrihouse Foundation, the Nebraska-Ghana AgriValue Addition Acceleration & Development Conference NEGRI-VAD, an annual event, which aims to develop business markets amongst Ghanaian Value Chain Actors and businesses in Nebraska, United States of America. We are all excited about coming to Ghana and are confident that, by the end of our five (5) days visit, we should have been able to have met the right people, had a better understanding of the respective sectors and laid the grounds for the beginning of a Ghana- Nebraska sustainable relations, he concluded. The independent Presidential candidate in the 2020 general elections has asked President Akufo-Addo to stop making excuses with the Russia-Ukraine war and the Covid-19 pandemic and find solution to the economic hardship bediviling the country. According to Mr. Alfred Kwame Asiedu Walker, President Akufo-Addo and his government have failed to keep to their campaign promises, leading the country into hardship and hopelessness. In an interview with ModernGhana News, Mr. Asiedu Walker called on the government to stop making excuses, adding that Russia is at war with Ukraine and not with Ghana. In his opinion, rather than making the Russia-Ukraine war and the Covid-19 pandemic excuses, the government could turn those events into wealth for the country. "We don't seem to know how to take advantage of disaster issues. Out of every disaster comes new growth. The disasters should be opportunities for our farmers", he states. He says, considering that the country's over-dependence on foreign products is the major cause of the depreciation of the Cedi, which is contributing to the crisis, the government should be making efforts to take advantage of the situation to empower the local farmers to produce more for the country and export. He believes that Ghana can survive without importing food or food items if the farmers could be supported with soft loans and mechanised farming implements. Mr. Alfred Walker opines that agriculture, oil and the other mineral reserves of the country are enough to run the economy, with the right appointments of personnel based on competence and not family and friends lines. He also added his voice to calls for the Finance and Economic Planning Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta to be sacked, whom he says, is only an expert in contracting loans. Like many other Ghanaians, Mr. Walker also thinks that Mr. Ofori-Atta doesn't have what it takes to manage the economy. He further reiterates his call for Ghana to find home-grown solutions to her problems and stop running for loans which come with restrictive conditions. The independent presidential candidate is also against royalty-based contracts with international firms in the Ghanaian extractive industry. He is suggesting a relook into all such contracts and their possible reversal to production-sharing agreements. He holds the view that Ghana would be better off with revenue from production-sharing agreements than what pertains now. Manasseh Azure Awuni said Ghanaian business mogul Mr. Daniel McKorley, better known as McDan, owner of the McDan group of companies, is not the corrupt businessman who tried to bribe over 80 NPP MPs to back down on their demand for Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta to be dismissed. The investigative journalist has cautioned the public to stop linking Mr. McDan to the purported 'businessman'. In a tweet on Wednesday, November 2, the outspoken journalist wrote, The corrupt businessman who carried cash to parliament to bribe NPP MPs is not McDan as some of you are speculating. Some 80 of the members of the Majority Caucus in Ghana's Parliament called on the President to dismiss the Finance Minister Ken Ofori Atta and the Minister of state at the Finance Ministry, Charles Adu Boahen. They said the two are unfit to remain at post following the worsening economic crisis. They also vowed to boycott government businesses in Parliament should the President fail to dismiss Ken Ofori-Atta. However, a day after, on Wednesday, October 26, they (the Majority Caucus) allegedly met the President and agreed to his appeal to allow the Finance Minister conclude negotiations with IMF before a determination can be made on the proposed dismissal. Mr. Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, Member of Parliament (MP) for Suame and Majority Leader in Ghana's parliament, revealed afterwards that a certain Ghanaian business magnate tried to persuade the Majority MPs from going ahead with demand. According to him, the said businessman met the MPs and tried to do something but the MPs rejected his appeal. I'm told on authority that some businessman came here and tried to do something. I was told that he came here and tried to mediate in his own way what he thinks the problem is...he was repelled by the people and told he was told not to involve himself. So he went away," the MP said. Mr. Andy Appiah-Kubi, MP, Asante Akim North, who led the disappointed MPs in an interview with Joy FM, stated that the businessman offered them some amount of money. "I am part of the group that organised the press conference in respect of the claim that the Finance Minister should be relieved of his position and we have been meeting on this subject matter, there was an occasion that a man approached us and wanted to mediate on behalf of the finance minister. "We assured him that we did not have anything against the Finance Minister per se except that the public confidence in him has waned, that we have been approached by our constituents and, therefore, we thought that it was time for him to go so we will rebuild public confidence in the ministry and the government, he noted. Explaining that, The man came and talked to us about it and wanted us to turn around and [re]consider the decision...we listened to him, and he said that while he has come here to talk to us; we have given him the opportunity to address us and therefore he wants to leave something behind for us. "Indeed he got somebody to bring it and we said sorry, we cannot take anything. It is not for the reason of money that we are taking this decision, we are motivated by our conscience and therefore, it is not about materialism and that it is where it ended. We returned the money to him and he took it away." According to Mr. Appiah Kubi, the businessman told the disappointed MPs that "it is not in the interest of the business community to see this confusion in governance and therefore for the sake of the business community, and their businesses, let us ensure that there is peace and tranquillity in the political space. That is why he has come to talk to us. "There was no need to investigate the group he represented neither was a need for us to investigate his personal commitment or interest in this matter; but I saw him as a statesman and somebody who has business interest in Ghana, who is interested in the tranquillity that existed within the leadership of the country. Manasseh Azure Awuni, an investigative journalist has opined on what compelled the purported businessman to bribe the Majority NPP MPs. He said the businessman might have taken that action noticing that the MPs are money-hungry. In a tweet on Wednesday, November 2, the outspoken journalist wrote, A corrupt businessman who carries cash to parliament to cause MPs to act his way must've seen the MPs as greedy idiots. Some 80 of the members of the Majority Caucus in Ghana's Parliament called on the President to dismiss the Finance Minister Ken Ofori Atta and the Minister of state at the Finance Ministry, Charles Adu Boahen. They said the two are unfit to remain at post following the worsening economic crisis. They also vowed to boycott government businesses in Parliament should the President fail to dismiss Ken Ofori-Atta. However, a day after, on Wednesday, October 26, they (the Majority Caucus) allegedly met the President and agreed to his appeal to allow the Finance Minister conclude negotiations with IMF before a determination can be made on the proposed dismissal. Mr. Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, Member of Parliament (MP) for Suame and Majority Leader in Ghana's parliament, revealed afterwards that the action by the Majority MPs was intervened by a certain Ghanaian business magnate. According to him, the said businessman met the MPs and tried to do something but the MPs rejected his appeal. I'm told on authority that some businessman came here and tried to do something. I was told that he came here and tried to mediate in his own way what he thinks the problem is...he was repelled by the people and told he was told not to involve himself. So he went away," the MP said. Mr. Andy Appiah-Kubi, MP, Asante Akim North, who led the disappointed MPs in an interview with Joy FM, stated that the businessman offered them some amount of money. "I am part of the group that organised the press conference in respect of the claim that the Finance Minister should be relieved of his position and we have been meeting on this subject matter, there was an occasion that a man approached us and wanted to mediate on behalf of the finance minister. "We assured him that we did not have anything against the Finance Minister per se except that the public confidence in him has waned, that we have been approached by our constituents and, therefore, we thought that it was time for him to go so we will rebuild public confidence in the ministry and the government, he noted. Asked whether they (the MPs), considered it a bribe, Mr. Appiah-Kubi responded "we don't consider it as a bribe because there was nothing that we were doing to his advantage as a person so, that will not constitute a bribe. It was something that he was doing to try and get us to accommodate probably; that cannot qualify as a bribe." Explaining that, The man came and talked to us about it and wanted us to turn around and [re]consider the decision...we listened to him, and he said that while he has come here to talk to us; we have given him the opportunity to address us and therefore he wants to leave something behind for us. "Indeed he got somebody to bring it and we said sorry, we cannot take anything. It is not for the reason of money that we are taking this decision, we are motivated by our conscience and therefore, it is not about materialism and that it is where it ended. We returned the money to him and he took it away." According to Mr. Appiah Kubi, the businessman told the disappointed MPs that "it is not in the interest of the business community to see this confusion in governance and therefore for the sake of the business community, and their businesses, let us ensure that there is peace and tranquillity in the political space. That is why he has come to talk to us. "There was no need to investigate the group he represented neither was a need for us to investigate his personal commitment or interest in this matter; but I saw him as a statesman and somebody who has business interest in Ghana, who is interested in the tranquillity that existed within the leadership of the country. The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture and the National Biosafety Authority of Ghana, has organised a workshop on food and the economy. The one-day forum dubbed "U.S -Ghana Innovation For Food And Economy Workshop" was organised by the CSIR and supported by the U. S Embassy and was part of the five-year Feed the Future Country Plan for Ghana that will increase investments in agriculture, build greater resilience, and improve household nutrition. It was held at the University for Development Studies(UDS) last Wednesday in Tamale. The forum was attended by the United States Embassy in Ghana, the National Biodiversity Authority, the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research(CSIR), Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, among others as part of activities to develop and implement a strategy that fosters dialogue and results in the elimination of all negative perceptions about biotechnology. On September 5, 2019, the governments of the United States of America and the Republic of Ghana signed a Declaration of Partnership at the African Green Revolution Forum hosted in Accra. The Declaration launched a five-year Feed the Future Country Plan for Ghana that will increase investments in agriculture, build greater resilience, and improve household nutrition. Feed the Future is the U.S. Governments global hunger and food security initiative, bringing together investments from 11 U.S. Government agencies to help accelerate Ghanas journey to self-reliance through agriculture, trade, and policy reforms. Under the September 5, 2019 declaration, the two nations aligned their priorities for investments in food security, trade, and nutrition in Ghana, in the Northern, North East, Upper East, and Upper West regions, and coastal fishing zones. In many African and developing countries including Ghana, due to a lack of understanding of biotechnological applications and the nature of the products derived from them, products developed using the technology have been the subject of controversy and negative public perception. According to research, population increase has become a threat to food sufficiency as the increased numbers of the global population continue to shrink the size of farmlands. Also, the global population has been estimated to hit 9.9 billion by 2050 of which Africas share is 2.5 billion as the continent experiences high birthrates. The onslaught of challenges, therefore, requires that farming is guided to make the most out of research and smaller farm holdings to be able to feed populations and for economic gain. The one-day forum was therefore held to engage and educate research scientists, farmers and media in Ghana on improved agricultural methods. In his submissions during the forum, the Economic Associate of the US Embassy, Easton Reid said the United States identifies agriculture where Ghana and Africa were naturally endowed as the foundational block and the basic tool for fighting poverty. He also said the UN Sustainable Development goal two, which aims at stamping out hunger by 2030 and others were racing against time to meet the targets but added that unfolding natural conditions such as drought and inadequate rainfall, continue to pose challenges to those quests. He further indicated that across many parts of the globe, the demand for food was high, and ensuring that every human being had access to sufficient food required that yields of crops were maintained above current levels. "Achieving this in the face of climate variability, soil degradation and the increased incidence of pests and diseases requires the development of improved and better-adapted crops" he stated The Director General of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, CSIR, Prof. Paul Bosu, in his remarks, noted that though Ghanaians were against the consumption of GM foods, he believed it was already consumed in the country. He also urged Ghanaians to accept GM Foods assuring that it was safer and well-regulated than conventional foods. "For many decades, biotechnology has proven to be a reliable technology for breeding plants with desirable adaptation and utilization traits," he said. On his part, the Executive Director of the National Biosafety Authority, Mr Eric Okoree assured Ghanaians that his outfit was doing its best to ensure that all GM products were well regulated. He added that the National Biosafety Authority was working tirelessly to safeguard the country's biodiversity space. The Chief Director of the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation Mrs Cynthia Asare-Bediako, on her part, pledged the support of the ministry to the development, protection and promotion of technology as well as innovation in Ghana. In the picture below is Mrs Cynthia Asare-Bediako, middle in the front line (Chief Director of the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation), and Professor Easton Reid 3rd from right (Economic Associate of the US Embassy) and other participants at the forum Lawyer Martin Amidu 03.11.2022 LISTEN Former Attorney General, Martin Amidu has yet again taken a swipe at President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for failing to deliver on his promises to the Ghanaians. In his latest epistle, the countrys first Special Prosecutor has described the Presidents tenure as one that has been characterised by greed and selfish devotion to family and friends. According to Mr. Amidu, President Akufo-Addo has wasted a very important opportunity to write his name in the good book of the country. Mr. President, you appeared by your promises and entreaties to Ghanaians to try you as our elected President to have been sincere as the person to be trusted to turn the fortunes of this country round. Time has shown your tenure as our President to be one of wasted opportunity, greed, avarice and selfish devotion to your Family and Friends who constitute your government and the foreign governments and associates you are enamored to please than those who elected you to serve our country, Martin Amidu opines in his statement. The Ghanaian lawyer insists that the most recent developments and the challenges to the authority of the President within the New Patriotic Party are more than sufficient evidence for him to stop calling his government of 'Family and Friends', a government that cares for Ghanaians. Martin Amidu is of the view that President Akufo-Addos record is proof that he will not be able to stabilize the economy and mitigate the sufferings of Ghanaians before he leaves office. The trust you have lost within your own New Patriotic Party is ample proof, if proof be needed, that as a lame duck President, you cannot between now and December 2023 (let alone by the end of election year 2024) restore stability to the economy and provide relief to the poor, the former Special Prosecutor adds in his statement. The Worker Drie Drive Logistics (WDDL), tea and spices production company in Humbug, Germany, has donated academic excellence tools and materials to Baidoocom Academy, a private basic school at Nanasuano in the Berekum West District of the Bono region. The items donated included school bags, shoes, clothes, kids playing equipment, toys, balls and skateboards. Others were reading and writing materials such as books, rulers, sketching tools, drawing pads, colour pencils, pens, erasers and many more to help the practical works of the kids in school and at home. Mr. Opoku Kwasi, the Proprietor of the school, who lives and work with the company in Germany, presented the items to management and staff of Baidoocom Academy. Mr. Opoku made the presentation on behalf of Makus Mikesker, Wibke Lulau and Lydia Schirev and the entire company in Germany. Speaking in an interview with the media, he expressed his profound gratitude to the management of WDDL company for the kind gesture to support both academic, physical and psychological growth of pupils of Baidoocom Academy in Ghana. Mr. Joseph Tutu-Ansu, the Headmaster, said some of the kids have challenges in terms of tools and materials for learning because their parents are unable to afford. "These items would therefore be of great help to such children and ease the burden on their parents and the school because if the children don't have what is needed for them to study, it slows down their academic works and affects the performance of not only them but the school in general." Mr. Tutu-Ansu said the school started in 2019 and has a total population of about 450 pupils from creche to Class four with over 20 teaching and non-teaching staff. The Insurance Brokers Association of Ghana (IBAG) has embarked on an insurance awareness tour to St. Marys Senior High School and Accra High Schools, all in Greater Accra Region. The insurance tour is part of activities for the national Broker Awareness Month Campaign. The delegation to both schools made up of the leadership and some officers of the Association, paid courtesy calls on the heads of the schools and also educated the students on insurance, career opportunities in insurance, and the role of Insurance Brokers in giving customers the best of insurance experience. In addition, the IBAG team took time to address some negative perceptions and misconceptions about insurance. While at St. Marys Senior High School, the headmistress, Mrs. Philomena Owusu-Ansah Barnes shared her experiences regarding the use of an Insurance Broker. She testified that through her Insurance Broker, she enjoyed fair treatment and prompt settlement of claims. When the IBAG delegation visited Accra High School, Mrs. Evelyn Nabia, who is the headmistress of the school, confirmed that she has signed onto several insurance policies and therefore encouraged the students to cultivate the habit of investment and insurance whilst in school. At the end of the presentation, students who were able to correctly answer questions posed by the IBAG Team were rewarded with some prizes. The Association also donated some items to both schools during the tour based on their communicated needs. St. Marys Senior High received a projector and an electronic screen while an electrical pepper mill was donated to Accra High School. The headmistresses of both schools applauded IBAG for the education as well as the donations. The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey is in New York to participate in the United Nations Security Council meetings. She is expected to chair a Ministerial debate today on the topic: Integrating effective resilience building in peace operations. On Tuesday, November 1, 2022, Ghana took over the rotating monthly Presidency of the United Nations Security Council and will preside over the Council meetings (adoptions, debates, and consultations). The Security Council, which is composed of 15 Member States, is the organ of the United Nations with primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. The responsibility of presiding over the Security Council comes at a time when international peace and security are threatened. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is expected to participate in a meeting of the Council on Tuesday, 10th October 2022. There will be an exhibition of Ghanaian arts and a food-tasting event on the sidelines at the United Nations Headquarters throughout the month. The Board Secretary of the National Health Insurance Authority, Harold Boateng, has called for stronger cooperation between the United Nations and regional arrangements to effectively deal with the increasing rate of refugees, especially in Africa. He made this call at the United Nations (UN) Security Council on Tuesday to discuss the global refugee situation. He said critical attention needed to be given to addressing the drivers of instability which was an aggravating factor for the refugee situation. Also, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee (UNHCR), Mr Philippo Grandi, in a short briefing at the meeting gave an overview of the global refugee situation to the Council members. The other members of the council who were present expressed concern about the global refugee situation some of which have been necessitated by conflicts in some parts of the world. 03.11.2022 LISTEN A group calling itself Alliance of Drivers, Ghana, has called on car owners and commercial drivers across the country to park their vehicles on Monday, November 7 if fuel prices are not reduced in the coming days. The group further advised commercial drivers who ply along Techiman roads to park their vehicles in order not to incur any losses that will have dire consequences on their families. It accused Oil and Marketing Companies (OMCs) of adopting dubious means of charging exorbitant prices at the detriment of end users. The group which comprises commercial bus drivers who ply from Techiman to Accra, Techiman to Cape Coast, Techiman to Kumasi called on the government to sit up and reduce some of the fuel taxes and if possible introduce other subsidisation policy on petroleum products. According to a statement signed by the National Chairman of the Alliance of Drivers, Ghana, Alhaji Yahya Isiaka, it threatened to put on hold all transport businesses if the government refuses to adhere to their suggestions. Businesses are suffering, passengers and drivers are fighting on a daily basis because OMCs are always adjusting transport fares upwards, the statement said. Confirming the move to citinewsroom.com, Alhaji Isiaka said they will seize all transport businesses on Monday if the prices of fuel keep going up. Below is the statement from the Alliance of Drivers. PRESS RELEASE BY ALLIANCE OF DRIVERS, GHANA WE CALL ALL DRIVERS TO PARK THEIR VEHICLES IF FUEL PRICES ARE NOT BEEN REDUCED FROM THE COMING DAYS The recent fuel price increment is a major concern to drivers and car owners. There has been major calls on government to reduce fuel prices now. The question we ask is why all this sudden increments fuel prices? It is not easy for every Ghanaians at this point as this increment has contributed immensely to the increase in general prices of goods and services.Business are suffering,passengers and drivers are fighting on a daily basis because the latter is always adjusting transport fare upwards. The life we live now is a struggle. We call on all drivers to park their cars until further notice . The oil marketing companies are also taking advantage and using dubious means to charge exorbitantly. The market woman are also taking advantage of the current economic hardships to sabotage the system. The government must sit up and reduce some of the fuel taxes and if possible introduce other subsidisation policy on petroleum product. If the above suggestions are not been adhered to by the government, we will urge all drivers and transport operators to put on hold all transport business. We believe it can be done and be done well if proper consultation is done on these key decisions as the negative impact its having on the ordinary Ghanaian is unbearable. Lets all have the country at heart and work together to raise the name of this country high. Our best regards. Thank you. Signed.. NATIONAL CHAIRMAN ALHAJI YAHYA ISIAKA NATIONAL PRO, KWEKU BOATENG *0244020168/ 0592507409 -citinesroom French author Brigitte Giraud has won France's top literature prize, the Prix Goncourt, for a novel based on events that led to the death of her husband in a motorbike accident in 1999. The personal has no meaning unless it resonates with the collective, Giraud said on Thursday after learning she won the award for her book Vivre vite (Live Fast), which is based on a personal story but is much larger" than that. Giraud poses the question of destiny with a lot of simplicity and authenticity, said the President of the Goncourt Academy, Didier Decoin, from the Drouant restaurant in Paris where the jury traditionally meets and decides on the winner. Prolific writer Born in Algeria, Giraud, 62, is from Lyon and has written a dozen books. She won the Goncourt short story prize in 2007 for L'amour est tres surestime (Love is Very Underestimated) and her book Jour de courage (Day of Courage) was shortlisted for the 2019 Medicis prize. After 14 rounds of voting, the Goncourt jury chose Giraud's book over Giuliano da Empoli's Le Mage du Kremlin (The Wizard of the Kremlin), which has sold nearly 100,000 copies since it was published six months ago and won the Grand Prix du Roman from the Academie Francaise last week. Giraud is the 13th woman to win the Goncourt since the prize was created 120 years ago, and follows the Senegalese author Mohamed Mbougar Sarr who won in 2021 for his novel La plus secrete memoire des homme (The Most Secret Memory of Men). Goncourt winners are guaranteed a massive boost in sales, especially at the end of the year when people are shopping for holiday gifts. They also receive a cheque for 10 euros, which most frame and put on the wall rather than deposit at the bank. (with AFP) Joyce Bawa Mogtari, the Special Aide to former President John Dramani Mahama has reiterated the impact of the current economic hardships in Ghana. She stated that out of frustration someone almost beat her up at a gas station today. According to her, the man was probably upset because his money wasn't up to the price of the gas, so she had to pay for the guy. We are all in a constant state of irritation and anger, someone almost beat me up at the gas station this morning! My anger was probably a zillion times more than his, moved by a spirit of kindness, I paid for his fuel, and his reaction caused me to tear up! the hardship is real! Miss Bawas tweet on Thursday, November 3 said. 03.11.2022 LISTEN Majority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has said investigations will be conducted into allegations that a businessman tried to bribe some New Patriotic Party (NPP) Members of Parliament who demanded the removal of Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, and the Minister of State at the Finance Ministry, Charles Adu Boahen. The Leader of the Majority Caucus had earlier stated that a renowned businessman in Ghana tried influencing the decision of some members of the group with money over their demand for the dismissal of leadership of the Finance Ministry. But during an engagement with the Parliamentary Press Corps, Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said an investigation will be commissioned into the matter to ascertain its veracity. We will investigate and if it is true, we will establish the motive of that person [the alleged businessman]. He said he wasnt going to pass judgement on the allegations until an investigation establishes otherwise. What I can say of it [the allegations] as of now is that, we dont know the motive. Not knowing what the motive is, sometimes these things come up, so we will have to establish that. He cited the example of a minister nominee who was accused of offering bribes to the Appointments Committee to facilitate his approval as a reason for his reluctance to pronounce judgement. You remember the issue of a minister who was nominated to appear before the Vetting Committee, there were allegations that he attempted to bribe some people or influence some people, eventually, it turned out to be untrue. Even though this one has come before me, not having gone into it, I dont want to make any pronouncements on it. Lets see if indeed it is true and that is not an insult to the intelligence of those people who spoke to it. -citinewsroom The youth in Adaklu Abuadi in the Volta Region have risen against Greenhouse Company, a Chinese-led quarry entity producing chippings from rock formations in the community. The company is known to have been established to provide materials for road construction. It has been operating for about a decade. The youths and other natives of the area from across the country demonstrated against the quarry firm, alleging the community had not in a way benefited from the activities of the company. Clad in red mourning clothes, they marched on the streets, wailing over the destruction caused to the road by heavy-duty trucks. They said despite not benefiting from the enterprise in any form, site blasts reverberated through the community buildings and were causing their collapse, and locals working at the quarry were maltreated by the foreigners, always armed with guns. Some placards carried by the youth in the sweltering procession read: The Youth Say No to Tyrants, Chinese, Your Cup is Full, Enough is Enough, Action Now! Our Buildings are Collapsing, and Abuadi Deserves Better. Others were: MP Agbodza Show Your Concern, Abuadi Must Develop by Force, The Chinese Must Leave Immediately, The Quarry is a Nuisance in Abuadi, and If you don't act immediately, We will be Inhumane. There were hooting sounds as the youth made their way to the community centre to deliver their address and were joined by other groups in the Diaspora. Raymond Akadi, a representative of the youth, and conveyor said the company has been operating in Adaklu Abuadi since September 2012 till date. Their activities had resulted in so much havoc that the community has suffered from with no known confrontation or benefit to the community whatsoever; therefore, the youth think the reasonable alternative is for the Chinese company to stop their operations to save the community from associated health issues. He added that based on the operations of the Chinese Company, we believe our basic human rights have been violated, and mentioned the dilapidation of buildings in the community because of frequent dynamite blasts. There is also the fear of farmers on the field and in the community as a result of flying pebbles, while at work as well as hitting the roofs of the houses near the quarry site in the community day and night. The pollution of the environment by the dust and noise and accompanying health hazards were of concern to the agitated youth as they enumerated the way the community lost its freedom to the quarry activities. The incessant plying of heavy-duty vehicles on a 24-hour basis has created manholes leading to rendering the road from Adaklu Tsrefe to Adaklu Waya impassable and intimidation by gun-wielding Chinese leaves much to be desired. Drivers are not willing to ply the road from Tsrefe to Abuadi because of its worse nature, whenever natives visit Ho and are returning home we are made to alight and walk or are compelled to pay extra exorbitant fees. The youth representative said they felt the Chinese had connived with the community's leadership in taking undue advantage of the resource. They demanded contract details, as well as environmental impact and social assessment of the concession, and demanded to know the details of corporate social responsibility attached, and an account of all royalties paid to the community so far. They questioned why stones will be quarried in Adaklu Abuadi and used to construct other roads while the community roads remain bad. It is our resolve that the operations of the quarry by the Chinese company have become a nuisance in the community. Based on that we are appealing to the Paramount Chief and his elders and the District Chief Executive to notify the contract awarding institution/individual to instruct the Chinese to halt their activities and vacate the site with immediate effect. Failure to adhere to the above, the youth will advise themselves as they deem fit, the conveyor said. Elders of the community were present to receive the petition and promised to forward it to appropriate authorities. Ten years of quarrying should have developed Abuadi by now, Etornam Anorson, Assembly member for the area said, and commended the united resolve to change the narrative. The Assembly member told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that royalties on the concession were being controlled by the royal family and that several attempts to help expand stakeholdership had not been fruitful. We want the company to have a relook at their corporate social responsibility. If even it is not in agreement, it should be considered in the name of humanity, Mr Anorson said and hinted that some legal actions were considered. The GNA's attempt to reach the management of the company proved futile and met the facility guarded by security and armed Police. Madam Juliana Kpedekpo, Adaklus Chief Executive disclosed to the GNA she was yet to receive any petition from the youth. GNA Mr. Senyo Hosi [Left] and Agric Minister Dr. Owusu Akoto Afriyie [Right] 03.11.2022 LISTEN Finance and economic policy analyst, Mr. Senyo Hosi says the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Akoto Afriyie must resign otherwise Ghana will collapse under the Minister's feet. This is contained in a release replying to the Ministrys request for him to furnish it with the source of data which resulted in his (Senyo's) failed investment. This was after Senyo Hosi noted that wrong data he mined from the sector ministry almost collapsed his private business. READ MORE: Provide us with the source of MoFA data that caused your failed investment Agric Ministry to Senyo Hosi But explaining in his release, Mr. Senyo Hosi says his submission on the matter at its core, was about the Ministrys failure to structure the agricultural industry through policy to make it sustainably bankable and attractive for investment, to achieve the transformation we seek as a country. According to him, it is most unfortunate that despite being led by a PhD. Agric-economist, the analytical capacity of the MoFA is one of mediocrity. Just so you are reminded, despite the presence of MOFA in practically every district in the country, it is the Ministers methodology that the distribution of fertilizer equals a given quantum of employment. Since when did the distribution of fertilizer become a yardstick for acquiring employment data on a major policy intervention as the Planting for Food and Jobs? And I believe these bags of fertilizer that the Minister adopted as the basis for the Ministrys employment data included the bags of fertilizer, he found being smuggled out of the country on unmanned donkeys he could only watch and do nothing about, Mr. Senyo Hosi argues in his release. While insisting that Dr. Owusu Akoto Afriyie is unfit to be Agric Minister, the former CBOD CEO call on the Minister to resign. Respectfully, the arm-chair analysis the Minister and/or MOFA does with a culture of knowing everything, without adequate consultations and collaborations with industry, will take this country nowhere. Your conduct and management of this matter is suboptimal and respectfully, proves your unfitness to lead in the policy space for this sector. It is no wonder that we have spent billions of cedis and yielded sub-optimal effect, under all kinds of sloganeering and questionable data reportage. I respectfully call on the Minister and his Chief Director to resign with immediate effect to save this industry from total collapse, Mr. Hosi concludes. Read more from the release below: Victoria Mwaful, Business Diversification Award winner 03.11.2022 LISTEN A total of 31 winners were honoured at the second edition of the Women in Agribusiness Awards last weekend. The awards ceremony organised by Guzakuza was held on Saturday, October 29, at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel, Accra. The awards night forms part of activities put together by Guzakuza to mark the 2022 Women in Agribusiness Week. The Women in Agribusiness Week this year had 4 major events packed with activities full of Education, Fun and Networking. Last week, events including the Women in Agribusiness Forum, Women in Agribusiness Industry Tour, and Women in Agribusiness Expo/Fair, were held before the week climaxed with the Women in Agribusiness Awards. Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the awards ceremony, Programmes coordinator for Women in Agribusiness Week, Akosua Duah said the reason for increasing the number of awardees from five to over 30 this year is because a lot more women are doing exceptionally well. She said, this year we had 31 awardees. We started last year and we started with 5 but now we have 31. The reason for the increment is because we realized we had women doing a lot of things along the agriculture value change and so we had to diversify and even increase the numbers. According to her, the awards ceremony is to celebrate women and spur them on to do more. The main aim is to celebrate women in agribusiness. We believe they are doing gorgeous things and we need to appreciate it. We need to let the world know what our people are doing. We need to celebrate the new things they are bringing on board, the new innovations they are bringing on board, so thats why we had this Programme. To basically celebrate women in agribusiness, Akosua Duah told journalists. On his part, Programmes and Finance Coordinator of Guzakuza, Stephen Ansah added that a lot went into the awards with a focus on bringing women in the agribusiness space together with the aim of empowering them to expand their business to ensure they grow from strength to strength The 2022 awards is to celebrate the achievement of all elected finalists, all those that were not selected but doing great things out there.We are eager to make women in agribusiness thrive, Stephen Ansah shared in a short address to kick-start the awards. Speaking at the awards night, the Chairperson of Agribusiness at the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Fatima Ali Mohammed bemoaned the countrys continuous dependence on imports for a lot of food. She said for a country blessed with land and water, it is sad that Ghana cannot produce enough food to feed the people. We have land, we have water, we have a lot of things but we continue to import. I feel that for us we continue to be colonized by our minds. Until we free our minds we will continue to be in this situation, Fatima Ali Mohammed cautioned. While calling for a change of mindset on how agriculture is treated in Ghana, she applauded winners of the 2022 Women in Agribusiness Awards for playing a key role to produce food in the country. Fatima Ali Mohammed further admonished agribusinesses, particularly, women-led to come together and work for the common good. Representatives of other stakeholders and partners including the GIZ and the GIPC who shared remarks at the event congratulated the winners and charged them to do more in their fields. Among the many awards given out to women excelling in the agribusiness sector, Nomhle Maggie Mliswa from Zimbabwe won the Best Farmer of the Year. Dr. Omotola M. Ishola-Badamasi from Nigeria also saw her business win the Sustainable Agribusiness of the Year while Ghanas Marian Ofori Twumasi was awarded Young Agri Entrepreneur of the Year. Below are some of the top awards won on the night: 1. YOUNG AGRI ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR Marian Ofori Twumasi Mariseth Farms Ghana 2. BEST AGRICULTURE/ AGRIBUSINESS STUDENT Prisiclla Asare-Larbi Ghana 3.EMERGING STAR IN AGRIBUSINESS AWARD Vera Osei-Bonsu Startright Ghana 4. DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION AWARD Alberta Nana Akosa Agrihouse Foundation Ghana 5. SUSTAINABLE AGRIBUSINESS OF THE YEAR Dr. Omotola M. Ishola-Badamasi Nigeria 6. BEST AGRIBUSINESS ALLY AWARD Epezagne Assamala Ingrid Ruth Ivory Coast 7. BUSINESS DIVERSIFICATION AWARD Victoria Mwafulirwa Malawi 8. BEST FARMER OF THE YEAR (WOMAN ) Nomhle Maggie Mliswa Zimbabwe New Brazil President Luiz InAcio Lula da Silva 03.11.2022 LISTEN The President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has congratulated Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on his election as the new President of Brazil. In a statement, the President of Ghana indicated that he hopes the relationship between the two countries will be strengthened under President Lula da Silva. President Akufo-Addo in addition wishes the new Brazil President the best of tenure and success for the South American country under his rule. The Ghanaian people and I send warm congratulations to the President-Elect of the Federative Republic of Brazil, H.E Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. I recall with fondness, as the then Foreign Minister, the strong relations he forged with the 2nd President of the 4th Republic, H.E. John Agyekum Kufuor, which led to the exchange of State Visits, and the strengthening of the ties of co-operation between our two countries, a statement by President AKufo-Addo said on Thursday. The statement on Twitter added, I am hopeful that the already strong Ghana-Brazil relations will grow from strength to strength, on a shared agenda of peace, security, development, environmental protection, progress, and prosperity. Best wishes for him and his countrys continued success. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was elected the new Brazil president last Sunday after beating the incumbent Jair Bolsonaro at the end of the polls. 03.11.2022 LISTEN Glo customers in Ghana are now unable to load airtime from Glo recharge cards because the cards have been rendered invalid without prior notice to customers. A Glo customer wrote to Techgh24 today, complaining that he only found out the recharge cards were invalid after he had bought one and tried to load it. Upon trying to load the card, he got feedback which read as follows: Dear Customer, Please be informed that all Glo scratch cards are invalid. To recharge, kindly use AirtelTigo scratch cards only. Thanks. Meanwhile, when the customer reached out to AirtelTigo to find out how they could recharge the Glo scratch cards they already have in their possession, he was told that AirtelTigo is now working on how to make that happen. It would be recalled that Glo Ghana, on April 23, 2022, migrated all of it 800,000 plus customers to AirtelTigo claiming it was part of national roaming arrangement. But industry analysts debunked the national roaming claim, saying that the complete migration of customers pointed more to acquisition or a merger than national roaming. This new development about invalidating Glo scratch cards clearly vindicates the notion that Glo and AirtelTigo are merging. Staff left in the woods Meanwhile, it appears that apart from customers, even the staff of Glo Ghana, particularly the Ghanaians, have also been left in the woods, while over 90 expatriate staff, comprising of Nigerian, Ivorians and Indians, have been moved to Nigeria, except for about six of them who are here to help complete the merger. Techgh24 has gathered that the owner of Glo Ghana, Dr. Mike Adenuga Junior and his lieutenants in Ghana have not bothered to give any official information about his intentions to the Ghanaian staff since the migration of customers to AirtelTigo. Following the migration, senior staff at Glo Ghana were asked to park their official cars and working tools, at designated places, but they were not told anything further about the way forward. After months of enduring the deafening silence from the founder and his skeletal team in Ghana, the staff sought audience with the Director-General of the National Communications Authority (NCA), Joe Anokye, and later with the Minister of Communications and Digitalization, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, but to no avail. At both NCA and the Ministry, they were asked to submit their complaints to either the secretaries or personal assistants of the top official, which they did, but nothing became of it. In fact, one top official was said to have retorted that "I don't want trouble o!" The Glo staff were therefore left with no choice but to go to the National Labour Commission, where specific directives were given to the management of the company with regards to following due process in laying off workers, but till date nothing fruitful has become of that either. As a result of the feet dragging, by Glo management, the staff through their representative, UNICOF, petitioned the Chief Labour Officer (CLO), at the Labour Department, and the CLO directed the management of Glo, as a matter of urgency, to begin negotiations with the workers, at the NLC as per the Labour Law. But till date, the Glo management are still dragging their feet, so the staff, are now left with no choice than to speak out on the matter, particularly under these harsh economic conditions, characterized by skyrocketing food and fuel prices, and the scandalous free fall of the local currency. Back Story It would be recalled that Techgh24 reported, quoting deep-throat sources, that the Glo migration to AirtelTigo was on the direct instructions of Dr. Adenuga, after he held a meeting with some very top government officials about some merger and shareholder deal involving AirtelTigo, Glo and Ghana Telecom (Vodafone Ghana). Months after Glo migrated its customers to AirtelTigo, it emerged that Vodafone Ghana had agreed to sell its Ghana operations to Telecel Group, but the deal was in limbo. Following a report by Techgh24 that government was blocking the sale , the NCA came out and said the sale failed to meet regulatory requirements , without stating which specific regulatory requirements the deal failed to meet. Later on, the Minister, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful also stated in another forum that Telecel lacked the technical capacity and financial muscle to takeover and run Vodafone Ghana. So, it became apparent that government had found reasons why the Vodafone-Telecel deal could not be allowed to happen. Meanwhile, Techgh24 had gathered that government was only buying time till close of this year, when Vodafone will walk away without renewing its license in Ghana, so that government, being the minority shareholder in Ghana Telecom (Vodafone Ghana), would become the de facto owner of all the shares, so it can exact its AirtelTigo-Glo-Vodafone merger. The idea is to create a formidable competitor for the runaway market leader, MTN Ghana, in a duopoly. Meanwhile, the Glo staff have not been told officially what Dr. Adenugas actual intentions are, and they have been left hanging till date after being asked to park their official cars and working tools. Majority Leader in Parliament, Hon. Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu 03.11.2022 LISTEN The Majority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu has disclosed that it is likely the date for the 2023 Budget statement reading will be changed. Having only recently resumed sitting, Parliament is scheduled to receive Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta for the budget statement presentation on November 15. However, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu on Thursday disclosed that the date no longer looks feasible. It is understood that talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which have not been concluded are the reason why the 2023 Budget presentation may have to be postponed. According to the Majority Leader, the Finance Ministry is still working and wants to settle on the best budget for the country with inputs from the IMF talks. I am yet to have discussions with the Minister responsible for Finance to determine exactly when he will be able to present to us. It will be difficult to submit to the 15th deadline, I dont know, I am just conjecturing, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu told the media today. The Suame MP continued, Nothing should be done which will eventually become wishy-washy. They want to have the best to be able to uplift us from where we are as a country. And that being the case, if we want to do a thorough job, I think there will be too much pressure if it has to be done on the 15th. Sources say the 2023 Budget statement will include key decisions taken from the discussions with the IMF. The government as announced by President Akufo-Addo is in advanced talks with the Fund for the support programme it is chasing to help revive the Ghanaian economy. Pollinate Expands to Brisbane and Adelaide In Australia, research and brand strategy consultancy Pollinate has opened new offices in two state capitals, Brisbane and Adelaide. A subsidiary of Influence Group, Pollinate offers a range of services including brand strategy, ideation and innovation, stakeholder engagement and customer experience consultancy. The new offices add to its existing operations in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra. The Brisbane office will be led by Kate Davidson, who earlier in her career was Head of Kantar Millward Brown's qualitative practice Firefly in East Africa; while the Adelaide office is led by Morgan Owen, who has spent more than eleven years with the company in Sydney, most recently as Research Director. Influence Group CEO Henry Tajer says that having a presence in both the Queensland and South Australian markets is a big step forward for not only Pollinate but the group as a whole. Both Davidson and Owen report to CEO Howard Parry-Husbands, who comments: 'Morgan has been at the company for a long time and his decision to move back to Adelaide after the pandemic turned into a great opportunity to double down on our research specific to clients in South Australia, as well as national clients. We're excited to welcome Kate to the team, who has a wealth of experience in research and analytics both here and overseas. We couldn't ignore the growth opportunity in Queensland, where economic growth outstrips national performance, so opening there with Kate at the helm makes a lot of sense'. Web site: www.pollinate.com.au and www.theinfluencegroup.co . A dozen Huskies have secured their badges a golden ticket of sorts to the 2022 United Nations climate change summit Nov. 6-18 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. More than 35,000 participants are expected to attend the annual gathering known as the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC COP). This years summit referred to as COP27 marks the 27th conference of the 193 parties that signed the original U.N. climate agreement in 1992. Its the largest climate-change-focused event in the world. Entry to the U.N.-regulated Blue Zone offers Michigan Technological University students the opportunity of a lifetime to observe negotiations and connect with global policymakers, said Tech delegation member Shardul Tiwari. Its difficult to get access, he said. Weve been fortunate to get this opportunity. Michigan Tech Chemistry Professor Sarah Green, who spearheaded the effort for official admittance, said observer badges are allocated based on venue capacity and previous participation.Because of robust participation in 2019 and 2021, our quota increased from five badges to six per week, she said. I give priority to students in my Climate Science and Policy class, class alumni or students who have shown a serious commitment to climate action on campus. I like to have a few experienced attendees as well. Attendees must be mature and independent, because we are unable to guide them at every step. The COP is a singular opportunity to see the really big picture of the dynamics of climate action. Students have a chance to meet and talk with people from all over the world, and gain a perspective of both the immense complexity of the problem and the multitude of powerful people dedicated to solving it. Sarah Green Michigan Tech COP27 delegation leader 2019 Michigan Tech granted observer status (a roughly year-long process), allotted five badges per week, attends COP25 in Madrid 2020 Summit canceled due to the global pandemic 2021 Michigan Techs 10-member delegation attends COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland 2022 Michigan Tech granted six badges per week for COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt Tiwari, who earned his doctorate in environmental and energy policy in October 2022, is one of the groups most experienced attendees. Hes been to two previous summits in a professional capacity, but its the researcher and instructors first time attending as part of MTUs delegation. Hes delighted to see the University increase its role in the global conversation. We have a presence on the world stage. To have that presence is a privilege and an advantage. For students, its aspirational and we are able to develop institutional capacity now that Michigan Tech is an official member." Shardul Tiwari Michigan Tech COP27 delegation member Its natural for Green, who teaches Climate Science and Policy and the aptly named Green Chemistry, to be a conduit for engaging Huskies in the global climate action conversation. The oft-quoted expert (see her 97% climate change consensus cited on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver) is one of the leaders in that dialogue. Green has served as co-chair for the Scientific Advisory Panel on the Sixth Global Environmental Outlook United Nations Programme and as a Jefferson Science Fellow in the U.S. State Department. Her research focuses on a full range of environmental chemistry, including climate change communication. MTU Teams Up With a Higher Education Coalition We are part of a larger group, the Youth Environmental Alliance in Higher Education (YEAH), which links multiple universities for engagement with COP, Green explained. Like many observer organizations, YEAH organizes events and exhibits in the Blue Zone and holds press conferences to communicate the memberships views on climate action. Our delegation will be very involved with the U.S. Center, which is where the U.S. government holds events to highlight what our country is contributing to the global effort to limit climate change, said Green. YEAH will host a youth panel there on Nov. 10 and an exhibit, Voices and Visions, during the whole two weeks of the conference. The YEAH exhibit space will include showings of MTU research videos on climate change and other information about Michigan Tech, along with projects and content from the 11 other member universities. What Its Like in the Climate Change Summit Blue Zone Unlike the climate change summits Green Zone, which features public cultural events, the Blue Zone is an authorized-admittance-only space where official negotiations take place. While observers sit in, official negotiators who can be identified by their red or orange badges consider the articles of the Paris Agreement in various working groups. The Blue Zone also includes spaces for official diplomatic events put on by participating countries, organization displays and media areas for press conferences, along with work and conversation spaces. (View the COP27 Blue Zone venue map.) Green describes it as a cacophony. Entering the venue, after extensive security checks, you encounter a crowd of people, all committed to climate action from their own professional and personal perspectives, she said. Youth delegations push for stronger action for their future, negotiators push countries to stronger commitments, and developing countries push for stronger support to cope with a problem they didnt cause. Finance ministers wrestle with how to incentivize markets to accelerate the transition to clean energy; innovators promote technological solutions; farmers, foresters and Indigenous people debate how best to harness the power of nature to sequester carbon; and human rights campaigners keep the focus on how this transition can occur with justice for all. Tiwari, whose work is centered in energy justice, said there are unexpected networking opportunities to be found in the chaos. For example, at a previous summit, he had an impromptu coffee meeting with a representative of the Clean Cooking Alliance. Tiwaris work includes research on safe cookstoves that preserve household air quality, instead of polluting it with wood and charcoal smoke. He appreciated making the connection and being asked to review a new text on cookstoves. Green has developed a strategy for getting the most out of the event. COP27 is a three-ring or multiring circus, she said. I like to follow the progress of the negotiations. The main plenary sessions give updates on topics on the table. I always join the morning meeting of RINGO (research and independent NGOs, or nongovernmental organizations), which is the parent of university observers and gives a daily overview of the status of negotiations. Major Topics at the COP27 UN Climate Change Summit The summit is a world headline-maker known for generating awareness and policies aimed at addressing climate change through adaptation, mitigation and economic action. The gathering of governmental and industry leaders, nonprofit NGOs and interdisciplinary climate experts is perhaps best known for the 2015 Paris Agreement, a negotiated treaty setting expectations for curbing the rise in global temperatures. There is always anticipation surrounding what issues will rise to the forefront at COP27. Both Green and Tiwari anticipate economics will be top of mind. A primary topic on the agenda is Loss and Damage, which asks the question, Who is going to pay for damage from climate change, particularly for developing countries that are suffering damage from a problem they did not cause? said Green. Another important topic is whether the world can get on track to limit warming to under 1.5 degrees Celsius. Countries have been asked to increase their commitments to urgent action. I will be looking for promises to increase ambition and for concrete evidence that countries will achieve the targets they have set. Sarah Green Michigan Tech COP27 delegation leader Climate financing was a big topic at the last conference and will be at this one, said Tiwari, noting that carbon pricing is part of operationalizing the Paris Agreement. Tiwari said one of the most burning debates centers around the question of climate colonialism. Developed countries created their wealth and stability through use of fossil fuels a path that is no longer sustainable for the world, which restricts developing countries growth. Watch Looking Back at 30 Years of Global Efforts to Address Climate Change video Watch Watch the UN Video "Celebrating 30 years of a Climate Change framework" to learn more about the summit and its participants. Students Share Their Michigan Tech Research These students have shown a willingness to jump into a somewhat chaotic timeline of YEAH events chaotic because we don't hear what events are accepted until September, said Green. They come from a range of majors, from engineering to environmental policy to digital communications, and share an interest in crossing boundaries, learning from and working with students and professionals from other disciplines. YEAH mirrors the ways certain countries come together in COP, said Tiwari. In addition to observing negotiations, Tiwari will be presenting his research on pumped underground storage hydro (PUSH). Tiwaris Nov. 14 presentation takes place on Oceans and Land Day, in collaboration with fellow Michigan Tech delegation members Aritra Chakrabarty, Zach Solomon and Kathy Huerta Sanchez. The event, in the conferences Capacity-building Hub, centers on using local ecological knowledge to inform climate science. While hell touch on PUSH there, he will more fully focus on the initiative in another event, on Nov. 17, in which YEAH addresses climate leadership across generations. Tiwari is a member of Michigan Techs Keweenaw Energy Transition Lab, which has been studying the feasibility of siting electrical energy storage facilities in abandoned hard-metal mines and using a closed-loop system to pump water from lower to upper reservoirs, turning turbines to generate electricity and giving old mines a new role in the energy transition. How local knowledge can support climate action is not just economic, but social and cultural. The transition can be a local-driven project, Tiwari said. If we have abandoned mines filled with water, they will be contaminated. Its not a matter of if, but when it will leak into the groundwater. Here, we are presenting a technology that can mitigate a threat. Economics would call it an externality. We can see it through the lens of energy justice. Among other notable research presentations, Michigan Tech is helping lead an event in the U.S. Center, where Ph.D. candidate and alumna Rose Daily is a panel member for a discussion on national climate change education. Read Daily's blog on her journey from local to global sustainability advocacy on Michigan Tech Unscripted. Presentations will be streamed and available for viewing after the conference. The United Nations features a full COP27 schedule of events by day and topic. How to Follow MTU at the UN Conference Follow Michigan Tech social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok and Snapchat for the latest from Huskies at the conference. Summit updates can also be found by tracking the hashtag #COP27. Michigan Technological University is a public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, Michigan, and is home to more than 7,000 students from 55 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigans flagship technological university offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business and economics, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure. OPINION | Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan is now open to welcome guests to the Marianas Starting a family is one of the major stepping stones in ones life. It is a major event when your first child is born, as your life becomes very different just after the day of their birth. Not only do you have to mold yourself to make room for the family, but you also have to ensure that your family lives in a safe area. Parents need to choose a good location for their family as the environment around them determines their quality of life. Moreover, the environment around you must be nurturing and allow your kids to enjoy their freedom in the future. Many families prefer to own a home in Middletown, DE , as it is often regarded as one of the best states to raise a family. Middletown is a small town with a population below twenty thousand only. But, the town is lively as the citizens enjoy a better quality of life owing to good weather and suburban feeling. It is observed that many people in the area own their homes and lead a comfortable lifestyle since the average income in the town is more than others in Delaware. Furthermore, various community housing projects offer designer homes and many luxurious amenities that make Middletown an attractive town for relocation. Here are 3 top reasons why moving to a state like Delaware is a good choice. 1. Good Schools As a parent, the quality of the school your child attends is often the biggest priority. Delaware is one of the best states in terms of education, as it has exemplary school districts. The best part is that the schools are not saturated with children, and students enjoy a better student-to-teacher ratio Your child will have access to the best education and other co-curricular activities for their all-around development. Not only will they get to study, but Delaware schools have some of the best art, music, and other cultural programs for the creative souls out there. 2. Great Outdoors Delaware is home to tons of natural beauty, and its environment is unparalleled as it has some of the best beaches. While tourists may be on the beach during the peak summer seasons, you will get those beaches to yourselves in the off-season. The fact that you get to live so close to such natural elements will entice you and your family to lead an active lifestyle . You get to indulge in various activities like hiking, biking, camping, and much more as a family, bringing you all close and making you healthier. 3. A Sense Of Community It is one of the most diverse states in the country. So, no matter your background, you will be comfortable living in the state and in, especially, towns like Middletown. The vibrancy of various cultures makes it even more exciting to own a home in Middletown, DE. It is time you made your move and bought your house in DE! Conclusion The people who can destroy a thing, they control it. Frank Herbert, Dune As well outline below, most commentators may have missed a key implication of Russias surgical destruction of Ukraines electrical grid. Russia appears to be the only country that could put it back together in anything less than many years. That means if Ukraine is to be anything other than an underpopulated wasteland, Russia will be a key, arguably the central player in its reconstruction. Its still not clear, however, that even this source of leverage will induce the West to get over itself and eventually come to some kind of terms. Politicians, the press, analysts and commentators have tended to focus on two, or arguably three, elements of the conflict in Ukraine: the kinetic war, the economic war (which ironically has become primarily Western sanctions blowback, and the related informational war, as in how the first two are being presented to various constituencies. At the danger of getting way out over my skis, it seems the bigger implications fo the intensified Russian attacks on Ukraines electrical grid are not well understood, laregly due to the poor quality of substantive coverage. Alexander Mercouris has cited John Helmer as doing the far and away the best job, and so I am relying heavily on his reporting. As Helmer reported, Russia early on was either taking out very specific capabilities (like the electrical transformers necessary for operating its largely electrical trains, reducing Ukraine to using only its comparatively small number of diesel engines on those routes) including destroying some of its generating capacity.1 However, per Helmer, since the big surge of persistent attacks in the wake of the Kerch Bridge bombing, Russia appears to be vivisecting the grid. Russia appears to be leaving generating capacity in place and instead destroying transmission lines, line junctions, and transformers. On the latest round major attacks, in response to Ukraines attack on the Sevastopol naval base,2 Russia started cutting connections from major hydropower sources to the rest of Ukraine. We provided sighting from Rybar on October 31, starting with: This morning, the RF Armed Forces launched massive strikes on substations that transmit electricity from hydroelectric power plants to the power grid. The intermediate goal is to deprive the enemy of the opportunity to compensate for the energy deficit. One of the strikes was carried out on an open switchgear (ORU) of the Kaniv hydroelectric power station in the Cherkasy region . The hydroelectric power station is located on the middle reaches of the Dnieper, helps to compensate for the energy shortage in the Kiev region , and at the same time has the ability to transfer the generated electricity to the east of the country through the switchgear of the Kremenchug hydroelectric power station . And Helmer noted that day, the 31st, that Ukraine had already spelled out how Russia was targeting Ukraines power system: In a press interview on October 14, the chief executive of the DTEK power utility, Maxim Timchenko, said: These strikes are not aimed at generating facilities to prevent us from producing electricity but at connection systems tied to the Ukrainian energy system. They hit open switchgears, transformers, switches, so that a station that can produce electricity cannot be connected to the unified power system. That is, the key targets are Ukrenergo transformer high-voltage substations and power distribution equipment at thermal power plants. Those long distance lines and the transformers on them are used only in Russia, some of the former Soviet Union countries and it seems Nigeria. They run on 330 kV. The most efficient way to restore the grid (and remember no rebuild will be terribly efficient) would be to get the needed equipment from Russia. Consider these remarks from an October 19 Helmer post: MAP OF UKRAINIAN HIGH-VOLTAGE 33O kV TRANSMISSION LINES Only the Ukraine, the Baltic states, and Russia operate 330kV transmission lines This is making it increasingly difficult to replace the damage. Source: https://www.entsoe.eu/data/map/.... By sustaining the attacks with low-cost drones, the North American source comments, it is unlikely that the Ukrainian utility crews, certainly exhausted now and terrified from working around the clock to effect repairs, using what must be dwindling stocks of spares, will be able to keep up. Where will Ukrainian utilities like DTEK, find in-time spares for 330kV gear that is unique to Russia and the CIS countries? Furthermore, will 1000MVA, 750kV-330kV autotransformers, with all their required metering, control and protection relays, breakers, etc., fall out of the sky like the Russian, Iranian, or Turkish drones do? The answers to those questions are nowhere and no. It is over my pay grade to know whether and if so, how readily, the West can supply any components that are not unique to the old Soviet system. However, the long distance lines and the components that interface with them seem to be a non-trivial problem. The West is faced with either building that capability afresh, or alternatively construction some sort of customized step up or down transformers so that Soviet gear can connect to Western gear. I cant imagine it would take less than three years to design that equipment, devise the machines to make it in scale, and then get it up and running at industrial production volumes. The crude layperson accounts indicate that the effect of cutting connections across the Ukraine grid was initially to greatly complicate load-balancing, and in the more recent assaults, to balkanize the system. Those area that are near power sources and still have intact connections to them might not suffer too badly, but other parts of Ukraine could already be in a state of having little to no power. My understanding is the only factories that could make the needed electrical gear in Ukraine are already war casualties; this is indirectly confirmed by official Ukraine bleating. From Media Center Ukraine on October 26: Ukraine is looking in Europe for equipment required to restore operation of energy infrastructure facilities that were destroyed or damaged by russians. Oleksandr Kharchenko, Director at the Energy Industry Research Center, made this statement.., We are engaged in an active dialogue with European power engineers in all areas: both with manufacturers of relevant equipment, and with operator companies that may have certain provisions at times. Not all equipment has reserves, and many items are custom-built. This is a long process: it takes from six months to a year and a half to produce certain cutting-edge transformers, Oleksandr Kharchenko said. The official Western response to the Russian electrical grid attacks has been to promise more and better air defense systems. Unfortunately, here the US and NATO are short in supply and arguably in effectiveness. The old Soviet Buks are generally seen as at least on a par with anything the West could supply. US doctrine has long focused on regional wars with non-peer enemies, and has basically assumed the Western forces would quickly establish air supremacy. That isnt remotely the case here. The weapon system that would be most effective against Russian cruise missiles is the Patriot, but those are so limited that the US had to take some from other Middle Eastern partners to meet a request for more from Saudi Arabia. In keeping, Andrei Martyanov explained yesterday why sending NASAMS wont make a difference. Now an offsetting consideration is that the widespread loss/erraticness of electricity may set off so much addition damage that rebuilding Ukraine becomes a monster task and the electrical part of it, even though important, may not be a key driver because the lower-level damage becomes extensive and severe. From an October 10 post, launched just before the punishing post-Kerch Bridge assaults: The western military source again: War is war, whether you want to use terms like hybrid war or proxy war. It means destroying the enemys capacity to make war. Shutting off the power in the rump Ukrainian state will do just that to the Ukrainians. If they then start to flee for refuge to Poland and Germany, this will be a disaster unparalleled in recent European history. Just the attendant collapse in telecommunications will make the place a madhouse. You can well imagine the rest. Already there are queues for water in Nikolaev, and who knows where else. How does queueing for water, if there is any, in temperatures of minus-20C to minus-40C sound? This wont be like the blackouts from US sanctions and attacks in Cuba or Venezuela there they didnt have to worry about freezing to death, the pipes bursting, or irreparable damage being done to billions of dollars worth of pumping, electrical, and other equipment due to freezing. How many people realize that a sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) circuit breaker, commonly used in electrical substations, requires an electric heating blanket to be functional in sub-zero weather? Most westerners dont. They are common in high voltage substations which ultimately feed the grid lines with power. In the Ukrainian case, I suspect there is a mixture of those and older style oil circuit breakers (OCB), along with oil-filled large power transformers (LPT), which are essential to electrical distribution. And guess where most of the oil comes from to fill these devices? I suspect that most of Zelenskys officials and officials in the supporting EU governments have persuaded themselves with their own propaganda. They arent daring to think through these questions, any more than they care to understand that the housing of the pumps delivering their water and treating their sewage will freeze and split apart if they are not heated via electrical means. Even if the gas is on and it wont be electricity is needed to ignite, then control, furnaces. How many of these officials understand the long lead times, compounded by manufacturing shutdowns due to high energy costs, which you must have to replace and restore everything? In his broadcast yesterday, Alexander Mercouris pointed out, as Helmer had early on, the likelihood of a massive humanitarian crisis and refugee flood. Non or minimally operating sewage systems, particularly in urban areas, run the risk of outbreaks of dysentery and cholera (and Covid, which we know is also transmitted by feces). Mercouris speculated conditions are on the way to reaching to the point that Ukrainian official would need to evacuate some cities. But where would those people go? Why would conditions be that much better anywhere else in Ukraine, even assuming they could be housed? Jacob Dreizin has predicted that after the midterms, the Beltway political classes will turn to depicting Russia as engaged in genocide in Ukraine and will go for yet more escalation, say by declaring a no-fly zone in part of Ukraine. Personally, if the Republicans rout the Democrats, or merely score a very solid win, the pros will be busy digesting the realignment and then will be off on their holidays (although they might still pass the big Ukraine funding package that has been in the works). Mercouris by contrast took the West to be under-reporting the severe damage done by the attacks on the electric system and saw that as significant. IMHO that is in part due to the lack of adequate (any!) military response. The US and NATO do not like having to admit they cant even begin to defend Ukraine from these systematic attacks. But Mercouris speculated that the West does not want to admit a humanitarian crisis is in progress. He didnt fully tease this out, but its not hard to see that European governments do not want to tell their citizens until they really really have to.that they need to take in and support more Ukraine refugees. In a cold and hungry winter, having Ukraine citizens getting official support when natives are going hungry will be profoundly unpopular. So they look to be in kick the can mode. Mercouris ventured that the comparative quietness about this escalating disaster meant that some were starting to realize the necessity of coming to terms with Russia. I wish that were the case. But the US is very much driving this bus and its distance insulates it from any immediate effect of human tragedy in Ukraine.3 ____ 1 Note the biggest loss of generating capacity was Russia capturing the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, which Russia was going to use to supply Russia-controlled areas in eastern Ukraine. 2 Confirmed by Putin in an interview at Sochi, see Alex Christaforu starting at 12:22. 3 Cynics might think having Ukraine made substantially uninhabitable, not due to the usual US puliverization of cities, but Russia achieving a similar result though its electrical tear-down, is an outcome the US would welcome. If the US cant score a clean win, wouldnt a perma insurgency in a failed state next door be almost as good? While the Victoria Nuland crowd might believe in such an outcome, Ukraine is not Afghanistan. Afghanistan is poor, with many people living tribal/close to the land lifestyles. While joining an insurgency risks life and limb, it does not entail a huge drop in day-to-day living standards too. By contrast, even though Ukraine was poor by European standards, most people enjoy modern trappings like indoor plumbing, heat, getting food at grocery stores and restaurants and the Internet. Living in Ukraine with say only intermittent use of a diesel generator, maybe a big supply of US MREs, and enduring the nasty Ukraine winter sounds like a difficult recruitment project, when the alternative is (say) working at a hotel desk in London. MBABANE The Ministry of ICT is keen to have an Azerbaijan team assist Eswatini in promoting public service delivery. This was said by Under Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT), Macanjana Motsa, yesterday at Royal Villas, during a workshop on advancing public service delivery. She said the delegates had come to identify areas where they could assist the ministry to improve its service delivery mechanism. Motsa indicated that Azerbaijan was recognised as one of the leading countries in the world in public service delivery. She said because of that, Eswatini could learn from their experience. She said the ministrys mandate was to create an enabling environment for electronic service delivery, through infrastructure development, systems development, policy and legislative frameworks. Motsa further said the project of improving service delivery started in 2019 after the Minister of ICT, Princess Sikhanyisos visit to Azerbaijan. I wish to point out that todays event is a result of the great leadership of our Minister, Her Royal Highness. This journey began in 2019 after she paid a visit to Azerbaijan and had the opportunity to see some of the Azerbaijan Service Assessment and Network (ASAN) service centres operating in Azerbaijan, she stated. She said upon the ministers return from Azerbaijan, she presented the idea to the ministry and later started running with it by engaging Azerbaijan counterparts and some of the local stakeholders within government. These discussions resulted in the development of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which was approved by Cabinet. The agreement is now only awaiting to be signed by both countries. After all these developments, the ministry then extended an invitation to Azerbaijan to come to Eswatini for this assessment, she narrated. The US however, stated that the ministry took so long to get to such a stage because of many reasons such as the COVID-19 pandemic. She said it delayed a lot of meaningful progress for many countries. She said as a ministry, they were positive that they could still fast-track the pace in the implementation of the noble idea since COVID-19 had now normalised. Motsa stated that Eswatini had different ministries, departments and agencies that played a significant role in service delivery. She also stated that they had some external partners such as United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and others who assist the ministry and country at large with such development programmes. I will therefore encourage our presenters who will be representing the different institutions to clearly clarify their roles and mandates during their presentations so that our visiting team will understand the Eswatini model. This will help them as they assist us in shaping our model to become a more effective one, said Motsa. Nonhlanhla Tsabedze, Programme Officer on service delivery in the Ministry of Tinkhundla Administration and Development, said it was mandated to create an enabling environment in terms of service delivery for all of emaSwati. Decentralisation Tsabedze said since the decentralisation of services was constitutional; the ministry was working tirelessly in ensuring that each inkhundla had a centre of service delivery in the future. She further it was important for government services to be decentralised at all levels. She further said the ministry was planning to have a new additional inkhundla service centre at Kwaluseni. She said the reason was due to the congestion in Manzini, where people got public services. Bongani Ndlangamandla, the Head of e-Government Service, said their ultimate goal was to ensure that e-services were closer to tinkhundla centres and easily accessed by emaSwati. He further said to play an oversight role, ministries and departments should utilise ICT to improve service delivery. He said they were also working hard to promote the use of e-government in public and enable access to such services 24/7. Mahammadali Bayram Oglu Mahammadali, who is the Head of Division International Relation Department encouraged Eswatini on the use of social media. He said it helped various ministries in getting feedback from the citizens and realising where they can improve their service delivery. He also said the use of social media promoted digital literacy. My job with the Post has evolved since October 2000, when I began work with The City Paper. In 2008, both publications became aligned via former owner SouthComm Inc. I have served as Post managing editor since 2011. Follow William Williams 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 (Natural News) The Canadian province of British Columbia is about to decriminalize possession of small amounts of illicit drugs after a year in which more than 2,000 people died of drug overdose. British Columbia requested for an exemption to the current criminal code and was subsequently given a three-year window to test pilot the program. (Related: Canadian cities, US state seek to legalize drug use as overdose rates climb.) The program permits adults to possess up to 2.5 grams of opioids, cocaine, meth and MDMA. Opioids include drugs such as codeine, fentanyl, heroin, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, meperidine, methadone, morphine, opium, oxycodone and oxymorphone. A person can possess multiple drugs, but the total amount cannot surpass 2.5 grams. The drugs themselves remain illegal, but those found with less than the recommended amount will not be arrested, charged or have their drugs confiscated as long as they are for personal use. Possession of those substances on school grounds, childcare facilities and airports would still be deemed criminal possession. Also excluded from participation are members of the Canadian military. According to a BBC report, the province requested the federal government for the exemption to remove the shame that often prevents people from reaching out for life-saving help. We are doing this to save lives, but also to give people using drugs their dignity and choices, said Canadas Federal Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Carolyn Bennett. Bennett is hoping that the scheme will become the model for other provinces across Canada. Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart said this move marks a fundamental rethinking of drug policy that favors healthcare over handcuffs. The program is set to be in effect from January 31, 2023 to January 31, 2026. More than 9,000 people in British of Columbia have died of drug overdose over the past six years. Calls to change drug possession laws have been coming from several public health officials across the nation, including the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police. Trudeau declares new law that prohibits purchasing, selling and trading of handguns in Canada Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently declared a new law that prohibits purchasing, selling and trading of handguns in the country. Canadas nationwide ban on handgun sales, purchases and transfers took effect on October 21. This means that people cannot buy, sell or transfer handguns within Canada, nor can they bring newly acquired handguns into the country. With handgun violence increasing across Canada, it is our duty to take urgent action to remove these deadly weapons from our communities, Trudeau said. He declared the handgun freeze in May, a week after 19 children were killed in a school shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. The Canadian government said it has seen rapid growth in the number of guns in the country over the past decade, with 70 percent more handguns in Canada than there were in 2010. We cannot let the gun debate become so polarized that nothing gets done. We cannot let that happen in our country, Trudeau said. With these developments, it appears that Canada is willing to go easy on the root cause of many crimes but not on something that can help stop those crimes. Follow Addiction.news for more news related to illegal drugs, and Guns.news for more news related to guns. Watch the video below about the decriminalization of drug possession in British Columbia. This video is from the channel Mike Martins Channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Canada mulls giving drug users a safe supply of illicit substances. Goodbye, Oregon, we barely knew ye: Voters decriminalize hard drugs to become first state to shift resources to rehab instead. Poll in pro-gun control Washington, DC finds 75% OPPOSE measure against Second Amendment. Sources include: Law Enforcement Today.com BBC.com USA Today.com Brighteon.com (Natural News) In August of 2021, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) pressured regulators at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve the first covid booster shot for Pfizer and Moderna WITHOUT clinical trials. The coercion took place even though the CDC was fully aware that fully vaccinated patients were filling up the ICUs. According to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request filed by Judicial Watch, the governments internal emails show blatant collusion, coercion, and medical fraud occurring between the federal agencies. The emails show that there was a complete disregard for vaccine safety and efficacy at the highest levels of government. The agencies also admitted yet ignored evidence that the fully vaccinated were filling up ICUs. CDC pressured the FDA to authorize emergency use vaccines that they knew were damaging the population While the emails are mostly redacted, there is enough written correspondence to show that CDC officials wanted to force out vaccines on the population, without any clinical trials and even while the data showed that the vaccines werent working as initially propagated. In a conference call with other members of the FDA, Dr. Phil Krause, a top FDA official, described a conversation he previously had with CDC officials. Take a deep breath before reading this next paragraph. On that call, the CDC evidently stated that they will assemble all the data they are aware of on third dosing in this setting and send it to us in the hope that we will (very soon) authorize the third dose for immunocompromised as part of the EUA, Krause wrote in the Aug. 5, 2021, email. At that time, all the covid-19 vaccines were authorized under the FDAs emergency use authorization (EUA). At the time, there was tremendous political pressure to submit the entire population to the experimental vaccines as a precondition to opening up states, schools, and industry. Dr. Krause wrote in an email, But it doesnt sound like they [CDC] actually want to do a study. They just want to vaccinate these peopleif I am reading this correctly. Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a professor of medicine at Stanford University wrote on Twitter that the emails do show the CDC wanted the booster approved without a trial. Corruption at the CDC and FDA leads to historic vaccine fraud, medical error and wrongful death Dr. Richard Nathan wrote to the FDA, pushing for boosters because Israel had done it and Pfizer recommends more dosing. Pfizer recommends it and I trust their guidance over the turmoil at our federal agencies. With millions of doses of vaccine set to expire, you should do what you think is best for your patients, Dr. Nathan wrote. I cant believe you would get pushback from anyone, he said to Doran Fink, who works for the FDAs Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. Keep in mind, nearly everyone in this group is six to seven months out from the second dose of the vaccine and many have significant daily exposure to the virus. Dr. Nathan pressured. Doran Fink, said Dr. Nathans post accurately reflects more widespread thinking that I am hearing in other forums as well, including doctors who advise the CDC on vaccines. Another pressure was recorded in a highly redacted email to Dr. Helen Gemignani at the FDA. The email read, We currently have a few immune compromised patients in our ICU who were fully vaccinated. It is difficult to remain patient when we are on the front lines observing this happen. We would like to initiate a third dose boost as soon as possible on our most vulnerable patients. Is there a way to expedite this request? Providers are losing confidence in FDA/CDC to do the right thing for their patients, Fink said in her emails. Just two weeks later, the FDA said they conducted a thorough review of the available data while authorizing covid-19 boosters for immunocompromised persons even though there were NO completed trials by Pfizer or Moderna. During the fiasco, Dr. Marion Gruber wrote to Dr. Peter Marks, a top FDA official: We need to be given time to consider their data and cannot be pushed by these companies and, for that matter the Administration, who try to impose timeless [sic] that make no sense. By September of 2021, the FDAs top official, Dr. Janet Woodcock, and the CDCs top official, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, made a joint statement, claiming that boosters will be needed for all Americans to maximize vaccine-induced protection and prolong its durability. This medical fraud led to the resigning of Dr. Phil Krause and Dr. Marion Gruber, the two most honest FDA officials who pushed back against the fraudulent vaccine approvals. With Krause and Gruber out of the way, the CDC and FDA began to approve more untested boosters on an ailing, dying, overly-vaccinated population. The disastrous covid-19 vaccine program and its trail of booster fraud continues to run amok over one year later. Sources include: ChildrensHealthDefense.org JudicialWatch.org [PDF] NaturalNews.com (Natural News) A website operated by the German government had been encouraging children to take puberty blockers and pushing gender-related ideologies before it was taken down entirely. The rainbow portal operated by the German Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth states that a child whose body does not fit with their feelings can undergo hormone therapies courtesy of the government. The portal also dismissed parents opposing their childs use of hormone therapy drugs as simply promoting nonsense. Moreover, the portal mentioned that there are more than just two genders, implying that puberty blockers are the key to transition to a new sex. It also pushed for gender surgery a fancy name for genital mutilation in case puberty blockers are not enough. Do you feel more comfortable as a girl? Or do you feel more comfortable as a boy? The important thing is: You should feel good now. It does not matter how you will live in 10 years, the webpage stated. The ministrys rainbow portal also espoused woke-ism by urging young people to find a good doctor who will use their new name and preferred pronouns. These young people should not allow their parents to get between them and their new gender, as only they know who they really are, according to the portal. German social media users quickly reacted, pointing out the stealthy edits done on the portal before it was taken down entirely and relaunched. In one instance, one section of the site encouraged young children to take puberty blockers. A notice advising children to see a doctor if puberty blockers might help them was later added in, following critics worries that the rainbow portal did not put enough warnings about how dangerous these special drugs might be. Non-profit promotes taking chemical hormone blockers Meanwhile, a recent promotional video by the Planned Parenthood Action Fund (PPAF) received criticisms in the U.S. as it advised teenagers to delay puberty and take hormone blockers. (Related: Promotional video urges confused teens to delay puberty using chemical hormone blockers.) According to a NewsPunch report, the video addresses teenagers who believe they may be intersex a person born with a combination of both male and female biological traits. Your gender identity is real. You should be the one to decide what changes you want to make to your body, PPAF highlighted in the clip. If you are transgender or nonbinary you may find that your puberty experiences do not line up with your gender identity or how you see yourself. Some people decide on hormones or surgeries to help their bodies match up to their gender identity or how they feel inside about themselves. The video advert explained that puberty blockers work like a stop sign by holding the hormones testosterone and estrogen that cause puberty changes like facial hair growth and periods. But the plug only aroused various negative reactions as these drugs that suppress puberty could cause innumerable detrimental side effects. The Food and Drug Administration issued an alert back in July regarding the puberty-blocking agent gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist following reports of children suffering from brain swelling and vision loss after taking the hormone treatment. Also, the American College of Pediatrics warned that GnRH can aggravate gender dysphoria and may cause mental illness, including depression and other emotional disturbances related to suicide. But PPAF insisted that they are harmless. Puberty blockers are safe and can give you more time to figure out what feels right for you, your body and your gender identity, it claimed. Visit DangerousMedicine.com for more stories about the dangers of puberty blockers. Watch the below video that talks about PPAFs cartoon promo video to push puberty blockers for kids. This video is from the FreedomProject Media channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Boston Childrens Hospital doctor says gender confusion among children has skyrocketed, puberty blockers handed out like candy. FAKED: University of Washington study falsely reported that drugging kids with puberty blockers helped with their mental issues. Yale is grooming children as young as THREE promoting puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, gender reassignment. Gender-affirming care doctor in bed with Big Pharma, promotes gender-bender surgery and puberty blockers while pocketing huge consulting fee payouts. Sources include: RMX.news NewsPunch.com Brighteon.com (Natural News) Republicans stung by the theft of the 2020 presidential election are not taking any chances, as the 2022 midterms are just days away. While there has been a great deal of early voting already, GOP lawmakers are dispatching dozens of election observers to each of several tight races around the country to ensure that Democrats dont engage in some of the same ballot shenanigans as in 2020, when Donald Trump was obviously deprived of a second term. As reported by Just the News: The effort led by Rep. Rodney Davis, the top Republican on the House Administration Committee, includes investigating how federal agencies are implementing President Joe Bidens executive order instructing the U.S. government to expand voter registration, along with the training and deployment of House staff as observers under the authority of Congress. Davis wrote at least one state election chief that the effort preserves the right for a candidate who feels his or her race was wrongly counted to contest it in Congress. As in past elections, the House will use this legal authority to credential and deploy trained congressional staffers to serve as official House election observers in close, or particularly cumbersome congressional elections, in the coming weeks, the Illinois Republican noted in a letter to Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose last month, describing his plans. This allows us to prepare for the possibility that a candidate could later contest the race in the House of Representatives. The Committee takes seriously its responsibility regarding federal elections, and we are committed to making sure all lawful ballots in congressional races are counted fairly, accurately, and according to law, the letter added. He also noted that House staff who have been deployed were trained by experts in election observation and instructed that they play no formal or advocacy role in the administration of the election or the vote counting process; they are to function exclusively as observers. He also pointed out that congressional observers cannot be denied access to voting sites, at least not legally. The Houses constitutional authority in this area supersedes state law, and House observers operate solely under this authority and must be granted access to view the process even if state law credentialing, partisan quota, or access requirements exist to the contrary, he said. The House Administration Committee has had oversight responsibility for federal elections for some time. Congressional staffers have been deployed in the past to observe elections, especially in races expected to be close. That said, House Republicans noted that the 2022 effort is the most comprehensive oversight operation in recent history. Davis general counsel Caleb Hays has taken a primary role in coordinating and organization the operation, as well as following up on requests for investigations. The faith in elections initiative is an important effort by House Republicans to hear directly from state and local election officials on what the best practices are in administrating elections; calling out practices and efforts that undermine faith in our elections by not having necessary checks and balances in place, House Administration Committee staff director Timothy Monahan told Just the News. This initiative has not only resulted in the federalist-first American Confidence in Election Act (ACE act) but also prepared trained election observers to have a front row seat for all competitive races that will ensure proper oversight occurs, he added. Davis and Republicans are already engaged in election integrity efforts. For instance, he sent a letter to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton last week demanding that he investigate voter registration mailers sent by the Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto ORourke and Planned Parenthood that may have violated state law. It is deeply troubling that Planned Parenthood and Mr. ORourkes campaign sent voter registration forms that may not conform to state law to individuals who, in some cases, have been deceased for over a decade, Davis wrote. It goes without saying: Situations like this have a negative effect on voter confidence at a time we can least afford it. Texas voters must be assured not only that their vote will count, but that all and only legal votes will be counted. I understand you have launched your Election Integrity Division to investigate instances like this, and I encourage you to direct them to pursue this with all due haste, the letter added. Sources include: JustTheNews.com Trump.news MBABANE Minister of ICT Princess Sikhanyiso has lamented the banning of MPs on local mainstream media, stating that it was not helping the country in any way. In fact, the minister made an undertaking to reverse the ban which was implemented a few years ago, after Members of Parliament (MP) voiced out their dismay on the continued interdiction of programmes from Parliament debates and discussions in both TV and national radio. MP Marwick Khumalo submitted before the Minister of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) Princess Sikhanyiso that both the Eswatini Broadcasting and Information Services (EBIS) and the Eswatini Television Authority (ESTVA) needed the support of the MPs in terms of approving the right budgets for their operations. He made an example that not so long ago, the Minister of Finance Neal Rijkenberg wanted the approval of the MPs on a supplementary budget, where there was an allocation of E3 million for EBIS but the MPs put their foot down and demanded that the budget be increased to E12 million, which the ministry did. Khumalo said it boggled the mind then when the same entity wanted nothing to do with Parliament programmes on their airwaves, yet these programmes were listened to by the electorate, who wanted to know what the people they elected were doing in Parliament. He said it was painful that the entity was counting on the persuasion of the legislators when it came to funding but they kept them banned from the airwaves, leaving one to wonder where they would get the funding from. They are biting the hand that feeds them and depriving the electorate the chance to get to know what discussions and conclusions are made in Parliament, the airwaves belong to them as taxpayers. We sit in the Finance committee and in all honesty, the House of Assembly has the final say when it comes to budgetary matters and that is a fact, its in law. Scratch Where are they going to get the funding from if they keep up with this? You scratch my back, I scratch yours, he submitted. Khumalo was supported by Gilgal MP Sandla Fakudze, who also shared the same sentiments while also enquiring if there was any gazette or any legal instrument that was used in communicating such or it was just an overnight decision. In the same breath, Khumalo said the radio station was giving entities free time on its airwaves in the form of programmes which they did not pay for. He said it was astonishing that the same entities were buying space for advertising in the print media but failing to pay for the time they utilised on national radio, through their programmes. He made an example about city councils across the country that were paying for space in print media for their programmes but failing to pay for same on national radio, yet they are well-funded through various revenue streams like rates, parking services and a lot more. Next thing we get complaints from them that they are underfunded and some operations are compromised but they allow these entities to rob them in broad daylight, he said. The minister admitted that indeed there was someone who made the decision and communicated such to the two entities that they should ban any programmes from Parliament, be it on radio or on TV and that was even before she arrived in office as minister. She said when she enquired about that decision and how it was benefitting the country, she was told that government communication was not under the ministry of ICT but was under a department where such decisions were made. This is not a new issue but we wish to reverse it, especially now in the digital era where the mainstream media is not in charge of the narrative and we know that who controls the narrative controls the people. We are simply depriving ourselves, she said. The minister said she was glad the matter had been brought to her attention and she stated that there was no better ministry to deal with it other than ICT. Meanwhile, both state-owned entities were challenged to improve their content because currently, their content was irrelevant, among other concerns. MP Khumalo even mentioned that ESTVA would remain underfunded if they did not work on improving their content. (Natural News) The narrative surrounding the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) has shifted. Suddenly, the orchestrator of the previous three years of covid hell, recognizing that people want answers and justice, are attempting to manipulate the public into just accepting what happened as a mistake and moving on. The Atlantics Emily Oster, a professor at Brown University, wrote an op-ed for the far-left magazine calling for a declaration of pandemic amnesty. We need to forgive one another for what we did and said when we were in the dark about COVID, Oster says. The closest thing yet to an outright admission that covid and the systems response to it was based on lies and deception, Osters piece is simply astounding in what it portends for the future of criminal justice in our country. When the powers that be commit crimes against humanity such as covid, we are now expected to just turn the other cheek and pretend it never happened. Are you okay with a system like that ruling over your life? Its the headline weve been waiting to see and, in the revisionist, gaslighting style thats become the journalistic norm on the response to Covid its about the closest thing to an outright admission of guilt that weve seen since Covid began, writes Michael P. Senger on his The New Normal Substack blog. The article is about as pathetically transparent as it is self-serving. Emily Oster is only concerned about herself Looking back at Osters past tweets provides insight into why Oster wants amnesty: because she is among the many authoritative sources who pushed lockdowns, masks, and vaccines on the public. On Nov. 13, 2020, for instance, Oster tweeted a call for all state governors to issue a short term total lockdown over Thanksgiving week. Nearly four months prior, Oster called for a full lockdown of all schools, like, right now. How have we let bars and indoor dining be open and are not focused on schools? she wrote. Where are the resources? I cannot see an end, or solutions. Im sad. Around the same time, Oster tweeted that fear-based vaccine motivation was inadequate to mass-vaccinate the public. Her solution? Vaccine mandates as a condition of staying employed and feeding ones family. Im in favor of vaccine mandates for students but Im curious about this. Would you be worried for you? Oster wrote in yet another tweet calling for more covid tyranny. For the other students? (I assume you are vaccinated). Sorry, Oster, but you do not have the right to simply vindicate yourself of your calls for crimes against humanity now that it is overwhelmingly obvious that the whole thing was a contrived scam from the very beginning. Playing dumb and pretending as though you just did not know any better is not going to cut it. As they say, ignorance of the law, so to speak, is no defense. Ignorance doesnt work as an excuse when the policies involved abrogating your fellow citizens rights under an indefinite state of emergency, while censoring and canceling those who werent as ignorant, Senger says. The inevitable result would be a society in which ignorance and obedience to the opinion of the mob would be the only safe position. Another fact is that at no point in her rant did Oster even bother to apologize for the things she advocated. Oster appears to be so narcissistic and tone deaf not to mention special in her own mind that she just wants it all to go away without consequence. Are you okay with that, America? The latest news about the new covid amnesty push can be found at VaccineWars.com. Sources for this article include: MichaelPSenger.substack.com HegemonMedia.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) By far, the CDC is the most insidious organization on planet earth. Like never before, innocent people across the country are experiencing health trauma and early death due to gene-mutating-injections that have been wrongly termed and labeled as Covid-19 vaccines. Tens of millions of citizens have stood their ground and denied these horrific nano-clot-shots, but only a handful of politicians have done the same. Now the CDC wants every American child injected with prions that cause myocarditis and pericarditis by clogging the blood and straining the heart, but Pennsylvanias Republican Senator Doug Mastriano is having none of it, as he pushes to pass the Medical Freedom Act. Heart-impairing prion injections: There are NO vaccines that prevent or mitigate Covid-19, but there are clot-shots that cause critical health tragedies Pandemic mandates, including lockdowns, social distancing, masks, and vaccines have crippled (pardon the pun) the health, wealth, and safety of our nation and its populace. Lives have been destroyed and businesses too. America is in shambles, and it was all about stealing an election and force-injecting a few hundred million Americans with heart-impairing prions. Thats exactly why Senator Doug Mastriano has stood up to the plate and hit a home run, declaring this about the Medical Freedom Act: I introduced this bill to shield people from retribution over the medical decisions they alone have the right to make and I wont stop fighting for that right until its guaranteed by law. The CDCs about-face comes too little, too late for millions of Americans who were shunned for refusing the vaccine, and he went on Protecting the right of all Pennsylvanians to make medically-informed decisions for themselves must happen now to prevent further erosion of our freedoms. Now all the perpetrators, propaganda pushers, misinformation specialists, and disinformation experts are begging for amnesty for their crimes. How ironic. The goons at the top of the CDC (and FDA, DHS, and WHO) are shaking in their boots, worried there may just be a Nuremberg II trial and theyll be tried for mass murder, treason, conspiracy, and more. Senate Bill 471, the Medical Freedom Act, should be a nationwide act and should apply forever, like the constitution itself, starting right now. This bill prevents state governments from imposing forced vaccination on adults or their children, plus it bans employer-mandated vaccinations. Imagine if the government told you that you were mandated to take psychotropic medications because Covid fear is spreading. Would you succumb? The Medical Freedom Act has already been approved by the Senate Health and Human Services Committee and awaits decision from the chamber floor Mastriano may be running for governor of Pennsylvania soon, according to his own announcement recently. The anti-vaccine rallies are gaining steam and momentum, and not just in Pennsylvania, but across the nation. Truckers have stood their ground. Thousands of nurses, doctors, and teachers have stood their ground, in the face of their cohorts dropping dead from SADS (a.k.a. sudden adult death syndrome caused by clot shots). Senator Mastriano has pointed out how the media and CDC have made many false and unproven claims about the pandemic, mandates, and treatments, and now its time to fight against the tyranny. Vaccine mandates are not appropriate at all, and this is now scientifically proven. Those who are fully vaccinated are much more likely to catch Covid and die from Covid than the fully UNvaccinated. Republican leaders are right to protest these psychotic Covid mandates. The CDC and the Leftists in Washington DC have gone insane, trying to force everyone, including children and pregnant women, to get the clot shots, while pregnant women who do get them are miscarrying at over a 75% rate. Many farm animals that get the clot shots die instantly as well. Medical workers are heroes, not guinea pigs for medical experiments. Same goes for our military, police, fire fighters, and school teachers. The Covid tyranny should not go underestimated. We dont want to wind up where all the fully unvaccinated are standing in huge shower rooms waiting for the hot water (deadly gas) to fill the rooms. Senator Mastriano compared Pennsylvania to communist East Germany, saying we must fight against the evil forces of the pharma industrial complex (think IG Farben here). Not on my watch, Mastriano declared, We will prevail in the end. Bookmark Vaccines.news to your favorite independent websites for updates on experimental vaccines that cause blood clots, myocarditis, and severe, chronic inflammation. Sources for this article include: Pandemic.news SenatorMastriano.com Legis.state.pa.us NaturalNews.com Goerie.com ZeroHedge.com (Natural News) More than 10,000 abortions were prevented in the first two months following the overturn of the Roe v. Wade abortion ruling, according to a report. An Oct. 30 report by the FiveThirtyEight (FTE) statistical analysis website showed that in two months after the Supreme Court decision [on Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization], there were 10,670 fewer abortions as compared to pre-Dobbs estimates. The Dobbs ruling, which stated that the U.S. Constitution does not grant a right to abortion, effectively overturned the 1973 Roe ruling and the 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey decision. The FTE analysis of abortion rates in all 50 states following the Roe overturn revealed that in states with pro-life laws, abortion rates dropped if not became zero entirely. In contrast, abortion rates in states without bans on the practice saw an uptick. It found that the number of abortions in many states in the South and the Midwest fell to zero, while states bordering the two regions such as Kansas, Colorado, North Carolina and Montana saw an increase in the number of abortions. Even before the Dobbs ruling, getting an abortion was often an arduous, time-consuming and expensive process particularly in southern and midwestern states that passed hundreds of restrictions on abortion in the past decade, the FTE piece pointed out. Citing research and policy organization Guttmacher Institute, the article stated that at least 66 abortion clinics closed between the June 2022 ruling and the end of October. Moreover, both North Dakota and South Dakota experienced a 100 percent drop in abortion rates two months after the high court decision. The only abortion clinic in North Dakota moved to neighboring Minnesota, causing a 14 percent increase in the number of abortions in the North Star State. In a surprising twist, pro-abortion state California only saw a one percent increase in its abortion rate even though neighboring state Arizona recorded a 53 percent decline in abortions in the two months after the June 2022 Supreme Court ruling. A trigger law banning abortion took effect in the Grand Canyon State after the high court overturned Roe. In contrast, the Golden State announced plans to become an abortion sanctuary. (Related: ABORTION WELFARE: Getting an abortion in California is now free, thanks to Gavin Newsom.) Pro-life activists laud Dobbs ruling for saving thousands of babies lives Several pro-life activists took to social media to react to FTEs findings. An incredible number, said Michael Knowles of the Daily Wire. In just two months, 10,000 human beings were rescued from slaughter because five [Supreme Court justices] had courage. Knowles pertained to the five conservative magistrates Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett who voted to overturn the Roe abortion ruling. Daily Signal senior reporter Mary Margaret Olohan, meanwhile, wrote: New data indicates that 10,000 babies made it! Lila Rose, founder and president of pro-life group Live Action, praised the report as amazing in a tweet. She continued: At least 10,000 lives have been saved since the overturning of Roe. Pro-life laws stop abortions and save lives. The FTE piece also mentioned that if these trends persist, there could be at least 60,000 fewer abortions in the next year as a result of the Dobbs decision. However, pro-life advocates cannot rest on their laurels just yet as chemical abortions appear to be the next battleground in safeguarding the rights of babies yet to enter this world. LifeSiteNews pointed out that illegal chemical abortions are on the rise following the Roe overturn. It cited an article by the Jeff Bezos-owned Washington Post about an underground network of abortion pill suppliers who send abortifacients to pregnant women without the safeguards of medical oversight. Planned Parenthood, meanwhile, announced plans to roll out a mobile abortion clinic for distributing abortifacients in an RV that can be parked at the borders of pro-life states. The abortion group added that the mobile abortion clinic could later offer surgical abortions. Head over to Abortions.news for more stories like this. Watch InfoWars host Owen Shroyer comments on two twisted podcasters expressing their fetish for infanticide in the video below. This video is from the Heaven Reigns channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Google censors abortion pill reversal ads, reinforcing pro-abortion stance. Deranged abortion activists eat abortion pills outside Supreme Court as Roe v. Wade challenged. Left-wing coastal states led by California forming abortion alliance to protect right to murder the unborn. Sources include: LifeSiteNews.com FiveThirtyEight.com Brighteon.com (Natural News) Shanghai Disney Resort (SDR), one of two Chinese branches of The Walt Disney Companys theme park, abruptly turned into a lockdown kingdom following 10 new cases of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19). The park announced on the morning of Oct. 31 that it would immediately suspend operations in the main theme park and its surrounding area, including its shopping street, due to COVID-19 rules. City authorities announced on WeChat that no one would be allowed to enter the theme park. Those who were unfortunately stuck inside were prohibited from leaving until they returned a negative test result. Moreover, they reminded visitors who went to the park since Oct. 27 to test for COVID-19 thrice in three days. A representative of the theme park said the SDR had been following measures in line with guidelines from Chinese health authorities. Earlier, the resort said it was operating with a reduced workforce in compliance with COVID-19 mandates. Despite this, the park continued to operate limited offerings as attested by some social media users who said some theme park rides were still running. On the same day as the announcement, viral footage on the Chinese social media platform Weibo showed people rushing to the parks already-locked gates. Reuters was unable to verify the footages authenticity, while the SDR did not respond to queries about how many visitors were inside the park. On Oct. 30 a day before the SDR locked down Shanghai reported 10 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases. According to city authorities, all 10 cases were asymptomatic. Meanwhile, the Universal Beijing Resort theme park in the capital reopened on Oct. 31 after being closed for five days. The parks closure was driven by measures to stamp out COVID-19. At the behest of the central government in Beijing, authorities have continued to enforce extreme measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 in line with the countrys zero-COVID policy. History repeats itself: SDR locked down over COVID-19 on same date last year This was not the first time the SDR was locked down due to COVID-19. Exactly a year ago, the theme park was abruptly shuttered with more than 30,000 people stuck inside after one person tested positive. (Related: Over 34,000 people trapped at Shanghai Disneyland after ONE person tested positive for COVID-19.) On Oct. 31, 2021, staff members quietly sealed the theme park as marshals wearing hazmat suits entered the gates. The marshals prepared to administer COVID-19 tests to park guests before letting them leave. Almost 34,000 people at the resort underwent COVID-19 testing, which ended close to midnight. The people were brought home on 220 special buses after being tested. While they were found to be negative on Nov. 1, 2021, the park guests were advised to isolate at home for two days and get tested once more for COVID-19 in two weeks. The snap lockdown at the theme park was triggered by a woman who traveled to Shanghai from nearby Hangzhou and subsequently tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Her infection sparked an aggressive contact tracing effort across China, which eventually involved park visitors, their families and theme park staff. The resort eventually reopened for business on Nov. 3, 2021. Head over to Pandemic.news for more stories about COVID-19 lockdowns in China. Watch this G News report about Shanghai Disney Resort being abruptly closed due to COVID-19 measures back in September 2022. This video is from the Chinese taking down EVIL CCP channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Shanghais lockdown in pursuit of zero-COVID causing MISERY to residents. SOS letter from Shanghai resident says city is on the brink of collapse due to COVID lockdown. Shanghai residents scream in protest due to lack of food, necessities amid COVID-19 lockdown. Shanghai descends into hellscape as COVID lockdown triggers martial law, arrests and suicides. Shanghai residents are being ASSAULTED by authorities for not complying with COVID-19 lockdown orders. Sources include: ABC.net.au CNBC.com Bloomberg.com Brighteon.com (Natural News) A new study revealed that states that implemented lockdowns to curb the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) suffered major economic losses as a result. The study, penned by researchers from the Minnesota-based Center of the American Experiment (CAE), calculated the cost of closed businesses and lost jobs per resident between January and March 2021 in all 50 U.S. states. CAE found that Massachusetts, which endured lockdowns and shutdowns of schools and businesses early in the pandemic, suffered the largest loss of gross domestic product (GDP) at an estimated $11,448 for a household of four, or $2,862 per resident. Ironically, Massachusetts has a Republican leader in the person of Gov. Charlie Baker. In contrast, Mississippi suffered the least among the 50 states. Its lenient lockdown policy caused it to suffer a GDP loss of only $4,016 per household, or $1,004 per resident. Mississippi is also helmed by a GOP leader, Gov. Tate Reeves. Decisions to shut down large parts of the economy because of the pandemic were not free, the researchers stated. Public policy must be judged on its cost as well as its benefit. (Related: Zero-COVID policy having severe effects on Chinese economy.) The CAE paper appeared to back up the results of a February 2022 meta-analysis, this time by researchers from Johns Hopkins University (JHU) in New York. The JHU researchers pointed out that COVID-19 lockdowns caused more harm than good. The authors of the paper examined more than 18,000 studies and found that lockdowns in the U.S. and Europe in the spring of 2020 only reduced COVID-19 deaths by a measly 0.2 percent. This meta-analysis concludes that lockdowns have had little to no public health effects, they have imposed enormous economic and social costs where they have been adopted, the researchers wrote. In consequence, lockdown policies are ill-founded and should be rejected as a pandemic policy instrument. Fauci admits lockdowns had serious impact on education, economy Infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci recently justified lockdowns as a response to COVID-19 despite recognizing them as draconian. It followed his earlier downplaying of the effects of these lockdowns on children. Sometimes when you do draconian things, [they have] collateral negative consequences, he said during The Atlantic Festival event in September, which was organized by the Atlantic magazine. Just like when you shut things down, even temporarily, it does have deleterious consequences on the economy [and] on the school children, you know that. You have to make a balance when the only way to stop something cold in its tracks is to shut things down. The White House Chief Medical Advisor told Ross Andersen, editor for the Atlantic, that the divisiveness of social media played a big role in making his guidance about COVID-19 lockdowns controversial. When you have a divisiveness in society where every time you say something, you have X number of people with social media looking to attack it, that adds to the understandable confusion when youre dealing with an evolving outbreak, he said. Still, Fauci insisted that the draconian lockdowns, masking and vaccination were needed because hospitals were being overrun. He earlier dismissed worries about the impact of lockdowns and school closures during a Fox News appearance. I dont think its forever irreparably damaged anyone, he told the channels Neil Cavuto. MedicalTyranny.com has more stories about COVID-19 lockdowns. Watch the video below to learn how the Fed used the COVID-19 lockdowns to wreck the American economy. This video is from the InfoWars channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Shanghais COVID-19 lockdown is causing a shortage of medical dyes, delaying medical tests in US hospitals. RESISTANCE IS FUTILE: New Zealand extends repressive COVID-19 lockdown to give government more time to vaccinate entire country. Canadas COVID-19 lockdowns have not provided any benefits to Canadians. Lockdown-free Sweden has fewer excess coronavirus deaths than most of Europe. Covid lockdowns weakened childrens immunity, resulting in record number of toddler hospitalizations. Sources include: WND.com 1 WND.com 2 Brighteon.com (Natural News) Transgender activists attacked biological females at a pro-woman event in Tacoma, Washington, injuring one attendee. The event was subsequently shut down because of the incident. British womens activist Kelly-Jay Keen-Minshull organized and spoke at the Let Women Speak rally last Oct. 26, with the purpose of reclaiming womens voices from the transgender and gender ideology movement. However, the event was marred by opposition and hostility from protesters who denounced her as a trans-exclusionary radical feminist (TERF). At the beginning of the rally, protesters stood around the top of the amphitheater where Keen-Minshull was speaking. They carried transgender pride flags and signs that read no TERFs in T town, crash the cis-tem and trans women are women. Some of the protesters came from a school located near the rallys venue. Keen-Minshull was met with shouts of no hate here from the protesters, which rally attendees replied to with let them speak. The U.S. is failing to uphold the First Amendment at the behest of this odious and most insidious quasi-religious cult called transgenderism, said the British activist. Women must be protected to speak about the erasure of our spaces, our rights and the words we use to define ourselves. The protesters did not stop their harassment of the rally attendees, forcing the event to move to another area. The event ended abruptly following pro-trans hecklers resorting to multiple acts of violence. Keen-Minshull recounted that one of the participants, a middle-aged lesbian, got her fingers crushed by a mans bare hands. She added that the perpetrator literally got her hand in his and crushed it and broke her fingers. Footage posted by independent journalist Andy Ngo appeared to attest to this with two young men targeting a woman and then running away after the victim shouted for help. Before ending the event, the activist addressed the crowd: If there are any police here, theres a man in yellow that said hes [going to] kill someone. We arent going to let any more people be assaulted, and the police arent coming. Keen-Minshul being targeted by Woke Left for speaking out Keen-Minshul explained the rationale of the Let Women Speak rally during an interview with Fox News. Women are being silenced through tech, so were taking our voices back to the public square, she said. Many of those women [who attended] lost their jobs, they lost their livelihoods, they might have lost their children to this pernicious cult of transgenderism, and they just want to talk about it. The British activist also blasted gender ideology and transgenderism as a dishonest narrative that anybody can choose their biological sex, warning that the broken bodies of children cannot be repaired once they start on this journey of puberty blockers, cross sex hormones and surgeries. I think people across the country have got to wake up pretty damn quick, join their school boards, and start talking about this to anybody and everybody as much as humanly possible to try and stop it. (Related: Feminists finally wake up and realize the LGBT transgender mafia is a threat to all women.) Keen-Minshul remarked that she was far more afraid of the things that are happening than the possible consequences of her actions. Staying silent is really not an option anymore. I would be much more afraid of doing that, she said. The abrupt end of her event in Washington followed the cancellation of the rallys leg in Portland. The event, originally scheduled for Oct. 25, was scrapped after Antifa members in the city threatened violence. I was alerted to multiple threats of violence against me, as well as a local principal lying and saying I had links to the far right, Keen-Minshul told the Post Millenial. I am relatively well known by name and sight to these violent, unhinged ideologues. The police have confirmed that they are too short-staffed to be reliable. LeftCult.com has more stories about transgenders suppressing biological womens voices. Watch Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshul takes on an MTF transgender occupying a female restroom in the video below. This video is from the True Thoughts channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: LGBT demonstrators disrupt Straight Pride parade in California for the second straight year. LGBT terror mob vandalizes Chick-fil-A as Pride Month mercifully comes to an end. Tolerance? Vicious gay rights aggressors attack preachers in public park. Sources include: LifeSiteNews.com ThePostMillennial.com Brighteon.com (Natural News) Finlands national public broadcasting company Yle issued a report this week highlighting the fact that most of the weapons being sent by NATO to Ukraine to fight Russia are not making it to their claimed destinations. Criminal gangs in Scandinavia and elsewhere, Finlands federal National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) found, are basically being armed by NATO as they intercept and take hold of these weapons yes, your tax dollars are arming criminal gangs in Finland and other far-away countries. The NBI actually ran a headline recently that said it all: Arms sent to Ukraine in criminal hands. This is what all those billions being sent by the Biden regime to Volodymyr Zelensky are helping to pay for: the arming of criminals. Even as politicians here in the United States push for Americans to lose their Second Amendment rights, they are simultaneously arming thugs overseas under the guise of protecting Ukraine against the Russian invasion. According to reports, the recovered weapons include assault rifles that were supposed to go to Ukrainian forces, but instead went to random people in neighboring countries. (Related: Is Ukraine a biological weapons outsourcing nation for NATO?) Weapons shipped [by various countries] to Ukraine have also been found in Sweden, Denmark, and the Netherlands, said NBI Detective Superintendent Christer Ahlgren. Weve seen signs of these weapons already finding their way to Finland. Criminal gangs use online forums to facilitate black market NATO weapons trade Another lead investigator from the NBI revealed that illicit NATO arms trafficking is often brokered in online forums frequented by criminal gangs. Here is what he had to say: Three of the worlds largest motorcycle gangs that are part of larger international organizations are active in Finland. One of these is Bandidos MC, which has a unit in every major Ukrainian city. We know that contacts and routes are being warmed up, so that theyre in place. Ahlgren added that in his country, anyway, law enforcement is going to be dealing with these arms for decades and pay the price here. Many of the criminal outlets in question operate out of Finnish commercial ports. Stopping this, he says, is in everyones interest. Efforts to do this have been ramping up ever since Russia invaded Ukraine, specifically at key ports of entry where many of the weapons are entering. Over the past eight months since the invasion began, tens of billions of dollars worth of light and heavy weaponry has reportedly entered Ukraine. And throughout this time, both government officials and media pundits have warned that much of that weaponry would end up outside Ukraine which it has. #NATO funnels weapons into a black hole in #Ukraine as #German troops again gather on the borders of #Russia, wrote someone on Twitter about the matter. A White House official back in April said much the same to CNN, noting that we have fidelity for a short time, but when it enters the fog of war, we have almost zero. It drops into a big black hole, and you have almost no sense of it at all after a short period of time. It is almost as if the powers that be knew this would happen but did it anyway. Are they intentionally trying to cause more problems? Is this really about arming Ukraine to protect the country against Russia? Maybe if we stopped pretending that Ukraine is a hotbed of democracy and Western values, and is in reality a hotbed or corruption, Western money-laundering, and a proxy state designed by the U.S. to attack Russia, we might understand, one commenter wrote. The latest news about the situation in Ukraine can be found at Chaos.news. Sources for this article include: ZeroHedge.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) suppreCBS recently aired a documentary about how United States weapons have been getting lost in Ukraine, only to have that documentary censored by the Biden regime for telling too much truth. The gist of the film is that many of the weapons being sent by NATO to Ukraine are ending up in the hands of the wrong people people that belong to criminal gangs in other countries, for instance. The roughly 23-minute CBS film about the scandal was pulled by the network after airing, but was captured by someone else and re-uploaded for public viewing: As much as 70 percent of all that NATO-supplied weaponry is ending up elsewhere, the film reveals. Criminal gangs in countries like Sweden and Finland are intercepting the shipments and redirecting them, which is causing major problems across Europe. Three of the worlds largest motorcycle gangs that are part of larger international organizations are active in Finland, explained a Finnish investigator who is actively looking into the matter. One of these is Bandidos MC, which has a unit in every major Ukrainian city. Are the U.S. and NATO intentionally sending arms to rogue criminal groups? While it might seem as though this is all unintentional, it is difficult not to speculate that perhaps the true intent all along was to arm these criminals while pretending as though the weapons were meant to fight Russia. It almost seems like this entire charade is one big free for all with American taxpayers footing the bill. Meanwhile, swaths of Europe face increased violence at the hands of NATO-armed criminals who now pose a threat to local populations. Were going to be dealing with these arms for decades and pay the price here, says Finnish Detective Superintendent Christer Ahlgren. Illegal arms dealing is reportedly taking place in online forums frequented by criminal gang members who know they can get their hands on NATO-supplied weapons with ease, thanks to a steady supply of guns and cash from the Biden regime. Ahlgren is well aware of what is taking place and has said that stopping this is in everyones interest because over time it will only get worse the longer the war continues. (Related: Russia recently halted participation in the Ukraine grain deal following a massive drone strike.) Tens of billions of dollars worth of weapons have already been funneled into Ukraine, though very few of them have made it into the hands of legitimate soldiers. The rest are now on the streets where they are being used to terrorize the public thanks, NATO! Keep in mind that things have only gotten worse since CBS first aired the above documentary. If it was bad then, it is much worse now, in other words. This is all gear that every law-abiding American citizen should be able to own and use but our government violates the Constitution while sending fully-automatic weapons overseas, wrote someone on YouTube in response to what the video portrayed. Disgusting. Another chimed in that the documentary itself is relatively mild and contains some degree of propaganda, and yet was still not okay with the Biden regime. What does that tell you about the current state of free speech in the United States? Russia did not occupy Crimea in 2014, someone else wrote, pointing out another problem with the information portrayed in the film. The people of Crimea voted in referendum to join Russia. The Russian backed separatists did not occupy the Donbass region in 2014. They live where they were born and grew up. Donbass is their land! Interested in learning more about the corruption in Ukraine? Visit Corruption.news. Sources for this article include: YouTube.com BlacklistedNews.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) Its taken more than two years, but an academic journal has finally published a study showing how doctors, academics and researchers were threatened, defame, and shamed into silence for daring to speak out against the accepted narratives about COVID-19. The study, noted by Dr. Robert Malone, inventor of the mRNA and DNA vaccines, on his substack page, was published in a relatively obscure academic journal Minerva, but was nonetheless allowed to be posted by mainstream academic publisher Springer. Having personally lived through what may be among the most intensive slander, defamation and derision campaigns of the COVID crisis, none of what was described in this article surprised me, he wrote as he introduced the piece. I expected the article to bring a tear of relief at being heard and validated, but instead it just left me numb. While the article failed to mention any of several instances of mistreatment experienced by Malone, or several other prominent researchers and academics, being censored and defamed, Malone said that the article did include enough examples to prove just how pervasive the global effort was to silence COVID critics. An abstract of the article notes: The emergence of COVID-19 has led to numerous controversies over COVID-related knowledge and policy. To counter the perceived threat from doctors and scientists who challenge the official position of governmental and intergovernmental health authorities, some supporters of this orthodoxy have moved to censor those who promote dissenting views. The aim of the present study is to explore the experiences and responses of highly accomplished doctors and research scientists from different countries who have been targets of suppression and/or censorship following their publications and statements in relation to COVID-19 that challenge official views. Our findings point to the central role played by media organizations, and especially by information technology companies, in attempting to stifle debate over COVID-19 policy and measures. In the effort to silence alternative voices, widespread use was made not only of censorship, but of tactics of suppression that damaged the reputations and careers of dissenting doctors and scientists, regardless of their academic or medical status and regardless of their stature prior to expressing a contrary position. In place of open and fair discussion, censorship and suppression of scientific dissent has deleterious and far-reaching implications for medicine, science, and public health. So, how did the situation develop in the first place, Malone asks. Step by step, beginning with notable left-wing political figures including Barack Obama who normalized the demonization of anyone who questions the government. The study revealed five key areas of silencing critics and tainting information that was made available to the public (or hidden from it): Cover-UpOur findings show that this tactic was very prominent, which is not surprising, since, as Jansen and Martin noted, if people arent aware of censorship, they are not upset about it. The cover-up tactics included various methods. For example, using third-party sources such as other doctors or fact-checkers to discredit dissident scientists and doctors. Since these sources are portrayed as independent, they help mask the real sources behind the censorship. DevaluationThis tactic was described by our study respondents and included various aspects, such as publishing false and disparaging claims about them, dismissing them from work in academia or medical institutions, and stripping them of various senior positions all actions that were felt by our respondents to be intended to undermine their credibility and legitimacy. The tactic of devaluation, also known as a negative campaign or a smear campaign, is often used by corporations, and its aim is to harm the reputation of an individual or a group. ReinterpretationThis tactic involves framing censorship as a means of protecting the public from the dissenting doctors and scientists, portraying them as misinformation spreaders endangering public health in a time of crisis. Official ChannelsAs our respondents described, the censorship actions taken against them were only part of a wider range of silencing and repressive actions, which also included formal proceedings such as investigating or withdrawing their medical licenses, suing them or ordering a police search of their homes. IntimidationThe respondents interpreted all the above tactics as being intended to intimidate and deter them from continuing to publish their views and criticism, and also single them out in a way that implicitly invites harassment by others and serves as an example to other doctors and scientists. Regarding the intimidation, some respondents said they became so concerned about it that they had to resort to posting on social media and elsewhere using fake names. Malone concluded his piece with this advice: Vote in this upcoming election. Like your childrens lives depend on it. Because they do. Sources include: RWMaloneMD.Substack.com Pandemic.news (Natural News) President Joe Biden has offered his support for child mutilation, while denouncing Republican efforts to limit or ban transition-related treatments for transgender and nonbinary youth. I dont think any state or anybody should have the right to do that. As a moral question and as a legal question, I just think its wrong, Biden said when asked about the growing number of red states that have passed laws limiting access to what they call gender-affirming care. He made those remarks while taking part in a presidential forum featuring six liberal activists. Biden also mentioned his late son, Beau, who served as Delaware attorney general until his death from brain cancer in 2015. Beau, the president noted, passed the broadest piece of legislation that dealt with all genders-affirming capabilities, which he was able to convince the legislature and the governor to sign. Sometimes, they try to block you from being able to access certain medicines, being able to access certain procedures, and so on, Biden said. I mean, no state should be able to do that, in my view. So, I feel very, very strongly that you should have every single solitary right including use of your gender-identity bathrooms in public. He reiterated his disapproval of those efforts later in the discussion. Its really important that we continue to speak out about the basic fundamental rights of all human beings, he said. The idea that whats going on in some states I wont get into the politics of it but in some states, its outrageous, and I think its immoral. The trans parts not immoral. What theyre trying to do to trans persons is immoral. Dictionary.com defines immoral as violating moral principles; not conforming to the patterns of conduct usually accepted or established as consistent with principles of personal and social ethics. Children mutilation was never the norm, so the word immoral fits better with people like Biden who constantly encourage transgender and nonbinary youth to go through potentially dangerous procedures. LGBT advocacy groups and civil rights advocates said the bans are discriminatory, with many pointing out that lawmakers sponsoring the bills havent cited anything problematic enough to merit barring such care. GOP lawmakers who are pushing for the ban, on the other hand, argued that these treatments are dangerous and that they have the potential to cause irreversible changes in younger patients. Most of the bills that Republicans offered in their state houses across the country have focused on such ban in treatments for transgender and nonbinary youth not adults. Access to gender mutilation surgeries can easily leave children unable to reproduce, or even urinate properly, for life. Many teens and young adults also suffer from horrible regret after sex change operations, which could not be reversed, and some end up committing suicide. Moreover, the hormone pills that are used to get these surgeries are cancer-inducing chemical castration drugs. Former trans: I was failed by the system I literally lost organs Chloe Cole, a teen who is born female, transitioned to male as a young teen. She later detransitioned and said based on experience that Bidens stance on the matter could lead more young people down the road toward irreversible medical treatments. What Biden was saying is dangerous. Hes trying to advocate for further experimentation on children, Cole warned. Cole began identifying as a boy at 12, started puberty blockers and testosterone treatment at 13 and had an elective double mastectomy at 15 to masculinize her chest. However, she started regretting the surgeries at 16, which she said were spurred by insecurities about her appearance and the influence of social media, rather than gender dysphoria. She blamed the medical professionals for failing to question or prevent her rapid transition. (Related: Mother sues transgender clinic for lying about safety of hormone blockers for kids.) I was failed by the system I literally lost organs, she said in a previous interview. Visit Gender.news for more updates about the issue of transgenderism and gender politics. Watch the video below to learn more about Bidens stance about transgenderism in American children and youth. This video is from the Lori Colley channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Puberty-blocking drugs given to transgender kids have killed at least 6,370 of them, FDA report finds. Its an assembly line: De-transitioned man says parents encouraging kids to become transgender are guilty of child abuse. Bidens choice of a transgender drag queen to head up the Department of Energy illustrates systemic problem of trans privilege in America. Joe Biden demands American children be MUTILATED by transgender surgical procedures and chemical castrations a man with NO BRAIN wants children to have no reproductive organs. Sources include: WashingtonExaminer.com NaturalNews.com NYPost.com Brighteon.com MANZINI Almost two days later, there is still no kidnapping case reported to the police. Deputy Police Information and Communications Officer Inspector Nosipho Mnguni said the police had not interviewed any individual as there was no report of a kidnapped police officer. Mnguni was responding to a question which sought to establish if the police had visited and recorded a statement with the law enforcer supposing that he was abducted and ordered to lead five gunmen to compound where the Deputy National Commissioner of Police, Lydia Dlamini, resides. Modus operandi It is worth noting that recently, the modus operandi which was used by the supposed five gunmen is similar to the one that was utilised at His Majestys Correctional Services (HMCS) Sidwashini Correctional Facility, to be specific, wherein a warder - Wandile Mphumelelo Gina (32) was with the people who abducted, assaulted and later killed his colleague. The deceased warder was kidnapped while engaging in his duties at Sidwashini Correctional Services and the men who were with Gina disarmed him and fled with the HMCS gun. Gina was later declared a person of interest by the HMCS as they requested those with the knowledge of his whereabouts to contact the police on their toll free number 999 or 9999. This is a second incident to reportedly involve five gunmen in a space of two days. These events happened hardly a week (on Tuesday October 25, 202) after the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS), through the office of the Police Information and Communications Officer, sent a warning to the public to be on high alert as a group of five men have illegally entered the Kingdom of Eswatini, armed with explosives. According to the police, the five men reportedly gained entry into the country through an informal crossing pint near Ngwenya Border Gate on Monday October 24, 2022. In that regard, the police urged the public to be on high alert at all times and whenever the see any suspicious men in their surroundings, they should contact the police through their toll free emergency number 999/9999 or nearby police station commander. The first incident took place Price Rite Cash and Carry Wholesale in Manzini, where five gunmen robbed the shop about E90 000 during a daylight robbery. One of them was reportedly armed with an assault rifle, while rest were carrying pistols. Then about a day later, five men who were armed with pistols purportedly kidnapped a law enforcer while he was at Matsapha. It is claimed they wanted to use him in some of their operations. (Natural News) The government of the United Kingdom has been war gaming emergency plans to deal with the energy crisis this winter, including the possibility of week-long blackouts. Government documents marked official sensitive obtained by British media outlets warned that in a reasonable worst-case scenario, there could be severe disruptions to transport, food, water, communications and energy for up to seven days at a time. In response to this, officials in London have begun stress testing Programme Yarrow, the governments contingency plan for dealing with large-scale blackouts. The plan involves prioritizing providing the young and the elderly, as well as their caregivers, with food, water and shelter. Programme Yarrow is a cross-government blueprint that was first drawn up in 2021 to improve the British governments ability to plan and stay resilient in the face of a major technical fault in the National Grid, the main electricity transmission network in the United Kingdom. Last month, the National Grid warned that Britain could experience three-hour rolling blackouts during the winter. Programme Yarrow is preparing the country for a situation more severe. According to the plan, around 60 percent of the electricity demand would be met between day two to seven of the week-long blackout. Households and businesses would be given intermittent access to rationed electricity. The country would also be given at least 24 hours notice before a planned long-term power outage, and the plan for power rationing could be published up to a week ahead on a rolling basis. The National Grid and the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets, the main government regulator for electricity and gas, have already reached an agreement stipulating that 100 percent of electricity demand should be restored after a week. Programme Yarrow expects this agreement to be met even in a worst-case scenario. British government also preparing for Russian attack on power grid The British media that reported on the issue also noted that the governments fears of a possible nationwide blackout have been rising since the beginning of Russias special military operation in Ukraine in late February. Officials that stress tested Programme Yarrow have been preparing for a kind of technical fault in the National Grid that includes a possible attack by a hostile state on the U.K.s sub-sea power cables. This attack is expected to be some form of retaliation against the sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea. (Related: Russia: British Navy played a major role in sabotage of Nord Stream pipelines.) Minister of State for Security Tom Tugendhat recently warned that Britain had become more vulnerable in recent years as potentially hostile state actors had levelled the field by investing more of their resources into new technologies which could be used to strike the country. The Guardian, which first reported the stress testing of Programme Yarrow, also revealed that the BBC has already prepared secret scripts that it could read on air at the prompting of the government if energy shortages start to cause blackouts or the loss of gas supplies this winter. The government doesnt want any publicity on Yarrow, as they dont want it to be seen as linked to Ukraine, the energy supply and the cost of living, said one source that spoke with the Guardian. But we need to think about how we can help people in advance. The fact theyre talking about it now means they have a real concern it could happen. Read more news about Europes energy crisis at PowerGrid.news. Watch this clip from InfoWars as host Harrison H. Smith discusses how the British police are bracing for a surge in crime and civil unrest this winter. This video is from the InfoWars channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: UK flips back to green cult as new prime minister cancels fracking order, setting country up for energy collapse. National Grid: Great Britain will see rolling power cuts on the deepest, darkest evenings in January and February. British banks prepare for possible winter blackouts, suggest revival of lockdown policies to safeguard energy supply. FREEZE TIL YOURE BROKE: Millions of Brits face energy poverty this winter due to UK governments price cap increase. GRID INSANITY: British government will start paying citizens huge sums to NOT use electrical appliances. Sources include: DailyMail.co.uk Telegraph.co.uk TheGuardian.com Brighteon.com (Natural News) China was found to be behind a massive online disinformation campaign aimed at undermining the upcoming United States midterm elections, according to a cybersecurity group. The communist country is said to be using a network of social media accounts and altered news articles to sow division between the U.S. and its allies and within the U.S. political system itself, said Mandiant, a cybersecurity and intelligence organization that works with governments and the public sector. The group called Dragonbridge caught the attention of Mandiant because of its aggressive attempts to discredit the U.S. democratic process, which included attempts to discourage Americans from voting in the midterm elections. Mandiant also assessed with high confidence that the online campaign is operating in support of the political interests of the Peoples Republic of China. China is not the only country trying to meddle in the upcoming elections. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) recently warned that an Iranian government-backed hacking group is working to target U.S. entities. (Related: REPORT: China, Russia and others conspired in coordinated cyberwarfare attack to steal 2020 election.) Russia is also said to be working to amplify doubts about the integrity of the elections as voters are set to head to the polls next week. Chinas Dragonbridge operation is similar to those of other foreign actors. Accounts connected to the group are posting English-language videos on online platforms, which included content attempting to discourage Americans from voting in the midterm elections. One of the videos claimed that the solution to Americas problems is not to vote for someone but to root out an ineffective and incapacitated system. This mirrors the narrative of other U.S.-based radical groups. Foreign countries have also used social media to sow discord on hot-button social issues in previous elections. The U.S. government has since been on high alert, warning that efforts by Russia, China and Iran to meddle in American politics have helped influence how voters think. Chinas disinformation campaign meant to divide Americans Chinese operators also promoted rhetoric that was meant to divide Americans and reinforce the impression that the country is irrevocably broken. The content that Mandiant was able to collect also pushed the narrative that political infighting, partisanship, polarization and division had become fundamental aspects of American democracy. The campaign also pointed to frequent mentions of civil war on social media and incidents of politically motivated violence, including confrontations between individuals supporting opposing parties and acts against the FBI, as evidence of the deterioration of the political process and its impending demise. Mandiant noted that Chinas orchestrated campaigns have exhibited aggressiveness through both the content of its narratives and its willingness to experiment with new tactics to accomplish its aims, which included attempts to mobilize American protesters to take to the streets and potentially commit violent acts. John Hultquist, who heads threat intelligence for Mandiant, said that while Russia and Iran are more aggressive in their efforts to undermine U.S. elections, whats troubling [about the CCP groups is] their aggressive growth. Jen Easterly, the director of the Department of Homeland Securitys cybersecurity arm, told reporters that the current environment is pretty complex, arguably much more complex than it was in 2020. It seems that Chinas efforts are focused more on shaping policy perspectives, including the state and local level, rather than on electoral outcomes. Larry Norden of the Brennan Center for Justice pointed out that state and local governments are limited in what they can do against influence campaigns and it isnt their job to police political conversation. I do think there is a lot voters should be doing. If they are seeing messages about candidates presented in an alarmist or emotionally charged way, their radar should be going up, he said. They should be checking the accuracy of claims, and if they are seeing false claims, they should be letting the social media companies know. Visit Propaganda.news for more news about how China is trying to manipulate the 2022 midterm elections. Watch the video below that talks about Chinas attempt to undermine the 2022 U.S. midterm elections. This video is from the Chinese taking down EVIL CCP channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Authorities: CEO of election software company sent American poll workers data to China. China helped steal U.S. election, concludes hard-hitting Epoch Times documentary. Election company Konnech that illegally stored election data in communist China EXPOSED for contributing all political cash to Biden and other Democrats. Sources include: FreeBeacon.com APNews.com Brighteon.com (Natural News) Former intelligence officer Jeffrey Prather shared intel reports with Health Ranger Mike Adams regarding the dirty bomb allegedly being produced by two Ukrainian organizations. Prather said there are currently two schools of thought on the alleged production of the radiological dispersal device: First, there will be a lot of nuclear saber-rattling; second, theres going to be a peace deal right before the November midterm elections. Kind of like what [former President Barack] Obama was trying to do with Benghazi, which we all know how that ended up. Because they dont understand violence and tactics, he told Adams during his guest appearance on the Health Ranger Report podcast. Russian Chemical and Biological Protection Troops Lieutenant-General Igor Kirillov told reporters that the dirty bomb is nearing its completion. (Related: Two Ukrainian firms caught building dirty bomb media blackout.) Another intelligence report is saying that the Russians have already intercepted the small nuke. If you set off a small nuke in a city, its not the end of the world. The buildings in cities contain a lot of radiation or it may have been set off underground as well as a neutron bomb, Prather said. I think their plans have been upset because the intelligence that the Russians have come out with is so much more accurate than the lies that our own government is putting out. Adams commented that if the bomb was not intercepted, it could have given the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) the pretext it needed to justify moving into Ukraine with American troops, citing the 101st Airborne Division that is in Romania and is within airdrop distance to Odesa Ukraines major seaport and transport hub. Wouldnt this be a propaganda justification to try to gain public support for the actions that NATO wishes to take if its not effective as a war tactic or a war weapon? Adams asked. Prather agreed, but added that the propaganda to build support would fail. Moreover, Prather pointed out that some of his fellow veterans did not even allow their children and grandchildren to enlist in the military and go to Ukraine. Theres no support for that at all. So I dont think even the propaganda justification would work, even if it happens. It would be ineffective either way, he said. Biden administration plays nuclear crisis card to stop midterm elections Adams and Prather both believe that the planned propaganda is leading toward the disruption of the November midterm elections. They are tying it back to the nuclear threat in Ukraine, playing out some kind of nuclear crisis so they could shut down elections, just like what they did with the plandemic,' Prather said. The former intelligence officer added that there is going to be cheating during the midterms. On the Left, it has gotten kinetically violent and sporadic, but theyre building the ability to have violence. Thats going to lead to more inflection points and flash points. Thats where they start to lose control of everything. So, there are places where the resistance will surface, he said. He predicted that there will be victories in some areas for the Democrats, but they are not going to control all the swing states because the plans that theyre locked into continue to fail. Visit WWIII.news for more updates on the ongoing chaos in Ukraine. Watch the full segment of Health Ranger Report with Mike Adams featuring Jeffrey Prather below. This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Prather Point: Jeffrey Prather claims FBI, CIA shaping the narrative via information influence, psychological ops Brighteon.TV Prather Point with Jeffrey Prather: Russia, Putin are the patriots allies against the Deep State Brighteon.TV. Jeffrey Prather: Ukraine is the biolab for fifth-generation warfare and global inflection point for Great Reset Brighteon.TV. Ex-intel officer Jeff Prather tells Ann Vandersteel: Ukraine is a puppet of US government, a biolab for fifth generation war Brighteon.TV. Sources include: Brighteon.com NewsPunch.com (Natural News) A Manhattan doctor, who was involved in a massive health fraud scheme and already charged by federal authorities earlier in the year, mysteriously went missing following an alleged dead-of-night boating accident off the Long Island coast. Marvin Moy, a physician and rehabilitation doctor who practices out of Hempstead, New York, went out in his boat Sure Shot on October 12, a week before he was due in court for a hearing. His vessel collided with a larger commercial vessel about 25 miles off the coast of Fire Island, the New York Post reported. On October 13, First Coast Guard District posted on Twitter that it received a distress alert from Moys boat just after midnight. The Coast Guard (CG) said the boat sank within 15 minutes and two people were aboard at the time of the collision. First Coast Guard District confirmed that only one person was rescued around 7 a.m. on October 13, and rescuers reported debris and an oil sheen on the water. The other person was recovered while Marvin remained missing, a First Coast Guard District representative said. We conducted boat and helicopter searches for over 30 hours covering 4,830 nautical miles, finding only the Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon that he was allegedly holding when he was last seen. On October 15, First Coast Guard District tweeted that the search for the missing person has been suspended and an investigation into the cause of the sinking is ongoing. Moy arrested in January over $100M healthcare fraud Moy is one of the doctors arrested in January for his suspected involvement in the $100 million fraudulent healthcare practices, money laundering and bribery schemes. He was linked to the criminal enterprises that bribed police dispatchers and healthcare workers for car accident victims information. Back in January, authorities claimed Moy conducted unnecessary and painful electrodiagnostic testing on patients while a cohort falsified findings of clinical injuries in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) results in order to boost patient referrals. They then overcharged the insurance companies to exploit automobile insurance laws in New York and New Jersey that require them to pay for victims medical bills in certain situations. (Related: BUSTED: Top medical fraud and illegal health care schemes of 2022.) The doctors friends said they are troubled by the alleged accident that apparently flung Moy overboard after he and his passenger collided with a larger vessel. Weve got unresolved questions. We do not know what happened, one of his friends said. I would obviously like for my friend to be found. Theres still a chance hes shipwrecked on some small rock. According to his friends, the identity of Moys passenger is not known to them, but may have been someone he knew from the Long Island boating community. One of his pals also told DailyMail.com that it wasnt unusual for the doctor whose Manhattan apartment looked more like a fishing cabin than an Upper East Side flat to stay overnight on the boat after being out fishing all day and that tragedies like this happen from time to time. His friend said Moy, who divorced his wife two years ago, was diabetic and had battled pancreatic cancer. Visit BadDoctors.news for more news related to crooked medical practitioners. Watch the video below that talks about Americas insurance fraud-based economy. This video is from the channel The New American on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Virginia OB/GYN who performed unnecessary hysterectomies convicted on 52 counts of insurance fraud. Wave of lawsuits coming against psychiatrists and doctors who rubber-stamped transgender mutilations and surgeries. Americas hospitals are wrought with covid malpractice, fraud. US submarine crashes into unknown object in South China Sea; 11 sailors injured. Sources include: WesternJournal.com Patch.com Justice.gov NYPost.com DailyMail.co.uk Brighteon.com (Natural News) New research out of Switzerland suggests that every single person who gets vaccinated for the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) ends up developing some kind of heart damage ranging from minor to major. Researchers across the pond discovered that every fully vaccinated person develops elevated troponin levels post-injection troponin being an indicator of heart injury. Of this, nearly three percent end up developing subclinical myocarditis. The official story is that any kind of heart injury must have been caused by the virus and not by the injections. This is becoming increasingly unbelievable, even to diehard vaccine apologists, based on emerging data. (Related: The CDCs own research shows that covid injections cause myocarditis and other heart issues.) Excess deaths, as they are calling them, spiked dramatically after the onset of Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administrations fast-tracked plan for releasing Fauci Flu shots at warp speed. Ever since then, the injury and death tolls have continued to mount. Expert group confirms: heart-related injuries and deaths spiked in direct correlation to mass vaccination campaigns The Heart Advisory and Recovery Team (HART), an expert group that analyzes such matters, says Australia makes an excellent control group for comparative purposes because there were very few actual covid cases up until the time the jabs were released. Once the injections were unleashed, HART found, excess deaths soared. And there is no other explanation for this than the jabs because Australia did not have prior covid as a reason for seeing this rise in mortality and hospital pressure from spring 2021. The results from this control group indicate that the cause of this rise in deaths, particularly in young people, must be something in common with Australia, Europe, and the USA, HART added. In nearby New Zealand, economist John Gibson identified a temporal association between the so-called booster shots that were introduced for variants like Omicron and a similar spike in excess deaths. Gibson estimates that there are 16 excess deaths per 100,000 booster doses as the age groups most likely to use boosters show large rises in excess mortality after boosters are rolled out. A similar correlation was identified by Prof. Seiji Kojima in Japan. There, the booster rollout from January to March 2022 resulted in a sharp uptick in excess deaths. Then we have Israel, where a surge in cardiac arrest emergency calls was seen after 16-39-year-olds started getting injected with the first round of mRNA (messenger RNA) shots Pfizers double-injection was the official Fauci Flu shot brand of choice in Israel. Dr. Eyal Shahar found, after poring through the data, that there are between eight and 17 excess deaths per 100,000 people vaccinated. In The Netherlands, that figure is even higher, according to Dr. Theo Schetters, who identified an excess death rate of 125 per 100,000 in the 60-plus age group. Drs. Michael Palmer and Sucharit Bhakdi from Doctors for Covid Ethics are now on a mission to identify irrefutable proof of causality in all of these cases. They want to show beyond a shadow of a doubt that mRNA shots are, in fact, causing vascular and organ damage in many, many people. They already discovered that mRNA injection contents do not stay at the injection site, but instead travel throughout the body where they end up accumulating in the brain and other vital organs. This explains the strong expression of spike protein in heart muscle after vaccination correlates with significant inflammation and tissue destruction, they say, adding that vaccine-induced vascular damage will promote blood clotting, and clotting-related diseases such as heart attack, stroke, lung embolism are very common in the adverse events databases. More of the latest news about toxic and deadly covid vaccines can be found at ChemicalViolence.com. Sources for this article include: LifeSiteNews.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) Just a few days remain before the midterm election, and The Atlantic wants you to forget all about covid as if it never happened. Instead of voting for candidates or parties that want to take action against those who locked down the world and forced people to wear face masks and take experimental vaccines, The Atlantics Emily Oster thinks people should just forgive and forget all about the three years of tyranny that was foisted upon them in the name of public health. Osters puff piece about turning the other cheek did not go over so well on Twitter where she received loads of criticism. Jesse Kelly of the Jessy Kelly Show told Oster to take her covid amnesty thoughts and shove em somewhere, adding that she should basically shut her mouth. There must be a reckoning, Kelly added. I will not let it go. I will not live peacefully with people who allowed their fear to turn them into subhumans. (Related: Back in the 1950s, The Atlantic published a pro-eugenics op-ed calling for a purified human race free of disabilities and other defects.) The Libs of TikTok account also commented on Osters piece with a Hell no, adding that We the People will never forget what happened. Thousands of lives were destroyed with school and business closures, and patients were forced to die alone in hospitals due to social distancing mandates. Meanwhile, nurses all around the world were seen dancing on TikTok while these patients died alone at least those nurses who agreed to get vaccinated for the Fauci Flu, anyway (unvaccinated nurses were fired from their positions and were thus unable to participate in dancing TikTok videos). Former VICE journalist wants Andrew Cuomo charged with MURDER for nursing home fiasco A major lie in Osters article contends that science only just recently came to the conclusion that all of the plandemic hysteria and tyranny was unjustified, the suggestion being that we must just let it go. Katie Pavlich tweeted in response to this that the data opposing lockdowns and mask and jab mandates was available, but ignored, back in May 2020. Meanwhile, childrens lives were set back for a generation, Pavlich wrote. The powers that be also promoted an anti-American vilification / social passport system for the unvaccinated,' Pavlich added, also making mention of the rampant censorship that occurred throughout the scamdemic. Former VICE journalist Tim Pool went a step further by calling for tyrants like former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to be arrested and charged with the murder of the nursing home patients he intentionally exposed to covid patients. Citizen Free Press tweeted screenshots of some of Osters past tweets promoting lockdowns and jab mandates. One of them expressed Osters view that fear-based vaccine motivation was not enough, and that mandates were necessary to force covid deniers into compliance. At one point during the plandemic, one of Osters children, she told the world, screamed Social distancing! at a stranger she encountered during an outdoor hike. Oster now claims that she and her family just didnt know that all of this was wrong, wrong, wrong. In other words, she herself is among the tyrants that she wants to see vindicated without proper justice. Most errors were made by people who were working in earnest for the good of society, Oster alleges about herself and others like her who promoted scamdemic tyranny with robust fervor. Because there was a lot of uncertainty throughout the plandemic, Oster says we should just forgive the top-down tyranny that destroyed lives and is still destroying lives as antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) and vaccine-induced AIDS (VAIDS) run their course in the fully vaccinated. The latest news about covid can be found at Pandemic.news. Sources for this article include: ThePostMillennial.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) A leaked report from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has found that the department wanted to police so-called disinformation online. This comes from documents and communications obtained by the Intercept through leaks, Freedom of Information Act requests, public reports and ongoing lawsuits. The leak comes just months after the DHS shuttered its Disinformation Governance Board before it could even fully launch. But despite the disinformation board being shut down, the leaks show that the departments underlying work to combat so-called disinformation is ongoing. This includes the revelation that there is a Facebook portal that the DHS and other federal government agencies can use to flag content. The DHS has also been busy flagging content on Twitter. (Related: Homeland Security offering biometric data of American citizens to potential foreign partners.) The rate at which the DHS was reporting content to Facebook became so immense that the social media platform had to create the portal just so the company can streamline complaints from the department and other government agencies regarding content on Facebook and Instagram that they believe needs to be throttled or suppressed. The Intercept also obtained a draft copy of Quadrennial Homeland Security Review, a document that outlines the departments plans to target so-called inaccurate information regarding a variety of topics, including the origins of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines, racial justice, American withdrawal from Afghanistan and the nature of the countrys support for Ukraine. The investigation further warns that other government agencies, including Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and the Secret Service, have expanded their scope to include dealing with disinformation. DHS is being politicized, Republicans warn Advocates for freedom of speech have blasted the federal governments attempts to censor what it claims to be disinformation, including left-wing entities like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Former ACLU President Nadine Strossen pointed out that if any of the DHSs recent actions were done by a foreign authoritarian government, there is no doubt we would call it censorship. In Congress, leading Republican members of the House and Senate Homeland Security Committees have blasted the DHS for further politicizing itself in the name of dealing with so-called disinformation. Reports of DHSs involvement in efforts to be the arbiter of truth on wide-ranging topics are extremely concerning, said Rep. John Katko of New York. The American people do not approve of the department engaging in unclear, unaccountable and opaque efforts led by the Biden administrations ever-changing definition of truth.' Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio, ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, said in a statement that he has been monitoring the Biden administrations activities to counter so-called disinformation. Portman added that he will press DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on this issue as well as the many other threats facing our country. Katko echoed Portmans statement by pointing out how the United States has more pressing issues it needs to focus on than so-called disinformation. When the border crisis is reaching record-breaking levels daily, cyberattacks from adversaries are threatening to cripple our critical infrastructure, the rise in violent crime is putting Americans across the country in danger and disrupted supply chains are having devastating impacts on Americans, DHS cannot seem to let go of the desire to police Americans free speech, he said. Watch this clip from Steve Bannons War Room as co-host Natalie Winters talks about the DHS leaked documents. This video is from the channel Prevent Global Genocide on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Busted: Bidens Minister of Truth Nina Jankowicz participated in secret NATO-funded cabal to subvert Western democracies using disinformation as cover. Disinformation Dozen responds after documents show widespread Biden administration censorship effort. DHS agents charged over alleged Chinese spying scheme. Bidens DHS issues fake warning about dangers from disinformation to distract from coming food, gas riots. Disgraced Disinformation Board wanted to combine forces with Big Tech in censoring content. Sources include: ReclaimTheNet.org FoxNews.com Brighteon.com (Natural News) All sorts of rumors are circulating as to the nature of the mysterious attack on Paul Pelosi, House Speaker Nancy Pelosis husband. One of the latest is that the culprit is a longtime illegal alien who was squatting in California due to its sanctuary state status. In case you missed it, police officers were called out to the lavish Pelosi estate on October 28. Someone had reportedly entered the premises and tried to murder Paul Pelosi with a hammer, we are told, leaving him with severe blunt force injuries to his head that required immediate surgery. The culprit was later declared to be David DePape, a 42-year-old Canadian man with an expired visa who has been living in the Golden State illegal alien sanctuary for quite some time. (Related: California is also now a sanctuary state for abortion.) The term illegal alien typically conjures up imagery of invaders at Americas southern border. In this case, however, it was an illegal alien invader from the north who allegedly took aim at Paul Pelosi and tried to murder him. We are told that DePape was quickly taken into custody and charges have already been filed. This is, after all, the husband of Nancy Pelosi, the most eloquent and outstanding politician the world has ever seen (that was sarcasm, by the way), so something had to be done right away to rectify the situation. Had this been Joe Schmo who was targeted by an illegal alien, chances are the investigation would have lagged and likely turned up with nothing because only career criminal politicians and their families matter when it comes to the justice system functioning as it should. Why did a man who once claimed to be Jesus Christ target Paul Pelosi for murder? A woman who identifies herself as Gypsy Taub, supposedly an ex-partner of DePape, is on record as claiming that the guy suffers from mental illness. Taub is also reportedly the mother of DePapes children. He is mentally ill, Taub told the media, clarifying that her name is actually Oxane Taub. He has been mentally ill for a long time. Taub, by the way, appears to suffer from mental illness herself. She is currently housed at the California Institution for Women in Corona after having been found guilty on 20 counts, including the attempted abduction of a 14-year-old boy near his high school in Berkeley. These are some strange people, in other words. And for whatever reason, one of them targeted the House Speakers husband with murder for reasons that are still in question. At one point, DePape believed that he was Jesus Christ incarnate. He was living in a hippie commune in Berkeley at the time. Prior to squatting as an illegal alien in California, DePape lived in Powell River, British Columbia, which is where he grew up before heading south. It is clear that there is much more to the story than we are being told, including the glaring fact that it would have been impossible for DePape to enter the Pelosi estate without some kind of previous access. Still not buying that a psycho pedestrian can enter a gated community and then get into the mansion of the third in line to the Oval Office without being stopped or setting off alarms, wrote a commenter on a story about the incident. No matter how many ways they tweak the story it still doesnt add up. The real story is her husband Paul was / is having a gay tryst, responded another, the suggestion being that Paul Pelosi might be a closeted homosexual. Sources for this article include: Breitbart.com NaturalNews.com Breitbart.com (Natural News) The Republican Party has vowed to start a new committee to investigate the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) origins should the GOP gain the majority in the upcoming midterm elections on November 8. House of Representatives Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told Fox News that apart from the probe on the viruss origins, they will also look into how the United States can bring home supply chains from China and where Beijing has been stealing U.S. technology. Were going to look at every industry that China has tried to take control of, McCarthy said and pointed out that the investigation into the origin of the coronavirus would be more important, to prevent such a pandemic from reoccurring. Observers have positive feedback on what the GOP leader stated. Lu Xiang, an expert on U.S.-China relations, said the congressmans push to launch probes indicated that the Reps would be more vocal than their Dems House counterparts on issues involving Communist China. He was trying to bring back the origin debate, said Lu, the director for research at the Hong Kong-based Chinese Institute of Hong Kong, an affiliate of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS). The SARS-CoV-2 virus was first detected in Wuhan, the capital of Central Chinas Hubei province. Even National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director Dr. Anthony Fauci, who has been linked to gain-of-function research on coronaviruses in Wuhan lab, has called for greater transparency from the Chinese government regarding this issue. Fauci accused Beijing of probably withholding information from the international community. The fact is, as a society when something occurs that looks like even if it is naturally coming out of China they will be secretive about it because of this feeling that theyre gonna get blamed for something, Fauci said. (Related: Fauci calls for Beijing to be transparent about COVID origins.) The World Health Organizations (WHO) investigation reported that it was extremely unlikely that the coronavirus originated from a lab and that a natural origin in bats was most likely. South China Morning Post said China rejected WHOs plan for another phase of investigation because it would include an audit of laboratories in Wuhan, saying the probe should instead focus on tracing animal origins. Some analysts thought that there is nothing to worry about GOPs plan should they have the majority control of the House. U.S.-China ties are bad enough, Shi Yinhong, an international relations professor at the Renmin University of China, said. Even with these initiatives from the Republican Party, we wont see a significant or clear deterioration of relations. McCarthy says he is better prepared to lead as speaker During a recent interview with the New York Magazine, McCarthy announced he is now better prepared to lead as speaker in the lower chamber than in the past. He came close to becoming speaker in 2015, before dropping out of the race shortly before the voting. He made the decision after drawing criticisms for comments suggesting that House Republicans investigation into the 2012 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, had a political motive behind it. The conservative House Freedom Caucus, which at the time had more than 40 members, endorsed Rep. Daniel Webster (R-Fla.) for the top post. Then-Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) was also in the running, though the speakership ultimately went to then-Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.). Now, McCarthy is claiming to have fostered a good relationship with Freedom Caucus founder Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). Probably my biggest advocate is Jim Jordan, he said. Pollster FiveThirtyEight predicted that the Republicans are favored to flip the House. According to the site, theres an 81 percent likelihood for Republicans to gain the majority while the Democrats only have 19 percent. McCarthy posted on Twitter: Republicans have the right plan to make America safe again, which included steps to fund the police, secure the border and hold woke district attorneys accountable. His policy agenda, which he dubbed as Commitment to America, was rolled out at an event in Pennsylvania last month and can be browsed through the Republican Leader website. Visit VoteRepublican.news for more news related to GOPs campaign platforms. Watch the below video that talks about Republican gaining momentum as midterm elections approach. This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: 2020 prediction by Dilbert creator Scott Adams was correct Republicans are being hunted down since Biden stole election. America Unhinged: Republicans are going to win the House and Senate, says historian Larry Schweikart Brighteon.TV. Campaigns for 2022 midterm elections on track to become MOST EXPENSIVE EVER. Sources include: SCMP.com TheHill.com Projects.FiveThirtyEight.com Twitter.com RepublicanLeader.gov Brighteon.com (Natural News) Saudi Arabia has shared intelligence with the United States warning that Iran might soon attack targets within the kingdom, leading to American forces in the Middle East being placed on an elevated alert level. Officials from Saudi Arabia warned that Iran is poised to carry out attacks both on the kingdom and on targets in Kurdish-populated Northern Iraq. These attacks are intended to distract its restless population from the ongoing protests that have roiled the country since the death of Iranian Kurdish woman Jina Mahsa Amini at the hands of morality police for allegedly violating the countrys rules on how women should dress in public. The latest report from the group Human Rights Activists in Iran noted that at least 288 people have been killed and 14,160 arrested during the protests. Nasser Kanani, a spokesman for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, responded to the report by calling it a baseless accusation aimed at tarnishing Tehrans relations with its Middle Eastern neighbors. The Islamic Republic of Iran considers the establishment and improvement of stability and security in the region to be possible through constructive engagement with neighbors and will pursue it seriously, he said. Iran has countered by alleging, without providing substantial evidence, that Saudi Arabia, the U.S., Israel and non-state actors in the region including Iranian Kurdish organizations, were behind the unrest and antigovernment protests. Last month, Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami, commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, warned Saudi Arabia to tone down coverage of the protests in Iran by Farsi-language news channels, including Iran International, a Saudi-owned satellite television channel based in London popular with the Iranians in the country and in the diaspora. This is our last warning, because you are interfering in our internal affairs through these media, said Salami in remarks reported in state media channels during military drills. You are involved in this matter and know that you are vulnerable. Attack could happen soon or within 48 hours, says official An official who confirmed the intelligence shared by Riyadh described the threat of an attack as credible, and could happen soon or within 48 hours. However, no U.S. embassy or consulate in the region has issued any kind of alert or guidance to Americans in Saudi Arabia or elsewhere in the Middle East. The U.S. responded to the Saudi reports by saying it is concerned for the security of the region and will not hesitate to respond if necessary. We are concerned about the threat picture, and we remain in constant contact through military and intelligence channels with the Saudis, said the National Security Council (NSC) in a statement. We will not hesitate to act in the defense of our interests and partners in the region. (Related: The enemy of my enemy is my friend: Russia, Iran forge alliance amid Western sanctions.) The Department of Defenses statement on the matter echoed that of the NSC, with Pentagons Director of Public Affairs Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder saying the department is in constant communication with its counterparts in Saudi Arabia in terms of what information they may have to provide on that front. But what weve said before, and Ill repeat it, is that we will reserve the right to protect and defend ourselves no matter where our forces are serving, whether in Iraq or elsewhere, said Ryder. The administration of President Joe Biden has been concerned about a potential attack on Saudi Arabia, other allies in the region and on troops stationed there for some time now. Concerns were heightened after the White House criticized Tehran for its violent crackdown on the protests. The White House has also condemned and sanctioned Iran for sending military aid to support Russia in its ongoing special military operation. The aid includes hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones. Watch this clip from the Daily Dispatch on InfoWars as host Harrison H. Smith discusses the looming conflict in Iran. This video is from the InfoWars channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Iran says it will sell Russia hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones. Ukraine-bound weapons shipments will end up in Irans hands, former Israeli PM Netanyahu warns. WEATHER CONTROL: Iran accuses Israel, UAE of using cloud seeding technology to STEAL RAIN. Iran, Russia set to drop US dollar as currency in bilateral trade settlements. Israel claims Iran has 18x more enriched uranium than Obama deal allowed. Sources include: WSJ.com AlJazeera.com Brighteon.com MANZINI - The foiled intrusion at the deputy national commissioner of polices home on Monday night stopped a plan to invade Manzini Police Station for guns. This was revealed by the police officer whose car was left idling at the homestead of Deputy National Commissioner (NATCOM) of Police, Lydia Dlamini, after a relative of the senior official in the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS), opened fire as he approached the intruders. The police officer, whose name is known to this publication, but has been deliberately withheld, was found in one of the countrys health facilities yesterday morning, where he was being treated for suspected drugging. The police officer purported that on Monday night, at around midnight, he was kidnapped by five armed men. The law enforcer claimed that he left Matsapha Police Camp to check his girlfriend, who also resides in Matsapha, but when he was at KaHlobile, just before Mathangeni, a silver grey BMW with foreign registration numbers that had been tailing his vehicle, signalled him to stop by flashing its lights. He claimed to have stopped with the assumption that it was his friends from South Africa (SA). However, he claimed that immediately after stopping the car, three men who were purportedly armed with guns (pistols), jumped into his car. He alleged that the gunmen ordered him to drive them to the residence of one of the male senior officials in the police service, which is located on the outskirts of the city of Manzini. However, the officer, who was speaking from his hospital bed, claimed that he told the gunmen that he did not know the location of the senior officials homestead. Guns After that, he alleged that the gunmen ordered him to drive them to Dlaminis homestead, something which he did as they had their guns aimed at him. The cop supposed that the gunmen were threatening to kill him if he failed to take their orders. As he drove them towards Manzini direction, he alleged that the BMW was following them at a distance with two other occupants. Thereafter, he claimed that when they were in close proximity to Dlaminis homestead, he stopped and they ordered him to board the BMW. He alleged that the two gunmen in the BMW gave him juice and ordered him to drink it as they drove away from the township where Dlamini resided. They drove until we reached Divine Healing Ministries International Auditorium (at Sterksroom) and stopped near the church, the police officer alleged. In his narration, the law enforcer claimed that while travelling with the gunmen, he intercepted some of their discussions and he heard them saying after accomplishing their mission at Dlaminis home, they would take him to Manzini Police Station, where he was to be used to gain entry. According to his understanding, when they stopped by the Divine Healing Ministries Internationals auditorium, they were supposed to be joined by the trio after carrying out their mission, which was unknown to him. However, the police officer claimed that while they were supposedly waiting for the other three gunmen, who were using his car, he fell asleep. According to his narration, he woke up in a house which only had a sleeping mattress. I do not know where the house is located because I was asleep when they drove there, he added. Furthermore, he alleged that he suspect that the juice was laced with a drug because he could not properly recall what happened after taking it. As such, he claimed that he was asleep the whole day on Tuesday and woke up near the Nazarene Traffic Lights at night (on Tuesday), where he was assisted, supposedly by Good Samaritans to hospital. At the hospital, he was reportedly given something to drink to clean his stomach. When this publications reporters arrived at the hospital, the police officer was with some of his friends, who had paid him a visit and medical practitioners were running some tests as he was supposed to see a doctor. When he was asked if the police had visited him to record a statement, since they were aware that the car which was found abandoned near Dlaminis homestead belonged to him, given that his national identity card was found inside it, he responded to the negative. The law enforcer said his colleagues investigating the matter had not come to pay him a visit and or follow up on what happened. However, he claimed to have notified some of his relatives and they promised to let the police know about the developments. (Natural News) Researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston have confirmed that the all-new Omicron-specific booster shots for the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) are certifiably worthless. Little more than a $5 billion taxpayer-financed marketing gimmick, to quote Alex Berenson, Omicron-specific mRNA boosters do absolutely nothing differently than the original shots, which is hardly a surprise. The jabs are just another Big Pharma-Wall Street scam, it turns out, to funnel more ill-gotten gains into the pockets of pharmaceutical industry executives like Pfizers Albert Bourla, who is arguably at the top of the list when it comes to the worlds most evil humans. Not only are the new boosters worthless, but they actually produce even fewer Omicron-specific T-cells than the original Operation Warp Speed injections that were foisted upon the world by the Trump administration. (Related: Omicron booster injections were approved by the FDA without a single human test.) This finding is of particular concern because T-cells, the second line of the immune system, keep infections from becoming too severe, Berenson notes. Covid jabs are a money-making SCAM to enrich Big Pharma and corrupt politicians Because they stop working within just a few weeks, the original mRNA shot formulations have been largely discontinued, only to be replaced by the all-new Omicron-specific boosters. Real-world data strongly suggests that the original injections increase the risk of infection within months, which is part of the reason why Big Pharma continues to churn out new shots to fix the problems caused by the old ones. The other reason is that an endless line of chemical injections means big profits for Big Pharma, which exists to steal money from the masses while sickening and killing them. In the United States alone, $5 billion was stolen from taxpayers to purchase some 171 million doses of the new Omicron-specific booster jabs, which are nothing more than a medical hoax. Another recent study came to a similar conclusion as the new study in bioRxiv, showing that the new booster jabs for Omicron work no better than the original Omicron boosters. Both studies showed the antibodies our immune systems produce after the Omicron shot are more effective against the original and now essentially extinct version of Sars-Cov-2 than against Omicron variants, Berenson explains. This phenomenon is called original antigenic sin or immune imprinting, and can occur after any vaccination or infection. But the mRNA shots appear particularly likely to cause it, probably because they stimulate such high levels of anti-spike antibodies when they are first given. Just like the earlier study, this new one also found that following the administration of both the original and the new-and-improved Omicron booster shots, T-cells end up focusing more on the original SARS-CoV-2 as opposed to the various Omicron variants. T-cells are a crucial second line of immune defense, helping the body keep infections from becoming too severe, Berenson further explains. Because Omicron is not very dangerous to most people, a weak T-cell response does not matter much against it. But if a future Sars-Cov-2 variant is more dangerous, the relative lack of a T-cell response could put vaccinated people may be at serious risk. Truth be told, covid, Omicron, and the rest of it are a non-issue. If the government and the media would simply stop talking about the subject, things could quickly return back to normal. Instead, some people are still believing the lies and lining right up for the latest injections, which is keeping the plandemic going with no end in sight. Ive tried to convince myself this is just incompetence or profiteering, one commenter wrote. We all know whats going on now: MALICE. More of the latest news about covid injections can be found at ChemicalViolence.com. Sources for this article include: MichaelPSenger.substack.com bioRxiv.org NaturalNews.com Corals live in cold waters in the ocean. The rising water temperatures due to climate change could also impact many corals. However, scientists discovered in explorations that a black and deep-sea coral could live in warm temperatures; a discovery that could also look into the potential of corals to live in warm waters. Scientists conduct deep-sea explorations to unravel more about the ocean. There are times that scientists find something new in the sea that is unknown to books and many. Deep-sea exploration is still one of the unexplored parts of the oceans, considering the costs and equipment required to study the organisms or species underneath efficiently. Meanwhile, the role of corals in the ocean is crucial to marine ecosystems and humans. According to National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), records showed that around 25% of fish rely on the corals for food and habitat. It serves as a place to reproduce or hide from predators. Meanwhile, coral reefs are important to people living near coastal areas. They provide protection from potential storm impact. However, NOAA reports also showed that the coral reef systems suffer from threats, including human-caused pollution, illegal fishing practices, sedimentation, climate change, and diseases. The report also explained that rising temperatures and ocean acidification contribute to coral reefs' stress and damage. Also here: Tropical Forests on Indigenous Lands Are Healthiest, Diverse, and Ecologically Moreover, rising water temperatures could also impact coral reefs, damaging or affecting algae that are important to corals. When it gets damaged, it leads to coral bleaching. Black and Deep-Sea Coral As a result, the exploration findings showed that black and deep-sea coral could thrive in warm waters. In Newsweek's report, marine biologist, Giovanni Chimienti explained that they found feather-like organisms appearing like black corals and immediately collected samples of the said corals. Chimienti is also a researcher at the University of Bari, Italy. The marine biologist is part of the team's ocean exploration of OceanX in their expedition in the northern Red Sea. The coral they collected for a sample lived in a black coral forest. The sample was then studied in the Red Sea Research Center laboratory. The result showed that the said coral was not known before. With the discovery, the marine biologist Chimienti added that the deep-sea explorations could unveil new species, adding that the discovery of unknown species could help add to the incomplete image of the deep-sea biodiversity. Living in warm temperatures Additionally, the report added that the said coral and other deep-sea species adapted to global warming and climate change, causing the warming of waters. Chimienti told Newsweeks that the Red Sea was not rich in black coral. However, the discovery offered an important account of the adaptations and contributions of the said corals. The report also noted that rising water temperatures due to climate change could threaten marine ecosystems, showing that the deep-sea discovery appears to be tolerant to the warming of the ocean. And the black coral was observed to be thriving in warm waters that could unveil important findings about the ocean and planet or how deep-sea animals managed to deal with the warming of temperatures. Related Article: Fascinating Study Uncovers How Blind Cavefish Finds Ways in the Dark For more similar, don't forget to follow Nature World News. After 'feeding' and growing microalgae on leftover coffee grounds, two Aston University researchers produced high-quality biodiesel. Dr. Vesna Najdanovic, senior lecturer in chemical engineering, and Dr. Jiawei Wang were members of a team that cultivated algae, which was then processed into fuel. Every day, approximately 98 million cups of coffee are consumed in the United Kingdom, contributing to a massive amount of spent coffee grounds that are processed as general waste, frequently ending up in landfill or incineration. Researchers 'feed' leftover coffee grounds to microalgae However, the researchers discovered that used coffee grounds provide both nutrients and a structure for the microalgae (Chlorella vulgaris sp.) to grow on, as per ScienceDaily. As a result, they were able to extract enhanced biodiesel with low emissions and good engine performance that meets US and European standards. The study, "Enhancing growth environment for attached microalgae to populate onto spent coffee grounds in producing biodiesel," will be published in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews in November 2022. Until now, algae has been grown on non-nutrient-rich materials such as polyurethane foam and nylon. However, the researchers discovered that microalgal cells can grow on leftover coffee without the need for additional nutrients. They also discovered that exposing the algae to light for 20 hours per day and darkness for only four hours per day produced the highest quality biodiesel. "This is a breakthrough in the microalgal cultivation system," said Dr. Najdanovic. Biodiesel made from microalgae attached to spent coffee grounds could be an excellent choice for new feedstock commercialization because it avoids competition with food crops. Furthermore, using this new feedstock could reduce the number of palm trees cut down to extract oil for biofuel. This has resulted in continuous deforestation and increased greenhouse gas emissions in Southeast Asia. Read more: TAAL VOLCANO: Coffee Industry Could Take Years to Recover Turning old coffee waste into cleaner biofuels The cost of purpose-grown feedstocks (used to extract oils) for biodiesels is controversial, as is the demand they place on land and water. However, spent coffee grounds with a high calorific value make an excellent low-cost alternative feedstock. However, the majority of used coffee grounds are currently dumped. More than nine million tonnes of spent coffee grounds were disposed of in landfills in 2014. The chemical engineers have combined the existing multi-stage process (known as in-situ transesterification) into a single step that combines the extraction of oils from spent coffee grounds and the conversion of it into coffee biodiesel. Traditionally, manufacturers combine spent coffee grounds with hexane and cook the mixture at 60C for 1-2 hours. The hexane is then evaporated, leaving the oils behind. Methanol and a catalyst are then added to produce biodiesel and a glycerol by-product, which must also be separated. Although only a few businesses use spent coffee grounds to make biofuels, researchers at Lancaster University have discovered a way to significantly improve the efficiency of the process, vastly increasing the commercial competitiveness of biofuel from coffee. Lancaster University researchers led by Dr. Vesna Najdanovic-Visak discovered that they can combine the processes using only methanol and a catalyst, eliminating the need for hexane and reducing chemical waste. Furthermore, they discovered that the optimal time for the process was 10 minutes in order to obtain the same yield of oils from the spent coffee grounds - a significant reduction in time required and associated energy costs. According to Dr. Najdanovic-Visak, Lecturer in Lancaster University's Engineering Department, "our method vastly reduces the time and cost required to extract the oils for biofuel, making spent coffee grounds a much more commercially competitive source of fuel." Related article: Drinking Coffee Can Save You! Coffee Drinkers Found to Have Lower Death Risk The latest weather showed that a storm would impact portions of the western United States, causing heavy snow and severe weather conditions. The storm is expected to be felt late this week or this coming weekend. Weather forecasts advised residents to monitor the storm's development by keeping updated with weather reports. A storm would mark the first week of November. Halloween was said to have a chilly rain that could disrupt November's festivities. According to the latest forecast, AccuWeather reported that the storm would cause severe weather conditions, including the Plains and Mississippi Valley. Based on AccuWeather's weather outlook in the late week, portions of Chicago, New York, and Atlanta would experience abnormally warm. Houston could also expect rain showers, while snow could also emerge in Denver and Boise. The report said that starting Thursday night, severe thunderstorms could unleash hail, flash flooding, isolated tornadoes, and damaging winds. Affected areas are Dodge City, Amarillo, and Lubbock. From Friday afternoon to the same night, severe thunderstorms could also emerge in Oklahoma City, Dallas, Abilene, and Austin. Affected residents should watch for intense downpours, isolated tornadoes, hail, and damaging wind gusts up to 55 to 65 mph. The severe conditions on the same day could also be felt in southwestern Missouri, Arkansas, and northwestern Louisiana. The affected areas should expect severe thunderstorms that could unleash heavy rains. Meanwhile, the report added that a potent storm on Saturday could arrive, bringing rain showers and gusty thunderstorms. AccuWeather's report said that the following areas could affect Omaha, Kansas City, Chicago, Springfield, Memphis, and Baton Rouge. Hurricane Lisa Meanwhile, the NOAA NWS National latest key advisory on November 2, 2022, reported that Hurricane Lisa could result in a life-threatening surge affecting areas in Belize City. In previous reports, the National Hurricane Center monitored brewing systems in the Caribbean and north of Puerto Rico. The affected areas, especially in portions of Belize, southeastern Mexico, and northern Guatemala, should expect localized flash flooding. Also Read: Unusual Black and Deep-Sea Coral Could Thrive in Warm Temperatures, Scientists Find Meanwhile, the advisory noted that tropical storm conditions could also emerge this evening on Guatemala's eastern Yucatan Peninsula coast. The report added that a tropical warning was also present in the area. Severe weather conditions preparations As the storm began to unleash portions of the Western United States starting late this week or this weekend, the weather advisory noted that it could result in intense downpours and a risk of flash flooding. It is important to be safe and prepare for the massive storm impact. Stay updated with your local weather news about the storm. It would help you prepare and track the storm's progress on how it affects your house. If you are near areas prone to flash floods or flooding, it is best to monitor the rise of sea waters in rivers. Avoid traveling to areas affected by the storm as it could result in reduced visibility, small flooding, and downed trees. Always fully charge your gadgets if the power lines are disconnected or affected. Related Article: Weather Advisories in Jamaica and Grand Cayman Island in Effect due to Tropical Storm forming in the Caribbean For more similar, don't forget to follow Nature World News. The popularity of the ancient Norse god, who has gained a new following thanks to Chris Hemsworth's depiction of the Viking god of thunder and lightning in the Marvel movies, is demonstrated by a 1,000-year-old amulet of Thor's Hammer discovered in Sweden. Discovering Thor's Hammer According to Carolyne Larrington, a professor of medieval European literature at the University of Oxford, Thor had always been a well-liked character, maybe because he cared about people. In the upcoming book "The Norse Myths that Shape the Way, We Think" (Thames and Hudson Ltd, 2023), author Larrington, who wasn't involved in the current finding, noted that of all the Norse gods, Thor is the one most concerned with the fate of humanity. His primary duty was to patrol the east and use his hammer to keep the giants (the Jotnar) out of the regions of humans and gods. Per Wranning, the director of archaeology at the Cultural History Museum in Halland County, told Live Science via email that archaeologists discovered the amulet during the summer during digs close to the southwest town of Ysby. The area confronts Denmark across the strait, known for centuries as the Kattegat (Latin for "cat's passage") because of its treacherously shallow waters, which connects the North Sea and the Baltic. He said that several firepits, post holes, and ceramic and metal artifacts that may date to before the end of the late Viking Age in the middle of the eleventh century A.D. have also been found during the archaeological explorations of the site, which has been designated for new homes. Also Read: European Heat Waves Melts Glaciers, Revealing Viking Weapons Buried in Ice Excavation Finds According to Wranning, who oversaw the excavation, other Thor's hammer amulets of a similar nature have been discovered across Scandinavia, but this is the first one discovered in Halland. It is made of metal and has elaborate embossed motifs on its upper face. He added that the archaeologists wouldn't know if it was gilded (decorated with gold) or silvered until it had been cleaned and stored correctly. The underside of the "handle" of the hammer has a hole that shows the amulet was strung on a ring or thong and worn around the neck. However, he acknowledged that it may have constituted different types of jewelry. The discovery looks to be made of lead and dates to the 900s or 1000s, the late Viking Age, according to Wranning in a blog post that was translated. Such amulets may have been worn as a sign of clinging to the ancient Norse gods rather than the "new" religion of Christianity during the region's religious transition at the end of the Viking Age. One hypothesis is that as Christianity started to spread in Scandinavia, these enormous, ornate Thor's hammers were a visible sign for people who continued to worship the [Norse] gods. The newest discoveries at Ysby are tentatively dated to be from the Viking Age, which traditionally began in 793 with the first Viking raid in England on a monastery on the holy island of Lindisfarne off the coast of Northumberland and ended in September 1066 with an English army led by King Harold Godwinson defeating an invading Norwegian army close to York at the Battle of Stamford Bridge. Mjolnir's Significance The battle hammer Mjolnir, which according to tradition, was made by dwarves for the gods of Valhalla in a competition to create the most magnificent prize, is the heavenly hammer symbolized by the amulet, according to Larrington. Walls from a Christian church constructed in the 1100s or 1200s, as well as the ruins of two "longhouses" from the late Iron Age, have been discovered at Ysby, according to Wranning's blog post. Related Article: Mysterious "Spanish Stonehenge" Built Around 5000 B.C.No Longer Submerged Due to Drought For more similar news, don't forget to follow Nature World News! According to information published by the Russian MoD on November 3, 2022, a detachment of Pacific Fleet ships led by the flagship missile cruiser Varyag has entered the TOF area of responsibility south of Sri Lanka. Follow Navy Recognition on Google News at this link Russian Udaloy class destroyer Admiral Tributs (Picture source: primamedia) A detachment of Pacific Fleet ships led by the flagship of the Nakhimov Guards missile cruiser Varyag, the large anti-submarine ship Admiral Tributs and the large sea tanker Boris Butoma have entered the responsibility zone of the TOF south of Sri Lanka. The detachment of ships is making an inter-fleet transition from the Mediterranean Sea to the point of permanent deployment in Vladivostok after completing tasks in the far maritime zone. In the area of Sri Lanka Island, the Pacific Fleet took operational control of the ships' detachment on the crossing from the Black Sea Fleet, whose area of responsibility they successfully traversed. The detachment of ships is currently making the crossing across the Indian Ocean. About the destroyer Admiral Tributs is a Project 1155 Large Anti-Submarine Ship ( , BPK) of the Russian Navy. The ship was laid down on 19 April 1980 and launched on 26 March 1983. The vessel is 163 m (534.8 ft) long with a beam of 19.3 m (63.3 ft) and a draught of 7.8 m (25.6 ft). Displacement was 6,200 t (6,102 long tons) standard and 7,900 t (7,775 long tons) full load. Power is provided by four 23,000 kW (31,000 hp) hp GTA M-9 propulsion complexes, each comprising a 6,300 kW (8,500 hp) M-62 and a 16,800 kW (22,500 hp) hp M-8KF powering two fixed pitch propellers. which gave a maximum speed of 29.5 knots (55 km/h; 34 mph). To combat submarines, Admiral Tributs mounts two quadruple launchers for eight missiles in the Metel Anti-Ship Complex along with two RBU-6000 12-barrel rocket launchers for close in defence. MBABANE Some executive members of the Royal Eswatini Police Service Staff Association have disassociated themselves from the utterances and actions of their Secretary General (SG), Sergeant Dumisile Khumalo. This was according to some of the executive members of the association, who consist of the Chairperson Isaac Kaira Lukhele, Deputy Chairperson Themba Gwebu and executive member Boy Boy Thwala. The trio stated that they felt that through her actions and utterances, Khumalo was now deviating from the mandate of the association, hence the need to call her to order and set the record straight. They highlighted that the associations members were participating in marches, petition deliveries and meetings, without any mandate from the whole executive. The three members of the executive further pointed out that in these unauthorised meetings, critical decisions were taken and subsequently implemented without their (executive of the staff association) endorsement or knowledge. Petitions Chairperson of the staff association, Lukhele said the marches and petitions delivery by some of the officers, were not part of their mandate as the Police Staff Association. Lukhele said their SG was in the habit of calling meetings without their endorsement, which was something they frowned upon. When asked whether they endorsed the recent mass meeting of junior officers, which was held at Caritas in Manzini where the SG participated, they succinctly stated that she was in a frolic of her own. As an executive of the Police Staff Association, we never agreed on that meeting and the SG attended and participated without our knowledge, said the chairman. This is the meeting where the junior officers reportedly said they were prepared to lose their jobs while fighting for Phase II of thei salary restructuring. The whole impasse emanates from a call by junior officers of the police service and His Majestys Correctional Services to government for the implementation of Phase II. Phase I was implemented where the senior personnel of both forces received their salary adjustment. They also expressed their disapproval on Khumalos action of being part of the second march wherein the junior officers had intended to go to Cabinet to collect responses on their grievances, following the delivery of the petition. The chairman said the reason they did not partake in aforementioned march was because there was a court order interdicting them and they had to abide by it as law enforcers. However, he said despite the actions of the SG, they still had a duty to protect her and she was still their member, like any other affiliate. When asked on what disciplinary measures the staff association had taken or would take against the SG on her actions, they said they had on diverse occasions engaged her to express their discontent about the manner in which she was doing some of the things under the banner of the association. Executive Furthermore, they said the executive would meet next week, where they expected Khumalo to attend. The chairperson said it would be in this meeting where they would speak to the SG and explain to her the consequences of her actions. The next step to be taken will depend on her response on whether she apologises or not, said Lukhele. He said currently, Khumalo was facing a disciplinary case and there was a court order stopping the marches by junior officers. In all the aforementioned cases, Lukhele said they needed to protect her and the staff association. The chairperson pleaded with the associations members to stop taking decisions without the mandate of the executive that had a duty to protect the members, including the SG. He pleaded with those who were allegedly making Khumalo to do the things that were outside the mandate of the association to spare her, so she could come and work jointly with the other executive members. Lukhele mentioned that the challenge began with the Phase II issue, which was never implemented following the Phase I of Circular Number 2 of 2014. He stated that they were called by the Minister of Public Service, Mabulala Maseko, to deliberate on the matter, where a decision was taken that a consultant would be engaged to work on the issue of phase II. Lukhele said the minister said the consultant would work on the matter from the beginning of this month until October next year (12-month period) and compile a report to address the phase II. He added that the reason which was given by the minister for roping in the consultant was that the phase I had a lot of irregularities and required a scientific approach to address. According to Lukhele, the minister assured them that there would be a special arrangement where the REPS and Correctional executive members would be called to submit to the consultant. This, he said, was to address the issue of the phase II. He said when they reported back to the mass membership, they did not accept this. According to Lukhele, about two weeks ago, they were called by the minister, who informed them that government, through the ministries of finance, Public Service and economic planning had decided to offer them four per cent. He stated that they were informed that the four per cent was a cushion and not part of the phase II. Lukhele said the intention was that while the consultant was working towards addressing the phase II, they had something to take home. The chairperson stated that the four per cent would be received by the superintendents through to the constables. Monies The monies were said to be back dated to April 1, 2022 and paid out in January 2023. This, he said was due to the fact that government currently did not have the budget for the funds as all the uniformed forces including police and correctional officers and Eswatini Umbutfo Defence Force (EUDF) were expected to benefit. Lukhele mentioned that government was to solicit a supplementary budget before paying out. Meanwhile, he said the third quarter of government supplement budget was made in December, which was why it was expected to be paid out in January. We requested the minister to issue a circular to that effect as we feared that there could be a misimpression to the masses, said the chairperson. Lukhele said the minister promised to issue the circular, which has not yet been published. We are still waiting for the circular. However, he said they did not wait for the circular to report back to the junior police, correctional and EUDF officers. He said they delivered the report which was not accepted by some members who accused government of dishonesty. Lukhele said the members mentioned that government could deny such reports in the near future and attribute the four per cent to the phase II. He said despite the disagreement, a majority of their about 5 000 members showed that they were accepting the report of the four per cent, while a minority rejected it and stuck on the phase II. According to Lukhele, the SG was also among the minority that rejected the four per cent offer. Rejected He said they were still trying to convince them to accept the offer in an amicable way and that the four per cent was a cushion. Lukhele maintained that they did not object the offer and there was nothing they signed on whether they rejected or took it. Executive member Boy Boy Thwala said there were talks that they had signed for the four per cent, which was not true. There was no document that was signed as it was not the mandate we had gone to the minister for, said Thwala. He said they had gone to the minister regarding the issue of Circular Number 2 of 2014. Thwala said as the staff association, they needed to take the feedback of the four per cent cushion to the masses who elected them first. He said as the NATCOM executive and themselves, they were waiting for a date to address the masses during a mass meeting to give the feedback. Thwala said they could not have agreed or rejected to the four per cent offer as they did not know about it. Some few individuals who were in disagreement with the offer made by government convinced the SG, he said. In the year since it spun out of IBM, Kyndryl has made a number of big strides in establishing itself as a core infrastructure service management player, but challenges remain. For example, while it has substantially expanded its partnerships and technology, its financial situation hasnt shown a similar bump. Just this week the company reported second quarter revenues of $4.2 billion, a year-over-year drop of 9%. The company has reported similar results in other recent quarters. Currency and energy-costs impacts are superseding the operational progress were making, Kyndryl CFO David Wyshner told Wall Street analysts during the firms 2Q 2023 call this week. And while the risk of a global recession has clearly increased, we continue to see broadbase demand for digital transformation in infrastructure services. Still, Kyndryl is big with nearly $19 billion in yearly revenue, 90,000 employees, operations in over 60 countries, and a customer base that includes 75 of the Fortune 100. At the time of its spinoff, CEO Martin Schroeter said Kyndryl can expand its addressable market to more than $500 billion by mid-decade. The company is pushing hard to drive up revenues. For example in the first six months of its fiscal 2023, Kyndryl signed contracts tied to cloud hyperscaler alliances with an aggregate value of more than $425 million, with a goal of $1 billion in hyperscaler signings for the year, the company reported. The company is only at the beginning of establishing its own place in infrastructure-modernization where it compets with Accenture, DXC Technology, Atos, Fujitsu, Infosys, Rackspace, Tata Consultancy Services, and Wipro. Overall, I believe Kyndryl is doing an excellent job of establishing itself both as an independent entity and one attuned to the evolving needs of enterprise clients, said Charles King, president and principal analyst of Pund-IT, Inc. Growing alliances and partnerships, especially with big cloud players, has been one of Kyndryls key strategies. It has partnered with Google, AWS, Microsoft, Cisco, VMware, Elastic, Citrix, Lenovo, SAP, ServiceNow, Cloudera, Lenovo, Dell, and many others. At the beginning, in the cloud arena we only offered IBM Cloud services, which were a late entrant into the market with 4% of the market share, so we were out of 96% of the market, said Harish Grama, Kyndryls global practice leader for cloud. But within one month of spin we signed with Microsoft Azure, and then we signed a very similar deal with Google on GCP and then AWS so that immediately gave us the capability of playing in 80-plus percent of the market. So weve really ramped up the ecosystem that our customers can use now and in the future. Increasing partnerships is only part of the growth strategy; significantly, adding new technology and services are another part. Kyndryl Bridge is a key component. Announced in September, Bridge amalgamates the tools, partnerships, intellectual property, and processes it has amassed through years of delivering infrastructure services and uses it to provide as-a-service capabilities bacjed by applications to control and manage enterprise infrastructure. Out of the blocks, Kyndryls leadership needed to do two things,King said. First, it needed to keep an even keel in delivering the traditional services its customers depend on. Second, it needed to develop new offerings that demonstrated its business and technological acumen. The wide range of strategic partnerships Kyndryl has inked in the past year have gone a long way to deliver on both those points. However, homegrown solutions, like Bridge, show that the company is also broadening and fully leveraging its own assets and expertise. The intent of Bridge is to integrate diverse environments including cloud, multicloud, and edge networks using Kyndryls engineering expertise and its alliances with infrastructure vendors. It can provide greater access and control of critical tools, plus the expertise of Kyndryl professionals in cloud, data, and AI; security and resiliency; mainframe modernization, among other areas, Kyndryl stated. Over time, Bridge will expand and grow, and well move from observability going from how to navigate our services and enhance IT operations to self-service capabilities and even the ability to digitally subscribe to provision and manage services, including services based on partners technologies, said CEO Schroeter on the companys financial analysts call. Another area Kyndryl expects big growth from is the recently announced Kyndryl Consult business-advisory practice. The company said signings for advisory services increased 62% year-over-year, and it expects that business to grow as it is integrated into Consult. The company said it expects to use Consult in conjunction with Bridge to develop real-time data insights to solve complex enterprise problems such as securely integrating the multicloudhybrid cloud worlds with existing resources and networks. Another new piece of the companys plan is mainframe modernization, and it has recently extended its partnership with Microsoft to include mainframe connectivity to cloud applications and workloads. The extension ties together Kyndryls zCloud mainframe service with Microsofts Power Platform, a low-code application and workflow-automation package that brings access to cloud services including Microsoft Azure, Office 365 and Teams. The goal is to make it easier for organizations to access and integrate mainframe-based data with cloud-based resources and combine that data with other information to build new applications. Kyndryl also said it is working with Google Cloud and its recently announced Dual Run service to help migrate mainframe workloads to the cloud. In the past we wanted to sell you a mainframe, Grama said. We are not in that business anymore. Of course if you want to buy one thats fine, but if you want to modernize your current mainframe environment, well help you. If you want to move off the mainframe or augment it to the cloud, well help you do that, too. The bottom line is we know mainframe, and we know they will be out there for a long time, and we can help organizations do whatever they want with them, Grama said. Observers expect Kyndryl to expand its customer base into smaller enterprises. Kyndryl has a thorough understanding of and robust solutions for large enterprises, King said. The company is less well known among and represented in smaller organizations. Given the rich opportunities in the SME space, I expect Kyndryl will build out offerings for those clients. Kyndryl is facing the same global economic headwinds as any other tech services vendor, King said. It also takes time, patience and effort to get new businesseslike those Kyndryl is pursuing with strategic partnersup and running sustainably, he said. Kyndryl needs to prove that it can adapt to continual business changes and challenges, and help its customers successfully address and respond to those same challenges. Bambucorn Bahrain, a Bahrain-grown equity crowdfunding platform, has obtained licence from the Central Bank of Bahrain to carry out activities of Ancillary Service Provider Crowdfunding Platform Operator. Bambucorn, supported by the Bahrain Economic Development Board (Bahrain EDB), will enable startups, SMEs and real estate projects to raise equity from both accredited and retail investors. The licence from CBB will effectively enable Bambucorn to raise capital for issuers in Bahrain and those located outside Bahrain. One of Bambucorn's group companies is already licensed by the Dubai Financial Services Authority to operate an equity crowdfunding platform in the UAE. Fintech ecosystem The new licence further signifies the group's commitment to contributing to the region's growing Fintech ecosystem. Fareed Bader, Co-founder and Chairman of Bambucorn Group commented: "Bahrain has always been at the forefront when it comes to Fintech and the regulators are playing a pivotal role in ensuring that investors' interests are adequately protected whilst at the same time providing enough opportunities for innovative Fintech companies to flourish in the country. We certainly look forward to working alongside all stakeholders to optimise the capital raising exercise for startups, SMEs and real estate projects." Narayanan Ganapathy, Co-founder of Bambucorn Bahrain commented: "Capital allocation has always been a challenge and oftentimes tricky, particularly when it comes to early-stage investments. Providing both accredited and retail investors the ability to write smaller checks towards early-stage ventures and real estate opportunities helps investors diversify their portfolios. Businesses looking to gain customer loyalty can resort to crowdfunding, providing their customers the ability to acquire equity interests in them through the platform. The CBB licence certainly strengthens Bambucorn's foothold in the region as an innovative Fintech company." Robust financial regulatory system Dalal Buhejji, Executive Director of Business Development Financial Services, said: "Bahrains forward-looking regulators consistently made it the first choice for Fintech companies setting up in this region. We're happy to see Bambucorn receive its licence from the CBB, which is a testament to our robust financial regulatory system that has enabled many companies to innovate in Bahrain and serve the wider region." Bahrain offers technology and financial services disruptors a gateway to the Gulf markets, providing traditional banking institutions, FinTech startups, and scaleups a collaborative space to test and scale new products across the entire region. Developing the FinTech subsector in Bahrain is one of the priorities under the Financial Services Sector's Development Strategy that comes as part of the National Economic Recovery Plan to drive future growth.-- TradeArabia News Service Acwa Power, a leading Saudi developer, investor and operator of power generation, desalinated water and green hydrogen plants worldwide, has reached an agreement with Egyptian authorities for the development of a 10 GW project in the Arab nation that will see the utility developer produce electricity from wind energy. The MoU has been agreed with Egypts New & Renewable Energy Authority and Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company, said a statement from the Saudi Ministry of Energy. Egypt will be providing the lands necessary to carry out feasibility studies for the project ahead of the signing of the final contracts. The initial agreement was signed in the presence of Egypt's Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Mohamed Shaker, who is on an official visit to Saudi Arabia, and Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman in Riyadh. The Saudi ministry said the final agreements will be dependent on feasibility studies, as well as the availability of land. Later the two ministers followed up on the progress of the electrical interconnection between the two countries and discussed aspects of cooperation in the fields of renewable energy and hydrogen, said the statement. The agreement comes days before the UN's Cop27 climate summit takes place in Sharm El Sheikh from November 6 to 18. Egypt said it aims to increase its renewable energy sources to 42 % by 2035, from about 11% in 2019. Champaign, IL (61820) Today Windy. Showers developing in the afternoon. High 61F. Winds S at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Higher wind gusts possible.. Tonight Cloudy and windy with rain early...then becoming partly cloudy. Low 23F. Winds W at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Higher wind gusts possible. London, Nov 3 (UNI) North Korea is deliberately ramping up tensions with its neighbours. Analysts think it is building to something bigger, such as a nuclear test, or a full long-range ballistic missile test out in to the Pacific, or both, the BBC said. There is a political objective to all this noise, the analysts said, adding, the ultimate aim is not just to threaten South Korea and Japan. North Korea can do that already. It is to threaten the US with a nuclear capable intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Thursday's test will certainly have shaken those who heard the sirens go off in Japan, they said. The inter-continental ballistic missile that was launched by North on Thursday never made it into Japanese airspace. According to South Korean military sources it failed mid-flight and fell back to earth, splashing down in the Sea of Japan. It's a pattern Pyongyang has used in 2010 and again in 2017. First, ramp up tensions to a frightening level, then call for engagement and concessions from South Korea, Japan and the US. Pyongyang is almost certainly doing the same again now, the BBC report added. However, Kim Jong-un has a second objective, the report claimed. Explaining Pyongyang's recent steps, the report said, the North is still far from perfecting its missile technology. In previous tests it appears that North Korea's re-entry vehicles have failed. So, Pyongyang needs to keep on testing to perfect its technology. If Thursday's test was another failure - it only demonstrates how far it still has to go. After the missile is launched in to space the warhead separates and comes back towards earth in a "re-entry vehicle". This must be able to withstand the enormous heat and pressure generated as it plunges through the atmosphere, the report added. The Japanese coast guard on Thursday said a missile fired from North Korea was heading over Japan. North Korean missiles have crossed Japan before - one did last month - but never this far south, the BBC said. UNI ING For patients dealing with lingering respiratory symptoms from the novel coronavirus, a chest X-ray can reveal only so much. The two-dimensional (2D) scans simply can't distinguish compromised lung function. For that diagnosis, a more expensive, three-dimensional (3D) technique called a CT scan is necessary. Yet many medical clinics in the United States don't have CT scanning equipment, leaving so-called long-COVID patients with little information about their lung function. That may change. In a new study, researchers at the University of Iowa have developed what is called a contrastive learning model. This model "learns" from composite 2D images constructed from 3D CT images to detect compromised lung function in long-COVID patients. Another technique, called transfer learning, then conveys lung diagnostic information from a CT scan to a chest X-ray, thus allowing chest X-ray equipment to detect abnormalities the same as if those patients had used a CT scan. In the study, the researchers showed how their contrastive learning model could be applied to detect small airways disease, which is an early stage of compromised lung function in long-COVID patients. Of the long-COVID patients, the models were advanced enough to distinguish the severity of the compromised lung function, separating those with small airways disease from those with more advanced respiratory issues. The new element to the model is taking information from 3D CT scans showing lung volume and transferring that information to a model that will show these same characteristics in 2D images. Clinicians would be able to use chest X-rays to detect these outcomes. That's the bigger perspective." Ching-Long Lin, Edward M. Mielnik and Samuel R. Harding Professor and Chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering at Iowa The researchers based their modeling on CT scans of 100 people who were infected with the original COVID strain and went to UI Hospitals & Clinics for diagnosis for breathing problems between June and December 2020. Many of these long-COVID patients had small airways disease, a diagnosis reported by Alejandro Comellas, clinical professor of internal medicinepulmonary, critical care, and occupational medicine, in a paper published last March in the journal Radiology. Small airways disease affects a network of more than 10,000 tubes at the nexus in the lung where oxygenated air mixes with blood to be carried throughout the body. People with small airways disease have many of these vessels constricted, thus limiting the oxygen-blood exchange in the lungs, and impeding breathing overall. Lin and his team collected data points at two intervals in the CT lung scans-;when the patient inhaled and when the patient exhaled. The researchers compared their results with a control group that had not contracted the virus as they created the contrastive learning model. "Our models successfully identified decreased lung function from long-COVID patients compared to those who had not gotten the virus," says Lin, whose expertise is in machine learning and computational fluid and particle dynamic simulation. Lin's team advanced the model so it could separate patients with small airways disease from those with more advanced complications, such as emphysema. "The study demonstrated in an independent way that patients with post-COVID have two types of lung injuries (small airway disease and lung parenchyma fibrosis/inflammation) that are persistent after having recovered from their initial SARS CoV-2 infection," says Comellas, a co-author on this study. "Chest X-rays are accessible, while CT scans are more expensive and not as accessible," Lin adds. "Our model can be further improved, and I believe there is potential for it to be used at all clinics without having to buy expensive imaging equipment, such as CT scanners." The authors note the study is limited, in part because the sample size is small, and the patients are from a single medical facility. A larger sample size, they write, may uncover more variations in lung function stemming from long COVID. The study, "Contrastive learning and subtyping of post-COVID-19 lung computed tomography images," was published online Oct. 11 in the journal Frontiers in Physiology. Co-authors, all from Iowa, include Frank Li, Xuan Zhang, Eric Hoffman, and Tianbao Yang. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, a branch of the U.S. National Institutes of Health; and the U.S. Department of Education funded the research. In a recent study soon to be presented at the American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions 2022*, researchers examined the adverse effects of marital stress (MS) on recovery from acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The AHA has stated that heart diseases such as AMI are the most common reason for death in the United States (US). Studies have reported that social and psychological stress can worsen heart disease recovery. In addition, studies have associated being in a partnership or marriage with improved health and prognosis of heart disease. However, it is unclear whether and in what ways MS might affect AMI recovery, especially among young adult individuals. Study: Impact of Marital Stress on 12-month Health Outcomes Among Young Adults With Acute Myocardial Infarction. Image Credit: Ground Picture / Shutterstock About the study In the present study, researchers examined MS's effects on AMI recovery. The team compared recovery a year after AMI among 1593 adult individuals with MS who reported being treated for AMI (at 103 hospitals in 30 US states) and who were recruited for the VIRGO (variation in recovery: role of gender on outcomes of young AMI patients) study, which was conducted from 2008 to 2012. The study participants ranged in age from 18 to 55 years and were either in a committed relationship or married when they experienced an AMI attack. For the MS measurements, participants filled out the 17-component Stockholm scale MS questionnaire a month after their AMI, which assesses marriage-related stressors, including the quality of their sexual and emotional relationships. Based on the MS scores, participants were categorized into no/mild MS, moderate MS, and severe MS groups, and follow-up assessments were performed for 12 months. A 12-item scale was used to assess the impact of physical health on the performance of daily activities, physical pain, and ratings of perceived health. The questionnaire's mental health category assessed participants' social interactions and psychological well-being. Mental/physical health scores and MS were documented by the participants themselves. In addition, data obtained from hospitals were analyzed to identify eligible participants and readmissions. The main study outcomes were the status of mental/physical health, disease-specific/general QoL (quality of life), depression symptoms, angina, and any-cause hospital readmissions one year after AMI. Logistic and linear regression modeling types were used for the analysis with data adjusted for the status of health, demographical variables, and various socioeconomic factors (such as the level of education, income levels, health insurance coverage, and employment status). Results The average age of the participants was 47 years, and 75% (n=1199), 13% (n=205), and seven percent (n=109) were Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics, respectively, with most (>67%) of the study participants being female. Recovery after AMI was delayed for those with MS compared to those in less stressful marriages. Partners with severe MS had poorer mental and physical health 12 months after AMI than couples without/with mild MS. Women (39%) showed a greater likelihood of reporting severe MS than men (30%). Similar results were observed after adjusting for age, race, sex, and socioeconomic factors with a smaller but statistically significant association. A comparison of the survey findings with the hospitalization data showed that the study participants with self-reported severe MS scores had a physical and mental health score >two points and >three points worse, respectively. Severe MS was also associated with 5.0 and 8.0-points lower general and heart-specific QoL scores, respectively, and higher depression and angina scores 12 months after AMI. In addition, the odds of being readmitted to the hospital and complaining of chest pain were 50% and 67% higher in those with severe MS, respectively, than in those without and with mild MS. Conclusions Overall, the preliminary research findings to be presented at AHA's Scientific Sessions 2022 showed that MS negatively affects AMI recovery among young adults; however, in addition, other stressors, such as work-related stress or economic burden, may affect AMI recovery. The study's results highlight the need for a mental health assessment for cardiovascular patients. Future studies need to be conducted on an international scale with objective data and long-term assessments of the associations between all stressors and AMI recovery. Healthcare professionals need to assess stress levels in hospitalized and non-hospitalized individuals to evaluate the need for re-hospitalization and the prognosis of individuals with heart disease. Integrating psychosocial components into the care of cardiac patients would improve the overall standard of care. C. Zhu, M.Phil., and a Ph.D. candidate in the Yale School of Public Health's chronic disease epidemiology department in Connecticut, said, "Healthcare professionals need to be aware of personal factors that may contribute to cardiac recovery and focus on guiding patients to resources that help manage and reduce their stress levels." *Important notice Statements and conclusions of studies that are presented at the American Heart Association's scientific meetings are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect the Association's policy or position. The Association makes no representation or guarantee as to their accuracy or reliability. Abstracts presented at the Association's scientific meetings are not peer-reviewed, rather, they are curated by independent review panels and are considered based on the potential to add to the diversity of scientific issues and views discussed at the meeting. The findings are considered preliminary until published as a full manuscript in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. insights from industry Victor Wong Chief Scientific Officer Core Life Analytics In this interview, we speak to Victor Wong, Chief Scientific Officer at Core Life Analytics, about their StratoMineRTM product and how it is helping researchers to rapidly process their data. Please could you introduce yourself and tell us about your journey to Core Life Analytics? My name is Victor, and I started my scientific career at the University of Toronto, where I did my PhD in Physiology. My focus then was on metabolic disorders, with an emphasis on drug targets and drug discovery. I then worked as a postdoc in neuroscience at the UC Davis and Weill Cornell Medical Center. At the latter institution, I was exposed to high throughput and high content imaging, using compound screens for drug discovery. My naivete initially gave me a false impression that automation would significantly accelerate my projects and publications, but that was simply not the case. Data analysis was the biggest challenge; the amount of data coming from my projects was beyond my knowledge to even know where to start. I tried grasping some mastery of programming, but nothing was ever robust or reproducible. I joined Core Life Analytics simply because they are the solution to the data problem that I had. Also, our scientific philosophies align incredibly well: to provide robust and transparent data analytics tools that allow scientists to analyze their data quickly and paint a holistic picture of their experiments. Moreover, and more importantly, to educate scientists about the good practices in data science. What are Core Life Analytics' primary aims, and how does it fit into the broader field of biological and life sciences? At Core Life Analytics, we are on a mission to democratize data science: we help biologists to analyze their complex phenotypic data independently. High-content or phenotypic screening is a powerful tool for drug discovery. Using advanced microscopes and image analysis software, scientists can translate microscopic images to hundreds or thousands of measurements of a cell's morphology, such as size, intensity, and shape. These so-called features describe and quantify a cell's phenotype, allowing researchers to assess a compound's effect carefully. Techniques like these fit in a movement towards more data-driven approaches: instead of focusing on measurements you know to be involved in the processes you study, measure them all, and use statistics to determine what is interesting. Image Credit: Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock.com The rise of data analytics and bioinformatics is prevalent across all areas of biological and life sciences, yet many still face challenges in integrating it into their workflow. What are the main barriers that limit the use of advanced data analysis software in these sectors? Most scientists struggle to make use of these datasets. Our founders, David Egan and Wienand Omta, witnessed this first-hand at the UMC Utrecht Cell Screening Core; their clients either had to learn data science and coding skills to analyze their data or ask a data scientist to do it for them. In both cases, data goes underutilized. Often, only a handful of known measurements are analyzed, leaving hundreds or thousands of potentially useful ones behind. Why should biologists endeavor to use advanced data analysis platforms, and how can this help to catalyze innovation in sectors like drug discovery? Giving biologists the tools to perform their analyses independently greatly improves the speed with which discoveries are made. Firstly, biologists no longer need to wait for busy data scientists or learn to code but can simply run their data through the analysis platform. Secondly, this enables the person who knows the experiments best - who designed and executed them - to explore the data and make decisions for future experiments accordingly. This is not only important for the final analysis of an experiment; being able to quickly run these analyses in the early, experimental stages of a study helps assess the quality of your model or assay and identify problems early on. Don't forget about the data scientists; when biologists perform these relatively routine analyses themselves, they have time for the more exciting stuff, such as advanced AI and multi-omics. StratoMineRTM is Core Life Analytics' primary product that aims to help researchers rapidly process their data. Could you discuss the background behind this product and how users can integrate it into their workflow? When David Egan and Wienand Omta realized at the UMC Utrecht that the need for accessible data analysis tools was widespread, they decided to develop something that could be used by any biologist dealing with this type of data. Regardless of the hardware or software they use or their data science skills. Simply upload your numerical data, and StratoMineR guides you through a best-practice workflow for phenotypic data. Starting with the more basic steps, such as finding relevant features, performing quality control, and normalization and scaling of your data, to more advanced steps, like data reduction, to eventually comparing and grouping phenotypes to determine a compound's mechanism of action. How does StratoMineRTM compare to existing platforms currently available? Are there any components that end-users would find especially interesting? What differentiates our approach from other tools is that it is intuitive and decision-supportive. StratoMineR's guided workflow ensures no step is missed and offers suggestions using AI where possible. This way, any biologist can follow a best-practice analysis workflow for multiparametric data, understand and explore it. And start doing so early in the experimental phase of a project. Core Life Analytics recently attended ELRIG Drug Discovery, Europe's largest meeting that brings together industrial professionals across life sciences. What are the benefits of attending such events to discuss and demonstrate products in person? ELRIG Drug Discovery was a great meeting with an excellent scientific program. We always enjoy meetings like these, as they are a perfect opportunity to keep up with the latest developments in the field. Most importantly, we can talk to scientists from many different backgrounds and learn about their perspectives and challenges. Many advancements are being made in data science technologies, with all industries reaping the benefits. How do you expect the relationship between data science and the life sciences sector to change over the next ten years? As mentioned earlier, the interest in data-driven drug discovery is growing. A great illustration of this is the JUMP-CP Consortium, which has generated a database of phenotypic data from cells responding to 140.000 different genetic perturbations and small molecules. The potential of this public resource is obvious, but it raises the question: how can researchers outside of the consortium leverage a large and complex dataset? This and the ever-increasing data complexity further highlight the need for accessible tools. We already see that AI-based analysis tools are becoming more and more mainstream, Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning (DL) are emerging, and discussions on more advanced integrations, such as multi-omics, are ongoing, developing into a new research area. Image Credit: paulista/Shutterstock.com What do the next few years look like for Core Life Analytics? Are there any innovations you are striving towards? Over the coming years, we hope to tackle some other bottlenecks in high-content screening. One of our ambitions is to, in addition to the numeric data, move the images to the cloud. This will resolve many people's storage issues and allow us to use massively parallel cloud computing for image analysis, dramatically reducing analysis time. Where can our readers go to stay up to date with the company's activities? They can follow us on LinkedIn or visit our website. Please provide links to any materials that may be relevant to our audience. On Nov 15th, we will host a webinar: Get Ready for JUMP-CP! More information on the JUMP-CP Consortium can be found on their website. More information on StratoMineR for high content data can be found in our brochure. About Victor Wong As a CSO, Victor Wong's responsibilities are to establish and communicate the scientific validity and utility of research products developed by Core Life Analytics. He interacts with scientific and customer communities regarding the capabilities and scientific findings from our company. He also manages with other CxOs to the overall management of the products and the team. Victor Wong received his Ph.D. at the University of Toronto. He was a Canadian Institute of Health Research Fellow, and received a number of grants during his postdoctoral training at the Burke Institute of Weill Cornell Medicine. His scientific motivation is driven by his disability; he is profoundly deaf and since then, his scientific journey led him through a number of therapeutic fields, with a focus on target and drug discovery to find novel treatments for a number of diseases spanning metabolism, oncology, neurodegeneration and hearing loss. During American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2022, Prominent Cedars-Sinai Cardiologists, Cardiothoracic Surgeons and Interventionalists Available for Interviews Throughout the scientific sessions, Smidt Heart Institute experts, including the chairs of the teamJoanna Chikwe, MD, Eduardo Marban, MD, PhD, and Christine Albert, MDwill be available to comment on late-breaking science stemming from the conference. Image Credit: Cedars-Sinai Cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons and interventionalists from the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai are presenting an array of innovative research data and leading discussions on medical breakthroughs during the American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions, taking place in Chicago, Nov. 5-7. From participation in the opening sessions, to prestigious award lectures and young investigator competitions, Smidt Heart Institute experts are covering an array of important cardiology topics at this significant gathering. Eduardo Marban, MD, PhD, Executive Director of Smidt Heart Institute and Mark S. Siegel Family Foundation Distinguished Professor Throughout the scientific sessions, Smidt Heart Institute experts, including the chairs of the team-Christine Albert, MD, and Joanna Chikwe, MD-will be available to comment on late-breaking science stemming from the conference. Christine M. Albert, MD, MPH, professor, chair of the Department of Cardiology and the Lee and Harold Kapelovitz Distinguished Chair in Cardiology, will be a panelist on a late-breaking session, Treating Atrial and Supraventricular Arrhythmias, on Nov. 7 at 11 a.m. CST. She also will present ongoing research on the effect of long-term marine Omega-3 fatty acids and the risk of atrial fibrillation on Nov. 6 at 9:54 a.m. CST. Joanna Chikwe, MD, founding chair of the Department of Cardiac Surgery and the Irina and George Schaeffer Distinguished Chair in Cardiac Surgery, will moderate a late-breaking session, High Impact Trials in Intervention and Surgery, on Nov. 6 at 8 a.m. CST, as well as an opening session presentation on Nov. 5 at 8 a.m. CST titled Moving Science into Public Health: Lessons Learned Session Description: US Surgeon Generals & International Public Health Experts. Chikwe also will present a session titled "Surgical Approach to Mechanical Complication: Patient Selection, Timing, and Surgical Consideration," and "Racial Disparities in Transcatheter and Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement Among Medicare Beneficiaries in the United States." Also of note, Jon Kobashigawa, MD, director of Advanced Heart Disease, was named the 2022 Laennec Clinician Educator Lecturer. The prestigious lecture intends to promote the importance of bedside manner in heart care and the application of clinical research to the bedside. Kobashigawa, the DSL/Thomas D. Gordon Chair in Heart Transplantation Medicine at Cedars-Sinai, will present a session on Nov. 5 at 9:30 a.m. CST titled "Clinical Research Arising from Work in the Trenches." Nestor Gonzalez, MD, MSc, was selected to give the Stroke Council Award and Lecture, which recognizes and encourages those who actively work to integrate stroke and heart disease in clinical care, education or research. Gonzalez, a professor of Neurosurgery and director of the Neurovascular Laboratory at Cedars-Sinai, is the first surgeon elected to receive the prestigious award. His session presentation, "Holding Anticoagulation After Hemorrhagic Stroke in Patients with High Risk for Ischemic Stroke. How Much is Enough? Advocating Late Re-initiation" is scheduled for Nov. 5 at 3:12 p.m. CST. Other notable Smidt Heart Institute faculty presentations include: Pedro Catarino, MD, director of Aortic Surgery at Cedars-Sinai, will serve as a panelist on a late-breaking session discussing the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or ECMO. Sumeet Chugh, MD, director of the Center for Cardiac Arrest Prevention and the Pauline and Harold Price Chair in Cardiac Electrophysiology Research, will present a session titled, " Survival From Sudden Cardiac Arrest During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Two-Year Prospective Evaluation in a Large US Community ." ." Raj Makkar, MD, Cedars-Sinais vice president of Cardiovascular Innovation and Intervention and the Stephen R. Corday, MD, Chair in Interventional Cardiology, will present a session titled, " A Predictive Model of Iliofemoral Vascular Complications Following Transfemoral Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement ." ." Aakriti Gupta, MD, an interventional cardiologist at Cedars-Sinai, is participating in the Samuel A. Levine Early Career Clinical Investigator Award Competition, presenting a session titled, " Racial Disparities in Transcatheter and Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement Among Medicare Beneficiaries in the United States, 2012-2019 ." ." Natalie Ann Bello, MD, MPH, director of Hypertension Research in the Smidt Heart Institute, will present a session titled "Trends in Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy Among Nulliparous Individuals With Singleton Live Births in the United States: An Age-period-cohort Analysis Between 1995-2019." She will also present alongside Noel Bairey Merz, MD, director of the Barbra Streisand Women's Heart Center and professor of Cardiology, on a session titled, "A Mediterranean Diet Pattern Is Associated With Lower Risk Of Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes In US Women: Results From The NuMoM2b Cohort." In a recent study published in PLOS One, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of California-Los Angeles investigated how political polarization in the United States (US) shaped the time-varying patterns of racial inequality in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mortality since the onset of the pandemic. Study: The polarization of politics and public opinion and their effects on racial inequality in COVID mortality. Image Credit: CHOONGKY / Shutterstock Background In the early months of the pandemic, black Americans had far higher severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and death rates than their White counterparts. However, gradually, studies evidenced that the COVID-19 racial death disparities shrunk significantly. Intriguingly, this apparent decrease in racial inequality was driven by increasing deaths among white Americans rather than decreasing deaths among black Americans. The fact that Black deaths have decreased does not necessarily mean that factors such as healthcare access and income equality have disappeared. Initial explanations for COVID-19 racial disparities highlighted the role of static factors, such as historical racial segregation in the US and geography, which are inherently inadequate to explain observed time-varying patterns in racial inequality. New evidence suggests that this understanding requires a renewed outlook. The partisan divide in pandemic-related policies and beliefs varies over time and across geographies. Also, the state of public healthcare systems, vaccine production, rollout, and uptake are political issues. The study highlights that governments play a central role in combatting pandemics. Thus, it is vital to address the question of racial inequality based on individual behavior and responses, which, in turn, are influenced by political beliefs and ideology. About the study In the present study, researchers focused on examining government mandates, containment/suppression policies, and public opinion regarding the spread of SARS-CoV-2. They acquired weekly data for each US state from Oxford University's COVID-19 government response tracker from May 2021. The team used this data to capture temporal and geographic variation(s) in race-based COVID-19 mortality, total mortality patterns, adherence to policy adoptions, and oscillations in public opinion on both sides of the partisan alley. COVID mortality per capita by race (top); black-divided-by-white (bottom) COVID deaths per capita times 100,000. Study findings The study findings showed that while mortality varied across races over time, the disparities were higher in Q1 of 2020. Later, it converged over time, driven mainly by increasing mortality in white Americans compared to black. The study analysis also confirmed that since blacks have a comparatively younger general population, black Americans still bear a relatively higher COVID-19-related mortality burden. The containment and health policies enacted at the state level also varied significantly. Republican governor-led states adopted fewer policies compared to their Democratic counterparts, and that too with significant delays. The results also pointed out that the political divide in concern over COVID-19 was a significant causal factor in driving the COVID-19 race-based mortality patterns. As this grew through the pandemic, racial inequality in COVID-19 mortality decreased, but white American deaths increased. Public concern about local outbreak of COVID-19 by party and race. Differences in the proportion of Americans not concerned with COVID-19 by party (holding race constant) are larger than differences in proportions by race (holding party constant), suggesting partisan disparities in concern dominate racial disparities. Conclusions To conclude, the study findings clarified that the shrinking gap in US COVID-19 racial death disparities was due to higher overall deaths rather than a reduction in risk for racial minorities. Initially, infection rates were higher for Black than White Americans, but during the study period, this situation reversed. Thus, the authors cautioned about interpreting the observed effects as an effect of higher infection rates. Also, the measurement of cases was highly controversial, especially during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, political polarization affected racial inequality in COVID-19 outcomes relatively more through a "race to the bottom" approach. Future studies should investigate how the partisan divide in the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines will shape emerging patterns of racial inequality in COVID-19 mortality. Also, they should explore how the results of the upcoming US elections might shift policies across states. Good news for those who struggle to fit a gym workout into their day: you may be able to cut your weights routine in half and still see the same results. New research from Edith Cowan University (ECU) has shown one type of muscle contraction is most effective at increasing muscle strength and muscle size -; and rather than lifting weights, the emphasis should be on lowering them. The team, which also included researchers from Niigata University and Nishi Kyushu University in Japan and Brazil's Londrina State University, had groups of people perform three different types of dumbbell curl exercise and measured the results. It found those who only lowered a weight saw the same improvements as those who raised and lowered weights -; despite only performing half the number of repetitions. ECU's Professor Ken Nosaka said the results reinforced previous research indicating a focus on "eccentric" muscle contractions -; in which activated muscles are lengthened -; is more important to increasing strength and size of muscles, rather than the volume. "We already know only one eccentric muscle contraction a day can increase muscle strength if it is performed five days a week -; even if it's only three seconds a day -; but concentric (lifting a weight) or isometric muscle contraction (holding a weight) does not provide such an effect," Professor Nosaka said. This latest study shows we can be far more efficient in the time we spend exercising and still see significant results by focusing on eccentric muscle contractions. In the case of a dumbbell curl, many people may believe the lifting action provides the most benefit, or at least some benefit, but we found concentric muscle contractions contributed little to the training effects." Ken Nosaka, Professor, Edith Cowan University Crunching the numbers The study consisted of three groups who performed dumbbell curls twice a week for five weeks, plus a control group who did nothing. Of the training groups, one performed eccentric-only muscle contractions (lowering weight), another concentric-only muscle contractions (lifting weight) and another performed both concentric and eccentric muscle contractions (lifting and lowering weight alternatively). All three saw improvements in concentric strength, but this was the only improvement for the concentric-only group. The eccentric-only and concentric-eccentric groups also saw significant improvements in isometric (static) strength and eccentric strength. Most interestingly, despite the eccentric-only group doing half as many reps as those lifting and lowering weights, the gains in strength were very similar and the eccentric-only group also saw a greater improvement in muscle thickness, an indicator of muscle hypertrophy: 7.2 per cent compared to the concentric-eccentric group's 5.4 per cent. "Understanding the benefits of eccentric-focused training can allow people to spend their time exercising more efficiently," Professor Nosaka said. "With the small amount of daily exercise needed to see results, people don't necessarily even have to go to the gym -; they can incorporate eccentric exercise into their everyday routine." Putting it into practice So how can we put this knowledge to use in the gym? Using a dumbbell, Professor Nosaka recommends using two hands to help with the concentric (lifting weight) phase, before using one arm for the eccentric phase (lowering weight), when performing: Bicep curls Overhead extension Front raise Shoulder press Using leg weight machines, Professor Nosaka recommends using the same concentric/eccentric technique when performing: Knee extensions Leg curls Calf raises Looking after home bodies Happily, Professor Nosaka says you don't need gym weights to apply the same principles to a workout and has come up with several simple exercises one can do at home. In the exercises, feel that the contracting muscles are gradually stretched from the start to the end of the range of motion. After each eccentric muscle contraction, minimise the effort to go back to the starting position (i.e., concentric muscle contraction). Repeat 10 times for each exercise. Chair sit: From a half-squatting position, sit down slowly on a chair in three seconds, (narrower and wider stances will create different effects). If this is easy, try to sit down with one leg. Chair recline: Sit on the front of a chair to make a space between your back and the backrest, recline back slowly in three seconds (arms can be crossed at the chest or hold at the back of a head). Uneven squat: Stand behind a chair, lean to one side to put more weight on one leg, then squat down in three seconds. Heel down: Still behind a chair, lean forward and raise your heels. Then, lift one leg off the ground and lower the heel of the other leg in three seconds. Wall kiss: Lean against a wall with both arms fully extended. Bend the elbow joint slowly over three seconds until your face gets close to the wall. Front lunge: Place one leg in front of the other and bend the knees deeper over three seconds. New Delhi, Nov 3 (UNI) The Supreme Court in its judgement on Thursday affirmed death penalty for Lashkar e Taiba terrorist from Pakistan, Mohammad Arif, in the 2000 Red Fort attack case in which three people, including two soldiers, were killed. A bench headed by Chief Justice UU Lalit rejected Arif's review plea and upheld the death penalty granted to him. The bench said: "His guilt is proven. We affirm the view taken by this court and reject the review petition." The top court delivered the judgment in the revision petition of its 2014 order. In 2014, the apex court had upheld the death sentence awarded to Arif after his conviction for attacking the Red Fort in December, 2000. Arif, a Pakistan national, was arrested along with his wife, Rehmana Yousuf Farooqui, four days after the attack. He was found guilty of murder, criminal conspiracy and waging war against India. Arif was one of the intruders who had started indiscriminate firing at Red Fort on December 22, 2000 and gunned down three Army jawans belonging to 7th Rajputana Rifles. UNI SM ING Sheridan Start-Up Challenge Announces Three Winners IMPACT 307, Sheridans business incubator, has announced three winners for the 2022 Sheridan Start-Up Challenge entrepreneur competition. The Pitch Night event took place Nov. 1 at the historic WYO Theater in Sheridan. IMPACT 307 is a startup business development program of the University of Wyoming and a part of the states Business Resource Network. It is administered by UWs Office of Research and Economic Development. The not-for-profit business incubator system provides startup and early-stage companies with the expertise, networks and tools necessary for the development of successful businesses. This years challenge attracted 61 applicants. A panel of local entrepreneur judges selected a dozen plans to advance to the semifinal round before that number was pared to six finalists. We had an incredible response to our call for applications this year, a 50 percent increase over 2021, says Scot Rendall, IMPACT Sheridan director. Due to the number of applicants and quality business ideas, our judging panel elected to go with six Pitch Night finalists for the first time. We had approximately 140 attendees at the WYO Theater and 330 views during the livestream. All in all, we had a very successful challenge process and a great indication of entrepreneurial activity in our area. Winners selected by the judges are: -- O. clarkii Reels, founded by Zac Sexton, Rodney Fought and Brad Williams, is a developer of a premium, semi-automatic fly fishing reel that contains numerous features not available on any reel currently being sold in North America. The fly fishing reel has several patent-pending features that will have appeal to avid fly-fishers. -- Horsewell, founded by Megan Welles, has created a myofascial equine massage blade that can be used by horse owners to treat muscle soreness in performance horses that jump, race and rodeo. The blade product also is patent pending and will be offered for sale before the end of 2022. -- Gannett Health, founded by Louisa Crosby, is a mobile, advocacy-focused direct primary care medical practice that focuses on prevention and access. The business will be based in Sheridan and will offer health care services to patients in Sheridan and Johnson counties, as well as telehealth options to people in rural and underserved areas of Wyoming. Each of the winners will receive $5,000 and will be eligible to apply for additional funding from the balance of the $100,000 seed fund established for the event. Additionally, O. clarkii Reels was named winner of the 2022 Audience Choice Award from votes submitted by the live audience and livestream viewers. This $2,000 award was sponsored by Sheridan Travel and Tourism. The panel of judges elected to make one-time cash awards from the seed fund to the three nonwinners, which are I Call Shotgun, a developer of games for teenagers and young adults; Solid Hitch, a trailer hitch innovation that eliminates excess rattle and play in trailer towing hitches; and Cannoli Bliss, a bakery producing special recipe Italian desserts. Alaina Gross and Isabella Haas, founders of I Call Shotgun, are students at Buffalo High School. This was the second year in a row that a Buffalo High School business proposal made the Sheridan Start-Up Challenge finals. A livestream recording of the Sheridan Start-Up Challenge Pitch Night program will be available for a few days, Rendall says. To view, go here. For more information, call Rendall at (307) 675-1939 or email srendall@uwyo.edu. Shelley Hughes (R-Palmer-), Senate Majority Leader, has served before and during the legislative gridlock: four years in the House and six years in the Senate. Pope Francis' first visit to Bahrain to cement ties with Islam Pope Francis' first visit to Bahrain to cement ties with Islam Agencies | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com Pope Francis will become the first pontiff in history to visit Bahrain, in a trip this week that is hoped will cement ties with Islam. The Thursday-to-Sunday visit -- the 39th international trip of Francis' papacy -- comes three years after his historic trip to the United Arab Emirates in 2019, where he signed a Muslim-Christian manifesto for peace. The Argentine pontiff, 85, has made outreach to Muslim communities a priority during his papacy, visiting Middle Eastern countries including Egypt in 2017 and Iraq last year while pledging interfaith dialogue with leading Muslim clerics. On Friday, Francis plans to meet with Sunni Islam's highest authority, Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, the grand imam of Cairo's prestigious Al-Azhar mosque and centre of Islamic learning, at Sakhir Palace in Bahrain. The two religious leaders signed a joint document in Abu Dhabi in February 2019 pledging interfaith co-existence between Christians and Muslims. That visit marked the first ever by a pope to the Gulf region, where Islam was born. Francis will also meet with the Abu Dhabi-based Muslim Council of Elders for an "East and West" forum, with Muslim communities in the West, humanitarian crises, climate issues and Muslim-Christian relations on the agenda. Also on Friday, the leader of the world's 1.3 billion Catholics -- expected to be confined to a wheelchair during his trip due to persistent knee pain -- will lead an ecumenical prayer in Awali's cavernous Our Lady of Arabia Cathedral, which opened its doors December. The cathedral that seats over 2,000 people was built to serve Bahrain's approximately 80,000 Catholics, mainly workers from southern Asia, including India and the Philippines. On Saturday, the pope will celebrate a mass in a stadium in Bahrain's second-largest city Riffa before an expected 28,000 faithful, according to priest Charbel Fayad. The pope -- who concludes his trip Sunday in Manama leading a prayer meeting with Catholic clergy -- has visited various Muslim-majority countries during his pontificate, including Jordan, Turkey, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Egypt, Bangladesh, Morocco, Iraq and most recently in September, Kazakhstan. TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com Supported by the Bahrain Economic Development Board (Bahrain EDB), Bambucorn Bahrain WLL, a Bahrain-grown equity crowdfunding platform has obtained the license from the Central Bank of Bahrain to carry out activities of Ancillary Service Provider Crowdfunding Platform Operator. Bambucorn will enable startups, SMEs and real estate projects to raise equity from accredited and retail investors. The licence from the Central Bank of Bahrain will effectively enable Bambucorn to raise capital for issuers in Bahrain and those located outside Bahrain. One of Bambucorns group companies is licenced by the Dubai Financial Services Authority to operate an equity crowdfunding platform in the UAE. The licence obtained from the Central Bank of Bahrain further signifies the groups commitment to contributing to the regions growing Fintech ecosystem. Fareed Bader, Co-founder and Chairman of Bambucorn Group, commented: Bahrain has always been at the forefront when it comes to Fintech and the regulators are playing a pivotal role in ensuring that investors interests are adequately protected whilst at the same time providing enough opportunities for innovative Fintech companies to flourish in the country. We certainly look forward to working alongside all stakeholders to optimize the capital raising exercise for startups, SMEs and real estate projects. Narayanan Ganapathy, Co-founder of Bambucorn Bahrain, commented: Capital allocation has always been a challenge and oftentimes tricky, particularly when it comes to early-stage investments. Providing both accredited and retail investors the ability to write smaller checks towards early-stage ventures and real estate opportunities helps investors diversify their portfo lios. Businesses looking to gain customer loyalty can resort to crowdfunding, providing their customers with the ability to acquire equity interests in them through the platform. The CBB license certainly strengthens Bambucorns foothold in the region as an innovative Fintech company. Dalal Buhejji, Executive Director of Business Development Financial Services, said: Bahrains forward-looking regulators consistently made it the first choice for Fintech companies setting up in this region. Were happy to see Bambucorn receive its license from the CBB, which is a testament to our robust financial regulatory system that has enabled many companies to innovate in Bahrain and serve the wider region. Bahrain offers technology and financial services disruptors a gateway to the Gulf markets, providing traditional banking institutions, FinTech startups, and scaleups a collaborative space to test and scale new products across the entire region. North Korea launched several ballistic missiles on Thursday morning. Officials from Japan's Defense Ministry say one may have been an intercontinental ballistic missile. They are trying to determine the latest details. Defense ministry officials say at least three missiles flew toward the Sea of Japan from around 7:40 a.m. They estimate that one traveled about 750 kilometers, at an altitude of around 2,000 kilometers. It then fell into the Sea of Japan, outside the country's exclusive economic zone. They say it could have been an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, or ICBM. One hour later, two more missiles flew about 350 kilometers, at an altitude of around 50 kilometers. The officials say these missiles also appear to have fallen into the Sea of Japan, near the east coast of the Korean Peninsula. ...continue reading Wyoming Business Tips for Nov. 7-13 A weekly look at issues facing Wyoming business owners and entrepreneurs from the Wyoming Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network, a collection of business assistance programs at the University of Wyoming. By Jill Kline, state director, Wyoming SBDC Network John, from Cheyenne, recently sent me a note asking, How soon can I expect to see some real growth in my new business? Thats a good question and one that is on any new business owners mind. But its one that may have countless responses depending upon a variety of factors. Each individual business has its own trajectory for startup, launch and growth depending on the industry, seasonal versus year-round business, market demand, competition, economic conditions and more. An entrepreneurs grit -- or perseverance and work ethic -- plays an equally important role. A startup takes planning, organization, market research, financial projections, connections in the industry and community, and legal considerations, not to mention a product or service that is in demand and profitable. When all of these factors are in place, an entrepreneur can expect some failures or setbacks, or the need for changes from the initial plan. Let me break down the factors I mentioned a bit further. I like to believe that grit is uniquely a Wyoming trait, a trait that was born in Wyoming and one that all Wyoming entrepreneurs possess. Entrepreneurs with great abilities or talents in their industries or skills can only go so far if they lack the perseverance, work ethic and motivation necessary to successfully run their businesses. Planning, organization and other essential work come into play to achieve success. Before a business opens its doors, an entrepreneur must do the significant groundwork. An entrepreneur can minimize risk by following logical steps to start a business. The outcome from a simple internet search on how to start a business results in many step-by-step paths. Depending on the article, I found the number of steps can range from eight to 35. But, all of those steps led to the development of a strategic or business plan. To summarize, an entrepreneur will want to know what problem to provide a solution to or what gap to fill in the industry. Using market research, potential answers will surface, allowing an entrepreneur to develop a path or strategy to begin. But the learning rarely ends. Pursuing a strategic approach can seem like an overwhelming process, but its necessary for success, especially if youre hoping for growth and profit quickly. Following that path is where grit must kick in. Understanding why it is important to plan, organize, conduct market research, develop financial projections and know as much about your industry as possible can help strategically determine the rate of growth you might expect. Markets and economic conditions change, and marketing strategies may need to be refined, which result in a constant cycle of modification to your approach. Having grit will not only help you form your strategy, but it also will allow you to make changes to your original plans when necessary. The Wyoming SBDC Network can assist with every step of the process of starting or growing a business. One step youll likely discover in your internet search to start a business is to find a mentor or adviser. The experienced team at the Wyoming SBDC Network helps entrepreneurs break down tasks, interpret competitive intelligence, design an individualized plan, and implement or revamp strategies. Finally, the Wyoming SBDC Network can customize an entrepreneurs experience by making connections to the vast array of resources available in Wyoming. The Wyoming SBDC Network offers no-cost advising and technical assistance to help Wyoming entrepreneurs think about, launch, grow, reinvent or exit their business. In 2021, the Wyoming SBDC Network helped Wyoming entrepreneurs start 80 new businesses; support 4,077 jobs; and bring a capital impact of $9.2 million to the state. The Wyoming SBDC Network is hosted by UW with state funds from the Wyoming Business Council and funded, in part, through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. To ask a question, call 1-800-348-5194, email wsbdc@uwyo.edu, or write Dept. 3922, 1000 E. University Ave., Laramie, WY 82071-3922. Restaurant 20 Victoria in Toronto named Canada's Best New Restaurant MONTREAL, Nov. 1, 2022 /CNW Telbec/ - After a brief hiatus, Air Canada enRoute is thrilled to present the anticipated Top 10 list of Canada's Best New Restaurants, with Toronto's Restaurant 20 Victoria taking the number one spot. Air Canada Announces Canadas Best New Restaurants 2022. (CNW Group/Air Canada) Led by chef Julie Hyde, Restaurant 20 Victoria features an upfront bar area for a la carte plates and an elegant dining room and patio for the six-course tasting menu. In second place, Montreal's Mastard showcases Quebec terroir with fresh seasonal ingredients. Mimi Chinese, this year's third-place winner, takes diners on a tour of hyper-regional Chinese cuisine from its location in Toronto. The full Top 10 list is featured in the November issue of enRoute magazine and online at CanadasBestNewRestaurants.com. The Top 10 were selected by award-winning journalist Nancy Matsumoto after a month-long cross-Canada journey, where she dined anonymously at more than 30 establishments nominated by an expert panel. From the culinary vision and quality of ingredients on the menu to the trappings and team spirit that surround it, every element factored into an equation that savours deliciousness above all. Ultimately, it all came down to one meal. "Air Canada is proud to take off with this tradition once again and to put the Top 10 best new restaurants on Canada's culinary map," says Andy Shibata, Vice President, Brand, Air Canada. "It's inspiring to see these restaurants make their mark with world-class cuisine while also leading the way on industry trends such as sustainability and workplace wellness. We wish them all luck and success." Here is the complete list of Air Canada's Best New Restaurants 2022: Restaurant 20 Victoria ( Toronto, ON ): Two years after the abrupt closure of Brothers Food & Wine (No. 8, 2017), a reshuffled team led by chef Julie Hyde and sous chef Jenna Reich shows us the way back from the pandemic-born land of the fast and casual with pitch-perfect six-course tasting menus. Mastard ( Montreal, QC ): Chef Simon Mathys' passion for Quebec terroir is palpable in dishes like the thick, ruby-red slice of tomato from La Ferme des Quatre-Temps resting in a pool of camelina oil, adorned in herbs and flowers and doused with smoked beef fatMatsumoto's favourite of the year. MIMI Chinese ( Toronto, ON ): Executive chef David Schwartz and head chef Braden Chong present hyper-regional renditions of Chinese cuisine ranging from deep-fried, sesame-showered shrimp toasts from Guangdong to a four-foot-long, chili oil-slicked take on Shaanxi belt noodle, scissored tableside. Perch ( Ottawa, ON ): For those who love fine dining tasting menus but not the starchy attitudes, Perch is a gift from chef Justin Champagne-Lagarde , who foregrounds sustainability and minimal-waste cooking with offerings like a deeply flavoured compost broth made from daily veg scraps. Mot To ( Calgary, AB ): "Crunch" could be its own category on the menu of this Crescent Heights Vietnamese spot, judging from the crackly crab pork and taro spring roll and the grilled cheese served with a pho broth dipping bowl. Hearts Tavern & Bar ( Kimberley, ON ): One visit to this dream version of a roadside tavern and you will want to come back for the silky slices of house-smoked fish or fat spears of Meyer lemon-spiked asparagus served alongside a generous wedge of Chateau de Bourgogne cheese. Fonda Balam ( Toronto, ON ): Chefs Julio Guajardo and Kate Chomyshyn turbocharge tacos and their birria subset with their sublime quesabirria con consome, oozing corn tortillas filled with braised beef, mozzarella and aromatics. Major Tom ( Calgary, AB ): 40 floors above Calgary find a steakhouse reimagined for the modern age, delivering crispy egg halves topped with pepperoni jam, extra-terrestrial prime rib, alongside cocktails like All the Way UpMatsumoto's pick for best cocktail of the year. Fox & Monocle ( North Saanich, BC ): The culinary talents of chef Ross Bowles and pastry chef Tracie Zahavich come together in offerings like cod and potato pithivier and B.C. spot prawns served with roasted red peppers and crunchy polenta cubes. Restaurant Alentours ( Quebec City, QC ): Only ingredients sourced from within 150 kilometers are considered fair game for chef Tim Moroney's inventive and delicious tasting menus (wine, ethically produced salt, yeast, milk and cream are the exceptions). Last year Air Canada enRoute celebrated the 20th anniversary of Canada's Best New Restaurants by paying tribute to the restaurant industry's hard-won resiliency. In lieu of sending a writer across the country, the adapted program presented several new categories, which have been incorporated into this year's program alongside the revered Top 10 list. These Special Mentions include Best New Takeout, Best New Pop-ups, Best Dish of the Year, Best Dessert of the Year, Best Cocktail of the Year and Trailblazer. See all the winners at CanadasBestNewRestaurants.com. Awards Celebration The Top 10 restaurants were revealed in Toronto during the Canada's Best New Restaurants celebration on November 1, 2022. Chefs and teams from the Top 10 restaurants were invited to receive their awards and share cuisine from their winning menus with over 600 public, industry professionals and Air Canada guests. A special thank you to Canada's Best New Restaurants lead sponsors Diageo, American Express and Destination Vancouver. Canada's Best New Cookbook Created in collaboration with Destination Canada, Canada's Best New Cookbook rounds up the most memorable dishes uncovered by Air Canada enRoute over two decades of searching the country for great meals. This collector's item marries flavours and stories from across our country's vibrant restaurant scene, with truly great recipes from Canada's best chefs. The cookbook is available now at Indigo, with $1 from each sale being donated to the Canadian Hospitality Foundation. About Air Canada Air Canada is Canada's largest airline, the country's flag carrier and a founding member of Star Alliance, the world's most comprehensive air transportation network. Air Canada provides scheduled passenger service directly to 50 airports in Canada, 47 in the United States and 69 internationally. It holds a Four-Star ranking from Skytrax. Air Canada's Aeroplan program is Canada's premier travel loyalty program, where members can earn or redeem points on the world's largest airline partner network of 45 airlines, plus through an extensive range of merchandise, hotel and car rental rewards. Its freight division, Air Canada Cargo, provides air freight lift and connectivity to hundreds of destinations across six continents using Air Canada's passenger flights and cargo-only flights with its fleet of Boeing 767-300 freighters. Air Canada has committed to a net zero emissions goal from all global operations by 2050. About Air Canada enRoute Air Canada enRoute is Air Canada's award-winning travel media brand published by Spafax. An inspirational authority for the global traveller, it reaches passengers at every step of their journey through its multimedia portfolio: including print, digital channels (enroute.aircanada.com) and many prestigious programs and events. The Air Canada enRoute Canada's Best New Restaurants print magazine will be distributed nationally through Globe and Mail home subscriptions and by direct mail to Aeroplan Super Elite and Million Miler members in November 2022. Follow on Twitter and Instagram: @enroutemag, #AirCanadaTop10. Internet: aircanada.com/media Sign up for Air Canada news: aircanada.com Media Resources: Photos Videos B-Roll Articles SOURCE Air Canada For further information: Contacts: [email protected] Pfizer Canada also making donation to Paralympic Foundation of Canada MONTREAL, Nov. 3, 2022 /CNW/ - After celebrating 25 years of collaboration last year, the Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC) and Pfizer Canada have renewed their partnership through 2025. The agreement of nearly $2 million extends Pfizer Canada's position as a premier partner of the CPC, with a focus on celebrating Canada's Paralympic athletes and the importance of inclusion and equity for Para athletes and people with a disability. The Canadian Paralympic Committee and Pfizer Canada have renewed their partnership through 2025. L-R: Dean Brokop, Director, Paralympic Foundation of Canada; Francois Robert, Executive Director, Partnerships, Canadian Paralympic Committee; Najah Sampson, President, Pfizer Canada; Vincent Lamoureux, Director, Global Health and Social Impact, Pfizer Canada; Karine GrandMaison, Vice President, Access and Government Relations, Pfizer Canada (CNW Group/Canadian Paralympic Committee (Sponsorships)) CPC's longest-standing partner, Pfizer Canada originally came on board in 1996 to support the nation's participation in the Paralympic Games in Atlanta. The partnership has progressed over the years, including direct support of the Canadian Paralympic Team, supporting the athletes, and promoting health and wellness. "Pfizer Canada has been by our side through so many important moments over the past 25-plus years as the Paralympic Movement in Canada has significantly grown, developed, and evolved," said Marc-Andre Fabien, President, Canadian Paralympic Committee. "They are an incredibly valued partner, and we are grateful to be continuing this work together for a bright future in Para sport. We thank Pfizer Canada for their immense support and look forward to three more years of celebrating and supporting Paralympic sport and athletes in Canada." Pfizer Canada's recent support has included funding internships for Paralympians to gain work experience with CPC. They will also be the partner of an upcoming CPC content series focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion through the disability lens, featuring interviews with Paralympians. "Paralympic athletes are more than just elite competitors. They are superb role models and they exemplify the importance of inclusion and diversity in society," stated Najah Sampson, President, Pfizer Canada. "Our four Pfizer values of Courage, Excellence, Equity and Joy mirror the essence of the Paralympic Movement, where athletes seek to reach their full potential and encourage Canadians to do the same. We are very proud of our partnership with CPC and look forward to continuing our work with them to promote inclusion in Canada." Pfizer Canada has also confirmed a donation of $410,000 over the next three years to the Paralympic Foundation of Canada in support of creating more opportunities for people with a disability to participate in sport. The donation will bring its total charitable support to $1.7 million since the PFC's inception in 2015. "Pfizer Canada has been one of our biggest champions over the years, and this donation will have a direct impact in supporting more Para athletes and more Para sport programming," said Dean Brokop, Director, Paralympic Foundation of Canada. "Thank you to Pfizer Canada for being such a dedicated advocate for Paralympic sport; we so appreciate the continued support." About the Canadian Paralympic Committee: Paralympic.ca About Pfizer Canada Pfizer Canada ULC is the Canadian operation of Pfizer Inc., one of the world's leading biopharmaceutical companies. Our diversified healthcare portfolio includes some of the world's best known and most prescribed medicines and vaccines. We apply science and our global resources to improve the health and well-being of Canadians at every stage of life. Our commitment is reflected in everything we do, from our disease awareness initiatives to our community partnerships. To learn more about Pfizer Canada, visit pfizer.ca or you can follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or YouTube. About the Paralympic Foundation of Canada: ParalympicFoundation.ca SOURCE Canadian Paralympic Committee (Sponsorships) For further information: Media Contacts: Nicole Watts, Manager, Public Relations, Canadian Paralympic Committee, [email protected] / 613-462-2700; Corporate Affairs Canada, 1-866-9PFIZER (1-866-973-4937), [email protected] The firm is highlighted for its work toward fostering reconciliation through business and community relationships Toronto, Nov. 3, 2022 /CNW/ - Deloitte Canada is pleased to announce it has achieved the Silver level certification in the Progressive Aboriginal Relations (PAR) program from the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB). The designation, which awards organizations prioritizing support for Indigenous businesses and community relationships, comes as a result of Deloitte Canada's journey to advance reconciliation, including the launch of its Reconciliation Action Plan. As part of this recognition, we are the first professional services firm to achieve Progressive Aboriginal Relations (PAR) Silver Level certification. "We are tremendously proud to have received this significant designation and remain deeply committed to playing our role for reconciliation with Indigenous communities and businesses," said Anthony Viel, CEO, Deloitte Canada. "We firmly believe the private sector has an important role in working with Indigenous businesses in Canada, and we look forward to continuing this work together to build a more equitable country." Established in 2001, the PAR program, led by the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business, includes an online management and reporting tool that supports participating companies' efforts toward progressive improvement in Indigenous relations, and a certification program that confirms corporate performance at the Bronze, Silver, or Gold level. "This is an important milestone in our ongoing reconciliation journey and one that marks yet another step toward improving relationships between non-Indigenous and Indigenous peoples in Canada," said Alexandra Biron, Senior Manager, Deloitte Indigenous. "While we've made a number of impactful commitments in recent years, our work with Indigenous communities to create thoughtful, inclusive, and accountable programs and relationships is ongoing. This designation proves that businesses can both lead with purpose, and be a force for good, and we can't wait to inspire others along the way." Since 2020, and through its Reconciliation Action Plan, Deloitte Canada has teamed up with First Nations University of Canada and Reconciliation Education to implement the mandatory firm-wide transformative learning program, 4 seasons of reconciliation. The firm has also committed to a multi-year sponsorship agreement with Indspire to contribute $175,000 annually for three-years to invest in Indigenous education. The PAR program provides a high level of assurance through the independent, third-party verification of company reports on measurable outcomes and initiatives in four performance areas: Leadership Actions, Employment, Business Development, and Community Relationships (Engagement and Support). For more information on Deloitte Indigenous, including Deloitte Canada's latest report, Our progress on the shared path for reconciliation, click here. About Deloitte Deloitte provides audit and assurance, consulting, financial advisory, risk advisory, tax, and related services to public and private clients spanning multiple industries. Deloitte serves four out of five Fortune Global 500 companies through a globally connected network of member firms in more than 150 countries and territories bringing world-class capabilities, insights, and service to address clients' most complex business challenges. Deloitte LLP, an Ontario limited liability partnership, is the Canadian member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited. Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee, and its network of member firms, each of which is a legally separate and independent entity. Please see www.deloitte.com/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited and its member firms. Our global Purpose is making an impact that matters. At Deloitte Canada, that translates into building a better future by accelerating and expanding access to knowledge. We believe we can achieve this Purpose by living our shared values to lead the way, serve with integrity, take care of each other, foster inclusion, and collaborate for measurable impact. To learn more about Deloitte's approximately 330,000 professionals, over 11,000 of whom are part of the Canadian firm, please connect with us on LinkedIn, Twitter , Instagram , or Facebook. SOURCE Deloitte & Touche For further information: Kyle Wyskiel, Deloitte Canada, 416-354-1574, [email protected]; Mike Filion, Deloitte Canada, 514-390-0913, [email protected] VANCOUVER, BC, Nov. 3, 2022 /CNW/ - Elevation Gold Mining Corporation (TSXV: ELVT) (OTCQX: EVGDF) (the "Company" or "Elevation Gold") is pleased to announce financial results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022. All figures are expressed in US dollars unless otherwise noted. Summary for the Three Months Ended September 30, 2022 The following chart provides additional information on the Companys increasing grade and recoverable ounces placed on the pad during 2022 on a quarter-by-quarter basis. (CNW Group/Elevation Gold Mining Corp.) Elevation produced 8,835 ounces of gold and 49,007 ounces of silver during Q3 2022 from 750,908 ore tonnes processed with average grades of 0.51 g/t gold and 4.08 g/t silver. The Company generated total revenue of $17.0 million on 9,096 ounces of gold and 75,862 ounces of silver sold. The average realized price of gold per ounce sold (1) was $1,713 . Gold ounces sold represented an increase of 46% from Q3 2021 and 30% from Q2 2022. on 9,096 ounces of gold and 75,862 ounces of silver sold. The average realized price of gold per ounce sold was . Gold ounces sold represented an increase of 46% from Q3 2021 and 30% from Q2 2022. Q3 2022 income from mine operations before depreciation and depletion of $2.1 million and net income of $1.2 million , or $0.01 per share. and net income of , or per share. Total Cash Costs per ounce of gold sold (1) of $1,770 and all-in sustaining costs ("AISC") per ounce of gold sold (1) of $2,033 . The Company expects to improve on its operational results in Q4 2022 with the addition of higher-grade ore sourced from East Pit, and the reduction of capital expenditure requirements as the majority of the Company's major capital projects were completed in Q2 2022 and early Q3 2022. of and all-in sustaining costs ("AISC") per ounce of gold sold of . The Company expects to improve on its operational results in Q4 2022 with the addition of higher-grade ore sourced from East Pit, and the reduction of capital expenditure requirements as the majority of the Company's major capital projects were completed in Q2 2022 and early Q3 2022. Completed a multi-phase infill and resource expansion drilling program at the Moss Mine, which included 17,197 meters of reverse circulation ("RC") drilling in the first half of 2022. In July 2022 , the Company began its maiden exploration program at Florence Hill. New RC drilling program expected to commence at Moss Mine in November 2022 to further test mineralization near Center and West Pit. (1) Refer to the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021 for a reconciliation to non-IFRS performance measures. Tim Swendseid, Elevation Gold President, stated "Our Q3 2022 financial results reflect a significant improvement in operations at the Moss Mine, with total revenue increasing 40% over Q3 2021 and 18% over Q2 2022 and gold ounces sold increasing 46% from Q3 2021 and 30% from Q2 2022. Without considering inventory swings and adjustments, cash costs per ounce approximated $1,479. We remain on track to meet sales guidance for 2022 of total ounces sold between 32,000 and 34,000 for the year. My thanks to the outstanding performance of everyone at the Moss Mine, and we continue to be excited about our current and ongoing exploration programs both in the Florence Hill area and our near-mine programs." The following chart provides additional information on the Company's increasing grade and recoverable ounces placed on the pad during 2022 on a quarter-by-quarter basis. Outlook During Q3 2022, the Company completed several key capital projects including the completion of the construction of the new heap leach pad 2C and constructed two new production water wells. The Company also completed five new monitoring wells in Q2 2022. The monitoring wells were a requirement of our Aquifer Protection Permit, while the production water wells secure water for operations at the Moss Mine. The Company continues to focus on overall efficiencies and enhancements including sourcing higher-grade ore material from East Pit for the remainder of 2022 and obtaining consistent higher levels of ore processing rates. For Q3 2022, the mine averaged 8,162 stacked ore tonnes per day, which is in-line with the YTD 2022 average of 8,197 stacked ore tonnes per day, a 9% betterment than YTD 2021. By improving quality control from mine drilling and blasting and oversight on scheduled crusher maintenance, the Company looks ahead to continually improve crusher throughput. With the additional high-grade ore sourced from East Pit in the second half of the year, the Company is well positioned to deliver on annual guidance of between 32,000 to 34,000 ounces of gold sold for the full year 2022. The Company has also recently begun an exploration program in the Florence Hill and the surrounding areas and a newly announced reverse-circulation drilling program at the Moss Mine in Q4 2022. Consolidated Financial Results Summary The following table provides a summary of the components of the Company's net income (loss) for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021. For further details, refer to the Company's condensed interim consolidated financial statements and Management Discussion and Analysis ("MD&A") for the same periods. Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, (in thousands of dollars) 2022 2021 2022 2021 Revenue $ 16,979 $ 12,095 $ 44,900 $ 45,086 Production costs1 (13,948) (8,500) (42,929) (29,413) Royalties (899) (685) (2,244) (2,437) Mine operating (loss) income before depreciation and depletion 2,132 2,910 (273) 13,236 Depreciation and depletion1 (1,837) (1,713) (5,847) (6,177) (Loss) earnings from mine operations 295 1,197 (6,120) 7,059 Corporate administrative expenses (965) (1,037) (2,717) (3,848) Finance costs (1,643) (792) (5,061) (3,976) Gain (loss) on revaluation of derivative liabilities 3,240 4,031 13,264 3,198 Impairment of mineral properties - - (33,850) - Other 266 136 166 268 Income (loss) for the period $ 1,193 $ 3,535 $ (34,318) $ 2,701 (1) During the six months ended June 30, 2022, the Company incurred an inventory net realizable value impairment charge of approximately $5.8 million. During Q3 2022, due to lower per ounce costs and higher production in the period, the Company reversed a total of $2.7 million from production costs to inventory, resulting in a net impairment of $3.1 million for the YTD 2022. All impairments and reversal of impairments are included in changes in inventories and part of production costs. For a complete analysis and breakdown of production costs and significant components, refer to the Company's condensed interim consolidated financial statements for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022 and the related MD&A for the same period. Consolidated Operational Results Summary The following table provides a summary of the Company's operational statistics for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021. For further details, refer to the Company's MD&A for the same periods. Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, 2022 2021 2022 2021 Ore tonnes mined t 778,177 730,447 2,239,620 2,119,071 Ore tonnes stacked t 750,908 714,642 2,237,803 2,047,688 Contained gold ounces stacked oz 12,354 9,275 30,861 29,679 Gold grade g/t 0.51 0.40 0.43 0.45 Gold ounces produced oz 8,835 6,526 21,912 22,368 Gold ounces sold oz 9,096 6,214 22,606 22,380 Average realized gold price (1) ($/oz) $ 1,713 $ 1,785 $ 1,808 $ 1,794 Cash costs per ounce of gold sold (1) ($/oz) $ 1,770 $ 1,316 $ 1,682 $ 1,202 AISC per ounce of gold sold(1) ($/oz) $ 2,003 $ 1,810 $ 2,239 $ 2,078 (1) Refer to the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021 for a reconciliation to non-IFRS performance measures. Qualified Persons Unless otherwise indicated, the technical disclosure contained within this press release that relates to the Company's operating mine has been reviewed and approved by Tim J. Swendseid, Chief Operating Officer of the Company and a Qualified Person for the purpose of NI 43-101. Additional Information Full condensed interim consolidated financial statements for the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021 and related MD&A for the same period can be found at www.sedar.com and the Company's website at www.elevationgold.com. Non-IFRS Performance Measures The following tables represent the calculation of certain Non-IFRS Financial Measures as referenced in this news release. Reconciliation of Cash Costs and AISC Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, (in thousands of dollars, except per ounce figures) 2022 2021 2022 2021 Gold ounces sold 9,096 6,214 22,606 22,380 Cost of sales $ 16,684 $ 10,898 $ 51,020 $ 38,027 Less: Heap leach and dore adjustment(1) 2,653 - (3,116) - Less: Depreciation and depletion (1,837) (1,713) (5,847) (6,177) Add: Refining and transportation 94 60 223 212 Less: Silver and other bi-product revenue (1,492) (1,065) (4,249) (5,157) Total Cash Costs 16,102 8,180 38,031 26,905 Sustaining capital expenditures 1,108 1,968 9,568 15,559 Accretion 46 62 309 195 Corporate administration 965 1,037 2,717 3,848 Total AISC $ 18,221 $ 11,247 $ 50,625 $ 46,507 Cash Costs per ounce of gold sold $ 1,770 $ 1,316 $ 1,682 $ 1,202 AISC per ounce of gold sold $ 2,003 $ 1,810 $ 2,239 $ 2,078 (1) As discussed in the section Financial Results, during the six months ended June 30, 2022, the Company incurred an inventory net realizable value impairment charge of approximately $5.8 million. During Q3 2022, due to lower per ounce costs and higher production in the period, the Company reversed a total of $2.7 million from production costs to inventory, resulting in a net impairment of $3.1 million for the YTD 2022. All impairments and reversal of impairments are included in changes in inventories and part of production costs. The Company has calculated Total Cash Costs, Total AISC, and relevant per ounce of gold unit rates consistently across each of the periods presented, which includes period adjustments for heap leach and dore impairment charges (and reversals) incurred in Q3 2022 and YTD 2022. These impairment charges and reversals (described immediately above) can create fluctuations where such adjustments occur. Management views the current quarter costs considerably lower, on a per ounce sold basis, than costs seen in the first half of 2022, when not factoring in the accounting adjustments related to impairment. For Q3 2022 and YTD 2022, without considering these adjustments in our reconciliation, Total Cash Costs would have been $13.4 million and $41.1 million, or $1,479 and $1,820 per ounce of gold sold for each respective period. Similarly, Total AISC for Q3 2022 and YTD 2022, without considering these inventory impairment adjustments, would have been $15.6 million and $53.7 million, or $1,712 and $2,377 per ounce of gold sold for each respective period. Reconciliation of Average Realized Price of Gold per Ounce Sold Three Months Ended September 30, Six Months Ended September 30, (in thousands of dollars, except per ounce figures) 2022 2021 2022 2021 Gold revenue $ 15,581 $ 11,090 $ 40,874 $ 40,141 Gold ounces sold 9,096 6,214 22,606 22,380 Average realized price per ounce sold $ 1,713 $ 1,785 $ 1,808 $ 1,794 ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF ELEVATION GOLD MINING CORPORATION "Tim J. Swendseid" Tim J. Swendseid, President of Elevation Gold Mining Corporation About Elevation Gold Mining Corporation Elevation Gold is a publicly listed gold and silver producer, engaged in the acquisition, exploration, development and operation of mineral properties located in the United States. Elevation Gold's common shares are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV") in Canada under the ticker symbol ELVT and on the OTCQX in the United States under the ticker symbol EVGDF. The Company's principal operation is the 100% owned Moss Mine in the Mohave County of Arizona. Elevation also holds the title to the Hercules exploration property, located in Lyon County, Nevada. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information Certain of the statements made and information contained herein is "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this document constitute forward-looking information, including but not limited to statements regarding the Company's plans, prospects and business strategies; the Company's guidance on the timing and amount of future production and its expectations regarding the results of operations; expected costs; permitting requirements and timelines; timing and possible outcome of Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserve estimations, life of mine estimates, and mine plans; anticipated exploration and development activities at the Company's projects; net present value; design parameters; economic potential; processing mineralized material; the potential of robust economic potential at the Moss Mine Project. Words such as "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "contemplate", "target", "plan", "goal", "aim", "intend", "continue", "budget", "estimate", "may", "will", "can", "could", "should", "schedule" and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking information is necessarily based upon various estimates and assumptions including, without limitation, the expectations and beliefs of management, including that the Company can access financing, appropriate equipment and sufficient labour; assumed and future price of gold, silver and other metals; anticipated costs; ability to achieve goals; and assumptions related to the factors set forth below. While these factors and assumptions are considered reasonable by the Company as at the date of this document in light of management's experience and perception of current conditions and expected developments, these statements are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. Known and unknown factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements and information. Such factors include, but are not limited to: risks inherent in mining, including, but not limited to risks to the environment, industrial accidents, catastrophic equipment failures, unusual or unexpected geological formations or unstable ground conditions, and natural phenomena such as earthquakes, flooding or unusually severe weather; uninsurable risks; global financial conditions and inflation; changes in the Company's share price, and volatility in the equity markets in general; volatility and fluctuations in metal and commodity prices; the threat associated with outbreaks of viruses and infectious diseases, including the COVID-19 virus; delays or the inability to obtain, retain or comply with permits; risks related to negative publicity with respect to the Company or the mining industry in general; health and safety risks; exploration, development or mining results not being consistent with the Company's expectations; unavailable or inaccessible infrastructure and risks related to ageing infrastructure; actual ore mined and/or metal recoveries varying from Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserve estimates, estimates of grade, tonnage, dilution, mine plans and metallurgical and other characteristics; risks associated with the estimation of Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves and the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits, including, but not limited to, models relating thereto; ore processing efficiency; information technology and cybersecurity risks; potential for the allegation of fraud and corruption involving the Company, its customers, suppliers or employees, or the allegation of improper or discriminatory employment practices; regulatory investigations, enforcement, sanctions and/or related or other litigation; estimates of future production and operations; estimates of operating cost estimates; the potential for and effects of labour disputes or other unanticipated difficulties with or shortages of labour or interruptions in production; risks related to the environmental regulation and environmental impact of the Company's operations and products and management thereof; exchange rate fluctuations; climate change; risks relating to attracting and retaining of highly skilled employees; compliance with environmental, health and safety laws; counterparty and credit risks and customer concentration; litigation; changes in laws, regulations or policies including, but not limited to, those related to mining regimes, permitting and approvals, environmental and tailings management, and labour; internal controls; challenges or defects in title; funding requirements and availability of financing; dilution; risks relating to dividends; risks associated with acquisitions and related integration efforts, including the ability to achieve anticipated benefits, unanticipated difficulties or expenditures relating to integration and diversion of management time on integration; uncertainties relating to interpretation of drill results and the geology, continuity and grade of mineral deposits; uncertainty of estimates of capital and operating costs, production estimates and estimated economic return; uncertainty of meeting anticipated program milestones; and other risks and uncertainties including but not limited to those described the Company's public disclosure documents which are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com under the Company's profile. All of the forward-looking statements made in this document are qualified by these cautionary statements. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, forecast or intended and readers are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive of all factors and assumptions which may have been used. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking information. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate and forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance. Readers are advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The forward-looking information contained herein speaks only as of the date of this document. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise forwardlooking information or to explain any material difference between such and subsequent actual events, except as required by applicable law. SOURCE Elevation Gold Mining Corp. For further information: Tim J. Swendseid, President, Elevation Gold Mining Corporation, E: [email protected], W: www.elevationgold.com OTTAWA, ON, Nov. 2, 2022 /CNW/ - Hurricane Fiona has had a devastating effect on communities across Atlantic Canada and Eastern Quebec. Houses and buildings have been severely damaged and destroyed, as well as small craft harbours that are critical to fisheries and coastal communities. Extreme weather is a major cause of lost fishing gear, known as ghost gear (such as nets, line, rope, traps, pots, and floats), and Fiona has caused a lot of this fishing gear to be lost in the Atlantic Ocean. This lost fishing gear costs money for fish harvesters to replace, and is also a severe threat to the marine environment. As part of the $300 million Hurricane Fiona Recovery Fund, the Government of Canada is investing in efforts to retrieve, return, and responsibly dispose of this marine litter, as well as looking at ways to prevent fishing gear loss in the future. Today, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, the Honourable Joyce Murray, announced that up to $28.4 million will be available specifically for Hurricane Fiona ocean cleanup activities in a new call for proposals through the Ghost Gear Fund. This is in addition to the immediate funding of up to $1.5 million that supports 11 partners for cleanup this fall in areas hit by the storm. Fish harvesters are the backbone of many coastal communities. Any fishing gear that is found and can still be used by its original owner will be returned. Removing it from our oceans and coasts reduces the economic hardship to fish harvesters and supports healthier and safer waters. More information on how to apply can be found at Canada.ca/ghost-gear. Proposals must be submitted by December 19, at 23:59 PST. The funding will be available for projects in areas directly impacted by Hurricane Fiona from April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024. The Government of Canada is committed to removing ghost gear from our oceans and creating new solutions to reduce abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear. We ask fish harvesters to report their lost gear, including fishing gear lost due to Hurricane Fiona. This reporting helps us know the ocean litter hotspots, prioritize areas for retrieval, and also return usable fishing gear to fish harvesters. Quotes "Hurricane Fiona's devastation extends beyond the shore. Getting this lost fishing gear out of the water as quickly as possible is a priority for the Government; that way waters will be safer for coastal communities and aquatic ecosystems. The Ghost Gear Fund will help reunite fish harvesters with their usable fishing gear, so they can continue their work feeding a hungry world. We remain dedicated to supporting Atlantic Canada and Eastern Quebec as communities rebuild." The Honourable Joyce Murray, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard Quick Facts The Government of Canada is providing up to $300 million through the Hurricane Fiona Recovery Fund to support local communities and businesses impacted by the storm and to help long-term recovery efforts like: is providing up to through the Hurricane Fiona Recovery Fund to support local communities and businesses impacted by the storm and to help long-term recovery efforts like: Helping local communities and businesses rebuild and recover more quickly from the impacts of Hurricane Fiona. Restoring the economic activity that local communities depend on by beginning to repair and rebuild critical infrastructure, including fishing wharves and small craft harbours that were damaged or destroyed by the storm. Repairs will ensure that the infrastructure is built in a more climate-resilient way, better able to withstand any future damage. Ensuring the safety of navigation and protecting marine wildlife. Ghost gear is fishing gear that is lost, often as a result of poor weather conditions, conflict with other fishing gear, and snags with the sea floor. All commercial fish harvesters in Canada are required to report their lost fishing gear to Fisheries and Oceans Canada. This reporting helps the Department and other partners locate and remove lost fishing gear from our waters and, in many cases, return the fishing gear to its rightful owner. are required to report their lost fishing gear to Fisheries and Oceans Canada. This reporting helps the Department and other partners locate and remove lost fishing gear from our waters and, in many cases, return the fishing gear to its rightful owner. Due to the extensive damage to infrastructure, details regarding the extent of fishing and aquaculture gear loss rates are not yet available. To date, 1,287 units of fishing gear, over 100 feet of net and over 52,475 feet of rope has been reported lost through the Fishing Gear Reporting System (FGRS). Since 2020, Fisheries and Oceans Canada's Ghost Gear Fund has provided $26.3 million to support 91 projects, leading to over 1,357 tonnes of fishing gear removed from waters. Associated Links Stay Connected Follow Fisheries and Oceans Canada on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Follow the Canadian Coast Guard on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. SOURCE Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) Canada For further information: Kevin Lemkay, Director of Communications, Office of the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, 613-992-3474, [email protected]; Media Relations, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 613-990-7537, [email protected] TORONTO, Nov. 3, 2022 /CNW/ - Today, WeaveSphere announced its speaker roster and media interview availability for its upcoming technology innovation conference hosted at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre November 15-17, 2022. Keynote speakers include Dr. William Barry, an artificial intelligence (AI) ethicist whose AI teaching assistants will join him on stage for the first ever keynote delivered by a human and three AI beings. Professor Gillian Hadfield, director of the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society, will discuss regulating the safety, security, and responsibility of technology through the lens of policy design. Marcel Mitran, IBM Fellow, IBM Master Inventor and the CTO for Cloud Platform for zSystems and LinuxONE, will discuss thinking differently about technology and the impacts of responsible computing. WeaveSphere is an experiential space for academics, developers, and industry partners to co-create technology solutions that solve challenges facing our world today and in the future. It is a multi-day conference that facilitates knowledge sharing by curating learning and collaboration opportunities designed to integrate diverse perspectives and realize ideas and opportunities. In addition to the three keynote speakers, 11 featured speakers from organizations including Unity, MMH Technology Group, Ontario Brain Institute, Yahoo Finance, Fuel Media, IBM Canada, Ocean Falls Blockchain and Clearco will share their thoughts on how innovation can solve real-world problems. As one of the most revered technology and innovation conferences in North America, WeaveSphere attracts more than 1,000 attendees and offers : 170+ industry speakers 155+ university speakers 25 workshops 55 exhibits Insights from internationally recognized research A start-up pitch competition where one company will take home a $50,000 prize WeaveSphere 2022 educates and explores 18 emerging streams of technology including AgTech, AI & Robotics, Blockchain, Crypto & NFTs, EnergyTech, Cloud, EduTech, eSport & Gaming, FinTech, Web3 & The Metaverse, HealthTech, NeuroTech, Privacy & Security, SpaceTech, Quantum Computing, RetailTech & eCommerce, Software Engineering, IoT and Data. "Now, more than ever, technology is creating the security, stability and resiliency people and businesses need to solve the problems of today and secure a position of strength for the future," says Marcellus Mindel, Head of Advanced Studies, IBM Canada Lab. "Across the globe, individuals and businesses are embracing a data-driven approach to decision making and partnerships that enable the change and growth our world needs." Mindel goes on to say, "WeaveSphere brings the brightest minds in academia, development and industry together to apply their knowledge, share ideas and have meaningful conversations that often become the impetus for transformative technology that solves problems today and tomorrow." IBM Canada has a long and proven history of fostering a robust academic community in computer science and software engineering including an ongoing relationship with York University. In 2020 York launched SAVY - Yorks Student Virtual Assistant, an initiative with IBM Canada using IBM Watson Assistant. In 2021 SAVY won the Canadian University Council of Chief Information Officers (CUCCIO) Innovation award and the Gartner Eye on Innovation award for higher education. Since the launch of SAVY, 35,000 students have had more than 83,000 conversations about more than 500 York-related topics. Working with IBM Canada, York will send more than 200 students to the WeaveSphere conference this year. "The learning pathways and collaboration opportunities with academics and industry is vital to the development of our students," says J.J. McMurtry, Dean, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS), York University. "The ideas and possibilities students have exposure to, and the relationships they make, enrich their learning experience and create bridges into limitless career paths." McMurtry adds, "Technology-focused curriculum is now at the very epicenter of almost all learning experiences, and by encouraging students to think collaboratively and apply an enterprise design thinking lens to problem solving, WeaveSphere offers a distinct growth opportunity that curates very real outcomes." In its 32nd year, WeaveSphere is a collaboration between IBM Canada's academic and research technology conference (previously called CASCON) and Evoke Canada's industry-focused developer conference. In 2019 the organizations merged to pursue the mission of connecting industry professionals with academia, developers, and students. SOURCE WeaveSphere For further information: To request interviews with keynote or featured speakers, or to arrange a media pass, contact: Claire Poole, CLAIRIFY Communications Inc., [email protected], 403.831.6311 TORONTO, Nov. 3, 2022 /CNW/ - Sephora Canada announced Thomas Haupt as its new Country General Manager, effective November 1st, 2022. Haupt joins the leading omni-beauty retailer from within the LVMH family, where he worked for the Louis Vuitton organization in the United States for six years. Thomas Haupt, Country General Manager, Sephora Canada (CNW Group/Sephora) A seasoned retail executive with over 20 years of experience, Haupt will oversee the Sephora Canada leadership team as the beauty retailer continues to enhance its omni-retail experience and expand its presence in the Canadian market. Haupt's announcement coincides with the forthcoming milestone opening of Sephora's 100th store location in Canada. "I have long admired Sephora's trailblazing and purpose-driven approach to beauty retail, alongside its commitment to championing beauty for all," said Haupt. "I'm thrilled and humbled to be able to lead such an impressive team and look forward to supporting our growth, innovation and success at Sephora Canada." Haupt has spent his career successfully evolving mass consumer and luxury brands including Vince, Ermenegildo Zegna Group, and Gap Inc. He replaces the outgoing General Manager, Gregory Bruyer, who held the leadership position at Sephora Canada for two and a half years. In his new role, Haupt will report directly to Jean-Andre Rougeot, President and Chief Executive Officer of Sephora Americas. About Sephora Americas: Since its debut in North America more than 20 years ago, Sephora has been a leader in prestige omni-retail with the mission of creating an inviting beauty shopping experience and inspiring fearlessness in our community. With the goal of delivering unbiased shopping support and a personalized experience, Sephora invites clients to discover thousands of products from more than 340 carefully curated brands, explore online and through our mobile app, enjoy services at the Beauty Studio and engage with expertly trained beauty advisors in over 500 stores across the Americas, including 99 stores across Canada. Clients can access the free-to-join Beauty Insider program and digital community, which together enhance the experience of Sephora's passionate clients. Sephora has been an industry-leading champion of diversity, inclusivity, and empowerment, guided by our longstanding company values. In 2019, Sephora announced a new tagline and manifesto, "We Belong to Something Beautiful," to reinforce its dedication to fostering belonging amongst all clients and employees and to publicly strive for a more inclusive vision for retail in the Americas. Sephora continues to give back to our communities and advance inclusion in our industry through its social impact and equity programming, called the Sephora D&I Heart Journey. For more information, visit: https://www.sephora.ca/about-us and @SephoraCanada on social media. SOURCE Sephora For further information: For more information or press inquiries, please contact: Courtney Steinhart, Middle Child, [email protected] KYIV, Ukraine, Nov. 2, 2022 /CNW/ - TIU Canada, a leading solar energy producer in Ukraine, is donating generators to Ukrainians affected by the electricity blackouts. These fuel operated generators will provide electricity to Ukrainian families in Nikopol and other cities affected by the war. Company CEO Michael Yurkovich said, "At TIU Canada we produce electricity on a large scale, and while our solar stations continue operating during the war, the attacks on the energy infrastructure are sometimes preventing our electricity from getting to the people. That is why the best way to help Ukrainians now is to fill the gap by providing small generators to produce electricity". The generators are being delivered to reliable NGO partners. In addition, TIU Canada will be donating supplies to Ukrainians in need, including hundreds of flashlights, sleeping mats, and post operative medical kits. These humanitarian and medical supplies are being shipped to Ukraine and will arrive this month. The donations are part of TIU Canada's ongoing corporate social responsibility efforts in the communities where it works. "We believe in Ukraine and that is why we are providing this support now when the country is in need. We are also supportive of the Canadian government's efforts to help Ukraine including the recent announcement by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that the government is providing $55 million to assist with winterization needs. Our efforts will complement that Canadian government efforts at the local level" said Yurkovich. TIU Canada is owned by the Calgary based Refraction Fund 1 and has been working in Ukraine since 2016. The company currently operates 54 megawatts of electricity production in three solar stations. TIU Canada has invested more than $65 million USD in Ukrainian solar energy and was the first investor in Ukraine under the Canadian Ukrainian Free Trade Agreement (CUFTA). Web site www.tiucanada.ca SOURCE TIU Canada For further information: about the company, please contact: TIU Canada Suite 1110 202 6th Avenue, Calgary Alberta T2P 2R9, or +380-68-115-7233 or [email protected] Web site www.tiucanada.ca. The Labour Party, LP, has dismissed claims that its National Chairman, Julius Abure, has resigned. On Wednesday, there were claims that Abur... The Labour Party, LP, has dismissed claims that its National Chairman, Julius Abure, has resigned. On Wednesday, there were claims that Abure resigned as LPs National Chairman. The reports said Abure alleged that the LP presidential candidate, Peter Obi cannot win in 2023. Responding, the party dismissed such reports, which it described as false. In a tweet, LP blamed the opposition for such lies, adding that Abure has not dumped Obi. The party tweeted: Please disregard the news going around that our @NgLabour National Chairman has resigned and dumped @PeterObi. It is a lie from the opposition. We are set to take back Nigeria come 2023. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential flagbearer, Atiku Abubakar, has described his All Progressives Congress (APC) counterpart,... The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential flagbearer, Atiku Abubakar, has described his All Progressives Congress (APC) counterpart, Bola Tinubu, as an absent candidate. The former vice president, in a statement on Wednesday by spokesman Phrank Shaibu, declared that Nigerians wont elect a ghost President. Shaibu accused Tinubu of shying away from public scrutiny and using proxies to answer questions only contenders should give answers to. The reaction followed the former Lagos governors town hall meeting with the Organized Private Sector (OPS). Shaibu said Tinubu dodged the Lagos Chamber of Commerce Industry (LCCI) invitation but organized his own at Eko Hotel and Suites, the same venue of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) conference he failed to attend. The aide said after reading out his speech, Tinubu sat on the high table and systematically avoided questions. His aides spoke more than he did at the event, an indication that he didnt even need to be there in the first place. Clearly Tinubu plans to run a proxy government in the unfortunate event that he wins the presidential election. Shaibu recalled that at the KADInvest programme in October, Tinubu spoke about how Governor Nasir El-Rufai turned a rotten situation to a bad one. The aide said last year in Kano, Tinubu revealed his plan to recruit 50 million youths into the military in order to tackle unemployment. Shaibu further recalled when the APC candidate advised Nigerians to renew their expired Permanent Voters Cards (PVC). The comment made the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue a rebuttal. The PDP said Nigerians will not overlook ominous signs, the reason Tinubus handlers have continued to shield him from open public engagements and scrutiny. The opposition further denounced the APC co-founders argument that he doesnt need physical strength to lead, but mental capacity. Noting that citizens have suffered from APCs seven-year misrule, Atikus camp hopes Tinubu will be bold to attend a presidential debate. Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has explained why he was caught on camera dancing and jubilating despite the flooding across the... Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has explained why he was caught on camera dancing and jubilating despite the flooding across the state. Nigerians expressed their anger on social media, watching the states number one citizen dancing during the 11th annual thanksgiving of the state at the Ecumenical Centre in Igbogene. During the event, the Governor commended the people for turning out en masse for the event despite being displaced and rendered homeless by the floods. Nigerians had slammed the governor on social media, describing his action as callous and inhuman. But speaking during an interview on Arise Televisions The Morning Show, Diri pointed out that the word of God only moved him. In Bayelsa, we signed into law a bill that by every 2nd of November, there will be thanksgiving in the state. And this year was not an exception. I was encouraged by the bible [which says we should thank God in all situations], he said. Rauf Aregbesola, minister of interior, and Haliru Baba, controller-general of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), have accused Abdul... Rauf Aregbesola, minister of interior, and Haliru Baba, controller-general of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), have accused Abdulrasheed Maina of feigning illness to aid his escape from prison. On November 8, 2021, Maina, former chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT), was sentenced to eight years in prison after he was found guilty of money laundering. In a motion marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1729/2022, dated and filed on September 27, the convict prayed the court for an interim order directing the minister of interior and the NCoS controller-general, to immediately take him to a reputable hospital for treatment. Maina, in his application, adduced 10 reasons why the motion should be granted, including that his ailment had been left untreated, and had resulted in the deterioration of his health. In a joint counter affidavit filed in opposition to the application, Aregbesola and Nababa said Maina was never denied medical attention as he claimed. They described the medical reports he produced as self-induced. The applicant, on several occasions, made a self-induced complaint about his health, and he was taken (not rushed) to a specialised and reputable hospital for medical services, they said. He was kept in the hospital for several hours without any sign of readiness on the part of the hospital management to attend to him. While in the hospital, he was visited by several friends and relatives who sat with him and chatted with him, and he was engulfed in conversation with them, occasionally laughing, without any sign of any ailment and/or pain. When after several hours of waiting and effort by the operatives of the 2nd respondent (NCoS CG) to the management of the hospital to come forward and attend to him failed, it became obvious that the referral to the hospital was a mere gimmick to take the applicant out of lawful custody. It was at that point the operatives of the 2nd respondent received a confidential, top secret intelligence report that the applicant must, as a matter of expediency, quickly be removed from the hospital and returned to the custodial centre, otherwise, gunmen suspected to be loyal to the applicant will strike and take the applicant away to an unknown destination. It was on the face of this high power spy, intelligence report bordering on the possible plan to snatch the applicant away from the few operatives of the 2nd respondent on ground at the hospital, and in order to avoid this imminent danger, that the applicant was returned to the yard to forestall the danger of attack. The respondents reminded the court that Maina had jumped bail in 2020 after he was released on the grounds of ill health. At the court session on Wednesday, Inyang Ekwo, the presiding judge, adjourned the matter till Friday for hearing. Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku of Taraba State has again cautioned traditional rulers against land grabbing. He was also observed to have wa... Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku of Taraba State has again cautioned traditional rulers against land grabbing. He was also observed to have warned them against allowing illegal mining in their communities. The warning came on Thursday while Ishaku was playing host to monarchs Aka Uka of Wukari, Manu Ishaku Adda Ali, and the Gara of Donga, Sanvala Varzoa Shimbura. The two first-class traditional rulers, who were recently presented with staffs of office, were paying a thank-you visit to the governor in Jalingo, the state capital. Stressing that the creation of additional chiefdoms has heralded the much-desired peace and development to the state, traditional rulers, as made known by him, are now working closely with their subjects to protect their domain which must be sustained for continuous development. Arguing that no one has the right to mine any mineral in the state without the approval of the designated ministry, he urged the traditional rulers to work round the clock to frustrate any form of illegal mining in their areas. While reiterating his administrations commitment to extend the much desired olive branch to farmers spread across the state, such a move, he believed, would go a long way to provide food for the people. Speaking, the newly crowned Aku Uka of Wukari, Manu Ishaku Adda Ali, said they were at the Government House to thank Ishaku for his great effort for their successful coronation and presentation of staff of office. The Aku Uka, who doubles as the Chairman of the Taraba State Council of Chiefs, appealed to the governor to tread an extra legitimate mile to appoint a paramount ruler for the Takum local government council. The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) says it has repatriated 18 foreigners arrested over alleged possession of permanent voter cards (PVC... The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) says it has repatriated 18 foreigners arrested over alleged possession of permanent voter cards (PVCs) in Oyo. According to NAN, Isah Dansuleiman, NIS comptroller in the state, said this on Wednesday at a sensitisation programme for stakeholders on the 2023 general election. Dansuleiman said the operatives arrested the foreigners during a raid carried out across the state in October. He also warned foreigners in the country against participating in the 2023 elections. No migrant, regardless of their status, should participate in the 2023 general elections, and any migrant caught in possession of voter card will face the full wrath of the law, he said. Those using them know their status but use them for their selfish reasons to procure voter cards. Dansuleiman also advised Nigerians to report any foreigner attempting to partake in the general election. Authorities at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife have debunked rumours making the rounds that the former acting Vice Chancellor of the... Authorities at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife have debunked rumours making the rounds that the former acting Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Elujoba Anthony is dead. The Institution in a statement by its Public Relations Officer of the University, Abiodun Olarewaju on Thursday debunked the news to the journalists. Olarewaju who confirmed that Elujoba was involved in an accident described the rumour of his death as false adding that it was calculated by the wicked. According to him, the rumour was not only false but spread by wicked, malicious, unfortunate and downright satanic. Most unfortunate was that a few conventional media houses also aired the rumours on their frequency modulation, abandoning the age-long media maxim of if in doubt, leave out. Olarewaju noted that it is heartwarming that the former VC responding to treatment. Bola Tinubu, presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has applauded the efforts of former President Olusegun Obasanjo ... Bola Tinubu, presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has applauded the efforts of former President Olusegun Obasanjo in fostering peace in Ethiopia. On Wednesday, the Ethiopian government agreed to end the two-year conflict with rebel forces in the countrys northern Tigray region. The agreement was reached at a meeting in South Africa, after the latest round of peace talks convened by the African Union (AU). The fighting began after forces loyal to the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front, which was the nations pre-eminent power broker for decades before being sidelined by Ethiopias Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, reportedly attacked a federal army base. Millions of people have been displaced by the fighting between both parties, which started in November 2020. Obasanjo, the AU envoy who led the on-and-off negotiations for more than a year, described the cease-fire agreement as the beginning of peace. In a statement on his official Twitter handle, Tinubu commended the former presidents efforts in uniting Ethiopia. I commend the statesmanship of former President Olusegun Obasanjo as he continues his contribution to the stability of the African continent with a successful diplomatic mission in Ethiopia where he led the mediation of an important peace treaty, he said. It is hoped that the process results, ultimately, in the permanent resolution of the conflict and a full commitment to the cause of unity, restoration, and development. The spokesman for the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, Festus Keyamo, on Thursday, said that the newly-released sche... The spokesman for the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, Festus Keyamo, on Thursday, said that the newly-released schedule of rallies and activities of the partys presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, is a working draft that is subject to changes. Keyamo said this in a phone chat with our correspondent after he released a revised timetable hours after the original schedule was released. In the schedule of activities, Tinubu is expected to kick off his inaugural rally in Jos, Plateau State capital on November 15. The development is coming after the party initially settled for Ilorin, Kwara State capital three weeks ago after a series of postponements following negotiations and disagreement among the party chieftains including governors and party National Working Committee over the exclusion of their nominees from the campaign list. The PUNCH reported that the campaign season officially kicked off on September 28 while Tinubu was away in London having his vacation. While presidential candidates of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar and the Labour Party, Peter Obi, among others, have begun their campaign in different regions respectively, their counterpart in the ruling APC prefers to continue with his consultation with stakeholders. A couple of hours after it went viral on Thursday, the APC campaign council released an amended schedule of activities and timetable. While the date of the presidential campaign rally, which officially begins in Jos on November 15 remains intact, an arranged dinner with campaign patrons in Abuja was postponed from November 6 to 8. There will be an interfaith town hall meeting in Abuja on November 9 and another in Calabar three days later. According to the revised timetable, there will be series of rallies in Delta (19), Imo (21), Adamawa (24), Ogun (26), Enugu (29) and Sokoto (30) respectively. Between December 4 and 10, the campaign team will embark on international engagement with stakeholders in Diaspora. When quizzed on why the timetable was amended again, Keyamo told our correspondent that the schedule of events and dates was a working draft, which is still subject to further adjustment. He said, They are all subject to change or amendments as we progress due to human nature. Nobody expected the flood, for example. But it came, and all of a sudden, it slows down activities and all that. So this is a working draft. At least, we have a draft to work with. My final comment on this is that it is Ceteris Paribus. That is, all things being equal. On why the party changed its venue from Ilorin to Jos in the space of three weeks, the minister declined comment. I have no further comment on that. The reason for those decisions we are not going to tell the public, he said. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday attacked Kashim Shettima, running mate to All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential can... The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday attacked Kashim Shettima, running mate to All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu. Dele Momodu, Director of Strategic Communications of the Atiku-Okowa Presidential Campaign suggests Shettima is suffering from amnesia. The spokesperson noted that at a meeting with private sector players in Lagos on Tuesday, the Senator asserted Atiku cannot unite Nigeria when he has not united his party. In a rejoinder, Momodu said in a moment of deliberate amnesia, Shettima tried to point fingers at the specks in another mans eyes while ignoring those in his. The PDP insists the APC is in total disarray with prominent members openly apologizing to Nigerians for unmitigated disaster. Momodu said it took almost forever for the ruling party to constitute its Presidential Campaign Council due to disunity. It is very obvious that APC has become completely rudderless and many self-respecting members are jumping ship and being recovered by PDP. Momodu stressed that the platform cannot unite Nigerians when theyve shown disdain for the democratic and voting rights of certain ethnic groups within their domains. The chieftain said everything about APC and its candidates were shrouded in secrecy and they are just unable to tell Nigerians the truth. How can Nigerians be expected to place their faith in such mysterious characters? he quipped. The PDP dares Tinubu and Shettima to point out businesses they managed successfully, except living outlandishly on government booty and largesse. How can APC be expected to guarantee the safety of lives and properties? Momodu added that while Shettima was Borno Governor, Boko Haram became an intractable menace Nigeria is yet to fully recover from. Abdullahi Ganduje, governor of Kano, says the votes by the Hausa community in Lagos should surpass that of his state. Ganduje spoke ... Abdullahi Ganduje, governor of Kano, says the votes by the Hausa community in Lagos should surpass that of his state. Ganduje spoke on Wednesday when he visited the Hausa community in Alaba Rago, Iba LCDA of Lagos. The governor was with Babajide Sanwo-Olu, his Lagos counterpart, and Kashim Shettima, vice-presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Ganduje said as far as the north is concerned, the issue of Tinubu is concluded. Kano state wants votes from you for Tinubu. You have to promise us you will surpass Kano in your votes for Tinubu, NAN quoted the governor as saying. On his part, Shettima said the 2023 election is payback time by the north for Bola Tinubu, the standard bearer of the APC, for his past support to the region. The former Borno governor said Tinubu supported President Muhamadu Buhari in 2015 and 2019. We are people of honour. We should honour our pledge and promise. This is payback time for the north to support Tinubu, Shettima said. Also speaking, Sanwo-Olu said the meeting with the community was part of the partys political discussions with non-indigene groups residing in the state. Minister Cortes signs MoU with Earth 300 The Hon Prof John Cortes MBE, Minister for the Environment, Sustainability, Climate Change & Heritage, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the CEO of Earth 300, Gibraltarian Aaron Olivera. This was to recognise the benefits derived from dedicated collaboration, cooperation and interaction for the creation, advancement and operation of an Earth 300 presence in Gibraltar pursuant to its ongoing vision to inspire marine ecological awareness on a global scale as well promoting Gibraltar on an environmental footing. The Earth 300 scope covers the possibility of homeporting its vessels, state of the art science at sea powered by green energy; to develop a next generation scientific innovation centre that revolutionises ocean science with technology; and to join the Blue Economy as a global force for smart interdisciplinary marine science, sustainability and education. The MOU is for one year and incurs no costs from HM Government of Gibraltar. It is an agreement to have Gibraltars Department of the Environment supporting the environmental project that is Earth 300, drawing on their expertise and passion for the fusion of environmental science and marine technology in order to save our planet from the scourge of climate change. Locally reported news and sports Stay Current with What's Happening Get the most of NNY360, register today! By providing your email address, you consent to receive emails and special offers from NNY360.com Colorized scanning electron micrograph of a cell heavily infected with SARS-CoV-2 virus particles (orange/red), isolated from a patient sample. The image was captured at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility (IRF). (NIAID via ZUMA Wire/TNS) Launch of November Walnut Campaign - Prostate Cancer Gibraltar His Worship the Mayor, Mr Christian Santos GMD launched Prostate Cancer Gibraltars November Walnut Campaign at City Hall on 31st October. Prostate Cancer Gibraltars aim is to increase awareness in our community of this disease and support those men affected by it. This years over-riding focus and message is to encourage men to be PSA tested. This is not an invasive procedure; it is a blood test which screens for prostate specific antigen. His Worship launched the event at the Mayors Parlour along PCGs Chairman Derek Ghio and the committee members and supporters of the Charity. The Chief Minister, The Hon Fabian Picardo KC MP, currently in the UK for Gibraltar Day in London, sent a pre-recorded video to show his support for the work the Charity do. The launch kick starts various events taking place over the month of November to raise funds. As is traditional, men are encouraged to grow their facial hair during the month, with the annual shave-off event taking place in Casemates on Saturday 26th November. His Worship said he was pleased to host the launch for PCG and hopes the community will continue to support the Charity during their Walnut Campaign. The Krewe de Mayahuels Mexican Day of the Dead parade began modestly. Back in 2018, scores of marchers in macabre costumes meandered the Marigny and St. Roch neighborhood in memory of loved ones whod died the year before. On Wednesday night, just five years after that first procession, the parade had mushroomed to include thousands of candle-lit celebrants. The number of parade participants is impossible to count, but anyone in attendance will tell you, the Krewe of Mayahuels Day of the Dead procession has become huge, maybe even as big as the Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus Carnival parade though more compact. From the start, the Krewe de Mayhuel was meant to blend the traditional Mexican Day of the Dead memorial observance with New Orleans parading customs. Krewe leader Roberto Corrillo has long said that the Krewe de Mayhuel parade isnt a second-line per se, because theres no brass band. But, like a second-line, everyone is welcome to follow the flow, if they have Mexican heritage or not. On Wednesday, the flow was phenomenal, at times stretching for blocks. No politics, no boundaries, no borders The Krewe du Mayahuel parade arose at a time when Mexican border issues were a regular part of the news cycle. Corrillo, a 56-year-old construction contractor who spent his first 33 years in Mexico City and now lives in St. Roch, viewed the Mexican-style parade as a unifying gesture. We are blending into our environment, he said of New Orleans' Mexican community in 2018. We want to be one, as if there is no politics, there are no boundaries, there are no borders. On Wednesday, Corrillo guessed that there might be 5,000 parade participants. Its just what we were looking for, and were getting it, he said, as he strode Franklin Avenue managing the procession as best he could. New Orleans, Mexico its the same thing, he said. I mean, New Orleans is made of a gumbo of cultures and we are part of the ingredients. Butterflies and beats The theme of the 2022 parade was the monarch butterfly, which Corrillo described as a symbol of free and natural migration. Several parade participants incorporated the orange and black wings of the continent-crossing insect into their costumes. Despite the skulls, skeletons and other inescapable references to death, the parade isnt entirely somber. Dozens of drummers accompanied the procession, sending up fiery beats that lent an exuberant tone. The Krewe de Mayahuel is named for the Aztec goddess of the agave plant, the principal ingredient in tequila. Corrillo said he is a connoisseur of the bracing beverage and carried a bottle to share with fellow aficionados. Adding a tongue-in-cheek touch, one participant paraded while sitting upright in a monarch-orange casket, passing out pamphlets that bore an elegiac poem that included the lines: He couldnt cook. He played no sports He never learned to drive Hes just as useless now in death As when he was alive. The parade concluded outside of St. Roch Cemetery as usual, but this year there was no concluding ceremony, just a joyous drum circle and dance in the street. The parade is certainly one of the most beautiful, transporting events on the Crescent City cultural calendar. Entergy names new leader for nuclear division; see who will take over WASHINGTON With thousands of south Louisiana homeowners receiving startling increases in the cost of their flood insurance, members of the Louisiana congressional delegation said Thursday they have run out of patience waiting for FEMA to explain what went into calculating the new rates. It started with a letter that U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy wrote Thursday to Deanne Bennett Criswell, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, noting that he had asked for a meeting in October 2021 and more than a year later is still waiting for an answer. He's looking for details on Risk Rating 2.0, which determines how much a homeowner pays for flood insurance. The lack of communication greatly diminishes any confidence in FEMAs ability to implement this Risk Rating 2.0. If the Biden administration refuses to halt implementation of this disastrous policy, the least they can do is provide constituents with the basic information they need to navigate this new rating regime, Cassidy wrote. As news of the Cassidy correspondence spread, other members of the congressional delegation shared their own frustrations in trying to get answers for constituents. (Only Rep. Clay Higgins, R-Lafayette, did not respond to a request for comment.) According to FEMA Flood Insurance Data and Analytics, the number of flood insurance policies in eight southeast parishes alone has dropped from 290,285 in October 2021 to 267,532 in November 2022. Members of the delegation say the cost of the insurance is the reason that homeowners who can drop the insurance that is, those without mortgages aren't renewing. FEMA responded Thursday that the Risk Rating 2.0 methodology and data has been online for more than year. FEMA has provided hundreds of Risk Rating 2.0 briefings allowing for thousands of individual touchpoints with key stakeholders since April 2021 including Congress, media, the insurance industry, and others, said David Maurstad, Deputy Associate Administrator, Resilience, and senior executive of the National Flood Insurance Program. FEMA says it is being transparent. Members representing Louisiana in Washington are almost universal in their disagreement. The Louisiana congressional delegation is united in our shared concern for Risk Rating 2.0s impacts on our constituents, said U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, D-New Orleans. He had scheduled a late September meeting to specifically discuss the issue with U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Nicholas Mayorkas, Criswells boss. That meeting was canceled at the last minute as government officials scrambled to react to Hurricane Ian. The National Flood Insurance Program diverts the costs of residential flooding to the federal government to aid in recovery. NFIP issues nearly 5 million policies providing $1.3 trillion in coverage to more than 22,000 communities. After years of complaints, mostly by members of Congress who represent areas that dont flood, FEMA has attempted to lower the cost of flooding disasters for taxpayers across the nation, including linking premium prices to potential expenses. In a state with as many waterways as Louisiana, Risk Rating 2.0 means significant changes in the way things always have been done. The new pricing methodology, probably the biggest change since the program was established in 1968, includes specific features of a specific property, such as nearby levees, elevation, and proximity to water. Using FEMAs methodology, Dwayne Bourgeois says he can figure out how much his rate is going to be. Theres a number assigned depending on the state where the building is located. Another is for the type of foundation. Another for proximity to water. Then other factors come up with different numbers, depending on the answers, that are inserted into an algorithm that spits out a rate. But I cant figure out why some people get this minimum result and these other people get that maximum result, said Bourgeois, executive director of the North Lafourche Conservation, Levee, and Drainage District, based in Raceland. I cant tell you what the secret sauce is to get to that rate. Members of the delegation say the cost of the insurance is the reason that homeowners who can drop the insurance, that is those without mortgages, aren't renewing. The members of Congress want FEMA to explain the formula, including how various factors are weighted. In the past, agents could tell policyholders how much elevating their home, or making other improvements, would reduce their flood insurance rates, Cassidy wrote. Today, the information FEMA provides is not sufficient for this purpose. For example, the Discount Explanation Guide includes only six foundation types, none of which correspond exactly to the most common kind of foundation in south Louisiana." The lack of information makes it difficult for homebuilders to calculate how high they must build, and current homeowners to determine how much mitigation is necessary. Lets at least have some hearings," House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, said after a Monday roundtable in Metairie. I think its embarrassing that FEMA refuses to even meet today with people who build levees, parish leaders who invest millions and billions of dollars into better flood protection and after they do that FEMA still gives higher premium increases and wont explain how they came to those rate hikes. Other members of the delegation weighed in, too: We engaged FEMA on Risk Rating 2.0 in February of last year. It was clear then that they had no idea what they were doing and it is clear now, U.S. Rep. Garret Graves, R-Baton Rouge, said Thursday. "The only thing this program drains is pocketbooks. Rep. Julia Letlow, R-Start, said she is hopeful for a "candid conversation" soon, and Rep. Mike Johnson, R-Benton, said he wants a meaningful and transparent exchange. "I share the frustration of my colleagues," Johnson said. Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng said that, since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, billions of dollars have been spent on upgrading infrastructure and mitigation efforts. "Although we understand the need for more equitable flood insurance premiums, more information about the changes and how they will impact residents long-term is needed," she said. Representative Steve Scalise (R-LA), the House Minority Whip, speaks to media during a House Republican Caucus press conference, at the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, January 11, 2022. Today, President Biden will travel to Atlanta with a large continent of lawmakers to elevate the issue of voting rights, and make the case for reforming the filibuster. (Graeme Sloan/Sipa USA)(Sipa via AP Images) ORG XMIT: SIPPL Sipa USA Attorney General Todd Rokita is urging the Indiana Supreme Court to reinstate the near-total abortion ban enacted in August by the Republican-controlled General Assembly and Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb. On Wednesday, the Republican originally from Munster filed a 63-page brief at the state's high court asking the five Republican-appointed justices to rescind the preliminary injunction against Senate Enrolled Act 1 issued Sept. 22 by Republican Owen County Judge Kelsey Hanlon. Rokita argues that there's no constitutional or legal basis for the courts to prevent enforcement of the first statute in the country legislatively imposing new abortion restrictions since the U.S. Supreme Court's June 24 Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision, which repealed the federal right to abortion established in 1973 by Roe v. Wade. He says Hanlon erred when she concluded that the declarations in Article I, Section 1 of the Indiana Constitution that all people have a right to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" and government exists for the "peace, safety and well-being" of the people are judicially enforceable rights that state courts previously have recognized include the right to bodily autonomy. "In no event does Section 1 protect a right to abortion a practice prohibited as criminal before, during and after the adoption of Indianas 1816 and 1851 constitutions. The trial courts recognition of a novel abortion right rests on the unprecedented notion that judges can disregard constitutional limits that offend their sensibilities," Rokita said. Moreover, Rokita warns that if notions like "self-determination," "bodily autonomy" or "privacy" can be read into Section 1, then Indiana's laws prohibiting assisted suicide, recreational drug use or driving without a seat belt similarly are at risk of being struck down. "The only way to prevent Section 1 from becoming a vehicle for amending the constitution by judicial fiat is to examine text and history to determine whether a given interest is of such a quality that the founding generation would have considered it fundamental or natural," Rokita said. Hanlon took exception to that claim by the attorney general when she heard oral arguments Sept. 19, noting that the founding generation not only failed to recognize women's rights but explicitly prohibited Black and mixed-race individuals from remaining in the state and actively encouraged their return to Africa. In response, Rokita notes in his brief that even after Indiana remedied those legal deficiencies, state lawmakers continued to ban abortion or restrict it to the maximum extent possible while Roe was in effect up to the present day. "The state has a valid and compelling interest in protecting unborn children who are, at the very least, from the moment of conception a living being and potential human life," he said. "Protecting unborn human beings is consistent with traditional views of ordered liberty, which allows restrictions on liberty to prevent harm to others, and the longstanding, majority view of medical ethicists that physicians should not intentionally kill humans." Rokita also argues that the plaintiffs, a collection of abortion providers and an abortion doctor represented by the Indiana chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, lack standing to even contest the statute because it only limits the rights of pregnant women to seek an abortion, and no pregnant woman is challenging the validity of the law. The brief filed by the attorney general's office initially was submitted Tuesday but did not include a copy of the lower court order it was appealing, as required, and was not filed by the Supreme Court clerk, records show. The corrected brief finally was filed at 11:54 a.m. Indianapolis time Wednesday, nearly 12 hours after the deadline set by Indiana Chief Justice Loretta Rush in her Oct. 12 order granting transfer and setting a briefing schedule. According to the Indiana Rules of Appellate Procedure, Rokita's failure to timely file his brief may subject his appeal to summary dismissal. However, a motion to dismiss does not appear on the docket. Assuming the Supreme Court opts to not dismiss the case, the ACLU is scheduled to submit its written arguments by Dec. 1 in favor of maintaining the injunction barring enforcement of Indiana's near-total abortion ban. The attorney general's reply brief is due Dec. 16. Oral arguments at the Supreme Court are scheduled for Jan. 12, 2023. The General Assembly separately is expected to convene the first week in January and potentially could rewrite or repeal the abortion statute before the Supreme Court has a chance to act. All 100 seats in the Indiana House and 25 of the 50 Senate seats are on the ballot in Tuesday's general election. Two additional lawsuits are pending that challenge the near-total abortion ban on religious liberty grounds: a state case filed by Hoosier Jews for Choice and other litigants, and a federal challenge brought by The Satanic Temple. The abortion law, which briefly took effect Sept. 15, prohibits all abortions in Indiana from the moment of conception, except within 10 weeks of fertilization for pregnancies caused by rape or incest, or 20 weeks if necessary to prevent serious physical impairment or the death of a pregnant woman, or because of a lethal fetal anomaly. The statute also would shut down abortion services at Planned Parenthood clinics by requiring that every abortion be completed in a hospital or hospital-owned surgical center and put doctors at risk of losing their medical license if they fail to sufficiently justify the legal basis for an abortion. If you're looking for a job in health care or a new job in the medical field, Community Healthcare System is hiring. The health care system that operates Community Hospital in Munster, St. Catherine Hospital in East Chicago, St. Mary Medical Center in Hobart and Community Stroke & Rehabilitation Center in Crown Point is hiring for jobs across Northwest Indiana. Community Healthcare System is planning a hiring event from 3:30 to 6 p.m. Nov. 10 at Community Healthcare System Conference Center at 9201 Calumet Ave., two blocks south of Community Hospital in Munster. The system has immediate openings for registered nurses. It's looking to fill vacancies in the Emergency Department, Medical Surgical Units, Neuro ICU/IMCU and Telemetry. It also needs to hire CT technologists, radiology technologists, respiratory therapists and surgical technologists. Job seekers should bring resumes, dress professionally and be prepared to interview on-site. Community Healthcare System said it offers "sign-on bonuses, competitive pay, excellent benefits and professional development opportunities." The healthcare system is encouraging both recent graduates and seasoned professionals to apply. Applicants will be entered in a drawing for a $100 gas card. For more information, call 219-836-4568 or visit COMHS.org/careers. HAMMOND Franciscan Health now plans to cease inpatient care and emergency room services at Franciscan Health Hammond, effectively closing the downtown Hammond hospital, which has served north Lake County and neighboring communities in Illinois for more than 120 years. It will continue to maintain primary care and other medical services at the site, but hospitals are typically distinguished from clinics and other medical facilities by being able to take in patients overnight for inpatient care and by having emergency rooms that offer urgent, life-saving treatment. The Mishawaka-based nonprofit hospital chain plans instead to direct patients to its hospitals more than six miles south in Munster and Dyer. In 2021, Franciscan Health announced that the Franciscan Alliance Board of Trustees approved a $30 million investment in the 100-year-old Hammond campus to renovate some buildings, and $15 million to demolish buildings that no longer have a useful life," Franciscan Health Hammond, Dyer and Munster Interim President and CEO Barbara Anderson said in a statement issued Thursday. "The scaled down, 10-bed inpatient unit and Emergency Department would continue to serve the needs of the Hammond community." But Franciscan is now changing course, planning to stop treating patients in downtown Hammond. In the last 15 months, we have seen inpatient volume at Franciscan Health Hammond drop to an average of 2.5 patients per day. Of the 54 patients who present to the emergency room each day, more than 90% would be better served in a lower-cost setting, such as an urgent care or primary care clinic," she said. "It is difficult to maintain operational efficiency at these volumes. Had we been able to predict the dramatic decrease in volumes, we would have planned differently at the outset. As a result, Franciscan Health is consolidating its hospital-based services in Munster and Dyer and continuing to offer ambulatory services in Hammond." Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. said Franciscan had been disinvesting in downtown Hammond for years and directing patients elsewhere, then using the decline in traffic as an excuse to further disinvest. "They are not acting like a nonprofit. This is inconsistent with their stated mission," he said. "This is a perfect example of what's wrong with health care in America. You have two health care systems: one for the poor and one for the wealthy. They want to move away from Hammond to places like Crown Point." McDermott said he believes Franciscan's decision to disinvest would result in the deaths of patients who would have to travel farther for emergency services. "Somebody in an ambulance with a heart attack is going to have to go an extra five or 10 minutes," he said. "We're going to lose patients. It's going to happen numerous times." The 226-bed hospital at 5454 Hohman Ave. dates back to 1898. It was long named after St. Margaret, a patron saint of the poor. The 800,000-square-foot-hospital stands nine stories high, was affiliated with more than 700 physicians practicing more than 50 specialties and was long one of the anchors of downtown Hammond. This announcement has left Lake Countys largest city without a hospital for its 80,000 residents and it underscores the problem in Americaan America that now has two healthcare systemsone if you are wealthy and one if you are not," McDermott. Franciscan Healths corporate trustees have made the decision to divest in the city and its residents. The fact is that Franciscan has abandoned Hammond over the last decade by making procedures and services unavailable at St. Margarets. Any excuse that people are deciding with their feet to go elsewhere or to give statistics about how few patients use Hammonds facility is a red herringthis healthcare corporation chose to divest in Hammond. This decision directly contradicts their ministry and mission to provide assistance to the poor and most vulnerablethis is not a compassionate decision." Hammond also is home to NW Indiana ER & Hospital, which has an emergency department. But the doctor-owned microhospital by Cabela's and the Little Calumet River on the southern edge of the city has just six inpatient beds. Hammond will end up as one of the largest cities in the state of Indiana without a full-service hospital after patient services close within a week and the emergency room closes by year's end, McDermott said. As mayor I have a responsibility to protect our residents," McDermott said. "This corporate decision will place at risk anyone who needs immediate and emergency services that could result in a life or death situation." Franciscan said its decision is based on providing more efficient medical services and using resources most effectively. A critical shortage of health care workers and a dramatic shift in patients choosing full-service hospitals elsewhere in the county makes it impossible to continue to keep an inpatient facility open that is averaging less than three inpatients per day," Anderson said. "As such, the Franciscan Alliance Board of Trustees and Franciscan Alliances Northern Indiana Division Board of Directors approved plans for ceasing inpatient admissions in Hammond and to accommodate those requiring inpatient services at Franciscans Munster and Dyer campuses. The Hammond Emergency Department, which has also seen a decline in patients, will close at the end of this year." Franciscan will maintain a presence in downtown Hammond, but it will be more focused on primary care. Franciscan is investing $5.3 million to renovate space on the Hammond campus to broaden access to primary care," Anderson said. "Franciscan Healths Dr. John Lanman Clinic for the uninsured and underinsured, Fresh Start Market for the food insecure, Diaper Pantry, Prenatal Assistance Program, primary care clinic, dialysis, anticoagulation clinic, multi-specialty clinic and womens health center will continue to operate." The hospital has been demolishing the campus, originally to downsize it. But it's now looking at preserving two of its biggest buildings on Hohman Avenue. In addition, Franciscan Alliance has identified a qualified developer of housing for senior and disabled citizens who is very interested in working with the city to renovate the two oldest and largest buildings on the campus," Anderson said. "We have also recently learned that a Federally Qualified Health Care clinic has expanded its territory into Hammond for the development of a primary clinic to serve the ongoing health care needs of those seeking care locally." Franciscan said it hopes to minimize job losses. It transferred hospital workers to Dyer and Munster over the past year but already laid off 83 workers when it just planned to downsize. Kindred Hospital Northwest Indiana, which was based on the fifth floor of the hospital, also laid off 110 workers after Franciscan's decision forced it to shut down operations there. Our regional facilities have vacancies that can absorb our employees seeking to stay with Franciscan. Our goal is to maintain as many staff members with Franciscan as possible," Anderson said. We believe this decision is best suited to continue our care for all of Northwest Indiana. Franciscan Health and the Franciscan Health Foundation remain committed to serving the needs of all of Lake County and will continue initiatives to protect the most vulnerable and provide compassionate care to those who need it most. Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Dave Ryan said the decision would leave a void in the heart of Hammond. "While this is very unfortunate for Hammond and the surrounding area, perhaps there is a silver lining in that Franciscan Hammond could offer a private entity the necessary property to build and maintain a new emergency room right on the state line. Additionally, there is land available in Calumet City just a stones throw from Franciscan Hammond, and perhaps the mayor of Calumet City could work with the hospital to put together a clinic/ER facility in the immediate area," he said. "With hospital services dwindling in Hammond and Calumet City, now is the time to work together to satisfy the needs of our local constituents." McDermott said Hammond is looking to bring a new health care system into town. "We consider this a divorce with Franciscan," he said. "They're more interested in serving the wealthy." Franciscan Health Hammond's Emergency Room had long been the main transport drop-off for Hammond Fire Department ambulances. Residents need access to life-saving medical care in emergencies, he said. I promise that I will continue to do everything in my power to seek out an alternative healthcare providers that are committed to the city and its residents and to make sure Hammonds healthcare needs are met, McDermott said. The longtime owner of one of Northwest Indiana's most sought-out hobby shops has died. Larry Gradek, a 68-year-old Highland resident, long ran G&G Hobbies, a staple of downtown Griffith for more than a half century. He died Oct. 28. Gradek was a graduate of Griffith High School and Indiana University who sold model trains, planes, cars, boats and other products at 105 W. Main St. in Griffith. G&G Hobbies was a hobbyist's dream, with miniature planes hanging everywhere overhead, walls of shelves of model kits and glass cases stuffed to the gills with specialty parts and tools. "He poured his life into the operations of his business, where he made many friendships and took great satisfaction in helping his customers," his obituary said. "He had a magnetic personality that endeared him to those who met him." His parents, Edmund and Bernice Gradek, founded G&G Hobbies in downtown Griffith in 1975. The name was short for Gradek and Gradek. They originally started it as a slot-car business in which miniature cars raced around a track in front of cheering spectators. It soon expanded to include rockets, railroads and other models beloved by hobby enthusiasts of all ages. "Because our parking lots adjoin, he was concerned when we opened back in 2015 about us gobbling up his parking spots but over time we realized the traffic patterns of our businesses complimented each other nicely," said Dan Gus Lehnerer, the founder and chief brewer of New Oberpfalz next door. "G&G was always busy in the morning when none of our customers are here so they would park in our lot, and in the evening when G&G was closed, our customers would use their lot if they needed to. He was always nice about that and grateful that we were keeping G&G company in the evening. He always made sure to thank me when he'd see me cleaning up the parking lots and curbs around the brewery, and there were times when we would help shovel the plowed-in snow away from his front door. I bought my son's first train set from him and we still use it at Christmas. I'll miss seeing him in the mornings and giving him the neighborly wave or taking a minute with him to shoot the breeze." Gradek studied marketing and advertising at Indiana University but suffered health issues, including a bout with cancer and two organ transplants. The job market was weak after his recovery so he bought the business from his aging parents, who were wearying of 70-hour work weeks running the small specialty retail shop. He expanded the business to include a wider selection of products like radio-controlled planes and computer flight simulators. It was frequented by radio-controlled airplane clubs, model railroaders, Pinewood Derby racers and other hobbyists who would often show up to buy a part and end up in a protracted conversation. It was the sort of place where enthusiasts hung out and talked shop. "People still need to build a model out of wood, then go out and watch it fly," he told The Times of Northwest Indiana in 2001. "It gives a great deal of satisfaction." Gradek ran the long-running family business since 1991. "He helped people with service and knowledge and had a fantastic customer base," Town Council President Rick Ryfa said. "He's been there as long as we can remember, when downtown was 55% to 60% vacant. He was one of the first business owners we worked with on a facade improvement and was eager to improve the town. He was a nice genuine person, soft-spoken and really nice. It's a tragic thing." G&G Hobbies drew customers from as far away of Chicago, Joliet, South Bend and Lafayette. "Instead of ordering it online they want to feel it, touch it, and walk out with it," he told The Times of Northwest Indiana in an interview last year. "If you live in the age of immediate gratification, you want something you can take out of a box and fly. But if you're a true hobbyist, you'll build it from a kit." He adapted the business over time, adding drones for a while before the big-box stores started stocking them and selling kites that proved to be popular with Lake Michigan beach goers. He described downtown Griffith as "a big family where everybody knows each other" and was pleased to see its recent Renaissance, having been there all along. "They were worried for a while," he told The Times last year. "But now if something is empty it's not empty for long. There's all kinds of unique businesses." Lehnerer hopes G&G Hobbies will remain part of the fabric of downtown Griffith going forward. "I hope someone can pick up where G&G left off," he said. "He always had a lot of customers coming and going, making their RC cars and planes work better. They would test the cars and drones in the parking lot and I remember that sound from when I was a kid and friends had gas powered RC cars. I know a lot of people have good memories about the things they got from Larry over the years. I hope someone decides to fill that void." Ryfa said it was not known what would happen with the business yet. "We're hoping someone will take over the business and continue his legacy," he said. Chicago-based RMK Management Corp. is the new property manager of the Merrillville retirement community Vita Luxury Apartments on Grant. The company plans renovations to both the apartment units and amenities on the grounds. RMK Management Corp. will take over the 356-unit retirement community at 8400 Grant Circle in Merrillville. The property was built in 2009. RMK manages more than 6,700 apartments in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Vita Luxury Apartments is the first active adult community we have managed, and we are thrilled to add the property to our portfolio of Class A luxury apartment developments in the Midwest, said Anthony Rossi Sr., chairman of RMK Management Corp. Vita Luxury Apartments comprises four buildings, with one- and two-bedroom apartments ranging from 750 to 1,440 square feet. Rents range from $1,200 to $1,750 per month. The retirement community is located just off U.S. 30 close to a number of shops and stores, like the Southlake Mall and Costco. It's also near Methodist Hospital, Hidden Lake Park and Innsbrook Country Club. Apartments feature step-in showers, walk-in closets, fireplaces and decks or balconies. The community amenities include a pool, community room, library, billiards room, fitness center, private theater and parking garage. The new property manager has been remodeling lobbies, hallways, the gym and theater and has been replacing roofs and refreshing the landscaping. A dog park is planned. A new resident lifestyle coordinator also will stage outings and events like casino nights, game nights and group exercise classes. RMK Management Corp. plans to launch a shuttle bus and update apartments as the leases turn over. It's planning new washers, dryers, flooring, granite countertops, lighting fixtures and stainless steel appliances. While people living in active adult communities value their independence, many also are looking to socialize with other residents who share similar situations or interests, Rossi said. Our team looks forward to hosting resident events such as special dinners, wine tastings, and gatherings in the community room and by the pool, to help residents get to know our staff as well as each other and hopefully develop friendships. For more information, visit www.vitaongrant.com. The Blues, Brews & BBQ Fest will bring live tunes, grilled meat and cold beer back to Crown Point this weekend. The Rotary Club of Crown Point will host the 17th annual event from 4 to 10 p.m. Saturday in the Industrial Building in the Lake County Fairgrounds at 889 S. Court St. in Crown Point. It will feature barbecue from True BBQ and DOCs Smokehouse as well as beer from local craft breweries. Gerry Hundts Legendary One-Man-Band will play from 4 to 6 p.m. He plays harp, bass, guitar, harmonica and mandolin, winning multiple awards for blues mandolin playing. He's performed with the Fellartones, the ClamDaddys and The Flip Tops before launching his own one-man band that was originally known as Steady Groove, the One-Man Chicago Blues Band. The Instinct will play from 6 to 8 p.m. It has played a number of high-profile shows internationally, including the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee. The Jamiah Rogers Band, known for the showmanship of its live shows, will play from 8 to 10 p.m. Proceeds go to local charities such as Shoes for Kids, the Dolly Partons Imagination Library Early Literacy Program, Youth Leadership Awards, Polio Plus and Flowers Bay Library in Honduras. Shoes for Kids provided 175 pairs of free shoes for Crown Point children last year, and the the Imagination Library distributed 21,698 books to 456 preschoolers through the Lake County Public Library. Another 479 children graduated from the program after receiving five years of free books. Event sponsors include Strack and Van Til, Pet Supplies Plus, Edward Jones/Mike Dexter, Team Honda, Big Impact, Geisen Pruzin Funeral & Cremation, City of Crown Point, CertaPro Painters, AHEPA Chapter No. 78, Wendys, Schepel, Pace/Berkshire Hathaway and Austgen and Kuiper & Associates. Tickets cost $10 and are available through eventbrite.com. Actors are accustomed to change, always beginning and ending new projects in various locations with new people. But for Melissa Fumero, who starred in Brooklyn Nine-Nine for eight seasons, taking on a new role in the Netflix series Blockbuster was anxiety-inducing. I told myself Look, that kind of magic doesnt happen again. You had your one unicorn in your career. Its probably never going to be that good again, Fumero said in a recent interview. Those jitters went away when co-star Randall Park and the rest of the cast assembled to film the 10-episode show about the employees of the sole surviving Blockbuster video store. I met this cast and met Randall, and we started all working together, and it was literally the same magic unicorn again. I cant believe it. Park best known for the ABC comedy Fresh off The Boat which aired for six seasons plays Timmy, the proud manager of a Blockbuster store in a small town in Michigan. Quickly into the first episode he gets word that all remaining Blockbusters will be shut down effective immediately, corporates office is being turned into a WeWork, but Timmys Blockbuster can remain open because it still generates a small amount of business. He becomes the de facto owner of the last Blockbuster in the world. (The actual last remaining Blockbuster is in Bend, Ore.) Timmy loves his job, his coworkers, and connecting with the people who come to his store. In the pilot episode, as Timmy chats with a customer who hasnt rented a movie in a while, he says, Whats it been? Three years this March? The customer breaks it to him that hes been using Netflix, but ends up renting Under the Tuscan Sun on Timmys recommendation to help get through a breakup. Timmys genuine belief is that the in-person exchange of renting a movie, or just leaving the house to visit any brick-and-mortar store, is valuable because human beings need socialization. His employees (played by actors including Madeleine Arthur, Olga Merediz and Tyler Alvarez) dont exactly match his conviction, but theyll go along with his lofty ideas to bring attention to the store and to keep working. Timmy is the same kind of boss I would be, I think. Which is not necessarily a good thing, said Park. The problem with Timmy and the problem with me, is this deep desire to be liked. ... He puts out a lot of positivity and a lot of love. Thats what really speaks to me about the character. But his need to be liked gets him in trouble often. Vanessa Ramos, Blockbuster creator and showrunner, says when she was coming up with its characters Park is who she had in mind all along for Timmy. In my original pitch, Timmy was described as a Randall Park- type, and that was because theyre like, theres no way we can get Randall Park. Enter Netflix, which suggested sending it to Park and seeing what happened. He read it and was in. In my brain I was like, OK, this is as good as it going to get. Like, Ive really lucked out here, said Ramos. That good fortune continued when her pal and former colleague Fumero, whom she wrote for on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, became available. Fumero plays Eliza, a down on her luck Blockbuster employee who previously worked with Timmy at the store when they were in high school and hes had a secret crush on her ever since. Eliza went to Harvard for a semester but dropped out because she got pregnant. She married, had a baby and is now separated from her husband whom she caught on a date with another woman in the Costco cafe. The thing about Eliza that I was really drawn to was this woman who things didnt go exactly the way she thought they would, said Fumero. Were catching her at this moment in her life where shes figuring out whats next and who she is after shes already raised a kid. Timmy and Eliza have a classic will they/wont they running storyline which the actors say they enjoy. Everyone loves a romance, said Park. The fact that these two characters also had a history before, makes it so special and different and complicated and all those things. Im very invested. Fumero says Blockbuster, like Brooklyn Nine-Nine, is a workplace comedy where employees become family and in some ways know each other better than family. No matter what industry you work in there are these little dysfunctional families that exist everywhere and these people that you spend all these hours with every day and its a part of everyones life. Follow Alicia Rancilio at http://www.twitter.com/aliciar VALPARAISO Prosecutors and the defense reportedly agreed to a $5,000 cash bond for a 31-year-old Portage man charged with shooting and injuring a neighbor during a dispute earlier this week. Benjamin Altieri is required to report by phone and in person to officials upon his release from jail, defense attorney Bob Harper said. Altieri is also prohibited from possessing a gun as his criminal case proceeds. Altieri, who appeared Wednesday afternoon before Porter Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Clymer, is accused of shooting his neighbor Friday during a parking dispute near their homes in the 6900 block of Medora Avenue, Portage police said. The injured man said Altieri pulled out a handgun and fired several times in a sweeping motion. According to the incident report, the man said he did not think the gun was real at first because who would do something like that? It was only after he began walking back to his house that he felt pain in his right thigh and realized he had been shot. Altieri faces felony counts of battery involving a deadly weapon and criminal recklessness with a firearm. Altieri said he first fired a warning shot into the ground because he was in my yard, the arrest report says. He said the neighbor continued to approach him, at which time he shot him in the leg. He reiterated that he could have shot him in the stomach or the chest area, however he did not want to hurt anyone so he shot him in the leg, police said. Benjamin also added he was just scared. Police said home-surveillance footage shows Altieri yelling at the other man to move it back while motioning with his hand. The other man begins walking home on the public sidewalk when Altieri yells at him to come on, police said. As the other man approaches Altieri on Altieris property, seven shots are heard. The United States Marshals Service in Detroit is seeking the public's help in locating a man known to frequent Gary who is wanted on a homicide charge. The accused was identified as Coreyon Brown, who has aliases of Butt and Butt Butt, the marshals service said. Brown is 5-feet-9, weighs 160 pounds and has brown eyes and black hair. He reportedly has bird tattoos on his left forearm. Brown is considered armed and dangerous, officials said. The warrant out of Washtenaw County, Michigan, was issued July 19, according to federal officials. There is a $5,000 reward for information leading to his arrest and prosecution. Northwest Indiana residents looking to check an item off their to-do list still have time to cast their ballot ahead of Tuesdays general election. Early voting is available Thursday, Friday, Saturday and through noon Monday at 11 sites in Lake County, seven locations in Porter County and four in LaPorte County. No excuse is required to vote early in Indiana. Registered voters need only show up at any early voting site in their home county with a photo-identification card to obtain and cast their ballot prior to Election Day. A complete list of Region early voting hours and locations is available online by searching Northwest Indiana 2022 early voting sites on nwi.com. On Tuesday, hundreds of local polling places will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. for voters who prefer to cast their ballot on Election Day. Hoosiers can find their local polling place, and see the list of candidates on their ballot, by accessing their voter registration record through the secretary of states office online at IndianaVoters.com. GARY After months of revisions and discussions, the Gary City Council has approved the first batch of ordinances aimed at reforming the city's police department. Five of the 17 ordinances were passed Tuesday night. The stack of legislation first came before the Common Council at the end of August, about five months after it was announced that the police department would be partnering with Indiana State Police. The goal of the partnership has been to evaluate the entire Gary Police Department and determine what changes should be made and what resources are needed. The majority of the proposed ordinances relate to the hiring, firing, promotion and discipline of officers. The legislation also clarifies the role of the police chief. The city is in the final stretch of a months-long search for a new chief. Brian Evans, formerly the deputy chief, has been serving as interim chief for about two years. The Public Safety Committee held three meetings where the ordinances were reviewed at length. In the second meeting, ISP Superintendent Douglas Carter called the council's intense questioning "semantics," a characterization Godwin said was "disrespectful." Council President William Godwin, D-1, has said the council was excluded from the creation of the ordinances. "To draft 17 ordinances, email them and then say, let's send it to the council for quick consideration ... and then become angry when strong concerns and questions are raised ... is not a fair process," Godwin said in a statement released after the second meeting. Previously, the Police Civil Service Commission, which consists of six appointees, led the testing and evaluation of new recruits and officers seeking promotions. The commission also led the disciplinary process. Under the new ordinance, the police chief and other leaders within the police department would be in charge of hiring, promotions and the disciplinary processes. After multiple meetings with the council and the commission, multiple ordinances were revised to give the commission more authority. Under the amended ordinances, the commission will certify and can appeal many of the police chief's decisions. During Tuesday's City Council meeting, five of the ordinances were passed on third and final reading. Eleven more will be voted on Nov. 15; one, relating to discipline and punishment options for officers, was withdrawn. Godwin abstained from voting on three of the ordinances and voted "no" on two of the ordinances. Councilwoman Mary Brown, D-3, abstained from voting on four of the ordinances and voted "no" on one. The rest of the council voted "yes" on all five ordinances. Godwin has expressed concerns about the standard operating procedures that will guide the department. The police chief will determine the SOPs, although they must be approved by the commission. Godwin noted that each new police chief will be able to change the SOPs. Godwin also mentioned on Tuesday that the Gary Fraternal Order of Police held a vote on all of the proposed ordinances. The FOP told the council the majority of participants voted against the ordinances, although Councilman Clorius Lay, D-at large, said he would be disregarding the vote because only 73 of the 200-plus FOP members took part in it. LAPORTE COUNTY A manufacturing company in northern LaPorte County was heavily damaged by fire overnight. The Springfield Township Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched before 1:30 a.m. to GTW Enterprises at 183 W. 800 North. Springfield Township Fire Chief Steve Marvel said fire departments from throughout LaPorte County and New Buffalo were called to assist with the blaze about three miles east of Indiana 39. Marvel said the burning metal-sided facility measured close to 300,000 square feet and numerous tanker trucks were needed to keep shuttling water to the scene. The nearest hydrants were several miles away at Linde Welding Gas and Equipment Center and near Springfield Elementary School, he said. Marvel said the sometimes curvy route to those hydrants also required venturing up and down other roads. There was no straight shot, he said. Marvel said the size of the fire also required two aerial trucks, which apply water from above in greater volumes than hoses on the ground. Upon arrival, firefighters encountered intense fire at the back of the structure with some flames crawling across the ceiling into a longer section of the building. Marvel said there were also several powerful explosions from tanks containing propane and other gas. A fireball went up on the one, he said. Firefighters were there for about seven hours. No injuries were reported. Marvel said roughly half of the building was destroyed. He estimated the loss, including contents like machinery, at probably in the millions. Marvel said the Indiana State Fire Marshals Office is helping to investigate the cause of the blaze, which is standard procedure for industrial fires. According to the companys website, GTW Enterprises was founded in 1992 and is family owned and operated. The facility makes paper honeycomb products out of recycled paper for the packaging and shipping industries. BERLIN (AP) German officials have agreed on the main details of a plan to provide up to 200 billion euros ($198 billion) in subsidies to households and businesses to ease the strain of high gas, electricity and heating prices. Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the governors of Germany's 16 states agreed Wednesday on a two-stage plan to tackle high gas prices that largely mirrors the recommendations last month of an expert panel. Some other European Union countries think the move by the 27-nation blocs biggest economy should have been coordinated with them and have expressed concern that it could push up prices elsewhere. Scholz has repeatedly defended the plan, insisting that Germany is showing solidarity with the rest of Europe and its program is similar in scope to other countries. Scholz's Cabinet agreed that the state will take on the cost of gas customers monthly bill in December. That will be followed by a price subsidy for part of what households use starting in March and through April 2024. Officials aim to backdate the start to Feb. 1; state governors are still pressing the federal government to find a way to make it valid for January too. For businesses, the so-called gas price brake is being introduced in January already. In addition to that, an electricity price brake is to take effect on Jan. 1, capping the cost of part of what households and businesses use. It will be financed in part by using windfall profits that many electricity generators have run up as a result of high energy costs. German officials say the plan, which will limit subsidies to a proportion of pre-crisis use, will still encourage people to save energy. One thing is clear -- (costs) won't quite go down to the level we had before the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, but the increase won't be as enormous as what some people have received in the way of bills, Scholz said. Both houses of parliament have cleared the way for the government to borrow the money for the plan. NEW YORK (AP) A jury started deliberating Wednesday at the federal trial of a Donald Trump loyalist accused of using his access to the Republican former president to secretly promote the interests of the United Arab Emirates. The jurors ended their first day of deliberations without a verdict in the case against Tom Barrack. Barrack, 75, is an old friend of Trump and California billionaire who chaired Trumps inaugural committee. He's among of a long line of Trump associates to face various criminal charges. Barrack has pleaded not guilty to acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government, obstruction of justice and making false statements. He has vehemently denied the charges. In closing arguments on Tuesday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Harris told jurors that Barrack schemed to become the eyes, ears and the voice for the Emirates as part of a criminal conspiracy to manipulate Trumps foreign policy. Defense attorney Randall Jackson said Barrack was an honest businessman who never hid any sinister activity. Jury deliberations were to resume on Thursday. The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam announced on Tuesday that among the treasured works to be featured in its expansive exhibition on Johannes Vermeer next year would be a painting, Girl With a Flute, that has for years been embraced as one of the rare surviving works by a painter considered one of historys finest. But the inclusion has stirred up a bit of a debate because the museum that is loaning the work, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, announced last month that after long and careful scientific and artistic study, it had decided the painting was not, in truth, by Vermeer. Instead, its curators, conservators and scientists concluded that the work was most likely created by a studio associate of Vermeer a pupil or apprentice, even a member of his family, but not the great artist himself. It lacked the precision for which the 17th-century Dutch artist is famous, it said. The brushwork was awkward. And so, as the art world looks forward to an exhibition being billed as the largest exhibit ever of Vermeers work 28 paintings in one place it will also enjoy one of the disciplines great pastimes: a scuffle over attribution. Egad, its November let the countdown to Thanksgiving begin! The first item on your to-do list should be to order the turkey if you havent already done so. Remember that if you are getting a frozen turkey, youll need a day for every four pounds to defrost it safely in the fridge. That 16-pounder will take four days. Procrastinators, set a reminder on your phones now! While youre ordering things, now is also a good time to procure any special equipment, table linens, wine or hard-to-find ingredients you may need (say, a meat thermometer and large platter for the turkey or some citric acid for Eric Kims fetchingly wobbly and rubescent cranberry jelly salad). Youll also need to get your pie and cake orders in if youre not making them yourself. Oh, planning is fun! Dont you love crossing things off your list? I actually roasted a turkey earlier this week. It was for a story about leftovers that Im working on, and I needed the bird in a hurry so I could turn the carcass into all manner of soups (coming to you soon). Im happy to report that my recipe for splayed roasted turkey with herbs still works the old magic. Splaying in which poultry legs are pulled out from the body to allow for faster roasting is far easier than spatchcocking (above) and almost as speedy. I got an 11-pound bird to bronzed perfection in under an hour and a half. We have many more Thanksgiving recipe ideas waiting for you here, and plenty of tips here. Also, did you know that Sam Sifton wrote an entire Thanksgiving cookbook? Check that out if you have a chance. Donald J. Trump on Wednesday reached a settlement in a civil case brought by protesters who said they were attacked by his bodyguards in 2015, a deal that will spare the former president and his family business the prospect of two simultaneous trials in New York State court. In a joint statement, Mr. Trump and the protesters Efrain Galicia, Florencia Tejeda Perez, Miguel Villalobos and the estate of Johnny Hosvaldo Garcia announced that they had reached a deal and that the case had been dismissed. In September 2015, in the early months of Mr. Trumps 2016 campaign for the presidency, the protesters staged a demonstration outside Trump Tower during which they said the candidates bodyguards violently attacked them. They said Mr. Trump himself was responsible, because he had explicitly authorized the bodyguards to use force. They also sued his company, the Trump Organization, and several guards. The case dragged on for years, through Mr. Trumps presidency and beyond. In October 2021, Mr. Trump was questioned under oath by the protesters lawyers and this month, after many delays, the case was scheduled to go to trial. Because the case was civil, Mr. Trump did not face charges, but could have been subject to fines or other penalties if it had continued. After all this country has been through from Donald Trump and his election denial, to the insurrection, to what prosecutors call the politically motivated attack on Nancy Pelosis husband it still appears poised to elect candidates next Tuesday who deny the results of the 2020 election. There are 291 election deniers on the ballot. And Trump the greatest threat to democracy may make a comeback in 2024. Its hard to believe even though its happening right in front of our eyes. In a major speech Wednesday night, President Biden described election denial as the path to chaos in America. Its unprecedented, he said. Its unlawful. And its un-American. But in truth, the extremism, racism and white nationalism are neither un-American nor unfamiliar. I am personally fascinated by precedents and historical corollaries, the ways that events find a way of repeating themselves, not because of some strange glitch in the cosmos but because human beings are fundamentally the same, unchanged, stuck in rotation of our failings and frailties. The presidential election of 1912 offers a few lessons for our current political moment. William Howard Taft had been elected president in 1908, succeeding the gregarious Theodore Roosevelt, the undisputed leader of the progressive movement of the age, who endorsed Tafts presidential bid. But Taft was no Teddy. Taft was, as University of Notre Dame professor Peri E. Arnold has written, a warmhearted and kind man who wanted to be loved as a person and to be respected for his judicial temperament. FRONT PAGE Because of an editing error, a picture caption with an article on Sunday about the impact of Western weapons on the war in Ukraine misidentified the location where Ukrainian soldiers were inspecting a rocket system. They were in the Mykolaiv region, not the Kherson region. ARTS An article on Tuesday about the growing acceptance of digital artists from major museums misstated the dates of the exhibition Refik Anadol: Unsupervised. It will run at the Museum of Modern Art through March 5, not Jan. 30. THURSDAY STYLES An article last Thursday about the revival of J. Crew misspelled the given name of a fashion director and the publication where he works. He is Mobolaji Dawodu, not Mobilaji, and he is the fashion director at large of GQ, not GQ Style. Errors are corrected during the press run whenever possible, so some errors noted here may not have appeared in all editions. Elon Musk has positioned himself as an unconventional businessman. When he agreed to buy Twitter this year, he declared he would make the social media service a place for unfettered free speech, reversing many of its rules and allowing banned users like former President Donald J. Trump to return. But since closing his $44 billion buyout of Twitter last week, Mr. Musk has followed a surprisingly conventional social media playbook. The worlds richest man met with more than six civil rights groups including the N.A.A.C.P. and the Anti-Defamation League on Tuesday to assure them that he will not make changes to Twitters content rules before the results of next weeks midterm elections are certified. He also met with advertising executives to discuss their concerns about their brands appearing alongside toxic online content. Last week, Mr. Musk said he would form a council to advise Twitter on what kinds of content to remove from the platform and would not immediately reinstate banned accounts. If these decisions and outreach seem familiar, thats because they are. Other leaders of social media companies have taken similar steps. After Facebook was criticized for being misused in the 2016 presidential election, Mark Zuckerberg, the social networks chief executive, also met with civil rights groups to calm them and worked to mollify irate advertisers. He later said he would establish an independent board to advise his company on content decisions. The timeline of loss was mercilessly fast. On Dec. 30, 2003, Joan Didions husband, John Gregory Dunne, died mid-conversation at the dinner table in their apartment on Manhattans Upper East Side. In late August 2005, their grown-up only child, Quintana, died, less suddenly. Even mid-devastation, Didion did what writers do: observe and chronicle. First came her crystalline memoir of grief for Dunne, The Year of Magical Thinking, a best seller when it was published in October 2005, only weeks after their long-ailing daughters death. Blue Nights, Didions memoir of mourning Quintana, was that books counterpart, released in 2011. In between, with a rapidity thats startling, Didions stage adaptation of The Year of Magical Thinking arrived on Broadway, in March 2007. A monologue directed by David Hare and produced by Scott Rudin, among others, it starred Vanessa Redgrave as Didion. This was a prestige cultural event: tasteful, literary, remote. Presumably, remote was not the goal. The scale of it was all out of whack not the script, which Didion imbued with a soul-baring directness, but the production. The memoirs starkly personal story, so intimate as a reading experience, was told now before a crowd of hundreds. We, the audience, were asked to accept one famous artist the sturdy, statuesque Redgrave as the stand-in for a highly recognizable other, the diminutive Didion, who was in her early 70s then, with a fragility about her. It was all too large. It did not capture the essence of the book. WASHINGTON Harvards failure to tell an insurance company that it had been sued over its race-conscious admissions program means that it cannot use a $15 million policy to cover its legal expenses, a federal judge in Boston ruled on Wednesday. Acting two days after Harvard faced skeptical questions at the Supreme Court about its admissions practices, Judge Allison D. Burroughs of the Federal District Court in Boston ruled that an unambiguous insurance policy must be applied as written. She said it was undisputed that Harvard had failed to file a timely formal claim with one of its insurance companies, Zurich American Insurance. It did not matter, she wrote, that Zurich may have learned about the affirmative action suit informally. Days after Students for Fair Admissions sued Harvard in 2014, arguing that its practice of taking account of race in its undergraduate admissions decisions was unlawful and harmed Asian American applicants, the university formally notified its primary insurance carrier to seek payment of its defense costs. That policy had a $25 million limit, after Harvard paid $2.5 million. Four days after the storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, Stewart Rhodes, the leader of the Oath Keepers militia, held a secret meeting in the parking lot of a Texas electronics store. Mr. Rhodes had gone to see a soldier-turned-I.T.-expert who, he had been told, could get an urgent message to President Donald J. Trump. Mr. Rhodes wanted to persuade Mr. Trump to maintain his grip on power despite the violence at the Capitol and offered to mobilize the members of his group to help him stay in office. Im here for you and so are all of my men, Mr. Rhodes wrote to Mr. Trump, typing his words into a cellphone and handing it to the man in the belief that he would pass the message on to the president. We will come help you if you need us. Military and police. And so will your millions of supporters. A description of that cloak-and-dagger scene was offered to the jury on Wednesday at the trial of Mr. Rhodes and four of his subordinates, all of whom are facing charges of seditious conspiracy in connection with the attack on the Capitol. By the end of the day, prosecutors at the trial had all but reached the end of their evidence and were expected to rest their case on Thursday morning. President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia began ramping up his nuclear rhetoric this fall, raising the specter that he could use such a weapon in Ukraine. As Mr. Putin was making threats, senior Russian generals were discussing the circumstances when they might possibly use a tactical nuclear weapon, The New York Times reported. American officials said they have seen no movement of Russian nuclear weapons and do not believe that the Russian government has decided to detonate such a device. But as Russia suffers setbacks on the battlefield, even talk about using one has raised alarm. How concerned should we be? Russia has as many as 2,000 tactical nuclear weapons, lower-yield devices designed to defeat conventional forces on the battlefield. A tactical nuclear weapon has never been used in combat, but one could be deployed in a number of ways, including by missile or artillery shell. The likelihood that Mr. Putin will use a nuclear weapon remains exceedingly low. But the prospect of even a small nuclear device going off is so terrible that officials in the United States and elsewhere are concerned. Thousands of people could be killed, and millions sickened. Yet now extreme MAGA Republicans aim to question not only the legitimacy of past elections, but elections being held now and into the future. The extreme MAGA element of the Republican Party, which is a minority of that party, as I said earlier, but its its driving force. Its trying to succeed where they failed in 2020, to suppress the right of voters and subvert the electoral system itself. That means denying your right to vote and deciding whether your vote even counts. Instead of waiting until an election is over, theyre starting well before it. Theyre starting now. Theyve emboldened violence and intimidation of voters and election officials. Its estimated that there are more than 300 election deniers on the ballot all across America this year. We cant ignore the impact this is having on our country. Its damaging, its corrosive and its destructive. And I want to be very clear, this is not about me, its about all of us. Its about what makes America America. Its about the durability of our democracy. For democracies are more than a form of government. Theyre a way of being, a way of seeing the world, a way that defines who we are, what we believe, why we do what we do. Democracy is simply that fundamental. We must, in this moment, dig deep within ourselves and recognize that we cant take democracy for granted any longer. With democracy on the ballot, we have to remember these first principles. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of monarchs or the moneyed, but the rule of the people. Autocracy is the opposite of democracy. It means the rule of one, one person, one interest, one ideology, one party. To state the obvious, the lives of billions of people, from antiquity till now, have been shaped by the battle between these competing forces, between the aspirations of the many and the greed and power of the few, between the peoples right for self-determination, and the self-seeking autocrat, between the dreams of a democracy and the appetites of an autocracy. What were doing now is going to determine whether democracy will long endure and, in my view, is the biggest of questions, whether the American system that prizes the individual bends toward justice and depends on the rule of law, whether that system will prevail. This is the struggle were now in, a struggle for democracy, a struggle for decency and dignity, a struggle for prosperity and progress, a struggle for the very soul of America itself. Make no mistake, democracy is on the ballot for all of us. We must remember that democracy is a covenant. We need to start looking out for each other again, seeing ourselves as we the people, not as entrenched enemies. This is a choice we can make. Disunion and chaos are not inevitable. Theres been anger before in America. Theres been division before in America. But weve never given up on the American experiment. And we cant do that now. SEOUL A day after firing at least 23 missiles, its largest deployment ever in a single day, North Korea continued to escalate tensions on Thursday morning by launching six more, including what South Korean defense officials said was an intercontinental ballistic missile. The launches triggered alarms in neighboring Japan, which initially set off its emergency alert system in three northern prefectures, urging residents to take shelter and warning that a missile could fly over the archipelago. NHK, the public broadcaster, initially reported that government sources had said that a missile had flown over Japan for the second time in a month. But less than an hour later, the defense minister, Yasukazu Hamada, told reporters that the ministry had analyzed data and determined that the missile had not flown through Japanese airspace. A South Korean defense official said the ICBM test appeared to be a failure, judging from the missiles flight data, including its speed and the altitude it reached, which were below those of comparable launches in the past. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the militarys analysis before an official announcement. The uprising in Iran, now in its seventh week, arrived at the United Nations on Wednesday with the Security Council holding an informal meeting to discuss the governments human rights violations against protesters. Western diplomats and rights activists are seeking to remove Iran from the U.N. agency focused on womens rights and to form an investigative body under the auspices of the U.N.s human rights council. The United States and Albania jointly called for the informal meeting of the Council, and all 15 member countries attended but many not at the ambassador level. Our words are powerful. They hold weight. And Iranians must hear from us. We must give them our moral support, said Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. PITTSBURGH I spent two days at the Carnegie International, at the Carnegie Museum of Art, and it was hardly enough. The 58th edition of North Americas longest-running international art show is a deluge of art and information that left me with an urgent, unsettled question: Who, or what, are shows like this for? Titled Is It Morning for You Yet? and featuring work by more than 100 artists and collectives, the exhibition is intended, according to its curators, to excavate the meaning of the word international by tracing American impact on the world since 1945. And that much it does. A special section called Refractions, including documentary photography by Susan Meiselas and Vo An Khanh, and other explicitly political work like Felix Gonzalez-Torress Forbidden Colors, a rarely seen 1988 painting of the Palestinian flag in separate panels, makes a powerful impression. I knew that the United States had left bloody footprints in Latin America, in Southeast Asia, in Africa and so on. But I dont think Id ever before tried to keep all those separate wars and coups and interventions in mind at the same time. But so far, no restitutions of art in Croatian public collections to former Jewish owners have been announced, according to Wesley Fisher, director of research at the restitution organization. Nor is there a comprehensive list of looted art still held in Croatian museums. Its been a difficult, long and somewhat frustrating set of conversations over the years with Croatia, said Gideon Taylor, chair of operations at the restitution organization. But if you want to move forward, you have to address the past. You cant have looted art in your museums. This is a journey other countries have gone through, and its not easy, but its critical. Naida-Michal Brandl, an associate professor specializing in Jewish history at the University of Zagreb who was selected to write the new report, is the first independent scholar to be granted access to records at the Ministry of Culture that were kept by a Communist-era organization called the Commission for the Preservation of Cultural Monuments, or KOMZA. These records are lists of privately owned property appropriated by the Communist regime, including 10 collections known to have been confiscated earlier under the Ustases rule from Jews who fled or were deported. The KOMZA archives are now publicly available and will be digitized, Obuljen Korzinek, the Croatian minister, said. While the lists are by no means a complete inventory of stolen Jewish property, the opening of the archives means lawyers will be onto these files, Brandl said. There is no turning back from this point, and there is optimism restitutions will follow. Among the most important collections listed in the report is that of Robert Deutsch Maceljski, a Jewish timber merchant from Zagreb who was deported and murdered at Auschwitz. Twenty-six paintings from his collection were transferred to the Strossmayer Gallery of Old Masters. Other, more modern works wound up at the Modern Gallery in Zagreb, according to the new report. Remember all those book clubs that popped up in 2020, in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, when a lot of people wanted to deepen their understanding of racial violence? (There was one reading group comprising several hundred white women in the arts that met regularly on Zoom.) And the chorus of urgent we-must-do-more statements put out by museums to show support for the Black Lives Matter protests that erupted around the country? Xaviera Simmons remembers. In her exhibition at the Queens Museum, the Brooklyn-based artist looks back on that moment and asks: What exactly did all those book clubs, podcasts, listening sessions and declarations of solidarity do to improve peoples lives? Simmonss work has long incorporated photography, video, sculpture and installation, and is driven by a deep and patient curiosity about the conditions of the world and a wide-ranging set of interests. Even before she graduated from Bard College in 2004 she had spent two years with Buddhist monks contemplating a walking pilgrimage of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. That interest has given her an almost endless range of topics to draw on, she said in interviews, including the viewing of Inca architecture, todays front page of The Financial Times, images of the copper mining operations in the Congo At the Queens Museum, the artist introduces the exhibitions animating question even before viewers set foot in the door. A billboard mounted on the museums west facade lists a series of words, including Amend, Abolish, Redress, Repair, Unionize actions that activists say need to be done to address racial disparities. Below them is the solution that many liberal allies alighted upon: Crisis Makes a Book Club the title of the exhibition (on view through March 5, 2023, in Flushing Meadows Corona Park). Whatever Weighs You Down is one of several experimental works that recently premiered in Britain and Ireland that show the rich musical possibilities when disability and neurodiversity are incorporated into the creative process. These works also point to newly developed technologies as both malleable tools for expressing diverse perspectives in experimental music, and as potentially enabling greater accessibility to composition, which traditionally has been a rarefied and exclusive world. In recent years, increasing attention has been paid, particularly in Britain, to making classical music more accessible. This includes the widespread adoption of what are called relaxed performances in concert halls where audiences are allowed to make noise and the creation of professional ensembles for disabled musicians, such as BSO Resound, part of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, and the Paraorchestra, which is based in Bristol, England. For Whatever Weighs You Down, Luck worked closely with the Deaf performance artist Chisato Minamimura, who in the piece appeared on a video screen and used sign language to retell her own dreams about falling, one of the main themes of Lucks work. In Whatever Weighs You Down, Minamimura wanted to express a deaf perspective on sound and music. I have hearing loss, but I can feel things I can feel sounds, she said in a recent video interview via an interpreter. Workshops to develop the piece involved Minamimura responding to vibrations wherever she could find them: pressing her full body against the lid of the piano, feeling the underside of the soundboard and even biting the strings of certain instruments. As the performance of Whatever Weighs You Down drew to a close, it reached a striking semi-synthesis. Onscreen, Minamimuras gestures mirrored Kangas onstage hand movements. Both performers provided a kind of accompaniment for each other, experienced in entirely different ways by audience members, depending on their relationship to sound. Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous nights highlights that lets you sleep and lets us get paid to watch comedy. Here are the 50 best movies on Netflix right now. Not Just a River in Egypt Several Republicans up for election in the midterms have voiced distrust in the validity of the 2020 presidential election. On Wednesday, Stephen Colbert said he was especially frightened by the 12 running for secretary of state across the country, saying that their wins could mean the election deniers might be running the next election. PARIS Brigitte Giraud won the Goncourt Prize, Frances most prestigious literary award, on Thursday for her novel Living Fast. The novel, published by Flammarion, recounts a chain of events that led to the death of Girauds partner in 1999, exploring the causes of the motorcycle accident that killed him and the tiny twists of fate that might have prevented it. With a series of what ifs, Giraud reflects on the role that chance plays in life. Living Fast, or Vivre Vite in French, is also a vivid portrait of France in the 1990s, drawing on its central characters desire to leave the dreary suburbs of the city of Lyon, where they live, and sketching out the social and political issues of the time. The 10 members of the Goncourt Academy, the French literary society that awards the prize, made their announcement at midday at the Paris restaurant Drouant, where the winners which have included Marcel Proust, Simone de Beauvoir and Marguerite Duras have been declared since 1914. A COP 27 preview World leaders and climate activists are heading to Egypt for the annual U.N. climate talks, known as COP27, which begin on Sunday. The two weeks of negotiations, in Sharm el Sheikh, come at a tense time. Since last years summit in Scotland, just 26 of the 193 countries that agreed to step up their climate actions have followed through with more ambitious plans. To understand the stakes, I spoke with my colleague Lisa Friedman. COP27 will be the 11th climate conference she has covered. What are the major themes? Countries that failed last year to put forward strengthened targets were expected to do so before COP27. And the protection of vulnerable countries is going to be really high on the agenda. China is poised to take advantage of the global urgency to tackle climate change. It is the worlds dominant manufacturer and user of solar panels and wind turbines. It leads the world in producing energy from hydroelectric dams and is building more nuclear power plants than any other country. But China also burns more coal than the rest of the world combined and has accelerated mining and the construction of coal-fired power plants, driving up the countrys emissions of energy-related greenhouse gases nearly 6 percent last year, the fastest pace in a decade. And Chinas addiction to coal is likely to endure for years, even decades. As the worlds climate negotiators gather this weekend in Egypt for their 27th annual COP gathering, China needs to balance limiting greenhouse gas emissions with its concerns about securing its own energy. The country has long viewed coal, which it has in abundance, as the best way to avoid becoming overly dependent on foreign energy suppliers and remaining susceptible to unpredictable weather, like droughts that reduce the output of hydroelectric dams. In no country are the climate stakes higher than they are in China. Mainly because of its use of coal, China emits almost a third of all man-made greenhouse gases more than the United States, Europe and Japan combined. LOANGO NATIONAL PARK, Gabon Evening and the rainforest. A riverbank packed with elephants. Treetops so dense they obscure all but a chimpanzees hairy arm. And, as the sun sets, a twinkle on the horizon: an offshore oil platform. The nation of Gabon is so lush with forests and wildlife its nickname is Africas Eden. Its also one of the continents major oil producers. Gabon for decades has relied on petroleum to drive its economy. But officials know their oil wont last forever. So theyve turned to Gabons other abundant resource a huge Congo Basin rainforest, full of valuable trees to help make up the difference once the oil is gone. Gabon is engaging in activities that have become dirty words in the world of climate activism: It allows palm-oil plantations in certain areas and is turning rainforest into plywood. However, unlike Brazil and other countries that have stood by as rainforests are decimated, Gabon has adopted strict rules designed to keep the vast majority of its trees standing. Its aim is to strike an important balance between the needs of a single nation and those of a world facing a climate crisis. Those and other factors are causing what were seeing an increase in areas of burning, he said. In 2019 and 2020, average summer temperatures in the Siberian Arctic have been above 10 degrees Celsius, or 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Dr. Gaveau said that 10 degrees could be a tipping point, or threshold, beyond which wildfire activity greatly increases with just a small increase in temperature. Its worrying because predictions essentially indicate that the fires of 2019, 2020 will become the norm by the end of the century, he said. They estimated that the fires of 2019 and 2020, which burned large areas of peatland, resulted in the release of more than 400 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, which is greater than the total annual emissions of Australia. With more extreme fire years, Dr. Gaveau said, theres going to be much more carbon released into the atmosphere every year because of global warming in a region that would not normally burn as much. Brendan M. Rogers, who studies the effect of climate change on Arctic ecosystems at Woodwell Climate Research Center in Massachusetts and was not involved in the study, said the findings are adding to the story that we keep seeing year by year and expect to keep happening as long as the planet is warming. Were just getting more fires in these systems and theyre emitting carbon. The fires are also affecting the permafrost, permanently frozen ground that underlies much of the Siberian Arctic. The organic matter in the thawed ground begins to decompose, releasing carbon dioxide and methane, but it can also dry out and eventually burn, resulting in even more emissions. U.N. research shows that to keep warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius, well need to remove about six billion tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by 2050, the same as annual U.S. emissions today. You told me that trees are the best and the only thing we have right now to fight climate change cheaply and do it fast. But theres only so much arable land, and trees are said to provide only half of the removal needed. Do you agree that theres not enough land to plant the trees we need? No, I dont agree with that. In the United States, you had the terrible dust storms of the 1930s, and were actually returning to this. And you had a president called Roosevelt, and Roosevelt was very smart. He got a huge group of people out planting a gleditsia species. Theyre a honey locust. Theyre the inermis species of honey locust. And theres all kinds of research done around those honey locusts. It stopped the storms from destroying the farming land, and they were planted all over the United States. So a lot of them are gone now. And let me say to you: There are trees that can grow on almost nothing. We need those trees. Some trees are feeding trees. Some trees produce all kinds of nuts and all kinds of other things that the farming community can get the benefit from. Too many trees, too many forests all over the world have come down too much. When we were taking down these forests, we did not know that they were molecular machines. And they are intelligent machines that are capable of farming the photons of the sun. Is there enough to draw down the carbon, though? Its been said we dont have enough land to plant enough trees to draw down the carbon. We have 412, something like that, parts per million CO2 in the atmosphere right now. So if you plant, every person this is my global bio plan for saving the planet one tree, native species to native area, for the next six years, you will have in the ballpark of 50 billion trees put back into the planet. You will pull the CO2 event down from the 410 backwards into the three hundreds. You can stabilize that in the 300s and it reduces the temperature, it reduces the greenhouse effect. It gives us time to re-regulate the carbon cycle. Thats what it will do for us. And its a very simple thing. Its very cheap. You can go out and get an acorn. If you really feel that youve got a terribly bad back and you cant possibly use a shovel, then go and get a trowel, get an acorn, and get your kid to plant an acorn. So its a very simple thing to do. Then again, you could say that its the other way around that the contradictions and ironies of the Mexican past manifest themselves in his moods and grudges. Either way, the violence of the Spanish conquest, the Mexican-American war of the 1840s and the recent ascendance of the drug cartels figure in his personal mythology. Still, it would be a mistake to describe Silverio as any kind of Everyman, not least since his resemblance to a particular man, Alejandro G. Inarritu himself, is part of the point. The prestigious North American journalism prize that Silverio is about to receive in Los Angeles can be taken as a stand-in for the Oscars, which Inarritu has won twice for directing. Not that watching Bardo involves cracking an autobiographical code. You can certainly match details in the film with easily searchable facts about its directors life, but what holds your attention and maybe also repels it is the intensity of personal feeling that infuses every frame. In his first three features, made in collaboration with the screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga, Inarritu was interested in splintering time and subjectivity. Amores Perros, 21 Grams and Babel fashion new forms of narrative coherence out of coincidence and randomness. More recently, in Birdman and now in Bardo (both of which credit Nicolas Giacobone as a co-writer), he has propelled a single consciousness through an apparently linear, overwhelmingly complicated series of experiences. Movie time moves relentlessly forward, but in the dream-world that Silverio inhabits, it leaps ahead and loops around. The beginning of the story is also the end. The middle is an impressionistic collage of memories, fantasies and wishes loosely attached to plausible real-world events. Silverio rides public transportation in Los Angeles with three axolotls in a plastic bag. He meets with the American ambassador to Mexico, makes a disastrous appearance on a television talk show, has sex with Lucia, attends a raucous party in his own honor, argues with his kids and so on. These moments spin into stranger episodes. Silverio encounters the ghosts of his father and the conquistador Hernan Cortes, who sits atop a pyramid of corpses. Lynsey takes a job cleaning swimming pools, and she and James spend off-hours drinking beer, smoking weed and floating around at the homes of clients who are conveniently out of town. Hanging out this way is a pleasant respite from the stresses and struggles of existence for James and Lynsey, and for the audience too. But having brought them together, the movie isnt quite sure what to do with them. James has lost part of a leg in a car crash that killed someone he loved. Lynsey is also haunted by the loss of a family member. The symmetry of their physical and psychological wounds is perhaps too neatly arranged. The bond that develops between them and the ways that it is, inevitably, tested is rooted in shared trauma, which is to say in a screenwriting conceit. Causeway is both thin and heavy-handed, its plot overly diagramed and its characters inadequately fleshed out. The burden of making it credible falls disproportionately on Henry and Lawrence, superb actors who do what they can to bring the scripts static and fuzzy ideas about pain, alienation and the need for connection to something that almost resembles life. Causeway Rated R. Cursing and cannabis. Running time: 1 hour 32 minutes. In theaters and available to watch on Apple TV+. Child care is treacherous work in horror movies. Babysitters are invariably stalked, like in Halloween, and in The Omen, looking after Damien leads his nanny to hang herself. This trope is toyed with in Nocebo, a new prestige horror about a stressed-out, affluent couple, Christine (Eva Green) and Felix (Mark Strong). They take on help for their young daughter (Billie Gadsdon), who, in the first sign something is terribly awry, attends a school where the uniform includes a beret. The new nanny (Chai Fonacier), who is Filipino, enters a troubled home and immediately starts handling the familys problems and concerns, from making dinner to treating the mysterious sickness afflicting Christine using folk healing learned in her homeland. After a telephone call delivering bad news, Christine, a childrens fashion designer, starts feeling extremely off (symptoms include perspiration and seeing scary dogs). Her husband is skeptical. Arriving two weeks before the release of Bones and All, Luca Guadagninos tatterdemalion drifter romance, the directors Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams surveys a more refined coupling, not of people, but of pumps. The documentary opens on an assembly line, where a suite of artisans methodically carve, sculpt and hammer out a pair of sequined vermilion stilettos. Before we even meet the films subject, the Italian designer Salvatore Ferragamo, this mesmerizing procedural overture suggests that Ferragamo viewed shoemaking as an art and a science. One wishes the tribute that follows were as nimble. Plodding through Ferragamos life, the documentary layers talking-head interviews with archival footage and photographs. Born in 1898 in the Italian village of Bonito, Ferragamo went on to apprentice in Naples before taking arduous passage to the United States. Following his ambition, or perhaps a premonition, he moved to Santa Barbara, where he found success designing custom footwear for movie stars. Throughout, Michael Stuhlbarg reads passages from Ferragamos writing in a velvety murmur. I love feet, he recites at one point. They talk to me. Guadagnino clearly intends for these themes of seduction, allure and glamour to envelop the audience, like silk fabric swathing an arched foot sole. Instead, the film falters, particularly during transitions, which tend to feel abrupt. If Guadagnino sought to reflect the romance of Ferragamos red carpet creations, his storytelling is at once more conventional and more awkward in construction. Forget feet; defter hands might have helped. Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams Rated PG. Running time: 2 hours. In theaters. The Bolivian movie Utama pulls you in with an uneasy mix of beauty and dread. A fictional tale that draws from real life, it takes place in the Andean plateau the Altiplano an arid, mountainous strip with altitudes nearing 14,000 feet above sea level that runs through western Bolivia. There, on hard, cracked land in a tiny, adobe home, a wizened Quechua couple of indeterminate age with no electricity and few outside contacts, yet graced with unflagging fortitude, wait for the rain that will sustain them, their meager crops and small herd of llamas. Stooped with age, Virginio and Sisa Jose Calcina and Luisa Quispe, both nonprofessional actors scarcely speak, the texture and arc of their lives instead conveyed through quotidian rituals, small gestures and stoic expressions. They watch their animals, they watch the world, they watch each other. They also struggle, their agonies weighing most visibly on Virginio. Every morning, and with greater difficulty, he guides the llamas, their ears festooned with pink tassels, across the parched land in search of grass. The arduousness of his days makes for restless nights and a wheezing that Sisa somehow doesnt notice. The Bolivian writer-director Alejandro Loayza Grisi has a background in still photography, and it shows. He has a feel for the drama of color, form, scale and light, as well as a sensitive collaborator in his cinematographer, Barbara Alvarez (her credits include The Headless Woman). With a lucid eye and a steady camera, he captures the regions brutal beauty, using stark contrasts like birds-eye views of isolated houses and people to accentuate its extremes. At other times, he zeros in on similarities, like those between the weathered faces and the desiccated terrain, suggesting ideas that the characters dont voice. Mr. Rakhman also grapples with his own health problems. He has pain in his knees and shoulders, he said, cannot walk much and sometimes struggles to sleep because his legs shake. The trauma of the past and the loneliness of life without his partner are worse for Mr. Rakhman in the evenings. He had watched TV to help him get through the long nights, but his television, purchased in 1995, began to fail. A former electrical engineer, Mr. Rakhman receives $928 in monthly Supplemental Security Income and $249 in SNAP benefits, and much of his rent is subsidized through the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program. To help ease his loneliness, and his knee pain, Y.M. & Y.W.H.A. of Washington Heights and Inwood, a beneficiary of UJA-Federation of New York, used $507 from The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund to purchase a new television for Mr. Rakhman, along with a sound bar, as he is hard of hearing, and a recliner, so he could elevate his knees. Last month, Mrs. Rakhman celebrated her 85th birthday. Mr. Rakhman brought her flowers and one of her favorite desserts a simple biscuit he had baked himself. She recognized her husband and son, but did not respond to the flowers or the treat. Mr. Rakhman returned a few days later to change the water in the flower vase. Another beneficiary agency of The Fund, First Book, has also responded to people needing additional support. After the pandemic forced educators to shift to remote learning, Paula Sonnier, a second-grade teacher in Carencro, La., spent months hoping her students were getting along OK at home. A man was found dead inside the walk-in freezer of a Brooklyn bakery that has supplied a variety of baked goods to national supermarket chains, including Costco, Sams Club and Kroger, the police said on Thursday. The man, a 33-year-old employee of Beigels Bakery in Canarsie, got locked inside a freezer at the 50,000 square foot facility at around 3 a.m., a spokesman for the New York City Police Department said. He was not found by co-workers for more than five hours. One co-worker called 911 shortly before 9 a.m., but when emergency medical workers arrived, they pronounced him dead on the scene, said a spokesman for the Fire Department, which oversees the citys ambulance corps. The police declined to release the mans name, and said there was no criminal activity suspected in his death, which appeared to be accidental. Julie Bolcer, a spokeswoman for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, said the cause of death had not been determined. She said an autopsy would be conducted on the man on Friday. Under its previous owners, the restaurant, like its predecessor at the same address, had a place in city mob lore. A racketeering and gambling case two decades ago brought by the Queens district attorney linked Aldos to a Gambino crime family captain named Ronald Trucchio, who went by the moniker Ronnie One Arm for his withered right limb. And in the 1980s, it was the site of a notorious 14-hour lunch attended by the then Queens district attorney, a senior police official and several men tied to the mob. According to campaign finance reports, Mr. Ulrich has spent at least $6,500 at Aldos. The bulk of the spending, $5,000, came during his unsuccessful 2019 campaign for public advocate. Hours before Mr. Ulrichs meeting with prosecutors began on Wednesday, the mayor defended his commissioner, whom he appointed in May to head the Buildings Department, which has long been plagued by recurring corruption scandals. Mr. Adamss choice of Mr. Ulrich came despite his admitted alcohol and gambling addictions, and his having written a letter in 2018 on official stationery in support of a constituent, Robert Pisani, a reputed Bonanno crime associate who was awaiting sentencing on federal charges for collection of an unlawful gambling debt, court records show. Mr. Levy defended Mr. Ulrichs brief tenure at the department. Eric Ulrich was open about the challenges he had overcome, had gone through a standard background investigation, and was building a strong record of success at the Buildings Department, he said. We have no reason to believe the investigation is focusing on his time at City Hall. Brendan McGuire, the chief legal counsel for Mr. Adams, said on Wednesday that Mr. Ulrich had undergone a background check through the citys Department of Investigation. Though the agency may flag issues in a candidates background, Mr. Adams still makes the final decision about whether the person should be hired. The results of the investigation are not shared with the public. Missing the in-person ICE appointment is usually not a problem, said Isejn Marku, a private immigration attorney in New York. ICE officers arent able to meet with everyone scheduled on a given day, he said, so they are unlikely to count a missed appointment as a strike against them. The local ICE office did not respond to questions about how many appointments are scheduled daily at its Manhattan location, why people with appointments were not allowed into the building and if missing person check-ins will affect their cases. But other lawyers say the chaos could end up hurting the chances some migrants have of winning an asylum case and avoiding deportation. Analysts at the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University found that one in six new cases or about 63,0000 were dismissed last year because Border Patrol agents failed to file paperwork with immigration courts, something that rarely happened a decade ago, the report said. Many new migrants have arrived with nowhere to go. Thousands have come from Venezuela, for example, and landed in cities like New York and Washington, D.C., which lack established Venezuelan communities. When immigrants arrive without the address of a final destination, immigration advocacy groups say that in some cases, agents have directed their paperwork to be mailed to nonprofits and other organizations in cities where migrants signal they want to travel. Ms. Tharappel said her organization has received over 1,500 notices for immigrants theyve never had contact with. Border Patrol agents are required to make every effort to confirm that addresses provided to them by migrants are valid, said a Department of Homeland Security spokesman. People who dont have an address for a sponsor can provide the address of a nongovernmental organization. They are also given instructions on how to change their address, he said. At a minimum, agents include a city and state on paperwork. A spokeswoman for the immigration courts said the agency was unaware of any people who were turned away from scheduled court hearings and is working with the Department of Homeland Security on the issues of incorrect addresses on notices. Judges are aware of the issues when adjudicating cases, she added. South Africa: SA's 24-hour space weather centre takes off South Africa now has a new 24-hour, state-of-the-art regional space weather centre, which was launched in Hermanus, Western Cape. Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister, Dr Blade Nzimande, described todays launch as a historic development and illustration of the countrys excellence in science. It is yet another demonstration that the DSI, together with its agencies, continues to respond to the socio-economic challenges of our country by using science, technology and innovation as a catalyst and catalyser for economic development. The departments entity, the South African Space Agency (SANSA), developed the new centre, which is also the only one in Africa. SANSAs space weather centre provides an important service to the nation by monitoring the sun and its activity, and by providing space weather forecasts, warnings, alerts, and environmental data on space weather conditions. Through SANSA, Nzimande said the department now has managed to improve the coordination of South Africas space arena to maximise the benefits of current and planned space activities. During the recent floods in KwaZulu-Natal, Nzimande said the agency provided satellite imagery to the National Disaster Management Centre and the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) to support the disaster response and understanding of the level of damage. The same service was provided at the Jagersfontein mine waste dam that collapsed. The space weather capability that we are launching is a direct response to our good safety track record, which led to the International Civil Aviation Organisation selecting SANSA as one of the two regional centres to provide space weather services, including solar storm forecasts and warnings to the global aviation sector, Nzimande said. Development agenda The unveiling is part of the overall strategy to position science, technology and innovation at the centre of the countrys developmental agenda. SANSAs mandate is to promote and use space and cooperation in space-related activities, foster research in space science, advance scientific engineering and develop human capabilities in space science. It also includes supporting for the creation of an environment conducive to industrial development in space technologies within the framework. The establishment, which was completed by end of September 2022, took three years to build. The centre includes infrastructure development, instrumentation deployment, product and service development, and skills capability development. The total investment, according to the Minister, amounted to R107.5 million over the three years, which included a ring-fenced establishment grant of R70.89 million received from the DSI and R36.6 million invested directly by SANSA. Space Through SANSAs researchers, South Africa has a growing international footprint and impact on new research within the space sector. SANSA has since ensured its increased focus on transforming the space sector through skills development and public outreach. SANSA also has a role in international space cooperation, for example, we are currently negotiating with NASA for the establishment of a tracking and telemetry station in Matjiesfontein in support of future lunar exploration, the Minister said. The space agency, according to Nzimande, continues to implement activities targeting women in science and previously disadvantaged youth, while inspiring future space scientists and entrepreneurs through its public engagement programme. Thousands of learners have, through the years, engaged with SANSA experts at science and career festivals, school visits, science centres, and now even online. The Minister said he is heartened to witness the contribution of SANSA to the people and the global space industry. Examples of this important economic role of SANSA include its work in the agricultural economy through the use of open and big data for vegetation condition and stress monitoring, crop and other vegetation assessment, estimation of cropped arable land and production area statistics, above-ground biomass and yield estimation, and agricultural drought assessment and monitoring. Meanwhile, he said the agency contributes significantly to the national economy and job creation. We must promote this centre as part of tourism, said Nzimande. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2022-11-03. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is warning synagogues in New Jersey of a broad security threat after getting what it called credible information about an increased level of risk. We ask at this time that you take all security precautions to protect your community and facility, the F.B.I.s Newark office wrote on Twitter on Thursday afternoon. We will share more information as soon as we can. Stay alert. In case of emergency call police. The warning comes as incidents of antisemitic bias and violence have been on the rise across the country. Nationwide last year, there were 525 known incidents of harassment, vandalism and assault at Jewish institutions, including synagogues, community centers and schools an increase of 61 percent from 2020, according to an audit by the Anti-Defamation League. The trial took place on Long Island, a region where the rate of opioid overdose deaths more than doubled between 2010 and 2018, according to state data. We are pleased that after years of compiling the evidence against Teva, culminating in a liability jury verdict in Suffolk County last December, we can now turn our focus to the long and expensive road to heal communities in New York and around the country, Jayne Conroy, a lawyer in private practice who represented Suffolk County, said in an email. Fentanyl Overdoses: What to Know Card 1 of 5 Devastating losses. Drug overdose deaths, largely caused by the synthetic opioid drug fentanyl, reached record highs in the United States in 2021. Heres what you should know to keep your loved ones safe: Understand fentanyls effects. Fentanyl is a potent and fast-acting drug, two qualities that also make it highly addictive. A small quantity goes a long way, so its easy to suffer an overdose. With fentanyl, there is only a short window of time to intervene and save a persons life during an overdose. Stick to licensed pharmacies. Prescription drugs sold online or by unlicensed dealers marketed as OxyContin, Vicodin and Xanax are often laced with fentanyl. Only take pills that were prescribed by your doctor and came from a licensed pharmacy. Talk to your loved ones. The best way to prevent fentanyl use is to educate your loved ones, including teens, about it. Explain what fentanyl is and that it can be found in pills bought online or from friends. Aim to establish an ongoing dialogue in short spurts rather than one long, formal conversation. Learn how to spot an overdose. When someone overdoses from fentanyl, breathing slows and their skin often turns a bluish hue. If you think someone is overdosing, call 911 right away. If youre concerned that a loved one could be exposed to fentanyl, you may want to buy naloxone, a medicine that can rapidly reverse an opioid overdose and is often available at local pharmacies without prescription. Days before the trial was to begin, Johnson & Johnson agreed to pay $230 million. As the months passed, almost all the defendants agreed to multimillion-dollar settlements. Among them was Allergan, a pharmaceutical company best known as the maker of Botox, which agreed to pay $200 million. The settlements were part of a larger multibillion-dollar agreement to which many of the companies that faced lawsuits agreed. On Wednesday, Walgreens and CVS announced tentative agreements to pay a total of about $10 billion to settle lawsuits across the nation that claimed they contributed to the crisis by allowing floods of prescriptions to be filled. The decision by Teva and its associated companies to gamble with a jury trial almost certainly cost it vastly more than its former co-defendants. The next highest settlement in the case, agreed to by the McKesson Corporation, was approximately $75 million less. The $523 million figure announced by Ms. James is the combined result of two sets of negotiations with Teva. The manufacturer agreed this summer to pay about $4.3 billion to settle its cases nationwide, of which New York would be paid $210 million. The remaining money is being paid to settle the New York case itself and to resolve administrative charges that had been brought by the New York Department of Financial Services against Teva for what it described as decades-long insurance fraud in which Teva lied about the safety and efficacy of its opioid drugs, which caused high numbers of unnecessary prescriptions to be written, which were covered by insurers. But some legal experts questioned the merit of the suit. This, certainly on its face, appears to be objectively frivolous, said Gerald Greenberg, a partner at Gelber, Schachter and Greenberg, a Florida law firm. Im aware of no authority that allows a state court in Florida to enjoin or otherwise interfere with a law enforcement investigation being conducted by New York state authorities. Unable to persuade the Florida lawyers to stand down Wednesday, the Trump Organizations general counsel, Alan Garten, then took aim at Mr. Epshteyn, blaming him in an email to Mr. Epshteyn and other lawyers for the filing of the suit, said the people with knowledge of the discussion. Frustrations with Mr. Epshteyn among some of Mr. Trumps other aides and representatives have been brewing for months and boiled over with the new legal action. Another lawyer for Mr. Trump, Christopher M. Kise, a former Florida solicitor general, also objected to the filing of the lawsuit on Wednesday. And Mr. Trumps legal team in New York expressed concern that the Florida lawsuit would undermine their defense in Ms. Jamess case, costing them credibility with both the New York attorney generals office and the judge overseeing the case, the people with knowledge of the matter said. Indeed, on Thursday, Ms. James filed a letter with the New York judge, saying that Mr. Trumps Florida lawsuit demonstrated that the former president was attempting to shield the key documents governing the structure of his business conglomerate and ownership of his business assets from review. One person close to Mr. Trump who was briefed on the Florida suit insisted it was meritorious, because Ms. James had focused on Mr. Trumps revocable trust, a legal entity that owns the Trump Organization, and Floridas laws governing trusts and wills are relevant. In a statement on Wednesday, Mr. Trump said that Ms. James is seeking to go after my revocable trust and pry into my private estate plan, only to look for ways to recklessly injure me, my family, my businesses, and my tens of millions of supporters. A spokeswoman for Ms. James said in a statement that multiple judges have dismissed Donald Trumps baseless attempts to evade justice, and no number of lawsuits will deter us from pursuing this fraud. Over the past five years, incidents of political violence in the United States by right-wing extremists have soared. Few experts who track this type of violence believe things will get better anytime soon without concerted action. Domestic extremism is actually likely to worsen. The attack on Paul Pelosi, the husband of the speaker of the House of Representatives, was only the latest episode, and federal officials warn that the threat of violence could continue to escalate after the midterm elections. The embrace of conspiratorial and violent ideology and rhetoric by many Republican politicians during and after the Trump presidency, anti-government anger related to the pandemic, disinformation, cultural polarization, the ubiquity of guns and radicalized internet culture have all led to the current moment, and none of those trends are in retreat. Donald Trump was the first American president to rouse an armed mob that stormed the Capitol and threatened lawmakers. Taken together, these factors form a social scaffolding that allows for the kind of endemic political violence that can undo a democracy. Ours would not be the first. Yet the nation is not powerless to stop a slide toward deadly chaos. If institutions and individuals do more to make it unacceptable in American public life, organized violence in the service of political objectives can still be pushed to the fringes. When a faction of one of the countrys two main political parties embraces extremism, that makes thwarting it both more difficult and more necessary. A well-functioning democracy demands it. The legal tools to do so are already available and in many cases are written into state constitutions, in laws prohibiting private paramilitary activity. I fear that the country is entering a phase of history with more organized domestic civil violence than weve seen in 100 years, said Philip Zelikow, the former executive director of the 9/11 Commission, who pioneered legal strategies to go after violent extremists earlier in his career. We have done it in the past and can do so again. For years, the California press has chronicled these scandals, framing Sheriff Villanueva, who is on next weeks ballot, as unfit for office. Even the district attorney for Los Angeles County has called out the sheriffs public corruption unit for targeting his political opponents. But regardless of who wins Tuesdays vote, the institutional power structure that allows Sheriff Villanueva to operate with almost total impunity will remain in place, as it does in counties across the country. And while his actions against prominent critics have captured media attention, its in the jails that this power structure causes the most harm and where the need for change on a national scale is the most overwhelmingly clear. The Los Angeles County jail system holds roughly 14,000 people in nine facilities, including Twin Towers Correctional Facility, one of the largest jails in the world. Inside, people suffer. Recent court filings allege that in just the last few months at the jail systems Inmate Reception Center, a short-term intake facility, one man waited days for a transfer, handcuffed by both wrists to a bench while deputies neglected to give him the medication he takes to manage his schizophrenia. Another man, arrested in August, said that in the same crowded room, incarcerated people chained to benches would call out for deputies to take them to the bathroom and, getting no response, would urinate on themselves and the floor or defecate in a nearby trash can. Sheriff Villanueva acknowledged, through a spokesman, that the facility is overcrowded, but he blamed county officials for underfunding his department. Unsanitary conditions and overcrowding have been problems for decades throughout the system. Nationally, incidents like these are no outliers. Some of the largest county jails in the country, from Houston to San Diego, Riverside and Oklahoma, have experienced similar dysfunction and deadly conditions. A few weeks ago, on a quiet street in the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn, a woman raced out of a church to tell the people taking photographs outside that what they were doing was not OK. Im going to call the diocese, she said. We have active parishioners in this community that would be very very upset if they ever saw this in a magazine. One could understand where she was coming from. The male model standing in front of a statue that depicted the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary was not exactly pledging fealty to it. He was decked in Balenciaga black, his hair was dyed peroxide blond, and the black makeup around his eyes and white pancaked around the rest of his face was starting to drip in the late day sun. Anyone whos traveled extensively knows that a nation is a mutable concept: borders are drawn and redrawn, places are named and renamed. Such changes are almost always the result of great violence. Not that youd know it from looking at a map, which leaves no space for blood. Video Ts Winter Travel Issue Three writers go searching for echoes of a vanished culture or a resurrected one. - Spain: In the countrys churches and streets, the remnants of eight centuries of Islamic rule are hiding in plain sight. - Singapore: Cuisine is one of the few ways to define Peranakan culture, a hard-to-pin-down blend of ethnic and racial identities. - Tajikistan: While the nations history is being hidden behind glimmering new facades, its artisans hold on to tradition with quiet determination. But if a nation can be reconceived, so, too, can the cultures that lie in or around or, eventually, outside its borders. In this issue, we asked three writers to go in search of a vanished culture or a resurrected one. On her trip to Singapore, the T writer at large Ligaya Mishan found herself questioning the very concept of cultural self-identification while spending time with members of the countrys Peranakan community, the descendants of intermarriages between Indigenous people of the Malay Archipelago and migrants from across Asia. Modern-day Peranakans share no religion, costume, language or even ethnicity, and yet their influence and presence in recent years, she notes, they have been held up as an exemplar of hybridity, the face of a determined, polyglot young country is essential to Singapores understanding of itself. The Cherokee Nation has about 430,000 citizens, Ms. Teehee said, which is more than the combined population of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands, all of which have their own delegates in Congress. So far, the Nation has drawn backing from Native American leaders across the country, as well as measured support from members of Oklahomas congressional delegation, including Representative Tom Cole, a Republican and member of the Chickasaw Nation. The House Rules Committee, led by Mr. Cole and Representative Jim McGovern, a Democrat from Massachusetts, is expected to hold a hearing on the Cherokee delegate in mid-November. Even if control of Congress changes in next weeks midterm elections, that could open the way for a vote before the end of the year. Tribal nations across the United States are closely following the debate, eyeing the possibility that it could set a precedent. The Choctaw Nation may also have the right to a delegate under the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek of 1830, signed before its removal from what is now Mississippi. Similarly, the Delaware Nations treaty with the United States in 1778 could allow its members a delegate. I think youll see a significant outcry from the rest of Indian Country saying, We want one, too, said M. Alexander Pearl, a law professor at the University of Oklahoma and a citizen of Chickasaw Nation. And I think that theyre right. Still, the Cherokees could face headwinds in the deeply divided House. Ms. Teehee is a Democrat and former adviser to President Barack Obama. A spokesman for Representative Kevin McCarthy, the House Republican leader, did not immediately respond to an inquiry about the Cherokees effort. Mr. Cole, the Oklahoma Republican, has said that he doesnt object to seating the delegate, but he also noted that theres a lot of challenges to it, including the question of dual representation in the House. Along the drought-stricken Mississippi River, a world usually hidden beneath the waves has been basking under the sun. In recent weeks, new islands have breached the surface, as have the hulls of sunken ships and a vast array of lost marine equipment. The diminished waterway that remains has been clogged with barges, stuck in the mud or waiting their turn to press ahead down a narrowed channel. Many who live along the river have ventured out, on foot and by boat, to marvel at the unsettling spectacle. Mark Babb is one of them. He has always been drawn to the Mississippi; his father took him camping along the banks when he was a boy, and later, he worked on towboats and as a kayak guide. He was both awed and alarmed by what he saw last month over seven days on his boat, starting in Memphis, pushing his way down the river to New Orleans and then heading back. WASHINGTON It was days before Russias invasion of Ukraine, and Paula and Joey Reed were losing hope of seeing their son, Trevor, freed from a Russian prison. Then a call came from an aide to Bill Richardson. The aide said that Mr. Richardson, a former New Mexico politician known for striking deals with foreign strongmen to free American prisoners, was headed to Moscow to negotiate Trevors release. I said, What about the State Department? Joey Reed recalled in an interview. The aide, Mickey Bergman, replied that the departments attitude had been, butt out of this, according to Mr. Reed, and that the trip was basically a guerrilla operation. Two months later, Trevor Reed, a former U.S. Marine, was free. After more than two years behind bars on charges that he had assaulted two police officers, he was released on April 27 in a prisoner exchange between the Kremlin and the Biden administration. South Dakota officials estimate that 42,500 people would be newly eligible for Medicaid under an expanded program. Some of them are people Mr. Sombke represents. Farmers and ranchers, he said, are small-business men, and they just cant afford insurance. Four rural nursing homes have already closed this year in South Dakota, and a fifth is set to close by the end of this month. Additional federal reimbursement dollars, Mr. Sombke said, might help forestall future closures and prevent people in rural areas from having to drive 60 miles or more for care. He cited a state legislative analysis showing that South Dakota would save $162 million over five years by expanding Medicaid. Using numbers contained in that analysis, proponents of Amendment D have calculated that during the first year of the program, $328 million would flow back into the state from the federal government. Were talking about money that were sending to Washington our own money that we pay, tax money that were letting other states use, Mr. Sombke said. Im sorry, but thats not conservatism. Thats just stupid. Medicaid, created in 1965 under President Lyndon B. Johnson to provide health coverage to the poor, is jointly financed by states and the federal government. The Affordable Care Act, passed in 2010, initially required states to expand Medicaid to cover nearly all adults with incomes up to 138 percent of the poverty level, currently around $19,000 for an individual and $38,000 for a family of four. But the Supreme Court struck down the requirement in 2012. Congress intentionally made expansion a good deal for states, as the Affordable Care Act requires the federal government to pick up 90 percent of the cost for patients enrolled in the expansion program. When Congress passed the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package last year, it increased the incentives for states by offering an additional federal match for two years. Those new incentives have reignited some of the discussion around expansion, said Robin Rudowitz, an expert on Medicaid at the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation. Republicans who had not supported expansion for a long time are starting to think about it. Election Day isnt until next week, but the voting has already begun in much of the country. Most states allow early voting, also known as pre-election voting, which surged in popularity during the 2020 election in response to the coronavirus pandemic. And interest remains high: As of Wednesday afternoon, nearly 30 million early ballots had been cast nationwide, according to data from the United States Elections Project. In Georgia, in-person turnout was up 70 percent in the first five days of early voting compared with the 2018 midterm elections, according to the secretary of states office. The rules vary by state, but there are a few different ways to vote early: Head to a polling place to fill out a ballot in person; drop off a completed ballot at a secure drop box, usually by a polling site or government building; or vote by mail before Election Day. NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. As Senator Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada took the stage at a high school here this week, she was fighting for her political life. Her re-election bid is seen by many as the tightest Senate race in the country. Republicans are throwing money and energy behind her challenger, Adam Laxalt, a political scion who, like Ms. Cortez Masto, is a former Nevada attorney general. Neither candidate could be called an electric campaigner, and Ms. Cortez Masto had a difficult slot that evening: shortly after John Legend and right before Barack Obama. After the appearance by Mr. Legend who recently wrapped up a Las Vegas residency and played a couple of songs on a piano for an adoring audience Ms. Cortez Masto spoke about how her grandfather was a baker from Chihuahua and how, before her, there had never been a Latina elected to the U.S. Senate. Former President Barack Obama used an interruption from a heckler at a campaign rally in Phoenix on Wednesday as a teachable moment, denouncing divisive political rhetoric that he said had spurred a man to attack Speaker Nancy Pelosis husband. Wait, wait, hold up, hold on, Mr. Obama shouted at a man who started yelling as the former president was stumping for Democrats running for some of the states top offices. You have to be polite and civil when people are talking, and then you get a chance to talk. Set up your own rally. A lot of people worked hard for this, Mr. Obama continued. As the boos at the heckler grew louder, he implored the crowd to not be distracted before ruminating on the moment. This increasing habit of demonizing opponents, of just yelling and thinking not just that, I disagree with someone but that they are evil or wrong that creates a dangerous climate, he said. Because if your opponents are demonic, well, then theres no constraint on what you think you can do to them. WASHINGTON The Canadian man accused of attacking Paul Pelosi with a hammer and trying to kidnap Speaker Nancy Pelosi had been living in the United States with an expired immigration status for years, officials at the Department of Homeland Security said on Thursday. David DePape, 42, who the authorities say broke into the Pelosis home in San Francisco on Friday, entered the United States legally on March 8, 2008, from Mexico through a port of entry in California, the department said. Typically, Canadian visitors who travel to the United States for work or pleasure are admitted for six months. Prosecutors say Mr. DePapes intent last week was to take the House speaker hostage, to seriously harm her and to make her an example to other members of Congress. He faces several state and federal charges, including attempted kidnapping, assaulting a relative of a federal official, attempted murder, elder abuse and assault with a deadly weapon. Ms. Pelosi was in Washington at the time of the assault. The attack on Paul Pelosi, 82, who was discharged from a San Francisco hospital on Thursday, comes during a time of heightened politically motivated violence before the midterm elections next week. In recent years, there has been a surge in threats against political figures from both parties. Ms. Pelosi, the second in line to the presidency, has been one of the most targeted figures. At a news conference, Mr. Krasner a second-term Democrat who is facing an impeachment action by Pennsylvania Republican lawmakers who have accused him of failing to address rising crime singled out extremist groups for efforts to disrupt the midterm elections. He criticized members of groups like the Oath Keepers, Proud Boys and the Three Percenters and issued a warning to those who might try to disrupt the election. Your authoritarian, un-American, anti-democratic conduct on Election Day if it is illegal, we will put you in jail, he said. Bad things will happen in Philly to extremists who come here to try to erase votes. He noted that Philadelphia was the biggest and most diverse city in a closely watched swing state in what he called a superheated election. He delivered his message as Pennsylvania with pivotal races for Senate and governor has become an incubator for misinformation and conspiracy. Omar Sabir, vice chair of the Philadelphia City Commissioners, which manages elections and voter registration, sought to assure voters that they would be able to cast their votes freely and safely on Nov. 8, or in advance at drop boxes around the city. He said that about 161,000 mail-in ballots had been received so far, and that more completed ballots were expected be dropped off at one of 18 drop boxes around the city that were under 24-hour video surveillance. Rest assured, Philadelphians, it will be safe for you to vote, the same as its always been, said Mr. Sabir, a Democrat. Philadelphia is the birthplace of democracy, and Ill be damned if democracy dies here in Philadelphia on my watch. Akron, Ohio Akrons City Council on Monday unanimously approved a local election interference ordinance that mandates jail time for violators. The ordinance imposes stiffer penalties for attempts to intimidate an election official and bars unauthorized individuals from loitering in polling places to hinder or delay the election process. It also prohibits unauthorized access to or destruction of election materials. Ms. Terrys family later learned about Mr. Muldavins connection to the disappearance of his wife and her daughter in Seattle. It sure gave me the chills when I read that, Mr. Hanchett said. Last week, at the request of investigators, he submitted a DNA sample to confirm that the body found in Provincetown was that of his biological mother. I couldnt believe when I found out who she was, he said on Tuesday, one day after officials had briefed him on the breakthrough at an F.B.I. office in Troy, Mich. And now Im finding out where she was and what happened. Image Ruth Marie Terry of Tennessee disappeared in the early 1970s. Credit... FBI Ms. Terrys nude body was found on a beach blanket on Race Point Beach on July 26, 1974, by a girl who was hiking with her family. Ms. Terrys hands were missing, presumably removed by her killer so she could not be identified with fingerprints, and her nearly severed head rested on folded jeans, the F.B.I. said. Investigators said she had been killed by a blow to the head, probably several weeks earlier. Detectives canvassed motels and rooming houses, reviewed thousands of reports of missing women, checked every vehicle licensed to drive on the dunes and used clay models to recreate what she might have looked like. But they were unable to identify the woman they called the Lady of the Dunes, and her case haunted a generation of investigators and Cape Cod residents. She was said by the F.B.I. to have been the oldest unidentified homicide victim in Massachusetts. Craig Holman, a campaign finance and ethics expert, has long talked to reporters about issues of money, politics and conflicts of interest. His tart quotes often waft into the digital ether without further notice. That changed last week, when he criticized Fair Fight Action, a politically powerful voting rights group, and its founder, Stacey Abrams, who happens to be running for governor of Georgia. Mr. Holmans boss took notice. The comments came after Politico reported that Fair Fight Action had spent more than $22 million in 2019 and 2020, much of it on a largely unsuccessful voting rights lawsuit charging that Georgias elections process had serious and unconstitutional flaws. The largest chunk of fees $9.4 million went to a law firm run by the campaign chairwoman for Ms. Abrams, Allegra Lawrence-Hardy. The Abrams campaign, Fair Fight Action and Ms. Lawrence-Hardy denied a conflict of interest. But Politico asked Mr. Holman, who works for Public Citizen, an advocacy group founded by Ralph Nader, about this arrangement. NAIROBI, Kenya Ethiopia began taking shaky steps toward peace on Thursday, a day after the government and forces in the northern Tigray region agreed to a permanent cessation of hostilities, a surprising turn of events that could end a two-year civil war one of the worlds bloodiest contemporary conflicts. The deal appears to be a decisive victory for Ethiopias government and its prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, the Nobel Peace Prize winner who prosecuted the war and could be hard for leaders of the Tigray region to sell to their people, experts on the region said on Thursday. The agreement, signed with fanfare in South Africa on the eve of the wars second anniversary, calls for the full disarmament of Tigrays forces within 30 days, according to a copy of the final deal which has not been published, but was obtained by The New York Times. It says that senior commanders from both sides are to meet within five days to figure out how disarmament will happen. The deal also paves the way for Ethiopias federal troops to enter Tigrays regional capital, Mekelle, in a manner that is expeditious, smooth, peaceful and coordinated, and federal security forces to take over all airports, highways and federal facilities within the Tigray region. Those are the troops that have been fighting the Tigrayans for the last two years, and some are accused by human rights groups and the United Nations of carrying out atrocities that amount to war crimes. The search for a larger lesson in the invasion of House Speaker Nancy Pelosis home, chiefly from among the details of the accused invaders life and social media history, has, like so many things in American life, been split by partisanship. The Republican Party and its mouthpieces now regularly spread hate and deranged conspiracy theories, Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, tweeted. It is shocking, but not surprising, that violence is the result. Others, though, have argued that the attackers mental state makes any political cause he latched onto incidental. Just because a debate is partisan does not mean that both views are equally valid. Experts in political violence have argued for years that dehumanizing and apocalyptic language by prominent right-wing figures is helping to drive the rise in far-right violence. Federal agencies call far-right terrorism a growing threat. The man who attacked Ms. Pelosis husband, Paul, may have been inspired by acrimonious political messaging. At the same time, he also may be a troubled loner who latched onto political conspiracies incidentally. The two possibilities are not necessarily in tension. The seafloor plume is hugging the seafloor, he said. Still, the companys own consultants acknowledged it was too early to draw any conclusions. There is really a lot of data to analyze before you can make an assessment of environmental impacts, Thomas L. Johnson of DHI Group, hired by the Metals Company to study the sediment plume, said in a telephone interview from the expedition site. The test mission has experienced some mishaps, including electrical wiring failures related to deep-sea pressures and the dumping of rock fragments and sediment-laden wastewater from the ship, according to documentation reviewed by The New York Times. A spokesman for the Metals Company said the discharge resulted from a surge in water flowing through a sediment-scrubbing device and was not deemed to be a significant hazard or risk to the environment. The test is scheduled to conclude by the middle of this month. Matthew Gianni, a co-founder of the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition, said small amounts of dispersed sediment and the simple removal of the rocks which are a habitat for many seabed organisms may be enough to disrupt life. If you dont even know species that are out there and how they react to this sediment, then you cant make any assertion of what the biological impact of plumes will be, he said. Put the evidence on the table. Submit it to independent scientists to scrutinize and see if their assertions hold up. Until then, we cannot even talk about moving ahead on large-scale mining. The agency, with a staff of about 50, did not send a full-time employee on the expedition, and instead sent a trainee, a Metals Company official said. A Seabed Authority spokeswoman said the agency had tracked the project closely, sent staff to inspect the ships before they left and would do a follow-up visit when they returned to verify that all offshore operations have been conducted in full compliance with relevant regulatory requirements. The test is taking place about 1,100 miles southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico, using remotely operated vehicles because the water is so deep and the pressure so intense it is generally too complicated to send workers. Marine historians say it is probably the largest ever collection of seabed nodules from the mineral-rich area, which is known as the Clarion-Clipperton Zone. LONDON Hating or loving the coconut-and-chocolate Bounty bar, perhaps Britains most controversial confection, is the kind of topic that can cleave a nation in two in a much less harmful way than nations are usually cleaved in two. Recognizing Bountys less-than-stellar reputation, and perhaps trying to profit from people talking about it, Mars Wrigley said on Wednesday that it would test versions of its Celebrations tub, a popular holiday-season collection of chocolates, without the coconut concoction. The news sent Britons scurrying to their sides of the fence, with widespread but unserious arguments breaking out. Typically, the tubs mini-chocolates will be eaten in a pecking order of preference: The Twix and the Maltesers are safe bets to go fast. The Milky Way, Snickers and the Galaxy will likely go, and someone will probably want the Mars bar. But the Bounty bar is often unwanted, the also-ran of sweets, a sad leftover. I notice most people leave the Bountys in the Celebrations tubs, Kadir Hussen, 37, said as he was walking in South London on Thursday. In October, one of Ms. Griners lawyers said that she was increasingly anxious about her chances of being freed in a prisoner swap and struggling emotionally. She is allowed outside once a day at a penal colony outside Moscow, the lawyer, Alexandr D. Boykov, said in a recent interview. He said she walks for an hour in a small courtyard, and spends the rest of her time in a small cell with two cellmates, sitting and sleeping on a specially elongated bed to accommodate her 6-foot-9 frame. Ekaterina Kalugina, a journalist who visited Ms. Griner in her cell in the springtime, said in a phone interview in October that Ms. Griners two cellmates at the time were women who spoke English and were also in prison on drug-related charges. She said that Ms. Griner had been reading a translation of Dostoyevskys novel Demons, a political tragedy. The Biden administration has been trying to negotiate a prisoner swap with Russia to bring home Ms. Griner and Paul Whelan, an American imprisoned on espionage charges, but with no reported breakthroughs and extraordinary tension between the two countries over the war in Ukraine a public pressure campaign from athletes, led by her wife, Cherelle Griner, has intensified. American officials have said the United States has offered to free the imprisoned Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout as part of the deal. He is serving a 25-year prison sentence for conspiring to kill Americans. I was born in France, I am a French lawmaker, and I didnt think that today I was going to be insulted in the National Assembly, said Mr. Martens Bilongo, who represents a district in the Val dOise, north of Paris. I was insulted, as were all people who are in France and have that skin color. Condemnation from President Emmanuel Macrons government was also swift, and lawmakers for his party said that they would not sit in the lower house until Mr. de Fournas was disciplined. The National Assemblys bureau, a top body that oversees its functioning, is expected to convene on Friday to discuss punishment against him, which could range from docked pay to a temporary suspension. Racism has no place in our democracy, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said minutes after the incident, while Gerald Darmanin, the interior minister, tweeted that the far rights hideous references and vile ways remained. Mr. de Fournas said that he would not apologize because his words had been manipulated. He told reporters that he had been referring to the Ocean Viking, a boat carrying the migrants that is operated by SOS Mediterranean, a migrant rescue group that called upon European governments this week to help find a port for 234 people who were rescued while trying to reach Europe. But Mr. de Fournas also reaffirmed that he and his party were firmly opposed to any arrival of migrants. Its in our platform, he said, to stop the role of boats in the Mediterranean that act as migrant smugglers. Mr. Martens Bilongo added in a later statement that targeting the migrants was no better than targeting him. Has racism become so mundane for that phrase to have become acceptable? he asked. The Group of 7 diplomats also planned to discuss a variety of other topics. One is Irans role in helping Russia. The Iranian military has supplied Russian forces with drones to use against Ukraine. Another focus will be the violent response by security forces in Iran to peaceful protests there. There were also scheduled meetings on Chinas presence in Europe and the Indo-Pacific region, stability in Central Asia and issues across Africa. The United States and its European and Asian allies have imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia. But they have been reluctant to completely cut off the main lifeline of Russias economy, oil and gas exports because of the potential effect on world markets. American and European officials fear broad sanctions on Russian energy would lead to a worldwide surge in prices. To avert that, the officials are trying to carry out a complex maneuver: putting in place an oil price cap among at least the Group of 7 nations. That would mean the countries continue to buy Russian oil but at a lower price that they agree to set, essentially operating as a buyers cartel. At a meeting last month in Vienna of OPEC Plus the 13 OPEC members plus 10 other oil-producing nations Russian officials threatened to withhold oil from any country abiding by the price cap. U.S. officials worry that millions of barrels of Russian oil could come off the market, inflating prices. They say Saudi Arabia could choose to help the anti-Russia coalition by increasing oil production, but the Saudis have gone in the opposite direction, joining Russia in leading other OPEC Plus nations in announcing a steep production cut at the October meeting. Saudi officials are opposed to a price cap, saying that would give buyers too much power. However, some officials in Riyadh have indicated that Saudi companies might increase production if the global oil supply drops. By then, Hannah, along with her sister, Rachel, her father and her maternal grandparents, had been taken to the Westerbork transit camp in the Netherlands. (Her mother had died giving birth to a stillborn daughter in 1942.) They would be deported, except for her grandfather, who died at Westerbork, to Bergen-Belsen in February 1944. In early 1945, Hannah learned that some of the women in a group of prisoners who had been moved to Bergen-Belsen from the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp might be from the Netherlands. One day, Hannah stood at the barbed-wire fence that divided parts of the camp. Is anybody there? she called out. She got a response from Auguste van Pels, whose family had gone into hiding with the Franks. She told Hannah that Anne was alive and brought her to the fence. Hannah soon heard her friends familiar voice, weakened by illness and malnutrition. At best, she could discern a shadow of her through the fence. Anne told Hannah that she had nothing to live for, that she no longer had parents. (Her father would survive, but she sensed, correctly, that her mother, Edith, had died in Auschwitz.) She asked for food. Hannah solicited scraps of bread from other women in her barrack and stuffed it into a sock. She threw it over the fence. But another inmate stole it. Anne was crying and crying, Hannah recalled years later. A few days later, Hannah put together another small care package, which Anne received. Russians have been seen in recent days fortifying defensive positions outside the city. The Ukrainian military has reported the movement of heavy Russian artillery to the east bank of the river, a move that it, and some local residents, saw as an ominous sign of preparations to lay the city to waste. I think that they are removing their personnel so that in the case of a breakthrough of the defensive lines, they can easily shell the city, said Ivan, a resident who has remained in Kherson. Any signs of a Russian withdrawal might be a provocation in order to create the impression that they have left the settlements and it is safe to enter them, Natalia Humeniuk, a spokeswoman for the Ukrainian military southern command, said on Thursday. Considering the fact that they have been preparing for street fighting for a long time and the way they are positioning their units, we are aware that this might be a planned tactical action, and we should not be too quick to rejoice. We have to understand that hybrid war involves hoaxes like these, attacks that can be calculated to weaken the troops. A Western official said on Thursday that most Russian commanders had withdrawn from the city, crossing the river to the east, and had left pretty demoralized (and in some cases, leaderless) troops to face the Ukrainian forces. Many of those Russian troops in Kherson are newly mobilized reservists who are woefully equipped and unprepared for combat, the official said. Each side has accused the other of preparing to damage the Kakhovka dam, upstream on the Dnipro, which could flood much of the city and the surrounding country. The dam has the nearest road crossing of the river for Russians west of the Dnipro. In October, the Russian proxy government in the region ordered civilians to evacuate the city of Kherson, ferrying thousands of them across the river but making it hard for them to cross the front lines into Ukrainian-held territory. Ukrainian officials and some locals say people have been forced against their wishes deeper into Russian-held territory, though an unknown number remain in Kherson. Ukrainian officials have said they expect the battle for the city to be brutal, as its loss would be a major strategic and symbolic loss for the Kremlin. And they have warned that Moscow could be trying to create the illusion of a pullback to draw Ukrainian forces into a trap. Internet and telephone service in the city has been unreliable. One resident, Oleksandr, said in a text message that he saw that the Russian flag had been removed from the regional administration building and the so-called ministries as he was driving to the market. He asked that his full name not to be used because of safety concerns. On one hand I was happy to see that, but on the other Im worried that it would be anarchy now, he said. So I bought extra stuff as I dont know whether it would be safe to move around the city in the next days or weeks. There is little evident panic in the city, although people believe that it is a question of time before bombs begin to fall, according to a resident named Ivan. Residents are stocking up on water and nonperishable foods, as well as gasoline and firewood, he said. They are cleaning out and supplying their basements, he said. Over the past two days, Ivan said, he saw occupation authorities dressed in civilian clothes stripping local government buildings of goods, taking away furniture, office supplies and even plumbing fixtures. Uniformed soldiers have become scarce in the city, he said. As battles raged outside the city with Ukraine claiming to have retaken over 100 towns and villages over the past two months across a region about the size of Belgium the occupation administration in charge of the city has very publicly announced its departure. Ivan said he and others fear that may not be a good sign. I think that they are removing their personnel so that in the case of a breakthrough of the defensive lines, they can easily shell the city, he said. KYIV, Ukraine The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine was again relying on diesel generators to power critical cooling functions after shelling cut the plants connection to outside power late Wednesday night. Even with all the reactors offline in what is known as a cold shutdown, essential equipment to cool spent fuel rods needs a constant source of power. It is at least the fourth time the plant has lost its connection to outside power since Russian forces began occupying the facility early in the war. Each time, engineers have raced to make repairs before the diesel fuel ran out. International nuclear inspectors have called the situation unsustainable and precarious. Energoatom, the Ukrainian company that operates the plant, said in a statement that two recently repaired high-voltage power lines had been damaged by Russian shelling around 11 p.m. Wednesday and that the plant had gone into full blackout mode. There is enough fuel at the facility to power generators for 15 days, the company said. Russia deliberately severed the connection to the grid, Energoatom said, as part of their effort to redirect the energy generated by the plant through lines that run south toward Crimea, which Russia has illegally occupied since 2014 and is a critical supply link for Russian forces in Ukraine. After the last votes were counted on Thursday night, Mr. Netanyahus alliance had won 64 seats, giving him a clear majority in the 120-seat Parliament. Mr. Lapids alliance won only 51 seats, amid a near wipeout for the Israeli left. Meretz, a leftist party that has long been a mainstay of the Israeli peace movement, failed to meet the threshold for winning any seats. Mr. Netanyahu may not formally return to power until the second half of November. State protocols mean that the Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, has until Nov. 16 to invite Mr. Netanyahu to assemble a government, and Mr. Netanyahus own coalition negotiations might take even longer. While the coalition led by Mr. Netanyahu would provide a stable government, it could nevertheless unsettle Israels constitutional framework and tear at its social fabric. The far rights strong showing was linked to fears among right-wing Jews about perceived threats to Israels Jewish identity and to their personal safety. A wave of interethnic riots in May 2021 unsettled their sense of security, a feeling that was compounded months later by the inclusion for the first time in Israeli history of an independent Arab party as a small part of a coalition government. Those dual concerns drove some right-wing Israelis to more extreme parties in the most recent election. That has given a platform, mandate and potentially ministerial office to a far-right leader, Itamar Ben-Gvir, who seeks to deport anyone who works against the State of Israel and to give soldiers more freedom to shoot Palestinians. Israels centrists and leftists fear these calls mask far more frightening goals. Many in Israels Palestinian minority, which forms about a fifth of Israels population of 9 million, fear the right-wing stances are code for the expulsion of large numbers of Palestinians. These are difficult days, said Aida Touma-Suleiman, a Palestinian lawmaker in the Israeli Parliament. This isnt the ordinary, classic right that we know. This is a change in which a racist, violent right wing threatens to turn into fascism. One court is hearing all three cases at once, instead of one after the other, slowing down the prospect of a verdict any time soon. In Case 1000, Mr. Netanyahu is accused of accepting nearly $300,000 in gifts from 2007 to 2016 from the Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan and the Australian billionaire James Packer. In return, prosecutors say, the prime minister acted on Mr. Milchans behalf, including pressuring the Finance Ministry to double the duration of a tax exemption for expatriate Israelis like the producer after they return to the country from abroad. The indictment also accuses Mr. Netanyahu of lobbying the U.S. government to help Mr. Milchan renew his American visa and assisting with a merger deal involving a TV channel partly owned by Mr. Milchan. Mr. Packer is not accused of receiving anything in return for his gifts, and he and Mr. Milchan who are not on trial have denied wrongdoing. In Case 2000, Mr. Netanyahu allegedly discussed a quid pro quo arrangement in 2014 with Arnon Mozes, the publisher of Yediot Aharonot, one of Israels leading newspapers. Under the deal, the indictment says, Mr. Netanyahu was to receive supportive coverage from the paper. In exchange, he is accused of agreeing to consider enacting legislation that would curb the strength of Israel Hayom, a rival newspaper owned by Sheldon Adelson, a supporter of Mr. Netanyahu. But Mr. Netanyahu is not accused of following through on that promise. Mr. Mozes, also on trial, has denied any wrongdoing. In Case 4000, prosecutors claim that from 2012 to 2017, a telecom mogul named Shaul Elovitch and his wife granted favors to Mr. Netanyahu and his family in the hope that Mr. Netanyahu would not obstruct the Elovitches business interests. Mr. Elovitch is alleged to have repeatedly allowed Mr. Netanyahu and his family to shape the coverage of his news website, Walla. The Elovitches, who are on trial, deny wrongdoing. Amanda DiMarco didnt expect New York City to pull her back, but it did. Ms. DiMarco, 32, had lived in the area for almost her entire life: She was born and raised in Westchester and spent seven years in Hoboken, N.J., after college. But when her role overseeing client success for a software company went remote in 2020, she sold most of her furniture, put a few things in storage and hit the road with her roommate. The pair, who had been renting a two-bedroom, two-bathroom Hoboken apartment for $3,500 a month, spent the next 13 months crisscrossing the country. They earned loyalty points at Marriott hotels, where Ms. DiMarco would take Zoom calls in the morning before heading out to hike in national parks. It was the biggest self-growth experience Ive ever had, she said. But while she kept expecting to feel a tug in one of the cities she visited between Maine and California, none compelled her to put down roots. I kept expecting to think, Oh, my god, this feels right. I need to be here, she said. Instead, when she made her way back home where her large Italian family still gathers for Sunday dinner every week New York, lo and behold, was what felt most right. [Did you recently buy or rent a home in the New York metro area? We want to hear from you. Email: thehunt@nytimes.com] It was the fall of 2021 rents were climbing, and mortgage rates were near a historic low. Ms. DiMarco, who had been putting aside funds since college, knew she had enough tucked away to make a 25 percent down payment on a home costing up to $650,000. Her ideal spot was in Manhattan, preferably below 23rd Street. She expected to eventually return to her Midtown office, and wasting those hours on a commute was something I didnt want, she said. She knew that her budget and location would limit her to a studio, so she hoped she could find a place that she could eventually operate as a rental. I hope Im not living alone in a studio three years from now, she said. I wanted to be able to rent and gain that income down the road. When she connected with Christiana Beniamino, a real estate agent with Bond New York and an old friend, she was bouncing between hotel rooms in the city and her childhood home in Westchester. She had already been nomadic, and she wanted a stable place, Ms. Beniamino said. Ms. DiMarco began looking at apartments in early 2022. Among her options: Political polarization continues to be a top concern among Americans, yet despite thisor perhaps, because of itmore say they plan to support companies next year that share their values, according to the latest Relevance Report released by the USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations. USCs annual report seeks to identify emerging issues and trends that could affect the communications sector in the coming year. It found that 60 percent of Americans surveyed want corporations to advocate for causes they care about. Nearly half (44 percent) want corporations to donate to nonprofits and 27 percent want them to lobby for regulations and legislation. More than a third (34 percent) want companies to speak out publicly on social issues. When it comes to the social issues Americans care most about, mental health took the top spot, at 34 percent, followed by abortion (31 percent), education and climate change (both 30 percent), gun legislation (29 percent), healthcare reform (28 percent), racial equality (23 percent) and homelessness (22 percent). Immigration and voting integrity (both 19 percent) gender quality and LGBTQ+ rights (both 12 percent) and police reform (11 percent) bottomed out the list. Nearly three-quarters (71 percent) of those surveyed said a companys involvement with social causes at least sometimes influences their purchasing decisions. About the same number (72 percent) said theyd pay more for a product whose brand aligns with their social values, and about a third of those consumers said theyd pay 25 percent or more for that product. Additionally, 46 percent said theyd take a pay cut to work for a company that actively supports causes that are important to them. For respondents under the age of 30, that percentage stood at more than half. The USC report also makes it clear that political division continues to be a major concern for Americans. More than half (56 percent) of those polled said polarization has them worried about the future of the country, and more than half (52 percent) additionally said they believe the U.S. will be more polarized in 2023 than it is now. More than a third (38 percent) admitted that our state of political division has made them angry at times, and 34 percent said it has left them afraid to speak their minds in public. The USC Center for PRs 2023 Relevance Report surveyed 900 Americans in September. The survey was conducted via online survey company Survey Monkey. A MAN whose mother was shot dead by mistake in a Dublin gangland killing in 2017 stole petrol from the filling station in Blueball a few months earlier because he was homeless and living in his car. Tullamore District Court heard that Stephen Corbally (27), with an address at Carmen Hall, Dublin 8 put 35 worth of petrol in his car at Doolan's service station, Blueball on May 10, 2017 and drove off without paying. Mr Corbally pleaded guilty to that theft when he appeared before Judge Andrew Cody. He also admitted driving without insurance and having no driving licence. The man appeared in custody in court because he is on remand in relation to other matters and his legal representative, Aine Rush, BL, said the Blueball offences were only coming to court now because his prosecution had been lost in the system. Sergeant James O'Sullivan said Mr Corbally had no convictions prior to the matters before the court. Outlining the background to Mr Corbally's offences at the Blueball, Ms Rush said he accepted responsibility for committing the offences and had driven without insurance because he had no income to pay for it. He was living in the car after having a negative experience in homeless accommodation and feared going back to it. The theft of the petrol was to manage his lifestyle, said the barrister. Mr Corbally was from a family of six and came from a very fractured childhood, becoming homeless at the age of 18. She said his mother was murdered in 2017 due to a gangland crime where she had not been the intended victim and Mr Corbally had to deal with that. He had been living in a hostel prior to going into custody. Before that, though his education was halted for a period due to homelessness, he did complete the Junior Certificate and then went to college in Athlone where he was doing a hairdressing course. Prior to going into custody he worked as a cleaner and a receptionist, said Ms Rush. When he was 19 he suffered a stroke and though he had no alcohol or addiction issues he suffered from depression and a conversion disorder. Judge Cody noted the pleas of guilty and said he would deal with the matters as if they had been dealt with in 2017 instead of now. For having no insurance he disqualified Mr Corbally from holding a driving licence for two years. He imposed fines of 100 each for having no driving licence and stealing the petrol. Antoinette Corbally (48), a mother of six, was shot dead in Balbutcher Drive, Ballymun on August 16, 2017. A man, Clinton Shannon (30), was also shot dead in the same attack and gardai believed neither he nor Ms Corbally were the intended target. It was reported that the gun attack took place in broad daylight and the killers were armed with a machine gun and a handgun. Gardai said at the time that Ms Corbally and Mr Shannon were innocent victims and two others were also injured in the incident. The intended target escaped injury. One of those injured was Ms Corbally's daughter, aged 18 at the time and pregnant. In May Dublin District Coroners Court was told the gardai had submitted files to the DPP in relation to the double killing. Inquests into the deaths of Ms Corbally and Mr Shannon were adjourned to November 22. The inquests had also been opened and adjourned in November 2017. At that time, the coroner heard that an autopsy conducted by state pathologist Professor Marie Cassidy, found that Ms Corbally died as a result of gunshot wounds to the head and trunk. Mr Shannon, from Lincoln Hall, Applewood, Swords died of gunshot injuries to the neck and chest. AN Offaly milk business, which had only just opened its doors back in 2021, has re-opened almost 12 months to the day after raiders struck. Extensive damage was caused when burglars broke into the Boora Bainne premises off the Tullamore to Cloghan Road. Having only just launched in July 2021, the innovative milk vending service was targeted on October 7th, 2021, but no arrests have been made according to Gardai. "It was a terrible blow having to close so quickly, because we had only just got everything up and going and I didnt think Id be able to recover," said Paul Molloy, proprietor. It is understood the raiders did over 15,000 worth of damage to the vending machines as they searched for cash. Speaking at the time of the burglary, Molloy said, Over 90% of our customers paid by card and only a tiny amount of cash is left in the shop at night made up of 50c, 20c and 10c pieces, so they only got away with a few euros. This time around, security has been strengthened and a new alarm system installed. "We have also added a newly upgraded vending machine and even better, we are managing to source all of our milk bottles from a local supplier in nearby Ferbane," says Molloy. The business venture has had to overcome a host of planning regulations but Molloy says he has found the majority of regulators to be largely supportive of his latest venture not to mention his customers. Getting a risk assessment done on the adjacent road cost over 5,000 and thats just the beginning of all the paperwork needed to comply with local planning laws. "Some suggested I might have been better off just pre-filling the bottles and reducing the risk, but theres something novel about being able to fill up the bottle yourself knowing that what you are purchasing is as fresh as if you milked it yourself. The high quality milk is attracting customers from all over the county and even further afield," says Molloy. "Its nothing like what you would get in the shop or supermarket and has a very distinctive taste, but I cant quite believe how popular it is." Older customers, who used to have their milk delivered locally, will remember the foil-topped glass bottles from back in the day and we are attempting to give people some sense of that," says Molloy. Joe Molloy and his wife Josie, says, "there are customers who come to us regularly with special needs, some of whom are suffering from a whole range of illnesses. While we dont make the claim that our milk has any curative properties, one mother told me, her son will drink nothing else. Its great to hear feedback like that because we are very particular about what we feed the livestock and that tends to be reflected in the quality of the milk. Some might argue its a meal in itself but we have a whole selection of flavours to choose from, so theres no shortage of choice. For more information you can visit: www.boorabainne.com 2008-2022 One News Page Ltd. All rights reserved. One News is a registered trademark of One News Page Ltd. Rumble 29 Nov 2022 Since the war started, the US has sent more than $5o billion to Ukraine. Where has the money gone? We really dont have any.. The foreign ministers of the world's wealthiest democracies are meeting in Germany to discuss further cooperation on Ukraine, dependencies on China and Russia, and Iran's police brutality. NATO head Jens Stoltenberg said Finland and Sweden had fulfilled the conditions for joining the military alliance, although Turkey said it is not yet possible to judge if the July agreement has been fully implemented. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has made clear that Turkey is fine with letting Sweden and Finland wait to join NATO. Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says the candidate countries have met all the conditions. North Korea continued missile launches for a second day, prompting evacuations in Japan, as the world moved to condemn the unprecedented display of military firepower. South Korea's military says North Korea has fired at least one ballistic missile toward its eastern sea, the latest in a series of weapons tests that have raised tensions in the region. Joe Biden has warned Americans that "MAGA Republicans" are "trying to succeed where they failed in 2020" to subvert the will of voters in the upcoming midterms. Newsy 08 Nov 2022 Watch VideoNorth Korea has denied American claims that it's shipping artillery shells and ammunition to Russia for use in its war.. North Korea fired at least one unidentified ballistic missile on Thursday local time, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff , who said it landed in waters off the east of the peninsula. #northkorean #jointchiefsofstaff #east #peninsula #missilelaunch The US president has warned of increased political violence as certain Republicans continue to sow doubt about the integrity of American elections. North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles on Thursday, including one that triggered an alert for residents in parts of central and northern Japan to seek shelter, the latest in a record year... #missiletesting #northkorea NATO members and veto holders the UK, France and the US all objected to the Russian call to investigate supposed "military biological" activities in Ukraine with US support. The 10 non-permanent members all abstained. North Korea has fired a number of missiles, including what is thought to have been an intercontinental ballistic missile that prompted an evacuation warning for parts of Japan. Partner? Competitor? Systemic rival? Germany's chancellor must find a balance on his trip to Beijing. When dealing with Xi Jinping's China, naivety is as ill-advised as hysteria, according to DW's Matthias von Hein. Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan has been shot in the leg in what his supporters say was an assassination attempt. The party of Pakistan's ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan says he was lightly injured when a gunman opened fire at his convoy. The German Foreign Ministry called on all German citizens to leave Iran immediately. The ministry cited the risk of arbitrary arrest and detention as women-led protests roil the Middle Eastern nation. The German chancellor will be the first European leader to visit China since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. While the visit has sparked some controversy, Germany's Automobile Association has signaled its support. Russia has accused the UK of assisting in an attack towards its Black Sea fleet last week, with London rebuking the allegations. Meanwhile, tech giant Microsoft is pledging new aid to Kyiv. DW rounds up the latest. Inspectors were sent to three sites in Ukraine after Russian accused Kyiv of producing a "dirty bomb." The IAEA said its staff were given unrestricted access to the sites in question. DW has the latest. AFP English 04 Nov 2022 Police investigate the scene where former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan was shot in the leg at a political rally. The former.. Authorities suspect the bodies were moved where they were discovered by security officers. Police believe the men are illegal miners. Jerusalem Post 03 Nov 2022 The UN nuclear watchdog said on Thursday it had found no sign of undeclared nuclear activity at three sites in Ukraine that it.. The UK has been told to stop blaming Albanians for the migrant crisis by the country's prime minister. A bystander took a swing at Republican Senate nominee Don Bolduc as he arrived for his third and final debate with Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire. Donald Trump requests that his revocable trust be protected from the $250 million civil lawsuit that New York Attorney General Letitia James has brought against the former president and his family. Pretoria (AFP) Nov 2, 2022 The warring sides in Ethiopia announced Wednesday an agreement to silence their guns after two years of devastating conflict that have claimed thousands of lives and left millions needing aid in Africa's second most populous country. The surprise deal between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government and Tigrayan rebels was unveiled after little over a week of negotiations led by the African Un HONOLULU (AP) The ground is shaking and swelling at Mauna Loa, the largest active volcano in the world, indicating that it could erupt. Scientists say they don't expect that to happen right away but officials on the Big Island of Hawaii are telling residents to be prepared in case it does erupt soon. Here's are some things to know about the volcano. WHERE IS MAUNA LOA? Mauna Loa is one of five volcanoes that together make up the Big Island of Hawaii, which is the southernmost island in the Hawaiian archipelago. It's not the tallest (that title goes to Mauna Kea) but it's the largest and makes up about half of the island's land mass. It sits immediately north of Kilauea volcano, which is currently erupting from its summit crater. Kilauea is well-known for a 2018 eruption that destroyed 700 homes and sent rivers of lava spreading across farms and into the ocean. Mauna Loa last erupted 38 years ago. In written history, dating to 1843, it's erupted 33 times. The Big Island is mostly rural and is home to cattle ranches, coffee farms and beach resorts. It's about 200 miles (320 kilometers) south of Hawaii's most populous island, Oahu, where the state capital Honolulu and beach resort Waikiki are both located. WILL MAUNA LOA ERUPT LIKE KILAUEA? Mauna Loa's eruptions differ from Kilauea's in part because it is taller. It's greater height gives it steeper slopes, which allow lava to rush down its hillsides faster than Kilauea's. It's enormous size may allow it to store more magma, leading to larger lava flows when an eruption occurs. Frank Trusdell, research geologist at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, which is part of the U.S. Geological Survey, said data indicates that Mauna Loa has a much larger magma reservoir than Kilauea, which may allow it to hold more lava and... The Russian ambassador has warned the UK that it is "too deep" in the Ukraine war - but said Moscow would not use nuclear weapons in the conflict. The president warned of escalating threats of political violence after the assault of the husband of Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Mr. Biden asked Americans to vote in the midterms for representatives who would accept the results. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto is trying to hold off her Republican rival, Adam Laxalt, as both parties shovel money into a pivotal contest defined by two of this years top issues. The White House claims that North Korea is secretly supplying Russia with artillery weapons and ammo as yet another US enemy steps up to support Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. HNGN 02 Nov 2022 The White House claims that North Korea is secretly supplying Russia with artillery weapons and ammo as yet another US enemy steps.. A view from atop the rock slide that has closed the Palmer Trail, the loop known as Section 16 in the citys southwest mountains. Paducah, KY (42003) Today Cloudy early. Scattered thunderstorms developing later in the day. A few storms may be severe. High near 65F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Thunderstorms during the evening, then skies turning partly cloudy overnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 31F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - A total of 174 asylum seekers have been evacuated from Libya to Niger, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced here Thursday Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The Founding Committee of the African Investment Bank held here Thursday its second meeting to discuss the communication efforts and contacts with African countries on the finalization of project of this African financial institution Photo: (Photo : Pexels) Anyunna Phillips, commonly known by her students as Miss P., wanted her kindergartner students to affirm themselves one at a time. The teacher went viral as she aimed to instill confidence and build up her students at Barack H. Obama Elementary Magnet School of Technology in Atlanta. She also shared a glimpse of her classroom life with tens of thousands of followers through her Instagram account named @cool.missp, per Good Morning America. One of her popular videos with more than 20,000 likes featured some of her students walking up to a mirror in their classroom and proudly reciting affirmations like "I'm not afraid of anything!" and "I'm strong!" The Georgia teacher keeps a mirror in her classroom decorated with words of encouragement. The teacher encourages her student to use the mirror as a positive tool. The educator said she wanted her students to feel empowered and let them know that they could do anything. Phillips is a passionate teacher who has taught for the last seven years. She chose to teach to make a difference and wanted her students to learn how to be good individuals in this world while helping them build confidence and self-love. Read Also: Why Teens Should Not Wear Hair Ties Around the Wrist? Why is affirmation important among children? Affirmations may appear as mere statements, but little do parents know that these statements can do so much for kids as it helps them to remind themselves that they are worthy of love and can do anything. These statements can gradually become mantras, particularly when said over and over to oneself, out loud or silently. These are usually accompanied by imagining themselves as they make their proclamations; over time, these statements will become beliefs. The teacher said reciting affirmations "sets the tone for the day." Thus, she wanted her students to always remember their capabilities, especially when they believe in themselves. This is the main point of the educator, adding that the affirmation does not end at the mirror as she also reminds them of those affirmations. She said these affirmations boost students' mood, mental health, and social and emotional learning. Affirmations promote a growth mindset and help combat intrusive negative thoughts and emotions, including those pesky A.N.T.s or Automatic Negative Thoughts. Thus, affirmations are a powerful tool for children struggling to manage and handle their feelings, Mightier says. Does positive affirmation/s work in kids? Parents, including adults, can affect the development of the child's brain and mental and emotional health. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy mainly focuses on how thought patterns and self-talk influence the emotional and behavioral state. Thus, kids need to adopt a positive mindset as their brains develop. Phillips encourages others to try it themselves as it establishes a ripple effect, particularly helpful for kids but also applicable for adults. Affirmations can inspire and motivate action on certain things. It also helps a person to concentrate on achieving the goals they have set for themselves. Positive Parenting Project says positive affirmation effectively nurtures a child's well-being as the child learns certain behaviors and wires their brains. Related Article: Five Tips for Parents to Support Children During Competitions Photo: (Photo : Dean Moriarty from Pixabay) A mom and her five-year-old son have been identified as the two victims who died in an apartment fire in Euclid, Ohio on Sunday, October 30. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner identified the two people who perished in the blaze as Gabrielle Lepre and her son, Chase Goodson, Cleveland.com reported. Friends said they were distraught over the deaths of Lepre and Goodson. Joe Farley, who was a co-worker and friend of Lepre, described the 31-year-old as the best mom ever. He said that wherever Chase was, that is where Gabby was. He added that they were always together and Chase was such a bright kid. Goodson was a kindergarten student at Euclid City Schools Early Learning Village. The district issued a statement on Sunday evening, saying that counselors will be available for both students and staff to cope with the tragedy. District to help students and staff deal with the deaths The statement read that they inform with great sadness the loss of one of their Early Learning Village students and parent in a fire yesterday. The statement added that the ELV team will be making phone calls to the families who shared the same classroom as they know the loss of a friend and classmate can be a very difficult experience, especially for young kids. The school's Facebook post included a link that provides resources and suggestions to help kids deal with grief. The statement added that the best support for their kids during this time may be to continue their normal daily routines. That includes attending extracurricular activities and going to school. Euclid firefighters responded to a call at around 8:30 a.m. on Sunday regarding a fire at Aljer Manor Apartments on Euclid Avenue. Authorities forced entry into unit B3 upon arrival. Read Also: Las Vegas Teen Dies From Brain-Eating Amoeba After Swimming at Lake Mead Lepre and Goodson died from their injuries at the hospital They found flames in the kitchen area before finding Lepre unconscious in the living room of the apartment. Her son Chase was located a short time later in his bedroom. Both of them were rushed to local hospitals via ambulance, according to WKYC. The two of them sadly both died from their injuries. All other occupants in the building were fortunate to make it out safely. Crews from Euclid and four other area departments battled the fire for about 15 minutes before getting the blaze under control and preventing the flames from spreading to other homes. Euclid Fire Lt. Bill Mastroianni returned to the scene of the fire on Monday, October 31, with a crew who was off duty over the weekend. Mastroianni and his crew discussed tactics and reviewed what took place there. Mastroianni said that his engine company was not there first, but they did go inside the apartment after the fire was put out to assist with searching for victims. He added that when they went inside the apartment, it was still filled with smoke. Mastroianni said it was near zero visibility in the apartment and there was still a considerable amount of heat inside. Related Article: 25% of Maternal Deaths in the US in 2020 and 2021 Are Due to COVID-19 Photo: (Photo : Pexel/Mehmet Turgut Kirkgoz) It's 2am and the kid is having a bad dream. When hugs fail to soothe his soul, the mother honors his request, granting him to nurse and hold unto the comfort he desires. Relaxation and relief are immediate. Tracy Gillet and his son have been on the breastfeeding journey for 4 and a half years, and she is astonished that they have been taken this far on this intimate journey. Her gratitude just overflows being blessed by this "maternal superpower." When asked how long she was going to breastfeed before, her answer was 2 years max, as that was the recommendation of the World Health Organization (WHO). Yet, now they are 2 years beyond the "2 years max," and she has no regrets. Every day she is able to nourish her 4 year old son continues to be a blessing. An "exceptional encore" even where they are both cheering for more. Occasionally his son breastfeeds to soothe a bump and bruise, whether physical and emotional, and when he does, it's "spiritual gold dust" for Gillet. A few, rare moments of meditation, where the world stops and it's just the two of them. Moments of slowness that gives her space to ponder the pace and direction of our lives. Breastfeeding, a personal decision However, she would not deny the criticisms and the negative comments that abound whenever people hear and see that she is still nursing a 4-year-old child. She has encountered people trying to teach her that if kids already have teeth or can already ask for milk, they are too old for breastfeeding. Worse, she has heard people saying that it is time to give back her breast to her husband or that this mom is "psychologically damaging" her kid. These are all reflections of how the western culture considers breastfeeding beyond babyhood to be "abnormal." Unfortunately, in a lot of ways, whether consciously or not, the precious practice of breastfeeding is sabotage. Gillet believes that the period of time a mother chooses to breastfeed must be a personal decision that should be heard and met with support, not taken away from her because of judgments. "If nursing beyond babyhood is the right choice for you then I encourage you to follow your heart. Find strength in the knowledge that although we may be trailblazers by modern standards, women have been nursing their children beyond babyhood throughout human history. The science is in: breastfeeding beyond babyhood is normal," Gillet proclaimed. Read Also: Study Says Breastfeeding Exclusively Might Not Be Good For Bone Health Science tells that its healthy to breastfeed beyond babyhood Also founder and writer of the award-winning blog, Raised Good, she gives moms and caregivers 5 reasons science proved that there is normalcy in breastfeeding beyond babyhood. 1. Women are designed to nurse beyond babyhood Anthropologist and breastfeeding advocate, Dr. Katherine A. Dettwyler, emphasized that evolution dictates that children expect to be breastfeed for 3 -7 years. The doctor cites numerous anthropological studies, which helps in determining the normal weaning age. According to research, weaning for large mammals occurs after birth weight is quadrupled, and for humans, this occurs around 27-30 months. Other studies show that primates wean when one-third of adult body weight is reached, and for humans, this means weaning should be at four to seven years. Moreover, taking it from chimpanzees and gorillas, they nurse more than 6 times the length of gestation, and for humans that would mean nursing for 4.5 years. Lastly, a lot of primates nurse until the first permanent molars erupt, and for humans, this occurs at around 5.5 to 6.0 years. 2. Breastmilk does not have expiry date KellyMom.com reported that a 448mL of breastmilk supplies toddlers with 29 percent of energy requirements, 43 percent of protein requirements, 36 percent of calcium requirements and 94 percent of vitamin B12 requirements. The composition of breastmilk does change over time but it actually does to compliment the evolving needs of a child. It is false when people say that breast milk has no nutritional value or protective function beyond a certain age. In fact, there was a study published in the journal Pediatrics, which reported that the fat and energy contents in milk from mothers who have been breastfeeding for more than a year were "significantly increased," as well as some immune factors. There have also been studies revealing that breast milk from a new mom and a mom nursing for 3 years can both completely kill bacteria off and that breastfeeding for more than 6 months is associated with a 19 percent lower risk for childhood leukemia. Moreover, a groundbreaking 2010 study showed that breast milk contains a substance named HAMLET which can kill forty different types of cancer cells. 3. Breastfeeding fuels emotional and intellectual intelligence Kids who breastfeed the longest have higher rates of cognitive achievement like IQ scores and grades in school, and a better social development, according to extensive research. Gillet expounded that when children are pushed into premature independence, they feel less secure in that independence as compared to those who have earned it at their own pace. 4. Breastfeeding nourishes a mother's health Studies have revealed that extended breastfeeding can result in a 30 percent reduction in premenopausal breast cancer risk. It delays the fertility by suppressing ovulation, which results in the family achieving a natural child spacing. It reduces the risk of ovarian, uterine, and endometrial cancer, and rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease and post-natal depression. It protects against osteoporosis. 5. Breastfeeding protects kids, no matter the age Breast milk is said to be a unique substance that cannot be replicated. It protects both babies and children against disease no matter their age. WHO proclaimed that an adequate increase in breastfeeding rates could prevent up to 10% of all deaths of children under five. It plays a significant and "sometimes underestimated role" in the cure and prevention of childhood illness. It is also well-known to parents and caregivers that breastfed babies and children are more likely to encounter lower rates of asthma and allergies, and a stronger immune system. Related Article: Wisconsin Mom and Lactation Consultant Share Health Benefits of Breastfeeding Photo: (Photo : Mengyan Wang) Pier Forni, a professor at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore who has written books about manners told The Washington Post that good manners display a way of being caring to others and also make it easier for almost everyone to feel comfortable in social situations. Thus, think of manners as traffic lights for life. Moreover, having good manners will educate kids to respect others and will help others respect them. For instance, saying thank displays appreciation while saying please shows thoughtfulness. In addition, manners show gratitude instead of entitlement which can speak wonders about a kid's personality or behavior. Parents, on the other hand, need to have manners and etiquette for them to have good social skills in order to succeed. Schools play a vital role in also teaching kids about manners and etiquette considering that if kids are not learning such basic skills at home, then the school needs to teach kids those. Otherwise, through subtle social signals, young ones without manners will eventually lose out and never know why. Truthfully, instilling etiquette in your kids is challenging but surely a worthwhile effort. You might think well-mannered children are born rather than raised or that your children will naturally pick those up from only watching those around them. However, while some kids easily understand and apply what they saw around them, it's still important to teach and reinforce important skills to your kids. Read Also: What to Know About the Pine-Sol Recall: Clorox Voluntarily Recalls Tens of Millions of Bottles "Teaching good manners can be a little tricky" As soon as your child began to form a few words herself, you can start teaching her the basic aspects of politeness like saying 'please' and "thank you." So, when they reach three or four years old, your child probably understands that he is expected to treat others in a very polite way. Manners and etiquette in kids increase their confidence as practicing good manners makes one more confident and also increases awareness of your surroundings. Well-mannered kids act as a magnet and draw people towards you. Kids who are respectful and courteous will be immediately noticed by teachers and other parents which can eventually build their self-esteem and independence. Siggie Cohen, Ph.D., a child and family therapist in Los Angeles, California told Very Well Family that "teaching good manners can be a little tricky." Especially if your child's friends are not doing the same thing, your child can be hard to convince to follow even the basic etiquette. Dr. Cohen suggests parents to mixed direct instructions and reinforces expectations with both praise and consequences. Manners are not just a formality as they really matter Dr. Cohen added that in order for parents to teach children manners, they need to focus and settle on which ones they want to teach considering the fact that almost every family will come up with their own certain standards for the manners they expect of their kids. However, there are some manners that many families including parents agree upon such as saying sorry when committing a mistake or admitting one's fault. Moreover, manners and etiquette may include asking before touching other's personal things or being patient and waiting for their own turn, as well as being empathetic and inclusive. You can also teach them to use inside voices to help them keep calm when upset or when negotiating conflicts. Arthur Lavin, M.D., Full Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics or FAAP, a pediatrician at Akron Children's Hospital in Beachwood, Ohio, and a spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics or AAP says that the main key in educating kids etiquette is to fully understand that it's a behavior you want to see in your child. Thus, as a parent, one of your main responsibility is setting up behavioral expectations for your children by teaching them what to do and not to do. Steadfast Academy says that regardless of the race, gender, or nationality of an individual, as well the age, both manners and etiquette are appreciated and recognized. Related Article: Ultimate Guide: Tips on Parents to Stay Calm Under Pressure Photo: (Photo : Pexel/Charles Parker) The Inland Revenue Department of New Zealand is under fire as online criticisms are thrown after tweeting a tax on Halloween treat hauls could benefit kids by learning about responsibility. New Zealand's tax department was forced to apologize for encouraging parents to claim a "lolly tax" of up to 33% from their children's Halloween candy stash, The Guardian reported. In a now deleted Twitter post on their official account, the Inland Revenue Department tweeted Sunday, "Gearing up for Halloween? Fun Fact: Parenting trends like a lollies tax teach kids responsibility by taking some of their lollies and taxing their trick-or-treat haul. The tax can be as much as one-third of the lollies earned on Halloween. Will you be celebrating?" 'The grinch of halloween' The tweet instantly went viral and received backlash and negative criticisms from the public disappointed that after the 'cattle fart' tax issue, the authorities are surprisingly suggesting Halloween 'lollipop tax,' and it isn't at all funny. The former leader of the National party Judith Collins named the IRD "the grinch of Halloween," and expressed that "spookiest thing" this Halloween was to have a peep into the weird thoughts of an IRD tax collector. The backlash pushed IRD to delete the tweet and instead post an apology, expressing sorry if their post has offended anyone at all. Their tweet read that they received some "adverse" online comments against their post and so on reflection, decided to delete it and apologized, according to WION. It can be recalled that this is not the first for New Zealand to make the headlines because of "bizarre policies." Just a month ago, it became the first country to tax cattle burps and urine emissions to curb agricultural emissions. Read Also: Google Co-Founder Larry Page Secures New Zealand Residency for Son's Medical Emergency Powerful 'glimpse' into the NZ government's attitude ACT New Zealand leader David Seymour expressed his anger and frustration over IRD's tweet in a statement published by Scoop. He said that the public got to see the kind of culture the NZ government is setting for its departments, pushing the idea to tax everything they can, even children's lollies. Seymour further stated that they can say that it was just a "light-hearted post," but it actually gave the New Zealnders a powerful glimpse into the character of its government. It reflects that this government does not believe in rewarding people, not even kids on Halloween. More so, it does not want to give but just wants to take. The ACT leader also declared that the post just revealed how "incredibly out-of-touch Wellington bureaucrats are." They believe that responsibility means New Zealanders paying for taxes in order for them to survive, when real responsibility happens through people getting up every morning to work so that they can provide goods and services for their fellow citizens and for their community and create new wealth and opportunities, which ACT could actually do. Related Article: New Zealand Boy Found Lego Piece Stuck in Nose After It Was Lost Two Years Ago This service applies to you if your subscription has not yet expired on our old site. You will have continued access until your subscription expires; then you will need to purchase an ongoing subscription through our new system. Please contact the Parsons Sun office at (620) 421-2000 if you have any questions Videos Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. Back in mid-March, Patently Apple posted a report titled "A Former 10-year Global Supply Chain employee at Apple has been indicted on 5 charges including conspiracy to launder fraud proceeds." At that time, the office of U.S. Attorney Stephanie Hinds put out a press release stating that "52-year-old Dhirendra Prasad of Mountain House has been indicted on five charges, has been charged with conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, along with two counts of conspiracy to launder fraud proceeds. In addition, Prasad is accused of tax evasion and conspiring to help a co-conspirator evade their taxes," reports San Francisco's KPIX news. Late yesterday, the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Northern District of California posted a press release titled "Former Apple Employee Admits Defrauding Apple Of More Than $17 Million," that reads as follows: Dhirendra Prasad pleaded guilty in federal court today to conspiracy to commit fraud and conspiracy to defraud the United States in connection with multiple schemes defrauding his then employer Apple, Inc., announced United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds and Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Special Agent in Charge Mark H. Pearson. In a written plea agreement entered today, Prasad, 52, of Mountain House, California, described that he was employed by Apple from 2008 through 2018 and acted for most of that time as a buyer in Apples Global Service Supply Chain. Prasads responsibilities involved purchasing parts and services for Apple from vendors. Prasad admitted he began to defraud Apple as early as 2011 by taking kickbacks, inflating invoices, stealing parts, and causing Apple to pay for items and services never received. Prasad admitted these schemes continued through 2018 and ultimately resulted in a loss to Apple of more than $17 million. "Prasad admitted his co-conspirators in the fraud schemes were Robert Gary Hansen and Don M. Baker, who reside in the Central District of California. Hansen and Baker each owned vendor companies, and their companies engaged in business with Apple. Hansen and Baker were earlier charged in separate federal criminal cases, and they have admitted their involvement in the schemes. In one of several fraud schemes admitted by Prasad, in 2013 he had motherboards shipped from Apples inventory to Bakers company, CTrends. Baker arranged to have the motherboards components harvested, and Prasad arranged for Apple to issue purchase orders for those harvested components. Baker shipped the harvested components back to Apple, and CTrends submitted invoices to Apple, thus billing Apple for its own components. Prasad caused Apple to pay the fraudulent invoices, and Baker and Prasad thereafter split the proceeds of the fraud. In another example, in approximately 2016 Prasad arranged to have components shipped from Apples inventory located in a Nevada warehouse to Hansens business, Quality Electronics Distributors, Inc. Hansen intercepted the components, removed them from their packaging, placed them in new packaging, and shipped them back to Apples warehouse. Prasad created purchase orders for the components, and Hansen submitted invoices to Apple for them, thus billing Apple for its own components. Prasad caused Apple to pay the fraudulent invoices, and Hansen and Prasad split the proceeds of the fraud. In addition to the many fraud schemes, Prasad admitted he engaged in tax fraud by funneling illicit payments from Hansen directly to Prasads creditors. Prasad also caused a shell company to issue sham invoices to CTrends in order to conceal Bakers illicit payments to Prasad and to allow Baker to claim hundreds of thousands of dollars of unjustified tax deductions. These schemes resulted in an IRS loss of more than $1.8 million. The United States also instituted a civil forfeiture action to forfeit the assets acquired by Prasad with the fraud proceeds, including multiple real properties he purchased and numerous financial accounts containing funds traced to Prasads crimes. These assets have an aggregate value of approximately $5 million. Today, Prasad agreed to forfeit all the assets to the United States. Prasad pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1349, 18 U.S.C. 1341 & 18 U.S.C. 1343, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. He also pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States in violation of 18 U.S.C. 371, which carries a maximum sentence of five years. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. 3553. United States District Judge Beth L. Freeman scheduled Prasads sentencing hearing for March 14, 2023. Prasad remains out of custody pending his sentencing hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Michael G. Pitman is prosecuting the case, with the assistance of Sahib Kaur. Assistant United States Attorney Karen D. Beausey is representing the United States in the civil forfeiture action, with the assistance of Carolyn Caparas. The prosecution was the result of an investigation led by Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation with the assistance of the Special Enforcement Program." Yesterday we linked to a report on the worker exodus at the main iPhone Plant in China due to fears of COVID breaking out in the plant. This morning we reported that Foxconn vehemently denied that there had been deaths in the company's dormitory. If anything, the report showed that the COVID lockdowns and warnings have spooked iPhone assembly workers to leave in droves in the middle of the night. Foxconn's management went into high gear to keep the remaining workers from fleeing. According to a new Reuters report, "Foxconn announced that they would quadruple bonuses to workers at its Zhengzhou plant in central China as it seeks to quell discontent over COVID curbs and retain staff at the giant iPhone manufacturing site. Daily bonuses for employees, who are part of a Foxconn unit responsible for making electronics including smartphones at the site, have been raised to 400 yuan ($55) a day for November from 100 yuan, according to the official WeChat account of Foxconn's Zhengzhou plant. The Zhengzhou plant has been rocked by discontent over stringent measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, with several workers fleeing the site over the weekend after complaining about their treatment and provisions via social media. Foxconn had no choice but to follow government instructions which had put workers in "miserable conditions", a person familiar with the situation on campus told Reuters, adding that the circumstances caught management by surprise. "Initially there wasn't enough to eat or drink," said the source, who declined to be identified as they were not authorized to speak to the media. Essential supplies had since been shipped into the Foxconn campus after the shortage triggered "a sense of anxiety", the source added. The plant had faced capacity constraints in isolating those infected, a Foxconn manager who oversees more than 1,000 workers told a unit of financial news outlet Yicai. Panic also spread among workers due to rumors on social media and perceptions they were at risk of severe illness should they catch the virus, said the unnamed manager. For more, read the full Reuters report. It's being reported today that the Tata Group plans to recruit a large number of workers at its iPhone factory in southern India to further expand its local iPhone foundry business in order to obtain more orders from Apple. It is reported that the plant in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, India, is preparing to recruit as many as 45,000 female workers within 18 to 24 months to further meet the demand for new production lines. The factory, which is said to cover more than 500 acres and assemble iPhone cases , currently employs about 10,000 workers, most of them women. India's Tata Group is one of the beneficiaries of the diversification of Apple's supply chain. Although only a small part of the iPhone and its components are made in India, with the transfer of Apple's supply chain, India's foundry status will gradually improve. In addition, an increase in local component manufacturing will also help India penetrate further into the technology supply chain. Source. Most folks nowadays use Gmail. Known for its intuitive interface, its probably one of the most popular e-mail services around. In just a few easy steps, you can download an email or an attachment. If you plan on deleting your account, you can download all of your Gmail data at once. Lets get right into it. Download an e-mail from Gmail At a glance Time to complete: 5 minutes 1. To download an e-mail from your Gmail account, open Gmail on your Mac or Windows PC and select the e-mail youd like to download. IDG / Marshall Gunnell 2. Next, click the More icon (three dots in a vertical line) in the top-right corner of the e-mail. IDG / Marshall Gunnell 3. Finally, towards the bottom of the drop-down menu, click Download Message. IDG / Marshall Gunnell The e-mail will be downloaded as an EML file and can usually be found in the Downloads folder. To open the file, youll need a desktop mail client. Download an e-mail attachment from Gmail To download an e-mail attachment, open Gmail on your Mac or Windows PC and select the e-mail that contains the attachment that youd like to download. IDG / Marshall Gunnell The attachment can be found at the bottom of the e-mail. Hover your cursor over the attachment and then click the Download button. IDG / Marshall Gunnell The attachment will begin downloading and can usually be found in the Downloads folder. Download all of your Gmail data You can also download all of your Gmail data at once, including unread, read, sent, draft, and archived messages. If your e-mail is part of a school or organization, you may not be able to download certain things, if anything at all. If you have Super Administrator privileges of your own domain, you can download anything. To get started, open your browser of choice and head over to Googles Download Your Data page. All of Googles services are selected by default. If you only want to download your Gmail data, deselect all of the items and then only check the box next to Mail. IDG / Marshall Gunnell Next, scroll to the bottom of the page and click Next Step. IDG / Marshall Gunnell Youll need to choose the file type and size, frequency, and destination. Once youve adjust the settings to your liking, click Create Export. IDG / Marshall Gunnell Google will then begin creating a copy of all of your files from Gmail. This process can take quite some time, ranging from a few hours to even several days. Once the export is finished, youll receive an e-mail with the download link. Related: How to unzip files in Windows 10 The development facility of the eco.business Fund, managed by Finance in Motion, in partnership with Fidelity Bank Ghana, hosted two agricultural summits in Ghana to discuss economical and sustainable solutions to the challenges currently faced by the local poultry sector. The summits offered more than 100 participants a mixture of trainings and knowledge sharing sessions on access to finance for inputs and feeding, sustainable farm management practices, disease control, insurance, as well as how to navigate the current global uncertainty and impact of climate change. Key takeaways from the summits included the need to coordinate feed sourcing by aggregating demand and exploring alternative carbohydrate and protein sources to reduce the cost of production. The summit held in Accra for players in the poultry sector follows a similar one held last month in Sunyani over two days and gathered numerous industry participants such as farmers, experts in animal husbandry, members of GIRSAL and GAIP, insurance companies, agricultural exporters and many more. The initiative is the outcome of the eco.business Funds recent partnership with Fidelity Bank Ghana in supporting sustainable practices across various agricultural value chains in Ghana, including poultry. In addition to financial support, the fund provides technical assistance to the banks staff and end borrowers. Poultry is the most developed livestock farming in Ghana and plays a vital role in providing the countrys population with poultry meat and eggs. The sector is also key in reducing poverty, promoting economic growth, and improving the livelihood of players in this industry. However, it faces considerable domestic challenges, such as the high cost of inputs, diseases, inefficient production methods, inadequate access to the market and poor processing facilities, are putting many poultry businesses out of business and the countrys food security at risk. Other challenges include competition from cheap imports, and access to affordable credit. The adverse effects of changing climatic conditions on the industry are also significant. Prolonged exposure to high temperatures results in excessive panting, poor growth of the birds, reduced egg production, smaller sized eggs, and lower quality eggshells. Fidelity Bank, a leading financial institution and a significant player in Ghana's agricultural business finance space, has supported the sector for many years. The bank believes that preventing a further deterioration in the already fragile sector requires stakeholders to get together to find creative ways of solving the main challenges. Dr. Jens Mackensen, Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the eco.business Fund, said: The support of the eco.Business Fund goes beyond access to finance. These summits, co-hosted with Fidelity, demonstrate our commitment to support farmers and industry stakeholders in the country by equipping producers with the skills they need to withstand potential threats to their businesses and adapt to the challenging global environment and climate change. On his part, the Managing Director of Fidelity Bank Ghana, Mr. Julian Opuni, noted that Ghana's agribusinesses have a lot of potential to contribute to the country's economic development. As a local bank, Fidelity Bank has always explored ways of supporting SMEs. It is thus a fulfilling moment for us to see that this journey in supporting agribusinesses has had a smooth take-off with our poultry seminars held with industry players in the sector. We are confident that the lessons from the discussions and presentations will advance the industry and maximise poultry farmers' returns on investment. The summit held in Sunyani had participants drawn from Ashanti, North East, Bono, Bono East, Upper West, Upper East and Savanna regions while the Accra edition had participants from the southern sector of Ghana. About the eco.business Fund The eco.business Fund aims to promote business and consumption practices that contribute to biodiversity conservation, to the sustainable use of natural resources, and to mitigate climate change and adapt to its impacts in Latin America and the Caribbean, and sub-Saharan Africa. The fund pursues its mission by providing dedicated financing and technical assistance to financial institutions and businesses committed to sustainability and focuses on four economic sectors: agriculture and agri-processing, fishery and aquaculture, forestry, and sustainable tourism. By leveraging the power of blended finance, the fund is able to amplify its impact and outreach by drawing its capital from various layers and investing either via financial intermediaries or directly in businesses. An impact investment fund advised by Finance in Motion, the eco.business Fund was initiated by Germanys KfW Development Bank and Conservation International with financial support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the European Union. The funds impact management system, through its advisor, Finance in Motion, underwent an independent verification by impact auditor BlueMark affirming strong Operating Principles for Impact Management alignment in 2021. For more information, please visit www.ecobusiness.fund and follow us on Twitter @ecobusinessfund 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 With the cedi falling and performing badly against the foreign currencies, particularly the US Dollar, pressure mounts on the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to sack Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta or have him resign from his office. About Eighty (80) Members of Parliament(MP) together with many Ghanaians are demanding the heads of the Finance Minister and the Minister of State at the Finance Ministry, Charles Adu Boahen, claiming they are incompetent to carry on with their positions. As the pressure builds up on these two leaders, the Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr. Ernest Addison is also not spared. Contributing to "Kokrokoo" discussion programme on Peace FM Thursday morning, Dr. Benjamin Otchere-Ankrah, a Governance Lecturer at the Central University, says the BoG Governor must resign. He partly blamed the Governor for the steep fall in the cedi, saying the latter is fully aware of the factors causing the depreciation but not doing anything to curtail them. To buttress his point, he stated that there are some workers at the Bank of Ghana who send their children to schools charging tuition fees in dollars and also added that there are currently some real estate businesses and other companies that quote their figures in dollars. He wondered why this is going on under the watch of the Governor. "Is the Governor of Bank of Ghana still around? If I were you, Governor of Bank of Ghana, I would have resigned . . . He should exit his office; if he doesn't leave, President should fire him. He is not at the top of affairs," Dr. Otchere-Ankrah fumed. 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 The Ghanaian Academic and Research Network (GARNET) and the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Ghana (CARLIGH) have agreed to cooperate towards the delivery of relevant infrastructure and interoperable open scholarly services to enhance the delivery of research, teaching and learning in higher education institutions in Ghana. The two organisations have signed a memorandum of understanding to guide their steps in this cooperation. The signing ceremony was held at the LIBSENSE National Open Science Symposium in Accra on October 19, 2022 The move by GARNET and CARLIGH demonstrates their alignment with trends in scientific research and scholarly publishing championed by the open access and open science movements. Under this cooperation, the two organisations, with the support of the Library Support for Embedded NREN Services and E-infrastructure (LIBSENSE) and the West and Central African Research and Education Network (WACREN), will explore the use of federated identities to simplify access to academic and research services. When realised, all libraries, researchers and students under the GARNET, CARLIGH umbrella will have a single sign-on credential to access library resources and services across Africa and the World. Under this MoU, the two organisations will also explore the provision of national platforms for repositories and scholarly publishing, data management services and storage, library management systems, learning management systems and other systems relevant to their respective communities. GARNET and CARLIGH have also agreed to cooperate on capacity building to enhance the skillset and delivery of academic services and explore ways of improving membership to ensure quality service delivery to their communities. It is expected that the outputs of the efforts by the two organisations will foster robust, open science practices and culture within Ghana's research and education landscape. About GARNET GARNET is a not-for-profit organization open to all accredited tertiary institutions in Ghana including research and educational institutions, Libraries and teaching hospitals. It is established for the purpose of promoting research collaboration among researchers and educators locally and internationally. The Vision of GARNET is to build and operate a World-Class Network Infrastructure and services to link all the Ghanaian Research and Education community to support teaching, learning and research among all public and private institutions of higher education in Ghana, and by extension, connect its members to the Global Research and Education Network communities. Currently, GARNET has close to 40 members. See here https://garnet.edu.gh/ for more information on GARNET. About CARLIGH The Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Ghana (CARLIGH) was founded in 2004 to ensure continued availability and access to library and information resources as well as to conduct training for members. It envisions to be a centre of excellence in all formats for teaching, learning research activities in Ghana. CARLIGH has 42 members, including public and private universities, technical university libraries among others. More information on CARLIGH here - https://www.carligh.org/ About LIBSENSE LIBSENSE (Library Support for Embedded NREN Services and E-infrastructure) is a WACREN-led programme aimed at building a community of practice for open science and progressing the adoption of open science services and infrastructures in Africa. This Africa-wide programme provides an avenue through which different stakeholder communities collaborate to define priority activities, share knowledge, and develop relevant services. LIBSENSE is making strides towards advancing open science through strengthening and expanding services at the institutional, national, regional and continental levels. Read more about LIBSENSE here - https://libsense.ren.africa/en 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 Mr Daniel Mpeng Bayoi, a portfolio Management Officer at the African Development Bank (AfDB), says the financial institution will continue to support Ghanas development agenda, particularly, in the cocoa sector to grow the industry and improve the lives of cocoa farmers. Such support, he added, is in line with the development banks drive to play a leading role in Africa's economic transformation. Mr Bayoi said this when a delegation from AfDB and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) was led on a tour to assess the progress of the ongoing cocoa rehabilitation exercise at Sefwi Wiawso in the Western North Region. The team also visited some nursery sites and other projects being jointly funded by the two development partners. In 2020, AfDB, JICA and other co-financiers signed a facility with Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) to support various projects within Ghanas cocoa industry. The projects primarily targeted support for cocoa productivity through infrastructure support to cocoa value addition and consumption. Mr Bayoi said the Loan Facility given to COCOBOD for projects within the cocoa sector has begun to pay off and expressed pleasure at the effort made by COCOBOD to improve the industry. Coming to the field has given us an opportunity to experience the tangible impact of the intervention funded with the facility, he emphasized. The Acting Executive Director of the Cocoa Health and Extension Division (CHED), Rev. Edwin Afari, who led the delegation to the farms in the Aboagyekrom and Boako Districts, said the Management of COCOBOD is keen on restoring all cocoa farms affected by the Cocoa Swollen Shoot Virus Disease (CSSVD) to increase the country's production and thanked the team for solidly rallying behind the Board in that regard. Pointing to one of the treated farms, Rev Afari said, This farm is 65.65 hectares and COCOBOD has managed it for the past two years, aside the cocoa you see on the farm, there are other economic trees and the farmer is benefiting greatly because of the financial investments given to us by your outfit. The team again was at a 100-hectare Plantain Sucker Nursery site owned by Kumad Afarinik in the Dadieso District to inspect the progress of work at the site. The site is one of the sources of suckers for the rehabilitation and replanting process. Professor Ofosu-Budu, who received the delegation explained that the plantain suckers are planted to serve as temporary shade trees for newly transplanted cocoa seedlings on farms during the rehabilitation, adding that they also serve as alternative livelihoods for farmers as the cocoa grows. The plantains we nurse here are given to the farmers free of charge to plant. When they harvest, they sell them for extra income while COCOBOD continues to manage the farms for 2 years as part of the programme, he noted. The delegation also had the opportunity to interact with some beneficiary cocoa farmers in the Boako District. The farmers expressed their gratitude to COCOBOD and the financiers for contributing positively to the sustenance of the sector. 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 Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI) has urged the public to desist from encroaching on lands set aside for earth observatory activities. According to the Ministry, the operations of bodies such as the Ghana Radio Astronomy Observatory and the Ghana Space Science and Technology Institute (GSSTI) rely on the transmission of waves which could be affected by appliances such as microwaves and mobile phones. Speaking on the sidelines of the ongoing Group on Earth Observations (GEO) in Accra, the Chief Director of MESTI, Cynthia Asare Bediako warned that such devices could distort the information that was being gathered by critical players in Ghana's earth observatory space. Madam Bediako noted that Ghana had developed a space policy that she indicated would elevate the Ghana Space Science and Technology Institute (GSSTI) to the status of authority as part of its implementation. She said the elevation of the GSSTI would enhance and empower it to enhance earth observatory activities in Ghana. She also assured of the government's commitment to supporting findings and outcomes from the GEO week, adding that the symposium provided the Ministry with the opportunity to outline its programmes and policies. GEO Week Ghana is hosting GEO Week 2022, the 18th Annual Meeting of the Group on Earth Observations (GEO), from Monday, October 31 to Friday, November 4, 2022, at the Accra International Conference Centre. Amid mounting environmental challenges and rapid technological advances, the meeting will make evident how global partnerships are accelerating the use of Earth observations to inform better local decisions on issues such as climate adaptation as well as food and water security. Earth observations are data and information collected about our planet. This includes satellite data, as well as in situ data collected on the ground. GEO is a global partnership that works to make these observations openly available around the world. It also convenes partnerships which produce Earth observation-based tools and services to enable better decisions, policies and investments. Ghana, represented by the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), has been a member of the GEO since 2010 and is honoured to host GEO Week 2022. The event will feature several high-level speakers, including H.E. Vice President of Ghana, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, who will deliver the keynote address during the Opening Session of the Plenary on Wednesday, November 2, 2022, at 9:00 am. Other high-level speakers include Ghanas Minister responsible for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), Dr. Kwaku Afriyie; Ghanas Minister responsible for Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Samuel Abu Jinapor; Dr. Thembi Xaba, Managing Director, Digital Earth Africa; Dr. Paul Desanker, Manager, Adaptation Division of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC )Secretariat; as well as Ms. Nicole LeBoeuf, Assistant Administrator, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Ocean Service. Efforts As part of efforts to combat land degradation and desertification in both urban and rural areas in Ghana, the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR) will next year introduce Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) programmes at the postgraduate level. According to the Vice Chancellor of UENR, Professor Elvis Asare-Bediako the institution will draw on over 10 years of experience and expertise of its staff to support Ghanas contribution to the objectives of the UNCCD by introducing Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) programmes at the postgraduate level to build resilience on sustainable land management and restoration, advance inclusive, and sustainable development. He said the university was working tirelessly to start its graduate courses (MSc., MPhil., PhD) in Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) under the School of Mines and Built Environment. "Hopefully students would be admitted into these programmes starting January 2022. Moreover, the School of Science was on March 11, 2022, officially given approval to host the Digital Belt and Road (DBAR) Initiative for Big data for SDG in the sub-region," Asare-Bediako said in a separate interview at the ongoing Group on Earth Observations (GEO) in Accra. "Plans are underway to officially launch it. Having this Centre would contribute to making sound informed decisions on developmental matters and SDG 14 (Life below water) and 15 (Life on land)". Source: graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Police in Tepa in the Ahafo Ano North district of the Ashanti region has arrested Tepa-Danyame New Patriotic Party(NPP) Polling station Chairman for murder. Kwaku Seidu alias Kukrudu believed to be in his 50s shot his wife over a disputed family land he attempted to sell to settle his debt and provide money for the family upkeep a week ago. Kwaku Siedus two wives, upon hearing their husband's decision, reported him to the Danyame Zongo Chief Nana Mazua. Provoked by the action taken by his wives, the NPP chairman pulled a short gun in front of the Zongo Chief in his Palace and shot one of his wives identified as Sister Adwoa dead right in front of his family members while settling the misunderstanding between them. Frederick Nyamekye, assembly member for the Danyame electoral area said angry community members provoked by the NPP Chairmans action, almost lynched him. He was, however, saved by the timely intervention of the police from the Tepa district command. He is currently under arrest and admitted at the Tepa government hospital for treatment under police surveillance following the assault. The lifeless body of the deceased mother of three is deposited at the hospitals morgue for preservation. Source: starrfm.com.gh Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Director of Caritas and Socio-economic Development of the Arch Diocese of Cape Coast, Very Rev. Father Stephen Amoah Gyasi, has humbly called on President Akufo-Addo to step down if he cannot fight the galamsey activities with all the power vested in him. The priest was worried about the deteriorating state of the river bodies, which has negatively impacted the Agric sector, making it difficult for farmers to use this water for their food crops. He made the statement in an interview with Kwame Owusu Asante Shadrack of Angel News during a collaboration with the Rotary Club of Canada, which Commissioned a Mechanized borehole worth 10,000 dollars at Assin Domeabra in the Assin South District. The project, according to the club, will benefit a population of over 1,200 who have been struggling to get portable water in the area. It is so pathetic how our water bodies have been destroyed as a result of the galamsey activities. When you mentioned the name Assin Fosu, it was first known by the River Pra, but as it stands currently, one cannot fetch water from the same river to even water crops. I believe that when theres an elderly person in the house, and he overlooks wrongdoing, he becomes the first that comes to mind whenever the wrongdoers are being counted. So, therefore, it is time we all showed interest in the fight because we all have a role to play to ensure we end it, he said. According to Rev. Father Stephen Amoah Gyasi, the president, in his capacity, has the mandate to stop the practice because the powers vested in him cover everything in the country, including the lands in which these activities are being carried. He was, however, quick to indicate that If he [Akufo-Addo] cannot do that, then he should give back the votes we gave him so that we find someone who can do that job. When you are given a position, and you cannot possess it well, then He used the opportunity to ask other stakeholders, such as Chiefs, Religious bodies, and government officials, to join forces to bring a halt to the galamsey menace to protect water bodies. A member of the Rotary Club of Canada who funded the project, Kim Spirou, noted she was surprised by how people struggle to access water for their household chores whiles the situation was different in Canada. She revealed that the project is her 53rd water project under her leadership in the Central Region and pledged to do more until everybody in the region gets access to good drinking water. The elated residents thanked Rotary Club for their support of the water project and promised to maintain it to achieve its purpose. Source: ghanaweb.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 HAUSA YOUTH GHANA, a non-governmental organization, has commended the Zongo Development Fund (ZoDF) for contributing to the success of this years celebration of the World Hausa Day. The celebration which was observed on August 26, 2022 was marked by several activities aimed at promoting the development of the Hausa language was under the theme Hausa, an Indispensable Tool in Ghanas Development. Presenting a citation to Obrempong Dr. Arafat Sulemana Abdulai, Chief Executive of the ZoDF, on Thursday, October 27, 2022, an Executive of Hausa Youth Ghana, Alhaji Rabiu Maude expressed the collective gratitude of the entire Hausa and Zongo communities in Ghana to ZoDF for their presence and financial assistance towards a highly acclaimed programme. He said the level of cooperation, understanding and amity between HYG and ZoDF underscores the mutual quest for development, peace and progress in Zongo communities. The theme for this years programme which focused on education corresponds with the mandate of the Zongo Development Fund in the areas of education, skills training and economic empowerment. Alhaji Maude stated that the HYG was established to use the hausa language as a unifying force for development and to exhibit the culture and tradition of Zongo communities as tools for progress, unity and peaceful cohabitation. He said the HYG has decided to accord recognition and appreciation to the Zongo Development Fund for its commitment to fostering fruitful relationships anchored on a mutual vision for the betterment of Zongo communities. Alhaji Maude assured Dr. Arafat that the doors of ZYG are always open in the quest for a fair share of development in Zongo communities. Responding to the gesture by ZYG, Dr. Arafat thanked the organization for the honour and recognition. He said the ZoDF considers ZYG as an important stakeholder in the development of Zongo communities. He enumerated the over 500 projects executed by the ZoDF and reiterated the commitment of the Fund to ensuring the entire over 3,000 Zongo communities in Ghana benefit from the programmes, projects and interventions of the Fund. Dr. Arafat conveyed the readiness of the Fund to partner the ZYG in its initiatives targeted at the development of the youth, particularly, of Zongo communities. Hausa language is widely used in West Africa, Central Africa, North Africa and in the diasporas. Other officials of HYG at the meeting were; Alhaji Sidi Ali; Alhaji Murtala Alhassan; Alhaji Garba Talle and Ahmed Ayuba of the Corporate Affairs and Public Relations Department of ZoDF. Source: Ahmed Ayuba, Corporate Affairs and PR Office Zongo Development Fund 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 planned strike by pilots at Kenya Airways (KQNA.NR) would jeopardise the airline's recovery from the pandemic and would be unjustified, the company's board said on Wednesday. KALPA, a union that represents more than 400 pilots at the carrier, issued a notice that is set to trigger a strike at midnight on Wednesday over a dispute involving pensions, accrued back salaries and other complaints. "None of the grievances advanced by KALPA merits an industrial strike," the board said in a statement, adding all pay deals with unions must reflect the company's effort to return to profit. "It (a strike) will delay and disrupt the financial recovery," the board added. In a separate statement, Kenya Airways put estimated losses if the strike goes ahead at 300 million shillings ($2.5 million) per day. KALPA, which has been ordered by a court not to proceed with the strike, declined to comment. Muriithi Nyaga, its general secretary, told Reuters the union would issue a statement when it was ready to. If the strike goes ahead, it will paralyse travel in one of Africa's key aviation hubs, which serves business and leisure travellers. Kenya Airways ferried an average of 8,000 passengers every day in the first half of this year. The union is demanding the airline restarts contributions to its staff pension fund, stopped during the pandemic, and the payment of all back salaries that were accrued at the time. Like other airlines, Kenya Airways grounded its fleet and deferred pay for workers when the pandemic took hold. The board said it had been making progress, with all workers now getting full pay every month and some extra cash towards gradually settling the deferred pay. Nyaga did not comment on that or the court injunction against the planned strike. The union is also demanding the sacking of the airline's CEO Allan Kilavuka. The board said it had full confidence in Kilavuka. The financial turmoil at Kenya Airways preceded the pandemic. The airline sank into heavy losses after it took on huge debts to purchase new aircraft, at a time when its passenger business slumped mainly due to frequent militant attacks in Kenya. Source: Reuters 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 James Kwabena Bomfeh, a former Acting General Secretary of the Convention People's Party (CPP), has rubbished the calls on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to take responsibility for Ghana's economic turmoil. Some critics, after listening to the President's address on the economy televised on Sunday, October 30, 2022, say they are disappointed in him because he didn't admit his faults with regard to how he is running the economy. To them, the President should have rendered an apology to Ghanaians to show remorse for the difficulties that the citizenry are facing in their daily living. But to James Kwabena Bomfeh, a.k.a Kabilla, the President owes no one such apology. Discussing the President's address during Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" programme, he questioned the critics' logic in blaming President Nana Akufo-Addo as he wondered if the President is the cause of the crises that have devastated the country. "Should the President say he is the cause of COVID? Should the President be blamed for the senseless invasion of Ukraine by Russia? Should the President admit that he advised Putin to do that?", he further asked. 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 Minister for Central Region, Kwamena Duncan, has charged Ghanaians to be resolute in their faith that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will salvage the economy. Speaking on Peace FM's morning show 'Kokrokoo', Kwamena Duncan hailed the President on his nation address on Sunday, October 30, 2022 on the state of Ghana. The Minister believed the President touched on all salient areas affecting Ghanaians and well-outlined how his government is going to restore the economy to bring relief to the grieving Ghanaians. To him, what the citizens need to do following the President's assurance of a better Ghana under his administration is to rally behind him to realize this vision. "Let's not do anything that will draw the progress we intend to make to overcome this difficulty [this challenge], will draw this progress back," he said. 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 Acting General Secretary of the Convention People's Party (CPP), James Kwabena Bomfeh says Ghanaians should cut President Nana Akufo-Addo some slack. The President has come under a barrage of criticisms even after he addressed Ghanaians on the economy and things his government is doing to restore the country. The President touched on various sectors of the economy and proffered his solutions. Highlighting some measures the government is undertaking to address the plight of the populace, the President said; "We are in a crisis, I do not exaggerate when I say so. I cannot find an example in history when so many malevolent forces have come together at the same time. But, as we have shown in other circumstances, we shall turn this crisis into an opportunity to resolve not just the short-term, urgent problems, but the long-term structural problems that have bedeviled our economy. "I urge us all to see the decision to go to the International Monetary Fund in this light. We have gone to the Fund to repair, in the short term, our public finances, and restore our balance of payments, whilst we continue to work on the medium to long-term structural changes that are at the heart of our goal of constructing a resilient, robust Ghanaian economy, and building a Ghana Beyond Aid. "I am able to report to you, my fellow Ghanaians, that the negotiations to secure a strong IMF Programme, which will support the implementation of our Post COVID-19 Programme for Economic Growth and additional funding to support the 2023 Budget and development programme, are at advanced stages, and are going well." But some critics say the President's speech was inadequate because he only gave peripheral details on how he is going to rescue the economy from its ruins. Responding to the critics, James Kwabena Bomfeh read out paragraph 24 of the President's speech stressing President Nana Akufo-Addo provided the basis for not getting into specifics of his plans to revive the economy. " . . Let me try and give you an outline of the main decisions without getting into the technical language that baffles many of us," he quoted from the President's address. To James Kwabena Bomfeh, a.k.a Kabila, this line should be enough to satisfy the critics' curiosity to knowing more about how the President intends to fix the economy. "If the person said I am giving an outline and the details will come later and you say he didn't give details, I'm wondering if you listened to him . . . He set out that he wasn't coming to do a thorough detailed presentation and I feel we owe him that," he said on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" show. Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Mayor of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), Sam Pyne, has replied critics bashing President Nana Addo for not accepting responsibility of Ghana's economic problems and rendering apology to Ghanaians. The President, during his nation address on the economy on Sunday, October 30, 2022, admitted the country is in crises but assured Ghanaians his government is working assiduously to restore the economy. "We are in a crisis, I do not exaggerate when I say so. I cannot find an example in history when so many malevolent forces have come together at the same time. But, as we have shown in other circumstances, we shall turn this crisis into an opportunity to resolve not just the short-term, urgent problems, but the long-term structural problems that have bedeviled our economy. "I urge us all to see the decision to go to the International Monetary Fund in this light. We have gone to the Fund to repair, in the short term, our public finances, and restore our balance of payments, whilst we continue to work on the medium to long-term structural changes that are at the heart of our goal of constructing a resilient, robust Ghanaian economy, and building a Ghana Beyond Aid. "I am able to report to you, my fellow Ghanaians, that the negotiations to secure a strong IMF Programme, which will support the implementation of our Post COVID-19 Programme for Economic Growth and additional funding to support the 2023 Budget and development programme, are at advanced stages, and are going well," he stated. But critics want the President to apologize to the citizenry claiming he is the cause of the economic turmoil in Ghana. They are unhappy that the President didn't accept blame and show his remorse during his address. But to Sam Pyne, what the critics are saying is neither here nor there. Speaking on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" morning show, he wondered if they heard nothing at all from the President's speech and argued the President cannot know every person's want for him to have touched on during his address. Responding to them, he said; "So, at least with the about 12 points that the President laid out, didn't they hear anything at all about it? I, Sam Pyne, too wished the President had told us that he was sending the sea from Accra to Kumasi for me to catch fresh fish from it to eat because I don't like imported fish anymore." 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 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. A Suncor logo is shown at the company's annual meeting in Calgary on May 2, 2019. Suncor Energy Inc. is reducing the size of its contractor work force by 20 per cent as part of its effort to improve safety and performance at its oilsands operations. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh An empty hallway is seen at McGee Secondary school in Vancouver, on Sept. 5, 2014. The Ontario government is expected to pass legislation today that will impose a contract on 55,000 education workers across the province ahead of a planned walkout. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward The City Creek king salmon release site will close after a decision was made by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and the Southern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association (SSRAA). The decision to close the release site comes as a result of a combination of factors according to sources from the two organizations. The City Creek release site was a collaboration between Fish and Game and the SSRAA which utilized funding from the Pacific Salmon Treaty mitigation funds and saw its first release in 2014 according to Patrick Fowler, the Southeast Alaska Management Coordinator with Fish and... Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print A Pennsylvania Democrat running for a state House seat called 911 after being assaulted at his home, in what he says is the third time in two weeks hes had to call the police due to incidents at his home. A candidate running for a state House seat called 911 Monday morning after being assaulted at his Fayette County home in what would be the third time in two weeks he has had to call police to his residence, Pittsburgh Post Gazette reported just days before the midterms. Democrat Richard Ringer said he was bloodied and knocked unconscious by an attacker in his backyard around 5 a.m. A guy was standing with his back to me. I went and bear-hugged him, wrestled, ended up on the ground, said Mr. Ringer, 69, who is running in a contested race for the open 51st House District seat against Republican Charity Grimm Krupa. He was larger than I am and he pinned me down on my left side. He hit me 10 to 12 times in the head, in the face and by the eye and he knocked me out. Their report was originally posted on October 31, but reads November 1. Ringer is a Democrat who was a former reporter for the New York Times, Uniontown mayor and Journalism professor. He is running for a seat being vacated by the Republican due to his being arrested for driving under the influence. Republicans replaced state Rep. Matthew Dowling with attorney Charity Grimm Krupa on the ballot. CBS News confirmed that the state police are investigating. They report, He (Ringer) does believe it was targeted. The Democratic Party of Fayette County calls the alleged attack despicable. I personally believe it was political, I truly do, party chairperson George Rattay told CBS. What happened to Nancy Pelosis husband happened to one of our candidates. Authoritarian expert and author of Strongmen (which everyone should read) Ruth Ben-Ghiat advised above a tweet of this story: This is what authoritarians do. They beat up opposition candidates, hoping they will be too afraid to run. This is how you win elections when you cant prevail in the popular vote: you use violence to clear the field of the competition. A challenge of reporting the rise in violence and threats is that it can dampen turnout and create more fear, which is what the terrorists want. So heres a reminder sent to CBS from the Pennsylvania Department of State that they and the federal government are on this and they will do their best to keep this election safe and theyve been trained by the Department of Justice task force and the Department of Homeland Security on identifying and mitigating threats: The safety of voters and election workers is a priority. The Department of State takes any reports of intimidation or threats very seriously and will report all threats to the appropriate authorities to thoroughly investigate any allegation brought before them. While we cannot share the details of specific reports of threats, the Department of Justice task force, through the FBI field offices, has shared intelligence, provided training resources on identifying and mitigating threats, and has been responsive to reports received from the department and county officials. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has also worked directly with Pennsylvania counties to conduct risk and vulnerability assessments to identify opportunities for counties to enhance their physical and network security posture. Ben-Ghiat continued with what is absolutely necessary advice, even though its the last thing you want to do: Please send this to GOP voters you know and ask them if they approve of violence against members of another political party. Frame it as q of freedom and individualism. If they answer yes, ask them WHY. Have discussions w/GOP-voting friends and family using this as a prompt. Her advice is important, because our media isnt doing the job of calling out this terrorism nor are they willing to try to deradicalize this entire terror cell by holding Republican leadership accountable for their depraved lack of decency. The fact is that the overwhelming amount of murders by extremists come from the right-wing. So while its important to note the rise in threats and violence, its also important to be specific about where the majority of it is coming from and that is from the right. Republicans have endorsed political win by terrorism and violence, to replace elections. People who refuse to tell their base the truth about the 2020 election, who mock and make light of the savage attack on Paul Pelosi, and who are currently threatening and intimidating voters arent doing so because they feel they can win at the ballot box. They do these things because they know if everyone votes, they lose. The election is November 8th. Make sure you vote. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print In a powerful speech, President Biden said democracy is under attack in the United States because of Donald Trump and his big lie. Video: Biden said: American democracy is under attack because the defeated former President Of The United States refused to accept the results of the 2020 election. He refuses to accept the will of the people. He refuses to accept the fact that he lost. He has abused his power and put the loyalty to himself before a loyalty to the constitution. He has made a big lie, an article of faith in the MAGA Republican Party, a minority of that party. The great irony about the 2020 election is that its the most attacked election in our history and yet, there is no election in our history that we can be more certain of its results. Every legal challenge that could have been brought was brought. Every recount of that could have been undertaken was undertaken. Every recount confirmed the results. Wherever factor evidence had been demanded, the big lie has been proven to be just that, a big lie. Nothing that the President said was inaccurate or wrong. Trump is the reason why democracy is under attack in the United States. If Donald Trump would have accepted his defeat, there would have been no 1/6 attack, no big lie, and no election deniers on the 2022 ballot. By turning the Republican Party into a faction attempting to use a democratic electoral process to overthrow democracy, the failed former president has become the biggest domestic threat to democracy since the Civil War. President Biden explicitly laid out where the threat to democracy came from and, in the process, basically made Donald Trump the #1 enemy of American democracy. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print There are two situations in which one can lose all Fifth Amendment rights and must answer any question that admits to a crime. Both spring from the fact that one cannot be prosecuted no matter what is said. If one is pardoned for a crime, there is finality, and no matter what happens, a person cannot be prosecuted for that crime again. The second is accepting an offer of total immunity, again taking away all threats of prosecution. The Justice Department is loathed to grant total immunity to someone and much prefers to make hang a deal over ones head. But Kash Patel must know things so critical to the prosecution of Donald Trump and so unlikely to take a DOJ deal out of loyalty to Trump that DOJ is considering offering Patel l immunity. (It also goes to show how quickly DOJ is trying to move now with the mid-terms a week away.) Immunity comes in two forms, Total Immunity, which is a promise to forego prosecution, or Limited Immunity, sometimes called Use Immunity, which means that the government promises not to hold anything you say as evidence in a trial against you. From The Guardian: The Justice Department is weighing whether to grant immunity to the Trump adviser Kash Patel and force his testimony about claims that highly sensitive government documents the FBI seized from the former presidents Mar-a-Lago resort were declassified, according to sources familiar with the matter. There is a formal procedure to declassify documents that Trump did not follow, and yet the law is vague enough that Trump once seriously said that he could literally look at the documents to declassify them by thinking about it. Kash Patel is so loyal to Trump that Trump nearly made Patel CIA Director for the last two weeks of the administration (We leave Trumps motivation for doing so to the consideration of the reader) Patel has said that he saw Trump broadly declassify the documents. DOJ seems intensely keen on establishing that at no point were the documents declassified in even the most rudimentary and vague means. Again from The Guardian: The status of the documents has emerged as relevant to the criminal investigation surrounding Trumps mishandling of national security materials since it could strengthen a potential case that the former president was in violation of state secrecy laws. Trump and advisers such as Patel have claimed repeatedly since the FBI search in August that the documents bearing classification markings found at the property had in fact been declassified before the former president departed the White House. Herein lies the heart of the problem. Trump has a select group of people around him that seem willing to commit crimes in order to favorTrump. It is impossible to know how Trump holds such sway over people, whether its pure loyalty, threats, money, or whatever but Patel is not obligated to accept total immunity and can take his chances. Patels lawyer will most certainly advise that Patel take the deal. After all, the DOJ isnt obligated to tell anyone all that they have on him or her. They need not show all their cards, either.= *Update: Patel has now been offered limited use immunity. Patel and his attorney will likely discuss whether the government has enough evidence from others to prosecute him anyway. If the DOJ likely does have that evidence, he is more likely to take the deal because cooperation with DOJ is everything when it comes to charges and then, especially, sentencing. He will want to be seen as helpful. It is possible that hes extremely helpful. Update: Harry Litman tweeted that Patel has been given limited use immunity: Kash Patel gets limited use immunity, which means he cant be indicted for truthful testimony. He may not have had much exposure on the Mar A Lago stuff; nevertheless its a very important and encouraging indication of the seriousness & advanced nature of the inves of Trump. Harry Litman (@harrylitman) November 2, 2022 Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Two new polls of the US Senate race in Pennsylvania show Lt. Gov. John Fetterman leading Dr. Oz. The Monmouth University Poll found that Fetterman leads 48%-44%: Nearly half of the electorate will either definitely (39%) or probably (9%) vote for Fetterman, which is similar to his support levels in prior Monmouth polls (48% total compared with 48% in early October and 49% in September). On the other hand, Oz continues to make small but steady gains in support, with 32% definitely supporting him and 12% probably supporting. His combined 44% support level is about the same as 43% in early October and up from 39% in September, although it is worth noting that Ozs definite support has increased by 7 points since early October, while Fettermans definite support has only gone up by 2 points. The increase in Ozs overall backing has been most significant among independents, going from a combined 29% to 41% in Monmouths polling since September. The Monmouth University Poll found that Fettermans debate performance did not change any minds and that voters believed that Fetterman has been transparent about his stroke. The poll also revealed that Oz has not been able to chip away at Fettermans lead in a statistically significant way. The Suffolk University Poll, which has been kinder to Oz throughout the campaign, has Fetterman leading 47%-45%. The Suffolk poll, for what it is worth had Oz winning the Senate debate 62%-17%, so the polling could be reaching a larger segment of Republicans than Monmouth. The overall theme from both polls is that John Fetterman is leading in the Pennsylvania Senate race. Oz has not overtaken him, and with less than a week to go in the campaign, and Democrats piling up a significant advantage in mail-in voting, Fetterman is in a good, but not a certain position to flip the Pennsylvania seat to the Democrats. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) has announced that they will pursue getting Trump disqualified from the ballot if he runs in 2024. According to CREW: Should Donald Trump seek reelection to the presidency or any other office, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington will pursue his disqualification under the Fourteenth Amendment for engaging in the January 6th insurrection. The evidence that Trump engaged in insurrection is overwhelming, Bookbinder said. We are ready, willing, and able to take action to make sure the Constitution is upheld and Trump is prevented from holding office. It is too soon to predict whether an effort to get Trump disqualified from the ballot would succeed, but CREWs challenge will be boosted by something other l4th Amendment candidate challenges have not had. The 1/6 Committee report will likely make a powerful case that Donald Trump masterminded and led a coup attempt to overthrow the government. In a Wednesday evening speech, President Biden basically labeled Trump the number one enemy of American democracy. The fact that Trump is likely to also be under criminal indictment potentially in numerous cases for coup-related and classified document crimes will also support the argument that the former president should be disqualified. The legal threshold for proving that a candidate should be disqualified from the ballot is steep, but there could be a mountain of evidence to suggest that Donald Trump should never be allowed to seek office again. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print The war between Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump isnt anything new. McConnell is furious (and has been for a long time) that he has to sweat out next week in a 50-50 coin flip over control of the U.S. Senate based on Trumps loyalty picks. Meanwhile, Trump says McConnell has a DEATH WISH because he happens to make deals in the U.S. Senate. So its not unusual or surprising to hear that Trump wants McConnell impeached, but its noteworthy to hear Trump say he thinks they have something on McConnell. Trump this morning calls for Mitch McConnell to be impeached: They ought to impeach Mitch McConnell .. they have something on him. pic.twitter.com/qP5UPtml7g Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) November 3, 2022 They have something on him? In this context, it seems as though Trump is accusing the Democrats of governing by kompromat, having something over your opponent (McConnell) and using it to get over the debt ceiling. This is absurd on every level. The country is struggling economically. If the Republicans shut the government down, it would put further stress on the economy, and McConnell would bear all the blame. If the Democrats wanted to govern using kompromat, they surely wouldve used it over the joint committee investigation, or Build Back Better, something not the debt ceiling. But it is interesting that Trump leaps to kompromat as the explanation. There is no reason to go down a rabbit hole without proof. Conspiracy theories are the work of the MAGAs. But more than one serious person has floated the theory that Russia had kompromat over Trump (The New Yorker), and that Trump liked to collect Kompromat over others (Business Insider). The two examples listed were merely the first two articles on the subject, with dozens from reputable sources that followed. Again, there is no point in speculating who had what. It is interesting that Trump lept to suggest someone has something on McConnell as if its an obvious explanation. Oh, and Senators cannot be impeached. They can be expelled from the Senate but not impeached by the House with a Senate trial. But that doesnt bother Trump, either. To the extent that McConnell is bothered, its that Trump wont keep his mouth shut. Over 10,000 Aiken County residents have already voted in the 2022 midterms. Voter participation statistics provided by the South Carolina Election Commission indicate that 9,562 people have voted early and 870 people have returned absentee ballots for a total of 10,432 ballots already cast as of Monday. Early voting in South Carolina involves going to a physical polling place to cast a ballot prior to election day. Anyone can vote early. In Aiken County, people wishing to vote early can do so from 8:30 a.m.- 6 p.m. through Saturday at the Aiken County election office or North Augusta Public Safety Station II. Monday was the busiest early voting day in Aiken County so far: 1,734 people voted early. Saturday was the least busy day. On that day, Oct. 29, 444 people voted early. Absentee voting involves requesting a ballot to be mailed, receiving the ballot, filling it out and returning it before polls close at 7 p.m. next Tuesday. Absentee voting is allowed for people who have disabilities or who are attending people with disabilities, who are 65 or older, who are members of the military or married to someone who is in the military, who are in the hospital, who aren't going to be in their county of residence on Nov. 8, who have employment obligations, or who are in a jail awaiting a trial. In all, just under 9% of Aiken County's registered voters have cast ballots. Specifically, 10,432 voters have already cast ballots out of 116,055 registered voters which equates to a percentage of 8.99%. That percentage places Aiken County 25th out of South Carolina's 46 counties. The counties with the highest percentages of voters who have already cast ballots are Colleton (19.42%), Marion (17.55%), Georgetown (16.33%), Clarendon (14.04%) and Charleston (13.39%). Seventeen counties have a voting percentage of higher than 10%. Of these, 16 are in the eastern half, or lower state, of South Carolina. Oconee County is the only exception in 16th with a percentage of 10.33%. The remainder of the top 10 can be split into three groups: counties with a coastline or counties that border a county with a coastline, a cluster of counties on the outskirts of the Charlotte metro area, and counties located between Aiken and the Atlantic Ocean. Seven of the top eight counties and nine of the top 11 either have a coastline or border a county with a coastline. The exceptions are Clarendon, Lancaster (9th; 11.61%) and Allendale (10th; 11.32%). Lancaster, Kershaw, Fairfield and Chesterfield comprise the cluster near Charlotte. Orangeburg, Calhoun and Allendale are counties located not far from Aiken County. The counties with the lowest percentage of voters who have already cast ballots are Laurens (4.47%), Dillon (5.31%), Anderson (5.80%), Union (7.15%) and Cherokee (7.20%). In all, 13 counties have percentages lower than 8%. With the exceptions of Dillon and Berkeley (11th lowest; 7.64%), all of these counties are located in the western half, or upper state, of South Carolina. Edgefield County is included in this list of counties. It ranks 35th with a percentage of voters who have already cast ballots of 7.82%. Barnwell County joins Aiken squarely in the middle: it ranks 20th with a percentage of 9.63%. In all, 324,725 of South Carolina's nearly 3.38 million registered voters have voted early for a percentage of 9.61%. Early voting will continue until Saturday. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Aiken County election offices and North Augusta Public Safety Station II. The voter registration and election offices are on the first floor of the Aiken County Government Center located at 1930 University Parkway. North Augusta Public Safety Station II is located at 501 Five Notch Road. People who wish to vote early are asked to bring one of four types of photo identification: South Carolina driver's license, South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles identify card, U.S. Passport or federal military identification. Qualified voters have until 5 p.m. Friday to return their absentee ballot application. Once people receive their ballot, they're asked to return it to the election office by 7 p.m. on Nov. 8. Ballots returned by mail should be mailed no later than one week prior to election day to help ensure timely delivery. Absentee voters are still required to have the ballot signed by a witness and to have a photo identification if they return their ballot in person. The U.S. Department of Energy continues to revise downward the production goals of the Salt Waste Processing Facility at the Savannah River Site. Soni Blanco, of the Department of Energy, told the Waste Management Subcommittee of the Savannah River Site Citizens Advisory Board on Oct. 25 that the facility's current goal was to process 4.5 million gallons of radioactive liquid waste within the 15-month period from July 1 to Sept. 30, 2023. The facility is part of the liquid waste disposal system at the Savannah River Site. The site has 43 tanks filled with radioactive waste created during the production of plutonium and other elements during the Cold War. Each of the tanks contains two types of waste: salt and sludge. The salt waste is 92% of the volume of the tanks, but only 54% of the radioactivity. The sludge is 8% of the tank volume, but 46% of the radioactivity. The sludge is sent to the Defense Waste Processing Facility where it's combined with a sand-like substance, heated, placed in safe storage containers that are temporarily stored in one of two glass waste storage buildings in S-Area. The salt is processed through the Salt Waste Processing Facility where most of the radioactive elements are taken out and sent to the Defense Waste Processing Facility. The remainder is sent to the Saltstone Production Facility in Z Area where it's mixed with a cement-like substance and placed into Saltstone Disposal Units to harden for safe disposal. The Department of Energy said when full operations at the facility were set to begin in January 2021 that up to six million gallons of radioactive liquid waste could processed each year at the facility. In October 2021, Thomas Johnson Jr., deputy manager of the site, told the Governor's Nuclear Advisory Council that the facility's performance indicated a production rate of around four million gallons per year. However, the amount of radioactive liquid waste processed at the facility has never met either rate previously promised by the Department of Energy. In its first year of operation, from Jan. 17, 2021, to Jan. 17, 2022, the facility processed around two million gallons, Savannah River Site Manager Michael Budney told the full Citizens Advisory Board in January. He said the facility ran into technical issues. During the fiscal year that began on Oct. 1, 2021, and ended on Sept. 30, the facility processed around 1.6 million gallons, Blanco said. The facility was shut down, along with the liquid waste system, for a changeover in the acid used at the Defense Waste Processing Facility and to recover the process chemicals used at the Salt Waste Processing Facility. Hope, however, could be on the horizon. Blanco told the subcommittee that the Salt Waste Processing Facility had processed 295,965 gallons of radioactive liquid waste from Oct. 1-25. The amount of radioactive liquid waste processed this year is equivalent to 11,838.6 gallons per day. If there are no other outages or problems and the facility continues to operate at the same rate per day, the facility would process over 4.3 million gallons during the year. Johnson also said in April that a new solvent could eventually increase production at the facility into the nine million gallon per year range. Clean-up of the liquid waste is expected to be completed in approximately 2037. Five Republican members of Congress representing South Carolina have asked State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman to get involved in the battle over what students are being taught in schools. U.S. Reps. Jeff Duncan, Joe Wilson, Ralph Norman, William Timmons and Nancy Mace sent a letter to Spearman on Thursday asking that she require all public schools and districts terminate any association with the National Association of School Psychologists and its South Carolina branch, the South Carolina Association of School Psychologists, over their opposition to the Stop the Sexualization of Children Act. Duncan represents southwestern South Carolina up to and including Edgefield County. Wilson represents Aiken County and most of the Columbia suburbs. Norman represents the South Carolina side of the Charlotte metro area. Timmons represents Greenville and Spartanburg. Mace represents the Low Country including Charleston and Hilton Head. The Stop the Sexualization of Children Act, H.R. 9197, was introduced by Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., on Oct. 18. It prohibits the use of federal funds to develop, implement, facilitate, or fund any sexually-oriented program, event, or literature for children under the age of 10 and prohibits federal funds from being used to host or promote events where adults dance salaciously or strip for children. Sexually-oriented is defined in the bill as any depiction, description, or simulation of sexual activity, any lewd or lascivious depiction or description of human genitals, or any topic involving sexual orientation, gender identity, gender dysphoria, or related subjects. The Democrat Party and their cultural allies are on a misguided crusade to immerse young children in sexual imagery and radical gender ideology, Johnson said in a news release announcing the bill. This common sense bill is straightforward. No federal tax dollars should go to any federal, state, or local government agencies, or private organizations that intentionally expose children under 10 years of age to sexually explicit material. Duncan, Norman and Timmons are among the 36 co-sponsors of the bill. The National Association of School Psychologists sent letters to members of Congress "vehemently" opposing the bill and asking the Congress members to publicly condemn the bill on Oct. 20. "NASP has long supported policies and practices that ensure the safety and well-being of all students, including those who are transgender and gender diverse," Executive Director Kathleen Minke, said in the letter. "H.R. 9197 is in direct conflict with our ethical standards, our positions, and the position of all major medical, mental health, and education organizations." She said the bill ignores the reality that there is no credible evidence that having honest and affirming conversations about all identities will predispose youth to adopt an identity or orientation other than their own. "Further, the bill turns a blind eye to the wealth of evidence demonstrating that inclusion and positive representation of LGBTQ+ persons in classroom instruction and respecting and acknowledging students' gender identity or sexual orientation prevents suicide and other devastating outcomes for LGBTQ+ youth," she continued. LGBTQ+ is an acronym used to describe individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or are a member of a non-traditional gender. Minke also said the bill would "essentially erase" LGBTQ+ people from virtually every aspect of society because of its grossly inaccurate definition of sexually oriented material and the private right to a lawsuit for parents whose children are shown the material. She said the bill severely limits the rights of parents to participate in their child's education because it could prohibit students from being their "authentic selves" in school even with parental consent. Minke added the bill could increase harm to LGBTQ+ students who are already bullied at a higher rate than other students. Duncan, Wilson, Norman, Timmons and Mace said in their letter that explicit sexual content should not be part of children's public education and the association's "desire" to push this agenda raises concerns about their resources and training materials used in schools. Pam McKinney, a candidate for the Charleston County School Districts board of trustees, has received nearly $100,000 in campaign contributions. The massive amount is unusual for a local school board race and thousands more than any of the other 31 candidates have managed to raise ahead of the election on Nov. 8. Nationally, money has been poured into local school board elections in increasingly unprecedented amounts, most often from donors from out of state or outside of the school districts themselves. Nearly all of the people donating to McKinney, whose husband Pat McKinney ran for lieutenant governor in 2014, are registered to South Carolina addresses. About half of her donors are from Charleston. More coverage To read more in-depth stories from The Post and Couriers Education Lab, go to postandcourier.com/education-lab. Any influx of big money could fundamentally change the dynamics of the local public school board race, making it harder for other candidates to be competitive. Barnett Berry, a research professor at the University of South Carolina, said the amount gives him pause because education is a public good. If schools are foundational to our democracy, how can they remain so if becoming a member of a school board depends on what's in your wallet? he said. Fundraising breakdown in Charleston According to her most recent ethics filing submitted on Oct. 24, McKinneys campaign has received a total of $93,909.94 from donors. Of the 193 unique reported contributors, most are retirees, real estate brokers, bankers or investors. McKinney, her husband and the McKinney Co. Inc. have donated $3,332 to her campaign. McKinney's average donor contributed $463. She received 59 $1,000 donations, accounting for the bulk of what was raised. In South Carolina, $1,000 is the maximum individuals can donate in local elections. Two of her donors are Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, and her husband who, together, contributed $2,000 to McKinneys campaign. Other donors include Chip Campsen, an Isle of Palms Republican state senator who represents parts of Beaufort, Charleston and Colleton counties, and former Charleston Mayor Joe Riley. In an interview with The Post and Courier, McKinney attributes the massive funds raised to an outpouring of public support. When people learn that I went to Charleston County Schools, and I've taught in Charleston County Schools, and now I want to work with Charleston County Schools, they've just been totally in favor of somebody with my background to speak up for them and their children, she said. McKinneys campaign reported spending $38,871.75 of those donations. About $15,000 went to online ads, Google search optimization and Facebook ads. Other big expenses were for campaign signs, door hangers, T-shirts, mailers, meet-and-greet costs and a company called Anedot, a third-party vendor that processes donations. McKinneys campaign also spent $240 on a membership to the South Carolina GOP, which she said was just for a district map. McKinney, who has been endorsed by Moms for Liberty, a conservative group that opposed masks during the pandemic in the name of parental rights, is running for candidacy in Charlestons District 3, which covers parts of the peninsula up to North Charleston along Park Circle. McKinney said she did not solicit the groups endorsement during her run for office and has declined speaking to groups to avoid running a partisan campaign. McKinneys opponents are former board member Chris Collins, former candidate for North Charleston mayor Ashley Peele and North Charleston activist Thomas Ravenell. Sign up for our Education Lab newsletter. Email Sign Up! More Information The Post and Courier Education Lab is a multi-year project, employing four reporters, focused on the need for public education reform in South Carolina. The Coastal Community Foundation and Spartanburg Foundation serve as fiscal sponsors for the Education Lab, which is supported by grants from the Jolley Foundation, Intertech, anonymous donors, and generous donations on behalf of donors to The Post and Courier Public Service and Investigative Fund who designate to the Education Lab. Peele has raised $13,711.50 and Collins has raised $1,770, according to their most recent filings. While Ravenells filing forms werent immediately available, he said his campaign finance manager filed his report over the weekend. In other districts, school board candidates who have raised more than $20,000 for their campaigns include Grace Bouldin Cowan in District 2, Jen Mieras in District 7, Graham Smith in District 9 and Carol Tempel in District 9. However, they all fall tens of thousands short compared with McKinney. The next-highest fundraiser is Smith, who raised $30,784.64. As of Oct. 24, McKinneys campaign still reported more than $50,000 in campaign funds, which she said will be focused toward increasing her media presence. Why is this significant? While the amount of money donated to McKinneys campaign might show increased interest in school board races, which is a good thing, it could deeply impact the election, said Patrick Kelly, director of governmental affairs for the Palmetto State Teachers Association. Its going to fundamentally change the nature and dynamic of local races, he said. If you start turning local school board races into that kind of contest, its going to fundamentally shift those politics. Local school board races have always had a low barrier to entry, Kelly added. Theyve historically been a way for everyday citizens to get engaged with education. If you start turning local board races into races where a six-figure campaign war chest is necessary to be competitive, that's going to be a pretty significant barrier to a lot of people that might make fantastic public servants from even considering getting in the race, much less being competitive in the race, he said. McKinney rebutted that the money was significant because its a local school board race. Whether its for governor, Senate, House of Representatives, town council, I wish we did not have to have fundraising to get our names and our message out there, but that's part of the way our system is set up, she said. My point in running this race is to help our students and our schools. Scott Price, the South Carolina School Boards Associations executive director, said when he thinks of local school board races, that kind of money does not come to mind. Yard signs are about the most that you see from a school board race, he said. While he believes theres been an increased focus on school board races nationally, Price refrained from commenting on McKinneys fundraising beyond saying it was unusual. Kelly said the amount of fundraising could lead to a smaller pool of qualified candidates in future races because other people just dont have the capacity to compete. He kept returning to the six-figure number, repeating it in shock. Wow, he said. We are in a new world. Sara Gregory contributed to this report. The Democratic and Republican candidates for state superintendent presented drastically different plans to change South Carolina's education system during a debate on Nov. 2. Democrat Lisa Ellis stressed the need for state leaders to listen to educators on the ground and to improve their pay and working conditions. Republican Ellen Weaver made the case for listening to parents more and giving them greater choice over where their children go to school. The two traded criticisms for most of the hour-long debate that was broadcast on South Carolina Educational Television and co-hosted by The Post and Courier. Each candidate is seeking to replace Superintendent Molly Spearman when she steps down in January after an eight year tenure. Green Party candidate Patricia Mickel did not qualify for the debate. South Carolina Educational Television declined to comment about what those lack of qualifications were, and Mickel's campaign didn't respond by press time. The two candidates agreed theres too much bureaucratic red tape in education at state level, but disagreed on most everything else. Weaver accused her opponent with lacking the political skills to change anything. Thats going to actually take someone who is willing to work with the General Assembly and who has the relationships to get things done, not someone who has been adversarial and done nothing but burn bridges over the last four years, Weaver said. Ellis was critical of the General Assembly for not spending more on education. She also disputed Weavers characterization of her as an establishment candidate because she's aligned with teacher's associations. Sign up for our Education Lab newsletter. Email Sign Up! Ellis took a leave of absence from her role as executive director of S.C. for Ed in June. I find it so ironic that I am considered the status quo when Im the low man on the totem pole and have been fighting to have my voice heard for four years, Ellis said. The debate marked the first major education policy discussion of the race. Discourse so far has largely been focused on Weavers qualifications for the job. She filed to run without having a master's degree, something S.C. superintendents are required to have. She enrolled at Bob Jones University in the spring and completed its educational leadership masters degree in roughly six months, a timeline that critics allege was only possible due to special treatment from her alma mater. The universitys accreditor is now investigating whether Weaver was shown preference. Weaver previously described the criticism as a tempest in a teapot. She did not address the criticism during the debate but did emphasize her leadership experience as head of the Palmetto Promise Institute, a conservative think tank, as well as her membership on the S.C. Education Oversight Committee since 2016. Ellis didnt mention Weavers degree, but spoke about her own two masters degrees and her 22 years of classroom experience. Early voting is underway and extends through Nov. 5, and the election is on Nov. 8. ANDREWS The Georgetown County Sheriff's Office arrested a man Nov. 2 in connection with the discovery of dead and starving cows in a pasture near Hardee Street. Aljaron Collins, 39, of Andrews, was booked into the Georgetown County Detention Center on three charges of ill treatment of animals. Collins' arrest came four days after authorities were called to a property just north of downtown Andrews in reference to a possible case of animal cruelty against livestock he owned, according to the sheriff's office. An unidentifed witness told a responding deputy about receiving a call about cows roaming Andrews, according to a sheriff's office incident report. The witness, upon returning loose cows to the property, noticed three dead cows in a fenced-in area. The person then contacted owners of horse trailers who arrived on Hardee Street hoping to obtain cattle on the property that were still alive. The deputy who responded Oct. 29 told the witness they could not take the cows that were still alive, but allowed the witness to leave feed for them. The deputy also observed the living cows were in "poor condition" and had no evident food source nor a water source within the fenced-in area. A phone call to Collins by the deputy resulted in Collins asking for $500 if the witness wanted to take the living cows and, when that was denied, Collins said he could not afford a forklift or hay to feed the cows, according to the incident report. The corporal contacted Valiant Animal Rescue and Relief to take in the living cows and test the deceased cows to determine if their deaths were caused by neglect. The Oct. 29 incident report further states that a sheriff's deputy had had "numerous" contacts with Collins regarding his livestock breaking loose and told him on Oct. 24 "something needed to be done with the livestock about not being fed." Collins was held on a total bond of $5,000. Sheriff's office records indicate he was released about two hours after being booked. The Oct. 29 incident report states Collins is 36, but Collins' booking entry states that he is 39. In South Carolina, ill treatment of animals is a misdemeanor on first offense punishable by up to 90 days in jail, a fine of $100 to $1,000 or both. In the age of cellphones and the internet, consumers often face a simple choice: convenience or privacy? Do we let Big Tech have access to our private communications and free email accounts because it's so easy? Once you've said yes and who among us has not? it's not a stretch to think t Read moreCommentary: Contact-tracing apps had good intentions. Then we got carried away. If youve been unfortunate enough to endure a flood caused by nature or human error, but fortunate enough that your home survived, its at the top of your list of worries: mold. Its why you have to act immediately to haul out all the contents, rip out carpets and even walls: to prevent the insidious growth of fungi that will never go away on their own. Weve long abandoned the idea that colleges serve in loco parentis, but we still expect our children to be safe when we send them off to study there. And as The Post and Couriers Uncovered team explains, mold growth has become a common occurrence in the dorms where tens of thousands of South Carolinians students live for up to four years of college. That means parents and taxpayers are paying for conditions most of us wouldnt tolerate in our own homes conditions that can make life miserable in many cases, lead to illnesses in some and even in rare instances kill. Theres something a little miserable about living in a dorm to begin with: a smaller space and having to get along with roommates. But those are things everybody knows about going in conditions some even consider character builders. Living with mold is not. Fortunately, mold seldom kills. But up to 10% of the population is allergic to mold, some strains of which can create poisonous byproducts and even carcinogens. Physicians and researchers say mold can create brain fog that makes college more of a struggle than it should be. It can create symptoms that mimic those from other illnesses. It can trigger asthma and allergies and weakened immune systems that can leave victims bodies more susceptible to the viruses that cause life-threatening illnesses And while college officials say theyre working hard to address the problem, the team of reporters led by Tony Bartleme found plenty of instances in which officials seemed to be blaming students. At S.C. State, for instance, where a student with asthma who was living in a mold-infested dorm died suddenly this spring for reasons that still havent been identified, a spokesman responding to questions about Amya Carrs death told reporters that Every campus that has water, facilities and showers is going to encounter mold on occasion. Since Ms. Carrs death, The Post and Courier and its reporting partners examined more than 3,700 pages of mold-related complaints and expense reports from the past two years from South Carolinas 12 largest public residential colleges and universities. They documented at least 2,400 mold-related cases, created the first database of mold reports on S.C. college campuses and also developed a searchable national database. (And before you say that the mold is a typical government failure, note that 14 of 15 private colleges the newspaper contacted refused to even answer questions, so for all we know they have problems that are even worse.) The personal experiences the Uncovered team gathered through dozens of interviews ranged from the banal to the hair-raising, from reports that turned out to be unfounded to the Francis Marion student who discovered mold growing in her bathroom, noticed her allergies worsen and then felt her throat closing up. She was rushed to the hospital, where she was told she was lucky she made it in time. This is not a story of people refusing to do their jobs or deliberately endangering students. Its not a story about a massive public health threat. Its not about a problem with an obvious solution, unless your definition of an obvious solution is tearing down every old dorm in the state and building new ones, or hiring 10 times the maintenance staff those colleges now have to scour all the buildings on a weekly basis abating the mold before it has a chance to spread. Instead, its about an insidious problem that is invisible to most people, temporarily debilitating to some and deadly to a few. Its about a problem that doesnt have a magic solution but one that can be solved with greater attention and focus. As a special legislative study committee concluded in 2019 after studying mold in public buildings of all types (the report did not mention colleges): A silver bullet to solve the problem of mold in public places does not exist, but it is an attention-deserving problem. The likely initial step is an education campaign because a good solution to the mold problem is preventing the development and spread of mold in the first place. Since it was a legislative report, that recommendation for an education campaign has gathered dust, if not mold, on a shelf somewhere. But we cant think of a better first step toward addressing the college mold problem than raising public awareness, by making mold a topic of conversation from freshman orientation through graduation. And educating students and parents especially but not exclusively when students have respiratory problems about what to look out for and what to do when they see it. And making sure doctors and nurses at college health centers are especially attuned to the problem, so they're more likely to consider mold a potential cause when students show up sick. None of that requires much money. What it does require, though, is something that institutions large and small, public and private, are too often hesitant to do: openly acknowledging problems and being transparent about everything they're doing to remedy them. If it wasnt already, several developments in recent weeks should make it clear that critical race theory is in the eyes of the beholder. Read moreEditorial: 'Critical race theory' in SC classrooms? Depends on how you define it. Insights Lots of us in this strange world of ours feel that we must have it all. We suffer from the kind of acquisitiveness that just never ends. An or Read moreWhat Panni, our housekeeper, taught me The school authority had barely rung the bell signalling the end of the days academic activities when pupils at Ozi Primary School in Koton-Karfe town in Kogi local government area dashed towards the assembly ground for the closing prayer. But less than 50 metres away from the joyous pupils, a moody Zakariya Ajara sat quietly, waiting for the children to disperse. Ms Ajara, a 40-year-old fish seller, is one of the many victims of the flood incidents that destroyed homes in Kogi State, who now take refuge at the Koton-Karfe primary school. The widow said that although life has been challenging since the death of her husband, the floods have worsened her socioeconomic conditions. Looking pale and withdrawn, the mother of six said she and her children barely eat well, because the relief materials supplied to camp residents by government officials, politicians, and non-profit organisations were insufficient to go around. I was only able to get a portion of a cup of rice, beans, two noodles and small oil, she said. She told PREMIUM TIMES that staying in the school remains her only option because other affected friends and neighbours who are not seeking refuge at the school are either squatting at mosques or churches or had travelled to their distant relatives in other parts of Kogi State. Many of our houses have collapsed and the ones that are there have sunk in the waters. We have been here for five weeks, she recounted. Our reporter gathered that Ms Ajara and over one hundred displaced persons have occupied some of the classrooms, leaving the school management with no other option than to allow the pupils to cohabit with IDPs in the few classrooms available. Kogi flood The recent flood incidents that disrupted communities and village settlements in various parts of the country have had a negative impact on residents of Kogi State, especially in regions that are located along the banks of the rivers Niger, Benue, and their tributaries. Kogi State is located in the North-central part of Nigeria, sitting at the confluence of rivers. In effect, the state is one of the worst impacted states in the aftermath of the recent flooding disaster in the country. About six people, including a three-year-old baby, have, so far, been killed by flood in the state, officials said in October. Similarly, hundreds of riverine communities and village settlements in the state, and the state capital, Lokoja, have been largely devastated by flood waters, just as commuters who ply the Lokoja-Abuja highways have been severely affected. In his address in October, the state governor, Yahaya Bello, revealed that a total of nine local government areas (LGAs) along the Niger and Benue riversLokoja, Kogi-Koto, Ajaokuta, Ofu, Igalamela-Odolu, Bassa, Idah, Ibaji, and Omalawere affected by the flooding. Official data from the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) also revealed that at least 1,380 schools and an estimated 5,550 children were affected by the flooding in Kogi state. While many residents interviewed by PREMIUM TIMES attested to the annual occurrence of the flooding, they also stated that the damage done this year remains the worst since 2012. The minister of water resources, Suleiman Adamu, said that 80 per cent of the floods in Nigeria were caused by rainfall. Experts and ecologists have also said that the contributory factors include climate change and the poor state of drainage systems, dredging, and dams, among other infrastructural facilities. Although the flood waters have subsided in several villages visited across Kogi State, residents lamented how their houses have been completely damaged by the flood waters. PREMIUM TIMES gathered that this has forced the local inhabitants and fishermen to seek refuge in the houses of relatives in Koton-Karfe and Lokoja towns, while others sought shelter at Internally Displaced Persons Camps (IDPs) in various primary schools scattered across the state. Learning disrupted in schools Musa Aliyu, the head teacher at Ozi Primary school, complained about how the presence of the IDPs in schools has made learning extremely challenging since the floods destroyed peoples homes in the state. Just take a look at where they are, Mr Aliyu said, pointing in the direction of the classrooms now occupied by displaced persons. Since 2012, they (IDPs) come to the school to stay and use our classrooms as refuge whenever there are floods. And they come with their farm produce, and livestock as you can see from the environment. But when they leave the building, they do not clean it up. They leave it in a condition that is unsuitable for learning. Mr Aliyu explained that because the IDPs were occupying a large portion of the available classroom space, the school was compelled to merge some students in the remaining classrooms, and as well ask other pupils to occupy classrooms from the secondary section. The secondary level doesnt start until the afternoon, he continued. So the school also had to borrow classrooms from there since we didnt want the students to be affected by the situation. The school head also noted that once the displaced people left, the authorities never showed up to assist with renovations. More schools affected Like Ozi primary school in Koton-Karfe, St. lukes Model School UBE JSS, Adankolo district in Lokoja, the state capital city, accommodates hundreds of displaced people who have taken over several of the classrooms since the floods swept away peoples houses. There are over 434 displaced persons living in the classrooms in the school, according to the Kogi State SEMA official who spoke to our reporter. Initially, they counted 1,500 but now since the flood has rescinded the numbers have reduced to about 434. The state government has been providing palliatives and NGOs. Since 2012 they used to come as it has become a yearly problem, said Aliyu Adoga, a SEMA official and head of the IDP camp in the school. A flood victim at the school, Lubabatu Aminu, who is also a mother of three, said she doesnt know when to leave the camp because her house has already been submerged by the waters. She said: When the flood waters came, my family and I were told to move to the mosque, and later when I went back to see my house, I saw that thieves had stolen most of my properties. I dont have anywhere to go so we were told to move here to this school. And I have been staying here for more than a month now. PREMIUM TIMES observed that as a result of the displaced persons daily activities, the schools grounds are littered with broken furniture, animals, baskets of vegetables and fish, farming equipment and cooking pots. The principal of the school, Adeniji Omoyemi, said the situation has led the students to make use of libraries and staff offices for lectures. All of our students have been asked to merge in libraries and Staff offices, he said. JSS1 and 2 are being lumped into one class. Ordinarily, we cannot teach both classes together because their curriculums are different, so for easy teaching for both the student and teachers we have to move the class to the laboratory. When we now talk about the population, there is no more class control. The heat is also terrible. For you to mix up JS1 and 2 together is not normal. Because that is when you would see the concern of Seniority come in. And that brings a lot of fights and reports. He added that the teachers are not comfortable, because they are seated among the students rather than in their staff offices. Ordinarily in the secondary school setting, teachers are not to sit with students. But this time around, for us to accommodate the flood-displaced people, we just have to adjust to our discomfort. Ms Omoyemi, who was transferred to the school in February 2021, said her former school had to shut down because of the displacement of flooding victims a few years ago. The principal complained about the poor hygiene exhibited by the displaced persons both in her former school and her present school, noting the impact of damages on the school. While Ms Omoyemi acknowledged that the state government intervened in her cries by repairing some of the damage done by the displaced persons in her previous school at Adadumo UBE primary school inside Anebo Quarters, she appealed to the state government to replicate such gesture in her new school. When we wrote a letter to the school, last year, the state government ensured that they fumigate and pay all the Nepa bills that ran to about N200,000. So now I appeal to the government to also help us by fumigating and replacing the furniture and windows broken by the displaced people. Also our toilets, its blocked. Something must be done about them always using the school. A new place can be given to them. But Mr Adoga, the SEMA official, told our reporter that they always ensure they speak and advise the displaced people about maintaining good hygiene. Schools closed to accommodate IDPs Ibrahim Usman, a 68-year-old farmer from the Akpaku community, told PREMIUM TIMES he moved to Urakpa Primary School in Koton-Karfe town. He is one of the hundreds of local rice and cassava farmers who were relocated to take refuge in the school as a result of the flood. Since 2012, we have been visiting this IDP camp. We arrived here in 2012, 2018, 2020, and 2022. Whenever there is a flood, my entire family and I come to this particular primary school, he told our reporter. PREMIUM TIMES observed that at Urakpa Primary School, academic activities had been suspended because the schools facilities had been occupied by the victims of the flooding. While there were no officials at the school to speak with, Mr Usman who serves as the Camp head said that he and the other displaced persons have been at the camp for over two months. According to Ministry of Education data from 2021, Kogi state now has the fewest number of out-of-school children among the 19 Northern states of Nigeria, with a total of 169,316. Although Sunday Apar, the state emergency operations chief for the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), acknowledged in an interview that several schools were closed as a result of the flooding, he added that some of the schools are far away from the students who may have been displaced. Sunday Faleke, the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Deputy Governor of Kogi State, sympathised with the schools that have been affected as a result of the relocation of IDP Camps He said: The state government is already on track to relate to the issue of IDPs in our school and also we know the effect of gathering more people in a mini-environment. And this is an issue of Post-flood activities that the state government is already preparing and making arrangements to address. The governor had already said the government would begin to build houses in the upland area instead of those communities using the schools. All these would come as post-flood activities and we know that all these places would then be used as IDP Camps. And all the materials and furniture that have been damaged would also be taken care of by the government. We sympathise with the school, as they have not been able to use their classes. But that is the effect of the disaster we are facing. And the government would look into it and their complaints. Learning defeated, experts say Some experts have said that putting IDPs in the same environment where learning should be taking place defeats the entire learning system. Akin Benjamin, a Lagos-based education consultant, said students can pick up uncalled behaviour and social vices from the displaced people who cohabit within a learning facility. He said: If you have to relocate people as a result of flooding to school, as IDPs, and you have to start merging pupils, that is not a very good idea. It is either you have a separate place for them. If such a situation happens, that means learning has not been taking place. How would teachers and schools manage crowd control in the school environment? Mr Benjamin, therefore, called on the government to be proactive and plan properly for the prevention and settling of displaced people. Government should plan well. Having displaced people in schools is not really a good idea. Disaster happens everywhere, but what countries have put in place, especially in the time of peace, counts, he said. Mr Faleke said the state government has been able to do its pre-disaster programme which is to sensitise the people, convene stakeholders meeting, and alert the people. And we have been able to do that, especially on those who live on the river banks, he said. Abdulkareem Shuiabu the youth leader of Koton-Karfe, said there are plans to move the villagers from the riverine communities to the upland area so that they would be able to live there during the rainy seasons when the flood comes and return to their communities during the dry seasons. According to him, this strategy will stop the locals from relocating to schools and converting them to IDP camps. He said: We are happy that we have a royal father thats a thinker who decided to inaugurate a committee that will focus on Recovery, Relief and Resettlement; in which I am a member and the president of Koton-Karfe LGA Union. We are charged with the responsibility of preparing ahead for future eventualities like this. In the long-term plan, we are looking for a resettlement area these villagers can migrate to in case there are floods. The reason is that we cannot say they should entirely leave their area because majorly we are fishermen and farmers here and so, during dry seasons they can go back to their homes and anytime there is flood they can relocate to such areas instead of the schools. ***This reporting was completed with the support of the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development and the Centre for Investigative Journalisms Open Climate Reporting Initiative. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Osun State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal has admitted in evidence the Certified True Copies (CTC) of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) reports. It shows alleged over-voting in favour of Ademola Adeleke, during the 16 July governorship election in the state. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalled that Governor Gboyega Oyetola and APC had on 5 August submitted a petition before the tribunal in Osogbo. Mr Oyetola and APC were challenging the election results from 749 polling units across 10 local government areas of the state for various alleged electoral malpractice, especially over-voting. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Mr Adeleke as the winner of the governorship election, having polled 403, 271 votes against 375,027 polled by Mr Oyetola. Also, admitted by the tribunal in evidence were Mr Adelekes Diploma Certificate from Penn Foster High School, B.Sc Certificate from Atlanta Metropolitan State College, Letter of Attestation dated 22/5/2016 from Ede Muslim High School, NYSC Certificate of Exception, and some other documents as exhibits. Other documents were forms EC8As, for Olorunda, Obokun and Ila Local Governments, forms EC8Bs, being results of the wards and forms EC8Cs- the results of each of the 10 local governments being challenged, forms EC8D, which is the summary of the overall result, EC8Es, the declaration of the result and form EC9. At the resumed hearing of the tribunal in Osogbo, Counsel to Mr Oyetola, Saka Layoonu (SAN), while formally tendering the documents, informed the tribunal that the evidence had been jointly cross-checked by both parties, the secretariat of the tribunal and confirmed to be accurate. Counsel to INEC, Jamiu Olabode, however, objected to the admissibility of the documents, but said that he would state his reasons in the final written address. Similarly, Counsel to Mr Adeleke, Niyi Owolade, and that of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Nathaniel Oke, also objected the admissibility of the documents tendered by the petitioners. They, however, said they would state the reasons in their final written addresses. Mr Oke also called the attention of the tribunal to what he described as imbalance reportage of the proceedings from court by some media houses. My Lords, we are not comfortable with the reports of proceedings by pressmen in this court, he said. In his ruling, the Chairman of the tribunal, Tertsea Kume, admitted in evidence all the documents tendered by the petitioners and marked them as exhibits. Mr Kume adjourned continuation of the hearing until 16th November. On the issues of imbalance reportage raised by the PDP Counsel, Mr Kume asked for evidence to that effect. We cannot comment on what we dont know, unless you come up with hard facts. We are not here for social media commentaries, he said. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) Africa, also known as the 700 Club, dispatched its humanitarian arm, Operation Blessing (OB), to Koton Karfe in Kogi State to distribute relief materials to the community; which as a result of the flood that ravaged various parts of the country, suffered significant damage such as the destruction of homes, loss of livestock, money and other valuable items. Operation Blessing arrived in the community with truckloads of supplies and a team of medical experts. Items provided included foodstuffs such as bags of rice, beans, corn, and garri. Also included were beverages, detergents, mattresses, blankets, cooking pots, mats, and building materials such as bags of cement, roofing sheets, wood, and nails. Many medical cases, such as malaria, were attended to by the medical team on the ground. Insecticide-treated nets and disinfectants were also distributed. The Regional Director of CBN Africa, Felix Oisamoje, was represented at the outreach by the Head of Humanitarian, John Kalma. Additionally present were members of the OB team, CBN Africa staff, and volunteers. Members of the Koton Karfe community, which has a population of over 10,000 people, had some of their houses completely submerged due to the flood, resulting in over 200 households being displaced and seeking shelter in an IDP camp at Irenedo. READ ALSO: Mr Kalma sympathized with the Koton Karfe community residents. He reaffirmed Operation Blessings role in providing assistance to the vulnerable population in his statement. The Emir of Koton Karfe, Abdul Razaq, expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the Operation Blessing team for coming to their aid, saying he was astounded to see such a level of flooding in the community. He did, however, express his gratitude for Operation Blessings generosity and prayed that God would continue to bless them. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has called on the Nigerian government to release the withheld four months salaries of its members. The union queried the rationale behind the governments insistence on the no work, no pay policy, saying the due process was followed before embarking on the strike that lasted four months. It blamed the government for the failure to implement contents of agreements entered into with the workers unions, noting that the government lacks the moral right to punish union members for embarking on industrial actions after all entreaties must have failed. In a communique issued after its Special National Executive Council (NEC) meeting on Thursday, SSANU also lamented the non-payment of its members salaries across nine state-owned universities. The communique, which was signed by SSANU National President, Mohammed Ibrahim, also condemned what it described as the constant harassment and intimidation of its members by some state governors and university authorities. This year, industrial actions by Nigerian university workers grounded activities on public university campuses nationwide for eight months. SSANU and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and other Allied Institutions (NASU) lasted four months while members of their academic counterpart- the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) were away from work for eight months. The suspension of the industrial action by the Joint Action Committee of SSANU and NASU had followed an understanding with the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, who pledged, on behalf of the government, to fulfill the earlier agreements reached with the unions, among other commitments. On No Work, No Pay policy At the end of the Special NEC meeting on Thursday, SSANU urged the federal government to expedite the process of upholding its parts of the terms of the agreement upon which the strike action was suspended. The union rejected the No Work, No Pay stance, which it noted has resulted in the withholding of its members salaries. The statement reads in part; The root cause of the recent industrial action embarked upon by the Joint Action Committee of NASU and SSANU was the failure of the government in honouring previous Collective Bargaining Agreements entered into with the unions. NEC, therefore, requests the Government to rescind this decision of No work, No pay and release the withheld salaries of members of the Joint Action Committee of SSANU and NASU. The union commended its members for their resilience in the midst of the hardship experienced during the last industrial action embarked upon by the union. Indebted universities, union proscriptions SSANU condemned the culture of owing its members by some state-owned universities, blaming the development on the proliferation of tertiary institutions in the affected states. It also lamented the attacks and victimisation of its members by some state actors and the proscription of unions by some authorities. It said: NEC notes that it has become a trend for State Governors or even Vice-Chancellors to proscribe trade unions at the slightest provocation. The case of the proscription of trade unions at Bamidele Olumilua University of Education Science and Technology, Ikere, Ekiti and the actions of the Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki in the state-owned Ambrose All University, Ekpoma, are vivid examples. A situation where the State Governor is owing staff their legitimate wages but goes ahead to proscribe the unions is not only illegal, anti-democratic, wicked, but barbaric. NEC notes that proscriptions of Trade Unions do not lie within the powers of State Governors or University authorities and as such any declaration of prescription is an illegality which cannot stand the face of the law. On the owed salaries, SSANU listed the affected universities to include Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijagun, Ogun State; Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa, and Adekunle Ajasin University AKungba Akoko, both in Ondo State; Kwara State University, Malete; Plateau State University, Bokkos; Abia State University, Uturu; Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki; Cross River University of Technology, Calabar, and Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti. The unions, therefore, urged the state governments to conduct needs assessments for the existing state universities with a view to ascertaining deficiencies within them. The findings and recommendations of the needs assessment will guide the state government to allocate adequate funds to such institutions to enable them meet international best practices and save their universities from imminent collapse, the communique added. Qosim Suleiman is a reporter at Premium Times in partnership with Report for the World, which matches local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on under-covered issues around the globe Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, has described as rumour the news of the death of its former acting Vice-Chancellor, Anthony Elujoba. The social media have in the past few hours been awashed with the news of the death of the don who was said to have been involved in an auto accident. But the university described the story as false, wicked, malicious, unfortunate and downright satanic. Mr Elujoba, a professor of Pharmacognosy, acted as Vice Chancellor of the University between July 2016 and June 2017. A statement by the universitys Public Relations Officer, OAU, Abiodun Olarewaju, confirmed that Mr Elujoba is hospitalised as a result of a car crash, but added that he was responding to treatment. The statement reads in part; To put the record straight, Professor Anthony Elujoba is not dead. Its true that he had an auto crash and he has been admitted to the hospital. It is heartwarming to know that he is responding to treatment. We, therefore, want the general public to disregard, in its entirety, the malicious rumour and be praying for quick recovery of the erudite scholar. Qosim Suleiman is a reporter at Premium Times in partnership with Report for the World, which matches local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on under-covered issues around the globe Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The former Pakistan Prime Minister, Imran Khan, was Thursday shot in the leg during a protest march in Wazirabad. Al Jazeera is reporting that the former prime minister was hit after a gunman opened fire at the protest ground. Azhar Mashwani, an official of Mr Khans Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, confirmed to Al Jazeera on Thursday that the politician was shot in the leg but was not in danger. Six others, including politician Faisal Javed Khan, were also reportedly injured in the attack. The former president was taken to a hospital in Lahore. Footage seen on Aljazeera showed him waving at his supporters while being moved into a vehicle by security. Reacting to the incident, his party, PTI, in a tweet wrote Imran Khan is our Red Lion today an attempt was made to cross that Red Lion! Mr Khan has been leading a protest march to the capital, Islamabad, demanding snap elections. READ ALSO: Pakistani journalist arrested after criticising military The gunman was arrested by police at the scene. However, his identity has yet to be released. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif issued a statement condemning the incident and asked authorities to immediately launch an investigation. Mr Khan began his long march on 28 October from Lahore and is expected to reach Islamabad on November 11. He was removed as prime minister in April through a vote of no confidence by the parliament and has since then demanded early elections. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print As part of the 2023 budgetary allocation for the State House, N7.2 billion was earmarked for the maintenance of Villa facilities. The amount is part of the total N21.1 billion allocated to the State House for the 2023 fiscal year. The State House also earmarked N1.96 billion for vehicle purchase and N644 million for maintenance of the State House Lagos Complex and guest houses. And this, an official has said, is not enough. Tijjani Umar, the State House permanent secretary, who appeared before the Senate Committee on Federal Character on Thursday, complained that the State House 2023 budget was cut by almost 50 per cent and the allocation is inadequate. Mr Umar is one of many heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies that have lamented the budget cuts in the 2023 budget. The ministers of works and information, Babatunde Fashola and Lai Mohammed respectively, equally complained of budget cuts which they said could put a dent in their work. Mr Umar told the Senate panel that the total budget size of N21.1 billion for the State House in 2023 is N19 billion less when compared to the N40 billion appropriated for it in the 2022 fiscal year. He said the proposed N7.2 billion for the maintenance of Villa facilities formed the critical component of the capital expenditure segment of the proposed budget. READ ALSO: The facilities, he explained, include but are not limited to electrical/mechanical installations, buildings and infrastructures in the Presidents and Vice Presidents residences, offices, State House Auditorium, Presidential and Ministerial Airport Chalets These commitments usually take about 65% of the total appropriation of the State House. In order to keep the facilities in optimal working condition, the sum of N7.2 billion has been proposed for the year 2023 against the sum of N7.76 billion in 2022. Mr Umar also said being an election year, the sum of N1.96 billion earmarked for vehicle purchase was inadequate just as the provision of N59 million for maintenance of State House Lagos Complex and Guest Houses, is grossly inadequate requiring an estimated sum of N644 million for the upgrade of the facilities. It is also instructive to note that the provision of N1.96 billion in the 2023 proposal for vehicle purchase would still be inadequate to meet existing requirements. 2023 being an election year which entails frequent travels with associated costs as well as the replacement of vehicles by incoming administration, he said. On his part, chairman of the committee, Abba Moro (PDP, Benue South), said the slash in the State House budget for the 2023 fiscal year was not unique as other MDAs were also affected. His response is the same that other heads of committees have given to heads of MDAs who have complained about the budget cuts. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has filed an appeal at the Supreme Court against the recent Court of Appeals ruling halting his release from custody. He appealed against the 28 October decision of the Court of Appeal in Abuja which stayed the execution of its earlier order acquitting him of all charges and directing his release from custody. A three-member panel of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, on 28 October, stayed the execution of its earlier judgement freeing Mr Kanu of terrorism and treasonable felony charges. Mr Kanu has been in the custody of the State Security Service (SSS) since he was arrested in Kenya and brought back to Nigeria in June last year. The appellate court had on 13 October ordered the IPOB leaders release, having dismissed the remaining six-count charge levelled against him by the federal government. The federal government had asked the Court of Appeal to stay the execution of the judgment freeing Mr Kanu, pending the resolution of an appeal it filed at the Supreme Court. Haruna Tsammani, who led the appellate court panel in a ruling, held that the counter-affidavit filed against the federal governments application by Mr Kanus legal team was misleading. Dissatisfied with the courts ruling, Mr Kanus lead counsel, Mike Ozekhome, filed an appeal predicated on three grounds at the apex court. Prayers In the appeal dated 3 November, the IPOB leader sought an order of the Supreme Court setting aside the decision of the Court of Appeal made on 28 October. In addition, Mr Kanu asked the Supreme Court to restore the execution of the appellate courts verdict of 13 October, freeing the IPOB leader. In another ground of appeal, Mr Kanu argued that the Court of Appeal erred in law when it heard and determined an application for a stay of execution of its judgment in a criminal suit. In ground two, the IPOB leader contended that the appellate court erred when it failed to evaluate the evidence led by his legal team. READ ALSO: The court below failed to properly evaluate and ascribe proper evidential or probative value to the Appellants counter-affidavit filed on the 21st day of October 2022, Kanu stated. That by staying execution of a judgment that was essentially declaratory, the lower court which ought to defend the integrity of the judicial process literally overruled itself and vacated its own judgement even before the apex court has heard it Mr Ozekhome argued. The Court of Appeal in its decision of 13 October, held that Mr Kanus forcible extradition from Kenya to Nigeria in June last year was in violation of both local and international laws. Consequently, the court dismissed the terrorism charges filed against Mr Kanu before Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja. Mr Kanu has remained in the custody of the State Security Service (SSS) since his return to Nigeria. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Both the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the newly registered Congress of Nigerian Universities Academics (CONUA) have kicked against the payment of half salaries to their members for October. The National Vice President of ASUU, Chris Piwuna, who confirmed the development to PREMIUM TIMES on Thursday night, described the development as insulting, humiliating and embarrassing. The unions chapter at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) also reportedly tweeted on Thursday evening condemning the development, even as it appealed to its members to remain calm. The National Coordinator of CONUA, Niyi Sunmonu, also described the development as unfortunate but appealed to members that all the contradictions would be resolved. No work, no pay The Nigerian government has insisted on implementing the No Work, No Pay policy for the period the university workers were away from their duty posts. ASUU, which commenced its nationwide strike on 14 February, did not announce the suspension of the industrial action until the National Industrial Court (NIC) ordered its suspension. The union announced its resumption on 14 October, exactly eight months after the commencement of the action. The resumption was also a fallout of the unions loss of its appeal against the resumption order by the industrial court at the Court of Appeal. But while announcing the resumption, the National President of the union, Emmanuel Osodeke, noted that apart from heeding the directive of the court, the decision was also out of respect for the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila who had reportedly intervened on behalf of the lecturers and pleaded with President Muhammadu Buhari to reach a middle ground with the striking lecturers over the withheld salaries. ASUU, however, said its demands had not been satisfactorily met as of the time it was asking its members to return to work but expressed optimism that Mr Gbajabiamilas intervention would address the grey areas. ASUU UNILAG reacts In a short statement on its Twitter page, the chairperson, UNILAG chapter of the union, Dele Ashiru, described the development as insensitive and disheartening. He, however, appealed to the members to remain strong and united as they await further directives from the national secretariat. The leadership of the union at the national level has been duly informed about this unfortunate development and they are on top of the issue, he wrote. PAYMENT OF AMPUTATED AND CRIPPLED OCTOBER SALARY It is to say the least insensitive and disheartening that a supposedly democratic government can be so vicious, reckless and inhuman in dealing with the best brains in our society. https://t.co/S4NVH6MqsY Academic Staff Union of Universities, UNILAG (@ASUU_UNILAG) November 3, 2022 Members are to remain calm and await further directives from the National Secretariat even in the face of this bracing provocation and crass wickedness by this administration. Meanwhile, the ASUU Usmanu Danfodiyo University, (UDU), Sokoto, has accused the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, of attempts to polarise the union and create disharmony through selective and biased payment of lecturers salaries at the university. ASUU-UDUS said the minister had ordered the payment of the withheld seven months salaries to some of its members at the institutions College of Health Sciences. Mr Ngige had claimed that the college graduated students during the period of the strike, which ASUU-UDUS debunked at the time. READ ALSO: A statement from ASUU-UDUS chairperson, Muhammad Almustapha, said the unions enquiries revealed that Mr Ngige wrote the finance ministry to pay the said staff on the basis that they worked throughout the period. He restated that the members were on a total and comprehensive strike throughout the industrial action. The statement read in part: On Monday, 31 October 2022 the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (ASUU UDUS) Branch received information that a segment of academic staff in the College of Health Sciences (CHS) has been paid a backlog of seven months of their withheld salary (March to September). Our preliminary investigations, as to why only a section of academic staff in the university were paid, revealed that the payment was made due to a letter written to the Hon Minister of Finance instructing the exemption of some listed staff from the application of the No work No Pay rule. The Letter was written by the Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment on the 24th of October, 2022, directing the payment of withheld salary of Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) of Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH) Sokoto Chapter, with the pretence that this category of staff has been working during the strike. The Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment having realised that he failed in his attempt to divide the rank and file of ASUU, specifically targeting the UDUS branch for obvious mischievous reasons, has now come up with another treacherous move aimed at further dividing the union. You will hear from us ASUU Meanwhile, in a telephone interview, the ASUU National Vice President, Mr Piwuna, a former chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), said he received his half salary on Thursday and found the development insulting. Since I started working in the university system, this is the most insulting, humiliating and embarrassing experience I have experienced, Mr Piwuna said. He threatened that Nigerians would hear from the union very soon. Yes, you will hear from us very soon, he said. CONUA, too The National Coordinator of CONUA, Mr Sunmonu, also said the national leadership of the union was working to right the wrong. He insisted that his union was not on strike during the industrial strike embarked upon by ASUU, saying its petitions against the stoppage of its members salaries have been submitted at the appropriate quarters. Qosim Suleiman is a reporter at Premium Times in partnership with Report for the World, which matches local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on under-covered issues around the globe. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The current surge of PVC registrations has raised the hope that Nigerians may be ready for practical political participation. Nevertheless, the nation must look out for sweet bobos and zobos that cannot be evaluated on the basis of logic or reality. In advanced democracies, candidates engagements through debates, interactions, and questions and answers sessions cannot be undermined. It is a huge step to separating bobo or zobo from real and realistic plans for the nation Let your Yes be Yes, and your No, No. For whatever is more than these is from the evil one. Have you seen or pictured a group of protesters in Nigeria chanting no bobo at any government official or anyone else trying to address them? Or have you been told that somebody is serving you cold Zobo as they talk to you? Nigerian socio-linguistic properties keep developing, and they do so in the context of social development. In this three-part series on Bobo and Zobo, I introduce and re-introduce you to no bobo and no Zobo. In none of the three will I bobo you; neither will I zobo you! Bobo is a popular yogurt drink in Nigeria that targets the kids market and is ranked as one of the top childrens drinks. Zobo is a local drink made from the petals of hibiscus. However, these two words have garnered additional meaning from slang and social contexts. If a friend gave me a bitter herbal drink, claiming it is a cup of sweet beverage, then he has boboed me! There is a tigernut drink packaged in Ilupeju, Lagos, with the inscription No sugar added, yet it is as sugary as a popular Nigerian soft drink. Any milk that tastes as sugary as that and is purportedly made from tigernuts is Zobo. Is the definition clear enough? In social slang, bobo depicts misrepresentation of facts and figures, an attempt to play one for a fool on a particular issue, or downplay a scenario to convince, persuade, or discourage someone from doing something. It comes from the assumption that telling fantasies to children will impress them; meanwhile, saying the same thing to an adult may not make a similar impact, since they are supposed to know better. Zobo, in the same context, connotes an outright lie. Hence, no bobo means do not deceive us, and no zobo means do not lie to us. Pastor Remote, the popular comedian, is a bobo man. Mr Macaroni is a zobo man! When Pastor Remote and Mr Macaroni teamed up with Mide to produce a skit, The Deliverance, they combined zobo with bobo to maximum effect. Today, politicians are doing their bobo and zobo games to get to Aso Rock and gain direct access to the Central Bank. No bobo and no zobo have advanced to public reactions to statements, promises, and the state of things in the nation. They represent rejections of prevarications, stonewalling attitudes, and desperate legerdemain by politicians, men of God, entrepreneurs, and others, to create reputations where there are none and put themselves in messianic positions. One common pattern is the political promises that candidates make to the Nigerian population to bobo them into voting in elections and the zobo they give to downplay the severity of the Nigerian situation when they are in office. Although these bobos and zobos mostly defy logic and reasonability, unfortunately, they somehow successfully delude Nigerians into political dementia when elections approach, making them forget the numerous transgressions of political officeholders. This explains why, after collecting five-thousand-naira riba, you will hear the deafening shout of the names of those who gave them the money, which is probably the highest amount an egunje collector has had in a long time. Considering this irony, one cannot posit outright that citizens are ready to disallow cold zobo from being deceptively forced down their throats. It is not unusual for politicians everywhere in the world to make promises that cannot be fulfilled, probably due to unforeseen administrative variables. While this is the fault of uncalculating politicians, it is also unimaginable that the bare minimum of governance and reasonable promises are not met. Buhari boboed to revive the Nigerian refineries so that the nation would stop exporting petroleum to refine. Mr Bobo! On 23 March, 2015, at Dan Anyima Stadium in Owerri, Buhari was reported to have promised Nigerians to make one dollar equal to one naira if elected. Mr Zobo! The Buhari administration poured another cup of zobo into the mouths of Nigerians when he promised to pay a monthly stipend of five thousand naira (5000) to unemployed youths, only to make a U-turn afterward and call them lazy. Sadly, this is fast becoming the custom in the Nigerian political and electoral space, and the people almost see no wrong in it. When a candidate dishes out bobos and undiluted cold zobos, the people believe it and vote him or her into office. He or she keeps giving the same thing to maintain ineptitude while in office, and the people tolerate it, leaving one to wonder if Nigerians are used to such discomforts or whether the bobos and zobos have hypnotised them. This circle of forgetfulness has continued to degenerate from independence, and the return to the democratic era in 1999 marked the beginning of a new great wave. The masses have been wooed with promises of a better future, qualitative education, world-class health care, infrastructure, and a better standard of living. As of today, none of these promises by successive governments has been fulfilled. They are all fanciful bobos. The sixteen years of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in power paved the way for bobos and zobos. Although I must allude to the fact that every successive government seems to underperform the one before it, this does not mean the previous governments woeful performance should be excused. President Olusegun Obasanjo promised to eradicate erratic power supply and take the country out of the darkness. He boboed you! You are still in darkness. His inability to fulfill this promise, among many other failed promises, affects the standard of living in the country. Although he set the standard for many reforms and developments the country now builds on, he is not a sacred cow. He is also a zobo man! Successive PDP governments pushed the same jamborees of promises, and Jonathans administration became one of the most notorious during that time. Nigerians should have known that judging by the level of decadence in the society, the Transformation Agenda of Goodluck Jonathan was just another bobo, and when it became apparent that it was impossible to achieve the sweet promises, cold zobos had to be served for damage control. Despite all the transformation bobos and zobos, by the time Jonathan left office in 2015, power generation had dropped from about 3000 megawatts to about 2000MWs, insecurity proliferated, corrupt cases were on the dangerous increase, the economy was not encouraging, and several other sectors never saw the promised transformations. This is not to say that the Jonathan administration achieved nothing but that the expectations he and his colleagues raised with their bobos were never met. A zobo manifesto can only produce a bobo ending. These shortcomings were the stepping stones of Buharis campaign and the ideas behind the change mantra. The media, youth, and other Nigerians who were tired of the state of the nation took the bobo and zobo drinks in great quantities and passionately shared them among the citizens. You all became over-hydrated on excess bobo and zobo drinks. Buhari and Osinbajo were painted like messiahs coming to rescue the country from corruption, underdevelopment, economic crisis and other problems Nigerians had been facing. Regrettably, the Buhari change mantra has turned out to be one of the most potent bobos and zobos in the recent democratic history of the nation. The bobo cattle rearer combines with the zobo pastor to sell fake merchandise. Buhari boboed to revive the Nigerian refineries so that the nation would stop exporting petroleum to refine. Mr Bobo! On 23 March, 2015, at Dan Anyima Stadium in Owerri, Buhari was reported to have promised Nigerians to make one dollar equal to one naira if elected. Mr Zobo! The Buhari administration poured another cup of zobo into the mouths of Nigerians when he promised to pay a monthly stipend of five thousand naira (5000) to unemployed youths, only to make a U-turn afterward and call them lazy. They have also had a generous share of Buharis bobo mixed with zobo in the form of the pledge to provide about three million jobs every year. Perhaps, the Bobo General meant to say three people, not three million. The Bobo General sent the Zobo Pastor to various markets to distribute the zakat, a series of heaven-and-earth promises that were kept flowing during the electioneering process, and, somehow, the bobos and zobos charmed the people into believing the Change would usher Nigeria into such a utopia. The important thing is not how many people cast their votes but that most voters are informed. This means that there is a need for sensitisation to enable citizens to identify bobos and zobos, as well as motivations to understand the countrys political variables. There is a need to stop bobos in the form of money or branded packs of kuli kuli, garri, salt, rice, and toothpicks to buy the conscience of voters at polling units. Statistics and reality have proven that the Buhari administrations scorecard, especially on those promises, has been woeful. Awakening from their hypnosis, the Nigerian electorate has come to a sudden confusion about how this terrible decline came to be. Buhari and his cohorts will be found guilty on all counts if there is anything like arraignment for unfulfilled promises. Where is the promise to generate more than 4000 megawatts of electricity? Bobo! How come Buhari and many government officials still rush out of the country for medical attention, even for the slightest headache, despite the promise to ban such acts? Bobo! What happened to the promises of public declaration of assets and liabilities, the Ajaokuta Steel Company revival, and other expensive jokes and bobos that Buhari served the nation? Zobo! Has Nigeria become so irredeemable that there is no way of making at least a sector of the economy stable or reducing the murderous poverty rate in the country? Zobo! This is not to say that the government has been totally idle, but they have been unable to explain why its efforts rarely result in any change. Yes, they are not idle because doing bobo and zobo require a certain amount of work, including filing your lips and oiling your tongues. It is a few months to the 2023 elections and a new bobo and zobo season for the vote seekers. As usual, Nigerians will forget the transgressions of leaders who could not perform up to expectation and drink from a new set of lies. Bobo is sweet; zobo is sweeter. Today, Atiku Abubakar, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Peter Obi, and other presidential candidates, as well as candidates for other elective positions, have started laying down their campaign promises and supposed roadmaps to the Nigeria we desire. Some of them may start the cycle again: give the bobo of promises, give zobo on failures, and put it all on repeat, adding extra sugar and honey. I do not mean that candidates should not make promises; rather, they must be able to evaluate the rot of the nation, access the realistic factors and be honest about their capability to transform the nation. Otherwise, even with good intentions, overbearing circumstances will neutralise the effect of any attempt and make transformation a Sisyphean task. Toward the election, it should be made compulsory that the incumbent government disclose the real state of the nation and declare assets, liabilities, debts, and other non-sensitive information so that candidates can prepare themselves in the six to eight months before the 2023 elections. Failure to do this or attempting to lace such reports with zobo should be met with punitive measures. This will allow the candidates to have practical and fact-based plans for their administration, save us from unnecessary bobos, and provide no justification for any zobo while in office. The current surge of PVC registrations has raised the hope that Nigerians may be ready for practical political participation. Nevertheless, the nation must look out for sweet bobos and zobos that cannot be evaluated on the basis of logic or reality. In advanced democracies, candidates engagements through debates, interactions, and questions and answers sessions cannot be undermined. It is a huge step to separating bobo or zobo from real and realistic plans for the nation, as it will expose each candidates reasoning and help electorates make the best decisions. The important thing is not how many people cast their votes but that most voters are informed. This means that there is a need for sensitisation to enable citizens to identify bobos and zobos, as well as motivations to understand the countrys political variables. There is a need to stop bobos in the form of money or branded packs of kuli kuli, garri, salt, rice, and toothpicks to buy the conscience of voters at polling units. It is time for Nigerians to realise that four years are too precious to waste as it could mean selling the nation for the next 50 years due to the level of rot such a bobo government can bring. It is time to say No Bobo! No Zobo! Toyin Falola, a professor of History, University Distinguished Teaching Professor, and Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities at The University of Texas at Austin, is the Bobapitan of Ibadanland. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The scope of NSITF should be very national. Its purview should be every Nigerian suffering everywhere. Imagine that the country is submerged in floods now and not a word from a SOCIAL INSURANCE TRUST FUND. A fund into which like the TETFUND Nigerian companies pay incredible amounts of money waiting to be embezzled! We can see the impact of TETFUND in our tertiary institutions; cant we? Where is the impact of NSITF? indeed, the process of reviewing and resetting the raison detre of this fund should start now. What comes to mind anytime this company called NSITF (National Social Insurance Trust Fund) comes up in the news? Fraud. Thats right. The key news that stems out of that organisation are all about embezzlement and mismanagement. The latest bad news after some calm is that an official of the organisation claimed that receipts and documents for several years may have been eaten up by termites, as they were stored in some containers outside their premises. The amount in contention is N17.85 billion. This statement was, of course, slightly sensationalised by the media and became another embarrassment for government at large, to the extent that NSITF had to take out pages in the newspapers to explain what its official meant and so on. However, people have become tired of these explanations and a permanent gorge seems to have evolved into a chasm between the leaders and the led, the government and the people. I was therefore miffed when sometimes last year, I received a letter from the NSITF saying they intend to come and inspect the books in my small company. Indeed, it was the first time any agency would come inspecting apart from our regulator, of course. Why would NSITF come to disturb me in my office? I wasnt even happy paying them, but Im being forced to do so statutorily. Apart from NSITF, yearly, I make payments to Industrial Training Fund (ITF), remit to Pension Fund Administrators for staff, obtain a certificate from the National Pensions Commission (PENCOM), and of course pay company income and personal income taxes. All the works. So, I wrote back to NSITF that as much as they wish to inspect our books for compliance and propriety, I was also interested in getting explanations to some of the egregious waste of the monies we had been paying them in 16 years of our operations. I itemised some of the scandals in the newspapers about the fund as follows: Ministry accuses NSITF Management of N3.4 Billion Fraud (Premium Times, 4 July, 2020); Fraud: FG Uncovers N62.555 Billion Unaccounted for in NSITF (Nairametrics, 19 July 19, 2018); Reps to Prove N2.3 Billion NSITF Fraud (The Nation, 18 December, 2019); FG Inaugurates Panel to Probe Alleged Fraud against NSITF MD, Others (ThisDay, 16 July, 2020); 4bn NSITF Fraud: Ubani Withdraws Suretyship of Olejeme, Blasts Magu (DailyPost, 17 April, 2021); Another Alleged N48bn Fraud Scandal at NSITF (National Daily, 22 July, 2020); Alleged N18bn Fraud: EFCC Arraigns ex-NSITF Boss, 4 Others. (Blueprint, 27 Nov, 2017). It was the much I could get from a quick Google search. Paying hard-earned money to NSITF felt very much like dumping money in the ocean or setting money on fire. Perhaps worse. I couldnt get it off my mind that I was paying some lucky civil servant, labour union leader, or political appointee to continue to build his/her misguided empire. The last five management teams of this organisation have been dismissed in ignominy, due to serious allegations of fraud. Perhaps more. The Somefun-led management alleged bullying by the Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige, but Im not sure it was able to prove its own fidelity. It had to be ejected. These are people appointed by the sitting president or vice president of the Federal Republic. Every year or two, its about huge billions getting missing. I am personally traumatised and Im sure its the same for all Nigerians, especially people who run companies and adhere to the statutory requirement of paying to NSITF. Of course the NSITF representative who came to my office merely pleaded with me that he was not a management staff and that all the stealing happened at the top in their office. He didnt deny that he worked in a place riddled with corruption, theft, and wanton stealing. Honestly, I appreciated his honesty. He sort of pitied we the payers. I think more payers should ask NSITF more questions because we cannot just be dumping money into a blast furnace every year. And NSITF should know that it has quite a nerve asking to come and inspect the books of companies, given its own sordid records which needs to be repaired from within. And so, the other day I was discussing this with a friend, and he said to me that NSITF is meant to be our own DOLE (Department of Labour and Employment) in the UK. Everyone knows that in the UK, till tomorrow, able-bodied men queue up in the labour department to collect cash for survival. That is called queueing for the dole. Whereas we have been forced lately especially by COVID-19 to set up several conditional cash transfer schemes with varying levels of efficiency and accountability, we do not yet have a well-established system like they do in the United Kingdom. The question is also whether we need and want any of such. If the UK has achieved a lot over the centuries, we havent done much here, and there are myriads of opportunities for work in a developing nation such as ours. Yet, it is worth investigating whether NSITF was conceived initially with the intention of being our own DOLE and backing up people who lost their jobs or who dont have one. Why the name SOCIAL INSURANCE TRUST FUND? It must mean that this agency of government was intended to anchor social insurance in a big way. How then did NSITF become a place that only caters for injuries sustained on the job? People who say we have all the agencies we need in Nigeria, to function like those countries that our young and not-so-young are japaing to today, are very correct. If we check very carefully, all the great ideas are here. But we have a way of ensuring that good ideas dont work or become liabilities to the system. Why create a Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs when we have NSITF? How then did NSITF become a place that only caters for injuries sustained on the job? People who say we have all the agencies we need in Nigeria, to function like those countries that our young and not-so-young are japaing to today, are very correct. If we check very carefully, all the great ideas are here. But we have a way of ensuring that good ideas dont work or become liabilities to the system. Why create a Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs when we have NSITF? Why is NSITF under the Ministry of Labour? Perhaps it was an idea muted by labour leaders. All the same, rather than this current status where the organisation is adrift, claiming to pay people who sustain accidents on the job (not those who die, mind you), effectively narrowing its scope and responsibility and becoming a slush fund for labour leaders and politicians alike, on the sweat of innocent companies who pay yearly, the next government should notice this organisation as a very likely catalyst for great impact on the people. I dont run a factory. People dont get injured in my office. The NSITF does not cover injuries OUTSIDE the office. But I pay. And so do hundreds of thousands of organisations. Why? Someone should compare the collections against their payout of liabilities and we will see that the margin is as wide as the Atlantic Ocean. Personally, I want to say that private companies do not have so much money to waste on NSITF. Nigerian companies need to be encouraged to pay statutory taxes and other dues properly. Agencies such as the NSITF have so far been a source of discouragement in that regard. Accountability is very paramount. The scope of NSITF should be very national. Its purview should be every Nigerian suffering everywhere. Imagine that the country is submerged in floods now and not a word from a SOCIAL INSURANCE TRUST FUND. A fund into which like the TETFUND Nigerian companies pay incredible amounts of money waiting to be embezzled! We can see the impact of TETFUND in our tertiary institutions; cant we? Where is the impact of NSITF? This is not acceptable. I believe that, indeed, the process of reviewing and resetting the raison detre of this fund should start now. And no crazy labour leader should stand in the way. It is a national fund, not a receptacle for collection of labour dues. Labour leaders can continue to become billionaires on those other funds within their purview from their members. The injustice and corruption that has become NSITF must stop immediately. The next government please take copious notes. In the United Kingdom that I am used to, it is the contribution of NI National Insurance that is used for the many big interventions health, education, unemployment benefits that our people now run to, embarrassingly plonking their extended families along and further damaging the sullied image of Nigeria. I cant blame most of them. Its the slackness over here. Tope Fasua, an economist, author, blogger, entrepreneur, and recent presidential candidate of the Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party (ANRP), can be reached through topsyfash@yahoo.com. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Africas leading e-commerce platform, Jumia, has announced the launch of the 2022 edition of its Black Friday shopping event. The campaign, tagged Beat Sapa, is geared towards helping consumers navigate the current economic realities while supporting SMEs and brands to reach millions of consumers. The campaign, which kicks off on Friday, 4 November, 2022, will run till Sunday, 27 November, 2022. Consumers in Nigeria will get massive discounts on a wide range of products across different categories from top international and local brands. This years Jumia Black Friday is in partnership with Adidas as the Platinum sponsor and Nivea, Xiaomi, Oraimo and Guinness as Gold sponsors. The Jumia Black Friday campaign is another opportunity for us to enrich the shopping experience of our consumers. With the current economic situation, it is important to ensure that consumers can still shop for their needs at the best prices. This 9th edition is set to provide this, and we are happy to have partnered with the biggest household brands and SMEs. We are encouraging our consumers to take advantage of this campaign and Beat Sapa with Jumia, said Jumia Nigeria CEO, Massimiliano Spalazzi. The annual commercial event, which was introduced into Nigeria for the first time in Nigeria and in Africa in 2014 by Jumia, continues to gain popularity amongst consumers and has largely contributed to the adoption of e-commerce nationwide through massive awareness. We are delighted to partner with Jumia for this years Black Friday campaign, where our customers can expect the best deals on the quality range of product assortment from the Nivea brand. We are aware of the tough economic conditions, which is why at Nivea, we believe in care beyond skin which means being part of the solution. We want to make self-love and self-care accessible and affordable for all, said Oladele Adeyole, Country General Manager, Beiersdorf Nivea Consumer Nigeria Limited. Asides from heavily discounted prices, consumers will also get mega deals which include flash sales on select products and free shipping by brands, daily games, prime members dedicated offers, and JumiaPay discounts, amongst others. Consumers can take advantage of the amazing offers during the Black Friday Sale by simply downloading the Jumia App. The campaign will feature Treasure Hunt, Brand Days, Daily Check-In, Flash Sales and Jumia Games, where consumers can win exciting prizes and get further discounts on several products. In addition, there would also be JumiaPay incentives, Jumia Prime members dedicated offers and free shipping on a wide range of products to consumers within Lagos, Abuja, and Ibadan. About Jumia We believe that technology has the potential to transform everyday life in Africa, for the better. We built Jumia to help consumers access millions of goods and services conveniently and at the best prices while opening up a new way for sellers to reach consumers and grow their businesses. Jumia is a leading e-commerce platform in Africa. Our marketplace is supported by our proprietary logistics business, Jumia Logistics, and our digital payment and fintech platform, JumiaPay. Jumia Logistics enables the seamless delivery of millions of packages while JumiaPay facilitates online payments and the distribution of a broad range of digital and financial services. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print At the Kadira Internally Displaced Persons camp in the heart of Jigawa, little children moved around in groups, unperturbed by the presence of strangers within the camp. Some of them looked forlorn and tired, in expectation of a return to normal life outside of the IDP camp. Khadija Malam, a primary one pupil of Kadira primary school, told PREMIUM TIMES that she is eager to return to school once the flood subsides. Located about fifteen kilometres away from Guri town, the local council headquarters, the cam is hosting some of the residents displaced by floods in Jigawa, including their children, whose academic lives have now been disrupted. I have been here since the flooding started, our house has damaged, and my father took us here, Khadija said. I dont know whether school has resumed but I will (like to) go back to school. Muhammadu Bashiri, a primary 3 pupil at the Kadira primary school, said he remains uncertain about his education in the aftermath of the flood but he is eager to return to school. At the neighbouring Kirikassamma local government area, the education secretary, Bulama Marma, said 22 basic schools were damaged by the flooding, out of which 17 are nomadic schools. Mr Marma listed the primary schools affected to include Tandanu Primary School, Kubayo Islamyya and Primary School, Tage Primary School, Gilakochinni Primary School, Illalla Primary School and Galadima Islamiyya Primary School, and Shinawu primary school. The official said the nomadic schools are Kaiwari nomadic, Tsamiya-Goma nomadic, fandum Fulani nomadic, Matarmi nomadic, Marawaji nomadic and Rugar Abdu Burga nomadic school. Others are Lamido Ware, Katintin, Jamar Jiyan, Meleri, Kokura, Guduri, Rugar Iliyasu, Sunamu, and Yabal nomadic schools. At the IDP camp in Baturiya, many of the nomadic school children can be seen wandering around, rearing animals. One of the pupils, Buba Nyako, told our reporter that he doesnt know whether he would return to school after the flood recedes. But Bubas father, Mr Nyako, said the children will return to school if they return to their settlements once the floods subside. Devastating floods The flood incidents recorded across Nigeria left a trail of destruction on rural healthcare facilities and schools in Jigawa State between August and October. These impacted maternal healthcare and kept many children out of school. Across villages in Kirikassamma and Guri Local Government Areas, the floods affected hundreds of school children, with at least 47 basic schools in the areas submerged by waters. Since torrential rain began in August, floods have displaced thousands of people and killed over 100 across the state, according to official figures. Many families have also lost their homes, livestock, and farmlands while critical infrastructures such as dams and bridges have been washed away across the state. Although the Jigawa State Government announced the resumption of schools statewide in the first week of October, pupils and teachers in Guri and Kirikassamma could not resume because of damaged classrooms and submerged roads. Pupils who had to move rivers using boats were shut out of school due to the high cost of water transportation, worsened by a poor harvest. The Guri Local Government Education Secretary, Kaka Alhassan, said 25 basic-level schools were affected by the flood, out of which 22 are nomadic schools across the local council area. The official identified the affected schools as Takazza primary school, Tasgan Yamma Primary School, Tasgan Gabas primary school, Government Day Secondary School (GDSS), Kadira, and Askandu Nomadic, Takalafiya Nomadic, Kwanar Mai-Labbo nomadic school. Others are Shifka Nomadic School, Maidashi Nomadic School, Wurojugga Nomadic School and Dolewa Nomadic school. All the 14 Nomadic Schools at Fulani settlements of Malam Yaya, Hardo Muccilo, Jabbo, Cijabba, Alkaliyo, Udari, Malam Ali, Majaram, Kasuwaram, Ziyemajina, Bugaram, Jauro Ubba, Jangon, Gabas, Farin Gwanki, were flooded, Mr Alhassan said. Umar Gafta, a teacher at Famdun Fulani Nomadic School, said of the over 80 pupils of the schools, only three pupils were receiving lessons as of the last week of October. The three pupils are lucky enough to be in school, he said, because they are taking refuge at the nomadic school building. The teacher said the nomadic school at the Famdun Fulani settlement is also serving as an IDP camp being occupied by displaced families of herders around the community. One of the leaders of the herders, Wakili Jatau, told our reporter that he hopes to return home if the floods subsided to give space for the pupils, who are mostly his grandchildren, to return to their classes. Out-of-School Children The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in its latest global data, said Nigeria now has about 20 million out-of-school children. The current flooding challenge must have negatively impacted childrens education in Jigawa, which is a part of Nigerias North-west that is already battling a high number of out-of-school children. The Senior Education Manager of UNICEF, Michael Banda, noted that in Jigawa State, there are missed opportunities for learning as 27 schools are flooded, while as many as 18 schools are being used as IDP camps. In a recent assessment by UNICEF, the official said only 25 IDP camps and two communities were covered. The official said the in-depth multi-sectoral assessment, conducted in collaboration with the Jigawa State Governments team representing various sectors, and the World Health Organisation (WHO), showed that children and women have been most hit by the flood. Mr Banda said children affected by the flood stand the risk of exposure to violence, sexual abuse, neglect, and exploitation. There is also an evident lack of access to correct information on disease prevention and rights protection, it said. Primarily because of the absence of latrine and WASH facilities, the affected population is highly prone to cholera and other water-borne diseases, the official said, adding that loss of loved ones and property may lead to life-long emotional distress, especially for children. On child protection, UNICEF is working with partners to provide community-based psycho-social support to affected families, and prevention and response to violence and abuse of children including Sexual and Gender-based Violence, he said. Maternal health challenges In addition to its devastating effect on school children, a major impact of the flooding incident in Jigawa is mostly felt in the area of maternal health. Between August and October, at least 33 newborn babies were delivered at three IDP camps in Dutse, Ringim and Guri Local Government Areas visited by PREMIUM TIMES, despite the prevalence of poor medical facilities across the camps. In the Karnaya community, which is about 23 kilometres away from Dutse, the state capital, at least 25 women gave birth within the period. In Gerawa camp, Ringim, seven women put to bed while in Kadira in Guri local government area, a woman gave birth after they were displaced and their health facilities were damaged by the flood. The multi-sectoral assessment led by UNICEF said a total of 30 health facilities have been flooded and are out of use currently, while over 200 have been heavily affected, with various degrees of damage. As a result, PREMIUM TIMES gathered that the health needs of the affected population, especially pregnant and lactating mothers, are not being met. One of the leaders of the displaced people at Karnaya camp in Dutse, Falalu Ado, said 25 women had deliveries in the camp without being attended to by trained health personnel, adding that all the children were not immunised against killer diseases. Life here is difficult, assistance is not forthcoming, and we are living at the mercy of God. We need food and medical attention because there are also reported (suspected) cases of cholera outbreak in the camp, Mr Ado lamented. Women are delivering babies in the camps without care; we are lucky enough to have the women delivering without complications. But they are being saved by God Almighty, and nobody in the name of a government official is assisting us in the camp. One of the nursing mothers, who only identified herself as Hadiza, said: I am lucky because I delivered without any complication but since I delivered I had no medical attention and the baby is yet to be immunised against diseases. Another nursing mother, Ruqayya Sani, said she delivered the baby exactly eight days after they relocated to the camp. She, like many others, was not attended to by skilled birth attendants. PHCs damaged At Takazza community in the Guri council area, residents said the flood put over 2000 children at risk of malaria as the primary health centre in the community was flooded and destroyed. The flood and the failure of the government to provide health services to the displaced persons may increase infant mortality in the state as the children birthed at the camps are yet to be immunised against childrens killer diseases, another resident said. Already, the infant and maternal mortality rates in Jigawa are one of the worst in the country. Maternal mortality in the state is 174 deaths per 100,000 live births, a recent survey in 2021 revealed. Kabir Ibrahim, the executive secretary of Jigawa State Primary Health Care Development Board (SPHCDB), said the women delivering at the Karnaya camp are willfully doing so as there are at least three vehicles meant for the Emergency Transport Scheme that are meant for the free service for mothers in the Karnaya community. Mr Ibrahim, a medical doctor, said across the state, the government is providing free drugs for the displaced persons. He, however, acknowledged that IDP camps are not safe for delivery, thus, the women are facing the challenge of maternal health. A resident of the community, Abubakar Musa, pleaded with the government to devise a means for the mobile treatment of malaria cases on children and women in the community, adding that even the residence of the midwives in the community has been flooded. ***This investigation was completed with the support of the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development and the Centre for Investigative Journalisms Open Climate Reporting Initiative. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Ekiti State Police Command has ordered the arrest and prosecution of those still engaged in Female Genital Mutilation, even as the state leads South-west in prevalence rate. Even though laws were enacted since 2011 prohibiting the practice, law enforcement agencies have not been responding to advocacy efforts of government and civil society organisations. But the Commissioner of Police in the State, Morounkeji Adesina, after a sensitisation session on Thursday, ordered his men to commence aggressive manhunt for perpetrators of the act. Mr Adesina described the act as illegal and a gross violation of human rights. The anti-FGM law was amended in 2019, stipulating a fine of N200,000 or two years imprisonment for offenders. In 2013, Ekiti had 72 per cent prevalent rate, but in 2019 it reduced to 57.9 per cent, which was seen as grossly inadequate. The Commissioner of Police gave the directive in Ado Ekiti, while speaking at a capacity building workshop organised by Hacey Health Initiative for Law Enforcement Officers on Female Genital Mutilation. The workshop was attended by the officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force, Amotekun Corps, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps and community leaders. The CP, represented by the commands spokesperson, Sunday Abutu, described FGM as a violation of the States Childs Rights Act and the Gender Based Violence and Prohibition Law 2019 as amended, enacted by the state government. Mr Adesina said the scourge had destroyed many homes and lives, and that security agencies as enforcers of the laws would not allow the illegality to continue in Ekiti unabated. READ ALSO: This workshop is a welcome development because it deals with stopping Female Genital Mutilation, one of the bad practices in our society, he said. The practice had caused permanent injuries and disabilities to many women , which was unlawful and this must be discouraged. From now henceforth, we will put our torch lights out there and monitor the activities of our people. My men should take it as part of their responsibilities to arrest and prosecute offenders. But our people should give us information that can help us arrest the perpetrators. Expressing regret that no one had been jailed for FGM in Ekiti despite the existing laws, the Coordinator, Reproductive Maternal and Child Health, Ekiti State Ministry of Health, Olukemi Akinleye, said the partnership with the security agencies will change the narratives. It is sad that nobody had been arrested or prosecuted. FGM keeps increasing in Ekiti despite the sensitisation by government, she said. The GBV Law and Childs Rights Act stipulated two years imprisonment for offenders or N200,000 fine or both , and these must be applied to teach offenders a bitter lesson. In her presentation, a Lawyer and Chief executive Officer, Gender Relevance Initiative Promotion (GRIP), Rita Ilevbare, described FGM as a socio-cultural menace that can be tackled by virulent enforcement of appropriate laws in place. The fact that there is high teenage pregnancy in Ekiti shows that there was no correlation between the belief that cutting female genitalia makes women to be promiscuous, she submitted. Every prosecution starts with arrest. We have had cases of women suffering keloids, painful sexual intercourse, Csiserial Section because of FGM. Why must we practice what is regarded as a violation of the law? If after the series of empowerments by government and the cutters are not ready to stop, then we must apply the laws to deal with them. The State Coordinator, Hacey Health Initiative, Oluwanifemi Ayeni, said the workshop was conceptualised to equip the security agencies and stakeholders with knowledge and skills in dealing with issues that relate to violence against persons. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The leader of the Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, Reuben Fasoranti, has clarified his statement on the leadership of the group, saying Ayo Adebanjo has not been removed as its acting leader. Mr Fasoranti, who has been criticised after receiving the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, on Sunday in his residence in Akure, said he has also not ordered that the groups meeting should revert to his residence. Reports have quoted him as removing Mr Adebanjo from his position after the latters outburst against Mr Fasorantis endorsement of Mr Tinubu on Sunday. Mr Adebanjo, who had openly criticised the visit, where members of the group endorsed the APC candidate, had alleged that Mr Tinubus visit was aimed at dividing Afenifere. Mr Adebanjo has consistently maintained that Afenifere will support the Labour Party candidate, Peter Obi, for the 2023 presidential election on grounds of equity and fairness. He had argued that all the regions had had a fair chance of ruling the nation and that it was the turn of the South-east. READ ALSO: Mr Fasoranti, in a statement on Thursday by his personal assistant, Adedapo Abiola, said his main concern was the interest of the Yoruba in the complex political situation in Nigeria. It has come to Papa R.F. Fasonrantis knowledge that some sections of the media, especially the social media, have been ascribing to him statements designed to cause confusion and polarise Afenifere, the statement reads. I have Papas permission to say that he has not said that Chief Ayo Adebanjo is no longer the acting leader of Afenifere or that all future Afenifere meetings should henceforth be held at his residence in Akure. Papas main concern is the interest of the Yoruba in the complex political situation in Nigeria. It is also his concern that Afenifere should survive in dignity and remain a purveyor of the interest of the Yoruba race. Earlier, former General Secretary of the group, Seinde Arogbofa, stated that the allegation that members of the group were compromised to endorse Mr Tinubu was unfounded and untrue. He said the groups position was in the interest of the nation and the Yoruba people. He also said the confusion setting in as a result of the visit of Mr Tinubu to Akure on Sunday would be resolved within the group very soon. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print MEIL to build Open Art Units, Utilities & Offsites, Plant Buildings & captive power plants Value of the project is USD 790 million HYDERABAD, India, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Megha Engineering & Infrastructures Limited (MEIL) has received the LOA for the Mongol Refinery Project, which entails building Mongolia's first oil refinery. According to the EPC deal, MEIL will build this new refinery in Mongolia. MEIL will build EPC-2 (Open Art Units, Utilities & Offsites, Plant Buildings) and EPC-3 (Captive Power Plants) at a cost of USD 790 million using advanced technology in Mongolia. Executive Director, Mongol Refinery Dr Altantsetseg and Mr P. Doraiah, Director Hydrocarbons, MEIL post agreement signing The project is part of the Development Partnership Administration initiative of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Government of India. It will be built using a line of credit from the Government of India. Engineers India Limited (EIL) is the Project Management Consultant (PMC) for this G2G partnership project. In the years to come, this refinery will open up a number of employment opportunities, supporting the growth of nearby small industries, and thereby leading to Mongolia's economic development. According to MEIL's spokesperson, "This downstream project is of enormous importance and marks a critical turning point in the relationship between India and Mongolia and in MEIL's expansion strategy in the hydrocarbons sector. In addition, the project will bring economic prosperity and energy independence to Mongolia." About the Mongol Refinery Project To lessen Mongolia's dependency on oil imports from Russia, the country is constructing its first greenfield oil refinery ---- the Mongol Refinery. A pipeline and a power plant are part of the refinery's operations. Once completed, this refinery will be able to process 30,000 barrels of crude oil per day or 1.5 million tonnes annually. This will reduce Mongolia's dependency on Russian fuel and will help the country meet its needs for petroleum products like gasoline, diesel, aviation fuel, and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). About MEIL Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Ltd. (MEIL), founded in 1989 is one of India's top infrastructure companies with the quickest growth. It has made its mark across 20 countries in the last three decades. The company operates in the sectors of Oil and Gas, Defence, Transport, Irrigation, Power and Telecom. MEIL has been actively involved in India's Nation-building programme. Nation first has been its motto since its inception. It has built some of India's iconic projects over the years. Each of these projects has significantly impacted the quality of lives of people and will continue to impact lives for years to come. Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1937299/MEIL_Mongol_Refinery_agreement.jpg Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/958718/MEIL_Logo.jpg SOURCE Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Limited (MEIL) TOKYO, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2nd Global Forum of People's Organizations on Hansen's Disease takes place in Hyderabad, India, from November 6 to 8, 2022. Organized by Sasakawa Leprosy (Hansen's Disease) Initiative as part of its "Don't Forget Leprosy" campaign, the forum is being held ahead of the 21st International Leprosy Congress (ILC), which brings together the key stakeholders in the field of leprosy. The 1st Global Forum of Peoples Organizations on Hansens Disease was held in Manila, Philippines in September 2019 prior to 20th International Leprosy Congress. Around 100 people from 22 countries are expected to take part in the Global Forum, including representatives of 20 People's Organizations and nine supporting organizations, the UN Special Rapporteur on leprosy, as well as special guests Miss World Brazil and Miss Supranational India. Also attending will be WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination Yohei Sasakawa, who together with The Nippon Foundation and Sasakawa Health Foundation makes up the strategic alliance known as the Sasakawa Leprosy (Hansen's Disease) Initiative. Held over three days in a hybrid on-site/online format, the theme of the Global Forum is "Strengthening and maximizing the roles and capacities of People's Organizations to promote the dignity of persons affected by Hansen's disease." Coming in the wake of three difficult years in which communities of persons affected by leprosy have been hard hit by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the forum will focus on empowering their organizations to tackle more effectively the remaining challenges in leprosy as seen from the perspective of those who have personally experienced the disease. The program includes sessions on capacity building, forming good partnerships, and achieving inclusion, with participants sharing best practices, while on the final day there will be a number of side events at which 18 organizations will introduce their activities. Many of these organizations have been active in the Don't Forget Leprosy campaign, which was launched in August 2021 and is being led by WHO Goodwill Ambassador Sasakawa to ensure that measures against leprosy and support for those it affects are not neglected amid the pandemic. One of the highlights of the forum will be a special session at which Miss World Brazil (Ms. Leticia Cezar da Frota) and Miss Supranational India (Ms. Pragnya Ayyagari) will discuss how they can use their public platform to raise awareness of leprosy and contribute to eliminating the stigma and discrimination that those affected by the disease still encounter. The forum's conclusions and recommendations, representing the collective voice of People's Organizations around the world, will be presented on the opening day of the ILC on November 9 by Ms. Maya Ranavare, the president of India's Association of Persons Affected by Leprosy, one of the People's Organizations taking part. The program of the three-day forum as well as registration information for online participation are available here: https://sasakawaleprosyinitiative.org/latest-updates/initiative-news/2679/ About Leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease, is an infectious disease that mainly affects the skin and peripheral nerves. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted case-finding activities, over 200,000 new cases were being reported annually. Leprosy is curable with multidrug therapy, but left untreated can result in permanent disability. An estimated 3 to 4 million people are thought to be living with some form of disability as a result of leprosy. Although completely curable, many myths and misunderstandings surround the disease. In various parts of the world, patients, those who have been treated and cured, and even their family members continue to be stigmatized. The discrimination they face limits their opportunities for education, employment and full participation in society. SOURCE Sasakawa Health Foundation Industry Professional is Focused on Increasing Access to, and Awareness of, Commercial Arbitration Services Across the Sunshine Stateand in Puerto Rico MIAMI, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Arbitration Association (AAA) has elevated Angela Romero Valedon, Esq. to Vice President in its Commercial Division. Based in the organization's Miami office, where she has worked since 2016, she will be responsible for delivering customized alternative dispute resolution (ADR) services to commercial parties throughout Florida and Puerto Rico. "Angela has proven to be an outstanding ambassador for our organization, and for arbitration as a fair and advantageous process for resolving B2B disputes," said Robert Matlin, Esq., Senior Vice President of the American Arbitration Association's Commercial and Construction Divisions. "We are confident that she will continue to serve, and educate, businesses in South Florida, as well as the Central and Northern regions of the state, that can benefit from ADR." In addition to facilitating commercial arbitration and mediation services in South, Central, and North Florida and Puerto Rico, Ms. Romero Valedon will organize industry roundtables and other educational events around the state for commercial, legal, and ADR professionals. She will also continue to further the AAA's mission to strengthen diversity and inclusion among its arbitrators, and within the ADR industry as a whole. "The cases I have helped to manage demonstrate that when arbitration is conducted properly and the parties involved enter the process for the right reasons, it can be a major force for good," said Angela Romero Valedon, Esq., Vice President in the American Arbitration Association's Commercial Division. "Achieving and exceeding our case management and service goals on behalf of the parties seeking to resolve B2B disputes through ADR remains my top priority, along with recruiting more arbitrators who meet our diversity criteria. I believe strongly in the benefits of the ADR experience we can provide to businesses throughout this state." Ms. Romero Valedon, who reports to Mr. Matlin in her new role, joined the AAA as Director of ADR Services in the Miami office in October 2016. Prior to the AAA, she owned and led her own mediation firm, ARV Legal, and served as Circuit Manager for Oasis Alliance Corp., the 11th Judicial Circuit's mortgage foreclosure mediation program. Ms. Romero-Valedon began her career as an Associate Attorney in Fort Lauderdale. She is also a Circuit Civil Certified Mediator. Ms. Romero Valedon earned her J.D. from Nova Southeastern University's Shepard Broad College of Law, and graduated from Florida International University with a B.A. in International Business. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, she is fluent in English and Spanish. To learn more about the AAA's Commercial offering, please visit https://www.adr.org/commercial. About the American Arbitration Association The not-for-profit American Arbitration Association (AAA) is the leading provider of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) services for parties in commercial disputes, having administered more than seven million ADR cases since its founding in 1926. With 29 offices in the United States, in addition to Singapore, the AAA provides organizations of all sizes in virtually every industry with ADR services and products. For more information, visit www.adr.org. Media Contacts: Michael C. Clark Laura Simpson American Arbitration Association JConnelly +1.212.716.3978 +1.973.713.8834 [email protected] [email protected] SOURCE American Arbitration Association Partnership provides property owners with secure guest authentication, while supporting memorable guest engagements NEW YORK, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Veriff , a global identity verification provider, today announced a partnership with the guest messaging platform Akia . By partnering with Veriff, Akia can take the safety and security of property owners to a new level through verifying guests' identities within seconds while offering a seamless customer experience. Akia's platform specializes in offering thoughtful guest experiences through automating the entire communication lifecycle. It is easy to use and property owners are able to build guest journeys without the need for developers and designers, making it a viable solution for property owners of any size. While Akia works like a powerful app for owners, automated communications are sent through a text, ensuring guests aren't bothered by the hassle of another app download. "By integrating with Veriff, we're enabling hosts to automate peace of mind. Hoteliers and hosts are searching for ways to improve operational flow and create an outstanding experience while maintaining confidence in the security of their guests and properties," said Ryan Kanoknukulchai, Akia Chief Operating Officer. "While Akia digitizes the guest journeys and workflows, Veriff secures the check-in process and escalates bad actors by flagging suspicious guests." Veriff's AI-powered identity verification solution provides fast conversions of customers, as well as identity fraud prevention. With Veriff, owners are provided with the knowledge that they are renting to verified visitors and not scam artists or identity thieves. Veriff enables users to take a selfie and snap a photo of an ID for identity verification in seconds, making their solution not only essential to hosts and property owners, but also easy to use for customers, aligning with Akia's mission of creating memorable guest experiences. "This partnership with Akia opens up an exciting new market for Veriff. Expanding into the hospitality space is an approach that makes Veriff incredibly tangible. Hosts invite guests into their space, and - regardless of its size - it's important to ensure safety and security. This begins with the first online guest interaction, and with Veriff, hosts can ensure their guests are who they say they are," said Manuel Solis III, Head of Global Partnerships & Alliances at Veriff. "It's an incredible honor to provide this service to the hospitality community, and reinforces our mission of being a force for good." Recently Veriff launched their new R.E.V. Partner Program (Revenue Expansion with Veriff) to provide a clear path to support Veriff's growing ecosystem of partners. The program is designed to support partners in sales and marketing along with providing partners with Veriff's premium IDV platform to help meet the demands of end customers desiring to combat identity theft and fraud. The program can be tailored to meet the needs of a specific partner type based on their own business, offering flexibility to support the partner as their business scales. About Akia Akia is an AI-powered 2-way communication platform designed to help enhance guest engagement and property reputation. Akia's process automation streamlines operation, increases staff efficiency, and drives more revenue. Akia's integration with numerous other technologies like property management systems and digital keys enables companies to have robust tech stack. Headquartered in San Francisco, California, the company was co-founded in 2018 by a team of ex-Meta engineers with a mission to change how people engage with businesses around them. To learn more, visit www.akia.com About Veriff Veriff is the industry leader in online identity verification, helping businesses achieve greater levels of trust and making the internet a better place for everyone. Our intelligent decision engine analyzes thousands of technological and behavioral variables linked to government IDs from over 190 countries. Founded in 2015, Veriff serves a global portfolio of organizations across the fintech, crypto, and mobility sectors. Veriff's investors include Tiger Capital and Alkeon. Veriff's latest $100 million investment round brings its total funding to $200 million and its valuation to $1.5 billion. With offices in the United States, United Kingdom Spain, and Estonia, and 550 people from 60 different nationalities, every day we're dedicated to helping businesses and individuals build a more secure world. To learn more, visit www.veriff.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1875368/Veriff_Logo.jpg SOURCE Veriff Flight Pass adds fourth state, subscribers earn elite status during month-long promotion SEATTLE, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Alaska Airlines, the only U.S. airline to offer a pay-by-month flight subscription service, is expanding its popular program to Salt Lake City less than a year after its launch. Flight Pass subscribers will now be able to fly between Salt Lake City and San Francisco or San Diego, in addition to 18 other routes throughout California and select cities in Nevada and Arizona. The addition of the Salt Lake City routes outside of the Golden State comes just in time for the start of ski season and the gift-giving holidays. Alaska Airlines expands one-of-a-kind flight subscription service to Salt Lake City in time for ski season, holidays Tweet this Alaska Airlines adds fourth state to Flight Pass, subscribers earn elite status during month-long promotion The service allows guests to book six, 12 or 24 roundtrip flights at a fixed-monthly rate. Subscribers lock in main cabin deals for a full year and pay taxes and fees when booking flights, which cost as low as $14.61 per flight. Since its launch in February, Flight Pass has grown steadily among frequent travelers on the West Coast, particularly among Millennials and Generation Z from Northern California. The most booked Flight Pass routes connect between the major metro areas in California, while the most popular plan among the Flight Pass options is the $49 per month service that includes six roundtrip flights a year. Flight Pass is currently offered in select cities in California, Nevada, Arizona and now Utah. "Utah is a popular ski and outdoor recreation destination among our California subscribers, and we're happy to now make those trips more affordable and accessible with Flight Pass," said Neil Thwaites, Alaska Airlines regional vice-president of California. "We're also excited to introduce Flight Pass to Utah and provide Salt Lake City travelers with an affordable option for their frequent travel to California." Alaska Airlines also announced on Wednesday it's offering complimentary Mileage Plan MVP member status upgrades to those who sign-up for Flight Pass. From now until Nov. 30, new Flight Pass subscribers will earn complimentary MVP status for 12 months while new Flight Pass Pro subscribers will automatically earn MVP Gold status, if eligible. For existing subscribers enrolled in qualifying Flight Pass plans, Alaska Airlines is making their year of travel even more rewarding with complimentary MVP or MVP Gold status through 2023. "To thank subscribers for their commitment to Alaska Airlines, elite benefits that would normally be earned after flying for a year can now be enjoyed from the very beginning," said Thwaites. "Flight Pass members will be able to enjoy the perks of being Mileage Plan elite members throughout their subscription, including upgrades to First Class and Premium Class, earned bonus miles and free checked bags." Terms and conditions: This offer is valid only for Mileage Plan members who are actively subscribed to a qualifying Flight Pass subscription as of November 3, 2022, or who subscribe to a qualifying Flight Pass subscription on or before November 30, 2022. Subscribers enrolled in the Flight Pass 12 or 24 trips-per-year plans will be granted complimentary MVP status through December 2023. Subscribers enrolled in the Flight Pass Pro 12 or 24 trips-per-year plans will be granted complimentary MVP Gold status through December 2023. Subscribers enrolled in any 6 trips-per-year plans are not eligible. The tier status gift will arrive in the Mileage Plan member's account no later than December 7, 2022 following the end of the promotional period on November 30, 2022. Offer valid only for legal residents of California, Arizona, Nevada, and Utah. Members must remain active Flight Pass subscribers in good standing in a 12 or 24 trips-per-year plan to maintain their gifted tier status through December 2023. Alaska Airlines reserves the right to rescind gifted tier status for any reason, including failure to remain a Flight Pass subscriber in a 12 or 24 trips-per-year plan and/or failure to make monthly subscription payments. All terms and conditions of the Mileage Plan program apply. Offer subject to change without notice. About Alaska Airlines Alaska Airlines and its regional partners serve more than 120 destinations across the United States and to Mexico, Canada and Costa Rica. The airline emphasizes Next-Level Care for its guests, along with providing low fares, award-winning customer service and sustainability efforts. Alaska is a member of oneworld. With the global alliance and the airline's additional partners, guests can travel to more than 1,000 destinations on more than 20 airlines while earning and redeeming miles on flights to locations around the world. Learn more about Alaska at news.alaskaair.com and follow @alaskaairnews for latest news. Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK). SOURCE Alaska Airlines Wondershare has been a leader in the G2Crowd report for 19 consecutive quarters. VANCOUVER, BC, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Wondershare, the global creative software company, is honored to be recognized as a leader across four categories in the G2 Fall 2022 Report with a string of awards. Based on the authentic customer reviews and their overall experiences, the rankings further solidify Wondershare's innovation, market leadership and growth in the industry. An Award-Filled Fall for Wondershare as a Leader in G2s Quarterly Report As the world's largest technology marketplace, G2 is trusted by users worldwide, especially regarding software reviews. The rankings are determined by multiple factors including customer satisfaction (based on user reviews) and market presence (based on market share, seller size, and social impact), whereas products falling into G2's Leader quadrant are rated highly by users. "Throughout these years, we evolved with our products and users, providing practical solutions at the best possible price," said Shaan Jahagirdar, the Chief Design Officer at Wondershare. "Wondershare just celebrated its 19th anniversary. Moving forward, we will continue to innovate and make our products accessible to every user across the globe. Globalized tools with localized resources are our motto." This fall, Wondershare continues an unbroken winning streak spanning 19 quarters across different categories in G2Crowd Report: Flagship editing software Filmora Leader of Video Editing Leader of Video Editing PDF solution PDFelement Leader of Document PDF Editor, Leader of Document Generation and Best Software Awards 2022 Top 50 Office Products Leader of Document PDF Editor, Leader of Document Generation and Best Software Awards 2022 Top 50 Office Products Data recovery tool Recoverit Leader of File Recovery Leader of File Recovery Photo background remover PixCut High Performer of Photo Editing Trusted by millions of users in over 150 countries, Wondershare is dedicated to providing easy-to-use yet fully-featured innovations that fulfill needs across different industries, especially the business and creative industries. For example, Wondershare Filmora collaborated with the hardware giant Intel with a mission to help small and medium businesses create engaging content with ease through the intuitive software Filmora. Earning an Intel's Gold-tier badge as a partner is indicative of Wondershare's commitment to users at any skill level. As the world enters the creator economy era, Wondershare will continue to innovate and upgrade the creative tools constantly based on the latest trends, ensuring creators around the world can keep up with the fast-paced digital world by producing high-quality content. About Wondershare Founded in 2003, Wondershare is a global leader in software development and a pioneer in the field of digital creativity. Our technology is powerful, and the solutions we provide are simple and convenient. That's why we're trusted by millions of people in over 150 countries worldwide. We help our users pursue their passions so that, together, we can build a more creative world. Media Contact Shearer Wang Wondershare [email protected] SOURCE Wondershare NEW YORK, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Auto Extended Warranty Market by End-user (personal and commercial) and Geography (North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and Middle East and Africa) - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026" report has been added to Technavio's offering. With ISO 9001:2015 certification, Technavio is proudly partnering with more than 100 Fortune 500 companies for over 16 years. Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Auto Extended Warranty Market 2022-2026 The potential growth difference for the auto extended warranty market size between 2021 and 2026 is USD 12.05 billion. To get the exact yearly growth variance and the Y-O-Y growth rate, Request a FREE PDF Sample Report. Key Market Dynamics The flexible pricing schemes and high demand for extended warranty from the automobile industry are some of the key market drivers. However, factors such as the expansion of service portfolio by vendors will challenge market growth. To learn about additional key drivers, trends, and challenges available with Technavio, View our FREE Sample Report right now! Market Segmentation By end-user, the personal segment will be a significant contributor to market growth during the forecast period. Vendors are focusing on offering auto extended warranty programs, which include mobile insurance, extended service plans, and protection plans for various businesses such as manufacturers and retailers. Moreover, rising automobile ownership among individuals across the world is also propelling the demand for auto extended warranties. Thus, the personal segment is expected to fuel the growth of the global auto extended warranty market during the forecast period. By geography, North America will be the leading region with 41% of the market's growth during the forecast period. The US is a key country for the auto extended warranty market in the region. Find additional insights into the contribution of all the segments and regional opportunities in the report. Buy Now for detailed segment information Some Companies Mentioned with their Offerings AAA Warranty Services - The company offers auto extended warranty for cars, used cars, and tires and wheels. The Allstate Corp. - The company offers auto extended warranties, such as vehicle service contracts, mechanical breakdown insurance, and vehicle theft protection. AmTrust Financial Services Inc. - The company offers auto extended warranty for dealers, agents, third-party administrators, and manufacturers. Assurant Inc. - The company offers auto extended warranty to extend their existing manufacturer warranty period using an insured product. AXA Group - The company offers auto extended warranty from providers such as Carchex care by Royal. Carchex LLC - The company offers auto extended warranty with coverage plans such as Diamond, Platinum, Gold, Silver, motorcycle, and electric vehicles. CarShield - The company offers auto extended warranty such as powertrain, premium and advanced protection plans. Edel Assurance LLP - The company offers auto extended warranty such as secure, advantage and supreme coverage plans. Hyundai Motor Co - The company offers auto extended warranty for engine and transmission, electrical components, AC systems, and instrument clusters. Allianz SE Asurion LLC Concord Auto Protect Corporate Warranties India Pvt. Ltd. Endurance Warranty Services LLC Repair Ventures LLC Tata Motors Ltd. Want your report customized? Speak to an analyst and personalize your report according to your needs Related Reports Extended Warranty Market in US by Device and End-user - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026: High demand for household appliances is driving market growth. Users can download the relevant apps on mobile devices and connect their appliances through Wi-Fi. The rapidly evolving designs of household appliances will also spur the demand for household appliances in the US. Insurance Brokerage Market by Type and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026: Increased demand for insurance policies is driving the insurance brokerage market growth. Purchasing an insurance policy is a key financial decision for customers in the global insurance brokerage market. A shift in customer demographics has pressurized insurance brokerage firms to implement actuarial models and effective sales strategies and adopt efficient pricing policies. Auto Extended Warranty Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2021 Forecast period 2022-2026 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 5.55% Market growth 2022-2026 USD 12.05 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 4.56 Regional analysis North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and Middle East and Africa Performing market contribution North America at 41% Key consumer countries US, China, Japan, UK, and Germany Competitive landscape Leading companies, competitive strategies, consumer engagement scope Companies profiled AAA Warranty Services, Allianz SE, The Allstate Corp., AmTrust Financial Services Inc., Assurant Inc., Asurion LLC, AXA Group, Carchex LLC, CarShield, Concord Auto Protect, Corporate Warranties India Pvt. Ltd., Edel Assurance LLP, Endurance Warranty Services LLC, Hyundai Motor Co, Repair Ventures LLC, and Tata Motors Ltd. Market Dynamics Parent market analysis, market growth inducers and obstacles, fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and future consumer dynamics, and market condition analysis for the forecast period. Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized. Browse Consumer Discretionary Market Reports Key Topics Covered 1 Executive Summary 1.1 Market overview Exhibit 01: Executive Summary Chart on Market Overview Exhibit 02: Executive Summary Data Table on Market Overview Exhibit 03: Executive Summary Chart on Global Market Characteristics Exhibit 04: Executive Summary Chart on Market by Geography Exhibit 05: Executive Summary Chart on Market Segmentation by End-user Exhibit 06: Executive Summary Chart on Incremental Growth Exhibit 07: Executive Summary Data Table on Incremental Growth Exhibit 08: Executive Summary Chart on Vendor Market Positioning 2 Market Landscape 2.1 Market ecosystem Exhibit 09: Parent market Exhibit 10: Market Characteristics 3 Market Sizing 3.1 Market definition Exhibit 11: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition 3.2 Market segment analysis Exhibit 12: Market segments 3.3 Market size 2021 3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2021-2026 Exhibit 13: Chart on Global - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) Exhibit 14: Data Table on Global - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) Exhibit 15: Chart on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 16: Data Table on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 4 Five Forces Analysis 4.1 Five forces summary Exhibit 17: Five forces analysis - Comparison between 2021 and 2026 4.2 Bargaining power of buyers Exhibit 18: Chart on Bargaining power of buyers Impact of key factors 2021 and 2026 4.3 Bargaining power of suppliers Exhibit 19: Bargaining power of suppliers Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026 4.4 Threat of new entrants Exhibit 20: Threat of new entrants Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026 4.5 Threat of substitutes Exhibit 21: Threat of substitutes Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026 4.6 Threat of rivalry Exhibit 22: Threat of rivalry Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026 4.7 Market condition Exhibit 23: Chart on Market condition - Five forces 2021 and 2026 5 Market Segmentation by End-user 5.1 Market segments Exhibit 24: Chart on End-user - Market share 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 25: Data Table on End-user - Market share 2021-2026 (%) 5.2 Comparison by End-user Exhibit 26: Chart on Comparison by End-user Exhibit 27: Data Table on Comparison by End-user 5.3 Personal - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 28: Chart on Personal - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) Exhibit 29: Data Table on Personal - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) Exhibit 30: Chart on Personal - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 31: Data Table on Personal - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 5.4 Commercial - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 32: Chart on Commercial - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) Exhibit 33: Data Table on Commercial - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) Exhibit 34: Chart on Commercial - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 35: Data Table on Commercial - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 5.5 Market opportunity by End-user Exhibit 36: Market opportunity by End-user ($ billion) 6 Customer Landscape 6.1 Customer landscape overview Exhibit 37: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria 7 Geographic Landscape 7.1 Geographic segmentation Exhibit 38: Chart on Market share by geography 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 39: Data Table on Market share by geography 2021-2026 (%) 7.2 Geographic comparison Exhibit 40: Chart on Geographic comparison Exhibit 41: Data Table on Geographic comparison 7.3 North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 42: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) Exhibit 43: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) Exhibit 44: Chart on North America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 45: Data Table on North America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.4 Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 46: Chart on Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) Exhibit 47: Data Table on Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) Exhibit 48: Chart on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 49: Data Table on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.5 APAC - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 50: Chart on APAC - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) Exhibit 51: Data Table on APAC - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) Exhibit 52: Chart on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 53: Data Table on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.6 South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 54: Chart on South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) Exhibit 55: Data Table on South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) Exhibit 56: Chart on South America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 57: Data Table on South America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.7 Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 and - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 58: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) and - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) Exhibit 59: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) and - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) Exhibit 60: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) and - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 61: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.8 US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 62: Chart on US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) Exhibit 63: Data Table on US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) Exhibit 64: Chart on US - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 65: Data Table on US - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.9 UK - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 66: Chart on UK - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) Exhibit 67: Data Table on UK - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) Exhibit 68: Chart on UK - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 69: Data Table on UK - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.10 Germany - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 70: Chart on Germany - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) Exhibit 71: Data Table on Germany - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) Exhibit 72: Chart on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 73: Data Table on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.11 China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 74: Chart on China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) Exhibit 75: Data Table on China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) Exhibit 76: Chart on China - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 77: Data Table on China - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.12 Japan - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 78: Chart on Japan - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) Exhibit 79: Data Table on Japan - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) Exhibit 80: Chart on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 81: Data Table on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.13 Market opportunity by geography Exhibit 82: Market opportunity by geography ($ billion) 8 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends 8.1 Market drivers 8.2 Market challenges 8.3 Impact of drivers and challenges Exhibit 83: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2021 and 2026 8.4 Market trends 9 Vendor Landscape 9.1 Overview 9.2 Vendor landscape Exhibit 84: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation 9.3 Landscape disruption Exhibit 85: Overview on factors of disruption 9.4 Industry risks Exhibit 86: Impact of key risks on business 10 Vendor Analysis 10.1 Vendors covered Exhibit 87: Vendors covered 10.2 Market positioning of vendors Exhibit 88: Matrix on vendor position and classification 10.3 AAA Warranty Services Exhibit 89: AAA Warranty Services - Overview Exhibit 90: AAA Warranty Services - Product / Service Exhibit 91: AAA Warranty Services - Key offerings 10.4 AmTrust Financial Services Inc. Exhibit 92: AmTrust Financial Services Inc. - Overview Exhibit 93: AmTrust Financial Services Inc. - Product / Service Exhibit 94: AmTrust Financial Services Inc. - Key news Exhibit 95: AmTrust Financial Services Inc. - Key offerings 10.5 Assurant Inc. Exhibit 96: Assurant Inc. - Overview Exhibit 97: Assurant Inc. - Business segments Exhibit 98: Assurant Inc. - Key offerings Exhibit 99: Assurant Inc. - Segment focus 10.6 AXA Group Exhibit 100: AXA Group - Overview Exhibit 101: AXA Group - Business segments Exhibit 102: AXA Group - Key offerings Exhibit 103: AXA Group - Segment focus 10.7 Carchex LLC Exhibit 104: Carchex LLC - Overview Exhibit 105: Carchex LLC - Product / Service Exhibit 106: Carchex LLC - Key offerings 10.8 CarShield Exhibit 107: CarShield - Overview Exhibit 108: CarShield - Product / Service Exhibit 109: CarShield - Key offerings 10.9 Concord Auto Protect Exhibit 110: Concord Auto Protect - Overview Exhibit 111: Concord Auto Protect - Product / Service Exhibit 112: Concord Auto Protect - Key offerings 10.10 Endurance Warranty Services LLC Exhibit 113: Endurance Warranty Services LLC - Overview Exhibit 114: Endurance Warranty Services LLC - Product / Service Exhibit 115: Endurance Warranty Services LLC - Key offerings 10.11 Repair Ventures LLC Exhibit 116: Repair Ventures LLC - Overview Exhibit 117: Repair Ventures LLC - Product / Service Exhibit 118: Repair Ventures LLC - Key offerings 10.12 Tata Motors Ltd. Exhibit 119: Tata Motors Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 120: Tata Motors Ltd. - Business segments Exhibit 121: Tata Motors Ltd. - Key news Exhibit 122: Tata Motors Ltd. - Key offerings Exhibit 123: Tata Motors Ltd. - Segment focus 11 Appendix 11.1 Scope of the report 11.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist Exhibit 124: Inclusions checklist Exhibit 125: Exclusions checklist 11.3 Currency conversion rates for US$ Exhibit 126: Currency conversion rates for US$ 11.4 Research methodology Exhibit 127: Research methodology Exhibit 128: Validation techniques employed for market sizing Exhibit 129: Information sources 11.5 List of abbreviations Exhibit 130: List of abbreviations About Us Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provide 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. Contact Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media & Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: [email protected] Website: www.technavio.com/ SOURCE Technavio Avelo surpasses 5,000 flights and 600,000 Customers in first year at HVN Avelo first-year capital investment in HVN tops $100M and 300 jobs Avelo and Tweed honor fallen CT soldier in pre-Veterans Day tribute NEW HAVEN, Conn., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- One year ago, Avelo Airlines took flight for the first time from its new East Coast base at Tweed-New Haven Airport (HVN) for Orlando. Today, Avelo is celebrating the first anniversary of that inaugural flight which ushered in a new era of convenience, affordability and reliability for Connecticut travelers. Avelo Founder, Chairman and CEO Andrew Levy said, "Last November, we endeavored to make air travel faster, easier and more affordable for Connecticut travelers. Over the past year, we've done just that. In 12 short months we've transformed Tweed from a sleepy single-destination airport into a vibrant gateway to 14 destinations spanning seven states. And we've done it with industry-leading reliability and our caring Soul of Service. We are grateful for the enthusiastic reception Connecticut has greeted us with and look forward to soaring even higher in the year ahead." Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont said, "Easier and reliable travel from Tweed helps expand access to the New Haven region, not only for casual travelers but also for businesses that are relying on this service as a means of enhancing their growth, which leads to a stronger economy and more jobs in the region. Avelo's growth in Connecticut is helping to strengthen connectivity for companies that are already here and will stimulate further regional development. I am glad that Avelo has had a successful first year in New Haven and I look forward to their continued success here." Avelo is celebrating their first anniversary today at Tweed Airport. The ceremony will begin at 10:00 a.m. on the airport tarmac outside Gate 2. Speakers include: Andrew Levy : Avelo Airlines Founder, Chairman and CEO Avelo Airlines Founder, Chairman and CEO Sean Scanlon : Tweed-New Haven Airport Executive Director Tweed-New Haven Airport Executive Director Jorge Roberts : Avports CEO Avports CEO Joseph Carfora : East Haven Mayor Mayor Justin Elicker : New Haven Mayor Mayor Michael Piscitelli : New Haven Economic Development Administrator The ceremony will conclude with a special pre-Veterans Day tribute for Army Reserve Master Sergeant Michael David Clark who passed away last July while on active duty. MSG Clark, who resided in Bolton, CT, enlisted in the Army in 1999 and began a distinguished, 22-year military career. MSG Clark's family will attend the Tweed ceremony which will include The Connecticut National Guard Color Guard and a tribute by Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs Board of Trustees Chair Patrick Nelligan honoring the fallen soldier. Avelo is also honoring MSG Clark by presenting his family with six complimentary roundtrip tickets. Connecticut Commissioner of Veterans Affairs Thomas Saadi said, "Master Sergeant Clark was a true patriot, a loving son, husband and father and friend to so many who miss his great sense of humor and devotion to others. MSG Clark returned home from multiple combat deployments and his death while training in the U.S. underscores that our men and women in uniform, whether active-duty guard or reserve, put their lives on the line in service to our Nation even when seemingly on routine training. My heartfelt sympathy remains with the Clark family and especially MSG Clark's wife and two children who must now go on without the man who they love with all of their heart. I thank Avelo Airlines for honoring this family by providing this opportunity to heal together as they travel to Disney to enjoy the wonderful memories they have of their son, husband and father." Soaring To New Heights Since November 3, 2021, when Avelo opened its New Haven base, the airline has achieved the following milestones: This week, Avelo completed its 5,000 th flight at HVN. This milestone represents a 130% increase from the scheduled commercial flights operated at Tweed in 2019 the last full year of pre-pandemic commercial air travel prior to Avelo's arrival. flight at HVN. This milestone represents a 130% increase from the scheduled commercial flights operated at Tweed in 2019 the last full year of pre-pandemic commercial air travel prior to Avelo's arrival. This week, Avelo flew its 600,000th Customer at Tweed representing a 1,400% increase from the passenger volume at Tweed in 2019. Avelo has doubled its route network from six Florida destinations to 14 destinations spanning seven states. Today, Avelo serves more nonstop destinations from Connecticut than any other airline operating in the state. Tweed-New Haven Airport Executive Director Sean Scanlon said, "Tweed-New Haven Airport is incredibly proud of the positive change and activity we've helped bring to Southern Connecticut, work that would not have been possible without our great partner Avelo Airlines. Together, we are transforming Tweed into the vibrant airport this region needs and deserves, and which based on the success of Avelo we know local flyers want. Congratulations to Avelo on this great landmark." Over the past year, Avelo has also doubled the number of aircraft it has based at HVN from three to six Boeing Next-Generation (NG) 737 jetliners. These additional aircraft have enabled Avelo to more than double the number of daily flights (14) and the number of seats available for Connecticut travelers to choose from. New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said, "Since the inaugural Avelo flight one year ago today, Tweed's growth has solidified the airport's standing as a viable, long-term transportation asset and economic engine for the New Haven community, the region, and now, the State. The continued responsible growth of Tweed means more local jobs and more convenient travel opportunities for our residents and businesses. As we approach Veterans Day, it's also right and fitting to honor those like Army Reserve Master Sergeant Michael David Clark who served our nation with distinction and paid the ultimate sacrifice to help keep us safe and free." Avelo has consistently delivered industry-leading operational reliability. Over the past 12 months, Avelo has cancelled 70 flights out the 5,000 it has operated at Tweed representing a cancellation rate of 1%. Avelo has also achieved top-tier bag-handling performance and a controllable on-time performance rate of 85% when excluding factors outside the airline's control (such as weather and air traffic control delays). Avports CEO Jorge Roberts said, "Avelo has been a fantastic partner for Tweed-New Haven Airport and for Avports, not only bringing more affordable flights to more direct destinations, but also growing local jobs along the way. Congratulations to Avelo on reaching this great milestone. We are extremely excited to keep working alongside them to the benefit of Southern Connecticut, its flyers, and its local economy." Investing In Connecticut Avelo has made more than $100 million in capital, employment and community investments in its Connecticut presence. These investments include: 180 HVN-based Avelo Crewmembers 300+ total direct and indirect airport-related jobs Six Boeing 737 aircraft Airport facilities and ground support equipment Local and state tax revenue (income, fuel, etc.) Supporting more than 100 local and state community organizations and events New Haven Economic Development Administrator Michael Piscitelli said, "In 12 months, Avelo Airlines has demonstrated the value of Tweed to our economy. With over 180 New Haven area-based Avelo Crewmembers in addition to 300+ total direct and indirect airport-related jobs and a forecasted economic impact of well over $20 million, Avelo is a key part of New Haven's national standing in innovation and inclusive growth." Connecticut's Most Convenient and Affordable Gateway Amidst the crowds, long lines, lengthy walks and traffic congestion encountered at other airports frequented by Connecticut travelers, HVN offers a refreshingly smooth and simple alternative hometown airport experience. HVN's adjacency to multiple major highways and commuter railways makes it the region's most convenient and easily accessible airport. With 14 destinations, Avelo flies more nonstop routes from Connecticut than any other airline serving the state: Charleston, SC (CHS) (CHS) Chicago, IL (via MDW) (via MDW) Fort Lauderdale, FL (FLL) (FLL) Fort Myers, FL (RSW) (RSW) Myrtle Beach, SC (MYR) (MYR) Nashville, TN (BNA) (BNA) Orlando, FL (via MCO) (via MCO) Raleigh/Durham, NC (RDU) (RDU) Sarasota / Bradenton, FL (SRQ) / (SRQ) Savannah, GA / Hilton Head, SC (SAV) / (SAV) Tampa, FL (TPA) (TPA) Washington, D.C. / Baltimore, MD (via BWI) / (via BWI) West Palm Beach, FL (PBI) (PBI) Wilmington, NC (ILM) America's Affordable and Convenient Airline Avelo was founded with a vision to help its Customers save money and time. Since taking flight April 28, 2021, Avelo has flown more than 1.3 million Customers on more than 10,000 flights. In addition to offering Customers everyday low fares on every route, Avelo Customers can always change or cancel their itineraries with no extra fees. Avelo also offers several unbundled travel-enhancing options that give Customers the flexibility to pay for what they value, including priority boarding, checked bags, carry-on overhead bags, and bringing a pet in the cabin. Additionally, the American-made Boeing 737 jets Avelo flies offer a more spacious and comfortable experience than the small regional aircraft currently operating at most of the airports Avelo serves. Customers who value an advance seat assignment can choose from several modestly priced seating options, including seats with extra leg room, as well as pre-reserved window and aisle seating. One third of seats on Avelo aircraft are available for Customers who appreciate the comfort of extra legroom. Avelo now serves 34 destinations across the U.S. The airline has unlocked a new era of convenience, choice and competition in air travel by flying unserved routes to primarily underserved communities across the country. At least one airport on every Avelo flight is a small hometown airport making every Avelo journey easier and more enjoyable. At Avelo, every flight is also nonstop. This connection-free travel experience not only provides Avelo Customers with a faster and simpler travel experience, but also minimizes delays, cancellations and lost bags. Avelo is also distinguished by its Soul of Service culture. The culture is grounded in Avelo's One Crew Value which promotes a welcoming and caring experience. By caring for one another and owning their commitments, Avelo Crewmembers focus on anticipating and understanding Customer needs on the ground and in the air. About Avelo Airlines Avelo Airlines was founded with a simple purpose to Inspire Travel. The airline offers Customers time and money-saving convenience, low everyday fares, and a refreshingly smooth and caring experience through its Soul of Service culture. Operating a fleet of Boeing Next-Generation 737 aircraft, Avelo serves 34 popular destinations across the U.S., including its four bases at Los Angeles' Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR), Southern Connecticut's Tweed-New Haven Airport (HVN), Orlando International Airport (MCO) and the Delaware Valley's Wilmington Airport (ILG). For more information visit AveloAir.com or the Avelo Newsroom at AveloAir.com/Newsroom. Media Contacts: Avelo Airlines Jim Olson [email protected] 312-219-0647 Mary Coursey [email protected] 860-305-0476 Tweed-New Haven Airport (HVN) Sean Scanlon [email protected] SOURCE Avelo Airlines LUMBERTON, N.J. and TORONTO, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- BLANCO, the premium kitchen solutions brand backed by industry-leading German engineering, announces the appointment of Diana Windsor as Senior Vice President, Sales for BLANCO North America. In this role, Windsor will lead all strategic and operative market activities for BLANCO North America across the U.S. and Canada. Her primary focus will be on continued and sustainable market growth and promotion of the BLANCO UNIT, the seamless water place system for residential kitchens. BLANCO, the premium kitchen solutions brand backed by industry-leading German engineering, announces the appointment of Diana Windsor as Senior Vice President, Sales for BLANCO North America. "We are thrilled to continue investing in the overall growth of our North American team, an important region for BLANCO," stated Garth Wallin, President and CEO of BLANCO North America. "With Diana's previous experience in building products, strategy development, customer service and e-commerce, along with her entrepreneurial spirit and proven track record of leading high-performance teams, we are confident she is a strong addition to our executive leadership team." "I'm honored to be a part of the BLANCO North America team," notes Windsor. "I admire the company's commitment to offering award-winning designs and premium quality product solutions. I look forward to driving further awareness of the BLANCO UNIT to make everyday life easier in kitchens across North America." Windsor boasts more than 13 years of sales and management experience in the plumbing industry. Prior to joining BLANCO, her experience includes general management for Waterworks, multiple senior leadership roles at Watts Water Technologies and plumbing sales experience at Kohler. For more information on BLANCO, visit BLANCO.com. About BLANCO With BLANCO, kitchen chores are transformed to be sources of joyful moments. BLANCO is the premium brand for well-thought-out kitchen water hubs in residential homes. At its core, the BLANCO UNIT is based on three founding pillars: "Drink, Prep, Clean" and is characterized by a wide array of seamless combinations of sinks, high-end faucets, water optimization solutions, complementary accessories and organization systems. This range of product and the design, color and material options, make it easy for every kitchen lover to find their perfectly customized UNIT at BLANCO. Founded over 95 years ago, the company is now an internationally recognized premium brand for the kitchen water hub. With subsidiaries in Europe, North America and APAC, plus its trading partners, BLANCO has a presence in about 100 countries all over the world and offers its customers a portfolio that is perfectly tailored to consumer needs. The company headquarters and key production sites in support of North American demand are in Southwest Germany and Canada. Established in 1925 by Heinrich Blanc, BLANCO is part of BLANC & FISCHER Family Holding. BLANCO America and BLANCO Canada have proudly served the North American market for over 30 years. BLANCO.com Connect with us on social: BLANCO America Instagram | BLANCO America Facebook | BLANCO America LinkedIn BLANCO Canada Instagram | BLANCO Canada Facebook | BLANCO Canada LinkedIn For more information, contact [email protected] . SOURCE BLANCO NEW YORK, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Stax LLC, a global strategy consulting firm specializing in commercial due diligence, value creation, and exit planning for private equity firms, PE-backed companies, hedge funds, and investment banks has announced the appointment of Brigette Lumpkins in the role of Business Development at Stax. In this newly created position, Lumpkins is responsible for driving strategic business relationships to support the firm's growth and business strategy for the Stax Data Analytics offering. Through a combination of proprietary tools, specialized teams, and deep knowledge of data analytics software and infrastructure, Stax Data Analytics helps management teams make data-driven decisions and drive organizational change for continuously better use of data and analytics to deliver value. Brigette Lumpkins, Business Development, Stax LLC "Brigette has a unique comprehension of the investor landscape as well as understanding and relationships within private equity and the broader PE ecosystem," said Mark Bremer, Vice Chairman, Stax Data Analytics. "She will be a valuable team member in identifying new client opportunities and expanding upon existing relationships through her experience in marketing to private and institutional investors in both public and private markets." "I'm excited to join Stax and be able to deliver an immediate impact as the firm rapidly expands the Stax Data Analytics offering," said Brigette Lumpkins. "We're building on our longstanding data analytics capabilities, and also introducing it as a resource for our private equity clients. I believe Data Analytics is absolutely necessary to investor and management team success." Lumpkins is active on the steering committee for the Southeastern Chapter of the Women's Association of Venture and Equity (WAVE) and is an executive for the Miami chapter of the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst Association (CAIA). She is also chair of the CAIA Global Diversity Advisory Council and hosts My Money Your Money, an online financial education show produced by MIA Media Group dedicated to closing the racial wealth gap. Prior to joining Stax, Lumpkins worked at EisnerAmper covering private funds and commercial businesses as well as introducing a strategic diverse client initiative. Lumpkins spent several years at Goldman Sachs where she developed relationships and drove investment strategy for private clients. She began her career in the media industry and later worked for Merck & Co., Inc. Lumpkins holds an M.B.A. in Finance from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, an M.A. in Psychology from the University of Michigan Rackham School of Graduate Studies, and a B.A. in Psychology and French from Spelman College. About Stax LLC Stax is a global management consulting firm serving corporate and private equity clients across a broad range of industries including software/technology, healthcare, business services, industrial, consumer/retail, and education. The firm partners with clients to provide data-driven, actionable insights designed to drive growth, enhance profits, increase value, and make better investment decisions. Visit www.stax.com to learn about exciting career opportunities and follow Stax on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. SOURCE Stax LLC BOSTON, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Burns & Levinson represented Boston-based Syrinx Consulting, a provider of high-end software development and technology staffing solutions, in its sale to DeWinter Group, a Silicon Valley-based provider of finance & accounting and technology staffing and recruitment and a portfolio company of New Heritage Capital. The acquisition closed on September 30, 2022. As a leading provider of high-end software development and technology staffing solutions, Syrinx has built a strong reputation in the marketplace since its founding in 1998 through a relentless focus on sourcing high quality, hard-to-find candidates with specialized skillsets across programming languages, including .NET, Python, Java, and SQL. The company also produces a podcast called "Underserved," which hosts leaders and visionaries from across the technology industry. The deal team was led by Burns & Levinson partners Josef Volman, who co-chairs the firm's Business Law Group, and Caitlin Barrett, with support from partners Evelyn Haralampu and Paul Mastrocola along with associates Lauren Barrett and Naveed Cheraghchi. "It was an honor to work with Syrinx and the entire management team on this important deal for the company. It was particularly rewarding because I have worked with co-founder and CEO Andrew Gelina for over 20 years, from drafting his first shareholder agreement, to supporting the company's impressive growth over the years, to reaching this pivotal next stage of growth," said Volman. "DeWinter Group is an ideal partner for Syrinx and I am excited to see the success they are going to achieve together." "Joe, Caitlin and the entire Burns & Levinson team helped us navigate through multiple complex issues to complete this transformative transaction for our company. Their knowledge of our business combined with their vast expertise in middle market M&A made them truly invaluable," said Andrew Gelina, CEO of Syrinx. "We appreciate their advice and guidance, and are thankful to have had them by our side for so long." About Syrinx Consulting Founded in 1998 and headquartered in Greater Boston, Syrinx is leading provider of software development talent. For 20+ years, Syrinx has sourced hard-to-find engineers and developers with extensive experience building software and working with the latest technologies. For more information visit: www.syrinx.com About Burns & Levinson LLP At Burns & Levinson, we provide high-level, client-centric and results-oriented legal services to our regional, national and international clients. We are a full-service law firm with 125 lawyers in Boston, Providence and London. Our areas of expertise include: business/finance, business litigation, divorce/family law, venture capital/emerging companies, employment, estate planning, government investigations, intellectual property, M&A/private equity, probate/trust litigation, and real estate. We partner with our clients to solve their business and personal legal issues in a collaborative, creative and cost-effective way. For more information, visit Burns & Levinson at www.burnslev.com . Contact: Amy Blumenthal or Kristen Weller Blumenthal & Associates Chief Marketing & Business Development Officer (617) 879-1511 (617) 345-3555 [email protected] [email protected] SOURCE Burns & Levinson Stock Market Symbols GIB (NYSE) GIB.A (TSX) cgi.com/newsroom FAIRFAX, Va., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - CGI Federal Inc., the wholly-owned U.S. operating subsidiary of CGI Inc. (NYSE: GIB) (TSX: GIB.A), has been awarded a new agreement to prepare the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for emerging cyber threats under its Global Infrastructure and Development Acquisition (GLINDA) Blanket Purchase Agreement. This new agreement enables CGI Federal to implement new processes and technologies to help the NRC evolve their security posture, protecting the Commission from current and future threats. "The NRC has made significant investments to evolve its cybersecurity processes and tools," stated Stefan Becker, Senior Vice-President and Regulatory Agencies Programs Business Unit lead at CGI Federal. "We are pleased to have been part of their journey, which brings CGI's decades of experience in securing organizations through innovative and advanced cybersecurity services to enhance cyber threat intelligence throughout the NRC. Through this work, CGI will bring a modernized IT environment that advances security monitoring and analysis and mitigates risks across the enterprise." The NRC plays a vital role in the common defense and security of civilian nuclear information. In performing this new work, CGI Federal will employ a Digital Forensics Lab to maintain NRC operations, confidentiality and integrity, enabling NRC to quickly address insider threat and advanced persistent threats. Further, CGI also will support NRC's continued adoption of Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA), in compliance with federal mandates. "CGI's strong history with the NRC Security Operations Center (SOC) program dates back to 2017, when CGI began its support of the SOC Analytics and Incident Response capabilities," said Vishal Ranjan, Vice-President and NRC Account Executive for CGI Federal. "Our highly qualified and certified cybersecurity professionals bring decades of experience and innovation that will continuously improve NRC's security posture, with a strong focus on process evolution utilizing the latest cybersecurity analytics and tools." The agreement has a total value of $17.4M over a 16-month Base Period and three 12-month Option Periods, and will enable CGI Federal to continue working in collaboration with the NRC and other contractors within the NRC ecosystem. About CGI Federal CGI Federal Inc., a wholly-owned U.S. operating subsidiary of CGI Inc., is dedicated to partnering with federal agencies to provide solutions for defense, civilian, healthcare and intelligence missions. Founded in 1976, CGI is among the largest IT and business consulting services firms in the world. With 88,500 consultants and other professionals across the globe, CGI delivers an end-to-end portfolio of capabilities, from strategic IT and business consulting to systems integration, managed IT and business process services and intellectual property solutions. CGI works with clients through a local relationship model complemented by a global delivery network that helps clients digitally transform their organizations and accelerate results. With Fiscal 2021 reported revenue of C$12.13 billion, CGI shares are listed on the TSX (GIB.A) and the NYSE (GIB). Learn more at cgi.com. Forward-looking information and statements This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities laws and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other applicable United States safe harbors. All such forward-looking information and statements are made and disclosed in reliance upon the safe harbor provisions of applicable Canadian and United States securities laws. Forward-looking information and statements include all information and statements regarding CGI's intentions, plans, expectations, beliefs, objectives, future performance, and strategy, as well as any other information or statements that relate to future events or circumstances and which do not directly and exclusively relate to historical facts. Forward-looking information and statements often but not always use words such as "believe", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "anticipate", "foresee", "plan", "predict", "project", "aim", "seek", "strive", "potential", "continue", "target", "may", "might", "could", "should", and similar expressions and variations thereof. These information and statements are based on our perception of historic trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other assumptions, both general and specific, that we believe are appropriate in the circumstances. Such information and statements are, however, by their very nature, subject to inherent risks and uncertainties, of which many are beyond the control of CGI, and which give rise to the possibility that actual results could differ materially from our expectations expressed in, or implied by, such forward-looking information or forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include but are not restricted to: risks related to the market such as the level of business activity of our clients, which is affected by economic conditions, and our ability to negotiate new contracts; risks related to our industry such as competition and our ability to attract and retain qualified employees, to develop and expand our services, to penetrate new markets, and to protect our intellectual property rights; risks related to our business such as risks associated with our growth strategy, including the integration of new operations, financial and operational risks inherent in worldwide operations, foreign exchange risks, income tax laws, our ability to negotiate favorable contractual terms, to deliver our services and to collect receivables, and the reputational and financial risks attendant to cybersecurity breaches and other incidents; as well as other risks identified or incorporated by reference in this press release, in CGI's annual and quarterly MD&A and in other documents that we make public, including our filings with the Canadian Securities Administrators (on SEDAR at www.sedar.com) and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (on EDGAR at www.sec.gov). For a discussion of risks in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, see Pandemic risks in section 8.1.1. of our Q2 2022 MD&A. Unless otherwise stated, the forward-looking information and statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof and CGI disclaims any intention or obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information or forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. While we believe that our assumptions on which these forward-looking information and forward-looking statements are based were reasonable as at the date of this press release, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking information or statements. Furthermore, readers are reminded that forward-looking information and statements are presented for the sole purpose of assisting investors and others in understanding our objectives, strategic priorities and business outlook as well as our anticipated operating environment. Readers are cautioned that such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. Further information on the risks that could cause our actual results to differ significantly from our current expectations may be found in the section titled "Risk Environment" of CGI's annual and quarterly MD&A, which is incorporated by reference in this cautionary statement. We also caution readers that the above-mentioned risks and the risks disclosed in CGI's annual and quarterly MD&A and other documents and filings are not the only ones that could affect us. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial could also have a material adverse effect on our financial position, financial performance, cash flows, business or reputation. SOURCE CGI Inc. NEW YORK, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Clarins exclusive expertise lies in a unique and customized touch based on a physiological knowledge of the skin, which today is carried out in our Spas across the world by over 2,000 beauty therapists. For 17 years Clarins has been taking special care of Air France Business travelers in-flight and on the ground. On November 2, 2022, the Air France Lounge in New York's JFK opens a new Clarins Spa area, offering tailor-made treatments. A haven of serenity. Clarins Spa at Air France JFK lounge 1 courtesy of Clarins Clarins Spa Air France JFK lounge courtesy of Clarins Clarins opens its new Spa area with 2 completely insulated treatment rooms, to welcome Air France La Premiere, Business and Flying Blue Elite Plus customers looking for well-being and relaxation. In a warm, inviting atmosphere, travelers can relax and unwind here before a trip or in-between flights. Clarins professional art of touch for travelers. A unique savoir-faire practiced for over 65 years, the science of touch and science of plants are complementary and closely linked. On one side, there's the hand, an extraordinary tool: the weight and rhythm of the hand determine the movement which relaxes, drains or tones. On the other, Clarins skincare formulas with high-performance plant extracts which respect the skin. The perfect synergy, for results you can see and feel, immediately after the treatment. To leave the skin in perfect condition and allow clients to travel and reach their destination totally relaxed, Clarins has developed three 20-minute facial treatments for women and men: "Detox Time", "Jet-Lag Relief" and "Eye Must". This treatment menu is also available in 30-minute format for La Premiere customers, who can also pick a "relax and reset" treatment carried out exclusively for Air France. and of course your in-flight comfort kit. This complimentary Air France kit for Business travelers contains all the Clarins essentials in travel size, to ensure a smooth flight and radiant skin on arrival at your destination: two moisturizers - a Hydra-Essential Cooling Gel for face and Hand and Nail Treatment Cream - for perfectly moisturized, fresh, glowing skin. November 2022: now boarding for a more beautiful trip with Clarins professional Treatments. ABOUT CLARINS Founded in a professional Parisian beauty institute by Jacques Courtin-Clarins in 1954, Clarins has become the #1 prestige skincare brand in Europe. More than 65 years later, the brand remains family-owned and is distributed in more than 140 countriesoffering skincare innovations for face and body, men's and makeup. With unique expertise in Phyto-chemistry, Clarins Laboratories are considered pioneers in the fields of plant science and technology. The brand values are rooted in an ongoing dialogue with women, an abiding respect for nature and people, and commitments to sustainable sourcing, including Le Domaine Clarinsour organic farm and open-air laboratory in the French Alps. Clarins is accelerating its sustainable actions to become a Certified B Corporation by 2023. Currently carbon neutral the company will further reduce its carbon footprint by 30% and become 100% plastic neutral using 100% recyclable packaging by 2025. Partners include: Pur Projet over 618,000 trees planted to date, Plastic Odyssey a three-year expedition across three continents, 30 stopovers to fight against plastic pollution, and FEED over 38 million school meals provided to children in need by the end of 2022. Melissa Reidhead [email protected] Lucas Petry [email protected] SOURCE Clarins USA CHICAGO, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Command and control systems Market is estimated to be USD 33.0 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach USD 44.9 billion by 2027, at a CAGR of 6.4% from 2022 to 2027 according to a new report by MarketsandMarkets. The market is driven by factors such as customized communication on the move solutions, Increasing need for interoperability between security devices/technologies, increasing defense budget of emerging countries, etc. Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=144844194 Browse in-depth TOC on "Command and control systems Market" 179 Tables 47 Figures 240 Pages Players in the Command and control systems Market such as Collins Aerospace (US), L3harris Technologies (US), Thales Group (France), and General Dynamics Corporation (US) are some of the leading companies in this market. Other key players in the market are BAE Systems (UK), and Data Link Solutions (US). The report covers various industry trends and new technological innovations in the Command and control systems Market for the period, 2018-2027. Need for enhanced integrated situational awareness (SA) to support decision making. In any mission, situational awareness (SA) refers to the ability of decision-makers to identify, process, and analyze critical information from various sources. Thus, SA plays a key role in any air, naval, and military operation. Advanced intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance technologies integrated with command and control capabilities provide air, ground, and maritime solutions with real-time SA information for strategic decision making. High-bandwidth sensor processing, video management systems, secure network routers, and switches play a crucial role in effective decision-making in a mission. These products and solutions are essential for commanders to make informed decisions. A significant increase in the adoption of situation awareness systems by governments in various countries around the world for the defense sector, an increase in the use of displays among end-users to process real-time videos, and remarkable benefits of GPS systems such as detection, immediate and precise situation awareness even in extreme weather conditions, and extensive use of control and command systems in the aerospace industries are expected to drive the growth of the C2 market. Modernization of existing military infrastructure. These command and control systems are expected to improve situational awareness between various military assets, such as aircraft, ships, and army units. New generation infrastructure includes the addition of network-centric warfare and battlefield management systems. The increasing focus on data analysis with the use of data mining techniques has enabled improved decision and operational planning for armed forces. The military uses video- and voice-based data obtained from UAVs, satellite, and ground-based communication systems. In 2020, the global military expenditure was worth USD 1,981 billion, the highest level since 1988 as per Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). The global military expenditure in 2020 was 2.6% higher in real terms than in 2019 and 9.3% higher than in 2011. While most countries around the world experienced severe economic downturns in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the global military expenditure continued to rise due to growing tension and disputes on several international borders around the world. Government & defense segment projected to lead the Command and control systems Market by application, during the forecast period. Based on application, the government & defense segment is projected to lead the command and control systems market from 2022 to 2027, due to the increasing investments by various countries in battle management systems and air and missile defense systems. Request Sample Pages: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=144844194 North America region accounts for largest market share in command and control systems market. North America led the command and control systems market in 2022, with the US accounting for the largest share of the regional market. Countries in North America are investing in command and control systems to enhance defense and surveillance capabilities of the armed forces. Critical infrastructure and law enforcement sectors are increasingly using command and control systems. Critical infrastructure includes government installations, power plants, airports, and seaports. These systems are being used to manage the safety systems and security of this critical infrastructure. Major command and control system manufacturing companies, such as Northrop Grumman Corporation (US), Lockheed Martin Corporation (US), General Dynamics Corporation (US), and L3Harris Technologies (US), are headquartered in this region. The command and control systems market in North America is majorly driven by factors, such as the US Army's overseas missions and the need to safeguard homeland security. Get 10% Free Customization on this Report: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestCustomizationNew.asp?id=144844194 Browse Adjacent Market: Aerospace and Defence Market Research Reports &Consulting Related Reports: Tactical Data Link Market by Application (Command & Control, ISR, EW, Radio Communication), Platform (Ground, Airborne, Naval, Unmanned Systems, Weapons), Component, Frequency, Data Link Type, Point of Sale, Military Standard, Region - Forecast to 2027 Tactical Communication Market by Application (Command & Control, ISR, Communication, Combat), Platform (Ground, Airborne, Naval, Unmanned Systems), Type (Soldier Radios, Manpacks, VIC, HCDR), Frequency, Technology, Point of Sale, Region - Forecast to 2027 Battlefield Management Systems Market by Solution (Hardware, Software) Platform (Armored Vehicles, Headquarter, and Command Centers, Soldier Systems), System, Component, Installation Type, End-User, Region (2020-2025) Military Embedded Systems Market by Application, Platform (Land, Airborne, Unmanned, Naval, Space), Server Architecture (Blade Server, Rack-mount Server), Installation Type, Component, Services and Region Global Forecast to 2027 Border Security System Market by Environment (Ground, Aerial, Naval), System (Laser, Radar, Camera, Wide Band Wireless Communication, Perimeter Intrusion, Unmanned Vehicles, C2C, Biometric Systems), and Geography - Global Forecast to 2022 About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. 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Contact: Mr. Aashish Mehra MarketsandMarkets INC. 630 Dundee Road Suite 430 Northbrook, IL 60062 USA: +1-888-600-6441 Email: [email protected] Visit Our Web Site: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ Research Insight: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ResearchInsight/command-control-system-market.asp Content Source: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/command-control-system.asp Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/660509/MarketsandMarkets_Logo.jpg SOURCE MarketsandMarkets Steady franchise growth throughout the country attributed to medical-grade services and JaniMed Cleaning System CHARLESTON, S.C., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Years before the pandemic changed the face of the nation's workforce and millions hesitated to return to offices, Barry Bodiford, Founder and CEO of 360clean , figured out that traditional commercial cleaning needed a reboot and an upgrade. Since 2005, his expanding franchise 360clean has focused on "cleaning for health," to help commercial businesses elevate standards of cleanliness and reap the rewards of fewer sick days that impact productivity and the bottom line. Long before office workers, healthcare professionals, and schoolteachers were worried about harmful germs and microbes, 360clean was explaining to clients that just because a surface looks clean, it doesn't reveal what lies beneath lurking bacteria and viruses that causes illnesses and account for millions of dollars in lost workdays. Since 2005, CEO and Founder Barry Bodiford's expanding franchise 360clean has focused on "cleaning for health," to help commercial businesses elevate standards of cleanliness and reap the rewards of fewer sick days that impact productivity and the bottom line. New 360clean franchise owners Jennifer and James Sweeney of Greensboro, NC, say they invested in 360clean because the company stands out from the rest with their health-focused cleaning system and positive testimonials from other franchisees. "Some people believe commercial cleaning has changed recently due to COVID," said Bodiford. "In fact, there are a lot of cleaning services that have suddenly sprung up and claim to remove all germs and viruses immediately. These are false promises and scams that the government is cracking down on. Our clients are impressed that our medical-grade cleaning services, non-irritating chemicals, and JaniMed Cleaning System have prioritized a healthier, innovative approach to commercial cleaning since 2005 and that our methods meet all EPA and CDC standards." The cornerstone of the brand's hygienic commercial cleaning services is the JaniMed Cleaning System, which includes specialized training, a color-coded cross contamination prevention process, hospital grade disinfectants, microfiber products, and indoor air quality solutions. Clients include medical offices, educational facilities, commercial offices, financial institutions, religious facilities, fitness centers, and industrial facilities. With a thorough training program and a Pre-Set Sales Appointment (PSA) program that is unique to the industry, franchise units have ballooned to 77 locations since franchising began in 2008, with as many as 3 additional units expected in development by the end of this year. "360clean is a strong brand with outstanding performance and industry-leading franchisee satisfaction," said Bodiford. "When you couple that with our many differentiators, which include our health-focused cleaning service and our one-of-a-kind franchisee growth program, it's easy to see why 360clean will surpass the milestone of 100 locations soon." With its headquarters in Charleston, South Carolina, 360clean franchises started strong in the Southeast, but expanded to Chicago, Wisconsin, Texas, and other parts of the U.S. in the last few years. The brand recently awarded franchise units in new territories to Eddy Campos in Jacksonville, Florida, Jennifer and James Sweeney in Greensboro, North Carolina, Tyler and Shantel Nowlin in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and Charles Nixon in Louisville, Kentucky. With startup costs typically running less than $30,000, a new franchisee said that buying a franchise was an easy decision. "On August 26th, 2022, my husband, James, and I took the leap to join 360clean," said Jennifer Sweeney, 360clean franchise owner in Greensboro, NC. "The primary reasons we invested in 360clean is because they stand out from the rest with their health- focused cleaning system and positive testimonials from other franchisees. The initial training was detailed, provided real world examples, and created a true sense of belonging. We attribute our success to the Pre-Set Sales Appointment Program and the availability of support staff and franchisees. Whatever we need, a 360clean support staff member is always there to assist us. It's all about the family, and we are so glad to be a part of the family." With a low overhead business model that is consistently ranked among the top low-cost franchises, 360clean has provided many with the ability to achieve their dream of business ownership. For more information about franchise opportunities, visit https://franchisebusinessreview.com/top-franchises/360clean/ Bodiford added that 360clean franchisees are committed to giving back in the communities they serve, including fundraisers for Breast Cancer Awareness Day, Veterans Day, a school for disabled children in Charleston, and partnering with a non-profit organization that employs men recently released from prison to print employee uniform shirts. About 360clean 360clean is the innovative leader of the janitorial service industry. 360clean offers a health focused cleaning service and is expanding nationally through locally owned franchise owners. You can learn more about 360clean at https://www.360clean.com/. Contact: Rhonda Price [email protected] (561) 371-9407 SOURCE 360clean BURLINGTON, Vt., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Lovers of good stories with a whiff of nostalgia can now sit back and listen to an audiobook of the highly acclaimed, Mianus VillageJack T. Scully's free-verse tales about life with Greatest Generation parents and neighbors in the years after World War II. Mianus Village by Jack T. Scully Author Jack T. Scully Mianus Village tells the story of a blue-collar boy growing up in the rough and tumble atmosphere of a veterans' housing project in the 1950s and 1960s. Set on the banks of Riverside, Connecticut's Mianus River, it is reminiscent of the bittersweet, bygone days of our youth and simpler, safer times for our country. Above all, it is a celebration of today's 69-million Baby Boomers, aged 58 to 76, who came of age in the decades after WWII, as well as their children and grandchildren. It was a time of innocence and freedom in which violence against children was rare and not tolerated by politicians and people of all faiths and persuasions. It was a time in which Winston Churchill said, "America stood at the summit of the world." Author and University of Vermont Emeritus Professor, David Huddle describes the book as a celebration of "American innocence, decency, humor, and family life" while simultaneously mourning "their loss." Says author Peter Shea: "Mianus Village is going to sit you down in the easy chair of your mind. With metric simplicity and an uncanny choice of evocative words, Scully will take you to Mianus Village a real place for sure, and the setting for many autobiographical tales, but also a place that is emblematic of the commonalities within all of us." Simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking, Mianus Village will slow down "time's winged flight" in your life and make you a child again every time you listen to it. About the Author Jack T. Scully is a longtime writer of fiction, non-fiction, and professional papers. He is the author of the novel Eyewitness, numerous short stories and poems, the blog Pilgrim's Rest, and currently with J. Chris Davala, the Website and Facebook Page Beyond Gridlock and Greed. He resides in Vermont with his family. Availability Mianus Village is available to download from your favorite audiobook sources. See below for a partial listing. Paperback versions are available from Amazon Books, Barnes and Noble, and the author's website: [email protected] Ratings/Reviews Goodreads, Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Website: https://authorjacktscully.com/ Book Publisher: Antrim House Books Audiobook Publisher: Author's Republic Narrated by: Kent Casella & Wendy Scully Popular audio outlets among many others: Amazon Audible Apple Music: Audiobooks Barnes and Noble Overdrive (Local library website for audiobooks) SOURCE Author Jack T. Scully MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Custom Health is marking five years of providing groundbreaking digital healthcare to patients across Ontario, including in Toronto, the largest metropolitan area in Canada. With a quarter of Ontario's population living with multiple chronic diseases, it's clear that there is a need for an integrated healthcare approach to improve each patient's individual experience and to manage costs associated with the burden of chronic disease. Watch how. "Amazing service," said Custom Health patient Aimee Lewis. "They treat me with respect, understanding, compassion, and answer all my questions. I trust them. They listen and understand my needs. They go above and beyond." Providing patients with high-level personalized healthcare to manage multiple chronic diseases has made Custom Health the go-to healthcare option for those with complex medication needs. Custom Health patients average 57 years of age and take approximately 10 medications. Fifty-eight percent are living with diabetes, and 41% take medications to support mental health. The majority of Custom Health patients are managing more than four chronic diseases. Custom Health recently unveiled updates to its state-of-the-art pharmacy hub in Toronto, to accommodate growth and best serve the needs of patients. A proprietary technology platform that drives automated medication packaging and home delivery is coupled with real-time monitoring, for personalized digital healthcare that helps people taking multiple medications to thrive. Custom Health works with patients, their circles of care, and community pharmacies to connect people to a personalized medication delivery and adherence monitoring program that can change lives. "The impact of digital healthcare was virtually unknown when we started out," said Teresa Pitre, general manager for Custom Health Toronto. "Our personalized healthcare approach leverages technology to enable pharmacists' oversight of care and enhance what patients experience. Their meds are managed along with side effects, averting errors and health events that could cascade into negative outcomes," she said. Custom Health analyzes data in real time, ensuring patients stay on track with their medications and making it more likely that medicines perform as prescribers intend. With real-time data, pharmacists can help control unnecessary costs and limit suboptimal results associated with inconsistent medication adherence. About Custom Health Custom Health helps people who take medication to have the best possible health outcome. We connect patients with their circle of care, help them to take meds as prescribed with easy-to-use digital health tools, then go beyond adherence to make sure those meds are working as intended. Our integrated healthcare delivery model includes personalized medication management, always-on clinical oversight, remote patient monitoring, and home-based care. Learn more at www.customhealth.com. Contact: [email protected] Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. federal securities laws. All statements that address expectations or projections about the future, including statements about market position are forward-looking statements. Some of the forward-looking statements may be identified by words like "believes", "expects", "anticipates", "plans", "intends", "projects", "estimates", "indicates", "hopes", "will", "shall", "should", "could", "may", "future", "potential", or the negatives of these words, and all similar expressions. Any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve a number of risks, uncertainties, and assumptions. We caution you not to put undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances. SOURCE Custom Health SHANGHAI, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --Daqo New Energy Corp. (NYSE: DQ) ("Daqo New Energy", the "Company" or "we"), a leading manufacturer of high-purity polysilicon for the global solar PV industry, today announced that its subsidiaries Xinjiang Daqo and Inner Mongolia Daqo had signed a five-year high-purity polysilicon supply agreement with a leading solar manufacturing company in China. Under the supply agreement, Xinjiang Daqo and Inner Mongolia Daqo will provide this leading manufacturing company with a total amount of 57,600 MT high-purity mono-grade polysilicon from October 2022 to December 2027. Actual prices will be negotiated by both parties monthly according to market conditions. Mr. Longgen Zhang, chief executive officer of Daqo New Energy, commented, "We see our downstream customers continue to expand their capacities to address the fast growing solar PV demand. As one of the customers' favorite high-quality polysilicon suppliers, we are very well positioned to greatly benefit from the healthy and sustainable growth in the solar PV industry and outperform our competitors with our highly efficient operations and first-class quality." About Daqo New Energy Daqo New Energy Corp. (NYSE: DQ) ("Daqo" or the "Company") is a leading manufacturer of high-purity polysilicon for the global solar PV industry. Founded in 2007, the Company manufactures and sells high-purity polysilicon to photovoltaic product manufactures, who further process the polysilicon into ingots, wafers, cells and modules for solar power solutions. The Company has a total polysilicon nameplate capacity of 105,000 metric tons and is one of the world's lowest-cost producers of high-purity polysilicon. For more information, please visit www.dqsolar.com Safe Harbor Statement This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates" and similar statements. Among other things, the quotations from management in this announcement, as well as the Company's strategic and operational plans, contain forward-looking statements. The Company may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its reports filed or furnished to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in its annual reports to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: the demand for photovoltaic products and the development of photovoltaic technologies; global supply and demand for polysilicon; alternative technologies in cell manufacturing; the Company's ability to significantly expand its polysilicon production capacity and output; the reduction in or elimination of government subsidies and economic incentives for solar energy applications; the Company's ability to lower its production costs; changes in the political and regulatory environment; and the duration of COVID-19 outbreaks in China and many other countries and the impact of the outbreaks and the quarantines and travel restrictions instituted by relevant governments on economic and market conditions, including potentially weaker global demand for solar PV installations that could adversely affect the Company's business and financial performance. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in the reports or documents the Company has filed with, or furnished to, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release is as of the date hereof, and the Company undertakes no duty to update such information or any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law. SOURCE Daqo New Energy Corp. LONDON, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- DataOps.live, the software company dedicated to helping organizations build and manage their essential Data Applications and Data Products more effectively, has released the latest version of its revolutionary DataOps platform, combining a unified developer experience with the ability to perform DataOps at scale. "No-Fear Enterprise Data Engineering at Scale means enabling Data Product developers to build faster, handling more data domains at the same time, building larger and more sophisticated Data Products at the same time, while data engineers remain 100% in control," says Thomas Steinborn, VP of Products. "We are delivering enhancements across five functional areas to deliver on this premise." DataOps on Kubernetes We're excited to announce support for Kubernetes (our most requested feature) which enables customers to dynamically scale their enterprise DataOps infrastructure within their highly managed, highly available cloud architecture while using compute resources mor efficiently and reducing cost. Load balance all your workloads across nodes, and let Kubernetes ensure high availability for all your data pipelines. DataOps Unified Developer Experience - DataOps.live is launching its new unified developer experience, a fully hosted IDE with all the pre-packaged components and plugins needed for a highly efficient Snowflake development experience. Just click one button and you have all the power, control and usability features of a locally installed IDE like Visual Studio, without ever installing anything. It's available wherever and whenever you need it. This is the final step in enabling Data Product developers to be as efficient and productive as software developers. Day-to-day developer productivity can increase by up to 50% depending on the amount of development time they are spending every day. DataOps.live introduces full "Data Product" objects Dataops.live now supports Data Product objects as code, bringing a more natural, streamlined experience to Data Product creation and management. Data Product owners can organize projects by Data Product and dataset; data engineers can find the one table they need among thousands and have fewer merge conflicts; new developers have a faster learning curve; and Data Product stakeholders can have their Data Product refreshed in their data catalogs in seconds. DataOps Safety Net for Snowflake Deleting objects in any data platform can be catastrophic for a business and take hours or days to recover. Our Snowflake Object Deletion Prevention makes each deletion an explicit user-defined action, which enhances productivity while reducing the risk of catastrophic failure. DataOps Continuous Execution In another step towards zero downtime, the release ensures your data pipelines do not fail during maintenance. "We're very excited about the DataOps.live Fall Release as a dynamic data driven organization processing literally trillions of data points, these new capabilities around scalability will allow us to continue to accelerate our initiatives to grow OneWeb to the forefront of our industry," says Miguel Morgado, Product Owner, Service and Platforms at OneWeb. These powerful new capabilities enable clients to dramatically decrease the time to value and accelerate release productivity for Data Products and Data Applications. To find out how DataOps.live can help drive success from modern data architectures at your organization and deliver data engineering at scale, read our Product Release Blog, and join us at our upcoming Product Release Webinar on November 9th at 11am EST/4pm GMT and visit https://www.DataOps.live. About DataOps.live DataOps.live was built to meet the real-life needs of modern, data-driven companies using Snowflake's cloud data platform. It removes the need for enterprises to choose between governance and agility, delivering fundamental improvements in both. The platform brings agile DevOps automation (#TrueDataOps) to the Snowflake cloud data platform. DataOps.live is a single platform for 100% of an organization's DataOps lifecycle needs around Snowflake. Media Contact: Patrick Connolly 608-738-8029 [email protected] SOURCE DataOps.live NEW YORK, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- DEIJIDESIGN confirmed on October 31st that Kevin Harrington from "Shark Discoveries" is now officially a strategic partner of DEIJIDESIGN.com . "DEIJIDESIGN.com is perfectly positioned for significant upside growth with the addition of Harrington's business acumen, clout, and expertise," states a DEIJIDESIGN spokesperson. Coming in as a massive catch, Harrington's most significant value is his immense branding footprint through his Brand Response TV (BRTV) media companies. The Original Elizabeth I signature tote bag. Photo Credit: Brain Health Sciences The black Octavia purse. Also available in brown. Also pictured the black Alexandra belt. Model: Rashida Aboufaris Photo Credit: Toni Pierdome The Black Rose sneakers. The White Rose sneakers. Original Cleopatra signature tote bag. "Shark Discoveries" and DEIJIDESIGN are joining forces and amongst other endeavors are preparing a nationally televised strategic brand campaign on over 100 significant media platforms including major cable networks and streaming services such as Hulu, Roku, ESPN+, Youtube TV plus many more. Included within this campaign is a personal endorsement from Harrington regarding the significance of DEIJIDESIGN as a luxury and elegant fashion brand. This is significantly impactful, especially in light of the timing of this strategic partnership. The branding campaign is set to air as the holiday season approaches. The brand's event as part of Flying Solo's "Ones to Watch'' show during New York Fashion Week in September '22 attracted a flood of positive press attention. As a result, Harrington's company contacted DEIJIDESIGN. "DEIJIDESIGN is an innovative fashion brand with great leadership," states Lisa Vrancken, Executive Vice President at "Shark Discoveries." "We love DEIJIDESIGN, and the freshness they're bringing to the market," she further expresses. The brand, a luxurious and elegant fashion line, is led by legendary designer, Mark Schwartz, who has designed and created by personal request for many well-known celebrities and "Stars" including JLo, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Madonna, Sharon Stone, Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Julia Roberts, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone just to name a few. He has also collaborated and directly designed for top fashion houses such as Balenciaga, Marc Jacobs, Gucci, Ralph Lauren, Versace, Charles Jourdan Hermes, and Chanel in addition to many more. As icing on the cake, Schwartz is also the prodigy of late and great cultural icons Roger Vivier, the "father of the stiletto heel," and the esteemed artist Andy Warhol. Both Vivier and Warhol not only mentored Schwartz, they became close friends throughout their lives. "I love DEIJIDESIGN," states Harrington. The value of this strategic partnership is substantial. The endorsement combined with the nationwide media coverage along with Harrington's expertise positions the company to scale immediately. "We are very pleased with these exciting developments," states Riva Wilkins, President of DEIJIDESIGN. "Harrington partners with companies that are leading edge and have market presence," adds a spokesperson for DEIJIDESIGN. Focusing on the natural beauty of the world, DEIJIDESIGN highlights the human form as a canvas where their collections are the pop of wardrobe color. Varying from beautiful signature bags such as the Elizabeth I, Cleopatra, Mona Lisa, and Octavia to strikingly unique and extremely comfortable DEIJIDESIGN sneaker staples such as the Black Rose and the White Rose, the brand's fine quality is curated to withstand life's wear and tear. DEIJIDESIGN is crafted at the same Italian facilities that make other well-known luxury brands. Schwartz works hand-in-hand everyday with the Italian factories. He spends most of his time designing and collaborating with them. "I'm very excited about working with 'Shark Discoveries'. This validates all of the work that has gone into the creation of DEIJIDESIGN," expresses Schwartz. Harrington's BRTV media campaign featuring DEIJIDESIGN is to be aired nationwide throughout the holiday season. In addition to being available on their website, DEIJIDESIGN.com, the fashion line is also available at Flying Solo's Flagship store in SOHO, NYC at 420 W. BDWY and on their website . SOURCE DEIJIDESIGN.com PHOENIX, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Colling Media, a Phoenix-based Advertising Agency has announced Doug Campbell, 41, has been named President effective immediately. Campbell joined the company after collaborating with the agency on various clients and campaigns for over a decade. Campbell joined the company in 2019 as Director of Digital Services, overseeing the growth and development of Colling Media's teams responsible for delivering advertising, marketing, creative and technical services. In 2020, he was promoted to Chief Strategy Officer, overseeing Client Services and marketing strategies for clients. Since then, Campbell has increased the size of Colling Media's portfolio and account management teams. In his new role as President, he oversees the company's overall strategy and growth. "I'm excited by the growth of Colling Media, our team and our clients. This new role represents a great opportunity to help Colling Media continue our focus on Helping People Succeed Through Better Advertising Results. As the world of advertising and marketing continues to evolve, we will keep at our efforts to push the envelope, leverage new channels, build innovative strategies and pursue new product offerings," said Campbell. Campbell's appointment will allow him to combine his experience with delivery and client services, overseeing the agency's entire operation, including HR and finance. "Doug's efforts as our Chief Strategy Officer have helped the agency grow immensely over the past three years during what many would describe as some of the most challenging times. He and his team have helped our advertisers, clients and company pivot, learn and grow. I am so proud of what we've accomplished, and Doug continues to show he is ready to lead this company through his actions. I am thrilled to work with him in a new capacity where he will continue to lead the company in exciting new directions," said Brian Colling, Founder and Chief Executive Officer. About Colling Media Based in Phoenix, AZ, Colling Media is a full-service national digital advertising and marketing agency specializing in advertising branding and strategy, digital and traditional advertising, media buying, paid search, lead generation, content marketing, and SEO. For more information, visit www.collingmedia.com , or follow the company on LinkedIn ( https://www.linkedin.com/company/colling-media/ ), Facebook, ( https://www.facebook.com/collingmedia/ ), Twitter ( https://twitter.com/collingmedia ) and TikTok ( https://www.tiktok.com/@collingmedia ). Media Contact: Rebeca Moreno 602.456.4395 [email protected] SOURCE Colling Media Throughout November, the company will highlight over 40 feeding programs with more than $325,000 in financial support Inaugural Florence event brings together volunteers from the downtown business community to help pack food boxes for Thanksgiving GREENVILLE, S.C., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy joined Harvest Hope Food Bank in Florence today to "Pack the Pantry" and kick off a monthlong campaign to support organizations in South Carolina that address food insecurities and inequities across the state. In addition to purchasing the food that volunteers packed, today's event also included a $100,000 grant to Harvest Hope to help expand mobile food pantries to those in the most rural areas of the Pee Dee. Duke Energy's monthlong initiative will provide over $325,000 to more than 40 feeding programs leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday and culminating in final surprise grant announcements on Giving Tuesday. "Every community in South Carolina is home to families who face hunger," said Mike Callahan, Duke Energy South Carolina state president. "The statistics are startling nearly 500,000 of our friends and neighbors lack consistent access to high-quality meals, and 1 in 7 of those are children." "As thoughts turn to the holidays and gatherings with families around dinner tables, it's important to support the organizations who do the great work to fight hunger across our state," Callahan said. "Our hope is by shining a light on these efforts, these organizations will continue to receive the support they need to help reduce and hopefully one day eliminate hunger in our communities." The inaugural "Pack the Pantry" event brought together dozens of volunteers from the downtown Florence business community to help pack a thousand boxes of shelf-stable food at the FMU Performing Arts Center that will be distributed at food banks during the Thanksgiving holiday. The event also included a public drive-through for food donations. Harvest Hope is South Carolina's largest food bank, providing more than 20 million meals on average to neighbors in need across the Midlands, Pee Dee and Upstate. "It truly takes the entire community to end hunger, and we're so glad to have the continued support of Duke Energy," said Erinn Rowe, CEO of Harvest Hope. "So many holiday memories involve food, and together we're able to ensure our working families across South Carolina have memories of their favorite dish this season and not of an empty plate." Throughout November, Duke Energy will highlight the critical community partners like Harvest Hope that do this incredible work, including Mill Village Farms, FoodShare South Carolina, United Way Association of South Carolina and AIM, among many others. Duke Energy employees and retirees will be volunteering their time and efforts with these and other organizations throughout the month to assist in packing and distributing food boxes, as well as providing sweat equity to other feeding programs in their neighborhoods. Duke Energy Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America's largest energy holding companies. Its electric utilities serve 8.2 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 50,000 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas unit serves 1.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The company employs 28,000 people. Duke Energy is executing an aggressive clean energy transition to achieve its goals of net-zero methane emissions from its natural gas business by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions from electricity generation by 2050. The company has interim carbon emission targets of at least 50% reduction from electric generation by 2030, 50% for Scope 2 and certain Scope 3 upstream and downstream emissions by 2035, and 80% from electric generation by 2040. In addition, the company is investing in major electric grid enhancements and energy storage, and exploring zero-emission power generation technologies such as hydrogen and advanced nuclear. Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2022 "World's Most Admired Companies" list and Forbes' "World's Best Employers" list. More information is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos and videos. Duke Energy's illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook. Contact: Ryan Mosier 24-Hour: 800.559.3853 SOURCE Duke Energy Industry Leading Retirement Planning Authorities Team Up to Host Debate-Style Podcast NEW YORK , Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ed Slott, CPA, nationally recognized IRA Expert, founder of Ed Slott and Company, LLC and creator of irahelp.com, in collaboration with Jeffrey Levine, CFP, CPA, PFS, CWS, AIF, chief planning officer for Buckingham Strategic Wealth, announce the launch of their new podcast show, The Great Retirement Debate. Each week, Slott and Levine provide lively commentary as they argue an opposing side of a retirement planning topic or strategy. Episodes drop every Thursday, beginning November 10, 2022, and are available on all major platforms, including Spotify, Apple, Stitcher, and Amazon. "This isn't another one of those personal finance advice-type podcasts. Our goal is to debate the merit of both sides of the retirement planning coin to give listeners the pros and cons of the latest planning strategies," said Ed Slott, CPA, America's IRA Expert, founder of Ed Slott and Company, LLC and creator of irahelp.com. "We're not looking to change anyone's mind or sway opinions. Instead, we'd rather provide listeners with thorough, accurate and applicable information, delivered in a thoughtful and entertaining way, that helps them keep more of their hard-earned money." Slott and Levine created The Great Retirement Debate podcast with the objective of educating listeners on the various points to consider when making a financial decision for retirement. Each week, they debate the advantages and disadvantages of a particular retirement strategy or topic. At the start of each show, the flip of a coin determines which side of the strategy each will argue, regardless of whether or not it's their position on the subject matter. The topics covered apply to those in or near retirement and beneficiaries who will inherit retirement assets in the future. "Our goal by the end of each episode is to have one clear winnerthe listener. With a broader perspective on what to consider and why it's important, more informed financial decisions can be made, and ultimately better decisions lead to better outcomes," said Jeffrey Levine, CFP, CPA, PFS, CWS, AIF, Chief Planning Officer for Buckingham Strategic Wealth. "We want listeners to apply the merits of each side of the debate to their own personal situation and decide what's best for them and their family." Upcoming podcast episode topics include: Episode 1: "Should I Take Social Security at Age 62?" Episode 2: "Trusts as a Beneficiary" Episode 3: "Should I Take the Pension Lump Sum or Annuity Income Stream?" Episode 4: "Should I Buy Long-Term Care Insurance or Self Fund?" Episode 5: "Should I Use a Roth IRA or a Life Insurance to Provide a Legacy?" Episode 6: "Should I Pay Off Debt Before I Retire?" For more information about The Great Retirement Debate podcast, visit greatretirementdebate.com. ABOUT ED SLOTT: Ed Slott, CPA, America's IRA Expert, is the nationally recognized IRA and retirement planning distribution expert, best-selling author and professional speaker. His latest books include The New Retirement Savings Time Bomb (Penguin Random House, 2021), Ed Slott's Retirement Decisions Guide: 2022 Edition (IRAHelp, 2022) , and Fund Your Future: A Tax-Smart Savings Plan in Your 20s and 30s (IRAHelp, 2021). He has also hosted several public television programs, including his latest, Ed Slott's Retirement Freedom! , and is a Professor of Practice at The American College of Financial Services. His company, Ed Slott and Company, LLC, is the nation's leading provider of technical IRA education for financial advisors, CPAs and attorneys. Ed Slott created Ed Slott's Elite IRA Advisor GroupSM, a prestigious members-only study group comprised of nearly 500 of the nation's top financial professionals who are dedicated to the mastery of advanced retirement account and tax planning laws and strategies. Visit irahelp.com for more information. ABOUT JEFFREY LEVINE AND BUCKINGHAM STRATEGIC WEALTH: Jeffrey Levine, CPA/PFS, CFP, AIF, CWS, MSA is a nationally recognized and award-winning financial advisor, speaker, and educator as well as the Chief Planning Officer at Buckingham Wealth Partners. Jeffrey has the rare ability to simplify complex laws that govern individual retirement accounts, tax planning and more presented with his unique blend of interpretation and humor. As Chief Planning Officer, Jeffrey serves as a technical and advanced planning resource for advisors and acts as Buckingham's primary thought leader on evidence-driven planning concepts and strategies. Buckingham Strategic Wealth ("BSW"), a Securities and Exchange Commission registered investment advisor providing an extensive range of fiduciary financial advisory services, supports individuals, families, nonprofits and organizations. Headquartered in St. Louis, MO, Buckingham Strategic Wealth employs more than 500 associates in 47 offices across the country. BSW along with the community of independent advisors that make up Buckingham Strategic Partners collectively manage or administer more than $56 billion dollars of assets (as of June 30, 2022). For more information, visit buckinghamstrategicwealth.com . CONTACT AdvisorPR (702) 685-7450 [email protected] SOURCE Ed Slott and Company LYON, France, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Elkem recently celebrated the Grand Opening of its brand-new state-of-the-art production site located in York, SC, USA. Elkem Silicones Advanced Specialties is a specialized facility for producing high purity biomedical grade silicone materials with class 8 clean room and packaging in class 7 clean rooms. Operations at this site are controlled under one quality management system that meets the requirements of ISO 9001, ISO 13485 and IPEC Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) guidelines meeting the MedTech and Pharma market requirements. Elkem's Silbione Biomedical products are supported by Master Access Files (MAF), and where applicable Drug Master Files (DMF), filed with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Elkem's investment in this highly specialized facility demonstrates our commitment to growing with our customers around the world in medical implantable and pharmaceutical applications. Serving as Elkem's global center of excellence for biomedical grade silicones, the company produces there medical grade liquid silicone rubber (LSR), high consistency rubber (HCR), high purity silicone gels, silicone adhesives and dispersions marketed under the Silbione Biomedical brand. Silbione Biomedical range will also be presented at COMPAMED 2022 (Dusseldorf, Germany, from November 14th - 17th) at the Elkem booth 8b K16. Silbione products are supported by the relevant regulatory documentation. With the current changes in medical device regulations, Elkem's experts are able to provide personalized support to offer high quality silicone materials to meet the specific needs of their customers. At this trade fair, Elkem will also be showcasing its Silbione range of medical grade silicones for healthcare applications including wound care, prosthetics, and medical devices. This year, we are also proud to launch Silbione RTV 4450 CLR at COMPAMED 2022 especially developed for biomedical electronics and diagnostics applications. Its specific properties (transparency, flexibility, dielectric strength, durability), support the manufacturing operations and efficient use of those advanced diagnostics and medical devices. CONTACT: Caroline MOINE Business Development manager EMEA for Healthcare + (33) 6 27 83 62 80 [email protected] The following files are available for download: https://mb.cision.com/Main/17898/3660954/1648158.pdf PR_Elkem_Medica_2022 https://news.cision.com/elkem-silicon/i/elkem-plant-2022,c3110281 elkem plant 2022 https://news.cision.com/elkem-silicon/i/miniaturized-endoscope-capsule2022,c3110282 miniaturized endoscope capsule2022 SOURCE Elkem Silicon Hear The Blockbuster Five-Part Mini-Series: 'The Transgender Movement: What Catholics Need To Know' And Call In To Discuss With 'Open Line' Hosts IRONDALE, Ala., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- EWTN Global Catholic Radio will air all five episodes of EWTN's blockbuster mini-series, "The Transgender Movement: What Catholics Need to Know," at 3 p.m. ET and 10 p.m. ET the "Open Line" hour from Monday, Nov. 7 through Friday, Nov. 11. The first half hour will be the episode of that day and the second half hour will be that day's radio host commenting on the episode and taking listener phone calls. Televised episodes are also available for free on EWTN's On Demand platform: https://bit.ly/TransgenderMovement. Tweet this EWTN Global Catholic Radio will air all five episodes of EWTNs blockbuster mini-series, The Transgender Movement: What Catholics Need to Know, at 3 p.m. ET and 10 p.m. ET the Open Line hour from Monday, Nov. 7 through Friday, Nov. 11. The first half hour will be the episode of that day and the second half hour will be that days radio host commenting on the episode and taking listener phone calls. The Open Line call-in number is 833-288-3986 (EWTN). "We had a tremendous reaction from our television audience about the show which premiered Oct. 24-28," said EWTN Chairman & CEO Michael P. Warsaw. "This allows our audience to listen to the episode again or for the first time, to interact with our hosts about the issues raised in that day's episode, and to hear what each day's host as well as other members of the EWTN family have to say about it." Here's the lineup for this special event: Episode 1 offers a cultural overview with Fr. John Trigilio, Ph.D; Episode 2 looks at "gender-affirming" interventions with Fr. Wade Menszes, CPM; Episode 3 looks at what the Catholic Church says about transgenderism with Fr. Mitch Pacwa, SJ; Episode 4 considers what parents should know with Fr. Brian Mullady, OP; and Episode 5 talks about Catholic Pastoral Care for transgender issues with Colin Donovan, STL. The 'Open Line' call-in number is 833-288-3986 (EWTN). Find EWTN Global Catholic Radio via more than 350 AM/FM affiliates across the U.S., https://www.ewtn.com/radio/affiliates-map, via the free EWTN App, via SIRIUS XM Satellite Radio Channel #130, via iHeart Radio, or via a live streaming feed on your computer. The televised episodes are also available for free on EWTN's On Demand platform: https://bit.ly/TransgenderMovement. "I'm tremendously grateful to EWTN for making this possible because this information is so needed; people are hungry for guidance on where they can go and how to help their families," says Host Mary Rice Hasson, a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C. and one of three co-founders of the Center's important Person and Identity Project. "When I go around and speakpeoplesay: 'What happened? How did this happen so fast?' How did we move from a so-called transgender moment to a transgender movement?'" Once you have a sense of what this is all about, Hasson suggests heading over to www.personandidentity.com for a plethora of incredible resources. This website supplies medical, public policy, diocesan, and legal resources; links to networks you can join; and a lot more. This resource is perfect for parents (https://personandidentity.com/parents/), schools (https://personandidentity.com/schools/), churches (https://personandidentity.com/churches/), the medical community (https://personandidentity.com/medical/), and other interested persons who not only want to understand what is happening but, most importantly, how to deal with it. In its 41st year, EWTN is the largest religious media network in the world. EWTN's 11 global TV channels are broadcast in multiple languages 24 hours a day, seven days a week to over 380 million television households in more than 150 countries and territories. EWTN platforms also include radio services transmitted through SIRIUS/XM, iHeart Radio, and over 500 domestic and international AM & FM radio affiliates; a worldwide shortwave radio service; one of the largest Catholic websites in the U.S.; electronic and print news services, including Catholic News Agency, "The National Catholic Register" newspaper, and several global news wire services; as well as EWTN Publishing, its book publishing division. SOURCE EWTN Global Catholic Network HOLMDEL, N.J., Nov. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Vonage, a global leader in cloud communications helping businesses accelerate their digital transformation, today announced that ExamRoom.AI, the world's first AI-based proctoring software, is using the Vonage Communications Platform to provide reliable and scalable remote testing and proctoring experiences globally. Based in the United States, ExamRoom.AI has been growing exponentially since its inception, expanding globally into Europe, Asia and South America on a mission to offer convenient online testing, provide a secure testing environment, and provide exceptional customer service to administrators and test taking candidates around the world. Maintaining exam integrity virtually has always been complex, but with the drastic increase of remote education and exams necessitated by the pandemic, the need for a secure, reliable, AI-based proctoring platform became paramount. ExamRoom.AI emerged as a powerful solution in this field by embracing the future and engaging Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Augmented Reality (AR) technology and algorithms to ensure web-based, remote online testing is versatile, accurate and secure. Vonage Video and Voice APIs provide ExamRoom.AI with video and voice capabilities above and beyond a simple, out-of-the-box video conferencing solution, tailored specifically to enhance and improve the remote testing and proctoring experience including real-time analytics and monitoring capabilities. Powered by Vonage APIs, the ExamRoom.AI platform handles 3 billion subscribed minutes every month and has already supported 8 million test takers completing their exams. "By integrating Vonage Video and Voice APIs directly into the ExamRoom.AI platform, our clients can observe their examinee's webcam and the device's desktop screen to monitor exam progress and behavior, review all time-stamped flags issued by the AI and the live remote proctor, receive all verbal and text communication, and speak directly to the candidate if necessary - all in real-time," said Amanda Jayakeerthi, Chief Relations Officer, ExamRoom.AI. "The flexibility of Vonage APIs allows us to provide video conferencing integration in Android, IOS, Windows, Linux, and other web applications with in-depth logs and graphs to help track and monitor usage and challenges faced by our customers - which ultimately enables them to provide better remote test taking and proctoring experiences." Vonage Communications APIs allow developers to build better connections, conversations and engagement directly into their existing applications and devices. Built using WebRTC standards available on billions of devices, the Vonage Video API provides customers like ExamRoom.AI with global performance and scale, creating a stable connection and reducing the challenges of a global solution. "We have seen a growing need for remote and virtual education services that offer seamless, meaningful and reliable connections that rival in-person interactions or even improve on them - from classroom tools to training to exam solutions like ExamRoom.AI," said Amitha Pulijala, VP of Product, Platform Services, AI and Video, Vonage. "With the Vonage Communications Platform, we are happy to support our customers' innovation and growth as they shape the future of immersive engagement." Read the full case study to find out more about how ExamRoom.AI is using Vonage Communications APIs to create meaningful, scalable and secure engagements for its customers around the world. To find out more about Vonage, visit www.vonage.com. About ExamRoom.AI Online testing has become a more common practice versus the traditional classroom environment. Students are actively enrolling in online classes for secondary and post-secondary schooling. Not only is the tuition lower, but the flexibility of testing time and location is attractive. But are all online proctoring services safe and secure against cheating and personal data theft? At ExamRoom.AI, we see the need for increased protection without compromising the integrity of the test or the ease of taking the test. Our experienced team of developers has created a seamless platform for online proctoring and is continuously working to make our system safe and secure for the test takers and for the integrity of the content provided. With the deployment of our own algorithms and the creation of a registration and verification process based on the candidate's biometrics, through FIDO technology (where all personal data is secure, parsed, and is not saved on any of our servers), our clients and candidates can test with confidence knowing that their personal information and test content is protected at the highest level. Let ExamRoom.AI be your go to for the proctoring of your online testing. ExamRoom.AI is headquartered in Delaware (USA), with offices in India, Serbia and Brazil. To follow ExamRoom.AI on Twitter, please visit https://twitter.com/examroomai. You can follow on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/examroomai. To subscribe on YouTube, visit https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsZRSGklesQdJq5pjUmZU3A. About Vonage Vonage, a global cloud communications leader, helps businesses accelerate their digital transformation. Vonage's Communications Platform is fully programmable and allows for the integration of Video, Voice, Chat, Messaging, AI and Verification into existing products, workflows and systems. The Vonage conversational commerce application enables businesses to create AI-powered omnichannel experiences that boost sales and increase customer satisfaction. Vonage's fully programmable unified communications, contact center and conversational commerce applications are built from the Vonage platform and enable companies to transform how they communicate and operate from the office or remotely - providing the flexibility required to create meaningful engagements. Vonage is headquartered in New Jersey, with offices throughout the United States, Europe, Israel and Asia and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ericsson. To follow Vonage on Twitter, please visit www.twitter.com/vonage. To become a fan on Facebook, go to facebook.com/vonage. To subscribe on YouTube, visit youtube.com/vonage. SOURCE Vonage HOUSTON, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Fengate Asset Management ("Fengate") is pleased to announce the acquisition from Triple Oak Power ("Triple Oak") of the ready-to-build 160-megawatt ("MW") Prairie Switch Wind project located outside of Houston, Texas. The Prairie Switch Wind project will utilize 48 of GE Renewable Energy's 3.4 MW wind turbines and is expected to be fully operational by the end of 2023. As part of this transaction, Fengate and Meta Platforms, Inc. ("Meta") signed a long-term power purchase agreement ("PPA") for 100 percent of the project's production. Under this PPA, the project will provide new wind energy to support Meta's operations. Located near the city of El Campo in Wharton County, Prairie Switch Wind, once built, will inject millions of dollars of tax and lease payments into the County while synergistically allowing current ranching and farming operations to continue without material interruption or displacement. "We appreciate working with Triple Oak Power on this important acquisition as it fully aligns with Fengate's build-to-core strategy and commitment to invest in renewable energy projects on behalf of our investors," said Greg Calhoun, Managing Director, Infrastructure Investments. "Fengate is pleased to partner with Meta and GE on this project to deliver clean and reliable energy." "Meta is committed to accelerating the renewable energy transition and, since 2020, we have supported our global operations with 100% renewable energy," said Urvi Parekh, Director of Renewable Energy at Meta. "We appreciate Fengate's partnership in helping us bring this new wind energy in support of our operations in the area." "Triple Oak prides itself on building lasting and trusting relationships with all of our partners, especially our local communities, by executing the highest quality of development projects which become premier renewable energy assets," said Jesse Gronner, Chief Executive Officer, Triple Oak. "That's why we're so proud to have enabled Prairie Switch (original name of the community of El Campo) to be a long-term producer in Wharton County for decades to come." "GE Renewable Energy is proud to provide our latest 3.4MW wind turbines for the Prairie Switch Wind project," said Vic Abate, Chief Executive Officer, GE Renewable Energy's Onshore Wind business. "This next-generation wind turbine was built on the legacy of our bestselling 2MW platform and is designed specifically for the future needs and unique challenges of the region. It offers ease of installation and reliability while also helping our customers to provide affordable and sustainable renewable energy." Fengate is managing this investment as part of the firm's renewable energy strategy on behalf of its investors, including an investment fund owned by LiUNA's Pension Fund of Central and Eastern Canada. About Fengate Asset Management Fengate is a leading alternative investment manager focused on infrastructure, private equity, and real estate strategies. With offices in Ontario and Texas and team members across North America, Fengate invests in long-life, high-quality assets and businesses on behalf of our clients. With more than 45 years of experience, we are proud of our proven track record and trusted reputation across the sectors we work in. Learn more at www.fengate.com and on our LinkedIn. About Triple Oak Power Triple Oak Power's mission is to leverage the enormous potential of our natural resources to create integrated, diverse, and sustainable electricity infrastructure. With many decades of combined experience in the renewable energy sector, the Triple Oak team is focused on building value for investors, communities, and landowners through responsibly developed wind and other carbon-free generation projects. Triple Oak is backed by EnCap Investments L.P., Yorktown Partners, and Mercuria Energy, and is headquartered in Portland, Oregon. For more information, visit www.tripleoakpower.com and LinkedIn. About GE Renewable Energy GE Renewable Energy, an integral part of the GE Vernova portfolio of energy businesses, is a $16 billion business which combines one of the broadest portfolios in the renewable energy industry to provide end-to-end solutions for our customers demanding reliable and affordable green power. Combining onshore and offshore wind, blades, hydro, storage, utility-scale solar, and grid solutions as well as hybrid renewables and digital services offerings, GE Renewable Energy has installed more than 400+ gigawatts of clean renewable energy and equipped more than 90 percent of utilities worldwide with its grid solutions. With nearly 40,000 employees present in more than 80 countries, GE Renewable Energy creates value for customers seeking to power the world with affordable, reliable and sustainable green electrons. GE Vernova, a dynamic accelerator comprised of our Power, Renewable Energy, Digital and Energy Financial Services businesses, focused on supporting customers' transformations during the global energy transition. Follow us at www.ge.com/renewableenergy, on Twitter or on LinkedIn. SOURCE Fengate Asset Management NCES data show 48 percent of public schools offering this type of after-school programming incorporate high-dosage tutoring WASHINGTON, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Fifty-six percent of public schools are offering after-school programs for students who need academic assistance during the 2022-23 school year, according to data released today by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the statistical center within the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES). Nearly half of public schools that offer this type of programming do so for 1-2 hours per day (46 percent) for 4 or 5 days per week (45 percent). "These data shed new light on some of the academic assistance strategies public schools are employing during this school year," said NCES Commissioner Peggy G. Carr. "Schools are providing after-school programs to support their students, including programs for those who need extra support and those who are looking for additional learning opportunities. Nearly half of schools that are offering after-school programing for students who need academic assistance are incorporating high-dosage tutoring and 42 percent are incorporating other types of tutoring." Forty-four percent of public schools are offering after-school programs for students who are seeking academic enrichment during the 2022-23 school year. Of the schools offering this programming, 30 percent are offering high-dosage tutoring, which incorporates 3 or more tailored instructional sessions in small groups or one-on-one sessions per week. As of September, 85 percent of public schools had no COVID-19 vaccination requirements for staff to be in the school building for the 2022-23 school year. In addition, 99 percent of public schools had no COVID-19 vaccination requirements for students to be in the school building. To help improve air quality in schools and prevent spread of the virus, 33 percent of public schools had installed or used high-efficiency particular (HEPA) air filtration systems in classrooms for the 2022-23 school year. The findings released today are from the School Pulse Panel. The School Pulse Panel is part of NCES's innovative approach to delivering timely information regarding the pandemic's impact on public K12 schools in the U.S. on topics such as after-school programs, mitigation strategies, learning mode offerings, and quarantine prevalence, as reported by school staff in U.S. public schools. The findings released today are part of the ninth monthly experimental data product from the School Pulse Panel. The September data were collected from 1,010 participating schools between September 13 and September 27, 2022. Experimental data products are innovative statistical products created using new data sources or methodologies. Experimental data may not meet all NCES quality standards but are of sufficient benefit to data users in the absence of other relevant products to justify release. NCES clearly identifies experimental data products upon their release. The data released today can be found on the School Pulse Panel dashboard at https://ies.ed.gov/schoolsurvey/. Key Findings After-School Programs for 2022-23 Fifty-six percent of public schools are offering after-school programs for students who need academic assistance during the 2022-23 school year. Nearly half of public schools that offer this type of programming do so for 1-2 hours per day (46 percent), for 4 or 5 days per week (45 percent). during the 2022-23 school year. Nearly half of public schools that offer this type of programming do so for 1-2 hours per day (46 percent), for 4 or 5 days per week (45 percent). Forty-eight percent of public schools offering this type of programming incorporate high-dosage tutoring into the programming, while 42 percent incorporate some other type of tutoring. Forty-four percent of public schools are offering after-school programs for students who are seeking academic enrichment during the 2022-23 school year. Nearly half of public schools that offer this type of programming do so for 1-2 hours per day (47 percent), for 4 or 5 days per week (46 percent). during the 2022-23 school year. Nearly half of public schools that offer this type of programming do so for 1-2 hours per day (47 percent), for 4 or 5 days per week (46 percent). Thirty percent of public schools offering this type of programming incorporate high-dosage tutoring into the programming, while 37 percent incorporate some other type of tutoring. COVID-19 Mitigation As of September 2022 , 85 percent of public schools had no COVID-19 vaccination requirements for staff to be in the school building for the 2022-23 school year. Ninety-nine percent of public schools had no COVID-19 vaccination requirements for students to be in the school building for the 2022-23 school year. , 85 percent of public schools had no COVID-19 vaccination requirements for staff to be in the school building for the 2022-23 school year. Ninety-nine percent of public schools had no COVID-19 vaccination requirements for students to be in the school building for the 2022-23 school year. The percentage of public schools requiring students and staff to wear masks in the school building in September 2022 was not measurably different than the percentage that required masks at the end of the 2021-22 school year. Twelve percent of public schools required that students wear masks inside the school building in September 2022 , compared to 15 percent at the end of the 2021-22 school year. Thirteen percent of public schools required that staff wear masks inside the school building in September and at the end of 21-22 school year. was not measurably different than the percentage that required masks at the end of the 2021-22 school year. Twelve percent of public schools required that students wear masks inside the school building in , compared to 15 percent at the end of the 2021-22 school year. Thirteen percent of public schools required that staff wear masks inside the school building in September and at the end of 21-22 school year. The percentages of public schools requiring daily COVID-19 symptom screening for students and staff had decreased in September compared to the rates at the end of the 2021-22 school year. In September 2022 , 4 and 5 percent of public schools required daily symptom screening for students and staff, respectively. These rates were 16 and 20 percent, respectively, at the end of the 2021-22 school year. , 4 and 5 percent of public schools required daily symptom screening for students and staff, respectively. These rates were 16 and 20 percent, respectively, at the end of the 2021-22 school year. Similarly, the percentage of public schools providing COVID-19 testing to students and staff even if they had no symptoms or possible exposure had decreased in September compared to the end of the 2021-22 school year. In September 2022 , 21 and 27 percent of public schools provided on-site COVID-19 testing to students and staff, respectively. These rates were 43 and 51 percent, respectively, at the end of 2021-22 school year. , 21 and 27 percent of public schools provided on-site COVID-19 testing to students and staff, respectively. These rates were 43 and 51 percent, respectively, at the end of 2021-22 school year. For the 2022-23 school year, 80 percent of public schools require staff and students who test positive for COVID-19 to stay home and not be in the school building. About one-third of public schools require those who display COVID-19-like symptoms or who have potentially been exposed to COVID-19 to stay home and not be in the school building. Eleven percent of all public schools have no requirements for circumstances under which individuals have to stay home and not be in the school building for COVID-19-related reasons. For the 2022-23 school year, 33 percent of schools installed or used high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration systems in classrooms and 29 percent replaced or upgraded their HVAC systems. Learning Modes and Quarantine Prevalence Comparing learning mode offerings during September 2022 and the end of the 2021-22 school year ( June 2022 ): and the end of the 2021-22 school year ( ): The percentage of schools offering in-person learning are comparable (99 percent versus 98 percent) The percentage of schools offering remote learning has decreased (18 percent versus 33 percent) The percentage of schools offering hybrid learning have decreased (6 percent versus 10 percent) The percentage of public schools that reported having to quarantine students in September was 47 percent, an increase from the 34 percent that required students to quarantine at the end of the 2021-22 school year. Twenty-seven percent of public schools reported having to quarantine staff members in September, a similar rate that required staff to quarantine at the end of the 2021-22 school year (24 percent). Summer 2022 Programming Sixty-nine percent of public schools offered summer school (required for certain students) during summer 2022. On average, these programs lasted 5 weeks and operated 5 hours per day, with 90 percent of public schools offering summer school providing it 4 or 5 days per week. Of these public schools that offered summer school (required for certain students) during summer 2022, 34 percent incorporated high-dosage tutoring as part of summer school programming. Seventy percent of public schools operated learning and enrichment programs that were hosted by their school or district during summer 2022. On average, these programs lasted 5 weeks and operated 5 hours per day, with 86 percent of public schools that offered these learning and enrichment programs providing it for 4 or 5 days per week. Of these public schools that offered summer learning and enrichment programs that were hosted by their school or district during summer 2022, 24 percent incorporated high-dosage tutoring as part of summer school programming. The National Center for Education Statistics, a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, is the statistical center of the U.S. Department of Education and the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education in the U.S. and other nations. NCES fulfills a congressional mandate to collect, collate, analyze, and report complete statistics on the condition of American education; conduct and publish reports; and review and report on education activities internationally. Follow NCES on Twitter , Facebook , LinkedIn , and YouTube and subscribe to the NCES News Flash to receive email notifications when new data is released. The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) is the independent and nonpartisan statistics, research, and evaluation arm of the U.S. Department of Education. Its mission is to provide scientific evidence on which to ground education practice and policy and to share this information in formats that are useful and accessible to educators, parents, policymakers, researchers, and the public. CONTACT: Josh Delarosa, National Center for Education Statistics, [email protected] James Elias, Hager Sharp, [email protected] SOURCE National Center for Education Statistics DUBLIN, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Power Device Analyzer Market By Type, By Current, By End user: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global power device analyzer market was valued at $423.25 million in 2021, and is projected to reach $616.79 million by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 4.3% from 2022 to 2030. Power device analyzers are test instruments that are used to measure the flow of power in an electrical system.. Power analyzers measure various parameters associated with power consumption and generation at frequencies ranging from 50 / 60 Hz to high value of kilohertz. Power analyzers are used to measure various electrical power parameters for applications, including testing power electronics, inverters, motors & drives, lighting, home appliances, office equipment, power supplies, and industrial machinery. Electrical power analyzers are manufactured by several different test equipment manufacturers to address the increase in demand for measuring various parameters of power, its supply, and use. Although data acquisition and oscilloscope-based power measurement tools are available, power analyzers are designed to provide the measurements that are required for testing the devices that generate, transform, or consume electricity. In this way, a power analyzer is able to meet the requirement of engineers needing to measure various aspects of electrical power. Power device analyzers are the best solutions for power device evaluation. In addition, every power device analyzer has different range of voltage, current and other features that handle various types of power devices. Power analyzer provides unrivaled productivity gains when sourcing and measuring DC voltage and current into a device under test (DUT). Rise in demand for electric vehicles across the globe increases the demand for Power device analyzer market and act as the major driving factor for the growth of the market. In addition, power device analyzer is used to measure the flow of power in an electrical system. In addition, multi-functional power analyzer device is mainly used to measure different flow of power, such as direct current (DC), alternating current (AC), AC-voltage, and DC-voltage. The power device analyzer market is segmented on the basis of type, current, end user, and region. Depending on type, the market is categorized into both AC & DC, AC, and DC. On the basis of current, it is divided into below 1000A and above 1000A. According to end user, it is classified into automotive, energy, telecommunication, consumer electronics & appliances, and medical. Region wise, it is analyzed across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA. The global power device analyzer market analysis covers in-depth information about the major industry participants. The key players operating and profiled in the report include Arbiter Systems, CARLO GAVAZZI HOLDING AG Ltd., Circutor (Spain), Delta Electronics, Dewesoft D O O, Hioki E E Corporation (Japan), Iwatsu Electric (Japan), Keysight Technologies, Rohde & Schwarz (Germany), and Texas Instruments (US). Key Benefits For Stakeholders This report provides a quantitative analysis of the market segments, current trends, estimations, and dynamics of the power device analyzer market analysis from 2021 to 2030 to identify the prevailing power device analyzer market opportunities. The market research is offered along with information related to key drivers, restraints, and opportunities. Porter's five forces analysis highlights the potency of buyers and suppliers to enable stakeholders make profit-oriented business decisions and strengthen their supplier-buyer network. In-depth analysis of the power device analyzer market segmentation assists to determine the prevailing market opportunities. Major countries in each region are mapped according to their revenue contribution to the global market. Market player positioning facilitates benchmarking and provides a clear understanding of the present position of the market players. The report includes the analysis of the regional as well as global power device analyzer market trends, key players, market segments, application areas, and market growth strategies. Key Topics Covered: CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 2: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY CHAPTER 3: MARKET OVERVIEW 3.1. Market definition and scope 3.2. Key findings 3.2.1. Top investment pockets 3.3. Porter's five forces analysis 3.4. Top player positioning 3.5. Market dynamics 3.5.1. Drivers 3.5.2. Restraints 3.5.3. Opportunities 3.6. COVID-19 Impact Analysis on the market CHAPTER 4: POWER DEVICE ANALYZER MARKET, BY TYPE 4.1 Overview 4.1.1 Market size and forecast 4.2 Both AC and DC 4.2.1 Key market trends, growth factors and opportunities 4.2.2 Market size and forecast, by region 4.2.3 Market analysis by country 4.3 AC 4.3.1 Key market trends, growth factors and opportunities 4.3.2 Market size and forecast, by region 4.3.3 Market analysis by country 4.4 DC 4.4.1 Key market trends, growth factors and opportunities 4.4.2 Market size and forecast, by region 4.4.3 Market analysis by country CHAPTER 5: POWER DEVICE ANALYZER MARKET, BY CURRENT 5.1 Overview 5.1.1 Market size and forecast 5.2 Below 1000A 5.2.1 Key market trends, growth factors and opportunities 5.2.2 Market size and forecast, by region 5.2.3 Market analysis by country 5.3 Above 1000A 5.3.1 Key market trends, growth factors and opportunities 5.3.2 Market size and forecast, by region 5.3.3 Market analysis by country CHAPTER 6: POWER DEVICE ANALYZER MARKET, BY END USER 6.1 Overview 6.1.1 Market size and forecast 6.2 Automotive 6.2.1 Key market trends, growth factors and opportunities 6.2.2 Market size and forecast, by region 6.2.3 Market analysis by country 6.3 Energy 6.3.1 Key market trends, growth factors and opportunities 6.3.2 Market size and forecast, by region 6.3.3 Market analysis by country 6.4 Telecommunication 6.4.1 Key market trends, growth factors and opportunities 6.4.2 Market size and forecast, by region 6.4.3 Market analysis by country 6.5 Consumer Electronics and Appliances 6.5.1 Key market trends, growth factors and opportunities 6.5.2 Market size and forecast, by region 6.5.3 Market analysis by country 6.6 Medical 6.6.1 Key market trends, growth factors and opportunities 6.6.2 Market size and forecast, by region 6.6.3 Market analysis by country CHAPTER 7: POWER DEVICE ANALYZER MARKET, BY REGION CHAPTER 8: COMPANY LANDSCAPE 8.1. Introduction 8.2. Top winning strategies 8.3. Product Mapping of Top 10 Player 8.4. Competitive Dashboard 8.5. Competitive Heatmap 8.6. Key developments CHAPTER 9: COMPANY PROFILES 9.1 Arbiter Systems (U.S.) 9.1.1 Company overview 9.1.2 Company snapshot 9.1.3 Operating business segments 9.1.4 Product portfolio 9.1.5 Business performance 9.1.6 Key strategic moves and developments 9.2 CARLO GAVAZZI HOLDING AG Ltd. 9.2.1 Company overview 9.2.2 Company snapshot 9.2.3 Operating business segments 9.2.4 Product portfolio 9.2.5 Business performance 9.2.6 Key strategic moves and developments 9.3 Circutor (Spain) 9.3.1 Company overview 9.3.2 Company snapshot 9.3.3 Operating business segments 9.3.4 Product portfolio 9.3.5 Business performance 9.3.6 Key strategic moves and developments 9.4 Delta Electronics 9.4.1 Company overview 9.4.2 Company snapshot 9.4.3 Operating business segments 9.4.4 Product portfolio 9.4.5 Business performance 9.4.6 Key strategic moves and developments 9.5 Dewesoft D O O 9.5.1 Company overview 9.5.2 Company snapshot 9.5.3 Operating business segments 9.5.4 Product portfolio 9.5.5 Business performance 9.5.6 Key strategic moves and developments 9.6 Hioki E E Corporation (Japan) 9.6.1 Company overview 9.6.2 Company snapshot 9.6.3 Operating business segments 9.6.4 Product portfolio 9.6.5 Business performance 9.6.6 Key strategic moves and developments 9.7 Iwatsu Electric (Japan) 9.7.1 Company overview 9.7.2 Company snapshot 9.7.3 Operating business segments 9.7.4 Product portfolio 9.7.5 Business performance 9.7.6 Key strategic moves and developments 9.8 Keysight Technologies 9.8.1 Company overview 9.8.2 Company snapshot 9.8.3 Operating business segments 9.8.4 Product portfolio 9.8.5 Business performance 9.8.6 Key strategic moves and developments 9.9 Rohde & Schwarz (Germany) 9.9.1 Company overview 9.9.2 Company snapshot 9.9.3 Operating business segments 9.9.4 Product portfolio 9.9.5 Business performance 9.9.6 Key strategic moves and developments 9.10 Texas Instruments (U.S.) 9.10.1 Company overview 9.10.2 Company snapshot 9.10.3 Operating business segments 9.10.4 Product portfolio 9.10.5 Business performance 9.10.6 Key strategic moves and developments For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/gi2oeq Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg SOURCE Research and Markets AKRON, Ohio, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- This Veterans Day season, Goodyear Auto Service and Just Tires invite the U.S. military and first responder communities to enjoy special discounts at any of its more than 550 locations nationwide, as well as take advantage of the free car care checks currently being offered. All active, former and retired military members and first responders are encouraged to take advantage of Goodyear's free inspections on tires, brakes and batteries, and will receive an additional 10% off tires and services. Eligible guests who present a valid ID can schedule car care check appointments between Nov. 10 and 14 and redeem service through Nov. 17. "Goodyear's deep respect and support for the U.S. armed forces trace back more than 100 years, and our associates take great pride in honoring the servicemembers and first responders who have sacrificed so much," said Fred Thomas, vice president, Goodyear Retail. "Whether through our history of making tires, planes and blimps for the U.S. armed forces or recognizing our heroes by providing discounted auto services this Veterans Day, honoring the military community is central to who we are." As the largest producer of military tires in the country, Goodyear also assisted in building more than 150 blimps for the U.S. Navy during World War I and II and more than 5,000 Corsair fighter planes for the U.S. Army. To learn more about the Veterans Day promotions and to book an appointment, visit www.goodyearautoservice.com/en-US/services/military-offer or www.justtires.com/en-US/services/military-offer. About The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company Goodyear (NASDAQ: GT) is one of the world's largest tire companies. It employs about 72,000 people and manufactures its products in 57 facilities in 23 countries around the world. Its two Innovation Centers in Akron, Ohio, and Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg, strive to develop state-of-the-art products and services that set the technology and performance standard for the industry. For more information about Goodyear and its products, go to www.goodyear.com/corporate. SOURCE The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company GrowPods can provide significant savings for farmers because they don't require expensive and dangerous chemicals such as pesticides and herbicides CORONA, Calif., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Advanced Container Technologies, Inc (Ticker: ACTX), announced that GrowPods the company's unique Controlled Environment Farms, can help farmers quickly begin growing crops that may be in short supply, and without the use of expensive pesticides, herbicides, and harmful chemicals. Today, there is "a massive strain on the global food supply," according to CNBC. "It's particularly severe because we are just coming out of a recovery from a two-and-a-half-year pandemic," said Johanna Mendelson-Forman, adjunct professor at the American University. "We may see some shelves that are empty," said Scott Irwin, chair of agricultural marketing at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. According to the Des Moines Register, American farmers are seeing "increased costs across the board," from fertilizer and pesticides to equipment repairs and seasonal labor. Glyphosate the active ingredient in in one of America's most widely used weed killers is up 250% from a year earlier. A study at Purdue University reported 30% of farmers are now struggling to get herbicides, 26% fertilizers, and 17% insecticides. GrowPods are Controlled Environment Farms that can grow about an acre of food in a transportable, scalable, automated system that yields ultra-clean food, year-round, virtually anywhere. GrowPods allow farmers to quickly pivot into growing new crops, without the labor, expense, and risks associated with change-outs in traditional farming. Doug Heldoorn, CEO of ACTX, said GrowPods allow farmers to respond quickly to changes in pricing and shortages in the world. "Not only do GrowPods provide highly nutritious food without the use of expensive and dangerous chemicals, but they also offer growers consistent food production year-round, reduced resource consumption, and faster harvest times," he said. Business Insider reports that the food crisis could worsen in 2023. GrowPods may offer farmers a way to be better positioned to succeed in this challenging environment. For information on GrowPods, call (951) 381-2555 or visit: www.AdvancedContainerTechnologies.com Forward-Looking Statements This release contains forward-looking statements made under the "safe harbor" provisions of U.S. Securities Acts. Forward-Looking Statements involve risks and uncertainties, and actual results can differ. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. ACTX undertakes no duty to update information in this release except as required. SOURCE Advanced Container Technologies, Inc. 2019 Ford GT Highlights Grouping of Enthusiast Cars from 1960s to Modern Era TRAVERSE CITY, Mich., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hagerty, Inc., (NYSE: HGTY) an automotive lifestyle brand and a leading specialty insurance provider, today launched Hagerty Marketplace online auctions which allows members and enthusiasts to buy and sell automobiles through a trusted, easy-to-use platform. The addition of online auctions builds upon Hagerty's growth strategy and helps augment its existing Marketplace business which includes classified offerings, Hagerty Valuation Tools and DriveShare businesses. Courtesy of Hagerty Media To ensure the buying and selling process is as simple and safe as possible, the Hagerty Marketplace team does all the heavy lifting. Each seller will work with an experienced Hagerty Marketplace auction team member, who will provide support with pre-sale and post-sale logistics, including facilitating payment and transfer of ownership. Each buyer will provide a government-issued identification and credit card before bidding, ensuring that real enthusiasts are behind each bid. Auctions live today include enthusiast vehicles from a wide range of eras and typologies including a 2019 Ford GT, 1963 Ford Fairlane Squire Wagon, 2000 Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG, and 1992 Porsche 968 Cabriolet. "Over the past few years, the collector car industry has seen exceptional growth in demand for online car auctions, driven by the convenience of bidding from practically anywhere," said Kenneth Ahn, President of Hagerty Marketplace. "But when car collectors are buying and selling five, six, or seven-figure cars online, we believe there are areas for significant improvement over the status quo. Our goal is to provide an online auction platform that is differentiated by trust, with unparalleled level of service and data-driven expertise. We are excited to launch Hagerty's Marketplace online auctions and we are committed to continuing to innovate and grow along with this emerging market." In the 12 months ending June 30, 2022, Hagerty saw its members buy and sell more than 300,000 collectible cars for nearly $12 billion in value. Following Hagerty's acquisition of Broad Arrow Group an auction, private sales, and asset-based financing specialist in August of 2022, the new Marketplace online auctions will further augment Hagerty's ecosystem of products and services to better serve the vast community of car collectors and enthusiasts around the world. Broad Arrow Group made their live auction debut in August at Monterey Car Week with $55.3 million in sales and followed-up with October's sale of the Jim Taylor collection which saw $21.3 million in sales. Broad Arrow's team will work in tandem with Hagerty Marketplace online auctions, to provide more options and opportunities for car collectors and enthusiasts to buy and sell collectible cars. More information on how to register to bid and sell on Hagerty Marketplace online auctions can be found at the website: Hagerty Marketplace . Hagerty Marketplace also includes collector favorite Hagerty Valuation Tools, which includes more than 15 years of pricing for 40,000 enthusiast cars, trucks, vans and motorcycles from the post-war era to present. About Hagerty, Inc. (NYSE: HGTY) Based in Based in Traverse City, Michigan, Hagerty's purpose is to save driving and car culture for future generations and its mission is to build a global business to fund that purpose. Hagerty is an automotive enthusiast brand offering integrated membership products and programs as well as a specialty insurance provider focused on the global automotive enthusiast market. Hagerty is home to Hagerty Marketplace, Hagerty Drivers Club, Hagerty Drivers Club magazine, Hagerty Drivers Foundation, Hagerty DriveShare, Hagerty Valuation Tools, Hagerty Media, MotorsportReg, Hagerty Garage + Social, The Amelia, the Detroit Concours d'Elegance, the Greenwich Concours d'Elegance, the California Mille, Motorlux, RADwood, Broad Arrow Group and more. For more information on Hagerty please visit www.hagerty.com, or connect with us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. More information can be found at newsroom.hagerty.com. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements reflect our current intentions, expectations, or beliefs regarding the business. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and may be outside of our control. Some of the factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by our forward-looking statements include: (i) our ability to recognize the anticipated benefits of the subject of this press release; (ii) our ability to compete effectively within our industry and attract and retain members; and (iii) the other risks and uncertainties listed in our Form 10-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") on March 24, 2022. This press release should be read in conjunction with the information included in our other press releases, reports, and other filings with the SEC. Understanding the information contained in those filings is important in order to fully understand our reported financial results and our business outlook for future periods. We do not undertake any obligation to publicly update or review any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments, or otherwise, except as required by law. SOURCE Hagerty Chief Commercial Officer and Chief Financial Officer join mental health care company as it accelerates growth NEW YORK, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Headway , a tech-enabled company that has built the easiest way for people to get quality in-network mental health care, announced it has appointed two industry veterans to the newly created roles of Chief Commercial Officer and Chief Financial Officer. Powering more than 2.5 million appointments annually, with an average speed to care of 5.9 days and more than 20,000 providers on the platform, Headway's addition of these seasoned leaders will position the company to continue to see massive growth at rapid speed. Olivia Davis joins Headway as CCO. Servaes Tholen joins Headway as CFO. "When I first met Olivia and Servaes, I was struck by their decades of industry experience but perhaps more importantly, their personal commitment to Headway's mission. As experts in their fields, these two executives could work anywhere and they chose Headway," said Andrew Adams, Founder and CEO, Headway. "We're incredibly fortunate to have them join our team and help build a new mental health care system everyone can access." As Chief Commercial Officer, Olivia Davis will grow the commercial side of Headway's business, overseeing payer business development, partnership strategy, customer success, and marketing. She is a seasoned healthcare leader bringing 20 years of experience working directly with both payers and health systems. Prior to joining Headway, Davis was Chief Growth Officer and General Manager at Get Well, the leading patient engagement provider for health systems. She also has served as Partner at the Advisory Board Company (acquired by Optum), where she led growth and customer success for the company's SAAS, research and consulting business units. Servaes Tholen joins Headway as Chief Financial Officer. In this role, Tholen will oversee financial strategy, growth, and execution as Headway continues to lead in the market. Tholen has held multiple CFO positions at high-growth, mission-led companies including Grove Collaborative, Thumbtack and Upwork. With more than 20 years of experience, he is well-versed in helping companies scale from early stage through maturation. "Headway is growing quickly and as it enters its next stage of the business, these two new roles will be critical to the success of the company," said Scott Kupor, Managing Partner and Headway Board Member, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z). "We are very excited to have them onboard and believe their backgrounds will add unique expertise to complement the existing Headway team." In addition to bringing on these seasoned leaders, in just the last four months the company has seen major market growth, including: Expanding into California , now serving people in 15 states plus the District of Columbia , now serving people in 15 states plus the Announcing a state-wide collaboration with Blue Cross NC , focused on expanding access to mental health care for underserved communities , focused on expanding access to mental health care for underserved communities Launching a regional collaboration with CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield across Maryland , the District of Columbia , and Northern Virginia across , the , and Expanding its footprint across New York with Empire Blue Cross with Piloting a partnership with Violet to support Headway providers with cultural competency training To learn more about Headway, the easiest way to get quality in-network mental health care by removing barriers faced by providers, health plans, and the members they serve, visit headway.co . About Headway Headway is the easiest way to get quality in-network mental health care. With the nation's largest mental health provider network operating on a single technology platform, our solution makes historically manual and inefficient processes seamless by removing barriers faced by providers, health plans, and the patients they serve. The company powers 2.5 million appointments annually, and patients can book care in just one-click, with patients attending their first appointment in an average of 5.9 days after booking. More than 20,000 credentialed mental health providers across race, gender, ethnicity and specialty deliver care through Headway, which currently operates in 15 states and the District of Columbia. Headway has received venture funding from top investors, including Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Accel, Thrive Capital, and GV (formerly Google Ventures). Schedule an in-network session today at headway.co . Media Contact: Erik Milster [email protected] SOURCE Headway BOSTON, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The core element of additive manufacturing has always been the 3D printer; the industry has been built on a foundation of different printer technologies, each with its own strengths and weaknesses, abilities and limitations, and most compatible applications. In fact, in IDTechEx's latest "3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing 2023-2033: Technology and Market Outlook" report, over thirty different 3D printing technologies were analyzed on technical parameters like build rate, resolution, price, etc., to establish their individual performance amongst other printing technologies. Importantly, the unique characteristics of each technology type help expand the 3D printing industry by making new applications accessible for additive manufacturing. 3D ecosystem. Source: IDTechEx However, with so much focus being put on 3D printers, it can be easy to lose sight of the many other important sectors that make 3D printing, especially industrial additive manufacturing, possible. It takes an entire ecosystem, including materials, software, post-processing, quality assurance, services, specialized training, and more, for 3D printing to be utilized in high-value industries and applications. It is the maturation of all aspects of AM that is driving its increased adoption by end-users. In this article, IDTechEx will introduce some important elements of the AM ecosystem and discuss developments in these fields to see how other parts of the 3D printing industry are changing. Materials Historically, 3D-printed parts have struggled to compete with conventionally manufactured parts (i.e. machined parts, injection-molded parts, etc.) in part because of their poorer mechanical and materials performance. Therefore, significant effort is being expended by 3D printing companies (including materials suppliers like BASF and Arkema) to address these shortcomings from a materials point-of-view. One of the most popular approaches to improve performance is reinforcements like carbon and glass fibers; a more advanced category of reinforcements is nanocarbon fillers like graphene and carbon nanotubes, which are beginning to be incorporated into commercial 3D printing materials. Another approach is making high-performance but difficult to process materials like high-temperature thermoplastics and foams more printable. Important to recognize is that different printing technologies require different improvements in materials to optimize overall performance. Further discussion on the developments in the 3D printing materials market can be found in IDTechEx's report "3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing 2023-2033: Technology and Market Outlook". Post-Processing Post-processing refers to the step(s) taken after 3D printing to finish manufacturing a single part. It is often the last or second-to-last step in the additive manufacturing process (where the final step may be quality assurance). Post-processing for AM includes a collection of techniques; some are specific to AM (i.e. support removal, depowdering), while others are used in other manufacturing processes (i.e. surface finishing, metal annealing treatments). Some post-processing techniques are required after printing, while others are optional but often done to improve certain aspects of the printed part (i.e. mechanical performance, appearance, etc.). As 3D printing is increasingly used for medium-to-high volume parts, post-processing is becoming increasingly essential to make printed parts suitable for end-use applications. To address this need, several specialized AM post-processing companies, like DyeMansion, AMT, and PostProcess Technologies, are producing post-processing equipment capable of handling higher volumes of parts. Such machines are made to handle high numbers of parts and to be as automated as possible in order to reduce the overall production time for 3D printed parts. The rapid growth of such companies in the past five years, plus their increasing partnerships with established printer manufacturers, makes post-processing an interesting AM-related sector to monitor over the coming decade. Software As a digital manufacturing technique, 3D printing incorporates software at every step of the production process. To help expand AM's reach with end-users, the most popular focus of 3D printing software development is to make AM adoption easier for end-users. For example, companies like Xerox are developing software tools to advise end-users on which parts are most suitable for a switch to 3D printing; such software attempts to streamline the adoption process by removing the need for any engineering consulting to identify the best places for AM in an organization. At the design stage, software start-ups like nTopology and ParaMatters are producing tools to make it easier to create complex geometries for 3D printing, whilst others like Ansys produce simulation software to test the 3D printed parts' performance even prior to manufacture. After printing, inspection, and quality assurance software compare 3D scans of the manufactured part to the original 3D model to identify deviations and defects, a critical step for parts used in highly regulated industries like aerospace and healthcare. Across the entire production process, workflow management software, like those offered by 3YOURMIND, AMFG, and AM-Flow, is needed to monitor the status of any given print project from ordering to final shipments; this becomes particularly essential when handling large volumes of prints, which many 3D printing companies aspire to do. In other words, streamlined and easy-to-learn software is needed at every step of the 3D printing production process to enable increased adoption of AM. This need is recognized across the industry, particularly by investors; around USD$125M had been invested into software 3D printing-related companies in 2021. Additionally, two of the top 10 biggest fundraising rounds across the AM industry in 2021 were software companies - nTopology ($65M in Series D) and Oqton ($40M in Series A, pre-acquisition by 3D Systems). IDTechEx expects this investment trend to continue into 2022, as 21% of private funding going into AM companies in H1 2022 went into 3D software companies (up from 2021). Services Decades of industry following the same business strategy have exposed the inherent difficulties in selling printers to end-users. The most important barrier to entry is that customers need to find the budget for expensive printers and consumables that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and hundreds of dollars per kilogram, respectively. Where purchasing a 3D printer is uneconomical or a hard sell for customers, service providers serve an important role in providing access to 3D printing without requiring end-users to have the technical know-how or pricey equipment and materials needed to operate AM printers. Of note here is the increasing number of service providers with their own proprietary printing technology. Rather than selling the printers using their proprietary technology like traditional 3D printer manufacturers, they have chosen a different business strategy where they keep their proprietary printing technology in-house to produce parts for customers. In this way, in-house production companies using their own proprietary technology like 3DEO, Holo, and Bond3D are like vertically integrated OEMs. Through this business model, such companies circumvent many of the classic barriers to adoption that comes with commercializing a new printing technology. The growth coming from service providers like those mentioned is contributing to the expansion of a very important portion of the 3D printing ecosystem, which reduces the barriers to entry for end-users exploring AM. Market Forecasts for Additive Manufacturing IDTechEx's new "3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing 2023-2033: Technology and Market Outlook" report carefully segments the market by eighty different forecast lines across seventeen different technology categories, four major material categories, and eight material subcategories. These hardware and material forecasts analyze future installations, hardware unit sales, hardware revenue, materials mass demand, and material revenue. Additionally, IDTechEx provides comprehensive technology benchmarking studies, examination and case studies of critical application areas, detailed discussion of auxiliary AM industry fields, and in-depth market and economic analysis. Finally, IDTechEx carefully dissects the positive and negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent supply chain disruptions on the 3D printing market. See the IDTechEx report for further information on this market including 125 interview-based profiles of market leaders and start-ups, technology comparison studies, business model analysis, and granular 10-year market forecasts. For more information on this report, including downloadable sample pages, please visit www.IDTechEx.com/3DP. For the full portfolio of 3D Printing research available from IDTechEx please visit www.IDTechEx.com/Research/3D. About IDTechEx IDTechEx guides your strategic business decisions through its Research, Subscription and Consultancy products, helping you profit from emerging technologies. For more information, contact [email protected] or visit www.IDTechEx.com. Images download: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/k0128yc3agoldjt/AACOHSUQ7bHbreQakrsW6_Bja?dl=0 Media Contact: Natalie Fifield Digital Marketing Manager [email protected] +44(0)1223 812300 Social Media Links: Twitter: www.twitter.com/IDTechEx LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/IDTechEx Facebook: www.facebook.com/IDTechExResearch Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1934528/3D_ecosystem.jpg Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/478371/IDTechEx_Logo.jpg SOURCE IDTechEX Telehealth Utilization in Nation as a Whole Remained Relatively Stable NEW YORK, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In the South and West, COVID-19 declined among the top five telehealth diagnoses in August 2022, according to FAIR Health's Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker. In those two US census regions, COVID-19 fell from second place in July to third place in August; in the other two regions, Midwest and Northeast, and nationally, it remained in second place. In all regions and nationally, COVID-19 fell by about one to two percent as a share of telehealth claim lines.1 The data represent the privately insured population, including Medicare Advantage and excluding Medicare Fee-for-Service and Medicaid. Related Documents View PDF FAIR Health Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker, August 2022 United States Telehealth utilization in the nation as a whole, as measured by telehealth's share of all medical claim lines, remained relatively stable in August 2022, as it had in July. Nationally, telehealth utilization increased 1.9 percent, from 5.3 percent of medical claim lines in July to 5.4 percent in August. In the Midwest and Northeast there was no change in telehealth utilization. In the South, telehealth utilization increased 4.7 percent and, in the West, it decreased 1.4 percent. Diagnoses In addition to the changes involving COVID-19 in the South and West, there were other changes to the top five telehealth diagnoses in those regions in August 2022. In the South, skin infections and issues fell off the list; encounter for examination entered the list (at fourth place) for the first time since April. In the West, endocrine and metabolic disorders fell off the list; acute respiratory diseases and infections entered the list (at fifth place) for the first time since June. Specialties In August 2022 in the West, psychologist and primary care nonphysician switched positions in the list of top five telehealth specialties, with psychologist ending in fourth place and primary care nonphysician in fifth place. Procedure Codes In August 2022, the rankings of the top five telehealth procedure codes did not change nationally or in any region when compared to the prior six months. The number one telehealth procedure code nationally and in every region remained CPT2 90837, one-hour psychotherapy. Costs For August 2022, the Telehealth Cost Corner spotlighted the cost of CPT 90847, 50-minute family psychotherapy with patient. Nationally, the median charge amount for this service when rendered via telehealth was $165.66, and the median allowed amount was $96.80.3 About the Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker Launched in May 2020 as a free service, the Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker uses FAIR Health data to track how telehealth is evolving from month to month. An interactive map of the four US census regions allows the user to view an infographic on telehealth in a specific month in the nation as a whole or in individual regions. Each infographic shows month-to-month changes in telehealth's percentage of medical claim lines, as well as that month's top five telehealth procedure codes, diagnoses and specialties. Additionally, in the Telehealth Cost Corner, a specific telehealth procedure code is featured, with its median charge amount and median allowed amount. FAIR Health President Robin Gelburd stated: "We welcome sharing these varying windows into telehealth utilization as it continues to evolve. This is one of the many ways we pursue our healthcare transparency mission." For the Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker, click here. Follow us on Twitter @FAIRHealth About FAIR Health FAIR Health is a national, independent nonprofit organization that qualifies as a public charity under section 501(c)(3) of the federal tax code. It is dedicated to bringing transparency to healthcare costs and health insurance information through data products, consumer resources and health systems research support. FAIR Health possesses the nation's largest collection of private healthcare claims data, which includes over 38 billion claim records and is growing at a rate of over 2 billion claim records a year. FAIR Health licenses its privately billed data and data productsincluding benchmark modules, data visualizations, custom analytics and market indicesto commercial insurers and self-insurers, employers, providers, hospitals and healthcare systems, government agencies, researchers and others. Certified by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as a national Qualified Entity, FAIR Health also receives data representing the experience of all individuals enrolled in traditional Medicare Parts A, B and D; FAIR Health includes among the private claims data in its database, data on Medicare Advantage enrollees. FAIR Health can produce insightful analytic reports and data products based on combined Medicare and commercial claims data for government, providers, payors and other authorized users. FAIR Health's systems for processing and storing protected health information have earned HITRUST CSF certification and achieved AICPA SOC 2 compliance by meeting the rigorous data security requirements of these standards. As a testament to the reliability and objectivity of FAIR Health data, the data have been incorporated in statutes and regulations around the country and designated as the official, neutral data source for a variety of state health programs, including workers' compensation and personal injury protection (PIP) programs. FAIR Health data serve as an official reference point in support of certain state balance billing laws that protect consumers against bills for surprise out-of-network and emergency services. FAIR Health also uses its database to power a free consumer website available in English and Spanish, which enables consumers to estimate and plan for their healthcare expenditures and offers a rich educational platform on health insurance. An English/Spanish mobile app offers the same educational platform in a concise format and links to the cost estimation tools. The website has been honored by the White House Summit on Smart Disclosure, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), URAC, the eHealthcare Leadership Awards, appPicker, Employee Benefit News and Kiplinger's Personal Finance. FAIR Health also is named a top resource for patients in Dr. Marty Makary's book The Price We Pay: What Broke American Health Careand How to Fix It and Dr. Elisabeth Rosenthal's book An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back. For more information on FAIR Health, visit fairhealth.org. Contact: Rachel Kent Senior Director of Marketing FAIR Health 646-396-0795 [email protected] 1 A claim line is an individual service or procedure listed on an insurance claim. 2 CPT 2021 American Medical Association (AMA). All rights reserved. 3 A charge amount is the provider's undiscounted fee, which a patient may have to pay when the patient is uninsured, or when the patient chooses to go to a provider who does not belong to the patient's plan's network. An allowed amount is the total fee paid to the provider under an insurance plan. It includes the amount that the health plan pays and the part the patient pays under the plan's in-network cost-sharing provisions (e.g., copay or coinsurance if the patient has met the deductible). SOURCE FAIR Health Facility will play an essential role in strengthening the power grid ABILENE, Texas, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Lancium Inc., an energy technology and infrastructure company that advances the decarbonization and stability of the electric power grid, announced it has broken ground on its flagship Clean Campus in Abilene, Texas. Lancium's Abilene Campus is over 1,000 acres and will be home to a variety of industries that are powered by low-cost renewable energy. "What's so exciting is that unlike other large-scale power users, the applications that will be located on our Campuses can operate flexibly. This means instead of just being a large power consumer, working with ERCOT we can return power to the grid when it's needed most," said Michael McNamara, co-founder and chief executive officer of Lancium. "Our customers benefit from green, low-cost power while strengthening the power grid at the same time. This is a win-win. And we will continue to partner with the Abilene community as we develop our site." The Abilene facility will be built out in phases over the next several years. Lancium is currently working to develop the full site as additional partners come on board, with the initial interest from bitcoin miners and high performance computing services. "Lancium's development is a tremendous opportunity to ensure the viability of the community through the diversification of our economy," said Misty Mayo, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Development Corporation of Abilene (DCOA). "This opportunity to bring well-paying quality technology jobs to our community is one of the many ways we are continuing to build a better future for the families of Abilene." Lancium Clean Campuses are located in regions where renewable generation is plentiful. Lancium broke ground on its first Clean Campus in Fort Stockton, Texas in September 2021. A few weeks ago, using Lancium Smart Response technology, the Fort Stockton facility qualified as a Controllable Load Resource in ERCOT because of its unique ability to adjust power consumption, or load, up or down within seconds as directed by ERCOT. CLRs must also be able to react independently to conditions on the power grid, such as the unexpected loss of generation capacity. Once operational, the Abilene Clean Campus will also operate as a controllable load resource. "The location of our Clean Campus facilities, paired with our groundbreaking Lancium Smart Response technology provides an attractive location for large power users," continued McNamara. "We have received interested from a number of potential customers in locating at our Clean Campus sites, and we look forward to incorporating these other applications into our site plans as we build out the campus." Lancium contact: [email protected] SOURCE Lancium BOSTON, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Liberty Mutual Holding Company Inc. and its subsidiaries (collectively "LMHC" or the "Company") reported net loss attributable to LMHC of $353 million and net loss attributable to LMHC of $198 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022, versus net income attributable to LMHC of $721 million and $2.346 billion for the same periods in 2021. "Elevated catastrophe losses and continued investment market volatility drove a net loss attributable to LMHC of $353 million in the quarter," said David H. Long, Liberty Mutual Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "Pre-tax net catastrophe losses in the quarter were $1.4 billion including $835 million from Hurricane Ian. The devastation left behind is very real reminder of our purpose and we are focused on supporting our impacted policyholders. Our limited partnership portfolio produced a pre-tax net loss of $272 million reflecting broader equity market declines through June, as these results are reported on a one quarter lag. These headwinds were partially offset by $319 million of prior accident year catastrophe and non-catastrophe reserve releases. "Rising reinvestment yields are encouraging and will be a significant tailwind for investment income over time. Despite this improving outlook for investment income, we remain focused on underwriting profitability. Rate execution in U.S. personal lines continued in the quarter with strong pricing increases in personal auto and property. The quarterly underlying loss ratio in Global Retail Markets improved sequentially from the second quarter and we expect further improvement in future quarters as these price increases continue to earn in. In our commercial businesses, we remain cautious of the uncertainty surrounding loss trends, and continue to push for price increases across our product lines." The tables below outline highlights of LMHC's consolidated financial results for the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2022. Net Written Premium ("NWP") by Business: Consolidated NWP by business was as follows: Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, $ in Millions 2022 2021 Change 2022 2021 Change Global Retail Markets $9,050 $7,757 16.7 % $25,605 $22,082 16.0 % Global Risk Solutions 4,002 3,834 4.4 11,670 10,771 8.3 Corporate and Other (437) (186) 134.9 (572) (202) 183.2 Total NWP $12,615 $11,405 10.6 % $36,703 $32,651 12.4 % Foreign exchange effect on growth (1.5) (1.1) NWP growth excluding foreign exchange1 12.1 % 13.5 % 1 Determined by assuming constant foreign exchange rates between periods. Consolidated Results of Operations: Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, $ in Millions 2022 2021 Change 2022 2021 Change Revenues $12,740 $12,370 3.0 % $36,829 $35,979 2.4 % Underlying PTOI before limited partnerships income $928 $827 12.2 % $2,541 $2,996 (15.2 %) Catastrophes (1,406) (1,216) 15.6 (3,168) (2,915) 8.7 Net incurred losses attributable to prior years: - Asbestos and environmental1 - - - - - - - All other2 319 178 79.2 461 231 99.6 Current accident year re-estimation3 (143) - NM - - - Pre-tax operating (loss) income before limited partnerships income (302) (212) 42.5 (166) 312 NM Limited partnerships (loss) income4 (272) 1,000 NM 562 2,792 (79.9) Pre-tax operating (loss) income (574) 788 NM 396 3,104 (87.2) Net realized gains (losses) 53 20 165.0 (762) 83 NM Unit linked life insurance 17 (7) NM 137 (95) NM Acquisition & integration costs (23) (4) NM (80) (13) NM Restructuring costs (5) (36) (86.1) (5) (147) (96.6) Pre-tax (loss) income (532) 761 NM (314) 2,932 NM Income tax (benefit) expense (179) 39 NM (117) 584 NM Consolidated net (loss) income (353) 722 NM (197) 2,348 NM Less: Net income attributable to non-controlling interest - 1 NM 1 2 (50.0) Net (loss) income attributable to LMHC (353) 721 NM (198) 2,346 NM Net (loss) income attributable to LMHC excluding unrealized impact5 (583) 701 NM 4 2,146 (99.8) Cash flow provided by continuing operations $2,223 $1,814 22.5 % $4,012 $4,681 (14.3 %) 1 Asbestos and environmental is gross of the related adverse development reinsurance (the "NICO Reinsurance Transaction", which is described further in Reinsurance). 2 Net of earned premium and reinstatement premium attributable to prior years of $107 million and $152 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022, and $101 million and $153 million for the same periods in 2021. 3 Re-estimation of the current accident year loss reserves for the six months ended June 30, 2022. 4 Limited partnerships income includes LP, LLC and other equity method income within net investment income in the accompanying Consolidated Statement of Operations and revenue and expenses from direct investments in natural resources. 5 Excludes unrealized gains on equity securities, unit linked life insurance, and the corresponding tax impact. NM = Not Meaningful Combined Ratio: Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, CONSOLIDATED 2022 2021 Change (Points) 2022 2021 Change (Points) Combined ratio Claims and claim adjustment expense ratio 67.6 % 65.1 % 2.5 67.1 % 63.4 % 3.7 Underwriting expense ratio 27.6 29.5 (1.9) 28.3 29.3 (1.0) Underlying combined ratio 95.2 94.6 0.6 95.4 92.7 2.7 Catastrophes 11.7 11.5 0.2 9.2 9.5 (0.3) Net incurred losses attributable to prior years: - Asbestos and environmental - - - - - - - All other1 (2.7) (1.7) (1.0) (1.4) (0.9) (0.5) Current accident year re-estimation2 1.2 - 1.2 - - - Total combined ratio3 105.4 % 104.4 % 1.0 103.2 % 101.3 % 1.9 1 Net of earned premium and reinstatement premium attributable to prior years. 2 Re-estimation of the current accident year loss reserves for the six months ended June 30, 2022. 3 The combined ratio, expressed as a percentage, is a measure of underwriting profitability. This measure should only be used in conjunction with, and not in lieu of, underwriting income and may not be comparable to other performance measures used by the Company's competitors. The combined ratio is computed as the sum of the following property and casualty ratios: the ratio of claims and claim adjustment expense less managed care income to earned premium; the ratio of insurance operating costs plus amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs less third-party administration income and fee income (primarily related to the Company's involuntary market servicing carrier operations) and installment charges to earned premium; and the ratio of policyholder dividends to earned premium. Provisions for uncollectible premium and reinsurance are not included in the combined ratio unless related to an asbestos and environmental commutation and certain other run off. Restructuring and acquisition and integration costs are not included in the combined ratio. Equity: As of September 30, As of December 31, $ in Millions 2022 2021 Change Unassigned equity $29,210 $28,776 1.5 % Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income (8,454) (960) NM Non-controlling interest 200 32 NM Total equity $20,956 $27,848 (24.7 %) NM = Not Meaningful Subsequent Events Management has assessed material subsequent events through November 2, 2022, the date the financial statements were available to be issued. Financial Information The Company's financial results, management's discussion and analysis of operating results and financial condition, accompanying financial statements and other supplemental financial information for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022 are available on the Company's Investor Relations website at www.libertymutualgroup.com/investors. About Liberty Mutual Insurance At Liberty Mutual, we believe progress happens when people feel secure. By providing protection for the unexpected and delivering it with care, we help people embrace today and confidently pursue tomorrow. In business since 1912, and headquartered in Boston, today we are the sixth largest global property and casualty insurer based on 2021 gross written premium. We also rank 78th on the Fortune 100 list of largest corporations in the U.S. based on 2021 revenue. As of December 31, 2021, we had $48.2 billion in annual consolidated revenue. We employ over 45,000 people in 29 countries and economies around the world. We offer a wide range of insurance products and services, including personal automobile, homeowners, specialty lines, reinsurance, commercial multiple-peril, workers compensation, commercial automobile, general liability, surety, and commercial property. For more information, visit www.libertymutualinsurance.com. Risks and Uncertainties The extent to which the coronavirus impacts our future results will depend on developments which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including litigation developments, legislative or regulatory actions and intervention, the length and severity of the coronavirus (including of second waves), the level of acceptance of the vaccines, and the actions of government actors to contain the coronavirus or treat its impact, among others. Possible effects on our business and operations include: disruptions to business operations resulting from working from home or from closures of our corporate or sales offices and the offices of our agents and brokers and quarantines of employees, customers, agents, brokers and suppliers in areas affected by the outbreak; disruptions to business operations resulting from travel restrictions and reduced consumer spending on new homes or new automobiles which could reduce demand for insurance; disruptions to business operations resulting from our customers having lower payrolls and revenues which could have an impact on insurance revenue; increased claims related to trade credit, general liability, workers compensation, and event cancellation coverage, among others; executive or legislative mandates or court decisions expanding property insurance policy coverage to cover business interruptions resulting from COVID-19 notwithstanding any exclusions set forth in such policies or conditions precedent generally required for liability under such policies; and disruption of the financial markets resulting in reductions in the value of our investment portfolio. A significant rise in the number of COVID-19 infections, infections in a wide range of countries and regions, or a prolongation of the outbreak, could create an adverse economic effect on the Company. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Statements This report contains forward looking statements that are intended to enhance the reader's ability to assess the future financial and business performance of the Company. Forward looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements that represent the Company's beliefs concerning future operations, strategies, financial results, investment market fluctuations, or other developments, and contain words and phrases such as "may," "expects," "should," "believes," "anticipates," "estimates," "intends" or similar expressions. Because these forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions that are subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control or are subject to change, actual results could be materially different. Contact: Investor Relations Media Relations Nik Vasilakos Rich Angevine 857-224-6655 617-833-0926 SOURCE Liberty Mutual Insurance The perfect gift for anglers of all ages, the Mystery Tackle Box Fishmas Advent Calendar delivers 12 days of fishing joy for a second year in a row! CHICAGO, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Catch Co., a fishing brand, content, and commerce platform, as well as the creator of the popular Mystery Tackle Box monthly subscription box, today announced the release of the 2nd annual 12 Days of Fishmas Advent Calendar , available exclusively at Walmart starting now through the holiday season. 12 Days of Fishmas Advent Calendar is a Walmart Exclusive for the 2022 holiday season by Mystery Tackle Box. The Mystery Tackle Box 12 Days of Fishmas Advent Calendar is the ideal gift for anglers who enjoy the excitement of trying new products. Featuring 12 days of hand-selected fishing products, fishing decals and a $1,000 sweepstakes, this fishing gift is perfect for all ages. The calendar, which is available now for purchase, is sold exclusively at Walmart stores nationwide and on walmart.com and retails for $24.97. "Following up on the massive success of our 2021 Advent Calendar we wanted to keep the best parts of this box while also adding some fresh new elements," said Ross Gordon, founder and CEO of Catch Co. "The 2022 version of 12 Days of Fishmas Advent Calendar is packed with value in terms of mystery lures, as well as fishing decals and a chance to win $1,000 in prizes. This is the ultimate way for anglers to countdown to Christmas!" The Mystery Tackle Box 12 Days of Fishmas Advent Calendar includes everything on an angler's wish list, such as lures, terminal tackle, and more. Just like Catch Co.'s Mystery Tackle Box subscription service, the products included complement the needs of any angler, from novice to expert. The Mystery Tackle Box 12 Days of Fishmas Advent Calendar is available at walmart.com and all Walmart locations, while supplies last. To learn more about Mystery Tackle Box, view its content and explore species specific subscriptions and gifts to help anglers catch more fish, visit mysterytacklebox.com. Follow along with other anglers on the brand's @MysteryTackleBox social channels on all platforms. About Catch Co. Founded in 2012 by fishing enthusiast Ross Gordon, Catch Co. is on a mission to 'rescue humanity from the indoors' with the best products, content, and shopping experiences in all of fishing. Catch Co. is best known for its innovative commerce brands Mystery Tackle Box, the original monthly subscription box of lures and tackle, and Karl's Bait & Tackle, a membership-based ecommerce platform. For more information and inspiration to get outside, visit mysterytacklebox.com or shopkarls.com . Media Contact: Eli Rosenberg 312-451-7366 [email protected] SOURCE Mystery Tackle Box, Inc. Highlights positive impact of the natural diamond industry on education, conservation, and local business DUBAI, UAE, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Natural Diamond Council's newly appointed Global Ambassador actress Lily James visited the country of Botswana to experience first-hand the positive impacts of the natural diamond industry, and incredible process of recovering the rare, billion-year-old precious gems. Natural Diamond Council's Global brand ambassador Lily James Her trip began with four days on Safari at The Selinda Reserve, a picturesque wildlife sanctuary home to thousands of elephants and the famous Selinda lion pride. From there, she visited the Orapa Game Parkpart of the De Beers Diamond Routewhich illustrated firsthand the impact of the natural diamond industry's conservation efforts. Ms. James also met with students and teachers at the Livingstone House Primary School, one of four schools in the community that are run by Debswanaa diamond mining company owned by De Beers and the government of Botswana. This was followed by the opportunity to see natural diamonds at their point of origin with a visit to Lucara Diamond Corp's Karowe Diamond Mine, as well as the De Beers Global Sightholder Sales facility in Gaborone, the capital of Botswana. Her last stop was the KGK Diamonds cutting and polishing facility in Gaborone, where she met with some of their remarkable employeesa majority of which are native citizens whose livelihoods are supported by the natural diamond industry. "I've been awestruck by the natural beauty and the vibrant communities I've seen in Botswana," says Lily James. "To know so much of this landover 1,000 square miles globally is protected by the natural diamond industry makes me incredibly proud to be the NDC's Global Ambassador." "It's been incredible to experience Botswana for the first time with our Ambassador, Lily James. I'd heard so much about the positive impact of the natural diamond industry in this country, but nothing can prepare you for the real experience," says David Kellie, CEO of Natural Diamond Council. "The natural diamond industry is an example to others as to how collaborations between governments and business can transform the lives of so many people and the communities in which they live." Located in the middle of the Kalahari desert and believed to be the birthplace of humans 200,000-300,000 years ago, Botswana is a country with a population of 2.35 million people that has been inhabited and remained an important place in the world. Natural diamonds were discovered there in 1967. Natural diamonds support the livelihood of more than 10 million people worldwide and nowhere is the positive impact felt more than in Botswana, contributing 33% of Botswana's GDP in 2021. Botswana also has the highest percentage of women-owned businesses in the world. The diamond industry's partnership with the government of Botswana sustains a school system educating on average 552,000 children a year. In 1966, there were just three secondary schools. Today there are 300 and every Botswanan child receives free primary and secondary education. Additional benefits of the natural diamond industry include providing healthcare for more than 4 million people globally and funding critical infrastructure development including schools, hospitals, and roads. Further information regarding the natural diamond industry's contributions to economies and communities can be found at the Natural Diamond Council's Thank You, By The Way campaign, which has recently gained support from industry retailers such as Jared and Ben Bridge Jewelers. The photography and videography were captured by Molly SJ Lowe and Pierre-Alain and Paul-Alexandre Forsans of Carbone Production respectively with the help of digitech Roberto Ranalli of Officina Otto. Rebecca Corbin-Murray provided fashion styling for Ms. James, while Halley Brisker and Valeria Ferreira provided hair and makeup styling respectively. About The Natural Diamond Council: The Natural Diamond Council (NDC) inspires and informs consumers about the incredible world of natural diamonds through its Only Natural Diamonds platform. The platform is the authoritative publisher on all things natural diamonds including celebrities and pop culture, epic diamonds and jewelry trends, engagements and weddings, and diamond buying guides. The NDC supports the integrity of the natural diamond industry by providing transparency and insight on the progress of this sector and its commitments to further betterment. NDC is a global organization whose members' operations span four continents and ten countries including Canada, South Africa, and Botswana. Their operations support the livelihood of 10 million industry employees and their families around the world. The NDC operates in the US, China, India, UAE, and Europe. @onlynaturaldiamonds | 'To Treasure, Now & Forever' Campaign Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1935114/Natural_Diamond_Council.jpg Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1935113/Natural_Diamond_Council_Logo.jpg SOURCE Natural Diamond Council VANCOUVER, BC, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - NexGen Energy Ltd. ("NexGen" or the "Company") (TSX: NXE) (NYSE: NXE) (ASX: NXG) is pleased to announce the release of its 2021 Sustainability Report ("the Report"), available online on the Company's website www.nexgenenergy.ca in the "Responsible Development" section. The Report highlights specific programs, initiatives, and organizational frameworks that NexGen has created or expanded upon to deliver as much positivity as possible for as many people as possible. Leigh Curyer, Chief Executive Officer commented: "The principles of NexGen's approach to sustainability aren't dependent on the stage of our development it's a focus that's embedded into our daily business decision making across the organization. The Report demonstrates seamless integration of sustainability across all areas of people and project development, execution and operations, and long-term strategic planning. It reflects NexGen's 'elite standards' approach to everything we do and is a great insight into the philosophy of how we've conducted our business since inception." Highlights in the Report: Benefit Agreements: NexGen signed Benefit Agreements with the Buffalo River Dene Nation and Birch Narrows Dene Nation covering all phases of the Rook I Project including closure, and formalizing NexGen's commitment to work in partnership with all local communities, with the mutual objective to responsibly develop the Rook I Project. In early 2022 NexGen and the Clearwater River Dene Nation signed a third Benefit Agreement. Integrated Business and ESG Framework: NexGen introduced a structured Integrated Business and ESG Framework to formally combine sustainability and ESG with the Company's practices and decisions. Greenhouse Gas ("GHG") Emissions Inventory: In order to help understand the Company's impacts, NexGen carried out a GHG Emissions Inventory for the period 2013 (since Company going public)-2021, using the operational control approach with geographic boundaries set to include the Company's Saskatoon and Vancouver offices and the Rook I property. Integrated Management System ("IMS"): NexGen implemented an IMS for all employees and contractors with robust occupational health and safety processes and established a joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee ("OHC") for the Rook I site during field activities. This is NexGen's second Sustainability Report and covers the period January 1 to December 31, 2021 and is prepared with reference to the Global Reporting Initiative ("GRI") Standards. The Company will continue reporting on an annual basis. About NexGen NexGen is a British Columbia corporation focused on the development of the Rook I Project located in the southwestern Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan, Canada, into production. The Rook I Project is supported by a NI 43-101 compliant Feasibility Study which outlines elite environmental performance as well as industry leading economics. Rook I hosts the Arrow Deposit that hosts Measured Mineral Resources of 209.6 M lbs of U 3 O 8 contained in 2.18 M tonnes grading 4.35% U 3 O 8 , Indicated Mineral Resources of 47.1 M lbs of U 3 O 8 contained in 1.57 M tonnes grading 1.36% U 3 O 8 , and Inferred Mineral Resources of 80.7 M lbs of U 3 O 8 contained in 4.40 M tonnes grading 0.83% U 3 O 8 . NexGen has a highly experienced team of uranium industry professionals with a successful track record in the discovery of uranium deposits and in developing projects through discovery to production. The Company is the recipient of the 2018 PDAC Bill Dennis Award for Canadian mineral discovery and the 2019 PDAC Environmental and Social Responsibility Award. Technical Disclosure All technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Kevin Small, P.Eng., NexGen's Senior Vice President, Engineering and Operations, a qualified person under National Instrument 43-101. A technical report in respect of the FS is filed on SEDAR ( www.sedar.com ) and EDGAR (www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml ) and is available for review on NexGen Energy's website (www.nexgenenergy.ca ). Cautionary Note to U.S. Investors This news release includes Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resources classification terms that comply with reporting standards in Canada and the Mineral Reserves and the Mineral Resources estimates are made in accordance with NI 43-101. NI 43-101 is a rule developed by the Canadian Securities Administrators that establishes standards for all public disclosure an issuer makes of scientific and technical information concerning mineral projects. These standards differ from the requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") set by the SEC's rules that are applicable to domestic United States reporting companies. Consequently, Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resources information included in this news release is not comparable to similar information that would generally be disclosed by domestic U.S. reporting companies subject to the reporting and disclosure requirements of the SEC Accordingly, information concerning mineral deposits set forth herein may not be comparable with information made public by companies that report in accordance with U.S. standards. Forward-Looking Information The information contained herein contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable United States securities laws and regulations and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. "Forward-looking information" includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates, the 2021 Arrow Deposit, Rook I Project and estimates of uranium production, grade and long-term average uranium prices, anticipated effects of completed drill results on the Rook I Project, planned work programs, completion of further site investigations and engineering work to support basic engineering of the project and expected outcomes. Generally, but not always, forward-looking information and statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes" or the negative connotation thereof or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved" or the negative connotation thereof. Statements relating to "mineral resources" are deemed to be forward-looking information, as they involve the implied assessment that, based on certain estimates and assumptions, the mineral resources described can be profitably produced in the future. Forward-looking information and statements are based on the then current expectations, beliefs, assumptions, estimates and forecasts about NexGen's business and the industry and markets in which it operates. Forward-looking information and statements are made based upon numerous assumptions, including among others, that the mineral reserve and resources estimates and the key assumptions and parameters on which such estimates are based are as set out in this news release and the technical report for the property, the results of planned exploration activities are as anticipated, the price and market supply of uranium, the cost of planned exploration activities, that financing will be available if and when needed and on reasonable terms, that third party contractors, equipment, supplies and governmental and other approvals required to conduct NexGen's planned exploration activities will be available on reasonable terms and in a timely manner and that general business and economic conditions will not change in a material adverse manner. Although the assumptions made by the Company in providing forward looking information or making forward looking statements are considered reasonable by management at the time, there can be no assurance that such assumptions will prove to be accurate in the future. Forward-looking information and statements also involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, performances and achievements of NexGen to differ materially from any projections of results, performances and achievements of NexGen expressed or implied by such forward-looking information or statements, including, among others, the existence of negative operating cash flow and dependence on third party financing, uncertainty of the availability of additional financing, the risk that pending assay results will not confirm previously announced preliminary results, conclusions of economic valuations, the risk that actual results of exploration activities will be different than anticipated, the cost of labour, equipment or materials will increase more than expected, that the future price of uranium will decline or otherwise not rise to an economic level, the appeal of alternate sources of energy to uranium-produced energy, that the Canadian dollar will strengthen against the U.S. dollar, that mineral resources and reserves are not as estimated, that actual costs or actual results of reclamation activities are greater than expected, that changes in project parameters and plans continue to be refined and may result in increased costs, of unexpected variations in mineral resources and reserves, grade or recovery rates or other risks generally associated with mining, unanticipated delays in obtaining governmental, regulatory or First Nations approvals, risks related to First Nations title and consultation, reliance upon key management and other personnel, deficiencies in the Company's title to its properties, uninsurable risks, failure to manage conflicts of interest, failure to obtain or maintain required permits and licences, risks related to changes in laws, regulations, policy and public perception, as well as those factors or other risks as more fully described in NexGen's Annual Information Form dated February 25, 2022 filed with the securities commissions of all of the provinces of Canada except Quebec and in NexGen's 40-F filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and Edgar at www.sec.gov . Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking information or statements or implied by forward-looking information or statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information or statements due to the inherent uncertainty thereof. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or reissue forward-looking information as a result of new information or events except as required by applicable securities laws. SOURCE NexGen Energy Ltd. WASHINGTON, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Industrial Hemp Council of America (NIHC) President and CEO Patrick Atagi sent a letter today to U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Robert Califf urging approval of hemp seed as an animal feed ingredient. The letter comes after a widely attended webinar hosted by the NIHC and the American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). The meeting brought together officials from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), FDA, industry stakeholders, and policymakers from across the country. The August webinar highlighted the science around animal feed and was attended by over 1,000 state regulators, veterinary professionals, and hemp industry advocates. This would be good news...for consumers who now struggle with the higher costs of milk, meat, and eggs." Tweet this Atagi points out the numerous clinical trials on hemp seed ingredients in animal feed by Land Grant Universities and others that have been submitted to the FDA that all show the same outcome, that there is no transference of cannabinoids into the nation's food supply chain from animals raised on hemp seed meal. Those results have been consistent across the various species of animals, including laying hens, hogs, and dairy cattle. Atagi also pointed out that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) said earlier this year that hemp seeds are not considered a controlled substance. "Hemp is an environmentally responsible and domestically grown alternative," said Atagi. "Considering the higher costs associated with the worldwide grain shortage, a sustainable American hemp crop is a nutritious source of animal feed and can lower the cost of farming feed inputs. This would be good news for not just farmers but for consumers who now struggle with the higher costs of milk, meat, and eggs." You can view a copy of NIHC's letter to the FDA here. About NIHC The National Industrial Hemp Council of America provides high-quality networking and resources for its members, from farm to consumer. Its leadership is composed of leading international, federal, state, private industry, and government professionals throughout the sector. The organization is dedicated to furthering market development, assisting members in entering the industry, and educating consumers on industrial hemp and its applications. For more information, please go to www.nihcoa.com . SOURCE National Industrial Hemp Council NEW YORK, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Outdoor Payment Terminal Market Research Report by Type, Deployment Modes, End User, Application, Region - Global Forecast to 2027 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19 Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06340382/?utm_source=PRN The Global Outdoor Payment Terminal Market size was estimated at USD 1,792.11 million in 2021 and expected to reach USD 1,970.61 million in 2022, and is projected to grow at a CAGR 10.21% to reach USD 3,212.25 million by 2027. Market Statistics: The report provides market sizing and forecast across 7 major currencies - USD, EUR, JPY, GBP, AUD, CAD, and CHF. It helps organization leaders make better decisions when currency exchange data is readily available. In this report, the years 2018 and 2020 are considered as historical years, 2021 as the base year, 2022 as the estimated year, and years from 2023 to 2027 are considered as the forecast period. Market Segmentation & Coverage: This research report categorizes the Outdoor Payment Terminal to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets: Based on Type, the market was studied across Contact Payment Terminal and Contactless Payment Terminal. Based on Deployment Modes, the market was studied across Cloud and On-premises. Based on End User, the market was studied across BFSI, E-commerce, Energy, Government, IT & Telecommunications, Retail, and Utilities. Based on Application, the market was studied across Carwash, Malls, and Refuel. Based on Region, the market was studied across Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The Americas is further studied across Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and United States. The United States is further studied across California, Florida, Illinois, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas. The Asia-Pacific is further studied across Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. The Europe, Middle East & Africa is further studied across Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and United Kingdom. Cumulative Impact of COVID-19: COVID-19 is an incomparable global public health emergency that has affected almost every industry, and the long-term effects are projected to impact the industry growth during the forecast period. Our ongoing research amplifies our research framework to ensure the inclusion of underlying COVID-19 issues and potential paths forward. The report delivers insights on COVID-19 considering the changes in consumer behavior and demand, purchasing patterns, re-routing of the supply chain, dynamics of current market forces, and the significant interventions of governments. The updated study provides insights, analysis, estimations, and forecasts, considering the COVID-19 impact on the market. Cumulative Impact of 2022 Russia Ukraine Conflict: We continuously monitor and update reports on political and economic uncertainty due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Negative impacts are significantly foreseen globally, especially across Eastern Europe, European Union, Eastern & Central Asia, and the United States. This contention has severely affected lives and livelihoods and represents far-reaching disruptions in trade dynamics. The potential effects of ongoing war and uncertainty in Eastern Europe are expected to have an adverse impact on the world economy, with especially long-term harsh effects on Russia.This report uncovers the impact of demand & supply, pricing variants, strategic uptake of vendors, and recommendations for Outdoor Payment Terminal market considering the current update on the conflict and its global response. Competitive Strategic Window: The Competitive Strategic Window analyses the competitive landscape in terms of markets, applications, and geographies to help the vendor define an alignment or fit between their capabilities and opportunities for future growth prospects. It describes the optimal or favorable fit for the vendors to adopt successive merger and acquisition strategies, geography expansion, research & development, and new product introduction strategies to execute further business expansion and growth during a forecast period. FPNV Positioning Matrix: The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Outdoor Payment Terminal Market based on Business Strategy (Business Growth, Industry Coverage, Financial Viability, and Channel Support) and Product Satisfaction (Value for Money, Ease of Use, Product Features, and Customer Support) that aids businesses in better decision making and understanding the competitive landscape. Market Share Analysis: The Market Share Analysis offers the analysis of vendors considering their contribution to the overall market. It provides the idea of its revenue generation into the overall market compared to other vendors in the space. It provides insights into how vendors are performing in terms of revenue generation and customer base compared to others. Knowing market share offers an idea of the size and competitiveness of the vendors for the base year. It reveals the market characteristics in terms of accumulation, fragmentation, dominance, and amalgamation traits. Competitive Scenario: The Competitive Scenario provides an outlook analysis of the various business growth strategies adopted by the vendors. The news covered in this section deliver valuable thoughts at the different stage while keeping up-to-date with the business and engage stakeholders in the economic debate. The competitive scenario represents press releases or news of the companies categorized into Merger & Acquisition, Agreement, Collaboration, & Partnership, New Product Launch & Enhancement, Investment & Funding, and Award, Recognition, & Expansion. All the news collected help vendor to understand the gaps in the marketplace and competitoras strength and weakness thereby, providing insights to enhance product and service. Company Usability Profiles: The report profoundly explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Outdoor Payment Terminal Market, including ACI Worldwide, Inc., Apple Inc., Bank of America Corporation, Capgemini SE, Dover Corporation, Fidelity National Information Services, Inc., Finastra, Fiserv, Inc., Gilbarco Inc., Global Payments Inc., Invenco Group Ltd., Mastercard Inc., Montran Corporation, NCR Corporation, PayPal Holdings, Inc., S.W.I.F.T. SC, Scheidt & Bachmann GmbH, Temenos AG, Verifone, Inc., and Visa Inc.. The report provides insights on the following pointers: 1. Market Penetration: Provides comprehensive information on the market offered by the key players 2. Market Development: Provides in-depth information about lucrative emerging markets and analyze penetration across mature segments of the markets 3. Market Diversification: Provides detailed information about new product launches, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments 4. Competitive Assessment & Intelligence: Provides an exhaustive assessment of market shares, strategies, products, certification, regulatory approvals, patent landscape, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players 5. Product Development & Innovation: Provides intelligent insights on future technologies, R&D activities, and breakthrough product developments The report answers questions such as: 1. What is the market size and forecast of the Global Outdoor Payment Terminal Market? 2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Outdoor Payment Terminal Market during the forecast period? 3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Outdoor Payment Terminal Market? 4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Outdoor Payment Terminal Market? 5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Outdoor Payment Terminal Market? 6. What is the market share of the leading vendors in the Global Outdoor Payment Terminal Market? 7. What modes and strategic moves are considered suitable for entering the Global Outdoor Payment Terminal Market? Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06340382/?utm_source=PRN About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Contact Clare: [email protected] US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 SOURCE Reportlinker HAMPTON, N.H., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Planet Fitness, Inc. (NYSE: PLNT) (the "Company"), one of the largest and fastest-growing franchisors and operators of fitness centers with more members than any other fitness brand, announced that Jennifer Simmons, previously Senior Vice President of Business Strategy and Analytics, has been promoted to Division President, Corporate Clubs, and Paul Barber has been appointed Chief Information Officer, effective immediately. Ms. Simmons will continue to report to Chris Rondeau, Chief Executive Officer, and Mr. Barber will report to Tom Fitzgerald, Chief Financial Officer. Ms. Simmons joined Planet Fitness in 2013 and most recently served on the executive leadership team as Senior Vice President of Business Strategy and Analytics. In her new role, Ms. Simmons will be responsible for leading the Company's Corporate Club portfolio including driving overall performance, leading and developing the team, and identifying strategic growth and expansion opportunities of the brand's corporate store fleet, which consists of more than 200 locations across 14 states and Canada. Throughout her tenure with the brand, Ms. Simmons built the Business Strategy and Analytics functions from the ground up, leveraging data, analytics and insights to develop and drive Planet Fitness' overarching corporate strategy, propel the business forward, and reinforce the brand's industry leadership position. As a result, she has played an instrumental role in the major strategic decisions made by the Company over the past nine years. "I am excited to lead this important part of Planet Fitness' business and to expand my leadership role," said Ms. Simmons. "We believe our Corporate Portfolio of stores should demonstrate the success of our strategic vision for the brand, and I look forward to working alongside the team to drive performance with a data driven approach, leveraging insights that will benefit the entire franchise system." With over 20 years of leadership experience and a background in Finance, Ms. Simmons previously held business planning positions for well-known global consumer brands including Timberland and PepsiCo. Additionally, she worked in corporate development for Fisher Scientific International, as well as in management consulting. She holds a B.A. in Economics from Indiana University and an MBA in Finance from the University of New Hampshire. Mr. Barber will lead the Company's technology evolution and strategy, focused on delivering technology solutions that will continue to enhance the member experience while optimizing infrastructure, data, and operations for flexibility and scale. Most recently, Mr. Barber served as the Senior Vice President of Information Technology at natural and organic food distribution company United Natural Foods, Inc., which included leading its technology portfolio to support ordering, planning, and customer and supplier management. "I am thrilled to join the Planet Fitness team and partner cross-functionally, and with franchisees, to deliver best in class technology solutions that fuel business growth and enable unparalleled member experiences," said Mr. Barber. Previously, he was the Chief Technology Officer at Airline Report Corporation, where he modernized the technology needed to process billions of dollars in payments annually. While at Dunkin' Brands, he helped lead the technology team that rolled out mobile ordering across 9,000 locations. At Yum! Brands, he supported the team tasked with transforming and modernizing technology and data systems both domestically for KFC and internationally in Australia for Pizza Hut. Mr. Barber holds a B.S. in Management Information Systems from Northwood University. "Jen's promotion and Paul's appointment continue to strengthen our leadership team with two seasoned executives who, respectively, will help take our Corporate Clubs to the next level and grow our technology solutions," said Mr. Rondeau. "Jen's deep knowledge of our business and strong leadership ability have brought tremendous value to our organization over the years, and I am confident that she will continue to excel in this new leadership role. Paul has a proven track record of leveraging technology innovation to drive business growth and meet evolving consumer expectations across industries and with global franchise brands." About Planet Fitness Founded in 1992 in Dover, NH, Planet Fitness is one of the largest and fastest-growing franchisors and operators of fitness centers in the United States by number of members and locations. As of June 30, 2022, Planet Fitness had 16.5 million members and 2,324 stores in 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Canada, Panama, Mexico and Australia. The Company's mission is to enhance people's lives by providing a high-quality fitness experience in a welcoming, non-intimidating environment, which we call the Judgement Free Zone. More than 90% of Planet Fitness stores are owned and operated by independent business men and women. SOURCE Planet Fitness, Inc. Local team is part of Project Street Vet's national expansion plan with support from Fetch Pet Insurance ATLANTA, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Project Street Vet ("PSV"), a California-based nonprofit public charity that provides free veterinary care, treatment and support to the pets of individuals experiencing homelessness and housing vulnerability, today announced that it has established a chapter dedicated to serving Atlanta, Georgia. The expansion is part of PSV's partnership with Fetch by The Dodo ("Fetch"), a leading pet insurance provider, to bring the organization's 'no judgment, just help' model of mobile pet care to more communities throughout the country. Marking PSV's first expansion beyond Southern California, the Atlanta team will be led by Dr. Kristen Schmidt. Dr. Schmidt and her team are off to a fast start, currently treating 60 pets as of October 2022. PSV was founded in 2020 by Dr. Kwane Stewart, a licensed veterinarian who has worked with pets of the unhoused in the Southern California community for more than a decade. Through PSV, he provides services such as routine exams, vaccines and life-saving surgeries all at no cost. Fetch supports PSV through financial contributions and community-awareness campaigns, reaching potential veterinary volunteers and donors to further advance PSV's mission. To date, Fetch has donated more than $50,000 and launched a fundraising campaign on October 1, 2022 through the end of the year, matching donations dollar for dollar up to $101,000. "We are incredibly proud to support Project Street Vet's expansion," said Paul Guyardo, CEO and President of Fetch. "The launch of the Atlanta chapter demonstrates that Dr. Stewart's unique model of bringing vital health care to pets in need can be replicated nationwide." It is estimated that over 580,400 people are experiencing homelessness in America, and that 10%-25% are pet owners, putting the number of pet parents experiencing homelessness in the nation at anywhere from 58,000 to over 145,000 individuals. "I started Project Street Vet to address an urgent need and to provide judgment-free care to the pets in our communities that need it most. Our expansion to Atlanta is hopefully the first of many. I look forward to partnering with Dr. Schmidt and thank her for her time and dedication as she leads our efforts in the local community," said Dr. Stewart. Dr. Schmidt has a long history of volunteering with people experiencing homelessness. While attending the University of Florida's College of Veterinary Medicine, she volunteered at a weekly pet care clinic for clients who were unhoused, where she discovered her passion for helping pets and pet parents in need. "I am thrilled to join the Project Street Vet team and continue the great work started by Dr. Stewart and Fetch," said Dr. Schmidt. "Our pets are our family, and regardless of someone's circumstances, I strongly believe that everyone should have access to the pet care they need. I am proud to build a team and extend important veterinary care to those who need it most." To learn more about how to donate to or volunteer with PSV, please visit: https://www.fetchpet.com/psv About Project Street Vet Founded by Dr. Kwane Stewart, Project Street Vet is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit public charity that provides free veterinary care, treatment, and support to the pets of individuals experiencing homelessness and/or housing vulnerability. According to the State of Homelessness: 2021, it is estimated that over 580,400 people are experiencing homelessness in America, with an estimated 10% - 25% having a pet. Dr. Kwane is a graduate from the renowned Colorado State University Veterinary Program and is a California practicing veterinarian for over 22 years. Many years ago, during a five-year tenure as a shelter veterinarian in a struggling, depressed area of California, Dr. Kwane began to form a true understanding for those that struggle to afford health care for their pets. Over the past ten years, Kwane has quietly volunteered his time traveling city streets of California giving free veterinary services to the pets of individuals experiencing homelessness. Dr. Kwane estimates that he has cared for hundreds of pets doing his street vet work prior to 2020, when Project Street Vet was formed. Today, he continues to lead the Project Street Vet mission with his inspirational message of "no judgment, just help" and hopes the growing team can continue to find and care for these families. About Fetch by The Dodo Fetch by The Dodo provides the most comprehensive pet insurance in North America through one universal coverage plan. As the only pet insurance recommended by The Dodo, the most-viewed and most-engaged animal brand in the world, Fetch also offers pet parents actionable, data-driven health and wellness advice that can help them stay ahead of their pet's health and enjoy more good days together. Fetch insurance policies are administered by Fetch Insurance Services, LLC (d/b/a Fetch by The Dodo, Fetch by The Dodo, LLC in Michigan & New Mexico, and Fetch by The Dodo Insurance Services, LLC in California) and underwritten by XL Specialty Insurance Company, a Delaware Corporation, or AXIS Insurance Company, an Illinois Corporation, in the U.S. and AXIS Reinsurance Company (Canadian Branch) in Canada. Fetch is a Warburg Pincus portfolio company. Media contacts: Fetch by the Dodo Morgan McGinnis [email protected] SOURCE Fetch by The Dodo Highest ever quarterly Revenue & operating profit INR 19,080 Crores in revenues for Q2FY23 PAT growth of 26% YoY for Q2FY23 CHENNAI, India, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Redington Limited (NSE: REDINGTON), today announced its financial results for Q2FY23, which ended on September 30, 2022. The company has registered its highest ever quarterly revenue and operating profit. Global revenues grew by a healthy 25% YoY to Rs. 19,080 Crores and PAT of Rs. 387 Crores is a strong growth of 26%. Operating margin for the quarter has grown by 23% YoY. While the global PC industry declined 15% in shipments during the quarter, the company's PC business grew by +23%. Its revenues from Cloud grew by 67% in this quarter. Redington achieved record revenue and operating margin for the 2nd quarter of the year as continued investments in improving technology capabilities, building deeper partner relationships, making the breadth of offerings more comprehensive and in innovative business models begin to pay off. Besides being highest ever Q2, this is the highest ever half yearly growth since the company going public in 2007. Execution has been broad based with all operating regions India, Middle East & Africa, Turkey and South Asia contributing to growth. The company made a timely pivot towards a digital business model. Through the Redington Online, a fully-automated, geography-agnostic, self-service portal it provides a seamless digital pathway to discover, access and procure a wide range of technology products, solutions and services. Their Cloud portal enables effective partnering with hyper-scalers to deliver cloud products and services to partners and customers. "In Q2FY23 we continued our transformation journey to shift towards a customer-choice omni-channel business model. By leveraging our core strengths of technology, innovation, and partnerships, we accelerated the adoption of next generation tech by businesses and consumers. We also strengthened our capabilities to accelerate cloud adoption across different sectors. 5G is expected to further open up new opportunities across enterprises, MSMEs, Startups and Consumers and our focus will be to enable wider access of such technologies by bridging the gap between innovation and adoption," said Mr. Rajiv Srivastava, Managing Director, Redington Ltd. Redington strengthened its cloud capabilities by entering into a strategic partnership with Google Cloud India to drive adoption of Google Workspace and Google Cloud with SMBs, education and public sector, mid-market, and enterprise segments. In the previous Quarter, Redington had entered into a multi-year Strategic Collaboration Agreement (SCA) with Amazon Internet Services Private Limited (AISPL), to drive adoption of Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud across all geographies they operate in. Redington continues to work closely with its vast network of global technology vendors and channel partners to simplify the supply chain and accelerate adoption of most innovative technology for Enterprises, MSMEs, start-ups and consumers in all the markets where it operates. *The detailed Financial Report for Q2FY23 can be accessed here: LINK Safe Harbor Certain statements in this release are forward-looking statements. The business involves various risks, and uncertainties that could result in the actual results to differ materially from those indicated here. All forward looking statements made herein are based on information presently available to the management of the Company and the Company does not undertake to update any forward looking statement that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of the Company. About Redington Limited: Redington Limited is a leading IT Technology solutions provider for all categories of Information Technology, Mobility, Telecom, Cloud, Lifestyle and Solar products. It addresses Technology Friction the gap between innovation and adoption in various industry sectors through its footprints across 38 markets through 60 subsidiary offices. With over 290+ brands associations and close to 40,000 channel partners, it is transforming the distribution and supply chain ecosystem through synergy between innovation and technology adoption. For more details, please visit https://redingtongroup.com/india/ The company's growth is fueled by its transformation journey through a timely pivot in business model to align with the market demand for digital commerce by brands, partners and the end customers. Through the Redington Online, a fully-automated, geography-agnostic, self-service portal, it provides a seamless digital pathway to discover, access and procure a wide range of technology products, solutions and services. Further, it continues to evolve its cloud capabilities by partnering with hyper-scalers. As a major milestone, it inaugurated a new office in Chennai, 'The Redington Tower'- a first of its kind, fully owned commercial building designed to perpetuate the company's focus on corporate wellness, employee friendly workspace, and sustainable development inside the technology enriched office. Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1824727/Redington_Logo.jpg SOURCE Redington (India) Limited VANCOUVER, BC, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Scottie Resources Corp. ("Scottie" or the "Company") (TSXV: SCOT) (OTCQB: SCTSF) (FSE: SR8) is pleased to report that it has entered into an agreement to acquire all outstanding royalties on its 100% owned Scottie Gold Mine Project, which includes both the Blueberry Zone and the high-grade, past-producing Scottie Gold Mine. The Company has also completed additional staking of open ground adjacent to its Georgia Project. Figure 1: Overview claim map of the recent staking by Scottie Resources around the Georgia Project. (CNW Group/Scottie Resources Corp.) President and CEO, Brad Rourke: "Challenging market conditions in 2022 allowed Scottie Gold to negotiate with the existing royalty holders to buy back royalties on the claims within the Scottie Gold Mine Project at attractive valuations. Unencumbering the Blueberry Zone and Scottie Gold Mine increases the inherent valuation of the assets and provides optionality as we continue to advance this exciting project." Summit Lake Claims (Option and Royalty) Scottie has entered into a royalty purchase agreement pursuant to which Scottie will purchase 100% of a 1.8% gross smelter return royalty (the "Summit Lake Royalty") on the Summit Lake property, located in British Columbia. In consideration of the purchase of the Summit Lake Royalty, Scottie will issue 2,500,000 common shares to the vendor at a deemed price of $0.19 per share (the "Royalty Acquisition"). Scottie originally entered into an option agreement on the Summit Lake property in April 2019 (see news release dated April 30, 2019) and completed the 100% acquisition of the Summit Lake property from the vendor in October 2022. The Summit Lake property hosts the Domino Zone, located ~2 km due west of the Scottie Gold Mine, and the Domino Zone exhibits similar mineralization style, grade, and orientation to the past-producing mine. The Royalty Acquisition is subject to approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. Scottie Gold Mine (Royalty) Scottie recently entered into a royalty purchase agreement pursuant to which Scottie purchased 100% of the 3% net smelter return royalty (the "Scottie Royalty") attached to the Scottie Gold Mine in the Skeena Mining Division of British Columbia. The Scottie Royalty was in and to certain located and crown granted mineral claims comprising the Scottie Gold Mine and the Blueberry Zone. In consideration of the purchase of the Scottie Royalty, Scottie paid $1.6 million to the vendor. Georgia Project Staking Scottie recently completed staking around its Georgia Project, which hosts the high-grade past producing Georgia River Mine. Additional staking of 6,700 hectares expanded the claims to encompass additional known mineral occurrences, as well as connecting the existing claims into a single contiguous package. The new claims host lower to upper Hazelton volcanic and sedimentary units interpreted to be in the same geologic setting as Dolly Varden and Anyox VMS deposits. Both stratiform mineralization and high-grade gold veins have been discovered within the newly acquired claims. The high-grade gold Geogia Project now covers more than 16,000 hectares centered on the past-producing Georgia River Mine, located on tidewater 16 kilometres south of the town of Stewart, BC, in the prolific Golden Triangle. The Georgia River Mine, which last operated in 1939 with a head grade of 22.6 g/t gold, contains 1.2 kilometres of underground access on three levels. Thomas Mumford, Ph.D., P.Geo and VP Exploration of Scottie, a qualified person under National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed the technical information contained in this news release on behalf of the Company. ABOUT SCOTTIE RESOURCES CORP. Scottie owns a 100% interest in the Scottie Gold Mine Property which includes the Blueberry Zone and the high-grade, past-producing Scottie Gold Mine. Scottie also owns 100% interest in the Georgia Project which contains the high-grade past-producing Georgia River Mine, as well as the Cambria Project properties and the Sulu property. Altogether Scottie Resources holds more than 59,000 ha of mineral claims in the Stewart Mining Camp in the Golden Triangle. The Company's focus is on expanding the known mineralization around the past-producing mines while advancing near mine high-grade gold targets, with the purpose of delivering a potential resource. The Company's focus is on expanding the known mineralization around the past-producing mine while advancing near mine high-grade gold targets, with the purpose of delivering a potential resource. All of the Company's properties are located in the area known as the Golden Triangle of British Columbia which is among the world's most prolific mineralized districts. Forward Looking Statements This news release may contain forwardlooking 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 forwardlooking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in forward looking statements. Forwardlooking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date such statements were made. The Company expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forwardlooking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy of accuracy of this release. SOURCE Scottie Resources Corp. HAMILTON, Bermuda, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Seadrill Limited ("Seadrill" or "the Company") (NYSE: SDRL) (XOAS: SDRL) is pleased to announce a new extension has been secured by Sonadrill Holding Ltd ("Sonadrill"), Seadrill's 50:50 joint venture with an affiliate of Sonangol E.P. ("Sonangol"). Sonadrill has secured a 12-well extension in Angola for the Libongos drillship at $402,500 per day. Total contract value for the firm portion of the contract is approximately $327 million, inclusive of additional services. Commencement is expected in Q4 2022, with a firm-term of approximately 25 months, in direct continuation to the existing contract. There are currently three drillships bareboat chartered into Sonadrill, a Seadrill owned unit, the West Gemini and two Sonangol-owned units, the Quenguela and Libongos. Seadrill manage and operate the units on behalf of Sonadrill. Seadrill's Chief Executive Officer, Simon Johnson commented "Sonadrill remains strategically important for the development of the Angolan oil and gas sector. Sonadrill is the number one rig operator in Angola and this new contract will generate significant free cash flow for the joint venture which will ultimately flow to Seadrill and Sonangol as shareholders." Seadrill Contact Information David Warwick Director of Investor Relations [email protected] About Seadrill Seadrill is a leading offshore drilling contractor utilizing advanced technology to unlock oil and gas resources for clients across harsh and benign locations around the globe. Seadrill's high-quality, technologically-advanced fleet spans all asset classes allowing its experienced crews to conduct operations across geographies, from shallow to ultra-deep-water environments. Forward-Looking Statements This news release includes forward-looking statements. Such statements are generally not historical in nature, and specifically include statements about the Company's expectations about the 12-well extension described above, as well as the Company's plans, strategies, business prospects, changes and trends in its business and the markets in which it operates. These statements are made based upon management's current plans, expectations, assumptions and beliefs concerning future events impacting the Company and therefore involve a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this news release. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, offshore drilling market conditions, including supply and demand, dayrates, fluctuations in the price of oil, international financial market conditions, changes in governmental regulations that affect the Company or the operations of the Company's fleet, the review of competition authorities and other factors listed in our public filings. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for the Company to predict all of these factors. Further, the Company cannot assess the impact of each such factor on its business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to be materially different from those contained in any forward looking statement. Consequently, no forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. When considering these forward-looking statements, you should also keep in mind the risks described from time to time in the Company's filings with the SEC, including its Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2021, filed with the SEC on April 29, 2022 (File No. 001-39327). This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to article 19 of the Regulation EU 596/2014 (the EU Market Abuse Regulation) and section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. SOURCE Seadrill Limited NEW YORK, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Semiconductor Packaging Materials Market Research Report by Type, Packaging Technology, Region - Global Forecast to 2027 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19 Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06341287/?utm_source=PRN The Global Semiconductor Packaging Materials Market size was estimated at USD 32.99 billion in 2021 and expected to reach USD 36.58 billion in 2022, and is projected to grow at a CAGR 11.11% to reach USD 62.10 billion by 2027. Market Statistics: The report provides market sizing and forecast across 7 major currencies - USD, EUR, JPY, GBP, AUD, CAD, and CHF. It helps organization leaders make better decisions when currency exchange data is readily available. In this report, the years 2018 and 2020 are considered as historical years, 2021 as the base year, 2022 as the estimated year, and years from 2023 to 2027 are considered as the forecast period. Market Segmentation & Coverage: This research report categorizes the Semiconductor Packaging Materials to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets: Based on Type, the market was studied across Bonding wires, Ceramic Packages, Die Attach Materials, Encapsulation Resins, Leadframes, Organic Substrates, Solder Balls, and Thermal Interface Materials. Based on Packaging Technology, the market was studied across Dual Flat No Leads, Dual In Line Package, Grid Array, Quad Flat Package, and Small Outline Package. Based on Region, the market was studied across Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The Americas is further studied across Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and United States. The United States is further studied across California, Florida, Illinois, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas. The Asia-Pacific is further studied across Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. The Europe, Middle East & Africa is further studied across Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and United Kingdom. Cumulative Impact of COVID-19: COVID-19 is an incomparable global public health emergency that has affected almost every industry, and the long-term effects are projected to impact the industry growth during the forecast period. Our ongoing research amplifies our research framework to ensure the inclusion of underlying COVID-19 issues and potential paths forward. The report delivers insights on COVID-19 considering the changes in consumer behavior and demand, purchasing patterns, re-routing of the supply chain, dynamics of current market forces, and the significant interventions of governments. The updated study provides insights, analysis, estimations, and forecasts, considering the COVID-19 impact on the market. Cumulative Impact of 2022 Russia Ukraine Conflict: We continuously monitor and update reports on political and economic uncertainty due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Negative impacts are significantly foreseen globally, especially across Eastern Europe, European Union, Eastern & Central Asia, and the United States. This contention has severely affected lives and livelihoods and represents far-reaching disruptions in trade dynamics. The potential effects of ongoing war and uncertainty in Eastern Europe are expected to have an adverse impact on the world economy, with especially long-term harsh effects on Russia.This report uncovers the impact of demand & supply, pricing variants, strategic uptake of vendors, and recommendations for Semiconductor Packaging Materials market considering the current update on the conflict and its global response. Competitive Strategic Window: The Competitive Strategic Window analyses the competitive landscape in terms of markets, applications, and geographies to help the vendor define an alignment or fit between their capabilities and opportunities for future growth prospects. It describes the optimal or favorable fit for the vendors to adopt successive merger and acquisition strategies, geography expansion, research & development, and new product introduction strategies to execute further business expansion and growth during a forecast period. FPNV Positioning Matrix: The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Semiconductor Packaging Materials Market based on Business Strategy (Business Growth, Industry Coverage, Financial Viability, and Channel Support) and Product Satisfaction (Value for Money, Ease of Use, Product Features, and Customer Support) that aids businesses in better decision making and understanding the competitive landscape. Market Share Analysis: The Market Share Analysis offers the analysis of vendors considering their contribution to the overall market. It provides the idea of its revenue generation into the overall market compared to other vendors in the space. It provides insights into how vendors are performing in terms of revenue generation and customer base compared to others. Knowing market share offers an idea of the size and competitiveness of the vendors for the base year. It reveals the market characteristics in terms of accumulation, fragmentation, dominance, and amalgamation traits. Competitive Scenario: The Competitive Scenario provides an outlook analysis of the various business growth strategies adopted by the vendors. The news covered in this section deliver valuable thoughts at the different stage while keeping up-to-date with the business and engage stakeholders in the economic debate. The competitive scenario represents press releases or news of the companies categorized into Merger & Acquisition, Agreement, Collaboration, & Partnership, New Product Launch & Enhancement, Investment & Funding, and Award, Recognition, & Expansion. All the news collected help vendor to understand the gaps in the marketplace and competitor's strength and weakness thereby, providing insights to enhance product and service. Company Usability Profiles: The report profoundly explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Semiconductor Packaging Materials Market, including Amkor Technology Inc., ASM International NV, BASF SE, ChipMOS TECHNOLOGIES Inc., DuPont de Nemours Inc., Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, Heraeus Holding GmbH, Hitachi Ltd., Honeywell International Inc., Indium Corporation, IQE PLC, KC Co., Ltd., Kyocera Corp., LG Innotek, LINTEC Corporation, Mitsui & Co. Ltd., Nan Ya PCB Co. Ltd., Nippon Steel Corp., Powertech Technology Inc., and Shin Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.. The report provides insights on the following pointers: 1. Market Penetration: Provides comprehensive information on the market offered by the key players 2. Market Development: Provides in-depth information about lucrative emerging markets and analyze penetration across mature segments of the markets 3. Market Diversification: Provides detailed information about new product launches, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments 4. Competitive Assessment & Intelligence: Provides an exhaustive assessment of market shares, strategies, products, certification, regulatory approvals, patent landscape, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players 5. Product Development & Innovation: Provides intelligent insights on future technologies, R&D activities, and breakthrough product developments The report answers questions such as: 1. What is the market size and forecast of the Global Semiconductor Packaging Materials Market? 2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Semiconductor Packaging Materials Market during the forecast period? 3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Semiconductor Packaging Materials Market? 4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Semiconductor Packaging Materials Market? 5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Semiconductor Packaging Materials Market? 6. What is the market share of the leading vendors in the Global Semiconductor Packaging Materials Market? 7. What modes and strategic moves are considered suitable for entering the Global Semiconductor Packaging Materials Market? Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06341287/?utm_source=PRN ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. Contact Clare: [email protected] US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 SOURCE Reportlinker Forgotten Veterans Will Receive Full Military Honors HOUSTON, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Service Corporation International, (SCI), North America's largest provider of funeral, cemetery and cremation services, and its brand, Dignity Memorial, have partnered with the Missing In America Project (MIAP) to inter the ashes of 99 veterans who never received a proper burial. The veterans have gone unclaimed for decades, because their families never made arrangements or they didn't have living family members to arrange a service. This will be the largest burial in MIAP history. The veterans will receive a dignified ceremony and final recognition of deep gratitude for their faithful service to our country. "It's tragic that they were deprived of a military funeral. We are going to honor their courage and selflessness." Tweet this 99 Forgotten Veterans will be laid to rest with full military honors. A ceremony with full military honors will be hosted by: Evergreen Washelli Funeral Home & Cemetery 11111 Aurora Ave N Seattle, WA 98133 Monday, Nov. 14 1 p.m. The ceremony is open to all veterans, VSO members, the public and members of the media. On Nov. 16, the veterans' ashes will be transported to Washington State Veterans Cemetery, where they will be laid to rest. The veterans to be interred served in the US Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Army Air Forces, Coast Guard and Merchant Marines during the Spanish American War, World Wars I and II, Korea, Vietnam, and non-war specific periods. The 99 veterans include: Brothers Glen Whitfield Sutherland and Ray C. Sutherland . Glen was in the Army and Ray was in the Navy Reserves. and . Glen was in the Army and Ray was in the Navy Reserves. Several veterans who arrived in the United States from other countries, including Switzerland , Norway , Greece , Bulgaria and China . from other countries, including , , , and . Brothers Albert Wilkins and William Wilkins . Albert served in the Army, and William was a Marine. and . Albert served in the Army, and William was a Marine. Father and son, Carl Croson , who served in the Army in World War I, and Kenneth Croson , who served in the United States Coast Guard in World War II. "We are honored to give these veterans the dignified burial they deserve for bravely serving our country during times of war and peace," said Jay Waring, SCI's Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. "It's tragic that they were deprived of a military funeral. We are going to honor their courage and selflessness." "Every veteran, including those we will soon inter, signed a blank check to the United States of America up to and including their life. One thing they were promised was an honorable, dignified military burial. We are going to fulfill that obligation because it's the right thing to do," said Clyde Taylor, Vice President of MIAP. In addition to the veterans, MIAP has identified 14 spouses of veterans and 10 dependent children who have been unclaimed and who are eligible for burial in the state veterans cemetery. They will also be laid to rest on Nov. 16. Missing In America Veterans recovery program visits funeral homes around the country to fulfill their mission of securing a final resting place for the forgotten heroes. Volunteers create an inventory of ashes, and verify the date of birth, date of death and any other available information. Often, considering how long the ashes have gone unclaimed, the funeral home does not have the complete information needed to verify veteran status, so MIAP volunteers submit a request to the National Cemetery Scheduling and Eligibility Office (NCSEO) for verification. Once determined eligible, MIAP then coordinates with a State or National Veterans Cemetery to provide final interment with military honors. The process requires extensive research, and sometimes takes up to a year to prove eligibility. While it is unknown why the veterans were unclaimed, every year, thousands of ashes go unclaimed by surviving family members, friends, and loved ones. Periodically, Dignity Memorial locations invite MIAP volunteers to research unclaimed remains still in their care, to determine if any of them are veterans. When they can validate a decedent's veteran status and eligibility to be interred at a national cemetery, Dignity Memorial partners with the MIAP to inter the veterans with full military honors. The ceremony on Nov. 14 can be watched online. About Dignity Memorial The Dignity Memorial network of more than 2,000 funeral, cremation and cemetery service providers is North America's most trusted resource for funeral and memorialization services. Dignity Memorial providers offer an unmatched combination of products and locations serving families with care, integrity, respect and service excellence to celebrate each life like no other. For more information, visit www.dignitymemorial.com. About Service Corporation International Service Corporation International (NYSE: SCI), headquartered in Houston, Texas, is North America's leading provider of funeral, cemetery and cremation services, as well as final-arrangement planning in advance, serving more than 600,000 families each year. Our diversified portfolio of brands provides families and individuals a full range of choices to meet their needs, from simple cremations to full life celebrations and personalized remembrances. Our Dignity Memorial brand is the name families turn to for professionalism, compassion, and attention to detail that is second to none. At September 30, 2022, we owned and operated 1,463 funeral service locations and 488 cemeteries (of which 300 are combination locations) in 44 states, eight Canadian provinces, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. For more information about Service Corporation International, please visit our website at www.sci-corp.com. For more information about Dignity Memorial, please visit www.dignitymemorial.com. As used herein, "Service Corporation International" and "SCI" refer to Service Corporation International and its affiliated companies. About MIAP MIAP was launched in Oregon in January, 2007 and is a registered charity. The Executive Director of MIAP is Linda Smith who is a U.S. Navy veteran and is retired from the DOD. MIAP is formally endorsed by the American Legion through their national resolution #24 (2007) and Am Vets through resolution 09-19. (2008) MIAP has over 400 volunteers in 47 states. To date they have visited 2,565 funeral homes and documented 28,341 cremated remains in their (private) database, 6,092 of which were identified as veterans, 5,652 of these have now been interred. Some remains date back to the early 1800's. The Missing in America Veterans Recovery Program (MIAP) (EIN: 20-8408832) is a Federal recognized Non-Profit Veterans Organization for the identification, location, verification, and movement of Veterans and their Dependents. For more information, visit www.miap.us. Contact: SCI Media Line, 713-525-5235 [email protected] SOURCE Service Corporation International Eligible creators can immediately choose to receive royalty payments through Zelle as part of new mobile payments initiative WASHINGTON, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- SoundExchange, the premier music tech organization powering the future of music, today announced that registered creators can elect to receive their royalty payments with Zelle as part of a new, industry-leading effort allowing creators to easily and immediately receive royalty payments via mobile payment apps. The new partnership strengthens SoundExchange's accessible technology offerings for creators. Earlier this year, SoundExchange launched a new mobile app (now available in the app store for Google/Android and Apple/IOS ) and digital tools to support its growing community of more than 570,000 creators. "SoundExchange recognizes that more and more creators prefer to receive digital payments for performance royalties and is pursuing partnerships to make that a reality," said Michael Huppe, President, and CEO of SoundExchange. "Expanding our mobile payment options to include Zelle is the latest progression in our journey to build a fairer, simpler, and more efficient music industry. We are excited to be working closely with Zelle to ensure creators can receive payments in the manner that works best for them." "In today's gig economy, people expect to be paid fast right into their bank account," said Kash Baghaei, chief product officer at Early Warning Services, LLC, the network operator of Zelle. "We welcome SoundExchange creators to now use Zelle to receive payments for their performance royalties with money landing directly in their bank accounts." Creators can enroll with Zelle through their financial institution and, for some, right from their smartphone through the convenience of mobile banking apps. SoundExchange will be able to send money directly to a creator's bank account, typically within minutes if they are enrolled with Zelle. Zelle is a fast and easy way to send and receive money from one bank account in the U.S. to another, using only a recipient's email address or U.S. mobile number. It is offered by more than 1,700 banks and credit unions of all sizes across the U.S. Creators will still be able to receive royalty payments from SoundExchange via monthly domestic direct deposit in the U.S. and international direct deposit in select local currencies or quarterly paper checks. SoundExchange is a critical source of revenue for music creators, collecting and distributing digital performance royalties on behalf of 570,000 music creators using proprietary technology solutions. To date, SoundExchange has distributed more than $9 billion in digital royalties directly to music creators, including $238.9 million during the third quarter of 2022. About Zelle Brought to you by Early Warning Services, LLC, an innovator in payment and risk management solutions, Zelle makes it fast and easy for money to move. The Zelle Network connects financial institutions of all sizes, enabling consumers and businesses to send fast digital payments to people and businesses they know and trust with a bank account in the U.S. Funds are available directly in bank accounts generally within minutes when the recipient is already enrolled with Zelle. To learn more about Zelle and its participating financial institutions, visit www.zellepay.com . About SoundExchange SoundExchange is the premier music tech organization on a mission to power the future of music. It was independently formed in 2003 to build a fairer, simpler, and more efficient music industry through technology, data, and advocacy. The only organization designated by the U.S. government to administer the Section 114 sound recording license, SoundExchange collects and distributes digital performance royalties on behalf of 570,000 music creators and growing. Through proprietary music tech solutions that turn data into accurate revenue, SoundExchange has paid more than $9 billion in distributions to date. For more information, visit soundexchange.com . Zelle and the Zelle related marks are wholly owned by Early Warning Services, LLC and are used herein under license. SOURCE SoundExchange The American Chamber of Commerce in Germany's annual survey of the top 50 US companies in Europe's largest economy finds trans-Atlantic business back on track after pandemic disruptions. But other challenges remain. BERLIN, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- (GTAI) "A strong recovery after the difficult Corona year 2020" that's the central conclusion of the AmCham Germany's look at US companies in Germany in 2021. Turnover grew 12.3 percent last year, the study found. That represented a complete recovery from 2020, when revenues declined by 0.4 percent. By comparison, German companies in the US did 14.9 percent more business after a 1.4 percent drop in 2020. US bank J.P. Morgan, for instance, saw revenues in Germany increase by 322.6 percent, in part due to the effects of the United Kingdom's departure from the European Union. "The 2021 AmCham figures underscore the fundamental solidity of US-German business," says Robert Hermann, CEO of Germany Trade & Invest, the German agency for international business promotion. "That's why levels of foreign direct investment have been rising consistently in recent years." American FDI in Germany shot up 16.5 percent last year, AmCham Germany found, compared with 9 percent in 2020 and -0.3 percent in 2019. US chipmaker Intel announced it was putting EUR 17 billion into a production facility in Magdeburg, but online retailer Amazon also invested an additional one billion in its German operations. "International companies know that they need a strong presence within the EU, and as its largest member state and geographic heart, Germany is a very attractive destination," says Hermann. 65 percent of the top US companies in Germany said they expected revenues to increase in 2022. Leading the recovery and continuing to grow in the first half of this year were the raw materials, energy and chemicals, pharmaceuticals and information technology sectors. But the survey also uncovered areas in which German could improve as a business location. AmCham identified a need for better cloud and quantum computing as well as greater digitalization in general. It also highlighted a trend toward new business relationships among the companies, with 63 percent saying that they aimed to diversify their own eco-system and strengthen resilience. "In general businesses in Germany are rethinking their models, and that opens the door for new companies to find niches," says Hermann. "International firms can benefit from analyzing the needs of the German economy and establishing subsidiaries in the country." Read the full AmCham study here: https://www.amcham.de/news-details/ranking-top-50-us-companies-with-the-highest-revenue-in-germany Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI) is the economic promotion agency of the Federal Republic of Germany. GTAI supports German companies setting up in foreign markets, promotes Germany as a business location and assists foreign companies setting up shop in Germany. Contact: Jefferson Chase Senior Manager Corporate Communications GERMANY TRADE & INVEST T +49 30 200 099 170 [email protected] www.gtai.com SOURCE Germany Trade & Invest New feature helps companies forecast when they'll hit representation goals based on current practices, and model scenarios to help achieve goals faster SEATTLE, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- As companies post salary ranges to comply with new laws, they are grappling with investor and employee demands for more transparency into diversity and opportunity. Against this backdrop, Syndio is expanding its groundbreaking OppEQ product with Forecaster, a new representation forecasting tool. OppEQ Representation, which launched at the beginning of the year, gave companies the ability to measure current demographic benchmarks against available talent, and develop meaningful diversity goals. Now, with Forecaster, companies can forecast when they'll hit representation goals based on current practices and model different scenarios to see their impact on diversity trajectories. "Pay transparency knocked down the door, and opportunity transparency is right on its heels. Employers are under mounting pressure not only to set diversity goals, but also ensure they achieve them, while keeping on the right side of the law," said Maria Colacurcio, Syndio CEO. "The value in OppEQ's forecasting is not just seeing a trajectory, but gaining insight into the accelerants and barriers to hitting your goals. It helps leaders understand where to invest resources, and deliver on the next wave of accountability and transparency. It will fuel real change." Syndio launches new OppEQ feature that helps companies forecast when they'll hit representation goals Tweet this Corporate leaders are hungry for these insights. In Q3 2022, Syndio signed the most new business in its history. The majority of new customers - 54% - signed on for Syndio's full, expanded platform that includes access to both opportunity and pay equity analytics tools rather than pay equity alone. This is evidence that even though pay transparency is in the headlines, companies need to address opportunity equity to build trust with their people. "Building an equitable workplace is critical for attracting and retaining talent, mitigating risks, and ensuring relevance with today's consumers," said Adrienne Gemperle, Chief People Officer, Sweetgreen. "Syndio's Workplace Equity Platform helped us zero in on our biggest areas of opportunity, and showed us how we could attain our goals years sooner through targeted efforts aimed at those opportunities. Before Syndio we did not have that level of visibility into our data or insight into the solutions." In addition to OppEQ, Syndio's Workplace Equity Analytics Platform includes: PayEQ - An always-on view of pay equity that helps companies analyze, resolve, and prevent pay disparities due to gender, race, ethnicity, or any other demographics. - An always-on view of pay equity that helps companies analyze, resolve, and prevent pay disparities due to gender, race, ethnicity, or any other demographics. Pay Finder - Helps hiring teams set fair starting salaries and stop pay inequity before it starts. Pay Finder combines internal pay data with market-informed salary ranges to provide a holistic view of what's both fair and competitive for each individual candidate. - Helps hiring teams set fair starting salaries and stop pay inequity before it starts. Pay Finder combines internal pay data with market-informed salary ranges to provide a holistic view of what's both fair and competitive for each individual candidate. Expert Advisors - A team of data scientists, technology experts, and legal professionals who specialize in workplace equity and provide ongoing best practice advice from global compliance and DE&I goal setting to ESG and human capital disclosures. To learn more about OppEQ, or Syndio's Workplace Equity Platform visit: https://synd.io/platform/ About Syndio Syndio provides technology and expert guidance that helps companies measure, achieve, and sustain all facets of workplace equity. Over 200 companies, including 10% of the Fortune 200 and 30% of Fortune's Most Admired Companies, rely on Syndio's platform to close pay and opportunity gaps, mitigate legal risk, and turn DE&I goals into tangible results. Together, we are showing the world how to build resilient, open workplaces by ensuring every employee is valued based on who they are and what they contribute to their company's success. Media Relations Contact: Katie Curnutte 617.640.9765 [email protected] SOURCE Syndio Fourth Consecutive Year Winning the Retail Mattress Award for the Brand Second Consecutive Year Winning the Online Mattress Award for the Brand LEXINGTON, Ky., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Tempur Sealy International, Inc. (NYSE: TPX, "Company" or "Tempur Sealy"), the company synonymous with innovation in the mattress industry, today announced that its Tempur-Pedic brand was awarded #1 in Customer Satisfaction for both the Retail Mattress and Online Mattress segments in the U.S. in the J.D. Power 2022 Mattress Satisfaction Report*. This award marks the fourth-consecutive year that Tempur-Pedic has achieved this distinction in the Retail Mattress category, and the brand has been recognized in this category for five of the previous six years. This award marks the second consecutive year in the Online Mattress category. In addition to being ranked #1 in overall customer satisfaction, Tempur-Pedic scored highest in 6 factors in the Retail Mattress category, which include support, durability, comfort, variety of features, price , and warranty. In the Online Mattress category, in addition to being ranked #1 in overall customer satisfaction, Tempur-Pedic scored highest in durability and comfort. "We are honored to have achieved this award in the Retail Mattress category for the fourth consecutive year and in the Online Mattress category for the second consecutive year. This recognition is once again a testament, by consumers, to the innovative and high-quality product solutions we provide that address their sleep needs, including solutions for the most common problems, such as sleeping hot, snoring, and aches and pains, so that they can sleep comfortably and undisturbed, every night. I would also like to thank our employees and valued retail partners for making this possible through their dedication, hard work, and support," said Scott Thompson, Tempur Sealy Chairman and CEO. Tempur-Pedic, the most highly recommended bed in America**, created the world's first body-responsive mattresses 30 years ago, changing the industry with its one-of-a-kind TEMPUR-Material that delivers deep, comfortable, undisturbed rest every single night. Since then, the company has expanded to offer a complete lineup of mattresses, including the TEMPUR-breeze collection that provides all-night cooling comfort, pillows, adjustable ergonomic smart bases such as the TEMPUR-Ergo Smart Base powered by Sleeptracker-AI, and accessories that deliver meaningful solutions to address consumers' most pressing sleep concerns, including sleeping hot, snoring and addressing aches & pains. *For J.D. Power 2022 award information, visit jdpower.com/awards **Based on percentage of owners who report very/extremely likely to recommend Tempur Pedic, Tempur-Sealy Brand Tracker Report November 2020 About the Company Tempur Sealy is committed to improving the sleep of more people, every night, all around the world. As a leading designer, manufacturer, distributor and retailer of bedding products worldwide, we know how crucial a good night of sleep is to overall health and wellness. Utilizing over a century of knowledge and industry-leading innovation, we deliver award-winning products that provide breakthrough sleep solutions to consumers in over 100 countries. Our highly recognized brands include Tempur-Pedic, Sealy and Stearns & Foster and our popular non-branded offerings consist of value-focused private label and OEM products. At Tempur Sealy we understand the importance of meeting our customers wherever and however they want to shop and have developed a powerful omni-channel retail strategy. Our products allow for complementary merchandising strategies and are sold through third-party retailers, our 650+ Company-owned stores worldwide and our e-commerce channels. With the range of our offerings and variety of purchasing options, we are dedicated to continuing to turn our mission to improve the sleep of more people, every night, all around the world into a reality. Importantly, we are committed to carrying out our global responsibility to protect the environment and the communities in which we operate. As part of that commitment, we have established the goal of achieving carbon neutrality for our global wholly owned operations by 2040. Public Relations Contact Erin Grant Tempur Sealy International, Inc. 800-805-3635 [email protected] Investor Relations Contact Aubrey Moore Investor Relations Tempur Sealy International, Inc. 800-805-3635 [email protected] SOURCE Tempur Sealy International, Inc. This powerful philanthropic alliance will raise funds for the Ricky Martin Foundation during the GCF Gala Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, Nov. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- With only 15-days before the Global Citizen Forum (GCF) unveils its 2022 Annual Summit on November 16-17, Ricky Martin and the Ricky Martin Foundation join an exciting line-up of global changemakers, celebrities, and organizations driven to unlock opportunities to create a better world. And you can be part of the unforgettable experience too. Secure your spot today and prepare for a truly inspiring event. The Global Citizen Forum Brings Global Superstar and Humanitarian Ricky Martin to Ras Al Khaimah Internationally acclaimed philanthropist, artist, and author Ricky Martin believes in inclusivity, and that all rights are human rights. With Martin at the helm, the Ricky Martin Foundation has educated, protected and advocated for vulnerable communities for over two decades and has hopes for the world to be a better place for children for all generations to come. The foundation has long been recognized as a leading force in the fight against human trafficking, as well as for its immediate humanitarian response following natural disasters both in Puerto Rico and around the world. Joining the Summit as a guest speaker, Mr. Martin comments: "I look forward to joining the mission at Global Citizen Forum and being part of an important event that is helping shape the future for the next generation. With our aligned vision, our alliance to raise funds for the Ricky Martin Foundation will come at a critical time in the world where we need to unite" Human Metamorphosis is the first chapter of the much anticipated 3-year GCF Annual Summit in Ras Al Khaimah. It is set to be an empowering and immersive experience curated to offer an authentic expression of global citizenship catalyzed by the evolution of humanity and will cover a diverse range of topics from global economics and the escalating refugee crisis, to empowering female leadership and unlocking technological advances for human health and wellness. Talimka Yordanova, CEO of the Global Citizen Forum, said: "We are thrilled to welcome an extraordinary line-up of dignitaries, delegates, and attendees in Ras Al Khaimah for this year's Annual Summit which will catalyze profound discussions that advance human progress for all individuals across the globe and truly value the incredible work driven by the Ricky Martin Foundation which will further allow us to extend the reach and impact of our mission." In addition to raising funds for the Ricky Martin Foundation, the GCF Gala will feature a fundraiser auction to support UNHCR projects across the globe, as well as the Global Gift Foundation. Last year, the Gala honored Eva Longoria and the Eva Longoria Foundation their incredible work with women in underprivileged communities and her commitment to change the narrative on their untapped potential. Follow GCF and join the social conversations via www.globalcitizenforum.org | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Linkedin | YouTube #GCF2022 #GCFRAK #HumanMetamorphosis #VisitRasAlKhaimah About Ricky Martin Foundation The Ricky Martin Foundation (RMF) believes in inclusivity, and that all rights are human rights. Through programs and partnerships, it educates, protects and advocates for vulnerable communities, and will leave the world a better place for our children. RMF denounces human trafficking and educates about its existence through research and community initiatives. Because the risk of human trafficking is tremendously heightened after any natural disaster, for almost two decades, the RMF team have also been front lines responders, helping to ensure the safety of vulnerable children and families. About Global Citizen Forum The Global Citizen Forum is a Canadian non-profit organization driven by a global community of leaders and catalyzers unlocking the potential of global citizenship. Through a series of curated events and experiences, GCF's membership-based community gathers from across the globe for their Annual Summit to bridge dialogue with action for traceable, transparent, and measurable impact. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1935258/Ricky_Martin.jpg SOURCE Global Citizen Forum Consensus Digital Media releases a new episode of Consensus in Conversation featuring Brent Harris, Global Affairs VP at Meta. WASHINGTON, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Consensus Digital Media announced the launch of the seventh episode of its newest podcast, Consensus in Conversation. The latest episode, Meta: Reimagining Governance and Defining the Metaverse, hosts a vibrant conversation about Meta's commitment to sustainability and trust. This week, listeners hear from Meta's Brent Harris, VP of Global Affairs, on the journey to building a comprehensive metaverse while simultaneously advancing technologies intended to make both the virtual and physical worlds better places for the people inhabiting them. Harris walks us through his extraordinary career that has landed him at the center of the hottest issues facing the internet and social platforms, including governance of today's internet and aspirations to design a better, more empathetic metaverse of the future. Consensus in Conversation is hosted by Consensus Digital Media's publisher and CEO, Conor Gaughan, who has spent nearly 20 years in digital media and finance. As an entrepreneur and business leader, Gaughan speaks with entrepreneurs, innovators, and thought leaders moving America forward. Guests range from farmers to restaurant owners to startup founders and tech executives. Each sit-down conversation provides insights into how entrepreneurs and innovators across the country are developing high-quality and cutting-edge solutions to scale, compete and meet the challenges of today and tomorrow. "I've always been curious about what drives peoples' entrepreneurial spirit. I can't wait for listeners to hear about how one of the world's most important companies - Meta - is advancing the conversation on key questions, including building a better metaverse," said Conor Gaughan. Today's Consensus in Conversation episode, Meta: Reimagining Governance and Defining the Metaverse, is available on Apple and Spotify Podcasts. New episodes are released on Thursday of each week. Follow the podcast and enable push notifications to never miss an episode. Consensus Digital Media highlights and produces uplifting and relevant stories that spotlight the communities, leaders, and businesses achieving a sustainable future through innovative and pragmatic solutions. Consensus in Conversation is a new podcast hosted by Consensus Digital Media publisher Conor Gaughan and features entrepreneurs and innovators who discuss how they help build great businesses and organizations that do well while also doing good. Media Contact: [email protected] SOURCE Consensus Digital Media SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- UC Hastings College of the Law filed a motion today seeking immediate dismissal of a lawsuit filed by plaintiffs who want to stop the renaming of the College, after Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1936 on September 23. The lawsuit was filed last month by a small group of Hastings' alumni and some distant descendants of the law school's founder, Serranus Hastings. Pursuant to California's anti-SLAPP statute, the College has requested that the court dismiss this lawsuit because the decision to change its name was based on activity that is protected under the United States and California Constitutions, including the First Amendment. The plaintiffs cannot show that any of their claims against the College will succeed. The anti-SLAPP statute prevents the filing of strategic, meritless lawsuits that prevent the exercise of the rights to freedom of speech and petitionsuch as the lawsuit plaintiffs have filed here. "The College engaged in a thoughtful, deliberate and transparent process as we examined the historical record of our founder," said David Faigman, Chancellor & Dean of UC Hastings College of the Law. "The name change is a critical and public aspect of the College's restorative justice efforts. Today's motion for dismissal is an important step in keeping our community moving forward as we transition toward a new and exciting chapter for the school." "Plaintiffs' lawsuit is exactly the kind of strategic, meritless lawsuit that California's anti-SLAPP statute is designed to prevent," said Theodore J. Boutrous Jr., partner with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP and counsel to the College. "What Plaintiffs want to do is prevent the College from exercising its rights to free speech and to petition the Legislature, but those rights are enshrined in both the California and federal Constitutions. And importantly, Plaintiffs' claims are legally and factually meritless and doomed to fail in any event." In August, Assembly Bill 1936 successfully passed in both the California Senate and Assembly with zero "no" votes and was signed by Governor Newsom the following month. The Legislature took that action after the College's Board voted last November to remove the Hastings name from the College, and then asked the Legislature to amend the California Education Code to conform to the new name. The Legislature did so, passing AB 1936, which renames the law school University of California, College of the Law, San Francisco. The decision to change the College's name was the result of a lengthy public process that included extensive research, public hearings, and input from a wide range of the law school's constituencies. That process began in 2017, when Dean Faigman formed the Hastings Legacy Review Committee (HLRC) to investigate the history of the law school's founder, after learning of his involvement in mass killings of Yuki People in the Round Valley and Eden Valley region prior to founding the College. Over the course of the College's five-year investigation into Hastings' conduct, and its impact on the law school's community, there was overwhelming support to pursue numerous restorative justice efforts, including changing the College's name. Since the formation of the HLRC, the College developed and put in place several other important restorative justice initiatives, including: Establishing a foundational relationship with the Round Valley Indian Tribes (RVIT) Tribal Council and its Yuki Committee. Opening an Indigenous Law Center Sponsoring students to offer pro bono legal assistance during the summers for organizations and tribal courts supporting California Native Americans. Curating a commemorative space in honor of the Yuki people on campus. Establishing a Restorative Justice Advisory Board to inform ongoing initiatives led by the College. More information about the College's continued commitment to restorative justice can be found on its Recognition and Reconciliation web page. Media Contact Elizabeth Moore Chief Communications Officer [email protected] 415-703-8266 SOURCE UC Hastings College of Law Development and Hospitality Management Expert Brings More Than 30 Years of Experience to the Virgin Hotels Brand MIAMI, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Virgin Hotels, the luxury-lifestyle hotel brand by Sir Richard Branson, is pleased to welcome Leslie J. Shammas as Vice President Development Services. Shammas will be responsible for garnering partner relationships with key stakeholders on an international and domestic level. Stakeholders such as developers, engineers, architects, designers, and more. Leslie will spearhead various initiatives with the goal of ensuring hotel projects are successfully achieved with brand, in budget, and on schedule. She will also support the technical services team with a brand and guest perspective so as to create the ultimate Virgin Hotels experience. With a passion in project development and innovation, Leslie brings more than 30 years of leadership experience in project design and management, owner relations, and brand development. Leslie will work closely with Teddy Meyer, Virgin Hotels' VP Design and Creative Director. Leslie J. Shammas Prior to Virgin Hotels, Leslie served as a Development Services Consultant at Montage International. From 2017 2020, she worked for Canyon Ranch Wellness Resorts, with the Design and Development team. Starting as the Global Director to then later became Vice President, spearheading the design endeavors. Leslie provided design and construction leadership for all the architectural and interior renovations at the existing properties, while simultaneously lending her support on new development and acquisitions for proposed properties. Before her work at Canyon Ranch, Leslie spent over eleven years at Fairmont Raffles Hotels International. As the Executive Director of Design and Construction, she provided owners and developers with support throughout the planning and building of new properties, major renovations, and resort residential projects, both domestically and internationally. During her time there, she established expectations and standards for every property to be aligned with the brand ethos. Prior to that, Leslie was a Senior Associate at WATG Architects, an international hospitality firm, where she managed numerous projects and brands throughout the world. "We are thrilled to welcome Leslie to the team. Her expertise and extensive background in representing both ownership and brand operators bring value to each project while supporting on budgets and schedules throughout the process," states James Bermingham, CEO of Virgin Hotels. Leslie J. Shammas holds a Bachelor's degree from California Polytechnic University in Architecture, as well as a minor in Speech Communications. In 2010, she managed the Fairmont Pittsburgh project which became the first LEED Gold Hotel in the U.S. Leslie went on to be recognized as an industry hospitality and Spa expert who has spoken at Boutique Design West, Hospitality Design Expo, and ALIS Conferences. Leslie also recently obtained a WELL AP Certification. Find high-resolution image of Leslie Shammas linked here. To learn more about Virgin Hotels, visit www.virginhotels.com . To learn more about future developments, please visit https://development.virginhotels.com/ . About Virgin Hotels Virgin Hotels is a luxury lifestyle hospitality brand that combines heartfelt service and a personalised hotel experience inspired by the innovation and smart disruption that Sir Richard Branson's global Virgin Group has pioneered for over 50 years. Each property intermixes a passion for food and beverage with music, design, and culture, fusing with the local landscape and providing a vibrant and inclusive environment for travellers and locals alike. The current portfolio includes five hotelsVirgin Hotels Chicago, Virgin Hotels Dallas, Virgin Hotels Nashville, Virgin Hotels New Orleans, Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, and newly launched Virgin Hotels Edinburgh. Locations in Glasgow and New York City are scheduled to debut in 2022, followed by Miami and Denver in 2025. In addition, Virgin Hotels continues to explore hotel, conversions, and ground-up development in Boston, Los Angeles, Austin, Philadelphia, Seattle, London, and more. SOURCE Virgin Hotels Werfen enters into an agreement to acquire Immucor, Inc., a privately held, US-based corporation, with a solid global presence in transfusion and transplant in vitro diagnostics The transaction is expected to close during the first half of 2023 BARCELONA, Spain, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Werfen announced today that it has agreed to acquire Immucor, Inc., from TPG. Immucor is a privately held corporation with a strong global presence in transfusion and transplant in vitro diagnostics, headquartered in Norcross, Georgia, USA. This acquisition will allow Werfen to expand its portfolio of Specialized Diagnostics solutions for hospitals and clinical laboratories. Werfen President Marc Rubiralta The purchase price is expected to be approximately US$2 billion, with closing subject to customary regulatory approvals. The acquisition is being funded with a mix of cash on hand and new senior credit facilities. The company does not expect the transaction to impact its investment grade rating from Standard & Poor's. "As a global leader in the research, development, manufacturing and distribution of innovative, Specialized Diagnostics solutions for hospitals and clinical laboratories, Immucor is a natural fit with our existing business model," said Marc Rubiralta, President of Werfen. "We highly value Immucor's commitment to enhancing care for all patients in need of a transfusion or transplant. This fits squarely with our long-term vision and strategy, aligns with our focus, and complements Werfen's values." Rubiralta added, "I am confident that by combining two complementary, outstanding Specialized Diagnostics companies, Werfen will expand its global presence with greater diversification, while successfully maintaining its focus on specialization." "Immucor's expertise and innovations in transfusion and transplant diagnostics enable us to enter new markets and will help achieve our vision to be the preferred choice of the most advanced laboratory and point-of-care customers, globally," said Carlos Pascual, CEO of Werfen. "It will be a major milestone in the future of Werfen." Avi Pelossof, CEO of Immucor said, "As we look to the future, we are excited to grow our impact as part of Werfen, a company that shares our long-term vision and commitment to advancing patient care globally. As the value of diagnostics in the healthcare system grows, we are confident that Immucor will continue to innovate and succeed under Werfen's ownership." Upon completion of this acquisition, and based on 2021 figures, Werfen will surpass 2.2 billion in revenue, with seven technology centers, close to 7,000 employees worldwide, and a direct presence in 30 countries and more than 100 territories through distributors. Werfen was advised by Barclays and Milbank LLP. BBVA, BNP Paribas, CaixaBank and HSBC Holding plc provided commitments for the new senior credit facilities. The sellers and Immucor were advised by Evercore and Ropes & Gray LLP. Werfen Founded in 1966, Werfen is a worldwide developer, manufacturer and distributor of Specialized Diagnostic instruments, related reagents, automation workcells, and data management solutions for use primarily in hospitals and independent clinical laboratories. The Company's business units include Hemostasis, Acute Care Diagnostics, Autoimmunity, and Original Equipment Manufacturing (OEM). Werfen operates directly in nearly 30 countries and in more than 100 territories through distributors. For more information, visit werfen.com TPG TPG is a leading global alternative asset management firm, founded in San Francisco in 1992, with $127 billion of assets under management and investment and operational teams in 12 offices globally. TPG invests across five multi-product platforms: Capital, Growth, Impact, Real Estate, and Market Solutions and our unique strategy is driven by collaboration, innovation, and inclusion. Our teams combine deep product and sector experience with broad capabilities and expertise to develop differentiated insights and add value for our fund investors, portfolio companies, management teams, and communities. For more information visit www.tpg.com or @TPG on Twitter. Legal notice This document contains forward-looking statements about our business, financial data, and events related to the prospects of Werfen. These forecasts can be identified by the use of words such as "expectation", "vision", "anticipation", "intention", "plan", "belief", "search", "estimate", "future", "project", or words with a similar meaning. We may also make projections in other reports, presentations, and press releases. Furthermore, our sales representatives may occasionally make forward-looking statements. These projections are based on our current expectations and on certain hypotheses, many of which are beyond the corporation's control and subject to a series of risks and uncertainties. In the event that any of these risks or uncertainties should materialize or the underlying expectations are not fulfilled, the results or performance of Werfen may differ substantially (either positively or negatively) from those explicitly or implicitly forecast. Werfen assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements made previously. SOURCE Werfen SAN DIEGO, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Wiliot, the Internet of Things pioneer whose IoT platform is enabling trillions of "things" to gain intelligence, today announced that it has been selected to attend COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt from November 6-18. At the event, Wiliot will be showcasing its pioneering ambient computing technology the Wiliot IoT Pixel and Cloud platform and educating global leaders on the ways in which it's enabling an ambient IoT poised to create more sustainable, cost-efficient supply chains. Wiliot's vision for the future of the ambient IoT brings intelligence and internet connectivity to every single 'thing' in the global supply chain, enabling products to transmit item-level information about their location, temperature, carbon footprint, and more. With this information, businesses are for the first time equipped with the real-time data they need to make more sustainably-minded decisions that reduce their carbon footprint. Furthermore, the real-time delivery of this carbon data offers an effective alternative to today's annual reporting cadence, which is proving insufficient for businesses looking to make a material impact on their carbon footprint. Wiliot is attending COP27 as part of an Israeli delegation that includes nine other climate-tech innovators that were selected at PLANETech World, Israel's first-ever clean-tech conference that recently took place in Tel Aviv. "While much of the world is justifiably focused on reducing fossil fuel emissions, converting to electric vehicles, and carbon-offsetting projects, we applaud the UN and the COP27 for now also recognizing supply chain efficiency as a fundamental lever in advancing global sustainability," stated Steve Statler, Wiliot SVP of Marketing & ESG. "Trillions of things flow through our supply chains every day a number that will only increase as billions of new people enter the middle class, with more disposable income and purchasing power. The UN recognizes the urgent need to fix our supply chains, and that real-time item-level carbon data is fundamental to the regeneration of the environment." Wiliot IoT Pixels are stamp-sized computers that cost pennies and feature a fundamental breakthrough in ambient computing technology or computing that's self-powered, harvesting radio waves that are all around us. These battery-free IoT Pixels can attach to any product or packaging to connect it to the internet; not just expensive things like cars, appliances, and shipping containers, but the things inside them: fruits, veggies, vaccine vials, clothes, crates, and just about everything else. The benefits of this technology are vast. Produce stays fresher longer, reducing the amount wasted due to rot and spoil; delivery routes are more efficient, requiring less fuel and emitting lower greenhouse gas; stock-checks transition from daily to real-time, resulting in supply chains with lower carbon footprints; and so much more. "It's going to take trillions of connections to solve the climate crisis," continued Statler. "Every single thing in our global supply chain veggies and vaccines, crates and skates, airplane parts and toy airplanes all connected to the internet and transmitting real-time, item-level data about their location, temperate, fill rate, carbon footprint, and more. It's this data that's going to enable businesses to make better, more sustainably-minded decisions and ones that make a material impact on the climate crisis today." Wiliot is currently working with many of the world's largest companies, helping them transition from supply chains that often include glut, excess, and delays to demand chains that are fully responsive to real-time to consumer demand. Furthermore, the Wiliot platform is equipping employees across organizations with this real-time data empowers them to take action every day, which is proving to have a profound impact on corporate sustainability and profitability. In a recent project with a large retailer, the temperature of a pallet of berries rose precipitously when it was mistakenly left out on a store floor, threatening the fruit's freshness. However, rather than spoil, the temperature rise was flagged and an alert was sent to store employees, who addressed the situation in the moment. Concluded Statler, "The ambient IoT grows the market from billions of expensive things to trillions of everyday things, and in the process totally transforms our global supply chains. We're honored to have been selected to attend COP27 to debut the concept of the ambient IoT, which is poised to have a profound impact on our planet." Ambient IoT support is being added to the wireless standards that enable the world's phones, smart speakers, and access points. Industry analyst ABI Research predicted a total addressable market for ambient IoT of over 10 trillion devices at the recent GSMA MWC event in a presentation it co-delivered with Wiliot and Deloitte. For more information on Wiliot, click here. For the press kit, click here. About Wiliot: Wiliot is a SaaS company whose platform connects the digital and physical worlds using its IoT Pixel tagging technology, computers the size of a postage stamp that power themselves in revolutionary ways. Our mission is to expand the Internet of Things to include every single thing, creating a massive IoT that adds intelligence and automation to reusable packaging, pharmaceuticals, food, and other products. Connecting trillions of things to the internet is transforming manufacturing, distribution, and product use to deliver on our vision: a minimum waste, full trust, perfectly timed world, where people, profits, and planet remain aligned. Visit www.wiliot.com to learn more. Media Contact: Dan Griffin 212.481.3456 ex. 25 [email protected] SOURCE Wiliot DUBLIN, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Consumer Induction Cooktop Market - Forecasts from 2022 to 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global consumer induction cooktop market size was valued at US$11.734 billion in 2020. The induction cooktop is a type of kitchen appliance that uses the technology of an electromagnetic field to transfer heat directly to the metal cookware that is made of ferrous metals. Induction cooktops automatically shut off when the cookware is not present on top of them, making them safer to use as well as energy-efficient as compared to conventional cooktops. While using induction cooktops, only the pan becomes hot while the outer cooktop stays cool, providing another great safety feature, especially for households with young children. Also, induction cooktops take less time to cook food as compared to other types of cooktops. Furthermore, the induction cooktop is safer than the gas cooktop due to the absence of open flames, as in the case of gas cooktops, which is also contributing to their growing popularity among consumers. The growing demand for time-saving and energy-efficient cooking appliances is significantly driving the demand for induction cooktops. With the growing working demographic population, both men and women, there has been a rapid rise in the demand for efficient cooking appliances so as to save both time and money. The emerging trend of modular kitchens is also a driving force for the growth of the global consumer induction cooktop market. The growing middle-class population, especially in emerging economies such as China and India, is increasingly spending on modular kitchens, which is augmenting the demand for built-in induction cooktops, thereby propelling the global market growth of consumer induction cooktops. The growing residential construction industry will further continue to bolster the market growth of the consumer induction cooktop. With the rising number of residential buildings and a growing population, the need for space-saving and appliances that optimize the usage of small spaces is also increasing, which is fuelling the demand for space and cost-efficient induction cooktops. Global market players are offering a diverse product portfolio as per the needs of their customers. For example, Panasonic induction cooktops use cutting-edge technology and are designed to seamlessly integrate into the kitchen with their sleek design, with features like precise temperature control, four cooking zones, and a stylish LED display with slider control. Whirlpool's glass touch controls on induction cooktops make the cooking space modern and original. Also, smooth tops are easier to clean when compared to traditional gas grates, keeping the kitchen sparkling clean. The online segment is projected to grow at a higher CAGR during the forecast period By distribution channel, the online segment is poised to grow at a higher compound annual growth rate between 2020 and 2025. The rapidly growing e-commerce industry due to the rising penetration of smartphones and internet connectivity is encouraging consumers to shop for induction cooktops along with other kitchen appliances via online stores. Moreover, the massive expansion of online retailers, with company-owned shopping portals on the rise, is further contributing to the rapid growth of the online segment during the forecast period. The offline distribution channel will hold a noteworthy market share during the projected period. The Asia Pacific will witness the fastest regional market growth Geographically, the global Consumer Induction Cooktop market has been segmented as North America, South America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific. North America accounted for a significant share of the global consumer induction cooktop market. Europe also holds a substantial market share throughout the forecast period owing to stringent regulations regarding energy efficiency. The presence of global consumer induction cooktop vendors in the region is also supporting the growth of this regional market. The Asia Pacific, however, is projected to experience a noteworthy compound annual growth rate (CAGR) during the forecast period. Rising disposable incomes and living standards, along with increasing urbanization are some of the driving factors of the APAC induction cooktop market. The growing popularity of modular kitchens with innovative kitchen appliances that reduce cooking time and save money among the booming working-class population in countries like China, India, Australia, and South Korea is driving the demand for consumer induction cooktops, in this region. Rising cases of gas leakage from LPG cylinders is also encouraging consumers to opt for induction cooktops which are safer than gas cooktops, thus positively impacting the market growth of consumer induction cooktops in the Asia Pacific. The increasing number of multi-story residential buildings in India with limited space is also leading consumers to opt for space-saving induction cooktops which is further spurring the regional market growth. Commercial spaces such as small offices and shops are also using induction cooktops to make light snacks, which is also escalating the sales of these kitchen appliances across the region. The rapidly growing e-commerce industry in APAC countries, especially India and China, will continue to fuel the regional market's growth until the end of the forecast period. Competitive Insights Panasonic Corporation, Whirlpool, LG Electronics, Koninklijke Philips N.V., BSH Home Appliances Corporation, Electrolux, Miele, Haier Inc., Midea, and TTK Prestige Ltd. are among the prominent key market players in the Global Consumer Induction Cooktop market. These companies hold a noteworthy share in the market on account of their good brand image and product offerings. Major players in the global consumer induction cooktop market have been covered along with their relative competitive positions and strategies. The report also mentions recent deals and investments of different market players over the last two years. Key Topics Covered: 1. Introduction 2. Research Methodology 4. Market Dynamics 4.1. Market Drivers 4.2. Market Restraints 4.3. Porter's Five Forces Analysis 4.3.1. Bargaining Power of Suppliers 4.3.2. Bargaining Power of Buyers 4.3.3. Threat of New Entrants 4.3.4. Threat of Substitutes 4.3.5. Competitive Rivalry in the Function 4.4. Function Value Chain Analysis 5. Global Consumer Induction Cooktop Market Analysis, By Product Type 5.1. Introduction 5.2. Built-In 5.3. Free-Standing 6. Global Consumer Induction Cooktop Market Analysis, By Application 6.1. Introduction 6.2. Household 6.3. Commercial 7. Global Consumer Induction Cooktop Market Analysis, By Distribution Channel 7.1. Introduction 7.2. Online 7.3. Offline 8. Global Consumer Induction Cooktop Market Analysis, By Geography 9. Competitive Environment and Analysis 9.1. Major Players and Strategy Analysis 9.2. Emerging Players and Market Lucrativeness 9.3. Mergers, Acquisitions, Agreements, and Collaborations 9.4. Vendor Competitiveness Matrix 10. Company Profiles 10.1. Panasonic Corporation 10.2. Whirlpool 10.3. LG Electronics 10.4. Koninklijke Philips N.V. 10.5. BSH Home Appliances Corporation (Owned By Bosch Group) 10.6. Electrolux 10.7. Miele 10.8. Midea 10.9. TTK Prestige Ltd For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/5vtb0p Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg SOURCE Research and Markets a2 Platinum, Leading New Zealand IMF Brand, to Help Ease U.S. Crisis BOULDER, Colo., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The a2 Milk Company announced it has received discretion from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to supply its a2 Platinum Premium infant milk formula to the U.S. market to help alleviate the ongoing supply crisis. a2 Platinum is manufactured in New Zealand and is a leading international infant milk formula brand. The a2 Milk Company expects to sell up to 1 million cans through June 30, 2023, assuming enforcement discretion remains in place throughout the period, and with the opportunity to support the US market in the long-term. The Company is also able to supply Stage 3 toddler product in addition to this which does not require enforcement discretion. With FDA enforcement discretion, a2 Milk can leverage its existing presence and strong retailer partnerships in the U.S., where it has sold its premium fresh milk products since 2015, to secure distribution for a2 Platinum in key nationwide retailers. Blake Waltrip, CEO of The a2 Milk Company USA said: "As a major global provider of infant formula, receiving permission to bring our a2 Platinum formula to the U.S. will enable us to help address current supply shortages across the country with a product that parents have trusted internationally for more than a decade." As with all of the company's products, a2 Platinum is made with a2 Milk. a2 Milk is 100% real milk that comes from cows that naturally produce only the A2 protein type. Published research suggests that a2 Milk is easier on digestion and may help some avoid stomach discomfort. In the U.S., a2 Milk is one of the fastest-growing premium milk brands with distribution in more than 27,000 stores. More information on a2 Platinum is available at a2nutrition.com. About The a2 Milk Company The a2 Milk Company was founded in 2000 in New Zealand by Dr. Corran McLachlan after scientific research suggested that proteins in milk may affect some people differently. The company entered the U.S. market in 2015, works exclusively with U.S. farms that are Validus certified for animal welfare, and is now one of the fastest growing brands in the premium milk category in the U.S. with distribution in over 27,000 locations. a2 Milk comes from cows that naturally produce only the A2 protein. Published research suggests a2 Milk may help some people avoid stomach discomfort. For more information, visit a2milk.com. SOURCE The a2 Milk Company STOCKHOLM, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Absolut Vodka is to become the first global spirits brand to move to a partly hydrogen energy-fired glass furnace for large-scale production in a significant step to reduce the CO 2 emissions from making its iconic bottles. The hydrogen initiative is an important milestone for Absolut Vodka in becoming completely CO 2 neutral by 2030. A prerequisite for being able to meet this goal is in reducing the carbon footprint of its glass packaging. Absolut has been a partner with Ardagh's Limmared glassworks in Sweden for 40 years Absolut has signed an agreement with Ardagh Glass Packaging in Limmared, a subsidiary of Ardagh Group, to use this partly hydrogen-fired furnace commencing in the second half of 2023. The pioneering collaboration will accelerate the transformation of the global glassmaking process for a more sustainable future. Absolut has been a partner with Ardagh's Limmared glassworks in Sweden for 40 years, which currently uses a combination of natural gas and electricity to power its furnaces. From the second half of 2023, Ardagh will launch a pilot in its Limmared plant replacing 20 per cent of its natural gas with green hydrogen to manufacture all of Absolut's bottles across its portfolio. This means a full-scale change of the continuous production of Absolut bottles for all markets globally. The hydrogen will be produced onsite at Ardagh by using renewably sourced electricity. An industry wide quest for reducing climate impact is taking place. Combined with other innovations and sustainability initiatives, new technologies such as hydrogen furnaces will reduce carbon emissions from glass production significantly. The use of hydrogen would reduce Absolut Vodka's carbon footprint from glass by 20%. It follows other joint initiatives to reduce carbon emissions, such as the light-weighting of glass, increased use of electricity in the current furnace and a significant increase in recycled flint glass today reaching 53% with the ambition to go even further. Absolut owns one of the world's most energy-efficient distilleries. It has 98 per cent fewer emissions than an average distillery and has built up a surplus of emission rights as a result. The intent is to use these to invest in green transformation. Absolut will support Ardagh in this project and the parties will work together to fulfill Absolut's ambitions of a CO 2 neutral product by 2030 by using today's and tomorrow's best available technologies in glass manufacturing. Stephanie Durroux, Chief Executive of The Absolut Company, says: "Given we've been investing in our own production for decades, decreasing our emissions and increasing energy efficiency, we're now in a position where we also can focus on the parts of our value chain that are outside or our own scope. The glass manufacturing industry is in a transformative journey, and the world can't wait for the perfect solution. A bold and innovative approach is needed to accelerate radical change that will help solve the significant sustainability challenges that all glassmakers and buyers of glass face." Bo Nilsson, Managing Director of Ardagh Glass Limmared AB, added: "Our industry needs to be less reliant on fossil fuels and transition at pace to using more green energy. By investing in this new technology, we are embarking on a journey to reduce the carbon footprint of our glass packaging. There are challenges with such innovation, but we are committed to being an early mover in future-proofing our glass manufacturing operations world-wide." For more information, assets or interview requests, please contact: Michael Lamb [email protected] +44 75124 30936 Notes to editors: About The Absolut Company The Absolut Company has the worldwide responsibility for the production, packaging innovation and strategic marketing of Absolut Vodka, Malibu and Kahlua. Absolut Vodka is one of the world's top ten international spirits brands. Every bottle of Absolut Vodka comes from one source, Ahus in southern Sweden. Malibu is the number one rum-based coconut spirit in the world. Kahlua coffee liqueur is the world leader in its category. The Absolut Company portfolio also includes Ahus Akvavit. The visitor center, Absolut Home, located next to the main production site for Absolut Vodka, was opened in 2018. The head office is located in Stockholm, Sweden. Chairman and CEO is Stephanie Durroux. The Absolut Company is a part of Pernod Ricard, the world's second-largest wine and spirits producer (source: IWSR). About Pernod Ricard Pernod Ricard is the No.2 worldwide producer of wines and spirits with consolidated sales amounting to 10,701 million in fiscal year FY22. The Group, which owns 17 of the Top 100 Spirits Brands, holds one of the most prestigious and comprehensive portfolios in the industry with over 240 premium brands distributed across more than 160 markets. Pernod Ricard's portfolio includes Absolut Vodka, Ricard pastis, Ballantine's, Chivas Regal, Royal Salute, The Glenlivet Scotch whiskies, Jameson Irish whiskey, Martell cognac, Havana Club rum, Beefeater gin, Malibu liqueur and Mumm and Perrier-Jouet champagnes. The Group's mission is to unlock the magic of human connections by bringing "Good Times from a Good Place", in line with its Sustainability and Responsibility roadmap. Pernod Ricard's decentralised organisation empowers its 19,480 employees to be on-the-ground ambassadors of its purposeful and inclusive culture of conviviality, bringing people together in meaningful, sustainable and responsible ways to create value over the long term. Executing its strategic plan, Transform & Accelerate, Pernod Ricard now relies on its "Conviviality Platform", a new growth model based on data and artificial intelligence to meet the ever-changing demand of consumers. Pernod Ricard is listed on Euronext (Ticker: RI; ISIN Code:FR0000120693) and is part of the CAC 40 and Eurostoxx 50 indices. About Ardagh Sweden Ardagh Glass Limmared AB is part of the Ardagh Group, a global supplier of sustainable, infinitely recyclable, metal and glass packaging for brand owners around the world. Ardagh operates 65 metal and glass production facilities in 16 countries, employing 20,000 people with sales of approximately $10bn. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1936390/Absolut_Partner_with_Ardagh.jpg SOURCE The Absolut Company Trial and appellate firm earns recognition by Lawdragon, Best Law Firms DALLAS, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Trial and appellate law firm Johnston Tobey Baruch has earned placement on the prestigious Best Law Firms list for seven practice areas, as well as recognition by Lawdragon on the 500 Leading Litigators in America listing. The firm was selected by Best Law Firms as a top firm in Dallas/Fort Worth for its appellate practice, commercial litigation, legal malpractice on behalf of plaintiffs and defendants, mergers and acquisitions litigation, and professional malpractice on behalf of defendants. The firm also ranked among the top in the region for professional malpractice on behalf of plaintiffs. The Best Law Firms list is developed annually by U.S. News & World Report and The Best Lawyers in America through exhaustive peer-review surveys in which tens of thousands of leading lawyers confidentially evaluate their professional peers. The final results appear in the Best Law Firms publication and online at http://bestlawfirms.usnews.com/. Randy Johnston, Robert Tobey, Chad Baruch and Coyt Johnston were each recognized by Lawdragon on the inaugural list of 500 Leading Litigators in America for 2023 as well. This is the first Lawdragon guide dedicated to attorneys who excel in representing those in litigation claims involving antitrust, securities, financial, M&A, intellectual property and patents, product liability, mass tort, white collar, government investigations and energy disputes. All three name partners are board-certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization Randy Johnston in civil trial law, Mr. Tobey in consumer and commercial law, and Mr. Baruch in civil appellate law. About Johnston Tobey Baruch: Johnston Tobey Baruch is a dynamic law practice based in Dallas. Its trial and appellate attorneys have a broad range of litigation, arbitration and appellate experience. They are pioneers in the handling of legal and accounting malpractice, investment fraud and business disputes. They also have an enviable track record with insurance bad faith matters, commercial litigation and fiduciary litigation, as well as civil, family and criminal appeals for many prominent Texas companies and individuals. Media Contact: Alyssa Woulfe 800-559-4534 [email protected] SOURCE Johnston Tobey Baruch ALAMEDA, Calif., and TAIPEI, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Acepodia, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing first-in-class cell therapies with its unique antibody-cell conjugation (ACC) technology to address gaps in cancer care, today announced the upcoming poster presentation of new preclinical data for ACE1831, a gamma delta 2 T cell therapy being developed as a treatment for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The company will present this data at the 37th annual meeting of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC), being held in Boston, MA, from November 8 to 12, 2022. The poster presentation will showcase data demonstrating that ACE1831 is able to target cancer cells, overcome tumor defenses, and deliver a potent, cancer-killing cellular payload. Details on the presentation and session information are provided below: Presentation details Title: Application of Antibody-Cell Conjugation Technology in a Novel Off-the-shelf CD20-targeting Gamma Delta T Cell Therapy ACE1831 Poster Number: 251 Date: November 10, 2022 at 9:00 a.m. EDT The poster presentation will be accessible in person and virtually. All accepted abstracts will be published in a Supplement to the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer (JITC). "Acepodia's unique Antibody-Cell Conjugation (ACC) technology platform is inherited from the lab of Dr. Carolyn Bertozzi, 2022 Nobel Prize laureate in Chemistry, where she pioneers work in the development of biorthogonal chemistry and moves click chemistry into living organisms. Antibody-Cell Conjugation technology uses this live-cell compatible chemistry to link any tumor-targeting antibody to the surface of human immune cells. This powerful, new approach to cell therapy development has the potential to enhance the ability of 2 T cells to recognize and engage the tumor by unlocking multiple receptor signaling pathways. This could potentially allow ACC-2 T therapies to overcome the challenges that have prevented cell therapies from effectively targeting solid tumors," said Sonny Hsiao, Ph.D., chief executive officer and co-founder of Acepodia. "We plan to continue developing novel off-the-shelf cell therapy that leverage our unique ACC technology platform, which can be applied to a variety of immune effector cells, and we look forward to advancing our ACE1831 into phase 1 clinical study in 2022." About Gamma-Delta T Cells Acepodia's gamma delta T cell program harnesses the unique properties of gamma delta T cells to develop a new class of off-the-shelf cell therapies for the treatment of cancer. Gamma delta T cells have characteristics of both the innate and adaptive immune systems that make them an ideal chassis for the development of cell therapies. This cell type can recognize and attack cancerous cells as well as coordinate a broad antitumor immune response by recruiting other immune factors and cells to the site of disease. Gamma delta T cells have also been shown to preferentially traffic to distinct tissues and could be ideally suited for more targeted treatment of certain types of cancers. About Acepodia Acepodia is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing first-in-class cell therapies with its unique Antibody-Cell Conjugation (ACC) platform technology to address gaps in cancer care. Leveraging its ACC technology, the company links tumor-targeting antibodies to its proprietary immune cells, such as natural killer and gamma delta T cells to create novel ACE therapies, which have increased binding strength against tumors that express low levels of tumor antigens. Acepodia is made up of seasoned leaders and scientific experts dedicated to advancing its robust pipeline of ACE therapies with the potential to bring innovative, effective, and affordable cell therapies to a broad population of patients across a variety of solid tumors and hematologic cancers. For more information, visit https://www.acepodia.com and follow Acepodia on Twitter and LinkedIn SOURCE Acepodia, Inc. NASHVILLE, Tenn., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Monogram Health, a value-based specialty provider of in-home nephrology, primary care and benefit management services for individuals with chronic kidney and end-stage renal disease, today announced it has been selected by AdventHealth, one of the nation's largest faith-based health systems, as a partner to improve the health outcomes of patients impacted by chronic kidney disease. The partnership connects Monogram's specialized MSO kidney care teams with AdventHealth providers to slow the progression of chronic kidney and end-stage renal disease. "Monogram Health's broad range of kidney-focused services will serve as a valuable resource to AdventHealth providers in the shared pursuit of improved clinical outcomes," said Thomas Diller, M.D., chief medical officer of AdventHealth's Population Health Services Organization. "Monogram's evidence-based, in-home care management model offers a blueprint for providers as they work to delay the progression of kidney disease, prevent complications and appropriately prepare and manage patient needs." Through the partnership, Monogram Health supports AdventHealth across its Florida markets, serving members enrolled in AdventHealth Advantage Plans MA, AdventHealth Employee Plan, AdventHealth Advantage Commercial Plans and AdventHealth Well 65+. Monogram's transformative, high-touch model has been shown to improve patient outcomes, experience and quality of life while reducing medical costs. Monogram is working with AdventHealth's providers to coordinate care for patients, offering services including care coordination with nephrology specialists and primary care providers as well as dialysis, transplant, palliative care and social services; family counseling; in-home care management; medication management; advance care planning; nutrition management; referral management; remote monitoring/biometrics; and telehealth. Monogram services are available at no cost to patients. "We're proud to bring our unique kidney care model and specialized expertise to AdventHealth's providers and serve as an extension of their patient-centered practices," said Monogram Health CEO Michael Uchrin. "Our organizations share a commitment to improving quality of life for those we serve through the delivery of whole-person, best-in-class care. Through this partnership, Monogram will support AdventHealth patients and families to assist them in maximizing their health for happier, more fulfilling lives." About Monogram Health Monogram Health is a leading value-based provider of in-home nephrology, primary care, and benefit management services for individuals with chronic kidney and end-stage renal disease. The company deploys an innovative in-home care delivery model and technology-driven array of evidence-based clinical services, including complex case and disease management, utilization management, and medication therapy management to transform the way health care is delivered for those with kidney disease. This innovative model of care has been shown to dramatically improve patient outcomes and quality of life while reducing medical costs across the health care continuum. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, and privately held by Frist Cressey Ventures, Norwest Venture Partners, and TPG Capital, Monogram Health has numerous value-based partnerships with leading health plans and risk-bearing providers to care for patients across 34 states and all insurance products. To learn more about Monogram Health, please visit here. About AdventHealth With a sacred mission of Extending the Healing Ministry of Christ, AdventHealth is a connected system of care for every stage of life and health. More than 80,000 skilled and compassionate caregivers in physician practices, hospitals, outpatient clinics, skilled nursing facilities, home health agencies and hospice centers provide individualized, wholistic care. A shared vision, common values, focus on whole-person health and commitment to making communities healthier unify the system's more than 50 hospital campuses and hundreds of care sites in diverse markets throughout almost a dozen states. For more information, visit adventhealth.com/news. Media Contact: Kyle Cooksey, [email protected], 615-510-6492 SOURCE Monogram Health NEW YORK, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global Airport Ground Support Equipment Market share is set to increase by USD 1630.63 million from 2022 to 2027. In addition, the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 4.27% as per the latest market forecast report by Technavio. The market will also record a 3.28% Y-O-Y growth rate during the forecast period. To know more about the historic market size Request a Free Sample Report! Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Airport Ground Support Equipment Market 2023-2027 Global Airport Ground Support Equipment Market - Parent Market Analysis Technavio categorizes the Global Airport Ground Support Equipment (GSE) Market as a part of the global aerospace and defense market within the global capital goods market. The parent, global aerospace and defense market covers products and companies engaged in the production of aerial platforms used under commercial and general aviation; defense platforms used under naval, land, and air domains; arms and ammunition; defense electronics; defense logistics equipment; and space platforms, equipment, and launch vehicles. The aerospace and defense market also encompasses maintenance, overhaul, and repair (MRO) activities related to commercial and general aviation and defense sectors. Technavio calculates the global capital goods market size based on the combined revenue generated by the manufacturers/providers for industries such as aerospace and defense, building, construction and engineering, electrical equipment, industrial conglomerates, machinery, trading companies, and distributors. For more information parent market along with value chain analysis Grab an Exclusive sample! Global Airport Ground Support Equipment Market Characteristics with Five Forces The Global Airport Ground Support Equipment Market is fragmented and the five forces analysis by Technavio gives the accurate vision Bargaining Power of Buyers The threat of New Entrants Threat of Rivalry Bargaining Power of Suppliers For information on the impact of the five forces analysis Click Now! Global Airport ground support equipment Market Customer Landscape The disruption threats are strategic in nature, and operational risks for suppliers have been mapped based on their negative business impact and probability of occurrence. The potential for the customer landscape will be available with Technavio Reports Buy Now! Global Airport Ground Support Equipment Market - Segmentation Assessment Geography Segment Overview Technavio's market research report entails detailed information on regional opportunities in store for vendors, which will assist in generating sales revenues. The Global Airport Ground Support Equipment Market as per geography is categorized into North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and the Middle East and Africa. The report provides an accurate prediction of the contribution of all regions to the growth of the Global Airport Ground Support Equipment Market size and actionable market understandings. Regional Highlights: North America is the fastest-growing region in the global airport ground support equipment market compared to other regions. 31% growth will originate from North America . The presence of various notable players from the aircraft manufacturing supply chain supports aircraft and airport GSE manufacturing activities across North America . Also, the recovery of the US economy has resulted in increased domestic air travel, which has contributed significantly to the demand for airport GSE. Moreover, commercial airlines operating in the region are increasingly inclining toward inducting new-generation aircraft. This is creating numerous opportunities for airport GSE providers, as effective handling of the new-generation aircraft becomes vital for airline companies to ensure effective performance and maximum uptime. Type Segment Overview The Global Airport Ground Support Equipment Market as per type segmentation is categorized into Powered airport GSE and Non-powered airport GSE. Revenue Generating Segment - The segment includes towing tractors, lifts and loaders, ground power units, refuelers, buses, air start units, portable water trucks, lavatory service vehicles, catering vehicles, and de-icing vehicles. The adoption of powered airport GSE is expected to increase during the forecast period, as they are easy to use and contribute significantly to the efficiency and productivity of airport operations. The increasing air traffic and cargo transportation worldwide is the major driver for the growing adoption of powered airport GSE. In addition, the demand for regional aircraft is constantly growing due to the commercialization of new routes and point-to-point connections. This will lead to a rise in the adoption of powered airport GSE in regional airports. Download a FREE Sample Report that can help you to strategize your sales revenue - Get it now! Global Airport Ground Support Equipment Market Market Dynamics Major Driver Boosting the Market The rise in the construction and upgrades of airports is one of the major factors driving the growth of the market. The number of air passengers has increased over the years owing to economic development in emerging countries such as India , China , and Indonesia . , , and . Also, countries such as Spain , China , Italy , the UK, Germany , and Thailand had observed an increase in the number of tourist arrivals in 2019. Such an increase in the number of international tourists has surged investments in new airport construction and upgrades. , , , the UK, , and had observed an increase in the number of tourist arrivals in 2019. Such an increase in the number of international tourists has surged investments in new airport construction and upgrades. Airport GSE is necessary for effective airport operations. With the proliferation of air travel passengers, the demand for airport GSE has increased as it facilitates efficient airport operations. Major Trends influencing the growth of the market The growing adoption of GSE pooling is identified as one of the key trends in the market. GSE pooling is an efficient ground-handling procedure adopted by airport operators to increase efficiency and reduce costs. GSE pooling is the supply of GSE or GSE solutions for use by several airline ground handlers of a specific airport. This reduces the congestion in the terminals and, subsequently, improves airport passenger capacity. GSE pooling reduces the need for airport GSE by about 24% at a specific airport, which, in turn, reduces the cost associated with purchasing new airport GSE and maintenance costs. Major airports across the world are adopting the GSE pooling concept. For instance, in 2017, London Luton Airport launched the GSE pooling program in collaboration with the airport's two ground handling agents, Menzies Aviation plc and Swissport International AG. Technavio expects the popularity of GSE pooling to grow across the world as the rising air traffic is leading to a shortage of space at airport terminals. Major Challenges interrupting the market growth The cost pressure on airport GSE manufacturers will challenge the growth of the market during the forecast period. Intense competition among manufacturers and surging consumer demand require OEMs to operate within strict cost parameters while remaining profitable. Additionally, as the supply base is small due to consolidation, suppliers diversify by manufacturing various components. This diversification is capital-intensive and comes with new services such as the design and development of new parts. Hence, suppliers find it difficult to keep costs low. Airport GSE consists of various elements that are combined into one single unit, and this unit demands high costs due to its components and quality requirements. To know about other factors of market dynamics Request a Free Sample! Technavio suggests three forecast scenarios (optimistic, probable, and pessimistic) considering the impact of COVID-19. Technavio's in-depth research has direct and indirect COVID-19-impacted market research reports. Register for a free trial today and gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports. Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform Airport ground support equipment Market 2023-2027: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2023-2027 Detailed information on factors that will assist airport ground support equipment market growth during the next five years Estimation of the airport ground support equipment market size and its contribution to the parent market Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior The growth of the airport ground support equipment market Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of airport ground support equipment market vendors Related Reports: The airport non-aeronautical revenue market share is expected to increase by USD 46.93 billion from 2020 to 2025, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 9.1%. The airport non-aeronautical revenue market is segmented by product (concessionaries, parking and car rentals, land rentals, terminal rent by airlines, and other services) and geography (APAC, North America , Europe , South America , APAC, North America , Europe , and South America ). share is expected to increase by from 2020 to 2025, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 9.1%. The airport non-aeronautical revenue market is segmented by product (concessionaries, parking and car rentals, land rentals, terminal rent by airlines, and other services) and geography (APAC, , , , APAC, , , and ). The airport smart baggage handling solutions market share is expected to increase by USD 676.8 million from 2020 to 2025, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 5.16%. The airport smart baggage handling solutions market is segmented by product (smart baggage and tracking devices and smart baggage screening devices) and geography (APAC, North America , Europe , MEA, and South America ). Airport Ground Support Equipment Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2022 Forecast period 2023-2027 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 4.27% Market growth 2023-2027 USD 1630.63 million Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 3.28 Regional analysis North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and Middle East and Africa Performing market contribution North America at 31% Key consumer countries US, Canada, China, Germany, and UK Competitive landscape Leading companies, competitive strategies, consumer engagement scope Companies profiled AERO Specialties Inc., Aeroservices Ltd., Alvest SAS, Avia Equipment Pte Ltd., Cavotec SA, China International Marine Containers Group Ltd., Curtis Instruments Inc., ITW GSE ApS, John Bean Technologies Corp., Kalmar Motor AB, Mallaghan GA Inc., MULAG Fahrzeugwerk GmBH u Co. KG, Rheinmetall AG, Sojitz Aerospace Corp., STANGCO Industrial Equipment Inc., Swati Airport Support Services Pvt. Ltd., TCR International N.V., Textron Inc., Tronair Inc., Vestergaard Co., and Weihai Guangtai Airport Equipment Co. Ltd Market Dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and future consumer dynamics, and market condition analysis for the forecast period. Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized. Table Of Contents: 1 Executive Summary 1.1 Market overview Exhibit 01: Executive Summary Chart on Market Overview Exhibit 02: Executive Summary Data Table on Market Overview Exhibit 03: Executive Summary Chart on Global Market Characteristics Exhibit 04: Executive Summary Chart on Market by Geography Exhibit 05: Executive Summary Chart on Market Segmentation by Type Exhibit 06: Executive Summary Chart on Market Segmentation by Power Rating Exhibit 07: Executive Summary Chart on Incremental Growth Exhibit 08: Executive Summary Data Table on Incremental Growth Exhibit 09: Executive Summary Chart on Vendor Market Positioning 2 Market Landscape 2.1 Market ecosystem Exhibit 10: Parent market Exhibit 11: Market Characteristics 3 Market Sizing 3.1 Market definition Exhibit 12: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition 3.2 Market segment analysis Exhibit 13: Market segments 3.3 Market size 2022 3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2022-2027 Exhibit 14: Chart on Global - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 15: Data Table on Global - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 16: Chart on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 17: Data Table on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 4 Historic Market Size 4.1 Global airport ground support equipment market 2017 - 2021 Exhibit 18: Historic Market Size Data Table on Global airport ground support equipment market 2017 - 2021 ($ million) 4.2 Type Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021 Exhibit 19: Historic Market Size Type Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million) 4.3 Power rating Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021 Exhibit 20: Historic Market Size Power rating Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million) 4.4 Geography Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021 Exhibit 21: Historic Market Size Geography Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million) 4.5 Country Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021 Exhibit 22: Historic Market Size Country Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million) 5 Five Forces Analysis 5.1 Five forces summary Exhibit 23: Five forces analysis - Comparison between2022 and 2027 5.2 Bargaining power of buyers Exhibit 24: Chart on Bargaining power of buyers Impact of key factors 2022 and 2027 5.3 Bargaining power of suppliers Exhibit 25: Bargaining power of suppliers Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027 5.4 Threat of new entrants Exhibit 26: Threat of new entrants Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027 5.5 Threat of substitutes Exhibit 27: Threat of substitutes Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027 5.6 Threat of rivalry Exhibit 28: Threat of rivalry Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027 5.7 Market condition Exhibit 29: Chart on Market condition - Five forces 2022 and 2027 6 Market Segmentation by Type 6.1 Market segments Exhibit 30: Chart on Type - Market share 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 31: Data Table on Type - Market share 2022-2027 (%) 6.2 Comparison by Type Exhibit 32: Chart on Comparison by Type Exhibit 33: Data Table on Comparison by Type 6.3 Powered airport GSE - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 34: Chart on Powered airport GSE - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 35: Data Table on Powered airport GSE - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 36: Chart on Powered airport GSE - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 37: Data Table on Powered airport GSE - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 6.4 Non-powered GSE - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 38: Chart on Non-powered GSE - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 39: Data Table on Non-powered GSE - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 40: Chart on Non-powered GSE - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 41: Data Table on Non-powered GSE - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 6.5 Market opportunity by Type Exhibit 42: Market opportunity by Type ($ million) 7 Market Segmentation by Power Rating 7.1 Market segments Exhibit 43: Chart on Power Rating - Market share 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 44: Data Table on Power Rating - Market share 2022-2027 (%) 7.2 Comparison by Power Rating Exhibit 45: Chart on Comparison by Power Rating Exhibit 46: Data Table on Comparison by Power Rating 7.3 Electric - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 47: Chart on Electric - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 48: Data Table on Electric - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 49: Chart on Electric - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 50: Data Table on Electric - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 7.4 Non-electric - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 51: Chart on Non-electric - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 52: Data Table on Non-electric - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 53: Chart on Non-electric - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 54: Data Table on Non-electric - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 7.5 Hybrid - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 55: Chart on Hybrid - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 56: Data Table on Hybrid - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 57: Chart on Hybrid - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 58: Data Table on Hybrid - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 7.6 Market opportunity by Power Rating Exhibit 59: Market opportunity by Power Rating ($ million) 8 Customer Landscape 8.1 Customer landscape overview Exhibit 60: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria 9 Geographic Landscape 9.1 Geographic segmentation Exhibit 61: Chart on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 62: Data Table on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%) 9.2 Geographic comparison Exhibit 63: Chart on Geographic comparison Exhibit 64: Data Table on Geographic comparison 9.3 North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 65: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 66: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 67: Chart on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 68: Data Table on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.4 Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 69: Chart on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 70: Data Table on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 71: Chart on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 72: Data Table on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.5 APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 73: Chart on APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 74: Data Table on APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 75: Chart on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 76: Data Table on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.6 South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 77: Chart on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 78: Data Table on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 79: Chart on South America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 80: Data Table on South America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.7 Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 81: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 82: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 83: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) and - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 84: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.8 US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 85: Chart on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 86: Data Table on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 87: Chart on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 88: Data Table on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.9 China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 89: Chart on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 90: Data Table on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 91: Chart on China - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 92: Data Table on China - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.10 Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 93: Chart on Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 94: Data Table on Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 95: Chart on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 96: Data Table on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.11 UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 97: Chart on UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 98: Data Table on UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 99: Chart on UK - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 100: Data Table on UK - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.12 Canada - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 101: Chart on Canada - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 102: Data Table on Canada - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 103: Chart on Canada - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 104: Data Table on Canada - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.13 Market opportunity by geography Exhibit 105: Market opportunity by geography ($ million) 10 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends 10.1 Market drivers 10.2 Market challenges 10.3 Impact of drivers and challenges Exhibit 106: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2022 and 2027 10.4 Market trends 11 Vendor Landscape 11.1 Overview 11.2 Vendor landscape Exhibit 107: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation 11.3 Landscape disruption Exhibit 108: Overview on factors of disruption 11.4 Industry risks Exhibit 109: Impact of key risks on business 12 Vendor Analysis 12.1 Vendors covered Exhibit 110: Vendors covered 12.2 Market positioning of vendors Exhibit 111: Matrix on vendor position and classification 12.3 AERO Specialties Inc. Exhibit 112: AERO Specialties Inc. - Overview Exhibit 113: AERO Specialties Inc. - Product / Service Exhibit 114: AERO Specialties Inc. - Key offerings 12.4 Alvest SAS Exhibit 115: Alvest SAS - Overview Exhibit 116: Alvest SAS - Product / Service Exhibit 117: Alvest SAS - Key news Exhibit 118: Alvest SAS - Key offerings 12.5 Cavotec SA Exhibit 119: Cavotec SA - Overview Exhibit 120: Cavotec SA - Business segments Exhibit 121: Cavotec SA - Key offerings Exhibit 122: Cavotec SA - Segment focus 12.6 Curtis Instruments Inc. Exhibit 123: Curtis Instruments Inc. - Overview Exhibit 124: Curtis Instruments Inc. - Product / Service Exhibit 125: Curtis Instruments Inc. - Key offerings 12.7 ITW GSE ApS Exhibit 126: ITW GSE ApS - Overview Exhibit 127: ITW GSE ApS - Product / Service Exhibit 128: ITW GSE ApS - Key news Exhibit 129: ITW GSE ApS - Key offerings 12.8 John Bean Technologies Corp. Exhibit 130: John Bean Technologies Corp. - Overview Exhibit 131: John Bean Technologies Corp. - Business segments Exhibit 132: John Bean Technologies Corp. - Key offerings Exhibit 133: John Bean Technologies Corp. - Segment focus 12.9 Mallaghan GA Inc. Exhibit 134: Mallaghan GA Inc. - Overview Exhibit 135: Mallaghan GA Inc. - Product / Service Exhibit 136: Mallaghan GA Inc. - Key news Exhibit 137: Mallaghan GA Inc. - Key offerings 12.10 MULAG Fahrzeugwerk GmBH u Co. KG Exhibit 138: MULAG Fahrzeugwerk GmBH u Co. KG - Overview Exhibit 139: MULAG Fahrzeugwerk GmBH u Co. KG - Product / Service Exhibit 140: MULAG Fahrzeugwerk GmBH u Co. KG - Key offerings 12.11 Rheinmetall AG Exhibit 141: Rheinmetall AG - Overview Exhibit 142: Rheinmetall AG - Business segments Exhibit 143: Rheinmetall AG - Key news Exhibit 144: Rheinmetall AG - Key offerings Exhibit 145: Rheinmetall AG - Segment focus 12.12 Sojitz Aerospace Corp. Exhibit 146: Sojitz Aerospace Corp. - Overview Exhibit 147: Sojitz Aerospace Corp. - Product / Service Exhibit 148: Sojitz Aerospace Corp. - Key offerings 12.13 TCR International N.V. Exhibit 149: TCR International N.V. - Overview Exhibit 150: TCR International N.V. - Product / Service Exhibit 151: TCR International N.V. - Key offerings 12.14 Textron Inc. Exhibit 152: Textron Inc. - Overview Exhibit 153: Textron Inc. - Business segments Exhibit 154: Textron Inc. - Key offerings Exhibit 155: Textron Inc. - Segment focus 12.15 Tronair Inc. Exhibit 156: Tronair Inc. - Overview Exhibit 157: Tronair Inc. - Product / Service Exhibit 158: Tronair Inc. - Key offerings 12.16 Vestergaard Co. Exhibit 159: Vestergaard Co. - Overview Exhibit 160: Vestergaard Co. - Product / Service Exhibit 161: Vestergaard Co. - Key news Exhibit 162: Vestergaard Co. - Key offerings 12.17 Weihai Guangtai Airport Equipment Co. Ltd Exhibit 163: Weihai Guangtai Airport Equipment Co. Ltd - Overview Exhibit 164: Weihai Guangtai Airport Equipment Co. Ltd - Product / Service Exhibit 165: Weihai Guangtai Airport Equipment Co. Ltd - Key offerings 13 Appendix 13.1 Scope of the report 13.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist Exhibit 166: Inclusions checklist Exhibit 167: Exclusions checklist 13.3 Currency conversion rates for US$ Exhibit 168: Currency conversion rates for US$ 13.4 Research methodology Exhibit 169: Research methodology Exhibit 170: Validation techniques employed for market sizing Exhibit 171: Information sources 13.5 List of abbreviations Exhibit 172: List of abbreviations About Us Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus 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. Contact Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media & Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: med[email protected] Website: www.technavio.com/ SOURCE Technavio Antibacterial drugs market size pegged at US$ 46.37 Bn in 2018; R&D on novel unexploited targets and approaches in combating multi-drug resistant strains of bacteria unlocking incredible avenues Rising morbidity and mortality of emerging pathogens in infectious diseases in humans spurring need for new antimicrobials; growing risks of nosocomial infections in elderly to generate incremental opportunities WILMINGTON, Del., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A detailed demand and analysis of antibacterial drugs market underscored the rising incidence of antimicrobial resistance arising from multi-drug resistant strains, which is a pivotal trend. Growing awareness of healthcare-associated infections and nosocomial infections especially in developed regions of Europe and the U.S. have created vast revenue potential. A spate of innovative products has been commercialized in these regions in recent decades, thereby enriching the prospects of the global antibacterial drugs market. New product approvals for healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs) are expanding the outlook of the antibacterial drugs market continuously. Rise in elderly population has contributed to the rising risks of HAIs. Furthermore, a host of antimicrobial agents are in clinical development, which will pave the way for new antimicrobials that will reduce the prevalence of parasitic infections. Growing research spending and funding support by public institutions on anti-infective programs will fuel the future growth of antibacterial drugs market. Get Exclusive PDF Sample Copy of Antibacterial Drugs Market https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=1567 Key Findings of Antibacterial Drugs Market Study High Morbidity and Mortality of Multi-Drug Resistant Bacteria Presents Enormous Opportunities: The morbidity of multi-drug resistant strains of bacteria has steadily increased, which is a key driver of the need for new and improved antimicrobials in antibacterial drugs market. A case in point is demand for new antimicrobials for multi-drug resistant tuberculosis. However, with a number of patent expiries for pharmaceutical industry and penetration of generics in the healthcare industry have led to a decline in profits for key drug manufacturers, observed the study. Nevertheless, regulatory approvals of new antimicrobials will open up new revenue streams in antibacterial drugs market. The morbidity of multi-drug resistant strains of bacteria has steadily increased, which is a key driver of the need for new and improved antimicrobials in antibacterial drugs market. A case in point is demand for new antimicrobials for multi-drug resistant tuberculosis. However, with a number of patent expiries for pharmaceutical industry and penetration of generics in the healthcare industry have led to a decline in profits for key drug manufacturers, observed the study. Nevertheless, regulatory approvals of new antimicrobials will open up new revenue streams in antibacterial drugs market. R&D on New Unexploited Targets Expanding Canvas for Antibacterial Drugs Market Players: Growing R&D on new unexplored targets has opened up new frontiers in antibacterial drugs market. The mortality of serious infectious diseases caused by microorganisms is also high, and is a key pivot for need for targeting new antimicrobial agents. Common antimicrobials have been found to ineffective for many of these infectious diseases. Additionally, top players and pioneers are witnessing new growth frontiers, and thus will generate lucrative opportunities in antibacterial drugs market. Furthermore, increase in life expectancy has nudged large pharma companies to grow their R&D spending on developing next-gen antimicrobial drugs, as recent antibacterial drugs market trends indicate. Antibacterial Drugs Market: Key Drivers Rapidly aging population in numerous key economies is a key driver of the global antibacterial drugs market. Over the years, especially in developed nations, long-term hospitalizations have witnessed a significant rise in number of elderly patients, who being more vulnerable to risks of hospital acquired infections, have stirred growth prospects. High burden of infectious diseases especially due to severe infections caused by microorganisms that are resistant to common antimicrobials is a key pivot for R&D investments in antibacterial drugs market. Ask for References https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=ARF&rep_id=1567 Antibacterial Drugs Market: Competition Landscape Most key players in antibacterial drugs market have gained shares by adopting a mix of strategies pertaining to new product development including launch of novel antimicrobials. At in-depth study on the strategic landscape has found that many prominent firms have leveraged the synergies of mergers and acquisitions toward meeting these objectives. Some of the prominent companies in antibacterial drugs market are Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Allergan, Novartis AG, Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc., AstraZeneca, Merck & Co., Inc., GSK plc, Sanofi, Pfizer Inc., and Bayer AG. Make an Enquiry Before Buying https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=EB&rep_id=1567 Antibacterial Drugs Market Segmentation Drug Class B-lactam Quinolones Macrolides Tetracyclines Aminoglycosides Sulfonamides Phenicols Others Drug Class B-lactam Quinolones Macrolides Tetracyclines Aminoglycosides Sulfonamides Phenicols Others Route of Administration Enteral Parenteral Others Distribution Channel Hospital Pharmacies Drug Stores and Retail Pharmacies Online Sales Region North America Europe Asia Pacific Latin America Middle East & Africa Modernization of healthcare in terms of both infrastructure and services have pushed the healthcare industry to new heights, Stay Updated with Latest Healthcare Research Reports by Transparency Market Research: Hyperpigmentation Disorder Treatment Market: The global hyperpigmentation disorder treatment market is anticipated to reach more than US$ 9.5 Bn by the end of 2031 at a CAGR of 8.5% from 2022 to 2031. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Treatment Market: The global chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) treatment market is anticipated to reach more than US$ 30.4 Bn by the end of 2031. Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Market: The global acute lymphoblastic leukemia market is anticipated to reach more than US$ 4.5 Bn by the end of 2031 at a CAGR of 7.6% from 2022 to 2031. Oral Rehydration Solution [ORS] Market: The global oral rehydration solution (ORS) market is anticipated to reach more than US$ 6.71 Bn by 2031 at a CAGR of 9.9% from 2022 to 2031 at a CAGR of 9.9% from 2022 to 2031. Electronic Health Records [EHR] Market: The global electronic health records (EHR) market is anticipated to reach more than US$ 50.3 Bn by the end of 2031 at a CAGR of 5.0% from 2022 to 2031. Pharmaceutical Contract Sales Outsourcing [CSO] Market: The pharmaceutical contract sales outsourcing (CSO) market in North America is anticipated to reach more than US$ 5.2 Bn by the end of 2031 at a CAGR of 7.4% from 2022 to 2031. Ophthalmic Drugs Market: The ophthalmic drugs market is expected to reach US$ 50.2 Bn by the end of 2031 at a CAGR of 6.83% from 2022 to 2031. Homeopathic Products Market: The global homeopathic products market is anticipated to reach more than US$ 32.4 Bn by the end of 2031 at a CAGR of 11.6% from 2022 to 2031. About Transparency Market Research Transparency Market Research, a global market research company registered at Wilmington, Delaware, United States, provides custom research and consulting services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insights for thousands of decision makers. Our experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools & techniques to gather and analyse information. Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports. For More Research Insights on Leading Industries, Visit Our YouTube Channel and hit subscribe for Future Update - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8e-z-g23-TdDMuODiL8BKQ Contact Nikhil Sawlani Transparency Market Research Inc. CORPORATE HEADQUARTER DOWNTOWN, 1000 N. West Street, Suite 1200, Wilmington, Delaware 19801 USA Tel: +1-518-618-1030 USA Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453 Website: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Blog: https://tmrblog.com Email: [email protected] Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1682871/TMR_Logo_Logo.jpg SOURCE Transparency Market Research NEW YORK, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The armored vehicles market size is expected to grow by USD 5.4 billion from 2021 to 2026. In addition, the growth momentum of the market will accelerate at a CAGR of 5.6% during the forecast period. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current market scenario, the latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment. Request Latest FREE Sample Report Armored Vehicles Market 2022-2026: Vendor Analysis Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Armored Vehicles Market 2022-2026 BAE Systems Plc, China North Industries Group Co. Ltd., Denel SOC Ltd., FNSS Savunma Sistemleri A.S., General Dynamics Corp., INKAS Armored Vehicle Manufacturing, International Armored Group, Iveco Group N.V, Krauss Maffei Wegmann GmbH and Co. KG, Lenco Industries Inc., Lockheed Martin Corp., Oshkosh Corp., Otokar Otomotiv ve Savunma Sanayi AS, Patria Group, Rheinmetall AG, STREIT Group, Textron Inc., Thales Group, Traton SE, and Elbit Systems Ltd. are among some of the major market participants. The key offerings of some of these vendors are listed below: BAE Systems Plc - The company offers armored vehicles such as AMPV 2018 ND44174 and AMPV 2018 GP04 PRE 0824. The company offers armored vehicles such as AMPV 2018 ND44174 and AMPV 2018 GP04 PRE 0824. China North Industries Group Co. Ltd. - The company offers armored vehicles such as armored anti-riot vehicles. The company offers armored vehicles such as armored anti-riot vehicles. Denel SOC Ltd. - The company offers armored vehicles such as Rooikat 76. This report provides a full list of key vendors, their strategies, and latest developments. Request a FREE PDF Sample Now Armored Vehicles Market 2022-2026: Driver and Challenge The rising incidence of asymmetric warfare globally is driving the market growth. In asymmetric warfare, the military capabilities and strategies adopted by belligerent forces vary significantly. The rising incidence of asymmetric warfare globally has increased the demand for armored vehicles. The significant involvement of the US in asymmetric warfare has resulted in the development of advanced imaging systems over the last decade. Such factors will fuel market growth during the forecast period. High costs of main battle tanks are challenging the global armored vehicles market growth. Main battle tanks should be designed and developed with adequate time, resources, and technological knowledge. However, the high costs associated with developing innovative technology for main battle tanks are a hurdle faced by developing countries. The cost increases as per the specifications of the weapons mounted. Such factors will impede the market growth during the forecast period. Technavio has identified key trends, drivers, and challenges in this report, which will help vendors improve their strategies to stay ahead of their competitors. Buy Now for detailed information about market dynamics Armored Vehicles Market 2022-2026: Scope Technavio presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. The armored vehicles market report covers the following areas: Subscribe to our "Basic Plan" billed annually at USD 5000 that enables you to download 5 reports and view 100 reports every month Armored Vehicles Market 2022-2026: Segmentation Type Wheeled Tracked Geography North America Europe APAC South America Middle East And Africa Armored Vehicles Market 2022-2026: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2022-2026 Detailed information on factors that will assist armored vehicles market growth during the next five years Estimation of the armored vehicles market size and its contribution to the parent market Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior The growth of the armored vehicles market Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of armored vehicles market vendors Related Reports Reusable Launch Vehicles Market by Type and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026: The adoption of deep space habitat concepts is driving market growth. Deep space habitation concept studies are expected to positively affect the advances in low Earth orbit commercial technologies. This area will act as a proving ground for Mars during the forecast period. Unmanned Underwater Vehicles Market by Type and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026: The growing demand for stealth platforms is driving the market growth. The use of stealth technology or low observable technology began in the late 1960s. It advocates and employs defense tactics that promote passive electronic countermeasures to make aircraft, submarines, ships, missiles, and satellites less visible or undetectable to radars, infrared, sonars, or other detection platforms. Armored Vehicles Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2021 Forecast period 2022-2026 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 5.6% Market growth 2022-2026 USD 5.4 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 5.2 Regional analysis North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and Middle East and Africa Performing market contribution North America at 36% Key consumer countries US, Canada, China, Japan, Germany, and Italy Competitive landscape Leading companies, competitive strategies, consumer engagement scope Companies profiled BAE Systems Plc, China North Industries Group Co. Ltd., Denel SOC Ltd., FNSS Savunma Sistemleri A.S., General Dynamics Corp., INKAS Armored Vehicle Manufacturing, International Armored Group, Iveco Group N.V, Krauss Maffei Wegmann GmbH and Co. KG, Lenco Industries Inc., Lockheed Martin Corp., Oshkosh Corp., Otokar Otomotiv ve Savunma Sanayi AS, Patria Group, Rheinmetall AG, STREIT Group, Textron Inc., Thales Group, Traton SE, and Elbit Systems Ltd. Market Dynamics Parent market analysis, market growth inducers and obstacles, fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and future consumer dynamics, and market condition analysis for the forecast period. Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized. Browse Industrials Market Reports Table of Contents 1 Executive Summary 1.1 Market overview Exhibit 01: Executive Summary Chart on Market Overview Exhibit 02: Executive Summary Data Table on Market Overview Exhibit 03: Executive Summary Chart on Global Market Characteristics Exhibit 04: Executive Summary Chart on Market by Geography Exhibit 05: Executive Summary Chart on Market Segmentation by Mobility Type Exhibit 06: Executive Summary Chart on Incremental Growth Exhibit 07: Executive Summary Data Table on Incremental Growth Exhibit 08: Executive Summary Chart on Vendor Market Positioning 2 Market Landscape 2.1 Market ecosystem Exhibit 09: Parent market Exhibit 10: Market Characteristics 3 Market Sizing 3.1 Market definition Exhibit 11: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition 3.2 Market segment analysis Exhibit 12: Market segments 3.3 Market size 2021 3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2021-2026 Exhibit 13: Chart on Global - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 14: Data Table on Global - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 15: Chart on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 16: Data Table on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 4 Five Forces Analysis 4.1 Five forces summary Exhibit 17: Five forces analysis - Comparison between 2021 and 2026 4.2 Bargaining power of buyers Exhibit 18: Chart on Bargaining power of buyers Impact of key factors 2021 and 2026 4.3 Bargaining power of suppliers Exhibit 19: Bargaining power of suppliers Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026 4.4 Threat of new entrants Exhibit 20: Threat of new entrants Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026 4.5 Threat of substitutes Exhibit 21: Threat of substitutes Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026 4.6 Threat of rivalry Exhibit 22: Threat of rivalry Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026 4.7 Market condition Exhibit 23: Chart on Market condition - Five forces 2021 and 2026 5 Market Segmentation by Mobility Type 5.1 Market segments Exhibit 24: Chart on Mobility Type - Market share 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 25: Data Table on Mobility Type - Market share 2021-2026 (%) 5.2 Comparison by Mobility Type Exhibit 26: Chart on Comparison by Mobility Type Exhibit 27: Data Table on Comparison by Mobility Type 5.3 Wheeled - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 28: Chart on Wheeled - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 29: Data Table on Wheeled - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 30: Chart on Wheeled - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 31: Data Table on Wheeled - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 5.4 Tracked - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 32: Chart on Tracked - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 33: Data Table on Tracked - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 34: Chart on Tracked - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 35: Data Table on Tracked - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 5.5 Market opportunity by Mobility Type Exhibit 36: Market opportunity by Mobility Type ($ million) 6 Customer Landscape 6.1 Customer landscape overview Exhibit 37: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria 7 Geographic Landscape 7.1 Geographic segmentation Exhibit 38: Chart on Market share by geography 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 39: Data Table on Market share by geography 2021-2026 (%) 7.2 Geographic comparison Exhibit 40: Chart on Geographic comparison Exhibit 41: Data Table on Geographic comparison 7.3 North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 42: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 43: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 44: Chart on North America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 45: Data Table on North America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.4 Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 46: Chart on Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 47: Data Table on Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 48: Chart on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 49: Data Table on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.5 APAC - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 50: Chart on APAC - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 51: Data Table on APAC - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 52: Chart on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 53: Data Table on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.6 South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 54: Chart on South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 55: Data Table on South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 56: Chart on South America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 57: Data Table on South America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.7 Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 and - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 58: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) and - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 59: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) and - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 60: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) and - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 61: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.8 US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 62: Chart on US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 63: Data Table on US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 64: Chart on US - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 65: Data Table on US - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.9 China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 66: Chart on China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 67: Data Table on China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 68: Chart on China - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 69: Data Table on China - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.10 Germany - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 70: Chart on Germany - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 71: Data Table on Germany - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 72: Chart on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 73: Data Table on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.11 Canada - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 74: Chart on Canada - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 75: Data Table on Canada - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 76: Chart on Canada - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 77: Data Table on Canada - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.12 Italy - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 78: Chart on Italy - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 79: Data Table on Italy - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 80: Chart on Italy - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 81: Data Table on Italy - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.13 Japan - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 82: Chart on Japan - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 83: Data Table on Japan - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 84: Chart on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 85: Data Table on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.14 Market opportunity by geography Exhibit 86: Market opportunity by geography ($ million) 8 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends 8.1 Market drivers 8.2 Market challenges 8.3 Impact of drivers and challenges Exhibit 87: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2021 and 2026 8.4 Market trends 9 Vendor Landscape 9.1 Overview 9.2 Vendor landscape Exhibit 88: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation 9.3 Landscape disruption Exhibit 89: Overview on factors of disruption 9.4 Industry risks Exhibit 90: Impact of key risks on business 10 Vendor Analysis 10.1 Vendors covered Exhibit 91: Vendors covered 10.2 Market positioning of vendors Exhibit 92: Matrix on vendor position and classification 10.3 BAE Systems Plc Exhibit 93: BAE Systems Plc - Overview Exhibit 94: BAE Systems Plc - Business segments Exhibit 95: BAE Systems Plc - Key offerings Exhibit 96: BAE Systems Plc - Segment focus 10.4 China North Industries Group Co. Ltd. Exhibit 97: China North Industries Group Co. Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 98: China North Industries Group Co. Ltd. - Product / Service Exhibit 99: China North Industries Group Co. Ltd. - Key offerings 10.5 Denel SOC Ltd. Exhibit 100: Denel SOC Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 101: Denel SOC Ltd. - Business segments Exhibit 102: Denel SOC Ltd. - Key offerings Exhibit 103: Denel SOC Ltd. - Segment focus 10.6 General Dynamics Corp. Exhibit 104: General Dynamics Corp. - Overview Exhibit 105: General Dynamics Corp. - Business segments Exhibit 106: General Dynamics Corp. - Key news Exhibit 107: General Dynamics Corp. - Key offerings Exhibit 108: General Dynamics Corp. - Segment focus 10.7 Iveco Group N.V Exhibit 109: Iveco Group N.V - Overview Exhibit 110: Iveco Group N.V - Business segments Exhibit 111: Iveco Group N.V - Key offerings Exhibit 112: Iveco Group N.V - Segment focus 10.8 Krauss Maffei Wegmann GmbH and Co. KG Exhibit 113: Krauss Maffei Wegmann GmbH and Co. KG - Overview Exhibit 114: Krauss Maffei Wegmann GmbH and Co. KG - Product / Service Exhibit 115: Krauss Maffei Wegmann GmbH and Co. KG - Key offerings 10.9 Oshkosh Corp. Exhibit 116: Oshkosh Corp. - Overview Exhibit 117: Oshkosh Corp. - Business segments Exhibit 118: Oshkosh Corp. - Key offerings Exhibit 119: Oshkosh Corp. - Segment focus 10.10 Otokar Otomotiv ve Savunma Sanayi AS Exhibit 120: Otokar Otomotiv ve Savunma Sanayi AS - Overview Exhibit 121: Otokar Otomotiv ve Savunma Sanayi AS - Product / Service Exhibit 122: Otokar Otomotiv ve Savunma Sanayi AS - Key offerings 10.11 Rheinmetall AG Exhibit 123: Rheinmetall AG - Overview Exhibit 124: Rheinmetall AG - Business segments Exhibit 125: Rheinmetall AG - Key news Exhibit 126: Rheinmetall AG - Key offerings Exhibit 127: Rheinmetall AG - Segment focus 10.12 Textron Inc. Exhibit 128: Textron Inc. - Overview Exhibit 129: Textron Inc. - Business segments Exhibit 130: Textron Inc. - Key news Exhibit 131: Textron Inc. - Key offerings Exhibit 132: Textron Inc. - Segment focus 11 Appendix 11.1 Scope of the report 11.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist Exhibit 133: Inclusions checklist Exhibit 134: Exclusions checklist 11.3 Currency conversion rates for US$ Exhibit 135: Currency conversion rates for US$ 11.4 Research methodology Exhibit 136: Research methodology Exhibit 137: Validation techniques employed for market sizing Exhibit 138: Information sources 11.5 List of abbreviations Exhibit 139: List of abbreviations About Us Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provide 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. Contact Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media & Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: [email protected] Website: www.technavio.com/ SOURCE Technavio ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. today announced the acquisition of Ireland-based Doyle Insurance Brokers (Wexford) Limited ("Doyle Mahon Insurances"). Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Founded in 2009, Doyle Mahon Insurances is a retail insurance broker providing commercial and agricultural solutions to clients throughout Ireland. Doyle Mahon will remain in its current location under the direction of Ronan Foley, head of Gallagher's insurance brokerage operations in Ireland. "Doyle Mahon Insurances is a well-respected firm that will enhance our growth opportunities and bolster our presence in Ireland," said J. Patrick Gallagher, Jr., Chairman, President and CEO. "I am delighted to welcome the Doyle Mahon team to Gallagher, and look forward to working with them to further expand their client base and service offerings." Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG), a global insurance brokerage, risk management and consulting services firm, is headquartered in Rolling Meadows, Illinois. Gallagher provides these services in approximately 130 countries around the world through its owned operations and a network of correspondent brokers and consultants. Investors: Ray Iardella Media: Paul Day VP - Investor Relations Communications Manager 630-285-3661/ [email protected] 630-285-5946/ [email protected] SOURCE Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. MUNICH, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading NFT marketplace AtomicHub.io has partnered with Meta Carbon to pioneer sustainability in the Web3 space by introducing NFTs that contribute to curbing carbon emissions. AtomicHub's sustainability offerings will be powered by Meta Carbon, a technology company which helps brands engage their audience on the topic of climate change by making the process of carbon offsetting for individuals and corporations fun, engaging and transparent by utilising blockchain, NFTs and Web3. This partnership enables AtomicHub to leverage Meta Carbon's APIs, allowing for carbon offsets via the introduction of two NFT types. The first type are a collection of 'soulbound' NFTs on the WAX blockchain. Soulbound NFTs are non-transferable and represent a transparent carbon offset, using retirement receipts from StandForTrees.org. Soulbound NFTs are unique as they help prevent fraud in Web3 carbon markets by locking the environmental beneficiary to one entity which matches with the Verra Carbon Registry, ensuring they cannot be traded or re-used in any way that implies any additional environmental benefits. The second type are 'Merch NFTs,' which are fun, tradable tokens that enable owners to be part of a loyalty program that represents their commitment to addressing climate change. These enable AtomicHub to issue tradable badges of honour for climate heroes and to also participate in a serious way with the carbon markets, supplying badly needed financial resources to parts of the world suffering under climate change. All traders on the AtomicHub platform will be given the opportunity to support carbon development projects around the world with every transaction. This includes projects such as the Gola Rainforest in Sierra Leone , the Rimba Raya Orangutan Reserve in Indonesia , the Kariba Wildlife Corridor in Zimbabwe and the Mai Ndombe forests in the D.R. Congo . AtomicHub.io is building upon its longstanding support for sustainability with Meta Carbon Inc, assisting with the measurement and offsetting of their carbon footprint since the company's inception. "AtomicHub is committed to reducing the carbon footprint of its operations, which is one of the reasons we work with others who share our commitment, including the WAX blockchain," said Jona Wilmsmann, Co-Founder of AtomicHub, "Meta Carbon's ability to fractionalize carbon transactions down to one kilogram of carbon per 2.5 cents made it possible to expose carbon offsetting to a cost-conscious audience. We're excited to work with Meta Carbon to push AtomicHub.io further into climate positive territory." Meta Carbon's co-founder Tom Herman says the partnership will help brands engage their audience on climate change using Web3 tools that build loyalty. "We were thrilled to partner with AtomicHub," Herman said. "Our mission is to make offsetting carbon fun and engaging, so users will want to participate, and there was no better platform to work with than the world's busiest NFT Marketplace, AtomicHub!" About Meta Carbon Meta Carbon (https://www.meta-carbon.com) is a US-based company helping brands engage their audiences on the topic of climate change. Meta Carbon has built the world's first carbon offsetting platform integrated into point-of-sale that rewards using NFTs. Meta Carbon's nature-based carbon offsetting partner, Stand for Trees (https://www.standfortrees.org), has been offsetting carbon for 8 years, saving over 3.5MM mature trees in the process. Meta Carbon also operates the Web3 Carbon Creatures NFT platform, selling its first Impact NFTs in March 2021, and is dedicated to capturing carbon and protecting the natural habitats of the world's most endangered species. Funds raised from Carbon Creatures NFT sales go to purchasing and retiring carbon offsets as well as supporting local charities and organizations that protect endangered animals and their habitats. For more information, visit: www.meta-carbon.com To buy carbon offsets, visit: www.standfortrees.org To buy your first truly, eco-friendly NFT, visit: https://wax.atomichub.io/explorer/collection/metacarbon About AtomicHub AtomicHub.io (https://www.AtomicHub.io) is the world's busiest non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace, a one-stop solution for the creation, sale and trade of blockchain gaming items and digital collectibles, which is already used by millions of loyal users who care deeply about their home on planet Earth. AtomicHub.io is the largest NFT marketplace on the carbon-neutral WAX blockchain, and the EOS blockchain, and in 2023 will add new dimensions to its universe. Since its launch in 2020, customers of AtomicHub.io have traded more than USD $560MM in NFTs across more than 23MM secondary market sales. AtomicHub's parent company pink.gg (https://www.pink.gg) also created the AtomicAssets NFT standard, powering more than 300 million digital assets. Pink's goal is to help further the true ownership of digital goods, with its smart contract technology allowing them to build enterprise-level projects that currently facilitate hundreds of thousands of daily transactions for world-renowned brands such as Funko, Hasbro, Mattel, Marvel and more. pink.gg also owns NFT Insider (https://www.NFTInsider.io), the number one community-focused media hub for NFTs, and AtomicAds (https://www.AtomicAds.io), the newest advertising platform for NFT, Web3 and crypto advertisers and publishers. Pink is headquartered in Munich, Germany, and are active block producers for the WAX and Proton blockchains. Media contacts: Tom Herman CEO, [email protected] Vanessa Simpson, +44 7624420344, [email protected] for AtomicHub SOURCE AtomicHub BEIJING, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Autohome Inc. (NYSE: ATHM; HKEX: 2518) ("Autohome" or the "Company"), the leading online destination for automobile consumers in China, today announced its unaudited financial results for the three months ended September 30, 2022. Third Quarter 2022 Highlights [1] Net Revenues in the third quarter of 2022 were RMB1,843.3 million ( US$259.1 million ), compared to RMB1,763.8 million in the corresponding period of 2021. in the third quarter of 2022 were ( ), compared to in the corresponding period of 2021. Net Income attributable to Autohome in the third quarter of 2022 was RMB507.8 million ( US$71.4 million ), compared to RMB521.7 million in the corresponding period of 2021, and net income attributable to ordinary shareholders in the third quarter of 2022 was RMB495.4 million ( US$69.6 million ), compared to RMB511.0 million in the corresponding period of 2021. in the third quarter of 2022 was ( ), compared to in the corresponding period of 2021, and in the third quarter of 2022 was ( ), compared to in the corresponding period of 2021. Adjusted Net Income attributable to Autohome (Non-GAAP)[2] in the third quarter of 2022 was RMB590.0 million ( US$82.9 million ), compared to RMB583.3 million in the corresponding period of 2021. [1] The reporting currency of the Company is Renminbi ("RMB"). For the convenience of readers, certain amounts throughout the release are presented in US dollars ("US$"). Unless otherwise noted, all conversions from RMB to US$ are translated at the noon buying rate of US$1.00 RMB7.1135 on September 30, 2022 in the City of New York for cable transfers of RMB as certified for customs purposes by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. No representation is made that the RMB amounts could have been, or could be, converted into US$ at such rate. [2] For more information on this and other non-GAAP financial measures, please see the section captioned "Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures" and the tables captioned "Reconciliations of Non-GAAP and GAAP Results" set forth at the end of this release. Update on the Share Repurchase Program On November 18, 2021, Autohome's board of directors (the "Board") authorized a share repurchase program ("Share Repurchase Program") under which the Company may repurchase up to US$200 million of its American depositary shares ("ADSs") over the next twelve months. As of October 31, 2022, the Company has repurchased 3,510,062 ADSs for a total cost of approximately US$106.3 million. On November 3, 2022, the Board authorized an extension of the term of the Share Repurchase Program for another twelve months to November 17, 2023. Mr. Quan Long, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Autohome, stated, "We are pleased to report strong quarterly results, with total revenues growing by 4.5% year-over-year to RMB1.84 billion, driven by the ongoing rebound of our traditional business since the beginning of 2022. Notably, media service revenues increased by 28% compared to the same period last year while our new business continued to expand on pace with our projections, demonstrating both our sustained recovery momentum and resilience across our business lines. More excitingly, in early September, we officially unveiled our brand-new retail model, Autohome Energy Space, with the opening of our first offline experience store in Shanghai. This significant milestone accomplishment reflects our business model's evolution and provides users with a much better purchase experience while deepening our relationship with new energy vehicle ("NEV") brands, creating a win-win for all stakeholders. Looking ahead, we will continue to uphold Autohome's unwavering spirit of innovation, and constantly use the power of technology to reshape user experience, enhance our customers' digital capabilities and promote the development of the industry. We believe that our diverse services, deep understanding of the industry and brilliant innovation will bring compelling new value to our users, customers and the entire automotive industry." Mr. Craig Yan Zeng, Chief Financial Officer of Autohome, added, "Autohome demonstrated robust upward momentum in the third quarter despite ongoing challenges, with encouraging signs of recovery across our businesses. In September 2022, our aggregated average daily active users grew by 13.4% year-over-year to 49.56 million, according to QuestMobile, marking our fifth straight month of accelerating growth. Meanwhile, revenues from NEV brands continued to grow vigorously on a year-over-year basis, significantly outperforming the growth rate of the NEV market overall. We are also inspired by the sustained popularity of our data products, with the number of our dealer customers in the third quarter increasing by 16% year-over-year. In addition, for the first nine months of 2022, the average revenue per dealer store and the average number of data products adopted by each dealer store increased by 20% and 31% compared to the prior year period, respectively, augmenting their ongoing contribution to the acceleration of industry-wide digitalization. Moving forward, we are confident that our healthy balance sheet and solid profitability will support our new strategic initiatives as we strive to capture the industry's immense opportunities and achieve high-quality development." Unaudited Third Quarter 2022 Financial Results Net Revenues Net revenues in the third quarter of 2022 were RMB1,843.3 million (US$259.1 million), compared to RMB1,763.8 million in the corresponding period of 2021. Media services revenues were RMB555.7 million ( US$78.1 million ) in the third quarter of 2022, compared to RMB434.1 million in the corresponding period of 2021, primarily attributable to the increase in average revenue per automaker advertiser, who increased their advertising spending due to the easing of the global chip shortage. revenues were ( ) in the third quarter of 2022, compared to in the corresponding period of 2021, primarily attributable to the increase in average revenue per automaker advertiser, who increased their advertising spending due to the easing of the global chip shortage. Leads generation services revenues were RMB809.1 million ( US$113.7 million ) in the third quarter of 2022, compared to RMB768.4 million in the corresponding period of 2021. The increase was primarily due to the growth of average revenue per dealer. revenues were ( ) in the third quarter of 2022, compared to in the corresponding period of 2021. The increase was primarily due to the growth of average revenue per dealer. Online marketplace and others revenues were RMB478.5 million ( US$67.3 million ) in the third quarter of 2022, compared to RMB561.2 million in the corresponding period of 2021, primarily attributable to automakers' decreased spending on data products. Cost of Revenues Cost of revenues was RMB330.7 million (US$46.5 million) in the third quarter of 2022, compared to RMB281.2 million in the corresponding period of 2021. The increase was primarily attributable to the continuous investment in content. Share-based compensation expense included in cost of revenues in the third quarter of 2022 was RMB2.2 million (US$0.3 million), compared to RMB6.4 million in the corresponding period of 2021. Operating Expenses Operating expenses were RMB1,385.8 million (US$194.8 million) in the third quarter of 2022, compared to RMB1,187.0 million in the corresponding period of 2021. Sales and marketing expenses were RMB862.6 million ( US$121.3 million ) in the third quarter of 2022, compared to RMB712.2 million in the corresponding period of 2021. The increase was primarily attributable to the escalation of marketing and promotional spending. Share-based compensation expense included in sales and marketing expenses in the third quarter of 2022 was RMB9.5 million ( US$1.3 million ), compared to RMB14.7 million in the corresponding period of 2021. expenses were ( ) in the third quarter of 2022, compared to in the corresponding period of 2021. The increase was primarily attributable to the escalation of marketing and promotional spending. Share-based compensation expense included in sales and marketing expenses in the third quarter of 2022 was ( ), compared to in the corresponding period of 2021. General and administrative expenses were RMB136.4 million ( US$19.2 million ) in the third quarter of 2022, compared to RMB110.7 million in the corresponding period of 2021. Share-based compensation expense included in general and administrative expenses in the third quarter of 2022 was RMB10.9 million ( US$1.5 million ), compared to RMB9.6 million in the corresponding period of 2021. expenses were ( ) in the third quarter of 2022, compared to in the corresponding period of 2021. Share-based compensation expense included in general and administrative expenses in the third quarter of 2022 was ( ), compared to in the corresponding period of 2021. Product development expenses were RMB386.8 million ( US$54.4 million ) in the third quarter of 2022, compared to RMB364.0 million in the corresponding period of 2021. The increase was primarily attributable to greater investment in research and development activities for digital products. Share-based compensation expense included in product development expenses in the third quarter of 2022 was RMB23.9 million ( US$3.4 million ), compared to RMB23.6 million in the corresponding period of 2021. Operating Profit Operating profit was RMB191.7 million (US$27.0 million) in the third quarter of 2022, compared to RMB365.1 million in the corresponding period of 2021. Income Tax Benefit/Expense There was an income tax benefit of RMB180.8 million (US$25.4 million) in the third quarter of 2022, compared to an income tax expense of RMB18.2 million in the corresponding period of 2021. The income tax benefit was primarily attributable to the tax filing adjustments of 2021, which was mainly benefit from the PRC preferential income tax rate and tax holiday of certain subsidiaries. Net Income Attributable to Autohome Net income attributable to Autohome was RMB507.8 million (US$71.4 million) in the third quarter of 2022, compared to RMB521.7 million in the corresponding period of 2021. Net Income Attributable to Ordinary Shareholders and Earnings per Share/ADS Net income attributable to ordinary shareholders was RMB495.4 million (US$69.6 million) in the third quarter of 2022, compared to RMB511.0 million in the corresponding period of 2021. Basic and diluted earnings per share ("EPS") were RMB0.99 (US$0.14) and RMB0.99 (US$0.14), respectively, in the third quarter of 2022, as compared to basic and diluted EPS of RMB1.01 and RMB1.01, respectively, in the corresponding period of 2021. Basic and diluted earnings per ADS were RMB3.98 (US$0.56) and RMB3.97 (US$0.56), respectively, in the third quarter of 2022, as compared to basic and diluted earnings per ADS of RMB4.04 and RMB4.04, respectively, in the corresponding period of 2021. Adjusted Net Income Attributable to Autohome (Non-GAAP) and Non-GAAP Earnings per Share/ADS Adjusted net income attributable to Autohome (Non-GAAP) was RMB590.0 million (US$82.9 million) in the third quarter of 2022, compared to RMB583.3 million in the corresponding period of 2021. Non-GAAP basic and diluted EPS were RMB1.18 (US$0.17) and RMB1.18 (US$0.17), respectively, in the third quarter of 2022, as compared to non-GAAP basic and diluted EPS of RMB1.15 and RMB1.15, respectively, in the corresponding period of 2021. Non-GAAP basic and diluted earnings per ADS were RMB4.73 (US$0.67) and RMB4.72 (US$0.66), respectively, in the third quarter of 2022, as compared to non-GAAP basic and diluted earnings per ADS of RMB4.61 and RMB4.61, respectively, in the corresponding period of 2021. Balance Sheet and Cash Flow As of September 30, 2022, the Company had cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments of RMB21.34 billion (US$2,999.4 million). Net cash provided by operating activities in the third quarter of 2022 was RMB540.7 million (US$76.0 million). Employees The Company had 5,518 employees as of September 30, 2022, including 2,086 employees from TTP Car, Inc. Conference Call Information The Company will host an earnings conference call at 8:00 AM U.S. Eastern Time on Thursday, November 3, 2022 (8:00 PM Beijing Time on the same day). Please register in advance of the conference using the registration link provided below. Upon registering, each participant will receive a set of participant dial-in numbers and a personal PIN, which will be used to join the conference call. Registration Link: https://register.vevent.com/register/BIbd7a8d59117e423bb183d840fcaef0d0 Please use the conference access information to join the call ten minutes before the call is scheduled to begin. Additionally, a live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available at http://ir.autohome.com.cn and a replay of the webcast will be available following the session. About Autohome Autohome Inc. (NYSE: ATHM; HKEX: 2518) is the leading online destination for automobile consumers in China. Its mission is to engage, educate and inform consumers about everything auto. Autohome provides original generated content, professionally generated content, user-generated content, and AI-generated content, a comprehensive automobile library, and extensive automobile listing information to automobile consumers, covering the entire car purchase and ownership cycle. The ability to reach a large and engaged user base of automobile consumers has made Autohome a preferred platform for automakers and dealers to conduct their advertising campaigns. Further, the Company's dealer subscription and advertising services allow dealers to market their inventory and services through Autohome's platform, extending the reach of their physical showrooms to potentially millions of internet users in China and generating sales leads for them. The Company offers sales leads, data analysis, and marketing services to assist automakers and dealers with improving their efficiency and facilitating transactions. Autohome operates its "Autohome Mall," a full-service online transaction platform, to facilitate transactions for automakers and dealers. Further, through its websites and mobile applications, it also provides other value-added services, including auto financing, auto insurance, used car transactions, and aftermarket services. For further information, please visit www.autohome.com.cn. Safe Harbor Statement This press release contains statements that may constitute "forward-looking" statements pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will", "expects", "anticipates", "future", "intends", "plans", "believes", "estimates" and similar statements. Among other things, Autohome's business outlook, Autohome's strategic and operational plans and quotations from management in this announcement contain forward-looking statements. Autohome may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), in announcements made on the website of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (the "Hong Kong Stock Exchange"), in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about Autohome's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: Autohome's goals and strategies; Autohome's future business development, results of operations and financial condition; the expected growth of the online automobile advertising market in China; Autohome's ability to attract and retain users and advertisers and further enhance its brand recognition; Autohome's expectations regarding demand for and market acceptance of its products and services; competition in the online automobile advertising industry; relevant government policies and regulatory environment of China; fluctuations in general economic and business conditions in China and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in Autohome's filings with the SEC and announcements on the website of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and Autohome does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law. Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures To supplement net income presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP, we use Adjusted Net Income attributable to Autohome, Non-GAAP basic and diluted EPS and earnings per ADS, Adjusted net margin and Adjusted EBITDA as non-GAAP financial measures. We define Adjusted Net Income attributable to Autohome as net income attributable to Autohome excluding share-based compensation expenses, amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisition, investment loss relating to non-operating impact of a write-down of the initial investment in a financial product, and (gain)/loss pickup of equity method investments, with all the reconciliation items adjusted for related income tax effects. We define non-GAAP basic and diluted EPS as Adjusted Net Income attributable to Autohome divided by the basic and diluted weighted average number of ordinary shares. We define non-GAAP basic and diluted earnings per ADS as Adjusted Net Income attributable to Autohome divided by the basic and diluted weighted average number of ADSs. We define Adjusted net margin as Adjusted Net Income attributable to Autohome divided by total net revenues. We define Adjusted EBITDA as net income attributable to Autohome before income tax expense, depreciation expenses of property and equipment, amortization expenses of intangible assets and share-based compensation expenses. We present these non-GAAP financial measures because they are used by our management to evaluate our operating performance, in addition to net income prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. We believe these non-GAAP financial measures are important to help investors understand our operating and financial performance, compare business trends among different reporting periods on a consistent basis and assess our core operating results, as they exclude certain non-cash charges or items that are non-operating in nature. The use of the above non-GAAP financial measures has certain limitations as they excluded certain items that have been and will continue to be incurred in the future, but such items should be considered in the overall evaluation of our results. These non-GAAP financial measures should be considered in addition to financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP, but should not be considered a substitute for, or superior to, financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP. For more information on these non-GAAP financial measures, please see the table captioned "Reconciliation of non-GAAP and GAAP Results" set forth at the end of this press release. For investor and media inquiries, please contact: In China: Autohome Inc. Investor Relations Sterling Song Investor Relations Director Tel: +86-10-5985-7483 E-mail: [email protected] The Piacente Group, Inc. Jenny Cai Tel: +86-10-6508-0677 E-mail: [email protected] In the United States: The Piacente Group, Inc. Brandi Piacente Tel: +1-212-481-2050 E-mail: [email protected] AUTOHOME INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS DATA (Amount in thousands, except per share / per ADS data) For three months ended September 30, 2021 2022 RMB RMB US$ (Unaudited) (Unaudited) (Unaudited) Net revenues: Media services 434,102 555,745 78,125 Leads generation services 768,412 809,076 113,738 Online marketplace and others 561,249 478,466 67,262 Total net revenues 1,763,763 1,843,287 259,125 Cost of revenues (281,212) (330,661) (46,484) Gross profit 1,482,551 1,512,626 212,641 Operating expenses: Sales and marketing expenses (712,196) (862,622) (121,265) General and administrative expenses (110,748) (136,387) (19,173) Product development expenses (364,029) (386,750) (54,368) Total operating expenses (1,186,973) (1,385,759) (194,806) Other operating income, net 69,506 64,879 9,121 Operating profit 365,084 191,746 26,956 Interest and investment income, net 152,307 152,858 21,488 Loss from equity method investments, net (102) (15,739) (2,213) Income before income taxes 517,289 328,865 46,231 Income tax (expense)/benefit (18,204) 180,842 25,422 Net income 499,085 509,707 71,653 Net loss/(income) attributable to noncontrolling interests 22,635 (1,863) (262) Net income attributable to Autohome 521,720 507,844 71,391 Accretion of mezzanine equity (24,445) (35,565) (5,000) Accretion attributable to noncontrolling interests 13,763 23,157 3,255 Net income attributable to ordinary shareholders 511,038 495,436 69,646 Earnings per share for ordinary shares Basic 1.01 0.99 0.14 Diluted 1.01 0.99 0.14 Earnings per ADS attributable to ordinary shareholders (one ADS equals for four ordinary shares) Basic 4.04 3.98 0.56 Diluted 4.04 3.97 0.56 Weighted average shares used to compute earnings per share attributable to ordinary shareholders: Basic 505,628,316 498,413,636 498,413,636 Diluted 505,851,862 499,473,616 499,473,616 AUTOHOME INC. RECONCILIATIONS OF NON-GAAP AND GAAP RESULTS (Amount in thousands, except per share / per ADS data) For three months ended September 30, 2021 2022 RMB RMB US$ (Unaudited) (Unaudited) (Unaudited) Net income attributable to Autohome 521,720 507,844 71,391 Plus: income tax expense/(benefit) 19,914 (179,501) (25,234) Plus: depreciation of property and equipment 56,550 55,522 7,805 Plus: amortization of intangible assets 9,538 10,845 1,525 EBITDA 607,722 394,710 55,487 Plus: share-based compensation expenses 54,276 46,498 6,537 Adjusted EBITDA 661,998 441,208 62,024 Net income attributable to Autohome 521,720 507,844 71,391 Plus: amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisition 8,259 10,722 1,507 Plus: share-based compensation expenses 54,276 46,498 6,537 Plus: investment loss arising from one of financial products[3] - 14,823 2,084 Plus: loss on equity method investments, net 102 15,739 2,213 Plus: tax effects of the adjustments (1,090) (5,647) (794) Adjusted net income attributable to Autohome 583,267 589,979 82,938 Net income attributable to Autohome 521,720 507,844 71,391 Net margin 29.6 % 27.6 % 27.6 % Adjusted net income attributable to Autohome 583,267 589,979 82,938 Adjusted net margin 33.1 % 32.0 % 32.0 % Non-GAAP earnings per share Basic 1.15 1.18 0.17 Diluted 1.15 1.18 0.17 Non-GAAP earnings per ADS (one ADS equals for four ordinary shares) Basic 4.61 4.73 0.67 Diluted 4.61 4.72 0.66 Weighted average shares used to compute non-GAAP earnings per share: Basic 505,628,316 498,413,636 498,413,636 Diluted 505,851,862 499,473,616 499,473,616 [3] It represented the loss of an overdue financial product with fair value below its initial investment in the third quarter of 2022, which was recognized at "interest and investment income, net". The impact was considered to be not directly related to the Company's operating activities. AUTOHOME INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET (Amount in thousands, except as noted) As of December 31, As of September 30, 2021 2022 RMB RMB US$ (Audited) (Unaudited) (Unaudited) ASSETS Current assets Cash and cash equivalents 4,236,501 4,900,319 688,876 Restricted Cash 89,855 10,302 1,448 Short-term investments 16,496,267 16,435,973 2,310,533 Accounts receivable, net 2,139,471 1,518,125 213,415 Amounts due from related parties, current 83,376 56,568 7,952 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 280,248 391,750 55,071 Total current assets 23,325,718 23,313,037 3,277,295 Non-current assets Restricted cash, non-current 5,200 5,000 703 Property and equipment, net 381,496 278,578 39,162 Goodwill and intangible assets, net 4,428,822 4,370,414 614,383 Long-term investments 70,720 432,937 60,861 Deferred tax assets 176,138 215,369 30,276 Amounts due from related parties, non-current 7,529 10,763 1,513 Other non-current assets 133,383 149,808 21,060 Total non-current assets 5,203,288 5,462,869 767,958 Total assets 28,529,006 28,775,906 4,045,253 LIABILITIES AND EQUITY Current liabilities Accrued expenses and other payables 2,044,597 2,395,802 336,797 Advance from customers 123,370 86,110 12,105 Deferred revenue 1,553,013 793,646 111,569 Income tax payable 233,342 57,614 8,099 Amounts due to related parties 31,897 25,357 3,565 Total current liabilities 3,986,219 3,358,529 472,135 Non-current liabilities Other liabilities 28,619 60,006 8,436 Deferred tax liabilities 576,798 547,878 77,019 Total non-current liabilities 605,417 607,884 85,455 Total liabilities 4,591,636 3,966,413 557,590 MEZZANINE EQUITY Convertible redeemable noncontrolling interests 1,468,029 1,567,852 220,405 EQUITY Total Autohome shareholders' equity 22,754,419 23,623,716 3,320,969 Noncontrolling interests (285,078) (382,075) (53,711) Total equity 22,469,341 23,241,641 3,267,258 Total liabilities, mezzanine equity and equity 28,529,006 28,775,906 4,045,253 SOURCE Autohome Inc. DUBLIN, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Avantor, Inc. (NYSE: AVTR), a leading global provider of mission-critical products and services to customers in the life sciences, advanced technologies and applied materials industries, today opened a new distribution center in Dublin, Ireland. The nearly 69,000-square-foot facility is the most advanced distribution center in Avantor's global network and places mission-critical products and operational support close to Avantor's customers, enhancing the security of supply. Avantor Opens New Distribution Center in Dublin to Support Growing Biopharma Market. Pictured L-R, Sheri Lewis, EVP, Global Supply Chain Operations; Ger Brophy, EVP, Biopharma Production "Avantor's continued investment to expand our global footprint with on-site storage capacity and capabilities in Ireland strengthens our ability to provide essential products and services to the markets that need them," said Sheri Lewis, Executive Vice President, Global Supply Chain Operations. "This cutting-edge center continues the capital investments we are making in our supply chain to meet growing global demand across all the end markets we serve." The new facility will offer certified Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) warehousing, on-site clean rooms, batch-to-batch traceability, custom palletization, inbound and outbound product quality inspections and vendor managed inventory solutions. "Avantor's value to the biopharma industry is our ability to support customers from discovery to delivery," said Dr. Ger Brophy, Executive Vice President, Biopharma Production. "As a leading materials provider to the growing bioproduction industry, it is vital that we are responsive to customer needs in key markets such as Ireland while also having the capacity to meet growing demand in the region. This investment reflects our commitment to the industry and our anticipation of continued growth." The distribution center is Avantor's second in Ireland, adding to its current footprint of 76,000-square-feet. The facility will also create 40 new jobs, adding to the 200 associates the company currently employs in Ireland. The site is part of a global footprint that includes more than 200 manufacturing, distribution and sales centers in over 30 countries that help ensure life-changing medicines reach patients quickly. "Avantor traces its heritage in Ireland back to 1998," said Michael Lohan, Divisional Manager Life Sciences and Talent Transformation & Innovation, IDA Ireland. "The company has played an important role in the development of Ireland's life science ecosystem and continues to create high-quality career opportunities here in Dublin." Irish Minister for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation, Dara Calleary TD, welcomed the announcement saying, "Avantor's expansion is a strong endorsement of Ireland as a world-leading hub for the life science and medtech sectors, which is built on the strength of our talented and skilled workforce along with our access to markets and pro-enterprise policy environment. I wish the team all the very best with this new chapter." This most recent investment demonstrates Avantor's commitment to strengthening its global biopharma supply chain. In October 2022, a new manufacturing and distribution hub in Singapore began initial operations. In 2021 the company opened a new logistics hub in Westminster, Massachusetts, a single-use solutions facility in Hillegom, Netherlands and completed major capacity expansions for critical process ingredients, excipients and single-use clean rooms in multiple sites across its network in Europe and the US. These investments are in addition to capabilities and capacity added through the acquisitions completed in 2021 including Ritter GmbH, RIM Bio, and Masterflex. Avantor Avantor, a Fortune 500 company, is a leading global provider of mission-critical products and services to customers in the biopharma, healthcare, education & government, and advanced technologies & applied materials industries. Our portfolio is used in virtually every stage of the most important research, development and production activities in the industries we serve. Our global footprint enables us to serve more than 225,000 customer locations and gives us extensive access to research laboratories and scientists in more than 180 countries. We set science in motion to create a better world. For more information, please visit www.avantorsciences.com and find us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. Media Contact Petro Kacur Director, PR & External Communications Avantor M: +1 404-408-0663 [email protected] SOURCE Avantor and Financial News Launch of a fully electric autonomous mover. The mission is to develop sustainable, inclusive, reliable, and safe mobility solutions for urban areas worldwide. World premiere of the autonomous mover at CES 2023 in Las Vegas , USA . SALZBURG, Austria and PADERBORN, Germany, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- BENTELER is underlining its global business ambitions in autonomous mobility by establishing a new brand HOLON. As a result, the BENTELER EV Systems business unit, which was spun off at the end of 2021, will change its name. As HOLON, the company will in future focus on the business with fully electric, autonomous movers. The concept vehicle of the autonomous mover that HOLON will present at CES 2023 in Las Vegas. (PRNewsfoto/BENTELER) (PRNewsfoto/BENTELER) Marco Kollmeier is Managing Director of HOLON. (PRNewsfoto/BENTELER) Ralf Gottel, BENTELER Group CEO explains: "Mobility around the world is undergoing rapid change. BENTELER is optimally prepared for this 85% of our products are technology and propulsion-method agnostic. In parallel with the traditional automotive business, innovative, digitally connected, and autonomous mobility services promise high growth in the coming years. With our engineering and manufacturing expertise, we are predestined to fill a gap in this hitherto strongly software-dominated field. By founding HOLON, an independent legal entity, we can react flexibly to changing customer requirements in this dynamic market. In this way, we will make the best possible use of growth opportunities." Marco Kollmeier, Managing Director of HOLON, emphasizes: "Autonomous movers are an essential part of tomorrow's mobility emission-free, comfortable, reliable and, above all, inclusive. HOLON will be the first OEM for autonomous movers with the standards and scaling potential we know from the automotive industry. With our platform technology, our vehicle expertise, and our strong partner network, it's our goal to redefine passenger transport in both the public and private sectors." HOLON Established Tomorrow The structure of the new brand is unique in the entire OEM landscape for autonomous movers, stresses Marco Kollmeier. "To achieve this, HOLON combines the best of two worlds: We combine the speed, passion and entrepreneurial spirit of a start-up with the strength, resources and expertise of an established automotive company. This is how we support our customers in implementing safe and environmentally friendly mobility solutions that accelerate their businesses." The term holon comes from the Greek and means "something that is both a whole and a part of a whole". The future orientation of the brand is also reflected in the new brand's slogan: HOLON Established Tomorrow. The young company's next milestone is the CES 2023 trade show in Las Vegas. HOLON will present the world's first autonomous mover that meets automotive standards there in January next year i.e. leading in safety, driving comfort and production quality. Strategic cooperation with Pininfarina, Beep and Mobileye In the development and deployment of the autonomous mover, HOLON has worked closely with various partners, including the renowned Italian design company Pininfarina, the mobility provider Beep, and Mobileye, an Intel company. While Mobileye is developing the self-driving system for the autonomous mover, Beep is adding technologies and services for the deployment and operating systems of a mobility service. Pininfarina designed the autonomous mover. With its first-class engineering and global manufacturing expertise, HOLON is responsible for the development and production of the mover within the cooperation. The shuttles are scheduled to go into production in the United States starting in 2025. Areas of application and thus customers are not only public transport companies, but also municipalities and private institutions such as campuses, airports, national parks, and others. Another field is last-mile delivery a growing transport sector that has hitherto clashed with the goal of reducing traffic and local emissions in urban areas. To this end, HOLON is also aiming for special autonomous transport variants in the future. To further increase the growth potential, BENTELER and HOLON are also examining the possibility of working with other strategic partners and investors for the new company. The first pilot applications, also outside of North America, are to be announced in the coming months and will be developed from 2023 onwards. BENTELER Group Birgit Held Vice President Corporate Communications/Marketing Tel.: +49 89 3740 8137 / Mobile: +49 162 2427 264 E-Mail: [email protected] BENTELER Automotive Stephan Knuttel Senior Manager Communications/Marketing Paderborn, Germany Tel.: +49 5254 81 307610 / Mobile: +49 172 5727257 E-Mail: [email protected] Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1937282/HOLON_Mover.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1937283/BENTELER_Logo.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1937284/HOLON_Logo.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1937285/Marco_Kollmeier.jpg SOURCE BENTELER GS1 US Seeks Industry Speakers to Share Digital and Physical Supply Chain Innovation Best Practices Leveraging GS1 Standards EWING, N.J., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- GS1 US is now accepting applications for presentations at GS1 Connect 2023, to be held June 5-7, 2023, at the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center in Denver, Colorado. With more than 40 live sessions, the event will include seven focus areas, including healthcare, grocery, retail, foodservice, innovation, standards and tools, and technology. The conference will also feature the Startup Lab Pitch Competition, which showcases emerging technologies that could have a significant impact on the supply chain. In addition, the conference will provide networking opportunities, solution provider exhibits and GS1 US University for those seeking to build their foundational GS1 Standards knowledge. "GS1 Connect provides the opportunity for supply chain professionals to collaborate and learn from the best in industry," said Siobhan O'Bara, senior vice president of community engagement, GS1 US. "This event delivers the optimal experience for our attendees to learn from peers and better understand how data standards can support business processes that drive value." GS1 US invites industry thought leaders to share their success stories of leveraging GS1 Standards. Presentations should include examples of how data standards support innovative supply chain visibility and performance or accelerated digital transformation. Specifically, GS1 US welcomes speakers who can provide insights on the following topics: Company, product and location identification Data quality, data governance and master data management Management of product data during mergers and acquisitions Omni-channel fulfillment to meet expectations of the connected consumer Supply chain visibility (traceability, chain of custody, inventory management and sustainability) Implementation and use of two-dimensional (2D) barcodes, RFID and advanced data carriers Innovation based on the foundation of GS1 Standards "Phygital" experiences, computer vision, technology integration, interoperability, supply chain, automation and machine learning/artificial intelligence GS1 US will also accept proposals from brands, retailers, foodservice operators, healthcare providers and distributors for "How to Do Business With" and Trading Partner Roundtable sessions hosted by GS1 members who offer tips and dialog to help attendees streamline operations and understand specific business process requirements. Solution providers are welcome to submit proposals for the Tech Track; however, proposals intended for the Retail, Healthcare, Foodservice, and Grocery industry tracks will only be considered when the session is co-presented with an end user, such as a manufacturer, distributor, retailer, brand, foodservice operator or healthcare provider. Applicants must submit their presentation proposals via the online portal by December 13, 2022. To learn more about GS1 Connect 2023 and to sign up for updates, please visit www.gs1connect.gs1us.org. About GS1 US GS1 US, a member of GS1 global, is a not-for-profit information standards organization that facilitates industry collaboration to help improve supply chain visibility and efficiency through the use of GS1 Standards, the most widely used supply chain standards system in the world. Nearly 300,000 businesses in 25 industries rely on GS1 US for trading partner collaboration that optimizes their supply chains, drives cost performance and revenue growth, while also enabling regulatory compliance. They achieve these benefits through solutions based on GS1 global unique numbering and identification systems, barcodes, Electronic Product Code (EPC)-based RFID, data synchronization and electronic information exchange. GS1 US also manages the United Nations Standard Products and Services Code (UNSPSC). For more information, please visit www.gs1us.org. SOURCE GS1 US COLUMBUS, Ohio, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Camp Run-A-Mutt, a cage-free doggie daycare and boarding franchise, is excited to announce its first Ohio location. Camp Run-A-Mutt Columbus is located at 55 Green Meadows Dr. S., Lewis Center, OH 43035. Christie and Todd Ely are the owners of the newest Camp Run-A-Mutt location. Christie began her career in the banking industry, specializing in residential mortgage lending. Initially starting in an entry-level position, her drive for growth, both for herself and her family, advanced her to a top-tier management role. Todd began his career in the construction industry. He has worked specifically within the high voltage sector since 2005. Today, Todd is a Transmission Construction Representative for American Electric Power (AEP) in Columbus, Ohio. However, Christie and Todd wanted their next chapter to involve their life-long love for animals, and specifically dogs. It was also around this time that they had adopted Libby, an American Staffordshire Terrier. While Libby had a less-than-ideal upbringing, she brought incredible joy to their family. She was so loving, gentle, and loyal to their other dogs and cats, and became an absolute light in their lives. Libby ignited Christie and Todd's passion for dog advocacy and care. She is the reason they decided to start a dog daycare and join a franchise. After researching the dog daycare industry for four years, Christie and Todd knew Camp Run-A-Mutt was the right fit for them. They loved its 100% cage free concept, the priority on the love and care of the dogs, and its family-like atmosphere with the founders. Christie and Todd are thrilled to provide a place in Columbus that is truly cage free for both daycare and overnight boarding. Camp Run-A-Mutt Columbus will have over 8,300 square feet of indoor and outdoor play space, premium turf, a custom outdoor splash pond, and the popular live Muttcams, which will allow people to watch their pup online from any device. Pricing starts at $21 for a day and $65 for an overnight. Camp Run-A-Mutt Columbus is having a free VIP pre-opening party on Sunday, November 13th, and is officially open for business on Monday, November 14th, 2022. To learn more, visit their website at https://www.camprunamutt.com/columbus. CONTACT: [email protected] SOURCE Camp Run-A-Mutt Entrepreneurial Resources Related Links www.camprunamutt.com/columbus SOURCE Camp Run-A-Mutt Entrepreneurial Resources MIAMI , Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), the world's largest cruise company, today announced that Arnold Donald, its former President and CEO, is stepping down from the Boards of Directors of Carnival Corporation & plc after more than two decades of service. Earlier this year, with the successful return of Carnival Corporation & plc's fleet into service, Donald announced his decision to leave the CEO role, turning it over to his colleague, Josh Weinstein, who was promoted from chief operations officer into the role of President and CEO, with Donald continuing to support the company in the short term during the transition as Vice-Chair. "I am extremely proud of all we have accomplished together these past nine years, including the critical roles played by the Board, the senior leadership and every person in this amazing company who worked tirelessly with unmatched commitment, dedication and ingenuity to put our company, following the global pandemic's industry impact, in a position to continue the sustained success we were enjoying," said Donald. "It is an honor and a privilege to serve this great company, and after 21 years of serving on the Board, I feel the time is right for me to step aside, making room for others to enjoy the experience of contributing their leadership to our company while providing me increased flexibility to contribute outside of Carnival Corporation." Micky Arison, Chair of the Boards of Directors of the corporation, praised Donald, thanking him for his leadership and successful efforts over the years. "In working closely with Arnold for more than 20 years, I have the utmost respect for him as a person and as a professional," said Arison. "He leads by example, listens intently, acts with integrity and puts a strong emphasis on supporting everyone around him. Arnold connects deeply with people and has an extraordinary ability to communicate, which has made him one of the most important and influential voices in our industry." Randy Weisenburger, a fellow Board member and Lead Independent Director, echoed Arison's appreciation. "Arnold came in with a fresh point of view and an infectious, positive attitude, and he was able to build on Carnival Corporation's long-term success," said Weisenburger. "We have such great respect for Arnold as a colleague and a proven leader with a strong track record of success -- and the company has seen impressive accomplishments during his time, expanding the cruise market and accelerating our growth trajectory as the largest cruise operator in the world." Donald, 67, began serving on Carnival Corporation's Board of Directors in 2001 and Carnival plc's Board of Directors in 2003, and he took on the role as President and CEO in July 2013. Donald's resignation is effective November 30, 2022. Donald has agreed to continue to provide counsel and advice to the company and its Boards through a consulting agreement. About Carnival Corporation & plc Carnival Corporation & plc is one of the world's largest leisure travel companies with a portfolio of nine of the world's leading cruise lines sailing to all seven continents. With operations in North America, Australia, Europe and Asia, its portfolio features Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn, P&O Cruises (Australia), Costa Cruises, AIDA Cruises, P&O Cruises (UK) and Cunard. Additional information can be found on www.carnivalcorp.com, www.carnival.com, www.princess.com, www.hollandamerica.com, www.seabourn.com, www.pocruises.com.au, www.costacruise.com, www.aida.de, www.pocruises.com and www.cunard.com. SOURCE Carnival Corporation & plc CHICAGO, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Cboe Global Markets, Inc. (Cboe: CBOE), a leading provider of global market infrastructure and tradable products, today reported October monthly trading volume statistics across its global business lines. The data sheet "Cboe Global Markets Monthly Volume & RPC/Net Revenue Capture Report" contains an overview of certain October trading statistics and market share by business segment, volume in select index products, and RPC/net capture, which is reported on a one-month lag, across business lines. Average Daily Trading Volume (ADV) by Month Year-To-Date Oct 2022 Oct 2021 % Chg Sep 2022 % Chg Oct 2022 Oct 2021 % Chg Multiply-listed options (contracts, k) 11,286 10,289 9.7 % 11,277 0.1 % 10,713 9,968 7.5 % Index options (contracts, k) 3,590 2,047 75.4 % 3,453 4.0 % 2,768 1,918 44.3 % Futures (contracts, k) 206 210 -2.1 % 237 -13.2 % 224 229 -1.8 % U.S. Equities - On-Exchange (matched shares, mn) 1,545 1,395 10.7 % 1,511 2.2 % 1,652 1,655 -0.2 % U.S. Equities - Off-Exchange (matched shares, mn) 84 76 10.2 % 79 7.0 % 93 82 13.1 % Canadian Equities1 (matched shares, k) 128,411 44,292 189.9 % 113,199 13.4 % 81,218 51,345 58.2 % European Equities (, mn) 10,730 8,574 25.1 % 10,629 1.0 % 11,070 7,465 48.3 % EuroCCP Cleared Trades2 (k) 123,905 109,318 13.3 % 124,220 -0.3 % 1,276,243 1,008,429 26.6 % EuroCCP Net Settlements2 (k) 811 834 -2.8 % 859 -5.6 % 8,661 8,109 6.8 % Australian Equities3 (AUD, mn) 746 821 -9.1 % 760 -1.8 % 800 N/A Japanese Equities3 (JPY, bn) 178 109 63.8 % 155 15.0 % 155 N/A Global FX ($, mn) 43,671 35,092 24.4 % 46,909 -6.9 % 41,221 34,067 21.0 % 1Canadian Equities data include MATCHNow and NEO from June 2022 onwards. Before June 2022 it included MATCHNow only. "Net capture per 10,000 touched shares" refers to transaction fees divided by the product of one-ten thousandth ADV of shares for NEO and MATCHNow and the number of trading days for the period. 2 EuroCCP figures are totals (not ADV) for the months and years-to-date. 3 Australian Equities and Japanese Equities data reflects Cboe's acquisition of Cboe Asia Pacific (formerly Chi-X Asia Pacific) effective on July 1, 2021. October 2022 Trading Volume Highlights U.S. Options For the third consecutive month, total U.S. options volume reached an all-time high with 312.4 million contracts traded across all four Cboe options exchanges. Trading in S&P 500 Index (SPX) options reached an all-time high for the third successive month, setting multiple records, including: A new monthly record of 60.8 million total contracts traded in October, up three percent from the previous record in September. Average Daily Volume (ADV) in October also reached a new all-time high of 2.9 million contracts. A new single-day volume record of 3.9 million contracts traded on October 13 , surpassing the previous high of 3.8 million on September 23 . , surpassing the previous high of 3.8 million on . A record 137,000 contracts changed hands during Global Trading Hours on October 13 , an all-time high for the overnight trading session ( 8:15 p.m. ET - 9:15 a.m. ET ). , an all-time high for the overnight trading session ( ). Trading in SPX options with zero days to expiration set a new monthly ADV record of 1.3 million contracts, up two percent from the previous record in September. Total volume in Mini S&P 500 Index (XSP) options surpassed 1.3 million in October, with ADV of 62,000 contracts, the highest month since March 2020 . European Equities Cboe Europe Equities had an overall market share of 26.5 percent in October, an all-time high and making it Europe's largest stock exchange for the fourth successive month. largest stock exchange for the fourth successive month. Cboe BIDS Europe, Cboe's European block trading platform, had a 34 percent share of the LIS (large-in-scale) market, making it the largest platform of its type for the seventh successive month (Source: big xyt). About Cboe Global Markets, Inc. Cboe Global Markets (Cboe: CBOE), a leading provider of market infrastructure and tradable products, delivers cutting-edge trading, clearing and investment solutions to market participants around the world. The company is committed to operating a trusted, inclusive global marketplace, providing leading products, technology and data solutions that enable participants to define a sustainable financial future. Cboe provides trading solutions and products in multiple asset classes, including equities, derivatives, FX and digital assets, across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. To learn more, visit www.cboe.com. CBOE-V Cboe, Cboe Global Markets, Cboe Volatility Index, VIX and XSP are registered trademarks and Cboe Futures ExchangeSM is a service mark of Cboe Exchange, Inc. or its affiliates. Standard & Poor's, S&P, SPX, and S&P 500 are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services, LLC, and have been licensed for use by Cboe Exchange, Inc. All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners. Any products that have the S&P Index or Indexes as their underlying interest are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Standard & Poor's or Cboe and neither Standard & Poor's nor Cboe make any representations or recommendations concerning the advisability of investing in products that have S&P indexes as their underlying interests. All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners. Cboe Global Markets, Inc. and its affiliates do not recommend or make any representation as to possible benefits from any securities, futures or investments, or third-party products or services. Cboe Global Markets, Inc. is not affiliated with S&P. Investors should undertake their own due diligence regarding their securities, futures, and investment practices. This press release speaks only as of this date. Cboe Global Markets, Inc. disclaims any duty to update the information herein. Nothing in this announcement should be considered a solicitation to buy or an offer to sell any securities or futures in any jurisdiction where the offer or solicitation would be unlawful under the laws of such jurisdiction. Nothing contained in this communication constitutes tax, legal or investment advice. Investors must consult their tax adviser or legal counsel for advice and information concerning their particular situation. Cboe Global Markets, Inc. and its affiliates make no warranty, expressed or implied, including, without limitation, any warranties as of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, accuracy, completeness or timeliness, the results to be obtained by recipients of the products and services described herein, or as to the ability of the indices referenced in this press release to track the performance of their respective securities, generally, or the performance of the indices referenced in this press release or any subset of their respective securities, and shall not in any way be liable for any inaccuracies, errors. Cboe Global Markets, Inc. and its affiliates have not calculated, composed or determined the constituents or weightings of the securities that comprise the third-party indices referenced in this press release and shall not in any way be liable for any inaccuracies or errors in any of the indices referenced in this press release. Options involve risk and are not suitable for all market participants. Prior to buying or selling an option, a person should review the Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options (ODD), which is required to be provided to all such persons. Copies of the ODD are available from your broker or from The Options Clearing Corporation, 125 S. Franklin Street, Suite 1200, Chicago, IL 60606. Futures trading is not suitable for all investors and involves the risk of loss. That risk of loss can be substantial and can exceed the amount of money deposited for a futures position. You should, therefore, carefully consider whether futures trading is suitable for you in light of your circumstances and financial resources. You should put at risk only funds that you can afford to lose without affecting your lifestyle. For additional information regarding futures trading risks, see the Risk Disclosure Statement set forth in Appendix A to CFTC Regulation 1.55(c) and the Risk Disclosure Statement for Security Futures Contracts. SOURCE Cboe Global Markets, Inc. BEIJING, Nov. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The CCTV Video News Agency (CCTV+) and the China International Press Communication Center (CIPCC) co-hosted the Global Media Workshop in Beijing on Wednesday to deepen mutual understanding between Chinese and foreign media outlets. The event, under the theme of "New Journey to Modernization, New Chapter of Cooperation" brought together 100 media representatives from 40 countries and regions. Teng Yunping, president of CCTV+ media representatives "Visiting China has opened a window for us and set up a wonderful channel to learn about China truthfully. We can also share the Chinese method and practices to other countries with the help of the media," said Ahmed Mohamed Saadeldin, anchor of Egypt's Neil TV, as he shared his experience at the event. Teng Yunping, president of CCTV+, gave a warm welcome to the global press corps in his opening remarks. He said that as an essential part of the China Media Group (CMG), CCTV+ has played a key role in publicizing the importance of the 20th CPC National Congress and expressed willingness to work together with media partners all over the world, to complement each other's strengths and seek common development in the future. "The event created a valuable exchange opportunity for both sides (CCTV+ and the CIPCC) and established a platform for strengthening exchanges and sharing communication experience on covering significant events," said Yu Lei, director of the CIPCC, at the event. During the Case Study Session of the event, 14 delegates shared their opinions and reporting experiences in China. Some media representatives pointed out that Western countries have their own perspectives, while some noted that Western countries may have misunderstood or distorted news stories relating to China. "Providing true news stories is the responsibility throughout our life career as journalists," said Ruslan Kenjaev, deputy editor-in-chief of Uzbekistan's Narodnoe Slovo (People's Word) Newspaper. "We are independent people. We should have our own judgment. Thus, we need to guarantee the truth and objectivity of news reports and be able to better convey the true China to our audiences," said Francisca Martinez Mateo, reporter of Mexico's Canal 6 TV. After listening to the speech of President Xi Jinping at the 20th CPC National Congress, which gave an account of the huge developmental changes in China, international reporters who attended the Workshop said that they have learned more about the Chinese government's management, plans and strategies for the next five years. This experience will help them to produce more accurate news coverage and media products to the world. Tristan Duterte Nodalo from CNN Philippines said that with the modernization of journalism and the utilization of more digital approaches, journalists are now better equipped to tell and share a better story to the rest of the world. SOURCE CCTV+ BEIJING, Nov. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A report from Beijing Review: In March this year, 70-year-old Eve Coulson made the 4,700-km journey from New Jersey to California to visit her 109-year-old Chinese-born "uncle" Moon Fun Chin. As far as she knows, Chin is one of the few surviving pilots in the U.S. who flew "the Hump," a trans-Himalayan air route for delivering supplies to China to fight against the Japanese invaders during World War II (WWII). Photos of U.S. Hump pilots who lost their lives while helping airlift military supplies to China during World War II. These photos are kept at the Memorial of the Anti-Japanese War in West Yunnan, in Tengchong, Yunnan Province (WEI YAO) Another survivor is Peter J. Goutiere, who turned 108 on September 28 this year. He, along with Chin and Coulson's father, Ursel Elbert Coulson, were pilots for the China National Aviation Corporation (CNAC), a Sino-U.S joint venture established in 1929. Most of its pilots were American and the majority of its co-pilots and radio operators were Chinese. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Hump Mission. "It's great to be part of the group that flew over the Hump during WWII and to still be around for the anniversary," Goutiere, who flew 680 Hump trips, told Beijing Review. Flying the Hump Japanese troops started invasion of the northeastern region of China on September 18, 1931, and launched a full-scale invasion of China in July 1937. More than four years later, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, triggering the outbreak of the Pacific War. China teamed up with the U.S. and the UK to fight against their common enemies in the China-Burma-India Theater. Initially, military and other supplies from the U.S. were transported to China via the Burma Road, the only practical route for international supplies into China. However, after Burma's submission to the Japanese in May 1942, the road was closed. To support China in the war against Japan, the India-China Division of the Air Transport Command (ATC) of the U.S. Army Air Forces and the CNAC worked together to airlift the supplies from Assam in India to Yunnan and Sichuan provinces in southwest China. When the pilots crossed the southern section of the Himalayas, the Gaoligong Mountains and the Hengduan Mountains, the towering peaks looked to them like the humps of a camel. It is from this resemblance that the air route came to be known as the Hump. It was the military supply lifeline for China from 1942 to 1945. High altitude, perilous weather and Japanese fighter planes were among the major dangers faced by the pilots on each supply mission. Between June and December 1943, the ATC's India-China Division lost 155 aircraft and 168 crew members, not including passengers, according to the division's commander William Henry Tunner. He recorded this in his 1964 memoir Over the Hump. "Flying the Hump was considered as hazardous as flying a combat mission over Germany," Tunner recalled. The routes covered a vast area, subjecting pilots to conditions ranging from torrential rain in the tropical south to dust storms in desert regions and blizzards in the high mountains in the north. January 6, 1945 was the most tragic day in the history of the Hump. Winds at speeds of 161 km per hour created strong updrafts over the ridges and downdrafts over the valleys. The radios were filled with cries of "mayday" and a total of 15 aircraft were lost on that single day, all due to bad weather, according to Tunner. The Japanese also posed a constant threat. "The Japanese were attacking us fiercely in 1944," Deng Chonghuang, a former CNAC co-pilot, wrote on November 15, 2003 in a letter to Liu Xiaotong, a Chinese reporter. Deng joined the CNAC in 1943 and completed about 600 Hump flights before the end of WWII. "We all knew that it was the only lifeline to our country. As long as the war hadn't ended, the cargo flights couldn't cease. There needed to be someone to deliver the supplies," Deng wrote. When planes crashed over the Hump, the chance for those onboard to survive was slim. Most pilots who bailed out died of hunger, cold, wounds or even Japanese attacks. But there were some exceptions, including Coulson's father, who lost an engine while flying over the Hump on August 31, 1944. He and his crew had to bail out over the jungle of north Burma. He landed in a tree where the ground was heavily covered with underbrush. To survive, he sustained himself on leeches. Eventually, he found a village and its leader connected him to the search party. He was the lone survivor of the incident. Every American airman who helped with China's resistance against Japan received a "passport to safety" from the then Chinese governmenta strip of silk with Chinese characters which read, "This is a foreigner who helps China to fight. Be you military or civilian, please help and protect him or her." Many pilots stitched the silk inside their jackets or on their backs. And it worked. Most Chinese voluntarily came to their aid when they were forced down. As Tunner put it, "Once in China, the airmen would find nearly all natives friendly and most helpful." Thanks to the concerted efforts of the ATC and the CNAC, more than 800,000 tons of military supplies and other critical materials were airlifted to China from 1942 to 1945, providing much needed support not only for the Chinese army but also the Flying Tigers, or the American Volunteer Group founded and commanded by Claire Chennault in 1941 as an air force to directly resist the Japanese in China. "If it hadn't been for you and your convictions and your fine ATC organization, we wouldn't have won the war in China," Chennault told Tunner many years later at a ceremony honoring the Chennault couple in Washington. Continuous connections Over the past eight decades, many people have been working hard to keep the Hump memories alive and cherish the legacy that comes along with them. Coulson is one of them. "I am proud of being a descendant of a Hump pilot. My pride has grown over time," she told Beijing Review. Coulson is now the vice president of the CNAC Association, a post-WWII reunion group in the U.S. that began meeting in 1954. She believes that person-to-person connections are helpful for improving Sino-U.S. ties, which have reached a low ebb in recent years. Zhu Junkun, head of the Yunnan Flying Tigers Research Institute, has kept in touch with many descendants of the Hump pilots and Flying Tigers. "We all believe that difficulties are temporary and friendship is the way forward," Zhu told Beijing Review. "The Hump is a good example of how the two countries worked together to tackle common challenges," he added. Comments to [email protected] SOURCE Beijing Review BEIJING, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The 5th China International Import Expo (CIIE), which will be held on November 5 to 10 in Shanghai, is set to welcome major companies from across the globe. Over 280 of the world's top 500 enterprises and industry giants will participate in the event, among which nearly 90 percent are returning participants from last year, according to the CIIE Bureau and General Administration of Customs. Since 2018, the annual fair has served as an open channel for international investment and procurement, part of China's drive to open its market to the world. "Promoting high-standard opening up" is stressed in a report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC, which said China should "steadily expand institutional opening up with regard to rules, regulations, management, and standards." Exhibitors at the four previous events launched more than 1,500 new products, technologies, service items and clinched tentative deals worth more than $270 billion, according to the Ministry of Commerce. Many high-tech products will make a debut, including Tesla's humanoid robot Optimus which applies powerful computer vision technology consistent with cars, as well as photosensitive resin 3D printers by Evonik Industries AG, which are suitable for making tough and impact-resistant materials. A booming consumer market CIIE opens up opportunities for companies around the globe to tap into the Chinese market, which is growing rapidly as a result of rising incomes and greater purchasing power of Chinese consumers. In 2021, China's per capita GDP increased to about 81,000 yuan ($11,203) and the per capita disposable income has more than doubled from 2012, official data shows. Meanwhile, more people are moving into the middle-income class, with over 400 million middle-income earners in 2022 compared with 100 million a decade ago. The growing purchasing power indicates the potential of the Chinese market, which companies, whether big-name multinationals or small start-ups, can access. China's trade in goods and services expanded from $4.4 trillion in 2012 to $6.9 trillion in 2021, ranking first in the world. Over the same period, China's actual use of foreign investment increased by nearly 63 percent. More than 47,000 enterprises had been established with foreign direct investment (excluding banking, securities and insurance), up by 23.5 percent on the previous year, official data shows. Optimization of business environment Over the past few years, China has witnessed an improvement in its business environment by improving market regulation services. In a World Bank report in 2020 on the ease of doing business, China ranked 31 out of 190 countries and regions, up from 78th in 2018. In 2019, China issued the Regulation on Optimizing Business Environment, the first official document that clarified the correlation between the protection of intellectual property rights and the business environment. Within the regulation, domestic investors and market entities are protected and foreign individuals and corporations can also get a valid patent or a trademark from the China IP administrative offices if they meet the statutory rules in intellectual property law. In 2021, six economically developed cities were selected to take the lead in developing an international consumption center. The government also released a new guideline in 2022 to ease strains on small businesses and protect the legitimate rights of market entities. High standard opening-up Since the Foreign Investment Law was implemented in 2020, China has taken measures to encourage foreign investment and promote opening-up at a higher level, including easing market access for trade in services and investment and increasing the proportion of trades in goods with zero tariffs. So far, China has signed 19 free trade agreements with 26 countries and regions, and the trade volume between China and its free trade partners takes up around 35 percent of the country's total foreign trade, official data shows. China introduced its first negative list for foreign investment, which refers to a document that delineates industries that are prohibited or restricted to private investment by companies, back in 2017. The latest version of the negative list, released in 2021, reduced the number of restrictive measures from 33 to 31 and for the free trade zones from 30 to 27. The shortened list is part of China's efforts to facilitate a higher degree of opening up to attract foreign investment. "Over the past decade, China has made full use of the domestic and overseas markets and resources therein to expand its foreign trade and economic cooperation and create a new paradigm of opening-up to the outside world," said Chen Jian'an, vice chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade to CGTN. The hosting of major exhibitions like CIIE demonstrates China's initiative to open its market to the world, he added. https://news.cgtn.com/news/2022-11-03/CGTN-China-embraces-better-business-environment-with-higher-standard-opening-up-1eEWZKjTi7e/index.html SOURCE CGTN NEW YORK, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Cloud Access Security Brokers Market by Type (solution and services) and Geography (North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and Middle East and Africa) - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026" report has been added to Technavio's offering. With ISO 9001:2015 certification, Technavio is proudly partnering with more than 100 Fortune 500 companies for over 16 years. Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Cloud Access Security Brokers Market 2022-2026 The potential growth difference for the cloud access security brokers market size between 2021 and 2026 is USD 8.2 billion. To get the exact yearly growth variance and the Y-O-Y growth rate, Request a FREE PDF Sample Report. Key Market Dynamics Market Driver: Easy access to expertise is driving the market growth. Cloud access security brokers lower the barriers associated with the adoption of cloud services. The transition from the traditional methods of data storage to the cloud includes several processes and technical interfaces. Brokers manage and customize services in the cloud, with their in-depth knowledge and skill. They also evaluate services from various CSPs and help enterprises understand the use of cloud services. Such factors are expected to fuel the market growth during the forecast period. Cloud access security brokers lower the barriers associated with the adoption of cloud services. The transition from the traditional methods of data storage to the cloud includes several processes and technical interfaces. Brokers manage and customize services in the cloud, with their in-depth knowledge and skill. They also evaluate services from various CSPs and help enterprises understand the use of cloud services. Such factors are expected to fuel the market growth during the forecast period. Market Challenge: Cloud interoperability issues are challenging the global cloud access security brokers market. Connectivity issues in information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure can adversely impact business performance. Cloud-based services often face network and data isolation issues. Vendors need to provide backup and recovery solutions for the recovery of lost data due to network failures. Thus, cloud interoperability issues can limit the growth of the global cloud access security brokers market during the forecast period. To learn about additional key drivers, trends, and challenges available with Technavio, Read our FREE Sample Report right now! Regional Analysis North America will be the leading region with 36% of the market's growth during the forecast period. The US is the key country for the cloud access security brokers market in North America. This growth is attributed to factors such as access to expertise. Moreover, market growth in this region will be slower than the growth of the market in other regions. Find additional insights into the contribution of all the segments and regional opportunities in the report. Buy Now for detailed segment information Some Companies Mentioned with their Offerings Broadcom Inc. - The company offers Symantec CloudSOC CASB or Cloud Access Security Broker to deliver the highest level of protection to mitigate malicious content in cloud apps, shadow IT, and compliance risk. Cisco Systems Inc. - The company offers Cloud Access Security Broker to secure cloud users, prevent malware spread and detonation, limit application data exposure and exfiltration, and reduce the risk of data loss. Citrix Systems Inc. - The company offers Cloud Access Security Broker hosted in a cloud platform, on premises datacenter, or even as a hardware device. It provides comprehensive coverage across software as a service or SaaS, platform as a service PaaS, and infrastructure as a service or IaaS environments. Cato Networks Ltd. Censornet Ltd. Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. CloudCodes Software Pvt. Ltd. CodeLathe Technologies Inc. Forcepoint LLC Imperva Inc. ManagedMethods Microsoft Corp. Netskope Inc. Oracle Corp. Palo Alto Networks Inc. Proofpoint Inc. Saviynt Inc. Skyhigh Networks Verizon Communications Inc. Zscaler Inc. Want your report customized? Speak to an analyst and personalize your report according to your needs Related Reports Cloud Infrastructure Services Market by Deployment and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026: This report extensively covers segmentation by deployment (public cloud, private cloud, and hybrid cloud) and geography (North America, APAC, Europe, South America, and Middle East and Africa). 36% of the market's growth will originate from North America during the forecast period. The cloud infrastructure services market share growth by the public cloud segment will be significant. Cloud Storage Services Market by End-user and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026: This report extensively covers market segmentation by end-user (large enterprises and SMEs) and geography (North America, APAC, Europe, South America, and Middle East and Africa). 37% of the market's growth will originate from North America during the forecast period. The market share growth by the large enterprises segment will be significant. Cloud Access Security Brokers Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2021 Forecast period 2022-2026 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 15.46% Market growth 2022-2026 USD 8.2 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 14.78 Regional analysis North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and Middle East and Africa Performing market contribution North America at 36% Key consumer countries US, China, Japan, UK, and Germany Competitive landscape Leading companies, competitive strategies, consumer engagement scope Companies profiled Broadcom Inc., Cato Networks Ltd., Censornet Ltd., Check Point Software Technologies Ltd., Cisco Systems Inc., Citrix Systems Inc., CloudCodes Software Pvt. Ltd., CodeLathe Technologies Inc., Forcepoint LLC, Imperva Inc., ManagedMethods, Microsoft Corp., Netskope Inc., Oracle Corp., Palo Alto Networks Inc., Proofpoint Inc., Saviynt Inc., Skyhigh Networks, Verizon Communications Inc., and Zscaler Inc. Market Dynamics Parent market analysis, market growth inducers and obstacles, fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and future consumer dynamics, and market condition analysis for the forecast period. Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized. Browse Information Technology Market Reports Key Topics Covered 1 Executive Summary 1.1 Market overview Exhibit 01: Executive Summary Chart on Market Overview Exhibit 02: Executive Summary Data Table on Market Overview Exhibit 03: Executive Summary Chart on Global Market Characteristics Exhibit 04: Executive Summary Chart on Market by Geography Exhibit 05: Executive Summary Chart on Market Segmentation by Type Exhibit 06: Executive Summary Chart on Incremental Growth Exhibit 07: Executive Summary Data Table on Incremental Growth Exhibit 08: Executive Summary Chart on Vendor Market Positioning 2 Market Landscape 2.1 Market ecosystem Exhibit 09: Parent market Exhibit 10: Market Characteristics 3 Market Sizing 3.1 Market definition Exhibit 11: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition 3.2 Market segment analysis Exhibit 12: Market segments 3.3 Market size 2021 3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2021-2026 Exhibit 13: Chart on Global - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 14: Data Table on Global - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 15: Chart on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 16: Data Table on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 4 Five Forces Analysis 4.1 Five forces summary Exhibit 17: Five forces analysis - Comparison between 2021 and 2026 4.2 Bargaining power of buyers Exhibit 18: Chart on Bargaining power of buyers Impact of key factors 2021 and 2026 4.3 Bargaining power of suppliers Exhibit 19: Bargaining power of suppliers Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026 4.4 Threat of new entrants Exhibit 20: Threat of new entrants Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026 4.5 Threat of substitutes Exhibit 21: Threat of substitutes Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026 4.6 Threat of rivalry Exhibit 22: Threat of rivalry Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026 4.7 Market condition Exhibit 23: Chart on Market condition - Five forces 2021 and 2026 5 Market Segmentation by Type 5.1 Market segments Exhibit 24: Chart on Type - Market share 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 25: Data Table on Type - Market share 2021-2026 (%) 5.2 Comparison by Type Exhibit 26: Chart on Comparison by Type Exhibit 27: Data Table on Comparison by Type 5.3 Solution - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 28: Chart on Solution - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 29: Data Table on Solution - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 30: Chart on Solution - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 31: Data Table on Solution - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 5.4 Services - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 32: Chart on Services - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 33: Data Table on Services - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 34: Chart on Services - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 35: Data Table on Services - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 5.5 Market opportunity by Type Exhibit 36: Market opportunity by Type ($ million) 6 Customer Landscape 6.1 Customer landscape overview Exhibit 37: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria 7 Geographic Landscape 7.1 Geographic segmentation Exhibit 38: Chart on Market share by geography 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 39: Data Table on Market share by geography 2021-2026 (%) 7.2 Geographic comparison Exhibit 40: Chart on Geographic comparison Exhibit 41: Data Table on Geographic comparison 7.3 North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 42: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 43: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 44: Chart on North America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 45: Data Table on North America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.4 Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 46: Chart on Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 47: Data Table on Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 48: Chart on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 49: Data Table on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.5 APAC - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 50: Chart on APAC - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 51: Data Table on APAC - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 52: Chart on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 53: Data Table on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.6 South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 54: Chart on South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 55: Data Table on South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 56: Chart on South America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 57: Data Table on South America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.7 Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 and - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 58: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) and - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 59: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) and - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 60: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) and - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 61: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.8 US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 62: Chart on US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 63: Data Table on US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 64: Chart on US - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 65: Data Table on US - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.9 UK - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 66: Chart on UK - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 67: Data Table on UK - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 68: Chart on UK - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 69: Data Table on UK - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.10 China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 70: Chart on China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 71: Data Table on China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 72: Chart on China - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 73: Data Table on China - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.11 Germany - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 74: Chart on Germany - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 75: Data Table on Germany - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 76: Chart on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 77: Data Table on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.12 Japan - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 78: Chart on Japan - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 79: Data Table on Japan - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 80: Chart on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 81: Data Table on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.13 Market opportunity by geography Exhibit 82: Market opportunity by geography ($ million) 8 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends 8.1 Market drivers 8.2 Market challenges 8.3 Impact of drivers and challenges Exhibit 83: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2021 and 2026 8.4 Market trends 9 Vendor Landscape 9.1 Overview 9.2 Vendor landscape Exhibit 84: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation 9.3 Landscape disruption Exhibit 85: Overview on factors of disruption 9.4 Industry risks Exhibit 86: Impact of key risks on business 10 Vendor Analysis 10.1 Vendors covered Exhibit 87: Vendors covered 10.2 Market positioning of vendors Exhibit 88: Matrix on vendor position and classification 10.3 Broadcom Inc. Exhibit 89: Broadcom Inc. - Overview Exhibit 90: Broadcom Inc. - Business segments Exhibit 91: Broadcom Inc. - Key news Exhibit 92: Broadcom Inc. - Key offerings Exhibit 93: Broadcom Inc. - Segment focus 10.4 Cisco Systems Inc. Exhibit 94: Cisco Systems Inc. - Overview Exhibit 95: Cisco Systems Inc. - Business segments Exhibit 96: Cisco Systems Inc. - Key news Exhibit 97: Cisco Systems Inc. - Key offerings Exhibit 98: Cisco Systems Inc. - Segment focus 10.5 Citrix Systems Inc. Exhibit 99: Citrix Systems Inc. - Overview Exhibit 100: Citrix Systems Inc. - Product / Service Exhibit 101: Citrix Systems Inc. - Key news Exhibit 102: Citrix Systems Inc. - Key offerings 10.6 Forcepoint LLC Exhibit 103: Forcepoint LLC - Overview Exhibit 104: Forcepoint LLC - Product / Service Exhibit 105: Forcepoint LLC - Key offerings 10.7 Imperva Inc. Exhibit 106: Imperva Inc. - Overview Exhibit 107: Imperva Inc. - Product / Service Exhibit 108: Imperva Inc. - Key offerings 10.8 Netskope Inc. Exhibit 109: Netskope Inc. - Overview Exhibit 110: Netskope Inc. - Product / Service Exhibit 111: Netskope Inc. - Key offerings 10.9 Oracle Corp. Exhibit 112: Oracle Corp. - Overview Exhibit 113: Oracle Corp. - Business segments Exhibit 114: Oracle Corp. - Key news Exhibit 115: Oracle Corp. - Key offerings Exhibit 116: Oracle Corp. - Segment focus 10.10 Palo Alto Networks Inc. Exhibit 117: Palo Alto Networks Inc. - Overview Exhibit 118: Palo Alto Networks Inc. - Product / Service Exhibit 119: Palo Alto Networks Inc. - Key news Exhibit 120: Palo Alto Networks Inc. - Key offerings 10.11 Skyhigh Networks Exhibit 121: Skyhigh Networks - Overview Exhibit 122: Skyhigh Networks - Product / Service Exhibit 123: Skyhigh Networks - Key offerings 10.12 Zscaler Inc. Exhibit 124: Zscaler Inc. - Overview Exhibit 125: Zscaler Inc. - Product / Service Exhibit 126: Zscaler Inc. - Key offerings 11 Appendix 11.1 Scope of the report 11.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist Exhibit 127: Inclusions checklist Exhibit 128: Exclusions checklist 11.3 Currency conversion rates for US$ Exhibit 129: Currency conversion rates for US$ 11.4 Research methodology Exhibit 130: Research methodology Exhibit 131: Validation techniques employed for market sizing Exhibit 132: Information sources 11.5 List of abbreviations Exhibit 133: List of abbreviations About Us Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provide 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. Contact Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media & Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: [email protected] Website: www.technavio.com/ SOURCE Technavio SAN DIEGO, Nov. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Collibra , the Data Intelligence company, today announced the winners of the Collibra Excellence Awards, honoring teams and individuals at the world's leading organizations for their innovative use of Collibra. Presented at Data Citizens '22 , the awards recognize data leaders who are empowering their teams to deliver trusted, accessible data to power data-driven insights. Winners of the Collibra Excellence Awards include: "The ability to break down data silos and build a strong data culture is critical to be competitive in today's complex business environment," said Madan Gadde, Chief Customer Officer for Collibra. "This year's Excellence Awards winners are incredible examples of what organizations can achieve by driving data democratization and making trusted data available to more users. Congratulations to the winners, and we look forward to the continued success of these data intelligence initiatives." The Collibra Data Intelligence Cloud is a comprehensive data intelligence platform that unifies data catalog, data lineage, flexible governance, continuous quality, and built-in privacy. Hundreds of leading enterprises across all industries depend on Collibra for data intelligence. Learn more about Collibra customers. About Data Citizens Data Citizens is the industry's go-to event for all things data intelligence. This year, it features 45+ customer and Collibra-led sessions, an extensive ecosystem of top data intelligence leaders and partners including Google, Amazon, and Snowflake, and multiple workshops and networking events. Learn more about Data Citizens '22. About Collibra Since 2008, Collibra has been uniting organizations by delivering trusted data for every use, for every user, and across every source. Our Data Intelligence Cloud brings flexible governance, continuous quality and built-in privacy to all types of data. The Global 2000 relies on Collibra to create the critical alignment that accelerates workflows and delivers better results faster. We have a diverse global footprint, with offices in the U.S., Belgium, Australia, Czech Republic, France, Poland and the U.K. To learn more, visit collibra.com , follow @Collibra on Twitter or follow us on LinkedIn . SOURCE Collibra NAIOP Houston recognizes Lou Cushman, of Cushman & Wakefield, honoring his dedication to the commercial real estate industry and his mentorship to the future generation of commercial real estate brokers. HOUSTON, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- NAIOP Houston, a chapter of the Commercial Real Estate Development Association, honored Lou Cushman, of Cushman & Wakefield, as the 2022 Howard W. Horne Legacy Award recipient at a luncheon held on Wednesday, November 3, 2022. Cushman is the seventh recipient of the distinguished award that recognizes a leader within the commercial real estate industry who has dedicated their time and support to the industry and its future leaders. Co-Chairman of the Howard W. Horne Legacy Committee John Duffie stated, "This award celebrates the legacy that Howard built and recognizes those who embody the same leadership characteristics. Throughout his 57-year career, Lou has been a pioneer in the commercial real estate brokerage industry, bringing the Cushman & Wakefield name to the Houston market and building it into one of the leading brokerage firms in the city. He is a resolute mentor with the philosophy that every day is a learning experience to be shared." Cushman was recognized for his mark on the Houston brokerage community, including his notable lease of the Bank of America Center, to which he leased 70% to multiple tenants. Cushman was also recognized for community involvement, his industry involvement, including being a founding member of the Houston Office Leasing Brokers Association (HOLBA), and his dedication to mentorship. The Howard W. Horne Award is among the many recognitions that Cushman has received throughout his career. Past legacy award recipients were recognized, including Dan Bellow, Robert Duncan, the late Gerald Hines, the late Ed Wulfe, Ric Campo, and David Harvey. Harvey and Duncan led a Q & A with Cushman exploring his career, business philosophies, business challenges, and company differentiators. NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association, is the leading organization for developers, owners, and investors of office, industrial and mixed-use real estate. NAIOP provides advocacy, education, and business opportunities by connecting members in a powerful North American network. NAIOP advances responsible, sustainable development that creates jobs and benefits the communities in which our members work and live. SOURCE NAIOP Houston Chapter Organizers of National Business Summit on Mental Health Equity launch follow-up guide for companies to form mental health-focused employee resource groups WASHINGTON, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- At a National Business Summit on Mental Health Equity hosted today, top business leaders and psychologists shared proven strategies to help employers improve mental health for all workers. Coming two weeks after U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy released a framework for workplace mental health and well-being, today's summit was designed for employers to ensure that workers from historically excluded communities and neurodivergent employees are set up to thrive alongside the rest of the workforce. The summit was co-hosted by the Health Action Alliance, the country's largest employer network operating at the intersection of business and public health, and the American Psychological Association. Black, Hispanic, Asian American, Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native communities face unique mental health stressors and cultural stigmas around mental health often prevent them from accessing care, as do women, LGBTQ+ people, refugees and others. Meanwhile, neurodiverse employees, such as people on the Autism spectrum or who have post-traumatic stress or ADHD, may also be able to thrive in the workplace with tailored support from their employers and accommodations to do their jobs. When employers advance mental health equity, they strengthen their entire workplace mental health program. Tweet this "Employees need to feel valued, heard and supported by their employers. We know from psychological research that it's critical to involve them in decision-making that affects their work life," said Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD, CEO of the American Psychological Association. "Employers who hope to succeed in our rapidly evolving workplace must listen to and support a diverse and inclusive workforce." Summit speakers identified specific mental health benefits companies can offer, provided guidance on creating a workplace environment where employees take advantage of the mental health resources available to them, and discussed how real-world events influence employee needs in mental health and ways employers can support employees in those difficult moments. Increasingly, companies are also empowering workers to help support one another and advocate for the needs of employees experiencing unique mental health challenges. Mental health employee resource groups (ERGs) voluntary, official, employee-led associations contribute to a more open workplace culture that reduces stigma and addresses workers' unique needs. At the summit, organizers released a guide to launching a mental health ERG , available free to all employers at healthaction.org . "When employers take action to advance mental health equity, they strengthen their entire workplace mental health program," said Stephen Massey, Director of Health Action Alliance, and Co-Founder of Meteorite. "Employees feel more comfortable seeking out the treatment they need. And companies send a powerful message about normalizing the discussion of mental health challenges, which contributes to a more supportive and empowering environment for their entire workforce." The new guide on forming mental health ERGs is part of a free suite of workplace mental health resources and toolkits for employers produced in partnership between Health Action Alliance, the Ad Council, Mental Health Action Day and One Mind. About Health Action Alliance The Health Action Alliance is a joint initiative of the Ad Council, CDC Foundation, de Beaumont Foundation, National Safety Council and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in partnership with Meteorite. Our free tools, training and events help employers, large and small, navigate evolving health challenges, improve the health of workers and engage with public health partners to build stronger, healthier communities. Learn more at healthaction.org . About American Psychological Association APA is the leading scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States, with more than 133,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students as its members. Our mission is to promote the advancement, communication, and application of psychological science and knowledge to benefit society and improve lives. Learn more at www.apa.org . SOURCE Health Action Alliance BOSTON, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- CRIO, the industry's leading eSource provider, announces the appointment of Dr. Margaretta Nyilas to its Board of Directors, effective immediately. Dr. Nyilas is a biopharmaceutical executive with over twenty years of diverse global industry experience, formerly at Otsuka Pharmaceuticals, Bristol Myers Squibb and Click Therapeutics. She has a proven track record of delivering high value assets such as ABILIFY MYCITE (aripiprazole tablets with sensors), ABILIFY MAINTENA (aripiprazole), and REXULTI (brexpiprazole), ABILIFY(aripiprazole). Dr. Margaretta Nyilas, Board Member at CRIO Currently, she is serving as a director and strategic advisor for the biopharmaceutical industry and as Venture Affiliate Partner with Boston Millennia Partners. Throughout her career, Dr. Nyilas has championed innovation in the clinical trial process and was an early adopter of electronic source data collection. She joins CRIO as its first independent director, where she will bring her unique blend of knowledge in clinical operations, technology and medicine. "We couldn't be happier with Margaretta joining the Board," says Raymond Nomizu, JD, CEO and co-founder at CRIO. "With over 2,000 sites using our system across thousands of studies, we are leveraging our technology to create efficiencies for sites, sponsors and CROs. As an innovator in eClinical technology, Margaretta will provide invaluable insight and guidance to position our product roadmap and vision to the needs of clinical trial sponsors." Dr. Nyilas joins CRIO board members Sankesh Abbhi, formerly CEO of ArisGlobal; Tom Peterson, Venture Partner at Rally Ventures; and CEO, Raymond Nomizu. Ren Roome of Boston Millennia Partners serves as a board observer. About CRIO CRIO is an eClinical solution provider delivering innovative data capture technology for sites, sponsors and CROs. Innovation is at the heart of everything we do. As the industry's leading eSource provider, CRIO's unique architecture enables a single point of data capture that embeds quality and transparency at the point of entry, and creates significant downstream efficiencies. Finally. One system. One source. Today, CRIO supports more than 2,000 medical research sites and 4,000+ protocols worldwide. For more information about CRIO, visit www.clinicalresearch.io . Media Contact: Daenya McDonald, Marketing Director (781) 296-8975 [email protected] SOURCE CRIO NEW YORK, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Cryogenic Vials Market share is expected to increase by USD 66.16 million from 2022 to 2027, with an accelerated CAGR of 5.38% - according to the recent market study by Technavio. This report also offers a 5-year historic (2017-2021) data projection of market size, segment, and region. The Y-O-Y growth rate of the Cryogenic Vials Market is estimated at 4.83% as of 2023. Moreover, the market is fragmented. Our analysts have conducted an internal and external analysis of vendors to help companies understand the wider business environment as well as the strength and weaknesses of key market players. Our report also forecasts the Bargaining Power of Buyers & Suppliers and the Threat of New Entrants & Rivalry ranging between LOW-HIGH during the forecast period. Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Cryogenic Vials Market 2023-2027 Find Analysis of Price Sensitivity, Lifecycle, Customer Purchase Basket, Adoption Rates, and Purchase Criteria Prepared Exclusively by Technavio Research Analysts One of the core components of customer landscape is Price Sensitivity an analysis of which will help companies refine marketing strategies to gain a competitive advantage. is an analysis of which will help companies refine Moreover, this report also provides impact of price sensitivity drivers ( purchases are undifferentiated, purchase is a key cost to the buyer, and quality is not important ), which are expected to range between LOW-NEUTRAL from 2023-2027. expected to range between from Our report provides extensive information on the customer landscape of the Cryogenic Vials market, involving qualitative and quantitative intelligence. FOR A DETAILED OVERVIEW OF CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE, REQUEST SAMPLE PAGES The Cryogenic Vials Market Report Also Offers Information on the Criticality of Inputs, R&D, Capex, Technology, Labor, and Brand of 20 Vendors Listed Below AHN Biotechnologie GmbH Avantor Inc. Azer Scientific Inc. Biologix Group Ltd. Brooks Automation Inc. Cole Parmer Instrument Co. LLC Corning Inc. DWK Life Sciences GmbH EZ BioResearch LLC LVL Technologies GmbH & Co. KG Merck KGaA Narang Medical Ltd. Pioneer Impex SARSTEDT AG & Co. KG Starlab International GMBH Sumitomo Bakelite Co. Ltd. Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. Wuxi NEST Biotechnology Co. Ltd. Ziath Ltd. DOWNLOAD SAMPLE REPORT FOR MORE ACCESS Chart & Data Table on 5-Year Historic (2017-2021) Market Size, Comparison and Y-O-Y Growth of Cryogenic Vials Industry Segment The market is segmented by Type (Internally Threaded Cryogenic Vials and Externally Threaded Cryogenic Vials) and End-user (Research Organizations, Drug Manufacturers, Healthcare Institutions, and Others). and By Type - The internally threaded cryogenic vials segment shows a gradual increase in demand during 2023-2027. The shows a gradual increase in demand during Internally threaded cryogenic vials have screw threads on the inner or concave surface. These vials have efficient sealing capabilities owing to the equal dimension outside the tube for caps and vials, which expands evenly with changes in temperature. This prevents the risk of contamination and helps maintain the sterility of biomaterials. INTERESTED TO PROCURE THE DATA? DOWNLOAD SAMPLE REPORT Increasing Adoption of Cryopreservation Procedures is Notably Driving the Cryogenic Vials Market Growth The cryopreservation procedure uses ultra-low temperatures to preserve biological samples. The adoption of this procedure is increasing significantly for various applications, such as the preservation of cells and organs, cryosurgery, molecular biology and biochemistry, food sciences, and medical applications, among others. Cryogenic vials are important in cryopreservation procedures, as they are highly efficient in maintaining optimum storage conditions and sufficient retrieval of biological materials. Thus, the demand for cryogenic vials is increasing, with the rise in cryopreservation procedures. TO ACCESS WHAT ARE THE LATEST DRIVERS, TRENDS, AND CHALLENGES INFLUENCING THE GROWTH OF THIS MARKET? REQUEST SAMPLE REPORT Chart & Data Table on Historic Market Size (2017-2021), Comparison and Y-O-Y Growth of 11 Countries of Cryogenic Vials Industry The market is segmented by Geography into North America (The US and Canada ), Europe (The UK, Germany , France , and Rest of Europe ), Asia ( China and India ), and ROW ( Argentina , Australia , Brazil , and Rest of the World) North America is projected to contribute 36% of market growth by 2027 . The rising need for the cryopreservation of biomaterials in biopharmaceutical research and the increase in cryopreserved sample volumes are driving the demand for cryogenic vials in the region. is projected to contribute . The of biomaterials in biopharmaceutical research and the are driving the demand for cryogenic vials in the region. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic led to a rise in demand for cryogenic vials in North America . During the pandemic, the US experienced supply chain disruptions and drug shortages. In February 2020 , the US FDA announced that it would hold back inspections of Chinese research facilities. However, the continuation of trade with China and other countries, the resumption of clinical trials, and progressing vaccination drives in the second half of 2020 are expected to fuel the growth of the regional cryogenic vials market during the forecast period. FOR MORE INSIGHTS ON THE MARKET SHARE OF VARIOUS REGIONS, VIEW PDF SAMPLE NOW! Related Reports - Cryogenic Freezers Market by End-user and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026 The market share is expected to increase by USD 131.52 million from 2021 to 2026, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 7.18%. Furthermore, this report extensively covers market segmentation by end-user (hospitals and blood centers, biotechnology companies, academic and research institutions, and others) and geography (North America, Europe, Asia, and the Rest of the World (ROW)). To get more exclusive research insights: VIEW SUMMARY OF THE REPORT FOR MORE Cryostat Market by End-user and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026 The market share is expected to increase by USD 861.81 million from 2021 to 2026, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 6.33%. The growing medical research is one of the key factors driving the market growth. To get more exclusive research insights: VIEW SUMMARY OF THE REPORT FOR MORE Cryogenic Vials Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2022 Historical year 2017-2021 Forecast period 2023-2027 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 5.38% Market growth 2023-2027 USD 66.16 million Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 4.83 Regional analysis North America, Europe, Asia, and ROW Performing market contribution North America at 36% Key consumer countries US, Germany, UK, France, and Japan Competitive landscape Leading companies, competitive strategies, consumer engagement scope Key companies profiled Abdos Labtech Pvt. Ltd., AHN Biotechnologie GmbH, Avantor Inc., Azer Scientific Inc., Biologix Group Ltd., Brooks Automation Inc., Cole Parmer Instrument Co. LLC, Corning Inc., DWK Life Sciences GmbH, EZ BioResearch LLC, LVL Technologies GmbH & Co. KG, Merck KGaA, Narang Medical Ltd., Pioneer Impex, SARSTEDT AG & Co. KG, Starlab International GMBH, Sumitomo Bakelite Co. Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Wuxi NEST Biotechnology Co. Ltd., and Ziath Ltd. Market dynamics Parent market analysis, market growth inducers and obstacles, fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and recovery analysis and future consumer dynamics, and market condition analysis for the forecast period. Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized. Browse Health Care Market Reports Table of Contents 1 Executive Summary 1.1 Market overview Exhibit 01: Executive Summary Chart on Market Overview Exhibit 02: Executive Summary Data Table on Market Overview Exhibit 03: Executive Summary Chart on Global Market Characteristics Exhibit 04: Executive Summary Chart on Market by Geography Exhibit 05: Executive Summary Chart on Market Segmentation by Type Exhibit 06: Executive Summary Chart on Market Segmentation by End-user Exhibit 07: Executive Summary Chart on Incremental Growth Exhibit 08: Executive Summary Data Table on Incremental Growth Exhibit 09: Executive Summary Chart on Vendor Market Positioning 2 Market Landscape 2.1 Market ecosystem Exhibit 10: Parent market Exhibit 11: Market Characteristics 3 Market Sizing 3.1 Market definition Exhibit 12: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition 3.2 Market segment analysis Exhibit 13: Market segments 3.3 Market size 2022 3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2022-2027 Exhibit 14: Chart on Global - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 15: Data Table on Global - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 16: Chart on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 17: Data Table on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 4 Five Forces Analysis 4.1 Five forces summary Exhibit 18: Five forces analysis - Comparison between 2022 and 2027 4.2 Bargaining power of buyers Exhibit 19: Chart on Bargaining power of buyers Impact of key factors 2022 and 2027 4.3 Bargaining power of suppliers Exhibit 20: Bargaining power of suppliers Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027 4.4 Threat of new entrants Exhibit 21: Threat of new entrants Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027 4.5 Threat of substitutes Exhibit 22: Threat of substitutes Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027 4.6 Threat of rivalry Exhibit 23: Threat of rivalry Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027 4.7 Market condition Exhibit 24: Chart on Market condition - Five forces 2022 and 2027 5 Market Segmentation by Type 5.1 Market segments Exhibit 25: Chart on Type - Market share 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 26: Data Table on Type - Market share 2022-2027 (%) 5.2 Comparison by Type Exhibit 27: Chart on Comparison by Type Exhibit 28: Data Table on Comparison by Type 5.3 Internally threaded cryogenic vials - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 29: Chart on Internally threaded cryogenic vials - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 30: Data Table on Internally threaded cryogenic vials - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 31: Chart on Internally threaded cryogenic vials - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 32: Data Table on Internally threaded cryogenic vials - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 5.4 Externally threaded cryogenic vials - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 33: Chart on Externally threaded cryogenic vials - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 34: Data Table on Externally threaded cryogenic vials - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 35: Chart on Externally threaded cryogenic vials - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 36: Data Table on Externally threaded cryogenic vials - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 5.5 Market opportunity by Type Exhibit 37: Market opportunity by Type ($ million) 6 Market Segmentation by End-user 6.1 Market segments Exhibit 38: Chart on End-user - Market share 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 39: Data Table on End-user - Market share 2022-2027 (%) 6.2 Comparison by End-user Exhibit 40: Chart on Comparison by End-user Exhibit 41: Data Table on Comparison by End-user 6.3 Research organization - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 42: Chart on Research organization - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 43: Data Table on Research organization - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 44: Chart on Research organization - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 45: Data Table on Research organization - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 6.4 Drug manufacturers - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 46: Chart on Drug manufacturers - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 47: Data Table on Drug manufacturers - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 48: Chart on Drug manufacturers - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 49: Data Table on Drug manufacturers - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 6.5 Healthcare institutions - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 50: Chart on Healthcare institutions - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 51: Data Table on Healthcare institutions - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 52: Chart on Healthcare institutions - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 53: Data Table on Healthcare institutions - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 6.6 Others - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 54: Chart on Others - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 55: Data Table on Others - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 56: Chart on Others - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 57: Data Table on Others - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 6.7 Market opportunity by End-user Exhibit 58: Market opportunity by End-user ($ million) 7 Customer Landscape 7.1 Customer landscape overview Exhibit 59: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria 8 Geographic Landscape 8.1 Geographic segmentation Exhibit 60: Chart on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 61: Data Table on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%) 8.2 Geographic comparison Exhibit 62: Chart on Geographic comparison Exhibit 63: Data Table on Geographic comparison 8.3 North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 64: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 65: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 66: Chart on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 67: Data Table on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 8.4 Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 68: Chart on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 69: Data Table on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 70: Chart on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 71: Data Table on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 8.5 Asia - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 72: Chart on Asia - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 73: Data Table on Asia - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 74: Chart on Asia - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 75: Data Table on Asia - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 8.6 Rest of World (ROW) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 76: Chart on Rest of World (ROW) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 77: Data Table on Rest of World (ROW) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 78: Chart on Rest of World (ROW) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 79: Data Table on Rest of World (ROW) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 8.7 US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 80: Chart on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 81: Data Table on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 82: Chart on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 83: Data Table on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 8.8 Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 84: Chart on Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 85: Data Table on Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 86: Chart on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 87: Data Table on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 8.9 UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 88: Chart on UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 89: Data Table on UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 90: Chart on UK - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 91: Data Table on UK - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 8.10 France - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 92: Chart on France - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 93: Data Table on France - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 94: Chart on France - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 95: Data Table on France - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 8.11 Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 96: Chart on Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 97: Data Table on Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 98: Chart on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 99: Data Table on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 8.12 Market opportunity by geography Exhibit 100: Market opportunity by geography ($ million) 9 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends 9.1 Market drivers 9.2 Market challenges 9.3 Impact of drivers and challenges Exhibit 101: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2022 and 2027 9.4 Market trends 10 Vendor Landscape 10.1 Overview 10.2 Vendor landscape Exhibit 102: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation 10.3 Landscape disruption Exhibit 103: Overview on factors of disruption 10.4 Industry risks Exhibit 104: Impact of key risks on business 11 Vendor Analysis 11.1 Vendors covered Exhibit 105: Vendors covered 11.2 Market positioning of vendors Exhibit 106: Matrix on vendor position and classification 11.3 Abdos Labtech Pvt. Ltd. Exhibit 107: Abdos Labtech Pvt. Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 108: Abdos Labtech Pvt. Ltd. - Product / Service Exhibit 109: Abdos Labtech Pvt. Ltd. - Key offerings 11.4 Avantor Inc. Exhibit 110: Avantor Inc. - Overview Exhibit 111: Avantor Inc. - Business segments Exhibit 112: Avantor Inc. - Key news Exhibit 113: Avantor Inc. - Key offerings Exhibit 114: Avantor Inc. - Segment focus 11.5 Azer Scientific Inc. Exhibit 115: Azer Scientific Inc. - Overview Exhibit 116: Azer Scientific Inc. - Product / Service Exhibit 117: Azer Scientific Inc. - Key offerings 11.6 Biologix Group Ltd. Exhibit 118: Biologix Group Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 119: Biologix Group Ltd. - Product / Service Exhibit 120: Biologix Group Ltd. - Key offerings 11.7 Brooks Automation Inc. Exhibit 121: Brooks Automation Inc. - Overview Exhibit 122: Brooks Automation Inc. - Business segments Exhibit 123: Brooks Automation Inc. - Key offerings Exhibit 124: Brooks Automation Inc. - Segment focus 11.8 Cole Parmer Instrument Co. LLC Exhibit 125: Cole Parmer Instrument Co. LLC - Overview Exhibit 126: Cole Parmer Instrument Co. LLC - Product / Service Exhibit 127: Cole Parmer Instrument Co. LLC - Key offerings 11.9 Corning Inc. Exhibit 128: Corning Inc. - Overview Exhibit 129: Corning Inc. - Business segments Exhibit 130: Corning Inc. - Key offerings Exhibit 131: Corning Inc. - Segment focus 11.10 DWK Life Sciences GmbH Exhibit 132: DWK Life Sciences GmbH - Overview Exhibit 133: DWK Life Sciences GmbH - Product / Service Exhibit 134: DWK Life Sciences GmbH - Key offerings 11.11 EZ BioResearch LLC Exhibit 135: EZ BioResearch LLC - Overview Exhibit 136: EZ BioResearch LLC - Product / Service Exhibit 137: EZ BioResearch LLC - Key offerings 11.12 LVL Technologies GmbH and Co. KG Technologies GmbH and Co. KG Exhibit 138: LVL Technologies GmbH and Co. KG - Overview Exhibit 139: LVL Technologies GmbH and Co. KG - Product / Service Exhibit 140: LVL Technologies GmbH and Co. KG - Key offerings 11.13 Merck KGaA Exhibit 141: Merck KGaA - Overview Exhibit 142: Merck KGaA - Business segments Exhibit 143: Merck KGaA - Key news Exhibit 144: Merck KGaA - Key offerings Exhibit 145: Merck KGaA - Segment focus 11.14 SARSTEDT AG and Co. KG Exhibit 146: SARSTEDT AG and Co. KG - Overview Exhibit 147: SARSTEDT AG and Co. KG - Product / Service Exhibit 148: SARSTEDT AG and Co. KG - Key offerings 11.15 Sumitomo Bakelite Co. Ltd. Exhibit 149: Sumitomo Bakelite Co. Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 150: Sumitomo Bakelite Co. Ltd. - Business segments Exhibit 151: Sumitomo Bakelite Co. Ltd. - Key offerings Exhibit 152: Sumitomo Bakelite Co. Ltd. - Segment focus 11.16 Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. Exhibit 153: Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. - Overview Exhibit 154: Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. - Business segments Exhibit 155: Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. - Key news Exhibit 156: Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. - Key offerings Exhibit 157: Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. - Segment focus 11.17 Ziath Ltd. Exhibit 158: Ziath Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 159: Ziath Ltd. - Product / Service Exhibit 160: Ziath Ltd. - Key offerings 12 Appendix 12.1 Scope of the report 12.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist Exhibit 161: Inclusions checklist Exhibit 162: Exclusions checklist 12.3 Currency conversion rates for US$ Exhibit 163: Currency conversion rates for US$ 12.4 Research methodology Exhibit 164: Research methodology Exhibit 165: Validation techniques employed for market sizing Exhibit 166: Information sources 12.5 List of abbreviations Exhibit 167: List of abbreviations About Us Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provide 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 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. Contact Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media & Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: [email protected] Website: www.technavio.com/ SOURCE Technavio This year's research centered on advancements in kidney transplantation and equity in patient care DaVita addresses equitable access to breakthrough trials and decentralized research by introducing new Chronic Kidney Disease & Rare Disease Network DENVER, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- DaVita Clinical Research (DCR) will highlight its latest research during the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) Kidney Week, being held in Orlando from November 2-6, 2022. "We look forward to Kidney Week as a crucial inflection point to socialize new discoveries and advancements that are changing the lives of patients," said Dr. Steven Brunelli, vice president of health economics and outcomes research for DaVita. "We're thrilled to present several highlights from our research team that have been formative in our strategy to deliver holistic care to patients at every stage and setting of the kidney care journey." This year's posters and presentation titles include: Preferences for End-of-Life Care Among Dialysis Patients: A Discrete Choice Experiment Relationship Between Driving Time to Transplant Center and Socioeconomic Factors with Early Waitlisting Among Transplant Referred End-Stage Kidney Disease Patients Temporal Relationship Between Prior Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate Testing and Dialysis Initiation in Real-World Population of Incident Dialysis Patients End-of-Life Care Planning Among Dialysis Patients: A Mixed-Methods Study Opportunities to Leverage Personal Networks to Increase Living Donor Kidney Transplant Barriers to "The Big Ask" and Opportunities to Increase Living Donor Kidney Transplant Among Dialysis Patients and Care Givers Better Anti-Spike IgG Antibody Response to SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine in Patients on Hemodiafiltration Than on Hemodialysis In developing the new Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) and Rare Disease Network, DCR harnessed growing patient and physician interest in joining hybrid and decentralized trials, increasing the geographic, socioeconomic and racial diversity of the research population. As more physician practices join DaVita's CKD-focused EHR, the opportunity to leverage that platform of technology to support data-driven recruitment increases, as do novel ways to centrally manage and operationalize clinical trials. These technology advances, along with expert support, expand the opportunity to reach an even greater audience to research and introduce new treatment options. More information is available here. DaVita representatives will be available to discuss the research as well as collaboration opportunities in the Kidney Week exhibit hall, including the CKD & Rare Disease Network. ASN Kidney Week 2022 will convene more than 15,000 kidney care professionals from around the world in a hybrid (virtual and in-person) format to discuss advancements in the field of nephrology. ASN will also make a virtual experience available at https://www.asn-online.org/kidneyweek. Content, including posters and abstracts, will be available online. DaVita will share updates throughout the meeting on Twitter on both @DaVitaDoc and @DaVitaResearch and will also join the conversation using #KidneyWK. To learn more about DCR, visit www.DaVitaClinicalResearch.com. About DaVita Clinical Research DaVita Clinical Research (DCR), a wholly owned subsidiary of DaVita Inc., is the research arm of DaVita. DCR innovates through retrospective research aimed at improving clinical outcomes. DCR assists pharmaceutical and medical device companies in the design, recruitment and completion of clinical trials using its renal research site network. To learn more about DCR, visit DaVitaClinicalResearch.com. About DaVita Inc. DaVita (NYSE: DVA) is a health care provider focused on transforming care delivery to improve quality of life for patients globally. The company is one of the largest providers of kidney care services in the U.S. and has been a leader in clinical quality and innovation for more than 20 years. DaVita cares for patients at every stage and setting along their kidney health journeyfrom slowing the progression of kidney disease to helping to support transplantation, from acute hospital care to dialysis at home. As of September 30, 2022, DaVita served 200,000 patients at 2,776 outpatient dialysis centers in the United States. The company also operated 352 outpatient dialysis centers in 11 other countries worldwide. DaVita has worked collaboratively to help propel the kidney care industry to adopt an equitable and high-quality standard of care for all patients, everywhere. To learn more, visit DaVita.com/About. Media Contact: Karen Modlin [email protected] 214-773-2152 SOURCE DaVita Clinical Research DENVER, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Denver Commercial Property Services (DCPS), the leading single-source provider of integrated commercial property services in Colorado, has continued its partnership with Habitat for Humanity Vail Valley (HFHVV). "We believe in supporting our community and are delighted to continue our partnership with Habitat for Humanity Vail Valley. We are proud to positively impact community members' lives, helping to deliver affordable housing to the residents of Vail Valley," said Dale Heims, Owner of DCPS. Excel Capital Projects provide painting services to Habitat for Humanity Vail Valley. Since 2017, Excel Capital Projects, a DCPS subsidiary, has donated over $25,000 in monetary, labor, and materials for 30 Habitat for Humanity Vail Valley homes. This year, Excel Capital Projects, donated labor and materials for the exterior painting of multiple duplexes at the Stratton Flats subdivision in Gypsum, CO. Last year, Excel Capital Projects completed the exterior painting of 12 homes in the Grace Avenue project in Vail Valley. In recent years, residents of Colorado mountain towns have encountered a shortage of affordable homes, and HFHVV is the only builder of permanently affordable homes for the workforce earning below 100% of the AMI in the Eagle River Valley. A member of the Reyes family who help build their Habitat home, expressed their appreciation for the work DCPS and HFHVV does. The individual stated, "I watched all the volunteers working hard, pouring their hearts and souls into building our dreams. I don't think anyone realizes what you have given us. Now we have a place to make memories, a place of our own to call home." Approximately five years ago, Eagle County School District (ECSD) donated land to Habitat Vail Valley with the intent to provide school district employees with safe, affordable housing. This year, HFHVV broke ground on their 100th home in the Eagle River Valley and deserving families will move in just before the holiday season. "We look forward to our continued partnership with Habitat for Humanity Vail Valley, providing peace of mind and essential protection to residents of the Eagle River Valley," concluded Heims. About Denver Commercial Property Services Founded in 2011, Denver Commercial Property Services (DCPS) provides commercial property services to over 1,100 clients across Colorado. DCPS leverages unparalleled customer service to be the leading, one-stop provider of commercial property services in Colorado. With multiple offices, more than 500 employees, and 7 divisions - Asphalt and Concrete, Waterproofing and Specialty Coatings, Roofing, Commercial Cleaning, Snow Removal, Parking Lot Sweeping, Landscaping, and Painting & Construction Services, DCPS provides specialized integrated service solutions to commercial property owner and managers. For more information, visit www.denvercps.com or follow DCPS on Facebook at @denvercommercialpropertyservices or on LinkedIn. Contact information: Denver Commercial Property Services Gina Kelley 720-575-3277 [email protected] SOURCE DCPS TORONTO, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Denison Mines Corp. ('Denison' or the 'Company') (TSX: DML) (NYSE American: DNN) today filed its Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and Management's Discussion & Analysis ('MD&A') for the quarter ended September 30, 2022. Both documents will be available on the Company's website at www.denisonmines.com , SEDAR (at www.sedar.com ) and EDGAR (at www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml ). The highlights provided below are derived from these documents and should be read in conjunction with them. All amounts in this release are in Canadian dollars unless otherwise stated. View PDF version David Cates, President and CEO of Denison commented, "It is an incredibly exciting time to be a Denison shareholder. Our company is delivering on our plans to systematically advance the development of Canada's first In-Situ Recovery ('ISR') uranium mine having recently completed significant de-risking and regulatory milestones. This is occurring at the same time as interest in nuclear energy projects continues to increase as a result of the growing realization that nuclear power must play a critical role in our global battle against climate change. During the third quarter, Denison was successful in obtaining regulatory approvals to construct and operate the Phoenix ISR Feasibility Field Test ('FFT') facility and completed the construction and commissioning of the lixiviant injection modules necessary to launch the leaching phase of the FFT. Shortly thereafter, in October, the Company announced the history-making recovery of uranium bearing solution from the FFT following the successful acidification of the ISR test pattern. This result reflects the tireless effort of our Saskatoon-based technical team to de-risk and validate the 2018 selection of the ISR mining method for the Phoenix uranium deposit ('Phoenix'). We have now demonstrated that Athabasca Basin uranium can be recovered by the ISR mining method. In parallel, our regulatory team successfully advanced our assessment of the potential environmental impacts of the ISR uranium mine and processing plant proposed for Wheeler River, to the point of completing and submitting the draft Environmental Impact Statement ('EIS') for the project. Through this extensive process, it became apparent that the project has the potential to achieve a superior standard of environmental sustainability, with fewer residual effects remaining after mitigation when compared to conventional uranium mining and milling operations. Taken together, these milestones have notably advanced the prospect of using the ISR mining method at Phoenix and bringing Denison back to the ranks of meaningful Canadian uranium producers during the second half of this decade. This timing is projected to be aligned with accelerating global demand for uranium following a wave of continuing and new investments into nuclear energy projects including recently announced (i) new builds of conventional nuclear power plants in Poland, South Korea, China, and the United Kingdom, (ii) reactor restarts and life extensions in the United States and Japan, and (iii) advancements in small-modular reactor ('SMR') projects like in Ontario, where Canada is positioning to be the first nation in the G7 to commercially deploy an SMR." Highlights Recovered uranium bearing solution from the Feasibility Field Test at Phoenix In October 2022, the Company announced that it had successfully recovered uranium bearing solution from the ISR FFT for Phoenix, at the Company's 95% owned Wheeler River project ('Wheeler River' or the 'Project') at targeted rates and grades, indicating that the hydrogeological system at Phoenix was responding as expected with pH trends, flow characteristics, and uranium recovery meeting expectations. The preliminary results received to date demonstrated the successful acidification of the test pattern and recovery of uranium using the ISR mining method. The Company previously announced, in July and August 2022, that it had received approval to construct and operate a pollutant control facility from the Saskatchewan Minister of Environment ('SKMOE') and a License to Possess, Use, Store and Transfer a Nuclear Substance from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission ('CNSC'). With the receipt of these approvals, the Company was fully permitted to operate the FFT facility and carry out the process of recovering a uranium bearing solution from the Phoenix ore body. The Company completed the construction and wet commissioning of the lixiviant injection system for the FFT in September 2022 and commenced the leaching phase of the FFT. Given the highly successful results of the FFT, lixiviant injection has ceased, and operations at the Phoenix FFT site have transitioned from the leaching phase of the FFT to the neutralization phase, which is expected to be completed before the end of the year. The final phase of the FFT, which involves management of the recovered solution, is expected to commence in the spring of 2023. Achieved significant regulatory milestone for Wheeler River with the submitted draft Environmental Impact Statement In October 2022, Denison announced a significant regulatory milestone for Wheeler River with the submission of the draft EIS to the SKMOE and the CNSC. The EIS submission outlines the Company's assessment of the potential effects, including applicable mitigation measures, of the proposed ISR uranium mine and processing plant planned for Wheeler River, and reflects several years of baseline environmental data collection, technical assessments, plus extensive engagement and consultation with Indigenous and non-Indigenous interested parties. Executed an exploration agreement with the Ya'thi Nene Lands and Resources Office, the Athabasca Nations, and Communities of the Nuhenene In October 2022, Denison announced that it entered into an exploration agreement with the Ya'thi Nene Lands and Resources Office ('YNLRO'), Hatchet Lake Denesuine First Nation, Black Lake Denesuine First Nation, Fond du Lac Denesuine First Nation (collectively, the 'Athabasca Nations') and the Northern Hamlet of Stony Rapids, the Northern Settlement of Uranium City, the Northern Settlement of Wollaston Lake and the Northern Settlement of Camsell Portage (collectively, the 'Athabasca Communities') in respect of Denison's exploration and evaluation activities within the traditional territory of the Athabasca Nations (the 'Nuhenene'). The exploration agreement expresses the parties' intention to build a long-term relationship between Denison and the YNLR, Athabasca Nations, and Athabasca Communities. Denison wishes to conduct and advance its exploration activities in a sustainable manner that respects the Athabasca Nations' Indigenous rights, advances reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, and provides economic opportunities and other benefits to the Athabasca Communities in an authentic, cooperative and respectful way. Expanded high-grade uranium mineralization at McClean Lake South In September 2022, Denison announced that assays received from exploration drilling completed at the Company's 22.5% owned McClean Lake Joint Venture ('McClean Lake' or 'MLJV') during the winter of 2022 have resulted in a significant expansion of the "new" high-grade unconformity-hosted zone of uranium mineralization discovered in 2021 between the McClean South 8W and 8E pods (see news release dated April 14, 2021). Ten drill holes completed during 2022 by Orano Canada Inc. ('Orano Canada'), 77.5% owner and operator of the MLJV, returned notable uranium mineralization, including drill hole MCS-58, which returned 2.96% U 3 O 8 over 15.5 metres, including 24.49% U 3 O 8 over 1.5 metres, located approximately 54 metres to the southeast of drill hole MCS-34, which was completed in 2021 and returned a mineralized interval of 8.67% U 3 O 8 over 13.5 metres. Overall, the results from 2022 have successfully expanded the footprint of the "new" mineralized zone to approximately 180 metres in strike length. Intersected additional high-grade uranium mineralization on the Waterfound Joint Venture In September 2022, Denison announced that uranium mineralization was encountered in three of the seven drill holes completed during the summer exploration program at the Orano Canada-operated Waterfound Joint Venture ('Waterfound'), highlighted by drill hole WF-74A, which intersected 4.75% eU 3 O 8 over 13.3 metres, including a sub-interval grading 25.23% eU 3 O 8 over 0.5 metres. The mineralized intersection from WF-74A represents the best mineralized hole drilled on the Waterfound property to date, and highlights the potential for the discovery of additional high-grade uranium mineralization further along strike to the west of the Alligator Zone. Denison holds an effective 24.68% ownership interest in Waterfound through its direct interest in the joint venture and its 50% ownership of JCU (Canada) Exploration Company Limited ('JCU'). About Denison Denison Mines Corp. was formed under the laws of Ontario and is a reporting issuer in all Canadian provinces and territories. Denison's common shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol 'DML' and on the NYSE American exchange under the symbol 'DNN'. Denison is a uranium exploration and development company with interests focused in the Athabasca Basin region of northern Saskatchewan, Canada. The Company has an effective 95% interest in its flagship Wheeler River Uranium Project, which is the largest undeveloped uranium project in the infrastructure rich eastern portion of the Athabasca Basin region of northern Saskatchewan. A Pre-Feasibility Study ('PFS') was completed for Wheeler River in late 2018, considering the potential economic merit of developing Phoenix as an ISR operation and the Gryphon deposit as a conventional underground mining operation. Denison's interests in Saskatchewan also include a 22.5% ownership interest in the MLJV, which includes several uranium deposits and the McClean Lake uranium mill, which is contracted to process the ore from the Cigar Lake mine under a toll milling agreement, plus a 25.17% interest in the Midwest Main and Midwest A deposits and a 67.01% interest in the Tthe Heldeth Tue ('THT', formerly J Zone) and Huskie deposits on the Waterbury Lake property. The Midwest Main, Midwest A, THT and Huskie deposits are located within 20 kilometres of the McClean Lake mill. Through its 50% ownership of JCU, Denison holds additional interests in various uranium project joint ventures in Canada, including the Millennium project (JCU, 30.099%), the Kiggavik project (JCU, 33.8118%) and Christie Lake (JCU, 34.4508%). Denison's exploration portfolio includes further interests in properties covering approximately 300,000 hectares in the Athabasca Basin region. Denison is also engaged in post-closure mine care and maintenance services through its Closed Mines group, which manages Denison's reclaimed mine sites in the Elliot Lake region and provides related services to certain third-party projects. Technical Disclosure and Qualified Person The technical information contained in this press release has been reviewed and approved by David Bronkhorst, P.Eng, Denison's Vice President, Operations and Andy Yackulic, P.Geo., Denison's Director Exploration who are Qualified Persons in accordance with the requirements of NI 43-101. CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS Certain information contained in this press release constitutes 'forward-looking information', within the meaning of the applicable United States and Canadian legislation concerning the business, operations and financial performance and condition of Denison. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as 'plans', 'expects', 'budget', 'scheduled', 'estimates', 'forecasts', 'intends', 'anticipates', or 'believes', or the negatives and/or variations of such words and phrases, or state that certain actions, events or results 'may', 'could', 'would', 'might' or 'will be taken', 'occur', 'be achieved' or 'has the potential to'. In particular, this press release contains forward-looking information pertaining to the following: projections with respect to exploration, development and expansion plans and objectives, including the scope, objectives and interpretations of the Feasibility Study process for the proposed ISR operation for the Phoenix deposit, including the FFT and metallurgical testing programs described herein and the interpretation of the results therefrom; expectations regarding regulatory applications and approvals and the elements thereof, including the EIS; expectations regarding Denison's joint venture ownership interests; and expectations regarding the continuity of its agreements with third parties. Statements relating to 'mineral reserves' or 'mineral resources' are deemed to be forward-looking information, as they involve the implied assessment, based on certain estimates and assumptions that the mineral reserves and mineral resources described can be profitably produced in the future. Forward looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made, and they are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Denison to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. For example, the results and underlying assumptions and interpretations of the PFS as well as de-risking efforts such as the ISR field programs discussed herein may not be maintained after further testing or be representative of actual conditions within the applicable deposits. In addition, Denison may decide or otherwise be required to extend its evaluation activities and/or the FS and/or otherwise discontinue testing, evaluation and development work if it is unable to maintain or otherwise secure the necessary approvals or resources (such as testing facilities, capital funding, etc.). Denison believes that the expectations reflected in this forward-looking information are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be accurate and results may differ materially from those anticipated in this forward-looking information. For a discussion in respect of risks and other factors that could influence forward-looking events, please refer to the factors discussed in Denison's Annual Information Form dated March 25, 2022 under the heading 'Risk Factors'. These factors are not, and should not be, construed as being exhaustive. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking information contained in this press release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Any forward-looking information and the assumptions made with respect thereto speaks only as of the date of this press release. Denison does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information after the date of this press release to conform such information to actual results or to changes in Denison's expectations except as otherwise required by applicable legislation. SOURCE Denison Mines Corp. SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- DoorDash Inc. (NYSE: DASH) announced financial results today for the quarter that ended September 30, 2022. Please visit the DoorDash investor relations website at http://ir.doordash.com to view our financial results and letter to shareholders. A live audio webcast of our earnings release call will be available at http://ir.doordash.com . The call begins Thursday, November 3 at 2:00 PM (PT) / 5:00 PM (ET). Announcements regarding our financial performance, including SEC filings, investor events, as well as press and earnings releases are also available at http://ir.doordash.com . Following the call, a replay will be available on the same website. About DoorDash DoorDash (NYSE: DASH) is a technology company that connects consumers with their favorite local businesses in 27 countries across the globe. Founded in 2013, DoorDash builds products and services to help businesses innovate, grow, and reach more customers. DoorDash is building infrastructure for local commerce, enabling merchants to thrive in the convenience economy, giving consumers access to more of their communities, and providing work that empowers. With DoorDash, there is a neighborhood of good in every order. Investor Relations Contact [email protected] Press Contact [email protected] SOURCE DoorDash The deal expands Echo's target markets and specialized carrier network while providing resources to grow Fastmore market share CHICAGO, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Echo Global Logistics, Inc. ("Echo"), a leading provider of technology-enabled transportation and supply chain management services, today announced their acquisition of Fastmore Logistics ("Fastmore"), a leading Chicagoland transportation broker. Fastmore's extensive knowledge and core competency in selling domestic non-asset-based transportation services to international freight forwarders is a strong addition to Echo's business. "We're excited to continue investing in industry growth opportunities, especially since going private with the Jordan Company almost one year ago," said Doug Waggoner, Chief Executive officer of Echo. "This transaction allows us to expand into a new target market and build on Fastmore's success." "Expanding our client base to include the domestic transportation of international freight forwarders through Fastmore is a natural extension of our business," said Dave Menzel, President and Chief Operating Officer at Echo. "We're pleased to invest in their extensive knowledge of international forwarding operations and look forward to working with Ray Sciuckas and his team." While Fastmore's domestic operations are akin to Echo's current portfolio of business, the acquisition provides Echo with a unique point of entry into an expansive network of expedited brokerage for the international freight forwarding market leveraging multiple equipment types, including cargo vans, straight trucks, and full truckload. "Echo's knowledge and passion for the digital transformation of the supply chain industry itself are great to align with," said Ray Sciuckas, Founder and CEO of Fastmore Logistics. "We're excited to join the Echo family who will continue to invest in our core business while expanding our capabilities and service offerings to freight forwarding clients." Republic Partners, LLC served as the financial advisor to Fastmore. Kirkland & Ellis, LLP served as legal advisor to Echo. Freeborn and Peters served as legal advisor to Fastmore. About Echo Global Logistics Echo Global Logistics, Inc. is a leading Fortune 1000 provider of technology-enabled transportation and supply chain management services. Headquartered in Chicago with more than 30 offices around the country, Echo offers freight brokerage and Managed Transportation solutions for all major modes, including truckload, partial truckload, LTL, intermodal, and expedited. Echo maintains a proprietary, web-based technology platform that compiles and analyzes data from its network of over 50,000 transportation providers to serve 35,000 clients across a wide range of industries and simplify the critical tasks involved in transportation management. For more information on Echo Global Logistics, visit: www.echo.com. About Fastmore Fastmore was founded in 2005 with the goal of simplifying logistics. Since their inception, they have made their mission connecting shippers with carriers while improving the customer and carrier experience. Fastmore does this through collaboration, transparency and technology. For more information on Fastmore, visit: www.fastmore.com. ECHO: Corporate MEDIA CONTACT: Christopher Clemmensen SVP of Marketing Echo Global Logistics 312-784-2132 SOURCE Echo Global Logistics, Inc. TAIPEI, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- GIGABYTE, the world's leading computer brand upholding the corporate mission of "Upgrade Your Life", is committed to providing eco-friendly products of high performance, high quality, and ultra-durability through its creative innovations. Over the years, GIGABYTE has been actively involved in projects related to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) to establish itself as an eco-friendly brand. Eco-conscious GIGABYTE Committed to Building an Eco-friendly Brand Through Sustainable Practices As a provider of eco-friendly products, GIGABYTE has introduced various innovative applications of materials and technologies into production, aiming to achieve a zero-waste circular economy as the goal. With the never-ending increase in computer hardware performance, cooling has become more critical than ever before. GIGABYTE has been focusing on innovative cooling technologies across various product lines to further extend the product life cycle. For example, the latest AORUS RTX 4090 MASTER graphics card features an upgraded cooling system with the Bionic shark fan surface design, which greatly improves the cooling performance and the product's durability. Thanks to its innovation, GIGABYTE has accumulated more than 2,000 patents, and many of its products have won international recognitions such as the CES Innovation Award, the Reddot Design Award, and the iF Design Award. In addition, through eco-friendly packaging materials to reduce subsequent waste, the total amount of packaging materials purchased in 2021 has reduced by nearly 50% within 10 years. Being an eco-conscious brand, GIGABYTE has initiated a long list of green projects over the years to make the world sustainable. The G-HOME Sustainable Eco-Rooftop at GIGABYTE's headquarters is built to enhance urban ecological diversity while achieving environmental benefits including energy saving, carbon reduction, water saving, and zero waste. Over the years, GIGABYTE joined forces with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to raise awareness of global warming and planted more than 80,000 trees by 2021. GIGABYTE employees have also taken initiatives and launched voluntary green actions of waste-cleaning on foot and coastlines clean-up activities to make the environment go green again. GIGABYTE has deeply embedded the green DNA in its corporate culture and has achieved stable revenue growth for 6 consecutive years. In 2021, it has grown by 44% compared to the previous year and was named Best Employers by Forbes in 2020. GIGABYTE will continue to use its core competence to develop solutions for sustainability and strive for a new future of the green and low-carbon economy. For more info, please visit: https://bit.ly/GIGABYTE_CSR_global SOURCE GIGABYTE The partnership is another major milestone for EE North America's ambition to develop 10 GW of renewable energy projects by 2026. AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- EE North America, a leading renewable energy developer, announced today that it has partnered with Elio Energy to develop a pipeline of two gigawatts (GW) of solar power generation and energy storage in Arizona and surrounding states with projects expected to start construction gradually between 2023-2025. "Our partnership with Elio Energy is another step forward in EE North America's growth story. This portfolio will provide the clean energy that customers demand while also making a significant contribution to meeting net-zero goals in the region," said Lorena Ciciriello, CEO of EE North America. "We look forward to working with Elio Energy on this major investment in the future of energy in region." "The partnership with European Energy will accelerate the development of large-scale solar and storage projects in Arizona and surrounding states by providing the requisite financial security while supporting the renewable procurement goals of the IOU's and Cooperatives," said Daven Mehta, CEO of Elio. "We have a large pre-development pipeline and are well on the way towards our mutual goals in support of European Energy" Earlier this year EE North America announced its entrance into the U.S. market, leveraging its expertise in renewable energy project development and partnerships with other industry-leading firms. EE North America's ambition is to develop 10 GW of renewable energy in the United States by 2026, helping state and local governments across the U.S. achieve net-zero goals. "In addition to our expertise in renewable energy, EE North America offers a range of commercially mature and financially viable energy solutions that can help address sectors of the economy that are difficult to decarbonize, including transportation, shipping, and industry. We will continue to seek out world-class partners like Elio Energy to help advance the transition to clean energy in the United States while also creating jobs and delivering economic benefits to local communities," added Lorena Ciciriello. EE North America's parent company, European Energy, has established an international reputation as a market leader in developing solar, wind and Power-to-X projects globally, having recently secured the development of the world's first large-scale commercial e-methanol production facility and the largest offshore wind turbine to date. About EE North America: EE North America develops, finances, builds, and operates wind and solar farms and was one of the first companies in the world to introduce Power-to-X technology. Its parent company, European Energy A/S, is based in Copenhagen, Denmark, and has significant and in-depth experience in the development and deployment of renewable energy on four continents. European Energy was founded in 2004 and has a current project pipeline of 40 GW in markets across the world. About Elio Energy: Elio Energy Group LLC is a greenfield utility-scale renewable project developer with focus on solar and battery energy storage across the southern US with more than 2.5 GW under active development along with a 6 GW pre-development pipeline. Elio supports traditional greenfield development to de-risk projects with deep expertise across all facets of development, construction and operation. Elio's "hybrid" development model provides the requisite expertise at the lowest cost possible by combining dedicated resources where needed for focus and accountability with a shared services approach to the technical, business, and financial aspects of development. Contacts Lorena Ciciriello CEO, EE North America +1 917 900 8115 [email protected] Daven Mehta CEO, Elio Energy Group LLC +1 617 930 9043 [email protected] Ming Ou Lu PR Manager, European Energy A/S +45 31 26 93 76 [email protected] SOURCE EE North America ELBA, Italy, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Elba Island, the island of Napoleon Bonaparte, launches "Napoleon Experience": a new series of tourist-experiential travel experiences that will allow visitors to go back 200 years when the great Corsican Bonaparte ruled Elba Island. "Napoleon Experience" will take off in 2023, allowing visitors to enjoy an all-around holiday in a Napoleonic key, thanks to a unique travel experience that mixes culture, food and wine, nature, folklore, and, of course, sea and relaxation. Elba Island, the island of Napoleon Bonaparte,launches "Napoleon Experience": a new series of experiential travel experiences that will allow visitors to go back 200 years when the great Bonaparte ruled over the Island. Immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the epoch to feel like an Emperor: taking off in 2023, "Napoleon Experience" will allow visitors to enjoy an all-around holiday in a Napoleonic key, thanks to unique experiences mixing culture, food and wine, nature, folklore, sea and relax. (PRNewsfoto/Elba Island) It will be like travelling back in time to the period when the emperor led the capital of the Tuscan Archipelago. Napoleon was a great innovator who made a decisive contribution to making Elba Island a modern place for that time, with measures that are even today part of its culture. "Napoleon Experience" will immerse visitors in the atmosphere of the time: they will experience the excitement of the great parties at which Pauline, the sister of the emperor, was admired, dine at their table, and taste the Aleatico wine that Napoleon loved so much, walk along the roads that always look towards his native Corsica, discover how people lived surrounded by refined craftsmanship and precious minerals extracted from the island belly, and much more. The new project is starting in 2023 and will last seven weeks from May to September, one week for each municipality on Elba Island. The travel plans will be presented soon and offer various experiences from which visitors will be free to choose, creating their unique Napoleonic holiday. "Napoleon Experience" is the result of a partnership between the public and private sectors: a virtuous mechanism that makes it possible to build innovative touristic initiatives and project Elba Island into the future. Elba hosted the emperor for ten months. A period as short as intense profoundly affected the life of the people and its signs are still evident today. His landing took place on 4 May 1814 in Portoferraio, where it is still possible to see the spot where the first French Emperor set foot. From that moment until 27 February 1815, the life of the Elban community was turned upside down by Napoleon's presence and his traces are still everywhere. Among them is the Elban symbol flag, which presents three golden bees on a red stripe on a white field. To immerse yourself in Napoleon's time, have a look at this video: https://bit.ly/3WrmV8H. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1937525/Elba_Island_Experience.jpg SOURCE Elba Island VANCOUVER, BC, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Elevation Gold Mining Corporation (TSXV: ELVT) (OTCQX: EVGDF) (the "Company" or "Elevation Gold") is pleased to announce financial results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022. All figures are expressed in US dollars unless otherwise noted. Summary for the Three Months Ended September 30, 2022 The following chart provides additional information on the Companys increasing grade and recoverable ounces placed on the pad during 2022 on a quarter-by-quarter basis. (CNW Group/Elevation Gold Mining Corp.) Elevation produced 8,835 ounces of gold and 49,007 ounces of silver during Q3 2022 from 750,908 ore tonnes processed with average grades of 0.51 g/t gold and 4.08 g/t silver. The Company generated total revenue of $17.0 million on 9,096 ounces of gold and 75,862 ounces of silver sold. The average realized price of gold per ounce sold (1) was $1,713 . Gold ounces sold represented an increase of 46% from Q3 2021 and 30% from Q2 2022. on 9,096 ounces of gold and 75,862 ounces of silver sold. The average realized price of gold per ounce sold was . Gold ounces sold represented an increase of 46% from Q3 2021 and 30% from Q2 2022. Q3 2022 income from mine operations before depreciation and depletion of $2.1 million and net income of $1.2 million , or $0.01 per share. and net income of , or per share. Total Cash Costs per ounce of gold sold (1) of $1,770 and all-in sustaining costs ("AISC") per ounce of gold sold (1) of $2,033 . The Company expects to improve on its operational results in Q4 2022 with the addition of higher-grade ore sourced from East Pit, and the reduction of capital expenditure requirements as the majority of the Company's major capital projects were completed in Q2 2022 and early Q3 2022. of and all-in sustaining costs ("AISC") per ounce of gold sold of . The Company expects to improve on its operational results in Q4 2022 with the addition of higher-grade ore sourced from East Pit, and the reduction of capital expenditure requirements as the majority of the Company's major capital projects were completed in Q2 2022 and early Q3 2022. Completed a multi-phase infill and resource expansion drilling program at the Moss Mine, which included 17,197 meters of reverse circulation ("RC") drilling in the first half of 2022. In July 2022 , the Company began its maiden exploration program at Florence Hill. New RC drilling program expected to commence at Moss Mine in November 2022 to further test mineralization near Center and West Pit. (1) Refer to the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021 for a reconciliation to non-IFRS performance measures. Tim Swendseid, Elevation Gold President, stated "Our Q3 2022 financial results reflect a significant improvement in operations at the Moss Mine, with total revenue increasing 40% over Q3 2021 and 18% over Q2 2022 and gold ounces sold increasing 46% from Q3 2021 and 30% from Q2 2022. Without considering inventory swings and adjustments, cash costs per ounce approximated $1,479. We remain on track to meet sales guidance for 2022 of total ounces sold between 32,000 and 34,000 for the year. My thanks to the outstanding performance of everyone at the Moss Mine, and we continue to be excited about our current and ongoing exploration programs both in the Florence Hill area and our near-mine programs." The following chart provides additional information on the Company's increasing grade and recoverable ounces placed on the pad during 2022 on a quarter-by-quarter basis. Outlook During Q3 2022, the Company completed several key capital projects including the completion of the construction of the new heap leach pad 2C and constructed two new production water wells. The Company also completed five new monitoring wells in Q2 2022. The monitoring wells were a requirement of our Aquifer Protection Permit, while the production water wells secure water for operations at the Moss Mine. The Company continues to focus on overall efficiencies and enhancements including sourcing higher-grade ore material from East Pit for the remainder of 2022 and obtaining consistent higher levels of ore processing rates. For Q3 2022, the mine averaged 8,162 stacked ore tonnes per day, which is in-line with the YTD 2022 average of 8,197 stacked ore tonnes per day, a 9% betterment than YTD 2021. By improving quality control from mine drilling and blasting and oversight on scheduled crusher maintenance, the Company looks ahead to continually improve crusher throughput. With the additional high-grade ore sourced from East Pit in the second half of the year, the Company is well positioned to deliver on annual guidance of between 32,000 to 34,000 ounces of gold sold for the full year 2022. The Company has also recently begun an exploration program in the Florence Hill and the surrounding areas and a newly announced reverse-circulation drilling program at the Moss Mine in Q4 2022. Consolidated Financial Results Summary The following table provides a summary of the components of the Company's net income (loss) for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021. For further details, refer to the Company's condensed interim consolidated financial statements and Management Discussion and Analysis ("MD&A") for the same periods. Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, (in thousands of dollars) 2022 2021 2022 2021 Revenue $ 16,979 $ 12,095 $ 44,900 $ 45,086 Production costs1 (13,948) (8,500) (42,929) (29,413) Royalties (899) (685) (2,244) (2,437) Mine operating (loss) income before depreciation and depletion 2,132 2,910 (273) 13,236 Depreciation and depletion1 (1,837) (1,713) (5,847) (6,177) (Loss) earnings from mine operations 295 1,197 (6,120) 7,059 Corporate administrative expenses (965) (1,037) (2,717) (3,848) Finance costs (1,643) (792) (5,061) (3,976) Gain (loss) on revaluation of derivative liabilities 3,240 4,031 13,264 3,198 Impairment of mineral properties - - (33,850) - Other 266 136 166 268 Income (loss) for the period $ 1,193 $ 3,535 $ (34,318) $ 2,701 (1) During the six months ended June 30, 2022, the Company incurred an inventory net realizable value impairment charge of approximately $5.8 million. During Q3 2022, due to lower per ounce costs and higher production in the period, the Company reversed a total of $2.7 million from production costs to inventory, resulting in a net impairment of $3.1 million for the YTD 2022. All impairments and reversal of impairments are included in changes in inventories and part of production costs. For a complete analysis and breakdown of production costs and significant components, refer to the Company's condensed interim consolidated financial statements for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022 and the related MD&A for the same period. Consolidated Operational Results Summary The following table provides a summary of the Company's operational statistics for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021. For further details, refer to the Company's MD&A for the same periods. Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, 2022 2021 2022 2021 Ore tonnes mined t 778,177 730,447 2,239,620 2,119,071 Ore tonnes stacked t 750,908 714,642 2,237,803 2,047,688 Contained gold ounces stacked oz 12,354 9,275 30,861 29,679 Gold grade g/t 0.51 0.40 0.43 0.45 Gold ounces produced oz 8,835 6,526 21,912 22,368 Gold ounces sold oz 9,096 6,214 22,606 22,380 Average realized gold price (1) ($/oz) $ 1,713 $ 1,785 $ 1,808 $ 1,794 Cash costs per ounce of gold sold (1) ($/oz) $ 1,770 $ 1,316 $ 1,682 $ 1,202 AISC per ounce of gold sold(1) ($/oz) $ 2,003 $ 1,810 $ 2,239 $ 2,078 (1) Refer to the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021 for a reconciliation to non-IFRS performance measures. Qualified Persons Unless otherwise indicated, the technical disclosure contained within this press release that relates to the Company's operating mine has been reviewed and approved by Tim J. Swendseid, Chief Operating Officer of the Company and a Qualified Person for the purpose of NI 43-101. Additional Information Full condensed interim consolidated financial statements for the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021 and related MD&A for the same period can be found at www.sedar.com and the Company's website at www.elevationgold.com. Non-IFRS Performance Measures The following tables represent the calculation of certain Non-IFRS Financial Measures as referenced in this news release. Reconciliation of Cash Costs and AISC Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, (in thousands of dollars, except per ounce figures) 2022 2021 2022 2021 Gold ounces sold 9,096 6,214 22,606 22,380 Cost of sales $ 16,684 $ 10,898 $ 51,020 $ 38,027 Less: Heap leach and dore adjustment(1) 2,653 - (3,116) - Less: Depreciation and depletion (1,837) (1,713) (5,847) (6,177) Add: Refining and transportation 94 60 223 212 Less: Silver and other bi-product revenue (1,492) (1,065) (4,249) (5,157) Total Cash Costs 16,102 8,180 38,031 26,905 Sustaining capital expenditures 1,108 1,968 9,568 15,559 Accretion 46 62 309 195 Corporate administration 965 1,037 2,717 3,848 Total AISC $ 18,221 $ 11,247 $ 50,625 $ 46,507 Cash Costs per ounce of gold sold $ 1,770 $ 1,316 $ 1,682 $ 1,202 AISC per ounce of gold sold $ 2,003 $ 1,810 $ 2,239 $ 2,078 (1) As discussed in the section Financial Results, during the six months ended June 30, 2022, the Company incurred an inventory net realizable value impairment charge of approximately $5.8 million. During Q3 2022, due to lower per ounce costs and higher production in the period, the Company reversed a total of $2.7 million from production costs to inventory, resulting in a net impairment of $3.1 million for the YTD 2022. All impairments and reversal of impairments are included in changes in inventories and part of production costs. The Company has calculated Total Cash Costs, Total AISC, and relevant per ounce of gold unit rates consistently across each of the periods presented, which includes period adjustments for heap leach and dore impairment charges (and reversals) incurred in Q3 2022 and YTD 2022. These impairment charges and reversals (described immediately above) can create fluctuations where such adjustments occur. Management views the current quarter costs considerably lower, on a per ounce sold basis, than costs seen in the first half of 2022, when not factoring in the accounting adjustments related to impairment. For Q3 2022 and YTD 2022, without considering these adjustments in our reconciliation, Total Cash Costs would have been $13.4 million and $41.1 million, or $1,479 and $1,820 per ounce of gold sold for each respective period. Similarly, Total AISC for Q3 2022 and YTD 2022, without considering these inventory impairment adjustments, would have been $15.6 million and $53.7 million, or $1,712 and $2,377 per ounce of gold sold for each respective period. Reconciliation of Average Realized Price of Gold per Ounce Sold Three Months Ended September 30, Six Months Ended September 30, (in thousands of dollars, except per ounce figures) 2022 2021 2022 2021 Gold revenue $ 15,581 $ 11,090 $ 40,874 $ 40,141 Gold ounces sold 9,096 6,214 22,606 22,380 Average realized price per ounce sold $ 1,713 $ 1,785 $ 1,808 $ 1,794 ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF ELEVATION GOLD MINING CORPORATION "Tim J. Swendseid" Tim J. Swendseid, President of Elevation Gold Mining Corporation About Elevation Gold Mining Corporation Elevation Gold is a publicly listed gold and silver producer, engaged in the acquisition, exploration, development and operation of mineral properties located in the United States. Elevation Gold's common shares are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV") in Canada under the ticker symbol ELVT and on the OTCQX in the United States under the ticker symbol EVGDF. The Company's principal operation is the 100% owned Moss Mine in the Mohave County of Arizona. Elevation also holds the title to the Hercules exploration property, located in Lyon County, Nevada. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information Certain of the statements made and information contained herein is "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this document constitute forward-looking information, including but not limited to statements regarding the Company's plans, prospects and business strategies; the Company's guidance on the timing and amount of future production and its expectations regarding the results of operations; expected costs; permitting requirements and timelines; timing and possible outcome of Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserve estimations, life of mine estimates, and mine plans; anticipated exploration and development activities at the Company's projects; net present value; design parameters; economic potential; processing mineralized material; the potential of robust economic potential at the Moss Mine Project. Words such as "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "contemplate", "target", "plan", "goal", "aim", "intend", "continue", "budget", "estimate", "may", "will", "can", "could", "should", "schedule" and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking information is necessarily based upon various estimates and assumptions including, without limitation, the expectations and beliefs of management, including that the Company can access financing, appropriate equipment and sufficient labour; assumed and future price of gold, silver and other metals; anticipated costs; ability to achieve goals; and assumptions related to the factors set forth below. While these factors and assumptions are considered reasonable by the Company as at the date of this document in light of management's experience and perception of current conditions and expected developments, these statements are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. Known and unknown factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements and information. Such factors include, but are not limited to: risks inherent in mining, including, but not limited to risks to the environment, industrial accidents, catastrophic equipment failures, unusual or unexpected geological formations or unstable ground conditions, and natural phenomena such as earthquakes, flooding or unusually severe weather; uninsurable risks; global financial conditions and inflation; changes in the Company's share price, and volatility in the equity markets in general; volatility and fluctuations in metal and commodity prices; the threat associated with outbreaks of viruses and infectious diseases, including the COVID-19 virus; delays or the inability to obtain, retain or comply with permits; risks related to negative publicity with respect to the Company or the mining industry in general; health and safety risks; exploration, development or mining results not being consistent with the Company's expectations; unavailable or inaccessible infrastructure and risks related to ageing infrastructure; actual ore mined and/or metal recoveries varying from Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserve estimates, estimates of grade, tonnage, dilution, mine plans and metallurgical and other characteristics; risks associated with the estimation of Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves and the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits, including, but not limited to, models relating thereto; ore processing efficiency; information technology and cybersecurity risks; potential for the allegation of fraud and corruption involving the Company, its customers, suppliers or employees, or the allegation of improper or discriminatory employment practices; regulatory investigations, enforcement, sanctions and/or related or other litigation; estimates of future production and operations; estimates of operating cost estimates; the potential for and effects of labour disputes or other unanticipated difficulties with or shortages of labour or interruptions in production; risks related to the environmental regulation and environmental impact of the Company's operations and products and management thereof; exchange rate fluctuations; climate change; risks relating to attracting and retaining of highly skilled employees; compliance with environmental, health and safety laws; counterparty and credit risks and customer concentration; litigation; changes in laws, regulations or policies including, but not limited to, those related to mining regimes, permitting and approvals, environmental and tailings management, and labour; internal controls; challenges or defects in title; funding requirements and availability of financing; dilution; risks relating to dividends; risks associated with acquisitions and related integration efforts, including the ability to achieve anticipated benefits, unanticipated difficulties or expenditures relating to integration and diversion of management time on integration; uncertainties relating to interpretation of drill results and the geology, continuity and grade of mineral deposits; uncertainty of estimates of capital and operating costs, production estimates and estimated economic return; uncertainty of meeting anticipated program milestones; and other risks and uncertainties including but not limited to those described the Company's public disclosure documents which are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com under the Company's profile. All of the forward-looking statements made in this document are qualified by these cautionary statements. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, forecast or intended and readers are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive of all factors and assumptions which may have been used. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking information. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate and forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance. Readers are advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The forward-looking information contained herein speaks only as of the date of this document. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise forwardlooking information or to explain any material difference between such and subsequent actual events, except as required by applicable law. SOURCE Elevation Gold Mining Corp. MidwayUSA's new headquarters outfitted with rooftop utility scale solar array COLUMBIA, Mo., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- MidwayUSA's new 300,000 square foot headquarters was outfitted with one of the largest rooftop solar arrays in Missouri. With a solar size of 1.612 megawatts, the system will advance MidwayUSA's sustainability mission while also delivering economic value. The solar array is projected to save the wholesaler up to $4,500,000 in potential energy costs for their new facility over the next 20 years. VIEW PROJECT DETAILS > New MidwayUSA headquarters outfitted with large, utility-scale rooftop solar array. MidwayUSA selected EnergyLink as the primary design-build contractor for the project. As a certified NAESCO Energy Service Company with over ten years of experience in the solar industry, managing the utility scale solar project from the initial auditing phase to the engineering, procurement, and construction phases was a simple task. Panels, inverters, and racking products for the project were carefully selected to ensure the best economic performance of the new rooftop solar system. In the first year, the updated facility is expected to save over $150,000 in comparison to if solar panels were not installed, with projected savings of over $4,500,000 in 20 years. "The MidwayUSA project is the new benchmark for corporations looking to be more sustainable," remarked Jeremy Nolen, EnergyLink's lead on the project. "This is proof that, with the right ESCO, it's possible to be more sustainable in an economically viable way." The sustainable impact of the project is significant. With the completed project MidwayUSA is now expected to offset 2,176,200 kilowatts of electricity annually, which is the equivalent of 3,399,528 pounds of CO2 emissions, burning 1,704,607 pounds of coal, or charging a smartphone 187,601,523 times. To learn more about this project, call (866) 218-0380 or visit goenergylink.com. About EnergyLink EnergyLink is a NAESCO accredited Energy Efficiency Contractor (EEC) who designs, builds, and funds renewable energy and energy efficiency products for commercial businesses, public institutions, cities, municipalities, and nonprofits. Media Contact: Matthew Frappier Marketing Manager, EnergyLink Phone: 573-355-5380 Email: [email protected] SOURCE EnergyLink Employers Using Leading HR Software Platforms Can Now Leverage API Technology for Streamlined Access to the Equifax Workforce Solutions Compliance Center Platform ATLANTA, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Equifax (NYSE: EFX) announced the availability of pre-built Application Programming Interface (API) integrations with iCIMS, Jobvite, PageUp, and SAP SuccessFactors through Veritas Prime, offering employers more streamlined access to the Equifax Workforce Solutions Compliance Center platform. The integrations support a more seamless employee experience while helping to free up HR and technology resources for more strategic work. "With the introduction of these new Equifax APIs, we can provide one-click access to our Compliance Center platform from within a customer's existing core HR technology stack," said Maria Hayes, Senior Vice President, Digital & Experience at Equifax Workforce Solutions . "This helps expedite the employee onboarding process, which can support a better experience for the employee as well as efficiencies for the HR team." Each of these integrations can include access to leading onboarding solutions from the Equifax Workforce Solutions Compliance Center platform, including: I-9 Management, Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) Management, State New Hire Forms and Tax Withholding Forms. And because the API integrations are pre-built, they require minimal development work on part of customers that are already using iCIMS, Jobvite, PageUp or SAPSuccessFactors. "We are committed to making Equifax solutions easily accessible within the existing ecosystems of our clients," added Hayes. "That means HR leaders no longer have to choose either world-class solutions or a more seamless employee experience. With API integrations, they can truly have the best of both worlds." API integrations for the Equifax Workforce Solutions Compliance Center platform are available now. For more information, please visit this site . ABOUT EQUIFAX At Equifax (NYSE: EFX), we believe knowledge drives progress. As a global data, analytics, and technology company, we play an essential role in the global economy by helping financial institutions, companies, employers, and government agencies make critical decisions with greater confidence. Our unique blend of differentiated data, analytics, and cloud technology drives insights to power decisions to move people forward. Headquartered in Atlanta and supported by more than 14,000 employees worldwide, Equifax operates or has investments in 24 countries in North America, Central and South America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific region. For more information, visit Equifax.com . FOR MORE INFORMATION Daniel Jenkins for Equifax Workforce Solutions [email protected] SOURCE Equifax Inc. Partnership Aims to Narrow Digital Divide, Bringing Affordable Connectivity Available to Those Who Need it Most LOS ANGELES, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Excess Telecom ("Excess") announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Genesis Bank ("Genesis") with the aim to narrow the digital divide in low- and moderate-income (LMI) communities. Genesis Bank will be the exclusive national banking partner of Excess Telecom. The partnership provides Excess and Genesis the opportunity to address and serve those most impacted by the digital divide that exists across minority and LMI communities throughout the country. By promoting economic and intellectual growth through the distribution of reliable, affordable, and accessible premium wireless Internet service and enabled tablets, access to education, information, and knowledge is readily available at one's fingertips. Cobby Pourtavosi, President of Excess Telecom, stated, "We believe that connectivity cost should not be a factor in joblessness, food insecurity, access to medical care, or access to education. We live in a society that increasingly demands connectivity to maintain function in society, yet, there is a divide amongst the haves and the have nots. We firmly believe that all Americans should have access to work, education, medical assistance, family, and more. By partnering with Genesis Bank and their wide net of community partners, we have a chance to narrow the digital divide in these often overlooked and underserved communities, giving them the connectivity required by the American economic system." Narrowing the digital divide can be done through strategic partnerships working together for the greater good. Tweet this Stephen H. Gordon, Founding Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Genesis Bank stated, "Through this exclusive partnership, we are excited to now have the unique capability to leverage our deep relationships and distribution across the majority minority and LMI communities of Southern California and beyond, and deliver, through Excess, essential Internet and telecommunication services to those in need. We strongly believe that our collective efforts will help narrow the digital gap that continues to exist between demographics and LMI and majority minority communities that lack access to digital technology and connectivity." Together, Excess Telecom and Genesis Bank are excited to leverage the resources and collaboration of community partners who help to meet the needs of historically underserved populations in Southern California and beyond. Access to affordable connectivity is a simple means of creating opportunities for employment, better healthcare and education, and keeping families connected across great distances. About Excess Telecom Excess Telecom is a service provider for the government-funded Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). The ACP is a government benefit program operated by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) that provides discounts on monthly broadband Internet access service and certain connected devices. The ACP provides discounts of up to $30 per eligible household on monthly broadband Internet access service (or up to $75 per eligible household on Tribal lands) and up to $100 on certain connected devices (with a required co-payment of between $10 and $50). ACP service and device discounts cannot be transferred to another household or individual. Eligible households are limited to one monthly service discount and one device discount. Rates and device discounts available for qualified customers only. Visit www.excesstelecom.com for full eligibility requirements, service agreement, coverage map, and program details. About Genesis Bank Genesis Bank is a California state chartered commercial bank, organized by a group of highly experienced and successful bankers, investors, and business professionals. The Bank focuses on serving the financial needs of small to mid-sized businesses and owners, and investors in income-producing multifamily and commercial real estate located in the Bank's Target Markets of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, California. Additionally, Genesis Bank is designated by the FDIC as a Minority Depository Institution ("MDI"), and is only the second diverse, multi-racial MDI in the U.S. The Bank is powered by GenTeckSM, a groundbreaking combination of best-in-class technologies, which are tightly integrated to give clients a seamless, digital first, and transparent experience. The Bank's products, services, and solutions primarily include traditional commercial business, Small Business Administration (SBA), income property, and owner-occupied commercial real estate loan and deposit products, as well as treasury management, escrow, and Section 1031 exchange services and solutions. Genesis Bank is headquartered in Newport Beach, California, and can be found online at www.mygenesisbank.com. Genesis is an Equal Housing Lender and Member FDIC. Media Contact: Erwin Ramos Email: [email protected] SOURCE Excess Telecom Increase in the global geriatric population bolsters demand within the global extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine market Surge in the incidence of birth defects trigger increased demand within the market WILMINGTON, Del., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Products in the global extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine market are used to provide extracorporeal life support. These products are used by medical professionals to treat individuals whose lungs and heart are rendered incapable of providing adequate amount of perfusion to maintain life signs. These medical devices are also used for the treatment of various respiratory issues in newborns. As per a recent research report, the global extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine market is estimated to rise at a CAGR of 5.4% over the forecast period of 2019 to 2027. Advancements in technology have enabled manufacturers in the global extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine market to create new generation of products that are more reliable and precise. Over the COVID-19 pandemic, various governments have started taking initiatives to incorporate the use of products in the global extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine market for the treatment of infected individuals. Apart from this, increase in the rate of hospitalization to treat respiratory illnesses is also fostering growth within the global extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine market. Get Exclusive PDF Sample Copy of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Machine Market https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=22187 Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Machine Market Key Findings of the Report Growing Demand for Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Machine : Owing to multiple factors, including the rising geriatric population across the globe, as well as increase in the instances of respiratory and cardiac illnesses is boosting the demand within the global extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine market. Increase in the respiratory and cardiac diseases is triggered by shifting customer lifestyles, increasingly unhealthy eating habits, and rising consumption of tobacco products. Apart from respiratory and cardiac disorders, products in the global extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine market are also used in various medical conditions amongst infants, such as persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn, as well as meconium aspiration syndrome. : Owing to multiple factors, including the rising geriatric population across the globe, as well as increase in the instances of respiratory and cardiac illnesses is boosting the demand within the global extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine market. Increase in the respiratory and cardiac diseases is triggered by shifting customer lifestyles, increasingly unhealthy eating habits, and rising consumption of tobacco products. Apart from respiratory and cardiac disorders, products in the global extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine market are also used in various medical conditions amongst infants, such as persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn, as well as meconium aspiration syndrome. Rise in Incidence of Birth Defects : Growth in the number of cases of birth defect are leading to an increased demand within the global extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine market. In neonates, the mortality rate caused by respiratory health issues is almost 33%. Furthermore, growing incidence of respiratory distress syndrome, as well as congenital diaphragmatic hernia in neonates is also driving demand within the global extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine market. : Growth in the number of cases of birth defect are leading to an increased demand within the global extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine market. In neonates, the mortality rate caused by respiratory health issues is almost 33%. Furthermore, growing incidence of respiratory distress syndrome, as well as congenital diaphragmatic hernia in neonates is also driving demand within the global extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine market. Increasing Elderly Population: Increase in the number of geriatric individuals is boosting demand within the global extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine market. As a human being ages, their immune system weakens over time. This creates a very high risk of contracting infections and diseases amongst the elderly. Furthermore, increase in the number of geriatric individuals suffering from chronic health conditions is also anticipated to boost demand within the market. Ask for References https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=ARF&rep_id=22187 Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Machine Market Growth Drivers Increase in prevalence, as well as incidence of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases boosts demand within the global extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine market Increasing adoption of technologically superior products fuels market growth Growth in the number of geriatric individuals across the world who are more susceptible to chronic ailments fuels demand in the global extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine market Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Machine Market Key Players Some of the leading companies operating within the global extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine market include Medtronic PLC, LivaNova PLC, MicroPort Scientific Corporation, OriGen Biomedical, Hemovent GmbH, Terumo Corporation, Getinge AB, Nipro Corporation, Xenios AG, and Eurosets. The competitive landscape of the global extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine market is heavily fragmented in nature, with the presence of a large number of local, as well as multi-national players. Make an Enquiry Before Buying https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=EB&rep_id=22187 Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Machine Market: Segmentation Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Machine Market, by Component Type Pumps Roller Pumps Centrifugal Pumps Oxygenators Heat Exchangers Saturation Monitors Others Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Machine Market, by Application Respiratory Cardiology Extracorporeal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Machine Market, by Modality Venoarterial Venovenous Arteriovenous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Machine Market, by Region North America Europe Asia Pacific Latin America Middle East & Africa Modernization of healthcare in terms of both infrastructure and services have pushed the healthcare industry to new heights, Stay Updated with Latest Healthcare Research Reports by Transparency Market Research: Hearing Aids Market: The global hearing aids market is anticipated to reach more than US$ 12.9 Bn by the end of 2031 at a CAGR of 5.2% from 2022 to 2031. Orthopedic Implants Market: The global orthopedic implants market is anticipated to reach more than US$ 56.3 Bn by the end of 2031 at a CAGR of 5.0% from 2022 to 2031. Non-invasive Brain Stimulation System Market: The global non-invasive brain stimulation system market is anticipated to reach more than US$ 1.04 Bn by the end of 2031 at a CAGR of 6.3% from 2022 to 2031. Dental Consumables Market: The global dental consumables market is anticipated to reach more than US$ 49.8 Bn by the end of 2031 at a CAGR of 7.1% from 2022 to 2031. Pediatric Home-use Medical Devices Market: The global pediatric home-use medical devices market is anticipated to reach more than US$ 4.27 Bn by the end of 2031 at a CAGR of 6.2% from 2022 to 2031. Nurse Call Systems Market: The global nurse call systems market is anticipated to reach more than US$ 4.2 Bn by the end of 2031 at a CAGR of 9.8% from 2022 to 2031. Diabetes Devices Market: The global diabetes devices market is anticipated to reach more than US$ 90.2 Bn by 2031 at a CAGR of 6.0% from 2022 to 2031. Safety Pen Needles Market: The North America safety pen needles market is anticipated to reach more than US$ 1.17 Bn by the end of 2031 at a CAGR of 6.4% from 2022 to 2031. About Transparency Market Research Transparency Market Research, a global market research company registered at Wilmington, Delaware, United States, provides custom research and consulting services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insights for thousands of decision makers. Our experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools & techniques to gather and analyse information. Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports. For More Research Insights on Leading Industries, Visit Our YouTube Channel and hit subscribe for Future Update - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8e-z-g23-TdDMuODiL8BKQ Contact Nikhil Sawlani Transparency Market Research Inc. CORPORATE HEADQUARTER DOWNTOWN, 1000 N. West Street, Suite 1200, Wilmington, Delaware 19801 USA Tel: +1-518-618-1030 USA Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453 Website: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Blog: https://tmrblog.com Email: [email protected] Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1682871/TMR_Logo_Logo.jpg SOURCE Transparency Market Research At COP27 Climate Conference, The Last Banana will warn delegates and governments alike that the future survival of the world's most popular fruit is at risk WASHINGTON, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Fairtrade International, the leading certification for social justice and sustainability, is set to launch the world's first Non-Fungible Banana, or NFB, in an effort to spotlight the increasing threat climate change poses to the planet's most beloved food products and the livelihoods of the farmers and agricultural workers who grow them, the organization announced today. Fairtrade International to unveil non-fungible banana (NFB) on Nov. 10 at United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27). The NFB was created to bring attention to the impacts climate change could have on some of our favorite goods, including bananas, and the farmers and workers who rely on those goods for their livelihoods. Video Credits: Concept, Relajaelcoco and Rafa Gil; Animation, Pedro Perles and Rafa Galeano; Illustration and music, Pedro Perles Dubbed The Last Banana, Fairtrade's NFB, which differs from a Non-Fungible Token in that it is not commercially accessible and does not rely on energy-intensive processes for production, will be unveiled on 10 November at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, where it will be on view at the FAO Pavilion as a definitive warning to visiting delegates that the future of the global food system hangs in the balance. The Last Banana will also be accessible to audiences in over 21 Fairtrade markets as Fairtrade organizations around the world encourage viewers to visit the NFB's virtual gallery space online. "The Last Banana is Fairtrade's call to the world that if we don't step up and achieve inclusive and equitable climate solutions with farmers and agricultural workers at the centre of climate action, we risk losing our favourite food products forever," said Melissa Duncan, Executive Director at Fairtrade International. Bananas are hands down the world's most popular fruit. And with an estimated global export value of $7 billion dollars per year, they are also likely one of the most essential, as the banana trade remains the cornerstone of many countries' economies. For more than 450 million people around the world, bananas and plantains are vital staple crops. But amid the impact of climate change and the threats posed by plant diseases like Fusarium TR4, the future of bananas is increasingly at risk a frightening reality brought out in the Fairtrade and Climate Change study released in late 2021. According to the study's findings, dramatic weather patterns spurred by climate change will likely deliver severe blows to agricultural production in key regions around the world, from Latin America to the Asia-Pacific. Banana producers in the Caribbean and in Central America, for instance, are expected to face less rainfall and more extreme temperatures, while those in Southeast Asia and Oceania will see an increased risk of tropical cyclones. "Farmers and workers are not only on the frontline of the climate crisis, they also have critical know-how that can mitigate and address climate risks for the benefit of humanity," Ms. Duncan continued. "If governments fail to include them in the COP27 outcome and empower them to be the custodians of our planet's food supply, the only future for one of the world's most popular fruits may very well be a digital NFB." Representing more than 1.8 million farmers worldwide, Fairtrade's delegation will be active at COP27 calling on leaders of government and the private sector to immediately deliver on climate targets by meeting the $100 billion USD climate aid commitment promised by the end of 2022; ensuring climate finance delivers for small holder farmers and workers by including them in the design of climate programmes; agreeing on regulations that tackle the root causes of environmental degradation, such as deforestation, by penalising non-compliance; and supporting farmers and workers with the costs of adaptation and mitigation. "We already know that the impacts of the climate crisis are being felt by local communities in low-income countries through unprecedented heatwaves, calamitous droughts, intensified hurricanes and destructive downpours," noted Juan Pablo Solis, Fairtrade International's Senior Advisor for Climate and Environment. "The unveiling of a Non-Fungible Banana is a powerful way for us to remind everyone from global leaders to consumers that they cannot take their favourite foods for granted. The current climate crisis could very well mean that the last banana is not too far away." Visit The Last Banana in Fairtrade's Virtual Gallery Space About Fairtrade America Fairtrade America works to rebalance trade, making it a system rooted in partnership and mutual respect rather than exploitation. It's about businesses, shoppers, farmers and workers all partnering so we can all experience the benefits of trade. Fairtrade America is the US chapter of Fairtrade International, the original and global leader in fair trade certification with more than 30 years of experience working for fair trading practices in more than 30 countries across the globe. A non-profit 501(c)3 organization, Fairtrade America is the world's largest and most recognized fair trade systempart of a global movement for change. Learn more at fairtradeamerica.org , and by connecting with Fairtrade America on Facebook , Instagram and LinkedIn . Media Contact: Emily Rado 954-592-2003 [email protected] SOURCE Fairtrade America SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- FalconX is honored to announce FalconX 360 has been recognized as the Most Innovative FinTech Solution by the 2022 Tech Ascension Awards. The Tech Ascension Awards recognized the very best innovations in technology. The Tech Ascension awards judged applicants based on technology innovation, market research, and competitive differentiators. The class-leading vendors that received recognition from the Tech Ascension Awards showcased technology that solves critical industry challenges and produces invaluable business outcomes for their customers. "FinTech innovation has become more critical than ever, and these leaders are pushing the market to new heights," said David Campbell, CEO, Tech Ascension Awards. "We're very excited to be able to recognize these leaders and look forward to following their growth and trajectory as the FinTech industry continues to evolve." FalconX 360 is the first and only unified investment and risk management platform for crypto that provides institutional investors full-spectrum execution capabilities and end-to-end reporting across their digital asset portfolio (availability of products and services is subject to jurisdictional limitations and capabilities of each FalconX entity). The platform increases access to risk management, prime services and security controls for institutions, all in one place. This is a transformational innovation in the crypto and financial space, delivering on FalconX's mission to enable the next billion users to access digital assets. In the same way that crypto is democratizing access to finance, the FalconX 360 platform is democratizing access to the digital asset ecosystem, allowing clients to be significantly more active and agile in their investments. Instead of splitting $1M across multiple platforms, investors can now bring that $1M to FalconX and access diversified investments through a single account, scaling up returns by 3-5X, streamlining account management, saving time and maximizing ROI. "We're proud that FalconX 360 is receiving this award recognition because investors have been eager for a solution that mitigates risk," said Raghu Yarlagadda, Founder and CEO of FalconX. "With this new platform, we are delivering confidence and security for digital asset investing, which is the future of finance." For more information about the Tech Ascension Awards, please visit www.techascensionawards.com . To learn more or get started with FalconX today, visit https://falconx.io About FalconX FalconX is a fully comprehensive digital asset platform that allows institutions to access and manage all of their crypto strategies through a single interface and seamless workflows, making it easy to execute trading, prime services and clearing all in one place. FalconX's crypto-as-a-service offering powers leading banks, FinTech institutions and investment applications to easily add crypto to their product offerings with a goal of enabling the next billion users to enter the crypto space. The company is backed by investors including Accel, Adams Street Partners, Altimeter Capital, American Express Ventures, B Capital, GIC, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Sapphire Ventures, Thoma Bravo, Tiger Global Management and Wellington Management. FalconX has offices in Silicon Valley, New York, Chicago, Bengaluru and Malta. For more information visit falconx.io or follow them on Twitter and LinkedIn About the Tech Ascension Awards The Tech Ascension Awards elevate companies that possess cutting-edge, innovative technology that solve critical challenges in their respective markets. Tech Ascension winners rise above the crowded consumer and enterprise technology industries and receive validation from an independent organization. Applicants are judged based on technology innovation and uniqueness, market research (analyst reports, media coverage, customer case studies), hard performance stats, and competitive differentiators. The awards recognize leaders in cybersecurity, DevOps, big data and more. For information about the Tech Ascension Awards, please visit www.techascensionawards.com . This material is for informational purposes only and is only intended for sophisticated or institutional investors. This material is not (i) an offer, or solicitation of an offer, to invest in, or to buy or sell, any interests or shares, or to participate in any investment or trading strategy, (ii) intended to provide accounting, legal, or tax advice, or investment recommendations, or (iii) an official statement of FalconX or any of its affiliates. Any information contained in this material is not and should not be regarded as investment research, debt research, or derivatives research for the purposes of the rules of the CFTC or any other relevant regulatory body. Prior to entering into any proposed transaction, recipients should determine, in consultation with their own investment, legal, tax, regulatory and accounting advisors, the economic risks and merits, as well as the legal, tax, regulatory and accounting characteristics and consequences of the transaction. This material does not constitute investment advice. To the extent permitted by law, FalconX does not accept any liability arising from the use of this communication. This material may contain information regarding structured products which involve over the counter derivatives. Pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Act, over the counter derivatives are only permitted to be traded by "eligible contract participants" ("ECP"s) as defined under Section 1a(18) of the CEA (7 U.S.C. 1a(18)). Do not invest in a structured product unless you are an ECP as relevant and fully understand and are willing to assume the risks associated with the product. Solios, Inc. is registered as a federal money services business with FinCEN. FalconX Bravo, Inc. is provisionally registered with the U.S. Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) as a swap dealer. FalconX Limited is a registered Class 3 VFA service provider under the Virtual Financial Assets Act of 2018 with the Malta Financial Services Authority. FalconX Limited, FalconX Bravo, Inc., nor Solios, Inc. are registered with the Securities & Exchange Commission or the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. "FalconX" is a marketing name for FalconX Limited and its subsidiaries. For information about which legal entities offer trading products and services, if you are considering entering into a derivatives transaction, or would like more information, please reach out to your Sales or Trading representative. Availability of products and services is subject to jurisdictional limitations and capabilities of each FalconX entity. SOURCE FalconX >>On November 17th Gigster, the leading service integrator for blockchain and Web3, will host leading experts in education on improving training and skill development in Web3 for a virtual event. AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On November 17th, the leading blockchain service integrator, Gigster , will host a live stream to speak with industry professionals on how to improve education in the Web3 and blockchain space. The event is part of an ongoing virtual series in which Gigster collects industry experts to discuss new innovations and provide education to the Web3 community. Gigster helps companies develop blockchain and Web3 applications at startup speed by building dynamic, remote teams assembled from Gigster's pool of top global talent . The Gigster Partner Network brings together technology providers, blockchain services, and Web3 agencies to integrate the tools and expertise organizations need to capitalize on Web3. "When we talk about democratizing access and opportunities in Web3, it really needs to start with education" -Cory Hymel Tweet this The Web3 Education live stream will include a full day of sessions from experts in education and blockchain: Cory Hymel , Gigster's Director of Blockchain , Gigster's Director of Blockchain Desmond Efe -khaese, Educator and promoter, CoinsCreed -khaese, Educator and promoter, CoinsCreed Audrey Whitlock , Educator in the blockchain space, ReTrain , Educator in the blockchain space, ReTrain Bradley Ackroyd , Product Strategist, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology , Product Strategist, Thomas Gonzalez , CEO of Moralis Academy , CEO of Moralis Academy Mat Patenaude, Government of Alberta "The Web3 space is so new and is growing so quickly it can be difficult for new people coming to the space to get proper education on the technical side of blockchain," said Gigster's Director of Blockchain, Cory Hymel. "When we talk about democratizing access and opportunities in Web3, it really needs to start with education." The online Web3 university, Moralis Academy, joined the Gigster Partner Network earlier this year as an important step in providing greater access to blockchain education and training opportunities for engineers in the Web3 space. The upcoming live stream is another step towards highlighting opportunities for blockchain engineers and newcomers to gain access to further education. Web3 Education will stream for free on November 17th from 12:30PM-3:30PM EST. Registration for the event is currently open on Gigster's live stream event page . For more information about Gigster, please visit www.gigster.com or follow @trygigster on Twitter. SOURCE Gigster DUBLIN, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "POS Security Market by Offering (Solutions and Services), Organization Size (SMEs and Large Enterprises), Vertical (Retail, Restaurants, and Hospitality), and Region (North America, Europe, APAC, MEA, Latin America) - Global Forecast to 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global POS Security market size is expected to grow from an estimated value of USD 4.0 billion in 2022 to USD 6.1 billion by 2027, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 8.6 % from 2022 to 2027. Some of the factors that are driving the market growth include the rising POS attacks and compliance with regulations. However, issues with the traditional POS protection approach and issues with POS security deployment are expected to hinder the market growth. Large enterprises to hold the largest market size during the forecast period According to OECD, large enterprises employ more than 250 people. Large enterprises are witnessing high adoption of POS security solutions. These enterprises possess the required finance and workforce to be able to implement POS security solutions and services in their systems. Large enterprises possess a huge volume of data, which makes them attractive targets for cybersecurity attacks. Credit and debit card data theft is one of the most common forms of cybersecurity threats and is increasingly being done by targeting the POS systems. Products and solutions involving technologies such as P2PE, tokenization, and the use of EMV cards are being employed by the enterprises to avoid the POS attacks. Governments of several countries have invested in payment data regulations over the years. Large enterprises across the globe have been prompted to adopt POS security solutions due to the strict regulatory norms on payments data and other data privacy laws and to prevent huge financial losses caused by POS attacks. Restaurants vertical to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period The restaurants vertical includes independent and franchise restaurants (quick service, casual, and fine dining), bakery, bars and breweries, and cafes. According to a report by investor, one of the large-scale industries most vulnerable to cyberattacks is the restaurant business. Restaurants provide access to critically private financial data of diners. Restaurant servers store large databases of diners' details, which can be targeted for malicious purposes by cyberattackers. In the cyberattacks, criminals inject malicious software in the POS hardware to gain access to card and payment information. POS attacks are a serious concern for restaurant businesses that can lead to a lack of trust with customers and a crippled system that could also affect the revenue of the businesses. In 2019, the Catch group announced data breaches in several of Catch restaurants stemming from malware in its POS systems. The attack exposed the payment data of the customers. Several vendors are providing POS security solutions to the restaurants vertical. Upserve provides Upserve POS as a POS security solution which is a cloud-based POS solution that works on an enclosed system to keep customer data safe. It provides encryption and tokenization to secure the data. North America to hold the largest market size during the forecast period North America is expected to be the largest contributor in terms of the market size in the global POS security market. North America has the presence of the largest number of POS security market vendors among all the regions considered. According to the Payment systems in the United States report by the Bank for International Settlements, a variety of payment instruments and settlement mechanisms are available to discharge payment obligations between and among financial institutions and their customers in the US. The use of electronic payment mechanisms, such as automated clearing house (ACH), ATM and POS networks, however, have been rapidly growing. The significant use POS systems by verticals such as retail, restaurants, and hospitality have led to increased adoption of POS security solutions. The region is also witnessing a rise in POS system attacks. The attacks on POS systems have led to growth in the adoption of POS security systems in the region. The growing concerns for the protection of sensitive payment data have increased government intervention over the years. Various security-related regulatory compliances control the protection of the POS systems in the North America region. The PCI DSS, and other regulatory compliances help organizations in protecting the sensitive data of their customers. The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) gives consumers more control over the personal information that businesses collect about them and the CCPA regulations provide guidance on the procedure to implement the law. Key Topics Covered: 1 Introduction 2 Research Methodology 3 Executive Summary 4 Premium Insights 4.1 Brief Overview of Pos Security Market 4.2 Market, by Offering, 2022 4.3 Market, by Services, 2022 4.4 Market, by Organization Size, 2022 4.5 Market, by Vertical, 2022 4.6 Market Investment Scenario 5 Market Overview and Industry Trends 5.1 Introduction 5.1.1 Drivers 5.1.1.1 Growing Scale of Data Breaches Involving Pos Systems 5.1.1.2 Need for Compliance with Regulations 5.1.2 Restraints 5.1.2.1 Issues with Traditional Pos Protection Approach 5.1.2.2 Pos Security Deployment Issues 5.1.3 Opportunities 5.1.3.1 Rise in Cybercrimes 5.1.3.2 Growing Need for Data Security 5.1.3.3 Rising Penetration of Ecommerce Platforms 5.1.4 Challenges 5.1.4.1 Lack of Awareness Among Employees Using Pos Systems 5.2 Value Chain Analysis 5.3 Pos Security Ecosystem Analysis 5.4 Market: Patent Analysis 5.5 Pricing Analysis: Market 5.6 Technology Analysis 5.6.1 Artificial Intelligence 5.6.2 Near-Field Communication 5.7 Use Cases 5.7.1 Multi-National Pharmacy Retailer Chose Micro Focus' Solution to Ensure Pos Security 5.7.2 Pacific Coffee Selected Checkpoint to Deploy Pos Security Solution 5.7.3 A.F. Blakemore Chose Kaspersky's Endpoint Security Solution to Combat Pos Threats 5.8 Market Disruptions 5.9 Porter's Five Forces Analysis 5.10 Regulatory Landscape 6 Pos Security Market, by Offering 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Solutions 6.2.1 Solutions: Market Drivers 6.3 Services 6.3.1 Services: Market Drivers 6.3.2 Deployment and Integration 6.3.3 Training and Education 6.3.4 Support and Maintenance 7 Pos Security Market, by Organization Size 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises 7.2.1 Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: Market Drivers 7.3 Large Enterprises 7.3.1 Large Enterprises: Market Drivers 8 Pos Security Market, by Vertical 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Retail 8.2.1 Retail: Market Drivers 8.3 Restaurants 8.3.1 Restaurants: Market Drivers 8.4 Hospitality 8.4.1 Hospitality: Market Drivers 8.5 Other Verticals 9 Pos Security Market, by Region 10 Competitive Landscape 10.1 Overview 10.2 Historical Revenue Analysis of Key Players 10.3 Market Share Analysis, 2022 10.4 Market Structure 10.5 Ranking of Key Players 10.6 Market Evaluation Framework 10.7 Company Evaluation Quadrant for Key Players 10.7.1 Company Evaluation Quadrant Matrix 10.7.2 Stars 10.7.3 Emerging Leaders 10.7.4 Pervasive Players 10.7.5 Participants 10.8 Competitive Benchmarking 10.8.1 Company Footprint 10.9 Startup/Sme Evaluation Quadrant 10.9.1 Progressive Companies 10.9.2 Responsive Companies 10.9.3 Dynamic Companies 10.9.4 Starting Blocks 10.10 Competitive Benchmarking for Startups/Smes 10.11 Competitive Scenario 10.11.1 Recent Developments 11 Company Profiles 11.1 Key Players 11.1.1 Oracle 11.1.1.1 Business Overview 11.1.1.2 Products Offered 11.1.1.3 Recent Developments 11.1.1.4 Analyst's View 11.1.1.4.1 Key Strengths/Right to Win 11.1.1.4.2 Strategic Choices Made 11.1.1.4.3 Weaknesses and Competitive Threats 11.1.2 Micro Focus 11.1.2.1 Business Overview 11.1.2.2 Products/Solutions/Services Offered 11.1.2.3 Recent Developments 11.1.2.4 Analyst's View 11.1.2.4.1 Key Strengths/Right to Win 11.1.2.4.2 Strategic Choices Made 11.1.2.4.3 Weaknesses and Competitive Threats 11.1.3 Ncr 11.1.3.1 Business Overview 11.1.3.2 Products/Solutions/Services Offered 11.1.3.3 Recent Developments 11.1.3.4 Analyst's View 11.1.3.4.1 Key Strengths/Right to Win 11.1.3.4.2 Strategic Choices Made 11.1.3.4.3 Weaknesses and Competitive Threats 11.1.4 Fortinet 11.1.4.1 Business Overview 11.1.4.2 Products/Solutions/Services Offered 11.1.4.3 Recent Developments 11.1.5 Verifone 11.1.5.1 Business Overview 11.1.5.2 Products/Solutions/Services Offered 11.1.5.3 Recent Developments 11.1.6 Paypal 11.1.6.1 Business Overview 11.1.6.2 Products/Solutions/Services Offered 11.1.6.3 Recent Developments 11.1.7 Check Point 11.1.7.1 Business Overview 11.1.7.2 Products/Solutions/Services Offered 11.1.7.3 Recent Developments 11.1.8 Cardconnect 11.1.8.1 Business Overview 11.1.8.2 Products/Solutions/Services Offered 11.1.8.3 Recent Developments 11.1.9 Morphisec 11.1.9.1 Business Overview 11.1.9.2 Products/Solutions/Services Offered 11.1.9.3 Recent Developments 11.1.10 Kaspersky 11.1.10.1 Business Overview 11.1.10.2 Products/Solutions/Services Offered 11.1.11 Sophos 11.1.11.1 Business Overview 11.1.11.2 Products/Solutions/Services Offered 11.1.11.3 Recent Developments 11.1.12 Thales 11.1.12.1 Business Overview 11.1.12.2 Products/Solutions/Services Offered 11.2 Other Players 11.2.1 Upserve 11.2.2 Tripwire 11.2.3 Elavon 11.2.4 Tempuspayment 11.2.5 Bluefin 11.2.6 Squareup 11.2.7 Acunetix 11.2.8 Vend 11.2.9 Tokenex 11.2.10 Bpapos 11.3 Startups 11.3.1 Teskalabs 11.3.2 Clover 11.3.3 Helcim 11.3.4 Hideez 12 Adjacent Markets 13 Appendix For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/jlq1n Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg SOURCE Research and Markets Leading window treatment franchise to provide premium window treatments, consultation services to Stamford community STAMFORD, Conn., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Gotcha Covered, a leader in custom window treatment consultation in the U.S. and Canada, is continuing its expansion in Connecticut with the opening of Gotcha Covered of Stamford. With the opening of the new center, the franchise has two locations in the state. Dawris Gomez, pictured, is the owner and operator of Gotcha Covered of Stamford. The new home-based center is owned and operated by Dawris Gomez. With an emphasis on end-to-end consultations, this business will provide the best in soft and hard window treatments to homeowners in Fairfield County including Stamford, Greenwich, Old Greenwich, Cos Cob, Port Chester, Armonk, Riverside, and Bedford while offering a variety of blinds, draperies, smart solutions and much more. "The Gotcha Covered brand dedicates itself to delivering a first-class experience to its customers," said Paul Linenberg, president of Gotcha Covered. "Nationally, we want our window treatments and consultation services to be accessible to those who look to improve the look of their homes and businesses. The new home-based center in Stamford will allow us to further our reach in the state of Connecticut. "The local homeowners in the community are gaining an asset with Gotcha Covered of Stamford, and we are happy to have Dawris representing our brand with this new location." Gomez brings an extensive amount of experience to the Gotcha Covered brand. She holds a bachelor's degree in history and a master's in public relations and business communications, both from New York University. She has 12 years of experience working in retail sales, sales management, retail sales operations and B2B sales. She is also a graduate of Tony Robins Mastery University. After deciding to leave the corporate world, Gomez began searching for an opportunity that would offer her an alternative lifestyle and a greater income opportunity. That's when she came across Gotcha Covered with the help of a franchise broker. "I knew Gotcha Covered was a great fit from the beginning," said Gomez. "There is a real authentic energy here. With that comes superior support, engagement and commitment to success. I have no doubts that I made the right choice to join the Gotcha Covered team." Looking at the future, Gomez wants to grow roots and expand her business in order to be able to contribute on a larger scale year after year. "My goal is to delight and over-deliver for my community," Gomez said. "I look to forge many friendships and deliver five-star white glove service for every project. I want to make people fall in love with their home again or fall deeper in love with their new home." Adding 27 new franchise locations in 2021, Gotcha Covered currently has over 145 total franchises across the U.S. and Canada. The franchise has been operating under the Gotcha Covered name since 2009. To schedule an appointment with Gotcha Covered of Stamford, visit https://www.gotchacovered.com/stamford/. About Gotcha Covered Gotcha Covered is a leader in custom soft and hard window treatment consultation in the U.S. and Canada. Flying under their Gotcha Covered flag since 2009, they offer custom window treatments including blinds, draperies, shutters and much more. They offer end-to-end consultation with the customer's specific needs and goals in mind. The company currently has over 145 total franchises across the U.S. and Canada. MEDIA CONTACT: Heather Ripley Ripley PR 865-977-1973 [email protected] SOURCE Gotcha Covered NOBLESVILLE, Ind., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Automation of the highest caliber has made its way to Noblesville. The Washington Business Park is now home to the newest facility of Morrell Group, as the advanced motion control solution provider had outgrown its last location in Indianapolis, Indiana. "We are excited to settle into our new home in Noblesville. This is a growing community and Morrell Group is thrilled to be embracing the opportunities our partners and customers have presented us within this new facility," shared Mark Garrett, President at Morrell Group. Ribbon cutting at the new Morrell Group Noblesville, Indiana facility The brand-new Washington Business Park welcomes Morrell Group as its second occupant. The innovation park was established in early 2021, with construction beginning in April 2021. One of the park's projections is to host over 500 jobs within the complex. Morrell Group will supply 33 of said jobs in their 32,000 sq ft space. "The new facility is perfect for showcasing our products and services to our industrial and off-highway customers," shared Mark Majewski, Co-Owner and Vice President of Morrell Group. "As we've grown, we've been looking to establish 'work centers,' if you will, A facility dedicated to collaboration and engineering excellence. We encourage our customers to visit and work with our staff to solve their motion control challenges. It's a place designed to take machinery to the next level.' The Engineering Partner, Systems Integrator, and Value-Added Distributor specializes in industrial and mobile applications and has supported thousands of manufacturers for nearly half a century. Many of their partners, such as Bosch Rexroth, HYDAC, and SICK, come from German heritage, inspiring the food selection for the open house. "The celebration for our company is equally as important as the celebration of those we work with," added Garrett. "We embrace everyone we work with. It's where our passion lies, in our people and those around us. So, whenever we reach another milestone, we do our best to celebrate those who helped us achieve where we are now." Morrell Group is a leading Engineering Partner, Systems Integrator, and Value-Added Distributor of advanced motion control solutions for industrial and mobile applications. Our experienced application and technical specialists leverage product and industry knowledge to provide innovative solutions for automation, controls, pneumatic, electrical, hydraulic, and lubrication applications. With 8 locations throughout the Midwest, Morrell Groups' passion is to keep you moving. For more information, please visit morrell-group.com Press Contact: [email protected] SOURCE Morrell Group The two recognized leaders in their respective technologies are now working together towards the common goal of providing plastic-free filter alternatives to the global tobacco industry. The global industry demand for a viable and scalable alternative is driven by single-use plastic (SUP) regulatory compliance, such as the SUP Directive enforced by the European Union. SAN DIEGO, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Greenbutts LLC. ("Greenbutts" or the "Company"), is pleased to announce that it has signed a Cooperative Development Agreement ("CDA") with Montrade S.p.A. ("Montrade") (collectively the "Parties"). Tadas Lisauskas, CEO of Greenbutts, commented, "Our continuous innovation and intellectual property behind our biodegradable filter technology allow multinational partners to meet their plastic-reduction targets without sacrificing the sensory experience smokers expect. Together, with Montrade, we expect to have great success in the European marketplace, where new environmental compliance requires plastic-free alternatives." "We at Greenbutts are continuously enhancing and strengthening our strategic alliances by building a strong ecosystem of partners which will give the speed and robustness required to support the industry transformation to eradicate the SUP cigarette filters," Lisauskas continued. In 2004, Ms. Antonella Giannini and Mr. Alberto Monzoni embarked on the challenge of creating a new way of reinventing the tobacco machinery sector. Thanks to its innovative spirit, the solid expertise of its people and healthy entrepreneurial culture, Montrade won the trust of several multinational customers immediately, growing quickly and becoming one of the most respected and leading machine manufacturers for the global cigarette industry. Today, the Bologna, Italy-based company counts all multinationals in the global tobacco industry as faithful customers. Pursuant to the CDA, the Parties will work together towards the common goal of supplying the global industry demand of a viable and scalable alternative to cellulose acetate cigarette filters, which are now globally recognized as a harmful single-use plastic and transitioning towards plastic-free alternatives. By bringing together Montrade's filter technology and manufacturing expertise and Greenbutts' patented material science, the aim is to develop next-generation biodegradable and water dispersing cigarette filters, working together to fulfill the regulatory requirements of the Single-Use Plastics (SUP) Directive taken into effect by the European Union. Antonella Giannini, Sales Director of Montrade, commented, "Montrade always strives to develop for the ever-changing and fast approaching future. We work to provide the means for the industry to transition into the next-generation of environmentally focused products, including biodegradable filters and plastic-free alternatives for multiple product categories. When designing for ocean and environmental sustainability, our innovations in paper filter technology along with novel plant-based technology such as the Greenbutts water dispersing substrate will work together to meet the requirements of the European Union's Single-Use Plastic Directive." Luis Sanches, Chief Strategy Officer of Greenbutts, stated, "Montrade is not just making machines, they are providing effective solutions that are fully aligned with the sustainability goals of our organization and industry. We're very excited to further strengthen our collaboration with the Montrade team. Together, we have found through this partnership a glidepath to transform the tobacco industry, and eventually, other segments of the industry. Actions like this are setting high standards of commitment towards a sustainable future." On Behalf of the Board, Tadas Lisauskas CEO, Director, and Chairman of the Board About Greenbutts Since 2010, Greenbutts has worked with R&D institutions, multinational tobacco companies, and industry experts to develop a natural filter technology, capable of replacing the most littered plastic in the world, cigarette filters. Driven by the new single-use plastic (SUP) legislation enforced by governments, the Company is actively engaged in the global commercialization of its proprietary, plastic-free and trademarked material technology, Greenbutts, fulfilling the global industry demand for biodegradable filters. The technology utilizes fully patented material science and is biodegradable, plastic-free, and water dispersing; designed to reduce the significant environmental impact caused by plastic cigarette filter pollution. The sustainable design of the Company's filter technology includes a natural, rapidly degrading cigarette filter using a proprietary blend of food grade fiber materials. The unique blend of materials is designed to allow for a similar customer sensory experience and filter manufacturing process as acetate filters and provides a seamless transition away from plastic filters for the global tobacco industry. Greenbutts filters will disperse in water within a few minutes and will degrade in compost within days, as opposed to 10-15 years as is the case with traditional cellulose acetate filters. Greenbutts' natural filter technology is fully patented in the U.S., U.K., Canada and is patent pending in additional countries, covering key geographies in the cigarette industry. Greenbutts' fully patented biodegradable filter is one of a kind and solves the major pain-point that multinational producers suffer from: a need for an alternative filter without compromising sensory, taste, or customer experience. The Company's trademarked Greenbutts delivers a similar sensorial experience of traditional cigarette filters without the plastic waste left behind, offering a viable alternative to plastic filters while meeting the new SUP legislation initiatives. SOURCE GreenButts LISBON, Portugal, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- cheqd, a technology company building a decentralised network enabling individuals and organisations to take full control of their data, unveiled its ground-breaking product updates today at Web Summit. The updates make cheqd the first and only network to support three major verifiable credential types, turbocharging decentralised identity adoption; cheqd is now the most interoperable network for decentralised identity. Thanks to supporting three largest credential types, two biggest revocation types, these updates ensure the company is paving the way for a more diverse array of decentralised identity applications to be built on the cheqd network. To understand the impact of these updates, it's important to understand decentralised, or self-sovereign identity (DID or SSI). SSI is an emerging technology that centres the control of information around the user. It safeguards privacy by removing the need to store personal information entirely on a central database and gives individuals greater control over what information they share. SSI's potential addressable market totals ~$0.55Tr, according to cheqd. Acting as an enabler of decentralised identity, Verifiable Credentials (VC) are tamper-evident data files with a set of claims about a person, organisation, or thing that can be cryptographically verified. Fraser Edwards, CEO and co-founder at cheqd explained: "Powered by the need for secure digital credentials, uptake of decentralised technologies, and growing concerns for data privacy and security, we're seeing a strong market demand for decentralised identity solutions across all industry verticals. From public offices issuing identity documents, like introducing blockchain-based digital identification instead of physical cards in South Korea, to re-usable Know Your Customers (KYC) for banking and passwordless interaction for e-commerce, there is a common denominator for all: a need for digital trust." Across the SSI industry, there are three primary credential formats: JSON, JSON-LD and AnonCreds. Although widely adopted in isolation, to date, no single blockchain network has supported all three credential formats. This is largely because the AnonCreds digital credential format has been closely built around the Hyperledger Indy network. With its latest releases and tooling made available, cheqd now supports all three credentials formats. With greater interoperability comes greater utility and hence greater value for data, creating a greater commercial driver for adoption. Ankur Banerjee, CTO and co-founder of cheqd, went on further to say: "This is a huge milestone, not only for cheqd, but for the entire digital identity community. We've made the ability to share data in a simple and secure fashion available to developers who want to give back control to people for their data, by decoupling the highly privacy-preserving AnonCreds digital credential format from relying on only the Hyperledger Indy blockchain." "No other network offers the same capabilities as we built on cheqd," explains Fraser Edwards, CEO and co-founder of cheqd. "We are proud to offer capabilities as yet unavailable in products from tech behemoths, such as Microsoft and Block." About cheqd cheqd is a market-leading technology company enabling individuals and organisations to take full control of their data. It provides payment rails, customisable commercial models and governance structures for trusted data, including self-sovereign identity (SSI). Based on blockchain technology, cheqd is built upon a public permissionless network with a dedicated token - $CHEQ. Founded in 2021 by CEO Fraser Edwards and CTO Ankur Banerjee, cheqd is a driver for innovation backed by Outlier Ventures, Evernym (now acquired by Avast), Cosmos' Ignite (formerly known as Tendermint Ventures) and private investors, receiving a total raise of just over 2.4 million in its seed investment round. SOURCE Yellow Jersey PR NOIDA, India, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new report published by UnivDatos Markets Insights, the Content Moderation Solution Market is was valued at USD 8 billion in 2020, growing at a CAGR of 12% from 2022-2028. The analysis has been segmented into Component (Software {Text, Video, Image, and Others} and Services); Deployment (Cloud, On-Premises); Region/Country. Click here to view the Report Description & TOC https://univdatos.com/report/content-moderation-solutions-market/ The Content Moderation Solution market report has been aggregated by collecting informative data on various dynamics such as market drivers, restraints, and opportunities. This innovative report makes use of several analyses to get a closer outlook on the Content Moderation Solution market. The Content Moderation Solution market report offers a detailed analysis of the latest industry developments and trending factors in the market that are influencing the market growth. Furthermore, this statistical market research repository examines and estimates the Content Moderation Solution market at the global and regional levels. Request for Sample Pages https://univdatos.com/get-a-free-sample-form-php/?product_id=14291 Market Overview The content moderation market is expected to grow significantly during the forecast period. With the growing number of internet users globally, there's a rise in objectionable content which is a major driver in the growth of the content moderation solutions market. Furthermore, with growing internet penetration and social media platforms, which allows users to put anything on the internet, content moderation solution is augmenting the need for a solution that can govern the content posted by the public and ensure it is not illegal, offending, harmful, or controversial that lead to disputes among people, communities, etc. Some of the major players operating in the market include Accenture Plc, Alegion, Inc., Appen Limited, Besedo, Clarifai, Inc., Cogito Tech LLC., Enhance Business Solutions (EBS), Google, Inc., Microsoft Corporation, and Open Access BPO, among others. COVID-19 Impact The COVID-19 pandemic has Positively impacted the global content moderation solutions industry. While governments of different countries imposed stringent movement restrictions & frequent lockdowns to curb the spread of this dreadful disease due to its severity, most industries adopted work-from-home policies and procured digital platforms to run their business operations. Based on components, the market is segmented into software and services. The Software segment is expected to hold most of the market during the forecast period owing to the size of data processing required. Moreover, the ceaseless adoption of digital devices and the explosion of the Internet led to the proliferation of the content moderation solutions market. Based on deployment, the market is segmented into, on-premises, and on-cloud. During the forecast period, the cloud segment is expected to capture most of the deployment market owing to various reasons. The major is the cost-effectiveness of the cloud infrastructure and the sheer size of the data that is needed to be processed in the operations is very high, which makes the cloud infrastructure a reliable option for infrastructure implementation. Traditional support processes such as purchasing, sales, human resources, and accounting are already represented by SaaS solutions. The overwhelming majority of the solutions are commercially relevant. cloud is turning out to be a major driver of demand growth for the SaaS market. The availability of the cloud reduces the implementation cost of the software. Have a Look at the Chapters- https://univdatos.com/report/content-moderation-solutions-market/ Content Moderation Solution Market Geographical Segmentation Includes: North America ( United States , Canada , and the Rest of North America ) ( , , and the Rest of ) Europe ( Germany , United Kingdom , Italy , France , Spain , and the Rest of Europe ) ( , , , , , and the Rest of ) Asia-Pacific ( China , Japan , India , and the Rest of Asia-Pacific ) ( , , , and the Rest of ) Rest of the World The Asia Pacific is a prominent region in the global content moderation solutions market and is expected to account for a substantial market share in forthcoming years with China and India being the key content moderation solutions market in this region. The major players targeting the market include Accenture Plc Alegion Inc. Appen Limited Besedo Clarifai, Inc. Cogito Tech LLC. Enhance Business Solutions (EBS) Google Inc. Microsoft Corporation Open Access BPO Competitive Landscape The degree of competition among prominent global companies has been elaborated by analyzing several leading key players operating worldwide. The specialist team of research analysts sheds light on various traits such as global market competition, market share, most recent industry advancements, innovative product launches, partnerships, mergers, or acquisitions by leading companies in the Content Moderation Solution Market. The major players have been analyzed by using research methodologies for getting insight views on global competition. Key questions resolved through this analytical market research report include: What are the latest trends, new patterns, and technological advancements in the Content Moderation Solution market? Which factors are influencing the Content Moderation Solution market over the forecast period? What are the global challenges, threats, and risks in the Content Moderation Solution market? Which factors are propelling and restraining the Content Moderation Solution market? What are the demanding global regions of the Content Moderation Solution market? What will be the global market size in the upcoming years? What are the crucial market acquisition strategies and policies applied by global companies? We understand the requirement of different businesses, regions, and countries, we offer customized reports as per your requirements of business nature and geography. Please let us know If you have any custom needs. About UnivDatos Market Insights (UMI) Browse Other Related Research Reports from UnivDatos Market Insights Content Moderation Solution Market Report Coverage Report Attribute Details Base year 2020 Forecast period 2022-2028 Growth momentum Accelerate at a CAGR of 12% Market size 2020 USD 8 billion Regional analysis North America, Europe, APAC, Rest of World Major contributing region APAC to Dominate the Global Content Moderation Solution Market Key countries covered United States, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, Italy, France, Spain, China, Japan, and India Companies profiled Accenture Plc, Alegion, Inc., Appen Limited, Besedo, Clarifai, Inc., Cogito Tech LLC., Enhance Business Solutions (EBS), Google, Inc., Microsoft Corporation, and Open Access BPO, among others. Report Scope Market Trends, Drivers, and Restraints; Revenue Estimation and Forecast; Segmentation Analysis; Impact of COVID-19; Demand and Supply Side Analysis; Competitive Landscape; Company Profiling Segments Covered By Component; By Deployment; By Region/Country About UnivDatos Market Insights (UMI) UnivDatos Market Insights (UMI) is a passionate market research firm and a subsidiary of Universal Data Solutions. We believe in delivering insights through Market Intelligence Reports, Customized Business Research, and Primary Research. Our research studies are spread across topics across the world, we cover markets in over 100 countries using smart research techniques and agile methodologies. We offer in-depth studies, detailed analysis, and customized reports that help shape winning business strategies for our clients. Contact UnivDatos Market Insights Ankita Gupta Director Operations Ph: +91-7838604911 Email: [email protected] Website: https://univdatos.com/ Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1225049/UnivDatos_Logo.jpg SOURCE UnivDatos Market Insights Pvt. Ltd. LIDKOPING, Sweden, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Handheld Group, a leading manufacturer of rugged mobile computers, today announced the release of the all-new Algiz 10XR, an ultra-rugged 10-inch Windows tablet that combines durability with robust field performance, 5G and future-proof features. To view the Multimedia News Release, please click: https://www.multivu.com/players/uk/9106751-handheld-launches-new-ultra-rugged-10-inch-windows-tablet-5g/ Handheld launches new ultra-rugged 10-inch Windows tablet with 5G The Algiz 10XR is a smaller, lighter, 10-inch Windows tablet that achieves more even while taking up less space. It brings two times better graphics and measurably faster performance. Future-proof 5G communication can handle live video streams and bandwidth-heavy tasks like mapping. The Algiz 10XR was developed for field work or other challenging environments within logistics, mining, public transport, public safety, waste management or GIS and has also been designed with modulization and customization in mind. Other key features of the Algiz 10XR ultra-rugged tablet: Intel Elkhart Lake x6000 platform for reliable performance Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC (64bit) High-resolution, sunlight-readable 10-inch touchscreen with super-hardened glass and rain-and-glove mode Future-proof 5G capabilities, 4G/LTE high-speed data, Wi-Fi, BT Dedicated multiband GNSS u-blox NEO-M8U receiver for accurate positioning. Untethered dead reckoning (UDR) to provide accurate positioning performance under even weak GNSS conditions. IP65 and MIL-STD ruggedness Full-day, hot-swappable battery Optional, integrated barcode scanner and NFC A broad ecosystem of accessories for field professionals; carry cases, vehicle cradles, pole mounts, extended batteries, as well as a vehicle dock with antenna pass-through for both GPS and Wi-Fi Possibility for customized extensions via backpack "The Algiz 10XR will bring some great performance gains for our partners and customers who rely on Windows tablets in the field," says Johan Hed, Handheld chief product officer. "We've worked with this segment for decades now and are confident that we've developed a device with not only great specs, but a complete accessory package to help our customers with their fieldwork." Helpful links Algiz 10XR specifications Watch the Algiz 10XR video See the Algiz 10XR at trade shows Defining true ruggedness Press images About handheld Handheld Group is a manufacturer and global supplier of rugged mobile computers, including handhelds and tablets. Handheld and its partners worldwide deliver complete mobility solutions to businesses in industries such as geomatics, logistics, forestry, public transportation, utilities, construction, maintenance, mining, military and security. Handheld Group, part of MilDef, is headquartered in Sweden with subsidiaries in Finland, the U.K., the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Australia and the USA. Learn more at www.handheldgroup.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1932412/Handheld_Windows_Tablet.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1933008/Handheld_Group_Logo.jpg SOURCE Handheld Group AB Bids Due November 14, 2022; Auction to be Held November 16, 2022 NEW YORK, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hilco Streambank (www.HilcoStreambank.com) announced that it is seeking offers to acquire the software platform and intangible assets of Packable Holdings, LLC ("Packable," "Pharmapacks" or the "Company"). Packable is a technology-driven eCommerce marketplace enablement platform providing consumer brands, distributors and emerging digitally native brands with the connections, insights, and services needed to enable and accelerate sales growth across multiple online marketplaces simultaneously. Bids are due on or before November 14, 2022. Hilco Streambank will conduct an auction on November 16, 2022. Interested parties may click here to learn more or can contact Hilco Streambank. The Company was the #1 third-party seller on Amazon in North America, and its software platform enabled more than 75 million transactions on 8 marketplaces, including Amazon, Walmart, eBay, and Target, generating approximately 2 million reviews across all marketplaces and more than $425 million in revenue in 2021. Packable built its operations around its proprietary software platform, dubbed the "Brain". Developed in-house, the platform provides integrated, automated eCommerce services such as inventory onboarding, data flow management, shipping and vendor management, algorithmic pricing, product bundling, data analytics and fulfillment. At its peak, the Brain facilitated more than 1.8 million orders per month, across more than 31,000 SKUs. Packable invested in more than two dozen digitally native emerging brands, and its positions in these companies are also available for sale. Hilco Streambank Senior Vice President Richelle Kalnit commented, "There is a tremendous amount of competition in the eCommerce ecosystem, particularly in attempting to achieve a cost-effective and scalable data-driven edge against competition across multiple online marketplaces. Packable's integrated, multiplatform software solution provides the possibility to achieve that competitive edge and would enable a multi-marketplace brand or distributor to quickly jump ahead of its competition in the market." Kalnit continued, "Packable's interest in numerous companies owning digitally native brands should also be of interest to brand aggregators, as these brands are well-positioned on Amazon and other marketplaces." Available assets include Packable's software platform, trademarks, domain names, majority interests in two consumer products brands, and minority interests in more than 20 emerging, digitally native brands. The Company also is currently selling other assets, including inventory, FF&E, and its interests in its distribution centers. Packable is operating as a debtor in possession in a chapter 11 case pending in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. About Hilco Streambank: Hilco Streambank is a market leading advisory firm specializing in intellectual property disposition and valuation. Having completed numerous transactions including sales in publicly reported cases, private transactions, and online sales through IPv4.Global, Hilco Streambank has established itself as the premier intermediary in the consumer brand, internet, and telecom communities. Hilco Streambank is part of Northbrook, Illinois based Hilco Global, the world's leading authority on maximizing the value of business assets by delivering valuation, monetization, and advisory solutions to an international marketplace. Hilco Global operates more than twenty specialized business units offering services that include asset valuation and appraisal, retail and industrial inventory acquisition and disposition, real estate, and strategic capital investments. SOURCE Hilco Streambank A wide range of load-balancing solutions can promptly provide the required grid flexibility to support vehicle electrification NEW YORK, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Governments are setting aggressive goals to ban sales of Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles, and there has been a growing commitment by carmakers to achieve net zero goals. However, little attention has been given to developing a smart and flexible energy system. According to global technology intelligence firm ABI Research, households with one Electric Vehicle (EV) could consume 37% more daily energy. Most importantly, EVs will shift peak demand in households from 4-8 kWh to 11 kWh, creating new loads, shapes, and peaks not previously considered in resource plans. Combined with the increasing use of intermittent renewable energy, higher EV adoption will increase the risks of electricity outages in peak periods because the available energy supply will be insufficient to satisfy the demand. On the upside, a wide range of load-balancing solutions can promptly provide the required grid flexibility to support vehicle electrification. "While many regions have enough electrical energy available to meet the future EV demand, energy supply is not always available when needed. Places like Texas, California, and China are already facing grid imbalances caused by increased electricity usage in peak times. California, for example, witnessed an all-time electrical grid peak load record in 2022, reaching 55,061 Megawatts (MW). That is 6,155 Kilowatts (kW) above the average peak over the past 20 years and enough to power 4.6 million houses," explains James Hodgson, Smart Mobility and Automotive Principal Analyst at ABI Research. "In the face of these facts, OEMs, end consumers, governments, grid operators, utilities, and other energy supply and distribution stakeholders must work together to enable a smooth transition from ICE to EVs." Because re-energizing the existing electrical infrastructure is resource and time intensive, the industry is exploring alternative solutions with a quicker turnaround. Smart charging is, by far, the least complex and most effective tool. Provided chargers are connected to charging operators, strategies such as dynamic power sharing the ability to control the energy available to plugged-in EVs preventing sites from exceeding their maximum energy capacity and dynamic pricing the ability to influence customer behavior by altering price per kWh based on utilization can easily be deployed with significant results. When chargers and vehicles are connected to the grid, users can sign up for demand response programs and get energy bill rebates or other financial incentives by shifting charging time from peak to off-peak hours or allowing utilities to remotely control the time and rate that plugged EVs are charged. According to OVO Energy, residential flexibility can generate US$6.8 billion in cost savings for the whole system in the UK. Combining smart charging approaches with bidirectional energy flow opens the possibility of V2G applications, in which EV batteries store excess energy during off-peak times and become energy resources during peak times. Activities by companies like Nuvve show that V2G has a clear ROI for commercial vehicle fleets, especially school buses, but the business model in the consumer segment is still weak. Nevertheless, Kaluza reports that end consumers enrolled in its V2G trial earned an average of 420 a year by selling surplus energy back to the grid. Other effective EV charging optimization solutions include battery-buffered chargers such as ADS-TEC Energy's ChargeBox, energy storage, microgrids, charging hubs, and swappable batteries like NIO's. "As EV adoption continues to grow, so will the reliance on electrical energy, and the significant peak consumption increase is worrying. Therefore, ecosystem players must collaborate to deploy tools to balance the grid and develop and adopt standards to make these tools widely available to end consumers," Hodgson concludes. These findings are from ABI Research's Electric Vehicle Smart Charging Platforms application analysis report. This report is part of the company's Smart Mobility & Automotive research service, which includes research, data, and ABI Insights. Based on extensive primary interviews, Application Analysis reports present in-depth analysis on key market trends and factors for a specific technology. About ABI Research ABI Research is a global technology intelligence firm delivering actionable research and strategic guidance to technology leaders, innovators, and decision makers around the world. Our research focuses on the transformative technologies that are dramatically reshaping industries, economies, and workforces today. ABI Research For more information about ABI Research's services, contact us at +1.516.624.2500 in the Americas, +44.203.326.0140 in Europe, +65.6592.0290 in Asia-Pacific, or visit www.abiresearch.com. Contact Info: Global Deborah Petrara Tel: +1.516.624.2558 [email protected] SOURCE ABI Research In the world of lending, the Request for Information and Notice of Errors can be valuable tools for borrowers says Carlos M. Amor, P.A. PLANTATION, Fla., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Borrowing money is a reality for most people at some point in their lives. Whether the money is used for education, buying a home, or purchasing a car to travel to and from work, many people undertake debt as part of a long-term financial plan. The average American has over $90,000 in debt. Despite the amount of debt, few Americans understand or even know that they have certain rights when it comes to how borrowers service their loans and correct errors made during the loan repayment process. Attorney Carlos M. Amor explains, "If you have borrowed money, there are federal statutes that give you specific rights. You should understand how to utilize RFIs and a Notice of Error to protect your rights." What Is an RFI? A Request for Information, or RFI, is a written query about your loan that is submitted to the lender by either you or your agent. Your agent may be your lawyer. The written request must contain certain things, like your name and account number, and has to describe the specific information you are seeking. Requests for payoff balances are not submitted using an RFI. What Is a Notice of Error? A Notice of Error, as you may suspect, is a written notice in which you allege that there is an error in the servicing of your loan. This could include failure to accept a payment, failure to apply a payment to your account, failure to issue a credit to your account, application of an improper fee, failure to provide an accurate payoff balance and more. How Do They Benefit Borrowers? Both the RFI and the Notice of Error are tools that borrowers can use to keep lenders in check. Per federal statutes, lenders are required to acknowledge their receipt in writing within five days. There are also certain timelines during which a lender must perform, complete, and inform the borrower of the results of any investigation. Understanding your rights as a borrower is vital to protecting your credit. About Carlos M. Amor, P.A. As both a broker and a Plantation real estate attorney, Carlos M. Amor, Esq. offers a wide range of legal services to both residential and commercial customers in South Florida. For over ten years, he has advocated for his clients to secure the best result possible. This press release was issued through 24-7PressRelease.com. For further information, visit http://www.24-7pressrelease.com. SOURCE Carlos M. Amor, P.A. Repairify's plans for upcoming training institute unveiled during 2022 SEMA press conference PLANO, Texas, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Repairify, Inc., a portfolio company of Kinderhook Industries, LLC ("Kinderhook") and industry leader in diagnostics, remote scanning and programming, automotive intelligence and calibration services, unveiled at the 2022 SEMA Show its plans to launch in 2023 the Repairify Institute, a comprehensive technical training program for automotive professionals designed to ensure service readiness. The Repairify Institute is the automotive service industry's first education organization to utilize a revolutionary course development process called adaptive learning, which focuses on understanding each individual's knowledge level to adjust its teaching based on the learner's strengths and opportunities for improvement. Through the Institute, students can work at their own pace via several planned academies to achieve certifications or to expand their learning on several automotive topics. Additional program features will include a mentorship support program that tracks progress of learned new skills and a Proof of Skill concept that ensures every student can demonstrate mastery of the skills they've learned to perform safe and proper repairs. "The Repairify Institute is the embodiment of the Repairify Mission to help automotive repair professionals in their quest to simplify complex repairs," said Cris Hollingsworth, President of Repairify Global Holdings, Inc. "Not only are we enabling this mission with our patented technology, but we also are building curriculum and courses that help technicians achieve and maintain certification in their desired areas of expertise." The Institute's physical locations, known as Centers of Excellence, will serve as examination and certification hubs for students, featuring a variety of spaces to optimize learning including classrooms, spaces to proctor oral examinations and a shop space where students will demonstrate their abilities to perform their learned skills. These facilities will be strategically located so students can easily travel to a regional location. The first Center of Excellence is slated to open near Dallas in early 2023. Repairify Institute will create multiple certification opportunities for the most important industry services, with specific academies and curriculums based around a variety of automotive service segments. Automotive Training Group ("ATG"), a leading technical training company recently acquired by Repairify, will add advanced mechanical training to the program offerings. The Repairify Institute is partnering with many leading product and service providers across the mechanical and collision industries to further expand training and curriculum offerings in the future. "Today's vehicles have become some of the most complex machines on the planet," said Chris Chesney, Repairify's Vice President of Training and Organizational Development. "Repairify Institute understands the modern vehicle and the systems onboard, providing the necessary training needed by the industry to ensure technicians are ready and able to serve the motorist in a safe and accurate way." For more information on the Repairify Institute, visit www.repairifyinstitute.com. About Repairify, Inc. Repairify, Inc., and its family of brands empower the automotive repair industry to master today's modern, data-intensive vehicles. By providing revolutionary OEM tool and validated OEM-compatible technology, services, and intelligence, Repairify helps automotive professionals run better businesses through improved diagnostics, calibration, programming, and workflow. Repairify's brands are committed to vehicle and driver safety by providing repairers with excellent service supported by the highest quality and precision tools, technology, and data. Repairify, Inc., is a portfolio company of Kinderhook Industries, LLC. The Repairify family includes asTech, adasThink, AutoMobile Technologies (AMT), Automotive Training Group (ATG), BlueDriver, FleetGenix, MobileTechRX, and One Guard Inspections. For more information, please visit repairify.com. About Kinderhook Industries Founded in 2003, Kinderhook Industries, LLC is a private investment firm that manages over $5.4 billion of committed capital. We have made in excess of 350 investments and follow-on acquisitions since inception. Kinderhook's investment philosophy is predicated on matching unique, growth-oriented investment opportunities with exceptional financial expertise and our proprietary network of operating partners. Our focus is on middle market businesses with defensible niche market positioning in the healthcare services, environmental / business services, and automotive / light manufacturing sectors. We have a track record of successfully and consistently building industry leaders. For more information, please visit: kinderhook.com. SOURCE Repairify, Inc. MIAMI, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Istituto Marangoni Miami (www.istitutomarangonimiami.com), a pioneer in crafting the Magic City as a fashion capital for innovation, will host a Studio 54 inspired event steeped in Halston aesthetics and energy. Expected to attend are fashion industry luminaries and Miami's newest generation of outstanding talent who will come together at the second With Love Halston Scholarship Awards and Fashion Show on November 28, 2022 at Istituto Marangoni Miami. Istituto Marangoni Miami, a pioneer in crafting the Magic City as a fashion capital for innovation, will host a Studio 54 inspired event steeped in Halston aesthetics and energy. Expected to attend are fashion industry luminaries and Miami's newest generation of outstanding talent who will come together at the second With Love Halston Scholarship Awards and Fashion Show on November 28, 2022 at Istituto Marangoni Miami. A highlight of the evening is the Halston Scholarship Challenge, a competition offering rising Istituto Marangoni Miami fashion design students the opportunity to create clothing inspired by Halston using sustainable Ultrasuede. Finalists in the student competition are Marissa Mercardo, Maria Cacciatore, Ryan Hamilton, Jose Angel Costa, Paola Pueyo, Vanessa Lubgiet, Valentina Arenas, and Camila Balleste. "Miami is the center of what is new and exciting in fashion. This event which celebrates Halston and his iconic brand aligns with the Istituto Marangoni Miami mission to be creative, innovative, and produce ideas that will have an impact on the future," commented Hakan Baykam, CEO and President, Istituto Marangoni Miami. A VIP CELEBRATION HONORING A LEGACY The magical evening will feature a live DJ playing tracks reminiscent of the Studio 54 days when disco reigned supreme, live illustrations by famed fashion artist and designer Audrey Schilt, book signing by Lesley Frowick, 3D rendering of a Halston Warhol dress, and fundraising raffle for the illustrations and signed books. VIPs in attendance will include Halston Creative Director Ken Downing; fashion designer and Halston Protege Naeem Khan; Lesley Frowick, Halston's niece and founder of With Love Halston; Audrey Schilt, illustrator for Halston and Ralph Lauren; and additional VIPs to be announced. Eva Hughes, former Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Mexico will be the evening's emcee for the event. "All that will be missing is Halston himself," according to Lesley Frowick, Halston's niece and founder of With Love Halston, whose mission is to mentor rising student designers. "My uncle Halston was a creative, forward-thinking genius with a very generous heart. We are excited to unveil our second Halston scholarship initiative at Istituto Marangoni Miami. Our goal is to provide rising fashion students with the support they need to create and thrive." THE NEXT GENERATION OF FASHION INNOVATORS REVEALED A highlight of the evening is the Halston Scholarship Challenge, a competition offering rising fashion design students the opportunity to create clothing inspired by Halston using sustainable Ultrasuede, the fabric he popularized in the 1970s. The With Love Halston Challenge in collaboration with Ken Downing, new Creative Director of Halston/Xcel Brands, aims to educate and inspire on the genius of designer Halston and to shape the new voices of fashion and design. Finalists in the student competition are Marissa Mercardo, Maria Cacciatore, Ryan Hamilton, Jose Angel Costa, Paola Pueyo, Vanessa Lubgiet, Valentina Arenas, and Camila Balleste. The winners will be revealed during the night's extravaganza. Three deserving students will receive scholarships, the opportunity to have their fashion illustrations published in FIDA worldwide and commemorative Elsa Peretti Tiffany & Co heart shaped award boxes. AVATARS CREATED TO MODEL DESIGNS Designs will be revealed using 3D Avatars, considered to be on the cutting edge of fashion technology. No other school is at the forefront of this technology that offers sustainability and the ability to create a lifelike pattern. This approach is the future of seeing and merchandising garments. SUPPORTERS Generous support has been provided by Tiffany & Co. who is providing heart shaped boxes for the award and Rigaud Paris who will be providing their signature candles for the gift bag. Media Contact: Nataly Blumberg 516-859-6665 [email protected] SOURCE Istituto Marangoni Miami The Kahlert Foundation donation to honor the University's long pedigree in computer science, will help attract and equip increasingly diverse generations of computer scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs. SALT LAKE CITY, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The University of Utah today announced a $15 million donation from The Kahlert Foundation to provide support for the university's renowned School of Computing. The Kahlert Foundation's donation will establish an endowment to provide the School of Computing with flexible, long-term funding that will expand student support, bring in top faculty and accelerate industry collaborations. In recognition of the gift, the university will rename the school in collaboration with The Kahlert Foundation. "The University of Utah's computer science program is a legendary strength of both the school and the state, and we wanted to do our part to help that legacy continue," said Heather Kahlert, vice president of The Kahlert Foundation and a University of Utah alumna. "Our foundation is passionate about the value of STEM in improving lives and building for the future, and helping to ensure ongoing generations of diverse, top-level computer scientists in Utah is right in line with our mission." Established in 1991 by Bill Kahlert, a philanthropist and co-founder of Evapco Inc., the foundation provides grants to non-profit organizations in the areas of health care, education, youth programs, veteran organizations and human services. Originally established to support communities in the Maryland area, the foundation expanded its mission in 2015 to include Utah thanks to the influence and passion for philanthropy of Heather Kahlert, the founder's granddaughter. The Kahlert Foundation has emerged as the leader of a new generation of philanthropy and a major voice for improving the lives and outcomes of students at the University of Utah. Including this most recent gift, the foundation has provided more than $30 million in support across the university. Other recent projects funded and spearheaded by The Kahlert Foundation at the university include the Kahlert Initiative on Technology, a digital literacy certificate for all students, regardless of degree; Kahlert Village, a residential community for first-year students; scholarship support for student Athletes and David Eccles School of Business majors; and generous support for the both the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine Building and the Primary Children's and Families' Cancer Research Center at Huntsman Cancer Institute. "The University of Utah is a pioneering program in computer science and its deep value is clear in the fact that computer science has become the single largest major on campus," said Taylor Randall, Ph.D., president of the University of Utah. "This generous gift from The Kahlert Foundation will ensure that the foundation and the School of Computing will continue to lead innovation and build the workforce that will continue to drive tech in Utah and around the world." "The Kahlert Foundation's Gift is timely as it will amplify our efforts to make our computing program welcoming and inclusive, through support for student success programs and faculty development," said Mary Hall, professor and director of the School of Computing. Since its founding in 1965, the School of Computing has been a center of excellence and innovation, helping to lead a revolution in the use of computers for graphics, data visualization, and human interface. The school housed one of the first four nodes of the ARPANET, the forerunner to the internet. Today, the school is one of the fastest-growing on campus, with the number of students pursuing degrees or courses up 47 percent in five years. Nearly half of computer science degrees awarded by universities in the Utah System of Higher Education each year are from University of Utah. "At a time of rapid technological change, and when others are competing for talent, Utah can continue to make major contributions in computing and many other fields," said Edwin Catmull, Retired President, Walt Disney & Pixar Animation Studios, "By securing the School of Computing's future financially, The Kahlert Foundation is helping to ensure that we will continue to make the U a foundational school for the advancement of technology, its applications, and impact on local businesses." The School of Computing continues to build upon its stellar reputation by conducting leading-edge research across a broad range of computer science fields, including AI and machine learning, computer architecture, robotics, high-performance computing, human-centered computing, data science, cybersecurity and wireless communications. Well-known alumni include Alan Kay, recipient of the Turing Award for envisioning the first GUI at Xerox PARC; Ed Catmull, co-founder of Pixar; John Warnock, co-founder of Adobe Systems; Alan Ashton, founder of WordPerfect, Jim Clark, founder of Netscape and WebMD; and Telle Whitney, former CEO of Anita Borg Institute and co-founder of Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing. The naming is pending review and approval by the university's Board of Trustees at their meeting on November 8, 2022. About The Kahlert Foundation The Kahlert Foundation's mission is to provide grants to non-profit organizations to improve the quality of life and well-being of the community in the areas of health care, education, youth programs, veteran organizations, and human services. The Kahlert Foundation has five main areas of focus: health care, education, youth programs, veteran organizations, and human services, mainly providing funding in the states of Maryland and Utah. Funding is intended to improve organizations' capacity to make a positive impact on the local communities and their citizens. About The University of Utah The University of Utah is the state's flagship institution of higher education, with 18 schools and colleges, more than 100 undergraduate and 90 graduate degree programs, and an enrollment of more than 34,000 students. In 2019, the university was selected as a new member of the Association of American Universitiesan invitation-only, prestigious group of 65 leading research institutions marked by excellence in academic expertise and research impact, student success, and securing resources in support of core missions. The U's success in achieving excellence in research and teaching reflects the values of Utah: An unparalleled work ethic and a spirit of entrepreneurship, collaboration, and community service. These qualities have enabled the U to innovate across many fields and pioneer new programs with social impact; generate path breaking discoveries; fuel critical research; and inspire innovative approaches to education. The U strives to be a model public university in delivering unmatched value in higher education and health care while making social, economic, and cultural contributions that improve the quality of life throughout the state, the nation, and the world. The U's reputation for excellence draws top-tier faculty and attracts motivated students from across the country and internationally. These students bring with them diverse experiences and outlooksrepresenting traditional and nontraditional students alikethereby enhancing the exceptional educational experience the U offers. More at utah.edu. SOURCE University of Utah Direct private lender successfully closes another land loan abroad ENGLEWOOD, N.J., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- It is virtually impossible to find a lender willing or able to close deals on raw land outside the U.S. That is why Concreto Design Studio S.A.C. turned to Kennedy Funding, a leading U.S.-based direct private lender. Through Kennedy Funding, Concreto Design Studio S.A.C. secured a $3.65 million land loan in Lima, the capital of Peru. The loan will be used to fund the construction of a 22-story apartment building on 27 acres of raw land in the city. According to Kevin Wolfer, CEO of Kennedy Funding, closing loans outside the U.S., especially land loans, can be challenging but Kennedy Funding has both the track record and the extensive relationships abroad required to successfully fund deals in South America. "To do business in Peru and in other countries outside the U.S., you need to work with an experienced lender who understands the political landscape, real estate market, and the law as it pertains to real estate deals," said Wolfer. "Only these experts know how to comply with the labyrinth of local laws and paperwork that come with real estate, environmental, land use, and title." Wolfer added that the transaction can get more complicated once land is involved, as raw land is inherently deemed risky by most lenders. "Accurate valuations outside the U.S. are especially vital to do the right way," Wolfer added. "We work with large, respected global real estate firms like CBRE, Colliers, Newmark, and other on-location experts to properly assess the property, so that we can provide the largest possible loans to our borrowers." Francisco Piera, President of Alpha Lending & Investments, the Miami-based advisory firm who represented the Argentinan borrower, said the developer was seeking funding for years. "They had 3-4 offers from other lenders, but I knew only Kennedy could close," adds Piera. "Those other lenders had rates higher than Kennedy, too. A loan from Kennedy is a lot cheaper and less headaches than having a partner," he said. Lima is among the most populous cities in the Americas, and is Peru's political, financial, and cultural center. It lies directly on the Pacific Ocean, within the desert zone that comprises much of South America's west coast. Its population of more than 11 million has increased in recent years, forging a demand for housing. "This apartment building is being built in a city full of metropolitan life, in a country rich with history," Wolfer said. This loan closure follows a previous Kennedy Funding closure of a $2.5 million loan intended for use in a mountainous, inland Peruvian city. The firm has earned an international reputation for closing loans that other U.S.-based institutions often don't consider at all. The firm has closed deals in Brazil, Colombia, Belize, Bahamas, Cozumel, Jamaica, St. Barts, and the Dominican Republic, among other international locales. "We are proud to have closed another loan in Peru," said Wolfer. "We receive loan requests from all over South America, and we are one of few lenders that can close them. We will always continue to bridge that gap in the marketplace." For more information or to begin an application, visit www.KennedyFunding.com . About Kennedy Funding Kennedy Funding is a global direct private lender specializing in bridge loans for commercial property and land acquisition, development, workouts, bankruptcies, and foreclosures. Kennedy Funding has closed more than $4 billion in loans to date. Its creative financing expertise provides funding up to 75% loan-to-value, from $1 million ($3 million international) to more than $50 million, in as little as five days. The company has closed loans throughout the United States, the Caribbean, Europe, Canada, and Central and South America. www.kennedyfunding.com SOURCE Kennedy Funding LONDON, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants is celebrating a greater number of hospitality establishments than ever before with the announcement of the inaugural list of restaurants ranked between 51st and 100th a staple of The World's 50 Best Restaurants that makes its debut in the region. The 51-100 list, presented in association with American Express, aims to shine a spotlight on the diverse culinary cultures of the region in the lead up to the unveiling of the prestigious list of Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants 2022, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, on 15 November in Merida, Yucatan. For the full 51-100 list, click here. The 51-100 list, presented in association with American Express, features restaurants from 24 cities across the region, while two destinations new to the regular rankings top the list with Flor de Lis in Guatemala City at No.51 and Origem in Salvador de Bahia at No.52. Buenos Aires cements its status as gastronomic point of call with six restaurants on the extended list the highest number among all destinations. The restaurants include: Alo's (No.53), Anafe (No.55), Crizia (No.66), Anchoita (No.73), Nino Gordo (No.75), and Narda Comedor (No.87). Bogota, La Paz, Santiago, and Sao Paulo follow closely with four entries apiece. William Drew, Director of Content for Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants, says: "We are thrilled to return to the region with our regular annual list and an in-person awards ceremony. It was imperative to continue evolving our presence in Latin America to deliver on our ambition to amplify as many restaurants and destinations as possible. The 51-100 list is the next step in this mission." Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants 2022 will see the first full gathering of the region's gastronomic community since 2019 at the awards ceremony on 15 November. Awards to be announced at the ceremony include the Estrella Damm Chefs' Choice Award, the Gin Mare Art of Hospitality Award and a brand-new accolade: the Beronia Latin America's Best Sommelier Award. 50 Best works with professional services consultancy Deloitte as its official independent adjudication partner to help protect the integrity and authenticity of the voting process and the resulting list of Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants 2022. To see more details on Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants voting process, click here. Media centre access: https://mediacentre.theworlds50best.com/ PDF - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1936904/50_Best_LATAM.pdf Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qUANfNhBmA Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1931559/LATAM_50_Best_Logo.jpg SOURCE 50 Best The 51-100 list, presented in association with American Express, is revealed ahead of the annual awards ceremony for Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants LONDON, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants is celebrating a greater number of hospitality establishments than ever before with the announcement of the inaugural list of restaurants ranked between 51st and 100th a staple of The World's 50 Best Restaurants that makes its debut in the region this year. The 51-100 list, presented in association with American Express, aims to shine a spotlight on the diverse culinary cultures of the region in the lead up to the unveiling of the prestigious list of Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants 2022, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, on 15 November in Merida, Yucatan. 51-100: A Snapshot of the Inaugural List The 51-100 list, presented in association with American Express, includes restaurants from 24 cities across the region Buenos Aires leads the way with six restaurants on the list leads the way with six restaurants on the list Bogota, La Paz , Santiago and Sao Paulo follow with four restaurants each , and Sao Paulo follow with four restaurants each Flor de Lis in Guatemala City tops the list at No.51 For the full 51-100 list, presented in association with American Express, please refer to the accompanying graphic or scroll to the bottom of this release. William Drew, Director of Content for Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants, says: "We are thrilled to return to the region with our regular annual list and an in-person awards ceremony; however, it was imperative to continue evolving our presence in Latin America to deliver on our ambition to amplify as many restaurants and destinations as possible. The 51-100 list, presented in association with American Express, is the next step in this mission. We look forward to celebrating this wider range of establishments on 15 November in Merida." With broad representation across the region, the 51-100 list highlights 24 cities in Latin America. Buenos Aires cements its status as gastronomic port of call with six restaurants on the extended list the highest number among all destinations. The restaurants include: Alo's (No.53), Anafe (No.55), Crizia (No.66), Anchoita (No.73), Nino Gordo (No.75), and Narda Comedor (No.87). Bogota, La Paz, Santiago, and Sao Paulo follow closely with four entries apiece. In Bogota, Harry Sasson comes in at No.56, followed by Humo Negro (No.74), Prudencia (No.93), and Salvo Patria (No.96). La Paz is represented by Ancestral (No.63) winner of the American Express One To Watch Award 2022 Ali Pacha (No.67), Phayawi (No.84), and Popular Cocina Boliviana (No.85). The establishments for Santiago are Olam (No.68), Demencia (No.71), Ambrosia Bistro (No.72) and La Calma by Fredes (No.98), while Sao Paulo's entries include Kotori (No.65), Fame Osteria (No.83), Fasano (No.94) and Corrutela (No.95). Two destinations new to the rankings top the list with Flor de Lis in Guatemala City at No.51 and Origem in Salvador de Bahia at No.52. Guatemala City appears on the list a second time with Mercado 24 at (No.81), while another new destination, Guayaquil, boasts two entries to the list with Casa Julian (No.78) and Mikka (No.97). Other new destinations include San Jose with Sikwa (No.86), San Salvador with El Xolo Maiz Criollo (No.91), and Santa Cruz de la Sierra with Sach'a Huaska (No.90). Santiago Fernandez Vidal, CEO, American Express Mexico, says: "American Express backs restaurateurs and chefs from all over the world, and we witness the intense and passionate daily work they do to create unique proposals and spectacular service for their customers. This list concentrates amazing global talent, and we are proud to be part of the recognition they deserve. I am certain that our Card Members will be looking forward to visiting these extraordinary places as much as I am." Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants 2022 will see the first full gathering of the region's gastronomic community since 2019 at the awards ceremony for the 2022 edition on Tuesday, 15 November. Awards to be announced at the ceremony include the Estrella Damm Chefs' Choice Award, the Gin Mare Art of Hospitality Award and a brand-new accolade: the Beronia Latin America's Best Sommelier Award. Other elements of the Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants 2022 events programme will include 50 Best's signature thought-leadership forum #50BestTalks. This year's #50BestTalks will tackle the theme of Cocina Consciente (Conscious Cooking), exploring how restaurants can focus on good working conditions; environmental, economic, and human sustainability; healthier food and ethical sourcing practices. The Voting Process The 50 Best organisation's role in promoting restaurants and showcasing culinary talent remains more important than ever, continuing to support the hospitality sector by inspiring diners to seek out exciting gastronomic experiences. 50 Best works with professional services consultancy Deloitte as its official independent adjudication partner to help protect the integrity and authenticity of the voting process and the resulting list of Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants 2022. The Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants Academy is comprised of more than 300 regional voting members, each of whom is hand-picked for his or her expert opinion of the Latin American restaurant scene. The votes of this Academy make up the Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants list, an annual barometer of taste. The Academy is divided into five regions: Mexico, Central America, South America (North), South America (South), and Brazil. Each region has voters made up of journalists, food critics, chefs, restaurateurs and well-travelled gourmets. In 2022, each member submitted 10 votes on what they considered their best dining experiences of the previous 18 months at least three of those votes must go to restaurants outside their own country (Academy members unable to travel internationally voted only for seven restaurants in their own country). To see more details on Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants voting process, click here. EDITOR'S NOTES: Ranking Establishment City/Town 51 Flor de Lis Guatemala City 52 Origem Salvador de Bahia 53 Alo's Buenos Aires 54 Manzanilla Ensenada 55 Anafe Buenos Aires 56 Harry Sasson Bogota 57 Fonda Lo Que Hay Panama City 58 Nicos Mexico City 59 X.O. Medellin 60 Cara de Vaca Monterrey 61 Cosme Lima 62 Isolina Lima 63 Ancestral La Paz 64 Glouton Belo Horizonte 65 Kotori Sao Paulo 66 Crizia Buenos Aires 67 Ali Pacha La Paz 68 Olam Santiago 69 Manzanar Montevideo 70 Intimo Panama City 71 Demencia Santiago 72 Ambrosia Bistro Santiago 73 Anchoita Buenos Aires 74 Humo Negro Bogota 75 Nino Gordo Buenos Aires 76 Cantina del Tigre Panama City 77 Lo de Tere Punta del Este 78 Casa Julian Guayaquil 79 Koli Monterrey 80 El Baqueano Salta 81 Mercado 24 Guatemala City 82 La Mar Lima 83 Fame Osteria Sao Paulo 84 Phayawi La Paz 85 Popular Cocina Boliviana La Paz 86 Sikwa San Jose 87 Narda Comedor Buenos Aires 88 Sambombi Bistro Local Medellin 89 La Docena (La Roma) Mexico City 90 Sach'a Huaska Santa Cruz de la Sierra 91 El Xolo Maiz Criollo San Salvador 92 Oro Rio de Janeiro 93 Prudencia Bogota 94 Fasano Sao Paulo 95 Corrutela Sao Paulo 96 Salvo Patria Bogota 97 Mikka Guayaquil 98 La Calma by Fredes Santiago 99 Quitu Quito 100 Animalon Valle de Guadalupe For media centre access, please visit: https://mediacentre.theworlds50best.com/ Follow 50 Best: Follow on Instagram: @TheWorlds50Best #LatAm50Best Follow on Twitter: @TheWorlds50Best #LatAm50Best Like on Facebook: facebook.com/LatinAmericas50BestRestaurants Subscribe to our YouTube channel: Worlds50Best Website: https://www.theworlds50best.com/latinamerica/en/ About Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants was launched in 2013 to celebrate gastronomy across the region and to provide diners around the globe with local insight and culinary recommendations. The Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants list is created by the Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants Academy, an influential group of 300 leaders in the restaurant industry across Latin America, each selected for their expert opinion of Latin America's restaurant scene. The Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants list is published by William Reed, which also publishes The World's 50 Best Restaurants, launched in 2002; Asia's 50 Best Restaurants, launched in 2013; and Middle East & North Africa's 50 Best Restaurants, launched in 2022. About the List Sponsor: American Express American Express is a globally integrated payments company, providing customers with access to products, insights and experiences that enrich lives and build business success. American Express has always looked to provide Card Members with exceptional access to exclusive experiences, rich rewards and superior services across a variety of passion points, including dining. American Express has a longstanding presence in the dining space and has developed partnerships with renowned chefs around the world, including Daniel Humm, Stephanie Izard, Jose Andres, Massimo Bottura, Michael Solomonov, Dominique Crenn, the Roca brothers and more providing Card Members with exclusive access to one-of-a-kind, co-curated dining moments. Now with Resy, the restaurant reservation platform that joined the American Express family in 2019, Card Members have even more access to reservations and experiences at thousands of restaurants across the globe. About the Ministry of Tourism of the State of Yucatan Yucatan is rich in natural, cultural and heritage attractions, with 234 miles of beautiful white sand beaches lapped by emerald and turquoise waters. It boasts wide and varied wildlife, has archaeological sites of world relevance such as Chichen Itza and Uxmal, and is a mosaic where the living culture of the Mayans stands out and offers a vast and exquisite gastronomy. Walk the duality of traditional restaurants and venues offering the latest fusion options. Yucatan's capital, Merida, is the only city in the world to be recognized twice as American Capital of Culture. Merida is also the only city in Mexico named one of the Top 10 of Best Cities in the World by Conde Nast Traveler in the category of large cities. For more information, visit yucatan.travel. About the main sponsor: S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna are the main sponsors of Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants. S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna are the leading natural mineral waters in the fine dining world. Together they interpret Italian style worldwide as a synthesis of excellence, pleasure and well-being. Other partners Estrella Damm Official Beer Partner; sponsor of Estrella Damm Chefs' Choice Award Official Beer Partner; sponsor of Estrella Damm Chefs' Choice Award Republica del Cacao Official Chocolate Partner; sponsor of the Latin America's Best Pastry Chef Award, sponsored by Republica del Cacao Official Chocolate Partner; sponsor of the Best Pastry Chef Award, sponsored by Republica del Gin Mare Official Gin Partner; sponsor of Gin Mare Art of Hospitality Award Beronia Official Wine Partner; sponsor of the Beronia Latin America's Best Sommelier Award Flor de Cana Official Rum Partner; sponsor of the Flor de Cana Sustainable Restaurant Award Latin America Tequila Ocho Official Tequila Partner Official Tequila Partner Volvo Car Mexico Official Car Partner; sponsor of the Icon Award, with Volvo Hyatt Regency Merida Official Hotel Partner PDF - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1936904/50_Best_LATAM.pdf Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qUANfNhBmA Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1931559/LATAM_50_Best_Logo.jpg SOURCE 50 Best Personal injury boutique earns top tier ranking for litigation on behalf of plaintiffs FORT WORTH, Texas, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Law Offices of Laird & McCloskey has earned placement on the 2023 edition of the esteemed Best Law Firms in America legal guide for its plaintiffs work in personal injury litigation. The acclaimed firm, widely known for truck accident expertise, earned top tier ranking in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. "Securing favorable verdicts on behalf of those who have been harmed is the best kind of validation for the work we do," said firm founder Steven C. Laird. "These honors are also very inspiring for us to keep up the pursuit of justice." Both name partners are Board Certified in Truck Accident Law and Personal Injury Trial Law by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. To develop the Best Law Firms in America list, law firms from around the country are evaluated by industry peers and former clients. The 2023 edition marks the 13th annual listing of the Best Law Firms in America legal guide. To be eligible, law firms must have at least one attorney recognized in the current Best Lawyers in America guide, which honored Mr. Laird in the 2023 edition. For the full list of the 2023 Best Law Firms, visit https://bestlawfirms.usnews.com. This is the latest in a long list of accolades for the personal injury firm. Mr. Laird recently earned recognition from Texas Super Lawyers among the Top 100 attorneys in the state and in Dallas-Fort Worth. Earlier this year, Mr. Laird and Mr. McCloskey also earned a spot on the 2022 national list of Lawdragon's 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers. About The Law Offices of Laird & McCloskey The Law Offices of Laird & McCloskey is a firm of experienced Fort Worth truck accident lawyers with over 30 years of experience helping victims and their families. The firm is located at 1119 Pennsylvania Ave., Fort Worth, Texas. To learn more about the firm's representative matters or to schedule a meeting with one of its attorneys, call (817) 531-3000 or visit http://texlawyers.com/. Media Contact: Alyssa Woulfe 800-559-4534 [email protected] SOURCE Law Offices of Laird & McCloskey New Jersey-based law firm Levinson Axelrod, P.A. has been included yet again in the annual U.S. News Best Lawyers "Best Law Firms" rankings. EDISON, N.J., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Following the selection of four attorneys to The Best Lawyers in America in August, Levinson Axelrod, P.A. has now earned inclusion in the latest U.S. News Best Lawyers "Best Law Firms" rankings. The firm was ranked as a New Jersey Metropolitan Tier 1 Personal Injury Litigation Plaintiffs practice and received additional recognition in the category of Workers' Compensation Law Claimants. What is Means to Rank Among the "Best" U.S. News Best Lawyers "Best Law Firms" recognizes firms known for their record of success and expertise. To compile its rankings, Best Lawyers solicits feedback from thousands of attorneys who complete surveys about local firms. Using these surveys, Best Lawyers scores and compares firms in the same region and practice area to assign one of three rankings. Firms ranked in the Tier 1 category are those which were scored the highest by their peers based on the firm's professional references, client testimonials, cost-effectiveness, and whether surveyed lawyers would refer their own cases or clients to a firm. This year, as in years past, Levinson Axelrod earned Best Lawyers' highest New Jersey Metropolitan Tier 1 ranking in the Personal Injury Litigation Plaintiffs category. The firm also secured a New Jersey Metro Tier 3 ranking in Workers' Compensation Law Claimants. About Levinson Axelrod, P.A. Levinson Axelrod, P.A. is an award-winning firm comprised of top-rated trial attorneys. Founded in 1939, it has grown into a statewide practice that serves clients across New Jersey from ten office locations each of which is staffed by at least one lawyer certified by the New Jersey Supreme Court as a Civil Trial or Workers' Compensation Specialist. Backed by its experienced team, Levinson Axelrod has recovered over $1 billion in compensation for clients and more than $350 million in the past 5 years alone. Its core practice areas include motor vehicle collisions, premises liability, serious injuries, wrongful death, and workplace accidents. The firm has also been a leader in litigating workers' compensation cases involving COVID-19 exposure. For more information, visit www.njlawyers.com. Media Contact: Michael Fusco [email protected] SOURCE Levinson Axelrod, P.A. Second South Florida Hotel for New York Based Loews Hotels & Co CORAL GABLES, Fla., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Loews Hotels & Co, a wholly owned subsidiary of Loews Corporation (NYSE: L), today opens the Loews Coral Gables Hotel. The hotel is bringing a new level of hospitality just four blocks from the Gables' iconic Miracle Mile. Loews Coral Gables boasts 242 guestrooms, including 21 stylish suites featuring a sophisticated, modern design, luxe amenities, spa, fitness center, pool and four restaurants and lounges. Additionally, 30,000 square feet of indoor/outdoor meeting space includes a 9,000 square foot ballroom the largest in the city and a 9th floor event deck with spectacular views of downtown Coral Gables, appropriately known as The City Beautiful. The hotel is the second property in the greater Miami area, for New York based Loews Hotels & Co, joining the iconic 790-room Loews Miami Beach Hotel, located in the epicenter of South Beach. "This opening marks a significant milestone for us as we add a second hotel in South Florida, furthering our belief in Miami as a destination," said Jonathan Tisch, Chairman & CEO, Loews Hotels & Co. "With our partners from Agave, we look forward to bringing the Loews history and heritage in hospitality, and our strong service culture to The Plaza Coral Gables, local neighbors and visitors alike." In partnership with Agave Holdings, Loews Coral Gables is part of The Plaza Coral Gables. The Plaza Coral Gables is revitalizing Miami's business district section with a full range of services and community opportunities, which also includes class "A" offices, street-level shopping and dining areas, and residential lofts and apartments. The new design, created with beauty and balance as a top priority, incorporates a 1-acre open to the public plaza facing Ponce de Leon Blvd. and the soon-to-be-improved Ponce Circle Park. Food & Beverage will be prominently featured, placing emphasis on culinary excellence, hand crafted cocktails and creativity. The concepts of the bars and restaurants are: Americana Kitchen - An ode to the Americana Hotel built by the Tisch Family in 1956 in what is now Bal Harbour, FL. Deformalized fine dining offering American classics including breakfast favorites and locally-infused, regional lunch and dinner cuisine. Notable fact: The Americana Hotel was the last major hotel built in the area until Loews Miami Beach Hotel opened in 1998. On the day it opened, the CEO of Loews Hotels was Jonathan Tisch, son of Robert Tisch, who opened the Americana 32 years earlier. Americana Bar - Bustling lobby bar shaking up classic cocktails handcrafted in the tradition of old school American glamour, complimented by an expansive wine collection. Phineas Poolside 9th floor oasis, celebrating the Latin flavors of South Florida via small plates and specialty cocktails, with sky high views of Coral Gables. Notable Fact: Named after Phineas Paist, the Supervisor of Color and Supervising Architect for Coral Gables' founder George Merrick's corporation. Paist played an integral role in realizing Merrick's dream of bringing Coral Gables to life. Miami Joe Coffee Co. Locally-inspired grab and go market featuring locally roasted coffee, homemade pastries, fresh salads, sandwiches, snacks and gelato. Coastal Construction, constructed the Loews Coral Gables, with Miami based CRTKL overseeing both the architecture and design side of the project. Loews Coral Gables is located at 2950 Coconut Grove Drive in Coral Gables. For more information or to make a reservation, visit www.loewshotels.com/coral-gables . About Loews Hotels & Co Headquartered in New York City, Loews Hotels & Co is rooted in deep heritage and excellence in service. The hospitality company encompasses branded independent Loews Hotels, and a solid mix of partner-brand hotels. Loews Hotels & Co owns and/or operates 26 hotels and resorts across the U.S. and Canada, including Loews Coral Gables, Loews Kansas City and Universal's Endless Summer Resort Dockside Inn and Suites, the eighth hotel in partnership with Comcast NBC Universal. Located in major city centers and resort destinations from coast to coast, the Loews Hotels portfolio features properties grounded in family heritage and dedicated to delivering unscripted guest moments with a handcrafted approach. For reservations or more information about Loews Hotels, call 1-800-23-LOEWS or visit: www.loewshotels.com. Like Loews Hotels on Facebook: www.facebook.com/LoewsHotels Follow Loews Hotels on Twitter: www.twitter.com/loews_hotels Watch Loews Hotels on YouTube: www.youtube.com/LoewsHotels Read our Wish You Were Here Blog at www.loewshotelsblog.com For Media Questions Sarah Murov Linda Villafane [email protected] [email protected] SOURCE Loews Highlights Include: CC22-39 5.2m grading 14.61 g/t gold, 37.4 g/t silver for a gold equivalent of 15.06 g/t grading 14.61 g/t gold, 37.4 g/t silver for a gold equivalent of 15.06 g/t CC22-40 5.0m grading 8.92 g/t gold, 36.0 g/t silver for a gold equivalent of 9.35 g/t grading 8.92 g/t gold, 36.0 g/t silver for a gold equivalent of 9.35 g/t CC22-41 9.8m grading 3.40 g/t gold, 30.5 g/t silver for a gold equivalent of 3.76 g/t VANCOUVER, BC, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Luminex Resources Corp. (TSXV: LR) (OTCQX: LUMIF) (the "Company" or "Luminex") is pleased to announce results from three holes drilled at the Camp deposit, part of the Condor North project area. Drill holes CC22-39, CC22-40 and CC22-41 have enabled the Company to delineate a thicker part of the Camp deposit. The three holes were drilled to infill an area of more widely spaced holes in the lower-central part of the deposit, which formed as composite sheets of mineralized material that dip steeply to the north. This thicker part of the deposit has been defined by intercepts measuring above 10 metres true thickness horizontally, using a 1.0 g/t gold cut-off grade. It comprises an irregular area measuring approximately 200 metres by 200 metres and remains open to expansion to the southeast, northwest and to depth (see Figure 1). Luminex expects these holes to add to the Camp mineral resource. Figure 1. Geological plan map of Camp deposit showing location of vertical longitudinal sections displayed in Figure 2. (CNW Group/Luminex Resources Corp.) Figure 2. Longitudinal vertical sections of the Camp deposit showing newly delineated, >10m thick zone in red outline. (CNW Group/Luminex Resources Corp.) Luminex is continuing to drill infill and step out holes on the Camp deposit, as well as step out holes at the emerging, nearby Cuyes West and Ruiz structures with two active rigs at Condor North. Table 1. Drill intercepts for Camp deposit holes. Hole Azimuth / Dip / Length From (m) To (m) Interval (m) True Thickness (m) Au (g/t) Ag (g/t) Au Eq (g/t) CC22-39 30 / -52 / 753.3m 185.0 187.0 2.0 1.00 2.92 8.1 3.02 And 240.0 242.0 2.0 1.00 4.08 28.8 4.42 And 248.0 256.0 8.0 5.00 2.51 10.1 2.63 And 312.0 313.0 1.0 0.60 5.32 35.9 5.75 And 345.0 347.0 2.0 1.00 1.44 6.3 1.52 And 355.0 356.0 1.0 0.50 3.28 2.3 3.31 And 381.8 387.0 5.2 3.00 14.61 37.4 15.06 And 393.0 397.0 4.0 2.20 2.00 21.5 2.25 And 403.0 420.0 17.0 10.50 1.41 15.7 1.60 And 492.0 500.0 8.0 4.65 1.51 10.2 1.63 And 560.0 562.0 2.0 1.20 2.13 13.8 2.30 CC22-40 22 / -38 / 528.2m 194.0 202.0 8.0 4.90 1.79 7.9 1.88 Incl 194.0 196.0 2.0 1.40 5.22 11.7 5.36 And 259.7 260.0 0.3 0.25 3.62 63.8 4.39 And 307.0 308.0 1.0 0.70 2.80 36.9 3.24 And 335.0 336.0 1.0 0.70 11.80 25.3 12.10 And 350.0 351.0 1.0 0.70 5.48 15.6 5.67 And 364.0 367.0 3.0 2.10 2.05 14.9 2.23 And 377.0 394.0 17.0 11.90 3.07 25.8 3.38 Incl 384.0 389.0 5.0 3.50 8.92 36.0 9.35 And 448.8 450.0 1.2 0.90 3.78 15.8 3.97 CC22-41 210 / -70 / 720.0m 419.7 431.0 11.3 3.50 1.20 8.2 1.29 And 437.0 458.6 21.6 7.80 2.29 25.3 2.59 Incl 437.0 442.0 5.0 1.80 4.84 19.4 5.07 Incl 453.0 455.3 2.3 0.83 5.45 21.1 5.70 And 465.0 506.8 41.8 13.20 2.17 25.5 2.47 Incl 475.0 477.0 2.0 0.60 4.94 33.3 5.34 Incl 490.0 494.0 4.0 1.26 3.34 35.3 3.76 Incl 497.0 506.8 9.8 3.10 3.40 30.5 3.76 And 558.5 560.2 1.7 0.52 3.32 15.9 3.51 Note: Intervals, except those marked with an asterisk (*), are calculated using a lower limit of 1.00 g/t Au with a maximum inclusion of up to five continuous metres below cut-off and the highest gold value used in the reported weighted averages is 82.4 g/t Au. AuEq values assume $1,500 gold and $18.00 silver (AuEq= Au g/t + (Ag g/t *0.012). Equivalent values assume 100% recovery of all quoted metals. Hole CC22-41 intersected the thickest zone of gold mineralisation, 41.8m grading 2.17 g/t gold, 25.5 g/t silver for a gold equivalent of 2.47 g/t, including 9.8m grading 3.40 g/t gold, 30.5 g/t silver for a gold equivalent of 3.76 g/t. The true thicknesses of these intercepts are interpreted to approximately 31% of the core length. Holes CC22-39 and CC22-40 also contained notable intervals such as 5.2m grading 14.61 g/t gold, 37.4 g/t silver for a gold equivalent of 15.06 g/t in hole CC22-39 and 5.0m grading 8.92 g/t gold, 36.0 g/t silver for a gold equivalent of 9.35 g/t in hole CC22-40. The true thicknesses of these intervals are estimated to be 57% and 70% of the core length respectively. Quality Assurance All Luminex sample assay results have been independently monitored through a quality control / quality assurance ("QA/QC") protocol which includes the insertion of blind standards, blanks as well as pulp and reject duplicate samples. Logging and sampling are completed at Luminex's core handling facility located at the Condor property. Drill core is diamond sawn on site and half drill-core samples are securely transported to ALS Laboratories' ("ALS") sample preparation facility in Quito, Ecuador. Sample pulps are sent to ALS's lab in Lima, Peru for analysis where gold content is determined by fire assay of a 50-gram charge with ICP finish. Silver and other elements are also determined by ICP methods. Over-limit samples assaying greater than 10 g/t gold and 100 g/t silver are re-analyzed by ALS using fire assay with a gravimetric finish. Luminex is not aware of any drilling, sampling, recovery or other factors that could materially affect the accuracy or reliability of the data referred to herein. ALS Laboratories is independent of Luminex. Qualified Persons Leo Hathaway, P. Geo, Senior Vice President Exploration of Luminex and the Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, has reviewed, verified and approved the scientific and technical information concerning the Condor Project in this news release and has verified the data underlying that scientific and technical information. About Luminex Resources Luminex Resources Corp. (TSXV:LR, OTCQX:LUMIF) is a Vancouver, Canada based precious and base metals exploration and development company focused on gold and copper projects in Ecuador. Luminex's inferred and indicated mineral resources are located at the Condor Gold-Copper project in Zamora-Chinchipe Province, southeast Ecuador. Luminex also holds a large and highly prospective land package in Ecuador, including the Pegasus and Orquideas projects, which are being co-developed with Anglo American and JOGMEC respectively. Further details are available on the Company's website at https://luminexresources.com/. To receive news releases please sign up at https://www.luminexresources.com/contact/contact-us/. Follow us on: Twitter, Linkedin or Facebook. LUMINEX RESOURCES CORP. Signed: "Marshall Koval" Marshall Koval, CEO and Director Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information Certain statements and information herein, including all statements that are not historical facts, contain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such forward-looking statements or information include, but are not limited to, statements regarding future drilling and work programs at Condor and future changes to the mineral resource estimate at Camp. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements or information can be identified by the use of phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "will" occur or be achieved. With respect to forward-looking statements and information contained herein, the Company has made numerous assumptions including among other things, assumptions about general business and economic conditions, the prices of gold and copper, and anticipated costs and expenditures. The foregoing list of assumptions is not exhaustive. Although management of the Company believes that the assumptions made and the expectations represented by such statements or information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that a forward-looking statement or information herein will prove to be accurate. Forward-looking statements and information by their nature are based on assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information. These factors include, but are not limited to: risks associated with the business of the Company; business and economic conditions in the mining industry generally; the supply and demand for labour and other project inputs; changes in commodity prices; changes in interest and currency exchange rates; risks relating to inaccurate geological and engineering assumptions (including with respect to the tonnage, grade and recoverability of reserves and resources); risks relating to unanticipated operational difficulties (including failure of equipment or processes to operate in accordance with specifications or expectations, cost escalation, unavailability of materials and equipment, government action or delays in the receipt of government approvals, industrial disturbances or other job action, and unanticipated events related to health, safety and environmental matters); risks relating to adverse weather conditions; political risk and social unrest; changes in general economic conditions or conditions in the financial markets; changes in laws (including regulations respecting mining concessions); and other risk factors as detailed from time to time in the Company's continuous disclosure documents filed with Canadian securities administrators. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. SOURCE Luminex Resources Corp. - Ahead of COP27, Masdar launches global #IAmWiSER campaign calling on policymakers, industry leaders, and the general public to pledge support for women as agents of sustainable change - Campaign has backing of influential women leading the clean energy transition at highest levels of UAE government, multinational corporations, and the United Nations ABU DHABI, UAE, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Masdar's Women in Sustainability, Environment and Renewable Energy (WiSER) platform today called on the global community attending COP27 in Egypt next week to support its campaign, I Am WiSER. The initiative was launched to raise support for women at the forefront of efforts to tackle climate change and encourage world leaders to press forward with initiatives to build a more inclusive and sustainable future. The campaign urges policymakers, heads of industry, and individuals to take the #IAmWiSER pledge to champion women as agents of sustainable change, in line with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) 5 and 7, which aim to "achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls," and "ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all," respectively. Dr Sultan Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, Special Envoy for Climate Change and Chairman of Masdar, said: "Women have a critical contribution to make towards global climate action and they are already working tirelessly to help tackle the challenges. As the world prepares for the COP27 climate summit, it is vital that women have a seat at the table and their voices are heard. Masdar has been shining a spotlight on the great work women do on climate for over seven years through WiSER. The #IAmWiSER campaign further amplifies women's role as powerful agents of sustainable change." WiSER was launched in 2015 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. It was born from the realization that when women are empowered and supported, they can turbocharge the transition to a more sustainable future for all. Over seven years, more than 85 women from 21 nations have received mentorship and training to develop leadership skills through WiSER's Pioneers Program. WiSER has also convened high-level forums, attended by more than 2,000 participants, to promote sustainability and gender equality. Globally, women and girls experience the greatest impacts of climate change, which amplifies existing gender inequalities and poses unique threats to their livelihoods, health, and safety, according to UN Women. The #IAmWiSER campaign aims to provide a clear call to action for women and those who support them around the world. It also aims to translate pledges into concrete progress. The campaign has been endorsed by five notable women who are today advancing the sustainability agenda on the global stage, including H.E. Mariam Almheiri, UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment; H.E. Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh, Permanent UAE Representative to the UN; Damilola Ogunbiyi, CEO of Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for SEforALL, and Co-Chair of UN-Energy; Peggy Choi, Founder and CEO of global knowledge-sharing platform, Lynk; and Alexandra Palt, Executive Vice-President Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer of L'Oreal and Executive Vice-President of the Foundation L'Oreal. Commenting on the campaign, Ms Damilola Ogunbiyi said: "I am delighted to be part of the #IAmWiSER campaign that recognizes the critical role women play in our sustainable energy future. As the world looks now for more ambition to come out of the COP27 climate conference, I invite others to join in this campaign to empower and support more women. Together, we can champion women as leaders and change agents for a just and equitable clean energy transition." Interested participants are invited to visit Masdar's website to take the #IAmWiser pledge: "I am committed to championing women as agents of sustainable change." Signatories will then be prompted to publicize their commitment and encourage others to take the pledge via an auto-generated link for sharing on social media. At the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC COP27) in Egypt this November, WiSER will host delegates at its booth in the UAE Pavilion and invite them to take the #IAmWiser pledge. As host of COP28 next year, the UAE has set ambitious targets to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, making it the first Middle Eastern country to do so. The campaign video can be accessed through this link: https://youtu.be/BTRAQOral9I. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1932816/Masdar_Logo.jpg SOURCE Masdar STOCKHOLM, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The measures to increase the pace of patient recruitment have yielded results. The Fostrox study is now progressing as expected. July September Financial summary for the quarter Net turnover amounted to SEK 1.1 (0.8) million. (0.8) million. The loss before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) amounted to SEK -13.9 (-11.7) million. Basic and diluted earnings per share amounted to SEK -0.27 (-0.24) and SEK -0.27 (-0.24) respectively. (-11.7) million. Basic and diluted earnings per share amounted to (-0.24) and (-0.24) respectively. Cash flow from operating activities amounted to SEK -19.7 (-20.0) million. (-20.0) million. Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the period amounted to SEK 142.2 (225.9) million. Significant events during the quarter Fostroxacitabine bralpamide the name given to MIV-818 by the World Health Organization (WHO) received formal approval as a pharmaceutical name in the USA by the United States Adopted Names (USAN) Council. January September Financial summary for the period Net turnover amounted to SEK 2.1 (11.6) million. (11.6) million. The loss before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) amounted to SEK -66.9 (-36.0) million. Basic and diluted earnings per share amounted to SEK -1.27 (-0.75) and SEK -1.27 (-0.75) respectively. (-36.0) million. Basic and diluted earnings per share amounted to (-0.75) and (-0.75) respectively. Cash flow from operating activities amounted to SEK -77.1 (-43.3) million. (-43.3) million. Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the period amounted to SEK 142.2 (225.9) million. Events after the end of the period In October the nomination committee was appointed ahead of the AGM in May 2023 . The Nomination Committee consists of Karl Tobieson (Chairman), appointed by Linc AB, Richard Torgerson , appointed by Nordea Investment Funds, Anders Hallberg , appointed by HealthInvest Partners and Uli Hacksell, Chairman of the Board, Medivir AB. Conference call for investors, analysts and the media The Interim Report January - September 2022 will be presented by Medivir's CEO, Jens Lindberg. Time: Thursday, November 3, 2022, at 15.00 (CET). Phone numbers for participants from: Sweden + 46 8 505 583 65 Europe +44 33 3300 9269 US +1 631 913 1422, pin code 19436682# The conference call will also be streamed via a link on the website: www.medivir.com The presentation will be available on Medivir's website after completion of the conference. CEO's message Our measures to regain momentum in patient recruitment have been effective and the fostrox study is now progressing as expected. Medivir's absolute focus is on the continued clinical development of our cutting-edge project fostroxacitabine bralpamide (fostrox), for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). I described in our Q2 report that we saw slower recruitment to the study than expected in the second quarter, mainly in Europe. In order to increase recruitment speed, we decided for example to activate additional study centers and increase our presence at already activated trial centers. It is now very gratifying to state that the measures we initiated to speed up patient recruitment to the study have borne fruit. Today, a total of 14 centers are activated in the UK, Spain and South Korea and during Q3 we have seen an accelerated recruitment rate. Fostrox has the potential to become the first liver-targeted and orally administered drug that can help patients with various cancers of the liver. Its unique mechanism of action in liver cancer enables attractive combination treatments with other drug alternatives for HCC. Medivir's strategy, to combine fostrox with other treatments, is well in line with the development within HCC, a development where improved clinical effect has been obtained by combining different types of medications. Despite these advances, the medical needs in liver cancer are still significant. Far from all patients benefit from existing therapy options, and therefore many combination studies are underway to find treatments that significantlyimproves the outcome for HCC patients. We have good hopes that fostrox with its liver-directed mechanism of action is an innovative combination concept that can contribute to more powerful treatments and we have chosen to work in parallel with two combinations. In the end, we will choose the most attractive combination to proceed with in phase 2b based both on the clinical results of the study and how the treatments are actually applied in cancer care. Our preparations to open an Investigational New Drug (IND) in the USA in 2023 is progressing according to plan. The continued focus for our business development lies on our two clinical projects for partnerships, remetinostat and MIV-711. The data packages for these two projects have been strengthened during 20212022 and we continue our dialogue with external parties with the ambition of finding the best possible solution for each substance. Regarding our out-licensed projects, IGM Bioscience's clinical development work is progressing in the phase I clinical study in solid tumors with birinapant in combination with IGM's own DR5 agonist antibody IGM-8444. Three dose-escalation cohorts have been completed with no dose-limiting toxicity or clinically significant hepatotoxicity observed to date. Patient recruitment to the fourth dose escalation cohort in the study is ongoing. In summary, we see that the measures we have taken have yielded results in patient recruitment for our ongoing combination study with fostrox. We continue our work tirelessly so that fostrox can become an effective drug against liver cancer that makes a real difference for patients and for care and thus also for our shareholders. I look forward to keeping you informed of Medivir's continued development. Jens Lindberg Chief Executive Officer For further information, please contact Magnus Christensen, CFO Phone: +46 (0)8 5468 3100 E-mail: [email protected] This report has been subject to auditors' review. The information was submitted for publication at 08.30 CET on November 3, 2022. The following files are available for download: https://mb.cision.com/Main/652/3660674/1647949.pdf MEDIVIR AB a" INTERIM REPORT JANUARY a" SEPTEMBER 2022 (PDF) SOURCE Medivir NEW YORK, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Web3 membership community Meta Angels joins social curation platform HUG under parent company Assemble in an acquisition announced today. Meta Angels was founded by serial entrepreneurs Alexandra Cavoulacos of The Muse and Allyson Downey of Stellar to leverage blockchain technology for greater connection. Zuckerberg founded Assemble during the pandemic with a mission of bringing art and tech together through content, community, and commerce. Assemble produced the first ever commercial live stream of a Broadway show at the height of the pandemic, and in early 2022, brought on Debbie Soon to co-found and lead HUG, Assemble's flagship community in Web3. The acquisition of Meta Angels and consolidation with HUG solidifies Assemble's position as an innovator in the growing Web3 space. "Since day one, Meta Angels has been innovative and clear-eyed about the opportunities for NFTs and the broader landscape." said Randi Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Assemble. "I'm thrilled to have the chance to bring this incredible brand into the fold and work with this talented team. I know together we will accomplish tremendous things." Zuckerberg added that both Meta Angels and HUG members can expect to see added benefits and offerings as the communities are integrated later this year. Known for its innovative smart contract, art-forward approach, and values-driven community, Meta Angels pioneered the on-chain lending of NFTs, a first-of-its-kind innovation in smart contracts. Their artist, Sarana Haeata, was the first to create a 10k collection depicting humanity through the full spectrum of race and gender. When Meta Angels launched in February 2022, demand was so high that they sold out in pre-sale, and they continue to deliver real world impact to their members through their community. "Meta Angels has always had a big vision and wanted to push the envelope of what on-chain technologies can do. We are thrilled to be joining such a forward-thinking team," said Alex Cavoulacos, CEO and co-founder of Meta Angels. "Randi was one of the earliest champions of Meta Angels, and together I'm excited for the potential to build an iconic brand and platform." Cavoulacos will be joining Assemble as Chief Operating Officer. HUG and Meta Angels continue to be key players in onboarding some of the earliest adopters in NFTs, while maintaining an inclusive and diverse community in a traditionally homogeneous space. As user adoption rises among the crypto curious, they are setting a foundation of inclusivity for the future. About HUG & Assemble Founded by Randi Zuckerberg and Debbie Soon, HUG (www.thehug.xyz) is committed to embracing Web3 creators and building a more diverse and inclusive ecosystem through education, curation, and discovery. They are currently in beta with their social curation platform that helps people discover and share up-and-coming Web3 creators and communities. HUG also offers educational and mentorship through HUG Studios, the largest Web3 accelerator designed for creators by creators. Assemble is the parent company behind HUG and other innovative technologies still in stealth. About Meta Angels Meta Angels (www.metaangelsnft.com) is an NFT membership community founded on the values of generosity, transparency, and accessibility. The uniquely art-forward collection of 10,000 NFTs designed by Maori-Australian artist Sarana Haeata are membership cards that give their holders access to a community, programs and perks. Meta Angels was a pioneer in allowing NFTs to be loaned on chain, a first-of-its-kind innovation in smart contracts. Meta Angels was co-founded by serial entrepreneurs Alexandra Cavoulacos and Allyson Downey. Contact: [email protected] SOURCE HUG WASHINGTON, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Astronauts aboard the International Space Station will conduct a series of U.S. spacewalks in November and December to install mounting hardware and a pair of rollout solar arrays to increase electrical power to support station operations and scientific research. NASA will preview the upcoming International Space Station Rollout Solar Array (iRosa) spacewalks and provide coverage of all three live on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency's website. At 2 p.m. EST Monday, Nov. 7, NASA will host a preview of the spacewalks at the agency's Johnson Space Center in Houston, with the following agency participants: Dina Contella , operations integration manager, International Space Station Program , operations integration manager, International Space Station Program Anthony Vareha , spacewalk flight director , spacewalk flight director Fiona Turett , spacewalk flight director , spacewalk flight director Kieth Johnson , spacewalk officer , spacewalk officer Chris Mundy , spacewalk officer Media wishing to participate in the news conference in person must request credentials from the Johnson newsroom no later than 5 p.m. EDT Friday, Nov. 4 at: 281-483-5111 or [email protected]. Media interested in participating by phone must contact the Johnson newsroom no later than two hours before the start of the call. Those wanting to submit a question on social media may do so using #askNASA. On Tuesday, Nov. 15, NASA astronauts Josh Cassada and Frank Rubio will exit the station's Quest airlock to assemble a mounting bracket on the starboard side of the station's truss assembly. Live coverage of the spacewalk will begin at 6:30 a.m. The spacewalk is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. and last about seven hours. Cassada will serve as extravehicular crew member 1 (EV 1) and will wear a suit with red stripes. Rubio will serve as extravehicular crew member 2 (EV 2) and will wear the unmarked suit. The spacewalk will be the first for both Cassada and Rubio. The bracket and other hardware for the spacewalk is targeted to launch Sunday, Nov. 6, on the agency's next Northrop Grumman Cygnus commercial resupply mission. The iROSAs will be installed on future spacewalks after delivery aboard the agency's SpaceX Dragon commercial resupply mission scheduled to launch Friday, Nov. 18. The next two U.S. spacewalks are scheduled on Monday, Nov. 28, and Thursday, Dec. 1. On Nov. 28, two astronauts will install an iROSA for the 3A power channel, and on Dec. 1 a pair of astronauts will install an iROSA on the port truss for the 4A power channel. These will be the third and fourth iROSAs out of a total six planned for installation. The iROSAs will increase power generation capability by up to 30%, increasing the station's total available power from 160 kilowatts to up to 215 kilowatts. NASA will confirm astronaut roles and start times for the Nov. 28 and Dec. 1 spacewalks after the first spacewalk is completed. Follow the space station blog for the latest updates. Get breaking news, images and features from the space station on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Learn more about the International Space Station and its crew at: https://www.nasa.gov/station SOURCE NASA The Holistic Pain Solution Has the FDA Seal of Approval Even as It Continues to Garner Praise From Sinoveda's Rapidly Growing U.S. Customer Base FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sinoveda is a Canadian-based health-science brand that is blazing an innovative trail toward the future of healthcare. The company has developed its patented PPT technology, which utilizes a combination of in-vitro and in-silico testing, bringing the power of AI and machine learning to bear on the concept of natural and holistic medicine. One of Sinoveda's most popular PPT-validated formulas thus far is its topical pain relief product Proflexa . "In essence, our goal is to bring together the wisdom of Eastern medicine and the precision of Western pharmaceutical science," says company co-founder Dr. Nuzhat Tam-Zaman, "Proflexa is the perfect example of this powerful union of the Eastern and Western approaches to healthcare." Proflexa draws on the potent natural power of seven traditional medicinal herbs, including Clove, Dang Gui, Frankincense, and Hong Hua. These have been formulated for maximum synergistic potency through Sinoveda's PPT technology, creating a precise, effective, and reproducible botanically-based product in the process. Proflexa's efficacy is well-documented. For example, one 60-patient survey conducted early on found that 90% of the subjects reported effective pain relief while using the topical. Since that time, the stream of feedback from active users continues to send a strong message of the product's ability to do what it says on the label. "Your product is a lifesaver!!" says Graceanne Pezzino Sweeney, a regular patron and consistent user of Sinoveda products, "I use it 2x a day, and it has alleviated pain and discomfort. It also gives me more mobility. Thank you." There are countless others like Sweeney with similar messages of hopefulness as they use Proflexa to reclaim a pain-free lifestyle on a daily basis. In October of 2022, Proflexa officially received its NDC (National Drug Code) on the FDA website, formalizing its U.S. availability as an over-the-counter (OTC) drug. The potent natural pain-relief solution is already available on Amazon, where it steadily garners praise and positive feedback as a growing audience continues to become aware of the life-changing product. About Sinoveda: The name "Sinoveda" is derived from Chinese and Bangladeshi, the two cultures of the company's founders, renowned pharmaceutical scientists, doctors, and spouses Dr. Yun K. Tam and Dr. Nuzhat Tam-Zaman. Sinoveda was founded in 2006 and is based in Edmonton, Alberta. The health-science company utilizes its founders' 50-plus years of combined experience in drug development to focus on R&D and further pharmaceutical progress, primarily through its proprietary vanguard PPT (Pharmaceutical Platform Technology). Learn more at sinoveda.com . Contact: KENDAL SCOTT Marketing & Administrative Assistant O (780) 466-0086 | C (780) 394-3538 [email protected] SOURCE Sinoveda NEW YORK, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Local members of New Heaven New Earth Church of Jesus successfully completed another round of blood donations as part of a life-saving campaign called Life On. In New York, 86 church members donated blood within a week through the New York Blood Center. The blood drive ran from October 16-22. Additional members gave blood in states along the East Coast and in countries such as Brazil, Chile and Argentina, bringing the total number of donors to 121. New York-based members of New Heaven New Earth Church of Jesus take time to donate blood At the end of October, the New York branch of New Heaven New Earth Church of Jesus received a special certificate from the New York Blood Center for its donations. The organization recently announced another blood emergency due to low inventory for the fifth time in 2022. Blood centers around the country are currently grappling with a national blood supply crisis. "It isn't that folks are not donating blood our data shows that there is only a small group of loyal blood donors who are representing the entire community and shouldering the burden for all," said Andrea Cefarelli, senior vice president of New York Blood Center in a press release. Members of New Heaven New Earth are receiving recognition around the world for stepping up to give blood. In October, We Are One, a volunteer organization made up of youth members of New Heaven New Earth, earned a spot in the Guinness World Records for having the most people a total of 71,121 participants in South Korea register online to donate blood within a 24-hour period. For more information about New Heaven New Earth Church of Jesus, please visit scjamericas.org. CONTACT: [email protected] SOURCE Shincheonji Church of Jesus NORCROSS, Ga., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Norcross, Georgia, is now home to a new Techy store. Inside Walmart, customers can get all of their electronic devices repaired from laptops, computers, phones, tablets, and more. Hassin, the store owner, wants to create a convenient space for customers to get their devices fixed, no matter what brand or model of smart devices they have. Before Hassin became a Techy franchise owner, he had experience repairing smart devices and jewelry. Although becoming a store owner is new to Hassin, he has had years of experience operating a store and repairing devices. Hassin was interested in becoming a Techy store owner because it allowed him to have support while still having the independence to run and operate his location. Techy is all about supporting its franchise owners. The expanding tech franchise company hosts a 14-day training to help new franchise owners prep for their store opening. In Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Techy train new franchisees at its Headquarters. Franchisees learn about repairs, how to collaborate within a team, and the overall functioning of their store. At Techy Norcross, customers can expect smooth and fast services. The store will provide screen replacement, battery replacement, and more for tablets, desktop computers, laptops, and smartphones. Different phones need different parts for repair services, and Techy Norcross is committed to completing all repairs with the right parts. If Techy Norcross doesn't have the part for your computer, laptop, or other devices, the store will order and have it shipped the next day to complete your device repair. Techy Norcross is located inside Walmart at 4975 Jimmy Carter Blvd Norcross, Georgia. Visit the Techy store for all of your electronic repair needs. About Techy Since 2006 Techy has been serving customers with all their electronic repair and installation needs. Because of its partnership with Walmart, Techy can open new stores inside the major corporate retail store. The fast-growing tech franchise has over 200+ stores in 30 states and nine countries. It is a worldwide company with its 24,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art headquarter in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Contact: Nicole Cooper, [email protected], 877-752-0956 SOURCE Techy TORONTO, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Nulogy , a leading provider of supply chain collaboration solutions, today announced the appointment of Henry Canitz, Nulogy's Vice-President, Industry Strategy, to the Board of Directors of the Foundation for Supply Chain Solutions (F4SS). Founded in 2006, F4SS is a national trade association focused on building and strengthening supply chain partnerships within the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry. Nulogy VP Henry Canitz (CNW Group/Nulogy Corporation) Canitz brings more than 30 years of supply chain experience to the F4SS Board. In his new three-year term as Board Member, he will leverage his experience and perspective to further drive forward the F4SS mission of promoting strategic partnerships between FMCG brands and their supply ecosystem partners. In his current position at Nulogy, Canitz is an avid champion of multi-enterprise collaboration as a leading strategy to accelerate the efficiency and effectiveness of the supply ecosystems of FMCG companies, and is a subject matter expert on the emerging Multi-Enterprise Supply Chain Business Networks (MESCBN) software category. He is also an active contributor to supply chain periodicals, frequent presenter at supply chain events and was named a Supply & Demand Chain Executive Pro to Know in 2019, 2020 and 2022. "It is an honor and an exciting opportunity to join the F4SS Board to help grow collaboration in the consumer goods industry," Canitz said. "I look forward to working with the other F4SS Board Members to generate new collaborative capabilities between FMCG companies and their strategic partners for years to come." Joining Canitz as newly confirmed members of the F4SS Board are: Steve Schroder, President, creative werks llc; Chuck Woods, Executive Director - Customer & Commercial, MSI Express; and Annette Cutchens, VP, Customer Solutions, Coregistics. Previous to Nulogy, Canitz has held roles in building high performance operations by leveraging supply chain enabling solutions as a practitioner at leading companies, and developing and launching solutions with leading supply chain software providers. Canitz has an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin, a graduate degree in Supply Chain Management from Michigan State University, ASCM CPIM and CSCP certifications, and a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Certification. About Nulogy Nulogy, a leading supplier of digital supply chain solutions, enables customers and their supplier communities to collaborate on a multi-enterprise platform in order to deliver with excellence to an ever-changing consumer market. The Nulogy Multi-Enterprise Supply Chain Business Network Platform optimizes upstream supply ecosystems composed of brand manufacturers, contract manufacturers and packagers, third party logistics providers, raw material and packaging suppliers to accelerate supply chain responsiveness and collaborate at the speed of today's market. Nulogy.com SOURCE Nulogy Corporation Rise in use of various predictive maintenance methods including oil condition monitoring across several sectors drives the growth of the global oil condition monitoring market. PORTLAND, Ore., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Oil Condition Monitoring Market By Sampling Type (On-Site Sampling and Off-Site Sampling), Product Type (Turbine, Compressor, Engine, Gear Systems, and Hydraulic Systems), End User (Transportation, Industrial, Oil & Gas, Power Generation, and Mining): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2031". According to the report, the global oil condition monitoring industry was estimated at $689.7 million in 2021, and is anticipated to hit $1.4 billion by 2031, registering a CAGR of 7.5% from 2022 to 2031. The report offers an explicit analysis of the changing market trends, top segments, key investment pockets, value chain, competitive scenario, and regional landscape. The market study is exclusively meant to help the readers with a complete valuation of industry analysis and trends. Download Sample Report (Get Full Insights in PDF - 280 Pages) @ https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/10133 Determinants of Growth Rise in use of various predictive maintenance methods including oil condition monitoring across several sectors drives the growth of the global oil condition monitoring market. On the other hand, shortage of trained technical personnel impedes the growth to some extent. However, high-end big data analytics and data storage mechanisms are expected to create lucrative opportunities in the industry. Report Coverage and Details: Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 20222031 Base Year 2021 Market Size in 2021 $689.7 million Market Size in 2031 $1.4 billion CAGR 7.5 % No. of Pages in Report 280 Segments Covered Sampling Type, Product Type, End User, and Region Drivers Growing awareness regarding extending the operational life of machines and equipment Upsurge in investment in predictive maintenance Opportunities The advancement in big data analytics and data storage mechanisms Restrains A shortage of trained technical personnel COVID-19 Scenario: Import-export restraints, shut borders, and supply chain disruptions during the Covid-19 pandemic impacted the global oil conditioning market negatively. However, as the majority of sectors started recovering post pandemic, the oil condition monitoring market also got back on track. The Off-Site sampling segment to rule the roost By sampling type, the off-site sampling segment contributed to more than half of the global oil condition monitoring market share in 2021, and is expected to lead the trail by 2031. The same segment is also expected to exhibit the fastest CAGR of 7.7% from 2022 to 2031, owing to increase in restrictions on use of plastic. This is because many industries such as transportation, industrial, oil & gas, power generation, and mining extract oil samples and send them to off-site laboratories to be analyzed. The Engine segment to dominate by 2031 Based on product type, the engine segment generated nearly two-thirds of the global oil condition monitoring market revenue in 2021, and is expected to lead the trail by 2031. This is owing to growing R&D spending in the automobile sector for enhancing the performance of engines. The hydraulic systems segment, simultaneously, would manifest the fastest CAGR of 8.7% from 2022 to 2031. This is owing to the fact that monitoring hydraulic oil conditions is essential in guaranteeing reliable equipment operation, and optimum performance levels. The Oil and Gas segment to maintain the lion's share By end-user, the oil & gas segment garnered nearly one-third of the global oil condition monitoring market share in 2021, and is expected to retain its dominance by 2031. This is due to continuous operation at oil & gas refineries, since continuously checking the oil quality is essential at oil & gas refineries for the smooth running of machines and equipment. The mining segment, on the other hand, is expected to exhibit the fastest CAGR of 8.7% from 2022 to 2031. This is because preventive maintenance strategy at mining operation can help improve equipment availability, enhance productivity, and increase profitability. North America garnered the major share in 2021 By region, North America held the major share in 2021, generating nearly one-third of the global oil condition monitoring market. This is attributed to the presence of a large number of companies in this province that invest in advanced predictive maintenance technologies such as oil condition monitoring. LAMEA, on the other hand, would garner the fastest CAGR of 8.7% by 2031. This is due to the presence of a number of oil & gas refineries in this region. Interested to Procure the Data? Inquire Here @ https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/10133 Key Players in the Industry General Electric Shell plc BP plc Bureau Veritas Chevron Corporation Parker-Hannifin Corporation TotalEnergies Intertek Group plc SGS SA Eaton Corporation The report analyzes these key players in the global oil condition monitoring market. These players have incorporated various strategies such as expansion, new product launches, partnerships, and others to increase their market penetration and strengthen their position in the industry. The report is helpful in assessing the operating segments, their business performance & product portfolio, and so on. Key Benefits For Stakeholders: This report provides a quantitative analysis of the market segments, current trends, estimations, and dynamics of the oil condition monitoring market analysis from 2021 to 2031 to identify the prevailing oil condition monitoring market opportunities. The market research is offered along with information related to key drivers, restraints, and opportunities. Porter's five forces analysis highlights the potency of buyers and suppliers to enable stakeholders make profit-oriented business decisions and strengthen their supplier-buyer network. In-depth analysis of the oil condition monitoring market segmentation assists to determine the prevailing market opportunities. Major countries in each region are mapped according to their revenue contribution to the global market. Market player positioning facilitates benchmarking and provides a clear understanding of the present position of the market players. The report includes the analysis of the regional as well as global oil condition monitoring market trends, key players, market segments, application areas, and market growth strategies. Oil Condition Monitoring Market Key Segments: By Sampling Type: On-Site Sampling Off-Site Sampling By Product Type: Turbine Compressor Engine Gear Systems Hydraulic Systems By End User: Transportation Industrial Oil & Gas Power Generation Mining By Region: North America (U.S., Canada , and Mexico ) , and ) Europe ( Germany , Italy , France , Spain , U.K., Russia , and Rest of Europe ) , , , , U.K., , and Rest of ) Asia-Pacific ( China , India , Japan , South Korea , and Rest of Asia-Pacific ) , , , , and Rest of ) LAMEA ( Latin America , Middle East and Africa ) Buy this Research Report at Discounted Price @ https://bit.ly/3h2qFgR Trending Reports in Semiconductor and Electronics Industry (Book Now with 10% Discount + COVID-19 Scenario): Drone Inspection and Monitoring Market By Solution (Platform, Software, Infrastructure, and Services), Type (Fixed Wing, Multirotor, and Hybrid), Operation Mode (Remotely Piloted, Optionally Piloted, and Fully Autonomous), and Application (Construction & Infrastructure, Oil & Gas, Mining, Agriculture, Utilities, and Others): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2030 Emission Monitoring System Market By Component (Hardware and Services), End-User (Industrial, Energy and Utilities, and Others), System Type (CEMS and PEMS): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2031 Vibration Monitoring Market By Component (Hardware, Software, and Services), System Type (Embedded Systems, Vibration Analyzers, and Vibration Meters), Monitoring Process (Online and Portable), and End Use (Energy & Power, Metals & Mining, Oil & Gas, Automotive, Food & Beverages, and Others): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2027 Soil Monitoring System Market By Component, (Hardware, Software, and Service), Connectivity (Wired and Wireless), and Application (Agriculture, Archaeology, Research, and Construction & Mining): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2027 Motor Monitoring Market By Offering (Hardware and Software), Monitoring Process (Oil Analysis, Motor Current Analysis, Ultrasound, Thermography, Vibration Analysis, and Others), and End Use (Oil and Gas, Energy & Power, Aerospace & Defense, Automotive, and Others): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2019-2026 About Us: Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of " Market Research Reports " and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain. We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Allied Market Research CEO Pawan Kumar is instrumental in inspiring and encouraging everyone associated with the company to maintain high quality of data and help clients in every way possible to achieve success. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry. Contact: David Correa 5933 NE Win Sivers Drive #205, Portland, OR 97220 United States USA/Canada (Toll Free): +1-800-792-5285, +1-503-894-6022 UK: +44-845-528-1300 Hong Kong: +852-301-84916 India (Pune): +91-20-66346060 Fax: +1(855)550-5975 [email protected] Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/636519/Allied_Market_Research_Logo.jpg SOURCE Allied Market Research "Rail and industrial economic development go hand-in-hand," said OmniTRAX CEO Dean Piacente. "IEDC certification is a highly recognized industry honor that builds trust. Prospective development partners know that they are working with trained professionals that have the expertise and trusted network of economic development relationships to support the complexity of expansion and relocation projects." The global accreditation denotes a mastery of principal skills in economic development, professional attainment, and a commitment to professional growth. Worldwide, fewer than 1,200 economic developers have achieved the prestigious CEcD designation. Johnson and Strickland are two of only four certified economic developers currently working in the rail industry. Johnson and Strickland represent more than 15 years of IEDC accreditation and more than 30 years of economic development experience, attracting new partners and new projects across the nation. As highly skilled economic development practitioners, Johnson, Strickland, and other Certified Economic Developers work with public officials, business leaders and community members to create and retain high-quality jobs, establish economic vibrancy, and improve quality of life for the people they serve. July's announcement of GAF's $80M, 450,000 square foot manufacturing facility on the OmniTRAX rail network in Peru, Illinois is a testament to the importance of Certified Economic Developers. OmniTRAX's industrial development team cultivated strong partnerships with the project site selection consultant and local officials to advance a successful collaboration that benefitted all parties. "Certified Economic Developers continue to shape worldwide economic development projects and we are pleased to announce these recertifications as part of Ean and Justin's dedication to their profession and OmniTRAX's continued commitment to economic development," said IEDC President and CEO Nathan Ohle. About OmniTRAX, Inc. As one of North America's largest and fastest growing private railroad and transportation management companies, OmniTRAX's core capabilities range from providing transportation and supply chain management services to railroad and port companies, to providing intermodal and industrial switching operations to railroads, ports and a diverse group of industrial companies. Through its affiliation with The Broe Group and its portfolio of managed companies, OmniTRAX also has the unique capability of offering specialized industrial development and real estate solutions, both on and off the rail network managed by OmniTRAX. For more information visit omnitrax.com. About The Broe Group Founded in 1972, The Broe Group is a private, multi-billion-dollar investment group with diversified holdings in real estate, rail, infrastructure, energy, agriculture, water, healthcare and technology throughout 37 North American states and provinces. Its deep operational knowledge derived from owning and operating multi-billion-dollar businesses and the global economic insights gleaned from serving its vast Fortune 500 clientele are strategic differentiators. The Broe Group's entrepreneurial focus enables it to find true value wherever it resides. For more information, visit broe.com. About IEDC The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) is a non-profit, non-partisan membership organization serving economic developers. With more than 5,000 members, IEDC is the largest organization of its kind. Economic developers promote economic well-being and quality of life for their communities, by creating, retaining, and expanding jobs that facilitate growth, enhance wealth, and provide a stable tax base. From public to private, rural to urban and local to international, IEDC's members are engaged in the full range of economic development experience. Given the breadth of economic development work, our members are employed in a wide variety of settings including local, state, provincial and federal governments, public-private partnerships, chambers of commerce, universities and a variety of other institutions. When we succeed, our members create high-quality jobs, develop vibrant communities, and improve the quality of life in their regions. Learn more about IEDC: www.iedconline.org SOURCE OmniTRAX Opera's new NFT analytics tool DegenKnows allows users to discover and track NFT projects' ratings and reputation while providing access to actionable insights from top wallets including celebrities, Alpha groups, and Influencers. Opera Crypto Browser adds support for NEAR (NEAR), Elrond (EGLD), and Fantom (FTM) blockchains and coins LONDON, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Opera , the company behind the world's first dedicated Web3 browser, today announces the launch of DegenKnows.io, its new NFT analytics, tracking, and exploration tool that helps users seamlessly discover, track, and verify digital collectibles. Alongside the launch of DegenKnows, the Opera Crypto Browser has integrated NEAR Protocol (NEAR), Elrond (EGLD), as well as Fantom (FTM) blockchains, adding to the many networks already integrated that include Ethereum, Bitcoin, Polygon, BNB Chain, and others. Opera presents its new NFT deep analytics tool: DegenKnows and integrates NEAR, Elrond, and Fantom blockchains in its Crypto Browser Additionally, in an effort to make using Web3 more user-friendly, Opera users can now register human-readable handles ([email protected]) for their crypto wallets via the Foundation for Interwallet Operability (FIO) for free. "Our aim with the Opera Crypto Browser is to provide a portal into Web3 at its fullest. From browsing dApps to using their funds, our users can explore Web3 from the safe environment of a user-friendly browser by a trusted brand. Today, with DegenKnows, we are giving them an innovative tool to explore and understand the world of NFTs and perhaps spot the next big project ahead of others," said Susie Batt, Crypto Ecosystem Lead at Opera. As part of Opera's push for Web3 adoption, DegenKnows is the latest example of its next-generation tools dedicated to users interested in exploring the decentralized space. DegenKnows provides deep on-chain- and off-chain- analytics Aimed at NFT aficionados, newcomers, and traders, DegenKnows analyzes both on-and-off-chain insights that can help users explore and discover NFTs before they gain mass appeal or even before they are minted. DegenKnows allows users to, for example, get a glimpse of the most popular NFT projects and to study charts indicating their popularity, as well as key collectors and opinion leaders in the NFT space. To help weed out potential scams, along with on-chain data, DegenKnows provides users with off-chain data from social media sources, as well as an analysis of the team behind the NFT project. Users can gain aggregated insights into the project's team info, including the number of social media followers, active member number, and total mentions over 24 hours. The platform also serves a curated content feed for each project that allows users to catch the most important posts without time-consuming research. This also makes it possible to identify whether a project's community is real or consists of bots. DegenKnows additionally lets users see the key opinion leaders in the NFT space that are following a given project. Once the scams have been filtered out and research on a given project has been done, users can utilize DegenKnows to set reminders for raffles and mints. Deeper analytics essential to the understanding of the NFT market The launch of DegenKnows comes hot on the heels of Reddit's recent foray into the NFT space, which brought almost 3 million new users to the nascent market. With NFTs back in the limelight and enjoying mainstream adoption, DegenKnows is ready to offer users new advanced tools to help them navigate this sea of digital collectibles and keep abreast of recent NFT trends. "As Web3 and NFTs continue to see mainstream adoption, the tools dedicated to the sector should similarly evolve," added Susie Batt. "With DegenKnows, we have created a platform that helps users get an edge in the NFT market by exploring the vibrant world of NFTs, tracking purchases from their favorite collectors, detecting the authenticity of tokens, and much more." As Web3 continues to gain traction among the general public, it is getting increasingly challenging to get oriented in the burgeoning NFT space, especially for users who are just making their first steps in the world of digital collectibles. Apart from the plethora of NFT collections available today, there are also risks associated with malicious actors that often try to copy prominent projects by just adding "jpegs" to their custom tokens. As part of the launch, all users of the Opera browsers are granted Premium access to DegenKnows for free. Non-Opera users can access a limited free trial that will be available until the end of 2022 Elrond is currently supported in the Android version of the Opera Crypto Browser, with multi-device support coming later this year. The Opera Crypto browser currently supports NEAR tokens with full Web3 support coming later this year No Investment Advice: The information provided by DegenKnows does not constitute investment advice, financial advice, trading advice, or any other sort of advice and you should not treat any of the website's content as such. Opera does not recommend that any cryptocurrency or NFT should be bought, sold, or held by users. Do conduct your own due diligence before making any investment decisions. Disclaimer DegenKnows content is strictly for informational purposes. Opera does not guarantee the accuracy, or completeness of any content available on the service. DegenKnows does not facilitate or provide any wallet or minting services, nor does it provide trading, investment or brokerage accounts or facilities. DegenKnows does not provide investment or any other financial advice or recommendations. As with any asset, the value of digital assets can go up or down and there can be a substantial risk that you lose money buying, selling, holding, or investing in digital assets. You are solely responsible for determining whether the purchase of digital assets is appropriate for you in light of your financial condition and degree of financial sophistication. About Opera Opera (NASDAQ: OPRA) is a global web innovator with an engaged and growing base of hundreds of millions of monthly active users who seek a better internet experience. Building on over 25 years of innovation that started with browser products, Opera is now leveraging its brand and highly engaged user base in order to expand its business into new segments. Today, Opera offers users around the world a range of products and services that include PC and mobile browsers, the newsreader Opera News, and apps dedicated to gaming, crypto, e-commerce and classifieds. In 2018, Opera introduced the first browser with a built-in crypto wallet and web3 support. Opera is headquartered in Oslo, Norway and listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange (OPRA). In January 2022, Opera released its "Crypto Browser project". The browser provides seamless access to Web3, support for cryptocurrency and NFT exchanges, decentralized apps (dApps), and features a built-in non-custodial crypto wallet. SOURCE Opera Limited Unified public safety hardware and software suite provides first responders advanced tools to improve efficiency and real-time situational awareness that can help improve issue resolution AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Oracle announced Oracle Public Safety Services, a new technology platform for law enforcement and first responders. The platform provides a unified hardware and software suite that is designed to remove data silos, eliminate manual busy work, and empower first responders with real-time information and situational awareness to help them make more objective decisions when every second counts. The suite includes dispatch command center, law enforcement records, and jail management software, as well as body worn devices and real-time video communication tools. "First responders have one of the hardest jobs imaginable, yet technology has not evolved to support them in making informed decisions that foster accountability and safer incident resolutions," said Steve Seoane, senior vice president and general manager, Oracle Local Government. "Oracle has a deep history in solving the complex problems of the world's most essential industries. We are bringing this expertise to public safety to provide our first responders with the cutting-edge technology they need to better serve our communities." Integrated Mission-Critical Technology Purpose-Built for Public Safety Oracle Public Safety Services were created in partnership with local government, Police and Sheriffs' personnel, Fire and EMS professionals, and leading law enforcement technology experts. Built on the performance and scalability of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), the suite is CJIS1 compliant and enables agencies of all sizes to get up and running quickly to help lower costs and complexity while enhancing security. The suite includes: Dispatch Command Center: A cloud-based computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system for emergency call management and dispatch. The system enables command center operators to speed data entry, increase accuracy, and accelerate dispatch by auto-populating 911 call information, identifying and merging duplicate calls, providing "next word" text suggestions, and verifying the incident location in a blended map view. Built-in intelligence tools can also provide critical information about the location and subjects. For example, the system can note if a home is known to have a person with mental health issues based on past incidents. This can help dispatch assign personnel best equipped to handle the situation versus just the closest officer. A cloud-based computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system for emergency call management and dispatch. The system enables command center operators to speed data entry, increase accuracy, and accelerate dispatch by auto-populating 911 call information, identifying and merging duplicate calls, providing "next word" text suggestions, and verifying the incident location in a blended map view. Built-in intelligence tools can also provide critical information about the location and subjects. For example, the system can note if a home is known to have a person with mental health issues based on past incidents. This can help dispatch assign personnel best equipped to handle the situation versus just the closest officer. Wearable Computer Devices: Are officer-worn communications and camera systems which can activate automatically upon dispatch and record interactions between law enforcement and community members to support transparency, trust, and accountability. Oracle's unique streaming and connectivity capabilities also enable agencies to provide video line-of-sight to a team member at a remote location, such as a command center, to give on-scene responders more guidance and support as an event is unfolding. The dispatch, verbal, and video data can be automatically pulled into a case report file in real time which can save officers hours of reporting paperwork daily. Are officer-worn communications and camera systems which can activate automatically upon dispatch and record interactions between law enforcement and community members to support transparency, trust, and accountability. Oracle's unique streaming and connectivity capabilities also enable agencies to provide video line-of-sight to a team member at a remote location, such as a command center, to give on-scene responders more guidance and support as an event is unfolding. The dispatch, verbal, and video data can be automatically pulled into a case report file in real time which can save officers hours of reporting paperwork daily. Personal Communications System: A mobile application that runs on a secure mobile device and facilitates dispatch and field-based interactions between first responders. Automated location and subject-based alerts enhance situational awareness and safety for officers and citizens. In addition, camera-based vehicle license plate and driver's license scanning, and full integration with the Dispatch and Records Management Systems, can make it easy to initiate local records searches and view and update case information via the officer's mobile device. A mobile application that runs on a secure mobile device and facilitates dispatch and field-based interactions between first responders. Automated location and subject-based alerts enhance situational awareness and safety for officers and citizens. In addition, camera-based vehicle license plate and driver's license scanning, and full integration with the Dispatch and Records Management Systems, can make it easy to initiate local records searches and view and update case information via the officer's mobile device. Vehicle Communications: A new touch-talk-listen tablet application redefines the in-car experience by providing officers more focused, actionable data 'at-a-glance'. This can include key information from dispatch, navigation details, and field-based interactions between first responders and the command center. With a few touch-points responders can pull-up complete records searches and case reporting and view a fully interactive map for better visibility into all other incidents and units in the area. A new touch-talk-listen tablet application redefines the in-car experience by providing officers more focused, actionable data 'at-a-glance'. This can include key information from dispatch, navigation details, and field-based interactions between first responders and the command center. With a few touch-points responders can pull-up complete records searches and case reporting and view a fully interactive map for better visibility into all other incidents and units in the area. Vehicle Video Cameras: A roof-mounted video camera bar with a front and peripheral view camera array, a dedicated automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) camera, as well as an in-vehicle computer to process video streaming and recording. The system leverages connected hardware to provide a 300-degree view of the incident. Like the body worn cameras, data and video feeds from the hardware and software can be displayed in real-time to all parties supporting that event. A roof-mounted video camera bar with a front and peripheral view camera array, a dedicated automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) camera, as well as an in-vehicle computer to process video streaming and recording. The system leverages connected hardware to provide a 300-degree view of the incident. Like the body worn cameras, data and video feeds from the hardware and software can be displayed in real-time to all parties supporting that event. Records Management: A records management system designed to manage all public safety records for an agency, including entry, storage, retrieval, viewing, and archiving of crime reports, property and evidence, and investigative data. Fully integrated with Oracle Public Safety dispatch and mobile services, the system can automatically link and auto populates 911 call incident details and mobile case reporting data, eliminating the need for duplicate data entry. A records management system designed to manage all public safety records for an agency, including entry, storage, retrieval, viewing, and archiving of crime reports, property and evidence, and investigative data. Fully integrated with Oracle Public Safety dispatch and mobile services, the system can automatically link and auto populates 911 call incident details and mobile case reporting data, eliminating the need for duplicate data entry. Jail Management: A cloud-based jail and holding-facility management system designed to eliminate data re-entry and enable more efficient, secure processes from pre-booking to transfer or release. "Time is not a luxury first responders have in a rapidly unfolding emergency situation," added Seoane. "We designed our systems to make the on-scene experience less isolating and emotionally charged by enabling responders to act as a blended team with someone monitoring the situation remotely. With this approach, on-site officers gain support and guidance that can change the course of a dangerous incident by helping reduce risk, and hopefully increasing the likelihood of a more constructive resolution for everyone involved." To learn more about Oracle Public Safety Services, visit https://www.oracle.com/industries/government/state-local/public-safety/ 1FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services About Oracle Oracle offers integrated suites of applications plus secure, autonomous infrastructure in the Oracle Cloud. For more information about Oracle (NYSE: ORCL), please visit us at oracle.com. Trademarks Oracle, Java, and MySQL are registered trademarks of Oracle Corporation. SOURCE Oracle Orchestry, a tech company that aims to help companies get the most from Microsoft 365 receives funding in a seed funding round led by former Co-Founder and CEO of Nintex and a former Microsoft Exec. VANCOUVER, BC, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Orchestry announces receiving funding from Incredible Capital to accelerate growth. Orchestry, today announced raising funding from Incredible Capital led by Brian Cook and Chris Johnson. Orchestry is a Canadian-based primarily female-led tech company that develops software-as-a-solution (SaaS) products for administrators and users of Microsoft 365. Orchestry's solutions effectively address and eliminate common Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Teams challenges and streamline its day-to-day administration, governance, security, usage, and adoption. The Orchestry platform helps organizations get a better return on investment in Microsoft 365 licenses and effectively move the needle on digital workspace modernization and digital transformation. "We couldn't be more excited about the opportunity ahead for Orchestry. Brian and I are looking forward to helping the Orchestry team scale the business to new heights. This investment fills the fuel tank for growth over the next few years and allows Orchestry to put the pedal to the floor on what's possible," said Chris Johnson of Incredible Capital and former Group Product Manager on the Office 365 team at Microsoft. "We are very impressed with the speed and quality at which the Orchestry team managed to build an enterprise-grade Microsoft ISV platform, the value of which is evident seeing Orchestry's growth over the past 2 years. We are really looking forward to supporting the Orchestry team in their ambitious growth path," said Brian Cook of Incredible Capital and former co-Founder CEO of global software company, Nintex. The Orchestry platform was launched in 2020 and has seen tremendous success thus far. It is currently used by hundreds of organizations in a variety of sectors across the world, primarily in Europe, North America, the UK, New Zealand, and Australia, ranging from 100-10,000 individual Microsoft 365 licenses. Orchestry is a trusted technology partner to many IT experts, Microsoft 365 consultants, adoption change management practitioners and solution architects within the world's largest IT Service organizations. "Orchestry was founded to help organizations realize the full potential of Microsoft 365, and the last 2 years since its inception have been full of hard work, passion, and dedication from every member of our small, but incredibly knowledgeable team. I am truly grateful for the trust our customers and our partners placed in us," said Michal Pisarek, founder and CEO of Orchestry. "With the value Incredible Capital in the face of Brian Cook, the former co-Founder and CEO of Nintex one of the most successful and recognizable Microsoft ISVs, and former Microsoft Executive Chris Johnson bring to the table, we are confident this partnership will accelerate Orchestry's global success." Orchestry plans to use the funds to expand its engineering, customer & partner success, and sales teams. It is looking to expand the capabilities of the platform even further by leveraging the feedback from its existing customer and partner base, as well as common administration, day-to-day management, and usage struggles faced by Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Teams users across the world. About Orchestry Orchestry helps organizations unlock the full power of Microsoft 365. Orchestry's platform empowers users, drives adoption, and automates governance, day-to-day management, and security of Microsoft 365. Built by Microsoft 365 MVPs for IT Administrators, with end-users in mind. Learn more: https://www.orchestry.com. About Incredible Capital Kirkland, WA based investment fund focused on helping software companies in the Microsoft eco-system be more successful. SOURCE Orchestry Software Ongoing partnership proves the transformational value of composable commerce for commerce and retail brands. TORONTO, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Orium (formerly Myplanet), North America's leading composable commerce consultancy and system integrator, won Enterprise Partner of the Year at the commercetools Partner Summit held in Austin, TX. A premier commercetools partner and early member of the MACH Alliance, Orium is shaping how commerce and retail brands think about digital transformation through its investment in composable commerce accelerators and award-winning work with customers like Harry Rosen . Orium named commercetools' Enterprise Partner of the Year (CNW Group/Orium) "To be recognized by commercetools, the leading provider of API-first composable commerce, is a real honor," says Jason Cottrell, CEO of Orium. "Together our teams empower enterprise brands to rethink and reshape their omnichannel customer journeys." Orium believes that today's retailers are dealing with what they call the "multi-" problem how to provide a seamless customer experience across multiple channels, brands, geographies, languages, currencies, and business models and the monolithic commerce solutions of the past can't keep pace. APIs and composable commerce solutions help retailers address this multi- problem. "Orium is a clear leader in API-first commerce," said Kelly Goetsch, Chief Strategy Officer at commercetools. "This team is the complete package and any retailer looking to make the shift to composable commerce will be wise to look at Orium." Orium's exclusive focus on composable commerce, along with its investment in Composable.com accelerators, such as the Omniretail Accelerator for commercetools , make it an easy choice for commerce and retail brands researching the migration to a curated commerce suite. "We've partnered with commercetools because of their product vision and the comprehensiveness of their APIs," says Everett Zufelt, VP, Product & Partnerships at Orium. "Incorporating commercetools in our Composable.com accelerator has made it easier than ever for brands to make the move to an API-first commerce solution." About Orium Orium is North America's leading composable commerce consultancy and system integrator. We help ambitious commerce and retail brands execute, innovate, and transform more quickly, enabling them to deliver engaging customer experiences and scale their brands across channels through careful curation of MACH technologies such as commercetools. About commercetools The inventor of headless commerce, commercetools is an innovative technology disruptor that has established itself as an industry-leading e-commerce software provider. Today, some of the world's most iconic brands and growth-focused businesses trust commercetools' powerful, flexible, scalable solutions to support their ever-evolving digital commerce needs. As the visionaries leading the modern MACH (Microservices-based, API-first, Cloud-native and Headless) architecture movement, commercetools provides customers with the agility to innovate and iterate on the fly, merge on and off-line channels, drive higher revenue, and future-proof their eCommerce business. Based in Munich, Germany, with offices in Europe, Asia, and the United States, commercetools is singularly focused on a future of limitless commerce possibilities. SOURCE Orium HELSINKI, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Outokumpu has decided to significantly increase its energy efficiency improvement target and prioritize related investments in 2023 and 2024. So far, Outokumpu's target has been to improve energy efficiency by 0.5% annually. Until the end of 2024, Outokumpu now aims to improve its energy efficiency by 8% across the group compared to the JanuarySeptember 2022 level. These measures would correspond to energy saving of approximately 600,000 MWh which is equal to annual electricity usage of 15,000 households.* "The European energy crisis has created a turbulent operating environment. To tackle the uncertainty, we have decided to take immediate action on our own energy efficiency. This means that we will prioritize investments to improve our energy efficiency and also increase related annual capital expenditure by EUR 20 million in 2023 and 2024," says Outokumpu's Chief Technology Officer Stefan Erdmann. These additional investments do not impact Outokumpu's capital expenditure frame of EUR 600 million for the second phase of the strategy by the end of 2025. For 2023 and 2024, the annual capital expenditure remains EUR 200 million. Outokumpu's target is to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 42% by 2030 compared to 2016 baseline. "The new efficiency measures will support Outokumpu to achieve our ambitious climate targets", continues Erdmann. For more information: Investors: Linda Hakkila, Head of Investor Relations, tel. +358 400 719 669 Media: Paivi Allenius, VP Communications and Brand, tel. +358 40 753 7374 Media desk, tel. +358 40 351 9840, e-mail [email protected] *) MWh per ton of stainless steel. Energy savings calculated by average electricity use of 20,000 kilowatt hours by a family of four living in a detached, electrically heated house. The following files are available for download: SOURCE Outokumpu Oyj HARRISBURG, Pa., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Even more relief has arrived for eligible homeowners in the Commonwealth who are struggling with their mortgage payments or other housing expenses as a result of COVID-19 pandemic-related financial hardships. The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) announced that it has increased the maximum caps on funding for its Pennsylvania Homeowner Assistance Fund, or PAHAF, administered by PHFA effective immediately. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania was awarded more than $350 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds through the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF). PAHAF increased its overall program cap on the maximum amount of assistance a household may receive from $30,000 to $50,000. In addition, the maximum cap on delinquent property tax assistance increased from $8,000 to $14,000, and the maximum cap on delinquent utility assistance increased from $8,000 to $10,000. These assistance cap increases will benefit even more eligible households who continue to need help paying their past due mortgage and other homeowner expenses. Established through the 2021 American Rescue Plan, the fund supports Pennsylvania homeowners whose household income is at or below 150% of the area median income (AMI) and are facing financial hardships as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. PAHAF provides eligible Pennsylvania homeowners with assistance to prevent and/or ease mortgage delinquencies, defaults, foreclosures, displacement and utility disconnection. "We have seen the tremendous impact PAHAF has already had across the Commonwealth for the many households that have struggled to cope with pandemic-related financial hardships," said PHFA Executive Director and CEO Robin Wiessmann. "Implementing these changes ensures that homeowners receive even greater financial support and builds critical housing and economic stability in Pennsylvania." Applicants who were previously denied based on former program caps or may not have applied for a specific assistance type because of the previous caps will have an opportunity re-apply or to apply now to receive funding the PAHAF program is reaching out to these individuals. Any applicant who already received funding for a specific assistance type will not be eligible for an additional, retrofitted amount for that same assistance. Per the program's policy, only one PAHAF assistance type can be awarded per household. For the latest updates and program information, visit http://pahaf.org, which is where homeowners can go to learn more and to start and complete their online applications. They can also contact the PAHAF call center at 888-987-2423 for questions or application assistance. The call center is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. About PHFA The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency works to provide affordable homeownership and rental housing options for older adults, low- and moderate-income families, and people with special housing needs. Through its carefully managed mortgage programs and investments in multifamily housing developments, PHFA also promotes economic development across the state. Since its creation by the legislature in 1972, it has generated more than $16.7 billion of funding for more than 190,750 single-family home mortgage loans, helped fund the construction of 139,974 rental units, distributed approximately $239 million to support local housing initiatives, and saved the homes of more than 50,660 families from foreclosure. PHFA programs and operations are funded primarily by the sale of securities and from fees paid by program users, not by public tax dollars. The agency is governed by a 14-member board. Contact: Mandy McIntyre [email protected] SOURCE Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency MILFORD, Del., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of a commitment to improve the quality of life in its communities, Perdue Farms is supporting La Plaza Delaware and its new Latino leadership program with a $20,000 grant funded through the Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation. The donation from Perdue's charitable giving arm is part of the company's Delivering Hope to Our Neighbors outreach focused on improving quality of life and building strong communities. Perdue Farms presents a $20,000 grant to support a new La Plaza Delaware Latino leadership training program. From left to right are Edwin Hernandez, Community Relations & Outreach Director, Office of Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long; Co-Chair of the Delaware Hispanic Commissions Latino Leadership Development Committee; Mary Dupont, Executive Director, La Plaza Delaware; Kim R. Nechay, Executive Director, The Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation; Delaware Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long; Carlos de los Ramos, Chair, Delaware Hispanic Commission; Gary Miller, Vice President of Human Resources and Interim Chief Diversity Officer, Perdue Farms; Michelle Jewell, Program Analyst, Office of Governor John Carney; Rony Baltazar-Lopez, Vice Chair, Delaware Hispanic Commission. La Plaza's leadership program will aim to transform high-potential Latinos into high-performing leaders, focusing on GenZ and Millennials. Around 50 individuals from across Delaware will participate in the first year. "We want to help rising leaders develop the skills necessary to promote immediate and sustainable results for themselves and the organizations they serve," said Mary Dupont, La Plaza Delaware executive director, at a press conference at Perdue's Milford, Del., operation. La Plaza will use a nationally recognized curriculum from Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement (HACE) that includes three months with programming content, networking, and collaboration in a group project. Nuestras Raices, the cultural nonprofit based in Wilmington, is a program partner. Additional funders include the Arsht Cannon Fund and the Delaware Hispanic Commission, which is also a program partner. La Plaza Delaware is a nonprofit partnership created to increase opportunities, business savvy, and prosperity for Latino and minority-owned businesses. Delaware Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long, said the First State should be proud of the organizations that are supporting La Plaza's leadership program. "I am thrilled over the moon with the partnerships that we have here. This will make a difference in the lives of individuals who will go through the program . . . and to the state. We need to have true representation not only in workforce but in all leadership opportunities in our communities." Gary Miller, Vice President of Human Resources and Interim Chief Diversity Officer for Perdue Farms, said the leadership program will strengthen the region as rising Latino leaders use the skills they gather to further their careers and serve the community in many meaningful ways. "We are so grateful for an opportunity to invest in a leadership training program for the Latino population, specifically, and partner with such wonderful organizations as La Plaza Delaware," he added. Delaware Hispanic Commission Chair Carlos de los Ramos said the Latino community is fast changing and evolving. "We are the new leaders. We are the people who are moving and shaking the economy here in the state of Delaware. This program will help us nurture even more leaders," he said. Funding from the Perdue Foundation will support HACE in southern Delaware, building on HACE's record of professional leadership development, with workshops, mentoring and leadership training for emerging community leaders and entrepreneurs. Delaware is the 37th state to join HACE. Since 1982, HACE has been a resource for Latinos in the workplace and is an expert for corporations seeking to access diverse talent. Through professional development, resources and networks, and by offering access to meaningful career opportunities, HACE helps Latinos succeed. "In our survey to assess the needs and capacity of Latino businesses in Sussex County, Del., a common theme emerged," said Dupont. "Business owners were reluctant to assume high-profile leadership roles, as they were focused on day-to-day business survival. However, they were confident that their children, who grew up here and are more comfortable with the language and culture, are in a better position to represent the community. This feedback underscored the need for a two-generation approach that includes business and leadership development to achieve the goals of capacity building, increased financial stability and self-reliance." About the Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation The Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation , the charitable giving arm of Perdue Farms, was established in 1957 by company founder Arthur W. Perdue and is funded through the estates of Arthur W. Perdue and Frank Perdue. As part of our belief in supporting the communities where and with whom we do business, the Foundation provides grants on behalf of Perdue Farms in communities where large numbers of our associates live and work. At Perdue Farms, we believe in responsible food and agriculture. About Perdue Farms We're a fourth-generation, family-owned, U.S. food and agriculture company. Through our belief in responsible food and agriculture, we are empowering consumers, customers, and farmers through trusted choices in products and services. The premium protein portfolio within our Perdue Foods business, including our flagship PERDUE brand, Niman Ranch , Panorama Organic Grass-Fed Meats , Coleman Natural , and Yummy , as well as our pet brands, Spot Farms and Full Moon , is available through various channels including retail, foodservice, club stores and our direct-to-consumer website, PerdueFarms.com . Perdue AgriBusiness is an international agricultural products and services company. Now in our company's second century, our path forward is about getting better, not just bigger. We never use drugs for growth promotion in raising poultry and livestock, and we are actively advancing our animal welfare programs. Our brands are leaders in no-antibiotics-ever chicken, turkey, pork, beef, and lamb, and in USDA-certified organic chicken and beef. Learn more at Corporate.PerdueFarms.com . SOURCE Perdue Farms NEW YORK, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Petrochemicals Market Research Report by Product, End-use, Region - Global Forecast to 2027 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19 Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06340579/?utm_source=PRN The Global Petrochemicals Market size was estimated at USD 543.81 billion in 2021 and expected to reach USD 575.96 billion in 2022, and is projected to grow at a CAGR 7.05% to reach USD 818.71 billion by 2027. Market Statistics: The report provides market sizing and forecast across 7 major currencies - USD, EUR, JPY, GBP, AUD, CAD, and CHF. It helps organization leaders make better decisions when currency exchange data is readily available. In this report, the years 2018 and 2020 are considered as historical years, 2021 as the base year, 2022 as the estimated year, and years from 2023 to 2027 are considered as the forecast period. Market Segmentation & Coverage: This research report categorizes the Petrochemicals to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets: Based on Product, the market was studied across Benzene, Butadiene, Ethylene, Methanol, Propylene, Toluene, and Xylene. Based on End-use, the market was studied across Aerospace, Agriculture, Automotive, Building & Construction, Consumer & Industrial Goods, Electrical & Electronics, Food & Beverage, Healthcare, Marine, Paints & Coatings, Power & Utilities, Pulp & Paper, and Textiles & Leather. Based on Region, the market was studied across Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The Americas is further studied across Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and United States. The United States is further studied across California, Florida, Illinois, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas. The Asia-Pacific is further studied across Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. The Europe, Middle East & Africa is further studied across Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and United Kingdom. Cumulative Impact of COVID-19: COVID-19 is an incomparable global public health emergency that has affected almost every industry, and the long-term effects are projected to impact the industry growth during the forecast period. Our ongoing research amplifies our research framework to ensure the inclusion of underlying COVID-19 issues and potential paths forward. The report delivers insights on COVID-19 considering the changes in consumer behavior and demand, purchasing patterns, re-routing of the supply chain, dynamics of current market forces, and the significant interventions of governments. The updated study provides insights, analysis, estimations, and forecasts, considering the COVID-19 impact on the market. Cumulative Impact of 2022 Russia Ukraine Conflict: We continuously monitor and update reports on political and economic uncertainty due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Negative impacts are significantly foreseen globally, especially across Eastern Europe, European Union, Eastern & Central Asia, and the United States. This contention has severely affected lives and livelihoods and represents far-reaching disruptions in trade dynamics. The potential effects of ongoing war and uncertainty in Eastern Europe are expected to have an adverse impact on the world economy, with especially long-term harsh effects on Russia.This report uncovers the impact of demand & supply, pricing variants, strategic uptake of vendors, and recommendations for Petrochemicals market considering the current update on the conflict and its global response. Competitive Strategic Window: The Competitive Strategic Window analyses the competitive landscape in terms of markets, applications, and geographies to help the vendor define an alignment or fit between their capabilities and opportunities for future growth prospects. It describes the optimal or favorable fit for the vendors to adopt successive merger and acquisition strategies, geography expansion, research & development, and new product introduction strategies to execute further business expansion and growth during a forecast period. FPNV Positioning Matrix: The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Petrochemicals Market based on Business Strategy (Business Growth, Industry Coverage, Financial Viability, and Channel Support) and Product Satisfaction (Value for Money, Ease of Use, Product Features, and Customer Support) that aids businesses in better decision making and understanding the competitive landscape. Market Share Analysis: The Market Share Analysis offers the analysis of vendors considering their contribution to the overall market. It provides the idea of its revenue generation into the overall market compared to other vendors in the space. It provides insights into how vendors are performing in terms of revenue generation and customer base compared to others. Knowing market share offers an idea of the size and competitiveness of the vendors for the base year. It reveals the market characteristics in terms of accumulation, fragmentation, dominance, and amalgamation traits. Competitive Scenario: The Competitive Scenario provides an outlook analysis of the various business growth strategies adopted by the vendors. The news covered in this section deliver valuable thoughts at the different stage while keeping up-to-date with the business and engage stakeholders in the economic debate. The competitive scenario represents press releases or news of the companies categorized into Merger & Acquisition, Agreement, Collaboration, & Partnership, New Product Launch & Enhancement, Investment & Funding, and Award, Recognition, & Expansion. All the news collected help vendor to understand the gaps in the marketplace and competitor's strength and weakness thereby, providing insights to enhance product and service. Company Usability Profiles: The report profoundly explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Petrochemicals Market, including BASF SE, Borealis AG, British Petroleum PLC, Chevron Phillips Chemical Company, LLC, China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation, DOW Chemical Company, DuPont de Nemours, Inc., Exxon Mobil Corporation, Finolex Industries Ltd., Formosa Plastics Corporation, Huntsman Corporation, Idemitsu Kosan Company, Ltd., Ineos Group Ltd, LG Chem Ltd., LyondellBasell Industries N.V., Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, PetroChina Company Limited, PJSC Gazprom, Reliance Industries Limited, Reliance Industries Ltd, Royal Dutch Shell PLC, Saudi Basic Industries Corporation, Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd., The China National Petroleum Corporation, and Total SA. The report provides insights on the following pointers: 1. Market Penetration: Provides comprehensive information on the market offered by the key players 2. Market Development: Provides in-depth information about lucrative emerging markets and analyze penetration across mature segments of the markets 3. Market Diversification: Provides detailed information about new product launches, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments 4. Competitive Assessment & Intelligence: Provides an exhaustive assessment of market shares, strategies, products, certification, regulatory approvals, patent landscape, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players 5. Product Development & Innovation: Provides intelligent insights on future technologies, R&D activities, and breakthrough product developments The report answers questions such as: 1. What is the market size and forecast of the Global Petrochemicals Market? 2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Petrochemicals Market during the forecast period? 3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Petrochemicals Market? 4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Petrochemicals Market? 5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Petrochemicals Market? 6. What is the market share of the leading vendors in the Global Petrochemicals Market? 7. What modes and strategic moves are considered suitable for entering the Global Petrochemicals Market? Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06340579/?utm_source=PRN ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. Contact Clare: [email protected] US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 SOURCE Reportlinker Expanding presence and strengthening in-market capabilities with a new Singapore office SINGAPORE, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- PingPong ("the Company"), a global payment solutions provider, debuts at Singapore FinTech Festival (SFF) 2022 (2-4 Nov 2022) to present its latest one-stop payment services and comprehensive cross-border solutions for online merchants, financial institutions, technology platforms, and enterprises. During the event, the company also announces that it is applying for a Major Payment License in Singapore and plans to launch in Singapore upon receiving approval from the regulator. A pioneer in providing end-to-end payment solutions for global cross-border businesses, PingPong offers global e-commerce sellers the ability to manage multiple currencies in a single, secure platform across the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Since it was established in 2015, the company has been growing rapidly, and as of today, more than one million merchants utilize its technologies for cross-border, value-added tax, and supplier payments. The company's TPV had reached more than USD 90 billion by the end of September 2022. PingPong is strengthening its coverage in Southeast Asia at a time when buying and selling habits in the region have changed profoundly following the unprecedented challenges of the global pandemic. In 2022, Southeast Asia's digital economy is expected to grow by 20%, approaching $200 Billion GMV. PingPong is well-positioned to capture the growth of cross-border e-commerce in Southeast Asia with its extensive experience in working with both upstream and downstream participants in the e-commerce payment ecosystem and providing high-quality cross-border financial services for enterprises of all sizes in the region. Cyrus Tong, Regional Chief Compliance Officer, said, "At PingPong, we have helped hundreds of thousands of customers expand their business globally. Our on-boarded and supported platforms include globally important e-commerce enablers such as Amazon and Shopify." "We understand the anxiety of our customers when they venture into new markets, especially a region as diverse as Southeast Asia, which consists of 11 countries, 7 major languages and multiple local currencies. But it is also one of the most exciting markets for e-commerce right now because the majority of the population is young and digital-savvy. Our team provides a comprehensive suite of solutions that allow global payments at a lower cost and higher speed, and most importantly, helps our customers navigate cross-border compliance and regulatory complexity, which are some of the key concerns they have when establishing their e-commerce businesses beyond the borders." At Singapore Fintech Festival 2022, which is themed "Building Resilient Business Models amid Volatility and Change", PingPong presents its one-stop payment services designed for small-to-medium businesses. It supports onshore/offshore payments in 16 major currencies and allows merchants and suppliers to manage international transactions and track the payments in real time. Another highlight is a one-stop treasury and payment solution. An ecosystem that supports 266 local payment methods in more than 50 currencies, this solution connects hundreds of thousands of merchants and trillion-dollar GMV e-commerce and digital economy platforms. It enables platforms and financial institutions to tap into the enormous potential of a rapidly growing e-commerce industry. Business opportunities in over 200 countries with a 5 billion reach could be unlocked at the click of a button. About PingPong Founded in 2015, PingPong is a leading technology company built on the global vision that empowers cross-border digital commerce to grow. We are one of the largest payment and digital trade solution providers serving more than 1 million global customers. Our one-stop, compliant and comprehensive suite of products includes e-commerce payment, B2B trade payment, acquiring service, card issuing, FX management, supply chain finance, VAT tax services, enterprise solutions, business intelligence software and more. Today, PingPong has accommodated business flows from over 200 countries/regions. Our tested and proven global infrastructure has processed over $90 billion in transaction volume and connects over 100 international e-commerce marketplaces and ecosystem partners, as well as over 100 international financial institutions. PingPong has established more than 20 global offices and holds relevant payment, forex, financing and internet operation licenses and permits in the world's largest economies including the U.S., Europe, Greater China, Japan and India. https://www.pingpongx.com/ SOURCE PingPong SEATTLE, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- PitchBook, the premier data provider for the private and public equity markets, today released All In: Women in the VC Ecosystem, its fourth annual report examining US venture capital (VC) investment in female-founded startups and the role female investors play in their success. The report, published with support from Beyond The Billion, J.P. Morgan, Pivotal Ventures and Apex Group, found female founders have weathered ongoing market volatility to post the second-highest deal value figures on record. In fact, across most metrics year-to-date, female-founded companies proved the strength of their startups, dispelling fears that this market downturn would disproportionately impact female founders like the COVID-19 pandemic did in 2020 (2021 All In report). In this difficult market, female founders had lower median burn rates, greater valuation growth at the early stage and lower valuation declines at the late stage compared to all-male founded companies year-over-year. Angel investment and unicorn deal value among female-founded companies have both reached their second-highest annual levels. And, although exit activity fell sharply along with the rest of the VC ecosystem in 2022, female-founded companies continue to outperform the broader market when it comes to the median time it takes to exit. Despite these wins, female-founded companies still represent only 25.5 percent of total VC deal count within the broader ecosystem a slight dip from 26.4 percent in 2021. In a recent survey of VC investors attending the 2022 Web Summit, 32 percent of respondents said they had not made any investments in female-led startups in the past year and 27 percent said increasing representation of women and minorities in their firm or portfolio was not an area of focus at this time. Check-writing authority remains largely male dominated and can have significant impacts on the capital-raising process for female founders. In fact, just 4.5 percent of firms have a majority female decision-maker population, which means that most institutional investors are operating in male-dominated environments. Given female checkwriters are more likely to invest in female founders, any progress in representation at the institutional level could lead to a long-term ripple effect on the headline numbers for years to come. To download the full report, please click here. "Female founders are consistently showing up as high-performing startups, but they remain at a disadvantage when forced to pitch to predominately male checkwriters," said Annemarie Donegan, analyst at PitchBook. "Check writers are a driving force for diversity in the VC ecosystem and the lack of female representation in firms has a ripple effect on the founders they invest in as well as the LPs that trust them to generate returns. Promoting and recruiting female check writers can open doors for more female founders and diversify portfolios. There is still much progress to be made within VC firms along with the startups that receive their funding." Following the methodology of the first three All In reports, PitchBook analyzed investment activity in US-based startups with at least one female founder. The report also includes a spotlight on female angel investors and GPs and breaks down funding activity within specific US regions and sectors, including tech, healthcare, and fintech. Key Takeaways Uncovered by PitchBook's 2022 All In: Women in the VC Ecosystem Report: Female-founded companies represent 25.5 percent of total VC deal count in the US year-to-date, down slightly from 26.4 percent in 2021, while their proportion of total deal value remains flat at 17.2 percent. While a plateau is not cause for celebration, it is a positive signal that market headwinds are not disproportionately affecting female founders like the pandemic did in 2020, when their proportion of total deal value dropped to 14.5 percent. Year-to-date, $32.4 billion has been invested in female-founded companies, meaning 2022 is already the second-highest year in terms of deal value after 2021's outsized year. has been invested in female-founded companies, meaning 2022 is already the second-highest year in terms of deal value after 2021's outsized year. Investment to all-female-founded companies reached $3.6 billion year-to-date, matching the total deal value raised by companies with at least one female founder back in 2011, but still falling far short of the staggering $154.9 billion for all-male-founded companies this year. year-to-date, matching the total deal value raised by companies with at least one female founder back in 2011, but still falling far short of the staggering for all-male-founded companies this year. Median valuations of female-founded companies at the early and late stage have fared better than the broader VC market in 2022, with female founded early-stage companies growing by 39.2 percent compared to the broader market's 33.3 percent increase. Late-stage VC valuations experienced minor declines amid market headwinds, but female-founded companies only fell by 2.9 percent compared to all US VC companies, which saw a 5 percent decline. Female decision-makers represent 16.1 percent of the national total in 2022. Furthermore, 95.5 percent of US VC firms have a majority male population of decision-makers. Studies and anecdotes suggest that female founders tend to seek out female investors and the chances of successfully securing financing can rise with a female investor in the room. The number of active female angel investors reached a record 935 in 2021. So far in 2022, 507 female angel investors have made at least one deal, demonstrating some deceleration. Female angel investment into female-founded companies, however, has already reached its second-highest year for deal value, representing a record 36.9 percent of deals with angel participation. Female-founded unicorns reached their second-highest annual level in terms of deal value, with $6.1 billion closed across 45 deals. Two female-founded unicorns, Deel and Talkdesk, achieved "decacorn" status a post-money valuation of $10 billion or more. closed across 45 deals. Two female-founded unicorns, Deel and Talkdesk, achieved "decacorn" status a post-money valuation of or more. US VC exit activity for female-founded companies has reached $10.9 billion across 172 exits year-to-date, which is significantly lower than $73.3 billion closed in 2021 and $31.4 billion in 2020. The proportion of total exit value for female-founded companies jumped from 9.5 percent in 2021 to 18.2 percent in 2022, driven largely by a smaller population of companies exiting. across 172 exits year-to-date, which is significantly lower than closed in 2021 and in 2020. The proportion of total exit value for female-founded companies jumped from 9.5 percent in 2021 to 18.2 percent in 2022, driven largely by a smaller population of companies exiting. This year is on pace to be the twelfth straight year that female-founded companies exited faster than the broader market, with the median time to exit of female-founded startups hovering at 7.2 years compared to all startups at 8.1 years. The full report includes the following components: Executive summary Overview Beyond The Billion feature Representation at the GP level Spotlight on angel investor Michelle Wie West Sector highlights Geographical breakdown Q&A with J.P. Morgan Female angel investors Female-founded unicorns Q&A with Apex Group Exit activity Pivotal Venture feature Key takeaways and methodology To download the full report, click here. About PitchBook PitchBook is a financial data and software company that provides transparency into the capital markets to help professionals discover and execute opportunities with confidence and efficiency. PitchBook collects and analyzes detailed data on the entire venture capital, private equity and M&A landscapeincluding public and private companies, investors, funds, investments, exits and people. The company's data and analysis are available through the PitchBook Platform, industry news, and in-depth reports. Founded in 2007, PitchBook has offices in Seattle, San Francisco, New York, London, and Hong Kong and serves nearly 100,000 professionals around the world. In 2016, Morningstar acquired PitchBook, which now operates as a subsidiary. About Beyond The Billion Beyond The Billion is the world's first and largest consortium of venture funds pledged to invest over $1 billion into women-founded companies. Beyond the Billion's (BTB) first pledge campaign was launched as The Billion Dollar Fund for Women in October 2018 with an audacious goal of catalyzing $1 billion into the hands of women founders globally, addressing the gender venture investment gap where women were receiving only 2.2% of all venture capital funding. In under 2 years, $638 million of the first billion pledged was deployed into close to 800 women-founded companies, of which 11 have been recognized as unicorns. To continue to build on this momentum, the founders, Shelly Porges and Sarah Chen launched Beyond The Billion, to catalyze capital deployed to and with these venture funds, ensuring their continued capacity to invest by bridging LPs and GPs, building a community of institutional investors, sovereign funds, IFIs, DFIs, family offices, wealth managers and high net worth individuals; driving the agenda collectively. Quote Sheet Shelly Porges, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Beyond The Billion "In 2022, the key question we must ask ourselves is "Are women getting the 'leftovers' from VCs who feel little pressure to change how they do business?" Despite the fact that the world is looking for breakthrough solutions to some of our most intractable problems and women are innovating and delivering on these, our inability to transform a broken VC ecosystem prevents us from benefiting from these solutions and realizing the financial rewards of doing so. This year's Pitchbook Report on which we are proud to partner, continues to demonstrate that women and gender-diverse teams outperform others in terms of earlier exits and higher valuations, even in a down-market. What does it take for investors to act on this data to ensure they not only have female founders in their deal flow but also founders being approved by their investment committees? We look forward to continuing this conversation with our partners and sharing the strategies of these investors who have made these changes and have benefitted from the outperformance women deliver." Sarah Chen-Spellings, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Beyond The Billion "Again and again, we see how female founders and gender diverse teams continue to outperform: with quicker exits, greater valuation growth and lower valuation declines at the late stages; and yet they remain underinvested. Against the backdrop of a tough fundraising climate, markdowns of previous vintages, and yet a lot more dry powder in the hands of VCs that were able to raise, it is now more important than ever to remain steadfast on the goal of bridging this gender venture investment gap with serious intentionality. It's easy to "slide back" into bad habits of pattern-matching, where the perceived patterns of success still do not include women and people of color, despite the clear data as affirmed in this report. LPs and GPs have a role to play, and it is time to vote with the power of the check." Pamela Aldsworth, Head of Venture Capital Coverage at J.P. Morgan Commercial Banking "While it's encouraging to see some signs of rising female influence in the venture ecosystem, we have to keep at it to sustain this momentum and drive meaningful change. In the near term, this means staying intentional so we don't backslide in a softer market environment. Longer term, with everyone playing their role, we will make progress. For those of us who are part of this ecosystem, let's play our part to bring others in. If you can mentor - good. If you can give access to your network - do that. Everyone got their start somewhere, and everyone could benefit from a strong advocate on their side." Erin Harkless Moore, Director of Investments at Pivotal Ventures "The 17 percent of venture funding that goes to female-founded companies tells us a lot about both the challenge and the opportunity in front of the industry. On the one hand, it reflects the fact that when it comes to VC support for women-led startups, the trendlines are moving in the right direction. On the other, 17 percent is nowhere near parity, a reminder that progress isn't happening fast enough. Pivotal Ventures supports diverse founders and fund managers because we want to demonstrate that investing in entrepreneurs who bring a different perspective can generate significant returns. To tap into the opportunities it's been missing, the investment industry is going to need to challenge itself to think in new ways and find a new approach to evaluating opportunities that leaves yesterday's biases behind. We are excited to help make the case that putting more funding behind women and their ideas ultimately benefits everyone." Rosie Guest, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Apex Group "With new regulation and a renewed spotlight on EED&I, firms are picking up the pace of change, however, the numbers, as well as the experiences shared in this report show that progress is still too slow, and that there is still much to be done. While regulatory change has opened the discussion on female representation, it must be accompanied by a shift in attitudes away from filling quotas towards solid recognition of the value that women bring to the table. With 10,000 employees worldwide servicing $3 trillion of client assets, we have a responsibility to disrupt the inequity of opportunity and progression in the financial services industry. We are optimistic for the coming year, as market dislocation will create entrepreneurial opportunities for female founders and investors, but we must not allow EED&I to become a tick box in the list of priorities for business leaders." SOURCE PitchBook NEW YORK, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Plastics Injection Molding Market Research Report by Raw Material, Application, Region - Global Forecast to 2027 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19 Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06340699/?utm_source=PRN The Global Plastics Injection Molding Market size was estimated at USD 89.32 billion in 2021 and expected to reach USD 93.85 billion in 2022, and is projected to grow at a CAGR 5.32% to reach USD 121.95 billion by 2027. Market Statistics: The report provides market sizing and forecast across 7 major currencies - USD, EUR, JPY, GBP, AUD, CAD, and CHF. It helps organization leaders make better decisions when currency exchange data is readily available. In this report, the years 2018 and 2020 are considered as historical years, 2021 as the base year, 2022 as the estimated year, and years from 2023 to 2027 are considered as the forecast period. Market Segmentation & Coverage: This research report categorizes the Plastics Injection Molding to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets: Based on Raw Material, the market was studied across Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), Polyamide, Polycarbonate, Polyethylene, Polypropylene, Polystyrene, and Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC). Based on Application, the market was studied across Automotive & Transportation, Building & Construction, Consumer Goods, Electronics, Healthcare, and Packaging. Based on Region, the market was studied across Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The Americas is further studied across Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and United States. The United States is further studied across California, Florida, Illinois, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas. The Asia-Pacific is further studied across Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. The Europe, Middle East & Africa is further studied across Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and United Kingdom. Cumulative Impact of COVID-19: COVID-19 is an incomparable global public health emergency that has affected almost every industry, and the long-term effects are projected to impact the industry growth during the forecast period. Our ongoing research amplifies our research framework to ensure the inclusion of underlying COVID-19 issues and potential paths forward. The report delivers insights on COVID-19 considering the changes in consumer behavior and demand, purchasing patterns, re-routing of the supply chain, dynamics of current market forces, and the significant interventions of governments. The updated study provides insights, analysis, estimations, and forecasts, considering the COVID-19 impact on the market. Cumulative Impact of 2022 Russia Ukraine Conflict: We continuously monitor and update reports on political and economic uncertainty due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Negative impacts are significantly foreseen globally, especially across Eastern Europe, European Union, Eastern & Central Asia, and the United States. This contention has severely affected lives and livelihoods and represents far-reaching disruptions in trade dynamics. The potential effects of ongoing war and uncertainty in Eastern Europe are expected to have an adverse impact on the world economy, with especially long-term harsh effects on Russia.This report uncovers the impact of demand & supply, pricing variants, strategic uptake of vendors, and recommendations for Plastics Injection Molding market considering the current update on the conflict and its global response. Competitive Strategic Window: The Competitive Strategic Window analyses the competitive landscape in terms of markets, applications, and geographies to help the vendor define an alignment or fit between their capabilities and opportunities for future growth prospects. It describes the optimal or favorable fit for the vendors to adopt successive merger and acquisition strategies, geography expansion, research & development, and new product introduction strategies to execute further business expansion and growth during a forecast period. FPNV Positioning Matrix: The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Plastics Injection Molding Market based on Business Strategy (Business Growth, Industry Coverage, Financial Viability, and Channel Support) and Product Satisfaction (Value for Money, Ease of Use, Product Features, and Customer Support) that aids businesses in better decision making and understanding the competitive landscape. Market Share Analysis: The Market Share Analysis offers the analysis of vendors considering their contribution to the overall market. It provides the idea of its revenue generation into the overall market compared to other vendors in the space. It provides insights into how vendors are performing in terms of revenue generation and customer base compared to others. Knowing market share offers an idea of the size and competitiveness of the vendors for the base year. It reveals the market characteristics in terms of accumulation, fragmentation, dominance, and amalgamation traits. Competitive Scenario: The Competitive Scenario provides an outlook analysis of the various business growth strategies adopted by the vendors. The news covered in this section deliver valuable thoughts at the different stage while keeping up-to-date with the business and engage stakeholders in the economic debate. The competitive scenario represents press releases or news of the companies categorized into Merger & Acquisition, Agreement, Collaboration, & Partnership, New Product Launch & Enhancement, Investment & Funding, and Award, Recognition, & Expansion. All the news collected help vendor to understand the gaps in the marketplace and competitoras strength and weakness thereby, providing insights to enhance product and service. Company Usability Profiles: The report profoundly explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Plastics Injection Molding Market, including AptarGroup, Inc., ATC Precision Components Pvt. Ltd., BASF SE, Berry Global, Inc., Dow Inc., DuPont de Nemours, Inc., Eastman Chemical Company, ExxonMobil Corporation, Heppner Molds Inc., HTI Plastics, Huntsman Corporation, INEOS Capital Limited, International Automotive Components Group, LACKS ENTERPRISES, INC., Lyondellbasell Industries Holdings B.V., Magna International Inc., Quantum Plastics, Rutland Plastics, Saudi Basic Industries Corporation, and The Rodon Group. The report provides insights on the following pointers: 1. Market Penetration: Provides comprehensive information on the market offered by the key players 2. Market Development: Provides in-depth information about lucrative emerging markets and analyze penetration across mature segments of the markets 3. Market Diversification: Provides detailed information about new product launches, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments 4. Competitive Assessment & Intelligence: Provides an exhaustive assessment of market shares, strategies, products, certification, regulatory approvals, patent landscape, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players 5. Product Development & Innovation: Provides intelligent insights on future technologies, R&D activities, and breakthrough product developments The report answers questions such as: 1. What is the market size and forecast of the Global Plastics Injection Molding Market? 2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Plastics Injection Molding Market during the forecast period? 3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Plastics Injection Molding Market? 4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Plastics Injection Molding Market? 5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Plastics Injection Molding Market? 6. What is the market share of the leading vendors in the Global Plastics Injection Molding Market? 7. What modes and strategic moves are considered suitable for entering the Global Plastics Injection Molding Market? Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06340699/?utm_source=PRN About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Contact Clare: [email protected] US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 SOURCE Reportlinker The definitive publication for graduate business education publishes annual ranking highlighting the value of an MBA for entrepreneurs RALEIGH, N.C., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Poets&Quants, the definitive online publication for business education news, has unveiled its fourth annual ranking of the World's Best MBA Programs for Entrepreneurship. The data reveal that, for the fourth year in a row, the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis is the world's No. 1 business school for entrepreneurship. Poets&Quants' ranking captures a wide range of criteria about U.S. and global business schools, including a school's accelerator space, venture funds available, and core classes dedicated to entrepreneurship. Schools are ranked on 16 data points. This year's list contained 37 schools. Unlike other rankings, Poets&Quants' ranking offers complete transparency on methodology and weighting system, allowing students to evaluate schools for the best fit. "MBA programs serve not only as an educational resource for entrepreneurs," says Nathan Allen, lead editor of the entrepreneurship ranking. "They offer the full incubator experience that includes an experienced network of successful entrepreneurs, start-up funding, and mentorship." Highlights of the ranking: Michigan Ross jumped five places from 7th to 2nd in 2023. Award money from all the ranked schools reached nearly $11M for MBA start-ups in the 2021-2022 academic year. for MBA start-ups in the 2021-2022 academic year. Three schools ( Rice , Carnegie Mellon , and UChicago) had more than $1M in startup award money. The Top 10 MBA programs for entrepreneurship in 2023 are: 1. Washington University in St. Louis (Olin) 2. University of Michigan (Ross) 3. ESADE Business School 4. Babson College 5. London Business School 6. Arizona State University (W. P. Carey) 7. Rice University (Jones) 8. IE Business School 9. University of California-San Diego 10. Harvard Business School Visit here to learn more about the 2023 Entrepreneurship MBA Ranking and its methodology, and to see the full ranking. About Poets&Quants: Poets&Quants is the leading resource for complete coverage of graduate business education. We feature multiple tools and authoritative content, including consolidated B-school rankings, news and in-depth features, videos, podcasts, two searchable directories, and events, empowering our community with information needed to make decisions along their journey from pre- to post-MBA.SOURCE: Poets&Quants This press release was issued through 24-7PressRelease.com. For further information, visit http://www.24-7pressrelease.com. SOURCE Poets&Quants NEW YORK, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Preclinical Medical Device Testing Services Market Research Report by Service, Phase, Region - Global Forecast to 2027 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19 Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06340869/?utm_source=PRN The Global Preclinical Medical Device Testing Services Market size was estimated at USD 5,212.11 million in 2021 and expected to reach USD 5,837.05 million in 2022, and is projected to grow at a CAGR 12.24% to reach USD 10,423.54 million by 2027. Market Statistics: The report provides market sizing and forecast across 7 major currencies - USD, EUR, JPY, GBP, AUD, CAD, and CHF. It helps organization leaders make better decisions when currency exchange data is readily available. In this report, the years 2018 and 2020 are considered as historical years, 2021 as the base year, 2022 as the estimated year, and years from 2023 to 2027 are considered as the forecast period. Market Segmentation & Coverage: This research report categorizes the Preclinical Medical Device Testing Services to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets: Based on Service, the market was studied across Antimicrobial Activity Testing, Bioburden Determination, Biocompatibility Test, Chemistry Test, Microbiology Test & Sterility, Pyrogen & Endotoxin Testing, and Sterility Test and Validation. Based on Phase, the market was studied across Antimicrobial Wound Dressings and Medical Coatings. Based on Region, the market was studied across Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The Americas is further studied across Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and United States. The United States is further studied across California, Florida, Illinois, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas. The Asia-Pacific is further studied across Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. The Europe, Middle East & Africa is further studied across Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and United Kingdom. Cumulative Impact of COVID-19: COVID-19 is an incomparable global public health emergency that has affected almost every industry, and the long-term effects are projected to impact the industry growth during the forecast period. Our ongoing research amplifies our research framework to ensure the inclusion of underlying COVID-19 issues and potential paths forward. The report delivers insights on COVID-19 considering the changes in consumer behavior and demand, purchasing patterns, re-routing of the supply chain, dynamics of current market forces, and the significant interventions of governments. The updated study provides insights, analysis, estimations, and forecasts, considering the COVID-19 impact on the market. Cumulative Impact of 2022 Russia Ukraine Conflict: We continuously monitor and update reports on political and economic uncertainty due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Negative impacts are significantly foreseen globally, especially across Eastern Europe, European Union, Eastern & Central Asia, and the United States. This contention has severely affected lives and livelihoods and represents far-reaching disruptions in trade dynamics. The potential effects of ongoing war and uncertainty in Eastern Europe are expected to have an adverse impact on the world economy, with especially long-term harsh effects on Russia.This report uncovers the impact of demand & supply, pricing variants, strategic uptake of vendors, and recommendations for Preclinical Medical Device Testing Services market considering the current update on the conflict and its global response. Competitive Strategic Window: The Competitive Strategic Window analyses the competitive landscape in terms of markets, applications, and geographies to help the vendor define an alignment or fit between their capabilities and opportunities for future growth prospects. It describes the optimal or favorable fit for the vendors to adopt successive merger and acquisition strategies, geography expansion, research & development, and new product introduction strategies to execute further business expansion and growth during a forecast period. FPNV Positioning Matrix: The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Preclinical Medical Device Testing Services Market based on Business Strategy (Business Growth, Industry Coverage, Financial Viability, and Channel Support) and Product Satisfaction (Value for Money, Ease of Use, Product Features, and Customer Support) that aids businesses in better decision making and understanding the competitive landscape. Market Share Analysis: The Market Share Analysis offers the analysis of vendors considering their contribution to the overall market. It provides the idea of its revenue generation into the overall market compared to other vendors in the space. It provides insights into how vendors are performing in terms of revenue generation and customer base compared to others. Knowing market share offers an idea of the size and competitiveness of the vendors for the base year. It reveals the market characteristics in terms of accumulation, fragmentation, dominance, and amalgamation traits. Competitive Scenario: The Competitive Scenario provides an outlook analysis of the various business growth strategies adopted by the vendors. The news covered in this section deliver valuable thoughts at the different stage while keeping up-to-date with the business and engage stakeholders in the economic debate. The competitive scenario represents press releases or news of the companies categorized into Merger & Acquisition, Agreement, Collaboration, & Partnership, New Product Launch & Enhancement, Investment & Funding, and Award, Recognition, & Expansion. All the news collected help vendor to understand the gaps in the marketplace and competitor's strength and weakness thereby, providing insights to enhance product and service. Company Usability Profiles: The report profoundly explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Preclinical Medical Device Testing Services Market, including Bureau Veritas S.A., Charles River Laboratories, Inc., Eurofins Scientific (Ireland) Limited, Intertek Group PLC, Medistri SA, Nelson Labs NV, North American Science Associates, LLC, Pace Analytical Services LLC, PaxeraHealth LLC, Pharmacology Discovery Services Taiwan, Ltd., SGS SociAtA GAnArale de Surveillance SA, Sipra Labs Limited, Sterigenics International LLC, TAV Rheinland AG, UL LLC, Viroclinics Biosciences, and WuXi AppTec Co., Ltd.. The report provides insights on the following pointers: 1. Market Penetration: Provides comprehensive information on the market offered by the key players 2. Market Development: Provides in-depth information about lucrative emerging markets and analyze penetration across mature segments of the markets 3. Market Diversification: Provides detailed information about new product launches, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments 4. Competitive Assessment & Intelligence: Provides an exhaustive assessment of market shares, strategies, products, certification, regulatory approvals, patent landscape, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players 5. Product Development & Innovation: Provides intelligent insights on future technologies, R&D activities, and breakthrough product developments The report answers questions such as: 1. What is the market size and forecast of the Global Preclinical Medical Device Testing Services Market? 2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Preclinical Medical Device Testing Services Market during the forecast period? 3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Preclinical Medical Device Testing Services Market? 4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Preclinical Medical Device Testing Services Market? 5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Preclinical Medical Device Testing Services Market? 6. What is the market share of the leading vendors in the Global Preclinical Medical Device Testing Services Market? 7. What modes and strategic moves are considered suitable for entering the Global Preclinical Medical Device Testing Services Market? Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06340869/?utm_source=PRN ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. Contact Clare: [email protected] US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 SOURCE Reportlinker NEW YORK, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Produce Packaging Market Research Report by Application, Packaging Type, End User Type, Region - Global Forecast to 2027 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19 Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06340935/?utm_source=PRN The Global Produce Packaging Market size was estimated at USD 189.02 billion in 2021 and expected to reach USD 199.76 billion in 2022, and is projected to grow at a CAGR 5.93% to reach USD 267.17 billion by 2027. Market Statistics: The report provides market sizing and forecast across 7 major currencies - USD, EUR, JPY, GBP, AUD, CAD, and CHF. It helps organization leaders make better decisions when currency exchange data is readily available. In this report, the years 2018 and 2020 are considered as historical years, 2021 as the base year, 2022 as the estimated year, and years from 2023 to 2027 are considered as the forecast period. Market Segmentation & Coverage: This research report categorizes the Produce Packaging to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets: Based on Application, the market was studied across Food Grains, Fruits, and Vegetables. Based on Packaging Type, the market was studied across Bags & Liners, Corrugated Boxes, Molded Pulp Containers, Plastic Containers, Plastic Film, Trays, and Wooden Crates. Based on End User Type, the market was studied across Growers/Shippers, Re-packers, and Retail Stores. Based on Region, the market was studied across Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The Americas is further studied across Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and United States. The United States is further studied across California, Florida, Illinois, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas. The Asia-Pacific is further studied across Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. The Europe, Middle East & Africa is further studied across Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and United Kingdom. Cumulative Impact of COVID-19: COVID-19 is an incomparable global public health emergency that has affected almost every industry, and the long-term effects are projected to impact the industry growth during the forecast period. Our ongoing research amplifies our research framework to ensure the inclusion of underlying COVID-19 issues and potential paths forward. The report delivers insights on COVID-19 considering the changes in consumer behavior and demand, purchasing patterns, re-routing of the supply chain, dynamics of current market forces, and the significant interventions of governments. The updated study provides insights, analysis, estimations, and forecasts, considering the COVID-19 impact on the market. Cumulative Impact of 2022 Russia Ukraine Conflict: We continuously monitor and update reports on political and economic uncertainty due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Negative impacts are significantly foreseen globally, especially across Eastern Europe, European Union, Eastern & Central Asia, and the United States. This contention has severely affected lives and livelihoods and represents far-reaching disruptions in trade dynamics. The potential effects of ongoing war and uncertainty in Eastern Europe are expected to have an adverse impact on the world economy, with especially long-term harsh effects on Russia.This report uncovers the impact of demand & supply, pricing variants, strategic uptake of vendors, and recommendations for Produce Packaging market considering the current update on the conflict and its global response. Competitive Strategic Window: The Competitive Strategic Window analyses the competitive landscape in terms of markets, applications, and geographies to help the vendor define an alignment or fit between their capabilities and opportunities for future growth prospects. It describes the optimal or favorable fit for the vendors to adopt successive merger and acquisition strategies, geography expansion, research & development, and new product introduction strategies to execute further business expansion and growth during a forecast period. FPNV Positioning Matrix: The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Produce Packaging Market based on Business Strategy (Business Growth, Industry Coverage, Financial Viability, and Channel Support) and Product Satisfaction (Value for Money, Ease of Use, Product Features, and Customer Support) that aids businesses in better decision making and understanding the competitive landscape. Market Share Analysis: The Market Share Analysis offers the analysis of vendors considering their contribution to the overall market. It provides the idea of its revenue generation into the overall market compared to other vendors in the space. It provides insights into how vendors are performing in terms of revenue generation and customer base compared to others. Knowing market share offers an idea of the size and competitiveness of the vendors for the base year. It reveals the market characteristics in terms of accumulation, fragmentation, dominance, and amalgamation traits. Competitive Scenario: The Competitive Scenario provides an outlook analysis of the various business growth strategies adopted by the vendors. The news covered in this section deliver valuable thoughts at the different stage while keeping up-to-date with the business and engage stakeholders in the economic debate. The competitive scenario represents press releases or news of the companies categorized into Merger & Acquisition, Agreement, Collaboration, & Partnership, New Product Launch & Enhancement, Investment & Funding, and Award, Recognition, & Expansion. All the news collected help vendor to understand the gaps in the marketplace and competitoras strength and weakness thereby, providing insights to enhance product and service. Company Usability Profiles: The report profoundly explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Produce Packaging Market, including Amcor Limited, Ardagh Group S.A., Ball Corporation, BASF SE, Bemis Company Inc., Berry Global, Inc, Coveris Holding S.A., DS Smith PLC, Georgia-Pacific LLC, International Paper Inc., Mondi Group PLC, Packaging Corporation of America, Pactiv LLC, Reynolds Consumer Products LLC, Sealed Air Corporation, Smurfit Kappa Group PLC, Sonoco Products Company, Stora Enso Oyj, Ultimate Flexipack Limited, and WestRock Company. The report provides insights on the following pointers: 1. Market Penetration: Provides comprehensive information on the market offered by the key players 2. Market Development: Provides in-depth information about lucrative emerging markets and analyze penetration across mature segments of the markets 3. Market Diversification: Provides detailed information about new product launches, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments 4. Competitive Assessment & Intelligence: Provides an exhaustive assessment of market shares, strategies, products, certification, regulatory approvals, patent landscape, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players 5. Product Development & Innovation: Provides intelligent insights on future technologies, R&D activities, and breakthrough product developments The report answers questions such as: 1. What is the market size and forecast of the Global Produce Packaging Market? 2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Produce Packaging Market during the forecast period? 3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Produce Packaging Market? 4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Produce Packaging Market? 5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Produce Packaging Market? 6. What is the market share of the leading vendors in the Global Produce Packaging Market? 7. What modes and strategic moves are considered suitable for entering the Global Produce Packaging Market? Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06340935/?utm_source=PRN About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Contact Clare: [email protected] US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 SOURCE Reportlinker SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- RemeGen Co., Ltd., a leading biopharmaceutical company with fully integrated capabilities in research and discovery, clinical development, manufacturing, and commercialization of biologic drugs, will join the event of American Society of Nephrology (ASN) Kidney Week 2022, hosted from November 3rd. to 6th. Related abstract from Telitacicept (RC18) presented in ASN 2021 and NMOSD abstract will be available from the booth. About Telitacicept RemeGen Co., Ltd. Telitacicept is a novel fusion protein composed of a transmembrane activator and CAML interactor (TACI) and the Fc portion of IgG, which targets and neutralizes B lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS) and a proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL). BLyS (also known as B-cell activating factor, or BAFF) and APRIL are both involved in the development of B cells from pre-B lymphocytes to mature B cells, and ultimately to plasma cells, the professional cells producing antibodies, as well as in the co-stimulation of T-cell proliferation under certain conditions. Telitacicept blocks BLyS and APRIL from binding to BAFF-R, BCMA, and TACI receptors expressed on B-cell surface, suppressing the BLyS and APRIL signaling, and inhibiting the development and survival of mature B cells and plasma cells. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is the principal indication of Telitacicept. Through priority review, Telitacicept was approved by China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) and is included in the National Reimbursement Drug List (NRDL). Telitacicept also received FDA Fast Track Designation as a treatment for SLE with an ongoing global Phase III study. In addition to SLE, the company is actively developing Telitacicept for six other B cell-mediated autoimmune diseases and refractory autoimmune disease with unmet clinical needs in China, including Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disease, rheumatoid arthritis, IgA nephropathy, primary Sjogren's syndrome, relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, and systemic myasthenia gravis. Telitacicept Indicated for IgA Nephropathy This is a Phase II, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of Telitacicept compared with placebo when added to standard therapy in high-risk for progression IgA nephropathy patients. Participants were centrally randomized 1:1:1 to subcutaneous Telitacicept 160mg, 240mg, and placebo group stratified by proteinuria (<3g/day or 3g/day). The primary endpoint will evaluate the change of proteinuria at week 24. The secondary endpoints will assess the changes in estimated GFR from baseline over 24 weeks and levels of IgA from baseline at week 24. The incidence of adverse events will also be documented. In this trial, Telitacicept is expected to reduce proteinuria in patients with IgA nephropathy and reduce the risk of progression to end-stage renal disease. About RemeGen RemeGen, Ltd. ("RemeGen") is a leading biopharmaceutical company in China dedicated to fulfilling unmet medical needs for patients with life-threatening conditions. RemeGen's main focus is research and development, manufacturing and commercialization of novel biologics, most notably monoclonal antibodies (mAb) and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). Headquartered in Yantai, Shandong Province, China, RemeGen has labs/offices in Beijing and California. Since its inception in 2008, RemeGen has created more than 10 novel drug molecules that are in various stages of clinical development. Currently, there are two products in late-stage clinical development to treat autoimmune and oncology indications. For more information about RemeGen, please visit: www.remegen.com Investor Contact Annaly Godwin [email protected] SOURCE RemeGen NOIDA, India, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new report published by UnivDatos Markets Insights, the US Online Accommodation Market was valued at USD 12 billion in 2020 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of around 7% from 2021-2027. The analysis has been segmented into Platform Type (Mobile Application and Website); Mode of Booking Type (Third-Party Online Portals and Direct Portals); and States. Click here to view the Report Description & TOC https://univdatos.com/report/u-s-Online Accommodation-market/ The U.S. online accommodation market is uplifting on account of the rising use of mobile applications and websites, the increasing number of businesses, and introduction of the innovative, user-friendly interface portals by key market players. Moreover, the rising disposable income followed by a large number of international students due to the presence of a large number of ivy league universities in the country is positively stimulating the industry landscape. The existence of a huge tourism industry in the country is further contributing to the market growth. For instance, according to the Travel and Tourism Satellite Account (TTSA), the industry produced USD 1.6 trillion in total economic output in 2018. The travel and tourism industry is one of the United States' largest employers, directly supporting 5.9 million jobs in 2018, of which 1.2 million were supported by travel and tourism-related exports. Travel exports represented 26.0% of total service exports in 2018. However, the market was heavily impacted by the arrival of Covid-19, tourism is one of the sectors most hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, affecting the economies, livelihoods, public services, and opportunities of all states. Request for Sample Pages https://univdatos.com/get-a-free-sample-form-php/?product_id=24232 Market Overview The U.S. Online Accommodation Market is expected to witness a CAGR of around 7% during the forecast period. Online Accommodation care is a type of care for severe patients during their last phase of life. It focuses on the personal satisfaction of their guardians or individuals who deal with life-limiting diseases. Online Accommodation care can be offered in two types of settings at home or in a facility such as a nursing home, hospital, or even a separate Online Accommodation center. In addition, the growth factors for this segment are the rising geriatric population, increasing cancer in developed countries, cardiovascular diseases, chronic diseases, etc. will drive the growth of this market. Some of the major players operating in the market include Booking Holdings Inc., Hotels.com LP, Priceline.com LLC, Orbitz LLC, Tripadvisor Inc., Airbnb Inc., Hays Travel Limited, Marriott International Inc., First Choice Holidays PLC, Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. COVID-19 Impact The recent COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the world and has brought a state of shock to the global economy. The global pandemic has impacted the tourism and hospitality industry. The market was heavily impacted by the arrival of COVID-19, tourism is one of the sectors most hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, affecting the economies, livelihoods, public services, and opportunities of all states. The U.S. online accommodation market report is studied thoroughly with several aspects that would help stakeholders in making their decisions more curated. On the basis of platform type, the market is bifurcated into mobile application and website. Among these two, the website segment accounted for a significant share of the U.S. online accommodation market in 2020 and is expected to grow at a robust growth rate during the forecast period owing to the wide availability of user-friendly online booking portals. Moreover, the mobile and internet penetration rate is further contributing to the growth of this segment. According to the World Bank, in 2020, 91% of the total U.S. population was using the internet. Based on the mode of booking type, the market is classified into third-party online portals and direct portals. The third-party online portals segment held a commendable share of the U.S. online accommodation market in 2020 and is anticipated to witness a robust CAGR during the forecast period. The growth of this segment can be attributed to the benefits associated with third-party online portals such as exposure & visibility, capturing additional inventory, opaque rates, and others. Moreover, the presence of a vast number of third-party accommodations booking sites on different search engines. Have a Look at the Chapters- https://univdatos.com/report/u-s-online-accommodation-market/ Online Accommodation Market Geographical Segmentation Includes: California Texas Florida New York Pennsylvania Others California held a prominent share of the U.S. online accommodation market in the past and is expected to grow at a significant growth rate during the forecast period due to the presence of huge tourism industry in the state. California is home to some of the most popular tourist destinations. Millions of people from all over the world come to see some of the most famous tourist places such as Disneyland, the Golden Gate Bridge, Yosemite National Park, and more. However, the market has been hit hard by COVID-19, but it is expected to regain its growth because the world is recovering rapidly from the pandemic. The major players targeting the market include Booking Holdings Inc. Hotels.com LP Priceline.com LLC Orbitz LLC Tripadvisor Inc. Airbnb Inc. Hays Travel Limited Marriott International Inc. First Choice Holidays PLC Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc Competitive Landscape The degree of competition among prominent US companies has been elaborated by analyzing several leading key players operating worldwide. The specialist team of research analysts sheds light on various traits such as US market competition, market share, most recent industry advancements, innovative product launches, partnerships, mergers, or acquisitions by leading companies in the US Online Accommodation Market. The major players have been analyzed by using research methodologies for getting insight views on US competition. Key questions resolved through this analytical market research report include: What are the latest trends, new patterns, and technological advancements in the U.S. online accommodation market? Which factors are influencing the U.S. online accommodation market over the forecast period? What are the challenges, threats, and risks in the U.S. online accommodation market? Which factors are propelling and restraining the U.S. online accommodation market? What are the demanding states of the U.S. online accommodation market? What will be the U.S. market size in the upcoming years? What are the crucial market acquisition strategies and policies applied by companies? We understand the requirement of different businesses, regions, and countries, we offer customized reports as per your requirements of business nature and geography. Please let us know If you have any custom needs. About UnivDatos Market Insights (UMI) Browse Other Related Research Reports from UnivDatos Market Insights US Online Accommodation Market Report Coverage Report Attribute Details Base year 2020 Forecast period 2021-2027 Growth momentum Accelerate at a CAGR of 7% Market size 2020 USD 12 billion Major contributing States California to Dominate the US Online Accommodation Market Key States covered California, Texas, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, and others Companies profiled Booking Holdings Inc., Hotels.com LP, Priceline.com LLC, Orbitz LLC, Tripadvisor Inc., Airbnb Inc., Hays Travel Limited, Marriott International Inc., First Choice Holidays PLC, Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. Report Scope Market Trends, Drivers, and Restraints; Revenue Estimation and Forecast; Segmentation Analysis; Impact of COVID-19; Demand and Supply Side Analysis; Competitive Landscape; Company Profiling Segments Covered By Platform Type; By Mode of Booking; By States About UnivDatos Market Insights (UMI) UnivDatos Market Insights (UMI) is a passionate market research firm and a subsidiary of Universal Data Solutions. We believe in delivering insights through Market Intelligence Reports, Customized Business Research, and Primary Research. Our research studies are spread across topics across the world, we cover markets in over 100 countries using smart research techniques and agile methodologies. We offer in-depth studies, detailed analysis, and customized reports that help shape winning business strategies for our clients. Contact UnivDatos Market Insights Ankita Gupta Director Operations Ph: +91-783860491 Email: [email protected] Website: https://univdatos.com/ Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1225049/UnivDatos_Logo.jpg SOURCE UnivDatos Market Insights Pvt. Ltd. Leader in Award-Winning Cheese Innovations Unveils Unexpected Chocolate Creation FAIRFIELD, N.J., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- From the fourth-generation, world-class cheesemakers at Schuman Cheese comes Delve, a refreshingly delectable innovation. These one-of-a-kind Mascarpone bites are breathing new life into the truffle category with an unexpected, creamy spin, and bringing the (holiday) party to a fresh, new grocery aisle. Delve Mascarpone truffles are a refrigerated confection, crafted with award-winning, Italian-style, creamy Mascarpone cheese and wrapped in 100% pure, sustainably sourced chocolate. This decadent duo is made even more rich and refreshing with the infusion of caramel, espresso, and fruit accents across four unique varietals: Sea-Salted Caramel Creme 8-Count Box: Sea-salted caramel, dark chocolate and award-winning mascarpone unite for the ultimate balance of salty and sweet. The result is a decadent and dynamic experience for the taste buds. (MSRP: $7.99 ) Sea-salted caramel, dark chocolate and award-winning mascarpone unite for the ultimate balance of salty and sweet. The result is a decadent and dynamic experience for the taste buds. (MSRP: ) Raspberry 8-Count Box: Sweet, tart raspberry meets the creaminess of mascarpone. They get married in a tiny milk chocolate chapel. They're perfect together. (MSRP: $7.99 ) Sweet, tart raspberry meets the creaminess of mascarpone. They get married in a tiny milk chocolate chapel. They're perfect together. (MSRP: ) Lemon 8-Count Box: A bright, delightful combination with a taste that steals the show. The refreshing burst of lemon flavor is matched perfectly with smooth mascarpone and a white chocolate shell. (MSRP: $7.99 ) A bright, delightful combination with a taste that steals the show. The refreshing burst of lemon flavor is matched perfectly with smooth mascarpone and a white chocolate shell. (MSRP: ) Chocolate Ganache 8-Count Box: Chocolate lovers rejoice! A classic, rich chocolate is mixed with creamy mascarpone and wrapped in a milk chocolate shell. (MSRP: $7.99 ) Chocolate lovers rejoice! A classic, rich chocolate is mixed with creamy mascarpone and wrapped in a milk chocolate shell. (MSRP: ) 36-Count Variety Pack: To share or not to share? An unexpectedly difficult choice to make with this trio of flavors. Sea-Salted Caramel Creme and Chocolate Ganache are kept in excellent company by an exclusive Tiramisu varietal. (MSRP: $15.99 ) "At Schuman Cheese, we take immense pride in the craftsmanship of cheesemaking and have withheld a generations-long dedication to innovating across this category with only the highest quality ingredients," said Allison Schuman, Chief Business Development Officer at Schuman Cheese. "Delve is the epitome of those efforts, bringing truffles off the shelf and to fresh, new heights with the richness of our award-winning Mascarpone cheese, for an experience unlike any other. Think of us as your very own chocolatiers, conveniently available in the refrigerated section!" Delve arrives right on time for the holiday season. Whether snacking, entertaining or gifting, this unexpected indulgence is certain to elevate every occasion. All 8-count varieties will be available via Amazon Fresh and across a number of in-store retail partners, including Sprout's Farmers Market, Kroger, Publix, Wakefern and more. The 36-count pack can be found at Costco. For more information on Delve, please visit www.eatdelve.com. About Schuman Cheese Founded in New York in 1945, Schuman Cheese has grown into a highly lauded leader in the cheese industry worldwide. The family has set the standard for integrity, excellence, and loyalty for four generations, exemplified by their premium cheeses and lasting partnerships. Today, decades since their first import, Schuman's team of skilled cheesemakers craft their world-class cheeses in Wisconsin, adding to their robust import business. At Schuman Cheese, they take pride in the products offered and remain committed to the mission and values established by Arthur Schuman. Discover their distinctive cheeses and latest innovations Schuman Cheese delights in sharing at SchumanCheese.com For more information about Schuman Cheese, please visit https://www.schumancheese.com/our-cheeses. SOURCE Schuman Cheese The carbon neutral shipping carrier deepens their environmental commitment, addressing greenhouse gas emissions across their operations SEATTLE, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sendle , the Certified B Corp shipping solution that offers 100% carbon-neutral shipping for small businesses, announces that they are officially Climate Neutral Certified ! The non-profit organization helps brands measure their carbon footprint and implement strategies that will reduce their footprint down to zero. This is achieved by measuring greenhouse gas emissions, purchasing eligible verified carbon credits to offset that footprint, and implementing plans to reduce emissions next year and beyond. Climate Neutral Certified is the leading consumer label for climate neutrality. It is carried by brands that have chosen to be accountable for the greenhouse gas emissions generated in the production, operations, and shipping of their goods and services. To meet the organization's rigorous certification process, Sendle measured its carbon footprint for 2021 and developed strategies to reduce it. Sendle believes that shipping can make a positive impact in the world and it accounts for the CO2e released for every parcel sent through their service. Sendle reduces the environmental impact of its shipping operations by tapping existing shipping providers and filling their vehicles to improve the utilization of the whole network. To date, Sendle has offset 25 billion miles of package delivery. When investing in carbon offsetting, the company seeks projects through fellow B Corp, South Pole , that help regenerate ecosystems, protect habitats, and support indigenous communities. "Currently, the transportation and logistics industry is responsible for 17% of greenhouse gas emissions globally," says Veena Harbaugh, Director of Sustainability at Sendle. "Reducing the harm of shipping on the planet has always been a top priority for us, so we have been committed to making our shipping network 100% carbon neutral from day one. We are now extending that commitment to carbon neutrality to everything we do, and achieving this certification is another step in our journey to becoming net zero by 2030 and continuing to work towards a more sustainable industry overall." "Climate Neutral Certified companies show the world that immediate action on climate change is possible and essential," says Austin Whitman, CEO of Climate Neutral. "Sendle is leading the way by recognizing that climate change must be solved and they have dedicated their mission to this cause by engaging their customers and addressing their carbon emissions." Climate Neutral's certification builds on internationally recognized standards for carbon measurement and neutrality. All certified brands must measure cradle-to-customer greenhouse gas emissions each year to maintain certification. Then a brand must buy eligible verified carbon credits to compensate for all of their emissions, directing investment into critical projects that remove and avoid emissions from energy, industry, and natural systems. Finally, brands must commit to reduction action plans to cut future emissions within a 12-24 month timeline, reporting progress on those plans annually. All of the brand's certification data is publicly available on Climate Neutral's website, and the process is repeated annually when companies must recertify. Sendle joins the increasing ranks of companies treating carbon emissions like their business. Together, Climate Neutral Certified brands are making an impact on climate action right now, working to eliminate more than 1,000,000 tonnes of carbon emissions this year. Learn more about Sendle at sendle.com and Climate Neutral and the other certified brands at climateneutral.org. About Sendle Sendle is the first carrier in the United States specifically designed to serve the needs of small businesses in the eCommerce space. Sendle levels the playing field for small businesses by offering affordable, flat-rate shipping across the U.S., with no hidden fees, subscriptions, or warehousing required. Merchants simply purchase a label and schedule a pickup from Sendle, and their package can be dropped off or picked up from their front door. Sendle is the first 100% carbon neutral shipping carrier in the U.S. and is a Certified B Corporation. The company was founded in Australia in 2014 by CEO James Chin Moody, and is headquartered in Sydney, Australia, Seattle, Washington, and Toronto, Canada. ABOUT CLIMATE NEUTRAL Climate Neutral is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization working with brands and consumers to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions. Our label, Climate Neutral Certified, is a trusted, independent standard for climate neutrality. It is earned by brands who measure, offset, and reduce the emissions from making and delivering products and services to customers. Our goal is to motivate consumers to get more brands to take immediate and measurable action against the climate crisis. To learn more, visit climateneutral.org. SOURCE Sendle Experienced Specialty Manufacturing Investor Exits Another Successful Investment NEW YORK, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sentinel Capital Partners, a private equity firm that invests in promising midmarket companies, announced the sale of portfolio company Nekoosa, a leading manufacturer of specialty paper and film products used in the graphics and commercial print markets. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Headquartered in Nekoosa, Wisconsin, Nekoosa produces a comprehensive suite of specialty engineered materials in four key product areas: application and pressure sensitive tapes used to protect and transfer graphics onto surfaces such as store window and commercial vehicles; synthetic papers that offer a digitally printable tear-and-water-proof alternative to lamination; sheeted digital and offset grade carbonless paper; and extruded film products used in wall panel, credit card, and lighting applications. Through a network of more than 1,000 global distributor partners, Nekoosa serves a highly diverse base of more than 70,000 commercial print and graphics shops in 65 countries. "Nekoosa has an outstanding management team and culture that puts its customers and employees first," said Sentinel Partner Scott Perry. "Nekoosa is the leading brand in the application tapes and carbonless paper categories. We were very fortunate to partner with Paul Charapata, Bob Beckwith, and the rest of the Nekoosa team, and we wish them continued success." "I am extremely proud of what Nekoosa has achieved during our partnership with Sentinel," says Paul Charapata, Nekoosa's CEO. "We successfully navigated the pandemic, integrated accretive add-ons, expanded the product portfolio, and positioned the brand for continued growth. Sentinel was a tremendous partner." Sentinel has made a number of investments in specialty manufacturing businesses like Nekoosa. Other such investments include Chase Doors (manufacturer of high-quality, made-to-order specialty door systems), ECM Industries (manufacturer and supplier of electrical products), Holley (designer, manufacturer, and marketer of specialty automotive aftermarket performance products), and Spinrite (manufacturer and marketer of craft yarn products). Over the past 12 months, Sentinel has acquired RefrigiWear (manufacturer of protective industrial workwear) and The Recreational Group (manufacturer and distributor of premium synthetic turf products for landscape, sports, commercial, and specialty applications). About Sentinel Capital Partners Sentinel specializes in buying and building midmarket businesses in the United States and Canada in partnership with management. Sentinel targets aerospace and defense, business services, consumer, distribution, food and restaurants, franchising, healthcare, and industrial businesses. Sentinel invests in management buyouts, recapitalizations, corporate divestitures, going-private transactions, and structured equity investments of established businesses with EBITDA of up to $80 million. Sentinel also invests in special situations, including balance sheet restructurings, operational turnarounds, and minority junior capital solutions. For more information about Sentinel, visit www.sentinelpartners.com. About Nekoosa Nekoosa is a leading provider of specialty engineered papers and films for the graphics and commercial print markets. Nekoosa's expertise spans coating, converting, and custom plastic extrusion capabilities, with a product offering that includes application tapes, specialty synthetic papers, carbonless papers, and capping films. For more information, please visit http://www.nekoosa.com/. Contact: Roland Tomforde Broadgate Consultants 212-232-2222 SOURCE Sentinel Capital Partners RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Enjaz Payment Services Company (Enjaz), a leading Fintech company licensed by the Saudi Central Bank announced a partnership with Thunes, a global leader in cross-border payments. This agreement will help our customers in Saudi Arabia to make instant international transfers globally to bank accounts and digital wallets using Thunes payment network. The signing ceremony took place at the Seamless Conference held in Riyadh. Enjaz is a leader in remittance technology, having developed a scalable self-service and digital infrastructure to complement its wide-reaching physical network, which addresses an evolving market and creates a fast, convenient, and cost-efficient remittance experience. Through its established partnerships with correspondent banks and MTOs, it allows customers to send money instantly to more than 200 countries. Enjaz offers its customers the best customer experience through a variety of channels. Customers can perform their transactions through more than 150 Enjaz Centres operating in more than 60 cities, 200 self-service kiosks and 200 Point of Sales. Enjaz also offers a full digital journey for its customers through the Enjaz App with end-to-end digital onboarding and creation of Wallet. In addition, Enjaz offers Payment Card, utility bill payments and all of its channels supported by 8 languages and 24/7 Contact Center. This partnership follows Thunes' announcement to expand its capabilities, intensifying local partnerships with MTOs such as e-wallets service providers and banks in KSA." Expressing delight on the new partnership, Khalid Al Zain, Enjaz CEO said, "We are excited to see this collaboration go live, allowing customers to send money to any part of the world instantly and efficiently. In pursuit of our shared goal to provide a frictionless experience when moving money globally, we are committed to our customers in delivering the most innovative technology-led financial solutions." "I am excited to kick off the partnership with Enjaz and support their innovative payment offering and product vision. By connecting Thunes' robust and extensive global payment network with Enjaz's digital capabilities, we are able to create a strong synergy that benefits the communities, connects people to their families, and provide a much-needed service to citizens and residents of Saudi Arabia," said Simon Nelson, SVP for MENA at Thunes. SOURCE Thunes Over 1,100 Strategies Now Available Across SMArtX's Managed Accounts Platform WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- SMArtX Advisory Solutions ("SMArtX"), a leading innovator in unified managed accounts (UMA) technology and architect of the SMArtX turnkey asset management platform ('TAMP'), announced 12 strategies have joined the SMArtX platform from six leading asset management firms. The additions bring the total number of strategies to over 1,103 as the platform marks a 19% increase in the number of available strategies over the last 12 months. Five of the firms are new to the platform - Distillate Capital, Earnest Partners, First Eagle Separate Account Management, Leeward Investments, New York Life Investments and added eight strategies in total, while Congress Asset Management Company increased their presence by 50% with another four strategies. The ongoing demand comes as the SMArtX platform continues to grow in assets and expand its custodial relationships. Furthermore, the volatile markets have advisors harvesting losses after several years of positive market returns. This provides the opportunity to allocate to new strategies without incurring a larger tax bill. "As advisors look for easier ways to tax harvest accounts, rebalance holdings, and allocate to new strategies better suited to today's market environment, the use of platforms like SMArtX swells," said Evan Rapoport, Founder and CEO of SMArtX Advisory Solutions. "Increased use is one of the core reasons we continue to see these leading asset management firms come onto the SMArtX UMA platform and benefit from its scaled distribution archetype." The full list of new strategies includes: Congress Asset Management Company Mid Cap Growth Dynamic Tax Large Cap Growth Dynamic Tax Mid Cap Custom Tax Large Cap Custom Tax Distillate Capital U.S. Fundamental Stability & Value U.S. Small/Mid Cap Quality & Value Earnest Partners SMID Cap Core Small Cap Core First Eagle Separate Account Management Overseas ADR U.S. SMID Cap Opportunity Leeward Investments Mid Cap Value New York Life Investments Epoch Global Equity Yield SMArtX's continued growth is driven by two main applications of its technology: the off-the-shelf TAMP offering, which is built using SMArtX Advisory Solutions' proprietary UMA technology, and the ability to further deploy that tailored UMA technology through APIs to meet the mandates of large enterprises, RIA platforms, and hybrid broker-dealers. "Downward market pressures have caused rifts in the typical asset allocation model," said Jonathan Pincus, President and COO of SMArtX. "The wider breadth of strategies, ease of allocation, and tools to effectively manage portfolios intra-day provide SMArtX clients with more than just a technology vendor we are a partner helping to expand businesses across the advisory industry during these uncertain times." About SMArtX Advisory Solutions SMArtX Advisory Solutions is an award-winning managed accounts technology provider and manages SMArtX, a turnkey asset management platform ('TAMP'). SMArtX's API-first, cloud-native technology operates within a modular, micro-services architecture, providing clients a tailored solution catered to their unique specifications. SMArtX is available as an off-the-shelf TAMP for advisors seeking wider selection of investment product and ease of use, while automating the investment processes and simplifying the everyday tasks of managing client accounts. SMArtX also licenses its proprietary technology to enterprise firms looking to create, customize, or upgrade their existing managed accounts technology as a standalone or fully integrated solution. SMArtX is the managed account technology and TAMP platform of choice for multiple RIAs, broker-dealers, and asset managers. Learn more at www.smartxadvisory.com SOURCE SMArtX Advisory Solutions New mobile payments initiative allows eligible creators to immediately choose Cash App to receive royalty payments, with additional options available soon WASHINGTON, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- SoundExchange, the premier music tech organization powering the future of music, today announced an initiative that will allow registered creators to elect to receive their royalty payments via mobile payment apps. Cash App is the first mobile payment application in place for registered creators to take advantage of, with additional options available soon. SoundExchange is one of the only organizations of its kind to offer creators the option to receive payments through mobile payments apps. The initiative builds upon SoundExchange's release of a mobile app (now available in the app store for Google/Android and Apple/IOS) and digital tools, as well as new partnerships to support creators. "Meeting creators where they are with easy, accessible tech solutions is a priority for SoundExchange as we enter this next chapter in our journey to support creators," said Michael Huppe, President and CEO of SoundExchange. "As mobile payment apps have become increasingly popular, we've listened to our community to ensure that we are offering the payment options that best fit their needs. Today's announcement demonstrates SoundExchange's leadership in embracing the latest technology trends, and we are happy and excited to have Cash App on board to launch this initiative." Creators are encouraged to contact the SoundExchange Customer Services team to learn more about app-specific eligibility requirements and to sign up to receive royalty payments via Cash App. Creators will still be able to receive royalty payments from SoundExchange via monthly domestic direct deposit in the U.S. and international direct deposit in select local currencies or quarterly paper checks. SoundExchange is a critical source of revenue for music creators, collecting and distributing digital performance royalties on behalf of 570,000 music creators using proprietary technology solutions. To date, SoundExchange has distributed more than $9 billion in digital royalties directly to music creators, including $238.9 million during the third quarter of 2022. About Cash App Cash App is the money app. It's the easy way to spend, send, store, and invest money. Sending and receiving money is free and fast, and most payments can be deposited directly to a bank account in just a few seconds. With Cash App, customers can also invest in their favorite companies with as little as $1, buy and sell Bitcoin instantly, get a paycheck deposited right to the app, create a unique $cashtag that to share with anyone to get paid fast, and use the Cash Card to spend the money anywhere they'd like. Download Cash App for free at cash.app/download. About SoundExchange SoundExchange is the premier music tech organization on a mission to power the future of music. It was independently formed in 2003 to build a fairer, simpler, and more efficient music industry through technology, data, and advocacy. The only organization designated by the U.S. government to administer the Section 114 sound recording license, SoundExchange collects and distributes digital performance royalties on behalf of 570,000 music creators and growing. Through proprietary music tech solutions that turn data into accurate revenue, SoundExchange has paid more than $9 billion in distributions to date. For more information, visit soundexchange.com . SOURCE SoundExchange Dedicates 2,300 Servers for Use by Solana Validators and RPCs DALLAS, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- StackPath, the industry-leading edge computing platform today announced the third expansion of its participation in the Solana Foundation Server Program. The Solana Foundation Server Program provides access to best-in-class, approved-for-blockchain cloud Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) around the world, with advantageous contract terms, to be used for Solana RPC nodes or Solana validators. Partnerships like this have been a critical part of Solana becoming the fastest growing blockchain ecosystem. Tweet this StackPath has already deployed 1,200 servers that host ultra-low latency virtual machines (VMs) for members of the Server Program. By the end of 2022, the company will deploy an additional 1,100 servers, providing VMs in a total of 39 cities around the world. "The decentralized structure of edge computing aligns with the decentralized nature of blockchain," said Alex Kehaya, Network Infrastructure Lead at the Solana Foundation. "We're glad to have StackPath as part of the Server Program, providing its edge computing solutions to our community. Partnerships like this have been a critical part of Solana becoming the fastest growing blockchain ecosystem." The StackPath platform consists of edge locations deployed in the world's most populous urban areas. That gives its edge IaaS closer proximity to data sources and destinations, as well as greater geographic diversity than traditional cloud computing platforms. In addition, StackPath edge locations are connected by a private network backbone, letting systems communicate within and between sites entirely without using public internet. It all combines to provide blockchain workloads significant speed and predictability advantages. "The industry has spent the last two decades optimizing cloud IaaS for cloud-native workloads," said Kip Turco, StackPath CEO. "But blockchain workloadsfrom cryptocurrencies to Web3 applicationsreally are edge-native. Sure, they can run on traditional cloud. But at the edge they can unlock the full potential of their architecture. That's why we believe we have a powerful role in the Server Program and intend to become a leading platform for blockchain." StackPath participation in the Server Program is in partnership with Inflect, a high-touch advisory specializing in digital infrastructure and connected solutions. "The Server Program is an invaluable resource for Solana developers," said Mike Nguyen, CEO of Inflect. "The blockchain community has been challenged by issues ranging from supply chain shortages to service providers backing away from blockchain use cases. The Server Program is designed to mitigate those challenges, helping foster sustainable growth and advance the overall decentralization of the Solana ecosystem." StackPath will join Inflect to exhibit at Solana Breakpoint in Lisbon, November 4 through 7, 2022, The Pateo da Gale, location 4, where it will provide demonstrations and announce an exclusive special offer for Breakpoint attendees through the Solana Foundation Server Program. About StackPath StackPath is a cloud platform built at the internet's edge, providing infrastructure and services physically closer to the source or destination of data than hyperscale cloud service providers. StackPath Edge Compute (including virtual machines and containers), Edge Delivery (including CDN and serverless scripting), and Edge Security (including WAF) solutions run in edge locations strategically deployed in high-density markets and united by a secure global network and a single management system. Customers ranging from Fortune 50 enterprises to one-person startups trust StackPath to give their latency-sensitive workloads and real-time applications the speed, security, and efficiency they require. About Inflect Inflect facilitates frictionless transactions for digital infrastructure services, no matter how complex. We believe businesses should be able to easily find and buy the digital infrastructure they need for every use case and every location in the world. But finding and buying internet infrastructure has historically been a slow, manual process. Inflect's platform simplifies buying and selling of complex infrastructure with an easy-to-use online marketplace, intuitive research tools, and customer and partner management programs. About Solana Foundation The Solana Foundation is a non-profit foundation based in Zug, Switzerland, dedicated to the decentralization, adoption, and security of the Solana ecosystem. For more information, please visit https://solana.org/. About Solana Solana is a global state machine, and the world's most performant blockchain. It gives developers the confidence to build for the long term by delivering predictable scaling without compromising security or composability. Solana's performance is driven by a single global state, which is capable of processing tens of thousands of smart contracts at once, and by Proof of History, a distributed clock that unlocks low-latency, sub-second finality across the global state. To learn more, please visit https://solana.com/. Contact: [email protected] SOURCE STACKPATH, LLC Staypineapple is supporting the nonprofit by encouraging room bookings in November for any future date, with $1 being donated for every room night sold. Both Staypineapple and wear blue: run to remember were founded by women in the Puget Sound Region and have expanded across the country over the past 10+ years. It is no accident the two organizations found each other. "We are proud to once again support this wonderful organization. Their work in the community and commitment to honoring Veterans, active military, and their families is commendable. We hope to surpass our previous donation amount of $25K with the help of our loyal Staypineapple guests," says Steve Allison, Chief Revenue Officer. In 2009 wear blue's co-founder, Lisa Hallet's husband - CPT John Hallet - was killed during an attack while deployed in Afghanistan. During that deployment, a small group of wives and battalion support staff met weekly to run, seeking to create a support network for one another. This small group became a nationwide vision that now helps thousands heal from and work through the more challenging aspects of military life during a time of war. Today, this group runs to honor all military members killed in combat and has evolved into a robust network of active duty and retired service members, military families, Wounded Warriors, Gold Star families, and community members. About wear blue: run to remember wear blue: run to remember is a national nonprofit running community that honors the service and sacrifice of the American military. wear blue: run to remember creates a support network for military members and their families; it bridges the gap between military and civilian communities, and it creates a living memorial for our country's fallen military members. wear blue: run to remember exists for the fallen, for the fighting, and for the families. About Staypineapple Staypineapple is a brand of upscale, out of the ordinary boutique hotels in urban markets nationwide, owned and managed by Pineapple Hospitality, based in Bellevue, WA. Focused on thoughtful service and design, with an uncanny knack for anticipating needs, the dog-friendly hotels wholeheartedly embrace the pineapple's symbol of hospitality and joy. For more information, visit http://www.staypineapple.com SOURCE Staypineapple BOSTON, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Surgical Planning Associates (SPA) today announced the release of new surgical planning software to support the HipInsight patient-specific mixed reality guidance system for total hip arthroplasty, the only clinical solution of its kind. The HipInsight system is a mixed-reality solution that gives hip surgeons "x-ray vision" as they perform joint surgery. Three centers used the system's enhanced software in surgery in the last week: Duke University Medical Center, by Samuel Wellman M.D.; Lighthouse Surgical Suites, Hollis, N.H., by Carl Talmo M.D.; and Tulsa Spine and Specialty Hospital, by J. Scott Reid M.D. The software is the first release that includes components manufactured by Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc., as part of its exclusive multi-year co-marketing agreement with SPA announced in September. With the HipInsight system, the surgeon wears the MicroSoft Hololens2 head-mounted device to visualize a patient's bony anatomy during surgery, as well as implants and surgical instruments directly inside and around the patient's body. By giving the surgeon this type of "x-ray vision" with the HipInsight system, surgeons no longer have to look away from the patient during component implantation to see information the way that older technologies require. Quotes from doctors using the new software include: "The HipInsight system represents a quantum advance in the way that surgeons perform joint replacement." -- Dr. Samuel Wellman "I used to get a lot more x-rays during anterior hip surgeries. Now we know what the postop x-ray will look like before we start the surgery." -- Dr. Carl Talmo "Unlike some other technologies, this powerful system is so intuitive that it fits seamlessly into the flow of the surgery." -- Dr. J. Scott Reid The HipInsight system will be displayed at the Zimmer Biomet and Surgical Planning Associates Exhibits at AAHKS in Dallas, November 3-6, 2022. "Surgeons now have detailed knowledge of what they plan to do and the visualization tools in surgery to accomplish those goals," said Dr. Stephen B. Murphy, founder of SPA. "Our new relationship with Zimmer-Biomet represents our combined commitment to elevate the level of care for each patient." About Surgical Planning Associates Surgical Planning Associates, Inc. (SPA) is an ISO 13485:2016 certified medical technology company that specializes in the development of innovative, cost-effective preoperative planning and navigation solutions for use in joint arthroplasty. A pioneer in the fields of surgical planning and mixed-reality guidance, SPA is privately held and based in Boston. SOURCE HipInsight BALI, Indonesia, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The G20 Sustainable Vegetable Oils Conference (SVOC), which took place today (3 November 2022) in Bali, was a resounding success, with the participation of the most important stakeholders in the vegetable oil sector. Taking part in the conference, organized by the Indonesian government and co-organized by the Indonesia Oil Palm Plantations Fund Management Agency (BPDPKS), Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries (CPOPC) and Indonesian Palm Oil Association (IPOA), were representatives of the main producer countries: China, India, Russia and Ukraine, as well as Indonesia and Malaysia. This shows that in this period marked by international conflict and geopolitical tension, the community of vegetable oils producers stand united and not divided, in a shared common interest to ensure and food and energy security and to allow the economy to grow given the rapid growth of population and the climate crisis. The Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto reiterated the importance of ensuring the availability, accessibility and affordability of agricultural commodities in the global market, including vegetable oils. "We need to move quickly and decisively to working together in confronting structural market issues that may exacerbate adverse impacts", said Airlangga. Vice Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, People's Republic of China, Ma Youxiang emphasized that China is transitioning to green development and tackling climate change through collaboration with other countries towards sustainability in the vegetable oil sector. Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare of India, Shobha Karandlaje, called on the importance of new climate resilient oilseeds that would be beneficial for both poor and developed countries in the future. Both calls were delivered in the hybrid conference attended by more than 500 participants from 41 producing and consuming countries. Other speakers from WTO, UN FAO, World Food Program and certification bodies also shared their insights. Some of the take aways included that although the production and distribution of some oils has been disrupted, others have stepped in to guarantee food and energy security. Many vegetable oils supply chains, such as the palm oil and soya bean, have managed to invest in innovation and sustainability, reduce the impact of farming and production systems on biodiversity and ecosystem. The conference also provided a platform to deliberate the latest developments on sustainable certification schemes for palm oil as well as the latest technology to ensure traceability of palm oil supply chain. The Secretary General of CPOPC Rizal Affandi Lukman asserted that sustainable palm oil is the most affordable and efficient vegetable oil as well as a healthy and nutritious oil. It provides an answer to the global shortage-led-to-crisis of vegetable oils and the current energy crisis in Europe especially on the use of sustainable palm oil biofuel as a source of energy that is badly in need for this winter season. Chairman of IPOA, Joko Supriyono, encouraged all vegetable oil producers to meet the world's food and energy needs with sustainable production and play a role in achieving the SDGs. SOURCE Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries (CPOPC) AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Directors and Steve Maloney, CEO and Founder of Sync1 Systems, LLC, wish to announce the opening of a Round 2 offering of Sync1 capital for a total of $15 million. Sync1 Systems is a best-of-breed FinTech CUSO offering 100% cloud-based loan origination technology, currently serving over 30 credit unions on multiple core system platforms. Steve Maloney, CEO, and Founder, said, "This Round 2 offering will allow us to continue the innovative development of our cutting-edge lending technologies and expand our abilities to meet and exceed our credit union clients' expectations in meeting head-on the growing competition to fulfill the lending needs of their credit union members. Our technology is ever evolving, and this new capital allows for strategic flexibility that accommodates many growth scenarios not just limited to organic growth." Director and Board Member Bill Nikolauk, President and CEO of 1st Community FCU, San Angelo, Texas ($360 million), has also stated that this Round 2 offering provides a unique opportunity for other credit unions who believe that the technology that drives their credit unions primary source of revenue should be owned by the credit union and trusted partner CUs with similar strategic values and vision. "Owning shares of Sync1 Systems provides our credit union with more than just an innovative technology; it assures us that we will always have an owner's voice in the future of this vitally important strategic partnership. It's nice to know that I wouldn't wake up one morning surprised to find out that my LOS has been sold, left to wonder when my system was going to be phased out." Steve Webb, President, and CEO of the $1.3 billion Neighbors Federal Credit Union, Baton Rouge, Louisiana mentioned neighbors feel strongly that "one of our primary reasons for making a strategic investment in Sync1 was its proven ability to support the needs of the entire CU market asset range, from large multi-billion credit unions like Neighbors to credit unions with less than $50 M. Its team of extraordinary developers and support experts provide the flexibility and nimbleness required to meet the lending product needs of a quickly changing competitive marketplace and for all credit unions." Sync1 Systems technology automates loan-processing workflows and increases loan revenue and market share quickly. With a best-in-class end-user experience, industry-leading cascading auto decision, and risk-based pricing engine consisting of a robust library of business rules and tables, Sync1 is fulfilling its clients' strategic lending needs, and expects to meet their future needs as well. Credit unions and CUSOs interested in learning more about Sync1 Systems loan origination technology and the Round 2 Capital Offering investor information should contact: Steve Maloney CEO Sync1 Systems [email protected]com (512) 354-2784 Or Bruce Callen CFO/CDO Sync1 Systems [email protected] (512) 354-7221 SOURCE Sync1 Systems ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Systems Planning and Analysis (SPA), Inc., has won the 2022 Government Contractor of the Year Award in the $75 million$300 million category, presented by the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce and the Professional Services Council at a gala event on November 2. Known as the "Academy Awards of Government Contracting," the competition is in its 20th year of honoring innovative companies and market leaders in the Greater Washington area. Commenting on the award, Dr. William Vantine, SPA President and CEO said, "This award goes to our entire team. It recognizes our dedication to national service and our commitment to excellence and quality in all we do. I could not be prouder of SPA's great spirit of teamwork, which is at the core of our 50-year history of providing trusted services for our clients." Systems Planning and Analysis, Inc. is a premier international provider of innovative, leading-edge solutions in support of complex National Security programs and defense priorities. SPA's capabilities include Advanced Analytics, Cost Estimating, Software Tool Development, System Engineering, DevSecOps, Strategy, Policy and Compliance, and Integrated Program Management. SPA employees are subject matter experts in numerous domains, including Land, Undersea, Surface and Air Warfare Operations; Intelligence Community, Radar and Sensor Systems; Unmanned Systems and Counter Systems; Nuclear Deterrence Policy, Safety and Security; Defense Industrial Base; Space Systems; Ballistic Missile Systems; Cybersecurity analysis and policy; and Hypersonics. SOURCE Systems Planning and Analysis, Inc. Growing popularity of tea, demand for instant health-benefiting drinks, dynamic changes in consumption patterns, a rise in the inclination of consumers towards immunity-boosting drinks, a surge in the number of cafes and restaurants with expansions of the metro cities, growing urbanization, and the various health benefits associated with tea are expected to drive the global tea bags market. Region wise, the market in Asia-Pacific is likely to dominate through 2031. PORTLAND, Ore., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Tea Bags Market by Type (Green Tea, Black Tea, Oolong Tea, Fruit and Herbal Tea, Others), by Distribution Channel (Supermarkets and Hypermarkets, Specialty Stores, Convenience Stores, Online Stores, Others), by Application (Residential, Commercial), by Shape (Pillow Shaped, Round Shaped, Square Shaped, Pyramid Shaped, Others): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2031." According to the report, the global tea bags industry generated $6.1 billion in 2021, and is estimated to reach $12.9 billion by 2031, witnessing a CAGR of 7.6% from 2022 to 2031. The report offers a detailed analysis of changing market trends, top segments, key investment pockets, value chains, regional landscape, and competitive scenario. Download Free Sample Report (415 Pages PDF with Insights, Charts, Tables, Figures): https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/16965 Drivers and Opportunities Growing popularity of tea, demand for instant health-benefiting drinks, dynamic changes in consumption patterns, rise in the inclination of consumers towards immunity-boosting drinks, and the various health benefits associated with tea are majorly driving the growth of the tea bags market. However, the availability of tea substitute products including coffee and drinks at cost-effective prices and the trend of coffee consumption hinder the global market growth. On the other hand, growing urbanization, a surge in the number of cafes and restaurants with the expansion of the metro cities, an increase in advertising campaigns and promotional activities regarding tea bags, and offering these products through online platforms present new opportunities for the market in the future. Covid-19 Scenario The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted the growth of the global tea bags market. This is because the demand for tea bags declined due to the closure of cafes, restaurants and hotels, ban on export and import activities, and disrupted transportation facilities. Furthermore, retail sales of tea bags declined due to the decreased production of tea and tea bags. However, the market is gaining traction with the lifting of lockdowns and restrictions. The green tea segment to dominate in terms of revenue during the forecast period Based on type, the green tea segment was the largest in 2021, occupying nearly one-third of the overall tea bags market share and is likely to dominate the global market during the forecast period. The same segment is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR of 8.9% in 2031. This is because more consumers are becoming aware of the health benefits of drinking green tea. The report also includes other segments such as black tea, Oolong tea, Fruit and Herbal Tea, and Others. The online stores segment to achieve the fastest growth during the forecast period Based on distribution channel, the supermarkets and hypermarkets segment held the largest share of more than one-third of the global tea bags market in 2021, and is expected to maintain prominent growth during the forecast period. The growth of this segment is attributed to the increase in the adoption of supermarkets and hypermarkets in both mature and emerging markets. Moreover, a one-stop solution provided by these retail formats makes them a popular shopping option for consumers. However, the online stores segment is likely to exhibit the highest CAGR of 10.0% in 2031, as consumers prefer online platforms owing to ease of accessibility and convenience. These platforms offer many discounts on online tea purchases to attract more customers. In addition, the emergence of advanced technology fosters the growth of online businesses worldwide. The residential segment to maintain its lion's share during the forecast period Based on application, the residential segment held the largest share of nearly two-thirds of the global tea bags market in 2021, and is expected to maintain a noteworthy growth during the forecast period. The surge in the consumption of caffeine beverages at home boosts the growth of this segment. Moreover, a rise in consumer awareness of the health benefits of tea and extensive marketing & advertising by leading brands have shifted the consumer preference toward drinking tea, which drives the growth of the segment. The commercial segment, on the other hand, is likely to exhibit the highest CAGR of 8.6% in 2031. An increase in millennial population spending on cafes and hotels fuels the demand for tea and other beverages in the commercial sector. For Purchase Enquiry at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/16965 Asia-Pacific to maintain its leadership in terms of revenue by 2031 Based on region, the market in Asia-Pacific held the largest market share in 2021, accounting for more than two-thirds of the global tea bags market, and is likely to lead the trail throughout the forecast period. The same segment is anticipated to manifest the fastest CAGR of 8.0% during the forecast period, 2022-2031. This is due to the highly prevalent tea culture in countries such as China, India, and Japan. Black tea is anticipated to gain maximum demand compared to other segments in Asia-Pacific, owing to its high popularity and low price. The other regions discussed in the report are North America, Europe, and LAMEA. Leading Market Players Associated British Foods Plc. Barry's Tea Nestle S.A. Northern Tea Merchants Ltd. Numi, Inc. Organic India Tata Consumer Products The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. The Kroger Company Unilever Plc. The report analyzes these key players of the global tea bags market. These players have adopted various strategies such as expansion, new product launches, partnerships, and others to increase their market penetration and strengthen their position in the industry. The report is helpful in determining the business performance, operating segments, product portfolio, and developments by every market player. Want to Access the Statistical Data and Graphs, Key Players' Strategies: https://bit.ly/3U7jPVZ Trending Reports in Food and Beverages Industry: Instant Tea Premix Consumption Market is Expected to Reach $2.1Billion by 2027 Bubble Tea Market Expected to Reach $4.3 Billion by 2027 Retail Bubble Tea Kits Market Expected to Reach $133,554.40 Thousand by 2030 North America Green Tea Leaves Market Expected to Reach $1,519.9 Million by 2027 About Us Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain. We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Allied Market Research CEO Pawan Kumar is instrumental in inspiring and encouraging everyone associated with the company to maintain high quality of data and help clients in every way possible to achieve success. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry. Contact: David Correa 5933 NE Win Sivers Drive #205, Portland, OR 97220 United States USA/Canada (Toll Free): +1-800-792-5285, +1-503-894-6022 UK: +44-845-528-1300 Hong Kong: +852-301-84916 India (Pune): +91-20-66346060 Fax: +1(855)550-5975 [email protected] Web: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/reports-store/food-and-beverages Follow Us on Blog: https://www.dailyreportsworld.com/ Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/636519/Allied_Market_Research_Logo.jpg SOURCE Allied Market Research Organizing Momentum Builds in Connecticut as Teamster Membership Grows BLOOMFIELD, Conn., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Teamsters Local 671 has organized three groups of school bus drivers in only two months. First Student mechanics and monitors in Manchester both voted to join the Teamsters unanimously. In a third election, more than 100 drivers and monitors at First Student of New Britain also voted to join Local 671. "We have momentum on our side at First Student," said Tony LePore, Local 671 Secretary-Treasurer "Everyone who works for a school bus company recognizes that with a Teamster contract both at the national level, and with our local union Connecticut school bus drivers, monitors and mechanics can get the best wages, benefits, and working conditions that this company has to offer. Also, I'd like to thank Field Representative Jennifer Morone for her hard work on securing these successful victories." Pamela Barnett is a First Student driver from the East Hartford location. She also serves as a shop steward and Local 671 Recording Secretary. She played a critical role in organizing all three of the new units. "I think there's so much enthusiasm to organize among school bus drivers right now. It's because everyone knows that when it comes to unions, the Teamsters are the best," Barnett said. "This union is strong we have some of the best contracts in the state. We have people backing us up who view bus drivers as people with a professional career. We're not babysitters on wheels. We have someone who will help us address the issues that we go through." Teamsters Local 671 represents workers in transportation, construction, and many other industries throughout Central Connecticut. For more information, go to Teamsters671.com/. Contact: Matt McQuaid, (202) 624-6877 [email protected] SOURCE Teamsters Local 671 BALTIMORE, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Urological Association is pleased to share its analysis on urology residents and fellows from the 2021 AUA Census results. The analysis is an important source of information for residents, fellows, resident program directors as well as healthcare workforce planners and policy makers and it provides insights into the experiences, needs, choices and expectations of urologists in training. The American Urological Association is pleased to share its analysis on urology residents and fellows from the 2021 AUA Census results. "This analysis of the AUA U.S. Census data gives us a much-needed window into the future of the urology workforce," said Amanda North, MD, chair of the AUA Data Committee. "It will help the AUA address the needs of the next generation of urology practitioners, researchers and leaders." Demographic Shifts Approximately 31% of urology residents and fellows are non-white. This demonstrates a growing trend towards a more diverse urology workforce compared to current practicing urologists, whose population is 16.7% non-white. 51% of residents and 45.8% of fellows reported that diversity was a consideration in choosing a training program. The presence of other trainees of the same race, gender, religion or sexual orientation positively influenced their program choice. Practice Location Nearly half of urology residents and four out of five urology fellows plan to practice in academic medical centers. Ninety 6% of urology trainees plan to practice in urban or suburban areas. Only 16.2% of urology trainees were exposed to a rural urology practice in their training. Of those whose training did include a rural urology rotation, more than half reported that the experience made them more likely to consider a job in a rural setting in the future. The three most helpful strategies to encourage residents to establish a practice in rural locations include lobbying for government-subsidized student loan forgiveness for urologists who establish a practice in rural areas, providing a rural urology rotation during residency and targeting recruitment of rural medical students for urology residency training. Among residents, those with educational debt are more likely to report choosing private practices as their future practice setting, especially as the amount of educational debt increases. Work-Life Balance and Burnout The top factors influencing the choice of future practice settings for both residents and fellows are a satisfactory work-life balance, geographic location and compensation. It was reported that 49.5% of residents and 55.6% of fellows faced difficulty attending personal medical, mental or dental appointments. The top benefits or resources that are believed to help improve well-being and work-life balance are meal plans, ability to attend health appointments during work hours and paid family leave. The percentage of professional burnout is relatively higher in residents (48.2%) and lower in fellows (32.5%), compared to practicing urologists (36.7%), as reported in 2021. The highest professional burnout rate in residents was seen during PGY2 of residency (68.8%), which may be the reason that urologists in training were most likely to revisit their career or specialty choice during the second postgraduate year (PGY2) of residency. About the AUA Census Committed to providing a definitive basis of data regarding the urology community, the AUA launched its first Annual Census in 2014. It not only defined and estimated the practicing urologist population, but for the first time in the history of urology, reported the workforce and practice characteristics of the entire population of practicing urologists. Today, the Census remains a novel data source that explores the urological profession and reports both cross-sectional variations and trends. Results from the survey provide an array of information aimed at bridging knowledge gaps, meeting increased research needs and ultimately, improving patient care. The full 2021 Residents and Fellows Report can be found on the AUA website at auanet.org/CensusReport. About the American Urological Association: Founded in 1902 and headquartered near Baltimore, Maryland, the American Urological Association is a leading advocate for the specialty of urology and has nearly 24,000 members throughout the world. The AUA is a premier urologic association, providing invaluable support to the urologic community as it pursues its mission of fostering the highest standards of urologic care through education, research and the formulation of health policy. Media Contact: Rachel Butch, Corporate Communications and Media Relations Manager 410-689-4033, [email protected] SOURCE American Urological Association MONTREAL, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - An imposing sculpture in tribute to migrants and refugees was unveiled today at Saint Joseph's Oratory of Mount Royal in the presence of dignitaries and Canadian artist Timothy Schmalz. Saint Joseph's Oratory, located in Montreal's multicultural district of Cote-des-Neiges, also known as the neighbourhood of nations, welcomes the sculpture Angels Unawares, the meaning of which is in keeping with the mission of its founder, Saint Brother Andre, CSC. An international crossroads, the Oratory is a significant place of welcome for many people when they arrive in Canada. The sculpture installed on the terrace depicts, huddled on a boat, a group of migrants and refugees from different origins and times. Angel wings emerge from the middle of a diverse group of people, inferring the presence of the sacred among them. "For the realization of this sculpture, I was inspired by this excerpt from the New Testament: Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares (Letter to the Hebrews 13:2.) Several of my sculptures depict the sacred; they are to me visual prayers," explained Timothy Schmalz. "We are honored to welcome this beautiful sculpture which reminds us of the duty of hospitality and solidarity with every human being. With this sculpture reflecting the situation of thousands across our world, we will be reminded each day of all those who leave their homeland in search of a better life. We will include them in our prayers in special ways," said Father Michael DeLaney, CSC, Rector of Saint Joseph's Oratory of Mount Royal. The three-and-a-half-ton bronze sculpture, which measures 20 feet long by 12 feet high, is on loan to the Oratory for one year. With several reproductions on display, Pope Francis initially inaugurated the sculpture at St. Peter's Square in Rome in September 2019, on the 105th World Day of Migrants and Refugees. Artist of the divine - The sculptor, Timothy P. Schmalz, is an Ontario artist whose works can be admired in many countries. One of his most famous creations, Homeless Jesus, depicts Christ as a vagrant sleeping on a bench. Sculpture that speaks the language of humanity. About Saint Joseph's Oratory of Mount Royal Saint Joseph's Oratory of Mount Royal is the largest shrine in the world dedicated to Saint Joseph, serving as guardian of a precious material and spiritual heritage. It receives some two million pilgrims and visitors each year, making it a unique spiritual and tourist destination and an unmistakable symbol of Montreal. Open to the world, it is a place of peace and unconditional welcoming. Photos and documents available upon request SOURCE Saint Joseph's Oratory of Mount Royal DUBLIN, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Medical Electrodes Market By Product Type, By Application, By Modality: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2031" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global medical electrodes market was valued at $1,676.2 million in 2021, and is projected to reach $2,387.35 million by 2031, registering a CAGR of 3.6% from 2022 to 2031. Medical electrodes transfer the ionic current energy into electrical current in the body. These devices are used for diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of various diseases, including ocular diseases, neurology diseases, cardiac diseases, and muscular disorders. These devices play an important part in early diagnosis of cardiac diseases due to the fact that they quantify the internal ionic current in the body to detect various medical conditions. Rise in focus on early diagnosis, growth in geriatric population, and increase in burden of cardiology and neurology diseases across the globe drive the growth of the medical electrodes market. Factor, including low biocompatibility of medical electrodes is expected to restrain the market growth. Furthermore, developing nations are expected to provide opportunities for the manufacturers of medical electrodes, due to increase in prevalence of cardiovascular and neurological diseases in the developing countries, such as China and India. Rising electrode applications through use of nanotechnology augments the demand for electrode in various medical applications. Nanotechnology supports the through miniaturization of these devices, making it portable. In addition, in the U.S., major government agencies, such as the National Eye Institute (NEI), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Department of Energy (DE) supports R&D for this sector by increase in government funding. These devices are used to treat diseases, including Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, sinus, and body ache. Rise in incidences of these diseases boosts the demand for electrode medical devices across the globe. Moreover, treatment using devices is of minimally invasive nature which propels the growth of this market substantially. In addition, in the U.S., medical reimbursement policies include major medical electrodes, which augment the growth of this market. The medical electrodes market is segmented on the basis of product type, application, modality, and region. By product type, the market is divided into surface electrodes and needle electrodes. On the basis of application, it is categorized into cardiology, neurophysiology, electrosurgery, intraoperative monitoring, and sleep study. By modality, it is classified motor evoked potentials (MEPS), somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPS), electrocardiography (ECG), electroencephalography (EEG), brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs), and visual evoked potentials (VEPs). Region wise, it is analyzed across North America (the U.S., Canada, and Mexico), Europe (Germany, France, the UK, Italy, Spain, and rest of Europe), Asia-Pacific (Japan, China, Australia, India, South Korea, and rest of Asia-Pacific), and LAMEA(Brazil, South Arabia, South Africa, and LAMEA). The major companies profiled in the report include 3M Company, Ambu A/S, Becton, Dickinson and Company, Cognionics, Inc., ConMed, Cooper Surgical, Inc., DyMedix, Koninklijke Philips N.V., Medtronic, Plc., and Natus Medical Inc. Key Benefits For Stakeholders This report provides a quantitative analysis of the market segments, current trends, estimations, and dynamics of the medical electrodes market analysis from 2021 to 2031 to identify the prevailing medical electrodes market opportunity. The market research is offered along with information related to key drivers, restraints, and opportunities. Porter's five forces analysis highlights the potency of buyers and suppliers to enable stakeholders make profit-oriented business decisions and strengthen their supplier-buyer network. In-depth analysis of the medical electrodes market segmentation assists to determine the prevailing market opportunities. Major countries in each region are mapped according to their revenue contribution to the global market. Market player positioning facilitates benchmarking and provides a clear understanding of the present position of the market players. The report includes the analysis of the regional as well as global medical electrodes market trends, key players, market segments, application areas, and market growth strategies. Key Topics Covered: CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 2: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY CHAPTER 3: MARKET OVERVIEW 3.1. Market definition and scope 3.2. Key findings 3.2.1. Top investment pockets 3.3. Porter's five forces analysis 3.4. Top player positioning 3.5. Market dynamics 3.5.1. Drivers 3.5.2. Restraints 3.5.3. Opportunities 3.6. COVID-19 Impact Analysis on the market CHAPTER 4: MEDICAL ELECTRODES MARKET, BY PRODUCT TYPE 4.1 Overview 4.1.1 Market size and forecast 4.2 Surface Electrodes 4.2.1 Key market trends, growth factors and opportunities 4.2.2 Market size and forecast, by region 4.2.3 Market analysis by country 4.3 Needle Electrodes 4.3.1 Key market trends, growth factors and opportunities 4.3.2 Market size and forecast, by region 4.3.3 Market analysis by country CHAPTER 5: MEDICAL ELECTRODES MARKET, BY APPLICATION 5.1 Overview 5.1.1 Market size and forecast 5.2 Cardiology 5.2.1 Key market trends, growth factors and opportunities 5.2.2 Market size and forecast, by region 5.2.3 Market analysis by country 5.3 Neurophysiology 5.3.1 Key market trends, growth factors and opportunities 5.3.2 Market size and forecast, by region 5.3.3 Market analysis by country 5.4 Electrosurgery 5.4.1 Key market trends, growth factors and opportunities 5.4.2 Market size and forecast, by region 5.4.3 Market analysis by country 5.5 Intraoperative Monitoring (IOM) 5.5.1 Key market trends, growth factors and opportunities 5.5.2 Market size and forecast, by region 5.5.3 Market analysis by country 5.6 Sleep Study 5.6.1 Key market trends, growth factors and opportunities 5.6.2 Market size and forecast, by region 5.6.3 Market analysis by country CHAPTER 6: MEDICAL ELECTRODES MARKET, BY MODALITY 6.1 Overview 6.1.1 Market size and forecast 6.2 Electrocardiography (ECG) 6.2.1 Key market trends, growth factors and opportunities 6.2.2 Market size and forecast, by region 6.2.3 Market analysis by country 6.3 Electroencephalography (EEG) 6.3.1 Key market trends, growth factors and opportunities 6.3.2 Market size and forecast, by region 6.3.3 Market analysis by country 6.4 Electromyography (EMG) 6.4.1 Key market trends, growth factors and opportunities 6.4.2 Market size and forecast, by region 6.4.3 Market analysis by country 6.5 Brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs) 6.5.1 Key market trends, growth factors and opportunities 6.5.2 Market size and forecast, by region 6.5.3 Market analysis by country 6.6 Others 6.6.1 Key market trends, growth factors and opportunities 6.6.2 Market size and forecast, by region 6.6.3 Market analysis by country CHAPTER 7: MEDICAL ELECTRODES MARKET, BY REGION CHAPTER 8: COMPANY LANDSCAPE 8.1. Introduction 8.2. Top winning strategies 8.3. Product Mapping of Top 10 Player 8.4. Competitive Dashboard 8.5. Competitive Heatmap 8.6. Key developments CHAPTER 9: COMPANY PROFILES 9.1 CONMED Corporation 9.1.1 Company overview 9.1.2 Company snapshot 9.1.3 Operating business segments 9.1.4 Product portfolio 9.1.5 Business performance 9.1.6 Key strategic moves and developments 9.2 3M Company 9.2.1 Company overview 9.2.2 Company snapshot 9.2.3 Operating business segments 9.2.4 Product portfolio 9.2.5 Business performance 9.2.6 Key strategic moves and developments 9.3 Koninklijke Philips N.V. 9.3.1 Company overview 9.3.2 Company snapshot 9.3.3 Operating business segments 9.3.4 Product portfolio 9.3.5 Business performance 9.3.6 Key strategic moves and developments 9.4 Medtronic 9.4.1 Company overview 9.4.2 Company snapshot 9.4.3 Operating business segments 9.4.4 Product portfolio 9.4.5 Business performance 9.4.6 Key strategic moves and developments 9.5 Natus Medical Incorporated 9.5.1 Company overview 9.5.2 Company snapshot 9.5.3 Operating business segments 9.5.4 Product portfolio 9.5.5 Business performance 9.5.6 Key strategic moves and developments 9.6 Ambu A/S 9.6.1 Company overview 9.6.2 Company snapshot 9.6.3 Operating business segments 9.6.4 Product portfolio 9.6.5 Business performance 9.6.6 Key strategic moves and developments 9.7 BD 9.7.1 Company overview 9.7.2 Company snapshot 9.7.3 Operating business segments 9.7.4 Product portfolio 9.7.5 Business performance 9.7.6 Key strategic moves and developments 9.8 Cognionics Inc. 9.8.1 Company overview 9.8.2 Company snapshot 9.8.3 Operating business segments 9.8.4 Product portfolio 9.8.5 Business performance 9.8.6 Key strategic moves and developments 9.9 CooperSurgical, Inc. 9.9.1 Company overview 9.9.2 Company snapshot 9.9.3 Operating business segments 9.9.4 Product portfolio 9.9.5 Business performance 9.9.6 Key strategic moves and developments 9.10 Dymedix 9.10.1 Company overview 9.10.2 Company snapshot 9.10.3 Operating business segments 9.10.4 Product portfolio 9.10.5 Business performance 9.10.6 Key strategic moves and developments For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/oxs56y Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg SOURCE Research and Markets DUBLIN, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Seed Coating Market by Form, Additives (Polymers, Pellets, Colorants, Minerals/Pumice), Process (Film coating, Encrusting, Pelleting), Crop (Cereals & Grains, Oilseeds & Pulses, Vegetables, Flowers & Ornamentals) and Region - Forecast to 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global seed coating market is projected to reach USD 3.6 billion by 2027 growing at a CAGR of 8.4% from 2022 to 2027. The increasing population has also led to increasing demand for food, resulting in the need to enhance agricultural productivity. Government support, and the presence of key manufacturers in this market, have contributed to the growth of the seed coating market. Seed coating has high demand in additives segment The seed coating market has been segmented based on additives into polymers, colorants, pellets, minerals/pumice, active ingredients, binders, and other additives. The polymer segment accounted for the largest market share in 2021, accounting for USD 651.3 million. It is among the fastest-growing additives segments, followed by colorants and active ingredients. Seed coatings are critical carriers of active ingredients, such as nutrients, protectants, and phytoactive promoters. Using seed coatings enhances the delivery of active ingredients in treated seeds. They not only minimize the on-farm activities by effectively binding components to the seed but also maintain environment-friendly standards. Asia-Pacific is projected to witness growth of 9.2% during the forecast period The seed coating market in the Asia-Pacific is growing at a CAGR of 9.2% due to increased demand for high-quality crops, a decrease in arable lands, and an increase in the population. Companies in the seed industries are working on creating new innovative products to boost the growth of seeds by aiding in every stage of seed growth. The Asia-Pacific seed coating market is competitive, with many domestic and multinational players competing for market share. Emphasis is given to the companies' mergers, expansion, acquisition, partnership, and new product development as strategic approaches adopted by the leading companies to boost their brand presence among consumers. Key Topics Covered: 1 Introduction 2 Research Methodology 3 Executive Summary 4 Premium Insights 4.1 Attractive Opportunities in Seed Coating Market 4.2 Seed Coating Market: Growth Rate of Major Regional Submarkets 4.3 Asia-Pacific: Seed Coating Market, by Crop Type & Country 4.4 Seed Coating Market, by Form 4.5 Seed Coating Market, by Additive 4.6 Seed Coating Market, by Process 4.7 Seed Coating Market, by Crop Type 4.8 Seed Coating Market, by Region 5 Market Overview 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Market Dynamics 5.2.1 Drivers 5.2.1.1 Enhancements and Benefits Derived from Seed Technologies to Encourage Adoption of Seed Coating 5.2.1.2 Seed Coating Would Support Agricultural Productivity on Marginal Lands 5.2.1.3 Increase in Seed Replacement Rate to Drive Adoption of Commercialized Seeds 5.2.2 Restraints 5.2.2.1 Uncertainty in Climate Conditions to Impact Seed Coating Market 5.2.2.2 Low Yield of Crops in Under-Irrigated Areas to Impact Seed Coating Market 5.2.3 Opportunities 5.2.3.1 Development of Biodegradable Seed Coatings to Reduce Environmental Pollution 5.2.4 Challenges 5.2.4.1 Unorganized New Entrants with Low Profit-To-Cost Ratio 6 Industry Trends 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Value Chain 6.3 Porter's Five Forces Analysis 7 Seed Coating Market, by Form 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Powder 7.2.1 Solid Particulate Binders Applied as Fine Powders Become Hydrolyzed as Water During Coating Process 7.3 Liquid 7.3.1 Dosage of Liquid Seed Coating Formulations Typically to Range from <_05 to="to" _0_="_0_" by="by" /> 8 Seed Coating Market, by Crop Type 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Cereals & Grains 8.2.1 High Consumption of Cereals in Food and Feed to Encourage Growers to Adopt Seed Coating Technique 8.3 Oilseeds & Pulses 8.3.1 High Protein Content to be Major Driver of Demand for Oilseeds & Pulses 8.4 Vegetables 8.4.1 Protected Cultivation of High-Value Crops to Drive Use of Innovative Techniques 8.5 Flowers & Ornamentals 8.5.1 High Export Potential to Urge Growers to Maintain Standard Quality 8.6 Other Crop Types 9 Seed Coating Market, by Process 9.1 Introduction 9.2 Film Coating 9.2.1 Film Coating is Available in Several Different Colors to Aid in Seed Identity and Safety Awareness 9.3 Encrusting 9.3.1 Encrusting Enables Singulation Maximizing Plant Efficiency 9.4 Pelleting 9.4.1 Pelleting Results in Uniformity of Plant Growth 10 Seed Coating Market, by Additive 10.1 Introduction 10.2 Polymers 10.2.1 Polymers are Widely Used in Seed Coating as They Offer Multiple Benefits 10.2.2 Polymer Gels 10.2.3 Superabsorbent Polymer Gels 10.3 Colorants 10.3.1 Colorants to Enhance Appearance of Seeds 10.4 Pellets 10.4.1 Pelleting to Increase Weight of Seed, Improving Plantability 10.5 Binders 10.5.1 Survival of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria to Grow Demand for Binders 10.5.2 Polyvinyl Alcohol 10.5.3 Bentonite 10.5.4 Other Binders 10.6 Minerals/Pumice 10.6.1 Porosity of Pumice to Help in Germination of Seeds 10.7 Active Ingredients 10.7.1 Involvement of Active Ingredients to Enhance Seedling Health, Combat Pest Infestation, and Improve Plant Establishment 10.8 Other Additives 11 Seed Coating Market, by Active Ingredient 11.1 Introduction 11.2 Protectants 11.2.1 Demand for Disease-Resistant Crops to Pave Way for Protectants 11.3 Phytoactive Promoters 11.3.1 Innovation in Use of Phytoactive Promoters Via Seed Coats to Make Farming Possible in Degraded Areas 11.4 Other Active Ingredients 12 Seed Coating Market, by Region 13 Competitive Landscape 13.1 Overview 13.2 Ranking of Key Players, 2021 13.3 Company Evaluation Quadrant (Key Players) 13.3.1 Stars 13.3.2 Emerging Leaders 13.3.3 Pervasive Players 13.3.4 Participants 13.4 Competitive Benchmarking 13.5 Competitive Scenario 13.5.1 Expansions & Investments 13.5.2 Acquisitions 13.5.3 Agreements & Joint Ventures 14 Company Profiles 14.1 Key Players 14.1.1 BASF SE 14.1.2 Solvay SA 14.1.3 Croda International PLC 14.1.4 Clariant AG 14.1.5 DSM 14.1.6 Sensient Technologies 14.1.7 Brettyoung Seeds Limited 14.1.8 Milliken Chemical 14.1.9 Precision Laboratories, LLC 14.1.10 Germains Seed Technology Inc. 14.1.11 CR Minerals Company, LLC 14.1.12 Globachem 14.1.13 Universal Coating Systems 14.1.14 Centor Oceania 14.1.15 Chromatech Incorporated 14.1.16 Michelman, Inc. 14.1.17 Smith Seed Services 14.1.18 Prebble Seeds Ltd. 14.1.19 Organic Dyes and Pigments 14.1.20 Cistronics Technovations Pvt. Ltd. 15 Adjacent and Related Markets 16 Appendix For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/cktpdf Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg SOURCE Research and Markets Tiger Pistol is recognized among the best B2B companies in the world. AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Tiger Pistol , the leading collaborative advertising platform that delivers local activation at scale, has been selected by Inc. Business Media as an Inc. Power Partner. The inaugural Inc. Power Partner Awards vetted a global pool of B2B businesses with proven track records of elevating their clients' businesses. Out of more than 87,000 advertising firms operating today, less than 1% were included as Power Partner award winners. "This recognition validates our efforts to implement growth strategies that cultivate relationships for long-term client success and partnership satisfaction," said Paul Elliott, CEO of Tiger Pistol. "Collaboration is the core tenet of our business, combining our powerful technology and our team expertise with the needs of our clients and their partner ecosystems." According to the Inc. Power Partner website, "This new recognition program establishes a seal of approval for the companies from SMBs to full-scale enterprises that other companies rely on to level up. What the Inc. 5000 does for fast-growth businesses, Inc. Power Partners will do for B2B providers validate and thereby bring recognition and opportunity to the partners that power businesses to reach new heights." "As businesses focus on growing revenue through their partner channels, managing co-branded advertising at scale is a fundamental challenge," said Sarah Cucchiara, Vice President of Partner Strategy at Tiger Pistol. "By facilitating collaboration through technology, we enable brands to extend the reach of their national messages by way of their local partners. This collaboration enables local partners to capitalize on national efforts, drive revenue, and build brand advocacy at the partner level." By leveraging AI and social listening technology, Inc was able to score companies on traditionally intangible traits such as commitment, reliability, trust, creativity, supportiveness, and other virtues that clients value but can rarely quantify. Inc. also conducted surveys to gather client testimonials as part of this process. To view the complete list, visit www.inc.com/power-partner-awards/2022 . Learn more about the Tiger Pistol Collaborative Advertising Platform . About Tiger Pistol Tiger Pistol, the most award-winning collaborative advertising platform, makes high performance social advertising simple and scalable for clients and their partners, removing the barriers to customer acquisition, sales growth, and partner loyalty. Tiger Pistol's Collaborative Advertising Platform utilizes advanced technology and automation to unite enterprise brands, resellers, and agencies with their partners to acquire and engage new customers within their local communities. As a Meta (formerly Facebook) Business Partner, Tiger Pistol is the largest third-party publisher of collaborative social ads in the world, supporting clients in 22 global markets with more than 700,000 campaigns published annually. Learn more by visiting TigerPistol.com , or following on Twitter , Facebook , or LinkedIn . About Inc. Business Media The world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community they need to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com . CONTACT: Christina Morello Director, Marketing and Communications [email protected] (330) 354-0899 SOURCE Tiger Pistol HEMINGWAY, S.C., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Tracey Bryant Stuckey, a South Carolina NBCT, is making waves within the national education world to support teachers in becoming Nationally Board Certified or renewing through the Maintenance of Certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS). This program is founded on the principles and science of student-driven learning, differentiated instruction, reflective teaching practices, and being part of a robust professional learning community. In the midst of a national teacher attrition crisis, Stuckey, aims to equip teachers through this professional development with the content & pedagogical knowledge to successfully learn, grow, and be better prepared to earn NB certification. All of this is done virtually, with teachers collaborating from all over the country. Check out the current offerings for teachers at www.traceybryantstuckey.com . TraceyBryantStuckey.com launched months before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down, having profound impacts in the K-12 education institution. From inception, Stuckey's goal was to "empower teachers to grow big with their students to make teaching/learning a joyful experience." She has done just that by providing PD to teachers in a transformative way that allows teachers looking for NBPTS certification/renewal, to collaborate, connect, and learn from others across the nation. The goal was to "empower teachers to grow big with their students to make teaching/learning a joyful experience." Tweet this "Through my program, I instill teachers with the tools/knowledge to become more diagnostic & reflective within their practice, which creates a strong classroom community of student-centered learning. My PD is different because it is actionable and relevant to 21st century learning models to develop higher executive-functioning/questioning skills for students, thus culminating in a student-owned learning environment focusing always on student needs," stated Tracey. Currently, Stuckey provides support for teachers working on the initial and NB MOC. These PD programs include Teaching & Learning in the Classroom , Assessment Drives Instruction , and MOC Renew Like a Pro . Along with these programs, Stuckey provides district wide PD targeted to individual district needs. She is currently contracted by a SC School District to develop & implement a 21st Century Purposeful Play Based Kindergarten design where inquiry learning & development of executive-functioning skills empower the kindergarten students to think critically and own learning in an effort to see the Profile of a SC High School Graduate beginning in kindergarten. For more information on Tracey Bryant Stuckey & PD opportunities, visit www.traceybryantstuckey.com . CONTACT INFORMATION: Tracey Bryant Stuckey [email protected] SOURCE TraceyBryantStuckey.com https://www.spendedge.com/sample-report/food-grade-gases-sourcing-and-procurement-intelligence-report Major Food Grade Gases Trends in the Food Grade Gases Procurement Market The pressure from substitutes and a moderate level of threat from new entrants has resulted in the moderate bargaining power of suppliers. This makes it extremely important to get the pricing and pricing model right. Buyers should align their preferred pricing models for Food Grade Gases with the wider industry and identify the cost-saving potential. The most widely adopted Pricing Models in the Food Grade Gases Market in the Food Grade Gases Market Output based pricing model Volume based pricing model https://www.spendedge.com/sample-report/food-grade-gases-sourcing-and-procurement-intelligence-report Will there be an Increase in the Spend Growth for Food Grade Gases Procurement? The Food Grade Gases market will register an incremental spend of about USD 2.28 billion during the forecast period. However, only a few regions will drive the majority of this growth. Moreover, on the supply side, North America, Europe, and APAC will have the maximum influence owing to the supplier base. The growth is expected to be primarily driven by increasing demand and adoption of the category across those few regions. To get a detailed analysis of the volume drivers that are driving the adoption of the category across regions. Download the FREE sample report Subscribe to our "Free Limited Period Starter Procurement Plan" to get the following: View 6 full reports View 800+ report samples Pre-order upcoming reports Dedicated account manager Subscribe Now for FREE! This procurement report answers help buyers identify and shortlist the most suitable suppliers for their Food Grade Gases Market requirements following questions: Am I engaging with the right suppliers? Which KPIs should I use to evaluate my incumbent suppliers? Which supplier selection criteria are relevant for? What are the workplace computing devices category essentials in terms of SLAs and RFx? Get the Details That You Are Looking for: Buy our detailed market analysis report to uncover: Changing market landscape with yearly forecast till 2025. Analyze the market's competitive and vendor landscape. How much marketing budget to set aside for geographical market expansion? Understanding the most adopted procurement strategies by buyers across industries. Download the FREE sample Report Now! About SpendEdge: SpendEdge shares your passion for driving sourcing and procurement excellence. We are the preferred procurement market intelligence partner for 120+ Fortune 500 firms and other leading companies across numerous industries. Our strength lies in delivering robust, real-time procurement market intelligence reports and solutions. Contact SpendEdge Anirban Choudhury Marketing Manager Ph No: +1 (872) 206-9340 https://www.spendedge.com/contact-us SOURCE SpendEdge Acquisition of Atlassian Platinum Expert will support continued growth, enable expansion of services and bolster Valiantys' talent base. PARIS and BOSTON, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Valiantys, a leading global Atlassian consulting and services firm, today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the Atlassian services division of Addteq, Inc. ("Addteq"). This acquisition will be made possible by the investment and operational support of Keensight Capital , one of the leading private equity managers dedicated to international Growth Buyout1 investments, and Valiantys' majority shareholder since June 2022. Valiantys To Acquire Addteq, Inc.'s Consulting Business to Deepen Atlassian Services and Capabilities in North America Headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey, Addteq has two main divisions: an Atlassian Platinum Solution partner business, offering a range of services for Atlassian's enterprise customers, and an Atlassian Marketplace business, creating apps and extensions to Atlassian's products. Addteq has decided to focus its efforts on its Marketplace business, and as such it was natural for the services team to join forces with Valiantys. "This strategic acquisition will deepen Valiantys' services capabilities, strengthen its coverage of the financial services and healthcare sectors, and reinforce its coverage of the US East coast region," said Lucas Dussurget, Global CEO at Valiantys. "DevOps is critical to businesses which need to shorten the software development cycles, deliver innovation faster, and reduce deployment failures. As an Atlassian Platinum Partner, Addteq has an impressive track record in deployments and Managed Services of Atlassian solutions. We are thrilled to welcome them to the Valiantys team," said Emmanuel Benoit, North America CEO at Valiantys. Both Valiantys and Addteq have deep relationships with Atlassian and its ecosystem. Valiantys has been a dedicated Atlassian partner since its founding in 2006 and has been recognized as an Atlassian Partner of the Year in six of the last seven years. Addteq has been named one of Atlassian's Platinum Experts. "Divesting our consulting services and transitioning it to Valiantys allows our team to focus 100% of our efforts as a software company," said Sukhbir Dhillon, President & CEO of Addteq. "Valiantys has built a strong brand in the Atlassian ecosystem, and we have a shared focus on helping customers maximize their Atlassian investment. Our service division's experience across key vertical markets, such as financial services, telecommunications, manufacturing and healthcare, will help Valiantys drive growth and enable our prior Addteq customers to achieve their goals faster." "We are pleased to have supported Valiantys' team in this strategic acquisition," said Philippe Crochet, Managing Partner at Keensight Capital. "We strongly believe in Valiantys' capacity to grow its pool of talent and global footprint. We will continue to support Valiantys' leadership team in accelerating this trajectory through further international expansion." 1 Growth Buyout: investment in profitable, private companies experiencing strong growth, through minority or majority positions with or without leverage, using a flexible approach tailored to the needs of individual entrepreneurs, in order to finance organic growth projects, acquisition strategies, or provide historic shareholders with liquidity. About Valiantys Valiantys is a leading global consulting and services firm dedicated to Atlassian. The company accelerates business transformation by digitizing processes and modernizing teamwork, using the best agile methods and tools. Its Atlassian technical expertise is unparalleled and Valiantys supports its customers across the entire spectrum of projects on those platforms. As a recognized Agile at Scale and Cloud Specialized Partner, Valiantys help organizations accelerate time to value with Agile at scale, cloud, and ITSM implementations. Because teamwork requires more than just tools, the firm bridges the gap between applications and strategic practices such as SAFe and ITIL. Over the last 15 years, Valiantys has helped more than 5,000 customers achieve their desired business outcomes at a reduced time to value, through improved team collaboration. More information about Valiantys can be found at https://valiantys.com/ . Follow Valiantys on LinkedIn About Addteq Addteq is a leader in providing business solutions to enterprise clients. Addteq has been in the business for more than 10 years. Through the use of DevOps automation, Addteq strives to create innovative solutions to solve business processes. Clients depend on Addteq to modernize the software delivery process by providing Atlassian solutions, create custom add-ons, conduct training, offer hosting, perform DevOps services, and provide overall support services. More information can be found at https://www.addteq.com / . About Keensight Capital Keensight Capital, one of the leading international Growth Buyout firms, is committed to supporting entrepreneurs as they implement their growth strategies. For over 20 years, Keensight Capital's team of seasoned professionals has leveraged their knowledge of investment and growth industries to invest for the long term in profitable companies with high growth potential and revenues in the range of 10 million to 400 million. Drawing on its expertise in the Technology and Healthcare sectors, Keensight identifies the best investment opportunities and works closely with management teams to develop and achieve their strategic vision. Keensight Capital's success has also earned it a Gold Award from the Private Equity Exchange & Awards each year for the last six consecutive years, and in particular, the Best European Growth Private Equity Fund. www.keensightcapital.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1936861/Valiantys_Addteq.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1795959/Valiantys_Logo.jpg SOURCE Valiantys Microsoft Azure customers worldwide now gain access to Vee24's Virtual Boutique to take advantage of the scalability, reliability and agility of Azure to drive application development and shape business strategies. BOSTON, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Vee24, the leader in person-to-person digital customer experience solutions, today announced the availability of their Virtual Boutique in the Microsoft Azure Marketplace, an online store providing applications and services for use on Azure. Vee24 customers can now take advantage of the productive and trusted Azure cloud platform, with streamlined deployment and management. Vee24 helps leading brands deliver great person-to-person customer experiences that accelerate their digital business. The Virtual Boutique is powered by the Vee2 digital customer experience platform which uses high-definition video chat, text chat, AI-enabled chatbots, co-browsing, screen sharing, online appointment setting, and more; enabling customers to grow online sales, deliver better customer service, and build brand loyalty. Brands can seamlessly connect their virtual and in-person experience using this omnichannel customer engagement platform. Vee24 customers include leading industry brands in the retail, automotive, and financial services sectors. "Our aim is to ensure that Vee24 is the default customer engagement platform for organizations looking to grow online sales and deliver an unrivaled online customer experience," said Joseph Noonan, CEO, Vee24. "Adding the Vee24 Virtual Boutique to the Microsoft Azure Marketplace is a key step in this journey, connecting us to companies looking for ready-to-use solutions." Jake Zborowski, General Manager, Microsoft Azure Platform at Microsoft Corp. said, "We're pleased to welcome Vee24 to the Microsoft Azure Marketplace, which gives our partners great exposure to cloud customers around the globe. Azure Marketplace offers world-class quality experiences from global trusted partners with solutions tested to work seamlessly with Azure." The Azure Marketplace is an online market for buying and selling cloud solutions certified to run on Azure. The Azure Marketplace helps connect companies seeking innovative, cloud-based solutions with partners who have developed solutions that are ready to use. SOURCE Vee24 Board is Open to Evaluating All Credibly Financed Proposals That Maximize Value for Shareholders JERSEY CITY, N.J., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Veris Residential, Inc. (NYSE: VRE) (the "Company"), a forward-thinking, environmentally- and socially-conscious real estate investment trust (REIT) that primarily owns, operates, acquires, and develops Class A multifamily properties, today announced that its Board of Directors (the "Board") has unanimously rejected Kushner Companies' unsolicited proposals to acquire the Company for $16.00 per share or to externally manage the Company. Related Documents View PDF Letter to Kushner Companies (10-4-22) Related Documents View PDF Letter to Kushner Companies (10-16-22) The Board evaluated Kushner Companies' proposals in consultation with its financial advisors and legal counsel and determined that neither proposal was in shareholders' best interests. The Board's letter to Kushner Companies detailing its rationale is below, and prior letters the Board has sent to Kushner Companies can be found attached. Veris Residential encourages all shareholders to review these letters. The full text of the Board's November 3, 2022 letter follows. November 3, 2022 VIA EMAIL Mr. Charles Kushner Kushner Companies 767 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10153 Dear Mr. Kushner, We are writing in response to your October 20th letter to the Veris Residential, Inc. (the "Company") Board of Directors (the "Board"), in which you presented unsolicited proposals for Kushner Companies to acquire Veris Residential for $16.00 per share or to externally manage the Company. Consistent with its fiduciary duties and in consultation with its financial advisors (Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC & J.P. Morgan) and legal counsel (Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP) the Board reviewed your latest proposals on behalf of Veris Residential shareholders. To this end, the Board unanimously rejects Kushner Companies' unsolicited proposal to acquire the Company for $16.00 per share. The Board believes this proposal grossly undervalues the Company in its current form and denies Veris Residential shareholders the substantial value expected to be unlocked from the pending completion of the Company's strategic transformation. Per our most recent communication to you on October 16th, the Board is committed to evaluating any proposal to realize the substantial value that has been created at Veris Residential. However, any such proposal must fully compensate shareholders for the intrinsic value of their shares and be accompanied by explicitly committed equity and debt financing. Given Veris Residential's prior experience with Kushner Companies during which Kushner Companies was unable to substantiate its equity or debt financing sources we reiterate the Board's expectation that any proposal pertaining to the Company must include confirmation of the specific sources for requisite debt and equity capital (including details of expected commitments and anticipated due diligence) to be considered. The Board also reaffirms its previously communicated unanimous rejection of your proposal for Kushner Companies to externally manage Veris Residential. As clearly stated in our October 4th letter to you, the Board remains resolute in its conviction that implementing an external management structure would be deleterious to the Company's intrinsic value and severely limit its strategic flexibility at a critical inflection point in its nearly complete transformation. Over the last ten years, externally managed REITs have underperformed their internally managed peers by 93%, and traded at a significantly wider discount to NAV (~35%) and lower earnings multiple (~9.0x lower price to AFFO).1 While external management is not worthy of further consideration for the reasons outlined above, we would note that in the event the Board were to evaluate any business arrangement, it would be fundamental to the fulfillment of our fiduciary responsibilities to run a thorough process and prioritize partners with "best-in-class" property management, relevant third-party expertise, outstanding reputations and strong track records. Kushner Companies lacks third-party management expertise, has a well-documented history of questionable management practices, and is in direct competition with Veris Residential, creating inherent conflicts of interest. It is therefore highly unlikely that we would consider Kushner Companies as an appropriate partner. As we also noted in our October 16th letter and as clearly signaled by the significant Board and management share purchases over the last several weeks we recognize that the Company's recent achievements are not reflected in the current stock price. This is frustrating to the Board, Company management, and no doubt to all of the Company's long-term shareholders. Veris Residential's strategic transformation (inclusive of our recent agreement to sell Harborside 1, 2 & 3 and completion of the sale of 101 Hudson Street) results in 98% of Veris Residential's Net Operating Income (NOI) being derived from multifamily assets, up from 39% only 18 months ago. Additionally, as announced on Wednesday, the third quarter of 2022 represented Veris Residential's fourth consecutive quarter of strong rental and NOI growth across our multifamily portfolio despite significant market volatility. A full account of the transformation effectuated by current Company management is detailed within Veris Residential's most recent corporate presentation, available here. We have confidence that the Company's intrinsic value will be realized in the coming months as we continue to streamline our business and operations, and near the completion of our transformation. To this end, we note that Kushner Companies' analysis of Veris Residential's operational performance appears to be rooted in sub-institutional market practices and lacks familiarity with public-company structures. The analysis of our cost structure also ignores the Company's history. While Kushner Companies has been a shareholder of Veris Residential for only a few months, longtime Veris Residential shareholders know that, until recently, the Company operated as two disparate companies Mack-Cali Realty Corporation (predominantly commercial) and Roseland Residential Trust (residential) with two separate, largely duplicative cost structures which were, in part, a function of contractual arrangements instituted by legacy management. The improvements made during the past 18 months have resulted in the lowest G&A in nominal terms for the Company in over a decade, in-line with our mid-cap public REIT peers as a percentage of gross asset value. As we conclude this transition, we continue to recognize opportunities to further realize efficiencies and enhance our cost structure. Finally, we were surprised by your repeated contention that the Board has "ignored" Kushner Companies. Your most recent approach is the fourth proposal you have made to Veris Residential in a matter of months. Your October 20th proposal was preceded by: An abruptly withdrawn bid for the Company's Harborside assets (bid placed on April 4 th and subsequently withdrawn on April 19 th); A proposal for an external management contract between Kushner Companies and Veris Residential ( September 20 th); and A quid-pro-quo demanding two Board seats for Kushner Companies' employees and a "consulting contract" for Kushner Companies ( October 4 th). As you are aware, over the past several months the Board has openly engaged with Kushner Companies via multiple in-person meetings and telephone conversations. Further, the Board has evaluated each proposal with its external legal and financial advisors and provided Kushner Companies detailed responses to each. As part of this process, our financial advisors spoke with the equity partners to whom you referred us (in connection with your Harborside offer) and were unable to confirm the readiness of any of them to provide you with financing in connection with a potential transaction with Veris Residential. We reiterate that this inability to substantiate your capital casts serious doubt on Kushner Companies' ability to complete any meaningful transaction with the Company. The Board continues to welcome input from all shareholders, including Kushner Companies, and remains open to evaluating all proposals that maximize shareholder value. Should Kushner Companies (or any shareholder) have proposals that have the potential to create meaningful value for shareholders substantiated by credible and verifiable equity and debt financing sources we look forward to hearing them. _____________________________ Tammy K. Jones Alan R. Batkin Frederic Cumenal A. Akiva Katz Nori Gerardo Lietz Victor B. MacFarlane Mahbod Nia Howard S. Stern About Veris Residential, Inc. Veris Residential, Inc. is a forward-thinking, environmentally- and socially-conscious real estate investment trust (REIT) that primarily owns, operates, acquires, and develops holistically-inspired, Class A multifamily properties that meet the sustainability-conscious lifestyle needs of today's residents while seeking to positively impact the communities it serves and the planet at large. The company is guided by an experienced management team and Board of Directors and is underpinned by leading corporate governance principles, a best-in-class and sustainable approach to operations, and an inclusive culture based on equality and meritocratic empowerment. For additional information on Veris Residential, Inc. and our properties available for lease, please visit verisresidential.com. Investors Anna Malhari Chief Operating Officer [email protected] Media Amanda Shpiner/Grace Cartwright Gasthalter & Co. 212-257-4170 [email protected] 1 Market data as of October 13, 2022. SOURCE Veris Residential, Inc. Leading partner programs honored for excellence in automation, partner experience, personalization and results with Impartner PRM SALT LAKE CITY, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Impartner, the world's most complete channel management platform and Partner Relationship Management (PRM) provider, announced the winners of the 7th Annual Impartner Catalyst Awards at 2022 ImpartnerCON. Visa, T-Mobile, Xerox, and 16 other companies received awards for exemplifying best practices in partner programs, from partner experience and personalization to automation and impressive results with Impartner PRM. 2022 Impartner Catalyst Award winners received awards for exemplifying best practices in partner programs and more. Tweet this 2022 ImpartnerCON Catalyst Awards "These companies have ignited increased performance of their channels in ground-breaking ways," said COO, Brad Pace at Impartner. "They are innovating, accelerating, and maximizing the partner channel and partner experience. Congratulations to these companies and their partner channels, which are leading the industry in such difficult times." 2022 Impartner Catalyst Awards winners include the following companies in these categories: Accelerator Awards Vertiv : Its program's workflows, segmentation, and momentum scripting are standalone. The company is pushing the limits of automation with Impartner PRM. : Its program's workflows, segmentation, and momentum scripting are standalone. The company is pushing the limits of automation with Impartner PRM. Logitech : The company has built extensive workflows, segmentation, and partner journeys within its partner portal. : The company has built extensive workflows, segmentation, and partner journeys within its partner portal. Zendesk : The company has extended its partner solution with multiple API integrations. : The company has extended its partner solution with multiple API integrations. Sophos : The company arms partners with industry-best, innovative managed security services and solutions. Program compliance, deal registrations, and the quoting process are clearly defined for easy partner usage. : The company arms partners with industry-best, innovative managed security services and solutions. Program compliance, deal registrations, and the quoting process are clearly defined for easy partner usage. Zebra Technologies: Through News on Demand, over 10,000 partners receive targeted communications to help drive engagement. Utilizing syndication allows partners to better market Zebra products and services to their end-users. Innovator Awards Fortinet : Fortinet is one of the best beta testers of new products and often the first to use new functionality such as Through Channel Marketing Automation. : Fortinet is one of the best beta testers of new products and often the first to use new functionality such as Through Channel Marketing Automation. Xerox : Xerox is an expert in using Google Ads for the Channel. : Xerox is an expert in using Google Ads for the Channel. T-Mobile : The company was an early user of ImpartnerPX Partner Experience navigation, branding the PX library to push partner experience. : The company was an early user of ImpartnerPX Partner Experience navigation, branding the PX library to push partner experience. Palo Alto Networks : Palo Alto Networks created a new partner locator to amplify its NextWave for Technology Partners and product integrations. : Palo Alto Networks created a new partner locator to amplify its NextWave for Technology Partners and product integrations. Nintex: Nintex was the first customer to use custom objects. The team is highly technical and has pushed the limits of configurable functionality. The company has the best use of customization of the Impartner PRM, giving them a huge advantage in its marketplace. PX Factor Awards Splunk : The Splunk team embraces partner personalization in its channel program model, enabling partners to be more than a single assigned type. : The Splunk team embraces partner personalization in its channel program model, enabling partners to be more than a single assigned type. Poly : Poly is recognized for its use of the CMS editor. : Poly is recognized for its use of the CMS editor. Visa : Visa is honored for putting ImpartnerPX Partner Experience at the forefront of its channel from day one. : Visa is honored for putting ImpartnerPX Partner Experience at the forefront of its channel from day one. Malwarebytes : The company is recognized for building a targeted, personalized, partner experience. : The company is recognized for building a targeted, personalized, partner experience. Yamaha Unified Communications : Yamaha UC consistently updates its partners through portal communications, CMS Pages, and Push Notifications. The company updates all content on its platform, so it is relevant and useful for users. The small team makes a significant impact using the marketing capabilities within Impartner PRM. : Yamaha UC consistently updates its partners through portal communications, CMS Pages, and Push Notifications. The company updates all content on its platform, so it is relevant and useful for users. The small team makes a significant impact using the marketing capabilities within Impartner PRM. AvePoint: All solutions from the Ignite Pro Package are deployed in its partner portal. The partner experience and marketing teams focus on onboarding, marketing and enabling partners through the portal. Segmentation is driven through certifications, journeys, and account portal status. It is an interconnected built solution to be modeled across the entire partner industry. In addition to Impartner's 2022 customer awards, the company also announced its first ever partner of the year awards. Recipients of the partner of the year awards include JS Group, Spur Reply, and The Sherpa Group. These partners were recognized for delivering exceptional services and strategic guidance to Impartner's customer base. This year's awards were given at Impartner's customer event, ImpartnerCON, one of the world's largest vendor-led channel industry events, gathering the most influential channel leaders and industry speakers to collaborate, celebrate, and deep dive into future-forward content. To learn more about how Impartner helps corporations from the smallest to the largest enterprises like Honeywell, Qualtrics and Vertiv grow their channel revenue by an average of 32.3% in the first year of use alone, click here. About Impartner Impartner is the fastest-growing, most award-winning provider of channel management technologies, including its flagship Partner Relationship Management (PRM) and Through Channel Marketing Automation (TCMA) solutions, which help companies worldwide manage their partner relationships, drive demand through partners and accelerate revenue and profitability through indirect sales channels. For more information on Impartner, which is based in Utah's tech hotbed, the Silicon Slopes, visit impartner.com. Impartner Contact: Chelsea Rider Impartner [email protected] SOURCE Impartner Jeanne Lomas , D.O., Director of Allergy and Immunology, WellNow Allergy, recognized for her commitment to patient care and community involvement Innovation in allergy care and patient experience has contributed to establishing WellNow Allergy as a leading allergy provider in Western New York CHICAGO, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Jeanne Lomas, D.O., Director of Allergy and Immunology, WellNow Allergy, has been named as one of Buffalo Business First's 2022's 40 Under 40 winners. Dr. Lomas's dedication to her patients and the community, as well as her focus on removing the obstacles to care that currently exist for many people who suffer from allergies, contributed to this honor. Jeanne Lomas, D.O., Director of Allergy and Immunology, WellNow Allergy Dr. Lomas led WellNow Allergy's launch in 2020, partnering with the leading urgent care provider WellNow Urgent Care, supported by TAG -The Aspen Group. With three WellNow Allergy locations currently open and plans to expand the service throughout the WellNow Urgent Care network, even more patients will soon have access to quality allergy care in their geographic area. WellNow Allergy is quickly becoming a disruptive force in making comprehensive allergy testing and immunotherapy available and accessible for patients of all ages. "As a proud Buffalo native, this recognition is particularly exciting to me," said Jeanne Lomas, D.O., Director of Allergy and Immunology at WellNow Allergy. "Allergies are on the rise all over the United States and particularly in Western New York, and proper diagnosis and treatment of allergies can make such a significant impact on a patient's quality of life. The work we do every day at WellNow Allergy helps to remove barriers to allergy care and ease the stress created by growing demand and a nationwide shortage of allergists." "Dr. Lomas is an accomplished leader who cares deeply about making quality allergy care more accessible," said John Radford, M.D., President of WellNow Urgent Care. "Her commitment to her patients and mentorship to the WellNow Allergy team, as well as her community advocacy, is integral to our mission of bringing better, more convenient care to more patients." In the coming months, Dr. Lomas will be partnering with WellNow Clinical Research to lead clinical trials related to asthma and other respiratory conditions with patients in Western New York. WellNow Clinical Research is a growing leader for clinical research in community settings, allowing patients to contribute to clinical advancements and access cutting-edge treatments. Dr. Jeanne Lomas attended the University at Buffalo for undergraduate studies and completed her medical degree at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Erie, PA. She completed her pediatric residency, chief residency and allergy fellowship training at the University of Rochester. Most recently, she held a dual appointment at the University of Rochester in the department of Pediatric Allergy & Immunology as well as the department of Allergy, Immunology & Rheumatology. During her time at the University of Rochester, Dr. Lomas treated both adult and pediatric patients and served as clinical director for Pediatric Allergy & Immunology. She is also founder and co-director of the multidisciplinary pediatric Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE) program. For more information about WellNow Allergy, including locations, hours of operation and insurances accepted, visit WellNow.com/Allergy . About WellNow Allergy WellNow Allergy (NY Primary Care, P.C.), an affiliate of WellNow Urgent Care, is a growing provider of convenient, high quality allergy care, with three allergy centers in New York. Launched in 2021 and led by Dr. Jeanne Lomas, D.O., WellNow Allergy is on a mission to make expert allergist care from consultation to allergy testing and ongoing immunotherapy easy and convenient for patients of all ages. For more information, visit WellNow.com/Allergy. About WellNow Urgent Care WellNow Urgent Care is one of the fastest-growing providers of urgent medical care, virtual care, occupational health services and clinical research in the United States. Opened in 2012, the company now operates more than 200 centers across New York, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. More information about WellNow Urgent Care's services, hours and locations can be found at WellNow.com. About TAG - The Aspen Group TAG The Aspen Group was built on the simple idea of bringing better healthcare to more people. The independent healthcare practices TAG supports operate more than 1,300 locations in 45 states through its six consumer healthcare brands: Aspen Dental, ClearChoice Dental Implant Center, WellNow Urgent Care, Chapter Aesthetic StudioSM and AZPetVet. Combined, the practices serve more than 35,000 patients each day and more than 8 million patients each year. TAG is headquartered at 800 W. Fulton Market in Chicago. For more information, visit teamtag.com, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter. SOURCE WellNow Allergy Werfen enters into an agreement to acquire Immucor, Inc., a privately held, US-based corporation, with a solid global presence in transfusion and transplant in vitro diagnostics The transaction is expected to close during the first half of 2023 BARCELONA, Spain, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Werfen announced today that it has agreed to acquire Immucor, Inc., from TPG. Immucor is a privately held corporation with a strong global presence in transfusion and transplant in vitro diagnostics, headquartered in Norcross, Georgia, USA. This acquisition will allow Werfen to expand its portfolio of Specialized Diagnostics solutions for hospitals and clinical laboratories. Werfen President Marc Rubiralta The purchase price is expected to be approximately US$2 billion, with closing subject to customary regulatory approvals. The acquisition is being funded with a mix of cash on hand and new senior credit facilities. The company does not expect the transaction to impact its investment grade rating from Standard & Poor's. "As a global leader in the research, development, manufacturing and distribution of innovative, Specialized Diagnostics solutions for hospitals and clinical laboratories, Immucor is a natural fit with our existing business model," said Marc Rubiralta, President of Werfen. "We highly value Immucor's commitment to enhancing care for all patients in need of a transfusion or transplant. This fits squarely with our long-term vision and strategy, aligns with our focus, and complements Werfen's values." Rubiralta added, "I am confident that by combining two complementary, outstanding Specialized Diagnostics companies, Werfen will expand its global presence with greater diversification, while successfully maintaining its focus on specialization." "Immucor's expertise and innovations in transfusion and transplant diagnostics enable us to enter new markets and will help achieve our vision to be the preferred choice of the most advanced laboratory and point-of-care customers, globally," said Carlos Pascual, CEO of Werfen. "It will be a major milestone in the future of Werfen." Avi Pelossof, CEO of Immucor said, "As we look to the future, we are excited to grow our impact as part of Werfen, a company that shares our long-term vision and commitment to advancing patient care globally. As the value of diagnostics in the healthcare system grows, we are confident that Immucor will continue to innovate and succeed under Werfen's ownership." Upon completion of this acquisition, and based on 2021 figures, Werfen will surpass 2.2 billion in revenue, with seven technology centers, close to 7,000 employees worldwide, and a direct presence in 30 countries and more than 100 territories through distributors. Werfen was advised by Barclays and Milbank LLP. BBVA, BNP Paribas, CaixaBank and HSBC Holding plc provided commitments for the new senior credit facilities. The sellers and Immucor were advised by Evercore and Ropes & Gray LLP. Werfen Founded in 1966, Werfen is a worldwide developer, manufacturer and distributor of Specialized Diagnostic instruments, related reagents, automation workcells, and data management solutions for use primarily in hospitals and independent clinical laboratories. The Company's business units include Hemostasis, Acute Care Diagnostics, Autoimmunity, and Original Equipment Manufacturing (OEM). Werfen operates directly in nearly 30 countries and in more than 100 territories through distributors. For more information, visit werfen.com TPG TPG is a leading global alternative asset management firm, founded in San Francisco in 1992, with $127 billion of assets under management and investment and operational teams in 12 offices globally. TPG invests across five multi-product platforms: Capital, Growth, Impact, Real Estate, and Market Solutions and our unique strategy is driven by collaboration, innovation, and inclusion. Our teams combine deep product and sector experience with broad capabilities and expertise to develop differentiated insights and add value for our fund investors, portfolio companies, management teams, and communities. For more information visit www.tpg.com or @TPG on Twitter. Legal notice This document contains forward-looking statements about our business, financial data, and events related to the prospects of Werfen. These forecasts can be identified by the use of words such as "expectation", "vision", "anticipation", "intention", "plan", "belief", "search", "estimate", "future", "project", or words with a similar meaning. We may also make projections in other reports, presentations, and press releases. Furthermore, our sales representatives may occasionally make forward-looking statements. These projections are based on our current expectations and on certain hypotheses, many of which are beyond the corporation's control and subject to a series of risks and uncertainties. In the event that any of these risks or uncertainties should materialize or the underlying expectations are not fulfilled, the results or performance of Werfen may differ substantially (either positively or negatively) from those explicitly or implicitly forecast. Werfen assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements made previously. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1937701/Werfen_President_Marc_Rubiralta.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1561045/Werfen_Logo.jpg SOURCE Werfen SAN JOSE, Calif., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Whatfix has been named a Leader in the first ever Forrester New Wave: Digital Adoption Platforms, Q4 2022. In the Forrester report, Whatfix is positioned with the highest score in the strategy category amongst other evaluated vendors. Whatfix had differentiated scores in six criteria including analytics and insights, market approach, planned enhancements and innovation roadmap, product architecture, usage and adoption management, and employee experience when compared to others in the market. As per the report "Whatfix has a robust platform and comprehensive services portfolio. A strong platform coupled with extensive content services and dedicated support resources helps Whatfix stand out in the market." It further notes that "Whatfix is best fit for companies seeking a tailored solution. The significant investments Whatfix has made in domain- and industry-specific repositories enable a more personalized solution for verticals like insurance and financial services." Richard D, Legal Digitization and Product Manager at Accor (Europe's largest and a global top 10 hospitality company), said, "for difficult to understand applications, in-app solutions like Whatfix are a breath of fresh air. Whatfix's solution offers a decent amount of flexibility that should allow it to work on pretty much any application I expect." The Forrester report summarizes that "DAPs emerge as catalysts to enterprise digital transformation efforts" and "Today's DAPs help tech leaders be data-driven and insights-led in managing enterprise software adoption and user experiences." Khadim Batti, CEO and co-founder, Whatfix, said, "Whatfix's Digital adoption platform not only reinforces behavioral change in the end user through real time nudges, it also helps in building better product experiences. We believe this recognition revalidates Whatfix being at the forefront of disrupting the DAP category, innovating and building stronger products, keeping end users and product owners at the heart of it." According to the Forrester report, DAPs, "drive the adoption and use of enterprise software." They "improve the visibility of customer- and employee-facing applications," and they "boost the return on investments in employee-facing software." The Forrester New Wave is a guide for buyers considering their purchasing options in a technology marketplace and is based on its analysis and opinion. This evaluation of the emerging market for digital adoption platforms (DAPs), identified the 10 most significant providers in the category. This year, Whatfix acquired Leap.is to propel its mobile DAP offering globally. It was named a Leader in the Everest Group DAP PEAK Matrix for the third consecutive year. After creating a stronghold in the US and EMEA regions, Whatfix welcomed three senior leaders focused on hyper-growth in APAC. The company was also recognized in the inaugural Gartner Market Guide for Digital Adoption Platforms. A complimentary copy of the Forrester report can be downloaded here. About Whatfix Whatfix empowers anyone, anywhere to have scalable success with technology they use everyday, achieving greater knowledge, expanding capability, and unlocking productivity for themselves and their organizations. Whatfix's Digital Adoption Platform (DAP) integrates seamlessly with applications to enable users, providing in-context information and guidance to immediately increase individual capability and collectively amplify productivity. The organization has six offices globally in the US, India, UK, Germany, and Australia, and works with Fortune 500 companies around the world. Whatfix has raised $140 million to date, and is backed by marquee investors including Softbank Vision Fund 2, Sequoia Capital India, and Cisco Investments. For more information, visit Whatfix's website. Media contact Dex Polizzi Lumina Communications for Whatfix [email protected] SOURCE Whatfix BEIJING, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Yiren Digital Ltd. (NYSE: YRD) ("Yiren Digital" or the "Company"), a leading digital personal financial management platform in China, today announced its unaudited financial results for the six months ended June 30, 2022. First Half 2022 Operational Highlights Holistic Wealth Business Cumulative number of clients served reached 2,970,548 as of June 30, 2022 , representing an increase of 17.0% from 2,538,656 as of June 30, 2021 . , representing an increase of 17.0% from 2,538,656 as of . Number of active clients[1] was 578,562 as of June 30, 2022 , representing an increase of 50.1% from 385,536 as of June 30, 2021 . The increase was driven by our expanding insurance brokerage business and Yiren Select initiatives. , representing an increase of 50.1% from 385,536 as of . The increase was driven by our expanding insurance brokerage business and Yiren Select initiatives. Total client assets[2] reached RMB23,379.7 million ( US$3,490.5 million ) as of June 30, 2022 , representing an increase of 59.5% from RMB14,660.4 million as of June 30, 2021 . ( ) as of , representing an increase of 59.5% from as of . Sales volume of investment products amounted to RMB10,918.6 million ( US$1,630.1 million ) in the first half of 2022, which remained stable compared to RMB11,166.7 million in the first half of 2021. Credit-tech Business Total loans facilitated in the first half of 2022 reached RMB9.5 billion ( US$1.4 billion ), representing a decrease of 6.3% from RMB10.2 billion in the first half of 2021. The decrease was mainly due to the strategic optimization of our product structure and the pandemic resurgence in the first half of 2022. ( ), representing a decrease of 6.3% from in the first half of 2021. The decrease was mainly due to the strategic optimization of our product structure and the pandemic resurgence in the first half of 2022. Cumulative number of borrowers served reached 6,514,111 as of June 30, 2022 , representing an increase of 17.2% compared to 5,558,085 as of June 30, 2021 . , representing an increase of 17.2% compared to 5,558,085 as of . Number of borrowers served in the first half of 2022 was 827,767 representing an increase of 28.0% from 646,486 in the first half of 2021. The increase was due to our improved services, enriched membership benefits as well as enhanced customer engagement. Outstanding balance of performing loans facilitated reached RMB10,613.1 million ( US$1,584.5 million ) as of June 30, 2022 , representing a decrease of 15.4% from RMB12,543.7 million as of June 30, 2021 . The decrease was due to the scale back of our offline business as part of our business optimization process coupled with impacts from the pandemic resurgence. [1] Active clients refer to those who have made at least one investment through our holistic wealth ecosystem or have client assets with us above zero in the past twelve months. [2] Client assets refer to the outstanding balance of client asset generated through our platforms, where an asset is counted towards the outstanding balance for so long as it continues to be held by the clients who acquired it through our platform. Consumption-Driven Services Total gross merchandise volume generated through our e-commerce platform and 'Yiren Select' channel reached RMB146.1 million ( US$21.8 million ) in the first half of 2022. "We are pleased to deliver a resilient half-year result with continued improvement in profitability amid the pandemic resurgence and lockdowns. As the industry continues to evolve, we are in full-swing to optimize our product and revenue structure while improving bottom-line margins, reinforcing our positioning as a comprehensive personal financial management platform." said Mr. Ning Tang, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Yiren Digital. "On our wealth business, Hexiang Insurance is growing into an essential revenue contributor with its revenue reaching RMB344 million in the first half of 2022, accounting for 23% of total revenue, compared to only 14% in the same period last year. In the first half of this year, Hexiang achieved total premiums of RMB1.6 billion, representing a 96% increase year-on-year, marking a sharp contrast to the industry's single digit growth rate. We delivered these results by focusing on efforts to increase agent productivity as well as by leveraging our advantages in product exclusiveness and customization. A key focus for Hexiang this year has been on building an elite agent team, which consists of senior professionals from different sectors, including former lawyers, IT engineers and college lecturers. These agents bring with them powerful networks of high-net-worth individuals of whom they can tap into and up-sell and cross-sell different insurance products based on each individual's comprehensive asset-allocation needs." "On our credit-tech business, we have restructured our loan portfolio over the past few quarters, with small revolving and SME loans accounting for 100% of total loans originated in the first half of 2022, compared to 55% in the same period last year. Moreover, for our offline secured loan business that bore higher operating cost and was more vulnerable during the pandemic, we strategically scaled back our offline secured loans starting back in the third quarter last year and have officially terminated this product as of February this year. Given that our new product structure is more operationally efficient and better aligns with regulatory direction on lowering borrowing costs, we are confident that it will allow us to better scale and sustain under an evolving environment. Meanwhile, we tightened risk policies amid a challenging macro backdrop. For example, for our SME loans business, we proactively decreased approval rates through raising application requirements for business owners, such as increasing the minimum threshold for revenue levels as well as requiring our channel partners to do initial screening and filtering of potential borrowers. Specifically, in the second quarter of 2022, our overall FPD30+ rate was 0.46%, representing a historical low and compared to 0.66% from last quarter, reflecting the improved asset quality of our new loans." "We delivered a strong profit of RMB439 million in the first half of this year, representing a 15% increase year over year despite the temporary impacts on business scale from our product restructuring and pandemic resurgence. This reflects a net income margin of 29.2% for the first half of 2022, up 12.0 percentage points from the same period last year as we continue to enhance our cost efficiencies." said Ms. Na Mei, Chief Financial Officer of Yiren Digital. "Turning to our balance sheet, we maintained a substantial balance sheet with RMB5.3 billion in total shareholders' equity as of June 30, 2022. Earlier this year, our board approved a US$20 million share repurchase program, demonstrating our strong commitment to providing greater support for our shareholders as well as our unwavering confidence in the company's long-term potential." First Half 2022 Financial Results Total net revenue in the first half of 2022 was RMB1,505.9 million (US$224.8 million), representing a decrease of 32.3% from RMB2,225.0 million in the first half of 2021. Particularly, in the first half of 2022, revenue from credit-tech business was RMB827.2 million (US$123.5 million), representing a decrease of 50.6% from RMB1,674.4 million in the same period of 2021. The decrease was due to the strategic shift of our product structure and pricing as well as the impact of the pandemic resurgence in the first half of 2022. Revenue from holistic wealth business was RMB557.9 million ($83.3 million), presenting an increase of 1.3% from RMB550.6 million in the first half of 2021. Sales and marketing expenses in the first half of 2022 were RMB334.1 million (US$49.9 million), compared to RMB842.1 million in the same period of 2021. The decrease was primarily due to the optimization of cost structure for our offline business. Origination, servicing and other operating costs in the first half of 2022 were RMB341.6 million (US$51.0 million), which remained stable compared to RMB357.2 million in the same period of 2021. General and administrative expenses in the first half of 2022 were RMB228.5 million (US$34.1 million), compared to RMB247.6 million in the same period of 2021. The decrease was mainly due to the optimization of the company's offline business. Allowance for contract assets, receivables and others in the first half of 2022 was RMB97.4 million (US$14.5 million), compared to RMB234.7 million in the same period of 2021. The decrease was primarily due to the impact of the optimization of product mix. Income tax expense in the first half of 2022 was RMB71.2 million (US$10.6 million). Net income in the first half of 2022 was RMB439.3 million (US$65.6 million), as compared to RMB381.3 million in the same period in 2021. The increase was primarily due to the improvement of cost efficiency. Adjusted EBITDA[3] (non-GAAP) in the first half of 2022 was RMB560.1 million (US$83.6 million), compared to RMB546.9 million in the same period of 2021. Basic and diluted income per ADS in the first half of 2022 was RMB5.2 (US$0.8) and RMB5.1 (US$0.8), compared to a basic per ADS of RMB4.5 and a diluted per ADS of RMB4.5 in the same period of 2021. Net cash generated from operating activities in the first half of 2022 was RMB1,034.7 million (US$154.5 million), compared to net cash used in operating activities of RMB355.0 million in the same period of 2021. Net cash provided by investing activities in the first half of 2022 was RMB604.5 million (US$90.2 million), compared to net cash used in investing activities of RMB494.6 million in the same period of 2021. As of June 30, 2022, cash and cash equivalents were RMB4,354.5 million (US$650.1 million), compared to RMB2,864.5 million as of December 31,2021. As of June 30, 2022, the balance of held-to-maturity investments was RMB102.2 million (US$15.3 million), compared to RMB2.2 million as of December 31,2021. As of June 30, 2022, the balance of available-for-sale investments was RMB136.4 million (US$20.4 million), compared to RMB177.4 million as of December 31,2021. Delinquency rates. As of June 30, 2022, the delinquency rates for loans that are past due for 15-29 days, 30-59 days and 60-89 days were 0.6%, 1.4% and 1.5% respectively, compared to 0.9%, 1.5% and 1.2% respectively as of December 31,2021. Cumulative M3+ net charge-off rates. As June 30, 2022, the cumulative M3+ net charge-off rate for loans originated in 2019, 2020 and 2021 was 11.7%, 7.8% and 5.3% respectively, as compared to 11.4%, 5.8% and 2.2% respectively as of December 31,2021. [3] "Adjusted EBITDA" is a non-GAAP financial measure. For more information on this non-GAAP financial measure, please see the section of "Operating Highlights and Reconciliations of GAAP to Non-GAAP Measures" and the table captioned "Reconciliations of Adjusted EBITDA" set forth at the end of this press release. Non-GAAP Financial Measures In evaluating the business, the Company considers and uses several non-GAAP financial measures, such as adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA margin as supplemental measures to review and assess operating performance. We believe these non-GAAP measures provide useful information about our core operating results, enhance the overall understanding of our past performance and prospects and allow for greater visibility with respect to key metrics used by our management in our financial and operational decision-making. The presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("U.S. GAAP"). The non-GAAP financial measures have limitations as analytical tools. Other companies, including peer companies in the industry, may calculate these non-GAAP measures differently, which may reduce their usefulness as a comparative measure. The Company compensates for these limitations by reconciling the non-GAAP financial measures to the nearest U.S. GAAP performance measure, all of which should be considered when evaluating our performance. See "Operating Highlights and Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP measures" at the end of this press release. Currency Conversion This announcement contains currency conversions of certain RMB amounts into US$ at specified rates solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from RMB to US$ are made at a rate of RMB6.6981 to US$1.00, the effective noon buying rate on June 30, 2022, as set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board. Safe Harbor Statement This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements constitute "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "target," "confident" and similar statements. Such statements are based upon management's current expectations and current market and operating conditions and relate to events that involve known or unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond Yiren Digital's control. Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any such statements. Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, uncertainties as to Yiren Digital's ability to attract and retain borrowers and investors on its marketplace, its ability to introduce new loan products and platform enhancements, its ability to compete effectively, PRC regulations and policies relating to the peer-to-peer lending service industry in China, general economic conditions in China, and Yiren Digital's ability to meet the standards necessary to maintain listing of its ADSs on the NYSE or other stock exchange, including its ability to cure any non-compliance with the NYSE's continued listing criteria. Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties or factors is included in Yiren Digital's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and Yiren Digital does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable law. About Yiren Digital Yiren Digital Ltd. is a leading digital personal financial management platform in China. The Company provides customized, asset allocation-based holistic wealth solutions to China's mass affluent population as well as provides retail credit facilitation services to individual borrowers and small business owners. Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (in thousands, except for share, per share and per ADS data, and percentages) For the Six Months Ended June 30, 2021 June 30, 2022 June 30, 2022 RMB RMB USD Net revenue: Loan facilitation services 1,093,505 503,386 75,154 Post-origination services 85,370 92,287 13,778 Insurance brokerage services 311,505 343,751 51,321 Financing services 240,199 188,141 28,089 Electronic commerce services - 120,788 18,033 Others 494,419 257,536 38,448 Total net revenue 2,224,998 1,505,889 224,823 Operating costs and expenses: Sales and marketing 842,058 334,141 49,886 Origination,servicing and other perating costs 357,192 341,628 51,004 General and administrative 247,555 228,512 34,116 Allowance for contract assets, receivables and others 234,665 97,402 14,541 Total operating costs and expenses 1,681,470 1,001,683 149,547 Other (expenses)/income: Interest expense, net (33,762) (29,363) (4,384) Fair value adjustments related to Consolidated ABFE (48,636) 19,785 2,954 Others, net 19,796 15,895 2,373 Total other expenses (62,602) 6,317 943 Income before provision for income taxes 480,926 510,523 76,219 Income tax expense 99,632 71,207 10,631 Net income 381,294 439,316 65,588 Weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding, basic 167,970,515 170,005,103 170,005,103 Basic income per share 2.2700 2.5841 0.3858 Basic income per ADS 4.5400 5.1682 0.7716 Weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding, diluted 169,160,565 170,932,908 170,932,908 Diluted income per share 2.2540 2.5701 0.3837 Diluted income per ADS 4.5080 5.1402 0.7674 Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Cash Flow Data Net cash (used in)/generated from operating activities (355,004) 1,034,652 154,471 Net cash (used in)/provided by investing activities (494,595) 604,478 90,246 Net cash provided by/(used in) financing activities 423,507 (158,374) (23,645) Effect of foreign exchange rate changes (396) 1,308 195 Net (decrease)/increase in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash (426,488) 1,482,064 221,267 Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, beginning of period 2,707,148 2,945,344 439,728 Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, end of period 2,280,660 4,427,408 660,995 Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (in thousands) As of December 31, 2021 June 30, 2022 June 30, 2022 RMB RMB USD Cash and cash equivalents 2,864,543 4,354,487 650,108 Restricted cash 80,800 72,921 10,887 Accounts receivable 305,018 297,939 44,481 Contract assets, net 1,105,905 634,079 94,665 Contract cost 9,959 2,545 380 Prepaid expenses and other assets 352,015 266,636 39,808 Loans at fair value 73,734 19,812 2,958 Financing receivables 1,697,962 960,238 143,360 Amounts due from related parties 879,256 935,714 139,698 Held-to-maturity investments 2,200 102,200 15,258 Available-for-sale investments 177,360 136,362 20,358 Property, equipment and software, net 102,548 92,714 13,842 Deferred tax assets 7,388 75,555 11,280 Right-of-use assets 80,752 48,151 7,189 Total assets 7,739,440 7,999,353 1,194,272 Accounts payable 19,065 30,903 4,613 Amounts due to related parties 434,127 411,530 61,440 Deferred revenue 12,379 1,713 256 Payable to investors at fair value 50,686 49,605 7,406 Accrued expenses and other liabilities 1,182,783 1,242,139 185,446 Secured borrowings 1,028,600 869,300 129,783 Refund liability 5,732 5,390 805 Deferred tax liabilities 112,535 80,200 11,974 Lease liabilities 72,101 49,724 7,424 Total liabilities 2,918,008 2,740,504 409,147 Ordinary shares 123 123 18 Additional paid-in capital 5,100,486 5,107,095 762,469 Treasury stock (42,897) (42,897) (6,404) Accumulated other comprehensive income 11,553 4,772 712 Accumulated deficit (247,833) 189,756 28,330 Total equity 4,821,432 5,258,849 785,125 Total liabilities and equity 7,739,440 7,999,353 1,194,272 Operating Highlights and Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Measures (in thousands, except for number of borrowers, number of investors and percentages) For the Six Months Ended June 30, 2021 June 30, 2022 June 30, 2022 RMB RMB USD Operating Highlights Amount of investment in current investment products 11,166,657 10,918,580 1,630,101 Number of investors in current investment products 203,472 305,975 305,975 Amount of loans facilitated under loan facilitation model 10,183,146 9,541,056 1,424,442 Number of borrowers 646,486 827,767 827,767 Remaining principal of performing loans facilitated under loan facilitation model 12,543,745 10,613,125 1,584,498 Gross merchandise volume - 146,138 21,818 Segment Information Holistic Wealth: Revenue 550,582 557,905 83,293 Sales and marketing expenses 68,031 95,782 14,300 Origination,servicing and other operating costs 283,015 238,133 35,552 Consumer credit: Revenue 1,674,416 827,196 123,497 Sales and marketing expenses 774,027 237,220 35,416 Origination,servicing and other operating costs 74,177 73,503 10,974 Others: Revenue - 120,788 18,033 Sales and marketing expenses - 1,139 170 Origination,servicing and other operating costs - 29,992 4,478 Reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA Net income 381,294 439,316 65,588 Interest expense, net 33,762 29,363 4,384 Income tax expense 99,632 71,207 10,631 Depreciation and amortization 27,321 15,379 2,296 Share-based compensation 4,850 4,882 729 Adjusted EBITDA 546,859 560,147 83,628 Adjusted EBITDA margin 24.6 % 37.2 % 37.2 % Delinquency Rates (Loan Facilitation Model) 15-29 days 30-59 days 60-89 days All Loans December 31, 2019 0.8 % 1.3 % 1.0 % December 31, 2020 0.5 % 0.7 % 0.6 % December 31, 2021 0.9 % 1.5 % 1.2 % March 31, 2022 0.9 % 2.0 % 1.9 % June 30, 2022 0.6 % 1.4 % 1.5 % Online Channels December 31, 2019 1.0 % 2.1 % 1.6 % December 31, 2020 0.6 % 1.0 % 1.1 % December 31, 2021 0.8 % 1.3 % 1.1 % March 31, 2022 0.7 % 1.5 % 1.3 % June 30, 2022 0.6 % 1.1 % 1.2 % Offline Channels December 31, 2019 0.7 % 0.9 % 0.7 % December 31, 2020 0.4 % 0.6 % 0.4 % December 31, 2021 1.0 % 1.8 % 1.4 % March 31, 2022 1.1 % 2.7 % 2.9 % June 30, 2022 0.8 % 2.0 % 2.3 % Net Charge-Off Rate (Loan Facilitation Model) Loan Issued Period Amount of Loans Facilitated During the Period Accumulated M3+ Net Charge-Off as of June 30, 2022 Total Net Charge-Off Rate as of June 30, 2022 2019 3,431,443 402,684 11.7 % 2020 9,614,819 746,922 7.8 % 2021 23,195,224 1,222,254 5.3 % 2022Q1 4,606,889 30,001 0.7 % M3+ Net Charge-Off Rate (Loan Facilitation Model) Loan Issued Period Month on Book 4 7 10 13 16 19 22 25 28 31 34 2019Q1 0.0 % 0.8 % 2.0 % 3.4 % 5.3 % 5.9 % 6.3 % 6.3 % 6.3 % 6.3 % 6.3 % 2019Q2 0.1 % 1.5 % 4.5 % 7.5 % 8.8 % 9.2 % 9.9 % 10.3 % 10.6 % 10.6 % 10.6 % 2019Q3 0.2 % 2.9 % 6.8 % 9.0 % 10.4 % 12.0 % 13.2 % 13.8 % 14.4 % 14.6 % 2019Q4 0.4 % 3.1 % 4.9 % 6.3 % 7.2 % 7.9 % 8.4 % 8.9 % 9.5 % 2020Q1 0.6 % 2.3 % 4.1 % 5.2 % 6.0 % 6.2 % 6.6 % 7.2 % 2020Q2 0.5 % 2.5 % 4.2 % 5.3 % 6.1 % 6.7 % 7.5 % 2020Q3 1.1 % 3.3 % 5.1 % 6.3 % 7.1 % 8.1 % 2020Q4 0.3 % 1.8 % 3.2 % 4.6 % 6.0 % 2021Q1 0.4 % 2.3 % 3.9 % 5.5 % 2021Q2 0.4 % 2.4 % 4.5 % 2021Q3 0.5 % 3.1 % 2021Q4 0.6 % SOURCE Yiren Digital SEOUL, South Korea, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Robert Yu, CEO of Yuyu Pharma, has been attending biopharmaceutical conferences held in Germany, BIO-Europe and CPHI. The purpose is to explore opportunities to expand into international markets, such as Europe. Robert Yu, CEO of Yuyu Pharma, has been attending biopharmaceutical conferences held in Germany, BIO-Europe and CPHI. While attending BIO-Europe (Leipzig) and CPHI (Frankfurt), Robert Yu has focused on meeting with contract research organizations, Key Opinion Leaders, and potential clinical sites in preparation for clinical trials in US and Europe for Yuyu's dry eye drug, YP-P10, and androgenetic alopecia drug, DUT. Yuyu Pharma is currently conducting Phase 2 clinical trials for YP-P10 in the United States at 7 sites with 240 patients. Additionally, Robert Yu plans to meet with global pharmaceutical companies to discuss potential collaboration opportunities as well as meet with European officials in connection with regulatory affairs and drug registration. Robert Yu "by attending such conferences provides an opportunity to introduce the company and the portfolio of drug discovery program in development. We have received positive feedback about Yuyu's new drug pipeline and hope that this will turn into commercial success in the future." About Yuyu Pharma Yuyu Pharma (KRX: 000220) is a Korean pharmaceutical company founded in 1941 that manufactures and distributes pharmaceutical products, medical devices, and food supplements. The company is also committed to developing innovative therapeutics in the areas of Neurology, Urology, and Ophthalmology. Yuyu's Mission is to improve the quality of life and enhance well-being for all individuals by developing innovative healthcare products and services. Media Contact Sean Yoon [email protected] Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1936958/Yuyu_Pharma_attendance_at_European_Pharmaceutical_Conference.jpg SOURCE Yuyu Pharma Nairobi, Nov 3 : The rise in multiple extreme weather events in Africa calls for a coordinated approach for evidence-based negotiations at the COP27 in Egypt, a climate negotiator said. George Wamukoya, the team leader of the African Group of Negotiators Expert Support (AGNES), said on Wednesday in a statement released in Nairobi, Kenya's capital, there has been a lack of coordination between African policymakers, scientists and negotiators to provide evidence on the effects of global warming on the continent. "In all the positions that Africa takes, negotiators must do technical or background papers to generate evidence guiding that position," Wamukoya, an experienced lead coordinator on agriculture said. "Ahead of the climate change conference, we have convened pre-meetings where scientists and negotiators have discussed the agenda and identified areas that require evidence. These scientists have helped negotiators in packaging a common African position that is informed by science," he added. On Tuesday, Guleid Artan, the Director of the IGAD's Climate Prediction and Applications Center (ICPAC), said Africa would at the meeting focus on getting adaptation funds from countries that have created the mess for the continent. Africa is among the continents that have suffered the worst effects of the climate crisis, with countries like Nigeria and South Africa enduring floods as drought ravages the Horn of Africa, Xinhua news agency reported. The adverse impacts of the climate crisis have led to increased food insecurity, water scarcity, reduced crop yields and disruption of food systems have taken a toll on African households and the continent's economic growth. "Science tells us that Africa is the most vulnerable continent yet it has contributed the least in terms of emissions. Africa's voice in the global climate negotiations, therefore, becomes critical," Wamukoya added. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the cost of adapting to climate change shocks across Africa is estimated to rise to $50 billion by 2050 if the global temperature increase remains within 2 degrees celsius above pre-industrial levels. This is despite the continent accounting for less than four per cent of global emissions. "Delivering a good outcome at COP27 for Africa is, therefore, an imperative. AGNES is ready to make a case for adaptation, doubling adaptation finance, creating greater prominence for loss and damage discussions, raising mitigation ambition, and institutionalising agriculture in the UNFCCC process. We must deliver on agriculture," said Wamukoya. The Conference of the Parties 27 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change will kick off in Egypt on November 6. United Nations, Nov 3 : UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warmly welcomes the announcement from Russia on its resumed participation in the implementation of a deal to facilitate grain export through the Black Sea, his spokesman said. Guterres is grateful for the diplomatic efforts of Turkey, and thanks UN Coordinator Amir Abdulla and his team for their work to "keep this vital food supply line open," Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman, added in a statement on Wednesday. The Secretary-General continues his engagement with all actors toward the renewal and full implementation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, and also remains committed to removing the remaining obstacles to the exports of Russian food and fertiliser, the statement said. On July 22, Russia and Ukraine separately signed a document in Istanbul with Turkey and the UN on grain and fertiliser exports from Ukraine and Russia to ensure supplies to global markets amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Xinhua news agency reported. On October 29, Russia announced the decision to immediately and indefinitely suspend its implementation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, accusing Ukraine of launching drone attacks against the Russian Black Sea Fleet's ships and infrastructure at the naval base in Sevastopol. Russia on Wednesday announced its return to the implementation of the deal, saying Ukraine has promised not to use the humanitarian corridor for military attacks. Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War Tehran, Nov 3 : Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has said that an Iranian delegation will travel to Vienna in the coming days for talks on enhancing cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), state media reported. Speaking to a joint press conference with his visiting Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad in Tehran, Amir-Abdollahian on Wednesday added that President of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Mohammad Eslami and IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi have agreed on the arrangement. He expressed hope for progress to be made in the talks as long as the IAEA sticks to a technical approach and follows an agreement it reached with AEOI on the nuclear watchdog's "certain accusations against Iran". Amir-Abdollahian was referring to the IAEA report of Iran not providing "technically credible explanations" for nuclear activities at three undeclared sites, and the ensuing anti-Iran resolution passed by its Board of Governors in June. Iran has repeatedly said the claims are based on "fabricated and false information". Besides, indirect exchange of messages still continues between Tehran and Washington over the nuclear talks in Vienna, Amir-Abdollahian noted. Iran signed a nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with world powers in July 2015, agreeing to curb its nuclear programme in return for removing sanctions on the country. However, Washington quit the agreement and reimposed unilateral sanctions on Tehran in 2018, prompting the latter to drop some of its commitments under the pact, Xinhua news agency reported. The talks on the JCPOA's revival began in April 2021 in Vienna. No breakthrough was achieved after the latest round of talks in early August. Ankara, Nov 3 : Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky have discussed resuming the implementation of a deal that allows the export of grain from designated Black Sea ports. In a phone conversation with Zelensky, Erdogan expressed his pleasure that the parties had resolved the grain shipments problem through cooperation, Turkey's presidency said in a statement on Wednesday. While saying it was of critical importance for the entire world that both Ukraine and Russia could sell their grain products, the Turkish President emphasised the significance of the continuation of the grain shipment agreement, it added. Russia on Wednesday announced its return to the implementation of the grain export deal through the Black Sea, saying Ukraine has promised not to use the humanitarian corridor for military attacks, Xinhua news agency reported. Thanks to the participation of the UN and the assistance of Turkey, the joint coordination center for the implementation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative on Tuesday received a written guarantee from Ukraine of not using the shipping route defined in the deal and Ukrainian ports designated for grain export to conduct military operations against Russia, the Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement. Earlier on Wednesday, Erdogan confirmed that Moscow had agreed to resume its implementation of the grain export deal. Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar was informed by his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu that the grain agreement would "continue in the same way as before" as of Wednesday, the Turkish President told his party members at the parliament. He said "the goods news" followed his phone talk with Russian President Vladimir Putin a day earlier, in which the two leaders discussed the deal's implementation. First shipments now will prioritise African countries, including Somalia, Djibouti, and Sudan, Erdogan added. The UN-brokered grain export deal was reached in late July in an effort to ensure the supplies of Russian and Ukrainian grain and agri-products to global markets in the course of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Russia announced on Saturday its suspension of the implementation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, accusing Ukraine of carrying out drone attacks on the Russian Black Sea Fleet near Sevastopol and infrastructure at the naval base there, which Ukraine denied. On Tuesday, Akar said, "Ukrainian interlocutors made (written) statements that relieved these concerns both during their conversations with us and during the meetings of the officials at the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul." Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War United Nations, Nov 3 : India has abstained on yet another resolution involving Ukraine, this time a motion sponsored by Russia at the UN Security Council (UNSC). Only China voted with Russia on Wednesday on the resolution calling for an inquiry into what Moscow alleged was a joint bio-warfare programme run by the US and Ukraine in violation of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC). All the 10 non-permanent members abstained and the only negative votes from the US, Britain and France did not amount to vetoes because the resolution automatically failed without getting the minimum of nine votes. Explaining India's abstention, Counsellor Asokan Amarnath cited the absence of "an effective, universal and non-discriminatory verification mechanism" for implementing the provisions of the BWC. He told the Council that developing such a verification mechanism "is necessary to strengthen the BWC and its implementation". "We hope the current situation will provide an impetus for early consideration and negotiation of such a Protocol" for verification, he added. India is one of the 184 signatories to the convention that bans the use, manufacture, distribution and stockpiling of biological weapons. This was at least the 11th time India had abstained on a substantive resolution at the Security Council and the General Assembly involving Ukraine. Amarnath emphasised the importance of the BWC's Article X which gives nations the right to participate in research and share biological information, materials and equipment for peaceful purposes. India "underlines that biological-related activities for peaceful purposes that are fully consistent with the Convention's obligations should not be undermined", he added. The US has dismissed Russia's allegations about the bioweapons programme saying that under its Cooperative Biological Threat Reduction programme it had only assisted Ukraine in destroying any material left in that country by the Soviet Union when that country became independent. Russia has claimed that biological weapons were being developed in Ukrainian laboratories with US funding and help and circulated what it said were documents regarding the alleged cooperation that it seized after invading Ukraine. Last week it circulated a dossier of more than 300 pages outlining the allegations. US Permanent Representative Linda Thomas-Greenfield said that Russia's resolution "is based on disinformation, dishonesty, bad faith, and a total lack of respect for this body". She said that Russia knew that the US' "Cooperative Threat Reduction efforts are not for military purposes" because Moscow had itself "participated in this very kind of cooperation with us, including on biological threats" for two decades. Russia's Deputy Permanent Representative Dmitri Polyansky accused the West of showing a "colonial mentality" in opposing its proposal for an inquiry to report back by the end of the month. (Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in and followed at @arulouis) Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War Seoul :This photo, taken Nov. 3, 2022, shows TV news footage on North Korea's firing of a long-range ballistic missile and two short-range ones.(Yonhap/IANS) Image Source: IANS News Seoul :This photo, taken Nov. 3, 2022, shows TV news footage on North Korea's firing of a long-range ballistic missile and two short-range ones.(Yonhap/IANS) Image Source: IANS News Seoul, Nov 3 : North Korea on Thursday fired a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and two short-range ones toward the East Sea, the South Korean military said. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected what is presumed to be a long-range ballistic missile launch from the Sunan area in Pyongyang at around 7.40 a.m. and the firing of two apparent short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) from Kaechon in South Pyongan province from 8.39 a.m., reports Yonhap News Agency. The long-range missile flew about 760 km at an apogee of around 1,920 km at a top speed of Mach 15, and the two SRBMs travelled some 330 km at a maximum altitude of around 70 km at a top speed of Mach 5, it said. It marks the North's first firing of an ICBM since May. The North's provocations came a day after it shot more than two dozen missiles, the biggest-ever barrage in a single day. One of them flew southward past the de facto maritime inter-Korean border for the first time since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. The North is seen as demonstrating its firepower in protest against this week's combined air drills of South Korea and the US, involving more than 240 aircraft, amid growing speculation that Pyongyang may conduct a nuclear test soon. Pyongyang has long denounced joint military drills between Seoul and Washington as a rehearsal for invasion. The countries stress the exercises are defensive in nature. North Korea's Foreign Ministry had earlier warned of "more powerful follow-up measures" against what it called Washington's "ceaseless and reckless" military provocations. Macao, Nov 3 : The Macao Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau has issued the third-highest storm warning for the tropical cyclone Nalgae and issued a blue storm surge warning. The bureau said the storm is expected to be very near Macao on Thursday, bringing with it rain, reports Xinhua news agency. It urged residents to take preventive measures against waterlogging. Macao Marine and Water Bureau said all marine transport has been cancelled. Nucleic acid testing stations across the city have suspended operation, said the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Cenre. Three bridges linking the Macao Peninsula and Taipa-Coloane, and the Lotus Bridge that connects Taipa-Coloane and Hengqin Island of Zhuhai, have been shut down due to safety concerns. Classes in Macao's kindergartens and primary schools have been cancelled. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Mumbai, Nov 3 : Voting for the bypoll to the Andheri East Assembly constituency started on a brisk note amid tight security, here on Thursday morning. The voting, which started at 7 a.m., with queues of voters building up at several polling stations, will continue till 6 p.m. and the results are expected on November 6. The main candidate in the fray is Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Rutuja Latke, the widow of former sitting legislator Ramesh Latke whose death in May necessitated the by-elections. Put up as a joint Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) candidate, Latke is fighting on her party's new name and symbol -- Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray -- and the Flaming Torch. She is opposed by six other candidates, two local political parties and four independents and is to romp home easily. The contest lost its political sheen after the Bharatiya Janata Party last week decided to withdraw its candidate Murji Patel, while others like Aam Aadmi Party, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, etc., did not put up candidates. Votes are being cast at 256 polling stations, comprising 239 on the ground floors while 17 are on the first floor, we have made arrangements for wheelchairs and lifts are also available, drinking water and other basic requirements of the voters, according to an SEC official. A former BMC employee, Latke -- the widow of sitting Shiv Sena MLA, the late Ramesh Latke who passed away in May -- is challenged by Bala Nadar (Aapki Apni Party), Manoj Kumar Nayak (Right to Recall Party), and four independents, Farhan Syed, Neena Khedekar, Milind Kamble Rajesh Tripathi, are in the fray. Washington, Nov 3 : Johns Hopkins University in the US city of Baltimore has issued a safety warning amid an increase in serious crimes in its premises. From October 6 to 27 alone, there were six armed robberies reported on and around its Homewood campus, as well as one near its Peabody campus -- two of which were abduction attempts, a Fox News report said citing Branville Bard, the university's vice president for public safety. "These acts of violence tear at the fabric of our community, and the university is working to support the victims," Bard said in a letter to students and staff. The vice president said members of Johns Hopkins community fell victim to "two especially brazen and disturbing incidents" last week, Xinhua news agency reported. On October 24, one of those victims was walking near the Homewood campus in the 100 block of West University Parkway when three suspects "armed with handguns forced the affiliate into their vehicle", drove to "multiple ATMs, and forced the victim to make cash withdrawals before releasing the victim", the Fox News report said. On October 27, a victim was walking on the footbridge of San Martin Drive on the Homewood campus when two suspects, one armed with a handgun, demanded the victim's cell phone and password, it said. Robberies, burglaries and carjacking incidents have increased in Baltimore so far this year compared to last year, and homicides are on track to surpass 300 for the eighth year in a row, according to the report. Quito, Nov 3 : Ecuadorian Interior Minister Juan Zapata said that at least 28 people have been arrested after a series of attacks rocked the two coastal provinces of Guayas and Esmeraldas earlier this week, which left five policemen dead. The arrests were made in the last few hours in raids conducted by special groups of the police and the armed forces, Xinhua news agency quoted the Minister as saying at a press conference here on Wednesday. Zapata said that the special groups also seized eight firearms, 227 ammunition, three rifles, three pistols, 60 detonating capsules and eight sticks of dynamite. Also seized in the operations were 600 packets of controlled substances, 13 cell phones, a motorcycle, a vehicle and three police uniforms. In addition, two persons were arrested with a truck which carried 16,416 explosives, 1,200 dynamite and 150,000 detonating capsules from a factory in Peru, according to the interior minister. A state of emergency declared by President Guillermo Lasso on Tuesday night would last 45 days in Guayas and Esmeraldas. Lasso described the attacks as acts of sabotage and terrorism, saying that it was a declaration of open war against the rule of law, the government and citizens. The President vowed he is willing to act harshly within the framework of the law. Since Tuesday night, Lasso has been leading a Unified Command Post that was activated in Guayaquil, provincial capital of Guayas, to take actions against drug mafias which are blamed for the deteriorating security situation in Ecuador's coastal region. The President flew to Guayaquil to supervise the joint operations launched to protect the population by responding forcefully to drug criminal organisations. Chennai, Nov 3 : The Tamil Nadu government, under its Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) scheme, has released an amount of Rs 112.9 crore for the maintenance of schools. The government had come under widespread criticism for failing to release funds for maintenance of schools even as the northeast monsoon was about to hit the state. According to a circular issued by the School education department, while an amount of Rs 80.53 crore is sanctioned for primary and middle schools, the amount sanctioned for maintenance work in higher secondary schools is Rs 38.74 crore. The schools are required to display the amount sanctioned in the notice board of their schools and the fund has to be utilised within December 31, 2022. The schools can use this fund for their maintenance, sanitation, procuring school essentials, and also small repairs. Besides, the schools can also use these funds for paying electricity and internet bills, for betterment of drinking water facilities in the schools, and purchasing new teaching aids and materials. In its circular, the school education department has directed the schools to mandatorily allocate 10 per cent of the money sanctioned for improving sanitation in the schools and also to spread awareness among students on sanitation. The school education department wants the schools concerned to conduct awareness on sanitation once a week. The circular also directed the schools to upload the details of the expenditure on the Educational Management and Information System software of the school education department so that no appropriation of funds takes place. A high school headmaster from Tiruchi district in Tamil Nadu, while speaking to IANS on condition of anonymity, said, "It is not possible to complete the maintenance before December 31 as rains have already commenced. I hope that the school education department will give more time for this work." Sanaa, Nov 3 : Yemen's internationally-recognized government has started intensifying precautionary security measures around key production facilities in some southern regions as the Houthi militia have threatened to wage more attacks, a government source said. Upon the government warning, local security authorities deployed elite military units of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) in and around main cities including Aden, as part of the security measures to abort Houthi threats, the source told Xinhua news agency on Wednesday. "The country's southern provinces and the western coastal areas are experiencing stability and prosperity as several vital business facilities and top investment companies are headquartered there due to the stable environment provided by the local authorities," he explained. The source added that operations in the seaports and oil fields have "fully resumed", which helped save the country's economy from further deterioration amid the prolonged civil war. Despite being the targets of Houthi missile threats, southern provinces continued to attract business companies and investors fleeing from the north, the official added. Since the failure to extend a UN-mediated humanitarian cease-fire between the Yemeni government forces backed by the Saudi Arabia-led coalition and the Houthis earlier this month, fighting between the warring sides has heavily intensified across the war-ravaged Arab country. The nationwide truce went into force on April 2 and was renewed twice through October 2. However, the UN special envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg announced earlier last month that no agreement had been reached to renew the expired truce between Yemen's warring parties. Failure to renew the UN-brokered truce prompted the Houthi militia to warn all foreign oil companies and companies based in the government-controlled provinces to immediately cease operating, or they will face missile attacks. Another official of Yemen's government told Xinhua that as a response to the Houthi threats, "elite troops reinforced their fortifications in and around the country's strategic ports, including the port of Mukalla". Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi militia stormed several northern cities and forced the Saudi-backed government out of the capital, Sanaa. The war has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced four million, and pushed the country to the brink of starvation. Algiers, Nov 3 : The 31st Arab League (AL) Summit concluded here with the adoption of the Algiers Declaration which calls for joint action to tackle the regional and global challenges. The declaration on Wednesday warned of the risks brought by changing international situation posed to Arab national security and stability, stressing the importance of unifying efforts to preserve Arab common interests, reports Xinhua news agency. It also called for cooperation in ensuring food and energy security, confronting climate change, as well as ending the crises in some Arab countries. According to the declaration, the Arab leaders reiterated their full support for the establishment of an independent state of Palestine on the basis of the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, while urging Israel to halt its attacks against Palestinians and end its blockade on the Gaza Strip. Referring to the Libya issue, the Arab leaders vowed to make all efforts to end the crisis through an inter-Libyan process in accordance with United Nations resolutions and with respect to Libya's unity, stability, and sovereignty. The declaration suggested that Arab states should play a key role in settling the Syrian crisis while addressing the country's political, security, humanitarian, and economic challenges. The Arab leaders further expressed support for the incumbent government in Yemen and commitment to extending the truce. The Arab leaders also agreed to work on establishing a zone free of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East as part of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. The two-day summit was the first meeting of the regional body since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Srinagar, Nov 3 : Three tourists stranded in the Afarwat heights in Jammu and Kashmir's Gulmarg ski resort were rescued on Thursday by the police. A rescue party rushed to the area on Wednesday evening after receiving information about the stranded tourists, police sources said. "The three rescued tourists have been identified as Bharadwaj, Raju and Ananya, all residents of Hyderabad," the sources said. "The tourists thanked the police for their timely rescue. They disclosed that after proceeding towards the cable car (gondola), they had lost their way." Kiev, Nov 3 : Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that his war-torn country will soon get new military and humanitarian assistance from Spain. At a joint press briefing after talks with visiting Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares, Kuleba said on Wednesday that soon Ukraine will receive from Spain a battery of the Aspide anti-aircraft missile system and missiles to it, reports Xinhua news agency. Spain will also transfer to Ukraine four Hawk air defence systems, anti-tank missile systems, guns and shells, as well as other military equipment as part of a new military aid package, Kuleba added. For his part, Albares said Spain is donating 30 ambulances to Ukraine, and will soon deliver five groups of electricity generators to power Ukraine's medical facilities. Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War Kolkata, Nov 3 : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking exemption on the 20 per cent excise duty levied on the special rice variety 'Gobindobhog'. According to the letter, "without exemption in excise duty, the exports for the particular variety of rice will be affected badly." The chief minister has also pointed out in the letter that in the absence of relief in excise, the farmers producing this particular variety of rice, will also suffer because of lack of exports. The chief minister has also pointed out that Gobindobhog variety of rice was extremely popular in some European and West Asian countries like the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait. According to her, the Gobindobhog variety of rice is also used for various religious occasions. The state government too encourages the farmers to produce this variety of rice for its popularity overseas, the letter said. The chief minister also pointed out that the Centre has recently exempted excise duty on Basmati rice and going by that logic similar relief should be allowed on Gobindobhog variety. She also argued that since the price of the Gobindobhog variety is higher than the minimum support price (MSP), the relief in excise is necessary for the farmers to continue with the smooth production of the variety. The chief minister also pointed out that this particular variety of rice was also awarded the Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2017. Gobindobhog is a short grain, white, aromatic and sticky variety of rice with a buttery flavour mostly cultivated in certain districts of West Bengal. The principal districts where this particular variety of rice is cultivated include East Burdwan, Hooghly, Nadia and Birbhum. This variety of rice is also cultivated in certain districts of Bihar and Chhattisgarh. Islamabad, Nov 3 : Pakistan Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said that PTI chairman Imran Khan wanted martial law in the country which reflected his "fascist" and "autocratic" mindset. In a statement on Wednesday, she said that innocent people were losing lives due to the "bloody march" of the former Prime Minister, "who is bent upon creating chaos and anarchy to satisfy his ego in achieving ulterior motives", The Express Tribune reported. She said that the "foreign-funded fitna (mischief)" had admitted that he was in pain for not getting an opportunity to appoint the new army chief but in fact, it was Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's constitutional rights to make the appointment. The "mark of disgrace" was clearly visible on his (Khan) face, she said, adding: "The people are fully aware that Imran Khan is a thief, dacoit, liar, incompetent and foreign-funded fitna... Imran's conspiracies will not work." Aurangzeb asked why Khan had failed to produce a single piece of evidence against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in a court of law to prove the false cases filed by the PTI government, The Express Tribune reported. "If Rana Sanaullah is a murderer then why did your government arrest him on the fake charges of carrying drugs," she said, adding where were the proofs and videos that his government claimed to have against the Interior Minister. Aurangzeb said it was Khan's government which allowed Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif to go abroad. "Now, it is too late (to speak of that)," she added. The Minister further said that during Khan's rule, he used hollow slogans of accountability against opponents but at the same time offered a lifetime extension to the army chief in a bid to save his government's failures. Puducherry, Nov 3 : The Union Territory of Puducherry has commenced an awareness drive against dengue and Chikungunya as northeast monsoon has set in. The UT health department has deployed 12 auto vehicles for an awareness campaign on contagious diseases. A senior official with the health department told IANS that the vehicles will operate in all areas through Primary health centres, Community welfare centres and health wellness centre during the two-week campaign. During the awareness drive, the residents of the territory are advised not to allow water stagnation in plastic cups, open wells, coconut shells, tyres and plastic plates. As per the health department officials, water clogging in stormwater drains and collecting water in cups, coconut shells etc was the main reason behind the spreading of mosquito-borne diseases. "The water accumulation in stormwater drains and collection of water in plates, cups and coconut shells poses a major challenge in dengue prevention. The focus of the government is on source reduction to prevent dengue and no explosion of cases are there," Dr R. Vasanthakumari told IANS. Puducherry health department staff and ASHA workers are deployed for a door to door awareness on avoiding breeding spots like plastic plates, cups, coconut shells etc. It is to be noted that in the first two days of November, 14 dengue cases and 28 chikungunya cases have been reported. Dengue may be noted as a life-threatening disease if not properly treated when the symptoms of the disease arise. The major symptoms associated with dengue are, "Fever, fatigue, severe headache, body ache and vomiting." New Delhi, Nov 3 : The Supreme Court on Thursday affirmed the death penalty for Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist Mohammad Arif alias Ashfaq for carrying out the December 2000 Red Fort attack. Rejecting Arif's review petition, a bench headed by Chief Justice U.U. Lalit said, "affirm the view taken by this court...reject the review petition". The bench, also comprising Justice Bela M. Trivedi, added, "Having regard to the entirety of the matter, his guilt is proved..." Detailed order in the matter will be uploaded later in the day. In the Red Fort attack three people, including two Army jawans, were killed. In August 2011, the Supreme Court confirmed the death sentence of arrested LeT terrorist Mohammad Arif for carrying out the December 2000 Red Fort attack. The apex court also dismissed his review petition later in August 2011. However, in 2016, the apex court decided to re-hear his review petition. In November 2005, the trial court had awarded Arif a death sentence. The trial court had also fined Arif Rs 4.35 lakh for the attack that left two Rajputana Rifles jawans and a civilian dead. The Delhi High Court, in 2007, upheld the death sentence to Arif. Madrid, Nov 3 : AC Milan reached the Champions League knock-out stage for the first time in nine years on Wednesday with a 4-0 victory over Salzburg, while RB Leipzig also qualified by thrashing Shakhtar Donetsk. Paris Saint-Germain will be the team group winners want to avoid in Monday's last-16 draw after missing out on top spot in Group H despite a 2-1 win at Juventus, as Benfica hammered Maccabi Haifa 6-1 to snatch first place on total away goals. Manchester City teenager Rico Lewis marked his first senior start with his maiden goal for the club as City came from behind to complete its commanding Champions League group stage with a 3-1 defeat of Sevilla on Wednesday. With the prolific Erling Haaland absent again, Argentine striker Julian Alvarez and Riyad Mahrez also impressed as it got on the scoresheet but the night belonged to Lewis. City were already confirmed as Group G winners and Sevilla assured of third spot, and Pep Guardiola made seven changes to his starting line-up with 17-year-old right back Lewis seizing his opportunity at the Etihad Stadium. The line-up for Monday's UEFA Champions League round of 16 draw is complete after Milan and Leipzig booked their places in some style, while Benfica struck five goals in a frantic last half-hour to grab top spot ahead of Paris. AC Milan and Leipzig both won 4-0 to complete the line-up for the UEFA Champions League round of 16 as the group stage concluded with a bang. Defeat consigned Salzburg and Shakhtar to third and a place in the UEFA Europa League, where they will be joined by Juventus despite their defeat by Paris. The drama went right to the last, though, as JoAo MArio's last-gasp strike saw Benfica pip Paris to top spot in Group H, ensuring the Portuguese side will be seeded for Monday's draw. Chelsea 2-1 Dinamo Zagreb Chelsea became the sixth club to record 100 Champions League wins as they came from behind to beat Dinamo. All the goals came in the first half, with Bruno Petkovic nodding the visitors ahead and Raheem Sterling cancelling it out. Debutant Denis Zakaria then rifled in the winner, via Sadegh Moharrami on the line. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang hit the crossbar as Chelsea dominated the second half and gained revenge over a side who shocked them on Matchday 1. AC Milan 4-0 Salzburg Veteran Olivier Giroud starred as Milan eased past Salzburg to reach the last 16 for the first time since 2014. Giroud, 36, settled Rossoneri nerves with an early header before he had a strike ruled out for offside. Salzburg - who would have qualified with a win - impressed for the rest of the first half but conceded 41 seconds after the break when Giroud set up Rade Krunic for a header. Giroud then lashed in after a fine run from Rafael Leao and teed up Junior Messias for a late fourth. Real Madrid 5-1 Celtic Madrid cruised to the win they required to cement top spot in Group F. Luka Modric and Rodrygo set them on their way with coolly-taken penalties, and Thibaut Courtois then prevented Josip Juranovic from responding in kind with a spot kick of his own. The hosts went up a gear after the interval, Marco Asensio making it 3-0 with a superb first-time finish on the half-volley before Vinicius JAnior turned in from close range and Federico Valverde stroked into the corner. Jota's stunning free-kick was some consolation. Shakhtar 0-4 Leipzig The Bundesliga outfit are through to the knockout stages for the third time in four seasons after swatting aside a Shakhtar team that began the evening with their own designs on a top-two spot. Goals early in each half in Warsaw from the excellent Christopher Nkunku and AndrA Silva effectively ended Shakhtar ambitions. Dominik Szoboszlai added a well-taken third and Dani Olmo's shot deflected in off Valeriy Bondar to give Leipzig a measure of revenge following their 4-1 Matchday 1 loss to the Pitmen. Man City 3-1 Sevilla The English champions wrapped up their group campaign in style but were forced to come from behind against a spirited Sevilla side. The visitors threatened a shock when Rafa Mir powered in a header but Josep Guardiola's men looked a different prospect after the break and equalised via 17-year-old Rico Lewis' thumping drive. Substitute Kevin De Bruyne provided a delicious pass for Julian Alvarez to apply a cool finish, before the Argentina international turned provider for another replacement, Riyad Mahrez. Copenhagen 1-1 Dortmund Copenhagen got their first goal of Group G in their final match but it was not enough to earn a first win. Indeed, it was the German side who went ahead in the first half through Giovanni Reyna but a composed finish from HAkon Arnar Haraldsson had the teams level again before half-time. Dortmund almost grabbed a winner through 17-year-old substitute Youssoufa Moukoko, but his shot shortly after coming on rebounded off the post. Juventus 1-2 Paris A sublime early strike from Kylian Mbappe helped Paris to victory, though the visitors had to settle for second in Group H on away goals scored following a remarkable conclusion in the other match. After Mbappe's ruthless long-range opener, Leonardo Bonucci swept in from a cross to equalise with his first Champions League goal since 2016. Substitute Nuno Mendes made an instant impact with Paris's 69th-minute winner, his first goal in the competition. Maccabi Haifa 1-6 Benfica Benfica scored five goals in the last 31 minutes to sensationally snatch top spot in Group H. Needing to better Paris's result in Turin by five goals, GonAalo Ramos headed in the opener on 20 minutes but it was soon 1-1 when Tjarron Chery converted from the spot. It remained that way until just before the hour when substitute Petar Musa headed in, then Alex Grimaldo curled in a low free-kick and the superb Rafa Silva prodded in a fourth. Henrique Araujo netted on 88 minutes and a long-range blast from Joao Mario in added time sparked wild scenes. Houston, Nov 3 : Hospitals in Texas are reporting an influx of children infected with flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and other illnesses, a local media report said. More than 500 children were treated in just a 24-hour period on Tuesday at the emergency room of Cook Children's Hospital in Fort Worth, Xinhua news agency quoted the NBC News report as saying on Wednesday. Much of the same is happening at hospitals across northern Texas, said Stephen Love, president and CEO of the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council. However, many patients visiting the emergency departments were treated as an outpatient and returned home. Only patients severely ill with flu or other illnesses were hospitalised, said Love. Currently 88 per cent of paediatric beds across the state are occupied, and in northern Texas, that number is at 95 per cent, reveals data from the Texas Hospital Association. In comparison, Covid-19 cases now only account for less than 2 per cent of the overall bed capacity in northern Texas. "Currently Covid has a very manageable level," Love said. "Our paediatrics in the hospital with Covid is in single digits." He added that it doesn't mean people aren't getting infected with Covid-19, but many are being infected and staying at home. The big surge in RSV cases at this season is thought too early and unusual since the disease is usually seen in deep winter and early spring, said the report, noting that doctors are concerned it could get worse. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, RSV results in around 58,000 annual hospitalizations, and 100 to 300 deaths among children under five each year in the US. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Washington, Nov 3 : The perpetrator of the 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Florida, one of the deadliest school shootings in US history, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. On Wednesday, Broward Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer sentenced Nikolas Cruz to 34 life terms for killing 17 people and injuring 17 others in the shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14, 2018, reports Xinhua news agency. Cruz, 24, was ordered to be transferred to the custody of the Florida Department of Corrections. He had been tried for months for the massacre after pleading guilty last year to murdering 17 people, including 14 students. Mumbai, Nov 3 : Women often bear the brunt of religious warfare and the upcoming film 'The Kerala Story' perfectly captures this. The teaser of the film was unveiled on Thursday and tells the story of a human tragedy as it unearths the events behind 32,000 women going missing in the Indian southern state of Kerala. The teaser features actress Adah Sharma in her character of a converted Muslim woman Fatima Ba. In a piece to camera set-up, the character nerrates her ordeal of how she once wanted to serve humanity by becoming a nurse but was abducted from her home and manipulated by religious vanguards and turned to an ISIS terrorist. She eventually lands in a jail in Afghanistan. Promising to be a very real, unbiased and true narrative of events that shook Kerala, the teaser is quite impactful in its approach. 'The Kerala Story' has been produced by Vipul Shah and directed by Sudipto Sen backed by 4 years of extensive and thorough research. Director Sudipto Sen travelled extensively to the state and to the Arab countries, met with the locals and families of the victims and was shocked with the findings. 'The Kerala Story' will be released theatrically next year. Lucknow, Nov 3 : The Loreto Convent school and college, a premier institution for girls in Lucknow, is celebrating 150 years of the Loreto Sisters' first visit to the Uttar Pradesh capital. The school, which has seen several generations of women pass through its corridors, is kicking off the celebrations with a special mass on Friday in the presence of Fr. Gerald John Mathias, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Lucknow. The day will also mark the inauguration of the Galeria Memoriae, a space curated to showcase the glorious history of Loreto Convent in Lucknow. The Loreto Alumnae Association will also be organising events through the month for past pupils, many of whom will be visiting the city from across the country to enjoy the celebrations marking a landmark in their alma mater's history. Vidhi Bhargava, president of the Alumnae Association, said: "We are overjoyed at the response to our Open House on November 12. It is a special evening for all past pupils to get together and celebrate the Loreto spirit that we carry with ourselves in our own way." The Association will also launch a unique publication, 'The Sunny Days of Youth' that shines a light on the rich history of Loreto Lucknow. Additionally, the school also has a number of its own events lined up. 'Aladdin & The Magic Lamp: A Musical', is a grand show being put up by the school students from November 5-7. New Delhi, Nov 3 : Urban Mobility India (UMI) conference this year will be held on the theme of 'Azadi@75 - Sustainable Aatmanirbhar Urban Mobility' in Kerala. Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, Hardeep Singh Puri and Chief Minister of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan will jointly inaugurate the 15th Urban Mobility India (UMI) Conference & Expo 2022 in Kochi on Friday (November 4). The event is being organised by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in collaboration with Kerala government from November 4-6. Senior officers from central and state governments policy makers, Managing Directors of Metro Rail Companies, Chief Executives of transport undertakings, International experts, professionals, academicians and students will participate in this event. The National Urban Transport Policy (NUTP), 2006 lays strong emphasis on building capabilities at the state and city level to address the problems associated with urban transport and lays down the guidelines for developing equitable and sustainable urban transport systems for all sections of the society. As part of the NUTP enunciations, the Ministry has taken the initiative to organise annual international Conference-cum-Exhibition on Urban Mobility India popularly known as UMI. The primary objective of the conference is to disseminate information to the cities, whose officials attend the conference to help them keep up-to-date with latest and best urban transport practices globally. The conference provides an opportunity to interact with other professionals, technology and service providers, both domestic and international, so that the delegates can carry home ideas to develop their urban transport along a sustainable path. The event brings together national and international experts, technology and service providers, policy makers, practitioners and officials from the urban transport sector under one roof. This year, the Urban Mobility India (UMI) conference will emphasize on designing and implementing efficient, high quality and sustainable transport system in the cities. Rapid Advance of information technology and innovations in the sector are enabling more optimal use of transport systems to meet the mobility needs of all. The innovations have led to a wide range of transport options to emerge, thereby widening the choice available to commuters. For example, the Metro Neo and Metro Lite have emerged as lower cost options to Metro Rail and can serve as good options for mid-sized cities. Cities are planning innovative circulator services to serve local areas, thereby obviating the need for personal motor vehicles. Lucknow, Nov 3 : In order to improve the efficiency and lessen stress on the officials, the Uttar Pradesh government will hold spiritual sessions for them on a weekly basis. The state government has already invited Sister BK Shivani who will deliver a lecture under the 'Karya Kshamta Vridhi Vyakhyan Maala' (lecture series on improvement in work efficiency) at Lok Bhavan on Friday. BK Shivani belongs to the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual Organisation. Additional chief secretary, secretariat administration department (SAD), Hemant Rao also issued a circular to all the additional chief secretaries, principal secretaries and secretaries, urging them to take part in the programme along with other officers of their respective department. "The objective of the address programme is to give inspiration for a bright future, get rid of stress and sorrows with coordination between spiritualism and science while leading a family life and living in society. This will lead to an increase in efficiency of our work and bring about an improvement in the quality," Rao said in his circular. Rao has informed the officers about the question-answer session that will follow Sister Shivani's address. The state government has also planned for a live telecast of the programme on its official YouTube channel. Chief secretary Durga Shankar Mishra will be the chief guest at the programme. The state government has put up large stands with posters of the programme at the main entry gates inside the secretariat. The posters carry pictures of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Sister BK Shivani on top. This is the second such programme in the recent lecture series launched to bring about efficiency in the state government's functioning. The state government had earlier invited Dr Aditya Kapoor, head of the department of cardiology, SGPGI, Lucknow, for a lecture on October 3. A few years ago, the state government had also set up a yoga centre at Bapu Bhavan in the state secretariat. Melbourne, Nov 3 : A $1 million reward has been announced to help nab an Indian man, who according to police may have murdered an Australian woman on a beach before fleeing to India. Pharmacy worker and animal shelter volunteer Toyah Cordingley, 24, was killed while walking her dog on Wangetti Beach in October 2018. Her body was found the following morning by her father, the Guardian reported. Three Queensland police detectives have travelled to India and are working with authorities to find Rajwinder Singh, 38, who worked as a nurse in Innisfail, but fled the country two days after the murder, leaving behind his job, wife and three children in Australia, news.com.au reported. An investigation centre has also been established in Cairns and police officers from across the state who can speak both Hindi and Punjabi have been flown in, according to the police. Police have also released images of Singh at the Cairns Airport on October 23, 2018, from where he flew to Sydney before travelling to India. In March 2021, Australian authorities made a request to extradite Singh, who is originally from Buttar Kalan, Punjab. His brother-in-law Harpreet Singh previously told The Courier Mail that the timing of his return to his hometown of Amritsar in Punjab was a coincidence. "Raj is not capable of murder... He is too quiet, too afraid. He was under a lot of tension from his work," Harpreet Singh had said. New Delhi, Nov 3 : Aam Aadmi Party MLA Raaj Kumar Anand on Thursday took oath as a minister in the Delhi government during a ceremony at the Raj Niwas here. The oath was administered by Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena and the ceremony was attended by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar. "Administered the oath of office and secrecy to Raaj Kumar Anand as Minister in GNCTD. I convey my best wishes to him and hope that he will work for the betterment of Delhi and its People," Saxena said in a tweet after the oath ceremony. Anand, an MLA from the Patel Nagar constituency, has replaced former Social Welfare Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam. Gautam had resigned on October 9 after a controversy erupted over his renunciation of Hindu deities at an event to embrace Buddhism on October 5. New Delhi, Nov 3 : The Delhi Police's Crime Branch have arrested a sharpshooter of the notorious Nasir-Hashim Baba gang near Jama Masjid in Delhi, said an official on Thursday. Police said that they have also recovered one pistol, two magazines and 12 bullets from the accused. The accused has been identified as 37 year-old Akbar alias Dhobi, a resident of Chauhan Bangar in the Seelampur area. Akbar has also been found previously involved in 22 cases of murder, attempt to murder, robbery, Arms Act, burglary, dacoity, extortion, among others. He was also arrested under Gangster Act in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. "Inputs were received about the sharpshooter Akbar following which a police team was formed. The team nabbed him from Kabutar Market Main Gate near Jama Masjid," said Ravindra Singh Yadav, the Special Commissioner of Police (crime). "Akbar along with his associates committed several sensational crimes in Trans-Yamuna Delhi and NCR. He killed one Salim, associate of notorious Haji Afzal, in 2013. After coming out on jail, he along with his associate, Sabir Chaudhary, started extorting money from property dealers, builders and businessmen," said the Special CP. "He also committed many crimes, including firing on police teams. He developed contacts with many other notorious criminals of Seelampur, Jaffrabad, Pasonda, Ghaziabad," the official said. "Akbar along with his associates had also killed a property dealer, Arshi Malik, in ATS Society, Indirapuram, Ghaziabad in 2016 when the victim refused to pay them protection money. In this crime he along with associate, Yunus, shot indiscriminately on the deceased and fled from the spot. He is on bail by court in the case," said the Special CP. "Currently, he was trying to extort money from the petty shopkeepers in the area of old Delhi," the Special CP added. New Delhi, Nov 3 : The Centre on Thursday apprised the Delhi High Court that appropriate security arrangements for former BJP Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy were ensured at his private accommodation considering that he is a 'Z' category protectee. Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Jain submitted that the security agencies were satisfied with the adequate arrangements made to ensure Swamy's safety and security. The development was following the direction of Justice Yashwant Varma to submit a comprehensive affidavit in relation to the security of the former Union Minister, who has approached the court alleging the Centre has failed in providing adequate security at his private residence. Swamy's plea appeared before the court as the deadline to vacate the possession of his government bungalow was approaching. On September 14, the Delhi High Court directed Swamy to hand over the bungalow to the estate officer within six weeks. During the course of the hearing on Thursday, Swamy's counsel submitted that his client's government accommodation will be handed over by Saturday. Accordingly, the plea was disposed of. In September also, Swamy had approached the high court seeking re-allotment of the accommodation citing "continuing security threats". His Rajya Sabha term came to an end this April. The Centre opposed his plea arguing that the accommodation was required to be given to other ministers and MPs and Swamy's plea was disposed of. Manila, Nov 3 : At least 150 people have died and 36 others remain unaccounted for due to the severe tropical storm Nalgae that battered the Philippines last weekend and triggered flash floods and landslides in many parts of the Southeast Asian country, the government said on Thursday. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said 94 fatalities have been identified, the remaining 56 are being verified, reports Xinhua news agency. Of the 36 reported missing, the agency confirmed 28, while the identities of the other eight are still being verified. The agency said the tropical storm affected over 3.9 million people, damaged 499 roads and 120 bridges, and caused power outages in many areas. Nalgae is the 16th tropical cyclone to lash the Philippines this year. It slammed into Catanduanes, an island province in the Bicol region, on October 29. The Philippines is one of the most disaster-prone countries globally, mainly due to its location in the Pacific Ring of Fire and the Pacific typhoon belt. On average, the archipelagic country experiences 20 typhoons yearly, some of which are intense and destructive. In April, tropical storm Megi dumped rains in central and southern parts of the Philippines, inundating many areas and causing landslides, resulting in over 220 deaths. New Delhi, Nov 3 : D2C home and sleep solutions platform Wakefit.co on Thursday launched a 'No Questions Asked' wellness leave policy for its employees. The policy extends a no-questions asked leave to all the employees once a month. These wellness leaves can be availed by the workforce to support their physical, mental, or emotional wellbeing by taking time off to unwind and rejuvenate themselves, the platform said in a statement. The employees can also utilise their wellness leaves to opt for leisurely activities. "With this policy, we hope to encourage our employees to unwind, focus on their health, and spend time with their loved ones by taking their wellness leave with no questions asked," said Umanath Nayak, Head of HR, Wakefit.co. With the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the company overhauled its existing policies to mould them into the digital-first world. It unveiled their landmark 'Right to Nap' policy in May 2022 to enable employees to take a power nap between 2 and 2.30 p.m. Additionally, Wakefit.co also launched the flexi work policy for new parents. "These initiatives are impactful steps towards enabling a healthy work-life balance among its workforce," it said. Founded by Ankit Garg and Chaitanya Ramalingegowda in March 2016, the company received Series A funding from marquee investor Sequoia Capital India, Series B funding from Verlinvest and Sequoia Capital India, and recently received Series C funding from US-based SIG, while existing investors, Verlinvest and Sequoia Capital India also participated. New Delhi, Nov 3 : A former Delhi Civil Defence employee, along with his two aides, burgled his neighbour's house after noticing that it was locked for some time, an official said on Thursday. Police said that the accused was also aware about the availability of cash and jewellery in his neighbour's house. The accused has been identified as Rashid, 26, a resident of Indra Vihar while his associates have been identified as Dilshad, 45, a resident of Sunder Nagri and Nand Kishore, 69, a resident of West Gonda in Delhi. Police said that Dilshad is also the 'Bad Character' of Nand Nagri police station and he had been externed out from Delhi for a period of one year from October 27, this year. He is also found involved in 34 cases of burglary and the Arms Act. According to Ankit Singh, the Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (northeast), on October 30, an incident of burglary in a house at Indra Vihar was reported at Gokulpuri police station. "Police team reached the spot and found the house totally ransacked. The Crime and FSL Teams were called for inspection and collection of exhibits. A case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code was registered and investigation was taken up," said the additional DCP. "During scanning of the CCTV footage, a suspected person was seen breaking open into the house and later leaving in a white Santro car with burgled property. The car was found registered in the name of Rashid, who is a neighbour of the burgled house," said the official. "Rashid, the former employee of Delhi Civil Defense was apprehended and interrogated. Initially he tried to mislead the police team but on sustained interrogation he confessed to his involvement in the burglary," said the official. "On his instance, cash of Rs 50,000, the burgled money was recovered from his Santro Car. On further interrogation, he revealed the names of Dilshad and Nand Kishore," said the official. "A raid was conducted and Nand Kishore was arrested and a cash Rs 30,000, his share from the burglary, was recovered from him. Further on their instance, a raid was conducted and Dilshad was arrested from the area of Sunder Nagri and cash of Rs 1,20,000 and a gold bar weighing 74.25 grams was also recovered from his possession," said Singh. "On interrogation, the accused revealed that Rashid noticed that his adjacent house was locked for some time. He was aware of the availability of cash and jewellery in his neighbour's house, so he hatched a plan and roped-in Dilshad," said Singh. "After robbing the house, on the intervening night of October 29-30 , they contacted Nand Kishore who had earlier been working as a goldsmith and was in touch with others dealing in gold articles," said Singh. "Nand Kishore also joined and took them to Karol Bagh where he contacted one of his known jewellers, who melted all the ornaments and shaped it as a gold bar. One portion of the gold bar was kept by Dilshad while the rest was sold to the jeweller for cash Rs 3,50,000," said the official, adding that they divided the cash among them. "A manhunt has been initiated to nab the jeweller from Karol Bagh. Further investigation in the case is under progress," the official added. Phnom Penh, Nov 3 : Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Thursday that high vaccination rates and the reopening of borders have helped revive the country's tourism industry. Addressing a tourism-related event here, Hun Sen said vaccines have built herd immunity in Cambodia, which has allowed the country to reopen its borders with confidence since late 2021, reports Xinhua news agency. "Thanks to the adoption of the vaccination policy as the key, together with the effectiveness of the implementation of the Roadmap for Cambodia Tourism Promotion and Recovery Plan during and post-Covid 2020-2025, Cambodia has received an increasing arrival of international tourists," he said. Cambodia welcomed 1.24 million international visitors in the first nine months of 2022, up 861 per cent compared to the same period last year, official data showed. During the January-September period this year, neighbouring Thailand topped the chart of international tourist arrivals to Cambodia, followed by Vietnam, China, the US and Indonesia, according to the data. Tourism Minister Thong Khon said the Southeast Asian nation is expected to attract 1.5 million to 2 million international tourists in 2022 and the number is predicted to reach the pre-pandemic level in 2026 or 2027. In the pre-pandemic era, the country registered 6.6 million international tourists in 2019, generating $4.92 billion in revenue. Cambodia has seen great success in controlling the pandemic. The kingdom has reported no new deaths from Covid-19 since April, as 91.1 per cent of its 16 million population have been fully vaccinated with two required vaccine doses, the Health Ministry said. New Delhi, Nov 3 : Spanning nearly four decades of his artistic oeuvre, renowned contemporary artist, Paresh Maity, is holding India's largest solo exhibition to be ever showcased. Infinite Light, in collaboration with the Art Alive gallery, opens at Bikaner House, Delhi, on the 5th of November, before opening in other galleries and cities. The artists' work is going to go on display at a one-of-its-kind curated exhibition spread across Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta and Bangalore. The exhibition maps Maity's creations over time, journeys and experiences, aesthetically translated across mediums, including painting, drawing, sculpture, film and installations, as well as via his quiet and lifelong preoccupation with ceramics. The Padma Shree awardee talks to IANSlife about his vast repertoire of artworks on display that reflect his journeys across India and the world, across changing moods and seasons. Read Excerpts: This is the largest solo exhibition in the country, how does that feel? Maity: Yes, touchwood by God's grace. This was very challenging to put together such a monumental exhibition, but I standing here looking at the scale I'm jut so happy to bring all these artworks together under one roof. So it is very difficult and very challenging, but as I said I'm praying that and we should be alright. The exhibit spans four decades of your career, so we can expect a mix of sculptures, art works, water colour and ceramics? Maity: It has my drawings, paintings, sculptures and installation, I also make films, so it has a huge variety from my repertoire of work. I have been conceptualising this for a a long time, many years, it's finally all happening so I'm hoping everything goes well. The exhibition is travelling across the country...? Maity: Yes it is in four different venues, from Delhi it will travel to Mumbai, Kolkatta and Bangalore, and each new venue has to be put together from scratch, so it is all very exciting. Each venue is unique and has its own challenges, like today we have everything from cranes and pulleys coming to put it together. Light plays a vital role in your art, can share us more details? Maity: See from my earlier age, I have always wanted and have observed Light very innovatively; for any visual art or any visual thing, light is very important and an essential part of my art. I try to always absorb the colours properly in light like colours in morning light and afternoon light are very different, how evening light affects colour is also very different and that's why I always paint during the day, never after sunset. In sunlight you can visualize colour very beautifully, if you see even in my drawings the lines, in fact whether its water colours or sculptures, light plays in every form of my art beautifully. That is why that I have titled this exhibition 'Infinite Light'. Do ceramics bring out the playful side in you? Maity: See from my early age I started playing with clay and started making clay toys, so the germination of start of ceramics and sculptures started at the early age of 7, and working with ceramics is always so joyful for me. If you see the germination of ceramics basically its clay a different forms, first you mold it, then you paint it, then you fire it and then finally glaze it, so basically even with my sculptures they involve heavy weights and its fun to visualise something and see it manifest in reality. But with clay and sculptures both once you cast it then it's very difficult to change it, so one has to be sure of the idea and the method. Ceramics and sculptures are an integral part of my life since my childhood and now an integral part of my art. Even today when I paint or sculpt or make anything, I enjoy the process like a child, I have no preconceived ideas and thoughts and just carry on doing my art. You are one of the few artists who have been able to partake in your lifetime with such huge success and been able to see it unlike many artists, how does that make you feel? Maity: I'll tell you my success is to see my own piece art take life, that fills me with joy and happiness, I don't believe in success or failure, because ultimately what we want to get in our lives is joy and happiness, and to share that joy and happiness with the viewer and the people. I have never thought of success, nor do I ever feel that I am successful, if someone likes my artwork and that brings them joy and makes them feel its beautiful then that is my success. Parents can't choose a favourite between children, is it like that with your creations or do you have favourites? Maity: It is really difficult as you have said so yourself, to ask a mother which child is her favourite, it is like that for me to. If you start from a drawing there is a line, drawing is like ABCD, it is as important as water colours, water colours on their own are very challenging because you cannot rectify a mistake. Sculpture are challenging in a very different way and ceramics go into the fire where you don't know what's going to happen inside, it might break, it might crack, so each work is a process of germination and creation, one cannot choose, at least I cannot. What are your views on NFT ? Maity: I will tell you earlier it was basically all in reels then it became the digital camera, and today it is NFTs. It is a parallel media, may be in time it will make its own place, its own position like a digital camera. One good thing is it helps to reach a segment of people in the society who may not be to convinced with art but they are very involved in digital screen like phones, tablets or laptops, those people who will enjoy such things and create a bigger audience for art. I was one of the first few in the country to come out with FDT, but still I fell that art is something tangible so that you can and you can feel it and like the feeling you get when you touch a sculpture, or the texture of ceramics, so I am more into tangible things, but it will have its own place in the coming years. As an artist it is very important to have patrons, how important is it for corporates to support the art world ? Maity: It's very important, patrons in earlier days were the king, the state, the priest, the Maharajas and now the time has changed, it is the corporate world, which is very important because they make artworks public for al to enjoy and share in. Like sculptures which are 25 feet, 30 feet with the patronage of corporates these works go into the public domain and that's how the artists can share their work with everybody. (IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in) Chandigarh, Nov 3 : In a crucial breakthrough, Punjab Police have arrested three high-profile drug smugglers, who were wanted in a 72.5-kg heroin haul from Nhava Sheva Port in Mumbai, Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav said here on Thursday. The contraband, which was kept concealed in the door of the container containing white marble tiles, was jointly recovered by the teams of Punjab Police and ATS Mumbai in July. The container was imported by a Delhi-based importer. Those arrested have been identified as Gurwinder Singh, alias Mehak (27), Gursewak Singh, alias Sewak (25), and Manjit Singh, alias Soni (34). The trio, arrested from Gurdaspur, were actively involved in a high-level trans-border and inter-state drug smuggling. DGP Yadav said following inputs, Gurdaspur Police launched a special operation on Wednesday evening and arrested the accused after intercepting an SUV Mahindra Thar at the Amritsar-Jammu highway in the Dhariwal area of Gurdaspur. The police have also recovered a revolver along with six cartridges of 9mm and live cartridges of .32 bore during the search of the vehicle, he added. Earlier, the Mumbai ATS had managed to arrest accused Harsimran Sethi from Delhi, who ordered the consignment and his aide, Mohinder Singh Rathore, who was working as a clearing agent. The DGP said during the investigation, the Mumbai ATS had nominated these three arrested persons, who were recipients of the container and went to Delhi to clear the consignment. SSP Gurdaspur Deepak Hilori said accused Gurwinder Singh and Manjit Singh were also wanted by Amritsar Rural Police in an attempt to murder case in which they fired upon the police party of Amritsar Rural district in October 2020. He said that further investigations are going on to unravel this network of drug smuggling in Punjab and other states. Mumbai, Nov 3 : The Committee of Creditors (CoC) of Reliance Capital (RCAP) is scheduled to meet on Friday to decide on the newly-introduced clause, Challenge Mechanism, in the final binding process. Notably, bidders like Piramal, Hinduja, Torrent, Zurich, Oaktree, Advent have raised a red flag on this clause which was not in the original Request for Resolution Plans (RFRP) document issued to the bidders. These bidders have written to the RBI-appointed administrator expressing their concern on the insertion of Challenge Mechanism clause at this stage of bidding. Bidders have argued that there was no such clause in the bidding process of DHFL, which was the largest resolution done through NCLT in the financial services sector, for over Rs 95,000 crore worth of debt. Bidders have said that the winning bidder was evaluated only on one simple criteria of the Net Present Value (NPV), as per the RFRP of the bid. Also, in the case of SREI resolution, where binding bids are due by November 15, neither the CoC, nor the RBI administrator has tried to experiment with a Challenge Process/Mechanism. KPMG, who is the CoC advisor, and Luthra & Luthra, who is legal advisor to the RCAP CoC, have proposed multiple options for the Challenge Mechanism Option 1 is the Swiss Challenge Process where the highest bidder will be declared as an Anchor Bidder, and will be offered the Right of First Refusal (RoFR) and the other bidders under option 1 for RCap CIC can participate. Option 2 is a bilateral negotiation by the CoC with each bidder. Option 3 is an electronic auction for bidders to participate in, and to declare the highest bidder. Option 4 is a combination of all the above. The binding bids for RCAP are due on November 28. Bidders for Reliance General Insurance (RGIC) -- Advent, Zurich and Piramal -- are concerned with not only the above Challenge Process but also of the fact that they have to provide all cash bids, while Torrent, Hinduja and Oaktree for RCap CIC, in line with RFRP, have the option of cash + deferred payment. As per the bidders for RGIC, this is not a level playing field, and discriminates bidders for RGIC. It will be interesting to see, how the concerns of various bidders will be addressed by the CoC. Bengaluru, Nov 3 : The Dakshina Kannada district administration on Thursday started the process of attaching the property of the slaughterhouses in connection with illegal cow slaughtering. C. Madana Mohan, Assistant Commissioner of Mangaluru Sub-Division and Sub divisional Magistrate issued an order for the attachment of properties for carrying out illegal cow slaughtering. The four properties of slaughterhouses in Adyapaadi near Adkur, Bajal Pakaladka, Jalligudde and Kattapuni have been attached following the order. Jurisdictional Kankanady police have been directed to get the valuation of properties and vehicles done from the concerned authorities and submit the approximate value of the property to the court. The concerned Tehsildar was also given directions to record the process of attachment in the property documents. The action had been taken following the lodging of cases under the Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Bill, 2020. The case was registered at Kankanady police station under column 8 (4) and 8 (5) for illegal cow slaughtering. The controversial bill, popularly known as the Anti- Cow Slaughter Bill, was enacted by the ruling BJP government and prohibits illegal cow slaughtering. The Bill also prescribes stringent punishment for illegal transportation and slaughtering of cows in the state. Further investigation was on. New Delhi, Nov 3 : The process for registration of the new Camouflage Pattern and Design of Improved Combat Uniform to establish ownership of Indian Army has been completed by the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademark. The new Digital Pattern Combat Uniform for Indian Army soldiers was unveiled on 15 January 2022 (Army Day). The improved uniform has a contemporary look and functional design. The fabric has been made lighter, stronger, breathable, quick drying and easier to maintain. The uniform's uniqueness is evident with the inclusion of gender specific modifications for women's combat uniform. "The exclusive Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) of the Design and Camouflage Pattern now rests solely with the Indian Army, and therefore manufacturing by any vendor who is not authorised and will be illegal and is liable to face legal repercussions," said the Ministry of Defence on Thursday. Indian Army can enforce exclusive rights to the design and can file infringement suits by way of a civil action before a competent court of law. Remedies against infringements include interim and permanent injunctions as well as damages. As part of the process of introduction of the new pattern uniform, a total of 50,000 sets have already been procured through Canteen Stores Department (CSD) and delivered to 15 CSD Depots (Delhi, Leh, BD Bari, Srinagar, Udhampur, Andaman & Nicobar, Jabalpur, Masimpur, Narangi, Dimapur, Bagdogra, Lucknow, Ambala, Mumbai and Khadki). Officials said that workshops to train civil and military tailors in stitching the new uniform as per the specified design are being organised in coordination with instructors from the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Delhi. Bulk procurement of 11.70 lakh sets to cater for issue to JCOs and ORs as part of individual kit (Life Cycle Concept with life of 15 months) is in progress and is likely to commence from August 2023. New Delhi, Nov 3 : Chip-maker Qualcomm has made it clear that it will provide 5G modems for the next generation of iPhone 15 series next year. Qualcomm had earlier planned to provide nearly 20 per cent of the 5G modem parts for iPhone 15 series. Akash Palkhiwala, Chief Financial Officer at Qlaucomm, said during the company's fiscal Q4 earnings call that for Apple product revenue, "we now expect to have the vast majority of share of 5G modems for the 2023 iPhone launch, up from our previous 20 per cent assumption". Beyond this, Palkhiwala said there are no changes to the planning assumption, and "we are assuming minimal contribution from Apple product revenues in fiscal '25". Earlier reports suggested that while Apple is likely to build its own 5G modem for new iPhones, chip-maker Qualcomm is still going to provide its modem for upcoming iPhones at least till 2025. In October, a note to investors by Haitong International Securities analyst Jeff Pu said that Qualcomm Snapdragon X75 modem will be used in the 2024 iPhones. All four iPhone 15 models next year are expected to be equipped with Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon X70 modem. The 5G modem will be made by TSMC using a 4nm process to introduce power efficiencies, reports MacRumors. The iPhone 15 using X70 modem could provide download speeds of up to 10Gbps, improved coverage, better signal quality and up to 60 per cent improved power efficiency. Famed Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also predicted that iPhone 15 could continue to use Qualcomm modems. According to Kuo, due to the high demand for the 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max, the tech giant may decide to further differentiate its next iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max models. New Delhi, Nov 3: Khalistani supporters of Jaggi Johal, 34, who is lodged in Delhi's Tihar jail, have launched a fresh worldwide campaign to get him freed from India. Johal is a citizen of the UK. Jaggi Johal aka Jagtar Singh Johal was arrested by Punjab police on November 4, 2017, in Jalandhar under the arms Act. He got married on October 18, 2017, and was travelling in a car with his bride when police caught him midway. Under the campaign christened 'Free Jaggi Now' the Khalistani activists have announced holding protests on November 4, in 5 cities of the US including New York and California. The Canadian radicals will gather in two cities, Toronto and Vancouver while In the UK protests will be held in four main cities including London and Manchester. The free Jaggi protests are now directed toward the British - earlier they were targeting India - as a recent BBC report revealed that Jaggi was arrested in India on the basis of information provided by the intelligence agencies of the UK. According to the BBC Johal's activities in the UK as a fundraiser for Sikh separatists active in Punjab were in the knowledge of the British intelligence agencies. He was also involved in translating pro-Khalistan Punjabi literature into English for publication in newspapers and on websites. This information was passed over to the Indian intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) following which Johal was arrested by the Punjab police. Jaggi has been named as an accused in seven cases, five of those being murder charges (targeted killings) and two being attempt to murder charges (attempted targeted killings). Activists and members of right-wing Hindu outfits, the Dera Sirsa followers, and even a Christian activist (a pastor) were targeted in these killings. The case was later taken over by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The NIA found KLF militants Harminder Singh Mintoo, who died in 2018, and Hardeep Singh took a tour of France and Germany in June 2013. When they were in Paris, Mintoo and Gurjinder Singh Shastri went to the Paris airport and received Jagtar Singh Johal, who had arrived from the U.K. Johal had been sent to France by Gursharanbir Singh to deliver around 3000 euros to Mintoo. Apart from Akal Takht Sahib and Shiromani Gurudwara Parbhandak Committee, many mainstream politicians in Britain, Canada and Punjab have been speaking sympathetically for Jaggi. Johal's lawyer, Jaspal Singh Manjhpur, as quoted by the Indian Express, said, "Total of 11 cases were registered against Jaggi Johal in India and eight of these cases are being investigated by the NIA, two by Punjab Police and one by Delhi Police Special Cell. Charge sheets have been filed in all the cases, however, the charges are framed only in one case that was registered by Punjab Police immediately after his arrest. Johal has already secured bail in three cases against him including the one in which charges are framed. He was discharged from one case that was registered by Punjab Police." (The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative New Delhi, Nov 3: Reports say that Pakistan has mounted a large-scale military offensive using fighter jets and helicopter gunships to rescue its two soldiers abducted by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA). Sources from among Baloch rebel groups say the Pakistani Army is using jets in its latest offensive against Baloch nationalists in the hills of Bolan in Balochistan. The Baloch rebel groups are resisting the Pakistani military operations and have killed two Pakistani SSG commandos, Muhammad Qaiser Abbasi and Mohammed Shafiullah, though unverified reports say many more soldiers have been killed. In the latest reports, The Balochistan Post reported that the military operation is going in the areas of Bolan, Kaman, Yakho, Uch-Kaman, Gumbadi, Darag Pirani, Saro, Buzgar, Sibi and Harnai. It added that "helicopters have been seen shelling in Uch-Kaman areas and massive explosions have also been heard." Baloch sources told India Narrative that more details regarding the intensity of the operation are not available due to a communications blackout in the region. They, however, added that the Pakistani military has used fighter jets against the community earlier also. "From 2006 till 2011 Pakistan used fighter jets regularly against our people. After that it began using helicopters. The fighters are not very effective against our fighters but the Pakistani army's main objective is collective punishment," said one of the Baloch spokespersons, adding: "the Pakistani army's doctrine is that this will create harassment and panic among common Baloch people so they will refrain from supporting Baloch guerrillas." Four rebels also have been killed in the operations. The Pakistani military's public relations agency ISPR has claimed that it has recovered arms and ammunition including improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Pakistani forces launched the operations in strife-torn Balochistan after an ultimatum given by the BLA about a prisoner-swap did not materialise. The BLA, which had abducted the two soldiers - JCO Kaleem Ullah and military intelligence officer Mohammad Faisal, from Harnai, Balochistan, on September 25 wanted the Pakistani government to exchange the soldiers in return for Baloch political prisoners. The offer did not elicit any reaction from the Pakistan government. On October 28, the BLA finally gave the Pakistani army a one week deadline to swap the prisoners. In a statement BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch said: "The Pakistani military has so far failed to agree to our demands regarding the prisoner swap," adding that in the last three weeks of negotiations the military has "demonstrated delaying tactics". The BLA has also said that it is following international laws of war regarding the detained soldiers but would "deliver immediate sentence to the detainees" if the Pakistani army showed aggression. Over the last two months the Baloch rebels have claimed to have shot down two helicopters of the Pakistani military. The families of the two abducted soldiers have held protests asking the government to negotiate with the BLA for the safe release of the soldiers. (The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text New Delhi, Nov 3: China's recently concluded 20th Party Congress has revealed that the Indian security establishment may have a five-year window to build capability and permanently deter a war with Beijing. Signals emitting from the 20th Party congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) reveal that Beijing is preparing for a war but is not yet ready for it. There are five reasons from which a fairly solid conclusion can be drawn that China's war machine is still a work in progress. First, Chinese President Xi Jinping who began his third innings in office last month is still in the process of establishing complete control over the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and the country's mammoth intelligence apparatus. This exercise is likely to take time. At the one-in-five-year event, it was evident that Xi was making a herculean effort to establish full control over the Central Military Commission (CMC)-the fulcrum that drives the country's sprawling security establishment, including the ground forces, Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard and the armed police. In an effort to enforce his iron grip, Xi has brought in loyalists, not necessarily battle-hardened military professionals in the CMC hierarchy. That shows insecurity and an inward-looking approach right now, rather than readiness for war. For instance, as CMC chairman, Xi has extended the tenure of General Zhang Youxia, as one of the two Vice Chairmen of the body-a position he has held since 2017. Gen. Zhang is a Xi loyalist, and the bond between the two goes back a generation when Xi and Zhang's fathers worked with each other. In order to keep Zhang on his side, the President broke the unwritten rule that PLA seniors should retire at the age of 68. Zhang is already 72. Xi's confidants are also to be found on the second rung of the CMS apparatus, comprising four regular members. These are General Li Shangfu, General Liu Zhenli, Admiral Miao Hua and General Zhang Shengmin. For instance, Admiral Miao Hua of the PLA Navy has known Xi from the time when the two were posted in coastal Fujian Province, where the President at one time served as Governor. Second, though it is crammed with loyalists, the CMC hierarchy has very few members with combat experience - yet another indication that China is not war-prepared as yet. Only Liu Zhenli and Zhang Youxia have combat experience, having been part of China's rather infamous war with Vietnam in 1979. Within the 7-member CMC, Gen. Li Shangfu, is a technocrat, who is likely to hold the post of defence minister. However, he is an aerospace engineer, and has marshalled space launches. He was also the deputy commander of the newly established PLA Strategic Support Force in 2016. It would not be surprising if Xi leverages his experience in expanding China's strategic missile arsenal to deliver atomic warheads - an inventory that Beijing is likely to expand during Xi's third term as preparation for war. Admiral Miao was the head of the CMC's Political Work Department, a position held since 2017. This implies he has no operational or combat experience, as he was engaged in party and cultural work within the PLA. However, India may need to keep a close watch on two CMC Vice Chairman He Weidong. Gen. He was reportedly involved in China's standoff with India at Doklam. Besides, he is said to have considerable experience in the Eastern Theatre Command, which has Taiwan in its cross-hairs. During his address Xi spoke about winning "local wars," a phrase that is likely to refer to Taiwan and India. Third, Xi is expected to undertake another round of cleaning up of opposition figures to deepen his control over the PLA. For that General Zhang Shengmin is expected to carry on the PLA purge by heading the CMC Discipline Inspection Commission, whose official task is to eliminate corruption within the military. Engaging in an external war is unlikely unless Xi fully controls all the pivots within the PLA. Fourth, Xi has stressed the development of modern weapons, a stage below that of using them. Apart from deepening nuclear deterrence, Xi discussed "intelligentization", or "speeding up the development of unmanned intelligent systems". This would mean China's intense focus on building drones, networked systems and joint command and control apart from advanced weapons. Fifth, Xi has signalled his intent to assume firm control of the vast intelligence community relying on his loyalists. For the first time in decades, the head of the Ministry of State Security (MSS) - this time Chen Wenqing has been inducted in the powerful 24-member Politburo. His elevation means that as the head of the CMC, Xi will be able to affix his personal stamp on China's entire security apparatus. With Xi in full military preparation but time-consuming mode, it is a no-brainer that India has a window, maximum of around five years to build a reliable nuclear deterrent, with an assured second-strike capability as well a conventional deterrent based on critical and home-grown military supply chains that flow from the Atmanirbhar Bharat doctrine. (The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative Srinagar, Nov 3 : A wreath-laying ceremony by the Army was organised in honour of Major Somnath Sharma, the first Param Vir Chakra, at the Saviours of Kashmir War Memorial located at Srinagar International Airport on Thursday. Major Somnath Sharma of the 4th battalion, the Kumaon Regiment led the D Company of his battalion at Budgam against the raiders approaching Srinagar from North on November 3, 1947. Despite being heavily outnumbered and coming under heavy fire, the D company under the leadership of Major Sharma foiled the enemy's advance towards the Srinagar airfield during the crucial hours. In this decisive battle of 1947, Major Somnath Sharma along with one Junior Commissioned Officer and 20 other ranks made the supreme sacrifice, defending the country against all odds. For his ultimate courage, leadership and dedication beyond the call of duty, Major Sharma was conferred with the country's first and highest war time Gallantry Award, the Param Vir Chakra, posthumously. "On behalf of Lt. Gen. ADS Aujla, General Officer Commanding Chinar Corps, Col Manoram Yadav, Officiating Commandant, The Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry Regimental Centre, laid the wreath at the Saviours of Kashmir War Memorial, as a mark of respect to Maj Somnath Sharma, PVC (Posthumous) on the day of his martyrdom. Besides Officers and men of the Army, representatives from Civil Administration and Airport Authorities also paid tribute to the gallant soldier," the Army said in a statement. New Delhi, Nov 3: Bahrain is set to host prominent religious leaders including Pope Francis, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Shaikh Ahmed Al-Tayeb and Swami Amritaswarupananda Puri of the Mata Amritanandamayi Math among other renowned scholars for an inter-faith dialogue. The two-day Bahrain Dialogue Forum will be held on Thursday and Friday under the theme "The East and The West for Human Coexistence". The dialogue is being organised by the King Hamad Global Center for Peaceful Coexistence (KHGCPC) along with the Muslim Council of Elders and the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs. The event will have a series of discussions that aim to further the values of peace and tolerance. Sessions will include discussions on global coexistence and human fraternity, role of faith leaders in addressing current challenges and global interfaith dialogue for world peace. Swami Amritaswarupananda Puri is the head disciple of humanitarian and spiritual leader Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, also known as Amma. He has been living in Amritapuri Ashram since its inception in the late 1970s. The KHGCPC has launched several initiatives with the aim of promoting a culture of peace and coexistence including the King Hamad Chair in Inter-Faith Dialogue and Peaceful Coexistence, the King Hamad Faith in Leadership fellowship programme and also the launch of the Kingdom of Bahrain Declaration. (The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative San Francisco, Nov 3 : Tech giant Google has announced an ambitious new project to build a single AI language model that supports the world's 1,000 most spoken languages. According to The Verge, as a first step toward this goal, the company is unveiling an AI model trained on over 400 languages, which it calls "the largest language coverage seen in a speech model today." "The company believes that creating a model of this size will make it easier to bring various AI functionalities to languages that are poorly represented in online spaces and AI training datasets (also known as "low-resource languages)," Zoubin Ghahramani, vice president of research at Google AI was quoted as saying. "By having a single model that is exposed to and trained on many different languages, we get much better performance on our low-resource languages," he added. These language models have already been integrated into Google Search, despite criticism about their functionality. Models of language have some flaws, such as re-enacting harmful societal biases such as racism and xenophobia and failing to comprehend human-oriented language. The company has fired its own researchers for publishing papers highlighting these issues, according to a report. Moreover, the company shared new research on text-to-video models, a prototype AI writing assistant called Wordcraft, and an update to its AI Test Kitchen app that allows users access to under-development AI models like Imagen, which converts text into images, it added. Tumakuru, : Nov 3 (IANS) In a heart wrenching incident, a woman and her new-born twins died on Thursday , after the district hospital authorities refused to admit her for delivery here. Thirty-year-old Kasturi from Tamil Nadu and her two new-born babies died at her residence at Bharathinagar locality in Tumakuru city. Protesting the hospital's apathy, the locals staged a protest and demanded suspension of the concerned doctors and staff. The family and relatives of the woman also refused to cremate the bodies until action is taken against the guilty. According to locals, Kasturi had come from Tamil Nadu and was staying at a rented place with her daughter. Kasturi, who was pregnant, developed labour pain on Wednesday evening. She was taken to the government district hospital in an auto. But, the authorities and staff of the government district hospital refused admission in the absence of Aadhaar and Mother's card. The doctors also refused to provide her treatment and admit her to the hospital despite the woman being in labour. They asked her to be taken to Victoria hospital in Bengaluru. As she did not have money to go to Bengaluru, Kasturi returned home. On Thursday, she gave birth to twin boys but died due to profuse bleeding. Following the death of their mother, the twins also died. The public held the doctors of the government hospital responsible for the deaths. Assuring action against the guilty, District Health Officer Dr Manjunath said that Aadhaar and mother cards are not mandatory for admitting patients for delivery. Expressing grief over the incident, Minister for Muzarai Shahikala Jolle termed it "unfortunate" saying the case should be probed thoroughly. Let the investigation reveal who is responsible for this incident and those guilty should be punished. "I will speak to the Health Minister in this regard," she stated. NEPS Police in Tumakuru city are investigating the matter. Bengaluru, Nov 3 : Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Karnataka unit on Thursday alleged that rice meant for poor is being "smuggled" to Goa and Maharashtra. Talking to mediapersons here, AAP leader and senior advocate Brijesh Kalappa claimed: "Anna bhagya rice, which belongs to the poor, is being sold in the black market. Tonnes of Anna bhagya rice is being smuggled to neighbouring states like Goa and Maharashtra." If the government does not quickly curb the irregularities, protests would be launched, he said. "Instead of taking strict action against the guilty, the government is mum after taking a 40 per cent commission. The poor are suffering due to the government's greed for commission," he alleged. "This is an anti-people and corrupt government that is sacrificing the interest of the people for the sake of money," he charged. "In the last three years, more than 800 cases have been registered in connection with the black marketing of ration under the Anna Bhagya scheme. "As many as 65 cases were reported in 2020-21, 472 in 2021-22 and over 300 in 2022-23 so far. Despite such a large number of cases being registered, the government has not brought any changes in the system to curb illegalities," said Brijesh Kalappa. "Malnutrition and child mortality rates are on the rise in Karnataka due to the government's conspiracy with ration smugglers," he alleged. According to the Department of Women and Child Development, 11,961 children in the state are severely malnourished and 3,64,614 children are moderately malnourished. Karnataka's contribution is more for the drop in India's position in the Global Hunger Index to 107 which is worse than Pakistan's. The corrupt BJP government should be held responsible for this," Brijesh Kalappa said. Kolkata, Nov 3 : Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay of the Calcutta High Court, who has been in the headlines because of his judgements in the multi-crore West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) scam, said on Thursday that at times he wonders whether the real masterminds behind the teacher recruitment scam will be nabbed during his lifetime. "Everyone knows who are the real culprits behind the scam. At times I wonder whether the real masterminds behind the scam will be nabbed during my lifetime. However, I feel the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) will surely be able to track the real culprits," Justice Gangopadhyay said during his interaction in the court with a citizen of Kolkata. The citizen, Sunil Bhattacharya, introduced himself as a resident of Naktala, adjacent to the residence of former state Education Minister Partha Chatterjee, who is currently in judicial custody as the prime accused in the teacher recruitment scam. "Although currently I stay in Bhubaneswar, I am originally a resident of Naktala. The entire locality was aware of Partha Chatterjee's extravagant lifestyle, his pets and a seperate flat dedicated to them. Only the police seemed to not know anything. Sir, you are doing a great job. You are the pride of Bengal. Even my 92-year-old mother often speaks about you often," Bhattacharya told Gangopadhyay. In reply, Gangopadhyay made his observations on the masterminds behind the scam, which has created ripples in the legal and political circles of the state. During the course of conversation, Gangopadhyay also said that the matters of pride for West Bengal have been tarnished to a great extent. "Few years back when I was travelling from Puri to Kolkata, one of my fellow passengers told me that in West Bengal one has to pay for college admission, which is not the case in Bhubaneswar. We must restore the pride of Bengal. Let us all try for that," he said. Gujranwala, Nov 3 : Chaotic scenes broke out near PTI's reception camp at Allahwala Chowk in Gujranwala after gunshots were fired at party chief Imran Khan, media reports said. According to Geo News, the former Prime Minister sustained bullet injuries on his leg, but is reported to be safe. According to the police, the suspect who opened fire on Khan's container has been arrested. Several other people, including PTI leader Faisal Javed, also sustained injuries, Geo News reported. Khan is leading PTI's march towards Islamabad which kicked off from Lahore's Liberty Chowk on October 29. This is the PTI chief's second long march this year. Khan, along with his supporters, is expected to stage a sit-in in Islamabad against the Shehbaz Sharif-led coalition government at the end of the march. PTI has not yet confirmed the date of arrival in Islamabad. According to Khan, the protest march will continue till the date for elections is announced, The News reported. Earlier, the plan was to reach Islamabad by November 4. It was later revised to November 8-9 and then again revised to November 11. PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry then announced the party will keep changing the date to "tire the government out". The political instability in Pakistan has also fuelled economic uncertainty, with international rating agencies questioning if the current government can maintain difficult economic policies in the face of political pressure and looming elections, The News reported. The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has directed PTI to ensure peace regardless of the location in Islamabad allotted to the party by the government to hold sit-in and 'jalsa'. The observation came during the hearing of PTI's plea against the government for not issuing the party a no-objection certificate for its sit-in in Islamabad. Chandigarh, Nov 3 : Fifty free eye check-up camps covering more than 400 villages in Punjab will be organised in the next five months by United Sikh Mission (US) in its 18th year of service. Announcing the eye check-up camps here on Thursday, United Sikh Mission Chairman Rashpal Singh Dhindsa said this "mission for vision" is a selfless act of serving the community and this year, already seven camps have been organised in Ferozepur, Sangrur, Barnala, Kapurthala, Jalandhar and Mohali districts beginning October 15. A total of 2,627 OPDs, 265 surgeries, 1,684 spectacles and 2,533 medicines were provided in the camps. Rashpal Singh said they generate their own funds from donations from various sponsors who are mainly NRIs who want their native village to be benefited by the camps. He expressed that it is all Guru's will and as humans, they are trying to help other humans irrespective of their religion, gender and caste. He said their mission is to empower communities worldwide by addressing disparities in healthcare needs by eliminating preventable medical illnesses while promoting peace and community to spread prosperity and kindness towards humanity. Avtar Singh, board of director and camps management, said this is an inspiring journey of a philanthropic American Sikh Rashpal Singh and his team towards establishing a mission to improve eye healthcare to serve his community in Punjab. He said from 2005, they started with one camp and have since held 463 eye camps. The organisation plans to initiate work on a charitable hospital to take care of all eye-related surgeries, along with dialysis treatment, all absolutely free of cost, in Punjab. New Delhi, Nov 3 : The Industrial Training Institute (ITI) courses from Delhi Skill and Entrepreneurship University (DSEU) have been recognised equivalent to the academic sessions of both Class 11 and 12, enabling the students seek direct enrolment in degree and diploma courses. DSEU said the step has been taken to allay doubts and apprehensions pertaining to academic years of Class 11 and 12 from the mind of students who enrol into the ITI courses after Class 10. Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who also holds the Education portfolio, interacted with the students on Thursday at an ITI here during which he discussed the importance of courses offered at the institute. He also sought to know from the students about their future plans after passing out from the ITIs. The students submitted that the professional courses offered by the ITIs have made them more confident, and also lessened their worries about job prospects. Sisodia said every youth should be skilled for the development of the country, adding skills are also necessary along with the degree. In the last few years, many modern courses have been started in ITI keeping the needs of the industry and market in mind. Almost 100 per cent of the students in these ITIs have got placed or have a come up with a start-up. Sisodia said that he also noticed that many students in the institute were pursuing ITI courses after 12th or graduation. Aizawl, Nov 3 : Assam Rifles and Customs officials in a joint operation seized 190 cases of foreign origin cigarettes worth Rs 2.47 crore from eastern Mizoram's Champhai district, a hotspot of illegal trade from Myanmar. Officials on Thursday said that the para-military troopers of 23 Sector accompanied by Assam Rifles officials recovered the foreign origin cigarettes on Wednesday night from an abandoned place at New Zotlang of Champhai district, adjoining Myanmar. The seized items were handed over to the Customs department, Champhai to undertake further legal proceedings. Ongoing smuggling of drugs and foreign origin cigarettes is a major cause of concern for Mizoram, especially along the India-Myanmar border, an Assam Rifles statement said. The Mizoram-based International Trade Initiative Forum (ITIF) recently urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mizoram Governor to resume trade with Myanmar through the Zokhawthar border point. ITIF President P.C. Lawmkunga, a retired IAS officer, who served as Manipur's Chief Secretary, told IANS that "in the absence of the formal and regular official border trade between India and Myanmar, not only smuggling and illegal trade is going on unchecked but the government is losing crores of rupees in revenue." New Delhi, Nov 3 : The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered status quo on the decision of the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) allowing the environmental release of genetically modified (GM) mustard for seed production and testing. The apex court has scheduled the next hearing in the matter on November 10. A bench comprising justices Dinesh Maheshwari and Sudhanshu Dhulia ordered status quo on the GEAC's decision of October 18 2022, and subsequent decision of the Ministry of Environment and Forests of October 25, to allow environmental release of genetically modified mustard/ HT mustard /DMH 11 in 5 states on an interim application filed by Aruna Rodrigues in her pending writ petition. Advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing Rodrigues, contended that the apex court in 2012 constituted a technical expert committee with broad terms of reference to examine in detail the matter of genetically modified crops in India. The bench queried the Centre's counsel on the current status in connection with the environmental release of GM mustard. The counsel after taking instructions informed the court that GM mustard seeds were going to be planted in facilities of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). The bench told the Centre's counsel to ensure that "no precipitative action is taken" until the application is heard and scheduled the matter for consideration on November 10. Bhushan said that the committee called HT crops "unsustainable" and "unsuitable" for India and noted that the herbicide sprayed on HT crops caused cancer, and it had recommended that non-GMO alternatives were available in the country. He added that the committee recommended a "total ban" on all HT crops on "precautionary principle" as no long-term safety studies were done on the impact of edible GM crops in India on human health, animal health, and bio-diversity. Citing apex court orders passed in 2016 and 2017, Bhushan said the submission of the Centre was recorded that as of that time no decision had been taken to release GM mustard in the environment and if such a decision were to be taken it would be placed before the court. Colombo, Nov 3 : Amidst the resumption of flight of Russia's largest charter airline, Azur Air on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered "the Government of Russia to increase the number of flights between Russia and friendly states". Susitha Fernando Colombo, Nov 3 (IANS) Amidst the resumption of flight of Russia's largest charter airline, Azur Air on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered "the Government of Russia to increase the number of flights between Russia and friendly states". Russian Embassy in Colombo tweeted after Sri Lanka welcomed the first Azur air flight with 335 passengers onboard at Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo, "IMPORTANT: Russian president Vladimir #Putin ordered the Government of Russia to increase the number of flights between #Russia and friendly states!@LKARSGOV." In early June, Russia stopped flights to Sri Lanka after an A330-300 operated by Russian flag-carrier Aeroflot was detained post Colombo commercial court issued an order over a legal dispute with an Irish leasing vehicle Celestial Aviation Trading. Due to strong protest by Russia, the Sri Lanka government quickly intervened and released the flight and guaranteed that no Russian flights would be stopped. However, Russian airlines were reluctant to return to Sri Lanka until October 10 when an Aeroflot flight resumed flights between Moscow and Colombo. Resumption of Russian flights has brought much hope for Sri Lanka's tourism for the year's biggest season as Russia holds the record of second highest tourism arrival to the island nation after India. Tourism Minister Harin Fernando tweeted: "Russian charter @azurairline touched down today at BIA with 335 passengers on board. The airline will operate 4 flights a week and Aeroflot with 3 flight a week which will make upto 7 flights weekly. Most seats already sold out upto end Jan 2023." Reviving hopes for the return of European tourist arrival, Sri Lanka's Tourism Ministry also has announced that Air France, the flag carrier of France is to resume its flights to Sri Lanka from Friday (November 4). Tourism Minister Harin Fernando in a Twitter message announced that Switzerland's national airline, Swiss International Air Lines, is scheduled to resume operations with weekly flights starting from November 10 to May. Burdened by the worst-ever financial crisis since 1948 independence, Sri Lanka awaits the revival of tourism, one of main foreign currency earner, which was dashed by 2019 Easter Sunday terrorism attack, two years of Covid-19 pandemic and political crisis started early this year with violent street fights following shortages of most essential items including food, fuel and medicine. Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War Gujranwala, Nov 3 : Chaotic scenes broke out near PTI's reception camp at Allahwala Chowk in Gujranwala after gunshots were fired at party chief Imran Khan, media reports said. According to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Imran Ismail, Khan has been shot in the leg "three to four" times, Dawn reported. Speaking to Bol TV, Ismail said that he was standing next to Khan when the shots were fired in which PTI leader Faisal Javed was also injured. He added that the attacker was directly in front of the container and was wielding an AK-47, Dawn reported. According to Geo News, the former Prime Minister has been shifted to a hospital. Sources told Geo News that four to five PTI leaders have also sustained injuries. According to the police, the suspect who opened fire on Khan's container has been arrested. PTI leader Shahbaz Gill said, "Imran Khan is our red line and an attempt has been made to cross that red line." He also said that Khan will fight till his last breath. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has condemned the firing incident in Gujranwala and directed Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah to seek an immediate report from the inspector-general of police and chief secretary of Punjab. Khan is leading PTI's march towards Islamabad which kicked off from Lahore's Liberty Chowk on October 29. This is the PTI chief's second long march this year. Khan, along with his supporters, is expected to stage a sit-in in Islamabad against the Shehbaz Sharif-led coalition government at the end of the march. PTI has not yet confirmed the date of arrival in Islamabad. According to Khan, the protest march will continue till the date for elections is announced, The News reported. Earlier, the plan was to reach Islamabad by November 4. It was later revised to November 8-9 and then again revised to November 11. PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry then announced the party will keep changing the date to "tire the government out". The political instability in Pakistan has also fuelled economic uncertainty, with international rating agencies questioning if the current government can maintain difficult economic policies in the face of political pressure and looming elections, The News reported. The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has directed PTI to ensure peace regardless of the location in Islamabad allotted to the party by the government to hold sit-in and 'jalsa'. The observation came during the hearing of PTI's plea against the government for not issuing the party a no-objection certificate for its sit-in in Islamabad. Jaipur, Nov 3 : At a time when factions of Rajasthan Congress have come out in the open, Aam Aadmi Party's Rajasthan election in-charge Vinay Mishra expressed his sympathy for former deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot, saying that "the next Captain Amarinder Singh of Congress" will be from Rajasthan and "the next Bhagwant Mann of Aam Aadmi Party" will also be from Rajasthan. Vinay Mishra said, "Sachin Pilot, the message for you is very clear. After all, what is the compulsion that you have to live sipping humiliation? How you might be feeling good when we are not feeling well looking at you?" Mishra said, "I have been saying that a Congress government in Rajasthan exists only in name, all other work is being done jointly by BJP-Congress. People are being cheated." "We have both concern and indication for the people of Rajasthan, the concern is that Rajasthan is getting ruined day by day in their fight and tussle," he added. Pilot on Wednesday had said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi showering praise on Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot at the Mangarh stage was interesting and should not be taken lightly. "PM had praised Ghulam Nabi Azad also and we saw what happened," Pilot had said. Mishra said, "Sachin Pilot questioned Ashok Gehlot, then Congress defended Ashok Gehlot ji by holding a press conference. Sachin Pilot, the message for you is very clear. After all, what is the compulsion that you have to live sipping humiliation? How you must be feeling when we are not feeling well?" he said. Mishra said "They spent the last 4 years fighting among themselves making Rajasthan No. 1 in unemployment, women crime, crime on Dalits and riots in the last 4 years, still dreaming of forming the government for the next time. This time the people of Rajasthan will revenge each and every negligence on them by casting a vote." Jalgaon : , Nov 3 (IANS) Shiv Sena (UBT) Deputy Leader Sushma Andhare on Thursday claimed that some 'rebel' MLAs belonging to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena are "in contact" with her party. Among them is Sanjay Shirsat who is said to be disgruntled and feeling uncomfortable with the Shinde Group, according to Andhare. The firebrand leader's comments came during a media interaction in Jalgaon where she is participating in the Mahaprabodhan Yatra. "We have not cut off the cords with the rebels. Some MLAs are very upset there and are in touch with us," said Andhare, indicating that there may be 'home-coming' to the Thackeray Group. Slamming the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), she said that the party is misusing central agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement Directorate against the Opposition parties, while no action is taken against corrupt leaders in the BJP. Andhare reiterated that the Shinde government is making announcements on farmers' issues, but they remain in the air as there are no benefits seen at the ground-level. Several other Sena (UBT) leaders have also claimed that several of the 'rebel' legislators who joined Shinde en-masse in June have opened communication channels and want to return. However, Shinde Group leaders have pooh-poohed the contentions and dared the Sena (UBT) to name any such MLAs allegedly contacting them. It may be recalled that after a chunk of 50 MLAs led by Shinde switched camps, the erstwhile Maha Vikas Aghadi government of Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress led by ex-CM Uddhav Thackeray collapsed. Amid a high political drama, on June 30, a new regime led by Shinde as the CM, and BJP's Devendra Fadnavis as the Deputy CM took office on June 30. In early-August, the Shinde-Fadnavis cabinet was expanded with 9 MLAs from each side, taking the strength to 20, though there is no representation to the group of independents or smaller parties supporting them. In October, the Election Commission of India gave separate names and poll symbols to the two rival factions even as other contentious issues are pending before the Supreme Court. San Francisco, Nov 3 : Microsoft on Thursday said it will extend technology support free of charge for Ukraine throughout calendar year 2023. Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President of Microsoft, said that the company will provide additional technology aid valued at roughly $100 million. This "will ensure that government agencies, critical infrastructure and other sectors in Ukraine can continue to run their digital infrastructure and serve citizens through the Microsoft Cloud," Smith said in a blog post. He announced this at a joint press conference with Mykhailo?Fedorov, Ukraine's Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation, in Lisbon, Portugal. The latest commitment will bring Microsoft's total support for Ukraine to more than $400 million since the war began in February. "The continued defense of Ukraine depends in part on a critical digital alliance of countries, companies and nonprofits. Since the war began in February, Microsoft and other tech companies have provided unprecedented technology assistance to the government and people of Ukraine," said Smith. By disbursing digital infrastructure into the public cloud, Microsoft and others have supported critical Ukrainian services through data centers across Europe. "As underscored in Microsoft's report in June, this has played a critical role in protecting the resilience and security of Ukraine's data and digital services even in the face of Russian cruise missile and other kinetic attacks on Ukraine's government data center and other physical assets," Smith informed. The company is supporting the country with critical cybersecurity protection and providing data and support to international organisations aiding Ukraine and addressing war crimes against civilians. Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War Wellington, Nov 3 : An Indian-origin man in New Zealand, who murdered his wifes lover in a savage hammer attack, challenged the length of his sentence at a court in Christchurch on Thursday. Months of pent-up jealousy and anger drove Niraj Nilesh Prasad, 39, to break into Faiz Ali's Armagh St flat and smash his head with a hammer on February 21, 2021. Prasad, who was found guilty of murder, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 18-and-a-half years by the High Court in Christchurch in March. Challenging the length of his sentence at the Court of Appeal, Prasad's lawyer James Rapley said that cultural factors were in play when his client reacted so viciously and violently, and were "causative" of his brutal offending, but not taken into account when he was sentenced, the NZ Herald reported. The lawyer further said that the issues raised in the cultural report should be taken into consideration as it helps to explain Prasad's extreme action and, to some extent, lessens his culpability. During the trial in March, the prosecutor said the killing was "calculated and premeditated", with Prasad delivering at least 20 hammer blows on Ali's head. Ali received 38 wounds in the hammer and knife attack, which caused "plainly visible catastrophic head injuries" and would have continued when he was defenceless, dying and perhaps even dead, NZ Herald reported. The blows fractured Ali's skull and jaw, and fatally damaged his brain. The cultural report said Prasad was racked by shame, hopelessness and a consuming despair. And while Rapley accepted that infidelity happens in "all walks of life and cultures", and that nothing excuses Prasad from killing another man, the cultural report helps explain his actions. The report says there was "no doubt" Prasad's cultural background played a role in the way he reacted, Rapley said. Reserving its decision, the Court of Appeal asked: "It's one thing to be deeply ashamed and upset, but how does that translate into an extremely violent and brutal attack?" The judges also noted that violent murders as these are not unique to any particular culture or background. Neighbours had seen Prasad covered in blood and holding a hammer as he left the crime scene. He told one of them: "I won't harm you. That man was having an affair with my wife." Bengaluru, Nov 3 : Ahead of the assembly elections in Karnataka, two former Congress leaders on Thursday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Former Congress MP S.P. Muddahanumegowda, actor-politician Shashi Kumar, and retired IAS officer B.H. Anil Kumar were the prominent faces among the new entrants in the saffron party. They were welcomed by Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and BJP's state unit president Nalin Kumar Kateel. Speaking on the development, Bommai said: "It is an indication of the political winds blowing in favour of the BJP in the state. "Despite serving the Congress party for several years, they are now convinced that their services will not be recognised in that party... and they have decided to join the BJP and serve the state," he added. The entry of leaders like Muddehanumegowda and Shashi Kumar is expected to boost the BJP's chances in the assembly elections scheduled to be held in Karnataka in the first half of 2023. Former Congress MP from Tumkur, Muddehanumegowda was forced by his party to vacate his seat for JD-S supremo H.D. Devegowda in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. While Devegowda lost the poll, the Congress did not keep its word of sending Muddehanumegowda to the Rajya Sabha. Actor Shashi Kumar was prolific in the 90s and represented the Janata Dal-United in the Lok Sabha from Chitradurga in 1999. Subsequently, he joined the Congress and thereafter the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S). Los Angeles, Nov 3 : A licensed massage therapist sat in front of a jury to recount her graphic allegations of a series of instances in which Harvey Weinstein sexually assaulted and masturbated in front of her during business appointments. Jane Doe #3 testified that the first time she ever worked with Weinstein as a client, he abruptly changed his friendly demeanour during a massage, cornering her in a hotel bathroom and masturbating in front of her, groping her breasts and yelling at her, reports Variety. "He said: 'Look at me, tell me how big my cock is. Look at me. Look at me. Fucking look at me,'" Jane Doe #3 testified, raising her voice on the stand, as to intimate the tone in which Weinstein spoke to her. As she started to tear up, she told the jury that she kept telling Weinstein "no" and "tried backing away from his as far as possible." But he kept saying: "Look at my cock. Tell me how big my cock is." "I was terrified," she said. "I thought I was about to get raped." Jane Doe #3 is a massage therapist for high-profile individuals, working almost exclusively with a clientele of A-list celebrities. She explained to the jury that, due to the nature of her job as a masseuse, it was typical to give a client a massage in a hotel room or in the privacy of their home where she would be isolated. Clients would often be nearly naked, wearing only a bathrobe, upon her arrival. In 2010, when the woman arrived at Weinstein's hotel room at the Montage in Beverly Hills, California, nothing seemed to be "peculiar odd," she said. "I've done plenty of massages in hotel rooms." She said Weinstein was "very nice" and "very friendly" at the start of the hourlong massage that he had booked. Nothing was sexual in nature and she was "flattered" by his complimentary conversation to her massage technique. But then, after roughly 40 minutes, he abruptly ended the massage, which caught Jane Doe #3 off-guard. She explained that she then went to the hotel bathroom to wash her hands, planning to pack up her massage table and leave. It was then, she said, that Weinstein barged into the bathroom and attacked her. As she was washing her hands, the bathroom door opened and "he was standing naked masturbating," she recalled. She then asked him to leave the bathroom and put his clothes on, but he yelled and demanded she look at his naked body and tell him "how big my cock is." As he was masturbating, Weinstein started walking towards her in a "very assertive manner." With one hand on his penis, he put his other hand underneath her tank top and grabbed her breasts. She said it was so aggressive, it left a red mark on her chest. "He just kept yelling at me," she said, adding she told him to stop. "I told him to leave me alone." When the prosecutor, deputy D.A. Marlene Martinez, asked Jane Doe #3 if she tried to move away and escape Weinstein, she explained, "There was no physical way to get around him. It wasn't possible because Harvey is so big." "I was in shock. I felt frozen. I felt paralysed. I was trying to understand what was about to happen to me," she said. "I didn't move. I thought if I tried to struggle, it would get worse." After he ejaculated on the floor, he said, "Now I know I can trust you, we're close friends," Jane Doe #3 recalled. "He kept saying, 'We're close friends now, you have full access to me. I want to get you a book deal to write about massage.'" In a state of confusion and shock, Jane Doe #3 asked Weinstein: "Why did you do this to me?" She said that after he emerged from the bathroom, he kept "taunting me" by laughing while he was "flashing me" with his penis from underneath a towel, reports Variety. During the massage - before his demeanour changed from "happy, calm, nice" to "angry, aggressive, assertive, scary" - Weinstein had brought up the idea of Jane Doe 3 writing a book through his publishing banner at The Weinstein Company. Jane Doe 3 was not a writer or an author; she said that she had never thought about writing a book. After the assault, Weinstein demanded she give him her address so he could send her some books to read. She agreed to give him his address. Why? Weinstein opened the door and his assistant, Barbara Schneeweiss, who had escorted Jane Doe #3 up to the room for the massage, was standing right outside, ready to escort the masseuse out and pay her for Weinstein's service. Jane Doe #3 did not tell Schneeweiss what had happened because "something didn't feel right" and she "didn't feel comfortable." This assault was not the only incident between Weinstein and Jane Doe #3. On the stand, she went through a series of interactions where she agreed to see Weinstein again for a massage service. Each time, she felt "embarrassed" and "humiliated" because Weinstein would masturbate in front of her again and yell at her. She did not have a clear answer as to why she agreed to see him again, other than explaining to the jury, "I wanted to make sense of certain things that had happened... I wish I didn't." While they remained in communication, Weinstein continued to tell Jane Doe #3 that he wanted to set her up with his publishing team for her to write a book about the art of massage. Every time Weinstein asked to book a massage appointment with her, she said she made clear to him that he needed to not act inappropriately. "I told him I don't feel comfortable," she said. "He told me he wouldn't do anything like that to me again." During the second massage appointment with Weinstein, Jane Doe #3 even set her cell phone to record, as a safety measure "in case anything happened to me." She told jurors, "I did question him and tried to get his response on tape." After that second massage was over, she went to the bathroom to wash her hands; this time, she locked the door. When she came out to pack up her equipment, she said "he flashed me in his robe." When she said, "Stop doing that. You told me you weren't going to do that," he laughed and kept doing it, she testified. After the second incident, Jane Doe #3 said Weinstein would often text her, but she would ignore him or avoid him. But then, one day, Weinstein said he had an injury and needed her help with a massage and she agreed to see him. "I don't know," she told the jury, saying she was "naive." During that third massage appointment, Weinstein asked if he could masturbate in front of her. Jane Doe #3 explained to the jury that, at that point, she felt he was going to assault her either way, so she wanted to stay as safe as she possibly could because she was scared of being raped. "I wanted to control the situation," she said. "I said, 'You are not allowed to touch me or lay a finger on me.'" Her negotiation did not work. Weinstein aggressively demanded she go to the bathroom where he masturbated and asked her, again, to "tell me how big my cock is." Jane Doe #3 said she was scared. "He kept telling me to watch him because I wasn't looking at him... Last time I didn't tell him what he wanted, I was sexually assaulted." After that, she had no contact with Weinstein for at least a year. But later, she introduced her new boss to Weinstein, thinking she could make an impactful business connection. She went to the Peninsula Hotel with her male boss for a meeting with Weinstein, believing she would not be in a situation where she was alone with him. Weinstein asked to speak to her alone. He took his pants off and masturbated in front of her again and asked her to take her top off. She said no and screamed, and he said, "'We're no longer friends.'" She then left the room and went downstairs and left. "I put myself in a ridiculously stupid situation, a situation where I thought I'd be safe," Jane Doe #3 said. "I was wrong." Jane Doe #3 did not speak of the incidents for years. When asked why she didn't report to the police, she told the deputy D.A. that she was too humiliated to tell anyone, including her fiance. "One of the reasons I didn't want to come forward is because this is embarrassing," Jane Doe 3 said. "I was ashamed, but I feel the whole truth had to come out." She also said she was scared of professional retaliation by Weinstein. "With his power and influence in the industry," she said, "I would've been known as the massage therapist who can't be alone with a client because I'll press charges." Jane Doe #3 said she blames herself and wishes she did more. Part of her reason for coming forward was to help other women in similar situations, she told the jury. "I felt that there were probably a lot of women in my situation that kept going back to the person that assaulted them or raped them," she said. "I wanted them to be sure they knew they were not alone because I went back." While Jane Doe #3 kept the alleged assaults a secret and didn't report to authorities for quite some time, she did tell one person: Mel Gibson. Gibson was a massage client of Jane Doe #3, who had become one of her friends. "He was the first person that I had finally opened up to," she said, crying on the stand. She said Gibson offered to help and asked if she wanted to call the police or find a lawyer. He eventually ended up connecting Jane Doe #3 to Allison Weiner, an investigative journalist and TV news producer, to whom she told her story during an off-the-record phone call in 2015, in an effort to ask for help. Earlier on Wednesday, the prosecution also called on Nicky Whelan - an actor, known for the Australian soap opera "Neighbours" and "Halloween II," which was distributed by The Weinstein Company in 2009. During her testimony, Whelan said was a former neighbour of Jane Doe #3 in Los Angeles and introduced her to Weinstein when he was looking for a massage therapist. Gibson is on the witness list and is expected to testify, in connection with Jane Doe #3, in the coming days of the trial, which is planned to last a total of two months, going into December. New Delhi, Nov 3 : Delhi Police's Crime Branch is questioning Devesh Kumar, ex-reporter of the news website The Wire, in connection with its fabricated story related to BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya. Sources said that he is being questioned for the last four to five hours. The Wire had also filed a complaint with Delhi Police against its former consultant Devesh Kumar. "The complaint was filed by the news website late Saturday evening through email," said a senior police official. Earlier on Monday, the Delhi Police had conducted raids at The Wire office and the house of its editors M.K. Venu, Jahnavi Sen, Sidharth Bhatia and founder Siddharth Varadarajan, and seized electronic devices including mobile phones and tablets. Police had on Saturday registered an FIR against 'The Wire' and its senior editors based on a complaint filed by Malviya, alleging that the portal forged documents with a view to malign and tarnish his reputation. The complaint was filed against 'The Wire' founder Siddharth Varadarajan, founding editor Sidharth Bhatia, editor M.K. Venu, deputy editor and executive news producer Jahnavi Sen, Foundation for Independent Journalism and other unknown persons. "I am filing the complaint for the offences of cheating, forgery for the purpose of cheating, forgery for the purpose of harming reputation, using forged document or electronic record as genuine, and defamation, among other provisions of IPC ('The Wire', Siddharth Varadarajan, Sidharth Bhatia, MK Venu and Jahnavi Sen shall be collectively termed as 'Accused')," Malviya stated in his complaint. 'The Wire' had in a series of reports alleged that Malviya had certain privileges to take down posts from Meta-owned Instagram, a claim which was later denied by Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook. "The posts in question were surfaced for review by automated systems, not humans. And the underlying documentation appears to be fabricated," Meta's director for policy communications, Andy Stone, had said in a tweet. Wazirabad, Nov 3 : Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairperson Imran Khan was injured in a gun attack on his long march container on Day 7 of the party's 'Haqeeqi Long March', confirmed party leader Farrukh Habib, media reports said. PTI leader Faisal Javed also sustained injuries in the attack, which occurred in Wazirabad. The suspect has been arrested, Express Tribune reported. Javed said that a PTI worker was killed during the attack, while another was severely injured, as he prayed for the well-being and protection of Khan and everyone else, the report said. Party leader Fawad Chaudhry also confirmed the 'targeted attack' and said that Khan has been shot in the leg. Speaking to a private news channel, he said three people were injured in the attack, including Ahmad Chattha and Faisal Javed. Party leader Hammad Azhar said PTI's Ahmed Chattha was shot at twice and is not "out of danger". The PTI chief, seemingly in good spirits after the attack on his life, was seen waving to party supporters soon after the attack, Express Tribune reported. Chaotic scenes broke out near PTI's reception camp at Allahwala Chowk after gunshots were fired at party chief Imran Khan. According to PTI leader Imran Ismail, Khan has been shot in the leg "three to four" times, Dawn reported. Speaking to Bol TV, Ismail said that he was standing next to Khan when the shots were fired in which PTI leader Faisal Javed was also injured. He added that the attacker was directly in front of the container and was wielding an AK-47, Dawn reported. According to Geo News, the former Prime Minister has been shifted to a hospital. PTI leader Shahbaz Gill said, "Imran Khan is our red line and an attempt has been made to cross that red line." He also said that Khan will fight till his last breath. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has condemned the firing incident in Gujranwala and directed Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah to seek an immediate report from the inspector-general of police and chief secretary of Punjab. Khan is leading PTI's march towards Islamabad which kicked off from Lahore's Liberty Chowk on October 29. This is the PTI chief's second long march this year. Khan, along with his supporters, is expected to stage a sit-in in Islamabad against the Shehbaz Sharif-led coalition government at the end of the march. PTI has not yet confirmed the date of arrival in Islamabad. According to Khan, the protest march will continue till the date for elections is announced, The News reported. Earlier, the plan was to reach Islamabad by November 4. It was later revised to November 8-9 and then again revised to November 11. PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry then announced the party will keep changing the date to "tire the government out". The political instability in Pakistan has also fuelled economic uncertainty, with international rating agencies questioning if the current government can maintain difficult economic policies in the face of political pressure and looming elections, The News reported. The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has directed PTI to ensure peace regardless of the location in Islamabad allotted to the party by the government to hold sit-in and 'jalsa'. The observation came during the hearing of PTI's plea against the government for not issuing the party a no-objection certificate for its sit-in in Islamabad. New Delhi, Nov 3 : The Supreme Court on Thursday affirmed the death penalty for Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist Mohammad Arif alias Ashfaq for carrying out the December 2000 Red Fort attack, saying there was a direct attack on the unity, integrity and sovereignty of India. Dismissing Arif's review plea against capital punishment, a bench comprising Chief Justice U.U. Lalit and Justices S. Ravindra Bhat and Bela M. Trivedi said: "the aggravating circumstances evident from the record and specially the fact that there was a direct attack on the unity, integrity and sovereignty of India, completely outweigh the factors which may even remotely be brought into consideration as mitigating circumstances on record." Arif, a Pakistan national, was held guilty of murder, criminal conspiracy, and waging war against the country. The bench concluded there is nothing on record which can be taken to be a mitigating circumstance in favour of the review petitioner. "The suggestion that there is a possibility of retribution and rehabilitation, is not made out from and supported by any material on record," said Chief Justice Lalit, who authored the judgment on behalf of the bench. The Chief Justice said in conclusion, it must therefore be observed that even after eschewing circumstances, which were directly attributable to the CDRs relied upon by the prosecution, the other circumstances on record do clearly spell out and prove beyond any doubt the involvement of the review petitioner in the crime in question. Referring to judgment in Mohd Ajmal Amir Kasab case (2008 Mumbai terror attack) (2012), the bench said: "when there is challenge to the unity, integrity and sovereignty of India by acts of terrorism, such acts are taken as the most aggravating circumstances. It is well accepted that the cumulative effect of the aggravating factors and the mitigating circumstances must be taken into account before the death sentence is awarded." The bench noted that there were other circumstances, including a disclosure statement by the convict, which led to an encounter at Batla house and killing of Abu Shamal alias Faisal, which went against the convict. "The disclosure statement led the police to the hideout at G-73, Batla House, New Delhi and when the police team arrived with the review petitioner, there was firing upon the police team.. After the person concerned named Abu Shamal alias Faisal died in the encounter, certain firearms and ammunition were recovered. The submission that such recovery of ammunition or the encounter of Abu Shamal could not be associated with the disclosure statement of the review petitioner is not quite correct," said the bench. In the Red Fort attack, three people, including two Army jawans, were killed. In August 2011, the Supreme Court confirmed the death sentence of arrested LeT terrorist Mohammad Arif for carrying out the December 2000 Red Fort attack. The apex court also dismissed his review petition later in August 2011. However, in 2016, the apex court decided to re-hear his review petition. In November 2005, the trial court had awarded Arif a death sentence. The trial court had also fined Arif Rs 4.35 lakh for the attack that left two Rajputana Rifles jawans and a civilian dead. The Delhi High Court, in 2007, upheld the death sentence to Arif. Los Angeles, Nov 3 : Actor Kevin Spacey is set to make his first speaking gig in five years with a masterclass at Italy's National Museum of Cinema in Turin, where he will also receive a lifetime achievement award. The two-time Oscar winner ('American Beauty', 'The Usual Suspects'), who has held a low profile outside of court appearances since being accused of sexual misconduct in 2017, is scheduled to hold an onstage conversation on January 16, 2023, in the auditorium of Turin's iconic Mole Antonelliana domed tower, which houses the film museum, reports Variety. The masterclass, conducted by museum president Domenico De Gaetano, will be followed by a screening at the museum's Cinema Massimo of a film from Spacey's career that the actor will select and introduce. Earlier this month, Spacey scored a legal victory when a New York jury found him not liable in a civil sexual abuse trial brought by fellow actor Anthony Rapp. However, he still faces charges in the UK for allegedly sexually assaulting three men when he lived in London and served as the artistic director of the Old Vic theatre. Spacey has pled not guilty, reports Variety. The actor has also been ordered to pay MRC, the producer of 'House of Cards', $31 million in damages after the political thriller had its episode-order cut in the wake of abuse allegations against Spacey. Turin is the city where the U.S. actor last year made a return to acting, starring as a police detective in the Franco Nero-directed low budget indie drama 'L'uomo Che Disegno Dio' ('The Man Who Drew God'). During the shoot for that film, Spacey visited the museum and was given an informal tour. "We are honoured that such a prestigious guest as Kevin Spacey has chosen Turin and an institutional venue such as our museum for this welcome and long-awaited return" said National Museum of Cinema president Enzo Ghigo in a statement. "It is a privilege to host the masterclass of one of the greatest cinema and theatre actors of our times." Tickets for the Kevin Spacey masterclass will go on sale on December 20. It has not yet been decided if the event will be live-streamed. Though the Turin masterclass will mark Spacey's first formal public appearance since his career flamed out in 2017, the actor in 2018 informally returned to the spotlight, again in Italy, when he gave a public reading of a performance of a poem titled 'The Boxer' by Italian poet Gabriele Tinti, about a broken down, worn-out pugilist, in front of the National Roman Museum in Rome. It was on November 1, 1947 that the state flag of Jammu and Kashmir at the Gilgit Residency was taken down and replaced by that of Pakistan. The irony is that the flag of the state of Jammu Kashmir was taken down not as a result of a popular rebellion but due to a conspiracy engineered by the former political agent of Gilgit Agency, Major William Alexander Brown. The decision to hand over Gilgit Agency to Pakistan was made even before the inception of Pakistan in August 1947. During a meeting in Peshawar between Major William and the former political agent of Gilgit agency, Colonel Roger Bacon in July 1947, three months before Pakistan attacked the state of Jammu Kashmir on October 22, 1947, a conspiracy was hatched. Once the instrument of accession to India was signed between Maharaja Hari Singh and Lord Mountbatten, Indian troops were airlifted to Srinagar to fight and push back the invading Pakistan army and the mercenary tribal invaders. At the time of the signing of the instrument of accession to join the Republic of India, Pakistani troops were only 4 miles away from the gates of Srinagar. However, once the Indian troops landed at the Srinagar airport, they swiftly pushed the foreign invaders back and a total victory for the Indian army seemed the writing on the wall. This development was not in tune with the plan of the British since they were concerned with the southward expansion of the Soviet Union and the situation in East Turkistan, today's Xinjiang province of China, where armed struggle for territorial supremacy between local proxies of Russia, China and the British had become indecisive. Since the 1860s and 1870s, both Russia and British were locked in a struggle to capture the trade routes to central Asia. Russia wanted access to the warm waters and deep sea ports in Persia and the Indian Ocean while the British wanted to push their sphere of political influence to Persian and central Asia to contain Russian expansion. Three wars were fought between the Afghans and the British. Finally, ending up formally dividing Afghanistan into the North West Frontier Province by the Boundary Commission of British India and the Durand Line was drawn. Therefore, Afghanistan became a buffer state between Russia and British India. For Russia, Gilgit Agency was the key to getting access the Indian Ocean and for the British it was a path to get hold of the central Asian republics. Hence, the forceful and illegal accession of Gilgit Agency, the attack on the state of Jammu Kashmir and even the partition of India by creating West and East Pakistan was all part of the British plan to a) deny Russia access to the Indian ocean and the Persian Gulf and b) to deny India access to central Asia. In 1935, the British forced Maharaja Hari Singh to agree to sign a 60-year lease according to which the British would be in charge of the trade routes and defence in that part of the world. However, on August 1, 1947 the lease lapsed because of the clause in the India Independence Act according to which all agreements between the British and the 560 odd princely states were revoked. As the Indian troops began to liberate the territories occupied by Pakistan, Major William Brown who was leading the Gilgit Scouts staged a coup and arrested the governor Brigadier Ghansara Singh during the night of October 31 and the early hours of November 1, 1947. At the time, Colonel Roger Bacon was serving as the political agent of Khyber Agency bordering Afghanistan. He had also played a crucial role in brokering the agreement between the Pakistan army and the tribal to attack the State of Jammu and Kashmir on October 22, 1947. The governor of the North Western Frontier Province (NWFP) was Sir George Cunningham and the Commander-in-Chief of Pakistan army was General Sir Douglas Gracey. All communication between the Gilgit Agency's political agent and the government of Pakistan was sent through Peshawar. This shows that all communication was seen by the British governor and the political agent, who was also stationed in Peshawar, the capital NWFP. Once the coup in Gilgit Agency was successful, a telegram was sent from Peshawar to the government of Pakistan in the then capital Karachi, that Gilgit Agency had acceded to Pakistan. The recent statement issued by the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh that our final destination is Gilgit is the sweetest thing our ears have listen to in a very long time. The instrument of accession signed between our Maharaja Hari Singh and the then Governor General of India Lord Mountbatten included all parts of the State of Jammu and Kashmir that came under attack by Pakistan. Therefore, it included Gilgit Agency and the currently territories of Jammu Kashmir that remain to this day under the occupation of Pakistan. The status of the above mentioned territories are recognised as disputed territories and United Nations resolutions call Pakistan the aggressor. The retake of Pakistani occupied Jammu and Kashmir as well as Gilgit-Baltistan will bring a closure to the chapter of yesteryears' Great Game that Gilgit-Baltistan had been a victim of. (Dr Amjad Ayub Mirza is an author and a human rights activist from Mirpur in PoJK. He currently lives in exile in the UK) Islamabad, Nov 3 : Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman and former Pakistan Prime Minster Imran Khan survived a deadly attack on Thursday after an assailant reached close to his container and opened fire targeting Khan during the party's long march in Gujranwala. Nabbed by the police, the attacker later said that he only wanted to kill Khan and no one else. The shooter opened a burst of bullets which hit PTI leaders standing next to Khan and also injured the former premier who got shot in the leg. According to PTI leaders, Khan is presently 'out of danger'. As per sources, senior PTI leaders, including Senator Faisal Javed Khan, former Sindh Governor Imran Ismail and Ahmed Chatha, were injured in the firing. Immediately after the attack, Khan was taken inside the container, after which he was rushed to the local hospital from where he was shifted to the Shaukat Khanam Hospital in Lahore. Other than the PTI top leadership, at least six others others have been injured in the attack, one of whom is in a critical state. As per reports, at least one person has died in the attack. The attackers, numbering two, were nabbed by the supporters of PTI present in the march before being handed over to the police. As per details, one of the attackers is named Faisal Butt, while the other has been identified as Mohammad Naveed. Faisal said he wanted to kill Khan ever since the latter started his long march from Lahore on October 28. "I got angry with Khan for spreading hatred and misleading the people. I only wanted to kill Khan and no one else," said Faisal. "I did this on my own will and no one told me to do so. I just got angry on Khan and wanted to kill him," Faisal added. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took immediate notice of the incident and ordered the Interior Ministry to submit a report on the matter. "I condemn the incident of firing on PTI Chairman Imran Khan in the strongest words. I have directed the Interior Minister for an immediate report on the incident. I pray for the recovery and health of the PTI Chairman and other injured people," Sharif said. "The government will extend all the necessary support to the Punjab government for security and investigation. Violence should have no place in our country," Sharif added. Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi has also ordered an immediate inquiry into the firing incident. The attack on Khan came at a time when the slow pace of the long march was being criticised for not having an impact on the government officials, who have stated that the government will not bow down to any of the demands of Khan, which he aims to achieve with the long march. The march has been moving at a snail's pace since with a travel time of about four hours or less in a day. Khan himself had said earlier that time will define if his fight for revolution in the country against the current leadership will be achieved peacefully or through bloodshed. It is also a fact that Khan is by far the most popular leader in the country at present, and any attempt to assassinate him is bound to trigger widespread chaos and angry protests. Patna, Nov 3 : The polling for by-election in Mokama and Gopalganj assembly constituencies in Bihar has ended, officials said on Thursday, adding the overall voters' turnout was recorded at 52.38 per cent. The voting started at 7 a.m. and ended at 6 p.m. According to poll officials, the turnout in Mokama was 53.45 per cent while 51.48 per cent voters exercised their franchise in Gopalganj assembly constituency. A total of 1,47,835 men, 1,32,014 women and 3 transgenders voted in Mokama while 1,67,811 men, 1,63,199 women and 11 transgender persons cast vote in Gopalganj assembly constituency. The election commission of Bihar had set up 619 polling booths in the two constituencies. Meanwhile, 6 persons have been arrested in in Gopalganj for uploading objectionable posts on social media against RJD candidate Mohan Prasad Gupta who is contesting against BJP candidate Kusum Devi. The RJD candidates have direct contest against the BJP nominees in both the constituencies. This is the first by-poll after the formation of new government in Bihar wherein the RJD is in alliance with JD-U and 5 other parties. In Mokama, Neelam Devi, wife of 'Bahubali' (strongman) Anant Singh is contesting on the ticket of RJD while the BJP fielded Sonam Devi -- wife of another 'Bahubali', Lalan Singh. Anant Singh has been winning the Mokama seat for the last 17 years. The seat fell vacant after he was convicted in an Arms case. Mumbai, Nov 3 : TV and film actor Rajniesh Duggal is all set for his next project titled 'Bal Naren' which is all about the concept of cleanliness. The actor will be seen playing the role of Dr Siddharth in the film, while Yagya Bhasin will be portraying Naren. While talking about his role, he said: "Dr Siddharth is a very interesting character. He is someone who acts like Lord Krishna, who is there to protect the village from a deadly virus. He is also the village local boy who returns solely to protect his people from Covid and eventually does it through the perfect medium that is Naren." "The fact that it's a film on a very interesting social issue and not just area based but it is a worldwide issue made me take this project up. Also, it's been written really beautifully and the passion that I saw in the director's eyes motivated me. He has been supported well by the producers, Deepak Mukut sir and Hunar Mukut," he said. He shares further that playing Dr Siddharth has truly been a very interesting experience for him. "He's a very likeable character, a clean-hearted person, someone from this village who has studied in a metro city and comes back to his roots to give back to the society. He is a man with a mission," he added. The film highlights the importance of cleanliness during the pandemic. As he mentions: "The idea of cleanliness and how a 14-year-old boy with his determination and efforts stopped his village from getting any more Covid cases is really inspiring. There is so much to learn from this film." About working experience with Yagya, Rajniesh shared: "We hit it off instantly. From the day we did some readings in the office during pre-production to the first day of shoot, it has been a fantastic experience. Yagya is a very talented boy, very focused and understanding. I feel his passion for acting and believe that it will take him far. His father is very supportive of his work and is always there by his side. He has done a fabulous job as Naren." -IANS ila/kvd San Francisco, Nov 3 : HMD Global, the home of Nokia phones, on Thursday launched the new Nokia 2780 Flip phone that comes with FM radio support, a good old clamshell design, and a T9 keyboard. According to GSMArena, the company launched the feature phone in the US in two colours, Red and Blue, which are priced at $90 and will go on sale starting November 15. The phone runs on KaiOS 3.1 which brings features such as FM Radio, MP3 support, and Wi-Fi support. The device features a Qualcomm 215 chipset, a quad-core CPU running at 1.3GHz, and an X5 LTE modem with peak downlink speeds of 150Mbps, according to a report. The phone comes powered with a 1,450 mAH battery, which is also removable. It also supports VoLTE and RTT, which allow users to send texts while on the call. Nokia listed the phone as having 512MB internal storage and 4GB RAM, although this might be a mix-up since a feature phone does not require so much memory, it added. Meanwhile, back in August, the company launched the Nokia 2660 Flip phone that comes with signature features like a big display, big buttons, hearing aid compatibility, and an emergency button for Indian consumers. Priced at Rs 4,699, the Nokia 2660 was available in black, blue and red colours. New Delhi, Nov 3 : References to Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) in a China-Pakistan joint statement issued on Thursday during Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's visit to Beijing has been rejected by India. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that the references were "unwarranted". Adding that India has consistently rejected such statements, Bagchi said that the union territories of J&K are and will remain India's integral part. The joint statement was issued after talks between Sharif and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Commenting on the China-Pakistan-Economic Corridor (CPEC), he said India has consistently conveyed "protests and concerns" to China and Pakistan as it includes projects in the "sovereign territory" of India. "We resolutely reject any attempts to utilise such projects to change the status quo in that area," the spokesperson said. Wazirabad, Nov 3 : As people ran helter-skelter after a man opened fire on the container carrying the top leadership of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), injuring party Chairman Imran Khan, in Gujranwala on Thursday, the former Pakistan Prime Minister brushed aside the injury, stood on his two feet and waved to the crowd with a big smile on his face, media reports said. While initial images showed he had to be carried by guards and other supporters off the container near the Allahawala roundabout, he later dusted himself off and stood up on his two feet, Samaa TV reported. A video recorded by a member of the crowd showed that while being shifted to a smaller vehicle for transfer to a hospital in Lahore, Khan stood on his two feet. Soon after the firing incident, Khan stood on the doorway of the container and punched his fist in the air, Samaa TV reported. Khan was then lowered carefully into the waiting vehicle, which was parked next to the container. While Khan sustained bullet injury in his leg, seven others were also injured in the attack, including PTI Senator Faisal Javed. A child is also among the injured. Kohima, Nov 3 : President Droupadi Murmu on the second day of her visit to Nagaland on Thursday visited the state's popular Kigwema village where the Japanese had stationed during the Second World War. After visiting the village, Murmu said he would bring back home the good memories of the famous Naga village, where Mount Japfu, second highest peak in Nagaland, is situated. The President was accompanied by Governor Jagdish Mukhi, Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and other dignitaries. Rio said the village is one of the largest villages of Nagaland with a total population of about 7,562. The Chief Minister told the President that the village has a virgin forest with stiff hills but it has a gentle slope with fertile land suitable for cultivating paddy, vegetables and fruits. Nagaland's world famous Hornbill festival was held within the proximity of the village from December 1 to 10, and in this annual event, all the Naga tribes, tribal communities from other northeastern states and also from the neighbouring countries joined and performed various activities during the festival. Kigwema Village Council Chairman Balie Kere while welcoming the President said that the village was diligently partnering with the central government and state government in various initiatives, policies, developmental works, and schemes. Balie also said that the Kigwema Village is contributing towards national security and Integrity by way of donating 72.7 per cent of its land and co-existing with the Army and para-military forces stationed at Zakhama Military Station. The village council chairman urged the President to support and look into the long-cherished desire of the people to have a national standard playground located between military station and Kigwema village which is jointly shared by both parties. The women folk of Kigwema village presented folk songs while Central Brass Band, Nagaland Police, and the Government High School Kigwema presented the National Anthem. Murmu also visited the Kohima War Cemetery and paid her homage to the brave soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice while defending the nation and also laid a wreath to show her honour and respect to the fallen heroes. New Delhi, Nov 3 : Nearly 53 per cent Delhi-NCR residents identified stubble burning by farmers in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh as the primary cause for toxic air in Delhi and surrounding areas. To understand what the perception of citizens is on the primary cause of high levels of pollution in Delhi-NCR, online community platform LocalCircles reached out to residents of Delhi, Ghaziabad, Noida, Faridabad and Gurugram. Over 20,000 responses were received in the survey in which 61 per cent respondents were men while 39 per cent respondents were women. To gauge the perception of Delhi-NCR residents on the primary cause of toxic air, the survey asked: "What according to you is the primary reason for bad air quality during October to December in Delhi NCR?" In response, the majority of the 10,037 respondents to the query identified stubble burning by farmers in adjoining states as the root cause. The data break-up shows 53 per cent of respondents identify "stubble burning by farmers in Punjab, Haryana and UP" while a much smaller percentage or 13 per cent believe the primary cause is "motor vehicle emissions"; seven per cent blame it on "garbage burning in the city"; seven per cent on "industrial emissions"; 7 per cent on "construction activity"; while 13 per cent have no opinion. When asked about supporting the introduction of an odd-even vehicle scheme in Delhi-NCR as a solution to reduce the air pollution level, nearly 56 per cent of respondents do not support it while 38 per cent are willing to support this step to reduce pollution and 6 per cent have no clear opinion. Pollution level in Delhi has been in severe category since the last couple of days and GRAP III has kicked in banning construction activities. Kolkata, Nov 3 : India's hands-off attitude regarding Myanmar has paid dividends, so far as insurgency in the northeastern states is concerned. The military junta that is now in charge of affairs in Myanmar has ensured that Indian insurgent groups, primarily from Nagaland, Manipur and Assam, do not receive shelter in their territory. There is a reason behind this. India is providing tacit support to the Myanmar Army in tackling its own threats from outfits like the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA). Both the KIA and KNLA are known to have links with Indian insurgent groups operating in the northeastern states. The KIA has even provided training to members of such insurgent groups. The Myanmar Army has now realised that weapons and other supplies from Thailand and China were shared by both Indian and Myanmarese insurgents. The funding was through drugs trade. Myanmar still continues to remain the main source of the chemical drug methamphetamine (Meth) that enters India. Some of them then move to Bangladesh as Yaba tablets. Methamphetamine factories are run by insurgents, both Indian and Myanmarese. No wonder then that India remained tight-lipped after the Myanmar Army launched air strikes on KIA camps recently. In 2021, India had refused to vote against Myanmar when the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) brought about a resolution against human rights excesses in that country. It is also claimed that India finished off the Arakan Army - a conglomerate of ethnic insurgent groups in Myanmar - in 2015 by eliminating its leaders on an island in the Andamans. "Every nation reserves the right to protect itself, not only against external aggression but also internal strife -- aided by external forces. India is doing just that. Myanmar was a safe haven for Indian insurgent groups. They would commit crimes in India and then step across the border into Myanmar through heavily forested territory. "Indian Special Forces did carry out strikes on insurgent camps deep inside Myanmar but that can't be a permanent solution. The Myanmar Army has to take up the issue and it has. There used to be several insurgent camps in Bangladesh as well. But after India took up the matter repeatedly with the Sheikh Hasina government, things are better now," a senior Army officer said. On Tuesday, during the Raising Day celebrations of the Eastern Command of the Indian Army, Lt Gen R.P. Kalita, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Command, had highlighted how insurgency-related violence has dipped in the northeastern states. He also said that more and more areas are now being moved out from the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). This is an Act that comes into effect whenever the Army is called in to contain and control terrorism, militancy and insurgency. AFSPA takes a toll on the daily lives of common citizens who are subjected to restrictions and searches. Kalita made it clear that the Army will move back to the barracks as soon as the state police is in a position to control the situation. After all, the Army doesn't take control of an area by itself. It is assigned the job only after the state and central police forces fail to tackle the situation. "While the Army has sacrificed a lot in its efforts to curb militancy in the northeastern states, development has also played a key role. A lot of infrastructural development is now going on in those states, particularly along the bordering areas," Kalita said. Development certainly helps in curbing insurgency, particularly when the common man has access to a better lifestyle. Over the last few years, youth from the northeastern states have been travelling to the rest of the country for higher education or jobs. They have not only been well-accepted, but have also witnessed for themselves how the country has progressed over the years. Now they wish to replicate the same in their home states. These youngsters have now shunned militancy, which has largely turned into a source of extortion by arousing sentiments or using force. With their recruitment base dipping, most insurgent groups in the northeastern states are now on the backfoot. New Delhi, Nov 3 : Meta on Thursday announced that its India head, Ajit Mohan, has decided to step down from his role at the company to pursue another opportunity. "Over the last four years, he played an important role in shaping and scaling our India operations so they can serve many millions of Indian businesses, partners and people," Nicola Mendelsohn, Vice President, Global Business Group, Meta, said in a statement to IANS. "We remain deeply committed to India and have a strong leadership team in place to carry on all our work and partnerships. We are grateful for Ajit's leadership and contribution and wish him the very best for the future," she added. In January 2019, Facebook India hired Ajit Mohan as the managing director. During his tenure, WhatsApp and Instagram added more than 200 million users in India. Mohan was responsible for driving Facebook's overall strategy and continued investment in India -- reporting directly to the Menlo Park (California) based headquarter and not to the Asia Pacific team. An alumnus of McKinsey and the company's New York office where he worked with media companies around the globe, Mohan launched and built Hotstar, Star India's over-the-top (OTT) service, into India's leading premium video streaming platform. He is a graduate from the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Wazirabad, Nov 3 : The suspect, who was arrested by the Punjab Police soon after he shot at former Prime Minister Imran Khan in Gujranwala, has confessed that fired at the PTI chief as he was "misleading" the nation, media reports said. "I could see him misleading the nation. I only wanted to target Imran Khan and no one else," the attacker, identified as Faisal Butt, said in a video statement in police custody, The Express Tribune reported. The suspect also revealed that he had intended to do so ever since the deposed premier started his long march from Lahore. "No one is behind me and I did this [the attack] on my own," he added, Express Tribune reported. The PTI chief was injured after being shot at in the leg by the assailant. Former ruling party leaders have revealed that his condition is stable and he has been escorted to the Shaukat Khanum Hospital in Lahore. Senator Faisal Javed also sustained injuries in the attack. The incident occurred on Day 7 of the party's long march to Islamabad. The PTI chief has been hospitalised after he reportedly received multiple gunshot wounds in the leg. Chaotic scenes were seen as security personnel rushed to secure the premises after the incident occurred. Many including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have condemned the incident. Sharif said that the federal government will extend all necessary support to the Punjab government for security and investigation. "Violence should have no place in our country's politics," Sharif said. Bhubaneswar, Nov 3 : President Droupadi Murmu is scheduled to visit Jagannath temple in Odisha's Puri on November 10, an official said on Thursday. Murmu will arrive here on a two-day maiden visit to her home state (Odisha) on November 10. "We have received an official communication regarding the President's visit to Puri. She will visit Jagannath temple. We will have a district-level preparatory meeting for the proposed visit of the President on Friday," said Puri Collector Samarth Verma. After arriving here, the President is scheduled to visit Puri to seek obeisance of Lord Jagannath. She will stay for some time in Puri Raj Bhavan. Later, she will return to Bhubaneswar, where she will be accorded civic reception at Raj Bhavan in Bhubaneswar, official sources said. The President will pay floral tribute at the statues of several veteran leaders and freedom fighters of Odisha in the capital city. The Odisha Governor will host a state banquet in her honour at Raj Bhavan on the night of November 10. Next day, the President will visit Tapoban High School at Khandagiri, Government Girls High School, Uni-II, and Kuntala Kumari Sabat Tribal Girls Hostel. Later in the day, she will visit Jaydev Bhawan and inaugurate Odia textbook for engineering and a portal (e-Kumbh) before flying back to Delhi. Islamabad, Nov 3 : Protests erupted in multiple cities across the country after Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and other PTI leaders were injured in a gun attack during PTIs long march in Gujranwala, media reports said on Thursday. Imran Khan and other PTI leaders were injured after a man opened fire near the PTI reception camp at the Allahwala Chowk during the party's long march, ARY News reported. Following the gun attack, protests erupted in different cities across the country against the assassination attempt on Khan during the long march, the report said. PTI workers started demonstrations in 17 localities in Karachi against the gun attack on Khan's container. The outrageous party workers blocked roads in north Karachi's Power House Chowrangi, whereas a large number of PTI supporters lodged a protest on Korangi Road. Police contingents rushed to the protest venues and started negotiations with the protesters to clear the roads. Huge traffic jams were witnessed in different areas as protests broke out on many arterial roads in Karachi. The PTI workers also held a protest demonstration at Lahore's Liberty Chowk. Another protest was organised at Murree Road. In Faisalabad, a large number of protesters gathered outside Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah's residence. Srinagar, Nov 3 : Two non-local labourers were fired upon by terrorists on Thursday in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district, an official said. Police said that two non-local labourers, one from Bihar and another from Nepal -- who were working at a school in Bondialgam area of Anantnag district were injured after terrorists fired at them. The injured have been shifted to hospital and the area has been surrounded by the security forces. Kashmir Zone Police in a tweet said: "Militant fired upon two outside labourers who were working at a private SAPS school at Bondialgam in Anantnag district. Both of them are being shifted to hospital." Gujranwala, Nov 3 : Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary-General Asad Umar said on Thursday that party Chairman Imran Khan suspects three people -- Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, and a senior military officer -- were behind the assassination attempt on him, according to a media report. "Imran Khan has said that he had the information beforehand that these people might be involved in the assassination attempt on him," Umar said in a video statement alongside party leader Mian Aslam Iqbal, Geo News reported. Umar, quoting the PTI chairman, demanded that all three people - the premier, the minister, and the senior military officer - should be removed from their office, the report said. The PTI leader added that Khan has warned that if these officials are not removed from their office, the party would hold countrywide protests as Pakistan cannot run in this manner anymore. "If the demands are not met, all the party workers are awaiting Khan's call, and when he does give that call, protests will take place across the country," Umar said. Meanwhile, Sharif has condemned the firing incident in Gujranwala and directed Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah to seek an immediate report from the inspector-general of police and chief secretary of Punjab. Protests erupted in multiple cities across the country after Khan and other PTI leaders were injured in a gun attack during PTI's long march in Gujranwala. Khan and other PTI leaders were injured after a man opened fire near the PTI reception camp at the Allahwala Chowk during the party's long march, ARY News reported. Following the gun attack, protests erupted in different cities across the country against the assassination attempt on Khan, the report said. PTI workers started demonstrations in 17 localities in Karachi against the gun attack. The outrageous party workers blocked roads in north Karachi's Power House Chowrangi, whereas a large number of PTI supporters lodged a protest on Korangi Road. Panaji, Nov 3 : With installation of a solar panel on one of the fishing trawlers in Goa, the state government has decided to seek help from the Centre over fitting such devices on the trawlers. Power Minister Sudin Dhavalikar after inaugurating the solar panel system said it will benefit trawler owners. "There is a need to generate power. The solar system on trawler will help this community to save on fuel. In future we will try to meet the union power ministry to seek help for fishing trawlers," Dhavalikar said. Minister for Fisheries Nilkanth Halarnkar told IANS that if this system works properly on trawlers, the government in future will try to seek subsidy for it. "This particular trawler owner has installed this solar system at his own cost. If this experiment gives positive results then we will think of expanding it to others with the help of the central government," Halarnkar said. There are around 897 trawlers registered with the fisheries department. Though the engine of the trawler will not run on the solar power, however, the water pump and other usages are done using these solar panels, which helps to save on diesel cost. New Delhi, Nov 3 : The Central Bureau of Investigation on Thursday said that they have arrested three officials working in the office of Military Engineer Services (MES), Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh), in an alleged bribery case. The accused were identified as J. John Kennedy, Assistant Garrison Engineers (AGE) (Contract), R.S. Yadav, AGE (E/M) and Arun Singh, Jr. Administrative Assistant. The accused had allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 1.10 lakh. A case was registered in this respect on the basis of the complaint lodged against the accused. The complainant had alleged that despite his tender work being in order, the GE has raised a recovery of Rs 7.93 lakh on his firm. When the complainant approached the GE regarding said recovery, he was directed to discuss the matter with AGE (Contract) and AGE (E/M). The AGE demanded undue advantage of around Rs 1.15 lakh (3 per cent approx of the tender value). The complainant was further directed that in case of non-payment of undue advantage/bribe, recovery would be made from him. The CBI laid a trap and caught the accused while demanding and accepting bribe of Rs 1.10 lakh from the complainant. Searches were conducted at the office and residential premises of the accused as well as GE, situated at Bhopal which led to the recovery of incriminating documents apart from others. Cash amount of Rs 5.47 lakh was recovered from the premises of AGE (Contract). Further, searches at the premises of one accused at Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) are still going on. Islamabad, Nov 3 : The ex-wife of PTI Chairman Imran Khan, Jemima Goldsmith, took to social media on Thursday to praise the young man who foiled the attack on the former Prime Minister during the party's long march in Gujranwala, according to a media report. Khan sustained bullet injuries in his leg and is currently under treatment at the Shaukat Khanum Hospital in Lahore, Geo News reported. Goldsmith, who separated from Khan in 2004, thanked God for Khan's safe escape from the attack, adding that the news was "dreadful". She said that Khan's sons were thankful to the "heroic man" who dealt with the gunman and saved their father's life, Geo News reported. She even posted the picture of the young man, Ibtisam, who foiled the assassination attempt on the PTI Chairman. Ibtisam told the press that the gunman was not ready to shoot. He added that the pistol used by the attacker was automatic and continued to fire even after it was taken from him. He expressed regret for not holding the gunman earlier and preventing the first fire. Many prominent names have taken to social media to condemn the "cowardly attack" on Khan. Khan and other PTI leaders were injured in the attack near the PTI reception camp at the Allahwala Chowk during the party's long march. Following the gun attack, protests erupted in different cities across the country against the assassination attempt on Khan, Ary News reported. Lahore, Nov 3 : Pakistan Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has taken notice of leaking the suspected attackers confessional statement after the gun attack on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chief Imran Khan during the long march in Gujranwala on Thursday, media reports said. Elahi ordered the Inspector General (IG) Punjab police to take disciplinary action against the irresponsible officials. After the leaking of the suspect's confessional statement, the station house officer (SHO) and other officials of the concerned police station were suspended, ARY News reported. The Chief Minister said in a statement that all mobile phones of the police station's staffers have been confiscated and they will be sent for forensic audit, the report said. Elahi also issued directives to hold an inquiry into the incident of the video leak of the suspected attacker. He directed IG Punjab to begin a probe to ascertain the motive of the gun attack that led to Imran Khan syffering bullet injuries in his leg. The directives were issued in an emergency session chaired by the Punjab CM. Khan and other PTI leaders were injured after a man opened fire near the PTI reception camp at Allahwala Chowk during the party's long march. PTI leader Faisal Javed Khan, who got injured during the attack, confirmed that a party worker or official was killed in the attack while several others were injured. The assailant, idenfied as Faisal Butt, has confessed that the former Pakistan Prime Minister was his only target. "I got angry with Khan for spreading hatred and misleading the people. I only wanted to kill Khan and no one else. I did this on my own will and no one told me to do so. I just got angry on Khan and wanted to kill him," Faisal could be heard as saying in the leaked video. -- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed New Delhi, Nov 3 : The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Centre to provide assistance to a woman through its Embassy in Kenya in securing the custody of her son from her estranged husband, who is a Kenyan citizen of Indian origin. The apex court had already convicted the father of the child in July this year for contempt of court for using fraudulent means in securing the custody of his son. A bench headed by Chief Justice U.U. Lalit noted that Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati has submitted that the Indian Embassy in Kenya would extend every possible support and help to the woman in connection with the custody of the child. It also ordered release of Rs 25 lakh to the woman within seven days to pursue remedies in Kenya for securing the custody of her son. The contemnor, the father of the child, had deposited Rs 1 crore with the apex court registry as security in the matter, out of which Rs 25 lakh was released for the woman. Earlier, the apex court had ordered release of Rs 25 lakh each twice in favour of the woman. Senior advocate Sonia Mathur, representing the mother of the child, and the ASG had sought severest punishment for the father of the child for disobeying various orders of the apex court. The contemnor did not come back to the apex court despite giving an undertaking to this effect. The apex court noted the peculiar situation which has arisen out of the case and allowed the woman to move the court for any appropriate direction on or before December 15, the next date of hearing. In July, the apex court had convicted the father of the child, who holds dual citizenship of Kenya as well as the UK, for contempt of court for playing "fraud" in securing the custody of his son from his estranged wife. The man fought a custody battle for his son with his estranged wife in Indian courts and gave undertakings that he will abide by the conditions imposed by the court. However, he got custody from the apex court in 2020 by allegedly submitting a wrong mirror order from the Kenyan high court. Hyderabad, Nov 3 : Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Thursday made public the evidence in the sensational MLAs' poaching case and appealed to the Chief Justice of India to protect democracy in the country. A week after three alleged agents of BJP were arrested in Hyderabad while trying to buy four MLAs of Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) with offers of huge money, the Chief Minister held a news conference on Thursday evening, hours after polling came to an end in the by-election to Munugode Assembly constituency. The Chief Minister presented video and audio evidence to expose the alleged BJP 'conspiracy' to buy TRS MLAs by offering Rs 100 crore. KCR, as Rao is popularly known, said the entire evidence including the conversation the 'brokers' had with the MLAs has been sent to the Telangana High Court. He revealed that the evidence has also been sent to the Chief Justice of India, all Supreme Court judges, chief justices of all high courts, agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Enforcement Directorate (ED), Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) and the media. Citing the conversation the accused had with the TRS MLAs over phone and in person, he said they spoke about eight state governments already toppled and the plans to topple governments in four states -- Telangana, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan. KCR claimed that after catching the gang red-handed, he alerted the AAP government in Delhi about the conspiracy to topple it. Stating that democracy is under threat in the country, KCR appealed to the judiciary to protect it. "Whenever democracy was under threat, the judiciary played a key role. I am requesting the honourable Chief justice of India, all judges of the Supreme Court and chief justices of all high courts with folded hands to save democracy in the country," he said. Claiming that the gang involved in the attempts to topple the state governments is a big one comprising 24 members, the TRS chief demanded a thorough investigation to expose them and all those who are behind them and also to find out from where they were getting the money. KCR said while the gang succeeded in toppling the governments in other states, it was caught in the politically-conscious state of Telangana. KCR said Ramachandra Bharathi came here and held talks with TRS MLA Rohith Reddy, who informed the home minister. The police had arrested Ramachandra Bharati and two others when they were meeting the TRS MLAs at a farmhouse on October 26. The Chief Minister claimed to have three-hour long footage in which the accused explained how they toppled the eight governments and what they plan to do to topple others. He said one of the arrested persons spoke to Tushar Vellapally, who contested Lok Sabha elections against Rahul Gandhi in Wayanad on a BJP ticket. He also released a photograph of Tushar with Home Minister Amit Shah. The TRS leader said the gang was well-organised as one person (Ramachandra Bharati alias V.K. Satish Sharma) holds multiple Aadhaar cards, fake IDs, PAN cards and driving licences. KCR also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to stop this scam and act against those behind it. "Stop this attack on democracy. You have become the Prime Minister of this country twice. This is the highest position one can hold. What more do you want," he asked. "Do some good work instead of destabilising state governments," he added. The TRS leader said he is ready to sacrifice his life but will not keep quiet on this onslaught on democracy. He appealed to all those who believe in democracy to raise their voices. Lahore, Nov 3 : The attack on former Pakistan Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Imran (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in Wazirabad on Thursday was launched from three different directions in which at least three individuals were involved, the police said, according to a media report. The police and eyewitnesses said that the bullets were fired from three different directions. One of the assailants, they said, fired on Khan's container from the roof of a nearby workshop, Samaa TV reported. Earlier, it had been claimed that there was only one attacker who was apprehended by a member of the crowd. He was identified as Naveed 'Thua' (Punjabi slang for scorpion), the report said. He confessed to launching the attack unilaterally in a confessional video statement recorded and released by the police. The suspect has been sent to the Saddar police station in Gujrat. The police said that they had recovered a 9 mm handgun from the suspect along with four magazines. Another man has been arrested by the Punjab Police for the attack on the PTI chief. Meanwhile, the Punjab police have said that they are searching for a third person with a search operation launched in the area using sniffer dogs, Samaa TV reported. The police have sealed the area where the attack took place. They have also cordoned off the PTI container with forensic officials collecting evidence. Pakistan Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has taken notice of leaking the suspected attacker's confessional statement after the gun attack on Khan during the long march in Gujranwala, ARY News reported. Elahi ordered the Inspector General (IG) Punjab police to take disciplinary action against the irresponsible officials. After the leaking of the suspect's confessional statement, the station house officer (SHO) and other officials of the concerned police station were suspended, the report said. The Chief Minister said in a statement that all mobile phones of the police station's staffers have been confiscated and they will be sent for forensic audit, the report said. Elahi also issued directives to hold an inquiry into the incident of the video leak of the suspected attacker. He directed IG Punjab to begin a probe to ascertain the motive of the gun attack that led to Imran Khan syffering bullet injuries in his leg. The directives were issued in an emergency session chaired by the Punjab CM. Khan and other PTI leaders were injured after a man opened fire near the PTI reception camp at Allahwala Chowk during the party's long march. PTI leader Faisal Javed Khan, who got injured during the attack, confirmed that a party worker or official was killed in the attack while several others were injured. The assailant has confessed that the former Pakistan Prime Minister was his only target. "I got angry with Khan for spreading hatred and misleading the people. I only wanted to kill Khan and no one else. I did this on my own will and no one told me to do so. I just got angry on Khan and wanted to kill him," he could be heard as saying in the leaked video. -- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed Mumbai, Nov 3 : Despite a brisk start on Thursday morning, around 32 per cent of the electorate voted for the bypoll to the Andheri East Assembly constituency here, the results of which would be declared on November 6, officials said. According to Deputy Collector Prakash Patil, the constituency recorded about 31.74 per cent polling after voting closed on Thursday evening at 256 polling stations. This is considered among the lowest voter turnout in recent years, although the state government had declared a public holiday for the entire constituency. The main candidate in the fray is Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Rutuja Latke, the widow of former sitting legislator Ramesh Latke whose death in May necessitated the by-election. She was put up as a joint candidate of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), and Latke contested on her party's new name and symbol - Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and the Flaming Torch. Latke faced competition from six other candidates -- two from local political parties and four Independents -- but is expected to romp home easily. The contest lost its political sheen after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) last week withdrew its candidate Murji Patel, while others like Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena, Aam Aadmi Party, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena etc. did not field candidates for the bypoll. A former BMC employee, Latke faced challenge from by Bala Nadar (Aapki Apni Party), Manoj Kumar Nayak (Right to Recall Party), and four Independents -- Farhan Syed, Neena Khedekar, Milind Kamble and Rajesh Tripathi. Patna, Nov 3 : A youth was gunned down by three bike-borne assailants inside a school premises in Bihar's Vaishali district on Thursday. The deceased has been identified as Munna Kumar, a native of Sonpur. The district police found an Aadhaar card from the pocket of the deceased, which revealed his identity. Confirming the incident, Om Prakash, the DSP of Vaishali (Sadar), said that the accused gunned down the youth inside the Bhagwanpur Ratti high school under Vaishali police station. "The deceased sustained two bullet injuries. The accused fled from the spot after committing the crime. The motive behind the murder is yet to be ascertained," the DSP said. After the incident, a large number of local residents assembled at the school premises and demanded the arrest of the accused persons. Bhopal, Nov 3 : The police in Madhya Pradesh have booked two teachers of a private school for allegedly punishing a student for raising 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' slogan during the school assembly. The incident happened at Christ Senior Secondary School in Guna on Wednesday. On Thursday, the family members and a few social organisations staged a protest in front of the school campus. A group of right wing members also joined the protest and organised 'Hanuman Chalisa Path' at the school premises. Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra on Thursday intervened in the matter and directed Guna district police to lodge an FIR against teachers who punished the student for raising slogans. Mishra said that as soon as the matter came to his notice, he immediately spoke to the officials. Teachers -- Justin and Jasmeena Khatun, have been booked under sections 323, 506 and 34 of the IPC, and Section 75 in the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, according to the police. In his complaint, the student -- Shivansh Jain, told the police that after the national anthem, he raised the slogan of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai'. "In the meantime, Justin sir came and he took me out of the line and said, 'what are you saying, go to the Father'. After that, my Hindi teacher came and said to go to your class teacher. When I met the class teacher, she said that I should raise it at home. "After that, I reached the classroom. One of my classmates has been chosen as vice-captain of the Red House on which my class teacher Jasmeena Khatun said that 'one boy is making the class proud and I am tarnishing the class's name'. After that Madam made me sit on the ground for the next four periods," the student wrote in his complaint. Reacting on the issue, Congress spokesperson Abbas Hafeez said a school should not be a "den of politics". "I think it is not right to lodge an FIR. Slogans are being raised for the support of the country, it should not be stopped. Every school has its own rules, it is right to raise slogans somewhere and it is wrong somewhere, but one should not stop slogans in support of the country. "I don't think it is right to file an FIR against the teacher. They could have been advised properly," he added. New Delhi, Nov 3 : The Supreme Court on Thursday said when extra-judicial confession is not corroborated by any other reliable evidence, the conviction could not be based solely on such a weak piece of evidence. A bench comprising Chief Justice U.U. Lalit and justice Bela M. Trivedi noted that heavy reliance was placed by the prosecution on the extra judicial confession made by one of the accused through a letter addressed to one of the prosecution witnesses in the case. "Apart from the fact that the extra judicial confession is a very weak piece of evidence, the High Court in the impugned judgment had refused to rely upon the same on the ground that neither the handwriting expert was examined nor any opinion of handwriting expert was proved by the prosecution," noted the bench. The apex court set aside the Madras High Court judgement passed in 2016, which affirmed the trial court verdict convicting and awarding life term to five persons in a murder case. The top court said in the instant case, the prosecution had not examined the handwriting expert for proving the handwritings of an accused contained in the Inland letter allegedly addressed to the prosecution witness, nor any expert's opinion was obtained. The bench said in its opinion, the high court had rightly discarded the said piece of evidence with regard to the alleged extra judicial confession made by the accused. "It cannot be gainsaid that when the extra-judicial confession is not duly proved, or does not inspire confidence or is not corroborated by any other reliable evidence, the conviction could not be based solely on such weak piece of evidence," it said. The top court noted: "At the outset, it may be stated that the entire case of prosecution rested on the circumstantial evidence. The law with regard to the appreciation of evidence when the case of the prosecution hinges on circumstantial evidence is very well-settled." It said the police placed heavy reliance on the theory of last seen together, one of the circumstances, by relying upon the evidence of two of the prosecution witnesses. The top court said: "In the instant case, even if the theory of 'last seen together' propounded by the prosecution is accepted, then also it is difficult to draw an irresistible conclusion that the accused are guilty of the alleged offences, merely because they failed to explain as to under what circumstances the victim suffered death." The bench concluded that in the present case, since the super-imposition report was not supported by any other reliable medical evidence like a DNA report or post-mortem report, it would be very risky to convict the accused believing the identification of the dead body of the victim through the super-imposition test. It was alleged that in July 2007, the accused had conspired and planned to commit dacoity of a car and commit murder of the driver of the vehicle. The victim was murdered and the body was buried in a pit. The police claimed the accused sold the car and shared the money. Visakhapatnam, Nov 3 : A city court on Thursday refused to remand senior TDP leader and former minister Ayyanna Patrudu on allegations of alleged encroachment and forgery. Officials of the Crime Investigation Department (CID), who arrested him from his residence in Narsipatnam town in Anakapalli district in the early hours of Thursday, presented him in Visakhapatnam Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court. Patrudu's lawyer argued that the police arrested him in violation of the rules. After hearing arguments of both sides, the judge rejected the police petition to send him to judicial custody. The court also ruled that section 467 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) does not apply to the case. It directed the police to issue notice under section 41 A of the Criminal Procedure Code and take Ayyanna Patrudu and his son Rajesh were arrested from their residence in Narsipatnam in the early hours of the day. They were shifted to Visakhapatnam. A lunch motion petition was moved in the Andhra Pradesh High Court challenging the arrests. The petitioner alleged that the case registered against him was politically motivated. The high court, however, refused to pass interim orders and directed that case diary be placed in the court on Friday. The TDP leader's arrest had triggered state-wide protests by the opposition parties. TDP president and former chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had condemned the arrests and alleged that the YSRCP government was resorting to state terrorism. After the Visakhapatnam rejected remand for Patrudu, Naidu hailed the judgment. He said that justice has prevailed. Patna, Nov 3 : A constable of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) tried to commit suicide in Bihar's Gaya district on Thursday, officials said. Chotu Lal Jat, deployed in 159 battalion of CRPF in the Maoist-affected Imamganj block in Gaya district, shot himself using his INSAS rifle. On hearing firing sounds, others rushed towards him and found Jat lying on the ground in a pool of blood. His INSAS rifle was also found near him. Samir Kumar, the commandant of the battalion, said: "We have admitted him to Anugrah Narayan Medical College and Hospital in Gaya and later he was referred to Patna Medical College and Hospital. His condition is serious." "We are trying to find out the reason for taking such an extreme step. We will record his statement as soon as he regains consciousness," he said. New Delhi, Nov 3 : The Delhi government has extended the electricity subsidy application window -- that had closed on October 31, till November 15, officials said. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Thursday approved the extension proposal application window till November 15. The applicants who opt-in for the subsidy by November 15 can avail the benefit from October 1 onwards. According to the data by the government, a total of 58 lakh electricity consumers are in Delhi out of which 47 lakh consumers have received the subsidy and 35 lakh consumers have opted-in so far. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted: "The last date for registration for the free electricity scheme in Delhi has now been extended till November 15; Delhi residents who register till November 15 will continue to get the benefit of free electricity scheme." About 35 lakh consumers had applied for the subsidy in the given time period by the Delhi government. Whereas the total number of people getting subsidy on electricity was about 47 lakh. "Delhi government provides 200 units of electricity absolutely free to all the residents in Delhi, while from 201 to 400 units, half the rate is charged. There are about 58 lakh domestic consumers in Delhi. Out of this, 47 lakh electricity consumers get subsidy. At the same time, out of these 47 lakh consumers, there are about 30 lakh consumers whose electricity bills come to zero, while the electricity bills of 16 to 17 lakh consumers come as per half rates," said a statement from the Delhi Deputy CM office. United Nations, Nov 3 : UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemns the attack on former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and hopes it will not affect the situation in the country further, his Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Thursday. "We condemn in the strongest possible terms, any political violence, any violence, against politicians or their supporters," he said and called for a "full, transparent investigation" into the attack on Khan. "We very much hope that this will not create further challenges to the political situation in Pakistan," he added. Khan, who is the chairman of the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Imran (PTI) party, was injured in Wazirabad on Thursday when he was hit in his leg by gunfire while leading a march on the nation's capital. One person was killed in the attack and at least five others were hurt. (Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in and followed at @arulouis) New Delhi, Nov 4 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday said it has filed a chargesheet against 19 people which includes Anil Jindal, Chairman of SRS Group of companies, Directors namely Jitender Kumar Garg, Praveen Kumar Kapoor, Vinod Jindal and others under the Prevention of Money-laundering Act (PMLA), in a case related to fraud committed against various home-buyers and investors. The total proceeds of crime estimated in the case till now stands at Rs 2,215.98 crore. The chargesheet was filed at a special court in Gurugram. The court has taken cognizance of the prosecution complaint. The ED initiated money laundering investigation on the basis of 81 FIRs under various sections of Indian Penal Code, registered at various Police Stations across Faridabad and Delhi against the accused. The ED has learnt during the investigation that the accused individuals duped the innocent buyers by promising them to deliver flats/plots/commercial spaces, etc. However, they failed to deliver the projects. Further, the real estate projects were mortgaged to avail loans from banks and other financial institutions. However, loans were not used for the intended purposes and were defaulted, eventually turning into NPA. Funds so accumulated from the buyers were layered into number of shell companies created by SRS Group and were subsequently siphoned off to acquire assets in personal names and in the name of entities controlled by them. Patna, Nov 4 : Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday attacked the Narendra Modi government at the Centre for not according special status to the state. "It is a deliberate attempt by the Central government to not help the backward states of the country. We have a long-standing demand for special status for Bihar, but the Centre is not fulfilling it. When we came to power, we put the state on the development path as per our capacity. "If the Centre accords special status to Bihar, the development works would take place in Bihar with double the speed," Kumar said during an event organised by the minority welfare department to distribute appointment letters to Urdu translators. "Whenever we talk about special status, the Centre becomes silent," he added. The Chief Minister also accused the Centre of creating communal tension in the country. "No one trusts the Central government any more. The BJP workers are only causing communal disturbance in the society. But they will not succeed in Bihar till the time I am the Chief Minister," Kumar said. New Delhi, Nov 4 : Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar, reacting to questions being raised on the autonomous status of the Election Commission, said that "actions speak louder than words". The remarks were made by the CEC after the Congress party, following the "delay" in the announcement of dates for Gujarat Assembly polls, took a jibe at the EC by tweeting that the poll body was an autonomous institution and conducted fair elections. The Gujarat Assembly Elections will be held in two phases on December 1 and 5, while the results will be declared on December 8. Responding to queries regarding the "delay" in the announcement, Kumar said that the dates are decided considering the time and geographical conditions. The body has announced the dates 110 days before the assembly is supposed to end, he added. Kumar added that those who raised questions on EVMs, "realised their fault" once the results came out in their favour. The CEC also expressed condolences to the victims of Gujarat's Morbi tragedy and their families. BJP National President J.P. Nadda on the other hand, welcomed the announcement and claimed that the party, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modia will form a "double-engine" government in Gujarat, with a huge majority. In a tweet, he added that the BJP would work with commitment to fulfill the aspirations of the people for the next five years. Gujarat is considered the toughest stronghold of the BJP and the saffron party has been winning the state elections there since 1995. After Modi came to Delhi as Prime Minister in 2014, the BJP had succeeded in forming the government in the state in 2017, but its tally in the Assembly fall significantly. Jerusalem, Nov 4 : Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a comeback with a decisive victory in the country's general elections, poll results showed on Thursday. As the final thousands of votes were being tallied Thursday evening, Prime Minister Yair Lapid called opposition leader Netanyahu to concede the race and congratulate him on his election victory, The Times of Israel reported. "The State of Israel is above any political considerations," Lapid said in a statement. "I wish Netanyahu good luck for the people of Israel and the State of Israel." Netanyahu will control not just the largest party in the Knesset (Israeli parliament), but is poised to return to power leading a 64-strong majority bloc of his religious and right-wing allies in the 120-member Knesset. Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party won 32 seats and his right-wing religious and nationalist bloc won 64 in the 120-seat parliament, or Knesset, according to Israel's Central Elections Committee. Lapid's Yesh Atid party won 24 seats and his bloc of right-wing, left-wing and Arab parties secured 51. Reacting to Netanyahu's victory, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a tweet, said: "Mazel Tov my friend @netanyahu for your electoral success. I look forward to continuing our joint efforts to deepen the India-Israel strategic partnership." Prime Minister Modi also thanked Lapid for giving priority to the India-Israel strategic partnership. "Thank you @yairlapid for your priority to the India-Israel strategic partnership. I hope to continue our fruitful exchange of ideas for the mutual benefit of our peoples," he tweeted. Bengaluru, Nov 4 : Emergency panic buttons and location tracking devices have been made mandatory for all public and private transport vehicles in Karnataka. The decision was taken by the state cabinet on Thursday to "ensure the safety of passengers, especially women and children". The move is expected to contribute significantly to safety on the highways as the GPS devices will alert the authorities of any overspeeding vehicles. Briefing the media after the cabinet meeting, state Law Minister J.C. Madhuswamy said that 6.8 lakh vehicles will come under the ambit of the project to be implemented with support of the Central government. "60 per cent of the funding will be provided by the Central government, and the state government will bear the remaining costs," Madhuswamy elaborated, adding that one of the aims of the initiative is to curb crimes against women. Once the project is implemented, the government will centrally monitor the vehicles. This will also enable the government to clamp down on tax evaders and misuse of transport permits, the minister asserted. GreyNoise Intelligence has launched a multi-faceted partner program to help customers defend against mass exploitation attacks "By building partnerships with other leading cyber solution providers, we can help customers implement new security strategies to end mass exploitation attacks," said Andrew Morris, Founder and CEO of GreyNoise. GreyNoise Intelligence, the cybersecurity company analyzing internet scanning traffic to separate threats from background noise, today announced the official launch of a mulit-faceted partner program to help customers defend against mass exploitation attacks. As an ecosystem for cybersecurity solution providers, the program offers an array of opportunities for technical alliances, channel resale and OEM partners. "Mass exploitation attacks like Log4j have become the attack vector of choice for cyber criminals and state actors," said Andrew Morris, Founder and CEO of GreyNoise. "Security teams are struggling to defend themselves against these kinds of attacks with tools and threat intelligence designed for last year's threats. By building partnerships with other leading cyber solution providers, we can help customers implement new security strategies to end mass exploitation attacks." Mass exploitation attacks leverage internet-wide scanning technologies to find and exploit vulnerable computer systems around the world in minutes. When a new internet-exploitable vulnerability like Log4j is announced, these attacks can start in a matter of hours, before security teams have a chance to put their defenses in place. The GreyNoise Intelligence Partner Network enables other cybersecurity solution providers to expand their reach, increase revenues and deepen customer relationships. The network has three primary components: 1) GreyNoise Technical Alliance Program. GreyNoise provides contextual data on noisy IP addresses that scan the Internet. Technical Alliance partners collaborate with GreyNoise to ensure that mutual customers can seamlessly leverage inter scanner intelligence in their existing workflows, tools and processes. Customers use this data to reduce their alert volumes by 25% and minimize alert fatigue. GreyNoise also sharpens threat detection fidelity for mutual customers by providing valuable context on known malicious internet-wide scanners, speeding up the triage process. With GreyNoise data, technical partners have real time visibility into mass exploitation IPs targeting specific vulnerability, which provides critical actionable data during an active emergent attack. Whenever a vulnerability is disclosed the dinner bell sounds for good and bad actors alike, meaning organizations are already on their back foot, explains Robert Huber, chief security officer and head of research, Tenable. We know threat actors are monitoring disclosure programs in the same way we are, looking for newly announced vulnerabilities, studying all available information such as proof of concepts, but theyre looking to utilize the flaw. OUr partnership with GreyNoise gives our customers the tools to address these weaknesses when theyre publicly announced. In doing so, we reduce that intelligence gap and hand the advantage back to the good guys. 2) GreyNoise OEM Partnership Program. GreyNoise provides an integrated out-of-the-box threat intelligence solution for security vendors, ISPs and technology firms to embed in their product and service offerings. Unlike other threat intelligence vendors, GreyNoise is solely focused on providing high fidelity data on IPs that are actively mass scanning, crawling and attacking the internet. Integrating GreyNoise data directly into the platform of OEM partners enables customers to intelligently rule out internet background noise, and helps them to prioritize emerging threats and targeted activity more effectively. Modern security teams need a fast, flexible and scalable platform for threat detection capable of analyzing terabytes of data per day, with built-in threat intelligence to rule out activity from trusted sources, and immediately flag activity from known bad actors, said Jack Naglieri, CEO and founder, Panther Labs. With Panther and GreyNoise, security teams can cut through background noise, improve alert fidelity, speed up analyst workflows and ensure prioritization of the most critical alerts. By making detection and response faster and more accurate, security teams can better protect their organizations from disruptive cyberattacks. 3) GreyNoise Channel Resale Program. GreyNoise is committed to developing partnerships with highly focused, security-dedicated channel partners to deliver the best results to mutual customers. Value-added resellers and distributors offer GreyNoise protection and intelligence solutions to meet the IT security needs of their enterprise customers. In addition to providing a unique data and automation security solution that is relevant to Incident Response, SOC and Threat Intel teams, GreyNoise has a transparent, simple and profitable, channel sales program with a generous deal registration and rebate structure. GreyNoise sales teams provide materials for channel partners to explain the value GreyNoise offers in improving analyst efficiency, leveraging customer investment in existing technologies, and reducing the overall risk landscape. For more information about how to apply for the GreyNoise Intelligence Cybersecurity Partner Network, please visit https://www.greynoise.io/partners-2. About GreyNoise Intelligence GreyNoise is THE source for understanding internet noise. We collect, analyze and label data on IPs that saturate security tools with noise. This unique perspective helps analysts waste less time on irrelevant or harmless activity, and spend more time focused on targeted and emerging threats. GreyNoise is trusted by Global 2000 enterprises, government organizations, top security vendors and tens of thousands of threat researchers. For more information, please visit https://www.greynoise.io/, and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn. For the past 15 years that weve been in Lubbock, weve seen how much South Plains Food Bank has positively impacted our community. So, its my pleasure to help them during our Anniversary and recognize their outstanding service in Lubbock and West Texas. Bob Mills Furniture gives back during its 15th Anniversary of being in Lubbock, TX. Five percent of proceeds from the event will be donated to South Plains Food Bank of K, TX: Lubbock. The South Plains Food Bank, Inc. is a humanitarian organization dedicated to serving West Texas by providing those who experience food insecurity with a helping hand. Bob Mills, President of Bob Mills Furniture, says, For the past 15 years that weve been in Lubbock, weve seen how much South Plains Food Bank has positively impacted our community. One of our core values at Bob Mills is to treat everyone like family, and I believe the Food Bank exemplifies this same value, helping those that need it the most. So, its my pleasure to help them during our Anniversary and recognize their outstanding service in Lubbock and West Texas. The Bob Mills 15th Anniversary runs November 4 through November 6, 2022. Customers can bring 5 cans of food into the store, and they will receive a 5 percent discount on their purchase. In addition, 5 percent of proceeds during the anniversary will be donated to South Plains Food Bank. Bob Mills will also be present at the store located at, 6000 TX-327 Spur, Lubbock, TX for a special meet and greet on Saturday, November 5 from 10am to Noon. Bob Mills Furniture Co., L.L.C is a 52-year-old company and has remained under the same single ownership since Bob Mills started his store at just 23 years old in Oklahoma City, OK. Currently, Bob Mills Furniture has 10 locations: Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Amarillo, Lubbock, Midland, Odessa, Temple, Waco, San Antonio and Wichita. The corporate headquarters are located in Oklahoma City with a large distribution center in Fort Worth, Texas. Bob Mills Sleep Spa, located inside Bob Mills Furniture, offers the exclusive bedMATCH system, which takes 18 statistical body measurements along with thousands of calculations to find the proper support level you need while you sleep. Why guess when you can know the right mattress for you. Simply go to http://www.BobMillsFurniture.com for more information about bedMATCH. Kliken named a top global B2B partner by Inc. From day one, its been our belief that our success is derived from the success of our customers. We are humbled to be listed in Inc.s Power Partners, alongside other companies around the world who demonstrate that same dedication to their customers. said Ricardo Lasa, CEO of Kliken. Inc. Business Media today announced the inaugural Power Partner Awards, honoring B2B organizations across the globe that have proven track records supporting entrepreneurs and helping startups grow. The list recognizes 252 firms in marketing and advertising, health and human resources, financial planning, engineering, logistics, and security, as well as other areas of business. Kliken received top marks from clients, in the marketing and advertising space, for being instrumental in helping leadership navigate the dynamic world of startups. The 252 B2B partners support entrepreneurs across various facets of the business, including hiring, compliance, infrastructure development, cloud migration, fundraising, etc., allowing founders to focus on their core missions. From day one, its been our belief that our success is derived from the success of our customers. That is more true now than it ever has been, and we are humbled to be listed in Inc.s Power Partners, alongside other companies around the world who demonstrate that same dedication to their customers. said Ricardo Lasa, CEO of Kliken. Kliken remains dedicated to addressing one simple need that its 1.5 million customers across the globe have - a way to grow sales in a cost effective way. Klikens approach is grounded in knowing that business owners are best served by having the time they need to focus on their business, making a trusted, marketing partner vitally important to their growth. Klikens recently released ad network, Kliken Ads, created a place for business owners of all sizes to build and launch ads across the Open Web, in less than 10 minutes, while seeing significant increases in visibility. Trusted B2B partners provide guidance and expertise that founders rely on at various steps of their organizations journey. Partners that possess a demonstrated ability to deliver quality support are at the core of entrepreneurship and help bring big ideas to life, says Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. Business media. Inc. partnered with leading global social and media intelligence platform Meltwater to develop a proprietary methodology that uses sentiment from online conversations about organizations and translates it into numerical scores. Companies were evaluated on commitment, reliability, trust, creativity, supportiveness, and other virtues that offer value to clients. Inc. also conducted surveys to gather client testimonials as part of the process. To view the complete list, go to: https://www.inc.com/power-partner-awards/2022 The November 2022 Issue of Inc. magazine is available online now at https://www.inc.com/magazine and will be on newsstands beginning November 8, 2022. ### ABOUT KLIKEN As the worlds #1 shopping and ads marketing platform, Kliken has helped over 1,500,000 small businesses worldwide grow their sales and their businesses. For over 10 years, Kliken has been recognized as an expert in search and shopping ads across the globe. In 2022, Kliken released Kliken Ads, a first-of-its kind ad network, giving small business owners access to ad technology that was Previously out of reach and beyond their budget. With over 23 global e-commerce brands as partners and over 92 million products under management, Kliken remains focused on helping small business store owners grow their businesses with more customers, more sales, more time, and more confidence. Contact us today to discuss partnership opportunities or to see how Kliken can help your business potential go from seemingly unreachable to completely unleashed. Get more with Kliken. Reach Beyond with Kliken Ads. ABOUT INC. BUSINESS MEDIA The worlds most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community they need to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit http://www.inc.com. For the 13th year in a row, the Steinberg Law Firm has been named to the Best Law Firms report by U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers. This year, the Steinberg Law Firm is listed as a top law firm for Personal Injury Litigation, Workers Compensation Law, and Product Liability Litigation in the Charleston, South Carolina region. Each year, Best Lawyers publishes a list of the top talented firms in the country in their publication, Best Lawyers in America. This honor is broken down by country and region and is categorized by practice area. To be considered for Best Law Firms, firms must submit a lengthy submission packet, a list of references, and a survey to Best Lawyers. The judging committee reviews all the submissions and the 2023 edition of Best Lawyers in America is released in November each year. To be named to this prestigious list year after year is an honor. Steinberg Law Firm was first recognized as a Best Law Firm by Best Lawyers in 2010. The firm has been recognized in the Charleston, SC area for Workers Compensation Law since 2010, recognized in Personal Injury Law since 2017, and recognized in Product Liability Litigation since 2022. Not only does Best Lawyers come out with a Best Law Firm list, but they also publish a Best Lawyers list as well. This year, our firm had nine attorneys named to the Best Lawyers list; with Michael J. Jordan being named the 2023 Charleston, SC Lawyer of the Year for Workers Compensation Law and Taylor L. Grooms being named to the Best Lawyers Ones to Watch List. Steinberg Law Firm Best Lawyers Attorneys: David T. Pearlman Malcolm M. Crosland, Jr. Thomas M. White Steven E. Goldberg Michael J. Jordan Benjamin W. Akery Catherine D. Meehan Kelly M. Alfreds Taylor L. Grooms Best Lawyers was first founded by Harvard Law School graduates, Gregory White Smith and Steven Naifeh, in 1981. It is the oldest peer-review legal platform in the country and widely well-known for its prestige. The Steinberg Law Firm is honored to be listed in Best Lawyers Best Law Firm for its 13th year in a row. The firm focuses on personal injury, workers compensation, car and truck accidents, construction defects, wrongful death, and nursing home abuse and neglect. They have been helping injured victims in the Lowcountry since 1927 and have three offices in the Charleston tri-county area. The firm offers free consultations and does not collect a fee unless they win your case. To learn more about the Steinberg Law Firm, call (843) 720-2800 or visit http://www.steinberglawfirm.com. Marva J. Morris CEO ZenEdge USA Interview We are so excited at ZenEdge on being selected as the first place winner at Ben Franklin Technolgy Partners 2022 Contest. There were so many participants with terrific products and concepts. The cash prize will help to fund ZenEdge products. Premier Manufacturing LLC - Zenedge Energy Drink announced today that it was named the winner of a cash prize of $15,000 with Ben Franklin Technology Partners 2022 Big Idea Contest for Agriculture, Food & Beverage Industries. The contest offers start-ups and entrepreneurs some much-needed seed funding, as well as business training, pitch experience, and industry contacts often more valuable than the prize money itself. Dr. Marva Morris, DD an accomplished entrepreneurial woman and veteran of the corporate world. She is recognized as the first and only African American female in the country who has headed a manufacturing facility for blow molding located in Michigan state. The factory produced plastic products for the food, beverage, household, automotive aftermarket, and ethnic hair care industries. In addition to owning and operating her 65,000 square-foot factory in Michigan, one of her most rewarding projects was in 2001 when she led a contracting team to install 25% of the plastic seating for the fans and patrons in the Pittsburgh Pirates stadium, PNC Park. Marva Morris, Founder and CEO of Zenedge Energy Drinks commented, we are all so excited at ZenEdge that we were selected as the first place winner at Ben Franklin Technolgy Partners. There were so many participants with terrific products and concepts. The cash prize will help to fund ZenEdge products. Marva adds, ZenEdge is a better-for-you energy drink with great taste, less caffeine, and less sugar. A healthy alternative brand. Zenedge has less caffeine than any of the major brands. It has an awesome taste with simple ingredients without all the chemicals. ZenEdge gives you the Edge you need and the flavor that you will actually enjoy! Marva Morris is a highly admired entrepreneurial woman with a passion for bringing good-tasting and healthy beverages to the marketplace for consumers around the world. -30- Our mission is to help small businesses thrive, said Co-founder and CEO, Justin Bakes. Forward was founded to serve a niche group of businesses who need financing, so to be recognized as a leading partner for entrepreneurs is truly an honor. Inc. Business Media announced Tuesday, November 1, the inaugural Power Partner Awards, honoring B2B organizations across the globe that have demonstrated excellence in supporting entrepreneurs and helping startups grow. The list recognizes 252 firms in financial services, marketing and advertising, health and human resources, engineering, logistics, and security, as well as other areas of business. All 252 companies received top marks from clients for being instrumental in helping leadership navigate the dynamic world of small businesses. These B2B partners support entrepreneurs across various facets of the business, including fundraising, hiring, compliance, infrastructure development, cloud migration, and more, allowing founders to focus on their core missions. Trusted B2B partners provide guidance and expertise that founders rely on at various steps of their organizations journey. Partners that possess a demonstrated ability to deliver quality support are at the core of entrepreneurship and help bring big ideas to life, says Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. Business Media. Inc. partnered with leading global social and media intelligence platform Meltwater to develop a proprietary methodology that uses sentiment from online conversations about organizations and translates it into numerical scores. Companies were evaluated on commitment, reliability, trust, creativity, supportiveness, and other virtues that offer value to clients. Inc. also conducted surveys to gather client testimonials as part of the process. Our mission is to help small businesses thrive, said Co-founder and CEO, Justin Bakes. Forward was founded to serve a niche group of businesses who need financing, so to be recognized as a leading partner for entrepreneurs is truly an honor. Forward specializes in making capital accessible to small businesses that may not qualify for funding at traditional financing institutions, and since 2012 they have provided over $1.8 billion in revenue-based financing to more than 42,000 small businesses across the U.S. Their simple qualifications and reasonable documentation requirements allow business owners to focus on what matters most running their business. They strive to provide approvals within hours and same-day funding, and their fast, easy process gives owners the ability to take advantage of business opportunities (or manage unexpected challenges), without the wait and hurdles typical of many financing options. Their product also includes many benefits that make it uniquely suited for small businesses. No interest ever accrues on their funding business owners pay a set dollar amount agreed upon upfront, no matter how long the payment period may last. Payment relief is built-in, so if a business experiences decreased revenues, Forward will work with them to adjust payments accordingly. To view the complete list, go to: https://www.inc.com/power-partner-awards/2022 The November 2022 Issue of Inc. magazine is available online now at https://www.inc.com/magazine and will be on newsstands beginning November 8, 2022. About Inc. Business Media The worlds most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community they need to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. For more information, visit http://www.inc.com/. About Forward Financing Forward Financing is a fintech company headquartered in Boston that provides fast, flexible capital to small businesses nationwide that have been long underserved by traditional financing options. By simplifying the requirements, streamlining the process, and using advanced proprietary technology, Forward Financing is able to deliver approvals within minutes and funding within hours giving more businesses the financial opportunity they need to thrive. Plus, with their dedicated teams and award-winning service, customers get personalized support when they need it most. Since 2012, Forward Financing has expanded Main Streets access to capital by providing over $1.8 billion in funding to more than 42,000 small businesses. The company is A+ rated by the Better Business Bureau, with an Excellent / 4.9 stars rating on Trustpilot.com. Forward Financing has been recognized as a Best Place to Work by the Boston Business Journal and Built In Boston and is certified as a Great Place to Work. Forward Financing is committed to helping their people and the small businesses they serve to achieve their full potential. Visit http://www.forwardfinancing.com to learn more. The burden on caregivers is growing at a rate that is simply not sustainable. Organizations are already experiencing major caregiver shortages, and in the coming years there will be significantly more people 85+ with fewer people to help take care of them, Mike Dooley, CEO of Labrador Systems. Labrador Systems today announced the first reservations for the initial production of its assistive robots from several leading organizations in home care and senior living. First announced in January at CES 2022, the award-winning Labrador Retriever personal robot empowers people to live more independently and extends the impact of caregivers. The assistive robot lightens the load of daily activities by physically bringing essential items within reach. Labrador will offer home care and senior living organizations a professional grade version of the robot, the Retriever Pro, with additional features to help caregivers and staff manage client care. Labrador will make the Retriever Pro available as a service, creating fleets of robots for care providers to deploy to support individuals in a variety of settings. Organizations set to receive the first deliveries of the Retriever Pro include: On Lok PACE, Nationwide Insurance, Masonic Homes of California, Western Homes Communities, Eskaton, The Perfect Companion, Presbyterian Villages of Michigan, University of Michigan Flint, and Graceworks Lutheran Services. The Retriever is the first autonomous robot of its kind to be deployed in homes at this scale to physically assist individuals with a range of daily activities. The reservations follow Labradors groundbreaking series of pilot studies, where the companys personal assistive robots were successfully deployed in the homes of a diverse mix of individuals with different needs and conditions. A video with testimonials from the initial pilot users is viewable at https://youtu.be/aTOyXBr9VyU. Our partnership with Labrador during the pilot enabled Nationwide to observe firsthand the impact the Retriever can have on individuals daily lives, said Bobbi Jo Allan, Nationwides Vice President of Innovation. As champions for helping people live as independently as possible, we're excited at the prospect of continuing to learn alongside Labrador Systems about how best to support independent living. We look forward to deploying our own small number of robots to focus even more deeply on innovative ways we can provide value to our customers. "Labrador is at the forefront of creating an entirely new category of assistive robots." added Micah Fening, Innovation Director at Nationwide. "We haven't seen any other personal robot for the home with the Retriever's capabilities." The Retriever Pro is designed to assist individuals where pain, injury or other health conditions impact their daily activities. It is large enough to carry items such as a laundry basket but agile enough to navigate the tight spaces of a home. The Retriever Pro also features an innovative retrieval and delivery system to bring items within reach, enabling caregivers to set up items for delivery when they are not present. Caregivers and users can easily command the Retriever Pro using their smartphone or with their voice through an Alexa-enabled device. The burden on caregivers is growing at a rate that is simply not sustainable. Organizations are already experiencing major caregiver shortages, and in the coming years there will be significantly more people in my parents age group (85+) with fewer people to help take care of them, said Mike Dooley, CEO of Labrador Systems. Our mission is to provide relief on both sides of that equation, empowering individuals who need care to do more on their own while extending the impact of each caregivers visit well beyond the time they are physically present. Labrador Charter Customers To validate the product and gather feedback on the Retriever, Labrador worked with a range of organizations to place pilot robots into homes for real-world testing. One such organization, On Lok, was founded 50 years ago in San Francisco as a nonprofit to empower older adults to age with dignity and independence. The organization pioneered PACE, the Medicare- and Medicaid-funded Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, which enables nursing home-eligible seniors to continue to live in their home and receive care and support in their own community. On Lok is excited to be one of the first healthcare organizations to bring the Retriever Pro into homes and continue to pioneer the future of care, said Michael Webb, Chief Technology Officer at On Lok. We are continuously looking for opportunities to enhance the support we provide to seniors and provide excellent quality of care to help them age with dignity. Labrador offers unique new ways to help us do this, and support our On Lok PACE participants, as well as assist our caregivers. Labradors pilots included tests and site visits with senior living communities, such as Masonic Homes of California, established in 1898. Our on-campus test of Labrador robots created quite an impression, generating excitement among our community, said James MacRae, Innovation Project Manager of Masonic Homes CA. We are eager to deploy our own fleet of Labrador Retriever Pros because it supports our mission to provide best-in-class experiences for our residents while allowing our caregivers to deliver high-touch personal care. With the announcement of the reservations for the Retriever Pro, the company also continues to move forward with development and testing of the standard version of the Retriever announced earlier this year. ### About Labrador Systems, Inc. Labrador Systems is an early-stage robotics company developing a new generation of assistive robots to help individuals live more independently and extend the impact of caregivers. The companys core focus is creating affordable solutions that address practical and physical needs at a fraction of the cost of commercial robots. Labrador Systems investors include SOSV/HAX, Amazons Alexa Fund, iRobot Ventures, Grep VC and SkyRiver Ventures. Labrador was awarded a National Science Foundation Phase I SBIR Grant in 2021 and a Joseph F. Engelberger Foundation Robotics Grant for Elder Care in 2022. For more information, visit http://www.labradorsystems.com. Momento NFT CEO Julian Rodriguez Takes the Stage at NFT.London to Discuss NFTs, Brands, and Creators Taking place from November 3-4 at the world-renowned Queen Elizabeth II Centre in Westminster, London is the inaugural NFT.London 2022. This conference is hosted by the popular US-based NFT.NYC and typically attracts thousands of attendees. NFT.London features over 800 speakers from 64 countries and over 20 large brands like Google, Zynga, AWS, and Warner Brothers. Founder and CEO of Momento NFT, Julian Rodriguez, is sharing valuable insights with the community during a panel discussion at 12:50 pm on Thursday, November 3rd. The panel topic is titled The Impact NFTs Can Have on Creators and Enterprise Brands and other panelists include Micol of VerticalCrypto Art, Erin Wolfe of Curve Club and Noodz NFT, and Justin Johnson of MoonPay. Creators and brands have always been linked and NFTs unlock opportunities for both groups that are impacting everything from content creation, community engagement, creator compensation, and much more. Rodriguez, the founder of Momento NFT, who has roots in blockchain since 2013 will share his thoughts on the impact creators and brands can see as NFT adoption progresses. Momento NFT is a social media NFT marketplace unlike any other. The app gives creators the ability to mint their short-form video content into an NFT. The creator can then determine how much they want to sell the video for and if they want to add unlockable perks such as meet and greets, signed merchandise, livestreams, etc. To buy and collect content from their favorite creators, and unlock exclusive experiences and merchandise fans simply pay with Apple Pay or Google Pay on the app. The Momento NFT app is available now in both the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. About Momento NFT Momento NFT is a direct-to-fan social NFT App that allows fans to own viral moments from their favorite creators and unlock perks like meet & greets, autographed merchandise, and more. Be among the first to create or own your own NFT moment by downloading the app here: https://www.momentonft.com About Julian Rodriguez, Co-founder & CEO Julian is a twice venture capital backed founder working on Momento NFT, a new direct-to-fan social media mobile app that takes celebrity and influencer content and turns it into NFTs in an instant. Julian worked with Vitalik Buterin in 2013 on Bitcoin Magazine and was an early Ethereum advisor as well as one of the first Bitcoin ASIC miners on earth. Julian is a lifetime member of the Bitcoin Foundation and sits on two non for profit boards that focus on the urban tech pipeline in the South Bronx. Shrimp produced in Atarraya's Shrimpbox using biofloc technology The findings from this research project will help Atarraya to increase the production output of shrimp farming while reducing costs and improving sustainability. Together, we are making shrimp the most sustainable protein choice in global food production." Atarraya Inc, creator of Shrimpbox, the first sustainable plug-and-play shrimp farming technology, and BiomEdit, a microbiome innovator focused on animal health, today announced a research collaboration to investigate microbial changes to improve the cost-effectiveness, sustainability and production output associated with shrimp farming. The research partnership will focus on nitrifying microbes and vibriosis control, and will study how microbial communities change over time in a shrimp biofloc system to define the homeostasis of the ecosystem created for sustainable shrimp farming. The goal of Atarraya and BiomEdits research collaboration is to gain a better understanding of microbial communities and their correlation with nitrogen spikes and other environmental changes. The knowledge gained from the study will help to minimize water usage, improve the environmental footprint of production and reduce the amount of feed needed to produce shrimp. This will improve the cost-effectiveness of sustainable shrimp farming significantly as feed is responsible for about 50% of shrimp production cost. Our collaboration with BiomEdit goes back to the core idea of Atarraya: using deep science knowledge to optimize protein production and contribute to global food security, said Daniel Russek, CEO and founder of Atarraya. The findings from this research project will help Atarraya to increase the production output of shrimp farming while reducing costs and improving sustainability. Together, we are making shrimp the most sustainable protein choice in global food production. Atarraya and BiomEdit expect to learn more about the ecosystem in aquaculture by using advanced microbiological tools to analyze the composition and diversity of microorganisms that inhabit the shrimp pond, as well as their interactions with each other and their environment. The Microbiome project will allow a deeper understanding of the role of the microbial community in maintaining crop homeostasis, explains Andre Freitas, Biotech Director, Atarraya Inc. The future of modern aquaculture is based on the use of innovative technology applied to high productivity systems, rational use of water and production of premium quality protein. Shrimp farming in a biofloc system is the face of this new aquaculture. Atarrayas shrimp farming technology uses biofloc technology to transform waste nutrients into feed with the help of microorganisms. As part of the research collaboration, BiomEdit will use its gene-sequencing platform to provide critical insights into the roles of various microorganisms in the growth cycle of shrimp through high-throughput strain isolation and characterization. The approach is especially critical in land-based aquaculture systems with low environmental impact and increases the reliability of shrimp protein production. The research findings will be used to inspire strategies that optimize the health and performance of aquaculture shrimp production. As one of the most popular proteins in the world, shrimp plays a key role in feeding a growing global population. In the past five years, shrimp sales volume increased from 275 to 415 million pounds. Yet, conventional methods of shrimp farming are disastrous for the environment destroying seabeds and polluting oceans. Housed in a traditional shipping container, Shrimpbox by Atarraya is the key to meeting the growing demand for shrimp by increasing production while minimizing the impact on the planet. We are pleased to collaborate with Atarraya to find new ways to unlock the potential of the microbiome for shrimp producers who are trying to increase production and reduce their environmental footprint to meet the demands of a growing population, said Aaron Schacht, CEO of BiomEdit. Our deep knowledge in the microbiome in livestock paired with Atarrayas immense expertise in shrimp and aquaculture production systems form an ideal match to optimize the use of biofloc. About Atarraya Atarraya is on a mission to make shrimp the sustainable protein of the 21st century. Powered by AI, Atarrayas proprietary Shrimpbox is a true plug and play" sustainable shrimp farm that transforms aquaculture by using the most advanced biotechnology, software and hardware available. Atarrayas Shrimpbox technology was developed over the course of the past 10 years by a team of engineers, biologists, and developers from Mexico, Norway, Brazil, Argentina and Poland. Atarrayas holdings include Maricultura Vigas, a sustainable aquaculture production company with a decade of shrimp farming experience utilizing biofloc technology that minimizes the use of water and eliminates the necessity of antibiotics and harmful chemicals. Based in Mexico City and Indianapolis, Atarraya is a privately held corporation backed by Jeffrey Horing, Mark K. Gormley and other angel investors. Follow Atarraya on YouTube, LinkedIn and Twitter, or learn more at https://www.atarraya.ai. About BiomEdit Founded in 2022 and headquartered in Fishers, Indiana, BiomEdit discovers, designs and develops novel probiotics, microbiome-derived bioactives and engineered microbial medicines to address unmet needs in animal health. We partner with Ginkgo Bioworks to amplify and accelerate product discovery and development with a goal of introducing breakthrough innovation for livestock producers and veterinarians. BiomEdit is Microbiome Innovation in Animal Health. For more information, visit us at linkedin.com/company/biomeditanimalhealth. All trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners. ### The Metro Detroit Best and Brightest award is a testament to the efforts of our employees and leadership, as well as our ability to deliver on our One Amerisure service model," said Erin Buddie, vice president of human resources at Amerisure. Amerisure Insurance Company has once again been recognized among the Metropolitan Detroit Best and Brightest Companies to Work For. This year marks the 17th time Amerisure has been named to the prestigious list for Southeastern Michigan. Participating organizations were evaluated and assessed based on categories such as communication, work-life balance, employee education, diversity, recognition and retention. The winning companies display a commitment to excellence in their human resource practices and employee enrichment. Amerisure succeeds as an organization due to the valuable contributions of our talented employees, and were proud to be recognized for our culture of collaboration and high levels of employee engagement, said Erin Buddie, vice president of human resources at Amerisure. The Metro Detroit Best and Brightest award is a testament to the efforts of our employees and leadership, as well as our ability to deliver on our One Amerisure service model. The Best and Brightest Companies to Work For program is sponsored by The National Association for Business Resources (NABR) and celebrates organizations cultivating better business, creating richer lives and building stronger communities. Recipients of the annual Metro Detroit award will be recognized at a virtual celebration on November 9. To see the full list of 2022 Metro Detroit recipients, click here. In addition to the Best and Brightest Companies to Work For in Metro Detroit award, Amerisure has also been named among the 2022 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For in Atlanta and in the Nation and was recognized by Insurance Journal as a 2022 Super Regional Property/Casualty Insurer. About Amerisure Insurance Amerisure is a leading provider of commercial property and casualty insurance solutions for U.S.-based construction, manufacturing and healthcare businesses. Licensed in all fifty states and available through an exclusive network of elite independent agents, the company upholds an A (Excellent) financial strength rating, industry-leading service scores, and multiple awards for innovation. Amerisure has been in business for more than 100 years and is consistently named among the best places to work in the industry and throughout the nation. To learn more, visit Amerisure.com. Ronald McDonald House of Wake/Durham Counties. The toy drive is a great way for the entire community to get involved and it will make a direct impact on the children. California Closets, the iconic purveyor of stylish storage and design solutions, is pleased to announce several new charity initiatives. The initiatives support children and veterans through the donation of organizational solutions to two Ronald McDonald Houses, a toy drive, and the sponsorship of a 5K race. Giving back to the community is a high priority for us, says Graziella Marengi, Co-franchise Owner of five California Closets locations. Our incredible success is due in no small part to the support weve received from the community. Were thrilled to be in a position to give back. California Closets of North Carolina and Virginia is donating organizational solutions for heavily-utilized rooms at the Ronald McDonald Houses in Durham, NC, and Richmond, VA. The chapters will receive the full California Closets experience which includes meeting with a designer, CAD drawings, brand new materials custom built for the space, and professional installation. The team is currently in the selection process and could provide organizational solutions to storage space, child play rooms, isolation rooms, or common areas depending on each chapter's needs. Those interested in supporting the Ronald McDonald House directly can visit https://rmhc.org/donate In addition to the space transformation, California Closets of North Carolina and Virginia is hosting a toy drive for the Ronald McDonald House chapters in Durham and Richmond. We wanted to do more and find a way to let the kids know they werent forgotten, says Marengi. The toy drive is a great way for the entire community to get involved and it will make a direct impact on the children. The drive is underway at the centrally located California Closets Design Center in Raleigh. Anyone interested in contributing to the Toy Drive may drop off new, unopened toys at the Design Center on or before December 12th, 2022. The Raleigh Design Center is conveniently located at 8411 Glenwood Ave, Raleigh, NC 27612 and is open Monday - Friday 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, and Saturday 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. California Closets of North Carolina and Virginia is also a proud sponsor of the paws4people Veterans Day 5K in Wilmington, NC. The race is open to walkers and runners with and without dogs. Race registration is open now. All proceeds from the event benefit the paws4people foundation, which specializes in placing assistance dogs with veterans and service members living with service-induced trauma. Our military community has given so much of themselves. They deserve all the support in the world, says Marengi. Through the race sponsorship, we are helping to provide deserving veterans with the support animals they need. We hope that our support raises awareness and drives even more participation. To register for the 5K race or donate to paws4people, visit https://runsignup.com/Race/NC/Wilmington/paws4people5K California Closets is proud to support these initiatives and encourages all who are able to join them in supporting important community causes. To book a complimentary design consultation, visit https://www.californiaclosets.com/ About California Closets As leaders in premium and luxury space management, California Closets helps people get more out of their homes while allowing people to show their individuality, add value to their homes, and make their lives easier. Franchise owners Joe and Graziella Marengi offer California Closets custom storage solutions throughout North Carolina and Virginia. They understand the fast pace of peoples lives today and love the way custom storage can transform the most chaotic home into an organized sanctuary. With Design Centers in Raleigh, Greensboro, Wilmington, Virginia Beach, and Richmond, they and their expert teams strive to provide every customer with unrivaled personalized service tailored to their organizational needs. About Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) The mission of RMHC is to create, find, and support programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children and their families. Their vision is a world where all children have access to medical care and their families are supported and actively involved in their childrens care. RMHC provides more than 1.5 million overnight stays each year, helping families save nearly over $504 million in lodging and meal expenses. About paws4people The paws4people foundation was founded by Kyria Henry Whisenhunt in 1999, when she was just 12 years old, with the purpose of using dogs as a means of helping people. This nonprofits mission is educating and empowering people to utilize Assistance Dogs to transform their lives. They have over 1,200 highly trained Assistance Dogs with one or more certifications providing support in areas such as psychiatric service, mobility, and crisis response, just to name a few. Together, these dogs have made more than 1,000,000 contacts. Chaffey College Superintendent/President Henry D. Shannon, left, and Francisco Rodriguez, chancellor of the Los Angeles Community College District. "While the pandemic is over, we are still seeing its effects on our Black and Brown populations. We need to find ways to better support these communities to help them succeed. - Superintendent/President Henry D. Shannon, Ph.D. Around 400 students and educators gathered Nov. 1 to celebrate and lift up communities of color at the inaugural Chaffey College Black and Brown Minds & Mattering Conference. The event - through workshops, cultural displays and discussions - seeks to shine a light on the systemic issues facing Black and brown communities and find solutions to better serve them. Colleges across the nation saw dramatic decreases in enrollment among students of color during the pandemic, said Chaffey College Superintendent/President Henry Shannon. And while the pandemic is over, we are still seeing its effects on our Black and Brown populations. We need to find ways to better support these communities to help them succeed. Shannon and Francisco C. Rodriguez, chancellor for the Los Angeles Community College District, served as morning keynote speakers for the conference. Felicia Fe Montes, a multimedia artist, poet, performer, educator and more, closed the conference with a presentation on embracing ones heritage. Shannon and Rodriguez addressed a variety of issues including equity, starting with their own roots in segregated schools and neighborhoods as well as issues theyve faced as leaders. Shannon, who is Black, spoke of his experiences with public school integration following the Supreme Courts 1954 decision in Brown v. Board of Education. I was one of the experiments in St. Louis to integrate into the white schools, but they integrated us by putting us in separate classrooms in the white school, he said. Early in his career as chancellor, Rodriguez had an unexpected encounter when he arrived at a formal event in a tuxedo. As I walked in, a person handed me their keys and asked me to park their car, he said. Despite the hurdles they have faced, Shannon and Rodriguez said they persisted with the mission of supporting the generations to follow them. This disease called racism and bias prevails and we are the agents to combat that - all of us in this room, Rodriguez said. Faculty, students and community members led workshops throughout the day focused on various issues facing undocumented students, the importance of ethnic studies and the value of dialogue to bring different communities together, among other topics. Karla Alfaro, president of the Chaffey student club UNIDOS (United Network of Immigrants and Dreamers Organizing for Students), addressed the fear of deportation due to the legal battle over Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. Were making this life for ourselves, but we dont know if we can stay. We dont know if they are going to revoke DACA, she said. Carmen Stephens, a counselor at Pasadena City College, praised Chaffey for hosting the event. I think its great, its timely and its needed right now, Stephens said. I think more colleges should join in. Chaffey theater student Rene Sarver said the conference has sparked her interest in taking classes related to ethnic studies, journalism and other subjects. Im just very impressed with the conference, the talks, the stories, and the goals for greater equity, greater inclusion and how to reach those who are forgotten, she said. High resolution images from the conference are available for download at the following link: https://chaffey.imagerelay.com/ml/eb852ae6e58543dbbe06866092cb4378 City of Orem joins the Utah Purchasing Group by Bidnet Direct The City of Orem invites all potential vendors to register online. The City of Orem announced it has joined the Utah Purchasing Group and will be publishing and distributing upcoming bid opportunities on the system. Bidnet Directs Utah Purchasing Group connects multiple participating agencies from across Utah. The purchasing group provides a transparent bid process through which the bid is available to all vendors at the same time. The City of Orem invites all vendors to register online at http://www.bidnetdirect.com/utah/orem. The City of Orem joined the purchasing group in September. The City of Orem will utilize the system to streamline their purchasing process including bid distribution, bid management, and vendor relations. The Utah Purchasing Group is a single, online location for managing sourcing information and activities and provides local government agencies the tools needed to have a transparent bid process while minimizing costs and saving time. We strive to be as transparent as possible and to give all the information we have about our bid opportunities and the procurement process to our vendors. By becoming a part of the Utah Purchasing Group, we can provide all the important and necessary information instantly to our vendors, everything they need is in one spot and they dont need to contact us to find out details, they can log in and view everything in real time. This has allowed us to create a more seamless bid process and has provided more participation from vendors across the state, stated Trevor Bell, Procurement & Budget Manager of the City of Orem. As a participating agency of the Utah Purchasing Group, it allows the City of Orem to expand their vendor pool and enhance vendor competition without increasing distribution costs. To be added to the existing list of vendors on the Utah Purchasing Group, any suppliers looking to do business with the City of Orem can register online: http://www.bidnetdirect.com/utah/orem. The City of Orem encourages all interested bidders to register today. Registered vendors can access open bids, related documents, and files, additional addendum, and available award information from all participating agencies. In addition, the Utah Purchasing Group offers a value-added service to notify vendors of new bids targeted to their business, including all addenda and advance notification of expiring term contracts. With one click, the City of Orem can now see how many vendors match a specific opportunity, how many have downloaded documents, responded and more. The City of Orem also has its own, branded page on the public side of the Utah Purchasing Group in which taxpayers can view all closed bids and any awarded information. Vendors may register on the Utah Purchasing Group: http://www.bidnetdirect.com/utah/orem. Bidnet Directs vendor support team is available to answer any questions regarding the registration process or the bid system at 800-835-4603 option 2. Other local Utah government agencies looking to switch from a manual bid process, please contact the Utah Purchasing Group for a demonstration of the no-cost sourcing solution. About the City of Orem: The City of Orem was incorporated in 1919. The high point in the City is 5,232 feet above sea level (upper water tank). The low point is 4,494 feet above sea level (Spring Water Park). The elevation at State Street and Center Street is 4,771.7 feet above sea level. The City is 18.24 square miles (or 11,674 acres). There are 20 public schools in the City: 3 High Schools; 3 Junior High Schools; 14 Elementary Schools. Orem is home to Utah Valley University, the largest public university in the state of Utah. About Bidnet Direct: Bidnet Direct, powered by mdf commerce, is a sourcing solution of regional purchasing groups available at no cost to local government agencies throughout the country. Bidnet Direct runs regional purchasing groups, including the Utah Purchasing Group, across all 50 states that are used by over 1,600 local governments. To learn more and have your government agency gain better transparency and efficiency in purchasing, please visit https://www.bidnetdirect.com/buyers The Unstoppable Growth of Global GHG Emissions: Greening the Planet; Conning the Public. New report by Robert Lyman. CLINTEL has posted an open letter to COP27 global leaders, calling for common sense climate and energy policies, and to elevate and empower African nations with conventional energy, not renewables. Get Ready for the COP27 Hurricane writes Terence Corcoran in the Financial Post of Nov. 02, 2022, warning of an overabundance of optimism as the UN Climate Conference of the Parties (COP) approaches in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, Nov. 06-18, 2022, says Friends of Science Society. CLINTEL has posted an open letter to COP27 global leaders, calling for common sense climate and energy policies, and to elevate and empower African nations with conventional energy, not renewables, says Friends of Science Society. His Excellency Dr. Sultan Al Jaber of the UAE, called for maximum energy, minimum emissions in a keynote address, Nov. 1, 2022. If this year has taught us anything, it is that energy security is the foundation of all progress economic social and climate progress," Dr Al Jaber said in his keynote address at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC). Leaders of major emitting countries like India and China will not be attending as reported by Climate Change News Nov. 02, 2022. Canadas delegation to COP27 will be led by Minister Steven Guilbeault, a long-time climate activist. However, Canadas claims of being a climate leader were questioned by Bloomberg on Oct. 02, 2022, claiming that Canada has a dirty secret a growth in emissions. Prof. Samuel Furfari of Belgium countered this in an article in Atlantico, reposted in translation here, noting that Energy is life and that no one has a magic wand to reduce emissions and that the plans put in place by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau could not work. Friends of Science did a presentation on Canadas NetZero 2030 plans titled: Too Far. Too Fast. The Unstoppable Growth of GHG Emissions: Greening the Planet; Conning the Public is a new Friends of Science Society report by Robert Lyman which illustrates the flaws of the Paris Agreement and how the public have been misled to believe the agreement is legally binding. The report shows that no matter what draconian climate policies are enforced by the self-proclaimed 'climate leaders' in Canada or other Western nations, the emerging nations will drive GHG growth. This message is clear in Robert Lymans earlier report When Giants Arise, showing that North America and Europe make up only 15% of the world population no one is following these climate leaders says Friends of Science. Friends of Science Society has expressed concern over the co-opting of the health care community into the World Health Organizations (WHO) COP26 climate program, discussed in this video #NetZero Healthcare. No Patients. No Emissions. The video questions why the WHO and tax-funded doctors are advocating for the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty as reported in the National Observer, Sept. 15, 2022. Modern medicine and pharmaceuticals cannot exist without oil, natural gas and coal energy and the many important elements of the product stream, such as PPEs as explained in Burning Questions, a 2015 Friends of Science report. Likewise, the energy crisis is crushing Europe, and will be worse next year and go on for years, as reported by TIME Magazine, Oct. 31, 2022. Friends of Science Societys 2016 report Dire Consequences lays out how heat-or-eat poverty creates health problems, malnutrition and premature death, especially for pensioners. Thus, Friends of Science Society finds it an anomaly that the anti-fossil fuel Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) will be featured at the Canada Pavilion at COP27 on Nov. 10, 2022, when Canada is a major oil, gas and coal producer. Canada holds a key to mitigating the global energy crisis with its energy reserves. The tax funded doctors and health care industry could not exist without the revenues from the development and export of Canadian natural resources. Robert Lyman summarized a Natural Resources Canada report showing the Inconvenient Facts for Climate Activists by the numbers. As CLINTEL has repeatedly said, there is no climate emergency. A recent presentation by CLINTEL signatory, Prof. Wyss Yim shows that natural variability of climate is attributable to astronomical (solar) and geothermal activity under the ocean and that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is falsely focused only on carbon dioxide from human industrial emissions. About Friends of Science Society is an independent group of earth, atmospheric and solar scientists, engineers, and citizens that is celebrating its 20th year of offering climate science insights. After a thorough review of a broad spectrum of literature on climate change, Friends of Science Society has concluded that the sun is the main driver of climate change, not carbon dioxide (CO2). Friends of Science Society PO Box 61172 RPO Kensington Calgary AB T2N 4S6 Canada Toll-free Telephone: 1-888-789-9597 Web: friendsofscience.org E-mail: contact(at)friendsofscience(dot)org Web: climatechange101.ca Cocoa Hyundai Offers Million Miles Plus Warranty on Every New Hyundai in Cocoa, Florida When customers buy a new vehicle, they will also be interested in getting their car purchase done with extra peace of mind. Cocoa Hyundai, a reputable automobile dealership in Cocoa, Florida, is now offering lifetime powertrain warranty coverage for every new Hyundai through their Million Miles Plus Warranty. Cocoa Hyundai aims to offer a splendid selection of vehicles in an atmosphere that is different from a typical automobile dealership. The lifetime powertrain warranty provided at this dealership covers all the vital components of the vehicles powertrain, excluding gaskets and seals. Parts covered through the Million Miles Plus Warranty include engine parts like Cylinder Block/Head, Internally Lubricated Parts, Turbocharger/Supercharger, Harmonic Balancer, Timing Gear/Chain/Belt/Cover, Valve Covers, Oil Pan Engine Mounts and Transmission parts like Transmission Case, Torque Converter, Flywheel, Flex Plate, Vacuum Modulator and Transmission Mounts. This lifetime warranty protection is included on every new Hyundai model sold at Cocoa Hyundai. If the customers want additional protection and coverage designed to wrap around the coverage already provided by the Million Mile Plus Warranty, they will be also providing that. Interested parties are encouraged to visit the Cocoa Hyundai dealership at 1825 West King Street, Cocoa, Florida, 32926. Prospective buyers can also contact the dealership customer support team at 321-631-2444 for further inquiries about the Million Miles Plus Warranty. AutismAlliance of Michigan Im very excited to be the CDCs Act Early Ambassador for Michigan! Empowering parents with tools to watch their child grow and thrive is so important, says Dr. Ashley Shayter. We know that early intervention is key to maximizing long-term benefits....." Southfield, Michigan (November 3, 2022) The Autism Alliance of Michigan (AAoM) is pleased to announce that Dr. Ashley Shayter, PhD, LBA, BCBA-D, CBIS, Policy Manager for Statewide Education & Outreach, has been selected as CDCs Act Early Ambassador to Michigan. Act Early Ambassadors work with CDCs Learn the Signs. Act Early. program to improve early identification of developmental delays and disabilities so that children and their families can access needed services as early as possible. "This is such a significant opportunity for AAoM and our state, said Colleen Allen, Ph.D., President and CEO of AAoM. Reducing the age of diagnosis and access to critical services is one of our major strategic initiatives over the next 10 years. The Learn the Signs. Act Early. Campaign is perfectly aligned with this work. Dr. Shayters role as Ambassador will allow us to connect with national experts, colleagues in other states addressing this priority, and resources to share with stakeholders. Since 2011, professionals with medical, child development, developmental disability, special education, and early intervention expertise have been selected to serve as a state or territorial point-of-contact for the national Learn the Signs. Act Early. program. The ambassador supports the work of Act Early Teams and other Michigan-specific initiatives to improve early identification of developmental delay and disability; and promote the adoption and integration of Learn the Signs. Act Early. resources into systems that serve young children and their families. Im very excited to be the CDCs Act Early Ambassador for Michigan! Empowering parents with tools to watch their child grow and thrive is so important, says Dr. Ashley Shayter. We know that early intervention is key to maximizing long-term benefits. I hope my work as the Act Early Ambassador will encourage everyone who interacts with young childrenfrom families to healthcare organizations to educatorsto use the Learn the Signs. Act Early. materials and resources so we can ensure a bright and successful future for Michigans children. Click here to read more about CDCs Act Early Ambassadors. About Autism Alliance of Michigan Since 2009, The Autism Alliance of Michigan (AAoM) has led collaborative efforts across the state that improve the quality of life for individuals with autism through education, comprehensive services, community awareness, inclusion efforts and coordinated advocacy across their lifespan. AAoM is the trusted ally and partner for thousands of families. An AAoM navigator can be reached at 877-463-2266 (AAOM) or email at navigator@aaomi.org. For information on events, resources and donations, or for more information on the Watch Me Grow program, please visit autismallianceofmichigan.org. # # # Customers can now save big on vehicle service at Stockton Hyundai in Stockton, California. Hyundai owners looking to get their vehicles serviced can save money at Stockton Hyundai, a local automotive dealership in Stockton, California. Drivers can save up to $45 on various Hyundai maintenance services and repairs until Nov. 30, 2022. To take advantage of this offer, customers can schedule a service appointment on the dealerships official website. Interested parties can download the coupon from the dealerships Service Specials page and present it at the time of service. In addition to automotive services, the dealership has an extensive range of new Hyundai, used, and certified pre-owned models in top-notch condition. While the customers can visit the dealership to make a purchase, they can also buy a vehicle online via the Express Store. With the Express Store, individuals can purchase a model from the comfort of their homes in five simple steps. Moreover, customers can get the vehicles delivered to their doorstep within 100 miles of the dealerships location. Individuals who purchase a vehicle from Stockton Hyundai dont have to worry about credit approval. The dealership works with several lenders and banks to tailor the best financing packages for buyers, regardless of their credit situation. Interested parties can contact the dealerships team of experts by dialing 209-227-1081 to learn more about the car buying process. Moreover, customers can visit the dealership at 2979 Auto Center Cir in Stockton, California, every Monday to Friday between 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. for further assistance. The Sniper Tower, manufactured by Tactical Training Systems for the Fresno, Calif. Regional Police Training Center, allows for a wide variety of interior and exterior training exercises. Tactical Training Systems has provided us with two great base structures that are holding up exceptionally well. When we come up with unique improvements to change up the training experience, then we all win. For anyone seriously interested in tactical training, the Fresno (CA) Police Department Regional Training Center is a thing of beauty. The expansive campus includes a variety of rifle ranges, a sniper tower, emergency vehicle operations course, classroom with simulators, and a tactical house. Two of those facilities --- the sniper tower and the custom tactical house --- were manufactured by Tactical Training Systems, and installed in 2010. Aside from the classroom and shooting range, the two tactical structures are the most heavily used assets at the center, each being employed at least three or four times a week. The sniper tower and tac house have held up surprisingly well for the past dozen years, says Sergeant Justin Hoagland with the Fresno Police Department. Being metal structures is the greatest advantage, along with having replaceable plywood for the barricade/breaching door. The moveable walls are an added bonus. We change the layouts often so teams and operators dont get used to the same layout for every training cycle. Advantages of Customized Training According to Hoagland, the best feature of the sniper tower is the ability for operators to prone out by using the garage-like doors on the second story to replicate several different shooting engagement problems such as elevated positions. The tac houses best feature is the ability to move walls to create an entirely different floor plan, says Hoagland, who serves as a SWAT Team Leader. Often in other structures, once an officer or team trains at that location one time, by the end of the day they memorize the floor plan. After that any training is not as beneficial, because its not an unknown situation. With the moveable interior walls available in the Tactical Training Systems structure, we have the ability to create different angles. That creates unique tactical problems that are essential for keeping my SWAT team at a constant state of readiness. 520+ Agencies Use Training Center As a regional training center, the Fresno operation gets students from both throughout the state of California and nationwide. We generally see around 500 different agencies represented throughout the year training here, says Hoagland. Our tac house is used in nearly all of our exercise or tactical proficiency classes. That structure takes a beating. Classes taught at the tac house include Active Shooter Response, Search Warrant Execution, Tactical Deployments, K9 Operations, Breaching, Basic Interior Searching, Low Light/No Light, Patrol Rifle, Force-On-Force Scenarios, Critical Incident Articulation, Undercover Operations, and many more. The facility is also rented to allied agencies that conduct their own training. In addition, the Fresno Police Department has contracts with more than 20 different law enforcement agencies that use the tac house and sniper tower. These agencies include Fresno County Sheriffs, Fresno County Probation, the FBI, HSI, DOJ, ATF, California Dept. of Corrections, and the U.S. Military (specifically the California Air National Guard). Outside instructors are also using the tac house and sniper tower for their Advanced Tactical Solutions, Basic and Advanced POST Approved SWAT Sniper and Precision Marksmen courses. In addition to all these training activities, the Fresno SWAT team trains two days each month on the structures, plus tactical and rescue teams have their training times. Courses can include Light-Sound Diversionary Device Training, Armored Vehicle Operations, Elevated and Platform Rescues, and Airborne Rescues from Helicopter Platforms. Training Day and Night With training underway a majority of the days in Fresno, Hoagland relates that nighttime training is also offered. Night training offers a unique perspective and different tactical problems due to low light/no light situations, says Hoagland. No matter what the lighting situation is, the Tactical Training Systems facilities provide our team members with as realistic a training experience as it can be, considering the added impact of force-on-force, breachable and reusable doors, etc. Without a doubt, the tac house from Tactical Training Systems that we have is one of the most important assets in our training program. Made of all-American steel, the only unanticipated drawback Hoagland has experienced with the tac house and sniper tower comes with the changing climate in Fresno. As summer weather conditions grow hotter year-after-year, the steel structure interiors and roof are also getting hotter. To combat the situation, and even make it work as a training exercise, swamp coolers and ventilation systems are being added to the structures. This will provide for more training time inside the buildings. Another enhancement being made includes the addition of fire alarms and speaker systems to simulate a more stressful environment for specific train evolutions. Finally, 2x4s and plywood have been added in certain areas to increase the sturdiness of temporary walls during training. Were always thinking of ways to creatively enhance the training experience, says Hoagland. Tactical Training Systems has provided us with two great base structures that are holding up exceptionally well. When we come up with unique improvements to change up the training experience, then we all win. Based in Sun Prairie, Wisc., Tactical Training Systems relies on the expertise of our in-house engineers, military experience of employees and support of our sister company, Fire Facilities, Inc.. Our parent company, Trachte Building Systems, is one of the largest and oldest manufacturers of steel self-storage systems in the industry. For more information, visit http://www.tacticaltrainingsystems.com or call 1-800-929-3726. ### Today, GO Car Wash announced that it will open a new location in West Seneca, New York. The sixth GO Car Wash location in the greater Buffalo area, this location will open on November 3, 2022 at 1343 Union Road, West Seneca, NY 14224. Weve seen great success in the Buffalo area and are thrilled to be able to serve residents of West Seneca, said Chris Anderson, GO Car Wash VP of Business Development. Our track record in other markets with multiple locations shows that density increases customer satisfaction. Were thrilled to provide the greater Buffalo area with more options for the highest quality car care. GO Car Wash is also proud to provide West Seneca residents the opportunity to contribute to the planets health via the companys partnership with One Tree Planted an organization that plants one tree for every new Unlimited Membership purchase. Since February 2022, GO Car Wash and One Tree Planted have planted more than 130,000 trees in the United States, and this positive impact is deepened with every new location and acquisition. Our partnership with One Tree Planted gives customers the opportunity to care for their car while protecting the planet, said Bill Derwin, GO Car Wash CEO. We look forward to seeing how the West Seneca community will contribute to the positive change weve seen from this partnership. GO Car Wash invites West Seneca residents to celebrate this new location with grand opening festivities beginning November 3, 2022, such as free single washes, unlimited wash discounts, free vacuums and more. About GO Car Wash GO Car Wash was founded in 2019 with the goal of building a multi-regional car wash company with clusters throughout secondary cities in North America. Headquartered in Denver, CO, GO Car Wash will focus on high-quality exterior express car washes, with a multi-pronged growth strategy of acquisitions, partnerships and new site build outs. Health Connect America (HCA), a provider of mental and behavioral health services, plans to hire additional staff in recognition of its growth and increased service offerings in the Johnson City area. The local office provides Intensive In-Home services for children and families in need of stabilization, Intensive Outpatient therapy for co-occurring substance abuse and mental health diagnosis and is a Tennessee Health Link provider. HCA is planning an ABA Clinic Services for children with Autism. On November 14, 2022, at 10 am EST HCAs Johnson City office is partnering with the Chamber of Commerce and celebrating its growth and variety of new services with a ribbon cutting. Northeastern Tennessee is an important market area for HCA, says Kristi Shain, president and chief executive officer, Health Connect America. Services designed for the needs of each community we serve are the key to our commitment to offer this underserved population a higher level of care. This will be a great opportunity for those seeking employment and/or our wide range of services to celebrate this new chapter with the Johnson City Community!" The existing range of programs help adults, children, adolescents and families find hope and healing from traumatic events and supports with intellectual and developmental disabilities. These programs are designed to address issues like grief, anger management, family issues, substance use, autism diagnoses and intellectual disabilities. Individuals are offered the support they need to help improve the lives of children, adults and their families. Our projected growth not only benefits the community by serving more clients, but also creates more jobs in the area, says Dave Krikac, vice president of operations for Health Connect America. The variety of programs available will allow treatment to be individually tailored to client needs, legal requirements for individuals, and overall community enhancement. The In-Home Services program continues to grow and evolve, requiring ongoing hiring to meet community needs. The availability of these programs will increase access to resources for clients with the highest level of need. This will also decrease wait times between a need being identified and care being provided. More about Health Connect America services programs are listed here: https://www.healthconnectamerica.com/tennessee-services-and-programs/. Another important outreach feature of HCA is their foster program. Visit here to learn more: https://www.healthconnectamerica.com/become-a-foster-parent/?fbclid=IwAR27kEvREcf5DZ3JcfVW0Z7ySkLBg3RBlK5NG7m7zQ_rd5JSFf8rpx60K_M About Health Connect America Health Connect America (HCA) provides mental and behavioral health services to children, families, and adults across 56 locations across five states impacting the lives of nearly 10,000 people daily. The organization is honored to be a part of the communities served walking with clients as they embark on a journey to self-improvement and more fulfilling lives. Health Connect America provides services where clients need them within the community, the home, or in one of the organizations many locations. Through a vast network of direct care professionals, HCA is readily available to meet the needs of both clients and their families. The services delivered include one-on-one or family counseling, case management, autism services, or medication management for children, adults, and families. These services promote positive personal growth, develop healthy coping skills, preserve and repair relationships and natural support systems. For more information see https://www.healthconnectamerica.com/. The team behind Hustle and Heart Homes I am thrilled to partner with Side and for the opportunity to expand my brand into a brokerage Hustle & Heart Homes today announced its partnership with Side, the only real estate technology company that exclusively partners with high-performing agents, teams, and independent brokerages to transform them into market-leading boutique brands and businesses. The alliance will ensure that Hustle & Heart Homes, a company that hustles from its core and serves from the heart, is powered by the industrys most advanced platform. Hustle & Heart Homes was founded by Emily Corning, a principal broker licensed in Oregon who currently ranks No. 22 out of nearly 14,000 Portland metro area agents. With her hyperfocused approach to multimedia marketing as just one element of her exceptional service, Corning has generated over $48 million in year-to-date sales in 2022, contributing to a jaw-dropping $190 million since the start of her real estate career in 2016. Hustle & Heart Homes forges connections with buyers and sellers, serving them throughout Washington, Clackamas, Multnomah, and Yamhill counties. Partnering with Side will ensure Hustle & Heart Homes remains on the cutting edge of the evolving real estate market while continuing to deliver exceptional service to its clients. Side works behind the scenes, supporting Hustle & Heart Homes with a one-of-a-kind brokerage platform that includes proprietary technology, branding and marketing services, public relations, legal support, vendor management, infrastructure solutions, and more. Additionally, Hustle & Heart Homes will join an exclusive group of Side partners, tapping into an expansive network from coast to coast. "I am thrilled to partner with Side and for the opportunity to expand my brand into a brokerage," Corning said. "Side truly elevates agents and their teams, and I know having their support is only going to enhance the level of service our clients have come to know and trust." About Hustle & Heart Homes Hustle & Heart Homes prides itself on delivering an exceptional experience from start to finish. Founder Emily Corning built her business by prioritizing quality over quantity, an approach that is carried through in her and her teams elevated service and exceptional care. Hustle & Heart Homes serves buyers and sellers alike throughout Washington, Clackamas, Multnomah, and Yamhill counties and looks forward to expanding into the Oregon Coast and Washington state. For more information, visit http://www.hustlehearthomes.com. About Side Side is a behind-the-scenes brokerage platform that exclusively partners with top-performing agents, teams, and independent brokerages to create and grow their own boutique brands without the cost, time, or risk of operating a brokerage. Sides proprietary technology platform and premier support solutions empower its agent partners to be more productive, grow their business, and focus on serving their clients. Side is headquartered in San Francisco. For more information, visit http://www.side.com. Representative team members of Introspect Technology at the Electronics Industry Awards 2022. It means that every single person in the company is a winner and that every single team member is performing at a level that makes our collective performance much larger than the sum of our individual parts. - Dr. Mohamed Hafed, CEO of Introspect Technology On Thursday, October 27, 2022, Introspect Technology, leading manufacturer of test and measurement tools for high-speed applications, celebrated a significant accolade at the Grand Connaught Rooms in London, receiving the Excellence in Innovation Award at the Electronics Industry Awards 2022. Presented before an audience of esteemed industry professionals, this prestigious award recognizes a company that has demonstrated outstanding innovation and one that has made a significant impact on the market. Introspect Technology has won the award based on its category-creating products, its proven technology, and the constantly innovating attitude of its team. "It is always special to win a corporate award because it means that the collective of Introspect is performing at the highest possible level, said Dr. Mohamed Hafed, Chief Executive Officer of Introspect Technology. It means that every single person in the company is a winner and that every single team member is performing at a level that makes our collective performance much larger than the sum of our individual parts." Ever since Introspect Technology was founded, its products have stood out for innovation. For example, less than a year into Introspects existence, in February 2013, the SV1C Personalized SerDes Tester was introduced, and this created a new category of test and measurement products that have been pioneering for 10 consecutive years. The product replaced racks of conventional equipment and transformed them into a handheld form-factor that has since allowed hardware engineers, firmware engineers, and even software engineers to have access to SerDes Technology. With year after year of innovative product introductions such as the 40-lane physical layer tester in a handheld form-factor, the different MIPI D-PHY and C-PHY generators, the worlds first two-port MIPI generator, the worlds first MIPI DSI-2 protocol analyzer, and Introspects JEDEC DDR5, LPDDR5, and GDDR solutions, the Introspect team continues to find incredible ways of miniaturizing equipment, creating new features in them, and delighting customers with their use. The team is keenly interested in solving the worlds most complex measurement problems where they routinely think about phenomena spanning a few femtoseconds (1/1 quadrillionth of a second) of timescales and trillions of bytes of data. Being recognized for Excellence in Innovation validates Introspects collective efforts, and motivates the highly-driven team to keep pushing the boundaries of what they already know. For the full list of winners from the Electronics Industry Awards ceremony, click here. About the Electronics Industry Awards The Electronics Industry Awards, organized by Components in Electronics (CIE) publisher Datateam Business Media, celebrates the very best professionals, products, projects and companies from across the electronics sector. Now in its fifth year, the awards scheme quickly established itself as a key event on the industry calendar and an Electronics Industry Award trophy now represents a truly unique stamp of approval separating the winners from their competitors and opening up doors for new business opportunities. For more information on the Electronics Industry Awards, click here. About Introspect Technology Founded in 2012, Introspect Technology designs and manufactures innovative test and measurement equipment for high-speed digital applications. Whether it is the next augmented reality headset or the level-4 autonomy engine in a mobility solution, our award-winning tools are used to develop, test, and manufacture next-generation products. In short, we help the leading global technology companies make tomorrows technology todays possibility. Jeffrey Busch and Dominic Man-Kit Lam announces their entry into the publishing scene with the release of Accidental Diplomacy (published by Archway Publishing). In this political thriller, a computer error prompts an unplanned battle in the South China Sea between two superpowers with the potential to cause a Third World War. As Commander Wong gazes into the vastness of the South China Sea from the deck of a Chinese Navy ship, he is alerted that a U.S. Navy battleship is approaching. Meanwhile as Admiral Smith stands in the control room of the U.S. battleship, three Chinese jets fly overhead and warn the crew that they are in foreign waters. But neither leader has any idea that in mere seconds, everything is about to change. After a computer glitch prompts a U.S. Navy lieutenant to make a split-second decision to take down two of the Chinese aircraft with missiles, the Chinese retaliate and launch their own attack. While Russia and others push China toward war, a peace summit is called. But can the sworn enemies who are leading the summit find a way to utilize diplomacy, cultural understanding, and friendship to stop a Third World War from unfolding? This book will appeal to readers because of the current events that are happening right now. Russia already invaded Ukraine and China continuous to hold its grip of the South China Sea. A threat of World War III with Russia and China is always in the news, the authors point out. When asked what they want readers to take away from the book, they answer, We are very close to World War III and our leaders should keep us out of it. For more details about the book, please visit https://www.archwaypublishing.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/844369-accidental-diplomacy Accidental Diplomacy By Jeffrey Busch and Dominic Man-Kit Lam Hardcover | 6 x 9in | 308 pages | ISBN 9781665729987 Softcover | 6 x 9in | 308 pages | ISBN 9781665729970 E-Book | 308 pages | ISBN 9781665729994 Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble About the Author Jeffrey Busch was appointed by two U.S. presidents to serve in their administration including representing the U.S. as a delegate to the U.N. He spent over 30 years advising and negotiating with high-level officials in both the United States and China, and was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for his work internationally. Dr. Dominic Lam was a highly distinguished medical professor at Harvard and Texas Medical Center. He is also a world-class artist and philanthropist who has advised several Chinese presidents. Through his many accomplishments, Lam is often called the Modern Day Leonardo da Vinci." Simon & Schuster, a company with nearly ninety years of publishing experience, has teamed up with Author Solutions, LLC, the worldwide leader in self-publishing, to create Archway Publishing. With unique resources to support books of all kind, Archway Publishing offers a specialized approach to help every author reach his or her desired audience. For more information, visit archwaypublishing.com or call 844-669-3957. Spruce, the leading lifestyle service provider, has expanded its operations to Kansas City, Missouri as part of its rapid expansion momentum. Spruce has joined forces with Lincoln Property Company and JVM Realty to distribute its premium services to 26 new communities and over 6,000 units in the midwestern city. Kansas City is an incredibly diverse, historical city and one we are proud to partner with, said Jeff Duerstock, Head of Sales at Spruce. Through this expansion, our partner properties will be able to more competitively attract and retain residents at a time more crucial than ever in this changing rental landscape. Spruces expansion into Kansas City will not only drive job creation for local service providers but also help property managers retain renters. In fact, recent research from the lifestyle services provider showed that 88% of participants agree they are more likely to renew their apartment lease if they utilize that apartments amenities and that 75% of participants would pay more to live in an apartment building that offers lifestyle services such as housekeeping and chores. Expanding into Kansas City communities will help us establish ourselves as the ultimate lifestyle services partner for the midwest, said Steven Pho, CEO of Spruce. Each city Spruce expands into represents a new chapter for the growth of our company and Im proud of how much weve been able to expand in 2022 alone. Spruce now serves over 750,000 apartments across the nation, ensuring that residents have easy access to background-checked and insured Cleaning Pros through its on-demand app. The company continues to grow in order to serve more communities including recently announcing its partnership with Bainbridge Companies, Series B funding of $26M, and key growth hires on the sales and engineering teams including Aaron Davis as the Regional Sales Director for the West Coast market, Julie Elkins as the new Senior Regional Sales Director for the Southern market and Brian Huddleston as Senior VP of Engineering. We are very excited to expand this offering to Lincoln Property Company-Kansas City communities and grow our partnership with Spruce to provide an on-demand, convenient platform enabling residents to schedule housekeeping and chore services quickly and easily. Our teams onsite are thrilled about having an added amenity. I would highly recommend Spruce to other multifamily marketers and operators, Spruce makes it so easy!" Tricia Erickson, Mid-West Regional Marketing Director, Lincoln Property Company. In celebration of the launch, Spruce is sharing a special offer to Kansas City residents with Classic Cleans starting at only $29 ($50+ off regular pricing) if booked before November 18, 2022. To see additional services and pricing, please visit http://www.getspruce.com. About Spruce Spruce is the comprehensive provider of lifestyle services to the multifamily industry. The proptech company currently offers Housekeeping, Chores, Pet Care, and Laundry to residents at more than 2,500 select apartment communities throughout the country. Through the Spruce app, customers are able to quickly book services from certified, insured, and background-checked professionals. Spruce is focused on delivering the highest-quality services on-demand. Venture-backed and headquartered in Austin, the company has almost 100 employees and is growing rapidly. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn. Come, See...Go, Tell: an encouraging tool for learning more about the great commission. Come, See...Go, Tell is the creation of published author Malcolm G. Shotwell, a dedicated husband and father who is an ordained American Baptist minister and served as pastor of First Baptist Churches in Cuba, New York; Galesburg, Illinois; and Olean, New York. His ministry was extended to area minister for American Baptist Churches in Pennsylvania and Delaware, and later as regional executive minister for churches in Illinois and Missouri. Shotwell was born in Brookneal, Virginia, and graduated from the University of Richmond (Bachelor of Arts), Colgate Rochester Divinity School (Master of Divinity), and Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary (Doctor of Ministry). He was also honored with a Doctor of Divinity from Judson University. Shotwell shares, Come, SeeGo, Tell An Invitation and a Commission Focusing on the thirty-three recorded sayings of Jesus after his resurrection and before his ascension, the invitation in this book is to come and see what Jesus said and did, and then go, tell Jesus message to a needed world. During these days of social unrest, the Christian church, and all who claim the name of Christ, face challenging times. We are being asked to rethink our mission, our reasons for being. We need to be challenged to discover creative ways to share the Good News of Jesus and his call for love and justice in todays world. This book will ask penetrating questions surrounding the post-Easter sayings of Jesus. It will address the elephant in the room. The author, the Rev. Dr. Malcolm (Mac) Shotwell, pastor, teacher, administrator, extends this invitation and urges a contemporary response to the great commission. My hope writes Dr. Shotwell, is that the research and thoughts in this book will add to the ongoing message and mission of our Savior and Lord, who said, I came that you may have life, and have it abundantly. (John 10:10) As you journey with me thorough these sayings (and, perhaps, share in a small group), my prayer is that the meaning of Jesus resurrection words will speak to you and help you find ways of discovering direction and good in the midst of lifes situations. Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Malcolm G. Shotwells new book will challenge readers to a renewed sense of faith and understanding of a trying time in Christian history. Shotwell shares in hopes of helping to continue the dissemination of Gods word and to share the importance of having an understanding of ones part in His plan. Consumers can purchase Come, See...Go, Tell at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or inquiries about Come, See...Go, Tell, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919. Investments of time and money in ecosystem building increase collaboration, leverage existing resources, and provide opportunities to identify and drive initiatives to benefit Colorado manufacturers.Jennifer Hagan-Dier, VP and COO of Manufacturers Edge In collaboration with founding partners, the Colorado Advanced Manufacturing Association (CAMA), the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT), the Economic Development Council of Colorado (EDCC), and Sustainment Technologies, Inc. (Sustainment), Manufacturers Edge formally announced the launch of the Colorado Manufacturing Network (CMN) at the EDCC annual Drive | Lead | Succeed conference in Pueblo on October 20, 2022. The CMN is a digital manufacturing community and part of a growing national network designed to leverage innovative technologies to better serve and connect US manufacturers to each other, to government and commercial buyers, and to national, state, and local support resources. One of the unique features of the platform is that access to CMN is free for manufacturers and support organizations; buyers pay a modest subscription fee to access best-fit sourcing algorithms and other tools that help them find and connect with manufacturers. Originally developed in partnership with the US Air Force to expose a larger pool of capable US small and medium-sized manufacturers to service its heavy industry requirements, Sustainments technology is considered the first AI-based Industry 4.0 market network platform. Manufacturers Edge serves small and medium-sized manufacturers across all industry sectors and areas of operation throughout Colorado. As the official MEP Center for state and the designated CMN administrator, Manufacturers Edge is focused on engaging the platform to drive more business to the states manufacturing base, to help Colorado buyers localize and strengthen their supply chains, and to help coordinate the efforts of the states myriad manufacturing support resources. Within the next few years, Manufacturers Edge envisions a stronger, more connected, and more resilient manufacturing ecosystem for the state of Colorado. Colorado manufacturers can create a profile and access the benefits of Sustainment at manufacturersedge.com/co-mfg-network. The platforms tools and experience are intuitive and deliver value beyond connecting buyers and sellers. Sustainments Chief Operating Officer Steve Carroll describes one of the companys product development mandates, Our buyers demand accurate, comprehensive, and up-to-date information and they want to know the people behind the business. Our ongoing mission is to provide a level of value, trust, and user experience that drives our manufacturing community to not only provide their information but to engage with the platform on a regular basis. Jennifer Hagan-Dier, VP and COO of Manufacturers Edge added, One thing we learned during the COVID pandemic is that we are stronger together. Investments of time and money in ecosystem building increase collaboration, leverage existing resources, and provide opportunities to identify and drive initiatives to benefit Colorado manufacturers. Manufacturers Edge CEO Glenn Plagens explained the importance and potential impact of this initiative, The Colorado Manufacturing Network resides on the most robust supply chain tool in the country. Manufacturers Edge is proud to partner with Sustainment and other statewide organizations CAMA, EDCC, and OEDIT to convene the Colorado Manufacturing Network. We are at a time of significant importance for manufacturing. Utilizing the Sustainment platform, the Colorado Manufacturing Network will bring the connections, tools, and resources to the manufacturing community that they need to grow and prosper. About Manufacturers Edge As Colorados official Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Center, Manufacturers Edge (ME) provides onsite support, strategy, planning, training, and technical assistance to manufacturers of all sizes. Colorados unique manufacturing landscape has given ME experience across industries. Our clients drive technology development, creativity, and new products, and we work closely with them to make sure their work reaches its intended audience. Using a combination of local insights, diverse experience, and true commitment to providing manufacturers support, ME is dedicated to growing and improving the manufacturing landscape. About Sustainment Sustainment is a public benefit corporation with a mission to better serve and connect the US SME manufacturing base. The company is military veteran led and they envision the American manufacturing base as a hyperconnected, secure, and resilient ecosystem of local and regional suppliers who can easily interact and transact with each other, buyers, and the organizations that both support and rely on them. Its software enables US-based manufacturers to find and engage with the critical suppliers they need to build secure, resilient, domestic supplier networks. While the land market remains significantly undersupplied, the uptick in the third quarter captures that the lower levels of housing demand are finally allowing the industry to catch up a bit. Ali Wolf, chief economist Today, the experts at Zonda, the housing industrys foremost advisors, released the New Home Lot Supply Index (LSI) for 3Q22. The New Home LSI, backed by data from Zonda, shows lot supply loosened year-over-year across the United States. The index is a residential real estate indicator based on the number of single-family vacant developed lots and the rate at which those lots are absorbed. The New Home LSI came in at 41.7 for 3Q22, representing a 7.4% increase from 3Q21. On a quarter-over-quarter basis, supply increased by 9.7%, up from 2Q22. Despite the increase, the 3Q22 data reflects a significantly undersupplied market nationally. One thing that has plagued the housing market over the past couple years was that demand was running 100 miles a minute and every part of the industry was struggling to keep up, said Ali Wolf, chief economist at Zonda. While the land market remains significantly undersupplied, the uptick in the third quarter captures that the lower levels of housing demand are finally allowing the industry to catch up a bit. Lot supply loosened in most major metropolitan areas in 3Q22, with 19 of 30 increasing year-over-year. Lot inventory in all top markets remains significantly undersupplied but lots going through capital improvements indicate vacant developed lots should rise over the next 6-18 months. The markets where land supply loosened the most on a year-over-year basis were in the West, led by Boise, Los Angeles/OC, and Salt Lake City. Boise has been specifically volatile, with lot supply nearly doubling compared to 3Q21. Miami, San Diego, and Jacksonville currently have the tightest lot supply among major markets. The LSI grew quarter-over-quarter in 24 of Zondas select 30 markets, an increase from last quarter (10 in 2Q22). On a quarter-over-quarter basis, Los Angeles/OC and Boise grew the most, up 46% and 30%, respectively. Zonda also records future lots through the stages of development. The stages range from raw land through streets in, which is the last step before the lot becomes a vacant developed lot. Zonda groups the last few stages into a classification called total upcoming lots, which indicates delivery within the next 12 months. Total upcoming lots for 3Q22 increased 23% year-over-year but fell 2% from last quarter. The largest annual gains among the total upcoming lots came in the equipment on-site stage, which grew 30% from the same period last year. The largest share of total upcoming lots is in the excavation stage, making up 71% nationally and has an expected delivery between 2Q23 and 3Q23 (the range represents different timeframes from local entitlement processes). Note, not all the lots in excavation will match Zondas estimated timeline. It is encouraging to see growth in vacant developed lots and total upcoming lots after hitting historic lows earlier this year, Wolf said. The key thing we are tracking from here is the path over the next few quarters following the slower housing market and resulting reduction in overall housing starts. Methodology The Zonda New Home Lot Supply Index (LSI) is built on proprietary, industry-leading data that covers the production new home market across the United States. The index values represent single-family vacant developed lot supply, lots that are ready to be built on, relative to equilibrium. Released quarterly, the New Home LSI provides an unrivaled look into the lot markets across the country, offering a current quarter snapshot as well as insight into the directional trend. The New Home LSI is calculated based on each markets specific equilibrium as determined by our team of local experts and historical activity. The comparative current value is adjusted to capture the true months of supply figure by applying a greater weight to vacant developed lots in subdivisions with more starts activity. Each index value is associated with a phrase highlighting the current lot supply dynamics. A value of 100, represents perfect equilibrium, while a value of 125 and above equals Significantly Oversupplied, 115-125 - Slightly Oversupplied, 85-115 - Appropriately Supply, 75-85 Slightly Undersupplied, and 75 and below Significantly Undersupplied. The foundation of the index is a quarterly release conducted by Zonda. It is necessary to monitor residential lot supply to understand how new home markets may be impacted by the incoming pipeline. About Zonda Zonda represents the housing industrys leading provider of rich data and the industrys top advisors for residential real estate development and new home construction. With products and services geared for homebuilders, multifamily developers, lenders, and financial institutions, we provide innovative solutions to maximize opportunities in today's real estate development landscape. To learn more, visit zondahome.com. This tool will help our customers manage switches across multiple locations to improve internal efficiencies while minimizing the risk of human error. Building a secure, robust, and simple-to-manage network for organizations looking to deploy IoT endpoints has proven to be a big challenge, given traditional switches' reach and cable-type limitations. Since the start of NVT Phybridge in 2006, we have strived to deliver simplicity to our partners and end users. Our disruptive long-reach PoE innovations have broken the barriers. In nearly two decades, we have helped thousands of organizations accelerate their digital transformation, simplify network requirements, and improve their investment returns. We have built our brand and reputation on the delicate balance between innovation, performance, quality, simplicity, and, most importantly - not following the deep-rooted paradigms established by the networking incumbents. Today, we are excited to build upon this legacy with the official release of the CCMT Switch Configuration Tool. The CCMT Switch Configuration Tool allows users to configure, manage, and upgrade their NVT Phybridge PoE switches from a single application to reduce complexity and network management costs. This tool will help our customers manage switches across multiple locations to improve internal efficiencies while minimizing the risk of human error. Learn more and download the CCMT Switch Configuration Tool As John Chambers, former CEO of Cisco Systems and current co-founder of Nile states, traditional industry players have continually added layers of complexity to their products, and many of these organizations have lost sight of the number one consumer desire simplicity. At NVT Phybridge, delivering simplicity has always been the core of our business. Simplicity for us is delivering network solutions that are purpose-built for the application to increase reliability and protect against advanced cyber-attacks. And now, major players like Nile Secure are addressing the root cause of the customer's network barriers and are re-focused on delivering excellence through simplicity. Our long-reach PoE switches overcome the traditional cable type and reach limitations of standard switches, delivering power and data over single-pair UTP, coax, or multi-pair UTP cabling with up to 6,000ft (1,830m) reach. We help our customers find innovative solutions to the pitfalls of traditional networking practices by leveraging new or existing cabling infrastructure to quickly modernize their facilities without high costs, complexity, or disruption. I want to thank all our employees, partners, and customers for their hard work and dedication to achieving our company mission. We look forward to further supporting the success of our end users with technologies to simplify digital transformation projects. The Beryl Institute announces the publication of Volume 9, Issue 3 of Patient Experience Journal (PXJ), an international, open access, peer-reviewed journal focused on research and proven practices related to understanding and improving the patient experience. Read in over 220 countries and territories, PXJ articles have been downloaded over one million times and reflects the journals commitment to disseminating rigorous knowledge and expanding the global conversation on evidence and innovation in patient and human experience. Published in association with The Beryl Institute, Volume 9, Issue 3 includes 25 articles representing commentaries, personal narratives, research studies and case studies covering topics such as: Living with brain cancer: From researcher to patient The intersection of diversity, equity and inclusion with pediatric Patient and Family Advisory Councils Patient experience of Electronic Health Records (EHR) in a maternity unit in Ireland Going from academic medical center to a community hospital: Patient experiences with transfers Home health care CAHPS survey: Predicting patient experience performance A patient perspective on information provision during the care path of Lentigo Maligna Technology about me without me: An examination of the relationship between patient-facing technology and patient experience The research represents a broad range of global organizations and institutions including Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Deakin University Geelong. School of Nursing & Midwifery, Institute for Health Transformation, Centre for Quality & Patient Safety Research, Erasmus School of Health Policy and Management, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, Experience of Care Lead, NHS England and NHS Improvement, Florida State University College of Medicine, George Washington University Health.Links, Saudi Arabia, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Mayo Clinic, McMaster University, Medallia, QEII Jubilee Hospital, Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, Sentara Healthcare, University College Cork, University of Alabama-Birmingham, University of California San Francisco, University of Oxford, University of Port Harcourt, University of Twente. As was known even prior to the pressures placed on us by the pandemic, what lied just beneath the surface of our work in healthcare was clear, said Jason Wolf, Founding Editor of PXJ and President & CEO of The Beryl Institute. But amid this turbulent reality, I believe there is hope, a space for optimism and a solid foundation on which we can and must build. It is this commitment to action and a contribution to the larger conversation that we continue to see reflected on the pages of PXJ itself. In our final issue of 2022 and the close of Volume 9, we release one of our largest issues ever. We continue to hear from the voices of patients and care partners, clinicians and researchers, all committed to elevating the evidence and practice driving the healthcare experience." To access Volume 9, Issue 3 of PXJ, visit:http://pxjournal.org/journal ### About Patient Experience Journal: Patient Experience Journal (PXJ) is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal published in association with The Beryl Institute. Read in over 220 countries and territories, PXJ is committed to disseminating rigorous knowledge and expanding the global conversation on evidence and innovation on patient experience. About The Beryl Institute: The Beryl Institute is a global community of professionals and experience champions committed to transforming the human experience in healthcare. As a pioneer and leader of the experience movement and patient experience profession for more than a decade, the Institute offers unparalleled access to unbiased research and proven practices, networking and professional development opportunities and a safe, neutral space to exchange ideas and learn from others. We define the patient experience as the sum of all interactions, shaped by an organizations culture, that influence patient perceptions across the continuum of care. We believe human experience is grounded in the experiences of patients & families, members of the healthcare workforce and the communities they serve. Payroc Integrated Payments Partnership Our integration will support contactless, card-on-file billing, offering the ultimate flexibility for the consumer and easing the workload for the business owner. Payroc WorldAccess, LLC (Payroc), a multi-national, payments platform, announced today their partnership with Local Express Inc, a leading omnichannel technology solutions provider for food and beverage retailers. "We are very proud to be working with an industry leader like Local Express. Our integration will support contactless, card-on-file billing, offering the ultimate flexibility for the consumer and easing the workload for the business owner, said Jared Poulson, EVP Integrated Payments at Payroc. Combining the Local Express technology offering with the automation of collecting payments will not only save business owners money, but more importantly time from improved workflow improvements. We are very excited about our partnership with Payroc. Together we are now able to provide the food and beverage retailers in US and Canada a turn-key omnichannel technology, enabling payments directly within our platform, said Bagrat Safarian, CEO at Local Express. With our new partnership, business owners will see tremendous savings in time and cost by streamlining the payments experience. This partnership is part of Payrocs advancement into the integrated payments market, serving software companies and their merchants. Whether a software company is simply seeking a referral payments partner, or they prefer to manage more of the payments experience Payroc's platform is built for them. To learn more, visit docs.payroc.com or localexpress.io. About Payroc Payroc is a high-growth, multi-national payments platform, merchant acquirer and processing powerhouse processing over $65 billion in annualized volume for more than 125,000 merchants. Payroc offers best-in-class sales enablement and merchant processing technology, delivering proprietary, innovative, and full-service merchant acquiring solutions together with key card brand network payment sponsorship registrations. For more information, please visit payroc.com. About Local Express Local Express is a SaaS vertical platform for the Food and Beverage (F&B) industry specializing in providing omnichannel technology solutions to independent retailers and enterprises seeking digital transformation. The branded service allows brick and mortar retailers to own their entire eCommerce offering end-to-end, from purchase to delivery. This includes full POS integration, inventory category management, enhanced digital marketing automation, real-time data analytics reporting tools, and total customization of the look-and-feel of their own branded online storefront. Local Express in-store self-ordering and self-checkout kiosk solutions help its partner retailers to increase in-store traffic while better managing the labor cost. We saw a 10% improvement in event-free survival a real breakthrough. Thats quite a big gain, especially in pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma. A targeted therapy for children with high-risk Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) was shown to significantly reduce relapse rates when tested in a large multicenter clinical trial conducted by the Childrens Oncology Group(COG) and led by pediatric oncologists at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta and Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University. By combining the targeted antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) brentuximab vedotin (BV) with the standard chemotherapy regimen, children were 10% less likely to relapse. The findings were published today in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). * We saw a 10% improvement in event-free survival a real breakthrough, says study senior author Kara Kelly, MD, Chair of the Roswell Park Oishei Childrens Cancer and Blood Disorders Program, and also Division Chief of Hematology/Oncology in the Department of Pediatrics at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo. Thats quite a big gain, especially in this field. We expect that this treatment regimen will soon become standard of care for pediatric patients with high-risk Hodgkin lymphoma. The clinical trial, AHOD1331 (NCT02166463), was funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the National Institutes of Health and conducted at 153 COG sites. The study was also supported by Seagen, formerly known as Seattle Genetics, and the St. Baldricks Foundation. The study was sponsored by the Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis, NCI, and the brentuximab vedotin was provided by Seagen under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with NCI. This trial reflects a paradigm shift for advanced-stage Hodgkin lymphoma in children, and an introduction of the first targeted approach for initial therapy in pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma and the first new regimen in two decades, says study first author Sharon Castellino, MD, MSc, Director of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Program at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta, Professor of Pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine, and a research member at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University. Dr. Castellino succeeded Dr. Kelly this year as COG Hodgkin Committee Chair. We are optimistic that this trial will set the stage for FDA approval of this targeted antibody-drug conjugate for children and adolescents. Study Vice Chair and Co-Author Frank Keller, MD, Pediatric Hematologist/Oncologist at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta and Professor of Pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine, adds: The demonstration of the effectiveness of a highly targeted treatment directed against the malignant cell population in newly diagnosed pediatric and young adult patients with high-risk Hodgkin lymphoma is a significant step forward toward improving cure rates and may do so without adding significant long-term toxicity for this young population with many years of life remaining. HL is the most common cancer in patients 12-29 years old. Although it has a high five-year survival rate 97% of those under 19 are alive five years after diagnosis about one-third of survivors are classified as high risk; of those, approximately 15-20% will relapse. The COG study the largest and only randomized phase 3 trial with the CD-30-targeted ADC ever conducted with newly diagnosed high-risk HL pediatric patients involved 587 patients ages 2-21 with previously untreated disease. Patients were randomized to one of two arms, both arms receiving treatment over five 21-day cycles. Those in the control group received the standard pediatric chemotherapy regimen. The second group received the standard pediatric chemotherapy regimen, plus brentuximab vedotin. Brentuximab vedotin (BV) is an antibody-drug conjugate that specifically targets the CD30 protein on the surface of HL cancer cells, destroying them while mostly sparing healthy cells. Both groups received site radiation therapy based on responses assessed after two cycles of treatment. Follow-up at about three and a half years after treatment showed 92.1% event-free survival in the brentuximab vedotin group, compared with 82.5% for the control group an overall risk reduction of 59% of relapse, death or a second malignant neoplasm. Lower risk of relapse could possibly eliminate the need for re-treatment with additional toxic therapies. Over the long term, treatment toxicity puts HL survivors at very high risk of breast cancer, stroke, myocardial infarction, restrictive pulmonary disease, infertility and shortened lifespan. Brentuximab vedotin is not anticipated to have long-term toxicity, says Dr. Kelly, noting that during the treatment phase of the clinical trial, less than 10% of patients who received it needed a dose reduction. Because the drug could be given more consistently, its efficacy improved with no increase in neuropathy or serious infection. Dr. Kelly, Dr. Castellino and colleagues will build on these findings in a new clinical trial set to open in early 2023 with support from the National Cancer Institute. The phase 3 randomized study will enroll approximately 1,900 children and adults ages 5-60 with medium- and low-risk HL. The goal: to determine whether the combination of the the CD30 targeted ADC brentuximab vedotin and immunotherapy agent nivolumab can prolong progression-free survival and further reduce patients exposure to standard chemotherapy and radiation. Patients will be followed for 12 years to monitor their progress and gauge the results. Allison Brashear, MD, Vice President for Health Sciences at the University at Buffalo and Dean of the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, says results of the study mean a greatly improved quality of life for the most vulnerable and courageous patients children with cancer. As one of the largest demonstrations of a successful immuno-oncologic approach in children with cancer, Dr. Brashear notes, it is a powerful example of what happens when extraordinary institutions decide that collaboration is key to their success. Lucky Jain, MD, MBA, Pediatrician-in-Chief for Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta, and Chair of the Department of Pediatrics for Emory University School of Medicine, says, A 10 percent reduction in relapse among children with high-risk Hodgkin lymphoma is a significant milestone for the field of pediatric cancer. Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta and Emory University are proud of this incredible leap forward led by our physicians, Dr. Sharon Castellino and Dr. Frank Keller, along with their collaborators and the Childrens Oncology Group. *Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number NCTN Operations Center Grant U10CA180886 and NCTN Statistics & Data Center Grant U10CA180899. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. ### About Roswell Park Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center is a community united by the drive to eliminate cancers grip on humanity by unlocking its secrets through personalized approaches and unleashing the healing power of hope. Founded by Dr. Roswell Park in 1898, it is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in Upstate New York. Learn more at http://www.roswellpark.org, or contact us at 1-800-ROSWELL (1-800-767-9355) or ASKRoswell@RoswellPark.org. About Children's Healthcare of Atlanta As the only freestanding pediatric healthcare system in Georgia, Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta is the trusted leader in caring for kids. The not-for-profit organizations mission is to make kids better today and healthier tomorrow through more than 60 pediatric specialties and programs, top healthcare professionals, and leading research and technology. Childrens is one of the largest pediatric clinical care providers in the country, managing more than one million patient visits annually at three hospitals, Marcus Autism Center, the Center for Advanced Pediatrics, urgent care centers and neighborhood locations. Consistently ranked among the top childrens hospitals by U.S. News & World Report, Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta has impacted the lives of kids in Georgia, across the United States and around the world for more than 100 years thanks to generous support from the community. About Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University As the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center for the state of Georgia, Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University discovers, develops, delivers and teaches some of the worlds most effective ways to prevent, detect, diagnose and treat each patients unique cancer. For more information, visit winshipcancer.emory.edu. About the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB The Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo is proud of its legacy advancing the best in medical education, clinical care and scientific discovery. Today, the Jacobs School is at the center of Buffalos comprehensive academic health center. With UBs other four health sciences schools and its School of Social Work, the Jacobs School prepares tomorrows health leaders at both the lab bench and the bedside to benefit the health and wellness of the people of Western New York, New York State and the world. Founded in 1846, the school provides care for the regions diverse population through strong clinical partnerships and its practice plan, UBMD Physicians Group. UB is a premier, research-intensive public university, and it is a flagship institution of the State University of New York. UB is a member of the Association of American Universities, which is composed of America's leading research universities. About The Childrens Oncology Group (COG) COG (childrensoncologygroup.org), a member of the NCI National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN), is the worlds largest organization devoted exclusively to childhood and adolescent cancer research. COG unites over 10,000 experts in childhood cancer at more than 200 leading childrens hospitals, universities, and cancer centers across North America, Australia, and New Zealand in the fight against childhood cancer. Today, more than 90% of the 16,000 children and adolescents diagnosed with cancer each year in the United States are cared for at COG member institutions. Research performed by COG institutions over the past 50 years has transformed childhood cancer from a virtually incurable disease to one with a combined 5-year survival rate of 80%. COGs mission is to improve the cure rate and outcomes for all children with cancer. SageSure, a leading provider of catastrophe-exposed property insurance, today announced the introduction of a new admitted, proprietary residential flood program. SageSure will distribute flood insurance through its network of contracted producers while also handling all servicing and claims. Initially available in Texas, the program will expand to additional states next year. "We are excited to offer homeowners flexible options to insure their property for flood damage, which is not covered under standard home insurance policies, said Paul VanderMarck, chief technology and innovation officer at SageSure. Hurricane Ian is the most recent reminder of the importance of flood insurance, not only for homeowners in the areas recognized as highest risk, but also in lower risk areas where flooding can still cause catastrophic damage. SageSures new flood program is available through its carrier partner SURE as convenient additional coverage on SURE home insurance policies. SageSure developed the new program in partnership with a leading global reinsurer and is leveraging its decades of flood insurance experience and modeling expertise to offer competitive, risk-based premiums. Approximately 70% of homeowners affected by flooding from Hurricane Harvey in Texas in 2017 did not have flood insurance, according to data from CoreLogic. A recurring pattern of high levels of uninsured losses exists in Texas with other recent events such as the Tax Day Floods in April of 2016 and the July 2021 flash floods in South Texas. Take-up of traditional National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) insurance has historically remained low for multiple reasons, including coverage limitations and pricing that doesnt reflect individual property risk profiles. SageSure will offer comprehensive, full limits coverage so that homeowners can fully protect their home and personal property in the same way they do for other perils under their home insurance policies. Policyholders will also be able to choose from less expensive, partial coverage options. A risk-based pricing model for all coverage levels provides homeowners with more affordable alternatives to secure full limits for flood insurance when compared to the cost for limited NFIP coverage. SageSure is dedicated to protecting homeowners in catastrophe-exposed markets, VanderMarck said. We listened carefully to our producer partners concerns about the shortcomings of existing flood insurance options in the market and invested in developing an innovative new product that will make it possible for many more homeowners to affordably insure their property against flood damage. We look forward to working with our producers to help close the protection gap in Texas and beyond. About SageSure SageSure is an insurance-first, tech-forward managing general agent specializing in catastrophe-exposed property markets. SageSure offers more than 50 competitively priced insurance products in 14 coastal states on behalf of its carrier partners, serves more than 400,000 policyholders, and has more than $900 million of in force premium. Since its launch in 2009, SageSure has been pioneering property insurance through its market-leading online quoting and binding platform and its sophisticated risk modeling and scoring technology. Over the last two years, more than 4,000 agency locations have written one or more policies with SageSure across the US to help customers protect their most important asset. To learn more, visit sagesure.com. D-Day, to me, has always been a living history, noted Lynn Staininger, CASFs Artistic Director. Staininger, whose mother served as a nurse in World War II and whose father was a bombardier pilot during the war, is passionate about keeping the memory of the war veterans alive. The Choral Arts Society of Frederick (CASF), under the direction of Lynn Staininger, was selected by Historic Programs to represent the United States in D-Day commemorative ceremonies held in Normandy, France from June 3-7, 2023. Historic Programs is a non-profit organization dedicated to honoring veterans and educating younger generations. CASFs reputation within the community and professionalism within the field of music led to their selection for this honor. The CASF choir, a cross-section of community members and students from Frederick Community College, will be joined by select members of the Hood College Choirs. They will accompany an elite group of American and European performers, consisting of music and military ensembles, in a tribute commemorating the 79th anniversary of D-Day. D-Day, to me, has always been a living history, noted Lynn Staininger, CASFs Artistic Director. Staininger, whose mother served as a nurse in World War II and whose father was a bombardier pilot during the war, is passionate about keeping the memory of the war veterans alive. Emily Hill, a choir member and a Frederick County Public Schools music teacher, shares Stainingers personal commitment to the cause. Hills great uncle, Bruce Lincoln Young, served in the U.S. Armys 69th Infantry Division during the war, and her cousin, Allen Douglas Young, a U.S. Army technician, was killed in action in France. Working with such fine musicians has truly been an honor, as is the opportunity to perform as part of this commemoration. Im humbled and grateful to be able to honor those who served in D-Day through song, shared Hill. Jeff Fishman, a choir member and retired home inspector, didnt realize how much he missed singing until he joined CASF after a 30-year hiatus from performing. The joy of choral singing has enriched his life immeasurably, and he will perform at the D-Day concerts in honor of his father, U.S. Army veteran Syd Fishman, who served in the European Theatre during World War II. On June 3, CASF will participate in a D-Day memorial parade, held in Sainte-Mere-Eglise, which was the first town liberated by American paratroopers on D-Day. On June 4, CASF will perform at a tribute ceremony at the American Cemetery at Brittany, the final resting place of over 4,400 soldiers who lost their lives in World War II. On June 5, CASF will perform at a wreath-laying and commemoration ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery, which overlooks Omaha Beach. The choir will perform official ceremonial music and a special piece of music to honor all who perished on the beaches of Normandy. Additional concerts will be performed in Sainte-Mere-Eglise and Paris. Recognizing the learning opportunities afforded by the experience, Staininger, who also directs the Hood College Choirs, invited students from the college choirs to participate in the trip. Approximately 15 Hood College choir members will lend their vocal talents to the D-Day commemorative events. "We are grateful to the Choral Arts Society of Frederick for inviting students from the Hood College Choir to be part of this summer's D-Day ceremonies in Normandy, France. This is not only a great honor for Hood College, but also an exceptional once-in-a-lifetime learning opportunity for our students. Hood's core values of Hope, Opportunity, Obligation and Democracy are among the central tenets that over 150,000 allied forces fought for on D-Day. Being part of the ceremony honoring those who fought so valiantly defending these principles will be a powerful and transformative learning experience for our students," said Debbie Ricker, Ph.D., Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Hood College. Ashlynn Stearns, a student and choir member at Hood College, cant wait to honor the World War II veterans in her family next June. Stearns great-grandmother, Jean Pride Stearns, served as a sergeant and navigation instructor in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II, and her great-grandfather, Stanley Stearns, served in the U.S. Marine Corps as a technical sergeant and a bombardier during the war. Her other great-grandfather, Charles Willard Thomas, fought for the U.S. Navy in PT Boat 507 off the shores of Normandy on D-Day, serving as a gunners mate, petty officer second class. This D-Day opportunity means a lot to me, because this gives me a chance to feel closer than ever to my great-grandfather, said Stearns. To learn more about CASF, please visit their website: http://www.casof.org About the Choral Arts Society of Frederick (CASF): For more than 79 years, the Choral Arts Society of Frederick has cultivated a vibrant, inclusive, multi-generational community through the study and performance of quality choral music. Performing all genres of music on their home stage at Frederick Community College, CASF is known for bringing a dynamic and invigorating concert set to every season. Sharing a passion for music in the community is a mainstay for the choir and its Artistic Director Lynn Staininger, who strategically partners with local and regional artists to bring a variety of instrumental support to complement the non-profits harmonious sounds. ### Digital Assets: Photo Source: Choral Arts Society of Frederick https://www.dropbox.com/sh/3hmhjntei74qgyx/AAD4Jmo4kWBImM7Q5jHw9ukPa?dl=0 Media Contact: Nisha Stephens Platinum PR 240-608-4442 nisha@platinumpr.com Strobes Security Selected As 2022 Red Herring Top 100 Global Company We are proud to be listed in Red Herrings Top 100 Global companies. Our innovative platforms provide true ROI for our customers. That, coupled with our customer-centric approach, and certified hackers, we are excited about earning market share over legacy players. Strobes Security, a leading enterprise-grade cybersecurity solution provider, has been selected from hundreds of competitors for Red Herrings prestigious Top 100 Global Companies list. The awards recognize the leading private companies from North America, Europe, and Asia, celebrating these startups innovations and technologies across their respective industries. Red Herrings Top 100 Global list has become a mark of distinction for identifying promising companies and outstanding entrepreneurs. Red Herring editors were among the first to recognize that companies such as Facebook, Twitter, Google, Yahoo, Skype, Salesforce.com, YouTube, and eBay would change the way we live and work. Strobes Security was selected for the list after a rigorous application and screening process, followed by a startup presentation of the companys flagship products VM365 and PTaaS. Strobes PTaaS brings an entirely new way of performing Penetration Testing to meet compliance and security needs much faster. To uncover critical business logic vulnerabilities, Strobes PTaaS uses hybrid scanning technology that includes automation scripts, vulnerability scanning, and manual pentest performed by experienced & certified hackers. Strobes VM365 is a risk-centered vulnerability management platform that aggregates, deduplicates, and prioritizes vulnerabilities using 3D prioritization technology. Choosing the companies with the strongest potential was by no means a small feat this year, said Alex Vieux, publisher and CEO of Red Herring. After rigorous contemplation and discussion, we narrowed our list down from hundreds of candidates from across the globe to the Top 100 Winners. We believe Strobes Security embodies the vision, drive, and innovation that define a successful entrepreneurial venture. Strobes Security should be proud of its accomplishment as the competition was very strong. We are proud to be listed in Red Herrings Top 100 Global Companies. Our innovative platforms provide true ROI for our customers. That, coupled with our customer-centric approach, and certified hackers, we are excited about earning market share over legacy players," said Venu Rao, CEO of Strobes Security. To learn more about Strobes Securitys comprehensive approach of bringing the power of automation and people together to build a secure cyberspace, please visit: https://strobes.co About Strobes Security: Strobes Security has been leading the disruption in the cybersecurity landscape since 2016, with flagship products VM365 and PTaaS for solving vulnerability management and pentesting challenges. Strobes solutions help companies save time and resources by tracking their assets, managing, and prioritizing vulnerabilities, and automating scans and reporting. Strobes have assessed 52,000+ applications among 3 million networks and discovered 150,000+ vulnerabilities. Strobes Security addresses risks posed by third-party vendors, subsidiaries, and external entities with expert-driven processes by world-class hackers with certifications of OSCP, Crest, OSCP, etc. With native vulnerability intelligence tools, and 65+ connectors for monitoring, scanning, and testing software and services, Strobes Security helps continually protect their clients entire security infrastructure. Trucker Path receives four prestigious 2022 TITAN Business Awards from International Awards Associate This recognition for excellence validates how the Trucker Path app and our COMMAND Operations & Driver Relationship (ODR) platform provide drivers, and small and mid-size fleets with the tools and services they need to succeed Trucker Path, the most comprehensive and most used mobile app for North American truckers, today announced it has received four prestigious 2022 TITAN Business Awards from International Awards Associate (IAA), acknowledging its achievements in several categories and industry segments. For the 2022 TITAN Business Awards, Trucker Path was named: Platinum Winner for the Trucker Path Driver App in the category of Products & Services, Logistics Gold Winner for the Trucker Path Driver App in the category of Products & Services, Transportation Gold Winner for Trucker Path COMMAND in the category of Business Technology Solutions, Operation Management Solution Gold Winner for Trucker Path COMMAND in the category of Business Technology Solutions, Supply Chain Management Solution Trucker Path was chosen for recognition from among more than 1,000 nominated entries from over 55 countries. Award winners were selected by 27 jurors from 15 countries. The competition used a blind judging process, under which jurors assess an entry entirely on its individual merits, without being compared side-by-side with other technologies. It is very gratifying to be acknowledged for our achievements with these four 2022 TITAN Business Awards, said Chris Oliver, CMO at Trucker Path. This recognition for excellence validates how the Trucker Path app and our COMMAND Operations & Driver Relationship (ODR) platform provide drivers, and small and mid-size fleets with the tools and services they need to succeed. The Trucker Path app provides real-truck mapping and navigation to over one million drivers in North America. Trucker Path COMMAND, launched in March 2022, is a full-scale, advanced transportation management system that fully integrates with the Trucker Path app, providing operational efficiencies and unparalleled synchronization between the back-office and drivers. The TITAN Business Awards primary goal is to acknowledge the achievements of entrepreneurs and organizations globally. The competition does not differentiate between small or big players in the market, and honors excellence impartially on the level playing field they have created. Only those who qualify can become honorary TITANs. The competition was organized and hosted by the International Awards Associate (IAA) and opened submissions to entrepreneurs, SMEs, and large organizations alike. The chance to participate was offered equally to all available industries in the market, and it did not discriminate between private or public, and for-profit or non-profit entities. "Despite this being the second season for this competitive year, we received a staggering number of entries, all of which demonstrated remarkable qualities of excellence," Thomas Brandt, spokesperson of IAA, remarked. "It is particularly motivating to see so many parties still actively engaging in excellent practices in their businesses. It really does come through clearly from their submissions." As seasoned professionals took the seats of jurors in the competition, exercising strict standards and impartiality in the judging process became possible. The jury was tasked with identifying exemplary entries and awarding them appropriately. TITAN aims to elevate standards of excellence and ultimately drive the business sector forward through this. In their pursuit of impartiality, the competition enforced blind judging. Under this method of assessment, jurors could only assess an entry entirely on its individual merits, without being compared side-by-side with a different entry. Also, strict objective standards built upon contemporary practices were used as benchmarks during assessments. About International Awards Associate (IAA) IAA, established in 2015, is the organizer of the MUSE Creative Awards, MUSE Design Awards, MUSE Photography Awards, MUSE Hotel Awards, Vega Digital Awards, NYX Marcom Awards, NYX Game Awards, NYX Video Awards, TITAN Business Awards, TITAN Property Awards, LIT Commercial Awards, LIT Talent Awards, London Photography Awards, NY Product Design Awards, New York Photography Awards, and iLuxury Awards. IAAs mission is to honor, promote and encourage professional excellence, from industry to industry, internationally and domestically, through award platforms that are industry appropriate. IAA assembled the TITAN Business Awards to bring attention to the international business industry and promote their strategies, cultures, and teamwork to the world. Website: TITAN Business Awards Facebook: TITAN Business Awards Twitter: TITAN Business Awards Instagram: TITAN Business Awards Media Partner: MUSE.World About Trucker Path Phoenix-based Trucker Path is the provider of a wide range of truck driver-centric mobility products. Its Trucker Path app is currently in use by over 1 million professional truck drivers. Offering best-in-class navigation with truck optimized routing, the Trucker Path app also provides access to vital up-to-date information about truck stops, real-time available parking, fuel prices, weigh station status, and truck scales and wash locations. The company also offers TruckLoads, a digital freight exchange that connects drivers, carriers and brokers; COMMAND, the industrys first and only Operations & Driver Relationship (ODR) platform that provides small to mid-size fleets with the necessary driver and TMS technologies to successfully run a fleet; and DISPATCH, a full-service dispatch service designed specifically to serve the back-office needs of small carriers and owner-operators. For more information, visit http://www.truckerpath.com. Umberg/Zipser LLP (U/Z), a premier business litigation and intellectual property law firm located in Irvine, California, has again been ranked Tier One on the Best Law Firms list by U.S. News & World Report for the Orange County Metropolitan area. The firm has received this outstanding recognition every year since its inception in 2014. The ranking highlights top law firms, recognized by their clients and peers for delivering professional excellence and high-quality service, through a unique combination of practice quality and legal expertise. For 2023, the firm received five Tier One Rankings for Metropolitan Orange County in Commercial Litigation, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Intellectual Property Litigation, Real Estate Litigation, and Banking & Finance Litigation. The firm also received recognition in the practice areas of Copyright Law, Patent Litigation, and Trademark Law. We are honored to again be recognized as one of the Best Law Firms in Orange County. Our firms attorneys are committed to pursuing our clients objectives, by providing strategic and efficient solutions, and we appreciate the continued recognition from our clients and peers, said co-founding partner Dean Zipser. In addition to the firms recognition, U/Z attorneys Mark Finkelstein, Scott Garner, Phillip Kaplan, Carole Reagan, Adina Stowell, Todd Smith, Mei Tsang, Thomas Umberg, and Dean Zipser have also been selected for inclusion in the 2023 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. Additionally, Mark Finkelstein was also recognized as Lawyer of the Year for both Trademark Law and Patent Litigation, and Brent Colasurdo has been recognized again as Best Lawyers Ones to Watch for 2023. ### Umberg/Zipser LLP 1920 Main Street Suite 750 Irvine, CA 92614 (949) 679-0052 Join US Fertility physicians for Fall Fertility week. Fall Fertility Week is intended to build a sense of community for those facing the challenges posed by infertility. The events provide attendees with the information they need to confidently pursue their family-building goals. US Fertility partner practices proudly host Fall Fertility Week from November 7-11, 2022, complete with 8 free, virtual patient education events. Over the course of 5 days, US Fertility physicians will host webinars and Instagram Live sessions featuring topics like fertility treatments, menstrual cycles, fertility health, endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and LGBTQ+ family-building, among others. Each event concludes with a live question-and-answer session where attendees will have the opportunity to have their questions answered live by US Fertility physicians. It can feel daunting to manage fertility testing and treatments. There is strength in knowing that you are not alone; 1 in 8 people is faced with infertility, shares Caleb Kallen, M.D. Ph.D., who sees patients at SGFs Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, location, and who will host the in vitro fertilization (IVF) webinar on November 11 at 12 p.m. EST. Fall Fertility Week is intended to build a sense of community for those facing the challenges posed by infertility. The events provide attendees with the information they need to confidently pursue their family-building goals. US Fertility is the largest network of physician-owned and physician-led fertility practices in the nation. With more than 130,000 babies born to its credit, US Fertility completes more than 30,000 fresh IVF cycles annually, nearly 70,000 cycles total, including frozen embryo transfers, and performs 1,000+ elective and donor egg freezing cycles annually. US Fertility partner practices include Fertility Centers of Illinois (FCI), IVF FLORIDA, Reproductive Science Center of the San Francisco Bay Area (RSC), and Shady Grove Fertility (SGF). Interested attendees are welcome to join as many Fall Fertility Week events as they desire, even if they cannot attend the live presentation. All registrants will receive a recording of each event via email to view at their convenience. Fall Fertility Week 2022 events at-a-glance Monday, November 7, 2022 @ 1 p.m. EST| Fertility Health Instagram Live | Allison Rogers, M.D., FCI physician Tuesday, November 8, 2022 @ 12 p.m. EST | Fertility 101 Webinar and Q&A | Valerie Libby, M.D. M.P.H., SGF physician Tuesday November 8, 2022 @ 4 p.m. EST | Egg Freezing Instagram Live | Channing Burks Chatmon, M.D., FCI physician Wednesday, November 9, 2022 @ 3 p.m. EST | Menstrual Cycle Webinar and Q&A | Quinton Katler, M.D., M.Sc., SGF physician Thursday, November 10, 2022 @ 3 p.m. EST | PCOS Webinar and Q&A | Evan Rosenbluth, M.D., RSC physician Thursday, November 10, 2022 @ 5 p.m. EST | LGBTQ+ Family Building Instagram Live | Eduardo Hariton, RSC physician Friday November 11, 2022 @ 12 p.m. EST| IVF Webinar and Q&A | Caleb Kallen, M.D., Ph.D., SGF physician Friday, November 11, 2022 @ p.m. EST | Endometriosis Instagram Live | Daniel R. Christie, M.D., IVF FLORIDA physician While US Fertility webinars are complimentary, interested parties must register to attend by visiting the calendar of events. About US Fertility US Fertility is the nations largest partnership of physician-owned and physician-led top-tier fertility practices, offering comprehensive fertility-market-focused non-clinical, administrative, and technical platforms that help domestic and international practices improve patient outcomes and increase patient access. To learn more about partnership- or affiliate-status benefits, call 301-545-1308 or visit USFertility.com. Maureen Rolls enters the publishing scene with the release of Welcome to My World of Animal Communication and Healing (published by AuthorHouse UK). In this book, the author shares some of the thousands of communications and healing she has done with live and deceased animals, domesticated and wild animals worldwide, over the past 76 years. She talks about her experiences being able to connect with them, feel what they are feeling, give and receive visions (in photographic or video form), and talk to them telepathically. The outcome of the animal communication and healing also benefits the human guardians. Readers of this book will be curious and inquisitive to know more, finding out answers to their own pets problems, Rolls states. When asked what she wants others to learn from her experiences, the author responds, Understanding of animals and the human connection on a higher spiritual level. Welcome to My World of Animal Communication and Healing is available for purchase at https://www.authorhouse.com/en-gb/bookstore/bookdetails/843055-welcome-to-my-world-of-animal-communication-and-healing. Welcome to My World of Animal Communication and Healing By Maureen Rolls Softcover | 8.5 x 8.5in | 84 pages | ISBN 9781728375182 E-Book | 84 pages | ISBN 9781728375243 Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble About the Author Maureen Rolls has been an animal communicator and healer all her life. She was born into a very large family, and is the youngest of nine children. Neither of her brothers nor of sisters had the ability to talk to and communicate with animals. She was often teased by the others as being different from them with comments of Oh it is Maureen she always has to be different. This did not help her talk openly and freely about her spiritual gift of animal communication. Visit angelandanimalcommunication.co.uk for more information. AuthorHouse, an Author Solutions, Inc. self-publishing imprint, is a leading provider of book publishing, marketing, and bookselling services for authors around the globe and offers the industrys only suite of Hollywood book-to-film services. Committed to providing the highest level of customer service, AuthorHouse assigns each author personal publishing and marketing consultants who provide guidance throughout the process. Headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana, AuthorHouse celebrates over 23 years of service to authors. For more information or to publish a book visit authorhouse.co.uk or call 0-800-014-8641. Freedom Fire, a new middle-grade imprint headed by Kwame Mbalia, bestselling author of the Tristan Strong trilogy, is in the works at Disney-Hyperion. The imprint will feature stories of Black resilience and Black joy, written by Black creators, and is tentatively scheduled to debut in spring 2024. Working with Kwame on the Tristan Strong series has been pure joy for the entire team at Disney-Hyperion, and we couldnt be more excited about broadening our partnership with this incredible talent, said Kieran Viola, Disney-Hyperions editorial director. Kwames mission for Freedom Fire is right in line with our mission to publish unputdownable stories that reflect the diverse world around us, and we cant wait to amplify his vision of an inclusive and equitable future for readers everywhere. The Tristan Strong series debuted in 2019 with Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, which received a Coretta Scott King Honor and was a PW Best Book. Mbalia said that after his success with Tristan Strong and in editing the anthology Black Boy Joy: 17 Stories Celebrating Black Boyhood (Delacorte, 2021), he felt called to go beyond writing and help to nurture talent in other authors, particularly those of the African diaspora. Id pictured myself opening an independent press decades down the line, he said. Imagine my delight when I struck a deal for an imprint at Disney-Hyperion! It was amazing, but it also made total sense. Freedom Fire is necessary. He added that as the publisher of imprints such as Jump at the Sun and Rick Riordan Presents (publisher of the Tristan Strong books), Disney is the perfect home for the new imprint. Freedom Fire is expected to publish chapter books, novels, and graphic novels. Mbalia said he gravitates toward stories centered on journeys. Maybe its a quest through a fantastical world, or an adventure on the crosstown express in Orlando, Florida, or an internal realization on the way from one end of the block to the other. Maybe its a thousand years in the future, or a hundred years in the past, or an hour before bedtime. Maybe its science fiction, contemporary, or fantasy. At the heart of the story is a young person who is unabashedly inquisitive, undisputedly the hero, and unapologeticallyfrom L.A. to London to Trinidad and TobagoBlack. Freedom Fire will aim to acquire stories from Black authors around the world, celebrating diasporic culture. Disneys Freedom Fire team will work with Mbalia to identify middle grade submissions that might work for the imprint. Currently, theres a fantasy and short story anthology underway, along with a few other projects that are still confidential. We heard people were hungry for these stories and were in the kitchen, he quipped. Mbalia expects readers to find joy in the pages of Freedom Fire books. Thats not to say that we dont move through a gradient of emotions, because there will be wonder and excitement. There will be horror and grief. There will be anger and frustration. But we can recognize pain and suffering and heartache while not glorifying it, instead contextualizing it as we search for joy. Mbalias goal for the imprint is to make it a force in publishing that will help change the world by promoting stories with characters that readers can relate to and empathize with. I hope they find a safe space between the pages, a destination they can carry with them in their backpack. I want the pages they turn to become tattered and torn because in the act of turning them the reader finds peace and shelter, he said. In addition to nurturing current talent, he hopes that the imprint will inspire children who dream of writing one day. I will be happy if a child cherishes a book that we publish, he said. I will be fulfilled if a writer who once was a child like that becomes a Freedom Fire author. Letters are more than just exercises in politeness, How to Send a Hugs young narrator points out; theyre a way to send a warm hug to a distant loved one. Once its written, a hug delivery specialist sorts it and sends it along to bring joy to someone far away. This ode to the disappearing art of letter-writing is the work of first-time author Hayley Rocco and her husband, Caldecott Honor author-illustrator John Rocco. PW spoke with the duo about imposter syndrome, how they find spaces in their togetherness, and what letters reveal to us about ourselves. Had you talked about collaborating? Hayley Rocco: Well, when we first met, we talked about collaborating. But it wasnt until the pandemic, when I couldnt go anywhere and I was writing a lot more letters, that John said, Thats the book you need to write! John Rocco: We had several others we were toying around with, but when this one started we knew it was the one to do. At that point it was called To Write a Letter, in the manner of Mordicai Gersteins To Paint a Bird. Hayley to John: You asked me, What does writing a letter mean to you? And I said, Im sending a hug! Im telling the people that I care about that I love them. John: That was when we really cracked it. That was everything we needed. Do you keep letters youve received? Hayley: Yeah, Im a very sentimental person. I have letters from my grandfather, and from my uncle while he traveled the world. Being able to look at this history in my family in the letters, and my relationships with them, and where I was at that time in my lifeits what the writer is trying to convey about that moment for them. Was the writing process smooth? Hayley: It was difficult. Im new at this. I doubted myself: I dont know if this sounds good. Is this going to convey what Im trying to say? John: Because she worked in publishing. Hayley: I was a childrens book publicist for 10 years, and Id feel like, Who am I to be writing a book compared to this great talent I grew up with, or this brilliant young artist? But [gestures] I have this pro to ask. Hes been such a great sport. John: And I explained to her that we all have imposter syndrome I have it every time I do a book. Its part of being human. I think if you dont have it, there might be something wrong. Who was the editor? Was it largely finished when you brought it to the editor, or did they have a lot of input? John: Oh, yeah, Alvina [Ling] had some great insights. Hayley: We had started down this magical route where it was like, the letter gets lost in the mail and there are pirates who take it. John: The main character was concerned that her letter would get lost, and she had a very vivid imagination. It was the only part of the book that was fantastical, and Alvina brought us back to reality: Thats cute, but maybe we should change it to it being more of a how-to storyThis is how you make a hug. Hayley: We fought it at first: We love this! Now were so pleased that we listened to her. She helped me focus and helped get the story off the ground. And your agent, Rob Weisbach, did he contribute to it, too? John: Rob will chime in when he sees something that were not seeing, which is always very helpful. Hayley: Hes been doing this for a long time, and he has a little bit of input on everything. How did the actual collaboration go? Did you work separately or together? John: It was really fun. On other projects, either Im illustrating someone elses book and its already complete, or Im doing my own book, which gives me a lot of freedom, but youre by yourself. Working with Hayley, whats fun is that we can talk about it in real time. Hayley: He can say, I dont think these words work here, can we cut it here? John: For this one dummy were working on now, we were stuck, and then we realized, Look, we can write it in first person! That would solve all our problems. Youd never have that experience the other way. I wouldnt call the editor up and say, You need to get the author to rewrite this. It gives you a lot more freedom. It's a special thing, to get a letter. The person stopped to take that time to be with you, on that piece of paper. Hayley: Youre not out there by yourself. Do you share a studio? John: No, we have adjoining rooms. Hayley: Im the type who likes to just shoot out ideasI think maybe thats the publicist in me, thinking about all kinds of things. And John will say, I have my earbuds in. Im closed off for a while. I respect that, but its difficult to remember sometimes. John: I was talking to Leo and Diane Dillon [neighbors when John lived in Brooklyn], and they described how they worked. Sometimes she would run a painting upstairs, and sometimes he would run something downstairs to her, and I was thinking, maybe we should be on different floors? But when were working on a dummy together, or working on a problem, then yeah, it takes a lot of focus, and sometimes we need to leave the house together and go for a walk on the beach or something, just get away and clear your mind. Because the answer is thereyou just have to be in a place where you can let it in. Was the artwork a collaboration, too? John: In general, Hayley has approval of all the art I do for her book. Most of the time she says, That looks great, but sometimes she says, I wasnt thinking that, can we try this? and if its easy Ill grumble for a little while and then Ill do it. Hayley: Or hell put his foot down. Hes so talented its hard not to go with it. I did get to contribute some of the art on the endpages [artwork that replicates childrens drawings in letters]. We had a day when we just scribbled. John used his left hand to draw but I used my right hand. Did the artwork get reworked at any point? John: The interior of the post office did, the huge delivery station. We wanted it to feel more personable and alive, so we made sure that its one of the delivery guys birthday, and theres a cake on one of the tables. Hayley: And the duck was something I was very passionate about. I always told John I want ducks, and he said, Ill put one in the bookhow about that? John: One of the things that was important to us was getting it printed on matte paper so that the letters would feel like real letters. We wanted the book to have that tactile quality and not feel different from a real letter. Have you been doing appearances in person? Hayley: Yes! We were speaking to kids recently at the Rhode Island Festival of Childrens Books and Authors, and one of the questions we asked them was, Whens the last time you printed out an email and put it in the shoebox so you could look at it years later? Most people dont do that. We started off by asking, How many people have written a letter in the last six months? How many actually had? Hayley: Maybe 20%? Thats counting birthday cards! And then we asked, How many people have received a handwritten letter? Its a special thing, to get a letter. The person stopped to take that time to be with you, on that piece of paper. Its a bit of that persons time, and that means the worldespecially nowadays. Will you get to do more appearances for this book? John: Yeah, this is the first book Ive been able to get back out into the wild with, and its so much more fun being able to do that. Hayley: At the festival we set up a creation station. We had special stationery and stamps, and the kids took to it so easily. They wrote these amazing letters to their grandparents. One kid knew immediately who she wanted to write to: My grandmother who lives in Australia. I asked, Have you ever been to Australia? and she said, Yeah, but I was too young to remember it. They text every day, she said, but she was very excited to send her a letterthats something they havent done. It was fun to see the kids really think about what they were saying and how they were connecting with people they loved. Is there more collaboration in your future? John: Weve done six other dummies since this one that are sold already. We got busy! Were doing a picture book bio of David Attenborough, and a picture book series called Meet the Wild Things, about a pangolin, a sloth, a quokka, and an axolotl. The sixth book is a fiction picture book with Little, Brown. So far, weve gone to Costa Rica to study sloths in the wild, and Hayley spent two weeks in the bush of South Africa studying pangolins and de-horning rhinos. How to Send a Hug by Hayley Rocco and John Rocco, Little, Brown, $17.99 Nov. 15 ISBN 978-0-316-30692-8 Karine Pansa is set to take over as President of the International Publishers Association on 1 January 2023 for a two-year term. Currently Vice-President, Pansa has served on the IPAs executive committee since 2016 and follows a dynamic term as President by UAEs Sheika Bodour al Qasimi. I plan to continue focusing on the IPAs two key priorities: defending copyright protections and the freedom to publish around the world, Pansa says. Pansa is the owner and publishing director at Girassol Brasil Edicoes, a childrens book publisher in Sao Paolo, and first became involved with the IPA through the CBL, the Brazilian Book Chamber. For much of the past year, her main focus at the IPA has been chairing the organising committee of the 33rd International Publishers Congress, and she is about to see the fruits of that labour blossom. The Congress will take place in Jakarta, Indonesia, on 10-12 November with the theme Reading Matters: Embracing the Future. The programme includes keynote speeches from the Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization, Daren Tang, and award-winning Japanese author, Natsuo Kirino. Speakers include Jesus Badenes, CEO of Spains Planeta Group, Gabriella Page-Fort, editor from US based HarperOne, and Adi Ekatama, general manager of Indonesian publishing house Gramedia, among others. Were going to discuss some new and potentially challenging topics, says Pansa. These include whether or not we should engage more directly with education publishers and what will be the impact of artificial intelligence on copyrights. She adds that the Congress will be free of charge for the delegates for the first time due to the generosity of local authorities in Jakarta, who are sponsoring the event (transportation and accommodation are not free). The IPA has been central to publishings response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. We are very supportive of our Ukrainian colleagues from the Ukrainian Booksellers Association, and we know that other members, such as Germanys Borsenverein (des Deutschen Buchhandels) have raised 35,000 to support them, Pansa said. As of mid-September membership of the IPA counts 86 members from 73 countries. Though by the time you read this there may be four new members, including three from the continent of Africa and one from central America. Russia was previously a member of the IPA; having let its membership lapse it was in the process of reapplying when the war began. That application has since been withdrawn. You cannot not ask a publishing professional what they are currently reading, and Panse says she is very much enjoying The Queens Gambit by Walter Tevis. I know I am late to it, but it is so good, she said. And, noting that some of the research she has seen indicated that humans are capable of greater longevity, the 45-year old mother of two teenagers said she was studying Lynda Gratton & Andrew Scotts The 100-Year Life. The book triggered me to try to eat better and get more exercise. Acknowledging that it is something that is likely to be even more challenging with the almost non-stop travel of the role of President of the IPA, she adds: Ill do my best, And should we continue to want a healthy publishing industry too, we have an obligation to encourage her. [photo 2 max-width=214 WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. Purdue University is breaking new academic ground in optimizing student preparation for a dual-purpose workforce need in the space and aviation industries. The new Purdue Aviation and Space Cybersecurity course is giving engineering students much-valued, cyber-domain security proficiency while also providing aeronautical and astronautical engineering know-how to computer science and cybersecurity majors. The course, which was launched in response to a need expressed by industry, represents a first. Aero and astro engineering graduates typically dont have a solid understanding of cyber risks and vulnerabilities in the same way that our computer science or cybersecurity graduates do, said Joel Rasmus, director of CERIAS, the Purdue Center for Education Research in Information Assurance and Security, who responded to industry members of the CERIAS Strategic Partnership Program in forming the new course. Transversely, our cyber-focused students have not been prepared to understand the technical principles of size, weight and power, or other engineering specifics. Nobody else has this kind of a formalized, hands-on educational program. With this new curriculum, our graduates are better prepared to make significant technical contributions early in their careers. The need for this dual expertise is great and growing. Avionic systems all aircraft systems that combine aviation and electronics include communications, navigation, the display and management of multiple systems, and literally hundreds of systems that perform individual functions. Each one of these systems and functions is a potential target for malicious adversaries. Purdue, which has long collaborated on research with the space and aviation industries, is uniquely positioned to prepare students for dual proficiencies. CERIAS, known worldwide for its leadership in cyber and cyber-physical security, supports more than 156 researchers from cross-cutting disciplines working on more than 150 research projects. Its research contributes to Purdues fourth-ranked cybersecurity educational program in the U.S. (CollegeValuesOnline.com), and its highly ranked U.S. computer science program from the College of Science. When that program is paired with Purdues fifth-ranked aeronautical and astronautical engineering program and other top-10 engineering programs such as industrial, mechanical, electrical and computer engineering, workforce preparation that is already highly ranked is taken to a new level. Boeing is actively involved in the new Purdue program. We enthusiastically support Purdue's launch of the Aviation and Space Cybersecurity course, said Jeffrey Holland, Boeing research and technology. Aerospace faces unique cyber threats and constrained design choices. Graduating students with this specialized awareness will benefit both the industry and students. The course is organized around real-world problem solving. Using problem scenarios contributed by industry members, teams of five to seven students work on solutions with Purdue faculty and industry mentors. Just as important to the course, however, is peer-to-peer learning. We want the students to learn from fellow students outside their normal domain, Rasmus said. Cybersecurity, computer science, data science, industrial engineering, aero and astro engineering and mechanical engineering students will all learn from each other while addressing a specific industry concern. For the courses current inaugural semester, students are tackling a project sponsored by Boeing. Their charge loosely described is to develop an algorithm that leverages industry-accepted aero engineering principles while also addressing a need for measurable cybersecurity. For example, it may be easy for a cybersecurity student to address cyber risk by adding specialized equipment, Rasmus said. But on an aero platform, that recommendation must also consider whether the weight of the equipment necessitates engine adjustments or if it requires space that will remove passenger seats or impact fuel efficiency. This project-based course has the potential to provide new technology solutions for the space or aviation industries while it provides cross-training to students who will be better prepared to work both individually or as part of development teams within their post-university employment. Rasmus discussed the significance of this new course to the future of the space industry at the Oct. 19-20 Space Summit in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Sponsored by Space ISAC (Information Sharing and Analysis Center), the summit addressed Securing the Value of Space. The importance of this dual-purpose course is underscored by Mark Lundstrom, interim dean of engineering, who is also the Don and Carol Scifres Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Our strengths in both interdisciplinary research and learning make Purdue the ideal choice to meet this industry need, Lundstrom said. Purdue graduates have a history of performing at high levels in the aero/astro industries as well as in cybersecurity, so building on these traditions with this cross-functional curriculum will give our students an even greater advantage in their post-Purdue careers. Purdue faculty and industry members are examining ways to grow and broaden the new aero-cyber educational workforce initiative. In the short-term, a certification program is being considered. About Purdue University Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to todays toughest challenges. Ranked in each of the last five years as one of the 10 Most Innovative universities in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap at https://stories.purdue.edu Writer/Media contact: Amy Raley, araley@purdue.edu Source: Joel Rasmus, jrasmus@purdue.edu Lilly Singh will host Battle of the Generations on CTV in her native Canada. ADVERTISEMENT Fresh off the cancellation of her NBC talk show, A Little Late with Lilly Singh, in 2021, Singh is slated to host the new series that pits contestants from different generations against each other in a trivia showdown. The winner of the early rounds will have a chance to enter "the Vault," where they can win $25,000. Singh signed a deal with Blink49 Studies and Bell Media, which owns CTV, via her company, Unicorn Island Productions, after her departure from NBC. Singh also is creating a new scripted comedy series for Netflix with Black-ish creator Kenya Barris. Battle of the Generations will begin production for its 20 first episodes in Toronto in February. A casting call accompanied by a promotional image of Singh was posted to Twitter on Wednesday. Meredith Marks is opening up about her friendship with her Real Housewives of Salt Lake City co-star Jen Shah. ADVERTISEMENT The 50-year-old television personality explained her friendship with Shah during Wednesday's episode of Watch What Happens Live. Marks and Shah have surprised friends and fans with their recent friendship following their longtime feud. On WWHL, Marks said she is trying to show grace to Shah during her ongoing legal issues. "First of all, Jen has a lot of things going on right now, as we all know," Marks said. "I don't kick someone when they're down. That's not my vibe." "The last thing I wanted was for Jen Shah to be worrying about Meredith Marks," she added. "It just wasn't the time for it, and I felt like she needed support and I felt like I had a level of understanding of where she was coming from. And when you have understanding, you have acceptance." Marks confirmed that Shah apologized to her and her family. "She gave me and my family clean apologies and a level of understanding and insight into what she was going through that made her do these things," she said. FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON THE ALL-NEW GOOGLE NEWS! Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source! In July, Shah changed her plea to guilty in the first of two charges in her wire fraud case. She will be sentenced Dec. 15, which is Marks' birthday. Real Housewives of Salt Lake City also stars Lisa Barlow, Heather Gay and Whitney Rose. The reality series is in its third season on Bravo. The Red & Black will be posting updates throughout the day as Election Day begins in Clarke County and across the U.S. as polls open on Tuesday, Nov. 8, at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. for voters to cast their ballot in the Georgia midterm election. If youre like me, you still havent really processed your time during the COVID-19 pandemic. When we try to talk to each other about it, the stories we tell more closely resemble those of fairy tales and myths than historical accounts. Par Malijet The Board of Governors of the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) has unanimously increased the Banks authorised capital from USD 1.5 billion to USD 3.5 billion with effect from January 2023. The Governors also called for the third tranche of the capital of the Bank which is in the sum of USD 438 million. The Board of Governors which comprises the Ministers for Finance and Ministers for Planning and Development of the fifteen ECOWAS Member States took this decision at its just ended 10th Extraordinary session held on 27th October 2022 in Praia, Republic of Cabo Verde. The President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of EBID, Dr. George Agyekum Donkor, made this disclosure immediately after the session. According to Dr. Donkor, the decision by the Governors was very strategic and timely especially as the Bank intensifies its resources mobilisation initiatives and seeks to position itself as the foremost regional development finance institution committed to playing a key and expansive role in assisting ECOWAS Member States to navigate the path to socio-economic recovery from the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian Ukraine war. Outlining the justifications for the Governors decision, Dr. Donkor emphasized the need for the Bank to improve leverage, capital adequacy, liquidity, and the overall risk-bearing capacity. He further underscored the need for the Bank to be abreast with industry trends and improve its rating. According to the President of EBID, calling the third tranche of the Banks capital will no doubt enhance the Banks capacity to grant concessionary resources to Member States in order to accelerate economic recovery. The Chairman of the Board of Governors, who is also the Vice-Prime Minister for Finance and Business Development and Minister for Digital Economy of the Republic of Cabo Verde, Dr. Olavo Avelino Garcia Correia, commended the President of the Bank and his team for the remarkable and exceptional performance within a short time which has led to impressive operational and financial performance of the Bank and the eventual upgrade of the Banks rating by both Moddys and Fitch rating agencies. He urged the Management of the Bank not to rest on its oars but strive to obtain investment grade in order to attract competitive resources for ECOWAS Member States. *** ABOUT EBID ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) is a leading regional investment and development bank, owned by the fifteen (15) ECOWAS Member States, namely, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote dIvoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo. Based in Lome, Togolese Republic, the Bank is committed to financing developmental projects and programs covering diverse initiatives from infrastructure and basic amenities, rural development and environment, industry, and social services sectors, through its private and public sector windows. EBID intervenes through long, medium, and short-term loans, equity participation, lines of credit, refinancing, financial engineering operations and related services. www.bidc-ebid.org Press Contact COMMUNICATION AND EXTERNAL RELATIONS +228 22 21 68 64 Copyright Malijet 2008 - 2022. Tous droits reserves Members of All Souls Church in Brattleboro make wreaths and other holiday decorations on Monday, Nov. 28, 2022, for the annual Holiday Bazaar that will be held on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The bazaar has been going on since the late '70s and people can also buy handmade g To the editor: Many thanks for Susan Smallheer's Nov. 3 story ("Governor Hunt House even older than was thought (but looks good for its age)," You are the owner of this article. Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook. Dan Yates is President and CEO of Brattleboro Savings and Loan. The opinions expressed by columnists do not necessarily reflect the views of Vermont News & Media. Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook. Anthony Pollina is a Vermont state senator, representing Washington County, and chair of the Vermont Progressive Party. The opinions expressed by columnists do not necessarily reflect the views of Vermont News & Media. Former Mongolian language teacher Adiyaa and his family remain at risk of kidnapping and forced repatriation. Adiyaa fled China in early 2021, arriving in Thailand via Cambodia, after local police started following him and monitoring his movements in the wake of the language-teaching protests in the fall of 2020. An ethnic Mongolian Chinese national who fled the country after his involvement in 2020 protests over a ban on Mongolian-medium teaching in schools has been released on bail by authorities in Thailand after being held by Chinese state security police in Bangkok, and remains at high risk of forced repatriation, RFA has learned. Adiyaa, 34, who uses the Chinese name Wu Guoxing on his passport and ID card, fled China on Jan. 3, 2021, arriving in Thailand via Cambodia, after local police started following him and monitoring his movements in the wake of the language-teaching protests in the fall of 2020. Adiyaa had obtained refugee status from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, and was waiting for the UNHCR to arrange for him and his family to start a new life in a third country. On the morning of Oct. 3, he was in his rented apartment when the landlord knocked on his door with an immigration official who asked to see his documents, Adiyaa told RFA following his release on bail on Wednesday. "Then they took me, without my documents, to the immigration office and told me China had me on a wanted list for repatriation to China," he said. "I was detained in the police detention center that night." The following day, he was taken to a Thai immigration detention center, and told on Oct. 8 that Chinese government personnel were en route to bring him back to China. "The next day, four people were sent from the Chinese Embassy, one of whom was from the Inner Mongolia police department, [two of whom were] from the ministry of public security," Adiyaa said. "They asked me to confess to the facts of my 'crime' in China, and to fill out an application form to return to China and plead guilty." "They were physically and verbally threatening, and asked me to read out a confession they had prepared beforehand verbatim," he said. "I told them I was a refugee registered with the United Nations and had protection, and they said [that protection] only lasted 15 months, after which the Chinese Embassy could force me to go back to China." "I told them I didn't want to, and that I wasn't going home." Mongolian language ban Adiyaa said the charges against him were related to "illegal business" activities after he set up a private Mongolian-language school in Horchin Right Middle Banner, a county-like administrative division, in the wake of the ban on Mongolian-language teaching in state schools. "The government said I was strictly prohibited from continuing to operate ... so I refunded all of the tuition fees to the students and paid all of the teachers' salaries," he said. "The investors had made an agreement to share the risk of the company not being able to operate." Calls to Thai immigration authorities for comment went unanswered. Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping has imposed policies on ethnic minority regions in recent years aimed at "forging a national consciousness," and the "sinicization" of religious practice, ushering in a nationwide crackdown on Muslims, Christians and Tibetan Buddhists, as well as a ban on minority languages as a teaching medium in schools. The ban on Mongolian prompted street protests and class boycotts by students and parents across Inner Mongolia, prompting a region-wide crackdown by riot squads and state security police in the fall of 2020. Tibetan, Uyghur and Korean-language teaching is also being phased out of schools in ethnic minority areas, local parents and teachers have told RFA. Adiyaa told RFA he believes he was targeted because he took part in a demonstration in Hohhot, the regional capital of China's Inner Mongolia region, which borders the independent country of Mongolia. "We took part in a demonstration outside the high school affiliated to the Inner Mongolia Normal University; all in all I and a few friends went to three or four protests," Adiyaa said. "Then, the police came and searched my home, and confiscated my mobile phone, computer and external drive ... and the state security police had me under daily surveillance, monitoring when I went out and where I was going every day." He fled China via Cambodia with the help of a people smuggler, and spent a while in Chiang Mai with his brother and family. But it soon became clear that Adiyaa still wasn't safe. "In Chiang Mai, four of us me, my brother, sister-in-law and nephew were hit by a car driven by a Chinese plainclothes operative," he told RFA. Under Thai law, Adiyaa's bail conditions require him to report to the police station once a week, as well as barring him from leaving Thailand, but place him at risk of kidnap and rendition by Chinese agents, he said. The Southern Mongolian Human Rights and Information Center quoted Adiyaa's sister Turgowaa as saying that her brother holds a UNHCR refugee identification card, but had been told nonetheless that the Thai authorities are actively cooperating with the Chinese Embassy to ensure he is forcibly repatriated. "It is all too clear that the Thai immigration bureau is ganging up with the Chinese state security authorities, disregarding the United Nations conventions on refugees and human rights," she told the group. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. The move comes after the ruling Chinese Communist Party grants law enforcement powers to neighborhood committees Commuters wearing face masks walk across an intersection in Beijing, Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2022. Crossing paths with someone who tests positive for COVID-19 is landing Beijing residents in quarantine. In an apparent escalation of Chinese leader Xi Jinping's zero-COVID policy, Beijing residents are being hauled off to compulsory quarantine if they cross paths in public with a person who tests positive for COVID-19, they told RFA on Thursday. A Beijing resident who asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals said she was recently ordered into isolation by her local neighborhood committee -- the most local branch of government -- after the Health Code COVID-19 tracker app showed she had been in a public place at the same time as someone who later tested positive for the virus. "Someone came to inform me today that I have to quarantine at home for seven days, just because I intersected with a confirmed case in time and space," the woman said. "It's totally unreasonable." "The neighborhood committee notified me, and I questioned it, so they told me to contact the police, who asked me if I was going to be cooperative," she said. "So what could I do, if they've made this policy and order me into quarantine at home?" The woman said that most residents of the city -- which requires a green code generated from a negative PCR test from the past 48 hours to enter from the rest of China -- are now being told to scan their Health Code app every time they enter a public place. The data gets sent back in real time to the disease control and prevention centers, which then generate a list, she said, adding that those on the list are sent into isolation, or taken to quarantine camps. The woman said that previously, only people who tested positive for COVID-19 were forced into quarantine in this way. "They have quarantined me without determining whether or not I'm a case," she said, questioning whether neighborhood committees had the power to enforce the law. Under an amended administrative punishment law that took effect in July 2022, China recently empowered local officials at township, village, and neighborhood level to enforce the law. A Beijing resident who gave only the surname Zhang said anyone who enters an amber or red-coded area where COVID-19 has been found will wind up with restrictions on their movements. He said the app will prevent them from swiping into public places, including public transportation, until they have logged three consecutive negative COVID-19 tests over the space of a week. "You have to report to your residential committee, do a PCR test every day, then don't go to any high-risk areas," Zhang said. "Then it will change [back to green] in about seven days." Getting around the system Online tips and hacks abound, all promising ways to get around the traffic-light system, including people offering phones or SIM cards for sale that have been washed clean in a green-code area for people needing to avoid restrictions. Some online comments suggested sending one's SIM card, by post, or with a friend or loved one, to green-coded areas, to wipe the amber or red code from the phone user's record. Others recommended switching off GPS location tracking, while some people who have been prevented from entering Beijing by a pop-up on the Health Code are opting to wait in green-coded cities in neighboring Hebei province for their codes to turn green, according to social media posts seen by RFA. Guangzhou lockdown Meanwhile, residents of the southern city of Guangzhou said some neighborhoods of the city are currently under lockdown, with varying degrees of compliance reported on the streets. A resident of Guangzhou's Baiyun district who gave only the pseudonym M for fear of reprisals said her e-commerce business has been badly affected by the COVID-19 restrictions, as supply chains and express delivery services are being disrupted by roadblocks. "We have no access to express delivery services at all right now, or it's very unstable," M said. "On the first day, we were told we couldn't dispatch any goods, and on the second day we were told we could. Then ... on day three, our courier said they could arrange to have them delivered secretly." "There has been no way to send anything to Xinjiang by post for the past three months," she said. She said entry and exit restrictions in the area were only partially being obeyed, amid unclear communication from local authorities. "One minute they're not letting anyone in or out, then the next minute they say you can come and go," M said. "It's very chaotic." A pandemic prevention worker records personal details of people as they line up to get a swab test at a testing booth as outbreaks of COVID-19 continue in Beijing, China, November 3, 2022. Credit: Reuters A Guangzhou resident who gave the nickname Xiao Wei said local factories were still operating in the city's Haizhu district. "It's all quiet in the first part of the night, but then the lights all came on halfway through the night," Xiao Wei said from a location close to Guangzhous International Textile City, where most of the migrant workers hail from the central province of Hubei. Local COVID-19 enforcers and Chinese Communist Party volunteers had been turning a blind eye to the practice, Xiao Wei said. "They stopped the driver of one express delivery truck, but he told them he needs to make a living, so they let him through ... they had no choice," Xiao Wei said. "The walls they made out of traffic barriers are now full of holes where they have been destroyed." M said similar breakouts had been seen where she lives. "There are a lot of fences ... and some residents have been breaking through the fences to leave," she said. "There's no other way for them to survive." "A lot of people are hanging around the intersection and fleeing when there are few people around [to stop them]." Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. Security official says 'urgent' probe under way after Manchester consular staff attack Hong Kong protester. Home Office minister for security Tom Tugendhat has said that Chinas "Confucius Institutes pose a threat to civil liberties in many universities in the United Kingdom and he will be looking to close them." The British government is planning a slew of measures aimed at curbing infiltration and influence operations by foreign governments, including probing recent attacks inside the Chinese consulate on a Hong Kong protester and the possible closure of the Beijing-funded Confucius Institutes in universities. Home Office minister for security Tom Tugendhat said Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had pledged during his bid for leadership of the ruling Conservative Party that "Confucius Institutes pose a threat to civil liberties in many universities in the United Kingdom and he will be looking to close them." He said the government is assessing how to respond to the beating of Hong Kong protester Bob Chan by Chinese consular staff on Oct. 16. "There is no place for those who abuse their diplomatic privilege or the liberties of this country in order to oppress citizens here," he told the House of Commons on Tuesday. "The assessment will be coming forward urgently," Tugendhat said of the probe into the Manchester attack, and promised a coordinated response. Speaking amid a global investigation into Chinese police-run "overseas service centers," some of which have been ordered to shut down by foreign governments for operating outside of diplomatic channels, Tugendhat said a forthcoming national security bill would strengthen the government's legal powers to deal with agents of foreign governments operating on British soil. "Coercion, harassment or intimidation linked to a foreign power that interferes with the freedoms of individuals will be criminalized under the new foreign interference offense in the bill," he said. "Existing criminal offenses against a person, such as assault, may also have sentences increased using the state threats aggravating factor in the Bill where they are undertaken for, on behalf of or with the intention to benefit a foreign power." He said the bill would also include a foreign influence registration scheme, in which organizations with close ties to overseas governments would be required to register as agents of a foreign power. Similar measures are already in place in Australia and the United States. British media have reported the existence of three undeclared "service centers" in the United Kingdom, including Hendon, Croydon and Glasgow. Chinese dissidents in exile and the Spanish-based rights group Safeguard Defenders have reported that dozens of such "service centers" operate outside of China, and that people associated with them have targeted dissidents for harassment and threats, including coerced repatriations. Newcastle cuts ties Meanwhile, councilors in the northeastern city of Newcastle on Wednesday voted unanimously to end the city's "twinned sister" status with the northern Chinese mining city of Taiyuan. Moving the motion, Liberal Democrat Cllr. Wendy Taylor said the Chinese government under Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping had ignored international norms and showed scant concern for universal values like human rights, freedom and democracy, according to an account of the meeting on the Newcastle Stands With Hong Kong Facebook page. Cllr Jane Byrne cited a recent Amnesty International report detailing a deterioration in China's human rights record, including unfair trials, intimidation and torture, saying she would stand with those fighting for freedom and democracy, the report said. A Newcastle Stands with Hong Kong spokesperson, who gave the pseudonym K for fear of reprisals targeting loved ones back home, said many British officials are aware of the seriousness of the threat posed by Chinese infiltration. "Everyone is very concerned right now about infiltration via Confucius Institutes and overseas law enforcement, but they have yet to act on that," K said. K said part of the issue was that many countries feel economically dependent on China. "The fundamental issue is whether other countries are so economically dependent on China that China feels it can ignore international law and human rights law," K said. "Continuing to allow slow infiltration by China will only expand its ambitions, and sooner or later lead to the same situation as we have seen with Russia." "The international community, while reducing Chinese infiltration, must also reduce its dependence on China," they said. International Threat British-based scholar Wang Jianhong said such infiltration is a threat to the international order. "The United Kingdom was relatively slow to recognize and act on that threat," Wang said. "But the fall of Hong Kong and the beginnings of the pandemic in Wuhan as well as the human rights crisis in Xinjiang have all prompted the British government to change policy." "I hope they actually follow through with shutting down the Confucius Institutes, expelling the Chinese Consul-General in Manchester and thoroughly investigating the Chinese Communist Party's secret police stations," Wang said. Analysts have told RFA they expect China's "wolf-warrior" diplomacy to become more entrenched now that Xi Jinping has begun an indefinite third term in office, amid growing reports of bullying and physical violence by Chinese diplomats overseas. Britains foreign secretary urgently summoned a top Chinese diplomat in response to the assault on Chan, who was dragged into the Chinese Consulate in Manchester and beaten by a group of unidentified men during an altercation over a ripped protest banner on Oct. 16. But protesters and MPs have said the response hasn't gone far enough, calling for the expulsion of those involved, including Consul General Zheng Xiyuan, who admitted to pulling Chan's hair. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. Kim Jong Uns prioritizing weapons over the welfare of his people amounts to crimes against humanity, experts say A missile is launched during drills, according to North Korean state media, at an undisclosed location in the country, in this photo released Jan. 14, 2022 by the state-run Korea Central News Agency (KCNA). Updated at 10:03 EDT on 11-04-22 North Koreas record breaking single-day barrage of more than 20 missiles cost the impoverished country more than U.S. $70 million, or as much as it spent importing rice from China in 2019 to try to cover grain shortages that year, experts told Radio Free Asia. Pyongyang on Wednesday launched 23 missiles, one of which crossed a disputed maritime border, ratcheting up tensions on the peninsula. On Thursday, it launched six more, including an ICBM, and observers anticipate that North Koreas seventh nuclear test could happen soon. The short-range missiles fired on Wednesday likely cost between $2 million to $3 million each, Bruce Bennett, an adjunct international defense researcher at the California-based RAND Corporation, told RFAs Korean Service. You're talking about something between $50 and $75 million, he said, adding that Pyongyang likely chose to use surface-to-air missiles in the Wednesday barrage because they cost less than medium or long-range missiles. Thats about as much as North Korea spent on all its imports from China for the month of August this year, or the total cost of rice imported from China in 2019, data from Chinas General Administration of Customs showed. The $70 million splurge in a single day showed that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un prioritizes missile and nuclear weapons development over the welfare of the people, said David Maxwell, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Kim Jong Un is expending resources and money, to test missiles and build his advanced military capabilities and this is, of course, responsible for the great amount of suffering among the Korean people living in the North, he said. Choosing weapons over people was one of many ways authorities in the country were committing human rights abuses and crimes against humanity, he said. So every missile that he launches, Maxwell said, takes food from the mouth of the Korean people in the North. Updates to correct spelling of Bruce Bennett's last name. Translated by Leejin. J. Chung. Written in English by Eugene Whong. The orphanage and kindergarten, raided and sealed off by junta forces on Nov. 2, 2022. Updated at 4:07 pm EDT, on Nov. 3, 2022. Junta troops and police have taken control of a Christian orphanage in Mandalays Pyigyitagon township. They raided the building on Wednesday night, claiming it was being used by Peoples Defense Forces (PDFs) following a series of nearby explosions and an attack on a local administrative office. About 50 children from war-torn Kachin State in northern Myanmar were sheltering in the building when it was raided, according to locals. The single story building was sealed with a roll of yellow tape and made off-limits, a resident told RFA on condition of anonymity for safety reasons. They pulled the children out overnight and sealed off the building at the same time, the local said. We still dont know where the children were taken They put a vinyl notice on the building saying it had been seized. The notice said the building was connected to PDFs, so no one could enter or try to sell the building or the land, which had been confiscated by the state, the local said. At around 7 p.m. the same night the power supply to the entire neighborhood was cut and remained off for the entire night, according to residents. The orphanage was also being used as a private kindergarten, which opened five years ago, according to a woman who used to send her child there. She said the orphans had been brought there over the past two years. Although locals said it was a Christian orphanage they were unclear about which church was running it. RFAs calls to junta regional spokesman, Economic Minister Thein Htay, went unanswered on Thursday. But junta spokesman Maj-Gen Zaw Min Tun, speaking at a press conference aired by the junta-controlled MRTV denied the raided house was a Christian orphanage. Instead, he alleged that it was a PDF safe house rented by the anti-junta militias along with the ethnic Kachin Independence Army rebels to allegedly train on using explosives. "When we sealed the house and investigated it, we found 10 children. The renters said they were orphans but we are still investigating it, Zaw Min Tun said. They said they were running an orphanage there but there was no registration or license but just running by their own ways. We even saw online news that they were treating medical patients there. If they were giving medical treatments, it would not be commoners, but could be those in connections with the terrorist groups, the spokesperson said, appearing to accuse the orphanage of faking their operations. He said the media coverage was sensationalized fake news meant raising public attention. He added that if the detained children were orphans, authorities will send them to other orphanages after the investigation. Pyigyitagons Ward F administrative office, close to where the orphanage is located, was attacked with a grenade on Tuesday, injuring five people, including the administrator. That night there were explosions in various places around the neighborhood. The junta reacted by removing three shops, and 10 temporary stalls near the administrative office that are normally open in the evening. At least 786 residential buildings have been sealed off and seized since the Feb. 1, 2021 military coup through to the end of October this year according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma). Updates story with comment from junta spokesman. The military regime wants to ensure its power for years to come after a 2023 election. Sai Aik Pao, chairman of Shan Nationalities Democratic Party, appears at a campaign rally during the 2015 election in Myanmar. Myanmars ruling junta is shoring up ties with pro-military political groups in the run-up to next years elections in a bid to change the constitution to ensure its long-term rule in the Southeast Asia nation following its February 2021 coup. The State Administration Council, the official name of the ruling junta, is holding talks with pro-military ethnic political parties that will participate in elections the regime plans to hold in August 2023. Myanmars powerful army deposed the democratically elected members of the country's ruling party, the National League for Democracy, in a February 2021 coup. The army declared a state of emergency, annulled the results of the 2020 election that would have kept the party in power, and vested power in a military junta. The military regime said it would hold elections when the state of emergency expired, in keeping with a constitutional stipulation that requires elections to be held no later than six months from the end of emergency rule. Myanmar has 90 registered political parties that could participate in next years vote, according to the Union Election Commission. Currently, 16 representatives from three pro-military parties the Union Solidarity and Development Party, the Shan Nationalities Democratic Party and Arakan National Party are negotiating with the junta. These parties also are negotiating with the Union Election Commission appointed by the junta to change the general election system. At issue is the amendment of Article 261, which gives Myanmars president the power to appoint chief ministers in the countrys 14 states and regions. Ethnic political parties have long pushed for changing the article to allow state and regional parliamentarians to select chief ministers, but in March 2020 the previous civilian-led government under Aung San Suu Kyis National League for Democracy rejected a pro-military opposition party bill to change it. Myanmar military chief and current junta leader Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing often spoke publicly about his desire to changes the article even before the coup. Unilateral constitutional reform Since late December 2021, a junta team has held at least eight meetings with the Shan Nationalities Democratic Party, said party chairman Sai Aik Pao. It is one of the ethnic political parties that is negotiating with the junta for unilateral constitutional reforms. Sai Aik Pao said his party requested the amendment of almost 70 sections of the constitution, though so far the junta has agreed to change only 20 items after the 2023 elections. They are still discussing a proposal to amend Article 261. If [Article 261] is agreed to, you can say that we have self-governance, he told RFA. It will no longer be under the central government. The chief ministers will not be appointed by the president but chosen by the state and regional parliaments. Military members of parliament, who make a quarter of all parliamentarians in the state, regional and national legislatures under the current constitution, will approve the changes, he added. Sai Aik Pao said he could not officially acknowledge sections that are still under discussion or others that the junta has agreed to amend. Though states and regional parliaments have a right to choose their own prime minister, final appointment power is held by the president. Article 436 (a) and (b) of the 2008 constitution requires 75 percent of all lawmakers to support proposed charter amendments, which effectively allows the military bloc to reject amendments with their built-in veto power. More than 50 political parties led by Sai Ai Pao are in talks with the junta about amending the constitution and the holding of the 2023 election. 'By hook or by crook' Thar Htun Hla, chairman of Arakan National Party, the most powerful and largest ethnic Rakhine party that also is holding talks with the junta, told RFA that although his party has agreed to amend some sections, including Article 261, he does not believe it is possible that the changes can be implemented any time soon. We are still discussing, but havent reached major agreements yet, he said. Thats why, as of now, I see no possibility that we can implement the changes in reality. The negotiating committee led by Lieutenant General Yar Pyae has proposed that the agreed points will be amended in parliament meetings after the upcoming election, he added. Controversy over the amendments may also arise because not all political parties are in favor of them. Kyaw Htwe, a member of the Central Executive Committee of National League for Democracy, denounced the juntas attempt to amend the constitution before an election is held as part of its move to retain power through collaboration with some political parties. I assume that SAC [State Administration Council] is doing this to find ways to legitimize what is not politically recognized by anybody, he told RFA. The next step is to hold an election by hook or by crook and show the international community that they are legit. Then they are going to hold the power for a long time. Political observers say the junta is trying to replace the countrys former first-past-the-post voting system with a proportional representation system that will be at play in the 2023 elections because Min Aung Hlaing has proposed it. Commentator Sai Kyi Zin Soe, said the junta is trying to gain support from pro-military parties to help it emerge from political crisis. We can say that the junta is trying to reorganize the political parties under the title of amending the constitution at a time when its popularity is declining, he said. The parties whose support the junta seeks are ones that failed to get public support or lost in the last election, Sai Zin Soe added. Since they are in one way or another related to the military, they have vowed to blindly support the military he said. They will always follow the junta. Translated by Myo Min Aung for RFA Burmese. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. Others say China should learn a lesson from Russias drawn-out invasion of Ukraine. Chinas invasion of Taiwan is only a matter of time, a former Taiwanese army chief has warned, as the islands defense minister vowed that the armed forces will fight to the end against the Chinese troops. The question is not whether China will attack Taiwan but when, said Huoh Shoou-yeh, formerly Taiwans Chief of General Staff and currently serving as a strategic advisor to the Office of the President and chairman of a Defense Ministry think-tank. Taiwan must be ready for a conflict at any time, Huoh told the audience at the annual Taipei Security Dialogue, hosted by the think-tank the Institute for National Defense and Security Research on Wednesday. The four-star general added that Taiwan has been on alert for 70 years but since Chinas paramount leader Xi Jinping came to power, Beijings pressure on the island has intensified. Meanwhile Taiwans minister of national defense Chiu Kuo-cheng told lawmakers in Taipei that the island "absolutely has a chance of winning" a war against China but it will be an act of national defense and not provocative. As long as the enemy cant land troops or plant its flags on top of the buildings of Taiwan's central government ministries, it has not won," Chiu said. When asked about the Taiwanese armys readiness, the minister said he was confident that we are capable of mobilizing 200,000 people within 24 hours" and vowed that Taiwan will fight to the end. Taiwans Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng attending a meeting of the Legislatures Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee on Oct. 31, 2022. CREDIT: Taiwan Ministry of National Defense Asymmetric warfare U.S. officials have suggested various dates for an invasion of Taiwan. Adm. Philip Davidson, former Commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, told a Congressional hearing last year that China may attack in 2027. Most recently, U.S. Chief of Naval Operations Michael Gilday said that a 2022 window or potentially a 2023 window cannot be ruled out. Experts attending the Taipei Security Dialogue, however, cast doubt on this timeframe. Bonny Lin, director of the China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said she personally doesnt see any clear indication for an invasion in 2023 or 2024, but there may be more coercion or some other actions. In October, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also warned that China is pursuing unification with Taiwan "on a much faster timeline." Again, Lin said that Blinken did not attach any time schedule and there was no mention of China's imminent invasion of Taiwan in his statement, which was more about Xi Jinping asserting his hardline stance before the Chinese Communist Partys 20th Congress. Gen. Huoh Shoou-yeh spoke of the current war in Ukraine, which he said has helped the world notice the Taiwan issue, too. Ukrainian people have successfully fought off Russian troops thanks to the will to resist the enemy, as well as the assistance provided by its neighbors and other democratic countries, he said. Some participating experts such as Sarah Kirchberger from the Institute for Security Policy at Kiel University in Germany said that learning from the Ukraine war, China should think twice about its intention of subduing Taiwan. Russia has proved that overlooking the capabilities of the invaded country as well as its will to defend itself can lead to serious miscalculations, Kirchberger told RFA. The expert spoke of the brief Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union in 1939-1940 when, in just three months, the Soviet army suffered big losses despite superior military strength. There are similarities between Finland then and Taiwan now, according to Kirchberger, and Taiwan can use its democratic resilience to take advantage of the asymmetric warfare against China. Some other analysts suggest that the Taiwanese military should improve its intelligence and public affairs mechanisms, especially as Chinese cognitive warfare and cyberattacks became common practice. Han Chinese detainees were later freed, but Tibetans are still being held, sources say. Residents protest in the Tibetan capital Lhasa, China, in these screenshots from videos taken Oct. 26, 2022. Around 200 residents of Tibets capital Lhasa were detained in the wake of massive protests in the city last week against COVID lockdowns that left many restricted to their homes without adequate food or medical care, RFA has learned. The Oct. 26 protest included both Han Chinese and Tibetans living in the city, and was Lhasas largest since a 2008 uprising, later crushed by Chinese security forces by Tibetans calling for greater freedoms under Chinese rule. Chinese authorities have now detained around 200 Lhasa residents in the wake of last weeks protest, RFA learned from Tibetan sources speaking on condition of anonymity to protect their safety. Though many of these detainees are of Chinese origin, there are also a number of Tibetans coming from other parts of Tibet and from Chengdu, one RFA source said, referring to the capital city of western Chinas Sichuan province. They are currently being held inside buildings owned by development companies inside the Tibet Autonomous Region, or TAR, the source added. Also speaking to RFA, a second person said that it has been difficult so far for outside sources to identify the Tibetans currently being held. But the main allegations against them appear to be that they took a lead role in organizing the protests. Most of them appear to be working-class residents of the city. One of my friends is among those who were detained, and I have no information about what conditions are like for them now or even if they have adequate food, the source said. Most of the Han Chinese detained in the protest were later freed and allowed to return home, and though Tibetan detainees were told they would be freed by Oct. 29, there is no evidence that any have been released, he added. Chinas lockdown in Lhasa began in early August as COVID numbers there and throughout China began to climb. Lhasa residents have said on social media that the lockdown order came without leaving them time to prepare, with many left short of food or cut off from medical care. As of Thursday, 18,667 Tibetans in the TAR have tested positive for COVID according to official Chinese records. Formerly an independent nation, Tibet was invaded and incorporated into China by force more than 70 years ago. Chinese authorities maintain a tight grip on the region, restricting Tibetans political activities and peaceful expression of cultural and religious identity. Translated by Tenzin Dickyi for RFA Tibetan. Written in English by Richard Finney. Their petition came as Vietnam and US hold annual human rights dialogue in Hanoi. US Vice President Kamala Harris meets with representatives of civil society in Vietnam in Hanoi in August 2021. On the eve of the 26th annual Vietnam-U.S. Human Rights Dialogue, four non-governmental organizations called on the Vietnamese government to make efforts to earn its place on the UN Human Rights Council to which it was recently elected. The petition was signed by the Vietnam Human Rights Network, Defend the Defenders, the Vietnam Democracy Federation and Vietnam Democracy Radio. It was sent to Erin Barclay, senior bureau official for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor at the U.S Department of State, who is taking part in the two-day talks in Hanoi which started on Wednesday. The letter called on Vietnam to: immediately release political prisoners, dissidents, leaders of civil society organizations on environmental protection; fully guarantee the right to freedom of expression; truthfully enforce the right to freedom of association, especially the rights of independent trade unions; restitute appropriated places of worship, charity facilities, and schools to religious groups; and respect the traditions and culture of ethnic minorities. The four NGOs said meeting those goals was consistent with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international agreements which Vietnam has signed. Vietnam was elected as a member of the UN Human Rights Council for a second time on Oct. 11 despite objections from many international rights organizations. We see that after the past 25 dialogues Vietnam has not made any significant progress, Nguyen Ba Tung, executive director of the California-based Vietnam Human Rights Network, told RFA Vietnamese. In recent months, arrests have reached a peak. The Vietnamese state abuses the Criminal Code to silence dissidents who speak out about human rights violations and social injustice. The U.S. Delegation taking part in the Vietnam-U.S. Human Rights Dialogue should demand that Hanoi release those unjustly convicted. Since the beginning of the year, at least 20 people have been arrested and 27 people have been sentenced to prison with lengthy sentences, mostly charged with "conducting anti-state propaganda and "abusing democratic freedoms," Tung said. The latest case is that of freelance journalist Le Manh Ha, who used social media to defend land rights petitioners and was sentenced to eight years in prison and three years of probation. After sentencing activists to long prison terms authorities transfer them to prisons far from their families, in harsh climates. Last month, human rights activist Pham Doan Trang, who has won many international awards for her writings and actions, was sent to An Phuoc Prison camp, 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) from where her elderly mother and relatives live. Trang was arrested in October 2020, just hours after the 24th Vietnam-US Human Rights Dialogue ended. One month before this years dialogue, many Protestant groups in the Central Highlands reported that they were harassed by local authorities and banned from practicing their religion. In recent days, some activists and relatives of prisoners of conscience across Vietnam said they were being guarded by plainclothes police. Doctors for former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili have recommended against transporting him to the Tbilisi City Court building from a clinic where he has been treated since May despite his desire to take part in a hearing in a case against him. Saakashvili had expressed his desire to be transferred to the court to attend the hearing on a charge of illegal border crossing filed last year, and it had been expected that he would speak at the trial. But his attending physician said it would be inappropriate, based on the fact that he could not take responsibility for the possible deterioration of Saakashvili's health during the transfer. Judge Nino Chakhnashvili decided on another postponement of the trial after receiving the doctors' recommendation. Court hearings have been repeatedly canceled or postponed because the 54-year-old Saakashvili, who held two separate hunger strikes earlier this year, has been unable to appear in court for health reasons. Saakashvili, who served as Georgia's president from 2004 until 2013, is the founder of the main opposition United National Movement (ENM) party. The ENM believes that the authorities are trying to conceal the state of Saakashvili's health. Representatives of the ruling Georgian Dream party disagree, saying that Saakashvili's public appearance would only be a publicity stunt. Saakashvili, who cannot move independently, had decided that he would arrive at the trial in a special wheelchair, according to one of his lawyers, Shavla Khachapuridze, who added that his condition was "serious" and that his defense team had been told by phone from abroad that arsenic was found in his blood. Nika Melia, chairman of the ENM, said that had Saakashvili appeared in court it would have confirmed the conclusions of several foreign experts who have spoken about the deterioration of his health and would have confirmed the comments of people who have visited him that his condition has deteriorated sharply since his transfer from prison to the Vivamed clinic. The authorities do not want this to be disclosed to the public because it would conflict with "propaganda" circulating in the media that Saakashvili and his defenders have exaggerated his condition, Melia said. Saakashvili was convicted in January 2018 in absentia of abuse of office and sentenced to three years in prison. Later that year he was again convicted in absentia of abuse of office and sentenced to six years in prison. He was arrested on October 1, 2021, after he returned to the country to rally the opposition ahead of local elections. Saakashvili and his supporters say all his prosecutions were politically motivated. Georgia has been plagued by political paralysis and escalating tensions between Georgian Dream and the opposition since parliamentary elections in 2020. The crisis has been exacerbated by the arrest of Saakashvili, who doctors say suffers from severe post-traumatic stress and anorexia that most likely developed after his hunger strikes. They said in May that he needed urgent and complex neuro-psychological and physical treatment. Even before Saakashvili was transferred to the Vivamed clinic his relatives, friends, and colleagues demanded the authorities allow him to travel abroad to receive medical treatment. The coaches of the U.S. and Iranian soccer teams have said that they do not want to get caught up in a game of political football when their sides clash for a chance to reach the knockout stage of the World Cup. "I envision the game being hotly contested for the fact that both teams want to advance to the next round -- not because of politics or because of relations between our countries," U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter said ahead of the November 29 showdown at Al-Thumama Stadium in Qatar. "Our preparation starts with a good rest, refresh the minds, and put all the complementary and garbage things outside of our minds," said Carlos Queiroz, the Portuguese head coach of Iran's national team. But as the two coaches attempt to keep the focus on the playing field with either team assured of advancing to the next round with an outright victory, a political fever pitch looms over the game pitting two countries that severed relations more than 40 years ago and are open rivals on the world stage. The World Cup has been a showcase of discord in Iran since the tournament kicked off on November 20, with Tehran's deadly crackdown on ongoing anti-government demonstrations leading to fresh U.S. sanctions against Iranian officials and dividing the country's fan base. The Iranian team has faced immense pressure from the authorities and protesters alike to take sides amid the demonstrations, which are seen as one of the greatest threats to Iran's clerical establishment since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. The nationwide demonstrations erupted following the September 16 death of Mahsa Amini, an Iranian-Kurdish woman who died shortly after she was arrested for allegedly violating the state-mandated requirement that women wear the hijab, or head scarf. According to rights watchdogs, at least 450 people have been killed and more than 15,000 detained in the government crackdown. Some fans have honored Amini's memory by wearing "Mahsa Amini-22" shirts in a nod to her age when she died. In an apparent sign of solidarity with demonstrators, members of the Iranian team did not sing the country's national anthem ahead of their first game, a 6-2 loss to England that was blamed partly on outside distractions. But the players did join in singing what anti-government demonstrators have called the "blood anthem" ahead of the second game, a 2-0 win against Wales on November 25. While that result was cause for mass celebration, RFE/RL's Radio Farda reported from Qatar that a group of pro-government fans who waved the flag of the Islamic republic harassed and intimidated a group of Iranian supporters who aired their grievances against the clerical regime. Following the Wales match, a former coach of the U.S. team, Jurgen Klinsmann, came under fire for his postgame comments. Speaking as a pundit on the BBC, Klinsmann said the Iranian team "worked the referee." "They work the linesman and fourth official, they are constantly in their ear," he said. "There were a lot of incidents we didn't see. This is their culture, they take you off your game." Queiroz -- who coached Iran during two stints from 2011 to 2019 and was once hired by U.S. Soccer to develop a road map for the United States to win a World Cup by 2010 -- responded with a torrent of tweets defending Iranian culture and his team. He said Klinsmann's comments were a "disgrace to football." Just days before the decisive group match, the U.S. Soccer Federation triggered a row when it temporarily displayed Iran's green, white, and red flag without the emblem of the Islamic republic in a social-media post. The Iranian government responded angrily, with Iran's hard-line Tasnim news agency calling for the U.S. team to be kicked out of the World Cup and suspended for 10 games. The post was eventually removed, with U.S. Soccer explaining that the intention had been to show "support for the women in Iran fighting for basic human rights" by displaying the Iranian tricolor without the emblem for 24 hours. Back in Iran, former members of the Iranian national soccer team have apparently been punished for supporting the ongoing demonstrations. Voria Ghafouri, who has been an outspoken critic of the Iranian establishment and was surprisingly left out of this year's World Cup squad, was reportedly arrested on November 24, just days after expressing sympathy for Amini's family and calling for an end to the violent crackdown on protesters in his and Amini's native western Kurdistan region. Iranian state media reported that the 35-year-old Ghafouri had been arrested for "insulting the national soccer team and propagandizing against the government." Ghafouri earlier this month tweeted that "it is better to die standing than to live kneeling." In June, he was accused by an Iranian official of being a Kurdish separatist after the player tweeted the word "Kurdistan" twice. Iranian media reported that Ghafouri has been released on bail. But rights groups said he had been transferred from western Iran to a prison in the capital, Tehran. Pressure has also been placed on an Iranian soccer legend, Ali Daei, who said he chose not to travel to Qatar due to the government's crackdown and said on social media on November 28 he had received "numerous threats against myself and my family in recent months and days." The Black Reward hacktivist group, which has targeted Iranian government institutions and infrastructure, added to fears that Tehran was targeting fans by leaking recordings this week purporting to reveal an Iranian pro-government militia commander saying that Qatar had provided a list of Iranians who had purchased tickets to the World Cup, allowing the Iranian authorities to identify 500 individuals known for anti-government activities. While Iran could progress with a draw on November 29, it cannot afford to lose if it wants to advance to the last 16. The United States has no option but to win. The U.S. players have said they were unaware that U.S. Soccer had planned to publish its controversial flag post, while also publicly declaring their support for women's rights. The day before the big match, U.S. coach Berhalter was apologetic for the flag post but also insistent that he was not focusing on the controversies leading up to it. "Of course, our thoughts are with the Iranian people, the whole country, the whole team, everyone, but our focus is on this match," he said on November 28. What began with the Kyrgyz government targeting activists opposed to a contentious border deal with neighboring Uzbekistan is morphing into a wider campaign thats taking aim at political opponents and the countrys free press as the Central Asian nation risks entering another cycle of unrest. But what is behind the latest crackdown in Kyrgyzstan that has seen 26 people arrested and left multiple media outlets -- including RFE/RLs Kyrgyz Service -- in the crosshairs of Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarovs administration? Its not a big secret that Kyrgyzstan is becoming more authoritarian, Temur Umarov, a fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told RFE/RL. Nearly everything that Japarov has been doing with the countrys domestic and foreign policy is aimed at strengthening his hold on power as much as possible. Long considered Central Asias most democratic country, Kyrgyzstan has experienced various moments of upheaval since it gained independence after the Soviet Unions collapse 30 years ago. Some of the periodic government crackdowns were later relaxed, while in other instances political and societal tensions have escalated into violence and even revolution. The current episode of discord comes as Japarov consolidates his hold on the country since his mercurial rise to power in 2020 by increasing pressure on civil society and the media that has led to a period of democratic backsliding. The proposed border deal with Uzbekistan that was announced in early October -- which would require Bishkek to cede control over the strategic Kempir-Abad reservoir to its neighbor -- represents a unique political flashpoint for Japarov. The president spent three years in jail and came to power on a wave of popular nationalist support centered around land rights and opposing foreign ownership of the countrys resources. The agreement could go a long way to smoothing relations between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, who have experienced deadly border problems, but the proposed deal also pushes Japarov face-to-face with some of the same nationalist attitudes that helped him rise to power. Theres a deep irony here that Japarov is the one that is ready to hand over land and his opponents are turning to nationalist ideas that he used to gain popularity, Umarov said. It makes for a tense situation. Kyrgyzstan is always politically volatile and unpredictable. The Nationalist Tightrope The reservoir transfer was signed on September 26 as part of a deal that aims to finally define the border of the 15 percent of nondemarcated territory between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. On November 3, Uzbek Foreign Minister Vladimir Norov and his Kyrgyz counterpart Jeenbek Kulubaev, signed several border delimitation agreements, including one to jointly manage Kempir-Abad. The reservoir is located near Osh in southwest Kyrgyzstan and those that first protested against the agreement -- citing concerns of lost water access and a lack of transparency over its contents -- included many well-known activists, human rights defenders, bloggers, and politicians. They are currently in pretrial detention and set to remain there for at least two months. The detentions sparked protests in Bishkek and Osh on October 24 demanding their release and more information about the agreement, which includes Kyrgyzstan transferring territory and the dam itself. The Kyrgyz government has defended the deal, maintaining that it benefits Kyrgyzstan -- which would receive a net gain of some 15,000 square kilometers in the agreement -- and that the countries will co-manage the reservoir and each have access to its water. Stepped-up pressure on the media, activists, and opposition groups is not something new for Japarov and it fits into a wider authoritarian trend that has defined Kyrgyzstans tumultuous politics in recent years. Former President Sooronbai Jeenbekov -- who left office as Japarovs supporters descended on Bishkek in 2020 amid the countrys last political crisis -- also exerted strong influence over Kyrgyzstans parliament, a trend deepened by Japarov through constitutional changes approved in a referendum that flipped the country to a formal presidential system in 2021. But the current tensions over Kempir-Abad are a particular challenge for Japarov and his ally Kamchibek Tashiev, a dominant force in Kyrgyzstan who oversees the State Committee for National Security (GKNB), the countrys main intelligence agency. Land, water, and mineral wealth are valuable political currency in the country and this episode comes as Japarov also grapples with a tough economic situation worsened by global fallout from Russias invasion of Ukraine. Ties with Moscow have also been strained over a brief war between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan in mid-September that broke out over border issues and left at least 100 dead and hundreds of others injured. Japarov has mostly been able to harness nationalist sentiment in the country in the wake of these crises, with the latest polls showing that 76 percent of voters back his leadership. But Zachary Witlin, a senior analyst at the global consultancy Eurasia Group, says Japarov is clearly feeling the pressure from multiple problems piling up. In addition to the economy, the relationship with Russia, tensions with Tajikistan, scandals surrounding the management of the nationalized Kumtor gold mine, and efforts to pressure opposition figures in the past year have all added to the instability. The prospect of a land deal with Uzbekistan is a major proximate cause [of the current crackdown]. For a nationalist figure like Japarov to support it shows he is facing difficult decisions, Witlin told RFE/RL. So, it unfortunately should not come as a surprise that the government is pushing hard against critics amid a lightning rod issue. Press Freedom In The Crosshairs Faced with a brewing cocktail for potential unrest, Japarovs administration has also made moves to control and censor the mass media. Like with other factors for the current crackdown, this trend is not entirely new but has accelerated amid the tensions set off by the land deal. In June, the Kyrgyz Culture and Information Ministry, which is responsible for enforcing a contentious and vaguely defined new law on disinformation, blocked the websites of the ResPublica newspaper for two months and attempted to block the website of the news outlet 24.kg in August over an anonymous complaint of false information being put online. This follows attempts to intimidate and silence independent journalism in the country, especially when it has bristled up against Japarov and his allies. In January, investigative journalist Bolot Temirov was arrested on drug charges shortly after his team published an investigation alleging that Tashievs family has benefited from government contracts since he assumed office. Temirov was eventually acquitted in September after a judge ruled that the case had been invented by the GKNB. The Prosecutor-General's Office is appealing the court's decision. Amid the current tensions, the government ordered a two-month blockage of the Kyrgyz- and Russian-language websites of RFE/RLs Kyrgyz Service in late October and froze its bank accounts. The authorities said the moves were because of a video covering the recent Kyrgyz-Tajik border conflict that they claimed used hate speech and false information, with RFE/RL coverage predominantly taking the position of the Tajik side. It demanded the removal of the video, but RFE/RL refused to take it down. These moves were preceded by protests outside the Kyrgyz Services bureau in Bishkek and an initiative by a lawmaker that called for the closure of RFE/RL and two other media outlets, Kloop and Kaktus.Media. The government is also aiming to push through new amendments to its Mass Media Law. The draft law would increase registration requirements for foreign-based and funded media organizations and come with cumbersome registration requirements. Several media experts have pointed out that the text of the amendments are nearly identical to passages of Russias own Mass Media Law, which the Kremlin used to greatly shrink the space for independent reporting in Russia. The law is essentially copied from Russia, Carnegies Umarov said. This isnt Moscow pushing [Japarov] to do this, but rather him watching how the Kremlin is able to control its own population and wanting similar tools available to him. This move has many journalists in Kyrgyzstan expecting the crackdown to continue and for more outlets that havent shied away from critical coverage of the government in the past to face newfound pressure. I am terrified that my country is collapsing from the inside because of two people who want to siphon the last resources out of it, Kloop Editor in Chief Anna Kapushenko wrote on her Facebook page on October 27, in reference to Japarov and Tashiev. The wife of a missing Russian soldier who was fighting in Ukraine is desperately trying to find her husband and solve the mystery of his fate. Anna Danilova says a Ukrainian soldier contacted her in April to say that her husband, Aleksandr Yaroslavtsev, was alive and had been taken prisoner. But Ukrainian officials have told RFE/RL that there is no record of him as a prisoner of war. Russian authorities claim Danilova's husband was killed in action and have threatened her with prison if she keeps contacting people in Ukraine. Ukrainian forces are facing Russian attacks in multiple locations, where heavy shelling and air strikes damaged infrastructure as Moscow stepped up its offensive, the Ukrainian military said on November 3. Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's ongoing invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here. The Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine was again disconnected from the power grid after shelling damaged the remaining high voltage lines, leaving it with just diesel generators, Ukraine's nuclear firm Enerhoatom said. Enerhoatom said it believes Russia will soon try to repair and connect Europe's largest nuclear station toward the Russia-occupied Crimea and Donbas regions. The General Staff of the Ukrainian armed forces said in its November 3 briefing that heavy fighting was under way in the east, with Russian troops conducting offensive operations in the Bakhmut, Avdiyivka, and Novopavlivka areas of the Donetsk region. Russia launched attacks on 12 settlements in Donetsk and the neighboring Luhansk region. Ukrainian forces repelled the attacks, the military said. In Luhansk, the Ukrainian military accused Russian forces are using civilians as human shields. The claim could not be independently confirmed. Russian strikes were also reported in the central area of Kryviy Rih and in the northeast in Sumy and Kharkiv. "The enemy is trying to keep the temporarily captured territories, concentrating its efforts on restraining the actions of the defense forces in certain areas," Ukraine's military said. Russia has targeted Ukrainian civilian and energy infrastructure in recent weeks, prompting power and water outages and causing casualties among civilians. Russia keeps denying targeting civilians, though the conflict has killed thousands, displaced millions, and razed some Ukrainian cities to the ground. In the south, Ukraine's counteroffensive has left Russian forces fighting to hold their ground around the city of Kherson, on the right bank of the Dnieper River. Moscow-installed authorities are urging residents to evacuate, the Ukrainian military said. Residents of the town of Nova Zburiyvka had been given three days to leave and were told that evacuation would be obligatory from November 5, it said. Russian authorities have repeatedly said Ukraine could be preparing to attack the massive Kakhovka dam on the Dnieper and flood the region. Kyiv denies that. Russia and Ukraine will each hand over 107 captured fighters on November 3 in the latest prisoner exchange between the two sides, Denis Pushilin, the Moscow-installed administrator of Russian-controlled parts of Ukraine's Donetsk region, said in a post on his Telegram channel. He said 65 of those released by Ukraine will be separatist fighters from Donetsk and Luhansk. Seven ships carrying agricultural products left Ukrainian Black Sea ports on November 3, a day after the resumption of a grain deal aimed at delivering Ukrainian food to foreign markets, the Infrastructure Ministry said. The vessels were loaded with 290,000 tons of food products and were headed toward European and Asian countries, the ministry said in a statement without elaborating. The British ambassador arrived at the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow on November 3, Reuters reported, after she was summoned to discuss Moscow's claims that Britain was involved in a Ukrainian drone strike on Russia's Black Sea Fleet in Crimea. WATCH: RFE/RL asked people in Moscow how they thought the war in Ukraine -- which Russian President Vladimir Putin maintains is a "special military operation" -- is going. Russia's Defense Ministry has said the attack was carried out under the guidance and leadership of British Navy specialists, an assertion Britain has dismissed as false. Meanwhile, two U.S. officials told CBS News on November 2 that senior Russian military leaders discussed last month how and when they might use nuclear weapons on the battlefield in Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin was not involved in the talks, they told CBS News. The White House said it has grown "increasingly concerned" about the potential use of nuclear weapons in the past few months. But it stressed Washington saw no signs of Russia preparing for such use. In September, Putin escalated his nuclear and anti-Western rhetoric, mentioning that Russia could use all means at its disposal to protect itself and the occupied Ukrainian territories. With reporting by Reuters and BBC VOVCHANSK, Ukraine The streets of this town less than 4 kilometers from the Russian border are eerily empty. Like much of Ukraines northern Kharkiv region, Vovchansk was occupied by Russian forces in the early hours of Moscows unprovoked invasion on February 24. It was liberated in September during a lightning Ukrainian counteroffensive that sent Russian forces reeling out of the region. A lot of people have left, said Viktor Bondarenko, 84, one of just a few residents walking along gray streets among locked stores one day late last month. A lot of people think there will be more fighting here. People got afraid, but I think they should have stayed. Although Vovchansk -- with a pre-invasion population of about 18,000 -- was occupied for months, it saw little fighting, as both the Ukrainians and the Russians withdrew from the town without defending it. But the town still comes under regular bombardment from Russian mortars and artillery. Ukrainian soldiers say the Russians do not bother much about aiming. The Russian forces are only interested in terrorizing the population, frightening people, one soldier, who could not be identified because of Ukrainian military regulations, told Current Time, a Russian-language network run by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA. There are no military targets in this area. There is no point in destroying stores, playgrounds, and hospitals. The only point is to sow panic. The constant shelling seems to be having the desired effect as fewer and fewer civilians remain in Vovchansk each day. All the stores, pharmacies, cafes, and other businesses are closed. Government agencies and emergency services have been depleted, slowing any effort to return to normalcy. No matter where you go, the administration or the town council, there is no one there, Bondarenko said. You cant get anything from anyone. Im bored here all alone. It is really hard. When Current Time caught up with Bondarenko, he was on his way to a Ukrainian military post. Im on my way there now to at least warm up a little, he explained. Im 84 years old, you know. I havent had any gas for 10 days and it is as cold in my house as it is outside. And theres no electricity either. Sixty-year-old Valeriy, who declined to provide his surname, has also decided to tough it out in Vovchansk. He told Current Time that Russian occupation forces tried to force him to join their army. They let him go, he said, only after he proved his age. But soon afterward, he was picked up on the street and forced to dig trenches for two days. Valeriy had not seen any humanitarian aid for at least four days and complained that no stores or bank machines are working. We walk around like beggars, he said. I have 18,000 hryvnyas ($485) in my account, but there is no way to get them. A local woman who did not give her name said people try not to stray too far from home, in case they need to shelter quickly. You run out for bread in the morning as early as possible, she said. But even then you dont know if youll make it home or not. RFE/RL feature writer Robert Coalson contributed to this report. Pioneering moves At a meeting with Mr. Tran Hong Ha, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Mr. Nguyen Van Nen, Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, said that in coming time Ho Chi Minh City will focus on doing new works rather than what are already existing. Ho Chi Minh City is ready to host a series of pilot projects to serve as precedents. Proposals and recommendations on the amended Law on Land will take effect by 2024 once they are approved. However, Ho Chi Minh City must not wait until 2024, but must actively find ways to perfect its functioning and legal system. Mr. Tran Hong Ha also said that many mechanisms and policies on land and environment that Ho Chi Minh City proposed as pilot are correct and have a valid basis. Mr. Ha confirmed that out of 18 problems, 16 were included in this amended draft Law on Land by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. He asked the city to assign a focal point to prepare documents, summarize and complete the project to submit to the Government for submission to the National Assembly for consideration and approval. Future expectations On 7 October, the Politburo issued Resolution 24 on socio-economic development to ensure national defense and security in the Southeast region until 2030, with a vision up till 2045. This Resolution will continue to affirm the region's strategic position and particular important role. The Politburo especially emphasized the need for stronger, dynamic, and creative innovation, to make breakthrough changes in continuing to build and develop the Southeast region into a center of economy, finance, commerce, education, high-quality human resources, science and technology, innovation, and digital transformation. The Southeast region will play a leading role in regional and national development. Ho Chi Minh City is planned as an important economic hub, an international financial center, a destination for the middle class and young intellectuals, and a vibrant place to live and work. The city has a development plan on par with many other major cities in Asia and plays a vital role in the growth of the Southeast region and the entire country. Resolution 54/2017/QH14 will support pilot programs on specific mechanisms and policies for the development of Ho Chi Minh City which after five years of implementation will bring outstanding results. Accordingly, the implementation of Group A projects will be faster and the increase in capital mobilization limit will allow the city to actively issue local government bonds, borrow from domestic financial institutions, other domestic organizations, and from Government's foreign loans, to provide resources for development spending. Ten main pilot tasks First, formulate and promulgate the land price adjustment coefficient suitable to the actual situation of the city and submit it to the City Council for approval. On that basis, the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City will promulgate the price adjustment for calculation of land use levy and land rent for all land plots, regardless of the value calculated according to the land price list. Second, the compensation shall be made by allocating land with the same use purpose as the recovered land. If there is no land with the same use purpose, compensation is made with land with a different use purpose than the type of land acquired by percentage. Assign the City People's Committee to summarize the reality and decide this percentage in accordance with the actual situation in the locality. Third, separate compensation, support, resettlement, and site clearance into independent public investment projects for Group B projects in the locality. Fourth, reorganize the Compensation and Site Clearance Committee of Thu Duc City into Thu Duc City Land Fund Development Center under Thu Duc City, performing the same functions as the Provincial Land Fund Development Center. Fifth, separate the plan for allocation and zoning of city land for the period 2021 to 2030, with a vision to 2050 for independent implementation. Once completed, it will be integrated into the general planning of Ho Chi Minh City. Sixth, the city does not approve the annual district-level land use plan. Seventh, land-use organizations may mortgage, lease, and transfer the right to rent land with annual payments. Eighth, apply a basis for land allocation or land lease in a written approval of an auction winning results, the bidding of the competent State agency, and the approval of the payment policy for BT projects. Ninth, procedures for land lease or land lease with water surface must comply with the provisions of the Law on Land, and to carry out the procedures for leasing the sea area in accordance with the current Law on the Sea of Vietnam and the Law on natural resources and environment of sea and islands for seaport projects, including sea encroachment projects. Tenth, permit the Land Fund Development Center to carry out short-term exploitation of the land areas managed by the Land Fund Development Center, but which have not yet had a decision on land allocation or land lease. Assign the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City to issue detailed regulations on short-term exploitation of the land fund managed by the Land Fund Development Center but have not yet made a decision on land allocation, land lease, and allocation of at least 10% of the revenue from this work to the Center for Land Fund Development. Regarding the content of decentralization, the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City is entitled to determine the land price for compensation and support for the People's Committee of districts to implement. Binh Minh Steve Gagner, owner of 14th Star Brewing and 2019 Vermont Small Business Person of the Year, is shown in this file photo speaking to lenders at the Capitol Plaza Hotel and Conference Center. Salome Samadashvili, one of the leaders of Lelo, stated during the discussion of the law "On De-oligarchization" in the Parliament that the Georgian Dream can not avoid fulfilling recommendations imposed by the EU for candidacy status."Your regime will not be able to avoid the requirements set by the European Union in order for the country to be granted candidate status," Salome Samadashvili said.According to her, the European Union will receive a number of documents regarding the fulfillment of the requirements by Georgia, and the evaluation will be very difficult."As for who they consider being oligarchs in the European Union and whose influence they are talking about, because you did not understand it until now, you consider one resolution of the European Parliament shameful. In the near future, the European Parliament will adopt another resolution. The EU will then receive a number of documents on what your government has done to meet EU requirements, and these assessments will be very tough.Not because we don't want the country to get candidate status, but because just like a camel can't go through a needle's eye, your regime can't avoid the requirements set by the European Union in order to grant the country candidate status," said Salome Samadashvili.According to Samadashvili, the Georgian Dream is refusing to carry out the reform recommended by the EU commission."The path chosen by "Georgian Dream" is to refuse to carry out real reforms. Leaving Nika Gvaramia in prison by an oligarch-run court is yet another resounding statement that no one in this country is going to comply with any of the EU's demands.Second, by deciding to pass the bill, and by creating some kind of registry, you are effectively announcing a hunt in this country for opponents you don't want. That's how we understand your position and that's how the European Union understands it too," Salome Samadashvili said.Irakli Kobakhidze, chairman of the Georgian Dream party, said that if the president pardons Nika Gvaramia, it will be an insult to the institution of the president on the part of Salome Zourabichvili."You remember how Nika Gvaramia used to insult the same Salome Zourabichvili, referring to her with such rude words. This was an insult not only to Salome Zourabichvili personally, but also to the President's Institute. If the president pardons Gvaramia under such circumstances, it will be an insult to the institution of the President directly from the side of the president of Georgia, which I don't think is right," said Kobakhidze. Scientists have described a new species of the flowering plant genus Thismia from a forest in the Mantiqueira mountains in southeast Brazil. Thismia is a genus of small, ephemeral herbaceous plants in the family Burmanniaceae. First described in 1845, it occures in tropical and subtropical Asia, temperate Australia and tropical America. The highest species diversity is found in Borneo and the Malay Peninsula. Commonly known as the fairy lanterns, members of the genus have a peculiar appearance, a complex morphology of the flowers, and a highly reduced vegetative structure. They typically grow amongst moist leaf litter in forests and rely on fungal symbionts to obtain nourishment from decaying organic material, and they therefore lack chlorophyll. Individual plants persist underground throughout most of the year, emerging only briey to ower and set fruit after periods of heavy rain. As a consequence, they are rarely collected and relatively little is known of their taxonomy, distribution and reproductive biology. Thismia is the most expressive genus of the family Thismiaceae (some classifications merge Thismiaceae into Burmanniaceae), with about 90 species occurring in the tropical and subtropical regions of the Paleotropic and Neotropics but not in Africa, lead author Dr. Mathias Erich Engels from the Universidade Federal do Parana and his colleagues wrote in their paper. Despite the current generic circumscription, molecular data suggest that the genus is paraphyletic, with the formation of distinct groups for the New and Old Worlds. However, studies with more samples are necessary to elucidate the family relationships. Despite the megadiverse flora in the Brazilian territory, Thismia is represented by only 13 species, they added. The greatest richness occurs in the Atlantic Rainforest Domain, but there are also representatives in the Cerrado and the Amazon. In their new work, the authors described and illustrated a new species of Thismia from southeastern Brazil. Named Thismia mantiqueirensis, the plant is known only from Toca do Muriqui, an elevated location in the Serra da Mantiqueira in the Sao Francisco Xavier sub-district, the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo. Sao Francisco Xavier is located in the Mantiqueira mountains, characterized by typical Atlantic Forest formations (750 to 2,000 m above sea level), with patches of rocky outcrops and many rocky streams, they explained. The region has seasonal climate variations, with the dry season occurring from April to August (average temperature in July is 15.5 degrees Celsius) and the wet season between September and March (average temperature in January is 21.6 degrees Celsius). It is possible the species only occurs in cloud and altitude montane forests, at about 1,200 m above sea level. During the rainy season, it was possible to see some flowering individuals in the leaf litter near tree roots. According to the IUCN criteria, Thismia mantiqueirensis could be assessed as Data Deficient, the researchers wrote. Known only from one collection, it needs more sampling focus, which may result in the finding of more populations in different localities, increasing knowledge of the actual conservation status of this new species. The trail where the plant was found is frequently used for ecotourism, which can lead to problems for the conservation of the species. The teams paper was published in the journal Phytotaxa. _____ Mathias Erich Engels et al. 2022. Thismia mantiqueirensis (Thismiaceae), a new species of Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest. Phytotaxa 570 (2): 223-228; doi: 10.11646/phytotaxa.570.2.8 Researchers have performed a prospective cohort study to understand the association between different sleep behaviors and glaucoma. Insomnia, snoring, daytime sleepiness, and short/long duration, individually or jointly, were all associated with the risk of glaucoma. The findings underscore the need for sleep intervention for individuals at high risk of glaucoma as well as potential ophthalmologic screening among individuals with chronic sleep problems for glaucoma prevention. Glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible vision loss that currently affects more than 70 million people worldwide and will affect 111.8 million people by 2040. It is characterized by progressive loss of retinal ganglion cells, especially intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells, and changes in neuro-retinal rim tissue in the optic nerve head and visual field constriction. The underlying mechanisms of glaucoma are still poorly understood and the factors contributing to its progression have not been fully characterized. When left undetected and untreated, glaucoma can lead to blindness as the changes are irreversible. Therefore, glaucoma screening is pertinent to aid early detection. However, screening the general population may not be cost-effective. Instead, identifying high-risk groups to guide screening efforts for early detection may be an effective solution. Dr. Huan Song, a researcher with Sichuan University and the University of Iceland, and colleagues set out to ascertain the risk of glaucoma among people with different sleep behaviors: insomnia; too much or too little sleep; night or morning chronotypes (owls or larks); daytime sleepiness; and snoring. They drew on 409,053 participants in the UK Biobank, all of whom were aged between 40 and 69 in 2006-10 when recruited, and who had provided details of their sleep behaviors. Sleep duration was defined as normal (7 to less than 9 hours/day) and as too little or too much, outside this range. Chronotype was defined according to whether the person described themselves as more of a morning lark or night owl. Insomnia severity was classified as never/sometimes or usually, whereas subjective daytime sleepiness was categorized as never/rarely, sometimes, or frequent. During an average monitoring period of just over 10.5 years, 8,690 cases of glaucoma were identified. Those with glaucoma tended to be older and more likely to be male, an ever smoker, and to have high blood pressure or diabetes than those who werent diagnosed with the disease. With the exception of chronotype, the other four sleep patterns/behaviors were all associated with varying degrees of heightened glaucoma risk. Short or long sleep duration was associated with an 8% heightened risk; insomnia 12%; snoring 4%; and frequent daytime sleepiness (20%). And compared with those with a healthy sleep pattern, snorers and those who experienced daytime sleepiness were 10% more likely to have glaucoma, while insomniacs and those with a short/long sleep duration pattern were 13% more likely to have it. The results were similar when categorized by different types of glaucoma. This is an observational study, and as such, cant establish cause, the authors said. The study relied on self report rather than objective measurement and reflected one point in time only. Glaucoma might itself influence sleep patterns, rather than the other way round. The study was published in the journal BMJ Open. _____ C. Sun et al. 2022. Association of sleep behaviour and pattern with the risk of glaucoma: a prospective cohort study in the UK Biobank. BMJ Open 12: e063676; doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-063676 Somalia: Vote on UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) Mandate Renewal* Tomorrow morning (31 October), the Security Council is expected to vote on a draft resolution renewing the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) for one year, until 31 October 2023. The Council last renewed UNSOMs mandate through resolution 2632 of 26 May, which extended the missions mandate for five months. Members apparently chose this duration to give time for the formation of a new government following the conclusion, in May, of the protracted Somali electoral process and to allow for a strategic review of the mission to be conducted. A new Somali federal government is now in place and has laid out its national priorities. The Secretary-General has also submitted the outcome of the strategic review to the Security Council on 26 September (S/2022/716). It seems that the negotiations on the draft resolution went smoothly. The UK, the penholder on Somalia, circulated a first draft of the text on 24 October and convened one round of negotiations on 26 October. A revised draft was placed under silence on 27 October until 28 October. China and Russia broke silence, including about language on climate change and humanitarian issues. The penholder made further revisions and placed the text in blue on Friday afternoon (28 October). The mandate renewal process was informed by the outcome of the UNSOM strategic review conducted pursuant to resolution 2592 of 30 August 2021 and resolution 2632 of 26 May. The independent review team, led by former Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya Ian Martin, visited Somalia and Ethiopia between 1 and 9 August to hold consultations with representatives of the Somali federal government, regional states, UN agencies, the AU, the AU Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), international partners, as well as women and youth civil society representatives. The review stressed UNSOMs significant role for state-building in Somalia and the need for the missions continued presence in the country. It recognised the federal governments request for a clear end state towards the transition from a special political mission to a UN country team and underscored the need for the mission to start a planning process to that end. While noting that UNSOMs mandate remains relevant and is aligned with the federal governments priorities, the review stressed the need for the missions leadership to prioritise and sequence the mandate elements, and conduct a staffing and reconfiguration review to match the missions capacities with its key priorities and to strengthen its core political functions. It recommended that UNSOM provide support to the federal government and federal member states to agree on the model of federalism they want to implement in Somalia. Other important priorities highlighted by the review include support for reconciliation, democratic participation, security sector reform (SSR), human rights, the rule of law, and the women, peace and security agenda. Moreover, the review emphasised the significance of UNSOMs close cooperation with ATMIS and recommended the establishment of joint co-located teams on substantive overlapping mandate areas. It also stressed the need to start planning for the security transition and drawdown of ATMIS in accordance with resolution 2628 of 31 March, which endorsed the decision by the AU Peace and Security Council to reconfigure the AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) into ATMIS. The draft resolution in blue does not make substantive changes to UNSOMs core mandated tasks as set out in resolution 2158 of 29 May 2014 and resolution 2592 of 30 August 2021. It welcomes the outcome of the strategic review and endorses its proposed benchmarks and recommendations to monitor the missions timely execution and achievement of its mandate. It also requests UNSOM to maintain and strengthen its presence across Somalia and to continue enhancing its cooperation with the federal government and ATMIS to support state-building and peacebuilding efforts in the country. The draft text in blue expresses grave concern over the continued threats posed by Al-Shabaab to the peace, security and stability of Somalia and the wider region. The federal government has intensified its military operations against Al-Shabaab in recent months, making significant gains in removing the group from several villages and towns in Hirshabelle and Galmudug states. In this regard, the draft resolution in blue recognises these renewed operations and encourages UNSOM to provide the necessary assistance, including by ensuring timely, balanced support to areas newly, or recently recovered from Al-Shabaab. It also emphasises the need to accelerate the implementation of the Somalia Transition Plan, which outlines steps towards the gradual handover of security responsibilities from international forces to the government. By the end of December, ATMIS is expected to reduce the number of its uniformed personnel by 2,000 (currently, the mission has an authorised strength of 19,626 uniformed personnel). Somalia is facing one of the worst droughts it has experienced in decades. In this regard, averting a looming famine has been a major priority for the Somali federal government and its humanitarian partners. The draft resolution in blue expresses serious concern about the humanitarian situation in Somalia and calls on member states to scale up their humanitarian support to the country. During the negotiations, it seems that there was some discussion on language related to humanitarian guiding principles. In recent years, some members have insisted on including references to the UN guiding principles for humanitarian assistance adopted by the General Assembly through resolution 46/182 in 1991, which stressed state sovereignty and the consent of the concerned member state. This issue has affected negotiations on several Council products. The draft resolution in blue underscores the need to facilitate the provision of humanitarian assistance in line with applicable international humanitarian law, and in a manner consistent with the UN guiding principles of humanitarian emergency assistance (UN General Assembly resolution 46/182). (For more information, see our 31 August 2021 In Hindsight on Humanitarian Space and the Security Council.) The other issue that apparently elicited some discussion was language related to climate change, which was seemingly tweaked by the penholder to address some members concerns. The draft resolution in blue recognises the adverse effects of climate change, environmental degradation, other ecological changes, natural disasters, among other factors on the stability of Somalia, including through floods, drought, desertification, land degradation and food insecurity. It also requests the UN, the Somali federal government and the federal member states to consider these factors in their programmes in Somalia, including through comprehensive risk assessments and risk management strategies. Furthermore, the draft resolution in blue contains new language which notes the efforts by the UN to expand renewable energy use in missions. _________________________________________________________________ *Post-script: On 31 October, the Security Council adopted resolution 2657, renewing the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) for one year. Fourteen members voted in favour and one abstained (China). The Security Council maintained UNSOMs core mandate and tasks and requested the mission to provide regular updates every 120 days after its first report on the implementation of its mandate based on the benchmarks outlined in the strategic review, which is due by February 2023. L'ex-Premier ministre pakistanais Imran Khan blesse Lex-Premier ministre pakistanais Imran Khan a ete blesse a un pied jeudi apres des coups de feu en marge dun rassemblement politique, a indique a lAFP lun de ses proches conseillers. Movies-and-tv Film Jerry Brown was the ultimate disrupter, according to new documentary Ramin Rahimian/The New York Times Jerry Brown, seen speaking to supporters in Oakland after being elected governor in 2010, is the subject of Jerry Brown: The Disrupter, directed by Marina Zenovich. Climate change, renewable energy, equal gender and race representation Jerry Browns concerns about such issues in the 1970s seemed petty and even loony to many. Governor Moonbeam was the name Chicago columnist Mike Royko dubbed Brown at the time. Five decades later, the four-term California governor, three-time presidential candidate and 50-year public servant has proved to have been remarkably on-target during times when few were listening. A new documentary, Jerry Brown: The Disrupter, examines the foresight Brown displayed as a young politician and celebrates Browns longtime commitment to public service. Directed by Emmy Awardwinning Marina Zenovich, the film will world-premiere Thursday in San Francisco at the Doc Stories festival. My father was a California legislator, and Ive known Jerry since I was a kid, says the Los Angeles-based Zenovich, who is known for her biographical documentaries; Lance Armstrong, Roman Polanski and Robin Williams are among her previous subjects. She has long admired Brown, she says, and had always wanted to make a film about him. Admiring but not adulatory, the doc uses recent interviews and archival footage to chronicle Browns 50-year political career and guide us through a half century of California political history. Zenovichs interviewees include former California treasurer (and Browns sister) Kathleen Brown, former Governors Gray Davis and Arnold Schwarzenegger, former Assembly Speaker Willie Brown, former Brown campaign adviser Tom Quinn and journalists Todd Purdum and Miriam Pawel. While popular with liberal Democrats and at the same time viewed as a fiscal conservative, Brown has generally been hard to categorize. Hes been described as everything from a groundbreaker to a centrist to a grassroots populist. He also can be tough to interview, Zenovich says a sentiment with which journalist Adam Nagourney, who wrote a 2018 New York Times piece titled Tips for Interviewing Jerry Brown, would agree. One tip from Nagourney: Its not a good idea to use the word legacy in asking about Mr. Browns, um, legacy. Brown questions what you question, Zenovich says. It was a tough sell, Zenovich says, describing the main source for her documentary. There were already documentaries about politicians ... Jerry Brown is a man of ideas, not somebody who wants to sit down and talk about himself. He is filled with ideas. He was in his head, and I wanted something emotional from him, she says of interviewing Brown. Not to worry, though. The combination of Browns reflections, which are not insubstantial, and the wide range of other commentary we hear in the film tells us what we need to know about the title subject. Even those old enough to remember Jerry Browns entire career will likely have forgotten some of the many events the film references. The son of Edmund G. Pat Brown, who was Californias governor from 1959 to 1967, San Franciscoborn Jerry Brown, aka Edmund G. Brown Jr., grew up surrounded by politics but didnt initially want a political career. He studied at a Jesuit seminary and then changed paths, attending UC Berkeley and Yale Law School. He found the law books tedious, while political discourse stirred him. Brown served as Californias secretary of state from 1971 to 1975 and, in 1974 at 36, an age that many, his father included, deemed too young, he ran successfully for governor of California. The Brown name recognition likely helped him beat Republican Houston Flournoy. Four years later, Brown won reelection, against Republican Evelle Younger. Observers describe Brown as the freshest of the fresh faces, a rock star and a Kennedy-like figure young, bright and charismat He was dismissed at the time for his views on issues now recognized as critical, she says. But he was spot-on. He was a different drummer. Brown displayed that quality upon taking office. He rejected a governors limo and the governors mansion. (He slept instead in an apartment on a mattress on the floor, still living like a monk, one interviewee says.) A born disrupter, Brown brought climate change into the spotlight, along with subjects like renewable energy, nuclear proliferation and the possibility of launching a California satellite to monitor the environment. When Mike Royko created the Governor Moonbeam moniker (Royko later took back those words), Brown thought it was a compliment for his unconventional thinking. In 2010, Brown ran for California governor again. He served two more terms. Just think, says Zenovich, if you could do the same job at 36 and then come back and do it at 72. If you had a second chance, what would you do? As an older man, Brown humorously tosses out his 1970s claim that his youth qualified him to be a gubernatorial candidate. Instead, he cited his massive political experience as a chief asset. In addition to his above-mentioned actions, Brown, during his terms as governor, appointed numerous women and people of color to significant government posts, helped bring about a farm labor bill and convinced voters to tax themselves to heal the economy. He opposed Proposition 13 (the 1978 property-tax-limiting amendment) and 2008s Proposition 8 (the anti-marriage-equality measure). Running for federal office, Brown fared poorly. He lost a 1982 bid for the U.S. Senate. More memorably, he ran unsuccessfully for president thrice, vying for the Democratic nomination against Jimmy Carter in 1976 and 1980 and Bill Clinton in 1992. Brown acknowledges that he made mistakes in these campaigns. Some, including Zenovich, believe that, for starters, he was too eager: Brown should have waited, like Clinton did, until the time was right for him. The film also covers Browns stint, from 2007 to 2011, as state attorney general (a post Pat Brown once held), and Browns decision to run for mayor not of San Francisco but of Oakland, a choice the film has fun with. He served in that post from 1999 to 2007. Additional subjects include Browns 1980s journey to Japan to study Zen Buddhism and to India, where he worked with Mother Teresa. We also learn about Browns candor with the press. I went in with low expectations, and they were fulfilled, Brown reportedly said when asked about his meeting with President Gerald Ford. On the personal front, were reminded of Browns headline-making relationship with singer Linda Ronstadt and, more recently, Browns marriage to business executive Anne Gust. The film doesnt dissect Browns political record or personal psyche. We dont hear criticism from climate activists who believe he hasnt done enough, or from detractors refuting perceptions of Brown as a budgetary savior. But Zenovich has made an informative, entertaining and invigorating portrait of a politician who was clearly ahead of his time, and with this film she aims, through Browns example, to move people to better the world. If this film inspires one person to go into public service, I feel like Ive done my job, she says. Wind power projects in Bau Can Commune in Chu Prong District of Gia Lai Province are completed but cannot sell electricity. (Photo: SGGP) When wind turbines stop spinning Lying among the lush-green tea and coffee hills in Bau Can Commune in Chu Prong District of Gia Lai Province are giant wind turbines spiking straight into the air. The wind turbines are tens of meters high, the rotor blades are not spinning, and there is no engine noise. Ms. Tran Thi Thu Hien, Chairwoman of the People's Committee of Bau Can Commune, said that the rotor blades do not rotate, which means wind turbines are not in operation. Both projects in the commune have been completed, but if they do not operate, it will cause waste in many aspects. Those two wind power projects are the Mountain Development Wind Power Plant and the Central Highlands Processing Wind Power Plant, with a total capacity of 100MW, constructed in 2020 and completed after October 31, 2021. These two projects have 30 wind turbines, of these, 28 are located in Bau Can Commune, and the other two are in Thang Hung Commune, and all of them have stopped spinning. According to the leader of the People's Committee of Bau Can Commune, the construction of wind power plants also caused impacts on the farming land of local people. When the commune asked for compensation, the wind power investor lamented that it could not sell electricity, so it was facing a financial crunch. The operational office of these two wind power projects is in the middle of a large field. Its gate is built solidly, and access is strictly controlled. According to an employee at the operational office, these projects were completed after the prescribed deadline, so they have not been connected to the national power system to sell electricity. Along both sides of National Highway 1A in Ninh Thuan Province are wind turbines of Hanbaram Wind Power Plant, but not all rotor blades are spinning. Mr. Dang Manh Cuong, Director of Hanbaram Wind Power Joint Stock Company, said wind turbines were installed in Loi Hai and Bac Phong communes in Thuan Bac District and Xuan Hai and Tan Hai communes in Ninh Hai District. The project's capacity is 117MW, including 27 4MW and two 4.5MW wind turbines. The total investment capital of the project is nearly VND5 trillion, of which, the investor's capital accounts for 30 percent, equivalent to VND1.5 trillion, and the rest is bank loans. Mr. Do Nguyen Hai Dang, Chief Inspector of Thuan Bac District in Ninh Thuan Province, said the project started in October 2020. According to the plan, by October 31, 2021, 29 out of 29 wind turbine pillars would be installed and connected; the transmission lines and substations connected to the national grid system would be completed. However, only six out of 29 wind turbine pillars were finished in time to be eligible to sell power. The remaining wind turbines were behind schedule and are waiting for settlement. Waiting for the mechanism to be resolved Mr. Pham Van Binh, Director of the Department of Industry and Trade of Gia Lai Province, said that among 16 wind power projects that have been under construction, four wind power projects that have been partially operated commercially with a capacity of 117MW, equivalent to 31 wind turbines, and a part with a capacity of 287MW has not been operated commercially, equivalent to 72 wind turbines; five wind power projects that have not yet been fully operated commercially have a total capacity of more than 341MW, equivalent to 88 wind turbines. In total, although the construction of 629MW out of 1,192MW of wind power, equivalent to 160 out of 297 wind turbines, with a total investment of about VND25.5 trillion, has been completed, wind power projects have not been recognized for commercial operation and approved to connect to the national power system. These projects could not sell electricity because by the end of October 31, 2021, the selling price of wind power projects in Decision No.39/2018/QD-TTg dated August 19, 2018, of the Prime Minister, expired, and there has been no electricity price for wind power projects which are issued after this date yet. According to Mr. Pham Van Binh, wind power projects are unable to complete and put into commercial operation on schedule because the Covid-19 pandemic caused the construction of these projects to be interrupted. Wind power projects ineligible to operate commercially have reduced economic efficiency and wasted social investment. Meanwhile, investors have no revenue to pay bank interest, leading to financial difficulties. Faced with that situation, at a meeting with the National Assembly's monitoring delegation in August, Gia Lai Province proposed that the Government soon issue a transitional electricity selling price after October 31, 2021, for wind power projects. While the selling price of electricity has not been issued, wind power projects should still be allowed to check and take over, energize, operate commercially, and record meter readings. Later, when there is an electricity selling price, investors will be paid for their generated power output. As for the Department of Industry and Trade, on October 10, following the direction of the provincial NA delegation and the provincial People's Committee on putting forward opinions at the 4th session of the 15th National Assembly, the department made a written petition on the above contents for the province to report to the NA and central ministries to soon remove difficulties for enterprises investing in wind power," said Mr. Pham Van Binh. The leader of the People's Committee of Ninh Thuan Province also blamed the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021 for the delayed completion of wind power projects in the province. Specifically, wind turbines are mainly imported from abroad, and the installation of wind turbines depends on foreign experts and engineers. However, due to Covid-19, entry restrictions and medical isolation affected the progress, test, and acceptance. In addition, imported super-long and super-heavy wind power equipment from abroad to Vietnam's seaports must be transported through many places. However, because many localities implemented social distancing, the transport time took longer than planned. Therefore, the delay in the completion of wind power projects must be considered a force majeure situation according to the 2015 Civil Code, so the deadline for electricity purchase should be extended to April 2022. 62 projects unable to sell electricity yet Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien signed Document No.126/BC-BCT on July 21, 2022, to report to the Prime Minister, stating that many wind power projects have been built not in time to enjoy the FIT price. Of these, 62 wind power projects with a total capacity of 3,479MW have signed contracts to sell electricity to Vietnam Electricity (EVN), but there has been no power selling price yet. Some other projects are also unfinished. Proposing solutions, the Minister of Industry and Trade said that to avoid wasting social investment, it is necessary to determine a mechanism for electricity selling prices for these projects. Investors of transitional projects conduct electricity price negotiations and power purchase and sale contracts with EVN within the electricity generation price bracket and guidelines issued by the Ministry of Industry and Trade. Recently, on October 3, the Ministry of Industry and Trade issued Circular No.15/TT-BCT stipulating methods for building a price bracket for electricity generation of transitional solar and wind power plants. The circular requests that investors who have signed a power purchase and sale contract but have not yet been able to sell electricity submit a dossier to EVN for settling. By Lac Phong Translated by Gia Bao Illustrative photo The ministry will coordinate with relevant ministries and agencies to improve the enforcement capacity of competent forces to fully implement international commitments and treaties related to fishing, especially the Agreement on Port State Measures, to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in accordance with international practices, said Nguyen Quang Hung, deputy general director of the ministrys Directorate of Fisheries (DoF). MARD will also increase investigations and assess resources to ensure sustainable output. It will effectively carry out projects on the exploitation and protection of aquatic resources, and the Fisheries Development Strategy approved by the Prime Minister to ensure the sustainable and responsible development of the fishing industry and the livelihoods of fishermen, he said. Earlier, at a reception for an European Commission (EC) delegation who came to Vietnam to inspect the country's implementation of the EC recommendations, Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh said Vietnam has been making all-out efforts to implement the EC recommendations on ending IUU fishing in the best possible manner toward a sustainable, responsible, and controlled fishing industry. He also reaffirmed Vietnam's strong commitment and concerted efforts by authorities, fishermen and businesses to prevent and eradicate IUU fishing. Hung also informed that the EC delegation visited the central province of Khanh Hoa to inspect its efforts to tackle IUU fishing and held a working session with the DoF in late October. They focused on inspecting the management of fishing ships, traceability of aquatic products, law enforcement, and other related issues. The delegation is set to make their following field trip to Vietnam in the next six months. VNA Page Content CBS has agreed to pay a $30.5 million settlement after a state investigation found that the media company knew about and covered up multiple allegations of sexual assault made against former CBS President and CEO Les Moonves. Company leaders hid the accusations from regulators, shareholders and the public. A senior executive at CBS who knew about the allegations sold millions of dollars of CBS stock in the weeks before the allegations became public, violating New York's laws on insider trading. The broadcast giant will pay $22 million to shareholders and $6 million to sexual harassment and assault programs. Mooves is required to pay $2.5 million to stockholders whom New York Attorney General Letitia James said initially did not know about the allegations. "CBS and Leslie Moonves' attempts to silence victims, lie to the public and mislead investors can only be described as reprehensible," James said in a statement. "After trying to bury the truth to protect their fortunes, today CBS and Leslie Moonves are paying millions of dollars for their wrongdoing. Today's action should send a strong message to companies across New York that profiting off injustice will not be tolerated and those who violate the law will be held accountable." In 2017, a woman filed a report with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) describing an assault by Moonves, according to documents filed in the investigation. An LAPD captain then privately alerted CBS as well as Moonves. Each party tried to prevent the public from learning about the police report, the investigation stated. In July 2018, The New Yorker published an article about the allegations, causing public uproar. Moonves resigned later that year after facing sexual harassment and physical and sexual assault allegations from at least 12 women. CBS neither admitted nor denied wrongdoing in the settlement. Moonves had previously called the allegations untrue. "Candidly, I've seen a lot in my 20-plus years of practicing employment law," said Sandra Jezierski, an attorney with law firm Nilan Johnson Lewis in Minneapolis. "But I was shocked by the level of cover-up that occurred and the fact that an LAPD captain not only shared an unredacted, confidential police report of a sexual assault with Moonvesthe perpetratorand CBS, but also actively assisted in the cover-up." The #MeToo Movement: Why More Work Must Be Done The allegations against Moonves arose when the #MeToo movement was gaining popularity. Several high-profile executives, from former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, were accused of sexual wrongdoing. By October 2018, more than 200 powerful men had been ousted after public allegations of sexual harassment or assault, according to The New York Times. At least 920 people said one of those men had subjected them to sexual misconduct, and nearly half of the men who were replaced were succeeded by women. Mark Kluger, founder of law firm Kluger Healey LLC in Fairfield, N.J., said the #MeToo movement has increased awareness of sexual misconduct among employers. "Since the outset of the #MeToo movement, though, changes in the law, improved training, awareness, and ongoing internal and external pressure from employees and consumers has resulted in much improved mechanisms for addressing issues of workplace sexual harassment and assault," he said. However, five years after the rise of the #MeToo movement, sexual harassment still runs rampant within workplaces, with a recent survey showing that more than 50 percent of female employees experienced this form of harassment in the past year. Jezierski said workplaces must take immediate action upon learning of sexual assault and harassment allegations, regardless of whether the alleged perpetrator sits in the C-suite. The CBS investigation shows what can happen when companies do not act on accusations. "Culture starts from the top," she said. "The message [CBS] executives sent to their employees is that when you sit in the C-suite, you won't be held accountable for your actionsin this case, sexual assault." Page Content Before you launch a workplace investigation, take the time to plan out how you will conduct your interviews. They will lay the groundwork for everything that will follow. This article highlights key aspects of an investigation's interview process, from questions to ask to the timing of the investigation. A subsequent article will focus on confidentiality issues arising during investigations. The planning process for these interviews "does not have to be protracted, but it does need to be thorough," said Martha Boyd, an attorney with Baker Donelson in Nashville, Tenn. "Having a basic outline of your investigatory process, an initial list of witnesses, and an initial review of documents and videos on the front end can save you a lot of time on the back end." Gather Witnesses and Information Typically, an investigator starts with a core group of witnesses and then may identify others who they believe have relevant information. "As you start to interview those people, you may realize that they do not have relevant information; their information is cumulative from what you've heard from other people; or they have information that, while interesting, is unrelated to the subject of your investigation," Boyd said. There's often a temptation to veer off into other topics, particularly if the investigator recognizes the potential for legal liability to the employer, but the investigator needs to resist that inclination and stay focused. "That said, definitely note what you learn about any other potential areas of concern and provide that information to the employer so those new matters can be separately investigated," she said. Questions to Ask Here are some possible key questions for the complainant, according to Anne Knox Averitt, an attorney with Bradley in Birmingham, Ala.: What happened? Who was involved? If the complaint is something heard through the grapevine, where did this information come from? Who witnessed it? What concerns you about it? Is there any background information that you think is relevant? For witnesses: What did you observe? For any information provided, if not based on firsthand observations, where did that information come from? Who did witness it? For the accused: Did this event happen? What is your perspective? Is there any background information that you think is relevant? Do you understand the complainant's perspective? Investigation Do's and Don'ts Ideally, the investigator builds a rapport where the accused wants to talk with the investigator again and keeps feeding the investigator information after the interview "because they understand it's a competition for truth-telling," noted Harry Jones, an attorney with Polsinelli in Dallas. "A solid investigation involves the investigator interviewing the complainant, the accused and witnesses; taking notes; asking open-ended questions; asking follow-up questions; and really drilling down if an answer does not make sense," Boyd said. "Investigators should not terminate the interview until they have completely exhausted the subject and asked about any inconsistencies in the witnesses' statements," she added. "It is fine to script a few questions in advance, but recognize that you need to allow the flexibility to vary from those questions if the interview elicits more questions." Whenever possible during an interview, have a third person in the room who can serve as a witness and who can take complete, thorough notes, recommended Tamsin Kaplan, an attorney with Davis Malm in Boston. "Alternatively, only if the [person being interviewed] willingly agrees, interviews can be recorded," she said. An investigator may also ask, "Is there anything else that you think may be relevant to the current situation that you think would be helpful for me to know?" recommended Renee Inomata, an attorney with Casner & Edwards in Boston. "Don't assume you know what happened or why, even if this is the fifth person you've interviewed," cautioned Mary Kuntz, an attorney with Kalijarvi, Chuzi, Newman & Fitch in Washington, D.C. Timing of Interviews The sooner the investigation can begin, the better, Inomata noted. "The timing can be critical, not only to ensure the clearest of witness recollections and preservation of evidence, but to convey that an employer is taking the matter seriously and is prioritizing the safety and welfare of its workforce at the same level as other business priorities," she said. However, the timing of an investigation often depends on the subject matter of the investigation and the availability of witnesses, she added. For example, when the allegations involve potential physical harm to an employee, investigations are usually best begun as close to the incident as possible, she said. But an allegation of one or two unlawful comments may take more time to investigate, said Catherine Scott, an attorney with Morgan, Brown & Joy in Boston. Investigations can range from days to weeks or months, she noted. "In some situations, where the alleged victim has taken a medical leave of absence, the investigation may be commenced soon after the allegations have been reported but may not be able to be concluded until after the employee returns from the leave and is able to be interviewed," Inomata said. In other situations, witnesses may scatter, such as after a global sales meeting or conference. Expediency will be important to ensure that all possible witness statements are collected before losing contact with a witness, she noted. Boyd cautioned, however, that "investigators should never just hand the witness a piece of paper and tell them to write a statement." She added, "People who do not write professionally for a living may struggle to write a coherent statement, and you often end up with something that lacks details, isn't well-constructed and may be internally inconsistent." Jones emphasized that the investigator may expand or contract the investigation. "Often, I've been told at entry the investigation will be complex," he said. "But when I get into it, I find the entire thing revolves around one or two days and one or two people and one or two documents, upon which all the rest depends." Want to know more? Explore SHRM's best-practice framework for leading independent workplace investigations. According to the Observatory of Economic Complexity, a global trade statistics platform, India increased monthly imports from Russia by 430 per cent compared to the five-year average. The Ministry of Industry and Trade of India reported that trade turnover between Russia and India exceeded $18.2 billion in the first five months of the fiscal year. The surge in trade between the two countries made Russia the country's seventh largest trade partner, rising from 25th place with a total trade turnover of $13.1 billion in 2021. Of the total bilateral trade from April to August, India's imports from Russia totalled $17.2 billion, while Indian exports to Russia totalled $992.73 million. The start of transportation along the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) and the partnership relations established between the countries in recent years have largely contributed to bilateral trade growth. "Our economies are increasingly benefitting from the interaction. The leadership of Prime Minister Modi saw many achievements in recent years, and the trade between our countries is growing. For example, Prime Minister Modi asked me to supply more fertilisers, which are vital for Indian agriculture. And we have done so. We increased our fertiliser exports to India by a factor of 7.6. Not 7.6 per cent but 7.6 times," said Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Valdai Club meeting. He also mentioned that trade in agricultural commodities between the two countries has doubled. "Indian entrepreneurs should leverage the current situation in Europe to strengthen trade ties with Russia," stated S. Adikesavan, former CEO of the State Bank of India (SBI). "After the West imposed anti-Russian sanctions, trade turnover between Russia and India increased. Trade in INR and RUB will help India reduce its dependence on the US dollar," he explained. Increased energy exports from Russia have already allowed India to pursue its energy relief plan, while trade growth has enabled the country to increase its GDP and become a leader among the world's economies. The development of international economic and transport corridors, such as the INSTC, is crucial to these efforts. Professor Agnieszka Kuszewska of the Polish Institute of Middle and Far East, speaking at an international conference on Central Asia in Bishkek, stated that the 7,200-km-long INSTC serves as a geostrategic alternative to China's New Silk Road stipulated by the Belt and Road Initiative. According to the professor, INSTC could potentially strengthen India's geostrategic position in the region manifold, increasing its chances to counteract China's expansionism, while cooperation with Iran and Central Asian countries would allow Indian cargoes to bypass Pakistan. The growing role of the INSTC in trade between the two countries is driven not only by the sanctions against Russia, but also by the change in economic hubs. According to Andrei Belousov, First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, the longitudinal transport infrastructure between Russia and neighbouring countries no longer meets global trends, as now the key role is played by latitudinal routes, especially the North-South route. Belousov also believes that the corridor could become a full-fledged competitor to the Suez Canal. "By 2030, we expect to double the volumes of Russian cargo passing through the INSTC, reaching 32 million tonnes as compared to the current 17 million tonnes. Furthermore, we have great hopes for the western route that passes through Azerbaijan," said the First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia. "For Russia, the INSTC is a powerful, landmark trade route that will bring us closer to Iran and India, the two key players at this time. In the long term, India may prove to be a much bigger strategic partner for us than China," suggested Konstantin Andrianov, associate professor at the State University of Management, member of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, and an expert at the Russian State Duma. According to the expert, India is currently the leader in economic growth and has the potential to become the world's largest economy, as it regularly outpaces even China's development. Once the INSTC is fully operational, India will be in a position to fully meet its demand for energy, metals, and military equipment, cutting delivery time and cost. Moreover, the country would stand to develop international collaboration in new and promising sectors and industries, including aluminium, pharmaceuticals, and food exports. The country has experienced business and economic growth due to the rise in female entrepreneurs and the motivation of the subsequent generation of female founders. Women-owned businesses play a significant role in society. India, the second-most populated nation and third-largest emitter, is a significant contributor to the climate issue. Startup India has to foster women's entrepreneurship in India through initiatives, programs, the development of enabling networks and communities, and the activation of partnerships among various stakeholders in the startup ecosystem. This commitment is part of the organization's vision to support the sustainable development of women entrepreneurs for the nation's balanced growth. With more startups being added to the Indian startup ecosystem each year, it is growing stronger and stronger. There are currently 21 unicorns and startups in the nation with valuations of over $1 billion each, while 40 more of these businesses as started by individuals of Indian descent abroad. The truth is that India is currently seeing growth in every sector, and this growth is primarily due to factors other than the adoption of new technology, the creation of new organizations and businesses, or the adoption of industry 4.0. However, it is encouraging to see more female leaders participate. How do entrepreneurs in climate technology fare? The growing impact of climate change due to greenhouse gas emissions has been a dominant cause of worldwide concern, gaining attention from investors with venture capital firms pouring $53.7B into climate tech in 2021. Climate-focused funding in private markets had projected to continue over the coming decade, with the industry expected to grow to $1.9T by 2030. There are now 78 climate technology unicorns. The biggest number of these unicorns are sitting in Mobility and Transport. While electric vehicles, micro-mobility (light-weight single-person short-distance transport), driverless cars, and other innovative transit solutions continue to attract significant funding. The interest in climate tech businesses has grown significantly in the tech industry. Still, scaling is a barrier, particularly in industries where the inventor is too large for angel finance yet too high-risk for commercial lending. The function of venture capital is crucial since the economy would unavoidably decarbonizes over the following ten years. Women led Business Impact The women's community of India is now contributing in every space, competing and even doing better than their male counterparts; accept it or not, this is making a huge difference in the country's growth. More often than not, the buzzing startup culture is praised for its progressive mentality. Key aspects like funds, safety, comfortable work environment, business opportunities, and many more have been improved from a female standpoint, either by using cutting-edge technology or a holistic system to create a niche space for women. There are many spaces where women leaders have already waved the flag of victory. Women-owned enterprises provide the economy with a lot of energy. There are 432 million working-age women in India, and 13.5 to 15.7 million of those firms were held by women. These businesses directly employ 22 to 27 million people. In addition, women are in charge of a lot of businesses. Indian women are self-reliant and highly motivated to launch their businesses. According to, over five years, start-ups that were formed or cofounded by women bring in 10% more overall income. These start-ups offer a more welcoming work environment and hire three times as many women as men. In addition, it has been predicted that women-owned firms will expand by 90% during the following five years. Google India informed that it received close to 400 applications, out of which 20 women-led startups have been selected for the first cohort. It further stated that its women-focused accelerator program would help these startups in areas such as access to capital, resolving problems in hiring talent, mentorship, and other allied challenges women entrepreneurs face. Besides, Google Indias accelerator program will also host workshops and support startups in areas such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, cloud, UX, Android, web, product strategy, and growth. It will further connect them with a global community of women entrepreneurs. Google Indias Google for startup Accelerator Women Founders program was launched in June this year with a focus on women-led sector-agonistic early-stage and growth-stage startups. At the time of its launch, Google India told Inc42 that it looked to launch two cohort-based programs focusing on Indian women entrepreneurs in a year. Outlook In India, having a bank account was a significant accomplishment for women. However, there are already more than 15.7 million women-owned businesses, and they dominate the startup environment. This dramatic development highlights the potential and tenacity of Indian women. Women were meant to dominate India's workforce in the following decades, influencing and enhancing the nation's future. By 2030, it is predicted that 150170 million employment will be generated by an additional over 30 million women-owned companies. This might transform everything and make the economy's future seem more promising. Redis, the real-time data platform, is presenting the latest in data innovation during an in-person event, RedisDays Bangalore, at The Leela Palace Hotel on Friday 4 November. The event is headlined by Redis co-founder and CTO, Yiftach Shoolman and executives from Redis customers from across the Indian economyAngelOne, Meesho, and Razorpaysharing how modern cloud-native applications must be architected. One of the most critical factors in delivering a true real-time experience is the performance of the database and the ability to achieve the lowest possible latency (<1 millisecond). A recent survey by ResearchScape, commissioned by Redis, found that 92% of IT professionals in India considered this level of real-time performance to be extremely important or very important to their applications. Im excited to be able to return to India and bring the Redis community together again in-person. The enthusiasm and growth weve experienced in this market has been extraordinary, said Yiftach Shoolman, Co-Founder and CTO, Redis. Across all sectors of Indias economyfinancial services, retail and e-commerce, gaming, and software companiesare delivering innovative experiences, disrupting markets, and scaling rapidly by leveraging the power and flexibility of Redis Enterprise. In addition to its sub-millisecond performance, Redis Enterprises flexible deployment options and cloud agnostic approach has allowed companies to architect their applications with a cloud-native mindset regardless where they are in their journey leveraging cloud services. In fact the ResearchScape survey reported 66% of Indian IT professionals stated their company already implemented a multicloud footprint and another 31% said their company planned to within the next six months. However the biggest challenge in implementing their multicloud strategy when it comes to the data layer was the technical architecture differences between the public clouds (50%). Related, the biggest factor in choosing a database was the flexibility in deployment options across on-premises, public clouds and multicloud (17%). RedisDays Bangalore will be bringing real-time performance use cases, at scale and across different cloud-native architectures through leading customers representing a variety of industries. Jyotiswarup Pai Raiturkar, Chief Technology Officer of online brokerage, AngelOne, will share the companys migration from open source to Redis Enterprise including how to evaluate when to make the move and technical considerations required in the planning. Debdoot Mukherjee, Chief Data Scientist from e-commerce platform, Meesho, discusses the companys multicloud strategy and how they're building machine learning-driven customer experiences with Redis Enterprise. Pranjal Yadav, Staff Engineer, Data Science/Machine Learning, at online payments company, Razorpay, will show how Redis Enterprise can squeeze greater performance from a SQL database and ensure a streamlined payments experience for customers. Thank you for visiting the Daily Journal. Please purchase an Enhanced Subscription to continue reading. To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account. We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription. A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means youre helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much! The policy director of Australias peak financial counselling body has called for a major regulatory overhaul of online gambling, after the financial crimes watchdog announced an investigation into two of the industrys biggest players over potential breaches of money laundering laws. The Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre announced Sportsbet and Bet 365 may face multimillion-dollar fines and severe regulatory interventions after appointing two external auditors to probe the foreign owned bookies compliance with anti-money laundering and counterterrorism laws on Thursday. Last month, the regulator announced a similar crackdown on Irish giant Entain. Financial Counselling Australias Lauren Levin welcomed the investigations into the three bookmakers but said shes yet to see evidence of any gambling operators taking their responsibilities seriously because the watchdog has failed to produce a comprehensive assessment of the industry. Gambling is an inherently high-risk product, which harms a lot of people and the current siloed regulatory approach is failing to mitigate the risks it poses. AUSTRAC works in a silo. The state gambling regulations work in their own silos, and ACMA has its own silo, Levin said. Levin said AUSTRACs superpower was its ability to impose large fines. With little warning, China locked down the worlds largest iPhone factory on Wednesday, declaring the zone around the Zhengzhou Foxconn Technology Group complex off-limits to combat a local COVID-19 outbreak. Its the last thing Apple needed. The abrupt move is expected to further disrupt a factory already grappling with an outcry over an on-site coronavirus outbreak, worker exodus and enforced quarantine. Local authorities said on Wednesday that they will sterilise Foxconns campus and the surrounding areas in the next three days and send N95 face masks to workers, another sign of the governments tightening grip. It served up a stark reminder to Apple of the dangers of relying on a vast production machine centred on China to put together its most vital product. China has locked down Apples largest iPhone production site. Credit:AP The Zhengzhou plant plays a monumental role in increasing capacity ahead of the holiday season, said Nicole Peng, an analyst with Canalys. Some of the orders generated in holiday promotional campaigns may not be able to be immediately delivered. Product delivery in certain channels could also be delayed. Extreme weather records heat, floods, rain and droughts have been broken on every continent on Earth in the past 12 months, and Australia is no exception. Eastern Australia has been deluged by record-breaking La Nina rainfall, turning the lives of residents in towns such as Echuca, Lismore, Rochester and Gundagai upside down for weeks, if not months. When environmental activist Greta Thunberg began work on her new project, The Climate Book, two years ago, she had hoped action on climate change might be well underway by 2022, but instead, it has fallen far short. Greta Thunbergs new book features writing by more than 100 experts on the climate and sustainability crisis. I thought the things I wrote would become irrelevant by the time it was published because it was such a long process, Thunberg tells The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. [But] its only more relevant now because things have only become worse. Things that are in the book now are understatements of the emergency that were facing. Loading At the same time, our investment in gas is critical to the energy transition, helping customers mainly in Asia transition away from coal and wood burning, the spokesperson said. Addressing a challenge as big as climate change requires a truly collaborative, society-wide approach. We believe smart policy from government, supported by action from business and society, is the appropriate way to reach solutions and drive progress. The company has indicated it is making strides in the area, including by increasing the amount it spends on its energy transition and investing in renewable energy projects. Shell is only one of many firms that has found itself under the greenwashing microscope among them are Nike, H&M, Coca-Cola, IKEA, BP, Starbucks, Ryanair, HSBC and McDonalds. One notable case involved thousands of German consumers who sought compensation from Volkswagen over emissions test cheating in 2015. The company was found to have installed software in diesel engines that could detect when they were being tested, changing the performance accordingly to improve results. It was subsequently forced to pay $46.3 billion in fines, compensation and legal costs. In September, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that many VW cars being sold in America had a defeat device - or software - in diesel engines that could detect when they were being tested, changing the performance accordingly to improve results. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission flagged they would expand their remit to look at misleading environmental claims to cater to changing consumer demands earlier this year. ACCC and ASIC have confirmed there are numerous investigations into greenwashing allegations. And theres already been action. Last month, ASIC issued an Australia-based energy company developing power projects in parts of Africa a fine for greenwashing. While neither regulatory body can comment on the EDO complaint specifically, the general process is examining the hundreds of thousands of complaints they receive annually. Only a small handful deemed substantial enough will proceed to the investigation and legal stage. While the broader regulatory crackdown on greenwashing is a welcome step, Professor of Political Philosophy at the University of NSW Jeremy Moss says the response from companies has been underwhelming. The push for greater transparency has come from consumers and shareholders, with the regulatory sector only just catching up. But Moss says natural disasters have sparked greater interest in stronger climate action from these groups. That, in addition to the growing concern of climate-induced risk from the financial industry is behind increased regulatory oversight, he said. Back-to-back natural disasters have pushed many consumers, investors and shareholders to demand greater transparency around corporate climate action. Credit:Flavio Brancaleone However, experts say Australia is lagging behind its global counterparts. This is driven by the politicisation of climate change by previous governments, a recent report by the Australian Institute notes. Senior researcher with the institute Polly Hemming says the federal governments own record with greenwashing is poor. In real terms emissions from fossil fuels in Australia really havent declined and we have a pipeline of over 100 new gas and coal projects in development, she said. And greenwash is enabled by the fact that we have no credible regulatory framework that requires the private sector to comprehensively report or reduce emissions in Australia. The private sector is technically not breaking any rules when it makes claims that you or I might find misleading because there are none. Loading Hemming said while there was no suggestion that coal and gas projects be shut down tomorrow, the science showed the transition needed to happen rapidly if global warming was to be slowed. Most fossil fuel companies claiming theyre moving towards net zero or investing in renewables are also proposing to ramp up their production. Theres no evidence that there is a shift away from their current business model, she says. Hemming adds that terms like net zero, sustainable, carbon neutral, climate neutral or nature positive, were buzzwords that had limited legal binding. Theyre completely open to interpretation which makes it impossible to identify greenwash from legitimate action, she says. Net Zero in Australia is a mixed bag of claims and creative accounting where most businesses assume they can be the net, but no one is prepared to be the zero. Director of Climate Energy Finance Tim Buckley adds fossil fuel companies have the power and financial resources to play their part in the transition, but it comes down to balancing short-term financial gains and longer-term structural shifts. But he remains hopeful that some leading fossil fuel companies will pivot to play their part in reducing climate change through climate science, ongoing scrutiny from consumers, shareholders, authorities, and ongoing investment in the financial and technology sectors. Loading For those at the EDO, and further afield, the mounting cases they are working on suggest their task wont be an easy one. Theres more [cases] than we can deal with, says Ruddock. But they, like many others, are determined to keep pushing for accountability. The owners of a well-known Sydney function centre are taking their local council to court in a last-ditch attempt to halt construction of a childrens skate park along the Bay Run that was a decade in the making. Le Montage in Lilyfield which hosted Salim Mehajers colourful 2015 wedding is seeking a court order to stop Inner West Council from building the skate park directly next door in Callan Park, arguing the council did not properly consider the facilitys impact on the venues views. The skate park is now under construction next door to the Le Montage wedding venue in Lilyfield. Credit:Brook Mitchell In a press release, Le Montages Giovannino John Navarra said he was primarily concerned with traffic flow and the safety of children on an adrenalin rush running around near licensed venues and Le Montages loading dock. Navarra has also sensationally claimed to hold a native earth claim over the land which he says was given to him by a personal treaty with Lady Crown Turikatuku III, who is a local singer of Maori descent. Premier Dominic Perrottet announced $100 million to acquire safe parcels of land for future development, in partnership with the Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation , in the Ballina, Byron, Clarence Valley, Kyogle, Lismore, Richmond Valley, and Tweed areas. This will not come cheap, but in the long run, millions of dollars could be saved as well as lives, and peoples sense of wellbeing. The NSW government is trying to provide answers, scouting for flood-safe land that would allow residents to rebuild but remain in their community, as this masthead reported. Recommended by the NSW floods inquiry, such a program removes people from the most vulnerable areas, where major flooding would pose a catastrophic risk to life. Still, it is a heart-wrenching decision for many people. For a start, it requires answering the question: Where would I go? Starting on Friday, communities throughout the flood-ravaged Northern Rivers region will begin meetings to discuss buyback zones, where residents may be supported to leave their homes, through a joint state-federal government $800 million program. This is an approach that Australia has taken before. A decade ago, floods in Queenslands Lockyer Valley led to the Strengthening Grantham land-swap program. Most of the town relocated to higher ground. It was a complicated, expensive and emotional process, involving the federal, state and local governments. With an investment of $30 million to $40 million to develop the new site (for about 100 homes), including a federal-state grant of $18 million, the local council still owes $6.3 million. Taxpayers always have an eye on the bottom line, but given subsequent flooding in the original town, it was a sound investment. Loading John Mahon, a resident who chose to relocate to higher ground, says he still misses his old home where he raised his family, and feels a greater emotional attachment to the original town. But his wife Kathy says, Its worth a fortune not to have to worry. Their experience highlights the complex economic and personal calculations involved in relocation decisions, for the people who have to move and for those who support them. Across the globe, climate change is prompting governments and communities to consider relocations away from hazardous areas as a risk-reduction and adaptation measure to protect people and promote their long-term security. Fiji, for instance, has developed planned relocation guidelines and established a trust fund to help finance the resettlement of communities. A recent Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in the United States will provide $US130 million ($205 million) to support the relocation of tribal communities to higher ground. While planned relocations have been initiated in response to a range of hazards, flooding is the most common. They may be used as a preventive measure to move people away from risk or as a lasting solution for people already displaced to rebuild their lives elsewhere. In practice, it often serves both purposes, such as for people temporarily displaced by floods who decide to relocate permanently, in anticipation of future risk. I feel that as Mum, I should have been kept in the loop about the statement. The statement was incomplete, it was vital. Cassius was talking at the hospital and they should have taken his full statement but never did. Loading WA Police said it was standard practice for police not to take statements from people in hospital, saying the health of the child took priority, but rally co-ordinator and National Suicide Prevention and Trauma Recovery Project director Megan Krakouer said officers had never rung to check on Cassius condition. If it was someone well-to-do in the community, theyd be checking up every day, she said. Thats where the racism comes in. One of the things police can do, is every day, every second day, ring the mother, ring the father, get an update: Are they ready to complete their statement? What medication are they on? Blanch has since met with Turvey and Krakouer and promised to improve communication with victims and their families. According to residents who lived near where the attack unfolded, police did not doorknock the area for CCTV until after Cassius death, with at least one houses footage overridden during that time. Police declined to confirm when CCTV was collected. Despite no formal statement from Cassius, and missed CCTV, police had other evidence to charge Brearley with murder. Former police commissioner Karl OCallaghan said there appeared to be nothing unusual about the initial investigation. It looks like it was handled in a normal way and appropriately; the only question is whether the CCTV evidence could have been secured quickly or not, he said. What would normally happen is they would make an effort to secure any evidence that was not likely to be available for some time. For example, witnesses are likely to be around for some time so the urgency to interview those is not so great, but the urgency to preserve evidence that might be lost is much greater, so you would expect that some effort would have been made to preserve it. OCallaghan said the case should have been a priority because of the rarity of a child being beaten in broad daylight. But it may be that something rare in one world is not in another. Krakouer said racially targeted attacks were common against Aboriginal youth, but often not reported. Ive heard from so many mothers and fathers where kids are now desensitised to it, they think this is ordinary, they think this is acceptable, she said. Loading When people are chased in cars, too often they dont know who the person is, whose car it is, and so what leads do the police have to go on? Thats when the responsibility comes back to the government and the need to invest in more Aboriginal liaison officers for help in situations like this. Krakouer is also calling for harsher vigilante penalties to deter violence in the community. Thousands of people came together in rallies held across Australia this week to remember Cassius. Blanch attended a vigil on Monday along with WA Police Minister Paul Papalia and state Aboriginal Affairs Minister Tony Buti after meeting Indigenous community leaders earlier that day. Blanch acknowledged his initial comments that racism was not being investigated as a motive in the case had sparked a backlash. I dont want to ever make this about me or the police. We should be subject to criticism and I will make mistakes as commissioner, but I do want to keep the focus on the safety of the community and certainly justice for the community, he said. [Cassius family] have used a massive tragedy to unite our community and focus on whats important. Racism is a really important conversation and [Mechelle] acknowledged that, but lets also focus on justice for Cassius as a priority. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Eliah Abdelmessih spent his final months seeking sex and seemingly frustrated at being unable to find enough of it. This was one of the main threads in the police brief of evidence prepared for Victorian Coroner Paresa Spanos who was tasked with explaining Abdelmessihs brutal slaying with a statue of the Virgin Mary in his East Kew home in September 2005. Coroner Spanos has granted The Age and Sydney Morning Herald access to witness statements and investigation reports from the police brief of evidence. These have been used to help build a profile of the 69-year-old Egyptian-born widower who is the focus of episode two of The Confession podcast. The police brief of evidence provided to The Age and Sydney Morning Herald by Coroner Paresa Spanos. The police files present Abdelmessih, whose wife Rita died in 2004, as a lonely man. The couple had been unable to have children despite several attempts to conceive through IVF. The people closest to him were his god-daughter Susan Ayad and her husband Seif Ayad, who lived on the other side of Melbourne. Abdelmessih would begin each day just after 6am with breakfast at McDonalds in Kew and would return a few hours later for another meal. It was a routine he always followed. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Katia Pyliotis had just helped a customer load their car and was walking down an alley back to the charity store she volunteered at in Adelaide when she sensed a group of men, in suits, closing in on her. They introduced themselves as homicide detectives from Victoria. They wanted to talk to her about someone she had been desperately trying to forget: an old man called Eliah Abdelmessih. The Egyptian-born widower had been found dead in his Melbourne home in September 2005 after what appeared to be a frenzied attack. The main weapons in that attack, it was alleged, were a statue of the Virgin Mary and a tin of mangoes. Police alleged Eliah Abdulmessih was killed with this statue of the Virgin Mary and this tin of sliced mangoes. For 11 years, Pyliotis had tried her best to put the image of the battered Abdelmessih behind her. But in May 2016, the past finally caught up with her. She was charged with Abdelmessihs murder, and spent the next four years tied up in one of the most remarkable and troubling legal cases in the recent history of Victorias criminal justice system. Pyliotis was convicted of murder in 2018 only to have it quashed on appeal two years later. Now for the first time, she has spoken publicly about the ordeal which almost claimed her life. Advertisement The Confession is a new investigative podcast from The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. The seven-part series explores the police investigation to find Abdelmessihs killer and the extraordinary legal process that followed. The saga saw Pyliotis, now 40, face four murder trials and an appeal. Ultimately, she applied to the Supreme Court of Victoria for a permanent stay on the murder charge when a long-lost police diary was found, changing her fortunes and putting the focus on her accusers the police. Pyliotis describes her experience as a nightmare. She is adamant that Abdelmessih was already dead when she discovered his body back in 2005, but she could never escape the fact her DNA was all over the crime scene. Her failure to report Abdelmessihs death at the time and the early missteps she made under police questioning quickly became regrets. She replayed them constantly in her mind while she struggled to cope with prison life and, for a time, the prospect of a 19-year jail sentence. I tried to kill myself in jail. I gave up hope. It got to a point where I was saying to myself that Id rather die than be in jail for something I didnt do. For something thats so bad, Pyliotis said. The Confession takes listeners inside a murder investigation, a jail cell and the witness box. It examines how society deals with the most serious crime the taking of a human life and how guilt or innocence is ascribed beyond a reasonable doubt. Advertisement All of us want the justice system to be fair. But the Pyliotis case shows just how much luck, both good and bad, can affect outcomes. A feature of The Confession are never-before-heard, audio recordings of Victorian homicide detectives being cross-examined in 2020 about their investigation of Abdelmessihs murder, most notably about their handling of an alternate suspect, Susan Reddie. Eliah Abdelmessih was found dead in his Kew East home in 2005. The recordings were released to The Age and Herald by Elizabeth Hollingworth, the Supreme Court justice who presided over Pyliotis application for a permanent stay on the murder charge. Pyliotis lawyers had always argued that Reddies presence as a viable suspect made it impossible for their client to be found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Cognitively impaired and addicted to alcohol, Reddie had confessed to a carer at her supported accommodation that she assaulted Abdelmessih in his house on the weekend he died. The carer reported this to the police. But the homicide detective leading the investigation, Warren Ryan, repeatedly testified that Reddie had told him days later that she concocted her confession because she thought that was what the police wanted her to say. Ryan said he made contemporaneous notes of his conversation with Reddie in his 2005 police diary which would support his evidence. However, his diary had been lost and was not available for any of Pyliotis trials, and Reddie had died in 2012. Advertisement By mid-2020, just as Victorias director of public prosecutions Kerri Judd, KC, was preparing to present Pyliotis at a fifth murder trial, Ryans diary turned up. But it failed to show what he or prosecutors had been hoping for. In fact, it contradicted his evidence and called into question the adequacy of the initial homicide investigation. This led Pyliotis legal team to apply to the Supreme Court of Victoria for a permanent stay on her murder charge because much of the previous police evidence now appeared seriously compromised. It was argued that another murder trial would be an abuse of process. Across three days in late 2020, Ryan and his former homicide squad colleagues were cross-examined by Melbourne barrister Dermott Dann, KC. On the recordings, Justice Hollingworth is heard becoming increasingly testy with the evidence being given by Ryan, now with Queensland Police, and some of his former Victorian colleagues, including one she described as the smirking superintendent. I think a judge would have no trouble dismissing most of this evidence. Its so selective and so convenient, she says. During another exchange, Justice Hollingworth exclaims: Youre not being asked to speculate. Im fed up with police speculating in this case. Katia Pyliotis was tried four times for the murder of Eliah Abdelmessih. Melbourne Law School professor Jeremy Gans said the revelations in Ryans missing diary amounted to a classic miscarriage of justice when combined with previous questionable decisions made in the initial investigation of Abdelmessihs murder. Every case has mistakes and errors, and probably almost every case is oppressive for at least one person, if not several people. So, mistakes arent that unusual and a horrible experience for someone isnt that unusual, either, Gans said. Advertisement The sharpest rise in demand has been among young women seeking support for anxiety, depression, self-harm, body image and eating disorders at a level unlike anything McGorry has seen in his career. Loading The National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing recently showed that the annual prevalence of mental ill-health in 16- to 24-year-olds had surged from 26 per cent in 2007 to 39 per cent in 2020-21 an increase of 50 per cent in 15 years. Dr Astha Tomar, Victorian chair of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, said waitlists in the private sector were not much better than in the public, with patients waiting between three and six months to see a private psychiatrist. When you look at the pointy end of the system, its continuing to crumble, Tomar said. We are still waiting for the trickling down effects of work [in the mental health system] which is being done at higher levels. McGorry said severe cases needing specialist care through Orygens acute service in Melbournes north-west also faced long waitlists. Every day, Im getting calls from parents about young people that cant get access to care across the whole city, he said. Its just so dire. Royal Australian College of GPs state chair Anita Munoz said almost every patient that GPs were treating now had a mental health concern. The long waitlists are extremely disheartening and distressing, she said. The Australian Association of Psychologists last month said more psychologists were closing their books to new clients. As part of the Victorias Agenda election series, readers told The Age they wanted the major parties to explain how they would ensure people could access the healthcare they need, including mental health support. One reader, Mitch, said: How will you reduce wait times for people requiring mental health services? Getting an appointment with a qualified mental health professional can take months, while physical trauma is tended to immediately. All the experts interviewed by The Age said the state government had made efforts to deal with the growing mental health crisis, but they were concerned that billions of dollars in reforms and the royal commission recommendations were not being implemented fast enough. McGorry is pushing for the government to speed up plans to establish mental health service hubs, integrated with Headspace, to support thousands of young people. On top of the billions announced in the 2021 budget, the Andrews government has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in mental health support in response to the pandemic. Reforms recommended by the mental health royal commission, including the rollout of 144 new acute mental health beds, have also been fast-tracked. Loading The government has pledged $12 billion to help repair the states stretched health and emergency services system, including a plan to train or hire up to 7000 healthcare workers. The Coalition also voiced its support for the commissions recommendations and pledged billions to fix hospitals. It also vowed to upskill or recruit an additional 40,000 healthcare workers. Opposition mental health spokeswoman Emma Kealy said the Coalition, if elected, would initiate the nations largest mental health worker recruitment drive, including extra supervised training places for psychologists and psychiatrists, along with relocation incentives. Meanwhile, the doctors college is pushing for urgent reforms in general practice, which has historically been deemed a largely federal responsibility. Loading The college wants the next state government to commit to a long-term plan with the federal government to ensure there are enough GPs in every postcode in Victoria, a fault line that was exposed in the citys north and west during the deadly Delta outbreak last year. It comes amid projections that thousands of Australians will be without a GP by 2030.The college also wants the state government to help fund extended GP consultation for people transitioning from hospital to the community to improve health outcomes and reduce readmissions. Asked about delays in being able to secure psychiatric support, Victorian Minister for Health Mary-Anne Thomas said the government had funded every recommendation of the mental health royal commission. We are committed to transforming the way in which mental health services are delivered here in Victoria because we know that the system we had was broken and it needed to be fixed, she said. East coast investors and buyers agents are flooding Western Australias sub-$500,000 property market, attracted by low prices, a historically low vacancy rate, high rental returns and strong capital growth prospects. Sydney-based mortgage broker Bernadette Christie-David, from Atelier Wealth, said many east coast investors who had previously looked to Queensland were snapping up rental properties in Perth. This four bedroom, two bathroom home on Gillespie Parkway in Baldivis has just been listed for offers above $449k. Credit:Domain We have mum-and-dad investors and also some younger investors whose income doesnt allow them to buy an investment-grade property in Sydney, she said. Perth properties have an attractive price point, rental demand is high and returns are around 6 or 7 per cent. NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has committed to mandatory cashless gaming cards in clubs and pubs but has stopped short of saying when or how the technology would be rolled out as Labor warned attempts to combat money laundering could do more harm than good. Brushing aside opposition from within his own government, Perrottet on Thursday said he was committed to implementing the cards following a damning NSW Crime Commission investigation into the billions of dollars being laundered through poker machines each year. This is not a knee-jerk response [but] I cant be clearer in relation to the direction we are heading. This is not a matter of if we do it, its a matter of how we do it, he said. NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has committed to a mandatory cashless gaming card. Credit:Rhett Wyman However, Perrottet has not yet outlined a plan or timeline for implementation, and anti-gambling advocates are privately concerned he may opt for only a trial, which would push a wider rollout for the states 100,000 poker machines well beyond the March election. Premier Daniel Andrews has warned Labor supporters the key seat of Richmond will be decided by just a handful of votes at the state election, urging the party faithful to pull out every stop to get candidate Lauren ODwyer elected. In a sign of how the battle for Richmond has become a contest for the hearts of progressive Melbourne, Andrews outlined a host of his governments achievements. He argued the Greens could not make such reforms including on issues such abortion rights, school and hospital upgrades the Metro tunnel, and renewable energy investments from the crossbench. Premier Daniel Andrews, Labor candidate Lauren ODwyer, and retiring MP Richard Wynne at Labors campaign launch in the seat of Richmond on Thursday night. Credit:Penny Stephens The ALP and the Democratic Labour Party have held Richmond for more than a century, but the Greens are eyeing this seat, which is on a nominal margin of 5.8 per cent after redistribution. Both parties have identified Richmond as a must-win at the November 26 state election, and are throwing considerable resources at it. At a packed function room at Richmonds Corner Hotel on Thursday night, Andrews told the party faithful only Labor and not commentators could implement progressive reforms, such as bringing back the State Electricity Commission, which he said would deliver publicly owned, and 100 per cent renewable, energy, and 59,000 jobs. Tenants are facing the toughest rental market ever in Australia with rental vacancy rates falling to another low in October, new data shows. The market, already in crisis across the country, is expected to worsen as the new academic year begins in a few months, experts say. In October, the national vacancy rate nearly halved compared with a year earlier, falling from 1.5 per cent in October 2021, to 0.8 per cent last month, Domains latest rental vacancy rate report revealed. In Sydney, it fell to a record 1 per cent, while Melbourne dropped to a record 1.1 per cent. A balanced market is considered to be about 3 per cent. Sao Paulo: Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has asked protesters and trucks to unblock roads nationwide to let deliveries and the economy flow, but did not address their demands for military intervention to overturn his election loss. Protests erupted after Bolsonaros narrow loss to leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Sunday. A Bolsonaro supporter dressed in fatigues, kneels in front of national flags in Rio de Janeiro, during a protest against his defeat in the presidential election. Credit:AP In a video posted on social media, Bolsonaro said he was sad and understood peoples frustration at the result. I know you are sad... Me too. But we have to keep our heads straight, he said. I will make an appeal to you: clear the highways. US Parkland school shooter sentenced to life in prison Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. Were working to restore it. Please try again later. Dismiss PHILIPSBURG:--- Indigo Shores Development will break ground with a 250-room five-star Resort and Condominiums complex this month. On Wednesday, Altree Developments and Indigo Shores, based in Toronto and St. Maarten respectively, met with the Interim Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transportation & Telecommunications (TEATT), the honorable Omar Ottley. Minister Ottley welcomed the developers and thanked them for their initiative. "St. Maarten has been a preferred destination for tourists for decades. With tourism as our number one economic pillar, we welcome developments like this new Resort. It will boost economic activity and increase employment opportunities on the island. The goal is to provide employment opportunities in all sectors, from the ground-breaking to the opening and provide world-class hospitality through our local hotel sector workers " said Ottley. The Minister visited the site of the luxury boutique hotel "Vie L'Ven," which sits a few steps from the beautiful beach of Indigo Bay. It covers some 21 acres of oceanfront land and, on completion, will include a Luxury Spa and fine dining. The developers confirmed they would work with as many local contractors as possible to complete their project. They also intend to work with the St. Maarten Tourism Bureau on the sales and marketing of the facility. They are already committed to bringing in a professional film crew in January to generate content from the island and project for their worldwide marketing and promotion of the island and Resort in collaboration with the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau (STB). "We intend to return St. Maarten to its rightful place as the number one tourism destination in the Caribbean. The construction of Vie L'Ven five-star boutique hotel will play a major role in boosting the destination's swift return to the number one position in the region," said Ottley. According to the developers, the sale center construction will begin this month, with the total completion of the hotel scheduled for 2027. Minister Ottley met with the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Altree Developments, Zev Mandelbaum, along with the Head of Construction Management, Troy D'Ambrosio, and the Senior Manager of Finance Developments for Altree Developments. Marc van de Bilt, Director of Indigo Shores Development, says a phased media release is being planned internationally, which will roll out over the coming months regarding the project. Altree Developments, based in Toronto, Canada, has consistently developed high-end projects for many years, with a critical focus on providing a turnkey solution for its clients. With an investment expected to surpass USD 250 million and a combination of hotel rooms and condominiums for private ownership, the new five-star boutique hotel aims to be the pre-eminent luxury hotel in the region. Silver is also an important investment instrument Silver also belongs in an optimal investment portfolio. According to a study by the independent economic consultancy Oxford Economics, multi-asset portfolios would benefit from a four to six percent addition of silver. In most cases, however, both private investors and institutional investors have only 0.2 percent invested in silver. This study was initiated by the Silver Institute, with the result that silver is unfortunately often overlooked. This is because silver has its own return characteristics because more than 50 percent of it is an industrial metal. This is also why the silver price is more sensitive to industrial trends. For the study, the development of silver in a portfolio was compared with gold, other commodities, stocks and bonds, and this was done from January 1999 to June 2022. The result was a valuable diversification potential in silver investment. For the future, the forecasts look even better, as the demand outlook for the precious metal is very good in the next decade. Silver is the metal in the global automotive industry. Silver has the highest electrical conductivity. According to forecasts, the demand for the indispensable metal is expected to grow strongly in the coming years. In addition, silver is needed in many areas, whether electronics, optics or in solar energy, as well as for bars and coins. The antibacterial effect is used in medicine. From all this it follows that investors should reconsider their silver weighting in the portfolio and then perhaps increase it. For example, with stocks like Discovery Silver or Summa Silver. Summa Silver https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i-e-fH8jZM owns interests in the Hughes property (100 percent) in Nevada and an option on the Mogollon property (100 percent) in New Mexico. Both properties have previously produced very successfully. Discovery Silver https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzLKx2HriOw also scores with a prospective silver project, the Codero Silver Project in Mexico. A positive pre-feasibility study is available. Current corporate information and press releases from Discovery Silver (- https://www.resource-capital.ch/en/companies/discovery-silver-corp/ -) and Summa Silver (- https://www.resource-capital.ch/en/companies/summa-silver-corp/ -). In accordance with A34 WpHG I would like to point out that partners, authors and employees may hold shares in the respective companies addressed and thus a possible conflict of interest exists. No guarantee for the translation into English. Only the German version of this news is valid. Disclaimer: The information provided does not represent any form of recommendation or advice. Express reference is made to the risks in securities trading. No liability can be accepted for any damage arising from the use of this blog. I would like to point out that shares and especially warrant investments are always associated with risk. The total loss of the invested capital cannot be excluded. All information and sources are carefully researched. However, no guarantee is given for the correctness of all contents. Despite the greatest care, I expressly reserve the right to make errors, especially with regard to figures and prices. The information contained herein is taken from sources believed to be reliable, but in no way claims to be accurate or complete. Due to court decisions, the contents of linked external sites are also co-responsible (e.g. Landgericht Hamburg, in the decision of 12.05.1998 312 O 85/98), as long as there is no explicit dissociation from them. Despite careful control of the content, I do not assume liability for the content of linked external pages. The respective operators are exclusively responsible for their content. The disclaimer of Swiss Resource Capital AG also applies: https://www.resource-capital.ch/en/disclaimer/ four bright stars in the sky filled with smaller stars and a vast cloud in the lower part of the image known as the Coalsack Nebula. The Southern Cross is an asterism made up of the most visible stars in the constellation Crux. The iconic group of stars is visible mainly from the Southern Hemisphere . Because of its orientation in the night sky , the Southern Cross has historically served as an essential navigational guide: two of its major stars form a line that points to the South Pole. The Southern Cross is also featured in the flags of several Southern Hemisphere countries. Crux is the smallest of the 88 official constellations defined by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) (opens in new tab). The Southern Cross is not the entire region of the sky that makes up Crux, but rather just the four (or five) stars that make its iconic cross shape: That's what makes it an asterism. Related: How many stars are in the universe? What stars are in the Southern Cross? The Southern Cross is made up of four or five stars, depending on who you ask. To find the Southern Cross, viewers can use two "pointer stars" Alpha Centauri and Beta Centauri to guide the way. (Image credit: Future) (opens in new tab) The Southern Cross is made up of four or five stars, depending on who you ask. The four main stars, according to Constellation Guide , are Acrux (also known as Alpha Crucis), Mimosa (Beta Crucis), Gacrux (Gamma Crucis) and Imai (Delta Crucis). Acrux is the southernmost star, while Gacrux is the farthest north. Mimosa and Imai form the crossbeam. The Southern Cross on Brazil's national flag Brazil's national flag shows the Southern Cross in reverse compared to the stars on Australia, Samoa, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand's flags. That's because, according to Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, the Brazilian flag shows the stars across the Southern Hemisphere in a mirror image. Imagine observing the stars over Rio de Janeiro from a fictional place "outside of the sky." The fifth brightest star in the Crux constellation, Ginan (Epsilon Crucis), is included in some depictions of the Southern Cross: for example, the national flags of Australia, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Brazil. Ginan appears in the space between Imai and Acrux, not as part of the main cross formation. It's left off of the national flag of New Zealand, which features only the four brightest stars of the cross. Alpha, beta and delta Crucius also known as Acrux, Mimosa and Imai likely share a common origin, wrote Constellation Guide, as they are all made up of massive, hot-burning B-type stars . Acrux, the brightest and southernmost star in the Southern Cross, is the 13th-brightest star in the night sky with a visual magnitude of +.76, according to a 1966 paper published in the journal Monthly Notes of the Astronomical Society of Southern Africa . The lower a star's visual magnitude is, the brighter that star is. For comparison, the brightest star in Earth 's sky is Sirius , with a magnitude of -1.46. While for magnitude purposes it is considered to be one star, Acrux is actually a multiple star system, according to the Astronomical Society of Southern Africa . While it looks like one star to an unassisted observer on Earth, more sensitive telescopes reveal that it is made up of several components. What else can you see in the Southern Cross? Astronomers have identified several other objects of interest in or near the Southern Cross. For the best view of these objects, we recommend using binoculars or a telescope. If you need equipment, our best binoculars and best telescopes guides may help. In order to find the planetary nebulae, it's helpful to know their magnitude, right ascension (RA) and declination (Dec). Magnitude tells you how bright an object is as it appears from the Earth. The lower the number of an object's magnitude, the brighter the object. For example, an object of a -1 magnitude is brighter than one with a magnitude of +2. Right ascension is to the sky what longitude is to the surface of the Earth, corresponding to east and west directions. It's measured in hours, minutes and seconds. Declination tells you how high an object will rise in the sky. Like Earth's latitude, declination measures north and south. Its units are degrees, arcminutes and arcseconds. There are 60 arcmins in a degree and 60 arcsecs in an arcmin. The Coalsack Nebula This image featuring the Coalsack nebula was taken by the Wide Field Imager on the MPG/ESO 2.2-meter telescope (Image credit: ESO ) (opens in new tab) Coalsack Nebula Approximate distance from Earth: 600 light-years Location: 12h 50m (right ascension), 62 30' (declination) The Coalsack Nebula according to the European Southern Observatory (ESO) forms a conspicuous dark silhouette against the Milky Way . The nebula , wrote the ESO, has been recognizable to people in the southern hemisphere for "as long as our species has existed." That's because it is one of the most prominent objects of its kind visible to the unaided eye an inky blotch in an otherwise bright area at night. Millions of years from now, the ESO wrote, the Coalsack will end this dark phase and ignite with new stars, flammable just like the dark coal it's named after. The Jewel Box The FORS1 instrument on the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT) at ESOs Paranal Observatory was used to take this exquisitely sharp close up view of the colourful Jewel Box cluster, NGC 4755. The telescopes huge mirror allowed very short exposure times. (Image credit: ESO/Y. Beletsky) (opens in new tab) The Jewel Box Magnitude: +4.2 Approximate distance from Earth: 6,440 light-years Location: 12h 53m 42s (right ascension), 60 22.0' (declination) Another object of interest in the Southern Cross is the Jewel Box, a galactic star cluster located about 6400 light-years away. According to the European Space Agency (opens in new tab) (ESA) it is approximately 16 million years old, and is just bright enough to be seen with the naked eye. Its nickname dates back to the 1830s and comes from the English astronomer John Herschel (son of astronomer William Herschel ), the ESA wrote, because its twinkling blue and orange stars made Herschel think of a piece of exotic jewelry. How can you find Southern Cross? According to the IAU (opens in new tab), Crux is the smallest of the 88 officially recognized constellations. But it's still easy to spot for viewers in the Southern Hemisphere, especially those more than 35 degrees south where the stars are visible any time of night, all year round. It's even visible some times of year for those in the Northern Hemisphere below about 26 degrees, wrote EarthSky (opens in new tab). Hawaii, southern Florida, and some parts of Texas, for example, will see the stars of the cross clear the horizon on clear May evenings. To spot the Southern Cross, viewers use two "pointer stars," Alpha Centauri and Beta Centauri, wrote The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (opens in new tab) (the ABC). That's in part how skywatchers can separate the true Southern Cross from a number of false crosses in the night sky. From the Northern Hemisphere, the cross will generally appear vertical. But in the Southern Hemisphere, according to the ABC, the cross could appear to be lying on its side or upside down depending on the month and the time of night. The easiest way to make sure you're looking at the right Southern Cross is to use a compass. Look south, follow the Milky Way, and draw a line between the bright pointer stars to find the cross. How is the Southern Cross used for navigation? The Southern Cross can be used to point a navigator on the Earth's surface toward the celestial south pole, according to EarthSky. A line drawn from Gacrux at the top of the cross through Acrux at the bottom will point to the south. Navigators using traditional Polynesian wayfinding techniques also use the stars of the Southern Cross as one of many pointers to the south, according to the Polynesian Voyaging Society . The cultural significance of the Southern Cross The Southern Cross asterism appears in multiple national flags, as noted above. The stars were valuable guides to European explorers who left the stars they knew Polaris and the Big Dipper , for example to navigate seas in the Southern Hemisphere. The first European to describe the five stars of the Southern Cross, Andrea Corsali, wrote of their beauty and behavior in 1515 for his patrons in the Medici family, according to a 2019 article from Hordern House (opens in new tab). Corsali's description provided a resource for centuries of later European explorers. But the stars were first known by civilizations that far predated the European seafarers: for example, the ABC lists several myths from Indigenous peoples of Australia identifying the stars as part of a wedge-tailed eagle, an emu's head, or a group of trouble-making youngsters. In fact, the IAU recognizes the star Ginan by the name given to it thousands of years ago by the Wardaman people of northern Australia, according to a news article in the Sydney Morning Herald (opens in new tab). The Indigenous Knowledge Institute (opens in new tab) at the University of Melbourne notes that Indigenous Australians used the Southern Cross stars to navigate. The Maori, the Indigenous people of New Zealand, also named and referred to the stars identified by the IAU as the Southern Cross. The Maori considered the asterism to be the anchor of a celestial canoe, according to Te Aka (opens in new tab), a Maori language dictionary. Incan astronomers associated the same area of the sky with the tinamou, a ground-dwelling, seed-eating bird. In a 1981 paper in the Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society (opens in new tab), the author speculates that while the stars of the Southern Cross rose in the sky each year, tinamous likely thrived on the arrival of the rainy season. The cycle of those stars corresponded with the time in which farmers would have been planting their vulnerable seed. Additional resources For more on the Southern Cross and traditional Polynesian wayfinding, watch this video of navigator Nainoa Thomson talking about those stars. And to get another insight into why people choose particular stars as constellations and asterisms, check out this article from Science News Explores (opens in new tab). Bibliography Annab, R. (2020, May 28). Stellar navigation and mathematics. Indigenous Knowledge Institute. https://indigenousknowledge.unimelb.edu.au/curriculum/resources/stellar-navigation-and-mathematics (opens in new tab) Blane, D. (2014, February 24). Alpha crucis double star of the month. ASSA. http://assa.saao.ac.za/sections/double-and-variable-stars/double-stars/news-and-articles/alpha-crucis-double-star-of-the-month/ (opens in new tab) Corben, P. M. (1966). Photoelectric magnitudes and colours for bright southern stars. Monthly Notes of the Astronomical Society of South Africa, 25, 44. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1966MNSSA..25...44C (opens in new tab) Duarte, P. A. (2008, May 2). Astronomia da bandeira brasileira. Departamento de Geociencias da Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. https://web.archive.org/web/20080502120005/http://www.cfh.ufsc.br/~planetar/textos/astroban.htm (opens in new tab) Hook, R. (2015, October 14). A cosmic sackful of black coalPart of the coalsack nebula in close-up. Www.Eso.Org; European Southern Observatory. https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso1539/ (opens in new tab) Lomb, N. (2008, July 21). Finding south using the Southern Cross an essential skill. Observations. https://www.maas.museum/observations/2008/07/21/finding-south-using-the-southern-cross-an-essential-skill/ (opens in new tab) Mannix, L. (2018, January 16). Southern Cross star given new name to recognise Aboriginal astronomy. The Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/technology/southern-cross-star-renamed-to-recognise-aboriginal-astronomy-20180116-h0j1yf.html (opens in new tab) McClure, B. (2021, April 1). How to see the southern cross from the northern hemisphere | favorite star patterns | earthsky. EarthSky.org. https://earthsky.org/favorite-star-patterns/the-southern-cross-signpost-of-southern-skies/ (opens in new tab) Meridian pointers to south. Hokulea. Retrieved October 29, 2022, from https://www.hokulea.com/education-at-sea/polynesian-navigation/polynesian-non-instrument-wayfinding/meridian-pointers-to-south/ (opens in new tab) Sharkey, C. (2009, October 29). Opening up a colourful cosmic Jewel Box. Www.Spacetelescope.Org; European Space Agency. https://www.spacetelescope.org/news/heic0913/ (opens in new tab) Southern cross: Guide to south celestial pole constellation guide. (n.d.). Retrieved October 29, 2022, from https://www.constellation-guide.com/the-southern-cross/ (opens in new tab) The Constellations. The International Astronomical Union; IAU. Retrieved October 27, 2022, from https://www.iau.org/public/themes/constellations/ (opens in new tab) Virtual tours beginner's guide to the night sky(Abc science). (2019). Australian Broadcasting Corporation. https://www.abc.net.au/science/starhunt/tour/virtual/ (opens in new tab) Shahid Al-Hafed, November 03, 2022 (SPS) - A delegation from the Women's March for a Free and Independent Sahara have started, a few days ago a solidarity visit to the Sahrawi refugee camps. The visit, which comes in cooperation and coordination with the Sahrawi Ministry of Social Affairs and the Promotion of Women, aims to examine the situation of the Sahrawi people in the refugee camps and learn about the steadfastness of the Sahrawi women, who present the most wonderful images of sacrifice and steadfastness in various fields. The "Women's March for Free and Independent Sahara" also seeks through this visit, to express its rejection of the historical deviation of the position of the government of Pedro Sanchez concerning Western Sahara issue, and its determination to mobilize more support and solidarity with the Sahrawi people inside and outside Spain. The delegation paid an exploratory visit to a number of Saharawi national institutions and met with a number of Sahrawi women. 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The vision of a human community with a shared future put forward by China was included in the resolutions again. Whats Chinas comment? Zhao Lijian: On November 2, resolutions put forward by China and Russia on no first placement of weapons in outer space and further practical measures for the prevention of an arms race in outer space were adopted at the First Committee of the 77th session of UNGA with an overwhelming majority of votes. The two resolutions both stressed the need to prevent arms race in outer space and jointly build a human community with a shared future. This marks the sixth consecutive year this vision has been included in UNGA resolutions on outer space security. Building a human community with a shared future is the way forward for all the worlds peoples. For its part, China has always been committed to its foreign policy goals of upholding world peace and promoting common development, and it is dedicated to promoting a human community with a shared future. Certain countries, however, without heeding international consensus, have smeared and distorted the vision of a human community with a shared future, and even sought to hinder its inclusion in UNGA resolutions. The voting results speak to where the trend of the times is heading and what people truly aspire for. A human community with a shared future is proven to be consistent with international expectation and enjoy strong vitality and appeal. The vision has been widely supported and recognized by the vast majority of countries, particularly developing countries. China will work with the global community to jointly respond to global challenges and usher in an even brighter future for humanity. Yonhap News Agency: The ROK and the US decided to prolong their joint exercises after the DPRK fired missiles. Whats Chinas comment? Zhao Lijian: We have noted those developments. A peaceful and stable Korean Peninsula and solving the issues through dialogue and consultation is good for the entire region. We hope parties concerned will face the crux of the issues squarely, work with each other and create conditions for resuming meaningful dialogue. Prensa Latina: At the UN General Assembly, several countries including China spoke out against the US blockade on Cuba, and they said they will support the resolution that demands the end of the blockade. Do you have any comment about it? Zhao Lijian: Yesterday, Ambassador Dai Bing, Chinas Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN elaborated on Chinas position during the discussion on this subject at the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly. He stressed that the long-standing US unilateral coercive measures on Cuba and other countries are a serious violation of the consensus of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and damage the right to survival and development of these countries peoples. He called for an immediate termination of those measures. Since 1992, for 29 consecutive times, the UN General Assembly has adopted with overwhelming majority a resolution calling for an end to the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed on Cuba by the US. This is a call for justice from the international community and the world demands action. Regrettably, the embargo has not only remained in place, but has even been tightened in recent years. Since the start of COVID-19, the US has imposed dozens of new sanctions on Cuba. This breaches the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and relevant UNGA resolutions, and calls for condemnation from the international community. China urges the US to immediately lift all its economic, commercial and financial embargo against Cuba and develop normal state-to-state relations with other UN member states in accordance with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and the basic norms governing international relations. This serves the common interests of the US and Cuban peoples and contributes to peace and stability in the Americas as a whole. China has decided to vote in favor of Cubas draft resolution on this subject again. CCTV: A recent poll by UK-based YouGov shows that people in African countries see China more favorably in recent years. In 2022, 83%, 82%, 61% and 57% of respondents in Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa and Egypt believe that China has a positive effect on world affairs, which are up by 15, 24, 13 and 10 percentage points respectively from last year. Whats your comment on this? Zhao Lijian: These polling results once again show that China-Africa cooperation brings real benefits to the African people, who welcome and speak highly of such cooperation. Our cooperation with Africa is an epitome of our cooperation with other fellow developing countries. Throughout the years, China has proven itself to be a true friend and reliable partner for developing countries and will always remain so. We will always breathe the same air, share the same future and grow with fellow developing countries. The countries you mentioned, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa and Egypt, all happen to be Belt and Road partners. In recent years, Belt and Road cooperation between China and partner countries has enjoyed steady progress. In Kenya, the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway has contributed more than 0.5% to national economic growth. In Egypt, the electrified light rail project in the 10th of Ramadan City has provided efficient and convenient commute services to residents, and played a key role in the economic development of the eastern part of Egypt and the industrialization of the country. Thanks to the BRI, Cambodia now has expressways, Kazakhstan is linked to the Pacific, the Maldives has a cross-sea bridge, and Laos is no longer a land-locked country but a land-linked hub. It is a joy to see how Belt and Road cooperation has made dreams come true for more and more people in developing countries, and helped shape a future of immense opportunities. China will safeguard the common interests of the developing world. This is written in the report to the 20th CPC National Congress. President Xi Jinping made it clear that China follows the principles of sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith and a commitment to the greater good and shared interests in growing relations with developing countries. He launched the Global Development Initiative as a solution to development challenges. These are what guide China in deepening solidarity and cooperation with other developing countries. At a new historical starting point, China will continue to stand firmly with fellow developing countries. We see Chinas development as part and parcel of the common development endeavor of all developing countries, and we will work together for shared prosperity. Associated Press of Pakistan: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif concluded his visit to China yesterday. Could you share more information about the visit? Zhao Lijian: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan paid an official visit to China upon invitation from November 1 to 2. It was Prime Minister Sharifs first visit to China after taking office and the first visit to China by a head of government after the 20th CPC National Congress. China attached great importance to his visit and received the Prime Minister with premium courtesy. On the morning of November 2, President Xi Jinping met with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and held a welcoming banquet for him. I shared the details about the meeting with you yesterday. On the afternoon of November 2, Premier Li Keqiang held a welcoming ceremony for him and held talks with him. Chairman Li Zhanshu of the Standing Committee of the National Peoples Congress met with him. President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Sharif have had two meetings in less than two months and provided strategic guidance for the future advancement of China-Pakistan relations. This fully demonstrated the special importance and high quality of China-Pakistan all-weather strategic cooperative partnership. President Xi Jinping shared with the Prime Minister the important outcomes of the 20th National Congress of the CPC, and noted that China is committed to its fundamental national policy of opening to the outside world and will create new opportunities for Pakistan and the rest of the world with Chinas own development. Prime Minister Sharif once again expressed hearty congratulations on behalf of the Pakistani government and people to President Xi on his re-election as General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee. Prime Minister Sharif expressed his confidence that President Xi, with his extraordinary vision, will continue to lead China toward even more remarkable achievements and create an even brighter future for the world. The two leaders had an in-depth exchange of views on China-Pakistan relations, and international and regional situation. Both sides believed that China and Pakistan are good friends, good partners and good brothers. China-Pakistan friendship is time-tested and rock-solid. Amid mounting global challenges, the China-Pakistan all-weather strategic cooperative partnership has demonstrated significance. Both sides reiterated their firm mutual support on issues concerning each others core interests. The two sides will jointly respond to changes and uncertainties and speed up efforts to build a closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era. Both sides agreed to deepen synergy between their development strategies, share development opportunities, advance CPEC with greater efficiency, and make CPEC an exemplar of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. The Pakistani side reaffirmed its commitment to fully protecting the security of Chinese individuals, projects and institutions in Pakistan. Both sides agreed to keep up their strong cooperation in multilateral mechanisms, uphold regional peace and stability and international fairness and justice, and defend the common interests of developing countries. The Pakistani side responded warmly to the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative put forward by China. The two sides will start pilot projects to implement the initiatives and make positive contributions to global governance. During the visit, the two sides issued a joint statement and signed 21 cooperation documents concerning e-commerce, digital economy, post-disaster reconstruction, exports to China, livelihoods, the Global Development Initiative and law-enforcement and security. Nos Television: I have a question on a visit that is going on in Taipei. At this point of time, several members of parliaments of European countries, including a representative of the Dutch coalition party D66, are meeting today with Tsai Ing-wen. And this MP, Sjoerdsma, has also called for sanctions in case China would take Taiwan by force. What do you make of this? Zhao Lijian: The legislators you mentioned have often deliberately hyped up issues and spread falsehoods and rumors against China. They have little credibility to speak of and are not worth taking up your attention. The farcical political stunt of these few MPs will lead nowhere but only invite disgrace. A word of advice to the DPP authorities: to collude with external forces and seek Taiwan independence is doomed to fail. China Review News: We noted that Hong Kong held a successful Global Financial Leaders Investment Summit. Some said this is another highlight for the citys role as an international financial center. Do you have any comment? Zhao Lijian: Congratulations to Hong Kong on the success of the Global Financial Leaders Investment Summit. This is the biggest corporate event in Hong Kong since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 200 representatives from around 120 financial institutions across the world attended the event to exchange views, share experience and plan for the future. They are sanguine about Hong Kongs prospect and fully confident in the China market. The success of this summit fully testifies to Hong Kongs distinctive advantages featuring close connection with the world market and strong support from the motherland and shows the world that Hong Kong has restored order and is set to thrive. A small number of voices have sought to sound a pessimistic tone about Hong Kong. They will gain no support, nor will they succeed in ruining Hong Kongs prospect. This summit contributes to global economic recovery and financial stability. The summit is a major event not only for Hong Kong, but also for the world. The world has seen Hong Kong, an international financial center, open its arms to global financial leaders from all over the world. This underlines Chinas resolve to advance high-level opening-up as well. Global Times: On November 2, a peace deal was signed between the Ethiopian Government and the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) in South Africa under the auspices of the African Union, which decides to put an end to the two-year hostilities. Do you have any comment? Zhao Lijian: Ethiopia is an anchor of stability in the Horn of Africa. A peaceful and stable Ethiopia is of great importance to the regions lasting peace and stability. China welcomes and commends the peace agreement reached by parties in Ethiopia under the auspices of the African Union. China supports Ethiopia in upholding its sovereignty and territorial integrity and believes in resolving differences and achieving reconciliation through political dialogue. China is ready to work with the international community to continue to play a constructive role in efforts toward lasting peace, development and prosperity in Ethiopia. AFP: The US government said the DPRKs missile launches today point to the necessity of all countries to impose comprehensive sanctions on the DPRK. Will China ramp up its sanctions on the DPRK? Zhao Lijian: Chinas position on the issues of the Korean Peninsula is clear and consistent. The turn of events and root causes that have led to the current situation are clear to all. We hope parties concerned can take up responsibilities, demonstrate sincerity with actions, and play a positive role in seeking a political settlement of the issues of the Peninsula. Phoenix TV: The Canadian government in a statement on November 2 ordered three Chinese companies to divest their shares from domestic companies like Power Metals. Francois-Philippe Champagne, Canadas Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, said that We will act decisively when investments threaten our national security and our critical minerals supply chains. Whats your comment? Zhao Lijian: We take note of what you mentioned. The current global minerals industrial and supply chains are a result of both the law of the market and the choices of businesses. The Canadian side has overstretched the concept of national security and placed arbitrary curbs on normal trade and investment cooperation between China and Canadian companies. This is against the principle of market economy and international economic and trading rules the Canadian side has been talking about. It does no good to the development of the target sectors, and hurts the stability of global industrial and supply chains. China urges the Canadian side to stop suppressing Chinese companies. We call for a fair, just and non-discriminatory environment for Chinese companies doing business in Canada. The Chinese government will continue to protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies. AFP: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said yesterday in an article that for his upcoming visit to China, he will not ignore controversies, and will raise to China issues including protecting human rights and the rights of minorities in Xinjiang, and ensuring free world trade. He added that We are far too far from reciprocity in relations between China and Germany. Is China willing to have discussions with the German side on these issues? Will his statements affect Chinas expectations for this visit? Zhao Lijian: We hope Chancellor Olaf Scholzs first visit to China as German Chancellor will be a success. China and Germany are comprehensive strategic partners. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Germany. Our half a century of exchanges and cooperation has fully demonstrated the fact that the convergence of our views far outweighs our differences, and that our cooperation far outweighs our competition. China and Germany are partners, not rivals. Both countries have benefited from each others growth and practical bilateral cooperation. A sound China-Germany relationship is good not only for the two countries, but also for China-EU ties and the world. China will continue to make sure that practical cooperation and mutual benefit will remain the keynote in our relations with Germany, and work with Germany to further advance our ties and provide a greater source of strength for world peace and stability. Regarding what you said about some differences between China and Germany, for example on Xinjiang, Chinas position is consistent and clear. These are Chinas internal affairs, which brook no foreign interference. On the so-called human rights issues, China respects and protects human rights. China is an important contributor to global human rights cause. The promotion and protection of human rights is a common cause for humanity. On the basis of equality and mutual respect, China is open to having human rights dialogue and exchange and ready to steer global human rights governance toward greater fairness, justice, equity and inclusiveness. Having said that, China is against using human rights discussions as a pretext to interfere in Chinas internal affairs or smear and discredit China. Reuters: A senior US State Department official said on Wednesday that the United States cautioned Germany against allowing Chinese shipping company COSCO to obtain a controlling stake in a Hamburg port terminal. Does the foreign ministry have any comment? Zhao Lijian: The practical cooperation between China and Germany is a matter between two sovereign countries. The US is in no position to attack or even meddle in it. Yet not only has the US done it, its official even openly vaunts the USs interference in the affairs of the countries it calls partners. It says everything about the kind of might-is-right mentality and coercive diplomacy that have long been part of the USs harmful approach. AFP: The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), one of the most renowned media outlets in Canada, has been running a China bureau for over 40 years. Yesterday, CBC said its closing the bureau because China has repeatedly ignored its requests to base a reporter in Beijing. Why hasnt the foreign ministry issued credentials to CBC? Why has China been stonewalling US and other Western medias applications in the past couple of years? Zhao Lijian: What I can tell you is that China handles foreign media organizations applications to dispatch resident journalists in accordance with relevant laws and regulations and provides facilitation and assistance for foreign journalists work in China. In 2020, CBCs then resident journalist ended his posting of his own accord. The Chinese side provided facilitation for his departure procedures despite difficulties posed by COVID-19. According to applicable regulations, Where the permanent office of a foreign media organization does not have any resident journalists for ten consecutive months or more, it shall be deemed to have automatically terminated its operation and its Certificate for Permanent Office of Foreign Media Organization in China shall be cancelled accordingly. Although it has been far more than ten months since CBC had a resident journalist in China, the Chinese side, taking into consideration the COVID-19 factor, has not cancelled CBCs permanent office certificate. During the Beijing Winter Olympics, the Chinese side provided convenience for several journalists from CBC and other Canadian media to cover the events in China. I would like to stress that foreign journalists are always welcome to conduct reporting activities in China in compliance with relevant laws and regulations. At the same time, while in China, foreign journalists need to follow Chinese laws and regulations, abide by press ethics, report on what they see in a truthful and objective manner, and play a positive and constructive role in deepening the friendship, cooperation and mutual understanding between China and their home countries. Nos Television: Is there a plan for President Xi and President Biden to meet on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali this month? Zhao Lijian: I have nothing to share at the moment. There were 66,639 travelers on the inbound, including 7,922 Ukrainian citizens. The number of Ukrainians who crossed into Romania since the pre-war date of February 10 until November 2 is 2,737,555, the IGPF said.As part of the specific activities at crossing points and the green border, the border police found 78 illegal acts (30 infractions and 48 contraventions) committed by both Romanian and foreign citizens. Fines worth over RON 28,900 were issued.28 foreign citizens who did not meet the legal requirements were denied entry to the country, and 12 Romanian citizens were also not allowed to leave the country for various legal reasons. The Romanian banking sector has values significantly above the European average in terms of solvency and liquidity, Deputy Director within the Financial Stability Department of the National Bank of Romania (BNR) Florian Neagu stated on Thursday, told Agerpres. "I believe that there are several things that we, at the National Bank, are doing to support entrepreneurs. Firstly, we make sure that the banks have enough liquidity and enough capital for the lending activity to continue under normal conditions. And looking at standard indicators in monitoring this objective, both on solvency and liquidity, the Romanian banking sector has values significantly above the European average. Looking at how much Romanian banks lend, there are many nuances. First of all, I would start with the structural elements, when we have in Romania the lowest level of financial intermediation of Europe. Therefore, lending to companies and lending to the population are the lowest, in relation to the GDP," Florian Neagu told the conference called "Macroeconomic indicators of systemic insolvency. Realities and solutions for recovery," organized at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Romania. The second element he mentioned was an industrial policy that can orient the state's resources in one direction and, this way, the creditors would also orient their resources because they know that this is the vision of the Romanian state. He mentioned that the Czech Republic, Poland or Hungary have such policies. Moreover, the BNR official stated that the topic of insolvency has been and still is on the radar of the National Bank, but also on the radar of European institutions for some time. According to him, at the European level, it was estimated that the number of insolvencies shall experience a significant increase in the context of the pandemic. This has not happened because the authorities of almost all countries have consumed significant resources to endorse the real economy. This support led to a significant increase in debts. And, besides this development that we meet in almost all countries, Romania is also characterized by several imbalances: the fiscal deficit and the current account deficit. "The experience of the last century at international level shows that, when these imbalances are manifested in a country, the fiscal deficit and the current account deficit, the probability of them translating into the real economy by increasing the number of insolvencies increases significantly," Neagu added. Romania's Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Transformation Sebastian Burduja said on Thursday that there is a need for "digital bridges" from one bank to the other of the Prut River, for collaboration and for Romania and Moldova to share good practices in this area, told Agerpres. "We need digital bridges from one bank to the other of the Prut River. There is a need for collaboration, there is a need to share good practices on all dimensions of digital transformation. First and foremost digital public services and this is where Moldova is, I say it every time with great pleasure, I am proud of the fact that we have a model of good practice among our brothers, it is light years ahead in terms of digital public services. We also collaborate on digital skills related to connectivity and the digital transformation of the private sector. While in Moldova and in all the countries of the world digital transformation took 8-10-12 years, we hope to speed up the process and, based on the memorandum between the two governments, to be able to enjoy the solutions that Moldova has developed during the last ten years," Burduja told a news conference. Moldova's Deputy Prime Minister for Digital Transformation Iurie Turcanu said that within the common digital space, he wants a "better" alignment regarding some strategic dimensions, such as cyber-security. "Within the common digital space we want to have a better alignment with some strategic dimensions such as cyber-security. (...) We will plan with these authorities the subsequent steps for what we want to build as part of a common digital space," said Turcanu. According to him, in order to create a common digital space, "a perfect alignment" is also necessary in terms of co-operation with the private sector. "In our country, we rely a lot on the involvement of the private sector, on partnerships, as digital transformation cannot be carried out by the government only; it is not the concern of a single organisation. (...) I want to talk about a single nation, although it is divided into two countries. A digital nation is what we mean when we talk about creating a common digital space, a platform on which to reuse everything we have created on the digital dimension in the countries individually, to capitalise on what the Republic of Moldova has created here in Romania in order to fully benefit from those digital platforms, not few in number, that we have managed to create in these 10-12 years, and also to take good practices and good implementations from Romania and import them into the Republic of Moldova," said Turcanu. The Minister of the French Armed Forces, Sebastien Lecornu, will be on an official visit to Romania on Thursday, the Ministry of National Defense (MApN) informs. Sebastien Lecornu will have a meeting with the minister of Defense, Angel Tilvar, at the MApN headquarters, at the end of which joint press statements are scheduled.The agenda of the French delegation also includes, during the morning, a visit to the Getica National Joint Training Center in Cincu, central Brasov county, a wreath-laying ceremony at the French Heroes Monument located in Cismigiu Park in Bucharest.Later, Minister Lecornu will be received by president Klaus Iohannis, at the Cotroceni Palace, and by prime minister Nicolae Ciuca, at the Victoria Palace.France leads the NATO battle group in Romania established since May. The formation of battle groups from Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary is part of the wider set of measures adopted by NATO to strengthen the deterrence and defense posture in the medium and long term, as a result of the war started by the Russian Federation in Ukraine.At France's proposal to take over the role of the framework nation, the French battalion deployed in Romania, considered the spearhead of NATO's Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF), is currently forming the Collective Defense Battle Group (CDBG) on the national territory, integrating, by rotation, military staff of Belgium and the Netherlands. The main forces of the CDBG are deployed in the National Joint Training Center in Cincu, where they carry out missions and training activities alongside structures of the Romanian Army. France is a proud partner within NATO, "it has demonstrated that in the past and it is demonstrating this today as well", the Minister of the French Armed Forces, Sebastien Lecornu said on Thursday, told Agerpres. While on an official visit to Romania, Lecornu gave a joint press statement with his counterpart, Angel Tilvar. He spoke about the current security challenges in the region and the need for allied and bilateral collaboration. The French minister also emphasized the importance of ground-air defense in Romania. The Romanian Minister of Defense, Angel Tilvar, stated that "the situation in Ukraine demonstrated the importance of complementarity between the European Union and NATO". He added that the experts in Cincu managed to create "in record time" the infrastructure for the NATO Battle Group in our country, France being the framework nation of this group. The chairman of the Romanian Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (FRCF), Gabriel Toncean, was appointed executive director of the World Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness, during the IFBB Congress in Santa Susana, Spain. "I am honored to announce that, last night, during the Congress, I was appointed Executive Director of the World Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness! I thank my colleagues for the trust and especially I would like to thank the President of the IFBB, Dr. Rafael Santojna, because he was the one who supported and guided me throughout my activity. The dignity of Executive Director (function directly subordinated to the IFBB president), gives me the opportunity to synchronize, support and coordinate the activity of the federation around the world. This victory of Romania is a dream which I would never have had the courage to hope for. But God, my family and all of you, those who supported me, gave me the strength to achieve, which is why I thank you! My heart is and will always be one of a Romanian who loves his country endlessly! Go, Romania!" Gabriel Toncean posted on Facebook on Thursday.Toncean stated that, at the congress, the president of the forum, Rafael Santojna, was unanimously re-elected for another 4-year term at the head of the IFBB. "The government that I represent makes everything that is humanly possible to be able to use the European funds made available, funds that reach the figure of 90 billion (euros, ed. n.) and that are waiting to be drawn and invested in accordance with the vision of the business environment in our country," the prime minister assessed.According to him, international financial institutions recognized Romania's economic growth and the World Bank confirmed the figure of 4.6%.He mentioned that the Romanian business environment, Romanian investors work well with consulting companies, with the business environment and with foreign investors "to contribute to the credible evolution of the Romanian economy"."I can say that, in these 30 years, certainly not only due to the Ernst&Young company, but to the entire activity carried out by similar companies and the involvement of foreign investments and, of course, Romanian investments, Romania's GDP has grown nine times, and the number of companies increased 14 times. Practically, this progress was achieved against the background of continuous transformations (...) and we could and can today enjoy an economic and social construct that is recognized in our country and in the environment of international affairs," the prime minister also said."I want to address one more topic, it's the topic that we assumed as a national objective, namely: access to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. It was an objective that we passed due to the lack of priorities since December of last year, when we took over the government and which we managed to carry out in such a way that this year we receive the road map to accede to the OECD," added the prime minister.The premier recalled that the National Investment and Trade Agency was created, in accordance with OECD standards."We hope that you will see in this institution the place where you can have an open dialogue and where you can benefit from the necessary information to use the investment opportunities in Romania and, at the same time, the place to promote Romanian products, 'made in Romania'," he added."I would like us to know that our citizens have a financial education, they have an economic education and will be part of everything that can represent business opportunities and that as many Romanians as possible become entrepreneurs. It is not an idealistic desire. Our citizens have creativity, they have courage, they have will, they just need some knowledge and encouragement to be able to understand and join in everything that this trend of business development means," the prime minister concluded. "More than 3,400 specific control activities were carried out, and approximately 600 foreign citizens were detected in illegal situations," informs a press release from the General Inspectorate for Immigration sent to AGERPRES on Thursday.During the activities carried out, 592 foreigners were detected in illegal situations."For the detected violations, 1,525 contraventional sanctions were applied to foreigners and employers, for non-compliance with the legal provisions regarding the legal regime of foreigners and their employment. At the same time, during the reference period, return decisions were issued for 443 people, with a term of voluntary departure from the territory of Romania, and 72 people were removed under escort," according to the quoted source. Prime Minister Nicolae-Ionel Ciuca met on Thursday at the Victoria Palace with the Minister of the Armed Forces of France, Sebastien Lecornu, a context in which the high-ranking French official announced the decision to deploy a squadron of RAFALE fighters for air policing missions in Romania, told Agerpres. According to a Government's release, the concrete elements of the Romanian-French Strategic Partnership were discussed, which has seen a rapid deepening in recent months, after France assumed the status of the framework nation for the Battle Group in Romania, as well as in the context deterrence and defense elements from the NATO agenda, according to the strategic concept adopted in Madrid this summer, which focuses on the security needs of the Black Sea. The Romanian Prime Minister thanked the French side for the prompt and timely decision to move military capabilities to our country, consisting of troops and combat equipment, including armored infantry, tanks and the MAMBA anti-aircraft system. The quoted source specifies that the developments and the situation in the region were presented in detail during the dialogue, in the context of the Russian aggression in Ukraine. At the same time, the consequences on military, energy and food security were analyzed, which generated instability in the states of the region, first of all in the Republic of Moldova. "The two officials expressed their concern for the social and political disturbances managed by the pro-European Government in Chisinau and expressed their support for the Republic of Moldova", the press release states. Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca on Thursday stated that the coalition has never discussed about a possible overtaxation of large businesses starting next year, told Agerpres. Asked, while paying a visit to the Central University Library, if next year a solidarity tax will be introduced in Romania, as claimed by the PSD (Social Democratic Party) leader, Marcel Ciolacu, the PM said: "The Fiscal Code has just been published, which means that we have this particular Fiscal Code for next year. (...) Mr. Ciolacu and I do not communicate via television, as you were all able to see, we have a very good communication. (...) So we did not discuss the issue of this tax. For me, this is an element that we have never discussed and I have to tell you the truth." Marcel Ciolacu on Wednesday stated that he does not change his opinion and still believes that there is a need for a temporary overtaxation of large businesses over 100 million euros. President Klaus Iohannis on Thursday welcomed visiting French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace, told Agerpres. The Presidential Administration reports that at the meeting, the latest developments in and prospects for a strategic partnership between Romania and France were addressed, with an emphasis on the defence component, the security state of play in the Black Sea region and its trends, the latest developments in the implementation of the NATO Madrid Summit decisions, and the agenda of the European Union. "The President of Romania appreciated the solidity of the ties between the two countries and thanked France for its efforts to establish and make operational a NATO battle group in Romania as part of NATO's commitment to strengthen the alliance's defence and deterrence posture on the Eastern flank." He pointed to the excellent cooperation between the two nations on joint missions under the auspices of NATO, the EU, the UN and the OSCE, as well as in multinational exercises. Regarding the security crisis in the region generated by the military invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, Iohannis pointed out the "multidimensional impact" it has on regional, European and Euro-Atlantic security. He emphasised the importance of keeping up NATO unity and solidarity, including in terms of support for Ukraine and Ukrainian citizens, as well as improving the ability of NATO member states to act together. Iohannis also highlighted, amid continuous deterioration of the security environment, the importance of the partnership between NATO and the European Union, as well as the need to strengthen it. According to the Presidential Administration, the chief of state also highlighted the importance of supporting the resilience and defence capacity of neighbouring partners in order to face the security challenges they face. Lecornu appreciated France's bilateral defence cooperation with Romania and confirmed his country's readiness to continue their development and diversification. The French official emphasised the professionalism of the Romanian military and the excellent co-operation between the two countries on missions and training activities carried out in a NATO or bilateral context. "Minister Sebastien Lecornu thanked Romania for its efforts to secure the conditions for the stationing of French military on Romania's soil and gave assurances that France will remain fully involved in the implementation of NATO decisions to ensure security on the Eastern flank in accordance with the decisions of the NATO Madrid Summit and with the directions included in the new Strategic Concept," the Presidential Administration also shows. Lecornu was on a state visit to Romania. Charge d'Affairs of the US Embassy in Bucharest David Muniz told a US - Romania Business Bridges via Timisoara regional conference, on Thursday, organized by AmCham, that the US wants to have a growing relationship with Romania, mentioning, among the positive points, President Klaus Iohannis' announcement regarding the construction of a nuclear reactor, told Agerpres. The US Charge D'Affairs said that it is a relationship that the US wants to further increase and other important areas have also been developed. He noted President Klaus Iohannis' announcement regarding the launch of the construction of a nuclear reactor, which is to be completed by 2028. The US official also mentioned the partnership regarding civil nuclear cooperation and the cooperation with Romania's Government in order to see what are the options and possibilities to invest in 5G and other generation networks. David Muniz said that the brutal invasion of Russia gave the perfect opportunity to see to what extent they can act on national security. The US official added that there are also many economic ties that the US wants to develop in the western area of Romania, business ties, pointing out the existence of a large number of US investments in this area and the fact that large US companies have found a place in Timisoara. However, he showed that there are also many US companies that talk about infrastructure issues, bureaucracy and corruption, as well as things that need to be worked on for the success of increased cooperation. He went on saying that global alliances and partnerships imply transparency and stability, adding the need and desire to do more here, as a close partner and friend, pointing out that the US will support Romania to reach all its standards to become a competitive member of the OECD. The Charge d'Affairs of the US Embassy in Bucharest expressed his desire to return to Timisoara in 2023, when the city will become the European Capital of Culture, and when the city will have the opportunity to share the experience with all those who shall visit it, and the AmCam will support this activity. Within a meeting that the US delegation led by David Muniz had with Mayor Dominic Fritz, the two discussed the role of cities in the response to humanitarian crises, the importance of the investments of US companies in Timisoara and the potential of the city both economically and culturally, in the context of the year of the European Capital of Culture. Daraban and Gebauer addressed the effectiveness of the German chamber system in terms of creating business opportunities for entrepreneurs from this country, as well as the need to implement a similar system in Romania."Perhaps less known is the role that the chamber system in this country has in this equation, the chamber system supported and encouraged by the German state. Unfortunately, this does not happen in Romania, our chamber system being probably the most underfunded in Europe, and the result is reflected in the huge trade deficit registered at the end of the year. I take this opportunity to ask HE Mr. Peer Gebauer for help in promoting among the authorities in Romania, the way it works, as well as the advantages of a chamber system validated by a very well-defined law, like the German one. If we want an economically strong Romania, we certainly need a chamber system like Germany's, with authorities to really support it, as well as with true professionals representatives of economic diplomacy," the CCIR head stressed.In his turn, ambassador Peer Gebauer emphasized that Romania and Germany have a very close collaboration not only on the economic level, but also on the social level.30 years ago, the Treaty between Romania and the Federal Republic of Germany regarding friendly cooperation and partnership in Europe was signed, which represented a true success story for our bilateral relations. Thus, commercial exchanges entered an upward trend, at the end of last year their total value reaching 35.1 billion euros, and in the middle of this year amounting to 23.3 billion euros. From the point of view of direct German investments in Romania, at the end of 2021 they reached 12 .55 billion euros. The figures look good, but that does not mean that we have to stop here, economic relations must develop at the same sustained pace in the future," the German diplomat concluded French guitar virtuoso Juan Carmona is a force to be reckoned with. Though self-taught at first the flamenco artist was 10 years old when his father gave him a guitar he later spent years learning from the master musicians in the birthplace of flamenco, Jerez de la Frontera in Andalusia. Now he is a master of the form himself. Not content to stay within the musics traditional boundaries, Carmona, who has collected a wide array of international awards, continues to expand flamenco by collaborating with musicians of diverse backgrounds and genres. Among them are jazz artists Larry Coryell, Jan Garbarek and Marcus Miller and Indian musicians Trilok Gurtu and L. Subramaniam, among others. Carmona also wrote the orchestral piece Sinfonia Flamenca, which he performed with David Robertson and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in 2011. His most recent album, 2021s Zyriab 6.7, includes a number of cross-cultural collaborations. Carmona discusses that work as well as some other issues in the interview below, which was conducted by email and translated his answers, that is from French. While flamenco isnt featured all that much in St. Louis, this week its in abundance. Carmona, backed by a three-piece band, is at Blue Strawberry on Nov. 5. Farshid Etniko, whose music draws from many different cultures, opens the show, and flamenco guitarist Lliam Christy, joined by dancer Beth Steinbrenner, will perform after Carmonas set. On Nov. 8, Miguel Espinoza Fusion, a Colorado-based quartet that combines jazz, flamenco, Cuban and classical Indian styles, performs at the Sheldon. The groups latest album, Living in a Daydream, was released in April. At the Sheldon, Espinoza and company will be joined by pianist Patti Wolf and St. Louis Symphony Orchestra violinist Eva Kozma and cellist Alvin McCall. And finally on Nov. 9, St. Louis Classical Guitar presents Russian guitarist Grisha Goryiachev, known for his mastery of both classical and flamenco styles, performs the Sheldon. Lliam Christy is also on that bill. In the interview with Carmona, he discussed his recent album and trends in flamenco. Q Your latest album, Zyriab 6.7, is named for the medieval poet and musician who had many accomplishments beyond music, including innovations in food and fashion. How did he come to be an inspiration for your music? A Zyriab is above all the inventor of Andalusian Arab music. Andalusian Arab music has always been a source of inspiration for flamenco musicians. Q What does 6.7 in the album title refer to? A Zyriab was born in Iraq, in Baghdad, and died in Cordoba in Spain. 6.7 corresponds to the distance between Baghdad and Cordoba 6,743 kilometers. And maybe also to give a modern touch to this project. Q The album features guest appearances by musicians from many countries. What were you hoping to achieve with these collaborations? A Zyriab crossed many countries before arriving in Cordoba in Spain. The concept of the album is to include artists whose music is emblematic of the countries he passed through. Q The U.S. and much of the rest of the world seems to be increasingly divided along racial and cultural lines. Is there a message we can take from this album and the people who are on it? A Music is a universal language. Often throughout my career, I have worked with musicians with whom I could not communicate at the language level but it has always worked musically. Q Did you travel to make the recordings, or did the guest artists come to you? Or did you record remotely? A This project was carried out during the pandemic. There were musicians who came to my personal studio, and sometimes I moved around, and sometimes we had to work via the Internet. Q You have made flamenco music that is deeply traditional, but also expanded the form by working with artists as various as Al Di Miola, Trilok Gurtu, and Baden Povell, among others. Why is it important to you to do both traditional and non-traditional? A If musical styles do not evolve, they die. I think that flamenco is one of these genres. Its important to live in your own time. Q In 2011, you performed the North American premiere of your Sinfonia Flamenca with David Robertson and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. What are your memories of that performance and your visit to St. Louis? A I have very good memories of this experience with the St. Louis orchestra, which had an exceptional sound! David told me that he hesitated between ending the concert with Ravels Bolero or the Sinfonia Flamenca, finally deciding to end with Bolero. He confessed to me that he should have finished with the Sinfonia Flamenca since it had been such a great success. It was an honor for me. What Juan Carmona with Lliam Christy and Beth Steinbrenner When 8 p.m. Nov. 5 Where Blue Strawberry, 364 Boyle Avenue How much $25-$45 More info 314-256-1745 What Miguel Espinoza Fusion with Patti Wolf and Friends When 7 p.m. Nov. 8 Where Sheldon Concert Hall, 3648 Washington Avenue How much $16-$31 More info 314-534-1111; thesheldon.org What Grisha Goryachev with Lliam Christy When 7:30 p.m. Nov. 9 Where Sheldon Concert Hall, 3648 Washington Avenue How much $46-$70 More info 314-567-5566; stlclassicalguitar.org A wealth of high-profile new movies is arriving on streaming sites this week, so its time to update your watchlists accordingly and play catch-up with some of the films that you may have missed during their theatrical runs this year. | On Nov. 1, the ensemble murder mystery See How They Run, starring Saorise Ronan, Ruth Wilson, Adrien Brody, David Oyelowo and Sam Rockwell, streams on HBO Max (or rent it). Set behind the scenes of a 1950s production of Agatha Christies The Mousetrap, the film is directed by Tom George and written by Mark Chappell. Also Nov. 1, the Cannes Camera dOr winning film Murina arrives on Showtime. The directorial debut of Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic, this drama set on the Croatian coast among a family of eel-divers stars Gracija Filipovic and was shot by award-winning French cinematographer Helene Louvart; it also boasts Martin Scorsese as an executive producer. Check out this Gotham Award-nominated first feature and drink in the scenery of the Adriatic Coast. On Nov. 4, Jennifer Lawrence returns to her indie roots with the New Orleans-set drama Causeway, streaming on Apple TV+. Lawrence stars as a woman who has suffered a traumatic brain injury in Afghanistan, moves back home and strikes up a friendship with a mechanic played by Brian Tyree Henry. Causeway is directed by Lile Neugebauer and written by Elizabeth Sanders, Ottessa Moshfegh and Luke Goebel. Also streaming on Apple TV+ on Nov.1, Selena Gomez: My Mind and Me, an intimate documentary portrait of one of pop cultures biggest stars, directed by Alek Keshishian, the director of Madonna: Truth or Dare. The documentary depicts Gomezs struggle with lupus, depression and anxiety, while she grapples with what fame means in her life, having worked in the limelight since childhood. Coming to theaters and VOD on Friday is Soft & Quiet, the chilling directorial debut of writer/director Beth de Araujo, which premiered earlier this year at the South by Southwest film festival and was dubbed the most terrifying film of the year by Indiewire. This real-time thriller follows a group of white supremacist women who convene a meeting in their small town that spirals out of control into hateful violence. Catch it in theaters or rent it on all platforms. On the Roku Channel on Friday, stream the outlandish and imaginary Weird Al Yankovic biopic Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, starring Daniel Radcliffe as the iconic pop parody artist. The period drama My Policeman streams on Amazon Prime on Friday after premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival and in theaters. Popster Harry Styles co-stars opposite Emma Corrin and David Dawson in this LGBTQ love triangle story, directed by Michael Grandage, adapted by Ron Nyswaner from the 2012 Bethan Roberts novel, which was inspired by the relationship writer E.M. Forster had with a married couple over decades. Mark your calendars for Monday, when Styles other starring role of the fall will hit HBO Max. Dont Worry Darling, the much-ballyhooed sophomore film from Olivia Wilde, starring Florence Pugh as a 1950s-style housewife living in a utopian community with her husband (played by Styles), arrives on HBO Max Nov. 7, so if you have yet to catch it in theaters or on VOD, now is your chance to see what all the fuss is (or isnt) about. Former Greys Anatomy stars Jesse Williams and Greg Germann make a guest appearance. Nearing the finish line, The Good Fight goes radical with its politically charged drama. Netflix presents a sitcom set in the worlds last Blockbuster video-rental store. Other streaming highlights include two multi-part British suspense thrillers, perfect for binge-watching. 9/8c Currently back on Broadway in the Tony-winning revival of Take Me Out, Jesse Williams reprises his role of Jackson Avery when Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) heads to Boston to discuss her ambitions of curing Alzheimers. Greg Germann also appears as the abrasively brilliant Tom Koracick, who may have news about the condition of Jacksons mom, Catherine Avery (Debbie Allen). Back in Seattle, new intern Lucas (Niko Terho) is not having much luck keeping his colleagues from speculating on his secret (familial) relationship with Amelia (Caterina Scorsone). Its hard to believe this impassioned, inspired, over-the-top legal/political drama has only one more episode to go before the final curtain falls. They pack a seasons worth of incident into the penultimate hour, directed by Carrie Preston, which can only be described as radical. Theres not enough whisky in the world, mutters Diane (Christine Baranski) as she considers the state of the world while attending the memorial service for the assassinated (by mistake) leader of the DNC. Before the episode is over, Diane is fielding an unexpected offer from an unexpected source which could upend her personal and professional lives. Meanwhile, Carmen (Charmaine Bingwa) is introduced to the shadowy organization, led by an ultra-cool Phylicia Rashad, thats combating white-supremacy terrorists in the most creative ways. Guest stars include John Benjamin Hickey as the mercurial tech giant Neil Gross and Steven Pasquale as the new party boss. Everyones having a blast during these end times, not the least of whom is the lucky viewer. A great idea for a comedy series ends up playing more like a tired retread of a not-so-Superstore. And yet theres a sweet offbeat charm to much of Blockbuster, which extols the virtues of endangered small businesses as a rare locus of human connection. The loudest cheerleader, and hapless manager of the last remaining video-rental store (set in Michigan, unlike the actual location in Oregon), is Fresh Off the Boats affable Randall Park as earnest, corny Blockbuster daddy Timmy. He carries a torch of predictable longing for neurotic and unhappily married Eliza (Brooklyn Nine-Nines Melissa Fumero), whos stocking shelves after flaming out at Harvard, par for the course for her wistful and forlorn colleagues. JB Smoove gets some of the biggest laughs as Timmys blustery buddy and strip-mall landlord. Season Premiere Who can you trust? Maybe no one, judging from two multi-part thrillers available for binge-watching. Season 2 of Peacocks nail-biting The Capture (six episodes) finds DCI Rachel Carey (Holliday Grainger) newly promoted within the U.K.s Correction unit, where shes once again battling deepfake technology and conspiracies which underscore the shows tagline: Seeing Is Deceiving. On Sundance Nows The Suspect (five episodes), Poldarks Aidan Turner stars as a celebrity psychologist whose seemingly perfect life begins to fall apart during the investigation into the death of a young woman found in a shallow grave. Should the profiler be profiling himself? 8:30/7:30c Who knew back rubs were such a thing with the dearly departed that theyd use them as currency? The more we know about the spirits haunting this charming comedy, the more we love them. And so it is as Wall Street-savvy Trevor (Asher Grodman) tries to blindside the cunning Hetty (Rebecca Wisocky) by trading a hot new commodity. But the big news among the long-dead is the discovery by Sam (Rose McIver) that several houses away rests the spirit of someone very close to Thorfinn (Devan Chandler Long) which could melt even that Viking heart. True Crime Watch: A&Es long-running The First 48 (8/7c) opens its 23rd season with an investigation in Mobile, Alabama, into two 2020 murders that occur in the same complex just hours apart. Followed by the return of Interrogation Raw (10/9c), with the jaw-dropping tale of how a 2017 plumbing repair led Canadian police to a killer who confessed to flushing body parts. New to WE tv: Hip Hop Homicides (9/8c), which revisits crimes within the musical community, starting with the February 2020 home-invasion murder of rising rapper Pop Smoke . . On SundanceTVs True Crime Story: Indefensible (10/9c), sharp-witted comedian Jena Friedman explores the acquittal of Casey Anthony in the 2008 death of her toddler, Caylee. Inside Thursday TV: WEDNESDAY, Nov. 2, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Years of litigation over the opioid epidemic could end soon, as the national pharmacy chains CVS and Walgreens announced Wednesday that each company has agreed to a nearly $5 billion settlement. While neither of the companies admitted wrongdoing, the settlements are part of the fight over the drug industry's role in the epidemic that has led to 500,000 U.S. deaths in the past 20 years, the Associated Press reported. The pharmacies' role was in filling prescriptions they should have flagged as inappropriate, according to lawsuits from various state governments. Most of the money will go toward programs that expand treatment for people with addiction, provide overdose antidotes, and support prevention efforts. Exactly how much the pharmacies pay will depend on how many governments join the settlement, the AP reported. "We are pleased to resolve these longstanding claims and putting them behind us is in the best interest of all parties, as well as our customers, colleagues, and shareholders," Thomas Moriarty, CVS chief policy officer and general counsel, said in a statement. "We are committed to working with states, municipalities, and [Native American] tribes, and will continue our own important initiatives to help reduce the illegitimate use of prescription opioids." CVS announced its settlement plan while submitting its earnings report, while Walgreens shared its details in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. "As one of the largest pharmacy chains in the nation, we remain committed to being a part of the solution, and this settlement framework will allow us to keep our focus on the health and well-being of our customers and patients, while making positive contributions to address the opioid crisis," Walgreens said in a statement. Completed opioid settlements so far have reached more than $50 billion. Earlier this year AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health, and McKesson, all of whom are distributors, settled for a combined $21 billion. Drugmaker Johnson & Johnson settled for $5 billion. The Sackler family and Purdue Pharma, which make OxyContin, have proposed to settle for up to $6 billion in cash plus the value of the company, the AP reported. The vast majority of candidates running to become their states' chief election officers oppose hand counting ballots, a laborious and error-prone process that has gained favor among some Republicans embracing conspiracy theories about voting machines. An Associated Press survey of major party secretary of state candidates in the 24 states found broad skepticism about hand counting among election professionals of all ideological stripes. Of 23 Republicans who responded to the survey, 13 clearly said they opposed implementing a statewide hand count of ballots instead of a machine count. GOP candidates in Arizona and New Mexico have previously endorsed the idea of a hand count. But others cautioned it was a dangerous road to follow. "Hand counting ballots is a process that requires time, manpower, and is prone to inaccuracies," Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab, a Republican who is seeking re-election this year, wrote in response to the AP survey. The desire to hand count ballots stems from conspiracy theories spread by former President Donald Trump and his allies that the electronic machines that tabulated the results of the 2020 presidential election were rigged. Now some Republicans inspired by his election lies seek to expand or require hand counting of all ballots. Counting by hand takes longer, requires large groups of people to examine ballots, and has been found by multiple studies to be less reliable than using voting machines. "The reason the U.S. moved to counting machines is due to both human error and fraud with hand counts, so we looked for a better way to count the vote," said Kim Crockett, the Republican nominee for secretary of state in Minnesota, in an email. "The error rate for hand counts is higher than the error rate for ballot counters in most cases." Crockett, who has called the 2020 election "rigged" and echoed some of Trump's other election falsehoods, also stressed that she thinks her state's voting machines still need further inspection. The process came under scrutiny last week when rural Nye County in Nevada embarked on an unprecedented full hand count of this year's midterm votes, starting with mailed ballots and those cast early in-person. The process was painstakingly slow until it was halted by the state's supreme court over concerns that early vote tallies could be leaked publicly. While the AP survey found most candidates strongly favor machine tabulators, two GOP secretary of state candidates in politically pivotal states Arizona and New Mexico want to shift to the unreliable method of counting ballots. A third in yet another swing state, Nevada, has backed Nye County's effort and voiced support for making that sort of procedure standard statewide. In Arizona, Republican State Rep. Mark Finchem, who is running for secretary of state, joined his party's nominee for governor, Kari Lake, in filing a lawsuit seeking to outlaw the use of any machine to record or tabulate votes. The case was dismissed by a judge who levied sanctions against the Republicans. In New Mexico, GOP secretary of state nominee Audrey Trujillo has said she wants widespread hand counting of votes. "Hand count my ballot. We already have paper ballots," she said in an interview on the video platform Rumble. "If we had that, I guarantee you tons more people would go out and vote." Neither Finchem nor Trujillo responded to the AP's survey. Nevada's Republican secretary of state candidate has offered conflicting responses. A campaign spokesman for Republican nominee Jim Marchant told the AP that Marchant would be fine with a machine count as long as there also are paper ballots, which are universally used in Nevada. But the prior month, Marchant told the AP in a separate interview, "My goal is to go to a hand count paper ballot system." Nevada's current secretary of state, Republican Barbara Cegavske, told interim Nye County Clerk Mark Kampf to halt the hand count of early arriving mailed ballots and early in-person votes until after polls close Nov. 8 following a ruling late last week from the state's high court. The state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union had sought to halt the hand count over concerns that observers could hear the results as they were announced, risking a potential public leak of early returns. The nascent hand-count had been riddled with problems on its first day, with repeated delays and errors among the volunteer staff of 12 teams of five split into two different shifts. They got through 900 of 1,950 ballots on the first day, with one volunteer lamenting the slow pace: "I can't believe it's two hours to get through 25." An AP reporter observed two teams of five taking as long as three hours to count 50 ballots. When teams realized they had mismatched tallies for certain candidates, they would stop and recount the ballots for those candidates again. That effort followed a hand count in another rural Nevada county, Esmeralda, where election workers in June spent more than seven hours hand-tallying the 317 primary ballots. Kampf said the teams improved during the second day. Eleven candidates, mostly Republicans, did not respond to the AP's survey, including one of the most prominent election conspiracy theorists running for the position Republican Kristina Karamo in Michigan, a community college instructor who has been spreading the lie that voting machines in 2020 were rigged. "Election deniers are using the language of election integrity to dismantle the actual infrastructure of election integrity," said David Becker, the co-author of "The Big Truth," a book about the risks of Trump's voting claims, and executive director of the Center for Election Innovation & Research. "If you want inaccurate results that take a really long time and cost a lot, then hand counting is your solution." ST. LOUIS A 16-year-old girl was shot in the hip Wednesday in the city's Carr Square neighborhood. The girl was walking with a 16-year-old boy just after 2 p.m. in the 1700 block of Carr Street when a vehicle pulled up that the girl said she recognized. As she approached the vehicle, the passenger opened fire, she told police, hitting her in her hip. The boy with whom she was walking returned fire. He was arrested; the initial shooters were not caught. The girl was stable Thursday morning. JEFFERSON CITY The police force that patrols Missouris Capitol complex could grow next year under a budget proposal being considered by Gov. Mike Parson. The Missouri Department of Public Safety filed a wish list with the Republican governors budget office that includes a request for seven additional police officers and four communications workers, arguing that the countrys divisive politics have decreased safety in the states seat of government. Within the last year, Missouri Capitol Police has seen an increase in calls for service related to protests, demonstrations, and threats made to Missouri state government officials, the request notes. The added money comes at a time when the police force that protects the nations Capitol in Washington also is seeking a funding increase in the wake of the violent Jan. 6 insurrection in the wake of the 2020 election. Unlike the millions sought for the U.S. Capitol police force, the Missouri budget request calls for an additional $560,000 to pay for the expansion. The impact will be a reduction of potential risk to General Assembly, state employees and the public from terroristic threats by foreign and domestic actors, the request says. The proposed expansion, which could be included in Parsons formal budget request to lawmakers in January, marks the latest move in an ongoing attempt to bolster security in the state Capitol. Following the attack on the nations Capitol, lawmakers had sought $300,000 to hire additional security patrols. Those additional workers would be under the control of the House and Senate. Parson, an ex-sheriff, vetoed the money, saying the Capitol Police Department, which he controls, can handle the task. The House also has installed electronic card readers at the doors of its chambers to limit access to the floor where 163 members and scores of staffers work during the legislative session. The cost of the project was estimated at $88,607. Keeping the entrances secure is designed to alleviate some of the concerns about safety in a building where the states permissive gun laws are on display. Under current rules, people are allowed to enter with concealed firearms if they have a concealed carry permit. Visitors must undergo a screening by Capitol police and stay off the floors of the Senate and House chambers with their weapon. The gun policy was put in place by Parson in 2018, nearly two years after former Gov. Eric Greitens barred most visitors and employees from bringing concealed firearms into the Capitol. Under the plan, which includes other changes in the Capitol police division, the number of workers would increase from 32 as of July 1 to 58 next year. Costs in the division, which handled 17,000 calls for service last year, would nearly double from about $1.7 million to $3.1 million. The added police could also reduce the administrations reliance on bringing in other state law enforcement officials as back-up support staff during various events. For example, the proposal says that the Missouri State Highway Patrol provided approximately 310 hours of assistance to the Capitol Police during the 2022 legislative session due to requested heightened security. Additional Missouri Capitol Police officers will reduce the need for these requests which hinders them from their assigned agency duties, the proposal says. Lawmakers will begin the budget-writing process in January. ST. LOUIS The city has asked a judge to issue sanctions against the union that represents St. Louis firefighters and its attorney for failing to show up at an emergency court hearing Wednesday a hearing the union sought in its effort to block the citys new director of personnel before she starts work next week. The development marks the latest escalation between Local 73 of the International Association of Fire Fighters and Mayor Tishaura O. Jones administration over personnel issues, including long-delayed firefighter promotions and the leader of the powerful Personnel Department that controls them. The union sued the city in February when Jones installed John Moten as interim personnel director after the sudden retirement of longtime director Rick Frank gave the mayor the rare opportunity to pick a new leader of the independent department. The union alleged in its lawsuit that the citys Civil Service Commission improperly changed its rules to allow Jones to pick a temporary personnel director. In its motion Monday for a temporary restraining order, the union then alleged that the city had refused to provide evidence that Sonya Jenkins-Gray, the mayors permanent choice for the job, had two years of public personnel administration as required by the city charter. On Wednesday, the city responded with an affidavit from Jenkins-Gray that detailed her work at the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Army from 1987 to 1993, including as director of personnel and finance at Fort Bragg in North Carolina from September 1989 to April 1992 jobs that unquestionably qualify her, the city said. In a scathing response filed Wednesday, the city counselors office called the unions motion impertinent and part of a pattern of meritless challenges to the qualifications of a qualified and diverse cabinet appointed by Mayor Jones not faced by preceding mayors. The firefighters union, which backed Jones opponent in last years mayoral election, is apparently intent on challenging the appointment of any personnel director not handpicked by plaintiffs, the city counselors office contends. City Counselor Sheena Hamilton along with two other city attorneys appeared in court for a hearing on the unions motion. When the other side didnt show, they asked the judge to sanction them for the time the office spent responding to the unions frivolous motions. In addition to dismissing the unions motions to block Jenkins-Gray from taking the job, St. Louis Circuit Judge Jason Sengheiser ordered them to explain Wednesday why they shouldnt be sanctioned for failing to appear. He also ordered them to show cause as to why they shouldnt be sanctioned for filing their motion to block Jenkins-Gray despite prior assurances from Hamilton and written assurance from the Civil Service Commission that she possessed the proper qualifications. And, Sengheiser added, the union needs to explain why they caused Jenkins-Gray to expend time while out of the country to prepare for a hearing ... and time locating a notary in a foreign country to refute plaintiffs assertions. Jenkins-Gray had been on a vacation cruise, part of what the city said in its response was a well-deserved break before assuming the substantial obligations and duties of the personnel director position. The unions attorney, Emily Perez, last week asked the city counselors office for confirmation that Jenkins-Gray had the requisite experience. According to emails filed with the court, Hamilton personally spoke with Perez and told her that Jenkins-Gray met the charter requirements. That was insufficient, Perez responded Monday, asking for a resume or other documentation. Her Monday motion cited Jenkins-Grays LinkedIn profile, which catalogues her work experience in detail from 1998 to the present and is devoid of any mention of public sector personnel administration. Hamilton, in an email filed with the court, said that in addition to a response from the commission, she herself had provided assurances to Perez. I know you looked to LinkedIn to form the basis of your inquiry, Hamilton wrote Perez in one of the emails. So are you asking that Ms. Jenkins-Gray update her LinkedIn profile? Perez said Thursday that she would file a response with the court but that the city waited until the very last minute to file their response. As soon as she had Jenkins-Grays affidavit, she said she notified the city before the hearing she was withdrawing her motion for a temporary restraining order. They very easily could have provided that information much earlier, Perez said. And there wouldnt have been a motion or a hearing. A city spokesman declined to comment. The unions earlier claims over the rule changes allowing Moten to be hired and a request for the court to invalidate his actions over the last eight months are still pending. ST. LOUIS A coalition of homeless advocacy groups on Thursday urged votes against Alderman Jack Coatar for aldermanic president. The groups, including Tent Mission STL and St. Louis Winter Outreach, said Coatar has worked to make it harder to distribute resources to homeless people, tried to shut down a warming shelter in the dead of winter, and barred so-called intentional encampments from his ward, which includes downtown, Soulard and Lafayette Square. "Jack Coatar does not serve the unhoused, does not serve St. Louis, and will not serve you," the groups said in a release. Coatar dismissed the statement as theater. "It's the same stuff they've been trotting out for years," he said in an interview. He said a bill he filed in 2016 that sought to require people giving things away to be licensed by the city was a negotiating tactic. Ministry groups from St. Louis County were giving away food in parks and refusing to clean up, causing rat infestations, he said. The bill was designed to prod the groups into cooperating with the city, and never came to a vote. Coatar also denied trying to shut down the warming center. He said all he did was tell city staff that the building was a nuisance and had not undergone a proper building safety infection. The advocacy groups said the building got a condemnation notice shortly after Coatar complained, but it was ultimately rescinded. Coatar conceded trying to keep the "intentional" encampments out of his ward. He said setting up a camp with social programs on-site was still inhumane and likely to result in the same lawlessness seen at other encampments downtown. Coatar was among a dozen aldermen who got their wards excluded from consideration for such encampments in a bill passed last year. Coatar's opponent on Tuesday, Alderman Megan Green, was not among them. HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) Shes the only statewide candidate running in Connecticut this year to be endorsed by former President Donald Trump, but Republican Leora Levy has been cautious in mentioning his political support during her race against Democratic U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal. Levy, a first-time candidate and Republican National Committee member, thanked Trump for having my back after winning the August primary in an upset, promising I will not let you down." But she has often deflected questions about the controversial former president in the months that have followed. Trump is not on the ballot, she recently told a reporter. And if theres any presidents name on the ballot, its Joe Biden, because of his failed policies. Like many GOP candidates this year, Levy has instead focused her campaign heavily on affordability, crime and parents' rights issues. And she contends her message resonates with voters in this politically blue state, despite conventional wisdom that Trump's endorsement, coupled with her opposition to abortion rights and other conservative stances, will hurt her in the general election. The failed economic policies of the Biden administration, rubber stamped by Dick Blumenthal, have made life unaffordable for everybody, she said in a recent interview with The Associated Press, when asked why she thinks she can win this year. National Republican optimism has grown in recent weeks that anti-Democratic political headwinds will help underdog candidates initially considered a risky choice for the GOP. However, it's questionable whether those winds will be strong enough to help Levy defeat Blumenthal, a well-known two-term U.S. senator, former state attorney general and U.S. attorney. A recent Quinnipiac Poll showed likely voters preferred Blumenthal over Levy by a 15 point margin. Levy believes the race is much closer. Democrats will come up to me theyll whisper, Dont tell anybody, but Im voting for you, Levy said. Her campaign was buoyed by news that the National Republican Senatorial Committee was spending money for the first time on TV ads in the race, though the amount was small: $100,000. Blumenthal has maintained a huge lead when it comes to campaign funds. As of Oct. 19, he still had more than $3 million in cash on hand while Levy, who loaned her campaign $1.7 million, had $432,156 left to spend. The two-term Democratic senator's campaign has focused much of its spending on TV ads, often reminding voters that Levy is Trump's favored candidate. Blumenthal is hoping the message will resonate in a state where the same Quinnipiac Poll showed 62% of likely voters have an unfavorable opinion of the former president. On Wednesday night, during the only debate in the race, Blumenthal doubled-down on Levy's ties to Trump. He said that his opponent told the former president that "I will always have your back means she's out of sync with Connecticut voters. If you always have President Trump's back, you can't have Connecticut's back, he said. If you're 100% Trump, that's 100% wrong for Connecticut." Levy portrayed Trump's endorsement like any other she has received. I'm a uniter," she said. I've been endorsed by a lot of people in our party. Blumenthal has used Trump's endorsement of Levy as a fundraising tool, often referring to her as his Trump-backed opponent in messages to donors. His campaign recently sent out an email with a photo of Levy appearing last month with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida for a Levy campaign fundraiser. Trump has not visited Connecticut to campaign for her. When speaking to the voters of our state, my GOP opponent has been trying to pretend shes not a puppet of Donald Trump but her extremist record and recent pilgrimage to genuflect before him tell a very different story, Blumenthal says in the fundraising email to supporters. A former commodities trader who immigrated to the U.S. from Cuba as a young girl, Levy was Trump's nominee for ambassador to Chile but was never confirmed. She's known in national Republican circles for her fundraising abilities. Levy wasnt the first choice for state Republican leaders to run for the U.S. Senate. At the partys convention this spring, delegates endorsed former state House Minority Leader Themis Klarides, a socially moderate Republican who supports abortion rights and some gun control measures. But Levy, who supported former Republican Florida Gov. Jeb Bush in the 2016 presidential election and wrote at the time in an op-ed that Trump was vulgar, ill-mannered and disparages those whom he cannot intimidate," surprised many by winning the primary. It came days after receiving Trumps endorsement, which was announced over speaker phone at a GOP picnic. Moderate Republicans quickly took to social media, predicting they had lost their chance to finally defeat Blumenthal. Levy declined to discuss what she acknowledged was a contentious primary, maintaining the state's Republican Party is now united behind her candidacy. Im looking forward. Lets talk about the future and why Im going to win this election, she said. Im going to win this election because Connecticut voters dont want to live like this anymore. Follow APs coverage of the elections at: https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections Check out https://apnews.com/hub/explaining-the-elections to learn more about the issues and factors at play in the 2022 midterm elections. PARIS (AP) A Paris court on Wednesday found a former Liberian rebel guilty of torture, acts of barbarism and complicity in crimes against humanity during the countrys civil war almost 30 years ago, sentencing him to life in prison. Kunti Kamara, 47, had been accused of complicity in massive and systematic torture and inhumane acts against civilians in Liberias Lofa county in 1993-1994 as one of the leaders of the Ulimo armed group. He was then less than 20 years old. Kamara repeatedly rejected all the accusations against him during the nearly four-week trial. Prosecutors requested a life sentence while defense lawyers called for acquittal, citing a lack of evidence. Your verdict will be historic, prosecutor Aurelie Belliot told the court, which was made up of three judges and a jury. You must send a clear message: France must not be the last shelter for authors of crimes against humanity. Kamara was arrested near Paris in 2018, following a complaint filed by Swiss-based group Civitas Maxima, specialized in helping victims of crimes against humanity. During the investigation, he acknowledged having been a battlefield commander, leading about 80 soldiers during the civil war a choice he said he made to defend himself against Charles Taylors rival faction. With no material evidence because of the chaos of the war, accusations relied on witnesses. During the investigation, French police officers went to Liberia to identify witnesses and interview local residents. About 15 of them came to Paris to testify. Among other crimes, Kamara was accused of having allowed and facilitated rapes and sexual torture of two young teenagers by some Ulimo soldiers. One of the victims vividly described the pain and suffering she endured, crying until she felt unwell and was unable to continue testifying. She wasn't able to come back to the court, and a message from her was read the next day saying she didn't want to see Kamara again. Kamara was also accused of having participated in the killing of two civilians and an act of cannibalism. Described by Belliot as the active author of a collective killing, he is accused of having eaten the heart of the victim after it had been removed by another soldier with an ax. In addition, he was accused of having killed a sick woman, firing at her head with a rifle, and of having compelled people into forced labor under inhuman conditions. He and his group allegedly forced civilians to carry very heavy loads, including electric generators and food, for hours without food and water. Accusations also included the torture of a man, whose arms were tied behind his back before being dragged on the floor until he was very seriously wounded. The trial by the Paris criminal court has been made possible under a French law that recognizes universal jurisdiction for crimes against humanity and acts of torture. Prosecutor Claire Thouault stressed that Liberia never sent to trial those who committed crimes during the countrys back-to-back civil wars between 1989 and 2003 that killed an estimated 250,000 people. She said that as soon as he arrived in Europe, Kamara did everything to hide the reality of his actions and avoid any accusation. Kamara said he left Liberia after the end of the first civil war in 1997 and later went to the Netherlands. He acknowledged he lied about his past to get asylum there, including by not disclosing he used to be an Ulimo soldier. He was later granted citizenship and lived in the country for 12 years, before coming to Belgium and then France because prosecutors alleged that he felt his war activities were getting increasingly known by Dutch authorities. Rights groups hailed the trial as an important step to bring justice to victims. Speaking ahead of the verdict, Sabrina Delattre, lawyer for Civitas Maxima, said because there is total impunity in Liberia" for war criminals, "its very important for the victims that this trial took place. Its really important that they were able to come here and give their testimony before the court. The countrys post-war truth and reconciliation commission in 2009 recommended prosecution for dozens of ex-warlords and their commanders bearing greatest responsibilities for the war. But successive governments have largely ignored the recommendations, much to the disappointment and frustration of war victims. The trial in Paris followed a related case in Switzerland, where a court in June 2021 convicted a former Ulimo commander, Alieu Kosiah, to 20 years in prison for the rapes and killings of civilians among other crimes. Kosiah was the first Liberian convicted of war crimes dating from the first civil war. He appealed the decision. Kosiahs statements involving Kamara partly led to the arrest of his former comrade-in-arms. Alexander Turnbull and Oleg Cetinic contributed to the story. JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) The call went out from leaders in the medical marijuana industry: Money was needed for a Missouri ballot initiative to legalize recreational cannabis for adults. Their colleagues responded. Marijuana farms, manufacturers and retailers provided millions of dollars that footed a petition drive to put the proposal on the November ballot and promote it to voters. The deep-pocketed outpouring highlighted the depth of the emerging industry's roots in the traditionally conservative state, as well as its tremendous potential for growth. All told, marijuana legalization campaigns have raised about $23 million in five states Arkansas, Maryland, Missouri, North Dakota and South Dakota. The vast majority of that has been in Arkansas and Missouri, where more than 85% of contributions have come from donors associated with companies holding medical marijuana licenses, according to an Associated Press analysis of the most recent campaign finance reports. The biggest donor is Good Day Farm, which describes itself as the largest licensed medical cannabis producer in the South with facilities in Arkansas, Missouri and Louisiana. It gave a combined $3.5 million to legalization campaigns in Arkansas and Missouri. And when the Missouri campaign needed help gathering petition signatures, Good Day Farm paid an additional $1 million directly to the firm circulating the petitions. Its kind of the cost of doing business, I guess," said Alex Gray, chief strategy officer at Good Day Farm. "This is something that is a positive for the industry, but its also a positive for the state. Licensed medical marijuana businesses affiliated with Greenlight have given a total of about $1 million to legalization campaigns in Arkansas, Missouri and South Dakota, according to the APs analysis. If the ballot measures pass, Greenlight CEO John Mueller said he expects to easily double a workforce of about 370 people at Greenlight-affiliated cultivation farms and dispensaries in Arkansas, Missouri, South Dakota and West Virginia. Obviously, your consumer base goes up when you go to adult use, said Mueller, a self-described activist who encouraged industry colleagues to contribute to the legalization campaigns. Provisions in the proposed constitutional amendments in Arkansas and Missouri would give established medical marijuana licensees a leg up in the new recreational marketplace. But Mueller said the measures dont merely enrich the industry. Its more jobs, more tax revenue get it off the black market, he said. Marijuana legalization efforts elsewhere have not eliminated illegal dealers. California voters approved recreational marijuana use in 2016 following a $36 million campaign for it, and the first retail stores opened in 2018. Yet a vast illegal market remains more than double the legal sales, by some estimates. Medical marijuana was authorized voters in 2016 in Arkansas and North Dakota, in 2018 in Missouri and in 2020 in South Dakota. Like elsewhere, it took a while to get the programs up and running. But in less than two years since Missouris stores opened, medical marijuana dispensaries have reported about $500 million in sales. The Arkansas campaign to legalize recreational marijuana for adults has raised over $13 million, including more than $8 million in October alone, while the Missouri effort has raised more than $7 million. Campaigns in other states have raised less than $1 million each. Maryland's initiative has been particularly low-profile, raising a little over $300,000 amid presumed broad public support. In Arkansas and Missouri, resistance has come from an unusual alliance of public safety groups, social conservatives opposed to legalization and some marijuana advocates who believe the ballot initiatives are still too restrictive. The Arkansas opposition is the best funded among the states. Uline CEO Richard Uihlein and Mountaire Corp. CEO Ronald Cameron each contributed $1 million to the Safe and Secure Communities campaign committee. Its ads have asserted that legalizing marijuana for adults will cause a spike in traffic fatalities and illegal use by youths, among other things. Other critics contend the Arkansas measure is structured to benefit only a limited number of dispensaries, noting it lacks provisions allowing adults to grow marijuana at home or expunging past convictions. This amendment is not a start, said Melissa Fults, executive director of Arkansans for Cannabis Reform. It is a brick wall. Missouri's legalization measure which does expunge many past marijuana arrests and convictions has drawn opposition from Pro-Choice Missouri. The abortion rights group said it backs cannabis legalization and expungement as an issue of reproductive justice but believes the measure doesn't do enough to address the historic harms from the racist criminalization of cannabis. A total of 19 states have legalized recreational marijuana for adults since voters in Colorado and Washington state first approved ballot measures in 2012. Those early efforts were heavily funded by wealthy individuals, such as former Progressive Insurance CEO Peter Lewis. Tech billionaire Sean Parker, the first president of Facebook, ranked among the top donors to California's legalization campaign. But philanthropic funding for legalization campaigns has fallen as the marijuana industry has risen. The philanthropists who really got this movement off the ground are either are "ready to move on to other issues or they dont think its their place to support this movement, given that the industry is now mature and many of these businesses are making a lot of money, said Matthew Schweich, deputy director of the Marijuana Policy Project, a nonprofit advocacy group based in Washington, D.C. Schweich moved to South Dakota to run this year's legalization campaign. The Marijuana Policy Project also is providing staff support for the North Dakota campaign. But it isn't as deeply involved Arkansas and Missouri, where there are greater industry resources. New Approach, another D.C.-based drug policy group, has directed more money to psychedelic mushrooms than to marijuana this year. It's poured $4.2 million into a campaign to make Colorado the second state, after Oregon, to allow adults 21 and older to use hallucinogenic chemicals found in some mushrooms. Meanwhile, New Approach has contributed a total of around $700,000 to marijuana legalization campaigns in Missouri, North Dakota and South Dakota. As the medical marijuana industry has grown, the organization has refined its targets. Our focus in recent years has been on initiatives in traditionally red states, in part because that is what we see as the most effective way to continue to move toward broader acceptance of cannabis policy reform, said New Approach Chief of Staff Taylor West. Learn more about the issues and factors at play in the midterms at https://apnews.com/hub/explaining-the-elections. And follow the APs election coverage of the 2022 elections at https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections. Associated Press writer Andrew DeMillo contributed from Little Rock, Ark. Harjai, who reported from Los Angeles, is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Chinese espionage in the United States has been going on for decades and has recently shifted to the use of Chinese espionage agents to recruit Americans to work for them. The lure is often money, but blackmail and intimidation are also used. It often works, but recently (October) the U.S. indicted Chinese citizens Gouchun He and Zheng Wang for working as Chinese espionage agents. They were assigned to recruit an American official who could help disrupt a U.S. investigation of Chinese electronics giant Huawei. The American official seemed to cooperate but he turned out to be a double-agent for the FBI. This is the latest incident of more active Chinese espionage operations in the United States. Similar efforts involve female Chinese agents befriending influential Americans and reporting on what they were doing and control anti-Chinese attitudes. A growing number of Chinese agents were used to go after Chinese expatriates who had settled in the United States and were openly critical of Chinese policies and behavior. Some of Chinese efforts appeared odd. For example, in 2020 American military intelligence agencies found themselves trying to figure out what is behind the recent arrest of ten Chinese who were caught brazenly entering restricted areas to take photographs of secret installations and operations. There may have been others who got in and out and were not caught. Most of those involved appear to be taking advantage of U.S. law since anyone caught illegally entering a base and taking photos or videos can spend as little as a year in jail if they plead guilty, or a ten-year sentence if they go to trial. The first such incident resulted in a one-year sentence but the other eight are facing more scrutiny, even though four of these had diplomatic immunity and were expelled. The first such Chinese student caught doing this, in late 2018, pled guilty and spent a year in jail for it. He finished that sentence in November 2019. That guilty plea was obtained by dropping several more serious charges. After this, there were three more incidents of Chinese students doing the same thing at the same Key West naval base. Meanwhile, two Chinese diplomats and their wives were caught after driving boldly through the security gate of a Virginia base. They and their wives had had diplomatic immunity and could only be expelled from the country. In March a Chinese woman was caught after illegally entering a Mar-a-Lago Florida resort owned by the American president and sometimes used for presidential meetings. In September another Chinese woman was caught trying the same thing. One of the Chinese women was found to have connections with Chinese intelligence. The first incident could be considered a rogue operation but eight more after the first man gets a light sentence indicates something more deliberate and widespread. As the FBI and other intel agencies dig into the backgrounds of the five non-diplomats involved, they were found to have connections with Chinese intelligence and indications that their actions were ordered, not undertaken on personal whims. This indicates some new, and bolder, Chinese espionage operations in the United States. Four of those arrested were caught with photos of several classified operations at the Key West base that have a direct bearing on Chinese operations in the South China Sea and nearby waters. The Chinese students involved are in the U.S. because the Chinese government is paying for their school expenses. The way that works in China, it means you are working for the Chinese government and are expected to follow orders, or else. Until these intrusion incidents, most Chinese espionage in the United States involving Chinese actually in the country were of a more clandestine nature. Many of those involved are Chinese students or academics. They recruit Chinese or non-Chinese to work for them, often without the Americans involved aware that they are part of an intelligence operation. Thats because most of these efforts are basically industrial espionage or theft of research material. In the last few years, the United States has been prosecuting and convicting a growing number of Chinese born men (and a few women) conspiring to commit or actually carry out economic espionage in the United States. Some of these suspects are naturalized American citizens but a growing number are Chinese citizens here on legitimate visas. In some cases, Chinese agents were in the U.S. on tourist visas. When caught, some of them are found to still be on active duty in the Chinese military, often for an intelligence unit. In some cases, these Chinese agents were buying weapons illegally for use in the United States. This sounds like a bold operation but the Chinese involved were apparently convinced illegal weapons could be obtained at little risk. In theory that was true but, as with many cases of captured spies, there was bad luck and errors in judgment by the Chinese operatives that led to their arrests. China has used similar tactics in Russia, Japan, Taiwan and throughout the west. Russia was particularly hard hit by this in the 1990s when the Chinese engaged in massive theft of Russian military technology, often by having Chinese agents in Russia recruit Russian scientists for well-paying jobs in China that involved duplicating the work these men had done for years until the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. In the early 1990s, thousands of highly educated staff for defense industries were left unemployed because post-1991 Russia could no longer afford most military research and development efforts. The U.S. noticed the danger and sought to provide work for many of these Russian researchers and that succeeded to a certain extent. But the Chinese (Iranians and North Koreans) quietly made offers of employment. In the case of Russia, the Chinese cash and offer of business opportunities also made it possible for high-tech military gear to be disposed of as scrap and show up in China largely intact. China also bought design and manufacturing documents or hired those who designed or were involved in the manufacture of these items. Even North Korea benefitted from Russian economic desperation, obtaining retired submarines and obsolete ballistic missiles to be turned into scrap metal. The North Koreans scrapped some of it, but the most intact items were studied by engineers who figured out how to make some of those in North Korea. China hired Russian scientists for seemingly innocent commercial projects but then paid the new employees bonuses to work on military tech-related projects. The Russian government eventually found out and are still angry about that and the continued Chinese theft of their tech. By the late 1990s growing Russian threats over this caused the Chinese to sign agreements that declared Chinese firms would stop stealing and reselling Russian tech. In practice, this only slowed the Chinese down, but it placated the Russians for a while. Chinese agents operating in Russia could not be harmed because Russia was dependent on Chinese economic support and large orders for Russian military equipment. Through the 1990s China was one of the largest customers for Russian military gear. So the Russians would expel the more blatant Chinese agents but not harm them otherwise. Currently the Americans are starting to sound like the Russians in the 1990s, but the Americans have more legal and economic clout to deploy and this situation is liable to get ugly before (if ever) it gets better. But first, the Americans have to figure out what Chinese in the U.S. are up to before prosecuting. It took a long time for the Americans to figure out that Chinese theft of commercial and military technology was not just done by Chinese hackers who never left China, at least not to visit the U.S. once they were identified and subject to arrest. A decade ago, most American officials had come to openly admit that a whole lot of American military and commercial technical data has been stolen via Chinese Internet (and more conventional) espionage efforts employed by Chinese tourists, students and academic researchers. Details of exactly all the evidence of this are unclear, but apparently, it was pretty convincing for many American politicians and senior officials who had previously been skeptical. The Chinese efforts have resulted in most major American weapons systems having tech details obtained by the Chinese, in addition to a lot of non-defense or dual-use technology. Its not just the United States that is being hit but most nations with anything worth stealing. Many of these nations are noticing that China is the source of most of this espionage and few are content to remain silent any longer. Its no secret that Chinese intelligence collecting efforts since the late 1990s have been spectacularly successful. As the rest of the world comes to realize the extent of this success, there is a growing desire for retaliation. What form that payback takes remains to be seen. At the moment more scrutiny is making it more difficult for the Chinese to operate but is not stopping them. Collecting information, both military and commercial, often means breaking laws. China has broken a lot of laws. Technically, China has committed acts of war because of the degree to which it penetrated military networks and carried away copies of highly secret material. The U.S. and many other victims have been warning China there will be consequences. As the extent of Chinese espionage becomes known and understood, the call for consequences becomes louder. China has been getting away with something the Soviet Union never accomplished, stealing Western technology and then using it to move ahead of the West. The Soviets lacked the many essential supporting industries found in the West. These firms were largely founded and run by entrepreneurs, which was illegal in the Soviet Union. Because of that, the Russians were never able to acquire all the many pieces needed to match Western technical accomplishments. Soviet copies of American computers, for example, were crude, less reliable, and less powerful. It was the same situation with their jet fighters, tanks, and warships. China got around this by making it seemingly profitable for Western firms to set up factories in China, where Chinese managers and workers were taught how to make things right. At the same time, China allows thousands of their best students to go to the United States to study. While many of these students will stay in America, where there are better jobs and more opportunities, a growing number are coming back to China and bringing American business and technical skills with them. Finally, China energetically uses the "thousand grains of sand" approach to espionage. This involves China trying to get all Chinese going overseas, and those of Chinese ancestry living outside the motherland, to spy for China, if only a tiny bit. This is where more and more Chinese are found to be operating. The tech these active agents are sending back often had limited military value but the sheer volume of these low-level items getting back to China added up and made a difference. American sailors at sea viewing new Chinese warships through binoculars are surprised to see so many familiar design features and a bit of equipment. Its as if the Chinese were buying from the same suppliers the U.S. Navy uses. In a way, the Chinese were doing that, after getting samples of the real thing and duplicating it. This approach to espionage is nothing new. Other nations have used similar systems for centuries. What is unusual is the scale of the Chinese effort, and that makes a difference. Supporting it all is a Chinese intelligence bureaucracy back home that is huge, with nearly 100,000 people working just to keep track of the many Chinese overseas and what they could, or should, be trying to grab for the motherland. This is where many of the graduates of the Chinese National Intelligence College program will work. It begins when Chinese intelligence officials examine who is going overseas and for what purpose. Chinese citizens cannot leave the country legally without state security organizations being notified. The intel people are not being asked to give permission. They are being alerted in case they want to have a talk with students, tourists, or business people before leaving the country. Interviews are often held when these people come back as well. Those who might be coming in contact with useful information are asked to remember what they saw or bring back souvenirs (legal or otherwise). Over 100,000 Chinese students go off to foreign universities each year. Even more, go abroad as tourists or on business. Most of these people were not asked to actually act as spies but simply to share, with Chinese government officials (who are not always identified as intelligence personnel), whatever information they obtained. The more ambitious of these people are getting caught and prosecuted. But the majority are quite casual, and individually bring back relatively little and are almost impossible to catch, much less prosecute. Like the Russians, the Chinese are also employing the traditional methods, using people with diplomatic immunity to recruit spies and offering cash or whatever to get people to sell them information. This is still effective and, when combined with the "thousand grains of sand" methods, brings in a lot of secrets. The final ingredient is a shadowy venture capital operation that offers money for Chinese entrepreneurs who will turn the stolen technology into something real. No questions asked. If you can get back to China with the secrets, you are home free and potentially very rich. This is the approach Chinese firms are often set up to do, and little else. While these firms are technically supposed to develop new technologies in China, the unofficial mandate was to steal as much as possible from other nations and not get caught. Not getting caught is becoming more important because that can lead to increasingly dangerous diplomatic and legal problems. When the Chinese steal some technology and produce something that the Western victims can prove was stolen (via patents and prior use of the technology), legal action can make it impossible, or very difficult, to sell anything using the stolen tech outside of China. For that reason, the Chinese long preferred stealing military technology and tried to avoid using stolen commercial tech in a way that made it easy to determine the source of stolen data. This meant keeping stolen commercial tech inside China. And in some cases, like manufacturing technology, there's an advantage to not selling it outside of China. Because China is still a communist dictatorship, the courts do as they are told, and they are rarely told to honor foreign patent claims when stolen tech is discovered in China by its foreign owners. But increasingly, Chinese firms are boldly using their stolen technology, daring foreign firms to try and use Chinese courts to get justice. Instead, the foreign firms are trying to muster support from their governments for lawsuits outside China. Naturally, the Chinese government will howl and insist that its all a plot to oppress China. This has worked for a long time, but many of the victims are now telling China that this conflict is being taken to a new, and more dangerous, level. VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / November 3, 2022 / CMC Metals Ltd. (TSXV:CMB)(Frankfurt:ZM5P)(OTCQB: CMCXF) ("CMC" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that new exploration efforts including a pilot Induced Polarization Survey and additional soil geochemical surveys are planned for its polymetallic-gold property at its Bridal Veil Property in Central Newfoundland. A small induced-polarization ("IP") pilot grid of approximately 7.5 line kilometers will be conducted in an area of exploration interest (see Map 1) covering where previous ground magnetometer surveys (see Map 2) have identified an abrupt transition from a magnetic low to a magnetic high (consistent with regional aeromagnetic data). This feature exists over a strike length in excess of 6.0 kilometers and is thought to represent a contact between a large intrusive body with mineralized volcano-sedimentary sequences and is considered a possible setting for ore deposition. This pilot project is being conducted to test the effectiveness of IP to potentially define future drill targets. If successful, the Company will examine the viability of expanding the IP survey either in other areas of interest or along the full extent of the northeast trending contact. In addition, soil sampling crews will be conducting further geochemical testing of areas near the key contact with low magnetism, and also an extension of previous grids that have shown anomalous metal values. Collectively, these efforts are designed to further assist in the definition of future drill targets. Permits have been filed for this work and it is expected to commence on or before mid-November. Mr. John Bossio Chairman noted, "Successful exploration efforts around us by other companies have served to identify that this area just east of the Gander River Ultramafic Belt ("GRUB" Line) also holds the potential for gold discoveries. In this regard we want to continue advancing Bridal Veil to fully define its potential to host a polymetallic-gold deposit." Mr. Kevin Brewer President and CEO notes, "Project both to the north and east of Bridal Veil have identified north-easterly trending structures with anomalous gold values. We are seeing similar trends in our preliminary geochemical surveys and prospecting/mapping efforts. There are significant brecciated and altered metasediments (i.e. the "Wayde Breccia) which have a significant strike length and deserve to be more intensively examined as they are indicative of good environments for possible intrusion related orogenic deposits." The Bridal Veil property is located immediately east of Gander and is approximately 15 kilometers east of significant gold discoveries identified by Newfound Gold on the Gander River Ultramafic Belt, commonly referred to as the "GRUB Line". The Bridal Veil area has been a subject of considerable interest by geologists from the Newfoundland Geological Survey and the Department of Earth Sciences at Memorial University who concluded that mineralization in the area was polymetallic and had metal associations atypical of orogenic gold systems (Sandeman, H.A.I. and Peddle C., 2020). They reported elevated values of copper, gold, silver and lead in the Bridal Veil showings. Brecciated structures, altered metasediments, and mineralized dykes previously identified by the Company are thought to provide evidence of the presence of a large hydrothermal system. Map 1: Proposed area of exploration interest for pilot IP Grid - Bridal Veil Map 2: Total Magnetic Intensity Results from Previous Ground Magnetometer Survey - Bridal Veil Qualified Person The Qualified Person is Kevin Brewer, a registered professional geoscientist who is the Company's President and CEO, and Qualified Person (as defined by National Instrument 43-101). He has given his approval of the technical information pertaining reported herein. The Company is committed to meeting the highest standards of integrity, transparency and consistency in reporting technical content, including geological reporting, geophysical investigations, environmental and baseline studies, engineering studies, metallurgical testing, assaying and all other technical data. About CMC Metals Ltd. CMC Metals Ltd. is a growth stage exploration company focused on opportunities for high grade polymetallic deposits in Yukon, British Columbia and Newfoundland. Our polymetallic silver-lead-zinc CRD prospects include the Silver Hart Deposit and Blue Heaven claims (Yukon) and Amy and Silverknife claims (north-central British Columbia). Our polymetallic projects with potential for copper-silver-gold and other metals include Logjam (Yukon), Bridal Veil, Terra Nova and Rodney Pond (central Newfoundland). On behalf of the Board: "John Bossio" John Bossio, Chairman CMC METALS LTD. For Further Information and Investor Inquiries: Kevin Brewer, P. Geo., MBA, B.Sc. (Hons), Dip. Mine Eng. President, CEO and Director Tel : (+52) 669 198 8503 [email protected] Suite 1000-409 Granville St., Vancouver, BC, V6C 1T2 To be added to CMC's news distribution list, please send an email to [email protected] or contact Mr. Kevin Brewer directly. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. "This news release may contain certain statements that constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law, including without limitation, statements that address the timing and content of upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt of property titles and exploitation activities and developments. In this release disclosure regarding the potential to undertake future exploration work comprise forward looking statements. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions. While such estimates and assumptions are considered reasonable by the management of the Company, they are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive and regulatory uncertainties and risks, including the ability of the Company to raise the funds necessary to fund its projects, to carry out the work and, accordingly, may not occur as described herein or at all. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration successes, the timing and receipt of government and regulatory approvals, the impact of the constantly evolving COVID-19 pandemic crisis and continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. Readers are referred to the Company's filings with the Canadian securities regulators for information on these and other risk factors, available at www.sedar.com. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance or events and, accordingly are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements due to the inherent uncertainty of such statements. The forward-looking statements included in this news release are made as of the date hereof and 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 expressly required by applicable securities legislation." SOURCE: CMC Metals Ltd. View source version on accesswire.com: Canada's leading ultra-low fare airline announces new flights to Vancouver and Halifax, beginning in summer 2023 Service to YXU launches December 5, 2022, between London and Tucson, Arizona Fares start as low as $59 to Vancouver and $49 to Halifax LONDON, ON / ACCESSWIRE / November 3, 2022 / Today, Flair Airlines, Canada's everyday low fare airline, and the Greater London International Airport Authority, the management authority for the London, Ontario International Airport, announced two exciting new routes from London, Ontario to Halifax, Nova Scotia and Vancouver, British Columbia. Beginning in the summer of 2023, Flair Airlines will launch service from London to Vancouver and Halifax. This builds on service to Tucson, Arizona which begins December 5, 2022 between London and Tucson, a leading destination in the U.S. southwest. Both routes will be served three times weekly, with service to Vancouver beginning on June 7 and service to Halifax beginning on June 8. "We are very happy to expand our service in and out of London International Airport and to continue our partnership," said Garth Lund, Chief Commercial Officer, Flair Airlines. "We've seen the excitement here in London after announcing our Tucson service earlier this year and we are thrilled to offer new and affordable options in the market. Whether you're looking for sun or to reconnect with family across the country, we're making it easier for Londoners to connect the dots." "We are beyond excited to continue building our partnership with Flair Airlines and announce non-stop service to both Vancouver and Halifax directly from London in 2023," said Scott McFadzean, President and CEO of London International Airport. "We continue to see the travel demand building back in London and know these will be extremely popular flights for people from London and the surrounding region offering great destinations at low prices. We look forward to continuing to build our partnership with Flair and to welcoming new and returning passengers to London's easy and comfortable airport." One-way fares to Halifax begin at $49 CAD including taxes and fees and $59 to Vancouver including taxes and fees. There are limited seats and availability for the fares. Flights are available for booking at https://www.flyflair.com. About London International Airport London International Airport is the easy and comfortable airport. From our airline partners to our tenants, we provide the support and infrastructure necessary to foster economic vitality in our aviation community and beyond. We do this while keeping things easy and simple, from concessions to leases, to operations, and across all areas of our business. For more information, please visit www.flylondon.ca. About Flair Airlines Flair Airlines is Canada's leading low-fare airline and its greenest airline, on a mission to provide affordable air travel that connects them to the people and experiences they love. With an expanding fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft, Flair is growing to serve over 35 cities across Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. For more information, please visit www.flyflair.com. Media Contacts Members of the media may contact [email protected] for more information. SOURCE: Flair Airlines View source version on accesswire.com: Revenue Up 24% with EPS Up $0.32; Raising Full Year Guidance AUSTIN, TX / ACCESSWIRE / November 3, 2022 / Thermon Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: THR) ("Thermon"), a global leader in industrial process heating solutions, today announced consolidated financial results for the second quarter ("Q2 2023") for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2023 ("Fiscal 2023"). Key highlights for Q2 2023 as compared to the three months ended September 30, 2021 ("Q2 2022") include: Produced revenue of $100.6 million, an increase24%, driven by sales growth in the US, Canada and Latin America Achieved a gross margin of 45.7%, as compared to 39.0%, due to higher volume, favorable mix, pricing realization and operational efficiency Realized fully diluted GAAP earnings per share ("EPS") of $0.33 and record non-GAAP adjusted EPS of $0.38, largely due to margin improvement and cost control Generated Net Income of $11.0 million, an increase of 2,203% and adjusted EBITDA of $21.9 million, an increase of 92%, driven by volume growth and prudent cost management Raising Fiscal 2023 revenue and earnings guidance due to continued strong market demand Bruce Thames, Thermon CEO and President said, "Building on the strong momentum from the first quarter, our global Thermon team delivered an outstanding performance with significantly improved profitability, including revenue growth of 24% and adjusted EBITDA growth of 92%. Profit margins grew year over year due to higher volume and favorable mix, augmented by our operational excellence program and price realization. Robust customer demand in the Western Hemisphere maintained momentum during the second quarter and was the main growth driver, while Europe continues to be challenged by geopolitical events and higher energy costs. We remain dedicated to the execution of our long term strategy, are excited about the emerging opportunities to enable the energy transition and decarbonization and will continue to be disciplined in investing for growth while managing controllable spending." Financial Highlights Three Months Ended September 30, Six Months Ended September 30, in millions, except per share data 2022 2021 % Change 2022 2021 % Change Sales $ 100.6 $ 81.3 23.7 % $ 196.0 $ 152.5 28.5 % Point in Time 62.3 50.5 23.5 % 121.1 94.5 28.1 % Over Time 38.2 30.8 23.9 % 74.9 58.0 29.2 % Net Income (Loss) 11.0 0.5 2,202.7 % 17.5 0.1 12,702.9 % EPS 0.33 0.01 3,200.0 % 0.52 0.00 FAV Adjusted Net Income (Loss) 1 12.9 3.9 226.7 % 21.3 5.2 312.8 % Adjusted EPS 1 0.38 0.12 216.7 % 0.64 0.15 326.7 % Adjusted EBITDA 2 21.9 11.4 91.6 % 38.5 19.5 97.4 % % of Sales: Point in Time 62.0 % 62.1 % -10 bps 61.8 % 62.0 % -20 bps Over Time 38.0 % 37.9 % 10 bps 38.2 % 38.0 % 20 bps Net Income (Loss) 10.9 % 0.6 % 1,030 bps 8.9 % 0.1 % 880 bps Adjusted Net Income (Loss) 1 12.8 % 4.8 % 800 bps 10.9 % 3.4 % 750 bps Adjusted EBITDA 2 21.8 % 14.1 % 770 bps 19.7 % 12.8 % 690 bps 1 Net Income (Loss) after the impact of acquisition costs, restructuring, amortization of intangible assets, the tax expense/(benefit) for impact of foreign rate increases, and the benefit from the Canadian Emergency Wage Subsidy (the "CEWS") (see table, Reconciliation of Net Income to Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted EPS). 2 See table, Reconciliation of Net Income to Adjusted EBITDA. Q2 2023 organic sales (excluding revenue contributed by the acquisition of Powerblanket) were $97.6 million as compared to $81.3 million in Q2 2022, an increase of $16.3 million, or 20%. Sales growth in the Western Hemisphere was a result of continued deferred maintenance activity in upstream and downstream oil markets and investments driven by the sustained commodity prices and global demand. Sales attributable to the recent Powerblanket acquisition were $3.0 million, with integration in progress and on schedule. Backlog was $160.8 million as of September 30, 2022, representing a $5.3 million increase, or 3%, as compared to Q2 2022 backlog of $155.5 million. Orders in Q2 2023 were $95.2 million compared to $120.3 million in Q2 2022, a decrease of $25.1 million or 21%. Balance Sheet, Liquidity and Cash Flow Thermon maintained a strong balance sheet during the quarter. The net debt-to-adjusted EBITDA ratio decreased to 1.4x from 2.3x in the prior year period. Gross outstanding debt increased by 2.6% year over year due to the Powerblanket acquisition. Available liquidity at the end of the quarter totaled $101.1 million, including $31.9 million in cash and cash equivalents and $69.2 million available under credit agreements. Working capital increased by 32.0% to $154.5 million during the quarter. Capital expenditures during the quarter were $2.0 million, up from $1.1 million in the prior year period. Cash from operating activities of $0.7 million and Free Cash Flow of ($1.3) million represented a short term investment in inventory as we address seasonality, global supply chain constraints and strategic investments to support our long term strategy. Balance Sheet Highlights Three Months Ended September 30, in millions 2022 2021 % Change Cash $ 31.9 $ 38.2 (16.7)% Total Debt 143.5 139.8 2.7 Net Debt1 / TTM Adjusted EBITDA 1.4x 2.3x (0.9x) Working Capital 2 154.5 117.0 32.0% Capital Expenditures 2.0 1.1 70.8% Free Cash Flow 3 (1.3) 6.8 (118.8)% 1 Total company debt net of cash and cash equivalents. 2 Working Capital equals Accounts Receivable plus Inventory less Accounts Payable. 3 See table, Reconciliation of Cash Provided by Operating Activities to Free Cash Flow. Revised Outlook Kevin Fox, Thermon's Chief Financial Officer, added, "Due to the strong performance in the first half of the year, we are again raising our annual guidance. For our fiscal year ending March 31, 2023, we expect revenue will be approximately $405-$420 million, which includes $18 million of revenue contribution from the Powerblanket acquisition. We also expect GAAP EPS in Fiscal 2023 to be approximately $1.08-$1.17 per share, with Adjusted EPS to be approximately $1.30-$1.39 per share. We expect continued strength in the Western Hemisphere to offset the contraction we are seeing in Europe, and we believe the combination of our operational excellence program with disciplined capital allocation priorities will deliver improved cash flow in the second half and profitable growth throughout Fiscal 2023." Conference Call and Webcast Information Thermon's senior management team, including Bruce Thames, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Kevin Fox, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, will discuss Q2 2023 results during a conference call today, November 3, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. (Central Time). The call will be simultaneously webcast and the accompanying slide presentation containing financial information can be accessed on Thermon's investor relations website located at http://ir.thermon.com . Investment community professionals interested in participating in the question-and-answer session may access the call by dialing (877) 407-5976 from within the United States/Canada and (412) 902-0031 from outside of the United States/Canada. A replay of the webcast will be available on Thermon's investor relations website after the conclusion of the call. About Thermon Through its global network, Thermon provides safe, reliable and mission critical industrial process heating solutions. Thermon specializes in providing complete flow assurance, process heating, temperature maintenance, freeze protection and environmental monitoring solutions. Thermon is headquartered in Austin, Texas. For more information, please visit www.thermon.com . Non-GAAP Financial Measures Disclosure in this release of "Adjusted EPS," "Adjusted EBITDA," "Adjusted EBITDA margin," "Adjusted Net Income/(Loss)," "Free Cash Flow," and "Net Debt," which are "non-GAAP financial measures" as defined under the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), are intended as supplemental measures of our financial performance that are not required by, or presented in accordance with, U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP"). "Adjusted Net Income/(Loss)" and "Adjusted EPS" (or "Adjusted fully diluted EPS") represent net income/(loss) before the impact of restructuring and other charges/(income), acquisition costs, amortization of intangible assets, tax expense for impact of foreign rate increases, the benefit from the CEWS, and any tax effect of such adjustments. "Adjusted EBITDA" represents net income/(loss) before interest expense (net of interest income), income tax expense, depreciation and amortization expense, stock-based compensation expense, acquisition costs, costs associated with restructuring and other income/(charges), and income related to the CEWS. "Adjusted EBITDA margin" represents Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of total revenue. "Free Cash Flow" represents cash provided by operating activities less cash used for the purchase of property, plant, and equipment, net of sales of rental equipment and proceeds from sales of land and buildings. "Net Debt" represents total outstanding principal debt less cash and cash equivalents on hand. We believe these non-GAAP financial measures are meaningful to our investors to enhance their understanding of our financial performance and are frequently used by securities analysts, investors and other interested parties to compare our performance with the performance of other companies that report Adjusted EPS, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA margin or Adjusted Net Income/(Loss). Adjusted EPS, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA margin, Adjusted Net Income/(Loss) and Free Cash Flow should be considered in addition to, and not as substitutes for, income from operations, net income/(loss), net income/(loss) per share and other measures of financial performance reported in accordance with GAAP. We provide Free Cash Flow as a measure of liquidity. Our calculation of Adjusted EPS, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA margin, Adjusted Net Income/(Loss) and Free Cash Flow may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies. For a description of how Adjusted EPS, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA margin, Adjusted Net Income/(Loss) and Free Cash Flow are calculated and reconciliations to the corresponding GAAP measures, see the sections of this release titled "Reconciliation of Net Income/(Loss) to Adjusted EBITDA," "Reconciliation of Net Income/(Loss) to Adjusted Net Income/(Loss) and Adjusted EPS" and "Reconciliation of Cash Provided by Operating Activities to Free Cash Flow." Forward-Looking Statements This release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. federal securities laws in addition to historical information. These forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding our industry, business strategy, plans, goals and expectations concerning our market position, future operations, margins, profitability, capital expenditures, liquidity and capital resources and other financial and operating information such as the anticipated financial performance of our Powerblanket acquisition, our execution of our strategic initiatives, our ability to achieve our financial performance targets for fiscal 2026 and our Fiscal 2023 full-year guidance. When used herein, the words "anticipate," "assume," "believe," "budget," "continue," "contemplate," "could," "should" "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "possible," "potential," "predict," "project," "will," "would," "future," and similar terms and phrases are intended to identify forward-looking statements in this release. Forward-looking statements reflect our current expectations regarding future events, results or outcomes. These expectations may or may not be realized. Some of these expectations may be based upon assumptions, data or judgments that prove to be incorrect. In addition, our business and operations involve numerous risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, which could result in our expectations not being realized or otherwise materially affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Actual events, results and outcomes may differ materially from our expectations due to a variety of factors. Although it is not possible to identify all of these factors, they include, among others, (i) the outbreak of a global pandemic, including the current pandemic (COVID-19 and its variants); (ii) general economic conditions and cyclicality in the markets we serve; (iii) future growth of energy, chemical processing and power generation capital investments; (iv) our ability to operate successfully in foreign countries; (v) our ability to successfully develop and improve our products and successfully implement new technologies; (vi) competition from various other sources providing similar heat tracing and process heating products and services, or alternative technologies, to customers; (vii) our ability to deliver existing orders within our backlog; (viii) our ability to bid and win new contracts; (ix) the imposition of certain operating and financial restrictions contained in our debt agreements; (x) our revenue mix; (xi) our ability to grow through strategic acquisitions; (xii) our ability to manage risk through insurance against potential liabilities (xiii) changes in relevant currency exchange rates; (xiv) tax liabilities and changes to tax policy; (xv) impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets; (xvi) our ability to attract and retain qualified management and employees, particularly in our overseas markets; (xvii) our ability to protect our trade secrets; (xviii) our ability to protect our intellectual property; (xix) our ability to protect data and thwart potential cyber-attacks; (xx) a material disruption at any of our manufacturing facilities; (xxi) our dependence on subcontractors and third-party suppliers; (xxii) our ability to profit on fixed-price contracts; (xxiii) the credit risk associated to our extension of credit to customers; (xxiv) our ability to achieve our operational initiatives; (xxv) unforeseen difficulties with expansions, relocations, or consolidations of existing facilities; (xxvi) potential liability related to our products as well as the delivery of products and services; (xxvii) our ability to comply with foreign anti-corruption laws; (xxviii) export control regulations or sanctions; (xxix) changes in government administrative policy; (xxx) the current geopolitical instability in Russia and Ukraine and related sanctions by the U.S. and Canadian governments and European Union; (xxxi) environmental and health and safety laws and regulations as well as environmental liabilities; and (xxxii) climate change and related regulation of greenhouse gases, and (xxxiii) those factors listed under Item 1A "Risk Factors" included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on May 26, 2022 and in any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K or other filings that we have filed or may file with the SEC. Any one of these factors or a combination of these factors could materially affect our future results of operations and could influence whether any forward-looking statements contained in this release ultimately prove to be accurate. Our forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results and future performance may differ materially from those suggested in any forward-looking statements. We do not intend to update these statements unless we are required to do so under applicable securities laws. CONTACT: Kevin Fox, Chief Financial Officer Ivonne Salem, Vice President, FP&A and Investor Relations (512) 690-0600 [email protected] Thermon Group Holdings, Inc. Consolidated Statements of Operations (unaudited, in thousands except per share amounts) Three Months Ended September 30, Six Months Ended September 30, 2022 2021 2022 2021 Sales $ 100,557 $ 81,322 $ 195,999 $ 152,477 Cost of sales 54,631 49,601 112,848 94,218 Gross profit 45,926 31,721 83,151 58,259 Operating expenses: Selling, general and administrative expenses 27,754 23,320 52,157 44,721 Deferred compensation plan expense/(income) (303 ) (14 ) (963 ) 318 Amortization of intangible assets 2,437 2,190 4,705 4,426 Restructuring and other charges/(income) - - - (414 ) Income/(loss) from operations 16,038 6,225 27,252 9,208 Other income/(expenses): Interest expense, net (1,408 ) (2,022 ) (2,243 ) (4,187 ) Other income/(expense) (335 ) (2,956 ) (1,251 ) (2,890 ) Income/(loss) before provision for taxes 14,295 1,247 23,758 2,131 Income tax expense/(benefit) 3,311 770 6,218 1,994 Net income/(loss) $ 10,984 $ 477 $ 17,540 $ 137 Net income/(loss) per common share: Basic income/(loss) per share $ 0.33 $ 0.01 $ 0.52 $ 0.00 Diluted income/(loss) per share $ 0.33 $ 0.01 $ 0.52 $ 0.00 Weighted-average shares used in computing net income/(loss) per common share: Basic common shares 33,477 33,329 33,439 33,269 Fully-diluted common shares 33,773 33,593 33,611 33,457 Thermon Group Holdings, Inc. Consolidated Balance Sheets (in thousands, except share per share data) (Unaudited) September 30, 2022 March 31, 2022 Assets Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 31,866 $ 41,445 Accounts receivable, net of allowances of $2,116 and $2,177 as of September 30, 2022 and March 31, 2022, respectively 100,557 95,305 Inventories, net 95,014 71,650 Contract assets 12,985 19,626 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 15,191 11,786 Income tax receivable 2,334 4,626 Total current assets 257,947 244,438 Property, plant and equipment, net of depreciation and amortization of $66,727 and $63,954 as of September 30, 2022 and March 31, 2022, respectively 61,795 66,039 Goodwill 218,306 212,754 Intangible assets, net 97,197 94,908 Operating lease right-of-use assets 10,657 10,534 Deferred income taxes 819 1,211 Other non-current assets 7,558 6,785 Total assets $ 654,279 $ 636,669 Liabilities and equity Current liabilities: Accounts payable 41,097 33,567 Accrued liabilities 24,111 26,971 Current portion of long-term debt 9,321 7,929 Borrowings under revolving credit facility 29,000 - Contract liabilities 12,225 8,010 Lease liabilities 3,358 3,624 Income taxes payable 1,864 897 Total current liabilities $ 120,976 $ 80,998 Long-term debt, net 104,684 120,431 Deferred income taxes 14,571 17,943 Non-current lease liabilities 9,768 9,659 Other non-current liabilities 8,522 8,434 Total liabilities $ 258,521 $ 237,465 Equity Common stock: $.001 par value; 150,000,000 authorized; 33,483,608 and 33,364,722 shares issued and outstanding at September 30, 2022 and March 31, 2022, respectively $ 33 $ 33 Preferred stock: $.001 par value; 10,000,000 authorized; no shares issued and outstanding - - Additional paid in capital 236,407 234,549 Accumulated other comprehensive loss (61,751 ) (38,906 ) Retained earnings 221,069 203,528 Total equity $ 395,758 $ 399,204 Total liabilities and equity $ 654,279 $ 636,669 Thermon Group Holdings, Inc. Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited, in thousands) Six Months Ended September 30, 2022 2021 Operating activities Net income/(loss) $ 17,540 $ 137 Adjustments to reconcile net income/(loss) to net cash provided by/(used in) operating activities: Depreciation and amortization 9,852 10,377 Amortization of deferred debt issuance costs 152 446 Loss on extinguishment of debt - 2,569 Stock compensation expense 2,444 2,424 Deferred income taxes 20 24 Reserve for uncertain tax positions, net (1,749 ) 38 (Gain)/Loss on long-term cross currency swap - (785 ) Remeasurement (gain)/loss on intercompany balances 530 (1,182 ) Loss on sale of business, net of cash surrendered - 308 Changes in operating assets and liabilities: Accounts receivable (8,577 ) (8,359 ) Inventories (22,013 ) (2,101 ) Contract assets 10,100 (898 ) Other current and non-current assets (3,677 ) (1,781 ) Accounts payable 7,369 11,386 Accrued liabilities and non-current liabilities (2,807 ) (91 ) Income taxes payable and receivable 3,347 (2,061 ) Net cash provided by/(used in) operating activities $ 12,531 $ 10,451 Investing activities Purchases of property, plant and equipment (3,614 ) (2,055 ) Sale of rental equipment 103 57 Cash paid for acquisitions, net of cash acquired (35,299 ) - Net cash provided by/(used in) in investing activities $ (38,810 ) $ (1,998 ) Financing activities Proceeds from Term Loan A - 140,425 Proceeds from revolving credit facility 32,000 7,959 Payments on long-term debt and revolving credit facility (13,441 ) (156,634 ) Issuance costs associated with revolving line of credit and long term debt - (1,210 ) Proceeds from exercise of stock options - 97 Repurchase of employee stock units on vesting (586 ) (562 ) Payments on finance leases (30 ) (67 ) Net cash provided by/(used in) financing activities $ 17,943 $ (9,992 ) Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash (1,050 ) 425 Change in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash (9,386 ) (1,114 ) Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of period 43,931 42,450 Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of period $ 34,545 $ 41,336 Thermon Group Holdings, Inc. Reconciliation of Net Income/(Loss) to Adjusted EBITDA (Unaudited, in thousands) Three Months Ended September 30, Six Months Ended September 30, 2022 2021 2022 2021 GAAP Net income/(loss) $ 10,984 $ 477 $ 17,540 $ 137 Interest expense, net 1,408 2,022 2,243 4,187 Income tax expense/(benefit) 3,311 770 6,218 1,994 Depreciation and amortization expense 4,956 5,086 9,852 10,377 EBITDA (non-GAAP) $ 20,659 $ 8,355 $ 35,853 $ 16,695 Stock compensation expense 1,251 1,246 2,444 2,424 Acquisition costs - - 251 - Restructuring and other charges/(income) - - - (414 ) Loss on debt extinguishment - 2,569 - 2,569 Canadian Emergency Wage Subsidy - (734 ) - (1,748 ) Adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP) $ 21,910 $ 11,436 $ 38,548 $ 19,526 Adjusted EBITDA % 21.8 % 14.1 % 19.7 % 12.8 % Thermon Group Holdings, Inc. Reconciliation of Net Income/(Loss) to Adjusted Net Income/(Loss) and Adjusted EPS (Unaudited, in thousands except per share amounts) Three Months Ended September 30, Six Months Ended September 30, 2022 2021 2022 2021 GAAP Net income/(loss) $ 10,984 $ 477 $ 17,540 $ 137 Acquisition costs - - 251 - Operating expense Restructuring and other charges/(income) - - - (414 ) Operating expense Amortization of intangible assets 2,437 2,190 4,705 4,426 Intangible amortization Tax expense/(benefit) for impact of foreign rate adjustments - - 945 Tax expense Withholding tax on dividend related to debt amendment - 301 - 301 Tax expense Loss on extinguishment of debt - 2,569 2,569 Other income/(expense) Canadian Emergency Wage Subsidy - (734 ) - (1,748 ) Cost of Sales and Operating expense Tax effect of adjustments (569 ) (869 ) (1,150 ) (1,045 ) Adjusted Net Income/(Loss) (non-GAAP) $ 12,852 $ 3,934 $ 21,346 $ 5,171 Adjusted Fully Diluted Earnings per Common Share (Adjusted EPS) (non-GAAP) $ 0.38 $ 0.12 $ 0.64 $ 0.15 Fully-diluted common shares 33,773 33,593 33,611 33,457 Thermon Group Holdings, Inc. Reconciliation of Cash Provided by Operating Activities to Free Cash Flow (Unaudited, in thousands) Three Months Ended September 30, Six Months Ended September 30, 2022 2021 2022 2021 Cash provided by/(used in) by operating activities $ 671 $ 7,974 $ 12,531 $ 10,451 Cash provided by/(used in) by investing activities (1,917 ) (1,146 ) (38,810 ) (1,998 ) Cash provided by/(used in) by financing activities (4,820 ) (8,701 ) 17,943 (9,992 ) Cash provided by operating activities $ 671 $ 7,974 $ 12,531 $ 10,451 Less: Cash used for purchases of property, plant and equipment (1,997 ) (1,182 ) (3,614 ) (2,055 ) Plus: Sales of rental equipment 40 36 103 57 Free cash flow provided (non-GAAP) $ (1,286 ) $ 6,828 $ 9,020 $ 8,453 SOURCE: Thermon Group Holdings, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com: Creatd, Inc. (OTCQB: CRTD) ("Creatd" or the "Company"), a creator-first holding Company is pleased to announce the appointment of Peter Majar to its board of directors. Mr. Majar will serve as the Chair of the Board's Compensation and Audit Committees, as well as lend his extensive management consulting expertise to the Company's C-Suite and Board of Directors. Majar's experience as an investment banker, advisor, and entrepreneur focused on the intersection of high technology and financial services spans over 25 years, with roles at Credit Suisse First Boston within the Investment Banking Technology Group and Financial Technology & Diversified Financial Services at Piper Sandler. Majar holds an M.B.A. from Columbia University and a B.S.B.A from the University of Washington, where he currently serves on the Advisory Board of the University's Foster School of Business. Mr. Majar has concentrated relationships across the Financial & Business Services industry, having played key roles in transactions including Blackstone-Paysafe, Great Ajax, Instinet, and the acquisition of Executive Chairman and CEO Jeremy Frommer's proprietary trade execution firm, Carlin Financial, by the Royal Bank of Canada. Commented Creatd Executive Chairman and CEO, Jeremy Frommer, "I have personally known Pete for 15 years. I am tremendously confident in his ability to elevate the Company's profile operationally and add value in what is an ideal environment for the acquisition of distressed assets and creation of structured financial products. I look forward to working with him on the spin-off and distribution of shares of our OG Media Library and Web 3.0 Assets to new and current shareholders in a newly traded OTC entity." About Creatd Creatd, Inc. (OCTQB CM: CRTD) is a company dedicated to unlocking creativity for creators, brands, and consumers. We accomplish this through Creatd's four business pillars: Creatd Labs, Creatd Partners, Creatd Ventures, and Creatd Studios. Creatd: https://creatd.com; Creatd IR: https://investors.creatd.com; Vocal Platform: https://vocal.media; Investor Relations Contact: [email protected] Forward-Looking Statements Any statements that are not historical facts and that express, or involve discussions as to, expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, indicated through the use of words or phrases such as "will likely result," "are expected to," "will continue," "is anticipated," "estimated," "intends," "plans," "believes" and "projects") may be forward-looking and may involve estimates and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. We caution that the factors described herein could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements we make and that investors should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. Further, any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made, and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events or circumstances. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of such factors. Further, we cannot assess the impact of each such factor on our results of operations or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. This press release is qualified in its entirety by the cautionary statements and risk factor disclosure contained in our Securities and Exchange Commission filings. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/creatd-adds-structured-product-expertise-to-its-board-of-directors-with-the-appointment-of-peter-majar-301667621.html SOURCE Creatd, Inc. Multiple presentations will highlight the clinical utility of ZYNLONTA (loncastuximab tesirine-lpyl) in DLBCL and Cami (camidanlumab tesirine) in Hodgkin lymphoma LAUSANNE, Switzerland--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- ADC Therapeutics SA (NYSE: ADCT) today announced abstracts on several of its antibody drug conjugates (ADCs), including ZYNLONTA (loncastuximab tesirine-lpyl), camidanlumab tesirine (Cami) and ADCT-602, will be presented at the 64th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting, which will be held in New Orleans, Louisiana from December 10-13, 2022. Details of ADC Therapeutics oral presentation: Real-World Effectiveness and Economic Impact Associated with Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell Therapy Among Older Patients with Relapsed/Refractory Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma in US Abstract: 1002 Session: 905. Outcomes ResearchLymphoid Malignancies: Health Outcomes in CAR T and Stem Cell Transplantation Date and Session Time: Monday, December 12, 2022, 4:306:00 p.m. CST Presentation Time: 5:45 p.m. CST Location: Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, 291-292 Presenter: Dai Chihara, MD, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Details of an independently developed oral presentation: ADCT-602, a CD22 Targeting Antibody Drug Conjugate Bound to PBD Toxin in Adult Patients with Relapsed or Refractory B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: A Phase 1 Trial Abstract: 216 Session: 614. Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemias: Therapies, Excluding Transplantation and Cellular Immunotherapies: Clinical Trials Date and Session Time: Saturday, December 10, 2022, 2:003:30 p.m. CST Presentation Time: 3:15 p.m. CST Location: Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, 265-268 Presenter: Nitin Jain, MD, Department of Leukemia, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Details of ADC Therapeutics poster presentations: CD19 Expression by IHC Alone Is Not a Predictor of Response to Loncastuximab Tesirine: Results from the LOTIS-2 Clinical Trial and Quantitative Systems Pharmacology Modeling Abstract: 4297 Session: 627. Aggressive Lymphomas: Clinical and Epidemiological: Poster III Date and Time: Monday, December 12, 2022, 6:008:00 p.m. CST Presenter: Paolo F. Caimi, MD, Blood and Marrow Transplant Program, Taussig Cancer Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH A Phase 2, Open-Label Study of Loncastuximab Tesirine in Combination with Rituximab (Lonca-R) in Previously Untreated Unfit/Frail Patients with Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) (LOTIS-9) Abstract: 2955 Session: 626. Aggressive Lymphomas: Prospective Therapeutic Trials: Poster II Date and Time: Sunday, December 11, 2022, 6:00-8:00 p.m. CST Presenter: Jason Westin, MD, Department of Lymphoma/Myeloma, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Real-World Outcomes in Relapsed/Refractory DLBCL Patients Who Received Polatuzumab Vedotin PLUS Bendamustine and Rituximab or Tafasitamab Plus Lenalidomide By Line of Therapy Abstract: 3598 Session: 905. Outcomes ResearchLymphoid Malignancies: Poster II Date and Time: Sunday, December 11, 2022, 6:00-8:00 p.m. CST Presenter: Mehdi Hamadani, MD, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI Identification of Predictive Biomarkers for Response of R/R DLBCL Patients Treated with Loncastuximab Tesirine Using Low Pass Whole-Genome Sequencing (WGS) Abstract: 1542 Session: 621. Lymphomas: TranslationalMolecular and Genetic: Poster I Date and Time: Saturday, December 10, 2022, 5:30-7:30 p.m. CST Presenter: Francesco Vallania, PhD, Freenome, San Francisco, CA Exploratory Analysis of Factors Influencing Efficacy and Safety of Camidanlumab Tesirine: Data from the Open-Label, Multicenter, Phase 2 Study of Patients with Relapsed or Refractory Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma (R/R cHL) Abstract: 1594 Session: 624. Hodgkin Lymphomas and T/NK cell Lymphomas: Clinical and Epidemiological: Poster I Date and Time: Saturday, December 10, 2022, 5:30-7:30 p.m. CST Presenter: Alex F. Herrera, MD, Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA CD25, Soluble CD25, and CCL17 As Potential Predictors of Clinical Response to Camidanlumab Tesirine in Patients with Relapsed/Refractory Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma Abstract: 4192 Session: 622. Lymphomas: TranslationalNon-Genetic: Poster III Date and Time: Monday, December 12, 2022, 6:00-8:00 p.m. CST Presenter: Alex F. Herrera, MD, Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA Development of Anti-CD45 Antibody Drug Conjugates As Targeted Conditioning Agents for Transplantation/Gene Therapy with Potent Anti-Leukemic Properties Abstract: 4584 Session: 701. Experimental Transplantation: Basic and Translational: Poster III Date and Time: Monday, December 12, 2022, 6:00-8:00 p.m. CST Presenter: Jenny Yeung, PhD, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health and UCL Cancer Institute, London, United Kingdom Posters will be available in the poster exhibit hall (Hall D) of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center on December 10 from 9:00 a.m.-7:30 p.m. CST and December 11 & 12 from 9:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m. CST. Presenters planning to attend in person are expected to present during the final two hours of the noted viewing time. Presentations will also be available on a virtual platform. Presenters are subject to change. Abstracts are available through the ASH online meeting program and will be published in the November supplemental issue of Blood. About ZYNLONTA (loncastuximab tesirine-lpyl) ZYNLONTA is a CD19-directed antibody drug conjugate (ADC). Once bound to a CD19-expressing cell, ZYNLONTA is internalized by the cell, where enzymes release a pyrrolobenzodiazepine (PBD) payload. The potent payload binds to DNA minor groove with little distortion, remaining less visible to DNA repair mechanisms. This ultimately results in cell cycle arrest and tumor cell death. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved ZYNLONTA (loncastuximab tesirine-lpyl) for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory (r/r) large B-cell lymphoma after two or more lines of systemic therapy, including DLBCL not otherwise specified, DLBCL arising from low-grade lymphoma and also high-grade B-cell lymphoma. The trial included a broad spectrum of heavily pre-treated patients (median three prior lines of therapy) with difficult-to-treat disease, including patients who did not respond to first-line therapy, patients refractory to all prior lines of therapy, patients with double/triple hit genetics and patients who had stem cell transplant and CAR-T therapy prior to their treatment with ZYNLONTA. This indication is approved by the FDA under accelerated approval based on overall response rate and continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in a confirmatory trial. ZYNLONTA is also being evaluated as a therapeutic option in combination studies in other B-cell malignancies and earlier lines of therapy. About Camidanlumab Tesirine (Cami) Camidanlumab tesirine (Cami) is an antibody drug conjugate (ADC) comprised of a monoclonal antibody that binds to CD25 (HuMax-TAC, licensed from Genmab A/S), conjugated to the pyrrolobenzodiazepine (PBD) dimer payload, tesirine. Once bound to a CD25-expressing cell, Cami is internalized into the cell where enzymes release the PBD-based payload, killing the cell. This applies to CD25-expressing tumor cells and also to CD25-expressing Tregs. The intra-tumoral release of its PBD payload may also cause bystander killing of neighboring tumor cells, and PBDs have also been shown to induce immunogenic cell death. All of these properties of Cami may enhance immune-mediated anti-tumor activity. Cami is being evaluated in a pivotal Phase 2 clinical trial in patients with relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma and a Phase 1b clinical trial as monotherapy and in combination with pembrolizumab in solid tumors. About ADC Therapeutics ADC Therapeutics (NYSE: ADCT) is a commercial-stage biotechnology company improving the lives of those affected by cancer with its next-generation, targeted antibody drug conjugates (ADCs). The Company is advancing its proprietary PBD-based ADC technology to transform the treatment paradigm for patients with hematologic malignancies and solid tumors. ADC Therapeutics CD19-directed ADC ZYNLONTA (loncastuximab tesirine-lpyl) is approved by the FDA for the treatment of relapsed or refractory diffuse large b-cell lymphoma after two or more lines of systemic therapy. ZYNLONTA is also in development in combination with other agents. Cami (camidanlumab tesirine) is being evaluated in a pivotal Phase 2 trial for relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma and in a Phase 1b clinical trial for various advanced solid tumors. In addition to ZYNLONTA and Cami, ADC Therapeutics has multiple ADCs in ongoing clinical and preclinical development. ADC Therapeutics is based in Lausanne (Biopole), Switzerland and has operations in London, the San Francisco Bay Area and New Jersey. For more information, please visit https://adctherapeutics.com/ and follow the Company on Twitter and LinkedIn. ZYNLONTA is a registered trademark of ADC Therapeutics SA. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221102006135/en/ Investors Eugenia Litz ADC Therapeutics [email protected] +44 7879 627205 Amanda Loshbaugh ADC Therapeutics [email protected] +1 917-288-7023 Media Mary Ann Ondish ADC Therapeutics [email protected] +1 914-552-4625 Source: ADC Therapeutics SA Certification confirms Airbyte meets global standards for confidentiality and integrity of customer data SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Airbyte, creators of the fastest-growing open-source data integration platform, today announced that the company has earned the ISO/IEC 27001:2017 certification following an extensive audit of Airbyte Cloud. The certification, which Airbyte received from the British Assessment Bureau, confirms that Airbytes security program and Airbyte Cloud service meet the standards set by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in partnership with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). ISO 27001 is a globally-recognized Information Security Management System (ISMS) and Airbytes certification coming so soon after receiving its SOC2 Type II report signals its continued investment in data protection and prioritization of user trust. Data protection is not a static achievement, but one that requires continuous improvement and attention to evolving practices, standards, and customer needs. We want customers to feel secure in their decision to use Airbyte, and we hope this certification demonstrates our commitment to that, said Patsy Bailin, head of data policy, Airbyte. The pace with which Airbyte is hitting security milestones like SOC2 Type II and ISO 27001 certification demonstrates the importance of data protection in our companys priorities. With its growing community of 10,000 data practitioners and 500 contributors, Airbyte is redefining the standard of moving and consolidating data from different sources to data warehouses, data lakes, or databases in a process referred to as extract, load, and, when desired, transform (ELT). Over the past year and a half, more than 20,000 companies have used Airbyte to sync data from sources such as PostgreSQL, MySQL, Facebook Ads, Salesforce, Stripe, and connect to destinations that include Redshift, Snowflake, Databricks, and BigQuery. Airbytes open-source data integration solves two problems. First, companies always have to build and maintain data connectors on their own because most less popular "long tail" data connectors are not supported by closed-source ELT technologies. Second, data teams often have to do custom work around pre-built connectors to make them work within their unique data infrastructure. About Airbyte Airbyte is the open-source data integration leader running in the safety of your cloud and syncing data from applications, APIs, and databases to data warehouses, lakes, and other destinations. Airbyte was co-founded by Michel Tricot (former director of engineering and head of integrations at Liveramp and RideOS) and John Lafleur (serial entrepreneur of dev tools and B2B). The company is headquartered in San Francisco with a distributed team around the world. To learn more, visit airbyte.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005316/en/ Joe Eckert for Airbyte Eckert Communications [email protected] Source: Airbyte AMSTERDAM--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of a+ (Excellent) of GreenStars BNP Paribas S.A. (GreenStars) (Luxembourg), a subsidiary of BNP Paribas SA (BNP Paribas). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable. The ratings reflect GreenStars balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its strong operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management. The ratings also consider, in the form of rating lift, AM Bests expectation that BNP Paribas will provide financial support to the company, if needed. The shareholder has historically allowed GreenStars to retain all of its earnings since its incorporation in 2009. GreenStars very strong balance sheet strength is supported by its risk-adjusted capitalisation at the strongest level, as measured by Bests Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR). AM Best expects GreenStars risk-adjusted capitalisation to remain at the strongest level, supported by good internal capital generation and low net underwriting leverage. Dependence on reinsurance is high, although the associated credit risk is mitigated partially by GreenStars diversified and well-rated reinsurance panel. GreenStars strong operating performance is demonstrated by its return on capital and surplus of 18.0% for the five-year period ending in 2021, as calculated by AM Best. Historical performance has been driven largely by the companys low loss experience, which has helped it obtain high inward ceding and profit commissions. AM Best expects prospective performance to remain strong, albeit subject to potential volatility stemming from weakened global macroeconomic conditions. GreenStars extensive reinsurance programme helps to mitigate the effect of potential claims volatility on a net basis. GreenStars provides support for BNP Paribas lending operations, as a credit-risk management tool. The companys business profile benefits from having direct access to the groups good quality credit risks. While GreenStars is concentrated in credit insurance, its business profile assessment reflects its diversification by geography, type of credit risk and obligor. AM Best remains the leading rating agency of alternative risk transfer entities, with more than 200 such vehicles rated throughout the world. For current Bests Credit Ratings and independent data on the captive and alternative risk transfer insurance market, please visit www.ambest.com/captive. This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Bests website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Bests Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Guide to Bests Credit Ratings. For information on the proper use of Bests Credit Ratings, Bests Performance Assessments, Bests Preliminary Credit Assessments and AM Best press releases, please view Guide to Proper Use of Bests Ratings & Assessments. AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specialising in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com. Copyright 2022 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103006189/en/ Morgane Hillebrandt Senior Financial Analyst +31 20 308 5422 [email protected] Dr. Mathilde Jakobsen Director, Analytics +31 20 308 5427 [email protected] Christopher Sharkey Manager, Public Relations +1 908 439 2200, ext. 5159 [email protected] Al Slavin Communications Specialist +1 908 439 2200, ext. 5098 [email protected] Source: AM Best Bounteous is proud to be awarded the Acquia DXP Practice Certification for demonstrating technical achievement and mastery across Acquias Marketing and Drupal Cloud technologies. CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Bounteous, the digital innovation partner of the world's most ambitious brands, is proud to announce its designation as an Acquia Certified DXP Practice. The award is granted to partners who demonstrate the highest levels of technical competence across all Acquias technologies, including Drupal Cloud and Marketing Cloud. We are thrilled to be accredited with Acquias highest level of practice certification and look forward to continued Co-innovation alongside Acquia, said Megan Donahue, SVP of Business Development at Bounteous. We are extremely proud of achieving DXP Practice Certification as an Acquia partner because it confirms our expertise in building complete digital solutions for our clients and proves our mastery of Acquia technologies. To earn DXP Practice Certification, partners must achieve certification in both Drupal Cloud and Marketing Cloud. Each designation requires a core team of Acquia-certified developers, significant hands-on experience delivering Acquia products to clients, and a rigorous company review with Acquia partner specialists. As a Certified DXP Practice, Bounteous receives the benefits of a deeper working relationship with Acquia, and heightened visibility as a trusted technical partner. The certification as a DXP Practice underscores Bounteous expertise as a technical solution provider and helps customers realize the tremendous value of working with Acquia. Were proud to recognize Bounteous, as a certified Drupal Cloud, Marketing Cloud and DXP practice, said Mark Royko, Director of Practice Development at Acquia. By achieving DXP certification, we know we can count on partners like Bounteous to help deliver on the worlds only Open DXP. As an Acquia Global Partner, Bounteous has specialization and expertise across all of Acquias product offerings and a proven record of delivering transformative business experiences using both Marketing and Drupal Cloud. The Acquia Practice Certification Program rewards partners who demonstrate a mastery of Acquias Cloud Platform in three separate areas: Drupal Cloud, Marketing Cloud and DXP. These certifications are awarded to organizations with a proven record of technical achievement, and a commitment to driving transformative business engagements on the Acquia Platform. To learn more about Acquias Practice Certification Program, please visit https://www.acquia.com/partners/practice-certification-program. About Acquia Acquia empowers the worlds most ambitious brands to create digital customer experiences that matter. With open source Drupal at its core, the Acquia Open DXP enables marketers, developers and IT operations teams at thousands of global organizations to rapidly compose and deploy digital products and services that engage customers, enhance conversions and help businesses grow their digital presence. About Bounteous Founded in 2003 in Chicago, Bounteous is a leading digital experience consultancy that co-innovates with the world's most ambitious brands to create transformative digital experiences. With services in Strategy, Experience Design, Technology, Analytics, and Marketing, Bounteous elevates brand experiences and drives superior client outcomes. For more information, please visit www.bounteous.com. For more information about co-innovation, download the Co-Innovation Manifesto at co-innovation.com. For the most up-to-date news, follow Bounteous on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. All logos, company and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005024/en/ Cassady Nordeen 718-644-0273 [email protected] Source: Bounteous provided pursuant to article L.233-8 II of the Code de commerce (French Commercial Code) and article 223-16 of the Reglement general de lAutorite des marches financiers (General regulation of the French financial market authority) BOULOGNE-BILLANCOURT, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Regulatory News: CARMILA (Paris: CARM): Date Total number of issued shares Number of real voting rights (excluding treasury shares) Theoretical number of voting rights (including treasury shares)* 31 October 2022 143,849,042 143,710,828 143,849,042 *Pursuant to article 223-11 of the Reglement General de lAutorite des marches financiers. CARMILA French societe anonyme with a share capital of 863,154,132 Registered office: 58 avenue Emile Zola - 92100 Boulogne-Billancourt - France Registered at the Nanterre Commercial and Companies Registry under number 381 844 471 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005841/en/ CARMILA Source: CARMILA COIMBRA, Portugal--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Cleanwatts, a leading climate tech scaleup, has signed a contract with the Government of Sao Tome and Principe for the production and sale of affordable clean energy. Working with the countrys public utility, the Power & Water Company (EMAE), the project will install photovoltaic plants across the country. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005087/en/ Cleanwatts signs affordable clean energy contract with the Government of Sao Tome and Principe (Photo: Cleanwatts) The first phase of the project began with the installation of photovoltaic plants at the countrys national airport in Sao Tome, as well as on the island of Principe. Clean energy produced by the installations will be injected directly into the grid; parties expect this project to revolutionize Sao Tome and Principes relationship with energy by addressing gaps in affordability and security of supply. Currently, 76.6% of the population of Sao Tome and Principe have access to electricity1, generated primarily through imported diesel (92%)2. The Government of Sao Tome and Principe has committed to reduce the country's dependence on fossil fuels and increase the proportion of renewable energy from 5% to 50% of the energy mix by 2030.3 The project will therefore enable greater independence in electricity production while also reducing energy poverty and will create jobs through the employment of local labor in the construction, operation, and maintenance of the infrastructure. The Minister of Infrastructure and Natural Resources of Sao Tome and Principe, Osvaldo Abreu, hailed the project as the result of a great joint effort, and thanked the institutions, companies and individuals involved. Mr. Abreu expressed satisfaction in noting that the panels and other equipment have arrived in the Port of Ana Chaves in Sao Tome, following delays and uncertainties due to a shortage of maritime transport. Michael Pinto, CEO of Cleanwatts, said, We are delighted to deliver this project in Sao Tome and Principe. Islands are a promising growth segment for local energy markets and energy communities. Like many islands around the world, Sao Tome depends greatly on a stable and affordable supply of energy. What we propose to do in this country is precisely to reduce dependence on imported energy through the production of locally sourced clean energy. This will contribute to achieving the country's decarbonization goals while also addressing energy poverty both of which are core objectives of our work. Pinto added, We look forward to expanding this project into a second phase and broadening the perimeter of the communities that we serve. In delivering this project, Cleanwatts worked closely with Pleno Ambiente STP, a local partner responsible for the installation, operation, and maintenance of the solar power plant. Ends About Cleanwatts Cleanwatts is a climate tech company focused on improving societys relationship with energy where it matters most: locally. By simplifying, amplifying, and accelerating the energy transition for local communities, we are addressing the most urgent trilemma of our time: decarbonizing the grid while bolstering energy security and abating the high cost of energy. Cleanwatts deliver value by creating and managing Renewable Energy Communities, deploying our domain expertise, proprietary technology, financial capital, and management capabilities for the benefit of our clients. In a word: energy as a service with zero upfront investment. Cleanwatts is also a member of IANOS, a Horizon 2020 project developing tailor-made solutions to improve energy and resource efficiency for Europes 2,700 islands, while reducing their carbon footprint. Recently, Verdane, the European specialist growth equity investor, through its impact fund Idun, has invested in Cleanwatts up to 25 million, in order to support the growth and international expansion of the company. Cleanwatts grew year-on-year revenues by 65% in 2021 and expects 2022 revenue growth of more than 200% and is building a world in which clean energy is decentralized, digitalized, and democratized. --- 1 World Bank, 2022. World Development Indicators: Access To Electricity (% Of Population) | DataBank https://databank.worldbank.org/reports.aspx?dsid=2&series=EG.ELC.ACCS.ZS (accessed 10.23.22). 2 African Development Fund, 2020. Sao Tome e Principe - Energy Transition and Institutional Support Programme (ETISP) - P-ST-FAB-002 ESMF Summary [WWW Document]. African Development Bank - Building today, a better Africa tomorrow. URL https://www.afdb.org/en/documents/sao-tome-e-principe-energy-transition-and-institutional-support-programme-etisp-p-st-fab-002-esmf-summary (accessed 10.24.22). 3 UN Sustainable Development Group, 2020. UNSDG | A post-COVID-19 Sao Tome and Principe: a sustainable future with renewable energy and energy efficiency [WWW Document]. URL: https://unsdg.un.org/latest/blog/post-covid-19-sao-tome-and-principe-sustainable-future-renewable-energy-and-energy, (accessed 10.24.22). View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005087/en/ Michael Wilkinson Head of Corporate Communications and PR [email protected] Source: Cleanwatts MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Creators of AR art show, Don Dada, have partnered with Meta Spark as two of the featured artists in the Caribbean. Bonito Thompson, artist and Founder of Don Dada, and Alexia James, VP of marketing and strategic partnerships, both share their AR expertise to thousands of creators. Meta Spark is the AR platform that hundreds of thousands of creators use to build AR experiences across Metas family of apps and devices. The platform also enables the public to explore free online courses and training programs that can help build a career in augmented reality. Segmented into three categoriesQuick Start, AR Fundamentals, and AR Prothe courses range from beginner to advanced. Creators who complete all courses and pass the exam will earn a Spark AR certification that will substantiate their mastery. Don Dada, the AR art show that originated in Jamaica, has started its global tour with an upcoming show in Miami during Art Basel this December. Thompson will showcase 10 pieces with his quintessential vibrant colors and each piece will convey its mission, to amplify Jamaican and Caribbean stories through art globally. It will be interactive, a conversation starter, and highlight the concept of movement. As a seasoned artist working with top brands including Red Stripe, Common/Damian Marley and the Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ), Thompsons videos are geared to the more advanced creators as he shares how he uses Spark and AR. James has a background as a global marketer and her courses are for beginners as she shares the ins and outs of how creators can monetize AR. Thompson says, I couldnt be more excited about this partnership as Im hoping the creators can learn from my experiences. Ive been so fortunate to have had amazing mentors throughout my life and now being given the opportunity to not only mentor but represent the Caribbean is truly an honor. James adds, Being your clients expert on all things AR is still a relatively new technology though it has been out for some time, so its important to be extremely versed in the tech, so you are that guide to all things AR for your clients. As they will have many questions and you should be fully equipped to not only answer them but guide them along the way. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221102006195/en/ Brooke Cockrell Creative Pitch Group [email protected] 818.209.3800 Source: Don Dada Of the Niche Players, EasyVistas placement identifies the company as having the best ability to execute and the most complete vision. NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- EasyVista Inc., global software provider of intelligent solutions for IT Service Management, IT Remote Support, IT Infrastructure Monitoring, and self-healing technologies, announced its recognition in the 2022 Gartner Magic Quadrant for IT Service Management (ITSM) Platforms. This is the eleventh year in a row EasyVistas has received this recognition this time in their highest placement yet within the quadrant. EasyVista was recognized as one of 10 companies in the annual Gartner Magic Quadrant, representing a group of ITSM platforms with the critical capabilities required to support service management needs. Since the reports last publication, EasyVista has enhanced their IT platforms capabilities through the introduction of new products EV Reach and EV Observe, as well as the acquisition of experience monitoring platform Itexis. At EasyVista our mission is to make IT easy. Were excited to see that this mission has been recognized yet again with our continued placement in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for ITSM Platforms this year, said EasyVistas Chief Marketing Officer, Zoe Seroky. This year we continued to prioritize improving the IT experience for our customers. By listening to the demands of the market and offering exceptional customer service, our rating on Gartner Peer Insights increased to an inspiring 4.7 out of 5. Were proud to receive such positive feedback from our community and to see this recognized in our improved placement in the 2022 Gartner Magic Quadrant. EasyVista is notable and recognized by customers for their: Ease of use by providing tools to support customer growth, as noted on Gartner Peer Insights where EasyVistas current rating is 4.7/5 stars Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) with competitive pricing against other intermediate ITSM products, offering both concurrent licensing and bundled asset management End-to-end IT software-as-a-service platforms with both ITSM and ITOM capabilities With multiple product launches, new acquisitions, leadership changes, and multiple accolades, 2022 has been a big year for EasyVista, said EasyVistas Chief Executive Officer, Patrice Barbedette. EasyVista has risen to meet the challenges of modern business and its reflected in our improved placement in the 2022 Gartner Magic Quadrant for ITSM. Just like EasyVista has evolved this past year, our placement in the quadrant has continued to rise. As we look ahead to 2023 and beyond, EasyVista is poised to continue the successes of 2022 with even more growth and improved experiences for ITSM practitioners around the globe. To download the full 2022 Gartner Magic Quadrant for ITSM Platforms, visit: 2022 Gartner Magic Quadrant for IT Service Management Platforms Gartner and Magic Quadrant are registered trademarks of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and are used herein with permission. All rights reserved. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartners Research & Advisory organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. About EasyVista EasyVista is a global software provider of intelligent solutions for enterprise service management, remote support, observability, and self-healing technologies. Leveraging the power of ITSM, Self-Help, AI, background systems management, and IT process automation, EasyVista makes it easy for companies to embrace a customer-focused, proactive, and predictive approach to their service and support delivery. Today, EasyVista helps over 3,000+ enterprises around the world to accelerate digital transformation, empowering leaders to improve employee productivity, reduce operating costs, and increase employee and customer satisfaction across financial services, healthcare, education, manufacturing, and other industries. Learn more at www.easyvista.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005309/en/ Sarah Hudlow [email protected] Source: EasyVista Ecopia AI has partnered with the Illinois Department of Transportation and the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning to develop the regions first HD map of land cover and transportation networks, supporting community planning and economic development for an area spanning over 12,000 square miles. TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Today, Ecopia AI (Ecopia) announces a partnership with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) to deliver a comprehensive HD map of 26 land cover and transportation features to metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) throughout the state of Illinois - covering the third largest metropolitan area in the United States and an area of over 12,000 square miles. This detailed map and its features will ensure that the MPOs have accurate, up-to-date information at scale for decision-making related to transportation, housing, economic development, open space, the environment, and other quality-of-life issues. CMAP faces challenges that are common for large metropolitan regions. With 286 member municipalities, the standardization and maintenance of regional data can be a complex undertaking. This is not only an issue for large metropolitan regions; IDOTs decision to join the partnership extends access to Ecopias data for every MPO across the state, supporting stakeholders throughout Illinois to improve transportation projects and programs unique to their region. Ecopia is looking forward to supporting both IDOT and CMAP in their mission to provide easily scalable resources and build local capacity for all communities. The partnership with Ecopia empowers us with an unprecedented level of detail and accuracy about northeastern Illinois, said CMAP Executive Director Erin Aleman. These comprehensive and up-to-date views of transportation and land cover will help CMAP and local decision-makers drive innovation and develop projects that serve our regions 8.5 million residents. By leveraging its advanced artificial intelligence-based mapping systems, Ecopia can ingest high-resolution geospatial imagery data and output transportation-related map features with high precision at a large scale. Specifically, Ecopia is extracting 26 distinct features, including land cover types (roads, sidewalks, crosswalks, etc.) and advanced transportation features (turning lanes, medians, stop lines, etc.) to provide a complete view of the regions land use and pedestrian mobility network. Digitizing these features manually would have taken the MPOs thousands of hours, but Ecopia is able to extract them all from up-to-date imagery with human-like precision in record time. These 26 features are being used by state and local agencies to support a number of applications including: State and regional long-range transportation plans Multi-modal analysis Active transportation planning Vision Zero initiatives Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance Stormwater and flood management Performance-based capital program monitoring Intersection and corridor analysis Tree canopy management Ecopia is thrilled to deliver IDOT and CMAP with the high-quality map data needed for regional and community planning, added Bill Singleton, VP of Sales at Ecopia. We are committed to using AI for good, and are proud to be working with the MPOs of Illinois to improve the quality of life for millions of people. IDOT is excited to provide resources to metropolitan planning organizations with an innovative data tool for critical statewide infrastructure, said Holly Bieneman, Director of IDOTs Office of Planning & Programming. For more information on Ecopia, click here. To view our HD map samples, click here. This work will be supported by Woolpert on NOAA's Coastal Geospatial Services Contract (CGSC). About the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) is northeastern Illinois comprehensive planning organization. The agency and its partners developed ON TO 2050, a long-range plan to help the seven counties and 284 communities of our region address transportation, equity, environmental and other quality-of-life issues. Visit CMAPs website for more information: www.cmap.illinois.gov. About the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) Every day, IDOT strives to design and maintain a world class transportation system that enhances safety and the quality of life of its citizens and visitors by reducing congestion and increasing mobility. This system also facilitates and improves the inter-connectivity of all transportation modes for the efficient movement of people and goods to support the states national and global competitiveness. To learn more, visit https://idot.illinois.gov/ About Ecopia AI Ecopia is on a mission to create a digital twin of the Earth. We leverage artificial intelligence to convert high-resolution imagery into high-definition (HD) Vector Maps. These maps form a digital representation of reality and are embedded into decision-making applications, offering unique insight at scale. Ecopias HD Vector Maps are leveraged for hundreds of commercial and government applications across over 100 countries around the world. For more information, visit www.ecopia.ai. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005898/en/ Harneet Singh Director, Marketing [email protected] Source: Ecopia AI LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Harris Williams, a global investment bank specializing in M&A advisory services, announces it advised St Pierre Groupe (St Pierre), an international market leader in the bakery sector, on its sale to Grupo Bimbo (BMV: BIMBO). St Pierre was previously owned by its founders and BGF. The transaction was led by Will Bain, Ryan Freeman, Andreas Poth and Will Baker of the Harris Williams Consumer Group. St Pierre is a rare breed; it combines exceptional brand strength and multi-category coverage with phenomenal growth rates across the U.S. and European markets. Its leading position in the premium French bakery sector made it a must have brand for key international strategics. Grupo Bimbo will be a fantastic partner for St Pierre as it embarks on its next phase of growth, said Will Bain, a managing director at Harris Williams. The premium, authentic French brand positioning of St Pierre enabled the company to achieve significant growth and scale in the U.S. and Europe and also resonates with consumers globally, said Ryan Freeman, a managing director at Harris Williams. Given the strength of the St Pierre brand and the attractiveness of the business, we targeted only a select group of global companies that were best positioned to further accelerate the growth and success of St Pierre around the world. Grupo Bimbo emerged as the logical buyer for an asset-light business like St Pierre that will benefit from the global capabilities of Grupo Bimbo, the world's largest bakery, said Andreas Poth, a director at Harris Williams. Paul Baker, a co-founder of St Pierre, said, We selected Harris Williams as our M&A advisor not only because of their extensive expertise in bakery and fast-growing international brands, but also due to their access to global strategic buyers. They delivered in spades my fellow shareholders and I could not have been more impressed with what they did. We are very grateful to Will, Ryan, Andreas and the whole team for a job well done; they demonstrated a passion for our business that equaled ours. Most importantly for the business, they helped us find the ideal partner in Grupo Bimbo to deliver on St Pierres long-term growth plan. St Pierre is an international market leader in the bakery sector, delivering world-class bakery products under three distinctive brands St Pierre, Baker Street, and Paul Hollywood. Its products are stocked in over 35,000 retail and wholesale stores worldwide in the U.K., U.S., Europe, and the Middle East. BGF was set up in 2011 and has invested over 2.5 billion in more than 400 companies, making it the most active growth capital investor in the U.K. BGF is a minority, non-controlling equity partner with a patient outlook on investments, based on shared long-term goals with the management teams it backs. BGF invests in growing businesses in the U.K. and Ireland through its network of 16 offices. In 2018, Canada launched its equivalent the Canadian Business Growth Fund and in 2020, Australia did the same, both based on BGFs approach and funding model. Grupo Bimbo is the largest and leading baking company in the world and a relevant participant in snacks. Grupo Bimbo has 203 plants and more than 1,700 sales centers strategically located in 33 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Its main product lines include fresh and frozen sliced bread, buns, cookies, snack cakes, English muffins, bagels, pre-packaged foods, tortillas, salted snacks, and confectionery products, among others. Grupo Bimbo produces over 13,000 products and has one of the largest direct distribution networks in the world, with more than 2.8 million points of sale, around 53,000 routes, and more than 135,000 associates. Its shares trade on the Mexican Stock Exchange (BMV) under the ticker symbol BIMBO, and in the over-the-counter market in the United States with a Level 1 ADR, under the ticker symbol BMBOY. Harris Williams, an investment bank specializing in M&A advisory services, advocates for sellers and buyers of companies worldwide through critical milestones and provides thoughtful advice during the lives of their businesses. By collaborating as one firm across Industry Groups and geographies, the firm helps its clients achieve outcomes that support their objectives and strategically create value. Harris Williams is committed to execution excellence and to building enduring, valued relationships that are based on mutual trust. Harris Williams is a subsidiary of the PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC). The Harris Williams Consumer Group has completed transactions across a variety of verticals, including food, beverage and agribusiness; branded consumer products; consumer services; and restaurant and retail. For more information on the Harris Williams Consumer Group and recent transactions, visit the Consumer Groups section of the Harris Williams website. Harris Williams LLC is a registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA and SIPC. Harris Williams & Co. Ltd is a private limited company incorporated under English law with its registered office at 8th Floor, 20 Farringdon Street, London EC4A 4AB, UK, registered with the Registrar of Companies for England and Wales (registration number 07078852). Harris Williams & Co. Ltd is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Harris Williams & Co. Corporate Finance Advisors GmbH is registered in the commercial register of the local court of Frankfurt am Main, Germany, under HRB 107540. The registered address is Bockenheimer Landstrasse 33-35, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany (email address: [email protected]). Geschaftsfuhrer/Directors: Jeffery H. Perkins, Paul Poggi. (VAT No. DE321666994). Harris Williams is a trade name under which Harris Williams LLC, Harris Williams & Co. Ltd and Harris Williams & Co. Corporate Finance Advisors GmbH conduct business. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103006108/en/ For media inquiries, please contact Julia Moore at [email protected]. Source: Harris Williams LLC LAU-7b first inflammation-controlling drug to demonstrate clinical benefit in adults with CF, complementary to administration of CFTR modulators Study achieves clinically meaningful reduction in lung function loss at 6 months, measured as absolute change in ppFEV1, reaching statistical significance in the Per Protocol population MONTREAL--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Laurent Pharmaceuticals Inc. (the Company), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing LAU-7b (oral fenretinide) as a first-in-class inflammation-controlling drug candidate for Cystic Fibrosis (CF), announces the presentation of results from its placebo-controlled Phase 2 APPLAUD 24-week clinical study in adults with CF at the North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference (NACFC) currently held in Philadelphia, United States. Study results achieved a statistically significant treatment difference in favour of LAU-7b in the absolute change in the percent predicted forced expiratory volume in one second (ppFEV1), the primary variable, through 24 weeks (1.23 percentage points; p=0.0486) in people that completed at least five months of treatment (Per Protocol population, N=122), and a clinically meaningful reduction of 49% in the loss of lung function at 24 weeks, relative to placebo. Statistically significant clinical benefit was also observed in the relative change in ppFEV1 through 24 weeks (2.34 percentage points; p=0.0351), as well as in the plasma levels of C-reactive protein (p=0.029), an important marker of systemic inflammation. Pre-specified subgroup analysis suggests a higher benefit in subjects with ppFEV1 greater than 70% at baseline, and the effect appears to be maintained in the subgroup of subjects already receiving CFTR modulators, including TRIKAFTA. The results also passed robustness analyses, despite heterogeneous study population and pandemic interference. The study confirmed that LAU-7b has a predictable and acceptable safety profile, with no unexpected serious adverse events reported. The potential clinical benefits of reducing the loss of lung function demonstrated with LAU-7b in the APPLAUD study, especially when administrated on top of CFTR modulators, are very promising and represent a first with a drug candidate addressing inflammation in adults with CF, said Michael Konstan, MD, Vice Dean for Translational Research at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, and Co-Lead Investigator for the study. It is really exciting to see this significant progress toward bringing medicines targeting loss of lung function in people with CF, an important and rather neglected aspect of this disease, added Larry Lands, MD, PhD, Director, Pediatric Respiratory Medicine at McGill University Health Centre in Montreal, and Co-Lead Investigator for the study. These results showed that the proposed LAU-7b treatment approach is complementary to CFTR modulation, confirming earlier preclinical research by McGill researchers demonstrating LAU-7bs potential to rescue and preserve CFTR modulators effect during cellular stress. These results underscore the important clinical benefit potential of LAU-7b and Laurents commitment to delivering the next scientific breakthrough in this disease, said Radu Pislariu, MD, President and CEO of Laurent Pharmaceuticals. We want to thank all study participants and their families who put their trust in us, the staff at the clinical sites, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and all our collaborators for their support and partnership throughout this study, conducted in unprecedented pandemic conditions. The key outcomes from the study are presented in NACFC Poster #168, and were selected for oral presentation as part of the Session W21 (Evidence Based Medicine - Update on Clinical Trials in CF). About the Phase 2 APPLAUD clinical study APPLAUD was a double-blind, placebo-controlled study in adults with CF, randomized (1:1) to LAU-7b or placebo for 6 months. The goal of the study was to evaluate the safety of LAU-7b and its effect on preservation of lung function by reducing inflammation. Eligible subjects had ppFEV1 between 40% and 100% at screening and had had at least one pulmonary exacerbation (PEx) in the prior year. The study drug was administered orally once daily, in addition to standard of care, including all commercially available CFTR modulators. The primary efficacy endpoint was the absolute change from baseline in ppFEV1 at 24 weeks. Secondary endpoints included parameters related to PEx, systemic inflammatory and lipidomic biomarkers, and quality of life. Study randomized 166 adults with CF at 40 sites in the US, Canada and Australia, of which 122 completed a minimum five months of study medication (Per Protocol population). Both arms were very comparable in terms of age, BMI, gender distribution and lung function at baseline. The safety and efficacy profile in this study supports the use of ppFEV1 as the primary efficacy variable for confirmatory studies, with longer treatment duration. About Cystic Fibrosis Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a rare, life-shortening genetic disease affecting more than 83,000 people worldwide. CF is caused by a defective and/or missing CFTR protein resulting from certain mutations in the CFTR gene and is characterized by viscous secretions in different exocrine tissues, and an aberrant inflammatory response leading to chronic pulmonary infection and loss in lung function over time. Severe pulmonary dysfunction is the primary cause of death in CF. About LAU-7b LAU-7b (oral fenretinide) is a novel drug candidate that acts on cell membrane lipids to modulate inflammation signaling and protein trafficking. Membrane lipid imbalance is believed to play a role in aberrant pulmonary inflammation in individuals with CF, leading to irreversible lung damage over time. Fenretinide was shown to correct the levels of certain membrane phospholipids and sphingolipids in multiple in vitro and in vivo models of CF, improving resolution of inflammation and the stabilization of CFTR in the epithelial apical membrane during inflammatory stress, a self-protective mechanism complementary to CFTR modulators. About Laurent Pharmaceuticals Laurent Pharmaceuticals is a clinical stage biotech company focusing on the modulation of cell membrane lipids for addressing life-threatening diseases. The companys lead drug candidate, LAU-7b, is a proprietary oral formulation of fenretinide, an atypical retinoid with a well-documented safety profile established in more than 3,000 patients. Existing data suggest that low-dose fenretinide has the potential to modulate certain membrane lipids and exerts antiviral, inflammatory-controlling, and antifibrotic properties. LAU-7b is currently being evaluated as a potential therapeutic for COVID-19 and Cystic Fibrosis. For more information, please visit www.laurentpharma.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005075/en/ Media: Radu Pislariu Laurent Pharmaceuticals Inc. [email protected] 514-513-2252 Source: Laurent Pharmaceuticals Inc. Oral presentation will detail consolidated results from 81 patients with steroid-resistant, gastrointestinal, acute Graft-versus-Host-Disease (GI-aGvHD) treated with MaaT013 as salvage therapy, as part of an ongoing Early Access Program (EAP). Poster will present detailed results from the Phase 1b clinical trial of MaaT033 in patients with acute myeloid leukemia. MaaT033, the Companys first Microbiome Ecosystem TherapyTM (MET) for oral administration, is being developed as adjunctive and maintenance treatment for patients receiving allo-HCT1. LYON, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Regulatory News: MaaT Pharma (EURONEXT: MAAT the Company), a French clinical-stage biotech and a pioneer in the development of Microbiome Ecosystem TherapiesTM (MET) dedicated to improving survival outcomes for patients with cancer, announced today that extended results from its Early Access Program (EAP) of MaaT013 in patients with GI-aGvHD have been selected for oral presentation at the 64thAmerican Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting held from December 10-13, 2022, in New-Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.A. Additionally, detailed results of the Phase 1b trial of MaaT033 in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) were selected for presentation in a poster session. This is the sixth year in a row that the Companys clinical data are selected for presentation at the ASH Conference, the world-leading event in malignant and non-malignant hematology, and the third year in a row for an oral presentation. In line with the conference embargo policy, MaaT Pharma will detail the presented results through a press release on Saturday, December 10, 2022. The Company will also host an investor webcast on Monday, December 12th, 2022, at 6:00pm CET (additional details will be provided at a later date). The EAP results include data from 81 patients treated with MaaT013, with steroid-resistant or steroid-dependent aGvHD with GI involvement, who had previously failed 1 to 6 lines (median: 2) of systemic therapy; MaaT Pharma provided the MET product to hospitals under a compassionate access program in France. In parallel, MaaT013 is currently being evaluated in a pivotal, open-label, single-arm Phase 3 trial in Europe (n=75) in GI-aGvHD patients refractory to corticosteroids and ruxolitinib; a first data review is expected in the first half of 2023. As of today, MaaT013 has been safely administered to more than 160 patients in Europe in clinical trials and in the Expanded Access Program in France. Oral Presentation: Title: Pooled Fecal Allogenic Microbiotherapy for Refractory Gastrointestinal Acute Graft-Versus-Host Disease: Results from the Early Access Program in France Presenter: Professor Mohamad Mohty, hematology professor and Head of the Hematology and Cellular Therapy Department at the Saint-Antoine Hospital and Sorbonne University Publication Number: 112 Session: 722. Allogeneic Transplantation: Acute and Chronic GVHD, Immune Reconstitution: Clinical Studies Exploring the Immunobiology of HCT Session Date/Time: Saturday, December 10, 2022; 10:15am EST Room: 252-254 (Ernest N. Morial Convention Center) Poster Presentation: Title: Restoration Of Gut Microbiota Diversity With Oral Pooled Fecal Microbiotherapy In Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patients After Intensive Chemotherapy: The Phase 1b CIMON Trial Presenter: Professor Mohamad Mohty, hematology professor and Head of the Hematology and Cellular Therapy Department at the Saint-Antoine Hospital and Sorbonne University Poster number: 2765 Session: 616. Acute Myeloid Leukemias: Investigational Therapies, Excluding Transplantation and Cellular Immunotherapies Session Date/Time: Sunday, December 11, 2022: 6:00pm -8:00pm EST Room: Hall D (Ernest N. Morial Convention Center) Upcoming scientific conferences participations November 8-10, 2022 9th International Human Microbiome Consortium (IHMC) Congress: Poster and oral presentation November 9-11, 2022 21st Societe Francophone de Greffe de Moelle et de Therapie Cellulaire (SFGM-TC) Congress - Booth #10 poster and oral presentation (SFGM-TC) Congress - December 10-13, 2022 - 64th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting: Poster and oral presentation About MaaT013 MaaT013 is a full-ecosystem, off-the-shelf, standardized, pooled-donor, enema Microbiome Ecosystem TherapyTM for acute, hospital use. It is characterized by a consistently high diversity and richness of microbial species and the presence of ButycoreTM (group of bacterial species known to produce anti-inflammatory metabolites). MaaT013 aims to restore the symbiotic relationship between the patients functional gut microbiome and their immune system to correct the responsiveness and tolerance of immune functions and thus reduce steroid-resistant, gastrointestinal-predominant aGvHD. MaaT013 has been granted Orphan Drug Designation by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA). About MaaT033 MaaT033 is an oral, full-ecosystem, off-the-shelf, standardized, pooled-donor, high-richness Microbiome Ecosystem TherapyTM. MaaT033 is designed to restore the gut ecosystem to full functionality to improve clinical outcomes as well as to control adverse events related to conventional treatments for liquid tumors. The capsule formulation facilitates administration and allows the potential to treat larger patients population while maintaining the high and consistent richness and diversity of microbial species, including anti-inflammatory ButycoreTM species. About MaaT Pharma MaaT Pharma, a clinical stage biotechnology company, has established a complete approach to restoring patient-microbiome symbiosis in oncology. Committed to treating cancer and graft-versus-host disease (GvHD), a serious complication of allogeneic stem cell transplantation, MaaT Pharma has launched, in March 2022 in Europe, a Phase 3 clinical trial for patients with acute GvHD, following the achievement of its proof of concept in a Phase 2 trial. Its powerful discovery and analysis platform, gutPrint, supports the development and expansion of its pipeline by determining novel disease targets, evaluating drug candidates, and identifying biomarkers for microbiome-related conditions. The companys Microbiome Ecosystem Therapies are produced through a standardized cGMP manufacturing and quality control process to safely deliver the full diversity of the microbiome, in liquid and oral formulations. MaaT Pharma benefits from the commitment of world-leading scientists and established relationships with regulators to support the integration of the use of microbiome therapies in clinical practice. MaaT Pharma is the first company developing microbiome-based therapies listed on Euronext Paris (ticker: MAAT). Forward-looking Statements All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this press release about future events are subject to (i) change without notice and (ii) factors beyond the Companys control. These statements may include, without limitation, any statements preceded by, followed by or including words such as target, believe, expect, aim, intend, may, anticipate, estimate, plan, project, will, can have, likely, should, would, could and other words and terms of similar meaning or the negative thereof. Forward-looking statements are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties beyond the Companys control that could cause the Companys actual results or performance to be materially different from the expected results or performance expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. 1 Allo-HCT: allogeneic hematopoietic cell therapy View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005951/en/ MaaT Pharma Investor relations Herve AFFAGARD Co-Founder and CEO Sian Crouzet, COO/ CFO +33 4 28 29 14 00 [email protected] MaaT Pharma -media relations Pauline RICHAUD Senior PR & Corporate Communications Manager +33 6 07 55 25 36 [email protected] Trophic Communications - Corporate and medical Communications Jacob VERGHESE or Gretchen SCHWEITZER +49 89 23 88 77 31 [email protected] Source: MaaT Pharma Indexes developed in collaboration with Menai Financial Group and Compass Financial Technologies NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- MSCI Inc. (NYSE: MSCI), a leading provider of critical decision support tools and services for the global investment community, today announced the launch of digital-asset indexes, offering a way to help investors evaluate sources of risk and return opportunities across the global digital-assets ecosystem. These digital-asset indexes are the first of their kind from MSCI and seek to track the performance of the largest digital assets by market capitalization; digital assets that utilize ex-proof-of-work blockchain consensus mechanisms; and digital assets associated with technology platforms supporting smart-contracts. The new indexes will leverage insights based on collaboration with experts such as Menai Financial Group (Menai), a leading provider of institutional-grade digital-asset investment products and trading services. The indexes will consist of a blend of single-digital-asset indexes designed and published by Compass Financial Technologies (Compass), a leading service provider on digital assets which specializes in the design, calculation and publication of market benchmarks, financial indexes, and quantitative investment strategies. Menais expertise in digital assets continues to inform MSCIs development of its digital assets solutions, which help investors to navigate the investment universe for digital assets, evaluate risks and challenges, and assess emerging opportunities and developments as the rapidly growing industry drives technological change. Compass, an independent Swiss-based company focused on the design, calculation and administration of market benchmarks and quantitative investment strategies, created the single-digital-asset indexes that are the foundational building blocks for MSCIs new blended indexes. Stephane Mattatia, Head of Thematic Indexes at MSCI, said: The digital assets ecosystem is evolving rapidly along with investor demand for tools and solutions to help navigate this new asset class. Global investors are looking for greater transparency and insight into these markets and how best to participate in them in a manner that meets their high standards for professionalism, scale, risk management, and security. The launch of these indexes embodies MSCIs commitment to bringing clarity to diverse asset classes and to create solutions that capture long-term, disruptive investment trends. MSCI takes a systematic and process-oriented approach in providing information to help investors gain transparency and make better investment decisions. About the indexes: Index Summary MSCI Global Digital Assets Indexes Two separate indexes that aim to represent the performance of the top 30 or top 20 digital assets, respectively, as measured by their full market capitalization (excluding stablecoins). MSCI Global Digital Assets ex Proof-of-work Index Aims to represent the performance of digital assets, selected by market capitalization, that do not rely on a proof-of-work consensus mechanism. A consensus mechanism, also referred to as consensus protocol, allows a computer network to coordinate a distributed ledger. It allows a general agreement to be achieved by all participant nodes. A proof-of-work consensus mechanism requires substantial, energy-consuming computational work for the creation of new blocks containing transactions in the distributed ledger. MSCI Global Digital Assets Smart Contract Index Aims to represent the performance of digital assets, selected by market capitalization, that are associated with technology platforms supporting Smart Contracts features. A Smart Contract is a digital program that runs on a blockchain. It is a collection of programs and data that resides at a specific address on the underlying blockchain. Digital assets that support Smart Contracts functionality are capable of being used by a wide range of decentralized applications across industries. The indexes will use datonomyTM a new classification system for the digital assets market. Delivered as a new data service, datonomy classifies coins and tokens based on how they are used. Designed to provide a consistent, standardized way to help market participants view and analyze the digital assets ecosystem, datonomy will help create an increased level of transparency into how the market is moving and can be licensed for a variety of use cases, such as the review and assessment of portfolio performance and reporting. MSCI is the owner and sole administrator of this new classification system and may receive input on potential changes from the datonomy Advisory Board (Advisory Board), as well as other market participants. The Advisory Board members will be comprised of Goldman Sachs, MSCI, Coin Metrics as well as third parties that can provide expertise on maintaining datonomy. Inaugural third-party members will be announced at a later date. About MSCI Inc. MSCI is a leading provider of critical decision support tools and services for the global investment community. With over 50 years of expertise in research, data, and technology, we power better investment decisions by enabling clients to understand and analyze key drivers of risk and return and confidently build more effective portfolios. We create industry-leading research-enhanced solutions that clients use to gain insight into and improve transparency across the investment process. The digital asset taxonomy named datonomy is owned and administered by MSCI and was developed by Goldman Sachs, MSCI, and Coin Metrics. None of Goldman Sachs, MSCI, Coin Metrics or any other party involved in or related to compiling, computing or creating datonomy makes any express or implied warranties or representations with respect to datonomy (or the results to be obtained by the use thereof), and all such parties hereby expressly disclaim all warranties of originality, accuracy, completeness, merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to datonomy. Datonomy does not constitute investment advice, is not a solicitation or recommendation to buy or sell, or an endorsement of, any assets, does not assess, classify or make any statement regarding the regulatory status or standing of an asset, and no assurance is provided of the results of any investment or investment strategy using datonomy. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall Goldman Sachs, MSCI, or Coin Metrics, or any of their affiliates or any third party involved in or related to compiling, computing, creating or licensing the data have any liability for any direct, indirect, special, punitive, consequential or any other damages (including lost profits) even if notified of the possibility of such damages. No further distribution, dissemination or use of datonomy is permitted without the express written consent of one of Goldman Sachs, MSCI, or Coin Metrics, including using datonomy for investment purposes. This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or performance and involve risks that may cause actual results or performance differ materially and you should not place undue reliance on them. Risks that could affect results or performance are in MSCIs Annual Report on Form 10-K for the most recent fiscal year ended on December 31 that is filed with the SEC. MSCI does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements. No information herein constitutes investment advice or should be relied on as such. MSCI grants no right or license to use its products or services without an appropriate license. MSCI MAKES NO EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR OTHERWISE WITH RESPECT TO THE INFORMATION HEREIN AND DISCLAIMS ALL LIABILITY TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005909/en/ Media Inquiries [email protected] Sam Wang +1 212 804 5244 Melanie Blanco +1 212 981 1049 Tina Tan +852 2844 9320 MSCI Global Client Services EMEA Client Service + 44 20 7618.2222 Americas Client Service +1 888 588 4567 (toll free) Asia Pacific Client Service + 852 2844 9333 Source: MSCI Inc. VANCOUVER, British Columbia--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- New Found Gold Corp. (TSXV:NFG | NYSE-A: NFGC) ("New Found" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into a definitive property option agreement (the Option Agreement) that grants the Company the exclusive right to acquire a 100% interest (the Option) in five mineral licenses located in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador (the Property), significantly expanding the Companys Queensway North project area. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005545/en/ Figure 1. Queensway Project property map, including recently optioned claims. (Graphic: Business Wire) Highlights: The optioning of this ground further bolsters the Companys landholdings to 165,575 hectares and adds an approximately 6.1km segment of strike along the highly prospective Appleton Fault Zone (Figure 1). The terms of the Option Agreement, detailed below, include cash and share payments, and importantly do not include any mandatory work commitments, advanced royalty payments, or granting of royalties. Greg Matheson, COO of New Found Gold stated: Optioning these mineral licenses provides us with an additional 13,755 hectares of ground including 6.1km of untested and highly prospective strike along the Appleton Fault Zone with a very reasonable up-front cost. We look forward to commencing our initial exploration work on these new licenses which will focus on generating drill targets. Any decision on drilling will be made after this first phase of ground work and evaluation. Terms of Option Agreement: The Option Agreement the Company has entered into is with Aidan ONeil, Suraj Amarnani, Joshua Vann and VOA Exploration Inc. (the Optionors). Under the terms of this agreement, the Company may exercise the Option by (i) issuing an aggregate of 487,078 common shares in capital of New Found (Common Shares), and (ii) making aggregate cash payments of $2,350,000 to the Optionors as follows: $200,000 and 39,762 Common Shares on the later of (i) Staking Confirmation Date (as defined in the Option Agreement) and (ii) the receipt of the TSX-Venture Exchanges (the TSXV) approval; $200,000 and 39,762 common shares on or before November 2, 2023; $250,000 and 69,583 common shares on or before November 2, 2024; $300,000 and 89,463 common shares on or before November 2, 2025; $600,000 and 129,224 common shares on or before November 2, 2026; and $800,000 and 119,284 common shares on or before November 2, 2027. The transactions contemplated by the Option Agreement, including the issuance of Common Shares thereunder, are subject to the approval of the TSXV. Any Common Shares issued under the Option Agreement will be subject to a hold period of four months and a day, as well as a voluntary escrow of 24 months for the first share issuance, and 12 months for any share issuances thereafter. About New Found Gold Corp. New Found holds a 100% interest in the Queensway Project, located 15km west of Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador, and just 18km from Gander International Airport. The project is intersected by the Trans-Canada Highway and has logging roads crosscutting the project, high voltage electric power lines running through the project area, and easy access to a highly skilled workforce. The Company is currently undertaking a 400,000m drill program at Queensway, now approximately 74% complete. The Company is well funded for this program with cash and marketable securities of approximately $55 million as of November 2022. Please see the Companys website at www.newfoundgold.ca and the Companys SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. Contact To contact the Company, please visit the Companys website, www.newfoundgold.ca and make your request through our investor inquiry form. Our management has a pledge to be in touch with any investor inquiries within 24 hours. 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 Statement Cautions This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Canadian and U.S. securities legislation (including the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995), including statements relating to the TSXVs acceptance of the transaction and the timing of the cash payments and share issuances under the Option Agreement. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts; they are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "aims," "suggests," "potential," "goal," "objective," "prospective," "possibly," and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "can," "could" or "should" occur, or are those statements, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions that forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made, and they involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Consequently, there can be no assurances that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Except to the extent required by applicable securities laws and the policies of the TSXV or the NYSE American, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Factors that could cause future results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements include risks related to the TSXVs acceptance of the transaction, the Companys ability to satisfy conditions precedent under the Option Agreement; the possibility that the Company may not be able to secure permitting and other governmental clearances necessary to carry out the Company's exploration plans, the risk that the Company will not be able to raise sufficient funds to carry out its business plans, and the risk of political uncertainties and regulatory or legal changes that might interfere with the Company's business and prospects. The reader is urged to refer to the Company's Annual Information Form and Management's Discussion and Analysis, publicly available through the Canadian Securities Administrators' System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR) at www.sedar.com or through the SECs Electronic Data Gathering and Retrieval System (EDGAR) at www.sec.gov for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effects. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005545/en/ New Found Gold Corp. Per: "Collin Kettell" Collin Kettell, Chief Executive Officer Email: [email protected] Phone: +1 (845) 535-1486 Source: New Found Gold Corp. Funding will support development of next generation orthopedic products that provide accelerated healing through single treatment cures Equity Funding led by CR-CP Life Science Fund, New Science Ventures, Fund+ and SRIW MONT SAINT-GUIBERT, Belgium--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Novadip Biosciences (Novadip or the Company), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of regenerative tissue products to accelerate healing of large bone defects and injuries in a single treatment, today announced that it has raised an additional EUR 40 million in a Series B equity round and non-dilutive funding. The funding will accelerate the clinical development of two of Novadips investigational adipose stem cell (ASC)-derived tissue regeneration products: NVD-X3, an allogeneic therapeutic that can provide accelerated, durable bone union in spinal fusion procedures and non-healing fractures, and NVD-003, an autologous bone engraftment product designed to provide a single treatment cure for patients with critical size bone defects such as congenital pseudoarthrosis of the tibia (CPT). The EUR 40 million financing is comprised of EUR 24 million in new equity and EUR 16 million in non-dilutive financing mainly by the Walloon Region. CR-CP Life Science Fund (China) joined existing investors, including New Science Ventures (US), Fund+, SRIW Life Sciences, VIVES Louvain Technology Fund, InvestSud, family offices and private investors, such as Pierre Drion and Olivier van der Rest, to support the equity round. This financing milestone is a recognition by our committed group of existing investors of the clinical benefits and broad market opportunities provided by our 3M tissue regeneration technology platform, said Denis Dufrane, MD, PhD, CEO and Co-founder of Novadip Biosciences. With this funding we will advance a new class of therapeutics that offer curative hope for patients suffering from large bone defects and enable accelerated healing of common orthopedic conditions such as radius fracture, spinal fusion. Novadips 3M platform is a 3-dimensional, extracellular matrix that utilizes adipose-derived stem cells to deliver highly specific growth factors and miRNAs to mimic the physiology of natural tissue healing. The platform supports three distinct therapeutic programs: 3MAUTO: autologous ASC products that provide one-time curative treatment to achieve long-term union and stability of critical size bone defects 3MALLO: off-the-shelf allogeneic matrix products to provide accelerated, stable bone union in 90 percent of bone engraftment procedures a $7 billion addressable market, and 3MEXO: allogeneic exosome products that can repair tissue following surgical resection of solid tumors, such as osteosarcoma, melanoma, glioblastoma. We welcome the expanded support of our international investors, all of whom appreciate the immense potential of the 3M3 technology platform to deliver best-in-class tissue regeneration products that disrupt the standard of care in the US, EU and Asia, said Eric P. Paques, PhD, Chairman of the Novadip Biosciences Board of Directors. We have been enormously impressed with the progress the Novadip team has achieved in advancing the 3MAUTO and 3MALLO programs into clinical studies. Looking ahead, it is clear that Novadips therapeutic programs can be hugely important for patients, and we look forward to supporting these dedicated individuals as they work to cultivate the clinical promise of the 3M3 technology platform across multiple high opportunity markets. About NVD-X3 for Spinal Fusion and Bone Non-Union Applications The risk of bone non-union following fracture is greater than 50% across all bones due to fracture severity, co-morbidities (diabetes, obesity, smoking and other conditions) and medication use1. Additionally, more than 600,000 spine fusion procedures are performed annually. Together, these indications represent a peak sales opportunity for Novadip of $2.2 billion. Novadips lead allogeneic product, NVD-X3, employs a matrix containing multiple bioactive factors that induce accelerated tissue healing. Designed as an off-the-shelf product, NVD-X3 can be shipped and stored at room temperature and offers superior intraoperative handling characteristics. A favorable COGS profile supports broad distribution and expanded patient access. Preclinical studies demonstrate that NVD-X3 offers superior bioactivity without the undesirable bone formation/resorption and inflammation observed with currently marketed bone engraftment products. Novadip plans to initiate a Phase 1/2 clinical trial for NVD-X3 in spine fusion and bone non-union procedures in Europe by the end of 2022. About NVD-003 and CPT Congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia (CPT) is a rare pediatric bone condition occurring in one in 150,000 births. Children with CPT endure a high disease burden, including frequent fractures, loss of mobility, and potential amputation. The current standard of care - surgery with autologous bone graft - is associated with poor long-term outcomes, including high risk of chronic pain, infection, blood loss requiring transfusion, and persistent risk of amputation. Novadip is developing NVD-003, an autologous therapy derived from ASCs as a potential single treatment to save limbs and restore mobility in patients with CPT. The favorable safety profile and potential clinical utility of NVD-003 for promoting healthy and durable bone formation is supported by clinical data from more than 50 adult and pediatric patients with non-healing fractures of the lower limb, bone non-union (BNU), obtained in Phase 1b/2a clinical trials and compassionate use. The active cells in NVD-003 autologous graft helped achieve durable union in critical size bone fractures with up to 5 years follow-up data. These results de-risk the companys clinical development program for CPT and support future discussions with drug regulatory agencies about the design of late-stage pivotal trials to support eventual product registration. Novadip will initiate a Phase 1b/2a clinical trials in CPT patients between two and eight years of age in the US and EU end of 2022. NVD-003 has received orphan drug and rare pediatric disease designations for accelerated approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). If NVD-003 is approved by the FDA, Novadip is eligible to receive a priority review voucher that could provide more than $100 million revenue. About Novadip Biosciences Novadip Biosciences is a clinical stage company developing best in class tissue regeneration therapies to elevate the standard of care for critical size bone defects, common orthopedic conditions, and cancer. Its unique 3M tissue regeneration technology platform has the potential to generate an array of product candidates to address hard and soft tissue reconstruction for patients with limited or no treatment options. Co-Founded in 2013 by Denis Dufrane, MD, PhD, Novadip is headquartered in Mont Saint-Guibert, Belgium. For more information, visit https://www.novadip.com/. __________________________ 1 Zura et al. Epidemiology of Fracture Nonunion in 18 Human Bones. JAMA Surg. 2016;151(11):e162775. November 16, 2016 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005998/en/ Media Inquiries: Anna Army LaVoieHealthScience 617-351-0246 [email protected] Investor Inquiries: Gemma Bakx LaVoieHealthScience (917) 439-5771 [email protected] Source: Novadip Biosciences At the 2022 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting NANTES, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Regulatory News: OSE Immunotherapeutics SA (ISIN: FR0012127173; Mnemo: OSE) (Paris: OSE) is pleased to announce that its leukemia research program on OSE-127 has been selected for an oral presentation at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) annual meeting (New Orleans, Louisiana; December 10 - 13, 2022). This upcoming presentation has received the merit-based Abstract Achievement Award from the peer-review committee. Nicolas Poirier, Chief Executive Officer of OSE Immunotherapeutics, comments: We are honored by the recognition and the interest in the quality of our research in Leukemia from the prestigious American Society of Hematology. This award is the result of our fruitful collaboration with the University of Kiel evaluating, in patient-derived xenograft models, the therapeutic potential of OSE-127 in targeting and blocking the high and dysregulated IL-7 receptor-expression observed in more than 80% of B- or T-Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) patients. Pr. Denis Schewe (Head of the Pediatrics Department, Otto-von-Guericke-University, Magdeburg and formerly from the University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein of Kiel) and Dr. Lennart Lenk (Department of Pediatrics I, Christian-Albrechts University Kiel and University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel), leading the research program in collaboration with OSE Immunotherapeutics, say: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is a very aggressive tumor arising from B or T cells precursors (B- and T-ALL, respectively). Relapse remains a clinical challenge in B-ALL in high-risk patients and treatment options for T-ALL remain very limited. Novel targeted immunotherapy approaches are urgently needed to prevent relapse and to treat refractory diseases in ALL patients. The global intellectual property for OSE-127 has been further strengthened, based on a unique and innovative dual anti-leukemic mechanism of action. This antibody both blocks oncogenic interleukin-7 fuel pathway and simultaneously triggers macrophage-driven phagocytosis of leukemic cells. Additional patent applications were filed in 2021 and 2022 covering the use of anti-IL-7 receptor antagonist antibodies with macrophage-redirected phagocytic activity for the targeted treatment of IL-7 receptor-positive cancers. Furthermore, OSE-127 is currently being developed in clinical stage in partnership with Servier. Two clinical studies are ongoing in inflammatory diseases: a phase 2a study conducted in primary Sjogrens syndrome by Servier and a phase 2 study conducted in ulcerative colitis by OSE Immunotherapeutics. About Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a heterogeneous group of lymphoid disorders resulting from clonal proliferation of immature lymphocytes of B-cell (85%) or T-cell (15%) lineages (1) in the blood, bone marrow, and other lymphoid organs. Although it is one of the most common cancers in children, accounting for approximately 25% of all childhood cancer diagnoses among children under 15 years of age (2), adults can also develop ALL. About 40% cases of ALL diagnosed are in adults and among them about 50% present refractory disease or undergo relapse under current conventional therapies (2). The American Cancer Society estimates that almost 6,660 new cases of ALL will be diagnosed in the United States in 2022(3). In Europe, 7,000 cases of ALL are diagnosed each year (4). The number of patients in Japan was reported to be about 5,000 in a survey by the Japanese MHLW in 2017. The number of diagnosed incident cases of acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) in Europe, US, Japan and China is estimated to achieve 26,482 cases in 2029(5). (1) DeVita, Jr. VT, Hellman S, Rosenberg SA, eds.; Cancer: Principles and Practice of Oncology, 10th ed.; Lippincott-Raven, Philadelphia, PA; 2014. (2) Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Treatment (PDQ)Health Professional Version, accessed October 2022 (3) American Cancer Society. Key 2022 Statistics for Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL). Available at: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/acute-lymphocytic-leukemia/about/key-statistics.html#references., accessed October 2022 (4) Gatta G, van der Zwan JM, Casali P, et al. Rare cancers are not so rare: The rare cancer burden in Europe. Eur. J. Cancer. 2011; 47: 2493-2511. (5) Global Data ABOUT OSE Immunotherapeutics OSE Immunotherapeutics is a biotech company dedicated to developing first-in-class assets in immuno-oncology and immuno-inflammation. The Companys current well-balanced first-in-class clinical pipeline includes: Tedopi (immunotherapy activating tumor specific T-cells, off-the-shelf, neoepitope-based): this cancer vaccine is the Companys most advanced product; positive results from the Phase 3 trial (Atalante 1) in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer patients in secondary resistance after checkpoint inhibitor failure. Other Phase 2 trials, sponsored by clinical oncology groups, of Tedopi in combination are ongoing in solid tumors. (immunotherapy activating tumor specific T-cells, off-the-shelf, neoepitope-based): this cancer vaccine is the Companys most advanced product; positive results from the Phase 3 trial (Atalante 1) in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer patients in secondary resistance after checkpoint inhibitor failure. Other Phase 2 trials, sponsored by clinical oncology groups, of Tedopi in combination are ongoing in solid tumors. OSE-279 (anti-PD1): advanced preclinical stage. (anti-PD1): advanced preclinical stage. OSE-127 / S95011 (humanized monoclonal antibody antagonist of IL-7 receptor) developed in partnership with Servier; ongoing Phase 2 in ulcerative colitis (sponsor OSE Immunotherapeutics) and ongoing Phase 2a in Sjogrens syndrome (sponsor Servier); ongoing pre-clinical research in leukemia. / (humanized monoclonal antibody antagonist of IL-7 receptor) developed in partnership with Servier; ongoing Phase 2 in ulcerative colitis (sponsor OSE Immunotherapeutics) and ongoing Phase 2a in Sjogrens syndrome (sponsor Servier); ongoing pre-clinical research in leukemia. VEL-101/FR104 (anti-CD28 monoclonal antibody): developed in partnership with Veloxis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in transplantation; ongoing Phase 1/2 in renal transplant (sponsor Nantes University Hospital); Phase 1 ongoing in the US (sponsor Veloxis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.). (anti-CD28 monoclonal antibody): developed in partnership with Veloxis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in transplantation; ongoing Phase 1/2 in renal transplant (sponsor Nantes University Hospital); Phase 1 ongoing in the US (sponsor Veloxis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.). BI 765063 (anti-SIRP monoclonal antibody on CD47/SIRP pathway): developed in partnership with Boehringer Ingelheim in advanced solid tumors; positive Phase 1 dose escalation results of BI 765063 in monotherapy and in combination, in particular with anti-PD-1 antibody ezabenlimab; BI sponsored international Phase 1b ongoing clinical trial in combination with ezabenlimab alone or with other drugs in patients with recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). OSE Immunotherapeutics expects to generate further significant value from its two proprietary drug discovery platforms, which are central to its ambitious goal to deliver next-generation first-in-class immunotherapeutics: BiCKI platform focused on immuno-oncology (IO) is a bispecific fusion protein platform built on the key backbone component of anti-PD1 combined with a new immunotherapy target to increase anti-tumor efficacy. The most advanced BiCKI candidate is targeting anti-PD1xIL-7. focused on immuno-oncology (IO) is a bispecific fusion protein platform built on the key backbone component of anti-PD1 combined with a new immunotherapy target to increase anti-tumor efficacy. The most advanced BiCKI candidate is targeting anti-PD1xIL-7. Myeloid platform focused on optimizing the therapeutic potential of myeloid cells in IO and immuno-inflammation (I&I). OSE-230 (ChemR23 agonist mAb) is the most advanced candidate generated by the platform, with the potential to resolve chronic inflammation by driving affected tissues to tissue integrity. Additional information about OSE Immunotherapeutics assets is available on the Companys website: www.ose-immuno.com Click and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn Forward-looking statements This press release contains express or implied information and statements that might be deemed forward-looking information and statements in respect of OSE Immunotherapeutics. They do not constitute historical facts. These information and statements include financial projections that are based upon certain assumptions and assessments made by OSE Immunotherapeutics management in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends, current economic and industry conditions, expected future developments and other factors they believe to be appropriate. These forward-looking statements include statements typically using conditional and containing verbs such as expect, anticipate, believe, target, plan, or estimate, their declensions and conjugations and words of similar import. Although the OSE Immunotherapeutics management believes that the forward-looking statements and information are reasonable, the OSE Immunotherapeutics shareholders and other investors are cautioned that the completion of such expectations is by nature subject to various risks, known or not, and uncertainties which are difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of OSE Immunotherapeutics. These risks could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed in or implied or projected by the forward-looking statements. These risks include those discussed or identified in the public filings made by OSE Immunotherapeutics with the AMF. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. This press release includes only summary information and should be read with the OSE Immunotherapeutics Universal Registration Document filed with the AMF on 15 April 2022, including the annual financial report for the fiscal year 2021, available on the OSE Immunotherapeutics website. Other than as required by applicable law, OSE Immunotherapeutics issues this press release at the date hereof and does not undertake any obligation to update or revise the forward-looking information or statements. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005753/en/ OSE Immunotherapeutics Sylvie Detry [email protected] +33 153 198 757 Investor Relations Thomas Guillot [email protected] +33 607 380 431 French Media: FP2COM Florence Portejoie [email protected] +33 607 768 283 International Media: MEDiSTRAVA Consulting Sylvie Berrebi / David Dible / Eleanor Perkin [email protected] +44 (0) 203 928 6900 Source: OSE Immunotherapeutics Announcement follows a landmark partnership with Glass Futures, following the successful production of Pernod Ricards Jameson bottles using biofuels PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Regulatory News: Press Release Paris, 3 November 2022 Pernod Ricard (Paris: RI): Absolut Vodka is to become the first global spirits brand to move to a partly hydrogen energy-fired glass furnace for large-scale production in a significant step to reduce the CO2 emissions from making its iconic bottles. The hydrogen initiative is an important milestone for Absolut Vodka in becoming completely CO2 neutral by 2030. A prerequisite for being able to meet this goal is in reducing the carbon footprint of its glass packaging. Absolut has signed an agreement with Ardagh Glass Packaging in Limmared, a subsidiary of Ardagh Group, to use this partly hydrogen-fired furnace (20% green gas) commencing in the second half of 2023. This means a full-scale change of the continuous production of Absolut bottles for all markets globally. The hydrogen will be produced onsite at Ardagh by using renewably sourced electricity and would reduce Absolut Vodkas carbon footprint from glass by 20%. Stephanie Durroux, Chief Executive Officer of The Absolut Company, says: "The glass manufacturing industry is on a transformative journey, and the world cant wait for the perfect solution. A bold and innovative approach is needed to accelerate radical change that will help solve the significant sustainability challenges that all glassmakers and buyers of glass face." Bo Nilsson, Managing Director of Ardagh Glass Limmared AB, added: Our industry needs to be less reliant on fossil fuels and transition at pace to using more green energy. By investing in this new technology, we are embarking on a journey to reduce the carbon footprint of our glass packaging. There are challenges with such innovation, but we are committed to being an early mover in future-proofing our glass manufacturing operations world-wide." In addition to the Absolut Vodka and Ardagh Group partnership, the Group is pleased to announce that it is becoming a member of Glass Futures, a not-for-profit research and technology organisation connecting the industry and academia to build a Global Centre of Excellence for glass to create sustainable, low carbon bottles. Richard Katz, Chief Executive Officer of Glass Futures said: At Glass Futures we bring together global supply chains, with common problems, to enable a revolutionary change in glass manufacture to decarbonise both the glass and foundation industries. Were delighted that Pernod Ricard, a global wine and spirits company committed to being sustainable and responsible, has joined our membership. We hope the trials into new low carbon fuels and technologies will drive innovations in the glass supply chain and support our members on their journey to net zero. Together with glass producer Encirc and Glass Futures, Irish Distillers, owner of Jameson Irish Whiskey and a Pernod Ricard affiliate, was part of a ground-breaking trial in 2020 which leveraged the use of biofuels to produce more than 3 million glass bottles for Jameson from 100% recycled glass, resulting in a reduced carbon footprint of up to 90%. Vanessa Wright, Chief Sustainability Officer at Pernod Ricard said: These exciting partnerships, which we are delighted to unveil in the lead up to the COP27, are key to accelerating our sustainability journey. True to our vision Createurs de convivialite, we strongly believe in working with others to strengthen what we do collectively and drive innovation for a greener future, in line with our 2030 Sustainability & Responsibility roadmap Good Times from a Good Place. ENDS About Pernod Ricard Pernod Ricard is the No.2 worldwide producer of wines and spirits with consolidated sales amounting to 10,701 million in fiscal year FY22. The Group, which owns 17 of the Top 100 Spirits Brands, holds one of the most prestigious and comprehensive portfolios in the industry with over 240 premium brands distributed across more than 160 markets. Pernod Ricards portfolio includes Absolut Vodka, Ricard pastis, Ballantines, Chivas Regal, Royal Salute, and The Glenlivet Scotch whiskies, Jameson Irish whiskey, Martell cognac, Havana Club rum, Beefeater gin, Malibu liqueur or Mumm and Perrier-Jouet champagnes. The Groups mission is to unlock the magic of human connections by bringing Good Times from a Good Place, in line with its Sustainability and Responsibility roadmap. Pernod Ricards decentralized organization empowers its 19,480 employees to be on-the-ground ambassadors of its purposeful and inclusive culture of conviviality, bringing people together in meaningful, sustainable and responsible ways to create value over the long term. Executing its strategic plan, Transform & Accelerate, Pernod Ricard now relies on its Conviviality Platform, a new growth model based on data and artificial intelligence to meet the ever-changing demand of consumers. Pernod Ricard is listed on Euronext (Ticker: RI; ISIN Code:FR0000120693) and is part of the CAC 40 and Eurostoxx 50 indices. About The Absolut Company The Absolut Company has the worldwide responsibility for the production, packaging innovation and strategic marketing of Absolut Vodka, Malibu and Kahlua. Absolut Vodka is one of the worlds top ten international spirits brands. Every bottle of Absolut Vodka comes from one source, Ahus in southern Sweden. Malibu is the number one rum-based coconut spirit in the world. Kahlua coffee liqueur is the world leader in its category. The Absolut Company portfolio also includes Ahus Akvavit. The visitor center, Absolut Home, located next to the main production site for Absolut Vodka, was opened in 2018. The head office is located in Stockholm, Sweden. Chairman and CEO is Stephanie Durroux. The Absolut Company is a part of Pernod Ricard, the worlds second-largest wine and spirits producer (source: IWSR). About Ardagh Sweden Ardagh Glass Limmared AB is part of the Ardagh Group, a global supplier of sustainable, infinitely recyclable, metal and glass packaging for brand owners around the world. Ardagh operates 65 metal and glass production facilities in 16 countries, employing 20,000 people with sales of approximately $10bn. About Glass Futures A not-for-profit membership organisation, Glass Futures connects the global glass industry and academia to deliver R&D and innovation, ensuring glass makings future is built on high value and fully sustainable, zero-carbon products. Glass Futures in collaboration with the global glass industry is delivering the worlds first openly accessible, commercially available, multi-disciplinary glass melting facility, The Global Centre of Excellence in St Helens, UK with provision for research and development trials to decarbonise the global glass and foundation industries. The 165,000 sq. ft state-of-the-art facility will be capable of producing up to 30 tonnes of glass per day in a purposefully designed research and development furnace. Members, researchers, and industry leaders will collaborate and experiment with different energy sources, raw materials, and technologies to demonstrate solutions leading to sustainable energy usage in the glass-making process. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103006056/en/ Media contacts Emmanuel Vouin / Head of External Engagement +33 (0) 1 70 93 16 34 Jessica Whyte / International Press relations Manager +33 (0) 1 70 93 24 23 Investor relations contacts Florence Tresarrieu / Global SVP Investors Relations and Treasury +33 (0) 1 70 93 17 03 Edward Mayle / Investor Relations Director +33 (0) 1 70 93 17 13 Charly Montet / Investor Relations Manager +33 (0) 1 70 93 17 13 Source: Pernod Ricard AUSTIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Silicon Integration Initiative today announced it has welcomed Michael Jackson, corporate vice president of research and development at Cadence Design Systems, and Jacob Avidan, senior vice president of engineering at Synopsys, to the Si2 board of directors. They replace Aparna Dey, senior product marketing group director, and Dave DeMaria, vice president of corporate operations, respectively. This change in board leadership represents a deepening in product and R&D involvement by our EDA partners, said Pankaj Kukkal, chair of the Si2 board of directors and vice president of EDA, emulation and post-silicon engineering for Qualcomm Technologies. Aparna continues to represent Cadence in leadership positions at Si2, IEEE and Accellera, and Daves strategic planning savvy was fundamental in driving Si2 toward its current focus on system-level interoperability. The addition of Michael and Jacob comes as we approach critical decisions on managing the adoption of system-level power modeling capabilities provided by Si2s Unified Power Model and its associated reference implementation. Jackson plays a strategic role in Cadences Intelligent System Design strategy as part of the Custom IC & PCB Group. After joining Cadence in 2019, he directed the product development teams in the Digital & Signoff group before transitioning to his current position. Prior to Cadence, Jacksons passion for technology led him to a doctorate in electrical engineering and computer sciences at the University of California, Berkeley, then to Motorola, followed by leadership positions at Avant! and Synopsys. The shift to system design brings a host of new challenges, many of which will require some degree of collaboration to overcome, Jackson said. I believe Si2 has a part to play in ushering in the next era of shared ecosystem efficiency on non-differentiating, common elements that promote interoperability in EDA and the broader semiconductor space. I look forward to helping the board determine the best path forward for Si2 and for the industry as a whole. Avidan brings more than 30 years of industry experience in EDA and CAD to his role leading Synopsys signoff products, 3DIC Compiler, DSO.ai and Platform solutions. After earning his electrical engineering and computer sciences degrees from the Technion, Avidan worked at Intel and EPIC Design Technology, as well as co-founded AmmoCore, a highly distributed place-and-route technology developer. From there, he served as general manager and corporate vice president of R&D at Magma Design Automation, which was acquired by Synopsys. To boost productivity and enhance power, performance and area of advanced electronic designs, greater integration is essential throughout silicon design flows, said Avidan. I have been fortunate to have worked with industry partners and related organizations on the challenges of advancing the leading edge, seeing the fruits of such collaboration firsthand. As Compact Model and OpenAccess Coalition members, weve experienced the benefits provided by an R&D joint venture such as Si2. Expanding Si2s collaboration model into system-level interoperability, particularly into greenfield areas such as system power and 3D, will drive the creation of standards and common infrastructure, accelerating new market adoption and member companies returns. About Si2 Silicon Integration Initiative is a leading research and development joint venture providing standard interoperability solutions for silicon-to-system implementation. Si2 activities are conducted under the auspices of The National Cooperative Research and Production Act of 1993. This fundamental law defines R&D joint ventures and offers them significant protection against federal antitrust laws. Si2 has more than 65 members, including semiconductor and fabless manufacturers, foundries and EDA companies. Primary Initiatives To learn more about Si2 and its mission, please visit www.si2.org. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005421/en/ Terry Berke [email protected] 512-342-2244 Source: Si2 Hot on the heels of its hugely successful annual conference in Las Vegas, Money20/20 arrives in Tel Aviv as part of its World Tour to highlight Israels contribution to the global fintech ecosystem TEL AVIV, Israel--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Team8, a company-building venture group focused on fintech, cyber and digital health, is hosting a senior delegation of global VCs to shine the spotlight on Israels budding fintech scene between 6th-8th November. The delegation will be in Israel for the global fintech show, Money20/20s debut visit to Tel Aviv. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103006029/en/ (Photo: Business Wire) The event brings together movers and shakers from Israels fintech industry and will include a forum with some of Israels most influential players. For example, on November 7th, industry experts will discuss Israels credentials as a hotbed for fintech innovation during the sold out World Tour session Unleashing Fintech in the Startup Nation. The evening of the 7th will feature: A presentation by Oded Salomy, director of payment systems and member of management at the Bank of Israel on 'How Fintech Entrepreneurs Can Leverage Regulation as an Opportunity A fireside chat between Shmuel Ben Tovim, director, Fintech Israel Innovation Community and Ronen Assia, Team8 Managing Partner and co-founder of eToro who will discuss his role in co-founding eToro and steering it on a path to global success A follow-up panel, moderated by Sanjib Kalita, Editor in Chief for Money20/20. focusing on current investment trends in the financial services industry which includes insights from Team8 Managing Partner Sarit Firon, Nyca Partner Jeremy Solomon, and Greylock Partner Seth Rosenberg On the morning of November 8th, Team8, Money20/20, Greylock and Nyca will host an exclusive breakfast for over 100 fintech founders and industry leaders at Team8s HQ. Over the course of the week, Team8 will also be hosting a global delegation of venture capital groups to introduce them to some of the countrys most promising fintech startups and founders. The delegation includes more than a dozen global leaders from some of the top venture groups in the world, including Greylock Partners, Nyca Partners, and others. Team8 Managing Partner Rakefet Russak-Aminoach, said: Money20/20s visit to Tel Aviv represents a major milestone for Israels thriving fintech community. Despite challenging market conditions, Israel remains a center of excellence for fintech innovation, defined by resilient teams and solutions tailored to evolving market trends. Were thrilled to be collaborating with Money20/20 and other leading VCs from around the world to help showcase a small sample of the incredible startups that have put Israel on the global fintech map. "Israel has an incredibly rich fintech ecosystem, said Scarlett Sieber, Chief Strategy and Growth Officer at Money20/20. From startups to VCs, Israel is home to some of the most exciting players in the world of fintech and with a pretty enlightened regulatory framework, its clear the industry has the potential to scale even in challenging times. Were super excited to be here and delighted to be partnering with Team8 on this stop on the World Tour. About Team8 Team8 is a venture group that builds and backs the most innovative technology companies in the fields of fintech, cyber, data, and digital health. We leverage deep domain expertise, cutting-edge technology, and first-hand company-building experience to partner with entrepreneurs in founding globally-successful companies, while also investing in early-stage companies that are active in the Group's fields of interest. Visit www.team8.vc to learn more. About Money20/20 Founded in 2011, Money20/20 creates destination shows where the most innovative people in payments, Fintech and the broader financial services industry connect. Famed for their high-impact networking, the USA edition, held in Las Vegas (22-25 October 2023), and the Europe edition, held in Amsterdam (6-8 June 2023), are regarded as unmissable by financial services professionals. The upcoming expansion show in Asia, to be held in Bangkok in April 2024, promises to be an exciting addition to the worlds leading fintech conversation. Money20/20 is the space where the industry's smartest visionaries and innovators come together to create the future of money. Money20/20 is an Ascential show. www.money2020.com Follow Money20/20 on Twitter for show developments and updates. You can also find us on LinkedIn at Money20/20. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103006029/en/ Erin Jundef [email protected] Source: Team8 Educators and school officials encouraged to drive student awareness of state and regional science fairs for a chance to enter nations premier middle school STEM competition WALTHAM, Mass. & WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE: TMO), the world leader in serving science, and Society for Science (the Society), today announced the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge, the nations premier middle school science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) competition. The Society named Thermo Fisher as the new title sponsor of the organizations middle school STEM competition in August. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005199/en/ (Graphic: Business Wire) Society for Science is very excited to embark on this new partnership with Thermo Fisher Scientific, said Maya Ajmera, President and CEO of Society for Science and Publisher of Science News. Our middle school STEM competition, now called the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge, will be impacting and celebrating students at a critical time in their development, encouraging them to continue on this important STEM pathway to college and career. Nearly 300 school, state and regional middle school science fairs across the country have affiliated with the Societys science fair network and will be nominating students to compete in the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge. Sixth, seventh and eighth grade students who place in the top 10% of their science fairs are eligible to compete in the Junior Innovators Challenge, previously known as the Broadcom MASTERS. Finalists will have the opportunity to showcase their projects in Washington, D.C., compete in teams, visit historical sites and organizations that celebrate innovation, and vie for more than $100,000 in awards, including a top prize of $25,000. Competing in a national science fair directly influenced my path toward a STEM career. I was inspired to take high school summer classes, which led to a degree in engineering and a startup role building an innovative technology that was later acquired by Thermo Fisher, said Jorge Fonseca, Director of Product Management for Thermo Fishers Genetic Sciences business and former participant in a Society for Science-hosted competition. As the leader of that product line today, I am proud to be part of a company that expands access to STEM learning experiences like the ones that shaped my life. The Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge builds on the companys longstanding commitment to widespread and equitable access to STEM education through skills-based colleague engagement and a focus on outreach and equity programsensuring that students served, teachers reached and nominees converted to national competitors are more representative of the U.S. population. By introducing students to the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge, we help them to discover that there is a place for everyone in STEMultimately leading to a workforce that more fully represents our society, said Dr. Karen Nelson, chief scientific officer, Thermo Fisher Scientific. Early exposure to STEM makes a difference. I know from personal experience that when young scientists engage in hands-on education opportunities like science competitions, they learn way more beyond the sciencefrom creativity and adaptability, to collaboration and communication skills. That is why we are encouraging middle school educators and officials across the country to help their students enter science fairs affiliated with the Society for Science. The announcement of the Junior Innovators Challenge aligns with Thermo Fishers annual STEM Education Month campaign, which runs throughout November. More than 125,000 global colleagues are encouraged to volunteer their time to explore STEM education, engage with their local communities and inspire young learners to pursue STEM. In 2021 alone, enabled by its Foundation for Science, Thermo Fisher supported STEM programs for more than 100,000 students and 6,500 educators in 21 countries, leveraging its industry strengths in scientific innovation and employee commitment to driving positive local change through partnerships with trusted nonprofit organizations. The Foundation amplifies the companys support of student populations historically underrepresented in the life sciences. To find out whether your local science fair is affiliated with the Society for Science, or to find an affiliated fair in your area, visit findafair.societyforscience.org. About Society for Science Society for Science is a champion for science, dedicated to promoting the understanding and appreciation of science and the vital role it plays in human advancement. Established in 1921, Society for Science is best known for its award-winning journalism through Science News and Science News Explores, its world-class science research competitions for students, including the Regeneron Science Talent Search, the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair, and the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge, and its outreach and equity programming that seeks to ensure that all students have an opportunity to pursue a career in STEM. A 501(c)(3) membership organization, Society for Science is committed to inform, educate and inspire. Learn more at www.societyforscience.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat (Society4Science). About Thermo Fisher Scientific Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is the world leader in serving science, with annual revenue of approximately $40 billion. Our Mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. Whether our customers are accelerating life sciences research, solving complex analytical challenges, increasing productivity in their laboratories, improving patient health through diagnostics or the development and manufacture of life-changing therapies, we are here to support them. Our global team delivers an unrivaled combination of innovative technologies, purchasing convenience and pharmaceutical services through our industry-leading brands, including Thermo Scientific, Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen, Fisher Scientific, Unity Lab Services, Patheon and PPD. For more information, please visit www.thermofisher.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005199/en/ Media Contact Information: Sandy Pound Phone: 781-622-1223 E-mail: [email protected] Society for Science Gayle Kansagor Phone: 703-489-1131 Email: [email protected] Investor Contact Information: Rafael Tejada Phone: 781-622-1356 E-mail: [email protected] Source: Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. Database and resources will help improve treatment and outcomes BURLINGTON, Vt.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Vermont Department of Health has launched a first-of-a-kind program to support healthcare professionals with timely information on disease diagnosis, testing, treatment and patient education resources improving public health response statewide. The Clinician Support Initiative provides access to a vast collection of images and clinical information about public health threats, including hMPXV (human monkeypox virus), COVID-19 and Lyme disease. Available on the web or through an app, these tools help improve the speed and accuracy of diagnosis and facilitate the timely reporting to public health for diseases of public health significance. These resources are being made available to Vermont healthcare professionals in partnership with VisualDx, a healthcare informatics company based in Rochester, NY. A phased rollout is currently underway, and all Vermont medical professionals can expect access by the end of the year. The Clinician Support Initiative aims to remove barriers between public health goals and the time-strapped medical professional by delivering time-sensitive, clinically relevant information critical to diagnosing and treating common and rare conditions. This will improve Vermonts readiness for emerging infectious diseases in the wake of recent and ongoing public health emergencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and hMPXV. One of our longstanding priorities has been to better integrate public health and primary care, and with the right tools we can do just that, said Health Commissioner Mark Levine, MD. This initiative brings public health best practices right to the real-time clinician/patient relationship, enabling quick and easy reporting of important conditions, along with access to Vermont-specific information and guidance, said Dr. Levine. Dr. Levine added that the need for these connections has never been so vital, as COVID-19, pediatric hepatitis, meningococcal disease, hMPXV and other diseases spread nationally and globally. Clinicians are experiencing firsthand the diagnostic and treatment challenges that novel or rare diseases present, including the need to stop the spread of misinformation, Dr. Levine said. Diagnostic tools and educational resources that clinicians can share with patients are integral to achieving our shared mission of driving better care and public health. Healthcare providers can also regularly use the platform's medical image library and patient information handouts to strengthen the patient-provider relationship and improve patient adherence to treatment plans. As a team of practicing physicians, we understand the daily challenges that professionals face. In addition to staff shortages and other constant stressors, clinicians are navigating the shifting landscape of infectious disease, said Art Papier, MD, CEO of VisualDx, and alumnus of the University of Vermont College of Medicine, where he earned his medical credentials. Our mission is to provide medical professionals with tools and resources to augment decision-making and improve patient health. We believe the Health Departments Clinician Support Initiative will become a national model. For more information about the initiative and how to enroll, visit visualdx.com/vdhcsi. About Vermont Department of Health We have been the states public health agency for more than 130 years, working every day to protect and promote the health of Vermonters. Visit healthvermont.gov Join us @healthvermont on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube About VisualDx VisualDx is an award-winning diagnostic clinical decision support system that has become the standard medical professional resource at more than 50% of U.S. medical schools and more than 2,300 hospitals and clinics worldwide. VisualDx combines problem oriented clinical search with the world's best curated medical image library, plus medical knowledge from experts and sophisticated machine learning algorithms to help with differential diagnosis, variation, treatment, and patient communication. Our mission is to improve healthcare decision making and reduce diagnostic errors. Learn more at www.visualdx.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005234/en/ Media: Ben Truman Vermont Department of Health 802-316-2117 / 802-863-7281 [email protected] Sean Chase Aria Marketing for VisualDx 603-307-9428 [email protected] Source: VisualDx Fast-growing company partners with Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to provide cybersecurity protections to small & midsize businesses VANCOUVER, British Columbia--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Managed service provider (MSP) vulnerability management technology firm CyberCNS is capping off 18 months of substantial growth with several advancements. The firm announced today that Peter Bellini has purchased a 50-percent stake in the privately held company, providing a capital infusion that will fuel its ongoing growth as the firm continues to focus on cybersecurity, compliance, and security practice development for MSPs who work with small and midsize businesses. In support of that mission, CyberCNS also announced it has earned its Service Organization Control (SOC) 2 certification following an extensive security audit. As the company enters an exciting new phase, CyberCNS is changing its name to ConnectSecure. The company plans to unveil its rebranding to ConnectSecure in December 2022. The CyberCNS solution, the only platform purpose-built for and in partnership with the MSP community, is being rebranded as ConnectSecure Vulnerability Management. CyberCNS was founded in 2021 by Srikant (Sri) Sreenivasan and Shiva Jagannathan, formerly from Cisco and Microsoft and founders of multiple software startups, most of which were built to solve problems for MSPs. Launched with a singular focus on giving MSPs visibility, security, and management capabilities on one platform, the firms continuous, automated scanning solution has quickly gained traction based on its user-driven development model, affordable pricing, and industry-leading features such as extensive application integrations and compliance libraries. More than 1200 MSPs from across the globe use CyberCNS, and its user base has an annual growth rate of 324% without any formal marketing. Providing a high-quality security product at an affordable price is our priority, said Jagannathan. Earning the SOC 2 certification demonstrates our continued commitment to our MSP partners who are on the front lines protecting small and midsize businesses from increasingly pervasive and sophisticated cyberattacks. The name change emphasizes our cybersecurity focus and the evolution of the company with Peters investment. Sreenivasan concurred, while also emphasizing the importance of the companys MSP community centric approach. In order to serve this market effectively, we feel we have to be able to win every single customers business every month -- we thrive when they thrive and that happens when we meet their needs, he said. Having been part of a family that helped grow the MSP industry, Peter shared the same vision, so it was very easy for us to come together. A central part of the firms success can be attributed to its close connection with key members of the MSP community and the companys weekly call with its MSP customers. User feedback drives aggressive development of new features and functionality to ensure the automated scanning solution is meeting MSPs needs. A partnership approach with the solutions initial user group of more than 100 prominent MSPs including industry veterans Karl Bickmore, CEO of SnapTechIT, and Andrew Morgan, founder of CyberNation, became ingrained in CyberCNSs DNA. The collaborative process has resulted in the most robust and intuitive vulnerability management platform available for MSPs who serve small and midsize business clients, said Morgan. That market segment has been largely ignored, according to Bickmore. CyberCNS is meeting a critical need, he said. Roughly half of the U.S. economy is made up of small and midsize businesses, and they account for over 60% of all new jobs created in the U.S. These SMBs are the ones most vulnerable to attacks and are reliant on MSPs to manage their cybersecurity needs. With CyberCNS, they have the means to minimize the catastrophic business losses that can occur due to unprotected I.T. assets. Bellini added, CyberCNS is focused purely on cybersecurity for these MSPs at a time when cyberattacks have grown so pervasive, they are costing businesses trillions of dollars every year. Sri and Shiva recognized a significant void in what was available to help MSPs identify and address vulnerabilities and they purpose-built an all-in-one solution. I am excited to be part of the next phase of the company. CyberCNS is a global company based in British Columbia, Canada and doing business in more than 14 countries. Bellini will be involved with setting up U.S. operations in Tampa, Florida to expand the companys North American market presence. Product development will continue to be based in Bengaluru, India, where CyberCNS was founded. About CyberCNS CyberCNS is an industry-leading cybersecurity solution, purpose-built for MSPs to provide security services to small and midsize businesses. The platform delivers everything MSPs need to manage all client infrastructures remotely in one solution, including automated, continuous scanning with complete network, infrastructure, and user devices visibility through a single dashboard. CyberCNS offers the most robust PSA integrations with applications such as Slack, Teams, Halo and ConnectWise, an extensive library of international regulations and compliance protocols including CyberEssentials, HIPAA, CIS, ISO and GDPR, and a multitenant architecture allowing multiple clients to be managed through a single, intuitive interface. MSPs can choose from multiple, affordable pricing tiers with no contract required and all capabilities provided in a single solution. For more information visit cybercns.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005377/en/ Christina Pandapas Longview Strategies [email protected] (978) 225-9288 Source: CyberCNS MOUNT LAUREL, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Wachter, Inc., a nationwide technology solutions integrator, announced the promotion of Larry Hay as the teams next Vice President of Engineering Solutions; and named Adam Finley as the Senior Director of Operations. This change to the senior leadership team followed Marty Rosellis retirement announcement earlier this year. Both members will operate out of Wachters New Jersey office. Hays immediate focus will involve continued leadership to cultivate a strategic vision for the company and Wachters client services solutions. His well-rounded experience and his long history with Wachter Technology Solutions (WTS) make him the perfect fit for this position, says Brian Sloan, Wachters CEO. We are confident that with Larrys relationship skills, creativity and honest approach to business, Wachter Technology Solutions will be poised for future success. Hay, who was first hired by Roselli, is a 23-year veteran of Wachter and was selectedin partfor his experience leading projects and working directly with the sales team. Hay also served as Project Manager and Director of IT Infrastructure with Delhaize during a four-year period away from Wachter. Our goal is better alignment between WTSs engineering project management and Wachter operations project management, says Hay. Im excited to lead this high priority initiative, and happy to work with Adam on its execution. Finley, who was hired by Tom Allred, has been a leader at Wachter for 18 years, most recently as its Senior Director of National Sales Project. Finley will transition to Senior Director of Operations, reporting to Hay in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. Adam is responsible for helping the company generate over $100 million in annual revenue and has a proven track record of building great teams, scalable processes and developing solid leaders under him, says Sloan. He continued, Weve prioritized the alignment of WTSs engineering project management with Wachter operations project management. Adams knowledge of both departments and ability to cultivate a strong leadership culture around him make him the perfect fit for the task at hand. These additions to the senior leadership team are part of a company-wide initiative to enhance inter-company communication and further develop the customer/client support infrastructure. To learn more about Wachters approach to working with clients, visit: https://www.wachter.com/. Anyone interested in speaking to an expert at Wachter about an upcoming technical project is encouraged to visit: https://www.wachter.com/contact. About Wachter, Inc. Wachter, Inc. is a leading nationwide solutions integrator with over 90 years of technology innovation expertise. Wachter combines innovative technologies and leading-edge integrations with traditional systems and decades of expertise to create solutions that meet clients business needs today and grow with them into the future. With a nationwide workforce of W2 employees, Wachter provides most any business technology or service, for any vertical market, anywhere in the U.S. whether at one location or thousands. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005833/en/ Wachter Media Contact: Shannan Bieler [email protected] 215-470-7518 Source: Wachter, Inc. COLUMBIA, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Welldoc, a digital health leader revolutionizing chronic care, today announced that Anand Iyer, PhD, MBA, Chief Analytics Officer of Welldoc, was recognized with the Global Innovator Award at the Global Digital Health Summit, Expo & Innovation Awards. Presented on October 29 in New Delhi, India, the Global Digital Health Innovation Awards honored leaders who are driving digital health innovation across healthcare. Anands experiences as a digital health visionary have been instrumental in advancing not only Welldocs mission and tech, but also the entire digital health industry since its inception, said Kevin McRaith, President and CEO of Welldoc. It is a true pleasure for all of us at Welldoc to see him be recognized on the international stage for his contributions. As someone with type 2 diabetes himself, Dr. Iyer is an advocate for individuals living with chronic conditions and has dedicated his career to redefining better health and care through AI-driven digital health solutions that offer personalized insights and guidance. As a person of Indian descent, I was energized to attend the Global Digital Health Summit, Expo & Innovation Awards in New Delhi, said Iyer. It was exciting to collaborate with so many inspiring thought leaders from around the globe, who share a passion for digital health and the power it can have in improving health care and optimizing individual health worldwide. I thank the Global Digital Health Summit, Expo & Innovation Awards leadership committee for this incredible honor. About Welldoc Welldoc, a digital health leader revolutionizing chronic care, is integrating personalized, real-time and actionable insights into the daily lives of individuals living with chronic conditions, enabling improved health and outcomes. Welldocs comprehensive chronic care platform provides multi-condition support across diabetes, hypertension, heart failure and behavioral health. Welldocs flagship product, BlueStar, an FDA-cleared digital health solution, guides individuals through the complicated journey of living with diabetes by enabling them to self-manage their care while enhancing connections to their healthcare team. Welldoc partners with health plans, health systems and employers with the goal of extending care, improving health and reducing costs. For more information, visit www.welldoc.com. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005843/en/ MacDougall Advisors Megan Prock McGrath 781-235-3060 [email protected] Source: Welldoc Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE: AJG) today announced the acquisition of Ireland-based Doyle Insurance Brokers (Wexford) Limited ("Doyle Mahon Insurances"). Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Founded in 2009, Doyle Mahon Insurances is a retail insurance broker providing commercial and agricultural solutions to clients throughout Ireland. Doyle Mahon will remain in its current location under the direction of Ronan Foley, head of Gallagher's insurance brokerage operations in Ireland. "Doyle Mahon Insurances is a well-respected firm that will enhance our growth opportunities and bolster our presence in Ireland," said J. Patrick Gallagher, Jr., Chairman, President and CEO. "I am delighted to welcome the Doyle Mahon team to Gallagher, and look forward to working with them to further expand their client base and service offerings." Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE: AJG), a global insurance brokerage, risk management and consulting services firm, is headquartered in Rolling Meadows, Illinois. Gallagher provides these services in approximately 130 countries around the world through its owned operations and a network of correspondent brokers and consultants. Investors: Ray Iardella Media: Paul Day VP - Investor Relations Communications Manager 630-285-3661/ [email protected] 630-285-5946/ [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/arthur-j-gallagher--co-acquires-doyle-mahon-insurances-301667343.html SOURCE Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. TREES Corporation (OTCQB: CANN) (TREES or the Company) is pleased to announce the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire GMC LLC d/b/a Green Man Cannabis Dispensary, located in Denver. This purchase continues the rapid and targeted expansion of TREES dispensary footprint to 8 stores in 2 states. Total consideration for the acquisition will consist of 4,494,382 shares of common stock, with an ascribed stock price of $0.89 per share, a meaningful premium to the current stock price, and cash. The acquisition is expected to close prior to the end of this calendar year, subject to obtaining Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division and local licensing approval. Adam Hershey, Interim CEO of TREES, said, Were excited to add another strong, above-average revenue producing dispensary to our expanding footprint. Green Man is conveniently located and easily accessible, enabling us to serve a broader cross section of customers in the Denver metro area. ABOUT TREES TREES is the parent company of a vertically-integrated cannabis company and multi-state operator in the U.S., operating in Colorado and Oregon. TREES is pursuing a roll-up strategy of licensed assets in mature markets, while maintaining loyal, local customer bases. TREES currently owns and operates a light-deprivation greenhouse cultivation facility in Boulder, Colorado, a dispensary in Englewood, Colorado and three dispensaries in Portland, Oregon. TREES is in process of obtaining approval for the recently announced Green Tree transaction, which upon closing will further expand both its retail and cultivation assets. TREES trades on the OTCQB market under the symbol CANN. For more information, please visit treescann.com. Forward-looking Statements This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "believe", "expect", "estimate", "plan", "outlook", and "project" and other similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. Forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance and is based upon a number of estimates and assumptions of management in light of management's experience and perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, as well as other factors relevant in the circumstances. Although TREES believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, caution must be exercised in relying on forward-looking statements because TREES can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Actual results and developments may differ materially from those contemplated by these statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, current and future market conditions; the expected or potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on TREES' business operations, financial results and position, as well as world economy and volatility, risks related to federal, state, local and foreign government laws, rules and regulations, including changes in the regulation of medical and recreational cannabis use; as well as those risks and uncertainties discussed from time to time in TREES' most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and most recent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q under the heading "Risk Factors" and in subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The statements in this press release are made as of the date of this release. TREES undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statements made herein. Contact:[email protected] Source: TREES Corporation (Updated - November 3, 2022 2:29 PM EDT) Petrobras (NYSE: PBR) disclosed: Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. informs that its Board of Directors, at a meeting held today, approved the payment of a dividend in the amount of R$ 3.3489 per outstanding preferred and common share. The proposed dividend is in line with the Shareholder Remuneration Policy, which provides that in case of gross debt below US$ 65 billion, Petrobras may distribute to its shareholders 60% of the difference between operating cash flow and acquisitions of fixed and intangible assets (investments). In addition, the Policy also foresees the possibility of paying extraordinary dividends, provided that the financial sustainability of the Company is preserved. The approval of the proposed dividend is compatible with the company's financial sustainability in the short, medium and long term and is aligned with the commitment of value generation for the society and for the shareholders, as well as with the best practices in the world oil and gas industry. It is worth noting that in the Strategic Plan 2022-26 the investment projects requested by the business areas were met because they presented good resilience and are supported by operating cash generation and the flow of divestments, with no adverse effects on leverage. Therefore, there are no investments held back by financial or budgetary constraints and the decision to use the surplus resources to remunerate shareholders presents itself as the most efficient one for optimizing the allocation of cash. The dividends will be paid in two equal installments in December 2022 and January 2023, as follows: Amount to be paid: R$ 3.3489 per common and preferred share outstanding, whereby: (i) the first installment, in the amount of R$ 1.67445 per outstanding preferred and common share, will be paid on December 20, 2022. (ii) the second installment, in the amount of R$ 1.67445 per preferred and common share, will be paid on January 19, 2023. Record date: November 21, 2022 for holders of Petrobras shares traded on B3 and November 23, 2022 for ADR holders traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Petrobras shares will be traded ex-dividend on B3 and the NYSE as of November 22, 2022. Payment date: For holders of Petrobras shares traded on B3, first payment will be made on December 20, 2022 and second payment will be made on January 19, 2023. ADR holders will receive payments starting on December 28, 2022 and January 26, 2023, respectively. Form of distribution: The first installment of payment will be made as follows: (a) dividends, of R$ 1.155823 per outstanding preferred and common share; and (b) interest on equity of R$ 0.518627 per outstanding preferred and common share. Regarding the second installment, the distribution between dividends and/or interest on equity will be defined at a future date, which will be timely communicated to the market. It is important to point out that these proceeds will be deducted from the dividends to be approved at the 2023 Annual Shareholders' Meeting for the year 2022. The first installment amount will be adjusted by the Selic rate from the date of payment of each installment until the end of the current fiscal year for purposes of calculating the deduction. Administration of aerosolized APN01 shown to be safe and well tolerated at all dose levels, with no adverse events above Grade 2 Investigators recommend further development of inhaled APN01, which may be an effective treatment for acute and chronic respiratory conditions including PAH, ARDS and COVID-19 APN01 is available for out-licensing to maximize the programs development and commercial potential VIENNA, Austria, Nov. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- APEIRON Respiratory Therapies GmbH (AResT), a privately held biotech company focusing on the discovery and development of treatments for respiratory diseases, today announces positive final results from a Phase I clinical trial of inhaled APN01 (alunacedase alfa), a soluble recombinant version of the SARS-CoV-2 cell entry receptor ACE2. The study met all primary and secondary endpoints, with all results indicating that the inhalation of APN01 at all dosage levels used in the trial is safe and well tolerated. In the study, no dose-limiting toxicities were observed. No serious adverse events were reported, and no patients withdrew from the trial. Professor Markus Zeitlinger, Head of the Department of Clinical Pharmacology at the Medical University of Vienna and Principal Investigator for the study, said: I am very happy that our team was able to contribute to the development of this potential treatment for patients suffering from different forms of severe respiratory disease. The inhaled route of administration may enable the achievement of very high concentrations at the site of action, without compromising patient safety due to systemic side effects. We were able to confirm a good tolerability profile from a clinical perspective. Dr Romana Gugenberger, Chief Medical and Scientific Officer of AResT, said: The results of this study allow further clinical development of novel inhaled APN01 and expand its potential as a treatment for a range of respiratory diseases. In addition to meeting all primary endpoints regarding the safety and tolerability of APN01 via a new route of administration, the observed low systemic concentrations of ACE2 indicate that inhaled APN01 may be an effective treatment for chronic conditions such as pulmonary arterial hypertension as well as acute indications like COVID-19. In a completed double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2 trial, intravenously administered APN01 showed potential clinical benefit against COVID-19. The drug candidate also may have potential in other respiratory diseases such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). APN01 was previously developed by APEIRON Biologics AG, a privately held biotech company based in Vienna, Austria, and out-licensed to AResT, which was demerged from APEIRON Biologics AG in 1H 2022 to continue the development of APN01. AResT is a 100% subsidiary of invIOs GmbH (invIOs), which was also demerged from APEIRON Biologics AG in 1H 2022 to focus on the discovery and development of innovative cancer immunotherapies. Peter Llewellyn-Davies, CEO of invIOs, said: We are pleased with the results of this study, as it opens numerous additional avenues for the further development of APN01. With the current trial of inhaled APN01 and our previous Phase 2 trial using intravenous administration in COVID-19, we have shown that APN01 is a safe and well tolerated potential treatment approach for a number of respiratory diseases. We are therefore actively reviewing out-licensing options to drive the further development of APN01, and welcome additional expressions of interest from potential partners. Inhaled APN01 Phase 1 trial design The double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-escalation study was designed to assess the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of inhaled APN01. The trial enrolled 40 healthy adult subjects aged 18-55 years. The primary objective of the trial was to evaluate the safety and tolerability of single ascending doses (SADs) and multiple ascending doses (MADs) of inhaled APN01 administered via a jet nebulizer. Secondary objectives included evaluation of the maximum tolerated dose and investigation of the potential immunogenicity of inhaled APN01. Inhaled APN01 Phase 1 trial final results Safety Treatment was safe and well tolerated. All adverse events were mild to moderate with none above Grade 2. No dose-dependent toxicities were observed. Maximum tolerated dose No dose-limiting toxicities were observed. Accordingly, the maximum tolerated dose as defined by the study was the highest dose level in the MAD cohort. Immunogenicity No anti-APN01 antibodies were detected in any of the subjects. A paper describing the trial and its full results is in preparation. About APN01 APN01 is a soluble recombinant human Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2 (rhACE2). Several studies have shown that human ACE2 is a key enzyme regulator of the Renin Angiotensin Aldosterone System (RAAS), a hormone system involved in regulation of blood pressure, lung disorders, diabetic kidney disease, inflammation, or cardiovascular diseases. ACE2, a homologue of ACE, has vasodilative and biological effects on vascular remodeling exercised through hydrolysis of AngII to Ang(17). Ang(17) counteracts AngI effects and thereby reduces blood pressure, diminishes inflammation, and protects multiple organs such as the heart, kidney, liver, lung and vasculature from damage. In addition, APN01 mimics ACE2, a receptor identified as the critical cellular entry receptor for the SARS-CoV-2 virus and therefore plays a crucial role in combating COVID-19. In addition to blocking the access of SARS-CoV-2 to its cell membrane-bound entry gate, the enzyme function of APN01, engineered into the same drug, potentially leads to reduction of organ injuries in COVID-19. Due to the unique therapeutic approach of using the soluble form of the SARS-CoV-2 entry receptor ACE2, APN01 is inherently resilient to viral escape, and thus an optimal drug candidate for novel variants of concern, as already shown for many variants of concern in clinical studies. In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, interventional Phase 2 trial evaluating intravenously administered APN01 in patients with severe COVID-19, APN01 appeared to reduce the number of deaths and the number of patients requiring invasive ventilation and was shown to be well tolerated with a favorable safety profile. About AResT AResT was spun out of APEIRON Biologics AG at the beginning of 2022 to continue the development of APN01. AResT is a 100% subsidiary of invIOs GmbH, which focuses on the development of the immuno-oncology assets of APEIRON Biologics. More information on the demerger of AResT and invIOs from APEIRON Biologics AG can be found on the invIOs website here. About invIOs invIOs is a privately held biotech company based in Vienna, Austria, focusing on the discovery and development of innovative cancer immunotherapies. EPiC, invIOss proprietary cell therapy platform for intracellularly modifying gene expression, enables rapid treatment of patients in an out-patient setting using their own fresh immune cells. Once clinically validated, this novel concept will allow access to and treatment for indications not previously addressable by immunotherapy. The first EPiC-based candidate, APN401, is currently being evaluated in a clinical Phase 1b trial in patients with advanced solid tumors. Two further projects a second EPiC-based candidate and a novel small molecule are currently in pre-clinical development. For further information, please visit www.invios.com and connect with us on LinkedIn. Contacts AResTEmail: [email protected] invIOs Peter MorleyHead of CommunicationsT +43 1 8656577 121Email: [email protected] MC Services AGRaimund Gabriel, Laurie Doyle, Dr Regina LutzEurope: +49 89 210 228 0US: +1 339 832 0752Email: [email protected] Source: invIOs GmbH CEDAR FALLS, Iowa, Nov. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CBE Companies (CBE) announced today that President Erica Parks has been appointed to President & Chief Executive Officer. CBEs Owner & Chairman, Tom Penaluna, has passed the torch after holding the role for over 35 years, though he will remain closely involved as he continues to provide vision to the company, head the Board of Directors, and participate on the companys Board of Advisors. Penaluna commented, I am excited for and confident in Erica and her management team continuing and exceeding the success CBE has been blessed with over the years. Parks has held several leadership roles since joining CBE in 2013 including Vice President of Finance, Chief Financial Officer, and most recently President. Parks and the Executive Management Team are responsible for executing the overall business plan and driving results for all stakeholders. Her strong leadership will continue to guide CBE through strategic and value-based growth in every area of our business. Over the last several years, CBE has undergone a pivotal transformation and we have a very exciting future ahead, stated Parks. I am honored to lead this organization and fulfill the vision of Tom, our Owner and Chairman. CBE is firmly positioned for growth as we execute on our strategic plan over the next five years. Prior to joining CBE, Parks held roles at McGladrey (now RSM) as well as John Deere. She is a Certified Public Accountant, serves on the Cedar Valley United Way Board of Directors and Finance Committee, and the Executive Committee for Cedar Valley Women Connect, Women Lead Change. She and her husband also operate their own 501c3 non-profit, All About the Kids. Parks is a member of the American Institute of CPAs, Iowa Society of CPAs, and the Institute of Management Accountants. She holds a BA in Accounting with a minor in Finance from the University of Northern Iowa, and an MBA from the University of Iowa. About CBE Companies CBE Companies is a national service provider specializing in innovative accounts receivable management and call center solutions. Our clients recognize performance and experience matter. Established in 1933, CBEs capacity to consistently adapt and evolve with ever-changing consumer behavior, business needs, and the regulatory environment sets us apart from other servicers. CBE was founded on five core values that influence every interaction we have with our clients and their customers, and we design our thinking and innovative strategies to address client challenges directly. We put our clients business and their customers first. Our accomplished approach starts with asking the right questions, listening with care to alleviate challenges and elevate the client experience for a long-term solution. We believe in people who drive innovation and prioritize client service. With more than eight decades of experience, CBE is invested in developing and nurturing its employees, solutions, and organization to thrive and succeed for the future. For more information about CBE Companies, please visit www.cbecompanies.com or email [email protected]. Follow CBE on Facebook (@CBEcompanies) and LinkedIn (@cbe-companies) to stay informed of company events, employment opportunities, philanthropic and community updates, and exciting announcements celebrating CBEs extraordinary staff! A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/85920e11-af09-4a68-b30a-58e3945409cb Erica Parks Erica Parks, President & CEO of CBE Companies, Inc. Source: CBE Companies, Inc. OTTAWA, Nov. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation (CDIC) held its Annual Public Meeting today via live webcast. CDIC President and CEO Leah Anderson was joined by Chair of the Board, Robert Sanderson to discuss highlights in CDICs preparedness efforts, reinforcing trust in deposit insurance and recent governance updates that are helping CDIC navigate a complex and uncertain operating environment. Our current state of readiness ramped up when the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in early 2020, and we have not let down our guard, said Ms. Anderson. As we have for 55 years, CDIC remains steadfast in its mandate to protect the savings of depositors in the unlikely event a member institution should fail. Key to CDICs preparedness is the ability for early and continuous identification of risks that can materially impact one or more member institutions and having detailed plans to resolve a potential crisis or failure of a specific troubled institution. These plans not only consider the impact on individual members, but also the system-wide impacts of a crisis. CDIC credits working with key stakeholders, industry leaders and financial safety net partners during this time of uncertainty and change as critical to keeping pace with depositor expectations and financial innovation while maintaining a state of readiness and reinforcing trust in deposit protection. About CDIC CDIC is a federal Crown corporation established in 1967 to protect the savings of Canadians and contribute to financial stability. We currently safeguard more than $1 trillion in eligible deposits at more than 80 member institutions. As resolution authority, CDIC is responsible for handling the failure of any of our members, from the smallest to the largest. Our members include banks, federally regulated credit unions as well as loan and trust companies. CDIC is funded by premiums paid by member institutions. CDIC has resolved 43 member failures affecting some two million Canadians. No one has lost a dollar of deposits under CDIC protection. Further information: Brad EvensonDirector, Communications and Public AffairsTel: 613.943.4395E-mail: [email protected] Source: Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation Dallas, Nov. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dickeys Barbecue Pit fell into this years holiday season with their annual Influencer event at the original Dickeys Store in Dallas, Texas. The Legit.Texas.Barbecue. brand invited influencers from around the Dallas/Ft. Worth area to join them for a preview of their mouth-watering holiday offerings. The guests enjoyed live music, seasonal drinks and of course delicious, pit-smoked samples of their fan favorite meats and sides from Dickeys BBQ menu. This season, Dickeys is offering The Complete Feast, The Dinner Feast and the Holiday Big Yellow Box to barbecue fans across the country. Guests will receive a FREE Pumpkin Pie with the purchase of Dickeys Complete Feast if ordered on or before November 11th. Dickeys Complete Feast feeds 10 to 12 people and includes a choice of Spiral Cut Ham, Smoked Turkey, Cajun Fried Turkey, or traditional Prime Rib, cornbread dressing, gravy, baked potato casserole, green beans with bacon, and a dozen buttery rolls. feeds 10 to 12 people and includes a choice of Spiral Cut Ham, Smoked Turkey, Cajun Fried Turkey, or traditional Prime Rib, cornbread dressing, gravy, baked potato casserole, green beans with bacon, and a dozen buttery rolls. Dickeys Dinner Feast serves 8 to 10 people and comes with a choice Spiral Cut Ham, Smoked Turkey, Cajun Fried Turkey, or traditional Prime Rib, cornbread dressing, gravy, and a dozen buttery rolls. Dickeys smoked and ready-to-serve Holiday Big Yellow Box, which feeds up to 12 people. The box includes 4 pounds of sliced turkey and large servings of baked potato casserole, green beans, cornbread dressing and a dozen buttery rolls. We are huge fans of the holidays here at Dickeys and were thrilled to continue the tradition of this fun-filled influencer event alongside our loyal social media partners. said Laura Rea Dickey, CEO of Dickeys Barbecue Restaurants, Inc. These folks do a great job of spreading the word to holiday feast and barbecue lovers everywhere. Foodies and BBQ fans can also order their Dickeys holiday offerings while supplies last online at dickeys.com, through the Dickeys App, or by calling their local BBQ joint. To learn more, follow Dickeys Barbecue Pit on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Download the Dickeys Barbecue Pit app from the Apple App Store or Google Play. To learn more about Dickeys Virtual Concepts follow: Wing Boss on Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok, Trailer Birds on Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok and Big Deal Burger on Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok About Dickeys Barbecue Restaurants, Inc. Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants, Inc., the worlds largest barbecue concept, was founded in 1941 by the Dickey family. For the past 80 years, Dickeys Barbecue Pit has served millions of guests in 44 states Legit. Texas. Barbecue. At Dickeys, all our barbecued meats are smoked onsite in a hickory wood burning pit. Dickeys proudly believes theres no shortcut to true barbecue and its why our name isnt BBQ. The Dallas-based, family-run barbecue franchise offers eight slow-smoked meats and 12 wholesome sides with 'No B.S. (Bad Stuff)' included. Dickeys Barbecue has 550 locations across the United States and eight other countries. Dickeys was named to Newsweeks 2022 Americas Favorite Restaurant Chains list and USA Today 2021 readers choice awards. Dickeys won first place on Fast Casuals Top 100 Movers and Shakers list, been named a Top 500 Franchise by Entrepreneur and named to Hospitality Technologys Industry Heroes list. Led by CEO Laura Rea Dickey, who was named among the countrys 50 most influential women in foodservice in Nations Restaurant News, was recognized by Fast Casuals Top 100 Movers and Shakers list and honored by Dallas Business Journal. Dickey's Barbecue Pit has also been recognized by Fox News, Forbes Magazine, Franchise Times, The Dallas Morning News, The Wall Street Journal, People Magazine and QSR Magazine. Dickeys Barbecue is part of Dickeys Restaurant Brands which has more than 700 restaurants nationwide including brands Wing Boss, Trailer Birds, Big Deal Burger and bbqathome.com. DRB is led by CEO Roland Dickey Jr. For more information, visit www.dickeys.com. # # # Attachment Shannon Santos Dickey's Barbecue Pit [email protected] Source: Dickeys Barbecue Restaurants Detroit, Nov. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Generates reliable electricity through a balanced and diverse mix of cleaner energy sources Achieves 85% CO2 emission reductions in 2035 [1] for DTE Electric through accelerated coal plant retirements while supporting Michigans economy-wide reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in a way that surpasses the states interim timelines Proposes enough Michigan-made solar and wind energy to power about 4 million homes Invests $9 billion into Michigan's economy over the next 10 years, supporting more than 25,000 jobs Reduces the cost of the clean energy transition by a projected $1.4 billion[2] DTE Energy (NYSE:DTE) today released its CleanVision plan, a 20-year proposal to dramatically transform how the company generates electricity as part of its clean energy journey, all while investing in a modern grid that is reliable and affordable. The proposed plan increases investment in solar and wind energy, accelerates the retirement of coal plants, and includes the development of new energy storage all reinforcing DTEs commitment to cleaner energy. Across the country, and here in Michigan, the energy landscape is changing rapidly and fundamentally, said Jerry Norcia, chairman and chief executive officer, DTE Energy. We are excited to drive this transformation by powering the grid with Michigan-made renewable energy, existing nuclear and natural gas. These new solar and wind assets, enough to power approximately 4 million households, will replace our retiring coal power plants, resulting in a cleaner environment for Michigan families, communities and businesses. We are proud our plan invests $9 billion into Michigans economy over the next 10 years, supporting more than 25,000 Michigan jobs and the great, local communities we partner with across the state. This transformational plan is complimented by our announcement last year to invest an additional $8 billion to modernize the electric grid, making it more resilient to extreme weather and more reliable as we plan for increased customer demand. DTEs proposal will be filed with the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) in what is referred to as an Integrated Resource Plan (IRP). Key details of DTEs proposal include: Transforming how the company generates electricity over the next two decades. Developing more than 15,000 MW of renewables to power homes, as well as businesses and industrial facilities. This renewable energy generation is equivalent to powering approximately 4 million homes. Building more than 1,800 MW of energy storage to support the Companys clean energy transformation more than doubling current storage capacity. Ending DTEs use of coal in 2035 with a responsible, phased retirement schedule of the Belle River and Monroe coal power plants, which account for approximately 40% of the Companys current energy mix. Accelerating the retirement of coal at the Belle River Power Plant to 2026 from 2028. Launching the phased retirement of the Monroe Power Plant, one of the largest coal plants in the country, in 2028, nearly 12 years earlier than the original planned date of by 2040, supported by future 24/7 emerging technologies. Delivering long-term customer value through: Projecting $1.4 billion in future cost reductions. Repurposing an existing coal power plant at a fraction of the cost of building a new plant while accelerating reductions in carbon emissions. By investing in cleaner sources of energy and accelerating the retirement of coal, DTE Electric plans to surpass its previously announced carbon emission reduction goals. The Companys emission reduction goals are ahead of the timelines in the MI Healthy Climate Plan (MHCP) and will help support Michigans economy-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions interim timelines. DTEs new goals include: Achieving 32% CO2 emissions reductions in 2023 two years ahead of the MHCP timeline of 28% by 2025 emissions reductions in 2023 two years ahead of the MHCP timeline of 28% by 2025 Reducing CO2 emissions 65% in 2028 (previously 50%) which also surpasses the MHCP timeline of 52% by 2030 emissions 65% in 2028 (previously 50%) which also surpasses the MHCP timeline of 52% by 2030 Targeting 85% CO2 reduction in 2035 reduction in 2035 Targeting 90% CO2 reduction (previously 80%) by 2040, and reduction (previously 80%) by 2040, and Meeting its ultimate net zero goal by 2050 Were doubling down on our investment in Michigan by developing solar and wind energy right in our state, guided by our commitment of getting as clean as we can as fast as we can while providing reliable and affordable energy through a modern grid, said Trevor Lauer, president and chief operating officer, DTE Electric. We also know natural gas plays an important role in a diverse energy mix, and that is why repurposing our Belle River power plant to run on natural gas instead of coal, alongside 24/7 carbon-free nuclear energy, will significantly reduce emissions while providing energy to meet periods of high customer demand. These 24x7 assets allow the Company to add thousands of megawatts of renewables onto the grid while also creating a bridge to new, emerging technologies that we expect in the years to come, Lauer added. As DTE transforms how it produces electricity and retires its remaining coal plants, the Company will provide re-training for employees impacted by the coal plant retirements, and will also partner with the local communities, who for years, hosted these coal-fired plants. DTE Electric undertook a year-long, comprehensive analysis that reflected insights shared by the Companys customers and other stakeholders to build the plan. It offers a balanced and diversified approach for the transition of the Companys generation fleet, while complementing its commitment to build a reliable and resilient electric grid. Last year, DTE announced a plan to develop this grid of the future that will withstand increasingly unpredictable and severe weather while meeting the evolving demands like transportation electrification of its customers and communities. Additional information on DTEs CleanVision Integrated Resource Plan can be found at www.dtecleanenergy.com. About DTE Energy DTE Energy (NYSE:DTE) is a Detroit-based diversified energy company involved in the development and management of energy-related businesses and services nationwide. Its operating units include an electric company serving 2.3 million customers in Southeast Michigan and a natural gas company serving 1.3 million customers in Michigan. The DTE portfolio includes energy businesses focused on power and industrial projects, renewable natural gas, and energy marketing and trading. Through our commitment to cleaner energy, DTE Electric plans to reduce CO2 emissions by 90% and DTE Gas will plan to reduce methane emissions by more than 80% by 2040 to produce cleaner energy while keeping it safe, reliable and affordable. DTE Electric and Gas aspire to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. DTE is committed to serving with its energy through volunteerism, education and employment initiatives, philanthropy and economic progress. Information about DTE is available at dteenergy.com, empoweringmichigan.com, twitter.com/dte_energy and facebook.com. Certain information presented herein includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 with respect to the financial condition, results of operations, and businesses of DTE Energy (the Company). Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future results and conditions, but rather are subject to numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties that may cause actual future results to be materially different from those contemplated, projected, estimated or budgeted. In particular, among other statements, statements relating to the Companys climate-related policies, procedures, initiatives or goals (including, for the avoidance of doubt, net zero goals) and the Companys targets, aims and objectives in connection with those ambitions, and to the Companys expectations, targets and aims for capital expenditure, are subject to change, and are aspirational and not guarantees or promises that all targets, aims and objectives will be met. Statistics and metrics relating to ESG and climate-related matters are estimates and may be based on assumptions or developing standards. Actual results may differ materially from any forward-looking statements. [1] Baseline set in 2005. [2] From 2019 plan. Attachments Jill Wilmot or Ryan Lowry DTE Energy 313.235.5555 Source: DTE Energy New York, NY, Nov. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Travel technology innovator Fareportal, the company behind leading online travel agencies CheapOair and OneTravel has been awarded a Gold in the prestigious Travel Weekly Magellan Awards for 2022 in the category of Online Travel Services, Overall Technology Solutions, honoring the ai enhanced customer experience provided by their Chatbot product. The company also garnered a Silver Magellan Award in the same category, in recognition of its Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) fintech product. In addition to these wins, Fareportal was recognized in the same month with a Gold in the Business Excellence Awards, known as the Globee, in the Contact Center Solution category in recognition of Chatbot, and the problems resolved by the product during COVID and beyond. Werner Kunz-Cho, Fareportal CEO, comments, Winning these awards reflects the value we as a company place on customer experience. We are extremely proud of the entire global Fareportal team for the part they played in bringing CheapOair and OneTravel customers the products and support tools they need to easily create their perfect travel experience. The Magellan Awards honor outstanding design, marketing, and services in a broad range of industry segments including Hospitality, Travel Destinations, Cruise Lines, Online Travel Services, Airlines and Airports, Travel Agents and Agencies, Tour Operators and Ground Transportation. For a complete list of silver and gold winners, please visit www.travelweeklyawards.com. The 12th Annual 2022 Business Excellence Awards recognizes the individuals and teams who set industry benchmarks for excellence worldwide. A complete list of 2022 winners can be found here. About Fareportal Fareportal is a travel technology company powering a next generation travel concierge service. Utilizing its innovative technology and company-owned and operated global contact centers, Fareportal has built strong industry partnerships providing customers access to over 500 airlines, a million lodgings, and hundreds of car rental companies around the globe. With a portfolio of consumer travel brands including CheapOair and One Travel, Fareportal enables consumers to book online, on mobile apps for iOS and Android, by phone, or live chat. Fareportal provides its airline partners with access to a broad customer base that books high-yielding international and domestic flight, hotel, and other travel and add-on ancillaries. About Travel Weekly Travel Weekly is the most influential provider of news, research, opinion and analysis to the North American travel trade marketplace. It reaches a broad industry audience in print, online and with face to face events throughout the year. Travel Weekly is a division of Secaucus, New Jersey based Northstar Travel Media, the largest travel business-to-business travel publisher in the world. About The Globee Awards The Globee Awards are the worlds premier business awards consisting of nine award programs. Globee Awards are conferred in nine programs and competitions: the American Best in Business Awards, Business Excellence Awards, CEO World Awards, Cyber Security Global Excellence Awards, Disruptor Company Awards, Golden Bridge Awards, Information Technology World Awards, Sales, Marketing, Customer Success Awards, and Women World Awards. Learn more about the Globee Awards at https://globeeawards.com. Globee is a registered service mark. Attachments 2 November 2022: Hexagon Agility, a business of Hexagon Composites, received a new order from Super Natural Gas Ltd, wholly owned by Supergas Energy and a leading full-service provider of compressed natural gas (CNG) in Israel, to deliver Mobile Pipeline modules to transport clean natural gas to Supergas customers. This order has an estimated value of EUR 4.8 million (approx. NOK 48 million). Delivering safe and innovative solutions Today, our fleet is 100% comprised of X-STORE modules by Hexagon Agility because of their performance and reliability. X-STORE modules have allowed us to become the market leader in mobile gas distribution, serving our industrial customers and also providing mobile fueling for transportation, said Chen Melamed, CEO of Supergas Energy. We are making significant investments to become a leading multi-disciplinary energy supplier and Hexagon Agility is an important partner in this strategic endeavor. Hexagon Agility has the most comprehensive Mobile Pipeline portfolio in the industry. Along with the TITAN products sold around the world, X-STORE is designed specifically to meet UN standards employed in Europe and other ADR countries like Israel. Supergas has been a pioneer in mobile gas distribution and today they manage one of the most efficient Mobile Pipeline operations in the world, says Seung Baik, President of Hexagon Agility. With current energy challenges and Israels strategic position to help address those challenges, we are proud of the work we are doing together and grateful for their continued business. The discovery of the Leviathon and Tamar gas fields in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Israel present the opportunity for the nation state to become energy independent. Mobile Pipeline is enabling energy based industries to adopt natural gas to reduce energy costs while addressing sustainability goals. Additionally, the transportation sector continues to adopt natural gas vehicles, with many of them currently fueled by Mobile Pipeline rather than traditional fuel stations due to the lack of pipeline infrastructure. Israels gas reserves easily exceed the countrys energy consumption, position it to become net exporter of gas to Europe and the Middle East. About the market Mobile Pipeline is vital to driving energy transformation away from petroleum fuels to clean and renewable natural gas. Companies like Supergas are leaders in the industry, enabling customers without pipeline access to adopt natural gas and meet their environmental goals. Natural gas is todays low carbon, cost effective alternative energy. Renewable natural gas (RNG) is pipeline quality gas fully compatible with todays infrastructure and Mobile Pipeline equipment. Because RNG is the only carbon negative energy source, it is being rapidly adopted to drive decarbonization of industrial and vehicle fleet operations. With more than 1,800 Mobile Pipeline modules now deployed around the world, Hexagon Agility continues to set the standard for safety, reliability, and performance. Timing The modules are expected to be delivered in the second quarter of 2023. For more information: Karen Romer, SVP Communications, Hexagon Composites Telephone: +47 950 74 950 | [email protected] Ingrid Aarsnes, VP Investor Relations and ESG, Hexagon Composites ASA Telephone: +47 950 38 364 | [email protected] About Supergas Energy Ltd Super Natural Gas, wholly owned by Supergas Energy, is a leading energy company in the fields of LPG, natural gas, compressed natural gas, electricity, renewable energies and energy efficiency. Established in 1953, Supergas specializes in the design and construction of gas distribution systems and is a major gas supplier to a variety of sectors residential, agricultural, commercial and industrial. The company is constantly adapting to changes in technology and seeking to meet and exceed quality and safety standards. With locations throughout the country, Supergas Energy serves half a million customers through a network of branches and agents. Hundreds of professional technicians, 24/7 call centers, control centers, and a national emergency center are available to our customers around the clock. About Hexagon Agility Hexagon Agility, a business of Hexagon Composites, is a leading global provider of clean fuel solutions for commercial vehicles and gas transportation solutions. Its product offerings include natural gas storage and delivery systems, Type 4 composite natural gas cylinders, propane, and natural gas fuel systems. These products transport clean gaseous fuels and enable vehicles to reduce emissions while saving operating costs. Learn more at hexagonagility.com and follow @HexagonAgility on Twitter and LinkedIn. About Hexagon Composites ASA HRCI subsidiary now offers two organizational certifications to support organizations and set them apart from the competition by aligning with globally accepted Human Resource Management standards ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Human Resource Standards Institute (HRSI), a subsidiary of HRCI, today announced the creation of a new organizational certification in Human Capital Reporting (HCR). HRSI Organizational Certification allows organizations to assess HCR initiatives against International Organization for Standardization (ISO) guidelines, ISO 30414:2018 Human Resource Management (HRM) HCR for internal and external reporting surrounding organizational performance and sustainability. As Human Capital includes the cumulative knowledge, skills and abilities of an organizations people and their impact on an organizations long-term performance, achieving this certification helps organizations demonstrate a commitment to excellence in HRM. Through the certification process, organizations provide better transparency, accountability and visibility into HRM and business practices and support the sustainability of their workforce. The HRSI Organizational Certification based on ISO 30414:2018 also verifies an organizations commitment to offering world-class human resources practices. It can be earned by any organization, regardless of business type, size, nature, complexity or whether in the public, private or not-for-profit sectors. The HRSI ISO 30414:2018 review and certification mirror ISO guidelines for 12 clusters of metrics, including: compliance and ethics, costs, diversity, leadership, organizational culture, organizational health, safety and well-being, productivity, recruitment, mobility and turnover, skills and capabilities, succession planning, and workforce availability. We are excited to announce our new organizational certification that will empower leaders to lean in, assess and affirm that their Human Capital Reporting initiatives fulfill guidance from the ISO standard, which is recognized by the SEC as meeting their required Human Capital disclosures, said HRSI President Dr. Denise Caleb, PHR. By aligning with globally accepted standards in Human Resource Management, including HCR, organizations increase their ability to attract, retain, develop and advance top talent. HRSI organizational certifications also enhance an employers brand and reputation through association with the ISO brand, which signifies quality to the market and the commitment to an employer of choice. HRSI now offers two certifications that allow organizations to earn and show the market they align with ISO standards in HRM. In May 2022, HRSI launched with an organizational certification measured against ISO 30415:2021 HRM: Diversity and Inclusion (D&I). The HRSI D&I Organizational Certification is heralded around the globe as a template for continual improvement of integrating D&I into organizations. HRCI CEO Dr. Amy Dufrane, SPHR, CAE, commented, In a few short months, HRSI has made tremendous strides when it comes to using the ISO 260 standards developed by the international community for the purpose of advancing human resources management across organizations. This momentum aligns with the HRCI mission, and we are very supportive of HRSIs continued progress. To learn more about HRSI and the path to organizational certification, visit https://www.hrsi.org. About HRSIHRSI headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, is the worlds premier standards and credentialing institute for private, publicly traded, not-for-profit and small, medium and enterprise (SME) organizations. A subsidiary of HRCI, HRSI creates and offers organizational certifications based on International Organization for Standardization (ISO) human resources management (HRM) standards. Through HRSI certifications, organizations align with globally accepted HRM practices and utilize that knowledge in the development of HR processes that adhere to those standards. Learn more at www.hrsi.org. About HRCIHRCI, headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, is the premier credentialing and learning organization for the human resources profession. For over 45 years, we have set the global standard for HR expertise and excellence through our commitment to the development and advancement of businesspeople in the people business. HRCI develops and offers world-class learning, as well as the administration of eight global certifications, and is dedicated to helping professionals achieve new competencies that drive business results. Learn more at www.hrci.org. Note to editors: Trademarks and registered trademarks referenced herein remain the property of their respective owners. Media Contact: Kate Achille The Devon Group for HRCI [email protected] Source: HRCI AS Tallinna Sadam invites all the stakeholders to join its investor conference webinar, introducing the results for Q3 and 9 months 2022. The webinar is scheduled for 10 November 2022. The webinar will be held on Microsoft Teams platform in two languages: Webinar in Estonian starting 10.00 (EET), please use this link to join Webinar in English starting 11.00 (EET), please use this link to join The chairman of the management board Valdo Kalm and member of the management board / CFO Andrus Ait will be presenting the results and answering the questions. The questions will be answered after the presentation. Due to limited webinar time, we encourage participants to send their questions beforehand to e-mail: [email protected] . The recording of the webinar will be available at the companys web page: https://www.ts.ee/en/ . Tallinna Sadam is one of the largest cargo- and passenger port complexes in the Baltic Sea region, which serves annually 10 million passengers and 20 million tons of cargo in average. In addition to passenger and freight services, Tallinna Sadam group also operates in shipping business via its subsidiaries OU TS Laevad provides ferry services between the Estonian mainland and the largest islands, and OU TS Shipping charters its multifunctional vessel Botnica for icebreaking and construction services in Estonia and offshore projects abroad. Tallinna Sadam group is also a shareholder of an associate AS Green Marine, which provides waste management services. The groups sales in 2021 totalled EUR 110 million, adjusted EBITDA EUR 54 million and profit EUR 26 million. Additional information: Marju Zirel Head of Investor Relations Tel. +372 5342 6591 [email protected] LOS ANGELES, Calif., Nov. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Liferay, Inc., which develops an enterprise level, cloud-powered digital experience platform (DXP), today announced the winners of its 2021-2022 Partner of the Year Awards. This years awards recognize Liferays partners who have been exceptional in delivering powerful digital experiences solutions that help organizations achieve continued business success. The recipients were selected among the more than 350 Liferay partners across 68 countries. Award winners were chosen after a thorough assessment of the positive impact they have made not only on the overall business results but also on the effort put into marketing, enablement, and certification to provide tailored solutions for businesses with the Liferay platform. The award categories acknowledge outstanding successes by partners, including global recognition for Innovation Excellence and regional recognitions for Partner of the Year. "We are very proud to recognize these remarkable partners and celebrate their achievements," said Brian Kim, Chief Sales Officer at Liferay. "A strong ecosystem is critical to Liferay's continued success, and we are committed to building partnerships that deliver best-in-class solutions to the market. A great example is how successful this year's award recipients have been in using their extensive technology and industry expertise to provide outstanding solutions to our mutual clients." The winners of the 2021-2022 Liferay Partner of the Year Awards are: Innovation Partners of the Year Honoring the partners recognized for developing and delivering outstanding, customized, vertical-specific solutions to meet client needs. Worldwide - Placecube "Placecube is delighted to be recognized as the Liferay Innovation Partner of the Year, Worldwide, for 2022. We value our long-standing relationship with Liferay and are inspired by their ambition to continuously innovate and deliver value to their customers. Placecube supports its clients through the design and development of solutions that improve customer outcomes more efficiently by simplifying and unifying existing processes and systems. This often complex challenge is made easier by the flexibility and integration capacity within the Liferay Digital Experience Platform," highlighted Jason Fahy, Founder and CEO at Placecube. "In the past year, we have supported customers from Central Government, Financial Services and Manufacturing. In particular, we have worked alongside local authorities in the UK to reduce the cost of delivering better services to the communities they serve." Worldwide - Hiberus Partners of the Year Honoring partners with the greatest contribution to overall growth, with exceptional overall sales and marketing efforts and outstanding client service. APAC - Comture EMEA - SMC Treviso Latin America - VASS North America - Veriday The awards were presented during the Liferay's Partner Summits, hosted in Madrid, Spain, and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The events brought together the leaders from partner companies and Liferay with the goal to enhance synergy between businesses with focus on how to generate more value to companies in search for tailored digital experiences solutions. The recently released Solutions Marketplace and the announcement of Liferay's restructured partner program were some of the agenda highlights. To learn more about Liferays partner program, please visit: https://www.liferay.com/services/partners/ About Liferay Liferay helps organizations meet their unique challenges by creating innovative, customer-centered experiences on our cloud-powered digital experience platform (DXP). Our platform is open source, which makes it more reliable and secure. Over a thousand organizations in financial services, insurance, manufacturing, healthcare and government use Liferay worldwide. Our goal is to help companies reach their full potential to serve others, and we try to leave a positive mark on the world through our business and technology. Engage with us at liferay.com. 2022 Liferay, Inc. All rights reserved. Anne Durey Liferay [email protected] Source: Liferay VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MAX Power Mining Corp. (CSE: MAXX) (MAX Power or the Company) has received all results from a reconnaissance diamond drilling program at its Nicobat Property (Nicobat or the Property) situated in northwestern Ontarios Potts Township about 20 km southeast of New Golds Rainy River gold mine. The Companys drill program targeted a series of geophysical conductors. These conductors appear to map out bands of pyrrhotite mineralization seen on the Property. The drill program comprised four holes totaling approximately 668 metres. Of most interest to MAX Power is the discovery of a zone of elevated zinc mineralization. The highest zinc value intersected was 1.02%. Refer to table 1 for the details of this zinc zone. Regarding other metals, drill hole MPN22-04 had the highest Copper (1,415 ppm), Cobalt (393 ppm), and Nickel (331 ppm) values. Table 2 outlines the location and additional drilling details. Mr. Rav Mlait, CEO of MAX Power, commented: Our initial four-hole program at Nicobat outlined a new zinc zone seen in three of the four holes, which warrants potential follow-up in the future. MAX continues to evaluate project opportunities targeting key commodities. Table 1: Selected Zinc Results from the Drill Program* Drill From To Length Zinc Hole (m) (m) (m) (ppm) MPN22-02 161.05 163.27 2.22 1,164 Including 162.97 163.27 0.30 4,200 MPN22-03 112.90 113.95 1.05 3,950 MPN22-04 137.18 138.95 1.77 2,428 Including** 138.70 139.00 0.30 10,200 *Drill hole intersections are core lengths, true widths unknown at this time. ** This sample assayed >10,000 ppm (above detection limit) and after re-analysis had a value of 1.02% Zn. Table 2: Details of the Drill Program DrillHole EastingNAD83Z15 NorthingNAD83Z15 Elevation(metres) Dip(degrees) Azimuth(degrees) Length(metres) MPN22-01 436,253 5,408,835 391.5 -60 080 200.6 MPN22-02 436,449 5,408,632 406.3 -70 260 170.0 MPN22-03 436,422 5,408,459 393.0 -75 280 125.0 MPN22-04 436,459 5,408,263 385.0 -60 090 173.0 668.6 About the Drill Program and Sample Analysis MAX Powers geological consultants, Ronacher McKenzie Geoscience of Sudbury, Ontario oversaw the drill program. The holes were drilled by Asinike Diamond Drilling of Pawitik, Ontario. Samples were assayed by ALS Global (Canada). Samples were all logged and crushed to 70% being less than 2 mm. Crushed samples were then pulverized up to 250 grams where 85% was less than 75 microns and split. The prepared samples were analyzed for 48 elements using a four-acid digestion with an ICP-MS finish. Overlimit ore grade samples were further analyzed with a four-acid digestion. Ore grade zinc samples were also analyzed using a four-acid digestion. Specific samples were submitted for fire assay and ICP-MS finish for platinum, palladium and gold. Qualified Person The technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Thomas Clarke, P.Geo., and Director for MAX Power Mining Corp. Mr. Clarke is the Qualified Person responsible for the scientific and technical information contained herein under National Instrument 43-101 standards. About MAX Power MAX Power is a dynamic exploration stage resource company currently engaged in the identification, acquisition and exploration of high-grade projects in mining-friendly jurisdictions. Its current focus is the Nicobat Project in Northwest Ontarios Rainy River district that hosts New Golds Rainy River gold mine. Contact: [email protected] Cautionary Statements Forward Looking Statements: This press release contains forwardlooking information or statements within the meaning of Canadian securities laws, which may include, but are not limited to statements relating to the date of first trading in the Company's common shares and its future business plans. All statements in this 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 do not guarantee future performance and actual results may differ from those in the forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update forwardlooking statements or forwardlooking information, except as required by law. Source: Max Power Mining Corp SAN DIEGO, Nov. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reach Healthcare will debut a three-part exhibition at HLTH 2022 entitled "Beyond the Ordinary." It will showcase three multi-sensory immersive solutions for transforming health and well-being care and take attendees on a three-part experiential journey that explores new modalities for addressing: workforce wellness and clinician burnout; improving maternal-infant health outcomes; and boosting post-operative and transitional recovery, rehabilitation and chronic healthcare management. Reach Healthcare experiences will be centrally located in the Bassano Rooms (#2602, 2603 and 2604) during HLTH 2022, which runs Nov 13 through 16 at the Venetian Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas NV. "What if we focused more on sensory elements in health centers, birth centers, diagnostic centers, nursing homes, rehabilitation centerseven hospital-at-home and retail health?" Reach's President, Fran Ayalasomayajula, asks. The Reach sensory solutions go beyond tossing a plant in a corner or drowning out spaces with white noise. "For centuries research has shown the power of sensory stimulation to heal, revive, and restore," Reach's President, Fran Ayalasomayajula, points out. At HLTH, Reach will present a walking gallery experience infused with elements that stimulate the senses, through the application of transformational and immersive sound and music, visual effects and imagery, textures, smells and tactile interaction. This first-time offering at HLTH will showcase ways technology can be used to harness positive, calming, healing, and restorative experiences. It will serve as a departure from traditional approaches. "HLTH is pleased to have Reach Healthcare host their breakthrough immersive therapeutic approach to health and wellbeing at this year's event. This is an important area of focus for HLTH and aligns perfectly with our recently launched brand - WELL by HLTH," said Rich Scarfo, President of HLTH. Reach Healthcare's mission is to provide a platform that delivers groundbreaking solutions to improve and transform healthcare delivery and outcomes for providers and patients, as well as to offer cost-effective solutions for payers. THE SCIENCE OF HEALING and WELLNESS: BENEFITS OF MULTISENSORY EXPERIENCES Reach Healthcare's "Beyond the Ordinary" experiences at HLTH are built on three relevant scientific findings: Healthcare Settings Matter. In a 2020 Clinical Empathy study that Reach commissioned with Ipsos, a key finding was that environments matter. Patients seek supportive and familiar environments, and they also place a high value on milestones and memories associated with their environments. Healthcare Settings directly affect the patient's overall health and well-being, since they also impact relationships, including those of care teams and healthcare consumers. Reach Healthcare solutions enable care facilities, especially hospitals and healthcare providers, to deliver a less stressful experience and minimize the upset and friction between the patient with their providers. Sounds and Music Matter . Additional research by Reach revealed that listening to certain sounds and music can reduce anxiety and pain, blood pressure and heart rate, improve sleep quality, mood, mental alertness and memory -- and shorten the length of hospital stays. The layering of digital multimedia and cinematography also delivers similar positive health outcomes. . Additional research by Reach revealed that listening to certain sounds and music can reduce anxiety and pain, blood pressure and heart rate, improve sleep quality, mood, mental alertness and memory -- and shorten the length of hospital stays. The layering of digital multimedia and cinematography also delivers similar positive health outcomes. Sounds are not limited to the patient journey - but also extend to the provider. The Aesthetic Surgery Journal reported that researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston found that plastic surgeons closed incisions better and faster when done -- while listening to their preferred music. OTHER COLLABORATIONS "Beyond the Ordinary" presented by REACH comes to life with the engagement of Reach's technology partners, including HARMAN Digital Transformation Solutions (DTS). REACH's Happy Mama, a maternity app and decision support tool for maternal health professionals, is powered by the HARMAN Remote Care Platform (RCP). Happy Mama will be on display as part of the activation HARMAN International is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. that is focused on connected technologies for automotive, consumer and enterprise markets. This collaboration with visual effects powered by Samsung Digital Display Division joins others within the Reach orbit. They include: Birth & Life Photography and MovingArt by Louis Schwartzberg, as seen on Oprah (OWN), Netflix, and Reach Live. Other contributors to the "Beyond the Ordinary" presented by Reach include OddBall, HealthTunes, Spatial Inc., and Visual Health Solutions. Reach Healthcare's "Beyond the Ordinary Experience" at HLTH 2022 "takes the attendee on a holistic therapeutic journey through the art and science of healing and wellness -- with the help of immersive multisensory technologies that deliver solutions from a 'people-first' perspective to transform everyday lives," concludes Reach's President, Fran Ayalasomayajula. ABOUT HLTH 2022: HLTH (pronounced "health") is the leading platform bringing together the entire health ecosystem, focused on health innovation and transformation. From unparalleled events with industry-leading speakers to inspirational digital content and mission-driven initiatives, HLTH creates a unique marketplace for the health community leading the dialogue and development of a better health ecosystem. Our mission is to gather the health community in curated, purposeful engagements that accelerate healthcare innovation. Event Registration: https://www.hlth.com/2022event Media - Special Exhibition Tours: https://www.hlth.com/2022event/media #hlth2022 ABOUT REACH REACH is a 501c3 global innovative social impact organization whose mission is to improve and transform healthcare delivery and outcomes for providers and patients, as well as to offer cost-effective solutions for payers. Maternal mortality and morbidity prevention is a top priority area for the organization. Reach is the founder of the National Save Moms Campaign (http://savemoms.us), Save Moms Global (http://savemoms.global), Maternal Application of Technology for Community Health (MATCH) Coalition (http://matchcoalition.us), and Happy Mama (http://happymama.global). Reach, established in 2016, is focused on pragmatically improving large-scale and sustainable health programs for enhanced healthcare equity, access, and delivery based on its four pillars: (1) Research to identify where change is needed that could result in actionable outcomes; (2) Education; (3) Thought Leadership and (4) Innovative Immersive Special Interest Therapeutic Platforms, including Happy Mama, focused on maternal health for mothers as well as clinicians; Workforce Wellness to tackle clinician burnout; and IB Healthy Wellness and Remote Care digital therapeutics for rehab, chronic disease management, healthy aging, and more. Reach welcomes new partnerships, sponsorships, and grassroots affiliates as it works to drive massive impact for better and more equitable healthcare outcomes. Contact Information: Matt Walker Community Outreach Lead [email protected] 619-800-6443 Related Images Image 1 This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. Attachment Featured Image for Reach Healthcare Featured Image for Reach Healthcare Source: Reach Healthcare VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Search Minerals Inc. (TSXV: SMY | OTCQB: SHCMF) (Search or the Company) is pleased to announce that the planned 14,000m drilling of the DEEP FOX Phase 4 drill program have been completed. DEEP FOX, our second resource, is located within the Port Hope Simpson St. Lewis Critical Rare Earth Elements (CREE) District in SE Labrador, Canada. (April 11, 2022 - Search Minerals Announces Increased DEEP FOX and FOXTROT Mineral Resource Estimates.) The drill program consisted of a total of 76 drill holes totalling 14,013 m of which 63 drill holes were for additional resource delineation and exploration and 13 drill holes were for the geotechnical and hydrogeological program. Our geology team will have all holes logged and sampled, with all samples sent for assay, in the next several weeks. DEEP FOX DRILL PROGRAM The drilling commenced on June 3, 2022 and was completed on October 27, 2022. Resource Delineation and Exploration: Drilled 63 holes for a total of 10,651 m of oriented core; All core will be lithologically, structurally, and geotechnically logged; All mineralized and selected non-mineralized intervals are being sampled for assay and tested for specific gravity and magnetic susceptibility; Drilled several holes beyond the outer limits of the current mine pit design particularly towards the east; Visual mineralization observed in every drill hole. Geotechnical Program: Drilled 13 holes for a total of 3,362 m of oriented core; A total of 11 of the 13 holes intersected mineralization and will become part of a new 2023 resource estimate; Selected holes had vibrating-wire installations (3), were surveyed with Optical Borehole Imaging (3), were surveyed with Acoustic Borehole Imaging (7) and had Packer Testing performed (6); All core has been geotechnically logged; Mineralized intervals in this core has been lithologically logged and sampled for assay similar to the Exploration program listed above; Selected samples have been collected and sent out for further geotechnical testing at a geotechnical laboratory. Next Steps of our Exploration Program: We anticipate having all assay results and data interpretation complete to initiate the updated resource estimation by mid-2023. We will continue our channel sampling programs at DEEP FOX and FOX MEADOW . Dr. Randy Miller, Vice-President, Exploration, comments, We have observed mineralization in all delineation and exploration drill holes and await assay results to determine the grades. Infill drilling has decreased the spacings between drill holes in the proposed open pit to improve our confidence in grades and tonnages for a upcoming 2023 mineral resource estimate. Based on visual results from this new drill data we expect the open pit to be larger and the resource to potentially increase in size. Greg Andrews, President/CEO, states, We continue with our Sprint to Production, and this drill program should enable Search to provide an updated mineral resource estimate in 2023. Search Minerals is well positioned to build a secure, sustainable rare earth supply chain in Newfoundland and Labrador to supply Canada and our trading partners. Our goal is to be in production by the year 2026. The DEEP FOX DEPOSIT occurs about 2 km northeast of St. Lewis, Labrador and 12 km east of the FOXTROT DEPOSIT. Qualified Person:Dr. Randy Miller, Ph.D., P.Geo., is the Companys Vice President, Exploration, and Qualified Person (as defined by National Instrument 43-101) who has supervised the preparation of and approved the technical information reported herein. The Company will endeavour to meet high standards of integrity, transparency, and consistency in reporting technical content, including geological and assay data. About Search Minerals Inc. Led by a proven management team and board of directors, Search is focused on finding and developing Critical Rare Earths Elements (CREE), Zirconium (Zr) and Hafnium (Hf) resources within the emerging Port Hope Simpson St. Lewis CREE District of South East Labrador. Search controls two deposits (Foxtrot and Deep Fox), two drill ready prospects (Fox Meadow and Silver Fox) and numerous other REE prospects, including Fox Valley, Foxy Lady and Awesome Fox, along a 64 km long belt forming a REE District in Labrador. Search has completed a preliminary economic assessment report for DEEPFOX and FOXTROT. Search is also working on three exploration prospects along the belt which include: FOX MEADOW, SILVER FOX and AWESOME FOX. Search has continued to optimize our patented Hydrometallurgy Direct Extraction Process technology with the support from the Department of Industry, Energy and Technology, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, and from the Atlantic Canada Opportunity Agency. We have completed two pilot plant operations and produced highly purified mixed rare earth carbonate concentrate and mixed REO concentrate for separation and refining. We also recognize the continued support by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador for its Junior Exploration Program. Search Minerals was selected to participate in the Government of Canada Accelerated Growth Service (AGS) initiative, which supports high growth companies. AGS, as a one-stop shop model, provides Search with coordinated access to Government of Canada resources as Search continues to move quickly to production and contribute to the establishment of a stable and secure rare earth element North American and European supply chain. For further information, please contact: Greg AndrewsPresident and CEOTel: 604-998-3432E-mail: [email protected] Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: Except for the statements of historical fact, this news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation that is based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. "Forward-looking information" in this news release includes information about the Companys exploration and development plans and the preparation of an updated resource estimate, and the timing thereof, and other forward-looking information. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, results of exploration work, the ability to secure any required funding, receipt of all required regulatory approval and the ability to secure the necessary resources to complete the planned exploration work. The forward-looking information in this news release reflects the current expectations, assumptions and/or beliefs of the Company based on information currently available to the Company. In connection with the forward-looking information contained in this news release, the Company has made assumptions about the Company's financial condition and development plans do not change as a result of unforeseen events, and that the Company will receive all required regulatory approvals. Although the Company believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking information are reasonable, forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such information due to the inherent uncertainty therein. The Company does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, unless and until required by applicable securities laws. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties is contained in the Company's filings with the Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available at www.sedar.com. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/bf1909a4-c6e5-41ba-b2c1-7d53e6f5d84e Figure 1 Deep Fox - 2022 Drilling Activities Figure 1 Deep Fox - 2022 Drilling Activities Source: Search Minerals Inc Sernova plans to begin enrollment of second cohort in the coming weeks and implant multiple patients with the enhanced capacity 10-channel Cell Pouch before the end of 2022 Positive interim results from patients in the first cohort informed the islet dose and density threshold optimizations for the second cohort Expedited enrollment is anticipated with Sernovas engagement of an experienced clinical trial patient recruitment agency and the Company expects to report interim data in 2023 Results from the combined cohorts will help guide the design of Sernovas pivotal study, which would support an anticipated BLA submission to the US FDA and accelerate our iPSC stem cells into the clinic LONDON, Ontario, Nov. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sernova Corp. (TSX: SVA) (OTCQB: SEOVF) (FSE/XETRA: PSH), a clinical-stage company and leader in cell therapeutics, is pleased to announce, in conjunction with the advancement of its ongoing Phase 1/2 clinical trial of the Sernova Cell Pouch System for patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) who suffer from hypoglycemia unawareness (the T1D Study), the approval of a protocol amendment by the University of Chicago Institutional Review Board (IRB) and no objections from FDA, allowing the Company to proceed with a strategically optimized protocol reducing the time required for patient treatment while accelerating potential secondary endpoint efficacy achievement with more optimal dosing. Following promising interim results from the first six patients of Sernovas active T1D Study, the protocol amendment enables the testing of a small second cohort of up to seven patients, to evaluate the Companys optimized 10-channel Cell Pouch, which provides 50% more islet capacity compared to the 8-channel Cell Pouch used to date for the T1D Study. Study data from the first six patients formed the basis for the amended optimized treatment plan for the additional new cohort of patients. Results from the combined cohorts will help guide the design of Sernovas pivotal study, supporting an anticipated BLA submission to the US FDA. With the protocol amendment, enrollment of the first cohort of patients has concluded and patient enrollment for the new second cohort will begin. The first three patients of the first cohort with completed islet transplants have achieved insulin independence and the remaining three are progressing towards completion of the treatment regimen. Data from these first patients has enabled Sernova to determine dose thresholds and islet concentrations intended to optimize endogenous insulin production in treated patients. Furthermore, safety observations to date support reducing the time between Cell Pouch islet transplants from 180 to 90 days, which substantially reduces the overall treatment period in the amended protocol update. To expedite rapid enrollment of the second cohort, Sernova has engaged a clinical trial patient recruitment partner with extensive experience and success in accelerating T1D clinical trial patient enrollment. Sernova is committed to developing a potential functional cure with the goal of freeing patients from the life-limiting burdens of T1D and dramatically enhancing their quality of life, said Dr. Philip Toleikis, President and Chief Executive Officer. We are pleased with the positive interim results demonstrating that the Cell Pouch System is well tolerated, reduces or eliminates the frequency of severe hypoglycemic events and continues to contribute to durable insulin independence among patients. Based on our now expanded recruitment activities and efforts, we anticipate implanting multiple patients before the end of 2022. The results from these additional patients will directly contribute to our pivotal T1D trial design and help accelerate entry into the clinic with our iPSC stem cell derived islet technology in conjunction with our Evotec partnership that is progressing ahead of our expectations. ABOUT PHASE 1/2 STUDY SECOND COHORT The Phase 1/2 study (NCT03513939) is an open-label single-arm trial to assess the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of Sernovas Cell Pouch System for clinical transplantation of human donor islets in patients with T1D. Six patients were transplanted in the first cohort utilizing the 8-channel Cell Pouch System and interim data have been previously reported by Dr. Witkowski and his colleagues. With the expansion into the second cohort utilizing the 10-channel Cell Pouch System, patient eligibility criteria remain unchanged and includes those aged 18-65 with T1D who suffer from both hypoglycemic unawareness and severe hypoglycemic episodes, and who are eligible for donor islet transplantation. Eligible trial patients have had at least one episode of severe hypoglycemia in the previous 12 months and an absence of stimulated C-peptide (a marker of insulin production by the body) in response to a mixed meal tolerance test. Islets are transplanted into the Cell Pouch approximately six weeks after Cell Pouch implantation to allow development of fully vascularized native tissue chambers and achieve a stable immunosuppressant regimen. At 90 days post-islet transplant, safety and efficacy are assessed prior to initiating a second transplant of islets. At 90 days following each patients second islet transplant to Cell Pouch, safety and efficacy endpoints are evaluated again. Trial patients who remain dependent on insulin for at least 6 months following the second islet transplant to Cell Pouch may be eligible for a third supplemental islet transplant via the portal vein. Patients who elect to retain their implants will be followed for up to 3 years after the final islet transplant to Cell Pouch. Multiple transplanted patients from the first cohort have implant durations of more than 3 years and none have elected to have their Cell Pouch implants removed. The primary objective of the Phase 1/2 study is safety and tolerability. Secondary objectives include the following efficacy endpoints: production of C-peptide, insulin use, HbA1c, and frequency of hypoglycemic events. ABOUT SERNOVA CORP. AND THE CELL POUCH SYSTEM PLATFORM FOR CELL THERAPY Sernova Corp. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company that is developing regenerative therapeutic cell technologies for chronic diseases, including insulin-dependent diabetes, thyroid disease, and blood disorders that include hemophilia A. Sernova is currently focused on developing a functional cure for insulin-dependent diabetes with its lead asset, the Cell Pouch System, a novel implantable and scalable medical device with immune protected therapeutic cells. On implantation, The Cell Pouch forms a natural vascularized tissue environment in the body for long-term survival and function of therapeutic cells that release essential factors that are absent or deficient in the bodies of patients with certain chronic diseases. Sernovas Cell Pouch System has demonstrated its potential to be a functional cure for people with T1D in an ongoing Phase 1/2 clinical study at the University of Chicago. Sernova is also advancing a proprietary technology in collaboration with the University of Miami to shield therapeutic cells from immune system attack with the goal to eliminate the need for chronic, systemic immunosuppression. In May 2022, Sernova and Evotec entered into a global strategic partnership to develop an implantable off-the-shelf iPSC-based (induced pluripotent stem cells) islet replacement therapy. This partnership provides Sernova a potentially unlimited supply of insulin-producing cells to treat millions of patients with insulin-dependent diabetes (type 1 and type 2). Sernova continues to progress two additional development programs that utilize its Cell Pouch System: An implantable cell therapy for benign thyroid disease resulting from thyroid gland removal; and an ex-vivo lentiviral Factor VIII gene therapy for hemophilia A. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION This release contains statements that, to the extent they are not recitations of historical facts, may constitute forward-looking statements that involve various risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, including, without limitation, statements regarding the prospects, plans, and objectives of the company. Wherever possible, but not always, words such as "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential for" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur are used to identify forward-looking statements. These statements reflect managements beliefs with respect to future events and are based on information currently available to management on the date such statements were made. Many factors could cause Sernovas actual results, performances or achievements to not be as anticipated, estimated or intended or to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in this news release. Such factors could include, but are not limited to, the companys ability to secure additional financing and licensing arrangements on reasonable terms, or at all; ability to conduct all required preclinical and clinical studies for the companys Cell Pouch System and/or related technologies, including the timing and results of those trials; ability to obtain all necessary regulatory approvals, or on a timely basis; ability to in-license additional complementary technologies; ability to execute its business strategy and successfully compete in the market; and the inherent risks associated with the development of biotechnology combination products generally. Many of the factors are beyond our control, including those caused by, related to, or impacted by the novel coronavirus pandemic. Investors should consult the companys quarterly and annual filings available on www.sedar.com for additional information on risks and uncertainties relating to the forward-looking statements. Sernova expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Source: Sernova Corp. Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is set to start a fresh round of layoffs, according to Reuters. Accordingly, some of the cuts will be made in Asia Pacific, including Hong Kong and China. Media reports surfaced in September that MS cut staff in its FX department in New York. Morgan Stanley reported 81,567 employees at the end of Q3. During the most recent earnings call with analysts, CEO James Gorman suggested job cuts might be coming. Youve got to take into account the rate of growth weve had in the last few years," Gorman said. Weve learned some things during Covid about how we can operate more efficiently. So thats something the management team is working on between now and the end of the year." Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) and Deutsche Bank (NYSE: DB) already cut staff to reflect slower dealmaking. By Senad Karaahmetovic Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - November 3, 2022) - Argo Gold Inc. (CSE: ARQ) (OTCQB: ARBTF) (XFRA, XSTU, XBER: A2ASDS) ("Argo Gold") is pleased to announce it has entered into a Farmout Agreement to participate in a horizontal Sparky Oil Well in the Lindbergh Area proximal to Lloydminster, Alberta. The agreement is a one-well farmout with Croverro Energy Ltd. of Calgary, Alberta whereby Argo Gold (the Farmee) will pay the operator 50 per cent of the cost to drill, complete, and fully equip or abandon the well to earn a 37.5-per-cent interest. The horizontal well is based on similar wells drilled in the Sparky formation by the operator. The oil well is expected to be completed before year-end and upon successful completion, total yield on the well is estimated to be 90 bbl/day. Commented James Bell, VP Corporate Development of Argo Gold: "We are extremely excited about drilling an oil well with an experienced partner. This is a great step for Argo as we continue to grow and identify opportunities in the Western Canada Basin." Argo Gold paid a finder's fees of $4,000 for sourcing the opportunity. Argo Gold is also pleased to announce it has a Calgary office to increase its presence in the energy sector. The office is located at 2800, 350 -7th Avenue SW, Calgary, AB T2P 3N9. About Argo Gold Argo Gold is a Canadian mineral exploration and development company. Information on Argo Gold can be obtained from SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on Argo Gold's website at www.argogold.com. Argo Gold is listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange (www.thecse.com) (CSE: ARQ) as well as (OTCQB: ARBTF) and (XFRA, XSTU, XBER: A2ASDS). For more information please contact: Judy Baker, CEO (416) 786-7860 [email protected] NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATIONS SERVICES PROVIDER HAVE REVIEWED OR ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. Forward-looking Information Cautionary Statement Except for statements of historic fact, this news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates at the date the statements are made and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements including, but not limited to delays or uncertainties with regulatory approvals, including that of the CSE. There are uncertainties inherent in forward-looking information, including factors beyond the Company's control. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties that could affect financial results is contained in the Company's filings with Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/142872 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 3, 2022) - Boosh Plant-Based Brands Inc.(CSE: VEGI) (OTCQB: VGGIF) (FSE: 77i) ("Boosh" or the "Company") a premier plant-based brand in the "better for you" food sector, announces that it has arrange a non-brokered private placement to raise up to up to $500,000 through the issuance of up to 10,000,000 units (each a "Unit") at a price of $0.05 per Unit (the "Offering"). Each Unit will comprise of one common share and one share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). Each Warrant shall be exercisable to acquire one Common Share (a "Warrant Share") for a period of 12 months. Directors and officers of the Company may acquire Units in the Financing, which participation would be considered to be a "related party transaction" as defined under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 ("MI 61-101"). Such participation is expected to be exempt from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101. Finder's fees may be paid to registered dealers or other qualified parties in connection with the Financing. Beanfields Chips To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7944/142954_BF_550.jpg The net proceeds from the Offering will be used for working capital and general corporate purposes as the company works towards increasing annual gross revenues for the core asset, Beanfields, back up to its pre pandemic levels of $15M USD per year. The Company continues to receive close to $1M USD monthly in Purchase Orders for Beanfields Chips and requires this additional operating capital to pay for the purchase of raw materials and production. With the purchase orders and high demand for products the focus is on revenue creation and shareholder value. Amuse Boosh plant-based cheese and Vege pate has recently been listed at Urban Fare and the entire line of 7 varieties will be available in all of their fine locations in BC. Urban Fare is owned by Jim Pattison Group and considered an upscale market with a focus on organic, high end and imported foods. Boosh shelf stable Mac n Cheese continues to grow in popularity and production of this line has been moved to the company's Amuse Boosh facility in Penticton BC to streamline production. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to or for the account or benefit of a U.S. person (as defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act) unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available Connie Marples Founder/President [email protected] Telephone: 778 840 1700 www.Booshfood.com www.beanfields.com About Boosh Plant-Based Brands Inc.: Boosh Plant-Based Brands Inc., through its wholly owned subsidiary, Boosh Food (www.booshfood.com) offers high quality, non-GMO, gluten free, 100% plant-based nutritional comfort foods for the whole family. Through a separate subsidiary, Beautiful Beanfields, (www.beanfields.com) the Company owns Beanfields, a plant-based chip brand sold in over 7,000 stores throughout North America. Boosh, good for you and good for planet earth. The information in this news release includes certain information and statements about management's view of future events, expectations, plans and prospects that constitute forward looking statements. These statements are based upon assumptions that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Because of these risks and uncertainties and as a result of a variety of factors, the actual results, expectations, achievements or performance may differ materially from those anticipated and indicated by these forward looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, the Company's expectations concerning the size of the Financing, its ability to close the Financing in whole or in part or at all and its plan for the proceeds of the Financing. Any number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements as well as future results. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in forward looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurances that the expectations of any forward looking statements will prove to be correct. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward looking statements to reflect actual results, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions, changes in factors affecting such forward looking statements or otherwise. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/142954 Cranbrook, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 3, 2022) - DLP Resources Inc.(TSXV: DLP) (OTCQB: DLPRF)("DLP" or the "Company")announces that, further to its news release dated October 4, 2022, the Company intends to make its previously announced non-brokered private placement of up to 8,000,000 units of the Company (the "Units") at a price of $0.25 per Unit (the "Private Placement") available to existing shareholders of the Company who, as of the close of business on November 2, 2022, held common shares of the Company (and who continue to hold such common shares as of the closing date), pursuant to the prospectus exemption set out in BC Instrument 45-534 - Exemption From Prospectus Requirement for Certain Trades to Existing Security Holders (the "Existing Shareholder Exemption"). The Existing Shareholder Exemption limits a shareholder to a maximum investment of CAD$15,000 in a 12-month period unless the shareholder has obtained advice regarding the suitability of the investment and, if the shareholder is resident in a jurisdiction of Canada, that advice has been obtained from a person that is registered as an investment dealer in the jurisdiction. If the Company receives subscriptions from investors relying on the Existing Shareholder Exemption exceeding the maximum amount of the Private Placement, the Company intends to adjust the subscriptions received on a pro-rata basis. Each Unit will consist of one common share (a "Share") of the Company and one common share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one additional Share of the Company at a price of $0.40 per Share for a period of twenty-four (24) months from the date of closing. The Warrants are subject to an acceleration clause in the event the trading price of the Shares equals or exceeds $0.50 per Share for a period of ten (10) consecutive days. The Company intends to pay finder's fees in connection with the Private Placement to certain eligible finders in the form of: (i) a cash commission of 7.0% of the gross proceeds raised under the Private Placement from investors introduced to the Company by the finder; and (ii) the issuance of such number of non-transferable common share purchase warrants of the Company (the "Finder's Warrants") equal to 7.0% of the Units issued under the Private Placement from investors introduced to the Company by the finder. The proceeds of the Private Placement will be used for funding the Peru projects and general office and administration requirements. The Company intends to spend the funds available to it as stated in this news release. There may be circumstances, however, where, for sound business reasons, a reallocation of funds may be necessary. The Private Placement is subject to all necessary regulatory approvals including acceptance from the TSX Venture Exchange. All securities issued in connection with the Private Placement will be subject to a four-month hold period from the closing date under applicable Canadian securities laws, in addition to such other restrictions as may apply under applicable securities laws of jurisdictions outside Canada. Not for distribution to U.S. news wire services or dissemination in the United States. About DLP Resources Inc. DLP Resources Inc. is a mineral exploration company operating in Southeastern British Columbia and Peru, exploring for Base Metals and Cobalt. DLP is listed on the TSX-V, trading symbol DLP and on the OTCQB, trading symbol DLPRF. Please refer to our web site www.dlpresourcesinc.com for additional information. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: DLP Resources Inc. Ian Gendall, CEO & President Jim Stypula, Executive Chairman Robin Sudo, Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary Maxwell Reinhart, Investor Relations Telephone: 250-426-7808 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Information This release includes certain statements and information that may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect the expectations or beliefs of management of the Company regarding future events. Generally, forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "intends" or "anticipates", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "should", "would" or "occur". This information and these statements, referred to herein as "forwardlooking statements", are not historical facts, are made as of the date of this news release and include without limitation, statements regarding discussions of future plans, estimates and forecasts and statements as to management's expectations and intentions with respect to, among other things: the anticipated proceeds to be raised under the Private Placement; the use of any proceeds raised under the Private Placement; and finder's fees to be paid in connection with the Private Placement. These forwardlooking statements involve numerous risks and uncertainties and actual results might differ materially from results suggested in any forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things: delays in obtaining or failure to obtain required regulatory approvals for the Private Placement; market uncertainty; and the inability of the Company to raise the anticipated proceeds under the Private Placement. In making the forward looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, that: the Company will obtain the required regulatory approvals for the Private Placement; the Company will be able to raise the anticipated proceeds under the Private Placement; and the Company will use the proceeds of the Private Placement as currently anticipated. Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward looking information. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement, forward-looking information or financial out-look that are incorporated by reference herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. We seek safe harbor. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/142970 Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - November 3, 2022) - Idaho Champion (CSE: ITKO) ( OTCQB: GLDRF)(FSE: 1QB1) ("Idaho Champion" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into a definitive purchase and sale agreement (the "Agreement") with Quebec Precious Metals Corporation ("QPM") with respect to the Blanche and Charles lithium pegmatite projects (the "Projects") in the Eeyou Istchee James Bay territory of Quebec. Terms of the Agreement On September 19, 2022, Idaho Champion announced entering into a binding memorandum of understanding ("MOU") with respect to the acquisition of the Projects and the terms thereof. The Agreement replaces the MOU and reflects the terms described therein, including that Idaho Champion will acquire 100% of the Projects from QPM in return for $100,000 in cash and 12,000,000 common shares of the Company, of which 50% will be subject to escrow for 18 months. QPM will retain a 2% net smelter return royalty ("NSR") on the claims constituting the Projects. The Company will have the option to repurchase 1% of the NSR from QPM for $1 million. Closing of the acquisition remains subject to customary conditions for a transaction of the type contemplated by the Agreement. The parties are diligently engaged in satisfying in any remaining conditions with closing expected to occur as soon as possible, but in no case later than an agreed outside date of November 30, 2022. The Company will provide additional information on the completion of the acquisition. About Idaho Champion Gold Mines Inc. Idaho Champion is a discovery-focused exploration company that is committed to advancing its highly prospective cobalt properties located in Idaho, United States and lithium properties in Quebec, Canada. In addition, the Company owns the Baner gold project in Idaho County and the Champagne polymetallic project in Butte County near Arco. The Company's shares trade on the CSE under the trading symbol "ITKO", on the OTCQB under the trading symbol "GLDRF", and on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol "1QB1". Idaho Champion strives to be a responsible environmental steward, stakeholder and contributing citizen to the local communities where it operates, taking its social license seriously, employing local community members and service providers at its operations whenever possible. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF IDAHO CHAMPION "Jonathan Buick" Jonathan Buick, President and CEO For further information, please visit the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com or the Company's corporate website at www.idahochamp.com. For further information, please contact: Nicholas Konkin, Marketing and Communications Phone: (416) 567- 9087 Email: [email protected] THIS PRESS RELEASE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO SELL OR THE SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO BUY ANY SECURITIES IN ANY JURISDICTION, NOR SHALL THERE BE ANY OFFER, SALE, OR SOLICITATION OF SECURITIES IN ANY STATE IN THE UNITED STATES IN WHICH SUCH OFFER, SALE, OR SOLICITATION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL. Cautionary Statements for Idaho Champion Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its regulation services provider has reviewed or accepted responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. This press release may include forward-looking information concerning the business of the Company within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation, including with respect to the completion of the transactions contemplated by the Agreement, the prospectivity of the Projects for lithium, and the ability of the Company to successfully shift focus to exploration for battery-related metals. Forward-looking information is based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by the management of the Company, including being able to satisfy any conditions related to the acquisition, sufficient investor interest to complete the private placement financing necessary to fund the cash portion of the acquisition of the Project, having the necessary technical expertise to explore for lithium in pegmatite, and that reported lithium resources in the district of the Projects is indicative of mineralized pegmatite prospectivity on the Projects. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking information is based on are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking information and the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release. The Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, other than as required by applicable securities laws. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/142916 3M creates achievable climate goals and builds industry collaborations that will have an impact and improve the lives of people around the world ST. PAUL, Minn., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- 3M is joining other global corporations, governments and non-governmental organizations at the 27th Conference of the Parties (COP27) in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt to further the dialogue and plans for combating climate change. As a globally diverse materials science company, operating across many global industries, 3M is at the heart of global action to help reduce CO2 emissions. 3M is uniquely positioned to bring our full capabilities to advance meaningful climate-focused impact across the globe. The company offers solutions that contribute to climate change mitigation and adaption and provides scientific expertise to help customers achieve their own sustainability goals, all of which was at display at Climate Week 2022. This provides 3M the opportunity to collaborate with others to drive scalable impact and our purpose, promise, and passion make us committed to leveraging COP27 to do so. "Science is part of our DNA, so we are thrilled that it is a key focus of COP27. While climate change requires a multi-faceted approach, we firmly believe that science underpins many solutions for achieving a decarbonized world," said Gayle Schueller, 3M senior vice president and chief sustainability officer. "3M is dedicated to delivering climate-focused solutions and is uniquely positioned to bring our full capabilities to advance meaningful impact across the globe." 3M strategic focus areas at COP27: Responding with urgency3M knows the world needs to act quickly, and it is following suit. The company has been focused on reducing its climate impact for decades. It will achieve carbon neutrality in its operations by 2050 and has achieved many substantial short-term goals, including reducing its Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 75% since 2002, which includes a 26.1% reduction since 2019 and surpassing its 50% milestone of renewable electricity by 2025, with more to come in the next three years. Recognizing the global energy crisis, both in developing countries and the emerging energy impacts during the northern hemisphere winter, there is a need to elevate the technologies needed and policies required to ensure energy security for all, now and in the future. In an open conversation at COP27 during "Energy" day on Nov. 15, 3M is hosting an event in which members of the Global Alliance for Sustainable Energy will share their expectations and vision for a secure energy future. Leadership and collaboration3M has demonstrated substantial progress against its near term and long-term goals and is committed to reaching Scope 1 & 2 carbon neutrality in its operations by 2050. For a global science and technology company with a manufacturing footprint of such size and complexity this is an enormous challenge. That's why 3M is investing brainpower, resources and passion into reducing its own carbon footprint through innovation. It is also collaborating with customers to lower the carbon footprint of their products and operations to support them on their own sustainability journeys. The company also prioritizes partnerships to learn, collaborate and scale impact by joining initiatives like the United Nations Water Resilience Coalition, where 3M is a member of the leadership committee, and the Business Coalition for Global Plastics Treaty convened by Ellen MacArthur Foundation and WWF that was announced at Climate Week NYC 2022. At COP27 as part of "Solutions" day on Nov. 17, 3M is hosting a session on accelerating collaborations to combat climate change. In a direct conversation between senior private sector executives, the European Commission and the United Nations Global Compact, panelists will share the opportunities and barriers to partnership and discuss a model for how organizations can connect to innovate for climate. Progress through science and technology 3M is dedicated to progress through science using its 51 technologies to develop sustainable products, while also implementing other leading technologies like thermal oxidation and reverse osmosis to implement carbon emissions and water reduction in our own operations. Since 2019, every new product that enters the 3M commercialization process is required to have a Sustainability Value Commitment, demonstrating how it impacts social equality, circularity or climate efforts. Action via solutionsAs the world continues to experience the widespread impact of climate change, 3M is providing solutions to help its customers drive the systemic change needed to advance climate solutions and adapt to a changing environment. For example, the company has expanded its R&D focused climate resilience innovation through carbon emissions mitigation, including a focus on automotive electrification heat removal through new cooling filters. The company also recently announced a new technology that could make the production of green hydrogen more cost-effective and efficient. Leveraging support from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), 3M is developing a catalyst technology used in water electrolysis, which is the primary means of green hydrogen production. For more information on 3M's ongoing efforts to improve the environment, visit 3M.com/GlobalImpact. About 3M3M (NYSE: MMM) believes science helps create a brighter world for everyone. By unlocking the power of people, ideas and science to reimagine what's possible, our global team uniquely addresses the opportunities and challenges of our customers, communities, and planet. Learn how we're working to improve lives and make what's next at 3M.com/news or on Twitter at @3M or @3MNews. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/3m-to-attend-cop27-with-a-focus-on-urgency-collaboration-progress-through-science-and-action-via-solutions-301667593.html SOURCE 3M SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- FalconX is honored to announce FalconX 360 has been recognized as the Most Innovative FinTech Solution by the 2022 Tech Ascension Awards. The Tech Ascension Awards recognized the very best innovations in technology. The Tech Ascension awards judged applicants based on technology innovation, market research, and competitive differentiators. The class-leading vendors that received recognition from the Tech Ascension Awards showcased technology that solves critical industry challenges and produces invaluable business outcomes for their customers. "FinTech innovation has become more critical than ever, and these leaders are pushing the market to new heights," said David Campbell, CEO, Tech Ascension Awards. "We're very excited to be able to recognize these leaders and look forward to following their growth and trajectory as the FinTech industry continues to evolve." FalconX 360 is the first and only unified investment and risk management platform for crypto that provides institutional investors full-spectrum execution capabilities and end-to-end reporting across their digital asset portfolio (availability of products and services is subject to jurisdictional limitations and capabilities of each FalconX entity). The platform increases access to risk management, prime services and security controls for institutions, all in one place. This is a transformational innovation in the crypto and financial space, delivering on FalconX's mission to enable the next billion users to access digital assets. In the same way that crypto is democratizing access to finance, the FalconX 360 platform is democratizing access to the digital asset ecosystem, allowing clients to be significantly more active and agile in their investments. Instead of splitting $1M across multiple platforms, investors can now bring that $1M to FalconX and access diversified investments through a single account, scaling up returns by 3-5X, streamlining account management, saving time and maximizing ROI. "We're proud that FalconX 360 is receiving this award recognition because investors have been eager for a solution that mitigates risk," said Raghu Yarlagadda, Founder and CEO of FalconX. "With this new platform, we are delivering confidence and security for digital asset investing, which is the future of finance." For more information about the Tech Ascension Awards, please visit www.techascensionawards.com. To learn more or get started with FalconX today, visit https://falconx.io About FalconX FalconX is a fully comprehensive digital asset platform that allows institutions to access and manage all of their crypto strategies through a single interface and seamless workflows, making it easy to execute trading, prime services and clearing all in one place. FalconX's crypto-as-a-service offering powers leading banks, FinTech institutions and investment applications to easily add crypto to their product offerings with a goal of enabling the next billion users to enter the crypto space. The company is backed by investors including Accel, Adams Street Partners, Altimeter Capital, American Express Ventures, B Capital, GIC, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Sapphire Ventures, Thoma Bravo, Tiger Global Management and Wellington Management. FalconX has offices in Silicon Valley, New York, Chicago, Bengaluru and Malta. For more information visit falconx.io or follow them on Twitter and LinkedIn About the Tech Ascension Awards The Tech Ascension Awards elevate companies that possess cutting-edge, innovative technology that solve critical challenges in their respective markets. Tech Ascension winners rise above the crowded consumer and enterprise technology industries and receive validation from an independent organization. Applicants are judged based on technology innovation and uniqueness, market research (analyst reports, media coverage, customer case studies), hard performance stats, and competitive differentiators. The awards recognize leaders in cybersecurity, DevOps, big data and more. For information about the Tech Ascension Awards, please visit www.techascensionawards.com. This material is for informational purposes only and is only intended for sophisticated or institutional investors. This material is not (i) an offer, or solicitation of an offer, to invest in, or to buy or sell, any interests or shares, or to participate in any investment or trading strategy, (ii) intended to provide accounting, legal, or tax advice, or investment recommendations, or (iii) an official statement of FalconX or any of its affiliates. Any information contained in this material is not and should not be regarded as investment research, debt research, or derivatives research for the purposes of the rules of the CFTC or any other relevant regulatory body. Prior to entering into any proposed transaction, recipients should determine, in consultation with their own investment, legal, tax, regulatory and accounting advisors, the economic risks and merits, as well as the legal, tax, regulatory and accounting characteristics and consequences of the transaction. This material does not constitute investment advice. To the extent permitted by law, FalconX does not accept any liability arising from the use of this communication. This material may contain information regarding structured products which involve over the counter derivatives. Pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Act, over the counter derivatives are only permitted to be traded by "eligible contract participants" ("ECP"s) as defined under Section 1a(18) of the CEA (7 U.S.C. 1a(18)). Do not invest in a structured product unless you are an ECP as relevant and fully understand and are willing to assume the risks associated with the product. Solios, Inc. is registered as a federal money services business with FinCEN. FalconX Bravo, Inc. is provisionally registered with the U.S. Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) as a swap dealer. FalconX Limited is a registered Class 3 VFA service provider under the Virtual Financial Assets Act of 2018 with the Malta Financial Services Authority. FalconX Limited, FalconX Bravo, Inc., nor Solios, Inc. are registered with the Securities & Exchange Commission or the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. "FalconX" is a marketing name for FalconX Limited and its subsidiaries. For information about which legal entities offer trading products and services, if you are considering entering into a derivatives transaction, or would like more information, please reach out to your Sales or Trading representative. Availability of products and services is subject to jurisdictional limitations and capabilities of each FalconX entity. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/falconx-360-recognized-as-the-most-innovative-fintech-solution-by-the-2022-tech-ascension-awards-301667803.html SOURCE FalconX This is the First Fisher House in Louisiana NEW ORLEANS, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The first Fisher House in Louisiana was dedicated today by VA Assistant Under Secretary for Health for Operations RimaAnn O. Nelson, President of Fisher House Foundation David A. Coker and Southeast Louisiana VA Health Care System Director Fernando Rivera. The new home began serving veteran families in December 2020. The nearly 15,000 sq. ft. Fisher House provides lodging for families of Veterans and military at no cost, allowing them to be close to their loved ones at the most stressful time, while they are receiving medical care. This Fisher House has already served hundreds of Veteran families since opening. At full occupancy, it can save military and veteran families more than half a million dollars each year. But more importantly, the New Orleans Fisher House allows Veterans to receive care they could not readily access in the past without a place for their loved ones to stay. "As a VA nurse myself, I know how important families are in the healing process and how important the Fisher House is in supporting that mission," said Nelson. "Keeping families together and keeping families close to our Veterans as they go through treatment is very important, so thank you, Fisher House for partnering with the VA." This Fisher House is part of a network of 93 homes located across the country and in Germany and the United Kingdom. It is located adjacent to VA medical center's main entrance. "It is an honor to finally dedicate the New Orleans Fisher House. Since opening in December 2020, right in the middle of the pandemic, this house has made a great impact," said Coker. "I applaud the Fisher House staff and the VA team for all they have done to support the community during these difficult times and am proud to know this house will be here to support veteran families for many years to come." The New Orleans Fisher House has 16 accessible suites, a spacious kitchen, large communal living, dining and family rooms, laundry room and a shared patio. The home was gifted to VA upon completion as part of the public-private partnership between Fisher House Foundation and the Department of Veterans Affairs. "VA and the Fisher House Foundation share a common mission to keep military and veteran families together while their loved one receives treatment at VA," said Rivera. "We recognize that family and loved ones are a critical member of the treatment team. The Fisher House has been a tremendous resource for the Veterans of southeast Louisiana and beyond." Fisher House Foundation proudly recognizes the generosity of the following contributors for their extraordinary support of our military and veteran families: 84 Lumber Company, Boysie and Joy Bollinger, Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation, Friends of the Fisher House of Southern Louisiana, Shipley Foundation, and the many gifts of a grateful nation. About Fisher House Fisher House Foundation is best known for its network of 93 comfort homes where military and veteran families can stay at no cost while a loved one is receiving treatment. These homes are located at major military and VA medical centers nationwide, and in Europe, close to the medical center or hospital they serve. Fisher Houses have up to 21 suites, with private bedrooms and baths. Families share a common kitchen, laundry facilities, a warm dining room and an inviting living room. Fisher House Foundation ensures that there is never a lodging fee. Since inception, the program has saved military and veteran families an estimated $547 million in out of pocket costs for lodging and transportation. www.fisherhouse.org About the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System The Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System provides quality, patient-centered health care to more than 65,000 enrolled Veterans throughout 23 parishes in southeast Louisiana. SLVHCS operates clinics in Baton Rouge, Bogalusa, Franklin, Hammond, Houma, Slidell and St. John Parish, as well as the new 200-bed tertiary care Veterans medical center in New Orleans. Visit the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System website https://www.va.gov/southeast-louisiana-health-care/ for information on clinic locations and other available services and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, keyword: VANewOrleans. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fisher-house-dedicated-at-new-orleans-va-medical-center-301668245.html SOURCE Fisher House Foundation RICHMOND, Va., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hilb Group announced today that it has grown its market presence in New England through the acquisition of an employee benefits book of business. The transaction became effective November 1, 2022. About Hilb Group: The Hilb Group is a leading property and casualty and employee benefits insurance brokerage and advisory firm headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. Hilb Group is a portfolio company of The Carlyle Group, a global investment firm. Hilb Group seeks to grow through strategic acquisitions and by leveraging its resources and expertise to drive organic growth in its acquired agencies. The company has completed more than 140 acquisitions with over 100 offices in 22 states. Hilb Group is rated as one of the Fastest Growing Brokers by Business Insurance, a Top P/C Agency by Insurance Journal, and one of America's Fastest Growing Private Companies in the Inc. 5000. For more information on Hilb Group's growth as well as career opportunities, please visit our website at http://hilbgroup.com. Media Contact:Peter Lobred 804.548.4629 [email protected] M&A Contact: Ryan Havermann 804.414.6508[email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hilb-group-acquires-new-england-based-employee-benefits-business-301667611.html SOURCE The Hilb Group, LLC SONOMA COUNTY, Calif., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- As Kendall-Jackson celebrates its 40th anniversary, Head Winemaker Randy Ullom has been named Wine Enthusiast's "American Wine Legend" in the 23rd Annual Wine Enthusiast Wine Star Awards. This prestigious category recognizes a sole nominee and honors their standing as a true icon in the American wine industry. The Wine Enthusiast Wine Star Awards have become one of the most revered global wine industry awards, given annually to commemorate influential members of the global wine, spirits and beverage industry. "It is a privilege to be recognized amongst my peers for work that is my true passion. Wine has been a constant throughout my life. As a child, I watched my father become a hobbyist home winemaker, and his joy instilled excitement in me that has persevered throughout my career. Being named American Wine Legend only furthers this excitement, especially as we look ahead to the future of our industry. Along with the incredible winemaking team at Kendall-Jackson, I look forward to continuing to push for greater enhancements in site-specific soils, grapes, and farming techniques, because ultimately, a winemaker is a farmer first," said Randy Ullom, Kendall-Jackson Head Winemaker. Randy Ullom's distinction as "American Wine Legend" comes on the cusp of his 30th year at Kendall-Jackson and the winery's 40th anniversary. Founded by Jess Jackson in 1982, Kendall-Jackson has risen from a single varietal winery to producing iconic wines from across California's most prized growing regions and championing industry sustainability standards. Hired in 1993 by Jackson, Ullom joined Kendall-Jackson after having served as winemaker at DeLoach Vineyards for more than ten years. In his first few years as winemaker for Kendall-Jackson, he led efforts to open wineries in Mendocino and in the pursuit of opportunities in Monterey and Santa Barbara, he helped establish Kendall-Jackson's single vineyard programs which resulted in labels such as Camelot Highlands Chardonnay, one of the winery's top-tier offerings today. In addition, he spearheaded winemaking operations in Chile and started the company's wine endeavors in Australia with the opening of Yangarra Estate Vineyard. In 1997, Ullom was promoted to Head Winemaker for Kendall-Jackson because of his extensive knowledge of the viticultural and winemaking programs. Ullom embraces superior quality, integrity, authenticity, and consistency as the backbone to Kendall-Jackson's storied winemaking heritage. As the only American wine company with an ownership stake in a French stave mill, Kendall-Jackson, under Ullom's leadership, developed a robust and industry-leading barrel program that enables him to choose precise oak sourcing the region and the forest which guarantees him access to the highest-quality, sustainably sourced oak for Kendall-Jackson's barrels. Furthermore, Ullom is responsible for pushing boundaries and creating some of the most innovative initiatives in the wine space today, such as barrel-fermenting almost every drop of the flagship Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay, the largest barrel-ferment in the world for Chardonnay and an unprecedented commitment to artisanal winemaking techniques to achieve craft winemaking at scale. His distinguished winemaking skills have helped Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay maintain its position as America's #1 selling Chardonnay for 30 years. "Randy is an integral part of Kendall-Jackson's history," said Barbara Banke, Chairman and Proprietor of Jackson Family Wines, the family-owned wine company she co-founded and now leads with her family. "He is an icon who has shaped the wine industry and his distinctive style of Chardonnay. He has enabled Kendall-Jackson's Vintners Reserve Chardonnay to be the industry leader for over 30 years. He is an authority on all things Chardonnay and his precision and focus are remarkable." A hands-on approach and time spent daily in the vineyards has helped Ullom and the Kendall-Jackson team achieve industry-wide recognition as leaders in sustainability. Kendall-Jackson has implemented many winemaking and vineyard practices under Ullom's leadership that support environmental concerns as it conserves natural resources, improves air and water quality, and protects ecosystems and wildlife habitat. "The better the soil, the better the wine," said Ullom. One hundred percent of Kendall-Jackson's 10,000 planted acres of estate vineyards throughout the coastal California region are third-party Certified Sustainable. The winery is powered in part by renewable solar energy and many water conservation practices have been implemented. Additionally, the vineyards are designed to have minimal environmental impact, with over half the total acreage left to grow wild and unfenced in support of biodiversity and the natural migratory routes of the diverse local wildlife. Even with all these practices in place, Ullom personally ensures the quality of each vineyard by tasting every lot of wine. Ullom will be honored as named Wine Enthusiast's "American Wine Legend" at the Wine Star Awards black-tie gala taking place in San Francisco, California in January 2023. For more information, please visit www.kj.com and www.winemag.com. About Kendall-Jackson Kendall-Jackson is one of America's most beloved family-owned and operated wineries. The winery's flagship wine, the Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay, has been America's favorite Chardonnay since 1992. Founded by entrepreneur and visionary Jess Jackson in 1982, and now led by his wife Barbara Banke and the Jackson family, Kendall-Jackson is based in Sonoma County and offers a range of acclaimed wines grown on the family's estate vineyards along the coastal ridges of California. Kendall-Jackson is the benchmark for sustainable wine endeavors, setting the precedent for advancement in solar, water, and vineyard practices. Wine Enthusiast Magazine recently named Kendall-Jackson the 2017 American Winery of the Year, one of the wine industry's most distinguished accolades. Recognized as a leader in the industry for more than three decades, Kendall-Jackson has built a reputation centered around consistent, high-quality wines that are available nationwide in national grocery stores, boutique wine retailers, and restaurants. Learn more online at www.kj.com, and follow Kendall-Jackson on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. About Wine Enthusiast Founded in 1979 by Adam and Sybil Strum and composed of Wine Enthusiast Media and Wine Enthusiast Commerce, Wine Enthusiast Companies is the ultimate source of innovation and information around wine. With custom products reaching millions of consumers globally via direct mail, a thriving e-commerce site and a business-to-business division, Wine Enthusiast Catalog provides everything wine lovers need to enjoy wine to the fullest in their homes. Wine Enthusiast magazine is an award-winning print publication and online resource that showcases wine and food trends, enotravel, and over 25,000 ratings and reviews annually. Together, Wine Enthusiast Companies is the indisputable hub for everything wine. To be put simply, our company mission statement is: We Bring Wine to Life. MEDIA CONTACTQUINN PR[email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kendall-jacksons-head-winemaker-randy-ullom-honored-as-the-2022-american-wine-legend-for-wine-enthusiast-wine-star-awards-301667809.html SOURCE Kendall-Jackson WEC Energy Group, Clark Public Utilities, and Snohomish County PUD take top spots in Business Customer Satisfaction Study BOULDER, Colo., Nov. 3, 2022 E Source is pleased to announce the results of the E Source 2022 Business Customer Satisfaction Study. The company surveyed large business customers to discover the utility attributes they value most as well as where their utility ranks on those attributes. The survey uses a 10-point scale, where 1 is the lowest score and 10 is the highest. Among nine attributes, large business customers selected three as most important for a utility to possess: Energy reliability Trustworthiness Effective emergency communications E Source Market Research conducts the annual Business Customer Satisfaction Study to provide utilities and account representatives with direct feedback from large business customers. The survey produces an understanding of the overall satisfaction levels and identifies where improvement is essential. Over 700 large business customers participated in the 14th edition of the study, which revealed the top-ranked utilities in 2022. Of the participating utilities, WEC Energy Group earned the top spot, receiving a score of 9.32 out of 10 for overall customer satisfaction and perceived value. WEC Energy Group also scored high in being trustworthy, providing reliable energy, and being easy to do business with. In addition, the utility's account reps earned the highest score for resolving customer issues on first contact. "I'm proud of this team of highly qualified individuals who are all focused on providing top-notch service and customer satisfaction," says Greg Smedema, key accounts manager for We Energies and Wisconsin Public Service, subsidiaries of WEC Energy Group. Clark Public Utilities earned second place in the large business study. The utility scored high in trustworthiness, being easy to do business with, and energy reliability Clark Public Utilities earned an average score of 9.28 out of 10 for overall satisfaction and perceived value. "Our large customers play an outsized role in our local economy, and we strive to provide them with the best service possible," says Debbie DePetris, manager of energy services at Clark Public Utilities. "So it's both gratifying and humbling to know they're satisfied with our performance. But we look forward to using this year's survey results to deliver even better customer service." In third place, Snohomish County PUD scored high in trustworthiness, being easy to do business with, and energy reliability. Large business customers gave the utility an overall satisfaction and perceived value score of 9.11 out of 10. "We are pleased that our efforts to provide our large business customers with excellent customer service and reliable and affordable power has been recognized in E Source's latest benchmark survey," says Pam Baley, assistant general manager for customer and energy services at Snohomish County PUD. "Our Key Accounts group is a key connection to our large business customers, and their work is critical to our mission and values. We appreciate the E Source survey and the valuable feedback we receive from it." "We'd like to congratulate the top utilities in the large business study for their continued focus on providing reliable energy, while maintaining customer trust and being easy to do business with," says Daniel Doutre, lead analyst, E Source Market Research. "The fact that these utilities have been able to maintain or improve their customer relationships over the past few years is impressive and noteworthy." Members of the E Source Account Management Service will be able to access the complete study results, which will be available soon. Utility participants that aren't members of this service may purchase aggregate results separately. Contact E Source to learn more. About E Source E Source, the data authority for the utility industry, blends industry-leading research, predictive data science, and solution services to help utilities make better decisions to support their customers, their bottom line, and our planet. With a commitment to practical innovation, we use more than three decades of utility-focused experience and our unique solution set to help clients achieve their goal of becoming a Sustainable Utility. E Source is headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, with offices across the US. For more information, see www.esource.com. Public relations contact Sannie Sieper, Director of Marketing, E Source [email protected]303-345-9138 View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/large-business-customers-desire-energy-reliability-trustworthiness-and-effective-emergency-communications-301667069.html SOURCE E Source Companies LLC BOZEMAN, MT and VANCOUVER, BC, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Microbion Corporation today announced that the company will present a poster at the North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference, November 3 5, in Philadelphia, PA highlighting the activity of pravibismane against bacterial pathogens associated with lung infection in people with cystic fibrosis (CF). The objective of this study was to measure the minimal inhibitory concentration of pravibismane on pathogens commonly associated with CF lung infections and to determine whether the presence of pulmonary surfactant impacted pravibismane's activity. Pravibismane's activity was compared to a panel of frontline antibiotics clinically used to manage these infections. Financial support for this study was provided by CARB-X. Poster Details: Title: Investigating the activity of pravibismane against bacterial isolates common in cystic fibrosis pulmonary infections (Poster No. 501) Date and Time: November 3, 2022, from 12:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. ET; and November 4, 2022, from 12:00 p.m. 12:40 p.m. ET Presenting Author: Dr. Brett Baker, President and Chief Innovation Officer, Microbion Online abstract link: click here Pravibismane was found to be generally more potent, as measured by MIC90, than commonly used first- or second-line agents in susceptible and resistant bacterial species such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Acinetobacter baumannii, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Burkholderia cepacia complex, and Mycobacterium abscessus. The presence of pulmonary surfactant did not have an impact on pravibismane activity. "We are excited to be sharing these data demonstrating that pravibismane is highly active against a broad spectrum of pathogens that commonly infect the airways of people with cystic fibrosis and contribute to the lung disease associated with cystic fibrosis," said Rafael E. Hernandez, MD, PhD, infectious diseases physician and researcher at Seattle Children's Hospital and collaborating scientist on the poster. Pravibismane is the first in a new class of anti-infective drugs structurally unrelated to other clinically utilized antibiotics. With a novel mechanism of action, pravibismane rapidly reduces bacterial ATP production in both planktonic and biofilm bacterial populations, thereby halting global bacterial cellular metabolism. Pravibismane has also demonstrated safety and signals of efficacy in multiple clinical studies including treatment of patients with diabetic foot infections and patients with serious orthopedic device-related infections. The company plans to advance an inhaled formulation of pravibismane into Phase 1 clinical development for the treatment of chronic lung diseases, including non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) and cystic fibrosis-related lung infections. Disclaimer: Research reported in this press release is supported by the Cooperative Agreement Number IDSEP160030 from ASPR/BARDA and by awards from Wellcome Trust and Germany's Federal Ministry of Education and Research, as administrated by CARB-X. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, CARB-X, or other funders. About Microbion Microbion is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing a new class of therapeutic compounds to improve the lives of patients with rare and serious diseases. Microbion's lead drug candidate, pravibismane, is the first product in this new class and has a novel mechanism of action offering unique potential to address the unmet needs of chronic and severe health conditions. The Company is advancing inhaled pravibismane in Phase 1 clinical development for the treatment of chronic lung diseases, including non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) and cystic fibrosis-related lung infections. Topical/local pravibismane is in Phase 2 development for the treatment of chronic wounds and orthopedic infections. Pravibismane has received backing from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, NIH, US DoD, and CARB-X with over $21 million in grants. The FDA has granted pravibismane with Orphan Drug, Fast Track, and QIDP designations. For more information visit: www.microbioncorp.com. Safe Harbor Statement Certain of the statements made in this press release are forward-looking, such as those, among others, relating to the success of clinical development of pravibismane and preparation for potential commercialization. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those anticipated, including, but not limited to, risks and uncertainties related to: our ability to enroll patients in our clinical trials at the pace that we project; the size and growth of the potential markets for pravibismane or any future product candidates and our ability to serve those markets; our ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approval of pravibismane or any future product candidates; and our expectations regarding the potential safety, efficacy or clinical utility of pravibismane or any future product candidates. Actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected or implied in these forward-looking statements. Microbion Corporation disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/microbion-corporation-announces-poster-highlighting-pravibismane-activity-against-common-cystic-fibrosis-pulmonary-pathogens-to-be-presented-at-the-north-american-cystic-fibrosis-conference-2022-301667118.html SOURCE Microbion Corporation - Clinically predictive CFHBE model suggests SION-638 restores F508-CFTR maturation, trafficking, and function to wild-type levels when combined with mechanistically complementary agents - - Data presented at the North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference BOSTON, Mass., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sionna Therapeutics, a life sciences company dedicated to developing highly effective and differentiated treatments for cystic fibrosis (CF), today announced the presentation of preclinical data that demonstrate the restoration of wild-type function of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) impaired by F508 by stabilizing CFTR's first nucleotide binding domain (NBD1) with SION-638, the company's first-in-class small molecule NBD1 corrector, combined with mechanistically complementary agents. The data are being presented at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference (NACFC) 2022 being held November 3-5 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. "We know that full CFTR correction may require NBD1 stabilization, but for decades researchers have concluded that NBD1, as a target, is undruggable," said Greg Hurlbut, Ph.D., Co-Founder and Senior Vice President, Discovery Research of Sionna. "Now we have shown that our novel small molecules successfully bind to this important target in CF, potentially enabling full restoration of CFTR function in people with the F508 mutation. We are encouraged by the data showing that NBD1 stabilization with SION-638 in combination with other complementary modulators led to wild-type correction of CFTR in the predictive CFHBE model." There are over 100,000 people living with CF around the world. It is a serious, potentially fatal genetic disease caused by a mutation in the CFTR gene that leads to a buildup of mucus in the lungs and airways, impaired pancreatic function and other organ dysfunction. It is estimated that approximately 90 percent of people living with CF have the genetic mutation F508 that causes NBD1 destabilization and leads to impaired folding, trafficking, half-life, and function of CFTR. Sionna researchers used functional and biochemical assays to evaluate the activity of Sionna's first NBD1 targeted program, SION-638, alone and in combination with Sionna's fourth intracellular loop (ICL4)- and first transmembrane domain (TMD1)-directed correctors, and standard-of-care CFTR modulators. Key findings include: SION-638 binds to the NBD1 of CFTR. Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) was used to evaluate SION-638 binding to human wild-type NBD1 and two F508-NBD1 isoforms. SION-638 demonstrated 1:1 binding across all three NBD1 isoforms with KD values ranging from 29nM - 48nM. SION-638 stabilizes the NBD1 of CFTR. Differential Static Light Scattering (DSLS) was used to assess the ability of SION-638 to stabilize NBD1. SION-638 increased F508-NBD1 stability by up to 10.4C. Standard-of-care CFTR modulators had no meaningful impact on NBD1 stability. SION-638 improves F508-CFTR maturation and trafficking. A F508-CFTR-horseradish peroxidase (HRP) trafficking assay was used to quantitate cell surface CFTR levels. SION-638 increased cell surface F508-CFTR to wild-type levels when combined with complementary modulators. SION-638 increases F508-CFTR function. CFTR-dependent chloride transport was measured in F508 homozygous human bronchial epithelial cells (CFHBE) treated with SION-638 plus standard-of-care CFTR modulators. CFTR channel activity achieved wild-type levels when SION-638 was added. "Currently available modulators increase the function of CFTR, providing eligible patients with clinical benefits, but do not enable most people with CF to achieve normal levels of CFTR function," said Mike Cloonan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Sionna Therapeutics. "We believe NBD1 is essential to normalize the function of CFTR and the production of healthy, freely flowing mucus in the airways, digestive system, and other organs. These data suggest that our NBD1 stabilizers enable multiple potential paths to full restoration of CFTR function for most people with CF, which is unprecedented. We are moving forward aggressively with our development programs and look forward to submitting an Investigational New Drug (IND) application for our first NBD1 corrector, SION-638, and initiating a Phase 1 study in the first half of 2023." About Sionna TherapeuticsSionna Therapeutics is a life sciences company dedicated to developing highly effective and differentiated treatments for cystic fibrosis (CF) by normalizing the function of CFTR, the key protein associated with disease progression in CF. Building on over a decade of extensive research on the genetic mutations associated with CF and founded in 2019, Sionna is advancing a pipeline of small molecules engineered to correct the protein defects caused by F508, the most common mutation that affects the CFTR protein. The company has a first-in-class portfolio of programs targeting correction of NBD1, the key and unique mechanism to enable full restoration of F508-CFTR function, and complementary programs targeting ICL4 and TMD1. Sionna's pipeline has the potential to deliver best-in-class efficacy and reach previously unachievable levels of long-term benefit for people with CF. For information about Sionna visit https://www.sionnatx.com/. Media ContactAdam DaleyBerry & Company Public Relations212.253.8881[email protected] Investor Contact[email protected] View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sionna-therapeutics-presents-preclinical-data-demonstrating-restoration-of-f508-cftr-by-stabilizing-nbd1-with-sion-638-in-cystic-fibrosis-301667936.html SOURCE Sionna Therapeutics Dedicates 2,300 Servers for Use by Solana Validators and RPCs DALLAS, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- StackPath, the industry-leading edge computing platform today announced the third expansion of its participation in the Solana Foundation Server Program. Partnerships like this have been a critical part of Solana becoming the fastest growing blockchain ecosystem. The Solana Foundation Server Program provides access to best-in-class, approved-for-blockchain cloud Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) around the world, with advantageous contract terms, to be used for Solana RPC nodes or Solana validators. StackPath has already deployed 1,200 servers that host ultra-low latency virtual machines (VMs) for members of the Server Program. By the end of 2022, the company will deploy an additional 1,100 servers, providing VMs in a total of 39 cities around the world. "The decentralized structure of edge computing aligns with the decentralized nature of blockchain," said Alex Kehaya, Network Infrastructure Lead at the Solana Foundation. "We're glad to have StackPath as part of the Server Program, providing its edge computing solutions to our community. Partnerships like this have been a critical part of Solana becoming the fastest growing blockchain ecosystem." The StackPath platform consists of edge locations deployed in the world's most populous urban areas. That gives its edge IaaS closer proximity to data sources and destinations, as well as greater geographic diversity than traditional cloud computing platforms. In addition, StackPath edge locations are connected by a private network backbone, letting systems communicate within and between sites entirely without using public internet. It all combines to provide blockchain workloads significant speed and predictability advantages. "The industry has spent the last two decades optimizing cloud IaaS for cloud-native workloads," said Kip Turco, StackPath CEO. "But blockchain workloadsfrom cryptocurrencies to Web3 applicationsreally are edge-native. Sure, they can run on traditional cloud. But at the edge they can unlock the full potential of their architecture. That's why we believe we have a powerful role in the Server Program and intend to become a leading platform for blockchain." StackPath participation in the Server Program is in partnership with Inflect, a high-touch advisory specializing in digital infrastructure and connected solutions. "The Server Program is an invaluable resource for Solana developers," said Mike Nguyen, CEO of Inflect. "The blockchain community has been challenged by issues ranging from supply chain shortages to service providers backing away from blockchain use cases. The Server Program is designed to mitigate those challenges, helping foster sustainable growth and advance the overall decentralization of the Solana ecosystem." StackPath will join Inflect to exhibit at Solana Breakpoint in Lisbon, November 4 through 7, 2022, The Pateo da Gale, location 4, where it will provide demonstrations and announce an exclusive special offer for Breakpoint attendees through the Solana Foundation Server Program. About StackPath StackPath is a cloud platform built at the internet's edge, providing infrastructure and services physically closer to the source or destination of data than hyperscale cloud service providers. StackPath Edge Compute (including virtual machines and containers), Edge Delivery (including CDN and serverless scripting), and Edge Security (including WAF) solutions run in edge locations strategically deployed in high-density markets and united by a secure global network and a single management system. Customers ranging from Fortune 50 enterprises to one-person startups trust StackPath to give their latency-sensitive workloads and real-time applications the speed, security, and efficiency they require. About Inflect Inflect facilitates frictionless transactions for digital infrastructure services, no matter how complex. We believe businesses should be able to easily find and buy the digital infrastructure they need for every use case and every location in the world. But finding and buying internet infrastructure has historically been a slow, manual process. Inflect's platform simplifies buying and selling of complex infrastructure with an easy-to-use online marketplace, intuitive research tools, and customer and partner management programs. About Solana Foundation The Solana Foundation is a non-profit foundation based in Zug, Switzerland, dedicated to the decentralization, adoption, and security of the Solana ecosystem. For more information, please visit https://solana.org/. About Solana Solana is a global state machine, and the world's most performant blockchain. It gives developers the confidence to build for the long term by delivering predictable scaling without compromising security or composability. Solana's performance is driven by a single global state, which is capable of processing tens of thousands of smart contracts at once, and by Proof of History, a distributed clock that unlocks low-latency, sub-second finality across the global state. To learn more, please visit https://solana.com/. Contact:[email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/stackpath-expands-participation-in-solana-foundation-server-program-301667670.html SOURCE STACKPATH, LLC LOS ANGELES, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is proud to announce the launch of Feel Thailand with Delta and Korean Air, a bold new initiative that showcases Thailand's increased accessibility for U.S. travelers. Thailand Welcomes US Tourists with New Initiative. Taking place November 1-9, 2022, this one-of-a-kind mega-trip will bring together 50 travel agents from throughout the U.S. to experience Thailand's new offerings. Featuring stays in Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket, the nine-day outing will promote tourism by helping agents discover the latest tourism products, learn about sustainable and responsible tourism practices, meet with trusted trade suppliers in one-on-one meetings, and build strong relationships with program partners. "With winter approaching on their doorstep, many Americans are finding now is the perfect time to rediscover the wonders of Thailand," said Yuthasak Supasorn, TAT Governor. "With the country fully open to travelers, we want to showcase the new and perennial offerings of our kingdom that serve to create a truly unforgettable holiday." U.S. travel agents will get a chance to live that holiday experience firsthand through Feel Thailand. Throughout the trip, participants will have the opportunity to sample a variety of adventures, whether it's sipping drinks at a rooftop bar overlooking the dazzling Temple of Dawn in Bangkok, exploring a sustainable artisan-run village in Chiang Mai, or basking in a golden afternoon while island hopping in Phang Nga Bay. "There are so many adventures awaiting U.S. travelers in Thailand," said Siriwan Seeharach, Director of the TAT Los Angeles Office. "We're making sure that those adventures are easier to access, no matter where you live in the U.S." To achieve this goal, TAT is joining forces with Delta Air Lines and Korean Air to increase flight options for tourists traveling from the U.S. to Thailand. The industry-leading Delta-Korean Air transpacific joint venture offers customers greater choice and a more comprehensive range of benefits, including efficient connections to Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket from a combined network of 17 U.S. gateways. Traveling to Thailand also lets American tourists take advantage of an exceptionally strong U.S. dollar, currently trading at its highest since 2006. That translates into increased purchasing power for tourists, who will have more local currency to spend on lodging, food, recreation, and shopping. Another element that recent visitors to Thailand have found appealing is the country's emphasis on meaningful travel. As part of the country's Bio-Circular-Green Economic Model, TAT is working with its partners to promote sustainable tourism by creating quality standards for tourism while maintaining and rehabilitating natural resources in tourist areas. In 2019, Thailand's tourism industry attracted more than 1.1 million U.S. visitors. This year, the country has set a target of 7-10 million international tourists overall. About the Tourism Authority of Thailand The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) was established in 1960 by the Royal Thai Government to be responsible for tourism promotion. Since 1965, TAT has had a presence in the US with offices in New York and Los Angeles. About Delta Air Lines One of the major airlines of the United States and a legacy carrier, Delta is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates over 5,400 flights daily and serves 325 destinations in 52 countries on six continents. Delta is a founding member of the SkyTeam airline alliance and ranked second among the world's largest airlines by the number of passengers carried. About Korean Air Korean Air, established in 1969, is one of the world's top 20, operating over 460 flights per day to 124 cities in 44 countries on six continents. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tats-feel-thailand-initiative-highlights-expanded-access-to-thailand-for-us-travelers-301668227.html SOURCE Tourism Authority of Thailand Los Angeles Office BENTON HARBOR, Mich., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Whirlpool Corp. has announced that it is taking steps toward making smart appliances work more harmoniously in home ecosystems by announcing support for Matter, the gold standard of smart home connectivity. Whirlpool Corp. will also be an active member of the Matter working group focused on supporting appliances in a future version of Matter, and will add support to the company's smart appliance lineup when that support launches. "If the past few years have taught us anything, it's that connectivity is essential to our mission of improving life at home for our consumers," said Whirlpool Corp. VP of Global Platforms Ludo Beaufils. "Matter allows consumers to enjoy all the smart features found on our products, while connecting compatible devices and systems with one another and controlling them from their preferred app or voice assistant." Matter is the new language of the smart home, led by the Connectivity Standards Alliance, with support from hundreds of the world's leading IoT and smart home companies. Products built on Matter will work seamlessly with each other and introduce robust, core security features and flexible ways to control with its Multi-Admin capabilities. The Matter standard launched in October and its core features of interoperability, control, convenience, and security will begin rolling out in products for consumers beginning this month. Matter has support from more than 220 global companies and 3,000 individual engineersthat represent the entire value chain, from silicon, hardware, software, ecosystems and platforms, to retail. "We're excited to add Whirlpool Corp. to our list of leading companies committing support and participating in Matter," said Tobin Richardson, CEO and president of the Connectivity Standards Alliance. "Appliances are one of the major categories of smart devices that consumers want to have connected in their home, and Matter is a pathway that can make this mainstream through interoperability, efficiency and convenience. Whirlpool Corporation's nearly 111 years of experience in the appliances industry will be invaluable to the Alliance and the Matter working group as we look to add support for this important category of devices to the core standard in the near future." About Whirlpool Corporation: Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE: WHR) is committed to being the best global kitchen and laundry company, in constant pursuit of improving life at home. In an increasingly digital world, the company is driving purposeful innovation to meet the evolving needs of consumers through its iconic brand portfolio, including Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Maytag, Consul, Brastemp, Amana, Bauknecht, JennAir, Indesit and Yummly. In 2021, the company reported approximately $22 billion in annual sales, 69,000 employees and 54 manufacturing and technology research centers. Additional information about the company can be found at WhirlpoolCorp.com. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/whirlpool-corp-announces-plans-to-bring-matter-support-to-its-smart-appliance-models-and-joins-matter-working-group-focused-on-appliances-301667753.html SOURCE Whirlpool Corporation WisdomTree Trust 250 West 34th Street, 3rd Floor New York, NY 10119 November 3, 2022 VIA EDGAR U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission 100 F Street, NE Washington, DC 20549 Re: WisdomTree Trust; SEC File Nos. 333-132380 and 811-21864; Request for Withdrawal of Post-Effective Amendment Filing to the Trusts Registration Statement on Form N-1A Pursuant to Rule 477 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the 1933 Act), WisdomTree Trust (the Trust), on behalf of its series WisdomTree Energy Transition Metals Strategy Fund (the Fund), hereby respectfully requests withdrawal of Post-Effective Amendment No. 849 (PEA No. 849), which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission via EDGAR (Accession No. 0001214659-22-003169) on February 25, 2022 pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of Rule 485 under the 1933 Act. The withdrawal of PEA No. 849 is requested because the Trust has determined not to move forward with the offering of such Fund as a series of the Trust pursuant to the investment strategies disclosed in PEA No. 849 at this time. No securities were sold in connection with this offering. Please feel free to contact me at 917-267-3855 with any questions or comments. Sincerely, The allure of Regensburgs Bavarian history museum comes in the form of interactive displays and invitations to become personally acquainted with items ranging from crowns to Bavarian military clothing to antique cars. Opened in June 2019, the museum presents a contemporary view of more than two centuries of the rich history of Germanys largest state. Its setting along the Danube River and proximity to the city center heighten the enticement. Greeting visitors is a 12-foot-tall lion grasping a beer stein and depicted in full roar. The information desk is just past the lion and a 7-euro ticket allows admission to the museums permanent exhibits, rotating exhibits and films. All the films shown are in German, but headsets with narration in English are available. An escalator takes visitors to the permanent exhibition, which is set up like a maze starting from the 1800s and moving to the present day, weaving together materials spanning nine generations. Along the way, visitors can feel what it is like to be royalty by trying on a replica of a crown or experience the heavy load soldiers in the Napoleonic era carried by putting on their gear and clothes. One highlight of the permanent exhibit is its Olympic memorabilia, which includes sleds and skis from the Winter Games and such items as medals and uniforms from the Summer Games. A special section marks the 50th anniversary of the 1972 Munich Olympics. It has a display on the attack by Palestinian terrorist group Black September, which resulted in the deaths of 11 Israeli athletes and a German. Once through the maze, visitors can make their way to the space for rotating exhibits. The current one, running until Dec. 11, is titled Pub Extinction? Pubs are Alive! It provides an in-depth look into the history of Bavarian pubs. Winkler Brau in Velburg and the Gasthof Zum Roten Ochsen in Falkenberg are among its featured historic Bavarian pubs that have survived to the present. All the interactive displays are English-friendly, and descriptions on the walls are in German, English and Braille. However, visitors might run into a small language barrier with the video and audio recordings in some parts of the museum, as there are no English translations. If the immersion into Bavarian history has fired up visitors appetites, a short stroll from the museum leads to a veritable institution of Regensburg that carries the museum theme into the realm of food. The historic sausage kitchen, or Wurstkueche, is billed as the oldest continuously open public restaurant in the world and is an ideal spot for the most traditional of belly-filling German fare. For those who arent ready to call it a day, this UNESCO World Heritage city of 150,000 has plenty of other attention-grabbing sights in store. A list of 16 highlights in a city promo includes St. Peters Cathedral, the Stone Bridge, Old City Hall and the stunningly ornate Basilica of the Nativity of Our Lady. In German, it is referred to as the Alte Kapelle. Also, the visually appealing Goliathhaus was the residence of the famed Oskar Schindler for a brief period in 1945. On the QT Address: Donaumarkt 1, Regensburg, Germany. Its a one-hour drive from the Grafenwoehr and Vilseck area. Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Cost: Admission is 7 euros for adults, 5 euros for individuals over 65 and groups of 15 people or more; free for anyone under 18 and students under 30. Information: Online: museum.bayern/museum.html Aqua World, the centerpiece of any visit to Oarai in Ibaraki prefecture just north of Tokyo, boasts the largest variety of shark species of any aquarium in Japan. The five-story, 213,000-square-foot aquarium doubles as one of Oarais main attractions and the prefectural aquarium. The aquarium celebrated its 20th anniversary in March. Inside, visitors may find more than 68,000 different sea creatures for a total of approximately 580 different species. Nearly every manner of marine life is represented, including penguins, sea otters, seals, sunfish, crabs and eels. The biggest draw, however, is the aquariums vast array of sharks. As of August, Oarai had 59 different species of sharks on display, including well-known species such as hammerheads and nurse sharks and lesser-known species such as the minuscule saddle carpetshark or the colorful Indonesian speckled catshark. The aquarium is divided into a series of themed zones. In the Deep Sea zone, visitors may see the massive Japanese spider crab or an array of colorful jellyfish; the Rivers and Streams zone has playful otters and freshwater fish swimming in simulated waterways. Outside in the Oceanfront zone, Humboldt penguins swim in their enclosure and fur seals relax next to the water. Inside the Ocean Theater, California sea lions and dolphins perform myriad tricks alongside their trainers. A family-friendly venue, Aqua World is also completely wheelchair accessible. Admission is 2,000 yen ($13.51) for adults, 900 yen for elementary or middle school students, 300 yen for infants and free for children under age 3. Oarai is just a 1 -hour drive from Tokyo or a 2 -hours from Yokosuka, making it the perfect destination for a daytrip or weekend getaway. Oarai is also accessible via rail by taking the JR East Line from Shinagawa Station in Tokyo to Mito Station, and then transferring to the Kashima Rinkai Tetsudo Oarai-Kashima line. wilson.alex@stripes.com Twitter: @AlexMNWilson KYIV, Ukraine The UN's nuclear agency said Thursday that its inspectors found no evidence to support Russia's claim that Ukraine planned to build and detonate a radioactive "dirty bomb" with the intent of blaming it on Moscow. The International Atomic Energy Agency said the inspections requested by the Ukrainian government "did not find any indications of undeclared nuclear activities and materials." The agency said its experts carried out inspections in three locations in Ukraine and were given unfettered access to the sites. "Based on the evaluation of the results available to date and the information provided by Ukraine, the agency did not find any indications of undeclared nuclear activities and materials at the locations," the agency said in a statement. Top Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, have made repeated unfounded claims that Ukraine planned to detonate a bomb that scatters radioactive waste in a false flag operation it would try to pin on Moscow. Russia's U.N. ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, claimed in a letter to the U.N. Security Council members last week that Ukraine's nuclear research facility and mining company "received direct orders from (President Volodymyr) Zelenskyy's regime to develop such a dirty bomb." Western nations had called Moscow's unproven allegation "transparently false." Ukrainian authorities dismissed it as an attempt to distract attention from alleged Russian plans to set off a dirty bomb as a way to justify an escalation of hostilities. Earlier Thursday, Ukraine's nuclear operator said Thursday that Russian shelling damaged power lines connecting Europe's largest nuclear power plant to the Ukrainian grid, leaving the plant again relying on emergency diesel generators. As fighting in Ukraine has damaged power lines and electrical substations, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has repeatedly operated on backup generators to cool its reactors and keep other safety systems running until regular power could be restored. The generators have enough fuel to maintain the plant in southeastern Ukraine for just 15 days, state nuclear power comany Energoatom said on its Telegram channel. "The countdown has begun," Energoatom said, noting it had limited possibilities to "maintain the ZNPP in a safe mode," raising fears of a potential nuclear disaster. The International Atomic Energy Agency said Thursday that the plant's latest switch to backup power further underlines "the extremely precarious nuclear safety and security situation at the facility and the urgent need to establish a protection zone around it." The development "again demonstrates the plant's fragile and vulnerable situation," Rafael Grossi, the director general of the U.N. nuclear watchdog, said. Relying on diesel generators "is clearly not a sustainable way to operate a major nuclear facility," Grossi added. "Measures are needed to prevent a nuclear accident at the site. The establishment of a nuclear safety and security protection zone is urgently needed." The plant's six reactors are not in operation, but outside electricity is needed to cool its spent fuel. Russia and Ukraine have traded blame for months amid the war for shelling at and around the plant that the IAEA has warned could cause a radiation emergency. Russia gave a different account, blaming Ukraine. The Russian state-run news agency Tass quoted an official at Russia's nuclear power operator, Rosenergoatom, as claiming that Ukraine had switched off two power lines providing the nuclear plant with electricity. The official, Renat Karchaa, said the move deprived the city of Energodar, where plant's workers live, of heating. He confirmed that emergency backup diesel generators had to be switched on to cool the reactors and run other safety systems, but denied the problems had been caused by Russian shelling of power lines. Russian forces occupied the plant during the early days of the war. The plant is located in the Zaporizhzhia region, part of which has been occupied by Russian forces and illegally annexed, along with three other provinces, by Russian President Vladimir Putin last month. Although Putin signed a decree transferring the nuclear plant to Russian ownership, Ukrainian workers continue to run the plant. The latest loss of reliable electricity overnight came when Russia shelled two power lines that were connecting the plant to the Ukrainian grid in "an attempt to reconnect the nuclear plant to the Russian power system," Energoatom alleged. Across the Dnieper River from the power plant, the city of Nikopol was also shelled again, damaging residential buildings, a gas station and several private enterprises, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office said Thursday. Other Ukrainian cities were also hit, with Russia using drones, missiles and heavy artillery that left six civilians dead and 16 others wounded, according to the president's office. Energy and water facilities were struck in Zelenskyy's native city of Kryvyi Rih, leaving several districts without electricity or water. Further east in the Donetsk region, battles continued for the towns of Bakhmut and Avdiivka, where authorities said the population was under constant shelling and living without electricity or heat. Over the past day, six cities and villages in the region came under attack from heavy artillery, while in the northeast, three missiles hit Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, officials said. Separately, seven ships carrying 290,000 tons of agricultural products set sail from Ukrainian seaports heading to Asia and Europe, a day after Russia agreed to rejoin a wartime agreement allowing the export of Ukrainian grain and other commodities. In announcing Russia was rejoining the pact, Putin said Moscow had received assurances that Ukraine wouldn't use the humanitarian corridors to attack Russian forces. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov cautioned Thursday that Russia's decision to rejoin did not mean the deal would be extended after it expires on Nov. 19. Russia had suspended its participation in the grain deal over the weekend, citing an alleged drone attack against its Black Sea fleet in Crimea. Ukraine didn't claim responsibility for an attack, and Zelenskyy said Wednesday that Moscow's return to the agreement showed "Russian blackmail did not lead to anything." Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told media that Ukraine has never used the grain corridor for military purposes. In Moscow, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned British Ambassador Deborah Bronnert on Thursday in connection with the alleged participation of British instructors in the Oct. 29 attack by drones on Black Sea fleet facilities in Sevastopol, Crimea. Bronnert made no comment after the meeting. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Thursday he hadn't seen progress regarding the export of Russian fertilizers and grain, despite the reimplementation of the Ukrainian part of the U.N.-sponsored grain deal. Speaking to reporters, Lavrov also said Russia was pleased that the Ukrainian leadership had signed guarantees "that no attempts would be made to use humanitarian routes in the Black Sea for military purposes." Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleh Nikolenko denied that Kyiv had made such commitments. "Ukraine did not use and did not plan to use the grain corridor for military purposes. The Ukrainian side clearly adheres to the provisions of the grain agreement," Nikolenko wrote on Facebook. "Our state did not take on any new obligations." The ships that set sail Thursday included one carrying 29,000 tons of sunflower seeds for Oman and one carrying 67,000 tons of corn to China. Since the deal was reached in August, 430 ships have exported 10 million tons of Ukrainian agricultural products to countries in Africa, Asia and Europe. The infrastructure ministry said export volumes in October "could have been 30-40% higher if Russia had not artificially blocked inspections in the Bosphorus." Meanwhile, Kremlin-backed authorities in the Donetsk region and Zelenskyy's office announced another prisoner exchange Thursday, this involving 107 military personnel on each side. WASHINGTON The United States and South Korea have agreed to strengthen their alliance and defenses and increase training after a flurry of new missile launches this week by North Korea, the military leaders of both countries said Thursday. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and South Korean defense minister Lee Jong-Sup made the pledge during a meeting at the Pentagon and told reporters that they agreed to take other steps to bolster the security alliance, such as extending military exercises on the Korean Peninsula. Those air defense exercises, called Vigilant Storm, were supposed to end Friday but have been extended indefinitely, they said. Austin and Lee said theres a need to enhance combined exercises and training events to strengthen readiness against North Koreas nuclear and missile threats especially after Pyongyang carried out more than two dozen new missile tests this week. Both leaders also reaffirmed the commitment of the U.S. to deploy or enhance strategic assets to the Korean Peninsula in a timely and coordinated manner as necessary and identify new steps to reinforce deterrence in the face of North Koreas attempts to destabilize the region, according to a joint communique released prior to a joint news conference Thursday at the Pentagon. Strategic assets ordinarily refer to weapons such as nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, nuclear weapons and nuclear-capable bombers. The United States withdrew its tactical nuclear weapons from South Korea in 1991. Austin and Lee said during the news conference that the U.S.-South Korean alliance is strong and warned North Korea against continuing its aggressive actions on the Peninsula. This [U.S.-South Korea] alliance has been an anchor of peace and security, Austin said. The United States remains fully committed to the defense of [South Korea] and includes the full range of our nuclear, conventional and missile defense capabilities. Austin called Pyongyangs missile tests illegal and destabilizing and urged North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to choose a different path forward. Any nuclear attack is unacceptable and would result in the end of the Kim regime, Lee cautioned in his remarks at the Pentagon. This is a strong warning against [North Korea]. Lees visit was part of the 54th Security Consultative Meeting, which is an annual event during which U.S. and South Korean defense leaders gather and assess the overall security of U.S. and South Korean interests on the Korean Peninsula. The yearly event was discontinued under former President Donald Trump. The secretary and minister strongly condemned the DPRKs escalatory activities and violations of United Nations Security Council resolutions, including ballistic missile test launches, multiple rocket launches, and firing of coastal artillery and called upon the international community to hold the DPRK responsible for its actions, the communique states, referring to North Korea by initials for its formal name, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea. South Korea calls itself the Republic of Korea, or ROK. Missile tests are nothing new for North Korea. Officials and experts said they believe Pyongyang has test fired hundreds of missiles in recent years, partly out of a desire to showcase its military strength and caution adversaries against meddling in its affairs in the region. The defense secretary said Kim Jong Un can choose one of two options continuing on with his missile tests and nuclear proliferation or choose denuclearization and a path toward a better future. We talked about [North Koreas] continued provocations and destabilizing actions, Austin said. And at this time of heightened tensions, our alliance is ironclad. Lee said Seouls relationship with Washington is vital to the countrys security on the Peninsula. U.S. forces defended South Korea from the North during the Korean War in the 1950s. That conflict ended with a peace treaty, but technically the war continues to go on. At Thursdays meeting, Austin promised Lee that President Joe Bidens administration values South Koreas security and will defend the country militarily, if necessary. We have the ability to defend the Peninsula if called upon to do so, he said. The defense secretary stressed U.S. armed forces in the Pacific region are constantly on alert and would be ready to react to safeguard people and the interests of the U.S. and allies, such as South Korea. All of this activity is potentially destabilizing, Austin said of the North Korean missile tests. We are focused on making sure they dont choose to employ nuclear weapons or choose to attack South Korea. Thursdays meeting came a week after the Defense Department issued its first National Defense Strategy in four years and the first under Bidens administration. That assessment repeatedly identified China as the top U.S. threat, but stressed North Korea is a persistent threat and a significant challenger to peace in the Pacific region. North Korea continues to expand its nuclear and missile capability to threaten the U.S. homeland, deployed U.S. forces, and [South Korea] and Japan, while seeking to drive wedges between the United States, [South Korea-] and United States-Japan alliances, the strategy states. A former Army Ranger who led a 2006 bank robbery in Washington state and then tried to hire someone to kill a prosecutor had over a decade shaved off his sentence this week, as a judge agreed that hed reformed behind bars. Luke Elliott Sommer, 36, had asked for a review of his 44-year sentence based on his age at the time of the crimes and his recent behavior. Despite calling Sommers offenses some of the most extreme, violent and dangerous actions hed seen, District Judge James Robart reduced the sentence to 31 years, a Justice Department statement Wednesday said. Staffers at the maximum-security prison in Florida where hes being held supported Sommers assertions that hes changed, the statement said. He claims to be committed to working on his reform and doing what is right, Nick Brown, the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Washington, told the court, according to the statement. He now has more than a decade to demonstrate that commitment while he remains incarcerated. Sommer masterminded the 2006 robbery at a Bank of America branch in Tacoma, Wash., while he was stationed at nearby Fort Lewis, which is now part of Joint Base Lewis-McChord. He recruited two other soldiers and two Canadian nationals for the heist. They equipped themselves with fully automatic AK-47 rifles, semi-automatic handguns and soft body armor, according to court documents. The group made off with over $50,000. But a witness who spotted the getaway car reported it to police, who traced it to Fort Lewis, where evidence of the crime was found in the mens barracks, the documents showed. Sommer, who has dual U.S. and Canadian citizenship, initially claimed that the robbery was a political protest to draw attention to war crimes he saw while deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. After pleading guilty to four felonies, including armed bank robbery, and receiving a 24-year sentence, Sommer then tried to put out a hit on the prosecutor in the case. However, the person he sought to hire for the job was an undercover FBI agent. He admitted to trying to pay as much as $20,000 to have the official killed, and his sentence was extended. While detained, he also attacked a co-defendant in the bank robbery with a homemade knife, the Justice Department said. In his motion for a sentence reduction, Sommer said he was clean and sober after years of heroin addiction. The motion was accompanied by nearly 200 pages of documents, letters and testimonials supporting his early release, including some written by prison guards, other inmates and program managers, The Seattle Times reported in August. Three victims of the robbery told the court Wednesday about the post-traumatic stress and anxiety they have endured, with one describing how she saw the red dot of Sommers laser sight pointed at the bank tellers, the DOJ statement said. However, in granting Sommers request, Robart said punishment is not vengeance or retaliation, according to the statement. (Tribune News Service) David DePape, the man charged with attempted murder in connection with a violent attack against House Speaker Nancy Pelosis husband, Paul Pelosi, is in the U.S. illegally and could be deported to Canada, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said Thursday. DePape, 42, has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges in connection with Fridays attack, which left Pelosi with a fractured skull and serious injuries to his right arm and hands. Federal authorities said DePape, who grew up in British Columbia and moved to California more than 20 years ago, according to a family member who spoke with the Los Angeles Times, had plotted to take Nancy Pelosi, hostage and break her kneecaps, calling her the leader of the pack of lies told by the Democratic Party. Records pulled by ICE found that DePape entered the U.S. as a temporary visitor in March 2008 at the San Ysidro port of entry. Canadians who enter as temporary visitors generally do not require a visa, officials said. The status DePape used to enter the U.S. generally allows Canadians to stay for six months. On Tuesday, ICE officials issued an immigration detainer on DePape with the San Francisco County Jail, where he is currently being held without bail. The detainer seeks a notification from San Francisco law enforcement to notify ICE before he is released in order for the federal agency to take custody of him. Local and state laws limit when jail officials can notify ICE of an individuals release date. ICE issues detainers against people facing criminal charges whom the agency has probable cause to believe can be deported. In a motion seeking to deny bail, the San Francisco district attorneys office said DePape told officers and medics at the scene, Im sick of the insane f---ing level of lies coming out of Washington, D.C. Judge Diane Northway ordered DePape held without bail pending additional hearings. In addition to attempted murder, DePape has been charged with residential burglary, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, false imprisonment of an elder and threats to a public official and their family. He faces 13 years to life in prison if convicted of all local charges. He also faces federal assault and kidnapping charges. Prosecutors said DePape smashed through the glass patio door of the Pelosis San Francisco home around 2 a.m. Friday. It is unclear whether any alarms at the house sounded, but officials said after breaking in, DePape managed to get to the second floor. There, he found Paul Pelosi, 82, sleeping and repeatedly shouted, Wheres Nancy? officials said. The House speaker was in Washington, D.C. along with her extensive Capitol Police security team and her husband was home alone at the time of the break-in. Realizing the potential danger, Pelosi managed to make a quick, surreptitious phone call to 911 and left the line open, authorities said. A 911 dispatcher realized something was seriously wrong and immediately sent police to the address. Security cameras for the Pelosis Pacific Heights residence were not actively being monitored by U.S. Capitol Police the night of the violent home invasion, the government agency said Wednesday. After reports to The Times and other outlets that a security feed existed, Capitol Police said in a statement that the cameras are used to actively monitor the speakers San Francisco residence around the clock when she is there but acknowledged that when she is in Washington, D.C., with her security detail as she was during Fridays break-in the cameras were not actively monitored. Prosecutors allege DePape had other targets in mind including a Bay Area professor and prominent state and federal politicians and their families when he broke into the Pelosis home. He planned to wait for the speaker to return, a motion to deny his bail noted. Police have not offered a motive for the attack. But San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said Monday that based on DePapes statements and comments to Pelosi, it was politically motivated. A Times review of his online accounts showed that DePape has been involved in the world of far-right conspiracies, antisemitism and hate. In a personal blog DePape maintained, posts include Manipulation of History, Holohoax and Its OK to be white. He mentions 4chan, a favorite message board of the far right. He posted videos about conspiracies involving COVID-19 vaccines and the war in Ukraine being a ploy for Jewish people to buy land. DePapes screeds include posts about QAnon, a theory that former President Donald Trump is at war with a cabal of Satan-worshipping Democratic elites who run a child sex ring and control the world. In an Aug. 23 entry titled Q, DePape wrote: Either Q is Trump himself or Q is the deep state moles within Trumps inner circle. Adam Lipson, DePapes public defender, said his clients vulnerability to misinformation will be examined as part of his defense. 2022 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Donald Trumps former senior counselor Kellyanne Conway said she expects the ex-president to announce a widely anticipated comeback bid for the White House soon. Conway, who became the first woman to steer a winning presidential campaign with Trumps surprise 2016 victory, said that she advised her former boss to delay launching another run until after the midterm elections as not to distract from Republican efforts to take control of Congress. I give him a ton of credit for not announcing this year, for not stepping in the way of the midterm candidates, which a lot of people around him, who frankly need him for their next meal and their next gig and their next center of power may not have recommended, Conway said Thursday at a breakfast event hosted by the Christian Science Monitor. I think you can expect him to announce soon, she said. Trump has used the midterm cycle to reinforce his grip on the GOP, endorsing candidates from the local level to the U.S. Senate. He is holding rallies in Iowa, Pennsylvania, Florida and Ohio on behalf of those contenders in the days before Tuesdays elections. The former president has teased for months that he plans to make another White House run, routinely telling supporters they will be very happy with his decision. Hes sent stronger signals in recent weeks, saying at a rally in Texas on Oct. 22 I will probably have to do it again. But he could face a crowded field as other Republicans have also fanned out across the country to support candidates and bolster their own national standings ahead of potential bids. Those include Trumps former Vice President Mike Pence, who has taken veiled shots at Trump in recent speeches following their acrimonious split on Jan. 6, 2021, when a crowd of Trump supporters rioted at the U.S. Capitol, chanting hang Mike Pence. Pence has broken from his former boss on endorsing candidates in key GOP primaries and over whether he had the power to overturn the 2020 election. Trump has suggested the GOP base will never forgive Pence for refusing his demands to reject Electoral College votes for President Joe Biden. Conway said she speaks to Trump and Pence often and that two never bad-mouth each other in those conversations. She likened Trump and Pences relationship to a nasty divorce in the end, and said they need to find a responsible way to co-parent the future of the party and the conservative movement. She also addressed the potential collision course between Trump and Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, who polls show is the choice of most Republican voters should the former president ultimately forgo another run. If Im Ron DeSantis, Im sure I can think about running but why not go be the best two-term governor of the third-largest state in modern history, if not ever, and then walk into the presidency in 2028? she said. Bloombergs Mark Niquette contributed to this report. Counsel for the prosecution Sean Guerin SC today presented the evidence of four garda witnesses at the trial of the accused A 16-year-old boy on trial accused of the murder of Mongolian national Urantsetseg Tserendorj, who died after being stabbed in the neck on her walk home from work, told gardai that he went out that night planning to rob someone with a knife. I panicked and pulled the knife out of my pocket and stabbed her in the neck. I done it. I didn't mean to do it. I'm sorry for it," the accused told gardai. Ms Tserendorj was stabbed in the neck on a walkway between Georges Dock and Custom House Quay in the IFSC, Dublin on 20 January 2021. The accused has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Ms Tserendorj but guilty to her manslaughter on 29 January 2021. He has also pleaded guilty to producing a knife and to attempting to rob Ms Tserendorj on 20 January 2021. Counsel for the prosecution Sean Guerin SC today presented the evidence of four garda witnesses at the trial of the accused, who cannot be named as he is a minor, in the Central Criminal Court. Garda David OCallaghan gave evidence that he attended at the home of the accused with a search warrant on 21 January 2021, responding to a complaint of the theft of an electric pedal cycle. He met with the accuseds grandmother, who informed Gda OCallaghan that she had spoken to her grandson, and it was his intention to hand himself in. Gda O'Callaghan confirmed that the accused's grandmother appeared upset. Gda O'Callaghan went upstairs and met with the accused in his bedroom. When he met the garda, the accused said: "I did it." Gda O'Callaghan then cautioned him, and the accused continued to speak. The accused said: "I stabbed that girl. I robbed her. It was me. I stabbed that woman at the CHQ." The accused was cautioned again later that evening and was asked to tell the gardai what happened. The accused said: "I went out on a bike with a knife to rob someone. I saw a woman with a mask, and I tried to rob her. I panicked and pulled the knife out of my pocket and stabbed her in the neck. I done it. I didn't mean to do it. I'm sorry for it." In response to cross-examination by counsel for the defence, Michael O'Higgins SC, Gda O'Callaghan confirmed that the accused's grandmother said the accused would hand himself in because "he had done something terrible". Garda Mark Barry gave evidence that when he spoke with the accused's grandmother at the house, she said she knew why the gardai were there and that it had to do with a robbing incident in which a woman had been stabbed. She said she was trying to get the accused to hand himself in. Gda Barry confirmed that the accused presented them with a jacket at the house, which was produced in court as a prosecution exhibit. Mr O'Higgins said that when the gardai met with the accuseds grandmother, they were at slightly cross purposes. The gardai were investigating the theft of an electric pedal cycle, but the accused's grandmother had just learned of his involvement in the stabbing of Ms Tserendorj. Sgt Desmond Brannock gave evidence that the accused's grandmother was visibly upset on the day. "Granny was upset, and the accused was worried," said Sgt Brannock. In cross-examination, Mr Higgins said that in his original statement, Sgt Brannock had said that both the accused and his grandmother had been upset. Sgt Brannock confirmed this. Garda Karl Bolger gave evidence that on 10 February 2021, during a search of the accused's home, a knife was found concealed in the sofa. Defence counsel Mark Lynam BL asked Gda Bolger if he had also found butter knives. Gda Bolger replied that he located butter knives and a black and red-handled knife. Mr Lynam asked if the cutlery drawer in the house had been missing both knives and forks, to which Gda Bolger replied that it was. "Did you find any forks in your search of the sofa?" asked Mr Lynam. Gda Bolger replied he had not. Mr Lynam said that the accused's grandmother had said the forks were there too, and he asked Gda Bolger if he recalled this. Gda Bolger replied he did not. Garda Maria Harmon gave evidence that she spoke to the accused on 23 January 2021, and he told her: "I did not mean to stab that woman. It was an accident. If I could sit in front of her now, I'd say I'm sorry." The witness statement of Krysztof Klimczak, who worked as security at a homeless hostel on Amiens Street, was read out in court by Mr Guerin. Mr Klimczak said he saw "this guy" going up and down the street on a bicycle in "a very suspicious" way on the night of 18 January 2021. Mr Klimczak said he saw the male again on the following night, 19 January 2021, wearing the same jacket and riding the same bike. On 20 January 2021, Mr Klimczak was smoking outside the hostel when the male came up to him and asked him for a cigarette. "I could see his eyes were everywhere, I was sure he was on drugs. He couldn't concentrate," said Mr Klimczak. Mr Klimczak said he saw the male put his hand into his pocket and pull out a knife just far enough to show him before he put the knife back into his pocket. The witness described the knife as measuring about 25cm long with a chrome blade. The male then took off on his bike. "I have not seen this guy again since," said Mr Klimczak. The trial continues before a jury of six men and six women and Mr Justice Tony Hunt. Karl Brown (45) pleaded guilty to stealing a large quantity of stock from a van parked outside DjBox in Coolock Industrial Estate A man who stole over 6,000 of musical equipment, including DJ lights and speakers, has walked free from Dublin Circuit Criminal Court with a suspended sentence. Karl Brown (45) of Belgard Heights, Tallaght, Dublin 24, pleaded guilty to stealing a large quantity of stock from a van parked outside DjBox in Coolock Industrial Estate on February 22, 2018. A prosecuting garda told Derek Cooney BL, for the State, that the van was unlocked and parked outside the business premises on the night. CCTV footage of the incident shows a man opening the rear doors of the van shortly before 6am and using a trolley that had been in the van to unload cases. Karl Brown A second man identified on the CCTV as Karl Brown was then seen carrying the cases around the corner and out of sight. The court heard that included in the stolen equipment was 24 sets of lights valued at 3,600, 15 laptop stands and two amplifiers, with the total valued at 6,675. Brown was arrested some months later and made full admissions to gardai. All of the equipment was recovered apart from the two amps which were worth 1,700. Brown has 22 previous convictions including theft, robbery, drugs, possession of knives and road traffic offences. Counsel for Brown said he had been a chronic heroin addict for 20 years but that in the last few years he has got a handle on his addiction and has managed to bring about unbelievable change in his life. The court heard Brown was providing care for his mother who suffers from advanced dementia and that his father was heavily reliant on him to cook meals and mind his mother. Brown brought 500 to court by way of compensation, to be handed over to the injured party. Judge Martin Nolan noted that Brown is dealing with his addiction, supporting his family and taking steps to reform his life. He sentenced Brown to two years but suspended it in full. He threatened to kill her and her family and 'bury them in a shallow grave' after exploding one day in a fit of rage. A man who tried to choke his girlfriend after she refused to eat a dinner he had cooked for her has been jailed for a total of three years. Stephen Coveney-Ryan turned on Roisin MacNeilis after she had invited him into her home after he had become homeless after the pair had met at Dublin's Bus Aras just a few weeks earlier. He threatened to kill her and her family and bury them in a shallow grave after exploding one day in a fit of rage. Coveney Ryan, aged 26, appeared before Letterkenny Circuit Court in Co Donegal where he pleaded guilty to threatening to kill Ms MacNeilis, assaulting her and producing a knife. The couple had met only a few weeks earlier on St Patrick's Day, March 17, 2021, by chance at Dublin's Bus Aras and kept in contact by text. However, Coveney-Ryan called Ms MacNeilis one day and said he was homeless. She invited him to stay with her at her home in Donegal town and they began a relationship. However, as the weeks went on Ms MacNeilis claimed he changed and became aggressive and jealous. On July 10th, the accused finally snapped and attacked Ms MacNeilis. The court was told that the accused had made dinner but Ms MacNeilis said she was not hungry but decided to eat a bowl of cereal instead. He went for a walk and when he came back they initially went to separate bedrooms but Coveney-Ryan later got into the bed beside Ms MacNeilis and then began to attack her. He put his elbow into her neck and then put his hands around her neck and she was finding it hard to breath. Ms MacNeilis said she thought she was going to die at this point. She managed to get to the front door but there were no keys in it and he followed her into the bathroom and began choking her again. He constantly shouted at Ms MacNeilis who was eight weeks pregnant at this stage. He told her she wasn't fit to be a mother and that he was going to drown her and kill them both. During the course of the attack he is also charged with producing a fishing knife. The torrent of abuse continued before she finally managed to jump out the window and he could only follow her a short distance as he was only wearing his boxer shorts. She drove to the woods around Harvey's Point around Donegal Town and managed to charge her phone and she began to receive threatening messages and calls. In the calls he said he was going to chop her up and feed her to pigs and that he would also kill her parents and put them into the boot of the car and then bury them in a shallow grave. She told her parents about her ordeal and on July 12th she contacted Gardai while in a very distressed state and made a statement of complaint. Coveney-Ryan, with an address at O'Clerigh Avenue, Donegal Town but originally from Co Tipperary, was arrested and taken to Ballyshannon Garda Station to be interviewed. The court was told that the accused admitted he hit the victim but suffered from mental health issues and disagreed with many of the claims put to him including choking his victim. However, he later admitted the claims and claimed he was "psychotic" on the night and that he couldn't believe that he had said such things to Ms MacNeilis. The court was told that the accused is originally from Tipperary and has a number of previous charges for various incidents including burglary, theft, intoxication, breach of a barring order, possession of drugs and using threatening and abusive language. His barrister, Mr David Byrnes, said his client was a lot calmer from the messages he had left on his victim's phone saying he was also visibly upset when he heard the recordings again. Mr Byrnes added that psychologist Dr Kevin Lambe had interviewed his client and said he was a man who needed help to navigate him through the psychotic episodes he was experiencing. During his time in remand in prison, Coveney-Ryan has also completed a number of courses including an alternative to violence and Irish Red Cross course. Mr Byrnes added that his client's behaviour was unacceptable and had no place in society but asked Judge John Aylmer to craft in rehabilitation and suggested this was the most suitable direction. Ms MacNeilis sat at the back of the courtroom nursing the couple's infant daughter while a Garda read out her victim impact statement to the hushed court. It told how she felt like she went from being the luckiest woman around to living in a horror show when she met Coveney-Ryan. She said how she had spent time working with the homeless and could not understand how Stephen treated her so badly when she took him in. She added how she had hoped she would spend the rest of her life with Stephen but now questions if any of it was real and asks herself will she ever be able to trust anybody again. Worryingly, she also admitted that she fears for herself and her daughter when her ex-partner is released from prison. Passing sentence Judge John Aylmer said the fact that a knife was produced during the incident only added to the terror of the victim and he placed it in the mid range of such offences meriting a sentence of five years in prison before mitgation. In mitigation, he said he accepted his admission of guilty, plea of guilty and remorse as genuine noting he had done a number of courses in while in jail. Judge Aylmer noted Coveney-Ryan had a difficult upbringing and has been diagnosed with an emotionally unstable personality disorder. Reflecting his guilty plea and his remorse, Judge Aylmer said he was reducing the sentence to one of four years and was also suspending the final 12 months of the sentence to encourage his rehabilitation. The sentence was also backdated to when Coveney-Ryan went into custody while Judge Aylmer also ordered the accused to abstain from alcohol and drugs and to comply with the prison resettlement programme. Murdered gangland criminal Robbie Lawlor has been named in court as the man who pulled the trigger on Owen Maguire Murdered gangland criminal Robbie Lawlor has been named in court as the man who pulled the trigger on Owen Maguire leaving the Drogheda criminal paralysed and confined to a wheelchair. The shooter is then alleged to have said words similar to these are from ... as Maguire lay on the ground at Mell Halting Site. The name used by Lawlor suggesting the figure behind the attack cannot be used at this time for legal reasons. Dublin gangster Lawlor was an associate of a leading member of a rival drugs gang operating in the Drogheda area, according to an affidavit by a Garda Detective Inspector. It is believed that Mr Robbie Lawlor was the person who shot Owen Maguire. The document forms part of the Criminal Assets Bureau case against Maguire and his brother Brendan Maguire, who also survived being shot in a separate murder bid. The shooting in July 2018 was the start of a vicious feud between the Price-Maguire OCG (organised crime group) and their rivals. Another officer who arrived at the scene told of how Maguire was found lying to the drivers door of the Ford Transit between the van and the mobile home. Robbie Lawlor The van is on the list of assets now being targeted by CAB and includes 270,000 found in cash at the same address a month later. Maguire denied any knowledge of the money which was concealed under roof tiles which the officer believes is the proceeds of selling drugs on a large scale. The Drogheda feud resulted in three murders and dozens of other violent assaults and arson attacks although in recent months has died down. This is due to the fact that most of the leading figures are dead, in prison or have fled abroad thanks to pressure from garda investigations into their activities some of which began even before the feud broke out. This includes Robbie Lawlor who was shot dead in Ardoyne, Belfast in April 2020 for which 50,000 was to be paid to the Dundon-McCarthy gang by the Price-Maguire gang, according to the affidavit. Lawlor was the chief suspect in the gruesome murder of Drogheda teen Keane Mulready Woods (17) in January 2020. Gang boss Cornelius Price, who is on bail in the UK, accused of a tiger-kidnapping plot, remains seriously ill after going into a coma as a result of a condition known as limbic encephalitis. In the affidavit to the High Court it is also stated that Cornelius Price is an extremely close associate of Owen Maguire and they jointly head the Price-Maguire OCG. Maguires brother Brendan is now living in the north of England after surviving being shot in Drogheda as he exited a gym not far from his Cement Road home in February 2019. Cornelius Price At the centre of the CAB case is 304,000 in cash, two properties, a Rolex watch, a Mercedes car and a Ford Transit van. Last month CAB applied to serve orders on Brendan Maguire outside of the jurisdiction which was granted. The High Court heard that Maguire is currently living in the Rochdale area of Manchester in the UK. Judge Alex Owens said he would have 28 days to enter an appearance in the matter from the time papers are served on him. Also granted was an order for a substitute service on Owen Maguire who officers believe has deliberately avoided being served official papers in relation to the CAB case. Vernon Loughran (59) of Oakdale Crescent, Firhouse and Brian Kelly (60) of Kilmartin Avenue, Tallaght were sentenced today Two Dublin men have been sentenced to a combined seven and half years in prison after being found in possession of just under one million euro worth of drugs. Vernon Loughran (59) of Oakdale Crescent, Firhouse, Dublin 24, pleaded guilty to possessing cannabis and cocaine worth 840k after gardai carried out a search of his home on March 12 2020. Brian Kelly (60) of Kilmartin Avenue, Fettercairn, Tallaght, Dublin 24, pleaded guilty to having cannabis worth 159k in a van that he was driving earlier that day. Dublin Circuit Criminal court heard that gardai received confidential information that Kelly would be transporting drugs in his van on that date. Garda Padraic Rowan gave evidence that he took up surveillance of Kellys van at Loughran's house at Oakdale Crescent. The white Renault van reversed into the driveway, and Kelly went into the house and left carrying a large brown box which he placed into the van. Gardai followed the van and approached Kelly at a petrol station shop in Rathcoole. Gda Rowan told Fiona Crawford, BL, prosecuting, that the van was searched and a box containing eight large vacuumed packed packages was seized. Two mobile phones, one of which was a burner phone, were also seized. Kelly was arrested and brought to Tallaght Garda Station. The court heard that during his interview, Kelly outlined that he was sorry for what he did, that it was wrong and that he took full responsibility for the drugs. The drugs were analysed, and cannabis worth 159,922 were found. Kelly told gardai that he became involved in transporting the drugs as his nephew had a drug debt of 30,000, and he believed his nephew was in personal danger. Gardai then obtained a search warrant for Loughran's house. Loughran was not home at the time of the search but he later presented him for interview with gardai. The court heard that Loughran had become involved due to his habitual cannabis use and had gotten into debt. As a result, he allowed his home be used as a base to store and distribute drugs. During the search, drugs worth 840,000 were found at the house and combined with drugs seized in Kellys van, drugs worth just under one million euros were seized in total. Anne Rowland, SC, defending Kelly, said her client was a married man with six children. As a result of his drug use, his marriage broke down, and he became homeless. He is now in a long-term relationship and worked as a security supervisor at the Citywest vaccination centre during the covid-19 pandemic. She said he is also a Stardust survivor and suffers from survivor's guilt. He has now overcome his drug addiction and provides for his children. Garnet Orange, SC, defending Loughran, said his client had financial difficulties due to problems with alcohol and cannabis, and it was his cannabis habit that drew him into holding drugs. Counsel said he has a high level of remorse and shame for his actions and pleaded guilty at an early stage. Judge Melanie Greally said that Kelly had a much more confined role and was trying to alleviate his nephews difficulties. She took into account as mitigating factors, his immediate admissions of guilt, his high level of remorse and his lack of relevant previous convictions, as well as his family circumstances, his employment history, his relationship history, his role in animal welfare and his success in overcoming his drug addictions. She sentenced Kelly to thirty months in prison. In sentencing Loughran, Judge Greally outlined the significant value of the drugs stored at his address. She said he was storing and arranging the distribution of drugs with the motivation to reduce his drug debt. Judge Greally took into account as mitigating factors, his guilty plea, his cooperation and absence of relevant previous convictions, his high level of remorse and shame and his relief in being detected which brought his offending to an end. She also noted his favourable engagement with the probation and psychological services and that he is at moderate risk of re-offending. Judge Greally sentenced Loughran to six years in prison with the final twelve months suspended. Gardai believe it is "highly unlikely" that Sean McGovern will travel back to Dublin for fear of being detained. Gardai are expected to carry out discreet surveillance at the funeral of the father of wanted Kinahan associate Sean McGovern today. The on-the-run cartel member is wanted here to face murder and organised crime related charges linked to the Hutch/Kinahan feud that claimed 18 lives. A warrant was issued for McGovern's arrest earlier this year, but he is currently believed to be based in the Middle East. Over the weekend his father, Desmond McGovern, passed away at his Crumlin home. Sources said that Mr McGovern was a "highly respectable" man who previously worked with the Eastern Health Board. His funeral is set to take place on Thursday morning at the Our Lady of Good Counsel church on Mourne Road in Drimnagh. A death notice described him as a beloved husband and devoted dad who "will be forever loved and very sadly missed" by his family and friends. Independent.ie understands that detectives will monitor the funeral service to determine if Sean McGovern (36) has returned for his father's funeral. However, gardai believe it is "highly unlikely" that he will travel back to Dublin for fear of being detained. One source said: "He is facing very serious charges and would be arrested on sight if he returned to Ireland. All the intelligence indicates that he has no intention of travelling back here because of this. "While the probability is highly unlikely, gardai cannot take any chances and will be keeping a watching brief of proceedings. This will be done discreetly," the source added. Sean McGovern is wanted for murder Sean McGovern is wanted to face charges of murder and directing a criminal gang relating to the fatal shooting of Noel 'Duck Egg' Kirwan in December 2016. Gardai also want to charge McGovern in relation to a failed plot to murder Hutch associate James 'Mago' Gately in Belfast in April 2017. Detectives believe he played a "hands on" role in organising attacks between 2016 and 2017 but later fled to the Middle East. From there he is suspected of continuing to play a vital part in the cartel's operation and was in charge of running the European drug network prior to the announcement of financial sanctions against the gang by the US Government. Speaking at a press conference in Dublin earlier this year Assistant Garda Commissioner John O'Driscoll, now retired, said they were appealing for information on McGovern's movements. Anyone who has knowledge of the whereabouts of Sean McGovern, who is subject to a European Arrest Warrant to contact An Garda Siochana. The 36-year-old Crumlin native was also injured at the Regency Hotel shooting in February 2016. He suffered a gunshot wound to the stomach but was discharged from hospital several days later and refused to assist the garda probe. Loved-up Mariana Varela and Fabiola Valentin kept their relationship a secret for years but finally announced it on Instagram this week Mariana Varela and Fabiola Valentin have been secretly dating for two years Instagram Mariana Varela and Fabiola Valentin announced their relationship this week Instagram Mariana Varela and Fabiola Valentin met at the 2020 Miss Grand International and fell in love Two former beauty queen rivals shocked and delighted their fans this week when they announced their surprise marriage on Instagram. Mariana Varela and Fabiola Valentin met at the 2020 Miss Grand International competition in Thailand, where they represented Argentina and Puerto Rico, respectively. Both stunners made it to the Top 10 in the competition and have remained close ever since, but fans had no idea that the models were secretly dating the entire time. Mariana Varela and Fabiola Valentin have been secretly dating for two years Instagram The loved-up couple posted matching Instagram Reels showing moments from their relationship, including romantic walks on the beach, candid cuddles, champagne toasts and a proposal with gold and silver balloons spelling out, Marry me? The main image of the post shows the pair outside of the city courthouse in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where they married on October 28. Mariana Varela and Fabiola Valentin announced their relationship this week Instagram After deciding to keep our relationship private, we opened the doors on a special day, the caption reads in Spanish. Fans, celebrities and fellow pageant figures were quick to congratulate Varela and Valentin on their picture-perfect love. Thanks for all the love! Varela wrote in reply to the well-wishes. We are very happy and blessed. His personality overpowers his disability hes such a loveable child... he loves the attention! He faces numerous serious health challenges but little Shay Mulhare has overcome a huge amount in his young life, according to his proud mum. The Cork boy has faced several significant health crises. But despite his many challenges he continues to thrive, thanks in no small part to the support of an Irish charity, says mum Rebecca. He has a huge personality. Hes bubbly and smiley hes always laughing. Hes cheeky out, she smiles. His personality actually overpowers his disability if anything. Hes such a loveable child he loves to be entertained. He loves to be read books. And he loves the attention! Still, it has been a long road for four-and-a-half-year-old Shay and his loved ones. In the early days after his birth he experienced serious medical issues that left doctors fearing the worst. He spent much of the first four months of his life in hospital. Shay had a lot of medical complications, and hes a very complex child. He has quadriplegic cerebral palsy, which would be the more severe cerebral palsy. It affects his four limbs, the arms and legs, and it affects his head control. Shay has epilepsy as well. So its been a long hard road for him. They would be his two big complications. Shay celebrates his birthday When Shay was just a few days old, he was rushed to Crumlin Childrens Hospital in Dublin, where he needed emergency bowel surgery. Over the following days he experienced several setbacks. When Shay was younger, when he was a baby, he had various complications, says Rebecca. On a few occasions, it was touch and go and we were told it wasnt looking good. But he pulled through and he came back stronger. Hes just meant to be here. Praising his vibrant personality despite all the obstacles he faces, Rebecca says they are now focused on gaining as much independence for the little boy as possible. She is proud of her boy, who has weathered more in his four and a half years than many people would in a lifetime. Shay is non-verbal. He cant sit up on his own. He needs to be supported in everyday activities. He uses a wheelchair that I push him in but in a couple of weeks time were actually being assessed for him to get a motorised wheelchair. Were trying to work with the bit of power just so he has a bit of independence for himself. Her family are a great support and Rebecca says she and Shay benefit hugely from Irish charity Jack & Jill, which provides home nursing care to children with complex medical needs. Helping hundreds of Irish children up to the age of six, their annual Up the Hill campaign continued throughout the month of October. Rebecca and Shay Mulhare (4) from Cork Jack & Jill came into our life in January 2019 when Shay was seven months old. Since then theyve been a huge part of our family. His nurse Megan is a big help to us, we got lucky when we got her. When the Jack & Jill nurses come into the house you feel so comfortable around them. You can do your own thing and know your child is being looked after by a medically experienced person. We would be lost without them. Its a long way away from when he was born. After he was born when he got very sick, I was told Shay would have no quality of life. He might not be able to walk, he mightnt be able to talk but he has a huge personality. He laughs at the silliest things. We have good days, we have bad days. We have days where were fed up of life and fed up of appointments and having to go into hospitals. But then we have brilliant days and to be honest, the good days outweigh the bad. To support Up the Hill for Jack and Jill, log on to JackandJill.ie to register. Every 18 raised supports an hour of nursing care for a Jack and Jill family. Fianna Fail councillor Donal Gilroy made a bullying complaint against Marc MacSharry The Fianna Fail councillor who made a bullying complaint against Marc MacSharry threatened to release the TDs expletive text messages to the media if he did not apologise for his comments. Sligo County Councillor Donal Gilroy said he was left with no option but to contact Fianna Fail headquarters when Mr MacSharry would not apologise for comments he made in a WhatsApp group for local representatives. Speaking to the Sunday World, Mr Gilroy said he contacted Mr MacSharrys cousin Tom, who also has a Sligo County Council seat, saying he felt bullied by the TD and would contact their local radio station if the TD did not apologise for the comments. Marc was aware that I felt bullied and he still wouldn't apologise and I felt I had no alternative other than to either go to media or go through the party procedures so instead of using a megaphone I went through the proper party procedures, the councillor said. In a text message released by Mr Gilroy, Tom McSharry tells him that going to the media is a bad idea. I did put Marc on notice that this is your intention and that you feel bullied, he added. Mr Gilroy said he dismissed as just a rant a message sent into the group by Mr MacSharry in July which related to comments the councillor made on his local radio station regarding cardiology services in Sligo. However, when a subsequent radio appearance in October led to another message from the local TD, he decided to seek an apology from Mr MacSharry. When the apology was not forthcoming, Mr Gilroy contacted Fianna Fail headquarters to complain about what he described as bullying behaviour and called for Mr MacSharrys readmittance to the parliamentary party to be stopped. Mr Gilroy also told the party he believed Mr MacSharry should be removed from the party entirely. The councillor said the timing of the complaint was entirely dictated by Mr MacSharrys text messages and said it had nothing to do with the Fianna Fail leadership. In July, Mr MacSharry sharply criticised Mr Gilroy for comments he made on Ocean FM about the TDs efforts to secure additional cardiology services for their local hospital. Nothing like trying to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, Mr MacSharry wrote into the Fianna Fail WhatsApp group. Ye fairly tried to f**k me there pouring water all over it, praising (Fine Gael minister Frank) Feighan and the others. It would sicken yer hole. Good man best of luck, he added. On October 3, when Mr Gilroy again discussed the cath lab on his local radio station, Mr MacSharry questioned his motives. Donal. What the f**k?? Again Ocean (FM) this morning on cardiology services. For f**k sake, to what end???. he said. Mr MacSharry urged him to speak to cardiologists and hospital management in Sligo University Hospital, who he said were happy with progress being made on securing extra services. Regional Health Forum/(retracted) or whomever loading gun are clearly a distance behind the curve but sure keep it up as I said before, nothing like snatching deaf from The jaws of victory, he added. Mr MacSharry resigned from Fianna Fail and criticised Taoiseach Micheal Martin for his handling of Mr Gilroys complaint. He accused the Fianna Fail leader of using the complaint to delay his re-entry into the parliamentary party. Mr Martin issued a statement saying he strongly regrets the claims made by his former deputy. Our daughters are home, finally Edward O'Reilly and his partner have finally been reunited with their new-born triplets Kamilla, Briella and Renesmee (Picture; Gerry Mooney) A Dublin father whose surrogate triplets were stranded in Kenya for two months has finally arrived home in Ireland with his three infant daughters. Edward OReilly told Independent.ie he cried tears of joy on the gruelling three-flight journey home to Ireland, touching down last Sunday. The Dubliner was forced to hand over almost 40,000 to the adoption agency in recent days to secure his triplets release, having already paid the agency 50,000 for the adoption process. Mr OReilly and his partner were hit with additional costs of almost 39,000 from the adoption agency and medics when they went to collect their children in Kenya in the days after their birth. The couple, who did not have the funds, launched a high-profile public campaign to raise the money, with the general public donating some more than 36,000 to a gofundme campaign. Our daughters are home, finally, Mr OReilly said told independent.ie. I just cannot thank the people of Ireland enough. I cried tears of joy all the way on the flights home. I am the happiest man in Ireland. The Dublin father and his sister flew out of Ireland last Friday night and returned home on Sunday morning with the triplets. He explained that his solicitor transferred some of the money to the adoption agency, but he also had to hand over 20,000 cash when he landed in Kenya. The money doesn't matter now, it was just the best feeling in the world to get our children and be able to get out of there and bring them safely home. We had to pay them off, give cash to doctors and others, just to get our girls. It was the only way. The feeling to now have them home, it is unbelievable. Mr OReilly continued that the babies attended Temple Street hospital on Sunday night for a check-up since and are doing really well. They are doing great. They are great babies, they are very quiet and it is all going brilliantly since we got them home, where they belong. They are nine weeks old today, he said. Again, can I just say, I cannot thank everyone who donated enough. It is only because of peoples generosity that we have our girls. People donated 36,000 and we still had to borrow another 2,900 from family just to get them out. None of that matters now. The only thing that matters is that they are home. He said he "cried tears of joy" on the three flights it took to get his daughters home and "didn't sleep a wink....but it was worth it". Edward O'Reilly had set up a fundraiser get his daughters back to Ireland. Photo: Gerry Mooney Mr OReilly and his partner, who live in Santry Cross in Dublin, were forced to leave Nairobi heartbroken on October 12 with just the birth certificates rather than their three baby girls. They used a surrogacy service which cost 50,000 and were told all expenses were covered in the initial payment. However, they were asked for a further 16,000 when they arrived. Then they were asked for another 12,000 in hospital bills for the babies medication and food, along with an extra 11,000 to pay the medics. Mr OReilly set up a gofundme page, outlining the plight of their family. Briella, Camilla, and Renesmee were born almost three months premature on September 1. When Edward and his partner flew over to collect their babies four days later, they were not permitted to see them initially but instead were asked for more money. The surrogacy agency also would not tell them which hospital their children were in without payment. However, the couple managed to find out themselves. As soon as we arrived in Kenya after they were born, and went to the surrogacy agency, alarm bells started to ring, he said. I just wanted to see my kids and they kept asking about money. I was gobsmacked. We knew there might be medical complications, because they were triplets, but we were told they were OK. But when we finally saw them we couldnt believe it. The girls had 20 tubes coming out of them. It was terrifying. Doctors initially thought Camilla might not survive. Mr OReilly and his partner enlisted a solicitor in Ireland, who liaised with the surrogacy agency in Kenya about the additional money the company demanded. Mr OReilly warned what happened to his family could happen to other Irish couples, and called for the Government to intervene. We are not the first couple for this to happen to and we wont be the last, he said. Ireland needs to change its surrogacy laws to protect children first, and their parents. People like us shouldnt need to go abroad. We should have been able to have gone through the surrogacy process here in Ireland. He's a retired priest who worked in the United States where that kind of polarised way of thinking and engaging is very prominent A member of the Association of Catholic Priests in Ireland has said he doesnt think many priests in Kerry will be inviting controversial Fr Sean Sheehy to fill in for them, after comments he made in church caused uproar. More than 30 parishioners walked out of mass at St Marys Church in Listowel at the weekend after Fr Sean Sheehy condemned transgenderism, same-sex couples, and supplying condoms to teenagers in his sermon. Shocked mass-goers were subjected to an outpouring of anger from the pulpit, which many deemed tactless, insensitive, and represented a throwback to the days of clerical authority. Fr Sheehy, who is deputising for Listowel Parish Priest Canon Declan OConnor, criticised Government legislation around what he said was the promotion of abortion and described the lunatic approach of transgenderism. Fr Sheehy has since said he stands over his comments at the mass in Listowel last weekend, despite having since been taken off the local parish roster. This morning, Fr Tim Hazelwood from the Association of Catholic Priests in Ireland said the biggest issue was with the way the homily was given. He had no regard for the families that were sitting the pews, for people who would have gay or transgender members and their families, he told RTEs Morning Ireland. It was, I'm going to let you have it whether you like it or not. Asked whether Fr Sheehy, who is a retired priest, should be saying mass in Ireland in the future considering the fact that he believes he was right, Fr Hazelwood said that was up to the Bishop. He (Fr Sheehy) is not a priest of the Diocese of Kerry, he's a retired priest who worked in the United States where that kind of polarised way of thinking and engaging is very prominent. I think in Ireland, there's a different way we try and do things where we are bit more considerate. So, it's up to the Bishop of Kerry but I don't think many priests in Kerry will be inviting him to fill in for them. On Tuesday night, Fr Sheehy said he stood over his remarks. "Bishop Browne said that he was going to take me off all mass and I said okay fine, I couldnt care less really. I know myself what I said cannot be disproven by any honest to God Christian or Catholic teaching, and thats the bottom line he told Radio Kerry. He added that Bishop of Kerry Ray Browne, who has apologised for the comments and said they do not reflect Christianity, is muzzling the truth in order to appease people. It has since emerged that Fr Sheehy who attacked homosexuality during mass previously supported sex offender and even hugged him, saying afterward: I just wanted to support him, just let him know he was not alone. Thirteen years ago, Fr Sheehy supported convicted sex offender Danny Foley and gave him a witness statement. The then 35-year-old Foley from Meen was convicted on December 4, 2009, at Tralee Circuit Criminal Court of sexually assaulting a 22-year-old woman on the morning of June 16, 2008, in a car park at the back of Mermaids nightclub, in the centre of Listowel. He received a sentence of seven years in prison with the two final years suspended, and was released from Arbour Hill in September 2013 after serving less than four years. Fr Sheehy, along with reportedly around 50 other people, who were mainly men, marched into the courtroom and shook hands with Foley. The priest even hugged the convicted sex offender, saying afterward: I just wanted to support him, just let him know he was not alone. Fr Sheehy did not respond to requests for comment. After Fr Sheehys sermon last weekend, Bishop of Kerry Ray Browne said his views do not reflect the Catholic Church. In his homily, Fr Sheehy said: We see it, for example, in the promotion of sex between two men and two women. That is sinful. That is a mortal sin and people dont seem to realise it. Its a fact, a reality, and we need to listen to God about it because if we dont, then there is no hope for those people. The priest was heckled by parishioners, many of whom left the church. But undeterred, he continued his homily adding that people should admit they are sinners. There are people who wont like what Im saying, but the day you die youll find out what Im saying is what God is sayingThose of you who happen to be leaving today, God help you. Thats all I have to say to you. And God bless you who are here and worshipping God, he said. In a statement, Bishop Browne said he is aware of the deep upset and hurt caused by the contents of Fr Sheehys homily. I apologise to all who were offended. The views expressed do not represent the Christian position. Speaking on Radio Kerry, the priest claimed that some parishioners have since thanked him for his sermon. When asked by Kerry Today host Jerry OSullivan: Do you think that our politicians, the ones who legislate for things like same sex marriage - some of them are openly gay, the soon to be Taoiseach again Leo Varadkar - do you think they are going to hell?, he responded: Absolutely, if they dont repent on sin and seek forgiveness. Because what theyre doing is contrary to the law of nature and secondly, and more importantly, its contrary to the law of God. When you go against God, who is the author of life, you actually go against life itself. Gardai investigating if death is linked to row at the hotel at around 10pm last night Gardai are investigating all circumstances surrounding the discovery of a mans body found with suspicious injuries to his forehead. The grim discovery of the 25-year-old's remains was made at 8am today on the grounds of The M Hotel which is located around five kilometres from Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan. The hotel is being used as a direct provision centre for asylum seekers. The man who has been identified is originally from an African country and had been a resident of the facility. He was found on the ground near the entrance of the hotel and the scene was sealed off for a technical examination which concluded at around 5pm. (Pic: Google Maps) One line being investigated is whether the mans death is linked to a row at the hotel at around 10pm last night which gardai were called to but no arrests were made as the disturbance had eased by the time officers arrived there. It is unclear how long the 25-year-old man had been living in Ireland or what his asylum seeker status is. This man was found unresponsive on the grounds of the hotel, a source told Independent.ie A post-mortem on the mans body which is due to take place tomorrow will determine whether the man had been the victim of foul play. At this stage gardai are keeping an open mind in their investigation and no arrests have yet been made. Gardai in Carrickmacross are investigating the discovery of a body in unexplained circumstances this morning, Tuesday, 1st November 2022, a garda spokesman said. At approximately 8am, following a call from a member of the public, Gardai discovered a mans body on the curtilage of a premises on the Kingscourt Road at Lossets, Co.Monaghan. The scene is currently preserved and a technical examination will be conducted by the Garda technical Bureau. The office of the State Pathologist have been notified. The results of the post-mortem will determine the course of the investigation, he added. It was a day all about family, it was a family day out and all of that was taken away from them, taken away tragically, said local councillor Michael Collins. A Limerick community is coming to terms with the loss of a young mum who lost her life in a tragic crash on Monday evening. Helen Moynihan (32) was returning from a family Halloween event with her partner and children when their car collided with another on the N21 in Rathkeale. "It was a day all about family, it was a family day out and all of that was taken away from them, taken away tragically, local councillor Michael Collins told Sundayworld.com. "The community is still coming to terms with the huge and heart breaking loss to the Moynihan family who are so well known and respected here, he said. "My thoughts are with Helens young family, her partner, her parents and her siblings. "Its so sad. Its just so, so sad. The fatal crash happened at Reens Pike at around 4.30pm on Monday, when Gardai and emergency services quickly responded to alerts. READ MORE: Helens partner and two children were brought to University Hospital Limerick along with the driver of the second car, a young man in his 20s. It is understood their conditions are non-life threatening. The collision in Rathkeale comes as more devastating news from a stretch of road that is unfortunately no stranger to tragedy or fatality, said local councillor Adam Teskey. He told Sundayworld.com in the day following the crash that the community wait with baited breath whenever the road is mentioned in the news. "This is another heart-achingly painful experience for the entire community who are just horrified and deeply saddened by what happened. "The loss has left a huge void, this lady is a mother, a partner, a daughter, he said. "My sadness and sympathies are with the grieving family and everyone concerned. The Fine Gael councillor thanked the first responders on the scene as well as all road users who respected the diversions in place following the shocking incident. "I also want to say that my thoughts are with the driver in the other car and his family. "It is a terrible tragedy and we are truly left numb as we reckon with this. "I want to express my condolences to all concerned. It is dreadful news, really devastating. Gardai have issued an appeal for witnesses of the incident to come forward, including any road users with any camera or dash-cam footage. "Anyone with information is asked to contact Newcastlewest Garda Station on 069 20650, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station, a Garda spokesperson said. Describing him as a monster the mother of little Hunter said the 34-year-old should get a longer sentence other than them 13 years for the brutal beatings the child suffered before his death Last night Nicole McGleenon pleaded with the public to write a letter of complaint to the DDP asking for the unduly lenient sentence of 13 years to Shahryar Ali to be increased. Nicole McGleenon pleaded with the public to write a letter of complaint to the DDP asking for the unduly lenient sentence of 13 years to Shahryar Ali to be increased. Hunter with his mum Nicole: She has pleaded with the public to write a letter of compliant to the DDP asking for the unduly linent sentence of 13 years of to be increased The heartbroken mum of baby Hunter McGleenon who was murdered by Sharyar Ali has urged the public to help get his life sentence increased. Taking to social media yesterday Nicole McGleenon asked the public to write to the Public Prosecution Service to get them to appeal the minimum 13-year sentence handed out to Ali on Thursday. Describing him as a monster she said the 34-year-old, should get a longer sentence other than them 13 years for the brutal beatings and killing he gave to Hunter shortly before his death. Nicole was present at Newry Crown Court to hear a judge send him down for at least 13 years and she could be seen outside court being consoled by friends and family after the sentence hearing. Shortly after the hearing Nicole McGleenon posted the simple message, Hope he rots! with a link to a report of him being jailed for 13 years. Hunter, who was just 1 months old, suffered a fatal head injury while Ali was looking after him for the baby's mother, Nicole McGleenon, who was with her terminally ill grandmother. In the 48 hours preceding his tragic death, beautiful little Hunter had sustained terrible injuries all over his body which are too graphic to repeat all inflicted by Sharyar Ali. Monster: Baby Killer Sharyar Ali During the night monster Ali left Hunter alone in a car outside a casino in Castleblayney for two-and-a-half hours while he gambled inside before going on to murder the defenceless tot. After the sentencing the PPS said they will consider an appeal against the sentence for being "unduly lenient". Now we now exactly what Hunters devoted mum thinks about the 13 years Ali got for killing her son. Nicole McGleenon pleaded with the public to write a letter of complaint to the DDP asking for the unduly lenient sentence of 13 years to Shahryar Ali to be increased. She posted on Facebook: I would appreciate if the public could leave a small reason to why Sharyar Ali should get a longer sentence other than them 13 years for the brutal beatings and killing he gave to Hunter shortly before his death. Your email will help us a lot to get him the longest possible sentence so please take only a few moments out of your time to help !!! WE NEED YOUR HELP !!! She accompanied the post with a link to the Public Prosecution Service website where people are encouraged to write to the Director of the PPS if they believe a sentence has been unduly lenient. And in an earlier post Hunters mum posted a similar plea to her friends. She wrote: Can I ask all of my friends and family to write an email to the director of Public Prosecutions asking to appeal the unduly lenient 13 year sentence given to the monster that murdered Baby Hunter please? It would mean the world to us. In certain types of cases the Director of Public Prosecution for Northern Ireland has a power to ask the Court of Appeal to review a sentence on the grounds that it is unduly lenient. An application to review a sentence must be made within 28 days from the day when the sentence was imposed. If the Court of Appeal agrees that the sentence was unduly lenient it may increase the sentence. Thank you Outside court on Thursday Nicoles sister and Hunter's aunt, Coleen McGleenon, read a statement on behalf of the family. "This monster who murdered a defenceless baby will, at some point, get to go on to live his life whilst we will continue to grieve and struggle with ours," she said. "No amount of time will make up for what our family have lost - not being able to see baby Hunter take his first steps, say his first words, celebrate his first birthday, or grow and develop in life. We have been robbed of life's precious gift. That monster has taken everything from us. We love and miss you Hunter, more than any words could say." In April we revealed how Hunter would still be alive if authorities hadnt let killer Ali slip through their fingers as he shouldnt even have been in the country. The Pakistani national was the subject of a UK Deportation Order as far back as 2015 four full years before he took the life of Hunter of whom at an earlier hearing a lawyer described Ali as being a father figure to. But sneaky Ali fled his base in Manchester and headed to Co Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland as far back as 2014 where incredibly he was also facing deportation procedures. And it has emerged immigration officials believe Ali not only took part in a sham marriage in England so he could stay in the UK but the crafty killer also got a proxy to take a language test on his behalf to help fool the authorities. Steven.moore@sundayworld.com This was Pyongyangs seventh suspected ICBM launch this year, a day after the hermit kingdom hit the alarming milestone of firing a record 23 missiles, the most it fired in a day A TV screen shows a file image of North Korea's missile launch during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2022. South Korea says it has issued an air raid alert for residents on an island off its eastern coast after North Korea fired a few missiles toward the sea. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) AP/PA Images Miyagi Prefectural Government officials watch a TV news about North Korea's firing of ballistic missiles at the office in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture Photo: Kyodo/via Reuters REUTERS North Korea launched a suspected new type of banned intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) among its latest three missile tests, forcing Japan to issue evacuation alerts and halt trains. This was Pyongyangs seventh suspected ICBM launch this year, a day after the hermit kingdom hit the alarming milestone of firing a record 23 missiles, the most it fired in a day. On Thursday, North Korea fired an ICBM from an area near capital Pyongyang around 7.40am local time, followed by launches of two short-range ballistic missiles an hour later, according to South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff. The first missile test triggered an emergency response in Japan after it initially said the missile flew over its territory, before retracting that assessment. Tokyo issued evacuation alerts to thousands of residents living in the central prefectures of Miyagi, Yamagata and Niigata at 7.50am local time, following that assessment. But it is unclear as of now if the ICBM test was a success. Neighbour South Korea said the missile appeared to have failed during flight. North Koreas ICBM launch is presumed to have ended in failure, said the South Korean military, according to the Yonhap news agency. The long-range missile was fired on a high angle, possibly to avoid making it land into the territory of its neighbours. The missile reached a maximum altitude of 1,920km and traveled 760km, according to the South Korean military. But it failed during the second stage after the separation of the propellant and warhead sections, a defence source told the outlet. The latest launches come a day after North Korea fired 23 the most number of missiles in one day including one projectile that landed close to South Koreas waters, activating air raid sirens to alert the countrys residents on Ulleung island to take cover. A TV screen shows a file image of North Korea's missile launch during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2022. South Korea says it has issued an air raid alert for residents on an island off its eastern coast after North Korea fired a few missiles toward the sea. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) AP/PA Images South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol said this was effectively a territorial invasion by a missile. It marked the first time since the division of the Korean peninsula in 1945, that the Norths weapons landed so close to its neighbours territory just 26km beyond the northern limit line. The latest test triggered an alarm in Japan, second time this year. Last month, North Korea launched a ballistic missile over Japan for the first time in five years. Japans defense minister Yasukazu Hamada said his military lost track of the weapon after it disappeared in skies above the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. He deplored North Korea for putting citizens in danger by flying a missile close to their territory. In an updated statement, Japan said the missile did not cross the Japanese archipelago, but disappeared over the Sea of Japan. Before the updated assessment, the office of Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida broadcast alerts through television, radio, mobile phones and public loudspeakers and asked them to go inside firm buildings or take cover underground. Mr Kishida later slammed North Korea for repeated missile launches and called them an outrage. The US, South Korea and Japan condemned the ICBM firing, saying it was a flagrant violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions. This launch, in addition to the launch of multiple other ballistic missiles this week, is a flagrant violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions and needlessly raises tensions and risks destabilising the security situation in the region, Adrienne Watson, a spokesperson for the US National Security Council, said. US secretary of state Antony Blinken held a telephone call with South Korean foreign minister Park Jin over Wednesdays missile launches, including the one that recklessly and dangerously landed near the South Korean coastline, and stressed the ironclad US commitment to the security of its ally. North Koreas record number of launches this year more than 60 missile launches overall have increased tensions in the Korean Peninsula at an unprecedented rate as fears grow that Kim Jong-un is ready to conduct a seventh nuclear test. Its latest spree of tests in recent months is being considered a protest sign against Washingtons attempts of developing closer ties with its neighbours Japan and South Korea by holding several joint drills. F**k all yous talking bad about my beard yasll do nothin Conor McGregor has got at least one supportive message after he was teased by fans for shaving of his beard. The Dubliner, who is reportedly back in Ireland after filming the reboot of 1980s classic Roadhouse, had taken to social media to cheekily give followers the finger after they noticed his clean-shaven new look. "F**k all yous talking bad about my beard yasll do nothin, he declared alongside a picture of him with his face covered. A Lion without his mane, one fan had said, while another added: Who tf is that guy. One fan suggested: We made Conor self conscious about shaving his beard. But Claudia Gadelha who remains a star in her native Brazil despite having decided to retire from mixed martial arts due to concussion-related symptoms, applauded McGregors choice of headgear. She commented: "Gangsta! I got the same beanie!" Conor had appeared without his beard in pictures taken alongside his partner Dee Devlin in which they posed in matching retro airline uniforms for Halloween. The UFC star was dressed as pilot Frank Abagnale from the film Catch Me If You Can while Dee went out as an air hostess for the party in McGregors Black Forge Inn. The Notorious captioned the picture: The sky is the limit, come fly with me. #happyhalloween @theblackforgeinn while Dee added: Lets fly, lets fly away. However, his family later issued a statement denying that his mum Margaret wore blackface for Halloween after it sparked controversy online. 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 Some fans on social media accused her of wearing blackface, which is considered highly offensive and racist in many parts of the world. However, McGregors family has come out strongly to deny the claims, insisting that it was spiders painted on her face to go alongside her red dress and necklace with three skulls attached. A spokesperson for the McGregor family was quoted as saying: The McGregor family loves Halloween. Mrs McGregor had spiders painted on her face since her costume was a ghoul risen from the grave. Any other interpretation was just wrong and truly unfortunate. The Irishman has been filming a re-make of classic movie Road House with Jake Gyllenhaal in the Dominican Republic. 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 When he completes those obligations, he says he'll jump straight back into training. He had declared: That will give me a good couple of months [to prepare]. Once I wrap this up in a couple of days, get the camp going [for] a good couple of months. And get going. Fans are hoping to see McGregor make a long-awaited return to the return to the octagon in 2023 having not fought for the entirety of 2022. In fact he has not fought since he suffered a horror leg break during his trilogy match against Dustin Poirier. Actress Jenny posted a picture on social media of former Fine Gael TD Tom holding her blossoming midriff Celebrity couple Jenny Dixon and Tom Neville announced this evening they are to become proud parents for the first time to twins. Actress Jenny posted a picture on social media of former Fine Gael TD Tom holding her blossoming midriff. Just when we thought it may never happen it happens, said Jenny, who captured the magic moment on Rush beach in north county Dublin. She added: Faith, positivity and determination. We cant wait to meet both of you, adding she is 17 weeks pregnant with twins. Tom added on his social media: Just when we thought it may never happen, it happens, and it happens x 2. Cant wait to meet the twins. Jenny (38) famously played Kerri-Ann Bishop in Fair City, until her character was stabbed to death nearly four years ago. Tom (46) was a Fine Gael TD for Limerick county, until he lost his seat in the last election. Earlier this year he took up a new job in London. The couple wed in Dublin in June 2019, with then Taoiseach and fellow Fine Gael politician Leo Varadkar wishing Tom and his new bride well. Several of Jennys former colleagues from Fair City joined her on the big day, including George McMahon (Mono), Dave OSullivan (Decco), Bryan Murray (Bob) and Una Crawford O'Brien (Renee). Jennys character Kerri-Ann previously caught up in a love triangle involving Mondo and Decco. Before going into acting Dubliner Jenny was a teacher. She later spent a couple of years in Los Angeles, trying her hand at acting and modelling and famously hung out with Hugh Hefner in the Playboy mansion. She has appeared in several small films in recent years. Tom hails from Rathkeale and was initially co-opted to Limerick county council in 2003 to replace his father Dan. Following the economic crash he emigrated to Australia for four years and when Dan gave up his Dail seat in 2016 Tom ran and was elected and replaced him. Tom has also tried his hand at acting, appearing in several short films. Earlier this year he took up a new job in London with TikTok, in their brand management division. I just love the bones of him, said Colin. Its really that simple. And we dont see each other much Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson have told of their delight that their Irish-set movie has become an awards-season favourite because it will celebrate the island communities and people who helped them get it made in the first place. Both Dubliners are in the Oscars conversation for their roles in The Banshees of Inisherin, with US pundits predicting the movie could secure several other nominations. While Colin says hes chuffed at the awards buzz, the real winner would be the film and the people in the West who made them feel welcome. The celebratory aspect doesnt start or finish with your individual experience, he said. That would be the magic of any of that. Its that kind of goodwill that we linked into this film. Its that kind of goodwill that we were invited into in the hearts of the people on Inishmore and Achill Island. For a second do I think it means Im a better actor than anyone else? No, of course not. But Jesus, is it a bit of craic now? Am I going to enjoy it? Am I going to get to hang out with him [Gleeson] a bit more? It would be brilliant, agreed Brendan. I mean, the whole fuss around it can be a pain in the neck. Colin Farrell as Padraic and Brendan Gleeson as Colm in the Banshees of Inisherin It is thrilling in a way and whatever about the personal accolades, you kind of say, well something hit. We call them the last cast members, the audience, and you want it to hit. The Oscar thing, thats part of the mechanism that allows you access to all those people. Word of mouth for The Banshees of Inisherin is justified, and both stars are terrific in writer-director Martin McDonaghs dark and funny tale. It centres around two lifelong friends on a fictional West of Ireland island in the 1920s, whose lives are thrown into chaos when one of them dramatically decides to end their friendship. In reality, the two stars are closer than ever, and the strong bond and affection between them when we meet in a Dublin hotel is very evident. Its their first time acting together and reuniting with McDonagh since In Bruges 14 years ago. Their sense of fun was also obvious when Brendan hosted top US comedy show Saturday Night Live recently, and his fellow Dubliner joined him. It was his fault that I did it in the first place! laughed Gleeson. I did have to kind of talk him around! said Farrell. I was one of a battalion of people who were f***ing just inundating him with reasons why he needed to do Saturday Night Live. Colin, Martin and Brendan at the film festival in Venice Getty Images They say they have treasured spending much of the last few weeks together as they support the movie here and in the US. Because Colin is based in Los Angeles and Brendan in Dublin, they dont often get to hang out together. I just love the bones of him, said Colin. Its really that simple. And we dont see each other much. Today is the last day. And then if we do a few Q and As, if they want to campaign for all that other s***e, then Ill see him over there, thatd be great. Hell be over in LA anyway, shooting over there. When we dont see each other, its weird, but theres a kind of a conversation I feel that continues by him living his life and me living my life. Brendan, too, has been enjoying the catch up and even finding out more about his acting pal during interviews. Youre doing it on the dance floor when youre making the movie and then you get the off times when you have a bit of craic and stuff like that. But this has been an excuse to hang out with him during interviews. We find out a lot as well because we talk too much and we listen a lot. Thats kind of the way it works with us. With him I always feel I know hes listening and I want to hear what comes back. I find it continuously educational! Their dynamic is no doubt a contributor to what makes their on-screen pairings on In Bruges and now Banshees so special. And when Colins simple farmer Padraic is rejected by Colm, the man he has shared 2pm pints with for years, he is shaken to the core. We all got a kick in the bo****ks around Covid, says Colin of the films focus on friendship. We realised through the absence of proximity, and touch and tenderness, and we realised how important those things are to us, something as simple as sitting with a friend for an hour or two. All thats taken from my fella in this film in just a moment. He means the world to my fella without him in my world theres nothing to look forward to. Colin Farrell as Padraic and Brendan Gleeson as Colm in the Banshees of Inisherin While movies have always been fixated with the ending of love affairs, McDonaghs film focuses on something we rarely see on screen the end of a friendship. It was about, actually, the death of a core friendship, that is soured, said Brendan. Its not only that it hasnt been seen on screen, I think theres no convention for it here. For the most part, all of these kind of conventions are built up around romantic break ups. Visually, Banshees is one of the most strikingly beautiful Irish movies ever made, and you can only imagine the film will do for the West what Star Wars did for Skellig or Game of Thrones for Northern Ireland. Like viewers will be, both men were struck by the beauty of Inishmore and Achill. It whispers to you and roars sometimes, said Farrell. Its magic down there and honest to God the way Martin built Siobhan and Padraics cottage right on the top, right on the crest of the island. "That one shot at the start when shes putting the clothes out to the line. The camera starts at the back door, looking through the back door through the kitchen to the front door and it comes up over the thatched roof and then you see Dun Aengus in the distance and the cliffs and all f***ing hell. And thats what we lived in you never got to press play or stop on the experience of telling the story. Todd Talks with Todd Muller National MP With Parliament in recess for a fortnight Ive enjoyed getting out to connect with people in different sectors of my electorate, including at afternoon tea meetings Ive held with retirees. Whenever I meet with constituents these days conversation inevitably turns to their views on how it feels to be a New Zealander these days and let me tell you that there is growing anger at this Governments policies. People are angry. They are angry at the cost of living. Locally-grown produce is out of many households budgets, and so is dining out. They are angry at a health system thats been rebranded and restructured without fixing the wait times at the ED and for surgery. Bay of Plenty cancer patients are choosing palliative care because the options for local treatment are unavailable. They are angry that youth crime appears to go unpunished. Its becoming increasingly unsafe to go shopping. Gang membership is growing and there are 19 gang members for every 10 police officers in the Bay of Plenty. They are angry that our countrys children are failing basic numeracy and literacy standards and that chronic truancy is worsening under this Government. Were facing an economic crisis if school-leavers cannot read, write or contribute meaningfully to society. They are angry they were not heard in Local Government elections. Everyone else in New Zealand elected new mayors and councillors last month. Tauranga ratepayers could not. They are angry at traffic gridlock. This Government has underinvested in crucial infrastructure we need and our roads are suffering. They are going to be even more angry when the Transport Minister slows everyone down to lower speeds instead of fixing our roads. Peoples anger is real, its understandable and its scary. New Zealand and the Bay of Plenty deserve competent governance and its my aim, and that of my colleagues, to deliver this next year. Consumer NZ is warning New Zealanders that more power price rises are on the way. From November, customers of Genesis and Contact Energy will see their gas bills increase by an average of about 11 per cent. Contact Energys electricity customers will see their bills increase by about eight per cent from November too, says Consumer NZ. In a statement released this week, Consumer NZ says Genesis is planning to increase its electricity prices for residential customers in January 2023. "The combined profits of Genesis, Meridian and Mercury (to the end of June 2022) totalled $1.35 billion, which is more than double their combined profits from the previous year. "These significant profits include gains from one-off sales and favourable forward electricity market movements. " However, Consumer believes the level of profits suggest there is scope for these retailers to sharpen their pencils on price. Some of the larger retailers are continuing to make lofty profits and are increasing their power pricing to customers at a time when many New Zealanders are struggling financially, says Consumer head of communications and campaigns, Gemma Rasmussen. We know from Powerswitch data that some of the lowest prices are being offered by the smaller retailers. Theres room for larger retailers, especially the well-established players making large profits, to sharpen their pricing. Consumers latest Sentiment Tracker survey found New Zealanders have rapidly lost trust in the energy sector. In June 2021, we began tracking consumer sentiment across all sectors. The energy sector has seen a marked decline in trust, with only the supermarkets, fuel industry and the Government faring worse. The watchdogs annual power company satisfaction survey found the bigger players in the market continue to disappoint customers. Contact, Genesis, Trustpower and Mercury all failed to impress. We want to see retailers upping their game across the board improve their pricing, and customer service too. If they manage that, perhaps consumers' trust in the in the industry will improve. Analysis from Consumer has found that potential savings from switching electricity providers has gone up 24 per cent in the past year, with the median saving now sitting at $385 a year. "We really encourage people to use Powerswitch to compare plans and check if they could get a better deal. A lowering suicide rate is good news, but there are still to many people taking their own lives, say North Canterbury mental health advocates. For the third year in a row the number of New Zealanders suspected to have taken their own lives has fallen. The Office of the Chief Coroner released its provisional suspected suicide statistics last week for the year ending June 30, 2022, with 538 people suspected to have died by suicide and at a rate of 10.2 per 100,000 people. This compares to 607 suspected suicides in the year to June 30, 2021, at a rate of 11.6 per 100,000. But Waimakariri MP and Opposition Mental Health spokesperson Matt Doocey says the number is still too high. "One death by suicide in New Zealand is too high, but it is encouraging that the numbers have come down. "There is unfortunately tens of thousands who have attempted or thought about suicide, so it is about ensuring we have support for those in crisis." Doocey says he is encouraged by the work of Parliaments cross-party working party on mental health, which he established and now chairs. The working party produced a report, Zero Suicide two years ago, which aimed to improve grassroots support. "The report found that what would work for middle-aged, male dairy farmers in North Canterbury is different to the support needed for young Maori in south Auckland. "It is encouraging those recommendations are now being taken forward and we are starting to see some results." Doocey says the country is doing a better job at "starting the conversation". "I have been encouraged by the ability of New Zealanders to have an open conversation on mental health and we have seen some local responses to suicide prevention such as Lifekeepers. "And we are very lucky to have a number of community organisations like Community Wellbeing North Canterbury and the Oxford Community Trust who are doing life-saving working the community." Initiatives such as last weeks Gumboot Friday are also playing an important role, he says. Doocey advocates for a whole of community approach to suicide prevention. "The government of the day has a role in making sure publicly funded services are performing, but the rest of society needs to step up, whether NGOs or businesses, to address mental health issues in society. "I think we have done a good job where people can talk more openly and there is less stigma. "The problem is sometimes the support is not there, so we need to ensure there is a range of support available." Community Wellbeing North Canterbury Trust manager Deirdre Ryan says the local community has been through a lot over the last decade. "We have all been through a lot with various events including earthquakes, drought and Covid, which impact on people in all sorts of ways. "The statistics are trending in the right direction, but we all need to work on strengthening the wellbeing of our young people in particular." She says Wellbeing is focusing on providing support to parents, as well as young people, and ensuring they can access the help they need. For the second year in a row, the Canterburys region suicide rate was lower than the rest of the country at 8.4 per 100,000. But suicide among Maori and young people aged 20 to 24 continues to be disproportionately high nationally. -Public interest journalism is funded by New Zealand on Air. Port of Tauranga's multi-million dollar rescue centre is now open. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern officially opened the centre this afternoon, which received $2.9m of Government funding from the Covid-19 Response and Recovery fund. The rescue centre has secured surf lifesaving facilities for one of New Zealands most popular coastlines, according to the Prime Minister. As the largest Surf Life Saving Club in the Bay of Plenty, boasting over 700 members, Omanu Beach Surf Life Saving Club is a crucial part of this community, says Ardern. Around 150 local people were employed over the course of building this valuable infrastructure, and the benefits will be ongoing not just for the people of Tauranga but for everyone that enjoys the Eastern Region. When we announced the CRRF in July 2020, it was with this specific intention, to create jobs, support industry and provide much-needed economic stimulus across Aotearoa. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaking at the opening event. Photo: Taylor Rice/SunLive. The new Centre serves as a hub for Surf Life Saving Eastern Region, comprising of 19 surf clubs from the top of the Coromandel all the way to Tairawhiti Gisborne. Government funding of $2.9 million from the CRRF supported the build of the 1300 square-metre facility, alongside funding from the Port of Tauranga, Tauranga Energy Consumer Trust and other community organisations. Economic and Regional Development Minister Stuart Nash followed up the Prime Ministers speech by saying the CRRF helped replace funds that could not be raised due to Covid-19 restrictions, and the loss of traditional funding and fundraising opportunities. This is a great example of a constructive cross-organisation approach getting the best outcome for their community, says Nash. Minister for Economic and Regional Development Stuart Nash speaking at the event. Photo: Taylor Rice/SunLive. The funding support enabled these organisations to take a collaborative approach, resulting in this purpose-built facility which accommodates all their joint needs under one roof. The $50 billion CRRF was set out in Budget 2020 and earmarked $3b for infrastructure project. Twelve surf lifesaving clubs received CRRF funding, totalling $16.99 million. The building now accommodates clubrooms, offices and storage space for Mount Maunganui Bridge Club, New Zealand Surf Life Saving Eastern Region, and Omanu Beach Surf Life Saving Club. Waipuna Hospices Katikati Charity Shop is dealing with a significant loss following an break-in. The incident happened between the hours of 2pm on Saturday, October 29, and 9am on Monday, October 31. Offenders caused extensive damage to the back entrance of the shop and managers office, causing considerable loss to the shop. This has come at great sadness to the shop manager and volunteers, discovering the outcome of the event earlier this week. They are terribly shocked and disappointed that someone would cause destruction to an organisation who works to help those with life limiting illnesses, and volunteers have been uneasy knowing their vulnerability at times like these. The incident has not only impacted those who work with Waipuna Hospice, but also those in the community who have contributed to the organisation. The loss experienced will mean less contributions can go to where donors had intended it to, coming at great regret to the team and the community. A damaged door. It is with considerable sadness that we must contend with those that put more value on their own needs above those affected by life limiting illness, says retail business manager James Turner. Although we can have empathy towards someone whose life experiences makes this acceptable, it is difficult to accept the harm this does to our team and community. Every hard-earned dollar we have lost was raised from the goodwill of our community and it is the loss of this we feel deepest. Waipuna Hospice has reopened and is continuing with business as usual. They are grateful for the kindness and patience of the Katikati community in this time, but also urge those in the community to be on high alert for criminal activity and to stay safe. The charity shops security systems have been damaged because of the incident. They would be grateful for contributions from the community to repair the damages to ensure their store is secure. If you have any information regarding this break in, please contact Katikati Police, 78 Main Road, Main Highway Katikati, on 07 549 0004. New Zealand squash champions, Paul Coll and Joelle King will play against the worlds best on home soil for the first time in their careers for the New Zealand Squash Open tournament this month. The NZ Open is a big deal as it is the first time the tournament is being hosted in 28 years and its right here in Tauranga. The NZ Open running from November 8-13 is part of the PSA World Tour, which will see 48 players from more than 20 countries compete in a state-of-the-art glass court at Trustpower Baypark Arena. Tournament director Wayne Werder caught up with the BuzzWorthy team to talk all things sqauash. Check out what he has to say in the latest podcast here or by clicking the link at the bottom of the page. Home turf Its the biggest tournament that Ive played on home soil so Im super excited, says Paul. Im extremely proud that we can bring all these top international players to our country, says Joelle. But for Paul and I, we spend so much time playing in everyone elses backyard with all their people cheering for them so I think its going to be nice for the fans. Both players family friends will show up to watch Paul and Joelle in live action. Ive never had them at a [international] match and its just going to feel like home, says Paul. Top players Paul, who won gold for mens squash singles at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, was ranked world number one for the sport in October but recently resumed world number two, behind squash rival Ali Farag from Egypt. Hopefully a win this week might help me to get closer to one again, says Paul. Its been a crazy 10 months and theres been a lot of pressure on myself with rankings and stuff so Im just enjoying my squash and trying to win another title. Sixteen of the squash players that will compete in the NZ Open in the state-of-the-art glass squash court flown in from the US. Joelle is ranked fifth in the world for womens squash singles. I lost in the semi-finals in the individuals [at the Commonwealth Games], and I was seeded one there so disappointed I didnt come away with a medal in the singles, says Joelle. Hopefully I can take the pressure and use it in a positive way. New challenges Before the NZ Open kicks off Paul and Joelle will compete in the Nations Cup among seven other teams, which began Thursday and will run until Sunday, November 6. The Nations Cup will be held at the same venue and will run in a unique and new format including sudden-death and power-plays. I always think that as athletes were a bit of control freaks, we like to know exactly how everything work so were all going in pretty blind, says Joelle. I just urge everyone to come down and support New Zealand, get behind us, get nice and loud, bring the noise and just have a good time and enjoy the squash, says Paul. Im a proud Kiwi, I love being home, I love people here so Im hoping its going to give me a spark, says Joelle. Current Print Subscribers will be prompted to either login to their current site user account or to create a new one. A confirmation email will be sent when a new user account is created, which must be confirmed within three days in order to provide uninterrupted online access through your Print Subscription. Once the email address is confirmed please provide your Account Number to activate your Print Subscription Service. Iran seizes oil tanker it alleges was smuggling 11 million liters of fuel in Gulf Revolutionary Guards board foreign flagged vessel; official says captain and crew taken into custody, incident being investigated A foreign-flagged oil tanker was seized by Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps in the Persian Gulf on Monday, with officials saying it was smuggling millions of liters of fuel, local media reported. IRI remains focused on client services in Japan IRIs Tokyo office has provided marine safety, technical, and operational services to shipowners and operators in Japan International Registries, Inc. and its affiliates (IRI) continue to expand resources to provide strong support to the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) fleet throughout Asia and the world. With 11 offices in the Far East, including Busan, Dalian, Hong Kong, Imabari, Manila, Qingdao, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Taipei, Tokyo, and bridge support from Vancouver and Long Beach, IRI provides comprehensive administrative and technical support to the RMI Registry throughout Asia and beyond. Since 2007, IRIs Tokyo office has provided marine safety, technical, and operational services to shipowners and operators in Japan. As of 30 September 2022, the RMI fleet stood at 193.8 million gross tons, and 7.4% of that tonnage is Japanese owned or operated. Japan is recognized as one of the largest ship owning and shipbuilding nations in the world. Our long-term presence in Japan supports one of the largest and most dynamic shipping industries in the world, said IRI President Bill Gallagher. We have long-term relationships built upon decades of trust and respect, and as Japan has made a significant commitment and investment to a sustainable shipping future, we have strategically placed our resources to provide technical, administrative, and operational support to our owners and operators as they invest in decarbonization technology, he continued. Mr. Masaharu Okamoto became IRIs chief representative in Tokyo in 2007, providing local representation and services to Japanese owners and operators flying the RMI flag. Confidence in the RMI flag grew significantly once the office opened and the local market recognized the high-quality services and support the Registry provides, noted Mr. Okamoto. The RMI Registry was the first foreign flag to open full technical and administrative services in Japan and it quickly expanded in 2011 opening a second office in Imabari, he continued. Mr. Okamoto works closely with other regional offices as a broad and strong network of services throughout Asia. Our offices in Asia offer support to a large amount of RMI flagged vessels trading in the region, noted Annie Ng, Head of Asia. Hong Kong and Manila handle almost a third of the global seafarers documentation production for the fleet, she continued. This level of production is supported by more than 100 IRI employees across the Far East who provide not only seafarer documentation, but also technical and fleet operation support, business development and client services, and more. Recent renovations to the Manila office and newly established offices in Qingdao and Vancouver demonstrate the Registrys commitment to the region. Hong Kong, with 28 team members, is the largest office in Asia, followed closely by Manila and Singapore. After 20 years based in Hong Kong, Ms. Ng opened the Registrys Vancouver office earlier this year as a bridge between business hours in Asia and IRIs headquarters in Reston, Virginia. Several decades ago, we made a significant commitment to our owners and operators in Asia, noted Annie Ng. We continue to enhance our local resources and services to help them best position for the future, she concluded. Russia likely to struggle to find enough tankers to evade G7 oil price cap Moscow may be short by over 100 ships to reroute crude Russia may be unable to redirect all its seaborne oil exports away from Europe as the number of tankers willing to service Russian oil trade dwindles ahead of the G7's price cap mechanism, analysts and shipping brokers told S&P Global Commodity Insights. Singapore MPA says no pollution from tanker grounded in Singapore Strait YOUNGYONG There is no report of injuries nor oil pollution, and MPAs patrol crafts are monitoring for any oil spill pollution within Singapore Port Limits. In response to media queries, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said that it was informed by the master of the Djibouti-registered tanker, YOUNG YONG, that it had grounded off Takong Kecil in the Riau Islands, Indonesia in the Singapore Strait at around 2020h on 26 October. Prior to its grounding, MPA's Port Operations Control Centre (POCC) issued early shallow water warnings through its Vessel Traffic Information System (VTIS) to the tanker on the potential risk of its grounding. MPA had also alerted the Indonesian authorities immediately after the incident happened. The Indonesian authorities are leading refloatation efforts for the tanker, as well as preventive efforts against possible oil spills, as the vessel had grounded in Indonesian waters. Navigation through the Traffic Separation Scheme in the Singapore Strait is not affected. There is no report of injuries nor oil pollution, and MPAs patrol crafts are monitoring for any oil spill pollution within Singapore Port Limits. MPA's POCC is also issuing safety broadcasts to warn transiting vessels to keep clear of the location of the grounded tanker. Winners announced for the Nautical Institutes Enclosed Space Competition The Nautical Institute launched the competition to highlight the events that lead to incidents in enclosed spaces. The Nautical Institute is delighted to announce the winners of The Human Element Industry Group Safety Competition Enclosed Spaces. The Awards took place during a special session held at the IMO Building on October 31st 2022. Teaming up with InterManager and IMarEST, The Nautical Institute launched the competition in December 2021 to highlight the events that lead to incidents in enclosed spaces. The special awards session featured a panel of Captain John Lloyd, Chief Executive of The Nautical Institute, Captain Kuba Szymanski, Secretary General of InterManager, and Martin Shaw, President-Elect, IMarEST, who discussed Maritime Safety Sending our peoples home safely. There was an open format for entry into the competition which could be a report, poster or video. Companies and individuals could participate by sharing their ideas and proposing methods of preventing these incidents. Capt John Lloyd said: We were very pleased with the number, and quality, of entries we received which came from the UK and overseas. Unfortunately entry into hazardous spaces is, and remains, a recurring problem in maritime and we were glad to take this opportunity to open up a wider dialogue and give voice to people from different sectors of the industry. My congratulations to all of our winners who demonstrated a deep understanding of the subject. The award winners: Technology Martyn James, MNI, Marine Pilot, Associated British Ports. Martyns entry describes a combined air mask and gas detector worn by those entering into enclosed spaces. The device enables an automatic release of air into the mask when oxygen deficiency is detected, allowing immediate and safe evacuation. Procedures Jonathan Charles Rushton, AFNI, retired, a Global Marine Specialist who previously worked for Talisman Energy and Shell Tankers. Jonathan proposes to establish an expert panel with the sole purpose of reviewing enclosed space deaths from existing sources of information. The experts should be drawn from a wider community than the maritime sector alone. The resulting conclusions would shine a spotlight on the leading factors contributing to deaths in enclosed spaces. Leadership Lloyd Swindell, Deputy General Manager/QSHE, K Line LNG Shipping UK Ltd. Awarded first prize in the Leadership category for his active encouragement of submissions from across the K Line LNG UK fleet resulting in higher levels of awareness and a number of recommendations for further improvements. Ideas included the creation of laminated sheets with detailed diagrams of the space entered. The standby person keeps a plot of personnel in the space, minimising search time in the case where a rescue is needed, among other benefits. Posters Captain Russ Garbutt, FNI, retired, he previously worked as ships Master with P&O Ferries. Awarded first prize in the category for his attention-grabbing posters. Company Submission Soren Scheid, NanoVapor Product Manager, Ecochlor. Ecochlor is awarded First Prize in the Company Submission category for its NanoVapor technology, a tool to accelerate enclosed space and tank ventilation by suppressing volatile organic carbons (VOCs) and hydrogen sulphide while maintaining a breathable oxygen concentration at all times. The Taos News delivered to your Taos County address every week for a full year! We offer our lowest mail rates to zip codes in the county. Click Here to See if you Qualify. Plan includes unlimited website access and e-edition print replica online. Your auto pay plan will be conveniently renewed at the end of the subscription period. You may cancel at anytime. In context: Helium is an element that most of us take for granted. We use it to float birthday balloons. It is also a component in some electronics, such as helium-filled hard drives. Magnetic resonance Imaging (MRI) machines use liquid helium for superconducting magnets. Unfortunately, the earth is running out of this essential element. Helium takes thousands of years to form within the earth through radioactive decay. Its small size makes it lighter than air, so it slowly seeps through the earth's crust and collects in gas pockets we can drill into and tap. Its extremely long gestation time makes it virtually non-renewable, so the earth will eventually run out. We are currently facing a global helium shortage. Russia's Amur natural gas processing plant, which supplies about one-third of the world's helium, recently suffered two fires one in January and another in October. Coupled with the war in Ukraine and the trade embargos involved, the US has little helium to spare on frivolous things like party balloons. In fact, suppliers have begun rationing the gas and reducing the amount they sell to "non-priority customers," NBC News noted. The top of the priority list is the medical industry. However, doctors are still fearful that the shortage will limit one of their best tools for diagnosing internal injuries and illnesses the MRI. "Helium has become a big concern, especially now with the geopolitical situation," said Professor of Radiology Mahadevappa Mahesh from John Hopkins School of Medicine. Magnetic resonance imaging can provide doctors with detailed renderings of internal organs and bones that other machines like X-rays cannot achieve. These images allow medical personnel to see anything from tumors to internal bleeding. However, an MRI machine must cool its magnets to near absolute zero (459.67F) to create these pictures. Since helium is the coldest element on earth, with a boiling point of -452F, it is ideal for cooling magnets to the low kelvin temperatures needed. This chilling allows current to pass through the MRI's electromagnets virtually resistance-free, making them superconductors. The good news is that MRI machines only need to be refilled every three to four years. The bad news is it takes about 2,000 liters of liquid helium to operate an MRI. So far, hospitals have not yet had to cut back on MRI testing. However, helium prices have already begun to skyrocket, which will make an already expensive diagnosis tool even more costly. Image credit: Diego Delso In brief: Elon Musk is reportedly set to slash Twitter's workforce by 50%, the equivalent of around 3,700 jobs, as he looks to reduce the company's operating costs. Additionally, the new owner will tell employees that they must return to the office, something he has also done at Tesla and SpaceX. In the run-up to Musk's takeover of Twitter, reports circulated that he was planning to cut 75% of its workforce, or around 5,000 people. The company said there were no cuts planned, and it seems that the 75% figure was wrong, but Musk is now reportedly halving the number of Twitter employees. The report comes from Bloomberg, which cites people familiar with the matter. The publication writes that Musk intends to inform affected workers this Friday. Engineers and director-level staff from Tesla are said to have reviewed the layoff lists, ranked on employees' contributions to Twitter's code during their time at the firm. Another part of Musk's plan is to require employees enjoying the company's work-anywhere policy to return to the offices in and beyond San Francisco, though some exceptions could be made. This doesn't come as a surprise, given the world's richest man's feelings toward remote working. Your feedback is appreciated, now pay $8 Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 2, 2022 Musk sent memos to SpaceX employees and Tesla executives in June directing that workers spend a minimum of 40 hours in the office per week or quit. The sudden influx of staff at the latter's Fremont, California plant meant there was a shortage of desks and parking spaces, problems that were still present in September. Musk and his advisors have been considering different cost-cutting methods, including headcount reductions, at Twitter, so the final number of layoffs could change. One option is to give those let go 60 days' worth of severance pay. Musk has already removed several top execs, including CEO Parag Agrawal, and placed himself in the Chief Executive Officer role. In addition to the staff reductions, Musk is trying to increase Twitter's revenue by revamping Twitter Blue. The updated service will cost $8 per month and offer several benefits, including verified status for subscribers. Recap: The United States government's latest restrictions against China's semiconductor industry are unlikely to impact as many US nationals working in the country as first feared. There have already been reports of Chinese Americans leaving the industry or being forced to give up their US citizenship if they want to remain. The US sanctions introduced in October restricts shipments of American-made electronics or other items that China could use to create chipmaking tools or equipment. It also prevents non-Chinese companies in other countries from using American equipment to service Chinese customers unless granted a license by the US. The restrictions also require US citizens to seek permission from the Department of Commerce before providing support to Chinese fabs. Chinese memory chip giant Yangtze Memory Technologies Corp responded to the sanctions by asking employees who are US citizens and green card holders to leave the company. Other Chinese chip firms are said to be taking similar actions. But as pointed out by The Register, the US Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security posted a document last week explaining that the US is not preventing its citizens from working across the entirety of China's semiconductor industry. The restrictions do apply to Americans who authorize or conduct the shipment of equipment used to make advanced semiconductors for chip manufacturing plantsthey will need to secure a license first. A license is also required by those who service this equipment in Chinese fabs. However, the rules do not apply to American workers performing administrative or clerical duties. The Reg notes that Americans are defined as individuals who carry either a US passport or a visa that allows them to reside in the US. TSMC has already warned of the "serious challenges" being placed on the semiconductor industry due to the US sanctions against China. The Taiwanese firm has been granted a one-year license by the US to continue ordering American chipmaking equipment that will allow it to expand in China. It seems the restrictions are having their desired effect. China saw its largest-ever monthly drop in the production of integrated circuits in August. An international team of scientists has raised new concerns about the changing chemistry of the ocean after discovering that the western Arctic Ocean's acidity levels are increasing three to four times faster compared to other ocean waters, according to a report by SciTechDaily. Wei-Jun Cai of the University of Delaware is a member of the research team that discovered a significant connection between the rate of ocean acidification and the increased rate of ice melting in the area. The survival of plants, marine life, and several biological processes across the planet's ecosystem are all at risk as a result of this hazardous combination. (Photo : KEREM YUCEL/AFP via Getty Images) A melting pond is seen inside an iceberg from the Greenland ice sheet in the Baffin Bay near Pituffik, Greenland on July 20, 2022 as captured on with a drone during a NASA mission along with Univeristy of Texas scientists to measure melting Arctic sea ice. Arctic Acidification Data The new study is the first to assess Arctic acidification data spanning more than two decades, from 1994 to 2020, and was published in the journal Science. Due to the area's growing hot summers, it is predicted that the Arctic sea ice in this region may disappear by 2050 or earlier. The ocean's chemistry will change as a result of this sea-ice retreat every summer if there isn't a stable ice cover to slow or offset the acidification. Zhangxian Ouyang, a postdoctoral researcher at UD, participated in a recent expedition to gather data in the Chukchi Sea and Canada Basin of the Arctic Ocean for the research. Di Qi, who collaborates with Chinese research institutions in Xiamen and Qingdao, was the publication's first author. Scientists from Seattle, Sweden, Russia, and six additional Chinese research centers also contributed to the study. When Cai and Qi first looked at the Arctic data together during a conference in Shanghai, Cai said that both of them were perplexed. Arctic's acidity was rising three to four times faster than other ocean waters, according to the study. The increased sea ice melt during the summer months in the Arctic was identified by Cai as the main culprit. Read Also: Canada's Arctic Meltdown: Collapsing Lost 40% Ice Mass in Two Days, Result of Arctic Amplification Analyzing Historical Data Historically, throughout the summer months, shallow marginal areas of the Arctic sea ice have experienced melting. That began to alter in the 1980s, although Cai noted that it fluctuated over time. The ice melt has accelerated over the last 15 years, moving deeper into the northern deep basin. For the first time, such a long-term view was feasible when data from 1994 to 2020 were analyzed. Cai, Qi, and their colleagues discovered an astonishing increase in acidification and a close association with the speed at which ice is melting. The findings thus far demonstrate once more the far-reaching effects of climate change, according to Cai, but additional research is needed to improve their data and better anticipate future changes. "If all of the multiple-year ice is replaced by first-year ice, then there will be lower alkalinity and lower buffer capacity and acidification continues," Cai said in a statement. "By 2050, we think all of the ice will be gone in the summer. Some papers predict that will happen by 2030. And if we follow the current trend for 20 more years, the summer acidification will be really, really strong." Related Article: Arctic Climate Crisis Allowed New Maritime Routes, Shipping Emissions Accelerates Ice Melt This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Jace Dela Cruz 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The Chinese authorities are imposing stricter rules when it comes to contracts of the suppliers as part of the oil use expansion. The country eyes extending the limit on thermal coal prices in 2023, according to Bloomberg's latest report. Price Caps Set For Thermal Coal Suppliers (Photo : Chris LeBoutillier from Unsplash) China's National Development and Reform Commission, the agency responsible for reviewing and approving investment projects related to energy and the like, will set a fixed rule for the contracts after 2022. The regulating body has set 675 yuan or $92.85 as the benchmark for the yearly contract for the companies. Bloomberg notes that this would be effective by Nov. 25. This means that price caps for fuel cargoes will keep on changing amid huge economic adjustments. This will also affect the transportation and product costs of the companies. Speaking of the price cap, the China Electricity Council says that the new price cap is based on the previous long-term contracts, which hit about 570 yuan to 770 yuan per ton. As of Oct. 28, the organization concludes that there's an 86% increase in domestic spot-traded prices. It spiked to 1,603 yuan ($220). Meanwhile, Newcastle coal futures hit a month-high $465 per ton last month. On Tuesday, Nov. 1, it managed to reach $361 per ton. Related Article: World's Largest Compressed Air Energy Storage Plant is Now Up and Running in China China's Way of Handing Fuel Price Hikes Over the past years, China's regulation on clamping down price controls on fuel has been effective despite the increase in oil prices in the world market. The country has been consistent in maintaining its price controls so it could stay away from the worst possible thing that might deteriorate the energy market. Bloomberg reports that coal producers still take advantage of these efforts by posting bumper profits. The same report also notes that at least 80% of the output from coal miners is now ready to be sold under contracts. These will be prioritized compared to their industrial counterparts, per NDRC's revised policy. It should be noted that the country is experiencing a surge in electricity consumption. This is one of the concerns that continuously bugs the users in the country. Sufficient oil supplies are hard to achieve, but it is still viable given China's struggle in the past months. Although the severe drought left a painful remark on the economy, China maintained its composure to face the disruptions. The same event also triggered several tech companies to pause their operations in the meantime. Fuel Embargo Outside China, Europe is about to implement a wide ban on refined oil products from Russia. Ahead of the punishment, this would mean that there would be a limit on the fuel stocks in the continent. According to Oilprice.com, the upcoming winter season is expected to be prompted by concerns about "tighter fuel markets." Despite this adjustment, the experts believe that the higher fuel exports in China will not have a big impact on the diesel suppliers in the US and Europe. Read Also: Plan A Offers Platform For Companies to Stay Away From Greenwashing About Climate Change This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Joseph Henry 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Google's new low-cost AI ultrasound is now being developed. The tech manufacturer announced this effort during its latest "AI@ '22" conference. (Photo : Photo by ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images) The VR Fetus app from South Korean startup GirjaeSoft is displayed at CES 2019 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 11, 2019. "Tune in to AI@ '22 to hear from Google's AI and Research teams about our latest work in the fields of robotics, natural language understanding, accessibility, healthcare, and creativity," said the search engine giant via its official YouTube post. This just shows that Google wants to further delve deeper into the artificial intelligence industry. While its other AI innovations focus on user experience and the environment, one of these is expected to improve maternal health. Google Wants to Improve Maternal Health Using New AI! Via its official Twitter announcement post, Google said that it is working on an affordable AI-powered ultrasound tech. (Photo : Photo credit should read JASPER JACOBS/AFP via Getty Images) Illustration picture shows a doctor doing a ultrasound examination during a visit of a pregnant woman to her gynaecologist, in Mechelen, Thursday 31 January 2019. Also Read: Google Messages End-to-End Encryption for Group Chat Looks To Be in Testing Phase To make this possible, the tech company decided to partner with Northwestern Medicine, a non-profit healthcare service provider in Chicago. In partnership with @NorthwesternMed, were developing a low-cost AI ultrasound device that can determine critical details of a pregnancy and detect issues early. This will support nurses and midwives in regions without sonographers https://t.co/eQlhh1jP6D. (4/5) Google AI (@GoogleAI) November 2, 2022 Google said that its new partner would help them develop and test the new AI ultrasound gadget so that it would be more generalizable in different levels of technology and experience. The search engine giant added that they hope this health innovation can allow people receive timely care in the correct settings. Why Google's AI Ultrasound is Beneficial Google explained that the new AI ultrasound could improve people's maternal health by determining critical details of pregnancies. The company added that it could also detect pregnancy issues early, which helps midwives and nurses in areas where there are no sonographers. Greg Corrado, Google's Head of Health AI, said that more than half of all pregnant women in developing countries don't have enough ultrasounds. In his official blog post, he explained that Google's expertise in machine learning could fix this problem. He added that using artificial intelligence can offer accurate evaluations of fetal and maternal health risks. For the past years, various organizations and independent experts have been trying to use AI to make people's lives easier. Previously, the newly developed AI model CODE-AE was confirmed to determine human response to drug compounds. Aside from this, AI and 3D X-rays are used by Australian researchers to stop wildlife crime. For more news updates about AIs and other similar technologies, keep your tabs open here at TechTimes. Related Article: Alzheimer's-Diagnosing AI Better Than Medical Experts? New Study Shows It Can Solve Physician Shortage This article is owned by TechTimes Written by: Griffin Davis 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Elon Musk's response to the many that have been complaining about his new changes to Twitter's subscription for verification is to pay the $8 per month or not get the blue check at all. There have been many complaints about the new policies on Twitter, and it includes significant names in the industry like New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez among the bunch. Users who have been verified for a long time now are at a crossroads with the new subscription requirement, especially as it was free before this latest change. Elon Musk Slaps $8 Subscription to All Complaints (Photo : CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty Images) The top billionaire presents his views on social media, saying that Twitter is still the most interesting place on the internet, and received a reply which looks down on his management capabilities. A CNN reporter said that Musk is like a child and treats Twitter as his toy, directly insulting the Chief Twit on his changes and policies for the new age of the platform. The only reply that Musk tweeted is the price for his new verification subscription which is $8. Musk also made memes regarding the blue check verification, saying that Twitter's $8 charge would be good for thirty days, unlike that of a Starbucks Frappuccino drink that costs the same, but will be finished in 30 minutes. Read Also: Who Are The Celebrities Quitting Twitter After Elon Musk Takeover Musk vs. NY Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Another public figure clashed heads with Musk, with Congressperson Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who recently tweeted a shade against his Twitter policy for the new subscription. Chief Twit said that her feedback was "much appreciated," but has to pay $8 per month for Cortez to retain her verification status and enjoy the perks available on the platform. Your feedback is appreciated, now pay $8 Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 2, 2022 Elon Musk and Twitter's New Management Twitter's new management is now in the hands of a known short-word social media platform user and enthusiast, Elon Musk, who is pushing for changes in the present after he acquired the company. One of his latest changes is the $8 per month subscription for the verification, alongside removing the edit feature from the paid subscription. This means that users no longer need to be on Twitter Blue for them to edit their tweets, and it would be a feature available for free. Some support Musk for the latest changes on Twitter but also became the center of trolling and backlash as many disapprove of his new direction for the social media. Long-time Twitter users have mixed reviews on Musk's latest policies and focus, especially with the controversial verification that needs subscriptions. Nevertheless, it seems like Musk would be an iron hand in his planned changes for Twitter, especially with the verification subscription which he pushes for in the platform now. It does not matter who would complain against the company's updated prices, as they would be the same as the common users that may have verification for a price. Related Article: Elon Musk: Twitter Blue to Increase Price to $8 Monthly-Verification Requirement, New Features This article is owned by TechTimes Written by Isaiah Richard 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. After DuPont de Nemours Inc. hurried its planned acquisition of Rogers Corp. because of an antitrust review, the takeover targets that await approval from Chinese regulators have slowed down, as reported by Bloomberg. (Photo : FREDERIC J. BROWN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) TOPSHOT - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (2nd R), joined by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan (R), speaks while facing Yang Jiechi (2nd L), director of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission Office, and Wang Yi (L), China's Foreign Minister at the opening session of US-China talks at the Captain Cook Hotel in Anchorage, Alaska on March 18, 2021. DuPont called off its $5.2 billion deal with Rogers and said that they were "unable to get timely clearance" from the necessary regulators. Previously, they identified China's State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) as the last challenge. A Surprise... Or Not? DuPont's decision came as a surprise to some merger arbitrage specialists. According to them, the company could have extended the deadline. Traders who bet on the transaction closing got burned by the 46 percent drop of Rogers. It is not unusual for merger reviews of foreign companies to drag on in China. In fact, in 2018, Qualcomm Inc., which is based in the US scrapped a $44 billion bid for NXP Semiconductors NV following SAMR's failure to approve the megadeal. Now, with the tensions between the US and China, they seem to be adding more fuel to the fire. Concerns rise as countries vie for preeminence in key technology sectors. The proposed purchase of DuPont amid takeovers, valued Rogers at a steep premium. Also Read: US-China Tech War: ASML, Lam Research Pulls American Engineers From China Amid New Chip Restrictions The Role of US-China Tensions China continues to be a great place for foreign companies to do business. However, officials in the country seem to be putting barriers for potential M&A deals in order to protect the country's own companies. Meanwhile, there is a lot of uncertainty in the air as many merger deals are in limbo. This is due to the ongoing US-China trade tensions, which have the potential to spill over into dealmaking. This can keep Chinese officials from approving deals. The US-China trade tensions are said to be the main issue, with the two nations sparring over technological espionage and restrictions on foreign investment. Moving forward, it is clear that the M&A environment in China is changing. American companies might have to rethink their China strategies if they are to continue their expansion plans in the country. If US-China tensions were not a factor, things would have gone much smoother. However, since this is an ongoing tug of war, expect delays in merger deals to become more frequent. In the case of Rogers, if the deal would have gone through, the company would have become the largest producer of automotive electronics components in the world. In the case of China, the government is looking to keep the country's products competitive. With US-China tensions, they may have to double down on their efforts to ensure that they can remain the largest player in the world. Related Article: US-China Tech War Could Extend to Self-Driving Cars Through Bipartisan China Bill This article is owned by Tech Times Written by April Fowell 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Financial institutions in Mainland China are now banned by Beijing to get involved with cryptocurrency assets at home. Now, these institutions are now considering launching related businesses in Hong Kong, according to South China Morning Post. (Photo : Anthony Kwan/Getty Images) HONG KONG, CHINA - FEBRUARY 15: Pedestrians walk past an advertisement displaying a Bitcoin cryptocurrency token on February 15, 2022 in Hong Kong, China. Cryptocurrencies are gaining popularity worldwide as investors seek to diversify into the new asset class despite wild swings in the valuations of assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum in the first weeks of the year. The idea is triggered by the new measures that are now boosting Hong Kong's status as a crypto hub. Therefore, several Chinese banks, family offices, and other financial service providers in Mainland China are considering starting or reactivating virtual asset projects in the city. These projects include providing cryptocurrency services. A Different Take On Things Why Hong Kong? Unlike Mainland China, Hong Kong doesn't see cryptocurrency as a threat to their financial stability. On the other hand, Mainland China sees the opposite; hence, they strictly prohibit banks from dealing with crypto. In fact, last year, the central bank in China issued a notice clarifying that providing cryptocurrency services to Chinese citizens is illegal. Some financial institutions in Mainland China already have their own Non-Fungible Token (NFT) and metaverse businesses in Hong Kong. However, their projects have slowed down because of what they call "crypto winter" and city regulations are still unclear. With the latest regulatory change, businesses are getting a clear signal that more virtual asset-related investment products are encouraged to come to Hong Kong. The city also has proposed a series of policy measures that aims to restore its status as a crypto hub. Also Read: Crypto Crackdowns Further INTENSIFY In China, Causing Major Coins' Values To Dip The new measures include a new licensing regime for virtual asset providers that will enable financial services to sell crypto-related assets to retail traders. Hong Kong will also study how to develop exchange-traded funds with exposure to cryptocurrencies, along with reviewing property rights for tokenised assets and the legality of smart contracts. Also last month, the director of licensing and head of the fintech unit of the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), Elizabeth Wong, reassured Hong Kong businesses on cryptocurrencies that they are separate from that of Mainland China because of "one country, two systems." In fact, this has also made a lot of crypto enthusiasts in mainland China excited about Hong Kong's change in direction. Now, they say that the city could now be a good place for their ventures related to crypto. On the other, a lot of investors and observers are cautious as they wait for more detailed measures. The new changes in Hong Kong are likely to help a lot of Mainland Chinese to carry out their crypto-related activities. Blockchain technology is becoming more and more popular and there have been a lot of attempts by governments and financial institutions to try to understand the potential of the technology. It is not surprising that Hong Kong is now poised to become a crypto hub again after China banned crypto trading. Related Article: Bitcoin Plunge Triggers More FUD in China, Claims Crypto is 'Worthless' This article is owned by Tech Times Written by April Fowell 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. OpenSea introduced a new stolen NFT system that automatically detects suspicious non-fungible tokens to prevent scammers and hackers from selling them on the platform. Instead of waiting for its users to report any suspicious NFT sales, it now automatically detects potentially stolen tokens. (Photo : JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images) An illustration picture taken in London on December 30, 2021, shows a NFT (Non-Fungible Token) created by Nigerian digital artist FreddieJacobArt named "Oghenerukevwe" on Opensea NFT marketplace, displayed on a phone and Binance NFT marketplace displayed on a computer screen. In turn, the giant NFT marketplace seeks to stop hackers from flipping their stolen tokens to make money off it. OpenSea's New Stolen NFT System As per the latest news story by The Verge, OpenSea used to wait for reports of stolen NFTs from other people. Upon receiving it, it is when the massive marketplace would start freezing any transaction for the reported token. It should then prevent hackers from flipping the item. However, The Verge notes in its report that cases of stolen NFTs are usually blazing fast. The online marketplace admits that most of the time a malicious token gets sold before users report it to them. But this time, it looks like OpenSea is attempting to change just that. It debuted a new automated system, which seeks to freeze transactions on stolen items right away. Read Also: Selfie NFT Collection Now Sells For Nearly $1 Million! Indonesian Student's Photos $1,000 Each? How OpenSea Prevents NFT Theft A recent blog post by OpenSea announced that it has "launched a new system to proactively scan URLs shared on OpenSea to help identify if they are malicious in nature." (Photo : DEVI RAHMAN/AFP via Getty Image) Visitors observe Non-Fungible Token (NFT) works at an exhibition entitled Indo NFT Festiverse at the RJ Katamsi Gallery, Indonesian Art University which combines art and technology in Yogyakarta on April 13, 2022. And as such, instead of merely relying on reports, the new process tries to detect stolen NFTs before hackers successfully flip them. According to a news story by NFT Plazas, the new system ideally prevents bad actors from listing or selling malicious items on the online marketplace. Given that, before it even gets listed on the platform, the new system tries to get rid of it right away. The Verge highlights that once the system detects a malicious NFT, it tags the item as "under review." In that case, no one can buy it as it would not be listed. The Vice President of operations, marketplace, and integrity at OpenSea, Anne Fauvre-Willis, explains how the new system detects potentially malicious tokens. The exec says it looks at "a number of industry data sources." And on top of that, the system also checks the transaction history of the token. It takes a look at how it was taken from the wallet of its previous owner. Once the new system flags an NFT as stolen, it would immediately reach out to its previous owner via an email, along with a police report. Related Article: NFT Marketplace OpenSea is the Latest Company to Let Go of Staff: 20% of Employees Lost Their Jobs This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Teejay Boris 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Vehicle company Aurora Innovation Inc., which is known for its autonomous technology, just released its quarter three earnings for this year. A $1.2 billion in cash and short-term investments were closed by the company as they reported. (Photo : David McNew/Getty Images) HESPERIA, CA - MARCH 04: Trucks park at a truck stop as prices for diesel and gasoline continue to rise and the cost of crude oil soars to a record high of more than $100 per barrel on March 4, 2008 near Hesperia, California. Q3 2022 Earnings Based on a report by TechCrunch, Aurora Innovation released its third-quarter earnings for this year which resulted in closing $1.2 billion in cash and short-term investments. As per the company, these are enough funds as they plan to launch a commercialized truck vehicle sometime in 2024. $200 million was the total loss of Aurora during the third quarter, which doubled up from last year's third quarter costing only $128 million. Despite the high number compared to last year, it is an improvement from the previous quarter as the total loss for the second quarter this year was nearly $1.2 billion. If the company maintains these numbers until 2024, Aurora will be having enough funds and will not be needing to raise more cash for the commercial launch. But knowing that the company is still a pre-revenue startup, TechCrunch stated that they will be needing to "incur tremendous costs in R&D" for them to launch their vehicles in the market. Aurora's State As per Chief Financial Officer Richard Tame, the company will still be needing to raise more funds. No confirmations if the funds that he stated is before or after the production and launch. The report stated that the company might still be able to keep on track until 2024 despite the global economic situation and Aurora's history, as the company still have enough funds to survive in the industry not unless the costs of the company crosses the line. Last month, Bloomberg reported a leaked memo from Chief Executive Officer Chris Urmson for the board. It indicates cost-cutting and options for cash-generating, freeze hiring and potential layoffs, turning assets to small capital raise, and plans to be acquired by tech giant companies like Apple and Microsoft. However, these issues were not mentioned during the earnings call. Commercializing Self-Driving Trucks The Business Journals reported that Aurora also plans to commercialize autonomous trucks from the company and reassures that they have enough funds for this project to continue by looking to the Q3 2022 report. This plan from the company is expected to start in 2024. This announcement from Aurora was just days after the shutdown of the operations of its competitors, Argo AI and Mobileye. Argo AI was previously backed by Ford Motor Co. and Volkswagen AG before the two companies announced their withdrawal as the deal does not attract new investors. Also Read: Self-Driving FedEx Trucks To Roam US This September! Aurora Wants To Complete Driverless Delivery Tech by 2023 Aurora partnered with FedEx, Paccar, Schneider, Werner, and Xpress as they prioritize commercializing autonomous freight. Meanwhile, the company also works with Toyota as the two companies plan to launch a subscription service for the market ride-hailing. During the earnings call, Aurora announced that the partnership between Toyota recognized a revenue worth $3 million. Related Article: Aurora's Self-Driving Vehicles Will Be Available to Customers in 2023 Via Subscription This article is owned by TechTimes Written by Inno Flores 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A new microgrid community has opened in California by KB Homes, as reported by Electrek. This serves as the first all-electric, solar-and-battery-powered microgrid community in the state. (Photo : DAMIEN MEYER/AFP via Getty Images) This aerial picture taken on October 29, 2022 shows photovoltaic panels of a solar canopy close to houses under construction at a housing estate in Hede-Bazouges, western France The new community is located at Oak Shade and Durango, which is part of KB Homes Shadow Mountain master plan in Menifee, California. KB Homes partnered with the US Department of Energy (DOE), SunPower, Scheider Electric, and Kia to test the new energy-efficient homes. Not Your Typical Solar Homes These new solar homes are not your usual because they are equipped with backup battery storage, bidirectional electric vehicle charging capabilities, and are interconnected, which results in a resilient energy network. When combined, these technologies establish a self-supporting energy network that can power a neighborhood during a power outage. How It Works So, how does an all-electric community works? First off, each home is fitted with a SunPower Equinox solar system, 13 kWh SunVault battery storage, Rheem ProTerra hybrid electric pump water heater, Carrier high-efficiency two-stage heat pump, Schneider Electric D Energy Center Smart Panel. The solar panels will gather energy from the sun and store it in the batteries as backup. Moreover, the community solar panels are connected to a 2.3 MW battery to complement the network's power supply. In addition, the homes will come with electric wiring for EV charging, while some will have Wallbox chargers. Homeowners can also enroll in SunPower's Virtual Power Plan (VPP) program, which allows them to use their EV chargers, battery storage, and other energy solutions to balance the grid load even during peak times. Over 200 homes will be all-electric and solar-powered with additional battery storage while connected to a community microgrid. Therefore, the communities will not be inconvenienced by power-outage, and will also be more fully self-sufficient. Also Read: Tesla Deploys Solar Roofs, Powerwalls in Austin: First Solar Community in the World? The Rise of Microgrid Communities Presently, the US solar industry is enjoying enormous growth. The growth can be contributed to a shift in residential solar installation, which is motivated by the increasing demand for solar-and-battery-powered homes. With the rapid rise in the demand for more sustainable communities, as well as the drive for more eco-friendly housing and lifestyles, the residential microgrid industry will continue to grow. Solar-and-battery-powered communities are the future of sustainable energy. KB Homes, SunPower, and other partners of this project joined forces to build a resilient community with an energy-efficient infrastructure. Microgrid communities like this one have the potential to save customers money and energy. Hopefully, the proliferation of microgrids will help push for greener and more sustainable communities. Moreover, it will enable more efficient grid management, as well as enable homeowners to have more control over their energy. As sustainable communities grow and as more people become aware of the benefits of self-sufficient homes, we can expect that the push for microgrids will continue to grow as well. Related Article: U.S. Demand For Electricity From Renewable Sources Taking Off This article is owned by Tech Times Written by April Fowell 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Best Buy is currently selling a Samsung monitor for just $230. There's no telling that the price will change anytime so it is best to purchase this product as soon as possible. 28-Inch Samsung Monitor Best Buy Deal (Photo : Best Buy) According to a report by Digital Trends, the 28-inch 4K UHD UR55 monitor from Samsung is all you need to buy for your office or gaming needs. It's originally priced at $350, but since it's a Black Friday sale, you can snipe it at a $120 discount for a limited time. If you want to replace your outdated monitor at home, then this deal is definitely your option. What's more, is that it compliments your setup thanks to its ergonomic feel. Your work-from-home computer will return to life once again with this additional accessory. Samsung 28-Inch UR55 4K Monitor Features The previous monitor from Samsung is only 24 inches, but the latest variant will be much bigger for your daily tasks. The 28-inch screen of Samsung UR55 will satiate you to become more active at work especially if you have a messy setup. Digital Trends reports that this monitor features full UHD resolution which exceeds more than 8 million pixels. Apart from that, this 4K monitor has an IPS panel which balances the color accuracy and brightness of your display. It's indeed an expensive choice yet what you will receive is twice what you're paying. Best Buy makes sure that each buyer can fully maximize the worth of this Samsung monitor for editing, documentation, and other purposes. Other than that, buying this 28-inch Samsung monitor will grant you six-month access to Trend Micro Internet Security. It's a nice reward to receive especially if you are looking for a trusted protection tool against malware and other online threats. That's the only thing you can receive when you buy the UR55 monitor. You will also receive a three-month trial for YouTube Premium. This alone nets you $30 for free. The bonus does not stop with a free trial for YT Premium and Trend Micro. The best thing about this deal is that you can return this monitor anytime you want. It will only be effective until January 14, 2023. Related Article: Black Friday Sale 2022: Here's the Early Deals from Lowe's for You Other Black Friday Deals For Computer Monitor Business Wire reports that HP< LG, Acer, Lenovo, Apple, and other brands are also selling 4K monitors at a very affordable price. For instance, you can enjoy up to 42% discount on Acer monitors while Dell is offering a 25% discount for select monitors. If you want to try a new lineup of portable monitors, then you should not miss Arzopa's current lineup. Tech Times recommends you take a peek at the following products which are ideal for office, gaming, and school purposes. 15.6-inch Arzopa S1 15.6 Lightweight Arzopa A1 14 144 HZ refresh rate Arzopa G1 15.6 Read Also: PlayStation VR2 to Debut in February for $550, Pre-order Starts on Nov. 15 This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Joseph Henry 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. South Africa: President to update Parliament on electricity, empowerment and energy transition President Cyril Ramaphosa will this afternoon engage with Members of the National Assembly on key national issues, including stabilising the supply of electricity to households and industry. During todays session in the National Assembly, President Ramaphosa will face several questions from Members of Parliament on load shedding, energy transition and Black Economic Empowerment, among others. In a statement, The Presidency said that the Presidents response to questions for oral reply at 14h00 will be the last such engagement with the National Assembly for the 2022 Parliamentary Year. During todays session the President will also outline progress in infrastructure development that is directed towards overcoming spatial inequality in the country and in unequal access to social services such as water, sanitation, education and health. President Ramaphosa will also spell out the role of the Presidential Climate Commission in developing South Africas climate change commitments as part of the countrys clean and just transition towards climate neutrality, the Presidency said. On a different subject, the President will also elaborate on the importance of broad-based black economic empowerment (BBBEE) in the countrys efforts to build an inclusive and sustainable economy. The President will further provide his vision for the contribution the South African aviation industry can play in regional connectivity and the realisation of the African Continental Free Trade Area. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2022-11-03. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. By Azernews By Fatima Hasanova The units of the Military Special Forces have kicked off the military drills close to the country's southern borders, Azernews reports via the Defence Ministry. The military drills are being conducted in conformity with the combat training plan, endorsed by the Defense Ministry, and are led by Lt-Gen Hikmat Mirzayev, the commander of the Special Forces. The commanders' reports were heard and the responsibilities were specified after the Special Forces departed their regular deployment positions for the drills venue. The units and subunits of the Air Force and Rocket and Artillery Troops involved in the exercises were assembled at designated airfields and areas. Interoperability with other types of troops is organized. In keeping with the plan of the military exercises, the units of the Special Forces will perform a variety of duties in collaboration with Air Force, Rocket, and Artillery Troops that will provide assistance. The number of cybercrime complaints in Australia has already risen by 13% in a year, reaching 76,000 cases, or one every seven minutes. Based on The Guardian's article, the average loss per cybercrime has increased by 14% to $39,000 for a small organization and $62,000 for a big corporation. The Alarming Number of Cybercrimes in AU Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) calls cyberspace a battlefield and realm of warfare in its latest annual cyber danger report. According to the data, more than 76,000 complaints of cybercrime were sent to the ASD's Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) in the 2021-2022 fiscal year. It is almost one case every seven minutes! The ACSC received the highest number of fraud reports, which is 27% of the total. The second highest reports are connected to online shopping (14%), then followed by incidents linked to online banking (13%). Despite making up less than 1% of global cybercrime, the report stated that ransomware remains the most damaging cybercrime threat. The businesses may face disruptions and reputational harm if the ransom is paid and stolen data is disseminated or sold. The general population may also be profoundly impacted. Also Read: British Hacker Daniel Kaye Faces Charges for Operating 'The Real Deal' Dark Web Market Attacks on Vital Government Networks May Affect the Public, Too ASD discovered ransomware gangs stole and disseminated the personal data of hundreds of thousands of Australians as part of their extortion techniques from 2021 until this year. Although the analysis covers the time before millions of Australians were affected by the data breaches at Optus and Medibank, the head of the ACSC, Abigail Bradshaw, made a vague reference to widespread public worries about major cybercrime. The report claimed that governments' spies and cybercriminal organizations are increasingly focusing their attention on vital infrastructure networks throughout the globe. Therefore, attacks on the country's critical infrastructure must be taken seriously since they threaten people's access to basic services. In 2021 and 2022, there were two instances of "extensive compromise" involving federal agencies or nationally controlled essential infrastructure. In November 2021, government-owned electrical producer CS Energy was attacked by the Russian-aligned ransomware gang Conti. Since its operational systems were isolated from its corporate network, however, there was no interruption in energy supply. Over the past year, "state and non-state actors" indiscriminately targeted Australian organizations, Bradshaw said. The rapid and prolific exploitation of significant vulnerabilities was a particular source of her worry. Cyberattacks Serve as a Tactic of Warfare ASD's report highlighted cyber strikes as a tactic of warfare by citing Russia's deployment of malware meant to corrupt data and prevent machines from firing up in Ukraine. The data suggested there may be anywhere between 150,000 and 200,000 home routers and small business routers in Australia that are susceptible to being compromised by spies. Clare O'Neil, minister for home affairs and cyber security, recently said that current hostile cyber activity instances showed the need to prioritize cyber security. The ACSC recommends that all Australian residents and enterprises upgrade to the latest patches, enable multi-factor authentication, and consult with security professionals. See Also: US Charges Ukrainian National of Involvement With 'Raccoon Infostealer' Malware Scheme This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Trisha Kae Andrada 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Listen to the continuation of the story of the English scientist Charles Darwin, told by the historian Virginie Girod, in an unpublished story in two episodes. During a scientific expedition in Latin America where he was able to observe nature, Charles Darwin saw his vision of the world, supposed to be organized by God, called into question. His theory of evolution, according to which species evolve over time to adapt to their environment, is in the making. But it's a new discovery that will shake up his certainties! This story is a Europe 1 Studio production. Less than four weeks after South Sudan became an independent country in 2011, a delegation of Glencore traders arrived by private jet in search of oil. They were carrying with them $US800,000 ($1.2 million) in cash to pay bribes. The revelation was among several detailed in a London courtroom this week that showed how, decades after Glencore founder Marc Rich created the popular image of commodity traders crisscrossing the globe to dispense bribes in exchange for lucrative contracts, remarkably little had changed in the way some traders at the company were doing business. The revelations about Glencores trading in Africa come just six months after the London-listed company pleaded guilty in related US cases. Credit:AP The UK Serious Fraud Office showed how Glencore paid more than $US28 million in bribes across five African countries over five years to 2016, using methods that were in some cases carbon copies of deals that Rich had put in place in the 1970s and 1980s. On Thursday, a judge handed down a penalty of 276 million ($490 million) for Glencores conduct, on top of around $US1.1 billion the company has already paid in related cases in the US and Brazil. Glencore traders hand-delivered large quantities of cash to government officials, they sought to profit from political turmoil, and they inserted themselves into government-to-government deals that had been negotiated at preferential rates. Oscar Tang became a billionaire one campfire at a time. From Maine to Arizona, Florida to California, Tangs fortune surged during the COVID-19 pandemic as Americans reconnected with the great outdoors in an era of social distancing, boosting revenue at his Kampgrounds of America. The company, which the China native bought in 1980 when he was still a Wall Street financier, said revenue has continued to grow by double digits this year after surging by 46 per cent in 2021. Oscar Tang, with wife Agnes Hu-Tsang, Credit:Bloomberg Tang, 84, now has a net worth of $US1.6 billion ($2.5 billion), according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, the first time hes appeared on the global wealth list. Hes expanded his fortune in part by snapping up some of the most attractive KOA properties from franchisees for his portfolio of more than 40 campgrounds across the US. People need outlets, Tang said in an interview in New York last week. Even when the price of gas is high, they recreate. They recreate closer to home. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Armageddon wasnt really around the corner in 1980, but US presidential candidate Ronald Reagan was all for talking it up. Out there in space, the Soviet Union might make a push for world domination at any moment. At home, there were threats that were less explicit, but you could hear the hum of racism in the motor of the arguments. Reagan used barely coded language to use race to help him win, remembers film director James Gray. I wasnt aware of it as an 11-year-old. I wasnt, but I was. Like, you somehow absorb the drippings of it, you somehow got the sense that something wasnt right. For his latest film Armageddon Time, Gray whose more recent films, such as The Lost City of Z and Ad Astra, have leaned towards adventure has returned to his childhood stamping ground in Queens, New York. While he has dealt with his family history more obliquely in The Yards and The Immigrant, this is all about him: specifically, about his friendship with a black kid in his last year of primary school. Gray was Jewish and growing up in what he describes as Archie Bunker territory; he heard his share of anti-Semitic jibes. In his last year of primary school, however, he would be confronted by the racism marbled into the social system. Much of Armageddon Time is actually pleasurable viewing, because Gray remembers so much with such honesty. Details were important to the film: they even used his familys old dinner plates. The Gray family is renamed Graf, both being abbreviations of their real name; it was important to fit in. James becomes Paul, played by Banks Repeta. Grays mother, called Esther in the film and portrayed by Anne Hathaway, had been a home economics teacher and is, as the story begins, a big wheel in the schools parent teacher association. His father, called Irving and played by Jeremy Strong, is a plumber. Jeremy and Annie are exactly what my parents were, says Armageddon Time director James Gray. Credit:Corina Marie/Focus Features Paul is something of a mystery to them artistic, flighty and sometimes unaccountably, uncontrollably brattish, sending his father into rages in which he beats the boy but he has an instinctively close relationship with his maternal grandfather, a wise old owl played by Anthony Hopkins. Hopkins isnt Jewish, of course, but Gray says he finds the stock figure of the immigrant codger with a Yiddish accent dense as a bagel quite offensive. His grandfather wasnt like that. He was a very proper person, he came through Southampton and he always wore a tie. We gave Tony Hopkins my grandfathers tie and hat. Hes doing my grandfather uncannily. Jeremy and Annie are exactly what my parents were. Details like the tie were important; the carpet, chandelier and the plates on the table were the same. So was the mood of the house, the whole passage of history, a heaviness carried forward from the Russian pogroms that drove his grandparents out of Europe. Never forget, his grandfather would tell him. People are capable of this. Advertisement Interestingly, the actors say they avoided imitating Grays parents. The character that I wanted to create was not necessarily what James wanted me to do with the role, says Jeremy Strong, whose own grandfather was also a plumber. But as an actor you only have your own instincts; at a certain point you cant think about that character as the father of the filmmaker. Anne Hathaway agrees, saying she worked on Esther the way she would on any character. They met Grays memories somewhere in the middle, where it always felt truthful, she says. Grandpas influence bore fruit. Armageddon Time is a great act of remembering, with the canker of racism as its centrepiece. In the United States, the myth is that you can pull yourself up by the bootstraps, that you too can make it if you work hard. James Gray, filmmaker Irving and Esther Graf would certainly not think of themselves as racists. On the contrary, Irving sneers at Reagan, just as Grays father did. Grays parents even gave him the middle name Marshall after their hero Thurgood Marshall, the first black judge on the Supreme Court. But they had their issues, says Gray. Pauls friend Johnny is played by instantly likeable Jaylin Webb. The real Johnny would play up in class Gray thinks now he had ADHD, but nobody thought about that then and lived in poverty with a grandmother rapidly succumbing to Alzheimers. In the film, Pauls parents discuss school crowding; they tut about children being bussed in from further north; they murmur about bad influences when Paul is hauled before the headmaster; they worry about drugs. Like Reagan, they use codes for their anxieties that would be awkward if deciphered. The decision is made, as it was for Gray, to send Paul to a private school, Kew-Forest, where they have small classes, uniforms, computers and conflicts of a different kind. The boys are entitled, bullying and racist. Controversially, Gray has one use of the forbidden N-word. I refused to get rid of it because I didnt want to erase history, he told Deadline. I cant rewrite a more pleasant, nicer version of what those kids were. The schools most famous alumnus, who comes to lecture the children on their bright futures as the citys future CEOs and political leaders, is Fred Trump, Donalds father. Advertisement Grays enduring focus through his films, unusually for American filmmakers, has been class under capitalism, specifically the unwritten ways in which people are kept in their place. Every successful civilisation requires a myth we can call it a lie that it tells itself in order to thrive, he says. In the United States, the myth is that you can pull yourself up by the bootstraps, that you too can make it if you work hard, but then there are times when you see behind the curtain. They know that theyre the ruling class. You are the future leaders! They would say that to us. Banks Repeta as Paul and Jaylin Webb as his friend Johnny in Armageddon Time. Credit:AP The system requires its collaborators; like most people, the Gray/Graf family had signed up. Even his grandfather would urge him to take advantage of the opportunity to integrate. He says, Your name is Graf, youre gonna fit in, make new friends. Basically, Go and hide. Go and hide as someone who will fit into the system. And then he says, Be a mensch [someone of integrity]. It is Pauls failure to be a mensch that brings Armageddon Time to its crisis point. Paul lets Johnny down, betraying him with his silence when the white boys at his fancy new school snigger at the idea of having anyone black in your actual house; trying but failing to shelter him when he becomes homeless; and, finally, abandoning him when they get into a scrape with the police. Johnny tells Paul to leave and let him take the blame. Thats what was going to happen anyway. Pauls dad is able to pull some strings. And so Johnny fades from his life. I think a lot of the movies that are made now are about enormous events that are about nothing, you know? This is the inverse of that. Jeremy Strong, actor After the film was first shown in Cannes, there was considerable discussion in the US press about whether Armageddon Time was a so-called white guilt movie, in which Gray points the finger at himself, sets out his mea culpa and seeks absolution. Not at all, Gray retorts; he doesnt feel guilty. When youre 11 or 12, you do not have the moral or ethical foundation to grapple with a world that is unendingly complex, he told Indiewire at the time. I think my behaviour at times was utterly disgraceful and gutless, but at the same time I dont know what the heck else I could have done at that age. A white-guilt movie, he says now, would show his alter-ego moving towards the light. But there is no solution, no moral at the end. Its not like the kid learns a valuable lesson and then becomes a great guy. It doesnt work out that way. It doesnt work out that way because it cant. Instead, it becomes Pauls personal Armageddon. Advertisement I love the way that James takes what is a small, not insignificant, but certainly not a seismic, event and we feel, as the audience, the enormity of it, says Jeremy Strong. I think a lot of the movies that are made now are about enormous events that are about nothing, you know? This is the inverse of that. James Gray, centre, with Anne Hathaway and Jeremy Strong at the Telluride Film Festival in September. Credit:Getty Images He remembers how Gray talked to him about a passage in Marcel Prousts Swanns Way about the passing of places that we remember that no longer exist. Houses and roads and avenues being as fleeting as the year, Strong says. James is also in search of lost time. He is trying to retrieve a moment, to bring this time capsule to us and show the kind of moral education that lead to a first crossroads, these first moments of adulthood in this boy. People are cruel; people are driven to demean others; slavery and the Holocaust do not, says Gray, exist independently of each other. Thats what adults know. I dont mean this as medicine, says Gray. The movie is not medicine in that way. But it is my job as a creative person to talk about one of the major threads in our lives, what it means to be a person. So much of it is connected to this idea of I make more money than you, down the block they have a nicer car than I do, and thats part of my identity, like skin colour and what religion I follow: what we now generically call privilege. The film may not be medicine, but Anne Hathaway took a message from it. The first thing that I would hope everyone is doing is to become educated about what privilege is, she says. And when you do make a mistake and you will, because youre a human being make the mistake gracefully, listen and apologise; be aware of the way bias looks in the world and how others might be expecting you to participate in it, then do the opposite. But its not a prescriptive thing. Its an ongoing situation. The conclusion that James offers is that it may not make a difference, but its in the doing of it that your character is formed. Banks Repeta and Anne Hathaway in Armageddon Time. Credit:AP When we talk via Zoom, Gray is in his guesthouse what we would call a granny flat because the sink in his kitchen is spouting boiling water everywhere, the plumber is trying to fix it and the dog is going berserk. I am impressed he managed to get a plumber immediately. He only lives three blocks away, says Gray. Hes a very nice guy. I ask if he told him his own father and his father before him were plumbers in New York. I think I did tell him, he says. But I dont know if he would remember. Advertisement Its been called one of the years best films and Cate Blanchetts most impressive performance to date, but most of the Oscar-winning actress Australian compatriots will have to wait three months longer than US audiences to actually see it. Despite premiering on October 7 in the US, Tar isnt being released in Australian cinemas until January 26, frustrating local audiences who are being bombarded with international coverage hyping up the film. And Tar is just one of a recent string of movies that have seen delays coming to our shores, albeit the most egregious because its leading star is one of Australias most acclaimed actresses. Cate Blanchett in a scene from upcoming movie Tar, in which she plays conductor Lydia Tar. Credit:Focus Features After months of chaotic international press in the lead-up to the film, Australians had to wait an extra two weeks to see Harry Styles and Florence Pughs Dont Worry Darling in early October. Billy Eichners Bros arrived a full month later than it did in the US, and other titles like Mrs Harris Goes to Paris and DC League of Super-Pets took up to three months. Mike Baard, managing director of Universal Pictures Australasia (which distributes most of these films, including Tar), says its not unusual to see these types of delays. But it is perhaps more noticeable in the context of the past few years, he says, when many movies got fast-tracked internationally due to the pandemic. AustralianSuper purchased a 25 per cent stake in affordable housing developer Assemble Communities in 2020, and several large super funds including CBus have also invested in bonds through the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation, which is leveraging private capital into community housing providers. However, super funds may also be wary of government-sponsored programs given the well documented issues with the National Rental Affordability Scheme that was a flagship housing policy of the Rudd government. Someones got to pay to bridge the gap between what it costs to build and maintain that home and what its rented to a low-income earner. Brendan Coates, Grattan Institute economic policy program director Coates said he strongly supported trying to remove the barriers to get super funds to invest in residential housing, but current state land tax regulations made it uneconomic for large institutional investors. There were also other specific challenges with investing in social and affordable housing, he said. Someones got to pay to bridge the gap between what it costs to build and maintain that home and what its rented to a low-income earner, said Coates. The super funds are not going to pay to do that. So ultimately, the government will have to pay if you expect to see super funds investing in social affordable housing. Its not clear how getting the super funds involved, what problem they solve. Australian National University associate professor Geoff Warren also said for super funds to invest in social housing, the government would need to contribute money. Loading If the government is putting something in the tin to give a sweetener to the returns, it starts to make sense. But theyve got to raise it to the point where returns are attractive enough so that the funds arent working against their members returns, he said. Its about how much theyve got to actually put in the tin to make it work is the question ... It has to be done in a way thats not going to compromise their returns. And theres a lot of complications around that and making that work. Industry analyst Alex Dunnin said the accord was a smart development but its success would come down to the structure of the investment proposal. It makes huge sense for governments to finally see super funds as actively interested constructive economic players. But if governments think these super funds are going to make naive quick investments before theyve really analysed whats being proposed, they are kidding themselves. The federal government has said it will incentivise funds to invest in social and affordable housing by covering the gap between market and subsidised rents through availability payments. Treasurer Jim Chalmers said they had been encouraged by the interest of super funds and other institutional investors to invest more in affordable housing, and they were committed to working with super, state and local governments, and the construction sector to try and shift the needle to build the affordable homes in areas where the jobs and opportunities are. Housing is set to be the focus of the Treasurers Investor Roundtable in late November Industry super funds have come out in strong support of the housing accord, however the response from retail funds has been more muted. A number of both retail and industry funds have signed up to the accord. Blake Briggs, the chief executive of the Financial Services Council, which represents the retail super industry, said he looked forward to addressing the historical challenges that have prevented institutional capital from investing in affordable housing. Proposals must be consistent with the legal obligation on super trustees to promote the best financial interests of members, he said. Spokespeople from Insignia Financial Group (which provides super products through IOOF and MLC), Colonial First State and AMP said they would be part of the discussions as the details are worked through but all stressed their focus on producing strong returns for members. David Bryant, the Australian chief executive of Mercer, said they were keen to understand what the accord specifically entailed to ensure investments stack up against other local and global opportunities. A sector like social infrastructure has the potential to present attractive opportunities for the capital markets. That said, its small and needs aggregating if its to attract big players. To ensure domestic funds can invest here, the landscape needs to change, he said. Industry Super Australia deputy chief executive Matt Linden said as the size of super funds had increased, their appetite for and capacity to invest in different assets such as housing had improved. He said governments would need to address issues around land release and planning, as well ensuring the projects were of a large enough scale to justify investment in housing from super funds. If governments and everyone working together can get those policy settings right, then our assessment is that it would certainly be a very workable investment for the funds, provide attractive risk-adjusted returns to members and thats the primary consideration of the funds, Linden said. The chief executive of $200 billion fund Australian Retirement Trust said they supported the need for institutional investors and the private sector to carefully examine the role they can play in investments and the barriers they can clear, but members financial interests always came first. Chief executive Bernard Reilly said the government had signalled its intention to make these types of investments more attractive to institutional investors by covering the gap between market rents and subsidised rents, which will be a key consideration for the fund when assessing the risk-adjusted returns. The NSW government is set to build deeper tunnels under Sydney Harbour for a multibillion-dollar motorway in a major reversal of construction techniques which will require a new harbourfront site for a massive boring machine to start digging. A ditching of the long-touted plan to lay large tubes in a trench on the harbour floor in favour of digging deeper tunnels through bedrock for the 6.5-kilometre Western Harbour Tunnel is also likely to require further planning approval. The project received planning approval early last year on the basis that so-called immersed tubes would be used for the three-lane tunnels, a construction method similar to that adopted for the existing Harbour Tunnel more than three decades ago. A massive boring machine similar to the one used for Melbournes Westgate Tunnel, pictured, will be used by Acciona. Credit:Jason South Multiple sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Spanish company Acciona had officially been informed that its tender for a deeper tunnel under the harbour using a massive boring machine was the preferred bid. In the vast majority of cases, a preferred tenderer is later awarded a contract for an infrastructure project. Residents who have had flammable cladding removed from their apartments under a Victorian government program say they have been left broke and unable to sell their homes after the building regulator demanded they pay for expensive additional works. Kevin and Jennifer Opies apartment building on Williams Road in South Yarra was one of the first in the state to be identified as containing the dangerous aluminium cladding, which had been used for decades on thousands of Australian buildings. Jennifer and Kevin Opie say they will be financially crippled after the building authority identified up to 30 additional fire risks in their building after the flammable cladding was removed. Credit:Simon Schluter In 2019, the retired teachers, aged in their 80s, were hit with a $92,000 bill to remove the cladding after a state-wide review. But months later, after several high-profile building fires, the Andrews government announced it would pay to remove combustible cladding on buildings across Victoria with a $600 million repair fund. Then-planning minister Richard Wynne called the Opies personally to say their nightmare was over. But it was only just beginning. A state divide is threatening to derail efforts to reserve gas at low prices for households in Victoria and NSW after producers ridiculed proposals to send more supply to the southern states. With Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews calling for a domestic gas reserve, industry chiefs in Queensland and South Australia lashed out at plans put forward that would require their states to bear the cost of a looming shortfall in the south. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says Australians want their gas to go to the domestic market first. Credit:Justin McManus Behind the dispute is the national forecast for a fall in the production of gas in NSW and Victoria which has a moratorium on coal seam gas over a period when gas will be needed to supply manufacturers as well as gas-fired power stations that offer reliable electricity supply when solar and wind power is unavailable. It appears that the states needing more gas, like Victoria, are those most reluctant to facilitate exploration or development of gas, South Australian Chamber of Mines and Energy chief executive Rebecca Knol said. Later this month more than four million Victorians will be asked to decide who will lead the state for the next four years. But they may be forced to do so without knowing all the facts. On Wednesday, the states anti-corruption watchdog applied for an interim injunction order against this newspaper preventing us from publishing information we think you deserve to know. Victorians will head to the polls later this month for the state election. Credit:Chris Hopkins The Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission made a hurried, after-hours application for the gag order after The Ages political reporter Paul Sakkal submitted detailed questions. To borrow a quote from Premier Daniel Andrews, it's always a concern when the media is unable to publish a story they believe to be in the public interest. Real estate company Harcourts has confirmed a data breach occurred at its Melbourne City office, potentially exposing the personal information of tenants, landlords and trades to hackers. The franchisee became aware on October 24 that its rental property database was accessed by an unknown third party without authorisation. Sensitive information of tenants, landlords and trades has potentially been exposed in the data breach. Credit:Getty For tenants, the personal information potentially breached included names, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, signatures and photo identification, according to an email sent by the office to its customers and circulated online. For landlords and trades, the data comprised bank details as well as names, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers and signatures. Islamabad: Former Pakistan leader Imran Khan has blamed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Rana Sanuallah and a top general from the intelligence agency for the attack that resulted in him being shot in the leg during a rally in eastern Punjab province. Khan was shot on Thursday and his supporters have called it an assassination attempt. He is in a stable condition. Sharifs government has rejected the allegations. It has condemned the incident and called for an investigation. Other officials from Khans party, PTI, have said there were two shooters at the scene. Local TV stations are broadcasting the alleged confession made by one of the attackers to the police. At least one by-stander was killed in the gunfire. A gunman opened fire at a campaign truck carrying Khan. One of his supporters was killed, his party and police said. Nine others were wounded. Kyiv: A Russian-installed official in southern Ukraine said Moscow would likely pull its troops from the west bank of the Dnipro River in Kherson and urged civilians to leave, possibly signalling a retreat that would be a setback to Russias war. There was silence from senior officials in Moscow. The Kyiv government and Western military analysts remained cautious, suggesting Russia could be setting a trap for advancing Ukrainian troops. Most likely our units, our soldiers, will leave for the left [eastern] bank, Kirill Stremousov, the Russian-installed deputy civilian administrator of the Kherson region, said in an interview on Thursday with Solovyov Live, a pro-Kremlin online media outlet. Russian army soldiers stand next to their trucks in Kherson, Ukraine in March. Credit:AP The area includes Kherson city, capital of the region of the same name, and the only major city Russia has captured intact since its invasion in February. It also includes one side of a dam across the Dnipro which controls the water supply to irrigate Crimea, the peninsula Russia has occupied since 2014. London: The Foreign Minister of Belize has said the idea of accepting the UKs unwanted migrants is offensive to the Carribean nation and will not happen. British tabloid The Daily Express reported that the UK government was looking to strike more deals to send offshore migrants who cross the Channel from France by boat, with Paraguay, Peru and Belize all in line. Britain has been trying to find ways to offload migrants arriving by boat across the Channel to other countries. Credit:AP But Eamon Courtenay, Belizes foreign and immigration minister told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age that it was out of the question. Belize is not in negotiations with the UK or anyone else to take migrants, he said. In 2015, Mohegan theater artist Madeline Sayet began her pursuit of a Ph.D. in Shakespeare in the United Kingdom. Little did she know that her experiences and inner conflict about her experience would inspire a solo play. Where We Belong, which examines her journey through the lens of Native ancestors in the 1700s, was filmed and released in the summer of 2021 by the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, and has since began a national tour. Following stops at Baltimore Center Stage, Philadelphia Theatre Company, and the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, it has arrived in New York City at the Public. Theatre for a run through November 27. Over email, Sayet gave us an overview of her piece's history. Madeline Sayet in Where We Belong at the Public Theater ( Joan Marcus) What was the inspiration for Where We Belong? In 2018, when I moved back to the United States after living in the UK for a few years, it was the first time that my feet didn't root quite right to the ground. Before that, every time I came home I could feel my roots reaching all the way down; it was evident in my body that this was the place of my ancestors. I had been flying from nation to nation to nation for work and I began thinking about my name in Mohegan, which means Blackbird, and what it means to become a bird. That was the shift in perspective I was feeling. So I started writing to make sense out of what I was going through and the world around me. To grapple with questions like, "Does missing England as a Mohegan person make me a traitor?" And, "Is there a place as an Indigenous person in a globalized world where I get to belong?" And was there wisdom I could gather from my ancestors who had to go to the UK in the 1700s and were never able to come home? It wasn't originally supposed to be a play, it was a big stream of consciousness thought experiment. I had things I needed to work out for myself that felt very private. Can you talk a little bit about what you learned about the play, and performing it, over the course of the tour you've been on? It's changed so much from the first performance until now. It used to be very painful to perform. It would always make me sick, because I would essentially have to re-experience painful moments in my life. There was no distance between me and my own life at all and I really deeply questioned that a tour was a good idea. The thing that kept me going was the notes I received from audience members. Almost every night, someone sends me a message, or leaves a note, sharing a story back with me. The fact that after hearing my story they feel moved enough to share a story from their own lives - that exchange has felt so powerful that it's really inspired me and kept me going. It made me feel like maybe I am actually shifting something in peoples' consciousness, whether it's opening up one audience member's way of seeing the world, or empowering someone to tell their own story. As time has gone on, I have become able to separate the act of performing the play from my own life in a way in which I couldn't earlier on, and I've enjoyed spending more time inhabiting the other characters, particularly my ancestors. But the piece also changes a lot from venue to venue, location to location, because every venue and audience brings something different to it. It's always easier to perform when there are some Native peoples in the audience. Some theaters I've performed in have tons of laughter and joy, while other audiences are more serious. Doing it in a space as intimate as the LuEsther means I have nowhere to hide, so it's becoming a very raw version of the play to perform emotionally. And I'm curious to see how it continues to evolve here. As a Mohegan theater artist, what does it mean to you to be telling this story in New York, where so many theaters have begun doing Land Acknowledgments but are still so woefully behind in terms of actual Native representation? I came of age as a theater artist in New York. I remember when I was in college seeing redface onstage at the Public for the first time, and then in the years to follow, only seeing more redface from the large New York City theater institutions and never Native theater in those spaces. Native theater was always happening but never in large mainstream venues. The message the New York theater scene was sending at that time was clear: Nobody wanted to see us as human beings. Redface was the norm, just like it was in the 1800s, it wasn't changing. We were just to be used as a device in Non-Natives plays. But New York is also where I found out that we, as Native people, had our own theater canon, genre, movement, etcetera. So, as someone who has a deep love of the downtown Native theater scene and began my career directing Native theater in this city, it feels like an immense honor to be able to be here, as a Northeastern Native person now, to be able to finally say yes, we do exist here. We have always existed and we're not going away. And if you know where to lookm there is Native theater happening all around you. And I hope this show is one step toward convincing theaters to let more Native artists tell their stories in these spaces. As an artist and scholar, what is it like for you to balance the idea of Native culture and language, by and large, falling by the wayside in terms of the general population, while the culture and language of Shakespeare is still widely studied and embraced? It is not an accident. It is a matter of law and policy. The only named author in the American Common Core is William Shakespeare, a writer not from here. Whereas, by comparison, there were long periods of history in which Native arts were made illegal. And Native children had their languages actively removed as a matter of governmental policy. I feel like the mistake is in pretending it's a matter of happenstance or preference. No, it's a matter of policy, and funding, and systemic structures. The fact is that Native children were stolen from their homes, brought to schools where they were beaten for speaking their languages, and forced to learn English and Shakespeare. I think it's important we reckon with the fact that while Shakespeare is obviously a great writer, it is no accident that he is so prevalent now, but as a part of white supremacist policies that promote the idea that he is inherently good for everyone. Those policies need to be questioned, because there are other playwrights and poets, many Native ones, for that matter, who might inspire students just as powerfully in different ways. And that intensity of focus on one writer, from one culture and one time period, while pretending he is universal, is actually incredibly limiting. What are you hoping audiences at the Public will take away from seeing Where We Belong? I hope they leave willing to question the world around them, and grapple with the questions that come up in my journey in their own lives. Maybe they make discoveries that only they can make. And laugh a little. But most of all, I hope they realize that there are so many Native stories just waiting to be told, and they leave wanting to hear more of them. It's a common enough story: You spend thousands of dollars and years of your life chasing after your dream job only to discover that it's not really for you. Do you cut your losses and start over? Or, like Macbeth, do you opt to wade further into a life of lies? That's the choice facing the people profiled in Marin Gazzaniga's The Unbelieving, which is now making its world premiere with the Civilians at 59E59. These people aren't doctors, athletes, or actors they're members of the clergy. And their reassessment of their life's purpose is also a reckoning with the very existence of God. The script is based on the 2013 book Caught in the Pulpit: Leaving Belief Behind by Daniel C. Dennett and Linda LaScola (both of whom appear above the title as producers). Like a lot of Civilians shows, The Unbelieving is told in the form of a documentary, with Linda (Nina Hellman) interviewing a series of individuals whose lines are drawn from real-life subjects. There's Adam (David Aron Baker), a Church of Christ minister who began reading arguments against religion in order to convert nonbelievers, but ended up convincing himself that God is a fiction. Sherm (Richard Topol) is an Orthodox rabbi who found more satisfaction in scientific evidence than the Talmud. And prize-winning Imam Mohamed (Joshua David Robinson) had trouble reconciling the notion of an all-powerful Allah whose will leaves the door open for Satanic temptation. David Aron Baker plays Adam in Marin Gazzaniga's The Unbelieving, directed by Steve Cosson, at 59E59. ( Richard Termine) Linda interviews a lapsed nun (Sonnie Brown), a Mormon bishop (Dan Domingues), and even a Pentecostal pastor who speaks in tongues (Jeff Biehl incanting one of the most hair-raising moments in the show). Leaving religion isn't just a matter of dumping superstition for these folks. It often means estrangement from family and friends, and even exile. This is not a comfortable position for a person seen as a pillar of a faith community. Steve Cosson helms the production with simple efficiency: Scenes naturally flow from one to the next, with characters often staying on to react to the statements of other subjects, facilitating drama and interaction in a story that would otherwise just be between interviewer and interviewee. This reaches its apex in the dramatization of a secret online message board, which is visualized here as a support group. When the actors do exit and enter, it is through elegant bits of choreography (movement by Sean Donovan). Andrew Boyce and Se Hyun Oh's set evokes the nondescript hotel rooms in which the interviews would have taken place (a tonal shift is signaled through the cracking of vertical blinds, with Lucrecia Briceno's natural light spilling in from upstage). Emily Rebholz and Miriam Kelleher's costumes give us a sense of character (the floral print shirt and roomy cardigan Brown wears is extra nunny). Christian Frederickson underscores much of the play with tense piano music, giving The Unbelieving the feeling of a true crime podcast that investigates apostacy and is very much on the side of the accused. Sonnie Brown plays a lapsed nun in Marin Gazzaniga's The Unbelieving, directed by Steve Cosson, at 59E59. ( 2022 Richard Termine) The actors, half of whom double roles, give us strong first impressions of their characters so that they are easily distinguishable (Brown is a master of finely nuanced dialect work). Topol gives an appropriately maddening performance as an Episcopal Priest who wants to dispute the findings of the study, but whose liberal theology is about as squishy as Jell-O. Perhaps that is why his faith remains while those from more brittle traditions felt the need to make a break. It's fascinating stuff, but at 65 minutes, we feel like we've watched only the first episode. The unsatisfying ending of The Unbelieving has the ring of an AA meeting, suggesting that when people change their minds, they often trade one set of tribal rituals for another. One gets the sense that the real drama takes place after the events of the play, especially in a country in which politics increasingly fills the void left by organized religion. In a country as expansive as the United States, there is as much room to find yourself as there is to hide. That's apparent in Where the Mountain Meets the Sea, Jeff Augustin's new play about a frosty father-son relationship, which features music by Abigail and Shaun Bengson. Now making its New York premiere with Manhattan Theatre Club at New York City Center, it's a bittersweet way to spend 80 minutes. It tells the story of Jean (Billy Eugene Jones), a schoolteacher who leaves Haiti in search of opportunities in the United States. He lands in Miami and finds work as an airport baggage handler. He also falls in love with Natalie, a fellow Haitian immigrant and educator. They take a cross-country road trip from Miami to Los Angeles while Natalie is pregnant. Decades later, their son Jonah (Chris Myers) takes that same trip in reverse to collect his father's ashes, searching for some connection to the man with whom he mostly shared silence. Jones and Myers easily convey the cultural chasm between father and son in their performances: Speaking with a delicate Haitian accent, Jones's Jean is charmingly wide-eyed and enthusiastic about America, especially its folk music, which reminds him of the "Moun Mon" songs of his native land. Abigail Bengson, Shaun Bengson, Chris Myers, and Billy Eugene Jones appear in Jeff Augustin's Where the Mountain Meets the Sea off-Broadway. ( Matthew Murphy) Myers's Jonah, on the other hand, is far too Americanized and educated to be enthusiastic about anything, something Myers communicates through a consistently mellow vocal delivery. A gay PhD candidate in linguistics, he had good reason to hide large parts of his life from a father who grew up in a country where sexual minorities are widely frowned upon. But could he ever really hide, or were both just quietly ignoring the obvious? The gulf between them is both a symbol of this family's upward mobility and a tragic failure to communicate between two individuals who have more in common than they realize. Augustin (whose mother is a Haitian immigrant and teacher) is the author of The New Englanders and Little Children Dream of God, a play about Haitian immigrants that also starred Chris Myers. Under the sturdy direction of Joshua Kahan Brody, Where the Mountain Meets the Sea is a much tidier play than that earlier effort. The story is communicated entirely through soliloquys spoken into hand mics, with father and son confessing their thoughts and regrets to the audience as they pass each other like two cars traveling in opposite directions on a lonely highway. Augustin's language is rich and thoughtful, finding little moments of harmony between the two characters without underlining them with a red pen. The Bengsons (who have composed the theatrical concerts Hundred Days and The Lucky Ones step into small supporting roles while underscoring the story with their haunting and heartfelt music. The songs are better at reinforcing a mood than they are at driving the narrative forward, but they are appropriately dreamlike for a story that conjures memories and dismisses them just as quickly. Echoes and sound-looping serve as a force multiplier and give this piece a ghostly quality (pristine sound design by Ben Truppin-Brown). Oscillating between memories whispered in public radio voice (Myers is particularly good at this) and eclectic folk music, Where the Mountain Meets the Sea often feels like a live taping of a very special episode of A Prairie Home Companion. Shaun Bengson and Chris Myers dance in Where the Mountain Meets the Sea off-Broadway. ( Matthew Murphy) Brody's production uses a less-is-more approach to keep this a largely auditory experience: Arnulfo Maldonado's set is a wooden amphitheater onstage, which we observe from our regular seats in the house (I wonder if this would have been a more impactful experience if it were performed with the audience seated in the amphitheater, like in last season's Oratorio for Living Things). Stacey Derosier's lighting takes its cues from the music, with the cyclorama at one point shifting colors with the beat, like the world's trippiest sunset. Costume designer Dominique Fawn Hill further captures the cultural difference between Jean and Jonah, dressing the father in smartly fitted trousers and a button-down shirt, while Jonah dons the messy toddler look favored by this country's hipster intelligentsia. Not all upward mobility constitutes improvement. Simple and heartfelt, Where the Mountain Meets the Sea is likely to resonate deeply with some audience members: As someone whose father died in my young adulthood, just as we were settling into an accord following years of adolescent friction, I could feel this play's expression of grief and regret in my bones. Even if that's not your experience, it's easy to get lost in the music and mystery. "She's a pretty cool customer." That's how a hospital social worker described Joan Didion after her husband, author John Gregory Dunne, died suddenly at their dinner table just hours before. It's a phrase that stuck with me during Kathleen Chalfant's nuanced performance in The Year of Magical Thinking, Didion's theatrical adaptation of her acclaimed memoir about grief. The description hit me as instructive of the different ways people mourn the loss of a loved one: some scream and shake their fists at the sky, others try to keep order and rein in emotions even as their life implodes. The play had modest success on Broadway in 2007, with Venessa Redgrave playing Didion in a Tony-nominated solo performance. Keen Company has now creatively revived and staged the work in venues much more intimate than the Booth Theatre: Audiences see the play either in a group of about a dozen in the living room of an apartment, or in slightly larger numbers at various community spaces. The venues are located throughout four of the city's five boroughs (not in Staten Island). Presenting the play this way, director Jonathan Silverstein lends familiarity and depth to a monologue that can at times feel austere. The Upper East Side apartment where I watched might be described that way, with its trendy blend of modern and antique decor, impeccably polished surfaces, and bright overhead lighting (by Anshuman Bhatia) that chased every shadow from the room. Chalfant elegant and distinguished in an ecru sweater and pants (costume design by Jennifer Paar) entered carrying a copy of Didion's book in hand and wearing a necklace with two rings (in her memoir, Didion mentions a similar necklace, from which hang her wedding ring and a baby ring given to her daughter, Quintana). She sat in a red-upholstered chair with 12 or so spectators watching from couches and assorted seating. The gathering had the feel less of a theatrical event than of a semiformal get-together where we had assembled to hear a friend tell us something important. "This happened on December 30, 2003. That may seem like a while ago but it won't when it happens to you. And it will happen to you." There's an off-putting presumptuousness in Didion's initial words. How can someone from a rarified demographic white, monied, famous presume to know what will happen to other people? Of course, what we're about to hear in the next 90 minutes won't happen to us in the details. Didion's story revolves around the specifics concerning the death of her husband and the mysterious, life-threatening illness that soon after put Quintana into a coma, and eventually took her life. Kathleen Chalfant as Joan Didion in The Year of Magical Thinking ( Richard Termine) What she does seem to mean by the it that will happen to us is the collapse of logical thought that follows the death of a person whose life is intricately interwoven with our own. Their passing, she implies, will leave us wondering what we could have done differently maybe what we can still do differently to make the person stay. The confused belief that we can change the past by performing a ritual or by saying the right words defines the magical thinking of the title. It explains why, following Dunne's death, Didion is unable to give away his shoes. What will he have to wear when he comes home? Such memories are what make The Year of Magical Thinking a powerful play about the grieving process, but I couldn't help feeling something was missing. We never hear Didion mention that she cried or lost control of her emotions; her grief seems too structured for that. Instead, she attempts to make sense of what is happening by reconstructing chronologies of the events after John's death, and listing the medications Quintana takes, with the dogged persistence of a journalist, which she was. Though the piles of details were a part of the way she tried to control the uncontrollable, to an audience they often seem less important. It's at those moments that the play reads like someone else's grocery list. But Chalfant injects unexpected emotion into other scenes. At Dunne's funeral, Didion muses, "I had played along, I had followed the ritual, I had made the arrangements. I had acknowledged that he was dead. I had done this in as public a way as I could conceive. Why didn't he come back?" The irrational question rushes from Chalfant in a sudden wave of anguish as though it might turn into a howl of rage, and we feel our own throats tighten. It's the emotion (and the theater) we knew was hidden beneath all the details and all that measured self-control. The timing of this production feels appropriate. Didion's death last year (almost 18 years to the day after her husband's) makes now a suitable time to revisit the work; and since 2020 the world has been dealt catastrophic blows of death and grief with which we are still grappling. People mourn in their own ways. The Year of Magical Thinking will be a balm for some, a quieter way to meditate on the inevitable. Others may find more satisfaction in a scream. By Azernews By Fatima Hasanova Nine Azerbaijani journalists were killed as a result of Armenia's armed assault, Azernews reports, citing a tweet by the Foreign Ministry. "Today, on the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, we remember and demand justice for 9 Azerbaijani journalists who were killed merely for doing their work in the course of military aggression by Armenia against Azerbaijan," the Foreign Ministry said. The ministry called for justice to be properly served. November 2 marks the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists. ??| Comunicado de prensa sobre la visita del Grupo de Alto Nivel de la OEA al Peru. ?? https://t.co/ssXM1ImXuB pic.twitter.com/XUcKZlL2rU YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 3, ARMENPRESS. Around 1500 citizens of Armenia, of whom 1300 are female and 200 are male, have submitted applications for the participation in shooting courses organized by the Defense Ministry, Ministry Spokesperson Aram Torosyan told Armenpress. The shooting courses are for the citizens who have not served in the army. The courses launch in Yerevan. Taking into account the possible employment of the participants, we plan to hold the shooting courses on Saturdays and Sundays. The first course will be held on November 5. The participants will be transported from the central headquarters to the shooting range with the vehicles of the Defense Ministry. They will be provided with food. I want to note that all facilities will be created, Aram Torosyan said. Currently, the Ministry is distributing the groups. The authorities assure that all registered persons will have a chance to participate in the courses. Aram Torosyan stated that the courses will be carried out by experienced military officers. The course will consist of several parts weapon structure, study of tactical and technical characteristics, weapon use, study of safety rules, disassembling and assembling weapons, practical shooting training, etc. First aid courses will also be held. The distinguished participants will be promoted. Aram Torosyan said that the Defense Ministry has received numerous letters, phone calls and proposals from the citizens for holding such kind of courses. At this stage the course will be carried out in Yerevan and later in the provinces. According to Torosyan, its highly likely that these courses will take place on a regular basis. YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 3, ARMENPRESS. Armenia could have some progress in the context of visa facilitation dialogue with the European Union member states next year, Deputy Foreign Minister Paruyr Hovhannisyan said during the parliamentary standing committees debate of the 2023 state budget draft. The deputy FM said they have discussed this issue, presented the situation and the issues. This issue is on our agenda. Last time it was discussed during the session of the Partnership Committee. Recently, during my working meetings there was also such a readiness to push forward this issue. The situation remains not so very easy. But, in my opinion, we could have some progress in this matter during the coming year, he said. Fairfax County parents and residents protest against a library's holiday display featuring the Bible next to "Gender Queer" and "Lawn Boy" outside Dolley Madison Public Library in McLean, Va., on Dec. 11, 2021. (Lisa Fan/The Epoch Times) Activist Says Parents Should Fight Laws Permitting Sexually Explicit Books in Schools Sexually explicit books, such as Gender Queer, infiltrate schools across the country because of a legal loophole, according to Indiana-based parental rights activist Alvin Lui. Lui is the president of Courage is a Habit, a group dedicated to keeping children from being exposed to radical gender ideology. In 43 states, its permissible to show materials fitting the legal definition of obscene to minors for educational purposes, The Epoch Times has reported. States without the laws are Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, Oklahoma, New Jersey, and Rhode Island. Across the country, parents are taking action. Members of the County Citizens Defending Freedom chapter in Nueces County, Texas, gather on April 20, 2022, to pray before asking a School Health Advisory Council in Corpus Christi to reject the Making Proud Choices! sex-ed curriculum. (Courtesy of Colby Wiltse, executive director of CCDF-Nueces County) In Maine, parents of students in public schools have objected vehemently to classroom and school library books they deem too sexually explicit to show to children. Some books in Maines public school libraries include nudity, detailed written scenes of child sexual abuse, and graphic descriptions of sexual matters. In contexts outside school, giving kids access to materials like that is illegal, Lui told The Epoch Times. But in schools, obscenity exemption statutes (OES) often apply. That means teachers can legally show children materials that fit the definition of obscenity. Alvin Lui, the president of parental rights activism group Courage is a Habit. (Courtesy of Courage is a Habit) If you took this child across the street to a school and said, Im a teacher. This is under sexual health or sex education, you would not be arrested. It would be covered, said Lui. Influential sex researcher Alfred Kinsey advocated for these laws, Lui noted. Kinsey said his research documented orgasms in children as young as five months old. He was the one who basically said that children can be sexual at birth, Lui said. Hes the one who started that, and he did experiments on little children. Since their inception, these laws have greatly expanded, he added. Combined with a new emphasis on Social-Emotional Learning (SEL), the laws allow teachers to show children material that would have been unthinkable a generation ago, said Lui. Why is it that were only seeing the influx of these horrible books over the last three or four years? he asked. That brings us to SEL, the social-emotional learning, that diversity, inclusion, equity mantra. Some activists argue that if children were raped at a young age, they need to see books about children being raped at a young age to feel represented, Lui said. None of it is valid. Its all just gaslighting. Its just emotionally manipulating parents to be silent. BookRiot, a site that supports giving children books with graphic sexual content in the spirit of freedom of speech, says that all children should see their personal life experiences represented in the classroom. LGBT activists from the National Center for Transgender Equality rally in front of the White House in Washington on Oct. 22, 2018. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) What about the rights of queer parents, who want their kids to be able to find books with two mom or two dad [sic] families? Do they not have a right to be included in lessons about families or in classrooms [sic] libraries? Is their existence age-inappropriate? BookRiots website asks. Schools have been moving steadily in the direction of providing increasingly sexually explicit books to increasingly younger children, Lui said. Children are getting sexualized earlier and earlier and earlier by people pushing inappropriate materials, he said. Teachers are told they must go along with it, and are warned about pushing back, because the books represent woke thinking, he said. Wokeness, as its called, is the state or being aware of and actively attentive to societal issues, such as injustices involving race, gender identity, or sexual orientation. It doesnt matter how deranged it is. As long as its progressive, woke ideology, theyre going to go with it, Lui said. This sign promoting left-wing ideology was displayed at a public high school in Grants Pass, Oregon. (Courtesy of Betty) From rural Oregon to San Diego to Maine, parents across America increasingly are objecting to school policies that seem to celebrate far-left ideology, and even urge children into gender confusion, he said. The trend in schools can be as subtle as a rainbow sticker on a classroom window, or as overt as a school announcement promoting a party with drag performers and sponsored by sex-change surgeons. Stopping the Source Part of Luis mission is to urge parents to fight OES laws and cut off the flow of obscene books into schools at the source. If you get rid of one book, 10 more will come in because of the statute, Lui said. But changing whats permitted in schools could end the need for parents battles to remove books they feel are inappropriate. But its difficult to overturn exemption laws, Lui said. In his home state of Indiana, Lui and other parents tried twice to rally parental support for repealing the state exemption law. They failed both times. He blames the loss on financial and political pressure from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the American Library Association, and LGBT advocacy groups. He also said parents and the Indiana Republican party didnt fight hard enough. The opposing groups fought fiercely against the removal of the law. We failed because the ACLU and groups like that put a lot of money in. They call the legislators. And we have too many parents even here [who are] scared to speak up because theyve been conditioned, he said. A pamphlet by parental rights activism group Courage is a Habit explains how activists change language to influence parents. (Courtesy of Courage is a Habit) But exemption laws arent the only important legislation involving parental rights in schools, said Lui. Many school officials have redefined words like safety and abuse to indicate support for, or disapproval of, transgenderism, he said. Then they present those ideas to teachers in training. For example, a students home may be called unsafe, and parents are said to abuse a child, if the childs preferred gender pronouns arent used, teachers have told The Epoch Times. In Maine, a state law up for open comment until Nov. 14 would, if passed by lawmakers, allow school counselors and social workers to keep secrets from parents about their children, Lui said. Maines new educational rule, Chapter 117, makes conversations between school counseling staff and children confidential to parents, according to the states Department of Education website. A pamphlet from parental rights activism group Courage is a Habit charts the radicalization of the American School Counselor Association. (Courtesy of Courage is a Habit) And, Lui said, a social worker can now work with Out Maine to provide chest binders for girls without parental consent. A chest binder crushes a womans breasts to make her look more like a man. Lui encourages parents to submit written comment in opposition to the Maine law under consideration. The fight for parental rights in education is fiercer today than it was in the past when parents took on issues, such as complaints about Common Core curriculum, he said. And jumping into the fray often draws harsh criticism. When you fight Common Core, nobodys calling you a white supremacist, he said. Nobodys saying youre a transphobe or homophobe. Nobodys saying you want to kill kids. After the Election: An Agenda to Address the China Threat Commentary If the Republicans win the House of Representatives and possibly the Senate on Nov. 8, they will have the opportunity to move against the China threat in a manner not seen since the Trump administration. To be sure, a Republican majority in the House will be limited if they do not win the Senate, given that the Biden administration will remain in office for two more years. The power of the purse will be weakened as well as if Continuing Resolutions are used for funding the government. This places an enormous burden on a potential Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). Strong and consistent leadership will be required of McCarthy as only limited help on the China threat will be received from a potential Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). Those are, indeed, major limitations. Nonetheless, there is much that the new 118th Congress can accomplish on the China threat. Here are the parameters of an agenda. Fundamentally, Congress has to provide leadership regarding the China threat, this includes directing the U.S. government to combat it, and informing the American people about its activities, the threat to the homeland, and the birthright of the American people. Specifically, this involves combatting Wall Streets relationship with the Chinese regimes, bolstering defenses, and providing greater support for allies and partners. The U.S. Capitol building is seen past American flags at the base of the Washington Monument in Washington on Feb. 15, 2021. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images) First, and most importantly, Congress must provide leadership on the China threat since the Biden administration has not. This means that McCarthy will have to add to his portfolio the de facto national security adviser and secretaries of State, Defense, and Homeland Security, on the China threat. The most important measure will be to develop and execute a strategy for the defeat of the Chinese regime. It falls to McCarthy and his allies in the Senate, as there is no one else in the free world who possesses the authority or willingness to do so. Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) and others have already announced that they take the lead on hearings on the China threat, these efforts should be joined if the Republicans capture the Senate, and should become a permanent sub-committee that becomes the focal point for the U.S. government in the absence of adequate attention from the administration. Second, Wall Street continues to fund Chinas rise by permitting Beijing to raise money on New York markets. Congress has to act through hearings to provide sunlight, oversight, and legislation to end Wall Streets relationship with the Chinese regime. This situation should never have been permitted to arise in the first place, and it is a scandal beyond measure and comprehension that it continues. An excellent place to start with the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). Millions of U.S. government employees, service members, veterans, and retired federal workers through their retirement savings are funding China. U.S. dollars are invested through TSP, the worlds largest defined contribution fund with over $730 billion, into Chinese Communist Party (CCP) controlled companies. As a result, U.S. government employees are funding the expanding power of their enemies. U.S. capital continues to flow into the enemys coffers, and this outrageous situation must end immediately. Congressional hearings and oversight are necessary to ensure that this problem begins to be addressed. USS Abraham Lincoln (L), and JS Kongo (front), sail in formation during a U.S.-Japan bilateral exercise at the Sea of Japan on April 12, 2022. (Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force via AP) Third, on defense, Congress needs to pressure the administration to have adequate conventional and nuclear force structure to meet its national security interests including commitments to allies. This requires working with the services to compel a change in mindset from counterinsurgency campaigns to attritional high-intensity wars against a peer rival. Congress must fund a navy with an adequate number of surface vessels, submarines, and sealift to deter Chinas aggression and reassure allies. The Navy has to ensure it has a force that can incur losses in an attritional war with China. It is clear that the U.S. Navys shipbuilding capabilities are not able to replace losses the United States would incur in a war with China. The Air Force and Indo-Pacific Command should be expanding strike assets within the theater and on its periphery. Congress needs to work with the administration to ensure that the Air Force has sufficient assets to fight an attritional war with China. The Army and Marines must be prepared for a scope of missions in the Indo-Pacific, including amphibious, anti-surface, and deep strike missions that are far from the counter-insurgency missions of the last two decades. In the nuclear realm, there must be a reversal of the Biden administrations decisions on retiring the B83-1 nuclear weapon and continuing development on the nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missile (SLCM-N), which the Biden administration announced it would not support in the October public release of the Nuclear Posture Review. Congress and the administration work to continue triad and nuclear command, control, communications (NC3) modernization. Fourth, regarding U.S. allies and partners, Congress has to guarantee the credibility of U.S. commitments to allies and that the extended deterrent to them remain steadfast. The relationship with Taiwan must change to reflect its history as a U.S. ally, its military and intelligence role, and its economic and ideological importance in the struggle against China. Visits from senior Congressional officials to Taiwan should be routinized. At the same time, Congress should host Taiwanese officials, permitting Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen to address a joint session. A Republican Congress provides a tremendous opportunity for Congress to lead on the China threat and to ensure that the next two years are not lost in combating the threat as the last two years have been. In the window of the next two years, it is Congress that must take the lead in the struggle against China until the 2024 election marks the return of a presidency that will work in tandem with Congress to defeat the threat from the Chinese regime. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Alleged Paul Pelosi Attacker Is an Illegal Immigrant, Officials Confirm The man who allegedly attacked Paul Pelosi is an illegal immigrant, U.S. officials have confirmed. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged an immigration detainer on Canadian national David DePape with San Francisco County Jail, Nov. 1, following his Oct. 28 arrest, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told The Epoch Times in an email. DHS is the parent agency of ICE, which is tasked with removing people who are in the United States illegally. Immigration detainers are placed on suspects who are illegal immigrants. They are meant to prevent state or local officials from releasing the suspects. If a suspect is due to be released, the detainer means officials hand over the person to federal officials, unless local officials defy the request. Adam Lipson, DePapes public defender, indicated after DePapes arraignment this week that he was representing an illegal immigrant. He currently has a federal hold so he cant be released anyway, Lipson told reporters when asked about the motion for no bail entered by the San Francisco District Attorneys Office. Lipson could not be reached for comment. A Canadian government spokesperson told The Epoch Times via email that Canadian officials are engaging with local authorities but declined to provide more information. Nobody in America should be victimized by an illegal alien. The illegal alien crime rate here should be exactly 0.0%, the National Border Patrol Council, the Border Patrols union, said in a statement. Immigration records show DePape entered the United States in March 2008 as a temporary visitor. Canadians are generally admitted without a visa if they are visiting for business or pleasure and can typically stay in the United States for up to six months. DePape is set to appear again in San Francisco court on Friday. In an aerial view, San Francisco police officers and FBI agents gather in front of the home of U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi in San Francisco, Calif., on Oct. 28, 2022. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Allegations According to charging documents and the motion to detain, DePape broke into the Pelosi residence early Oct. 28 and found Paul Pelosi in a bedroom. DePape asked about Paul Pelosis wife, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). Paul Pelosi said she was not there. According to the U.S. Capitol Police, Nancy Pelosi was in Washington. DePape later assaulted Paul Pelosi in front of police officers who responded to a 911 call Paul Pelosi made. DePape told officers that he was sick of the insane [expletive] level of lies coming out of Washington, D.C., and that he came here to have a little chat with Nancy Pelosi, according to court documents. DePape said he intended to take Nancy Pelosi hostage and ask her questions. If she did not tell the truth, he said, he would break her kneecaps. DePape said that Nancy Pelosi would then have to be wheeled into Congress, which would show other Members of Congress there were consequences to actions, according to an FBI affidavit supporting the federal charges against the man. DePape also said he wanted to use Nancy Pelosi to lure another person to the scene, but authorities have not identified that person. DePape had multiple targets, including a local professor, according to the district attorneys office. DePape pleaded not guilty to all state charges, including attempted murder, on Tuesday. He faces up to life in prison if convicted. Charlotte Cuthbertson contributed to this report. Amid Financial Turmoil, Chinas Local Governments Issue Bonds in Hong Kong Expert: bond issue sidesteps root problem The governments of Chinas Hainan Province and the city of Shenzhen announced last month that they would issue up to 5 billion yuan (about $700 million) of offshore bonds in Hong Kong. Chinas local governments, under financial stress, are using Hong Kong to access overseas funds, experts believe. However, Hong Kongs economic outlook is not optimistic either. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) announced on Oct. 24 that the government of Hainan Province would issue RMB (Chinese currency) offshore bonds in Hong Kong, with an amount not exceeding $5 billion yuan. The HKMAs Central Moneymarkets Unit (CMU) will provide custody services for the bonds. The bonds will include blue bondswith the proceeds used primarily for maritime economy and marine protection projectsand sustainable development bonds. The HKMA announced on the same day that the municipal government of Shenzhen, a city in southern Chinas Guangdong province, would also issue up to 5 billion yuan of offshore bonds in Hong Kong. This is Shenzhens second bond issue in Hong Kong; the first was in 2021. According to HKMA Secretary Eddie Yue, Hainan Province is the first local government outside of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to issue bonds in Hong Kong. Yue said he hopes the issuance of the bonds by Hainan and Shenzhen will strengthen Hong Kongs status as a global offshore RMB business center and a premier green and sustainable finance hub in Asia. The Hainan Provincial Department of Finance earlier announced that it planned to issue 13.3 billion yuan (about $1.86 billion) of local bonds in October, including 11.8 billion yuan (about $1.65 billion) of new special bonds. However, this is the first time it will issue offshore RMB bonds in Hong Kong. Zero COVID Policy Ruinous for Local Governments The purpose of Hainans bond issue in Hong Kong is to ease its financial stress, Li Songyun, a longtime China economics analyst, told The Epoch Times on Oct. 28. According to the Bank of China Research Institute, in the first seven months of this year, Hainans fiscal deficit increased by 30 percent compared to the same period last year. Its financial woes were shared by the broader Chinese economy. Among 31 Chinese provinces and cities, only Shanghai had a fiscal surplus, but that surplus shrank by 79.24 percent compared to the same period last year. Citing data released by the Chinese Ministry of Finance, Bloomberg reported that Chinas total fiscal deficit in the first three quarters of this year reached a record high of RMB 7.16 trillion (about $1 trillion), almost three times that of the same period last year. Li said he believes the CCPs zero COVID policy proved extremely costly for local governments in China. Large-scale tax refund policies and the sharp decline in land sales have also resulted in huge deficits in local finances. Freedom, Rule of Law Essential to Hong Kongs Prosperity Regarding the issuance of offshore RMB bonds in the Hong Kong market by Chinese local governments, Li said: Apart from expanding the financing channels in mainland China, [the CCP] is also attempting to use the Hong Kong financial market as a platform to bring in foreign capital. At the same time, while foreign capital is gradually withdrawing from the Hong Kong financial market, the CCP also hopes that by issuing more mainland Chinese bonds, it can activate the RMB bond trading in Hong Kong and consolidate Hong Kongs position as an offshore RMB business hub. Xia Xiaoquiag is an independent political commentator and columnist based in the United States. Xia told The Epoch Times he believes Hong Kongs economic future is less than rosy. For some time after the handover to China, he said, Hong Kong continued to attract investment from all over the world and remained a prosperous international metropolis because of the core values of freedom and rule of law, values left from a time when its political system was independent of mainland China. However, Xia said, the passing of the Hong Kong National Security Law in 2020 was equivalent to giving up Hong Kongs status as an international financial center. When asked why the CCP would take such a risk, Xia said, The CCP has now reached a point [at which] it has to maintain its rule at all costs. Charles Goodnight lived for eighty-three years, from 1836 until 1929, and in that time was a settler, a scout, a Texas Ranger, a cattleman, an entrepreneur, a town father, and even an early booster of the fledgling film industry in Hollywood, California. However, it would be the blazing of the Goodnight-Loving Trail in 1866 and the events which followed it that ultimately earned Goodnight a place in the saga of the 19th-century American West. Put simply, Goodnight embodied the best qualities and values that contributed to the building of the United States as a nation: bravery, ambition, and devotion to ones friends. Defending Settlers Born in Illinois on March 6, 1836, Goodnight migrated to Texas in 1845 with his family at age 9. Goodnight came of age on the Texas frontier, discovering a love for the outdoors and trail craft which would aid him in his varying professional careers. In the 1850s, the Comanche Nation was in the process of defending their ancestral lands from Euro-Americans, and Goodnight aided his fellow Texans in the defense of their lives and property from Comanche raiders. During the Civil War, Goodnight chose not to fight for either the Union or the Confederacy, and instead remained in Texas, defending settlements and homesteads from Comanche raids. But many Lone Star landowners traveled east to fight for one side or another, and the Comanches burned these undefended farms and ranches. Many settler families fled Texas entirely, allowing their longhorn cattle to roam wild in the backcountry. When the conflict concluded in 1865, Goodnight saw an opportunity in all these unclaimed cattle herds. He decided to gather up all these wild longhorns and drive them through West Texas to the army outpost of Fort Sumner, New Mexico. A Devoted Partnership Partnering with longtime friend and experienced cattleman Oliver Loving, Goodnight began hiring trail hands, most of whom were Civil War veterans and drifters in need of work, including such diverse and disparate personalities as former outlaw and Confederate Army veteran William One-Armed Bill Wilson and Bose Ikard, a former slave who would become Goodnights most trusted and valued employee. Despite numerous hardships, Goodnight and Lovings first cattle drive to Fort Sumner was a success, and they sold the majority of the herd to the army for a whopping $12,000. Loving held onto a few thousand head, having had the idea to drive these cattle north to Colorado gold camps such as Denver and Auraria. For most of the next year, Goodnight and Loving moved cattle through West Texas into New Mexico and Colorado on what came to be known as the Goodnight-Loving Trail. Goodnight and Lovings partnership seemed destined to continue indefinitely, until tragedy struck in the late summer of 1867. Oliver Loving and Bill Wilson went ahead of the third cattle drive to meet some prospective buyers in Fort Sumner when they were attacked by a large Comanche war party. Loving and Wilson took refuge underneath an overhang along the banks of the Pecos River, holding off the Comanches as best they could with their Colt pistols and Henry rifles. Loving was severely injured in the right arm and side, and the fight became a standoff. Loving explained to his companion that their only hope was for Wilson, who was uninjured, to make his way back to Goodnight, who was waiting with the cattle herd further east. Under the cover of nightfall, Wilson crept down the riverbank until he was out of sight from the Comanches, and crossed hundreds of miles of open prairie on foot until he linked back up with Goodnight and the rest of the trail crew. Goodnight rode ahead to see what had become of his trusted friend and business partner. He began tracking Loving northwest, discovering that at some point the Comanches had grown bored with the siege and abandoned the wounded cattleman to his fate. As luck would have it, Goodnight met a group of Mexican traders on their way back across the border, who told Goodnight they had found Loving and taken him to the army hospital in Fort Sumner. Goodnight continued north and found Loving on his deathbed. Loving had accepted his fate and insisted that Goodnight sell his share of the cattle, taking half for himself and giving the other half to Lovings family. Loving also insisted that he be buried in his hometown of Weatherford, Texas. Oliver Loving died of gangrene on Sept. 25, 1867. After temporarily burying his partner in the Fort Sumner cemetery, Goodnight drove the rest of his cattle on to the gold camps in Colorado, as per Lovings request. The following spring, Goodnight personally supervised the exhumation of Lovings body, and escorted the corpse back to Weatherford, Texas, where Loving was re-buried on March 4, 1868, just two days shy of Goodnights 32nd birthday. Charles Goodnights later accomplishments would be many. However, it was his pioneering cattle drives of the late 1860s, as well as his kept promise to a dying friend, that officially proved that Goodnight was a man who truly represented the best qualities and values that the still-developing United States had to offer. An IT researchers shows on a giant screen a computer infected by a ransomware at the LHS (High Security Laboratory) of the INRIA (National Institute for Research in Computer Science and Automation) in Rennes, France, on Nov. 3, 2016. (Damien Meyer/AFP via Getty Images) Australia to Lead Global Fight Against Ransomware The Biden Administration has announced Australia will head the international fight against ransomware cyberattacks as part of the U.S.-led Counter Ransomware Initiative. The announcement, on Nov. 2, by the White House comes after the administration gathered 36 countries and the European Union (27 countries), for the Second International Counter Ransomware Initiative (CRI) Summit October 31-November 1, 2022 According to the White House, Australia will chair the International Counter Ransomware Task Force (ICRTF) to coordinate resilience, disruption, and counter illicit finance activities. The ICRTF will also be used to develop cross-sectoral tools and cyber threat intelligence exchange to increase early warning capabilities and prevent attacks, as well as consolidate policy and best practice frameworks. Additionally, it will generate resources for the public on tools, tactics, and procedures to improve awareness and cyber hygiene around ransomware globally, and will work with key private sector partners, including the establishment of an ancillary industry chapter that would be actively engaged with the work of the ICRTF. Minister for Cyber Security and Home Affairs Clare ONeil said in a thread on Twitter that the task force would enable international partners worldwide to disrupt, combat and defend against ransomware. Ransomware attacks are on the rise around the world, she said. This task force will enable collaboration with our international partners worldwide to disrupt, combat, and defend us against ransomware. According to a media release from the Department of Home Affairs, the task force will be made up of over 60 countries, including Ukraine, Canada, France, Germany, India, Israel, Japan, Kenya, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, United Kingdom, United States, and the EU. Australia a Major Target for Ransomware Attacks The announcement comes as Australia continues to be targeted by ransomware hackers, with numerous cyber incidents targeting major public companies like Medibank, Australias larger health insurer; Optus, the second largest telecommunications company; and EnergyAustralia, one of the three largest energy companies. Additionally, Australian real estate giant Harcourts and online companies Vinomofo, Woolworths MyDeal, and Medlab. The government has responded to the increasing cyberattacks by introducing an amendment to the Privacy Bill on Oct. 26. The amendment will significantly increase penalties to organisations for serious or repeated privacy breaches, a move the Labor government hopes can compel businesses to do more on cybersecurity. It will also strengthen the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme to ensure the Information Commissioner has knowledge of an incident and the data compromised. These amendments are targeted and measured, Attorney General Richard Dreyfuss said. They respond to the most pressing issues arising from the Optus data breach and other recent cyber incidents. Albanese Government Under Scrutiny for Cyber Security Approach The Australian government has faced scrutiny over its response to the ongoing attacks, with Shadow Minister for Cyber Security James Paterson questioning the time its taken the minister for cyber security to respond to the attacks. In a cyber attack, time is of the essence. Early engagement by the government allows the facts to be established, data theft to potentially be disrupted, and gives customers time to take any necessary steps to mitigate the consequences of the breach. In this handout provided by the Australian Department of Defence, Armadale Class Patrol Boat, HMAS Armidale, sails into the Port of Honiara, Guadalcanal Island, Solomon Islands, on Dec. 1, 2021. (CPL Brodie Cross/Australian Department of Defence via Getty Images) Australian Shadow Defence Minister Calls for Faster Military Capabilities to Protect Taiwan From Beijing Australia must speed up efforts to build a military strike capability before nuclear submarines are ready to prepare for Chinas possible aggression against Taiwan, Australian shadow Defence Minister Andrew Hastie said. In a speech at a Business News Politics and policy breakfast in Perth on Nov. 2, Hastie called for the country to build and maintain a strong deterrent for any unilateral military adventurism by any regional aggressor. Hastie said Admiral Phil Davidson, the former U.S. Commander of the Indo-Pacific, warned 18 months ago that China could try to take Taiwan by force within six years by 2027. He also noted that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently said that Beijing intends to move against Taiwan on a much faster timeline. Tourists look on as a Chinese military helicopter flies past Pingtan island, one of mainland Chinas closest point from Taiwan, in Fujian province on August 4, 2022. (HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images) There has been a change in the approach from Beijing toward Taiwan in recent years, Blinken said on Oct. 17 at an event jointly hosted by the Hoover Institution and Stanford University. Instead of sticking with the status quo that was established in a positive way, a fundamental decision that the status quo was no longer acceptable, and that Beijing was determined to pursue reunification on a much faster timeline. Admiral Michael Gilday, chief of U.S. naval operations, also warned last week that China could take action against Taiwan before 2024. Hastie said that these warnings are considered words and Australia must take them seriously. Andrew Hastie, Liberal MP, speaks at the Australian Parliament in May 2018. (Commonwealth of Australia) The window is closing fast, he said. We wont have nuclear submarines in the water by 2027, so how are we hedging against the risk of conflict arriving sooner rather than later? Russia brutally seized parts of Ukraine; Chinese rockets streaked across the skies of Taiwan; and Chinese influence has projected deep into the Pacific Island Chain, ensnaring the heart of at least one national leader, Hastie said. The Sogavare (prime minister of the Solomon Island)-Beijing Security Pact is a startling reminder that there is a growing geopolitical contest taking place on our front doorstep. In the face of the current international situation, Hastie said Australia needed to invest in bombers, be prepared to spend well above two percent of GDP on defence and called for young people to be recruited into the Australian Defence Force (ADF) to build a stronger military. Members of the Australian Defence Forces (ADF) march during an Anzac Day parade in Brisbane, Australia, on April 25, 2022. (Dan Peled/Getty Images) We need to build strike capabilities that can hold an adversary at risk beyond the archipelago to our north. Strike bombers; precision-guided missiles; and unmanned autonomous vehiclesin the skies and in the seas below, he said. The Albanese government has committed to the former Coalition government to increase the size of the ADF by 18,500 by 2040, which is going to be a huge task, according to Hastie. The shadow Defence Minister believes that the key to attracting Generation Z and the younger Generation Alpha into the ADF is to emphasize the service ethos, duty, honour, and country. We have a moral obligation to the Australian people to build and maintain a strong deterrent to any regional aggressor, he said. To show that there is a great cost for any unilateral military adventurism. It is simply responsible national security, and it is what Australians expect. The comments came after a new poll showed 46 percent of Australians believe their country should send troops to defend Taiwan in the event of an armed attack by Beijing. A man waves Canadian flags out of a truck in downtown Ottawa on Jan. 29, 2022. (Noe Chartier/The Epoch Times) Author of Controversial Freedom Convoy-Related MOU Testifies Before Emergencies Act Commission The author of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that got attention around the Freedom Convoy last winter and was used by the Liberal government to claim protesters wanted to overthrow the government, testified before the Emergencies Act inquiry on Thursday. Trucker James Bauder spoke about the genesis and purpose of the MOU which he wrote with fellow trucker Martin Brodmann. The idea was to strike an MOU with unelected federal officials to repeal COVID-19 restrictions. We had a lot of groups that we could have facilitated establishing the Canadian citizens committee so that we could then sit down in partnership with the Senate and the Governor General and address the unlawful mandates that are happening across this country and come to a resolution, said Bauder. Bauder said he wasnt aware whether Freedom Convoy organizers had signed the MOU that was posted on his Canada Unity website. Several convoy organizers have testified so far before the commission which is reviewing the Liberal governments invocation of the Emergencies Act on Feb. 14. They have criticized the MOU when it was brought up during examinations. Lawyer Keith Wilson, who represented protesters during the events last winter, called the MOU legal nonsense on Nov. 2. It wasnt something on our agenda. It wasnt something we were pushing for. It had nothing to do with the reason why we actually came to Ottawa, Freedom Convoy initiator Chris Barber told the inquiry on Nov. 1. Freedom Convoy spokesperson Tom Marazzo told the commission on Nov. 2 he had recommended the MOU be taken off the website. I remember having a conversation once I learned about the MOU with somebody that I believed to be involved in drafting the MOU and I said you must retract that, if you do not retract that, or pull it back or put the genie back in the bottle, we are going to denounce it, Marazzo recounted. The next day, on Feb. 8, the MOU was taken offline. Bauder told the inquiry the MOU was strategically withdrawn after we got viciously attacked by this government, and slandered, and character assassination, and everything, Bauder said. The Liberal government used the MOU to claim that protesters were not merely demanding the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions but that they wanted to overthrow the government. At the end of January 2022, members of the so-called freedom convoy demanded that all vaccine mandates be revoked, failing which the Governor General should unilaterally remove the Prime Minister from office, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said on April 26 in reference to the MOU. Tourism Minister Randy Boissonnault said on Feb. 21 that the stated goal of the Freedom Convoy was to overthrow a duly elected national government. The stated goal of the main Freedom Convoy organizers was the repealing of vaccine mandates. No Violence James Bauder was cross-examined by Brendan Miller, the lawyer who represents several convoy organizers who have criticized the MOU. He asked whether Bauders Canada Unity organization had ever called for violence or to violently overthrow the government of Canada. Were calling for love and unity and peace and give bear hugs. Violence is the last thing in our minds, said Bauder. Bauder was also asked whether he had help from a lawyer to write the MOU. No Its just a document written by two truck drivers, he said. So I take it that was just basically a piece of paper, said Miller. Yeah, replied Bauder. Takeoff of the group Migos performs during the 2019 BET Experience in Los Angeles on June 22, 2019. (Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP) Autopsy: Takeoff Died From Gunshot Wounds to Head, Torso HOUSTONRapper Takeoff died from gunshot wounds to the head and torso following a shooting outside a private party at a downtown Houston bowling alley, authorities announced Wednesday. The announcementfollowing an autopsy by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences in Houstoncomes as police are still seeking the publics help in tracking down the person or persons responsible for the rappers death Tuesday. Takeoffs primary cause of death was listed as penetrating gunshot wounds of head and torso into arm and his manner of death was called homicide. Takeoff, whose off-stage name was Kirsnick Khari Ball, formed one-third of the Grammy Award-nominated rap trio Migos with uncle Quavo and cousin Offset from suburban Atlanta. The 28-year-old rapper was killed around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday when gunfire erupted outside of 810 Billiards & Bowling following a private party. Investigators are looking to speak with the 40 people who attended the party and fled after the gunfire, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said. At least two people discharged firearms, according to Finner. Two others were hit by gunfire but had non-life-threatening wounds and went to hospitals in private vehicles, he said. Finner said Takeoff was well respected, and there was no reason to believe he was involved in anything criminal at the time. Migos record label, Quality Control, mourned Takeoffs death in a statement posted on Instagram. The statement said senseless violence has taken another life from this world and we are devastated. The bowling alley is in a three-story Houston retail complex with high-end restaurants and a House of Blues and is near a Four Seasons hotel. Fans had created a memorial with roses, candles, and a teddy bear on the first floor of the retail complex. YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 3, ARMENPRESS. Armenias external trade with the member states of the European Union has significantly increased in 2022, Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan said during the debate of the 2023 state budget draft in the joint session of the parliamentary standing committees. Compared to 2021, the export from Armenia to the EU states has increased by 24,5% based on the results of the 8 months, and the import from the EU by 40,8%. The total trade turnover has increased by 60%, comprising 571 million dollars, the minister said. He stated that Armenia is working with the EU partners for funding the small and medium enterprises. We are currently preparing the atmosphere where we will be able to provide necessary funds for small and medium enterprises. I want to note that during the summit of the EUs Eastern Partnership in Prague last month we discussed with the EU partners also the issue of the necessity for long-term monetary funding. We agreed that in November, I think, the EBRD must approve the decision on providing 70 million Euros to the German fund operating under the Central Bank. They said it will be the last investment through this channel. Now it is very important to create a new channel through which Armenian banks can receive new funding from the European partners which will be directed to Armenias economic development and financing the Armenian small and medium enterprises, he said. Miss Nebraska Sarah Rose Summers celebrates after winning the 2018 Miss USA Competition at George's Pond at Hirsch Coliseum in Shreveport, La., on May 21, 2018. (Matt Sullivan/Getty Images) Beauty Pageants Rejection of Transgender Women Is Legal, Appeals Court Rules Miss United States of America is legally able to reject men who claim that theyre women, an appeals court has ruled. The beauty pageants natural born female requirement conveys a message and the U.S. Constitutions First Amendment gives the pageant the ability to voice that message and enforce the rule, Circuit Judge Lawrence VanDyke, a Trump appointee, wrote in a Nov. 2 ruling. Forcing the Pageant to accept Green as a participant would fundamentally alter the Pageants expressive message in direct violation of the First Amendment, VanDyke wrote for the majority of a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The ruling was against Anita Noelle Green, a biological male who identifies as transgender and sued Miss United States of America in 2019, alleging the pageant violated an Oregon law called the Oregon Public Accommodations Act (OPAA) by rejecting Greens application to participate in the pageant. The appeals court upheld a 2021 ruling from U.S. District Judge Michael Mosman, a George W. Bush appointee. VanDyke was joined by Circuit Judge Carlos Bea, a George W. Bush appointee. Circuit Judge Susan Graber, a Clinton appointee, dissented. Graber said it wasnt clear whether the Oregon law applies to the pageant because the law only applies to businesses that have membership policies so unselective that the organization can fairly be said to offer its services to the public. The lack of clarity means the district court should have allowed discovery or briefing on the matter, she said. In sum, by assuming that the statute applies to Defendantan assumption that is not definitively supported by the extant recordthe majority risks issuing an unconstitutional advisory opinion and flouts a longstanding tradition of judicial restraint in the federal courts, Graber argued. Applying our ordinary rule of constitutional avoidance, I would vacate the judgment and remand this case to the district court to determine whether the OPAA applies to Defendant before we address any constitutional concerns regarding the application of the statute. Graber also said the Oregon law neither improperly compels speech nor violates the owners freedom of association. VanDyke authored a concurring opinion to address the dissent, finding that the pageant is protected by the First Amendment from both compelled speech and forced association. He referenced a previous Supreme Court ruling that enabled the Boy Scouts to exclude a gay leader because including him would interfere with the Boy Scouts choice not to propound a point of view contrary to its beliefs. The case before us is not meaningfully distinguishable, he said. Green identifies as a transgender woman and an activist who has talked about using pageant platforms to deliver a message that runs against Miss United States of Americas beliefs. The Pageant expresses its message through its contestantsboth by those who compete and those who ultimately succeed, VanDyke said. And the Pageant has actively and consistently enforced its eligibility requirements precisely over a concern about protecting its message. The forced inclusion of a male would therefore directly impact the Pageants message in a way fundamentally at odds with the Pageants views on womanhood. In this screenshot from the DNCCs livestream of the 2020 Democratic National Convention, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson addresses the virtual convention on Aug. 20, 2020. (DNCC via Getty Images) Plaintiffs Ask Judge to Find Benson in Contempt of Court for Failing to Correct Election Guidance Manual A Michigan Court of Claims judge has been asked to declare Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, in contempt of court for noncompliance with a court order. The filing also requests that the court enforce the injunction it issued on Oct. 20, ordering Benson to correct the guidance she provided to state and local election officials that the court found didnt comply with Michigan law. The court also found that the guidance she issued didnt have the force and effect of law. Bensons guidance came largely in the form of an election operation manual written in May and revised in June. The emergency motion was filed on Nov. 2 with a requested deadline of 5 p.m. on Nov. 3. Late in the day on Nov. 2, Court of Claims Judge Brock Swartzle issued an order granting immediate consideration of the plaintiffs motion. Poll workers board up windows of the ballot counting area at the TCF Center in Detroit on Nov. 4, 2020. (Seth Herald/AFP via Getty Images) Swartzle gave Benson until noon on Nov. 3 to respond to the plaintiffs emergency motion requesting enforcement of the injunction ordering her to make the corrections in her guidance and the requested contempt citation. The five plaintiffs, known collectively as OHalloran et al., are a group of citizens concerned about protecting the rights of challengers and poll watchers from infringement by Bensons nonconforming or extra-legal guidelines. The Michigan Republican Party and the Republican National Committee have joined the suit as plaintiffs. The Elias Law Group, founded by nationally known Democrat strategist Marc Elias, was recently added to the defense team representing Benson. The plaintiffs contend that the rules imposed by Benson are barriers to effective ballot counting observation in the fast-approaching election. The Oct. 20 court order directed Benson to correct her guidance that the court found reduced the grounds for ballot challenges, created the requirement for an additional credential form for poll challengers, banned election challengers from being appointed on Election Day, restricted challengers to speaking only to certain election workers, and prohibited cellphones in absentee ballot counting areas. With the Nov. 8 election just days away, the plaintiffs allege in the emergency motion that Benson made no effort whatsoever to correct the manual. They allege that, as of Nov. 2, Bensons noncompliant guidance was still posted on her offices website and had the potential of luring local election officials and challengers into believing that the guidance was appropriate. Rather than immediately correcting the errors outlined in the courts findings, on Oct. 21 Bensons lawyers asked the Court of Appeals for an emergency stay of the injunction pending appeal. On Oct. 28, Benson attempted to bypass the Court of Appeals by going directly to the state Supreme Court for an expedited ruling. Neither of the higher courts have responded to Bensons pleadings. The election integrity watchdog group Michigan Grassroots Alliance alleged in a Nov. 2 statement that Benson is trying to delay issuing lawful guidelines until after the Nov. 8 election. Benson appears to be attempting to foment conflict at the polls and absentee vote counting boards. The only rational conclusion is that she intends to violate the law during the election that features her as one of the candidates on the ballot, the Alliance stated. The Michigan Secretary of States Office doesnt comment on ongoing litigation. Benson has lost several recent court fights over election integrity issues. Shes currently battling a lawsuit by the Public Interest Legal Foundation to force her to remove the names of 25,000 dead people from the states voter roll. A Black Lives Matter protester seen at a riot in Portland, Oregon, on Aug. 1, 2020. (Noah Berger/AP Photo) Black Lives Matter Riots Fuelled by Twitter: Study Social media platform Twitter played a critical role in helping Black Lives Matter with organising and spreading information during the peak of the movement, according to a new study. The analysis by the Australian National University looked at 118 million tweets over a two-year period from 2020 to 2021. For activists, we can see protests acted as an indicator for the number of tweets, but also the number of tweets acted as an indicator for protests, said lead researcher Prof. Colin Klein. You can clearly see the patterns of political engagement. Activists drive and are driven by protests, while the right reacts more to the political context, he said in a statement. The most common hashtags identified by the team were #BlackLivesMatter, #GeorgeFloyd, #BreonnaTaylor, #Black, and #ICantBreathe. These hashtags helped the movement go viral. Black Lives Matter has been criticised for hijacking legitimate concerns around excessive police force to advance Critical Race Theory while fomenting violent protests around the United States and the worldas well as acts like taking a knee and pulling down statues of historical figures. Protesters throwing the statue of Edward Colston into Bristol harbour. The Attorney General has asked for legal clarification over defendants citing their human rights (Ben Birchall/PA) Critical Race Theory argues that the United States is systematically racist and oppressive, with whites supposedly dominating blacks. However, this theory has been panned for sharing the same undertones and ideas as Marxist and communist regimes while ignoring the real issues afflicting Black communities. Right, Left Wing Twitter Users React Differently To Crises Further, the team found identified three distinct groups of commentators using Twitter: right-leaning, centre-left, and left-wing activists. The study concluded that left-wing activists were effective at generating heightened, short-term activity on the platform to grab attention, but this would soon dissipate. In contrast, right-leaning accounts were often reactionary to left-wing activity and were more sustained and moderate. This is similar to what researchers have found in the wake of, say, a mass shooting in the U.S. You get a lot of attention around gun control very early on, but a much longer-lasting interest in gun purchasing, said Klein. The team noticed similar activity patterns after the murder of George Floyd in May 2020. We also saw a shift in the way right-wing accounts were framing things. Early on, they were more split, and there was a lot of pro-police rhetoric. After George Floyds murder, this was swamped by the activists as terrorists framing, he said. Musk Divides the Left Social media platform Twitter has been routinely criticised for censoring content from right-leaning or conservative commentators, notably removing former U.S. President Donald Trump from the platformdespite allowing Chinese Communist Party officials and the Taliban to remain. As a result, the recent purchase of Twitter by billionaire innovator Elon Musk was praised by leading conservatives, including Republicans Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas), as a win for free speech. Musk promptly dismissed the CEO and executive board and is reportedly revamping company operationswhile earmarking a new subscription serviceto make the platform more profitable. Illustration of a cellphone displaying a photo of Elon Musk placed on a computer monitor filled with Twitter logos in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 5, 2022. (Samuel Corum/AFP via Getty Images) In response, former CEO Jack Dorseys new platform, Bluesky, began picking up steam following news of the purchase suggesting left-leaning users may be opting out of Twitter. Despite the speed of Musk cleaning house at Twitter, Jason Miller, the CEO and founder of Gettra competitor to Twitter established in July 2021was cynical the social media platform could be changed. Theres no saving Twitter. Its a dying platform. And even Elon Musk doesnt truly believe in Twitter If he could get out of overpaying for Twitter and skip that looming deposition, he would do it in a heartbeat, Miller said in a statement. Twitters numbers arent real. They know it, we know it, and most importantly, Elon Musk knows it. Thats why he questioned them over and over again. Miller said true change at Twitter could only be achieved if every coder, every engineer, and every moderator was dismissed as political discrimination was too fundamentally rooted in the companys culture. Gettr recorded a 50 percent growth in user numbers over the past year, beating out MeWe and Parler. The platform reports a user base of 6.5 million globally. Members of the Parana State Military Police and Federal Highway Police stand on a road as supporters of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro block a highway during a protest over the presidential run-off election result, in Curitiba, in the state of Parana, Brazil, on Nov. 1, 2022. (Rodolfo Buhrer/Reuters) Brazilian President Bolsonaro Urges Protesters to Lift Road Blockades SAO PAULOBrazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Wednesday asked protesters blocking roads nationwide to lift blockades. Protests erupted on Sunday after the election authority declared Bolsonaros narrow loss to leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in an Oct. 30 runoff presidential election. In a video posted on social media, Bolsonaro said he understood peoples frustration at the result of the election. I know you are upset Me too. But we have to keep our heads straight, he said in a video message posted on Twitter. I will make an appeal to you: clear the highways. The president said blocking roads make the ongoing protests illegitimate. He encouraged people to choose other ways to demonstrate. Bolsonaro added the Federal Highway Police (PRF) had mobilized to help dispel protesters and clear roads. But he said they are overwhelmed because protests are taking place on multiple locations. The difficulties are enormous. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who is running for another term, arrives to cast his vote at Vila Militar district in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Oct. 30, 2022. (Wagner Meier/Getty Images) Brazilian authorities said they were making headway in their efforts to clear blockades set up across the country by truckers. The PRF said protesters were blocking highways partially or fully in 126 locations as of Wednesday evening, down from around 190 the previous night. Although smaller than in previous days, the protests are still likely disrupting fuel distribution, industrial activity, food deliveries to supermarkets, and shipments of grains to ports. Anvisa, the national health agency, warned that the blockades could lead to shortages of medical supplies. ANP, the oil regulator, changed rules related to minimum fuel storage requirements on distribution sites and relaxed cooking gas bottling requirements in a bid to prevent potential energy shortages. Abear, a trade group which represents Brazilian airlines, warned that the jet fuel supplies may be compromised. Police said 732 roadblocks had been cleared across the country, though roads remained blocked or partially blocked in 14 of Brazils 26 states, most notably in farm states like Santa Catarina and Mato Grosso, where Bolsonaro has strong popular support. In remarks on Tuesday, the Brazilian president said the protests resulted from indignation and a sense of injustice over the vote. But he had stopped short of explicitly asking his supporters to take down the blockades. Some of the protesters have called for military intervention to keep Bolsonaro in power. Members of the Canadian Armed Forces march during the Calgary Stampede parade in Calgary in a file photo. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press) Military Says Projected Regular Force Personnel Loss Is 9.5 Percent This Year The military is facing high attrition rates and that number is projected to be 9.5 percent for the Regular Force this fiscal year, according to the Department of National Defence (DND). The combined rate with the Reserve Force was not available, said DND spokesperson Derek Abma. The Epoch Times obtained information from a military source that the combined attrition rate of the Regular Force and Primary Reserve so far in 2022 is 13 percent, with a total of 12,067 Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members leaving the organization this year. The information was drawn from CAFs Military Command Software (MCS), which tracks attrition numbers by rank. Older data drawn from MCS and obtained by The Epoch Times showed that the militarys attrition rate was just over 12 percent as of May 2022 and that over 20 generals and almost 60 colonels had left the force at the time. When asked to comment on this data, Abma said that it is from a non-public interface still in development meant to inform internal audiences and said the raw data seen there can be easily misinterpreted. For the most current and accurate data, we strongly recommend you use the attached email as your reference for the Canadian Armed Forces attrition trends. Abma said the CAFs attrition rate has remained between 8 and 9 percent over the last 10 years and included a chart tracking attrition numbers from both the Regular Force and Primary Reserve since 2012. The chart showed that the militarys attrition rate last year was 9.3 percentits highest over the past 10 years. Attrition Reasons CAF defence chief Gen. Wayne Eyre recently warned in a leaked briefing note that the Canadian militarys attrition rate is now at its highest in 15 years and said the CAF is experiencing a workforce crisis. Although attrition was forecast to be higher than average for two years post-pandemic, we are realizing likely 1,000 higher than forecast, the highest in 15 years, Eyre said in the briefing note obtained by the Ottawa Citizen. Asked if the CAF compiles data capturing reasons for member attrition, Abma said the militarys most recent report of such nature was published in 2017 and used data compiled over a four-year period beginning in 2013. Abma said the reports data was based on 630 voluntarily releasing Regular Force members between June 2013 and February 2017, which represented less than 8 percent of the 8,100 voluntary Regular Force departures spanning that time period. The report, titled CAF Exit SurveyDescriptive Analyses of 2013-2017 Data, said the most commonly reported internal reasons for leaving were job dissatisfaction, with over 35 percent of respondents citing it as their main reason for departing. Abma said the CAF is currently working on a new report detailing attrition reasons, which he said is expected to be released by spring 2023. People pay tribute to victims of a deadly crowd crush during Saturday night's Halloween festivities, at a makeshift flower-laying area set up near the scene of the incident in Seoul, South Korea, Nov. 2, 2022. (The Canadian Press/AP-Ahn Young-joon) Canadian Recalls Pandemonium in South Korean District Where 150 Died in Stampede A Canadian in Seoul says hes had trouble sleeping since witnessing tens of thousands of people crowding into side streets and alleys in the citys nightclub district on Saturday, a scenario that led to the crushing death of more than 150 people. Matthew Clement said he avoided the narrowest streets in Itaewon on Halloween after experiencing dense throngs of people in previous years that made him fear for his life. In the past Ive felt overwhelmed. Its terrifying, he said in an interview from Seoul. It was very difficult to move or even control your movements. He is among many trying to make sense of the fatal stampede that South Korean officials have said killed 156 in the capital city. South Koreas National Police Agency has acknowledged that Seoul police failed to act for hours despite receiving at least 11 emergency calls from pedestrians warning about a swelling crowd of Halloween revellers getting out of control ahead of the crush. Clement moved to South Korea 20 years ago to teach English and spent the past 18 years living in Itaewon, although he moved out of the neighbourhood just a few weeks ago. He returned on Halloween to perform two DJ sets. Itaewon seems to draw a bigger Halloween crowd each year, he said, likening the feeling to Mardi Gras in New Orleans, with the streets as much of a party venue as the bars. Its become almost a destination, especially for younger adults, university students and so forth, as a place for them to dress up like on Halloween and have a wonderful time. Over the last five, 10 years it has exploded in size, he said. Clement arrived around 7:30 p.m. to DJ at a small lounge and was surprised to see that even smaller streets that were empty in previous years were filled with people. When his set was over at 9 p.m., he said it was already pandemonium. He did another set at a different venue and when he finished, standing on a rooftop, he watched an ambulance go by on the street below. We saw it, and then another, and another. And I think we probably counted at least 20 ambulances racing by, he said. He tried to make a phone call but it didnt work, he said, assuming everyone making calls at the same time had jammed the phone and internet networks. Rumours flew about what was going on and Clement said his gut feeling turned out to be true. What I suspected happened did happen, but I could never have believed it would have been this bad, he said. Clement said he also saw police racing past and spoke with people who told him theyd seen dozens of bodies on the ground. Ultimately, he said he walked out of the district and arranged a place for his wife to come pick him up. The subway system had shut down, so plenty of other people did the same. The tone was strange, he said, with some people realizing the severity of what happened and others oblivious. Half the people were devastated, you know, you can see people who had physically been right there, they had to walk through that area, and you can see people who were traumatized, he said. On the other hand, I think there were some people who had no idea what really happened. Clement, who teaches English and business at a university, said he has learned of a few people in his circles who died in the crush. Ive been quite emotional, he said. This is my home, this is my community. These people represent my friends, my students, my neighbours, he said, adding the predominant feeling is sadness. Theres a little anger there too, because this shouldnt have happened. The authorities knew people were coming. We needed their protection, they needed protection. Outgoing Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum, who was defeated in the recent municipal election, arrives at provincial court for the first day of his public mischief trial, in Surrey, B.C., on Oct. 31, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck) Car Running Over Foot May Not Break Bones, Expert Witness Tells BC Mayors Trial An expert in fractures has told the mischief trial of Surrey, B.C., Mayor Doug McCallum that broken bones may not necessarily be the result if someones foot is run over by a car. Biomechanical engineer Dennis Chimich testified for the defence on Wednesday as McCallums lawyers opened their case by presenting evidence to suggest the mayor was not lying to police when he told them a woman ran over his foot in a grocery store parking lot. McCallum filed a complaint with the RCMP on Sept. 4, 2021, saying Debi Johnstone targeted him with her vehicle because of her long-standing opposition to his policies, especially his plan to transition the RCMP out of Surrey in place of a municipal police force. The mayor, who recently lost his bid for a fifth term in office, has pleaded not guilty to a charge of public mischief over his claims that Johnstone ran over his foot and intended to harass him. Chimich told the provincial court that he calculated the rear right side of Johnstones vehicle weighed 413 kilograms and that if McCallums left foot was run over, soft tissue damage may have occurred as indicated in a medical report he reviewed from the mayors visit to an emergency room. He reviewed two studies involving foot rollovers, one on live people and the other involving an experiment on cadavers feet. They showed friction injuries and scrapes, but few fractures in the live study and none in the studies on cadavers. The absence of fractures or serious injuries for Mr. McCallum does not mean that his foot was not run over in this incident, he said. However, Crown attorney Richard Fowler suggested swelling in McCallums left foot could have resulted from other factors including age, fluid retention and medications. Andre Johnny, the lead RCMP investigator in the case, testified Tuesday that surveillance video from the store is inconclusive in determining whether McCallums foot was run over but theres enough evidence to suggest some of his other allegations were false. Defence lawyer Eric Gottardi said McCallums complaint of harassment by Johnstone is related to her acrimonious history with the mayor, who he maintained did not commit public mischief, even if he intentionally or unintentionally made some embellishments in his complaint to the RCMP. Ms. Johnstones conduct towards Mr. McCallum and other city councillors was objectively designed to exert deleterious pressure on her targets, and that conduct is, on its face, harassment, Gottardi told the court. Bradley Heinrichs, a mechanical engineer and expert in accident reconstruction and video analysis, also testified for the defence Wednesday. The video footage suggests McCallums arms jerked back and his head was down as Johnstone drove her Mustang past him, he said. However, the video resolution is not good enough to determine how close McCallum was to the rear right wheel of the car and its possible his feet were on the pavement by some shrubs that concealed the area, said Heinrichs, who also used aerial diagrams, virtual cameras and three-dimensional representations for his analysis. Under questioning by Fowler, Heinrichs said whether McCallums foot was run over depended on where he was standing and that the video appears to show him walking almost immediately as Johnstones car pulls away. Fowler has previously noted the mayor did not appear to stop at any point to examine his foot and he did not limp. A radiologist who examined an X-ray of McCallums foot in the emergency room of Peace Arch Hospital said he noted moderate soft tissue swelling outside his left foot, towards the front. But Dr. Hamed Basseri said he based his finding solely on the image and that it would be challenging to determine the cause of the swelling, which could have resulted from fluid retention. By Camille Bains Italian Cruise liner Costa Diadema, leaving the harbour entrance channel of Le Havre, western France, on May 24, 2022. (Jean-Francois Monier/AFP via Getty Images) Carnivals Costa Cruises Cancels Asia Routes Amid No Foreseeable End to Chinas Zero-COVID Policy Costa Cruises, a unit of U.S. cruising giant Carnival, is canceling all future Asia departures amid diminishing hopes for Beijing to ease its zero-COVID approach and stringent border restrictions in the foreseeable future. The company released a statement on Oct. 25 that it has decided to cancel its Asian home ports cruise programs and reorganize its structure in East Asia due to continuing uncertainties regarding the full restart of international cruises in [the region]. The Asian cruise market includes China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea, with China as the largest market. According to Chinese state-run Xinhua News, the number of cruise passengers in China reached 2.19 million in 2018, accounting for over 50 percent of total cruise passengers in Asia. At the time, China had become the worlds second-largest cruise market, just after the United States, and cruise lines were actively trying to capture what was a growing market. 45 Percent Market Share Costa Cruises was founded in 1854 in Genoa, Italy. In 1997, the company was acquired by Carnival, the worlds largest cruise company based in Miami, Florida. The acquisition made Carnival Cruise the largest in the industry, reaching a 45 percent market share in 2021. The Costa Fortuna cruise ship makes its way through the Canale Della Giudecca during the 65th Venice Film Festival on Sept. 1, 2008, in Venice, Italy. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) The Italian cruise line had earlier entered the Chinese market in 2006 as the first international cruise line to operate homeport cruises in the country, offering sailing roundtrips out of Shanghai. Over the years, the company has deployed many cruise vessels such as Costa Atlantica, Costa Serena, and Costa neoRomantica to operate a number of routes out of the Shanghai homeport. In May 2019, Costa Venezia, the companys new and largest cruise ship at the time, debuted in Shanghai. The vessel is over 1,000 feet long and can accommodate over 4,200 passengers. It was originally intended exclusively for the Chinese market but was later transferred to serve Europe and other regions due to Chinas stringent COVID-19 restrictions. It was not just Costa Cruises. Cruise companies worldwide were optimistic about the Chinese market prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Chairman of Norways Royal Caribbean Cruises Asia, Liu Zinan, recently told Chinese state-run Global Times that from 2006 to 2019, international cruise brands successively deployed 23 cruise ships in China, with an average annual marketing investment of about $500 million in the Chinese market. Impact of COVID-19 The COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted the global cruise line industry. The more notable incident was the British-registered luxury cruise ship Diamond Princess operated by U.S.-headquartered Princess Cruises. In early 2020, shortly after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Diamond Princess was forced to quarantine over 3,700 passengers for two weeks amid an outbreak. More than 700 passengers onboard were infected with the virus, while 14 reportedly died. The Diamond Princess cruise ship at Daikoku Pier while it was being quarantined following some of the 3,700 people on board being diagnosed with COVID-19 on Feb. 10, 2020, in Yokohama, Japan. (Carl Court/Getty Images) The two years following the COVID-19 pandemic had been a tough time for the cruise industry, with vessels worldwide reporting COVID-19 outbreaks onboard and having to quarantine passengers. In late March, Princess Cruises confirmed that another one of its cruise liners, the Ruby Princess, reported a COVID-19 outbreak before docking in San Francisco. This was despite all the passengers being fully vaccinated and having a negative COVID-19 test to get on board. The first year of the pandemic was the most challenging for the cruise industry. Since then, countries have started to ease pandemic measures and travel restrictions, allowing a gradual recovery of the industry. According to a Cruise Industry News report published in October, 371 cruise ships from 83 cruise brands are now in operation, accounting for 86.2 percent of the global fleet and 93.5 percent of the service capacity. However, while countries worldwide have completely lifted or substantially eased COVID-related travel restrictions, China has shown no signs of easing its stringent zero-COVID policy. Chinese leader Xi Jinpings remarks at the recently-concluded 20th Party congress appear to dash the hopes of Chinese people looking for signs of the policy loosening. The draconian approach aims to eliminate every infection among communities through strict lockdowns, repeated testing, and mass surveillance. Chinese leader Xi Jinping gives a speech during the opening session of a 5-year Chinese Communist Party political conference in Beijing on Oct. 16, 2022. (Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images) At the opening ceremony, Xi said the Chinese Communist Party prioritized the people and their lives above all else and tenaciously pursued [a] dynamic zero-COVID policy in launching all-out peoples war against the virus. Costa Cruises issued a statement in February with plans to resume operations in Asia later in the year. However, the companys most recent statement would appear that it has given up hope. Chinese media Caixin reported that the bulk of Costa Cruises employees in the Chinese market had already left the company, including the head of its China business Ye Peng. Costa Cruises is not alone in withdrawing from operations in Asia. In May, U.S.-based Norwegian Cruise Line announced the cancellation of all of its upcoming 2022-2023 fall and winter sailings in Asia, relocating its vessels to Europe instead. In addition, U.S.-based Celebrity Cruises, Holland America Line, and Windstar Cruises have also canceled sailing plans in Asia for several months. Shawn Lin Follow Shawn Lin is a Chinese expatriate living in New Zealand. He has contributed to The Epoch Times since 2009, with a focus on China-related topics. A medical worker takes swab sample from a residents during a door-to-door COVID-19 screening in Zhengzhou in central China's Henan Province on Nov. 1, 2022. (Chinatopix Via AP) China Closes Zone Around iPhone Factory After Virus Cases BEIJINGAccess to an industrial zone in the central Chinese city of Zhengzhou was suspended Wednesday after the city reported 64 coronavirus cases and workers who assemble Apple Inc. iPhones left their factory in the zone following outbreaks. The announcement did not say whether the isolation of the Zhengzhou Airport Economic Zone was related to cases at the Foxconn factory. It gave no indication of what prompted the closure. It said no one can enter or leave for one week except to deliver food and medical supplies. Separately, the authorities reported 64 confirmed cases had been found in Zhengzhou over the past 24 hours. It said 294 asymptomatic cases also had been found in the city of 12.5 million. It did not say how many were in the industrial zone. The actual number of COVID-19 cases may be much higher. Chinas COVID-19 data is difficult to verify, as the Chinese regime routinely suppresses or alters information. Meanwhile, the government of Macao announced the southern Chinese territory it will test its 700,000 people on Friday and Saturday. The government said the mass testing is a precaution after an earlier round on Tuesday found no cases. The ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is enforcing a Zero COVID policy that has closed areas throughout China for weeks to try to isolate every case. That has disrupted trade and business at a time when other countries are easing anti-virus curbs. Public frustration with the restrictions has boiled over into fights with police in some areas. In Zhengzhou, everyone in the industrial zone will be tested every day for the coronavirus, the Airport District said. It did not say how many people might be affected. Areas throughout China tightened restrictions on movement and canceled airline flights last month after new infections surged following the weeklong National Day holiday. Residents of many parts of the Xinjiang region in the northwest were barred from leaving their homes in August and September. People in Urumqi and other cities who said they had run out of food and medicine posted appeals for help on social media. Thousands of employees left the Foxconn Technology Group factory starting in mid-October after complaints people who contracted the virus received no treatment. Some accused the company of failing to enforce measures to prevent the spread of the virus. Foxconn said Sunday it was using closed loop management, an official term for employees living at their workplace and avoiding contact with the outside. The company said ill employees were being treated but did not say if new infections still were occurring. Also this week, visitors to Shanghai Disneyland were temporarily barred from leaving as part of virus testing the city government said Tuesday had extended to 439,000 people. The city health agency said visitors on Monday tested negative and were allowed to leave. Last week, 1.3 million residents of Shanghais downtown Yangpu district were ordered to stay at home while they were tested. Chinas New Economic Plan: State-Owned Enterprises Must Form Giant Monopolies Chinese state-owned enterprises (SOE) and conglomerates are expanding and establishing new regional headquarters across China. It appears that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) wants to strengthen its SOEs and monopolize various sectors of the economy. These efforts are devastating Chinas small businesses and making it harder for foreign firms to compete. In recent years, the CCP has used arbitrary rules and regulations to remove foreign competition from China, thus creating a hostile environment for foreign companies wanting to enter the Chinese market. International retailers such as Carrefour, Walmart, and Home Depot are leaving or have already left China. Since the CCPs 20th Congress in October, more restrictive economic policies are being put in place. Chinese news website NetEase reported on Oct. 20, that seven state-owned military-industrial companies were opening facilities in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, making Harbin a new hub for development and manufacturing of Chinese military equipment. Then, on Oct. 22, NetEase reported that the regime was establishing new regional headquarters for its SOEs in Guangxi Province in southern China, which is not among the most developed provinces. Those state-owned companies include shipbuilding, railway, construction, education, and technology. NetEase previously published several articles saying that the CCP had selected seven to eight different state-owned conglomerates and would set up new headquarters for them all across the country. NetEase is based in China and must comply with the CCPs censorship rules. Thus, the information posted in the articles indicates that the CCP isnt worried about showing off its ambitions. Creating Monopolies The CCPs move to consolidate SOEs is to allow them to grow larger and stronger and to form monopolies in their respective industries, Mike Sun, a veteran U.S. investment strategist and China expert, told The Epoch Times. Those SOEs are controlled directly by the central authorities, which is different from the local and provincial enterprises that are run by regional governments in China, Sun said. Sun suggested that the Chinese regime is not only crushing small and medium-sized businesses, private businesses, and foreign-funded enterprises, but also the CCPs own local government enterprises. And this is in line with the CCPs State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commissions statement of One enterprise for one industry, one industry with one enterprise, Sun said. In other words, it is not necessary to have so many enterprises in any one industry, but one, two, or three, according to need, is enough. So the CCP is monopolizing the industries and controlling them, he said. In June 2020, the CCP adopted the so-called Three-Year Action Plan for Reforming State-owned Enterprises (2020-2022). It claimed that SOEs are an important material and political foundation, and they rely on the force of the CCPs ruling power. This plan was implemented to lay the foundation for the 20th Congress, which concluded just over a week ago, Sun explained. According to Sun, the pace of expansion for the CCP SOEs will increase in the next five years. At the same time, the survival space for private enterprises and foreign investors will be greatly compressed, causing many businesses and investments to leave China. Those SOEs have placed special emphasis on creating jobs when they move in. This restricts the abilities of local governments in China to run their own enterprises, and its the kind of centralization that existed only in the era of Mao Zedong. State-Run Hospitals In Chinas healthcare system, public hospitals are generally divided into two categories: centrally managed by the state or locally managed by provinces and municipalities. Regardless of the management, hospitals in China are generally for profit as both local and central governments get income from healthcare. Among the centrally managed hospitals, there is another group thats managed by SOEs. But in contrast to the expansion of SOEs in other industries, the CCP decided to transfer the management of these hospitals to local governments. A recent article on NetEase said that the CCPs Central Committee has already transferred the management of ten state-run hospitals to local governments. Those hospitals are all located in major cities and have superior medical resources and equipment. The real reason why their management was transferred, according to Mike Sun, is that those hospitals failed to turn a profit over the years. In other words, the CCP is handing over failing SOEshealthcare in this caseto its local governments while expanding SOEs in various other profitable industries. Its still hard to speculate what the CCPs economic endgame is at this stage, Sun said. Direction of Chinas Economy Chinas economy has developed rapidly in the past four decades under the policy of reform and opening up, especially in the last two decades after it joined the World Trade Organization. However, after the recent 20th CCP Congress, Chinas economic policies are set to change; but it probably wont go back to the Mao era when it was a planned economy, Mike Sun said. The CCPs policy, in its own words, is to engage in Chinese modernization, according to the slogan used at the 20th CCP Congress. It should be somewhere in-between the planned economy of the Mao era and the current reform policies under former CCP leaders Deng Xiaoping and Hu Jintao, Sun said. Another economic policy direction is encouraging high-tech innovation, Sun said. The CCP sees that the United States is seeking to isolate Chinas tech sector and reduce its dependence on Chinese products. This is why the CCP wants to concentrate its human and material resources on tech innovation regardless of the cost. Returning to manufacturing is also an important part of the CCPs plan. Although Chinas economy has grown rapidly in the past 20 years, large portions of it have been in real estate and online businesses, which is not the direction the CCP wants to go, Sun said. The real estate sector, in particular, has already tied up the Chinese economy. Empty properties and unfinished construction across the country demonstrate a reduced demand for housing. However, more than 100 other industries rely on real estate development, which results in a case where the real estate industry is currently the backbone of a bloated sector of the Chinese economy. Chinas real estate industry accounts for 20-30 percent of the GDP, which is a very big threat to the CCP. Sun believes that the CCP wants to deleverage and decapitalize the real estate sector. The CCP wants more capital to go to those enterprises in which it actually wants to invest, such as listed SOEs and industries that fit its agenda. YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 3, ARMENPRESS. Member of European Parliament Fabio Massimo Castaldo, who arrived in Armenia on a fact-finding mission, says that the valuable information collected during the mission will allow to reveal the objective reality that Azerbaijan has carried out aggression against the sovereign territory of Armenia. During a press conference today in Yerevan, the MEP said they are deeply concerned and condemn the aggression of Azerbaijan against the territorial integrity of Armenia and the Azerbaijani atrocities committed against the Armenian prisoners of war. We hope those found guilty will be held accountable. Its very important for us to continue these works which have started under our commitments. We condemn the fact that Azerbaijan has not yet returned the prisoners of war after 2020, as well as we have voted in favor of a resolution which condemned the encroachments against the Armenian cultural facilities, he said. Fabio Massimo Castaldo said they have visited Syunik province of Armenia and saw the consequences of the Azerbaijani bombardment. The civilian population cannot live under such threats, the MEP said, calling for continuing the diplomatic efforts and ensuring that any conflict is settled only through diplomacy. MEPs Peter van Dalen, Fabio Massimo Castaldo and Lars Patrick Berg arrived in Armenia on a fact-finding mission to get a better understanding of the situation on the ground. Mikaela Haynes, 14, killed herself after a family court judge ruled she had to live with her father who had already admitted to assaulting her older sister. (Courtesy of Cynthia Haynes) Colorado Custody Evaluator Suspended After Admitting He Dismissed 90 Percent of Abuse Claims Others evaluators under scrutiny after investigation A Colorado custody evaluator who admits to dismissing more than 90 percent of abuse claims as untrue has been suspended following an investigation that revealed he was convicted of domestic violence in 2007. According to state records, Mark Kilmer pleaded guilty to the charges, but was able to have the conviction overturned after completing domestic violence counseling and 24 months of probation. The charges against Kilmer came to light in an investigation of child evaluators in Colorado, called guardian ad litems (GALs). He was placed under suspension last week pending an audit being conducted by the State Court Administrators office into all of the states custody evaluators. The audit was initiated by an investigative story by ProPublica that reported that four other evaluators appointed by the court to evaluate domestic abuse claims in private custody disputes in Colorado had been charged with domestic violence or harassment. The media report also showed that, like Kilmer, several custody evaluators, officially called Parent Responsibility Evaluators or PREs in Colorado, had their license renewed in spite of repeated complaints against them. A national expansion of that investigation by The Epoch Times, shows that the problem is widespread across the United States, with overwhelming evidence that court-appointed evaluators are often recommending the very children they are supposed to be protecting to instead be handed over to an abusive parent, even in cases when the parent had been admitted and/or convicted of the abuse. The investigation also showed that, like Colorado, many states continued to renew the licenses and appoint child evaluators to cases despite findings of ethical violations against them. In New Hampshire, a GAL who was found to be guilty of perjury and other conflicts of interest by a legislative grievance committee in 2012 continued to be appointed by family court judges in dozens of private custody cases involving allegations of child abuse. According to the ProPublic piece, Kilmer told them at this point in my career, sometimes the judge just cuts and pastes all my recommendations and puts it into the court order. The consequences have proved lethal for some of the children who were sent to live with an abusive parent, based on a custody evaluators recommendation. In 2018 in Missouri, 14-year old Mikaela Haynes killed herself after a child evaluator recommended putting her in her fathers custody in spite of substantial evidence he was molesting her and had admitted to raping Mikaelas older sister. As shown by court records and chronicled on the website Mikaelaslaw.com, after Charles Haynes confessed to sexually assaulting Mikaelas older sister and was about to serve out his jail sentence, Missouri Family Court Judge John Shock ruled he should have custody of Mikaela, based on the recommendation of Jennifer Williams, the court appointed GAL for the teen. Williams, an attorney, did not return repeated phone calls from The Epoch Times. Neither Charles Haynes nor his attorney returned phone calls from The Epoch Times. Evita Tolu, a St. Louis immigration attorney who took on Mikaelas mother Cynthia Haynes wrongful death lawsuit against Williams, provided The Epoch Times with dozens of court records and transcripts that show Williams was well aware that Haynes was molesting his daughters. She even recommended that Mikaelas younger 12-year old sister be compelled to have visitation with Charles Haynes after Mikaelas suicide. The real pandemic in this country is what these court appointees and family court judges are doing to abused children, said Tolu, who said she took on the case because no other lawyer would help Cynthia Haynes. Tolu has since been fined by family court judges and even threatened with jail time for what she called perfectly legal court filings. In August, Tolu won a ruling from a federal judge that she could proceed with the lawsuit against Williams as well as others who conspired to what Tolu calls trafficking the girls to their abusive father. Richard Ducote, a nationally known family law attorney who has represented many parentsall mothersin private custody cases across the United States, told The Epoch Times, that family court trafficking of abused kids is so common that lawyers and therapists often go along with the corruption so they can continue to garner, and profit from, court appointments from judges. Ducote, who has appeared on TV and at press conferences around the United States about the issue, said that child evaluators really operate as henchmen and work to stifle evidence of abuse to pave the way for judges to strip custody from the protective parent and pass it onto the abusive parent. Along the way, the protective parent spends every dime she has to protect her kids, said Ducote. By putting kids back in the hands of the abuser, they need all sorts of government support. Basically, the courts are turning innocent, well grounded kids into messed up, and thus lifelong, clients of the system. For a story on a similar subject, Cindy Dumas, Executive Director at The Womens Coalition, told The Epoch Times, that there is overwhelming evidence child evaluators, along with judges, are deliberately and chronically dismissing claims of abusebut only when, she says, it is raised by mothers. This is purely all about patriarchal privilege, said Dumas. The money that comes with that is just a side benefit. Father rights groups disagree, saying that men have also experienced corrupt custody evaluators. The Coalition has posted on its website what seems to be an exhaustive number of stories of mothers who have lost custody after alleging abuse as well as tragic stories of children who have died after a judge switched custody to an abusive father. Ducote agreed that mothers seem to be the primary target of child evaluators like Kilmer. The suspension of Kilmer set off a storm on social media among parents who give detailed accounts of nightmarish experiences with child evaluators like Kilmer. Many of the parents also ridiculed Kilmer for telling ProPublica that the only reason he pleaded guilty to domestic violence was because he had a bad lawyer. Maricopa County, Ariz., Director of Elections Scott Jarrett (L) talks about midterm election procedures during a press conference in Phoenix on Nov. 2, 2022. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times) Concerns Over Election Security Run High Ahead of Arizona Midterms PHOENIX, Ariz.Maricopa County election officials said voter security would be a high priority on Election Day, and law enforcement is ready to deal with any reports of intimidation. If there is anyone out there who intends to disrupt this election over the next six days, that is going to be responded to very strongly, said Bill Gates, chairman of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, at a press conference in Phoenix on Nov. 2. Gates said the county would push back against social media influencers and narratives claiming that the county should have all ballots counted by the end of Nov. 8. This is a false narrativeand its a dangerous narrative. Were going to continue to push back against it. No state or voting jurisdiction gets the voting done in this country on election day. Its simply false, he said. It is a blatantly false statement that, unfortunately, I think we will keep hearing. Thats why well keep pushing back on it and talk the truth. Gates said the only reason voter intimidation is a big issue is that the key races in the election are so close. On Nov. 1, a federal judge in Arizona granted a temporary restraining order against Clean Elections USA, accused of voter intimidation at ballot drop boxes across Maricopa County, the states most populous county. The restraining order prohibits members of Clean Elections USA, a grassroots organization promoting election integrity, and its associates from coming within 75 feet of a ballot drop box or a building housing a drop box. They also are banned from speaking or yelling at voters within 75 feet of a drop box unless yelled at first. The ruling also bars Clean Elections USA members and its affiliates from openly carrying firearms or wearing tactical gear, such as body armor, within 250 feet of ballot drop boxes. The focus should be on letting the candidates make their closing argument over the next few days to try to encourage those who havent voted yet, Gates said. Since the judges ruling, there has been a noticeable downtick in the number of people hanging around or near ballot drop boxes, he said. I think thats a positive thing. Early Voting Brisk As of Nov. 2, the county recorders office had logged 821,622 early ballots received, with more than 516,000 ready for processing. The last day of early voting is Friday, Nov. 4. County officials expect to receive between 1.4 million and 1.9 million ballots in the midterm election, although ballot counting would likely continue on Nov. 9 and possibly beyond. Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer said there would be 223 voting centers throughout Maricopa County on election day, including 13 ballot drop boxes. He said his office mailed out approximately 2 million requests for early voting ballots from registered voters. Given heightened emotions, the Maricopa County Sheriffs Office has mobilized a small army, and county officials feel very well prepared for any potential disruptions on election day, Richer said. Maricopa County director of elections Scott Jarrett said between 2,000 and 3,000 voters cast early ballots daily, representing a good cross-section of the county. Of the 821,622 early ballots cast, 307,000 were from registered Republicans, 310,000 Democrats, and 4,000 libertarians. Jarrett said voting in person should be brisk on election day, with potential lines forming. The county set up 400 additional check-in stations to handle the volume and over 5,000 voting booths set up for all 223 voting centers to handle the volume. Of the approximately 2,000 election workers, 926 are Republican, 931 are Democrat, and 420 are independent or unaffiliated, according to election officials. Its the wish of everyone here and in the county to vote free of intimidation, free of obstruction, Richer said. Of course, weve taken steps to make sure that happenswhether its 223 voting locations or the multitude of places where you can deposit your ballot, even right now. Trucks are parked on Wellington Street near the Parliament Buildings as truckers and supporters protest against COVID-19 mandates in Ottawa on Jan. 29, 2022. (Patrick Doyle/Reuters) Convoy Organizer Says Media Focused on Controversy Rather Than the Purpose of the Protest Benjamin Dichter, one of the Freedom Convoys main organizers, took the stand on Nov. 3 at the Public Order Emergency Commission, testifying that he distrusted most of the media covering the demonstrations because the outlets focused on controversial figures and misrepresented protesters. Dichter said that the legacy media and resulting concerns over public perception prompted the convoy to put out public statements distancing the protest from any possible or potential future violence. The reason we needed to put these messages out was because of the legacy media that was putting out a narrative that was completely false. About these phantom violent people I never saw, said Dichter. My skepticism for legacy media is quite high, he said. I saw during the convoy, a headline that truckers are weaponizing freedom in the name of white supremacy. Commission lawyers questioned Dichter on whether there were people involved with the convoy that wanted a change of government, referring to allegations from some media reports that protesters wanted to overthrow the government. Dichter said, no, not the convoy and mentioned fringe elements that crop up in these sorts of events. Dichter suggested that because the media was covering controversial figures like Pat King, the freedom convoys main organizers had to put out a statement to distance themselves. One communication said: Pat King represents only himself, he does not represent the freedom convoy. Freedom Convoy organizer Benjamin Dichter speaks at a press conference in Ottawa on Jan. 30, 2022. (Limin Zhou/The Epoch Times) Dichter was questioned on how he decided where to focus the convoys communications efforts. I was getting requests from all over the world, from every news agency imaginable, he said. He said the convoy wanted to talk to media that they believed would give protesters a fair representation. Dichter said he went to media that could leverage alternative media platforms and had the largest platforms, or could reach the most people. Dichter testified he gave television interviews to Fox News, Tucker Carlson, Hannity, Newsmax, and podcasts with Gad Saad, Jordan Peterson, and Steven Crowder. He was asked if he refused to give interviews to some of what he referred to as legacy media. Dichter said in one instance, one outlet published a cartoon meme that was defamatory of the truckers and that the convoy saw some narratives coming out from established Canadian media trying tie us to January 6, which has nothing to do with this protest. Jan. 6 refers to the date that protestors entered the U.S. Capitol building in 2021 to demonstrate against what they said was election fraud after Joe Biden won the 2020 U.S. federal election. A sign for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service building is seen in Ottawa on May 14, 2013. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press) CSIS Concerned About Chinese Influence Operations Targeting Canadian Politicians, MPs Hear Agents of communist China are targeting Canadian parliamentarians and officials with foreign interference, a House committee heard from testimonies by officials in Canadian intelligence agencies. We are very concerned about the targeting. We know that there is certainly a desire to target elected officials at all levels of governmentmunicipal, provincial, federal, Michelle Tessier, deputy director of operations for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), said at the House Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs (PROC) on Nov. 1. Tessier was responding to questions from Conservative MP Blaine Calkins on the growing concerns about China influencing politicians and officials around the world to gain sway over the policies of foreign governments. Calkins pointed to John McCallum, Canadas former ambassador to Beijing, who ignited controversy for comments defending Meng Wanzhou, executive of Chinese telecom company Huawei, who was arrested by the RCMP in 2018 on a U.S. extradition request. Tessier said CSIS does see activity of foreign interference in Canada, and such interference activities are on the rise. She added, however, that these influences have not met the threshold of impacting the overall electoral integrity. We know the Chinese Communist Party is involved and interested in promoting their own national interests, she said. They are an actor in foreign interference and we have said that publicly, and I can state again that we are concerned about the activities regarding threats against Canada, including foreign interference by the Chinese Communist Party. We know China, amongst other countries, do try to target elected officials at all levels of government to promote their own national interests and to encourage individuals to speak or act as proxies on behalf of the Communist Party of China. Former RCMP and CSIS operative Michel Juneau-Katsuya in Ottawa in a file photo. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press) Michel Juneau-Katsuya, former senior CSIS intelligence officer, told the House Committee on Access to Information, Privacy, and Ethics on Aug. 9 that Canadian intelligence is monitoring certain MPs, MPPs, and municipal politicians known to be working for foreign agencies. What we know for sure is that we have various foreign countries whove succeeded in recruiting elected officialsagain, municipal, provincial, or federaland were capable to influence this way, said Juneau-Katsuya, who is now the president and CEO of security consulting firm Northgate Group. It was [happening] beforehand and its still happening. Unofficial Chinese Police Stations At the PROC meeting, Calkins also raised questions regarding reports of unofficial Chinese police stations being established in Canada and dozens of other countries around the world. The existence of such Chinese police outposts was first reported by the Spain-based NGO Safeguard Defenders, which said in a September report that there are more than 50 police stations reportedly created and operated by two local-level police agencies in China, according to Chinese state media. Chinese authorities have touted the success of these police stations in persuading up to 230,000 Chinese nationals to voluntarily return to China to face criminal proceedings between April 2021 and July 2022. Safeguard Defenders said that persuasion to return is a key method of the Chinese regimes involuntary returns operations, including its Operation Fox Hunt, which seeks to track down criminal suspects who have fled overseas. The NGO, however, noted that such anti-crime campaigns have also targeted non-suspects and their family members in China. Map of the 30 countries where Chinese police have established 54 known 110 Chinese overseas police stations. (Courtesy of Safeguard Defenders) The RCMP recently said that it is investigating reports of three overseas Chinese police service stations in the Greater Toronto Area: two in Markham and one in Scarborough. Tessier declined to provide details when asked what measures CSIS is taking to investigate the situation. We are using all of the authorities that we have to look at any potential threat to our communities, she said. It is very important for us to be able to ensure that communities in Canada feel protected and are not the victims of any threat action towards them or any foreign actor trying to threaten them or their families back home, which we know is of concern. CVS, Walgreens Agree to Pay Nearly $10 Billion in Settlements to Resolve Opioid Lawsuits Pharmacy store chains CVS and Walgreens announced on Wednesday they have agreed to pay a total of nearly $10 billion to substantially resolve various opioid-related lawsuits launched against them. CVS and Walgreens are the two largest pharmacy chains in the United States by market share. The settlements, if finalized, would be the first nationwide deal reached with retail pharmacy companies, and could be among the largest settlements related to the opioid crisis. CVS announced in a release that it agreed in principle to pay about $4.9 billion to states and political subdivisionssuch as cities and counties. It would also pay about $130 million to native tribes. The payments will be made over the next 10 years starting in 2023. In a release, CVS stated that the settlement would fully resolve claims dating back a decade or more. CVS added that it will continue to defend against any litigation that the final agreement does not resolve. Meanwhile, Walgreens announced in a release it agreed in principle to pay about $4.95 billion to states, subdivisions, and tribes as part of settlement frameworks to resolve the opioid-related legal challenges. The payments would be made over 15 years. A sign for Walgreens is displayed outside its store in Washington, on Nov. 2, 2022. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images) The exact amount to be paid would depend on how many governments plaintiffs take up on the deals, and could be reduced if not enough sign on, the companies noted. CVS and Walgreens both said the agreements are not final until all conditions are satisfied and non-monetary terms are finalized. Both companies also noted that the settlements do not constitute any admission of wrongdoing or liability. Opioids have been linked to more than 500,000 deaths in the United States over the last two decades. Governments have alleged in legal challenges over decades that the pharmacies have filled prescriptions they should have flagged as inappropriate. CVS, Walgreens Commit to Reduce Illegitimate Prescription Opioid Use Both CVS and Walgreens said they have taken multiple steps to help combat the opioid crisis, including by starting educational programs and installing safe disposal units in stores and police departments for unused drugs. Both have also made life-saving opioid overdose reversal medication, such as Naxolone, available in their stores nationwide. Thomas Moriarty, chief policy officer and general counsel of CVS, said in a statement that the settlement is in the best interest of all parties, as well as our customers, colleagues, and shareholders. He added: We are committed to working with states, municipalities and tribes, and will continue our own important initiatives to help reduce the illegitimate use of prescription opioids. Walgreens said in a statement that it remains committed to being a part of the solution, adding: [T]his settlement framework will allow us to keep our focus on the health and wellbeing of our customers and patients, while making positive contributions to address the opioid crisis. Paul Geller, one of the lawyers who negotiated for the governments, said that settlements with pharmacies will bring billions of additional dollars to communities that are desperate for funds to combat the epidemic of opioid addiction. We know that reckless, profit-driven dispensing practices fueled the crisis; but we know just as surely that with better systems in place and proper heeding of red flag warnings, pharmacies can play a direct role in reducing opioid abuse and in saving lives, Geller said. Since the 1990s, the United States has seen increasing waves of opioid abuse. The first wave hit in the 1990s, driven by prescription opioids. The second wave was driven by illicit heroin in 2010. The third wave, starting from 2013, is from illicit synthetic opioids, including fentanyl and tramadol. Most opioid overdose deaths in the United States had initially involved prescription drugs. But as governments, doctors, and companies made them harder to abuse and obtain, people addicted to them increasingly switched to illicit heroin and an illicitly-produced version of fentanyl. In recent years, opioid deaths have increased to record levels around 80,000 a year. Most of those deaths involve illicit fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid up to 50 times more potent than heroin, and up to 100 times stronger than morphine. Manufacturers of illegal drugs add fentanyl to heroin, cocaine, methamphetamines, and other drugs to make the drugs more powerful and cheaper to produce. Just two milligrams of fentanylequivalent to 1015 grains of table saltis considered a lethal dose. The Chinese Communist Party has been using fentanyl trafficking as a form of chemical warfare against the United States. According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in its 2020 National Drug Threat Assessment report (pdf), China is the primary source of fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances trafficked through international mail and express consignment operations, as well as the main source for all fentanyl-related substances trafficked into the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in February proposed new opioid prescribing guidelines for doctors, in the hopes it could help improve individualized patient care to reduce instances of untreated pain, serious withdrawal symptoms, and addiction. Marina Zhang, Reuters, and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Democratic State House Candidate Accused of Embellishing Military Service by Own Father Democrat Clyde Shavers, a candidate for District 10 of the Washington State House of Representatives, has been accused of lying about his military service by his own father. According to an archived version of Shavers campaign website, the candidate served more than eight years in the U.S. Navy as a nuclear submarine officer and public affairs officer with tours in the Middle East and Southeast Asia. However, according to the Shavers own fatheras noted in a letter sent to the candidates Republican opponent Greg Gilday and published on Nov. 1 by local media outlet Herald Netthose claims are inaccurate. Clyde was never a submarine officer, not even for a day, Brett Shavers, Clydes father, wrote. According to the elder Shavers, who served in the Marine Corps, his son failed to complete his submarine officer pipeline training and had consulted him on how to address the matter heading into the campaign. I stressed to Clyde that he must be truthful and simply state that he went through the many weeks of training, Brett Shavers wrote. Yet, as seen in campaign materials, Clyde chose instead to claim that he was a submarine officer. Further charging that his son has only disdain for the military, he continued: There are no words that I have that could come close to overemphasize Clydes negative view of the military, his disdain of enlisted service members, and his revulsion to wear the uniform. This is from conversations that I have had with my son, when trying to convey the honor and privilege of being able to wear such a uniform fell flat on his ears. Other claims Shavers made in the letter included that his son has zero ties to Washingtons 10th Legislative District other than through a room that he rents at a bed and breakfast in Whidbey Island, and that his ambition has always been to become president of the United States. Following the letters publication, Clyde Shaverso n Nov. 2, responded to his fathers allegations in a Facebook post, writing, My fathers writing a politically motivated and inaccurate letter has been one of the most painful experiences of my life. Calling his fathers letter a public and hurtful attack, the candidate charged: My fathers far right leanings lead [sic] him to Washington, D.C. on January 6. Now his disdain for seeing Democrats elected has led him to attack his son. In his letter, Brett Shavers denied any political motive for speaking out, writing: My intention with this letter is apolitical, and I have no vested interest in the voting of any person in LD10. My wish for my children is for their success and happiness, and we raised them to value honesty, integrity, and personal sacrifice for others. My personal and professional life hinges on zero room for any dishonesty. These are our values. Further, a review of Clyde Shaverss military records, obtained by The Epoch Times, confirms his fathers assertion that he had never served as a U.S. Navy nuclear submarine officer, though he did undergo that training. According to data provided by the U.S. Navy, Shavers attended the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, from 2009 to 2013. He is then listed as having been a student at the Navy Nuclear Power School in Charleston, South Carolina, from July 2013 to February 2014, after which he trained with the Nuclear Power Training Unit in Balston Spa, New York, until August 2015. Shavers went on to spend two months at the U.S. Defense Information School, and then another month at the U.S. Naval War College before joining U.S. Naval Forces Central Command in Bahrain in November 2015. He also subsequently served on Destroyer Squadron SEVEN, Transient Personnel Unit, and the Navy Reserves, ending his service on Sept. 30, 2021. The Epoch Times has reached out to Clyde Shavers and Brett Shavers for further comment. EXCLUSIVE: DeSantis Calls Out Chinese Firms Purchase of Florida Land for Primate Breeding Facility Gov. Ron DeSantis raised concern over the Chinese Communist Partys growing influence in Florida amid scrutiny of a Chinese firms purchase of 1,400 acres of land in the state in the hopes of building a primate breeding facility. JOINN Laboratories CA Inc. purchased the land in Levy County, Florida, for about $5.5 million in July, state records show. Reports indicate the company plans to build a primate breeding and quarantine facility on the land. Located in California, the lab is a subsidiary of drug developer JOINN Laboratories, a Beijing-based company whose founders have ties to the Chinese military. The labs purchase of the 10 parcels of land from L & T Cattle & Timber represents one of the biggest known Chinese acquisitions of U.S. land in recent years. DeSantis office told The Epoch Times that the latest Chinese land buy is an example of the activities the Republican governor is working to combat. The governor has been consistently opposed to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) s growing influence in Florida, and this proposed facility is a prime example of the type of activity that we are acting to prohibit, the governors office said in an emailed statement. DeSantis is pushing for proposed legislation that would bar the purchase of agricultural land and lands near military bases by communist China and other foreign countries of concern. They [Chinese companies] pay a lot more than its [the land] worth; thats why people are doing it. From a national security perspective, is that something that we wanna see? DeSantis said on Sept. 22 at a press conference announcing the legislation. A lot of times, therell be companies that will put themselves out as private, but if you peel back the onion a little bit, theyre basically controlled by the Chinese government, the governor added. We think thats something that the U.S. as a whole needs to take much more seriously. The bill was part of a broader plan that DeSantis unveiled in September aimed at combating the malign influence from foreign countries, particularly communist China. Standing behind a podium with a Stop CCP Influence sign, DeSantis also introduced legislation to safeguard higher education institutions intellectual property from the CCP, and signed an executive order to prohibit Floridas government agencies from procuring or using technology products and services from Chinese companies. A laboratory monkey interacts with employees in the breeding centre for cynomolgus macaques (longtail macaques) at the National Primate Research Center of Thailand at Chulalongkorn University in Saraburi, on May 23, 2020. (Mladen Antonov/AFP via Getty Images) Scrutiny Over Chinese Ties Levy Countys planning and zoning department in September confirmed that it had been contacted by JOINN Laboratories over the possibility of building a primate quarantine and breeding facility on the purchased land. In a statement on Sept. 22, Levy County said the purchased land is currently zoned for forestry-rural residential use only, which does not allow for the construction of such a facility. It added that any request for it to be rezoned was unlikely to be approved. County officials told The Epoch Times that it had not yet received a formal rezoning request from JOINN Laboratories as of Nov. 3. While the future of the property use is uncertain, the land buy has already drawn criticism over the biotech firm founders links to the Chinese military. Related Coverage Chinese Labs Purchase of US Land for Primate Breeding Facility Draws Scrutiny The purchasers parent company, JOINN Laboratories, is founded and controlled by Zhou Zhiwen and Feng Yuxia, a couple who both graduated from Chinas Academy of Military Medical Sciences. The college is Chinas leading medical research institution that was added to a U.S. trade blacklist in 2021 for allegedly supplying biotechnology to the Chinese military. The land sale came at a time when Chinese firms buying of U.S. land is under considerable scrutiny. An American subsidiary of Fufeng Group, a major producer of food additives in China with links to the CCP, recently purchased 370 acres of land in Grand Forks, North Dakota, where it plans to build a corn mill. The site is roughly 12 miles from the Grand Forks Air Force Base, which is home to sensitive U.S. drone, satellite, and surveillance technology. GOP lawmakers have expressed concern that the deal may pose risks to national security, giving the communist regime opportunities for espionage. The project is currently stalled pending a review by the Committee of Foreign Investments in the United States (CFIUS), an interagency panel that scrutinizes foreign investments for national security risks. Fufeng has denied that the project involves any security concerns. DeSantis, at the September press conference, also sounded the alarm on the project in North Dakota. Why are they [the CCP] doing that? Of course, they want to get intelligence; they want to know whats going on here in the United States, DeSantis said at Miami Dade College. Yes, theres the danger of having this land misused for intelligence or military purposes. But put that aside, we saw what happened with COVID, when almost all this stuff was made in China, why would you want them to be involved in our own food supply in our chain supply chain here in the United States? The Epoch Times has reached out to JOINN Laboratories CA for comment. Dorothy Li Follow Dorothy Li is a reporter for The Epoch Times based in Europe. Doctor Who Performed Young Girls Abortion Sues Indiana Attorney General The doctor who performed an abortion for a 10-year-old girl sued Indianas attorney general on Nov. 3, alleging violated state law when he started investigating her. Dr. Caitlin Bernard, an assistant professor of clinical obstetrics and gynecology at Indiana University, performed the abortion in June for a 10-year-old who was raped by an illegal immigrant. Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, a Republican, said at the time that he was investigating whether Bernard reported the abortion and/or the abuse, saying her license could be revoked if she failed to follow the law. Rokita failed to find legitimate complaints from people with any relationship to Bernard, according to the new complaint. Indiana law lets people file consumer complaints against certain professionals, including doctors, and the attorney general can investigate many complaints but the law says complaints must be assessed as having merit for an investigation to start. The Attorney General has wholly ignored the General Assemblys fine-tuned structure for handling consumer complaints regarding licensed professionals and has engaged in precisely the type of overbearing, harassing conduct that the General Assembly sought to prohibit, the complaint states. The Attorney General has completely ignored the requirement to determine that consumer complaints have merit before he can investigate and has instead used facially invalid consumer complaints to justify multiple, duplicative, and overbroad investigations into law-abiding physiciansinvestigations which are intended neither to identify violations of law nor to resolve disputes between regulated professionals and bona fide consumers. Dr. Amy Caldwell joined Bernard in the suit. By statutory obligation, we investigate thousands of potential licensing, privacy, and other violations a year. A majority of the complaints we receive are, in fact, from nonpatients. Any investigations that arise as a result of potential violations are handled in a uniform manner and narrowly focused, Kelly Stevenson, a spokeswoman for Rokita, told The Epoch Times via email. We will discuss this particular matter further through the judicial filings we make. Did Not Violate HIPAA Rokita had also alleged a possible violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), a federal law that prohibits disclosing certain patient information. Bernard spoke about the abortion to a news outlet, giving the patients age and state of residence. Indiana University later determined that Bernard did not violate HIPAA. The conduct by the attorney general dissuades patients who need emergency abortions from seeking care, the new suit alleges. It also threatens patients seeking legal abortions that their most personal and private medical records and health care decisions could be exposed as part of a meritless investigation. It was filed in Indiana Commercial Court. The court was asked to issue a preliminary and permanent injunction blocking Rokita and an official in his office from investigating any consumer complaint unless they determine the complaint has merit; from issuing subpoenas in connection with such an investigation unless the complaint is assessed as having merit; and from violating confidentiality provisions in the law. Doctor Who Questioned COVID Response Ordered to Pay $1 Million in Legal Costs After Losing Libel Case Dr. Kulvinder Kaur Gill, a pediatrician from Brampton Ontario who became well known for her criticism of the governments response to COVID-19, has been ordered to pay $1 million in legal costs after her libel suit was struck down earlier this year. The costs are related to a $12-million legal action the physician brought, alleging libel against a group of 23 doctors, academics, a former president of the Ontario Medical Association, and reporters from several news outlets. The case was dismissed in February. Gill is appealing that dismissal. Justice Elizabeth Stewart ruled this week that Gill must pay the defendants as much as $1.1 million in legal costs. A portion of the costs must also be paid by Dr. Ashvinder Kaur Lambda, who also sued some of the same individuals. Gills lawyer, Jeff Saikaley, told the National Post that both the loss of the libel action and the costs award are being appealed. Gill first filed the libel action in late 2020, specifying comments other doctors, professors, and journalists had made on Twitter that she said were libellous. Gills statement of claim said, The individual defendants, like a pack of hyenas, attempted and in fact coordinated a circling of [Gill] to literally destroy her career and reputation. Against the COVID Narrative Throughout COVID-19, Gill was one of a number of physicians and medical professionals who disagreed with the governments official messaging on the pandemic. For example, Gill tweeted at points that hydroxychloroquine was effective in treating COVID-19, in her view. She tweeted about T-Cell immunity, and mentioned research from other medical and scientific researchers with similar viewpoints. She also tweeted about global scientific opinions that highlighted viewpoints that lockdowns were dangerous and had foreseeable consequences on economic, health, and overall public welfare. Gill also questioned the efficacy of the new COVID-19 shots. On Aug. 4, 2020, Gill tweeted her opinion: There is absolutely no medical or scientific reason for this prolonged, harmful and illogical lockdown. Gill said she was discredited by other physicians and the media over her viewpoints. She faces ongoing disciplinary action by the provincial regulatory body for alleged misinformationincluding warning her that her social media posts stating the vaccine was unnecessary and lockdowns unjustifiedpresented a potential risk to public health. Gill appeared before a review board on Oct. 12, where her lawyer, Lisa Bildy, argued the complaints made against Gill were not related to any patient complaint, but rather, the doctor shared scientific studies and opinions on her social media account which go against the COVID narrative preferred by these complainants. On Oct.13., the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) filed a notice of hearing for Gill to appear before a disciplinary tribunal, for engaging in disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional conduct, in relation to her alleged communications on COVID-19. All of the actions taken by the CPSO are listed as under appeal. Gills lawyer Jeff Saikaley did not respond to a request for comment by press time. Noe Chartier contributed to this report. File photo showing people attending a vigil for the victims of the Manchester Arena bombing, in central Manchester, Britain, on May 29, 2017. (Andrew Yates/Reuters) Emergency Services Response to Manchester Arena Bombing Went Badly Wrong With Tragic Consequences: Report The response of the emergency services to the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017 went badly wrong and contributed to at least one of the deaths, the chairman of a public inquiry has concluded. Suicide bomber Salman Abedi, 22, detonated a device on May 22, 2017 in the foyer of Manchester Arena, known as the City Room, a few minutes after the end of an Ariana Grande concert, killing 22 people. His younger brother Hashem was later extradited from Libya, convicted by a jury in London and in August 2020 jailed for life with a minimum tariff of 55 years (pdf). On Thursday the second report of the public inquiry into the attack was published and it set out a list of failings by Greater Manchester Police, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, and North West Ambulance Service. In it the chairman of the inquiry, Sir John Saunders, said: Significant aspects of the emergency response on May 22, 2017 went wrong. This should not have happened. He said: Some of what went wrong had serious and, in the case of John Atkinson, fatal consequences for those directly affected by the explosion. CCTV image of Salman Abedi at Victoria Station making his way to the Manchester Arena, where he detonated his bomb, in Manchester, England, on May 22, 2017. (Greater Manchester Police/Handout via PA) The inquiry heard Atkinson, who was not attended to by paramedics for 47 minutes, would have had quite a high chance of survival if he had got medical treatment earlier. Ron Blake, a passerby who was praised after he used his wifes belt as a tourniquet in an attempt to save Atkinsons life, told the BBC that big mistakes were made that night and many of those in charge of the emergency response had got it all wrong. Unveiling his report on Thursday, Saunders said, Those who have listened to the evidence will not be surprised that I am highly critical of many of the rescue operation. The Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, wrote on Twitter, I will carefully consider the recommendations made so far to strengthen our response. During the public inquiry Pete Weatherby, KC, a barrister representing seven of the bereaved families, said there was a command vacuum in the wake of the bombing. The report repeats some of the criticisms of the fire service which were published in 2018 following an independent review by Lord Bob Kerslake (pdf). That review found the fire service played no meaningful role in the first two hours after the bomb went off because risk-averse senior officers ordered crews to stay outside until they could confirm it was not part of a wider, Mumbai-style terrorist attack. In his report, Saunders said: Had firefighters got to the City Room as soon as they could have done, they would have removed the injured using proper equipment which would have been safe and quick. Instead, the injured had to be removed on railings and pieces of cardboard which were uncomfortable, unsafe, painful and inevitably this meant that it took longer for each patient to be removed. Dawn Docx, who was interim chief fire officer in 2018, apologised unreservedly after the Kerslake Review and has since become chief fire officer in North Wales. Undated file photos issued of the 22 victims of the terror attack during the Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena in May 2017. (Greater Manchester Police/Handout via PA) Neil Barnes, who was the ambulances service most senior officer that night, admitted to the inquiry that he showed no leadership in the first two hours after the bombing. Barnes, who was the on-call gold commander, responsible for command, response, and recovery, initially stayed at home when the silver commander, Annemarie Rooney, rang him and told him about the attack. But he denied the fact that he was due to fly off on a holiday the following day influenced his decision. The public inquiry heard Barnes was needed to attend a meeting with the gold commanders from the police and fire service to coordinate the response to the attack, but he had already asked to be relieved by another senior ambulance service officer because he had the flight the next day. Barnes was awarded the Queens Ambulance Service Medal the following year. While Saunderss report was critical of Barnes and several other senior officers, he said, I have not looked for scapegoats and everyone who I have criticised has had the opportunity to respond to those criticism. The first report from the inquiry, which was published in June 2021, said security personnel at Manchester Arena should have identified Abedi as a threat on the night of the attack. Sir John Saunders, the chairman of the Manchester Arena Inquiry, said it was likely Abedi would have detonated his device if he had been confronted but the loss of life and injury is highly likely to have been less. The Abedi family were originally from Libya but had settled in Manchester. Abedis father, Ramadan Abedi, and his mother, Samia Tabbal, have returned to Libya and have never cooperated with the polices investigation into their sons. PA Media contributed to this report. YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 3, ARMENPRESS. In all directions around which Armenia is negotiating with Azerbaijan, it meets Azerbaijan maximalist position, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said during the joint session of the parliamentary standing committees. I can make two notes: one is good and the other is bad. The bad is that in all directions around which we are negotiating with Azerbaijan, we meet Azerbaijans maximalist positions. My impression is that Azerbaijan, considering that it has had military successes, can now dictate some conditions to Armenia. Of course, this cannot be true. And its impossible to achieve lasting, comprehensive and stable peace in this way, the FM said. He expressed hope that Azerbaijan will understand this more clearly within the course of the time. And if Azerbaijan wants, is interested in having a stable peace in the South Caucasus, then in some issues it must also record that there cannot be unilateral beneficial solutions, the FM said. According to Mirzoyan, it will not work, cannot be long-term. As for the good one, the FM said that there is a clear focus by the international community on the problems existing in the relations. When we even analyze the time, we see that this focus is now further increasing. Especially after the Azerbaijani aggression of September 13-14 the international community has addressed a very clear message to Azerbaijan that the use of force, the threat of the use of force cannot be a way for solving issues, the minister said. He expressed hope that Baku will understand this message very clearly, adding that there are rules and lines which must not be crossed. According to the FM, this is the message of the international community. The union flag and the flag of the People's Republic of China, on March 2, 2015. (Arthur Edwards/The Sun/PA Media) English City of Newcastle Severs Ties With Chinese Twin City Councillors in Newcastle, United Kingdom, on Wednesday voted unanimously to cut ties with the citys Chinese twin city Taiyuan over human rights abuses in the communist country. Its the first decoupling of Western and Chinese twin cities after 19 Hong Kong diasporic groups launched a global campaign in July calling on more than 100 cities in seven countries to sever ties with their Chinese counterparts. The Newcastle motion (pdf), proposed by Liberal Democrat Councillor Wendy Taylor, said the council will terminate Newcastles sister city agreement with Taiyuan. It condemns the Chinese regimes treatment of Uyghur Muslims and human rights activists, and expresses solidarity with those campaigning for freedom and democracy in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau. It also requires the council to write to Newcastle MPs, urging them to lobby the government for action over the treatment of Uyghur Muslims. The Chinese Communist regimes actions repeatedly demonstrate that it is not concerned with upholding the universal values we safeguard and adhering to international rules of conduct, the motion reads, citing reports of forced detention, rape, torture, forced sterilisation, and organ harvesting targeting Uyghur Muslims. It also notes the sanctioning of Newcastle University academic Jo Finley, who had written to the council in strong support of the motion. Finley was sanctioned by Beijing in March along with seven British lawmakers, a senior judge, and four UK entities that the Chinese Foreign Ministry said had maliciously spread lies and disinformation. All sanctioned individuals are vocal critics of the Chinese regimes treatment of the Uyghurs and of other human rights abuses in China. The entities are also involved in exposing Chinas state-sanctioned human rights violations. Newcastle Stands With Hong Kong (NSWHK), one of the groups that took part in the Global De-twin with China campaign, welcomed the vote. We are delighted with the City Councils decision, NSWHK said in a statement translated from Chinese by The Epoch Times. We hope the decoupling will set for other local councils an example of safeguarding human rights regardless of economic benefits. As it was said during the debate: The issues of human rights and democracy must outweigh other economic concerns.' The student group said it had called on Newcastle City Council to de-twin with Taiyuan on June 12, and joined the global campaign to combat the Chinese Communist Partys totalitarianism and its infiltration in democratic societies. In an email to The Epoch Times, a spokesperson for Global De-twin with China welcomed Newcastles decoupling with Taiyuan, saying the councillors have set a precedent to stand up against Chinas aggression and stand in solidarity with people who yearn for freedom and democracy. We will continue to advocate for more detwinning with China to raise awareness on growing infiltration from the Chinese government and hope that other local authorities will stand with human rights, the statement reads. The Global De-twin with China campaign is advocating for 12 other UK cities to sever ties with their Chinese sister cities, including Birmingham, Coventry, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Medway, Nottingham, Perth, and Sheffield. Other cities include Tokyo, Japan; Adelaide and Perth in Australia; Christchurch in New Zealand; 46 cities in the United States; 41 cities in Canada; and 58 cities in Germany. Fentanyl and contraband seized in Butler County, Ohio, by the Butler Undercover Regional Narcotics team (BURN). (Butler County Sheriff's Department) Enough Fentanyl to Kill 190,000 People Seized in Ohio Joint Law Enforcement Operation Law enforcement officials in Ohio seized 570 grams of fentanyl, 660 grams of meth, and 139 grams of crack cocaine while conducting search warrants of two apartments in Butler county on Nov. 1. Undercover officers with the Butler County Undercover Regional Narcotics (BURN) Task Force and the Hamilton Police Department executed the search at the apartments at the 1100 block of Washington Blvd in the City of Hamilton as part of a joint operation. Fentanyl is 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine, and as little as two milligrams can be potentially lethal. In a statement on social media, Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones said the amount of the highly potent synthetic opioid fentanyl that officers seized was enough to kill 190,000 people. It has now been taken off the streets. During the search, officers arrested two individuals: Edward Fox, 33, of Hamilton, and Pierre Wilson, 38, of Hamilton. Fox has been charged with three counts each of trafficking drugs and possession of drugs, all with a major-drug offender specification and all of which are first-degree felonies. Wilson is charged with having weapons while under disability, a third-degree felony. Fox and Wilson both appeared for a preliminary hearing on Wednesday at Hamilton Municipal Court, Fox News reports. Their arraignment will be held at 8 a.m. on Nov. 9. We will continue to get these lethal drugs off the streets and put the drug dealers behind bars, Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones said in a statement on Tuesday. Deliberate Attempt By Cartels To Make Illicit Drug Use More Appealing Republican lawmakers and experts have repeatedly raised concerns over the increasing number of Mexican cartels that have been importing fentanyl from China and mixing it into counterfeit pills, such as Xanax and Adderall, which are then sold to unaware Americans. The latest seizure of deadly drugs in Butler county comes just weeks after the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and its law enforcement partners announced they had seized more than 65 kilograms of fentanyl powder and 87,000 fentanyl-laced pills during the period of May 23 through Sept. 8 in Ohio. That was equivalent to more than 4.7 million deadly dosages, officials said. Nationwide, the DEA seized more than 10.2 million fentanyl pills and approximately 980 pounds of fentanyl powder during that same period. Fentanyl in pill form is a deliberate attempt by drug cartels to make illicit drug use more appealing to Americans, said DEA Detroit Special Agent in Charge Orville O. Greene in a statement on Oct. 11. Fake pills are especially concerning because of the appeal they can have to an unsuspecting person. One may believe they are taking a legitimate pharmacy-grade pill but far too often, that isnt the case. Fake prescription pills bought on the street are made in clandestine labs, primarily in Mexico, from chemicals sourced from China, and contain a lethal dose of fentanyl. If someone accidentally takes fentanyl, the medication Naloxone can reverse the overdose effects if given immediately. Epoch Cinema Documentary Review: The Divine Plan A revelatory documentary that sheds light on two world leaders titanic battle against communism When I first heard about director Robert Orlandos 2019 documentary, The Divine Plan, (available to watch on Epoch Cinema), I thought its premise was intriguing. Part of the films description states It remains the least-known story of the twentieth centuryA president and a pope; an unlikely pair who combine deep faith with political acumen and high-octane star power. That couldnt be truer, as many people (especially younger folks) are unaware of the pairing of these two power playerslet alone the factors involved that precipitated the fall of the Soviet Union. Ably narrated by actor Peter Reznikoff, the documentary features a veritable plethora of fascinating interviews, as well as cartoon-like visuals that recreate many of the events that former President Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II faced in their individual lives, as well as after they had joined forces. From the beginning of its first act, Reznikoff does a great job of piquing the interest of viewers and drawing them into the historic trajectories of these men, as well as defining the evil that they faced togetherhead-on. This film is especially relevant these days as the Cold War was a period of profound geopolitical between East and Westparticularly between the Soviet Union and the United States. Although the Soviet Union (also known as the Evil Empire as Reagan coined it in a famous 1983 speech) imploded in on itself back in 1991, the reemergence of Russia as a major world power has caused old tensions to be rekindled between it and the West. Early on, it is pointed out that both President Reagan and Pope Paul II had similar traits. Both men came from an acting background, experiences that they used to parlay into becoming performers on much grander stages. And both also had an uncanny knack for taking complex information and disseminating it in laymans termsthus, making it understandable to the public at large. Another unusual (and unfortunate) similarity between the world leaders is that both men were also the targets of assassination attempts within six weeks of one another, back in 1981. The first attempt, on March 30, 1981, happened as President Reagan was leaving the Washington Hilton Hotel, having just completed a speaking engagement. Would-be assassin John Hinckley Jr. produced a gun and shot at Reagan and his entourage. Reagan was seriously injured by a ricocheting bullet. The second attempt, which was perpetrated on St. John Paul on May 13, 1981, happened as the holy man greeted pilgrims in St. Peters Square in Vatican City. A Turkish mercenary named Mehmet Ali Agca shot St. Paul twice, severely wounding him. Incredibly, the Pope later forgave Agca, who then converted to Roman Catholicism. Both Reagan and St. John cited Gods grace as being the element that enabled them to pull them through those difficult times. Through Divine Providence, they were able to go on the offensive against communism and eventually, destroy the Soviet Union. Ultimately, both men realized that although each of them could play a role in charting out a new destiny for humanity, together, they could magnify their powers within their respective areas of influence. God provided them with the most expansive stage possible and they both seized the opportunity with humility, bravery, and good intentions. The documentary shows the first meeting between Reagan and the Pope, which was on June 2, 1982. Although before that historic meeting, various American presidents had sent envoys to the Vatican to improve consular relations with the Papal States (between 1797 and 1867), Reagan became appointed as the first U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, which was a historic first. The timing couldnt have been betterthe Polish Solidarity Movement (19801989), led by shipyard electrician Lech Walesa, was just picking up steam. The movement exposed the many lies espoused by the communists, including the false premise that it was a free workers state. This paved the way for the eventual dismantlement of the Soviet regime and all of its assorted cronies. The documentary goes on to detail some of the other forces at work that led to the demise of the Soviet Union, with a wide range of interviews, archival footage, and artistic graphics to fill in the gaps where photographs were unavailable. The Divine Plan is a well-produced documentary that sheds light on one of the most interesting pairings in recent historythat of the 40th President of the United States, Ronald Reagan, and Pope John Paul II. Its not only historically significant and illuminating but covers a time when various forces converged to transform the entire world, and it could have gone either wayeither for better or worse. Fortunately, good prevailed over evil, as it always does in the end. Watch The Divine Plan on Epoch Cinema here. The Divine Plan Director: Robert Orlando Running Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes MPAA Rating: Not Rated Release Date: Jun. 15, 2019 Rated: 4 stars out of 5 Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responds to a question from the opposition during Question Period in Ottawa on Nov. 2, 2022. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press) Feds Weighing Possible Options Against Ontario Governments Use of Notwithstanding Clause: Trudeau The federal government is weighing possible courses of action it can take against the Ontario governments use of the notwithstanding clause to prevent 55,000 provincial education workers from striking, says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. He briefly made the comment in French to reporters on Parliament Hill on Nov. 2, one day after he said that using the notwithstanding clause to suspend workers rights is wrong. Suspensions of peoples rights is something you should only do in the most exceptional circumstances, and I really hope that all politicians call out the overuse of the notwithstanding clause to suspend peoples rights and freedoms, he told reporters on Nov. 1. Trudeau and Ford discussed the issue together on Nov. 2. I spoke with Premier [Ford] today. I emphasized the importance of standing up for Canadians rights and freedoms, including workers rightsand I reiterated that the preemptive use of the notwithstanding clause is wrong and inappropriate, Trudeau said on Twitter. Ford added his own account of their talk on Twitter, saying: I spoke with Prime Minister [Trudeau] and made clear that shutting down classrooms would have an unacceptable impact on students. I reiterated that Ontario is determined, if necessary, to pass legislation to keep classrooms open and ensure stability for parents and students. Strike The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) gave a five-day notice to the Ontario government on Oct. 30 saying that 55,000 educational workers in the province would strike if not granted wage increases. The Ontario government responded the following day by introducing legislation that would force a four-year contract on the educational workers threatening to strike starting on Nov. 4. The provincial governments preemptive use of the notwithstanding clause would allow for the legislation to stay in effect despite any possible constitutional challenges. Speaking about possible federal action against the Ontario governments use of the clause, Justice Minister David Lametti said on Nov. 2 there are a number of different things one might do. Im not going to discuss options here, he told reporters, adding that using the clause guts Canadian democracy and means the Charter doesnt exist. NDP leader Jagmeet Singh on Nov. 2 called upon the federal government to take action against the Ontario government for using the clause. Were seeing right now a clear attack on workers, on vulnerable workers, and on workers rights. There has to be a response, Singh said. Were open to any solution to be put on the table and to evaluate if it will work or not and if it will help workers rights, he added. All Options NDP MP Matthew Green said Wednesday that the NDP wants to put all options on the table. Obviously, the disallowance would be at the discretion of the prime minister, he told Parliament Hill reporters on Nov. 1. But ultimately what were most concerned about is the impact this is going to have on workers. The Ontario government said on Nov. 1 that it would continue its negotiations with the union while still passing the legislation into effect in order to keep kids in school, as provincial Education Minister Stephen Lecce said. Because CUPE refuses to withdraw their intent to strike, in order to avoid shutting down classes, we will have no other choice but to introduce legislation, which will ensure that students remain in class to catch up on their learning, Lecce said. Ontario Premier Doug Ford invoked the notwithstanding clause for the first time in the provinces history in June 2021 to restore parts of the Election Finances Act that had before been declared unconstitutional. A reporter asked Conservative MP Mark Strahl on Nov. 1 if the Supreme Court should review the notwithstanding clause. Youre opening up a can of worms if youre asking the court to rule on the notwithstanding clause, Strahl replied. I think it goes back to the 1982 agreement on how the Charter was passed in the first place. I think that electorsvoterswill hold governments accountable if they feel that theyre abusing the notwithstanding clause. The Canadian Press and Marnie Cathcart contributed to this report. A still image taken from video shows trucks stuck in a flooded road, following heavy rains in Taree, New South Wales, Australia March 20, 2021. (NSW State Emergency Service via Reuters) Flood Risk Continues for Australian Towns as Rain Subsides Hundreds of residents across inland New South Wales (NSW) are under evacuation orders as swollen rivers and catchments inundate towns in southern and central western NSW. With 104 emergency warnings current across the state, authorities have told residents in parts of Forbes, Wagga Wagga and Gunnedah to evacuate from low-lying areas as major flooding is set to hit the Murrumbidgee, Namoi and Lachlan rivers. Severe flooding is expected in the central western town of Forbes on Thursday and Friday as the community reels from an inundation weeks ago. It is a long list of rivers in flood in NSW, with our greatest concern at the moment being for the Lachlan River at Forbes, Ashley Sullivan from the State Emergency Service told ABC TV on Thursday. We are expecting major flooding in the next couple of days, equivalent to probably the 1952 flooding in that area. Although we have seen flooding in Forbes in recent months, this flooding will be higher than what we have seen in any of those floods, so we are asking the community to pay particular attention to our current warnings, he said. A number of other inland catchments are dealing with major flooding, including along the Namoi River in the agricultural town of Gunnedah. The towns of Tumut, Gundagai, Wagga Wagga, Hay and Cootamundra are also inundated as the Murrumbidgee River rises to major flood levels. Flooding of the Murrumbidgee is being exacerbated by spills from the Burrinjuck Dam combined with inflows from the Tumut River and other tributaries, pushing peaks above 1989 flood levels at Gundagai. Communities in Lightning Ridge and Walgett have also been isolated by flooding of the Barwon and Darling river systems, with catchments likely to remain flooded for months. Flooding is also a risk at Albury, with the Murray River rising to moderate flood levels on Thursday as major flooding in the border towns of Echuca and Moama continues into next week. The SES has issued several watch and act warnings for low-lying areas of the town and nearby Corowa. The flooding comes after the Murray-Darling Basin Authority increased releases of water from Hume Dam in response to continued rain, and the main road and only access into the area is closed. Combined with inflows from the Kiewa River downstream of the dam, the Murray River is expected to approach or exceed the major flood level in the city one of the states largest regional centres. The SES has received 431 calls for assistance and conducted 15 flood rescues in the past 24 hours. Ford Quality Chief Retires as CEO Tries to Boost Reliability DETROITFord Motor Co.s top quality executive is retiring as the company continues to struggle with high warranty claims and reliability issues. Stuart Rowley, chief transformation and quality officer, is leaving after 32 years with the company. Hell be replaced by Jim Baumbick, who is now vice president of product development operations and internal combustion engine programs, the company said Wednesday. Quality is our No. 1 priority as a company, and Jim Baumbick is the right leader to deliver world-class quality and reliability at Ford, CEO Jim Farley said in a statement. Farley has complained about quality, warranty claims, recalls and problems with launching new vehicles since his appointment as chief executive two years ago. At the companys annual shareholders meeting in May, Farley said the problems are affecting Fords financial performance, but also causing pain for customers. Weve made more progress on our launch quality and initial quality, you could see it in the surveys and our ramp-up of production, Farley said at the meeting. However, we are not satisfied at all with our quality performance, including our recalls and customer satisfaction efforts, which we need to quickly accelerate. He said fixing the problems will require new talent, which the company has, as well as a culture shift and better processes for engineering, manufacturing, and supply chain management. Its very frustrating for our customers, and so were doing everything we can to accommodate them with the right policies to support them when they do have a problem, and rest assured this management team is completely committed to fixing our gap to competition and return the company to being benchmark, he said. Fords statement said Josh Halliburton, who was hired in January from survey and data analysis company J.D. Power to be executive director of quality, will report to Baumbick. The move, Ford said, will integrate quality improvement work in design, engineering, manufacturing and the supply chain. Rowley will retire Dec. 1 after more than three decades with the automaker, where he held multiple positions including chief operating officer for North America, president of Ford Europe. The change is among several management moves the company announced Wednesday. Joy Falotico, president of the Lincoln luxury brand, will retire after 33 years with the company. Shell be replaced by Dianne Craig, now president of the International Markets Group. Steven Armstrong, vice president for the India and South America transformation, also will retire, after 35 years with Ford. The moves come at a time of profound change that Farley is leading at Ford, including separating the company into electric vehicle and internal combustion units. In August the company let go of 3,000 white collar workers to cut costs and help make the long transition from combustion vehicles to those powered by batteries. Governments across the globe are pushing to eliminate combustion automobiles to mitigate the impact of climate change. Companies like Ford are orchestrating the wind-down of their combustion businesses over multiple years, even though they are still generating the cash to fund electric vehicle development. By Tom Krisher Then-Attorney General William Barr (L) speaks with then-President Donald Trump during briefing in the Oval Office of the White House in a file photo. (Patrick Semansky/AP Photo) Former AG Barr: There Will Be No FBI Accountability After Russiagate Controversy Former Attorney General William Barr conceded that there will be no civil or criminal accountability for the FBI after the controversial Russiagate investigation and coverup that targeted former President Donald Trump. When asked by the Washington Examiner in a Nov. 3 article about whether he believes there will be any accountability for the FBIs actions toward Trump, Barr replied, Accountability in the sense of criminal or civil penalties? No. However, he appeared to concede that the FBI has taken damage to its reputation but is being protected by mainstream media outlets. Well, reputation in this country is largely under the control of the mainstream media, which likes to overlook these kinds of sins. But I think the story will be told, and maybe in a more sober age, people will appreciate how destructive and damaging to the country this was, Barr said. The FBI has received criticism from Trump and other Republicans about its Crossfire Hurricane investigation into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia in 2016. Ultimately, federal investigators found that there was no TrumpRussia collusion, although during the early years of Trumps presidency, there were selective leaks to corporate media outlets that there had been. In July [2016], before the election, they pounced on the flimsiest pretext, on the idea that there was collusion between Trump and the Russians, which is something the Clinton campaign was trying to whip up, Barr told the paper. And they jumped on it. I dont think there was a predicate for them to do it. And they started this investigation [Crossfire Hurricane] of the campaign. I was hoping that thered be accountability at the FBI. Special counsel John Durham arrives at federal court in Washington on May 18, 2022. (Teng Chen/The Epoch Times) However, following special counsel John Durhams losses in two court cases, its unlikely, Barr said. Despite the lack of convictions from Durham, Barr said the special counsels investigations were still an important endeavor because it became very clear that the issue wasnt whether there was collusion with Russia by the Trump campaign. The real question was how this false narrative got started and why people doubled down on it after the [2016] election and when they knew that it really was nonsense, he said. And so, I think [Durham] is getting as much to the bottom of it as anyone could and I think, ultimately, will write a report, which is what I asked him to do. In closing arguments in the trial of Igor Danchenko, who was acquitted, Durham assailed FBI agents for not vetting claims in the controversial dossier authored by former UK spy Christopher Steele. In 2016, Steele concocted the dossier on behalf of a third party that was retained by Democratic lawyers. With the evidence presented during the trial, jurors could conclude that the FBI mishandled the investigation, according to Durham. The government is not here to defend the FBIs performance in these matters, he said. Fullerton Rejects County Fire Plan, Will Rebuild Own Department The City of Fullerton, California, will retain control over its fire department after a heated meeting Oct. 18 ended in a 32 vote not to contract with the Orange County Fire Authority. As a result, the city will instead implement Fullerton Fire Chief Adam Loesers plan to rebuild its fire departments staff and resources by 2028. The Orange County Fire Authority proposed contracting with the city earlier this year, due to gaps in the Fullerton departments staffing, as well as aging equipment. Councilors voting to contract with the countys fire authority said such a move was in the best interests of the public. We were entrusted by the public to provide public safety and at this point we are not doing so. And this council is failing our public. It is failing our businesses, said Councilman Ahmad Zahra. Fullerton City Hall, in Fullerton, Calif., on Nov. 17, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) Despite many public commenters in favor of the move, including from former Councilwoman Pam Keller and several Fullerton firefighters, Mayor Fred Jung, Mayor Pro Tem Bruce Whitaker, and Councilman Nick Dunlap said they did not want to rely on the county. I cant support this change to [the Orange County Fire Authority]. We need to retain local control, Dunlap said. We need to work with our Fullerton Fire Department to make the changes and improvements necessary in order to sustain us for the long term. Whitaker said it would be more costly to work with the county fire authority. It doesnt pencil out, he said. Were looking at a solution to an affordability problem by recommending jumping into a more unaffordable situation. According to Whitaker, the city will go to war with what we have, with what is financially possible for the city, as a recession draws closer. The estimated cost of joining the county fire authority would have been $27.8 million annually. Keeping the department under city control will cost the taxpayers $5.47 million less each year, but will take longer to rebuild the department. Orange County Firefighters responded to a car fire in an Irvine Calif., suburb on Aug. 17, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) According to the city, fire department staffing is currently down about 28 percent, and it is struggling to retain new hires because it doesnt have the resources for hiring, recruiting, training, and promoting current staff. Fullerton is not safe any longer, said Peter Gray, a retired fire captain with 32 years of experience. One of the fire stations in the city currently has no paramedics on staff, meaning they are dispatched for emergencies and have a longer response time, the citys fire staff told the council. Just last Friday I received a resignation from a five-year firefighter paramedic whos going to a neighboring agency, and this is one of, unfortunately, many that Ive gotten throughout the last several years, Loeser, the fire chief, told the council. The first step in Loesers plan is to negotiate with the firefighters union in the next 30 to 45 days for pay increases to keep current staff and attract new members. Orange County Fire Authority firefighters extinguish a car fire in Irvine, Calif., on June 11, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) Some said they are worried the plan might not be immediately effective. It will take a lot longer than our chiefs plan shows to refill our ranks, said Michael Longeuay, a fire captain with Fullerton for 18 years. Were not attracting the type of candidates that we should be. The next step, in Loesers plan, is to replace three aged fire engines with a mileage of more than 200,000, well past the industry standard. The department currently has $750,000 to replace the three engines with two newer models and one quinta different fire engine with the capacity to carry more water and reach mid-rise buildings. A firefighter walks around a fire engine at Orange County Fire Authority Engine Number 61 in Buena Park, Calif., on Jan. 15, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) According to Loeser, the biggest issues in equipment replacement are funding and a major lag in manufacturing time, which would mean the department might not get the new vehicles for at least two years. Loeser will provide the council with an update on the progress of his plan every 90 days. Councilors and Loeser did not respond to requests for comment. A woman reads the signboards placed by Freedom Convoy protesters outside Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Feb. 17, 2022 (Jonathan Ren/The Epoch Times) Funding for Freedom Convoy Was Mostly Canadian, Shows Emergencies Act Commission Report The Public Order Emergency Commission released a report Thursday examining the finances of the Freedom Convoy and it indicates that most of the fundraised money came from within Canada and that most of it never made it to protesters. In a presentation given on the report during the public hearing, a table showed the foreign and domestic funding for each of the different methods used by the protesters to amass funds. The table indicates that 86 percent of donors to the GoFundMe crowdsourcing campaign were Canadians, and that percentage rose to 89 percent when considering the value of donations. That campaign had gathered over $10 million before it was shut down. GoFundMe executives had concerns about the velocity of the campaign and the respect for its terms of services. They reached out to the City of Ottawa, and its mayor Jim Watson told them that the funds were funding what he considered to be unlawful activity that was harmful to the City, according to the report. The $1 million from the funds that were disbursed to Freedom Convoy organizer Tamara Lich before the campaign was shut down were frozen and paid into escrow, says the report citing court documents. The escrow was the result of a Mareva Injunction from the Ontario Superior Court of Justice on Feb. 17 obtained by plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit against organizers and participants of the protest. After GoFundMe shut down the Freedom Convoy fundraiser, funds started flowing to another convoy fundraiser on the platform GiveSendGo. The commission report shows that 35 percent of donations to GiveSendGo originated within Canada and 59 percent from the U.S. In terms of value of donations between the two countries, it was even at 47 percent. No funds collected on GiveSendGo were ever paid out to protesters, with some donations refunded and others placed into escrow due the terms of the Mareja Injunction. The Adopt-A-Trucker fundraiser on GiveSendGo had 43 percent of donations originating within Canada and 51 percent from the U.S. The value of donations was 55 percent for Canada and 41 percent for the U.S. Around $330,000 was paid out to the campaign, and $375,000 was put into escrow, says the report. The commission also says that all of the donations made through e-transfer to the Freedom Convoy or the Adopt-A-Trucker fundraiser originated in Canada. Government Claimed Convoy Foreign-Funded The Liberal government invoked the Emergencies Act on Feb. 14 to clear the cross-country protests and blockades demanding the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, and used the argument of foreign funding in its explanation for declaring a public order emergency. Its Section 58 document providing an explanation cited a CBC article on the analysis of the hack of the GiveSendGo platform. According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporations February 14, 2022 analysis of the data, 55.7% of the 92,844 donations made public were made by donors in the U.S., compared to 39% of donors located in Canada, says the document. Two days after the act was invoked, Minister of Emergency Preparedness Bill Blair called the protests a largely foreign-funded, targeted, and coordinated attack. Graphic produced by the Public Order Emergency Commission showing the flow of funds related to the Freedom Convoy protest. (Screenshot from the commission report Fundraising in Support of Protestors) German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrives for the weekly cabinet meeting at the chancellery in Berlin on Aug. 10, 2022. (Michael Sohn/AP Photo) Germanys Scholz Seeks Reset in China Relations as Beijing Ramps Up Avowals of MarxismLeninism German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Berlin needs to change the way it deals with Beijing and reduce risky dependencies as Chinas communist leadership has made increased avowals of MarxismLeninism and as bilateral tensions between the two countries simmer. Scholz made the remarks in an op-ed published on Nov. 3 in Politico, a day ahead of the German leaders first state visit to Beijing, where he will confront the dilemma of how closely to remain tied to China amid strained relations over such issues as lopsided trade ties, the Hong Kong crackdown, and Xinjiang concentration camps. The outcome of the Communist Party Congress that has just ended is unambiguous: Avowals of MarxismLeninism take up a much broader space than in the conclusions of previous congresses, Scholz wrote. As China changes, the way that we deal with China must change, too. Business as Usual Isnt an Option Scholz wrote that his trip to Beijing comes precisely because business as usual is no longer an option under circumstances that include Chinas strict measures to contain COVID-19 that have stunted business travel and as Chinese leader Xi Jinping vowed to make other countries more dependent on its supply chains. The German leaders visit is also occurring as Germanys longtime trade surplus with China has flipped to a deficit amid Beijings falling imports. The German leader mentioned Chinas dual circulation economic strategy, which he said is meant to bolster its domestic market and make Beijing less dependent on foreign trade partners. At the same time, Scholz cited the Chinese leaders 2020 speech in which he vowed to utilize Chinese technologies to tighten international production chains dependence on China. We take statements such as this seriously, and will, therefore, dismantle one-sided dependencies in the interest of smart diversification, which requires prudence and pragmatism, Scholz wrote. Risky Dependencies The German leader said that there is a significant amount of SinoGerman trade where theres no risk of dangerous monopolies. At the same time, he cautioned against risky dependencies in areas such as key raw materials, rare earths, and cutting-edge technologies, while pledging to cut Germanys reliance. With Chinese investment in Germany, too, we will differentiate based on whether this business creates, or exacerbates, risky dependencies, he continued. Scholz said that China remains an important business and trade partner, adding that we dont want to decouple from it, referring to the notion of severing ties entirely. But he added that Germany is too far from a reciprocal relationship with China in areas such as market access and legal certainty for German nationals. Resolving Conflicts Peacefully Scholz said Germany would seek cooperation where it lies in both countries interest but that Berlin would not ignore controversies. Our policy is aligned with the aims of preserving the rules-based order, resolving conflicts peacefully, protecting human rights and the rights of minorities, and ensuring free and fair world trade, Scholz wrote. Xi has repeatedly brushed off criticism on issues such as human rights in China and has sought to maintain close business ties with Europe as relations with Washington have become increasingly strained, especially around Taiwan. More Aggressive Abroad U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently warned that Beijing is determined to wrest control of the self-governing island, potentially by force, on a much faster timeline than previously believed. Blinken made the remarks on Oct. 17 at an event jointly hosted by the Hoover Institution and Stanford University, where he said that China under Xi has become more repressive at home and more aggressive abroad. While the United States ended formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 1979 and switched recognition to Beijing under the One China policy, Washington has maintained a robust unofficial relationship with the self-governing island and is legally bound to provide it with the arms necessary to defend itself. Blinken said U.S. policy on Taiwan has been managed well and in a way that has avoided conflict with Beijing, while allowing the people of Taiwan to really flourish, adding that this situation is now changing. Instead of sticking with the status quo that was established in a positive way, a fundamental decision that the status quo was no longer acceptable and that Beijing was determined to pursue reunification on a much faster timeline, Blinken said. And if peaceful means didnt work, then it would employ coercive means and possibly, if coercive means dont work, maybe forceful meansto achieve its objectives. War to Seize Taiwan? Austin Bay, a retired colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve and a teacher of strategy and strategic theory at the University of TexasAustin, argued in a recent op-ed in The Epoch Times that China has become emboldened to pursue its aims by military means. Revving Chinas economy isnt Xis game. War is Xis aim, a war to seize Taiwan that leads to a big one with the United States, he wrote. As Xi calculates, given the Biden administrations haplessness, the war ends in a stalemate. With American weakness exposed, Americas Asian allies kowtow to Beijing and Xis China reigns preeminent in east Asia. Scholz, in his op-ed, said that he believes China will play a key role on the world stage going forward but added that this is no justification for a quest for hegemonic Chinese dominance, or even a Sino-centric world order. YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 3, ARMENPRESS. Quite a big activism is being observed in the Armenian-Iranian relations in the recent period. Summing up the results of his recent visit to Iran, the Armenian Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures Gnel Sanosyan told Armenpress that they had an agenda full of meetings and concrete agreements. I should note with pleasure that our ministry is deeply engaged in the Armenian-Iranian activities in various directions, they are very important sectors. And our frequent visits are conditioned by this. This visit as well was quite full of meetings. Firstly, we have fixed the process of the agreements reached earlier, as well as reached a number of other important agreements. It relates also to the road construction sector, the minister said. He stated that there is a shortage of construction companies and some construction materials in the field of construction activity in Armenia. In this context the Iranian partners were proposed to send construction companies to Armenia. There is already an agreement that a working group will soon visit Armenia connected with the construction sector. We have a major activity in construction sector in various directions, such as construction of schools, kindergartens, water lines, reservoirs. Sometimes we have a major problem with cement in the country, and there is a need to import additional cement. As you see, there is a broad framework for cooperation. There is a readiness for cooperation by Iran. I want to note that from a geographical point of view their participation to our construction projects is quite convenient. As you know, most of our projects falls on Syunik province, Gnel Sanosyan said. Another important achievement was the decision to extend the gas for electricity agreement up to 2030. The minister said during a discussion they managed to come to a common conclusion and have quite a good document in the form of a memorandum. This supposes that the respective working groups will work within a month, and changes that were outlined will be made in the agreement. This is very beneficial to both the Armenian and the Iranian sides, and is a real opportunity to increase the amount of gas coming from Iran to Armenia, and vice versa, to increase the volume of electricity supply from Armenia to Iran, he stated. He said this is a key fact for completing the construction of the Iran-Armenia third power transmission line. The works have been done 85%. The minister said they are trying to find mechanisms for solving the problems and completing the works. The construction is planned to end in 2023. Interview by Anna Gziryan Cameraman Hovhannes Mkrtchyan Half of Ontario NDP Kicked Out of Legislature After Ruckus Over Anti-Strike Law A heated outburst Wednesday over proposed back-to-work legislation to prevent school closures ended in half of New Democratic Party MPPs being escorted out of the Ontario Legislature. A total of 16 NDP members were removed for the day. The Legislature was discussing the provinces plan to use the notwithstanding clause to block a Nov. 4 planned strike by education support workers. Both Premier Doug Ford and Education Minister Stephen Lecce have said the government intends to keep kids in school. If support staffwhich include librarians, janitors, ESL instructors, and other support staffdo go on strike, most schools will close in-person classes and move to remote learning. The string of removals began with interim NDP Leader Peter Tabuns asking Ford, When will the premier and his ministers stop lying about the damage they are doing to the education system? Ted Arnott, speaker of the House, told Tabuns to withdraw his unparliamentary comment. Tabuns refused and said, Ministers are lying, and would not sit down. He was told to leave the chamber for the day and escorted out of the Legislature by the sergeant at arms. His fellow MPPs then began banging on their tables and shouting. Sudbury MPP and Labour critic Jamie West was warned by the speaker to stop yelling. West shouted, You are stealing their rights, their constitutional rights. He was also told to leave and escorted out. Every one of you should be ashamed, one MPP was heard saying. Jill Andrew, MPP for Toronto St. Paul, shouted, Give me a break, these people work day and night. They are asking for pennies. She was also named by the speaker and ejected from the chamber. Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) education support staff wanted a salary increase of 11.7 percent. The province has ultimately offered a four-year contract with a 2.5 percent annual raise to workers earning less than $43,000 and 1.5 percent for those earning higher. Workers are scheduled to walk off the job on Friday, but the proposed legislation, if passed, will see strikers fined $4,000 a day. Because CUPE refuses to withdraw their intent to strike, in order to avoid shutting down classes, we will have no other choice but to introduce legislation, which will ensure that students remain in class to catch up on their learning, Lecce said. Lecce said that the last teacher strike three years ago, plus the school shutdowns caused by COVID-19, was disrupting childrens rights to an education. Harris Says US Seeks to Oust Iran From UN Womens Commission The United States will try to remove Iran from the 45-member U.N. Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), Vice President Kamala Harris announced Wednesday, while pledging the Biden administrations continued support of the women of Iran amid ongoing protests in the country. The United States believes that no nation that systematically abuses the rights of women and girls should play a role in any international or United Nations body charged with protecting these very same rights, Harris said in a statement from the White House on Nov. 2 Iran has demonstrated through its denial of womens rights and brutal crackdown on its own people that it is unfit to serve on this Commission; Irans very presence discredits the integrity of its membership and the work to advance its mandate, she said. The U.N. CSW is a global intergovernmental body that promotes gender equality and womens rights worldwide. Members of the commission are elected by the 54-member U.N. Economic and Social Council for a period of four years and meet annually every March. Current members include 13 from Africa, 11 from Asia, nine from Latin America and the Caribbean, eight from Western Europe and other states, and four from Eastern Europe. Iran is just starting a four-year term on the commission, meaning its membership will expire in 2026. Public Trials for Protesters Harriss announcement comes as widespread protests have continued across Iran since Sept. 16 following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, a young woman who died in Tehran while in the custody of Irans morality police. Amini had reportedly been detained due to her inappropriate attire. Police have said that she suffered a heart attack while in custody and fell into a coma but reports soon emerged that she had been beaten by police. Protests across Iran have continued despite warnings from the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) that tougher measures would be used to suppress demonstrators. Last week, Iranian authorities said public trials would be held for roughly 1,000 people who allegedly took part in the protests and carried out acts of sabotage in recent events, including assaulting or martyring security guards, [and] setting fire to public property. This is why today the United States is announcing our intention to work with our partners to remove Iran from the UN Commission on the Status of Women, Harris said on Wednesday. We will continue to hold accountable the Iranian officials and entities responsible for the violence against protestors. Earlier this week in an open letter to U.N. member states, women including former First Lady Michelle Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, called for Iran to be removed from the CSW. The Islamic Republic of Irans longstanding, systematic oppression of women should have disqualified them from election to the CSW, the letter states. For every day that Iran remains a member of the Commission on the Status of Women, the body loses credibility. Iranian authorities have blamed foreign enemies including the United States, Israel, the UK, and Saudi Arabia for instigating the mass protests that are destabilizing the country, claims that leaders of those nations have denied. The Epoch Times has contacted Irans U.N. mission for comment. A guide (pdf) published by the Memory and Aging Center of the Weill Institute for Neuroscience at the University of California San Francisco says that short-term recall and the formation of new memories are some of the functions impacted during the early stage of dementia. Dementia is a general term for impairment of memory or cognitive skills and daily functioning, such as communicating, walking, and navigating. According to traditional Chinese medicine, an insufficient blood supply to the brain results in degeneration and forgetfulness. Cerebral fluid stasis, chronic inflammation, and amyloidosis can deteriorate brain functions and ones ability to remember. Dr. Wu Kuo-Pin recommends the following recipes to relieve the above symptoms. Food Therapy Recipe 1: Congee With Thinleaf Milkwort Root and Lotus Ingredients: 30 grams (2 tablespoons) thinleaf milkwort root 15 grams (1 tablespoon) lotus seeds 50 grams (3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon) grain rice Functions: replenishing, and boosting the heart and mind. This recipe is suitable for anyone with the following: forgetfulness due to deficiency in the heart and spleen insomnia mental exhaustion palpitation pale tongue weak pulse In TCM, this group of patients suffer from weakness in the heart and spleen. This recipe is suitable for patients who suffer from, in modern Western medicine, brain fog as the primary symptom due to neurasthenia, chronic fatigue syndrome, or menopause. Directions: Soak thinleaf milkwort root to remove the skin, and let it dry. Grind thinleaf milkwort root and lotus seeds into a fine powder and set aside. Add water to rice and boil into a porridge consistency. Add the ground thinleaf milkwort root and lotus seeds. Heat until it starts boiling. Serve. Formula purpose: Thinleaf milkwort root calms the heart, settles nerves, removes phlegm, and clears and calms the mind. Lotus seed strengthens kidneys, improves sleep, nourishes the heart, and strengthens the spleen. Grain rice replenishes and strengthens the spleen and stomach. The combination of ingredients replenishes the body and strengthens the heart and mind. Notes: Thinleaf milkwort root has a bitter taste and should not be cooked for very long. To achieve the best results, have the congee regularly for 3-6 months. It is not suitable for patients with ulcer diseases or gastritis. Food Therapy Recipe 2: Calamus, Thinleaf Milkwort Root, and Poria Tea Ingredients: 3 grams (1/2 teaspoon) stone calamus 3 grams (1/2 teaspoon) Peoria powder 3 grams (1/2 teaspoon) thinleaf milkwort root ( Yuan Zhi ) mea. Functions: Unblock and calm the mind; strengthens spleen and has a mild diuretic effect; suitable for brain fog and insomnia due to cloudy phlegm; alleviate forgetfulness; Insomnia; dizziness; tightness in the chest; nausea; vomiting; white and greasy tongue; and rapid pulse In TCM, patients in this category usually have phlegm turbidity. In modern Western medicine, these patients have insomnia primarily caused by neurasthenia, chronic fatigue syndrome, or perimenopause or menopause. Directions: Mix equal parts of powders of calamus, poria, and thinleaf milkwort root. Bring water to a boil and add the powders. Mix well and sieve the tea if needed. Drink twice a day on an empty stomach. Formula purpose: Calamus clears the mind, removes dampness, and soothes an stomach upset. Poria facilitates water filtration and diuresis, strengthens the spleen, calms the mind, removes phlegm, and clears the mind. Notes: Thinleaf milkwort root has a bitter taste and should not be cooked for too long. To achieve the best results, have the congee regularly for 3-6 months. It is not suitable for patients with ulcer diseases or gastritis. Food Therapy Recipe 3: Spleen and Brain Booster Tea Ingredients: 15 grams (1 tablespoon) Dangshen (Codonopsis Radix), 15 grams (1 tablespoon) Dried Chinese Yam, 15 grams (1 tablespoon) Yellow Essence (Rhizoma Polygonati), 10 grams (2 teaspoons) Yi Zhi Ren (Alpinia Oxyphylla seeds), and 10 grams (2 teaspoons) Calamus. Functions: Dangshen (Codonopsis Radix) is used as the main ingredient to strengthen the spleen and replenish blood. Dried Chinese yam is good for the spleen, lungs, and kidneys. Yellow Essence (Rhizoma Polygonati) nourishes the kidneys and lungs and replenishes the spleen. Yi Zhi Ren warms the kidneys and spleen and reduces saliva production. Calamus reduces phlegm and invigorates the brain. Formula purpose: This tea is formulated to strengthen the kidney and invigorate the brain. TCM uses it to treat symptoms such as sluggishness, memory loss, and agnosia which is a rare disorder characterized by an inability to recognize and identify objects or persons. These patients may also have other symptoms such as muscle atrophy, shortness of breath, increased saliva production, pale tongue, or weak pulse. Directions: Make two separate portions. First tea: Add the ingredients to a pot of water and boil for 40 minutes. Sieve the tea into a cup. Second tea: Add water to the sieved ingredients from preparing the first tea and boil for another 40 minutes. Sieve and serve. Take twice daily for 1 to 3 months. Notes: For patients who feel restless at night, add 15 grams (1 tablespoon) longan, 15 grams (1 tablespoon) sour jujube, and 15 grams (1 tablespoon) date. Food Therapy Recipe 4: Qi and Blood Boosting Tea Ingredients: American ginseng, red arrow or gastrodia (potato orchids), and red sage. Functions: promotes blood circulation. This tea is helpful for brain fog or dementia, according to TCM. Symptoms include fatigue, difficulty speaking, forgetfulness, tongue with dark color, or petechia. In modern Western medicine, it is used for cerebrovascular dementia, cerebral atrophy, and cerebral amyloid angiopathy. Formula purpose:American ginseng replenishes and strengthens the body, and calms the mind. Gastrodia (Rhizoma gastrodiae/Tianma) calms and rebalances the liver qi (vital body energy). Red Sage revitalizes blood, cools the blood, and heals carbuncles. Directions: Grind the three ingredients into a powder and put them in a jar. Put 3 grams (1/2 teaspoon) in a cup and add boiling water. Drink it three times per day. Food Therapy Recipe 5: Pig Kidney Soup With Walnut and Black Beans Ingredients: 60 grams (4 tablespoons) of plain walnut 90 grams (6 tablespoons) of black beans 1 pig kidney Functions: Walnuts replenish kidney qi, nourish intestines, and improve bowel movements. Black beans strengthen the kidneys. Pig kidney strengthens the kidneys. Formula purpose: Traditionally, this formula is made for kidney deficiency and dementia. Other symptoms include dizziness, tinnitus, memory loss and inability to count, sleepiness, sluggishness, back pain and soreness in the lower extremities, difficulty walking, pale tongue, and weak pulse. The symptoms are equivalent to senile dementia, cerebrovascular dementia, and atrophy in modern Western medicine. The recipe is also beneficial for senile dementia patients with constipation. Directions: Clean the kidney thoroughly and cut it into slices. Put all ingredients into a pot of water. Bring to a boil, turn the heat to low, and simmer for an hour. Season the soup to taste before serving. Notes: For best results, consume the soup two to three times a week for a while. Food Therapy Recipe 6: Essence and Memory Boosting Tea Ingredients: 30 grams (2 tablespoons) prepared Rehmannia root (Shu Di Huang) 15 grams (1 tablespoon) prepared Fleeceflower root 15 grams (1 tablespoon) Yurong (Cistanches Herba) 15 grams (1 tablespoon) Goji berry Formula purpose: Traditionally, this formula is made for dementia. Other symptoms include prematurely gray hair, early tooth decay, memory loss, dizziness, tinnitus, soreness, and weakness in the lower extremities.This tea is good for senile dementia, cerebrovascular demerit, and cerebral atrophy in Western medicine. Functions: Prepared Rehmannia root nourishes the blood. Prepared Fleeceflower root tones the liver and kidneys, nourishes the blood. Yurong nourishes the kidneys. Goji berry nourishes the kidneys and liver, replenishes blood, and boosts visual clarity. This tea is an essential formula for replenishing and balancing the kidneys, liver, and healing cerebral deficiency. Directions: Combine the ingredients and add 250 milliliter (1 cup) of water. Boil for one hour. Strain the tea and serve warm. Use the previously sieved ingredients to make a second cup by adding 250 milliliter (1 cup) of water. Boil for one hour. Strain the tea and serve warm. Take two cups of tea daily for one to three months to boost memory. Notes: Do not confuse Raw Fleeceflower root with Prepared Fleeceflower root (Multiflower Knotweed). Raw Fleeceflower root moistens the intestines and opens the bowels, while Prepared Fleeceflower root nourishes the kidneys. Only Prepared Fleeceflower root is used in this tea. For best results, take the tea consistently for a while as recommended. It is unsuitable for spleen or stomach qi deficiency or bowel movement issues. Please consult a local TCM doctor if you need more advice. The University of Hong Kong library's special collections department tightened access rules. Some scholars believe that this should be taken seriously as it hinders independent research and academic freedom, and disrupts the normal flow of information. (Adrian Yu/The Epoch Times) HKU Library Special Collections Department Limits Access to Publications Scholars: A disastrous act further disrupting research and academic freedom The library of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) has introduced a new reservation system for the Special Collections department. Readers must make an appointment and register before browsing the books in that section. Readers who wish to scan, photocopy, or photograph materials in the Special Collections department, must first fill out a form explaining the details of the relevant books and the number of copies they wish to make. The new measures were implemented on May 18, 2022. Some scholars believe that the tightening of regulations is most likely due to national security considerations, and it is necessary for people to see that this hinders and harms independent research and academic freedom, disrupts the free flow of information, and causes dismay in society. According to Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP), HKU currently keeps the following five books on politics in the Special Collections department. Unfree Speech: The Threat to Global Democracy and Why We Must Act Now, by former leader of Demosisto, Joshua Wong Chi-fung. Freedom: How We Lose It and How We Fight Back, by former Legislative Council member Nathan Law Kwun-chung. Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of Chinas June 4 massacre photo album. On the Hong Kong City-State by Horace Chin Wan (pen name). Today Hong Kong, Tomorrow the World: What Chinas Crackdown Reveals About Its Plan to End Freedom Everywhere, by Mark Clifford, an independent and non-executive director of Next Digital. As well as these five, there are three books about the June 4, 1989 massacre, including the leader of Tiananmen Mothers Ding Zilins The Factual Account of a Search for the June Fourth Victims. To access these books, one must make an online reservation. In response to Hong Kong Freedom Press (HKFP) enquiry, the HKU staffer explained that the new arrangement is to effectively protect and preserve the fragile and irreplaceable materials for future generations of scholars. Scholars: HKU Restricting Books Most Likely Due To NSL After the new measures went into effect, historian Hans Yeung Wing-yu published an article in The Epoch Times titled Recent Changes to the HKU Library Reflect Red Line Mentality? referring to a friend who once asked the staff of the Special Collections department the reason for restricting access to books. The responder said it was because there were cases of someone who stole books. Yeung questioned whether the Special Collections department, which had been in operation for decades, has not had books stolen before, and asked whether the situation was so serious that the freedom of reading and copying enjoyed by scholars of all past eras has to be sacrificed. He told The Epoch Times that the tightening of the regulations is most likely due to national security considerations. Another scholar, Chung Kim-wah, believes that the reasons given by HKU were obviously excuses, and that sometimes I really dont know whether it was the universitys own initiatives or from the governments pressure. He lamented that this would only further narrow academic freedom. If you know that when you go to the library to get those materials, you have to register and apply for it, you will definitely avoid using it, so as not to cause trouble. This is a very significant damage to academic research and academic freedom in general. Yeung Wing-yu, who studied at HKU from 1989 to 1999 for his undergraduate and postgraduate studies, until he obtained his Ph.D., described the Special Collections Department as a holy place for Hong Kong studies, where he organized and read materials round the clock during school hours. In an interview with The Epoch Times, he pointed out that during that time, the Special Collections Department had no restrictions at all. Readers could come and go freely, and they could take any books from the bookshelves at will and read them there. Books borrowed from the counter are divided into two categories, the general books and special-collection books. The former can be used at any time within the Special Collections area after completing the borrowing procedure, while the latter need to be used in the glassed-in room opposite the counter. Obstacles to Independent Research and Academic Freedom Yeung said that readers need to go through the borrowing procedures that used to be only applicable to ancient books and rare books, but now include all books and documents in the Special Collections Department. At the same time, all books should be taken to a new reading area that is directly opposite the service desk. Does it mean that readers of the Special Collections Department must be monitored by the staff there? He also pointed out that the Special Collections Department collects classics from Hong Kong, and it is reasonable in principle to include Hong Kong social movement works. But the problem with tightening the reading regulations is that it directly or indirectly hinders independent research and academic freedom. Hindering Data Flow and Causing Distress According to the HKU librarys new regulations, when readers want to scan or take photos of the materials in the Special Collections department, they must first fill out a form and declare such details as the title of the book, the number of pages, and the number of copies that will be made. There are 6 other clauses, in addition to the copyright notices, which include I understand that these copies are for my personal use only and are not transferrable. Quoting a message from a friend who is engaged in historical research, Yeung questioned whether this regulation means that data cannot be shared with dissertation advisors and classmates, and whether research assistants can transfer data to the professor who oversees the project. He worries that the person concerned will easily face punishment from the university for violating library rules. Yeung explained that the new reading regulations hinder independent research and academic freedom in two ways. First, since an appointment is required in advance, and the space for the reading area is very limited, scholars, especially those who come to Hong Kong from overseas for short-term research, may not be able to make an appointment successfully. In such instances, scholars are not really encouraged to use the collections kept there. He believes that the photocopying application form will greatly hinder the proper flow of information, and will also cause distress among scholars. He worries that the university library will mete out punishment for improper handling of materials in the future. . Government Ban is Endangering National Security Under the National Security Law, the freedom of people to access individual books is obviously restricted. Ming Pao reported in June that, in order to avoid crossing the red line, three secondary schools removed sensitive books from their libraries, and even destroyed some of them. Included are the memoirs of former Chinese Communist Party general secretary Zhao Ziyang, The History of Reform; Maos Great Famine by Frank Dikotter; and even Zi Lan You Shu Hui, a collection of essays by Szeto Wah on the relationship between teachers and students. These books will disappear from the school libraries. Kevin Yeung Yun-hung, the then Secretary of the Education Bureau, pointed out that after the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law, schools also have the responsibility to ensure that there will not be some books that endanger national security kept in the school library. This is in complete contrast to past practices when schools could, according to the needs of teaching, clearly define and decide what books should be kept in their own library. Over 100 Books and Periodicals Removed from Public Libraries Apart from school libraries, after the implementation of the NSL in 2020, the Hong Kong Public Library has also removed a number of books with local and Chinese political content, such as, those on the 1989 democracy movement. For instance, Chin Wans On the Hong Kong City State; Tanya Chans Resist while Moving and Eating; Joshua Wong Chi-fungs Im Not a Hero; Hong Kong Nationalism by HKUs Undergrad; I Declared War on Hegemony by former Democratic Party Chairman Albert Ho Chun-yan; Nazi China by writer Yu Jie; Chinese exiled writer Liao Yiwus This Empire Must Divide; the publication The 1989 China Democracy Newspaper Advertisement Album by the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China; and Wang Dans Memoirs in Prison by Wang Dan, the leader of the June 4th student movement, and the like. According to media statistics, since the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law to the end of last year (2021), at least 106 books and periodicals were removed from public libraries. In July last year, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department stated that in response to the National Security Law, a total of 72 collections had been suspended from lending. Hong Kong Is Not Back but Gone Commentary The so-called Global Financial Leaders Investment Summit was held this week. China experts know well that contrarian theory is needed to thoroughly understand China: What the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) or its mouthpiece emphasizes is often already lost. The same is true for the international status of Hong Kong. All sources of information suggest Hong Kong is no longer an international city. Yet the Chinese officials are asking people not to read the western news, while Hong Kong officials are asked to tell good stories. Whoever is spreading fake news should be clear. Facts never lie: While elsewhere around the world, countries are accepting immigrants, Hong Kong is having a huge amount of brain drain like Ukraines refugees, and numerous firms and associations have announced their intention to move out of Hong Kong. These should have been mostly expected by the Chinese senior officials from the early days that they adopted hostile diplomacy toward the West. Only local (Hong Kong) officials are worrying about the local problem when seeing huge outflows emptying the economy. Maybe the officials were too anxious about the situation that they decided to hold the Global Financial Summit where Hong Kong was promoted as being an international financial centre (IFC), a lower rank label than a global financial centre (GFC). To date, only New York and London belong to the GFC category. Although different parties define the nature of financial centres differently, IFC should have a certain extent of international features. Hong Kong was famous mainly for its stock market, but the main board has been filled with Chinese firms with shrinking foreign capital. Whether a city is international is not claimed; rather, it is granted. And the international status of a city is neither gained nor lost in a day. It is the structural change that happens over a period of time where the status change spans some years. Back in the days when Tokyos international financial centre was overtaken by Hong Kong, the period spanned from the early 1990s to the early 2000s. Hong Kongs international financial centre status was solidified in more or less the same decade. Likewise, for Hong Kong to lose, it might take ten years. Since the stock market capitalization or turnover is roughly proportional to the stock market index in Hong Kong, the latter shows a good picture of how Hong Kongs status evolved over time. There was little gain in the index in the 2010s, which was a decade of weakening status. By the 2020s, Hong Kong has been a loser beaten by most other markets. The current situation is similar to what happened in Japan in the early 1990s, which was subjected to a huge shock. In about seven years, the GDP growth dropped significantly from positive to zero. The situation for Hong Kong is indeed even worse than Japan in those old days, as Hong Kong is probably experiencing a new normal with a negative growth trend. It is too simple and perhaps naive to expect much from a summit. A decline is unlikely to be reversed easily. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Huawei Lobbyist Gives Thousands to Democrats Midterm Campaigns A lobbyist for a Chinese company deemed a national security threat has donated thousands of dollars to at least eight Democratic congressional campaigns. Thomas Green, senior counsel at multinational law firm Sidley Austin and top lobbyist for Chinese telecom giant Huawei, personally contributed more than $10,000 across eight Democratic campaigns in the last month, according to data from OpenSecrets, a nonprofit group that tracks political spending. The contributions were made primarily to Democratic campaigns in battleground states or where the Democratic contender was otherwise struggling. The contributions included payments of $2,000 to Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.); $2,000 to Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.); $1,000 to North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley, who is running for a Senate seat; $1,000 to Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes, who is running for the Senate; $1,500 to Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), $500 to Glenn Ivey, who is running to represent Maryland in the House; $1,500 to Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, who is running for a Senate seat; and $1,000 to Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.). Green has helped to lead Huaweis lobbying team since 2019, when the company hired Sidley Austin to lobby for its interests in matters of export controls, trade, sanctions, and national security. At that time, the Trump administration had restricted the companys ability to do business with the U.S. government due to the companys ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and apparent efforts to undermine U.S. foreign policy efforts. Huawei was then charged in 2020 for conspiring to steal trade secrets from numerous U.S. technology firms and was ultimately declared a national security threat by the Federal Communications Commission in 2020. The Biden administration launched another investigation into Huawei earlier this year, following reports that the company illegally used cell phone towers to collect information about U.S. military facilities in order to transmit that data to the CCP. Additionally, the Justice Department announced several new cases last month alleging that CCP intelligence officers attempted to interfere with the case against Huawei on behalf of the Chinese regime and for the benefit of the company. According to court documents (pdf), the Chinese agents attempted to illegally torpedo the case against Huawei by bribing a U.S. government employee to steal top secret documents including witness lists, details on employees associated with the case, and prosecutors notes, which, according to court documents, were expected to cause serious damage to the national security of the United States. Green also defended former Trump aide Rick Gates, who pleaded guilty in 2019 to evading taxes and violating federal lobbying laws by concealing millions of dollars from business dealings in Ukraine. The news is just the latest in a growing list of accusations against prominent Democrats with alleged ties to the CCP. Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) was forced to fire a congressional aide last month after an investigation found the employee had attempted to set up meetings with members of Congress at the request of the Chinese embassy in Washington. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, meanwhile, was accused last month of delivering $715 million in taxpayer monies to the U.S. subsidiary of a Chinese company with deep links to the CCP. Whitmer defended the move as economic development. The Epoch Times has requested comment from Green and all Democratic campaigns that received the funds. Pat King gives a speech in front of Parliament Hill, during the Freedom Convoy protest, in Ottawa on Feb. 5, 2021. (Noe Chartier/The Epoch Times) Im Kind of a Hot Head: Convoy Organizer Pat King Testifies Before Emergencies Act Inquiry Pat King, who was involved early on with the Freedom Convoy, testified on Wednesday before the Public Order Emergency Commission and had to defend his social media posts that referred to violence or were racist in nature. Im kind of a hot head, King said while explaining why he made certain comments. Asked to address his video in which he said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau would catch a bullet one day, King said he was upset at the time because he had been denied a flight due to being unvaccinated. King at first said some people being pushed into a corner due to government policies could have a mental breakdown and commit violence, but he later said his comments had been inappropriate. I absolutely regret saying that, King said. On one of his videos being inappropriate towards Chinese people, he said the context was that CSIS had released a report about Beijings influence in Canada. King testified before the commission examining the Liberal governments invocation of the Emergencies Act on Feb. 14 to clear cross-country protests and blockades demanding the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions. There at the Start King recounted how he got involved with the Freedom Convoy, first reaching out to initial organizers Chris Barber and Brigitte Belton and telling them he would help with his social media reach and previous experience with a similar protest in 2019. King was involved in United We Roll in 2019 to protest the Liberal governments energy policies. Similar to the Freedom Convoy of last winter, that protest involved a truck convoy that had left western Canada and made its way to Ottawa in February. But protesters didnt stay. We left because the politicians acknowledged why we were there, said King. They came out and said We hear you. Were here to support you, and we will back you and we will do everything we can to try and get your issues heard. Kings videos on social media became an issue for some Freedom Convoy organizers who tried to distance themselves from him. But on the stand, King disputed evidence presented to him about such efforts, saying that some conversations asking him not to go to Ottawa had never taken place or some things were never said. On another occasion King said he approved of the main convoy organizers trying to create distance from him. King was presented with a Feb. 17 statement from the Freedom Convoy organizers. We have heard about inappropriate comments being made by Pat King. Pat King does not speak for us. We expressly condemn any talk of violence from him or others. Pat King has the right like every other Canadian citizen to protest peacefully, the statement read. King said he had not read it but had heard about it. They had to push me out [and say] We dont want anything to do with Pat King, he said. I actually absolutely encouraged it, 100 percent. Put it out there that I dont have anything to do with this. He said the crowdfunding platform GoFundMe would not release the funds to the organizers because of his involvement. Convoy initiator Chris Barber testified on Nov. 1 that he was aware of Kings controversial videos but said he had accepted his explanations. Barber said there had been discussions to send King home, but there were also concerns his supporters would go with him. Kings time on the stand at the commission was the shortest so far, with almost every party choosing not to question him after the commission counsel concluded his examination. He used time at the end to repeat that his social media videos had been taken out of context and to say that no one showed positive aspects about the protest. To Ottawans, to people who live here, to the city council members, to the police and all that: we werent bad people, sir. We were Canadian citizens who were showing Canadian pride, and were nice and we are good people, King told Commissioner Rouleau. King was preceded by convoy spokesperson Tom Marazzo and lawyer Keith Wilson, who represented the main organizers in Ottawa during the protest. Other organizers are set to testify on Nov. 3, including Benjamin Dichter, James Bauder, and Tamara Lich. Residents of an Indiana apartment building fought back against an armed male intruder who had broken in one morning in late October. They disarmed the man and held him until police arrived to take him into custody. In the early hours of Oct. 27, at around 3:25 a.m., Kokomo Police Department (KPD) received a 911 call from The Annex apartments on Kokomos S. Washington Street. Officers arrived at the scene and found three male tenants holding the suspect at gunpoint. The residents informed officers that the detained, unknown male had entered their apartment wearing a ski mask and pointing a handgun at them, KPD later posted in a media release. The residents grabbed the suspect and began struggling with him until the gun was knocked away from the suspects hand. The Annex apartments in Kokomo, Indiana. Link At that point, the intruder pulled out another handgun. When the residents attempted to disarm him a second time, the gun went off, though nobody was hurt. One resident then got his own handgun, pointed it at the intruder, and held him until police arrived. As a result of the struggle with the residents, the suspect received multiple facial injuries, said KPD. The suspect was identified as 18-year-old Marrell B. Tyler of Merrillville. The three residents sustained facial injuries, though only Tyler needed immediate medical attention, according to Fox News. He was arrested for burglarya level two felony. After being treated for his injuries at Community Howard Hospital, he was taken to Howard County Criminal Justice Center. Remember, all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, police said. Share your stories with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.com, and continue to get your daily dose of inspiration by signing up for the Inspired newsletter at TheEpochTimes.com/newsletter The RCMP logo is seen outside Royal Canadian Mounted Police "E" Division Headquarters, in Surrey, B.C., on April 13, 2018. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press) Iqaluit RCMP Investigating Reports of Pins Found in Halloween Candy RCMP are investigating after receiving two complaints that pins were found in childrens Halloween candy in Iqaluit. Police say after receiving the first complaint Wednesday, they alerted the community. As a result, police received a second complaint the following day. RCMP say the pins are described as approximately one inch long. They are cautioning parents and guardians to inspect candy before allowing children to eat it. Anyone with information on is asked to contact the Iqaluit RCMP or Crime Stoppers. I Voted stickers are seen during early voting ahead of the U.S. midterm elections in Los Angeles, Calif., on Nov. 1, 2022. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images) Its No Fun Voting in America Anymore Commentary When I was a kid, I used to vote with my father. I remember accompanying him behind the curtain and watching him pull the mechanical lever they had in those days. It felt like something important and I was proud, as a 9-year-old, to be with him as he did his civic duty. That was 1952, the first Dwight EisenhowerAdlai Stevenson presidential election, and my father was Madly for Adlai as the campaign theme went, though I think in todays terms, he might be considered more or less conservative in his views, at least as I remember them. The furthest thing from my young mind then was that there was any kind of cheating going on. This was the government and they were good. They could do no wrong. Voting was exciting and this was America, the land of the free. My positive attitude toward elections continued when, as a young adult living in the Echo Park section of Los Angeles, my house, it turned out by tradition, was the neighborhood polling place. So I would come down in my bathrobe around 7 a.m. to let in the poll workers and be the first to vote myselfsort of a one-man Dixville Notch, but, unlike that New Hampshire town, there were never any reporters around to record my decision. In those days, it was always Democratic anyway. Later still, when my politics had shifted to the GOP, I still enjoyed voting. I had had some luck at screenwriting and had moved to the tonier Hollywood Hills, where there was nary a Republican in sight. That meant on Election Day I could walk right into our local polling place and vote in five minutes, while the poor Dems waited in lines that sometimes seemed to stretch all the way down to Hollywood Boulevard. (Well, thats an exaggeration, but you get the idea.) It also made my wife and me at times feel like unicorns, odd man and woman out, in the eyes of our neighbors. It wasnt always comfortable, but by then, we were talking about leaving, becoming those internal American refugees that left blue states for red. So we ended up in Tennessee and one of the first things we did was get voting cards in our new home. I felt proud again. I would support candidates who might actually win for once. And I have. By that time, however, the attitude of many toward the whole nature of voting had changed. We had become awakened to the fact that there might be serious fraud going on. I have to confess that I was somewhat late realizing this. I was aware of the allegation that Chicago Mayor Richard Daly skewed Illinois for Kennedy over Nixon, but that was back in 1960, ancient history (sort of). The 2020 presidential election was another matter. As everyone knows, it has been the subject of extraordinary controversy that hasnt been resolved. In fact, its very hard in our country to determine if there is any way of definitively deciding if an election is fair. The courts dont seem to have done a very good job of it and if you protest, you run the risk of being incarcerated. The system almost everywhere seems to be some degree out of whack. Our democratic republic wasnt set up for this, but it should have been. My best guess is that the 2020 election could well have been stolen, though I wouldnt swear to it. But thats not the point of this article. What concerns me is the feeling that Iand I imagine many othersnow have when we walk into the polling booth or cubby or whatever it is, depending on your state. Theres a lot of machinery there we may or may not trust. This makes voting a disturbing task, rather than the joyous assertion of democracy that it should be and as it was for me as a kid when I accompanied my father. Here in Tennessee, there are already problems with people voting in the wrong district, as reported by The Associated Press (not that I trust them anymore, but apparently, in this case, they are correct). But more important was the actual experience of voting. I voted the other day here in Nashville and a nice lady walked me through the process, as she did with others, making sure I didnt make a mistake, since its not always easy to remember what to do year-to-year and they change it anyway. After I voted, I was given a chance to check my vote on a card that was printed. Then, I was escorted to another computer, where I inserted my card so my vote could be counted. That done, I asked for a receiptsome record of my vote with a number on it so, if there was a dispute, I could be sure it was counted accurately. I was told, nope, sorry, that doesnt exist. What I was offered in lieu of a receipta trackable record of my votewas one of those little stickers for my lapel that says I Voted! Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 3, ARMENPRESS. Member of European Parliament Fabio Massimo Castaldo says he will make all efforts to make amendments in the report on Armenia which will soon be presented in the European Parliament. During a press conference in Yerevan on November 3, the MEP said he will take into account all the information collected during the fact-finding mission in Armenia in that process. The Parliament cannot miss the section of the atrocities committed by Azerbaijan. And I am sure that we will be able to amend that draft and achieve our goal, he said. The lawmaker said that Azerbaijan in fact has occupied some parts of the Armenian sovereign territory. The European Parliament can only address a political message regarding those attacks. We do not have the authority to impose sanctions, we can just apply to authorities and request a respective action, but we have no leverage to impose it, he said. Commenting on the issue of the status of Artsakh, the MEP said the residents of Artsakh must give the solution of that issue, and it cannot be imposed through diplomatic blackmail. U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy speaks during a press briefing in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington on July 15, 2021. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images) Judge Rejects Biden Administrations Attempt to Block Depositions in Big Tech-Government Censorship Case The Biden administrations attempt to block depositions of several key officials was turned down Nov. 2 by a U.S. judge. U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty, a Trump appointee, rejected a request for a partial stay of his Oct. 21 order authorizing the depositions of eight officials, including President Joe Bidens chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci. Government lawyers asked the judge to impose the partial stay as an appeals court weighs a request to vacate the part of his order that enables the depositions of Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, a Biden appointee; Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director Jen Easterly, a Biden appointee; and Rob Flaherty, a deputy assistant to the president. Absent a stay, high-ranking governmental officials would be diverted from their significant duties and burdened in both preparing and sitting for a deposition, all of which may ultimately prove to be unnecessary if the Court of Appeals grants their request, the government said. Doughty ruled that the government failed to show how the officials would be irreparably harmed apart from referencing a diversion from significant duties. That didnt meet the standard for showing irreparable harm, he said. On the other hand, the plaintiffs, including the attorneys general of Missouri and Louisiana, would be irreparably harmed by a partial stay because theyve alleged a violation of the U.S. Constitutions First Amendment and The loss of First Amendment freedoms, even for minimal periods of time, unquestionably constitutes irreparable injury,' Doughty said, quoting from a ruling in a separate case. The Court finds that both the public interest and the interest of the other parties in preserving free speech significantly outweighs the inconvenience the three deponents will have in preparing for and giving their depositions, he added. The depositions are scheduled to take place in early December. Faucis is slated for November, according to a notice made public by The Gateway Pundit, one of the plaintiffs. The ruling means the three contested depositions will happen unless the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit approves the writ of mandamus that the administration recently filed. The writ asks the appeals court to vacate Doughtys deposition order with regards to Murthy, Easterly, and Flaherty. Although mandamus relief is drastic and extraordinary, it is warranted where, as here, there is no other adequate means to attain the necessary relief; the writ is appropriate under the circumstances, including because the issues implicated have importance beyond the immediate case, and the district court clearly and indisputably erred,' government lawyers said in the writ, quoting from a ruling in a separate case. A response to the filing is due on Nov. 7. Kari Lake Rejects Claims She Made Light of Paul Pelosi Attack Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake denied claims that she mocked the alleged attack targeting Paul Pelosi and said her remarks were taken out of context. I was talking about our children and why they dont have better security. And I said that our politicians have security and that our athletes have security, and we need to have security, Lake told the Daily Mail, adding she never made light of the incident. Go back and look at the tape and dont do any creative editing, like the fake media tends to do, and youll see what I was saying. During a campaign stop shortly after reports of the alleged attack surfaced, Lake made reference to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). She was responding to a question about whether children should be afforded the same protection thats afforded to federal lawmakers. Well, shes got protection when shes in D.C. Apparently her house doesnt have a lot of protection, she said at an event in Scottsdale, Arizona. If our lawmakers can have protection, if our politicians can have protection, if our athletes, then certainly the most important people in our livesour childrenshould have protection, added Lake, a former TV anchor. In the alleged incident, suspect David DePape is accused of breaking into Pelosis San Francisco home before approaching Paul Pelosi while he was sleeping and demanding that he see his wife, who was not there at the time. Court documents said that Pelosi was able to call the police from a phone in his bathroom and when officers arrived, they saw him and DePape struggling over a hammer before DePape allegedly hit the elderly man in the head, fracturing his skull. Questions have been raised about why there were no security guards outside Pelosis home at the time, and whether or not the Capitol Police was monitoring security cameras there. Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) sent a letter to the head of the U.S. Capitol Police, asking about security protocols that were in place. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Capitol Police said that it has the capacity to actively monitor the Speakers San Francisco residence around the clock but was not doing so last week when the alleged attack occurred because Speaker Pelosi was not there at the time and was in Washington. An internal investigation is now underway, it said. While the Speaker was with her security detail in Washington, D.C., the San Francisco cameras were not actively monitored as they are when the Speaker is at the residence. The Command Center personnel noticed the police activity on the screen and used the feeds to monitor the response and assist investigators, the statement said. This combination of photos shows Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (L) in Atlanta on May 24, 2022, and Democratic challenger Stacey Abrams in Decatur, Ga., on Aug. 8, 2022. (John Bazemore/AP Photo) Kemp Leads Abrams as Georgia Governors Race Nears Finish Less than a week before the election, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp appears poised to win a second term. His opponent, former state House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams, has not been able to gain traction despite strong financial support from out of state and a national following so enthusiastic she was talked up as Joe Bidens running mate in 2020. Abrams, who lost to Kemp in 2018, has never caught up to him in the polls, and hes inched further ahead. After two debates with Abrams, the most recent on Oct. 30, Kemp shows a 7.6 percent lead in Real Clear Politics polling average. Abrams ramped up her attacks in the second debate. Like many Democratic candidates, shes pounded her support of abortion rights in the wake of the Supreme Courts decision in June overturning Roe v. Wade. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp in Atlanta, Ga., on May 24, 2022. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) On Sunday night, Abrams attacked men for having any involvement at all in abortion policy and Kemp for being supported by a good old boy network of 107 county sheriffs who want to take black people off the streets. She has made voting rights a race issue as well, attacking Kemps work both as governor and previously as Georgia Secretary of State to purge voter rolls of people who have died or moved and to tighten up absentee ballot procedures. Kemp didnt take the bait. Record early voting numbers show the state isnt keeping minorities or anyone else from voting, he said. He has relentlessly touted his reopening of the state economy and schools early in the pandemic. He has said the state could bank federal grants because reopened businesses and employees getting paychecks again didnt need as much help. He has reminded the public of the states tax rebates and says hell do more of the same if reelected. Some analysts say Abrams candidacy has lagged because she is too progressive, while a moderate candidate might be better suited for Georgia. Democratic gubernatorial candidate for Georgia Stacey Abrams speaks to supporters at a campaign event as early voting begins in Jonesboro, Ga., on Oct. 18, 2022. (Megan Varner/Getty Images) Others say its more about Kemps advantage of incumbency. Kemp now has a record to run on, making it a different race from 2018, says Gbemende Johnson, an associate professor in the University of Georgia Political Science Department, according to the FiveThirtyEight political website. Kemp may also have benefited from his show of independence from former President Donald Trump during the 2020 election controversy in Georgia. Trump backed former Sen. David Perdue in this years primary against Kemp, but Kemp whipped Perdue by a 3 to 1 margin. Marci McCarthy, chairman of the DeKalb County Republican Party in metro Atlanta, told The Epoch Times a split in the Georgia party, possible in the wake of 2020, hasnt materialized. She said that moderate Republicans turned off by the contentiousness of that election seem to be returning to the fold. Theyre going to come home, she said, because their values align more closely with Republican ones, and polls show independents trending Republican as well. Among them are white suburban women, 20 percent of the national electorate. A New York Times/Siena poll of that demographic showed a dramatic 26-point shift nationally toward Republicans since August, and a Wall Street Journal poll released this week similarly showed a 27 percent shift. McCarthy said it is because concerns for their families over the economy, schools, and crime, outweigh their concerns about abortion policy, which may or may not affect them personally. First-ring Atlanta suburbs like Dunwoody, Brookhaven, and Chamblee are turning northern DeKalb County a red shade of purple, McCarthy said. Thats good news for the GOP after an estimated 100,000 Republican voters stayed home rather than vote in the Jan. 5, 2021, runoff election that saw Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock oust incumbent Republicans David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler. Both candidates have bus tours planned this week. In this photo taken from video footage and released by Hangpai Xingyang, people with suitcases and bags are seen leaving a Foxconn compound in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, on Oct. 29, 2022. (Hangpai Xingyang/Screenshot via AP) Long Walk Home: Workers Fleeing Foxconn Are Both Impeded and Helped on Their Way Large groups of young people can be seen walking in fields and on highways, with suitcases and carrying bags, as they head for home. Video footage of their trek has gone viral in China and abroad, despite the Chinese regimes strict censorship. Some are seen walking through the gates of once-shut fences, and some are climbing over fences to get away from the closed-down premises. These young people are workers of the Foxconn electronics manufacturing factory in central Chinas Henan Province, reported Chinese media, fleeing from the plant after a recent outbreak of COVID-19 that resulted in tens of thousands of employees being locked down under the Chinese regimes hardline zero-COVID policies. Foxconn, officially known as Hon Hai Technology Group, is headquartered in Taiwan. It claims to be the worlds largest electronics manufacturer and has over 40 production plants in China, according to its websites. The Foxconn plant in Zhengzhou, the capital city of Henan Province, has three campuses located in Zhengzhou Airport Economy Zone, Zhengzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone, and Zhongmu County. The company is of vital economic and financial importance to the local government of Zhengzhou. Foxconns campus in Zhengzhou Airport Economy Zone has 200,000 workers, according to Reuters, and is Apples largest iPhone assembly factory in the world. The factory produces half of Apples global supply, the New York Times quoted Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst at TF International Securities, a financial services group. It was Chinas third-largest exporter in 2019, exporting $32 billion worth of electronics abroad, according to the Financial Times. In this photo taken from video footage and released by Hangpai Xingyang, people with suitcases and bags are seen leaving a Foxconn compound in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, on Oct. 29, 2022. (Hangpai Xingyang/Screenshot via AP) The Foxconn factory hasnt officially disclosed how many workers have tested positive for COVID-19, but it said in a statement on Wednesday that a small number of employees have been asked to quarantine. Heading Home for Safety Though local authorities and the factorys management issued notices claiming to offer buses and assistance for homeward-bound workers, tens of thousands decided to leave the factory and head home on foot. The Financial Times described this large-scale fleeing as an exodus in its report on Oct. 30. The majority of the workers are from nearby cities or towns. Video footage posted online shows that some workers walked out of open doors in parts of the factory, but some had to climb over fences before they could get away. Police, stationed on main roads, blocked the workers from fleeing, and are seen violently pushing workers, and ordering them back to the factory. Afraid of being intercepted, workers left the factorys premises on a Saturday evening, and walked along a highway, through fields, and on rural paths. A worker from Jiaozuo, a prefecture-level city in the northwest of Henan Province, was stopped at a checkpoint and had to take rural paths to get away. The usual route from Zhengzhou to Jiaozuo is about 50 miles, but one anonymous worker walked over 100 miles to get back home, according to an online post. Local villagers and residents left food and beverages along rural paths and highways, with signs saying free supplies for home-returning workers of Foxconn. Such sustenance was vital to these escaping workers, as they were unable to buy food due to the closure of shops under the lockdown. The man in the video footage, uploaded on Oct. 31, says that he has set up a supply station for the fleeing Foxconn employees and that he provides the water and food for free. The video was likely shot before Oct. 31. The Epoch Times wasnt able to confirm the shooting time. Chen Hui, an employee of Foxconn, told The Epoch Times that police tried to keep them from entering Zhengzhous urban areas. We just got out of a grove and bumped into five or six policemen. We were terrified to see them, Chen recalled. But luckily, the police just left after seeing that Chen and his colleagues werent headed for Zhengzhou, Chen said. We tried to stay away from local villagers on our way, but they were very kind and gave us directions and food and drinks, Chen said. One driver stopped along the highway to hand out fluorescent stickers for the fleeing workers. Put the stickers on your luggage to keep safe, because there is no road lamp further ahead, the driver can be heard saying to the walking workers. They are so young; some of them are just teenagers, the man sobbed. The Epoch Times wasnt able to verify the authenticity of the footage, which comprises several clips, and has an unknown shooting time. Quarantine Awaits Workers in Hometowns However, when the workers manage to arrive in their hometowns, they must be quarantined. Cities and counties near Zhengzhou issued open letters to their residents working in Foxconns Zhengzhou factory, claiming that they are ready to receive local residents returning from Zhengzhou, according to Deutsche Welle (DW), a German media outlet. Yuzhou City, Changge City, Qinyang City, Weidu District of Xuchang City, and Xihua County said in their open letters that the returning workers who are residents of these cities must register their before their arrival and must be quarantined in a central isolation facility for seven days, at the persons expense, and then quarantined at home for three days. As the Chinese regime uses a health code phone app to control the movement of Chinese citizens, Chinese people are not free to move around without being noticed. Fear of Infection and Shortage of Food and Medicine on Factory Campus Under the Chinese regimes hardline zero-COVID policies, businesses in China impose stringent measures on their employees. On Oct. 19, Foxconns Zhengzhou factory announced through its official WeChat account that dining in the factorys canteens was banned and that employees were required to wear face masks at all times except in the dormitory, undergo PCR testing every day, and use designated routes to go to and from work. Workers are locked down in dormitory rooms and makeshift quarantine facilities with those who test positive for COVID-19, reported Chinese media. Food and medical supplies are in short supply and there is a high risk of being infected. The factory has many employees, and the pandemic outbreak is so severe. We feel like [we are] walking side by side with COVID-19 virus every day, Mr. Li (pseudonym), an employee of Foxconn, told the Chinese language edition of The Epoch Times on Oct. 26. Chinese workers outside the Foxconn factory in Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province, China, on May 27, 2010. (STR/AFP/Getty Images) Days earlier, workers told The Epoch Times that 10,000 to 20,000 employees are under quarantine at a local bare-shell property and that Foxconn has rented residential complexes and commercial hotels for quarantining as well. According to Taiwans United Daily News (UDN), Su Dongxia, the party secretary of the CCP committee at Foxconn, said in an online post: The company doesnt have resources to control public opinion, so the negative information you read may be a true fact. But please believe that this company is cleaner than this society. She said in her post: Think about your own city or county. How long has it taken to control the [outbreak] of the pandemic? At what cost? Besides the symbolic bag of vegetables you receive occasionally, what else have you received? Has your government provided you with three meals every day? Wang He, a columnist and contributor to the Chinese language edition of The Epoch Times, said that Foxconn was trying to keep its employees on the factory campus. As long as Foxconn is able to keep its employees within the campus, who have no contact with the outside society, the outbreak is controlled within the campus, Wang said, when speaking with The Epoch Times on Oct. 27. Foxconn wants to maintain the current status to guarantee it [maintains] production. Li Jing, Gu Xiaohua, Xia Houchun, and Yi Ru contributed to this report. A file image of voters filling out and casting their ballots at the Cross Insurance Center polling location in Bangor, Maine, for the 2020 presidential election on Nov. 3 of that year. (Scott Eisen/Getty Images) Maine Elections Under Heavy Watch as State Faces Critical EMT Worker Shortage With days to go before the midterm elections, the outcome of the gubernatorial race in the state of Maine is under especially heavy watch by a large grassroots group fighting against some of the nations strictest COVID-19 vaccine mandates and some of the most lenient voter identification laws in the United States. In her campaign to keep her seat, Maine Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, has remained committed to her unwavering policy that requires all health care workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Millss administration also led the effort to eliminate personal and religious exemptions against all other vaccines for school children. With the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDCs) recent decision to add the COVID-19 vaccine to its recommended list of school immunizations, its more than likely that the COVID-19 vaccine will also be mandatory for attending school in the state. One of Millss top advisers on the COVID-19 vaccine is her own sister, Dr. Dora Mills, Maines chief health improvement officer for MaineHealth and former director of the Maine CDC. Nirav Shah, Maines current CDC director, sits on the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP), the very arm of the national CDC that recommended the COVID-19 vaccine be added to required school immunizations. Millss Republican challenger, Paul LePage, has pledged to end COVID-19 vaccine mandates altogether, but the former Maine governor is trailing Mills in polls by as much as 10 percent. Voter Integrity Lacking State Rep. Billy Bob Faulkingham, a Republican, told The Epoch Times that hes especially concerned about the lack of voter integrity in Maine and how that might keep Millss unchecked mandates in place in the upcoming elections. Maine has the most lenient voting laws in the country; you can pretty much do anything you want here, Faulkingham said, noting that voters in Maine arent even asked to show any identification. Its just an honor system. He also said its well known that Maine, which has Vacationland as its slogan, has a huge population of holiday voters participating in elections. We send absentee voter ballots out all over the country in Maine, said Faulkingham, who noted that about 14 percent of Maines 162,266 registered voters are known to be summertime residents only. Tiffany Kreck, founder of Health Choice Maine, told The Epoch Times that she doesnt think Mainers fully understand the ramification of Millss vaccine policies, including a new one thats quickly creating a critical shortage of EMT workers and a substantially delayed response time for ambulances in the vast rural state. Its literally going to kill someone, said Kreck. Her organization is readying a lawsuit against the Maine Board of Emergency Medical Services, which is appointed by the governor, for enacting a new COVID-19 vaccine mandate policy for first responders after the one implemented by Mills expired. At the core of the controversy over the new policy is a requirement that unvaccinated EMT workers remain at least six feet away from a patient. Health Choice Maine protesting COVID-19 vaccine mandates for health workers outside the Maine State House. (Image supplied) Chris Callahan is a licensed EMT worker and volunteer firefighter who can now only drive an ambulance because he didnt get a COVID-19 vaccine. He told The Epoch Times that the policy has literally translated into him being forced aside while the injured or sick person on the scene awaits the arrival of a vaccinated EMT worker and thus medical attention. Sometimes we have had to wait 25 minutes for a vaccinated EMS workers arrival, Callahan said. Bethany Gerrish told The Epoch Times that the new policy almost fulfilled Krecks forewarning this summer when she anxiously waited 17 minutes for an ambulance to arrive after calling 911 on suspicions that her husband was having a heart attack. The nearest fire department was a little over a half mile away, said Gerrish, who used her training as a nurse to start chest compressions on her husband, who stopped breathing during the wait. So you know it wasnt because they hit traffic. She said when the ambulance arrived, the woman who worked on her husband seemed inexperienced. She said she was especially taken aback when the woman suggested using Narcan, typically used in drug overdose cases, to treat a suspected heart attack. Maines Political Oddities While she has yet to return any phone calls by The Epoch Times, Mills has publicly pointed to having one of the lowest COVID-19 death rates in the country, which she attributes to Maine having one of the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates. According to the Mills administration, more than 73 percent of Maine residents aged 12 and older have had at least one COVID-19 vaccine, with 64.9 percent reported as being fully vaccinated in the state. The U.S. Supreme Court also helped preserve Millss strict vaccine mandates when it refused to consider hearing a complaint filed by state health care workers challenging her refusal to consider religious exemption from the vaccine, the same ruling New York health care workers received when they appealed a nearly identical mandate to Americas highest court. Kreck said she finds it hard to believe that Mainers are OK with aligning with a state such as ultra-progressive New York. Adding to Maines political oddities, both Kreck and Faulkingham pointed out, is its status as having a huge population of Second Amendment supporters while having a left-leaning legislature that has remained loyal to an ultra-liberal governor. I cant help but wonder what kind of true representation we really have here, Kreck said. A view shows the logo of Stellantis at the entrance of the company's factory in Hordain, France, July 7, 2021. (Pascal Rossignol/Files/Reuters) Major Automakers Warn People to Stop Driving Popular Models Following 2 Deaths Stellantis, the parent company of Dodge and Chrysler, on Thursday, urged owners of four car models to stop driving them due to defective Takata airbags. The notice involves Dodges Magnum, Charger, Challenger models, along with the Chrysler 300, from model years 2005 to 2010, according to Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, a subsidiary of Stellantis. Owners or custodians of these vehicles will be contacted directly, advised to stop driving their vehicles, and urged to obtain the necessary service, which continues to be available free of charge at any certified FCA-brand dealer, the company said in a statement to news outlets on Thursday. The longer these particular vehicles remain unrepaired, the greater the risk of an airbag rupture, in event of a crash. Free replacement driver-side airbags have been available for this population since 2015, the statement added. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) also issued a statement on Thursday, noting that the Do Not Drive warning from Fiat Chrysler comes as two people died in separate crashes involving 2010 Dodge Chargers where the Takata drivers side air bags exploded. The agency said it is also aware of several other suspected airbag explosions in vehicles from other automakers that use Takata airbags, according to the statement. Left unrepaired, recalled Takata air bags are increasingly dangerous as the risk of an explosion rises as vehicles age. Every day that passes when you dont get a recalled airbag replaced, puts you and your family at greater risk of injury or death, said NHTSA Acting Administrator Ann Carlson in the statement. An exploding Takata air bag can send metal fragments toward the driver or passengers, and this shrapnel can killand haskilled or maimed people. Reports say that the death toll from exploding Takata airbags has hit 32 around the world, including about two dozen in the United States. Takata, a Japanese company, filed for bankruptcy in 2017 due to air bag issues, leading to the largest-ever auto recall. Stellantis said any of its customers who arent sure if their vehicles have been recalled can call (833) 585-0144. Owners can call the hotline to arrange to have their cars towed to a dealership, and for alternate transportation, the company said. The repairs typically take less than an hour, the company said. Stellantis said it has made 210 million attempts to reach owners with recalled Takata air bag inflators, including letters, courier deliveries, emails, text messages, phone calls, and home visits. The company has recalled nearly 2 million vehicles with Takata inflators. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Man Pleads Guilty to Murder in Wifes Stabbing in San Diego EL CAJON, Calif.A man who fatally stabbed his wife at the couples Lemon Grove home pleaded guilty this week to a second-degree murder count. Jay Barcelon, 32, was arrested and charged for the slaying of 30-year-old Rhona Barcelon on April 16, 2021, at their home on Dain Court. Deputies responded to the home at about 7:30 p.m. that night for a report of a domestic incident with a male and female reportedly arguing, said Lt. Thomas Seiver of the San Diego County Sheriffs Department. Seiver said deputies heard screaming inside the home and forced their way inside, where they found both Barcelon and his wife injured. Both were hospitalized, but Rhona Barcelon died shortly after arriving at the hospital. Jay Barcelon underwent surgery and was later arrested on suspicion of murder and booked into the county jail. On Nov. 2, Barcelon pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, plus an allegation of using a knife in his wifes killing, according to Deputy District Attorney Miriam Shoval. The prosecutor said Barcelon is expected to be sentenced next month to 16 years to life in state prison. A person stands at escalators near the Uniper logo at the utility's firm headquarters in Duesseldorf, Germany, on July 8, 2022. (Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters) Massive Scars: Germanys Uniper Posts Record 40 Billion Euro Net Loss FRANKFURT/DUESSELDORFSoon-to-be-nationalized gas importer Uniper reported a record 40 billion euro ($39.3 billion) net loss in the first nine months of this year, the biggest in German corporate history, after Russia stopped its supplies. The loss further highlights how Russias decision to sever a decade-long supply relationship with Europe, most notably Germany, is impacting the continents energy sector, with Uniper the crisis biggest corporate casualty so far. It also marks the biggest loss in German corporate history, according to Mark Spoerer, who holds the chair for economic and social history at the University of Regensburg, even dwarfing more recent outliers such as the 25 billion euros Deutsche Telekom disclosed for 2002. Since the start of the year shares in Uniper have lost 93 percent of their value, giving it a current market value of 1.1 billion euros, down from 15.2 billion euros on Jan. 3. Our half-year numbers already indicated that this has left massive scars in our financial results, Chief Financial Officer Tiina Tuomela said, adding that an agreed stabilization package that will see Germany take over Uniper was currently being finalized. Uniper said the net loss factored in 10 billion euros of realized losses the company incurred by replacing Russian gas volumes on the spot market at much higher prices. This caused daily losses of more than 100 million euros when gas prices spiked over the summer, a number has come down to less than 10 million per day at the end of October as markets have cooled off, Uniper said. The net loss also includes 31 billion euros of future losses related to the same issue. Shares in the company were down 3 percent. Tuomela said talks were now focused on how to replace a planned gas levy, due to come into effect on Oct. 1 but scrapped at the last minute, with an instrument that will effectively pass on the massive losses to Unipers future ownerthe German government. Uniper has threatened legal action against its former main supplier Gazprom, and is weighing proceedings before a Swedish arbitration court to claim billions of euros in compensation. We are also working intensively to restructure our gas portfolio in order to minimise risks and to end by 2024 the losses resulting from suspended Russian gas deliveries, Tuomela said. Among the groups top priorities are a planned exit from the Russian market, where it owns a 83.7 percent stake in Unipro, it said, adding the Russian divisions recent performance had increased interest among possible buyers. Under the agreement with Berlin, Uniper has received 18 billion euros worth of credit lines from state lender KfW, 14 billion of which had been drawn down as of the end of October, it said. ($1 = 1.0187 euros) By Christoph Steitz and Tom Kackenhoff McConnell Should Be Impeached If He Backs Debt Ceiling Elimination: Trump Former President Donald Trump said that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) should be impeached if he backs a Democrat-led effort to eliminate the debt ceiling. The Democrat push comes amid fears by the majority party that Republicans could use the debt ceiling as a bargaining chip if they take the House, as observers expect. However, the effort to eliminate the debt ceiling could only advance with GOP support in the Senate. If McConnell offers this support, Trump told conservative radio host John Fredericks, Republicans should consider impeaching him. Its crazy whats happening with this debt ceiling. Mitch McConnell keeps allowing it to happen. I mean, they ought to impeach Mitch McConnell if he allows that, Trump said. Frankly, something has to bethey have something on him. How he approves this thing is incredible. McConnells position on the issue remains unclear. McConnells office did not respond to a request for comment. Debt Ceiling Dispute The debt ceiling has been a focal point of dispute long before the 117th Congress. The U.S. Treasury is allowed to borrow money on U.S. credit, but only with the approval of Congress. Because the Treasury regularly reaches this limit, from time to time Congress must approve of further borrowing. Not raising the debt ceiling would have catastrophic effectsmost notably, a default on the part of the United States would strip the U.S. dollar of most of its value. At the same time, limited government Republicans have long warned against the dangers of regularly raising the debt ceiling without making a corollary effort to cut spending and reduce the national debt. Members of both parties have used the debt ceiling as a bargaining chip. For instance, Democratsincluding then-Sen. Joe Bidenlargely voted against raising the debt ceiling during George W. Bushs presidency over disagreements with the administrations policies. In 2011, Republicans forced concessions, including spending cuts, from President Barack Obama through threats to let the debt ceiling lapse. The issue also has caused headaches for Democrats in the 117th Congress. Last year, a U.S. default was narrowly avoided by an eleventh-hour agreement between McConnell and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). New Letter In an Oct. 31 letter to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Schumer, Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.) and 30 other Democrats called for an end to the debt ceiling altogether (pdf). Boyles letter comes as lawmakers batten down for another looming debt ceiling battle. If Republicans refuse to support efforts to increase the debt limit or prevent the Senate from filing cloture on debate, the U.S. will enter into default and the full faith and credit of our country will be threatened, Boyle wrote. The letter is a renewal of a similar push during the debt ceiling battle in 2021 when 80 Democrats signed onto a letter calling for an elimination of the debt ceiling altogether. We are once again calling on leadership to act to avoid default in order to protect the American economy and the financial security of all Americans, Boyle wrote. With the 117th Congress coming to a close at the end of 2022, and the makeup of the 118th Congress House and Senate not yet known, we urge you to use the remaining months to take legislative action that will permanently undo the threat posed by the debt limit. Irresponsible Still, the calls do not have the support of the White House. Asked by a reporter if he supported Boyles push, Biden called it irresponsible. You mean, just say we dont have a debt limit? Biden said. No. That would be irresponsible. In comments to Punchbowl News, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.)the most likely pick for speaker of the House if Republicans meet expectations and retake the lower chambersuggested that Republicans would indeed be willing to use the debt ceiling to force Democrats to change [their] behavior. If people want to make a debt ceiling (for a longer period of time), just like anything else, there comes a point in time where, OK, well provide you more money, but you got to change your current behavior, McCarthy said. Despite his opposition to ending the debt ceiling altogether, Biden vowed that he would not yield to potential pressure from the GOP. They will crash the economy next year by threatening the full faith and credit of the United States for the first time in our history, putting the United States in default unless we yield to their demand to cut Social Security and Medicare, Biden said. Let me be really clear. I will not yield. I will not cut Social Security. I will not cut Medicare, no matter how hard they work at it. In an aerial view, San Francisco police officers and FBI agents gather in front of the home of U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi in San Francisco, Calif., on Oct. 28, 2022. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Media Narrative on Pelosi Attack is Morally Outrageous: Experts News Analysis In an election year that has Democrats often using the extremist label on the GOP to distract from the countrys economic problems, experts say that the rush by mainstream media to blame right-wing extremism for the attack on the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calf.), has actually harmed the Democrats, This summer the Democrats used the Jan. 6 Committee hearings, amplified by the media, to highlight the danger to democracy that the GOP allegedly poses to the country. But one observer said that the quickness with which some media outlets alleged that the attack on Paul Pelosi was the result of a conservative obsessionbefore more detail about the alleged assailant came to lightbetrayed an underlying agenda. It would have behooved them to just wait [and get the facts], but instead they have painted an entire part of the country, everybody, as an extremist over the attack, Carla Miller, national spokesperson for Law Enforcement Today, the largest law enforcement-owned media company in the United States, told The Epoch Times. The message from the media is clear: If youre against the Democrats, youre an extremist. And I think its definitely done more harm to them than good, said Miller. Morally Outrageous The attack, coming as early voting and mail-in ballots were coming in for the midterm elections, allowed the liberal establishment media to almost happily lunge at the chance to paint Republicans as extremists, said Adam Guillette, president of Accuracy in Media, one the nations oldest conservative media watchdogs. I think its morally outrageous when journalists celebrate tragedies like this, which, is exactly how some of them reported this story, Guillette told The Epoch Times. You almost felt like some of these journalists saw this as a political opportunity to score points in the final days of the election. And in reality, its just a terrible story about a deranged man, he added. The former girlfriend of David DePape, the alleged attacker, has told the media that the 42-year-old has serious mental health issues. The former girlfriends lawyer also told The Epoch Times that DePape embraced extreme views of both the left and the right. One conservative media strategist said that if the idea was for the media to try to give the Democratic Party a boost in the election, its not likely to work in the favor of Democrats. DePape, who is residing in the country illegally, represents a failure to deal with crime and mental health issues for which Democrats will mostly be held responsible, Tony Marsh of Savanna Communications, who assisted then-candidate Glenn Youngkin win Virginias governors race in 2021, told The Epoch Times. Its also likely to reinforce the publics view that both parties have created a kind of toxic political environment by catering to their fringe bases of support, added Marsh. Media Message Has Hurt Democrats Jeremiah Boehner, social director for San Franciscos Young Republicans believes that the media narrative has especially hurt Democrats among younger and independent voters. The independent voters in San Francisco know that this was an addict driven crazy by his addiction, which has become an all-too-common sight for San Franciscans living under a Democrat hegemony, said Boehner. If anything, local residents are used to Pelosi being harassed and targeted by radical, progressives, said Boehner, who is 37. Nancy Pelosi is unpopular with the radical left in San Francisco. When theres a protest at her home its generally the leftists, not Republicans or independents, he added. DePape was a well-known nudist activist, as has been widely reported. Pelosi has previously condemned nudism in a 2013 interview with the Huffington Post after her home city outlawed public nudity. Enough with the public nudity, Pelosi told The Huffington Post when asked about the citys ban. Please. We have our standards. Transparency Miller of Law Enforcement Today said that DePapes activism was more likely the cause of the attack, based on law enforcement reports and comments from people who know DePape. Based on some of the information thats come out from his girlfriend about his stances and issues, it doesnt necessarily seem that thats even being portrayed by the media correctly, Miller said. I think that the media should be a lot more responsible especially when theyre supposed to be a credible place we [can] get the truth, said Miller, adding that the media should report only on the actual information they have at the time instead of their speculation or potentially pushing a scripted narrative for a certain agenda. But Miller also blamed the police for being coy about releasing information on the case, especially because it involves someone high profile. The authorities in San Francisco have refused to release the body cam footage and the 911 call from the night of the attack. The San Francisco Police Department denied a public records request from The Epoch Times for body camera footage from the officers who responded to the Pelosi home, stating that disclosure of information may endanger successful completion of the investigation. When police hold back information that the public has a right to know, especially with someone involved in a position of public trust, it just fuels speculation, said Miller. Miller contrasted the slow-moving release of information in the Pelosi case to the quick release of video and other evidence demanded by politicians and the public when the case involves alleged police violence during the apprehension of an alleged criminal. I think, unfortunately, theres a different standard, when it comes to somebody who is high profile and powerful like this, Miller said, Lack of Trust If the same level of transparency were applied in this case, Miller contended, then this would prevent false information from finding traction. Unfortunately, what weve seen is that the longer that the facts are kept secret, the bigger danger [of] what I call conspiracy speculation, which she said is the manufacturing of stories that contain false information. And because of the way the world works, even if information is retracted or refuted, it doesnt matter if the fake narratives are out there on either side already, added Miller. Boehner, said for example, that he understands how some conservatives might find it incredible that House Speaker Nancy Pelosis mansion didnt have security the night Paul Pelosi was attacked, but since Boehner is a resident who sees the house regularly, he can attest to this. I live here and I drive by her house regularly. Unless Nancy is in town there is no security guard and its not in a gated community, said Boehner. But Marsh said there is a big difference between a meme on Facebook and what the Democrats and the media are doing. What will also hurt Democrats is the obvious hypocrisy they display when they claim conservative rhetoric resulted in the attack, even after Biden gives a speech in which he claims half the voters in America are a threat to democracy and must be stopped, said Marsh in reference to Bidens summer speech in Philadelphia, which was widely criticized by Republicans. On Nov. 2, Biden in a speech again took aim at extreme MAGA Republicans, saying they posed a threat to democracy. I think voters will forgive much, but they dont like it when they feel like theyre being played. Thats a huge problem with Biden and the Democrat leadership, said Marsh. Moral Corruption The problem, said Guillette of Accuracy in Media, is that the people who run the media in the United States today just want to sell people what they want to hear whether its true or not. Todays mainstream media speaks in an echo chamber. So if a [TV] host tells her audience that this was caused by Trump, she does so because the audience wants to think that this was caused by Trump, said Guillette. That has caused the media to have record-low ratings and has led to record-low diminishing trust in the media amongst mainstream Americans, he added. Marsh agreed, arguing that the lack of trust in the news media and government isnt coincidental. Americas culture is sick and were all breathing in a noxious gas of confused values and bankrupt morality that is corrupting the essential ingredients of a civil society, he said. And unfortunately, events like the Pelosi attack, highlight that bankruptcy and moral corruption, rather than diminish it, said Marsh. The Epoch Times has reached out to the San Francisco Police Department, Democratic National Committee, and White House for comment. YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 3, ARMENPRESS. Armen Grigoryan, Secretary of the Security Council of the Republic of Armenia, made a speech at the 10th meeting of the Secretaries of the Security Councils of the CIS member states. Armen Grigoryan first thanked Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Nikolai Patrushev for the invitation to participate in the meeting, congratulating Patrushev and the Russian people on the Unity Day to be celebrated tomorrow, on November 4. On the agenda of our today's meeting is the issue of "International security challenges and threats under current conditions", and within its framework I would like to address the security issues of the South Caucasus and, in particular, the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. The reason for the urgency of this issue for us is the military aggression carried out by Azerbaijan against Armenia on September 13 of this year. I would like to specifically mention that it was not a border incident or a border clash, as some forces tried to present, but a large-scale invasion of the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia with the use of heavy artillery, rocket launchers and drones. The armed forces of Azerbaijan shelled 36 settlements and communities deep in the sovereign territory of Armenia, including the cities of Goris, Jermuk, Vardenis, Kapan. Thanks to the stubborn and heroic resistance of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia and the reaction of our partners, the attack of Azerbaijan was stopped, but the military-political situation remains tense. This aggression of Azerbaijan was discussed in the UN Security Council, the majority of whose members condemned Azerbaijan's illegal military operations. The aggression was also widely condemned by the international community. The targets of the Azerbaijani aggression were the peaceful civilian population and the vitally important civil infrastructures. The total number of people temporarily displaced from Gegharkunik, Vayots Dzor and Syunik Provinces of Armenia to safe places is more than 7600 people, mostly women and old people, as well as 1437 children and 99 persons with disabilities. About 192 residential buildings, 3 hotels, 2 schools, 1 medical facility were partially or completely destroyed. 7 electricity supply facilities, 5 water supply facilities, 3 gas pipelines, 1 bridge were damaged. 2 ambulances and 4 private cars were targeted. The Kechut reservoir located south of the resort town of Jermuk was also shelled. As a result of the aggression, the number of victims exceeds 210, of which 3 civilians. 2 people are considered missing. 293 servicemen and 8 civilians were injured. Along with that, the Azerbaijani side has published shocking videos of torture of captured persons, inflicting physical injuries, extrajudicial reprisals against Armenian prisoners of war, including women, murders, as well as humiliating treatment of the bodies of the dead. I must note that the risk of new aggression by Azerbaijan not only persists, but also remains quite high. Almost every day, the Azerbaijani side organizes provocations, violates the ceasefire on the border, accusing the Armenian side for it. I would also like to emphasize that since May 2021, the consequences of the aggression of the Azerbaijani side against the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia have not been eliminated, and the armed forces of Azerbaijan continue to illegally control dozens of square kilometers of the territory of our country. Dear colleagues, Currently, the Republic of Armenia is making efforts to normalize relations with Azerbaijan. The work of border delimitation and border security commissions is important in the settlement process, the formation of which was agreed upon on November 26, 2021, during the trilateral meeting of the President of Russia, the President of Azerbaijan, and the Prime Minister of Armenia in Sochi. Two meetings of the border delimitation and border security commissions have already been held, and the third is scheduled to be held in the coming days. In this process, the fundamental documents of the Commonwealth of Independent States and the United Nations have a significant role. In particular, in the first days of the creation of the CIS, on December 21, 1991, the Alma-Ata Declaration was adopted, by which our states recognized each other's territorial integrity and the inviolability of existing borders. Just two days ago, on October 31, based on the results of the trilateral meeting of the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia held in Sochi, a statement was adopted, according to which the parties "agreed to refrain from the use of force or the threat of its use, to discuss and resolve all problematic issues exclusively on the basis of mutual recognition of sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of borders in accordance with the UN Charter and the 1991 Alma-Ata Declaration". Through the mediation of the President of France and the President of the European Council, as a result of the meeting of the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan held in Prague on October 6, an agreement was reached, according to which in the process of border delimitation, the parties will accept as a basis the documents of the CIS and the United Nations, according to which the former administrative borders of the Soviet republics have become state borders between already independent countries, including between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Recognition of this fact is extremely important for ensuring stability and security not only on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, but also throughout the CIS. We attach importance to the establishment of delimitation and border security commissions. However, this does not mean that there are no borders at all, as some people sometimes try to present. To insist that borders do not exist is very dangerous and irresponsible. It blurs such fundamental concepts as sovereignty, territorial integrity and paves the way for aggressive actions. Existing CIS and UN documents confirm the fact that the Armenian-Azerbaijani border was already demarcated during the years of the USSR. Therefore, there has been an invasion of Azerbaijani troops into the sovereign territory of Armenia, and these troops must leave the Armenian territory. Dear participants of the meeting, In the context of unblocking transport communications in the region, I also want to note that the Azerbaijani side constantly raises the issue of opening a "transport corridor" through the territory of Armenia. The position of the Republic of Armenia on this issue has not changed. There cannot be a road or transport route in the territory of Armenia in the logic of a corridor. I have stated this many times and I would like to emphasize once again that there is no reference to such corridors in the trilateral statements of the leaders of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan of November 9, 2020, January 11, and November 26, 2021, as well as in the decree of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin No. 695 of November 10, 2020 "On measures aimed at maintaining peace in Nagorno-Karabakh". Therefore, we consider unacceptable the arbitrary and false interpretation of the reached agreements. At the same time, we are interested in a real solution to the issue of unblocking communication channels in the region and support the activities of the trilateral Working Group established under the joint chairmanship of the Deputy Prime Ministers of the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation. The work of this working group stems from the fact that the transport infrastructures being restored and constructed must operate under the full sovereignty and within the framework of the national legislation of the states through which they pass. On this basis, the Republic of Armenia is ready to open the roads as soon as possible. Moreover, the draft decision of the Armenian Government to open three checkpoints to ensure transport communication between the western regions of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Autonomous Republic of Nakhichevan has been in official circulation for a long time. However, as we can see, the Azerbaijani side is not interested in the real solution of the issue in a constructive way and continues to put forward the "corridor" version of the solution, which is not acceptable for Armenia. In short, it is very difficult to get into dialogue and agree with those who have no desire for dialogue and pursue completely different goals. Dear colleagues, In the context of the above, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that we are talking about the opening of all communications in the region, and sometimes it is ignored or not mentioned the fact that according to the statements of the leaders of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan, I will quote paragraph 9 of the Declaration of November 9, 2020, "All economic and transport links in the region will be unblocked." In other words, communications should be opened not only for Azerbaijan, but also for Armenia. That is, it is not a one-way road, but a comprehensive process from which all parties should benefit. In particular, Armenia is interested in the use of communication channels passing through the territory of Azerbaijan, aiming to carry out cargo transportation in both directions. Dear colleagues, dear Nikolai Platonovich, In conclusion, I would like to once again thank the Russian side for the warm welcome and hospitality and wish everyone a good day and productive work. Thanks for attention", said Security Council Secretary of Armenia Armen Grigoryan. A portion of the General Motors Factory Zero, which will manufacture GMs GMC Hummer EV truck as well as other electric GM vehicles in Detroit, Michigan on August 5, 2021. (Bill Pugliano/Getty Images) Michigans $1 Billion EV Project With China Unlikely to Succeed: Journalist The Michigan legislature approved a $1 billion spending plan on Oct. 5, with $846 million going to a Chinese company specializing in EV batteries, but it would be more beneficial to use these funds for local infrastructure, according to Charlie LeDuff, a Pulitzer prize-winning journalist. LeDuff characterized the deal as corporate socialism, which he said is the government is picking who will win, who will be the source of manufacturing, and who will make a profit. This is a capitalistic society. No way in the world were workers ever supposed to guarantee the company the profit. How is it that we the broke people whose kids cant read are being sure that youre making profit? LeDuff said in an interview with NTDs China in Focus on Oct 29. Uncertain Outcome Ninety-five percent of these deals that the state and local governments around here get into never pan out to what they promised, he noted. Chinese-owned Gotion Inc. will build a plant in Big Rapids, Michigan with a total investment capital of $2.4 billion over the first six years, and is expected to create 2,350 jobs over the next decade, Detroit News reported. Yet, in his opinion, there is no guarantee that these jobs will last. Trade deals are particularly raw in this part of the world because they didnt work. Here, where I live, first-world workers have been turned into second-hand choppers in one generation, he opined. Given the uncertainty of the project outcome, the journalist suggested that the amount be invested in schools, physical infrastructure, and roads in the area instead. [Michigans roads] are notoriously the worst in the country, he noted. LeDuff also pointed to a report from Chalkbeat Detroit stating that 60 percent more Michigan third graders could be held back this year because of low reading scores. Our reading scores are falling, especially after COVID. One-third of our third graders in Michigan cant read, he said. In his opinion, the state should tackle this education problem on its own. We must work our way out of this instead of crossing our fingers and hoping the multi-nationals gonna do as right, because normally they dont, he stressed. And the fund he said, is subsidizing China, the countrys biggest future threat with its military power, political influence, and economic influence. Not Fit for Green Energy LeDuff further pointed out that renewable and green energy of this kind is not suitable for the state of Michigan. Michigan has one of the worst electric grids in the United States, some of the most expensive and some of the least reliable, he noted. Every time it rains here, the power goes out for a couple of days and a million people are in the dark. He questioned: How do you charge your car? adding We dont have the capacity to plug it in now. So it seems to me, were getting a little ahead of ourselves, the electric wagon before the horsepower. We dont have it. Maybe were creating a problem for ourselves, LeDuff said. Hannah Ng Reporter Follow Hannah Ng is a reporter covering U.S. and China news. She holds a master's degree in international and development economics from the University of Applied Science Berlin. Michigans Dangerous Proposal 3 Commentary When voters in Michigan go to the polls on Nov. 8, theyll see a proposal for a constitutional amendment about reproductive freedom on the ballot. In reality, Proposal 3 is one of the most extreme anti-family measures currently being discussed in the country. Should it pass, there are a number of potentially dire consequences. There are lawn signs in yards across the state urging voters to say no to the amendment. They read: Too Confusing, Too Extreme. But its only once you really dive into that confusing language and its harrowing implications that it becomes clear just how extreme it really is. Margot Cleveland, senior legal correspondent at The Federalist and a lawyer, wrote a comprehensive breakdown of what is hidden in this bill. The key takeaway for readers is that the truly radical elements of the amendment have just as much to do with gender-affirming care for minors as they do the macabre procedure of late-term abortion. Currently being presented as the abortion amendment by advocates such as Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, the proposal is, in reality, a radical bill that removes any restrictions on the practice unless the state has a compelling interest. The latter is supposed to have to do with the health of the individual, with the important qualification that it doesnt infringe on their ability for autonomous decision-making. In practice, this means unlimited access to abortion regardless of the stage of the unborn childs development. For pregnant minors, this equates to the removal of any type of necessary consultation with their mother or father before the procedure, as they would now be able to decide on getting an abortion free of parental consent. The proposal goes beyond mere abortion, however. Gender-affirming care is part of the left-wing ideology that currently supports the notion that a man can be a woman and vice versa. The type of care mentioned above means accommodating this worldview in minors. This includes both the hormonal treatment known as puberty blockersthe same scientific, inhumane, procedure known as chemical castrationand sexual reassignment surgery, which includes the mutilation of naturally occurring genitals in order to reconfigure the raw material into a fake version of the opposite genders sex organs. Most people are rightly outraged at the thought of this being done to children. Matt Walsh at Daily Wire has focused on identifying the individuals and medical facilities that have been providing this macabre service. This is barbarism, and people should know the actual names of the individuals who support these practices and sit on those hospital boards. Who is it exactly thats putting the scalpel to the genitals of children and filling out the prescription sheets for the chemical castration of those not old enough to vote? Once again, recall that Proposal 3 supports gender-affirming care without parental consent. This isnt alarmism. That means that even if you accepted the ideological basis of transgenderism, you would then have to accept that children could comprehend gender ideology and know that they were actually born in the wrong body. But thats not all. You would then need to accept that this means that someone not old enough to buy a pack of cigarettes or drive a car should undergo irreversible procedures to affirm that gender. And on top of all of it, you would then still need to believe that all of these decisions could be reached by a minor without the guidance of a parent. Thats what Proposal 3 demands of voters. Is this an insignificant concern or a red herring to detract from the abortion side of the amendment? Considering the fact that some polls show 20 percent of Gen Z currently identifying as LGBTQ (compared to 10 percent of millennials and 3 percent of baby boomers), with others reporting up to 40 percent of Gen Z as LGBTQ (30 percent of millennials), the general trend seems to be an increasing likelihood that minors will say that theyre trans. Another study found that as many as 25 percent of those in Gen Z identifying as LGBTQ say that theyre non-binary. Suddenly, the intricacies of gender-affirming care for minors, especially without parental consent, dont sound like such a trivial matter. On closer analysis, it also seems like a much more pecuniary matter. It turns out that reproductive freedom often equates to the freedom to spend money on one of the many procedures associated with human sexuality. Planned Parenthood happens to be one of the largest backers of Proposal 3it also happens to be the second-largest provider of hormone therapy for those seeking to transition genders (as well as, of course, the nations largest abortion provider). Planned Parenthood Advocates for Michigan has contributed significant funds in support of the amendment. But the single biggest donor to the yes campaign? Unsurprisingly, the American Civil Liberties Union. According to Ballotpedia, the Reproductive Freedom for All PAC registered to support Proposition 3 has raised $45.7 million. The registered opposition, Citizens to Support MI Women and Children, has raised less than half of that amount. On April 7, after filing a lawsuit asking the Michigan Supreme Court to make abortion a fundamental right, Whitmer said she would fight like hell for the bill. In response, Bishop Earl Boyea of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lansing called on all Christians to engage in prayer and fasting to fight like heaven against the radical amendment. Prayer is always a powerful tool and cant be underestimated. There will need to be plenty of it to defeat the pro-abortion, anti-family Proposal 3. Whether you live in Michigan or not, everyone who stands against the murder of the unborn and the destruction of innocence should keep this in their prayers. Those who stand for faith and tradition also need to show up at the polls for their states midterm elections and do everything they can to expose the lies hidden beneath the false language of freedom and rights. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Middletown Police Officer Evan Barone speaks after being presented with the award of New York State Police Officer Medal of Valor at Paramount Theatre in Middletown, N.Y., on Nov. 1, 2022. (Cara Ding/The Epoch Times) Middletown Police Officer Awarded New York State Medal of Valor Middletown officer Evan Barone received the 2020 New York State Police Officer Medal of Valor from Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado at the Paramount Theatre on Nov. 2. Barone is the first Middletown officer to get the award since its inception in 1984. I am incredibly grateful for this amazing, prestigious, and honorable award. I am also grateful to be aliveI am incredibly thankful for that, Barone said after receiving the award. On Aug. 29, 2020, Barone, a 26-year-old neighborhood enhancement officer, was patrolling alone in a marked police car when he was flagged down by a female resident who said her former boyfriend had entered her Myrtle Avenue house without permission and she needed help. Barone followed her and drove up to the house. Barely had Barone gotten out of the car, when Desean Owens exited the residence andwithout any warningfired at Barone, who quickly returned fire and struck Owens. A bullet entered Barones left arm, damaging a nerve and shattering a bone before lodging in his police vest. Despite the injury, Barone managed to put Owens under arrest before additional help arrived. At the time of the shooting, a car behind Barone had children inside. Middletown Police Officer Evan Barone (L) received the award of New York State Police Officer Medal of Valor from Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado on Nov. 1, 2022. (Cara Ding/The Epoch Times) There were people all around him when this occurred. I truly believe that if it wasnt for Officer Barone being there at that moment and stopping that individual, he was going to cause harm to others, Middletown Police Chief John Ewanciw told The Epoch Times in a previous interview. On Oct. 12, Owens was sentenced by an Orange County judge to 58-and-a-half years in state prison. Barone still undergoes medical treatment for his injury and has not returned to work at the police department. You clearly love the work of protecting and serving the public. It is that love that makes great what you do. We are grateful for you and for what you represent, Delgado said at the award ceremony. I want to thank Officer Barone and his family for the sacrifices he has made to keep us safe, as well as Gov. [Kathy] Hochul and Lt. Gov. Delgado for recognizing officer Barones brilliant act, Middletown Mayor Joseph DeStefano said at the ceremony. This year, the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services chose Barone out of 30 nominations from eight police departments and two sheriffs offices. The award, also known as the Governors Police Officer of the Year, started in 1984 and has been presented to 122 officers from 21 law enforcement agencies in New York. Mother of Infant Regrets Gender Transition in Her Youth As she coddles her infant son at her home in the Chicago suburbs, newlywed Daisy Strongin says she deeply regrets having her breasts removed in gender transition surgery when she was 20. She was an insecure, very self-involved, outcasted 15-year-old girl, and the urge to transition, she said, was enticing. I really wanted to feel comfortable in my own skin and I wanted to stop being depressed, Strongin told The Epoch Times. I wanted to be someone else. I hated myself. I didnt want to be the person that I was, and transitioning seemed to be this very alluring path that was beckoning to me. She wore a chest binder for years, started taking testosterone at age 18, and legally changed her name to Oliver. However, years later, she felt worse, incomplete, less satisfied, and less whole, she said, and eventually stopped the transition process. Now 24, she joins a growing number of detransitioners who lament the medical interventions referred to as gender-affirming care, such as puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and gender transition surgery they received as teens and young adults. Detransitioner Daisy Strongin sits in a park in northeastern Illinois on Nov. 1, 2022. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) She sees the recent surge in the number of children claiming they are non-binary and trans as a social contagion and feels compelled to warn others about the pitfalls of transgender ideology. About 42,000 children and teens in the United States were diagnosed with gender dysphoria in 2021, according to data from Komodo Health Inc. that was compiled by Reuters. Thats almost three times the number in 2017. Gender dysphoria, according to the American Psychiatric Association, is a condition of distress in an individual who identifies with the opposite biological sex. The analysis found that at least 121,882 children ages 6 to 17 were diagnosed with gender dysphoria from 2017 through 2021. However, Reuters reported last month that the numbers are probably a significant undercount. Tomboy Teens As a child, Strongin often felt out of sorts with her gender, and those feelings only grew stronger by the time she reached middle school. She knows now that its normal for teens to feel awkward, but she didnt at the time. As a straight girl, she never fully understood her youthful desire to dress like a boy or to be perceived as one. Daisy Strongin as a child. (Courtesy of Daisy Strongin) In eighth grade, she was labeled a lesbian and called derogatory names. I didnt really have very good social skills, and I was bullied, she said. Growing up, Strongin was a tomboy, and her parents knew her as such. But, when she was 15, she told her parents she was having a serious gender identity crisis. I came out to them as genderqueer, and they didnt take it seriously at all, she said. They were like, OK, youre a tomboy. Great. Secretly, in her quest to find her authentic self, Strongin found she was chronically online, reading obsessively about all these weird alternative gender identities. Then I started thinking maybe Im a trans guy, she said. As she persisted, her parents became increasingly unsettled and were shocked at her eventual decision to proceed with surgery and injections of cross-sex hormones. They were horrified, she said. Seeds of Doubt, Distrust Strongin was distrustful of her parents, especially her mom, and blames trans influencers on social media for planting those seeds of doubt. Its definitely really cultlike, she said. I thought these online communities were my adopted family. Thats one of the tactics: Oh, if your mom doesnt accept you, Im your mom now. Lonely and confused, Strongin felt that the most important message she needed to hear was that there was nothing wrong with her. Chances are, the kid who is spending 14 hours a day on the internet probably doesnt have a lot of in-real-life friends, and so they probably feel alienated. I mean, thats how I felt, she said. A woman types on a keyboard. (Jenny Kane/AP Photo) Her interactions online allowed her to avoid the social pressures and anxiety that came with one-on-one interactions with peers at school. I was spending almost all of my free time on the internet, because I was extremely depressed. I had been struggling with depression since sixth gradeprobably just low self-esteem and just didnt really want to participate in lifeand so I used the internet, like Tumblr and YouTube, as an escape, she said. I could just forget about real life. Genderqueer Years Strongin soon discovered the term genderqueer on Tumblr, and fully immersed herself in the world of gender fluidity. Genderqueer means that youre sort of in between male and female, she said. That was when the concept of gender identity really entered my consciousness, and I understood it as something that is very malleable and individualized, like you can [be] anything you want to be. The deeper she explored gender fluidity and obsessed over her gender identity, the more she started asking herself if she might be trans. By 2014, Strongin was mesmerized by female-to-male transitioners who were documenting their gender transitions on YouTube. These trans influencers, she said, were popular, attractive, and cool people who talked about how they felt alienated from their own bodies, how going on testosterone was so exciting for them, and that top surgery was this huge milestone that came with so much joy and relief and finally feeling at one with yourself. Daisy Strongin, 16, when she identified as genderqueer. (Courtesy of Daisy Strongin) She knows now that her social media acquaintances werent real friends and that spending much of her life online only made her feel more isolated. I didnt have a lot of trans friends in real life. I did talk to some people, but I was mostly just lurking, she said. The social media aspect is huge. If it wasnt for my internet addiction, I really dont think I would have transitioned. Even with my depression, I would have found healthier coping mechanisms, and learned how to properly deal with these weird gender feelings I was having. Strongin said she was definitely influenced and misguided online, but doesnt feel she was groomed. Its not like there were adults trying to coerce me directly into thinking Im trans. It just ended up in that environment, because I wanted to be on the internet all day, she said. Years of Therapy Strongin began seeing a psychiatrist, who treated her from age 15 to 22 through social transitioning, testosterone injections, top surgery, and the start of her transition. I dont think she thought it was wise of me to do all thatmake permanent changes to my body. She did not outright say that to me though, because I think she was scared that she would lose her license, Strongin said of the therapist. She wasnt overly affirming, but she wasnt discouraging me from it. She was sort of neutral, but I could tell she didnt think it was a good idea. The narrative online was that transitioning is the only way to cure gender dysphoric feelings, and if you dont, then you might kill yourself, she said. Strongin believed that if she didnt find her authentic self and honor her true gender identity, she would just be an empty shell of a person. She saw gender transition as a panacea for all her problems. I think I had possibly brainwashed myself to the point of no return, she said. Daisy Strongin in high school before she started taking testosterone. (Courtesy of Daisy Strongin) GSA Club In high school, Strongin joined a Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) club. GSA refers to Gender and Sexuality Alliances that [move] beyond the labels of gay and straight, and the limits of a binary gender system, according to a statement by the national GSA Network. It was very different when I was in high school, Strongin said. I was involved in a GSA club, but we didnt have any policies about changing my name in the system or pronouns, not telling my parents, and that kind of thing. It was just this club that my friends and I would go to, and we would all talk about how gay we were or how trans. Strongin, whose maiden name was Chadra, fully came out as a trans boy in her senior year at school and pushed to have her legal first name, Daisy, changed to Oliver in the yearbook. Her request was denied without parental consent, but her name was eventually published as Daisy (Oliver) Chadra. Truth and Acceptance Her parents wanted to be more supportive, but struggled to accept her male persona. My mom definitely had a harder time, she said. She avoided pronouns and names altogether, because she didnt want to alienate me. but at the same time, she didnt want to lie to me and say that Im a guy. After Strongin had been in therapy for about four years, her dad offered some acceptance. Even though he was horrified by it, he was like, Well, I guess this is reality now, and started calling me Oliver, his son, she said. A bottle of testosterone. (Courtesy of Daisy Strongin) Negative Image of Women Unlike many transitioners, Strongin said she never went through a traumatic sexual experience. I know a lot of women want to become male as a defense mechanism that comes from trauma, she said. That makes perfect sense to me, but I didnt have that sexual trauma. However, as a teen, she said, pornography played a subconscious role in her gender issues, and she developed a negative image of women. To be 14 years old and seeing those videos has a much greater psychological effect than porn did maybe 20 or 30 years ago, when it was just like naked girls in a magazine, she said. Women were portrayed as objects for sexual pleasure that can be hit and choked, and thats supposed to be sexy? When girls at school started dressing more seductively, Strongin felt uncomfortable. That always was just very foreign to me, she said. Its not like I looked down on them for doing that; I just felt really, really strange in clothes like that. I just had a very unhealthy image of what it meant to be a girl and what it meant to be a woman. She perceived women as weak and histrionic and didnt want to become hysterical or overly emotional. I felt like I had those traits, and I thought that those traits were representative of womanhood, she said. I really wanted to be taken seriously, and I felt like I couldnt be taken seriously as a woman. Her Transition When Strongin came out as transgender, she was celebrated by her peers at school and random people online. For the first time in her life, she experienced a strong sense of belonging. I made a lot of new friends. And they were all trans and LGBT, she said. I had real-life people who I could relate to, and I was feeling really positive and excited about being trans. I became more and more sure I was going to be trans forever. Daisy Strongin after 3 years and 9 months on testosterone. (Courtesy of Daisy Strongin) To conceal her breasts, Strongin wore a chest binder for 10 hours a day for about three years, from the time she was 17 to age 20, she said. Eager to look more masculine, when she turned 18, she took the next big step in her transition: injecting cross-sex hormones. I had short hair and would wear boys clothes, but I still looked like a girl and sounded like a girl, so I got on testosterone, she said. Meanwhile, in 2016, she was prescribed anti-depressants, which she took for about three years. The medication numbed her emotions and helped her cope, but only masked her depression and underlying psychological problems, she said. In college, she had two serious relationshipsboth with bisexual men. Im straight. Ive pretty much always been straight. There was a time when I thought maybe Im bisexual but Ive always been attracted to men. So, when I was identifying as a trans guy, I was identifying also as a gay trans guy, she said. Its very confusing. During the second relationship, Strongin had a double mastectomy. She was 20. I knew the changes I was making were irreversible. Its not like I was uneducated about what was physically going to happen to me, because I had watched so many transgender influencers talk about the effects of testosterone, and I knew what top surgery would look like, she said. Daisy Strongin at the beginning of her detransition in summer 2020. (Courtesy of Daisy Strongin) Her Detransition After surgery, Strongin procrastinated about changing her legal name to Oliver, but eventually did. However, she began to experience doubt and remorse about her decisions. It just got so hard to look in the mirror because I felt more of a disconnect between my mind and my body than I did before. I felt like I was in some kind of weird gender purgatory. I didnt look like a man. I didnt look like a woman. I had this flat chest and deep voice, but I still had pretty curvy hips and so that was distressing, she said. I had a lot of regret and insecurity. She knew it was only a matter of time before she would detransition. I was chasing something that was just completely unattainable, like Im never going to be male, she said. It just became really clear to me towards the end of the transition, and that I was never going to be satisfied with what I had done. Strongin had smoked marijuana in high school and partied in college, but in the weeks leading up to her detransition, she began to self-medicate, smoking a lot of weed and getting drunk every night by herself, she said. Finally, one Thursday in May 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns, Strongin decided to stop taking testosterone. I used to inject testosterone once a week. Every Thursday was my shot day. And progressively, when that day would come and it was time for me to do my injection, I would think, Do I really want to keep doing this? That Thursday, Strongin told her mother that she didnt want to take the shot, and when her mom asked what this meant, she replied, I think it means Im detransitioning. It just kind of hit me that every injection was bringing me closer to infertility. I was one to two years away from needing a hysterectomy, she said. I didnt want to close the door on having biological children. Strongin cringed at the thought of admitting her mistake and telling people who only knew her as a guy that she was actually a woman, and she dreaded having to explain to people what detransitioner meant. Fortunately, she hasnt had any serious complications from the surgery, other than sensitive areas around her scars, no feeling in her nipples, and other weird pockets where theres no sensation. While breast implants would make her clothes fit better, Strongin is leery about reconstructive surgery, afraid she could slip back into the mindset of needing to change her body to be happy. Its actually been a really difficult decision. I havent really settled on what I want to do yet, she said. Detransitioner Daisy Strongin holds her son in northeastern Illinois on Nov. 1, 2022. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) The Gender Theory Scam Reflecting on her whole gender journey, Strongin wishes she hadnt even started. She outright rejects gender theory and gender identity, calling it a scam. I now realize this isnt something thats connected to reality. Its sort of a fantasy, and I dont mean that in a facetious way. Its justthats how I see it. Theres no science behind it, she said. The idea that one can have this innate, unchanging gender essence thats metaphysical but is also fluid, and it can change, just doesnt make sense. The more I think about the ideology, the less and less it makes sense. It didnt even make sense to me when I was trans. Detransitioners are an inconvenient truth to transgender activists, medical professionals, and Big Pharma, because they shatter the pro-trans narrative and, as such, their voices are often squelched in the corporate media, Strongin said. [They] want to hide the fact that this is happening, she said. Trans activists often deny that people detransition because of regret, she said. They call detransitioners bigoted, and accuse them of internalized transphobia. A wedding picture is displayed on the wall of the Strongin home in northeastern Illinois on Nov. 1, 2022. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) Thats a lie. Its just not true, she said. People just want to assign some different reason as to why people detransition. I just wish people would actually listen to us, instead of just listening to what other people say about us. Gender-affirming care is wrong in so many ways, she said. She blames profit-based motives of big pharmaceutical companies and the medical community for medically transitioning children and young adults before they are fully mature. I fell into the trap, she said. I just really, really fell for the narrative that your gender identity is the most important part about youand its not. Its not something that can change. Married Life Strongin was married in December last year and has since given birth to a son. As she cradles the 2-month-old infant in her arms to bottle feed him, shes constantly reminded shell never be able to breastfeed. It bothers her, but she doesnt want to dwell on a past she cant change. Baby formula sits in the kitchen of Daisy Strongin as she cradles her newborn son in northeastern Illinois on Nov. 1, 2022. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) Its done. Theres nothing I can do. The only thing I can do is just try to make peace with it, she said. Though she still struggles with depression and anxiety that comes and goes, she no longer takes any psychiatric medication. The loss of her breasts, and her deeper voice from testosterone, are unfortunate but not debilitating, she said. I love my life. My husband is really good at helping me feel feminine. He thinks Im beautiful. She said that motherhood can be challenging at times, and isnt for everyone, but at the risk of sounding cliche, she said, its worth it, and shes content, for now, to be a stay-at-home mom. It takes a lot of sacrifice, but like I get to look into the eyes of a life that I created, she said. It is the most incredible thing Ive ever experienced. And I just think about hearing his first laugh, hearing him say his first words, and watching him take his first steps. Detransitioner Daisy Strongin holds her son in northeastern Illinois on Nov. 1, 2022. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) Minister of Foreign Affairs Wopke Hoekstra talks to the press in The Hague, the Netherlands, following the decision to expel 17 Russian diplomats on March 29, 2022. (Bart Maat/ANP/AFP via Getty Images) Netherlands Orders Closure of 2 Illegal Chinese Police Stations The Netherlands demanded the closure of two illegal Chinese police service stations in the country. On Nov. 2, Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wopke Hoekstra, posted on Twitter that the ministry has informed the Chinese ambassador that the stations must close immediately. Human rights NGO, Safeguard Defenders, revealed in its September report that China had set up at least 38 Chinese police service stations in dozens of countries across five continents. In the Netherlands, such stations were found in both Amsterdam and Rotterdam. According to Hoekstra, no permission has been requested from the Netherlands for the setup of either station. The Netherlands has asked the Chinese ambassador for full clarification conducts research into the stations in order to find out their precise activities, said Hoekstra. In responding to the order from the Netherlands, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian insisted that the stations were run by local volunteers from the Chinese community, not police from China. Overseas Chinese police Service Stations, or 110 Overseas, are found in dozens of countries across five continents. (Courtesy of Safeguarddefenders) Transnational Repression Earlier, the Chinese spokesperson Wang Wenbin responded to the allegation of the overseas police service stations on Oct. 26. He claimed those were service centers and the purpose is to help overseas Chinese nationals in need access the platform to have their driving licenses renewed and receive physical examinations. Wang Jingyu, a Chinese dissident in Rotterdam, disagreed with Wangs claim. Jingyu said, I have solid and clear evidence to prove its a Chinese overseas police station in Rotterdam. According to Jingyu, a staff member of the Chinese police service station in Rotterdam has been calling him with an official telephone number dozens of times a day, He wanted me to turn myself in, to go back to China threatened me with an officially registered Telegram text. Its exactly opposite from the Chinese foreign ministrys claim, he told the Chinese language edition of The Epoch Times on Oct. 30. According to the Safeguard Defenders report, the overseas policing operation was associated with a Beijing campaign to bring Chinese nationals back to China for fraud and telecommunication fraud investigations. Previously, Chinese media claimed that 230,000 fraud suspects were successfully persuaded to return to China by the overseas police between April 2021 and July 2022. However, the Safeguard Defenders report also indicated that those who were successfully persuaded claimed that most involved dissidents or individuals that had fled religious and/or ethnic persecution. After the exposure of the illegal Chinese police service stations worldwide, the Irish government was the first to order the closure of a Chinese overseas police station. Jiang Feng contributed to this report. Leslie Moonves, Chairman and CEO, CBS Corporation, speaks during the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, Calif., on May 3, 2017. (Lucy Nicholson/Reuters) New York AG Probe Says LAPD Officer Helped Cover Up Allegations of Sexual Assault Against Former CBS Exec An investigation has allegedly found that a commanding officer in the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) tipped off former CBS chief executive Leslie Moonves about a confidential sexual assault complaint against him and worked with the company for months to ensure the complaint did not become public knowledge. New York Attorney General Letitia James announced the results of the investigation in a 37-page report (pdf) published on Wednesday. In a statement, James said the investigation conducted by her office had found that a complainant had visited an LAPD station house in the Hollywood division on Nov. 10, 2017, to report a sexual assault by Moonves in the 1980s before he was employed at CBS. The complaint was marked confidential multiple times, James said. However, later that night, an LAPD commanding officer with the Hollywood division allegedly called the Senior Vice President of Talent Relations and Special Events at CBS, Ian Metrose, and left the following voicemail: I know we havent talked in a while. I am a captain at LAPD Hollywood. Somebody walked in the station about a couple hours ago and made allegations against your boss regarding a sexual assault. The voicemail continued: Its confidential, as you know, but call me, and I can give you some of the details and let you know what the allegation is before it goes to the media or gets out. So, all right, talk to you after a while. Bye. Jamess report claims that the officer who phoned Metrose knew him personally because he had been hired by CBS to work as Moonves security aid at the Grammy awards from 2008 to 2014. Metrose allegedly alerted his supervisors about the complaint the following day, according to the report, and the LAPD commanding officer allegedly provided Moonves and CBS executives with the unredacted police report, thus revealing the complainants identity and personal information. Leslie Moonves and his wife Julie Chen arrive at The Weinstein Company & Netflix Golden Globe After Party in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Jan. 10, 2016. (Danny Moloshok/Reuters) CBS Execs Knew About Multiple Allegations Of Sexual Assault Over the next few months, CBS executives began investigating the victims personal circumstances, including information about her family, according to the report, and her motivations for filing the report. Meanwhile, the LAPD officer continued to provide CBS executives with updates about the polices investigation into the sexual assault complaint, according to the report. Hopefully, we can kill media from PD. Then figure [sic] what [Complainant #1] wants, Moonves wrote to the captain and a CBS assistant in one text message featured in the report. More than eight months passed before the public became aware of the allegations against Moonves. James said that the investigation ultimately found that CBS and its senior leadership knew about multiple allegations of sexual assault made against the former CBS chief executive and intentionally concealed those allegations from regulators, shareholders, and the public for months. Over the course of several months, the LAPD captain continued to secretly provide Mr. Moonves and CBS executives with status updates on the LAPDs investigation, a statement from her office read. The LAPD captain made it clear that he was willing to intervene on Mr. Moonves behalf and Mr. Moonves solicited his assistance. He assured CBS executives that he had spoken to his contacts within the LAPD and implemented controls to prevent news of the police report from leaking to the press from the LAPD. Moonves resigned as the head of CBS in 2018 after facing a string of sexual assault and harassment allegations from at least 12 women. Additionally, the New York Attorney General said the probe found that one senior executive at CBS, former chief communications officer Gil Schwartz, knew about the allegations and the LAPD police report, and sold 160,709 shares of his CBS stock at an average weighted price of $55.08 for a total of $8,851,852 six weeks before the news went public. The stock dropped 10.9 percent from the day before the news broke to the trading day after, James said. Schwartz died in 2020. New York Attorney General Letitia James calls on a journalist during a briefing in New York City on May 21, 2021. (Richard Drew/AP Photo) Million-Dollar Payouts James said that as a result of her findings, her office has reached an agreement with CBS, which will pay $28 million to the state, of which $22 million will go back to CBS shareholders and $6 million to strengthening mechanisms for reporting and investigating complaints of sexual harassment and assault. Additionally, every single stock trade made by a senior executive of CBS will need to be specifically approved by the companys chief legal officer going forward. Moonves will also pay $2.5 million, which will go toward CBS shareholders. In total, CBS shareholders will receive $24.5 million. Moonves will also not be allowed to serve as an officer or director of any public company doing business in New York without written approval by the Attorney General for the next five years. CBS will also have to conduct annual employee surveys regarding the work climate and submit sexual harassment training to the attorney general for review, among other requirements as part of the agreement. CBS and Viacom merged in 2019 and later changed the companys name to Paramount Global. We are pleased to resolve this matter concerning events from 2018 with the New York Attorney Generals office, without any admission of liability or wrongdoing, a Paramount spokesperson told The Epoch Times via email. The matter involved alleged misconduct by CBSs former CEO, who was terminated for cause in 2018, and does not relate in any way to the current company. In a statement, the LAPD said that it is fully cooperating with the New York and California Attorney General offices in the investigation of its former Hollywood Division command officer, and that it has also launched its own internal investigation regarding the conduct of the retired command officer as well as to identify any other member(s) of the organization that may have been involved. Chief Michel Moore called the former Captains alleged actions appalling and a breach of trust. The Epoch Times has contacted a Paramount spokesperson for comment. Visitors watch a news broadcast showing file footage of a North Korean missile test at the ferry terminal of South Korea's eastern island of Ulleungdo, in the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, on Nov. 3, 2022. (Anthony Wallace/AFP) North Korea Fires Suspected ICBM Over Japan, Residents Take Shelter North Korea fired yet another suspected intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Thursday, prompting residents in parts of central and northern Japan to seek shelter. The alleged ICBM launch marks the Norths seventh this year and was followed by two short-range ballistic launches into the sea. However, the ICBM launch was ultimately unsuccessful, the South Korean military said. South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected that North Korea fired an ICBM from an area near its capital, Pyongyang, at about 7:40 a.m. local time, followed one hour later by two short-range missiles from the nearby city of Kaechon. Those traveled about 330 kilometers (205 miles) before falling closer to North Koreas eastern coast, officials said. The longer-range missile reached a maximum altitude of 1,920 kilometers (1,193 miles) and traveled around 760 kilometers (472 miles), South Koreas military said, before falling into the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. It also appeared to have been fired at an angle, likely in an effort to avoid entering neighboring territories, officials said. The suspected ICBM launch appeared to have succeeded in separating at the second stage but is believed to have failed after that, officials told CNN. A woman walks past a TV screen broadcasting a news report on North Korea firing a ballistic missile off its east coast, in Seoul, South Korea, on Nov. 2, 2022. (Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters) Missile Disappeared Japanese officials announced similar flight details but said they had lost track of one of the weapons, reportedly the ICBM, after it disappeared in skies above waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishidas office said in a statement that the launch of a ballistic missile in a manner that passes through the airspace over Japan is an act that can potentially seriously impact the lives and property of the Japanese people. The Japanese government said it would continue to investigate if any damage had occurred from the launch and analyze any information regarding North Koreas possible future actions, in collaboration with the United States and the Republic of Korea, as well as with other relevant countries. The government has lodged an immediate protest with Pyongyang via Beijing, according to The Guardian. Thursdays launches come just one day after North fired more than 20 missiles, the most it had ever launched in a single day. Three hours later, South Korea quickly responded by launching its own air-to-ground missiles in the same border area. Hours before firing those missiles, North Korea had warned that the United States and South Korea would pay the most horrible price in history if they used military force against it. North Koreas leader Kim Jong Un addresses the Supreme Peoples Assembly, North Koreas parliament, which passed a law officially enshrining its nuclear weapons policies in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Sept. 8, 2022, in this photo released by North Koreas Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). (KCNA via Reuters) US Condemns Missile Launch In a statement issued Wednesday, the Biden administration condemned the tests and said it would take all necessary measures to ensure the security of the American homeland and its allies South Korea and Japan. The President and his national security team are assessing the situation in close coordination with our allies and partners, National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said. This launch, in addition to the launch of multiple other ballistic missiles this week, is a flagrant violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions and needlessly raises tensions and risks destabilizing the security situation in the region. Watson added that the latest missile launch demonstrates that North Korea continues to prioritize its unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs over the well-being of its people. The latest launches also come as the United States and South Korea are conducting joint air drills, known as Vigilant Storm, which are set to last until Nov. 4. North Korea has condemned the joint air drills as an invasion rehearsal. The DPRK is ready to take all necessary measures for defending its sovereignty, peoples security and territorial integrity from outside military threats, the North Korean Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday. If the U.S. persists in the grave military provocations, the DPRK will consider taking more powerful follow-up measures. The Associated Press contributed to this report. A federal judge has rejected the Biden administrations attempt to prevent key officials from testifying in a Big Tech censorship court case. With just five days to go until Election Day, President Joe Biden has kicked off a busy campaign for vulnerable Democrats. * Click the Save button below the video to access it later on My List. Follow EpochTV on social media: Twitter: https://twitter.com/EpochTVus Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/EpochTV Truth Social: https://truthsocial.com/@EpochTV Gettr: https://gettr.com/user/epochtv Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EpochTVus Gab: https://gab.com/EpochTV Telegram: https://t.me/EpochTV Nursing Community Urged to Stand Against Chinese Regimes Organ Harvesting Crimes A lack of media coverage, silence from the medical community, and fear of Beijings retribution, are among the reason why nursing communities around the world are unaware of the Chinese regimes murdering of innocent people for their organs. These comments were made by Geraldine Monti, who has been a nurse for more than 30 years in France, at a nurses summit on combating and preventing the forced removal of organs from unwilling donors in China. Held on Nov. 1, the virtual event was organized by Doctors Against Forced Organ Harvesting (DAFOH) and the Academy of Forensic Nursing. Related Coverage Nurses Summit on Combating and Preventing Forced Organ Harvesting The killing of innocent people for their organs is the most egregious act, said Deborah Collins-Perrica, director of nursing affairs at DAFOH, an advocacy group based in Washington. However, in China, the practice is approved as sponsored by the government, Collins-Perrica said. It is managed by the police and with military oversight. After yearlong investigations, an independent London-based tribunal confirmed in 2019 that state-sanctioned forced organ harvesting has taken place in China for years on a significant scale. The panel of lawyers and experts, known as the China Tribunal, concluded from witness and various other testimony that such actions amount to crimes against humanity, with persecuted Falun Gong practitioners being a primary organ source. Describing Chinas organ transplant trade as one of the worlds most profitable industries, Collins-Perrica said it generates a billion dollars a year for the Chinese regime. As Chinese people are reluctant to donate organs due to distrust in the political system and cultural taboos, Collins-Perrica said the Chinese regime expanded the availability of organs for transplants by harvesting organs from living prisoners of conscience. The health care professional cited the persecution of Falun Gong as an example. Falun Gong, a spiritual practice consisting of meditative exercises and moral teachings based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance, became hugely popular in China in the 1990s, with an estimated 70 million to 100 million adherents by the end of the decade. Viewing the popularity of the spiritual practice as a threat to its power, the ruling communist party launched a nationwide persecution in 1999. Since then, millions of Falun Gong adherents have been thrown into prisons, labor camps, and brainwashing centers across the country where they are subjected to torture, forced labor, or even forced organ harvesting. The victims who are exploited, abused, and prepared for organ harvesting undergo medical testing while in political detention, Collins-Perrica said. This created an organ on-demand system that can deliver fast-track transplant organs within days of notice. Now a patient from another country waiting for a life-saving organ transplant can go online and find advertisements for Chinese transplant centers, she continued. They can call those hospitals and secretly make their own arrangements for a transplant. This [the business of selling organs to transplant tourism] stands as the most disturbing medical practice in the world. Lack of Awareness Mondays virtual event was the first time this unique form of human trafficking is being publicly brought to the attention of the nursing community, according to Collins-Perrica, a former psychiatric clinical nurse for the U.S. Department of Defense and Veterans Health Administration. Monti, who serves as secretary of the European branch of DAFOH-France, said most did not understand the seriousness of the crime and the impact on the medical world. Currently, in the medical world, there is little or no mention of the forced removal of organs from living Falun Gong practitioners. Why is this? First, there is certainly a lack of information. I find that very few caregivers are aware of these crimes. Despite the articles published in international scientific journals, the caregivers media never mention it. Secondly, we sometimes hear: China is very far away! Caregivers may not feel concerned for the victims, the nurses, or the doctors as, After all its their problem! Where are our values, our ethics? Can we allow a patient waiting for an organ to have an innocent person killed so that he can have an organ? No, I think this is not acceptable. The third reason, according to Monti, is the silence among medical professionals and institutions. She said that nurses in most countries often follow the advice of doctors, national health strategies of the government, or advice from prominent medical institutions. Fourthly, and more specifically in the field of transplantation, health care providers may be afraid of the impression these crimes will give to patients and, as a consequence, of harming organ donation campaigns in their own country. Additionally, Monti said others may not be willing to discuss forced organ harvesting due to their involvement in training Chinese medical professionals or other economic or political reasons. Take Action Falun Gong practitioners take part in a parade marking the 22nd year of the persecution of Falun Gong in China, in Brooklyn, N.Y., on July 18, 2021. (Chung I Ho/The Epoch Times) Yet, neutrality and silence to the crimes of forced organ harvesting, Monti said, will only encourage the oppressor. If we continue to remain silent, it means that weas health professionalsaccept that innocent and healthy Chinese citizens are killed for their organs. If we accept that Chinese citizens are killed for their organs, doesnt that mean that we also accept to lower our human values, our ethical values, and to break our laws? Is this not the destruction of our ethics? What about Chinese research papers on transplants? Can we accept unethically obtained data? If we look even further: can we accept the destruction of our human values and our democratic societies? Monti urged nurses in the democratic world to stand up to the Chinese regimes crime against humanity. As nurses in democratic countries, it is important to stand up to China, to defend the values of the nursing profession, medical ethnics, and freedom. Each of us has a role to play in stopping this practice, protecting patients, and defending the ethics of our profession. Debra Holbrook, the president-elect of the Academy of Forensic Nursing, said the organization is committed to legislation and practice worldwide that abolishes all forms of human trafficking, including forced organ harvesting. Now is the time to align physicians, nurses, and all health care providers around the world to abolish forced organ harvesting, Holbrook said. It begins in our communities, in our hospitals, and in a united position that we will, as nurses and health care providers, hold each other accountable, that we will respect all lives and honor our respective Hippocratic Oath, and that we will educate our legislators and our world leaders to end all forms of human trafficking, including forced organ harvesting. Eva Fu contributed to this report. Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor sits during a group photograph of the Justices at the Supreme Court in Washington on April 23, 2021. (Erin Schaff/Pool/AFP via Getty Images) NYC Firefighters, Police, Teachers Ask Supreme Court to Halt Vaccination Mandate New York City firefighters, police officers, and other government employees who were fired after the city refused their request to be exempted on religious grounds from the citys COVID-19 vaccination mandate filed an emergency application with the Supreme Court late on Nov. 2 asking for the mandate to be halted. Its unfair that unvaccinated adult entertainers and athletes were exempted from the mandate while other unvaccinated workers were forced into compliance, and were fired if they refused the jab, argues John Bursch, senior counsel and vice president of appellate advocacy at the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a public interest law firm specializing in religious freedom cases thats bringing the new legal action. Many people who object to the various COVID-19 vaccines for religious reasons do so because aborted human fetal cell lines were involved in their testing, development, or production. New York City firefighters, teachers, police officers, sanitation workers, and other public employees have lost their livelihoods, and many are losing their homes, due to the citys discretionary and unconstitutional vaccine policies, Bursch said in a statement. As we write in our emergency application for stay, these city heroes have dedicated their lives to serving their neighbors and keeping their city running safely and efficiently, yet New York City officials suspended and fired them because they cannot take the COVID-19 vaccine without violating their sincere religious beliefs, the lawyer said. But for athletes, entertainers, and strippers, the city found a way to loosen its mandate. We urge the Supreme Court to listen to the stories of these dedicated public servants who are simply trying to provide for their families in a manner consistent with their faith. Its past time New York City honored the faith tradition of its public workers and rescinded its unconstitutional vaccine policies. The application (pdf) in New Yorkers for Religious Liberty v. City of New York is addressed to Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who deals with emergency applications in the 2nd Circuit. While pandemic-era restrictions have been easing in recent months, some remain. The Supreme Court threw out a major federal vaccination mandate in January. The high court voted 63 on Jan. 13 of this year in National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) v. Department of Labor to block the Occupational Safety and Health Administrations private-sector vaccination regime. On the same day, the court ruled the other way in Biden v. Missouri, voting 5-4 to uphold a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services rule requiring more than 10 million employees at healthcare facilities that participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Administrative agencies are creatures of statute and possess only the authority that Congress has provided, the majority opinion in the NFIB ruling stated. The Secretary has ordered 84 million Americans to either obtain a COVID-19 vaccine or undergo weekly medical testing at their own expense. This is no everyday exercise of federal power. It is instead a significant encroachment into the livesand healthof a vast number of employees. Although COVID-19 is a risk that occurs in many workplaces, it is not an occupational hazard in most, the opinion added. COVID-19 can and does spread at home, in schools, during sporting events, and everywhere else that people gather. Its unclear when Sotomayor or the full Supreme Court will take up the new application. By Trend Hungary is definitely interested in including Azerbaijani gas in its future energy mix, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Hungary to Azerbaijan Tamas Torma said in an exclusive interview with Trend on November 3. Our political leaders have reiterated this intention at various forums, for the last time in June this year, when Peter Szijjarto, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade participated at the Baku Energy Week. Negotiations regarding our possible gas purchase through the Southern Gas Corridor have already started between SOCAR and Hungarian energy companies MOL and MVM. However, for this to happen, further investments are needed in infrastructure, supply and transport capacities and concrete commitments will have to be made on the demand side, not just by Hungary," said the ambassador. Torma pointed out that the Hungarian natural gas transmission system will soon be ready to receive Azerbaijani natural gas from the southern direction. "In this context, we welcome the commissioning of the Greece-Bulgaria Interconnector on the 1st of October and look forward to the completion of other infrastructure projects in South-East-Europe. At the same time, we hope that Azerbaijan will soon be able to supply enough gas to meet the increased European demands," he added. As for cooperation in the alternative energy sphere, Torma noted that for both Azerbaijan and Hungary, transition to the use of renewable energy sources is a priority and an important task ahead. "We already have a dynamically developing bilateral cooperation in the field of energy, and our goal is to expand this also to renewables. Since February, 2020 a Working Group on energy issues has been operating between our countries. Here we focus, among others, on areas like green solutions, energy efficiency and water management, where Hungarian companies offer innovative technologies and know-how that we are ready to share. Reconstruction projects on the liberated territories of Azerbaijan also provide great opportunities for cooperation in the field of renewables. Naturally, in light of todays energy crisis in Europe, the importance of investments into green energy and energy efficiency has even more increased in Hungary. Among other measures and plans, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr. Peter Szijjarto recently announced that Hungary will join the project supplying "green electricity" from Azerbaijan to Georgia and Romania," said the Hungarian ambassador. Talking about the priority areas of cooperation, Torma recalled that the 8th session of the bilateral commission on economic cooperation was held in February this year, so the main priorities and tasks are set. "But we are definitely planning to promote new ideas as well. We can build on existing or previous cooperation, like the one between Azersu and Hungarian waterworks companies. There are also ongoing projects to be completed, like a greenhouse complex construction in the Khizi region of Azerbaijan. We usually aim at joint projects that bring mutual benefits, and we mostly focus on areas like smart/green urban solutions, energy efficiency and water management, where Hungarian companies offer innovative technologies and know-how that we are ready to share. There are many other spheres, like agricultural development or energy, where the potential for further cooperation is high, especially with view to the recent geopolitical developments," he explained. The Hungarian diplomat also talked about potential spheres of cooperation in Azerbaijan's liberated lands. "In fact, in January 2021, Hungary was among the first countries to express its interest to participate in the rebuilding and reconstruction works on the liberated territories - and we have reiterated our intention at various high-level meetings since then. Our companies participated at the Rebuild Karabakh EXPO in October 2021, as well as last week, between 19-21 October 2022. The potential spheres of cooperation, such as infrastructural, urban and agricultural development, have already been identified. At the moment, we are working on promoting concrete projects in these areas. It is important to note that the Hungarian EXIM Bank has a special credit line of 120 million dollars for financing joint projects by interested Hungarian and Azerbaijani companies," said Torma. As for the relations in the sphere of tourism, he noted that Hungarian company WizzAir has been operating flights between Baku and Budapest since 2016 and after the COVID-pandemic, in October 2021, Hungary was among the first countries to restore air traffic with Azerbaijan. "WizzAir now operates two flights per week between our capitals, and decides on the number of flights based on commercial considerations," the envoy explained. Torma expressed Hungary's interest in being more active in the Organization of Turkic States as well. "Indeed, Hungary, even as a country in Central Europe and a member state of Western alliance systems, does not forget its Eastern roots. Although we are "only" observers in the Organization of Turkic States, we want to be active participants of the organizations work, and of all Turkic cooperation formats. In order to deepen cooperation with the Turkic world, in 2019 we have opened the European Representation Office of the OTS in Budapest, which is now fully operational, with project officers from all Member Countries, including Azerbaijan. We have a wonderful cooperation with the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, based in Baku. We definitely want to become more and more active in all areas that the Organization covers, this is why we regularly participate at its meetings, events at various levels. Just as in previous years, a Hungarian delegation of the highest level will be present at the organizations next summit in Samarkand, in November 2022. The fact that Shusha will be Cultural Capital of the Turkic World in 2023 and Veszprem Balaton region will be Cultural Capital of Europe 2023 offers new areas of cooperation," the ambassador concluded. Armenia, Azerbaijan agree to speed up the agreement on the procedure of joint activity of border demarcation commissions YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 3, ARMENPRESS. On November 3, in Brussels, the third session of the commission on the delimitation and border security of the state border between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan took place, chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Mher Grigoryan and the Deputy Prime Minister of Azerbaijan Shahin Mustafayev. As ARMENPRESS was informed from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, before the start of the session, the Secretary General of the European External Action Service, Stefano Sannino, welcomed the delegations of the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan, wished success to the work of the commissions, and reaffirmed the readiness of the European Union to provide assistance to the Republic of Armenia and Azerbaijan in the future. In matters of regulation of relations between the republics. Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Mher Grigoryan and Azerbaijans Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev expressed gratitude in their welcoming speeches to the Council of the European Union for the good organization of the meeting. Taking into account the agreements reached in different formats at the level of the leaders of the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan, the parties continued the discussion of border delimitation issues, referred to organizational and procedural issues. "In order to form the legal framework for the joint activity of the commissions, the parties agreed to speed up the work of agreeing on the procedure of the joint activity of the Commission on the Delimitation and Border Security of the State Border between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan," MFA Armenia said, adding that the parties have agreed to determine the date and place of the fourth session of the commissions through a working procedure. Fishing boats set sail for the East China Sea from a port in Zhoushan, Zhejiang Province, China, on Aug. 1, 2021. (Chen Yongjian/VCG via Getty Images) Over 100,000 Fishers Die Every Year, Says Safety Foundation Study More than four times as many fishing-related deaths take place globally every year than earlier estimates, according to a new study conducted by the FISH Safety Foundation (FSF). In 1987, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimated that around 24,000 fatalities took place in the fishing industry annually. In 1999, the International Labor Organization (ILO) published a study confirming this number. The FSF study, commissioned by The Pew Charitable Trusts, found that more than 100,000 fishers die every year, more than four times what the FAO and ILO calculated decades ago. This comes to around 300 deaths per day. The report found several factors contributing to such high fisher mortality, including geopolitical conflict, overfishing, poverty, climate change, as well as illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. In fact, IUU was found to be a significant driver of deaths. As industrial illegal operators ignore safety rules and cut corners to net a big catch, the small-scale fishers also end up taking part in dangerous, unregulated activities, even as it becomes more difficult to catch fish. The death poll disproportionately affected low-income fishers. While fishing can be inherently risky, the harsh reality is that many of these deaths were and are avoidable, said Peter Horn, a project director with Pews international fisheries project, according to a press release on Nov. 3 With 3 billion people reliant on seafood and the demand expected to rise, stronger policies are urgently needed to keep fishers safe, including ones that address the true drivers of these deaths. Pew called for urgent action to ensure the safety of those employed in the fishing industry. It recommended providing financial support to low-income communities as well as boosting data collection and information sharing to better understand the problems faced by fishers. Dangerous Working Conditions and Exploitation Fishing has become increasingly risky, as fishers have to travel farther away from their usual sites to catch fish. In some cases, fishers are subject to brutal conditions by fleet owners. For instance, back in 2020, a South Korean broadcaster revealed a report of alleged abuse of Indonesian fishers aboard fishing ships owned by a Chinese company. The fishers were given substandard food and possibly dangerous drinking water. They were forced to work excessively, and some of them were subjected to beatings. Three Indonesian workers were reportedly thrown into the sea after their deaths. In Thailand, an ILO survey from 2013 had put the proportion of forced labor in fishing at 17 percent, a number that was revised to 14 percent based on a later 2019 survey. In Myanmar, home to one of the most hazardous fishing operations, men are recruited as fishers annually to stay aboard small bamboo platforms off the coast to catch fish. If supply boats fail to visit them often, these men have to make ends meet with little food and fresh water. Some of them end up health issues, such as tuberculosis, vitamin B deficiency, and burst arteries. (Left) Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate John Fetterman addresses supporters during a rally at Norris Park in Philadelphia on Oct. 15, 2022. (Right) Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz hosts a safer streets community discussion in Philadelphia on Oct. 13, 2022. (Mark Makela/Getty Images) Oz Pulls Ahead of Fetterman in Polling Conducted After Pennsylvania Debate Dr. Mehment Oz, Pennsylvanias Republican candidate for Senate, holds a two-point lead over Democrat John Fetterman, according to a new poll. According to the Emerson College Polling/The Hill survey, which was released Nov. 3, Oz leads Fetterman 48 to 46 percent among very likely voters, which is within the margin of error of 3 percentage points. The poll said 4 percent were still undecided. The results marked a five-point swing toward Oz since September and the first time the Republican has led in Emerson College Polling and The Hill surveys. Further, 54 percent of voters said they expected Oz to win the matchup, compared to 47 percent who said the same of Fetterman. Conducted Oct. 28 to Oct. 31, the survey follows Fettermans questionable performance in last weeks debate, during which the lieutenant governor frequently stumbled over his words and left many viewers concerned as to his mental fitness for office. Just days before the May primary, Fetterman suffered a strokea fact he acknowledged during the Oct. 25 debate. I had a stroke, he noted. Hes (Oz) never let me forget that, and I might miss some words during this debate It knocked me down, but Im going to keep coming back up. Later, when asked to explain his vacillating opinion on fracking, Fetterman replied: I do support fracking. And I dont, I dont, I support fracking and I stand and I do support fracking. In another exchange, the Democrat was asked whether he would release his detailed medical records surrounding his stroke. Skirting the question, he responded, My doctor, Elle, believes that Im fit to be serving, and thats what I believe is where Im standing. On Oct. 19, following calls for him to release his medical records, Fetterman released an Oct. 15 letter signed by Dr. Clifford Chen, who wrote that the candidate is recovering well from his stroke and has no work restrictions and can work full duty in public office. It was later revealed that Chen had made multiple donations to Fettermans campaign, raising questions over conflict of interest. Overall, according to Thursdays survey results, 50 percent of voters said that the Senate debate had worsened their opinion of Fetterman, while 44 percent said it had improved their opinion of Oz. Of those who say they have heard, seen, or read a lot about the debate, Oz leads Fetterman 55 percent to 41 percent, noted Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling said. Among those who have heard, seen, or read only a little or nothing about the debate, Fetterman leads 56 percent to 28 percent. The Epoch Times has reached out to both campaigns for comment. Paul Pelosi Attack Raises Significant Questions for Capitol Police Security, Top Democrat Concedes A Democrat House committee chairwoman said the alleged attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosis (D-Calif.) husband raises significant questions for the U.S. Capitol Police. House Administration Committee chairwoman Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) sent a letter to U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger on Tuesday and had several questions about the Oct. 28 incident. Authorities said that 42-year-old David DePape, confirmed to be an illegal immigrant from Canada, broke into Pelosis San Francisco home and hit Paul Pelosi with a hammer. Questions have emerged about the security system at the Pelosi home, the apparent lack of security guards, and how an individual could break into the home of one of the most powerful politicians amid rhetoric from Democrats that U.S. institutions are allegedly under threat by extremists. Paul Pelosi, according to court papers, went into his bathroom to call 911 before police arrived and police witnessed Pelosi and DePape with their hand on the same hammer before DePape allegedly hit Pelosi in the head, fracturing his skull. The San Francisco District Attorneys office said DePape allegedly told officials that he wanted to break the House speakers kneecaps. This incident and related circumstances, including the manner in which the Speaker and her family were targeted, raise significant questions about security protections for Members of Congress, particularly those in the presidential line of succession, Lofgren wrote in a letter, dated Tuesday. Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) speaks to reporters in Washington on Jan. 14, 2022. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Lofgren, who also sits on the House Jan. 6 panel, raised questions about the security protocols that were in place, asking the Capitol Police for answers on home security and threats to top lawmakers. Pelosi, as Speaker of the House is second in line, to the presidency after Vice President Kamala Harris. Has the [U.S. Capitol Police] adopted a written strategic plan, including any short- and long-term benchmarks, goals, or objectives; any codified policy directives; and/or any standard operating procedures for officers to be detailed to proposed regional or field offices? If so, please provide these documents to the Committee. If not, why has the Department not developed such plans or policies? she asked. With regard to any codified strategic plan, policy directives, and/or any standard operating procedures for officers to be detailed to field offices, were those followed by the Department and personnel in the San Francisco field office with respect to the October 28 attack? If not, why not? In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Capitol Police said in a statement that its Command Center has cameras that are used to actively monitor the Speakers San Francisco residence around the clock but only when she is there. They were not being actively monitored because Pelosi was in Washington, D.C., at the time of the break-in. While the Speaker was with her security detail in Washington, D.C., the San Francisco cameras were not actively monitored as they are when the Speaker is at the residence. The Command Center personnel noticed the police activity on the screen and used the feeds to monitor the response and assist investigators, the statement said, adding that an internal security review is now underway. Two black SUVs with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's security detail wait outside her San Francisco home Nov. 2, 2022. (Darlene Sanchez for The Epoch Times) EXCLUSIVE: Pelosi Neighbor Says Security Alarm Didnt Sound at Time of Hammer Attack SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.A neighbor living across the street from the home of Nancy and Paul Pelosi was awake when the House speakers husband was assaulted but didnt hear an alarm or anything unusual. No, not a thing, and you know we were awake at that hour in the morning; my husband was awake. We didnt even hear sirens, neighbor Sally McNulty told The Epoch Times. McNulty, who has lived in the neighborhood for 20 years, said everything was quiet around the time of the 2 a.m. attack on Oct. 28. This is one of the quietest streets in the city, she said. You can hear a pin drop at night. McNulty said she doesnt recall ever hearing the Pelosis alarm go off in the past, though she has occasionally heard others in the neighborhood. She said that Paul Pelosi had no enemies she knew of and was well-liked. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and her husband Paul Pelosi arrive for the 42nd Annual Kennedy Awards Honors in Washington on Dec. 8, 2019. (Joshua Roberts/Reuters) Hes a lovely guy, very popular and nice, she said. I cant imagine anyone having animosity towards Paul Pelosi. The neighbor, who was out for a walk, said he knew just what everybody else knows. Other neighbors declined to comment. Questions remain about the lack of an alarm or security at the Pelosi home at the time of the attack. Cameras are visible at the front and side of the brick residence from the street. The U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) in Washington actively monitors the speakers home only when she is there, according to a statement by USCP issued on Nov. 2 after questions arose about the cameras. The speaker was in Washington on the morning of the attack. The cameras at her home were not actively monitored as they are when the Speaker is at the residence, the statement said. The Command Center personnel noticed the police activity on the screen and used the feeds to monitor the response and assist investigators. Marjorie Campbell, a former neighbor of the Pelosis for 10 years, told the Daily Mail she recalled fleets of black SUVs surrounding the house around the clock when she stayed there. Everyone in the neighborhood has alarms on their windows, and if glass were smashed, an alarm would sound, she told the publication. Campbell recalled her computers getting scrambled by alleged security measures to protect the congresswoman. Nancy Pelosi was at her Pacific Heights home, the site of the attack, on Nov. 2 while several dark SUVs were parked outside. Capitol Police were present, too, as were multiple San Francisco Police Department cars. Paul Pelosi had surgery to address a skull fracture and other injuries at the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, after 42-year-old David DePape allegedly fractured his skull with a hammer on Oct. 28. DePape pleaded not guilty to an attempted murder charge during a brief appearance in San Francisco Superior Court on Nov. 1. David DePape in Berkeley, Calif., on Dec. 13, 2013. (Michael Short/San Francisco Chronicle via AP) According to San Francisco Assistant District Attorney Allison Garbutt Macbeth, DePape smashed his body through a window to break into the Pelosis home while carrying a hammer and several plastic zip ties. After breaking in, he allegedly confronted Paul Pelosi at his bedside at around 2 a.m. and began asking for the whereabouts of the congresswoman. According to court documents filed on Nov. 1 by the office of San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, DePape was on a suicide mission. The court filing was first obtained by The New York Times. DePape was ordered held without bail. His next court hearing is scheduled for Nov. 4. The defendant allegedly forced his way into the Pelosi home, intending to take the person second-in-line to the presidency of the United States as a hostage and seriously harm her. Although the speaker wasnt home, the defendant continued on his quest and would not be stopped, culminating in the near-fatal attack on Mr. Pelosi, the court filing said. DePape told medics and officers at the scene that he was sick of the insane [expletive] level of lies coming out of Washington, D.C., according to the court filing. I didnt really want to hurt him, but you know this was a suicide mission, DePape allegedly said. Im not going to stand here and do nothing even if it cost me my life. DePape allegedly named several targets, including a local professor, prominent state and federal politicians, and their relatives. The defendant allegedly told the police he intended to hold the speaker hostage, interrogate her, and break her kneecaps if she lied to him. DePape allegedly said, they are all corrupt and weve got to take them all out. Paul Pelosi reportedly called 911 from a bathroom. But before the police arrived, he reached out and put his hand on the hammer. Two police officers arrived and saw that the men each had a hand on the hammer. One of the officers reportedly ordered DePape to drop it, but he allegedly didnt comply. DePape then allegedly wrestled the hammer away from Pelosi, stepped back, and lunged at him, striking Mr. Pelosi in the head at full force with the hammer. The court filing said that the officers rushed into the house, tackled the defendant, and disarmed him. Mr. Pelosi remained unresponsive for about three minutes, waking up in a pool of his own blood. Police allegedly found another hammer, a laptop, and more zip ties in DePapes backpack. Frank Fang contributed to this report. Police vehicles at the scene of a shooting outside the Woburn Collegiate Institute in Toronto on Oct. 31, 2022. (Courtesy of Nazia Khan) Police Name Underage Suspect in Fatal Shooting Outside Toronto School Editors note: This article was updated on Nov. 4 to remove the name of the suspect. Police initially took the unusual step of releasing the name of the underage suspect as they were searching for him, but the suspect has now been taken into custody, which means the suspects photograph and his name can no longer be published under the provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act. The Toronto Police took the unusual step of going to court for permission to publicly identify the 17-year-old suspect in a deadly shooting that killed 18-year-old Jefferson Peter Shardeley Guerrier in front of Woburn Collegiate Institute. The police are seeking the publics help in finding the suspect, who is wanted on charges of second-degree murder. He is considered armed and dangerous, according to police. A letter sent home to parents by Lester B. Pearson Collegiate Institute principal Anthony Hack said that Guerrier attended the school from 2017 to 2022 and participated in the skateboarding club and band. Lester Pearson school is four kilometres away from the Woburn high school. Officers responded to reports of a shooting on Oct. 31 outside the high school in Scarborough. A 15-year-old victim also suffered gunshot wounds and is reported in stable condition in hospital. A blurry 43-second eyewitness video, said to be taken at the time of the shooting, shows a number of students milling about outside, shouting and laughing at what looks like an incident in the parking lot. One student wearing light-coloured clothing is seen walking backward, moving away from three others wearing dark clothing. There is some shouting, then gunfire rings out, and people start screaming and running. The Judicial approval for the suspects name and photograph to be published expires on Nov. 7 at 12 p.m. ET, or on his arrest, whichever occurs first. Usually, the Youth Criminal Justice Act precludes police from identifying an underage suspect, but a judge ruled the police can temporarily publish the information in an attempt to apprehend the suspect. An aerial view of former U.S. President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago home after FBI agents raided it, in Palm Beach, Fla., on Aug. 15, 2022. (Marco Bello/Reuters) Police Respond to Trespassing Call at Trumps Mar-a-Lago, Secret Service Performs Sweep Police in Palm Beach, Florida, responded to a trespassing call at former President Donald Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort on Nov. 3, authorities said. The Palm Beach Police Department told media outlets on Nov. 3 that the U.S. Secret Service contacted the office when a man refused to leave Trumps resort. So it was a routine trespass complaint for us. And by routine, I dont necessarily mean like routine for Mar-a-Lago, just there was nothing really out of the ordinary about it, Cpt. Will Rothrock told Fox6. At 8:08 this morning, we had a male subject that was stopped at one of the gates refusing to leave the property. We responded, spoke briefly with him, and he was issued a written warning for trespass and he left the area so there wasnt an incident report or anything associated with it. Other details about the incident, including the identity of the male who trespassed, werent released by police. The Secret Service didnt respond to a request for comment by press time. Police dispatch notes obtained by WFLA said that the man was located at the south gate of the sprawling Florida resort. The former president hasnt issued a public comment about it. Its unclear if Trump or former First Lady Melania Trump were at his Mar-a-Lago residence at the time. The former president was slated to appear at a midterm campaign rally in Iowa later on Nov. 3. In early August, the FBI raided Trumps home and seized boxes of documents, including allegedly classified materials. Trump has insisted that it was a politically motivated raid, while the Department of Justice hasnt brought any charges. The incident comes about a week after an individual allegedly broke into House Speaker Nancy Pelosis (D-Calif.) home and assaulted her husband, Paul, with a hammer, according to court documents. David DePape, 42, is accused of approaching Paul Pelosi while he was sleeping and demanding to know where the House speaker was. Investigators added DePape had planned to break Nancy Pelosis kneecaps if she was home. Officials said she was in Washington at the time. Questions have emerged about why DePape was able to gain access to the home of Pelosi, who is second in line to the presidency, and why there were no security guards. On Nov. 2, the U.S. Capitol Police issued a statement saying that it had access to security cameras at the Pelosi residence in San Francisco but didnt monitor any unusual activity there until San Francisco police arrived on the scene. Meanwhile, a Pelosi neighbor told The Epoch Times that she didnt hear anything unusual on the morning of the hammer attack. No, not a thing, and you know we were awake at that hour in the morning; my husband was awake. We didnt even hear sirens, neighbor Sally McNulty said. BEIJING, CHINA - OCTOBER 23: Xi Jinping ,Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang and Li Xi, attend the meeting between members of the standing committee of the Political Bureau of the 20th CPC Central Committee and Chinese and foreign journalists at The Great Hall of People on October 23, 2022 in Beijing, China. China's ruling Communist Party today revealed the new Politburo Standing Committee after its 20th congress. (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images) Politburo Members Update CVs to Hide Western Training, Show Loyalty to Party: Expert Harvard training no longer favorable under Xi At the 20th Party Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Chinese leader Xi Jinping unveiled his new picks for the partys top echelon, the Politburo. A number of members updated their official resumes by either deleting or toning down their foreign education and experience. The phenomenon of foreign credentials being a taboo for the core leader, Xi Jinping, has been widely suspected since Xi took the power. Consequently, party members resumes have become part of a political game, according to one China affairs expert. In 1998 when Xis predecessor, Hu Jintao, was in the office, China launched an overseas training program for its next generation of leaders. A fellowship called the New World Harvard Kennedy School Fellows Programme, dedicated to senior Chinese officials, was agreed and signed between Harvard, Chinese officials, with the liaison of the Hong Kong-based New World Group (NWG). Each year, the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) provided four months of fellowship training and an executive course of one to four weeks to 20 Chinese officials. Up to 2010, NWG reported that 157 Chinese officials benefited from the program. A Chinese report gave a detailed history of HKS in collaborating training programs for promising Chinese cadres since 1996. HKS was involved in at least three programs launched in 1998, 2001, and 2005 for senior officials, administrators, and public health sectors respectively, according to the report. The article stated that at least 1,000 trainees graduated from the program. Since 2002, the program has trained more than 600 officials at the bureau level and above, including many at the provincial and ministerial levels. Among the many successful political figures were Li Yuanchao, former vice chairman of the Party, and Liu He, the incumbent vice premier and top trade negotiator in the 1998 U.S.-China trade war, said the article. In a 2013 Beijing forum of Chinese HKS alumni, HKS noted that the school had helped to train more than 1,000 scholars and officials of the CCP through its various programs. Then-Vice President Joe Biden (L) chats with Chinese Vice Chair Li Yuanchao in Beijing, China, on Dec. 5, 2013. (Andy Wong-Pool/Getty Images) A Loyalty Issue Such foreign academic training was a much touted qualification and criteria for officials promotion in the CCP before Xis era. However, since Xi took power, this experience has become a bit troublesome for those who seek favor under the leadership of Xi Jinping. Analyst Feng Chongyi said that Xis policy to decouple from the West challenges those cadres once highly-regarded credentials. Feng is an associate professor of China studies at the University of Technology Sydney in Australia. He told the Chinese language edition of The Epoch Times on Oct. 30 that it is a loyalty issue. To Xi, foreign experience suggests an unsettled mind and favor for liberal democratic values, Feng explained. A typical example would be that of the regimes former vice chairman, Li Yuanchao. When Li was the head of the Organization Department, the staffing department of the CCP, between 2007 to 2012, his effort in working with HKS to train promising cadres had the CCP nickname HKS as the Overseas Party School, according to a commentary by Radio Free Asia. However, after Xi took office in 2012, the succeeding head Zhao Leji terminated the program at HKS and Li took an early retirement in 2017. A similar trend has been observed in the resume of the incumbent Politburo member, Li Hongzhong. Hongzhong, known as a highly alert political figure, also took training at HKS in July 1999. When Xi promoted him into the Politburo in October 2017, he immediately deleted the HKS training from his resume, which was updated in May 2017. Another example would be Yuan Jiajun, an aerospace engineer best known for being a chief commander of Chinas manned space program, Shenzhou, in 2000. He was trained at the German Aerospace Center. As one of the newly appointed members of the Politburo at the 20th party congress, Yuan also acted quickly to delete his German training from his official resume. Haizhong Ning and Luo Ya contributed to this report. The protection from prior COVID-19 infection doesnt protect well against reinfection of an Omicron coronavirus subvariant, according to a new study. The protection, known as natural immunity, was estimated at just 6 percent against reinfection with BA.2.75, the Omicron subvariant, by researchers in Qatar, where the subvariant is the dominant virus strain. Natural immunity offered better protection if a person was infected during the Omicron era, which started in late 2021. People who contracted BA.1 or BA.2 had 49.9 percent protection against reinfection. People who contracted BA.4 or BA.5 had 80.6 percent protection against reinfection. People who were initially infected during the pre-Omicron era and then infected again with BA.1 or BA.2 had 56.4 percent protection, and people who were initially infected during the pre-Omicron era and then infected again with BA.4 or BA.5 had 91.6 percent infection. A combination of pre-omicron and omicron immunity is most protective against BA.2.75 reinfection, the researchers said. They utilized national COVID-19 databases, which include the results of all tests conducted at health care facilities in Qatar. The study was published ahead of peer review on medRxiv. Researchers were unable to estimate protection against severe disease because there werent enough severe cases of COVID-19 among the population. An earlier study by the Qatari researchers found that natural immunity remained 97 percent effective after more than one year, with no evidence of waning. Pre-Omicron infection also doesnt protect well against reinfection against BA.4 and BA.5, the researchers said in a separate study published in October. Pre-Omicron infection effectiveness against symptomatic BA.4 or BA.5 reinfection was just 35.5 percent, and the effectiveness against any BA.4 or BA.5 reinfection regardless of symptoms was 27.7 percent. On the other hand, the effectiveness of Omicron infection against BA.4 or BA.5 reinfection was 76.2 percent (symptomatic) and 78 percent (regardless of symptoms). Protection from a previous SARS-CoV-2 infection against BA.4 or BA.5 reinfection was modest when the previous infection had been caused by a pre-omicron variant but strong when it had been caused by a post-omicron subvariant (including BA.1 or BA.2), the researchers wrote in the paper, which was published by the New England Journal of Medicine. In another recent paper, published in The Lancet, researchers in Denmark found that vaccinated people were more likely to be infected with the BA.2 or BA.5 subvariants than unvaccinated people, with the triple vaccinated being the most at risk. Other studies this year have detected inferior vaccine effectiveness or effectiveness turning negative against infection. On October 31, 2022, the defendant Wu Oi-man outside the West Kowloon Magistrates' Court in Hong Kong. In December 2020, he repeatedly destroyed the Falun Gong truth clarification sites and was charged with 5 counts of "criminal damage." On October 31, the court convicted him and adjourned his sentence in December. (Sung Pi-Lung/The Epoch Times) Pro-Beijing Man Convicted of Destroying Hong Kong Falun Gong Truth Clarification Sites Defendant called 'enforcement of national security' Judge: National security law is not an umbrella Hu Aimin, a pro-communist man who repeatedly destroyed the Falun Gong truth-clarification sites in December 2020, was convicted on Oct. 30 at the West Kowloon Magistrates Court for five counts of criminal damage, and his sentence was postponed to Dec. 1. Magistrate LI Chi-ho announced the reason for the ruling, pointing out that the case was not disputed at the factual level, and the defendant did not deny that the items of the Falun Gong Street Station were damaged. Regarding the defence citing the Constitution and the National Security Law, saying that the defendant believes that the exhibits of Falun Gong practitioners are illegal and that in order to defend national security, he has the right to enforce the law on his own. Magistrate LI said the defendant was trying to argue his way out of the issue and asked, If someone says something that is insulting to our country, can they also enforce the law themselves? Murder, theft, and sabotage can all be protected by the National Security Law? The defendant was found guilty of all crimes as he had no reasonable defence for his conduct. The defence attorneys said the defendant did not plead and apply. The magistrate adjourned the case until Dec. 1, during which time a probation officers report will be obtained from the accused. The accused remains on bail. Both the prosecution and the defence agreed on the facts of the case that the defendant destroyed Falun Gong practitioners banners, display boards, computer racks, and other items in Mong Kok, Wong Tai Sin, and Tsim Sha Tsui on Dec. 13, 19, and 20, 2020 respectively, with a total value of HK$15,000 (US$1,911). The defendant was arrested on Dec. 24 of the same year and subsequently charged with five counts of criminal damage. The defendant was also involved in destroying the exhibits of Falun Gong practitioners with several accomplices on April 3, 2021. The case will be tried on December 8, 9, and 12. Victim: The CCPs Lies Make The Defendant Commit A Crime One of the prosecution witnesses, Ms. Chen, a Falun Gong practitioner, practiced the exercises at the Tsim Sha Tsui Pier on the day of the incident and displayed a display board exposing the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) persecution. Hu Aimin suddenly stepped forward and threw her display board into the sea, and smashed her computer stand. After the case was adjudicated, Ms. Chen told the Epoch Times that Wu was brainwashed by the CCPs lies and mistakenly believed that Falun Gong was illegal, which made him commit the crime. She said, Our Falun Gong philosophy is based on truthfulness, benevolence, and forbearance. It is legal everywhere. Even in China, no law says we are an illegal religion.' Jiang Zemin, the former leader of the CCP, initiated the persecution of Falun Gong in 1999 and later fabricated a false case of Tiananmen Self-immolation to slander Falun Gong. So far, however, neither the CCPs rubber-stamp legislature nor its top executive body has publicly announced a ban on Falun Gong. The Notice on Various Issues Regarding Identifying and Banning of Cultic Organizations promulgated by the CCP authorities in 2000 and 2005 did not mention Falun Gong either. Ms. Chen also said that she clarified the truth on the street because Falun Gong was persecuted by the CCP. In the mainland, we have no room to talk about this. In Hong Kong, we tell others that we are wronged. Hong Kong has this freedom. She rebuked Hu Aimin and his accomplices for criminal damage against unarmed and kind people, and even older Falun Gong practitioners tried to stop them but were pushed down, I dont know how they can bear to do this. Since the CCP persecuted Falun Gong, Falun Gong practitioners in Hong Kong have peacefully protested the persecution on the streets and have been harassed and threatened with violence by pro-CCP organizations for a long time. In September 2019, Ms. Liao, a Falun Gong practitioner, held a meeting with the police to discuss the Oct.1 parade. She was beaten by the mob until her head was bleeding. The 22-year-old man Or Hin-cham, who was the lookout, was sentenced to two years and nine months in jail for intentional wounding earlier this year. Case number: WKCC 4068/2021 Public Inquiry Hears About Divisions Within Freedom Convoy Leadership One of the main spokesmen for the Freedom Convoy says he did not agree with a proposed deal, struck between organizers and the city of Ottawa, that would have seen truckers move their vehicles out of residential areas. Benjamin Dichter is on the stand Thursday at the Public Order Emergency Commission, the public inquiry that is tasked with investigating the federal governments use of the Emergencies Act in an effort to end the weeks-long occupation of downtown Ottawa last winter. He said he came to the capital city in January at the invitation of Tamara Lich, one of the organizers of the Freedom Convoy, to be a spokesman for the protesters. But he was not on the same page as Lich about striking a deal with the city. On Feb. 12, Lich exchanged letters with then-Mayor Jim Watson, discussing an agreement that would see the truckers move their vehicles away from residential streets. Dichter said he did not think the negotiations should be happening, because they were partially co-ordinated by Ontario Premier Doug Fords former chief of staff. These are the sorts of things that were causing so much anxiety and division, Dichter said. Dichter said he joined the protests with a goal of ending pandemic-related mandates and spreading a message of peace, love, freedom and unity. But he ended up in conflict with other organizers over messaging. Two other protest organizers, Lich and James Bauder, are also scheduled to appear before the commission Thursday, which is holding public hearings until Nov. 25. YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 3, ARMENPRESS. The message spread by the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan that allegedly at around 20:15 on November 3, units of the Armenian Armed Forces opened fire in the direction of the Azerbaijani positions located in the eastern part of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, is another misinformation, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Ministry of Defense. As of 21:00 the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border is relatively stable. Tesla CEO Elon Musk smiles as he addresses guests at the Offshore Northern Seas 2022 (ONS) meeting in Stavanger, Norway, on Aug. 29, 2022. (CARINA JOHANSEN/NTB/AFP via Getty Images) 6 Sweeping Changes Elon Musk Is Seeking at Twitter Industrialist Elon Musk has big plans for Twitter now that he owns the social media juggernaut. From a subscription service to possibly reviving the video app Vine, Musk wants the platform to reach its extraordinary potential following his $44 billion takeover. While change is coming, how will the San Francisco-based company be different now that Musk is in charge of the social network? Here are six sweeping changes that he has proposed: Content Moderation Council The self-described Chief Twit confirmed in an Oct. 28 Twitter post that Twitter will be establishing a content moderation council with widely diverse viewpoints. He confirmed that no major content decisions or account reinstatements will happen before the council convenes. He later clarified with a Twitter post that we have not yet made any changes to the companys content policies. Whistleblower: Chinese spy worked for Twitter. Twitter will not allow anyone who was de-platformed for violating Twitter rules back on the platform until we have a clear process for doing so, which will take at least a few more weeks, Musk wrote. Twitters content moderation council will include representatives with widely divergent views, which will certainly include the civil rights community and groups who face hate-fueled violence. The details remain unclear. Meanwhile, there are many questions, such as what will the councils guiding principles be, how many people will serve on the council, how they will be appointed, and how it will be different from Twitters current content moderation program? Musk has said before that hes open to restoring accounts of individuals who have been given lifetime bans, including former President Donald Trump. $8 Monthly Fee The biggest change could involve an $8-per-month subscription service that would allow subscribers to obtain the much-desired blue checkmark. Twitters current lords & peasants system for who has or doesnt have a blue checkmark is bull[expletive], Musk wrote on Twitter. Power to the people! Blue for $8/month. In a Twitter thread on Nov. 1, he revealed that users would receive priority in replies, mentions & search, which he says is essential to defeat spam/scam. Subscribers also would be given the option to post long audio and video and enjoy a paywall bypass for publishers willing to partner with Twitter. Paid users would also see half as many ads. This will also give Twitter a revenue stream to reward content creators, he noted in a Twitter post. Musk wrote in a separate Twitter post, Essentially, this raises the cost of crime on Twitter by several orders of magnitude. The proposal has caused quite a stir on the social media platform. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), for example, mocked the idea in a Twitter post as a billionaire earnestly trying to sell people on the idea that free speech is actually a [sic] $8/mo subscription plan. Lmao at a billionaire earnestly trying to sell people on the idea that free speech is actually a $8/mo subscription plan Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 2, 2022 Musk replied, Your feedback is appreciated, now pay $8. The new service also garnered the attention of best-selling novelist Stephen King, who warned that he would be gone like Enron if a purported $20 monthly fee were implemented. Musk told King that we need to pay the bills somehow. Twitter cannot rely entirely on advertisers. How about $8? he wrote in a Twitter post. Workforce The New York Times reported on Oct. 30 that the new Twitter owner ordered job cuts across the company. According to the newspaper, layoffs would occur before Nov. 1, when employees were scheduled to receive stock grants as part of their compensation. Musk denied the report, responding in a Twitter post that this is false. This comes soon after The Washington Post reported that Musk had plans to terminate 75 percent of the Twitter workforce, which also was denied by the billionaire CEO. However, a separate Bloomberg News report noted that Musk would slash Twitters payroll by 50 percent3,700 jobsas early as Nov. 4 to help cut costs. The report, which cited anonymous people close to the situation, also suggested that the companys work-from-anywhere policy would be rescinded, as most of the remaining staff would be required to work from the office. Musk has yet to confirm or deny the Bloomberg story. But while its unclear whether Musk has intentions to hand out pink slips to large numbers of personnel, one of his first acts consisted of firing several executives, including CEO Parag Agrawal, finance chief Ned Segal, and legal affairs and policy chief Vijaya Gadde. The Everything App Another idea that Musk has floated around is turning Twitter into something akin to a Swiss Army knife. It would transform into an all-in-one tool to do anything, comparable to Chinas WeChat. That app has more than a billion monthly users, as it allows the participants to social network, send money, reserve a restaurant table, book ride shares and airplane tickets, and execute e-commerce transactions. Buying Twitter is an accelerant to creating X, the everything app, Musk wrote in a Twitter post. He told Twitter employees in June, You basically live on WeChat in China. Tech experts agree that it would be a challenging ecosystem to develop, mainly because of the logistical issues requiring enormous in-house infrastructure and broad partnerships with other companies. Privacy concerns would be another hurdle, as a super app would allow the company to know everything about its users. Open-Source Algorithm Musk has repeatedly expressed his goal to open-source Twitters algorithm. This would foster greater transparency and trust in the website, as opening up the algorithm allows users to learn how Twitter promotes or demotes content. An open-source algorithm would essentially show how platform engineers maintain the social media outlet and let users make suggestions. In March, he published a poll that found 82 percent of respondents agreed that the Twitter algorithm should be open source. Bring Back Vine? Could Twitter directly compete with TikTok by bringing back the video app Vine? In 2016, Twitter discontinued the looping-video app after purchasing it in 2012. Reportedly, Musk has instructed Twitter engineers to possibly reboot the service by the years end. Speculation was further fueled by Musk, who polled his audience with Bring back Vine? The survey garnered nearly 5 million responses, and 70 percent thought it should be resurrected. MrBeast, a popular YouTube star, said it would be hilarious if Musk relaunched Vine and competed with Tik Tok. Musk replied, What could we do to make it better than TikTok? Protesters shout slogans demanding elected president Ranil Wickremesinghe step down during a protest at the presidential secretariat premise in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on July 20, 2022. Sri Lanka's prime minister was elected president Wednesday by lawmakers who opted for a seasoned, veteran leader to lead the country out of economic collapse, despite widespread public opposition. (Rafiq Maqbool/AP Photo) Sri Lankas Agrochemical Ban Shows How Bad Ideas Can Have Big Consequences Commentary You may remember the headlines. In 2021, Sri Lankas government imposed a total ban on agrochemicals. The restrictions affected both chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The government changed course in late 2021, but the damage had already been done. Yields fell dramatically, fueling anger in the streets. By mid-2022, the country was convulsed by explosive protests. In a matter of months, the prime minister and president both resigned. Protesters wait to enter into Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghes office during a protest demanding for his resignation, after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled, amid the countrys economic crisis, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on July 13, 2022. (Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters) A nation that once grew enough rice to feed itself was reduced to begging for handouts from India and China. That outcome is as devastating as it was predictable. What happened to my countryand what can its painful lesson teach the world? President Chooses Scarcity Over Food Security The people of Sri Lanka have been growing rice for thousands of years. The ancient Sinhalese built massive irrigation works to support large-scale rice cultivation. Because of the 20th centurys green revolution and the efforts of researchers in Sri Lankas agriculture department, the country significantly boosted its rice production, achieving larger yields than ever before. The country also recently reached self-sufficiency in vegetable growing. Yet in early 2021, during the primary rice planting season known as Maha, things suddenly changed. Prominent Sri Lankans pressured then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to switch the country over completely to organic farming. The stated motivations included avoiding diseases, including kidney disease, that have been linked to synthetic pesticides in Sri Lanka. In April 2021, over the objections of scientists, Rajapaksa pulled the trigger on a sweeping agrochemical ban. The considerations guiding Rajapaksas choice are still murky. In the months that followed, Sri Lankans discovered why no other country in the world uses only organic manure for its fertilizerand why Bhutan abandoned a similar scheme a decade ago. The Fertilizer Crisis Im one of the scientists who objected to the presidents decision at the time. My fellow scientists and I argued that a rapid and complete shift to organic agriculture would cause widespread hunger. We were right. According to the U.N. World Food Program, some 6 million Sri Lankansa third of the nations populationare now food-insecure. Thats up significantly from 201416 when the U.N.s Food and Agriculture Organization reported that just 6 percent of the population faced moderate or severe food insecurity. The turn to organic farming was motivated by concerns with the natural environment and would supposedly make things better. Yet organic farming is no panacea. Manure is a source of greenhouse gases. It can also contribute to heavy metal pollution. Of course, concerns over chemical fertilizers are far from baseless. When used indiscriminately for long periods, those agrochemicals can denude the soil of symbiotic microorganisms. That, in turn, can increase farmers dependence on chemical fertilizers, creating a vicious cycle. The wisest course of action is to combine organic and chemical fertilizers, protecting the soil while maintaining crop productivity. Such a strategy also lets farmers tailor their approach to particular crops, which can have very specific nutrient demands. While adding compost can enhance soil texture and replenish vital micronutrients, it isnt enough to meet the fertilizer requirements of high-yield rice varietiesthe cornerstones of Sri Lankas agricultural sector. A Sri Lankan farmer works in a paddy field on the outskirts of Colombo on Jan. 9, 2016. (Lakruwan Wanniarachchi/AFP via Getty Images) It boils down to basic science. Compost is just 2 percent nitrogen, while a common, low-cost nitrogen fertilizer, urea, is about 46 percent nitrogen. Pesticides, another target of the ban, can also be environmentally harmful when overused or misapplied. Many Sri Lankan farmers do, in fact, use pesticides excessively; theyre an easy means of eliminating vermin and a path to greater profits. Yet instead of promoting integrated pest management or other proven tactics to curb pesticide use, the state made things more baffling for farmers. The countrys Department of Agriculture was decentralized, and provincial governments came to exercise greater influence. (Many of my colleagues and I want these changes reversed.) Government agencies, private pesticide companies, leading farmers, and nongovernmental organizations bombarded Sri Lankan farmers with conflicting messages. That made it hard for them to know what to do. Even today, after the lifting of the agrochemical ban, farmers cant easily get their hands on pesticides. Bungled Execution by Government When the agrochemical ban came into effect, Sri Lankas Ministry of Agriculture encouraged farmers to use organic manure. Yet an island-wide program to produce organic manure soon ran up against a harsh reality: The country cant generate enough manure to fertilize the roughly 500,000 hectares of land earmarked for cultivation during Maha. In addition, no one taught the farmers, who were accustomed to chemical fertilizers, how to apply organic manure. Huge amounts of water were wasted, too. Rice yields fell approximately 40 percent. Tea farms and flower farms also suffered greatly. In addition to jeopardizing food security and the countrys economic independence, that drop cost rural farmers a lot of money. The total losses caused by the agrochemical ban are still a mystery. Now, Sri Lankans must eat rice from China and India. Theres a bitter irony here: That foreign rice could very well have been produced with vast quantities of poisonous pesticides! Just as with the cost of the agrochemical ban, we simply dont know what the impacts will be. A laborer pulls a cartload of imported rice at a wholesale market in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on June 26, 2022. Sri Lankans have endured months of shortages of food, fuel, and other necessities due to the countrys dwindling foreign exchange reserves and mounting debt, worsened by the pandemic and other longer-term troubles. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena) Worries about agricultural goods from China have become a theme in Sri Lanka. In late 2021, a government agreement to secure seaweed-based organic manure from a Chinese company went south after scientists from the University of Peradeniya, along with the National Plant Quarantine Service of the Department of Agriculture, detected harmful microorganisms in an early batch. The government refused to accept the consignment from a Panamanian ship, the Hippo Spirit. The Hippo Spirit then refused to leave Sri Lankan waters for weeks. Sri Lanka ultimately paid $6.7 million for the toxic cargo. The government also lost a lot of money after it imported massive quantities of Nano Raja, an artificial compound manufactured in India. Farmers found that Nano Raja was ineffective on crops and attractive to unwanted large animals, such as wild boars. Sri Lanka has pieced together a few harvests through urea imports and similar moves. Yet, as the U.N.s food security numbers show, its still on the brink. A Sri Lankan flag is waved by a protester demanding elected president Ranil Wickremesinghe step down in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on July 20, 2022. Sri Lankas prime minister was elected president Wednesday by lawmakers who opted for a seasoned, veteran leader to lead the country out of economic collapse, despite widespread public opposition. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool) I believe my country needs something like Indias Planning Commissiona body of experts from various universities, institutes, and other organizations capable of advising the government on national policy. That would be much better than an expert class that serves as henchmen for influential politicians. Perhaps Sri Lanka isnt alone in that problem. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Rohan Rajapakse Follow Prof. Rohan Rajapakse is an Emeritus Professor of Agricultural Biology at the University of Ruhuna and former Executive Director of the Sri Lanka Council for Agricultural Research Policy. Keya Morgan, the former manager of the late comic book legend Stan Lee, appears in a Los Angeles court in Los Angeles on June 5, 2019. (Damian Dovarganes/Pool via Reuters) Stan Lees Former Business Manager Cleared of Theft Charges A Los Angeles judge cleared the former business manager of the late Marvel Comics creator Stan Lee of grand theft charges on Tuesday, ending a four-year criminal case that emerged in the final year of Lees life. Superior Court Judge George Lomeli dismissed three felony counts against Keya Morgan, 41, after a jury had voted 111 in favor of acquittal. The judge dropped the charges in the interests of justice, Variety reported from the courthouse. Prosecutors alleged Morgan had stolen $222,480 in cash raised by the sale of Lee memorabilia in 2018 in the months before Lee died at age 95. Additional charges including elder abuse had been dropped before the trial. My clients exoneration today came after four years of baseless accusations by the L.A. District Attorney, defense lawyer Alex Kessel said in a statement to Reuters. Evidence at trial showed the money had gone to a member of Lees family, Kessel said. Representatives of the District Attorneys Office could not reached after hours for comment. Lees career took off in the 1960s as co-creator of Spider-Man, Iron Man, The Hulk, and dozens of other Marvel superheroes. His personal fortune soared in the past 20 years with the explosion of Hollywood movie versions of his comic book characters, with Lee making cameo appearances in many of the blockbusters. Stewart Rhodes Post-Jan. 6 Message to Trump Ended Up at FBI WASHINGTONA military veteran testified at the Oath Keepers trial on Nov. 2 that he attempted to get a message from Stewart Rhodes to then-president Donald Trump after Jan. 6, 2021, but changed his mind. Jason Alpers currently owns a software development company and served over six years in psychological operations in the military. A former colleague with whom he was working in January 2021 at a security company called Allied Special Operations Group told him that Rhodes wanted to meet him. Alpers told the court that he had indirect connections with President Donald Trump at that time. Alpers agreed to meet with Rhodes on Jan. 10, 2021, in the parking lot at Frys, an electronics store. He intended to deliver Rhodes message to Trumps intermediaries. However, he brought a tape recorder to record the meeting secretly. I was using it for my own protection, he said. At the meeting, Alpers told Rhodes that Trump would not invoke the Insurrection Act. Rhodes responded that if Trump does not act, It [Trumps family] might be in prisoncould be raped and shanked in prisonbut theyll still wind up dead. Thats the reality. And not just them, its all of us too. Most people dont have a clue what war is like, Alpers told Rhodes. Ive been to war multiple times. He continued, I can tell you right now I dont wish civil war upon anyone. Rhodes told him that war was going to come anyway. After the conversation, Alpers gave his phone to Rhodes to type a message for Trump (pdf). In the message, Rhodes urged Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act, called the incoming Biden administration illegitimate, and warned that Trumps family would be persecuted if he handed the presidency to Joe Biden. Alpers told David Fischer, a defense lawyer, that he previously used the tape recording device. Fischer questioned how Alpers trusted handing his phone to Rhodes to write the message since it was the first time they had met. I wanted to make sure the message was clear and accurate since a lot of things were going on around us, Alpers said. Alpers testified he chose not to share the message with his alleged Trump intermediary because he thought the message was not very objective, and doing so would imply that he agreed with it, which he did not. During cross-examination with defense attorney Philip Linder, Alpers said he turned the taped conversation over to the FBI months after the meeting with Rhodes happened because he didnt want to get involved. What prompted you to get involved? Linder asked, but the government objected to the question. The judge sustained the objection, and Alpers didnt answer the question. Linder questioned if he had read Rhodes open letters to Trump on the internet, saying that the message Rhodes wrote in Alpers notes for Trump was very similar to the letters. Alpers denied ever reading the letters. Alpers denied that anyone instructed him to secretly tape the meeting with Rhodes or have him write a message on his phone. He also denied working for any federal agency and said the indirect connection to Trump wasnt from an intelligence agency. Rhodes, Kelly Meggs, Kenneth Harrelson, Jessica Watkins, and Thomas Caldwell have been charged with seditious conspiracy, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, aiding and abetting, conspiracy to prevent an officer from carrying out any duties, destruction of government property, civil disorder, and tampering with documents. EXCLUSIVE: Suspect in Pelosi Attack Embraced Left- and Right-Wing Conspiracy Theories, Ex-Girlfriends Lawyer Says David DePape, the suspect in the hammer attack on Paul Pelosi, has embraced left-wing and right-wing conspiracy theories, according to the lawyer who has been in touch with DePapes former girlfriend. The former girlfriend, Oxane Gypsy Taub, is herself in a womens prison for 20 crimes involving a teen boy. Taubs attorney, Christopher Dobbins, told The Epoch Times on Nov. 2 that based on his conversations with Taub the theories about DePape being a right-wing extremist seem to be off base. Dobbins thinks DePape tends to believe conspiracy theories in general, whether theyre left-wing or right-wing. Hes all over the place, Dobbins said. Dobbins said he has heard from Taub by phone frequently since news broke that DePape, 42, was arrested in the Oct. 28 breach of the Pelosi mansion in San Francisco. She has expressed a lot of concern for DePape, Dobbins said. Taub has been trying to raise funds for DePapes defense, Dobbins said. Oxane Gypsy Taub, 53, ex-girlfriend of hammer attack suspect David DePape, is shown in a mugshot dated Dec. 15, 2021. (Courtesy California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation) Statements from Dobbins and a neighbor shed new light on DePapes unorthodox lifestyle, his apparent homelessness, and his thought processes. Even though hes probably Public Enemy No. 1 right now, and DePape and Taub have apparently been estranged for a while, Taub still cares for her ex, Dobbins said. She thinks hes deeply troubled and has serious mental issues, Dobbins said. The two have known each other for many years and both were pictured in San Francisco newspapers in 2013 when they were protesting city ordinances banning public nudity. Taub asked Dobbins to defend DePape; Dobbins said he declined the offer, choosing to steer away from a potential conflict of interest involving his representation of Taub. Lawyer Contests Fixated Claim DePape is the father of two of Taubs three children. A daughter, fathered by another man, is grown; two boys, in their late teens or early adulthood, have been living alone at their mothers property during her legal troubles, Dobbins said. Now 53, Taub is imprisoned near Los Angeles for offenses involving a teen boy, prosecutors said in a news release when a jury convicted her in August 2021. Dobbins points out that his client testified in her own defense, and she still asserts that she is innocent. She testified that her actions toward the boy were misinterpreted. The teen was a schoolmate of one of her sons, and Taub was convinced the boy was being abused, Dobbins said. She believed she was being helpful to him, as she was repeatedly contacting him after being told to stop, Dobbins said. But she never touched him, he declared. Prosecutors, however, said Taub became fixated on a 14-year-old boy in 2018, and committed the offenses. That was how the Alameda County District Attorneys Office put it in a news release. Prosecutors issued the release in August 2021 after a jury found Taub guilty of four feloniesattempted child abduction, stalking, and two counts of dissuading a witnessplus 16 misdemeanors: a count of molestation and 15 violations of court orders to stay away from the boy. Over the course of 14 months, she sent him numerous obsessive emails, created blogs directed at him, used his friends to send him messages, and eventually tried to abduct him a few blocks from his school in Berkeley, the release said. While the case was pending, Taub also tried to dissuade the victim from testifying. DePape Lived in School Bus Dobbins, who was a schoolteacher before he became an attorney 14 years ago, said Taub is one of the most interesting, unusual clients he has ever encountered. He described her as a free spirit and a well-intentioned idealist who can be misunderstood. She is a kind of out-there person, kind of pushing the envelope, he said, acknowledging that her nudist, bohemian lifestyle irritates her neighbors; he said he had visited the area several times. David DePapes former house, camper van, and yellow school bus that belong to his former girlfriend, Oxane Taub, in Berkeley, Calif., on Oct. 30, 2022 (Lear Zhou/The Epoch Times). Ryan La Coste, who resides near the house where Taub lived in the 1500 block of Woolsey St., Berkeley, Calif., told The Epoch Times that he only saw DePape in passing, but he believes DePape sometimes lived in a yellow school bus that is parked at the property. Authorities have said they believe DePape mostly was living in a garage on Shasta Street in Richmond, Calif., for the past two years. La Coste said DePape sporadically showed up in the Berkeley neighborhood even after Taub was incarcerated. La Coste believes he most recently saw DePape staying in the bus a couple of months ago. La Coste has lived in the neighborhood for five or six years. Right after he moved in, the problems started immediately at Taubs house, he said. Children was setting fires out here. They were dressed in like snorkeling gear and swim trunks, setting fires and smoke was coming into my house, he said. So I was like, trying to go tell their mother, not knowing who she was. Ryan La Coste, neighbor directly behind David DePapes former house currently belonging to his former girlfriend Oxane Taub at 1526 Woolsey Street in Berkeley, Calif., on Oct. 30, 2022. (Lear Zhou/The Epoch Times). Later that evening, he got a call that was super-weird, he said. They said I threatened to kill her childrenand it just got worse and worse from thereit was just kind of like a constant flow of bugging me and disturbing me and trying to pick fights with me. That stopped only after Taub was locked up on the charges involving the young boy. She is eligible for parole in January, court records show. La Coste described DePape and a parade of other characters coming and going at Taubs property, almost like a hippie collective. Theyve had people camping right here, trying to sell me drugs over the fence, he said, And, you know, theyre active nudists; theyre plastered all over the internet. Even Taubs sons have been known to be just standing there, naked, La Coste said, even in front of his 13-year-old niece. Psychedelic Experiences? La Coste also said he found it strange that Taub was enamored of a psychoactive substance called ibogainewhich she would go to Mexico to obtain and then frequently offered to others, including him. Ibogaine is found in the African rainforest shrub known as Tabernanthe Iboga. It is unlicensed but used in the treatment of drug and alcohol addiction, according to a 2016 report in the National Library of Medicine. However, reports of ibogaines toxicity are cause for concern. Asked to respond to La Costes statements about ibogaine, Dobbins acknowledged that his client testified about the drug during her trial last year, and acknowledged that she tried to offer it to the young man she was hanging around. A modified pride flag with cannabis leaves at the front entrance of David DePapes former house currently belonging to his former girlfriend, Oxane Taub, in Berkeley, Calif., on Oct. 30, 2022 (Lear Zhou/The Epoch Times). Taub mistakenly believed that Alameda County Superior Court Judge Mark McCannon and jurors would understand that healing was her big thing, Dobbins said, and she believes ibogaine is supposed to be mind-healing. Dobbins thinks her testimony backfired. Dobbins said Taub is a native of Moscow, Russia, and she believed in having her day in court in America, so she turned down a plea deal and a very short prison term. She was sentenced to more than six years in prison but is able to get out early under California laws that give credit for discipline-free behavior. Dobbins knew nothing about a business filed in 2019 under Taubs name, called Life on the Street Support Services Inc., but he said it fit with his understanding of her desire to assist others. La Coste said Taub and the people who hang around her house are hard to figure out. While they profess to be all loving and everything, a surprising amount of anger comes out of the house. They put up flags and signs supporting various groups and causes, yet, La Coste said, theyll turn around and be extremely rude to their neighbors. David Lam contributed to this report. The Bureaucratic Erasure of Culture, Identity, and Freedom Commentary Exploring the roadways of California yields scenery evoking two distinct worlds. On the big freeways, surrounding every major interchange, the 21st century asserts itself in an agglomeration of concrete and glass boxes surrounded by lakes of asphalt, each festooned with a recognizable corporate logo. Food. Fuel. Lodging. The corporate power they represent is reflected in their generic interchangeability. We have taken over the world. We are everywhere. And they are. From California to the Carolinas, its the same fast food, the same gasoline, and the same motel chains. You cant tell them apart. If you get off the main highways, a different world still exists, but its fading fast. Along Highway 50, which connects Sacramento to the South Shore of Lake Tahoe, there are several examples that take us back to the middle of the 20th century, before the only sources of roadside food, fuel and lodging were franchised cutouts backed by multinational corporations. On the eastbound ascent, just above the snow line, one of these relics sits, surrounded by a chain link fence. Struggling for years against an economic deck stacked against it, COVID-19 restrictions administered the coup de grace. But there it stands, a spacious log cabin-style lodge with steep Swiss roofs and windowed gables. Moldering in the rain and freezing in the snow, its worth more dead than alive. Across the highway, a few miles downhill but still in the High Sierra, a roadhouse stands abandoned. Thick wood framing, a peaked roof, a stone chimney, and a decrepit neon sign define this relic from the past century. Imagine this place in its heyday, with a fire roaring in the hearth, drinks being poured, glasses clinking, and the hubbub of exhilarated travelers filling the bar. Imagine the lodge across the street, the same scene, with someone playing the piano in the lobby, while families lounge or play board games with their children beneath the vaulted timber ceiling. Its all gone now. The only thing that these beautiful ruins offer are the real estate theyre sitting on and the liquor licenses that will pass to the new owners. To build a new restaurant in California today, much less build a motel, it isnt enough to buy some land and know how to design a building, work with construction contractors, and run a business. That hard work and skill used to be all that mattered, and it mattered a lot. People with a good work ethic and sufficient determination could do what was, and still is, honest hard work, and within a few months or a few years, depending on the scale of their project, they would be the proprietors of a restaurant or a resort hotel. No more. The skills required today favor the snakes and the cynics, the filthy rich and the implacably bureaucratic. Honesty is for suckers. How else does one tolerate the nearly infinite ecosystem of federal, state, regional, and local agencies, all with the power to stop your project in its tracks? How else does one navigate the endless litigation and the overlapping regulations that often conflict with each other depending on which agency theyre coming from and that change all the time? How else does one cope when yet another lawsuit or rule change requires an entirely new set of designs and the need to resubmit them to every agency and start all over again? Instead of a restaurant thats been in one family for a century, with a fire in the hearth and drinks poured by hand, we have corporate franchises with menus and interior atmospheres curated by behavioral scientists and drinks measured out by a machine. Instead of a lodge that was built when the road first went through, with all the flaws, funk, and authenticity that independent, multigenerational ownership accretes, we have a concrete tilt-up monstrosity so big that you can get lost in the corridors trying to find the exit, with a phony exterior facade of alpine gingerbread and an ostentatious grand piano in the lobby thats safely locked so nobody can play it. One of the ironies of our time is that the traditional role of government, funding practical infrastructure projects, is now conflated with government at its most wasteful, funding utterly impractical renewables infrastructure or exercising eminent domain to expropriate private homes in order to subsidize stadiums and transit villages. Worse yet, the concept of practical infrastructure enabling more affordable market housing and more financially viable small businesses is utterly lost. But how else, unless you have at least partially socialized the initial construction costs for energy, transportation, and water infrastructure, can you expect the smaller, independent private economic players to compete? Against that prohibitive backdropand even more to the pointhow can anyone expect small businesses to succeed, particularly if theyre doing anything that requires construction or serving food, when there are dozens of agencies that must be coddled and thousands of regulations that must be complied with because every one of them, often just on a whim, can fatally derail your business? These twin impediments to small businessthe lack of practical infrastructure, which lowers the cost of doing business, and a punitive regulatory environmenthave precisely the opposite effect on big businesses. Multinational corporations thrive in the presence of high input costs and excessive regulations because they have the market share and the balance sheet to withstand anything the government throws at them. Who needs enabling infrastructure to make energy and water affordable? Big businesses just pass costs on to their customers. Who cares about overregulation? That will kill the small players and let big players mop up the rest of the market. Californias ruling class tolerates a parasitic government because that parasitic government empowers oligopolies. If the government goes too far, big corporations have the power to sue the government. How many smaller players, mavericks with a paltry million or two to burn or have lost everything when they tried to take on the Army Corps of Engineers, the California Fish and Wildlife Service, the Coastal Commission, or any others among a host of agencies fueled by an inexhaustible cascade of taxpayer dollars? Enough to provide cautionary tales aplenty. A practical government in California that was committed to serving ordinary citizens would not only deregulate and consolidate oversight agencies; it would also fast-track permitting for nuclear and natural gas development, fund water supply infrastructure, and upgrade the roads. Doing this lowers the cost of housing and empowers small businesses to compete. This understanding is usually lost even among those who properly criticize government investment in wasteful, impractical, politically contrived, and unnecessary infrastructure. We cant bring back the past century, nor should that be anyones goal. But we can make it easier for small entrepreneurs to resurrect and restore the resorts and roadhouses that would otherwise face demolition. We can make it easier for small entrepreneurs to construct new refuges for the traveler and the tourist. We can create a policy environment that isnt punitive to the millions of honest dealers who want to create something that consumers want and achieve financial independence by providing it. This decentralized wealth, the product of unshackled creativity, is the engine of culture and identityand diversityand an expression of freedom. We shouldnt turn that over to multinational corporations. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Former President Barack Obama speaks at a campaign event in College Park, Ga., on Oct. 28, 2022, the first of five campaign events on behalf of embattled Democrats in key states, including in Las Vegas, Nev., on Nov. 1. (Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images) Thousands Wait In Line Ahead of Obama Rally for Democratic Candidates in Phoenix PHOENIX, Ariz.Jeff Gustavson of Mesa, Arizona, sees a political wave coming in the Nov. 8 midterm election, but not a red one. And if thousands of Democrats standing in line waiting to hear former President Barack Obama speak at a Nov. 2 rally in Phoenix was any indication, Gustavson was even more confident. I think people have been talking about the red wave for too long. Its going to be a blue wave, Gustavson told The Epoch Times. People realize whats at stake, so people are going to turn out at the polls, said Gustavson, standing near the end of the line, his face lathered in sunscreen. I have my ballot, but I havent filled it out and taken it to the drop box yet. Jeff Gustavson of Mesa, Ariz., wearing sunscreen, stood in line with more than 1,000 people waiting to hear former President Barack Obama speak at a political rally in Phoenix on Nov. 2, 2022. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times) The line stretched for blocks outside Cesar Chaves High School about two hours before Obamas 5 p.m. scheduled arrival in the Grand Canyon State to support Democrat candidates in Arizonas midterm election. Honestly, I feel its important to vote, being a person of color. Its just an added reason to want to hear [Obama]seeing all of us get things done together. Just the voice of the people, Celina Meadows of Phoenix said. Im hopeful [of] just handing things back to people in generalunderstanding systems are people like you and me. As for media polls, Meadows was doubtful. Honestly, I feel like well get there when we get there. Well see once things happen, Meadows told The Epoch Times. Celina Meadows of Phoenix, Ariz., said she hoped former President Barack Obamas visit on Nov. 2 would help put aside divisions in Arizonas midterm election. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times) In the run-up to the election, Democratic voters remained hopeful Obamas visit would help boost Arizona gubernatorial candidate Katie Hobbs, the current secretary of state, and incumbent U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly. A recent Fox10 poll placed Hobbs 11 percentage points behind Trump-endorsed Republican challenger Kari Lake. Kellys Republican opponent, Trump-endorsed Blake Masters, has also been gaining traction in the polls. Democracy is at stake. If Kari Lake gets into officeshe already said she wouldnt consider the fact that she lost. Thats insane, Gustavson told The Epoch Times. Thats straight out of Trumps playbook. If things dont align with how they want it, she will say it was riggedso, yeah. Its the party of repression and getting rid of the Social Security youve paid forall those things. Gustavson, however, said hes encouraged that people arent as easily fooled as some in the media would have us believe. There is a real blue wave coming, and part of it has to do with womens rightsthe fundamental right of women to choose. They have upset a large part of the electorate. Fear Over Ballots Lalique Cervantes, a student at Arizona State University, said she works for a political campaign, and part of her job is canvassing voters. As a Democrat, she said its scary to see such widespread political apathy among voters. Theres a lot of ballot conspiracy. We hear this every day when I canvass. I ask them how they are voting. Democrats are voting early, but theres a lot of fear about what will happen to their ballots, Cervantes said. When we talk to Republicans, theres a big fear that their ballot is not counting because the Democrats took it. So theres a lot of fear in Arizona, Cervantes told The Epoch Times. The commercials are fear-based. I see them every day. Cervantes said she hoped Obama would help calm voters fear, alleviate the polarity among voters, and push people to action. Arizona State University student Lalique Cervantes said theres a lot of fear among voters, both Republican and Democrat, going into the election as she stood in line ahead of a political rally in Phoenix on Nov. 2, 2022. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times) Silvia Benitez of Phoenix said she plans to vote for Democrat candidates and make sure her vote counts. I am very excited about the way the election is going. I hope we have the best government for Arizona that we need to treat families equally and with respect, Benitez said. Like other voters waiting to hear Obama, Benitez said she is concerned about extreme politics in this election. Im kind of nervous about it. I hope we can create more change for Arizona and bring more excitement about public participationespecially for the Latinos so that we will be more united for the best person to meet the needs of all the families. I know its very polarized. Im hopeful we can come together for the best interest of everyone, Benitez said. Military delegates leave the closing session of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, at The Great Hall of the People, in Beijing, on Oct. 22, 2022. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images) Top Level Military Appointments Reveal CCPs Belligerent Intent Toward US, Taiwan: Experts News Analysis Chinas new top military command includes two generals known for their belligerent stance: a cyber war expert who has been sanctioned by the United States and a staunch Xi Jinping ally who planned live-fire exercises near Taiwan in August. Experts say the move signals the regimes preparation to confront Taiwanand by extension, the United Statesby force. Appointees to the Central Military Commission (CMC), which oversees Chinas vast armed forces, were announced on Oct. 23, a day after the conclusion of the 20th congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Xi Jinping will remain as chairman of the seven-person commission, which he has headed since 2012. Zhang Youxia was reappointed as vice chairman, with He Weidong as second vice chairman. Members of the CMC will include Li Shangfu, Liu Zhenli, Miao Hua, and Zhang Shengmin. The appointments of the CMCs two vice chairmenZhang Youxia and He Weidongboth represented a break from CCP tradition. Zhang, 72, was re-appointed despite having reached the CCPs unofficial retirement. He, who will serve as second vice-chairman under Zhang, is a relative outsider whose rapid rise has generated public attention and concern. U.S.-based China affairs analyst Tang Jingyuan feels Hes appointment is particularly surprising. He was not a delegate to the 20th party congress, not even an alternate member of the central committee before that, but he climbed rapidly to be a member of the politburo and took the position of vice chairman of the Central Military Commission. This kind of quick upgrading is extremely rare in the political and military circles of the Communist Party, Tang told The Epoch Times on Oct. 27. Zhang: Loyalty, Continuity Zhang Youxia is a rare exception to the seven up, eight down rule. The convention, which has been held almost universally since 2002Xi himself being a notable exceptiondictates that if a candidate is 67 at the time of the party congress, he may remain or advance in the ranks. If he is 68 or older, he may expect to retire. In contrast, Li Keqiang, 67, was recently removed as premier of the state council, although he has not reached retirement age. The former premier was known to disagree with Xis policies. Zhangs re-appointment provides continuity and highlights his position as a close Xi friend and ally. The only reason Zhang can be retained is that he is a staunch supporter of Xi and has experience in the field, Tang said. Zhang is a veteran of the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese War. He is one of the few Chinese generals today with war experience. The new list of military and diplomatic personnel arranged by Xi reveals the message of full-scale anti-Americanism, full confrontation, and war preparations, Tang stressed. Tourists look on as a Chinese military helicopter flies past Pingtan island, one of mainland Chinas closest points from Taiwan, in Fujian province, on Aug. 4, 2022. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images) He Weidongs Rise Seen as Preparation for War He Weidong, 65, is a career military officer. Prior to his appointment he had not served on the Central Committee and wasnt named as a delegate to the 20th CCP congress. His rapid rise has generated attention and public concern. It is speculated that one of the reasons for the generals rapid promotion is his background in Fujian, his native province. His appointment makes sense given that the CCP has Taiwan in its sights. Fujian is significant to Taiwan because of its close proximity to the nation and its similar culture. The southern Fujian ethnic group accounts for 73.5 percent of Taiwans population. The general has a connection to Xi, as well, through his service in the former 31st group army in Fujian in the late 1990s, during Xis time as governor of the province. From 2019 to early 2022, He was in command of the Eastern Theater, responsible for overseeing Chinese troops closest to Taiwan. He is thought to have been the main planner of massive live-fire military exercises against Taiwan in August. According to Tang, He oversees the Joint Operations Command Center, which is responsible for the war effort. The organization would become the center from which Xis military and political power would operate during a war there. Once war breaks out in the Taiwan Strait, He Weidong will basically become the de facto number two in the Communist Partys wartime state, Tang said. A military analyst, who goes simply by Mark, told The Epoch Times on Oct. 26 that Xi intends to achieve so-called unification with Taiwan as soon as possible, so he may not hesitate to go to war with the United States and Japan. From the results of the 20th party congress, Xis selection criteria [is] absolute loyalty to him. Xi especially trusted officials in Fujian and Zhejiang, where he had been in charge, said Mark, adding, He Weidong served most of his military career in Fujians 31st Group Army. According to Mark, the former 31st Group Armynow the 73rd Group Army, after a 2017 restructuringwould be on the front line in a conflict against Taiwan. It has carried out missions to shell Taiwans Kinmen and Matsu Islands and has often conducted landing operations drills. He Weidong has been in the army in Fujian for many years and is familiar with the situation in the Taiwan Strait and amphibious operations, which is probably why he planned the military exercises around Taiwan, said Mark. Mark believes that after Xis reelection the Chinese leader will need to stabilize the situation for a short period of time, and will continue to purge dissidents from the party on a large scale. Therefore it is doubtful that he will invade Taiwan immediately. However, in line with Xis long-term goal of so-called unification with Taiwan, he will probably continue building up Chinas armaments and enhancing its amphibious warfare capabilities, Mark said, even if the Chinese economy continues to decline. US-Sanctioned General May Be Chinas Next Defense Minister Zhang protege Li Shangfu was also promoted to the commission. Formerly the commander of Chinas manned space program, in 2016 Li became deputy commander of the Chinese armys Strategic Support Force, responsible for cyberspace warfare. In 2017 he became director of the Equipment Development Department of the Central Military Commission. An aerospace engineer, his experience with electronic, cyber, and space warfare makes him a likely successor to Wei Fenghe as minister of defense. In September 2018, the United States imposed sanctions on Li for allegedly importing weapons from Russia, in violation of the Countering Americas Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, making Li the first Chinese communist general to be sanctioned by the U.S. and barred from entering the United States. Tang believes that Xis appointment of Li is significant: first, he has ties to Russia as an arms dealer; second, he is the only Chinese general sanctioned by the United States. Lis promotion will antagonize the United States, Tang said. Mark agreed, calling Li a man who is particularly prickly to the U.S. Placing Li in the line-up as expected defense minister, he said, makes it clear that Xi does not care and does not want to mitigate military tensions with the U.S. By appointing a general whom the United States has sanctioned, Xi is sending a message that the U.S. will either put up with it or withdraw the sanctions, Mark added Such an arrangement would show that Xi does not want to communicate with the United States. Ellen Wan contributed to this report. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responds to a question from the opposition during Question Period in Ottawa on Nov. 2, 2022. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press) Trudeau Headed to Southeast Asia, Tunisia, Leaving No Time for Climate Conference Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is headed to Southeast Asia and North Africa this month, but he wont be attending a major climate-change conference. The Prime Ministers Office says Trudeau will attend the Association of South East Asian Nations summit on Nov. 12 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, before heading to the G20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia. Hell then attend an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, before flying to Tunisia for the Francophonie summit on the island of Djerba. That leaves no time for Trudeau to attend this years UN Climate Change Conference, known as COP27, in Egypt. Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault will be the one leading the Canadian delegation to that summit instead. Such UN conferences only have a leaders meeting every five years, and one isnt scheduled for this year, but U.S. President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak are expected to attend. Canada will also host the UN Biodiversity Conference, which is known as COP15, in Montreal next month. Trudeaus visit to the four countries in just nine days will focus on shoring up support for trade and the rules-based international order. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responds to a question from the opposition during Question Period in Ottawa on Nov. 2, 2022. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press) Trudeau Says Canadians Have to Intervene Somehow in Haiti, Convenes Incident Group Haitis ambassador to Canada faced stiff questioning Wednesday over his countrys controversial request for a foreign military intervention, as the Liberals argue Ottawa must respond to a cascade of humanitarian crises. The violence orchestrated by armed gangs is blocking the country and plunging millions of Haitians into an acute humanitarian crisis, ambassador Wien-Weibert Arthus told the House foreign-affairs committee in French. It is a desperate situation for which there must be a solution. Rampaging gangs have cut off access to Haitis primary fuel terminal, leading to power outages and unclean water that has worsened a cholera outbreak. Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry has called for a foreign military intervention to restore order. Henrys government has been in charge since the assassination of former president Jovenel Moise in July 2021, and has argued that the country cannot have an election during instability from COVID-19 outbreaks and now widespread organized crime. Arthus noted children have been out of school since June, and urged Canada to help not only stabilize the country but provide aid for infrastructure, to stop a cycle of poverty. He said his country has barely recovered from the 2010 earthquake, but putting Haitians to work could avoid future instability. Liberal MP Emmanuel Dubourg challenged Arthus on rampant government corruption in Haiti, and asked whether the request for foreign intervention amounts to an admission of failure. Umm, next question, Arthus responded in French. In the soul of any Haitian, a foreign force is never welcome in the country, he said at another point in his testimony. Dubourg, a Montreal MP who immigrated from Haiti, also asked whether Canada needs to hold accountable elements of Haitis current government that are contributing to the corruption and impunity for violence. Each person who finances gangs must be sanctioned, Arthus said in French, noting he has lost some of his own relatives to violence. Dubourg also argued there is no credible plan for getting Haiti out of its crises, and Arthus acknowledged a lack of political consensus in Haiti but said there is widespread support for Canada to help. Im not a dreamer but I keep hope that we will end up finding an agreement between Haitians, he said in French. Bloc Quebecois MP Stephane Bergeron said in French that many in the Haitian diaspora have concerns about Canada working with a government whose legitimacy is highly questioned and barely controls its own territory. Arthus responded that Henry has addressed international bodies and leaders such as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Earlier Wednesday, Trudeau told reporters hes aware that many Haitians are uncomfortable with a foreign military intervention. At the same time, we look at the crisis, rapes, the violence, the poverty and the cholera and health crisis. And then we say to ourselves, we have to intervene in one way or another, he told reporters in French. Trudeau also convened a meeting Wednesday of cabinet ministers known as the Incident Response Group, which meets only when something has major implications for Canada, to discuss Haiti. The group had a similar meeting two weeks ago. Since then, Canada dispatched a team to assess the beleaguered Caribbean nation, and it has returned and briefed senior officials in Ottawa. On Monday, Canadas ambassador to Haiti said Canada will be expected to take a leading role in assisting the country, as its among the most respected nations in Port-au-Prince. Canada and the U.S. have already sent armoured vehicles to Haiti. Last week, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken visited Ottawa and Montreal, and hinted that Canada could play a key role in a military intervention. The United Nations is currently contemplating a motion that would authorize a mission, which has been endorsed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. U.S. officials say the UN resolution is expected to pass by early November, and have mentioned Canada as a candidate to lead such a mission. By Dylan Robertson Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold another meeting as a videoconference with government members on Thursday. November 3, 2022, 10:32 Putin to discuss support of investment at meeting with cabinet members STEPANAKERT, NOVEMBER 3, ARTSAKHPRESS: The Kremlins press service said earlier that the meeting would mainly focus on discussing the instruments supporting investments amid the current conditions. Economic Development Minuster Maksim Reshetnikov will deliver a report. Reshetnikov said at a meeting of the Federation Councils economic policy committee earlier that the ministry expected a decline in investments in the second half of the year. By the end of the year the ministry projects a contraction by around 2%, considering the current situation. The recovery process is expected to start next year, whereas starting 2024 Russias economy is projected to demonstrate growth, according to the minister. Elon Musk on a smartphone placed on printed Twitter logos in an illustration on April 28, 2022. (Dado Ruvic/Reuters) Twitter Faces Uncertain Future as Top Managers Leave and Rumors of Job Cuts Swirl With Elon Musk taking over Twitter, top managers of the company are reportedly exiting the firm, and there are rumors of large layoffs. Sarah Personette, the chief customer officer of Twitter, for example, resigned from her post on Oct. 28. Her work access was officially cut off on Oct. 31. Nick Caldwell, general manager for core technologies, announced his exit on Oct. 30. Dalana Brand, Twitters chief people and diversity officer, resigned from her post on Friday after 4 amazing years at the company, she wrote in a tweet on Nov. 1. The exits follow Musk firing CEO Parag Agarwal, CFO Ned Segal, and senior legal staffers Sean Edgett and Vijaya Gadde after the takeover. According to a Bloomberg report, Musk plans to eliminate around 3,700 jobs at the company. At the end of 2021, the companys total workforce stood at 7,500. However, there is no official word about the layoffs. Musk had earlier denied rumors that he plans on laying off 75 percent of the workforce. Slimming down the employee count at Twitter has the backing of Changpeng Zhao, the chief executive and founder of cryptocurrency exchange Binance, which has invested $500 million in Twitter. Speaking at the annual Web Summit in Portugal, he said that Twitter has been quite slow in rolling out new features, according to The Guardian. Very simple things [havent] been really implemented very quickly, given the large workforce, he said, referring to features like the edit button. So, a slimmer workforce would make more sense. Though Zhao admitted that he did not know what Musks plans were for layoffs, he expressed trust that the SpaceX founder will do the right thing for the organization. The Epoch Times has reached out to Twitter. Subscription, Free Speech Musk is also planning to charge $8 a month for the platforms blue checkmark, with the price being adjusted according to a countrys purchasing-power parity, he noted in a tweet on Nov. 1. Those who subscribe will also get priority in replies, mentions, and searches, which he says is essential to defeat spam/scam. In addition, subscribers will be exposed to half as many ads and will get the ability to post long videos and audio. A paywall bypass for publishers will also be implemented, provided they are willing to work with us. These measures will give Twitter a revenue stream to reward content creators, Musk added. Meanwhile, some top advertisers are reportedly advising clients to put a temporary hold on their ad campaigns on Twitter until the company provides more information about ensuring trust and safety on the platform. Back in May, media reports suggested that George Soros, staffers of the Clinton and Obama administrations, and European governments were backing a campaign that urges corporations to boycott Twitter following Musks takeover. In a message posted to Twitter on Oct. 27, Musk stated that the reason he acquired the social media platform is to ensure that people have a common digital town square. There is currently great danger that social media will splinter into far right-wing and far left-wing echo chambers that generate more hate and divide our society, he said. Undated photo showing the New Scotland Yard sign outside the Metropolitan Police headquarters in London. (Kirsty OConnor/PA Media) UK Counter Terrorism Police Assessing Chinese Police Outposts in London Counter-terrorism police officers are looking into a report that revealed unofficial Chinese police outposts in London, the Metropolitan police confirmed on Wednesday. Experts told The Epoch Times that the specialist division is involved because its responsible for dealing with cases in relation to state security and it works closely with the UKs security services, particularly the MI5. In an email to The Epoch Times on Wednesday, A Met Police spokesperson said: Were aware of a recent report by an NGO alleging the presence of Chinese overseas police service stations in various countries, including two here in London. Officers from our Counter Terrorism Command are assessing this matter to establish whether there is any potential unlawful activity that may require further investigation. It comes after Police Scotland said their officers were reviewing the matter in conjunction with local and national partners regarding one such station in Glasgow. Tom Tugendhat during the Conservative Party annual conference at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham, England, on Oct. 3, 2022. (Jacob King/PA Media) Home Office minister Tom Tugendhat also told MPs on Tuesday that both the police and the government are assessing the report. The Irish and Dutch governments have ordered the closure of the stations. Chinese officials denied the stations in the two countries are police stations, saying they were set up to help Chinese citizens renew documents. Service Stations The NGO report, published by Safeguard Defenders on Sept. 13, unveiled dozens of Chinese overseas police service stations around the world, including two in London and one in Glasgow. The phone number for the Glasgow station is coupled with an address belonging to a Chinese restaurant while the London stations shared addresses with a Croydon food delivery place and a Hendon estate agent. The unofficial service stations purport to be providing assistance to Chinese citizens who need to renew their drivers licenses and report criminality such as fraud by Chinese in China and overseas. Safeguard Defenders said the pilot programme, operated by a regional Chinese police bureau, was set up after the launch of a massive nationwide campaign to combat the growing issue of fraud and telecommunication fraud by Chinese nationals living abroad in 2018. Authorities of the communist regime claimed that 230,000 Chinese nationals had been persuaded to return to face criminal proceedings in China between April 2021 and July 2022. Safeguard defenders highlighted a case in which an individual was reportedly persuaded to return to China from Madrid. A family member in China was present at the video conference persuading the suspect who was wanted for investing in a factory that was said to have violated environmental regulations. Its unclear whether the service stations in the UK were involved in pressuring alleged criminals to return to China or intimidating dissidents. MI5 Likely Leading Investigation David Lowe, former police officer and senior research fellow at Leeds Becketts Law School specialising in terrorism, security, policing, and criminal law, told The Epoch Times that the reason why CTC was involved in investigating the unofficial Chinese police outposts is not so much to counter terrorism, but because the police branch is responsible when there could be a threat to state security, including threats to the safety of UK citizens and foreign citizens in the UK. He also said the CTC is the suitable department to deal with the case thanks to its relationship with MI5. While the security services will investigate reports or intelligence that comes to them, where you then have to look at gathering evidence for arrests and so on, thats when it then goes to the [police] counterterrorism units, he said. A police officer gestures to a journalist not to photograph in Beijing, China, on March 5, 2021. (Nicolas Asfouri/AFP via Getty Images) Security and counter-terrorism specialist Will Geddes told The Epoch Times that its very likely that the security services, in this case, the MI5, are leading the investigation because its responsible for determining who is actually working for state security from China that hasnt been declared. The CTC, on the other hand, will have the capabilities to support the MI5 in surveillance operations, intelligence gathering operations, and so on, he said. Asked what potential crimes the police may be looking for, Lowe said that countries in which these unofficial outposts are located will need to find out whether the agents had been abducting citizens into these premises and then they disappear because there is that concern: Is this another way of catching Chinese dissidents? He said we are in a weird situation because while Beijing is saying the outposts are administrative centers, the international normality is that these administrative tasks are carried out by embassies and consulates. Thats the big question: Why do you want these premises as well? I think thats what the big concern is, he said, adding, theres got to be some nefarious activity going on. Geddes said his speculation is that the unofficial operations would potentially be caught under foreign espionage laws because regardless of whether pieces of information were gathered on alleged criminalities or dissidents, its an intelligence gathering operation for sure. Asked whether it is a violation of British law to persuade individuals to return to China by threatening their family members in China, Lowe said those cases would not be clear-cut. There is certainly a great deal of intimidation here, and the police will need to look at what other threats are being made by a government to that individual, Lowe said, adding, this is a big concern. He later added that British police would also have difficulties interviewing suspects/witnesses and obtaining evidence as information will not be as forthcoming as youd have in most conventional investigations. Online Service Station A number of countries have launched investigations into the so-called overseas 110 service stations, named after the Chinese national police emergency phone number. So far, the Irish and Dutch governments have ordered the Chinese ambassadors to shut the stations. The Chinese Embassy in Dublin didnt respond to The Epoch Times previous request for comment, but according to The Irish Times, the embassy said in a statement that the station had been set up during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide driving licence renewal services and that the services had moved online. The online Overseas 110 website, reportedly launched in June, provides access to document renewal as well as reporting alleged crimes by phone, email, and the Chinese social media app WeChat. Asked whether countries can do anything about information being provided to Chinese police through the online channel, Geddes said there will be some difficulties getting through the network, but theres a good chance locations can be identified if a conversation occurs using Voice over Internet Protocol, and that nefarious activity may potentially be captured under legislation on the misuse of telecommunications. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak leaves 10 Downing Street to attend Prime Minister's Questions at the House of Commons in London on Nov. 2, 2022. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) UK Ditches Former PM Trusss Plan to Relocate Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem Britains new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has abandoned plans by his predecessor to move the UK Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, Downing Street has revealed. Then-Prime Minister Liz Truss had ordered a review into whether the UK should follow the Trump administration in relocating the embassy from Tel Aviv. Asked whether the government is still considering a move, a spokeswoman for the Prime Ministers Office said on Nov. 3: It has been looked at. There are no plans to move the British embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv. Prime Minister Liz Truss meets with Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid at the UN building in New York on Sep. 21, 2022. (PA) Sensitive Issue Since the creation of Israel in 1948, the UK has had its embassy in Tel Aviv, even as Jerusalem has been designated as the official capital. During her campaign to become Conservative Party leader and prime minister, Truss, who was then foreign secretary under Boris Johnson, wrote a letter to the Conservative Friends of Israel, in which she promised to review if the UK should move its embassy to Jerusalem. She wrote in the letter that she understands the importance and sensitivity of the location of the UK Embassy in Israel, and she would review a move to ensure the UK is operating on the strongest footing within Israel. After she became prime minister, Truss told Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly that she was considering moving the UK Embassy to Jerusalem. US Decision While Palestinians seek to claim East Jerusalem as the capital of a state they want to establish in the West Bank, Israel regards the entire city, including the eastern sector it annexed in the 1967 Six-Day War, as its eternal and indivisible capital. Shortly after he arrived in the White House in 2017, President Donald Trump promised to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv. He followed through with that pledge, opening the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem in May 2018. When Trump announced his plan to move the U.S. Embassy, Palestinian general delegate to the UK Manuel Hassassian told the BBC it would be like declaring war on the Middle East but there was muted opposition from Arab states. In September 2020, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain normalised relations with Israel. In October 2020, Sudan normalised relations with Israel, and following that in December 2020, Morocco normalised relations with Israel. Chris Summers and PA Media contributed to this report. Edi Rama, prime minister of Albania, speaks with German Chancellor Scholz during a joint press conference in the Federal Chancellery, in Berlin, on April 11, 2022. (Soeren Stache - Pool/Getty Images) UK Scapegoating Albanians for Its Failure to Curb Illegal Immigration, Nations PM Says Albanias prime minister has accused the UK government of looking for scapegoats to blame for its failed policies on curbing illegal immigration. Edi Rama commented on UK Home Secretary Suella Bravermans choice of language in a debate in the House of Commons this week, in which she said there is an invasion of England by illegal immigrants crossing the English Channel in small boats. Braverman told MPs on Oct. 31 the UK has seen a surge in the number of Albanian arrivals. She also agreed with Tory backbencher Lee Anderson who brought up Albanian criminals and suggested those who dislike UK accommodation can get on a dinghy and go straight back to France. Home Secretary Suella Braverman arrives in Downing Street ahead of the first Cabinet meeting with Rishi Sunak as prime minister, in London, on Oct. 26, 2022. (Victoria Jones/PA Media) Speaking on BBCs Newsnight on Nov. 2, Rama said: I thought it came a point where it was impossible to not react because it was really an embarrassment for our civilisation to hear all kind of crazy words being thrown in the air like normality and invasion was the peak. Its about the climate that has been created, and its about finding scapegoats and blaming others. He said it is very obvious that its not about Albanians or aliens or gangsters, but its about failed policies on borders and on crime. He said the kind of language being used by some UK politicians is fuelling xenophobia and going totally against the great British tradition of integrating the minorities. Unfortunate Asked about Ramas comments, immigration minister Robert Jenrick said: I want to have a constructive and productive relationship with our Albanian friends. But he told Sky News that it is correct that a quarter of people whove come in small boats have come from Albania this year, and that the UKs National Crime Organisation has said a very significant proportion of serious organised crime is emanating from those individuals. Illegal immigrants who crossed the English Channel from France give V signs on UK Border Force boat Valiant as they arrive in the port of Dover, England, on June 14, 2022. (Chris Eades /Getty Images) But climate minister Graham Stuart conceded unfortunate language had been used. He told Sky News that the UK and Albanian governments have been cooperating on the issue, but clearly theres pressure. It can lead to language which is sometimes unfortunate and it is worth putting on record our gratitude to the Albanian government for their cooperation in working to sort this out, he added. Unprecedented Pressure Earlier, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, who met Rama on Nov. 2 to discuss the crisis, wrote on Twitter: We agree that we must break the business model of people smugglers who are putting lives at risk. Downing Street said on Nov. 3 that it is extremely grateful for Albanias cooperation on the illegal immigration crisis. A Number 10 spokeswoman said the UK has a strong working relationship with Albania, which the government wants to continue to build on. She said that Albanian nationals made up to over a third of small boat arrivals this year, with rising crossings putting unprecedented pressure on the UK asylum system. Last week, MPs were told that 12,000 Albanians had arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel so far this year, compared to 50 in 2020. PA Media contributed to this report. Some students paid as much as 40,000 a year despite lessons being cancelled or moved online because of strikes and lockdowns. (Chris Radburn/PA) UK University Students to Take Legal Action Over Lockdown Education That Saw Classes Moved Online Thousands of students are taking legal action against their universities over months of disruption to their education because of lockdowns and staff strike actions. Nearly 20,000 students have joined group claims through the Student Group Claim to take action against universities that charged full fees despite failing to provide them with in-person tuition. The legal team claim that during the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as strike action by university staff from 2018 onwards, universities across the UK breached their contracts with students. Universities cancelled classes, moved them online, and denied or severely restricted physical access to campus facilities like libraries, study spaces, and labs. Solicitors Asserson and Harcus Parker are working together to help the Student Group Claim members claim financial compensation of thousands of pounds each from their universities. They are seeking damages for students to reflect the difference between the market value of the services paid for and the market value of the services provided. When you pay for a service, if you did not receive what you paid for, you deserve compensation. Universities promised students in-person tuition and access to facilities and other services in return for substantial fees, said Shimon Goldwater, a partner at Asserson, in a statement on Saturday. During strike action and the pandemic they failed to provide this but still expected to be paid in full, he added. Students have often taken out substantial loans to pay for a package of education and experiences which they did not receive. Working with Harcus Parker we want to ensure students get fair compensation for the disruption to their academic lives and their ruined university experience, said Goldwater. Letters before claim have already been sent to 18 universities seeking damages on behalf of current and former students at those institutions. These include University College London, LSE, Kings College London, and the Universities of Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Warwick, and Cardiff. UK students pay 9,250 ($10,300) a year for undergraduate courses and more for graduate courses; international students pay up to 40,000 ($44,700) per year. Like any other consumers, they deserved compensation when they received substantially less valuable services than those for which they paid, wrote Student Group Claim, adding that further students are signing up every day. It claimed that universities have thrived financially during the COVID period and can afford to meet their legal obligations and make good their students losses. The legal team said that no other service provider would get away with cancelling a service or replacing it with a lower-value substitute without offering a price reduction. Access to state-of-the-art facilities and world-renowned in-person teaching are decisive factors when choosing a university. However, notwithstanding the significant cancellations and changes made during strikes and the pandemic, often for months on end, universities have largely failed to offer financial compensation to students, it added. The U.N. Security Council meets to discuss the UkraineRussia conflict at U.N. headquarters in New York on Oct. 21,2022. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images) UN Security Council Blocks Russian Calls for Ukraine Biological Weapons Probe And Moscow summons UK ambassador over attack on Black Sea Fleet, no details yet on result of 30-minute meeting Calls by Moscow for a formal inquiry into claims that the United States is running a covert biological weapons program in Ukraine were thwarted at the U.N. Security Council after the United States, the UK, and France all voted against the proposal. In the vote, which took place on Nov. 2, only Russia and China voted in favor of the proposal, while the remaining 10 nonpermanent council members abstained from casting ballots. Speaking shortly afterward, Dmitry Polyansky, Russias deputy U.N. representative, expressed disappointment with the votes outcome. We are extremely disappointed by the fact that the council failed to employ the mechanism of the Convention on Biological and Toxin Weapons, Polyansky was quoted as saying by Russias TASS news agency. The Turbinist Russian navy minesweeper patrols the harbor of Sevastopol, Ukraine, on March 10, 2014. (Viktor Drachev/AFP via Getty Images) The Biological Weapons Convention, which came into force in 1975, prohibits signatories from developing, producing, or using biological and toxin weapons. Irrespective of the result of todays voting, we still have questions for the United States and Ukraine, Polyansky said. [Moscow] will continue making efforts to establish all facts connected with the activities of U.S. biological laboratories in Ukraine. Washington and Kyiv, for their part, have both dismissed the allegation as a conspiracy theory. When the proposal was first tabled last week, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Washingtons envoy to the U.N., described the claims as pure fabrications brought forth without a shred of evidence. Speaking to council members on Oct. 27, she said Moscows accusations were an attempt to distract from the atrocities Russian forces are carrying out in Ukraine and a desperate tactic to justify an unjustifiable war. It wasnt the first time that Russia has made such claims. In March, only weeks after the launch of its special military operation in Ukraine, Moscow accused the United States of using Ukrainian laboratories for the development of biological weapons. At the time, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby described the allegation as classic Russian propaganda, while the U.S. State Department accused Moscow of inventing false pretexts to justify its horrific actions in Ukraine. Yet despite repeated denials by both Kyiv and Washington, Russian President Vladimir Putin has continued to give voice to the claim. At an Oct. 26 meeting of security chiefs from allied nations, Putin described Ukraine as an instrument of U.S. foreign policy and a testing site for military biological experiments. Moscow Summons UK Envoy In a related development, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned UK ambassador Deborah Bronnert on Nov. 3 over claims that British military specialists played a role in an attack last week on Russias Black Sea Fleet. On Oct. 29, Russian naval ships in the Crimean port of Sevastopol, where the Black Sea Fleet is headquartered, came under attack by multiple air and water-borne drones. According to Russian sources, a minesweeping vessel was slightly damaged in the attack. Shortly afterward, the Russian Defense Ministry accused Ukraine of carrying out the attack under the guidance of British specialists. The ministry also claimed that the same unit of British specialists had been responsible for a September attack on a strategic energy pipeline linking gas fields in Russia to Northern Europe. The Kremlins assertions drew spirited denials from officials in London. Were carefully monitoring the situation, but it is right to not be drawn into these sorts of distractions, which are part of the Russian playbook, a spokesman for Rishi Sunak, the UKs newly appointed prime minister, said on Nov. 1. The following day, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters that her ministry planned to summon Bronnert and present her with evidence of British involvement in the attacks. There can be no doubt that British intelligence services were involved in the terrorist attack on the Black Sea Fleet based in Sevastopol and the act of sabotage against the Nord Stream pipeline, Zakharova said. The British ambassador would be furnished with relevant materials pertaining to Moscows claims, which would later be made available to the public at large, she said. On the morning of Nov. 3, Bronnert arrived at the Foreign Ministry building in Moscow, where a small crowd chanted anti-UK slogans and held placards reading Britain is a terrorist state. She reportedly remained inside the Foreign Ministry for approximately 30 minutes before leaving the building. As of the time of writing, there was no immediate statement from either Russian or UK authorities regarding what was discussed at the meeting. Reuters contributed to this report. Why the UAE Is Embracing China and Shunning the US Commentary In September, China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) signed a rather significant memorandum of understanding. This agreement marks the first joint space project between the two countries. China will help the UAE, now one of the most powerful countries in the world, land its first rover on the moon. China and the UAE are growing closer; in fact, relations between the two countries are at an all-time high. However, this tightening embrace has come at the expense of the United States. After House Speaker Nancy Pelosis (D-Calif.) largely unexpected August trip to Taiwan, the UAE was quick to reiterate its support for China. Specifically, in a rather provocative statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Emirates affirmed its support for Chinas sovereignty and territorial integrity, warning that provocative visits threatened the delicate ecosystem of international peace. The statement finished by emphasizing the importance of the One-China principle, a position held by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) that theres only one sovereign state under the name of China and that Taiwanofficially called the Republic of Chinacontrary to popular belief, answers to Beijing. The statement didnt need to mention the United States to be critical of the United States. For the UAE, a country in which 76 percent of the population identifies as Muslim, to throw such weight behind the CCP, a treacherous regime responsible for the suppression of the Uyghurs, a Muslim minority group based in Xinjiang, speaks volumes. It shows us how strong the bond between the UAE and China is. Sadlyfor the United States, at leastthis bond appears to be getting stronger by the day. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, the UAE minister of state for foreign trade, recently announced that the Emirates, which is strategically located between Asia, Europe, and Africa, fully intends to solidify business relations in China. Al Zeyoudi spoke about shared strategic visions and objectives, and a golden era of comprehensive economic relations between the two countries. In the future, he added, both countries are eager to expand and diversify existing economic and commercial enterprises. The minister also mentioned collaboration in fields such as clean energy, infrastructure, and artificial intelligence (AI) research. The AI point is of particular importance largely because artificial intelligence now forms the foundation for all computer learning. From medicine to self-driving vehicles, AI is redefining what it means to be human. The UAE has invested well over $2 billion in AI, while China has invested $17 billion. Thankfully, the United States has invested three times as much as China. General view of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Jan. 3, 2019. (Hamad I Mohammed/File Photo/Reuters) The UAE, a member of Chinas Belt and Road Initiative, is a major recipient of investment from Beijing. Take the Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi, an industrial hub located in the heart of the UAEs capital, Abu Dhabi, for example. A subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Ports, Khalifa is one of the fastest-growing container ports in the world. Since 2019, China has invested well over 3.2 billion yuan ($505 million) in the port-integrated industrial zone. Today, more than 6,000 Chinese companies operate in the Emirates, and more than 300,000 Chinese live there. China is now the UAEs top trading partner. According to its website, Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC), the UAEs largest free-trade zone recently announced a doubling of Chinese companies in its Free Zone. The DMCC now adds an average of more than two Chinese companies a week. The DMCC is currently home to more than 700 Chinese businesses, representing nearly 12% of the Chinese companies in the UAE. Dubai is not just the UAEs primary business hub; its the Middle Easts primary business hub. The United States should be deeply concerned by the close bond between the UAE and China, which, were told by the Chinese regime, is as deep as the ocean and as firm as a rock. Our brotherhood has stood the test of time and is reinvigorated by the day. The once rock-solid friendship between the UAE and the United States, however, is crumbling. In March, much to the embarrassment of the United States, the UAEs Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan, the countrys de-facto leader, refused to take a call with President Joe Biden. A couple of weeks later, to rub salt in the United States gaping wounds, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad arrived in the UAE for the first time since 2011, the year the Syrian civil war began. For well over a decade, Assad has been considered an enemy of the United States. During their terms in office, Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump both were highly critical of the Syrian dictator, and for good reason. The man is a monster. The UAE and China appear to think otherwise, viewing the Syrian in a considerably kindlier light. President Joe Biden (R) and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan (L) attend a bilateral meeting at a hotel in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on July 16, 2022. (Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images) In truth, China isnt just friendly with the UAE and Syria; its friendly with virtually every single country in the Middle East, investing heavily in infrastructure, technology, and security initiatives. The growing alliance between the Middle East and China comes at the very same time as the United States loses its appeal in the region. China is now the largest investor in the Middle East, establishing strategic partnerships with the likes of Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and, of course, the UAE, one of the Middle Easts most dominant powers. Earlier in this short piece, I mentioned the UAE is located in a position of strategic importance. This fact isnt lost on Beijing. The CCP has chosen Khalifa Port, the worlds largest container operator, as the base for all of its Middle Eastern operations. According to Joe Hepworth, the Middle East director for the OCO Global economic development consultancy, countries like the UAE should be viewed as staging points for Chinese operations in both Africa, the fastest growing continent in the world, and the Indian Ocean. Covering more than 70 percent of the earths surface, the Indian Ocean is rich in valuable minerals like manganese, nickel, cobalt, and copper. Moreover, the ocean is now a key player in both the oil and natural gas industries. For those who think Chinas global grip is weakening, the CCPs activities in the Middle East, Africa, and one of the worlds most important oceans in the world should give them cause for reflection. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Wisconsin Court Shoots Down Attempt to Change Rules for Absentee Ballots Before Midterms A Wisconsin judge on Wednesday dealt a blow to a group in the state who hoped to change rules governing absentee ballots, denying their request that local election clerks accept absentee ballots that contain partial addresses of witnesses. Dane County Circuit Judge Juan Colas said in his ruling (pdf) that in the past 56 years that Wisconsin elections have been conducted, and absentee ballots counted, they have apparently been done so without a legally binding definition of the witness address. The judge noted that the nearly 60 years of precedent was enough to determine whether an absentee ballot has enough of a witness address to count. Since then, until the present, clerks have been legally free to interpret the term. They presumably have done so in good faith, in keeping with their oaths of office, and drawing on the non-binding guidance issued by the WEC and its predecessors, and perhaps also on advice from their jurisdictions attorneys, Colas wrote. In short, the legal status quo with respect to the definition of address is the same as it has been for 56 years. Local clerks apply their understanding of the term address to absentee ballot certifications, relying on non-binding advice from state elections authorities and, at least in some cases, advice from their municipal attorneys, Colas continued. Evidence that there is variation in how clerks interpret the term (even evidence of increased variation), does not change the status quo, which is that the law has always left room for local clerks to interpret and apply the term to the ballot envelope before them. According to guidance from the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC), an address is defined as three components: a street number, street name, and municipality. Varying Interpretations of Address Requirement Being Applied In a motion (pdf) filed in court on Oct. 25, Rise Inc, a group that works to get young people to vote, said that new evidence had come to light which showed that clerks across Wisconsin are applying varying interpretations of the absentee ballot witness address requirement, denying the idea that WECs three-component definition is the status quo.' The group has asked that an address requires only enough information to determine the location of the witness. Colas on Wednesday said it was inappropriate to issue an order that changes the status quo. The ruling comes within days of the Nov. 8 midterm elections. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, and Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) are both up for reelection in the battleground state. In a separate case this week, the 1st District Court of Appeals declined to hear an appeal of a ruling from Dane County Circuit Judge Nia Trammell in late October regarding the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin. The League asked that the court declare that a missing address on a mail-in ballot means only that the address field is left entirely blank, and that election officials be allowed to count mail-in ballots with incomplete addresses on them. Trammell rejected the request, arguing that it would upend the status quo and not preserve it and frustrate the electoral process by causing confusion, with just weeks to go until the elections. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Wisconsin Election Official Fired for Allegedly Sending Fake Military Ballots to State Lawmaker An election official in Wisconsins most populous city has been fired after allegedly requesting military absentee ballots and sending them to a state lawmaker, the citys mayor announced on Nov. 3. Kimberly Zapata, deputy director of the Milwaukee Election Commission, was removed, according to Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson. Zapata apparently sought fictitious military ballots from a state elections website and directed the ballots to a state lawmaker, Johnson, a Democrat, told reporters during a press conference. I will not accept, I will not tolerate, and I certainly will not defend any misrepresentation by a city official involved in elections, Johnson said. It does not matter that this might have been an effort to expose a vulnerability that state law created. It does not matter to me that the alleged crime did not take place at work. It does not matter to me that city of Milwaukee ballots were not part of this. Nor does it matter that there was no attempt to vote illegally or tamper with any election results. This has every appearance of being an egregious, blatant violation of trust, and this matter is now in the hands of law enforcement. The Milwaukee County District Attorneys Office says its reviewing election fraud allegations involving Zapata and expects to file charges in the near future. State Rep. Janel Brandtjen announced in October that she received three military ballots at her home. They were delivered by the U.S. Postal Service. Brandtjen said she didnt request the ballots. I believe someone was trying to point out how easy it is to get military ballots in Wisconsin, the lawmaker said at the time. She sent the unopened ballots to the Waukesha County Sheriffs Office. The office said that none of the individuals whose names were on the ballots reside or have resided at Brandtjens home and that an investigation had started. Under state law, military personnel dont have to prove their identity to vote. Zapata told superiors what she had done, according to Milwaukee Election Commission Executive Director Claire Woodall-Vogg. Its my belief that she was pointing out that you can go on to the public system, make up a person, and request a ballot, Woodall-Vogg said. Brandtjen said in a statement on Nov. 3 that we have uncovered massive amounts of election disparities and a statewide Election Commission that has undeniably broken the law on numerous occasions, adding, Its time we do the peoples business, and that includes the media and both parties taking part. The Waukesha County District Attorneys Office told The Epoch Times via email that the matter is now being handled entirely by the Milwaukee County district attorney. Zapata couldnt be reached for comment. Johnson, the mayor, said that Zapatas access to computer systems was deactivated, and she was fired immediately after officials learned she was responsible for the ballots. She has been forthcoming about her actions, and weve got no indication of any other violations of trust. Even so, we are looking into the possibility of other misdeeds. Let there be no doubt about this, that election integrity is absolutely essential, he said. Both our Election Commission executive director and I will make certain Milwaukees election administration is conducted with the very highest level of accuracy as well as trust and honestywithout any hints of impropriety. Xi Jinping and the Pottery Barn Rule Commentary: Peter Parkers (Spiderman) Uncle Ben once said, With great power comes great responsibility. Or, to quote former Secretary of State Colin Powell: You break it, you bought it. This latter saying, usually known as the Pottery Barn rule, should be Xi Jinpings personal mantra for the next five years. Xi has always wanted to be the chairman of everything, and now, after being elected to an unprecedented third term as leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), he is responsible for everything that goes rightand more importantly, everything that goes wrong. There is likely to be a lot done wrong over the next five years. China is moving into a phase characterized by a lot of hubris regarding what Beijing wantsand thinks it can domatched against growing doubts over its ability to implement its ambitious plans and policies. Xi is driven by a toxic cocktail of arrogance, self-importance, and perhaps a touch of an inferiority complex. According to an article written by Cai Xia, a former professor at the CCPs Central Party School who was expelled from the party for criticizing Xi, the chairman won his spot in university as a worker-peasant-soldier candidate and through family connections (his father was a first-generation revolutionary). His predecessors Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao, meanwhile, had to pass highly competitive entrance exams. As such, Xis ego simply masks his insecurities. Again, according to Cai, Xi has come to insist on a degree of loyalty and admiration for the leader not seen since Mao. Xi has been designated the partys core leader (a term never given to Hu), and his portraits are hung everywhere, Mao style, in government offices, schools, religious sites, and homes. Ideology has given way to a personality cult. According to Rebecca Karl, a professor at New York University, there is no such thing as a communist anymore in the CCP. As she puts it: China today has no socialist characteristics. The subordination of labor to capital is complete. If youre a real socialist, you must have a notion of class democracy, of justice, of hierarchy, and anti-hierarchy. None of that is even part of Xi Jinping thought. Instead, she argues, communist ideology has been replaced by a sense that China is in a hyper-competitive contestboth economically and militarilywith the United States. Xi believes that the only plausible way that China can remain competitive is to remain under one party that happens to be called the Communist Party. Instead of communism, therefore, Xi is reconfiguring Chinas economy according to a strict form of authoritarian state capitalism. In particular, he believes that he can run a modern, high-tech economy under tight, top-down state control. He believes that government-run enterprises, rather than a freewheeling private sector, can better lead the drive for global leadership when it comes to such high-tech sectors as microelectronics, AI, 5G, and autonomous vehicles. A health worker takes a swab sample from a man to test for the COVID-19 coronavirus in the Huangpu district in Shanghai on Oct. 24, 2022. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images) Already, however, the holes in Xis schemes and policies are appearing everywhere: The Belt-and-Road Initiative (BRI): Chinas BRI is beginning to generate blowback from participating nations who are now saddled with huge debts to Beijing. Replacing America in Asia: An increasingly bellicose and assertive Chinese military, coupled with its aggressive wolf warrior diplomacy, have had the unintended consequence of rejuvenating the U.S.-led regional security regime in the Indo-Pacific. If anything, democratic nations in the region are more united than ever. Bringing Southeast Asia Into Chinas Orbit: Xis effort to sinicize the South China Sea through increased military efforts has totally trashed Hus Smile Campaign of the early 2000s, that was intended to show Southeast Asian countries that China was a non-confrontational, regional player, dedicated to peaceful rise. Taiwanese Self-Rule: Xis crackdown on democracy in Hong Kong has exposed the hypocrisy of one nation/two systems, and has raised the international salience of Taiwan as a fully functioning democracy worth protecting. Economic Reform: Xi has turned the clock back on economic reforms, cracking down on private firms where most of the countrys high-tech work is being done. He is killing the goose that laid the golden egg by undermining risk-taking entrepreneurialism and innovation. Becoming a High-Tech Nation: China continues to lag in many high-tech sectors, but none more so than in microelectronicsthe basis for nearly all other high-tech products. Chinas dependency on foreign technologies, components, or tools in its semiconductor industry is staggering, and the country can barely supply more than 15 percent of the semiconductors it needs. COVID-19 Response: Xis response to the pandemic has been nothing short of disastrous. First, he led the CCPs efforts to deny the problem and even to punish and censor the alarm-sounders. Chinas later zero-COVID policiessuch as were implemented in Shanghai earlier this yearwere so draconian that people were left to starve or die from lack of medical attention. The Economy: At the base of it all, Chinas economy continues to suffer under Xi. Growth is down to 3.9 percent for the first nine months of 2022, failing to hit the party target of 5.5 percent. Historically, China needs an annual growth rate of at least 8 percent to absorb the millions of new workers entering the workforce every year. Of course, Xi did not cause all these problems on his own, some strategies predated his rule, and in the case of Chinas military adventurism he actually gets a lot of domestic support. In any event, Xi owns all the failures that have occurred on his watch, and there are many. In the end, Xis hubristic overreach could be his undoing. Quite simply, he could end up losing much more than he can afford. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. The German government has urged its citizens to leave Iran or else they risk arbitrary arrest and long prison sentences, Reuters reported. November 3, 2022, 17:56 German government urges its citizens to leave Iran STEPANAKERT, NOVEMBER 3, ARTSAKHPRESS: "German nationals are asked to leave Iran. "For German nationals there is a concrete risk of being arbitrarily arrested, interrogated and sentenced to long prison terms. Above all, dual nationals who have Iranian as well as German citizenship are at risk," a foreign ministry statement said. China's President Xi Jinping (R) watches as former president Hu Jintao (C) touches the shoulder of Premier Li Keqiang (2nd L) as he leaves the closing ceremony of the 20th Chinese Communist Party's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Oct. 22, 2022. (Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images) Xi Jinpings Monopoly on Power Ends CCPs Power-Sharing Consensus: China Experts News Analysis After Chinas 20th Party Congress, Xi Jinping and his loyalists have taken full control of the top power structure of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Analysts point out that the current structure breaks the CCPs power-sharing rules, which may bring about a struggle amongst the partys inner-circle, just like those in Mao Zedongs time. A review of the core leadership positions reveals that nearly 70 percent of the members of the current CCP Central Committee are new faces, a high turnover rate not seen in more than 30 years. More specifically, the previous CCP Central Committee consisted of 204 members, of which only 69 were retained. The current Central Committee is composed of 205 members, with the Standing Committee of the Politburo as the highest decision-making body. According to the organizational structure of the CCP, only officials who are members of the Central Committee are eligible to become top leaders of the CCP, or to take up official positions at the provincial or ministerial level, as well as to become top or senior officials in Chinas police and military systems. After the closing of the Party congress, Xis allies filled the top of the power pyramidthe CCP Central Committeemeaning that Xi Jinping no longer has any political rivals capable of challenging him, at least for the next five years. U.S.-based China expert and commentator Zhang Tianliang told The Epoch Times that, in effect, Xi Jinping has broken the power distribution mechanism that has been in place within the CCP since the Deng Xiaoping era three decades ago. CCP officials from different factions used to share power to form a relatively balanced political body, and also to show some respect for one another. Zhang believes that this time, Xi will launch a major purge within the party during his third-term to eliminate dissidents. Since Deng Xiaopings time, there have been two major political factions in the Party: the Jiang faction, led by former Party leader Jiang Zemin, and the Youth League faction, led by former Party leader Hu Jintao, both of which were personally promoted by Deng into power. In November 2012, Xi ascended to the post of the CCPs General Secretary amidst a struggle between those two political factions. But at that time, he did not have his own cronies. This year is the CCPs five-year cycle of power redistribution, but both the Jiang faction and the Youth League faction have been hit hard by Xi Jinpings faction, with neither factions key members making it to the CCPs new leadership core and few making it to the Central Committee. Moreover, Hu Jintao, the head of the Youth League faction, was escorted out of the 20th National Congress against his will in front of Chinese and foreign journalists sent shockwaves through the world. This unusual scene seems to be a prelude for what is to come. Chinese leader Xi Jinping looks on as former leader Hu Jintao (R) gestures as he is helped to leave early from the closing session of the 20th Chinese Communist Party Congress at The Great Hall of People in Beijing, on Oct. 22, 2022. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images) China expert Shi Shan said in an Oct. 22 NTDTV interview that there are still multiple political factions within Xi Jinpings loyalists, and that officials originally from Fujian Province are the big winners. These different factions will fight amongst themselves as they compete for Xis favor. The struggle within the Xi faction will resemble the struggle within Maos cronies during the Cultural Revolution. Among Maos cronies, some even died more tragically than Maos political opponents, Shi said. Ever since the CCP seized power in 1949, it was embroiled in factional and line struggles for a long time, with the Maoist faction almost always occupying the ruling position and Mao becoming a Stalinist dictator. By the time of Maos death in 1976, the regime was on the verge of collapse due to internal struggles and economic factors. After the Cultural Revolution finally came to an end, political strongman Deng Xiaoping ushered in an era of political oligarchy, with the Central Advisory Committee of the CCP being the de facto top policy-making body of party at the time. He also relaxed control over economic activities, in order to give the CCP a chance to survive. Hu Jintao, the former CCP leader, was the successor of Deng Xiaopings governing philosophy and was appointed by Deng to succeed Jiang as party leader. Deng did not trust that Jiang would step down as party leader himself. Xi Jinpings monopoly on power and Hu Jintaos forced removal from the meeting signals the end of the Deng Xiaoping era, Zhang said. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. A file image of a Thin Blue Line flag which is representative of police and law enforcement officers. The flag is one variation of Thin Line flags representing public service workers. (Creative Photo Corner/Shutterstock) Youre Targeting Us: Connecticut College Removes US Flag Variations, Leaves Pride Flag at Dorms Two college students in Connecticut who hung variations of the American flag on their dorm window have said their flags were targeted by the administration after an official pulled their flags down but left LGBT flags up for days after the incident. Trinity College roommates Finn McCole and Lucas Turco said the college officials removed two American flags with modified designs typically associated with right-leaning viewpoints from their dormitory window. The official who removed their flags said the dean ordered it. The students told the official her actions were violating their First Amendment right to freedom of speech, according to a video recording of the incident. No prior request was made for us to remove the flags, McCole told Fox News. The two women from administration showed up at our dorm and said we have an official order from the dean to remove them immediately. When McCole asked to speak to the dean, the official called campus facilities to bring a ladder to their dorm, he said. The woman then ripped the flags down, as seen on video, he said. In a statement to the Epoch Times, Turco said he was disappointed but not surprised by the actions of the college official. [T]he catastrophe of speech censorship is an imminent threat to our democracy that need be resolved, he said. According to the Trinity College Student Handbook: No objects of any type (including liquid), may be thrown, dropped, pushed out of, placed outside of, or allowed to fall from any residential building window. Students found responsible for such actions will face residential censure. This event has highlighted the need for more consistent enforcement of handbook rules, and the college is working with the student body to create awareness and compliance, a Trinity College spokesperson told The Epoch Times. The dean of student life is addressing the issue with the entire student body to ensure compliance with the handbook and has reiterated the rule to the student body in a communication this week. The deans office will directly work with students for more consistent enforcement. A protester wearing a Dont Tread On Me Gadsden Flag T-shirt listens to a speaker at a rally in support of medical freedom in Phoenix, Ariz., on Nov. 3, 2021. (Allan Stein/Epoch Times) The Gadsden flag, depicting a coiled rattlesnake on a yellow background, has been a symbol against government tyranny dating back to the times of the American Revolution. This flag has recently been labeled a symbol of far-right ideology by those on the left. The Thin Line variation of the American flag represents an expression of support for law enforcement, with different variations for the different services. McCole reportedly said the flags were hung up on Wednesday night and taken down on Thursday morning, Fox News reported. Captured on Video The popular conservative Libs of TikTok account on Twitter shared a video of the incident shot by Turco. The video shows a female college official on a step ladder pulling the flag off the exterior of a stone building. .@TrinityCollege forcibly removed a students dont tread on me American Flag and a red, blue, and green line flag. Meanwhile pride flags are allowed to stay hanging. pic.twitter.com/AG892oaRyv Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) October 31, 2022 In the video, Turco asks why the official is only removing their flags, but not the flags hanging in other windows. Everyones going to be requested, she says. Youre targeting us, says Turco, who confirmed he was holding the camera. The college official then tells Turco to put his phone away, but he objects. Absolutely not. I have every right to record, and you know that. This is America. We have the First Amendment right of freedom of speech, freedom of expression. I dont know why youre taking my flags down, he says. The official then asks another staff member standing off-camera to call campus safety. The students continue to question why their flags are being taken down, but other students flags arent. In the video, when Turco asks again if the official is going to take down the other flags, she says, Everyones being asked to take them down. So, theyre being asked, but our flags are being ripped off, Turco says. Right? Theyre being asked but our flags are being ripped off. You think thats right? The second staff member, who identifies herself as the director of housing operations, says theyre waiting for directives from the dean about the other flags. The university only sent out its email to students about its policy days after the incident, according to McCole and Turco. Libs of TikTok shared a screenshot of the email. Regardless of the content, all items hanging or posted outside of your windows need to be removed and placed within your room immediately, the email partially states. This report has been updated with comments from Turco. Local residents wait in line to vote outside SPJST Lodge 88 in the Heights last week. According to unofficial numbers, early voting totals are down in Harris County so far this election cycle compared to 2018. (Photo by Landan Kuhlmann) FinTech Alliance Philippines will leverage CYFIRMA'S external threat landscape insights and digital risk monitoring platforms to help fast-growing FinTech startups protect their intellectual property and customer data from cyberattacks and build greater cybersecurity awareness across the ecosystem MANILA, Philippines and SINGAPORE, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- CYFIRMA, the industry's first external threat landscape management platform company, and FinTech Alliance Philippines, the country's leading and largest digital trade organization, today announced a partnership to help elevate cybersecurity maturity while promoting digital innovation to create growth opportunities and accelerate financial inclusion. Fintech Alliance Philippines The Philippines' financial landscape is rapidly evolving with the rise of digital banks, open finance, and other financial technology revolutionizing the design, delivery, and consumption of financial products and services. With increased digitalization, there is also added pressure on consumer protection capabilities and resources. According to Statista, a company that specializes in market and consumer data, the number of cyberattacks in the Philippines has exponentially grown during the first quarter of the year, reaching as much as around 1.76 million. The country, however, remains at a low ranking of 82nd when it comes to cybersecurity readiness, according to a global security index. The pandemic has seen an unprecedented increase in online scams and the low cybersecurity maturity among businesses could reverse gains from promoting trust and confidence in the use of digital platforms. The pandemic's disproportionate impact on the poorest and most vulnerable combined with the lack of cyber-safe habits and know-how will exacerbate income and wealth inequality. This collaboration between FinTech Alliance Philippines and CYFIRMA is designed to build a digital finance ecosystem that is resilient to cyberthreats and digital risk, and it lays the groundwork for a sustainable, inclusive and thriving FinTech industry. Story continues In this collaboration, CYFIRMA and FinTech Alliance Philippines will advocate for a security-by-design approach in software development where security practices are applied at the earliest stage of the development lifecycle, and this underscores the importance of identifying security vulnerabilities through real-time and continuous monitoring. CYFIRMA and FinTech Alliance will also work together to uplift the cybersecurity readiness amongst members of the Alliance. This includes ensuring members are equipped with digital risk protection tools to help them stay safe from cyber risks such as phishing, ransomware, and identity and data theft. To improve digital and cyber literacy among the community as well as to address the lack of cybersecurity awareness, CYFIRMA will also extend its cyber education mobile application, DeFNCE, to all members of the alliance. CYFIRMA and Fintech Alliance will also explore other collaborations such as joint training programs with academic institutions and regulatory engagement with government agencies. "We are excited to extend our market-leading cybersecurity capabilities, which we have used in service of enterprise customers, to the vibrant FinTech community in the Philippines. We know the unbanked and underbanked have security concerns around digital finance services, particularly around identity theft, scams and fraud. We are honored to be given the opportunity to use our knowledge of digital risk monitoring and protection to help up-and-coming FinTechs build ground-breaking products that are cyber-secured and ready to be deployed at scale to serve millions of Filipinos," said Anna Koh, Chief Marketing Officer, CYFIRMA. "Consumer education is also key in cyber defense against identity theft and security breaches. Ensuring our customers' security, safety, and confidence in digital financial services must be primordial. Stakeholders must strengthen constructive dialogue in cyber and vulnerability intelligence, attack discovery, and increase digital risk protection, among others. Our partnership with CYFIRMA is pivotal in support of this strategic initiative," said Lito Villanueva, Founding Chairman of FinTech Alliance Philippines. ABOUT FINTECH ALLIANCE.PH FinTech Alliance.ph is the Philippines' leading and largest digital trade organization comprised of startups and unicorns collectively generating over 90% of digital-initiated transactions volume in the country today. It was established in November 2017 and was launched at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) with the late BSP Governor Nestor A. Espenilla, Jr., championing inclusive digital finance and financial education. It advocates for enabling regulations for continuous financial innovations working with regulators, legislators, and global practitioners. It institutionalized Asia's first fintech industry-led code of conduct, code of ethics, and code of customer centricity in collaboration with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilinas, Securities and Exchange Commission, Insurance Commission, National Privacy Commission, Credit Information Corporation, Bureau of Internal Revenue, and the Department of Trade and Industry. Official website: fintechalliance.ph Email: secretariat@fintechalliance.ph ABOUT CYFIRMA CYFIRMA is an external threat landscape management platform company. We combine cyber intelligence with attack surface discovery and digital risk protection to deliver early warning, personalized, contextual, outside-in, and multi-layered insights. Our cloud-based AI and ML-powered analytics platform provides the hacker's view with deep insights into the external cyber landscape, helping clients prepare for impending attacks. CYFIRMA is headquartered in Singapore with offices across APAC, EMEA and the US. The company is funded by Goldman Sachs, Zodius Capital, and Z3 Partners. Official website: https://www.cyfirma.com/ SOURCE CYFIRMA EDO Nov 3, 2022: The Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative (ASR Africa) the brainchild of Abdul Samad Rabiu, Founder and Chairman of BUA Group has performed the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of an Information & Communication Technology (ICT) building, and a Student Affairs Building at the University of Benin in Edo State in fulfillment of the N1billion tertiary infrastructure grant awarded to UNIBEN in July 2021 as part of ASR Africa Tertiary Education Grants Scheme drawn from ASR Africas $100million Fund for Social Development and Renewal. Performing the groundbreaking ceremony at the Ugbowo campus of the institution, Ubon Udoh, Managing Director of ASR Africa, applauded the management of the university for its prompt response in identifying projects within the ASR Africa project assessment and mutual accountability framework and committing to ensuring its take-off. Udoh added that Abdul Samad Rabiu, through the ASR Africa Initiative, is committed to giving back to society and bridging developmental gaps in Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa. According to Ubon, The Abdul Samad Rabiu Initiative was founded by Abdul Samad Rabiu, the Chairman of BUA Group to tackle urgent development needs in key areas within Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa. Since our inauguration in 2021, ASR Africa has invested massively in sustainable education, health, and infrastructure development projects across Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa. Cross section of Ubon Udoh, Managing Director, ASR Africa (8th Left), and Professor Lilian Salami, Vice Chancellor, University of Benin (9th Left), and other management staff of ASR Africa and UNIBEN at the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of an ICT building and a student Affairs Building at the University of Benin. Last year, we were here to announce the award of a N1billion infrastructure grant and today we are here to begin construction. We are grateful to the management of the University for quickly identifying its needs and working with our team toward the takeoff of these projects. These projects are key to the university community and we are committed to ensuring that they are completed in the shortest possible time so they can be put to adequate use for the benefit of the student community, and society in general, Udoh added. Reacting, Professor Lilian Salami, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Benin, thanked ASR Africa and its chairman, Abdul Samad Rabiu, for its commitment to the project and the goodwill demonstrated towards her administration and the students of University of Benin. Professor Salami said the projects will enable the university to be more functional, improve the outlook of the institution, and groom students to be more useful to society. ABOUT ASR AFRICA The brainchild of African Industrialist, Philanthropist, and Chairman of BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu, the Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative (ASR Africa) was established in 2021 to provide sustainable, impact-based homegrown solutions to developmental issues affecting health, Education, and Social Development within Africa. For more information visit asrafrica.org or email info[at]asrafrica[dot]org. Bypass from Central regions to South due in 2025, says dept BANGKOK: The Department of Highways (DoH) has unveiled the progress made so far on its plan to upgrade the Cha-am Road or Highway No.37 bypass with a budget of B7 billion to ease congestion and boost the economy and tourism. constructiontourismenvironment By Bangkok Post Thursday 3 November 2022, 11:50AM Graphics: Bangkok Post The 47.3-kilometre project will cover Cha-am district in Phetchaburi, as well as Hua Hin and Pran Buri districts in Prachuap Khiri Khan. It is expected to be completed by 2025, REPORTS THE Bangkok Post. The route will be enlarged to six lanes, three in each direction, with concrete barriers set up on both sides of the road. DoH director-general Sarawut Songsivilai said yesterday (Nov 2) the project will facilitate inter-provincial travel from the Central region to the South, as well as improve road safety. The project aims to alleviate congestion along Highway No.37, particularly during rush hours and holiday periods. Citing a recent survey of traffic volume, he said about 29,000 vehicles were recorded travelling on the route in 2020. Daily traffic volume is expected to jump to 34,900 vehicles by 2026 and 53,300 in 2041. The Transport Ministry has issued orders to fast-track the project to boost traffic efficiency and road safety along the western side of the Gulf of Thailand. The project will give drivers another option apart from Phetkasem Road, which is located by the Cha-am interchange, as they head south on the western side of Cha-am and Hua Hin districts. The bypass will go through Huay Ta Paet, the Chang Thaeng Krachat intersection, Silpakorn University, the Huay Mongkol intersection and Hua Hins district office before connecting with Phetkasem Road at the Wangyao interchange. Inaugural Qanot Sharq Airlines flight touches down in Phuket PHUKET: The number of overseas flights arriving in Phuket continues to climb as the inuagural flight from Uzbekistans Qanot Sharq Airlines touched down on the island earlier today (Nov 3). tourism By The Phuket News Thursday 3 November 2022, 03:25PM Flight HH2203 departed the Uzbek capital Tashkent to embark on the TAS-HKT route (Tashkent International Airport - Phuket International Airport), arriving at Gate 15 at Phuket International Airport at 10:25am this morning. There were a total of 238 passengers onboard the flight who were greeted and bestowed gifts by official representative of Phuket International Airport Kishna Sittibutr along with airport staff. This came after the inaugural flight of IKAR Airlines from Moscow touched down in Phuket on Sunday (Oct 30), marking the resumption of direct charter flights from the Russian capital. Russias largest airline and flag carrier Aeroflot resumed its services into Phuket direct from Moscow later that day, with its first flight since March touching down at 9:20pm. Industrial Nanotech Inc BROOMFIELD, Colo., Nov. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via InvestorWire -- Industrial Nanotech, Inc. (Pink Sheets: INTK), a global nanoscience solutions and research leader, today provides a company update. Industrial Nanotech, Inc. will no longer be outsourcing communications with our current and potential shareholders, states Stuart Burchill, CEO/CTO of Industrial Nanotech, Inc. The fact is that shareholders and I want the same two things: 1) the company to continue becoming more and more successful; 2) the stock price to accurately reflect those successes in increased shareholder value. Both the shareholders and I own stock, continues Mr. Burchill. The shareholders paid for it. I earned it by working for the past 20 years without a salary, only stock compensation. No individual or entity is more motivated for the company to be successful and the shareholder value to increase than the shareholders and me. Mr. Burchill concludes, We are clearly at a moment in time when providing accurate information on a regular basis and dispelling misinformation are top priorities. Therefore, for the foreseeable future I will be the point of contact and the source of information. The following is a list of strategies Mr. Burchill is implementing to accomplish this objective: 1) This press release will provide a brief status update on all initiatives and deals the company has announced over the past 12 months. If nothing has changed, nothing will be noted. 2) Mr. Burchill will hold 30-minute Q&As via Zoom every Thursday from 11-11:30 a.m. Eastern Time beginning Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022. Up to 300 people can attend on a first-come, first-served basis. Anyone can ask questions live with no pre-screening. The only requirement is that their real name is visible and they are live on Zoom video. For those who do not currently have a camera on their computer, they are inexpensive to buy, or they can simply use the Zoom app on their mobile phone. A face on live video and a name are required to participate in the live Q&A. 3) Quarterly live shareholder presentations, similar to the ones the company has done over the past year, will continue to be held, and they will be recorded. 4) All other inquiries should be sent to invest@industrial-nanotech.com, and the CEO/CTO will reply to them within 48 hours. Story continues The following is an update to any changes on all announced deals and initiatives over the past 12 months, listed from most recent to oldest: The trip to Dubai and Kuwait has been moved, with the departure date for Dubai now scheduled for Nov. 20. This change was agreed to by the company and its customers in the region to allow more engineers and executives of the oil and gas companies in Kuwait to attend. The contractor the company is working with in Kuwait is setting up the event in an auditorium at the Hilton Kuwait, where Mr. Burchill will present the products to government and oil and gas industry leaders and answer questions. The event will be recorded and made available on the companys website. This region is thriving economically, and the company is grateful for the multiple substantial opportunities it has been awarded there. The companys first project there is US$22 million dollars in revenue, and larger projects are scheduled to follow. In the legal matter regarding Aaron John Kemble and disinformation, the company is being represented by the law firm of Akerman LLP, based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and the company is proceeding as announced. In addition, the company is retaining a cybersecurity firm to identify the names of and information about other individuals and entities engaging in disinformation so that the company may directly proceed to protect the interests of its shareholders against disinformation, whether intentional or unintentional. The company is scaling up production of the recently announced SteelTile product for steel mills, with full production capacity sufficient to meet demand expected to be in place by the end of Q1 2023. The company is on schedule to have the new manufacturing facility near Dusseldorf, Germany, up and running by the end of Q4 2022, as announced. The process of introducing the companys new SteelTile product to Tata Steel and ArcelorMittal S.A. is continuing, and updates are expected to be available about these projects in Q2 2023. The companys offices in Dubai are open and continue to produce more and more substantial deals in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The company will be adding people to the team there over the next few months, including a director of business development. The company will not be using the PCAOB audit firm that was announced two months ago. There was a distinct difference between information in email correspondence the company received from a member of that firm and statements that were made to individual shareholders by another member of that firm. The company is looking for organizational efficiency and structural integrity in an auditor and is now interviewing PCAOB auditors and will promptly announce the firm that is chosen. The start of the companys previously announced project with railroad cars was challenged by the logistics of retrofitting railroad cars with the companys insulation coatings. A faster way of getting it done had to be created. Fortunately, that was accomplished with the SteelTile product, and this initiative will be restarted at the end of Q1 2023 when SteelTile full production is in place. The company continues to increase marketing to make the marketplace aware that Syneffex products are now available through Lowes. Negotiations are underway with another multinational paint retailer to make the companys products available in their stores, but price remains an obstacle, and there is no timeline for this issue to be resolved. The company is discontinuing the Finders Fee Program for shareholders. The company welcomes individuals and entities to participate in the two programs that have been in place for 18 years: the Exclusive Distributor Program and the Independent Representative Program. The stock buyback program was delayed due to issues with the broker that had agreed to execute the buyback. The company is still planning to execute an aggressive stock buyback and is currently in discussions with brokerage firms to execute the stock buyback. The companys projects in Italy have not grown at the rate anticipated. Fortunately, the sales the company has produced and continues to produce throughout the rest of Europe have more than offset this. The company is still very confident in Spain and France as two of its key markets with the most potential to continue producing substantial revenue streams, second only to Germany and England. The company is partnering with a toll manufacturer in Spain to serve France and Spain. The company continues to aggressively pursue the opportunity with Exxon and its pending projects with Flint Hills Resources. It is projected that these deals will begin to mature and reach critical mass in Q1 2023. Industrial Nanotechs projects in Mexico continue to move forward at a pace that is typical of the region, and the company continues to patiently participate in the process of implementation that seems to be the modus operandi of the region. The company remains highly confident that Mexico in particular and South America in general will mature into one of the companys most significant markets. Barcelona, Spain, and Marseilles, France, remain two of the companys international focal points; the company is researching and developing a strategy for these regions and expects to have offices and sales teams established in each of these cities by the end of Q1 2023. Industrial Nanotechs projects with GRTgaz in France are now being handled by Kevin Buchler, the companys recently hired sales professional in London, England. Buchlers ability to spend time in Paris with GRTgazs teams will accelerate implementation of the technology created for GRTgaz. The companys EPX-H2O plant, scheduled for opening in Turkey, will not be up and running until the end of Q1 2023 due to supply chain and logistical issues. The company will not be pursuing the South Korean shipbuilding industry for the foreseeable future due to the extensive and time-consuming certification processes. The company will revisit this opportunity at the end of 2023. The company will not be pursuing the previously announced heavy equipment manufacturing OEM deal due to the limited total sales volume. The companys oil spill neutralizing product and TalkingPaint will each have their own management and marketing teams by the end of Q1 2023, and the company expects these products to begin realizing their potential in Q2 2023. The completion of the companys new website has now been brought in-house and under the direct supervision of the CEO/CTO, Mr. Burchill, and he is committed to a completion date no later than the end of Q1 2023. The companys Q3 financials, reporting the continued increase in record revenue growth, will be published on OTCMarkets on schedule before Nov. 15, 2022, as required to remain Current Information Status. Industrial Nanotech, Inc. is a global nanoscience solutions and product development leader. Safe Harbor Statement Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This release includes forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to: the impact of competitive products; the ability to meet customer demand; the ability to manage growth, acquisitions of technology, equipment or human resources; the effect of economic and business conditions; and the ability to attract and retain skilled personnel. The company is not obligated to revise/update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this release. Investor Contact: Ella De los santos invest@industrial-nanotech.com Wire Service Contact: InvestorWire (IW) Los Angeles, California www.InvestorWire.com 212.418.1217 Office Editor@InvestorWire.com New far-right Premier Giorgia Meloni has used her first visit to European Union headquarters to declare that Italy will be a force to reckon with in EU affairs Have an interesting bit of news youd like to see mentioned in the Along the Way column? Email it to Natasha Connolly at news@thesunchronicle.com . The mayor of the 24th Congressional District's largest city is supporting Democratic candidate Steven Holden. Auburn Mayor Michael Quill, a Democrat, endorsed Holden, D-Camillus, in his bid to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Claudia Tenney. Tenney, R-Canandaigua, is seeking her third term in Congress. This is Holden's first run for political office. Holden and Quill have similar backgrounds. They both served in the military Holden is a U.S. Army veteran who deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq, while Quill is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served in the Vietnam War. "Like me, Steve has served his country in the Armed Forces, so he knows the meaning of duty, honor and country," Quill said. "He has the integrity, experience and skills the people of our district need in Congress. I fully endorse his candidacy in this upcoming election." Holden faces an uphill battle in the 24th district, a sprawling district that is comprised of all or parts of 12 counties, including all of Cayuga County. Tenney has outraised and outspent her Democratic challenger and is viewed as the heavy favorite to win the 24th district race. Republicans outnumber Democrats by more than 76,000 in the district, which former Republican President Donald Trump won with 59% of the vote in 2020. Both candidates lived outside of the district when they first declared their candidacies. Tenney, who lived in the Utica area before moving to Canandaigua to run in the 24th district, currently represents a district that covers parts of central New York, the Mohawk Valley and Southern Tier. Holden planned to run in a crowded Democratic primary for the Syracuse-area congressional seat, but changed course because Democrats in the neighboring 24th district needed a candidate. Early voting, which is ongoing, will conclude on Sunday, Nov. 6. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 8. Trays of beef are for sale in the meat section of a supermarket in McLean, Virginia, June 10, 2022. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images/TNS) FILE - Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and her husband, Paul Pelosi, arrive at the State Department for the Kennedy Center Honors State Department Dinner, on Dec. 7, 2019, in Washington. On Friday, Oct. 28, 2022, a man broke into House Speaker Nancy Pelosis California home and severely beat her husband, Paul Pelosi, with a hammer. The 82-year-old underwent surgery to repair a skull fracture and serious injuries to his right arm and hands, and his doctors expect a full recovery, the speakers office said Friday. There were no updates on his condition Saturday. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf, File) MADI ALLARD, Stonington, Field Hockey, Senior; Allard made four saves in a penalty shootout, helping Stonington defeat Canton in the Class S semifinals. Most of the game was played in a steady snow. Stonington later lost in the title game to North Branford. DREW DENONCOUR, Chariho, Boys Soccer, Senior; DeNoncour made a save in the final 30 seconds to preserve a 2-1 win for the Chargers in the Division II championship game. DeNoncour was named the games MVP as Chariho won the D-II title for the second straight year. Vote View Results Energy giants are awash with cash as soaring prices deliver bumper profits. Meanwhile, chilly consumers fear turning up their thermostats as they worry about bills. It seems a no-brainer, therefore, to ask oil and gas firms to divert gushing profits to help households especially as the Government is hard-pressed to fund a relief package. So runs the argument for a windfall tax. Cashing in: Energy companies have seen their profits soar due to a surge in oil and gas prices as a result of the war in Ukraine But what will that mean in practice? And what will be the consequences of squeezing even more out of the firms? Recent company results have only intensified calls for action as bottom lines are swollen by a surge in oil and gas prices and shareholders showered with rewards. BP has hoovered up nearly 20billion in the first nine months of this year while Shell managed to rake in a 26billion profit haul over the same period. What has happened so far? Energy companies are already on the hook for billions after a windfall tax was introduced earlier this year. Even before that, profits on North Sea oil and gas were subject to a 30 per cent rate of corporation tax, higher than the current rate of 19 per cent for other businesses. On top of that is a 10 per cent so-called supplementary charge. In May, then-chancellor Rishi Sunak bowed to pressure to introduce a 25 per cent windfall tax on oil and gas companies to pay for cost of living measures. That took the tax rate on those companies to 65 per cent. In September, the Treasury estimated it would net 7.7billion for 2022-23 and a total of 28billion before a sunset clause ends the levy at the end of 2025. BP expects to pay just under 700million this year as a result of the windfall tax. However, Shell has not paid anything thanks to tax breaks from its investments in the North Sea though the company predicts charges will kick in next year. That was because Sunaks plan allowed companies to reclaim 91p in tax relief for every 1 invested to boost energy supplies. What might happen now? Since the original windfall tax was announced, the Government has frozen bills for six months over the winter at a cost of 60billion. That leaves the new Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, facing difficult choices about where he can cut public spending or instead raise taxes. With profits piling up at the energy firms, they look a tempting target. Reports suggest that the levy will increase from 25 per cent to 30 per cent, taking the overall tax rate on North Sea energy businesses to 70 per cent. The 2025 time limit on the tax could also be pushed out to 2028. What does Labour want? Ed Miliband, Labours climate spokesman, has called for a proper windfall tax. His party wants the existing windfall tax to be backdated to January and for the tax reliefs for investment to be scrapped. Labour claims this would raise 8billion a year. But its plans are light on detail. Tough choices: The Prime Minister, left, and his Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, right, seek to raise enough tax to avoid savaging public spending So what does industry have to say? Shell boss Ben van Beurden, who is due to step down at the end of this year, has said the industry must accept that it may be targeted for tax raising and should embrace it. But Chris OShea, boss of British Gas owner Centrica which also has interests in North Sea production has said the windfall tax is like burning the furniture to stay warm. This week, North Sea industry body Offshore Energies UK wrote to the Chancellor to express disquiet about reports of plans for the windfall tax. The ongoing uncertainty and continuous changes to the fiscal regime are driving investment out of the UK and also encouraging some companies to exit, said OEUK chief executive Deirdre Michie. What are the pros and cons? George Dibb of the Institute for Public Policy Research, a centre-Left think-tank, said it was unacceptable for the likes of Shell and BP to be rewarding investors with pay-outs when these companies are making windfall profits from our rising energy bills. It is calling for a 25 per cent windfall tax on share buybacks for the two firms to raise up to 4.8billion a year copying a smaller such tax of just 1 per cent introduced by President Joe Biden in the US. But Andy Mayer, energy analyst at the Institute of Economic Affairs, said a renewed raid on energy firms was not the answer to the UKs problems. Further UK windfall taxes wont fix this 65 per cent is high enough and will likely damage investment, he said. Glencore faces fines running into the hundreds of millions over a string of corruption offences that saw it fly cash by private jet to bribe officials across several African states. A subsidiary of the FTSE 100 commodities giant pleaded guilty in June to paying multiple bribes to access oil shipments. It was the first ever conviction of a company for bribery under UK law and came after a series of charges were brought by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO). Fine: A subsidiary of FTSE 100 commodities giant Glencore pleaded guilty in June to paying multiple bribes to secure access to oil shipments Glencore could be fined over 243million while the SFO is seeking a 93.4million confiscation order the largest imposed on a corporation in Britain and 4.5million in costs. The final amount will be decided during sentencing at Southwark Crown Court in London today. At a hearing yesterday, Glencores lawyer said the firm unreservedly regrets the harm caused. But prosecuting barrister Alexandra Healy said offering of bribes was an acceptable way of doing business for the company and that corruption was endemic within the corporation. The sentencing comes after a long-running investigation revealed Glencores London-based oil trading desk paid bribes of over 24million for preferential access to shipments in Nigeria, Cameroon, the Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea and South Sudan. Among a litany of offences, the probe found a Glencore agent in Nigeria withdrew around 3.6million from a slush fund and flew the cash to Cameroon, often via private jet, to bribe officials. So blase were Glencores agents, executives and traders, they often called each other senorita and bro even when discussing bribes. Another agent was paid 870,000 in 2011 to bribe officials in Equatorial Guinea for access to oil cargo, with the firm also authorising 5,000 in hotel expenses for him during a trip to London. The SFO's all-female crime-busting team The Glencore investigation was spearheaded by an all-female team of senior SFO officials. These included, (above) from left to right: Sara Chouraqui, joint head of fraud, bribery and corruption and Victoria Jacobson, the prosecutor for Operation Azoth codename for the Glencore probe as well as department director Lisa Osofsky and case controller Liz Collery. Also that year a Glencore executive requested nearly 700,000 from the companys Swiss cash desk, ostensibly for opening office in South Sudan shortly after it became independent. Two executives then transported the money to the country on a private jet before it was passed to a local agent for bribes. Another 240,000 in cash was flown out later that year to cover the operating cost for the new office despite there being no evidence of a Glencore site there. The withdrawal coincided with meetings between company executives in London and Zurich and an assistant of the president of South Sudan. Other offences included Glencore channelling money through a separate entity to officials at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company, which partners with foreign companies to exploit oil resources, as well as paying bribes to people working for Cameroons national oil and gas firm and the Ivory Coasts state-backed energy group Petroci. The convictions followed a three-year-long probe by the SFO, which worked with authorities in the US while also collaborating with the Netherlands and Switzerland, where the company faces ongoing investigations. In May, the company agreed a 957million settlement with the US Department of Justice and previously said it had set aside 1.3billion over the scandal. But the SFO left open the possibility that former Glencore employees could also be subject to prosecution. MANUPAC, the Manufacturers Association of Central New York's federal political action committee, has endorsed candidates running in three races. The group is supporting Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, and U.S. Rep. Claudia Tenney, a Republican, in their respective races. Schumer is seeking a fifth six-year term as New York's senior U.S. senator, while Tenney is running for a two-year term in the newly drawn 24th Congressional District. The notable endorsement is in the 22nd Congressional District race. MANUPAC backed Republican candidate Brandon Williams over Democrat Francis Conole in what's emerged as one of the most competitive races in the country. Patrick Morocco, a MANUPAC member, explained the group's decision. "Both candidates vying for the NY-22 seat have a strong military background and commitment to their country," Morocco said. "The MANUPAC board chose to endorse Brandon Williams because of his experience as a local entrepreneur and his solid knowledge of the federal issues that are impacting the manufacturing industry at this time. We look forward to collaborating with the candidate who wins the 2022 election and will serve as our new representative." Williams is a tech entrepreneur who started a software company in California. More than a decade ago, he bought land in Cayuga County and started a farm. He welcomed MANUPAC's support and said in a statement that he is "committed to bringing more manufacturing jobs to CNY." Finch endorses Abbott A former Cayuga County state lawmaker is supporting the Republican candidate in the 48th Senate District race. Gary Finch, a Republican who represented Auburn and parts of Cayuga County in the state Assembly for more than two decades, has endorsed Julie Abbott for state Senate. Abbott, a Republican who now serves as an Onondaga County legislator, is challenging Democratic state Sen. Rachel May in the 48th district. The district includes all of Cayuga County and most of Onondaga County. Finch said in a statement that Abbott "is the change we need." "Julie will go to Albany to fight for her constituents just as she has done as a member of the Onondaga County Legislature and the Skaneateles school board," he added. "To bringing affordability and safety back to central New York. To supporting our farmers and law enforcement. To investing in our children's education and mental health. To protecting our drinking water and watersheds. Julie Abbott will deliver real results." The boss of the worlds biggest asset manager is giving investors more power in a move he claims will transform the industry. Larry Fink, chief executive of Blackrock, is extending a scheme that allows investors in its funds to vote on ballots held by the underlying businesses. Many savers are increasingly focusing on so-called ESG or environmental, social and governance criteria for investment. Power move: Blackrock chief exec Larry Fink (pictured) is extending a scheme that allows investors in its funds to vote on ballots held by the underlying businesses Typically investors who put their money into a fund run by the likes of Blackrock have little say in the companies that it then invests in. But last year Blackrock launched its Voting Choice programme. This lets institutional investors in its funds choose how they want to vote.Now Blackrock is expanding that programme. It is working with communications platform Proxymity to allow individual savers in the UK, who invest in Blackrocks tracker funds, to vote on company ballots. Currently, Blackrock clients who hold 25 per cent of the 1.6 trillion of eligible assets are enrolled in the Voting Choice programme. Barclays has taken the first steps to claw back Covid loans handed out to suspected fraudsters. The lender has asked the courts to close down at least 97 businesses over the past few months. Bounce Back Loans (BBLs) were available to small businesses and were 100 per cent guaranteed by the Government. Lenders handed out 47billion under the scheme. Pandemic fraud: Barclays has asked the courts to close down at least 97 businesses over the past few months But earlier this year, it emerged that lenders had flagged 1.1billion as suspected fraud. The final amount remains unclear, as the Department for Business estimated it closer to 4.9billion. Barclays has so far pencilled in potential fraud of 259million. The Mail on Sunday revealed in June how the bank planned to use court proceedings to shut companies suspected of fraudulent borrowing, before handing over cases to a firm specialising in insolvency. It is understood that the recent court proceedings are the first step in this process. A Barclays spokesman said: In certain circumstances, including where there appears to be a misuse of funds, formal recovery action may be taken to recover taxpayers money. Gun violence has increased across the country and has it affected families and friends of victims who live in the 24th Congressional District. Andre Mackniel, of Auburn, was one of 10 people killed in the mass shooting at a Tops store in Buffalo. There was a shooting that wounded an employee at an Auburn bar in June. A man was killed in a separate shooting outside of an Auburn bar. While there has been federal and state legislation to combat gun violence, the problem isn't going away. The Citizen asked Republican U.S. Rep. Claudia Tenney and Democratic challenger Steven Holden what they would do to address gun violence while preserving Second Amendment rights. Steven Holden: I swore an oath to defend the Constitution, including the rights of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms; however, as elected representatives, we also have a sacred and Constitutional duty to defend our citizens from an epidemic of gun-related violence. I, like many, struggle to reconcile these two duties. In 2021 alone, nearly 49,000 Americans, including more than 4,500 children and teens under the age of 20, lost their lives to gun violence. Guns are the leading cause of deaths of our children, even more than automobile accidents. This level of violence is unique among civilized nations, and I refuse to accept that this is the price we must be willing to pay to live in America. Our children have a right to feel safe in school, and our citizens have a right to be safe in the places where they shop or where they worship. It is incomprehensible to me that an 18-year-old can buy a military-type assault weapon and unlimited rounds of ammunition but is deemed not yet mature enough to buy a beer or a cigarette. It is inconceivable to me that we require everyone who wishes to drive a car, a potentially lethal weapon, to pass a written test and then a driving test, yet there are no competency requirements to buy and use a gun that can kill dozens of innocent victims in a matter of minutes. All guns used in 22 mass shootings since 2012, that left 374 dead, including the 32 killed in May of this year in Buffalo, NY and Uvalde, TX, were purchased legally. The shooters in Buffalo and Uvalde were 18 years old. There is something seriously wrong. I am not opposed to gun ownership. I have had guns all my life. I got my first gun from my grandfather when I was 17. He taught me how to use it safely. I earned the Expert Infantryman Badge in the Army, and I am proficient in the use of all infantry combat firearms. In all cases, my training in the safe and effective use of these weapons was lengthy and rigorous. For civilians, I support common sense and objective restrictions to gun ownership, like background checks, red flag laws, fingerprints, and mandatory instruction and testing. I dont believe that weapons designed for the battlefield belong in the hands of civilians. It is a matter of public safety. The armed security guard, a police veteran with years of experience and training, was one of the first to die in the Buffalo shooting. He confronted a shooter wearing military body armor and carrying an assault rifle: he didnt have a chance. These weapons of war do not belong in the hands of children. Democrats in Congress have put forth several bills designed to protect the public from gun violence. They include the Active Shooter Alert Act, the Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act, the Protecting our Kids Act, the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act, and the Family Violence Prevention and Services Improvement Act. In all cases, they were not supported by most Republican legislators, including my opponent, who accepted large donations from the gun lobbies. We need to find a balance that protects the public while honoring the intentions of our founders. That balance requires reasonable compromises. In Congress, I will work across the aisle to find those who are willing to work with me to find those compromises. Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was shot in the shin on Thursday when his anti-government protest convoy came under attack in the east of the country in what his aides said was a clear assassination attempt. Khan, 70, ousted as prime minister in April, was six days into a miles-long protest procession, standing and waving to thousands of cheering supporters from the roof of a container truck when the shots rang out. Several in his convoy were wounded in the attack in Wazirabad, nearly 200 km (120 miles) from Islamabad, and Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said a suspect had been arrested. It was a clear assassination attempt. Khan was hit but hes stable. There was a lot of bleeding, Fawad Chaudhry, a spokesperson for Khans Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, told Reuters. If the shooter had not been stopped by people there, the entire PTI leadership would have been wiped out. In a statement, the military called the shooting highly condemnable. Khan had accused the military of backing the plan to oust him from power. Last week, the military held an unprecedented press conference to deny the claims. I heard a burst of bullet shots after which I saw Imran Khan and his aides fall down on the truck, witness Qazzafi Butt told Reuters. Later, a gunman shot a single shot but was grabbed by an activist of Khans party. In purported footage of the shooting, being run by multiple channels, a man with a handgun is grabbed from behind by one of the people at the gathering. He then tries to flee. TV channels showed a suspected shooter, who looked to be in his twenties or thirties. He said he wanted to kill Khan and had acted alone. He (Khan) was misleading the people, and I couldnt bear it, the suspect said in the video. The information minister confirmed the footage was recorded by police. No one had yet been charged with the attack. Khan had been whipping up large crowds on his way to the capital Islamabad in a campaign to topple the government of rival Shehbaz Sharif. One member of Khans party said there were reports one person had been killed in the attack. Khan aide Chaudhry wrote on Twitter: It was a well-planned assassination attempt on Imran Khan, the assassin planned to kill Imran Khan and leadership of PTI, it was not 9 MM it was burst from automatic weapon, no two opinions about that it was narrow escape. PROTESTERS ON STREETS Pakistan has a long history of political violence. Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in December 2007 in a gun and bomb attack after holding an election rally in the city of Rawalpindi, next to Islamabad. Her father and former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was hanged in the same city in 1979 after being deposed by a military coup. Local media showed footage of Khan waving to the crowd after being evacuated from his vehicle amid pople running and shouting after the shooting. He was taken to hospital in Lahore as protesters poured out on to streets in some parts of the country and PTI leaders demanded justice. PTI colleague Faisal Javed, who was also wounded and had blood stains on his clothes, told Geo TV from the hospital: Several of our colleagues are wounded. We heard that one of them is dead. Prime Minister Sharif condemned the shooting and ordered an immediate investigation. Since being ousted through a parliamentary vote, Khan has held rallies across Pakistan, stirring opposition against a government that is struggling to bring the economy out of the crisis that Khans administration left it in. Khan had planned to lead the motorised caravan slowly northwards up the Grand Trunk Road to Islamabad, drawing more support along the way before entering the capital. I want that all of you participate. This is not for politics or personal gain, or to topple the government this is to bring genuine freedom to the country, Khan said in a video message on the eve of the march. SOURCE: REUTERS Russian attacks were reported across large areas of Ukraine on Thursday, with heavy shelling in numerous regions damaging infrastructure, including electricity supplies to Europes largest nuclear plant, Ukrainian officials said. The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine has again been disconnected from the power grid after Russian shelling damaged the remaining high voltage lines, leaving it with just diesel generators, Ukraine nuclear firm Energoatom said. The plant, in Russian hands but operated by Ukrainian workers, has 15 days worth of fuel to run the generators, Energoatom said. Russian strikes were also reported in Kriviy Rih, in central Ukraine, and in Sumy and Kharkiv, in the northeast. Heavy fighting was ongoing in the eastern regions of Luhansk and Donetsk. The enemy is trying to keep the temporarily captured territories, concentrating its efforts on restraining the actions of the Defence Forces in certain areas, Ukraines general staff said on Thursday. Russia has said it targeted infrastructure as part of what it calls its special military operation to degrade the Ukrainian military and remove what it says is a potential threat against Russias security. As a result, Ukrainian civilians have endured power cuts and reduced water supplies in recent weeks. Russia denies targeting civilians, though the conflict has killed thousands, displaced millions and left some Ukrainian cities in ruins. Foreign ministers from the G7 group of rich democracies will discuss how best to coordinate further support for Ukraine when they meet on Thursday in Germany following recent Russian attacks on energy infrastructure. GRAIN DEAL RESUMES The attacks come after Russia said it would resume its participation in a deal freeing up grain exports from Ukraine, reversing a decision that world leaders warned would increase hunger globally. Russia, whose forces invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, announced the reversal on Wednesday after Turkey and the United Nations helped keep Ukrainian grain flowing for several days without a Russian role in inspections. The defence ministry justified the resumption by saying it had received guarantees from Ukraine that it would not use the Black Sea grain corridor for military operations against Russia. The Russian Federation considers that the guarantees received at the moment appear sufficient, and resumes the implementation of the agreement, the ministry said in a statement. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said it was important to stand up to crazy Russian aggression that destabilises international trade. After eight months of Russias so-called special operation, the Kremlin is demanding security guarantees from Ukraine, Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address. This is truly a remarkable statement. It shows just what a failure the Russian aggression has been and just how strong we all are when we maintain our unity. The grain deal, originally reached three months ago, had helped alleviate a global food crisis by lifting a de facto Russian blockade on Ukraine, one of the worlds biggest grain suppliers. The prospect of it collapsing this week revived fears of a worsening food crisis and rising prices. The prices of wheat, soybeans, corn and rapeseed fell sharply on global markets after Russias announcement. Zelenskiy credited Turkey and the United Nations for making it possible for ships to continue moving out of Ukrainian ports with cargoes after Russia suspended participation on Saturday. Russia suspended its involvement in the deal saying it could not guarantee safety for civilian ships crossing the Black Sea after an attack on its fleet. Ukraine and Western countries called that a false pretext for blackmail, using threats to the global food supply. KHERSON COUNTER-OFFENSIVE In the south, a Ukrainian counter-offensive has left Russian forces fighting to hold their ground around the city of Kherson, where Russian-installed authorities are urging residents to evacuate, the Ukrainian military said. Residents who had collaborated with occupying forces were leaving and some departing medical staff had taken equipment from hospitals, it said. Residents of the town of Nova Zburivka had been given three days to leave and were told that evacuation would be obligatory from Nov. 5. Russian authorities have repeatedly said Ukraine could be preparing to attack the massive Kakhovka dam, upriver on the Dnipro, and flood the region. Kyiv denies that. Obviously, we are afraid of this. That is why we are leaving, resident Pavel Ryazskiy, who was evacuated to Crimea, said of the possibility the dam could be destroyed. Reuters was unable to verify the battlefield reports. In Washington on Wednesday the United States said it had information that indicated North Korea is covertly supplying Russia with a significant number of artillery shells for the war. White House national security spokesperson John Kirby did not provide evidence but he told a briefing that North Korea was attempting to obscure the shipments by funnelling them through the Middle East and North Africa. SOURCE: REUTERS In a trend seen across the country, officials in central New York are raising the alarm over a wave of drug overdoses. The Onondaga County Health Department on Thursday said that its overdose tracking system recently recorded 16 or more overdoses in a single 24-hour period. In some instances, the individual did not respond to the administration of Narcan, which is commonly used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. This pattern is consistent with reports of the sedative Xylazine in other communities across the country and in central New York. Although the investigations were still incomplete, the Cayuga County-based Finger Lakes Drug Task Force on Wednesday said that the county has seen four apparent overdose deaths in recent weeks. And officials in Tompkins County recently alerted the public to an increase in overdoses in which Narcan has either been ineffective or has required multiple doses. The problem appears to be tied to new mixture of drugs that includes the animal tranquilizer Xylazine. Onondaga County officials said that Xylazine is a non-opioid sedative, analgesic, and anesthetic that slows breathing and heart rate, as well as decreases blood pressure, amplifying the sedative effects of an opioid like fentanyl or heroin. "Xylazine is not considered a controlled substance, meaning it can be bought as a prescription medication from a veterinarian," the health department said in a news release. "This substance was identified in the journal Forensic Science International as an 'emerging adulterant in abused drugs.' Across the country, Xylazine has been discovered in street drugs like fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and methamphetamines and people using drugs are often unaware of its presence." Officials said that in a situation where someone is experiencing an overdose where they do not respond to naloxone, it is recommended that: First, call 911 and administer naloxone and rescue breathing like you normally would. Start rescue breathing after giving the first dose of naloxone. It may help restart the lungs even if the person doesnt wake up. If a person does not wake-up after spraying multiple doses of naloxone into their nose, continue rescue breathing or CPR until emergency services arrive The immediate goal is to make sure the person is getting oxygen into the brain. If the person starts breathing again but is still sedated, they dont need more naloxone. Put them in rescue position and keep an eye on them. In light of the increase of overdose occurrences, the Onondaga County Health Department is encouraging community members to get trained to reverse overdoses using naloxone, also known as Narcan, and to utilize rescue breathing. The health department provides free in-person or virtual training and also has an on-demand option that can be accessed at ongov.net/health/opioids/NaloxoneTraining.html. The Mental Health and Substance Use Initiatives Program can be contacted at naloxonetraining@ongov.net for training requests or questions. Fentanyl test strips or naloxone can be requested by calling or texting the health departments confidential Narcan and Test Strip request line at (315) 418-5365. The Department of Education has confirmed the number of Ukrainian pupils enrolled in schools across Ireland has exceeded 12,000. According to monthly figures released by the Department, 12,544 Ukrainian pupils have been enrolled in Irish schools as of November 2022. Almost 8,000 students have been accommodated in primary schools with 4,596 pupils in post-primary schools. Over 1,900 are enrolled in Dublin schools with 1,253 in Cork, 1,222 in Kerry, and 810 in Galway. The lowest number of Ukrainian students enrolled across the country are in Monaghan (50), Longford (102), Offaly (123), and Carlow (145). Over 50,000 Ukrainian refugees have arrived in Ireland since the beginning of the Russian war. Regional Education and Language Teams (REALT) continue to operate to assist with the transition of Ukrainian refugees and their families into schools. The teams are hosted by the 16 regional education and training boards around Ireland and staffed by regionally based education support personnel. They ensure that clear, accessible information flows are in place between schools, local education support services and national support structures in relation to people arriving from Ukraine. Information for parents on accessing school places is available here in both Ukrainian and Russian languages. Full list of students enrolled by county: I agree with the program I don't agree with the program I like the idea, but feel the current proposal is too broad Let me park where I want! Vote View Results [November 02, 2022] Mobilewalla Launches LendBetter, Improving Financial Inclusion in Emerging Markets LendBetter is an Innovative Solution Helping Fintechs Maximize Loan Approval at Lower Default Risk SINGAPORE, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Mobilewalla, a global leader in consumer intelligence solutions, is pleased to announce the launch of its newest offering for digital lenders, LendBetter, at the Singapore Fintech Festival 2022. Leveraging the industry's most comprehensive repository of global consumer information, LendBetter is uniquely positioned to provide digital lenders with high-quality, AI driven predictive data and features at scale, helping them improve their credit assessment and customer acquisition process. LendBetter also offers financial institutions easy to integrate risk scores powered by sophisticated machine learning, which are highly predictive of credit - worthiness for new-to-credit borrowers. This enables digital lenders to extend loans to thin-file consumers, significantly increasing access-to-credit and positively impacting financial inclusion in emerging markets. Working closely with various financial technology companies in Southeast and South Asia during the past year, LendBetter hasgenerated positive outcomes for these early customers improving acquisition quality with the usage of AI driven features as part of the credit assessment process. "LendBetter's deep insights into consumer behaviour have helped us improve our quality of acquisition by reducing fraud, allowing us extend credit with more confidence" said, Paramananda Setyawan, Chief Data Office with FinAccel, a leading financial technology company focused on reinventing financial services in Southeast Asia. "Our partnership with Mobilewalla complements our growth ambitions. We are very pleased to work with them to help more people get easier access to credit." "With our industry first offering LendBetter, Mobilewalla is excited to work with digital lenders across emerging markets to enable financial inclusion for the new-to-credit" said Anindya Datta, CEO and Founder of Mobilewalla. "Lendbetter provides access to AI driven, privacy compliant consumer data at scale, enabling them to approve more credit at a reduced default risk. Our partners find our future-proof features and scores to be highly predictive of consumer behavior, and easily integrable for a variety of use cases spanning customer acquisition, risk management, and fraud prevention." Financial technology companies interested in exploring the value of LendBetter can download a sample data set and request for live API test at https://www.mobilewalla.com/api-request . About Mobilewalla Mobilewalla is a leader in consumer intelligence solutions, combining the industry's most robust data set with deep artificial intelligence expertise to help organizations better understand, model and predict consumer behavior. SOURCE Mobilewalla [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has signed a Decree on the reconstruction of highways in Baku's Khazar district. According to the decree, the State Agency of Azerbaijan Automobile Roads has been allocated 4.4 million manat ($3.1 million) for proceeding with the reconstruction of highways in Bina, Buzovna, Gala, Mardakan and Zira settlements of the capital's Khazar district in accordance with subparagraph 1.26.18 "Allocating funds envisaged for state capital investments in the state budget of the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2022". Azerbaijan's Ministry of Finance was tasked with providing relevant funds, whereas the Cabinet of Ministers with resolving issues stemming from the order. Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Gasgoo, China's leading automotive industry information service platform, on October 26, 2022, hosted the fourth "Gasgoo Awards" ceremony in Minhang, Shanghai. At this year's "Gasgoo Awards", the jury handpicked and honored 30 outstanding enterprises for the 2022 Best Growth Value Award. Amid the aggressive reformation of intellectualization and electrification happening in the auto industry, the modality and supply chain of automobiles are all subjective to reconstruction. The automotive supply chain relationships were used to be vertically distributed in a pyramid model ranging from Tier 2 suppliers to Tier1 suppliers and then to automakers, from bottom to top. However, the new intelligent electric vehicle supply chain is emerging from the original pyramid-style multi-level system to a flat multi-agent collaboration model. However, as the industry transforms, factors such as the rapid iteration of core technologies, complete vehicle products, user demands, personalization of user experience, SDV iterative R&D capability, and data-driven sustainable profitability gradually become the key to success in the current auto industry. Hence, despite automakers unchanged position at the heart of the supply chain, it is inevitable that car manufactures need to dive into the upstream supply chain to cooperate with upstream enterprises in order to build a more logical division of labor system for the development of intelligent vehicles. Correspondingly, the roles and status of upstream suppliers in the original automotive supply chain are also facing a dramatic change, with the boundary between Tier1 and Tier2 blurred, and more and more crossover companies entering in the intelligent electric vehicle field. Statistics show that there are over 5,600 existing companies in the field of autonomous driving alone, and the overall enterprise registrations have been on the rise in past decade. Among which the most popular subdivisions lie in millimeter wave radar, LiDAR, chip, domain controller, software algorithm, chassis-by-wire, information security, and several other core technologies. Upon years of accumulation, many enterprises have grown into essential partakers and innovators across Chinas intelligent electric vehicle supply chain. In an effort to uphold the "find valuable company, promote worthy technology" vision, Gasgoo added a Best Growth Value Award to this years Gasgoo Awards. Qualified candidates of the Award are those forward-looking companies who are currently in the fast-growing phase, presenting new technologies, new ideas, and new patterns, who foresee the reformation of the automotive industry through the changing market climate, and who actively explore innovations. Finally, after more than 200 days of expert evaluation and millions of online votes, the 30 companies with the best growth value of the year were selected. Among the list are such integrated autonomous solution providers including Tsintel Technology, JueFX Technology, MaxSense Technology, Senior Automation, Utopilot, and Pegasus; companies specializing in niche technologies, such Leekr Technology, Tongyu Automotive, Trinova Technology in the field of intelligent chassis; Shanghai TinychipMorningCore, Semiment in the automotive chip field; Nova Electronics and Tanway Technology in the automotive sensor segment; as well as Panqi Technology and Vecentek in the information security domain. The following is the list of extraordinary companies who won the Best Growth Value Award in Gasgoo Awards 2022: [November 02, 2022] FinTech Alliance Philippines and CYFIRMA sign strategic partnership at Singapore FinTech Festival 2022 to help digital financial firms strengthen cybersecurity FinTech Alliance Philippines will leverage CYFIRMA'S external threat landscape insights and digital risk monitoring platforms to help fast-growing FinTech startups protect their intellectual property and customer data from cyberattacks and build greater cybersecurity awareness across the ecosystem MANILA, Philippines and SINGAPORE, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- CYFIRMA, the industry's first external threat landscape management platform company, and FinTech Alliance Philippines, the country's leading and largest digital trade organization, today announced a partnership to help elevate cybersecurity maturity while promoting digital innovation to create growth opportunities and accelerate financial inclusion. The Philippines' financial landscape is rapidly evolving with the rise of digital banks, open finance, and other financial technology revolutionizing the design, delivery, and consumption of financial products and services. With increased digitalization, there is also added pressure on consumer protection capabilities and resources. According to Statista, a company that specializes in market and consumer data, the number of cyberattacks in the Philippines has exponentially grown during the first quarter of the year, reaching as much as around 1.76 million. The country, however, remains at a low ranking of 82nd when it comes to cybersecurity readiness, according to a global security index. The pandemic has seen an unprecedented increase in online scams and the low cybersecurity maturity among businesses could reverse gains from promoting trust and confidence in the use of digital platforms. The pandemic's disproportionate impact on the poorest and most vulnerable combined with the lack of cyber-safe habits and know-how will exacerbate income and wealth inequality. This collaboration between FinTech Alliance Philippines and CYFIRMA is designed to build a digital finance ecosystem that is resilient to cyberthreats and digital risk, and it lays te groundwork for a sustainable, inclusive and thriving FinTech industry. In this collaboration, CYFIRMA and FinTech Alliance Philippines will advocate for a security-by-design approach in software development where security practices are applied at the earliest stage of the development lifecycle, and this underscores the importance of identifying security vulnerabilities through real-time and continuous monitoring. CYFIRMA and FinTech Alliance will also work together to uplift the cybersecurity readiness amongst members of the Alliance. This includes ensuring members are equipped with digital risk protection tools to help them stay safe from cyber risks such as phishing, ransomware, and identity and data theft. To improve digital and cyber literacy among the community as well as to address the lack of cybersecurity awareness, CYFIRMA will also extend its cyber education mobile application, DeFNCE, to all members of the alliance. CYFIRMA and Fintech Alliance will also explore other collaborations such as joint training programs with academic institutions and regulatory engagement with government agencies. "We are excited to extend our market-leading cybersecurity capabilities, which we have used in service of enterprise customers, to the vibrant FinTech community in the Philippines. We know the unbanked and underbanked have security concerns around digital finance services, particularly around identity theft, scams and fraud. We are honored to be given the opportunity to use our knowledge of digital risk monitoring and protection to help up-and-coming FinTechs build ground-breaking products that are cyber-secured and ready to be deployed at scale to serve millions of Filipinos," said Anna Koh, Chief Marketing Officer, CYFIRMA. "Consumer education is also key in cyber defense against identity theft and security breaches. Ensuring our customers' security, safety, and confidence in digital financial services must be primordial. Stakeholders must strengthen constructive dialogue in cyber and vulnerability intelligence, attack discovery, and increase digital risk protection, among others. Our partnership with CYFIRMA is pivotal in support of this strategic initiative," said Lito Villanueva, Founding Chairman of FinTech Alliance Philippines. ABOUT FINTECH ALLIANCE.PH FinTech Alliance.ph is the Philippines' leading and largest digital trade organization comprised of startups and unicorns collectively generating over 90% of digital-initiated transactions volume in the country today. It was established in November 2017 and was launched at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) with the late BSP Governor Nestor A. Espenilla, Jr., championing inclusive digital finance and financial education. It advocates for enabling regulations for continuous financial innovations working with regulators, legislators, and global practitioners. It institutionalized Asia's first fintech industry-led code of conduct, code of ethics, and code of customer centricity in collaboration with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilinas, Securities and Exchange Commission, Insurance Commission, National Privacy Commission, Credit Information Corporation, Bureau of Internal Revenue, and the Department of Trade and Industry. Official website: fintechalliance.ph Email: [email protected] ABOUT CYFIRMA CYFIRMA is an external threat landscape management platform company. We combine cyber intelligence with attack surface discovery and digital risk protection to deliver early warning, personalized, contextual, outside-in, and multi-layered insights. Our cloud-based AI and ML-powered analytics platform provides the hacker's view with deep insights into the external cyber landscape, helping clients prepare for impending attacks. CYFIRMA is headquartered in Singapore with offices across APAC, EMEA and the US. The company is funded by Goldman Sachs, Zodius Capital, and Z3 Partners. Official website: https://www.cyfirma.com/ SOURCE CYFIRMA [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [November 02, 2022] GRL signs strategic alliance with Japan Quality Assurance Organization and DSP Research, Inc Partnership creates a new one-stop service offering for customers in Japan targeting technology-driven opportunities in local and international markets SANTA CLARA, Calif., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Granite River Labs (GRL), a global leader in engineering services, test automation for digital connectivity and charging, and a provider of international market access services has announced a strategic alliance with one of the world's most respected players in safety testing and certification, the Japan Quality Assurance Organization (JQA). The alliance also includes DSP Research, Inc., a JQA group company that is recognized internationally for the inspection and testing of telecommunications and wireless equipment. This positions the organizations to offer customers in Japan a one-stop-shop for electronics testing, certification and market access services. GRL has provided Japan's electronics manufacturing ecosystem with critical troubleshooting, testing and certification support for more than a decade. Its Yokohama Test Lab offers a wide range of services, including compliance test, process, voltage, temperature (PVT) stress testing and debugging, signal integrity and power integrity verification, and engineering consultation. Leveraging GRL's iternational presence and perspective, the recently introduced Market Access Services help exporters to address constantly changing, country specific protocol and telecom import requirements and tap into local, regional and global markets. The JQA's extensive network, which includes labs in Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka and Kyushu, along with DSPR's flagship location in Kobe, puts safety and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) testing and telecommunications verification close to customers across the country. As one of its first steps, the alliance is organizing a face-to-face seminar on automotive Ethernet and 5G in November, hosted by all three partners. Other focus areas include safety testing, EMC testing, telecom and wireless testing, high-speed interface testing and certification services, and certification and digital platform services. "DSPR is proud to be the first Registered Private Body in Japan for telecommunications and radio equipment inspection and testing. We are equally pleased to extend the range and reach of our offering in partnership with a dedicated industry pioneer like GRL," said Nobuhiro Nakanishi, President of DSP Research, Inc. "This alliance is a major milestone for GRL, JQA and DSPR," said Holger Kunz, President of Worldwide Services of GRL. "The natural synergy between GRL's technical expertise in high-speed interface testing and sophisticated market knowledge, combined with JQA's safety & EMC capabilities, and DSPR's reputation in telecom and wireless testing, will unlock new possibilities. That is great news for Japanese companies targeting technology-driven opportunities in local and international markets, especially those involved in the important consumer electronics and automotive industries." About JQA The Japan Quality Assurance Organization (JQA) specializes in registration services for ISO management systems as well as safety testing and certification for compliance to a variety of standards, both national and international. It began operations in 1957, initially as a designated inspection body under Japan's Export Inspection Law, its work has contributed to the development of Japan's economy by testing and certifying product destined for overseas markets. Built on rich expertise and know-how in testing and certification, the organization has continuously added to our conformity assessment services, while being accredited by relevant authorities both at home and abroad so as to meet the varied needs of today's globalized economy. For more information, visit https://www.jqa.jp/about_jqa/index.html. About?Granite?River Labs Founded in Silicon Valley in 2010, Granite River Labs (GRL) is a leading provider of end-to-end testing, certification and compliance services and related proprietary instrumentation and software solutions to support development and commercialization of sophisticated connected devices. GRL helps engineers solve tough design and validation challenges. GRL was founded with a vision to provide affordable test services to help hardware developers implement digital interface technologies as they become faster, more complex, and more challenging to test. Today, GRL has worked with hundreds of companies supporting the adoption of new and emerging technologies from their worldwide test facilities and R&D centers. GRL's combination of market-leading technical expertise, broad capabilities across connectivity and charging technologies, and intense focus on quality and customer service excellence has led to rapid growth and recognition as the "go to" expert. For more information, visit www.graniteriverlabs.com. SOURCE Granite River Labs [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [November 02, 2022] Wipro launches new financial services consulting capability in India BANGALORE, India, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO), a leading technology services and consulting company, announced the launch of a new financial services advisory capability in India. Capco, a Wipro company, will supplement Wipro's presence in the Indian financial services sector through its business in Mumbai to jointly offer end-to-end transformation services for this sector. The value of the Indian consulting market is estimated to be $8.6 billion, of which financial services accounts for an estimated $2.95 billion*. In partnership with Wipro, Capco will offer strategic advisory and consulting capabilities to Indian financial services firms that are on their digitization journey. Towards this, Capco will leverage Wipro's India presence, relationships, scale, and proven expertise in providing a comprehensive suite of digita transformation services. Anis Chenchah, CEO of Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa (APMEA), Wipro Limited, said: "Capco's financial services consulting expertise in India aims to accelerate our clients' end-to-end transformation journeys. I am confident that the joint forces of Wipro and Capco will play an important role in the industry's next phase of innovation. It enriches our full spectrum of capabilities, ensuring we are well positioned to help our clients realize their growth ambitions." Lance Levy, CEO of Capco and Executive Sponsor of Wipro's Financial Services business, said: "I am delighted to introduce Capco's financial services advisory capability in India. We will combine our deep domain expertise around digital banking and insurance, data and cloud transformation, intelligent automation, and cybersecurity together with Wipro's scale and extensive delivery to offer a fresh and dynamic, end-to-end, transformational experience for our most important clients." About Wipro Limited Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO) is a leading technology services and consulting company focused on building innovative solutions that address clients' most complex digital transformation needs. Leveraging our holistic portfolio of capabilities in consulting, design, engineering, and operations, we help clients realize their boldest ambitions and build future-ready, sustainable businesses. With over 250,000 employees and business partners across 66 countries, we deliver on the promise of helping our customers, colleagues, and communities thrive in an ever-changing world. For additional information, visit us at www.wipro.com . SOURCE Capco [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [November 02, 2022] LAZADA GROUP RELEASES FIRST ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL AND GOVERNANCE (ESG) IMPACT REPORT Lazada's first ESG impact report commemorates its tenth anniversary and mark the Group's commitment to building a sustainable business and creating positive impact SINGAPORE, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Southeast Asia's leading eCommerce platform, Lazada, today released its first Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) Impact report, Shaping the Future of the Digital Economy for 2022. The report details the company's efforts to leverage eCommerce as a force for good to uplift communities, champion accountable and sustainable business practices and manage its impact on the environment. "As Lazada celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, we also celebrate 10 years of digital commerce in Southeast Asia. It is also a timely milestone to release our first ESG Impact report and I am pleased to share our progress in accelerating the growth of digital commerce in the region and making a difference through our operations," said James Dong, Chief Executive Officer, Lazada Group. "This report is only the start of our journey. I am looking forward to stronger collaborations with our partners and stakeholders around how we can leverage our position as a leading eCommerce platform to shape the future of a sustainable digital ecosystem." The report unveils the company's ESG framework and its four core pillars: Empowering Communities, Future-Ready Workforce, Responsible Stewardship, and Effective Governance. It highlights many notable achievements for the company under these pillars, including: Empowering Communities : : Positive socio-economic impact to support development across the region: Across its six markets, Lazada created 1.1 million economic opportunities [1] within its ecosystem of sellers, digital commerce enablers, third-party logistics partners and dedicated employees. within its ecosystem of sellers, digital commerce enablers, third-party logistics partners and dedicated employees. Provision of services, infrastructure and capacity-building for the empowerment of Southeast Asian communities: Lazada's commitment is to give back to societies and communities in recovery efforts and building a more resilient society. Initiatives such as Lazada's COVID-19 and disaster relief responses across the markets have been in place since its early years. Lazada works with local stakeholders to develop programs that support women in their journeys to becoming entrepreneurs and celebrates female entrepreneurs who have overcome obstacles to grow their businesses successfully with Lazada. In March 2022 , Lazada honored the achievements of 18 female entrepreneurs across the region on Lazada's platform with the Lazada Forward Women Awards 2022. , Lazada honored the achievements of 18 female entrepreneurs across the region on Lazada's platform with the Lazada Forward Women Awards 2022. Future-Ready Workforce: A diverse and inclusive work environment for employees: In the past two years, overall workforce across the Group has grown by 18%. Women make up 43% of Lazada's workforce, a higher percentage than that of the overall technology industry in Southeast Asia at 32% [2] . at 32% . Development of skillsets and knowledge for the broader digital talent pool: Lazada established initiatives such as Lazada University, an exclusive education program to empower its sellers, and the Lazada Learning Festival 2022, the biggest virtual learning festival in Southeast Asia to educate and engage with the general public. to educate and engage with the general public. Responsible Stewardship: Lower carbon footprint: Lazada introduced a baseline carbon inventory to identify key sources of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emission across its operations. The results from the carbon inventory exercises will serve to enhance Lazada's decarbonization roadmap in the coming years and align with global ambitions to reduce GHG emissions. Reduced material uses and engage in a circular economy: RedMart, Lazada Singapore's grocery arm, avoided approximately 30 tons of virgin plastic alone by switching RedMart Label water bottles to 100% recycled PET materials. Effective Governance: Strengthened cybersecurity measures: Lazada is one of the few eCommerce platforms in Southeast Asia to be certified against the ISO 27001:2013 standards, an international standard for information security that sets out a holistic approach to securing the confidentiality. to be certified against the ISO 27001:2013 standards, an international standard for information security that sets out a holistic approach to securing the confidentiality. Best practices for intellectual property protection and processes: Lazada is the first Southeast Asian digital commerce company with a dedicated Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Protection Team. In March 2020 , the team piloted a proactive detection and takedown of counterfeit goods, which resulted in 98% of proactive removals occurring before a transaction took place in 2021. "The progress we made in the last few years has laid the groundwork for sustained success and momentum as we push forward with our ESG impact," said Frank Luo, Chief Financial Officer, Lazada Group. "As Southeast Asia's pioneer digital commerce platform, we are committed to enabling a sustainable and healthy ecosystem that connects buyers and sellers. Our approach is to adopt an 'ecosystem mindset', by increasing collaboration with our partners and stakeholders along our value chain to create a positive impact." Most recently, Lazada Logistics in Indonesia was also honored as the winner of the Responsible Consumption and Production (Plastic) category under the B20 Sustainability 4.0 Awards, a joint European-Indonesian project and a side event of B20 Indonesia 2022. The prestigious awards celebrate businesses and individuals that embed sustainable practices in their strategies and processes by embracing the environment and societies in their agenda. Lazada's FY2022 ESG Impact Report has been prepared with reference to the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards 2021[3]. The full FY2022 ESG Impact Report: Shaping the Future of the Digital Economy can be found here. [1] As of 31 March 2022 [2] Boston Consulting Group, Boosting Women in Technology in Southeast Asia (2020) [3] See Editor's Note for more details Editor's Note: Access the FY2022 ESG Impact Report: Shaping the Future of the Digital Economy infographic here Lazada's FY2022 ESG Impact Report details its ESG approach and performance across the Group's operations in six countries Indonesia , Malaysia , the Philippines , Singapore , Thailand and Vietnam and the operations of its subsidiary, RedMart in Singapore for the reporting period of 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022 ("FY2022"), unless otherwise stated. , , , , and and the operations of its subsidiary, RedMart in for the reporting period of to ("FY2022"), unless otherwise stated. This report also includes data from the prior reporting period of 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021 ("FY2021") for comparison where applicable. to ("FY2021") for comparison where applicable. The GRI Standards was selected as it is the most widely adopted global standard among businesses to report on sustainability matters across comparable criteria. A detailed GRI Standards content index is provided at the end of the report (page 58). About Lazada Group Lazada Group is Southeast Asia's pioneer eCommerce platform. For the last 10 years, Lazada has been accelerating progress in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam through commerce and technology. Today, a thriving local ecosystem links about 160 million active users to more than one million actively-selling sellers every month, who are transacting safely and securely via trusted payments channels and Lazada Wallet, receiving parcels through a homegrown logistics network that has become the largest in the region. With a vision to achieve USD100 billion annual GMV, Lazada aims to serve 300 million shoppers by 2030, and be the best at enabling brands and sellers in digitalizing their businesses. In 2022, the Lazada Foundation was set up to empower youths and women for the digital future, close the gender digital divide and uplifting communities by creating positive impact. More information can be found here https://group.lazada.com/en/foundation/. Contact Information: For more information, please contact: Lazada Communications Team [email protected] SOURCE Lazada Group [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [November 02, 2022] DEKRA awards ASPICE CL2 certificate to LITEON Technology for its R&D capability of automotive software TAIPEI, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ASPICE stands for Automotive Software Process Improvement and Capability Determination. It is a model framework for assessing the R&D capability of software development teams in the automotive industry, developed within the ISO/IEC standards. Applicants' capability levels will be examined for ASPICE certification. After European car manufacturers took the lead, more and more global counterparts and suppliers have come to regard Automotive SPICE as a standard for assessing the capability of software providers. Allen Liao, Associate Vice President, Automotive Electronics Application LOB of LITE-ON Technology Corp., stated that LITEON Technology has long been committed to the research and development of the application of automotive electronics as a prominent solution provider for their clients. Since the application of HUD (head-up display) combined with ADAS and V2X has become an important auxiliary tool for a smart cockpit, the market has edged toward more stringent requirements for product safety and software reliability. The ASPICE certificate issued by the DEKRA DIGITAL Principal Consultant demonstrates the LITEON Technology's strength in the research and development of automotive software. What's more, the certification also reflects LITEON Technology's comprehensive development procedures of automotive software which fully complies with the quality criteria of international car manufacturers and Tier 1. With this at hand, LITEON Technology is proven to have the capability to address the design requirements in the global supply chain of vehicles. At the certificate awarding ceremony, Allen Liao, Associate Vice President, Automotive Electronics Application LOB of LITE-ON Technology Corp., received the ASPICE CL2 certificate from Aaron Lee, Managing Director of DEKRA Taiwan. Daniel Lee, General Manager of DEKRA Taiwan Product Testing Operations, and Kevin Huang, Manager of Global Functional Safety attended the ceremony. Gerhard Rieger, Senior Vice President Global Functional Safety and Ganesh Kumar, DEKRA DIGITAL Principal Consultant for ASPICE, Functional Safety & Cybersecurity, joined the ceremony online. Aaron Lee, Managing Director of DEKRA Taiwan, expressed that as the concept of smart driving has gain its popularity, a vehicle is carried with more and more smart-assisted technologies and products. Car manufacturers have asked for increasingly higher quality of the products developed by suppliers in the supply chain, where ASPICE has been widely requested. DEKRA DIGITAL and Functional Safety team is the only team in Taiwan that is led by a Principal Consultant and Competent Assessor, and also the expert team that works with the most car manufacturers of Taiwan for certification. The review was led by Ganesh Kumar, DEKRA DIGITAL Principal Consultant for ASPICE, Functional Safety & Cybersecurity, accompanied by Kevin Huang, DEKRA Global Functional Safety and Cyber Security Manager, and ASPICE assessor and expert team. They verified that LITEON Technology's HUD products have reached the industry-leading level in terms of the system development, software design, and management by performing a VDA scope assessment of ASPICE. Accordingly, LITEON Technology successfully received the ASPICE CL2 and ISO 26262 certificates from DEKRA. As a world-class testing and certification organization, DEKRA strives to offer one-stop service where clients in the automotive supply chain are able to enjoy integrated solutions, including ISO 26262/ IEC 61508 functional safety, ISO/SAE 21434 / SAE J3061 road vehicles cybersecurity, ISO 27001 / TISAX standards for information security assessment and Automotive SPICE, a capability maturity model for software. The mission is to help steer clients' transformation upgrades and sustainable development of the automotive industry. About DEKRA DEKRA has been active in the field of safety for almost 100 years. Founded in 1925 in Berlin as Deutscher Kraftfahrzeug-Uberwachungs-Verein e.V., it is today one of the world's leading expert organizations. DEKRA SE is a subsidiary of DEKRA e.V. and manages the Group's operating business. In 2021, DEKRA generated sales totaling more than EUR 3.5 billion. The company currently employs almost 48,000 people in approximately 60 countries on all continents. With qualified and independent expert services, they work for safety on the road, at work and at home. These services range from vehicle inspection and expert appraisals to claims services, industrial and building inspections, safety consultancy, testing and certification of products and systems, as well as training courses and temporary work. The vision for the company's 100th birthday in 2025 is that DEKRA will be the global partner for a safe, secure and sustainable world. With a platinum rating from EcoVadis, DEKRA is now in the top one percent of sustainable businesses ranked. SOURCE DEKRA [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [November 02, 2022] VisualCortex and Servian sign ANZ video analytics partnership VisualCortex signs agreement with Servian, appointing the leading data consultancy as key service delivery partner for its video analytics technology across Australia and New Zealand SYDNEY, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- VisualCortex the Video Intelligence Platform connecting computer vision's potential to real-world business outcomes has signed a referral and services agreement with Australia's foremost data consulting company, Servian. Under the guidelines of the partnership agreement, Servian will be permitted to recommend VisualCortex's Video Intelligence Platform as well as deliver implementation, integration, model building and associated professional services to its current and future clients throughout Australia and New Zealand (ANZ). Servian, Australia's largest data-focused cloud consultancy, was acquired by US-based multinational IT services firm, Cognizant, in January 2021. Servian and VisualCortex have already collaborated to deliver computer vision outcomes for government entities and transport organizations . Servian National Managing Partner, David Emery, said that the partnership would help its Australian and New Zealand clients exploit and act on video-based insights at scale. "As a consultancy, Servian is constantly focused on how we bring value to our customers quickly," said Emery. "The partnership with VisualCortex allows us to bring a platform approach to video analytics , meaning quickly focusing on the usage of data and the insights and decisions we can make from it instead of spending all our time on the engineering and integration. "Historically, analytics has focused on data from the core systems in our businesses. Video analytics gives us the ability to leverage data, which was previously untapped, to generate new insights about new areas as well as new perspectives on existing parts of our businesses. At Servian, we don't see video analytics as a standalone service offering. We see it as part of the instrumental data backbone of an organization. VisualCortex will help us achieve that vision." VisualCortex CEO and Co-Founder, Patrick Elliott, said that partnering with Servian was an integral moment in the company's evolution, growing its reach and helping to service its customers throughout the region. "Servian is a genuine computer vision pioneer and force in data services throughout the ANZ region," said Elliott. "As both an emrging technology and market, Gartner cites the top two challenges facing organizations undertaking AI projects like Computer Vision as a lack of skills as well as an inability to understand potential use cases and connect them to real-world challenges. "We know that Servian has the skills, and practical experience delivering real-world computer vision projects, to help organizations achieve business value quickly and great ROI over the long haul. Their deep footprint, trusted client relationships and large workforce will also help us scale fast, underpinning VisualCortex's channel-based go-to-market strategy across ANZ." Associate Partner and Head of AI / ML at Servian, Andy Huang, said that the VisualCortex partnership would enable Servian clients to facilitate enterprise-wide computer vision programs. "Unlike camera-side or point solutions which typically focus on one video analytics challenge per deployment VisualCortex delivers a highly performant enterprise-grade platform to facilitate any real-time or historical video analytics use case," said Huang. "Where VisualCortex offers significant value to Servian's clients is its extensibility it's easy to deploy, use and add new use cases as they emerge. "We're able to leverage commodity hardware to perform video analytics at scale. VisualCortex can also be deployed anywhere clients desire from on-premise and on-the-edge, to public and private clouds, or a hybrid approach. This means we get started faster and significantly reduce the barrier-to-entry for our customers. Through the platform approach, we're also able to readily adapt to changing client needs. Once we've started a video analytics project, we often find that three or four other use cases quickly emerge. With a range of intuitive dashboards and reports, combined with the ability to easily integrate video-based data generated in VisualCortex with other data sources, we see enormous potential to democratize access to video analytics throughout the enterprise. We want to enable our customers to realize the value across all parts of their organization." Servian works with a wide range of customers within the video analytics field, across ANZ from retail and transport, to logistics and occupational health and safety . "We're particularly excited to see how we can help our transport clients enhance their computer vision capabilities with VisualCortex," said Emery. "We'll do this across a range of use cases from proactive incident detection and traffic flow management, to timetable optimization and automated number plate recognition." About Servian Servian is a leading data consultancy in the Australasian region, whose mission is to enable customers to use their data to build competitive advantage. Servian provides services across data and analytics, cloud infrastructure, DevOps, UI/UX, customer engagement, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and IoT. Servian also provides advisory services to help organizations define and execute on their IT strategy, as well as managed services to manage and run platforms on behalf of its customers. Servian is a technology-agnostic, consultant-led organization that has a strong continuous learning culture. To learn more about Servian, visit https://www.servian.com About VisualCortex VisualCortex is making video data actionable in the enterprise. As the world's best Video Intelligence Platform, VisualCortex provides the stability and scalability to productionize computer vision technology for the first time. Unlike camera-side or point solutions, VisualCortex can be used for any video analytics use case in any industry. VisualCortex's production-ready cloud-based environment transforms video assets into analyzable streams of data at scale. The VisualCortex platform delivers the artificial intelligence smarts, governance and usability, enabling organizations to connect any number of video streams, repositories and use existing commodity hardware. An intuitive user interface, out-of-the-box reporting, range of configurations and integrations empower non-technical people to produce, analyze and act on insights derived from computer vision throughout the enterprise. Organizations can easily combine these AI-generated video insights with other data sources and systems to facilitate both real-time operations and strategic analysis. The VisualCortex Model Store also provides a secure marketplace for customers, partners and independent machine learning experts to share quality controlled computer vision models. For more information, visit www.visualcortex.com For regular updates, follow VisualCortex on Twitter ( @VisualCortexApp ), LinkedIn ( VisualCortex ), YouTube ( VisualCortex ) and Facebook ( @VisualCortexApp ). For regular industry news and analysis, subscribe to VisualCortex's mailing list here: https://visualcortex.com/contact-us/ For further media information, interviews, images or product demonstration, please contact: Lachlan James , VisualCortex Chief Marketing Officer, on +61 (0)431 835 658 or [email protected] , VisualCortex Chief Marketing Officer, on +61 (0)431 835 658 or Ellie Morrison , Servian Marketing Associate, [email protected] SOURCE VisualCortex [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [November 03, 2022] GIC and ESR establish a US$600 million Joint Venture to invest in Core Industrial and Logistics Assets in India The new Core JV provides focused capital for investments into core industrial and logistics assets in India SINGAPORE, HONG KONG and MUMBAI, India, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- GIC and ESR Group Limited ("ESR"; SEHK Stock Code: 1821) announced, today, an 80:20 strategic partnership to establish a US$600 million joint venture ("Core JV") to acquire income-producing core industrial and logistics assets in India. The Core JV represents an extension of the existing partnership in India between the two, which was initiated in 2020, with the initial capital pool dedicated to investing in development and value-add logistics and industrial opportunities across India. The new Core JV provides focused capital dedicated to enabling inorganic growth of the platform and will invest in stabilised operational assets in strategic locations across Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities of the country. Investments in enabling sustainable infrastructure are critical to the country's development. With an upsurge in the share of organised retail and e-commerce, supported by emerging sectors such as electric vehicles and semiconductors, the industrial and logistics asset class is expected to outperform other real estate and infrastructure asset classes in the medium term. Jeffrey Shen and Stuart Gibson, ESR Co-founders and Co-CEOs said: "Capital partner support has been key to the growth of ESR's new economy real estate platform. We are excited to work with GIC to capitalise on the strong growth in the logistics sector in India. This stems from our long and deep strategic relationship covering multiple geographies and funds.As APAC's largest real estate asset manager, ESR's integrated fund management platform has provided our capital partners with access to some of the world's best secular growth opportunities propelled by the positive trends of e-commerce and digital transformation. These trends open new investment opportunities to ESR and our capital partners as the demand for advanced, large-scale, well-located logistics and industrial assets become even greater." Abhijit Malkani, CEO of ESR India, stated: "India is at the cusp of a supply chain transformation supported by automation, digitisation, and favourable government policies. Class-A industrial and logistics developments offer a variety of features to enable increased operational efficiency, which is vital to this shift. With the Core JV platform, we will upgrade the assets as required, and add sustainability elements, to ensure that we offer the same product quality to our customers as we do for products that we develop ourselves." ESR India, part of the ESR Group, is a leading developer and manager of industrial and logistics real estate with assets under management of approximately US$1.7 billion and over 18 million sq. ft. of GFA. About ESR ESR is APAC's largest real asset manager powered by the New Economy and the third largest listed real estate investment manager globally. With over US$140 billion in total assets under management (AUM), our fully integrated development and investment management platform extends across key APAC markets, including China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Singapore, India, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia, representing over 95% of GDP in APAC, and includes an expanding presence in Europe and the U.S. We provide a diverse range of real asset investment solutions and New Economy real estate development opportunities across our private funds business, which allow capital partners and customers to capitalize on the most significant secular trends in APAC. ESR is the largest sponsor and manager of REITs in APAC with a total AUM of US$45 billion. Our purpose Space and Investment Solutions for a Sustainable Future drives us to manage sustainably and impactfully and we consider the environment and the communities in which we operate as key stakeholders of our business. Listed on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong, ESR is a constituent of the FTSE Global Equity Index Series (Large Cap), Hang Seng Composite Index and MSCI Hong Kong Index. More information is available at www.esr.com and www.in.esr.com. About GIC GIC is a leading global investment firm established in 1981 to secure Singapore's financial future. As the manager of Singapore's foreign reserves, GIC takes a long-term, disciplined approach to investing and is uniquely positioned across a wide range of asset classes and active strategies globally. These include equities, fixed income, real estate, private equity, venture capital and infrastructure. Its long-term approach, multi-asset capabilities and global connectivity enable it to be an investor of choice. GIC seeks to add meaningful value to its investments. Headquartered in Singapore, GIC has a global talent force of over 1,900 people in 11 key financial cities and has investments in over 40 countries. For more information, please visit www.gic.com.sg or follow on LinkedIn. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [November 03, 2022] Robb Report Hong Kong welcomes the launch of its official website, robbreport.hk HONG KONG, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Robb Report Hong KongHong Kong's definitive luxury lifestyle media titlecelebrates the launch of its official website, www.robbreport.hk. Alongside its prestigious annual print magazine, the digital platform will publish daily digital content and serve as the ultimate guide to lifestyle and luxury in the city. For over 40 years, the Robb Report brand has maintained a global reputation for reporting on all aspects of luxury, including automobiles, aviation, boating, real estate, travel, dining, whiskies, wine, watches, jewellery, and fashion. Its entry into the Hong Kong market adds to the title's portfolio of 18 editions in 10 languages across 28 countries. "We are excited to announce the launch of our new website," says Tak Man, Chief Executive Officer and Director at Nexus Media Limited, who has brought the esteemed brand to Hong Kong. "Robb Report has an unrivalled reputation for featuring only the very best of the best, and the Hong Kong website will continue the tradition, staying true to Robb Report's motto: Luxury without Compromise. "We are also honoured to bring to Hong Kong the grand signature events that Robb Report is known for, including tailor-made experiences and unforgettable encounters. What's extraordinary about this launch in Hong Kong is that RR1, our membership programme, s by invitation only. RR1 members get to experience tailored, specially curated events, the likes of which many have never seen or experienced before." Be it Signature Events or Tailored Events, Robb Report Hong Kong affords unparalleled access and benefits to RR1 members. From first-look previews to private evenings, and sojourns and travels to exotic destinations, RR1 experiences truly speak to living life to the fullest. Starting the year off strong is the Best of the Best Gala to herald the annual Best of the Best print magazine. Each year, Robb Report bestows its Best of the Best awards on the very finest luxury products, services, and experiences that the world has to offer, and 2023 will mark the inaugural Hong Kong edition. A select group of readers will gather for a private celebratory dinner at the Regent hotel to toast the winners. Situated on the harbourfront of Tsim Sha Tsui in a prime location to overlook the skyline of Hong Kong Island, the majestic Regent is due to reopen in the first quarter of 2023. Robb Report Hong Kong will host a spectacular black tie evening to celebrate not only the launch of the Best of the Best Hong Kong print magazine, but also the return of the iconic hotel brand before it fully opens to the public. Other RR1 staples can also be expected on the Robb Report Hong Kong events calendar. Car of the Year celebrates extraordinary cars of the moment; Ultimate Drive takes readers on a pilgrimage to experience exclusive drives with the top automotive marques in the world; Culinary Masters will bring together epicureans and Michelin-starred luminaries for an unforgettable weekend of gourmet dining; and Dream Machines allows readers to take the latest machines, wings, and wheels for a spin on a fun, adrenaline-driven adventure. Robb Report is the leading voice in the global luxury market, synonymous with affluence, luxury, and the best of the best. Its discerning audience around the world has a shared appreciation and desire for quality, exclusivity, heritage, taste, and fine design. It is the brand the most successful people rely on to discover the ideas, opinions, products, and experiences that will matter most to them. Robb Report: Luxury Without Compromise. About Robb Report Hong Kong Robb Report Hong Kong is part of Nexus Media Group, a company celebrating its tenth year in Hong Kong. The bold title joins a roster of expert curated content creation platforms and media titles that includes Nexus Media, Localiiz, WeeGo, MyLocals, and Nexus Digital. For more information and media enquiries, please contact: Sharifa Carreon | [email protected] | +852 2905 3298 SOURCE Robb Report Hong Kong [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [November 03, 2022] Microsoft overtakes Amazon in Interbrand's 2022 Best Global Brands Report - Apple retains top spot as the Top 100 Brands ranking exceeds more than $3 trillion for the first time - a 16% increase since 2021 - Airbnb (#54), Red Bull (#64) and Xiaomi (#84) are new entrants for 2022 - Microsoft (#2), Tesla (#12) and Chanel (#22) see the greatest YoY growth - Nike (#10) enters top 10 for the first time, edging out McDonald's (#11) - Instagram (#16) overtakes Facebook (#17) as Meta's most valuable brand - Top 10 brands makeup 53% of the total value of the table - Quantitative Environmental, Societal and Governance (ESG) data incorporated into the Best Global Brands methodology for the first time NEW YORK, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Interbrand has today announced its Best Global Brands 2022 ranking at Web Summit 2022. Apple holds onto the number one position for its 10th consecutive year, while Microsoft has moved up into second place, overtaking Amazon. Microsoft, Tesla and Chanel have seen the greatest YoY percentage growth, all increasing brand value by 32%. Despite Tesla's continued growth, it could not replicate the 184% increase in brand value it saw in 2021. Top 10 With an 18% increase in brand value, Apple (US$482,215m) has remained at the top of the table. It is followed by Microsoft (US$278,288m), which has leapfrogged Amazon (US$274,819m) to be number two in the rankings. Google (US$251,751m) has held onto its number four spot. The remainder of the top 10 companies are: Samsung #5 (US$87,689m), Toyota #6 (US$59,757m), Coca-Cola #7 (US$57,535m), Mercedes-Benz #8 (US$56,103m), Disney #9 (US$50,325m) and Nike #10 (US$50,289m) for the first time. The top 10 brands makeup 53% of the total value of the entire table. Table Value p>The average brand value has reached over US$3 trillion for the first time ever - a 16% rise from 2021 ( US$2,667,524m ). A 16% increase in the table's overall brand value demonstrates the growing contribution a company's brand has in driving its economic success. While financial markets have shown significant swings over the last few years, the value of the world's strongest brands have steadily increased driving customer choice, loyalty and margins. Key Learnings The fastest risers in 2022 (in terms of brand value % change, year-on-year) significantly outperformed the fastest falling brands on three Brand Strength factors Direction, Agility and Participation. Direction these brands set a clear direction, ensuring that the entire organization knows where they are going, and are working towards the same ambition. Agility having done this, they move fast, bringing new products and services to market and, where necessary, pivoting to address changing customer needs. Participation ultimately, bringing people on a journey with them and making them part of the movement to create an engaging brand world. Chris Capossela, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Microsoft said: "At Microsoft, we believe that technology can help empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. While we continue to help customers digitally transform and leverage our technology to do more with less, we're excited to grow with our audiences beyond brand constraints as a truly valuable part of their lives." Gonzalo Brujo, Global CEO of Interbrand said: "As we journey through this period of economic uncertainty, the most successful brands will continue to make ever stronger connections with consumers. It is no longer enough to have a static business and brand offering. Successful brands know how to harness new technology to create improved experiences for consumers and become a truly integrated part of their lives. "These top 10 brands defy the rules. They build exceptionally strong relationships with their customers, which allows them to extend the equity of their brand beyond traditional products, sectors or silos. They stand out in terms of leadership, empowerment and changeand with that comes value." For the complete Top 100 ranking and report with industry trends and the full methodology, visit www.bestglobalbrands.com. For more information, please contact: Emma Walkom, [email protected], +44 7531 474626, [email protected] Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1936256/Interbrand_Best_Global_Brands_2022.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/microsoft-overtakes-amazon-in-interbrands-2022-best-global-brands-report-301667094.html [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [November 03, 2022] Docquity digitized patient affordability programs in the Philippines, saving over US$1M for patients More than 350 doctors have supported over 1,000 cancer patients to get improved and affordable care since the start of the pilot last year MANILA, Philippines, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In support of the Philippine government's initiatives to promote universal healthcare, Docquity, Southeast Asia's largest trusted community of healthcare professionals, is innovating and digitizing Patient Affordability Programs (PAP) in the country to empower doctors to ensure better treatment outcomes for patients with cancer, especially those in need of financial assistance. Docquity PAP provides doctors with trusted teleconsultation facilities that improve overall patient management and follow-up care, enrolls patients seamlessly to wider pharmacy networks for access to affordable medication regardless of their location, and helps partner pharmaceutical companies digitize and streamline operations securely. Since it was piloted last year, Docquity PAP has enabled more than 350 doctors from 150 hospitals to support over 1,000 patients with cancer to get needed medicines at affordable rates. The program has delivered more than US$ 1M in total savings for patients. "This is one of those meaningful win-win programs, in line with our vision to connect doctors to build healthier lives around the world at scale. The Docquity PAP pilot program has proven to be a tremendous use case for the Philippines and, potentially, other countries and more therapeutic areas," Amit Vithal, Co-Founder and Chief Growth Officer at Docquity, said. "The goals were multifold to make it easier for doctors to care for their patients, to help patients overcome high costs in medication andtreatment, as well as accessibility issues in rural areas, and to bring down operational costs and enable our partners to scale their impact. Our single digital platform and technology is now part of that reimagined journey, and the impact we have seen on patients' lives have been so tangible." Helping doctors become more efficient and effective Docquity PAP enables doctors to teleconsult with patients through Docquity Clinic, a secure cloud-based end-to-end patient management platform accessible from any device with an internet connection, nominate and enroll patients who need financial assistance, issue e-prescriptions, and follow up on treatment progress. A dedicated Docquity Care team provides hand-in-glove services to all the participants involved in the process, from onboarding to prescription and continued patient adherence. In compliance with industry regulations, Docquity ensures that each interaction with the patient is documented and monitored, and follows partner requirements for adverse event reporting. Improving access to more affordable medicines Current paper-based PAPs limit patient enrollments to one pharmacy network to get prescriptions at discounted rates. Patients who need access to other pharmacy networks need to cross-enroll. Docquity PAP provides flexibility and scalability to expand pharmacy networks, enabling patients to access multiple branches depending on their location and access medicines from departments with available inventory. Docquity addresses overall affordability, offering a platform for teleconsultations, making the logistics of getting medication more accessible, and providing additional support for patients. It engages patients through SMS, calls, emails, and chatbots to ensure they continue their therapy. Patients of physicians who are not yet part of Docquity's program can ask their doctor to register to have access to these benefits. Securing and streamlining patient affordability programs Docquity PAP helps partner pharmaceutical companies streamline operations to reduce costs, process records and requirements more efficiently and accurately, improve insights-gathering, and strengthen verification procedures with multiple checks and one-time password (OTP) validations. It ensures a secure system and reduces possibilities of error and fraud resulting from entirely paper-based processes, dependence on a single store in complete control of the program execution, lack of data capture in the number of drugs prescribed and dispensed, and under-reporting of adverse events. Building on this success, Docquity is engaging in further conversations with more pharmaceutical companies to digitize PAPs and cover more therapeutic areas, onboard more doctors, and make the program available to more Filipinos all over the country. About Docquity, https://docquity.com/ Docquity is Southeast Asia's largest trusted professional community of healthcare professionals. Our vision is to connect healthcare professionals to build healthier lives around the world at scale. Docquity helps healthcare professionals to learn, connect and grow and partners with companies to reach, educate healthcare professionals and gain insights on them. Docquity has more than 300,000 doctors on the platform and offices in India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Taiwan. SOURCE Docquity [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] With Gasgoo Daily, we will offer daily important automotive news in China. For those we have reported, the title of the piece will include a hyperlink, which will provide detailed information. BYD scores 158.52% YoY spike in Jan.-Oct. sales BYD Company Limited said its auto sales reached 542,679 units for the first ten months of 2022, surging 158.52% year on year. In October, it sold 217,816 vehicles, representing a 142.19% year-over-year surge. BYD Seal; photo credit: BYD SAIC MAXUS sees Oct. 2022 sales jump 14% YoY SAIC MAXUS, a subsidiary of SAIC Motor, saw its monthly auto sales jump 14% over a year earlier to 16,044 units. Its global sales exceeded 149,000 units in the Jan.-Oct. 2022 period. Great Wall Motor sets up semiconductor subsidiary in Wuxi According to the corporate data platform Qichacha, Wuxi Xindong Semiconductor Technology Co., Ltd. (Xindong is Chinese Pinyin) was incorporated on Nov. 1 with a line of businesses including manufacturing and sales of IC chips and discrete semiconductor devices. The company is jointly held by Wei Jianjun (Chairman of Great Wall Motor) and Great Wall Motor. Tesla Shanghai Gigafactory delivers over 70,000 vehicles worldwide The monthly deliveries of Tesla Shanghai Gigafactory are estimated to be 71,704 units in Oct. 2022, according to data by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA). GAC Group sells over 2.03 million vehicles in Jan.-Oct. 2022 GAC Group, one of the major Chinese automobile groups, announced it sold 212,455 vehicles last month, representing a 10.16% jump year-on-year, while facing a 10.42% decrease month-on-month. China's battery maker CALB to build Europe industry base in Portugal Chinese power battery maker CALB inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the government of Portugal on Nov. 2 to launch its Europe industry base in the country, indicating a milestone in CALB's global industrial deployment, the company announced via its WeChat account. BAIC BluePark sees 76.1% YoY surge in Oct. sales BAIC BJEV, the subsidairy of BAIC BluePark New Energy Technology Co.,Ltd. ("BAIC BluePark"), saw its monthly production and sales volume jump significantly over a year ago in October, BAIC BluePark announced on November 3. China issues draft guideline to carry out intelligent connected vehicle pilot work nationwide On October 2, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and Ministry of Public Security (MPS) issued a new draft guideline (the Draft) to expand tests and applications for autonomous driving vehicles in China. China's King Long has new FCV model included in MIIT's catalogue Leading Chinese commercial vehicle (CV) manufacturer Xiamen King Long United Automotive Industry Co., Ltd ("King Long") announced on Wednesday that the first vehicle model co-developed with Zhejiang Tianneng Hydrogen Fuel Technology Co., Ltd. ("Tianneng"), namely, the King Long fuel cell low-floor city bus code-named XMQ6106, has been included into a catalogue recently released by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology ("MIIT"). Aiways, Miracle Automation, Vango to work on power battery operation, recycling Chinese new energy vehicle (NEV) startup Aiways recently signed a framework agreement with Miracle Automation Engineering Co., Ltd. ("Miracle Automation") and Vango (Shanghai) Automotive Technology Co., Ltd. ("Vango") to carry out in-depth strategic cooperation on the ecosystem construction for power battery operation and services, according to an announcement Miracle Automation released on Nov. 1. Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen achieves record-high monthly sales in October In October, Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen Automobile (DPCA) achieved impressive results in its monthly sales, maintaining a positive year-on-year growth for 23 consecutive months. QCraft unveils autonomous driving solution brand, urban NOA achievements China's autonomous driving solution developer QCraft announces the name of its Driven-by-QCraft solution, Chengfeng ("riding the wind" in Chinese), as well as its latest technological achievements at the company's first technology workshop event. [November 03, 2022] Elliptic Labs Announces Aslaug Tveiteras as New VP of People Elliptic Labs (OSE: ELABS), a global AI software company and the world leader in AI Virtual Smart Sensors, is announcing the hiring of Aslaug Tveiteras as its new Vice President of People. Ms. Tveiteras will be charged with scaling Elliptic Labs' organization as the company continues to expand its business in the smartphone, PC/laptop, IoT, and Automotive verticals. Ms. Tveiteras is a seasoned executive with a passion for technology and organizational excellence. She has a broad business background with expertise in building and growing teams. Ms. Tveiteras has a significant and industry-relevant background. She comes to Elliptic Labs from Gelato ASA, an Oslo, Norway-based software company that delivers services for on-demand production of personalized print products where she served as Chief People Officer. Prior to this Ms. Tveiteras led the People and Health Environment nd Safety team at Kahoot ASA, a global learning and engagement platform company for three years. Previous roles also include a nine-year stint at Silicon Laboratories Norway AS (formerly Energy Micro) as Finance Director and Human Resource Director for Europe. "Elliptic Labs' current successful trajectory is attracting the best and brightest professionals, and Aslaug joining our team to lead our human resources group is a perfect example of this," said Laila Danielsen, CEO of Elliptic Labs. "With Aslaug's industry-relevant experience in growing and scaling software development teams and organizations, we are well-poised to continue our leading position in bringing 100% software-only solutions offering critical user experiences to the smartphone, PC/laptop, IoT, and Automotive industries." "I am excited to join Elliptic Labs, a global company with great people, technology and leadership," said Ms. Tveiteras. "This is a fantastic opportunity because Elliptic Labs is in a solid position for growth due to its unique market position, strong business model, and solid financial foundation. I look forward to working with the team to accelerate this growth, continue building the company's culture where all can be at their best for our customers, partners and stakeholders, and to execute the company's mission to make devices greener, smarter, and more human-friendly." Ms. Tveiteras holds an MBA (Sivilkonom) degree from NHH Norwegian School of Economics. AI Virtual Smart Sensor is a trademark of Elliptic Labs. About Elliptic Labs Elliptic Labs is a global enterprise targeting the smartphone, laptop, IoT, and automotive markets. Founded in 2006 as a research spin-off from Norway's Oslo University, the company's patented software uses AI, ultrasound, and sensor fusion to deliver intuitive 3D gesture, proximity-, presence-, breathing- and heartbeat-detection experiences. Its scalable AI Virtual Smart Sensor Platform creates software-only sensors that are sustainable, human-friendly, and already deployed in hundreds of millions of devices around the world. Elliptic Labs is the only software company that has delivered detection capabilities using AI software, ultrasound, and sensor fusion deployed at scale. The company joined the Oslo Brs main listing in March 2022. Elliptic Labs is headquartered in Norway with presence in the USA, China, South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan. Its technology and IP are developed in Norway and are solely owned by the company. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221102006227/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [November 03, 2022] New headquarters and senior appointments at Access Partnership LONDON, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- After a period of impressive growth, global tech policy firm Access Partnership has relocated its headquarters to a new, modern location in the heart of London. Based in Westminster, the new office space provides a large and welcoming environment for Access Partnership's staff and makes employee wellbeing a priority through features like mixed and collaborative working spaces, as well as recreational areas which include access to a roof terrace. The new amenities are an integral part of making Access Partnership a great place to work. The company has seen an unprecedented level of worldwide growth in recent months, with a new office opening in Singapore and many senior level appointments bolstering Access Partnership's capabilities and expertise in tech policy. The appointments include Dr Samantha Torrance, who was previously a Senior Director at FTI Consulting. An economist and expert in fiscal policy, public sector institutional reform and policy consulting with an emerging markets focus - she joins our executive team as Head of Policy Implementation. Hui Yi Lim joins as Director Strategic Economic Practice in Singapre. Prior to this role, Hui Yi worked at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), an economics and policy consultancy for government agencies and private sector companies, and at the Central Bank of Malaysia. In addition, as part of a quest to spearhead emerging talent, Ruvimbo Samanga has been appointed as an analyst recognised as one of the top 10 under 30 in African space industry. "The move to the new office marks a period of successful contract wins in key areas across the globe", said Gregory Francis, CEO at Access Partnership. "Our teams have proven their expertise at the highest level and have delivered outstanding results for our clients. Investing in people and their wellbeing is of paramount importance to us and we aim to become an outstanding employer and a leading company to work for". Access Partnership's impressive development continues as we look to further build out our global teams (see our latest vacancies here). Our new address is The Tower, Buckingham Green, Buckingham Gate, SW1E 6AS, but the contact details will remain the same. About Access Partnership: Access Partnership is the world's leading public policy firm dedicated to opening markets for technology. We shape national, regional and international policies to ensure a fair, long-lasting environment for technology that drives growth. Our teams in six offices across the globe uniquely mix policy and technical expertise to drive outcomes for clients operating at the intersection of technology, data and connectivity. Contact: Oana Baetica, [email protected], +44 (0) 7717 368 788 View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/new-headquarters-and-senior-appointments-at-access-partnership-301666986.html [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [November 03, 2022] PayU powers seamless payments for Bangalore Metro's new WhatsApp Ticketing System Namma Metro commuters may now recharge their Smart Cards or buy one-way QR tickets on WhatsApp on the back of PayU's trusted enterprise payment solution. BENGALURU, India, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- PayU, India's leading online payment solutions provider, today announced its partnership with Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) to power payments for its new WhatsApp-based Chatbot solution. This online ticketing solution would offer over 6 Lakh and growing Namma Metro daily commuters the convenience of booking their metro tickets on the go without having to wait at ticket counters. Commuters can now initiate a WhatsApp chat by sending 'Hi' message to Bangalore Metro Rail's Phone No. 810 555 66 77 or scan the QR code available at any metro station. Once they pick whether they want to recharge their Smart Card or One-Way Ticket, they will have to enter the metro line (route), starting station and destination. Once they confirm their final booking details and the fare, the may use WhatsApp Pay (UPI) or other payment methods like Credit Card, Debit Card, Net Banking, Wallets or other UPI apps to finish the payment. After successfully completing their payment, they will be able to download a QR E-ticket (valid for one business day) that they can flash at the AFC gate to proceed on their journey. Mohit Gopal, Chief Operating Officer - PayU Payments said, "PayU has been one of the biggest champions of the Govt. of India's 'Digital India' mission. We firmly believe in harnessing the power of digitization in new & innovative ways to serve Indian consumers & SMBs. Given WhatsApp's potential as one of the key channels for commerce & payments in the future, Namma Metro's new WhatsApp Chatbot facility will be a game-changer for our country's transport sector. We are confident this new ticketing system will go a long way in helping Bengaluru's residents and visitors enjoy a seamless travel experience." "Namma Metro believes in offering a safe, quick, reliable and comfortable public transit system to our city's residents and visitors. In line with this promise, we are happy to launch one of the country's first ever metro WhatsApp Chatbot services in partnership with PayU. This new way of booking a metro ticket will set a benchmark for public transit service excellence in the country, and is also a part of our wider vision to go green. We are thankful to PayU and WhatsApp for helping us in this endeavor," A.S. Shankar, Executive Director (Operations and Maintenance), Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation added. Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) is a joint venture of Government of India and Government of Karnataka and is a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) entrusted with the responsibility of implementation and operation of the Bangalore Metro Rail Project. About PayU India PayU is regulated under the Reserve Bank of India and has solutions to meet the digital payment needs of Indian merchants. It provides online payment solutions to businesses through local payment methods. PayU also developed LazyPay in 2017, an alternate lending platform to offer credit solutions. Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1861941/PayU_new_Logo.jpg [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [November 03, 2022] Beosin, a Leading Blockchain Security Firm, Announces $20M Series A Strategic Financing SINGAPORE, Nov. 3, 2022 Beosin, a leading blockchain security service provider, has recently closed a $20 million strategic financing round participated by prominent industry investors and existing shareholders. Beosin is a global leader in blockchain security, offering smart contract security audit, blockchain project risk monitoring, alerting, and blocking, stolen digital assets recovery, KYT/AML, and other one-stop security solutions, products and services. Beosin has helped over 2,000 blockchain firms globally and safeguarded over $500 billion in assets. The proceeds will be used for blockchain security-related research and development, ecosystem expansion, and global business growth. As a blockchain security leading company, it's our responsibility to make contributions and develop the industry healthily. In the future, Beosin will continue to focus on the blockchain security ecology, deliver an expanded range of blockhain technology solutions and blockchain security technology for global users at scale. Beosin VaaS The Smart Contract Formal Verification Platform provides static scanning, fuzzy testing and formal verification capabilities for smart contract codes. The platform supports 100+ testing items including traditional vulnerabilities and business logic correctness on multiple public blockchains with an accuracy rate of above 97%. It can precisely locate the risky codes while giving recommendations to help developers improve the security of smart contracts. Beosin EagleEye An integrated monitoring platform designed for blockchain project owners. By automatically assessing security situation of contracts, monitoring on-chain operations in real-time, it can identify suspicious transactions, comprehensively assess the operation status, help user find out risks and get feasible suggestions, and finally setup security shield for project operation and protect the asset. Beosin KYT For Anti-money Laundering Compliance, Transaction Risk Monitoring, Continuous Risk Assessment, Beosin KYT virtual asset anti-money laundering and investigation compliance system, relying on more than 1 billion address labels and black address database for blockchain big data analysis technology and advanced AI technology to create a blockchain asset tracking and anti-money laundering system that can help virtual asset service providers to build KYT (Know Your Transactions) and continuous risk assessment capabilities. SOURCE Beosin [November 03, 2022] China Telecom Voted as "Most Honoured Companies in Asia" in Institutional Investor Poll for 12 Straight Years HONG KONG, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- China Telecom Corporation Limited ("China Telecom" or "the Company"; HKEx: 00728; SSE: 601728) is pleased to announce that the Company was voted as "Most Honored Companies in Asia" in the All-Asia-Executive Team Poll 2022 organised by Institutional Investor, a leading financial magazine. The Company obtained this accolade every single year in the poll's 12-year history. The All-Asia-Executive Team Poll 2022 received votes from a total of over 4,850 buy-side professionals from 1,381 buy-side companies and 670 sell-side analysts from 140 companies to vote for distinguished companies and executives in the region on several core areas, including financial disclosure, services and communication, ESG, CEO, CFO and IR professional. China Telecom was honoured as "Most Honoured Companies in Asia" out of over 1,600 companies that received votes, while the Company also ranked 1st in multiple categories in the "Telecommunications" sector, including: Best Investor Relations Best IR Team Overall ESG The above recognitions mark investors' endorsement of China Telecom's excellent execution capability and great transparency, as well as their recognition of China Telecom's outstanding performance in corporate governance which achieved leading standards in Asia-Pacific region. China Telecom would like to express its sincere gratitude towards investors and the investment community for their continuous support and trust. SOURCE China Telecom Corporation Limited [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [November 03, 2022] OneConnect Announces Receipt of Notice Regarding NYSE Continued Listing Standards OneConnect Financial Technology Co., Ltd. ("OneConnect" or the "Company") (NYSE: OCFT), a leading technology-as-a-service provider for financial institutions in China, today announced that it received a letter from the New York Stock Exchange (the "NYSE") dated October 6, 2022, notifying the Company that it is below the NYSE's continued listing standards due to the trading price of OneConnect's American depositary shares (the "ADSs"). The notice has no immediate impact on the listing of the Company's ADSs, which will continue to be listed and traded on the NYSE, subject to the Company's compliance with other NYSE continued listing standards and other rights of the NYSE to delist the ADSs. The NYSE notification does not affect the Company's business operations, its U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission reporting requirements or contractual obligations. Pursuant to Section 802.01C of the NYSE's Listed Company Manual, a company will be considered to be below compliance standards if the average closing price of its security as reported on the consolidated tape is less than US$1.00 over a consecutive 30 trading-day period. The Company has six months (the "Cure Period") following receipt of the notice to regain compliance with the minimum share price requirement. The Company can regain compliance at any time during the Cure Period if on the last trading day of any calendar month during the Cure Period the Company has a closing share price of at least US$1.00 per ADS and an average closing share price of at least US$1.00 per ADS over the 30 trading-day period ending on the last trading day of that month. In the event that at the expiration of the six-month Cure Period, both a US$1.00 per ADS closing share price on the last trading day of the Cure Period and a US$1.00 per ADS average closing share price over the 30 trading-day period ending on the last trading day of the Cure Period are not attained, the NYSE will commence suspension and delisting procedures. The Company has been closely monitoring the closing share price of its ADSs and plans to take reasonable measures to regain compliance with the NYSE listing standards, including through effecting an ADS ratio change if needed. About OneConnect OneConnect Financial Technology Co. Ltd. is a technology-as-a-service provider for the financial services industry in China with an expanding international presence. The Company integrates extensive financial services industry expertise with market-leadin technology to provide technology applications and technology-enabled business services to financial institutions. The integrated solutions and platform the Company provides include digital retail banking solution, digital commercial banking solution, digital insurance solution and Gamma Platform, which is a technology infrastructural platform for financial institutions. The Company's solutions enable its customers' digital transformations, which help them improve efficiency, enhance service quality, and reduce costs and risks. The Company has established long-term cooperation relationships with financial institutions to address their needs of digital transformation. The Company has also expanded its services to other participants in the value chain to support the digital transformation of financial services eco-system. In addition, the Company has successfully exported its technology solutions to overseas financial institutions. For more information, please visit ir.ocft.com. Safe Harbor Statement This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements constitute "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will", "expects", "anticipates", "future", "intends", "plans", "believes", "estimates", "confident" and similar statements. Such statements are based upon management's current expectations and current market and operating conditions and relate to events that involve known or unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond the Company's control. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: the Company's limited operating history in the technology-as-a-service for financial institutions industry; its ability to achieve or sustain profitability; the tightening of laws, regulations or standards in the financial services industry; the Company's ability to comply with the evolving regulatory requirements in the PRC and other jurisdictions where it operates; its ability to comply with existing or future laws and regulations related to data protection or data security; its ability to maintain and enlarge the customer base or strengthen customer engagement; its ability to maintain its relationship with Ping An Group, which is its strategic partner, most important customer and largest supplier; its ability to compete effectively to serve China's financial institutions; the effectiveness of its technologies, its ability to maintain and improve technology infrastructure and security measures; its ability to protect its intellectual property and proprietary rights; risks of defaults by borrowers under the loans for which the Company provided credit enhancement under its legacy credit management business; its ability to maintain or expand relationship with its business partners and the failure of its partners to perform in accordance with expectations; its ability to protect or promote its brand and reputation; its ability to timely implement and deploy its solutions; its ability to obtain additional capital when desired; litigation and negative publicity surrounding China-based companies listed in the U.S.; disruptions in the financial markets and business and economic conditions; the Company's ability to pursue and achieve optimal results from acquisition or expansion opportunities; the duration of the COVID-19 outbreak, including the emergence of COVID variants, and its potential impact on the Company's business and financial performance; and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in the Company's filings with the SEC. All information provided in this press release and in the attachments is as of the date of this press release, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005659/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Media Advisory: Cadence Bank and FHLB Dallas to Award $16K to Habitat for Humanity Cadence Bank and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas) will award $16,000 in Partnership Grant Program (PGP) funding to Habitat for Humanity of Angelina County (Habitat) on Thursday, November 3 during a ceremonial check presentation. Media is encouraged to attend. The grant proceeds will be used to offset the cost of financial education classes that are required for each new homeowner. It will also help offset the cost of other classes for Habitat families, including home maintenance, budgeting and healthy meal preparation. FHLB Dallas matches member institution contributions of $500 to $4,000 by a 3:1 ratio. WHAT: Check presentation for Habitat WHEN: 1:45 p.m., Thursday, November 3, 2022 WHO: Joe Rich, Market President, Cadence Bank Wendy Walker, Assistant Vice President, Cadence Bank Susan Robertson, Executive Director, Habitat for Humanity of Angelina County Melanie Dill, Community and Economic Development Product Manager, FHLB Dallas WHERE: Cadence Bank, 2918 Brentwood Street, Lufkin, Texas 75901 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221101006349/en/ [November 03, 2022] XTrend Speed has won 6 awards on the best broker HONG KONG, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- XTrend Speed, a professional and service-oriented broker XTrend Speed has kept in mind the principle of "providing high-quality services to customers" since its foundation. It acts on the philosophy of "Trade bigDream big" to help more customers realize their dreams. In 2022, XTrend Speed lived up to expectations and won six awards Fastest Growing Online Forex Broker - Asia, Best New Forex Trading Platform - Europe, Best Forex Trading App - Asia, Most Transparent Broker, Best Mobile Broker Award - Europe, Best Forex Copy Trading Platform - Global. XTrend Speed owes these achievements to customers' trust and support, and works harder to provide a better platform and high-quality to customers. XTrend Speed is such a professional broker that supports customers trading more than 140 symbols including Forex, commodities, indexes and stocks. It has been popular in more than 170 countries, and there have bee more than 10,000,000 customers over a few years. The rapid development of XTrend Speed is owned to many features it has been embodied with. You can trade with a small amount of money and invest from $2. You can also receive real-time news alert and watch live-streaming analysis online. No matter you are a starter or a master trader, you can find an investment method best suited you. In addition, XTrend Speed is led and guided by Michael Rezaie (the CEO of XTrend Speed) who is up-and-coming and result-oriented. He has more-than-12-year experience in finance and investment service industries. Over the years, he has undertaken several projects at CEO/Senior management levels, with start-up business brands, using his knowledge of Risk Management, Business Development and Project management. He will lead XTrend Speed to better provide services to customers. About XTrend Speed Team XTrend Speed always takes customer experience and demand as top priority, and has been committed to provided to customers a professional and service-oriented investment platform that is user-friendly and advanced. Download link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rynatsa.xtrendspeed Links of public announcement on awards: https://www.globalbrandsmagazine.com/award-winners-2022/ https://panfinance.net/category/award-winners/ https://www.forex-awards.com/ https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/573258995/xtrend-speed-wins-best-mobile-broker-award-in-europe-for-2022 https://www.globalforexawards.com/retailawards Company Name: Rynat Capital(Pty)Ltd Country: South Africa Website: www.xtrendspeed.com SOURCE XTrend Speed [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [November 03, 2022] Fibre Path Rebrands as XenithIG Australia The company was acquired by XenithIG in July 2022, and the rebrand reinforces XenithIG's commitment to customer satisfaction as a cohesive group SINGAPORE, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Fibre Path today announced a corporate rebranding to XenithIG Australia. Additionally, the corporate name of Fibre Path Pty. Ltd. will be changed to Xenith Infrastructure Group Australia Pty. Ltd., effective November 1, 2022. The name change follows Fibre Path's acquisition by Xenith Infrastructure Group (XenithIG) in July 2022. XenithIG is a critical network infrastructure provider serving hyperscalers, data centre operators, carriers, and enterprise clients across Asia Pacific. This rebrand more accurately expresses XenithIG Australia's expanded geographical reach throughout APAC as part of the XenithIG group, as well as new service offerings such as cusom mission-critical network infrastructure. It also emphasises XenithIG's commitment to customer care as a unified, cohesive group. "The rebrand of Fibre Path to XenithIG Australia more clearly represents our vision to provide seamless, integrated service to all XenithIG's customers, regardless of where they are in APAC," said Clement Goh, CEO of XenithIG. "It better defines our unity as a group. And it characterises our collective spirit to deliver on XenithIG's core values of excellence, customer success, integrity, authenticity, and responsibility. Additionally, the rebrand showcases XenithIG's dedication to accelerating growth successfully, organically and through acquisitions." "We are thrilled to now be known as XenithIG Australia," said Corey Bakker, XenithIG Australia's General Manager (formerly CEO and co-founder of Fibre Path). "Since its inception, the company has always strived to provide excellence and cost-competitiveness to our customers with an innovative approach. The new moniker reflects our evolution and growth to become even more relevant to our clients. Becoming XenithIG Australia means we now can tap onto the full range of resources and expertise within the group to provide deeper knowledge and higher service levels to our customers." The new XenithIG Australia name and logo will be introduced to customers, partners, and vendors beginning today and through the next few months through a rebranded website, redesigned social media platforms, email announcements, and more. About XenithIG XenithIG brings robust, critical network infrastructure to companies operating in APAC. With its wholly-owned, high-capacity dark fibre infrastructure, XenithIG connects data centres, cable landing stations and other key network interconnection points with the newest, state-of-the-art dark fibre optic cables. XenithIG's critical infrastructure assets are robust, underground, company-owned and operated, and capable of being quickly commissioned to bring customer's operations online in days, not weeks or months. The XenithIG executive team has the deep, proven expertise required to meet the challenges posed by the complex connectivity landscape in some of the largest and densest data centre markets in the world. www.xenithig.com SOURCE Xenith IG [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [November 03, 2022] NOAL GP: Luxembourg Judge Rejects Novalpina's Attempt to Interfere With Decision-making at NOAL Fund; Confirms Existence of Criminal Complaint Against Novalpina Personnel and Key Advisor A judge has publicly confirmed that a criminal complaint has been filed against key Novalpina personnel for an alleged fraudulent seizure of rights from the investment fund from which Novalpina was ousted in 2021. Judge Philippe Wadle disclosed the existence of the criminal complaint whilst delivering the latest in a series of courtroom defeats for Novalpina last Friday. Novalpina has been fighting the Fund ever since the Fund's investors voted by 99% to remove Novalpina as General Partner of the Fund in July 2021. This vote took place in response to a well-publicized rift between Novalpina's founders, and following Novalpina's decision to invest the Fund's money in NSO Group, the operator of scandal-ridden spyware software Pegasus. Rejecting Novalpina's recent attempt to assert a veto control over key decisions at the Fund, Judge Wadle also referred to one of two criminal complaints against Stefan Kowski, Bastian Lueken and Gerhard Schmidt for various allegedly fraudulent actions: "It can also be noted that on 6 May 2022, BRG NOAL GP, MASTER LUXCO, NVP 101, NVP 103, NOAL LUXCO NORTH and the Fund filed a criminal complaint with the joinder of a civil party against Stefan KOWSKI, Bastian LUEKEN and Gerhard SCHMIDT for abuse of powers, as punished by Article 1500-11 of the LSC, this complaint concerning, among other things, the fact that on 8 July 2021, the managers of NOVALPINA GP adopted the Amendment of the Articles of Association..." Kowski and Lueken are the ultimate controllers and beneficiaries of the Novalpina group. Schmidt, a former director of the ultimate parent in the Novalpina structure and longstanding advisor to the group, is also Co-Managing Partner for Germany of Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP, the international law firm. Schmidt and Weil advised Novalpina in substantially all of its investment transactions, including decisions relating to the acquisition and governance at NSO Group, where Schmidt served on the board; and a suspicious 1 million payment made to a banker advising the seller of Laboratoire XO when Novalpina was buying the French pharma company. NOAL GP, the Fund's current General Partner, has filed various complaints on behalf of the Fund in relation to conduct engaged in by Kowski, Lueken and/or Schmidt - with regulators in the UK and Cayman Islands, as well as Luxembourg. The criminal complaint in Luxembourg referenced last week has resulted in an active investigation by the investigating magistrate. It concerns various improper actions alleged against Kowski, Lueken and Scmidt, including attempts by them to threaten and coerce the Fund's former independent directors. The offence in question is punishable by one to five years' imprisonment. Another criminal complaint against Kowski and Lueken, also being actively investigated by Luxembourg authorities in a separate probe, concerns the creation of the so-called veto right that Novalpina unsuccessfully attempted to assert in last week's proceedings. Issues in dispute in last week's case Novalpina was removed as general partner of the Fund following a near-unanimous vote from the Fund's investors in July 2021 and an agreement amongst the parties for Novalpina to step aside. Novalpina has been trying but failing to get its removal overturned ever since. A court in Luxembourg rejected one such attempt in June 2022. This was followed by another defeat last Friday. In both cases, Novalpina's attempts to achieve a quick summary judgment have been rejected, and its arguments will instead be fully tested at trial. The Fund looks forward to those trials with confidence. At issue in the latest litigation was a concocted veto right which Novalpina claims to have over one of the Fund's investment holding companies. This claimed right, which the Fund argues is entirely illegitimate, arises from last-minute voting changes that Novalpina covertly engineered in the dying days of its appointment as General Partner to the Fund. Specifically, Novalpina (via fresh managers appointed only 24 hours before) amended the governing articles of Master Luxco, a key governance entity within the Fund, so that Board appointments would require unanimous support from its shareholders. This purportedly gave Novalpina an effective veto over certain important governance decisions of the Fund, despite the fact that Novalpina's own shareholding, at just 0.85%, was negligible. Novalpina's change was made without any independent oversight and without the prior knowledge of the Fund and its other investors. The change was clearly against the investors' interests, since Novalpina was in the process of being removed as General Partner of the Fund at the time. Recently, Novalpina had sought to assert its so-called veto right in Master Luxco in an attempt to set aside corporate decisions made long after its removal as GP. NOAL GP, the Fund's current General Partner (since August 2021), argued that the claimed veto right was abusive, fraudulently procured and against the Fund's interest. The Fund and NOAL GP also argued that it contradicted separate undertakings which Novalpina entities (including Messrs Kowski and Lueken) gave at the time of its ousting, whereby they recognized NOAL GP's appointment as the new General Partner and committed to support the transition of the Fund to NOAL GP. Judge Wadle's decision echoes some of these points. In his decision, he described the claimed veto right as "a power which is not justified by any objective element and which is certainly not in the interest of the other shareholders of the company." He added: "There is every reason to believe that the Amendment to the Articles of Incorporation was made with a view to revocation of the appointment of NOVALPINA GP as manager of the Fund, in order to provide it with an advantage that it should not have in principle." A spokesperson for NOAL GP said: "We are glad that once again a Luxembourg judge has acted to protect investors from Novalpina's self-dealing. It is obvious that Novalpina's partners illegitimately sought to create a "poison pill" situation and manipulate the legal process against the interests of the investors they had duties to. None of the Fund's other investors had authorized such a change to Master Luxco's voting rules, nor even been informed of it. "Novalpina has provided no substantiation or explanation for why this so-called veto right should have been conferred to Novalpina for no consideration on the eve of its removal in what was obviously a conflict of interest. "For Novalpina now to exercise any control of the Fund would be intolerable and a grave miscarriage of justice. We applaud the decisions made so far by the Luxembourg courts and fully expect that in due course they will wholly reject all such attempted abuse of investors in the jurisdiction. "The key concern of the Fund and its current GP is to continue its ongoing investigation into the actions of Kowski and Lueken when they were at the helm of the Fund. These include Kowski's involvement in decisions by NSO to sell Pegasus to undemocratic regimes that misused the software; misrepresentations as to the value and circumstances of the Fund's investments; and various other seemingly illicit schemes. Schmidt was also a director of NSO Group's controlling parent when such decisions were made. "Novalpina's efforts to interfere with the administration of the Fund appear to be motivated by a desire to hinder this investigation. However, our inquiries are ongoing and our discoveries so far have been shared with the Luxembourg criminal authorities and financial regulators in various jurisdictions. Kowski's and Lueken's attempted procurement of the veto right is the subject of a criminal complaint in Luxembourg (as noted expressly in last week's judgment), and complaints to regulators in the UK, Cayman Islands and Luxembourg." View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005752/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Beijing (Gasgoo)- On Nov. 2, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and Ministry of Public Security (MPS) issued a new draft guideline (the Draft) to expand tests and applications for intelligent connected vehicles in China. Baidu Driverless Robotaxi in Beijing; photo credit: Baidu The Draft signifies that road tests for autonomous driving vehicles will be gradually carried out nationwide. Before the Draft, such demonstration works were usually promoted by local governments in some cities in the country, such as in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. The Draft, which is soliciting public feedback until December 1, said the two ministries will select eligible vehicle manufacturers and ICVs equipped with autonomous driving functions that meet the conditions for mass production to carry out tests on selected public roads in pilot cities. Notably, the autonomous driving function carried by intelligent connected vehicles (ICVs) hereinafter refers to the Level-3 (conditional autonomous driving) and Level-4 (highly autonomous driving) functions defined in the national standard Taxonomy of driving automation for vehicles (GB/T 40429-2021). This excludes those ICVs with Level-2 autonomation functions in the general market. Pony.ai Driverless Robotaxis in Beijing; photo credit: Pony.ai The intention of the Draft is that, by carrying out pilot work, ICV manufacturers and users should be guided to strengthen capacity building, and facilitate the improvement and iterative optimization of ICVs function and performance, on the premise of ensuring safety. Based on the management experience for pilot demonstrations, the formulation and revision of relevant laws, regulations, and technical standards should be promoted, in order to perfect the production access management system and road traffic safety management system of ICVs in China. According to the Draft, the pilot cities should have the local regulations or management policies, organization and coordination mechanism, and other policy guarantees to support the implementation of ICV demonstrations. Meanwhile, public roads, transportation infrastructure, communication infrastructure, necessary infrastructure conditions, such as high precision map pilot road traffic facilities that meet the national laws, regulations, and technical standards are also necessary. The pilot cities should also hold adequate foundation of road test and demonstration application of ICVs, provincial or municipal ICV safety monitoring platforms, automotive network security and data security management abilities, and safety hazards and emergency handling abilities. The Draft specifies that entities wishing to conduct pilot works should purchase insurance for the pilot vehicle and apply for registrations. A qualified safety driver should be in the driver's seat of the vehicle and monitors the running status of the vehicle as well as its surrounding environment. The ICVs used for the pilot operation can only be activated within the authorized areas of the pilot cities. Moreover, entities participating in the demonstration work are required to strengthen the management of the data collected during the pilot operation. The storage, transmission, and processing of the data should comply with the relevant laws, regulations, and technical requirements of Chinas Regulations on Automobile Data Security Administration. [November 03, 2022] Ground-breaking updates make cheqd the first and only most interoperable network for decentralised identity LISBON, Portugal, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- cheqd, a technology company building a decentralised network enabling individuals and organisations to take full control of their data, unveiled its ground-breaking product updates today at Web Summit. The updates make cheqd the first and only network to support three major verifiable credential types, turbocharging decentralised identity adoption; cheqd is now the most interoperable network for decentralised identity. Thanks to supporting three largest credential types, two biggest revocation types, these updates ensure the company is paving the way for a more diverse array of decentralised identity applications to be built on the cheqd network. To understand the impact of these updates, it's important to understand decentralised, or self-sovereign identity (DID or SSI). SSI is an emerging technology that centres the control of information around the user. It safeguards privacy by removing the need to store personal information entirely on a central database and gives individuals greater control over what information they share. SSI's potential addressable market totals ~$0.55Tr, according to cheqd. Acting as an enabler of decentralised identity, Verifiable Credentials (VC) are tamper-evident data files with a set of claims about a person, organisation, or thing that can be cryptographically verified. Fraser Edwards, CEO and co-founder at cheqd explained: "Powered by the need for secure digital credentials, uptake of decentralised technologies, and groing concerns for data privacy and security, we're seeing a strong market demand for decentralised identity solutions across all industry verticals. From public offices issuing identity documents, like introducing blockchain-based digital identification instead of physical cards in South Korea, to re-usable Know Your Customers (KYC) for banking and passwordless interaction for e-commerce, there is a common denominator for all: a need for digital trust." Across the SSI industry, there are three primary credential formats: JSON, JSON-LD and AnonCreds. Although widely adopted in isolation, to date, no single blockchain network has supported all three credential formats. This is largely because the AnonCreds digital credential format has been closely built around the Hyperledger Indy network. With its latest releases and tooling made available, cheqd now supports all three credentials formats. With greater interoperability comes greater utility and hence greater value for data, creating a greater commercial driver for adoption. Ankur Banerjee, CTO and co-founder of cheqd, went on further to say: "This is a huge milestone, not only for cheqd, but for the entire digital identity community. We've made the ability to share data in a simple and secure fashion available to developers who want to give back control to people for their data, by decoupling the highly privacy-preserving AnonCreds digital credential format from relying on only the Hyperledger Indy blockchain." "No other network offers the same capabilities as we built on cheqd," explains Fraser Edwards, CEO and co-founder of cheqd. "We are proud to offer capabilities as yet unavailable in products from tech behemoths, such as Microsoft and Block." About cheqd cheqd is a market-leading technology company enabling individuals and organisations to take full control of their data. It provides payment rails, customisable commercial models and governance structures for trusted data, including self-sovereign identity (SSI). Based on blockchain technology, cheqd is built upon a public permissionless network with a dedicated token - $CHEQ. Founded in 2021 by CEO Fraser Edwards and CTO Ankur Banerjee, cheqd is a driver for innovation backed by Outlier Ventures, Evernym (now acquired by Avast), Cosmos' Ignite (formerly known as Tendermint Ventures) and private investors, receiving a total raise of just over 2.4 million in its seed investment round. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/ground-breaking-updates-make-cheqd-the-first-and-only-most-interoperable-network-for-decentralised-identity-301658884.html [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [November 03, 2022] Medable Unifies and Simplifies Consent Management for Global Decentralized and Hybrid Trials Medable Inc., the industry-leading technology platform for patient-centered clinical trials, today announced the availability of its Total Consent offering, a fully enabled SaaS electronic consent management solution compatible with every clinical trial, in more than 120 locales around the globe. With this launch, Medable's Total Consent offering is at the forefront of optimizing the informed consent process for potential trial participants by improving patient accessibility, knowledge, and experience, in line with the release of the proposed FDA rule, Protection of Human Subjects and Institutional Review Boards. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005495/en/ Medable Total Consent (Graphic: Business Wire) Clinical trials face enormous hurdles around patient recruitment and retention, including lengthy, convoluted consent processes that often leave patients confused or discouraged. These challenges are so widely recognized that the FDA proposed a new rule in September to enhance the consent process in order to invite broader participation and advance efforts to recruit diverse populations in clinical trials. Many trials run in multiple countries simultaneously and regulations around eConsent vary dramatically across the globe, adding to the complexity. These issues present a major challenge for life sciences companies trying to successfully improve the consenting process globally. With Total Consent, Medable is transforming the consenting process - harmonizing it into one simple-to-use platform that enables trial sponsors and CROs to completely customize eConsent in more than 120 locales, in compliance with local regulatory requirements. This SaaS offering allows patients to consent onsite or remotely, with eSignature or wet ink signature. It includes print-to-sign templates, template management, and streamlined workflows - meaning countries that require wet-ink signatures can now benefit from Medable's longstanding eConsent offering. Enhanced authoring tools also allow sponsors and CROs to include customized instructional videos and knowledge checks, further enhancing patient understanding and reducing site burden. "Our efforts to boost trial recruitment, retention and diversity will fall flat if we do not solve the challenges around patient consent - for every trial, and in every geography. With Total Consent, Medable is proud to lead the charge, empowering trial sponsors and CROs around the globe to upgrade their entire consenting process and fully inform the patients they need for trial success," said Andrew Mackinnon, Vice President and General Manager of Total Consent. "In addition to solving the previously intractable problem of global deployment, our SaaS solution also offers complete customization and unmatched deployment efficiency - resulting in speedier trials that fully reflect the populations they are meant to study." And, as with all its SaaS offerings, Medable provides Total Consent customers with in-depth training to enable faster deployment of eConsent across their trials - including a new rapid onboarding option. Total Consent also includes enhancements to its authoring tools, allowing customers to build eConsent platforms with their own branding and communications. This seamless user experience will help patients navigate complicated information and boost the likelihood that they will participate in the trial. "One of the many lessons from COVID was the need to dramatically accelerate remote consent, both in terms of time and geography," said Pamela Tenaerts, Chief Scientific Officer at Medable. "The industry, patient advocacy groups, and most recently the FDA all recognize that digital consent is essential for a patient-centric clinical research system that brings the best drugs to market as swiftly as possible. With Total Consent, we can finally pull in broader geographies of patients and put them at ease as they embark on their journeys toward better health." To learn more about Total Consent, visit our website or watch this video for more details. About Medable Medable is on a mission to get effective therapies to patients faster by transforming clinical drug development with disruptive technologies. The company's digital platform streamlines design, recruitment, retention and data quality for decentralized trials, replacing siloed systems with integrated digital tools, data and interfaces to accelerate trial execution. Medable connects patients, sites and clinical trial teams to improve patient access, experience and outcomes. Medable's software has been named a leader in the industry by both Everest and IDC. Medable is a privately held, venture-backed company headquartered in Palo Alto, California. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005495/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Christian and Timbers Recruits CFO for Desktop Metal Jason Cole, a highly accomplished CFO, joins Desktop Metal with 20+ years of advanced finance and technology experience, specializing in global finance operations, supply chain management, M&A, and FP&A. While at Analog Devices, a global leader in the design and manufacturing of integrated circuits, Jason served as CFO for the Global Operations and Technology Division. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005204/en/ Christian and Timbers Recruits CFO for Desktop Metal (Photo: Business Wire) Desktop Metal Inc. (NYSE: DM) is a global leader in additive manufacturing technologies for mass production, powering some of the best known manufacturers in the world. In his new role, Jason will be focused on leading Desktop Metal's next-generation financial platform to ensure the company's continued profitable hyper-growth. "After an exhaustive search, Jason was a clear frontrunner amongst top tech public company CFOs in New England. Jason is a remarkable contemporary CFO with in-depth knowledge and experience driving highly efficient rapid growth," according to Jeff Christian, Christian & Timbers' CEO. Christian & Timbers is considered the world's best search firm. Recognized for securing America's next-generation C-Suite leadership for Tech Giants and many of Silicon Valley's unicorns, Christian & Timbers has built the only agile, science-driven search firm delivering at a level of precision and speed unparalleled in the industry. Christian & Timbers was the first firm with a VC Fund, and has completed 2000+ CEO/Board placements, 5000+ C-Suite assignments for companies like HP, Apple, Biogen, Cisco, Upwork, Adobe, and top Unicorns. Christian & Timbers' recent successes include CEO Recogni, Chairwoman, CelLink, CRO + CMO, Otonomo, President, and SecurityScorecard. Jeff Christian, author of "The Headhunters Edge" and founder of Christian & Timbers, has been named four years on the Forbes Midas List. He is a frequent guest on CNBC. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005204/en/ Good Connection: Wireless Router Satisfaction Increases, J.D. Power Finds Overall customer satisfaction with wireless routers increases to 852 (on a 1,000-point scale) from 844 in 2021, according to the J.D. Power 2022 Wireless Router Satisfaction Report,SM released today. Ease of restoring internet connection and variety of features are key drivers in the year-over-year increase. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005278/en/ J.D. Power 2022 Wireless Router Satisfaction Report (Graphic: Business Wire) The 10 factors measured in the 2022 report include (in order of importance): Wi-Fi range; reliability; speed of upload/download; restore connection easily; security capabilities; price; ease of set-up; variety of features; intuitive user interface; and customer service. Study Ranking Asus ranks highest among wireless routers for a second consecutive year with a score of 883. TP-Link (875) ranks second and Netgear (854) ranks third. The 2022 Wireless Router Satisfaction Report, now in its sixth year, is based on responses from 1,059 current owners of wireless routers who purchased their device during the 12-month period prior toreport fielding in August-September 2022. For more information about the U.S. Wireless Router Satisfaction Report, visit https://www.jdpower.com/business/technology-media-telecom/us-wireless-router-satisfaction-report. See the online press release at http://www.jdpower.com/pr-id/2022158. About J.D. Power J.D. Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services and data and analytics. A pioneer in the use of big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic modeling capabilities to understand consumer behavior, J.D. Power has been delivering incisive industry intelligence on customer interactions with brands and products for more than 50 years. The world's leading businesses across major industries rely on J.D. Power to guide their customer-facing strategies. J.D. Power has offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. To learn more about the company's business offerings, visit JDPower.com/business. The J.D. Power auto shopping tool can be found at JDPower.com. About J.D. Power and Advertising/Promotional Rules: www.jdpower.com/business/about-us/press-release-info View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005278/en/ [November 03, 2022] Don't lose your memories forever: STEP calls on the government and service providers like Apple, Google and Meta to do more to help people to pass on their digital memories TORONTO, Nov. 3, 2022 /CNW/ - Online YouGov polling released today shows that: 67 percent of Canadians say that what happens to sentimental digital possessions like photos, videos, and social accounts after they have gone is important to them, compared with 35 percent for financial digital assets. But almost half of respondents (49 percent) have not made any plans to pass on their digital assets. Strikingly, only 5 percent of people have used the digital legacy tools provided by Google, Apple, and others. STEP, a worldwide body for professionals that help families plan for their futures, has launched its 'Protect Your Digital Memories' campaign to encourage people to make plans for what happens to their photos and videos after they've gone. STEP is calling for the government and digital service providers to do more to help people to make plans for their assets, and to find better ways to support grieving loved ones who wish to access a loved one's account The Canadian branch of the professional membership body STEP is today (November 2nd) calling on the public to plan what will happen to their 'digital memories' the precious photos, videos and the contents of social and email accounts that could otherwise be lost to the cloud after they have gone. To highlight the issue and encourage people to take action, STEP has launched its 'Protect Your Digital Memories' campaign. According to YouGov polling online of over 1,000 Canadian adults: 67 percent said that what happens to their sentimental digital possessions after they have gone is either fairly important or very important to them. 35 percent said that their digital possessions with a monetary value, such as cryptocurrency , were either fairly important or very important to them. , were either fairly important or very important to them. Nearly half of the respondents (49 percent) have made no plans at all for passing on their digital assets in the event of their death. Of those who have made no plans, most (57 percent) had not thought about it while 20 percent knew they should but had not got around to it and 16 percent did not know what to do. Only 5 percent of respondents had used the existing digital legacy tools provided by Google, Apple, and others. Commenting on the campaign, Emily Deane, Head of Government Affairs at STEP, said: 'With so much of our lives now lived online, we must make plans to pass on our digital memories or risk them being lost on the cloud. 'We know from our previous research with estate planning practitioners that not being able to access a loved one's digital assets can be a great source of distress for grieving families. Losing a loved one is hard enough without losing their precious photos too. 'That is why STEP has launched its Protect your Digital Memories campaign. 'Our website, memories.step.org, gives easy tips for how to plan what will happen to our digital assets when we are no longer able to access them. It only takes a few minutes to use the legacy tools that Apple, Google, and other providers already have in place. Just ten minutes now could save our loved ones a great deal of distress in the future.' STEP is calling for: Every service provider to provide, and encourage users to make use of, a comprehensive legacy tool to enable people to decide what happens to their account Every service provider to have a clause that allows access to a nominated person within its terms and conditions Legislation that allows access to a nominated person in the appropriate circumstances. 'It is critical for Canadians to understand that without a digital asset estate plan in place, it will be difficult, if not impossible, for loved ones to recover digital assets of sentimental or financial value after one's death.' ENDS The campaign website is memories.step.org and all figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1,025 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 25-29 August 2022. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all Canadian adults (aged 18+). About STEP Canada STEP Canada is part of STEP Worldwide, the leading international organization for trust and estate professionals. The trust and estate practitioner (TEP) designation formally identifies qualified practitioners and distinguishes them from non-specialists who occasionally deal with trusts and estates. STEP subjects its members to rigorous training and requires them to meet strict educational standards on an ongoing basis. STEP's mandate is to provide a forum for discussion and to advance practitioners' knowledge of tax, accounting, administrative, statute, and case law through regular branch seminars, symposia, and an annual national conference. STEP Canada also makes representations of a technical nature to government, policymakers, and related professional bodies, with the goal of promoting better understanding of trusts and estates, and improving related law and policy. There are 22,000 TEPs worldwide and 3,250 members in Canada, operating not only as financial advisors but also as professionals in the accounting, trust, legal, and insurance industries. Background briefing: digital assets - what needs to change? As digital technology becomes integral to our personal lives, our digital assets are becoming increasingly important. When we create an online account with service providers like Apple, Google and Meta, we agree to terms and conditions that emphasise data privacy. Yet many people do not plan for what will happen if they are no longer around or able to make decisions about such accounts and other digital assets. There are often circumstances where family or loved ones would need or want to access a digital account when a loved one dies or becomes incapacitated. For example: They might have sentimental value such as photos, videos, emails. The online content might need to be controlled to protect the privacy of the deceased. Access might be required to obtain passwords and login details in order to safeguard the deceased's financial property. However, in a recent survey of estate-planning professionals, nearly a quarter of respondents said their clients regularly have difficulties accessing the digital assets of a deceased or incapacitated person. This causes great distress and frustration. Nearly 60% of respondents to this survey had dealt with questions from clients about digital assets. What we are calling for STEP and its members are engaging with governments and service providers globally to produce industry solutions and best practice that will help families plan for their futures with certainty and clarity. We are calling for the following changes: 1). Every service provider to provide a comprehensive legacy tool Some service providers have introduced useful functions that allow you to nominate someone to deal with your account when you die. You can find out more about these here and we recommend that everyone make use of these. However, these tools can vary in their functionality and usefulness, are relatively unknown and require people to plan ahead. That is why we raising awareness of them through our campaign and website. 2). Every service provider to have a clause that allows access to a nominated person within its terms and conditions If people have not planned ahead, the situation can become more difficult, sometimes requiring court orders from a jurisdiction outside of Canada or other legal obstacles which can be costly and time consuming. STEP would like every server provider to include a clause that allows access to a nominated person within its term and conditions. 3). Legislation in every country that allows access to a nominated person in the appropriate circumstances. Where service providers have not introduced the appropriate terms and conditions to allow access via its service agreement, then there should be legislation in each country that would override this, and provide a default position for access. There are some encouraging signs that this is happening, including the enactment of the Uniform Access to Digital Assets by Fiduciaries Act (2016) by the Uniform Law Conference of Canada (the "ULCC"). The ULCC's model legislation was subsequently adopted by the Province of Saskatchewan with the enactment of the Fiduciaries Access to Digital Information Act (Saskatchewan) (the "Act") in 2020. Subject to certain limitations and requirements, the Act obligates online service companies to provide fiduciaries with full or partial access to online content at their discretion. However, this type of legislation is not widely implemented elsewhere and may have limited effect on service companies that reside outside of Saskatchewan. There are also positive signs in the UK, with the Law Commission of England and Wales' digital assets project last year. Yet there more needs to be done, including cross-border collaboration, to achieve consistent international standards. The law needs to stay up to date in all countries to ensure that individuals enjoy the same rights and freedoms to control their digital assets as they do their financial assets. SOURCE Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [November 03, 2022] Staples Celebrates Teachers by Honoring the 2022 Thank A Teacher Contest Winners Staples today announced winners of the fourth-annual Thank A Teacher Contest, which aims to give parents, students, supporters, and fellow teachers a platform to recognize an outstanding teacher who has made a positive impact inside and outside of the classroom. A record-breaking number of heartfelt nominations were submitted that gave accolades to teachers who, despite the uncertainties of the past few years and adjusting to a new normal, have continuously gone above and beyond to give students a successful and positive learning experience. "We're thrilled to be recognizing some outstanding teachers through the Thank A Teacher Contest, helping them to outfit their classrooms with everything they need for the year," said Marshall Warkentin, Chief Marketing and Merchandising Officer, Staples US Retail. "Teachers consistently go above and beyond for their students, leaving a lasting impact on their lives. The record-breaking entry response this year is a testament to just how much communities are looking to give back to their teachers." Staples awarded $5,000 in Staples Gift Cards to each winning teacher's school to restock essential supplies for their classrooms. 2022 Thank A Teacher Contest Winners This past July, Staples encouraged parents, students, and supporters to nominate their teachers by sharing their personal stories of thanks and appreciation. After receiving thousands of uplifting nominations, a team of judges carefully reviewed each submission and selected a group of 20 educators who have shown remarkable dedication and commitment to their students. Staples is proud to acknowledge and celebrate the following teachers for their outstanding contributions to their students and communities: Annie B., Klondike Middle School (West Lafayette, IN) Klondike Middle School (West Lafayette, IN) Beverly W., Crestwood Middle School (Royal Palm Beach, FL) Crestwood Middle School (Royal Palm Beach, FL) Brittanny B., Lawrence Primary School (Inwood, NY) Lawrence Primary School (Inwood, NY) Cara W., organ Park High School (Chicago, IL) organ Park High School (Chicago, IL) Danielle C., Hickory Middle School (Chesapeake, VA) Hickory Middle School (Chesapeake, VA) Denise R,O., Elm Street Middle School (Nashua, NH) Elm Street Middle School (Nashua, NH) Erik S., Zachry Middle School (San Antonio, TX) Zachry Middle School (San Antonio, TX) Ginger C., Westminster Center School (Westminster, CT) Westminster Center School (Westminster, CT) Greg C., Cedar Creek Elementary School (Lanoka Harbor, NJ) Cedar Creek Elementary School (Lanoka Harbor, NJ) Jennifer C., Zuni Hills School (Sun City, AZ) Zuni Hills School (Sun City, AZ) Jenny E., Harbins Elementary School (Dacula, GA) Harbins Elementary School (Dacula, GA) Jessica C., Yosemite Middle School (Fresno, CA) Yosemite Middle School (Fresno, CA) Joe V., Emolior Academy (Bronx, NY) Emolior Academy (Bronx, NY) Maggie O., Pleasant Hill Elementary School (Kissimmee, FL) Pleasant Hill Elementary School (Kissimmee, FL) Nakisia S., Liberty County High School (Hinesville, GA) Liberty County High School (Hinesville, GA) Randy R., Lac Qui Parle Valley High School (Madison, MN) Lac Qui Parle Valley High School (Madison, MN) Robin W., Binns Elementary School (Columbus, OH) Binns Elementary School (Columbus, OH) Rose J., Elmey Park Elementary (Alhambra, CA) Elmey Park Elementary (Alhambra, CA) Sharisha F., Walker Spivey Elementary School (Fayetteville, NC) Walker Spivey Elementary School (Fayetteville, NC) Leighton R., Morrison Elementary School (Morrison, OK) here. To thank your teachers all year long, download the Staples Connect app to enroll in Classroom Rewards, a program designed to give 5% back on every qualifying purchase made at a Staples retail store to a local teacher or school. For full program details visit staplesconnect.com/classroomrewards. About Staples Stores With a focus on the community of small businesses and consumers, Staples Stores provide innovative printing, shipping, technology, travel and recycling services, along with products and inspiration essential to the new ways of working and learning. Staples Stores serve millions of customers from entrepreneurs and small businesses to remote workers, parents, teachers, and students in over 1,000 locations nationwide. Explore Staples, the Working and Learning Store, at a local Staples Store or online at Staples.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005252/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [November 03, 2022] Latest Generation of RealNex Based on Industry Best Practices Further Drives Operational Efficiencies, Ease of Use Lead Generation, Over 220 New Templates and Turbo Search added STAFFORD, Texas, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- RealNex, a commercial real estate technology company, today announced a major release to its flagship RealNex Navigator platform. RealNex Navigator is a complete commercial real estate operating system, featuring CRM, Financial Analysis, Presentations, Marketing, Reporting and Transaction Management. The new release includes the deployment of 222 new presentation templates, a workflow sequence that implements industry Best Practices, new data fields to better manage business development, automated market intelligence for lead generation and a Turbo Search feature to rapidly access targeted information. "This is yet another incredible advance forward. The update makes our time to value instant. With all system tables, timelines, filters and views pre-built and our world-class presentation library immediately accessible the RealNex start-up is fast, easy and amazingly powerful," noted Jeffrey Finn, CEO. The new template library in MarketEdge, enables clients to take their CRM property profiles and with one click create professionally designed Flyers, Brochures, Broker Opinions of Value, Proposals and Offering Memorandums. The solution also provides for Investment and Development, Lease vs. Buy, and Sale-Leaseback Analyses. The presentations are customized for sale or lease and virtually every property type. The presentation templates were modeled based on hundreds of client interviews yet are readily configurable for clients based on their specifications and preferences. In addition, the presentation designs include 38 different dsign options and can be further customized to match clients exacting brand standards. RealNex CRM has been enhanced based on industry Best Practice workflows and processes. The system tables have been pre-configured to easily model properties, profile clients and manage business development and deals. Client Company profiles now roll-up and provide enhanced portfolio views and prospects can be readily tracked based on status and stage of pursuits and transactions. Keystrokes have been further minimized and data integrity assured with system tables that provide most common options and results. The CRM has long had a powerful query engine with a flexible display capability which user were readily able to create and save as favorites. To save users time, they are now pre-loaded with the most often desired "Views" such as Lease or Listing Expiration, Properties by type, size and value and Investors based on specific criteria. And, when looking for specific records the blazing fast new Turbo Search finds the exact match in milliseconds. Even more, high probability sale and lease leads are automatically generated with a new market intelligence service. "We interviewed hundreds of clients and studied the industry Best Practices to streamline and enhance our user journey and experience. The team was then able to codify the process so that we can make great real estate professionals even better by providing the tools they need to manage their day-to-day priorities to win more business and execute transactions most efficiently and give them time back to enjoy the heightened level of success. We are confident that new and long term RealNex users alike are going to love this latest generation of the solution," according to Mark Kingston, Executive Chairman. About RealNex LLC RealNex is a leading commercial real estate technology solutions company. It strives to become the portal and marketplace for the commercial real estate industry by integrating sector-based solutions to improve marketplace efficiency, transparency, and liquidity. Its singular solution is designed to improve user success by increasing accuracy, professionalism, and productivity. Contact: Oanh Nguyen 281.299.3161 [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/latest-generation-of-realnex-based-on-industry-best-practices-further-drives-operational-efficiencies-ease-of-use-301667158.html SOURCE RealNex [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [November 03, 2022] AITX's Subsidiary Robotic Assistance Devices Receives Expansion Order from Global Small Box Retailer and Major Power Utility Detroit, Michigan, Nov. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions, Inc., (the Company) (OTCPK:AITX), today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Robotic Assistance Devices, Inc. (RAD) has been notified by the Companys largest authorized dealer that an existing small box retailer continues to expand their RAD deployments. This order is for 5 ROSA security robots. Also received from this dealer is an order for 1 AVA secure access control device for a top five utility company. ROSA and AVA continue to make their mark in the security industry, said Mark Folmer, President of RAD. Once a corporate end user discovers what they can do, how affordable they are, and how they are able to reassign or reduce their reliance on human guards, were in. We appreciate this great dealer of ours for communicating this value proposition so effectively. Theres a great quote by Henry Ford, commented Steve Reinharz, CEO of AITX and RAD. He said most people spend more time and energy going around problems than in trying to solve them, how true. At RAD were all about solving problems. These great orders, to be deployed at two amazing end users will solve their problems, at a price dramatically lower than a manned guarding option. Plus, Im excited that this week we begin shipping ROSA 3.1, loaded with upgrades like enhanced audio and brighter lights and visuals, all powered by RAD-Gs RADPack. ROSA is a multiple award-winning, compact, self-contained, portable, security and communication solution that can be deployed in about 15 minutes. Like other RAD solutions, a stand-alone ROSA only requires power, which is provided when configured along with RIO, as it includes all necessary communications hardware. ROSAs AI-driven security analytics include human, firearm, vehicle detection, license plate recognition, responsive digital signage and audio messaging, and complete integration with RADs software suite notification and autonomous response library. Two-way communication is optimized for cellular, including live video from ROSAs dual high-resolution, full-color, always-on cameras. RAD has published two Case Studies detailing how ROSA has helped eliminate instances of theft, trespassing and loitering at car rental locations and construction sites across the country. AVA (Autonomous Verified Access) is a compact and stanchion mountable unit that provides an edge-to-edge 180 fild of vision with advanced access control over gates and other controlled points of entry. AVA takes full advantage of the RAD Software Suite providing an ideal solution for gated communities, logistics and distribution centers, storage yards, parking structures and lots, corporate campuses; anywhere that increased security and visibility is needed at a fraction of the cost. At ISC West in late March, AVA was named a winner of the 2022 SIA New Products and Solutions Awards in the category of Access Control Software, Hardware, Devices and Peripherals. RAD has a sales pipeline of over 35 Fortune 500 companies and numerous other client opportunities. RAD expects to continue to attract new business as it converts its existing sales opportunities into deployed clients generating a recurring revenue stream. Each Fortune 500 client has the potential of making numerous reorders over time. RADs parent company AITX has filed for uplisting to the OTCQB. Future announcements will be made regarding the status of the OTCQB application. Robotic Assistance Devices (RAD) is a high-tech start-up that delivers robotics and artificial intelligence-based solutions that empower organizations to gain new insight, solve complex security challenges, and fuel new business ideas at reduced costs. RAD developed its advanced security robot technology from the ground up including circuit board design, and base code development. This allows RAD to have complete control over all design elements, performance, quality, and the users experience of all security robots whether, ROSA, AVA, ROAMEO, RADDOG, RIO, RAD Light My Way, or TOM. Read about how RAD is reinventing the security services industry by downloading the Autonomous Remote Services Industry Manifesto, and request a copy of the recently published Navigating the New Economy: Jobs & Automation, Challenges & Opportunities. About Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions (AITX) AITX is an innovator in the delivery of artificial intelligence-based solutions that empower organizations to gain new insight, solve complex challenges and fuel new business ideas. Through its next-generation robotic product offerings, AITXs RAD, RAD-M and RAD-G companies help organizations streamline operations, increase ROI, and strengthen business. AITX technology improves the simplicity and economics of patrolling and guard services and allows experienced personnel to focus on more strategic tasks. Customers augment the capabilities of existing staffs and gain higher levels of situational awareness, all at drastically reduced cost. AITX solutions are well suited for use in multiple industries such as enterprises, government, transportation, critical infrastructure, education, and healthcare. To learn more, visit www.aitx.ai, stevereinharz.com, www.radsecurity.com , radgroup.ai, and www.radlightmyway.com, or follow Steve Reinharz on Twitter @SteveReinharz . This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements in this news release other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements that are based on current expectations and assumptions. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the statements, including, but not limited to, the following: the ability of Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions to provide for its obligations, to provide working capital needs from operating revenues, to obtain additional financing needed for any future acquisitions, to meet competitive challenges and technological changes, to meet business and financial goals including projections and forecasts, and other risks. No information contained in this news release should be construed as any indication whatsoever of the Company's future stock price, revenues, or results of operations. Additionally, any industry data provided herein is of no predictive value regarding the future sale of the Companys products. Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statement(s) and/or to confirm the statement(s) to actual results or changes in Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions expectations. ### Steve Reinharz 949-636-7060 @SteveReinharz Attachment Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions, Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [November 03, 2022] Reitrades Brings Elite Commercial Real Estate Sales Into the 21st Century - Connects Sellers and Buyers Directly via One Powerful Platform MIAMI, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Real estate disruptor, Reitrades, recently commented on its rapidly growing membership, offering compelling reasons why high-value real estate sellers and buyers were moving to use Reitrades' new property technology. Reitrades' innovative, invite-only digital platform is a marketplace to trade assets priced above $10 million and covers commercial real estate investment properties of all asset classes across the United States. Giving sellers access to the largest curated network of accredited buyers with direct offers, no brokers, and costs at just 0.1% per successful transaction Reitrades is now the future of commercial real estate transactions. "We live in a technology era where every industry is being updated with extremely powerful tech-driven solutions and automations," said Artur Muller, founder of Reitrades. "At Reitrades, we believe that the commercial real estate industry has fallen behind when it comes to purchasing and selling assets, using strategies that were created centuries ago. Both 2021 and 2022 have been major years for the advent of real estate PropTech, with far more investors who have already embraced this inevitable evolution. Therefore, we have created an up-to-date solution that offers an easier, faster, and cheaper way to transact." Reitrades: One Platform, Many Advantages "We are a private marketplace for accredited real estate investors to purchase and sell high-value commercial real estate assets directly. There is a relatively small number of buyers who play in this space, unlike for smaller-sized assets, so it makes complete sense for them all to be gathered together here. Our fee is also very low: we charge a flat 0.1%. And since we only charge that upon the closing of a deal with no listing agreements nor minimum periods required to list properties for sale there is no financial risk to using our platform. "The technology of Reitrades allows us to prepare an investment property for sale anywhere in the country," said Muller. "Property and owner data used to be difficult to access and available to only a few, while understanding local markets required niche expertise, along with analyzing, preparing, and marketing skills. Managing it all required extensive research and work, not to mention the effort involved with finding the right audience for your listings. But those days are over. Data has become substantially more accessible, while past advantages like ocal expertise are no longer a requirement when it comes to selling an investment property. Brokers are using basic versions of the high-tech tools we offer on our platform. Yet they're doing a fraction of the work they used to do and still charging the same fees." "The National Association of Realtors declared just a few years ago that tech disruptions for commercial real estate are a welcome change for an outdated industry," Muller explained. "Reports also tell us that commercial real estate volume increased by 10% more over the previous quarter in Q2 of 2022 alone $167 billion more. And investor sales in the multi-family sector hit a record high of $277.2 billion in Q1 of 2022, driven by rising rent and a housing supply shortage. While other general real estate surveys reveal that buyers and sellers are already using PropTech; in fact, they expect it. The commercial real estate industry ignores tech advances at their peril because the industry is booming and change is already here." "At Reitrades, we are simply following this inevitable trend: leveraging tech and data to identify accredited investors, while bringing them together in a sophisticated trading setting. Simply put, we offer sellers a highly competitive alternative to dispositions at a significantly lower cost. And all from a single advanced, easy-to-use and fully automated platform." Reitrades invites accredited commercial real estate investors to explore the platform in depth and apply for membership online. And all are welcome to follow Reitrades on social media for tech updates and other platform news: LinkedIn. About Reitrades Powerful Automations; Seamless Transactions Reitrades is a private, broker-free, end-to-end digital marketplace for accredited real estate investment firms providing direct sales that saves investors billions in hard-earned equities from high commission fees. Learn more at: www.Reitrades.com. *Statistics and facts sourced from: Forbes: "Two Major Real Estate Technology Trends to Watch In 2022" National Association of REALTORS: "Commercial Real Estate Tech: A Welcome Disruption" and "Commercial Real Estate Trends and Outlook" and "Predicted Use of Technology Tools in the Next 12 Months." Media Contact: Artur Muller, Founder 9546961313 [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/reitrades-brings-elite-commercial-real-estate-sales-into-the-21st-century--connects-sellers-and-buyers-directly-via-one-powerful-platform-301667505.html SOURCE Reitrades [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [November 03, 2022] Black Carbon Coalition to Fight Enemy of the Planet Don Owens, engineer and attorney, launches multi-pronged effort to combat climate emergency LOS ANGELES, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Black carbon is the direct cause of glacier melt in the Arctic and ice sheets all over the planet. Black carbon saturates ice sheets that are responsible for providing fresh drinking water to millions of people. This glacier and ice sheet melt is the direct cause of changing weather patterns and intensified storms we are all witnessing more and more each year and is a harbinger for sea level rise, which will inflict even more disastrous results. "In addition to causing the climate change disaster, every year black carbon kills as many people as fifty Hiroshimas," said Don Owens, an attorney and engineer who recently launched the Black Carbon Coalition, referring to the earth shattering nuclear explosion in Japan during WWII. "We don't have time to battle between political parties and rhetoric, and bills that aim to reduce carbon dioxide decades from now. We must act immediately to reduce black carbon which is 1500 times worse than carbon dioxide, and we can." For sounding such an alarm, Owens is quite optimistic and humor lightens the gravity of his mission. "We want to arm people with facts and data, make them powerful activistsand we want to educate legislators, policymakers and even those involved in rulemaking, which is an often overloked group of public for activist groups," added Owens. Owens is the author of Burn Fuel Better: From Helpless to Hopeful in the Race Against Climate Change, which details his discoveries about black carbon. An engineer at heart, Owens tinkered around with different technologies when trying to modify his car to get better gas mileage. What he discovered was black carbon. The Coalition explains that black carbon is very fine particulate emissions that are the result of incomplete combustion of fossil fuels such as natural gas, diesel, coal, biomass, and other carbon intensive fuels. Black carbon emissions from ships have grown ten times faster in the Arctic compared to the rest of the world, with an 85% increase in black carbon emitted by ships in the Arctic between 2015 and 2019, compared to an 8% increase globally, the Coalition's website reads. "We are standing at a forked path, we will either learn from mistakes and failed policies, or we will lose in the battle against a ticking time bomb. Proven science behind technology is revolutionary, we can implement a new way of burning fuel that minimizes black carbon from entering the atmosphere and adds life-sustaining oxygen," Owens said. Owens is flanking the Black Carbon Coalition with other organizations including a 501c3 organization called Coalition Against Black Carbon to build a Global Black Carbon Fund, an investment fund to help innovators build new technologies and systems to "reduce, and/or eradicate Black Carbon." Media contact: Jonathan Lockwood [email protected] 424-666-9417 View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/black-carbon-coalition-to-fight-enemy-of-the-planet-301667237.html SOURCE Black Carbon Coalition More than six months after the body of a little boy was found stuffed inside a suitcase and left in a wooded area in Southern Indiana, local police have identified the child and announced an arrest with another suspect still on the run. At a press conference Wednesday morning, Indiana State Police Sgt. Carey Huls said two people have been identified as suspects 40-year-old Dawn Elaine Coleman from Shreveport, Louisiana, and 37-year-old Dejuane Ludie Anderson from Atlanta and charged over the death of Cairo Jordan, a 5-year-old boy who would have turned 6 on Oct. 24. Anderson is Cairo's mother. She has not yet been located, Huls said. She is about 5 feet, 5 inches tall and is believed to have been last seen in the Los Angeles area. Death of Cairo Jordan:Mother of dead boy found in suitcase is still on the run, Indiana police say. What we know Coleman was arrested within the past week in San Francisco, Huls said. She'll be taken to Indiana within the next 30 days, he said. Both have been charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in death and obstruction of justice, he said, and Anderson will be charged with murder. "This whole case is about justice for Cairo," Huls said. "That's the only thing this case has ever been about." The case will be handled by the Washington County Prosecutor's Office, Huls said. A mugshot of Anderson from Louisville Metro Corrections was shown during the press conference as a reference for anyone who may see her in public. She had been arrested in Louisville less than a month before her son's death on second-degree robbery charges after being accused of attempting to steal more than $1,500 of merchandise from Von Maur on March 31, according to her arrest citation, and of hitting a security guard in the face once confronted. Indiana State Police Sgt. Carey Huls held up a photo of Dejuane Ludie Anderson who has been charged in connection to the death of her son Cairo Jordan, who was 5 at the time, during a press conference at the Indiana State Police Sellersburg Post in Sellersburg, In. on Oct. 26, 2022. On April 11, she was released on her own recognizance. Her son's body was found five days later. During the time of her incarceration, investigators believe Coleman was in custody of Cairo. Police obtained search warrants for Facebook accounts used by the two women and found several posts that referred to the boy as a demon ahead of his death. Story continues In a series of posts made March 18, Anderson, according to investigators, posted that she couldn't wait to tell a story, "about that exorcism," and about "living with a demonic child." And on April 8, police said Coleman posted, "Just because the avatar is of what we call a child does not mean that it is actually a child there are beings that are here that are not suppose to be here that pick avatars to hide behind to play roles to steal energy and to ruin lives." Additional similar posts were included in the affidavit. The police report also cited cell phone tower location data that found phones owned by Coleman and Anderson were near the location where the suitcase was found on April 14. And Riverlink, which collects tolls on several bridges between Louisville and Southern Indiana, reported Anderson's car was tracked on one of the local crossings on April 16, the day the suitcase was found. More headlines:'A true blessing:' Meet the family in the viral photo of a coal miner at UK's scrimmage Few details had been released before Wednesday's press conference about the child, who was found in the 7000 block of East Holder Road in Washington County, about 70 miles south of Indianapolis and 25 miles northwest of Louisville. Investigators had said he was Black, believed to be 5 years old and was approximately 4 feet tall, with a slim build and a short haircut. Officials had said they believe the boy's death occurred sometime the week before he was found. 'An unknown angel': Unidentified boy found in suitcase laid to rest in Southern Indiana In late May, autopsy results showed Cairo died due to an electrolyte imbalance which was "most likely caused by gastroenteritis, which in common layman's terms would be vomiting and diarrhea. And that resulted in dehydration," Huls said at the time. An unidentified boy, believed to be 5 years old, was found inside this suitcase Saturday, April 16 in Washington County, Indiana. Anyone with information is asked to call 1-888-437-6432. Gastroenteritis can be caused by viruses, bacteria, parasites or medication, according to the Mayo Clinic. The toxicology report was negative. Cairo's body had been found in a suitcase with a distinctive "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Nevada" design painted on its shell, Huls had said. According to Coleman's arrest affidavit, investigators found photos of her using the same suitcase. Both her and Anderson's fingerprints were found on contents within the suitcase, the affidavit said. More news: FBI says 'evidence collected' at farm in Crystal Rogers case The Washington County community held a service to lay the boy to rest in May, with more than 100 people in attendance. His final resting place is at Crown Hill Cemetery, marked by a black headstone, adorned with an angel and the words "In loving memory of a beloved little boy known but to God." Underneath a space left to engrave his name if and when it is found, reads, "Asleep in the arms of Jesus." An urn attached to the stone was filled with red and yellow flowers, then topped with a small Crayola Crayon sign. The unknown child whose body was discovered in a suitcase in rural Washington County has a donated headstone. Room was left for his name when he is finally identified. June 1, 2022 This story will be updated. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Boy found in suitcase in Indiana ID'd as Cairo Jordan, 2 women charged [November 03, 2022] Acquisition Has Love Pharma's Naltrexone on NIH Shortlist to Address Unmet Medical Need-Treatment for Long Covid NEW YORK, NY, Nov. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Love Pharma Inc. (CSE: LUV) (FSE: G1Q0), an international mental health and sexual wellness company, has been explicit about its plans to develop a portfolio of innovative products encompassing transdermal drug delivery applications in the addiction space, and a recent non-binding letter of intent to acquire Naltrexone Therapeutics Inc., would immediately bolster the companys footprint in that space. At the same time, Naltrexone Therapeutics, a pharmaceutical company with significant Intellectual Property (IP) related to the transdermal delivery of the well-known FDA-approved drug Naltrexone, could potentially expand Love Pharmas reach into additional therapeutics and land the company at the leading edge of addressing an unmet medical need. When completed, its an acquisition that would add a promising application for the treatment of post-COVID conditions or long COVID to Love Pharmas portfolio.1 Long COVID is a condition that can include a wide range of ongoing health problems, including fatigue, shortness of breath, insomnia, joint pain and memory loss, which according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), can last weeks, months, or even longer. Currently, there is no treatment for the lasting symptoms of COVID-19, so its a clear unmet medical need in a large and growing patient population. The significance of the deal is the considerable IP that Love Pharma would gain related to the transdermal delivery of Naltrexone. Why is this significant? Well, Naltrexone is approved to treat opioid and alcohol addiction at 50 milligrams per dose. However, the drug has shown promise at very low doses as a potential treatment that can reverse some of the underlying pathology that is driving symptoms related to long COVID.1 And while several generic manufacturers sell the 50 milligram pills, low-dose Naltrexone must be acquired through a compounding pharmacy, which makes it more difficult to access and limits the drugs availability. Enter Love Pharma and the transdermal drug delivery IP it would own in a Naltrexone Therapeutics acquisition. The companys transdermal delivery IP could offer a patient friendly, low-dose delivery solution that can be made readily available to patients. If low-dose Naltrexone continues to show promise in studies for long COVID,1 a transdermal patch would be the solution to delivering the drug in a low-dose formulation perfected in studies. Love Pharmas Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Zachary Stadnyk, commenting on the benefits of transdermal drug delivery said, Transdermal delivery can provide patients with a convenient, safe, and regulated dosage of Naltrexone that allows for greater bioavailability, steady absorption, ease of use, and fewer gastrointestinal tract (GI)-related side effects that are common with oral dosages currently available, the latter of which we believe has the potential to expand the market for Naltrexone. Globally more than 40% of COVID-19 survivors currently have or have had long-term effects after recovering from the virus, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Michigan. Today, the World Health Organization reports that there have been 628,035,553 COVID infections worldwide, so based on estimates from a report produced by the National Library of Medicine which states, up to 37.7% of COVID patients experience symptoms beyond 12 weeks after infection,2 we can extrapolate that there is a significant market need for treatment(s). In the United States alone, the CDC reports that nearly 1 in 5 American adults, who have had COVID-19, also dealt with long COVID. To combat this unmet medical need, the U.S. government is taking steps to fund more research and help those affected by long COVID, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that launched the $1.15 billion Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery or RECOVER Initiative. Acquiring Naltrexone Therapeutics should be regarded as blockbuster news for both Love Pharma and its nvestors given the NIH has short-listed Naltrexone as one such treatment to be tested under the RECOVER Initiative.1 In addition to being on the NIHs short list, there are also four clinical trials to test Naltrexone in hundreds of long COVID patients currently planned.1 Love Pharma obviously recognizes the potential opportunity that producing and delivering tens of millions of transdermal patches could offer the company should a low-dose treatment prove successful. So, Love Pharmas CEO initiated a deal that would allow his company to get directly involved with Naltrexone just as the drug is at the forefront of research to uncover the underlying causes and develop treatments for long COVID alongside industry names like Pfizer. According to Love Pharma, this is how a transdermal drug delivery solution works: The transdermal formulation of a drug can be incorporated within a patch, which is then applied to the skin surface of the patient A transdermal patch provides a consistent absorption rate over a predetermined time as prescribed. The delivery method for transdermal drug delivery of suitable drugs can be highly flexible and can be applied for periods such as 24, 48, 72, 96, 120, and 144 hours and up to 7, 8, 13, 14 or 15 days Transdermal delivery overcomes the challenge of multiple dosage regimens associated with oral applications and accurately reflects the proper dosage entering the patients system to address the symptoms, while also circumventing the GI tract and related side effects And lets not forget the strategic alliance that Love Pharma established less than two months ago with Starton Therapeutics, a leading US clinical-stage biotechnology company. Starton has a proprietary continuous drug delivery technology that can improve efficacy of approved drugs, make them more tolerable, and expand their potential use. Love Pharma stated that its investment in Starton Therapeutics is primarily based upon the companys interest in innovative drug delivery technology, such as transdermal patches that can reduce side effects, transforming patient outcomes with established, approved medicines allowing for streamlined market entry with long-term IP protections. Each piece of the companys strategic plan is beginning to become more clear. Acquiring Naltrexone Therapeutics and its significant IP related to the transdermal delivery of Naltrexone and any subsequent development of a treatment for long COVID using Naltrexone could certainly benefit from Startons three different delivery technologies that provide continuous low-dose delivery as part of its strategic platform that provides a controlled, sustained release over multiple days. 1 https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/addiction-drug-shows-promise-lifting-long-covid-brain-fog-fatigue-2022-10-18/ 2 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9250701/ To learn more about Love Pharma, visit https://love-pharma.com or email [email protected] . About Love Pharma Inc. With a focus on the global sexual Health and Wellness markets, Love Pharma Inc. was founded in 2020, with a mission to bring to market innovative products that enhance sexual health and wellness while providing an improved quality of life. Love Pharma holds exclusive licenses to produce, market, package, sell, and distribute patent-protected therapeutic and pharmaceutical products throughout Europe, the United Kingdom, and North America. About Stock Market Media Group Stock Market Media Group is a News and Media content development IR firm offering a platform for corporate stories to unfold in the media with press releases, feature news articles, research reports, corporate videos, and radio-style CEO interviews. This article was written based on publicly available information. Stock Market Media Group may, from time to time, include our own opinions about the companies, their business, markets and opportunities in our articles. Any opinions we may offer about any of the companies we write about are solely our own and are made in reliance upon our rights under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and are provided solely for the general opinionated discussion of our readers. Our opinions should not be considered to be complete, precise, accurate, or current investment advice, or construed or interpreted as research. Any investment decisions you may make concerning any of the securities we write about are solely your responsibility based on your own due diligence. Our publications are provided only as an informational aid, and as a starting point for doing additional independent research. We encourage you to invest carefully and read the investor information available at the web site of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov. We also recommend, as a general rule, that before investing in any securities, you consult with a professional financial planner or advisor, and you should conduct a complete and independent investigation before investing in any security after prudent consideration of all pertinent risks. We are not a registered broker, dealer, analyst, or advisor. We hold no investment licenses and may not sell, offer to sell, or offer to buy any security. Our publications about Love Pharma are not a recommendation to buy or sell a security. Should Stock Market Media Group and its management own shares in the profiled company, they may benefit from any increase in the share price of the profiled companies and hold the right to sell the shares bought at any given time including shortly after the release of the companys profile. Section 17(b) of the 1933 Securities and Exchange Act requires publishers who distribute information about publicly traded securities for compensation, to disclose who paid them, the amount, and the type of payment. Under the Securities Act of 1933, Section 17(b), Stock Market Media Group discloses that it was remunerated one-thousand, three hundred dollars paid for by a third party via bank wire, to produce this content related to Love Pharma. Stock Market Media Group and its management do not own any shares in Love Pharma and never accepts compensation in free-trading shares for its marketing services of the company being profiled, however third parties that have compensated Stock Market Media Group may hold free-trading shares of the company being profiled and could very well be selling, holding or buying shares of the companys stock at the same time the content is being disseminated to potential investors; this should be viewed as a definite conflict of interest and as such, the reader should take this into consideration. If Stock Market Media Group ever accepts compensation in the form of free trading shares of the company being profiled and decides to sell these shares into the public market at any time before, during, or after the release of the companys profile, our disclaimer will be updated accordingly to reflect the current position of any free trading shares received as compensation for our services. For more information: www.stockmarketmediagroup.com Stock Market Media Group [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [November 03, 2022] Crescite Launches World's First Faith-Based Token Ahead of First Catholic Crypto Conference New York, USA, Nov. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Crescite Limited, an affiliate of Crescite Innovation Corporation, a company created to bring new technologies and methodologies to faith-based initiatives and ESG projects, has launched the world's first faith-based token. Crescite will also be featured at the world's first Catholic Crypto Conference, being held November 17-18, 2022, in Valley Forge, Pa. Crescite is a founding sponsor of the event, designed to raise awareness, provide education, and promote discussions of new technologies. There are 2.3 billion Christians, with 1.2 billion Catholic,worldwide. We see this as a natural community to foster faith-based projects that have a strong social impact, leveraging the benefits of Web 3.0" said Eddie Cullen, CEO of Crescite. Cullen is an entrepreneur who is known for developing technology and providing regulatory leadership, always with public service in mind. Cullen was a candidate for Mayor of New York City and continues to provide leadership on many issues, including the provision of affordable housing. Technology can be used to solve problems, and we see ourselves at the intersection of technology, faith, and social impact, said Karl P. Kilb III, the Chairman of Crescite We are using aspects of Web 3.0 and new models to address a wide range of issues, including identity verification, access to capital, and payment security, creating financial inclusion, transparency, and greater efficiencies throughout the process." Kilb is an entrepreneur who focuses on authentication, cybersecurity, and sustainability. Previously, Kilb was the first General Counsel of Bloomberg LP, assisting the global company in all aspects of its data aggregation, analytics, electronic trading, and multimedia businesses over a 22-year career there. Kilb is also the Founder and Chairman of the Entrepreneurial Law Advisory Council at the Fordham University School of Law, where he is an adjunct professor of Entrepreneurship. The Crescite team also includes Kurt Mahoney, the Executive Vice President of Business Development, who has decades of experience developing new companies and projects, as well as world-class developers with expertise in Web 3.0. Major universities, municipalities, and blockchains are already among the entities who are collaborating with Crescite to develop and implement projects. The Crescite Token can be found on https://xdc.sale/crescite About Crescite Innovation Corporation: Crescite Innovation Corporation is a New York City-based company that leverages new technologies and methodologies to solve problems, including ones involving faith-based initiatives and ESG projects. Please see www.Crescite.org for more information. Media Contact: Jane Kim Project Manager, Luna PR [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [November 03, 2022] Wiliot Makes Its Debut at COP27, as the Ambient IoT and the Future of Supply Chain Sustainability are Featured at the Leading UN Climate Conference SAN DIEGO, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Wiliot, the Internet of Things pioneer whose IoT platform is enabling trillions of "things" to gain intelligence, today announced that it has been selected to attend COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt from November 6-18. At the event, Wiliot will be showcasing its pioneering ambient computing technology the Wiliot IoT Pixel and Cloud platform and educating global leaders on the ways in which it's enabling an ambient IoT poised to create more sustainable, cost-efficient supply chains. Wiliot's vision for the future of the ambient IoT brings intelligence and internet connectivity to every single 'thing' in the global supply chain, enabling products to transmit item-level information about their location, temperature, carbon footprint, and more. With this information, businesses are for the first time equipped with the real-time data they need to make more sustainably-minded decisions that reduce their carbon footprint. Furthermore, the real-time delivery of this carbon data offers an effective alternative to today's annual reporting cadence, which is proving insufficient for businesses looking to make a material impact on their carbon footprint. Wiliot is attending COP27 as part of an Israeli delegation that includes nine other climate-tech innovators that were selected at PLANETech World, Israel's first-ever clean-tech conference that recently took place in Tel Aviv. "While much of the world is justifiably focused on reducing fossil fuel emissions, converting to electric vehicles, and carbon-offsetting projects, we applaud the UN and the COP27 for now also recognizing supply chain efficiency as a fundamental lever in advancing global sustainability," stated Steve Statler, Wiliot SVP of Marketing & ESG. "Trillions of things flow through our supply chains every day a number that will only increase as billions of new people enter the middle class, with more disposable income and purchasing power. The UN recognizes the urgent need to fix our supply chains, and that real-time item-level carbon data is fundamental to the regeneration of the environment." Wiliot IoT Pixels are stamp-sized computers that cost pennies and feature a fundamental breakthrough in ambient computing technology or computing that's self-powered, harvesting radio waves that are all around us. These battery-free IoT Pixels can attach to any product or packagin to connect it to the internet; not just expensive things like cars, appliances, and shipping containers, but the things inside them: fruits, veggies, vaccine vials, clothes, crates, and just about everything else. The benefits of this technology are vast. Produce stays fresher longer, reducing the amount wasted due to rot and spoil; delivery routes are more efficient, requiring less fuel and emitting lower greenhouse gas; stock-checks transition from daily to real-time, resulting in supply chains with lower carbon footprints; and so much more. "It's going to take trillions of connections to solve the climate crisis," continued Statler. "Every single thing in our global supply chain veggies and vaccines, crates and skates, airplane parts and toy airplanes all connected to the internet and transmitting real-time, item-level data about their location, temperate, fill rate, carbon footprint, and more. It's this data that's going to enable businesses to make better, more sustainably-minded decisions and ones that make a material impact on the climate crisis today." Wiliot is currently working with many of the world's largest companies, helping them transition from supply chains that often include glut, excess, and delays to demand chains that are fully responsive to real-time to consumer demand. Furthermore, the Wiliot platform is equipping employees across organizations with this real-time data empowers them to take action every day, which is proving to have a profound impact on corporate sustainability and profitability. In a recent project with a large retailer, the temperature of a pallet of berries rose precipitously when it was mistakenly left out on a store floor, threatening the fruit's freshness. However, rather than spoil, the temperature rise was flagged and an alert was sent to store employees, who addressed the situation in the moment. Concluded Statler, "The ambient IoT grows the market from billions of expensive things to trillions of everyday things, and in the process totally transforms our global supply chains. We're honored to have been selected to attend COP27 to debut the concept of the ambient IoT, which is poised to have a profound impact on our planet." Ambient IoT support is being added to the wireless standards that enable the world's phones, smart speakers, and access points. Industry analyst ABI Research predicted a total addressable market for ambient IoT of over 10 trillion devices at the recent GSMA MWC event in a presentation it co-delivered with Wiliot and Deloitte. For more information on Wiliot, click here. For the press kit, click here. About Wiliot: Wiliot is a SaaS company whose platform connects the digital and physical worlds using its IoT Pixel tagging technology, computers the size of a postage stamp that power themselves in revolutionary ways. Our mission is to expand the Internet of Things to include every single thing, creating a massive IoT that adds intelligence and automation to reusable packaging, pharmaceuticals, food, and other products. Connecting trillions of things to the internet is transforming manufacturing, distribution, and product use to deliver on our vision: a minimum waste, full trust, perfectly timed world, where people, profits, and planet remain aligned. Visit www.wiliot.com to learn more. Media Contact: Dan Griffin 212.481.3456 ex. 25 [email protected] View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/wiliot-makes-its-debut-at-cop27-as-the-ambient-iot-and-the-future-of-supply-chain-sustainability-are-featured-at-the-leading-un-climate-conference-301667281.html SOURCE Wiliot [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [November 03, 2022] Boclips, the world's largest educationally curated video platform, announces strategic partnership with OpenStax, addressing student demand for video-enriched content BOSTON, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Boclips, whose collections of curriculum-aligned videos and podcasts help education providers enhance student learning experiences worldwide, is announcing a partnership with Rice University-based OpenStax, a leading nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing access to education for all students by providing free, high-quality, peer-reviewed, openly licensed textbooks. With thousands of videos now pedagogically mapped to each of OpenStax's textbooks, Boclips will help OpenStax users address student demand for media-rich content, and solve industry challenges around engaging learners and licensing videos. Boclips pedagogically maps 1000s of videos to OpenStax textbooks, helping users address student demand for rich media. "The digital transformation of the education industry has illuminated both the value and the demand for video-based learning experiences," said David Bainbridge, Founder and CEO of Boclips. "With that comes a responsibility on the part of education providers to deliver high-quality, curriculum-aligned media resources. As stakeholders rethink how education should look today, it's crucial they hear the student calls for modernization and flexible modes of learning." As video consumption habits and expectations of learners transform, the partnership between OpenStax and Boclips will enable uiversity faculty and other education providers to remain proactive in video-enabled learning. Users will now be able to purchase licenses to video collections, mapped to a single or combination of 55 OpenStax titles, directly from Boclips. Internationally recognized media organizations supporting this initiative include PBS, TED-Ed, TED Talks, Crash Course, NASA Godard, and Bloomberg. "At OpenStax, our mission is to transform learning so education works for every student," said Daniel Williamson, Managing Director of OpenStax. "Through our growing network of allies, instructors and students are provided with expanded access to a variety of learning technology options to use alongside our high-quality, openly licensed textbooks. We welcome Boclips to our ecosystem of allies and look forward to all the ways they will work toward increasing educational equity and elevating the learning experience for millions of students worldwide." To learn more about Boclips' partnership with OpenStax, register for the November 15 webinar at www.boclips.com/openstax . About OpenStax OpenStax is a nonprofit educational initiative out of Rice University with a mission to improve educational access and learning for everyone. Through partnerships with philanthropic foundations and alliances with educational resource companies, OpenStax is breaking down the most common barriers to learning and leading the open access movement. About Boclips Since 2014, Boclips has partnered with publishers, edtechs, and education providers worldwide to enrich learning with curriculum-aligned media content. Boclips is the industry's trusted destination for rich media that are vetted for quality, sourced from leading creators, and curated to academic standards. www.boclips.com Media Contact: Emily Cartwright 954-299-1834 [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/boclips-the-worlds-largest-educationally-curated-video-platform-announces-strategic-partnership-with-openstax-addressing-student-demand-for-video-enriched-content-301667663.html SOURCE Boclips [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [November 03, 2022] Appaegis Selected as a 2022 Red Herring Top 100 Global Appaegis Inc., an Enterprise Access Browser Company, is proud to be selected in the exclusive group of this year's Red Herring Top 100 Global companies. The Red Herring judging panel has announced its Top 100 Global Winners today, recognizing the leading private companies from North America, Europe, and Asia, celebrating these startups' innovations and technologies across their respective industries. Appaegis' vision is to secure every interaction between users, applications or infrastructure and ensure adherence to zero trust. Appaegis Enterprise Access Browser (EAB) redefines the standard for secure access by securing access at the source. Appaegis delivers this by integrating identity for access, continuous monitoring and providing rich visibility. It protects against data loss, identity theft and spread of malware without impacting user experience. Appaeis' approach is agnostic to the applications, platforms, infrastructure, and devices. Red Herring's Top 100 Global list has become a mark of distinction for identifying promising companies and outstanding entrepreneurs. Red Herring editors were among the first to recognize that companies such as Facebook, Twitter, Google, Yahoo, Skype, Salesforce.com, YouTube, and eBay would change the way we live and work. Thousands of the most interesting and innovative companies have graced the Top 100 list over the years. "Choosing the companies with the strongest potential was by no means a small feat this year," said Alex Vieux, publisher and CEO of Red Herring. "After rigorous contemplation and discussion, we narrowed our list down from hundreds of candidates from across the globe to the Top 100 Winners. We believe Appaegis embodies the vision, drive and innovation that define a successful entrepreneurial venture. Appaegis should be proud of its accomplishment as the competition was very strong." "We are very humbled and excited about being recognized as a leader in Security. It is another endorsement of our ability to deliver compelling value to our customers. Providing protection for all access to applications and infrastructure, preventing the loss of data, and enabling organizations to implement zero-trust access is central to our offerings," said Michael Shieh, CEO and co-founder of Appaegis. "We do this by making identity central to securing access, providing a solution that is agnostic to the device used by the end user, and eliminating the complexity and friction associated with legacy network-centric solutions. Securing access at the source - with our Enterprise Access Browser allows us to deliver the security benefits without impacting user experience." Red Herring's editorial staff evaluated the companies on both quantitative and qualitative criteria, such as financial performance, technology innovation, management quality, strategy, and market penetration. This assessment of potential is complemented by a review of the track records and standing of startups relative to their peers, allowing Red Herring to see past the "hype" and make the list a valuable instrument of discovery and advocacy for the most promising new business models from around the world. Red Herring is dedicated to following Appaegis' path to further success and innovation. About Appaegis Appaegis secures cloud infrastructure access where it matters with an Enterprise Access Browser. We use the Enterprise Access Browser to observe every interaction between users and the cloud. This provides complete visibility into access to applications and control over what data users can access. We are redefining the standard for secure access to cloud infrastructure by securing access at the source - the browser. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005209/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [November 03, 2022] Canadian Families Meet Miko 3 Ridiculously smart. Seriously fun. Loved by kids in 140 countries - now including Canada. Miko 3, the bestselling kids robot, has arrived in Canada just in time to spread some undeniable holiday magic. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221102005894/en/ Miko keeps kids on their toes with coding, spelling, geography and life science learning content, as well as tons of fun. (Photo: Business Wire) Miko 3 is the latest innovation from Miko, the global consumer robotics company eponymous with the playful little robot that's been capturing kids' hearts since 2017. Available at miko.ai, Best Buy Canada, Holt Renfrew Stores and Amazon Canada, Miko 3 retails at 349 CAD. The flagship Miko 3 robot specializes in interactive playful learning experiences for kids. kidSAFE+ COPPA certified, Miko 3 is the winner of the Mom's Choice, Independent Toy and BlogOn awards. "Our goal has always been to bring the best of technology to kids everywhere," says Miko Co-Founder and CEO Sneh Vaswani. "We're excited to help children across Canada experience the magic of robotics with their friend Miko." The Canada market launch comes amid numerous Miko 3 enhancements, including even more engaging facial expressions, an even more emotive voice, interactive experiences like Freeze Dance, and storybooks featuring beloved Disney and Pixar characters. This spring, the company announced a partnership with Paramount Consumer Products. In August, Miko 3 became the first kids robot to launch an official Disney app after being the only Asian startup in the 2021 Disney Accelerator. In addition to Disney and Paramount, kids can also explore content from Canada-based Kidoodle.TV, Cosmic Kids, Da Vinci Kids, Kidloland, and other world-class kids brands with their Miko 3 robots. Visit www.miko.ai or email [email protected] for more on Miko 3's content partners, features and technology. ABOUT MIKO: Founded in 2015, Miko is a consumer robotics company passionate about bringing the best of technology to young learners everywhere. Home to leading educators, engineers, psychologists and content developers, Miko takes learning (and fun) to a new level with state-of-the-art artificial intelligence, robotics and IoT. The company has more than 230 employees globally and offices in the innovation hubs of Silicon Valley, London and Mumbai. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221102005894/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [November 03, 2022] ACOs Using CareSignal's Deviceless RPM Solution Generated $59 Million in Total MSSP Savings in 2021 CareSignal, a Lightbeam Health Solutions company and innovator of Deviceless Remote Patient Monitoring, today announces that ACOs using their solution generated $59 million in savings for the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) in performance year 2021. ACOs leveraging CareSignal also produced 14% higher average scores for CAHPS measures related to Stewardship of Patient Resources, 3.75% higher average scores for Shared Decision Making, and 1.5% higher average scores for Health Promotion and Education when compared to ACOs not using CareSignal. CareSignal's Deviceless RPM technology uses widely accessible text messages and phone calls to enable care managers and providers to track patient symptoms outside of the clinic, improving patient access, experience, and communication. CareSignal empowers patients to better manage their chronic conditions by supporting 35 programs including chronic heart failure, COPD, depression, and social determinants of health and receive proactive care to reduce avoidable utilization. As CMS continues to emphasize health equity and better access to care, solutions like CareSignal play an important role in ensuring the right patient receives the right care at the right time. "With this being CareSignal's first year measuring MSSP results, and we are thrilled to see the positive impacts that Deviceless RPM has made for our value-based care clients, including ACOs," says Joe McDonald, MBA, President, and COO of CareSignal. "These results demonstrate the success of the MSSP and their goals of achiving better health for individuals, improving population health, and reducing medical expenditures. CareSignal is honored to play a role in facilitating better relationships between providers and their patients, and we are excited to see the continued achievements of ACOs and REACH ACOs." Driving $59 million in savings for the MSSP, CareSignal is well-aligned to help not only ACOs, but any provider or payer organization participating in value-based care to improve patient experience and reduce avoidable utilization. To learn more about CareSignal's MSSP Savings, visit the Lightbeam Health Solutions booth at the Lowes Hotel during the Population Health Colloquium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from November 7-9, 2022, or at Booth 3418 at The Venetian Expo during the HLTH Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, from November 13-16, 2022. About CareSignal - a Lightbeam Health Solutions Company: CareSignal offers Deviceless Remote Patient Monitoring which is specifically designed for value-based care by leveraging real-time, self-reported patient data and artificial intelligence to produce long-term patient engagement while identifying clinically actionable moments for proactive care delivery. Together, Lightbeam and CareSignal align best-in-class population health capabilities with proven remote engagement and monitoring solutions serving more than 42 million patient lives across the United States. Lightbeam's vision is to shine a light on health data using analytics, and to provide the insight and capabilities healthcare clients need to ensure patients receive the right care at the right time. Learn more about solutions specific to your organization and population by visiting our website or trying a self-guided demo. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005156/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [November 03, 2022] TaxCloud Simple Sales Tax App Now Available in Shopify App Store Today TaxCloud, a leading sales tax automation and compliance platform, announced that its Simple Sales Tax app is now available in the Shopify App Store. The new app automates the transfer of transaction data from a merchant's Shopify store to TaxCloud so TaxCloud can then file sales tax returns, remit sales tax proceeds to states and monitor a merchant's overall sales tax compliance. TaxCloud provides a powerful sales tax compliance engine, wrapped in an easy-to-use, self-service Cloud platform empowering retailers of any size to get started collecting sales tax in any state (or all states) in minutes. The TaxCloud platform delivers real-time and offline sales tax calculations for any address in the U.S., as well as automated registration, filing & remittance services, audit response and indemnification to its clients. "Online retailers are constantly looking for ways to become more efficient and find more time to grow their business," said TaxCloud Vice President of Business Development Patrick Riley. "The Simple Sales Tax app allows Shopify sellers to quickly and easily tackle their sales tax compliance challenges in a highly affordable manner", he aded. "At the core of Shopify's Ecosystem is our community of developers who give merchants access to critical commerce technology," said Sid Murlidhar, Director of Partnerships, Shopify. "We're happy to welcome TaxCloud to the Shopify App Store, bringing its insight and experience in tax compliance to Shopify's millions of merchants." To learn more about TaxCloud please visit https://taxcloud.com. To find the Simple Sales Tax app in the Shopify App Store please visit https://apps.shopify.com/taxcloudstaging. About TaxCloud TaxCloud is a service of The Federal Tax Authority, LLC (d/b/a TaxCloud). TaxCloud's mission is to offer online retailers an affordable, easy way to calculate and collect sales tax. TaxCloud is a Certified Service Provider as part of the Streamlined Sales Tax project https://streamlinedsalestax.org which is dedicated to making sales tax administration easier. TaxCloud is headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005831/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [November 03, 2022] DeepSee.ai Inducted into JPMorgan Chase's Hall of Innovation DeepSee.ai, the creator and leading provider of Knowledge Process Automation (KPA), announced today that it has been inducted into the JPMorgan Chase Hall of Innovation. The bank's Hall of Innovation award recognizes select emerging tech companies for their innovation, business value, and disruptive nature. "DeepSee has helped us automate manual post-trade checks supporting complex derivatives trading into AI-powered business outcomes," said Tom Damico, Global Head of Equities Operations, JPMorgan Chase. "We're already seeing efficiencies in post-trade processing and reconciliations, with more efficient deal review timeframes and more importantly, reduced operational risk." "We're extremely honored to accept this award from JPMorgan Chase," said Steve Shillingford, CEO of DeepSee. "We're solving some of the most complicated business problems for the world's most regulated firms by transforming complex data that is difficult to obtain, even harder to interpret, into meaningful intelligence and advantage for business executives. This business process orientation is giving operations executives accelerated returns on their drive to digital transformation, full control over their risk profiles, and complete visibility into what happened, what's happening, and what could happen in their businesses as they navigate an increasingly complex environment. The JPMorgan Chase team has been instrumental in helping to develop and expand this powerful platform." KPA is a new category of business process automation and itelligence that leverages the very latest in machine learning technology to mine and refine all manner of complex data-structured, unstructured, or semi-structured-automating the results into real-time action, discovery, and risk reduction for the firm. Additionally, using our DeepGraph technology, all the data, the data about the data, and relationships across systems is maintained for visibility, auditability, and explainability, ensuring the observability and lineage of this automation meets their clients' requirements. KPA automates line-of-business problems leveraging the very latest innovations in semantic modeling, knowledge graphs, and natural language processing while solving the deployment, scalability, and availability issues that plague many AI and automation investments. With DeepSee, line-of-business leaders can: Solve a diverse set of manual, error-prone, and cost-heavy business problems Adapt to the new culture of a decentralized, hybrid-first workforce Prepare for the next crises or economic disruption DeepSee's KPA applications bring an easy-to-use, cloud-agnostic approach to deliver measurable operational improvements and efficiencies. DeepSee solutions are designed to integrate and leverage its customers' existing systems and tools, and to work across an array of enterprise activities, from complex risk analysis to critical compliance steps in post-trade reconciliations. Industry Recognition In May 2021, DeepSee was named a Cool Vendor by Gartner in its report Cool Vendors in Conversational and Natural Language Technologies. This Gartner report recognizes five companies for interesting, new, and innovative products and services. GARTNER and COOL VENDORS are registered trademarks and service marks of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and are used herein with permission. All rights reserved. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's Research & Advisory organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. ABOUT DEEPSEE.AI DeepSee.ai represents a new category of people-first automation solutions in the wake of frustration with the widespread failure of AI-powered productivity projects to deliver value. Knowledge Process Automation (KPA) is solving the most complex business problems for the world's most regulated industries. We take data that is difficult to obtain, hard to interpret, and refine it for ML-powered automation and AI-powered insights, giving operations executives accelerated returns on their drive to digital transformation and complete visibility into what happened, what's happening, and what could happen in their business. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005050/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [November 03, 2022] FS-ISAC AND CYBERBIT ANNOUNCE WINNER OF THE FIRST FINANCIAL CYBER LEAGUE Banco de Credito Cooperativo (BCC) Wins the First Hyper-Realistic Cybersecurity Competition for the Financial Industry RESTON, Va. and BOSTON, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- FS-ISAC , the member-driven, not-for-profit organization that advances cybersecurity and resilience in the global financial system, and Cyberbit , provider of the world's leading cybersecurity skill development and readiness platform, announced today that team "IsNotTheEDR" from Banco de Credito Cooperativo (BCC) is the winner of the first International Cyber League (ICL) Financial Cup, 2022 the first hyper-realistic cybersecurity tournament for the financial industry. The first runner-up is team "Suboptimal" from a leading Fortune 500 financial institution, the second runner-up is Team "AskITTeam" from BCC and the third runner up is team "TIAA" from TIAA. The tournament ran from 6-26 October 2022 and challenged cybersecurity teams from the financial sector to respond to live-fire cyberattack simulations replicating attacks they may encounter in real life. Teams were scored based on typical incident response KPIs including investigation, eradication, and remediation goals, as well as their response times. The BCC team outperformed 55 cyber defense teams from leading financial organizations around the world and scored a perfect 100 in the live-fire challenge. The Cyberbit platform, normally used by enterprises to train and upskill information security teams, as well as for FS-ISAC's monthly cyber range workshops, was repurposed to power the ICL competition. The platform provided a virtual arena that emulated an organizational network and a virtual security operations center (SOC) that simulated the live attacks and automatically scored the teams based on their achievements. The ICL reinvents cybersecurity competition formats by assessing cyber defense skills in real-world scenarios, allowing teams to predict their performance during an attack. Traditional Capture-the-Flag (CTF) events test offensive skills, but these do not reflect the capabilities that cyber defenders will be required to demonstrate during an attack. The ICL leverages cyber range live-fre scenarios to simulate real threat vectors and malware that assess essential "blue team" skills, including technical skills like malware analysis and SIEM investigation, as well as soft skills like teamwork, critical thinking, and communications. "We in the financial sector believe that exercising builds muscle memory to ensure smooth and efficient incident response," said Cameron Dicker, Global Head of Business Resilience at FS-ISAC. "We run a wide variety of exercises to ensure preparedness throughout all different organizational levels and functions, and we chose this competition format during Cybersecurity Awareness Month to bring a little fun into this critical tool for operational resilience." "CISA and the NCA aptly named this year's cyber awareness month theme as 'See Yourself in Cyber,' demonstrating that cybersecurity is ultimately, about people," said Sharon Rosenman, Chief Marketing Officer at Cyberbit. "The feedback from the ICL teams was overwhelmingly positive and we are proud to collaborate with FS-ISAC in helping the financial industry become better prepared for real-world attacks by assessing and maximizing human performance." "A Cyber Range is a strategic capability that enables governments and companies to effectively educate and train their professionals, as well as to experiment, test and validate new cybersecurity and cyber defense concepts, technologies, techniques, and tactics. Cyber range competitions such as the ICL Financial Cup help in providing a comparison with the rest of the peers in the sector", said Francisco Navarro Garcia, Chief Information Security Officer, Banco de Credito Cooperativo (BCC). Additional teams who reached the top 10 in ICL finals include Loan Depot and Somerset Trust. "The International Cyber League has been an excellent experience for our teams and a fantastic opportunity for them to test their skills with other elite teams across the financial services sector. We are incredibly proud of their work in keeping our company safe. Their strong performance in this competition is celebrated across Technology and the entire company", said Harold Rivas, Chief Information Officer, Loan Depot. "Somerset Trust takes the security of our information very seriously, and I have always known that we assembled a good team of security professionals. It's always nice to see a competition like this that hones their skills and proves our dedication to security", said John Ash, Sr. Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Somerset Trust. About FS-ISAC FS-ISAC is the member-driven, not-for-profit organization that advances cybersecurity and resilience in the global financial system, protecting the financial institutions and the people they serve. Founded in 1999, the organization's real-time information sharing network amplifies the intelligence, knowledge, and practices of its members for the financial sector's collective security and defenses. Member financial firms represent $100 trillion in assets in 75 countries. About Cyberbit Cyberbit provides the global leading attack readiness platform for enabling SOC teams to maximize their performance when responding to cyberattacks. The platform empowers security leaders to make the most of their cybersecurity investment by boosting the impact of the human element in their organization. Cyberbit delivers hyper-realistic attack simulations mirroring real-world scenarios. It enables security leaders to dramatically reduce MTTR, dwell time and cybercrime costs, improve hiring and onboarding, and increase employee retention. Customers include Fortune 500 companies, MSSPs, systems integrators, governments, and leading healthcare providers. Contacts for Media: FS-ISAC: [email protected] Cyberbit: [email protected] . View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fs-isac-and-cyberbit-announce-winner-of-the-first-financial-cyber-league-301667705.html SOURCE Cyberbit [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Following the recommendation of a citizens commission, Flagstaff City Council voted on Tuesday to give the first read of an ordinance that would substantially increase Council and mayor salaries. The decision came following an overwhelming show of support from public commentators who lauded the increase as a means to make public leadership more accessible to a financially diverse population and increase competition for public office. The ordinance will come before city council for its second read and formal adoption in an upcoming meeting before the end of the month. In adherence to a 2020 request from the majority of Council, the Citizen Commission on Council Salaries was formed earlier this year and was tasked with evaluating and making recommendations on the pay rate for members of council and mayor. The commission included four citizens as well as five commission members from the Flagstaffs Planning and Zoning, Parks and Recreation, Tourism, Water and Transportation Commissions. Throughout September and October, the citizens commission met to field public feedback, conduct research and craft their recommendation. As presented during Tuesdays meeting, the commission recommendation was to give councilmembers and the mayor a raise and a big one at that. The commission members finalized their recommendation during the Oct. 12 meeting to include an increase in the mayor's salary from $38,500 to $54,340 and councilmembers' salary from $25,500 to $44,650 following the 2022 election. Then, effective Dec. 1, 2024, the commission recommended an increase in the mayor's salary from $54,340 to $70,180 and Council's salary from $44,650 to $63,800. The recommendation also includes a change to the monthly routine travel and meals stipend for the mayor from $150 to $200 with a city vehicle and $250 to $300 without a city vehicle, and for councilmembers from $166 to $200 per month. It means in two years, Flagstaff's mayor and councilmembers would earn roughly 250% of what they do now. The purpose of doing two increases was to phase in these increases over time, rather than having one large jump, explained deputy city manager Shannon Anderson, who served in a human resource capacity for the commission. According to Anderson, the commission arrived at the recommendation through consideration of numerous variables, including examples of the mayoral and council workloads, municipal benchmark data including population, budget and salary, county benchmark data including population and salary, the consumer price index, and local minimum wage and cost of living. Additionally, they included in their recommendation a recognition of the irregular schedule of councilmembers and difficulty to fit within a normal work schedule, a need to compensate for time being spent fulfilling duties and meeting community expectations, and an advocacy that Council salaries retain an ability to attract quality and diverse candidates to fill council vacancies. On this final point, public commentators at Tuesdays meeting voiced resounding support. The general rationale was that unless public service pays a living wage, only those who dont need the money can afford to pursue office. With better wages could come more diversity of candidates and more competition for office. Looking at the current city council stipend, Jeff McCarroll said, I see numbers that do not create a place for diversity in the type of people that can run for these positions. Cost of living is not going down, McCarroll added, saying if salaries are not increased, it will eventually create a situation where unless youre retired, own a business or are independently wealthy, you cant run for public office. While a large departure from current conditions, McCarroll did not believe the new proposed salaries were by any means extreme. Professional positions of commensurate responsibility are well within that number, he said. We need a more professional city council, said Kyle Nitschke, a candidate for LD7 who also served on the citizens commission. He pointed to the trend of low-paying public service jobs as a reason for statewide political stagnancy and lack of economic diversity in political representatives. As an example, he shared that state legislative representatives are given $24,000 for their service. And these guys hang on for years and years and years, even with term limits, he said. Nitschke also pointed to low salary as a huge reason why Flagstaff failed to produce a full ballot of city council candidates for the upcoming election. Salary was the reason that Anthony Garcia shared for his recent withdrawal from a pursuit of public office. I live paycheck to paycheck, I represent the blue collar worker, Garcia said. I really wanted to run for city council, but there was no way possible that I could stay living in Flagstaff and commit 100% of myself as a full-time city councilmember. Ultimately, making the hard decision between dedicated public service and basic necessities ended Garcias campaign, but he voiced support that if Council were to adopt the recommended salary increase, it would open up the possibility of public service to currently underrepresented demographics. There are important voices that right now are serving tables when they should be seated at the table, Garcia said. Joining the chorus, former Flagstaff mayor Coral Evans expounded upon the historical difficulty of serving as mayor while also having to hold multiple jobs to make ends meet. The job of a public servant requires tremendous dedication and time, Evans said, adding that currently for someone to have the ability to serve in a leadership role, they would had to have come from privilege, they would have to come from wealth. A total of nine public participants voiced unanimous support for the recommended salary increase before the city council shared their thoughts. Councilmember Austin Aslan fully endorsed the recommended salary increase, calling it course correction after years of laughable compensation for public office. You get what you pay for, Aslan said. And paying our city council a professional wage is critical if we want to have candidates election after election that are both qualified and diverse. Councilmember Adam Shimoni was equally supportive, especially for the economic diversity that such a raise would invite into city hall. I want to see single moms run for office, he said. I want to see teachers run for office. I want to see firefighters and police department personnel run for office. I want to see people who work in the service industry run for office. Like Nitschke, Shimoni said he sees the lack of candidates on the 2022 ballot as embarrassing, and stated that with the recommended salary increase that will never be the case again. We will have competition, he said. The fact that there are so many voices in our community that go unheard and unseen because they cannot make the sacrifice required to be in a position like this not only breaks my heart, but tells me that we need to do something to make a change, said Councilmember Khara House, noting that she would only benefit if successful in her current write-in campaign. This is not for us, she said. This is for the future of Flagstaff. Vice Mayor Miranda Sweet also voiced support and recognized that service on the council was largely feasible for her because she is a successful small-business owner who was able to hire a day-to-day manager for her business a privilege that should not be a roadblock to others interested in public service. Councilmember Regina Salas inquired whether the city budget could accommodate the recommended salary increases, and when satisfied by affirmative response from city staff, offered her support as well. Councilmember Jim McCarthy was notably less gung-ho. While making a point that the expiration of his term meant that salary increases would have no impact on him personally, he suggested that the large increase recommended by the commission carried a heavy amount of sticker shock and proposed a more relaxed increase that would bring mayor salary to $70,000 and councilmember salary to $50,000 across the same time span. Mayor Paul Deasy also expressed concerns that the stark increase would be a hit to morale for city staff. Ive spoken to city staff who felt this was a real slap in the face while theyre receiving a 3% raise, he said. Theyre having to sit through all these meetings, too, late into the night. However, discussion of a middle ground floundered and ultimately a motion from Shimoni resulted in 6-1 majority vote in favor of adopting the commission recommended salary increase. Only Deasy opposed, though he clarified that his opposition was purely to invite the opportunity to vote on a middle-ground proposition such as the one made by McCarthy. This opportunity never came, and the ordinance was given its first read. It is yet to be determined whether the second read and formal adoption of the ordinance will come before Council during the Nov. 8 or 15 meeting. In either case, a future meeting will also provide another opportunity for public comment and discussion of the ordinance. [November 03, 2022] Black & Veatch Initiates Sponsorship to Help Combat Human Trafficking The Senior Policy Operating Group, part of a U.S. cabinet-level entity through The President's Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, estimates there are nearly 25 million adults and children around the world who are victims of human trafficking, a form of modern-day slavery that includes forced labor and sexual exploitation. Black & Veatch, a leading global provider of critical infrastructure solutions, announced at its recent leadership conference in Kansas City, Missouri, that it is taking steps to join the fight against this global issue by supporting three anti-human trafficking organizations: the Center for Combating Human Trafficking, the International Justice Mission, and Veronica's Voice. "It is truly tragic that slavery persists today in the form of human trafficking across the globe," said Mario Azar, Chairman and CEO of Black & Veatch. "As a global company operating in many countries all over the world, we decided that it's our social responsibility to join the fight against this form of modern-day slavery. We are glad to partner with International Justice Mission, the Center for Combating Human Trafficking, and Veronica's Voice and sponsor the great work they do in combating this hideous crime and fundamental human rights issue." These organizations help empower victims of human trafficking. The International Justice Mission (IJM), based in Washington, D.C., for example, is a global collection of lawyers, social workers, criminal investigators and storytellers. "As a global company, Black & Veatch's footprint overlaps closely with IJM's work around the world," said Amanda Vohs, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships for IJM. "Our partnership with Black & Veatch will make a long-term impact and help protect people in poverty from violence." The Center for Combating Human Trafficking (CCHT) is based in Wichita, Kansas, and operates as a national organization that focuses on training and educating communities to effectively interact with people who are victims of many forms of abuse. "Successful anti-trafficking work includes partnerships across communities and industries," said Dr. Irene Countryman-Roswurm, CCHT Founder and Executive Director. "Black & Veatch's resources and capacity will elevate our work and ultimately help more survivors experience kaleidoscopic prosperity." A Kansas City, Kansas-based organization, Veronica's Voice works to empower women to exit lives of sexual exploitation, to prevent recurrence, and to end demand through education and advocacy. "Through the partnership with Black & Veatch, we will be able to provide additional recovery services, such as therapy and mentorships, for women in our residential program," said Kristy Childs, Founder of Veronica's Voice. "These are a vital part of the journey towards healing." Editor's Notes: Black & Veatch launched its anti-human trafficking partnership efforts in September when Mario Azar became the company's Chairman and CEO. The Black & Veatch Foundation serves as the platfor for participation by the company and its professionals, and it supports a variety of philanthropic organizations and programs worldwide. Since its beginning, Black & Veatch and its professionals have been actively involved in supporting community needs. The Foundation builds on the company's history of community involvement by globally expanding Black & Veatch's overall philanthropic role, involvement, and impact in our communities. In 2021, Black & Veatch joined SEIA efforts to prevent forced labor in supply chains. The full article can be read here. Black & Veatch's 2020-2023 Sustainability Strategy can be found here. About Black & Veatch Black & Veatch is a 100-percent employee-owned global engineering, procurement, consulting and construction company with a more than 100-year track record of innovation in sustainable infrastructure. Since 1915, we have helped our clients improve the lives of people around the world by addressing the resilience and reliability of our most important infrastructure assets. Our revenues in 2021 exceeded US$3.3 billion. Follow us on www.bv.com and on social media. About the Senior Policy Operating Group The President's Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons is a cabinet-level entity created by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000. The Senior Policy Operating Group comprises senior officials designated as representatives of the PITF agencies to address all aspects of human trafficking. About International Justice Mission (IJM) For more than 20 years, IJM has been fighting the worst forms of violence around the world. IJM partners with 29 program offices in 17 countries to combat trafficking and slavery, violence against women and children, and police abuse of power. IJM's mission is to protect people in poverty from violence by rescuing victims, bringing criminals to justice, restoring survivors to safety and strength, and helping local law enforcement build a safe future that lasts. Learn more at www.ijm.org. About The Center for Combating Human Trafficking The Center for Combating Human Trafficking is a team of survivor-led professionals focusing on effectively preventing, assessing, identifying, evaluating, and intervening in cases of human trafficking, as well as assisting in the long-term integration and prosperity of survivors. The foundation of their work is The Lotus Emancipation Model created by Dr. Irene Countryman-Roswurm and staff. The model honors human capacity for resilience, vitality, and prosperity. Their mission is to empower and equip communities to effectively prevent and intervene skillfully with those who have been victimized, survived, and overcome all forms of abuse and exploitation, particularly human trafficking. Learn more at www.combattinghumantrafficking.com. About Veronica's Voice Veronica's Voice was founded in 2000 by Kristy Childs, seven years after her close friend, Veronica, was murdered. The organization serves as a remembrance of Kristy's friend and the violent cycle of commercial sexual exploitation. Veronica's Voice serves survivors through various community and educational programs. Learn more at www.veronicasvoice.org. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005840/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [November 03, 2022] Eastern Bank Foundation Honors Ralph C. Martin II With 2022 Social Justice Award Eastern Bank Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Boston-based Eastern Bank, is pleased to announce it is honoring Ralph C. Martin II with the 2022 Social Justice Award. The award, now in its 34th year, recognizes community leaders who have made an outstanding impact in addressing critical social justice issues. Ralph has dedicated his career to advancing economic inclusion, and his commitment to social justice in our communities endures. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005876/en/ Pictured at Eastern Bank's 2022 Celebration of Social Justice are left to right: Quincy Miller, Vice Chair and President of Eastern Bank; Nancy Huntington Stager, President and CEO of the Eastern Bank Foundation; Ralph C. Martin II, 2022 Social Justice Award Honoree; and Bob Rivers, CEO and Chair of the Board of Eastern Bank. (Photo Credit: Nathan Fontes-Fried) Through his 40+ years of service as a public leader, business advisor, mentor and trial lawyer, Ralph has worked to bridge the gaps created by systemic inequities and build stronger communities. He is widely known across the region for his inclusive leadership, and advocacy for people and communities who are historically underrepresented. Watching his father, a New York City Police Officer in the 940s and 1950s, experience racism in the police department, Ralph was influenced at a young age. His father introduced him to a Black prosecutor, who sparked Ralph's passion to make a difference and served as a role model for him. His career is defined by varied roles in law, healthcare, business, government and academia, and, through it all, he has consistently risen to leadership roles in our communities. He has pioneered efforts at the intersections of law, business strategy, public policy and government regulation, and applies what he has learned to advance equity and inclusion. He most recently served 11 years at Northeastern University, where he was Senior Vice President and General Counsel. He was a critical member of Northeastern's leadership team that increased its geographic footprint in major cities throughout the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, and was instrumental in bridging town-gown challenges between the university community and surrounding neighborhoods in Boston. He is also the former Suffolk County District Attorney, having served as the first Black, elected prosecutor for Boston, Chelsea, Revere and Winthrop for 10 years, where he was credited with helping to oversee substantial changes in the way law enforcement collaborated with other agencies to improve crime prevention and prosecution. Ralph served two separate terms as Chair of the Board of The Partnership, Inc., the premier New England organization focused on workforce development for professionals of color at all levels of leadership. He previously served as a Partner and Boston Office Managing Partner with Bingham McCutchen, as Chair of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, and as a Board Member at Blue Cross Blue Shield. He is currently a Partner at Prince Lobel, and serves on both the Board and Executive Committee of Boston Children's Hospital. "No matter the setting-whether healthcare, higher education, government, non-profit, or business-Ralph Martin has defined his career in the pursuit of fairness, equity and social justice for people who need to be heard," said Nancy Huntington Stager, President and CEO of the Eastern Bank Foundation. "There are many facets to Ralph's leadership-every one of them important-and we're proud to not only celebrate his accomplishments, but also to inspire others to reflect on his example of building community that spans an entire career. We are honored to present Ralph with the 2022 Social Justice Award." "To be recognized by Eastern Bank and the Eastern Bank Foundation is especially humbling given their long-standing and deep commitment to social justice," said Ralph C. Martin II. "I share this honor with the many people who make collaborations to advance equity and inclusion possible, and are committed to working together to create a better community for all." This year's Social Justice Award was presented during the Celebration of Social Justice attended by more than 600 community leaders. Pictured at Eastern Bank's 2022 Celebration of Social Justice are left to right: Quincy Miller, Vice Chair and President of Eastern Bank; Nancy Huntington Stager, President and CEO of the Eastern Bank Foundation; Ralph C. Martin II, 2022 Social Justice Award Honoree; and Bob Rivers, CEO and Chair of the Board of Eastern Bank. Photo Credit: Nathan Fontes-Fried About Eastern Bank Foundation Created in 1994, the Eastern Bank Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Boston-based Eastern Bank. Through philanthropy, employee volunteerism, advocacy and collaborations with other businesses and community partners, Eastern Bank Foundation responds to community needs and supports sustainable solutions to our communities' most vexing challenges across eastern Massachusetts, southern and coastal New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. This includes advancing economic inclusion and mobility in such areas as equity in the small business ecosystem, enriching early childhood development, securing safe and affordable housing, and promoting workforce development. To learn more, visit easternbank.com/foundation. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005876/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [November 03, 2022] Global Times: China-Pakistan ironclad ties consolidated; key CPEC projects to advance as 'BRI, Chinese modernization benefit all' BEIJING, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday held talks with visiting Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, and Sharif is one of the world leaders that has visited China right after the conclusion of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC). China is ready to work with Pakistan to elevate the level of all-round strategic cooperation, speed up efforts to build a closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era, and inject new impetus into their all-weather strategic cooperative partnership, Xi said. After presenting the key outcomes of the 20th CPC National Congress, President Xi underscored that China will continue its fundamental policy of opening-up and provide new opportunities to Pakistan and the rest of the world through continuous development. China will further deepen synergy between its development strategies and those of Pakistan. Xi pointed out that facing a highly uncertain world, both sides should stand on the right side of history, keep up their strong cooperation in multilateral mechanisms, and work closely on major international and regional issues so as to uphold true multilateralism, international fairness and justice and the shared interests of developing countries, and inject certainty and positivity into the world. According to a joint statement issued after the bilateral meeting, the two sides held in-depth exchange of views on the bilateral relations as well as regional situation and international political landscape. The two sides agreed on the importance of China-Pakistan All-weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership amid the emerging global challenges. The meetings were marked by traditional warmth, mutual strategic trust and commonality of views. In the meeting, Sharif noted that it is a great honor for him to be among the first foreign leaders to visit China after the successful 20th CPC National Congress, which marked a new milestone. The visit is a testament to the profound, ironclad friendship between Pakistan and China. Sharif said that over the past decade, under the leadership of President Xi, China has created a miracle of great development achieements. China has upheld multilateralism, promoted global solidarity and cooperation, and made important contributions to safeguarding world peace and development. In doing so, China has lived up to its responsibility as a major country. Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, told the Global Times "Having invited Sharif as one of the first foreign leaders to visit China after the conclusion of the 20th CPC National Congress, not only demonstrates the ever close relationship between the two sides but once again proves that the international community is optimistic about China's development in the future, and is willing to strengthen ties with China." Pakistan fully supports the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative put forth by President Xi, said Sharif. It will strengthen communication and collaboration with China in international and regional affairs to make a positive contribution to world peace and development. "The Pakistan-China friendship is unbreakable. Pakistan will always stand firmly with China," said the Pakistani prime minister. Through the Belt and Road Initiative, China has helped Pakistan in solving two bottleneck problems plaguing Pakistan's economic development - infrastructure and energy supply shortage, Qian said. Through the first phase of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) cooperation, it has laid a solid foundation and built a platform for Pakistan's economic development in the next step, he noted. "The close and effective strategic coordination between China and Pakistan has set an example of international cooperation and has delivered a clear message to the world, that countries with different social systems, nationalities, civilizations and stages of development can still achieve win-win cooperation," Qian said. The two sides will fully utilize the Joint Cooperation Committee of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, advance CPEC with greater efficiency, and make it an exemplar of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, Xi said at the meeting. China will work with Pakistan to expand cooperation in the digital economy, e-commerce, photovoltaic and other new-energy technologies, and take solid steps to advance cooperation concerning agriculture, science, technology and people's livelihoods, the Chinese president said. China will continue to do its best to support Pakistan in stabilizing its financial situation. China supports its provinces with a strong industry in pairing up with Pakistani partners to advance industrial cooperation, and hopes the Pakistani side will provide a sound business environment, Xi noted. Noting completion of a decade of CPEC's remarkable achievements in 2023, the two sides expressed satisfaction at CPEC's contribution to socio-economic development of the two countries, according to the joint statement. The two sides also noted that the recent meeting of CPEC Joint Working Group on International Cooperation and Coordination (ICC) had highlighted that CPEC was an open and inclusive platform. Both sides welcomed interested third parties to benefit from investment opportunities in the priority areas of CPEC cooperation such as industry, agriculture, IT, science and technology, and oil and gas. Lin Minwang, a professor at the Institute of International Studies of Fudan University, told the Global Times that due to the fact that there is a clear advantage for the development of the CPEC - the high-level mutual trust between China and Pakistan, and such kind of trust toward China from Pakistan is a solid consensus shared by all major political parties and forces. "With Sharif coming to power earlier this year, the China-Pakistan cooperation on the CPEC has focused more on the massive infrastructure projects, and to improve the livelihoods for the locals with more progress on infrastructure construction," Lin said. Sharif said Pakistan is ready to work with China to continue promoting high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and hopes to have China's strong support in the upgradation of ML-1, the Karachi Circular Railway and other important infrastructure projects. Pakistan will further step up security measures and do all it can to protect the safety of Chinese institutions and personnel. SOURCE Global Times [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [November 03, 2022] New exhibition Indigenous Ingenuity: An Interactive Adventure now open at the Ontario Science Centre Created by the Montreal Science Centre, this unique exhibition explores how innovations of First Peoples from North America shape our world TORONTO, Nov. 3, 2022 /CNW/ - The ingenuity of First Peoples from North America is all around us. Created by the Montreal Science Centre and designed in collaboration with knowledge bearers from First Nations, Inuit and Metis communities, Indigenous Ingenuity: An Interactive Adventure celebrates the knowledge, culture and history of Indigenous peoples. "The Ontario Science Centre is excited to host Indigenous Ingenuity," said CEO Paul Kortenaar. "By exploring Indigenous inventions through the lens of science and hands-on activities, this visiting exhibition showcases how Indigenous science is timeless and continues to influence our society today. We welcome everyone to enjoy this exhibition and learn, play and discover together." Indigenous Ingenuity, which runs until April 16, 2023, invites visitors to experience the innovative processes that give rise to Indigenous knowledge by observing nature, listening to knowledge bearers, experimenting with scientific principles and sharing experiences with others. With a bear and trickster as guides, visitors can take part in a virtual canoe race, build an igloo, test a kayak's centre of gravity and more. "We're delighted that Indigenous Ingenuity is now open in Toronto at the Ontario Science Centre, showcasing how the First Peoples flourished on this land for millennia, thanks to unique technologies, many of which are still in use today," said Cybele Robichaud, Director of the Montreal Science Centre. "This exhibition is the result of more than two years of work, created in collaboration with more than 100 individuals, including Indigenous people from more than a dozen nations across Canada." The exhibition presents a clever and novel mix of science and culture, intended to stir a sense of pride among First Nations, Inuit and Metis communities and encourages all visitors to appreciate Indigenous science and ways of knowing. Indigenous Ingenuity is presented at the Ontario Science Centre in partnership with Lead Sponsor University of Waterloo and Supporting Sponsor Ontario Power Generation. "Projects like Indigenous Ingenuity are vital in fostering dialogue and bringing awareness to the stories, experiences and immeasurable contributions of Indigenous peoples to our world," said Savannah Sloat, Manager, Science Indigenous Initiatives, University of Waterloo. "This exhibition is just one way we can strengthen knowledge and celebrate Indigenous achievements." "Ontario Power Generation is proud to be a supporting sponsor of the Ontario Science Centre's Indigenous Ingenuity exhibition," said Ian Jacobsen, OPG's Director of Indigenous Relations. "This interactive exhibition shines a light on the many incredible contributions Indigenous peoples have made to the sciences, and shares how Indigenous communities continue to shape and influence our society today." "We are excited that people will learn abou many of the crucial contributions, innovations and methods that Indigenous peoples have created and shared with the world," said Kevin Eshkawkogan, CEO of Indigenous Tourism Ontario. "It's an important step to see tourist attractions like the Ontario Science Centre feature exhibitions that highlight Indigenous successes." "Indigenous Ingenuity encourages visitors of all ages to learn, appreciate, and celebrate Indigenous heritage through the lens of science and innovation," said Neil Lumsden, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. "I hope everyone will have a chance to visit the Ontario Science Centre during this exhibition's run and if you're traveling, Ontarians who stay overnight can save up to 20 per cent of eligible travel accommodation expenses through our 2022 Ontario Staycation Tax Credit." Also on display is REGALIA: Indigenous Pride, created by photographer Roland Lorente and his partner Aline Saffore who travelled across Eastern Canada to attend over 20 powwows. The photography exhibition features 30 portraits and stories of men, women and children from 14 different First Nations communities across Canada dressed in stunning and colourful regalia,which tell each dancer's personal stories as well as those of their people and their worldview. University of Waterloo is the Lead Sponsor and Ontario Power Generation is the Supporting Sponsor of REGALIA: Indigenous Pride. Access to Indigenous Ingenuity: An Interactive Adventure and REGALIA: Indigenous Pride are included with general admission to the Science Centre. Visitors interested in learning more about Indigenous knowledge, culture and history can also watch the IMAX film, Great Bear Rainforest, playing in OMNIMAX Theatre, and journey into a hidden region of British Columbia that has been protected by Indigenous people for millennia. To learn more and to book tickets, please visit OntarioScienceCentre.ca. About the Ontario Science Centre Guided by our mission to inspire passion for the human adventure of discovery, the Ontario Science Centre strives to be a global leader in lifelong learning, a vital link in Ontario's education and innovation ecosystems and a convener of public dialogue about technology, science and society. The Centre has welcomed more than 54 million visitors since opening as a Centennial project in 1969, pioneering an interactive approach now adopted by science centres around the world. An agency of the Government of Ontario, the Centre relies on funding from the province, as well as donations from generous individuals, corporations and foundations that share the Centre's vision to contribute to a more curious, creative and resilient world. Learn more at OntarioScienceCentre.ca. About Montreal Science Centre The Montreal Science Centre, a division of Canada Lands Company, is a complex dedicated to science and technology, with more than 700,000 visitors annually. It is characterized by its accessible, interactive approach and its showcasing of local innovation and know-how. Its partners are Volvo, Energir, The Beat 92.5 and La Presse. About University of Waterloo University of Waterloo is a leading global innovation hub that drives economic and social prosperity for Canada and the world. With more than 41,000 students, we are home to the world's largest co-op education talent pipeline, to game-changing research and technology, and to an unmatched entrepreneurial culture. Together, these create partnerships and solutions to tackle today's and tomorrow's challenges. Find out more at uwaterloo.ca About OPG As a climate change leader and the largest electricity generator in the province, OPG and its family of companies are helping lead the charge to a post-carbon economy. About Indigenous Tourism Ontario Indigenous Tourism Ontario (ITO) is the province's first and only dedicated Indigenous tourism organization that focuses on uniting communities, Indigenous organizations, and industry leaders to support the growth of Indigenous tourism in Ontario. Through product development and marketing of authentic Indigenous experiences, ITO establishes a platform for Indigenous cultural expression and preservation through tourism. Our mission is to assist Indigenous communities and entrepreneurs with programs that build capacity to produce high quality products and services. Our success will be guided by the positive impact on our people, the environment, and the economy. For our welcomed visitors and tourists, we will ensure that our products and services provide a meaningful and memorable Indigenous experience. Learn more at Indigenous Tourism Ontario SOURCE Ontario Science Centre [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [November 03, 2022] Midwest Builders' Casualty Group Wins Award for "Excellence in Premium Growth for a Monoline Carrier" at Excellence in Insurance Innovation, Sponsored by Insurity Insurity, a leading provider of cloud-based software for insurance carriers, brokers, and MGAs, today announced that Midwest Builders' Casualty Group is the recipient of the "Excellence in Premium Growth for a Monoline Carrier" award at Excellence in Insurance Innovation. The Excellence in Insurance Innovation awards ceremony took place in Las Vegas and recognized the outstanding performances of P&C organizations in categories including exceptional policyholder service, digital transformation, and excellence in data and analytics. Midwest Builders' Casualty is a regional mutual insurance company specializing in workers' compensation insurance for the construction and manufacturing industries. Due to a common anniversary date required by its previous 20-plus year-old system, as well as state limitation, Midwest Builders' Casualty was unable to capture the market growth it wanted. Midwest partnered with Insurity in 2016 to modernize its system and start capturing those missed opportunities. Midwest Builders' Casualty went live on Insurity's Workers' Comp Suite in July 2017. The portal options, self-reporting features, and easy configurability allowed Midwest Builders' staff, policyholders, and agents to seamlessly adapt to the new system. The ese of use of the Insurity platform enabled Midwest Builders' Casualty to expand from 14 states to 31 states in less than three years. "Throughout this transformation, none of our servicing standards have changed," said Beth Long, Chief Operating Officer at Midwest Builders' Casualty Group. "We have maintained a 98% retention rate annually for policyholders since our move to the Insurity platform, which not only speaks highly of the service our staff offers, but also shows finding the right technology partner can really enable you to grow seamlessly." "The ability to scale and profitably grow is not just a sign of innovation but a marker for our industry's success," said Sylvester Mathis, Chief Insurance Officer at Insurity. "Midwest Builders' Casualty has seen impressive growth in the monoline workers' comp space over the past several years and continues to forge ahead with building efficiencies in their premium audit process." To learn more about the Excellence in Insurance Innovation Awards, please reach out to [email protected]. About Insurity Insurity is a leading provider of cloud-based software for insurance carriers, brokers, and MGAs. Insurity is trusted by 15 of the top 25 P&C carriers and 7 of the top 10 MGAs in the US and has over 400 cloud-based deployments. Through its best-in-class digital platform and with unrivaled industry experience and the industry's most robust analytics offerings, Insurity is uniquely positioned to deliver exceptional value, empowering customers to focus on their core businesses, optimize their operations, and provide superior policyholder experiences. Insurity is a portfolio company of GI Partners and TA Associates. For more information, visit www.insurity.com. About Midwest Builders' Casualty Group Midwest Builders' Casualty is a regional mutual insurance company specializing in workers' compensation insurance for the construction and manufacturing industries. Its goal is to provide the highest level of service and quality insurance coverage to our policyholders while maintaining both competitive pricing and profitability, and allowing for consistent dividend return to policyholders. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005937/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [November 03, 2022] Emotional Support Group App Circles Partners With Key Veteran Groups for #VeteranCircle Day Takeover Circles, the emotional support group platform, is partnering with key veteran groups on November 11, 2022, to provide a dedicated day of support through Veterans Circles support Rooms. Veterans, family members and other military-associated individuals can download the Circles app and join a room at no cost. Veteran Circles will run from 12:00PM to 8:00PM EST. On Veterans Day this November, Circles is giving veterans all over the country, regardless of their background and history, an opportunity to receive the support of peers, as well as Circles volunteer group facilitators and professional therapists who can relate to veterans' unique experiences and who will be instrumental not only in their healing but their thriving. A diverse range of topicsand subjects, led by 14 different moderators, will comprise an agenda with seven continuous hours of Circle Rooms. The rooms will resonate with the experiences and needs of veterans, covering important issues like support for veterans in active deployment, transitioning, minority vet support, spouses and many more. "As an organization that seeks to make support accessible and affordable to everyone, we cannot overlook the needs of our honorable veterans," said Shauna Lagatol, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Circles. "We believe that sharing and listening to others with the same pain, issue, or challenge, offers connection and hope. Veterans come from a diverse set of backgrounds and experiences and the support they deserve is not a one-size-fits-all. Their critical well-being is important to all of us, and Circles is proud to provide resources specific to those who understand what it is to be a veteran." "Inherent in our mission at Blue Star Families of New England is the opportunity for meaningful connection and support for all military-connected families," said Jeffrey Chin, Executive Director of New England Blue Star Families. "Our mission is to provide them with regular, consistent programs and services that allow for support, resource-sharing, and authentic connection. Circles provides our members a chance to make these connections through a guided, facilitated discussion that can deepen understanding and provide genuine support for those seeking it." Circles is partnering with several key veteran organizations to make this Veterans Day Takeover a success. Some of these partners are Growing Veterans, Blue Star Families, Operation Military Family, Veteran Rites, BCC Evolution, Brothers & Sisters in Arms and Safety in Freedom. A full schedule of topics is available at: https://circlesup.com/veteran-day/ About Circles Circles is a revolutionary online emotional support platform that transforms the group support experience. With a robust network of experienced peer guides and professional therapists, Circles connects users in safe, intimate groups, ensuring no one has to overcome life's challenges alone. By allowing people to be heard, understood and supported by others who are going through the same issues in their lives, such as the loss of a loved one, parenting issues, or divorce, Circles empowers people with tools and human connection through every stage of their journey. Circles is headquartered in both New York City (Marketing) and Israel (Operations, R&D). View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005966/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [November 03, 2022] New Survey from Compucom Highlights the Better the IT, the Better the Hybrid Employee Experience According to a recent survey conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Compucom, a leading managed IT service provider, better technology can lead to more engaged - and thus more productive - employees. Almost 9 out of 10 (89%) respondents at companies with 1,000-plus employees agree that satisfaction and retention would increase if companies invested more in their technology and support. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103006052/en/ (Photo: Business Wire) In fact, 70% of large enterprise respondents would be more committed to their role if their company provided them with better technology and more choice in the technology they do use in the office (94%). The survey polled hybrid and remote workers and IT professionals, including those who work for large enterprise companies which are more likely to outsource portions of IT operations. The results highlighted the importance of workplace technology to the overall digital employee experience. The survey explored the role technology choice, user support and security within a flexible work environment play in both job decisions and employee satisfaction. "As work from home and hybrid work continues to be a reality, it's time for companies to fundamentally rethink how they support their employees and the technology they use," said Mick Slattery, Compucom CEO. "Driven by their consumer experience, employees today want technology choice and flexibility in where and when they work. This has put an increased focus on the overall employee experience." Bad tech experiences costtime, money & talent Results found that nearly 22% of respondents in large enterprises "always" have bad experiences with their workplace technology, facing an average of 20 frustrating moments during the average work week - adding up to more than an hour and a half of lost productivity weekly. More than a quarter of enterprise respondents (29%) said the technology they use for work is at least five years old. To compensate for outdated or non-functioning tech, two-thirds have switched to personal devices, inevitably opening the door to cybersecurity threats. The majority of these respondents (57%) personally have spent more than $500 with 28% of those spending a staggering $1000-plus on technology for work. This could help explain why more than 9 in 10 respondents agree that they should have more choice in the technology they use in the office. According to the survey, more than half (57%) of employed Americans at large enterprises have been so frustrated with their workplace tech that they've switched jobs (12%) or have considered a job search (45%). More than a third (36%) have actively applied but have not yet switched. "Given that employers are competing for talent, focusing on employee experience is a must," Slattery said. "Everyone relies on technology to do their job, and we must ensure that it works. If it doesn't, we know they are less engaged, not as happy, and more likely to leave." Companies adjusting to a new world To put the focus on employee experience, Compucom is assisting companies with their post-pandemic work models leveraging three key initiatives - upgrading infrastructure, reconfiguring technology, and creating the hybrid work experience. Now that many employers have deployed a hybrid approach, technology that has been inactive for the past two years may need to be refreshed. Infrastructure, such as WiFi, may require upgrades to accommodate the hybrid worker. New collaboration tools, and security technologies and protocols may be necessary as people in the office conduct virtual meetings with those still working remotely. Finally, the IT support model is changing to accommodate those back onsite while continuing to serve remote and hybrid workers. "We know that employee experience is directly correlated to customer experience. A good employee experience usually translates to a better overall customer experience," said Heather Lockhart, Compucom CMO. "With today's hybrid workforce relying on technology more than ever, what Compucom does is critically important. And we are uniquely positioned to optimize the employee experience because we provide the crucial end-to-end capabilities and support required to enable effective hybrid work." Other notable findings from large enterprise respondents include: 36% of respondents cited slow websites as a top tech frustration - followed by needing to frequently restart their computer (32%), then a lack of access to certain online resources when working from home (26%) also high on the list. 88% of respondents say having good technology for work is more important to them post-pandemic. During the past year, 50% of respondents said their company's IT team has been easy to work with. With the switch to remote and hybrid work, employees surveyed also found IT to be responsive and even more helpful over the past year - than they were previously. About the survey The survey was conducted by OnePoll, an MRS Partner, from August 23-29, 2022, of 1,000 hybrid workers and 1,000 IT professionals all who use technology for their jobs. About Compucom Compucom is a leading provider of business services, products and digital workplace technology solutions through an integrated business-to-business distribution platform, which includes world-class supply chain and distribution operations. Compucom has more than 7,000 dedicated professionals, manages more than 7 million devices globally and serves around 700 clients in the United States and Canada. Compucom provides end-to-end managed workplace services, infrastructure modernization and digital consulting to enable the digital workplace for enterprise, midsize and small businesses. For more information, visit compucom.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103006052/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [November 03, 2022] Team8 collaborates with Money20/20 to showcase Israeli fintech innovation Team8, a company-building venture group focused on fintech, cyber and digital health, is hosting a senior delegation of global VCs to shine the spotlight on Israel's budding fintech scene between 6th-8th November. The delegation will be in Israel for the global fintech show, Money20/20's debut visit to Tel Aviv. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103006029/en/ (Photo: Business Wire) The event brings together movers and shakers from Israel's fintech industry and will include a forum with some of Israel's most influential players. For example, on November 7th, industry experts will discuss Israel's credentials as a hotbed for fintech innovation during the sold out World Tour session "Unleashing Fintech in the Startup Nation." The evening of the 7th will feature: A presentation by Oded Salomy, director of payment systems and member of management at the Bank of Israel on "'How Fintech Entrepreneurs Can Leverage Regulation as an Opportunity" A fireside chat between Shmuel Ben Tovim, director, Fintech Israel Innovation Community and Ronen Assia, Tea8 Managing Partner and co-founder of eToro who will discuss his role in co-founding eToro and steering it on a path to global success A follow-up panel, moderated by Sanjib Kalita, Editor in Chief for Money20/20. focusing on current investment trends in the financial services industry which includes insights from Team8 Managing Partner Sarit Firon, Nyca Partner Jeremy Solomon, and Greylock Partner Seth Rosenberg Over the course of the week, Team8 will also be hosting a global delegation of venture capital groups to introduce them to some of the country's most promising fintech startups and founders. The delegation includes more than a dozen global leaders from some of the top venture groups in the world, including Greylock Partners, Nyca Partners, and others. Team8 Managing Partner Rakefet Russak-Aminoach, said: "Money20/20's visit to Tel Aviv represents a major milestone for Israel's thriving fintech community. Despite challenging market conditions, Israel remains a center of excellence for fintech innovation, defined by resilient teams and solutions tailored to evolving market trends. We're thrilled to be collaborating with Money20/20 and other leading VCs from around the world to help showcase a small sample of the incredible startups that have put Israel on the global fintech map." "Israel has an incredibly rich fintech ecosystem," said Scarlett Sieber, Chief Strategy and Growth Officer at Money20/20. "From startups to VCs, Israel is home to some of the most exciting players in the world of fintech and with a pretty enlightened regulatory framework, it's clear the industry has the potential to scale even in challenging times. We're super excited to be here and delighted to be partnering with Team8 on this stop on the World Tour." About Team8 Team8 is a venture group that builds and backs the most innovative technology companies in the fields of fintech, cyber, data, and digital health. We leverage deep domain expertise, cutting-edge technology, and first-hand company-building experience to partner with entrepreneurs in founding globally-successful companies, while also investing in early-stage companies that are active in the Group's fields of interest. Visit www.team8.vc to learn more. About Money20/20 Founded in 2011, Money20/20 creates destination shows where the most innovative people in payments, Fintech and the broader financial services industry connect. Famed for their high-impact networking, the USA edition, held in Las Vegas (22-25 October 2023), and the Europe edition, held in Amsterdam (6-8 June 2023), are regarded as unmissable by financial services professionals. The upcoming expansion show in Asia, to be held in Bangkok in April 2024, promises to be an exciting addition to the world's leading fintech conversation. Money20/20 is the space where the industry's smartest visionaries and innovators come together to create the future of money. Money20/20 is an Ascential show. www.money2020.com Follow Money20/20 on Twitter for show developments and updates. You can also find us on LinkedIn at Money20/20. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103006029/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [November 03, 2022] Novadip Biosciences Raises Additional EUR 40 Million Bringing Total Company Funding to EUR 88 Million Novadip Biosciences ("Novadip" or "the Company"), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of regenerative tissue products to accelerate healing of large bone defects and injuries in a single treatment, today announced that it has raised an additional EUR 40 million in a Series B equity round and non-dilutive funding. The funding will accelerate the clinical development of two of Novadip's investigational adipose stem cell (ASC)-derived tissue regeneration products: NVD-X3, an allogeneic therapeutic that can provide accelerated, durable bone union in spinal fusion procedures and non-healing fractures, and NVD-003, an autologous bone engraftment product designed to provide a single treatment cure for patients with critical size bone defects such as congenital pseudoarthrosis of the tibia (CPT). The EUR 40 million financing is comprised of EUR 24 million in new equity and EUR 16 million in non-dilutive financing mainly by the Walloon Region. CR-CP Life Science Fund (China) joined existing investors, including New Science Ventures (US), Fund+, SRIW Life Sciences, VIVES Louvain Technology Fund, InvestSud, family offices and private investors, such as Pierre Drion and Olivier van der Rest, to support the equity round. "This financing milestone is a recognition by our committed group of existing investors of the clinical benefits and broad market opportunities provided by our 3M tissue regeneration technology platform," said Denis Dufrane, MD, PhD, CEO and Co-founder of Novadip Biosciences. "With this funding we will advance a new class of therapeutics that offer curative hope for patients suffering from large bone defects and enable accelerated healing of common orthopedic conditions such as radius fracture, spinal fusion." Novadip's 3M platform is a 3-dimensional, extracellular matrix that utilizes adipose-derived stem cells to deliver highly specific growth factors and miRNAs to mimic the physiology of natural tissue healing. The platform supports three distinct therapeutic programs: 3M AUTO : autologous ASC products that provide one-time curative treatment to achieve long-term union and stability of critical size bone defects : autologous ASC products that provide one-time curative treatment to achieve long-term union and stability of critical size bone defects 3M ALLO : "off-the-shelf" allogeneic matrix products to provide accelerated, stable bone union in 90 percent of bone engraftment procedures - a $7 billion addressable market, and : "off-the-shelf" allogeneic matrix products to provide accelerated, stable bone union in 90 percent of bone engraftment procedures - a $7 billion addressable market, and 3MEXO: allogeneic exosome products that can repair tissue following surgical resection of solid tumors, such as osteosarcoma, melanoma, glioblastoma. "We welcome the expanded support f our international investors, all of whom appreciate the immense potential of the 3M3 technology platform to deliver best-in-class tissue regeneration products that disrupt the standard of care in the US, EU and Asia," said Eric P. Paques, PhD, Chairman of the Novadip Biosciences Board of Directors. "We have been enormously impressed with the progress the Novadip team has achieved in advancing the 3MAUTO and 3MALLO programs into clinical studies. Looking ahead, it is clear that Novadip's therapeutic programs can be hugely important for patients, and we look forward to supporting these dedicated individuals as they work to cultivate the clinical promise of the 3M3 technology platform across multiple high opportunity markets." About NVD-X3 for Spinal Fusion and Bone Non-Union Applications The risk of bone non-union following fracture is greater than 50% across all bones due to fracture severity, co-morbidities (diabetes, obesity, smoking and other conditions) and medication use1. Additionally, more than 600,000 spine fusion procedures are performed annually. Together, these indications represent a peak sales opportunity for Novadip of $2.2 billion. Novadip's lead allogeneic product, NVD-X3, employs a matrix containing multiple bioactive factors that induce accelerated tissue healing?. Designed as an "off-the-shelf" product, NVD-X3 can be shipped and stored at room temperature and offers superior intraoperative handling characteristics?. A favorable COGS profile supports broad distribution and expanded patient access. Preclinical studies demonstrate that NVD-X3 offers superior bioactivity without the undesirable bone formation/resorption and inflammation observed with currently marketed bone engraftment products?. Novadip plans to initiate a Phase 1/2 clinical trial for NVD-X3 in spine fusion and bone non-union procedures in Europe by the end of 2022. About NVD-003 and CPT Congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia (CPT) is a rare pediatric bone condition occurring in one in 150,000 births. Children with CPT endure a high disease burden, including frequent fractures, loss of mobility, and potential amputation. The current standard of care - surgery with autologous bone graft - is associated with poor long-term outcomes, including high risk of chronic pain, infection, blood loss requiring transfusion, and persistent risk of amputation. Novadip is developing NVD-003, an autologous therapy derived from ASCs as a potential single treatment to save limbs and restore mobility? in patients with CPT. The favorable safety profile and potential clinical utility of NVD-003 for promoting healthy and durable bone formation is supported by clinical data from more than 50 adult and pediatric patients with non-healing fractures of the lower limb, bone non-union (BNU), obtained in Phase 1b/2a clinical trials and compassionate use. The active cells in NVD-003 autologous graft helped achieve durable union in critical size bone fractures with up to 5 years follow-up data. These results de-risk the company's clinical development program for CPT and support future discussions with drug regulatory agencies about the design of late-stage pivotal trials to support eventual product registration. Novadip will initiate a Phase 1b/2a clinical trials in CPT patients between two and eight years of age in the US and EU end of 2022.? NVD-003 has received orphan drug and rare pediatric disease designations for accelerated approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). If NVD-003 is approved by the FDA, Novadip is eligible to receive a priority review voucher that could provide more than $100 million revenue. About Novadip Biosciences Novadip Biosciences is a clinical stage company developing best in class tissue regeneration therapies to elevate the standard of care for critical size bone defects, common orthopedic conditions, and cancer. Its unique 3M tissue regeneration technology platform has the potential to generate an array of product candidates to address hard and soft tissue reconstruction for patients with limited or no treatment options. Co-Founded in 2013 by Denis Dufrane, MD, PhD, Novadip is headquartered in Mont Saint-Guibert, Belgium. For more information, visit https://www.novadip.com/. __________________________ 1 Zura et al. Epidemiology of Fracture Nonunion in 18 Human Bones. JAMA Surg. 2016;151(11):e162775. November 16, 2016? View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005998/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [November 03, 2022] Dablicator Introduces 'Dablicator Van Tour' Across the United States Leading California hardware brand hosts activations at dispensaries throughout 13 states and Washington, D.C. OAKLAND, Calif., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Dablicator, a California-based producer of high-quality cannabis hardware and sister company to leading cannabis brand Jetty Extracts, kicked off its 2022 Dablicator U.S. Van Tour in California this September. Since then, the team has passed through Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, and West Virginia, with seven additional states and Washington, D.C. to go from now through December. This unique experiential marketing activation seeks to educate both consumers and budtenders across the country on the brand's Dablicator oil applicator product. The pioneers at Jetty Extracts invented the Dablicator oil applicator in 2014, offering consumers an easy, efficient way to directly dispense oil. With the U.S. Van Tour, Dablicator brings its legacy California brand, innovative products, and extensive plant knowledge to new markets. At each dispensary stop, the Dablicator team educates consumers and budtenders on the hardware, capabilities and uses of the product. Dablicator oil applicator is designed to replace a messy syringe and can be used with all oil types from all producers, including solventless, live resin, distillate, CO2, RSO and broad-spectrum CBD. It is adaptable to a wide variety of consumption methods, allowing users to easily dose repeatedly, twax or seal a joint, add to flower, infuse food and beverages, apply topically, and more. Beginning in SanFrancisco, the Van Tour is set to stop at partner dispensaries from now through to December, remaining in markets anywhere from a few days to 10 days at a time. Each stop features fun activities like product demos, Dablicator dab pen giveaways, and chances for both budtenders and consumers to enter Ticketmaster gift card giveaways, with values ranging from $75 to $500. For exact dates and locations, visit the Dablicator website. "The Dablicator oil applicator is a versatile, easy way to experience cannabis and our team could not be more excited to share it with audiences around the country," said Alex Kemper-McCall, Marketing Director of Dablicator. "The Van Tour is a creative and engaging approach to connecting with both consumers and budtenders as we educate them about our product and mission. From coast to coast, the Dablicator team is spearheading education initiatives with a twist as the van makes stops throughout the United States." About Dablicator Originally created by Jetty Extracts, Dablicator partners with oil manufacturers around the world to deliver the easiest, most versatile way to experience cannabis. Their feature product, Dablicator oil applicator, is designed to replace a messy syringe and is ideal for all oil types including solventless, live resin, distillate, RSO, and full-spectrum RSO. The Dablicator brand partner program provides a turnkey solution with fully brandable hardware, packaging, and marketing materials that drives product innovation and accretive retail revenue with your brand and your oil. About Jetty Extracts Founded in San Diego, CA, Jetty is one of the original players in cannabis extraction. Since its founding in 2013 Jetty has been obsessed with creating the safest, cleanest, and most flavorful products. In 2014, it launched one of the first vapes free from fillers and cutting agents. Today Jetty continues that legacy with its cleanest extract to date, Jetty Solventless. Made with just ice and water, Jetty's award-winning Solventless vape, live rosin, and infused pre-rolls are some of the finest, hand-crafted extracts around. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dablicator-introduces-dablicator-van-tour-across-the-united-states-301668191.html SOURCE Dablicator [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Habitat for Humanity of Northern Arizona hosted an unveiling event for its pilot starter home last week, presenting a house that is the first of a new model meant to help Flagstaff families build savings while living in affordable housing. The 400-square-foot home is able to house a family of three, and has a kitchen, living area, full bathroom and loft-style bedroom. While a construction crew prepared the site, students in Coconino Community Colleges home construction program framed the house on campus, later constructing it at the OLeary Street location. The program is designed to offer families an affordable place to live while building equity to help them more easily continue to afford housing once they move. Habitat finances the mortgages to homeowners with a 0% interest loan, payments on which help families build their equity at a rate of $10,000 each year. The down payment on the starter home is $1,000, followed by $833-per-month principal payments. When the homeowners are ready to move, Habitat will buy back the house, giving the equity to the owners and offering another Flagstaff family the opportunity to build their own savings. Eric Wolverton, Habitats executive director, estimated that the first two starter homes would house 12 families over the next 30 years, allowing them to save a total of $600,000 in that time. This will bring people out of poverty, said Flagstaff Mayor Paul Deasy. ... So often when youre in low-income housing, you want to take that next step in a few years -- you get the new job, you want to have more kids, you need more space -- you dont have that opportunity. What this does is provide that equity. The starter home is also environmentally friendly, running on only electric and solar energy. Rooftop Solar, the company that installed the panels, said the energy technologies are expected to last about 30 years, in which time they are expected to save homeowners between $25,0000 and $34,000 in electricity bills. It also estimates that the carbon offset (131,124 pounds) is equivalent to that of 1,530 trees, or of not driving 140,490 miles. The Arizona Lottery Gives Back program and the M3F festival each contributed half of the starter homes price (a total of $100,000). Arizona Lottery spokesperson John Gilliland said the starter home project was selected because of the impact it could have on Arizonans. In addition to providing affordable housing, he said, it increases health, economic development and higher education opportunities in the area. Arizona Lottery is about making dreams come true and theres no better dream to make come true than homeownership, because it lifts entire communities, he said. ... Homeownership is the key to building wealth -- the number one asset almost everyone has is their homes and without a home, its hard to build wealth. Habitat plans to continue building starter homes in Flagstaff, with a second next door to its pilot already under construction (and planned to finish by May) and an additional 48 homes in Timber Sky planned to begin in 2023. Other local organizations are also in talks to begin partnerships for additional homes, Wolverton said. Habitat has received more than 650 applications from Flagstaff families hoping to move into this first starter home (171 had applied for Habitats most recent standard-sized home). While two will be selected for the first homes this December, hundreds will still be seeking affordable housing in the city. Wolverton asked community members to consider contributing in order to keep momentum going on such projects. The majority of Habitats previous homes have been funded by individual contributions, and, with the starter home model, similar amounts of money can now be used to build more houses than before. Weve proven the point, weve created the revolution in affordable housing, were now putting equity-savings programs in the pockets of our low-income workforce, he said. This is what we need to do, this is how we graduate people out of poverty. We have to allow them to have the same opportunities that everyone has in America to be able to reach that American dream, and were building that. It really does take all of you and a commitment to all of you to ensure that were going to build many many more so that we can hit the need as much as we possibly can. More about Habitat for Humanity of Northern Arizona can be found at habitatflagstaff.org. Information about the Arizona Lotterys Gives Back and Rooftop Solar is available on their websites. [November 03, 2022] Video: TGH at Home, an Innovative Program Providing Personalized Care and Improved Patient Access TGH at Home is a program that enables Tampa General Hospital (TGH) to treat lower-acuity patients in the comfort of their own home versus an inpatient setting. TAMPA, Fla., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- When our world locked down in March 2020, many of our lives changed forever. With hospitals at capacity and emergency rooms stretched thin, medical professionals were forced to find ways to treat patients in new, innovative ways. This was one of the ways, Tampa General Hospital's brand new program, TGH at Home, was born. TGH at Home, the first program of its kind in the Tampa Bay area, is a care model designed to provide specific patients with hospital-level care in the comfort of their home. In addition to in-home visits from health care providers, TGH at Home includes virtual visits and remote monitoring of vital signs 24 hours a day. Our care team of doctors and nurses stays in close contact with each patient to monitor their condition and make any treatment changes needed for an optimum recovery. Watch our video to learn more about TGH at Home and how this innovative program is making the road to recovery so much better for patient, Grandton Gibson. ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL Tampa General Hospital, a 1,040-bed, not-for-profit, academic medical center, is one of the largest hospitals in America and delivers world-class care as the region's only center for Level l trauma and comprehensive burn care. Tampa General Hospital is the highest-ranked hospital in the market in U.S. News & World Report's 2022-23 Best Hospitals, and is tied as the third highest-ranked hospital in Florida, with seven specialties ranking among the best programs in the United States. Tampa General Hospital has been designated as a model of excellence by the 2022 Fortune/Merative 100 Top Hospitals list. The academic medical center's commitment to growing and developing its team members is recognized by two prestigious Forbes magazine rankings first nationally in the 2022 America's Best Employers for Women and sixth out of 100 Florida companies in the 2022 America's Best Employers by State. Tampa General is the safety net hospital for the region, caring for everyone regardless of their ability to pay, and in fiscal year 2021, provided a net community benefit worth more than $224.5 million in the form of health care for underinsured patients, community education, and financial support to community health organizations in Tampa Bay. It is one of the nation's busiest adult solid organ transplant centers and is the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. With six medical helicopters, Tampa General Hospital transports critically injured or ill patients from 23 surrounding counties to receive the advanced care they need. Tampa General houses a nationally accredited comprehensive stroke center, and its 32-bed Neuroscience, Intensive Care Unit is the largest on the West Coast of Florida. It also is home to the Jennifer Leigh Muma 82-bed neonatal intensive care unit, and a nationally accredited rehabilitation center. Tampa General Hospital's footprint includes 17 Tampa General Medical Group Primary Care offices, TGH Family Care Center Kennedy, TGH Brandon Healthplex, TGH Virtual Health, and 21 TGH Imaging powered by Tower outpatient radiology centers throughout Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas and Palm Beach counties. Tampa Bay area residents also receive world-class care from the TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track network of clinics, and they can even receive home visits in select areas through TGH Urgent Care at Home, powered by Fast Track. As one of the largest hospitals in the country, Tampa General Hospital is the first in Florida to partner with GE Healthcare and open a clinical command center that provides real-time situational awareness to improve and better coordinate patient care at a lower cost. For more information, go to www.tgh.org. Media Contact: Karen Barrera Assistant Director of Communications & Partnerships (813) 928-1603 (cell) | [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/video-tgh-at-home-an-innovative-program-providing-personalized-care-and-improved-patient-access-301668219.html SOURCE Tampa General Hospital [November 03, 2022] Joseph Saveri Law Firm and Matthew Butterick File Class-Action Lawsuit Against GitHub, Microsoft, and OpenAI Over Violations of Open-Source Licenses Arising From GitHub Copilot, an AI-based product SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- GitHub Copilot, an AI-based coding product made by GitHub in cooperation with OpenAI, appears to profit from the work of open-source programmers by violating the conditions of their open-source licenses. The Joseph Saveri Law Firm , a leading class-action firm with offices in California and New York, and Matthew Butterick , a lawyer and open-source programmer, are filing a class-action lawsuit against GitHub Copilot, its parent, Microsoft, and its AI-technology partner, OpenAI, on behalf of open-source programmers for these potential violations of open-source licenses. According to GitHub, Copilot has been trained on billions of lines of publicly-available code, leaving open-source programmers with serious concerns regarding license violations. Joseph Saveri Law Firm files suit against GitHub Copilot, Microsoft, and OpenAI, alleging open-source license violations "I am grateful to the programmers and users who came forward to bring this case to fruition and ensure that corporations like Microsoft, GitHub, and OpenAI cannot unfairly profit from the work of open-source creators," said Joseph Saveri of the Joseph Saveri Law Firm. He continued, "This case represents the first major step in the battle against intellectual-property violations in the tech industry arising from artificial-intelligence systems. In this case, the work of open-source programmers is being exploited. But this will not be the last community of creators who are affected by AI systems. Our firm is committed to standing up for these creators and ensuring that companies developing AI products are held accountable under the law." "As a longtime open-source programmer, it was apparent from the first time I tried Copilot that it raised serious legal concerns, which have been noted by many others since Copilot was first publicly previewed in 2021," said Matthew Butterick. He continued, "Because I'm also a lawyer, I felt compelled to stand up for the open-source community. I've known Joe since he started the Joseph Saveri Law Firm. He has built it into one of the finest class-action firms in the country. I'm pleased to be teaming up with Joe and his firm on behalf of the open-source programmers whose rights are being violated by Copilot." ABOUT THE FIRM The Joseph Saveri Law Firm is one of the country's most acclaimed, successful boutique firms, specializing in antitrust, class actions, and complex litigation on behalf of national and international consumers, purchasers, and employees across diverse industries. For further information on our practice and accomplishments on behalf of our clients, please visit www.saverilawfirm.com or call us at (415) 869-6896. ABOUT MATTHEW BUTTERICK Matthew Butterick is a lawyer, programmer, designer, and writer. He has been professionally involved with open-source software since 1998. His books Typography for Lawyers (typographyforlawyers.com) and Practical Typography (practicaltypography.com) are relied on daily by lawyers and writers worldwide. For more information, please visit matthewbutterick.com. This lawsuit constitutes a critical chapter in an industry-wide debate regarding the ethics of training AI tools with data sourced without permission from its creators and what constitutes a fair use of intellectual property. Despite Microsoft's protestations to the contrary, it does not have the right to treat source code offered under an open-source license as if it were in the public domain. For more information, please see our investigation page . View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/joseph-saveri-law-firm-and-matthew-butterick-file-class-action-lawsuit-against-github-microsoft-and-openai-over-violations-of-open-source-licenses-arising-from-github-copilot-an-ai-based-product-301668255.html SOURCE Joseph Saveri Law Firm LLP [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [November 03, 2022] Tod Trabocco and Veronica Bateman Join Aksia's Private Credit Team We are pleased to announce that experienced private credit professionals Tod Trabocco and Veronica Bateman have joined Aksia, further strengthening Aksia's global Private Credit platform. Tod has joined the New York office as a Managing Director, Private Credit Strategist, reporting to Tim Nest (Head of Private Credit Research) and Patrick Adelsbach (Co-Head of Advisory Americas). Tod will work with the investment research team, the portfolio advisory team and clients on investment sourcing and evaluation along with portfolio strategy. Tod has over 25 years of credit markets experience. Most recently, he was the Head of Product and Strategy at Industrial Transportation Equipment (ITE) Management. Prior to ITE, he was head of Private Credit research and manager selection at Cambridge Associates where he chaired the credit investment committee and before that Tod had private credit roles at Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors, LBC Credit Partners, and was a credit analyst at Moody's. Veronica has joined the London office as a Senior Vice Pesident, Private Credit Strategist, where she will be involved in all phases of the research and investment process, reporting to Tim and Valerie Benard (Head of Aksia Europe). Veronica has over 19 years of credit markets experience providing specialist transaction structuring, debt placement and restructuring advice to private equity funds, portfolio companies and corporate clients across Europe. Most recently, Veronica was a Managing Partner at Talbot Leyborne Partners, a debt advisory firm. Prior to that, she was a Managing Director at Capital Markets Initiative and previously worked in European Financial Sponsor Coverage and Leveraged Finance at both Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Credit Suisse, based in London. Aksia continues to expand its global private credit investment team with experienced professionals. Tod and Veronica's expertise will be helpful in the ever-changing and expanding Private Credit asset class. About Aksia: Aksia LLC, together with its wholly-owned subsidiaries, (collectively, "Aksia") is a specialist portfolio advisory firm providing alternative investment solutions to clients across private equity, private credit, hedge funds, natural resources, infrastructure, and real estate. Aksia advises on over $270 billion of client alternative allocations (as of July 31, 2022), and employs over 380 professionals organized into specialist teams, including 175 investment research, operational due diligence, and risk management professionals. The firm is 100% employee owned by its 16 partners and is headquartered in New York, with offices in San Diego, London, Tokyo, Chicago, Athens, and Hong Kong. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103006284/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [November 03, 2022] Tinuiti Wins Google Premier Partner of the Year Award in International Growth Tinuiti, a Premier Google Partner, takes home top industry award for leading brands into new global markets and driving successful international expansion NEW YORK, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Tinuiti , the largest independent performance marketing firm across Streaming TV and the Triopoly of Google, Meta, Amazon, today announced it has won the Google Premier Partner of the Year Award in International Growth. Tinuiti's partnership with Google continues to fuel tremendous growth for some of the world's most powerful brands, enabling key market expansion into global markets, with or without the boots on the ground. Today's distinction pays tribute both to this fruitful partnership and to the firm's expertise in building bespoke, cross-channel marketing plans, leveraging Google's full suite of products, empowering client growth and the successful entry into new international markets. Obele Brown-West, Chief Solution Officer at Tinuiti, said: "This recognition underscores both our incredible partnership with Google, as well as Tinuiti's unique ability to help brands find international success and 'be' global without actually 'going' global." Courtney O'Donnell, Senior Director of Shoppable Media at Tinuiti, said: "Leveraging our proprietary suite of technology, and region-specific data that is also nimble enough to expand globally, is what drives successful international business outcomes in a strategic, scalable way. This is all made possible thanks to our incredibly talented team it is their deep-rooted expertise, dedication to innovation, and truly unmatched strategic capabilities that continues to fuel award-winning success." Earlier this year, Tinuiti achieved 2022 Premier Partner status placing it among the top 3% of Google Partners that meet the new, more rigorous program requirements across ad spend and performance. The prestigous ranking underscores the firm's proven track record as a top spender effectively managing billions in media, impactful account performance, closely partnering with Google to identify opportunities to grow client business, and engaging with Google's vast training curriculum and earning certifications across multiple disciplines to better serve clients. Taylor Grey, Google International Growth Team, said: "We could not be more excited to see Tinuiti recognized as our Premier Partners Award International Growth Winner! The award is incredibly well-deserved and a testament to Tinuiti's expertise in delivering international growth for clients through an innovative approach that leverages Google's full product suite to identify opportunities abroad and capture them through bespoke, full-funnel plans, powered by Tinuiti's best-in-class agency talent." One example of Tinuiti's partnership with Google to fuel growth for an iconic brand is with Etsy, a global online marketplace, who turned to Tinuiti to develop a plan to test and expand Search campaigns in 13 new regions, as well as Shopping campaigns in seven regions to reach new customer bases in these markets. One year later, Shopping campaigns continue to capture new buyers, with all campaigns delivering an ROI in line with Etsy's goal. Since 2017, Tinuiti has experienced rapid expansion, grown seven-fold, and with an employee headcount now surpassing 1,100, the agency has experienced an unprecedented 59% year-over-year increase. Tinuiti is hiring for roles across divisions to keep pace with growth. Over the past year, Tinuiti's healthy growth momentum continued by expanding its client roster, growing the business of clients, celebrating new partnerships, top industry awards, and more: Expanded Client Roster Including : PacSun's Paid Media Agency of Record ; Digital Agency of Record for The Honest Company. Other new client wins include Gap, SolarWinds and Conde Nast. : ; Digital Agency of Record for The Honest Company. Other new client wins include Gap, SolarWinds and Conde Nast. Accelerating Client Business: Poppi rose to #1 in the soda category on Amazon; e.l.f. Cosmetics was named the #1 makeup brand for Gen Z; LMNT was the first brand to utilize TikTok's QuickLinks feature; Nautica was the first retail brand to leverage Reddit's Megathread feature; Tinuiti also coordinated the highest-selling furniture item to ever be sold on Amazon's Treasure Truck. Poppi rose to #1 in the soda category on Amazon; e.l.f. Cosmetics was named the #1 makeup brand for Gen Z; LMNT was the first brand to utilize TikTok's QuickLinks feature; Nautica was the first retail brand to leverage Reddit's Megathread feature; Tinuiti also coordinated the highest-selling furniture item to ever be sold on Amazon's Treasure Truck. Microsoft's Global Agency of the Year and Partner of the Year a first for any independent agency. a first for any independent agency. Amazon Ads advanced partner status by demonstrating expertise in both brand building and customer engagement on Amazon. by demonstrating expertise in both brand building and customer engagement on Amazon. First-ever Independent Agency Partnerships with Snap Inc . an agreement that gave Tinuiti early and increased access to Snap Inc. tools, teams, and resources for clients and Reddit , a union that made Tinuiti Reddit's first-ever independent agency partner. with . an agreement that gave Tinuiti early and increased access to Snap Inc. tools, teams, and resources for clients and , a union that made Tinuiti Reddit's first-ever independent agency partner. Inc. Magazine's Annual Best Workplaces list for the fifth time, with previous years including 2021, 2020, 2018, and 2017. list for the fifth time, with previous years including 2021, 2020, 2018, and 2017. Grand Stevie for Most Honored Marketing Agency and took home eleven honors at the 2022 Stevie Awards for American Business, the U.S.'s premier business awards program. This is the second consecutive year that Tinuiti has won the Grand Stevie in this category. and took home eleven honors at the 2022 Stevie Awards for American Business, the U.S.'s premier business awards program. This is the second consecutive year that Tinuiti has won the Grand Stevie in this category. 2022 Adweek Fastest Growing Agencies list for the third year in a row. About Tinuiti Tinuiti is the largest independent performance marketing firm across Streaming TV and the Triopoly of Google, Meta, Amazon, with more than $3 billion in digital media under management and over 1,200 employees. With industry-leading expertise in search, social, Amazon and marketplaces, addressable TV and mobile apps, CRM and email marketing, and more, Tinuiti understands that success requires both strategy and channel expertise. Each solution is delivered through Tinuiti's performance planning framework, GAMMA, and is enabled by a proprietary suite of marketing intelligence and media activation technology Mobius . For more information visit http://www.tinuiti.com . View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tinuiti-wins-google-premier-partner-of-the-year-award-in-international-growth-301668312.html SOURCE Tinuiti [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [November 03, 2022] Kahlert Foundation donates $15 million to the University of Utah's famed School of Computing to focus on the future of computing The Kahlert Foundation donation to honor the University's long pedigree in computer science, will help attract and equip increasingly diverse generations of computer scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs. SALT LAKE CITY, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The University of Utah today announced a $15 million donation from The Kahlert Foundation to provide support for the university's renowned School of Computing. The Kahlert Foundation's donation will establish an endowment to provide the School of Computing with flexible, long-term funding that will expand student support, bring in top faculty and accelerate industry collaborations. In recognition of the gift, the university will rename the school in collaboration with The Kahlert Foundation. "The University of Utah's computer science program is a legendary strength of both the school and the state, and we wanted to do our part to help that legacy continue," said Heather Kahlert, vice president of The Kahlert Foundation and a University of Utah alumna. "Our foundation is passionate about the value of STEM in improving lives and building for the future, and helping to ensure ongoing generations of diverse, top-level computer scientists in Utah is right in line with our mission." Established in 1991 by Bill Kahlert, a philanthropist and co-founder of Evapco Inc., the foundation provides grants to non-profit organizations in the areas of health care, education, youth programs, veteran organizations and human services. Originally established to support communities in the Maryland area, the foundation expanded its mission in 2015 to include Utah thanks to the influence and passion for philanthropy of Heather Kahlert, the founder's granddaughter. The Kahlert Foundation has emerged as the leader of a new generation of philanthropy and a major voice for improving the lives and outcomes of students at the University of Utah. Including this most recent gift, the foundation has provided more than $30 million in support across the university. Other recent projects funded and spearheaded by The Kahlert Foundation at the university include the Kahlert Initiative on Technology, a digital literacy certificate for all students, regardless of degree; Kahlert Village, a residential community for first-year students; scholarship support for student Athletes and David Eccles School of Business majors; and generous support for the both the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine Building and the Primary Children's and Families' Cancer Research Center at Huntsman Cancer Institute. "The University of Utah is a pioneering program in computer science andits deep value is clear in the fact that computer science has become the single largest major on campus," said Taylor Randall, Ph.D., president of the University of Utah. "This generous gift from The Kahlert Foundation will ensure that the foundation and the School of Computing will continue to lead innovation and build the workforce that will continue to drive tech in Utah and around the world." "The Kahlert Foundation's Gift is timely as it will amplify our efforts to make our computing program welcoming and inclusive, through support for student success programs and faculty development," said Mary Hall, professor and director of the School of Computing. Since its founding in 1965, the School of Computing has been a center of excellence and innovation, helping to lead a revolution in the use of computers for graphics, data visualization, and human interface. The school housed one of the first four nodes of the ARPANET, the forerunner to the internet. Today, the school is one of the fastest-growing on campus, with the number of students pursuing degrees or courses up 47 percent in five years. Nearly half of computer science degrees awarded by universities in the Utah System of Higher Education each year are from University of Utah. "At a time of rapid technological change, and when others are competing for talent, Utah can continue to make major contributions in computing and many other fields," said Edwin Catmull, Retired President, Walt Disney & Pixar Animation Studios, "By securing the School of Computing's future financially, The Kahlert Foundation is helping to ensure that we will continue to make the U a foundational school for the advancement of technology, its applications, and impact on local businesses." The School of Computing continues to build upon its stellar reputation by conducting leading-edge research across a broad range of computer science fields, including AI and machine learning, computer architecture, robotics, high-performance computing, human-centered computing, data science, cybersecurity and wireless communications. Well-known alumni include Alan Kay, recipient of the Turing Award for envisioning the first GUI at Xerox PARC; Ed Catmull, co-founder of Pixar; John Warnock, co-founder of Adobe Systems; Alan Ashton, founder of WordPerfect, Jim Clark, founder of Netscape and WebMD; and Telle Whitney, former CEO of Anita Borg Institute and co-founder of Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing. The naming is pending review and approval by the university's Board of Trustees at their meeting on November 8, 2022. About The Kahlert Foundation The Kahlert Foundation's mission is to provide grants to non-profit organizations to improve the quality of life and well-being of the community in the areas of health care, education, youth programs, veteran organizations, and human services. The Kahlert Foundation has five main areas of focus: health care, education, youth programs, veteran organizations, and human services, mainly providing funding in the states of Maryland and Utah. Funding is intended to improve organizations' capacity to make a positive impact on the local communities and their citizens. About The University of Utah The University of Utah is the state's flagship institution of higher education, with 18 schools and colleges, more than 100 undergraduate and 90 graduate degree programs, and an enrollment of more than 34,000 students. In 2019, the university was selected as a new member of the Association of American Universitiesan invitation-only, prestigious group of 65 leading research institutions marked by excellence in academic expertise and research impact, student success, and securing resources in support of core missions. The U's success in achieving excellence in research and teaching reflects the values of Utah: An unparalleled work ethic and a spirit of entrepreneurship, collaboration, and community service. These qualities have enabled the U to innovate across many fields and pioneer new programs with social impact; generate path breaking discoveries; fuel critical research; and inspire innovative approaches to education. The U strives to be a model public university in delivering unmatched value in higher education and health care while making social, economic, and cultural contributions that improve the quality of life throughout the state, the nation, and the world. The U's reputation for excellence draws top-tier faculty and attracts motivated students from across the country and internationally. These students bring with them diverse experiences and outlooksrepresenting traditional and nontraditional students alikethereby enhancing the exceptional educational experience the U offers. More at utah.edu. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kahlert-foundation-donates-15-million-to-the-university-of-utahs-famed-school-of-computing-to-focus-on-the-future-of-computing-301668234.html SOURCE University of Utah [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [November 03, 2022] Desktop Labs Unveils Strategic Vision to Connect Dental Offices to its Network of Premium Dental Labs Using Advanced Digital Technologies Desktop Metal, Inc. (NYSE: DM), a global leader in additive manufacturing technologies for mass production, today unveiled Desktop Labs, a growing network of full-service dental laboratories that will connect directly to dental practices through integrated digital technology. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005611/en/ iTero Element Flex intraoral scanners, produced by Align Technology, will serve as the gateway for a connected suite of digital dentistry solutions from Desktop Labs, one of the nation's largest and most experienced dental lab networks, serving more than 12,000 general practices. Desktop Labs uses cutting edge traditional and additive manufacturing technologies including premium Desktop Health 3D printers and materials, such as Einstein 3D printers and Flexcera, a family of FDA 510(k)-cleared Class 2 materials for the fabrication of permanent dental restorations. Both Desktop Labs and Desktop Health are subsidiaries of Desktop Metal. This new dynamic workflow solution will allow dentists to scan patients with an iTero scanner and use the digital data to directly order restoration services or print-ready digital files from Desktop Labs that can be 3D printed chairside in their office. Dentists can order a full range of simple to complex restorations, removables and appliances. That includes bite guards, crowns, veneers, dentures and more. "At Desktop Labs, our goal is to create all-new connectivity between dental practices and premium, high-quality dental labs that drives efficiency, faster turnaround times, and a more predictable patient expeience," said Lou Azzara, President of Desktop Labs. "We welcome both dentists and labs to join our cutting-edge digital dentistry community. The best part of our network is that we aim to connect dentists with labs they already know and trust in a workflow that simplifies the way we all work together." Dental practices and dental laboratories interested in participating in the digital lab network are invited to visit www.desktoplabs.com to learn more. About Desktop Metal Desktop Metal, Inc., based in Burlington, Massachusetts, is accelerating the transformation of manufacturing with an expansive portfolio of 3D printing solutions, from rapid prototyping to mass production. Founded in 2015 by leaders in advanced manufacturing, metallurgy, and robotics, the company is addressing the unmet challenges of speed, cost, and quality to make additive manufacturing an essential tool for engineers and manufacturers around the world. Desktop Metal was selected as one of the world's 30 most promising Technology Pioneers by the World Economic Forum and named to MIT Technology Review's list of 50 Smartest Companies. For more information, visit www.desktopmetal.com. Forward-looking Statements This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words "believe," "project," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "strategy," "future," "opportunity," "plan," "may," "should," "will," "would," "will be," "will continue," "will likely result," and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks, uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this document, including but not limited to, the risks and uncertainties set forth in Desktop Metal, Inc.'s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and Desktop Metal, Inc. assumes no obligation and does not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005611/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [November 03, 2022] CTEK Named 2022 Global Media Award Winner at The SEMA Show CS FREE Battery Charger and Maintainer Emerged Among Thousands as Providing Significant Value to Customers Worldwide LAS VEGAS, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Celebrating 25 years, CTEK, a leading global brand in battery charging solutions, was recognized with a 2022 Global Media Award this week at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas for its CS FREE 4-in-1 multi-functional portable battery charger and maintainer. The SEMA Global Media Awards (GMA) Program recognizes those companies that manufacture specialty equipment products and accessories that would have mass appeal to consumers in countries outside the United States. The products are voted on by a prestigious group of international journalists who serve as judges. "Vehicle customization and personalization has been growing worldwide," said Linda Spencer, SEMA director of international and government relations. "The GMA program taps top international media experts to weigh in on which new products are likely to succeed in their home markets. The global automotive specialty-equipment market is made up of enthusiasts who are passionate about the hobby. This passion can be found not only throughout the United States but also in countless spots around the globe including in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Melbourne Australia and Stockholm, Sweden." This year's program included 23 esteemed judges from seven countries. Each judge carefully reviewed and evaluated nearly 2,000 product entries at the SEMA Show before selecting the products that they felt would resonate and appeal most to consumers in their home countries. "Having used CTEK chargers for a number of years, voting for the CS FREE was a very easy choice for me," sai Mike Rysiecki, feature writer at Fast Ford, Auto Italia and Retro Ford magazines. "The CS FREE is a good choice for many different use cases in my home market of the UK and Europe, from car aficionados, off-road enthusiasts, motorcyclists and more." The CS FREE is four cutting edge products in one portable unit Adaptive Booster, battery charger, smart maintainer, and hi-tech power bank. The Adaptive Boost works out the safest way to power up your dead battery to get you going within 15 minutes. Usethe CS FREE as a portable charger to top up your battery, connect to a power outlet, or hook up to a solar panel kit or 12V battery for complete charging freedom anywhere you go. As a Smart Maintainer, it keeps your battery in peak condition at home or off-grid. And when used as a hi-tech power bank, it tops up your laptops, smartphones, tablets, and cameras whenever you need it. The CS FREE is smart and simple to use no buttons or modes, just clear, easy-to-read displays. Countdown LEDs show the time left before the battery is fully charged, and it charges and maintains all types of 12V lead-acid and lithium (LiFePO4) batteries. A complete range of accessories is available for handy storage and to give users complete freedom from a power outlet. "We couldn't be happier about the CS FREE being recognized by international journalists as a product they viewed as having immense value for customers in their home countries," said Bobbie DuMelle, executive vice president at CTEK. "As the company that invented battery charging technology, our teams work tirelessly to continue innovating and seek to provide customers the kind of freedom and flexibility they desire when it comes to battery maintenance. Validation in the form of awards such as these are cherished by our entire company." About CTEK Established in Dalarna, Sweden, CTEK is the leading global brand in battery charging solutions, most specifically vehicle charging. CTEK offers products ranging from 12V and 24V battery chargers to charging solutions for electrical vehicles. CTEK's E-mobility solutions range from individual EV chargers to larger corporate and commercial installations with multiple charging stations that require load balancing and integrate seamlessly with monitoring and payment equipment. CTEK's products are sold via a carefully selected network of global distributors and retailers: as original equipment; supplied to more than 50 of the world's leading vehicle manufacturers; and through charge point operators, property owners and other organizations/individuals providing EV charging infrastructure. CTEK takes pride in its unique culture based on a passion for innovation and a deep commitment to supporting the transition to a greener mobility, by adhering to industry leading ESG standards. PRESS CONTACT Michelle Suzuki 310-444-7115 http://www.smartercharger.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ctek-named-2022-global-media-award-winner-at-the-sema-show-301668190.html SOURCE CTEK [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [November 03, 2022] Eventbrite Reports Third Quarter 2022 Financial Results Eventbrite, Inc. (NYSE:EB), a global self-service ticketing, marketing and experience technology platform, today posted its financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2022. The Third Quarter 2022 Shareholder Letter can be found on Eventbrite's Investor Relations website at https://investor.eventbrite.com. "We are pleased that our business has shown strong growth in the third quarter as 361,000 event creators brought 1.5 millions events to life on the platform, driving forward our mission of bringing people together through live experiences," said Julia Hartz, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer. "Throughout the quarter, adoption of our Boost marketing solution, and other promotional features like Eventbrite Ads gained momentum as creators turned to us to help them become more effective marketers and drive demand for their events. We will continue to invest in their success through the holiday season and beyond as audiences are eager to connect with unique things to do around the world. The team's fortitude and focus on what matters most has been an exemplary effort, extending our product-led strategy and driving toward our goals for the long term." Earnings Webcast Information Eventbrite will host a live Q&A session today at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time to discus the company's third quarter financial results. The webcast of the conference call can be accessed as follows: Event: Eventbrite Third Quarter 2022 Earnings Conference Call Date: Thursday, November 3, 2022 Time: 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time (5:00 p.m. Eastern Time) Live Webcast Site: https://investor.eventbrite.com An archived webcast of the conference call will also be accessible on Eventbrite's Investor Relations page, https://investor.eventbrite.com. About Eventbrite Eventbrite is a global self-service ticketing, marketing, and experience technology platform that serves a community of hundreds of thousands of event creators in nearly 180 countries. Since inception, Eventbrite has been at the center of the experience economy, transforming the way people organize and attend events. The company was founded by Julia Hartz, Kevin Hartz and Renaud Visage, with a vision to build a self-service platform that would make it possible for anyone to create and sell tickets to live experiences. The Eventbrite platform provides an intuitive, secure, and reliable service that enables creators to plan and execute their live and online events, whether it's an annual culinary festival attracting thousands of foodies, a professional webinar, a weekly yoga workshop or a youth dance class. With over 290 million tickets distributed for over 5 million total events in 2021, Eventbrite is where people all over the world discover new things to do or new ways to do more of what they love. Eventbrite has also earned industry recognition as a top employer with special designations that include a coveted spot on Fast Company's prestigious Brands That Matter List, the Great Place to Work Award in the U.S., Best Employer in Argentina by Apertura, and Inc.'s Best-Led Companies honor. Learn more at www.eventbrite.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103006264/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [November 03, 2022] Shapeways Announces Date Change for Reporting Third Quarter 2022 Financial Results Due to Scheduling Conflict Shapeways, Inc. (NYSE: SHPW) ("Shapeways" or the "Company") a leader in the large and fast-growing digital manufacturing industry, announced today that it has changed the date of its previously announced quarterly earnings conference call to Monday, November 14, 2022, after market close. The Company is making this timing change to avoid conflicts with other companies in reporting. Shapeways will host a conference call and webcast on Tuesday, November 15, 2022, at 8:30 A.M. ET. To participate in the call, please dial 1-877-322-9565, or 1-412-542-4177 for international participants, ten minutes before the scheduled start. Participants may also access the call via live webcast by visiting the investors section of the Company's website at shapeways.com. If you cannot participate in the live event, a replay will be available on Tuesday, November 15, 2022, beginning at 11:30 AM. ET through 11:59 p.m. ET, Tuesday, November 29, 2022. To access the replay, please dial 1-844-512-2921, or 1-412-317-6671 for international participants, and reference pass code 10173202. About Shapeways Shapeways is a leader in the large and fast-growing digital manufacturing industry combining high quality, flexible on-demand manufacturing powered by purpose-built proprietary software which enables customers to rapidly transform digital designs into physical products, globally. Shapeways makes industrial-grade additive manufacturing accessible by fully digitizing the end-to-end manufacturing process, and by providing a broad range of solutions utilizing 11 additive manufacturing technologies and more than 100 materials and finishes, with the ability to easily scale new innovation. To date, Shapeways has delivered over 23 million parts to 1 million customers in over 180 countries. To learn more, please visit https://www.shapeways.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103006095/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [November 03, 2022] AIG Announces Independent Director Paola Bergamaschi Elected to Join Board Effective December 1, 2022 American International Group, Inc. (NYSE: AIG) today announced that the Board of Directors has elected Paola Bergamaschi as a director of the company, effective December 1, 2022. In addition, John G. Rice, who joined the Board in March 2022, will take on the role of Lead Independent Director, effective January 1, 2023. Douglas M. Steenland, who served as Non-Executive Chairman from 2015 until March 1, 2021 when he became Lead Independent Director of the Board, has decided not to stand for re-election at the Annual Meeting of Shareholders in 2023. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103006231/en/ (Photo: Business Wire) Peter Zaffino, Chairman & CEO, AIG, stated, "We are very pleased that Paola is joining the AIG Board of Directors. Paola is an experienced financial services executive and independent director who brings deep international expertise in capital markets, global banking, and risk and international regulatory oversight. As we continue to position AIG as a global leader, we are fortunate to add someone with Paola's excellent reputation and fresh perspective to the AIG Board." Mr. Zaffino continued, "On behalf of the entire Board, I want to thank Doug for his contributions as Lead Independent Director and for his many years of service to AIG which included his prior roles as Chairman of the Board, Chairman of the Regulatory, Compliance and Public Policy Committee, and member of the Risk and Capital Committee. I look forward to continuing to collaborate with him as a director until next year's annual meeting." "John's contributions to the AIG Board since he joined last March, including serving as Chair of AIG's Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, are grounded in broad, deep, and diverse experiences. His leadership will be invaluable as we continue to execute on our strategy to deliver long-term profitable growth by remining intently focused on underwriting excellence, deploying capital responsibly, and delivering quality in everything we do as we strive to become a top performing company." Ms. Bergamaschi has served as an independent director for several companies, including BNY Mellon International, Wells Fargo Securities International, and asset manager ARCA Fondi SGR. Prior to her board service, Ms. Bergamaschi had a successful career in financial services, including senior executive roles with Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse First Boston, and State Street Corporation both in the U.S. and U.K. Mr. Rice has served on the Baker Hughes Board of Directors since 2017. He previously served as Non-Executive Chairman of GE Gas Power from 2018 to 2020. Prior to this role, Mr. Rice was President and Chief Executive Officer of the GE Global Growth Organization for seven years. Mr. Rice held other senior leadership positions with General Electric in its global markets, including Hong Kong, Singapore, and Canada, before retiring from GE as Vice Chairman in 2018. Mr. Rice is a trustee of Emory University and Hamilton College. About AIG American International Group, Inc. (AIG) is a leading global insurance organization. AIG member companies provide a wide range of property casualty insurance, life insurance, retirement solutions, and other financial services to customers in approximately 70 countries and jurisdictions. These diverse offerings include products and services that help businesses and individuals protect their assets, manage risks and provide for retirement security. AIG common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Additional information about AIG can be found at www.aig.com | YouTube: www.youtube.com/aig | Twitter: @AIGinsurance www.twitter.com/AIGinsurance | LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/aig. These references with additional information about AIG have been provided as a convenience, and the information contained on such websites is not incorporated by reference into this press release. AIG is the marketing name for the worldwide property-casualty, life and retirement, and general insurance operations of American International Group, Inc. For additional information, please visit our website at www.aig.com. All products and services are written or provided by subsidiaries or affiliates of American International Group, Inc. Products or services may not be available in all countries and jurisdictions, and coverage is subject to underwriting requirements and actual policy language. Non-insurance products and services may be provided by independent third parties. Certain property-casualty coverages may be provided by a surplus lines insurer. Surplus lines insurers do not generally participate in state guaranty funds, and insureds are therefore not protected by such funds. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103006231/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Change has been coming to Flagstaff Animal Control since COVID-19 arrived on the scene, and this week that change grows more dramatic as a longtime officer is leaving the department. Flagstaff Animal Control Officer Shalaine Bigler has been patrolling an average of 100 to 130 miles per day every day for 28 years. On Tuesday, she retired. Bigler, a former dog groomer and Humane Society employee, joined the Flagstaff Police Department Animal Control Unit after taking up any work she could involving animals. Raised on a ranch, she jokes about preferring to work with pets over people, but is serious about a career driven by her love for and desire to protect and serve Arizona animals. After answering emails, Bigler used to head out on patrol looking for loose pets (dogs at large) wandering alone or walking without a leash. She responded to calls about bites from domesticated animals and wildlife. Bigler also looked into alleged animal abuse. She handed out citations when needed, offered education to pet owners and sometimes impounded dogs meaning she took custody of them and signed them over to the pound or animal shelter. Like so many others, Biglers job was reshaped by the pandemic. COVID changed a lot of things. We got very extremely lenient on citations, Bigler said, because we didnt want the animals going to the pound at all. We didnt want to make too much contact in homes. According to a Flagstaff Police Department monthly report, by September there had been 100% fewer citations written by animal control officers compared to the year (to date) prior. Impound numbers, Bigler said, were also down overall compared to what they were prior to the pandemic. An average month before COVID and our changes, we were probably averaging 20 or 30 [impounds] a month each, down to maybe were doing 5 to 10 per person. Its not much at all, Bigler said. Technology, too, has meant fewer dogs are taken to the pound by animal control officers. In the past year and a half, Bigler said, officers have been given microchip readers. They can scan an animal for an implanted chip and typically locate their owner. Microchipping has helped officers like Bigler to return animals home at a higher rate. According to data from High Country Humane Society, shared by Flagstaff Police Department, only 35 dogs were dropped off by the city (including officers who work on regular police patrol, and citizens patrol) in a months time. According to statistics compiled by the Flagstaff Police Department, 272 animals have been impounded since the beginning of the year. Our numbers are extremely low since we got the chip readers. We have a smaller staff at the shelter, so our resources are much more diligent. Were trying to get dogs home rather than taking them to the pound, so our numbers are juristically low, Bigler said. Keeping families with their pets is a priority for officers and that mindset from the pandemic is likely to remain. In order to keep dogs with their families, and safer overall, Bigler has a recommendation. I want to make sure that everybody has their dogs properly vaccinated and keeping dogs on a leash are our main two things right now. It also makes it easier if your animal was to accidentally bite somebody -- it still makes it easier on the dog and the family knowing that theyre properly vaccinated, she said. Bigler noted that there were rabies cases in wildlife last year, another reason to encourage vaccination. Aside from that, having pets microchipped is also something Animal Control recommends. There are job openings at Animal Control not unlike almost every department in local law enforcement. With only two allocated animal control officers on patrol in the first place, Biglers retirement means the staffing shortage at Animal Control is even more extreme. Without her, Flagstaff doesn't have a dedicated animal control officer. Now, patrolmen and police aides will take over animal control calls until the two openings can be filled. On a fundamental level, having only two officers on patrol has equated to fewer citations and impounds, regardless of trends in dogs being off leash or barking excessively. Still, Flagstaff Police Department officials are hoping to hire new animal control officers to meet the needs of the community's four-legged residents. [November 03, 2022] Gatik Named to FreightWaves' 2023 FreightTech 25 List Gatik, the market leader in autonomous middle mile logistics has been named to the prestigious FreightTech 25 list which honors innovation and disruption within the freight industry. The annual list, first launched in 2019, is compiled by FreightWaves, the world's leading supply chain intelligence platform. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103006388/en/ (Photo: Business Wire) Companies recognized on the FreightTech 25 list are chosen because of their innovative and disruptive contributions to the freight technology sector. Each year, they're selected from the FreightTech 100 by a handpicked group of CEOs, industry leaders and investors actively investing in freight. The complete list of 2023 winners can be viewed here. "We're living in a time when delivering on the promise of supply chain innovation has never been more important to our customers," said Gautam Narang, CEO and co-founder, Gatik. "Our inclusion on the FreightTech 25 not only validates the customer-centric approach we've taken to the deployment of our autonomous solution, but also the significant impact we're having on solving some of the most acute supply chain challenges in middle mile logistics." Inclusion on the list is recognition of Gatik's historic technical and commercial achievements during the past 12 months. In August 2021, Gatik became the first and only auonomous trucking company worldwide to operate fully driverless, middle mile commercial deliveries, doing so with Walmart in Bentonville, Arkansas. In 2022, the company expanded its fully driverless operations to Canada with the nation's largest retailer, Loblaw, another historic first for the autonomous trucking industry. Gatik also significantly expanded its commercial presence in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area, announcing multi-year commercial partnerships with Georgia-Pacific & KBX, and Pitney Bowes. In addition to the FreightTech 25, Gatik was also named to Forbes' list of America's Best Startup Employers 2022 and Fast Company's World Changing Ideas 2022 list; included on Business Insider's Rising Stars of the Self-Driving Industry list; and named to Inc. Magazine's Female Founders List in 2022. Gatik is actively recruiting and hiring for multiple positions to support the company's intensive growth. More information about career opportunities at Gatik is available here. About the FreightTech 25 The FreightTech 25 Award honors innovation and disruption within the freight industry. Nominations are first narrowed down to the FreightTech 100 which is then voted on by a hand-picked peer group of CEOs, industry leaders and investors actively investing in freight to select the FreightTech 25. About FreightWaves FreightWaves is the world's leading supply chain intelligence platform. More than one million professionals and 500+ global enterprises use FreightWaves intelligence to make informed decisions about their current and future supply chain operations. FreightWaves provides supply chain organizations with fundamental data and context that help benchmark, analyze, monitor, and forecast activity, pricing, and risks in the global freight market. Information and tools that FreightWaves offer the global logistics industry increase efficiency and profitability by driving more accurate pricing, higher utilization of assets, and lower emissions. FreightWaves is based in Chattanooga, Tennessee and is a work-from-home first company. The company was founded in 2017 by Craig Fuller. About Gatik Gatik, the leader in autonomous middle mile logistics, delivers goods safely and efficiently using its fleet of light and medium duty trucks. The company focuses on short-haul, B2B logistics for Fortune 500 retailers and in 2021 became the first company worldwide to operate fully driverless commercial deliveries on the middle mile. Gatik's Class 3-6 autonomous box trucks are commercially deployed in multiple markets including Ontario, Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana. Founded in 2017 by veterans of the autonomous technology industry, the company partners with industry leaders including Ryder, Goodyear, Isuzu and Cummins and has offices in Toronto, Ontario and Mountain View, California. In 2022, Gatik was named to Forbes' list of America's Best Startup Employers and by Fast Company as a World Changing Idea. In 2021, Gatik was recognized on the Forbes AI 50 list and as a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103006388/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] House Of Cards was a decent Netflix show for a few seasons until Kevin Spacey was forced to confront rape-y allegations. The drama had one great line that justified its existence: "Everything is about sex. Except for sex." It's a paraphrase of an Oscar Wilde quote and it's such an insanely great insight that I can forgive them for tricking me into watching Spacey and Robin Wright double teaming an unsuspecting lawman. Anyhoo . . . That tawdry barely political perspective also seems to inform a bitter Kansas contest wherein so much backstory and guilt by association seems to distract from the basics of two formidable ladies and their qualifications to represent the people of their district. Here's more coverage that proves everything TKC just noted . . . "In the race to represent Kansas' 3rd Congressional District, U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids promises to protect abortion rights. Republican Amanda Adkins says shell fight inflation. Joe Biden and Sam Brownback come up all the time." Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . . Former television newsman Mark Alford will likely win his congressional contest and today's expose from The Kansas City Star seems like sour grapes. There are a few nice quotes for balance but the majority of the reporting is dedicated to making Mr. Alford out to be a bad guy and a bit temperamental . . . Imagine that . . . Somebody who made it to the top of their field being hard to work with??? Shocking. As for the story about coffee orders and cracking down on a female worker . . . Apparently that's an open secret even if it seems kind of stereotypical . . . We honestly hope Mr. Alford isn't silly enough make a big deal out of some low level lady staffer getting his coffee . . . Or at least wasn't foolish enough to drink it afterwards. Here's the basics of the dead-tree report that actually doesn't offer much insight into some of the more nasty stuff that REALLY happens in KC newsrooms . . . "Five former colleagues said Alfords political views affected how he did his job, with one source saying in some instances the anchor would substitute his own words for the scripts he was supposed to read, a practice called bad-libbing. One former colleague said Alford had stood up for journalistic objectivity, however. "Nearly every alleged incident of bullying conduct described by the former colleagues involved either demeaning remarks directed at lower-ranking employees or an outburst following a mistake of some kind. One former colleague said Alford was the most difficult person she had ever worked with in television." Eve better than a hit piece probably ordered by political adversaries. . . SPECIAL THANKS TO SOME OF THE KICK-ASS FOX4 INSIDERS WHO TALK TO TKC!!! WE HAVE BETTER INSIGHT INTO THIS STORY!!! Here's the insider perspective that offers more deets . . . What we like about this quote . . . It reminds us that there are a lot of conservatives reporting the news but not everyone wears their politics on their sleeve . . . "It's just frustrating that he acts like he was the only Christian and the only conservative that worked at FOX4. That's untrue. We have a diverse group of people who work here with many different viewpoints. Of course, you can share those in private or when discussing coverage, but nobody else lets it bleed over into their reporting on air or online." Bottom line: It's just not our job to be commentators. I think that's what he wanted to be so he's probably in a better field now where he can express those opinions. And just for balance, we trust this KICK-ASS insider because they share a more nuanced view of the former morning anchor who is going to D.C. "He also has good qualities. He's a hell of a promoter, but he just wanted to be less constrained and it wasn't a good environment for him when his job was to stick to factual reporting without throwing in his personal opinion. " Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . . 'It was always a fight': Mark Alford was controversial inside Kansas City TV station Former Fox 4 anchor Mark Alford spent 23 years building a prominent public on-air persona in Kansas City before quitting a year ago to run for Congress. But off the air, sources tell The Star, he was a controversial figure inside the station. You decide . . . Right now we take a quick look at local news regarding police action, alleged misdeeds and court cases. Check TKC news gathering . . . Driver of stolen pickup truck in custody after lengthy joyride around Kansas City metro The driver of a stolen pickup truck was taken into custody Wednesday evening in Kansas City after fleeing police and driving around the metro for about two hours.KMBC News Chopper 9 spotted the vehicle fleeing police just before 5 p.m. in the Midtown area. Two people hurt in Tuesday afternoon shooting in Kansas City KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Kansas City Police Department is investigating a shooting that sent two men to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries Tuesday afternoon. Police were called to an area near an apartment complex near E 42nd Street just before 1 p.m. on Tuesday. Mom wants answers on son's death at Jackson County jail KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A mom said her son died during his first night in the Jackson County Detention Center following a misdemeanor arrest. Nikisha Jackson said she's searching for answers and won't stop until she gets them. "We were like, oh my God we're so glad that Nick is in jail because he's clean," Jackson said. KCK police ID teen killed at party on Halloween night Charges could come as soon as Thursday in the Halloween shooting in Kansas City, Kansas, which killed a 17-year-old boy and injured six other teens.That word comes from Wyandotte County Attorney's spokesman Jonathan Carter.According to Kansas City, Kansas, police spokeswoman Nancy Chartrand, detectives have a person of interest in custody.The boy who was fatally shot was a student at Turner High School. Kansas City man sentenced for sex trafficking four victims, including 2 teens KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A Kansas City man will spend 18 years in federal prison after admitting to a sex trafficking conspiracy involving four victims. Cory Lavell Smith, 28, was sentenced after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking and one count of sex trafficking. Kansas mom gets 20 years for leading Islamic State battalion ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) - A Kansas native who led an all-female Islamic State battalion when she lived in Syria has been sentenced to 20 years in prison, the maximum possible sentence, after her own children denounced her in court and detailed the horrific circumstances and abuse she heaped on them. Jury finds Kansas undersheriff not guilty of involuntary manslaughter following 2017 fatal beanbag shooting WYANDOTTE COUNTY, Kan. (KCTV) - A jury acquitted a rural Kansas undersheriff who shot and killed an unarmed man in 2017 with a homemade beanbag round. After a weeklong trial, jurors returned a not-guilty verdict Wednesday afternoon. Virgil "Dusty" Brewer was charged with involuntary manslaughter following an October 2017 shooting in Sun City, KS that killed Steven Myers. Leavenworth woman convicted in fatal stabbing of fiance KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A Leavenworth, Kansas, woman was convicted on Tuesday in the fatal stabbing of her fiance in June 2021. Eva Olisha Banks, 41, was convicted of one count voluntary manslaughter, for knowingly killing Jerrold Jermaine Rhodes based on an "unreasonable but honest" belief that deadly force was justified to use in defense, and two counts of aggravated battery. KC pushes jail partnership conversations with Jackson County KANSAS CITY, Mo. - On Monday FOX4 reported about the proposed "Pizza and Beer Summit" - looking to hammer out a jail partnership between Jackson County and Kansas City, Missouri. On Wednesday city leaders agreed to aggressively pursue an agreement, seeking up to 300 beds in the new Jackson County facility. KCPD reaches settlement with family of man shot, killed by officers in 2019 KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department spokesperson has confirmed that the department has reached a settlement with the family of Terrance Bridges, who wasshot and killed by KCPD officers in 2019 . On May 26, 2019, Bridges was shot and killed by a KCPD officer in the area of east 70th Street and Bellefontaine Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri. Police chase ends with crash near Mission home, two people injured MISSION, Kan. (KCTV) - A police chase with Westwood, Kansas, police led to a crash in Mission Tuesday night. Police had multiple blocks near 61st Street and Roe Avenue shut down for almost an hour. The Westwood Police Department stated a disturbance outside of the Walmart at 47th Street and Mission Road led to someone showing a gun to another person. 'ThrYve' program works to prevent violence among youth in KCK through community engagement KANSAS CITY, Kan. - Violent crime is impacting youth on both sides of the state line, more recently in Kansas City, Kansas. On Monday, a peaceful and parent-supervised Halloween party turned violent when multiple guests were asked to leave. The suspects complied, left the property and then opened gun fire, killing 17-year-old Katron Harris and injuring six others. Church Donates Dolls For Children In Crisis Officers at Central Patrol and East Patrol now have handmade dolls that they can give to children in crisis when responding to calls. The dolls come with messages of love, donated to KCPD St. Augustine's Episcopal Church on Benton Blvd. Church members held a doll-making workshop and distributed more than six dozen dolls to KCPD. Developing . . . Tonight we take a peek at local & national voting reassurance as the election nears . . . We know all of this talk should boost confidence . . . Forgive our skepticism that's always suspicious of anyone promising "protection" . . . The reality is that so few people who actually bother to vote is how TKC knows this remains a truly great nation. Don't ask me to explain that unless you're buying drinks. Basically . . . Politics is for the power hungry and silly folks who mistakenly believe that elected officials do anything but fulfill the demands of their benefactors . . . Voters are typically the least of their concern . . . But I digress. Meanwhile, here's a message crafted for the plebs and those who watch too much cable news . . . Election Day, Nov. 8, will be closely monitored for intimidation, voting irregularities Consistent with longstanding practice, the Jackson County Prosecutors Office will be on the lookout for voting irregularities on Election Day, November 8, 2022. This election, however, we will also remain fully engaged after polls close, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker announced today. The Prosecutors Office will monitor irregularities that might include threats or acts of violence towards election administrators and poll workers while carrying out their duties, threats or acts of violence toward a voter with the intent of denying that person the right to vote, knowingly telling a voter false information about voting for the purpose of preventing any person from going to the polls, bribing a voter to either vote for or against a specific candidate or issue and interfering or attempting to interfere with any voter inside a polling place. As always, the Prosecutors Office will work with local law enforcement to ensure that all qualified voters have the opportunity to cast their ballots and have their votes counted free of intimidation and suppression in the upcoming general election. After the polls close, our office will be communicating with election officials to monitor any incidents of harassment or doxing of these employees and volunteers. We are grateful for the members of the Kansas City and Jackson County Election Boards and the many volunteers who make this process possible for our democracy. Baker is instructing anyone who witnesses irregularities at the polls to call the offices Public Corruption Unit at 816-881-3111. We encourage other individuals to use the contacts at the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Western District: Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Simpson is serving as District Election Officer for the Nov. 8 election. The District Election Officer will be interested in complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials and staff and any fraud. The U.S. Attorneys District Election Officer can be reached at 816-426-4125. In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The local FBI field office here can be reached by the public at 816-512-8200. ################# Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . . Biden: 'In our bones, we know democracy is at risk' President Joe Biden warned that the country's democracy was dangerously close to crumbling in a speech Wednesday, painting the closing stretch of the midterm elections in stark terms. "In our bones," the president declared at one point, "we know democracy is at risk." Biden to give speech on protecting democracy Wednesday night in DC | CNN Politics President Joe Biden is set to deliver a speech Wednesday on protecting democracy, just six days before the midterm elections as the nation deals with a heightened political climate following the attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband. Biden urges voters to rebuke political violence by backing Democrats President Biden urged Democrats on Wednesday to show up at the polls during next week's midterm elections or "allow the dark forces that thirst for power" to chip away at American democracy. Biden urged a crowd of supporters at a Democratic National Committee event inside Union Station in Washington, D.C. Biden to speak on 'protecting our democracy' as midterms enter final stretch President Joe Biden, with now less than a week to go until the midterms, will speak Wednesday evening about "preserving and protecting our democracy as Election Day approaches." "The president will address the threat of election deniers and those who seek to undermine faith in voting and democracy; and the stakes of our democracy in next week's election," according to a release from the Democratic National Committee. Desperate Biden tried to link all Republicans to MAGA extremism. Bold strategy, Cotton OPINION AND COMMENTARY Editorials and other Opinion content offer perspectives on issues important to our community and are independent from the work of our newsroom reporters. In a last-ditch effort to rally Democrats to vote in the midterms elections just a few days away, President Joe Biden delivered a confusing, two-faced speech to his base Wednesday night. Biden goes after Trump 'lies' in democracy speech after Pelosi attack President Biden on Wednesday went after former President Trump and other Republicans who continue to tout 2020 election lies, warning democracy is on the ballot just six days before the midterms and following the violent attack on Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) husband. "American democracy is under attack because the defeated former president of the United... Biden calls midterms a 'defining moment' for democracy amid political violence and voter intimidation WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden said Wednesday the midterms are a "defining moment" for democracy as threats of political violence and voter intimidation loom over the upcoming elections. In closing remarks days before the midterms, Biden again called election deniers an existential threat to democracy, tying the Jan. Developing . . . Another quick blast of content that's politically charged, often sponsored and always evokes claims of bias one way or another . . . Check www.TonysKansasCity.com news gathering . . . Compromise Imagined Has stark polarization between Missouri Republicans and Democrats led to detente? * Missouri Independent St. Louis County Executive H.C. Milford, a Republican and kindly insurance broker who rose to power when his predecessor Gene McNary received a federal appointment, was seeking election to a full term against a hard-charging three-term county prosecutor named George "Buzz" Westfall. Rock Chalk Slap Fight Review Six of the most notable, egregious and ridiculous Kansas campaign ads for the midterm election - Kansas Reflector We can nearly see the finish line, folks. On Tuesday, voters will head to the polls in Kansas and across the nation to cast ballots in midterm elections. While we twiddle our thumbs (or cast advance ballots), let's take a look at some of this season's most notable, egregious or ridiculous campaign spots. Show-Me Life Fight Tonite A Missouri hospital is the first under federal investigation for denying an emergency abortion A Joplin hospital is apparently the first in the nation to be investigated for possibly violating federal law by telling a woman experiencing an emergency that she needed to terminate her pregnancy to protect her health, but that the abortion could not take place in Missouri. Political Backup For Po-Po Op-Ed: Defunding the Police will make Missouri less safe As Missouri's Attorney General, I have worked to get violent criminals off our streets and justice for victims. In my first weeks as your Attorney General, I launched the Safer Streets Initiative. A team of dedicated prosecutors in my Office have secured hundreds of convictions across Missouri, taking on violent crime in our communities. Sunflower State Democracy Suffers Moment Of Doubt Here's how efforts to cast doubt on Kansas ballots emerged For a segment of Kansans and Americans across the country, election night 2020 aroused suspicions that elections could be fraudulent. As they watched on national TV, President Donald Trump saw his early leads evaporating and Democrat Joe Biden pulling ahead. It was a development that was months in the making. Show-Me Weed Talk St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones announces opposition to Missouri marijuana amendment St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones criticized Amendment 3, which would legalize marijuana in Missouri (photo courtesy of the St. Louis Mayor's Office) In a move highlighting a growing divide among Black leaders and organizations in Missouri over a push to legalize marijuana, St. Cowtown Polls Positioned November 8, 2022 Election Guide In our print edition, we made a mistake by accidentally repeating the verbiage of Kansas City Question 2 with Kansas City Question 3. We have amended that error in our online election guide and apologize for any confusion. Kansas Citians will have a chance to exercise their civic rights on Tuesday, November 8, for the general election. And this is the OPEN THREAD for right now. Really surprised that none of his GOP rivals made a big deal out of the AG's connection to one of the biggest tech oligarchs in the nation. It's not a really complex story but not as satisfying as lashing out against the widely unpopular White House. Example . . . (Missouri AG) Eric Schmitt is batting about .500 in his suits against the Democratic administration, though a number of the cases he's brought are awaiting rulings from trial judges or appellate courts Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . . Republican attorney general in Missouri has sued Biden every few weeks while running for U.S. Senate seat JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - In just 20 months, Republican Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt has filed 25 lawsuits against Democratic President Joe Biden's administration, challenging policies on COVID-19 vaccinations, climate change, immigration and education, among other things. It puts Missouri behind only Louisiana in the number of lawsuits against the Biden administration. Related viewing that's long, exhausting but sometimes funny and mentions the AG in passing . . . For all of your her hard work . . . Kylie Jenner isn't a billionaire. She has only garnered around 600 MILLION BUCKS which was mostly earned by way of taking hottie Instagram pix and selling Chinese-manufactured makeup to her fans. Meanwhile . . . Anybody who extols the value of hard work probably wouldn't last 5 minutes at a fast food job. Nevertheless . . . We take a moment to admire fancy digs featured in a local lifestyle mag . . . If only to provide a guide for wealth redistribution when the revolution comes . . . Or after Vlad & Prez Biden start a nuke war and most of this town is reduced to rubble . . . "Despite soaring ceilings, marble floors and a dedicated laundry room larger than most bedrooms, there still seem to be plenty of spots perfect to curl up with a book and a cup of tea or sip a cocktail and chat the evening away with a few friends. An alley of trees line the stone driveway leading to the French chateau-inspired home, which is built entirely with corner-cut limestone imported from an Indiana quarry." Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . . Behind the scenes . . . We notice conservatives rising serious questions about the contracts of the endeavor and the legality of non-disclosure agreements. In the meantime it's all happy news . . . Like this . . . "Panasonic said building cylindrical "2170" lithium-ion batteries in De Soto will spur innovation and provide critical production capacity to fuel economic growth and other opportunities for the entire region." Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . . Panasonic breaks ground on massive battery plant predicted to transform KC region DE SOTO, Kan. - Panasonic officially started construction of a new electric vehicle battery plant in De Soto, Kansas, on Wednesday. It's the largest economic development project in the history of Kansas. The Japanese company said it will begin mass producing batteries in De Soto for the booming electric vehicle market by March 2025. Panasonic, Kansas officials celebrate starting work on EV battery plant - Kansas City Business Journal Panasonic Energy Co. Ltd. celebrated moving the first dirt on a $4 billion electric-vehicle battery plant in De Soto. Brass from Panasonic, Kansas and De Soto gathered for a groundbreaking Wednesday at Astra Enterprise Park, which is the new name for the former Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant. Panasonic releases renderings of $4 billion electric vehicle battery plant in De Soto, Kansas KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Kansas officials and Panasonic executives gathered Wednesday morning in De Soto, Kansas, for the groundbreaking of the new Panasonic battery plant , which will produce cylindrical Li-ion batteries for electric vehicles. During the groundbreaking, renderings of the facility were released to show what the potential facility will look like. Meanwhile . . . A prog blog reports . . . Kelly's polling advantage grows to 3.3% in Kansas governor's race; Schmidt not gaining traction - Kansas Reflector TOPEKA - New polling in the Kansas governor's race showed Wednesday that Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly and independent governor candidate Dennis Pyle expanded their appeal in the past month while Republican nominee Derek Schmidt was struggling to move the needle with voters. You decide . . . The answer is likely 'yes' according to some polling. What's worse is there's no organized opposition because Crosby Kemper III and that creepy Missouri hedge fund dude gave up on this town. The punch line . . . Organizers claim that this effort won't raise taxes. It will. AND THEN they say that raising taxes will help solve the homeless crisis. It won't. Here's the pitch . . . "The ballot question would authorize the city to issue a $50 million bond. It would come at no additional cost to taxpayers because it would replace a different bond that the city will finish paying this year." Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . . Birthday wishes Call 281-422-8302 or email sunnews@baytownsun.com to wish someone a happy birthday. We will print your birthday wish on Page 2 of The Sun. Happy Birthday Wishes Nearly 40 years after the high-profile murders of two Toronto women, police announced they have arrested and charged a man with the 1983 slayings of Susan Tice and Erin Gilmour the latest decades-old cases to be cracked using genetic genealogy. According to one student, tensions have been high at Woburn Collegiate over the past few weeks, with reports of a rash of fights and at least one stabbing. - Torstar staff photo Egrets have recently become a major tourist attraction in the Conghua district of Guangzhou, Guangdong province. [Photo by Li Xiaotong/For chinadaily.com.cn] A large number of egrets have recently become a major tourist attraction in the Conghua district of Guangzhou, Guangdong province. Every day, hundreds of the birds are seen gathering in groups, skimming the water and chasing each other along the Liuxi River in the district's forest park. Sometimes, they can be seen hovering over the river, diving into the water for food or resting in trees along the bank, soaking up the sunshine and emitting pleasant sounds from time to time. The beautiful and harmonious natural scenery is attracting many tourists and photographers to come to enjoy. Egrets have recently become a major tourist attraction in the Conghua district of Guangzhou, Guangdong province. [Photo by Li Xiaotong/For chinadaily.com.cn] The large number of egrets indicates improvement and optimization of the local environment and ecology, according to a statement released by the Conghua district government on Tuesday. Egrets have high requirements for their habitat and are said to be "monitors" of air and water quality, the statement said. The district government has adhered to the concept of ecological priority and green development and constantly strengthened the protection and restoration of the local environment, while also developing its economy in recent years. The improving environment and ecology has helped Conghua celebrated for its lychee fruit attract a growing number of wild birds, including egrets, to reproduce in recent years, creating a harmonious and beautiful ecological picture for local residents and tourists, the statement said. By Trend The Embassy of Azerbaijan in Ukraine appealed to citizens, Trend reports citing Azerbaijani Embassy's Facebook post. "In connection with Victory Day and the Day of State Flag of the Republic of Azerbaijan as well as Decree No.396 of the Cabinet of Minister of Azerbaijan dated October 18, 2022 the work schedule of the consular department of the embassy has been changed temporarily. The consular reception will be closed on November 6,7,8,2022, reception will be held on November 5 and 9,2022. Reception hours remain unchanged. In cases, where urgent and immediate action is required, please call 0994089943 and 0735050000," said the appeal. "Taking into account, that the announcement of October 11, 2022 about the suspension of consular reception for the safety of applicants during air raids was misinterpreted by a number of Azerbaijani citizens, including some media, as a general closure of consular services and even the embassy, ??and questions on this occasions are still being received, we would like to draw attention to the following clarification. An air raid alert is a warning that a residential area may be under attack from the air and residents are advised to take cover for their own safety. As you know, during the air raid period, enterprises and catering facilities stop receiving visitors and resume their work after the end of the alarm. Considering that since October 10, 2022, the capital city of Kyiv has been subjected to more intensive air strikes, a mandatory decision was made to suspend consular receptions for the period of time when an air alert was announced in Kyiv. When there is no air alert, the consular reception continues according to the announced schedule (reception of applications from 10:00 to 13:00 on working days, issuance of finished documents from 15:00 to 17:00)," the appeal informed. "The Embassy reiterates its request to citizens who decide to stay in Ukraine during the evacuation wave, or return after evacuation, to be careful during the air raid, to be in a shelter or a relatively safe place, to comply with the requirements and recommendations of state bodies, to put documents in order, and citizens who plan to come to Ukraine, reschedule the trip to another time, unless there is an urgent and serious reason," the appeal said. "Also, regarding the false information that the embassy was evacuated from Ukraine at a certain time, we would like to note that the embassy has never been closed and the employees have not been evacuated from Ukraine. Due to the risk of hostilities moving to the capital Kyiv, the embassy, ??as one of the last diplomatic missions, was temporarily moved to the city of Lviv on March 8, 2022 and returned to Kyiv on April 28, 2022, and resumed its activities. The Consular Service worked every day of the week from February 24, 2022 to July 31, 2022, and from August 1, 2022 on official work days," the appeal stated. "In connection with the detection of attempts to assist Azerbaijani citizens by unauthorized persons in exchange for a financial interest in using the services of the consular department, we would like to warn you that the consular reception is carried out only by an authorized employee and no unauthorized persons have been given authority in this regard," the appeal said. "The fee for the services of the consular department, provided for in Article 16 of the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan "On State Duty", is collected only by payment to a bank account (cash payment is not allowed). By the decision of the Government of Azerbaijan, from March 3, 2022, citizens are exempted from paying a fee to obtain a certificate of return (the document is issued free of charge), which replaces a passport, in the amount of $10, provided for in paragraph 16.1.2 of the above Law. The Embassy asks not to accept any offers of assistance from anyone in exchange for financial interest, and in case of such cases, provide information to the following e-mail address [email protected]," said the appeal. A Billings man has been sentenced to 15 years in the Montana Department of Corrections for trying to rape a woman in 2019. Jeffrey Francis Kautz, 57, pleaded guilty earlier this year to attempted sexual intercourse without consent after reaching a plea agreement with county prosecutors. At his sentencing Wednesday, Yellowstone County District Judge Ashley Harada suspended 13 years of Kautzs sentence, during which he will be on probation. Billings police met with the victim at a local hospital in February 2019, according to court documents. She said she was drinking at the Red Door Lounge, and the next thing she remembered was waking up in a strangers home. Kautz, court documents said, was trying to rape the victim while she was unconscious. The victim told police she suspected shed been drugged while at the bar. Police spoke with Kautz soon after. He said he was at the bar with the victim, and brought her to the house after offering her a ride. Kautz told police they made out, but did not have sex. Experts at the Montana State Crime Lab analyzed the victims clothes. Inside her leggings, according to court documents, they found evidence of Kautzs DNA. The crime lab reached its conclusion in August 2020. Yellowstone County prosecutors initially charged Kautz with sexual intercourse without consent in January 2021. He admitted to an amended charge of attempted sexual intercourse without consent in April of this year. Kautz entered Yellowstone County Detention Facility on Wednesday following his sentencing. Along with the 15-year commitment to DOC, Judge Harada ordered Kautz to pay about $2,700 in restitution to the victim. The Tv6 Fan Zone touched down at the All Out Sports bar again on Monday at the Queens park O Several parts of the country are inundated by flood water this evening. It comes as a result of more rainfall overnight, causing many rivers to break their banks and water courses to spill over. The President of Greece, Kateryna Sakellaropoulou, and the Minister of National Defense, Nikos Panaiotopoulos, will visit Kyiv, where they will hand over BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraines forces. This is reported by Ukrinform with reference to ieidiseis.gr. Also, Greece plans to provide the Ukrainian side with additional 155 mm munitions. "On Thursday, the President of Greece will travel by train to Kyiv via Poland, accompanied by the Minister of Defense and the head of her office," the statement reads. It should be recalled that in September, the Greek Ministry of Defense announced that the countrys defense chief Nikolaos Panaiotopoulos and his German counterpart Christine Lambrecht, in order to support Ukraines defenses against the ongoing Russian aggression, approved that Greece would transfer 40 BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine. In exchange, Greece will receive the same number of MARDER IFVs from Germany. In June, Greece announced that it would transfer the BMP-1s to Ukraine only once it has received the Marders. DW wrote that the reason for this position is the country's conflict with Turkey, which allegedly encroaches on some Greek islands located in the eastern part of the Aegean Sea. With this in mind, the armed forces of Greece were put on alert. Ambassador of Germany to Ukraine Anka Feldhusen said that the Marder IFVs had been mothballed for years and therefore required repair. A total of 430 children have been killed and over 826 injured in Ukraine since the Russian invasion started. The relevant statement was made by the Ukrainian Prosecutor Generals Office on Telegram, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. Over 1,255 children in Ukraine have been affected by the Russian armed aggression. As of November 3, 2022, the number of those killed remained unchanged (430 children). The number of those injured exceeded 826 children, the report states. These data are not final, as they are being investigated within the areas of hostilities, temporarily occupied and liberated areas. Currently, most casualties were recorded in the Donetsk region (420), Kharkiv region (263), Kyiv region (116), Mykolaiv region (77), Zaporizhzhia region (70), Chernihiv region (68), Luhansk region (64), Kherson region (58), and Dnipropetrovsk region (31). On November 1, 2022, a 14-year-old boy was injured in Russias shelling of the Kharkiv regions Izium. As a result of Russias daily air and artillery strikes, a total of 2,719 educational institutions were damaged across Ukraine, and 332 of them were destroyed completely. mk The missile and artillery units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have completed about 150 fire missions in southern Ukraine and have launched one air strike on an enemy personnel and military equipment cluster. The relevant statement was made by the South Operational Command on Facebook, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. The enemys losses were confirmed as follows: eight Russian troops, two tanks, one Grad multiple launch rocket system (MLRS), one IMR-1 combat engineering vehicle, nine armored motor vehicles, four ammunition depots (in the Bashtanka district and the Beryslav district), six railway tanks with fuel stocks. Additionally, the Ukrainian military caused damage to one Russian tank, five armored motor vehicles, one Grad MLRS and one D-20 towed gun-howitzer. The rest of losses are yet to be checked. Generally, in the Southern Bug operational zone, the situation is remaining tense but controlled. Russian troops continue to keep the defense and make attempts to hold the occupied frontiers. The enemy used 30 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in order to conduct reconnaissance along the contact line. Over the past day, Russian invades have used aviation, strike drones, MLRS, cannon artillery, mortars and tanks to open fire on Ukrainian positions. Russian troops launched four air strikes on Ukrainian positions and settlements along the contact line. Additionally, the enemy fired 20 Grad MLRS rockets at the recently liberated village of Tryfonivka. No casualties were reported. Last night Russian troops attacked an energy infrastructure facility with a suicide drone in the Dnipropetrovsk region. Power and water supply services were partially interrupted in some districts of the city affected. Repair works are now underway. According to the preliminary information, no casualties were reported. In the Black Sea, Russias naval group consists of seven warships, including one large landing craft and one missile carrier equipped with eight Kalibr-type cruise missiles. Strike groups in Belarus, which may pose a threat to Ukraine, could be formed in two or three months. Brigadier General Oleksii Hromov, deputy chief of the Main Operational Department of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said this at a briefing on Thursday, answering questions from an Ukrinform correspondent. "At this time, Russian military personnel, mostly those mobilized, are being transferred to Belarus. Therefore, we understand that in order to prepare this strike group, it is necessary to train military personnel, coordinate units, and accordingly plan and define some tasks. This is not going to happen in the coming weeks. This is possible no earlier than in two or three months," Hromov said. He noted that Ukraine's defense forces continue to conduct stabilization and defense operations. The situation is stable in the Volyn, Zhytomyr, and Kyiv directions, with no signs of the enemy forming offensive groups. "At the same time, in general, the situation surrounding the creation of a joint group of troops of the so-called allied state [of Russia and Belarus] remains ambiguous. On the one hand, statements and actions by both sides indicate that the current task is to divert attention and ensure the movement of Ukrainian troops from the east and the south of our country to the north. However, in a more distant perspective, there is a threat of the formation of a group that could be involved in aggression against Ukraine," Hromov said. Irpin Mayor Oleksandr Markushyn has met with Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou and called on her to help the city rebuild its housing stock. According to Ukrinform, he said this in a Telegram post. "Today, I had an opportunity to speak to the President of Greece, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, who, as part of her working visit to Ukraine, also visited Irpin. I told her about war crimes committed by the Russian army in our community, about our struggle and victory. Of course, using the opportunity, I asked for Greece's help in rebuilding Irpin's housing stock," he said. According to the mayor, Sakellaropoulou was shocked by the extent of the destruction. "So I sincerely hope that we will also receive support from Greece in the restoration of our city," Markushyn added. Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou and Minister of National Defense Nikos Panagiotopoulos arrived in Kyiv on November 3. The Russian Federation launched a missile attack on a terminal leased by a Chinese corporation, as a result of which 17,000 tonnes of sunflower oil were destroyed. The spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Oleg Nikolenko announced this on Facebook, as reported by Ukrinform. "The Russian Federation launched a missile attack on a terminal leased by a Chinese corporation in the Mykolaiv seaport, as a result of which 17,000 tonnes of sunflower oil worth $26 million were destroyed. Another terminal owned by China is under threat of attack," Nikolenko said. According to the spokesperson, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs constantly draws the attention of the international community to the deliberate destruction by Russia of agricultural terminals in Ukraine as part of the Kremlin's strategy to undermine global food security. "The shelling of the Chinese terminal in the port of Mykolaiv once again confirms the importance of intensifying efforts on the part of Beijing to end Russia's war against Ukraine. We call on the Chinese side to demand from Moscow an immediate end to attacks on Ukrainian critical infrastructure in order to protect, including the property of Chinese enterprises," urged Nikolenko. As reported by Ukrinform, Minister for Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba stated that Russia's deliberate strikes on Ukraine's energy system should be considered as part of the genocide of the Ukrainian people. Young people in Montana were twice as likely to die by suicide than in the rest of the country during the last decade, according to state statistics. Data from 2011 to 2020 released this spring by the states Department of Public Health and Human Services shows that kids between the ages of 11 and 17 committed suicide at a rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people during those years, double the national average. And despite increased attention by schools, mental health resources remain inadequate to the scale of the need, and Montanas youth suicide numbers remain stubbornly persistent. Although tracking suicides at universities presents significant challenges, college students in Montana are reporting unprecedented rates of suicidal ideation, hopelessness and demand for mental health services, multiple campus mental health care providers told Montana Free Press. A suicide in September at the University of Montana in Missoula underscored the high stakes of the states ongoing mental health crisis among young people. Even with all the ongoing efforts to figure this out, we continue to struggle in lowering the suicide rate, said Kurt Michael, senior clinical director of the suicide prevention nonprofit JED Foundation. The organization focuses much of its work on suicide in rural parts of the country and was recently in Livingston, which suffered several suicides in recent years. Clearly there are some pretty massive gaps, Michael said. Decreased stigmaEven as the numbers trouble health care providers and educators, they could also signal decreased stigma and increased education about mental illness. During her nearly three decades as a school counselor in Montana public schools, Susan Sherman has supported hundreds of students. As one of three school counselors at Kalispell Middle School in the Flathead Valley, Sherman has witnessed a string of suicides and even more suicide attempts, as well as countless students dealing with depression, anxiety and trauma. She was not surprised by the results of the latest Youth Behavioral Study, an annual survey conducted in public high schools statewide to study physical and mental health challenges faced by students. We just have so many kids who are anxious and feel like they cant do school, they cant be there, and they are overwhelmed by the number of people, Sherman said. Part of that is from being isolated during COVID-19, but I do think it goes beyond that. During the 2020-2021 school year, 41% of students reported feeling so sad or hopeless for two weeks or more in a row that they stopped usual activities a 16% jump from 1999, when the study was first conducted. Nearly 22% of students said they had seriously considered attempting suicide in 2021, down since the surveys first year but an increase of more than six percentage points since its low in 2007. About 10% of students attempted suicide, a consistent level since 1991, but an increase of almost four percentage points since hitting a low in 2011. But younger people are more educated and aware of the signs of mental illness, according to Sherman. She said the results could also reflect a change in students ability to identify that they need help and their willingness to ask for it. Similar findings are reflected across Montanas universities. According to a survey conducted by the American College Health Association, more than 47% of UM students reported moderate to serious levels of psychological distress over the last year, and 38.2% of students reported feeling hopeless most or all of the time. Those metrics jumped by 8% and 15%, respectively, since the same survey was conducted in March 2020. More than 30% of students tested positive in suicide-risk screenings, which indicate a persons likelihood of attempting suicide, and while about 3% of all students surveyed had made a suicide attempt in the last year, nearly 10% of transgender or nonbinary students had done so. At Montana State University in Bozeman, more than 37% of students seriously considered suicide at least once during the 2021-2022 academic year, according to data provided by MSUs Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS), and the number of crisis appointments skyrocketed by 137% compared to the year prior. Both of Montanas major universities saw more students seeking mental health services on campus. Erinn Guzik, director of counseling at UM, and Betsy Asserson, director of CPS at MSU, each attribute the increased demand, in part, to more education and social acceptance around mental illness. Asserson, who has been at MSU for more than 20 years, said the decreased stigma is a positive change, and, coupled with increased outreach, a large part of why more students have sought care. Resource strainEven so, decreased stigma is only one of the many variables responsible for the preponderance of mental health concerns among students, Guzik said. Lack of adequate resources continues to present a major barrier to improving mental health as demand for services increases. At MSU, the number of people who engaged in counseling services increased by 35% between the last two school years, according to Asserson. We have also experienced an increase in acuity, with more students presenting with histories of trauma, previous counseling experiences and suicidal ideation, she said. UMs Counseling Services staff of eight licensed counselors and three clinical interns saw 1,300 students last year. Those specialists can have six sessions per semester per student the first appointment is free, and subsequent sessions cost $20 each before referring them to outside providers. Guzik acknowledged that the last few years have posed a challenge to meet the demand for counseling and being able to hire qualified, diverse counselors, but reiterated the universitys commitment to hiring more counselors. Students at MSU are able to schedule an initial counseling appointment within one week on average, though students in crisis are seen immediately, Asserson said. According to the counseling offices website, there are 11 licensed psychologists on staff and two licensed clinical professional counselors who offer group sessions, crisis intervention and one-on-one sessions. But counseling services are not limited to the counseling center. Faculty and staff are often the first to hear from students about mental health concerns, so the Montana University System, the organization that represents 16 public colleges in the state, has taken steps to train educators to respond appropriately in those situations, said Crystine Miller, director of student affairs. We cant just focus our efforts on counseling services, she said. Miller also emphasized that faculty members have unique insight into the emotional well-being of students, often through the lens of academic performance, but that while educators play a crucial role in mental health support, campuses must recognize and find ways to support the mental health and well-being of staff members as well, she said. After-hours calls to emergency response teams on college campuses also often relate to mental health, according to Guzik, and limited resources mean limited support at those times. There is a growing demand for crisis response related to mental health on our campus, she said, and UM does not have after-hours counselors available. Teachers and school staff are on the front lines of Montanas youth mental health crisis, not only for college students, but for those in elementary, middle and high schools, as well. When you have a student with a learning disability, there are so many avenues to help that child. However, when its a mental health issue, the pathways forward are fewer, primarily due to a lack of available services, said Rep. Moffie Funk, D-Helena. We have to do something, and as with almost everything, its about money. We need the financial resources to appropriately compensate the professionals who can help that child and hire and train the people who can assist in the classroom. Since Funk was elected to the Legislature in 2015, she has championed educational reform and increased resources for Montanas public schools. Securing adequate funding for mental health services is a growing challenge, she said. Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen agreed that theres a dearth of mental health professionals across public schools, leaving teachers to deal with unmet needs. Just like we need more experts in math and reading, we need experts in mental health across our state, Arntzen told MTFP. I want to say very plainly and clearly that we cannot put more onto a teachers plate. The Comprehensive School and Community Treatment Program, offered since 2003 in some K-12 schools, attempts to address the problem by allowing districts to contract with outside mental health providers to put therapy teams in schools. But it has been undermined by therapist shortages, discontinued state funding and uncertainties around federal matches, according to previous reporting by MTFP. Funk said changes to the management of CSCT ultimately resulted in the loss of this highly successful program in schools across the state. Even schools fortunate enough to have full-time mental health care experts such as Kalispell Middle School struggle with the sheer demand for care, Sherman said. Shes responsible for hundreds of kids at a time, and shes constantly juggling multiple priorities: meeting with kids who self-refer or who are referred by teachers and family members; sitting in on classes to see how students behave; and conducting weekly two-minute check-ins with students. Particularly in moments of crisis that touch many students such as a student who tried to commit suicide multiple times on campus last year it can be really overwhelming as a school counselor impacted by this, Sherman said. LISTENING TO STUDENTS When it comes to the prevalence of youth behavioral health problems and the access that people suffering have to treatment services, Montana ranks 49th in the country, according to the JED Foundation. That bleak landscape, particularly acute in the most rural parts of the state, requires rethinking how treatment is offered to people in need of support, according to Michael, the foundations clinical director. The JED Foundation hosted a gathering of 80 teenagers from four Park County schools in September as part of an ongoing effort to connect clinicians and educators with youth voices. They really do have more knowledge about mental health than we assume, including the importance of stress management and the need to balance their health with academics, Michael said of the students who participated in the Livingston focus groups. They said clearly and uniformly that they find the idea of seeking mental health support, whether formal or informal, to be acceptable, and they liked the idea of providers coming directly to school. Professionals agree that understanding the life of a student outside the classroom is vital to providing the right kind of mental health treatment, and theres a growing emphasis on providing holistic care to students before a crisis occurs. UMs counseling office works with other departments on campus to create programming that reaches students who dont attend counseling but still need assistance addressing their mental health, Guzik said. Last school year, 10,320 MSU student and faculty members attended a mental health outreach event, including 712 of whom went to a suicide prevention training. Students arent waiting until college to take the initiative, either. Kalispell Middle School offers annual educational series on mental health and suicide prevention, and Sherman said students are actively learning about their emotions, how they are triggered and how to best seek help. Even when things look grim, I think thats what gives me hope, she said. The very fact that Russia resorted to terror against Ukraine's energy sector shows the weakness of the enemy: they cannot defeat Ukraine on the battlefield and therefore they are trying to break the Ukrainians in this way. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this in a nightly video address, Ukrinform reports. Good health to you, fellow Ukrainians! First of all, I want to congratulate you on two professional holidays that are celebrated today. This is the Day of Missile Troops and Artillery and the Day of Engineering Troops. I sincerely congratulate all warriors, veterans and relatives of our heroes who serve in these troops. Ukrainian artillery became the strongest in Europe and one of the strongest in the world. It will always be like that. Despite the physical advantage of enemy artillery - simply quantitative - our warriors provide better results. The advantage of our gunners is qualitative - skills, intelligence, faith in themselves and in our country. And I signed the decrees on awarding two brigades with a special award - "For courage and bravery". These are the 43rd separate artillery brigade named after Hetman Taras Triasylo and the 44th separate artillery brigade named after Hetman Danylo Apostol. Thank you guys for your precision! Ukrainian engineering troops are exactly those warriors who make a vital contribution to the advancement of our units, and therefore to the liberation of our territory. They create a material basis for the movement of troops and for the protection of positions - barricades, crossings, demining and much more. I thank all units of these two branches of the troops, each soldier, relatives of our soldiers and all those who support them and who help them. Today, there were various negotiations and meetings to strengthen our state. The visit of the President of Greece took place, and the key meaning of the visit is precisely defensive. We received from Greece the first batch of armored vehicles, which are extremely necessary now. Defense cooperation, strengthening of sanctions against Russia, creation of a special tribunal on the crime of Russian aggression against Ukraine were discussed. Of course, we also talked about the reconstruction of Ukraine. All this is a special topic for Greece. The community of Ukrainian Greeks traditionally lives in the south of our country, in many cities and villages, a large part of which was badly damaged by Russian strikes. Many Greeks lived in Mariupol, in the Mariupol area... I hope that Greece will actively support our efforts to bring all Russian murderers and torturers to justice for what they have done against our people. And when we return the Ukrainian flag to all the cities and villages of the south of our country, we will certainly invite Greece, its companies and specialists to participate in the restoration of normal life in this part of Ukraine. Today I also met with representatives of the US Congress - Senators Chris Coons and Rob Portman. I thanked them for the continued bipartisan support and for the assistance that the United States provides to our country. We talked primarily about an air shield for Ukraine, about how to speed up the liberation of our territory. Challenges in the energy sector were discussed separately and in a very specific manner. Russian attacks on our energy sector, on our energy facilities, do not stop for a single day. Kryvyi Rih was attacked by Iranian drones this night. Such Russian terror must receive - and surely will eventually receive - a powerful global response. I am grateful to our friends in the United States who are helping with this. In general, there is damage to energy facilities in different areas across the country - this is the volume of electricity generation and transportation for millions of people. Only as of this evening, about 4.5 million consumers have been temporarily disconnected from consumption under emergency and stabilization schedules. In particular, in Kyiv and ten regions: Kyiv region, Dnipropetrovsk region, Zhytomyr region, Zaporizhzhia region, Sumy region, Kirovohrad region, Kharkiv region, Chernihiv region, Khmelnytskyi region, Cherkasy region. Blackouts may take place in other regions as well. To endure Russian energy terror and such a challenge is our national task, one of the main ones now. The very fact that Russia resorted to terror against the energy industry shows the weakness of the enemy. They cannot defeat Ukraine on the battlefield, and that is why they are trying to break our people in this way - to humiliate Ukrainians, to strike at the morale of our people, at the resistance of our people. I believe that Russia will not succeed. It is important now to preserve our ability to act together. Therefore, today I want to draw attention to two things. The first is the attention of local authorities. Please ensure that there is no unnecessary use of electricity in all cities and communities of Ukraine. Now is definitely not the time for bright showcases, signs, advertisements and other such lighting. I also appeal to the energy companies - publicly, so that everyone can hear it. Please be more active in explaining to people when and why you disconnect this or that street, this or that district. Now is the time for such microcommunications. People have a right to know. And if consumers contact and report this or that injustice in energy supply, please respond to it immediately. Work together with local authorities. If someone stays without electricity for eight or ten hours, and everything is connected, including street lighting, across the street, then this is definitely unfair. It is necessary to do everything so that disconnections are predictable and completely understandable for consumers. In particular, I spoke today with the President of Moldova about energy challenges. The terrible consequences of Russian hybrid aggression are felt by all Europeans, and the citizens of Moldova as well. We talked with Mrs. Sandu about what we can do together in the interests of our people and for the protection of our states. I also spoke with the President of Indonesia today. The topic is clear - this is the G20 summit, which will begin shortly. This is our effort to prevent a food crisis. And I thank Mr. President for his support in this matter, for his positive assessment of our efforts. There is a conclusion of the IAEA today - it is quite obvious. The organization's mission visited all the objects that Russian representatives mentioned when they told their fantasies about the so-called dirty bomb. We have invited the IAEA to check, we have given them full freedom of action at the relevant facilities, and we have clear and irrefutable evidence that no one in Ukraine has created or is creating any "dirty bombs". And the only thing that is dirty in our region now is the heads of those in Moscow who, unfortunately, seized control of the Russian state and are terrorizing Ukraine and the whole world. The important document was prepared and published today by an international group of experts working under the leadership of Michael McFaul and Andriy Yermak. This is a document about absolutely necessary sanctions against Russia in the IT sphere. This is what can really weaken the potential of Russian aggressiveness. IT is used for missile and drone terror, for the production of military equipment, for cyber attacks and the spread of disinformation. That is, it is one of the pillars of the Russian war against Ukraine and freedom in the whole world. We offer a concrete way to break this Russian IT pillar. I am sure that we will complete this task as well - there will definitely be corresponding new sanctions against Russia. And the last point. Today, another 107 Ukrainians were freed from Russian captivity. Six of them are officers, 101 are sergeants and privates. Army, Navy, territorial defense, National Guard, border guards... Many of them were wounded, and very seriously. Everyone is already getting the aid they need. I am sincerely glad that another 107 families have seen their loved ones, and I thank all our team who made this exchange possible: intelligence, the Office, the Security Service, the ombudsman. We will definitely return home all Ukrainian men and women who are in captivity in Russia or in the temporarily occupied territory. We remember each of our heroes. Glory to all who defend our state! Glory to all who fight and work, bringing our victory closer! As for the front, the guys are moving forward. As for the grain, the ships are on their way. As for the occupiers, they are also on their way... following the warships! Glory to Ukraine! Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba announced a new package of military aid from Spain, which includes a battery of Aspide missile system and missiles for it, four Hawk air defense systems, anti-tank missile systems, mortars and munitions. "We worked for a long time with Jose Manuel and our colleagues from other departments to ensure that Ukraine received a new package of military aid from Spain as soon as possible. I am very glad that the new package is already on its way to Ukraine, and our state will soon strengthen its defense capabilities, by receiving a battery of Aspide missile system and missiles for it, four Hawk air defense systems, anti-tank missile systems, mortars and munitions, as well as other military equipment," Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba said at a joint briefing with Jose Manuel Albares Bueno, Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of Spain, in Kyiv, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. Ukraines top diplomat noted that Spain's decision to hand over Hawk systems to Ukraine was a signal for other countries and thanked Spain and Minister Albares for making quick decisions and setting an example. As reported, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares arrived on a visit to Kyiv on November 2. ol United States Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget A. Brink has noted Ukraines determination and the active role of the United Nations and Turkiye in the resumption of grain shipments. The relevant statement was made by United States Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget A. Brinkon Twitter, following her meeting with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Karen Donfried and Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. Ukrainian grain will continue to feed the world, thanks to Ukraines determination and the active role of the United Nations and Turkey. As we discussed with Oleksandr Kubrakov, resumption of grain shipments and the renewal of the initiative will help lower prices and get food to those who need it, Brink wrote. A reminder that, on October 29, 2022, Russia announced its withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative, allegedly due to attacks on the Black Sea Fleet at the Bay of Sevastopol. Despite Russias declaration, twelve grain ships left the Ukrainian ports on October 31, 2022. On November 2, 2022, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated the grain corridor had resumed its work, and grain shipments would continue. Photo: @USAmbKyiv mk The Italian government will continue to support Ukraine, said Oleksii Reznikov, Ukraines Defense Minister, following a phone call with his Italian counterpart Guido Crosetto. The defense chief wrote about this on Twitter, Ukrinform reports. The minister congratulated Crosetto on his appointment and discussed with him "prospects of cooperation on multilateral projects." "Good news: the Italian Government will continue its support for Ukraine," Reznikov wrote. As Ukrinform reported earlier, on October 17, before the end of its term of office, Mario Draghi's government provided Ukraine with a new military aid package, the details of which were not disclosed. Draghi's successor as Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, said Italy would continue to fully support Ukraine in its fights against Russian aggression. Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou and Minister of National Defense Nikos Panagiotopoulos arrived in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, on Thursday. That's according to Ekathimerini, Ukrinform reports. They are expected to hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov. Sakellaropoulou will have a private meeting with Zelensky and will later be joined by their respective delegations. Panagiotopoulos' talks with Reznikov come weeks after Greece started shipping BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine, as part of the "circular exchange" with Germany that is supplying Athens with a total of 40 Marder IFVs. The arrival of the first tanks was announced by Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba on October 19. The Greek president's visit was originally scheduled for mid-October, however, the appointment was rescheduled due to unspecified obstacles. The trip was not announced in advance for security reasons, Greek daily Proto Thema reported. Photo: ekathimerini.com President Volodymyr Zelensky held a meeting with President of Greece Katerina Sakellaropoulou, who is on a visit in Ukraine. The head of the Ukrainian state greeted his Greek counterpart on the square near the Mariinsky Palace. Then, negotiations took place between the delegations of the two countries, Ukrinform reports with reference to a video provided by the Presidents Office press service. After the talks, a press conference of the presidents was held. "I am glad to welcome you in Ukraine today. I am glad to welcome you at a time when we all - not only Ukrainians, all Europeans - need maximum unity and maximum cooperation. Challenges and crises caused by Russian aggression are a threat to everyone on our continent. And only together we can bring back security not only to Ukraine, bring back security to the whole of Europe and guarantee peace," Zelensky said. He also noted that the negotiations with the Greek president were very meaningful and important for both countries. "We are really working together with the Greek side to end this war as soon as possible, to end Russian criminal aggression and to return normal life to Ukraine. It is for this purpose that we are developing our cooperation in the defense, political, economic, and humanitarian spheres," the President added. As reported, Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou and Minister of Defense Nikos Panagiotopoulos arrived in Kyiv for a visit on November 3. iy UNHCR Amid a devastating humanitarian and security crisis in Haiti, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is today calling on States in the region and beyond to suspend the forced return of Haitians to their country. Violence, including sexual violence, kidnapping, looting and roadblocks by armed gangs, and the recent outbreak of cholera, has exacerbated an already dramatic humanitarian situation in Haiti, which is marked by acute food insecurity, fuel shortages, and limited health care and sanitation. Millions of children are unable to attend school, are malnourished and live in fear. As warned by the UN Human Rights Office, the systematic violations of rights and the unremitting armed violence have precipitated the countrys descent into its worst human rights and humanitarian situation in decades. Given this very troubling situation, I appeal to all States to stand in solidarity with Haiti and urge them not to return Haitians to a country that is extremely fragile, said High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. Haitian women, children and men who are outside the country and returned to Haiti may face life-threatening security and health risks, and further displacement inside the country. The forced removal of people to a place where they may face risk of persecution, torture or other serious or irreparable harm would amount to refoulement, which is explicitly prohibited under international refugee and human rights law. International law also prohibits collective expulsions and arbitrary detention associated with it. UNHCR reminds States that Haitians who wish to seek international protection should have access to fair and efficient asylum procedures. UNHCR also calls on States to halt forcible returns of Haitian nationals who have had their asylum claims rejected prior to recent events. This includes those who may not previously have been in need of international protection but for whom the changed circumstances in Haiti present new grounds for an asylum claim. In view of the current dire situation, we encourage governments to ensure that Haitians have access to protection and support services regardless of their reasons for leaving their country. For those not eligible for refugee protection, this may be achieved through granting of complementary protection, temporary protection, humanitarian admission or other legal stay arrangements until the security situation in Haiti permits safe returns. The UN continues to work with the Government of Haiti, civil society groups and private sector stakeholders in pursuit of a peaceful, secure and prosperous future for the country. UNHCR also stands ready to support governments throughout the region to ensure respect for the rights of Haitians, including by helping in the design and implementation of complementary protection mechanisms or other legal stay arrangements where needed. For more information on this topic, please contact: More than a year of ongoing water problems at Meadowlark Community mobile home park has pushed residents to file a lawsuit against the park's owner, Utah-based Havenpark Communities. "The water is terrible," said resident John McDonald. "You can't shower in it, you can't wash your dishes in it, you can't wash your clothes. We won't even give our pets this water." Last winter, Meadowlark residents turned on their taps and found brown and black water pouring out. Montana Department of Environmental Quality investigated and found the minerals iron and manganese in the water generally considered safe but unpalatable, according to DEQ. The lawsuit, which was filed Tuesday afternoon in Yellowstone County District Court, seeks to suspend Havenpark from collecting rent from residents until it fixes the water system. It also seeks damages for the disruption caused by having no ready access to clean water and for the money spent by residents to bring in their own clean water. Resident Gary Deveraux said the water issues have been ongoing for almost two years, stretching back to the fall of 2020 when residents first noticed discolored water. But really, the issues stretch back more than two decades and to the park's previous owner, the Blains, who were sued in 2000 to fix the park's water system, Deveraux said. For most of its existence, Meadowlark Community was Blains Mobile Home Court, situated between the Yellowstone River and the Billings Regional Landfill just off South Billings Boulevard. In 2020, the Blains sold to Havenpark Communities, which christened it Meadowlark. The new owners have spent the last year trying to fix the problems. Havenpark has acknowledged that Meadowlark has had ongoing water issues, but maintains the water was always safe to drink, despite the color. The park runs on well water and much of the discoloration in the water has been caused by old pipes and a broken filtration system, parts for which were supposed to arrive at the park last spring. "A lot of people are worried out here," Deveraux said. "A lot of people are concerned." Residents are buying drinking water and filling jugs at the gas station on South Billings Boulevard near the park, something that can get expensive quickly. Many have been washing their clothes with the purchased water in their bathtubs or taking their laundry to laundromats. One couple set up a portable camp shower in their tub in order to bathe with water they've brought in. Residents who have washed in Meadowlark's water complain about rashes and blistering on their skin. "I just whipped cancer here three years ago," McDonald said. "I don't want something in this water to give it back to me." What's been galling for residents is that for much of the last two years they'd paid their monthly fees to Havenpark that cover water service and water usage, all for water that they can't use. Residents have also seen a handful of rent increases since Havenpark took ownership. "And they're gonna raise the rent again (in January) and we can't even use the water," said McDonald. Deveraux has spent much of the last year organizing residents and getting them to speak out about the issues they've encountered. He convinced nine of his fellow residents to file the lawsuit and he hopes it will be given class action status by the judge to include all residents at the park. Five years ago, in recognition of the universitys 125th anniversary, Montana State University honored 125 extraordinary, ordinary women who have been important to the universitys history. Now, the university is seeking nominations of additional extraordinary, ordinary women to recognize as MSU celebrates its 130th anniversary, bringing the group of honored women to 130. The five newly inducted women will be celebrated at a luncheon on Feb. 16, the universitys Founders Day and its anniversary. Recognizing women and their extraordinary impacts inspired some honorees to seek national recognition and think of new ways to support the status of women, said Nika Stoop, program lead, gender equity in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and assistant director of the MSU Center for Faculty Excellence. I cant wait to learn about the next five extraordinary ordinary women of Montana State. Nominations will be accepted until 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 21. Nominations should include the womans name, affiliation with MSU and information about how she had an impact on the status of women and inspired others by her example. The original 125 honorees in 2018 were selected from almost 400 nominations from across the state. Those honored were leaders, problem solvers and innovators from the present and throughout MSUs history. Profiles of the original 125 honorees are available at montana.edu/president/universitywomen/extraordinary/125women.html. The Extraordinary Ordinary Women awards are being coordinated by the Presidents Office with support from the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. For more information about the Extraordinary, Ordinary Women of Montana State University, or to submit a nomination, visit montana.edu/extraordinarywomen. Voters from Dillon to Plentywood next week will have a hand in further shaping the cannabis landscape in Montana through localized ballot measures. Eleven of the 16 ballot measures across the state deal with implementing a 3% local option sales tax that's proved highly popular in previous elections. During the June primary, 13 counties, mostly rural, approved the local option taxes by a 3-to-1 margin. The state already collects a 20% tax on recreational cannabis sales and a 4% tax on medical marijuana sales. Through the end of September, Montana has seen nearly $228 million in recreational and medical sales, and reaped over $33.5 million in tax revenue. Recreational sales, so far at $152.5 million, have eclipsed the state's own projections for the entire 2022 calendar year, which had been forecasted at $130 million. Five other measures ask voters whether to allow recreational sales in their local jurisdictions or ban them outright. Currently 28 counties and the city of Billings prohibit recreational cannabis sales. For the second time this year, Granite County voters will decide whether to allow recreational cannabis sales. The county first approved legalization in 2020, but a push in this year's June primary to ban recreational sales won out with 53% of votes. It was the first county to reverse from green to red. That repeal effort got a boost from Steve Zabawa, a perennial marijuana opponent from Billings who heads up the group SafeMontana. The group's satellite organization in Philipsburg spent some $2,200 in advertising urging voters to repeal recreational sales ahead of the June election, but has reported no activity since the citizen effort to flip the county "green" again got started. Kendrick Richmond, manager at Top Shelf Botanicals in Philipsburg, went to the county courthouse three days after the election to get the re-do campaign underway. He gathered 394 signatures, about 20 more than needed to reach the November ballot, and has since been trying to coax voters back to their 2020 stance, when Granite County passed legalization by a 10-point margin. He also mustered up enough signatures to put a 3% tax on recreational and medical sales on the ballot. "We're providing safe products, and I think that's what's lost here is because everything we do goes through the state, background checks and everything," Richmond said in a phone interview this week. "The tax money is important because, and it's not a lot of money, but it'll certainly help and you don't need to do a damn thing for it." Four municipalities, Great Falls, Deer Lodge, Manhattan and West Yellowstone, will each vote to prohibit recreational marijuana sales in city limits. There are no marijuana businesses inside the city limits of Deer Lodge or Powell County. The Montana Standard reported in September that the Deer Lodge City Council, while not taking a position on matter, agreed in March to put banning recreational marijuana sales to a vote at the request of local marijuana opponents concerned about potential impacts on young people. Great Falls had banned marijuana sales in city limits through a local zoning ordinance, but District Court Judge David Grubich struck down that ban last month. Owners of the Green Creek Dispensary challenged the ordinance in court, arguing state law required a public vote on whether to ban recreational cannabis sales in a green county; Cascade County approved legalization in the 2020 election. Simultaneously, Cascade County will join eight others in potentially imposing a 3% local option tax on recreational and medical marijuana, each tax requiring its own vote. The other counties are Gallatin, Madison, Mineral, Sanders, Flathead, Hill, Valley and Sheridan. Of the local taxes, 50% is retained by the county, 45% is distributed to the municipalities and 5% goes to the state to defray the costs of administering the taxes. Beaverhead County will vote to tax medical and recreational cannabis sales, although recreational sales are currently prohibited in the county. The Dillon Tribune reported on Oct. 19 that a citizen-led effort to put recreational sales on the ballot this November failed to gather the signatures to do so. The county, population 9,300, has reported almost $600,000 in medical marijuana sales through the end of September. A 3% tax that state law requires to be primarily split between the county and its municipalities would net $18,000 over a nine month period. Previously county officials have earmarked the potential tax revenue for a specific purpose ahead of the election. Beaverhead County Commissioner John Jackson said Tuesday commissioners have not tagged that potential funding for any department yet, but he would like to see it go toward public safety. "In my opinion law enforcement is where it needs to go," Jackson said, adding that the sheriff's office isn't hurting for funding, but he is "anti-drug." If each county approves those tax measures on Tuesday and Granite County allows recreational cannabis to return, all but three of the 28 green counties across Montana will have imposed a local option sales tax on marijuana sales. Leesburg, United States, Nov 3 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 3rd Nov, 2022 ) :Many are burning out, others fear for their safety: conspiracy theories born in the 2020 election are fueling harassment of poll workers across the United States -- complicating their work and stoking fears of violence in the November 8 midterms. Egged on by baseless claims of fraud from former president Donald Trump and others, many voters are taking matters into their own hands, with officials warning of real consequences for the democratic process. "The only problems we have had, honestly, have been dealing with misinformation," said Richard Keech, deputy registrar in Loudoun County, Virginia, outside Washington. Voters streamed into the county Office of Elections when AFP visited on October 28, casting ballots early in a swing state where Republicans hope to pick up seats in Congress. One asked if the voting machines were connected to the internet, echoing a huge, false narrative that spread online in 2020. Voting machines are not typically online -- and thus are not vulnerable to hacking while polls are open. However benign, questions like that can slow election workers down. Others are less innocent, veering into harassment. Since August, Loudoun County has fielded more than 200 freedom of information requests about voting equipment and procedures, the highest number ever received -- sapping precious resources. A local group of "digital warriors" circulated a video falsely claiming county officials were storing photos of ballots. "Within 24 hours, we had voters showing up at the front counter insisting to see the picture of their ballot to show that their vote was counted properly," said Keech, who has worked for the elections office for over a decade. In Arizona, ballot watchers inspired by a popular conspiracy film about the 2020 election have staked out and recorded activity at drop boxes. In other battleground states such as Florida and Michigan, the Republican National Committee has recruited poll workers from groups that deny President Joe Biden's 2020 victory was legitimate. And in Pennsylvania, poll officials say they are concerned for their safety. "There's definitely a gravity weighing on us just kind of knowing what's happening in other counties," said Dori Sawyer, voter services director in Montgomery County, near Philadelphia. "Kind of, you know, wondering: When is it our turn?" Belize City, Nov 3 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 3rd Nov, 2022 ) :Tropical Storm Lisa slowed on Thursday after making landfall in Belize, causing flooding and plunging parts of the country into darkness as it churned westwards. The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) has downgraded Lisa from a hurricane to a tropical storm, noting that as of 0600 GMT the eye hovered about 85 miles (135 kilometers) outside of Belize City and was moving towards Guatemala and southeastern Mexico at 12 miles per hour (19 kilometers per hour). For the next day or so, the storm system is expected to pack a gusty punch and deliver heavy rain, swells and flash flooding to Central America's northern coast and the tip of the Yucatan Peninsula, further weakening as it moves inland. Lisa slammed into the Sibun River just southwest of economic hub and former capital Belize City around 21:20 GMT on Wednesday, uprooting trees, downing power lines and inundating streets. "It's very dangerous for us" because in Belize "it floods quickly, even with moderate rain," Jasmin Ayuso, a 21-year-old secretary, told AFP. A state of emergency was declared in two areas, while a countrywide curfew was in effect until dawn on Thursday. Some parts of the country were left without power as the storm lashed the tourist-popular coast with maximum sustained winds of around 50 mph (80 kph). "BEL is aware of power outages affecting several areas of the country," the utility wrote on Facebook on Wednesday night. "We assure the public that our teams are taking note of the reports of damages to the power system, including fallen power lines and poles." Schools and most businesses were closed and the government set up several shelters. In Belize City and neighboring areas, local media showed buildings had been damaged and flooded, while trees were uprooted. The NHC said Lisa was barreling towards northern Guatemala and southeastern Mexico with a "decrease in forward speed" expected as it moved over the Bay of Campeche. Lisa arrives not even three weeks after the passage of Julia, another Category 1 hurricane, which caused dozens of deaths in Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. (@ChaudhryMAli88) UNITED NATIONS, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 3rd Nov, 2022 ) :Governments and the international community must take action to protect the people who bring us the news, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Wednesday, marking the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists. Despite their critical role, he pointed out in his message for the Day that more than 70 journalists have been killed this year alone. "Most of these crimes go unsolved," the UN chief said, adding that a record number of journalists were incarcerated today, with threats of imprisonment, violence, and death growing. "On this International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, let us honour our media workers, and stand up for truth, justice and human rights for all," This year also marks the 10th anniversary of the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity. The Secretary-General underscored the importance of a free press, which he said is vital to a functioning democracy, exposing wrongdoing, navigating our complex world, and advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) the blueprint for a more just, equitable and greener future. He also said that a surge in disinformation, online bullying and hate speech, particularly against women journalists, was contributing to the stifling of media workers around the globe. "Intimidation through the abuse of legal, financial and other means, is undermining efforts to hold the powerful accountable. These trends threaten not only journalists, but society as a whole," he added. Eighteen have been murdered so far this year, according to the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which maintains an online database on judicial enquiries into journalist killings worldwide. A decade ago, countries endorsed the UN action plan which aims to protect journalists, prevent crimes against them, and pursue their perpetrators. "This groundbreaking document was adopted to acknowledge the vital work journalists do for example when they report on conflicts and crises, or when they inquire into the workings of power and investigate corruption and other forms of injustice as well as the risks they face when doing this," said Audrey Azoulay, the UNESCO Director-General. Much progress has been made since the plan's adoption, she reported, with concrete measures implemented at the national, regional and global levels. UNESCO said it has also played a part, including through training nearly 36,000 judicial, law enforcement and security officials on issues such as freedom of expression and the security of journalists, including online. However, "journalists continue to be killed at an alarming rate", said Ms. Azoulay. UNESCO data reveals that 955 journalists have lost their lives over the past decade, and 2022 has been the deadliest year since 2018. Ms. Azoulay called for renewed commitment to protecting journalists everywhere, and at all times. "This means in situations of conflict and crisis, of course, and UNESCO is supporting journalists in Ukraine and Afghanistan, for instance. It also means in times of peace for that is when most journalists have been killed in recent years," she said. The UNESCO chief further called for stepping up efforts online, where new forms of violence have surfaced, especially targeting women, with three in four women journalists having experienced online harassment. (@FahadShabbir) KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 3rd Nov, 2022 ) :The Office of Research Innovation and Commercialization University of Karachi arranged an awareness seminar to inform younger scholars and researchers about the importance of intellectual property and the copyright act to protect their research and products. KU Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Khalid Mahmood Iraqi while addressing mentioned that along with science and technology, management sciences also have the importance of protecting the products of researchers and scholars, said a statement on Thursday. He said that students should do research for the betterment and benefit of society, and advised them to compulsorily patent their work as it is very important for researchers and scholars. He shared that the KU ORIC provides full support to its students' products and helps them out in registering their products. Professor Dr Khalid Iraqi further advised students that they should carry out research keeping in mind the interest of society. Meanwhile, the Additional Registrar Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) Syed Iftikhar Hasan Naqvi said that in 2012 there were 20 percent more companies in Karachi than in Lahore and Islamabad but, now the number of these companies is 36, 000 and today, the number of companies in Lahore and Islamabad is more than in Karachi. He said that our institution is always ready to help people including students. He mentioned that SECP provides registration procedures and other information including business agreements. Another speaker, Advocate Erum Rasheed, associated with Vellani and Vellani, informed the students about the benefits of protection through the patent of products. One of the speakers, Associate Manager IP Utopia Industries Saad Ahmed Khan also provided information to the students regarding trademarks, copyrights, and patents. Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb on Thursday condemned firing at Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in Gujranwala and demanded a thorough investigation into the incident ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 3rd Nov, 2022 ) :Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb on Thursday condemned firing at Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in Gujranwala and demanded a thorough investigation into the incident. "The incident is very unfortunate and condemnable. It should not be politicized and speculations on the incident must be avoided," she said in a news statement. Marriyum said the Punjab police as well as administration and other relevant departments should bring forth the facts after investigating the incident which occurred within the jurisdiction of Punjab government. She said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had sought preliminary report on the matter, while Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah was in constant contact with the Inspector General and Chief Secretary Punjab. The minister said the Federal government would extend all-out cooperation to the Punjab Government in this regard. "We are waiting for the report of Punjab government over the incident," she added. She advised the media to avoid speculation on the incident which was sensitive in nature. Speculations on such matter might lead to violence, she added. The media was needed to act in responsible way and should only publish those facts which were shared by the provincial government and Punjab police, she stressed, adding verified information would be shared with media as soon as it was received. Marriyum also prayed for early recovery of Senator Faisal Javed who also got injured during the incident. (@ChaudhryMAli88) In the eastern DR Congo city of Goma, fears are rising of an imminent assault by a bloody rebel group whose resurgence has stoked diplomatic tensions in central Africa Goma, DR Congo, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 3rd Nov, 2022 ) :In the eastern DR Congo city of Goma, fears are rising of an imminent assault by a bloody rebel group whose resurgence has stoked diplomatic tensions in central Africa. A predominantly Congolese Tutsi militia called the M23 has returned after years of dormancy, conquering swathes of territory in troubled North Kivu province. After a string of victories over the army, the M23 fighters are as close as several dozen kilometres from Goma, a commercial hub of a million people that it briefly captured a decade ago. Militiamen over the weekend were in control of Rugari, a settlement about 30 kilometres (18 miles) north of the city, according to violence monitor Kivu Security Tracker (KST). Many citizens now dread what could come next, and food prices are rocketing. "My children refuse to go to school, they think it (the assault) could happen at any moment," said Nsimire Foybe, a 58-year-old mother of eight, who sells potatoes and beans in Goma's lively Birere market. She added that a fellow vendor was so shocked on hearing of the M23's vow to capture the city that she suffered a miscarriage and was still in hospital. The M23 captured Goma in 2012, a move that gave it global prominence, but was beaten back by a joint Congolese-UN offensive and went into the sidelines. The group took up arms again in late 2021, claiming that the Democratic Republic of Congo had failed to honour a pledge to integrate them into the army, among other grievances. In June, it captured the strategic town of Bunagana, which lies on the border with Uganda. Months of relative stasis have ended with the M23 capturing a string of settlements and a large army base, dramatically increasing the territory under its command. The militia has also cemented control over the highway leading out of Goma, sending the prices of basic goods such as rice and flour soaring in the city. Many people are afraid that food will run out. "The situation is going to become untenable," said Giramata Mwiza, a wholesaler in Birere, one of Goma's biggest markets. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd November, 2022) EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Thursday that he had discussed the situation on the Kosovo's border with Serbia with Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo Albin Kurti. The meeting took place amid growing tensions between the Serb population of Kosovo supported by Serbia and the Kosovo authorities. The social unrest including clashes with the Kosovo police and burning of cars was caused by the requirement of the Kosovo government to replace Serbian license plates with plates issued in Kosovo until November 1. "Good to meet PM Albin Kurti ahead of #BerlinProcess. (We) discussed the situation in north of Kosovo. Disruptive actions, such as burning of cars, are unacceptable. Dialogue agreements must be respected. Call on all to act with restraint. We also discussed way forward on normalization," Borrell tweeted. The Berlin Process Summit on the Western Balkans is being held in Berlin on Thursday. Six Balkan states, including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia and Serbia, and selected members of the European Union will discuss cooperation as well as promotion of stability and peace in the region, according to media reports. (@FahadShabbir) IAEA inspectors have completed inspections at three sites in Ukraine following a request from Kiev, they have not identified any undeclared activity there, the agency said in a statement VIENNA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd November, 2022) IAEA inspectors have completed inspections at three sites in Ukraine following a request from Kiev, they have not identified any undeclared activity there, the agency said in a statement. Earlier, Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, the head of the Radiation, Chemical and Biological Defense Forces of the Russian Armed Forces, said that the Russian Defense Ministry had information about Kiev's plans to use a "dirty bomb" and blame Moscow for this. This week, IAEA experts began checking Ukrainian facilities following a request from Kiev amid Russia's claims. "Based on the evaluation of the results available to date and the information provided by Ukraine, the Agency did not find any indications of undeclared nuclear activities and materials at the locations," the organization said in a statement. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said the agency was ready to continue conducting inspections in Ukraine to make sure there were no undeclared activities. "Director General Grossi stressed that the IAEA remained ready to conduct further such verification activities in Ukraine to verify the absence of undeclared activities and materials and thereby deter any misuse of such materials," the IAEA said in a statement. (@FahadShabbir) MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd November, 2022) Kiev has reaffirmed its commitment not to use humanitarian corridors established for the export of Ukrainian grain under the deal with Russia, for military purposes, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told Spanish broadcaster Cadena SER on Thursday. Moscow suspended its participation in the grain deal on October 29 after Ukraine attacked Russian military and civilian vessels in the Black Sea. On Wednesday, Russia resumed its participation in the deal after security guarantees were received from Ukraine under the mediation of Turkey and the United Nations. Earlier on Thursday, Ankara said that the shipping along the grain corridors had completely returned to normal. "We have never used the green corridor for military purposes, and we are ready to repeat it. And this is what we have done: we have said that we do not plan to use this corridor for military purposes," Kuleba told the broadcaster. The Ukrainian foreign minister said that the guarantees given by Ukraine were "just Russia's way of saving its face." Moscow resumed its participation in the grain deal not because "someone gave it some guarantees, but because there was a large amount of behind-the-scenes diplomacy on the part of the UN secretary-general and the Turkish president," Kuleba added. Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said on social networks that Kiev had not made any additional commitments under the grain deal as part of the security guarantees. Russia and Ukraine signed a deal brokered by Turkey and the UN in Istanbul on July 22. The series of documents lifted restrictions on supplies of Russian products for export and provided for Moscow's assistance in exporting Ukrainian grain, food and fertilizer from the ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk and Yuzhne through the Black Sea. The deal will expire on November 19. WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd November, 2022) microsoft will provide an additional $100 million worth of technology support for Ukraine through the end of next year, the company's Vice Chair and President Brad Smith announced in a blog post on Thursday. "Today, we are announcing that Microsoft will extend technology support free of charge for Ukraine throughout Calendar year 2023. This commits our company to providing additional technology aid valued at roughly $100 million, which will ensure that government agencies, critical infrastructure and other sectors in Ukraine can continue to run their digital infrastructure and serve citizens through the Microsoft Cloud," Smith said. The new commitment will bring Microsoft's total aid contribution to Ukraine to more than $400 million since the beginning of the conflict in February, he added. Microsoft pledged to support Ukrainian services through cloud services and data centers across Europe. The tech giant also promised to provide cybersecurity protection, and support nonprofits and humanitarian organizations operating in Ukraine, Poland and elsewhere in the European Union, according to the statement. Access to public lands, forest thinning and community input on projects are at the fore of Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte's natural resources priorities for the upcoming 2023 legislative session. Gianforte outlined the goals in remarks at the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation's international headquarters in Missoula on Wednesday. Speaking to members of the press, flanked by administration officials and RMEF leadership, the first-term Republican governor and former congressman touted his administration's progress thus far on the goals. Accomplishments, he said, include a local planning committee and funding to improve recreation access along the lower Yellowstone River downstream of Billings, arrangements with the U.S. Forest Service to thin forests for wildfire resiliency, and negotiated hunting access via easements and land acquisitions. He also highlighted a planned update to the state's decades-old drought management plan, a new map of "access deserts" on navigable waterways across the state, and more active state management of forests. The governor was joined by Amanda Kaster, director of Montana's Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, and Hank Worsech, director of Montana's Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks. He said he was speaking to address the final of four commitments he made in his inaugural address upon taking office in 2021: "protecting our way of life." "This means protecting things that make Montana, Montana," he said. "Our rich outdoor heritage, vast public lands and abundant natural resources are a few of them that we need to conserve. And we have an obligation to protect them, not just for our own benefit but for future generations as well." Asked to further explain the "Montana way of life," he said that it's "probably a little different to every single Montanan." As a sportsman himself, he said, hunting and fishing "are not things that we do, they're not activities, it's really who we are. It's an identity. And access to lands, for hunting and fishing, is part of our identity." An example of bolstering access, he said, was the state's acquisition through FWP of 5,677 acres in the Big Snowy Mountains. The parcel, which abuts public lands and was approved for acquisition in September, offers not only "exceptional hunting opportunities with excellent habitat and access to the Big Snowys elk herd, it will also remain available for cattle grazing, keeping it production ag," he said. Kyle Weaver, president and CEO of RMEF, also lauded the acquisition, which the organization supported. "The state has a vested interest in seeing land conserved for wildlife habitat while also protecting ranchers on the landscape," Gianforte said. "These two objectives, conservation and production ag, are not mutually exclusive. We can join them together. We married those two interests in this agreement." Other hunting-related measures taken by Gianforte's administration have not been as popular. Last year's rollout of a revised 454 hunting tag program tweaked by the 2021 Legislature has been criticized by some hunting groups as favoring wealthy owners of massive ranches over regular hunters. The program, debuted in 2001, originally offered landowners one elk tag in exchange for allowing four hunters with bull tags to access their property. The updated program offers landowners more elk tags for allowing other bull or cow tag-holding hunters access to their lands. Asked about the criticism on Wednesday, Gianforte initially did not recall the modifications to the program, which he signed into law and which FWP is tasked with enacting. Worsech reminded him that the ratio had been changed. "We changed the ratio," Gianforte said. "The purpose of the 454 program is to increase public access to private lands. It's a tool that hadn't been used very much. We're starting to use it to increase access in alignment with our state objectives." Under the 4-1 ratio they said the program was hardly used. In its revised form, they said, more landowners are participating, meaning more public hunters are accessing private lands. The governor and Worsech defended the revised program, noting an uptick in elk harvested on private lands, although Worsech said that "last year we didn't have the process down as well as we should've, this year we do." Throughout his remarks, Gianforte repeatedly stressed local public input as being crucial to decisions his administration makes: "Any of these issues have to be done with the support of the local community. So public input will be involved in any changes that we're going to be making." Gianforte stressed community input again when a reporter asked for his thoughts on a Utah ski corporation's proposal to drastically expand Holland Lake Lodge in the Swan Valley. "I'm not familiar with the details there, but let me say, on any public land use issues, I always strive for consensus of the local community," he said. "I think that's critical. I laid out the priorities, you know, public lands have to stay in public hands, we have to be working to increase public access, and the voice of the local community needs to be heard." AMMAN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd November, 2022) Moscow still does not see any progress on unblocking the export of Russian fertilizers and grain under the Black Sea Initiative, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday. "As you know, the implementation of the Ukrainian part of the deal has resumed, but at the same time, we still do not see any result in terms of the second part of the package, proposed at the time by UN Secretary-General (Antonio) Guterres and which involves the removal of any obstacles to export routes for Russian fertilizers and grain," Lavrov told reporters during his visit to Jordan. Serious measures should be taken to unblock the export, the minister added. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd November, 2022) North Korea has fired one more unknown ballistic missile toward the Sea of Japan, the Yonhap news agency reported on Thursday. Earlier on Thursday, the media cited the South Korean military as saying that Pyongyang had fired an unknown ballistic missile toward the Sea of Japan. A source told the media that the missile is believed to be an intermediate- or long-range missile. The missile had flown over Japanese territory. The Japan Coast Guard called on vessels to monitor incoming information, as well as refrain from approaching fallen objects and report them to the authority. TOKYO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd November, 2022) One of the missiles launched by Pyongyang on Thursday morning could have been an intercontinental ballistic missile, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said. "North Korea has conducted several missile launches. We are not ruling out the possibility that one of them could have been an intercontinental missile," Kishida told journalists. The Yonhap news agency reported earlier on Thursday that North Korea has launched one long-range ballistic missile and two short-range ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan. One of the missiles was believed to have passed over the Japanese prefectures of Niigata, Yamagata, and Miyagi as the J-Alert early warning system went off in a number of regions, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported, adding that people were urged to hide in shelters. However, Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada refuted media reports saying that the missile could have fallen in the Sea of Japan as it had disappeared there. Negotiations underway to unblock exports of fertiliser from Russia have made "important steps forward", one of the main United Nations negotiators said Thursday, acknowledging though there was still a way to go Geneva, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 3rd Nov, 2022 ) :Negotiations underway to unblock exports of fertiliser from Russia have made "important steps forward", one of the main United Nations negotiators said Thursday, acknowledging though there was still a way to go. Moscow has complained its grain and fertiliser exports continue to face issues over sanctions imposed after its invasion of Ukraine, despite two agreements signed on July 22 that called for sanctions to spare agriculture-related products and granted safe passage for Ukrainian grain exports. The second of those agreements, brokered by Turkey and the UN, has been working quite well, allowing millions of tonnes of grain to leave Ukrainian ports, and relieving some fears over a deepening global food security crisis. But concerns have been increasing over that deal as well after Russia briefly exited it last week over a drone attack on its Black Sea Fleet in Crimea, and with a November 19 renewal deadline looming. The Kremlin said Thursday it had yet to decide if it will extend its participation. But UN trade negotiator Rebeca Grynspan told reporters in Geneva that she had "hope that the parties will be responsible and will extend and expand the Black Sea grain initiative." And she said significant progress was being made towards unblocking the situation with Russia's fertiliser exports. "We are working very hard making that facilitation, (and) have concrete results," said Grynspan, who heads the UN's trade and development agency UNCTAD. "We have made important steps forward, but there is still a road to be travelled, especially with respect to the fertiliser crunch that we are seeing in the world." She acknowledged that fertiliser exports from Russia -- the world's largest producer -- continue to face significant obstacles, but said "we have been clarifying and engaging with the EU, the US and the UK to solve these problems. "I think that we are making progress," she said, adding though that the negotiators had not made "all the progress that I would want to see right now.""It is a difficult issue, it is a complex ecosystem." MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd November, 2022) The peace agreement between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) is crucial to advancing reforms in the country, with Addis Ababa's commitment to peace remaining unshaken, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali said on Wednesday. Earlier in the day, the Ethiopian government and local Tigray region forces announced a deal to permanently cease hostilities, setting up a prospective end to a conflict that has left tens of thousands dead and millions more displaced. "The agreement signed today in South Africa is monumental in moving Ethiopia forward on the path of the reforms we embarked upon four and half years ago. Our commitment to peace remains steadfast. And our commitment to collaborating for the implementation of the agreement is equally strong," the prime minister tweeted. The prime minister also commended the African Union panel, its members and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa for facilitating the peace process. European Council President Charles Michel welcomed the agreement between the Ethiopian government and the TPLF, adding that the European Union is ready to support further steps in ending the conflict. "Welcome agreement on cessation of hostilities in #Ethiopia thanks to #AU (African Union) mediation. Implementation key. Important to consolidate first step into lasting peace & reconciliation. Priority to ensure humanitarian assistance & restore basic services. EU ready to support next steps," Michel said on Twitter. Ethiopia has experienced a violent internal conflict since November 2020, when the central government accused the TPLF of attacking its military base and launched an anti-terrorist operation in the region. In June 2021, the TPLF seized the city of Mekelle Tigray's administrative regional center after fighting the government and the latter declared an unconditional ceasefire. However, the TPLF soon launched a new offensive and took control of the southern part of Tigray and the neighboring Amhara region. A new ceasefire deal was reached in March, when the Ethiopian authorities announced the introduction of an indefinite truce for the delivery of humanitarian aid to Tigray. In June, the Ethiopian government announced the establishing of a committee for negotiations with the TPLF. (@FahadShabbir) The US State Department called on the government of Equatorial Guinea on Thursday to honor its international commitments and constitutional principles by supporting a free and fair vote as the country's election campaign season officially began WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd November, 2022) The US State Department called on the government of Equatorial Guinea on Thursday to honor its international commitments and constitutional principles by supporting a free and fair vote as the country's election campaign season officially began. "The United States has been concerned by reports of arrests and harassment of opposition members and civil society, and we urge the government to allow its citizens to freely and confidently express their preferences at the ballot box," State Department Spokesperson Ned price said in a release. The government of Equatorial Guinea frequently detains the few opposition politicians. The current president, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, is Africa's longest-serving head of state, holding power since 1979. In the last legislative elections, his ruling Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea and its allied parties won 99 of 100 seats in the lower house, all 55 of the elected seats in the Senate, and control of all municipal councils. Equatorial Guinea's presidential and legislative elections will be held on November 20. A Gackle man who authorities say was drunk while driving a combine has pleaded not guilty to a charge of negligent homicide in the death of a South African farmhand who was struck by the machine. Ryan Storbeck, 41, entered the plea at a Tuesday hearing, according to court documents. The charge carries a possible five-year prison sentence upon conviction. His defense attorney did not immediately respond to a Tribune request for comment. Storbeck is further charged with DUI and false reports to law enforcement stemming from the death of Johannes Steenberg, 57, whom an affidavit states is from South Africa but has a temporary residence in rural Gackle. A deputy Stutsman County sheriff on Sept. 6 who responded to the scene northeast of Gackle found evidence that Steenbergs head had been crushed between the header of a combine and the wheel of a grain cart, the affidavit states. Storbeck unloaded the combine into the grain cart and went back to the field. He later called another man to check on Steenberg because he didnt see him in the tractor. The man found Steenberg near the right tire of the grain cart, according to the affidavit. Storbeck initially told officials he hadnt been drinking but later allegedly admitted to drinking a six-pack or 12-pack of beer. He allegedly told authorities they usually start with a 30-pack and today they ran out before they started combining, the document states. His blood alcohol content at 8:30 p.m. was 0.11%, and at 9:18 it was 0.09%, according to the affidavit. The legal limit is 0.08%. Storbecks trial is scheduled for Jan. 10, 2023. The UN Security Council is calling for an immediate end to violence in Haiti and is inflicting punitive sanctions against a notorious street gang leader. By James Blears The UN Security Council has unanimously approved this resolution without a single dissenting voice. It demands an immediate end to the violence pervading Haiti. The Security Council has also imposed a travel ban, arms embargo, and assets freeze on Jimmy Barbecue Cherizier, whose so-called G9 Family and Allies, are blockading the fuel terminal in the Capital Port Au Prince. Cherizier, whos a former Police Officer turned rogue operative, is already armed to the teeth. But he is staying put and out of reach, to consolidate his power base and his assets are strictly cash and carry, as a result of strongarm intimidation. Hes demanding an amnesty for himself and his henchmen, which wont be granted, due to his litany of crimes and their catalogue of outrages at his behest. The UN has also established a committee that can unfold more Paper Tigers. The removal of fuel subsidies last month, resulting in the prices doubling, has caused widespread hunger as basic commodities are now out of most Haitians reach. That event has tipped the economic balance, causing further chaos, and resulting in more misery. The United States announced on Thursday up to $5 million in rewards, seeking information on a Singaporean national whom officials say provided sanctioned services to North Korea to enable Pyongyang's nuclear programs. Kwek Kee Seng is accused of engaging in an extensive scheme to evade U.S. and United Nations sanctions by covertly transporting fuel to North Korea through a Singapore-based shipping agency, Swanseas Port Services (S) Pte Ltd. In violation of U.S. law, Kwek Kee Seng "has organized the delivery of petroleum products directly to the DPRK as well as ship-to-ship transfers of fuel destined for the DPRK using one of his oil tankers," said Paul Houston, a deputy assistant secretary of state for the Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service. Thursday's Rewards for Justice announcement is part of Washington's ongoing efforts to disrupt financial tools of persons engaged in illegal activities that support North Korea's weapons proliferation programs, money laundering, and specific cyber operations. The U.S. efforts to curb North Korea's illicit activities come amid Pyongyang's unprecedented missile firings and escalating nuclear threats. "The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is a country of major concern when it comes to proliferation," said Gonzalo Suarez, a deputy assistant secretary of state for international security and nonproliferation. "As of this morning, it has launched over 50 ballistic missiles, including six intercontinental ballistic missiles, and we assess it is prepared to also conduct a nuclear test," Suarez added. North Korea on Thursday continued its unprecedented pace of launches, sending six more missiles into the sea, as it continued to lash out at the United States and South Korea for conducting joint military exercises. U.S. officials also voiced concerns about North Korea's weapon proliferation. White House National Security spokesperson John Kirby said Wednesday the U.S. has information that indicates North Korea is covertly supplying Russia with a "significant" number of artillery shells for its war in Ukraine. In Pyongyang, North Korea's foreign ministry this week demanded that the U.S. and South Korea stop large-scale military exercises, calling them a provocation that may draw "more powerful follow-up measures." "The DPRK knows full well that the military exercises that we conduct are purely, purely defensive in nature," State Department spokesperson Ned Price said during a briefing Tuesday. The spokesperson warned of "profound costs and profound consequences" if North Korea went ahead with its seventh nuclear test. A diplomatic source who asked not to be named told VOA that South Korea, together with the U.S., have "full capability" to "wipe out" North Korea should Pyongyang launch an attack against Seoul. He said South Korea currently has no plan to request that the United States redeploy the tactical nuclear weapons that Washington withdrew from Seoul in the early 1990s. The Rewards for Justice Program is administered by the State Department's diplomatic security service. The program has paid more than $250 million to more than 125 people who provided information that have helped resolve threats to U.S. national security since 1984. The URL has been copied to your clipboard Several dictators are significantly overstating economic growth, according to research which looks at satellite images of countries at night. As Henry Ridgwell reports, economists have long questioned the reliability of data from autocratic regimes including China. Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid's office says he has conceded defeat to former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in this week's election. A statement said Lapid congratulated Netanyahu and has instructed his office to prepare an organized transition of power. "The state of Israel comes before any political consideration," Lapid said. "I wish Netanyahu success, for the sake of the people of Israel and the state of Israel." Lapid, who has served as interim prime minister for the past four months, made the announcement after a near-final vote count showed Netanyahu securing a parliamentary majority. Final results were expected later Thursday. The former prime minister is expected to head the country's most right-wing government in history when he takes power, likely in the coming weeks. Israel held its fifth election in four years on Tuesday, a protracted political crisis that saw voters divided over Netanyahu's fitness to serve while on trial for corruption. Netanyahu's expected win and his likely comfortable majority puts an end to Israel's political instability, for now. But it leaves Israelis split over their leadership and over the values that define their state: Jewish or democratic. Netanyahu's top partner in the government is expected to be the far-right Religious Zionism party, whose main candidate, Itamar Ben-Gvir is a disciple of a racist rabbi and says he wants to end Palestinian autonomy in parts of the West Bank. Until recently Ben-Gvir hung a photo in his home of Baruch Goldstein, an American-Israeli who killed 29 Palestinians in a West Bank shooting attack in 1993. Ben-Gvir, who promises to deport Arab legislators, says he wants to be named head of the ministry that is in charge of the police. Religious Zionism has promised to enact changes to Israeli law that could make Netanyahu's legal woes disappear and, along with other nationalist allies, they want to weaken the independence of the judiciary and concentrate more power in the hands of lawmakers. The party's leader, Bezalel Smotrich, a West Bank settler who has made anti-Arab remarks, has his sights set on the Defense Ministry, which would make him the overseer of the military and Israel's West Bank military occupation. As the votes were being counted, Israeli-Palestinian violence was flaring, with at least four Palestinians killed in separate incidents, and an Israeli police officer wounded lightly in a stabbing. Ben-Gvir used the incidents to promise a tougher approach to Palestinian attackers once he enters government. "The time has come to restore security to the streets," he tweeted. "The time has come for a terrorist who goes out to carry out an attack to be taken out!" The surging power of Israel's right wing came at the expense of its left flank. The Labor party, once a mainstream fixture of Israeli politics and which supports Palestinian statehood, was teetering just above the electoral threshold. As vote counting neared an end, the anti-occupation Meretz appeared headed for political exile for the first time since it was founded in the 1990s. Meretz's leader, Zehava Galon, released a video late Thursday conceding the party would not be in the next parliament. "This is a disaster for Meretz, a disaster for the country and yes, a disaster for me," she said. After the results are formally announced, Israel's ceremonial president taps one candidate, usually from the largest party, to form a government. They then have four weeks to do so. Netanyahu is likely to wrap up talks within that time, but Religious Zionism is expected to drive a hard bargain for its support. The polarizing Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving leader, was ousted in 2021 after 12 consecutive years in power by an ideologically diverse coalition that included for the first time in Israel's history a small Arab party. The coalition collapsed in the spring over infighting. Netanyahu is charged with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in a series of scandals involving wealthy associates and media moguls. He denies wrongdoing, seeing the trial as a witch hunt against him orchestrated by a hostile media and a biased judicial system. TRANSCRIPT: The Inside Story: A Free Press Matters Episode 64 November 3, 2022 Show Open: Unidentified Narrator: This week: A Free Press Matters. Well show you the global threat to free and independent journalism. From Mexico to Somalia and Hong Kong see whats being done to ensure local media has a voice. And hear from journalists in their own words as they recall their experiences. Join us for The Inside Story A Free Press Matters. The Inside Story: JESSICA JERREAT, VOAs Press Freedom Editor: Hi. Im Jessica Jerreat, VOAs Press Freedom Editor. My job is making sure that you are aware of the extraordinary measures journalists around the world take every day to keep audiences informed about the issues and events that impact our lives. A Free Press Matters is more than just a mantra here at VOA. Our journalists know firsthand the risks for media working in some of the most repressive regions in the worldand also how credible, independent journalism can affect change. Today, you will hear from journalists on the front lines describing the danger they face to bring you that coveragefrom war to organized crime to politics. Safety --- or lack of it --- is where we start. In Mexico, more than a dozen journalists have been killed so far this year, making it the most dangerous country for journalists outside a war zone. And with organized crime, corruption, and violence widespread, people living in Mexico rely on their journalists to keep them informed and safe. Mexico has a protection mechanism for those under threat, but reporters tell us the measures dont always go far enough. The media community is now looking to each other to stay safe. VOAs Cristina Caicedo Smit has the story from Mexicos Veracruz State. CHRISTINA CAICEDO SMIT, VOA Correspondent: In the town of Medellin de Bravo, second-generation journalists are picking up their lives after violence in Veracruz, one of Mexicos most dangerous states, robbed them of their parents. United by grief and frustration over a lack of justice, and feeling vulnerable to attacks, they formed a support network. Jorge Sanchez Ordonez, Journalist: We are in this fight of demanding justice, and we have that combined sentiment of anger and impotence and not knowing what else can happen. CHRISTINA CAICEDO SMIT, VOA Correspondent: Sanchez lost his father, Jose Moises Sanchez Cerezo, in January 2015, when assailants kidnapped and killed the journalist. Six months later, fellow Medellin reporter and family friend Juan Mendoza Delgado was killed. The next month, Veracruz photojournalist Ruben Espinosa Becerril was tracked to a safe house in Mexico City and shot dead. Jorge Sanchez Ordonez, Journalist: It happens many times, when they kill your colleagues, people we know and who we had worked with. CHRISTINA CAICEDO SMIT, VOA Correspondent: An inability to find justice drove Sanchez and six other families to create a network in memory of the journalists who had been slain or had disappeared called La Red en Memoria y Lucha de Periodistas Asesinados o Desaparecidos. The group soon grew to 13. The network not only brings grieving relatives together but provides practical safety measures. Advice and updates are shared on social media and via messaging apps. Similar groups are springing up across Mexico, says rights group Article 19. Paula Saucedo, Article 19: For example, theyre doing advocacy with authorities, trying to find answers and repair the damage for the families. They are also working on getting better labor and economic conditions for reporters. I think (it) is very on point that the guild gets together and creates these support networks. CHRISTINA CAICEDO SMIT, VOA Correspondent: For Sanchez, safety measures mean he can keep his fathers legacy alive, via La Union, a local media outlet they founded together. And theres plenty to report on in Medellin del Bravo: poverty; problems with the electric grid and unfinished roads, lack of access to basic services. But journalists here never know if a story will cost them their lives. Jorge Sanchez Ordonez, Journalist: If you affect some interests, you can be in danger. Even, for example, if you are covering a car accident. And in that event, you may be interviewing someone whos not comfortable with the questioning and is connected to bad people. CHRISTINA CAICEDO SMIT, VOA Correspondent: Mexico is one of the most dangerous countries for journalists, with more than a dozen slain in 2022 alone. The country has a special prosecutor to investigate crimes and a safety mechanism for media under threat, but critics say those measures dont always go far enough. Paula Saucedo, Article 19: What worries us most is lethal violence. Because when a journalist is killed, something known as a double murder happens: the murder of the person and the silencing of the stories and investigations that are not going to be told. It has a very strong, cascading effect of fear and censorship. CHRISTINA CAICEDO SMIT, VOA Correspondent: With Mexico on track to record its deadliest year yet for media, support groups give journalists the courage to keep reporting. Cristina Caicedo Smit, VOA News. JESSICA JERREAT: Cristina has been covering the risks for Mexicos media for VOA, traveling to Tijuana on the southern border, where two journalists were slain this year. Cristina Caicedo Smit, VOA Correspondent: I think it was a little bit scary, of course, to be honest to to travel there and knowing that we had certain time that we had to be there in Tijuana, just for safety precautions also, because we're we were doing a story on how reporters have been attacked and you know, recently killed in Tijuana. I did feel at some point not unsafe, but it was a little bit nervous. Maybe the day that I went to the to cover the story and the families of the disappeared people because we went to this open desert space that you never know what's going on. You know, you never know what can happen. And it was a first time for me as a reporter to do that type of story. I think there's a lot of there's a lot of reporters were scared, but they do have this sense of like they need to keep doing this even though it's not safe. And reporters are receiving threats, or they're being harassed online or for stories they're they're making. There's a big sense of responsibility of like, if we don't do this, who is going to uncover this, this type of stories, who is going to report on things that are going on and people don't know from crime to corruption to drug trafficking from you know, state mal use of funds and things like that. JESSICA JERREAT: When Russia invaded Ukraine in February, the countrys journalists woke to find themselves in war zone. The battle has killed at least 15 journalists, and many others have been injured bringing viewers updates from the front line. For those running the Kyiv Independent, a media outlet founded in November last year, theres an understanding that you cant report the story if you die trying. Our Anna Chernikova takes us inside the new news outlet in Kyiv. ANNA CHERNIKOVA, Reporting for VOA: Its an all-too common scenario. As an air raid siren sounds, journalists at The Kyiv Independent gather their belongings and relocate to a shelter: an underground bar close to their newsroom. Founded by journalists from the Kyiv Post who wanted greater independence, the media outlet launched just three months before Russias invasion. Since then, the English-language website has quickly become a leading voice on the war in Ukraine. Its young team keeps the world focused on Ukraine both at home and abroad. Olga Rudenko, The Kyiv Independent Editor in Chief: It's never easy to cover any war, but especially so when it's a war that is in your country, and you're not just a journalist who arrives on the scene and then goes home to safety. But there is no safety for you, there is no safety for your family. And it's quite different for us, for journalists who cover the war, while actually, you know, living through it. ANNA CHERNIKOVA, Reporting for VOA: No story is worth a human life, and Rudenko sometimes holds her team back to make sure they don't take unnecessary risks. Her highest priority: their physical and emotional safety. Olga Rudenko, The Kyiv Independent Editor in Chief: And on the emotional side, it's more difficult. I don't think there are textbooks for managing a team like this, in a time like this. And well, that's part of our emotional support program, a dog in the office. I mean, we're all human, we're all just trying to get through all of it the best way we can and at the same time, do the best journalism we can for our audience. ANNA CHERNIKOVA, Reporting for VOA: Denys Krasnikov is a senior editor for The Kyiv Independent, covering the war while his mother remains in the heavily shelled city Zaporizhzhia. The work helps Krasnikov to hold on. Denys Krasnikov, The Kyiv Independent: I think our work is kind of a therapy for us. ANNA CHERNIKOVA, Reporting for VOA: Originally from France, reporter Alex Query says Ukraine has become a second home. Alex Query, The Kyiv Independent: Because it doesnt really make any sense for me to come back to France. Because I feel my duty as a journalist here. And you know, well, not only toward giving an opinion but toward just generally this country and whats happening. ANNA CHERNIKOVA, Reporting for VOA: The team has created a credible Ukrainian voice abroad. But a lot of work remains to be done. Daryna Shevchenko, The Kyiv Independent CEO: We were set up to be the voice of Ukraine. Thats why we started The Kyiv Independent. We have to talk more and more to our international colleagues and partners, explaining things that often seem obvious to us, but are not obvious to them. And I think this is a big part of our mission. Recently we launched the section Explaining Ukraine' that is exactly about that, adding context to what is happening in the country. ANNA CHERNIKOVA, Reporting for VOA: Within its first year, The Kyiv Independent's fight for editorial independence has transformed into a greater fight to protect Ukraines democratic ideals. Anna Chernikova, for VOA News, Kyiv, Ukraine. JESSICA JERREAT: Danger for journalists doesnt just lie on the battlefield. Harassment of journalists online and through social media is an increasing concern. I talked to Elisa Lees Munoz of the International Wiomens Media Foundation, here in Washington, about a new guide theyve developed to deal with these often-anonymous threats to journalists. JESSICA JERREAT: Can you tell me a little bit about what went into developing the guide? Elisa Lise Munoz the executive director of the International Women's Media Foundation: We have been training newsrooms to combat online violence against their journalists for the past couple of years. We want to change the culture in newsrooms and we feel that it is absolutely he responsibility of newsrooms to protect their journalists. But we're not naive. We know that journalists and newsrooms are working 24/7 cycle that they have revenue issues that they can't necessarily afford the digital security experts that we bring to the fore. So we thought we should help them to protect their journalists and created this this guidebook JESSICA JERREAT: Could you speak a little bit about why it's a press freedom issue when you see these online attacks and threats? How is that disrupting the free flow of news? Elisa Lise Munoz the executive director of the International Women's Media Foundation: Anytime that there is a targeted attack against journalists and an attempt to silence them it is a press freedom issue and when it comes to online violence, the fact that these attacks are primarily directed at underrepresented communities, journalists of color, non-binary journalists, trans journalists, it is a direct attempt to keep a specific group of people out of the news media. That's why we consider a press freedom issue. It absolutely is changing the way that news is produced and conducted. We've spoken to numerous journalists that engage in self-censorship, whether it's conscious or unconscious, the way that they might approach a story whether or not they decided to go down the road with a specific news story, whether it be abortion or even an environmental story or during COVID story about vaccines. I mean, it seems that no topic is off limits when it comes to triggering the kind of onslaught that these journalists are experiencing. Part of what we think is the solution is really to have policies so that these situations aren't addressed in an ad hoc basis. And it's not just the journalists and their editor, really, the whole newsroom has to be engaged. Most newsrooms don't have digital security experts and sometimes they use their tech people as the digital experts. Those two things have nothing to do with each other. So there really needs to be an outreach, as we're trying to do to newsrooms to educate editors and publishers about the impact of online violence against journalists so that they can have these policies. already in place. I think there is absolutely a reticence to raising your hand and saying that you're experiencing this for fear of the backlash, which, you know, especially for women who are already underrepresented in the newsroom. They don't want to be taken off a beat. They just want support to address these issues. JESSICA JERREAT: And if there was one simple thing that a newsroom or a freelancer could do today, just to protect themselves better online, what would your main recommendation be for them? Elisa Lise Munoz the executive director of the International Women's Media Foundation: I think what we are recommending just off the bat is to get some sort of subscription like delete me, or privacy doc that deletes your public information from the internet. So your address, your relations, your family's addresses, so that you can't be found and that's very, very difficult. And the reason that we recommend some sort of subscription is because you have to constantly be doing this. You can't just do it once. It has to happen on a regular basis. And I know that that is a solution that comes from a position of privilege. Not everybody has the means to subscribe to these services. But the IWF does have emergency grants, and it is one of the things that we would absolutely provide support for. But better yet these journalists working for newsrooms should demand that their newsrooms pay for this kind of support. So that's just one very basic thing. And also to engage in a security assessment on every story that is done. We used to recommend this for physical security, but it absolutely has to be done in terms of digital security as well. I just think it's important that newsrooms support their journalists, for the most part what we see out there is individual journalists, whether they're freelancers or working for newsrooms left to deal with these issues on their own. JESSICA JERREAT: The extent of Chinas influence over Hong Kong can be seen in the upcoming trial of one of its best known publishers. Apple Daily Founder Jimmy Lai, a champion of the pro-democracy and free press movement, is in prison after being convicted of fraud and unlawful assembly. And in December, hell face charges under Hong Kongs National Security Law. Our Laurel Bowman dives into how Hong Kong is using a labyrinth of laws to silence critics. LAUREL BOWMAN, VOA Correspondent: From the factory floor to a billionaire media mogul, Jimmy Lai is a well-known figure in Hong Kong. But after a national security law was enacted in 2020, the Apple Daily founder went from a life of luxury to a prison cell. In December Lai stands trial, accused of colluding with foreign forces. He is already in prison after convictions of unlawful assembly and fraud. The piling up of cases is seen by his international legal team as a form of lawfare aimed at discrediting Lai. Caoilfhionn Gallagher, Human Rights Lawyer: What happens is the authorities instead of just using libel laws or counter terrorism laws, which they have used for many years to try and silence journalists, they are now using a range of other laws too. LAUREL BOWMAN, VOA Correspondent: Media and legal analysts believe Hong Kong is targeting the pro-democracy publisher to send a message. Keith Richburg, Foreign Correspondents Club: And so with these national security cases it puts everybody on notice that if this could happen to somebody as prominent and as wealthy as Jimmy Lai it can happen to anybody. LAUREL BOWMAN, VOA Correspondent: Hong Kong police told VOA they cannot comment on ongoing legal proceedings. The city chief executive John Lee did not respond to a request for comment. While Security Secretary in 2021, Lee said the Apple Daily case is not about media work or journalist(s) work. With the national security law in play, and Lai and other independent media figures detained or summonsed, Hong Kong has dropped in press freedom rankings. Media outlets are starting to close. Lais pro-democracy outlet Apple Daily was first. With executives detained and assets frozen, the iconic paper published its final edition in June 2021. Popular outlets Stand News and Citizen News followed suit just six months later, with the latter citing security concerns for staff. Media freedom does still exist, says Richburg. Major international news outlets still work in the city, but the changing environment is making some journalists nervous. Keith Richburg, Foreign Correspondents Club: Journalists have to figure out how to navigate what I call this new normal. You can still operate here you have to be a lot more careful a lot of sources dont want to talk to media particularly foreign media now and journalists never know when they are going to be accused of inadvertently going over these kind of vague red lines. LAUREL BOWMAN, VOA Correspondent: For Lai, a conviction in next months national security case could result in a lengthy prison term for the 74-year-old publisher. Caoilfhionn Gallagher, Human Rights Lawyer: He now faces the rest of his life behind bars simply for doing his job, simply for being a journalist, and a media owner and for standing up and speaking truth to power. LAUREL BOWMAN: Hong Kongs persecution of Lai and others is condemned by the U.S. State Department. It has warned that authorities are using the law to to silence dissenting views, and to stifle freedom of speech. Laurel Bowman, VOA News. JESSICA JERREAT: Somalia has a poor reputation when it comes to journalist safetya point underscored when a double bombing killed one journalist, and injured two others, including Abdulkadir Mohamed Abdulle, a freelance contributor with VOAs Somali service. Abdulle is recovering from his injuries. Attackers are rarely held accountable, and Somalia for the eighth consecutive year tops the Committee to Protect Journalists Global Impunity Index. VOA Acting Director Yolanda Lopez said, The bravery and courage of our journalists and their dedication that takes them wherever the story leads them often means that they put themselves in harms way. Shortly before the blast, VOA spoke with Somali freelancer Hassan Barise about the challenges journalists there face. Hassan Barise, Somali Journalist: The reality of the journalists on the ground is of mixed feelings. On one way you feel proud, you're very good, or the other way, you feel continuously harassed, continuously threatened, continuously put into danger. For example, as a journalist, you can meet a privileged person that you can meet the ministers you can meet the biggest businessman you can meet the Prime Minister's you can meet the president you can meet the needs of the people that you are very well known for sports. So, in that case, you feel privileged, but the other side you feel particularly targeted, because the way you are very well known to the good people, still you are very well known to the bad people as well. When someone is killed, and you know, the perpetrators, assailants, are able to free movement or walking about the normal businesses without being chased or without being, you know, being rounded up for the crimes they have committed, you know, the journalists are having a very big difficulty. When particularly you know, that the perpetrators, those who are threatening, you know, even those who might be killing and still are able to move freely about the city. You know, that's a big problem, that fortunately now, at least we have some functioning institutions, for example, the national security or the police forces. They are trying their best to go after the perpetrators of any attack. The times really are different. I've been at a time when the journalists were having the most difficult time. It was when there was no government at all, or very weak government. And then we had very strong militias or warlords or whatever would call them. At least now we feel that we are making developments in terms of the rule of law. JESSICA JERREAT: Thats all for now. Im Jessica Jerreat. Stay up to date on Press Freedom issues and the days news at VOANews-dot-com forward dash press freedom. Follow VOA News on Instagram and Facebook. And you can follow me on Twitter @JessicaJerreat Also catch previous episodes of The Inside Story on our free streaming service, VOA-plus. Before we go, the names of journalists who are missing and in peril. Chevron, PetroChina and other oil firms shipping jet fuel to Myanmar for civilian use may be inadvertently supplying an air force accused of widespread war crimes and should pause all deliveries to the country, rights group Amnesty International said in a report Thursday. Deadly Cargo: Exposing the Supply Chain that Fuels War Crimes in Myanmar, examines eight shipments of Jet A-1 fuel widely used in aviation to the country since the February 2021 coup that toppled an elected government and set off a bloody conflict that has claimed thousands of lives. Drawing on leaked company records, satellite data and interviews with military defectors, Amnesty paints a picture of inextricably linked civilian and military fuel supply chains inside Myanmar, making it impossible to guarantee that any jet fuel deliveries earmarked strictly for civilian use stay that way. Because the Myanmar military has such a hold and grip over a lot of the industry and the companies and agencies involved in the industry, the reality is that those two supply chains actually become one and there is a lot of overlap, Montse Ferrer, the reports lead author, told VOA. Once any shipment of A-1 lands, theres too high of a risk of that fuel being thereafter misappropriated or used by the Myanmar military, she added. The consequence of that is that all companies should stop supplying. Death by air The report comes in the wake of an October 23 air raid by the military that killed at least 50 people attending a concert in northern Myanmar organized by one of the many local rebel groups at war with the junta. It was the deadliest single air strike since the coup. The United Nations says a military bombing raid in Myanmars northwest the month before hit a school, killing 11 children. The U.N.s special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, Tom Andrews, has cited the militarys air strikes in several of his own reports accusing the junta of both war crimes and crimes against humanity. The juntas control of the skies means no one in Myanmar is safe, said Kyaw Win, executive director of the U.K.-based Burma Human Rights Network, which maintains a running record of the violence in Myanmar. They use helicopter gunships to kill so many, he told VOA. Just recently they used in Sagaing [region]; we have documented that. They used helicopter gunships and many people were killed in the village. And they used fighter jets in Karen State, and recently in Kachin State as well. So, it is very hard for the people in Burma; they are defenseless. Kyaw Win said the military is even picking up the pace of air strikes, possibly to compensate for dwindling ranks being depleted by casualties, desertions and recruiting shortfalls. A spokesman for the junta could not be reached for comment. The military has said previously that it is using proportionate force against terrorists to restore order. Amid the carnage, rights groups have started urging foreign companies and governments to starve the military of the fuel that keeps its planes, jets and helicopters flying. According to previous media reports citing energy data firms Kpler and Vortexa, Myanmar relies entirely on imports for its jet fuel, making for a possible chokepoint on the air force. A tangled web In researching its report, Amnesty found eight shipments of jet fuel to Myanmar since the coup and confirmed the suppliers of four of them: PetroChinas wholly-owned Singapore Petroleum Company; Rosneft, of Russia; Chevron, of the United States; and Thai Oil. All but PetroChina, which did not reply to Amnestys queries, confirmed the shipments to the rights group. In reply letters copied into the report, they say they were assured by their customers in Myanmar that the fuel would be put to commercial use only. Amnesty lays out several reasons for why it says those assurances ring hollow. It says all eight shipments landed at the Thilawa port in Yangon, the countrys commercial hub, which handles the vast majority of Myanmars military jet fuel deliveries as well. Once offloaded, it adds, all jet fuel is then stored in the same terminal at the port, and is delivered from there to both civilian airports and military air bases across the country by the same local cargo company, sometimes using the same trucks. Where civilian and military jet fuel supplies mingle most, though, is at the civilian airports and their fuel depots, according to Amnesty. It says the military uses some of the same airports, down to their landing strips, and that satellite images show only one depot run by a local company meant to be handling civilian supplies at those sites. Amnesty says military defectors confirmed to the rights group that the air force would draw jet fuel from these airports for itself. So, its really especially in the storage of fuel at airports that there is an overlap between civilian and military, said Ferrer. The report also contains a copy of a letter from Myanmars Defense Ministry to the Myanmar Port Authority explaining that a December 2021 shipment of jet fuel from PetroChina is earmarked specifically for military aircraft. Amnesty says it saw another letter from another company, Asia Sun Trading, to the Customs Department in May explaining that it had bought jet fuel from Thai Oil also destined for the military. Pulling out Some of the companies have already announced plans to disengage from Myanmar or stop handling jet fuel. That includes Puma Energy, a company majority owned by Singapore-based Trafigura that, according to Amnesty, imports, stores and distributes most of Myanmars jet fuel. It announced plans to exit the country early last month and told Amnesty that it had learned of reports of the military demanding jet fuel from airport facilities run by its joint venture in Myanmar, National Energy Puma Aviation Services, by force. Also last month, Thai Oil told Amnesty it would be suspending jet fuel sales to Myanmar to avoid any doubts about its good corporate governance until those concern were allayed. Chevron and Rosneft told Amnesty they were assured by the companies that bought their jet fuel that the shipments would be put to commercial use only. Amnesty says PetroChina did not reply to its requests for comment at all. PetroChina did not reply to VOA either. Amnesty says Pan Ocean, a South Korean firm that owns two of the ships that delivered jet fuel to Myanmar since the coup, also failed to reply to the group. Responding to VOA, however, Pan Ocean said the companys brokers and agents assured it that the shipments were not breaking any international sanctions. Even so, it added, Pan Ocean has suspended aviation fuel shipments such as Jet [A-]1 to Myanmar since September this year, and this policy will be continued till the end of coup. Wilhelmsen, a Norwegian shipping agent that helps other companies manage their deliveries at the Thilawa port, told Amnesty that it too would stop servicing jet fuel shipments to Myanmar until further notice. Despite the record influx of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border and a shortage of workers in the United States, experts believe immigration policy will remain unchanged after the midterm elections. Some experts say that if Republicans take control of Congress, President Joe Biden likely will turn to the administrative process to accomplish any immigration changes. Republicans have a "very clear" position on immigration, Neeraj Kaushal, a social policy professor at Columbia University, told VOA. "They want to restrict immigration," said Kaushal, who is also an expert and researcher on immigration policy. Democrats, on the other hand, are less focused when it comes to immigration policy, she said. "They have the support of many liberals who are for immigration, who want to treat immigrants at the border in a humanitarian manner who want to strengthen the asylum system," she said, but Democrats are "afraid that Republicans will use any policy that they have to show to the public that they are creating open borders." Biden came into office committed to passing immigration reform. On his first day in office, he unveiled the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021, sweeping immigration bill that included an eight-year path to citizenship for the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S., a plan to clear employment-based visa backlogs, and a program to prevent dependents of employment-based visa holders from "aging out" of the system, among other changes. But the legislation stalled in Congress and is largely viewed as dead. Tevi Troy, a senior fellow of the Bipartisan Policy Centers presidential leadership initiative, a Washington think tank that promotes bipartisanship solutions in immigration and other areas, said during an event Monday that if the makeup of Congress changes, it is likely Biden will turn to such options as executive orders for any immigration policy changes. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, also known as DACA, is an example of an administrative action. It was created under the Obama administration to temporarily protect from deportation hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children and has benefitted more than 800,000 people. Biden revised it in an effort to help it survive legal challenges. Yet it remains on shaky ground as Republican-led states continue to fight in federal courts to end the program. During Mondays online discussion, Troy explained to the audience that in some ways the Senate is more influential in shaping a presidents agenda than the House, mostly because of its constitutional authority to approve or reject Cabinet appointees. Immigration system 'broken' Theresa Cardinal Brown, a former Homeland Security Department immigration official under former presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, told VOA the current U.S. immigration system is "broken in every possible way." "And that is because we haven't really adjusted our immigration policy in so long," she said. Brown, who is also the managing director of the Bipartisan Policy Center, said the system is not fundamentally meeting current needs of the country. No matter who occupies the White House, there is a continuity of neglect when it comes to immigration policy, she said. "It doesn't really matter what part of the immigration system you look at. [The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services] has a record backlog of applications. In the previous two years, they didn't issue all of the green cards they could under the law because they couldn't get to them. The State Department is finally crawling out of a hole that it got into during COVID with a backlog of applications for visas overseas, but it's still in many places really hard to get an appointment," Brown said. The asylum system and immigration courts also are backlogged, and those backlogs are growing. According to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), immigration courts closed fiscal 2022 with a backlog of 1.9 million cases of asylum and other immigration applications. The wait time for a hearing on an immigrant's asylum claim is about five years. As for refugees, the Biden administration in October set an annual refugee cap of 125,000, but immigration advocates have told VOA the program still needs resources and rebuilding to meet that goal. They had hoped the president would increase the ceiling for refugees further to match the higher worldwide demand after falling short of an ambitious target for fiscal 2022. The three analysts said that no one is willing to form a framework to write immigration legislation because they do not see an electoral advantage. "Immigration is important to fix," Brown said, "because what we're seeing right now is what happens when we don't fix it. It's chaos everywhere." At the southern border, immigration analysts say, people will continue to arrive despite deterrence policies kept in place from the previous administration, such as Title 42, a health code order implemented at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic that essentially blocks migrants from asking for asylum. In fiscal 2022, U.S. immigration officials reported 2.2 million migrant encounters, a number that includes unique and repeated entries. Out of those encounters, about 1,054,084 migrants were expelled under Title 42. Others were either arrested, quickly removed from the country through the expedited removal process, or they were allowed to try to establish a legal basis to remain in the U.S. by fighting for asylum approval in immigration courts. "Everybody wants to make this a partisan issue. Republicans are bad on immigration. Democrats are good on immigration. There's been a lot of all-or-nothing politics. And when you play all-or-nothing politics, you get nothing, and I, for one, would rather see something than nothing, because look at what nothing is getting us," Brown said. Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong has signed an agreement in Thailand to support a new training center aimed at fighting human trafficking. The training center will give more help to victims of trafficking and will also make them not liable for any crimes committed during time as forced or coerced laborers. The move is part of an effort between Canberra and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the ASEAN-Australia Counter-Trafficking Initiative. The 10-year program, announced in 2019, is aimed at rescuing victims and ensuring perpetrators are held to account. The agreement with Thailand was signed Wednesday by Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong. Human Rights Watch Asia Director Elaine Pearson told local media that despite Thailand's commitments, it still has a "significant human trafficking problem, particularly with migrants exploited from neighboring Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos." Almost 300 cases of modern-day slavery and human trafficking were reported to Australian Federal Police in the past year. However, Jennifer Burn, the director of Anti-Slavery Australia, an advocacy organization, said the true scale of the trade in men, women and children is hard to gauge. She told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. Thursday of the case of a woman who was enslaved with a family in the city of Melbourne. "She was tricked into coming to Australia," Burn said. "She held a tourist visa, held in a condition of slavery for nine years in a Melbourne suburb. She was forced to cook, clean and care for children. She was on call 24/7. Eventually she became so ill she was taken to hospital in a medical emergency and the couple there were found guilty of possessing a slave." Burn said the perpetrators in the case were jailed. Modern slavery is a global issue. Fifty million people were living in modern slavery in 2021, according to the latest Global Estimates of Modern Slavery, a survey by the International Labor Organization, human rights group Walk Free, and the International Organization for Migration. According to data released in September when the report was released, 28 million people were in forced labor and 22 million were trapped in forced marriage. Australia has also signed an agreement with Thailand for a four-year plan on military and economic cooperation as Canberra seeks deeper engagement with Southeast Asia. Cameroon's government and its supporters are holding events this week ahead of celebrations Sunday marking President Paul Biya's 40 years in power. Meanwhile, opposition parties are holding rallies calling for the 89-year-old Biya, the world's oldest head of state, to change what they say are unfair election laws. On Thursday in Nanga Eboko on the outskirts of the capital city of Yaounde, supporters of Biya sang that Cameroon has remained one, undivided and prosperous despite the numerous challenges the central African state has faced since Biya became president in 1982. The singing and dancing was part of week-long activities marking the 40th anniversary of Biya's rule. Biya's Cameroon People's Democratic Movement, or CPDM, said it dispatched party officials to towns and villages to organize conferences and mobilize more support for the 89-year-old leader who, it said, has achieved a lot for the country. Elvis Ngolle Ngolle is one of Biya's close collaborators in the ruling party. He says freedom is top among the things Biya should be credited for and that "every citizen can express themselves in any way they want." He says that under Biya's rule, Cameroon has enhanced women's rights and vastly improved its education system. "In 1982, we had one state university," Ngolle Ngolle said. "Today we have more than 11 state universities and hundreds of private university institutes. Incredible in 40 years." Ngolle Ngolle says Biya has stayed in power this long because a majority of Cameroonians love and always vote for him. However, opposition political parties accuse Biya of rigging elections for decades, and wanting to stay in power until he dies. The Cameroon Renaissance Movement, led by Maurice Kamto, says Kamto won the October 2018 presidential election and that the victory was stolen from him. Another party, the Social Democratic Front, has joined the CRM in asking civilians not to attend anniversary celebrations to protest Biyas long stay in power. Christopher Ndong, the CRM's secretary-general, said Biya shows no signs of giving up the presidency and that, "Cameroonians are aggrieved because of him." "The opposition political parties want him to revise the electoral code, making sure the next president of this country should be democratically elected," Ndong said. "Cameroonians now want a democratically elected president." Ndong said many of Biya's supporters have resigned from the ruling party and joined the opposition CRM during the anniversary event. The ruling CPDM acknowledges that it has some internal leadership wrangling but has provided no details. Loic Kankeu, a lecturer of public law at the University of Yaounde, said Biya's absence from conferences aimed at drumming up support indicates the aging ruler is tired. He added that many CPDM supporters want Biya to leave but fear reprisals if they express their views in public. According to Kankeu, Jean Nkuete, the secretary general of the CPDM party, acknowledged during a meeting with decentralized CPDM party structures this week that leadership squabbles are tearing the party apart. He said malaise within the CPDM is pushing supporters and disgruntled CPDM leaders in many Cameroonian towns and villages to cross over to the opposition Cameroon Renaissance Movement party of Maurice Kamto. Biya's supporters are calling on the octogenarian to run for president again in 2025 while the opposition is asking him to hand over power to a younger leader. On July 30, during a visit to Cameroon by French President Emmanuel Macron, Biya said he still has time to decide if he will run again. In the wake of a string of violent attacks in the Andean country of Ecuador, police arrested 28 individuals on Wednesday as gang violence continued to escalate. In more than 18 attacks, including shootings and explosions, at least five police officers were killed and four were injured. "What happened between last night and today in Guayaquil and Esmeraldas clearly shows the limits which the transnational organized crime is willing to surpass," said Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso, according to Reuters. Ecuador, which lies between Colombia and Peru two of the largest cocaine-producing countries in South America is a strategic transit point for drugs. Analysts believe Ecuadorian gangs use terror tactics to intimidate authorities and that the country is headed toward becoming a narco-state. The turf wars between gangs over Ecuador's cocaine networks have put a huge strain on the country's overcrowded prison system, leading to frequent riots and clashes. Authorities say the most recent attacks were triggered by the transfer of hundreds of inmates from the penitentiary in Guayaquil to other prisons. "We have planned a series of operations to safeguard the peace and quiet of all Ecuadorians who want to work and prosper," Lasso said in a statement. Late on Tuesday, Lasso declared a state of emergency in Guayas and Esmeraldas provinces and announced a 45-day, 9 p.m. curfew in the affected regions. Many Ecuadorians have lost faith in the government's response and live in a constant state of fear. Luis, a hydraulic parts dealer in Guayaquil, told The Guardian that the government's response is "really lukewarm. Trying to impose a curfew, [the criminals] will just laugh in your face." Kenyan authorities say the ongoing drought that has left millions of people in need of food aid is also forcing tens of thousands of children in herder communities to drop out of school. Kenya declared a national disaster from the drought in September last year, but it could also be looking at a disaster for education. Piles of dismembered animal carcasses can be found everywhere in the wake of the devastating drought that has left nearly 4.5 million people in need of aid. In the village of Quley, in northeast Kenyas Wajir County, 11-year-old Nadir Mohamed and two of his seven siblings were pulled out of school in August to take care of the familys livestock. Their mother, Hindiya Abdi, said the family was forced to move to greener pastures or else the animals would have died, and they would have starved. I would have liked the children to remain in school, she said in Somali. But we needed their help to survive. In the village of Karu, 17-year-old Sadik Dakane arrived at one of the few working boreholes in the area after trekking for two hours under the scorching sun to fetch the much-needed water. I left school when the drought struck, he said in Somali. My father moved with his cattle to Somalia, leaving my mother and me behind. The U.N. Childrens Fund (UNICEF) said in a report last month that more than 400,000 Kenyan students have been affected by the drought and estimated that 66,000 have dropped out of school nationwide. But the situation for childrens education might be worse. Sources told VOA that official estimates not yet released show 100,000 children have dropped out of school in just three counties in northeastern Kenya Garissa, Mandera and Wajir. Hashim Elmoge, a local good governance activist, is concerned about the long-term impact on the kids future. If this trend continues, the rate at which pupils are dropping out of schools, then we risk witnessing the largest drop-out rate, the life of an entire generation is at risk and you know what that will mean; producing a generation that does not have quality education, Elmoge said. Then there will be a burden you know, drug abuse, insecurity, terror networks, radicalization and the whole nation is at risk. To lessen the impact of the drought, government and aid groups have been sinking more boreholes and bringing emergency food to herders and their livestock. However, Jilo Roba, the coordinator of the children department in Wajir County, said the needs are too great, and efforts to increase school attendance among the nomadic herder communities are taking a hit. The gains that have been made in the past are being reversed by the current severe La Nina drought, Roba said. Officials and activists worry if rain doesn't come soon, more herder families will take their children out of school, and it could take months or even years to get them back in the classroom. World leaders are reacting with cautious optimism after the announcement of a peace deal and a cease-fire between warring parties in northern Ethiopias Tigray region. It represents an important step towards peace, U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said. We applaud the parties in their commitment to peace in reaching this agreement. The United States remains committed to supporting this African Union-led process and peace and to partnering to advance peace in northern Ethiopia. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken welcomed the signing of a cessation of hostilities in a Twitter post Wednesday, praising the African Union for its extraordinary efforts to bring peace to northern Ethiopia. Two years into the war in northern Ethiopia, the government of Ethiopia and the Tigray People's Liberation Front have just agreed to a cessation of hostilities, while millions remain cut off from humanitarian assistance and following countless deaths and atrocities, U.S. Senator Jim Risch, the ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a statement. Risch called on U.S. President Joe Bidens administration to make an atrocities determination or hold Ethiopian leaders accountable for the human rights abuses committed. This inaction has contributed to continued atrocities. Negotiations began on October 25 in Johannesburg and concluded after 10 days. The deal calls for the disarming of Tigrayan forces with both parties agreeing to permanently silence the guns. The parties agreed to stop all forms of conflicts, and hostile propaganda, calling Ethiopians within the country and abroad to support efforts for lasting peace. The brief joint statement notes a detailed program of disarmament and restoration of Constitutional order in Tigray. The Ethiopian government also committed to restoring public services in the Tigray region, where communications, transport and banking links for more than 5 million people have been severed since war broke out. Students must go to school, farmers, and pastoralists to their fields, and public servants to their offices, the statement read. The parties also committed to allowing unfettered access to humanitarian relief organizations. The Tigray region has been under a government-imposed blackout, making it difficult to gauge the scale of the impact of the war. With little to no internet access, mobile phone and landline communications, journalists struggled to get information from within Tigray. It is unclear where Eritrea stands, but it has been involved in the Tigray war since the beginning, fighting alongside Ethiopias federal government. The neighboring country was not represented at the peace talks and warring parties did not directly address the subject of withdrawal of Eritrean troops in the statement issued. The African Union played a lead role in the negotiations including the high representative for the Horn of Africa, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, along with former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and former Deputy President of South Africa Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka. African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki congratulated the parties on reaching a deal. I warmly commend the Parties for signing a cessations of hostilities agreement following talks facilitated by the AU Panel, he said in a Twitter post. The AU, he added, is committed to continue supporting the Parties to find lasting peace & reconciliation for all Ethiopians. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres commended the parties and the mediators for achieving the cessation of hostilities. It is a critical first step that paves the way for the unimpeded delivery of lifesaving humanitarian aid and the resumption of public services, he told reporters Thursday at U.N. headquarters. He said the human cost of the conflict has been devastating, and he urged all Ethiopians to seize the opportunity for peace, pledging the full support of the United Nations. Guterres called on Ethiopians and the international community to support the bold step taken by the warring parties. And European Unions foreign affairs chief Joseph Borrell urged that swift implementation of the agreement was needed and underscored the need to resume humanitarian access in all affected areas and to restore basic services. The civil war in Africas second-most populous country marks its second anniversary on November 4. The United Nations says the conflict has claimed thousands of lives, with about 3.5 million internally displaced in Tigray in 2022. Humanitarian convoy movements to Mekelle, the capital city of Tigray, through Afar came to a complete stop since 24 August, the U.N. said with many facing hunger. November 4 marks two years since war broke out in Ethiopias Tigray region between Tigrayan forces and the federal government and its regional allies, including neighboring Eritrea. Analysts say the war has left hundreds of thousands of people dead, millions displaced, and a trail of atrocities and war crimes on both sides. But a truce announced late Wednesday after South African-hosted peace talks by the African Union has raised hopes that fighting could end. Ethiopias government and the Tigray rebel group have agreed to end the two-year conflict after a week of talks in South Africa. Speaking after the agreement, former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo said the deal marked a new dawn for Ethiopia. The two parties in the Ethiopian conflict have formally agreed to a cessation of hostilities as well as to systematic, orderly smooth and coordinated disarmament, restoration of law and order, restoration of services, unhindered access to humanitarian supplies, protection of civilians, especially women, children and other vulnerable groups among other areas of agreement, Obasanjo said. The agreement comes after 10 days of talks in Pretoria, South Africa, mediated by the African Union, led by Obasanjo. The deal calls for the Tigray rebel group to lay down their arms in exchange for reintegration and the return of the national army to the region. With mistrust on both sides, experts say this part of the agreement may be difficult to fulfill. The warring factions also agreed to end hate speech that has fueled much of the two-year-old conflict. The agreement is seen as a major breakthrough after the warring sides failed to come to the table to find ways to end the war that has claimed the lives of tens of thousands and displaced millions. Obasanjo said the agreement would be followed through. The agreement also takes care of assurance of security for all concerned within and outside Ethiopia. Monitoring, supervising, and verification of implementation will be carried out by the AU high-level panel, Obasanjo said. "For what we have achieved, delegates from both sides working together among yourselves, we salute you, we commend you and we congratulate you. Tigray rebel group spokesperson Getachew Reda warned of spoilers who would try to sabotage the peace deal. Reda said his side has made a painful concession and called on the international community to ensure the peace agreement is implemented. Speaking at an online press briefing organized by Refugees International, Solomon Mezgebu, president of the Tigray Human Rights Forum, said this time Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed will have to abide by the agreement. Unfortunately, Abiy is determined and his main motive for going to this negotiation, as he has demonstrated for the last two years, is buying time, buying time, buying time," said Mezgebu. "Hes stuck now because there are weaknesses. Its now a formal process. Its now a very structured process. Heavyweight folks are involved within this process. So, this is a very good start, even though I dont have high hopes. But its a very good start because the world is witnessing who is saying what and who is doing what. So, I think it would have some pressure. It would still be dictated about whats happening on the ground. Abiy would continue to buy time, to try to buy time. Im not sure he would have those opportunities again. In a statement, Abiy Ahmed said the agreement was monumental in moving Ethiopia forward. He said his government was committed to implementing the agreement. Ethiopian forces in the two-year conflict have received military backing from Eritrea to push forces from Tigray and concerns were raised about how Asmara will react to the agreement. Abdullahi Halakhe is the Refugees International senior advocate for East and Southern Africa. He says the influence of Eritrea in the conflict in the north of Ethiopia cannot be wished away. I think that is probably one of the weaknesses of this peace process, the way its structured. I mean, I can appreciate the wisdom behind it," Halakhe said. "Part of it was to get Abiy away from Eritrea so that you could create a symmetry where now Abiy feels like he has to negotiate. But the danger there is really that Abiy is practically beholden to Asmara. His military is fairly decimated. He doesnt have a ton of forces apart from the conscription and also the funded militia. So, its a very high-wired position that has been taken by the international community, particularly the United States. So, we are really stuck with Asmara for the foreseeable future. Ethiopian forces and the Tigray rebel group reached a similar agreement to end the fighting earlier this year, but the two sides resumed fighting in August, breaking an almost five-month-long cease-fire. Geopolitical rivalry between Washington and Beijing, coupled with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, are decreasing opportunities for diplomacy and increasing the likelihood of the U.S. taking firmer actions against North Korea than it has in the past if Pyongyang undertakes an expected seventh nuclear test, experts said. "There is no question that the United States and [South Korea] will react quickly, decisively, and in sync to a seventh North Korean nuclear test," said Evans Revere, a former State Department official with extensive experience negotiating with North Korea. At a press briefing on Tuesday, U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said, "There would be a profound cost and profound consequences" if North Korea conducts a nuclear test. Last week, the U.S., South Korea, and Japan warned they will respond to a North Korean nuclear test on an "unparalleled" scale. Bruce Klingner, senior research fellow on Northeast Asia at the Heritage Foundation, said, "Another North Korean nuclear test will lead to U.S. rotational deployment of strategic assets, including bombers, dual-capable aircraft, and carrier strike groups." The U.S. sent its nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan to the South Korean port of Busan in September to conduct joint drills with Seoul and redeployed it to South Korea as a show of force after Pyongyang launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) over Japan on October 4. The U.S. deployed two B-1B bombers to Guam in October as threats grew. These could be sent to South Korea on a rotational basis. These deployments would be coupled with "extensive allied military exercises" and the "issuing of new sanctions against North Korean entities" by the U.S. and its allies and partners, Klingner said. North Korea fired what appears to be an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and two short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Thursday (local time), said South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff. On Wednesday, North Korea fired at least 23 missiles off its east and west coasts, a record number in a single day. One of the missiles, a short-range ballistic missile, fell into a disputed inter-Korean maritime border zone for the first time since the peninsula divided into two Koreas in 1945. In response, South Korean fighter jets fired three precision air-to-surface missiles crossing into the North's side of the maritime border. Pyongyang threatened on Tuesday to launch a "strategic mission" against the U.S. and South Korea to make them pay "a terrible" and "horrible price" if the allies continue "an aggressive and provocative" joint air drill called Vigilant Storm "targeting" North Korea. The U.S. and South Korea began large-scale joint aerial drills on Monday involving about 240 warplanes and 1,600 sorties, the largest number ever involved in the annual operation, according to the U.S. Air Force. Rising tensions Tensions from the latest flareup on the Korean Peninsula, building from North Korea's recent sequence of missile tests that began September 29, is expected to escalate even further after its anticipated nuclear test. Ken Gause, director for the Adversary Analytics Program and CNA, said the escalating tension has yet to reach its peak. He said the tension is "still ascending" much as it was before North Korea's sixth nuclear test on September 3, 2017. In 2017, tensions peaked with North Korea's sixth nuclear test and three intercontinental ballistic missile tests. North Korea conducted the ICBM tests on July 4, July 28, and November 29 of that year. After the sixth nuclear test, a diplomatic opportunity opened up and tensions eased into dialogues that remain stalled, but current tensions are less likely to subside. Instead, experts told VOA the tensions are likely to become increasingly dangerous given the security environment dominated by rising threats from China and Russia and their ties with North Korea. China and Russia "Moscow is making nuclear threats in Europe and [China] has adopted a more aggressive posture in the East Asia region," Revere said. "Pyongyang has very emphatically aligned itself closely with [China] and Russia. This has complicated the security calculus of the United States, [South Korea] and Japan, and other like-minded countries in the region," he added. Ties among North Korea, China and Russia are likely to grow tighter and harden into a regional bloc that will intensify its confrontations with the U.S. and its allies, which are aligning more closely into a bloc supporting Washington, according to experts. "Those blocs have been there forever," Gause said, adding, "They're just beginning to harden now." Patrick Cronin, the Asia-Pacific security chair at Hudson Institute, said U.S. allies in Europe and Asia including Seoul, Tokyo, and Australia have also consolidated their "political will for deterrence" against threats from North Korea. Pyongyang has thrown its support behind both Beijing and Moscow in confronting the U.S. North Korea's Foreign Ministry slammed the U.S. in February over its Indo-Pacific strategy, accusing Washington of "deliberately aggravating tensions" with China. North Korea expressed support on October 4 for Russia's annexation of four regions in Ukraine. Pyongyang is also reportedly making covert arms shipments to Russia, said John Kirby, the White House's National Security Council coordinator for strategic communication on Tuesday. Gause said North Korea is supporting China and Russia in exchange for their veto power, which could block any resolutions at the U.N. as they did in May after the U.S. introduced a resolution that would impose tougher sanctions in response to Pyongyang's renewed ballistic missile tests including ICBMs. When the U.N. Security Council met on October 5 after North Korea flew an IRBM over Japan, China and Russia defended North Korea's action, saying Pyongyang had a right to defend itself. In 2017, China and Russia both supported three resolutions condemning North Korea's ICBM and nuclear tests. Harry Kazianis, president of the Rogue States Project, said, "The world was frankly a very different place back in 2017." He continued, "China and the United States were both very concerned about a North Korean nuclear crisis that could spiral out of control, and Beijing was willing to go along with increased sanctions. With China and Russia at odds with the U.S. [now], there is little hope of increasing sanctions" on Pyongyang. US and South Korea South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has also aligned more closely with the U.S., unlike his predecessor, Moon Jae-in. While seeking dialogue earlier this year, Seoul and Washington have agreed to bolster deterrence against North Korea with renewed trilateral security cooperation involving Tokyo. "In 2017, South Korea was led by a government that prioritized dialogue and reconciliation with Pyongyang and sought to downplay or even ignore the rising threats from North Korea," Revere said. "The United States today is working much more in sync with [South Korea] and Japan than it did in 2017." The International Atomic Energy Agency says the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine lost all access to external electricity following overnight shelling and is currently receiving backup power from its emergency diesel generators. Nuclear operator Energoatom blamed Russia for shelling in the area that damaged power lines and electrical substations. Russia put the blame on Ukraine. The IAEA said in a statement that senior Ukrainian operating staff informed their experts of indications that the power lines were physically damaged "at two different locations about 50-60 kilometers from the plant itself, in Ukrainian-controlled territory." Repair work was under way at one of the locations. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said in a statement that the development is "extremely concerning" and "again demonstrates the plant's fragile and vulnerable situation." He has been working with both sides to establish a demilitarized protection zone around the nuclear plant. "Measures are needed to prevent a nuclear accident at the site. The establishment of a nuclear safety and security protection zone is urgently needed," he said. Separately, the IAEA said its inspectors investigating Russian claims that Ukraine is preparing to use a "dirty bomb" have not found any indications of undeclared nuclear activities and materials at the three sites they have inspected. Ukraine has strongly denied Moscow's allegations that it is planning to detonate a dirty bomb on its own territory and in turn accused Russia of plotting to use the threat of a bomb laced with nuclear material as a pretext for an escalation in Ukraine. Russia raised the matter at the U.N. Security Council last week and warned in a letter that it "will regard the use of the dirty bomb by the Kyiv regime as an act of nuclear terrorism." Ukraine invited the IAEA inspectors. The IAEA said they visited the locations where Russia made allegations about activities: the Institute for Nuclear Research in Kyiv, Eastern Mining and Processing Plant in Zhovti Kody, and Production Association Pivdennyi Machine-Building Plant in Dnipro. The agency said its inspectors were given "unfettered access to the locations." "Our technical and scientific evaluation of the results we have so far did not show any sign of undeclared nuclear activities and materials at these three locations," IAEA chief Grossi said. He said the inspectors also collected environmental samples as part of their work and the agency would report on the results of those tests as soon as possible. Meanwhile, Russia failed to gain traction in the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday for its proposal to send a formal commission to investigate its allegation that the United States and Ukraine have a secret biological weapons programs in Ukraine. A resolution it put forward calling for the commission was supported only by China. U.N. disarmament officials have long said they are not aware of any biological weapons programs in Ukraine, while Kyiv and Washington deny the accusation. Grain deal In Istanbul, the U.N.-run Joint Coordination Center (JCC) that oversees implementation of the deal to get Ukrainian grain exports out through the Black Sea said Thursday that the Russian delegation had resumed its work at the JCC and joined vessel inspections. Moscow suspended its participation in the deal on Saturday, after alleging Ukraine used drones to attack the Russian Black Sea fleet. It reversed that decision on Wednesday. "Now that the initiative has fully resumed, I appeal to all parties to concentrate efforts in two areas," U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Thursday. "First, to [the] renewal and full implementation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative. Second, to removing the remaining obstacles to the exports of Russian food and fertilizer." Russia has repeatedly said it is not getting the benefit it seeks from the deal, as some private companies are afraid of running afoul of international sanctions. Speaking at a news conference in Jordan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Thursday his country had called on the United Nations to help fulfill the part of deal that would ease Russia's food exports. While there are no U.S. or European sanctions on Russian food or fertilizer exports, U.N. officials say overcompliance has been an issue. "The world needs concerted efforts to urgently address the global fertilizer market crunch and make full use of Russian export capacity essential for that purpose," the U.N. chief said. "High fertilizer prices are already affecting farmers around the world; we cannot allow the global fertilizer shortage to morph into a global food shortage." Ukrainian food exports through the initiative reached a milestone Thursday. Guterres told reporters that 10 million metric tons have been exported in just three months. "Despite all the obstacles we have seen, the beacon of hope in the Black Sea is still shining and the initiative is working," Guterres said. "It is our collective responsibility to keep it working smoothly." The deal's initial 120 days runs out this month. It will be automatically renewed if no party objects. Since it was signed in July, the Black Sea Grain Initiative has helped ease the global food crisis, bringing down the price of wheat and other commodities on international markets. Iran, North Korea weapons The Pentagon on Tuesday raised "concerns" that Russia may try to acquire more weapons from Iran and North Korea to use in its war against Ukraine. Russia recently has targeted civilian infrastructure with Iranian-made drones, and Iranian personnel are helping the Russian military launch these drone attacks from the Crimean Peninsula, according to the United States. Iran has repeatedly denied it is providing Russia drones and military support. VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb contributed to this story. Some information came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters. When Mao died, so did his draconian and murderous policies. When Xi finally quits the world stage, can China change course in a more liberal direction? The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) held its 20th national congress to chart its future direction and anoint Xi Jinping as leader-for-life. At least thats what Xi plans. Xi lauded his record, which, he insisted, has ensured that the party will never change in quality, change its color, or change its flavor. Under Xi, the CCPs quality, color, and flavor are all the same: brutal repression. Yet Chinas future is not set in stone. Indeed, Beijings course, largely determined by the top leadership, has been extraordinarily volatile. Mao Zedong came to dominate the CCP and thus the new communist government and created what likely was the worlds deadliest tyranny, killing tens of millions and holding hundreds of millions in bondage. However, within a decade or so after his death in 1976, the more pragmatic Deng Xiaoping gained ascendency and created a much freer society (though still politically oppressive). The Mad Mao horror show was over and the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) opened to the world, proceeding on the path to global engagement. In the following decades, Dengs two handpicked successors, Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao, largely maintained that model. Now Xi has turned sharply back, toward stultifying Maoist political controls, though without the Great Helmsmans radical unpredictability and, even more important, mass murder. More consequential for the rest of the world, though, under Xi the PRC has become more assertive internationally, while creating a military second only to Americas, posing a potentially greater threat to free societies. In the view of some Washington policymakers, this creates the specter of a permanent enemy, bound to oppose the U.S. throughout the 21st century. But Xi, 69, will not rule forever. And when he goes, whether through death, retirement, or coup, the PRCs future will again be in play. Although his authority today appears as great as Maos, he lacks the latters foundational revolutionary role, and therefore could be more easily consigned to the past. Although Xis successors still could maintain, or even intensify, his policies, they could also return to a more liberal path. Chinas history leaves open the possibility of positive change. Keep in mind: The CCP began abandoning Maos policies almost immediately after his death. More moderate leaders arrested the infamous Gang of Four, including Maos widow, who were leading proponents of his deadly and destructive Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. This decisively ended Maoist politics. His philosophy, in contrast to his pervasive imagery, also did not survive his death. The twice-purged Deng enjoyed the ultimate revenge, coming to power and engineering his countrys radical transformation away from Maoism. Even after the Tiananmen Square crackdown, which crushed protests nationwide and resulted in a widespread post-massacre purge, the PRC remained relatively open to the world and preserved space at home for disagreement, if not outright dissent. Similarly, the 1953 death of the Soviet Unions Joseph Stalin, who competed with Mao for title of the worlds most prolific killer, led to substantial liberalization despite the continuing Cold War. Even more might have changed, ironically, had Lavrentiy Pavlovich Beria, who headed the NKVD (forerunner of the KGB) during Stalins paranoid Great Terror, not been purged. Oddly, he was the advocate of more radical reform and might have ended the Cold Warfor instance, he favored a united, neutral Germany. However, he was arrested in a palace coup with the assistance of the military and later executed. The victor in the ensuing power struggle, Nikita Khrushchev, was seen as a reformer for undertaking the process of destalinization. However, that merely represented a move back toward the more normal political, social, and economic authoritarianism that predated Stalin. Essentially, Moscow returned to the world of Lenin and the early Bolsheviks, brutal authoritarians whose violence was at least somewhat constrained. Still, Khrushchev ruled with a lighter touch than Stalin during an earlier and more limited version of perestroika and glasnosteven allowing publication of Alexander Solzhenitsyns workuntil Leonid Brezhnev organized a political coup on behalf of stasis. Communisms end then had to wait for Mikhail Gorbachevs rise. These experiences give hope for the PRC. The Cold War ended when it did because of human decision, not inexorable forces. The USSRs collapse very likely would have been delayed had a more traditional apparatchik than Gorbachev taken over as Soviet leader in 1985. Where China will end up is impossible to predict. It is notoriously difficult to measure public support in authoritarian systems, but the CCP and government appear to have substantial popular backing, based on delivery of economic growth and gain of national respect. However, such positive sentiments may be fragile. What happens if the economy stagnates or declines, which appears likely, or the regime suffers a significant international setback? During much of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Xi government gained credit for its apparently competent and effective response. Now, however, Beijing is facing significant discontent with its continued policy of mass lockdowns. Xi and the CCP claim toand probably dobelieve that destiny is on their side. However, human experience reaches a contrary verdict. The accelerating headwinds facing the PRC offer support for such skepticism. But it would be foolish to dismiss Chinas potential for continued growth. Despite far greater internal weaknesses, the Soviet Union stumbled along for decades. Nevertheless, recognition that Chinas future is not fixed gives those committed to a broadly liberal order both incentive and time to act. The possibility of change also argues against reflexively mimicking Beijings enthusiasm for statist intervention. Rather, those committed to a freer, more democratic society should treat Chinas future as a battle over ideas that, hopefully, can be won. Advocates of reform should play the long game. Free societies should improve their modeling of democratic values and encourage a greater information flow to the Chinese people, online and off. Liberal peoples and nations should contest claims that the Beijing Consensus offers a better model of development and governance. America, Australia, Europe, and other open societies should welcome Chinese visitors, especially students. At the same time, it is important to act carefully in addressing the PRC. Making what are perceived to be existential threats ensure a more hostile and fevered response from Beijing. Unnecessarily antagonizing the Chinese publiceven the young resent foreign criticism of their country, just as Americans dislike insults levied against the U.S. from abroadaids the CCPs attempt to don the mantle of Chinese nationalism. The internal battle for the PRCs future will ultimately be the most important determinant of Chinas future. Over the long term, Beijing is likely to pose a more serious challenge than did the Soviet Union. However, the formers course is still open. Free peoples around the world should ponder how to encourage the potential Chinese colossus to empower its people rather than its rulers. Most important will be a sustained effort to engage the Chinese people, who ultimately must decide their own future. Iran ordered an investigation on Wednesday into videos and images of violence by the government forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran against Iranian protesters. In one of these videos, several government agents are seen beating a man severely. Then one of the agents runs over the man with a motorcycle and another agent shoots him from close range. The authenticity of these images, like many other videos released from the ongoing protests in Iran, cannot be independently verified. The video appeared on social media late Tuesday and is purportedly from Tehran. "This shocking video sent from Tehran today is another horrific reminder that the cruelty of Iran's security forces knows no bounds. Amid a crisis of impunity, they're given free rein to brutally beat & shoot protesters," Amnesty International said via Twitter. It added that the United Nations Human Rights Council should immediately investigate. The Iranian police issued a statement saying an investigation into the incident had been ordered. "The police absolutely do not approve of violent and unconventional behavior and will deal with the offenders according to the rules," said the statement published by state news agency IRNA. The unrest started in protest of the mid-September killing of Mahsa Amini, 22, while in the custody of the morality police, allegedly because of inappropriate clothing, and has continued for seven weeks. People from across the country have made this one of the biggest challenges to the government since the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979 by participating in demonstrations against the regime and chanting the slogan "Death to [Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali] Khamenei." Iranian leaders blame the crisis on the United States and other Western powers, a narrative that most Iranians do not believe. Khamenei, who has rarely commented on the protests, in a speech to schoolchildren accused the United States of establishing "a plan for Tehran and the country's large and small cities." He called American officials who support the protests "shameless." According to an updated death toll issued Wednesday by the Norway-based group Iran Human Rights, 176 people have been killed in the crackdown on protests sparked by Amini's death. Another 101 people have lost their lives in a separate protest wave in Zahedan in the southeastern Sistan-Baluchestan province. Thousands have been arrested nationwide, rights activists say, while Iran's judiciary has said 1,000 people had already been charged over what it describes as "riots." Despite the deaths, arrests and a strong warning by the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, protesters in Iran continue to risk their lives and protest in the streets. The challenge to the regime is compounded by the custom in Iran to mark 40 days since a person died, turning every mourning ceremony for the dozens killed in the crackdown into a potential protest flashpoint. "Funerals and 40-day commemoration ceremonies for killed protesters are increasingly becoming the impetus for further unrest," said Kita Fitzpatrick, Iran analyst at the Critical Threats Project of the American Enterprise Institute. "This places the regime in a bind: They run the risk of inadvertently sustaining the protest movement in attempting to violently suppress it." Some information for this report came from Agence France-Presse. Reports from Iran say protesters once again clashed with security forces Thursday in a town near the capital, reportedly killing or wounding members of the security forces. Protests in Iran have erupted almost daily since September after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in custody of the country's morality police. Analysts say the daily demonstrations have become some of the most serious challenges to the Islamic Republic in its history. Thursday's clashes came after thousands gathered in the town of Karaj, just outside Tehran, to mark the 40th day since the shooting death of 22-year-old Hadis Najafi, one of several young women to have been killed during the protests. It is a custom in Shiite Islam to mark the 40th day after someone's death with public mourning. Commemorating protester deaths has given momentum to the ongoing demonstrations, just as it did during the 1979 revolution that overthrew a Western-backed monarchy. The Associated Press is reporting that videos posted to social media show thousands gathered to mourn in Karaj, then later clashing with police. In one of them, a helicopter can be seen flying over the protesters dropping flash grenades in an attempt to disperse them before landing in the middle of a highway. Government supporters on social media said the helicopter was sent to aid wounded policemen. The clerical leadership, under 83-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has responded with a crackdown that, beyond killing dozens, has seen 1,000 people charged in Iran's opaque court system. Activists say many of those detained could face the death penalty. In a report Thursday, New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Iranian authorities have escalated their assault against the widespread dissent and protests through dubious national security charges against detained activists and grossly unfair trials. Citing an informal network of activists inside Iran, the HRW report said that as of October 30, in addition to mass arrests of protesters, intelligence agencies have arrested 130 human rights defenders, 38 women rights defenders, 36 political activists, 19 lawyers, and 38 journalists, the majority of whom remain in detention. Among them were two journalists, Niloufar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohamadi, who had reported on Amini's death in morality police custody. The Kurdish woman was detained in Tehran for allegedly wearing her hijab, or head scarf, "improperly." She died while in police custody three days later, with the police reporting Amini had a heart attack. Amini's family says she had no history of heart trouble. Rights groups say more than 200 people have died during the protests, and hundreds, if not thousands, have been arrested. VOA's Persian Service contributed background information for this report. Some information for this report came from the Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse. A day after launching an unprecedented missile barrage, North Korea started Thursday by firing three more, including a long-range missile that prompted emergency shelter orders in three Japanese prefectures. Residents were warned to immediately take shelter indoors in Japans Miyagi, Yamagata, and Niigata prefectures. Television broadcasts in some parts of the country were interrupted by emergency alerts. Japans emergency broadcast system initially said the North Korean missile flew over and past Japanese territory, but defense officials later retracted that claim. Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said officials lost track of the missile while it was flying over the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. The long-range missile flew about 760 kilometers, but failed following its second stage separation, according to military officials quoted in South Koreas Yonhap news agency. The United States strongly condemns the intercontinental ballistic missile launch and vowed to take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of the U.S. homeland, South Korea, and Japan, according to a National Security Council statement. The U.S. State Department also condemned the launch as a clear violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions, which ban any North Korean ballistic missile activity. Together, with the international community, we call on the DPRK to refrain from further provocations and engage in sustained and substantive dialogue, read a statement from State Department spokesperson Ned Price, using an abbreviation for North Koreas official name. Later Thursday, North Korea sent two more short-range missiles into the ocean, South Korean and Japanese defense officials said. North Korea has launched at least 27 missiles, along with more than 100 rounds of artillery, since early Wednesday, as it continues to display its anger over ongoing U.S.-South Korea military drills. North Korea aimed three of Wednesdays launches toward South Korea, triggering alerts on televisions in the South and air raid sirens on an island off the coast. In response, South Koreas military on Wednesday said its warplanes launched three missiles north of the de facto sea border to demonstrate South Koreas capability and readiness to strike the enemy with precision. Neither country had sent missiles across the Northern Limit Line since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War; on Wednesday they both did within hours of each other. North Korea has fired more than 50 ballistic missiles this year a record but until Wednesday none had been launched toward South Korean territory or resulted in public air raid alerts. The developments further raise tensions on the Korean Peninsula, where both sides have increased displays of military strength. Earlier this week, North Korea threatened powerful follow-up measures if the United States and South Korea do not stop their ongoing military exercises. North Korea says it views the drills as preparation to invade. It has long used them as occasions to show off its own military capabilities. The United States and South Korea say the drills are defensive. South Korean and U.S. officials have for months warned that North Korea is in the final stages of preparations for what would be its seventh nuclear test since 2006. North Korea has many possible motivations for conducting weapons tests, including developing new capabilities, demonstrating deterrence, and signaling resolve to its own people. Many analysts say the latest barrage has a demonstration component. North Korea may relish international anxiety in the lead up to its next nuclear detonation, believing that greater global attention will hasten begrudging acceptance of North Korea as a nuclear weapons state, Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, said by email. In the meantime, its missile tests improve military capabilities and serve political purposes, he said. For full coverage of the crisis in Ukraine, visit Flashpoint Ukraine. The latest developments in Russias war on Ukraine. All times EDT. 10:08 p.m.: Bulgaria's parliament Thursday agreed to send military aid to Ukraine, after a previous decision to refrain from directly supplying arms to the war-torn country following Russia's invasion, Agence France-Presse reported. Bulgaria, once a signatory to a defense pact with the USSR, still flies a small number of Soviet-built MiG-29 fighter jets that Ukraine has been asking for because its pilots know how to fly them. The Balkan country also has S-300 long-range surface-to-air missiles, but Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov earlier this week said his country could not afford to part with them. Bulgaria is a member of NATO and the European Union, but still has close historical, cultural and economic ties with Moscow. 9:15 p.m.: Ten million metric tons of grains and foodstuffs have left Ukraine in the past three months, the U.N. chief said Thursday, calling for the renewal of a deal vital to "reducing the risk of hunger" worldwide, Agence France-Presse reported. The landmark announcement comes just days after the so-called Black Sea grain deal was called into question by Moscow's complaints over sanctions. The deal was put in place over the summer to ease the global food crisis caused by Russia's war in Ukraine. "As of today, 10 million metric tons of grain and other foodstuffs have been shipped through the Black Sea corridor. It has taken just three months to reach this milestone," United Nation chief Antonio Guterres told journalists. 8:49 p.m.: A senior U.N. official said on Thursday that the global body was prioritizing efforts to export stranded Russian fertilizers from European ports and hopes to make advances before a deadline for renewing the Black Sea grains deal this month, Reuters reported. Moscow on Wednesday resumed its participation in a U.N.-brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative after a four-day suspension, easing pressure on food prices and allaying fears of a renewed global food crisis. However, Russia has stopped short of giving its support for a renewal of the deal beyond its November 19 expiration and is urging the United Nations to help fulfill parts of the deal intended to ease Russia's food and fertilizer exports. The U.N. World Food Program confirmed to Reuters that it stands ready to help ship an initial 20,000 metric tons of Russian fertilizer to Malawi. 8:15 p.m.: The UK government said Thursday it would ban ships and services used to transport Russian crude oil above the price cap set by the G-7 and Australia, Agence France-Presse reported. This comes after a EU ban on insuring ships transporting Russian crude and as G-7 ministers have agreed on setting a price cap on Russian oil, aimed at crimping the Kremlin's revenues and containing soaring energy prices. Australia and the European Union have backed the price cap. The Treasury said that legislation taking effect on December 5 "introduces a ban on UK ships and services facilitating the maritime transport of Russian crude oil." It said this would apply unless oil was "purchased at or below the Oil Price Cap set by the Price Cap Coalition of the G-7 and Australia." 7:40 p.m.: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday ordered a one-time payment of 195,000 rubles ($3,200) for contract soldiers and those who have been mobilized to fight in Ukraine, the Kremlin said, according to Reuters. Last week Moscow said the "partial mobilization" of 300,000 reservists was over but conceded there had been problems. More than 2,000 people were arrested at protests amid public outcry over cases of men being called up despite medical exemptions, or a lack of military experience. In a decree published on the Kremlin website, Putin said the payment was designed "to provide additional measures of social support" to contract soldiers and those who had been called up. It did not give further details. The minimum monthly wage on offer for contract soldiers is 160,000 rubles ($2,700), which is almost three times the national average. 6:42 p.m.: More than 100 men mobilized to the war in Ukraine from Russia's Chuvashia region have rebelled, demanding overdue salaries promised to them, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported. The group issued a video statement recorded on November 2 by the men in the military training center in the city of Ulyanovsk in which they say they "will fight for justice" until their overdue salaries are fully paid. 5:55 p.m.: Moldova has imported natural gas from Slovakia, for the first time obtaining volumes pumped from west to east, a senior member of the government said on Thursday, according to Reuters. The comments by Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Spinu demonstrated Moldova's ability to source gas from places other than Russia as it faces growing supply problems. The small ex-Soviet state is reliant on Russian natural gas supplied by Gazprom and is grappling with a 40% cut in Russian deliveries that has hurt its ability to supply enough electricity to its 2.5 million population. Spinu said Moldovan company Energocom had bought 5 million cubic meters of gas in Slovakia and lauded it as a step towards greater energy independence. 5 p.m.: Like much of Ukraines northern Kharkiv region, Vovchansk was occupied by Russian forces in the early hours of Moscows invasion on February 24. It was liberated in September during a lightning Ukrainian counteroffensive that sent Russian forces reeling out of the region, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reports. 4:33 p.m.: Ukrainian forces can retake the strategic southern city of Kherson from Russian troops, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Thursday, in what would be a major defeat for Russia in its invasion of its neighbor, Reuters reported. Austin's remarks coincided with a Russian-installed official in Kherson region saying Moscow was likely to pull its troops from the west bank of the Dnieper River, signaling a significant retreat, if confirmed. Ukraine said it was still fighting in the area and was wary of the occupying Russian forces setting a trap. Austin did not answer a question about whether Russian forces were preparing to leave. But, in perhaps his most optimistic comments yet on the Ukrainian counter-offensive, expressed confidence in their ability to beat back Russian forces. 3:56 p.m.: Officials from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow met with Brittney Griner on Thursday, officials said, according to Reuters, in the first visit in months for the WNBA star who is jailed in Russia and could soon be transferred to a penal colony. "We are told she is doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Air Force One as President Joe Biden flew to New Mexico. The visit was the first consular access to Griner since early August, when the two-time Olympic gold medalist was found guilty of narcotics possession and smuggling for bringing cannabis-infused vape cartridges into Russia. A court last week rejected an appeal of her nine-year prison sentence. Washington and Moscow have discussed swapping Griner and fellow detainee Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine, for a Russian arms dealer jailed in the United States, but no deal has materialized amid heightened tensions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 3:01 p.m.: The G-7 will not allow Russia to inflict "starvation" on Ukrainians this winter as a result of its assault on the country, Germany said Thursday ahead of a key meeting of the group of wealthy nations, Agence France-Presse reported. Affirming support for Ukraine is expected to be the number one topic on the agenda at the two-day meeting of G-7 foreign ministers in the western city of Muenster. Western allies will provide generators, heaters, container housing, tents, beds and blankets as some of the items that will be part of a "winter aid package" for Ukraine, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba addressed the conference via a video link on Thursday. 2:33 p.m.: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday his country would not participate in the upcoming G-20 summit in Indonesia if Russian President Vladimir Putin also attends, Agence France-Presse reported. "If the leader of the Russian Federation was to take part in it, Ukraine would not be participating," Zelenskyy told a press conference with Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou in Kyiv. Putin is yet to say if he will attend. 1 p.m.: The U.N. nuclear agency said its inspectors investigating Russian claims that Ukraine is preparing to use a dirty bomb have not found any indications of undeclared nuclear activities and materials at the three sites they have inspected. Ukraine has strongly denied Moscow's allegations that it is planning to detonate a dirty bomb on its own territory and in turn accused Russia of plotting to use the threat of a bomb laced with nuclear material as a pretext for an escalation in Ukraine. Russia raised the matter at the U.N. Security Council last week and warned in a letter that it will regard the use of the dirty bomb by the Kyiv regime as an act of nuclear terrorism. Ukraine invited the IAEA inspectors. The IAEA said they visited the locations where Russia made allegations about activities: the Institute for Nuclear Research in Kyiv, Eastern Mining and Processing Plant in Zhovti Kody, and Production Association Pivdennyi Machine-Building Plant in Dnipro. The agency said its inspectors were given unfettered access to the locations. 12:35 p.m.: The International Atomic Energy Agency says the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine lost all access to external electricity following overnight shelling and is currently receiving backup power from its emergency diesel generators. Nuclear operator Energoatom blamed Russia for shelling in the area that damaged power lines and electrical substations. Russia put the blame on Ukraine. The IAEA said in a statement that senior Ukrainian operating staff informed their experts of indications that the power lines were physically damaged at two different locations about 50-60 kilometers from the plant itself, in Ukrainian-controlled territory. Repair work was under way at one of the locations. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said in a statement that the development is extremely concerning and again demonstrates the plants fragile and vulnerable situation. He has been working with both sides to establish a demilitarized protection zone around the nuclear plant. Measures are needed to prevent a nuclear accident at the site. The establishment of a nuclear safety and security protection zone is urgently needed, he said 11:51 a.m.: Russia and Ukraine on Thursday exchanged 214 captured service personnel in the latest of a series of prisoner swaps, many of the Ukrainians wounded survivors of a failed attempt to defend the city of Mariupol in April and May, Reuters reported. Russia's Defense Ministry said in a statement that Ukraine had released 107 Russian personnel, and that they would be transferred to Moscow for "the necessary medical and psychological assistance." Andriy Yermak, the Ukrainian president's chief of staff, said Russia had released 107 Ukrainian fighters, including 74 who had defended the Azovstal steel works, scene of Ukraine's last stand in Mariupol. 10 a.m.: Ukraine is counting on more Western technological support as its war against Russia drags on, with Microsoft pledging Thursday to extend its backing for Kyiv's extraordinary" wartime innovation through the end of next year, the Associated Press reported. Microsoft's financial commitment of more than $400 million enables the Ukraine government and other organizations to continue using the Microsoft cloud and its public data centers across Europe, the companys president, Brad Smith, announced at the annual Web Summit tech conference in Lisbon, Portugal. Cloud technology offers resilience and security for Ukraine operations, Smith said, after Russia targeted Ukrainian data centers with air strikes when it invaded more than eight months ago. The invasion triggered extraordinary innovation by the Ukrainian military, Smith said. 8:36 a.m.: As Russians seized parts of eastern and southern Ukraine in the opening stages of the war, mayors, civilian administrators and others, including nuclear power plant workers, say they have been abducted, threatened or beaten to force their cooperation. In some instances, they have been killed, the Associated Press reported. Human rights activists say these actions could constitute a war crime. Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fedorov said he was abducted from his office and the bullying and threats did not stop for a minute. They tried to force me to continue leading the city under the Russian flag, but I refused. After six days in detention and an intervention from Ukraine's president, he was exchanged for nine Russian prisoners of war and expelled from the occupied city 7:30 a.m.: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday that Moscow had called on the United Nations to help fulfill part of the Black Sea grain deal that would ease Russias own food exports. Lavrov was speaking at a news conference in Jordan, one day after Russia said it would resume its participation in the initiative, u-turning on its decision, taken last weekend, to suspend its role in the deal. 6:30 a.m.: Russian missile attacks hit energy infrastructure in the Ukrainian regions of Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk late on Wednesday, further complicating the work of the energy system, Ukraine's grid operator Ukrenergo said on Thursday. The regions of Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk are both Ukrainian steelmaking hubs. Russian strikes have damaged 40% of Ukraine's energy infrastructure, President Volodymyr Zelenskiyy has said, Reuters reported. 6 a.m.: A senior Russian official said on Thursday that Russia had prevented a Ukrainian attack on the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine. Repeated shelling of the plant has raised the possibility of a grave accident just 500 kilometers (300 miles) from the site of the worlds worst nuclear accident, the 1986 Chornobyl disaster, Reuters reported. The International Atomic Energy Agency, or the IAEA, which has repeatedly expressed concerns over the shelling of the plant, has proposed the establishment of a nuclear safety and security protection zone around the plant. Ukraine says Russia has repeatedly shelled the plant while Russia says Ukraine has shelled the plant. Both sides deny the others claims. Ukrainian forces continue to shell the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant with Western weapons which could lead to a global catastrophe, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, said. Patrushev said that Russian special services had prevented what he said was a terrorist attack on the plant. Ukraines state nuclear company said on Thursday that Russian shelling had damaged high voltage lines at the plant. After invading Ukraine on February 24, Russian forces took control of the plant in early March. Special Russian military units guard the facility and Russian nuclear specialists are on site. Ukrainian staff continue to help operate the plant. 5:30 a.m.: Hungarys parliament will decide on when to schedule a debate on the ratification of Finland's and Sweden's applications to join NATO, Reuters reported Thursday, quoting Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto who was speaking at a press conference. Szijjarto said the government has done its job by submitting the relevant bill to parliament. Hungary and Turkey are the only members not to have ratified the applications. 5 a.m.: Ukraine has made no new commitments that go beyond the terms of a deal signed in July to free up grain exports from its Black Sea ports following Russias invasion, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Thursday. Spokesman Oleg Nikolenko wrote on Facebook that Ukraine had never used the Black Sea grain corridor for military purposes and had never intended to do so. 4:30 a.m.: Seven ships carrying agricultural products left Ukrainian Black Sea ports on Thursday, a day after the resumption of a grain deal aimed at delivering Ukrainian food to foreign markets, the infrastructure ministry said, Reuters reported. The vessels were loaded with 290,000 tons of food products and were headed towards European and Asian countries, the ministry said in a statement without elaborating. 4 a.m.: Disinformation and hatred against Jews has flourished online throughout Russia's invasion of Ukraine, further aggravating a trend set in motion during the COVID-19 pandemic, Agence France-Presse reported Thursday, citing an EU report. The coronavirus pandemic and Russia's aggression against Ukraine further fueled anti-Semitism, which remains a serious problem in our societies, said Michael OFlaherty, director of the Vienna-based Fundamental Rights Agency, or the FRA. A working group meeting in June had already highlighted the risks of fake narratives and disinformation stoking up anti-Semitism, as Russia justified its war by misusing terms such as Nazi and genocide to describe the government in Ukraine. In its annual report, which was compiled this July, the FRA said that Jewish communities across Europe have been profoundly affected by online hate and disinformation in the context of the Russian invasion and the outbreak. The bloc's rights agency reiterated that recording of anti-Semitic incidents remains poor across Europe, with data collection and classification varying in each country. No official data on recorded anti-Semitic incidents was available from two EU member states, Hungary and Portugal, making it difficult to meaningfully compare the situation across the bloc In some countries, such as Austria and Finland, most recorded incidents took place online. The European Commission presented its first ever strategy to combat anti-Semitism in October 2021. Brussels is expected to publish reports on the implementation of its strategy in 2024 and 2029 respectively, also relying on FRA data regarding anti-Semitic incidents for their assessment. 3:35 a.m.: The British ambassador arrived at the Russian foreign ministry on Thursday morning, Reuters reported quoting the RIA Novosti news agency, after she was summoned to discuss Moscows claims that Britain was involved in a Ukrainian drone strike on Russias Black Sea Fleet in Crimea. 3:15 a.m.: 2:58 a.m.: Russias Gazprom said it would ship 42.4 million cubic meters of gas to Europe via Ukraine on Thursday, levels similar to those reported in recent days. 2 a.m.: Ukraines Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has been disconnected from the power grid after Russian shelling damaged the remaining high voltage lines, leaving it with just diesel generators, Reuters reported Thursday, quoting Ukraines nuclear firm Energoatom. The power plant has 15 days worth of fuel to run the generators, Energoatom said. The plant's blocks 5 and 6 are being switched into cold state, it said. 1:30 a.m.: Foreign ministers from the G-7 group of rich democracies will discuss how best to coordinate further support for Ukraine when they meet on Thursday in Germany following recent Russian attacks on energy infrastructure that have caused widespread power cuts, Reuters reported. Russia's invasion of Ukraine is expected to dominate the two-day meeting of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken with his G-7 counterparts in the western German city of Muenster, although Chinas increasingly assertive role in the world and protests in Iran will also be high on the agenda. This G-7 ministerial is, for us, coming at an important time, a senior State Department official said, noting that the group has been a vital coordinating mechanism for policy approaches on the most pressing issues. The G-7 meeting, hosted by Germany, which holds the groups rotating presidency, will provide an opportunity for the worlds richest democracies to discuss recent developments in China and security in the Indo Pacific after Chinese President Xi Jinping consolidated his grip on power at a Communist Party Congress. 12:30 a.m.: 12:01 a.m.: The U.N. Security Council has overwhelmingly rejected Russias attempt to establish a commission to investigate its unfounded claims that Ukraine and the United States are carrying out military biological activities that violate the convention prohibiting the use of biological weapons, The Associated Press reported. Russia only got support from China in the vote on its resolution, with the U.S., Britain and France voting no and the 10 other council nations abstaining. The 2-3-10 vote reflected the councils continuing opposition to Russias actions since its February 24 invasion of Ukraine. Russias deputy ambassador Dmitry Polyansky said his government was extremely disappointed at the vote. U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the resolution was based on disinformation, dishonesty, bad faith. VOAs United Nations correspondent Margaret Besheer has been following developments. Some information in this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse. Security forces in northwest Nigeria's Katsina state are searching for 21 teenagers, most of them girls, who were abducted by gunmen from a farm Sunday and are being held for ransom. Katsina state spokesperson Gambo Isah said police have launched a joint rescue operation with the military and other security agencies in the state to rescue the captives. He said the victims include 17 females and four males between 15 and 18 years old. The teens were working on a farm between the villages of Kamfanin Mailafiya and Kurmim Doka on Sunday when armed men invaded and took them away. "In the local government area where the incident happened we have a unit of the military there. So we are working assiduously with the view of [rescuing] the victims alive and unhurt by the special grace of God," Isah told VOA over the phone. A local village chief told Reuters news agency that the kidnappers are demanding about $68,000 in ransom. Such large-scale kidnappings have become all too common in Nigeria over the past two years, with armed gangs known locally as bandits abducting scores of people at a time, and demanding huge sums for their release. In December 2020, more than 300 pupils were kidnapped from a boys secondary boarding school in Katsina state. They were released after a week in captivity, and the government insisted no ransom was paid. The kidnappings and general insecurity have sparked criticism of President Muhammadu Buhari and the government. Officials say they are doing everything they can keep Nigerians safe. North Korea continued its unprecedented pace of missile launches Thursday, sending six more missiles into the sea, as it continued to lash out at the United States and South Korea for conducting joint military exercises. North Korea fired three short-range ballistic missiles into waters off its east coast late Thursday, South Korea's military said. Earlier in the day, North Korea launched three missiles, including a suspected long-range missile that triggered emergency shelter orders in Japan. Over the past two days, North Korea has launched 30 missiles, a record high by far, sending military tensions soaring in Northeast Asia. The North Korean tests prompted South Korea to announce the extension of large-scale air drills with the United States, which had been set to end Friday. About 240 airplanes are conducting around 1,600 sorties in the exercises, U.S. officials said. In a late-night statement slamming the extension of the drills, a senior North Korean official blamed Washington and Seoul for bringing tensions to an "uncontrollable phase." "The U.S. and South Korea will get to know what an irrevocable and awful mistake they made," said the statement by Pak Jong Chon, a senior official in North Korea's ruling Workers' Party." North Korea views such drills as preparation to invade; the United States and South Korea say they are justified and defensive. With each side blaming the other for raising tensions, it is unclear when the current cycle of provocations will end. North Korea's launches created especially tense situations in northern Japan early Thursday. In Miyagi, Yamagata, and Niigata prefectures, residents were warned to take shelter indoors. Japanese television broadcasts were also interrupted by emergency alerts, which initially said a North Korean missile flew over and past Japanese territory. Officials later retracted that claim, with Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada saying officials lost track of the missile while it was flying over the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. The long-range missile flew about 760 kilometers but failed after its second stage separation, according to military officials quoted in South Korea's Yonhap news agency. The United States "strongly condemns" the intercontinental ballistic missile launch and vowed to "take all necessary measures" to ensure the safety of the U.S. homeland, South Korea, and Japan, according to a National Security Council statement. The U.S. State Department also condemned the launch as a "clear violation" of United Nations Security Council resolutions, which ban any North Korean ballistic missile activity. "Together, with the international community, we call on the DPRK to refrain from further provocations and engage in sustained and substantive dialogue," read a statement from State Department spokesperson Ned Price, using an abbreviation for North Korea's official name. North Korea aimed three of Wednesday's launches toward South Korea, triggering alerts on televisions in the South and air raid sirens on an island off the coast. In response, South Korea's military on Wednesday said its warplanes launched three missiles north of the de facto sea border to demonstrate South Korea's "capability and readiness to strike the enemy with precision." Neither country had sent missiles across the Northern Limit Line since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War; on Wednesday they both did within hours of each other. North Korea has fired more than 50 ballistic missiles this year a record but until Wednesday none had been launched toward South Korean territory or resulted in public air raid alerts. South Korean and U.S. officials have for months warned that North Korea is in the final stages of preparations for what would be its seventh nuclear test since 2006. North Korea has many possible motivations for conducting weapons tests, including developing new capabilities, demonstrating deterrence, and signaling resolve to its own people. Many analysts say the latest barrage has a demonstrative component. North Korea "may relish international anxiety in the lead up to its next nuclear detonation, believing that greater global attention will hasten begrudging acceptance of North Korea as a nuclear weapons state," Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, said by email. "In the meantime, its missile tests improve military capabilities and serve political purposes," he said. The United Nations said Thursday the recent catastrophic floods in Pakistan have destroyed or damaged nearly 27,000 schools, preventing more than 2 million children in the country from returning to their education. UNICEF said Thursday that more than two months after the devastating floods engulfed large areas of Pakistan, the tops of school buildings are just becoming visible in some calamity-hit districts and it could take months before the flood waters completely recede. Almost overnight, millions of Pakistans children lost family members, homes, safety, and their education, under the most traumatic circumstances, said Robert Jenkins, UNICEFs global director of education, after visiting flood-ravaged areas. Now, faced with the uncertainty of when theyll be able to return to school, and having already endured some of the worlds longest school closures due to the pandemic, they are experiencing yet another threat to their future, Jenkins warned. The deluge, triggered by climate change-driven torrential monsoon seasonal rains, has affected 33 million people and killed more than 1,700 others across the country. Flood waters washed away at least 800,000 houses, killed 1.2 million crucial livestock animals and drenched 9.4 million acres of crop area, according to Pakistani and U.N. officials. UNICEF estimates more than 3.5 million childrens education has been interrupted due to floods all over Pakistan. It warns that the longer schools remain closed, the greater the risk of children dropping out of altogether, increasing their likelihood of being forced into child labor and exposure to other forms of abuse in the impoverished South Asian nation of about 220 million people. Pakistan already has the worlds second-highest number of out-of-school children with an estimated 22.8 million children aged 5 to 16 not attending school, representing 44% of the total population in that age group, according to UNICEF. Many of the districts hit the worst by the flooding were already listed among Pakistan's most vulnerable areas, where a third of boys and girls were already out of school, and 50% of children suffered from stunting. The U.N. agency noted Thursday that during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, schools across Pakistan were fully or partially closed for 64 weeks until they were reopened in March some of the worlds longest school closures. Less than six months on, the destruction caused by the extreme floods means schoolchildren are once again locked out of learning. Excessive damage to infrastructure including electricity and internet connectivity has left remote learning largely inaccessible, UNICEF said. UNICEF says it has established more than 500 temporary learning centers in the worst-affected Pakistani districts, and supported teachers and children with education supplies. For some children, who had never been enrolled in school before, these learning centers are their very first experience of education. We need to do all that we can to ensure they continue learning when they return to their homes, Jenkins said. Several districts of the hardest-hit southern Sindh province have remained underwater for nearly two months. In its latest flood review report, the U.N. has warned that winter is fast approaching and flood victims urgently need adequate shelter, as well as nonfood items, such as tents and blankets. The report says public health concerns are high due to damaged infrastructure, the outbreak of waterborne diseases, stagnating water and inadequate sanitation facilities. The practice of open defecation has increased from one-fifth before the floods to over one-third of the affected population, with 6 million no longer having home sanitation facilities, the U.N. said. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, at a summit on gender-based violence in the country, said murders of women jumped by 50% this year and called for action to stop the trend. Experts say his governments efforts are falling short. It is a story of a nation that is seemingly at war with itself a nation that is at war with the women of this country and the children of this country, Ramaphosa said this week as he addressed the summit. National police reported 1,753 women were murdered in just the first half of this year. M, whose name is being withheld for her safety, said she thought shed become one of those statistics when her ex-boyfriend imprisoned her and her daughter in his apartment for months. I had to beg for my life, she said. And then I told him, You know what, Ill never ever annoy you with the thing of wanting to go home. You know what, you can do whatever you want to do with me. I'm all yours. Please, please spare me my life because I still have daughter to raise. M had met her boyfriend online. She said at first, he was sweet, and the relationship was ordinary. But once she had been staying with him for a prolonged period, he turned on her and became violent, subjecting her to physical and sexual abuse. M said she later learned she wasnt his only victim. I even discovered that he had murdered another girl, she said, He murdered his girlfriend, his previous girlfriend. There are other victims that he had. So, I was not the second [survivor of abuse], I was not the third. Maybe hes been doing that, and then I was the next victim. He was going to kill me also and then get another victim. M and her daughter are now safely staying at a womens shelter. They had managed to escape in July when her partner forgot his cellphone at home, giving her a rare opportunity to call the police. As she waits for her case to make it to the courts, M said she wants other women like her to know there is help available. Vanita Daniels, administrative director for the nonprofit Rise Up Against Gender-Based Violence, said there are droves of women seeking help. We are almost five times the international average for femicide its horrendous, those numbers, she said. Its a cause for great concern, especially when we are not, you know, a war-torn country. Weve had survivors that had to leave their homes with absolutely nothing except the clothes on their backs. And so, they go into a shelter space, and they need everything. Despite it being four years since the inaugural presidential summit on gender-based violence, nonprofits supporting survivors say there are still shortfalls in funding and resources from government to meet those needs. We on the ground are asking the president what has gone wrong, said Lisha Stevens, a social worker with Nisaa Institute for Womens Development in Johannesburg. Where have they not assisted? Why are they not reaching a minimum target in gender-based violence deaths? Government needs to intervene, give us a budget, so that we can equip and empower these women. Both experts agree that in addition to supporting women fleeing violence, there need to be greater efforts to prevent it in the first place. Daniels said that requires a societal overhaul in how men and women are treated and valued. One of the things that we are not tackling in this country effectively is issues around culture, issues around religion, issues around harmful patriarchal practice, she said. And so, one of the things that we do as an organization, we do behavioral change programs, and we work specifically with men because we believe in prevention. Womens rights advocates say laws and policies have improved to protect survivors and that the next step is better enforcement. Tanzania's Ministry of Tourism released a census this week showing the country's elephant population has stabilized. Tanzania's elephants were among the hardest hit by poaching in Africa, with numbers dropping 60 percent between 2009 and 2014. But authorities say joint efforts with conservation groups and local communities have drastically reduced poaching and helped to attract tourist dollars. Just under 20,000 elephants were recorded in a survey that covered about 90,000 square kilometers of the Katavi-Rukwa and Ruaha-Rungwa landscapes in western Tanzania, including parks, game reserves and other protected areas. The government said the results confirm that the landscape remains the most important in East Africa in terms of elephant numbers and contains the largest population on the continent outside Zimbabwe and Botswana. Ernest Mjingo, a managing director of the Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute, a department of the Ministry of Tourism, said the world would now see Tanzania as very serious about conservation and doing well at it. And if the world does see that, he said, it would be a credit to the government and would also increase revenue, because Tanzania will become a prime destination for tourists because of the animal population. He added that it could also become a U.N. World Heritage Site, since it would have species that would not be available in other places. The report said poaching had dramatically decreased over the last few years. In the last report, conducted in 2018, the ratio of elephant carcasses to live animals was 14 percent. Now, its just 1.4 percent, thanks to government and stakeholders' efforts in strengthening wildlife protection. Tourism experts such as Makubi Mabula see the results of the census as a good sign for Tanzanias economic prospects. "Honestly, the results show a green light toward the future of tourism in our country," he said through a translator. " ... Many tourists come to see animals like elephants, lions, rhinos and others. So, with the elephant population stabilizing, the national income will increase. It really gives us the peace we tourist stakeholders need to believe that the tourism industry will grow fast." Along with elephants, the survey also confirmed that the populations of 25 other key mammal species in Tanzania have stabilized, including buffaloes, zebras, hartebeests, impalas and giraffes. Russia said Wednesday it is resuming its participation in an agreement facilitating the shipment of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea. The Russian Federation considers that the guarantees received at the moment appear sufficient, and resumes the implementation of the agreement, the defense ministry said in a statement. Russia suspended its participation Saturday after alleging Ukraine used drones to attack the Russian Black Sea fleet. The United Nations and Turkey brokered the agreement in July with Russia and Ukraine to resume Ukrainian grain shipments and allow for Russian shipments of fertilizer amid a global food crisis. In a statement issued Tuesday through his spokesman, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warmly welcomed the announcement from the Russian Federation on its resumed participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative. Guterres said he continues his engagement with all actors toward the renewal and full implementation of the initiative, and he also remains committed to removing the remaining obstacles to the exports of Russian food and fertilizer. Russias suspension interrupted shipments in recent days, while the other parties to the scheme worked to get some shipments out of Ukrainian ports and to carry out some of the inspections in Istanbul called for under the deal. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hailed the agreement Wednesday as "a significant diplomatic result for our country and the whole world" after Russia rejoined a deal. Iranian weapons The Pentagon on Tuesday raised concerns that Russia may try to get more weapons from Iran and North Korea to use in its war against Ukraine. Russia recently has targeted civilian infrastructure with Iranian-made drones, and Iranian personnel are helping the Russian military launch these drone attacks from the Crimean Peninsula, according to the United States. Iran has repeatedly denied it is providing Russia drones and military support. We do have concerns that Russia may also seek to acquire additional advanced munition capabilities from Iran for example, surface-to-surface missiles to use in Ukraine, said Pentagon press secretary Pat Ryder. Atlanta-based cable news network CNN has reported that Iran is preparing to send Russia about 1,000 additional weapons, including surface-to-surface, short-range ballistic missiles and more suicide drones. Also Wednesday, the White House accused North Korea of shipping artillery shells to Russia via other countries, something North Korea denies. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the U.S. believes North Korea is "trying to make it appear as though they're being sent to countries in the Middle East or North Africa." He declined to provide a specific estimate of the quantity of ammunition being sent to bolster the Russian effort but said they are not going to change the course of the war. Security Council Meanwhile, Russia was denied Wednesday its request to the U.N. Security Council to establish a formal inquiry into its charge that the U.S. and Ukraine have biological weapons programs in Ukraine. Its a claim that Kyiv and Washington deny. China was the only country to vote with Russia in support of a draft Security Council resolution on the measure. The U.S., Britain and France voted against it, and the other 10 council members abstained. U.N. disarmament officials have long said they are not aware of any biological weapons programs in Ukraine. VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb contributed to this story. Some information came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters. We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views. Here are a few facts that every employer should know or, at the very least, desperately need to hear. First, more than four out of five workers feel that corporate culture is important in deciding whether to apply for a job. At the same time, 94 percent of executives and 88 percent of employees say a distinct workplace culture is important to business success. And here's the one that may surprise you: nearly 70 percent of Americans prioritize benefits and corporate culture more than their salary. If those figures don't prove the importance of company culture in the starkest possible terms, nothing will. For bosses and managers who may see those numbers and start to think that their own company could be doing better on that score, Motivosity is prepped and ready to swing to the rescue. Motivosity is a platform that's all about employee engagement. This fully digital environment offers companies the tools to raise company culture to new heights by connecting with employees on a personal level. When employees feel supported and heard, businesses not only have the inside track on retaining all their best talent long-term, but it actually raises business revenue by as much as four times. It starts with Motivosity's first forum, Connect, where workers get to know each other better. In this social media-style environment, co-workers share their passions and interests, fostering understanding and even friendship in the workforce while giving each worker a place to shine. In Recognize, coworkers can turn their praise for others into an actual gift. While offering public acknowledgment for outstanding work or a stellar attitude, they can also put a few dollars toward a gift card for that recognized coworker, good at hundreds of retailers like Walmart, eBay, Home Depot, and more. In the Lead area, managers can create even more meaningful interactions with their team members. Regularly scheduled one-on-one meetings keep employer and employee connected, while shared resources, goals, and priorities help ensure everyone is on the same page. Finally, the Listen section lets employees contribute meaningful feedback to management about the current state of the company. 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The heritage sites are home to 18,600 glaciers spanning around 66,000 kilometers and representing almost 10% of areas covered by glaciers. The researchers say the glaciers at these sites have been retreating at an accelerated rate since 2000 due to carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, which lead to warmer temperatures. The researchers report the glaciers are currently losing 58 billion tons of ice every year equivalent to the combined annual water use of France and Spain and are responsible for nearly 5% of observed global sea-level rise. The glaciers at these sites include the highest in the world, near Mount Everest in the Himalayas, on the border of Nepal and China; the longest, found in Alaska; and Africas last remaining glaciers, including Kilimanjaro National Park and Mount Kenya. Glaciers in Europe and Latin America are likely to vanish as well. The report concludes that glaciers in the heritage sites are likely to disappear in the next 28 years, regardless of efforts to limit temperature increases. The researchers say it is still possible to save the glaciers in the remaining two-thirds of sites if the rise in temperatures does not exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to the pre-industrial period. In addition to drastically reduced carbon emissions, UNESCO is advocating for the creation of an international fund for glacier monitoring and preservation. Such a fund would support comprehensive research, promote exchange networks among all stakeholders and implement early warning and disaster risk reduction measures. With the report released just three days before the U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP27) begins in Sharm El-Sheikh Egypt, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said the report is a call to action. From her Twitter account, Azoulay wrote, Only a rapid reduction in our CO2 emissions levels can save glaciers and the exceptional biodiversity that depends on them. COP27 will have a crucial role to find solutions. UNESCO will support states in pursuing this goal. Some information in this report came from Reuters. U.S. personnel are inspecting stocks of American-supplied military equipment in Ukraine as part of efforts to keep track of gear provided to Kyiv's forces, the Pentagon said Thursday. The United States has committed nearly $18 billion in military assistance to Ukraine since Russian forces invaded the country in February, and Washington wants to make sure it is not misused. "A small team comprised of US Embassy Kyiv Office of the Defense Attache personnel have conducted multiple inspections of US security assistance deliveries within the last couple months at locations in Ukraine," spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder said in a statement. "These locations are not near the frontlines of Russia's war against Ukraine," Ryder said, adding that the "inspections are not reactive we have no evidence of widespread diversion of US security assistance in Ukraine." A senior U.S. defense official provided details earlier in the week about efforts to track the equipment, saying it starts with comprehensive records of donations before weapons are handed over. Ukraine then tracks "security assistance from the border logistics hubs to the front line," and also "provides expenditure and damage reports to capture losses," the official said. U.S. personnel are conducting inspections "wherever the security conditions allow," while the Defense Department is also training Kyiv's forces so they can provide data from areas where embassy teams cannot go. The U.S. State Department warned last week that captured weapons pose the primary threat. "Pro-Russian forces' capture of Ukrainian weapons including donated materiel has been the main vector of diversion so far and could result in onward transfers," the State Department said in a fact sheet. "Russia probably will also use these weapons to develop countermeasures, propaganda, or to conduct false-flag operations," it added. There have been two high-profile examples in recent years of American-supplied arms ending up in the hands of Washington's foes after they were lost by the forces they were provided to. The Islamic State group seized large amounts of weapons and vehicles from Iraqi troops during the jihadists' 2014 offensive, and the Taliban gained equipment ranging from rifles to aircraft when it seized control of Afghanistan last year. Latinos are the second-largest voting group in Arizona. And in this year's midterm elections, Latino youth could be a driving force for change in the state. Jorge Agobian traveled to Tucson and met with some of these voters to see what their expectations are. WHITE HOUSE The White House said Wednesday that North Korea is secretly supplying Russia with artillery for the war in Ukraine, another worrying sign, analysts say, that this conflict is getting more complex and dangerous for Ukrainian civilians. Our information indicates that the DPRK is covertly supplying Russia's war in Ukraine with a significant number of artillery shells, while obfuscating the real destination of the arms shipments by trying to make it appear as though they're being sent to countries in the Middle East or North Africa, John Kirby, spokesman for the National Security Council, told reporters. Kirby added that the artillery shells North Korea is sending are not going to change the course of the war, and that U.S. security support for Ukraine will continue and adapt to new challenges. Russia also has bought arms from Iran, in violation of a U.N. resolution that forbids weapons sales from the pariah nation, he said, adding that the U.S. would approach the U.N. to try to hold Russia accountable. North Korea has denied sending weapons to Russia. "We have never exported weapons or ammunition to Russia before, and we will not plan to export them," an official at the North Korean Defense Ministry's General Bureau of Equipment said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency on September 21. Defense analysts agreed with Kirbys assessment that the new munitions wont lead to a Russian victory, but say they are nevertheless a threat in the hands of an army accused of targeting Ukrainian civilians. What North Korea is providing to Russia is older, unguided artillery shells, said Ian Williams, deputy director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. So, the kind that you essentially fire just based on the ballistic trajectory, and it will kind of land where it may. You need a lot of them to really have an impact. But if you're just firing them indiscriminately into a civilian area, or you're just trying to blanket a large area, it can suffice in certain circumstances. And, he said, the North Korean munitions aren't as worrying as Irans decision to supply small, portable, hard-to-detect drones to Russia. Those were used last month to batter Kyiv, the capital. I'm actually more concerned with what the Iranians are doing than what the North Koreans are doing, Williams said. The Iranians are providing them with quite-long-range missiles and drones, and lots of them. And they are starting to really bear down using these things to really wear down Ukraine's civil infrastructure, their electrical grid and water treatment plants, and the ability to deliver fresh water to urban areas. I have been somewhat alarmed by the persistence of the Russians in this effort. Kirby also said the transaction indicates that Russian President Vladimir Putin is struggling in the eight-month conflict. Analysts say the war is going poorly for Russia, with Ukraines government estimating that as many as 70,000 Russian soldiers have been killed. It's a sign both of the isolation that he continues to feel economically, Kirby said. His own defense industrial base can't keep up with the pace at which he is using armaments in Ukraine. But it's also a sign of how much he's doubling down on continuing this war, that he's willing to go outside the lifelines, as it were, to find foreign suppliers. Williams added that its possible emotion is driving some of Russias military decisions. My belief is that Russia has lost this war, and they are just like the Germans in World War II, continuing to fire B1s and B2s at London, he said. By the end, it was not for any strategic purpose. It was just vengeance and trying to make the British people suffer. Putin has expressed his unhappiness about South Koreas decision to support Ukraine. The two Koreas remain in a state of war, nearly 70 years after the formal cessation of hostilities. On Wednesday, North Korea fired at least 23 missiles into the sea, some toward its southern neighbor. "We have learned now that the Republic of Korea has decided to supply weapons and ammunition to Ukraine, Putin said last week at a meeting of international policy experts in Moscow, using South Koreas official name. This will be destroying our relations. How would the Republic of Korea behave if we resumed cooperation with North Korea in this area? Would you feel happy about this? BLANTYRE, MALAWI Students at the University of Malawi are protesting over the schools decision to have only one semester per year, doubling the length of time needed for a degree. The school closed Wednesday after students blocked roads to the campus, and administrators say classes will not resume until the demonstrations end. The students have been holding demonstrations on and around campus since Friday in an effort to make officials abandon the new academic calendar, set to begin next year. On Wednesday, protesters blocked roads to the campus by burning tires in the streets. Humble Bondo, president of the universitys Students Council, said protests were stepped up this week after management failed to address students concerns during a meeting Monday. During the meeting we presented our stand, and we said to them, We will not stop our vigils until the academic calendar changes, Bondo said. So, instead of addressing our issue on the table or the option that we gave them, they said we cannot manage to do this. The university, so far, has not stated a reason for cutting back to one semester per year. Similar protests in September ended in clashes between the police and students. The University of Malawi administration said in a statement Wednesday it decided to close the institution because the protests were threatening the security of management and members of the public. They instructed all the students to leave the campus by noon. Bondo said closing the institution was unfair. The impact is a lot, he said. Mind you that we are fighting this so that we should have the same academic calendar, we should finish the period within one year, two semesters. But this will also prolong the time that we will stay at the university. So, this will put us in an awkward position. University spokesman Alfred Banda told VOA Wednesday he would not make further comments about the matter. Education expert Benedicto Kondowe faults the university administration for closing the institution and said he hopes the matter gets resolved soon. If they take longer, some of the students would drop out because they will lose motivation because it does not make sense to do a four-year program in five, six years, Kondowe said. So, there is already a risk there, what about a girl child? Some of the girls will fall pregnant, so there is huge implication that the duty bearers will need to consider in the circumstances. Student union president Bondo told VOA the students are seeking a court injunction against the closure of the institution. PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA Ethiopias government and leaders from the countrys Tigray region agreed to a cease-fire Wednesday after a week of peace talks in South Africa. The cease-fire, if it holds, would halt a two-year civil war that has devastated much of northern Ethiopia. Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, who mediated the talks led by the African Union, delivered the news Wednesday in the South African capital of Pretoria. Obasanjo congratulated both parties for agreeing to the cessation of hostilities, disarmament, as well as restoring humanitarian access to the countrys northern region. In New York, United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the ceasefire was a welcome first step. He said the U.N. hopes it can bring some solace to the millions of Ethiopian civilians who have really suffered during this conflict. The U.N. and United States were observers in the talks that began last week. History of conflict The war between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) began two years ago, with each party blaming the other for initiating the violence. The roots of the dispute stretch back nearly three decades. The TPLF dominated the countrys ruling coalition until 2018 when it lost power on a national level. The current government led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has accused the TPLF of attempting to restore its national hold, while the TPLF accuses the government of trying to oppress Tigray, where the party retains a stronghold. Neither side has confirmed casualty figures, but academics say the conflict has killed hundreds of thousands of people, many of them civilians. Humanitarian aid has been largely blocked from reaching the region, and the U.N. estimates that upwards of 5.2 million people in Tigray are dealing with extreme food insecurity. They also lack access to medicine and other vital resources. Agreement considered fresh start A cease-fire was previously reached in March, but that agreement collapsed in August. Since then, international pressure has been mounting for the warring parties to silence the guns. Although a civil conflict, the effects have rippled throughout the Horn of Africa. Eritrean forces have entered Ethiopian territory to back the national government. Refugees fleeing the fighting spilled into neighboring countries like Sudan. The agreement is only the beginning of the peace process, says Obasanjo, and it will allow the devastated region to begin to rebuild. LUSAKA, ZAMBIA Police in Zambia have arrested an opposition leader on charges of libel and hate speech after she criticized President Hakainde Hichilema's media director. Police spokesperson Rae Hamoonga said National Democratic Party leader Saboi Imboela is in police custody and has been read a "warn and caution" statement informing her that whatever she says could be used against her in a court of law. Hamoonga said Imboela was arrested for a Facebook post that criticized the president's media director, Clayson Hamasaka. Imboela's lawyer, Joseph Chirwa, said she was called into police headquarters in Lusaka on Tuesday and told she would be questioned by the anti-fraud squad. "She was warned and cautioned rather for the offense of hate speech contrary to Section 65 of the Cyber Security and Cyber Crimes Act. She was warned and cautioned, charged and arrested for the offense of criminal libel contrary to Section 191 of the Penal Code of Zambia, Chapter 27 of the laws of Zambia," Chirwa said. Zambia enacted the controversial measure in 2021 under the former ruling party, the Patriotic Front. Critics have expressed concern that the law is being used to muzzle freedom of expression, freedom of the press and the right to privacy. More than a dozen opposition leaders and citizens have been arrested in the past year for public comments deemed critical of the government or government officials. The opposition and human rights defenders have accused the ruling party of suppressing dissent. Hichilema's spokesperson, Anthony Bwalya, has repeatedly denied the allegations, calling the opposition "petty." WASHINGTON With just one week to go until the U.S. midterm elections, a key senior U.S. official is expressing concerns that misinformation, or influence operations by U.S. adversaries, could ignite violence at the polls. For weeks, top officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security have said they have found no traces of specific or credible threats to the November 8 vote. But increasingly officials have voiced fears about the heightened domestic political tensions that have gripped much of the country and about how that could play out on Election Day when mixed with false or misleading narratives, sometimes from foreign countries such as Russia, China and Iran. "It's a significant concern," Jen Easterly, director of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) told a forum Tuesday in Washington. "You've got disinformation and misinformation, which can be used by foreign adversaries to sow discord among the American people to undermine confidence in the integrity of our elections and to incite violence against election officials." In addition,"you've got these horrible physical security concerns at an unprecedented level, threats of intimidation, of violence, of harassment against election officials, polling places, voters," she said. CISA, which serves as the lead risk management agency for election security, is not alone in its worries. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has repeatedly warned about the potential for violence during the midterm elections, saying as far back as June that the election could serve as a rallying point for domestic extremists bent on violence. And senior U.S. law enforcement officials have likewise warned the number of threats against election workers and election officials has grown dramatically, with more than 1,000 reports since June 2021. Of those, almost 60% have come from seven states, all of which saw the results of the 2020 U.S. presidential election challenged by skeptics or audited because of unsubstantiated allegations of fraud. "It is a very sad state of affairs when election officials are worried about their security," Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told a conference in Virginia last week. "We have reports of a number of election officials expressing concern." State and local officials have also reported seeing more calls for violence on social media, including threats against election officials and some calls for a civil war. Officials with both DHS and CISA say they have responded by working closely with state and local officials who have the ultimate responsibility for running elections, sharing the latest threat intelligence and helping to coordinate with law enforcement officials. CISA has also been holding classes for election workers on how to deescalate potential confrontations, going as far as to post a shortened version on YouTube. Additionally, CISA and state election officials and organizations have sought to push back against potential influence operations designed to spread false and misleading information, promoting websites like CISA's Rumor Control site, designed to debunk narratives aimed at creating confusion and doubt. While senior U.S. officials have yet to draw a direct link between specific disinformation and specific cases of election-related violence, they say there is no doubt adversaries such as Russia, China and Iran have consistently pushed to increase political tensions within the U.S. "We know our foreign adversaries are doing this," FBI Assistant Director for Counterterrorism Robert Wells said last week, pointing to Russia in particular. "Russia likes to sit back and watch the United States kind of tear ourselves apart," he said. "I think they like what they're seeing but they will definitely take steps to fan the flames on social media." And officials worry about what will happen when those efforts are combined with a growing anti-government and anti-authority sentiment. SEE ALSO: "Myriad conspiracy theories continue to proliferate, with various narratives associated with false claims about the [2020] election," said DHS Assistant Secretary Samantha Vinograd, noting those claims "have a historical basis in cementing clear and credible violence." "We have also seen the window between aspirational rhetoric online, or seemingly aspirational rhetoric online, and action narrow significantly," she said, speaking alongside the FBI's Wells. "We are certainly very focused on what we consider to be an incredibly heightened threat environment." [[A series of prisoner swaps between Ukraine and Russia the latest of which came on October 17 are bringing relief and joy to the families of the released. But human rights activists say that an unknown number of Ukrainians including some who were captured at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol are still being held in Russia and Russian-occupied territories. Omelyan Oshchudlyak has the story. VOA footage by Yuriy Dankevych. Political violence has cast a pall over the U.S. midterm vote, with poll workers expecting high emotions at election venues and a recent, violent home invasion targeting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. President Joe Biden and other top politicians have condemned the attack, which badly wounded Pelosis husband, Paul, and they are calling for an end to political violence as the election looms on Nov. 8. VOAs Anita Powell reports from Washington. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has signed a Decree on the dismissal of Arif Samadov from the post of deputy head of the Protocol Service of the President. The order enters into force from the date of its signing. Following another presidential decree, Arif Samadov was appointed head of the Protocol Service of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. MAGA cultist Harry Wait, the founder of a group in Wisconsin that spreads lies about election fraud in the 2020 election, has been charged with election fraud. Wait publicly stated his intention to break the law. Racine County's MAGA Sheriff Christopher Schmaling said he would not arrest Wait and praised him instead. From The Milwaukee Journal Sentinal: Wait freely spoke about the crime and contacted Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling and others about his actions. In one email to Schmaling, Racine County District Attorney Patricia Hanson, Vos and others, Wait said, "I stand ready to be charged for exposing these voting vulnerabilities when I ordered Mason's and Vos's absentee ballot online, all without providing a photo I.D. or identifying myself." Schmaling did not arrest Wait and instead publicized the plot on social media as being helpful in rooting out vulnerabilities in the state election system and blamed the Wisconsin Elections Commission, calling on commissioners to remove a way voters can easily request ballots online. The Wisconsin Department of Justice charged Wait with two counts of election fraud and two counts of unauthorized use of an individual's personal identifying information to commit fraud. He could serve up to six years on each charge of using an individual's personal information and six months for each charge of election fraud. (The Center Square) House Oversight Committee Republicans are kicking off an investigation into what they they called a taxpayer-funded censorship campaign at the Department of Homeland Security. Since 2020, the federal agency has been under fire for working with big tech companies to censor certain viewpoints mainly related to election integrity. The GOP launched its investigation after Monday's report by The Intercept dove into how the Feds had begun pressuring tech companies on a range of issues, including COVID-19, the vaccine for it, and Ukraine. The Center Square obtained a letter from the group, led by ranking member Rep. James Comer, R-Ky. The letter, addressed to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, calls out an extensive censorship campaign originating within DHSs Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. CISA is framing any dissenting opinion disseminated online as a cyber threat to critical infrastructure, the letter said. CISA leverages partnerships with left-leaning private organizations who have received millions of dollars in federal money to identify and then take action against political speech unfavorable to the Administration, especially around its handling of COVID-19 policy. News of this effort from federal law enforcement sparked national controversy for details of the Biden administrations persistent pressure on tech companies like Facebook to delete content it finds inappropriate. The Intercept reported that Facebook had an online portal where federal law enforcement could flag content that it wanted removed. This effort began after CISA partnered with left-leaning organizations and Big Tech companies to launch the Election Integrity Partnership, the letter said. The EIP provides an online complaint-processing platform that permits groups including the Democratic National Committee on at least four occasions to submit tickets reporting narratives they flagged for concerns. Tickets were frequently resolved by taking one of several actions: 1) banning the user from posting his or her lawful speech or deplatforming the individual entirely, 2) algorithmically restricting the reach of the speech on the platform, or 3) adding other information, such as a warning label, to the post alerting users to the posts disfavored status, the letter added. The White House has pushed back on criticism, saying it does not use the censorship portal. You know, we work to protect that protect Americans from disinformation that threatens the homeland, including malicious efforts spread by foreign ... adversaries ... began before the Disinformation Governance Board was established, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a press briefing Wednesday. In fact, some of that work began before this administration. I want to be very clear that cross-agency work continues to this day." Former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said last year, though, that the White House was flagging certain Facebook posts to the company as misinformation. We are in regular touch with the social media platforms and those engagements typically happen through members of our senior staff and also members of our COVID-19 team, given as Dr. Murthy conveyed, this is a big issue of misinformation specifically on the pandemic, Psaki said at a press briefing in July of last year, referring to the U.S. surgeon general, Dr. Vivk Murthy. This investigation is spearheaded by the Republican minority on the House Oversight Committee. If Republicans take the majority in the House as current polling suggests, the probe could become a major feature of the second half of President Joe Bidens first term in office. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has a responsibility to protect the American people, not deliberately target and discredit Americans opposed to the Biden administrations radical agenda, Rep. Comer said. Any operation by the department to stifle Americans free speech is unacceptable, an abuse of taxpayer dollars, and warrants an immediate congressional investigation. Oversight Republicans expect Secretary Mayorkas to cooperate with congressional oversight into any online content monitoring program implemented by DHS to suppress Americans free speech. Republican lawmakers argued the Biden administration is actively violating the First Amendment and has already abused its influence of big tech companies to spread false information. Further, your agency is poorly positioned to moderate speech on social media. In fact, you deliberately spread disinformation in a White House press conference last year surrounding false allegations that your Border Patrol Agents were whipping Haitian migrants at the border in Del Rio, Texas, the letter said. At that press conference, you stated that we our entire nation saw horrifying images that painfully conjured up the worst elements of our nations ongoing battle against systemic racism. E-mails now reveal that you were made aware hours before these comments that the photographer who captured the images you were referring to told news outlets that he and his colleagues never saw agents whipping anyone. Armed with the truth, you still perpetuated a false narrative that agents were whipping migrants at the border. Standing in the 29-degree air outside a building on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus, Josephine Galipon held a pinkie-size vial that may have contained tiny organisms locked in a coma for thousands of years. Galipon, a researcher with Keio University in Japan, needed to work outside a heated room so as not to disturb molecules that have been motionless in frozen ground for as long as 25,000 years. That was a time when giant sheets of ice pressed down on most of North America. In October 2022, Galipon visited Alaska to see if she could tease out genetic information from gray cylinders of permafrost silty soil that has been frozen for at least two years, but in this case thousands. Using a large drill with a hollow bit, Galipons colleague Go Iwahana of UAFs International Arctic Research Center pulled the samples from the U.S. Armys Permafrost Tunnel Research Facility in Fox, Alaska, a few hours before. Galipon planned to examine ancient RNA, molecules living things use to express traits that help them survive, such as producing more heat to withstand the cold. And what might still be living within plugs of frigid soil? Scientists have found 1,500-year-old moss in Antarctica permafrost that came back to life when warmed. From permafrost extracted in Siberia, researchers have coaxed back to life bacteria and small worms known as nematodes that wriggled 41,000 years after they were suspended in ice. Galipon is not expecting such a bounty of creatures in her few samples, but she was excited to look for viable molecules of RNA ribonucleic acid that would tell her what creatures were in the soil at the time cold penetrated down from the grasses above. RNA tells us how the thing is dealing with the environment, she said. How do these microbes adapt to cold and warmth? Whats the range of temperatures they can withstand and survive, and how do they do it? She described a DNA molecule as sort of a dictionary of everything a living thing can do, and an RNA molecule as the few words that express what that creature does to survive. Plants and insects express different genes at different times. The RNA can change up to 100-fold in a few minutes. That is why, for example, some COVID-19 vaccines need to be held at extreme cold temperatures, to keep the messenger RNA true and useful. And there is a niche Galipon is trying to fill: She is developing a field kit to let researchers examine RNA outside the lab, before conditions change so much that the molecules lose whatever information they have to share. Galipon who grew up in rural France and moved to Japan 13 years ago carried a large suitcase to Fairbanks filled with instruments for looking at soils in the field in this case the permafrost tunnel dug into a hillside north of Fairbanks. Inside the black-plastic case were the tools of her trade, including a small centrifuge. She is tweaking her kit in hopes of taking it to places like the Atacama Desert in Chile and the Gobi Desert in China, as well as Alaska and Siberia and Antarctica and other places where ground frozen long ago persists. I would like to merge biology with engineering, she said. I would like to invent something that makes several scientific discoveries possible. Since the late 1970s, the University of Alaska Fairbanks' Geophysical Institute has provided this column free in cooperation with the UAF research community. Ned Rozell ned.rozell@alaska.edu is a science writer for the Geophysical Institute. Several Romanian tabloids photographed the notorious venture capitalist bloodsucker known as Peter Thiel along with his husband Matt Danzeisen at a fancy Halloween party at Bran Castle in Transylvania commonly known as Dracula's Castle, though it wasn't actually Dracula's Castle, and it's historically unclear if even Vlad the Impaler, let alone Bram Stoker, knew anything about the place. According to Vice, there were plenty of other rich celebrities allegedly in attendance at this vampiric masquerade: A long list of celebrity and public figure guests were rumored to be attending, including Elon Musk, Angelina Jolie, infamously blood-curious billionaire Peter Thielwho has officially denied being a vampireand Google co-founder Segrey Brin. The rumors generated enough buzz locally that Greenpeace held a protest at the castle and projected messages including "SOS Carpathian Forest!" and "Tweet That, Elon!" onto its side. In the /r/solarpunk subreddit, one user posted a picture of themselves as a lone protester nearby, holding a sign reading "They drink champagne from the blood of the planet." [] Another outlet posted grainy paparazzi photos that it said depicted Entourage star Adrien Grenier boarding a similar helicopter [to the one that Thiel and Danzeisen arrived in]. Swedish actress Julia Sandstrom also appears to have DJ'd the event, with Romanian news sites catching her post two Instagram Stories from a helicopter flying to the castle, each captioned, "Land of the vampires.. [vampire emoji] Stoked to play in Transylvania this Halloween." Another story is still up featuring a close up of the castle, with the caption "Probably the coolest location I've DJ'd." It's not clear how much truth there actually is to the rumors of this billionaire bloodletting festival. What is certain, however, is that Thiel has expressed in interest in parabiosis, the process of replacing old blood with younger blood as a health treatment, though he has repeatedly insisted that he's not actually a vampire. An Alleged Billionaire Halloween Party at Dracula's Castle Sent Romania Into a Frenzy [Edward Ongweso Jr / Vice] Image: Gage Skidmore / Flickr (CC-BY-SA 2.0) More than two years after being named designated developer for a vacant grassy parcel of Main Street land, Ellicott Development is getting ready to come forward with a $35 million six-story redevelopment project that will stretch from Old Best to New Best streets. The Buffalo-based developer is buying the triangular city-owned property at 1127 Main, at the southeast corner of Main and Best, as well as the adjacent 33-year-old apartment building at 1125 Main that is owned by the Western New York Veterans Housing Coalition. Sign up for the Buffalo Next free newsletter The News' Buffalo Next team covers the changing Buffalo Niagara economy. Get the news in your inbox 5 days a week. Tentative plans call for demolishing the three-story apartment building which contains 27 affordable units for homeless military veterans and others with disabilities, but is being replaced with a larger apartment project on Howard Street and constructing the new project on both properties. It would feature first-floor retail space, with 40 to 50 apartments on the upper floors. However, the developer might also try to incorporate the existing structure into the new project if it can, said Ellicott CEO William Paladino. "Once we buy the property, we'll evaluate the existing building to see if a renovation is possible," he said. "We're not sure it is, given the age and deterioration." The veterans housing group is selling the aging building because it's relocating the tenants to its new School 75 Apartments at 57 Howard, where it worked with Norstar Development USA to convert a former public school into 47 permanent supportive housing units. That includes 27 apartments for the current tenants at 1125 Main, as well as 20 additional units funded through the state's Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative. "Its our oldest building, and it just doesnt suit our needs anymore," Gigi Grizanti, the Coalition's president and CEO, said of the Main facility. "Thats the only reason were selling it, because we have replaced their housing." The $29 million project which also includes construction of 18 single-family two- and three-bedroom homes on nearby empty lots is nearing completion, after initially winning approval back in 2020. The project will also include new offices for the Coalition. Meanwhile, Ellicott has the quarter-acre city property under contract for $435,000 from the Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency, which recently reaffirmed both the July 2020 agreements and the purchase price, following a second real estate appraisal last month. It was assessed at $151,100 in 2020. Paladino said Wednesday that the exact scale, shape and size of the new project is still being determined, but he had previously said it would be related to a "future phase" of the ongoing work at 1091 Main, just to the south. That's where the firm has spent more than $42 million to redevelop the St. Paul Mall properties between East North and Best streets, including the former Our Lady of Lourdes church at 1115 Main. Ellicott already built a six-story medical office building at the northeast corner of St. Paul and Main, with 167,000 square feet of retail and office space, plus one level of underground parking for 50 cars. That building is connected through a two-story winter-garden with the former church, which has been adaptively reused into a 14,000-square-foot mix of retail, restaurant, commercial office and residential space including construction of two additional floors within the open cathedral. There are three apartments on the third floor. Ellicott had also announced plans for a second project next door a $40 million, nine-story building on 1.17 acres at 11 St. Paul, with a five-story parking ramp and a three-story Element by Westin Hotel on top. Linked to the other two, the 320,000-square-foot building would have included parking for 560 vehicles, plus 14,000 square feet of ground-floor retail storefront, mostly along St. Paul and wrapping around onto Ellicott Street. The extended-stay hotel would have had 103 rooms, with a pool, fitness center and other amenities. But it was put on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and remains so, although Paladino said a parking structure is still needed there. The new redevelopment project had also been held up while Ellicott waited for the veterans group to finish the school renovation, after delays because of the pandemic. But Ellicott has been eying the site for over 10 years, and previously bought the back half of the property more than four years ago as part of preparation for 1091 Main, Paladino said. "They want to move forward with the acquisition at this point because they want to move forward with the project," said Brendan Mehaffy, the city's economic development commissioner. Mehaffy said the proposed project "is in line with what we've been working on" along what he termed the "knowledge corridor," near the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. That's where the city, under Mayor Byron W. Brown, has been encouraging additional residential and especially transit-oriented development, to take advantage of both growing interest and opportunity for infill projects that will create more critical mass along Main. He noted that the properties are directly across the street from the Summer/Best Metro Rail station, so "for a whole host of reasons, this fits in with what we're doing." Mehaffy said details are still being worked out, but "they have a broad sketch." However, he noted that the rising interest rates and continued supply-chain disruptions remain potential hurdles. BURA had issued a request-for-proposals on the property back in 2014, seeking redevelopment. The property sale still has to be approved by the Common Council, and the project itself will be subject to regular Planning Board and other municipal reviews. Next edition of Domenica al Museo comes amid debate about free museums. State museums and archaeological sites in Rome and across Italy will open their doors for free on Sunday 6 November as part of the monthly Domenica al Museo initiative. The nationwide free entry scheme is held every first Sunday of the month in tandem with the monthly free entry for Rome's municipal museums. Italy's new culture minister Gennaro Sangiuliano said earlier this week that he was "absolutely against free museums", in response to a suggestion by culture undersecretary Vittorio Sgarbi of extending museum opening times with free entry. Domenica 6 novembre torna la #domenicalmuseo: i #museitaliani sono aperti gratuitamente per tutte le visitatrici e i visitatori. Info su luoghi e modalita di accesso su https://t.co/0dC2I9SxrH pic.twitter.com/00NB96iQAt museitaliani (@museitaliani) November 3, 2022 Sangiuliano subsequently stated that he was not against scrapping existing free entry schemes such as Domenica al Museo, introduced by his predecessor Dario Franceschini in 2014. The minister clarified that he was not in favour of free museums "always and no matter what", arguing that the prospect was "unsustainable at an economic level, as well as potentially harmful for museums because there is a risk of depreciating the value of the works." This Sunday almost all museums and archaeological sites in Rome will be open for free, however some museums such as Galleria Borghese require booking in advance. There will also be free access to temporary exhibitions in Rome's museums, with the exception of the Lucio Dalla show at the Ara Pacis. Tourists visiting Rome should note that the Vatican Museums are closed on Sundays. Photo credit: Viacheslav Lopatin / Shutterstock.com. Florence landmark says closure due to staff shortage. Italy's new culture minister Gennaro Sangiuliano has criticised the Uffizi Galleries for staying closed on Monday 31 October in the middle of what was a four-day holiday for many Italians. In a strongly-worded letter to Uffizi director Eike Schmidt, published by the Italian media, the minister said it was "very serious" to keep the world-famous galleries shut during the "ponte" or long weekend for All Saints' Day, a public holiday in Italy on 1 November. Sangiuliano said the closure on Monday prevented "thousands of visitors from being able to visit", asking the director why the Uffizi did not modify its opening times in advance, like other state museums, to "avoid inconvenience to visitors and tourists." The Uffizi is open Tuesday to Sunday throughout the year but is normally closed on Mondays. "It is not beyond your intelligence that a closure of this type, in addition to constituting a loss of income, represents a damage to the image of the Uffizi Galleries and the entire national museum system", the minister thundered. In reply Schmidt said he "too was scandalised" by the closure, which he blamed on staff shortages, describing it as "an endemic problem that affects practically the entire national museum, library and archive network". Schmidt said he has raised the matter with the culture ministry for years however his appeals for help in easing staff shortages by increasing recruitment had not been met with concrete results. The director stressed that moving the normal closing day to suit the All Saints' holiday weekend was "impractical" for a "complex machine" like the Uffizi, and assured the minister that he would prepare a report. Dario Nardella, the centre-left mayor of Florence, also intervened: "I spoke to the minister and I share his disappointment, I will meet him in November and we will take stock", adding that he will ask Sangiuliano for "a particular commitment on the staff of state museums". Comment on this story Comment Gift Article Share President Joe Biden, who delivered what is likely to be an ineffective speech last night on the perils faced by American democracy, might want to keep in mind Senator Gerald Nye of North Dakota. On Dec. 7, 1941, Nye was at a rally for America First, the isolationist, fascist-friendly movement that claimed aviator Charles Lindbergh as its most prominent spokesman. America First, like Lindbergh, was openly racist and anti-Semitic. (Lindbergh worried that war in Europe might weaken defenses against the Asiatic hordes and destroy the treasures of the white race.) Still, when a reporter informed Nye of the attack on Pearl Harbor, he did not unleash a tirade of racial aggression against the Asian foe that had launched the sneak attack. Another enemy was foremost in his mind. It sounds terribly fishy to me, Nye said. Later, after gathering his thoughts, Nye focused on the real culprit: President Franklin Roosevelt, he said, had maneuvered the nation into war. Advertisement Bidens speech on democracy was a tacit recognition that Nye, who died in 1971, is alive and well and currently petitioning your local board of elections about voting irregularities that he read about on the Internet. One benefit of Bidens office is that the line between a partisan and a presidential speech can be very narrow. Much of Bidens speech was tactically partisan. The first 13 minutes or so constituted a mostly pedestrian get-out-the-vote exhortation in the guise of something more momentous. The final eight minutes or so tapped Bidens natural American passion. He was visibly pleading democracys case. Many Democrats, along with Never-Trump Republicans who have become Never-MAGA Republicans, recognize MAGA as an increasingly illiberal political movement that poses a grave threat to American democracy. Biden cited the most obvious example the large number of MAGA candidates for high political office who refuse, Donald-Trump-like, to accept election results that dont please them. Its scary stuff. The Republican nominee for governor of Wisconsin has suggested that if he wins office, Republicans will never lose it. Advertisement In our bones, we know democracy is at risk, Biden said. You cant love your country only when you win. Thats a solid democratic sentiment. But just as Nye and others discounted the fascist threat in the 1930s, the crisis of democracy is a marginal issue in the 2022 midterms. Which is another way of saying that the lack of urgency is itself a kind of crisis. Roughly one third of the country has sworn itself over to MAGAs version of America First. Another third seems unconcerned by, and perhaps oblivious to, the threat posed by election deniers, conspiracy theorists and that constant companion of post-2008 conservatism, rage. Meanwhile, the part of Bidens own coalition that senses the proximity of danger is also the part that votes rain, shine or autocracy. They dont need a motivational speech. Advertisement A headline in the New York Times last week captured Bidens dilemma, and democracys, pretty neatly: Voters See Democracy in Peril, but Saving it Isnt a Priority. Predictably, there was no agreement about the meaning of either democracy or peril. Most Republicans said the dangers included President Biden, the mainstream media, the federal government and voting by mail. That covers practically everyone but the people who tried to overthrow the republic on Jan. 6. Biden cannot move such people, and knows better than to try. But as Republican politicians begin building the machinery, such as the independent legislature theory, to move the levers of power further from the populace and closer to themselves, its a useful tonic to remember how fervently Roosevelts efforts to defend Europe against fascism were opposed by many of his fellow Americans. In the end, history intervened at Pearl Harbor; America First was overrun. It was a brutal, cataclysmic way to learn the price of democratic failure. But Roosevelts prior speeches, pointing out the rising danger, hadnt worked. Advertisement Bidens almost certainly wont, either. Like Roosevelt, however, Biden knows the speeches must be made. History turns. When it does, the ground must be plowed. More From Bloomberg Opinion: Americans Care About Democracy, Just Not Enough to Save It: Julianna Goldman Do Americans Still Care About Democracy?: Jonathan Bernstein Destroying US Democracy Is a Bipartisan Effort: Niall Ferguson This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Francis Wilkinson is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering U.S. politics and policy. Previously, he was an editor for the Week, a writer for Rolling Stone, a communications consultant and a political media strategist. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion 2022 Bloomberg L.P. GiftOutline Gift Article Comment on this story Comment Gift Article Share Nothing much is rotten in the state of Denmark. Quite the contrary. And thats worth contemplating in bigger and dysfunctional if not yet irredeemably rotten democracies such as the US and the UK. So this week, lets all look to Copenhagen for lessons in self-governance for grown-ups. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight Denmark, like several other places, just had an election. The outcome was a cliffhanger and nail-biter. And yet the aftermath is turning out so orderly, consensual and sensible as to look deceptively boring from the outside. In that paradox lies the inspiration. For the Danes do democracy properly. If the description above sounds familiar, it probably means youve spent a good part of the past decade bingeing on the four seasons of Borgen, a sophisticated Danish drama series that makes House of Cards look amateurish. Borgen is the nickname of the Christiansborg Palace that houses Denmarks legislative, executive and judicial branches. As such, its the eponym of the fictional series and also the venue for this weeks real-life action. As they say, life imitates art, art imitates life. Advertisement In the real Borgen, the incumbent prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, appears odds-on to stay in power, defying earlier predictions that her multi-party red bloc would lose to a different coalition, the blue bloc. Having won by a hair, shes stepping down nonetheless, in order to form a new and even wider alliance to govern the country. No change at the top, in other words; but plenty of change underneath. Such lack of outward drama might seem odd to Americans, Brits, Brazilians, Israelis and other cantankerous democrats out there. How do the Danes do it? The answer starts with their system. Denmark has the type of governance typical of continental Europe but often incomprehensible to Anglo-Americans a combination of proportional representation with parliamentary democracy. In this system, many parties are represented in any given legislature. In Borgen, there are 17. In such motley parliaments, executive power invariably gets filtered through arduous coalition negotiations. That process in turn presumes and requires a willingness by all sides to accept certain ground rules: to respect facts and truth; to bow to decorum; and ultimately to compromise for the sake of a new consensus. Advertisement Lest you think that Im about to draw halos around Danish politicians, think back to the fictional Borgen. Its suspense is based on the clash between human nature which is the same everywhere and the surrounding cultural and systemic constraints. The series main character is Birgitte Nyborg. Shes a politician and mother who excels at coalition maneuvers, forms a new party, becomes prime minister, goes back into opposition, becomes foreign minister, craves power, is insecure, struggles in her marriage, gets menopausal hot flashes at the worst possible moments, makes mistakes, and almost sells out but ultimately stays true to herself. Shes human-all-too-human. In more ways than one, that character thus anticipated Helle Thorning-Schmidt, Denmarks first female prime minister, or indeed Mette Frederiksen. But her sex while it nods to the countrys generally progressive vibe is incidental. What makes the show so riveting is the way Nyborg and all the other pols, pollsters and hacks get things done and undone in and around Borgen. Advertisement To Americans, who are used to two parties slamming into each other like hostile armies, these plotlines initially appear chaotic, because they involve a dozen or more blocs and shifting alliances, not to mention a queen somewhere in the background. Gradually, however, a theme emerges. Its the sanctity of institutions in democracy. Chief among those listen up, MAGA Republicans is the concept of a loyal opposition. Equal to that is a free and pesky press corps embodied memorably in Borgen by the news anchor Katrine Fonsmark, the editor Torben Friis and others. Like the politicians, the shows journalists feel the incessant tug into the moral swamp, but ultimately remember the idealism that made them choose their careers in the first place. On all sides, taboos keep being broken, in private and in public. But eventually, all involved remember why they erected those taboos in the first place and patriotically reaffirm the rules of engagement. One of those is mutual respect, and a rejection of thuggishness. Another is the stipulation that the truth is above any individuals vanity. Every time this ethos is defended, all the antagonists remember their common bond, and compromise becomes thinkable. Advertisement You may object: Denmark is a small and simple country; the US and the UK arent. True, the nation has roughly the population of Wisconsin, and pigs outnumber people by two to one. The scandal that led to this weeks election didnt involve people but mink (in an overreaction during the Covid pandemic, the government had culled them). But the Borgen on and off screen has long been buffeted by all the other gales of geopolitics. Denmark was the first Nordic country to throttle the entry of migrants which is one reason why the Danes, unlike the Swedes, have largely relegated the far right to the political fringes. And with its frontiers stretching from the Baltic to the Arctic, the country is constantly gasping for breath between Russia, China and the US Frederiksen once had to remind former US President Donald Trump that Greenland is not for sale. Many countries Hungary springs to mind might react to such tension by turning toward populists and authoritarians. This is why authors like Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt have recently been pondering How Democracies Die, as they gradually sacrifice their liberties on the bonfires of personal vanities and tribal hatreds. Advertisement The Borgen in fiction and reality shows us instead how democracies live. Individually, all the people in it are as childish and brittle as the rest of us. Collectively, they constitute a polity that is mature and resilient. Congratulations Mette Frederiksen. But above all, skal Birgitte Nyborg, skal Borgen, skal democracy. More From Bloomberg Opinion: The Biggest Threat to Democracy and Peace Is Thuggishness: Andreas Kluth Challenge Begins Now for Brazils Comeback Kid: Clara Ferreira Marques Jan. 6 Panel Proves Again Trump Must Be Held Accountable: Timothy L. OBrien This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Andreas Kluth is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering European politics. A former editor in chief of Handelsblatt Global and a writer for the Economist, he is author of Hannibal and Me. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion 2022 Bloomberg L.P. GiftOutline Gift Article Comment on this story Comment Gift Article Share North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has shown no interest in resuming talks with the US after agreeing in 2018 to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Instead, he has been busy making his nuclear-equipped arsenal bigger, deadlier and better able to strike America and its allies in Asia. Kim has fired off a record number of missiles this year to demonstrate his weapons advances and may soon conduct his first atomic bomb test in five years. 1. What is Kim working on? An array of ballistic missiles designed to carry nuclear warheads to hit the US allies of South Korea and Japan, longer-range rockets that could strike American bases in Guam, as well as intercontinental ballistic missiles designed to deliver an atomic strike to New York or Washington. Kim has also modernized his missile arsenal, steering away from the Soviet-era Scud variants that had been a staple to produce rockets that rely heavily on domestic technology and can be manufactured despite sanctions. Hes also seeking to improve the technology to miniaturize warheads for strikes in the region and increase the power of warheads for an ICBM. Advertisement Kim has rolled out new solid-fuel ballistic missiles that are easier to move, hide and fire than many liquid-fuel versions. Hes launched more than 80 since May 2019, including nuclear-capable, super-fast KN-23 missiles that can strike all of South Korea -- and US forces stationed there -- within a matter of minutes. He has also launched KN-25 short-range missiles designed to be fired in rapid succession from a single launcher to overwhelm interceptors. It tested hypersonic missiles in September 2021 and again in January 2022, which are designed to deploy a high-speed glide vehicle that can carry a warhead and maneuver past interceptors. In October 2022, it fired its first missile over Japan in about five years, launching what appeared to be a Hwasong-12 intermediate-range rocket. It splashed into the Western Pacific after reaching an altitude of 970 kilometers -- more than twice as high as the International Space Station. Advertisement The country also showed off last year, and again in January, what it said was a new delivery system to fire missiles off a train, making them harder for prying eyes to track. 2. Could Kim really hit the US? He appears to have acquired that capability after successfully testing an intercontinental ballistic missile in November 2017, the Hwasong-15. A newer, larger ICBM, the Hwasong-17, was displayed at a military parade in October 2020 to mark the 75th anniversary of the ruling Workers Party. It may have exploded shortly after launch in a failed test in mid-March 2022. Eight days after that failure, North Korea fired off an ICBM that South Korea believes was the Hwasong-15. Weapons experts say the likely purpose of the Hwasong-17 is to deliver a multiple nuclear warhead payload that could overwhelm US defenses, or a single, high-yield weapon. North Korea is also said to be developing an ICBM that uses solid-fuel technology, potentially giving the US less warning of an imminent launch. Still, its unclear whether the countrys ICBMs could beat antimissile systems and are refined enough to strike their intended targets, as well as whether the warheads could survive reentry into the atmosphere. Advertisement 3. How many nuclear devices does North Korea have? Experts estimate that North Korea has assembled 40 to 50 nuclear warheads, the fewest among the nine nations with nuclear weapons. However, one estimate, from a 2021 study by the RAND Corp. and Asan Institute, put the number as high as 116. The country has conducted six atomic tests, with Kim responsible for the last four. The US, Japan and South Korea have all said Pyongyang could soon conduct another test. The first detonation in 2006 measured less than one kiloton, leaving experts wondering whether it had been a partial failure. (A kiloton is equal to the force of 1,000 metric tons [1,102 tons] of TNT). In the most recent test, in September 2017, the estimated yield of 120 to 250 kilotons dwarfed the 15 to 20 kiloton US bombs that destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. North Korea probably has developed miniaturized nuclear devices to fit into its ballistic missile warheads, according to the assessment of several countries cited in a 2020 United Nations report. 4. Where does Kims military get its fissile material? Advertisement It has been self-sufficient for decades in fissile material, the main ingredient to create a nuclear chain reaction and explosion. The program today relies largely on enriched uranium and, according to weapons experts, produces enough annually for about six bombs. In addition, North Korea appeared in mid-2021 to have resumed plutonium-producing operations -- another means of creating fissile material -- at a nuclear reactor in its antiquated Yongbyon complex. 5. What other surprises might be out there? North Korea may be working on ICBMs that carry multiple warheads and in-flight countermeasures to throw interceptors off the trail, according to Datayo, an open-source weapons research site. Kim has pushed to develop his fleet of submarines and is looking to deploy a new vessel soon that experts say could fire missiles. Advertisement 6. How can the country afford all this? The money needed is not huge in global terms. North Korea spends about $7 billion to $11 billion a year -- around 20-30% of its economy -- on its military, according to a US Defense Intelligence Agency assessment. Thats roughly equivalent to two days US military spending. Although international sanctions have hit the economy hard, North Korea evades some through methods such as clandestine transfers at sea of banned goods such as oil, and it generates cash by means that include ransomware attacks. Kims decade-old regime has already taken in as much as $2.3 billion through cybercrimes and is geared to rake in even more, US and United Nations investigators have said. 7. Wasnt Trump going to fix this? Former President Donald Trumps talks with Kim, beginning with Singapore in June 2018, turned the duo from insult-throwing enemies into dialogue partners. But their three meetings didnt produce any noticeable change, and North Korea has become what three decades of diplomacy had tried to prevent -- a state capable of developing, projecting and detonating atomic bombs. Kim has shown no interest in the President Joe Bidens call for him to return to nuclear talks. --With assistance from Paul Geitner. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com 2022 Bloomberg L.P. GiftOutline Gift Article Comment on this story Comment Gift Article Share President Vladimir Putin has just made what may be his most significant concession since the invasion of Ukraine. Just days after suspending Russias participation in a deal to allow safe passage for Ukrainian grain exports, sending grain prices higher, the Kremlin agreed to resume the pact. Its rare volte-face for an autocrat who never admits to doubt. But pressure works, particularly when it comes from the countries an isolated Russia needs the most as friends, intermediaries and export destinations. Moscow was simply unable to torpedo a deal that serves Turkey and the wider, food-importing emerging world at least not without jeopardizing support from Ankara and others. Cut off from the West, in need of friends and a home for its output, Russia has never been more dependent on these nations. And Putin knows it. Advertisement No wonder, then, that during a three-and-a-half hour appearance last week at the Valdai forum Russias alternative to Davos it was the Global South that he targeted. After accusing the West of denying the sovereignty and identity of nations, of stoking the war in Ukraine and causing a food catastrophe, he turned unusually explicitly toward China, India, Turkey and others. He bemoaned supposed US provocations around Taiwan, lauded Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a patriot while flattering his manufacturing campaign, and made a point of lavishing praise on Turkeys Recep Tayyip Erdogan, NATO member and Kremlin trading partner. All of this suggests these countries have rarely had more clout to call out Putins duplicity and limit the damage. When they do exercise some agency, as the grain deal shows, it works. So why arent they pushing far harder to end a war that has driven up food costs, destabilized energy markets and set up the most dangerous confrontation since the Cuban Missile Crisis? In part, because of deep-seated anti-Western sentiment that created fertile ground for Russian narratives. Many of these nations are sympathetic to the argument that its Western sanctions that are driving up prices. Advertisement Its also, more prosaically, because the war hasnt been all bad for many of these nations. They have bought cheap Russian hydrocarbons in significant volumes at a time when import costs are a headache, even if crude flows to China, India and Turkey have eased since June. Russia will have yet more barrels to place by the end of the year, after EU sanctions come into effect, so discounts may look better still for buyers, assuming ships can be found. However unlikely it is to succeed, Russias plan to turn Turkey into a gas hub is appealing to Erdogan. Its also increasingly clear that Moscow will be left on its knees economically as the fighting drags on, leaving Beijing, Ankara and others room to seize the geopolitical opportunities that will bring, in and around Russia. But is that enough? Advertisement Its hard to escape the fact that Putins tactics, especially efforts to restrict Ukraines agricultural exports and cripple its economy, have caused huge pain for large food buyers like Indonesia and Egypt, pushing import bills ever higher. His complaints that the grain deal only serves the West do not stack up commodity prices simply come down when supply is plentiful, and the Black Sea region typically accounts for more than a quarter of annual wheat and barley exports. Global grain stocks were at an eight-year low even before the Kremlin pulled out of the safe-passage deal. The brief suspension reduced the volumes of grain arriving at port, and farmers will not be sowing crops they cant store or sell. Putin accused Ukraine of using the grain corridor for military purposes, but even before the latest flare-up had been dragging his feet on tackling inspection bottlenecks. Russias armed forces are struggling against a Ukrainian counteroffensive and he looked for other ways to exert pressure, at whatever the cost to others. Never mind the offers of free grain for the poorest those, like Russian vaccine pledges, will fill the Kremlins social media feed, but not silos in Africa. What brought him back was pressure. On the one hand the risk of displeasing partners necessary for Russias global reputation, for economic loopholes, for its survival not Kyivs guarantees. On the other, the realization that Russia was powerless absent military force to stop the grain-laden ships that did leave. Advertisement Which brings us to the second and more determining reason for the emerging worlds ambivalence. They have significant power individually to cajole Putin, especially China, India or Saudi Arabia, with its hand on oil production taps. Turkey has demonstrated its clout with this episode. But they would have even more as a group. The trouble is that there is little coordination, as Alexander Gabuev, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, put it to me, much less a force driving them to change that. Instead of an update of the non-aligned movement for the current predicament, many prefer to try their luck with bilateral deals. Mores the pity. Putin is under pressure, on the battlefield and at home, and theres plenty of opportunity for pushback over the coming weeks, with the emerging world in the diplomatic spotlight. This month, Egypt will host a United Nations climate summit, Indonesia will welcome the Group of 20 leaders to Bali, while Thailand will lay on the Asian Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders shindig. The collective West can and must offer incentives for collaboration not merely invectives and rhetoric on saving democracy that hardly resonate. For the emerging world, its crucial to separate neutrality and inaction, anti-Americanism and self-interest. Putins threats, from critical infrastructure to nuclear weapons, have increased in intensity as his options diminish. His tactics will only become more extreme. Advertisement Putin talked to the Valdai audience about sowing the wind. Emerging nations can help ensure the world does not reap his whirlwind. More From Bloomberg Opinion: Ukraine Has Become Putins Cuban Missile Crisis: Max Hastings Vladimir Putins Guide to Alienating Allies: Clara Ferreira Marques Russia Is Already Attacking the West: Andreas Kluth This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Clara Ferreira Marques is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist and editorial board member covering foreign affairs and climate. Previously, she worked for Reuters in Hong Kong, Singapore, India, the U.K., Italy and Russia. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion 2022 Bloomberg L.P. GiftOutline Gift Article A manufacturer of carbon and graphite advanced materials is planning a $6 million investment in its Niagara Falls plant that will more than double its workforce over the next two years. Americarb Inc. is planning to buy and install new machinery and equipment, as well as perform some building upgrades at its 6100 Niagara Falls Blvd. facility. The company plans to create 45 jobs and retain its existing 41 positions in Niagara Falls. Empire State Development is providing up to $450,000 in Excelsior Jobs Program tax credits in exchange for the job commitments. "The expansion into this state-of-the-art facility marks a continuation of Americarb's growth in New York State and is a pivotal milestone in taking our production of high-temperature composite materials to the next level," Americarb Controller Mark Rawls said. Tom Spatorico, the plant's general manager, said various positions will be available, including general labor positions, engineers and wet lab technicians. Annual pay for the positions will run from $40,000 to $80,000, he added. Americarb, which makes ultra-high- and high-temperature composite material that is used in commercial and defense applications, has seen rapid growth in two markets: fuel cell membranes for electrolyzers used in green hydrogen production, and in aerospace and defense, with the company's composite material used in hypersonic vehicles, strategic missile and space launch systems programs. Americarb's ultra-high-strength composites can be used in applications exceeding 2,500 degrees Celsius. The expansion will add more high-temperature furnaces, refrigerated cooling capacity and production equipment to the Niagara Falls plant. Americarb also plans to upgrade its cybersecurity measures. "By making this significant investment in the Niagara Falls plant, Americarb has now renewed its commitment to our region and workforce, making the facility a key part of the next generation of innovation in the clean energy and defense sectors," Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight said. Americarb has been in Western New York for more than a decade, its presence starting in 2008 when it acquired the old SGL Carbon plant, which had closed in 2002. Ohio firm plans to reopen Falls SGL Carbon plant An Ohio company plans to reopen the old SGL Carbon plant in Niagara Falls and create at least 50 new jobs, its owners told the Niagara County Industrial Development Agency Wednesday. The IDA board scheduled a public hearing for 4 p.m. Aug. 11 in Niagara Falls City Hall on the request from Ashland Advanced Materials for a property tax President Matt Reineke said they got the plant operational in late 2009, with the company doing a lot of work for the solar industry before China started to dominate the solar cell market around 2013. Amid the solar downturn, Reineke said his company closed its Ashland, Ohio, plant in 2015 and consolidated operations into the Niagara Falls facility as the firm transitioned into other business areas. "It's a great place to do business for us," he said. "One of the main competitive advantages we have there is access to hydropower. It's both low cost and green energy. That helps us out in being competitive in cost, as well as in our green energy percentage of production." And now, Reineke said, his business has room to grow, especially in the green hydrogen and aerospace and defense industries. Americarb anticipates it will complete its spending and hiring commitments by December 2024. "We're super excited," he said. "We have tremendous opportunities in those areas right now, and we're moving as fast as we can." Comment on this story Comment Gift Article Share Pollution from developed countries set climate change in motion. But its the countries left behind by industrialization that are feeling the heat. Now, those poorer nations are demanding whats known in the climate debate as loss and damage -- financial and technological help to cope with problems they didnt cause. Its an issue that could dominate the global climate talks set for November in Egypt. 1. What is loss and damage? Shorthand for a program of climate compensation. The phrase refers to the loss of lives, cultures or species that can never return, and the damage to vital infrastructure that needs to be repaired after climate-driven disasters. Low-lying developing countries are already bearing the cost and want the largest polluters to make them whole. The aim is a global agreement that would amount to an insurance program paid for by developed nations to poorer nations most affected but least responsible. A recent string of extraordinary disasters, such as this summers flooding in Pakistan, which left a third of the country flooded for weeks, have brought urgency to the debate. Advertisement 2. Why is loss and damage so controversial? Because it requires an implicit admission of responsibility by rich countries -- and paying a lot of money. There is no official cost estimate, but Pakistans floods alone inflicted $30 billion in damage since the end of August; researchers have estimated that climate change made peak rainfall there 75% more intense than it would have been without climate change. Money is likely to be central to disagreements at the COP27 United Nations-sponsored talks scheduled for Sharm El Sheik, a resort in Egypt. But even the most generous estimates of what such a deal might involve, reaching many billions of dollars, would likely cover a small portion of whats needed. 3. What else is involved in the talks? A lot. Besides discussions of technology transfers, there are questions of agreeing on a common baseline for climate measures, demands for transparent accounting of expenditures, the need for an ethical framework and much else. Any one of these issues might pose difficulty to a real-time negotiation among almost 200 countries; together they are a challenge of enormous complexity. Even when domestic politics allow a rich country to send loss and damage aid abroad, these donor countries might require more robust accounting and oversight than recipients might be willing to accept. Advertisement 4. Where does the debate stand? Calls for a loss and damage program date to the early 1990s, but have only gotten significant attention in recent years. At the 2021 UN talks in Glasgow, developing countries pushed for a formal process to dispatch assistance where its needed. They failed. Negotiators at the COP27 talks will take up the debate again. The conversation is moving quickly, with the US and EU agreeing in principle to formally negotiate loss and damage in Egypt. 5. Could this lead to big payouts? It could, but could also lead to big promises with little follow through, not for the first time: Developed countries had already committed to raising $100 billion in climate finance a year by 2020, and havent come close to that yet. Theres also the competition between loss and damage requests and the vast spending being proposed for basic economic development, to speed the transition to a clean energy economy and to prepare for a harsher climate. If it becomes just liability and compensation and reparations or something, thats not going to advance the dialogue, John Kerry, the US special envoy on climate, said in October, stressing that there needs to be more spending on development and climate adaptation. --With assistance from Jennifer A. Dlouhy. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com 2022 Bloomberg L.P. GiftOutline Gift Article Comment on this story Comment Gift Article Share Real estate matters a lot to China. Construction and property sales have been the biggest engines of economic growth since President Xi Jinping came to office a decade ago. But now the industry is in crisis. Developers are facing a cash-flow crunch that has sent some major companies into default, plus a slump in sales and a mortgage boycott by people angry that the homes they paid for in advance arent finished. So far, the states intervention has held off a disorderly collapse of the property market. The stakes are high, as such a crash could undermine the financial system and jolt the world economy too. 1. What sparked the crisis? As an emerging middle class flocked to property as one of the few safe investments available, home prices skyrocketed -- surging sixfold over the past 15 years. The boom led to speculative buying as new homes were pre-sold by property developers who turned more and more to international investors for funds. In response, Chinese officials ratcheted up steps to reduce the risk of a bubble and temper the inequality that unaffordable housing can create. That touched off the cash-flow crisis for developers. Then a sales slump that began during the pandemic was deepened by aggressive measures to contain Covid-19. Advertisement 2. What had fueled the real estate boom? In 1998, when China created a nationwide housing market after tightly restricting private sales for decades, only a third of its people lived in towns and cities. Now almost two-thirds do, increasing the urban population by 480 million. The property sector expanded rapidly to keep up. Boom cities such as Shenzhen became less affordable based on price-to-income ratios than London or New York. Local and regional authorities, which rely on sales of public land for a hefty chunk of their revenue, encouraged more development. This also helped meet the central governments ambitious annual targets for economic growth, which often hit double digits. Debt piled up as builders rushed to meet demand. Annual sales of dollar-denominated offshore bonds -- meaning those sold mainly to foreign investors -- surged from $675 million in 2009 to $64.7 billion in 2020, leading to a swelling interest burden. Developers had some $207 billion in dollar-denominated bonds outstanding as of late last year, accounting for about one-quarter of the total from all Chinese borrowers. Additional, opaque liabilities make it hard to assess true credit risks. 3. What did the government do? Advertisement It has for years tried to defuse the debt bomb amid fears an explosion could set off a disastrous financial meltdown. In mid-2020, it began to squeeze new financing to real estate developers to try to reduce the threat, and asked banks to slow the pace of mortgage lending. New borrowing metrics introduced for developers proved to be a game changer. Called the three red lines by state-run media, they aimed to reduce reckless borrowing by setting thresholds for a developers liabilities, debt and cash holdings. 4. Whats happened to the developers? Those that didnt have enough cash on hand to cover their liabilities found themselves in a bind. At least 18 defaulted on offshore bonds after the crackdown began. China Evergrande Group, once the countrys biggest developer, was labeled a defaulter for the first time in December 2021 after it missed payments on several bonds. The establishment of a risk management committee dominated by provincial officials was quickly announced for the firm to stave off a complete collapse. (Bondholders still were left wondering how much they would collect once the dust settles.) Others, including Kaisa Group Holdings Ltd. and Sunac China Holdings Ltd., followed. Fears of further contagion reverberated throughout the industry, weakening consumer confidence and roiling global markets that have long assumed Chinas real estate titans would be bailed out by the government. As the crisis dragged on, it began to engulf developers that were seen as the stronger players, such as Longfor Group Holdings Ltd. Even real estate debt seen as safer as it was backed by the state was running into trouble. Advertisement 5. Where does this leave the industry? In a deep slump. Combined sales at the top 100 developers halved in the first four months of this year compared with last. Property loan growth slowed to the weakest pace in over two decades at the end of March. Construction fell 14% in 2021 from the previous year, the biggest fall in six years. The ramifications are significant given that Chinas real estate sector accounts for almost a quarter of gross domestic product, when nonresidential construction, building materials and related activity such as real estate services are included. 6. How bad could it get? Across China, millions of square feet of unfinished apartments have been left to gather dust as a result of developers facing cash-flow problems. Economists at Nomura International HK Ltd estimated in mid-July that Chinese developers have delivered only about 60% of the homes they pre-sold from 2013 to 2020. The mortgage protests hit just as the market was showing signs of stabilizing, with sales picking up in June. A full-bore crisis could leave millions more homebuyers who put up money in advance in limbo. (Buyer protections commonly used abroad, such as escrow accounts and installment payments, have tended to be weak.) Fire sales would further pummel the market, squeezing other developers and rippling through related industries and suppliers. Because more than 70% of urban Chinas wealth is stored in housing, the risk of popular unrest would rise, unsettling the government. A selloff in offshore bonds would spread to the much larger domestic credit market, spreading from lower-rated property companies to stronger peers and banks. Global investors would sell even more. Advertisement 7. How serious are the mortgage boycotts? The wildcat boycotts are politically sensitive in a country whose rulers view social stability as an overriding priority. At one point in mid-July, they spread to over 300 housing projects in about 90 cities, with loans of as much as 2 trillion yuan ($295 billion) under threat. (Tracking the extent grew more difficult after China began censoring crowd-sourced online tallies.) While the protests affect only a sliver of the lenders combined mortgage portfolios, the speed at which they grew took many by surprise. In a scenario analysis released in July, Bloomberg Intelligence estimated between 1.8% and 6.5% of Chinas total mortgages could be exposed. 8. How has the government intervened in the crisis? The boycotts prompted authorities to promise stricter regulation of pre-sales -- a popular way to buy a home or apartment in China, in which buyers have to start repaying their loans even on projects that are still under construction. A grace period on payments for some homebuyers was said to be under consideration. In the biggest financial commitment yet from Beijing to contain the crisis, the government said it would offer 200 billion yuan ($29.3 billion) in special loans to ensure stalled housing projects are delivered to buyers. Its tweaked some rules to try to stabilize the situation. For example, the central bank stepped up its support for several distressed developers and banks were instructed to ensure growth in both residential mortgages and loans to developers in some areas. Chinese lenders have lowered their benchmark rates. Above all, avoiding a Lehman moment -- when the failure of the US bank in 2008 sent shock waves through global markets -- is a priority for the authorities. That political necessity most likely means it will try to contain the crisis, at least for the near term. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com 2022 Bloomberg L.P. GiftOutline Gift Article Comment on this story Comment Gift Article Share After 27 missile launches in two days, including a long-range projectile that failed to overpass Japan and another that crossed a nautical border with South Korea, one thing is clear: North Korea is getting diminishing returns from its theatrics. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight During the fire and fury era in 2017, a missile overpass of Japan caused gold to rise, Japanese stocks to fall and Treasuries to rally, as a military confrontation seemed to some to be inevitable. These days, markets are more concerned with Jerome Powell than Kim Jong Un. That might be partly explained by the fact that Japan was enjoying a sleepy fall holiday when the suspected intercontinental ballistic missile was launched. But Pyongyangs sound and fury increasingly signifies very little. Useful as they may be to intelligence agencies looking to gauge an enemys capabilities, the missile launches have long since lost the ability to scare. Advertisement Some bullet train services were briefly halted Thursday after Tokyo issued an alert for a likely failed test of an intercontinental ballistic missile, initially thought to have overflown the country. It hardly rocked Asian markets. Appropriately, the unprecedented missile salvo came just days after Halloween, when people are generally bored of the same old tricks. One launch triggered the first air raid alert in South Korea since 2016, prompting residents to evacuate to underground shelters, with a missile landing close to Seouls territorial waters. Japans alert, warning residents in the north of the country to take shelter, was the second such incident in two months. Footage showed the disturbing J-Alert siren echoing through the early-morning autumn sun in towns such as Ishinomaki, which was devastated by the tsunami in 2011. But this was no 2017, nor a 1998, the watershed moment when Pyongyang first lofted a missile over the country. That was followed by intensified talks on normalizing relations between the two countries, something almost impossible to imagine in 2022. Within a few years of that scare, then-Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi made a groundbreaking visit to Pyongyang, shaking hands with Kim Jong Il and securing the release of several Japanese citizens abducted by the regime. Advertisement Kim succeeded this time only in extending the US-South Korea Vigilant Storm air drills he was protesting with the barrage. Over the long term, the more likely impact from the recent salvo is to amplify the voices of Japans defense hawks, who are calling for greater spending to defend the country from such threats. Even under the relatively dovish Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, such voices are now in the ascendancy. The Sankei reported this week that the government plans to boost defense spending over the next five years to a total of 48 trillion yen ($325 billion) in an updated midterm defense plan due this year. Thats 1.7 times the current equivalent, as the US pushes its ally to increase defense spending to 2% of gross domestic product from its long-held unofficial cap of 1%. Just as significant was the news that Japan is mulling developing and deploying homegrown hypersonic missiles by the end of the decade. Considering thats a technology the US has yet to deploy, such a plan would demonstrate Tokyos commitment to building out its counter-offensive capabilities. The country also reportedly plans to purchase Tomahawk cruise missiles from the US to tide it over until it can deploy more advanced, made-in-Japan technologies. Advertisement For a country that had been retreating from the defense industry, and less than a decade ago saw tens of thousands take to the streets and fisticuffs in parliament protesting tweaks to security legislation, the new stance represents a momentous shift. Increasingly, its one backed by the public: Surrounded by a hostile trio of China, North Korea and Russia, citizens long standing opposition to defense spending has been shifting. Just one-third of those polled in an NHK survey last month opposed increasing such spending. Home to more than 50,000 US military personnel, Japan has long been in North Korean firing lines. In some ways, the threat has become another of the unpredictable and potentially devastating disasters the country has simply learned to endure and spend on avoiding or mitigating. Thursdays ICBM might not have overflown the country. But Japan now knows real and greater threats are not far away. More From Bloomberg Opinion: Advertisement Kims Right, North Korea Is a Nuclear State: Gearoid Reidy US-South Korea War Games Have a Global Audience: James Stavridis The Race for Missiles in Asias Danger Zone: Gearoid Reidy This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Gearoid Reidy is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Japan and the Koreas. He previously led the breaking news team in North Asia, and was the Tokyo deputy bureau chief. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion 2022 Bloomberg L.P. GiftOutline Gift Article Comment on this story Comment Gift Article Share Theres a sense the UK gilt crisis is over. Pension plans are no longer scrambling to cut leverage in their government bond portfolios after Septembers calamitous budget crashed sterling markets. Yields are back at pre-spike levels. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight But as the dust settles, some pension trustees will be facing difficult decisions regarding the weighting of their portfolio to levered gilt strategies versus higher-returning assets such as private credit, real estate, infrastructure and private equity. That should trouble private asset managers. To recap, 20-year gilt yields rose from around 3.8% to nearly 5% and back again, as markets recoiled at proposed tax cuts and then welcomed a government U-turn. The prices of UK government bonds which move inversely with yields briefly tumbled. This marked a sudden intensification of an existing trend: At the start of 2021, 20-year yields were 0.7%, and 1.3% at the beginning of this year. Advertisement Defined-benefit pension plans, which pay retirees incomes linked to their salary history, hold large portfolios of long-dated gilts. Thats because the present-day accounting value of pension liabilities is calculated using bond yields. Holding a big slug of government debt creates an asset that moves in sympathy with the retirement-benefits number on the parent institutions balance sheet. The snag is that many such portfolios were turbo-charged. The holdings often comprised gilts plus extra bonds purchased by borrowing against the gilts owned outright part of a strategy called liability driven investment. That freed up capital to invest in growth assets such as stocks. But when prices fell, the LDI funds had to cash in whatever they could, to boost collateral buffers and pay margin calls on accompanying derivatives positions. Where might market moves plus the trading activity during the storm have left pension asset allocations? After dumping gilts at low prices, the LDI weighting within portfolios using this approach will likely have shrunk relative to higher-returning assets, while the weighting of illiquid, hard-to-sell private assets is likely to have increased relative to publicly traded stocks and bonds. Advertisement That was already becoming an issue: Public markets have fallen this year, and private asset valuations lag. Rebalancing would logically mean a pull back from private assets, real-estate funds and the like. Dan Mikulskis of pension adviser Lane Clark & Peacock LLP flagged the possibility at the height of the crisis. Those pension plans that want to maintain a big LDI position will need more liquid collateral to support that strategy constraining their scope to invest in assets that deliver better returns than gilts. This rejig has already begun. Property funds whose investors include UK pension plans have sought buyers for buildings to meet redemption requests, Bloomberg News reported last month. And the opportunity this creates was also spotted quickly: Goldman Sachs Group Inc.s asset management arm is among fund managers targeting private assets that may become available at a discount, the Financial Times reported. For private asset managers, its mixed news. On the one hand, there may be some bargains in the secondary market for those with capital to put to work. Quite how many remains to be seen: Pension plans arent forced sellers now. But the medium-term appetite from UK pension trustees for exposure to private assets looks like it will be diminished. Advertisement The philosophy of LDI was to free up capital to invest in growth assets while protecting the pensions corporate sponsor from wild swings in its accounts. With the emergency collateral calls and now a likely rebalancing away from growth assets, it feels like the project is under renewed strain to deliver on its promises. The absurdity is that with long-term liabilities, pension plans can to some degree ride out market volatility and stomach the limited liquidity of private assets better than less patient investors. But the addiction to LDI may prove hard to shake, shrinking one of the key pools of demand for private assets for years to come. More From Bloomberg Opinion: Dont Fear the UKs Coming Zombie Apocalypse: Matthew Brooker Gilt Market Carnage Prompts Risky BOE U-Turn: Mark Gilbert Advertisement Matt Levines Money Stuff: Leveraged Buyouts Lose Some Leverage This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Chris Hughes is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering deals. Previously, he worked for Reuters Breakingviews, the Financial Times and the Independent newspaper. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion 2022 Bloomberg L.P. GiftOutline Gift Article Comment on this story Comment Gift Article Share Incoming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, 73, has served in the post five times before. But when he returns to office following Nov. 1 elections, it will likely be, for the first time, as the head of a government coalition in which his Likud party is the most moderate member. The expected inclusion of a far-right bloc risks igniting tensions both within Israel and between the country and its most important ally, the US. 1. What is the far-right bloc? Known as Religious Zionism, its a merger of a party of the same name, headed by former transportation minister Bezalel Smotrich, and several others including Jewish Power, led by controversial firebrand Itamar Ben-Gvir, 46. Barring a surprise in final voting, the bloc was on track to have 14 of 120 seats in the next Knesset, Israels parliament. Preliminarily, Netanyahus Likud had 32, and the other parties in the likely government coalition, both representing Israels ultra-Orthodox Jews, had 18. Advertisement 2. Why is Ben-Gvir controversial? As a teenager, he led the youth wing of the Kach party, which campaigned for the expulsion of Arabs from Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. It was later banned from politics and designated a terrorist organization by Israel and the US. Ben-Gvir was spared from a prohibition from political office because he was underage. But he was barred from military service due, he says, to his past involvement with the party. He went on to train as a lawyer, and in 2021 he became a Knesset member as the leader of Jewish Power, which has previously advocated for the deportation of Arab citizens seen as disloyal to the state and for extending Israeli sovereignty to the occupied territories. He caused a stir earlier this year by suggesting that some of his fellow Knesset members, Jewish and Arab both, should be deported for their political views. His party advocates dismantling the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority -- which, under the terms of a 1993 Israeli-Palestinian accord, administers limited Palestinian self-rule in the West Bank. The party argues that the authority is corrupt and jihadist. 3. What does Ben-Gvir say? Advertisement He and Jewish Power have sought to distance the party from the Kach movement. His team insists that he has moderated some of his more extreme views and that the party is now focused on law and order issues. Its proposals include relaxing the rules of engagement for soldiers confronting what the party calls terrorists. 4. How does Likud compare with the far-right bloc on these issues? Traditionally, Likud has taken a skeptical approach toward conceding land in the occupied territories, where the Palestinians hope to establish their own state alongside Israel. However, Netanyahu has been cautious about abrogating previously signed agreements. As prime minister in 2020, he proposed annexing about 30% of the West Bank, rather than all of it, as Jewish Power has urged. Netanyahu does not question the basic rights of Israeli Arabs, who make up more than 20% of the population. But he pushed legislation that explicitly defines Israel as a Jewish state and urged supporters to vote to prevent Arabs from gaining political power. Advertisement 5. What would be the domestic implications of the blocs inclusion in the government? It would likely exacerbate strains among the Arab citizens of Israel, who complain of being treated as second-class citizens. In early 2021, tensions between Arab and Jewish Israelis boiled over into the most serious clashes in decades. Any effort to revive negotiations for a Palestinian state would likely be futile. Expansion of Israeli settlement building in the West Bank is a realistic possibility. The bloc has thrown its support behind proposals to reduce the independence of Israels judiciary, which many on the right see as biased against them. Some of the ideas could favorably impact Netanyahu, who faces multiple corruption charges, although hes said he wouldnt back legal changes that would apply retroactively. 6. What about foreign relations? US officials have stated publicly and privately that the inclusion of far-right figures in the next government could negatively affect US-Israel relations. A number of Jewish groups in Europe and the US have also said their inclusion could harm ties. --With assistance from Alisa Odenheimer. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com 2022 Bloomberg L.P. GiftOutline Gift Article Mike Pences comments were also one of the clearest instances of the former vice president trying to set himself apart from Donald Trump, amid the expectation that Pence will challenge Trump for the GOP presidential nomination in 2024. MORE COVERAGE WNY Teacher Residency Program grows at Canisius College Shajuana Day has been a physician's assistant for 18 years, but her passion has always been teaching. For the past 12 years, she has also been a certified diabetes educator, a role that further nudged her toward the classroom. Now at age 41, with the youngest of four stepchildren in high school, Day is embracing her dream teaching a class of second-graders at Elmwood Village Charter School Days Park. As a teacher resident in Canisius Colleges WNY Teacher Residency Program, she said she is having the time of her life while earning her masters degree in education on the charter schools payroll. Teaching is so perfect for my personality and level of creativity that, now that I am able to pursue the opportunity. Its where I belong, Day said. It feels like a God kiss that I stumbled on this program. The WNY Teacher Residency Program is among a growing number of residency programs being hailed as the wave of the future for recruiting and training new teachers to ease a widespread teacher shortage. Canisius was ahead of the wave when it piloted its program in 2018 based on the medical residency model and the University of Chicagos Urban Teacher Education Program. The University at Buffalo and SUNY Buffalo State launched their own versions in 2019 and have received state funding to expand them. Teacher residency programs aim to recruit and retain more teachers by better preparing them for the classroom and increase diversity in the profession including by training nontraditional students like Day who are considering a career change, said Lorrei DiCamillo, associate dean of teacher education at Canisius. There is such a need for teachers and such a shortage, teacher residency is a buzzword right now, DiCamillo said. Communities, foundations and New York state are saying, We should invest money into this as the way to train more teachers. The Canisius program is a two-year masters degree in education or special ed that requires a year of course work followed by a full academic year teaching in a school, as opposed to the traditional student teacher model of seven to eight weeks each in two different schools. Residents receive a 30% discount on tuition at Canisius if they sign an agreement to teach in Buffalo Public or charter schools for two years after completing the program. Sign up for the Buffalo Next free newsletter The News' Buffalo Next team covers the changing Buffalo Niagara economy. Get the news in your inbox 5 days a week. Canisius works in partnership with six area charter schools the Elmwood Village Charter Schools, West Buffalo Charter School, King Center Charter School, Persistence Preparatory Academy Charter School and the Stanley G. Falk School which pay the residents $27,000 to $30,000 for the academic year. This year, the program is expanding to include Buffalo city schools as well as provide scholarships for second-year residents thanks to a grant from the Cullen Foundation. DiCamillo said the foundation has provided nearly $400,000 in support for the program since 2018. So far, 36 teachers have graduated and are teaching in schools, and 25 teachers-to-be are in the program now, DiCamillo said. She estimated 25% to 50% are returning to college to switch careers or pick up where they left off in the past. Day said the program was a perfect way for her to transition from physicians assistant to being a teacher, which also means taking a pay cut to do what she loves. I think its incredible that in one year you can get all the academic, textbook stuff done and then you get that whole year as a teacher, she said. To be in a school for a full year and get to know the teachers, administrators, children and parents is wonderful. And getting paid, actually being on the schools payroll, makes you feel more like a teacher who can step up to the plate. Day said she will continue to work as a diabetes educator on weekends, but she especially enjoys teaching young kids. As a stepmom for the last 12 years, she also served as a childrens ministry teacher at her church and found working with little ones energizes her. I love being in the presence of young people, I just light up, she said. When my kids were little, they used to say, You should be a teacher, and Id say, That is what I wanna be. For more information about the WNY Teacher Residency Program, visit canisius.edu/academics/programs/graduate/western-new-york-teacher-residency. Want to know more? Two stories to catch you up: Welcome to Buffalo Next. This newsletter from The Buffalo News will bring you the latest coverage on the changing Buffalo Niagara economy from real estate to health care to startups. Read more at BuffaloNext.com. THE LATEST Catch up on the latest news from the Buffalo Niagara economy: Edwards Vacuum plans to build a $319 million factory with 600 jobs at the STAMP site in Genesee County. The Buffalo Niagara Marriott hotel in Amherst is going up for auction next month. Gasoline prices are rising again across the Buffalo Niagara region, ending a steady decline that had been going on since mid-June. A Cheektowaga highway maintenance company is planning to move to a bigger facility in Alden. In the weeks leading up to SUNY-Erie Community College President David Balkin's suspension last week, he had explored moving the library at ECC's City Campus into space at the main downtown library. Nearly a year after the first Starbucks stores in Buffalo voted to unionize, talks on a first contract agreement are moving slowly. The three Fucillo auto dealerships on Grand Island have been sold to an Ithaca dealer. A federal judge in Buffalo has granted Starbucks' request that the Starbucks Workers United union turn over all of its messages with reporters, raising questions about free speech issues. Uniland is seeking tax breaks for the second warehouse it plans to build in Lackawanna. Young Development is moving ahead with a $17 million apartment project in Lancaster, with 50 units. The Town of Tonawanda nursing home where a resident fell from a window to her death has been fined by the state. The long-delayed Sawyer's Landing development in Amherst is poised to move forward but at a much higher cost. ICYMI Five reads from Buffalo Next: 1. Made in WNY: Honeywell. Workers at Honeywell's research laboratory in Buffalo are looking for good ideas that could become commercial products five or 10 years from now. 2. After a crippling pandemic, can one of Western New York's last independent hospitals stay on its own? Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center has been independent since it was founded in 1895, but top officials there are now weighing whether that model will be financially sustainable moving forward. 3. For kids with autism, a different way of learning: Canisius College's Institute for Autism Research offers a unique social skills intervention that starts with young children, but could improve the quality of life for all autistic people. 4. As Micron picks Syracuse, will Genesee County ever land its own semiconductor win? The Science and Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park, or STAMP, pitches its ability to lure workers from both Rochester and Buffalo. But is its location, in an isolated spot in the Town of Alabama, more of a liability than economic development officials think? 5. Will there be enough snowplow drivers this year? Some municipalities say they are short-staffed, and others say they are ready for the winter months. 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. Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up to get the latest in your inbox five days a week. Advertisement Causeway J. Law is back in only her second film in three years, but shes always worth watching. She plays a soldier returning to New Orleans after a traumatic injury. She befriends a mechanic played by Brian Tyree Henry, who is also stirring up Oscar talk. This looks to be an intense and brooding drama, with restorative pool therapy. The director is Lila Neugebauer, who also worked on The Sex Life of College Girls. Streaming on Apple TV+ from November 4. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever The latest Marvel noisemaker. Ryan Coogler directs again and hes no slouch. The first one in 2018 put black super-heroism on the map and buried a Hollywood myth that black cinema never makes money. Angela Bassett, Lupita Nyongo and Martin Freeman return, but Chadwick Boseman will be missed. He died in 2020 just as his career was exploding. Will be loud and big. Opens November 10. The Velvet Queen Advertisement Two Frenchmen go into the high wilderness of Tibet in search of the ever-elusive snow leopards, who must be getting sick of being discovered. Renowned wildlife photographer Vincent Munier invited writer Sylvain Tesson on his adventure. If its anything like other French wildlife documentaries, the narration will be insufferable and the images gorgeous. Probably better than the other way around. Opens November 10. The Wonder Its 1862 and an English nurse (Florence Pugh) is summoned to an isolated community in Ireland where a young girl has not eaten for four months, yet appears healthy. She lives, she says, on manna from heaven. This looks intriguing and the pedigree is good: Chilean director Sebastian Lelio won an Oscar a few years back for A Fantastic Woman. He co-wrote the script with Alice Birch and Booker Prize-nominated author Emma Donoghue, based on her 2016 novel. Pugh is hotter than hot right now. Toby Jones and Ciaran Hinds add to a strong cast. Opens November 3. She Said Advertisement Based on the book by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, who broke the Harvey Weinstein story wide open in The New York Times. Its directed by German filmmaker Maria Schrader, who made Unorthodox. Carey Mulligan plays Twohey and Zoe Kazan stars as Kantor. Looks to be a classic newspaper movie: crusading reporters against powerful people. Opens November 17. Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths This looks trippy. Its a hallucinogenic story about a famous journalist and filmmaker returning to his Mexican homeland after many years living in Los Angeles. The director is the vastly talented Alejandro G. Inarritu, who made Amores Perros, Biutiful, The Revenant and Birdman. He too has been living in LA for a long time. This will be visually spectacular and thematically complex, or Ill eat my sombrero. Opens November 17. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery The names Blanc, Benoit Blanc. Daniel Craig returns in the second of three comedy thrillers as a southern detective chasing a murderer. The first film, Knives Out, grossed its head off in 2018. Netflix paid an obscene amount for two sequels, of which this is the first. The series is conceived and directed by Rian Johnson, who has some chops - he made Looper and Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Craig is joined by Edward Norton, Kate Hudson, Ethan Hawke and the retired wrestler Dave Bautista, playing an activist for mens rights. Chortle. Opens November 23. Advertisement Q: I read your very informative article regarding taking out a loan when you own your home in a living trust. I have been working on putting my townhome in my revocable trust but have had major pushback from two financial institutions, back when I first purchased the home in 2016 and then again when I refinanced last spring. Both institutions said that I needed to wait until I closed the mortgage, but then pushed back after the closing. Finally, after many inquiries, the lender sent me a letter stating how the trust needed to be worded to allow the home to be added to the trust. I consulted with my trust attorney and the solution that he suggested is a pocket deed. He created a new deed with the home in the trust. I am going to sign it and have it notarized, then place it in my safe deposit box with the original deed. In the event of my death, my executor will pay off all my bills including the mortgage and then take the pocket deed and have it filed, thus putting the property in my trust. By then, the bank/mortgage company will be out of the picture, as the home will be paid off. What do you think about this solution? A: We know some lenders have no problems giving residential loans to borrowers who own their homes in a living trust. Were not sure why others are averse to furnishing loans to these types of borrowers, when so many financial advisors and attorneys recommend them. Sam has had quite a number of clients that closed on their residential purchases and refinancings without any issues where the homes were owned in a trust. He also has seen lenders tell their borrowers to deed out the property from the trust meaning that the borrower deeds the property from the living trust back to the trust owner. Later, after the closing, the borrower conveys the property back into the trust. However, it can be expensive to do that. Moreover, it seems unnecessary and even wasteful to take the property out of the trust and then pay to put it back in. For those readers who arent familiar with living trusts, lets start with a short explanation. A living trust is a document that holds real estate and other assets for a beneficiary in trust. When a property owner puts their home into the trust, that person is the trustor and they designate who the trustee and beneficiary are for the trust. Usually the trustor, the trustee and the beneficiary are the same person. (There are many different types of trusts but we are only discussing the basic living trust that many people use to own their homes.) The trustee controls the trust and the beneficiary is the owner of the trust. The purpose of this type of a living trust is to control who gets the home when the owner of the trust dies or who can dispose of the home if the trustee becomes incapacitated. Thats why we recently wrote that you might want to make changes to your living trust as your life changes. Generally, when a homeowner dies, that home would pass to the owners heirs as designated by his will or as designated under the laws of the state in which the property is located. (If the home is jointly held, then it would pass automatically if held with rights of survivorship.) However, that also means having to hire an attorney and going to probate court. Both the hiring of an attorney and the probate court cost money and take time. However, you can pay a small fee to an attorney to set up the living trust and then transfer title to your home into that trust. When the trust owner dies, the successor trustee can transfer ownership of the home as designated under the trust or, if the intent is to continue to have the trust own the home, the successor trustee and beneficiary wouldnt need to do anything as the home would stay in the trust. Once you put the home into a trust, you wouldnt want to spend the money to take it out and put it back into the trust. Sometimes it can cost several hundred dollars to take an asset out of the trust and put it back in. Lets go back to the lenders. Some lenders may not allow the use of living trusts if local law has any specific requirements that would prevent the lender from foreclosing on the loan or properly securing the loan. If thats the case where you live, wed understand why lenders wouldnt want to allow a borrower to close in the name of the trust. In markets where some lenders will give borrowers a loan when the property is in a living trust, you might want to work with a mortgage broker. Mortgage brokers can shop the loan around and should know which lenders are open to working with living trusts and which are not. Now, if the lender that allows it is a bit more expensive than others, youll have to balance the costs before deciding which way to go. Finally, we have to say that we dont like your idea of setting aside a signed document for future recording. For one, your kids may not have access to your safe deposit unless they share it with you. If you dont share access, they may need a court order (through probate, if youre dead) allowing them access to the safe deposit box. Memories get forgetful through the decades and your kids might not remember about the safe deposit box. When the time comes, they might wind up in probate to sell the home, not realizing you had laid the groundwork for another option. Also, if during your life, you become incapacitated, your kids may not benefit from the trust terms that would allow them to handle the financial affairs if the property is in your name and not in the name of your trust. One last item: Your lender may be overly cautious about how you title your property after you finance or refinance your home, but you should be entitled to put your home into your living trust without your lender making it a problem. Again, were talking about a living trust and not some of the other estate planning trusts that take the home out of the control of the owner in order to adjust the value of an estate. The Garn-St. Germain Depository Institutions Act of 1982 allows homeowners to transfer ownership of their homes to their living trusts or to spouses without a lender impediment. Having said that, if you find a lender and it wont allow you to take out the loan while your home is in the trust, you can deed it out of the trust, refinance the mortgage, then put the property back into the trust after the closing. Remember, when you insure your property, you need to let the insurance company know that the home is owned by the trust so that the insurance names you and the trust on the policy. (Ilyce Glink is the author of 100 Questions Every First-Time Home Buyer Should Ask (4th Edition). She is also the CEO of Best Money Moves, an app that employers provide to employees to measure and dial down financial stress. Samuel J. Tamkin is a Chicago-based real estate attorney. Contact Ilyce and Sam through their website, bestmoneymoves.com.) A Buffalo News investigation into YouTube the most-used social network in the United States found that the platform has allowed videos linked to accused Buffalo mass shooter's diary to continue to circulate. 6 months after Buffalo mass shooting, videos used by accused gunman remain on YouTube Five years after YouTube began ramping up its restrictions on firearms content, many of the videos that informed the accused May 14 shooter and others like them remain on the site. Some of those videos demonstrate how to modify AR-15 style rifles and shoot at a human through bulletproof glass. Experts in online radicalization warn they could serve as training material for future attacks. Here are five takeaways from The News' investigation: 1. The accused Buffalo gunman used YouTube to plan parts of his attack In an online diary posted to the messaging site Discord, Payton Gendron, who is accused of killing 10 people at a Tops supermarket on May 14, linked out to more than 130 YouTube videos the vast majority about guns, shooting tactics and body armor. One video was titled Army Ranger explains how to win a gunfight. Another instructed viewers on shooting through bulletproof glass. The gunman wrote that he was concerned Tops front windows might be bulletproof, making it more difficult for him to shoot into the store. The video gave him some ideas, he wrote, for fatally targeting the stores security guard. Even more concerning to gun control advocates are a series of videos the gunman watched before modifying his rifle, one of which explains how to drill out a New York-mandated lock that fixes a 10-round magazine in the rifles receiver. After removing the lock, the gunman was able to use several detachable 30-round magazines to carry out his attack, firing 50 rounds in just a few minutes. AG's report on Buffalo mass shooting sheds new light on how gunman's video, ideology spread New York State Attorney General Letitia James is recommending sweeping changes to U.S. internet law in the wake of the deadly May 14 attack at a Buffalo supermarket, saying in a report published Tuesday that several online platforms had enabled horrific mass shootings and hate-based violence. 2. YouTube hasnt removed videos that showed the gunman how to target a Tops security guard and modify his rifle YouTube has removed only three of the videos linked in the gunmans diary, ruling that the remainder including the ones referenced above are allowed under its rules. Since 2017, YouTube has banned videos that sell firearms and many firearms accessories or show how to manufacture them. The platform also prohibits videos that show viewers how to perform activities meant to kill or maim others. A YouTube spokesperson told The News that the platform makes exceptions for educational content. But theres still a question of exactly what these educational videos are teaching viewers to do. The Buffalo gunman compiled an unusual amount of tactical and instructional information in his online diary, one extremism expert told The News, so that those resources could also be referenced by future attackers. 3. Videos that show viewers how to make their weapons deadlier also remain on YouTube, despite policies against them In addition to auditing the YouTube links in the accused gunmans diary, The Buffalo News conducted a series of basic keyword searches on YouTube over the course of two days in October. Our goal was to see what other types of gun and firearms content exist on the platform. This non-exhaustive search found 24 videos that broke YouTubes rules, including instructions for making a semi-automatic rifle fully automatic and for buying blueprints to 3D print guns. Twenty videos advertised stores where viewers could buy illegal items such as bump stocks and drop-in auto sears, which convert a rifle to automatic fire. YouTube removed the videos after The News asked about them. Buffalo's May 14 victims face uphill battle in lawsuits against online platforms Victims attorneys signaled interest in six platforms they say played a role in the May 14 Tops massacre. 4. Gun reform advocates want to know why dangerous YouTube videos keep falling through the cracks Notably, none of these issues are new: Reports by the nonprofit online newsroom The Trace in 2019, and NBC News in 2021, also found a number of rule-breaking gun videos on YouTube. Gun control advocates, such as Everytown for Gun Safety, argue that persistent moderation problems around gun content show that YouTube has failed to invest enough money or employees in enforcing its rules. In light of the attack in Buffalo, the group also urged YouTube to place age restrictions on gun content and prohibit tactical videos that instruct viewers on techniques or strategies for killing other people. To be clear, online content moderation is very difficult especially on a site such as YouTube, where more than five hours of footage are uploaded each minute. A spokesperson said that YouTube has "invested heavily" in efforts to reduce the reach of harmful content on the platform, including new hate speech policies, industry collaborations and changes to its recommendation algorithms. 5. Change could be coming, whether YouTube plans it or not The News findings come at a moment of intense scrutiny for YouTube. Federal lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have advocated for changes to a law called Section 230, which shields websites from lawsuits over things their users post. If Section 230 were revoked, or significantly revised, Americans could gain the ability to sue YouTube over its moderation choices. Attorney General Letitia James told The News that Congress is expected to hold a hearing on the issue in coming months. That hearing will likely reference the attack in Buffalo, she indicated, because of the role that online platforms played in radicalizing and empowering the gunman. [Read the full story: 6 months after Buffalo mass shooting, videos used by accused gunman remain on YouTube] A Buffalo firefighter was arraigned Wednesday in Buffalo City Court on felony child pornography charges, according to the Erie County District Attorney's Office. Prosecutors said 38-year-old Jose R. DeJesus was charged with promoting a sexual performance by a child and possessing a sexual performance by a child. DeJesus is accused of having images of child pornography and sharing an image of sexual conduct by a child with another user on a website. DeJesus has been placed on administrative leave from his firefighter job, according to the DA's Office. DeJesus is set to return to court on Nov. 23 for a hearing. He was released from custody. DeJesus faces a maximum sentence of seven years in prison if he is convicted of the top charge against him. A former Los Angeles police captains ties to Hollywood are under scrutiny after prosecutors say he leaked a sexual assault victims confidential police report to CBS and its former leader Les Moonves Ukraine is counting on more Western technological support as its war against Russia drags on, with Microsoft pledging to extend its backing for Kyiv through the end of next year A former Starpoint Middle School teacher was found not guilty of three sex charges against him in a trial in Niagara Falls City Court. Brian H. Lasher, 57, of Amherst, was acquitted of all charges on Monday by Niagara City Court Judge James J. Faso Jr. during a trial in which Lasher's accuser took the stand, defense attorney Thomas J. Eoannou said Wednesday "The woman was on the stand subject to a lengthy cross-examination and, ultimately, he was acquitted," Eoannou said during an interview with The Buffalo News on Wednesday. Lasher was charged with committing a third-degree criminal sex act, a felony, as well as third-degree attempted rape and third-degree sex abuse, both misdemeanors, in connection an incident that was alleged to have occurred on Feb. 8, 2021, at the Niagara Resort and Casino. "He maintained his innocence from the very beginning and, at trial, he was able to show that he was not guilty on any of the counts," Eoannou said. "What I hope that people understand is that an allegation is merely that, just an allegation and, hopefully, his reputation in the community will be restored." District Attorney Brian Seaman confirmed the acquittal on Thursday. "My office took the complaint of the victim in this case very seriously, as we do all cases of this nature. I assigned one of my top assistants to prosecute the case. A trial was conducted, and at the end of that trial the judge did not believe the evidence was sufficient to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt. A verdict of not guilty was delivered by the court and we respect that decision. That brings the criminal case to a full conclusion," Seaman said. Lasher, reached by telephone Thursday, lamented having his reputation tarnished over an allegation that he said never had any merit. He also questioned why the District Attorney's Office did not drop the case against him after his co-defendant, John R. Scholl Jr., was acquitted on the same charges in March. "I had to endure this for 11 months. I lost my job. I mean, I retired, luckily, but what if I was 10 years younger? Could you imagine if I was 45 instead of 55?" he said. Lasher taught at Starpoint for 32 years, all of them as a physical education teacher. NWS Weather Alert NOTE: This information is provided by the National Weather Service. Forecast may differ from local information provided by our own 69News Meteorologists ...GALE WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM WEDNESDAY MORNING THROUGH LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT... * WHAT...Southwest winds 15 to 25 kt with gusts up to 35 kt and rough waters possible. * WHERE...Delaware Bay waters north of East Point NJ to Slaughter Beach DE and Delaware Bay waters south of East Point NJ to Slaughter Beach DE. * WHEN...From Wednesday morning through late Wednesday night. * IMPACTS...Strong winds can cause hazardous seas which could capsize or damage vessels and reduce visibility. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Mariners should consider altering plans to avoid possible hazardous conditions. Remain in port, seek safe harbor, alter course, and/or secure the vessel for severe wind and seas. && An Erie County jail deputy who was fired after pleading guilty to possessing cocaine is challenging his termination in court with the help of his former union. John A. Gugino, of Hamburg, pleaded guilty in May to seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor. He was sentenced to community service and granted a conditional discharge if he stayed out of trouble. Sheriff John C. Garcia then fired Gugino on June 10, and Gugino filed a grievance. Soon after, according to Guginos court papers, Sheriff John C. Garcias team told the former deputy he had no right to challenge his firing because he had been terminated under a New York law that dismisses public employees whose dishonesty, as proven by criminal convictions, violated their oath of office. Usually, those terminations have involved felony convictions, but misdemeanor convictions also have led to the dismissal of public employees in New York. In the new court papers, Gugino and Teamsters Local 264 disagree that the Public Officers Law rightly triggered Guginos termination, and they argue he should have been allowed to grieve his firing and, if necessary, take it to an arbitrator. County Attorney Jeremy C. Toth responded with a letter sent to the State Supreme Court judge handling the case. Toth asked Timothy J. Walker for time to explore settlement options. I have been in contact with petitioner's counsel and he has no objection to allowing for more time for us both to discuss options with our client, Toth wrote last month. Guginos case mentions nothing about his latest legal troubles, which arose after a judge in Hamburg granted him the conditional discharge on the misdemeanor. During a concert at Highmark Stadium in July, Gugino got in an argument with an on-duty deputy and was charged with harassment and trespassing for allegedly resisting as he was being ejected. He has pleaded not guilty in Orchard Park Town Court and is to appear in court again Nov. 15. In light of the new charges, the District Attorneys Office asked the judge in Hamburg to reconsider Guginos conditional discharge and impose a new sentence. The next court date in that matter is scheduled for Dec. 20. Available for Roku, Fire TV, AppleTV WFMZ+ STREAMING NEW WAY TO WATCH! Brand New App to watch all of WFMZ-TV News and Syndicated Programing 24/7 on your Streaming App enabled TV. The U.S. and South Korea are jointly warning North Korea that use of any kind of nuclear weapon against Seoul or other regional allies would result in the end of Kim Jong Uns regime A North Korean Missile has landed close to the South Korean sea border for the first time since the two countries split over seventy years ago. Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. By Azernews By Sabina Mammadli The meeting of the Azerbaijan-Armenia border delimitation commission has kicked off in Brussels, Secretary General of the EU External Action Service Stefano Sannino said, Azernews reports. "Pleased to welcome to Brussels the Azerbaijan-Armenia border commissions led by Deputy Prime Ministers Shahin Mustafayev and Mher Grigoryan for their third meeting. The European Union urges the sides to take steps to improve security on the ground and to achieve progress on delimitation," the official tweeted. This is the third meeting within the framework of the work of the delimitation and border security commission between Azerbaijan and Armenia. To recap, the first meeting between Azerbaijan and Armenian delimitation commissions was held on the border on May 24, 2022, and the second such meeting took place in Moscow on August 30, 2022. The campaigns of Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul and Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin are exchanging accusations of scandal as the unexpectedly competitive governor's race reaches its final week. In Hochul's case, the incumbent from Buffalo has come under withering criticism over the state's $637 million no-bid contract to purchase rapid Covid-19 tests through a intermediary company whose owner and family members are generous donors to the governor's re-election campaign. Analysis: It's down to the wire in New York's race for governor Republicans seem downright giddy about their prospects, though the savvy among them note that winning in ultra-Democratic New York still represents the ultimate challenge, Bob McCarthy writes. The Zeldin campaign, for its part, is under investigation for possible improper coordination with political action committees that are pouring millions of dollars into ads that attack Hochul and support her Republican challenger. Both campaigns have denied wrongdoing. Some political observers raise concerns about the accusations lodged against the candidates, saying they're symbols of an election system far too reliant on contributions from wealthy donors and corporations. PolitiFact: Checking claims in the Hochul-Zeldin debate In the only debate in the race for New York governor, incumbent Kathy Hochul and Rep. Lee Zeldin offered plenty of claims and counterclaims. But it's not clear whether the accusations of corruption will carry weight with voters at a time of deep political divisions. "Partisanship allows us to excuse an awful lot," said Jacob Neiheisel, an associate professor of political science at the University at Buffalo. Test contract scrutinized The Albany Times-Union in September first raised questions about the Covid-19 testing contract, noting the Hochul administration did not seek bids under its emergency Covid-19 spending powers. The state in late 2021 agreed to buy 52 million "Carestart" rapid tests, produced by New Jersey-based AccessBio. With Election Day closing in, Dems, GOP calling on big names to close governor contest Both parties are importing big names to convince anyone who remains undecided, and more importantly, to get out the vote from committed supporters. New York bought them through a distributor, Digital Gadgets, whose owner, Charlie Tebele, and family members have donated about $300,000 to Hochul with most contributions coming after the testing contract was issued. Republicans and some good-government advocates slammed the deal as bad for taxpayers. The Times-Union reported California paid about $6.75 per test for 10 million AccessBio tests it purchased, about 45% less than the average price of $12.25 per test paid by New York. Unlike New York, California purchased the tests directly without going through an intermediary company. Reinvent Albany called for a federal investigation into the awarding of the contract because federal pandemic-relief funds were used to buy the tests. "It's very troubling, because it looks like a vendor was given a huge contract because of campaign contributions. And there were hundreds of millions of dollars that were overpaid," said John Kaehny, the watchdog organization's executive director. Republican Lee Zeldin targets a tough audience: NYC Democrats Zeldin is sticking to a calculated game plan of constant appearances before potential Democratic defectors. He cites former Republican Gov. George E. Pataki's three consecutive victories in 1994, 1998 and 2002, and thinks it can be done again. At last week's gubernatorial debate, Zeldin pressed Hochul on the "pay-to-play corruption that is plaguing you and your administration." Hochul rejected the premise and reiterated the test contract came at a time during the 2021-22 school year when the Omicron variant was spreading. "I told my team, you go out and find every single test kit you can find. This was early on. We were hit harder than other states, like California, that didn't deal with it till later," Hochul said. Moderator Susan Arbetter questioned the optics of taking large donations from companies that do business with the state. "I understand the concern you just raised. I have always, for 30 years as an elected official, played by all the rules," Hochul said. "There has never been a situation where there's a return from someone giving a campaign contribution to me." Gov. Kathy Hochul summons powers of incumbency to stave off Lee Zeldin's challenge As Gov. Kathy Hochul's faceoff against Republican Lee Zeldin enters its final days, she is charging harder than at any other time in her long political career. Coordination probed The state Board of Elections is examining whether the Zeldin camp illegally coordinated advertising and other efforts with two super PACs. The probe was launched after reporting by the Times-Union and a complaint filed by the state Democratic Committee presented examples of ties between the Zeldin campaign and the super PACs. Under federal election law, the PACs can accept unlimited donations from campaign contributors and spend as much as they want on ads supporting one candidate or opposing another. However, New York election rules require the PACs to operate independently of the campaigns they support. The New York Times reported that two PACs, Safe Together New York and Save Our State NY, had as of last week raised more than $12 million to spend on ads attacking Hochul and touting Zeldin using language and images in line with the Republican's campaign message. Cosmetics billionaire Ronald Lauder is the biggest donor to the two PACs, the Times-Union reported, with roughly $9 million in contributions. "I'm at risk of sounding hyperbolic here, you know, using terms like 'threat to democracy,' " Kaehny said. "But that is one or two people buying, and attempting to buy, an election. And that's appalling." In December, the Times-Union reported, Safe Together paid $100,000 to John McLaughlin, a longtime Lauder political consultant who serves as Zeldin's campaign pollster, to produce an anti-Hochul radio ad. At the gubernatorial debate, after Zeldin accused Hochul of a "pay-to-play" scandal, the governor raised the PAC contributions from Lauder. "If you want to talk about unseemly circumstances, how does one person get away with giving you $10.5 million in your election?" Hochul said. Zeldin spokeswoman Katie Vincentz did not respond for comment. She told the New York Times that the state investigation was a "desperate" attempt to divert attention from Hochul's record. Its absolutely zero coincidence that the person pushing this agenda at the Board of Elections is a political appointee of the Cuomo-Hochul administration, she said, referring to Michael L. Johnson, chief enforcement counsel at the agency. Nothing is likely to come out until after the election because the investigation was delayed when Republican members skipped a board meeting, denying the required quorum for a vote on whether to issue a subpoena. Robert Galbraith, senior research analyst at the Public Accountability Initiative, said the Zeldin campaign's connections to the super PAC are concerning, but it is possible they technically don't violate state election law. "We know there's all sorts of ways that campaigns and super PACs sort of are able to coordinate without, you know, coordinating," he said. Do voters care? The two cases are both rooted in the need for candidates in New York to raise significant sums of money from corporations and wealthy donors, Galbraith said. As a result, he said, those contributors, often people who have business contracts with the state, have outsized influence on statewide elections. "It can be really lucrative to be a vendor to the state," Galbraith said. "And I think that frequently translates into campaign support." Galbraith and others say they doubt the reported scandals will change voters' minds in this election. Given how polarized people are today, it is unlikely that news of the testing contract controversy will turn Democrats away from Hochul or coverage of the Zeldin campaign investigation will sway his Republican supporters, UB's Neiheisel said. "I don't know if this gets traced back to Tammany Hall days, or something like that, but there's certainly a normalization of that kind of politics," he said, referring to the pay-to-play accusations, in particular. "And it's also extraordinarily difficult to prove motive in cases like that. There's a strong circumstantial element to it." If anything, Reinvent Albany's Kaehny said, it could serve to turn off some potential voters. "I think that the biggest concern would just be one of reducing voter turnout through cynicism and discouragement and apathy," he said. C New York Democrats like what they see in early and absentee voting, and label as "myth" any notion that Republican Lee Zeldin is eclipsing Democratic incumbent Kathy Hochul in the torrid contest for governor of New York. Not so fast, say their Republican counterparts. They point to the polls showing a race that has tightened significantly in recent weeks and claim Zeldin's his momentum continues to grow. It all points to a furious pace of campaigning for this weekend, with both sides importing big names to convince anyone who remains undecided, and more importantly, get out the vote from committed supporters. Indeed, Democrats plan a major event Thursday aimed at turning out women voters at Barnard College in Manhattan featuring Vice President Kamala Harris, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, New York Attorney General Letitia James and Hochul. State Democratic Chairman Jay S. Jacobs said the rally and others like it will impress upon Democratic voters "what is at stake here." "We have lots of activities going on throughout the state; we'll be all over the state generating enthusiasm that you would expect the last week of the campaign," he said, adding that former President Bill Clinton will also headline a Sunday event in Brooklyn to rally its more than 1 million Democratic voters. The Clintons, residents of Westchester County, have often assisted New York Democrats over the years, including past appearances in Buffalo. Republicans, meanwhile, remain upbeat about the momentum Zeldin has registered over the past several weeks as he continues to pound Hochul on the crime issue. This week they imported Govs. Ron DeSantis of Florida and Glenn Youngkin of Virginia both mentioned as potential Republican candidates for president at downstate rallies for Zeldin. The Suffolk County congressman is also slated for a Sunday morning rally at the West Seneca town complex. New York Republican Chairman Nicholas A. Langworthy, who attended the Saturday event outside Zeldin's Suffolk County headquarters, described the rally as "electric." "It was massive; about 6,000 people," he said. "It was memorable because people look to the progress of Florida in terms of economic growth and freedom. He was saying you can have this here in New York too if you get this election right." Youngkin, he added, drew about 1,000 people to Monday rally in Westchester County. Jacobs, meanwhile, told statewide reporters Wednesday that he felt compelled to counter any idea that Zeldin is mounting a serious challenge in New York, where Democrats outnumber Republicans by about 3.5 million voters. Gov. Kathy Hochul summons powers of incumbency to stave off Lee Zeldin's challenge As Gov. Kathy Hochul's faceoff against Republican Lee Zeldin enters its final days, she is charging harder than at any other time in her long political career. "This Republican spin we're getting from their camp is not so borne out by the facts," he said, pointing to just received early and absentee voting statistics. "I don't see in these numbers a red wave. In fact, they are quite the contrary." Jacobs said of the 484,455 early votes returned from throughout the state so far, Democrats have logged a "substantial" advantage in New York City, supplying about 35% of the statewide votes so far. In Hochul's home county of Erie, he noted, Democrats are outpacing Republicans 57-25% in early voting (which usually attracts more Democrats while Republicans historically turn out at a greater rate on Election Day). Women, he noted, are also outpacing men. Absentee votes, the chairman noted, continue to be dominated by Democrats 140,556 Democrats to 51,163 Republicans. "Not that anything is decided, it's simply to give you actual facts," Jacobs said, "to counter this narrative the Republican camp is trying to sell that they are closing in here." Jacobs acknowledged Hochul may face challenges in metropolitan suburbs like Suffolk County, Zeldin's home turf. Republican Lee Zeldin targets a tough audience: NYC Democrats Zeldin is sticking to a calculated game plan of constant appearances before potential Democratic defectors. He cites former Republican Gov. George E. Pataki's three consecutive victories in 1994, 1998 and 2002, and thinks it can be done again. "She may fall short in the suburbs. I just think she has to make a decent showing," he said, noting that upstate the governor is "very well-liked, especially in Western New York." Jacobs downplayed any suggestion that Hochul has only recently stepped up her campaign in the face of Zeldin's gains. "She stepped up well before the poll numbers," he said. "She's been out. She's been hard working. She's been there. "And the state did not stop because of a campaign." he added. "She's doing two jobs, and I think she does it very well." Langworthy labeled his Democratic counterpart's assessment of the situation a "total fairy tale." Democrats historically have been more apt to vote early and by absentee, he said, so an advantage at this point might prove feasible. But he noted many Republicans and non-affiliated will also vote on Tuesday. "It doesn't take a scientist to figure out that by the desperate tone of the Hochul campaign that they are in deep trouble," he said. A Portage man was arrested after he allegedly took a car from a victim over the weekend and then attempted to return it to the owner. Shane M. Duckwitz, 43, has been charged with felony operating a motor vehicle without owners consent, and misdemeanor counts of operating a motor vehicle while revoked and violating a court order restricting operating privilege with ignition interlock device. If convicted Duckwitz faces a maximum of three years in prison followed by up to three years of extended supervision for the felony charge. Duckwitz is also facing five counts of felony bail jumping linked to a number of Columbia County cases. According to the criminal complaint filed on Oct. 31: On Oct. 30 a Columbia County sheriffs deputy was dispatched to a home in Pacific. The victim told the officer that they went to bed the night before with their 2022 Dodge Ram parked in the driveway. The victim told the officer they woke up around 4 a.m. and the vehicle was gone. Around 9:30 a.m. that same day Duckwitz had allegedly texted the victim to say he had their vehicle. The victim contacted the sheriffs deputy that Duckwitz had the vehicle and was heading back to the home. A sheriffs deputy saw the vehicle on Highway 22 near Pardeeville and initiated a traffic stop. Court records show Duckwitzs license was revoked and was required to have an ignition interlock device installed in any car he drove. Duckwitz is set to be back in Columbia County Court on Nov. 9 for his preliminary hearing. Evidence supports that a man killed himself in an officer-involved critical incident last month in Lafayette and Green counties, the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation said. DCI also said Thursday that its investigation has confirmed the unidentified deputy fired a gun in the incident during a pursuit across Lafayette and Green counties on Oct. 22. DCI has not said whether the deputys shot or shots hit anything. The Green County Coroners Office on Thursday identified the man who died as Samuel Santiago, 19, of Milwaukee, and reported that preliminary results of its examination support that Santiago died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Additional testing is underway, and the death remains under investigation. The pursuit began in Grant County after an unspecified incident in Dubuque, Iowa, DCI has said . Lafayette County Sheriff Reg Gill said in a statement his agency was notified at 2:20 p.m. of the incident in Dubuque. A Lafayette County deputy picked up the pursuit after it entered that county. The deputy deployed a spike strip in an effort to flatten the vehicles tires shortly after 2:30 p.m., with the vehicle that was being chased driving in the direction of the deputy, who fired at the vehicle, DCI said. The vehicle later crashed in Green County, and the driver fled on foot. As law enforcement personnel were searching for the driver, a gunshot was heard and a person later identified as Santiago was found near Highway 11, west of Highway M, near Browntown, DCI said. First responders administered first aid, but Santiago died at the scene. A firearm was recovered at the scene, DCI said. No law enforcement personnel were injured during the incident, DCI said. The Lafayette County deputy who fired at the driver was placed on leave, per department policy. The name of the deputy has not been released. DCI is leading the investigation, assisted by the State Patrol, DCI crime response specialist, State Crime Lab and Belleville Police Department. All involved law enforcement are cooperating with the investigation, DCI said. After it completes its investigation, DCI said, it will turn over its reports to the Lafayette County district attorney. School of Accountancy celebrates top achievers After two years of Covid, the School of Accountancy holds its annual prize-giving ceremony. Wits School of Accountancy (SOA) honoured its top-achieving students at the annual prize-giving ceremony 21 September. The prize-giving ceremony awarded top performers in 2020 and 2021. These ceremonies could not be held at the time due to pandemic restrictions. Some third-year students in this academic year are the first cohort of University students who did their first and second year online. These students are only now finding themselves on campus, engaging in face-to-face lectures, in-person tests and exams. Theophilus Ndebele and Jesse Drieband are two of these students. Amongst the top achievers at the ceremony, Ndebele and Drieband are currently in their third year of study. Ndebele was awarded first-class (distinction) passes in Accounting I, Accounting II and Drieband received a total of six awards. Both students attribute their success to hard work and consistency. Do it on your worst day, advised Ndebele. Being dedicated and consistent with my studies helped a lot even when I did not feel like it. Priyanka Padayachee is one of the top achievers from the School. She completed her postgraduate studies at Wits and went on to write her first SAICA board exam, placing amongst the top 10 at the Initial Test of Competence (ITC). She currently works as an audit trainee at Deloitte where she is completing her three years of articles. Wits SOA has prepared me for the world of work by equipping me with the technical skills required in auditing. I was also well prepared for an atmosphere of hard work and perseverance. I have learnt a lot from my lecturers and tutors and am thankful for their role in preparing me for the corporate world, said Padayachee. Commenting at the ceremony, Robert Zwane, Executive Director at SAICA, said, The support of corporates in celebrating young leaders is evidence of the strides we are making as a profession. Recognising and celebrating young females is indicative of the transformation taking place in our industry Zwane added. Housed within the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, the SOA combines the highest standards of academic excellence with exposing students to both the theoretical and practical aspects of accountancy in preparation for the world of work. The School produces some of the top performers in the South African Institute of Charted Accountants (SAICA) and Independent Regulatory Board of Auditors (IRBA) qualifying examinations. The 2020 and 2021 academic year was extremely challenging to the School as well as to the broader University community. Teaching and learning had to be migrated online following Covid-19 restrictions. The School did a lot to support students during Covid, said the Head of School, Professor Nirupa Padia. The school has also made inroads in the making inroads transformation agenda Professor Padia added. Prizes across various categories were sponsored by leading local and international firms in auditing, financial accounting, management accounting and finance. Wits University named Best of Joburg Wits voted as the best tertiary education institution by Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni residents. The University of the Witwatersrand has been named the best tertiary education institute by over 500 000 Caxton readers in the Best of Joburg Readers Choice Awards. The Best of Joburg Readers Choice Awards is one of the citys most successful and enduring competition. Readers from the northern suburbs of Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni vote for the best of the best across various categories including eats and drinks, glam, kids and teens, dining out, shopping as well as living in Joburg. This award comes as the university celebrates its centenary. In September Wits hosted an extravaganza homecoming celebration hosting Joburg residents, and alumni from across the country as well as from around the world. Over the past 100 years Wits has nurtured over 200 000 graduates who have made and continue to make their mark in South Africa and around the world including four Nobel prize winners and 91 prestigious Rhodes Scholars. The University has served as the foundation for entrepreneurs, activists, social scientists, leading business and legal stalwarts, musicians, artists, scientists, engineers, doctors and sportspersons. Steeped in the history of the city, Wits was initially established as a mining school, the university has played an instrumental role in building the city and has grown with Johannesburg. According to the #bestofjoburg site Wits has long been a centre of excellence and earning a place to study at the institution is still the ultimate accolade for Joburg learners. It is an honour to be named the best tertiary education institute in the city, especially by the residents of Johannesburg, said Shirona Patel, Head of Communications at Wits University. Ranked among the top 500 best global universities, Wits continues to be a leading institution from the global south producing world-class academic and research excellence while driving innovation. A catalyst in the country Wits is the first South African university to launch a digital mine, discover the worlds oldest dinosaur embryos, to publish a Zulu-English dictionary as well as open the first full-sized planetarium in Africa. Africas first endovascular robotic unit will advance research and enable outreach intelligence The new unit at the Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre (WDGMC) is both a robotics research opportunity and a global responsibility. The WDGMC, the first and only private teaching hospital in South Africa, launched a state-of-the art endovascular robotics unit on 14 September 2022. The unit is the first in Africa and the Middle East to use the Corindus CorPath GRX vascular robotic for Robotic Assisted Endovascular Interventions (RAEI). The WDGMC trains medical experts, specialists and sub-specialists in fields including endovascular [inside the blood vessel] surgery. Endovascular surgery is a procedure that uses microscopic incisions and long, thin tubes [catheters] inserted into a blood vessel to repair it. Professor Jay Pillai is the Academic Head of the Division of Vascular Surgery at Wits and a vascular surgeon at the WDGMC. He explains that traditional endovascular therapy is a three dimensional, active process in which wires are manipulated through the body and observed on a screen as a [mechanical] arm moves up and down. The new robotic unit removes the interventionist from the patient, with the interventionist operating a joystick that guides a robotic arm to conduct the surgery. An interventionist is a physician specifically trained to perform interventional or minimally invasive procedures. Pillai says, The issue around robotics is removing that interventionist you take away the interventionist, remove him from theatre and replace him with a robot. This is artificial intelligence in reactive form, but why replace the human interventionists in the first place? This is where the philosophy of endovascular robotics arises. Robotic philosophy Pillai intentionally uses the word philosophy because it is the study of the knowledge of things, and the new endovascular robotic intervention refers to looking for disease in the vessel [vein] in a novel way. I think that philosophy is probably the right word to use when we talk about medicine, evidence and science. It governs what we do on a daily basis. But evidence-based medicine has a ladder effect, so theres a scale to it, and robotics, I believe, is at the bottom end of that scale. I think philosophy the study of the benefit of it, of the knowledge of it at a fundamental level is what we should be talking about, says Pillai. Although vascular surgery via robotics could expedite the procedure in a repetitive and continuous manner, which may not be possible by hand, the benefit of robotics to patients, at this stage, remains questionable, he says. Thus, it is the research that this new endovascular robotic unit has the potential to stimulate that is fundamental to its existence and its philosophy. A global responsibility The Corindus CorPath GRX vascular robotic now installed at the WDGM, is a product of Corindus, a Siemens Healthineers company. This product was originally designed to protect and assist interventional cardiologists in complex PCI (Percutaneous Coronary Intervention), a family of minimally invasive procedures used to open clogged coronary arteries. Although Siemens is based in Germany, the R&D facility is in the US, where the product is used extensively for PCI. It is only in Dijon, France, and now at the WDGMC in South Africa, that endovascular applications are being explored. The worrying issue is that the scientific peer reviewed efforts from all of them [US centres] is almost non-existent, says Pillai. This shows the pressure thats on us to provide evidence in this new stratosphere to perform this, if we can find some benefit. Weve got to research the fundamentals of knowledge thats the starting point of robotics. The fact that it can be done doesnt mean that it should be done. Thats realism. We mustnt live a lie. Its our duty to show that it may or may not work. Evidence-based research Vascular surgeons at WDGMC, Dr Pradeep Mistry and Dr Dirk le Roux are already using the Corindus at WDGMC to advance research into patient benefits. Mistry says theyre exploring alternative applications, or cheats, of the technology, given that the Corindus was originally the domain of cardiac and not endovascular interventionists. This research helps Siemens advance products for patient benefit, he says. Dr Zoya Iqbal, Product Manager at Siemens Healthineers, says that investment in telehealth, AI and medical robotics is at an all-time high, with revenues of $25.5 billion expected by 2027. Robotics such as Corindus brings precision medicine to the patient, she says, but she echoes Pillais sentiment that we shouldnt just do it because we can. Mistry and Le Roux have used the Corindus for a mixed bag of pathologies based upon which one research article has been produced so far, awaiting publication. The paper explores the potential of automation to standardise patient care, and the integration of imaging with robotics. The problem with vascular surgery is that we need a lot of pushability. We didnt find this system [Corindus] very friendly towards the way we practice medicine, so we had to come up with our own fixes in terms of increasing pushability, says Mistry. One thing we did find is that the robotic technology works in conjunction with your standard C-arm or hybrid theatre facility, and it is a good ancillary tool to use with other procedures, and not just in isolation. This original research enabled the WDGMC team to come up with solutions in terms of advancing the technology in the field of vascular medicine. Mistry envisages that the WDGMC Endovascular Robotics Unit will ultimately become a centre of excellence in Africa. Applications in Africa Aside from the global responsibility for evidence-based robotics research, Pillai suggests two potential and uniquely African applications of the Corindus: firstly, endovascular robotic surgery during a viral pandemic, and secondly, what Pillai calls outreach intelligence. During the second peak of the Covid-19 pandemic in August 2021, interventionists at WDGMC successfully performed endovascular robotic surgery on the worlds first Covid-19 patient in isolation. This was the first Covid positive patient that was done anywhere in the world. Im certain of it because nothing else has been published, and were about to do that, says Pillai. The intuitive benefit is not the fact that robotic surgery was done and that the patient could be treated within the blood vessel, but rather that there was nobody else in theatre. The transmissibility, the viral infectivity to healthcare workers is born by this new technology. About 85% of the duration of this procedure was done without anybody in theatre, says Pillai, but cautions that this is not a massive scientific benefit, because its only one case. Outreach intelligence Pillai coins the phrase outreach intelligence to suggest how endovascular robotics can impact Africa. Outreach refers to Wits Universitys capability and capacity to extend teaching, learning and clinical training to outlying hospitals. Sharing this intelligence could provide critical training, resources and support, he says. I dont think anyone else in the world is looking at it from this perspective and I call it outreach intelligence. Outreach meaning our University has this capability, and all of us participate in it and create an outreach performance to outlying hospitals, and outreach intelligence it comes from artificial intelligence and there may be a benefit to it in hospitals who have limited resources, for example, says Pillai. Such outreach intelligence could, for example, benefit a hospital located 30km away from WDGMC, which has a need for angiography [a type of X-ray used to check blood vessels], but has limited expertise. And these places actually have a demand [for such services], based on the pathology and the amount of disease that they have, Pillai points out. So we could have the cockpit here and the robot at another centre. This may actually not only treat a patient a patient benefit but create a teaching infrastructure. In other words, you can show people there how to do it. There are of course financial constraints implicit in this scenario, but what if the robot was a mobile unit? That would change things incredibly. If you look at that little thing attached to the table, its not impossible to create a mobile facility with a mobile technician, and you could easily get these things into various hospitals. And even if its just angiography, it would make a considerable difference," says Pillai. "I think this is for the future, its probably a public health type research project, but I think its something we need to start looking into." Pillai concludes, Robotic Assisted Endovascular Interventions [RAEI] will evolve. AI will evolve. We now have an opportunity to evolve synchronously. I think its at its inception, and later on when we add other features of AI, like memory, its going to be easier. AI will evolve into memory and from a radiology perspective, if you could feed a CT scan, for example, into a robotic machine it could memorise that and help us navigate the wires; it could choose the wires for us, said Pillai, adding that he thinks were still a long way from that. About the launch of the WDGMC Endovascular Robotics Unit The launch at the Centre in Parktown, Johannesburg, kicked-off the WDGMCs 20th anniversary celebrations, which coincide with Wits Universitys centenary. In attendance at the launch were Dr Sue Tager, CEO of WDGMC; Professor Lynn Morris, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Innovation; Professor Martin Smith, Head of the Department of Surgery; Professor Hellen Myezwa, Head of the School of Therapeutic Sciences ; and Arnold Basserabie, Chair of the Wits Foundation Board of Governors, amongst others. Dr Judy Dlamini, the Wits Chancellor and Chair of the WDGMC Board did the ribbon-cutting honours. About the Wits University Donald Gordon Medical Centre The Wits University Donald Gordon Medical Centre (WDGMC) is a South African university hospital committed to providing best patient care as well as advancing specialist training and research. It envisages both training and retaining highly skilled medical experts in South Africa, whilst also providing highly specialised patient treatment and care. The WDGMC offers a superior training programme for specialist and sub-specialist training right here in South Africa. Through its innovative multidisciplinary approach, it seeks to establish models of care that can be replicated at a training and service level throughout the country. Jurors convicted Deandre Wilson on Thursday of killing three Florida residents as part of a drug robbery in 2019, a crime that turned more shocking in the community when authorities revealed a 3-year-old boy had been left alone in a minivan for eight hours with the bodies of his dead parents. Wilson, 51, of Buffalo, was charged with fatally striking Dhamyl Roman-Audiffred in the head with a handgun on Sept. 15, 2019, inside a home on 4 Roebling Ave. in the Schiller Park neighborhood, and then stepping outside and shooting Miguel Anthony Valentin-Colon and Nicole Marie Merced-Plaud, who were sitting in the minivan with their son, Noelvin. Jurors found Wilson guilty of 15 counts that included murder, robbery and drug conspiracy, acquitting him only of one conspiracy count and a charge he maintained a drug premises. Jurors begin deliberations in drug killings: Is Deandre Wilson a fall guy or triple murderer? Greed and a desire to sit at the "executive table" of a drug conspiracy motivated Deandre Wilson to kill three adults, steal their cocaine and then leave a 3-year-old boy alone in a minivan with the bodies of his dead parents, a federal prosecutor said Testimony in the trial started Sept. 27, and Valentine-Colon's mother sat through every day of witness statements, medical explanations and law enforcement accounts. "I've been waiting three years for this trial," said Zenaida Colon, who now lives in Puerto Rico and is raising Noelvin. "I was hoping for justice, and that's what I got. I got justice for my son." The burned skeletal remains of the toddler's parents were later found in a remote industrial site in Black Rock, and Roman-Audiffred's body was chopped into parts and burned to near ashes in a fire pit on Box Avenue in the city's Martin Luther King Jr. Park neighborhood. "The way they were violently murdered is what hurts me the most, and the aftermath," Colon said of the burned bodies, including the one dismembered. "It wasn't just the killings but what they did afterward." Two co-defendants, Jariel Cobb and his brother, James Reed who said they had been in the house with Wilson waiting to buy cocaine from the Florida suppliers testified against Wilson. Both said they had no inkling that Wilson planned to kill the three. The prosecution also relied on cellphone tracking, text messages and surveillance videos to build its case, showing Wilson's movements in the hours after the killings. Prosecutors said that information showed he had the dead parents' cellphones even as he went to Darien Lake for a Meek Mill concert between the time they were killed and when their bodies were burned. The prosecution Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph M. Tripi, Maeve Huggins and Michael Adler said jurors had enough evidence to convict Wilson, even without Cobb and Reed testifying. But their testimony added disturbing details to the lethal events on the Sunday evening of Sept. 15, 2019, and what happened to their bodies the morning hours afterward. Cobb testified that after the shooting, he heard the little boy say, "Mommy is bleeding," and "Mommy needs to go to the hospital." And Reed and Cobb added horrifying details about what happened to Roman-Audiffred's body. Cobb acknowledged using an ax to dismember Roman-Audiffred's body before putting the remains in several garbage bags and, with Reeds assistance, loading the bags into Cobbs trunk and taking the remains to 225 Box Ave., where they threw them onto a burn pit in the backyard. Reed said he spent the rest of the night tending the fire to make sure the body parts burned. After shooting Valentin-Colon and Merced-Plaud in the head, Wilson drove their rented minivan to a secluded spot behind a building on Scajaquada Street, and then after cleaning himself up, went to Darien Lake for the concert, according to trial testimony. After the show, Wilson and Cobb retrieved the minivan. Wilson drove the minivan into the rear yard area of 111 Tonawanda St., with Cobb following behind in his car, according to prosecutors. In the rear yard, Wilson and Cobb removed the child from the minivan and doused the minivan and the bodies of Valentin-Colon and Merced-Plaud with gasoline, according to trial testimony and court papers. Then they lit the vehicle and bodies on fire. Wilson's sentencing is scheduled March 23, 2023. He may be facing a minimum of 40 years in prison, but that hasn't been determined yet, and a maximum of life in prison, Adler said. Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph A. Gramaglia said at a Thursday evening news conference with prosecutors that there is a special place in hell for somebody like this defendant." Gramaglia added, He should rot where he belongs." U.S. Attorney Trini Ross said, This conviction shows our community our ability and our resolve to ensure that justice is done for victims, their families and the communities where these crimes are committed. Cobb, 49, and Reed, 40, have pleaded guilty to narcotics distribution and setting a fire to destroy evidence, among other counts. Even with his cooperation with the prosecution, Reed will be sentenced to 16 to 18 years in prison, and Cobb faces even longer prison time, Tripi said. Wilson did not testify in his defense at the trial. His defense attorneys, Kevin Spitler and Daniel J. Henry Jr., called Wilson a fall guy for Cobb and Reed, urging jurors to distrust their accounts of what happened. The two created a "false narrative" from the "heart-wrenching set of events," Spitler said. Colon said Thursday that Noelvin is being treated by a doctor for the trauma he endured. "Physically, he's OK," she said, "but mentally it has been difficult dealing with this trauma," she said, adding that the child has nightmares about what happened. The legal defense team sought to cast doubt on whether the boy was actually left unattended in the van for eight hours. And the defense lawyers also doubted Cobb's story that he intervened to keep Wilson from killing the child. "He was in there for eight hours, and nobody went in or out," Colon said of Noelvin's time in the van with his dead parents, adding that he has talked to her about the ordeal. This week was not the first time Wilson waited for a jury to deliberate and come back with a guilty verdict that he killed someone. In 1993, an Erie County jury found him guilty of second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of a Box Avenue man on Feb. 24, 1992, apparently in retaliation for an earlier shooting and a dispute over a girlfriend. Staff writer Harold McNeil contributed to this report. Students participate in the "Talk With Taikonauts" event in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Nov. 1, 2022. Hundreds of students across Southeast Asian countries attended Tuesday a live class delivered from China's space station and talked with Chinese taikonauts aboard the Shenzhou-14 spaceship, which inspired them to pursue their space dream. [Xinhua/Zhu Wei] MANILA, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) Hundreds of students across Southeast Asian countries attended Tuesday a live class delivered from China's space station and talked with Chinese taikonauts aboard the Shenzhou-14 spaceship, which inspired them to pursue their space dream. Although it was a holiday, scores of Philippine students from high schools gathered for a special session named "Talk With Taikonauts," a unique opportunity for young space enthusiasts from the 10-country bloc Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to have first-hand knowledge of space science and outer space exploration. Jeanel Dimayuga, a 12th grader from Makati High School, had a chance to ask Shenzhou-14 crew members Chen Dong, Liu Yang, and Cai Xuzhe how they felt the time pass in outer space and the impact of the zero-gravity environment on their bodies. The trio of taikonauts answered various questions from the students and shared with the Asian youth their life and scientific work in the space station since early June when the Shenzhou-14 spaceship was successfully launched. One day earlier, China launched the 17.88-meter-long space lab module Mengtian, bringing the construction of the space station Tiangong into the final stage. The building of Tiangong into a national space laboratory with three modules marks a milestone in China's three-decade effort to advance its manned space program. Richard Shao from Philippine Cultural College said China having made such achievements in space technologies has inspired him to continue exploring the mysteries of the universe. During the live lecture, Philippine First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos said the dialogue with Chinese taikonauts provided "an opportunity for our younger generation to learn more about space engineering." "We hope this exchange will further stimulate the curiosity of our Philippine youth regarding space and the bigger frontier out there," she added. Philippine Space Agency deputy director general Gay Jane Perez hailed China's advancement in space and highlighted China's contribution to sharing and promoting space technologies. "Young minds are curious and imaginative, and the space offers limitless possibility of pushing the boundary of knowledge, exploring the unknown and creating new technologies and innovations," Perez said. She said China has created opportunities for cooperation in the ASEAN region. The space lecture would be an "inspiration to our students to pursue their dreams, to explore the vastness of the space." Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian said outer space is the "common wealth of humanity" and should be explored, developed, and utilized peacefully. "China advocates for joint efforts with nations around the world to build a community with a shared future for humanity and to enhance international exchange and cooperation in outer space on the basis of equality, mutual benefit, peaceful use, and inclusive development," the Chinese envoy said. He added that China is willing to share the achievements of aerospace development with the Philippines in various forms and discuss strengthening exchanges and cooperation in the field of aerospace science and technology for the power of science and technology to benefit the people of both countries. A student raises a question to Chinese taikonauts during the "Talk With Taikonauts" event in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Nov. 1, 2022. Hundreds of students across Southeast Asian countries attended Tuesday a live class delivered from China's space station and talked with Chinese taikonauts aboard the Shenzhou-14 spaceship, which inspired them to pursue their space dream. [Xinhua/Zhu Wei] (Source: Xinhua) Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 2, 2022. [Xinhua/Yao Dawei] BEIJING, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan on his official visit to China at the Great Hall of the People on Wednesday. Xi welcomed Sharif and thanked him for his congratulatory letter right after the opening of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Noting that China and Pakistan are good friends, good partners and good brothers, Xi said amid global changes and instability in recent years, the two countries have supported each other and forged ahead, demonstrating an ironclad friendship. "China views its relations with Pakistan from a strategic and long-term perspective, and Pakistan has always been a high priority in China's neighborhood diplomacy," Xi said. China is ready to work with Pakistan to elevate the level of all-round strategic cooperation, speed up efforts to build a closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era, and inject new impetus into their all-weather strategic cooperative partnership, according to Xi. Xi stressed that China commends Pakistan's firm commitment to advancing friendship and cooperation with China, and expressed appreciation for Pakistan's support on issues vital to China's core and major concerns. China will continue to firmly support Pakistan in safeguarding its sovereignty, territorial integrity, development interests and dignity, and in achieving unity, stability, development and prosperity, the Chinese president said. "China expressed deep sympathies to the Pakistani people over the devastating floods that have hit the country, and will provide additional emergency relief to help with post-flood reconstruction," Xi said, adding that China supports Pakistan's efforts to revive agricultural production, and will strengthen cooperation with Pakistan on disaster prevention and relief and climate change. After presenting the key outcomes of the 20th CPC National Congress, Xi underscored that China will continue its fundamental policy of opening-up and provide new opportunities to Pakistan and the rest of the world through continuous development. Xi said China will further deepen synergy between its development strategies and those of Pakistan, calling on the two sides to make full use of the Joint Cooperation Committee of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), advance CPEC with greater efficiency, and make CPEC an exemplar of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. It is important to accelerate the construction of auxiliary infrastructure for Gwadar Port to unleash its role in driving interconnected development in the region, Xi said, hoping the two sides will work together to create conditions for the early implementation of the upgradation of the Main Line-1 (ML-1) and the Karachi Circular Railway project. "Pakistan is welcome to export more quality agri-products to China," Xi said, adding that China will work with Pakistan to expand cooperation in digital economy, e-commerce, and photovoltaic and other new-energy technologies, and take solid steps to advance cooperation concerning agriculture, science, technology and people's livelihood. He said China will continue to do its best to support Pakistan in stabilizing its financial situation. China supports its provinces with a strong industry in pairing up with Pakistani partners to advance industrial cooperation, and hopes the Pakistani side will provide a sound business environment. Xi expressed his great concern about the safety of Chinese nationals in Pakistan, and conveyed his hope that Pakistan will provide a reliable and safe environment for Chinese institutions and personnel working on cooperation projects there. Xi pointed out that the world, our times and history are changing in ways like never before. Facing a highly uncertain world, both sides should stand on the right side of history, keep up their strong cooperation in multilateral mechanisms, and work closely on major international and regional issues so as to uphold true multilateralism, international fairness and justice and the shared interests of developing countries, and inject certainty and positives into the world. China will work with Pakistan to advance the operationalization of the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, make the global economic governance system fairer, more equitable, inclusive and mutually beneficial, and build a community with a shared future for mankind, Xi said. These collaborative efforts will provide a strong underpinning for the development of the two countries, and contribute more to global peace, stability and prosperity, Xi said. Sharif noted that it is a great honor for him to be among the first foreign leaders to visit China after the successful 20th CPC National Congress, which marked a new milestone. He said the visit is a testament to the profound ironclad friendship between Pakistan and China. On behalf of the Pakistani government and people, Sharif once again expressed hearty congratulations to President Xi on his re-election as general secretary of the CPC Central Committee. He said that over the past decade, under the dynamic leadership of President Xi, China has created a miracle of great development achievements. He said China has upheld multilateralism, promoted global solidarity and cooperation, and made important contributions to safeguarding world peace and development. In doing so, China has lived up to its responsibility as a major country. The world cannot operate without China, and China's development cannot be isolated or contained by any force, Sharif said, expressing his confidence that President Xi, with his extraordinary vision, will continue to lead China toward even more remarkable achievements and create an even brighter future for the world. Sharif stressed that deepening Pakistan's all-weather strategic cooperative partnership with China is a cornerstone of Pakistan's foreign policy and the national consensus of Pakistan. He expressed heartfelt appreciation to the Chinese government and people for the valuable anti-COVID support, and for the generous assistance in the wake of the devastating floods. No country has ever helped Pakistan or other developing countries with such wholehearted sincerity, he said. Sharif reiterated Pakistan's firm commitment to the one-China policy and its firm support for China's position on issues concerning China's core interests including Taiwan, Xinjiang and Hong Kong. He said even as Pakistan learns from China's successful experience and tries to rely on its own efforts, Pakistan will deepen all-round cooperation with China to better develop itself. He said this is the only way forward for Pakistan. Hailing CPEC's profound impact on Pakistan's economic and social development, the prime minister said Pakistan is ready to work with China to continue promoting high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and hopes to have China's strong support in the upgradation of ML-1, the Karachi Circular Railway and other important infrastructure projects. Sharif said Pakistan will further step up security measures and do all it can to protect the safety of Chinese institutions and personnel. Sharif said Pakistan fully supports the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative put forth by President Xi, and it will strengthen communication and collaboration with China in international and regional affairs to make a positive contribution to world peace and development. The Pakistan-China friendship is unbreakable, and Pakistan will always stand firmly with China, Sharif said. After the meeting, Xi held a welcoming banquet for Sharif at the Golden Hall of the Great Hall of the People. Wang Yi and He Lifeng were present at the events. Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 2, 2022. [Xinhua/Xie Huanchi] (Source: Xinhua) TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) The timing of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's imminent trip to China and what signals he will give to Beijing have raised questions at home, a German member of the European Parliament said Thursday. Reinhard Butikofer of the Green Party, which is part of the governing coalition, said in Taiwan that Scholzs one-day trip is probably the most controversially debated visit in the country for the last 50 years. Scholz, who will be in Beijing on Friday, will be the first European leader to visit China since Russias invasion of Ukraine, which Germany has strongly opposed. Beijing has provided Moscow with diplomatic backing, accused the U.S. and NATO of provoking the attack and scathingly criticized punishing economic sanctions imposed on Russia. Some in the ranks of Scholz's three-party governing coalition have questioned at least the timing of his visit. His trips to Ukraine and Russia in February also stirred controversy. Butikofer, part of a delegation of European lawmakers in Taiwan, spoke to a joint news conference from his hotel room, where he was under quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19. Just as in other European countries and the EU, ... China policy will be in transformation, in transition for some time," Butikofer said. We cannot return to the China policy of yesterday here, because the realities have changed." Scholz has pledged to use his trip to make the case for Chinese moderation and assistance in calming the situations with Ukraine and Taiwan. In the face of Chinese threats to annex Taiwan by military force, the self-governing island republic has drawn increasing support from Western politicians, even while their governments maintain only unofficial relations with Taipei in deference to Beijing. Butikofer said Germany's governing coalition had agreed on a first-ever clear expression of support for Taiwans democracy against Chinas aggression," as well as Taiwans meaningful participation" in international organizations from which it is currently excluded at China's insistence. Butikofer is one of five members of the European Parliament banned from visiting China, a step taken by Beijing after the EU, Britain, Canada and the United States launched coordinated sanctions against officials in China over human rights abuses in the far-western Xinjiang region. The European Parliament has said it won't ratify a long-awaited business investment deal with China as long as sanctions against its legislators remain in place. Visiting along with Butikofer were legislators Els Van Hoof of Belgium, Sjoerd Sjoerdsma of Holland and Mykola Kniazhytskyi of Ukraine. In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian called the lawmakers' visit a clumsy political hype-up" and said efforts by Taiwan's governing Democratic Progressive Party to garner foreign support are "doomed to fail." At the news conference, Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said the delegation's visit demonstrates the strength of the relations between Taiwan and the European Union and the bond that unites us with like-minded democracies across the globe." Sjoerdsma said the visit had special resonance following last month's twice-a-decade congress of China's ruling Communist Party, at which Chinese leader Xi Jinping reiterated Beijing's determination to reunify" with Taiwan. The sides split amid civil war in 1949 and the vast majority of Taiwanese reject Beijing's calls to accept Chinese rule. We have a message to Beijing and I think the core message of our visit here is ... that Taiwan is not to be isolated, but that contacts will only increase, that we will not be intimidated, that we will be coming over more often, and that our relations and our friendships are not to be determined by others, Sjoerdsma said. Scholz's visit to Beijing was also criticized by Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Nathan Law, who said it risked sending mixed messages over the Ukraine invasion. German Chancellor Scholzs visit is damaging the unity that the world has against Russias war efforts," Law told The Associated Press during a visit to Taiwan. Scholzs trip is definitely giving a lot of opportunity for Xi Jinping to see it as a badge of honor, to see it as means to dismiss the unity of the free world and silently to decrease pressure for Russia," said LLaw, who fled arrest in Hong Kong during a Beijing-ordered crackdown on dissidents in the semi-autonomous Chinese city. I think this is such a bad move. Associated Press video journalists Johnson Lai and Taijing Wu contributed to this story. Articles Sorry, there are no recent results for popular articles. Southeast Missouri man sentenced to more than a decade in federal prison for child pornography Appeal after cattle theft in Rossett Police are appealing for information following a cattle theft in the Rossett area of Wrexham. In a statement posted on the North Wales Community Alert system, police said that 18 head of cattle were stolen overnight on November 1 and November 2 from Coxwood Farm. The cattle are a mixture of Holstein Friesian, Longhorn, Limousin, Charolais and British Blue heifers between the ages of 8 to 13 months. Anyone with any information or who have witnessed suspicious vehicles or activity in the area over the past few days are asked to contact North Wales Police quoting crime reference 22000804529. Farms are also being asked to review security and report anything suspicious. Police launch appeal to locate man last seen in Johnstown last night The above picture of 28 year old Marcin has been released by North Wales Police in a bid to locate him. The appeal tonight reads, We have concerns for a Polish male called Marcin aged 28 who was last seen in Johnstown Wrexham last night described as 6 feet 5 inches tall with short dark brown hair , with a beard and moustache. He has a sleeve of tattoos on his left arm and is believed to be wearing a black jacket with black trousers and a back pack. Any sightings please call 101 and quote our reference B166104. Thank you for your assistance Any sightings or information is asked to be given to police via the 101 number or via the webchat facility on the NWP site quoting the reference number B166104. The late U.S. Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan called it defining deviancy down and, today, its being practiced by the likes of Rep. Claudia Tenney, who thinks there is something humorous in a hammer attack on an 82-year-old man. What is wrong with people like this? A number of Republicans Tenney among them made fun of the attack on Paul Pelosi, the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Paul Pelosi was injured during a break-in at the couples California home in which a political extremist in the sway of conspiracy theories severely injured him with a hammer. Pelosis recovery, expected to be full, is nonetheless likely to be arduous. The suspect, David DePape, is Canadian and was in the United States illegally, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Tenney is running for a second term in a newly drawn 24th Congressional District that includes part of Niagara County. She is an election denier, a Trump supporter and a highly placed public official whose moral compass is broken. Only hours after the attack on Paul Pelosi, Tenney retweeted a photoshopped, right-wing meme showing several men carrying hammers outside a home with a United Against Hate sign and a gay pride flag. LOL, the congresswoman commented. Because an attack severe enough to produce a criminal charge of attempted murder is funny, right? The tweet was in apparent support of a preposterous and evidence-free conspiracy theory about the attack. Pelosi was still in intensive care when she retweeted the post. The post, which remained up for several days, has since been deleted. Thankfully, a number of Republicans had the decency to condemn the attack. Among them were Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. But even they have been silent about the revolting comments by other Republican members who, in addition to Tenney, include Rep. Clay Higgins of Louisiana, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake. Youngkin eventually apologized. Moynihan, who died in 2003, was a Democratic senator from New York, held in high regard across the political spectrum. He was also a diplomat and a sociologist. In 1993, he commented on the tendencies of societies to lower standards for acceptable conduct as that conduct become increasingly destructive. Defining deviancy down, he called it, and he could have been describing Tenney and her ilk. How else do you describe making light of a hammer attack on an octogenarian one, aimed, no less, at his wife, a senior official? Well presume that this is mere hypocrisy and that Tenney doesnt really think that elected officials and their loved ones should be legitimate targets of deadly assault. But thats what deviant commentary such as hers encourages. The official qualifications for public office do not include simple human decency, but that surely should be high on the list of attributes that Americans demand of their public officials. Tenneys retweeting of a clearly offensive post shows that she falls short. Whats your opinion? Send it to us at lettertoeditor@buffnews.com. Letters should be a maximum of 300 words and must convey an opinion. The column does not print poetry, announcements of community events or thank you letters. A writer or household may appear only once every 30 days. All letters are subject to fact-checking and editing. Renewed appeal for missing man from Wrexham Police have issued a renewed appeal amid concern for the whereabouts of a missing man from Wrexham. Dean Fogarty, who is originally from Ireland, hasnt been seen for the last few days. Dean has been living in the Wrexham area. Wrexham City Inspector Luke Hughes, said: I remain anxious to trace Dean Fogarty. Any information, no matter how insignificant it may appear, would be greatly received either by calling 101, via DM or the webchat. Dean if you are reading this, you are not in any trouble. We just need to speak to you and ensure you are ok. Please get in touch. If you know Dean, have any information about Dean, have seen him recently or have any way of contacting him please make North Wales Police aware as a priority quoting reference number 43961. Under the immediate threat of reversal by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, right-wing Arizona Federal Judge Michael Liburdi discarded his own ruling of last Friday that fascists have a First Amendment right to stake out ballot drop boxes and intimidate voters. A voter places a ballot in an election voting drop box in Mesa, Ariz., Friday, Oct. 28, 2022. [AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin] Liburdi held a second evidentiary hearing on Tuesday and announced from the bench that he would enter a temporary restraining order against Clean Elections, USA, its principal Melody Jennings and the John Does whom Jennings coordinates at Arizona ballot drop boxes. The following restrictions now apply to the vigilante drop box watchers: Stay at least 75 feet away from drop boxes Do not follow people using drop boxes Do not speak to people using drop boxes unless spoken to first Do not openly carry firearms or wear body armor within 250 feet of a drop box In addition, Jennings is required to post on her Clean Elections, USA website: It is not always illegal to deposit multiple ballots in a ballot drop box. It is legal to deposit the ballot of a family member, household member, or person for whom you are the caregiver. The lawyers were instructed to notify the Ninth Circuit immediately so that Liburdi would not be reversed. The Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans, which filed the initial lawsuit, also formally withdrew its request to the Court of Appeals for an emergency injunction. There is no way to know whether Liburdi received back channel communications from the Ninth Circuit that his outrageous embrace of camo clad armed drop box watchers, widely condemned in the mainstream media, was an embarrassment he had to rectify. Regardless, Liburdi used a second lawsuit filed by the staid League of Womens Voters of Arizona to justify the second hearing, which lasted several hours. One notable witness, who testified anonymously to avoid retaliation, broke down on the witness stand as he described 10 individuals terrifying his wife at the Mesa drop box, east of Phoenix. The fascists filmed the couple and screamed that they were hunting mules. The mans photo was posted online. Jennings later boasted on the podcast of fascist Stephen Bannon that they had caught a mule and blasted it out viral. Mule is a reference to the discredited Dinsesh DSouza propaganda film 2000 Mules that purports to extrapolate from anonymous cell phone tracking data a pattern of about 2,000 paid mules stuffing drop boxes in battleground states in 2020 with enough illegal ballots to steal the election from Trump. Arizona has a particularly competitive race for US Senate and could determine which party will be in control for the last two years of Bidens term. The Republican candidates for governor, secretary of state and attorney general deny the legitimacy of Bidens election and vow to make changes that will prevent future Republican electoral defeats. The US Department of Justice filed a friend of the court brief stating the obvious: The First Amendment does not protect individuals right to assemble to engage in voter intimidation or coercion. Nor does it transform an unlawful activity for one individualvoter intimidationinto a permissible activity simply because multiple individuals have assembled to engage in it. Rather than siding with the fascists, as he did in the earlier ruling, Liburdi stated, It is imperative we balance the defendants right to engage in First Amendment protected activity with the plaintiffs right to act without intimidation or harassment. Pinny Sheoran, speaking for the League of Women Voters of Arizona, called the reversal a victory for the voters of Arizona who have the right to cast their ballots free from intimidation, threats, or coercion. This week, the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) concluded part of its investigation into the water crisis afflicting the more than 150,000 residents of Jackson, Mississippi, announcing that water from the citys two water treatment plants have been cleared for safe consumption. Jackson residents and supporters hold signs as they march with members of the Poor People's Campaign of Mississippi to the Governor's Mansion in Jackson, Miss., to protest the ongoing water issues, poverty and other social ills, on Oct. 10, 2022. [AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis] The announcement comes just over two months after Jacksons residents were plunged into a major social crisis after the cresting of the Pearl River flooded the citys water treatment plants and damaged much of the decades-neglected, aged and brittle piping. As the citys water-and-sewer infrastructure was being mended, the city continued its boil-water advisory from the month prior, followed by Republican Governor Tate Reeves declaring a state of emergency on August 30, which he recently extended to run through to November 22. Jacksons Democratic Mayor, Chokwe Antar Lumumba, said Monday that the EPA determined the city is now in compliance with the Safe Water Drinking Act, which regulates public drinking water standards. He said the update was welcome news. Lumumbas words are hollow and remain uncritical of the fact that the EPA will not be reporting its findings on copper and lead levels in the water util mid-November. The EPAs determination follows the premature lifting of the boil-water advisory on September 15 accompanying the citys resumption of water service, despite reports of coffee-brown and cloudy water coming from the taps. Boil-water notices have been a general staple of life for Jacksons residents in recent years. Years of decay, mismanagement and corporate looting have left the citys plants and pipes vulnerable to leaks, breaks and contamination. [I]ts not a matter of if these systems will fail, but when these systems will fail, Lumumba fatalistically noted in September. The abysmal state of the water and sewer system in Mississippis capital city is a prime examples of malign neglect by the state, local and federal governments towards the health and safety of the working class and the most vulnerable in societythe most notable example being their response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Lumumba told reporters Monday that the city is actively working to secure a private firm to control operations and maintenance at the O.B. Curtis Water Plant, the plant hit hardest by the flooding. In the meantime, we are working closely with the Department of Justice and the EPA to ensure our treatment facility continues to function, Lumumba said. On Twitter, using the hashtag #JxnWaterCrisis, residents are reporting dirty water coming from their faucetsas recently as October 28while still dealing with sky-high water bills, one tweeted. Another tweeted the water Looks like acid, and that they Cant believe this is allowed to happen in this day and age. Another tweeted, Everyone needs to stop paying, followed by another writing, Why is anyone paying the water bill[?] Youre paying for poison they owe you a refund. As the city remains under a state of emergency, Reeves explained the extension will permit management of the O.B. Curtis plant a five-day transition period from the state to the private operator chosen by the city, with his office saying more than $13 million has been put toward plant restoration, maintenance, and water distribution. The Democratic and Republican response to the crisis is the same, offloading the burden to a third party, absolving either party of any responsibility for future breakdowns in the system. On October 14, the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) issued requests for a third-party company to assume management of Jacksons two water treatment plants, well water facilities, and elevated storage tanks, seeking firms for a one-year management contract. Days later, the Jackson city government issued its own request, with Lumumba telling the press his administration did not have a say in the states request for quote. Responses to the proposals are due November 7. This move towards the privatization of the public water system sparked a furor among the residents in the city, particularly among the poor and working class. It also provoked a rally outside the governors mansion demanding access to clean drinking water, with people chanting the slogan, Free the land; clear the water and keep it public! In response to Reeves statements, the EPA said, The people of Jackson, Mississippi, deserve access to clean and safe water, and EPA is committed to working with state and local authorities to make that a realityin the near and long-terms. On October 20, the EPA responded to complaints filed by the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) alleging racially-motivated civil rights violations. The EPA announced it would investigate whether the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) and the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) discriminated against the majority Black population of the City of Jackson on the basis of race in the funding of water infrastructure and treatment programs and activities. Meanwhile, the EPA has declared the water safe for consumption before getting the test results determining the level of lead contamination which was detected following the flood, and issuing no demands for an overhaul of the decades-old, deteriorating infrastructure. At that point, the State of Emergency must, by statute, end as the water system can be managed solely by local control, as has been insisted upon by the City of Jackson, the governors office stated. The State of Emergency must only exist when a situation is beyond local control and the City of Jackson has demanded local control. However, it remains unclear whether the city will secure a firm to handle operations come November 22. Thats the plan, said Jackson Director of Communications Melissa Payne. It remains to be seen whether we will or we wont. With 95 percent of the votes counted, former Prime Minister and Likud Party leader Benjamin Netanyahu is on track to form a government with the help of his far-right, fascistic allies Religious Zionism after Israel's fifth election in less than four years. People walk past an election campaign billboards showing Benjamin Netanyahu, former Israeli Prime Minister and the head of Likud party, in Bnei Brak, Israel, Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2022. Israel is heading into its fifth election in under four years on Nov. 1. [AP Photo/Oded Balilty] Netanyahus Likud Party looks set to win 32 seats, an increase of two seats on last years election. His political ally, the fascistic Religious Zionism, led by Bezalel Smotrich in alliance with Itamar Ben-Gvirs Jewish Power, is likely to gain 14 seats, an increase of eight, making it the third largest party. Together with the seats of the other religious parties, United Torah Judaism (UTJ) and Shas, this would give him a majority of four to five seats in the 120-seat Knesset. Crucially, depending on the final count, Likud, as the minority partner, will be beholden to the religious parties. The scandal-ridden Netanyahu, who is embroiled in three separate court cases on charges of corruption, fraud and breach of trust and views a return to power as a means of introducing legislation that will end his trial, told supporters at his Likud Party election headquarters, 'We are on the brink of a very big victory. The people want power, not weakness. Yair Lapid, caretaker prime minister and leader of Yesh Atid, the second largest party and head of the opposition bloc, is likely to have 24 seats, up seven on last years election. Even with the support of Mansour Abbass Raam Party, by no means assured, this leaves him with 50 seats, as his partners, the right-wing Yamina Party led by Ayelet Shaked, and the liberal Meretz, led by Nitzan Horowitz, failed to meet the 3.25 percent of the total vote needed under Israels system of proportional representation to win at least one seat. The rout of Israels leftist forces is such that the movement that founded the State of Israelthe Labour Partywon just four seats compared with Religious Zionisms projected 14. Despite a lacklustre campaign, the turnout topped 71 percent, the highest since 2015, six elections ago. Arab Israelis voted in higher numbers than expected, topping 50 percent. On Wednesday, ahead of the final results to be announced at the end of the week, Lapid asked his office to prepare to hand over the reins and cancelled his trip to next weeks Cop27 climate conference in Egypt. Tuesdays elections were called last June, one year after the formation in June 2021 of a fragile coalition after Netanyahu proved unable to cobble together a coalition despite his Likud Party winning the most seats. United only in their opposition to Netanyahu, it consisted of eight disparate parties, including those ostensibly committed to the Oslo Accords (1993-95) and a Palestinian mini-stateMeretz, Labour, Yesh Atid and Blue and Whiteand included for the first time one of Israels Arab parties, Raam. To secure the support of some of the secular right-wing parties away from Netanyahu, Yair Lapid, whose Yesh Atid Party won the second largest number of seats, ceded the premiership to Naftali Bennett, a former settlers leader, even though the latters party won only six seats, and agreed not to negotiate with the Palestinians over statehood for the duration of their alliance. The Bennett-Lapid-led government of change continued Netanyahus pro-business agenda, including lifting all measures aimed at restricting the spread of the pandemic. The government of change presided over more killings of Palestinians in the occupied territories than at any time since 2005including the deliberate targeting of US-Palestinian Al-Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu-Aklehmore administrative detentions and more house demolitions than the last few years of Netanyahus period in office. It advanced the ethnic cleansing of Masafer Yatta, carried out almost daily raid and mass arrest operations, collective punishment, and designated six leading Palestinian NGOs as terrorists. It escalated Israels covert wars against Iran and its allies, Syria and Lebanons Hezbollahin Iran, the Persian Gulf, Syria and the eastern Mediterranean. None of this was enough for Bennetts right-wing ministers, prompting Netanyahu to engineer a parliamentary manouevre to bring down the government and secure his return to power. Following the coalitions collapse in June and in accordance with their coalition deal, Lapid replaced Bennett as caretaker prime minister pending the outcome of Tuesdays elections, while Bennett resigned from politics. The failure of the anyone but Netanyahu coalition to put forward any real alternative to alleviate a social inequality level that is one of the highest in the OECD group of advanced countries is determined by its class position as representative of Israels oligarchs against the working class, both Jewish and Palestinian, within Israels internationally recognised borders and the occupied territories. Israeli far-right lawmaker and the head of "Jewish Power" party, Itamar Ben-Gvir, gestures after first exit poll results for the Israeli Parliamentary election at his party's headquarters in Jerusalem. November 2, 2022. [AP Photo/Oren Ziv] The beneficiaries have been the far-right, fascistic forces of Ben Gvir and Smotrich, aided and abetted by Netanyahu, who brokered their alliance and engineered their entry into the Knesset to bolster his bloc prior to the 2021 elections. These racists, the ideological successors of the banned Kahanist movement that was designated a terrorist organisation in the US, are forming vigilante groups in Israels Negev and Bat Yam, an impoverished Tel Aviv suburb, and inciting pogrom-like violence against the Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem as well as in Israels mixed towns and cities. Their Jewish supremacist agenda includes Israeli rule over the West Bank, the expulsion of what they call disloyal Palestinian citizens of Israel, who make up 20 percent of the countrys population, the demolition of the al-Aqsa Mosque and the building of a Jewish Temple, the imposition of religious law and the destruction of the judicial system. Both leaders support the introduction of a law barring criminal investigations into a sitting prime minister. This is expected to guarantee them key posts in a Netanyahu-led governmentthey have already lobbied for control of the justice, defence, finance, and public security ministriesthat would remove any remaining restraints on the imposition of direct military rule over the Palestinians. Ben-Gvir celebrated his party's success, telling his supporters in Jerusalem that it's time to be the owners of this country again, and I'm still not prime minister. He said that people who voted for religious Zionism want to walk safely on the street, not to have our soldiers and police officers restrained, [and] seek to completely separate those who are loyal to the State of Israel and those who undermine its existence. Some witnesses claimed that the crowd chanted death to Arabs alongside the more prevalent calls for death to terrorists. While Netanyahu could avoid being beholden to these fascist forces by trying to form a coalition with some of the parties in the opposition bloc that have previously served under him, this is thought to be unlikely. The Biden administration, despite its well known dislike of Netanyahu and supposed support for the Oslo Accords, has been reluctant to even criticise the possibility of Ben-Gvirs potential inclusion in a coalition government, with State Department Spokesperson Ned Price saying on Monday, No matter the shape of the Israeli coalition and government, our relationship will be strong and enduring. Following the election, a US National Security Council spokesperson said, We are pleased to see such strong voter turnout for the Knesset election. It is too early to speculate on the exact composition of the next governing coalition until all the votes are counted. We look forward to continuing to work with the Israeli government on our shared interests and values. Supporters of Will Lehman speak to Kentucky Truck Plant workers on November 2, 2022 [Photo: WSWS] Will Lehmans campaign is holding a final election rally on Sunday, November 6, at 2:00 pm EST. All workers are encouraged to register and attend. For more information on the campaign, visit WillForUAWPresident.org. Workers at the Ford Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville, Kentucky expressed solid support for Mack Trucks worker Will Lehman, who is running for president of the United Auto Workers (UAW). In August, Lehman and his supporters had previously visited the plant, which employs over 8,400 workers who produce trucks and SUVs. Lehman won a powerful response from KTP workers for his call for the transfer of decision-making power from the UAW apparatus to rank-and-file workers on the shop floor. During the afternoon and morning shifts on Wednesday and Thursday, Lehmans supporters distributed campaign material and spoke to workers about their conditions. Many workers were quick to denounce the UAW bureaucracy. One worker said, This isnt a union, its more like a Mafia. Describing the multi-tier wage system enforced by the UAW, she said, Im working across from a guy whos making half as much as I am, for the same work. Its outrageous. Many workers stated they had already voted for Will. One young worker getting off the night shift Thursday morning told campaigners that she voted for Will because hes a socialist, hes for the workers. Tim, a worker with more than six years at the plant, said, Ive been reading through the emails and text messages about Wills campaign, and I voted for him. The morale sucks in this plant and its getting worse. People dont even want to come to work. I was a construction worker before getting hired at Ford and sometimes I wonder if I made a mistake by coming here. He described conditions at the plant: Were working 12-hour days, 5 days a week in here. Ive never seen a launch last this long. Its supposed to be only three to six months tops when a new vehicle is launched but this one will be over a year. He added, I agree with Wills call for a 50 percent raise and COLA. After more than six years, I still havent topped out in wages. Back in the day, it used to take 90 days to get top pay. Now, you have so many tiers; its terrible. And everything from food to housing prices are steadily going up. A few workers expressed support for Stellantis worker and UAW presidential candidate Brian Keller because of his criticisms of incumbent president Ray Curry and the ruling faction in the UAW bureaucracy. Campaigners discussed with these workers the principled differences between Lehman and Keller, which above all centers on Kellers support for the UAW bureaucracys nationalist and pro-capitalist program. Such an outlook only serves to pit workers in different countries against each other, while bowing to the endless demands for job cuts and concessions in the name of boosting international competitiveness. During the course of this campaign, Lehman has met with Ford and other autoworkers in India, Germany, Mexico, Canada and other countries, and stressed the need for linking together the struggles of workers across borders through the expansion of the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees. Asked what he thought about Wills fight to unite Ford workers internationally to fight the global corporations attack on jobs and living standards, Jerimiah, a KTP worker with eight years, said, I would love to see that happen. Were all working for the same people, whether we are here or elsewhere, and its all to create a product that definitely enriches those at the top. If we unite together, and if we could stand together somehow, think of the voice that would give us. People would pay attention. Will Lehmans campaign is holding a final election rally on Sunday, November 6, at 2:00 pm EST. All workers are encouraged to register and attend. For more information on the campaign, visit WillForUAWPresident.org. In the runup to Tuesdays elections, the following state incumbents, all Democrats, debated their Republican opponents: Sen. Charles Schumer, Gov. Kathy Hochul, Comptroller Tom DiNapoli. Whos missing? Attorney General Letitia James. The powerful incumbent the bane of misbehaving Republicans and Democrats, alike refused to step up to debate her opponent, Michael Henry. Its a decision that reflects poorly and her and insults the voters of the state. Debates arent always enlightening, but they count as a sign of respect, both for voters and for the greater needs of democracy. To be sure, they can be risky, especially for credible incumbents who have the option of basking in the glow of their high office. Challengers typically have the most to gain simply by appearing on the same stage as a highly placed incumbent, though they can and do risk showing themselves to be lacking. Some famous debates of the past highlight the minefield that debates can be for those who stumble: In 1976, then-President Gerald Ford unaccountably denied that the Soviet Union dominated Eastern Europe. Jimmy Carter beat him. In 1992, then-President George H.W. Bush looked at his wristwatch while Bill Clinton was speaking, as though he had somewhere better to be. Clinton beat him. On the other hand, 1988 Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis helped to sink his campaign with a wonky response to a death penalty question couched in a hypothetical assault of his wife. Al Gore sighed during a debate with George W. Bush in 2000. Bush beat him. It can be treacherous, but thats part of the value. Voters can glean information about a candidates demeanor, knowledge, standards and more during a high-pressure clash with an opponent. That was a risk that Henry was willing to take. What he lacks is political experience, having never held public office. Attorney general is a high office to begin a career even for a commercial litigator with a Manhattan address. Thats a fact that a good debater could have highlighted, and James is surely that sharp, fast on her feet and with a strong record to defend. How many attorneys general can boast that they have taken on a sitting governor of their own party and a former president of the other party? It can only leave voters shaking their heads. What could so able and experienced a public official have to fear about debating her opponent? Perhaps there could have been a cost to her for debating, but theres a cost to avoiding it, too. This page endorsed James and we remain convinced she is the better of two credible candidates. But its wrong that she turned her back on what has become a rite of the American political system. She should have debated. Whats your opinion? Send it to us at lettertoeditor@buffnews.com. Letters should be a maximum of 300 words and must convey an opinion. The column does not print poetry, announcements of community events or thank you letters. A writer or household may appear only once every 30 days. All letters are subject to fact-checking and editing. Sarah Paxman, the courageous single mother who has fought to protect her vulnerable 9-year old son Stanley from COVID-19 infested schools, has been found guilty of failing to ensure his regular school attendance under Section 444 (1) of the Education Act. She intends to appeal. Sarah Paxman with son Stanley [Photo: Sarah Paxman/WSWS] Sarah appeared at Guildford Magistrate Court last Thursday on charges instigated by Surrey County Council. Stanley, who is autistic and suffers from several underlying health conditions including Cold Urticaria, has not attended his specialist school since the start of the pandemic. Sarah herself suffers from Long COVID, the debilitating effects of which have been exacerbated by her relentless persecution for safeguarding her son. The day-long hearing heard evidence for the prosecution from Stanleys deputy head teacher and the paediatrician who manages his allergies and asthma. Sarah was represented pro bono by distinguished barrister Mark McDonald, of Furnival Chambers, London. Speaking after the hearing, Mark asked pointedly, What is the public interest in this prosecution? Expert testimony was provided on Sarahs behalf on COVID-19, especially the connection between school-aged children in community transmission and incidences of Long COVID. Sarahs hearing took place the same day as the inquest into the death of 15-year-old schoolgirl Jorja Halliday from COVID-19. The inquest heard she died after deteriorating astonishingly quickly from a rare heart inflammation linked to COVID. Sarah was supported in court by another mother and campaigner facing similar charges for keeping her vulnerable child out of school while it is unsafe. She recounted the trial to the World Socialist Web Site. Sarah has a strong relationship with Stanleys school and wants to keep it that way. Stanley loves the school which is why she refuses to deregister him. She doesnt blame the school for what is happening because it is following government policy but feels she has no choice if she is to protect him, and the school understands that. Most of the schools evidence consisted of explaining the mitigations that had been put in place in the early stages of the pandemic based on government guidelines such as bubbles, isolating infected children and handwashing. A lot of emphasis was placed on handwashing, but we know that COVID-19 is an airborne virus. You could argue that at the start of the pandemic, little was understood about the virus. Thats not the case now. And though we now know more, all mitigations have been abandoned. What struck me was that the school staff knew nothing about HEPA filters. Thats not a surprise because none of this is in the government guidelines and there has been no development of those guidelines in line with the advance in scientific understanding: the fact that we need clean air and to isolate infected children and staff to stop transmission. Stanleys paediatrician said that, in her opinion, COVID did not present an extra-risk for him. But she also said that she hadnt read the scientific evidence relating to the effects of COVID on children. Two further things stood out for me: Stanleys asthma and autism are listed in the doctors Green Book that prioritises conditions considered high risk. The effect of COVID-19 infection on individuals with these risks has not been considered. Stanleys autism was barely mentioned, which is incredibly important. These children respond differently to a neuro-typical child when faced with the disruption caused by the pandemic. If you consider whats happened in schoolsconstant infections of children and staff, upset routines, etcthese present additional challenges for an autistic child and all at a time when they already feel that they, or their families, are unsafe. This is very distressing. Given all Stanleys existing vulnerabilities, why on earth should Sarah expose him to another illness? It would be cruel. I thought the expert testimony on COVID-19 was excellent. Paediatricians deal with childhood illness as it presents in the individual at the time. So, they would not necessarily know the science behind COVID. An epidemiologist studies data as it applies to all children. Those with underlying health conditions will be at more risk. The expert explained that the government guidelines were based on research conducted in schools when the country was in lockdown and there was only 15 percent of children in attendance. It was also when mitigations such as isolating infectious cases were in place. In the early stages of the pandemic all those on the Green Book were told to shield. But after such research many were told this was no longer necessary. Theres no legitimate data or research to back that up. At one point, a child with asthma was considered vulnerable but one week later they were off the list. Department of Education guidance is not following the scientific data and the UK is an outlier in this respect. A list of countries was presented to the hearing where masks, HEPA filters, isolation and other measures are still employed. This showed that the UK has chosen to disregard the science and give schools a free pass. Attention was drawn to a note in the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) minutes that speaks explicitly of allowing children to be infected to boost adult immunity! We had anti-vax, anti-mitigation groups like UsForThem promoting the so-called Great Barrington Declaration of herd immunity. They threatened legal action to stop masks and other mitigation policies in schools. Their anti-scientific demands are being played out in schools especially. Thats set the narrative for where we are now. There is no talk of Covid in schools. Its not mentioned in newsletters, Risk Assessments. Instead, its all about being back to normal. This is highly worrying for those children and families with clinical vulnerabilities. There are people with cancer who are being told their child must attend school, with no mitigations. Imagine the stress involved for those families. Sarah was last up and was only questioned briefly. The prosecution presented her as an irrational mother. It argued that it is the government of the day that sets out policy and sets the punitive measures against parents who do not follow that policy. But the government of the day has killed tens of thousands of people and caused many others to suffer with Long COVID. So, the policy of the government of the day should not be followed. The prosecution specifically mentioned that imprisonment is a penalty for the charge Sarah faced but as Mark [McDonald] pointed out, its down to the judge to decide the penalty. Were now in a situation where sanctions to stop parents taking their children out of school for holidays are being used against parents protecting their childrens health and wellbeing. Parents justifiably concerned about COVID are presented as troublemakers, making undue demands on schools. The truth is this is not a school problem. Its a government problem. Schools have no money for heating, lighting. No money to give staff the pay rises they deserve. They are saying nine out of 10 schools will go bust next year. So, we know that schools are not going to fund HEPA filters and the necessary measures. This is just creating more problems in the future, and they affect the whole of society. Schools cant deal with the situation. The National Health Service cant deal with the situation, yet all those being infected with COVID or Long COVID are having to fight for treatment from a stretched health system. The Department for Education [DoE] narrative has become more entrenched, and it has removed any discretion from schools. It will not allow any leeway because that would mean acknowledging there is a real problem. A disproportionate amount of those being persecuted are vulnerable children and their families; those with ADHD, autism, mental health issues. More and more parents are ending up in court. It was reported in June that 1.8 million pupils regularly missed school in the first term of the academic year, just over 71,000 fines issued totalling 3.7 million. These wont all be for COVID, but it shows how its going. The DoE is enforcing these punitive measures because its the only tool it has. It is not prepared to put in support for the children that need it to keep them safe such as classes online. Thats why its so important to oppose what they are doing. Professor Van-Tam [former Deputy Chief Medical Officer] said we are in race against COVID, but theyve removed the finishing line. Im in a similar situation to Sarah and I felt I needed to be here to witness this. I want to be on the right side of history. I cant imagine knowing what I do about COVID and not doing anything about it. I also want to return to normal. But that means normal life expectancy, normal hospital and ambulance waiting times. To have normal back we must correct what is happening now. The government of the day is not acting in the interests of society and that has to be changed. Sarah told the WSWS, I want to thank everyone that has supported me. I especially want to thank Mark McDonald, who is and has been fantastic and will be supporting me in my appeal. He is as formidable as his reputation and I am in awe of him, and so grateful. I am going to appeal on principle. Because this is not just about Stanley but all vulnerable children and families. Also, I have been found guilty of keeping Stanley out of school to this point, but he is still absent from school, and will continue to be, while it is unsafe. Government guidance is unsafe, unscientific and incorrect. It has to be changed and thats what I am trying to help bring about. Within the last 24 hours, several developments concerning last Fridays attack on Paul Pelosi, husband of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, have shed new light on the lack of security afforded to the Pelosis. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is escorted to a vehicle outside of her and husband Paul Pelosi's home in San Francisco, Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2022. [AP Photo/Jeff Chiu] Despite the constant threats faced by the speaker and her family, there is considerable evidence that police ignored the deluge of verbal menacing and did not take obvious security precautions in advance of the attack. The 82-year-old Paul Pelosi is still in the hospital after suffering a skull fracture after he was bludgeoned with a hammer wielded by 42-year-old David DePape early last Friday morning. The hammer blow left Pelosi unconscious in a pool of his own blood for several minutes, according to police and medics. On Tuesday, the Washington Post reported that more than eight years ago the US Capitol Police (USCP) installed security cameras around the Pelosis home. These cameras provided a constant live feed of the residence directly to a Capitol Police command center in Washington D.C. This command center has access to 1,800 camera feeds around the Capitol and outside D.C. It is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, by police officers. According to the Post, last Friday, as DePape was using a hammer to smash through a window at the Pelosi residence, police inside the command center were not aware of the break-in. In fact, according to the Post, it does not appear that the Capitol Police knew that a man was attempting to kidnap Pelosi until after local San Francisco Police had already arrived at the residence. The Post reported that one cop inside the D.C. command center only became aware of the attack upon catching the lights from police cars flashing in front of the Pelosi residence on one of the camera feeds. Upon seeing the commotion, the police in D.C. pulled up additional camera angles and rewound the footage, which showed a man on camera with a hammer, breaking a glass panel and entering the speakers home. The Post reported, citing two people close to the ongoing investigation, that the Pelosis home is protected by a private security system. When an alarm is triggered, such as when a window is smashed with a hammer, the system is supposed to trigger an alert and automatically notify the San Francisco Police Department and then the Capitol Police. According to the one of the Posts sources, the Capitol Police never received an alert on Friday during the break-in. The same source could not confirm if the security system was activated beforehand. Officials within the San Francisco Police Department did not confirm with the Post if they had received an alert from the Pelosi private alarm system last Friday. Voluminous online postings made in the months prior to the attack, as well as interviews with police following the beating, have unequivocally shown that DePapes assault on Pelosi was politically motivated and animated by Trump and the Republican Party. His online posts are filled with antisemitic, QAnon, groomer and Replacement Theory rhetoric, the same filth spewed at every rally held by Trump and his self-proclaimed Christian nationalist allies. For decades, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has been vilified and targeted by the Republican Party for her allegedly liberal politics. This found expression during the assault on Congress on January 6. Pelosi, along with Vice President Mike Pence, were the top two politicians targeted by the violent right-wing mob seeking to capture and kill lawmakers to prevent the certification of Joe Bidens victory in the Electoral College. Unburdened with any criminal consequences for attempting a coup nearly two years after the fact, Trumps attacks against his political enemies, especially Pelosi, have only increased in vitriol and violent incitement leading up to the midterm elections. In his weekly fascistic rallies, the ex-president calls on his supporters, which included DePape, to end Nancy Pelosi... once and for all. According to the Capitol Police, the speaker of the house receives the most violent death threats out of all members of Congress. Pelosi is also one of 10 members of the House and Senate leadership who receive constant 24-7 police protection, although this apparently does not extend to her immediate family members or the residence in her congressional district. Troubled by the inaction of the Capitol Police leading up to Fridays attack on Pelosi, and their apparent lack of communication with the San Francisco Police during the assault, on Wednesday, the chairperson of the House Administration Committee, Zoe Lofgren, wrote a letter to Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger requesting information on the security measures and communications plans implemented by the agency prior to the attack. In her letter, Lofgren noted that this past July a program was implemented that allowed for advanced security measures, including window contacts and glass break sensors, to be installed at congressional leaders residences. Has USCP reviewed whether such security features or upgrades are in use at residences of congressional leaders who are in the presidential line of succession? Lofgren asked. Also on Tuesday, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins added several state felony charges against DePape. These include attempted murder, residential burglary, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse and false imprisonment. If convicted, DePape faces a minimum of 13 years and eight months in prison and a maximum life sentence. In her Statement of the Facts, Jenkins wrote that after smashing through the window of the Pelosi residence, DePape confronted a sleeping Paul Pelosi in his bedroom and demanded to know, Wheres Nancy? Wheres Nancy? After Pelosi informed DePape she was not home and would not be back for several days, DePape threatened to tie up the 82-year-old until she returned, telling him that all the Democrats were corrupt and weve got to take them all out. After DePape prevented Pelosi from escaping in an elevator at his residence, Pelosi was able to convince DePape to let him use the adjacent bathroom where he had access to a phone which he used to call the San Francisco Police. While on the phone, Pelosi asked to speak to the Capitol Police, telling the operator it is the agency that usually protects his wife, whom DePape was attempting to kidnap and break her kneecaps. Jenkins wrote that after DePape forced Pelosi off the phone with emergency services, he attempted to hit Pelosi with the hammer, telling him, I can take you out. To protect himself, Pelosi was forced to grab the handle of the hammer. While DePape and Pelosi struggled over the hammer, San Francisco Police arrived at the residence and, according to Jenkins, Pelosi opened the door with his left hand while his other hand remained on the hammer. Jenkins wrote that after police determined both men were holding the hammer, they ordered them to drop it. DePape allegedly responded, Um, nope, and proceeded to pull the hammer free from Pelosis grip and immediately stepped back and lunged at Mr. Pelosi, striking Mr. Pelosi in the head at full force with the hammer, which knocked Mr. Pelosi unconscious. Confirming the political character of the attack, Jenkins wrote that without any questioning DePape told officers and medics at the scene, Im sick of the insane fucking level of lies coming out of Washington D.C. I came here to have a little chat with his wife. DePape added that he didnt really want to hurt him, but you know this was a suicide mission. Im not going to stand here and do nothing even if it cost me my life. DePape said, I told him before I attacked him, that hes escalating things, and I will go through him if I have to. Asked by police if he had other plans beyond kidnapping and assaulting the Pelosis, DePape named several targets, including a local professor, several prominent state and federal politicians and relatives of those state and federal politicians. Rejecting any political responsibility for the attack, in an interview Tuesday morning with conservative radio host Chris Stigall, Trump repeated one of the many right-wing conspiracy theories that have emerged following the attack and claimed that Pelosis house was never actually broken into. Its weird things going on in that household in the last couple of weeks, Trump said. You know, probably, you and I are better off not talking about it. The glass, it seems, was broken from the inside to the out and, you know, so, it wasnt a break-in, it was a break-out. Lending succor to future fascist terrorist attacks, Trump said he was not a fan of Nancy Pelosi. The US and South Korea are conducting large-scale air force exercises this week around the Korean Peninsula. Slated to run from Monday to Friday, these war games are the latest provocative actions conducted by Washington and its allies in the region. While portrayed as a defensive response to supposed North Korean threats, Washington is sending a signal that there will be no relaxation in its military build-up aimed above all against China. B-52 bomber flies over Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea. The US is preparing to deploy up to six nuclear-capable B-52 bombers in northern Australia. [AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File] Known as Vigilant Storm, the exercises are being held for the first time since 2017, and are some of the largest such joint drills conducted by the two militaries, this year involving some 240 aircraft. Pentagon press secretary Brigadier General Pat Ryder stated on November 1 that the exercise is a long-planned exercise focused on enhancing interoperability of our forces to work together to defend the Republic of Korea and our allies in the region. The US has deployed more than 100 aircraft including F-35B stealth fighter jets stationed in Okinawa, Japan, EA-18 electronic warfare aircraft, KC-135 tankers, and U-2 reconnaissance planes. South Koreas contingent includes 140 planes: F-35A stealth fighter jets, F-15K fighters, and KF-16 fighters. An Australian Air Force planea KC-30A multi-role tanker transportis also taking part, a sign of the deepening integration of Canberra into US war plans with regional allies. They are expected to fly some 1,600 sorties throughout the week. According to the US Air Force, the militaries will work together with the joint services to perform major air missions such as close air support, defensive counter air, and emergency air operations 24 hours a day during the training period. It added, Support forces on the ground will also train their base defense procedures and survivability in case of attack. Previously known as Vigilant Ace, these joint air exercises began in 2015 and were held annually until 2017, when they involved some 230 total aircraft from the US and South Korea. Washington then halted the drills as part of the then-Trump administrations attempts to coax Pyongyang out of Chinas orbit with a combination of vague promises of economic support and threats to totally destroy the country. Rather than trying to deescalate the situation, Washington is now deliberately inflaming tensions in the region with the resumption of large-scale war games with South Korea, including Ulchi Freedom Shield in August, goading North Korea, and placing Pyongyang in a situation it feels it must respond. Washington intends to seize on these responses to further justify the militarization of the region and the holding of military drills on Chinas doorstep. On November 1, North Koreas Foreign Ministry denounced Washington as the chief culprit in destroying peace and security. The ministry added that If the US continuously persists in the grave military provocations, the DPRK [North Korea] will take into account more powerful follow-up measures. On November 2, Pyongyang launched at least 23 short-range ballistic missiles (SRBM) and surface-to-air missiles, as well as 100 artillery shells into the Sea of Japan and Yellow Sea. One SRBM, the South Korean military claimed, crossed the Sea of Japans de facto maritime border separating the two Koreas before landing in international waters. It was reportedly the first time a North Korean missile has gone south of this border since the 19501953 Korean War. Seoul responded by launching three air-to-surface missiles from fighter jets into international waters north of the border. Ultimately, the responsibility for these sharp tensions rests with Washington, which has junked the de facto agreement reached between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the pairs 2018 summit under which North Korea halted its intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and nuclear tests in exchange for the US stopping its joint war games with South Korea. Pyongyang upheld its end of the bargain, and in return hoped to receive economic aid and the lifting of crippling, US-led sanctions. This did not happen. Washington allowed the North Korean situation to fester, so long as Pyongyang did not conduct new tests, allowing the US to focus its energies on stoking war with Russia in Ukraine and with China over Taiwan. This situation initially continued after Joe Biden took office in January 2021. However, after receiving no relief from Washington in almost five years, Pyongyang in March conducted its first ICBM test since its moratorium on such launches. It followed this up with a second in May, after an inflammatory summit between Biden and then-newly inaugurated South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol in Seoul. At their summit, Biden and Yoon agreed to deploy US strategic assets to the region while also agreeing to restart the Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group for the first time since January 2018. The group provides Washington and Seoul with the opportunity to discuss strategic and policy issues regarding so-called extended deterrence, including the use of nuclear weapons. Yoon is also pursuing closer relations with Japan, another key demand of Washingtons war planning. The Biden administration has deliberately precipitated Pyongyangs spate of missile launches since September, which includes a number of SRBMs, but no ICBM launches. Pyongyang has also refrained from conducting a seventh nuclear test, despite Washington claiming for months that the North is on the verge of doing so. This is part of the US war propaganda designed to obscure its own military escalation while provoking Pyongyang. This is the same modus operandi that the US has used in its criminal wars in the Middle East and Central Asia over the past three decades: vilify the intended target, magnify the threat posed out of all proportion, mount pressure, economic blockades and threats against the victim, then seize on any response to further escalate the war drive. Significantly the Biden administration has dropped any pretense of taking steps to seek negotiations with North Korea. The sheer scale of the current Vigilant Storm exercises in comparison to the size of Pyongyangs response gives the lie to US claims that these war games are defensive in character. North Korea is an impoverished country of 26 million people, largely isolated from the global economy. On the other hand, the United States alone fields a massive military, and is ultimately using the situation on the Korean Peninsula to stoke a war with Beijing, which Washington views as the biggest potential challenge to its global hegemony. Forty-six days have passed since the outbreak of Sudan virus in Uganda when a young man in Mubende was confirmed with the rare Ebola infection. There are now 130 confirmed cases of Ebola and 21 probable cases reported. The death toll has also been rising with 43 confirmed and 21 probable deaths. The case fatality rate of confirmed cases is 33 percent and overall, confirmed and probable cases, 42 percent. Notably, 15 healthcare workers have been infected of whom four have perished. According to the World Health Organizations (WHO) update from October 28, Ebola has affected seven of 147 districts, including Wakiso, the district in which the capital of Kampala, a densely populated city of millions sits on the shore of Lake Victoria. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, said at this weeks press conference, Although these cases [in Kampala] are linked to known clusters, the very fact that there are cases in a densely populated city underscores the very real risk of further transmission and the very urgent need for increased readiness in districts and surrounding countries. Some 1,844 contacts remain under active follow-up, while 1,194 have completed the 21-day observation period, the incubation period for Ebola to manifest in someone previously in contact with a confirmed or probable case. Confirmed and probable cases of Sudan variant of Ebola in Uganda by date of illness onset and outcome (dead/alive), 20 September 26 October 2022. [Photo: Graph by World Health Organization] The WHO also reported that they had released another $5.7 million from their Contingency Fund for Emergencies in support of the outbreak in the region on top of the $5 million previously distributed to the region. The US Embassy in Uganda reported on Wednesday that the US has channeled $22.3 million through implementing partners in support of the response by the Ugandas government and other international organizations. These efforts include 51 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) staff offering direct technical assistance and working in collaboration with district and national level task forces advising on response strategies and coordination. Although the experimental Sudan virus vaccine trials have yet to begin, Dr. Henry Kyobe Bosa, the national incident manager for Ebola for Ugandas Ministry of Health, said in an opinion piece in the New York Times that the US support includes experimental monoclonal antibodies, MBP-134 (licensed to MappBio) and the antiviral Remdesivir. Remdesivir, a broad-spectrum antiviral medication developed by Gilead Sciences, gained much media attention as one of the early pharmaceuticals for the treatment of mild to severe COVID-19. However, trial results from a WHO-initiated international study recommended against its use, due to lack of efficacy. Remdesivir, a sort of wandering minstrel in search of an audience, was created and developed in 2009 to possibly treat hepatitis C and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections but was found to be ineffective against these two pathogens. Then, in October 2015, the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) announced that Remdesivir completely protected Rhesus monkeys from Ebola virus when they treated with the drug three days after viral inoculation. Remdesivir was fast-tracked through clinical trials in response to the Zaire Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa from 2013 to 2016. It was also used in the Kivu Ebola epidemic in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in Central Africa between 2018 and 2020. There were a total of 3,470 confirmed and probable cases then killing 2,266 people. Four of these cases had spilled into Uganda. However, Remdesivirs use was discontinued by Congolese health officials after determining it was significantly less effective than various monoclonal antibodies that were available. More recently, a study published in JCI Insight on May 23, 2022, Remdesivir combined with a cocktail of monoclonal antibodies protected macaques, nonhuman primates, against advanced Sudan virus disease. Currently, the vaccines available against the Zaire strain of Ebola do not work against the Sudan strain as the viruses are too divergent in their evolutionary development. There are no licensed anti-Sudan virus therapeutics on the markets. Ebola patient in Uganda [Photo: @DanielLutaaya] Study findings were significant in that 80 percent of macaques who received the combination treatment within six days of being infected with the Sudan virus survived. However, after this period, the survival plummeted to 20 percent, meaning these treatments require immediate administration in probable or confirmed cases. In early October, the US initiated a clinical trial using the combination therapy of MBP-134 and Remdesivir in Uganda. Seven critically ill patients have thus far received the treatment. These efforts are being financially supported by the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), which announced last month when the trial was being launched in Uganda that they had provided Mapp Biopharmaceuticals, a San Diego-based research and development firm, a contract for $110 million. Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Dawn OConnell said in a press release dated October 4, 2022, One of the ways we enhance the nations readiness for health emergencies is by investing in medical countermeasures for which there is no commercial market. The funding being provided by BARDA [Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority] will advance this research. If approved this treatment will put the US in a better position to prepare for and respond to future potential ebolavirus incidents. Given the current outbreak of Ebola Sudan in Uganda, this work is now even more important. The rhetoric in the press release is unabashedly nationalistic and underscores the security and economic interests motivating such research. Instead, there should be a call for an international collaboration to build centers of excellence and community treatment facilities in these regions where Ebola and other infectious disease pose a daily existential threat. As Dr. Bosa observed, We know that the countermeasures we have work best when they are given in the earliest stage of this disease. Patients who have monoclonal antibodies late into their illness have died, for example. But most Ebola patients are going to public health facilities too late. Many have gone to private facilities or have tried alternative methods first. We also need more of a supply of treatments to treat patients we do see early. Experience has taught healthcare providers that early intervention with intravenous hydration and supplemental oxygen can improve the prognosis for those infected with Ebola. This requires both trust in the public health infrastructure and aid and support for the front-line healthcare providers who are placing their own lives in peril. The failure of medical science and public health to keep pace with the threat posed by emerging infectious disease demonstrates that even the most dedicated scientists cannot overcome the social polarization within capitalist society. The mobilization of public health resources on a socially equitable basis can only be carried out through the intervention of the working class on an international basis, in struggle against the profit system. The COVID pandemic that has raged for the last three years has revealed and exacerbated tremendous divisions in communities across the world. An international response early during the outbreak in 2020 to eliminate the virus while supporting people through the provision of material resource such as food, medicine, income, and access to internet and on-line educational material, could have beat back the pandemic. It would also have had the effect of promoting consciousness of social equality, a major reason capitalist governments rejected this course of action. In the Ebola outbreak in Uganda, neighboring countries like Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are preparing for the possible spilling of the Sudan virus across their borders. The WHO has requested these countries activate an assortment of response mechanisms that include community surveillance readiness, laboratory training, health system preparedness, and border controls. The current risk assessment, considering the presence of Sudan Ebola virus in a densely populated urban setting to be very high at the national level (Uganda itself) and high at the regional level. A BLET member's ballot [Photo: An engineer via Facebook] As balloting begins for a five-year contract for railroad engineers and conductors, another vote is underway for the national leadership of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET). Faced with anger that the contract proposal, which falls far short of workers demands, has even been brought to a vote at all, BLET President Dennis Pierce has occasionally verbally backpedaled, declaring that workers, through the vote, will have the final say on the contract. The leadership ballot, however, gives new meaning to workers having the final say. Out of a total of 26 positions, 25all but the presidency itselfhave already been chosen by acclamation, that is, without any opposing nominations, at the BLET Convention. All of these 25 appointees are members of Pierces BLET United slate. Who acclaimed these officials? It was not workers. The average engineers have never even heard of most of these people, much less would have chosen them without opposition. Instead, they were chosen by a few hundred delegates, union bureaucrats whose careers and positions in the union depend upon the patronage of the upper echelons, to last months BLET national convention, held at a casino and resort on the Las Vegas Strip. In other words, without objection, the leadership has voted itself into office. The only opposing candidate on the ballot in the BLET is Edward A. Hall, who is running as an individual against sitting President Dennis Pierce and his United Slate. Hall, the vice-chairman of Division 28, is himself a career official. He is a token candidate with little recognition among the national membership. Under the BLETs constitution, candidates must receive the nomination of at least 5 percent of the delegates at the convention in order to appear on the ballot which is sent out to the membership. This antidemocratic provision exists to ensure that workers are not allowed the opportunity to vote for anyone who does not have the support of a substantial fraction of the apparatus. This is in order to avoid a situation like that which is taking place right now in the United Auto Workers, where rank-and-file factory worker Will Lehman is running for president and gaining substantial support for his program of abolishing the bureaucracy entirely and replacing it with workers control. Having appointed themselves to the leadership, the BLET United slate added insult to injury, wasting workers dues money by sending out election postcards prior to the election. Evidently, they considered this expense necessary because the incumbents were locked in razor-thin contests with themselves. There is no on-the-job training program for National Division Officers, the promotional material reads. [T]he membership needs and deserves National Division Officers that have represented the membership at all levels that stand ready to serve and represent on day one. In other words, with no one else apparently qualified, they saw no need to nominate anyone else. Advertisement mailed to an engineer for the "BLET United" slate. Everyone pictured except for Dennis Pierce were already "elected by acclamation" at the BLET Convention in October. [Photo: WSWS] In 17th century France, the Sun King and absolute monarch Louis XIV famously summed up his countrys political system with the phrase, L'Etat, c'est moiI am the state. If Dennis Pierce and his fellow bureaucrats were to honestly describe the internal regime inside the BLET, it would be, we, the apparatus, are the union. The ballots being sent to members are a farce, which resemble the sham elections organized in dictatorships with only a single approved candidate. In fact, it is even worse, in some respects. Usually, these types of regimes at least give voters the choice to express their disapproval by voting no or none of the above,that is, if they are brave enough to cast such a protest ballot in full view of the secret police and gendarmes. Here, however, workers are simply being informed of what has been decided for them in advance. However, this is hardly unusual in the trade unions in general, where leadership elections, if they occur at all, are tightly controlled by the bureaucracy, with incumbents being reelected for life, followed upon by their anointed successors, in a cycle lasting generations. This is what democracy means to the union apparatus. Workers have the freedom to approve of the choice that the bureaucracy has made for them. These organizations claim to represent workers, but workers exercise no control whatsoever over them, while the leadership enforces one sellout after another. As far as they are concerned, workers are not even allowed to complain about it. In his opening speech to the BLET convention, Teamsters president Sean OBrien instructed workers to stop complaining and airing their dirty laundry in public (The BLET is a part of the Teamsters). Casting himself as the workers mother, he declared that workers should keep their disagreements at the dinner table. This is a sharp warning to workers voting on the contract, both in the BLET itself and the other rail unions. Can anyone seriously believe that an organization which organizes such a sham leadership election will organize a fair and honest vote on the contract, one which is backed by the same bureaucrats who elected themselves but opposed by workers? The contract itself, moreover, was announced only hours before a legal strike deadline in September, in defiance of the will of workers who voted by 99.5 percent instead to strike. The contract vote has already been subjected to weeks of delays, with more than a month and a half elapsing between when the tentative agreement was reached on September 15. Originally the start of voting was tentatively scheduled for October 14, before slipping without explanation to October 31. The purpose of this is to extend the voting until well after the midterm elections, in order to strengthen the position of Congress should it decide to intervene. Indeed, the main selling point which Pierce and the other union heads have played up is that workers have no other choice but to accept it or face an even worse deal imposed by Congress. Meanwhile, Pierce and the BLET delegates invited House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who already had anti-strike legislation drafted, to their national convention as a speaker and honored guest. Already, serious irregularities have emerged in the votes organized by other rail unions. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers claims its contract passed in a vote conducted by mail-in balloting by a narrow 150-vote margin. However, significant numbers of members say they either never received a ballot or received it too late to send it back before the deadline. Other unions, such as the National Conference of Firemen and Oilers (NCFO) claimed their contracts were ratified without even providing vote totals. The BLET leadership election is more proof that, in order to organize themselves to fight for what they need against threats from both the carriers and Congress, railroaders must also reckon with the union apparatus, which is joined at the hip with railroaders enemies and runs roughshod over their democratic rights. Workers must shatter the untrammeled dominance of the bureaucracy and organize new structures, democratically controlled by workers themselves, in order to put the rank and file in control. This means the development of the Railroad Workers Rank-and-File Committee, and the formation of a network of local committees at rail yards all over the country. In the first place, workers must insist on their right to oversee the balloting process, which cannot be left in the hands of a bureaucratic dictatorship. The US Supreme Court heard an extraordinary total of five hours of arguments on Monday in two parallel cases challenging the use of racial preferences to decide university admission applications at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina. These preferences, known as affirmative action in the US, have been previously upheld by the Supreme Court within limited parameters. With the emergence of a 6-3 far-right majority under Trump, the court is now poised to overrule these precedents. The U.S Supreme Court building is seen at dusk in Washington on Oct. 22, 2021. [AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite] Given the courts decision this past summer abolishing the constitutional right to abortion, the ultimate decision on affirmative action, expected in the first half of next year, could flip the board on decades of settled policy and have far-reaching consequences across countless institutions and professions. During the oral arguments, the two principal camps in the conflict over affirmative action came clearly into focus. Each of these camps represents a different faction of the American capitalist political establishment, each with its own strategic conceptions for how dissent from below can be held in check so that the long-term interests of US imperialism can be upheld. The political forces aligned with the Democratic Partyincluding the Biden administration, the universities themselves and the three justices in the minorityargued in defense of affirmative action. The political forces aligned with Trump and the Republicansincluding the far-right Supreme Court majority and the attorneys arguing on behalf of the well-funded legal initiatives that gave rise to both casesargued against affirmative action. The latter forces are cynically appealing to grievances and resentments generated by racial preferences for their own fascistic purposes, while posturing falsely as paragons of race-neutral democratic principles. Regarding the five hours of oral arguments on Monday, it would be an understatement to say that neither side put forward a position that could remotely be described as left-wing. In an argument remarkable for its candor, the Biden administrations representative in the Supreme Court proceedings, Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, referenced the phenomenon of fragging during the Vietnam War, in which mutinous black conscripts killed their white officers. Arguing that the US military had experienced tremendous racial tension and strife, Prelogar said it is now the consistent judgment of senior military leaders that a diverse officer corps is essential for military cohesion. In a key 2003 case upholding affirmative action at the University of Michigan Law School, which Prelogar referenced, the Supreme Court endorsed this point explicitly. High-ranking retired officers and civilian military leaders assert that a highly qualified, racially diverse officer corps is essential to national security, the majority ruling stated. This argument for affirmative action reflects the position of not just the Pentagon but of a substantial cross section of corporate boardrooms, law firm executive suites, Wall Street offices, academic institutions and Hollywood production companies: namely, that the stability of American imperialism, the profit system and the whole social order depends on bringing a privileged section of minorities into the ranks of the elite. During the oral arguments, Seth Waxman, the attorney representing Harvard, featured this sentiment prominently in his opening argument, declaring that diversity makes our businesses more innovative and globally competitive and our military more cohesive. Justice Elena Kagan, appointed by President Obama in 2010, gave perhaps the most direct expression of this sentiment on Monday. Describing prestigious universities like Harvard as the pipelines to leadership in our society, she implicitly warned that any careless disruption of the process by which the ruling class selects and grooms its agents would be felt throughout that leadership, i.e., in businesses, law firms, the military brass and the government. A picture emerged in the oral arguments of affirmative action as a key pillar of the American social and political order, which in recent decades has become deeply entrenched in academia, the corporate monopolies, the state and the military. As demonstrated by the Harvard case in particular, around the institution of affirmative action an entire unhealthy and cynical culture has developed, as different identities jostle for preferences, and as those responsible for doling out the preferences give free rein to their own subjective prejudices. Before the Harvard case arrived at the Supreme Court, the university prevailed both in a trial and in the court of appeals but not before embarrassing internal documents came to light that exposed the subjective manner in which students from some backgrounds were arbitrarily given high leadership scores, while others, particularly Asian American students, were given low scores for personality. Indeed, in response to these practices, a whole cottage industry has sprung up of expert consultants who charge a fee to advise high school students how to appear less Asian in college applications, so as not to fall victim to the operation of these preferences. The reality at Harvard is that while large numbers of applicants compete amongst each other in a zero-sum game for a relatively small set of racial preferences, the children of wealthy donors cruise past in huge numbers, rendering hollow all of the universitys high-sounding rhetoric about diversity. The arguments on Monday continued far longer than is usual for Supreme Court practice. While the legal issues in both cases are similar, the Supreme Court doubled the usual time for argument by hearing arguments on each case separately. The arguments themselves were characterized by an Alice in Wonderland atmosphere of absurdity and make-believe, in which the three justices appointed by Trumpthe ex-president who only recently delivered an unhinged anti-Semitic rant at a fascistic rally in Texas, and who regularly advocates the racist lie that the COVID-19 virus was engineered in a Wuhan labwere permitted to posture unchallenged as opponents of racial prejudice. The Supreme Courts prestige has been shattered in the eyes of tens of millions of people by its decision this year purporting to erase the right to abortion. The New York Times on Tuesday worried out loud that the legal rampage by the far-right majority threatens the stability of the law and the courts own legitimacy. But that train has long since left the station. The Supreme Courts legitimacy has never recovered from the 2000 theft of the presidential election, and whatever shred of legitimacy remained has been compromised by the courts endorsement of the so-called war on terror, by the January 6 conspiracy, and by the ongoing efforts, which the Supreme Court has welcomed, to undermine future elections through the so-called independent legislature theory. Justice Clarence Thomas, whose wife Virginia Thomas is directly implicated in the January 6 coup attempt, is particularly unworthy of being addressed as Your Honor. In flagrant violation of judicial ethics, Thomas continues to issue rulings in cases where he has an obvious conflict of interest, effectively daring the Democrats to impeach him. The courts newest justice, Ketanji Brown Jackson, by contrast, recused herself from the Harvard case, since she once served on Harvards board of overseers. In emails that came to light two days after the oral arguments, Trumps lawyers described Clarence Thomas as the key to the plan to overturn the 2020 election. We want to frame things so that Thomas could be the one to issue a ruling in favor of Trump, attorney Kenneth Chesebro wrote on December 31, 2020, calling Thomas the only chance to obtain legal sanction for the coup. None of this could be said out loud during the five hours of arguments Monday, during which all of the attorneys observed the ordinary forms of deference required by Supreme Court etiquette, even as the black-robed gangsters on the bench are actively working to eviscerate decades of hard-won democratic rights. While the arguments took the form of attempts at persuasion, everyone knows that the justices all made up their minds long before the case was calledand long before being appointed to the bench. During the arguments, the reactionary justices repeatedly attacked Harvards lawyer by invoking the universitys history of deliberate discrimination against Jews during the tenure of Harvard President A. Lawrence Lowell (1909-1933). Harvards attorney responded to these attacks with a cringing apology instead of shooting back with the obvious retort that the Supreme Court had no business lecturing anybody about racism, given that during the same period it upheld Jim Crow segregation in Plessy v. Ferguson (1898) and upheld internment camps for US citizens of Japanese ancestry in Korematsu v. United States (1944). The challenges to the admissions practices at Harvard and the University of North Carolina were brought by the tendentiously named Students For Fair Admissions (SFFA), a project of right-wing legal activist Edward Blum, whose earlier projects include efforts to eviscerate the Voting Rights Acts. The arguments of the attorney for SFFA, Patrick Strawbridge, generally consisted of sound bites aimed at right-wing and libertarian media circles. At one point he claimed that Harvard is not diverse at all because, among other things, nine percent of incoming freshmen at Harvard are conservatives. The undertone of this argument, which will be heard loud and clear in pro-Trump circles, is that by admitting fewer minorities to Harvard, there will be more room for white conservatives. Attacking affirmative action from the right, the Republican-aligned arguments were deliberately calculated to inspire resentment towards the beneficiaries of racial preferences. I think you need to treat people equally based on race, Strawbridge declared in another carefully rehearsed quip, just as youre not going to hold my race against me in judging the quality of my arguments. In many cases, these Republican-aligned provocations misrepresented or exaggerated Harvards actual practices, prompting Harvards attorney to retort at one point that while SFFA is fully entitled to its own legal arguments, it is not entitled to its own facts. Affirmative action has been a fixture of American social life for decades, and the balance sheet of this policy is also a question of indisputable fact: A narrow layer of minorities has been enriched, the living standards of working people of all races have declined across the board, and the wealth of the richest layers has shot into the stratosphere. The aim of this policy was never progress or social welfare but divide and rule. In line with its more recent promotion of the New York Times 1619 Project and critical race theory, the Democratic Party sees identity politics and the promotion of race consciousness as central to its efforts to divide the working class and develop a base of support among more privileged layers for its right-wing, militarist and anti-worker policies. At the same time, the socialist critique of affirmative action and racial politics has nothing in common with the campaign being waged by the Republicans and Trump, at the root of which is the fascistic lie that white America is being destroyed by inferior races in a so-called great replacement. A socialist policy is not to dole out the privilege of an education to a select few, each of whom must grab a spot by denying that spot to someone else, but to guarantee quality university education for all free of charge. The resources exist; it remains only for the working class to reject the reactionary politics of race and to unite and fight for it. In a campaign swing through the Midwest, one week before the November 8 midterm elections, right-wing Republican Representative Liz Cheney gave her support to two Democratic congressional candidates, Representative Elissa Slotkin, running for reelection in Michigan, and Representative Tim Ryan, who is running for an open Senate seat in Ohio. Both Slotkin and Ryan are identified with militarist policies directed against the targets of American imperialism. Slotkin, one of the CIA Democrats profiled by the WSWS in 2018, was a CIA agent in Iraq during the Bush administration, then the Iraq director on the National Security Council in both the Bush and Obama White House. She then moved to a top post in the Pentagon. Ryan is one of the most right-wing figures in the House Democratic caucus, and his Senate campaign is focused on anti-China propaganda. He has made vitriolic attacks on his Republican opponent, J. D. Vance, author of the anti-working-class memoir Hillbilly Elegy, because the millionaire author has invested in companies doing business in China. Cheney appeared in Michigan Tuesday, standing side by side with Slotkin at an election rally in East Lansing, in the 7th Congressional District. East Lansing is home to Michigan State University. More than 600 people attended at the gym of East Lansing High School, in what the Slotkin campaign called an evening of bipartisanship. Reps. Elissa Slotkin (Democrat-Michigan), left, and Liz Cheney (Republican-Wyoming) leave a campaign rally in East Lansing, Michigan, where Cheney supported Slotkin on November 1, 2022. [AP Photo/Carlos Osorio] In her first-ever endorsement of a Democratic candidate, Cheney said, While Elissa and I have our policy disagreements, at a time when our nation is facing threats at home and abroad, we need serious, responsible, substantive members like Elissa in Congress. If we want to ensure the survival of our republic, we have to walk away from politics as usual, Cheney said. We have to stand up, every one of us, and say were going to do whats right for this country. Were going to look beyond partisan politics. She added, As a nation today, we are facing an ongoing assault by the former president and by people that are spreading his lie. Slotkin has a slight lead in the polls over Republican state Senator Tom Barrett in a district that voted narrowly for Trump in 2016 and narrowly for Biden in 2020. The contest is the most expensive congressional race in the country, costing an estimated $34 million in a constituency with a population of under 800,000. Outside groups allied to the Democratic and Republican parties have poured in money, and Slotkin, whose family founded HyGrade Foods, maker of Ballpark Franks, has access to considerable resources. In response to Cheneys endorsement, Slotkin echoed statements by Biden calling for a strong Republican Party. There is nothing we cannot handle when we work together, Slotkin said. But heres the thing, Im a Democrat. I cant fix the Republican Party for them. Only they can do that. And until then, with your help, we are going to make clear that when they put up extreme candidates up and down our ballot, we will beat them She gave effusive praise to the daughter of the war criminal Richard Cheney, a principal architect of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars when he was vice president in the George W. Bush administration, to say nothing of his role as Secretary of Defense in the first Gulf War under Bushs father. Liz Cheney herself was a strident warhawk, working in the State Department under several Republican administrations, as well as serving for a few years as a right-wing pundit on Fox News, before moving back to Wyoming, the largely rural state where her father had been congressman from 1979 to 1989. She won the House seat for herself in 2016. It is not just the investigation into January 6 that brings Cheney and Slotkin together. They are in fundamental agreement on the war policies of American imperialism, demonstrated by their fervent defense of the US military intervention against Russia in the war in Ukraine. Significantly, Slotkins Republican opponent, Tom Barrett, has used this pro-war alliance to make an appeal to antiwar sentiment, while at the same time pledging loyalty to Trump and his campaign of election denialism, claiming the 2020 election was rigged by the Democrats. He told a campaign event in Howell, Michigan, Elissa Slotkin and Liz Cheney prove that the political establishment has an unquenchable thirst for military engagement abroad. Barrett is himself an Iraq War veteran, who retired from the Army this year after a 22-year career. He denounced Cheney and Slotkin, both members of the House Armed Services Committee, for failing to hold the Biden administration accountable for the disastrous US withdrawal from Afghanistan last year. Im proud of my service to my country, and I never expected a day in my life after deploying for Dick Cheneys war that his daughter would come to my district in the closing days of this campaign to endorse my opponent in the race that is going to decide which party is going to control Congress, Barrett said Monday. We have establishment warhawks like Liz Cheney and Elissa Slotkin that are standing together today because I oppose their senseless thirst for more foreign entanglements, he said. Congresswoman Slotkin says she would engage with China to fight a war with American troops in Asia. Its no surprise that the Cheney family would join her. Cheney is on her way out of the Republican Party, after having been defeated for the Republican nomination for her safe congressional seat in Wyoming by a pro-Trump challenger. She has said that if the Republican Party nominates Trump for president in 2024, she will leave the party officially and become an independent. As the Republican vice chair of the House Select Committee investigating the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, Cheney has been one of the main targets of Trump in his effortlargely successfulto purge all of his opponents from the Republican Party. Eight of the 10 Republican representatives who voted for Trumps impeachment over the January 6 attack have either retired from Congress or been defeated in primaries, leaving only two on the November ballot, and only one who is favored to win. Militarism is, however, not only a means of defence and a weapon against the external enemy; it has a second task, which comes more and more into prominence with the sharpening of class contradictions and the growth of proletarian class-consciousness. Thus, the outer form of militarism and its inner character are more and more precisely determined: it has the task of protecting the prevailing social order, of supporting capitalism and all reaction against the struggle of the working class for freedom (Karl Liebknecht, Militarism and Anti-Militarism, 1907). Federal Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht and Inspector General Eberhard Zorn set up the Bundeswehr's Territorial Command Command [Photo by Stubenviech/wikimedia / CC BY-SA 4.0 German militarism is assuming increasingly menacing proportions at home. Almost unnoticed by the public, the newly established Territorial Leadership Command (TerrFuKdoBw) of the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) began its work on October 1. Put into service by Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht and Inspector General Eberhard Zorn, the command is part of the comprehensive war offensive that is to make Germany a leading military power again after two catastrophic world wars in the 20th century. It has two main tasks: to conduct and coordinate all Bundeswehr operations within Germany, and serve to mobilize troops for war operations, most immediately for the NATO offensive against Russia. The commands headquarters is the Julius Leber barracks in Berlin. According to the day-order from Lambrecht and Zorn, which was issued on June 13, the Territorial Leadership Command is responsible for the operational management of national forces in the context of homeland protection, including official and disaster relief and civil-military cooperation. At the same time, it takes over the tasks as the mobilisation command for national deployments in accordance with NATO plans within the framework of national and alliance defense. In addition to the so-called Territorial Reserve, which has the responsibility for Homeland Security, and a related training organisation, the following units are subordinate to the command: the Multinational Command Operative Leadership, the Multinational Civil-Military Cooperation Command (MN CIMIC Cmd) Nienburg/Weser, the guard battalion at the Federal Ministry of Defence (WachBtl BMVg), the 16 State Commands (LKdo) and the troop training ground commands North, East and South with their respective troop training bases. At the official inauguration of the command on September 26 in Berlin, Lambrecht and Zorn left no doubt as to what was at stake. With todays inauguration, we are taking a very important step in this new epoch. We are strengthening the Bundeswehrs operational readiness, said the Minister of Defence. The new command leadership will help us to make even better, faster and more coordinated decisions in the future. It also strengthens our ability to leadin peace as well as in crisis and war. Lambrecht justified the establishment of the command with the brutal Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. It was a visible and effective reaction to the Russian invasion. This is nothing but the usual propaganda. In fact, the so-called new epochincluding the 100 billion Bundeswehr Special Fund and NATOs military build-up against Russiawas prepared well in advance. The main aggressor is not Moscow, but the imperialist powers. With the systematic military encirclement of Russia, NATO provoked the reactionary intervention of the Putin regime and is now escalating the conflict to subjugate the resource-rich country. Germanys ruling class is also pursuing the goal of establishing itself as a leading European power and forming independent German-European military structures in order to pursue its global interests. Zorn admitted this unreservedly in his own remarks. For the German Armed Forces, the new epoch meant consistently continuing the focus on the core mission of the state and alliance defense, which had already begun in 2014. He continued, Speed and decisive action at all levels are more than ever the imperative of the hour. This would require operationally ready strike forces on stand-by. At the same time, it is important to fulfil our missions in international crisis management and in administrative assistance. By standby capability the German military leadership understands the fastest and most comprehensive mobilization of society for total war. In the somewhat cryptic military language of the Inspector General, it is described as follows: The further development of the Territorial Tasks Command into a Territorial Leadership Command now improves the framework conditions for the fulfilment of complex tasks across the entire intensity spectrumfrom administrative assistance in peace to hybrid threats to tension and defenceby bundling competences and leadership responsibility. In fact, the ruling class, which waged an extermination war against the Soviet Union in the Second World War with about 30 million dead, is at war with Russia again. A large number of German forces, together with the Allies, ensure the task of deterrence at the eastern border of allied territory, boasted Zorn. In addition, Germany assumes a central task as part of the so-called hub function, which serves the freedom of action within NATO and our Allied partners. The war offensive abroad requires, as in the past, the comprehensive militarization of society at home. A key challenge in this state security provision is the coordination of the actions and capabilities of state and non-state actors, Zorn said. The new Territorial Leadership Command will play a central role in this and improve in its linking functions, interfaces and connecting points with reference to the changed situation. The ruling class has long laid the legal foundations for the deployment of the Bundeswehr domestically. Already the emergency laws passed in 1968 allow such operations to ward off an imminent danger to the existence or the liberal democratic basic order of the Federation (Art. 87a of the Basic Law). The German Armed Forces white paper, adopted in 2016, explicitly states that the armed forces can also perform sovereign tasks in support of the police forces by exercising powers of intervention and coercion. With the new command, a centralized organizational structure will now be created in order to use the military as an internal force of order and, if necessary, to suppress social protests and revolutionary struggles by force. For this purpose, explicitly military units, which organize the NATO mobilisation against Russia and other war operations, will be merged with the civilian military structures. The result is a new German military state. At the end of his remarks, Zorn gave an indication of how far this process has already progressed. For years, he said, a comprehensive civil-military network has been built up at all levelsfrom the Chancellery to the municipalities. The national command will bring together elements that functionally or on the ground have been cooperating closely for years and place them under the authority of a national territorial commander. The general also mentioned the home-guard regiments oriented towards right-wing extremist forces, which would continue to grow according to plan and contribute significantly to the training and integration of reserves. In addition, the Territorial Leadership Command based on the experience of the COVID crisis team will provide the nucleus for a crisis team of the Federal Government. The World Socialist Web Site already warned at the beginning of the Bundeswehrs so-called COVID operation: But regardless of how much immediate medical assistance the Bundeswehr provides, the operation ultimately serves a different purpose. Leading generals are openly declaring that the key issue is imposing military-police control over the population and defending the institutions of the capitalist state. This assessment has now been confirmed. Significantly, the new command is led by Lieutenant General Carsten Breuer, who previously headed the federal governments COVID crisis unit. In his new function as so-called National Territorial Commander, he is a kind of military dictator on call. His new command serves to bring procedures into one hand, to bring leadership into one hand and thus to make [the whole] much more stringent and much more effective , Breuer explained in a Bundeswehr podcast. Only the interplay of effective forces, of a command, which is effectively led, but also of well-established troops can ultimately lead to success in an operation, ... in a crisis or even in war. The growing domestic influence of the military is a serious warning, especially in the context of German history. The ruling class previously used the military as an instrument of repression during the German Empire, the Weimar Republic and the Third Reich. It is now preparing to do so once again. This is its response to the deepest crisis of capitalism since the 1930s, which is being exacerbated by the social and political effects of the coronavirus pandemic and the NATO war offensive against Russia. Wow! The Buffalo News endorsements of Kathy Hochul and Chuck Schumer are absolutely astonishing. Astonishingly biased and out of touch with context and reality. These seem like political campaign products rather than knowledgeable, balanced and well-thought-out presentations. Just a few examples: Zeldin is an election denier: So what? Funny how Democrats always ignore the fact of the number of election deniers they have in their ranks, whether multiple Congresspeople (currently in office), Hillary Clinton, Stacey Abrams or others. Abortion? Hardly an issue in New York State. Interestingly, none of what Zeldin is actually running on is talked about. Hochul is a political chameleon. She holds the position that fits her political need at the time (currently it is to please downstate leftists) and rarely leads on anything. Schumer is strictly a "party over country" guy. As a major supporter of the Biden administration, he not only supports horrible policies on energy, the border, spending, the Afghanistan withdrawal and more, he is effectively a "cheerleader for an accident." Knowing the general and usual editorial stance of the News in the past 20-plus years, I expected this. James Sterman East Amherst In a recent editorial for Another Voice, Erie County Republican Chairman Michael Kracker indicated that Gov. Kathy Hochuls values do not align with those of Western New York. He states that Our community members deserve a governor who shares their values, not their hometown. Okay, lets be practical. What is Rep. Lee Zeldin going to do for this area? For the first time in over a century, we have a governor who hails from Western New York, and we are going to throw that away because Zeldin wants to fire a district attorney? Undoubtedly, subway crime is a serious problem, but New York City residents voted D.A. Alvin Bragg in; they should be the ones to vote him out. I would also ask, who is Michael Kracker to speak about the values of Western New Yorkers? As a native Western New Yorker, I value free and fair elections, a womans right to choose, and the freedom to come and go without the specter of a being shot by a crazed gunman not old enough to buy a beer. But thats just me. I think, though, that I can speak for most Western New Yorkers that the one value we share is our unabating love for our Buffalo Bills. If Congressman Zeldin were to attain power, he would undo the negotiations that Gov. Hochul worked on over the past several months, for he declared in his Oct 25th debate, We can absolutely have a better deal. I strongly exhort Bills officials, both past and present, to get out and fight for Gov. Hochul like she fought indefatigably for the stadium deal. If this deal is upended, the Bills future in Western New York will be put in peril. Zeldin balked at this prospect, exclaiming, Theyre not leaving! Yeah, right. Neither would the Brooklyn Dodgers, the Buffalo Braves, the Cleveland Browns, or any other storied franchise who left for greener pastures. Zeldin is either selling us a bill of goods or living in the state of denial. It wouldnt surprise me if it were the latter; after all, he did deny the results of a presidential election. Theresa Desmond Buffalo IIT-K offers eMasters degree program on cyber security Kanpur(Uttar Pradesh) [India] | Published : November 02, 2022 The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur is offering a carefully curated and unique eMasters degree program on Cyber Security for working professionals.Developed by the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, IIT Kanpur, this executive-friendly program is taught by world-class faculty and researchers from IIT Kanpur.According to an official release, working professionals will have the flexibility to complete the 60-credit 12-module industry-focused curriculum between 1-3 years. The selection into this program is based on one's academic and professional background. Therefore, GATE score is not required.The release said that with the rapid evolution of the Internet, along with life-changing advantages, cyber threats are also on the rise.According to Gartner, by 2025, 45 per cent of organisations might face attacks on their software supply chains.With data multiplying, the risk of attack on important information systems, critical infrastructure, and personal devices also multiplies.As per reports, India is about to have over 1.5 million job vacancies in the cyber security sector by 2025 and to meet this upcoming talent gap, India needs to have a well-equipped and skilled workforce for the changing cyber security landscape.Last year itself, India's Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) recorded over 14 lakhs cyber-attack incidents.Banking systems, communications, railways, armed forces, power sectors are some of the critical infrastructures that are affected by cyber threats.Apart from that, the advent of technologies like AI and IoT has led to the increase of ransomware threats.Last year, India saw an estimated 120 per cent increase in ransomware attacks. Although most of them are from third-party attackers, there is significant increase in attacks expected from insiders in near future.Data breaches, hacking, foreign espionage, and cyber phishing are some key categories plaguing cyber security in India.Usage of cloud-based services, sharing unauthorised data, financial exchanges on digital payment platforms, social media communication, net banking, e-commerce are also providing attack surfaces to the growing cyber threats.With the threat landscape expanding, the neessity for more skilled professionals is also becoming a priority.The eMasters degree program from IIT Kanpur comes in to assist professionals build capabilities for an evolving and volatile threat environment. It will thoroughly train professionals in the methods and technologies of Cyber Security.Professionals and cyber security enthusiasts will also become well-versed with the latest concepts to effectively manoeuvre through the changing scenarios of the field. Dr. Manindra Agarwal, Professor at Department of Computer Science and Engineering, IIT Kanpur, said, "This one-of-a-kind program enables students to stay ahead of the competition with future-proof training. Over 85 participants of Batch 1 are reaping great benefits as this futuristic program prepares them for the challenges of tomorrow. The participants gain theoretical knowledge along with a hands-on experience of tools and technologies, which when put into practice helps mitigate upcoming risks with utmost expertise." Find it Useful ? Help Others by Sharing Online Comments and Discussions By Trend One person was killed and four others were injured in a shooting Tuesday afternoon in Denver, the capital city of the U.S. state of Colorado, authorities said, Trend reports citing Xinhua. The Denver Police Department wrote in an update on Twitter that five victims were located, adding that four of the victims were transported to hospital and one was pronounced deceased. Officials shared a photo of a dark vehicle that "is believed to have been used by the suspect(s) in this shooting," and urged anyone who saw it or knew the person(s) associated with the vehicle to call police. The department wrote in an earlier tweet that there were six victims in the shooting at the 1400 block of Verbena Street. The department said it's investigating the shooting. Innocuous Beginnings Our local small-town ski shop posted on their socials the other day, "We have recently found a fraudulent duplicate online web store. Please be sure you are using our correct web address. If you purchased something from the fraudulent site please contact your credit card company immediately." I was curious, so called them the next day. At least one of their customers had attempted to make a purchase though the site, with no goods being delivered. They didn't know what to do about the situation, so I offered to take a look and got the fake site URL, which was the same as their legitimate site but had a hyphen between two words. According to whois, the domain registrar was Name.com and the technical contact was in China. DNS services and webfront were Cloudflare. The fake store was using a copy of the real store's logo, had the same product listings (some with unrealistic discounts applied), and even some of the same tags. The fake store's SEO was pretty good, and a lot of their pages were Google indexed. I drafted up a DMCA takedown notice, sent it off to Name.com via their abuse report form, and within 12 hours they'd put the domain into "client hold" status, essentially disabling the domain. Within 24 hours, cached DNS records were mostly timed out and the fraudulent site was no longer accessible. I also put in a removal request with Google, and the content aged out of their indexes pretty quickly. It only really took about 30 minutes work (and, perhaps, 20 years of accrued knowledge of how the internet works and how abuse is reported / handled). Done? (meta: how does your average retailer who doesn't have a friendly security person reading their socials deal with this situation?) Upon Further Investigation Talking with a co-worker, he security-nerd-sniped me by being curious about what the site content was like & if there were any unique characteristics that could be used to track down other instances. Looking at some of the page content that I'd saved, I noticed that one component in particular was misspelled, likely in a unique way. A Google search for stripe-card-woocommrece found two urlscan.io entries for similar-looking sites. Using urlscan.io (specifically, https://urlscan.io/search/#filename%3A%22%2Fwp-content%2Fplugins%2Fstripe-card-woocommrece%2Fjs%2Fapp.js%22's associated API query), I was able to pull out a list of 320 unique sites that has this same misspelled component in them. I haven't checked them all, but I've checked a reasonably-sized sample. It's a combination of generic and copycat sites, all laid out in the same fashion, and all reflecting the patterns identified in the first case. It's generally a domain name registered at Name.com (sometimes different for non-.com domains), whois record with a China-based technical contact, with DNS & webfront at Cloudfront, backed by WooCommerce/WordPress, and that typo'd stripe-card-woocommrece in their index.html. The copycat sites had copied logos and product listings. There was a very similar page layout & footer across all the sites. Some have been translated into different languages. The search also took me to https://themesinfo.com/wordpress-plugins/wordpress-stripe-card-woocommrece-plugin-eyjh. This is a purpose-built Wordpress crawler that catalogs plugins across Wordpress instances, and tells me that stripe-card-woocommrece WordPress plugin is used on 235 websites. I couldn't be bothered figuring out how to scrape the full list of domains out of this site, but from a manual check there seemed to be some unique items on both lists (https://www.adidasoriginalsus.com/ was a particularly good one from this list). Neither GitHub nor GitLab have that stripe-card-woocommrece string indexed, so looks like we're not going to get lucky and find a public repository with this code in it. Done? Follow The Money Another co-worker was curious (stop being curious and causing more work for me, co-workers!) about if and / or how these payments were being processed. The shopping cart / checkout screens and payment forms on these sites feel reasonably well done and don't have any crazy red flags. They generally offer Mastercard, Visa, and Paypal payment methods. Looking at one of the fake storefronts, https://www.3m-us.com: Doing a Visa payment with a test card # (good ol' 4242 4242 4242 4242) redirects to ing.mpayts.com/gateway/authention/show3dstest/lan/en-us/ref/N1667359025690114 prompting for re-entry of a verification code rendered on the same page (oops, no padlock.. I guess they aren't "protected by 256-bit SSL technology" after all), which then redirects back to the storefront via https://www.loreencatalog.site/payment/return.php?code=mpayts&ordersn=66221102111704325 . (I suspect they may not be processing payments, but are perhaps collecting credit card details on the backend?) Choosing Paypal does result in a redirect to https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr and what looks like a legit login form, via www.antasas.com/check_purchase/shop_payment_handle.php . The Paypal page has a 'Cancel and return to Todd Le' link at the bottom, pointing back to https://www.antasas.com/check_purchase/pay_info_for_cancel.php which then redirected through xilapay.net to psyupay.com (similar-but-different fake storefront). Looking at a second fake store front, https://www.converseofficial.com/, we see the same deal. A Visa payment with test card redirects through ing.mpayts.com then www.loreencatalog.site before landing back at the fake storefront. Paypal behavior is the same, with the same 'Todd Le' cancellation link (perhaps there's a shared Paypal merchant account under the hood here?). What Next? I'm not quite sure but somehow helping out the local small-town ski shop has lead to this. Perhaps all these sites are legit but.. I don't think so. Is this level of probably-fraud just situation-normal for the internet these days? Ehh, who knows! Find some way to flag copycats with the individual brands in question? Report en masse to Name.com, Cloudflare, and Paypal abuse/fraud teams? Go straight to the FTC? Or just hit publish and move on with life. Done? The List (...or partial list, according to https://urlscan.io.) Some of the sites on this list seem to have been taken down already - perhaps some brands are better at monitoring their domain name space than others? The uniformity-but-not of these sites is really quite impressive. I'm morbidly curious what their deployment pipeline / management tooling looks like. A Kansas abortion clinic that was among the first in the country to open after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade has been inundated with patients. Some drive 10 hours or more to get there, coming from Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas and even Louisiana. But thats only if they can get an appointment. Planned Parenthood clinics in the state, including this newest one, are only able to take about 10% to 15% of the patients seeking abortions. Kansas is one of the few states in the region still providing abortions in the wake of the court's ruling. HSI staff and volunteers carry dogs from the Ansan, South Korea dog meat farm rescue into the Humane Society of the United States Care and Rehabilitation Center on Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022 in Hagerstown, Md. Kevin Wolf/AP Images for HSUS Dozens of dogs are set to fly to the U.S. to find their forever homes. According to a release from Humane Society International (HSI), HSI/Korea and its partners recently rescued 34 dogs from the dog meat trade in South Korea. The canines, including friendly pups named Romeo, Nuri, Daisy, Phoenix, Brown Bear, will soon fly from HSI's facilities in South Korea to the Washington Dulles International Airport to begin their adoption journeys. Once the rescue pooches arrive in the U.S., they will be transported to a rehabilitation center operated by HSI and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to recover from the journey and prepare for adoption. The canines will receive love, comfort, beds, enrichment, and veterinary care at the rehab center a far cry from the uncomfortable conditions of a barren dog meat farm cage. Once the pups are ready to find homes, the HSUS will move them to shelters for adoption. This week, 34 dogs are arriving at Washington Dulles International Airport from South Korea where they were rescued from the dog meat industry by Humane Society International/Korea and its partners. Courtesy HSI "For these dogs flying to the United States, South Korea's dog meat industry will soon be a distant memory. But hundreds of thousands of other dogs are still languishing in terrible conditions on dog meat farms for a meat that very few Koreans want to eat, and most want banned," Sangkyung Lee, a dog meat campaigner for Humane Society International/Korea, said in a statement. RELATED: Korean Animal Groups Save 21 Canines Left Behind at Dog Meat Farm from 'Unbearable Situation' The animal lovers behind the rescue of these 34 dogs know the lives of the canines are only going to get better, and they are hopeful that they can give the same happy ending to the pets remaining in the dog meat trade. Dogs from the Ansan, South Korea dog meat farm rescue arrive at the Humane Society of the United States Care and Rehabilitation Center on Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022 in Hagerstown, Md. Kevin Wolf/AP Images for HSUS RELATED: Golden Retrievers, Frenchies, and Pugs Saved from Dog Meat Trade Ready for Adoption in the U.S. "It is a testament to the professionalism and effectiveness of our staff and animal advocate partners in South Korea that local authorities there are working more frequently with us to help coordinate care for dogs saved from the meat trade. As these rescued dogs arrive in the United States and move into our rehabilitation center, we look forward to the next chapter: preparing them to be adopted into loving homes where they can finally enjoy life as all dogs should," Kitty Block, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States and CEO of Humane Society International, said. To learn more about HSI's work to end the dog meat industry worldwide, visit the organization's website. Supporters of Jair Bolsonaro set fire to a barrier during a blockade on a highway between Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo on October 31, 2022. MAURO PIMENTEL/AFP Jair Bolsonaro is yet to concede Sunday's election, heightening tensions across the country. 220 highway were blockaded as of Tuesday morning, federal highway police told The New York Times. Bolsonaro, dubbed the "Trump of the Tropics," has long pushed claims that the election was tainted. As Brazil waited on incumbent president Jair Bolsonaro following his election loss on Sunday, his supporters were blockading roads, demanding that the election results be overturned. On Tuesday, Bolsonaro supporters partially blocked the highway leading to the Brazil's largest airport in Sao Paulo, forcing the cancellation of at least two dozen flights, according to The New York Times. The paper added that there were 220 active blockades in 21 of Brazil's 27 states as of Tuesday morning, according to federal highway police, with 288 blockades broken up in the last few days. Footage by NBC News showed a particularly large blockade by truck drivers in the state of Goias. In some cases, law enforcement officials have been standing by without intervening, though the group blocking the airport were dispersed after federal highway police deployed a chemical spray, The Times said. Protesters have claimed in interviews and on social media that they believed they were carrying out Bolsonaro's wishes, The Times reported. Bolsonaro lost Sunday's presidential election to former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in a remarkably close race. Da Silva, also known as Lula, received 50.83% of the votes, compared to Bolsonaro's 49.17%. Since then, Bolsonaro has declined to make a public statement, though he is said to be drafting a response to release on Tuesday, a senior government official told The Times. For months, Bolsonaro pushed baseless claims that the election, which many observers expected him to lose, was being tainted by fraud. In the immediate aftermath of the vote, Western leaders rushed to congratulate da Silva, which analysts said was likely part of a coordinated campaign to head off attempts by Bolsonaro to question the results. Read the original article on Business Insider Founders Perteet and Fred Spencer bring cassava leaf stew, egusi soup, and jollof rice to the frozen-food aisle. Alissa Kay Creative Perteet and Fred Spencer When Perteet and Fred Spencer met in college, their families food traditions became central to their relationship.Freds grandmother regularly presided over family meals; she was the cook, the queen, he says. Perteets family meals were a mix of soul food and Liberian and other West African dishes; her mother is from the South, while her father immigrated toMinneapolis from Liberia when he was 17 years old. At Thanksgiving, we ate cassava leaf, mac and cheese, collard greens, and oyster casserole, she recalls. We always had the big Tupperware dish of cassava that was permanently stained with palm oil. Thered be way too much food on the table, but the cassava always goes first. Theres no big meal without it. Those dinners inspired the Spencers to found a West African food company that has at its heart the flavors they love and remember. We ate Liberian and West African food at home, but our food wasnt in grocery stores, Fred says. Perteet, who worked as food product brand manager for General Mills for years, examined the market to see where their idea would fit. I knew that 99% of food products fail in their first year, even well-supported brands by big companies, she says. We had to find the right way to do it. They launched the Chicago-based Ayo Foods in 2020, naming their company after the word for joy in Yoruba, a West African language. They started with frozen cassava leaf stew, egusi soup, and jollof rice and have since partnered with chefs Eric Adjepong and Zoe Adjonyoh on more frozen meals. The world deserves an unabashed version of West African food, Perteet says. Its full of nutrient-dense ingredients. Cassava is used throughout the world for the root or flour but usually not the leaves. The leaves are rich in calcium, and in using them, we are reducing carbon dioxide emissions and developing another revenue source for the community in West Africa. Story continues Ayo Foods partners with the Liberian nonprofit Girl PowerAfrica to give back to communities throughout West Africa.We dont want to rob them of their flavors; we want to giveback, create jobs and opportunities, Perteet says. We want to inspire people to take pride in their culture. After all, this food is what connects us. Three Favorite Ayo Products To find a retailer near you that carries Ayo Foods, visit ayo-foods.com. Shito Sauce Courtesy of Ayo Foods Shito Sauce Enriched with caramelized onions and shrimp, this sauce offers a good amount of heat and umami. Spoon it into tomato sauce or drizzle it over roasted vegetables. Groundnut Stew Courtesy of Ayo Foods Groundnut Stew This chicken stew, created by chef Zoe Adjonyoh, has complex flavors and just a bit of heat from the peanuts, chiles, tomatoes, ginger, and onions. Serve it over rice. Chicken Yassa Courtesy of Ayo Foods Chicken Yassa This bright Ghanaian dish by chef Eric Adjepong features chicken thighs cooked with lemon, Dijon mustard, turmeric, and caramelized onions and served over rice. IATSE Studio Mechanics Local 52 in New York has entered into a settlement agreement with James Harker, a member of the local, in which the union has agreed that it will not discriminate against nonunion workers seeking jobs in the film and TV industry. The case stems from complaints filed by Harker with the National Labor Relations Board in which he alleged that Local 52, IATSEs largest production local in New York, tried to prevent him from working for companies signed to the locals contracts charges that Local 52 denied. More from Deadline Under the terms of the settlement, which has been approved by NLRB Region 29 in New York, the union has agreed that it will not require nonmembers to obtain work through the union and that nonmembers do not need to obtain the unions approval before applying for union-represented positions or accepting offers of employment. Local 52 also has agreed that it will not threaten union members with internal union discipline if they hire nonmembers without first obtaining approval from the union; will allow union member department heads to staff their crews with nonmembers without first obtaining approval from the union hall; will not interfere with employers and their agents hiring nonmembers without first obtaining approval from the union, and will not require employers to allow members to bump nonmembers off of productions because of the nonmembers lack of membership with the union. In his complaint, Harker also alleged that during a membership meeting on October 24, 2021, Local 52 President John Ford threatened the membership with internal union discipline if they hire nonmembers without permission of the union. Local 52 also denied that allegation in its answer to his complaint. Deadline reached out to Ford but has yet to receive a response. Story continues Under the terms of the settlement, the NLRB ordered Local 52 to publish a notice of the terms of the settlement in its newsletter; that a responsible official of the local will read the notice to members at the next regularly scheduled general membership meeting, and that the locals officials and business agents will receive training on employee rights, hiring hall procedures, and the rights of nonmembers. The NLRB also ordered the local to text or email the notice to all production companies that have employed workers covered by any of the locals collective bargaining agreements since January 1, 2021, and to text or email the notice to all members of the local who were members since January 1, 2021. The notice must also be sent to all individuals who worked under the locals contract as nonunion permits, applicants, and over hires since September 15, 2020, for whom the local has email addresses or phone numbers. In his fight against the union, Harker received free legal assistance from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, a nonprofit, charitable organization that says its mission is to eliminate coercive union power and compulsory unionism abuses through strategic litigation, public information, and education programs. Editors note: An earlier version of this report stated incorrectly that James Harker was a nonunion production worker. Best of Deadline Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. Lena Dunham's Connecticut home is whimsical, colorful, and very close to loved ones. In an essay for the December issue of Architectural Digest, the Girls creator writes about her family ties to her Connecticut home mainly, how it's right in her parents' backyard. "When I was a little kid, I used to dread the idea of ever leaving my parents' home. I hated leaving for the day to go to school, much less the idea of going to college or getting married," she writes in a feature that showcases the maximalist space. Dunham recounts her New York City upbringing, moving from apartment to apartment. But her parents didn't find the "perfect place" for them until they moved into their Connecticut home. A former boarding school, the compound of a brick home and stucco barn have "become the most lasting landmark of our family, an ode to our eccentricities and to our bonds." Dunham, who says she lives between Connecticut and London, called the renovation process her family's "most maddening real estate project yet." Lena Dunham's home Architectural Digest Lelanie Foster/Architectural Digest With the help of their friend, architect David Bers, contractor Rick McCue and her parents, they dreamt up Dunham's home, which consists of one and a half bedrooms and one full bathroom. Dunham recalls her father saying of the finished project, "It looks like a kindergartner drew a house. And I mean that as a compliment." RELATED: Lena Dunham and Bella Ramsey Share Trailer for Medieval Coming-of-Age Comedy 'Catherine Called Birdy' Lena Dunham's home Architectural Digest Lelanie Foster/Architectural Digest The star used her creativity to help design a whimsical and vibrant interior. From "parrots and turquoise-backed flowers in the primary bedroom" to colorful couches and checkerboard floors in a seating room, each space is imaginative and fairytale-esque. Along with rosy accents and floral wallpaper, the home is also functional for what Dunham calls her "chronically ill body," with a low staircase that caters towards her arthritis and a bathtub that has a pull-up bar. Story continues The actress and writer's office is also representative of her cozy, yet productive workflow with a "cushy chair" and footrest. Playing into Dunham's creative side, the basement doubles as a watercolor studio and contains her "most treasured possession: a custom painting table" designed by her father. Lena Dunham's home Architectural Digest Lelanie Foster/Architectural Digest RELATED: 'Don't Tell HGTV': Ben Napier Shares 'Sneak Peek' of 'Home Town Takeover' Season 2 Dunham was not able to be there during the makeover process as the pandemic kept her from traveling home. When she reunited with her family for their first Christmas "post-pandemic," she describes how she found her mother unpacked all of her 112 storage boxes. "She had shown me her deepest feelings by setting up this house, running her lean, silver-manicured fingers along every object I'd hauled through my 35 years, showing me just how well she knew me," she says. Lena Dunham's home Architectural Digest Lelanie Foster/Architectural Digest Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. She added: "I felt a shocking amount of gratitudetaking in the full blast of my good fortuneto have these parents and this home, to have a home at all." Dunham closed out her heartfelt piece by recounting her answer when people ask if she seriously lives "10 feet" behind her parents. "Yes, literally. Just as I always wanted," she writes. For more on Dunham's home, visit architecturaldigest.com Matthew Perry promotes his new memoir. (Photo: Santiago Felipe/Getty Images) Matthew Perry has already heard from a couple of his Friends co-stars about his buzzy new book, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir, which arrived in bookstores Tuesday. In it, he describes years of struggling with an addiction to drugs and alcohol. "Well, the book has been out for a day," Perry deadpanned when he was asked about their responses Wednesday during a livestream from the Town Hall in New York City. "So I have heard from a couple of them, which is very nice, and I'm sure I'll hear from everybody. But that's the amazing thing about whats going on with this book. It's touching the hearts of everybody." Perry later said thousands of people have already come up to him, convinced that they can stop using substances because he has. He's said that he's now 18 months sober. During the livestream, he noted that he receives help daily. He also answered a question about who would play him if the book is ever adapted into a movie. The younger version of Perry would be played by none other than his co-star in the 2009 body-swapping movie 17 Again. "Well, Zac Efron did it once," he said. Perry said he would take over the role later. "I would play me after the coma and after that horrible night, five months in the hospital, then I would take over the role, I guess," he said, referring to one of the scarier stories that have emerged from the book. In 2018, Perry spent five months in the hospital recovering after his colon burst from opioid abuse. He was in a coma and on life support for two weeks. He had 14 surgeries. He also had to use a colostomy bag for nine months, which left him "covered in my own s***," he estimated 50 to 60 times. "The doctors told my family that I had a 2 percent chance to live," Perry told People. "I was put on a thing called an ECMO machine, which does all the breathing for your heart and your lungs. And that's called a Hail Mary. No one survives that." Story continues Still, he admitted to having called his drug dealer when he got home. Matthew Perry appears in a 1998 episode of Friends, with co-stars Matt LeBlanc, Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox. (Photo: Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection) In an interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer, Perry also said that, at one point, he was drinking vodka by the quart and taking 55 Vicodin a day. He would obtain the latter by faking back injuries and migraine headaches plus, he "had eight doctors going at the same time" or simply go to open houses and rummage through medicine cabinets. "I think they thought 'Oh, there's no way that Chandler stole from us,'" Perry said. In all, Perry has said he's spent $9 million to sober up, including countless stays in rehab and detox facilities. At one of them, a treatment center in Switzerland, where he was still taking pills, his heart stopped beating for five minutes. Looking back on all he's been through, Perry told Sawyer that he's grateful for his Friends co-stars, especially Jennifer Aniston. She's the one who "reached out the most" and even confronted him about his problem. Perry has spoken, too, about his personal relationships over the years, including how he and Valerie Bertinelli once made out beside her then-husband, Eddie Van Halen, when he was passed out, and how he lost his virginity to Tricia Leigh Fisher, half-sister of the late Carrie Fisher, after having thought for years that he was impotent. He also lamented the loss of River Phoenix, his co-star in A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon, who died in 1993. "It always seems to be the really talented guys who go down," he wrote. "Why is it that the original thinkers like River Phoenix and Heath Ledger die, but Keanu Reeves still walks among us?" He's apologized for the reference to Reeves since the excerpt surfaced, saying that he "chose a random name." If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, contact Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Treatment Referral Helpline at 800-662-HELP (4357). A Planned Parenthood chapter operating in Missouri and Illinois is preparing to open a mobile unit providing abortions in southern Illinois. Sarah McCammon/NPR Planned Parenthood is preparing to for the launch of its mobile clinic, that will soon offer abortion pills to patients with limited access due to state bans following the overturn of Roe v. Wade. The mobile clinic which is set up inside of an RV arrived in southern Illinois this week ahead of its upcoming launch, hoping to significantly cut down the travel time for patients. "The biggest needs that we are seeing is the fact that they have to travel so far to get the care that they need," LaQuetta Cooper, health care operations director for Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri, told NPR. "This will be helpful so they don't have to travel three to five hours." The RV is equipped with two examination rooms, including small exam tables and ultrasound machines, and is expected to be up and running by the end of the year. It will offer abortion pills to patients and the organization has shared additional plans for the unit to be equipped for surgical first-trimester abortions early next year. RELATED: 1 in 3 Women Have to Travel Over an Hour for an Abortion Clinic: New Study Planned Parenthood, including Dr. Colleen McNicholas, left, and LaQuetta Cooper, right, staff tour the new mobile clinic that will soon provide abortion pills to patients in Illinois. Sarah McCammon/NPR RELATED: Yelp to Pay Out-of-State Travel Costs for Employees Who Need an Abortio Last month, Planned Parenthood first announced that it would be launching the mobile clinic in southern Illinois due to the growing number of patients within states that have implemented abortion bans. The organization's Fairview Heights clinic saw a 340 percent increase in patients after Roe v. Wade was overturned. "Our goal is to reduce the hundreds of miles that people are having to travel now in order to access care and meet them where they are," Yamelsie Rodriguez, president of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri, told NPR at the time. The clinic will be operating in Illinois where abortion remains legal and travel along the borders of neighboring states that prohibit or restrict abortion services. Rodriguez added that it "gives us a lot of flexibility about where to be." Story continues Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Preparation for the mobile clinic comes just as a recent study revealed that one in three women of reproductive age in the United States now live over an hour away from an abortion clinic. On Tuesday, the Journal of the American Medical Association published a peer reviewed study analyzing census data from nearly 64 million women between ages 15 and 44 in the United States, excluding Alaska and Hawaii. Researchers found that women seeking abortion services had to travel more than 100 minutes to reach a legal clinic. Prior to the end of Roe, the average travel time to the nearest abortion clinic was reportedly less than 30 minutes. The Polk County Commission approved the hiring of Hezedean A. Smith as Fire Rescue Chief during Tuesday's meeting. The Polk County Commission has approved the hiring of Hezedean A. Smith as Polk County Fire Rescue Chief. Smith comes from Charlottesville, Virginia, where he has served as fire chief since 2020. Before that, he spent nearly 25 years with the Orlando Fire Department before retiring as an assistant fire chief. Previously: Assistant Polk fire chief to take over in interim capacity at end of July Also: As Lakeland police chief nears retirement, a panel is getting to work to select the next one Commissioners voted to ratify Smiths hiring during Tuesdays regular meeting. Smith, appointed to the position by Polk County Manager Bill Beasley, will begin work on Nov. 7. Smith, 53, served in the United States Air Force as a medical service specialist from 1988 to 1992, Polk County said in a news release. He joined the fire department in Apopka, a city in Orange County, before moving to the Orlando Fire Department in 1996, the release said. Hezedean Smith has 34 years of experience in the emergency services profession, Beasley said in the release. Hes a proven leader, and his experience will help protect and serve the residents of Polk County. During his time in Charlottesville, Smith hired the most diverse recruiting class at the fire department in 166 years, the release said. He also created new positions without increasing the departments budget. Hezedean A. Smith Im excited to start work as the Polk County Fire Rescue Chief, Smith said in the release. I plan to build strong relationships within the organization and the community. We will be an inclusive, can-do, high-performing, 21st-century team that the community can count on. Smith, who has a doctorate in management from the University of Phoenix, will receive an annual salary of $160,000. 'The last strip of woods': Port Hatchineha residents fighting an onslaught of development The position became open when the previous chief, Rob Weech, left in July to become fire chief for Lighthouse Point, a city of about 10,000 in Broward County. Assistant Fire Chief Rick Parnell had been serving as interim chief. Story continues At the time that Parnell was named interim chief, Beasley said Parnell was not pursuing a permanent appointment and planned to retire in a couple of years. Beasley said after Weech's departure that the county would conduct a nationwide search for a new chief. Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on Twitter @garywhite13. This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Polk County hires former Orlando assistant as new fire chief A destroyed Russian tank is seen outside of Izyum district of Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine on October 13, 2022. Wolfgang Schwan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia's weapons need to be modernized. Weapons manufacturers should get feedback from soldiers, he said on Wednesday. It's a rare acknowledgment of the flaws in the Russian military's capabilities revealed by the war. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Russia's weapons should be modernized, in a rare hint that the Kremlin is acknowledging its military hardware is outdated. "For example, for every item of gear or equipment, we must listen to those who use them and understand how these items perform and whether they are fit for their intended purpose," Putin told his coordination council, according to the Kremlin's official site. "The same applies to weapons, which need constant and uninterrupted upgrades and improvements to remain effective," Putin added. "For this, as I said, it is essential that we promote competition among manufacturers and developers." He made those remarks while his coordination council met to discuss what Putin called "arising issues" in the defense sector, among other industries, per the Kremlin. Putin's admission is a remarkable reversal from his comments in August, when he bragged to foreign allies at a military forum that Russia's weapons are "cutting edge" and "decades ahead" of their foreign counterparts. Over the last few weeks, Putin has signaled an urgency for Russia to streamline and update its army's administration procedures and weapons production. On Friday, he told Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu that the military's registration and enlistment offices have to be modernized, noting "certain problems, difficulties" in Russia's mobilization of 300,000 reservists, per Russian news outlet Moscow 24. In September, Putin also urged Russian defense companies to modernize and increase their production capacities, advising them to study how their equipment fares against Western weapons, per state-affiliated TV channel NTV. Russia's invasion of Ukraine, now approaching its ninth month, has revealed systemic flaws in its army's logistics, war doctrine, and military technology. Story continues Moscow's inability to gain and hold significant ground in Ukraine, coupled with the destruction of much of its equipment in battle, has forced it to deploy Soviet-era tanks and weapons systems, according to Western intelligence. On Wednesday, the Pentagon also said that North Korea has been secretly supplying Russia with artillery shells to be used in Ukraine. Read the original article on Business Insider LAKE HALLIE Judy Schneider lost her 32-year-old daughter, Sara Jo Schneider, and her 10-year-old granddaughter, Haylee Hickle, four years ago Thursday. Sara Jo and Haylee, along with fellow Girl Scouts Jayna Kelley and Autumn Helgeson, were killed when a pickup truck crashed into them as the Scouts cleaned up debris on the west side of Highway P at about 11 a.m. Nov. 3, 2018. All four were killed at the scene. A fifth girl was injured but later recovered. The girls attended Southview Elementary and Halmstad Elementary in Chippewa Falls. Judy Schneider lost more than her daughter and granddaughter that day. Sara Jo and her two children lived with Judy in the town of Lafayette. After their deaths, Haylees brother, Jasper, moved to Illinois to live with his father, leaving Judy alone. Judy Schneider said she had never been to the crash scene before Wednesday. This is my first time Ive physically been on this property, she said softly as she wiped tears away. I havent driven down this road. On Wednesday, a 20-foot-tall memorial was dedicated at the crash site, honoring the three Scouts and mother killed that day. More than 100 people gathered for the dedication ceremony, sharing tears and hugs, and placing flowers at the base. The memorial, in the shape of a cross with angel wings behind it, displays the names of the four people who died. Sara Jo and Haylees names are together. Its beautiful, Judy Schneider said as she looked up at the large cross-shaped memorial. Everyone had a hand in it. Its a great symbol of how we came together. Four years ago, when all this happened, you just didnt fathom youd be able to have something like this to visit. Its just another way of recognizing they are never forgotten. Jasper, now age 10, comes back to Chippewa Falls about once a month. When he returns around Thanksgiving, Judy said shell bring him to the memorial. Its still like yesterday, Judy Schneider said of thinking about the crash. Its still raw. It shakes you back to that day. A jaw-dropping memorial Brian Kelley, who lost his daughter Jayna that day, said he started thinking of ideas for the memorial three years ago. His wife, Robin, sketched a drawing, and the finished memorial looks nearly identical to her initial ideas. Kelley contacted Bill Huber, who operates the Bureau of Correctional Enterprises, a metal fabrication shop located inside the Stanley Correctional Institution. Brian had sent me a hand sketch, Huber said. I had some designers in the shop take it from paper to computer. The inmates then designed and cut the aluminum memorial. Once the production started, it was three to four weeks before it was completed, Huber said. Everyone in the shop was very proud to be part of this. We wanted to do it big and loud, so the girls and mother could be remembered. Brian Kelley picked it up last week. Our jaws dropped when we saw it the first time, Kelley said. It was so big. This was never in our wildest dreams, [that] it could be at this scale. At 20 feet tall and 10 feet wide, the memorial weighs more than 1,000 pounds. Chippewa Valley Excavating dug the hole on Thursday and A+ Decorative Concrete poured the footing on Friday. The property, located just south of Highway 29, is owned by GFL Environmental. They donated a big enough easement so we could have this here forever, Kelley said. Kelley didnt want to estimate the total cost of the memorial, largely because so many people donated time and materials. He said donations fell into place for the memorial to be placed in time for the anniversary. With a wide open field behind it, Kelley told the crowd that a gorgeous sunset will light up the angel wings of the memorial. We just wanted to thank everyone making this a reality, Kelley told the crowd during the dedication ceremony. Thats what its about, is remembering our girls. This is where they were happy for the last time. Thats what this is for. Hopefully, think of the girls when you drive by here. Crash horrified community Colten Treu, 25, and John Stender, 25, had purchased a can of Dust-off keyboard cleaner at the Lake Hallie Walmart on Nov. 3, 2018. On the drive back to the home they shared on the south side of Chippewa Falls, they took turns huffing from the canister. At about 11:20 a.m., Treu the driver veered off Highway P and into the group of Girl Scouts cleaning up trash alongside the road. Treus vehicle struck and killed four people. Treu drove away from the scene, and he hid the vehicle in a garage. Later that day, both men turned themselves in to authorities. A test from the Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene didnt detect any chemicals or drugs in Treus blood sample. However, because Treu didnt stay at the scene, a blood draw couldnt be immediately taken. The blood draw was finally taken after 7 p.m. Treu pleaded no contest to four counts of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle and one count of hit and run, causing great bodily harm, and was sentenced in March 2020 to serve 54 years in prison. Stender was sentenced in September 2021 to serve three years of prison. However, Stender was released in August, after serving about 11 months of his sentence. Treu has filed an appeal to have his plea withdrawn. However, the Wisconsin 3rd District Court of Appeals rejected that request. He is currently incarcerated at Dodge Correctional Institution in Waupun. At the March 2020 sentencing, Chippewa County District Attorney Wade Newell requested a 90-year prison sentence, while Treus attorneys sought a 22-year sentence along with 63 years of extended supervision. Shoe designer Salvatore Ferragamo in Luca Guadagninos documentary Salvatore: Shoemaker Of Dreams. Through several beautifully costumed moviesincluding A Bigger Splash and I Am LoveLuca Guadagnino has always been a filmmaker of lusciously chic images. So it was about time that he signed his name under an expressly fashion-focused film. With his documentary Salvatore: Shoemaker Of Dreams, the Italian director does exactly that, delivering an opulent portrayal of the renowned titular icon who created the legendary Italian fashion label Salvatore Ferragamo alongside the burgeoning Hollywood of the early 20th Century. Compared to something like Frederic Tchengs Dior And I, a masterful, gold-standard fashion documentary that imaginatively braids the House of Diors storied past with its present and future, Guadagninos Salvatore takes a rather standard structural approach in charting the path of Ferragamos legacy, telling a young immigrants rags-to-riches story chronologically, for the most part. But to Guadagninos credit, that proves to be exactly the right approach for the awe-inspiring by-the-bootstraps tale he wants to tell, one thats gloriously haunted by the ghosts of Hollywood past, supported and elevated by Ferragamos unparalleled craftsmanship. In that regard, Ferragamos life story already possesses a deeply fascinating cinematic texture and quality, invalidating all superfluous narrative embellishments Guadagnino might have introduced elsewhere. Read more Sometimes through Ferragamos own narrationits a treat to hear his voice during these rare momentsbut mostly via passages cozily read by repeat Guadagnino collaborator Michael Stuhlbarg, the saga of Salvatore begins from his childhood in Bonito, Italy, when he was a poor boy mesmerized by the craft of cobblery. He was an apprentice here, and a novice yet skilled shoemaker there, before he was even a teen, learning and fine-tuning the technique of durable footwear as a child laborer, unprotected by the eras laws. Everything changed for the young Salvatore when he immigrated to America in 1915 at the age of 16 after convincing his family that shoemaking was his callingit probably helped that he designed his sisters first communion shoes, which became a hit within his community when he was only about 12. Story continues Adapting Ferragamos 1955 memoir, fashion journalist Dana Thomas aptly selects the most novelistic segments of the book, giving the viewer a nostalgic snapshot of a young Italian immigrant with big dreams. In that spirit, we learn that Ferragamo wrapped crumpled pieces of paper inside a dollar bill in order to look sufficiently funded during his third-class journey to America, and wore a gabardine coat with a fur collar to avoid looking too Provencal while entering the country through Ellis Island. Afterward, Thomas and Guadagnino take us on another journey, this time, a cross-country one Salvatore took from Boston to the warm shores of the West Coast, after realizing that the East Coasts harshness of style in clothing and architecture didnt really mesh with his sensibilities. In Californianamely, Santa Barbara where the heart of the film industry used to beatthe young shoemaker found his groove, quickly proving indispensable to the American Film Company and the Silent Era with footwear he designed for everyone, including Gloria Swanson, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Rudolph Valentino, and Lillian Gish, many of whom he befriended. There is so much material to gush over in these segments for both fashion enthusiasts and cinephiles alike, from the iconic curled-toe shoes of The Thief Of Bagdad and recordings of Cecil B. DeMille and Charlie Chaplin, to various talking-head interviews with a dizzying parade of high-profile names such as Martin Scorsese, Manolo Blahnik, and Christian Louboutin. Many of the other interviewees consist of Ferragamos descendants and living relatives, nicely complementing his professional legacy (articulated in the film by various film critics and fashion industry moguls) with personal anecdotes both meaningful and intimate. There is similarly a wealth of archival footage throughout the movie that anyone mesmerized by the history of Hollywoodboth the industry and the Los Angeles neighborhood nested under the shadow of the iconic real estate signwill find breathtaking. SALVATORE: Shoemaker of Dreams | Official Trailer (2022) While this is a conventionally crowded canvas, Guagadnino and editor Walter Fasano leanly snap together all the pieces as neatly as a Ferragamo shoe, showing us on occasion the making of a pair of the designers most famous footwear styles. The most significant sequences in that regard show the assemblage of a sparkly red pump that feels very much like an update of Dorothys ruby The Wizard Of Oz slippers, as well as a colorful wedge sandal that gives the impression of an artistic layered cake. While Salvatore doesnt expand on Ferragamos venture into other avenues of fashion, or offer critical observations on todays luxury goods commerce (unlike 2019s Halston, another Frederic Tcheng-directed fashion documentary), it still supplies a complete portrait of an artist so scientifically minded that he took various college-level courses on human anatomy in order to understand the wonders of the foot. Capped off with a Busby Berkeley-style musical number consisting of circles of shoes doing a synchronized dance, Guadagninos documentary is very much like walking through an immersive and interactive museum designed to make one feel nostalgic for a bygone era of art and craft. Its magical stuff. More from The A.V. Club Sign up for The A.V. Club's Newsletter. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. A lot of people are vying to represent you on city councils, county boards, school boards and in other elected positions around St. Cloud this year. On Tuesday, Nov. 8, you'll have the chance to cast your vote. Learn what's on your ballot, how to register to vote and where your polling place is online at sos.state.mn.us/elections-voting/. Here's a look at who is running for office in the St. Cloud area, along with links to profiles and stories from the Times about the candidates. More:How to register and vote in Minnesota's 2022 election More:A guide to voter rights in Minnesota. What you need to know before you cast a ballot More:Amid false claims of election fraud, Stearns County officials combat misinformation St. Cloud City Council candidates Incumbent Dave Masters is running unopposed for Ward 1, Sandra Brakstad and Karen Larson are running for Ward 2, Jake Anderson and incumbent Paul Brandmire are running for Ward 3 and incumbent Mike Conway and Hassan Yussuf are running for Ward 4. All city council positions are nonpartisan. The Ward 2 city council seat is currently held by Steve Laraway, who announced in May he would not seek reelection. Read more about the candidates' positions on important community issues and what they said at a forum hosted by the St. Cloud League of Women Voters in September online. More:Meet the St. Cloud City Council candidates St. Cloud school board candidates Six candidates are running for three nonpartisan seats on the St. Cloud school board. They include incumbents Zachary Dorholt and Natalie Ringsmuth, and newcomers Mike Bueckers, Theresa Carlstedt, Nicole Rierson and Heather Weems. Two seats are held by incumbents Dorholt and Ringsmuth. Current board member Les Green is retiring and not seeking reelection. Read more about the candidates' positions on important community issues and what they said at a forum hosted by the St. Cloud League of Women Voters in October online. Sartell City Council candidates Three candidates are running for two nonpartisan at-large seats on the Sartell City Council. They include incumbent Tim Elness, Brad Gunderson and Jed Meyer. Stacy Lundeen told the St. Cloud Times in October she has withdrawn from the election. Story continues Mayor Ryan Fitzthum is running unopposed. Read more about the candidates' positions on important community issues and what they said at a forum hosted by the St. Cloud League of Women Voters in October online. More:Growth, spending main focus of Sartell City Council candidates Sartell-St. Stephen school board candidates Nine candidates are running for three nonpartisan school board seats in the Sartell-St. Stephen School District. The candidates are Amanda Byrd, Nate Crowe, Ryan K. Dale, Katie Hilger, Emily Larson, Kris Lawrence, Molly McCann, Jen Smith and Scott Wenshau. While Byrd is seeking re-election, current board members, Patrick Marushin and Jeremy Snoberger, are not. Read more about the candidates' positions on important community issues online. More:Meet the Sartell-St. Stephen school board candidates Sauk Rapids City Council candidates Kyle Boron, incumbent Jason Ellering, Clinton Holmgren and incumbent Ellen Thronson are running for two nonpartisan Sauk Rapids City Council seats. Read more about the candidates' positions on important community issues online. More:Meet the Sauk Rapids City Council candidates running in the 2022 election Signs direct voters to the correct precinct location and remind them of COVID-19 procedures in place Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, at the Sauk Rapids Government Center. Sauk Rapids-Rice school board candidates Six people are running for three nonpartisan school board seats for the Sauk Rapids-Rice School District. The candidates are Lisa J. Braun, Warren Christie, Robyn L. Holthaus, Dan Johnson, Lisa Loidolt and Annie Newville. Braun, Holthaus and Loidolt are incumbents. Read more about the candidates' positions on important community issues online. More:Meet the Sauk Rapids-Rice school board candidates Waite Park candidates Mayor Rick Miller is running unopposed. Shawn Blackburn and incumbent Frank Theisen are running for two nonpartisan open city council seats. Stickers are ready to be handed out during the Minnesota presidential primary election Tuesday, March 3, 2020, in St. Cloud. St. Joseph candidates Former councilmember Kelly Beniek and incumbent Rick Schultz are running for mayor. Incumbent Jon Hazen, incumbent Kevin Kluesner and Adam Scepaniak are running for two open city council seats. All positions are nonpartisan. Read more about the candidates' positions on important community issues online. More:Meet the 2022 St. Joseph mayor and city council candidates St. Augusta candidates Mayor Mike Zenzen is running for reelection unopposed. Incumbents Justin Backes and Brent Genereux are running for reelection and Marlin Hommerding and Mark Skaalerud are challenging them for two nonpartisan council seats. Read more about the candidates' positions on important community issues online. More:Meet the candidates running for St. Augusta City Council Voters cast their ballots Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, at Westwood Community Church in St. Cloud. Stearns County board candidates Incumbents Tarryl Clark and Joe Perske are running unopposed for District 1 and 2. Barry Belknap and Jeff Bertram are running for District 3, Lana Feddema and incumbent Leigh Lenzmeier are running for District 4 and incumbent Steven Notch is running unopposed for District 5. All positions are nonpartisan. Read more about the candidates' positions on important community issues online. More:Meet the Stearns County Board candidates running for office in 2022 Benton County board candidates In the Benton County Commissioner race incumbent Ed Popp is running unopposed in District 2 and incumbent Steve Heinen is running unopposed in District 3. Sean Gitch and Christine Scherbing are running for the Benton County auditor-treasurer position after getting the most votes in the Primary Election. Benton County settled a lawsuit with the current Auditor-Treasurer Nadean Inman in August over allegations she did not live in the county, as required by law. Read more about the Auditor-Treasurer candidates' positions on important community issues online. More:Meet the Benton County Auditor-Treasurer candidates A sign directs voters to the St. Cloud City Hall polling place for primary elections Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, along Seventh Street South in St. Cloud. Sherburne County board candidates Gary Gray and Jerome "Lefty" Kleis are running for the nonpartisan Sherburne County District 4 Commissioner seat. Felix Schmiesing announced his plans to retire in April after 27 years in office. Read more about the candidates' positions on important community issues online. More:Who is running for Sherburne County commissioner in St. Cloud? State Senator District 14 Incumbent Aric Putnam, DFL-St. Cloud, and Tama Theis, R-St. Cloud, are running for the Minnesota State Senate District 14 seat. Theis currently serves as the State Representative for District 14A. Read more about what District 14 candidates said at a forum hosted by the St. Cloud League of Women Voters in October online. More:Community, education focus of Minnesota State Senate District 14 candidates State Representative District 14A Bernie Perryman, R-St. Augusta, and Tami Calhoun, DFL-St. Cloud, are running for State Representative District 14A. Read more about what District 14 candidates said at a forum hosted by the St. Cloud League of Women Voters in October online. State Representative District 14B Incumbent Dan Wolgamott, DFL-St. Cloud, and Aaron Henning, R-St. Cloud, are running for State Representative District 14B. Read more about what District 14 candidates said at a forum hosted by the St. Cloud League of Women Voters in October online. More:Central Minnesota's District 13 makes history with 1st all-woman party ticket in St. Cloud area State Senator District 13 Incumbent Jeff Howe, R-St. Cloud, and Alissa Brickman, DFL-Sauk Rapids, are running for the Minnesota State Senate District 13 seat. Read more about what District 13 candidates said at a forum hosted by the St. Cloud League of Women Voters in October online. More:Here's where District 13 House and Senate candidates stand on issues this election State Representative District 13A Incumbent Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, and Andrea Robinson, DFL-Cold Spring, are running for the State Representative District 13A seat. Read more about what District 13 candidates said at a forum hosted by the St. Cloud League of Women Voters in October online. State Representative District 13B Incumbent Tim O'Driscoll, R-Sartell, and Melissa Bromenschenkel, DFL-Sartell, are running for the State Representative District 13B seat. Read more about what District 13 candidates said at a forum hosted by the St. Cloud League of Women Voters in October online. Becca Most is a cities reporter with the St. Cloud Times. Reach her at 320-241-8213 or bmost@stcloudtimes.com. Follow her on Twitter at @becca_most. Support local journalism. Subscribe to sctimes.com today. This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: Who are the St. Cloud-area candidates running in the 2022 election? If you're a "Swiftie," you'll need to travel outside Kentucky to catch Taylor Swift's upcoming "The Eras Tour." Fresh off a highly anticipated album release and becoming the first artist in history to occupy all top 10 spots on Billboard's Hot 100 chart, the multi-Grammy Award winner has announced her upcoming U.S. stadium tour will kick off in March 2023 in Glendale, Arizona. "Im enchanted to announce my next tour: Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour, a journey through the musical eras of my career (past and present!)," Swift wrote on social media with the announcement. "The first leg of the tour will be in stadiums across the US, with international dates to be announced as soon as we can!" Scrolling through the lineup, Swift will be skipping Louisville and Lexington on this tour, and Indianapolis will also be missing out. Taylor Swift concert: Taylor Swift put on a show to remember at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium There are a multitude of factors why an artist may bypass a city, and we won't bog you down with all those reasons. Perhaps Swift's management looked back at the artist's last stop in Louisville and wasn't pleased the show didn't sell out? Im enchanted to announce my next tour: Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour, a journey through the musical eras of my career (past & present!) The first leg of the tour will be in stadiums across the US, with international dates to be announced as soon as we can!https://t.co/KFuqvrhSGo pic.twitter.com/eVyTcuW8sK Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) November 1, 2022 According to a 2018 review of Swift's "Reputation Tour" by former Courier Journal music writer Jeffrey Lee Puckett, "Papa John's Cardinal Stadium was wall-to-wall Swifties Saturday night, not sold out but close. So let's say around 50,000 fans, which is a ridiculous number, and they lost their collective minds over a show that was both incredibly huge and weirdly intimate." Story continues So, who is down for a road trip? Swift's closest concert to Louisville will take place at Cincinnati's Paycor Stadium on Saturday, July 1, 2023. She's also performing at Nissan Stadium in Nashville on Saturday, May 6, 2023. (But any good Kentuckian knows that's the Kentucky Derby!). The Midwestern portion of Swift's 2023 tour also includes two Chicago shows (June 2-3), a Detroit stop (June 10), Minneapolis (June 24), and Kansas City (July 8). Maybe Louisville will be included next time! If you want to get tickets, you'll need to act soon. Pre-sale begins at 10 a.m., Tuesday, Nov. 15. at Ticketmaster.com. Reach Features reporter Kirby Adams at kadams@courier-journal.com This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Where to get Taylor Swift concert tickets as Eras Tour hops Louisville ken-paxton-lawsuit.jpg 2021 CPAC Conference Features Donald Trump And Conservative Luminaries - Credit: Brandon Bell/Getty Images Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has been targeting poll workers with accusations of election crimes and misconduct, according to an investigation released by ProPublica on Wednesday. Paxton, who is currently running for reelection against Democrat Rochelle Garza, has been granted a broad mandate by GOP legislators in Texas to investigate allegations of electoral misconduct, and has fought for more unilateral authority in pursuing criminal charges. More from Rolling Stone According to the report, Paxtons office opened at least 390 cases into allegations of electoral crimes between Jan. 2020 and Sept. 2022, securing only five convictions during that time period. At least 10 of the cases investigated by Paxtons office relate to accusations against poll workers, some of whom tell ProPublica they were blindsided by the claims against them. The state of Texas has some of the most expansive laws in the country regarding penalties for obstructing a poll watcher, or impeding an individual observing the electoral process from seeing or moving about the polling place. The offense can be punished by up to a year in jail. According to the report at least three of the people investigated by Paxton were top election officials in their counties. In one case, the attorney general attempted to prosecute Travis County election official Dana DeBeauvoir, alleging that she had obstructed a poll worker in the course of their duties. DeBeauvoir told ProPublica that the charges came after a volunteer working under DeBeauvoir had a woman who was photographing the ballot count and recording proceedings a violation of the rules removed from the polling place. A grand jury declined to indict DeBeauvoir, and the case against the woman removed from the polling place remains pending. Story continues Following the slew of conspiracies regarding allegations of election fraud in the aftermath of the 2020 election, and the targeting of election workers caught in the crosshairs, many states have been struggling to find volunteers to help run elections while hemorrhaging election officials who say the threats and intimidation are not worth the job. Texas is no different. Paxtons position overseeing these cases as both a candidate and attorney general is concerning. Paxton is an avid supporter of former President Donald Trump, opposed the certification of Joe Biden as president on Jan. 6, and even filed a lawsuit challenging the results of the 2020 election, which was ultimately struck down by the Supreme Court. In the aftermath of the election, Paxton made combating fraud a top priority, but according to a report from The Houston Chronicle his office spent more that 22,000 staff hours on voter fraud cases in 2020, yet resolved only 16 minor cases, none of which resulted in jail time. Despite the lack of evidence of systemic fraud in the state, Paxton has already laid the groundwork to pursue similar tactics in next weeks midterms. His office has established an Election Integrity Team, which includes a tip line for information about alleged violations of the Texas Election Code. Paxton has also dispatched a team of election monitors to Harris County, which remains under audit regarding unfounded allegations of widespread fraud in the 2020 election. With major candidates, and even the former president, teasing that they will not accept an election result that isnt a win, the wielding of the attorney generals office as a cudgel to intimidate poll workers adds another level to the challenges faced in maintaining confidence in the electoral process. Best of Rolling Stone Click here to read the full article. Rapper and entrepreneur Kanye West has experienced several thefts from his 2020 presidential campaign account. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images Ye's 2020 presidential campaign account still has lots of money in it. And thieves keep stealing money from the fund. West, who has made repeated anti-Semitic statements, is considering a 2024 presidential run. Add another problem to Kanye West's litany of troubles: thieves keep stealing money from his old 2020 presidential campaign committee. An Insider review of federal campaign finance records indicates that "unknown" persons took several thousand dollars from his still-active Kanye 2020 account: $1,474 on December 9, 2021; $1,280 on February 8, and $1,245 on February 22. In an unsigned letter to the Federal Election Commission, West's campaign acknowledged that it experienced an "external fraud situation." "After investigating, it was determined that an individual not connected with the campaign accessed a campaign account to pay his own credit card," West's campaign wrote on May 23, noting that it reported the charges to its bank, the First Bank of Wyoming. "A stop-pay was put in place to protect against future unauthorized charges," West's campaign continued. "The bank was unable to reverse the transactions at issue due to the way they were presented for payment" via the Automated Clearing House network, an electronic fund transfer system. A letter from Kanye West's 2020 presidential campaign committee to the Federal Election Commission. Federal Election Commission Separately, West's campaign reported a "fraudulent charge" of $233.98 on July 17 related to a campaign committee payment to Verizon. A representative for West's campaign committee could not immediately be reached for comment. A campaign finance disclosure from Kanye West's 2020 presidential campaign to the Federal Election Commission. Federal Election Commission Scandal and talks of 2024 West's 2020 presidential campaign committee technically remains open and active because it has yet to spend down its remaining cash surplus $371,150 as of September 30, according to federal records. Legally, the Kanye 2020 committee could transfer the leftover money to other political committees, donate it to charity, disgorge it to the US Treasury, or, as it has so far, just sit on it for future considerations, such as another run for public office. Story continues West is hardly alone in experiencing theft from his presidential campaign account: Dozens of other federal political committees including President Joe Biden's 2020 presidential campaign and the Republican National Committee have lost money at the hands of thieves and embezzlers, an Insider investigation last year revealed. Poor financial controls and lax security measures often contributed to political committees losing money. Now known as Ye, West's 2020 presidential campaign was a decidedly quixotic effort that gained far more attention than it ever did votes. In the end, West only appeared on the ballot in a handful of states and won about 60,000 votes nationwide a tiny fraction of the more than 81.2 million Joe Biden earned to win the presidency. But as part of his campaign, West revealed never-before-published details about his personal finances and private life, including information suggesting trouble in his then-marriage to Kim Kardashian West. (Months later, Kardashian West would file for divorce.) Since then, West whose legal name is now Ye has been embroiled in scandal as he openly flirts with a 2024 presidential run. In recent weeks, he's threatened to go "death con 3 on Jewish people" and wore a "White Lives Matter" shirt at a Paris fashion show. NBC reported that West paid a settlement to a former employee who accused West of using anti-Semitic language and lauding Adolph Hitler. Companies that previously associated with the rapper and entrepreneur have abandoned him. Most notable: Adidas, the German sportswear giant, which dropped West's Yeezy line of footwear and other products. The situation has cost West gobs of money. Forbes last week dropped West from its list of billionaires, writing that "caps a stunning, self-induced downfall for one of the brashest and most volatile personalities to have graced Forbes' pages." While saying that West's comments about Jews were "rough," former President Donald Trump has stood by Ye and praised him for saying "all those great things about me". Read the original article on Business Insider Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/Getty This is the latest for our destination dining guide, Eat Sheet. For more on how we do these a bit differently, head here first. People dont come to Belgrade to eat. Mostly European tourists flock here to dive into the Serbian capitals roaring Berlin-esque nightlife scene where thumping clubs are fashioned out of old factories, on boats docked along the Sava River, and even in erstwhile silos. That said, you have to eat. And the restaurant scene in Belgrade is getting better every year. There is everything from flavorful stomach-filling street food that will help prolong a night of boozing in the citys great cocktail bars to gastropubs to elegant eateries serving up creative and elevated takes on Serbias heavy meat-centric fare. MAKE IT QUICK Mesozder If youre yearning for a sandwich in Belgrade, point yourself to Mesozder. Located in Sava Mala, Mesozder is a casual/fast food joint making American-style over-stuffed sandwiches, including an excellent pulled pork sandwich and a version of the chopped cheese, the melted-cheese-and-ground-beef bodega sandwich that originated in east Harlem. SEE AND BE SEEN Dorcoleta Courtesy of Ivana Larrosa Dorcoleta, located in an erstwhile industrial zone that has slowly seen hip clubs and restaurants begin appearing in the last five or so years, may not be for everyone: come before seven or eight in the evening, and youll be treated to above-average pan-Asian fare. Come any time after that, especially on Friday and Saturday nights, and a DJ is spinning pop music, much to the delight of the dancing 6-foot-tall cosmetically enhanced Serbian women and the usually seated wealthy men who love them. The cocktails, created by veteran mixologist, Dejan Tomke Tomovic, are fantastic. HOLD THE MEAT Rai Urban Vege In a city where meat is the master of the palate and stomach, a good plant-based restaurant seems like it would be hard to find. In fact, there are a handful of good veg-forward spots scattered around the city. One of the best is Rai Urban Vege. That is, if you can find it. Located a few steps from Kalemegdan Park and the Belgrade Zoo, you have to navigate an unmarked passageway, descend some stairs, cross a tree-shaded courtyard and there you will find a menu of magnificent meatless pad Thai, enchiladas, curry bowls, and soups. And just to remind you that youre still in Serbia, Rai has potent rakia, gin, and beer on the menu too. Story continues IF IT AIN'T BROKE Znak Pitanja According to lore, this ancient restaurant originally wanted to name itself after the church across the streetthe oldest church in the city. But after a protracted battle, the restaurant conceded and, unsure what to call itself, the owner wrote a temporary question mark on the door. It stuck. And so today, Znak Pitanja, the Serbian word for ?, is not just an ancient temple to Serbian gastronomy and a tourist and local haunt, but a good one at that. If the leafy and atmospheric back courtyard is open, cozy up to a table and feast on rich beef goulash or a karadjordjeva, a 10-inch breaded pipe-shaped piece of kajmak-cheese-stuffed pork, nicknamed by local Serbs as a young ladys dream, most likely because of the size and the shape of it. MUNCHIES Burger The burger has hit the Serbian capital in a big, all-beef-patty way. The city center is littered with burger spots, but Burger, pronounced Zh Burger, is one of the best. After all, it took the top prize at this years Belgrade Burger Festival for its mozzarella-and-pesto-topped masterpiece. If thats too rich, the double-patty bacon cheeseburger is also excellent and will either ease a hangover on Sunday morning or provide fuel for more imbibing on Saturday night. Its located in the Cetinska complex, an erstwhile brewery thats been turned into a magnet for bars and restaurants in central Belgrade. START ME UP Bloom Courtesy of Ivana Larrosa Located in the hip, leafy Dorcol neighborhood, Bloom is a bustling, bright and airy bi-level all-day breakfast and brunch spot that serves up excellent egg dishes, avocado toast, and acai bowls as well as salads, soups, and cold-pressed juicesmuch needed restorative ingredients in this meat-and-booze-centric city. Expect to wait a bit, particularly on weekends. THE HOT SPOT Iva: New Balkan Cuisine Iva: New Balkan Cuisine may have first fired up its burners in 2019 but it was only after Michelin published its guide to restaurants in Belgrade in late 2021 when everyone was clamoring for a seat at this spot in Dorcol. Thats because it was the only restaurant awarded a Bib Gourmand, the highest rated restaurant of the handful of places Michelin set its gaze upon in Belgrade. Chef-owner Vanja Puskar is the toque who is trying to push the boundaries of Balkan fare with well-executed dishes like lamb that falls apart at the touch of a fork and unctuous oxtail gnocchi in a bone marrow reduction. UNDER THE RADAR Endorfin Courtesy of Ivana Larrosa Endorfin shouldnt be an off-the-radar restaurant and bar: Talented chef Uros Zivkovic, late of ultra-upscale spot Langouste and a long-time resident of Trieste, Italy, is the man in the kitchen cooking up Balkan, Italian, and Gallic-inspired fare, including lamb tartare cradled in a burek crust like a taco, ultra-tender duck a lorange, and homemade gnocchi doused in a rich rabbit ragu. Owner Milos Vuksic, a veteran of the New York City bar and restaurant scene, has created the excellent cocktail program. The wine list is loaded with Serbian natural wines and the restaurant regularly puts on weekly prix-fixe multi-course dinners paired with local wines. DOLLAR STRETCHER Kod Dragana The tipsy old man sitting in the corner is Dragan and he doesnt want to be bothered. Which is fine, because youre at Kod DraganaAt Dragans Placeto tuck into very affordable, big-portioned Serbian staples in the Stari Merkator section of Novi Beograd, or New Belgrade, across the Sava River from Old Town. The rakia, the potent, stomach-melting fruit brandy that is ubiquitous in the Balkans, is likely of the moonshine variety and the beer is cheap. Fill your stomach with things like sarma, meat-stuffed cabbage; cevapi, veal sausages, and roasted pork. Vegetables hardly exist here. ONE FOR THE FEED Located in the hip Vracar neighborhood, Pietra serves up some of the best pizza this side of Naples. The pizzaiolo is a Serb who worked in Naples for years and now hes crafting incredible pizzas for local Belgradians and homesick Italians. The pizzas, topped with tangy, bright red San Marzano tomatoes and gooey mozzarella di bufala, may pop on Instagram, garnering ample amounts of approval among your followers, but its your palate that will give you a big fat like for coming here. Even better, the cocktail program here is stellarthe drinks get just as much effort and attention as the pizza at Pietra. ON THE STREET Buregdzinica Nasa Prica Belgrade has a few different street food staplesnamely, Pljeskavica, a bun-less, well-done beef-and-lamb hamburger patty, and cevapi, finger-sized minced meat sausages that can be excellent, especially when wading in soft, butter-like kajmak cheese. Superior versions of both can be found at sit-down restaurants around town. But the one street food visitors should seek out is burek, a meat-and-cheese-stuffed pastry found mostly at bakeries around town that came to the Balkans via the Ottoman occupation starting in the 14th century. One of the best is at Buregdzinica Nasa Prica, or Our Story. Your story is this: super flaky, pie-like slices filled with feta and cream cheese and sometimes beef or lamb that are downright addictive. Located in Skadarlija. LOOKS CAN BE DECEIVING Ambar David Farley Set right on the Sava River in the Beton Hala complex among a handful of other trendy restaurants, its easy to dismiss Ambar as a see-and-be-seen spot, a restaurant clad in designer clothes whose main raison detre is to be one of the popular kids on the block. But Ambar, which also has an outpost in Washington, DC, happens to serve up some of the best Serbian fare in the city. Juicy lamb cevapi, the ubiquitous finger-shaped minced sausages, are some of the best youll find in this metropolis of 1.5 million people. Plus, bacon-wrapped, goat-cheese-stuffed prunes, hearty lamb stew, and the red pepper spread ajvar are all excellent here. FANCY SCHMANCY Homa Homa is not the stuffiest, fanciest restaurant in town but it is, by far, the finest fancy restaurant in town. Located in lower Dorcol, Homa serves up takes on Serbian staples that are elevated to the nth degree: slowly braised tender beef tongue in a bone marrow sauce with mustard ice cream, perhaps accidentally has the flavor profile of something you might eat at a Jewish deli in New York. Its also no accident that it tastes delicious. The creative deconstructed scrambled egg burekusually a meat-and-cheese-filled pastryis also worthy of your stomach space. The wine list is big on Serbian natural wines. 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. TrustNordisk has unveiled the trailer for Unruly, the critically acclaimed sophomore outing of Danish director Malou Reymann that played at Toronto and Zurich film festivals. The company has also sold the film to several territories, including Former Yugo (Cinemania Group) and Benelux (September Film). The heart-wrenching drama is set in the 1930s and tells the story of Maren, a rebellious teen who is sent away to an institution, the real-life Sprog Womens Home. While there, she is being trained to behave in a more disciplined way but her refusal to comply with the rules leads to terrible consequences. More from Variety Penned by Reymann and Sara Isabella Jnsson, the film is inspired by events that unfolded at a womens institution in the 1930s. Raymann told Variety that Denmark was actually the first European country to make eugenic-based sterilization laws. The filmmaker added that when Nazi Germany made their laws they looked to the Danish laws. Unruly stars Emilie Kroyer Koppel, Jessica Dinnage, Lene Maria Christensen, Anders Heinrichsen and Danica Curcic. It was produced by Matilda Appelin at Nordisk Film A/S. Heres the trailer: Best of Variety Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. Russian military chiefs in southern Ukraines occupied Kherson are likely to be fleeing, leaving behind ill-equipped and demoralised troops, Western experts say. In Kherson, it is likely that most echelons of command have now withdrawn across the river, leaving demoralised and leaderless men to face Ukrainian assaults. At least some reservists are arriving in theatre without weapons, one official said. It was claimed that while more of Vladimir Putins troops are arriving in the key city, many are mobilised reservists and often woefully equipped and prepared. The officials said the Russians were also running critically short of munitions, including artillery shells, with supplies even being sought from North Korea. Earlier, the UN nuclear watchdog said no sign of undeclared nuclear activity had been found at three sites in Ukraine, despite Russian claims to the contrary. Russia has claimed Ukraine is creating a dirty bomb. The British envoy to Moscow was summoned to a meeting at Russias foreign ministry over accusations that Royal Navy personnel were involved in an alleged Ukrainian drone attack on its Black Sea Fleet. As Deborah Bronnert arrived, she was ambushed by a small crowd holding placards claiming Britain is a terrorist state. Key points Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant disconnected after Russian shelling - officials Russias blackmail on food grain deal has failed, says Zelensky Putin is plunging worlds poorest into further despair, Cleverly to warn Putin U-turn on grain deal as West tells Russia to stop using food as a weapon North Korea supplying Russia with artillery shells, US says Russian military chiefs leaving ill-equipped troops under attack in Kherson 18:13 , Jane Dalton Russian commanders in Kherson are likely to be fleeing and leaving ill-equipped and demoralised troops to face Ukrainian assaults, Western officials say. They said that while more of Vladimir Putins troops were arriving in an apparent attempt to shore up their defensive positions in the key city, many were recently mobilised reservists who were often woefully equipped and prepared. Story continues In Kherson, it is likely that most echelons of command have now withdrawn across the river leaving demoralised and leaderless men to face Ukrainian assaults. At least some reservists are arriving in theatre without weapons, one official said. They added that the Russians were also running critically short of munitions including artillery shells with additional supplies even being sought from North Korea. Putin plunging worlds poorest into despair, says foreign secretary 17:43 , Jane Dalton Top diplomats from the worlds major industrialised democracies have sought to expand on their positions on Russias war in Ukraine among other issues. Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven nations began two days of talks in the historic western German city of Muenster to take stock of the war and keep up economic, military and other support for the country. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Russias actions were a direct attack on the concepts of national sovereignty and territorial integrity that many believe the treaty established. These are the very principles that are being challenged today by Russia, Blinken said. If we let that be challenged with impunity, then the foundations of the international order will start to erode and eventually crumble, and none of us can afford to let that happen. Vladimir Putins actions are plunging the worlds poorest further into despair, putting global food security on the brink and pushing up energy prices, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said. These actions only serve to demonstrate Putins true intentions and further unite the international community against his callous plans. Safety fears as power to Ukrainian nuclear plant cut off 16:50 , Jane Dalton Europes largest nuclear power plant is relying on emergency diesel generators to run its safety systems after external power from the Ukrainian electric grid was again cut off, Ukrainian and UN officials say. Fighting in Ukraine has repeatedly damaged power lines and electrical substations that the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant requires to operate in-house safety systems, forcing operators to turn to backup generators to cool its six reactors until regular power is restored. All six reactors have been shut down. The generators have enough fuel to maintain the plant in southeastern Ukraine for just 15 days, state nuclear power company Energoatom said. The countdown has begun, Energoatom said, noting it had limited possibilities to maintain the ZNPP in a safe mode, raising fears of a potential nuclear disaster. The UNs International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed the switch to backup diesel generators, saying it underlines the extremely precarious nuclear safety and security situation at the facility. The development again demonstrates the plants fragile and vulnerable situation, said Rafael Grossi, the director general of the U.N. nuclear watchdog, adding that relying on diesel generators is clearly not a sustainable way to operate a major nuclear facility. Measures are needed to prevent a nuclear accident at the site. The establishment of a nuclear safety and security protection zone is urgently needed, he said. Russia and Ukraine have traded blame during the war for shelling at and around the plant. Energoatom said Russian shelling knocked out the last two high voltage transmission lines feeding the Zaporizhia plant. Russia gave a different account, blaming Ukraine. Moscow warns of dangerous consequences after UK ambassador summoned 16:12 , Emily Atkinson Moscow said it has delivered a protest to the UK ambassador to Russia after summoning her over its allegation that British specialists had been involved in a Ukrainian drone strike on Russias Black Sea Fleet in Crimea. The UK has called the accusation as false. The demarche stressed that such confrontational actions by the British threatened to escalate the situation and could lead to unpredictable and dangerous consequences, the foreign ministry said in a statement. As Deborah Bronnert arrived at the ministry on Thursday morning, she was ambushed by a small crowd chanting anti-British slogans and holding up placards, which read: Britain is a terrorist state. Moscow and Kyiv exchange 214 captured soldiers, including Azovstal defenders 15:31 , Emily Atkinson Moscow and Kyiv exchanged 214 captured service personnel today in the latest of a series of prisoner swaps. Russias defence ministry said in a statement that Ukraine had released 107 Russian personnel, and that they would be transferred to Moscow for the necessary medical and psychological assistance. Andriy Yermak, the Ukrainian presidents chief of staff, said Russia had released 107 Ukrainian fighters, including 74 who had defended the Azovstal steel works, scene of Ukraines last stand in Mariupol. We managed to exchange seriously injured and bedridden (fighters) from Mariupol, from Azovstal, boys with shrapnel wounds to arms and legs, gunshot wounds to various parts of the body. There are people with amputated limbs and (those) who cant feel part of their face, (others) with infected wounds. Ukraine downs double the number of warplanes Moscow lost in Afghanistan' 14:59 , Emily Atkinson Ukraine has destroyed a more than 270 Russian aircraft over eight months of fighting, according to the countrys commander-in-chief. The sizeable total surpasses the number the Soviet Union lost in its 1979-89 military intervention in Afghanistan, General Valeriy Zaluzhniy said. During the full-scale aggression, (Ukrainian) defenders destroyed (more than) twice as many (Russian) aircraft as the Soviet Union lost during the 10-year war in Afghanistan - 278 (Russian) aircraft in Ukraine against 118 Soviet aircraft in Afghanistan, he wrote on Twitter. This war is the same shame for Russia & will cause its destruction, he wrote. No sign of Ukrainian dirty bomb, says UN nuclear watchdog 14:28 , Emily Atkinson No sign of undeclared nuclear activity has been found by the UN nuclear watchdog at three sites in Ukraine that it inspected. The investigations were launched at Kyivs request in response to Russian allegations that Ukraine was creating a dirty bomb. Our technical and scientific evaluation of the results we have so far did not show any sign of undeclared nuclear activities and materials at these three locations, the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a statement. G7 to work together on winter aid for Ukraine, Germany says 13:57 , Emily Atkinson The G7 commence winter aid programme for Ukraine in the face of Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure that have caused blackouts and cuts to water supply, Germany said. We will not allow lots of people - the elderly, children, teenagers, families - to die from hunger or cold over the upcoming winter months due to the brutal tactics of the Russian president, German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock told reporters. Russian units likely to quit west bank of Dnipro river' 13:15 , Emily Atkinson Russias armed forces are likely to quit the western bank of the Dnipro river, where Moscow has been evacuating citizens in recent weeks, a Russian-installed official in Kherson region has said. Most likely our units, our soldiers, will leave for the left (eastern) bank, Kirill Stremousov, deputy civilian administrator of the Kherson region, said in an interview with Solovyov Live, a pro-Kremlin online media outlet. Russia says worlds five nuclear powers are on brink of armed conflict 12:50 , Emily Atkinson The worlds five big nuclear powers are teetering on the brink of a direct armed conflict, Russia has claimed, warning of catastrophic consequences. Blaming the West for provocation, Moscow ramped up the nuclear rhetoric, pinpointing irresponsible and impudent actions aimed at undermining our national security. The statement by the foreign ministry said avoiding a nuclear clash was the countrys first priority, and that Russia stood by a joint declaration with the US, China, Britain and France in January affirming their joint responsibility for avoiding a nuclear war. Jane Dalton reports: Russia claims worlds nuclear powers are on brink of armed conflict Russian missiles hit energy infrastructure in two Ukrainian regions' 12:25 , Emily Atkinson Russian missile attacks hit energy infrastructure in the Ukrainian regions of Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk late on Wednesday, further complicating the work of the energy system, Ukraines grid operator Ukrenergohas said. The regions of Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk are both Ukrainian steelmaking hubs. Russian strikes have damaged 40 per cent of Ukraines energy infrastructure, president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said. UK ambassador heckled by crowd of anti-Britain protestors as she is summoned to Russian foreign ministry 12:00 , Emily Atkinson The British envoy to Russia has attended a meeting at Russias foreign ministry after it summoned her on the accusation that Royal Navy personnel were involved in an alleged Ukrainian drone attack on its Black Sea Fleet. Russian special services claim that the attack on its fleet in Sevastopol, Crimea an area annexed by Vladimir Putin in 2014 was carried out by Ukraine, under the guidance and leadership British naval specialists. Moscow alleges that the 29 October drone attack damaged its sea minesweeper Ivan Golubets and a bonnet barrier in Yuzhnaya Bay. Read our full report here: UK ambassador arrives at Russian foreign ministry heckled by anti-Britain protesters Russia and Ukraine to free 214 captured fighters on Thursday' 11:24 , Emily Atkinson Moscow and Kyiv will each hand over 107 captured fighters on Thursday, according to a Russian-installed official. Details of this latest prisoner exchange was posted to Telegram by Denis Pushilin, adminstrator of Russian-controlled parts of Ukraines Donetsk region. Russian delegation resumes work at grain deal centre' 10:56 , Emily Atkinson A Russian delegation has resumed work at the Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) that runs the Black Sea grain deal operations in Istanbul and joined vessel inspections on Thursday, according to the UN. Reuters adds: It said the queue for inspections has been significantly reduced, with there currently being over 120 ships waiting to move, mainly those planning an inbound voyage. Russia temporarily suspended participation in the U.N.-brokered initiative on Saturday after what it said was a major drone attack on its vessels and it resumed participation in the deal on Wednesday. Watch: Russian conscripts protest over pay at military base in Ulyanovsk 10:28 , Emily Atkinson Moscow claims it prevented Ukrainian terrorist attack on Zaporizhzhia plant 10:04 , Emily Atkinson A senior Russian official has alleged that Moscow had prevented a Ukrainian attack on the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine. Ukraine says Russia has repeatedly shelled the plant, despite Russias claims to the contrary. Both sides deny the others accusations. Ukrainian forces continue to shell the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant with Western weapons which could lead to a global catastrophe, Russian security council secretary Nikolai Patrushev, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, said. Patrushev said that Russian special services had prevented what he said was a terrorist attack on the plant. Repeated shelling of the plant has raised the possibility of a grave accident just 500 km (300 miles) from the site of the worlds worst nuclear accident, the 1986 Chornobyl disaster. Watch: British ambassador summoned to Russian foreign ministry met with anti-UK protesters 09:41 , Emily Atkinson Lavrov calls on UN to ease Russian food exports 09:18 , Emily Atkinson Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said Moscow had called on the United Nations to help fulfill part of the Black Sea grain deal that would ease Russias own food exports. Lavrov was speaking at a news conference in Jordan, one day after Russia said it would resume its participation in the initiative, U-turning on its decision, taken last weekend, to suspend its role in the deal. Britain is a terrorist state, chant Russian protestors as UK ambassador arrives at foreign ministry 08:51 , Emily Atkinson As UK ambassador to Moscow Deborah Bronnert arrived at Russias foreign ministry at 10.30am on Wednesday, she was greeted by a small crowd chanting anti-British slogans and holding up placards, which read: Britain is a terrorist state. (EPA) In pictures: Key infrastructure attacks leave Kyiv with further power and water outages 08:23 , Emily Atkinson (Getty Images) (Getty Images) (Getty Images) Russias Gazprom to ship 42.4 mcm of gas to Europe via Ukraine 07:58 , Emily Atkinson The Russian gas company Gazprom said it would ship 42.4 million cubic metres (mcm) of gas to Europe via Ukraine on Thursday, levels similar to those reported in recent days. UK ambassador arrives at Russian foreign ministry after summoned 07:44 , Emily Atkinson The UK ambassador to Russia has arrived at Moscows foreign ministry, the RIA Novosti news agency reports. Deborah Bronnert was summoned yesterday by the Kremlin to discuss Moscows baseless claims that Britain was involved in a Ukrainian drone strike on Russias Black Sea Fleet in Crimea an area annexed by Vladimir Putin in 2014. Blackouts still shroud Ukraines urban centres 07:33 , Emily Atkinson Those still living and working in Ukraine are still facing widespread blackouts after Russia launched a series of strikes on critical infrastructure across the country. On Tuesday, president Volodymyr Zelensky said that up to 40 per cent of Ukraines energy system had been destroyed by Russian attacks, meaning it had to suspend electricity exports to other European nations. The Independents international correspondent Bel Trew, reporting from Ukraines Donestk region, said: No gas or electricity in Kramatorsk this morning - air raid sirens are wailing. Temperatures are dropping. No gas or electricity in Kramatorsk this morning - air raid sirens are wailing. Temperatures are dropping. Bel Trew (@Beltrew) November 3, 2022 Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant disconnected from grid 07:17 , Emily Atkinson The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has been disconnected from the power grid after Russian shelling damaged the remaining high voltage lines, leaving it with just diesel generators, Ukrainian nuclear firm Energoatom said this morning. The power plant has 15 days worth of fuel to run the generators, Energoatom said. The plants blocks 5 and 6 are being switched into cold state, it said. US says Ukrainian grain will feed the world as it welcomes deal resumption 06:58 , Arpan Rai The US ambassador to Ukraine welcomed the resumption of a grain export deal from the war-hit country, and said that its revival is a move in the right direction for solving a global food crisis. Ukrainian grain will continue to feed the world, thanks to Ukraines determination and the active role of @UN and Turkey. As we discussed with @OlKubrakov, resumption of grain shipments and the renewal of the initiative will help lower prices and get food to those who need it, top envoy Bridget A Brink said today. Ukrainian grain will continue to feed the world, thanks to Ukraines determination and the active role of @UN and Turkey. As we discussed with @Olkubrakov, resumption of grain shipments and the renewal of the initiative will help lower prices and get food to those who need it. pic.twitter.com/nsLZ26RQR8 Ambassador Bridget A. Brink (@USAmbKyiv) November 3, 2022 Putins troops frustrated to serve to in aluminium can combat vehicles, says UK 06:46 , Arpan Rai Russias soldiers currently deployed in its war with Ukraine are likely frustrated because of orders to serve in obsolete infantry combat vehicles, the British defence ministry said today. Russian soldiers serving in Ukraine are likely frustrated that they are forced to serve in old infantry combat vehicles which they describe as aluminium cans, the British MoD said in its latest intelligence update. It added that in mid-October, Russian armoured vehicles losses increased to over 40 a day: roughly equivalent to a battalions worth of equipment as they faced amped up Ukrainian offensives. In recent weeks Russia has likely resorted to acquiring at least 100 additional tanks and infantry fighting vehicles from Belarussian stocks, the ministry said. Armoured units and artillery are central to Russias way of war; the force in Ukraine is now struggling partially due to difficulties in sourcing both artillery ammunition and sufficient serviceable replacement armoured vehicles, the MoD said. Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 03 November 2022 Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/f9ZFM3FBtu #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/O0yDkN0ycJ Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) November 3, 2022 Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant disconnected after Russian shelling - officials 05:56 , Arpan Rai Ukraines Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has been disconnected from power grid after intense Russian shelling, the war-hit countrys state nuclear agency Energoatom said today. The Russian shelling has destroyed the plants last remaining high-voltage power lines, according to officials. Ukraines atomic energy company Energoatom had previously warned that Russias efforts to cut the Zaporizhzhia plant off from the grid risked a catastrophic failure of its cooling systems. Read the story here: Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant cut off from power grid by Russian shelling, says Ukraine Russia says worlds five nuclear powers are on brink of armed conflict 05:14 , Arpan Rai The worlds five big nuclear powers are teetering on the brink of a direct armed conflict, Russia has claimed, warning of catastrophic consequences. Blaming the west for provocation, Moscow ramped up the nuclear rhetoric, pinpointing irresponsible and impudent actions aimed at undermining our national security. The statement by the foreign ministry said avoiding a nuclear clash was the countrys first priority, and that Russia stood by a joint declaration with the US, China, Britain and France in January affirming their joint responsibility for avoiding a nuclear war. Read the full story here: Russia claims worlds nuclear powers are on brink of armed conflict Putin is plunging worlds poorest into further despair, Cleverly to warn 04:13 , Arpan Rai Foreign secretary James Cleverly will urge international allies to bolster resilience against Vladimir Putins weaponisation of energy and food at a meeting of G7 foreign minister in Germany today. Mr Cleverly will warn that the Russian leader is plunging the worlds poorest further into despair. He is set to stress the need to work together in the face of economic insecurity driven by Moscows war on its neighbour. Mr Cleverly will accuse the Russian president of exploiting a scheme to export grain from Ukraine to low-income countries around the globe claiming this shows his willingness to hold the worlds vulnerable hostage, the foreign office said. Read the full story here: Cleverly to warn allies Putin is plunging worlds poorest into further despair Ukraine destroys four Russian ammunitions depots 03:35 , Arpan Rai At least four Russian ammunition depots situated in Ukraines south have been destroyed, the Ukrainian militarys southern unit said today. The Ukrainian salvo of 150 fire missions and an airstrike on Russian positions traced in Ukraines south have destroyed four Russian depots and tanks carrying fuel, the southern command said in an update. Now, Russia now has seven ships in the Black Sea, including one warship and one surface-to-surface missile carrier with eight Kalibr cruise missiles on board, the military unit said. Russias blackmail on food grain deal has failed, says Zelensky 03:25 , Arpan Rai Volodymyr Zelensky said Moscows blackmail has failed and remained fruitless as Vladimir Putin has been forced to take a U-turn and resume the grain exports deal in Europe. Today, we have a significant diplomatic outcome for our country and the whole world the Grain Export Initiative will continue being implemented. Russian blackmail has led nowhere, Mr Zelensky said in his address last night. He added: Once again, everyone saw that there is only one threat to global food security in our region, and that is the Russian Federation, and no one else. The Ukrainian president thanked the UN and secretary general Antonio Guterres for personally responding in a principled and effective way. This entire situation was immediately reflected in the stock exchanges indicators we see some decrease in the price of both wheat and corn. Every time Russian blackmail intensifies, food prices rise. And every time the world does not give in to blackmail, foodstuffs become cheaper, Mr Zelensky said. Mr Zelensky said that the phantom threat of the global food crisis would have not existed had there been no attack from Russia on Ukraine. Because every Russian missile that hits our ports, grain storage facilities, and power plants that power our agricultural production ultimately affects the standard of living of tens of millions of people in many countries. This includes Egypt, Algeria, Somalia, Sudan, Lebanon, Bangladesh, India, China, Indonesia, Vietnam..., he said. 03:14 , Arpan Rai Good morning, welcome to our coverage of the Ukraine war on Thursday, 3 November. Wednesday 2 November 2022 18:31 , Katy Clifton Thanks for following our live updates, we are pausing our coverage for the evening. Pakistan slams baseless claim from Russian senator of helping Ukraine develop nukes Wednesday 2 November 2022 17:30 , Emily Atkinson Pakistan has denounced statements from a Russian senator that accused Islamabad of helping Ukraine develop nuclear bombs, calling them illogical. Pakistans ministry of foreign affairs said on Tuesday that the statements were baseless and sought an explanation from its Russian counterpart. We are surprised by such an unfounded and baseless statement. It is without any rationale, and is entirely inconsistent with the spirit of Pakistan-Russia relations, foreign office spokesperson Asim Iftikhar said in a statement. Shweta Sharma reports: Pakistan slams baseless claim from Russian senator of helping Ukraine develop nukes Watch: Ben Wallace pledges to 'fight for as much money as he can get' to fund defence department Wednesday 2 November 2022 17:00 , Emily Atkinson Putin U-turn on grain deal as West tells Russia to stop using food as a weapon Wednesday 2 November 2022 16:30 , Emily Atkinson Russian president Vladimir Putin has been urged by Western officials stop using food as a weapon after Moscow agreed to rejoin the UN-brokered deal allowing Ukraine grain exports. Russia suspended its involvement in the Black Sea Grain Initiative over the weekend, saying it could not guarantee the safety of civilian ships crossing the Black Sea because of an attack on its fleet there. The Kremlin claimed there was a major drone strike on Russian vessels in the Bay of Sevastopol on the Crimean peninsula an area Mr Putin annexed from Ukraine in 2014 part of which it said had originated from within the grain export corridor. Ukraine has said that was a false pretext. Read our full report here: Putin U-turn on grain deal as West urges Russia to stop using food as a weapon Moscow reserves right to quit grain deal, says Putin Wednesday 2 November 2022 16:00 , Emily Atkinson Vladimir Putin has said Moscow reserved the right to withdraw again from a UN-brokered grain shipment deal that it had returned to but that if it did so, it would not impede grain shipments from Ukraine to Turkey. In televised remarks, Putin said that, in return for rejoining the agreement, Russia had demanded guarantees that Ukraine would not launch attacks from parts of the Black Sea covered by the deal. North Korea supplying Russia with artillery shells, US says Wednesday 2 November 2022 15:34 , Emily Atkinson The US has collected evidence which indicates that North Korea is covertly supplying Russia with a significant number of artillery shells for its war in Ukraine, it has been revealed. White House national security spokesperson John Kirby explained on Wednesday that Pyongyang was attempting to obscure the shipments by funneling them through countries in the Middle East and North Africa. Our indications are that the DPRK is covertly supplying and we are going to monitor to see whether the shipments are received, Kirby said. It is not an insignificant number of shells, but we dont believe they are in such a quantity that the would change the momentum of the war, he said. And its certainly not going to change our calculus ... or with so many of our allies and partners about the kinds of capabilities were going to continue to provide the Ukrainians. Putin weakened by Ukraine war but no leadership change expected anytime soon Wednesday 2 November 2022 15:11 , Emily Atkinson Vladimir Putin has been weakened by the invasion of Ukraine but the world should not expect a leadership change in Moscow anytime soon, Western officials believe. The Russian military has suffered a series of humiliating blows on the battlefield in recent weeks, with the momentum behind Ukraines armed forces heading into the winter. But it comes amid concerns among some in the West Mr Putin may resort to nuclear weapons as hopes of an easy victory remain out of reach. Western officials believe while Mr Putin has been weakened, with reports of a growing unhappiness in relation to the conflict, there is little doubt the war will continue to drag on. Dominic McGrath reports: Putin weakened by Ukraine war but no leadership change expected anytime soon Russia says it is committed to preventing nuclear clash Wednesday 2 November 2022 14:53 , Emily Atkinson Russia has claimed that avoiding a nuclear clash was its first priority, but accused the West of encouraging provocations with weapons of mass destruction. The Russian foreign ministry said it feared the five declared nuclear powers were teetering on the brink of a direct armed conflict. We are strongly convinced that in the current complicated and turbulent situation, caused by irresponsible and impudent actions aimed at undermining our national security, the most immediate task is to avoid any military clash of nuclear powers, the ministry said in a statement. Putin must stop using food as a weapon, says Cleverly Wednesday 2 November 2022 14:12 , Emily Atkinson Foreign secretary James Cleverly has urged Russian president Vladimir Putin to stop using food as a weapon after he froze and later resumed Moscows participation in a UN-brokered deal allowing Ukraine grain exports. Taking to Twitter on Wednesday afternoon, Mr Cleverly added: He has realised he shot himself in the foot by stopping ships from entering Ukrainian ports to load up grain to feed the world. The Grain Initiative must now be extended beyond November without further Russian impediments. Putin must stop using food as a weapon. He has realised he shot himself in the foot by stopping ships from entering Ukrainian ports to load up grain to feed the world. The Grain Initiative must now be extended beyond November without further Russian impediments. James Cleverly (@JamesCleverly) November 2, 2022 Putin calls for Russias weapons to be modernised Wednesday 2 November 2022 13:48 , Emily Atkinson President Vladimir Putin has called for the weapons used by Russias military to be modernised. Weapons must constantly, continuously improve and remain effective. To achieve this, I repeat, it is important to ensure that there is active competition between manufacturers and developers, Putin told a meeting of his co-ordination council. Russia-Ukraine war: What is a dirty bomb? Wednesday 2 November 2022 13:20 , Emily Atkinson Kyiv and western allies have accused Russia of claiming Ukraine plans to use a dirty bomb as a plot to use a threat of a missile laced with nuclear material as a pretext for escalation of the war. Moscows defence minister Sergei Shoigu phoned Western counterparts to tell them his country suspected Kyiv of planning to use a dirty bomb and that the war was trending towards uncontrolled escalation. Ukraine does not possess nuclear weapons, while Russia has said it could protect its territory with its nuclear arsenal. Russia-Ukraine war: What is a dirty bomb? Watch: No water for much of Kyiv amid heavy barrage of Russian missile and drone strikes Wednesday 2 November 2022 12:55 , Emily Atkinson US 'sees no indications Russia to use nuclear weapons Wednesday 2 November 2022 12:30 , Emily Atkinson Washington does not see any signs that Moscow is making preparations to use nuclear weapons, a White House spokesman has said. John Kirby also said that he had no specific comment on a New York Times report about such Russian discussions. Weve been clear from the outset that Russias comments about the potential use of nuclear weapons are deeply concerning, and we take them seriously, Mr Kirby said. We continue to monitor this as best we can, and we see no indications that Russia is making preparations for such use. Russia cant block worlds food, US envoy to UN says Wednesday 2 November 2022 12:05 , Emily Atkinson Russia cannot stand in the way of global food production, Washingtons ambassador to the United Nations said as Moscow announced it would resume participation in a UN-brokered deal allowing Ukraine grain exports. They cant stand in the way of feeding the entire world. US ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told CNN in an interview, adding that she was delighted to hear about Russias return to the agreement, and that Moscow clearly had been convinced they needed to resume participation. UK sanctions four Russian steel and petrochemical tycoons Wednesday 2 November 2022 11:40 , Emily Atkinson Four Russian steel and petrochemical tycoons have been sanctioned by the UK government in relation to the war in Ukraine. Those sanctioned included Alexander Abramov and Alexander Frolov, who the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) described as known associates of oligarch Roman Abramovich, who was himself sanctioned earlier this year. The pair were targeted for their involvement in the extractive, transport and construction sectors, the FCDO said. Today we are sanctioning an additional four oligarchs who rely on Putin for their positions of authority and in turn fund his military machine, foreign secretary James Cleverly said. By targeting these individuals, we are ramping up the economic pressure on Putin and will continue to do so until Ukraine prevails. Watch: Russia summons UK ambassador over Black Sea Fleet drone strike Wednesday 2 November 2022 11:09 , Emily Atkinson Russia to resume participation in UN-brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative' Wednesday 2 November 2022 10:33 , Emily Atkinson Russia will resume its participation in the Black Sea grain deal, state news agency TASS reported, citing the defence ministry. Moscow suspended its involvement in the deal over the weekend, saying it could not guarantee the safety of civilian ships crossing the Black Sea because of an attack on its fleet there. Russia summons UK ambassador over Black Sea Fleet drone strike Wednesday 2 November 2022 10:25 , Emily Atkinson Moscow will summon the UK ambassador to Russia Deborah Bronnert over its baseless accusation that British specialists had been involved in an alleged Ukrainian drone strike on its Black Sea Fleet in Crimea. The foreign ministry announced the intervention after it suspended participation in a UN-brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative on Saturday for what it claimed was a major drone attack on vessels in the Bay of Sevastopol on the Crimean peninsula an area the Kremlin annexed from Ukraine in 2014. Russias defence ministry said the attack was carried out under the guidance and leadership of British navy specialists, an assertion the UK has dismissed as false. These actions were carried out under the guidance of British specialists, foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. In this regard, the British ambassador will shortly be summoned to the Russian foreign ministry. Moscow detains Ukrainian citizen on allegation of sabotage to Crimean power line Wednesday 2 November 2022 10:00 , Emily Atkinson Moscow has detained a Ukrainian citizen on suspicion of planning to sabotage a power line in Crimea, Russias Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Wednesday. The FSB said a man in his 40s had been found carrying diagrams of power lines, three explosive devices and instructions on how to use them, and suspected the man had been recruited by Ukrainian intelligence. Ukraine grain exports down 32%' Wednesday 2 November 2022 09:21 , Emily Atkinson Ukrainian grain exports have slumped in the 2022/23 season to almost 13.4 million tonnes from 19.7 million tonnes at the same date a season earlier, agriculture ministry data shows. The countrys grain exports have plummeted since Russia invaded in February, with the closing off of its Black Sea ports driving up global food prices and prompting fears of shortages in Africa and the Middle East. Three Black Sea ports were unblocked at the end of July under a deal between Moscow and Kyiv, brokered by the United Nations and Turkey. The shipments are continuing despite Russias decision to suspend its participation in the agreement. Poland orders construction of wall along Kaliningrad border Wednesday 2 November 2022 08:40 , Emily Atkinson Polands defence minister has ordered the construction of a temporary barrier along the border with the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. The move comes as Warsaw suspects that Russia plans to facilitate illegal border crossings by Asian and African migrants. Defence minister Mariusz Blaszczak said the border needs to be secured in order for Poland to feel secure. He said he had authorised the construction of a temporary barrier along the 210-kilometre (130-mile) border. The work will begin on Wednesday. Russian Wagner forces making advances of 100-200m per day' Wednesday 2 November 2022 08:09 , Emily Atkinson The owner of the Russian Wagner Group private military company has claimed that its forces were making advances of 100-200m per day, according to the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD). In its daily intelligence update, posted to Twitter, the MoD said that Yevgeny Prigozhin alleged the sizeable advance was normal in modern warfare. The post continues: According to their military doctrine, Russian forces plan to advance 30km or more per day in most conditions. In February, Russian forces planned to make a 1000km advance through Ukraine within a month. In September, Ukrainian forces achieved advances of over 20km per day. In the last two months, Prigozhin has abandoned any pretence that he is not associated with Wagner and has been more explicit in his public statements. He is likely trying to burnish his credibility within the stressed Russian national security system. Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 02 November 2022 Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/hqAH81WAjr #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/u0xrrTCTpm Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) November 2, 2022 Russia launches Soyuz rocket carrying military satellite' Wednesday 2 November 2022 07:50 , Emily Atkinson Moscow has launched a Soyuz rocket carrying a military satellite into space, Russian news agencies reported, citing the defence ministry. The rocket - a Soyuz-2.1b medium-class launch vehicle - was launched at 9:48 a.m. Moscow time (0648 GMT) from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, the ministry was quoted as saying. It did not provide details about the purpose of the satellite. Watch: Russian state TV editor blames 'Friends' for division between Russia and America Wednesday 2 November 2022 07:30 , Emily Atkinson Ships sail after Russia exits grain deal Wednesday 2 November 2022 07:15 , Sravasti Dasgupta Ships loaded with grain have departed Ukraine despite Russia suspending its participation in the UN-brokered deal that ensures safe wartime passage of food supplies. The UN said that three ships carrying 84,490 metric tons of corn, wheat and sunflower meal left Ukraine through the humanitarian sea corridor set up in July, while 36 other vessels cleared inspections near Turkey to head to their final destinations. The corridor, brokered by Turkey and the UN, was seen as a breakthrough to ensure Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia would receive grain and other food from the Black Sea region during Russias war in Ukraine. Russia backed out of the deal last weekend. The UN said that while ships sailed on Tuesday, such vessels would not travel on Wednesday, raising fears about the future of the initiative. Amir Abdulla, the agreements UN coordinator, said that ships are expected to sail again on Thursday. Exports of grain and foodstuffs from #Ukraine need to continue. Although no movements of vessels are planned for 2 November under the #BlackSeaGrainInitiative, we expect loaded ships to sail on Thursday. Amir M. Abdulla (@AmirMAbdulla) November 1, 2022 Ukraine official pleads for more air defence help Wednesday 2 November 2022 07:00 , Sravasti Dasgupta Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior Ukrainian adviser and a chief negotiator, said to The Independent that Russia had one aim: to destroy the civilian population of Ukraine by making them freeze to death. Mr Podolyak wants Ukraines allies, particularly the UK, to help reconstruct damaged facilities and to send more weapons. Read Bel Trews exclusive report from Kyiv: Dont watch us die of cold live on TV: Ukraine pleads for more air defence help TEL AVIV, Israel Benjamin Netanyahu will return to power, thanks to the rise of Israel's far right, which won a majority of parliament seats in Tuesday's election, final results showed Thursday. The rise of religious parties ousted the establishment left-wing party for the first time since 1992. The triumph clears the way for Netanyahu to form the most right-wing government in the history of Israel, which was formed as a socialist democratic state. The government could have vast implications for the LGBTQ community, secular citizens and Palestinians. U.S. Jewish groups have raised concerns about the bloc's agenda. According to final results, which will be certified in the coming days, Netanyahu's bloc will pick up 64 out of 120 seats in the Israeli parliament. Netanyahu and his Likud-led government consists of the ultra-Orthodox parties, United Torah Judaism and Shas, as well as the far-right Religious Zionism party. Outgoing Prime Minister Yair Lapid congratulated Netanyahu and instructed his staff to prepare an organized transition of power, his office told The Associated Press. The state of Israel comes before any political consideration, Lapid said. I wish Netanyahu success, for the sake of the people of Israel and the state of Israel. The Times of Israel also reported that U.S. Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides had phoned Netanyahu to congratulate him on his win. Likud party chairman Benjamin Netanyahu arrives to polling station during Israeli elections in Jerusalem, on Nov. 1, 2022. Why it matters The far-right Religious Zionism party is expected to play a crucial role in Netanyahu's government and receive senior ministry portfolios. The party is known for its anti-LGBTQ policies and hard line against Arab-Israelis and Palestinians, and it could affect Israels relations with the U.S., its most important ally. U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., warned Netanyahu when they met in September in Israel against forming a coalition with the far-right party, noting it could harm U.S.-Israel relations, according to Axios. Story continues HERZOG AT THE WHITE HOUSE: Biden meets with Israeli president ahead of Israel's election for prime minister Heres where the partys influence is expected to be felt: Netanyahu's corruption cases could disappear Netanyahu is on trial on charges of corruption in three different cases, accused of fraud, breach of trust and bribery. He faces up to 10 years in jail if convicted. That could change if his allies in Religious Zionist make do on their election campaign promise: abolishing offenses of fraud and breach of trust against lawmakers. The proposal has been widely criticized for being a highly tailored legal move, aimed at terminating a large part of Netanyahus trial. The reelected prime minister responded to the criticism by saying the changes wont apply to him retroactively. Robbie Sabel, professor of International Law at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, echoed a number of Israeli legal experts in disputing Netanyahus assertion, telling USA TODAY that if the offense is abolished, you cant convict someone of it. So they don't have to say it will apply retroactively. If they abolish it, Netanyahu cannot be convicted of those offenses. Justice Minister Gideon Saar called the partys legal reform plan a paradise for government corruption, while Prime Minister Yair Lapid said its a deliberate campaign to cancel Netanyahus trial, which would mean the end of Israeli democracy as we know it. Likud party chairman Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara cast their ballots during Israeli elections in Jerusalem on Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022. Plan to curb power of Supreme Court Religious Zionisms plan to overhaul the legal system in Israel also seeks to curb the Supreme Courts power, preventing it from striking down parliamentary legislation that would violate one of Israels Basic Laws the closest Israel comes to a constitution. The anti-Netanyahu parties have called the move an attack on democracy. The move would be legal because there is no limit to what parliament can do," Sabel said. Israels Supreme Court is, like in many other countries, considered a gatekeeper protecting civil rights. The judicial reform plan also would make sure that a majority of the committee that appoints Supreme Court judges are elected officials a change from the current committees structure, in which a majority are unelected officials. This, Sabel said, would arguably make the committee more political. The LGBTQ community Israel has made significant progress on LGBTQ rights in the past couple of years, thanks to left- and right-wing secular parties, allowing gay couples to jointly adopt and legally access surrogacy, as well as being home to one of the most famous annual Gay Pride parades in the world. But with Religious Zionism in power, hateful rhetoric against the LGBTQ community is becoming an increasingly accepted part of Israeli society. Party leader Betzalel Smotrich declared himself a proud homophobe and has made a number of derogatory comments against the LGBTQ community, saying homosexuality isnt healthy for society and comparing recognition of the community to driving through a red light. Ofer Neumann, CEO of Israel Gay Youth, said he believes the darkness Religious Zionism brings into the LGBTQ community comes from its rhetoric rather than what it can actually achieve politically. I'm not sure they're as eager to actually bring to life their bizarre ideas of what a person can or cant do. I think they rather use it as a political tool in order to win more votes from people who are driven by hate, Neumann told USA TODAY. Religious Zionism might vote against any further laws aimed at strengthening the rights of the LGBTQ community, but a majority of Israeli lawmakers oppose its views, including Netanyahus Likud party. Neumann said Netanyahus Likud party doesnt believe in the words of Smotrich and the party's No. 2, Itamar Ben-Gvir. Likud prides itself of being an encompassing liberal party, often pointing to one of its highest-ranking members, Amir Ohana, who is openly gay, as the best example. The battle of reality is determined by the powers of progress, and Religious Zionism is losing that battle, Neumann said. The fate of Palestinians When Arab and Jewish politicians from the left and right wing toppled Netanyahu in June 2021 and created the most diverse coalition in the countrys history, many saw this as an opportunity to lower the tensions between Israel and the Palestinians. But a string of Palestinian terror attacks and Israeli military operations in the West Bank has put 2022 on a trajectory to be the most violent year in the West Bank since 2005, according to U.N. Middle East envoy Tor Wennesland. Human rights activist and political analyst Bassem Eid said the prospect of having Religious Zionism in the next Israeli government is a disaster for Palestinians. There is no doubt this will make the situation for Palestinians much worse, Eid said. One of the effects will be a continuation of the growing settlement enterprise in the West Bank, which is receiving full support from Religious Zionism. Ben-Gvir has a particular goal that worries Eid: the eviction of Palestinian families from the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah. Jerusalems municipality has been at loggerheads with the families for decades, arguing that they are residing there illegally without proper documentation of ownership. The families, on the other hand, have lived there for generations, some dating back to before Israel was established in 1948, and they say they indeed have legal paperwork. Israeli-Arab population Another minority in Israel that is worried about the Religious Zionism partys power in the next government is the Arab-Israelis, who constitute some 20% of the country. The party calls Arab-Israeli lawmakers terrorists with Ben-Gvir going as far as advocating deportation of illoyal Arab-Israelis. Jafar Farah, the director of the Mossawa Advocacy Center for Arab minority in Israel, pointed at two main issues that worry him about the far-right party: house demolitions and police violence. Its expected that the government will immediately implement house demolitions against some Bedouins in the Negev desert, Farah told USA TODAY. An estimated 80.000 Bedouins in the desert, which covers most of southern Israel, live in what is known as unrecognized villages or outposts, which makes any construction on their homes subject to demolitions. Farah, who prefers the term Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel, also expects an increase in police violence against the community, saying there has been a total failure to investigate cases of people injured or killed by police in the past 20 years. The Religious Zionism party will encourage police officers to use more live fire in confrontations with people in the community, Farah said. As for the increasing violence internally in the Arab-Israeli community, which has seen 88 people killed in 2022, Farah isnt optimistic that Netanyahu will invest much-needed police resources to fight organized crime. Netanyahu also spoke a lot about fighting crime in our community. But in the end he did nothing when he was in power, Farah said. The outgoing government has also been widely criticized for failing to combat organized crime in Arab-Israeli communities, despite having an Arab-Israeli party in the coalition. Contributing: The Associated Press This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Benjamin Netanyahu wins Israeli vote, bringing right-wing government BARRON Barron County reported four new COVID-19-related deaths in October, their first new fatalities in a few months, said Public Health Director Laura Sauve. She was saddened that new deaths are still occurring there. We really, truly believe most of those COVID deaths are now avoidable, Sauve said Tuesday. We arent seeing people access these treatments like they should. We shouldnt have people dying from this anymore. Sauve said her office still has vaccination clinics every Friday that are free and open to the public. If you are over 50, you can have had five shots, and if you are under 50, you can have four, Sauve said. And dont be afraid to wear a mask indoors, especially if you are at high risk. The vaccinations are working, she added, pointing to some elderly people who got sick but made a full recovery. We are seeing good outcomes with people who are up to date and had boosters, she said. COVID-19 deaths last month reached the highest level across western Wisconsin since March, according to the Department of Health Services. Among 12 counties in the region, 20 new virus-related deaths were reported, DHS data shows. Eau Claire County reported six new deaths, Barron County had four, Trempealeau County had three, Chippewa, Dunn and St. Croix counties had two each, and Rusk County had one, the state agency reports. Across the 12 counties, 1,120 residents have now died from virus-related symptoms. The 20 deaths across the region are up from eight in September, nine in August, and six in July. It is a notable increase in deaths reported, but still below the 115 deaths in December, 75 in January, 58 in February and 34 in March. There were 472 deaths in those 12 counties in 2021, an increase from 409 deaths in 2020. In October 2021, 45 area virus-related deaths were reported. COVID-19 deaths also increased statewide. DHS reported 163 new virus-related deaths in October, up from 141 in September, and also up from 129 in August and 88 in July. The state now reports 13,662 confirmed deaths from the virus. The states Department of Health Services shows 65.6% of all Wisconsin residents have now received at least one COVID-19 vaccination dose; that is up 0.1% since Oct. 1. North Korea test-fired six missiles on Thursday, a day after launching its most tests in a single day. One long-range and two short-range ballistic missiles were tested Thursday morning, South Korean officials said. Tokyo initially said the longer-range ballistic missile had flown over Japan, warning residents of Miyagi, Yamagata and Niigata prefectures to take shelter. But Japans Defense Ministry later said the missile did not fly over Japan. Authorities said they were still analyzing the details. Analysts suggested that the missile, which flew 472 miles and reached a height of 1,200 miles, was presumably an intercontinental ballistic missile that failed. PHOTO: A woman walks past a television screen showing a news broadcast with file footage of a North Korean missile test, at a railway station in Seoul on Nov. 3, 2022. (Jung Yeon-je/AFP via Getty Images) Three more short-range ballistic missiles were launched Thursday night, according to the South Korea Joint Chiefs of Staff. The missiles were fired toward the eastern seas from North Hwanghae province between 9:35 p.m. and 9:49 p.m. local time. We can sense North Korea's anxiety from recent launches. In fact, these missile launches are a huge burden for their military, especially when North Korea is so economically cut off, Park Won-gon, professor of North Korean Studies at Ewha Womans University, told ABC News. MORE: North Korea tests 23 missiles, prompting response from South Korea and raising tensions The provocations are a typical brinkmanship tactic to either bring the U.S. and South Korea into nuclear talks or a prelude to justifying an imminent seventh nuclear underground test. It's possible to assume that North Korea will decorate the grand finale of its tactic with the seventh nuclear test, and then suggest a deal, said Park. PHOTO: People moves past a tv screen showing the news report about North Korea's recent missile launches near Japan Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022, in Tokyo. (Shuji Kajiyama/AP) The two Koreas test-fired missiles one after another throughout Wednesday in a series of tit-for-tat moves. North Korea fired a total of 23 missiles that were a combination of ballistic and surface-to-air weapons, and 100 artillery shells from various locations toward the east and west. In a retaliatory move, South Korea quickly responded in between by launching its own air-to-surface missiles into a similar area above the NLL, launched by two F-15K and KF-16 jet fighters. Story continues Pyongyang claimed the missile tests are "self-defensive" in nature. Officials called for the U.S. and South Korea to stop their annual joint military drills, which they said were "aggressive and provocative." PHOTO: Protesters stag a rally to demand peace on the Korean peninsula in front of the presidential office in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022. (Ahn Young-joon/AP) They are going on a full-scale sprint. Not only are there a variety of missiles, but also a great number of them, Park added. MORE: https://abcnews.go.com/International/north-korea-flies-warplanes-south-korea-series-missile/story?id=91101013 Dr. Yang Uk, of Seoul-based Asan Institute, told ABC News that the missile launches are a way to show off Pyongyang's tactical nuclear capabilities. PHOTO: Television screens show a news report about the latest North Korean missile launch with file footage of a North Korean missile test, at an electronic market in Seoul on Nov. 3, 2022. (Jung Yeon-je/AFP via Getty Images) Its an adamant statement that they will respond with all forces by fully mobilizing all the means they have, Yang explained. South Korea's air force announced Wednesday shortly after North Korea's ballistic missile provocation, that the joint air drill between the U.S. will be extended. It was originally planned for five days from Oct. 31 to Nov. 4. North Korea fires 6 ballistic missiles, launching tests for 2nd consecutive day originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Democratic Texas state Sen. Roland Gutierrez announced a policy proposal to establish a $300 million fund to support victims of the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, which claimed the lives of 19 students and two teachers in May. Gutierrez said he will file the bill on Nov. 11, but it will be formally introduced in the upcoming 2023 legislative session. The state senator made his announcement on Wednesday steps away from a memorial for the 21 victims in Uvalde's town square, flanked by some of the victims' families. "In our judicial system, we have compensatory damages and I have said before, this isn't about money for these families, and there's not an amount of money that will ever bring their children back," Gutierrez said. "Well, we have to set up this $300 million dollar fund because it absolutely has to be punitive in nature." He added, "We have to know for ourselves that the state failed and the state must admit that it failed." PHOTO: Families of the 21 victims of the May 24, 2022 Uvalde school massacre gather at the Texas Capitol and later march to the Governor's Mansion in honor of their loved ones with a traditional Dia de los Muertos ceremony in Austin, Texas, Nov. 1, 2022. (Bob Daemmrich/Zumapress) In the months since the shooting, several law enforcement officials from the school district's police force and the Texas Department of Public Safety have been fired for their alleged inaction during the shooting. Footage from inside the hallway shows that state troopers and school district officers waited for over an hour to stop the shooter as he continued to fire his weapon. Gutierrez criticized the law enforcement response and called for the Texas Department of Public Safety to be held accountable. Language in the bill echoes those sentiments, slamming responding law enforcement officials for waiting "more than an hour to confront the attacker and to render aid to the victims." MORE: Uvalde community sees political divide as gun debate stirs midterms "As a consequence of their inaction, victims bled out and perished. The legislature finds that there is an emergent need to compensate the victims and their families of the Uvalde attack," the bill says. The senator said he modeled the bill after the $7 billion fund that was established by the federal government to compensate victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack. Story continues "9/11 was probably the most incredible scene that you've ever seen from a first responder. The 1000s of them running into a building that was burning, that was likely to fail and likely to fall down. That's what responders are supposed to do. That is not what the first responders did here in Uvalde, that is not what DPS did," he said. PHOTO: A memorial for the 19 children and two teachers killed in the May shooting sits outside of Robb Elementary on the first day of early voting in Uvalde, Texas, Oct. 24, 2022. (Acacia Coronado/AP) If the bill were to pass, families who lost a loved one in the shooting would be compensated up to $7.7 million per household. It would allocate $2.1 million for injured children. Anyone who was on the campus and suffered trauma could be compensated up to $250,000. The $2.1 million represents the 21 people that perished on that day, the senator said. Those who wish to be compensated by the fund, would have to submit applications that would be seen by a review board composed of the governor, lieutenant governor and the state speaker of the House. When asked if he had already spoken about the bill with the top Republicans that currently occupy those decisions, Gutierrez, said he had sent them the bill before his announcement on Wednesday. MORE: Uvalde superintendent speaks out for 1st time since announcing retirement However, the senator, a Democrat, did not mince words when he slammed Gov. Greg Abbott's response to the massacre. "It's been abundantly clear that this governor has done very little for this community. Every time he has a bad news today he wants to say well, I gave them $5 million," he said, referring to the $5 million the governor's public safety office invested to establish a resiliency center for the community. Gutierrez hinted that the governor, who has enacted several hardline immigration policies, seemed more willing to spend money on the border than for the families. A spokesperson for Abbott did not immediately respond to a request for comment. His office previously deflected criticism of the governor, saying he has met with families of the victims several times since the tragedy. Gutierrez made clear that the fund that the bill would establish would never be able to bring back the loved ones the Uvalde community lost that day. "Our legal system speaks of making people whole. We will never be able to make these families and the other families that are in this community that have been affected we will never be able to make them whole, but our legal system does that through financial compensation," he said. Texas lawmaker proposes $300M fund to support victims of Uvalde shooting originally appeared on abcnews.go.com America's longest-serving congresswoman argues her district needs to 'hold on to the seniority we have' amid broader calls for generational change in politics Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur of Ohio outside the US Capitol on September 30, 2022. Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images Rep. Marcy Kaptur, 76, is the longest-serving woman in the history of the House of Representatives. She faces a tough re-election against a controversial GOP opponent amid broader calls for new leaders. In an interview with Insider in Toledo, Kaptur touted the benefits that her seniority brings to her district. TOLEDO, Ohio Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur is facing what looks to be the toughest general election of her nearly 40-year long political career, though she balks at the notion that she's never faced a tough race. "Let me just say: through my whole career, there have been so many massive speed bumps, okay?" the 76-year-old lawmaker told Insider during an interview in a staffer's black Jeep following a press conference. Kaptur referenced a strong challenge she faced in 2010 from a Tea Party-affiliated candidate who had a history of participating in Nazi re-enactments, as well as a primary against fellow Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich following redistricting in 2012. "So it hasn't been, like, a smooth ride. It's been like this," she said, waving her hands up and down while making engine noises, appearing to simulate a plane experiencing turbulence. "That's what my career has been like." Nonetheless, Kaptur has held on long enough to become the longest-serving woman in the history of the House of Representatives in 2018. If she's re-elected, she'll surpass the 40-year record set by former Democratic Sen. Barbara Mikulski of Maryland to become the longest-serving woman in congressional history. It's a milestone that inspires a mixture of admiration and exhaustion among her detractors, including her Republican opponent JR Majewski, a right-wing Republican who's courted controversy by promoting the QAnon conspiracy theory and misrepresented his military service. JR Majewski, Kaptur's Republican opponent, at a Trump rally in Youngstown, OH on September 17, 2022. AP Photo/Tom E. Puskar "At the end of the day, Marcy Kaptur has spent 40 years in office, and she deserves recognition for that," Majewski told attendees of a meet-and-greet event in a Toledo cafe last week. "But that doesn't mean we're not going to retire her on November 8th." Story continues And Kaptur is seeking re-election as the topic of age and tenure in politics is increasingly on the minds of voters. Insider recently explored America's gerontocracy in the "Red, White, and Gray" project, finding, among other things, that nearly one in four members of Congress are in their 70s and 80s and that the vast majority of Americans view the increasingly advanced age of politicians as a problem. 'People here have a lot to lose' Following redistricting this year, Ohio's 9th district shifted from a relatively safe Democratic district that hugged Lake Erie known colloquially as the "snake by the lake" to a Republican-leaning area that encompasses Toledo and some surrounding rural regions. But after Majewski was caught exaggerating his military service, national Republicans withdrew significant investments they had planned on his behalf. Nonetheless, he still could win. And the 42-year-old candidate has sought to use his opponent's lengthy tenure to his advantage. An anti-Kaptur yard sign near Bono, OH on October 26, 2022. Bryan Metzger/Insider "Toledo is one of the, I would say most underrepresented, underserved, and under-realized cities in the United States," said Majewski, listing off problems including crime, economic decline, and a consistently falling population. "When you consider all of that legacy, there's one constant, at least for the 40 years I've been around: it's Marcy Kaptur." But when asked about the stakes of the race by Insider, Kaptur flipped that critique on its head, pointing to the benefits yielded by her lengthy tenure even as she agreed that the district was "underrepresented." "Our goal is to win and hold on to the seniority we have," she said. "Our seniority really matters from the Great Lakes, because we are very underrepresented regionally, with any committee, within any chair, with any they mix up Ohio with Iowa, because we each have three vowels in our name." Kaptur spoke with Insider following a press conference with local officials touting new federal investments in the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, an ongoing environmental improvement project in the region, as the result of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Kaptur at a press conference taunting federal investments in the Great Lakes region in Toledo, OH on October 26, 2022. Bryan Metzger/Insider Owing to her seniority, Kaptur sits on the powerful House Appropriations Committee, where she chairs the Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development. That gives her much more control than the average member especially a freshman lawmaker, as Majewski would be over how the federal government doles out money. "It's a lot for a community to give up," she said. "People here have a lot to lose." Even Democratic Senate candidate Tim Ryan, who has otherwise been vocal about the need for generational change in his party, told Insider it's important for Kaptur to remain in office. "She's brought back hundreds of millions of dollars to Toledo," the 10-term congressman said after a town hall event in the city last week. "It would be foolish for a community like this to not have her there." 'People have invested in me, so I can invest in them' At the same time, the seniority system in which everything from offices to committee chairmanships are decided by the length of one's tenure is a major reason why Congress is skewing older than ever; lawmakers are incentivized to stay for years, even decades, as their power grows with each term. Some lawmakers want to change that system. Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, who ousted the fourth highest-ranking Democrat in the House in 2018, told Insider in September that it's "important for us to figure out perhaps a better way of determining who should lead a committee, beyond who's been here longest." Asked about calls for generational change more broadly, Kaptur said that "the public will decide that," suggesting that there's room for everyone from young upstarts to more experienced, even elderly, lawmakers. "I think you need a blend of that in the Congress," she said. "I think I have my faculties, and I have my health, so those are blessings," she said. "And I know a whole lot, and that's been hard-earned, and I put it to work on behalf of my people and the country." "I feel that people have invested in me, so I can invest in them," she added. A billboard for Kaptur's campaign near Port Clinton, OH on October 26, 2022. Bryan Metzger/Insider Kaptur was also quick to point out that there are more than a few lawmakers who are much older than her, including the 89-year-old Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, who's also touting his seniority as he seeks his eighth six-year term in the Senate. "Grassley he's 89!" she exclaimed. "I'm not even close." Kaptur is perhaps best known for sponsoring the bill to create the World War II Memorial that now sits in the center of the National Mall in Washington, DC, But she also pointed out that a number of local projects including a bridge near downtown Toledo, a federal courthouse in the city, and a military installation in the Western part of the county may not have come to fruition without her efforts over the course of decades. "I sometimes just go by and I go, well, that might not be there. You know, you think what it was before, versus what it is now," she said. "I'm just very gratified that I've had the opportunity to actuate some of what was in my mind when I first started out." Read the original article on Business Insider Cotopaxi is continuing to staff up. The Salt Lake City, Utah-based sustainable outdoors brand has brought Brad Hiranaga on board as chief brand officer. More from WWD The former chief marketing officer of General Mills is the third C-suite executive to join the brand in the past six months following the appointment of Damien Huang as president and Grace Zuncic as chief people and impact officer. Cotopaxi is poised for a meteoric ascension as an impact-driven adventure brand, and Brad is the perfect fit to help drive us through the next phase, said Davis Smith, founder and chief executive officer. Were thrilled to have his expertise and insights, and to bolster what has been and will be an exciting period of exceptional new hires and growth. In this new role, Hiranaga will be responsible for marketing, advertising, creative, design, community, experiences, public relations and activations for the purpose-driven company. During his 18 years at General Mills, Hiranaga was credited with leading and growing a $2 billion business unit, expanding and integrating e-commerce into all brands in the company, digitizing the Box Tops for Education loyalty program, and establishing the companys Be a Force for Good mission. As a marketer, the opportunity to build and grow the Cotopaxi brand is my dream job, Hiranaga said. The company culture and social movement that Davis and his team have created is something extremely special and has tremendous personal appeal to me. Cotopaxi is a remarkable brand, with incredible potential to positively impact culture and people. Trailblazing how a company can transform capitalism and fight extreme poverty to improve the human condition is beyond inspiring to me. Hiranaga will be based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Cotopaxi is a certified B Corporation and was named for a mountain in Ecuador where Smith spent a lot of time in his youth. It started out as a colorful backpack brand, but has since branched out into apparel and other complementary products. Early in its life, Cotopaxi attracted some other high-profile investors including Toms founder Blake Mycoskie through his Toms Social Entrepreneurship Fund, as well as Neil Blumenthal, Smiths former classmate from the Wharton School and the cofounder of Warby Parker and Harrys. Click here to read the full article. Brad Horrigan/Hartford Courant/Tribune News Service via Getty Images; Jessica Hill/AP Photo; Insider Gov. Ned Lamont is running against Republican Bob Stefanowski in Connecticut's gubernatorial race. This is one of 36 gubernatorial elections taking place in 2022. Lamont narrowly defeated Stefanowski in 2018 and is likely to retain his seat in this rematch. Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont and Republican Bob Stefanowski are engaged in a rematch in Connecticut's gubernatorial election. Lamont defeated Stefanowski in the 2018 election to succeed outgoing Gov. Dan Malloy. Connecticut's gubernatorial candidates Lamont is the governor of Connecticut, with voters electing him in 2018. Prior to being elected governor, he chaired the state investment advisory council where he oversaw a multibillion-dollar state pension fund. Lamont also made an unsuccessful run for US Senate in 2006. In 2008, he served as a state co-chair for Barack Obama's presidential campaign. The 68-year-old governor's handling of the pandemic lifted his approval ratings from the bottom to the top. In March 2020, Lamont closed restaurants, bars, and other public venues, but kept schools and businesses open throughout most of the pandemic. When vaccines became available, he offered them by age cohorts, making the vaccines simple to administer, placing Connecticut among the leaders in vaccination rates. Connecticut has had a Democratic trifecta Democrats control the state's governorship and majorities in both chambers of the state legislature since 2011. The state is one of 14 Democratic trifectas in the country. Lamont defeated Stefanowski in the 2018 election by a slim margin just over 3 percentage points, or about 44,000 votes. A recent new Western New England University survey for Hearst Connecticut/WFSB showed Lamont with a 15-point lead over Stefanowski. Stefanowski, Lamont's challenger, is a certified public accountant and certified financial analyst. Prior to entering politics, he served as an executive at multiple global companies, including DFC Global, UBS, 3i Group, and General Electric. Since then, Stefanowski has worked as an independent consultant. Story continues During the pandemic, he and his wife, Amy, co-founded and launched "Masks for Heroes" in an effort to help the state fight COVID-19 when personal protective equipment was scarce. They went on to found "Masks for CT" and "Masks 4 Schools," hosting giveaway events with cloth masks for children, teachers, and bus drivers. These initiatives earned the Stefanowskis an NAACP Award from the Waterbury NAACP Youth Council. Stefanowski was endorsed by President Donald Trump in 2018, but as of late, has appeared to distance himself from the embattled former president. He said he supports Connecticut's current gun safety laws, including the universal background checks and limits on high-capacity military-style weapons that were imposed after a mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. He has also described himself as a supporter of abortion rights, saying he supports the state's current laws affirming a right to abortion up to fetal viability. Connecticut's voting history Joe Biden defeated Trump by a 20 percentage point margin in 2020. The state has voted for the Democratic candidate for the last eight presidential elections. The money race Both personally wealthy, the two candidates have chosen to largely self-fund their election campaigns. Lamont, who does not take the state's annual $150,000 salary for the job of governor, earned more than $54 million last year. Most of it came from investment earnings, per newly released tax records. Lamont has spent roughly $14.8 million, according to reports filed for the three-month period ending on September 30. His opponent, Stefanowski, has spent $9.2 million, as of September 30. What experts say The race between Lamont and Stefanowski is rated as "solid Democratic" by Inside Elections, "likely Democratic" by The Cook Political Report, and "likely Democratic" by Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics. Read the original article on Business Insider Brad Pfaff's campaign; Derrick Van Orden's campaign; Insider Democrat Brad Pfaff is running against Republican Derrick Van Orden in Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District. The 3rd District is mostly rural and covers southwestern Wisconsin. Democratic Rep. Ron Kind, who's held the seat since 1996, is retiring and not running for a 14th term. Democratic Wisconsin state Sen. Brad Pfaff faces off against Republican Derrick Van Orden in Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District. Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District candidates Pfaff represents the 32nd Senate District in the Wisconsin State Senate and is a ranking member of the Committee on Agriculture and Tourism. Prior to his time in state Senate, he served in senior positions with the US Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency. The Wisconsin Democrat also served as chief of staff to Rep. Ron Kind, who endorsed Pfaff ahead of the Democratic primary. Kind, a longtime Democratic congressman who's held the office since 1996, is retiring, leaving the seat open. Van Orden, Pfaff's opponent, is a retired Navy SEAL and private consultant. He also wrote the 2015 book "A Book of Man: A Navy SEAL's Guide to the Lost Art of Manhood," which contained a controversial passage about genital exposure. After enlisting in the Navy at the age of 18, Van Orden served for 26 years, going on multiple combat tours to Afghanistan and Iraq. Last August, former President Donald Trump threw his support behind Van Orden. That wasn't the first time Trump voiced support for the retired Navy SEAL he also endorsed Van Orden in 2020 when he ran against Kind for the same seat and lost. Van Orden ran unopposed in the Republican primary, advancing straight to the general election. Voting history for Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District is mostly rural and covers southwestern and parts of central Wisconsin. The open district, which backed Trump under its previous boundaries in 2020, remained nearly identical in redistricting following the 2020 Census. With Trump's victory in 2020, the 3rd District became one of 16 districts in that country that split its votes for president and Congress. Story continues The money race According to OpenSecrets, Pfaff has raised $1.6 million, spent $1.5 million, and has $116,000 on hand, as of October 19. His opponent, Van Orden, has raised more than $5.9 million, spent $5.4 million, and has $558,000 cash on hand. As of late October, more than a dozen super PACs, national party committees, politically active nonprofits, and other non-candidate groups have together spent about $2 million to advocate for or against candidates in this race, including during the race's primary phase. What experts say The race between Pfaff and Van Orden is rated as "lean Republican" by Inside Elections, "lean Republican" by The Cook Political Report, and "likely Republican" by Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics. Read the original article on Business Insider . In a time where questions about the security of elections are alarmingly and sometimes aggressively increasing, local and state officials want to assure citizens that their vote is safe and accurate. North Carolina has a lot of checks and balances on the county and state level, said Andrew Richards, director of the Davidson County Board of Elections. There are a lot of eyes looking at everything, its not just one person. We have bi-partisan boards, our meetings are open to the public...There are also bi-partisan observers at the polls the entire time to watch the process. Early elections began in North Carolina on Oct. 20 and runs through Nov. 5. The General Election will be held on Nov. 8. Thank you for supporting local journalism with your subscription. Since the 2022 elections, a group of national organizations have been questioning the validity and security of the election process, even going as far as to train local grassroot coalitions to canvass for election-fraud and challenge election officials. Earlier this year in Surry County, the head of the local GOP, members of NC Audit Force and Douglas Frank, a national election fraud spokesman, showed up at the board of elections and demanded to scan voting machines for hidden modems making them vulnerable to tampering, according to an article posted by ProPublica. The North Carolina Board of Elections emphasizes by state law voting machines are not connected to the internet or contain any modem or modem chip. All 100 counties use paper ballots that produce a physical record which can be audited or recounted. We havent had any complaints, but we have had a few questions, said Richards. Weve had a few people ask about the wires underneath the voting machines and I tell them that its the power cord, it is not connected to the internet. Also, before every election, county boards of elections conduct logic and accuracy tests on every voting machine that will be used in the election to ensure proper coding of ballots and counting of votes for every contest on the ballot. Story continues North Carolina residents voting by absentee ballot by mail must deliver their completed ballot to an election official at an early voting site in their county. In Davidson County anyone turning in an absentee ballot must sign a form verifying they delivered and untampered ballot and their relationship to the voter. Absentee ballots are kept secure and delivered to the county board of elections on Nov. 8 for tabulation. After every election and before results are certified, the state and county Boards of Elections conduct multiple checks designed to detect irregularities, such as equipment tampering, ballot stuffing, and voting machine or tabulation errors. According to the North Carolina Board of Elections, North Carolina is one of a few states with a dedicated Investigations Division, which investigates reports of fraud and other irregularities and refers cases to prosecutors when warranted by evidence. More:2022 Primaries: Simmons wins Davidson County Sheriff; top candidates for Davidson County Board of Commissioners decided Recently, the North Carolina Board of Elections warned about a mailer from private political groups with inaccurate information about their voting record, some wrongly stating the resident didnt vote in the last election. The mailer includes the state board of elections website and phone number, although they are not responsible for sending out the flyer. Voters can check their official voter record online which includes their voting history, the date when each ballot was cast and the voting method, such as in-person on election day, early voting or absentee ballot. North Carolina Voter search can be found here. State and federal laws also prohibit intimidation or interference with voters or election officials, including hindering access to the polls. This year the state board of election has partnered with the North Carolina Sheriffs Association and the North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police to ensure the enforcement of election laws and the maintenance of order at the polls. The State Board of Elections is committed to ensuring all voters can cast their ballot safely, securely, and free from interference of any kind, said State Board Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell. We also must ensure that trained election workers can carry out their duties free from harassment, intimidation, and interference. As election day nears, elected officials have been trying to be as transparent as possible and reassure the public that voting is safe and accurate. It has been something that has been a challenge for the past few years, said Richards But we want people to know that everything we do from our board meetings, to certifying ballots and uploading the results are open to the public. There are a lot of people observing the process and it is bipartisan and fair all the way through. This article originally appeared on The Dispatch: Davidson County elections officials claim voting is safe and accurate Getty Russia announced Wednesday that it views Norways work with other countries in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as provocative, warning that Norways efforts to bolster its military in response to Russias invasion of Ukraine this year will likely be the death knell for Oslo-Moscow relations moving forward. Oslo is now among the most active supporters of NATO's involvement in the Arctic, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Wednesday, according to TASS. We consider such developments near Russian borders as Oslo's deliberate pursuit of a destructive course toward escalation of tensions in the Euro-Arctic region and the final destruction of Russian-Norwegian relations. In her statement, Zakharova also warned that any further unfriendly actions will be followed by a timely and adequate response. The news of Russias complaints about Norway comes just a day after Norway raised its military alert level in response to suspicious drone sightings. Norway has arrested several Russians, including one son of an associate of Russian President Vladimir Putins, and accused them of illegally flying drones in Norwegian airspace or taking photos in restricted areas as concerns abound about potential Russian attacks on critical infrastructure. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stre warned Russia to cut it out, according to Norwegian broadcaster NRK. NATO countries ought to be on alert to Russias aggression in light of the war in Ukraine, Stre warned Monday. Today, we have no reason to believe that Russia will want to involve Norway or any other country directly in the war, Stre said. But the war in Ukraine makes it necessary for all NATO countries to be more vigilant. Putin Parades New Missile Nightmare in Latest Warning to West Norway has previously hosted exercises and has long hosted rotational deployments of U.S. troops for arctic training. Russias announcement comes weeks after the U.S. Air Force participated in a combat arctic integration training exercise with NATO allies and the Royal Norwegian Air Force at Norways rland Main Air Station, according to the U.S. Defense Department. The allies worked to operate quickly across weapons platforms and systems to try to deter Russia along NATOs eastern flank. Story continues The sum is that together, we can better defend not only Norway and the Nordic countries, but also Europe should the need arise, Col. Martin Tesli, the 132nd Luftving Base commander, said in a statement. The U.S. Air Forces 90th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron deployed for the exercise was also able to work with the Air Force from Finland, which is in the process of joining NATO in response to Russias invasion of Ukraine. Moscows warning appeared to be just the latest Russian attempt to assert its own narrative as its relationships with countries across Europe and the West continue to deteriorate. Its not the first time Russia has tried to raise red flags over what it sees as provocative action from European countries and NATO cooperation. Moscow warned before it invaded Ukraine this year that it views the expansion of members in NATOwhich was established to counter threats from the Soviet Unionas a threat to Russia. The Kremlin has maintained that Ukraines interest in joining the military alliance poses a threat to Russia, a claim it had repeated in recent days. This Russian Socialite Spy Used Chintzy Jewelry Infiltrate NATO in Italy, Bellingcat Reports Russias aggression towards Ukraine and European nations is the most serious security policy situation we have experienced in several decades, Stre emphasized. Norway has been working to help Ukraine defend against Russias invasion since the outset of the war. The country has sanctioned the Russian government in an attempt to get Moscow to back off from the war and had provided Ukraine with military assistance. The assistance includes an air defense system, Mistral surface-to-air missiles, thousands of anti-tank missiles, protective gear such as bulletproof vests and helmets, and armored vehicles. Oslo has also sought to ramp up its military budget. Just last month, Norway proposed boosting its defense budget for next year by nearly 10 percent, according to Defense Minister Bjrn Arild Gram. A chunk of the increase is dedicated to weapons for Ukraines defense against Russia. Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine is a threat to Norwegian and European security. The war has already had major security political, economic, and humanitarian consequences, Gram said. The need for military support to Ukraine is necessary, extensive, and time-critical. This budget strengthens the Armed Forces and stands up for Ukraine. Norway is also helping to train Ukrainian soldiers alongside the U.K. and has promised to provide Ukraine over $1.1 billion (in USD) in financial assistance over the next two years. Norway isnt the only nation Russia has protested in recent days. Late last month Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced that Moscow sees no point in maintaining diplomatic relations with Western states writ large. Lavrov noted that Russia would like to focus its world diplomacy on countries in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, rather than work with the West. We will shift the center of gravity to countries that are ready to cooperate with us on equal and mutually beneficial terms and look for promising joint projects, Lavrov said. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. For years, Garrison Courtney pretended to be a covert officer of the CIA, secretly raking in millions of dollars from unsuspecting members of the intelligence and defense communities who believed the former weatherman was a talented spy. But Courtneys web of lies would come crashing down in 2020 when he was sentenced to seven years behind bars for defrauding at least a dozen companies of over $4.4 million during the elaborate ruse, according to the Department of Justice. Courtneys brazen and salacious fraud was centered on the lie that he was involved in a highly-classified intelligence program, and that he was a covert CIA officer engaged in significant national security work. In fact, Courtney never worked for the CIA, the supposed classified program did not exist, and Courtney invented the elaborate lie to cheat his victims out of over $4.4 million, G. Zachary Terwilliger, a U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, said at the time. RELATED: Brian Laundrie's Parents Ask Judge To Protect Them From 'Annoyance' And 'Embarrassment' In Upcoming Deposition Courtneys stunning fraud is the focus of the latest episode of CNBC's American Greed, airing Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET. It dives into Courtneys past and how he was able to cunningly con some of the nations highest-ranking security officersand his own wife, who believed he was employed by the CIA. According to now-ex-wife Andree Pierson, Courtney told her he had a very rough upbringing in Great Falls, Montana. He came from a broken household and he had been very independent and on his own since a very young age, since his late teens, she said. Courtney spent time in the Armed Forces before attending the University of Montana, where he honed his ability to tell tall tales. I think he really liked to B.S. people, his roommate Bill Foley said. Its easy to see how people could believe him because he was really good at, you know, thinking on his feet. It was that quick thinking that helped land him a job as a television weatherman, first in Montana and then in the Pacific Northwest, before he left the news business for other opportunities. Story continues RELATED: Migos Rapper Takeoff Killed In Halloween Shooting In Houston By 2005, Courtney had moved to Washington, D.C. where he took a job as a DEA spokesperson. Garrison had a very charming personality, but hes always trying to come across as a very likable person and wants to be accepted so hes very eager to please. He was the guy. Whatever you needed, he had it, Pierson said. Eventually Courtney believed the real opportunity in a post-9/11 world was in defense and intelligence contracting and got a job working on a high-stakes project in the private sector. He was building a small team to assist a cluster of lawyers here in D.C. in pushing through media and public affairs and government relations efforts to release a small handful of Kuwaiti prisoners who were still being held in Guantanamo Bay, Ian McCaleb, a former Fox News reporter who had worked with Courtney on the project, told American Greed. Courtney promised his clients op-ed placements in top-tier media and said hed reach out to key legislators and President Obama to try to secure the prisoners' release, but Courtney was fired from the job after over-promising things he couldnt deliver. Authorities say it was the impetus he needed to begin visiting various defense and intelligence contractors in 2012 around Washington D.C. to set up his elaborate fraud. A still from Peacock's A Friend of the Family Prosecutors said Courtney claimed extensive combat experience in the military, earning hundreds of confirmed kills, before damaging his lungs inhaling fumes from Kuwaiti oil fires. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heidi Gesch said that he told some people his kills had come during combat, while telling others he'd been an assassin. Courtney claimed to have been recruited by the CIA after his military service, in an effort to capitalize on a feeling of patriotism that ran rampant among many defense contractors. Its clear that his intent was to convince people that he was some type of extraordinarily sophisticated deep-cover spy for the United States government, akin to the things you might see in a movie, Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Burke said. Courtney claimed to be running a secretive task force or program known as A214 or Alpha 214, authorized directly by some of the countrys highest government figures and requested the companies pay him a salary to provide whats known as commercial cover. The salary would help obscure his role in the highly secretive program and, in exchange, he promised the companies lucrative government contracts. I mean, these were going to be multi-million, billion-[dollar] contracts that were going to be coming down the road to these companies, his former attorney Stuart Sears told "American Greed." Oxy App As a result of the scam, Courtney was often collecting salaries simultaneously from five or six different companies, who believed they were providing the commercial cover. To pull off the ruse, he had companies sign fake nondisclosure agreements seemingly from the United States Government that forbade anyone from talking about the program and claimed that those involved with the program were under surveillance. According to Gesch, companies were drawn to the arrangement because it was an opportunity to serve their country and seemed like a lucrative money maker. He was even able to convince some government officials of the task forces existence. They agreed to meet with the contractors paying his salaries in government facilities, only giving his supposed task force more credibility. There was only one problem. Prosecutors say it all was a lie. While it was true that Courtney had served in the National Guard, it wasnt until after the Gulf War, and he had never seen any combat. He had also never worked in the CIA or had any security clearances. Courtneys ruse was so convincing that when federal investigators began to look into his activities, some of the companies refused to cooperate in fear that they could be jeopardizing national security and one government official even tried to shut down the investigation. There are people to this day who have refused to speak to the investigators of this case, because they believe that this is all classified, Burke said. Just to be clear, those people are crazy. There is no other secret program that he was a part of that we burned or that we accidentally stumbled into. The law finally caught up with Courtney in June of 2020. He agreed to plead guilty to one count of wire fraud and he was sentenced to seven years behind bars. The conviction also cost Courtney his marriage. Its hard to grasp the reality of it all and how it played a role in my life and where it left me and our children now, Pierson said. Were still healing from it and trying to figure out how to move on from it. To learn more, tune in to "American Greed" Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET on CNBC. New York-based Instagram influencer Jebara Igbarawho went by the online pseudonym Jay Mazinihas pled guilty to an assortment of crimes including stealing $2.5 million worth of Bitcoin from his followers. Igbara reportedly posted on his Instagram and other social media accounts that he was willing to pay above-market prices for various cryptocurrencies, usually around 3.5% to 5% over their market value. The influencer reportedly justified the premium by claiming that traditional crypto exchanges were limiting how much Bitcoin he could purchase. According to the court filing, after receiving the crypto, Igbara would then send his victims doctored images of wire transfer confirmations that purported to show he had sent money for the cryptocurrency as promised. In reality, the payment was never sent. Instagram influencers Bitcoin scheme Until he was charged and arrested in March 2021, Igbara maintained a now-defunct Instagram account, which at one point had one million followers, where he would give out large sums of money to people in grocery stores as well as to fast-food workers. In one of his most popular social media stunts, Igbara handed out over $30,000 of cash at a Burger King in Queens, New York alongside popular rapper 50 Cent. The Bitcoin theft came as part of a wider set of overlapping fraudulent schemes worth $8 million, where the accused allegedly defrauded members of the Muslim-American community in New York by soliciting their money for purported investments in stock, electronics resale, and purchases of COVID-19 related personal protective equipment (PPE). He was actually operating a Ponzi scheme alleged the court filing, and misappropriated nearly all of the money for his personal expenses and gambling, according to authorities. Igbara now faces up to 20 years of imprisonment, depending on the decision of the U.S. Attorneys Office of the Eastern District of New York. Thomas Fattorusso, the Special Agent-in-Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, said that those in the Ponzi scheme were all assured a high rate of return in a short amount of time, while the victims of the Bitcoin advance fee scheme were guaranteed above current market value for their Bitcoin. He added: This multi-million dollar case is a reminder for anyone thinking of investing: Be skeptical of any investments with larger-than-life promises because if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. In the final days before the Nov. 8 election, voters filled the parking lot of the local Republican Party headquarters in Onalaska to see Sen. Ron Johnson on his way across the state. When Johnson drove up with Derrick Van Orden in his environmentalist green bus on Tuesday afternoon, the crowd was all cheers. Johnson, a Republican running for re-election against challenger Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, was joined by political supporters and his fellow Republicans on the ballot: Ryan Huebsch, running for the 94th Assembly District; Van Orden, running to represent the 3rd Congressional District; former state Sen. Dan Kapanke; and Brian Schimming, a talk show radio host. Speeches were themed around rallying people to vote and to support Republicans down the ballot. Johnson, who said he would only serve two terms when he first entered office, said he is running for a third term because the country is more and more divided. I can help make things better, Johnson said. I think I can help unify and heal this nation. So in the end, I couldnt turn my back on America. In regards to voter turnout and election integrity, Johnson said he would love to see high voter turnout. He said that Republicans have recruited 5,000 poll workers and observers to ensure voter integrity and he hopes the Democrats have done the same. When asked if he has confidence in the results of this election, Johnson said, Well see what happens. Is something gonna happen on Election Day? Do the Democrats have something up their sleeves? Johnson used the opportunity to attack his opponent and the Democratic Party, saying, it is the left that is the divisive party in this country. Its just true. Its just the fact. Johnson also questioned the legitimacy of Barnes college degree an issue that was resolved last summer after Barnes received his degree years after attending Alabama A&M University due to a technical error saying he somehow magically got the degree. At the entrance to the event, there was a group from the Democratic Party of Wisconsin holding signs in protest of Johnson. The signs are in reference to a 2017 tax reform bill that reduced the corporate tax rate, which Johnson supported. Part of that plan also included a provision that allowed those buying private jets to write off the full amount of their new planes cost on their tax return. The Johnson family purchased three private jets in the years following the tax plans passage. Thailand Island hopping This post may contain affiliate links. If you use these links, we may earn a small commission. Thanks for your support. Island hopping in Thailand is an absolute must if youre planning a trip to Southeast Asia. The tranquil turquoise waters, powder-soft sandy beaches, and laid-back atmosphere draw you in and might make you contemplate staying forever. Wonder just how many islands in Thailand exist? A whopping 1,430! So, choosing the best islands to visit in Thailand can be overwhelming. However, they all have their own special something, and you could easily spend years exploring these slices of paradise. Check out this guide based on the region and start planning your idyllic beach getaway. Krabi, Thailand Island hopping North Andaman Sea If you are drawn to well-known and popular destinations, the North Andaman sea may be for you. You can visit Phuket island, the Similan Islands, and plenty of beautiful tiny islands on a day trip from Phuket. ADD LINK Pretty much every Thailand itinerary will mention Phuket, and for good reason! Its a fantastic island because you can choose what type of beach youre looking for. If you want to party, head to the wild and crazy area of Patong. If you want more of a laid-back vibe, chill out and catch some sun on Karon beach. Island hopping from Phuket doesnt have to be a huge ordeal, either! You can base yourself in Phuket and take a speed boat out to Coral Island (Koh Hae) or Koh Khai Nok for an amazing day of sun and snorkeling. Another option is going from Phuket to Koh Lanta on an hour and a half speed boat. The nearby Similan Islands are a group of nine islands about 85 km (~53 miles) northwest of Phuket. They are home to some of the best diving and marine life in the world! And a scuba divers dream. Diving in Thailand East Andaman Sea Based in Krabi? Thailand island hopping is exceptionally easy from here because youll have Koh Lanta, Koh Phi Phi, and Koh Yao Yai right at your fingertips. Krabi is an excellent base because the beaches are fantastic and the town is charming. Story continues After exploring Krabi town, head to Koh Lanta to enjoy the long, unbroken stretch of beach and incredible dive sites. You can also start your Krabi island-hopping adventure by taking a one-hour speed boat from Krabi to Koh Phi Phi, one of Thailands most famous islands. Koh Phi Phi is renowned for Leo DiCaprios film The Beach and was actually shut down for several years to help the beach recover from over-tourism. However, it has since re-opened and is just as beautiful as ever. Another nod to Hollywood in Thailand is James Bond Island. It was the filming location for The Man With The Golden Gun. Its a short ride from Koh Phi Phi and can be done in a day trip. Island hopping in Thailand to James Bond Island Koh Yao Yai is one of the best islands in Thailand and still relatively unknown. Its beaches are far less crowded than its neighbors yet offer luxury spa experiences and fantastic resorts. It is easy to get from Krabi or Phuket to Koh Yao Yai because it is right between the two! Koh Yao Yai beaches to island hop to Southwest Andaman Sea If you are looking for the best Thai islands for couples, head to the southwest Andaman Sea. Here youll have access to Koh Lanta, Koh Muk, and Koh Lipe, easily some of the most romantic and relaxed islands in the country. Purple sunset of Koh Lipe, Thailand Koh Lanta has a fantastic stretch of white-sand beaches, perfect for lounging in the sun all day. Two lesser-known islands are Koh Muk and Ko Lipe. Both are close to the Malaysian border. You can take a speedboat from Koh Lanta to Koh Muk or a ferry from Langkawi, Malaysia to Koh Lipe. These secret treasures are perfect for your island hopping in Thailand adventures. Koh Muk is a tiny slice of heaven with some of the best beaches in Thailand. You can certainly plan a romantic few days relaxing by the ocean and enjoying some stellar sunsets. Koh Lipe is a great place to visit because it is seriously laid-back, and the vibes here are incredible. There isnt a whole lot to do other than relax on the beach, sip cocktails as the sun goes down, and enjoy a meal along their walking street. But hey, what more could you want? cute restaurant on Koh Lipe, Thailand Gulf of Thailand The Gulf of Thailand is home to several islands that offer great beaches and fantastic nightlife. You can explore Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, and Koh Tao which are definitely the best Thai islands in this region. Koh Samui island-hopping is great because there are several small islands right near Samui that you can easily explore in a few days. Start by spending time at the Emerald Lagoon on Koh Mae Koh, located within the Ang Thong Marine Park, and an easy day trip from Koh Samui. You can also see Koh Wua Talap, the headquarters of the marine park and home to a great walking trail and some quaint little beaches. If nightlife is what youre after, head to Koh Phangan. An easy 30-minute ferry from Koh Samui, this party island is notorious for full moon parties each month. Koh Tao is an island that offers a balance between Koh Samui and Koh Phangan. You can definitely hit up a few great beach bars. But its is more than just a party. There are hiking spots with breathtaking viewpoints and outstanding diving and snorkeling sites to help you connect with marine life. View over Koh Tao, Thailand Take the ferry from Koh Samui to Koh Tao, as it is a quick and easy journey. No matter where you start your island hopping in Thailand tour, you wont be disappointed. The most difficult part of your trip will be dragging yourself away from these beautiful islands. FAQ Are the ferries reliable in Thailand? Yes, the ferries in Thailand are very reliable and reputable. While they may not always be the most modern boats, they certainly get you from A to B without issue. When is the best time to go island hopping in Thailand? It depends on where you are going. Koh Samui and Phuket, for example, have opposite weather patterns, so read our best time to go to Thailand post for a month-by-month breakdown. Do you need to book transfers in advance? This really depends on when you are traveling. If you are doing all of your island hopping during peak season, it is good to book in advance to ensure a seat on the ferry you want. The post Island Hopping in Thailand: The Best Islands to Visit appeared first on Bookaway. The Jets are back on the practice field to begin preparing for the class of the AFC (and perhaps the entire league at the moment), the Buffalo Bills. And chances are theyll still be without one of the top wide receivers. Corey Davis remains day-to-day with a knee injury and did not practice Wednesday. The Jets may just end up playing it safe with Davis and sit him again this week with the bye week coming in Week 10. Other than that, not too many other players on the report, though a couple of new names popped up Wednesday. While Duane Brown made his usual appearance, the Jets added TE C.J. Uzomah (shoulder), OL Nate Herbig (hand) and S Lamarcus Joyner (hip) to the report Wednesday. All were limited. For the Bills, five players were listed as out on Wednesday. They were RB Taiwan Jones (knee), LB Matt Milano (oblique), LB Von Miller (veteran rest day), S Jordan Poyer (elbow) and OG Rodger Saffold (veteran rest day). Bills that were limited Friday: OT Spencer Brown (ankle), LB Tremaine Edmunds (heel), DT DaQuan Jones (veteran rest day) and CB Mitch Morse (elbow). CB Cam Lewis was listed as a full participant with a forearm injury. Story originally appeared on Jets Wire The legal and financial stakes in the civil lawsuit that New York Attorney General Letitia James filed against former President Donald Trump and his family are high $250 million high. James' court filing argues that's what Trump must pay for a 10-year scheme "that grossly inflated" his personal net worth by billions of dollars and then used the higher values "to induce banks to lend money to the Trump Organization on more favorable terms than would otherwise have been available." The alleged actions violated New York laws and likely saved Trump, his business and his family more than $150 million from 2011-2021, the complaint argues. Trump's company said there was no wrongdoing. Not only were the lending banks unharmed, "they profited handsomely, to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars in interest and fees," the company said in a formal statement. Now the case is in the New York state court system, where legal rules for civil matters may make it easier for James to prove her case and have the court impose a multi-million dollar fine than if the Trumps had been criminally charged. Stay in the conversation on politics: Sign up for the OnPolitics newsletter As the two sides battle over who should be assigned the case, a state trial court judge has set a hearing Thursday on James' request for a monitor to oversee some Trump company transactions and a restriction on disposing of some assets. The requests seek to stop the defendants from trying to avoid the massive financial penalty James is trying to recover in the suit. "I don't think it's unlikely at all that a New York jury would require him to pay $250 million in penalties," said John C. Coffee, Jr., a Columbia University Law School professor and an authority on white collar crime and complex litigation. "It might force him to divest some of his assets and change his lifestyle." New York Attorney General Letitia James speaks during a press conference regarding former President Donald Trump and his family's financial fraud case on Sept. 21, 2022 in New York. Standard of proof Prosecutors win convictions in criminal cases if the evidence shows guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. And the jury's verdict must be unanimous. Story continues The standard of proof in New York civil cases is a preponderance of the evidence. That's easier to show, because it means the alleged actions more than likely happened. Instead of a unanimous verdict, agreement by at least five-sixths of the jurors is sufficient for the state to win the case. "This makes it easier for the attorney general to prove" the allegations, said Coffee. Witness testimony During the three-year New York investigation, Trump fought efforts to make him appear at a deposition and answer questions under oath. He ultimately was deposed after a New York Supreme Court judge a trial court judge in the state court system ruled against him. However, he repeatedly invoked his Fifth Amendment right not to answer questions and potentially incriminate himself. Taking the fifth conflicted with past statements in which Trump suggested that only organized crime figures refused to answer questions under oath. Invoking his right to silence in a civil trial would work against Trump. If he did, the rules would allow a trial judge to tell the jury to infer that the facts as alleged are true, said Coffee. He added that Trump's lawyers would not allow the former president to put himself in such a position. In contrast, a witness who takes the fifth in a criminal trial cannot have that held against her or him. Dispute over a judge The New York attorney general's case against Trump is in an early stage. Nonetheless, opposing attorneys already have clashed over Acting New York Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron, who's assigned to the case. Engoron was the judge who required Trump to be questioned under oath in a deposition during James' three-year investigation before the civil lawsuit was filed. He also issued a contempt order against Trump and required the former president to pay $110,000 for failure to provide records demanded by James. Engoron later lifted the contempt finding. James argues that Engoron is the right choice because he is already familiar with the litigation. Keeping him would speed up a case that Trump's legal team has repeatedly tried to delay, wrote Kevin Wallace, an attorney on James' team. Trump attorney Alina Habba argued in letters to Justice Adam Silvera, the top administrator for New York County Supreme Court's civil division, that the case should be handled by the state trial court's Commercial Division. That's a special section formed to handle complex corporate cases. She wrote that the arguments by James' team appeared aimed at circumventing the court's judicial assignment system in order to "judge shop." Silvera ruled Oct. 25 that Engoron was properly appointed because he presided over the earlier related matter that led to the contempt order. Silvera also said both sides' filings about the case assignment had been premature. But Trump's team hasn't given up. On Wednesday, Habba sought a hearing on why the lawsuit should not be transferred to the court's Commercial Division. Citing state regulations, the filing said such an ssignment "is mandatory." It also asked Engoron to postpone all action in the case until the assignment issue is decided. In response, James' office sent Engoron a letter that said the ruling by Silvera, the administrative judge who denied the transfer, "is final and not subject to appeal." The judge agreed with James' argument and declined to sign the application by Trump's lawyers. Coffee, the Columbia Law School professor, said it would be unusual for an assigned judge to be removed from a case unless she or he had a conflict of interest or had made an error. Separately, James filed an Oct. 13 request asking Engoron to block Trump's business from transferring assets to a newly-formed company with a similar name. She argued the new entity appeared aimed at enabling his older company "to avoid existing responsibilities," including the state lawsuit. More: New York AG asks court to block any Trump asset transfer to new company Trump's lawyers argued in a court filing that "this politically motivated attempt to nationalize a highly successful private enterprise is precluded under our Constitution and should therefore be rejected." Engoron scheduled a Thursday hearing on James' request. More: Trump lawyers cast Thomas as vital to blocking 2020 election certification, emails show Trump's taxes: Chief Justice Roberts grants temporary hold in dispute over tax returns Alleged fraud: Trial of Trump companies delayed by COVID-19 diagnosis of key prosecution witness This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Donald Trump vs. NY attorney general in massive civil lawsuit PROVINCETOWN Days after identifying the long-unknown homicide victim "Lady of the Dunes," as Ruth Marie Terry of Tennessee, law enforcement officials are now seeking information about a man with a criminal record whom they believe she married several months before her death. Now deceased, that man was named Guy Rockwell Muldavin, born Oct. 27, 1923. Also known to use the names of Raoul Guy Rockwell and Guy Muldavin Rockwell, he is suspected in the deaths of his second wife and her daughter in 1960, according to newspaper accounts. Terry was also known by Teri Marie Vizina, Terry M. Vizina, and Teri Shannon, police also said. She was 37 when she was killed in 1974 by a blow to the head and left in the sand dunes of Provincetown, near Race Point. Lady of the Dunes identified:Provincetown police chief with the news Guy Rockwell Muldavin also used the names of Raoul Guy Rockwell and Guy Muldavin Rockwell, according to the state police. "We do know there was an association between the two in other states at another time," Cape and Islands District Attorney Michael O'Keefe said of Muldavin and Terry Wednesday evening. "Now we are doing our best to try to put the two of them together in Massachusetts and specifically Provincetown." 'I hope she gets justice': Provincetown reacts to Lady of the Dunes identification Guy Rockwell Muldavin was suspected of other deaths Muldavin was suspected in the deaths of his second wife and her daughter in Seattle, Washington, in 1960, according to a 1961 story in the Erie Times-News. He fled Seattle but was arrested by the FBI in Brooklyn, New York, in December 1960 and charged with "unlawful flight to avoid giving testimony relating to 'mutilation of human remains,'" the FBI told the Associated Press at the time. Muldavin also faced larceny charges for swindling his third wife's family out of $10,000 around the time his second wife went missing, according to the Associated Press account. He was convicted in 1961 on those charges and sentenced to no more than 15 years, according to the Erie Times-News. In March 1962, a judge suspended the sentence provided he repay the money. Story continues Ruth Marie Terry has been identified as the Lady of the Dunes, a homicide victim found in the Provincetown dunes in July 1974. This photo was taken in the 1960s. O'Keefe said investigators are looking into whether murder charges were filed against Muldavin in connection with the deaths of his second wife and her daughter and have contacted law enforcement officials in Seattle. 'Lady of the Dunes' podcast: What is the story of Provincetown MA's 1974 cold case Connections to Provincetown through his father Barnstable County Registry of Deeds records show Albert Muldavin sold 16 Provincetown properties between 1950 to 1956. The records show he also bought two properties in Provincetown, in 1948 and 1950. Albert Muldavin immigrated to the U.S. from Poland and had residences in Brooklyn, Las Vegas, New Mexico; Westchester, New York; Stamford, Connecticut; Miami, and Albuquerque, according to ancestry.com He divorced his first wife before remarrying soon after. He became the father of twins a few weeks after that. Albert Muldavin ultimately married and divorced three times. Working for many years as an export manager, he later became the president of a sugar products company. He died in 1967 at age 72. Referring to Albert Muldavin, O'Keefe said law enforcement officials are "operating on the assumption that he is the father of Guy Muldavin," saying based on the evidence thus far "they appear to be father and son." "We are looking into everything that helps us place Guy Muldavin in Provincetown during the relevant period (Terry's death) and before," said O'Keefe. In 1974, the handless body of a woman was found in Provincetown In the summer of 1974, a 12-year-old girl and her parents were hiking back to the Province Lands Visitors Center in Provincetown when they came upon the handless, nearly headless body of a woman, now identified as Ruth Marie Terry. She had been in the stand of scrub pines for at least a week, police said at the time. She was the longest unidentified murder victim in the state before a Monday announcement from the Federal Bureau of Investigation Boston Division. Lady of the Dunes:A former Provincetown police chief considers what's next: Lady of the Dunes How Ruth Marie Terry was identified Ruth Marie Terry has been identified as the Lady of the Dunes, a homicide victim found in the Provincetown dunes in July 1974. Terry's identity was discovered using investigative genealogy, said Joseph Bonavolonta, a special agent with the Boston bureau, at the announcement on Monday, a unique method that can generate new leads for unsolved homicides, as well as help identify unknown victims. She was born in Tennessee in 1936, he said, and "was a daughter, sister, aunt, wife and mother." She had connections to California, Massachusetts and Michigan. State police, the Cape & Islands District Attorney's Office, and Provincetown Police Department are asking anyone with information about Guy Muldavin or Terry contact 1-800-KAPTURE, text 226787, or email MSPTips@pol.state.ma.us. Staff writer Anne Brennan contributed to this story. How to find out more:The 'Lady of the Dunes,' identified as Ruth Marie Terry This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Lady of the Dunes: Now deceased husband had ties to Provincetown Logistics meant King Charles could not go to COP27, Sunak's spokeswoman says Britain's King Charles hosts the 50th anniversary of the Resettlement of British Asians from Uganda, at Buckingham Palace in London LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's King Charles will not go to the COP27 U.N. climate summit in Egypt as new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has not been in office long enough for the logistics to be arranged for the monarch to go, Sunak's spokeswoman said on Thursday. Buckingham Palace and Downing Street have said that there has been "unanimous agreement" that Charles would not go to COP27, with the king focussed instead on hosting a climate reception at the palace on Friday. But Sunak's spokeswoman suggested that if Sunak, who only became prime minister last week, had been in office longer, Charles might have gone to COP27 after all. "We do recognise that had the prime minister been in post earlier, the situation might have been different, but it is not logistically feasible at this late stage," the spokeswoman told reporters. "So... there remains unanimous agreement between the palace and the government that the king will not attend." Downing Street only confirmed Sunak's own attendance at the summit on Wednesday, reversing an earlier position that he would not attend due to pressing domestic issues. Often outspoken on climate change, Charles had agreed with the previous Prime Minister Liz Truss that he would not attend the climate summit. The Sunday Times at the time reported Truss had asked Charles not to go, though discussions between the two had been cordial. Charles addressed COP26 in Glasgow when Britain hosted the climate summit a year ago, but has indicated he will step back from some of his campaigning since he became king following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in September. (Reporting by Alistair Smout; Editing by Bernadette Baum) Update:Milwaukee Election Commission official Kimberly Zapata charged with felony and misdemeanor counts over fraudulent military ballots A Milwaukee election official could face criminal charges accusing her of fraudulently requesting absentee ballots reserved for members of the military and sending them to a Republican lawmaker known for embracing unfounded conspiracy theories about the 2020 election. Milwaukee Election Commission Deputy Director Kimberly Zapata, 45, of Milwaukee was fired by Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson this week after Johnson discovered she had requested the ballots. Johnson said Zapata's actions may have been to show voter fraud was possible. "This has every appearance of being an egregious and blatant violation of trust," Johnson said. "Election integrity is absolutely integral. It's absolutely essential." Milwaukee County prosecutors are considering charging Zapata with malfeasance in office, a felony, and illegally requesting a ballot, a misdemeanor, a source told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. District Attorney John Chisholm said in a statement his office is reviewing the election fraud allegations and that prosecutors "expect charges to be filed in the coming days." Johnson held a news conference Thursday but left before reporters were finished asking questions about the matter. Kimberly Zapata's actions revealed while Election Day 2022 draws near The revelation comes five days before the Nov. 8 midterm election, a potentially explosive development at a time when Republicans have cast doubt on the security of absentee voting, and in Milwaukee in particular, ever since former President Donald Trump began falsely accusing Milwaukee election officials of rigging the 2020 election. At Thursday's news conference, Johnson said he learned Wednesday that Zapata apparently sought fictitious military ballots from a state elections website and directed them to Brandtjen. Zapatas actions may have been an effort to expose vulnerability in the state election system, he said. Story continues It does not matter to me that the alleged crime did not take place at work, he said. It does not matter to me that the city of Milwaukee ballots were not a part of this, nor does it matter that there was no attempt to vote illegally or tamper with any election results. Michael Maistelman, who is representing Zapata, declined to answer questions. "We will litigate this in the courtroom, not the media," said Maistelman, who often represents Democrats including Gov. Tony Evers. City officials revoked Zapatas access to city offices and computer systems when they learned of her actions and she was fired, Johnson said. He said while there is no other indication of violations by Zapata, city officials are looking into the possibility of other misdeeds. Who is Kimberly Zapata? Zapata had been with the Election Commission for about seven years and the city about 10, Milwaukee Election Commission Executive Director Claire Woodall-Vogg said. She was appointed deputy director of the Election Commission this summer. Up until this point, we have never had any indication of any type of violation of work policies or procedures, Woodall-Vogg said. We, of course, will be taking an extra look at that, but up until this point she has been forthcoming and we dont have any indication of any concerns at this point. Thats not to say that we wont be looking at every aspect of elections shes been involved in. Johnson's spokesman, Jeff Fleming, said at this point the city Election Commission is leading the review but that others inside and outside city government are also expected to look into previous elections with which Zapata was involved. He declined to answer questions about why Zapata apparently approached city officials, who she spoke with, and when the ballots were sent. Fleming instead directed questions to Maistelman or the district attorney's office, which declined to provide additional details about the case. Asked how they learned of Zapatas actions, Woodall-Vogg said the employee was forthcoming. Under state law, military voters are not required to register to vote and do not have to provide photo ID or any other identification. Its my belief that she was pointing out that you can go onto the public system, make up a person and request a ballot, Woodall-Vogg said, adding that city officials understanding is that she sent it to Brandtjen to alert her to the systems vulnerability. Johnson said faith in Milwaukees elections should not be shaken because city officials were forthcoming about what had happened and Zapata was immediately fired. At that point, he and Woodall-Vogg left as reporters shouted questions. Zapata's termination means Woodall-Vogg will instead oversee the city's central count operation, where all the absentee ballots are tallied on Nov. 8. Wisconsin Elections Commission administrator Meagan Wolfe said late Thursday no other ballots, beyond those in question, have been affected by Zapata's actions. "This violation of trust cuts to the heart of election integrity, something that the Wisconsin Elections Commission and local election officials hold in the most serious regard," Wolfe said. "While the actions of this individual set us all back in our efforts to show Wisconsinites that our elections are run with integrity, I have every confidence the upcoming election will be fair and accurate." While this case understandably will receive a lot of attention, the fact remains that election fraud is extremely rare, and when it does occur, it is quickly discovered, and there are consequences." Eight of Milwaukees 11 council members in a statement applauded Johnsons decision to fire Zapata, calling her actions shocking, sad and extremely disappointing. Although she apparently did this outside of work and on her own time, that fact does NOT matter. Her actions leave a stain on the Election Commission and city government that is hurtful and unwarranted, but nonetheless damaging, wrote Alds. Michael Murphy, Robert Bauman, Milele Coggs, JoCasta Zamarripa, Mark Borkowski, Scott Spiker and Marina Dimitrijevic, along with council President Jose G. Perez. Still, they wrote, they continued to have faith in the city's election workers, system and overall operation. A Republican Party of Wisconsin spokesman said in a statement that election officials need to follow the law but also raised concerns about the state's online system where voters can request absentee ballots and more. "The vulnerabilities that continue to be exposed in the MyVote system for requesting absentee ballots should be shocking to everyone, said party spokesman Chad Doran said. State Rep. Janel Brandtjen contacted law enforcement after receiving three absentee ballots she did not request On Monday, the Waukesha County Sheriff's Department announced it was investigating who requested absentee ballots on behalf of members of the military and had them sent to the home of state Rep. Janel Brandtjen of Menomonee Falls. Brandtjen, who leads the Assembly's elections committee, said Monday she believed the episode involved someone copying the actions of a Racine County man who says he believes voter fraud robbed Donald Trump of a victory in 2020 and wanted to prove election fraud is possible. On Thursday, Brandtjen suggested Zapata's actions shed light on problems that lawmakers need to address. "We have uncovered so many issues that demand attention. I have been attacked by the liberal media, Democrats who benefit from the system, and Republicans who dont have the backbone to take on the issues, including Speaker Vos, who has referred to me as a conspiracy theorist," Brandtjen said, referring to Assembly Speaker Robin Vos. Rep. Janel Brandtjen speaks as former President Donald Trump held a campaign rally for Republican candidate for governor Tim Michels at the Waukesha County Fairgrounds in Waukesha on Friday, Aug. 5, 2022. Brandtjen said Monday she contacted law enforcement and former Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman, who oversaw a partisan review of the 2020 election, after she received three ballots from clerks in Menomonee Falls, where Brandtjen lives, South Milwaukee and Shorewood to three different women with the first name Holly. The Sheriff's Department is working with the Waukesha County district attorney to investigate, the department said Monday. "We are still gathering the WEC data regarding Rep. Brandtjens concerns that she outlined in her recent press release. We plan to work with our law enforcement partners as appropriate to address the allegations," Wisconsin Elections Commission spokesman Riley Vetterkind said in a statement on Monday. Republican candidate for governor Tim Michels, who is endorsed by Trump and has endorsed his false claims about the 2020 election, said Thursday he would replace the Wisconsin Elections Commission with a "Wisconsin Election Integrity Group" that included members from the state's eight congressional districts, five of which are represented by Republicans. Michels suggested he would not seek to eliminate the state's MyVote website for requesting absentee ballots, which Zapata and Wait used to commit election fraud. More:In 2018 governor's race, Milwaukee absentee ballots took center stage. That could happen again in November. More:How to register to vote, request an absentee ballot and answers to other questions about voting in Wisconsin Before knowing who was at fault, Brandtjen characterized the episode as an effort to expose loopholes in election law, comparing it to crimes alleged against Harry Wait, a leader of a Racine County-based group known as H.O.T. Government that promotes false claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election. Wait was charged earlier this year with two counts of election fraud and two counts of unauthorized use of an individual's personal identifying information for posing as Vos and Racine Mayor Cory Mason to request their ballots in order to show violations of the law are possible. Before his first court appearance in the matter in September, Wait compared himself to founding fathers such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. "My actions are in the spirit of organic law of this nation, upon which was founded taking action in civil disobedience," he told reporters in a news conference. "I have acted in a similar manner as the founder of this nation acted. For that reason, I am certain my actions are indeed both lawful and under organic law of the nation." On Monday, a post in Wait's group's social media channel called Brandtjen a "patriot" for highlighting what the group calls problems with the state's system to request absentee ballots. To change the process for military members would require lawmakers to take action. Under state law, military members are exempt from registering to vote or providing photo identification. After news broke Thursday about Zapata, Wait commended her. He wrote online that he saluted her "due to her efforts to expose more voting vulnerabilities in MyVote." As chairwoman of the elections committee, Brandtjen has repeatedly held hearings promoting false claims of voter fraud and 2020 election conspiracy theories. "If another Republican has committed election fraud, they should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I hope whoever did this is caught so we can send a clear message that this will not be tolerated," Democratic state Rep. Mark Spreitzer of Beloit, a member of the Assembly elections committee, said in a statement. "For obvious reasons, military voters need to be able to vote absentee, and we should not tolerate anyone who wants to make our service members pawns for their political agenda." Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal. DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee election official Kimberly Zapata faces fraud charges Ksenia Sobchak speaks at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on June 2, 2021. Photo by Maksim Konstantinov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images Ksenia Sobchak, Putin's rumored god-daughter and a media figure, fled Russia last week. There was a warrant for her arrest in connection with an case against her creative director. Now, her mother told Russian state media that she is expected to return to Russia soon. Ksenia Sobchak, the rumored god-daughter of Russian President Vladimir Putin, fled the country last week after a warrant was issued for her arrest. Now, her mother is claiming that she'll return to Russia soon. Russian state-owned news agency Radio Sputnik reported Wednesday that Lyudmila Narusova, a politician and Sobchak's mother, told another media outlet that her daughter will return to Russia soon from Lithuania. "She will, very soon," Narusova told Ria Novosti when asked if her daughter is slated to return, according to Radio Sputnik. Sobchak, a prominent media figure, left Russia on October 25 and traveled through Belarus to reach Lithuania, where her presence was confirmed by intelligence officials. Russian state-run media outlet TASS reported that police had issued an arrest warrant for Sobchak in connection with an alleged extortion case against her commercial director Kirill Sukhanov, who was later detained. After fleeing Russia, Sobchak was named a suspect in the case, and her home was searched, according to TASS. On October 29, Sobchak posted a vague message to Telegram where she said she was in "trouble," though it was not immediately clear what exactly she was referring to. "My thoughts are with my family, who I have been separated from," she said on Telegram, later adding: "Yes, I am in trouble. Possibly, in big trouble." Narusova told Ria Novosti that her daughter, Sobchak, was not involved in the alleged criminal activity, Radio Sputnik reported. Narusova also told the outlet that her daughter used an Israeli passport to cross international borders. In addition to being a television host, Sobchak is also an actress, socialite, and former presidential candidate. Her father was Anatoly Sobchak, the first mayor of St. Petersburg, and she was at one point referred to as "Russia's Paris Hilton." Translation by Oleksandr Vynogradov Read the original article on Business Insider Tom E. Puskar/AP Photo; Joshua A. Bickel/The Columbus Dispatch via AP; Insider Republican author and venture capitalist J.D. Vance is facing off against Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan for an open US Senate seat in Ohio. Sen. Rob Portman, who currently represents the state in the Senate, announced in early 2021 that he would not seek reelection. Despite Ryan's large financial lead, experts say Vance has a better chance of winning in November. Republican J.D. Vance faces off against Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan in Ohio to represent the state in the US Senate. Republican Sen. Rob Portman, who currently holds the seat and has been a part of the Senate since 2011, announced in January 2021 that he would not be running for a third term, leaving the seat up for grabs in 2022. Ohio's US Senate race candidates Vance is a venture capitalist, veteran, and author who rose to prominence following the publication of his book, "Hillbilly Elegy," which delves into Vance's childhood and upbringing in Ohio. Vance won the Republican nomination in a crowded seven-candidate GOP primary race, winning 32.2% of the overall vote. Vance, who received an endorsement from President Donald Trump in the run-up to the primary election, previously compared Trump to "America's Hitler" in private messages with his former roommate. At a rally in September, the former president made fun of Vance and accused him of showering him with flattery in exchange for the president's support. "J.D. is kissing my ass he wants my support so much," Trump said in Youngstown, Ohio. Ryan, Vance's general election challenger, has represented Ohio districts in the US House of Representatives since 2003. He represented the state's 17th Congressional District for 10 years before switching to the 13th Congressional District in 2013 following redistricting. Ryan handily defeated the two other Democratic candidates in Ohio's primary election, bringing in 69.6% of the overall vote. In 2020, prior to running for the Senate, Ryan ran for the Democratic presidential nomination. His presidential campaign failed to gain traction, ultimately leading him to withdraw from the race and run for re-election in the US House. Story continues Ohio's voting history The state voted for President Donald Trump over Joe Biden by about 8 percentage points in the 2020 presidential election. Ohio's been a swing state for decades, having voted Republicans and Democrats for president four times each over the last eight presidential election cycles. The money race According to OpenSecrets, Ryan has raised $47.3 million, spent $44.5 million, and has $2.8 million of cash on hand as of October 19. Vance has raised $12 million, spent $9 million, and has $2.9 million of cash left on hand as of October 19. As of late October, several dozen super PACs, national party committees, politically active nonprofits, and other non-candidate groups had combined to spend about $90 million to advocate for or against candidates in this race, including during the race's primary phase. The vast majority of this spending has benefitted Vance, with the Senate Leadership Fund, a Republican-backing super PAC, alone accounting for nearly one-third of the spending. What experts say The race between Vance and Ryan is rated as "tilt Republican" by Inside Elections, "lean Republican" by The Cook Political Report, and "leans Republican" by Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics. Read the original article on Business Insider Russia summons British ambassador over drone strike on Crimea British Ambassador to Russia Deborah Bronnert arrives at the Russian Foreign Ministry headquarters in Moscow (Reuters) -Russia summoned the British ambassador on Thursday over Moscow's claim that British navy personnel were involved in a Ukrainian drone attack on Russia's Black Sea Fleet in Crimea. Ambassador Deborah Bronnert arrived at the foreign ministry shortly after 1030 local time (0730 GMT) as a small crowd chanted anti-British slogans and held up placards reading "Britain is a terrorist state". Bronnert was inside the ministry for around 30 minutes, a Reuters journalist at the scene said. There was no immediate statement from either Russia or Britain on the details of what was discussed. Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday the ambassador was to be summoned over Saturday's drone attack on Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014. Britain says the claims are false. After the drone attack, Russia temporarily suspended participation in a U.N.-brokered Black Sea Grain deal. Russia casts Britain as a particularly perfidious Western power which President Vladimir Putin says is plotting to destroy Russia and carve up its vast natural resources. After Russia invaded Ukraine, Britain, along with the United States and the European Union, imposed some of the most severe sanctions in history and supplied weapons to help Ukraine. Russia's defence ministry said that British navy personnel blew up the Nord Stream gas pipelines, a claim that London said was false and designed to distract from Russian military failures in Ukraine. (Reporting by ReutersEditing by Guy Faulconbridge) The Monetary Authority of Singapores (MAS) decentralized finance pilot program just executed the first real-world use case for institutional-grade DeFi protocols, Aave founder Stani Kulechov told Decrypt. J.P. Morgan, DBS Bank and SBI Digital Asset Holdings yesterday used the Aave protocol on Polygona layer-2 scaling solutionto complete foreign exchange and government bond transactions on the Ethereum network. The banks exchanged tokenized versions of Singapore government securities bonds for Japanese government bonds, and Japanese Yen for Singapore Dollars as a test. We look forward to welcoming more innovation that leverages composable DeFi protocols to provide access to many underserved markets and enable a more inclusive system, Kulechov told Decrypt over Telegram. Singapore Mulls Ban on Letting Retail Investors Buy Crypto With Leverage Polygon co-founder Sandeep Nailwal echoed his optimism. Hardcore financial institutions are being increasingly comfortable in experimenting with public blockchains, he wrote on Twitter yesterday. Eventually some of them are going to crack the use cases [that add] value to their core business models and that will potentially open the floodgates for mass adoption. MAS has said one of the big driving factors behind the pilot program, which was announced in May, has been making markets more efficient. Banks being able to transact directly with another another frees up costs involved in executing trades through clearing and settlement intermediaries, and the management of bilateral counterparty trading relationships as required in todays over-the-counter markets, MAS said in its announcement. The government transactions were not the only news to come of the Singapore Fintech Festival this week. Early Wednesday morning, stablecoin issuers Paxos (Pax Dollar and Binance USD) and Circle (USD Coin and Euro Coin) announced they were approved to operate in Singapore. Paxos has permission to offer digital payment token services, and Circle received in-principle approval to operate as a major payments institution in the country, which means it can issue cryptocurrencies and facilitate domestic and cross-border payments. Story continues The approvals come after MAS released two different regulatory framework proposals for how regulators might oversee stablecoins. Thats a huge signal, a super huge signal from a central bank making a call on [crypto] assets, Sopnendu Mohanty, MAS Chief Fintech Officer, told Nasdaqs TradeTalks at the event. But theres still work to be done. The banks said in a white paper published by think tank Oliver Wyman Forum that the pilot program will need to obtain some legal clarity, incentivize adoption, and run more tests before institutional DeFi can be scaled. For example, the pilot used a modified version of Aave Arc to run its test. DeFi protocols are designed to ensure that key market metrics, such as interest rates, collateral haircuts, and the like, follow supply and demand dynamics of the assets trading within them, the forum wrote in its paper. For Pilot One, some of these codified rules had to be tailored to force-fit the business objective, such as altering interest rates of the lending protocol to zero, to avoid unintended behavior during transactions. Aave Launches Staked Ethereum Earn Strategy Through Oasis Monica Summerville, head of capital markets at Celent, told Decrypt in an email that the pilot is significant, especially given how much interest there is from institutional investors. The advisory firm recently conducted a survey of institutional clients for BNY Mellon, who share some of the concerns raised in the white paper. DeFi ranked as the top feature after custody and execution when considering which digital asset custodian to work with, Summerville said. However, echoing some of the findings of this pilot, our study also found that interoperability ranked as a top three concern around digital representations of cash on the blockchain. In 1967, in Da Nang, Vietnam, Stanley "Butch" Kracl and several other Marines got off a plane and were immediately struck by how different Vietnam was from home. "The heat and smell hit a guy. Caskets are lined up on the runway getting ready to get loaded up," Butch said. "The first time you went out and saw action, it dawned on a guy the odds were against you. It really sunk in you probably were not going to make it back out of here." Kracl said he joined the Marines because, at the time, that was what those before you did. It was what you were supposed to do. Being 18 and feeling invincible, it seemed a natural fit. "Back then, the generations before all served when the country wanted them to serve," Butch said. "I figured this is my opportunity to serve, figured the government wouldnt lie to you at that time, I wanted to go serve my country." In 1967, after going to boot camp straight out of high school, Butch went into Vietnam, where he was on a machine gun squad. His squadron, he said, moved all around the landscape, working in the high mountains and swampy lowlands. "Outside of your bomb craters that were torn up, if there wasnt a war going on, it would be a pretty country, villagers were living like medieval times almost with thatch huts," Butch said. Despite the almost picturesque landscapes, it was hard times, Butch said. Out of necessity, troops were pushed to their physical limits in the hopes they would survive. During that time, he added, he was in his peak physical condition due to the rigorous exercises. "Basically it was go until you can't go any more, then go do some more. I was in the best physical shape in my whole life when I got out of boot camp," Butch said. "There were instances where we ran over a mile under fire to get to a helicopter to help another company." Not to mention, he added, the conditions were horrendous. The jungle climate, while welcome over an arctic one, bred many miserable creatures that plagued him and the others in his squadron. "The flies and mosquitoes and leeches were terrible. They were always eating you up, if it wasn't the mosquitoes, it was the flies," Butch said. "And you sweated so bad, mosquito repellent didn't do any good anyhow. If you were walking in water, the leeches would also wrap around you." Despite the struggles, Butch said the war carried with it a sense of solidarity among those fighting. "I always tell my kids it was like 'A Tale of Two Cities,' it was the best of times, it was the worst of times," Butch said. "Probably the best part of the military was that whether you were white or black or red, everybody got along, everybody wanted to survive and get out alive." Butch returned stateside after a couple years, where he worked as a file clerk at a naval base, where Marines were sometimes posted, something he considered a "fluff job" but preferable to being in the jungle or on guard duty. Labor Day, shortly after his return, Butch stopped in at a bar where his now wife, Agnes, first saw him. "He had driven a vehicle for the parade, I was in the bar with my folks. His neighbors noticed we were looking at each other, so they dragged him over and introduced themselves and him to me," Agnes said. "I always was interested in the military, he had his Marine uniform on and everything, he looked pretty sharp." Butch said that after Vietnam veterans' return, many were treated poorly. Protests at the time and general anti-war sentiments were directed into anti-warrior sentiments. "When we came home, they stayed away like we were the plague. I'll never forget that day, there was a protest at Travis (Air Force Base) so they landed us at San Francisco International. I remember coming down the steps and one thing always sticks," Butch said. "This lady grabbed her kid and ran away when we were coming down, everybody spread like we were the plague, it struck me kind of weird." Butch added that because of this, combined with the things many Vietnam vets saw and people they lost, many veterans developed drinking or drug problems and some even psychological damage. He said he hopes that that generation, their messages, stories and support can prevent younger veterans from having the same issues. "I know a guy who served under me, he lived in the hills for I don't know how many years, away from people, and that's common for most of us, avoiding crowds, being loners," Butch said. "Some adapted better, but it's a majority. You always keep stuff buried, but as you get older, you talk about it a little more with your grandkids or somebody curious." For his service, Butch is one of three area Vietnam veterans being honored at a Nov. 10 Veterans Day dinner at The Center with a quilt made by Lynn DeShon from Wahoo. Butch said he was reluctant to accept the quilt, but that at the insistence of fellow veteran Jerry Mundil, he acquiesced. Butch said he thinks Korean War veterans and military nurses are deserving of a lot of credit as well, which he's glad to see has been more understood in recent years. "One group I'm really glad is getting recognized is nurses who served there. Us guys, if we had someone mangled, we'd call up a med-evac, we had to go on, keep fighting, we didnt see them again," Butch said. "We'd wonder what happened and find out what happened later, but those nurses, that was every day for them, they saw the worst of the worst." Agnes said the honor is deserved and long due after what Butch and others went through in and out of Vietnam. "I'm proud of him, I think its good to have those things, you know, they were treated so badly when they got home, it's time they get their due," Agnes said. Schlumberger changes its name to SLB, rebrands as it eyes lower-carbon future By Liz Hampton (Reuters) -Top oilfield services firm SLB will raise its quarterly dividend next year by 43% and resume a share buyback program, executives said on Thursday, offering an upbeat view of energy markets. Although annual revenues have fallen every year since 2019, SLB should see revenue increase this year from last year's levels and is targeting a 15% compound average revenue growth rate through 2025 from 2021 levels, officials said. The company's rosy outlook comes as oil and gas offshore activity is poised to surpass levels before the COVID-19 pandemic, on strong demand for fossil fuels production and on technologies to curb emissions. "Upstream spending is very resilient," Chief Executive Olivier Le Peuch told investors at a conference in New York on Thursday, adding that he expects double-digit growth in energy sector capital investment in the coming years. Upstream investment in the Middle East could hit record levels, he said. Oil prices this year climbed to their strongest in roughly eight years as Russia's invasion of Ukraine led to disrupted energy supplies. Some economists fear rising energy prices could spark a global recession that cuts fuel demand. SLB this year has benefited from increased oil drilling and production activity in North America. The broader industry is likely entering a "super cycle" despite some potential disruptions due to geopolitical risks. Shares settled up 1.3% at $51.80. The stock is up almost 73% year-to-date. The company next year will boost its quarterly dividend by 43% to 25 cents per share, and restart a share buyback program with a $9 billion authorization. The company aims to return a minimum of 50% of its free cash flow to shareholders in the coming years. It will maintain capital spending levels at between 5% and 7% of revenue, Chief Financial Officer Stephane Biguet said on Thursday. Formerly called Schlumberger, SLB rebranded itself in late October with a new name, logo and color scheme to reflect an increasing focus on its digital business and commitments to a lower carbon future. The company launched a New Energy business unit in 2020 and aims to generate $3 billion in revenue from that enterprise by the end of the decade, Le Peuch said. The business helps oil and gas customers reduce carbon emissions and develop cleaner fuels such as hydrogen. (Reporting by Liz Hampton in Denver; Editing by Kirsten Donovan, Barbara Lewis and Lincoln Feast) FILE PHOTO: The logo of car manufacturer Tesla is seen in Bern (Reuters) - Tesla Inc delivered 71,704 China-made electric vehicles (EVs) in October, down 14% from a record high in the previous month, according to a report released on Thursday by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA). The U.S. EV maker delivered 83,135 cars in September, setting a record for Teslas Shanghai factory since production began in December 2019. October production was still higher than a year earlier. Tesla was the second best-selling electric vehicle maker in China last month after BYD Co, which shipped 217,518 cars, the CPCA said. Tesla has cut starter prices for its Model 3 and Model Y cars by as much as 9% in China, reversing a trend of price increases across the industry amid signs of softening demand in the world's largest auto market. Reuters reported on Wednesday that Tesla has closed what had been its flagship showroom in China, a move sources described as one aimed at paring retail costs in its second-largest market. (Reporting by Brenda Goh; Editing by Tomasz Janowski) A voter places a ballot in an election voting drop box in Mesa on Oct. 28, 2022. Early voting is underway in Arizona, although not without ripple effects from unproven election fraud conspiracies. At least two right-wing groups organized people to observe as voters dropped off their early ballots. One voter filed a complaint that said "camo clad" people took photos of the vehicle license plate as the person dropped off a ballot outside Maricopa County's main election center in Phoenix. The Arizona Republic talked with drop box monitors seated in lawn chairs with an orange pizza box beside them. While it may have looked like a backyard barbecue, they were photographing voters and staffers at the county's election headquarters. A judge has since placed limits on one group of monitors, and the other group bowed out. More than a million ballots for the Nov. 8 election already have been cast in Arizona, which was an early adopter of voting by mail. State lawmakers created the system in 1991 with bipartisan support. Three decades later, that's how the vast majority of Arizonans cast ballots. Fast-growing Arizona shifted from a reliably red state to choosing Democratic President Joe Biden by a narrow margin in 2020. That sparked months of lawsuits and a review of Phoenix area ballots by state Senate GOP leaders and allies of former President Donald Trump. Democracy in doubt: White House phone calls, baseless fraud charges. The origins of the Arizona election review Those efforts turned up no evidence of widespread fraud, but claims of a stolen election have been a rallying cry for some of the top GOP contenders in primary and general election campaigns, including Blake Masters running for U.S. Senate, Kari Lake vying for governor, Mark Finchem vying for secretary of state and Abe Hamadeh running for state attorney general. Arizona's election system has survived multiple legal challenges, although some appeals continue. Lake and Finchem sued to end the use of ballot-counting machines, but a federal judge tossed the case. They appealed the ruling. And the Republican Party of Arizona lost its lawsuit claiming the long practice of early voting violated the state's Constitution. That case now sits with the state Court of Appeals. Story continues Changing Arizona election laws Lawmakers have changed some of the state's election laws in recent years, and voters on Nov. 8 will decide on a ballot measure that would tighten voter ID requirements. Here's a look at those changes and how voting works in Arizona. Six years ago, Arizona lawmakers made it a felony for anyone other than a family member, household member or caregiver to return a voter's early ballot. Supporters sought to ease concerns over so called "ballot harvesting," while critics said the law disproportionately impacted minority communities and those living in rural areas. The U.S. Supreme Court in 2021 upheld the state law passed in 2016. The ruling also upheld a state law that disqualifies ballots cast in the wrong precinct. Election guide: November 2022 A flurry of election-related proposals were introduced in this year's legislative session, although only a fraction became law and mostly made moderate changes. And one proposal will go before Arizona voters this month. Voters will decide whether to tighten ID laws. Arizona already verifies signatures of those who vote by mail and requires voters at the polls to present a photo ID or two items that show the name and address of the voter. But Proposition 309 would require early voters to write their birthdate and government ID number, in addition to their signature, on an early ballot affidavit. As for in-person voters, currently those without a photo ID can provide two items that show their name and address, such as utility bills. That would go away. Also, if the address on the voter's photo ID didn't match the voter rolls, then two items such as utility bills would be required. The Arizona Department of Transportation would have to issue IDs for voting purposes for free. More recounts likely. Arizona lawmakers this year passed a bill that widened the margin that would trigger an automatic recount of votes to 0.5% from 0.1%. It was a reaction to Biden's narrow win over Trump in 2020 but could have an impact on races this year. Further scrutiny of voter registration. State lawmakers this year passed a law that requires county election officials to attempt to confirm any information they receive that a voter registration isn't valid. The law is slated to take effect in the new year after a judge halted implementation too close to the start of this year's voting. Proof of citizenship. Arizona law already requires proof of citizenship to vote in state elections, but a law passed this year extends the requirement to federal-only voters. If they do not show documentary proof of citizenship, they will not be eligible to vote in presidential races or vote by mail. That law takes effect next year. Tightening who gets an early ballot. Gov. Doug Ducey signed legislation in 2021 to remove voters who signed up to receive a ballot in the mail automatically ahead of each election if they haven't voted early at least once during two election cycles. A poll worker celebrates as people drive to cast an early vote in the 2020 election at an early ballot location at the Betania Presbyterian Church in Phoenix on Oct. 28, 2020. Voting in Arizona The deadline for Arizonans to register to vote was Oct. 11, and early voting began a day later. A voter must opt into the early voting, but once on the early list they automatically receive early ballots each election cycle as long as they remain an active voter. Voters can cast their ballots by mail, drop box or in person in the weeks leading up to the election and on Election Day. The recommended deadline to get it in the mail was Nov. 1 to ensure election officials have it in hand on Election Day. In Maricopa County Arizona's most populous county and the fourth-largest in the U.S. voters don't go to specific polling places. Rather, a voter can choose the most convenient voting center across sprawling metro Phoenix. More than 200 voting centers will be open on Election Day. Arizonans voting in person must show ID. Acceptable forms of ID include a valid Arizona driver's license, tribal enrollment card or other government-issued identification. Voters also may show two forms of non-photo identification bearing their name and address. Voters who mail in their ballot must sign the envelope. That signature is then cross-referenced with several signatures election officials have on file for you. How a ballot is made: Inside Phoenix company that serves voters in 23 states Two girls mock a group of people watching the Maricopa County early ballot drop box on Oct. 24, 2022, in Mesa. Ensuring voters feel secure Some voters dropping off early ballots at outside locations in downtown Phoenix and Mesa began complaining in October that groups of people were filming them and taking photos of their license plates. Some of the observers touted the debunked film "2,000 Mules," which states without proof that widespread ballot harvesting occurred during the 2020 presidential election. The situation prompted Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone to warn that his deputies will babysit ballot drop-off sites to help voters feel secure and protect democracy. It also prompted voter rights groups to file lawsuits in federal court, arguing the stakeouts crossed the line into voter intimidation. Attorneys with the U.S. Department of Justice weighed in with a court filing that clarifies it "expresses no view on any factual dispute before the Court," but details when ballot monitoring could constitute voter intimidation. Although lawful poll-watching activities can support democratic transparency and accountability, when private citizens form 'ballot security forces' and attempt to take over the States legitimate role of overseeing and policing elections, the risk of voter intimidation and violating federal law is significant, the filing read. Voter guide: Where to drop off your Arizona ballot and how to track it The judge declined to fully ban the ballot box monitors with Clean Elections USA, a group founded by an Oklahoma woman, but he did place limits on them. Among the limits are that the group can't: Take photos of voters who are within 75 feet of a ballot box. Post identifying images or information about voters online. Make false statements about election law from now to the end of the voting period. Openly wear body armor or carry guns within 250 feet of a drop box, although they will not be in breach of the order if body armor or weapons are concealed. In this climate, the Carter Center helped form the Arizona Democracy Resilience Network. Its billed as a cross-partisan effort asking political candidates to: Cooperate with elections officials. Avoid spreading falsehoods. Acknowledge the legitimacy of election outcomes after results have been certified. The center's efforts to bolster democracy have historically been focused outside of the U.S., but it announced in 2020 that it would begin to look inward. When you have candidates talking about fraud when there's really been no evidence of fraud and fraud before an election is even held, it presents the kind of atmosphere out there that can lead to things down the road that you just don't want to see happen," said Network co-director Don Henninger of Scottsdale, a former media executive. The Republic's Mary Jo Pitzl and Ryan Randazzo contributed to this article. Sasha Hupka covers Maricopa County and regional issues for The Arizona Republic with a focus on voting and democracy. Do you have a tip about elections or questions about voting? Reach her at sasha.hupka@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter: @SashaHupka. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Voters' rights in Arizona: Changing laws, court challenges and access MADISON A state appeals court and a circuit judge this week shot down attempts backed by liberals seeking orders that local election clerks must accept absentee ballots that contain partial addresses of witnesses. The rulings come within days of Tuesdays election and as more than 503,000 absentee ballots have already either been returned or cast in person. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson are both up for reelection in the battleground state. Numerous lawsuits have been filed leading up to the election focused on which absentee ballots can be counted or rejected. More:In 2018 governor's race, Milwaukee absentee ballots took center stage. That could happen again in November. The status quo for determining whether an absentee ballot has enough of a witness address to count remains as it has been for the past 56 years, Dane County Circuit Judge Juan Colas said in an order Wednesday. Wisconsin elections have been conducted, and absentee ballots counted, the past 56 years without a legally binding definition of what constitutes a witness address on a ballot, Colas wrote in his order. Since then, until the present, clerks have been legally free to interpret the term, he said. They have done that in good faith, Colas said, drawing on non-binding guidance from the Wisconsin Elections Commission, its predecessors, and advice from attorneys. Current guidance from the Wisconsin Elections Commission is that an address must include three elements: a street number, street name and municipality. Rise, Inc., a group that works to get young people to vote, argued that election clerks across Wisconsin are not consistently using that definition. Rise sought an order that an address requires only enough information to determine the location of the witness. But Colas said it was inappropriate to issue an order that changes the status quo, rather than preserves it. In another case, the 1st District Court of Appeals on Tuesday declined to hear an appeal of a ruling from Dane County Circuit Judge Nia Trammell rejecting a request from the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin seeking a ruling that an address can only be missing when the entire field is left blank. Story continues The appeals court said it would not hear the case because it did not meet criteria for granting an appeal. Trammells ruling in that case echoed the one from Colas on Wednesday. She said that loosening the witness address requirement would upend the status quo and not preserve it and frustrate the electoral process by causing confusion. Very few ballots are returned in Wisconsin with missing or incomplete witness addresses. The Legislative Audit Bureau last year reviewed nearly 15,000 absentee ballot envelopes from the 2020 election across 29 municipalities and found that 1,022, or about 7%, were missing parts of their witness addresses. Only 15 ballots, or 0.1%, had no witness address. The issue of what constitutes an acceptable address arose after another judge in September sided with Republicans and ruled that election clerks arent allowed to fill in missing information. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin courts wont change rules for absentee ballots BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Tuesday stopped short of conceding the election to leftist rival Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, instead using his first public comments since his defeat two days ago to thank his supporters and encourage their protests, as long as they remain peaceful. Moments after the remarks, which lasted less than two minutes, the outgoing president's chief of staff, Ciro Nogueira, announced that Bolsonaro had authorized him to begin the process of handing over power. The conservative leader, who before the election had repeatedly questioned the reliability of the countrys electoral system, had little room for potentially rejecting the results. U.S. President Joe Biden and other international leaders have publicly recognized da Silvas victory, as have some of Bolsonaros closest allies. And Cabinet members, governors-elect and evangelical leaders who have been strident supporters of Bolsonaro are now offering overtures to the incoming leftist government. Bolsonaro lost Sundays race by a thin margin, garnering 49.1% of the vote to da Silvas 50.9%, according to the nations electoral authority. It was the tightest presidential race since Brazils return to democracy in 1985, and marks the first time Bolsonaro has lost an election in his 34-year political career. Flanked by more than a dozen ministers and allies as he delivered his short speech at the presidential residence, the fiery leader did not mention the election results, however. Instead, he defended his tenure. I have always been labeled as anti-democratic and, unlike my accusers, I have always played within the four lines of the constitution, he said. Bolsonaro also thanked the 58 million people who voted for him and said he supports ongoing protests by truckers who have erected nationwide roadblocks, as long as they don't become violent. Current popular movements are the result of indignation and a feeling of injustice regarding how the electoral process occurred, he said. Story continues The president's statement amounted to a two-fold move, said Thomas Traumann, an independent political analyst. He didnt recognize his defeat, and sustains the suspense," Traumann said. "But as he wants to continue to dominate, to be the leader, he maintains the possibility of peaceful demonstrations. Much like former U.S. President Donald Trump, whom Bolsonaro openly admires, the far-right incumbent has claimed that electronic voting machines are prone to fraud. He never provided any proof, even when ordered to do so by the electoral court. Many of his supporters also said they believed the election had been fraudulent and some called for military intervention and for Congress and the Supreme Court to be disbanded. Earlier Tuesday, the Brazilian Supreme Court ordered the federal highway police to immediately clear the roadblocks. A majority of the court's justices backed the decision, which accuses the highway police of omission and inertia." Failure to comply will mean its director could be fined up to 100,000 reais (more than $19,000) per hour, be removed from his duties and even face arrest. Federal prosecutors in Sao Paulo and Goias states said they had opened investigations into the blockades. Highway police said late Tuesday that they had removed 358 blockades, but more than 200 were still in place. Earlier in Sao Paulo Brazils most populous state and largest economy traffic jams around the international airport led to dozens of flight cancellations, with videos on social media showing travelers rolling their suitcases along the highway in the dark trying to catch their flights. The highways had been cleared by Tuesday morning, but airport officials said access remained difficult as traffic was still backed up in and out of the airport. There, Dalmir Almeida, a 38-year-old protester, told The Associated Press that after completing three days of strikes, he and others will drive their trucks to the military barracks to ask for their support. The army will be in our favor, he added. At another road block in Sao Paulo state, protesters set tires on fire. Several demonstrators were wrapped in the Brazilian flag, which has been co-opted by the nations conservative movement for demonstrations. Huge lines of cars could be seen snaking along the highway. Concern about escalation grew as the country's leftist Landless Workers Movement, a key ally of da Silvas that has long staged occupations of what it considers vacant or unused lands, asked its militants on Tuesday to organize demonstrations in several states to unblock roads. Sao Paulo Gov. Rodrigo Garcia told a news conference that the time for negotiations was over, and he was not ruling out the use of force by law enforcement. In Minas Gerais, a key battleground state in the election, a video on social media showed a protester telling a reporter from the O Tempo news outlet that the election was fraudulent and warned of future protests. We want Bolsonaro in 2023 and for the years to come," he said. In Itaborai, a region in Rio de Janeiro state, an Associated Press reporter saw truck drivers kneeling in front of police officers and refusing to evacuate. Users on social media, including in multiple Telegram and WhatsApp chat groups with names like Paralysation," shared demands that the military take the streets, or that Congress and the Supreme Court be disbanded and the president remain in office. Following the election, the electoral authority blocked two dozen Telegram groups that defended a military coup and called on their more than 150,000 followers to organize demonstrations, according to online news site UOL. The Supreme Court's decision on Tuesday permits regular state police forces to reinforce federal highway police. The same was done in 2018, when an 11-day trucker strike brought Brazil to a halt. Bolsonaro commands wide support from the police forces' rank and file, however, and it wasnt clear how effective their involvement would be. The 2018 stoppage caused food prices to spike and left supermarket shelves without products as gas stations ran out of fuel. It caused billions in losses and revealed the vast power that truckers possess, particularly when they organize through social media platforms. Bolsonaro, a lawmaker at the time and months away from winning that year's presidential election, was an outspoken supporter of the truckers, who are now among his constituents. This year, his administration limited interstate fuel taxes to help bring down prices and launched a financial aid program for truckers just months before the election. In his speech Tuesday, Bolsonaro was "sending a message to his hardcore supporters to keep protesting, said Robert Muggah, co-founder of Igarape Institute, a Rio de Janeiro-based think tank focused on security. Hes playing with fire: Theres a real risk that prolonged unrest and police inaction could ignite simmering tensions. ___ Jeantet reported from Rio de Janeiro. Associated Press producer Diarlei Rodrigues and writer David Biller in Rio contributed to this report. (Bloomberg) -- The stocks of three junior lithium explorers tumbled after Canadas government ordered their Chinese investors to divest under tougher foreign investment rules around the nations critical minerals sector. Most Read from Bloomberg Shares of Power Metals Corp. sunk as much as 21% on the TSX Venture Exchange in Toronto, its biggest intraday decline since April 2020. Ultra Lithium Inc. fell as much as 25%, while Lithium Chile Inc. slid as much as 10% before recovering. The plunge came after Canadas government said in a Wednesday statement that it ordered three Chinese firms to divest from the trio due to strengthened guidelines to protect the countrys minerals wealth. The decision comes as Canada, the US and their allies are increasingly concerned about Chinas dominance of metals that are the building blocks for a global push to transition to cleaner energy sources. Sinomine (Hong Kong) Rare Metals Resources Co. Ltd. is required to divest in Vancouver-based Power Metals, while Zangge Mining Investment (Chengdu) Co. Ltd. was ordered to divest from Ultra Lithium, also based in Vancouver, and Chengze Lithium International Ltd. was told to exit from Calgary-based Lithium Chile, Canadas federal government said in Wednesdays statement. Canadas actions caught Lithium Chile totally by surprise, Chief Executive Officer Steven Cochrane said Thursday in an interview. Chinese companies are among the biggest investors in the global lithium industry and banning state-owned firms from financing projects will be felt throughout the industry, he said, adding that there hasnt been little investment coming from Europe, the US or Canada. Lithium Chile, which has a market value of C$135 million ($98 million), has exploration projects in Argentina and Chile. Story continues Our sector has often relied on money from China to fuel these projects, Cochrane said. So the impact is going to be felt by everybody. The move follows updated guidelines from Canadas government, released Friday, which make it harder for foreign state-owned companies to pursue deals and investments that target critical minerals including lithium, nickel, copper and uranium in the resource-rich country. Transactions by foreign state-owned firms will now only be approved on an exceptional basis. Though the divestiture order is not likely to affect the business operations of those three Chinese firms in the near term because all three lithium mining projects are still under early-stage exploration status, the latest attitude from Ottawa underscores the global competitions for critical battery minerals, Susan Zou, senior analyst at RystadEnergy, said in a note to clients. Sinomine Resource and Zangge Mining said the matter wont have big impacts on their performance in 2022 and beyond respectively, according to separate filings to Shenzhen stock exchange Thursday. Meanwhile, Beijing urged Ottawa to stop unreasonable suppression of Chinese enterprises and said Canadas practice will hurt the stability of the supply chain, state broadcaster CCTV reported, citing Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian at a briefing. Canadas order against the Chinese investors was made after rigorous scrutiny of foreign firms by Canadas national security and intelligence community, Canadian Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said in Wednesdays statement. The governments decisions are based on facts and evidence and on the advice of critical minerals subject matter experts, Canadas security and intelligence community, and other government partners, he said. --With assistance from Annie Lee. (Adds CEO comment from fifth paragraph) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2022 Bloomberg L.P. (Getty Images) The US government should ban the Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok, according to Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr. TikTok, which has more than one billion users worldwide, is owned by Chinese company ByteDance and once faced a ban under the Trump administration. Mr Carr, who is one of five FCC Commissioners and a critic of China, has previously called for Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their stores. Mr Carr told Axios that there was not a world in which you could come up with sufficient protection on the data that you could have sufficient confidence that its not finding its way back into the hands of the (Chinese Communist Party). And he added: I dont believe there is a path forward for anything other than a ban. The FCC has no authority to regulate TikTok, which is in negotiations with the Council on Foreign Investment on whether it can be divested by ByteDance and be run by an American company, reports Axios. The app has been the subject of criticism over American data potentially being sent back to China and accessed by the countrys government. TikTok Chief Operating Officer Vanessa Pappas told Congress in September that ByteDances staff in China had no access to US data and the company would not give it to the Chinese government. The Independent has reached out to TikTok for comment. Commissioner Carr has no role in the confidential discussions with the U.S. government related to TikTok and appears to be expressing views independent of his role as an FCC commissioner, a TikTok spokesperson told Axios. Donald Trump proposed banning TikTok in the US citing security concerns before the company announced a partnership with Oracle and Walmart. The sale of the US part of the business was put on hold after Joe Biden defeated Mr Trump. An Indianapolis obstetrician-gynecologist thrust into the national spotlight on abortion this year is suing to stop Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita from allegedly relying on "frivolous" consumer complaints to issue subpoenas over confidential medical records. Dr. Caitlin Bernard, who attracted national attention after she told IndyStar she provided an abortion to a 10-year-old rape victim, and her medical partner Dr. Amy Caldwell claim in their lawsuit Rokita's office has sent subpoenas for medical records of patients who never filed complaints to the attorney general's office. They're asking a Marion County court to stop his investigation because his acts violate "numerous Indiana statutes," according to an early copy of the complaint that was provided to IndyStar. More:Indiana Attorney General Rokita's office declines to share info on Dr. Bernard complaints "The Attorney General has completely ignored the requirement to determine that consumer complaints have 'merit' before he can investigate and has instead used facially invalid consumer complaints to justify multiple, duplicative, and overbroad investigations into law-abiding physicians," attorneys for the two doctors wrote. IndyStar has requested a response from Rokita's office. The lawsuit comes months after Bernard's attorney Kathleen DeLaney said they had received a letter about an investigation by Rokita's office into consumer complaints against the doctor. DeLaney said in a past statement the complaints were "riddled with inaccuracies and rely on no first-hand knowledge." IndyStar requested information on the complaints from Rokita's office. Those requests were denied in September, but the lawsuit filed Thursday by Bernard and Caldwell describe what some of them said. Complaints against Bernard came during media storm Seven people filed consumer complaints against Bernard to the Indiana Attorney General's Office between July 8 and July 12, according to the lawsuit. Story continues Her attorneys say they were submitted by people who read or saw news stories about Bernard after the IndyStar story describing the 10-year-old patient went viral. No one claimed to have received care by either Bernard or Caldwell. More:Caitlin Bernard briefly considered giving up abortions after daughter kidnapping threat "Most of the complaints were submitted by individuals who did not claim to reside in Indiana," the lawsuit states. One complaint said Bernard "kept knowledge of the rape of a 10 year old from authorities." In July, however, the Indiana Department of Health provided IndyStar a copy of a termination of pregnancy report filled out by Bernard that confirmed she did report the abortion, and alerted the state that the 10-year-old had suffered abuse. The complaint listed Bernard's phone number as "555555555." Another complaint from a resident in Ohio accused Bernard of spreading false information by relating the anecdote of the 10-year-old to media. They pointed to statements by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, who questioned the integrity of Bernard's story when he said on Fox News his office had not heard "a whisper" of a report being filed for the 10-year-old victim. "As a citizen of Ohio I feel that this misinformation (aka LIE) harmed my State's image AND is a malicious act intended to harm people such as myself that hold a pro-life position," the complaint read. They said they had "personally experienced hostility against me" in connection with Bernard's comments. "If I am continued to be harrassed (sic) in this manner I will be filing a personal injury case against Dr. Bernard." But in the weeks after IndyStar published the story on Bernard, authorities in Ohio charged a man with raping the 10-year-old. Columbus police were informed of the girl's pregnancy through a referral by Franklin County Children Services that was made by her mom on June 22. More:Ohio man charged in rape of 10-year-old that led to Indiana abortion In another complaint against Bernard, the individual was asked in the complaint form, "What was the very first contact between you and the Individual/Business?" Their response: "Reported in the US Media and President of the United States." "The consumer complaints that gave rise to the 'investigation' of Dr. Bernard were filed by individuals who patently lacked any personal knowledge of the allegations contained therein, and who therefore could not verify the accuracy of those allegations under penalty of perjury," lawyers wrote in Thursday's lawsuit. A spokesperson for Rokita's office has previously said the attorney general's authority to look into doctors like Bernard is intentionally broad and found throughout state and federal law." It includes but isnt limited to authority to investigate both state and federal privacy violations, consumer complaint issues, and it includes jurisdiction over licensed professionals including physicians," the spokesperson said. Rokita can ask the state's medical licensing board to discipline a doctor if a consumer has made a substantiated complaint against them. Bernard doesn't have any record of disciplinary actions, according to state records. Nor have any legal actions been taken against her in state or federal court. This article will update. Call IndyStar courts reporter Johnny Magdaleno at 317-273-3188 or email him at jmagdaleno@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @IndyStarJohnny This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Abortion doctor sues to stop Indiana AG from accessing medical records An Indiana-based obstetrician-gynecologist, her medical partner and patients have sued the states attorney general to block him from using frivolous consumer complaints to investigate abortion providers. Dr Caitlin Bernard faced widespread Republican scrutiny following reports that she provided abortion care to a 10-year-old rape survivor from Ohio who was forced to seek care out of that state under its newly enacted anti-abortion law. She is leading the lawsuit against Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, who is accused of opening investigations into seven consumer complaints against Dr Bernard after she came under attack for performing a medication abortion days after the US Supreme Court revoked a constitutional right to care. The lawsuit claims that these improper investigations unfairly burden Plaintiffs in numerous ways, threatening not only their livelihood but also the availability of the essential services they provide to their patients. Mr Rokitas improper conduct dissuades patients who need emergency abortions from seeking care, according to the lawsuit. His actions also allegedly threaten patients seeking legal abortion care whose most personal and private medical records and health care decisions could be exposed as part of a meritless investigation, according to the complaint. In late July, Mr Rokita subpoenaed Dr Amy Caldwell for all medical records relating to the 10-year-old patient. Last month, he also subpoenaed a health care clinic seeking medical records for the same patient. After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, officials in Ohio among several states that do not provide any exceptions for abortions from pregnancies resulting from rape or incest enacted its law prohibiting abortion at the detection of a so-called heartbeat at roughly six weeks of pregnancy. The 10-year-old rape victim in Dr Bernards care was reportedly six weeks pregnant. A suspect in that case was arrested and charged with two counts of felony rape. He has pleaded not guilty. Story continues But right-wing media figures and GOP officials suggested that the crime was a hoax, demanded to see criminal and medical records and fuelled a barrage of attacks against Dr Bernard, who was baselessly accused of failing to notify law enforcement about her patients case. In an interview with Fox News in July, Mr Rokita dismissed Dr Bernard as an abortion activist acting as a doctor and claimed, without evidence, that she covered this up. This is a developing story Eighteen Lakeview Community Schools students had the chance to learn leadership skills and expand their knowledge during the National Future Farmers of America (FFA) Convention and Expo held Oct. 26-29 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Lakeviews FFA chapter is one of the largest in Nebraska with 120 students, noted FFA Adviser Kaydie Brandl. At Lakeview, students wanting to attend the convention must apply. It's based on how involved they are in our chapter. If they hold leadership positions, or if they intend to hold leadership positions in the future, Brandl said. Basically, I'm looking for a student who is eager to learn and eager to take what they learned at national convention and improve our chapter. And so that's what we kind of look for when we are selecting students. The convention itself consists of seven to eight sessions, as well as workshops for both students and advisers. There's over 65,000 FFA members and advisers there. It's the largest gathering of a youth organization in the country, Brandl said. The mayor of Indianapolis actually said that its the largest convention Indianapolis holds every year. Additionally, there is an expo in which different companies and colleges in the ag industry are available to talk to students about different careers and colleges out there if theyre interested in pursuing a path in agriculture. Brandl said the students gain quite a bit of knowledge from event. They really enjoyed the guest speakers, Brandl said. We watched some of the national finalists in different contests that my students will participate in. They enjoyed the workshops and learn a lot from the workshops and they're eager to get things started and taking what they learned to help our chapter. Brandl added the kids also had the chance to make connections. They were very excited about that, meeting people outside of Platte County, Nebraska, she said. Hannah Ogan, a junior at Lakeview and historian officer of the FFA, attended the national convention for the second time this year. You could go to different booths, and they would just talk to you about problems in ag and how to solve them, Ogan said, noting that she wants to become an ag teacher herself. Going to ag booths just learning about what I need to do to pursue my dream job. So it was really good to listen to them. And then also just listening to keynote speakers and the retiring addresses of national officer team, what they all did to accomplish their goals in agriculture. I just think that it was good for like everyone to hear from them, about how they got so far in agriculture and how it helped them in their life. Ogan noted she will be able to apply the leadership skills shes learned at the Lakeview FFA chapter. As an officer, it can help me help other people and FFA, Ogan said. It's just really beneficial for all of us here, because there's more than just me as an officer that went, we had several officers go. We had a lot of underclassmen come. It was just good for like all of us to listen to so we can all help each other and bring back some great ideas for our chapter to be even more successful. And, of course, those leadership skills will come in handy when she gets into a professional work environment. It helps you get out of your comfort zone in great ways because there's public speaking, Ogan said. Thats another thing in life that you just have to get used to, especially with me wanting to become an ag teacher, I've learned to enjoy talking to people and teaching them and leading them into the right path. Brandl said Lakeview FFA will stay busy throughout the rest of the school year. A labor auction will be held on Nov. 15 at the Lakeview High School east gym. A free meal starts at 6 p.m. with the auction starting at 6:30 p.m. Brandl said money raised will be used towards helping FFA students attend events such as the convention, as well as service projects. A district leadership development event contest will be held in December, she added, then theyll prepare for spring activities. This is Brandls first year teaching at Lakeview and second year teaching overall. She said things are going well so far. I absolutely love it, Brandl said. I'm just very happy to be where I'm at and I'm so happy that I have a school and a community that supports me and everything that I want to do with the students. It's a great time. City Clerk Celestine Jeffreys during the Green Bay City Council meeting Tuesday, June 28, 2022, at City Hall in Green Bay, Wis. WASHINGTON A Brown County judge on Wednesday sided with the Republican National Committee in a lawsuit arguing Green Bay election officials were not allowing poll watchers to observe the entire early voting process at the city hall. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, alleged poll watchers can observe voters check in, register to vote and pick up their ballot in the clerk's office but are unable to see witnesses certify voters' ballots or the container in which voters deposit their ballots. Those actions, the complaint said, are done in a separate hallway where observers do not have access. "(Green Bay Clerk Celestine) Jeffreys has refused to afford the public with the ability to observe all public aspects of the in-person absentee ballot voting process," Republicans argued in the complaint. On Wednesday, Circuit Court Judge Marc Hammer ordered Green Bay officials to "provide observer access to the witness certification process and to the electors depositing his or her ballot in the ballot box during the in-person absentee voting window," according to a transcript of court proceedings. Hammer ordered the city to create "a viable process" that complies with the court's order by 2 p.m. Wednesday. Jeffreys, the city clerk, in a statement following the ruling said the city "provided an additional area of observation" in the city hall in response to the lawsuit. She noted elections observers have been within six feet of where voters register or obtain their absentee ballots. But she said "broad requests for unrestricted access to observe every aspect of the voting process" had been denied because they "likely would have resulted in intrusions upon voters actively casting their ballots." "The modifications made will continue to preserve and protect the integrity of the in-person absentee voting process while protecting voter security and freedom," Jeffreys said of Wednesday's changes. The lawsuit comes as Republicans across the country have encouraged poll watching and an increase in so-called election integrity efforts. Early voting in Wisconsin began Oct. 25. Story continues More:Ron Johnson campaign hires Troupis law firm that represented Donald Trump in attempt to throw out 2020 ballots in Wisconsin In the complaint, the RNC said preventing poll watchers from observing the entire voting process would "only cast doubt on the administration of our elections and cause a lack of voter confidence in our electoral process." "This is unacceptable: Republicans are going to court to deliver Wisconsinites the ballot box transparency to which they are legally entitled," RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a statement Wednesday. The Green Bay complaint is the 75th lawsuit from the RNC this election cycle over alleged election issues, according to the group. Republicans have filed suits in other states over reported restrictions to poll watching. More:After hiring attorney who tried to overturn Trump loss, Ron Johnson launches website seeking reports of voter fraud Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal. DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: RNC sues Green Bay over poll watching access to early voting Eamon Courtenay and Suella Braverman (Photo: Getty) Suella Braverman was slapped down by another foreign government today over her handling of the UKs migrant crisis. Belizes foreign affairs minister, Eamon Courtenay, denied reports that his country was working with the UK to accept migrants. He slammed the home secretary for her migrant deportation plans, saying they were inhumane. It follows reports in The Express that the home office is in talks with a number of new nations on deportation deals. The newspaper claimed that home secretary Braverman was pushing talks for alternatives to the failed Rwanda plan with Paraguay, Peru, Belize and an African country. #Belize is not in negotiations with the #UK or any other country to accept #migrants. We will not agree to accept exported migrants. That is inhumane and contrary to #InternationalLaw. pic.twitter.com/VJjRbME77h Eamon Courtenay (@EcourtbzeEamon) November 2, 2022 This is despite the controversial deal to deport migrants to Rwanda costing millions of pounds and failing to get off the ground. Courtenay tweeted: Belize is not in negotiations with the UK or any other country to accept migrants. We will not agree to accept exported migrants. That is inhumane and contrary to International Law. It is the second government she has upset in two days over her handling of the United Kingdoms migrant crisis. On Wednesday the prime minister of Albania launched a blistering attack on Braverman over comments she had made about his citizens. Edi Rama accused her of discriminating against Albanians in an extraordinary diplomatic row. Story continues Albanias Crown Prince Leka II also hit out, accusing the UK of demonizing us for your own internal political benefits. Disproportionate slander is purely xenophobic.The UK has a population of 67 million, with 6 million emigrants.12 thousand s is not an invasion. The failings of British law enforcement is not our responsibility. A vast number of Albanians coming to are from the EU and not https://t.co/GJ1cmUzzIz Princ Leka (@princeleka) November 1, 2022 It comes after Braverman told the Commons on Monday: If Labour were in charge they would be allowing all the Albanian criminals to come to this country, they would be allowing all the small boats to come to the UK, they would open our borders and totally undermine the trust of the British people in controlling our sovereignty. The row broke out as it was reported that immigration minister Robert Jenrick was due to travel to Albania within the next fortnight. Prime minister Rishi Sunak hopes to agree a deal with the Balkan country that would enable Albanian migrants who cross the Channel in small boats to be deported within days of arrival. This article originally appeared on HuffPost UK and has been updated. Related... Santa Claus, Indiana postmark created by high school student Lily Vance for Christmas 2021 LOUISVILLE, Ky. It's a small but unique detail that some people with an exuberant holiday spirit are willing to go the extra mile to acquire during the Christmas season. We're talking about a one-of-a-kind Santa Claus postmark from the only post office in the world with the Santa Claus name. Each year, the Santa Claus, Indiana, post office, features a new holiday postmark to cancel the postage stamps on holiday mail. The small-town post office receives over 400,000 pieces of mail in December compared to only 13,000 pieces of mail per month the rest of the year. Patrons from all over the world request the Santa Claus holiday postmark. Some drive into town to personally hand cancel their holiday mail with the famous picture postmark and others request the special postmark by mail, Postmaster Cheryl Bailey said. The famous Santa Claus postmark is a long-standing tradition for the town and its always fun to see the unique artwork each year. This special picture postmark has been offered every Christmas season since 1983. Each year a contest between local high school art students decides the design. This years postmark artist is Lily Vance of Lamar, Indiana. No time to waste!: Here's what it takes to transform Disney World for the holidays overnight Lily Vance designed the 2021 Santa Claus postmark available at the Santa Claus, Indiana post office Dec. 1-24, 2021 The world-famous Santa Claus post office will begin offering the picture postmark on Dec. 1, but there are some guidelines you'll need to follow if you want the special cancellation on your holiday mail. Here's what to know: Allow at least a 2-inch by 4-inch space in the stamp area for the picture postmark Apply postage to cards or letters before bringing or mailing them to the post office The picture postmark is available on working days between Dec. 1 and 24 You need to specifically request the picture postmark To ensure a good postmark imprint, do not enclose large or bulky items in your holiday mail (no reindeer food, snowflakes, glitter, stickers, etc.) There is no charge for postmarking; however, there is a limit of 50 picture postmarks (hand cancellations) per person per day If you wish to mail Christmas cards to the post office, package them with postage stamps already on them in a sturdy envelope or box, and mail to: Postmaster, P.O. Box 9998, Santa Claus, IN 47579-9998 Story continues There are plenty of holiday-related events to enjoy if you choose to visit Santa Claus, Indiana this time of year, many of which take place in November. There is a Santa Claus Christmas parade, Christmas fireworks, live reindeer exhibit, Santa Claus train ride and more. You can find details on all upcoming events at SantaClausInd.org/Events. Follow Kirby Adams on Twitter: @kirbylouisville. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Indiana town receives mail each December to send cards to Santa Claus WASHINGTON Days before the midterm elections, President Joe Biden amplified his argument that democracy itself is at stake, warning in a speech Wednesday evening that the United States is on a path to chaos amid growing fears of political violence. Speaking at a train station just blocks from the U.S. Capitol, Biden reminded Americans that next weeks election will be the first since a violent mob stormed the seat of democracy on Jan. 6, 2021 a horde that was "whipped up into a frenzy," he said, by former President Donald Trump's lies about the 2020 election. "I wish I could say the assault on our democracy ended that day, Biden said. But I cannot. Candidates are running for every level of office for Congress, governor, attorney general, secretary of state who refuse to commit to accepting the election results if they lose, Biden said. This is the path to chaos in America," he said, standing in front of eight American flags. "Its unprecedented. Its unlawful. And its un-American. As Ive said before, you cant love your country only when you win." Concerns about political violence have increased in advance of the Nov. 8 election and after an intruder attacked House Speaker Nancy Pelosis husband, Paul, with a hammer in their San Francisco home last Friday. Biden began his 20-minute address by detailing the assault on Pelosi's husband and noting that the words the assailant reportedly used "Where is Nancy" were the same words chanted by the mob in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Americans must speak "with one overwhelming, unified voice" and make clear there is no place for voter intimidation or political violence in America, Biden said. "We don't settle our differences with a riot, or a mob, or a bullet, or a hammer," he said. "We settle them peaceably at the ballot box." White House aides and Democratic Party officials said Biden decided to make his speech to address the threat of election deniers and those who seek to undermine faith in voting and democracy. Story continues "The idea that you would use violence to further your political means, it's something that unites almost all Americans and that we can all be united against," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said about the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Biden chose the venue Union Station, a major transportation hub for his speech because its near the Capitol, "where there was an attempt to subvert our democracy," White House senior adviser Anita Dunn said in announcing the event during a live Axios interview earlier Wednesday. Related: Alleged Paul Pelosi attacker pleads not guilty at court appearance; will remain jailed Capitol Police chief: 'More resources' needed after attack on Paul Pelosi President Joe Biden is warning Americans that democracy is under threat because of election deniers and others who seek to undermine faith in voting in the Nov. 8 midterm elections. Focus on election deniers In warning about the dangers of election deniers, Biden blamed Trump's lies that the 2020 election was stolen for fueling much of the anger that Americans are confronting. "Extreme MAGA Republicans" a reference to Trump's "Make America Great Again" campaign slogan are a minority but the "driving force" of the Republican Party, Biden warned. One of their aims, he said, is to question not only the legitimacy of past elections, but elections being held now and into the future. They are "trying to succeed where they failed in 2020, to suppress the right of voters and subvert the electoral system itself," Biden said. "We can't allow this sentiment to grow," he said. "We must confront it head on now. It has to stop now." Biden also condemned what he called "an alarming rise" in the number of people condoning political violence, "trying to explain it away" or simply remaining silent. "Silence is complicity," he said. Republicans fired back by accusing Biden of demonizing and smearing Americans. "President Biden is trying to divide and deflect at a time when America needs to unite because he cant talk about his policies that have driven up the cost of living," House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., wrote on Twitter. "The American people arent buying it." More than 340 candidates who will be on the ballot Nov. 8 have expressed claims that the 2020 election was flawed, according to the Brookings Institution. All are Republicans. The biggest danger to democracy that researchers found is potential changes in who can certify elections, taking it out of the hands of certified electoral officials. This is extraordinarily dangerous, said Brookings senior fellow Elaine Kamarck. On the ballot: Hundreds of elections deniers running for office nationwide in 2022 pose 'major threat' to U.S. democracy An overwhelming 85% of Americans say they are very or somewhat worried about democracy's future, according to a USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll conducted in late October. Those who say they are "very worried" include 67% of Republicans, 55% of Democrats and 51% of independents. The nature of those concerns differ and sometimes conflict. In follow-up phone interviews with those who were surveyed, Republicans tended to express concern about Democrats being able to cast fraudulent ballots. Democrats tended to express concern about results being misrepresented or overturned by Republican officials responsible for counting them. Battle for the soul of the nation' Biden's remarks weren't the first time he has warned that democracy is under attack. But they did represent a darker, more urgent message with the midterms just a week away. Biden framed his 2020 presidential bid as a battle for the soul of the nation. He returned to that theme in a September speech outside Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, known as the birthplace of American democracy and where Biden launched his 2020 presidential campaign. He accused Trump and "MAGA Republicans" of representing "an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic." Witness testimony: Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes typed message to Trump after Jan. 6 Unlike Republicans, who have focused relentlessly on economic and public safety issues in their campaign messages, Democrats have talked about a variety of issues. During a Florida trip Tuesday, Biden emphasized the differences between the parties on Social Security and Medicare. When he visits New Mexico on Thursday, the president will tout his actions to forgive up to $20,000 of student loan debts. Republican-led states are among the critics suing to stop that effort. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, complained about his partys messaging in a CBS interview that aired Tuesday. We're getting crushed on narrative, Newsom said on the "CBS Evening News with Norah ODonnell." We're going to have to do better in terms of getting on the offense and stop being on the damn defense. Midterms: Federal judge limits ballot drop box monitoring in Arizona ahead of midterms Ohio Senate race: Liz Cheney says she favors Democrat Tim Ryan over Republican J.D. Vance This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden amplifies concerns about Democracy in pre-election speech North Korean missile lands off South Korean coast for first time; South responds with own launches By Josh Smith SEOUL (Reuters) - The hundreds of South Korean and American warplanes simulating attacks during drills are most likely what led North Korea to test a record number of missiles this week, experts say, but Pyongyang may also be turning up the heat before a nuclear test. Analysts say North Korean leader Kim Jong Un seems to genuinely dislike the allied drills, and particularly the involvement of U.S. stealth fighters. "North Korea really does not like these large combined air exercises, especially since they employ F-35s that can be used for decapitation strikes against the regime and are very difficult for North Korean air defences to pick up," said Mason Richey, a professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul. Just hours before launching 23 missiles of various types into the sea on Wednesday - the most in one day - North Korea issued another condemnation of the Vigilant Storm drills, which involve around 240 South Korean and U.S. warplanes flying missions around the clock. The barrage of missile launches and the prospect of a new nuclear test underscore the limited options Washington and its allies have for preventing Pyongyang from advancing its weapons programmes, with the allies turning to major military exercises to "deter" war even as some current and former U.S. officials say they may contribute to tensions. Related video: Alarms blare in Japan after North Korea missile tests After North Korea conducted an apparent intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test on Thursday, the allies announced they would be extending Vigilant Storm past Friday. North Korea also tests and demonstrates its weapons for other reasons, including technical progress, propaganda value, exercising crew readiness and capability, and demonstrating that deterrence goes both ways, Richey said. 'INCREASE DETERRENCE' Analysts have said the F-35 puts North Koreas anti-aircraft and anti-missile defence systems in a vulnerable position, with Pyongyang saying last year that the use of the jets by South Korea and the United States has forced it to develop new missiles to "completely destroy" such threats. Story continues After a flurry of missile tests last month, North Korea said it was simulating showering the South with tactical nuclear weapons on targets such as military bases and airports. Takashi Kawakami, professor at Takushoku University in Tokyo, noted that among other military movements the United States had recently begun forward-deploying offensive weapons, including rotations of F-22 stealth fighters in Okinawa. "North Korea is aiming to increase its deterrence capabilities," he said. This week's military activities show what the opening hours of a high intensity peninsular war could involve, including large-scale allied air operations and simultaneous salvos from multiple North Korean missile and artillery systems, Adam Mount, director of the Defense Posture Project at the Federation of American Scientists, said on Twitter. The simultaneous launches of short- and long-range missiles and other weapons is ominous because they suggest that North Korea is practicing plans to attack distant U.S. targets during a conflict on peninsula, he said. NUCLEAR TEST? North Korea began its record year of tests before the allies had resumed major drills, and its response to the latest exercises suggests it may be setting the stage for something bigger, some analysts said. "(The) launches were not the usual response to allied exercises," Mount said of Pyongyang's unprecedented firing of 23 missiles on Wednesday. "They were calibrated escalate tensions. If North Korea prefers to conduct a nuclear test in a crisis, it is well on its way to manufacturing one." North Korea has completed all the technical preparations for a nuclear test - its first since 2017 - according to South Korean and U.S. officials. Mount said Kim may prefer to conduct a nuclear test amid heightened tensions for several reasons, including increasing the impact of the test, shaping how the United States and its allies perceive the test, diluting the international response, or helping Pyongyang assuage China. Beijing dislikes nuclear tests on its doorstep but has also blamed Washington and Seoul for exacerbating the situation. "In terms of politics and diplomacy, Kim's focus is on pressing the United States ahead of its midterm elections into withdrawing hostile policies by emphasising to voters that the Biden administration's North Korea policy has failed," said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul. Kim also wants to bolster internal support for his government during economic hardship at home and demonstrate that when it comes to the Korean peninsula issues, he is in the drivers seat, Yang said. "Kim would likely be seeking to earn tacit recognition as a nuclear weapons state and negotiate nuclear disarmament with the United States by making North Korea's denuclearization an unrealistic goal," said Park Won-gon, a professor at Ewha Womans University in Seoul. (Reporting by Josh Smith; additional reporting by Nobuhiro Kubo and Tim Kelly in Tokyo, and Hyonhee Shin in Seoul; Editing by Gerry Doyle) President Biden on Thursday rallied with New Mexico Democrats, seeking to boost Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) across the finish line in her bid for reelection. That governor of yours, shes something else, isnt she. She talks about being the shortest governor shes the tallest governor I know, Biden said at a rally in Albuquerque. Shes the real deal. Shes really the real deal No ones going to fight harder for this state, its in her DNA. Lujan Grisham first won election to the governors mansion in 2018 by roughly 100,000 votes. She was under consideration for a Cabinet post in Bidens administration, but now finds herself in a tight campaign against Republican Mark Ronchetti as Democrats play defense with less than a week until Election Day. Biden carried New Mexico by 10 percentage points in 2020, and the state has voted for the Democratic presidential nominee each cycle since 2008. A poll released earlier this week from the Trafalgar Group showed Lujan Grisham trailing by 1 percentage point to her Republican challenger, Mark Ronchetti. Other polls over the past month from Emerson College and the left-leaning Public Policy Polling have shown Lujan Grisham leading by at least 5 percentage points. We need to reelect your governor, to state the obvious, Biden said Thursday. We need to elect the ballot, up and down. Bidens speech contained a laundry list of accomplishments his administration and Democrats have gotten done since January 2021, including passage of a bipartisan gun safety bill, a bipartisan infrastructure bill, signing off on student debt relief and adding hundreds of thousands of manufacturing jobs. Biden warned that Republicans would reverse key gains by seeking to reverse the student loan forgiveness policy and repeal the Inflation Reduction Act, a bill passed earlier this year with only Democratic votes that encourages the use of clean energy and lowers the cost of prescription drugs. Story continues The president also echoed the theme of his speech from Wednesday night, when he sounded the alarm about Republicans on the ballot in states across the country who have said they would refuse to accept the results of this years election, just as they did in 2020. Weve made enormous progress in just 20 months, but we have more to do, Biden said. Everything is literally at stake in just five days in this country that we love so dearly. Biden will head from New Mexico to California on Thursday night. He will hold an event there with Rep. Mike Levin (D) before traveling to the Chicago area on Friday, then on to Pennsylvania on Saturday for an event with Democrats there and former President Obama. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. RIO DE JANEIRO In the run-up to Brazils presidential election, many feared a narrow result would be contested and spell the death knell for Latin Americas largest democracy. So far, however, the worst fears have been averted, despite a nail-biting victory for former leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva over far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro, and ongoing protests by some of Bolsonaros supporters across the country. The conservative leaders allies quickly recognized da Silvas victory, the military stayed in the barracks and vigilant world leaders swooped in to offer support for da Silva and nip in the bud even the thought of anything resembling the Jan. 6 insurrection that overtook the U.S. Capitol. All of Bolsonaros escape valves were shut off, said Brian Winter, a longtime Brazil expert and vice president of the New York-based Council of the Americas. He was prevailed upon from all sides not to contest the results and burn down the house on his way out. Although Bolsonaro has refused to congratulate da Silva, Brazils institutions generally seem to have held up. That leaves a more vexing challenge: how the 77-year-old da Silva, universally known as Lula, unites a deeply divided country, rights a wobbly economy and delivers on the outsize expectations spurred by his return to power. One thing is clear, if anyone can do it, its the charismatic da Silva whose political skills are admired even by his detractors. Thats what we need, someone not only who can address inequality but also inspire our emotions and ideas, said Marcelo Neri, director of the Getulio Vargas Foundations social policy center and a former Strategic Affairs Minister for da Silvas handpicked successor, Dilma Rousseff. In many ways, the conservative movement Bolsonaro helped ignite if not the politician himself has emerged stronger from the vote, Winter said. His allies were elected as governors in several key states and his Liberal Party has become the largest in Congress, curtailing da Silvas ability to advance his own agenda after a decadelong malaise that has left millions of Brazilians hungrier than when da Silva last held office in 2010. Story continues Whats more, Brazils demographics seem to favor Bolsonaros aggressive brand of identity politics including an anti-LGBTQ agenda and hostility to environmentalists that have earned him the moniker the Trump of the Tropics. The countrys own statistics institute forecasts that the number of Brazilians identifying as evangelical Christians who preelection polls show overwhelmingly favored Bolsonaro and skew right will overtake Roman Catholics within a decade. Thousands of Bolsonaros supporters thronged a regional army headquarters in Rio on Wednesday, demanding that the military step in and keep him in power. Others showed up at military installations in Sao Paulo, Santa Catarina and the capital of Brasilia. Meanwhile, truckers maintained about 150 roadblocks across the country to protest Bolsonaros loss, despite the Supreme Courts orders to law enforcement to dismantle them. At one of the road blockades held by truck drivers in the interior of Sao Paulo state, a car drove into the crowd and injured several, including children and members of the police. Bolsonaro later gave a video statement calling for an end to the protests. I know youre upset. Im just as sad and upset as you are. But we have to keep our heads straight, he said. Closing roads in Brazil jeopardizes peoples right to come and go. Since the return of democracy in the 1980s, all Brazilian leaders have been guided to varying degrees by a common belief in strong state-led enterprises, high taxes and aggressive wealth redistribution policies. Bolsonaro initially attempted to run a more austere, business-friendly government, that is, until the social devastation wreaked by COVID-19 and his own sinking electoral prospects ultimately led him to loosen spending controls and emulate the policies he once attacked. How da Silva will govern is less clear. He squeaked out a narrow victory of barely 2 million votes after building a broad coalition united by little more than a desire to defeat Bolsonaro. And with promises to maintain a generous welfare program in place through 2023, he will have limited fiscal space to spend on other priorities. His running mate from another party, former Sao Paulo Governor Geraldo Alckim, was a nod to centrist, fiscally conservative policies that made da Silva the darling of Wall Street during his early years in power. This week, da Silva tapped Alckim to lead his transition team. Also standing alongside him on the victory stage Sunday night, however, were several stalwarts of the left who have been implicated in numerous corruption scandals that have plagued his Workers Party and paved the way for Bolsonaros rise. Although da Silvas supporters have downplayed the concerns about corruption the Supreme Court annulled the convictions that kept him imprisoned for nearly two years for many Brazilians he is a symbol of the culture of graft that has long permeated politics. As a result, hes likely to be held to a higher ethical standard in a country where almost every government has been accused of vote buying in Congress. This wasnt just a fever dream by his opponents, Winter said of the corruption allegations that have long dogged da Silvas party. Da Silvas victory coincides with a string of recent victories by the left in South America, including in Chile and Colombia, whose leaders revere the former union boss. During his first stint in power, da Silva led a so-called pink wave that promoted regional integration, rivaled U.S. dominance and put the rights of overlooked minorities and Indigenous groups at the center of the political agenda. Under Bolsonaro, Brazil largely retreated from that leadership role, even if the sheer size of its economy alone means a return to leadership is never far off. Scott Hamilton, a former U.S. diplomat, said that da Silva will have to make a tough choice on whether to use Brazils considerable leverage to pursue an ambitious foreign policy to tackle entrenched problems or simply use his star power on the world stage to shore up support at home. Basking in not being Bolsonaro will get him lots of positive attention in itself, said Hamilton, whose last post, until April, was as consul general in Rio. The more ambitious path would involve trying to help resolve some of the toughest political issues where democratic governments in the region are in trouble or extinguished. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirmed Wednesday that he will attend next weeks COP27 United Nations climate conference, less than a week after his office said domestic priorities would force him to skip it. There is no long-term prosperity without action on climate change. There is no energy security without investing in renewables. That is why I will attend @COP27P next week: to deliver on Glasgows legacy of building a secure and sustainable future, Sunak tweeted Wednesday. Days after Sunak took office last week, a spokesperson for his office said the prime minister would not attend the summit, set to begin Sunday in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. Sunaks office had cited pressing domestic commitments, including an upcoming budget deadline, for the prime ministers absence. Following pushback, however, Sunaks office told the BBC earlier this week his potential attendance remained under review. Appearing on British TV earlier this week, Minister for Food Mark Spencer said the U.K.s very keen to play its part, adding if [Sunaks] diary allows, he would want to go to COP27. But he was noncommittal on whether the prime minister was making a full U-turn. The United Kingdom currently holds the COP presidency after hosting the 2021 summit in Glasgow, Scotland, with then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson in attendance. Both Johnson and President Biden are set to attend the 2022 conference. Critics of Sunaks announcement that he would not attend included COP26 President Alok Sharma, who said Sunday that he was disappointed by the decision, adding going to COP27 would allow for engagement with other world leaders. I think it does send a signal if the PM were to go about our renewed commitment on this issue. Sharma praised Sunaks reversal on Twitter Wednesday, writing, Delighted that @RishiSunak is attending #COP27 completely agree with his comment that there is no long-term prosperity without action on climate change. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. A flurry of technology deals signed last month between Taiwanese and American companies have been touted as a sign of "deepening partnership" between the economies, but the island's multinationals are increasingly eyeing production bases free of friction between the US and China. The agreements come at a time of historically high tensions between mainland China on one side and the United States and Taiwan on the other. Caught in the middle are some of Taiwan's biggest firms, especially manufacturers of the fiendishly complex semiconductors at the heart of the modern economy. Both powers are keen to curry favour with Taiwan's tech titans, but strained relations between Beijing and Washington, cross-Strait tensions and America's high manufacturing costs are pushing Tawainese companies in new directions. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. Many are retaining basic exposure to mainland China - a juicy source of sales revenue during non-pandemic times - while shipping hi-tech components to the US from American-friendly countries to avoid the costs of doing business in the US itself. Data and expert opinions show that these multinationals, the staple of Taiwan's US$759 billion economy, are taking an ever larger share of their capital to cheap, well-connected places, including Vietnam and once-unthought-of India. "For some years it seems that it's no longer so attractive for Taiwanese companies to plan on putting their money, technologies and managerial expertise into [China], and now it looks like India has become their 'plan B'," said John Eastwood, a partner with Eiger law firm in Taipei. The US government has lobbied Taiwanese tech companies to invest more in the country following a global chip shortage triggered by the coronavirus pandemic. Story continues Agreements like those signed earlier last month showed a "deepening partnership" between Taiwan and its No 2 trading partner, the US, said the island's economic affairs minister Wang Mei-hua, who attended the signings in Washington. Taiwanese and US companies reached seven memorandums of understanding during the minister's visit. Of those, five cover cooperation in 5G technology. Intel and Taiwan-based Quanta Cloud Technology will start a project called 5GxAI Open Lab, for example, while Taiwanese smartphone developer HTC agreed with American telecoms firm Lumen Technologies to co-develop virtual and augmented reality technology. In another deal, US firm DuPont Microcircuit and Component Materials and Taiwanese base station service provider TMYTEK said they would work together on low-orbit satellites. DuPont will provide ceramic antenna material, Taiwan's economic affairs ministry said. The US has been courting Taiwan, the top global supplier of chips that run everything from state-of-the-art washing machines to high-performance computers, as they double down on efforts to contain China's technological development. Washington has imposed a series of restrictions barring American technology from being exported to China and is offering billions of dollars in incentives for semiconductor manufacturers to expand production in the US. In October, the US Commerce Department passed new semiconductor export restrictions on dozens of Chinese companies and research institutions days after the Pentagon expanded its own blacklist. Companies worldwide were also barred from selling supercomputing and artificial intelligence chips to China made with US software, machinery or technology. Despite landmark investments such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company's (TSMC) factory in the US state of Arizona, and Apple supplier Foxconn Technology's assembly plant in Wisconsin, analysts said Taiwanese manufacturers usually shun the US because of the relatively high business costs. Taiwanese firms received approval to invest US$932.7 million in the US over the first eight months of this year, according to the Investment Commission in Taipei, up from US$361.2 million over the same period in 2021 but lower than US$2 billion in 2018 and US$4 billion in 2020. In comparison, approved investments in mainland China reached about US$18.9 million in the first eight months of 2022, down from US$29.5 million over the same period a year ago and US$70.2 million approved in December 2021. Taiwanese manufacturers have invested in mainland China since the 1980s and some 4,200 firms operate there today. But a growing number of Taiwanese firms are looking for alternatives due to geopolitical tensions. Relations between Taiwan and the mainland plummeted to their lowest point in decades in August after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island, a move Beijing viewed as an endorsement of the pro-independence agenda of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party. In response, the People's Liberation Army carried out nearly a week of air-and-sea exercises aimed at showing it could blockade the export-reliant island if needed. Beijing regards Taiwan as a breakaway province that must be reunited with the mainland, by force if necessary. Trade tensions between Beijing and Washington are also a challenge for Taiwanese firms in the mainland. The trade war, launched by former president Donald Trump in 2018, has placed tariffs on US$550 billion worth of goods shipped from China, undermining the competitiveness of exports from the world's No 2 economy. China has lost more appeal since it began imposing draconian coronavirus controls, snarling logistics, in early 2020. "Many are moving some of their operations away from China, while a smaller percentage are actually moving out of Taiwan to, among other places, mainland China," Scott Kennedy, trustee chair in Chinese business and economics with US think tank the Centre for Strategic & International Studies, said in a report last month. Taiwanese firms are "eager" to run factories in India as its supply chains improve, Estela Chen, a New Delhi-based Taiwanese official, was quoted as saying by India's Knowledge and News Network in September. Taiwanese companies and Indian start-ups have started working together on chips and aerospace projects, Chen said. India is known for low costs and a large domestic market, though language barriers and sometimes clashing business cultures remain challenges. Companies from Taiwan have been approved to invest a total US$1.11 billion in India since 1952, with about US$920 million of that since 2018, Investment Commission data showed. Foxconn, the world's biggest contract assembler of electronic goods, told the Taiwan stock exchange in September it would partner with Indian conglomerate Vedanta to establish a semiconductor factory in Gujarat worth US$118.7 million. The locations and investments for other plants in India are still being discussed, a spokesman for the company said earlier this month. Vietnam, a manufacturing hub seen as a reliable and cheaper alternative to China, is also gaining interest from Taiwanese manufacturers. Some US$341.6 million was ploughed into the Southeast Asian country in 2021, the most since 2017, Taiwanese government data showed. "In Taiwan's private sector, there have been growing needs for supply chain diversification after the US-China trade war and the Covid pandemic," said Ma Tieying, an economist with DBS Bank in Singapore. "But companies may also prefer to move back to Taiwan or to Vietnam, India and other Asian countries. Labour costs in the US are far higher than in Asia, a key factor constraining the incentives for Taiwanese companies to move to the US." Taiwanese firms still manufacture some products at home to protect trade secrets. TSMC is "trying to strike a balance", Ma said, by investing in the US while upgrading its domestic technology. Joining the US government's so-called Chip 4 alliance of Asian semiconductor makers would help Taiwan secure upstream American technology, but lead to "greater pressure" to invest in the US, Ma said. It would also lead to restrictions on them accessing the Chinese market. The proposed grouping also includes Japan and South Korea. While Taiwanese multinationals scan the world for new production bases, foreign investment into the island from global tech giants continues to grow. Taipei's Investment Commission approved US$10.4 billion in foreign investment from January to August this year, up from US$3.7 billion in the first months of 2021 and US$9.1 billion for all of 2020. American tech firms such as Google, Microsoft and memory chip maker Micron Technology have grown their Taiwan operations, especially in research and development, over the past 25 years because of relatively inexpensive talent and land prices. Neither American nor Taiwanese businesspeople are picking locations based on the risk of a Taiwan-mainland China military conflict, experts said. "[Foreign direct investment] decisions are made over months and years, not weeks and months," said Rupert Hammond-Chambers, president of the US-Taiwan Business Council. American businesses in Taiwan seem "fairly confident" that the mainland's "threats" are for domestic audiences and not signs of an imminent invasion, Eastwood said. This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright 2022 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 2022. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. A 48-year-old Lincoln man has been sentenced to 14 to 20 years in prison for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl. Devon Whitlow was arrested six days after the girl's father arrived home at about 7:30 p.m. Feb. 2 to find Whitlow putting on his pants in an upstairs closet at his home, according to court records. The father told police he saw Whitlow alongside his half-naked 15-year-old daughter. In an interview, the girl said that she knew Whitlow, but that he had come to the house uninvited that day and asked to use the bathroom, then grabbed her by the arm and took her upstairs before sexually assaulting her. A 15-year-old can't legally consent to sex under Nebraska law. Whitlow ultimately pleaded no contest to first-degree sexual assault. Lancaster County District Judge Susan Strong sentenced him Monday on the charge, plus a year to 18 months for an assault at the jail. Whitlow also will have to register as a sex offender. By Nick Carey and Victoria Waldersee LONDON/BERLIN (Reuters) - Europe's drive to build a homegrown electric vehicle battery industry is hitting roadblocks as investors shy away from giving startups sufficient funding to challenge the Asian companies that dominate the market. With the notable exception of Sweden's Northvolt, some startups hoping to build so-called gigafactories to compete with the Asian behemoths are going for smaller plants, with the aim of attracting more investment further down the line. Britishvolt is just one of the startups with grand ambitions to run into trouble. It wants 3.8 billion pounds ($4.4 billion) to build a gigafactory in northern England but its plans are hanging by a thread as it struggles to lure enough investment. Unlike Northvolt, which formed a joint venture with German carmaker Volkswagen in 2019 and struck a long-term supply deal with BMW in 2020, Britishvolt has yet to sign any major customers or test its technology on a commercial scale. "Nobody will give you an order on the strength of a PowerPoint," said David Roberts, who has invested in several British firms to focus on zero-emission cars. "You're looking at six years before you have real sales, so where the hell do you get $5 billion plus operating costs without an order?" That's why a number of European startups are taking the slower route, building smaller, cheaper plants with a capacity below 1 gigawatt-hour (GWh) - dubbed "megafactories" - to produce cells at scale and then win contracts from carmakers. French battery startup Verkor, for example, announced on Wednesday that it had raised 250 million euros ($249 million) to fund a megafactory. Chief Executive Benoit Lemaignan described it as a "baby step", before the company embarks on raising funds for a 1.6 billion euro 16 GWh gigafactory that should open in 2025 and will supply French carmaker Renault. (Asian firms lead on planned battery capacity in Europe https://graphics.reuters.com/AUTOS-ELECTRIC/EUROPE-BATTERIES/byvrloelqve/chart.png) Story continues ASIAN MARKET SHARE The European Union, which launched the European Battery Alliance in 2017 to kick-start a homegrown industry, wants companies in the region to provide 90% of the batteries needed by 2030 to power the energy transition on the continent. When it comes to electric vehicle (EV) batteries, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence (BMI) estimates that Europe should have a manufacturing capacity of 1,200 GWh by 2031 if current plans come to fruition, outstripping expected demand of 875 GWh. But of that 1,200 GWh, 44% will be provided by Asian companies with factories in Europe, ahead of homegrown firms on 43% and Tesla with 13%, according to a Reuters calculation based on BMI data. What's more, Caspar Rawles, BMI chief data officer, said some of the plants being planned by European companies "won't ever make it off the drawing board". At the same time, the Chinese, South Korean and Japanese firms that dominate the market are more likely to follow through because they already have contracts with global carmakers and experience building gigafactories around the world, he said. "The vast majority of European capacity is going to be Asian," Rawles said. European carmakers BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis and Volkswagen have all signed offtake agreements from plants under construction by Asian players, such as China's CATL and South Korea's LG Energy Solution.. And China's Envision AESC, for example, is already considering building more plants in Europe. The European Battery Alliance (EBA) acknowledges Asian firms, and Chinese companies in particular, are likely to increase their market share in the coming years, helped by their track record and offtake agreements. (CATL, Northvolt and Tesla plan largest battery plants in Europe https://graphics.reuters.com/AUTOS-ELECTRIC/EUROPE-BATTERIES/gdpzqrbqzvw/chart.png) 'A LONG AND WINDING ROAD' "The European Commission and the member states should be aware that if we want to have at least some resilience, knowledge and know-how in battery production, you need to have some domestic supply," said EBA policy manager Ilka von Dalwigk. "Even if we have the production in Europe, it doesn't mean we have the know-how or the control," she said. "For the moment we see Northvolt - but as for the other initiatives, there is still a long and winding road to go." Besides Northvolt, which delivered its first lithium-ion batteries from its Swedish gigafactory this year, another homegrown company is Automotive Cells Company (ACC), a venture between French energy giant TotalEnergies, Stellantis and Mercedes-Benz. ACC is aiming for a capacity of 120 GWh by 2030, requiring 7 billion euros in equity, debt and subsidies, but its first gigafactory in northern France is still under construction. Italvolt is aiming to build a 3.5 billion euro gigafactory in northern Italy. It has not announced any fundraising plans yet but told Reuters that a joint venture would get the plant off the ground, promising further details soon. Other startups taking the slower route to gigafactories include Slovakia's InoBat. It will open a 45 megawatt-hour (MWh) pilot line in Bratislava early next year to produce high-performance batteries for customers to test and has signed agreements, including with German air taxi developer Lilium, worth 500 million euros by 2030, Chief Executive Marian Bocek said. He said InoBat had a pipeline of potential agreements worth 25 billion euros and aims to build production capacity in 4 GWh increments starting in 2025 - costing up to 400 million euros each - as contracts are signed. "You don't have to raise billions of dollars, you basically raise money for the offtakes you sign on the back of bankable customers," Bocek said. German startup Theion is developing lithium sulphur batteries and Chief Executive Ulrich Ehmes said the startup aims to raise 50 million euros for a small plant to build samples for automotive and aerospace companies - and then seek funds for a first gigafactory of up to 20 GWh. (European battery cell startups planned capacity by 2031 https://graphics.reuters.com/AUTOS-ELECTRIC/EUROPE-BATTERIES/zgpobwzogvd/chart.png) 'IT'S A BIG ASK' Another startup with a gigafactory in its sights is Britain's Ilika, which makes small solid-state batteries for "electroceuticals", or medical implants, for the U.S. market at a small plant in Romsey in southern England. Chief Executive Graeme Purdy said Ilika would seek a joint venture with a U.S. manufacturer for mass production of the small cells and will take the same approach for its EV battery project "Goliath." The startup will build a megafactory, likely in partnership with a carmaker, then seek a joint venture or license the technology to a battery maker to make at a gigafactory, rather than try to raise billions itself. "It's a big ask," Purdy said. "Rather than trying to reinvent wheels on our way to doing that, we'd rather work with an organization that has done it previously." British sodium-ion battery startup Faradion, meanwhile, has chosen a different route, selling out to Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries last year for an enterprise value of 100 million pounds. Reliance is aiming to build a 50 GWh plant in India. "When you have a new chemistry like this, you need a champion behind it," Faradion Chief Executive James Quinn said. The EU has approved 6.1 billion euros since 2019 in funding by member states for battery research and innovation while Britain has a 1 billion pound fund to support investments in EV supply chains. Some are looking for more help from politicians. InoBat's Bocek said he was lobbying Brussels to favour EV batteries developed and designed by European firms - using local raw materials wherever possible - similar to the approach adopted by the United States to encourage domestic production with its Inflation Reduction Act. "We cannot compete with the Chinese on cost," said Bocek. "But we can compete when it comes to a localised value chain." (Chinese firms own most global planned battery capacity https://graphics.reuters.com/AUTOS-ELECTRIC/EUROPE-BATTERIES/movakmdjava/chart.png) (Reporting by Nick Carey in London and Victoria Waldersee in Berlin; Editing by Ben Klayman and David Clarke) Emirates and Roar Africa are teaming up again for a new collaboration. In 2019, the brands came together to introduce a carbon-neutral private jet safari tour. This month, the luxury tour operator has unveiled exclusively to Robb Report that the duo has come together for a new collaborationthe worlds most expensive private jet safari experience. The new Sand, Sea & Safari itinerary will take 10 travelers to Namibia, South Africa and Madagascar over the course of 17 days. Between May 13 and 30, you will explore the continent through very different landscapes ranging, as the name suggests, from the desert to the ocean. More from Robb Report Youll start with a stay at the Bvlgari Hotel in Dubai for pre-trip spa treatmentsbecause who doesnt want to feel relaxed for a safari? The African trip then begins in earnest, as youll travel to the Namibian desert, where youll spend three days at the Sossusvlei Desert Lodge. The striking resort offers five-star amenities, set amid the countrys arid desert, and affords some of the most spectacular stargazing in the world. Ellerman House Youll then be whisked off to Cape Town for a more cosmopolitan vibe at the Ellerman House coastal resort. While there, youll get to take any number of side excursions, including hot-air ballooning, a trip to nearby Table Mountain or a walking food tour with a visit to a hidden speakeasy that specializes in gin. Theres also a tour of Robben Island, Nelson Mandelas one-time prison, led by the leaders former guard. After your time in the city, youll head to wine country with a brief stay at the Delaire Graff Wine Estate. There you take a safari at Singita to see the big cats and spend afternoons wine tasting with a master sommelier. The two-week adventure concludes amid the rich biodiversity of Madagascar, where youll enjoy the island life on Nosy Anko, a tiny isle off the island country. There youll stay at the Miavana by Time + Tide resort, which sits right on the edge of the countrys clear blue waters. Story continues Delaire Graff Wine Estate When jaunting between destinations, the 10 travelers will fly on the brands exclusive Emirates A319 executive private jet. Rather than offer a conventional seat layout, however, the aircraft is outfitted with 10 private suites, with a shower, powder room and communal lounge for socializing. There is also a separate dining room. This epic trip will showcase the staggering topographic diversity of Africas landscapesfrom the sand to the seain one fell swoop, Deborah Calmeyer, CEO & founder of Roar Africa, said in a statement. This opportunity of a lifetime will have an immediate, positive impact on conservation projects on the ground in Africa. Because where and how we travel matters. The two-week journey will be offered starting in 2024. For those interested in the grand adventure, prices start at record $163,300 per person. Hey, we werent kidding when said it was expensive. Best of Robb Report Sign up for Robb Report's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. EXCLUSIVE: Film Constellation has sealed a raft of deals on Spanish director Juan Galinaness upcoming thriller Fatum, as it continues sales on the title at the AFM with a first promo. The film has been acquired for France (Canal+), Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy (Plaion) and Latin America (California Filmes). More from Deadline The Spanish-language feature brings together a compulsive gambler and an elite sniper, whose destinies become intertwined on a fateful day when the local betting shop gets robbed. When a single gunshot is fired, the next 24 hours will set them on a race against time that will define their lives forever. The cast features Luis Tosar (Cell 211, Even the Rain, Take My Eyes), Alex Garcia (Unknown Origins, The Bride), Elena Anaya (The Skin I Live In, Wonder Woman, Rifkins Festival) and Aron Piper (Elite & The Mess You Leave Behind, 15 Years and One Day). The production will be released in Spain in 2023 by Universal Studios. Borja Pena and Emma Lustres of Vaca Films (Sky High, The Mess You Leave Behind, Cell 211) are producing, in association with Paris-based Playtime, with the participation of Prime Video, RTVE, CRTVG, and the support of ICAA & Xunta de Galicia. London and Paris-based production, finance and sales company Film Constellation is also at the AFM with Samuel Beckett biopic Dance First and romantic thriller Haunted Heart by Academy Award winner Fernando Trueba. Best of Deadline Story continues Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. As campaign manager for former Vice President Al Gores 2000 presidential campaign, I spent the final days of the election desperately trying to increase voter turnout in key counties in battleground states and recruiting more canvassers to help us get out the vote. While our media strategists had completed their work and the final tracking polls came in, it was my job to reach people where they live, work, play or pray. With only days left in the 2022 midterm political cycle, any campaign manager worth his or her reputation is now experiencing crunch time. Volunteers have what they need: canvass lists of infrequent voters, phone numbers, scripted text messages and posters to put up around key precincts cross their communities. Now is the time for candidates to focus on their closing messages to voters. Theres no question with so many polls tracking polls, individual candidate polling, aggregate polling that some voters are likely to start tuning out rather than getting ahead of the crowd by voting early or filling out their ballots and returning them before the deadline. But no matter where candidates stand in the most recent poll, its not over. Its never done until the voting has ended and the counting gets underway. Opinions in your inbox: Get exclusive access to our columnists and the best of our columns every day No one really knows what Election Day will bring Despite many predictions that Republicans will capture control of the U.S. House and are in contention to win a Senate majority, no one knows for sure what will happen. The same goes for predictions in races for governor and other state and local contests. Remember 2016? Almost no pollsters and pundits predicted Donald Trump would defeat Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. In fact, an analysis by The New York Times updated on its website at 10:20 p.m. ET on Nov. 8, 2016 election night, when polls in the eastern half of the country were closed boldly stated: Hillary Clinton has an 85% chance to win. Story continues A voter gets a sticker after delivering her vote-by-mail ballot to a drop box in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Oct. 24, 2022. There are many other examples of polls and political forecasts coming up short. A danger of the intense media focus on polls is that simply reporting poll results can discourage people from voting, altering the outcome of elections. Hearing their favored candidate has a sizable lead or trails badly in a race inevitably convinces some voters that their vote doesnt matter. We're addicted to midterm election polls: And it's not doing us any good. Key variables in every election poll involve who is polled and the expected size of voter turnout. To be accurate, the small group of people polled must mirror the makeup of the far larger number of people who actually vote. And, of course, views people hold when polled may change by the time they vote. While the national news media understandably focuses on candidate positions on national issues in their coverage, many voters look to candidate positions on state and local issues when deciding whom to support, particularly when it comes to candidates for governor and other state offices. Candidates need to keep that in mind. They need to increase their visibility and make one last plea to voters to help them. Although nothing is certain, a wave election where one party picks up a large number of offices seems unlikely this year because Democrats and Republicans are both showing strength in different states and congressional districts. Wave elections arent a series of landslides, but a series of close races that primarily break for the same party. 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. Voter turnout is traditionally lower in midterm elections than in presidential election years. But that may not be the case this year, if strong early voter turnout in Georgia and other states is any indicator. Large turnouts usually benefit Democrats. But Republicans know how to get out their vote, including infrequent voters in rural areas and many independent voters who might not be inclined to vote for either major party. Thats the wild card in 2022: Voter turnout and voter choices could come down to which candidate reached out to them, not by advertising on TV or their favorite digital platform but by visiting their neighborhood, speaking their language and understanding their concerns. Final 96 hours are critical The question now is how many young voters, independent voters and nonaligned voters will decide not to stay home but to take a chance to vote for the candidate they believe speaks to their concerns. This is why the final 96 hours are vital as a few undecided voters will decide to vote. Gen Z could swing election if they vote: As Gen Z, we're told we will 'fix everything.' Voting in the midterms is the first step. I believe in democracy, so I hope as many Americans as possible vote in coming days, even if they vote for candidates I might oppose. To keep our democracy healthy, we need voters to vote. We need to respect the right of every eligible citizen to cast their ballot without intimidation or threats of violence. We also need candidates and voters alike to accept the election results. Ill accept the November election results even if Republicans come out on top, just as I did in 2000 when I was campaign manager for Vice President Gore and joined him in accepting his narrow presidential election defeat by George W. Bush. Trump is the only presidential candidate in American history to refuse to accept his election loss. Are politics to blame for our polarization?: Red and blue America don't trust each other. And that's driving us dangerously apart. So, its not over. We need to remember that polls dont decide elections; voters do. Following election news is important, but actually participating in elections is far more important. As the old saying goes, politics isnt a spectator sport. Get out of the stands and get onto the political playing field. Geaux vote. Donna Brazile (@donnabrazile) is a member of USA TODAY's Board of Contributors, an ABC News contributor and an adjunct professor at Georgetown University. She previously served as interim chair of the Democratic National Committee and of the DNCs Voting Rights Institute, and managed the Gore campaign in 2000. More from Donna Brazile: Trump lied about 2020. Now, GOP candidates for governor may help him in 2024. The 10 Black people killed in Buffalo ought to be alive today You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page, on Twitter @usatodayopinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter. To respond to a column, submit a comment to letters@usatoday.com. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Forget midterm elections predictions: It's not too late for Democrats Then-Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan speaks during a joint press conference with Afghan president at the Presidential Palace in Kabul on November 19, 2020. WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP via Getty Images Imran Khan, until recently the leader of Pakistan, was shot on Thursday. His political party said he was shot in the leg, and he was stable while he was taken to hospital. Khan was leading a protest march, demanding elections to unseat the new government. Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan was shot on Thursday as he led a political march against the administration that replaced him. Khan's political party, PTI, said Khan "was shot in the leg but was stable while being taken to hospital." It described the attack as an "assassination attempt." Shehbaz Sharif, the country's current prime minister confirmed that he was shot, and said other people were also injured. Sharif condemned the shooting and said it would be investigated. He said other people were also injured, and wrote "Violence should have no place in our country's politics." PTI shared a video that it said shows Khan, who is 70, waving to supporters after he was shot. It shows him standing and waving while an armed guard stands in front of him. Watch the video here: Asad Umar, an aide for Khan, told Reuters that Khan and several other people were injured in the shooting. He said Khan was injured in his shin. "A man opened fire with an automatic weapon. Several people are wounded. Imran Khan is also injured," he said. There was no further information on who the man was. Sky News reported that Khan was shot in the leg while speaking to supporters. One of its reporters was in the crowd and witnessed the attack. Local media reported that he was shot in the foot, and that he was "out of danger," Reuters reported. Those reports said he was wounded when his convoy was shot at, according to Reuters. Khan was in Wazirabad, leading a protest march to Islamabad as part of efforts to call new elections in the country, according to Sky News. This video, shared by Khan on Tuesday, showed the scale of an earlier rally: Story continues Khan, who is now the chairman of the country's PTI political party, had been prime minister a little less than four years when he was ousted in April after losing a parliamentary no-confidence vote. He tried to block the vote, but was overruled by the country's Supreme Court and removed from office. Khan claimed, without evidence, that he was the victim of an international US-led conspiracy to remove him, and called on his supporters to take to the streets in marches like the one on Thursday, demanding new elections. The US has said that there is no truth to the allegations. It was widely believed that Khan had lost the support of the military, a major power-broker behind the scenes of Pakistani politics. Earlier this month Pakistan's election commission barred Khan from holding office for five years over allegations that he failed to declare and sold some gifts given to him while in office. Khan denied all of the charges. Read the original article on Business Insider In one of her first public appearances since being diagnosed with cancer this summer, former University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank received recognition from another Big Ten school with a room named in her honor. Before leading UW-Madison from 2013 through this spring, Blank's resume also included a stint as dean of the University of Michigan's school of public policy from 1999-2007. There, she spearheaded the addition of an undergraduate degree program and coordinated construction of a new building for the school. The central gathering space in that building, currently known as the Great Hall, will now bear Blank's name. Luke Shaefer, the school's associate dean for research and policy engagement, told a crowd gathered Tuesday for the naming event that the school hopes for it to be known as "the Becky." "It beats Blank Hall," Blank quipped. "Dont call it that!" Blank appeared at the event virtually, but said she hoped to visit the university in person next month. She appeared upbeat and donned one of the many signature red jackets she wore throughout her nine-year tenure as UW-Madison chancellor. Blank left UW-Madison in May and was slated to become president of Northwestern University in July but a cancer diagnosis derailed her plans. She announced the medical news on the day she was supposed to start her new job. During Tuesday's hourlong event, Blank reflected on her policy work in Washington, D.C., during the Clinton and Obama administrations. "Learning how to politically navigate D.C. is not unhelpful when youre running a university," she said. "Everything at some point comes down to a certain amount of political negotiation." Blank said it was during her time as Michigan dean that she learned how to fundraise, a skill she said she relied on "extensively" later in her career. She also lamented other university leaders "job-hopping" from one school to the next without staying long enough in a single place to make a difference. Story continues Blank, a Democrat, was instrumental in getting Michigan's public policy school named after Republican President Gerald Ford, a Michigan alumnus. She recalled her vehement disagreement with Ford's decision to pardon Richard Nixon as a then-college student. Over time, she said, she realized Ford's decision was the right one, the "only way to bring the country together and move forward," even though it cost him come Election Day. "I wish we had a few more politicians like that right now around Washington, D.C.," she said Tuesday. Contact Kelly Meyerhofer at 414-223-5168 or kmeyerhofer@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @KellyMeyerhofer. Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal. DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank reflects on career after cancer diagnosis Partnership creates a new one-stop service offering for customers in Japan targeting technology-driven opportunities in local and international markets SANTA CLARA, Calif., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Granite River Labs (GRL), a global leader in engineering services, test automation for digital connectivity and charging, and a provider of international market access services has announced a strategic alliance with one of the world's most respected players in safety testing and certification, the Japan Quality Assurance Organization (JQA). Granite River Labs Logo (PRNewsfoto/Granite River Labs) The alliance also includes DSP Research, Inc., a JQA group company that is recognized internationally for the inspection and testing of telecommunications and wireless equipment. This positions the organizations to offer customers in Japan a one-stop-shop for electronics testing, certification and market access services. GRL has provided Japan's electronics manufacturing ecosystem with critical troubleshooting, testing and certification support for more than a decade. Its Yokohama Test Lab offers a wide range of services, including compliance test, process, voltage, temperature (PVT) stress testing and debugging, signal integrity and power integrity verification, and engineering consultation. Leveraging GRL's international presence and perspective, the recently introduced Market Access Services help exporters to address constantly changing, country specific protocol and telecom import requirements and tap into local, regional and global markets. The JQA's extensive network, which includes labs in Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka and Kyushu, along with DSPR's flagship location in Kobe, puts safety and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) testing and telecommunications verification close to customers across the country. As one of its first steps, the alliance is organizing a face-to-face seminar on automotive Ethernet and 5G in November, hosted by all three partners. Other focus areas include safety testing, EMC testing, telecom and wireless testing, high-speed interface testing and certification services, and certification and digital platform services. Story continues "DSPR is proud to be the first Registered Private Body in Japan for telecommunications and radio equipment inspection and testing. We are equally pleased to extend the range and reach of our offering in partnership with a dedicated industry pioneer like GRL," said Nobuhiro Nakanishi, President of DSP Research, Inc. "This alliance is a major milestone for GRL, JQA and DSPR," said Holger Kunz, President of Worldwide Services of GRL. "The natural synergy between GRL's technical expertise in high-speed interface testing and sophisticated market knowledge, combined with JQA's safety & EMC capabilities, and DSPR's reputation in telecom and wireless testing, will unlock new possibilities. That is great news for Japanese companies targeting technology-driven opportunities in local and international markets, especially those involved in the important consumer electronics and automotive industries." About JQA The Japan Quality Assurance Organization (JQA) specializes in registration services for ISO management systems as well as safety testing and certification for compliance to a variety of standards, both national and international. It began operations in 1957, initially as a designated inspection body under Japan's Export Inspection Law, its work has contributed to the development of Japan's economy by testing and certifying product destined for overseas markets. Built on rich expertise and know-how in testing and certification, the organization has continuously added to our conformity assessment services, while being accredited by relevant authorities both at home and abroad so as to meet the varied needs of today's globalized economy. For more information, visit https://www.jqa.jp/about_jqa/index.html. About Granite River Labs Founded in Silicon Valley in 2010, Granite River Labs (GRL) is a leading provider of end-to-end testing, certification and compliance services and related proprietary instrumentation and software solutions to support development and commercialization of sophisticated connected devices. GRL helps engineers solve tough design and validation challenges. GRL was founded with a vision to provide affordable test services to help hardware developers implement digital interface technologies as they become faster, more complex, and more challenging to test. Today, GRL has worked with hundreds of companies supporting the adoption of new and emerging technologies from their worldwide test facilities and R&D centers. GRL's combination of market-leading technical expertise, broad capabilities across connectivity and charging technologies, and intense focus on quality and customer service excellence has led to rapid growth and recognition as the "go to" expert. For more information, visit www.graniteriverlabs.com. SOURCE Granite River Labs KYIV (Reuters) - Ukraine said on Thursday it had made no commitments to Russia that go beyond the terms of the Black Sea Grains Initiative agreed in July to persuade Moscow to resume its participation in the deal. Russia suspended participation in the U.N.-brokered deal on Saturday after what it said was an attack on vessels from its Black Sea fleet. Moscow resumed its participation on Wednesday, with the Russian defence ministry saying it had received guarantees from Ukraine that it would not use the Black Sea grain corridor for military operations against Russia. In a statement on Facebook, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko made clear Kyiv had offered nothing new to Russia to ensure it returned to the deal, intended to free up Ukrainian grain exports following Russia's Feb. 24 invasion. "Our state has not undertaken any new commitments that go beyond those already existing in the grain agreement," he said. "Recall that within this agreement (in July) the parties committed to guarantee a safe and reliable functioning environment for the grain corridor. Ukraine has never put a grain route in danger." He said Ukraine was clearly adhering to the terms of the agreement. "Ukraine did not use and did not plan to use the grain corridor for military purposes," he said. "Moscow has returned to the grain deal thanks to the active diplomacy of U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In coordination with Ukraine, they found words that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin understood. It was a position of strength, not a deed." (Reporting by Max Hunder and Pavel Polityuk, Editing by Timothy Heritage) More Republicans now oppose continued U.S. aid to Ukraine amid its months-long war with Russia, according to a new Wall Street Journal survey. The poll, published Thursday, found that 48 percent of registered Republican respondents said that they believe the U.S. is doing too much to help Ukraine fend off the invasion from its neighbor, up from only 6 percent earlier this year. Seventeen percent of Republicans in the new survey said that they believe the U.S. isnt doing enough to help Ukraine in its conflict with Russia, a 44-point decrease from the 61 percent of GOP respondents who shared the same sentiment in March. Almost one-third of all respondents in the new survey 30 percent said that they believe the U.S. is doing too much to help Ukraine, a 6-point increase from March. Fifty-seven percent of respondents, meanwhile, now say they are in favor of the U.S. sending additional financial aid to Ukraine, while 37 percent oppose the idea. An overwhelming majority of registered Democrats 81 percent said that they support additional financial aid for Ukraine, as did 35 percent of Republicans and 45 percent of independent respondents. The Journal notes that its latest poll comes after the U.S. has provided nearly $18 billion in aid to Ukraine since its conflict with Russia began in February. Some GOP lawmakers have started to criticize the aid, with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) saying last month that Republicans will not write a blank check to Ukraine if they take control of the lower chamber of Congress in next weeks midterm elections. McCarthy defended his remarks, saying while he will still supports Ukraine, the U.S. is $31 trillion in debt. Its amazing to me that that somehow made news, McCarthy told CNBC. Wouldnt you want a check and balance in Congress? Wouldnt you want this hardworking taxpayers money, someone overseeing it? Weve got to eliminate the wasteful spending in Washington. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. A 23-year-old man fatally shot by Omaha police southwest of downtown early Sunday had indicated he wanted officers to shoot him, Omahas police chief said Tuesday. Chief Todd Schmaderer said Officers Dominic Lombardo and Justin Georgius tried hard to get Jeramyah Wilson, 23, to put down his gun. Wilson, who was alone in an SUV near 30th and Marcy streets, verbally threatened officers multiple times, Schmaderer said. An officer told investigators that Wilson was speaking through the drivers-side window of the SUV and made a quick movement toward the passenger side of the vehicle, toward an officer who was behind cover. Thats when Lombardo and Georgius started shooting, striking Wilson. Wilson died later at the Nebraska Medical Center. It does bear some resemblance to suicide by cop, Schmaderer said. Wilson made some statements to that effect, he said, and those statements were recorded on police body cameras. A relative of Wilsons, contacted Tuesday afternoon, said the family may comment after they have had time to process the information about what happened. A 9 mm Ruger handgun was found on the floor of the SUV. Police said two shell casings also were recovered. They are thought to be from the shots Wilson fired that brought seven police officers to the scene. The gun was empty of bullets when it was recovered. Audio of the incident was clear, but the video is partially obstructed because officers had taken cover. Wilsons mother lives in the area and was among the witnesses at the scene, Schmaderer said. He said she pleaded with her son to drop the gun and surrender. The audio of the incident will be released after a grand jury investigation. Schmaderer said Wilson can be heard saying, Ill smoke you all, I swear to God. Theyre about to make me do some sh**, Mom. Go inside. Wilson, who was found to be in possession of a stolen gun, continued to resist the officers pleas to surrender for six minutes, Schmaderer said. He also continued to threaten the officers. Shoot me, bitch, Wilson said, according to Schmaderer. Im gonna shoot you. Police said the two officers fired a total of 11 rounds. The investigation is ongoing with the aid of the Nebraska State Patrol and the Sarpy County Sheriffs Office. Schmaderer said the investigation should be completed by the end of the week. The officers are being interviewed today, right as we are speaking, Schmaderer said Tuesday afternoon. Ill tell you that from what I have seen, theres nothing about this incident that has me worried about anything (the officers) did wrong from a policy standpoint. Lombardo, who has been with the department 1 years, and Georgius, who has 14 years of service, have been placed on paid administrative leave. Wilson was awaiting trial in Douglas County District Court on two counts of felony terroristic threats. He also was awaiting trial in a separate case on several misdemeanors, including second-offense driving while intoxicated. OAKLAND, Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom has issued a blanket rejection of local California governments plans to curb homelessness, putting on hold hundreds of millions of dollars in aid a sharp rebuke to how cities and counties are tackling the metastasizing issue. Californians demand accountability and results, not settling for the status quo, Newsom said in a statement Thursday. The governors sweeping repudiation channeled profound public frustration with the prevalence of Californias homeless population. More than 113,000 people sleep outdoors on any given night in the state, according to state estimates. Encampments have become commonplace, spurring Democrats to move more aggressively on clearing people from public spaces. The visibility and scale of homelessness in California have exposed Newsom and other Democratic leaders to relentless criticism. Conservative media outlets regularly broadcast images of people living on the streets while portraying San Francisco and Los Angeles as failed cities. Newsom has budgeted billions of dollars to help local governments move people into permanent housing. But the governor said on Thursday that local plans to secure those funds fell woefully short, estimating they would collectively reduce homelessness by a mere 2 percent over four years. The governor informed mayors about his plans on Wednesday night and said he intended to convene local officials later this month. At this pace, it would take decades to significantly curb homelessness in California this approach is simply unacceptable. Everyone has to do better cities, counties, and the state included," he said. Big-city mayors pushed back on Newsom's decision, arguing it came with little notice and undermined their efforts. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, whose city has previously clashed with Newsom over homelessness funding, said in a statement that she was "perplexed." San Francisco Mayor London Breed accused Newsom of creating "more hoops for local governments to jump through without any clear explanation of whats required. Story continues "The State has decided to abruptly withhold funds that we have been planning around and that will actually make a difference in our communities all without any warning or conversations or opportunities to address their concerns," Breed said. "While we welcome accountability, now is not the time to delay funds that will help get people off the street." The governor has regularly lamented the state of homelessness in California, saying public officials are failing to act with enough urgency. He has focused in recent months on encampments, allocating funds to help local governments move people out of camps and staging public appearances in which he cleans up trash near tents under freeways. His office issued a news release in August touting the clearing of more than 1,250 sites on state land over a 12-month period. These encampments in California are unacceptable, Newsom said during his budget presentation this year. That encampments push has at times fueled tension with local governments. The Newsom administration and city of Oakland locked into a protracted standoff earlier this year over a sprawling, multi-block encampment during which Newsom threatened to withhold $4.7 million in aid. A judge initially blocked the governor's effort to move people out, arguing officials were trading blame without locating other accommodations for the camps residents. Funding for behavioral health has been another aspect of Newsoms homelessness plan. The policy centerpiece has been a newly-enacted civil courts program allowing the state to mandate treatment plans for people with severe mental health or substance abuse issues. Newsom signed the program into law earlier this year. The governor has also taken a more aggressive approach toward local governments on housing development, repeatedly intervening when the state concludes cities and counties are not planning to add enough homes to ease a statewide housing shortage. His administration recently launched an unprecedented review of San Franciscos housing approval process. SEOUL, South Korea North Korea fired at least six more missiles Thursday, including an intercontinental ballistic missile, the South Korean and Japanese governments said, continuing to raise tensions a day after it launched a record of at least 23 missiles in a 24-hour period. Concerns that one of the missiles, apparently the ICBM, might fly over Japan prompted the government to activate its early warning system, urging residents in the northern prefectures of Miyagi, Yamagata and Niigata to take cover inside or underground. Officials later said that the missile did not fly over Japan and that it disappeared over the water. North Koreas weapons tests are seen as an effort by leader Kim Jong Un to develop his regimes nuclear arsenal, pressure the United States to ease crippling sanctions and gain international acceptance as a nuclear state. The country has escalated its tests and fiery rhetoric as the United States and South Korea conduct large-scale joint military exercises, which they said Thursday they would extend in response to North Koreas provocations. Adrienne Watson, a spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council, issued a statement saying Washington strongly condemns North Koreas ICBM test and that President Joe Biden and his national security team are assessing the situation in close coordination with allies and partners. This launch, in addition to the launch of multiple other ballistic missiles this week, is a flagrant violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions and needlessly raises tensions and risks destabilizing the security situation in the region, she said. Watson said the U.S. will take all necessary measures to ensure the security of America and its allies. The intercontinental ballistic missile was fired toward the sea at 7:40 a.m. (6:40 p.m. Wednesday ET) from the Sunan area in Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The missile reached an altitude of 1,193 miles and flew 472 miles, it said. It was not immediately clear whether the launch was successful. Story continues An hour later, North Korea fired two suspected short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea from the Gaechon area of South Pyongan province. After 9:30 p.m., North Korea fired three more short-range missiles, the South Korean military said. Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said all three were believed to have reached a maximum altitude of 93 miles and flown 310 miles, landing outside Japans exclusive economic zone. Around 11:30 p.m., the South Korean military said, North Korea fired about 80 rounds of artillery shells that landed in a maritime buffer zone, in violation of a 2018 agreement. North Korea last tested an intercontinental ballistic missile in March, its first such test since 2017. U.S. and South Korean officials say the country is also preparing for its seventh nuclear test, which would also be the first since 2017. Early last month, North Korea sent an intermediate-range ballistic missile soaring over Japan in its longest-ever weapons test. The nuclear-capable missile has the range to reach the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam. Tensions had already risen Wednesday when South Korea responded to North Koreas barrage by firing three air-to-surface missiles of its own. The two countries missiles landed in international waters across their disputed sea border but not on their actual territories. South Korea is in a national mourning period after the Halloween crowd crush in Seoul that killed 156 people. President Yoon Suk-yeols government has been criticized for the police failure to prevent the tragedy. In addition to improving its military capabilities, the missile tests also serve North Koreas political purposes, said Leif-Eric Easley, an associate professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul. From Pyongyangs perspective, the Yoon administrations unpopularity appears as an opportunity to coerce the South Korean public into opposing security cooperation with Washington, he said by email. Meanwhile, firing over Japan can be interpreted as a threat not to be involved with the security of the Korean Peninsula. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Nov. 2University of Colorado Boulder police said a handful of signs at the CU South property were damaged. Officials said eight signs at CU South explaining future plans for the site were defaced by vandalism in recent days. The estimated damage is $5,000. The signs were installed on Oct. 21. The vandalism comes in the days leading up to the general election, which will include a measure that could reverse an annexation agreement approved last fall between the city of Boulder and the university. "We are disappointed to see the recent damage to university property," said Lori Call, CU Boulder's assistant vice chancellor for local government and community engagement. "The annexation agreement is complicated, and we know many residents are interested in better understanding the plans for the site, and seeing the visual representation of these plans. Our hope is that we can respect each other, the site, and the property when visitors come to CU Boulder South." CU Boulder police do plan on increased patrols in the area. Police are asking that anyone with information about the vandalism call the department's non-emergency line at 303-492-6666. SINGAPORE, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Talos, the premier provider of institutional digital asset trading technology, has entered into a partnership with Amber Group, a leading global digital asset company. Bringing together two pioneering firms in the digital asset industry, the partnership will integrate the liquidity venue of Amber Group's flagship digital asset platform, WhaleFin, into Talos. The integration will facilitate greater access to Amber Group's liquidity via Talos's market-leading institutional trading platform and broaden digital asset trading for all its users. Talos logo The partnership comes as Talos continues to expand its business and solidify its presence in Asia Pacific, leveraging on the region's booming digital asset industry and its continued relevance as a global digital asset hub. Amber Group will join Talos's extensive partner network of over 40 liquidity venues that includes leading exchanges such as Binance, Coinbase, and FTX, as well as top OTCs & market-markers. The integration exemplifies the two companies' commitment to drive institutional adoption of digital assets, and also addresses the growing need for advanced trading solutions required by sophisticated crypto-natives and traditional capital markets firms. The partnership capitalizes on the synergies between Talos's and Amber Group's offerings by marrying Talos's end-to-end digital asset trading technology services with Amber Group's institutional-grade liquidity venue WhaleFin. "The premier institutional investors who trade on our platform will always require connectivity to the best liquidity providers in the world. Partnering with Amber Group not only gives them another solid venue to work with, it is a natural extension of our core mission to make it easy for institutions to connect to digital asset markets in a safe, scalable, and familiar way. As the market-leading trading technology provider that powers institutional access to digital assets, we are proud to partner with Amber Group, and support the overall maturation of the digital asset ecosystem," said Head of APAC at Talos, Samar Sen. Story continues "Despite current market conditions, we continue to see increasing adoption of digital assets by institutions on the buy-side and sell-side - their long term views on the potential of digital assets are undiminished, and many of these institutional service providers are using this time to build their product-offerings before the next growth cycle, and based on demand from their end-customers," Sen added. "Client-led demand for institutional-grade, aggregated liquidity providers is indicative of the ongoing evolution of digital assets as a maturing asset class. As we mark a new chapter for the growth of digital assets globally, we are excited to integrate the best of our liquidity offering with like-minded ecosystem peers such as Talos. This partnership lays the foundation for us to continue building institutional confidence in crypto assets through ease of access to Talos's trusted trading technology and Amber Group's liquidity offering all this while complementing our commitment to deliver best-in-class service to our clients, be it via superior block pricing or greater transparency for all," said Amber Group's Managing Partner, Annabelle Huang. Product Lead (Connectivity) at Talos, Sophia Cui added, "Today's digital asset traders demand a better experience - one that offers greater security, scalability, reliability, and usability combined with the familiarity of traditional capital markets trading systems. Our partnership with Amber Group will remove the current barriers to entry for institutions, offering them powerful, sophisticated, standardized institutional-grade digital asset trading technology with unparalleled performance that is already seamlessly connected to the liquidity they desire." Media Contact Amber Group amber-group@wachsman.com Talos talos@wachsman.com About Amber Group Amber Group is a leading digital asset platform operating globally with offices in Asia, Europe, and the Americas. The firm provides a full range of digital asset services spanning investing, financing, and trading. Amber is backed by prominent investors including Paradigm, Dragony, Pantera, Polychain, Sequoia and Tiger Global. For more information, please visit www.ambergroup.io. About Talos Talos powers digital asset trading strategies globally. Engineered by a team with unmatched experience in building institutional trading systems, the Talos platform is trusted by the largest and most sophisticated market participants and their end clients for its performance, reliability, and security. Its growing network of services trading platform, lending marketplace, data and analytics, and portfolio and settlement tools, all offered directly or through service providers on a white-label basis enable clients of all types to transact end-to-end without concern for unnecessary intermediary risk or potential conflicts of interest. Talos has offices in New York, London, Sweden, and Singapore. For additional information, please visit www.talos.com. SOURCE Talos "Some of the stolen bottles belonged to my grandfather from very old vintages such as 1925 or 1936," the restaurants sommelier said. Europa Press News / Getty Images Entrance to chef Mario Sandoval's restaurant Coque in Madrid During tough economic times, wine has proven to be a resilient investment. Last December, analysts at Liv-ex even pointed out that wine had recently been a better investment than gold. That may help explain why we continue to see the cellars of fine dining establishments being targeted for theft, including a recent Fort Knox-like break-in at a Michelin two-starred restaurant in Spain. This past Sunday, thieves reportedly broke into the Coque de Madrid located in the Spanish capital and made off with 132 bottles of wine valued at over $190,000. Those responsible apparently knew what they were doing: The pharmacy next door to the acclaimed restaurant from Chef Mario Sandoval had recently shut down, which helped them gain access, and they struck on a day the restaurant was closed, knowing that it wouldn't be open again until Tuesday which is when the restaurant finally realized what had happened. Additionally, of the approximately 25,000 bottles stored in the cellar which is referred to as "the scarcity" because of the rarity of much of the collection only the best bottles were stolen, according to The Times, leading some to speculate an insider may have been involved. "They were very precise," a police source was quoted as saying by the El Pais newspaper. RELATED: Over 4 Million Bottles of Spanish Wine Were Labeled as French, Fraud Case Alleges "I don't know whether the insurance will cover this but it won't cover the sentimental aspect of things," said Rafael Sandoval, the restaurant's sommelier and one of the three brothers who co-own the establishment, according to The Drinks Business. "We are very concerned and hurt by what happened, not because of an economic issue, but because some of the stolen bottles belonged to my grandfather from very old vintages such as 1925 or 1936. There were bottles that have passed from generation to generation and that not even the wineries themselves have. We are very bitter about losing these bottles that we held so dear." The thieves reportedly initially tried to enter the cellar through a hole they had made in the shuttered pharmacy, but when that plan failed, they accessed a shared courtyard and broke glass to gain access, according to The Olive Press. Added Sandoval, "These people could have robbed the bank of Spain." This time last year, another Spanish restaurant made international headlines for a similar incident: The Michelin two-starred Atrio restaurant and hotel in Caceres had about $1.6 million in wine stolen out of its cellar by a couple who was staying on the premises. KYIV (Reuters) - Ukrainian forces have destroyed 278 Russian aircraft during eight months of fighting, more than twice as many as the Soviet Union lost in its 1979-89 military intervention in Afghanistan, Ukraine's commander-in-chief said on Thursday. His statement could not be verified by Reuters and there was no comment from the Russian Defence Ministry, but it fit into a pattern of increasingly confident rhetoric from Kyiv as it has made progress in retaking territory from Russian invaders. Though civilians face power outages and intermittent water supply cuts after Russian missile and drone strikes on energy infrastructure, the momentum on the battlefield is with Ukraine. With the help of military equipment provided by its Western allies, including U.S.-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), Ukraine is now mounting pressure on Russian occupation forces in the south. "During the full-scale aggression, (Ukrainian) defenders destroyed (more than) twice as many (Russian) aircraft as the Soviet Union lost during the 10-year war in Afghanistan - 278 (Russian) aircraft in Ukraine against 118 Soviet aircraft in Afghanistan," General Valeriy Zaluzhniy wrote on Twitter. "This war is the same shame for Russia & will cause its destruction," he wrote. More than three decades after the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, the military campaign there remains seared on the Russian national conscience and is criticised by many Russians as a bloody foreign adventure akin to the U.S. war in Vietnam. Around 14,000 Soviet troops were killed in Afghanistan. Many were repatriated in zinc coffins known as Cargo 200, a term that is now being widely used for Russian soldiers killed during the war that Russia launched in Ukraine on Feb. 24. Since it began, each side has said it has inflicted huge casualties on the other, but those numbers are seen as significantly inflated. Ukraine says 74,000 Russian soldiers have been killed. Russia's defence minister said in September that 61,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed. (Reporting by Tom Balmforth; editing by Timothy Heritage and Mark Heinrich) Information is from police reports and may be incomplete depending on the status of an investigation. Phone numbers are nonemergency. Most Americans want to end twice-yearly clock changes, but Congress can't decide what to do with daylight saving time By Trend Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a phone conversation with French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna, Trend reports citing Xinhua. Noting the successful convening of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Wang said that the unanimous election of Xi Jinping as general secretary of the 20th CPC Central Committee has lived up to expectations, is the common aspiration of the people, and will ensure that the giant ship of China will continue to stay on course, catch the wind and ride the waves. The congress drew up a blueprint for China's future development, injecting important certainty into a volatile world, Wang said. It also reaffirmed China's independent foreign policy of peace and its commitment to upholding world peace and promoting common development, which will offer strong positive energy to the international community in addressing global challenges, he said. Wang noted that China maintains continuity and stability in its policy towards France and Europe, and stands ready to continue to push forward the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership and deepen strategic coordination and cooperation between China and France. He said China and France should jointly plan and design high-level exchanges and cooperation in various fields between the two countries, so as to open up new prospects for bilateral relations. For her part, Colonna said France and China have always maintained mutual trust and cooperation to jointly safeguard world peace and stability. France hopes to have closer high-level exchanges and in-depth communication with China to enhance common interests and tackle common challenges, she said. Without the grant, Tomorrows Neighbors would have a harder time taking on the challenge of helping people reenter society following incarceration. Its a blessing, said Kurt Danysh, founder and executive director of the Carlisle based organization. Its the difference between whether or not we could provide housing. Cumberland County commissioners last month awarded 17 organizations $7.1 million in grants from the federal American Rescue Plan Act funds. The county targeted the grants for programs that improve the physical and mental health of county residents directly or indirectly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Tomorrows Neighbors will receive $1 million to support a program of reentry housing for people transitioning from prison to the community. The grant is going to be solely for the operation of the housing solution, which we are calling the Cumberland House, Danysh said. Its going to pay the lease, salaries [of staff members] and utilities. Its going to keep it operational for five years. Located at an undisclosed address in Carlisle, the Cumberland House will have 10 to 15 beds for men lodged in a facility within walking distance to a variety of services, including a laundromat, grocery stores, restaurants and employment opportunities. Each resident will receive two months of free rent, giving them a chance to find a job, Danysh said. We want to be a hub of services that exist in the county, he added. We dont want to reinvent the wheel or duplicate services. All the providers trying to serve this population can come to this one location. Sadler support A $2 million grant will make it easier for Sadler Health Center to afford a $6.3 million project to renovate the former Lyft building in Hampden Township into a 21,000-square-foot health center serving the West Shore and Mechanicsburg area. Prior to receiving the ARPA grant, we were sitting on almost $2 million in commitments, said Laurel Spagnolo, director of development and community engagement. This brings us very close to reaching our campaign goal. She said the grant also provides a cushion from the escalating costs brought on by supply chain issues and other factors. Weve been holding our breath waiting to receive information, Spagnolo said of the grant program. This grant makes all the difference to us. Were still continuing fundraising to complete the project. We have received grants from local foundations, businesses and individuals. The hope is that renovations could begin in November on a facility that could be ready early next summer to provide a range of services to individuals who are under-served, uninsured or low-income, Spagnolo said. We offer comprehensive care. We serve the whole person. The new center will offer medical, dental and vision care along with behavioral support services and a pharmacy. Like Sadler, Tomorrows Neighbors experienced anxious moments while the county worked through its grant process. Waiting for approval There was some urgency from the landlord, Danysh said. He wanted to know what to do with the property because it was option of doing this [the Cumberland House] or just dividing the building into three apartments and renting it that way. I would never complain about the wait for such an important blessing, he said. Its government. Thats how government works. Were pleased that the county worked so expeditiously to release such a sum of money. We appreciate that they really took the time and prioritized this. The county is making grants available to support health initiatives, infrastructure projects and business/nonprofit COVID-19 recovery efforts. Grant applications under each category have been screened for eligibility and scored based on criteria developed by teams of subject matter experts set up by the county. Each team, which includes county staff members, was then tasked with recommending awards for the commissioners to review prior to any vote being taken. Our directory features more than 18 million business listings from across the entire US. However, if we're missing your business, add your business by clicking on Add Your Business. YORK Officials representing the Summit Carbon Solutions say they have acquired 28% of the needed easements in York County to build their planned carbon dioxide pipeline in 2023. Rob Latimer and Ben Fuller met with the county board this week, to make their regular, periodical update reports. Summit Carbon Solutions is the company intending to construct a pipeline that would carry carbon dioxide from 31 ethanol plants (six being in Nebraska) to a storage site in North Dakota. The Green Plains ethanol plant east of York would be one of the participating plants; therefore, the pipeline would run through York County, from the Green Plains site to Central City. The proposed line, in York County, would run at a southwest angle from the local plant, crossing land between Benedict and Bradshaw and then crossing the York County line near Polk. Company representatives have said ethanol plants would benefit from the capture process because it would qualify them for tax incentives as well as allow them to charge a premium cost for their product. The Summit company then would share in the increase of revenue. Ethanol plants are paying nothing for this project the company shares in their increased premiums for cutting their carbon emissions. The companys investment will be $4.5 billion and no government subsidies or assistance are to be used, Summit representatives have said in past meetings. This week, Fuller told the board the project will help keep ethanol plants viable as regulations are coming in the future. He also added that concerns about the pipeline, which hes heard, have centered on safety. He said the company, to address those concerns, has decided to go to four feet of cover (instead of the required three), install shut-off valves every 20 miles, have operations at all times in Nebraska with 24-7 monitoring. Latimer further addressed the land easements, reiterating that it is currently at 28% of what they will need, which compares to the 14.5% mark they were at when they last addressed the commissioners in the summer. So things are moving along, Latimer said. In Nebraska, we have easements on 140 miles of the required 318 miles. Land agents continue meeting with landowners and compensation offers have been increased. They continue to explain the project to landowners, as well as gather information on road and haul route agreements with counties. It was noted that last summer, the size of the pipe was being planned with a four-inch diameter in York County that has since increased to 10 inches, after some reassessments, Latimer said. Latimer was asked if the Nebraska Public Service Commission will have a review process for this project. It was explained by Latimer that the PSC does not speak to carbon dioxide pipelines, the way they do with oil pipelines, as an example. But that does not take away the states regulations on crossing state roads, storm water containment and other issues. This project would also fall under federal regulations. Commissioner Jack Sikes asked what the company will do with those who refuse easements on their land. Latimer said his company hopes the acquisition pace carries on at the rate it has been. It takes time, many visits and understanding peoples issues. So eminent domain is still on the table, Sikes commented. At the end of the day, if we cant reach people or if people refuse to negotiate, eminent domain is there to help work out those issues, Latimer said. Sikes also asked if a leak could cause safety problems, such as killing cattle in low-lying areas, etc. He said he had read a story about this happening somewhere in the country, where carbon dioxide allegedly poisoned killed animals. Latimer and Fuller said they were not aware of the situation Sikes was referring to and noted the carbon dioxide from local ethanol plants is now being released into the air. If carbon dioxide is released into the open atmosphere, CO2 will dissipate, Latimer said. Maybe in a very unique and temperature situation it might not dissipate as quickly, but the situation you are talking about, Im not aware of those details. And the valve sites, not to exceed distances of 20 miles, have a purpose of isolating short sections should there be an issue. Latimer said the target date for the beginning of construction is still at August of 2023. Some changes will come, some route changes might take place, thats our purpose in coming here to periodically make updates. York County Commissioner Chairman Randy Obermier said a route agreement will have to be signed with the county before then, to which the Summit representatives agreed. YORK A Kansas City man who forged payout tickets for Game of Chance slot machines and scamming a York County business out of more than $1,000 has been sent to prison. Alexander Martin Ayala, 26, was formally charged in York County with two counts of first degree forgery, both Class 3 felonies, and two counts of criminal possession of a forged instrument, both Class 4 felonies. According to court documents, a trooper with the Nebraska State Patrol contacted the York County Sheriffs Department after a traffic stop in Butler County. The trooper said Ayala and another person were arrested after the stop when they were found with forged Game of Chance machine payout tickets in their possession. During that stop, two tickets were seized that showed the business in which the payout ticket was printed the business was in York County. Other businesses that had been scammed were also identified in the forged payout tickets, in Kansas and Nebraska. Surveillance video at the York County business showed Ayala enter the business and sit down at the slot machine-styled Game of Chance inside the business. Then, a short time later, they could see Ayala and a woman approach the cashier who then paid them for the two fraudulent tickets one being valued at $500 and the other valued at $550. Due to a plea agreement, Ayala pleaded guilty to one count of forgery and the other charges were dismissed. This week, in York County District Court, Ayala was sentenced to a term of one year in prison to be followed by 18 months of post-release supervision. He was also ordered to pay $1,050 in restitution. The Delhi government is working on curbing pollution in the national capital considering the 'severe plus' level of air pollution. To control the level of pollutants in the air, the Central panel has implemented the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) stage 4 in the national capital. With this in effect, the movement of vehicles like trucks have been banned in Delhi NCR. Earlier, the government had implemented GRAP stage 3 but had further increased the severity of bans to control the declining AQI numbers. Here is a detailed explanation of what vehicles are banned and what vehicles are allowed in Delhi NCR. Vehicles not allowed in Delhi NCR After the implementation of GRAP stage 4, the movement of diesel-powered trucks is strictly banned in the national capital. In addition to that, vehicles with BS4 engines will also be barred from entering Delhi. Moreover, medium goods vehicles (MGV) and heavy goods vehicles (HGV) will be banned entirely. Also read: Kia Carens MPV receives MASSIVE price hike of up to Rs 50,000 in India; check new prices here What vehicles are allowed in Delhi? After the new curbs by the Delhi government, diesel vehicles with BS6 engines will be allowed to enter the national capital. In addition, to facilitate transportation, petrol-powered cars, electric vehicles, and cars using CNG engines will also be allowed. Similarly, for commercial vehicles, CNG trucks and electric trucks have been given permission to move to Delhi. Furthermore, MGVs and HGVs carrying essential goods, along with vehicles providing emergency services, will be allowed to enter the borders of Delhi-NCR. Similarly, the BS-IV engine vehicles that used essential services will also be allowed. To prevent further deterioration of air quality due to unfavourable meteorological conditions, the GRAP Sub-Committee decides to invoke Stage IV - Severe+ GRAP category in the entire NCR with immediate effect. Contd. (1/3) Commission for Air Quality Management (@CAQM_Official) November 3, 2022 Effects on public transportation The use of diesel generators is not allowed in GRAP stage 4. However, to ensure the smooth movement of public transportation government has exempted essential services like medical, railway, metro rail services, airports, and inter-state bus terminals. Apart from this major construction projects like highways, roads, flyovers, and overbridges have also been restricted. The Department of Health visited Shippensburg Wednesday to tout the benefits of community water fluoridation. Acting Secretary of Health and Pennsylvania Physician General Dr. Denise Johnson visited the Shippensburg Borough Authoritys water works system to tour the facility and talk about water fluoridation. As acting secretary of Health, I am urging all water systems in Pennsylvania to optimize fluoridation in the water for their residents, Johnson said. Beyond the proven health care benefits, water fluoridation helps address some of the racial and economic disparities in society. We know that dental deserts threaten people of color by limiting access to oral health services. This is why fluoridation is such an important topic. According to the department, minorities and children in low-income families have higher rates of cavities, and Black and Latinx adults also have higher rates of untreated tooth decay than their white peers. Its estimated that in 2019, more than 56 million people in the country lived in an area without enough dental providers. All water naturally contains some fluoride, and decades of experience have demonstrated that adjusting the fluoride levels provides many benefits that the residents of this borough enjoy, Johnson said. I appreciate the opportunity to highlight the role that water fluoridation plays in our wellbeing. This safe practice has been used for decades to promote better health and has been proven to prevent dental disease with the right support. The department said it is working to promote the prevention of oral disease by stressing proper personal and community preventative behaviors, such as community water fluoridation, school-linked sealant programs for low-income children, routine oral cancer screenings and proper oral hygiene. Johnson on Wednesday was joined by Michael Pimenthal, chair of the Shippensburg Borough Authority, for a tour of Shippensburgs recently renovated water facilities. For a map of community water fluoridation statuses in Pennsylvania, check out the PA Oral Health Association map. In response to persistent rumours, General (Retd) VK Singh, Minister of State for Civil Aviation, stated on Wednesday that the Central government has no plans to close the current airport in Goa. The minister further emphasised that the Goa Dabolim airport will run concurrently with the state's brand-new airport. VK Singh made the comments at the CANSO conference in Goa, which was organised by the Airports Authority of India (AAI). "The Central government has no intention to shut the Goa airport, I am here to clarify that the new airport will not lead to the closure of the previous airport," MoS Civil Aviation General (Retd) VK Singh told ANI while refuting the rumors of Goa Dabolim airport shut down. Also read: Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia predicts Indian aviation sector to touch 400 million passengers The new airport will get operational in a month or so, General (Retd) VK Singh said during the ongoing CANSO conference in Goa. This CANSO conference, hosted by Airports Authority India (AAI), is a three-day program that is being held at a hotel in Panaji with the theme-- Think Global, Collaborate Regional, Accomplish Local.VK Singh further clarified, "This is an unfounded perception. We have been very clear that in 2010, a decision was taken in the cabinet, in which everyone accepted that Goa will have two airports that will run parallel. Hence, there is no way to close Dabolim airport." The Goa International Airport is an under-construction greenfield airport that is being built at Mopa in Pernem taluka of the North Goa district. GMR Goa International Airport Limited is currently developing the airport with a cost amount of around Rs 3,000 crore. He further expressed confidence and said that the new airport will further enhance Tourism in the state and that the government will run both airports with the same pace and passion. Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant informed the people about the Directorate General of Civil Aviation`s (DGCA) conduct of the first flight at Goa`s Mopa International Greenfield Airport in September. The DGCA had successfully tested an IndiGo commercial flight from Mumbai on the runway of Mopa airport. (With inputs from ANI) Indian skies are the safest and have a good safety record in the Asia Pacific region, said Director General (DG) of the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO). "Indian skies have very safe and good record in terms of traffic management," Simon Hocquard, CANSO DG told ANI on the sidelines of three-day CANSO conference being hosted by Airports Authority of India (AAI) in Goa. The CANSO is a representative body of companies that provides air traffic control. It represents the interests of Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSP). CANSO members are responsible for supporting more than 85 per cent of world air traffic and through its workgroups, members share information and develop new policies aimed at improving air navigation services on the ground and in the air. The CANSO DG stressed that the CANSO conference is being held physically after a gap of three years due to the pandemic. "It's for the first time we've had a first a face to face meeting in three years to get the whole community together in such a beautiful place in Goa," the CANSO DG said. "I think air traffic is going to continue to grow. Air traffic as we know never plummeted. It's not just passenger traffic, its other vehicles in the future that will start taking to the skies", he added. "Indian skies are incredibly busy, continuing to grow. They've a good safety record and a multitude to their operations not just for domestic traffic but for global intercontinental traffic. India has an important role to play and is doing it well", he added. CANSO members believe that Indian aviation is one of the fastest growing industries and will be a great transit hub to connect Asia to the European market. "Situated geographically within the Asia Pacific region, India is important geographically for transiting flights from Asia Pacific into Europe. They have a multitude of elements to their operations, whether that's domestic traffic between airports within the country, but also for more global intercontinental traffic," CANSO DG said. However, Simon highlighted the importance of air traffic management (ATM) in how the region played an important role during the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. "European airspace is complex but is being very well managed by navigation service providers across European states," He added. Goa is hosting a three-day Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO) conference from November 1 to 3. Over the course of three days, delegates and exhibitors from the Asia Pacific region and beyond will discuss and collaborate on key issues that will help shape the future. After two incidents involving the same Airbus A330 model in less than two weeks, Korean Air Co. announced on Wednesday that it has started a thorough special safety audit of its whole fleet. The action was taken as a result of an A330 overrunning the runway at Mactan-Cebu International Airport in the Philippines on October 23, according to Yonhap News Agency. The A330 was carrying 162 passengers and 11 crew members. Although there were no reported casualties, the plane's belly suffered significant damage. On Sunday, an engine issue caused another A330 headed for Sydney to return to Incheon less than two hours after takeoff. The South Korean flag carrier said it will temporarily take 24 Airbus A330s out of service in phases for an intensive inspection that began on Tuesday, adding it will retire six old Airbus A330s from its fleet. However, it did not provide a specific time frame. Also read: Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia predicts Indian aviation sector to touch 400 million passengers "Korean Air is aware of the gravity of the recent events involving our A330 aircraft," Korean Air President Woo Kee-hong said in a meeting with the transport minister and other top executives of South Korean airlines on aviation safety. "To address concerns and secure a safe operation system, we will carry out a full-scale, comprehensive safety inspection of our A330 fleet and seek an independent, external safety consultation." Korea Air said it will introduce a total of 90 new aircraft -- 10 Boeing 787-9, 20 Boeing 787-10, 30 Boeing 737-8, and 30 Airbus A321neo -- by 2028 while phasing out six Boeing 777-200ERs and six A330s. With inputs from IANS The Tata Group-owned Air India has announced to fully acquire budget Airline Air Asia India. The Indian airline said that it has signed agreements to complete the acquisition of 100 per cent shareholding in AirAsia India and to subsidiarise it under Air India. The process of acquisition will take up to 1 year and is expected to finish by the end of 2023. As per the brand, Air India will integrate the Air India Express with Air Asia India, both of which operate as low cost airlines in India. "An operational review process is underway with a view to ultimately integrating AirAsia India fully with Air India Express (AIXL)," said the airline. Consolidation of these two airlines, both of which operate as low-cost carriers, will be undertaken as part of the restructuring roadmap that is being envisioned for the Tata Group's airline business and is expected to bring customer, revenue, cost and operational benefits through broader adoption of each airline's best practices, systems and routes, and the combined entity's greater scale, Air India said. Air India said a working group has been formed to evaluate and execute the integration of the AI Group's low-cost operations, which will be co-led by Sunil Bhaskaran, chief executive officer and managing director, AirAsia India, and Aloke Singh, CEO, Air India Express. The working group will report to a committee chaired by Air India MD and CEO, Campbell Wilson. The assessment and implementation of full integration process of AirAsia India and AIXL, through a possible scheme of merger or otherwise and subject to necessary corporate approvals, is expected to take approximately 12 months, with network and other synergies to be realised progressively during that period, Air India said. Commenting on the development, Campbell Wilson, CEO and MD, Air India, said, "We are excited to initiate the creation of a single Air India Group low-cost carrier. This is a key step in the rationalisation and transformation of the Group, and we will be working closely with the management teams and staff throughout the process. We also look forward to the many new opportunities a stronger AI Group low-cost carrier will bring for customers and staff alike." With ANI inputs OTT giant Disney+ Hotstar wields the power of the mighty astras with the digital premiere of this years biggest blockbuster - Brahmastra Part One: Shiva. Viewers can live and relive the grand experience at their own comfort in a choice of their preferred language from Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam. Releasing on November 4, 2022, the magnum opus is produced by Star Studios, Dharma Productions, Ayan Mukerji & Prime Focus and directed and written by Ayan Mukerji. The film stars an ensemble of highly revered actors like Amitabh Bachchan, Nagarjuna Akkineni, Dimple Kapadia, Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and Mouni Roy. Here are 5 reasons to look forward to Brahmastra Part One: Shiva on Disney+ Hotstar Ayan Mukerji's desi Astraverse Ayan Mukerji, the promising Indian director is the brains behind the Astra-verse, one that has its origins set in the mythological roots of India. With Brahmastra, he has created a homegrown cinematic universe that combines different ancient elements with an exciting storyline and mind-numbing action sequences. Visual Delight Brahmastra truly is a film that has upped the ante with its never-seen-before VFX. The Astras coming alive on the screen is a spectacle and a testament to the incredible work done by homegrown visual effects arts. So much so that filmmaker, Mahesh Bhatt called Ayan Mukerji the 'James Cameron of Indian Cinema' - A credit to his effort not going unnoticed. Mega Star Cast The charm and stardom of the actors who are a part of the film perfectly complement the screen presence of Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt. Amitabh Bachchan, as the Guru of the Brahmansh is a delight to watch, and his presence definitely adds an element of intrigue to the film. Best known for his high-powered action sequences, South Indian superstar Nagarjuna as Artist Anish or the Nandi Astra brings a certain charm to the film, making it a compelling watch. Picturesque Locations From the exquisite locales of Bulgaria and London to Manali and Varanasi, Brahmastra Part One: Shiva was shot at fascinating locations that make it a treat to watch. Each spot being carefully picked for the mood, emotion, character and event in the film - It truly is a mesmerising choice of awe-striking locations that make it a unique film for every viewer. Starting with a month-long shoot at Bulgaria, Brahmastra also had a 20-day schedule at the historic Ramnagar Fort and Chet Singh Fort near Varanasi amongst several other specular sets. Music that lifts you into the Astraverse! Brahmastra's music takes viewers on an indelible emotional journey. From the soulful "Kesariya" and soothing "Rasiya" to the powerful "Deva Deva", this film has a background score that enhances its impactful storytelling. One can't help but be taken by the masterful music as it guides listeners through the story of the Astraverse. Catch Shiva on his journey to realise his true potential in Brahmastra Part One: Shiva on 4th November, exclusively on Disney+ Hotstar NEW DELHI: Kartik Aaryan, on Wednesday, treated fans with a glimpse of 'Satyaprem Ki Katha' in between shoot moments. Taking to Instagram Story, 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2' actor shared the picture with the director Sameer Vidhwans and 'Satyaprem Ki Katha' team members. Sharing the picture, he wrote, "#SatyapremKiKatha. In Between takes." 'Satyaprem Ki Katha' marks the second collaboration of Kartik and Kiara after their blockbuster hit horror comedy film 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2'. Helmed by Sameer Vidhwans, and produced by Sajid Nadiadwala, the film is all set to hit the theatres on June 29, 2023. The film sparked controversy due to its title 'Satyanarayan Ki Katha', which translates to the story of Satyanarayan, which is another name for the Hindu god Vishnu. Last year, director Sameer Vidwans issued a statement to announce the change in title. The 'Luka Chuppi' actor also reposted the statement on his official Instagram account which said that the title will be changed to avoid hurting sentiments, even if that's purely unintentional. The title of the film is something that emerges organically through the creative process. We have taken a decision to change the title of our recently announced film 'Satyanarayan ki Katha' to avoid hurting sentiments, even if that's purely unintentional. Producers of the film and the creative team also are in complete support of this decision. We will be announcing a new title for our love story in due course of our journey. Sincerely, Sameer Vidwans," the statement read. Apart from that, Kartik will be seen in 'Shehzada' opposite Kriti Sanon. The film is helmed by David Dhawan's son Rohit Dhawan and is slated to release on February 10, 2023. He will be sharing the screen space with Alaya F in 'Freddy'. Produced by Ekta Kapoor, the film is touted to be a romantic thriller. He also has Hansal Mehta's 'Captain India' in his kitty. Bankrolled by Ronnie Screwvala and Harman Baweja, the film revolves around India's most successful rescue operations from a war-torn country. New Delhi: One of the biggest producers in the Indian film industry, Vipul Amrutlal Shah, is all set to bring a story of human tragedy that will shake audiences to their core. His upcoming project, The Kerala Story, explores the events surrounding the disappearance of 32,000 women in the state of Kerala. The teaser for "The Kerala Story," which aims to be a very real, objective, and true narrative of events that shook Kerala, is impactful in its approach while also being matter-of-fact. The film, which Sudipto Sen has directed , tells the heartbreaking and shocking story of a terrorist organization manipulating women trafficking from God's own country. The straightforward but impactful teaser tells the story of one such victim, played by Adah Sharma, who wanted to be a nurse but was kidnapped from her home and is currently being held as an ISIS terrorist in prison in Afghanistan. Here is the teaser of the film: Vipul in his earlier statement about the movie had shared I was in tears in the first narration meeting itself." According to a recent investigation, since 2009, nearly 32,000 girls from the Hindu and Christian communities in Kerala and Mangalore have converted to Islam; the majority of them end up in Syria, Afghanistan, and other regions with a high concentration of ISIS and Haqqani influence. Vipul Amrutlal Shah is currently presenting these findings as 'The Kerala Story.' The film will be released on big screens next year. New Delhi: Meta India head Ajit Mohan has given his resignation from the company. According to the report, he is joining rival company Snap. At the company, Ajit will serve as the President of the APAC business. Ajit had joined Meta India, then Facebook, in 2019 as VP and MD. He had done considerable work to increase the user base of both Metas apps WhatsApp and Instagram. Earlier, he served as the chief executive officer of Star Indias video streaming service Hotstar for four years. Ajit has decided to step down from his role at Meta to pursue another opportunity outside of the company. Over the last four years, he has played an important role in shaping and scaling our India operations so they can serve many millions of Indian businesses, partners and people. We remain deeply committed to India and have a strong leadership team in place to carry on all our work and partnerships. We are grateful for Ajits leadership and contribution and wish him the very best for the future, Nicola Mendelsohn, Vice President, Global Business Group, Meta said in a statement. Lunar eclipse 2022: On November 8, 2022, people will witness this year's last full lunar eclipse or full chandra grahan. For those unversed, a full lunar eclipse occurs when the sun, Earth, and the moon align in a way that the moon pass into 4shadow of the Earth. During the eclipse, the moon turns a reddish colour. This November 8 will see the full Chandra Grahan which, by the way, will be the last complete lunar eclipse for three years! The next total lunar eclipse will occur only in 2025, March. However, in between the period, there will be witnessed partial and penumbral lunar eclipses. Reportedly, this will be the second and last Lunar Eclipse of 2022. Space agency NASA took to inform and tweeted, "On November 8, 2022, the Moon will pass into Earths shadow and turn red. This will be the last total lunar eclipse for about 3 years, so be sure to check it out if its visible in your area." On November 8, 2022, the Moon will pass into Earths shadow and turn red. This will be the last total lunar eclipse for about 3 years, so be sure to check it out if its visible in your area. Learn more: https://t.co/zetjapudzV pic.twitter.com/PJ0AuQrfEC NASA Moon (@NASAMoon) October 27, 2022 Stages of the total lunar eclipse on November 8 Partial lunar eclipse at- 2.39 pm Total lunar eclipse at- 3.46 pm. Maximum total lunar at- 4:29 pm Total lunar eclipse ends at - 5:11 pm Moonset - 6.19 am Chandra Grahan in India The total Lunar eclipse can only be seen from only from eastern parts whereas Partial eclipse will be visible from most of India. Delhi (partial lunar eclipse): Starts at 05:32 PM Ends at - 06:18 PM Kolkata (total lunar eclipse): Starts at (With Moonrise) - 04:56 PM Ends at - 06:18 PM Mumbai (partial lunar eclipse): Starts at - 06:05 PM Ends at - 06:18 PM Bengaluru (partial lunar eclipse): Starts at- 05:53 PM Ends at - 06:18 PM Chennai (partial lunar eclipse): Starts at- 05:42 PM Ends at - 06:18 PM Guwahati (total lunar eclipse): Starts at- 04:37 PM Ends at- 06:18 PM The people of national capital region of India, Delhi-NCR is struggling to breathe fresh air due to high levels of Pollution. A common person, although wants to contribute to the cause of saving the environment, sadly has limited options. A couple of years back, a paradigm shift in the Indian automotive industry started to develop in the form of a transition from ICE vehicles to EVs. The appetite shown by the Indian buyers for electric two-wheelers is relatively higher than that of electric cars due to low ticket price, and infrastructure problems. While India has many electric scooters on offer, most of them are cheap kits imported from China and sold in India with different brand badges. However, there are few credible India-made scooters as well. Heres a list of the top 5 electric scooters to buy in India to help reduce pollution in Delhi-NCR and across India. The newest entry into the Indian electric scooter market is the Hero Vida V1 EV. The electric scooter comes in two variants - Vida V1 Pro and Vida V1 Plus and is part of Hero Motocorp family and not the Hero electric family. Both of these versions feature a top speed of 80 kmph, while it can charge at a pace of 1.2 km/min. Talking about the prices, the Vida V1 Plus is priced at Rs 1.45 lakh, while the Vida V1 Pro has an ex-showroom price of Rs 1.59 lakh. The Ola S1 is an electric scooter, which managed to grab a lot of attention for itself. This electric scooter is available in three forms - Ola S1, Ola S1 Air and Ola S1 Pro. Recently, the Ola Electric became the first company in India to breach the 20,000 EV sales mark in a month. The Ola S1 Air is the most affordable version which will be available to the buyers from 2023. 3. Ather 450X The Ather 450X is currently on sale in its 3rd-gen rendition and the electric scooter gets a claimed range of 146 km. As per the brand, the true range comes down to around 105 km. Moreover, the scooter can do 0-40 kmph in just 3.3 seconds. Also, it has a top speed of 80 kmph. The Ather 450X electric scooter is priced at Rs 1.55 lakh, while its cheaper variant - Ather 450 Plus retails for Rs 1.34 lakh. In the electric scooter space, the TVS iQube is one of the most potent offerings, in terms of after-sales service, if nothing else. It comes in two variants - iQube and iQube S. While the former is priced at Rs 1.63 lakh, the latter is priced at Rs 1.71 lakh. The iQube has a top speed of 82 kmph, whereas its claimed range stands at 145 km. 5. Bajaj Chetak Electric Bajaj Chetak is a brand name every Indian knows as the most prominent and popular scooter brands from the yesteryears. While Bajaj discontinued the brand to make way fro motorcycles, amidst the electric revolution, the Indian automaker has relaunched it in an electric form. Bajaj Chetak gets a range of 90 kilometres with the battery rated to last for 70,000 kilometres or 7 years. The battery can be charged upto 25 percent in only an hour, with a full charge taking upto 5 hours. Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy Washington: Well, surprise! As time isn`t up for `The Sandman,` Netflix orders more episodes of its hit fantasy show adapted from Neil Gaiman`s seminal DC Comics series. According to Variety, the streamer announced the news Wednesday evening. Netflix describes the upcoming episode as "a continuation of `The Sandman` world," which will grow in the following episodes. The number of episodes and the specifics of the plot remains a secret. "Millions upon millions of people have welcomed and watched and loved `The Sandman` on Netflix, from established Sandman fans to people who were simply curious, and then became obsessed with the Lord of Dreams, his family and their goings-on," said Gaiman in a statement quoted in the reports of Variety. "It gives me unbelievable pleasure to say that, working with Netflix and Warner Bros, Allan Heinberg, David Goyer and I will be bringing even more of `The Sandman` stories to life. There are some astonishing stories waiting for Morpheus and the rest of them (not to mention more members of the Endless Family to meet). Nobody will be happier about this than the Sandman cast and crew: they are the biggest Sandman fans. And now it`s time to get back to work. There`s a family meal ahead, after all. And Lucifer is waiting for Morpheus to return to Hell..." `The Sandman` official Twitter account also confirmed the news on Wednesday. Yes, its true: The Sandman will return to Netflix Says @neilhimself: There are some astonishing stories waiting for Morpheus and the rest of themNow its time to get back to work. Theres a family meal ahead, after all. And Lucifer is waiting for Morpheus to return to Hell pic.twitter.com/WKiWp7IDkk The Sandman (@Netflix_Sandman) November 3, 2022 As per the reports of Variety, Tom Sturridge plays the titular god of dreams in `The Sandman,` which also stars Vivienne Acheampong, Patton Oswalt, Gwendoline Christie, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Kyo Ra, Boyd Holbrook, Jenna Coleman, and Mason Alexander. `The Sandman` dethroned `Stranger Things` from Nielsen`s No. 1 spot and made an instant impact when it debuted the majority of its first season on Netflix in August. Later, on August 19, a surprise extra episode of `The Sandman` was published, significantly enhancing its popularity. Production of `The Sandman` on Netflix is handled by Warner Bros Television. Srinagar: Two migrant labourers working in a private school were shot at and injured in Wanihama village of Anantnag district in South Kashmir. A police official confirming the incident said that two labourers working at Sabir Abdullah Public School(SAPS) in Wanihama were shot at and injured inside the school by terrorists. He said that the duo has been shifted to GMC Anantnag for treatment where they are being operated on. Meanwhile, Kashmir police on its official Twitter handle also confirmed that two persons were injured.Terrorist fired upon two outside labourers (01 from Bihar & second from Nepal), who were working at a private SAPS school at #Bondialgam in #Anantnag district. Both are being shifted to hospital. Further details shall follow, police tweeted. Sources in the police said that one is from Bihar, and one is from Nepal. The person from Nepal is critical. Also Read: J-K: 4 terrorists killed, 3 arrested in anti-terror operations; 10 kg IED recovered in Srinagar Earlier on Tuesday, four terrorists were killed in two more anti-terror operations in South Kashmir where after getting input about the presence of terrorists, joint forces laid a cordon and search operation. #Terrorist fired upon two outside labourers (01 from Bihar & second from Nepal), who were working at a private SAPS school at #Bondialgam in #Anantnag district. Both of them are being shifted to hospital. Further details shall follow.@JmuKmrPolice Kashmir Zone Police (@KashmirPolice) November 3, 2022 On the same day, Jammu Kashmir police arrested three hybrid terrorists in Srinagar along with arms and ammunition. SSP Srinagar in a statement said "Today at a Naka in Harnambal, Srinagar Police arrested two hybrid terrorists namely Aamir Mushtaq Dar R/o Iqbalabad Sozaith Budgam and Kabil Rashid R/o Sicop Mohalla HMT Srinagar. Two grenades were recovered from their possession." He added that "They disclosed the name of another associate Aqib Jamal Bhat R/o Sozaith Budgam who was also arrested and during initial interrogation, he disclosed about an IED in his possession. All three persons are affiliated with LeT/TRF. "The IED of approximately 10kg was recovered in Rangreth on his instance, by a joint team of Srinagar Police and 62 RR. Further investigation is on to unearth more facts", SSP Srinagar said. New Delhi: The Punjab Police arrested three high-profile smugglers wanted in connection with a 72.5 kg heroin haul from Nhava Sheva Port in Mumbai on Thursday, marking a significant breakthrough in the ongoing war on drug smugglers and peddlers in Punjab at the request of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. The peddlers were apprehended in the Gurdaspur district, said Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav on Thursday. The contraband, which was hidden in the door border of the container containing white marble tiles, was discovered by a team of Punjab Police officers in July of this year, according to a government release, which also stated that the container was imported by a Delhi-based importer. Gurwinder Singh alias Mehak (27) of Pandori in Amritsar, Gursewak Singh alias Sewak (25) of Bhikhiwind in Tarn Taran, and Manjit Singh alias Soni (34) of Mahwa in Amritsar were arrested. The trio was actively involved in high-level trans-border and inter-state drug smuggling in Punjab, according to DGP Yadav, who added that on Wednesday evening, Gurdaspur Police launched a special operation and arrested the accused after intercepting an SUV Mahindra Thar (PB46AH0003) on the Amritsar-Jammu Highway in the Dhariwal area of Gurdaspur. During the vehicle search, the police team also discovered a revolver and six live cartridges of 9mm and six live cartridges of.32 bore. Also Read: Man arrested at Kochi International Airport for saying 'bomb' when asked THIS Previously, the Mumbai ATS had apprehended Harsimran Sethi from Delhi, who had ordered the shipment, as well as his aide, Mohinder Singh Rathore, who was working as a clearing agent. During the investigation, Mumbai ATS nominated Gurwinder, Gursewak, and Manjit as recipients of the container, according to the DGP. They also travelled to Delhi to clear the shipment. Gurwinder Singh and Manjit were also wanted by the Amritsar Rural Police in an attempted murder case in which they fired on a police party in the Amritsar Rural district in October 2020, according to SSP Gurdaspur Deepak Hilori. Also Read: Nepal and former Delhi Capitals leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichchane ARRESTED, accused of RAPING minor (With ANI inputs) NEW DELHI: A day after he attacked Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao over his political drama just before polls, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi resumed his ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra from Rudraram. Rahul Gandhi was accompanied by several Telangana Congress leaders as the march moved forward. Congress MP Rahul Gandhi along with party leaders & workers resumes 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' from Rudraram, Telangana. (Source: AICC) pic.twitter.com/rCWntwnEEL ANI (@ANI) November 3, 2022 Rahul had attacked the TRS government in Telangana saying that it supports the BJP on legislations in Parliament and that Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao "does drama" before the polls but is "in a direct line" with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Addressing a rally during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Gandhi said that "BJP and TRS work together" and the Prime Minister "gives orders to your CM on phone". "Whenever there`s any bill in Parliament, TRS supports BJP and diverts attention from Opposition issues. BJP and TRS work together. Your CM (KCR) does drama before polls but he`s in direct line with PM Modi. PM Modi gives orders to your CM on phone," Rahul Gandhi said. On Wednesday, Rahul Gandhi was joined by noted Bollywood actress-filmmaker Pooja Bhatt who extended support to the Congress partys ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra. Bhatt briefly joined Rahul Gandhi as the Yatra resumed from Hyderabad city in Telangana Wednesday morning. The actress walked along with Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders for some distances as the march proceeded in the city and then left. Rahul Gandhi`s Bharat Jodo Yatra had entered Hyderabad on Tuesday to a huge response from the party cadres and supporters. After covering Narayanpet, Mahabubnagar and Rangareddy districts, the yatra entered Hyderabad on the seventh day of its journey in Telangana. Rahul along with other party leaders and workers resumed the walkathon from Matha temple at Shamshabad on the city outskirts and entered the city through the Bangalore-Hyderabad highway. Congress MP and yatra coordinator for Telugu states Uttam Kumar Reddy, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, former MP Madhu Yaskhi Goud and other leaders along with hundreds of party workers participated in the yatra. The yatra halted at Bahadurpura, where Rahul Gandhi met various groups and had lunch, and took a rest. The foot march resumed in the evening and reached the historic Charminar after passing through Puranapul, Hussaini Alam and Khilwat. At the historic monument, Rahul Gandhi hoisted the national flag at Charminar, the monument which symbolises Hyderabad. Accompanied by party leaders and hundreds of party workers and supporters, he paid tributes to his late father and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and unfurled the national flag. The event was organised in commemoration of Rajiv Gandhi`s visit to Charminar on October 19, 1990, to launch the Sadbhavana Yatra for communal peace and harmony in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. Every year, the Congress organises the Sadbhavana Yatra commemoration day at Charminar and presents awards to personalities working for peace and communal harmony. The Bharat Jodo Yatra will continue in Telangana till November 7 with a one-day break on Friday. It will cover a total distance of 375 km in 19 Assembly and seven Parliamentary constituencies in the state. Telangana will face assembly polls next year. A bypoll to the Munugode assembly seat is being held today. TRS has been renamed as Bharat Rashtra Samithi reflecting the party`s desire to have a national footprint. New Delhi: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on November 3, 2022, indirectly targeted the central government of using probe agencies against him and said, If I've committed a crime that big, come and arrest me. Why the questioning? He also said that the BJP government is using the agencies in wrongful ways. This comes after Enforcement Directorate summoned Jharkhand CM to appear before its Ranchi-based office today in connection with the illegal mining case. Soren further accused the BJP government, which has been defeated four times in the state, of being "frightened" of "Jharkhandis," as evident by using ED against him, especially when he was engaged in an event in Chhattisgarh. I've been summoned by ED today when I already have a program in Chhattisgarh today. If I've committed a crime that big, come & arrest me. Why the questioning? Security near ED office has increased. Why, are you scared of Jharkhandis? he said. "This is their frustration. Every single voter of Jharkhand will give a reply to the opposition," he added. #WATCH | I've been summoned by ED today when I already have a program in Chhattisgarh today. If I've committed a crime that big, come & arrest me. Why the questioning?... Security near ED office has increased. Why, are you scared of Jharkhandis?, says Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren pic.twitter.com/41cR92FCHM ANI (@ANI) November 3, 2022 Brushing off the claims of illegal activities in mining case, Soren said, "We have not done anything yet. Jab Jharkhandi apni cheezo pe utar aayega, toh wo din door nahi jahaan aap logon ko yahaan sar chhupaane ka mauka bhi nahi milega." (When Jharkhandi gets to his feet, the day will come when you will not be able to conceal your head here.) Attacking the BJP government, Soren also said, "We have identified a few external gangs in the state who are not letting the state's Adivasis stand on their feet. This state will have the rule of Jharkhandis and not external forces. BJP will be wiped off in the upcoming Lok Sabha & Assembly polls." Earlier, Jharkhand Bhartiya Janta Party president and Rajya Sabha MP Deepak Prakash on Wednesday welcomed the decision of the Enforcement Directorate to summon Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren and said that the law is equal for all. Also Read: Jharkhand has become symbol of corruption..: BJP on CM Hemant Soren's ED summon "The law agency is doing its job. The one who has committed an economic offence cannot escape the law. The chief minister had allotted illegal mines in his name and the entire Jharkhand is well aware of this scam," Jharkhand BJP president Deepak Prakash said. JMM leader Manoj Pandey responded to the ED summons by saying, "ED will work." If there is an injustice, we will go to court. I'm not sure if ED can summon CM. If this is the case, CM will respond after consulting with legal experts. Is summoning him for those allegations legal? If this is the case, PM should be summoned in several cases. It's political vendetta." Three people have been arrested in connection with the case, including his political aide and MLA Pankaj Mishra. On July 8, the ED raided Mishra and his alleged associates in Sahibganj, Barhait, Rajmahal, Mirza Chauki, and Barharwa in Jharkhand, covering 19 locations in the case linked to alleged instances of illegal mining and extortion. (With ANI inputs) On March 27 this year, at a public rally in Islamabad, then Prime Minister Imran Khan had claimed that his government received a "foreign threat" that he would be deposed and his government ousted. He pulled out a piece of paper in front of the thousands-strong crowd, reiterating an American conspiracy to pull down his government. Political observers were quick to equate the "stunt" with one pulled by former PM Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto more than four decades back. At a public meeting in Rawalpindi in the final days of his government in 1977, Bhutto waved a letter before the crowds and journalists, accusing then US Secretary of State Cyrus Roberts Vance of threatening him over Pakistans nuclear programme. He was hanged two years later. Two assassination attempts and several threats later, Khan, however, has survived. Yet. On November 3, two men fired at him while he was leading a march in Wazirabad. Khan was hit in the leg. In August 2014, shots were fired at his convoy during a clash between PTI and PML(N) supporters at Gujranwala. That time, too, Khan was leading a procession to Islamabad to force the resignation of scandal-hit PM Nawaz Sharif. Also Read: Men behind the DARING attack on Imran Khan - Read A to Z about the shooters HERE In August 2012, the Taliban had threatened to kill Khan after he announced a march to their tribal stronghold along the Afghan border to protest US drone attacks. The group said they would target Khan as he called himself a liberal a term they associate with lack of religious belief. Add to it threats issued by several political leaders, some of whom are under fire now after the latest hit job on the PTI chief. In its 75 years of existence, Pakistan has seen more than 20 prime ministers due to assassinations, government dissolutions and military coups. Not a single PM could complete their full term in office. Many former prime ministers and presidents also went into exile to save their lives. Also Read: Imran Khan's first REACTION after the attack, says, 'Allah has given me a new life, I WILL...' Pakistans first PM, Liaquat Ali Khan, was assassinated in 1951 while addressing a rally in Rawalpindi. In 1958, the countrys second President, General Ayub Khan, seized power in a military coup and continued till 1969. Following Pakistans humiliating defeat to India in the 1971 war which led to Bangladeshs independence, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto took over as President. In 1973, he took over as PM and remained in power till 1977, when he was overthrown in a coup staged by Pakistan army general Zia-ul Haq. Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif took turns at leading the country several times, but could never stand up to the military. After the 1999 Kargil War, PM Nawaz Sharif was overthrown in yet another coup by Pakistan army general Pervez Musharraf, and sent to jail and exile for over one decade. Musharraf himself survived at least three assassination attempts. Also Read: Attacker of Imran Khan arrested on spot, BUT...: WATCH the footage just before the attack HERE In 2003, Musharraf escaped death when a bomb exploded minutes after his convoy crossed a bridge in Rawalpindi. Another attempt was made in the same year, on December 25. In 2007, he escaped yet another assassination attempt when more than 30 rounds were fired at his aircraft from a sub-machine gun at Rawalpindi. A series of events forced Musharraf to flee to London in 2008. Later, he was tried for treason and sentenced to death, but he never returned to Pakistan after that. On December 27, 2007, Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in a suicide bombing in Rawalpindi during a political campaign. She had survived a similar attempt on her life just two months back in Karachi, an attack that killed around 180 people. Also Read: 'BLOODY GAME in Pakistan': Imran Khan SHOT in his LEG during firing at his RALLY Bhuttos husband, Asif Ali Zardari, served as the 11th President of Pakistan from 2008-13. Earlier, he was incarcerated on murder and corruption charges. Upon being released in 2004, he went into self-exile in Dubai, but returned to Pakistan after three years. The Union Home Ministry has sought a report from the Chief Secretary of the Delhi Government regarding the special treatment given to Satyendra Jain in Tihar Jail. It is alleged that the Delhi government, Minister Satyendar Jain, is taking advantage of the facilities with the connivance of the jail officials while in Tihar Jail. Let us tell you that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a complaint in court against the minister in the Kejriwal government, Satyendar Jain, lodged in Tihar Jail. In the complaint, the ED has said that Satyendra Jain is being given VIP facilities in the jail. Satyendra Jain's wife, Poonam Jain, has been given access to his cell. Sometimes she stays there longer than the scheduled time for the meeting. The ED alleges that Jain is being given all the facilities like head massage, foot massage and back massage in the jail. The ED has also handed over all the CCTV footage of the minister of the Delhi government to the court. The ED has also written in its affidavit that Satyendra Jain is also a minister, which he is taking unfair advantage of. Meanwhile, the BJP has attacked AAP. BJP national spokesperson RP Singh, while targeting the Kejriwal government, said that the jail of Delhi comes under the Delhi government, which is why the MHA has issued a notice to the Chief Secretary of Delhi and sought an answer on this whole matter. CCTV footage of giving special treatment to Satyendra Jain has also surfaced. Therefore, now the Chief Secretary of Delhi will have to respond to the notice of the Union Home Ministry soon. Let us tell you that in May, Jain was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case. After his arrest, Jain's other portfolios, including health, home, power and urban development, were handed over to Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. However, Jain remains a minister without charge in the Delhi cabinet. Delhi residents awoke to a heavy layer of haze as the national capital and surrounding areas' air quality once more fell into the severe category on Thursday. The national capital's Air Quality Index (AQI) was reported at 364 at 8 am ('Very Poor' category) and at 408 at 7 am ('Severe' category). The decline in air quality is attributable to unfavorable weather conditions with decreased wind speed and a sharp increase in farm fire events. An AQI of 401 to 500 is considered serious. According to data supplied by SAFAR (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research) India, Gurugram's AQI remained at 318 and remained in the "extremely poor category," while Noida's AQI, which is a part of the national capital region, dropped to 393, also in the "very poor" category. An AQI between 0 and 100 is regarded as acceptable, between 100 and 200 as intermediate, and between 200 and 300 as poor. North Delhi had the worst air quality, with nearly every station in the area reporting an AQI of 400 or higher. With the exception of a handful, including Mandir Marg in downtown Delhi, the majority of stations in the city have an AQI above 300. Data from SAFAR show that Dhirpur in Model Town fell to an AQI of 457, which is a level at which even healthy people can become ill. Today, the AQI in the vicinity of IGI Airport (T3) was 346, which is considered to be "Very Poor." The local AQI score on Wednesday was 350. Punjab continues to burn stubble as the Air Quality Index in Delhi-NCR fluctuates between the "extremely poor" and "severe" categories. #WATCH | As Air Quality Index in Delhi-NCR oscillates between 'very poor' and 'severe' categories, stubble burning continues in Punjab Visuals from Bathinda's Gehri Baghi village pic.twitter.com/E5rmldH06Z ANI (@ANI) November 3, 2022 Uttar Pradesh | The Air Quality Index (AQI) in Noida dips to a 'severe' category at 469, as a layer of smog envelops the city. pic.twitter.com/31Gfiy7u7g ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) November 3, 2022 The national capital's air quality getting worse, and Delhi officials stopped all development and demolition until further orders. The Delhi government has been requested by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) to close schools till the air quality improves. As a layer of fog covers the city, Noida's Air Quality Index (AQI) drops to the "severe" level at 469. Jaisinghpur(HP): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said "Dhairya rakhiye,"(Be patient) as some people in his public meeting shouted they want Pakistan Occupied Kashmir(POK). Addressing a public meeting in Jaisinghpur town of Himachal`s Kangra district, Singh smiled and said 'Dhairya rakhiye after some people saying in crowd chanted 'we want POK'. "Today, not one but six medical colleges have either opened or are being opened in the state of Himachal Pradesh. AIIMS has too been opened here," Singh said. The Defence Minister hailed the centre's decision to abrogate Article 370 from J&K and said, "The incidents of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir have come down after the abrogation of Article 370. I want to assure you that terrorism will be eradicated from the country" He lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s leadership and said that India`s prestige has increased on the global stage under his prime ministership. "No one can deny the fact that after PM Modi became PM, India`s prestige increased on the global stage. Today if India says anything on the global forum, other countries listen carefully to what India is saying," he said. Also Read: Our mission will be over when Gilgit-Baltistan, PoK reunite with India: Rajnath Singh "Our Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi has decided that defense related goods should be made in India only. He said 'Make in India, Make for world'. Today India is counted among the top 25 defense exporters in the world," he further added. #WATCH | Jaisinghpur, Himachal Pradesh: "Dhairya rakhiye," says Defence Minister Rajnath Singh as some people in a rally being addressed by him say they want PoK pic.twitter.com/mKIAW26lWs ANI (@ANI) November 3, 2022 Earlier today, while addressing a rally in Himachal`s Solan, Rajnath said that only two Prime Ministers in the country including Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Narendra Modi gave importance to Himachal Pradesh like nobody else. Singh said, "People of this country can evaluate well what earlier governments did and what the present government is doing. Cong has been in power for a long time post-independence. But only two PMs-Atal Bihari Vajpayee and PM Modi-gave importance to Himachal like nobody else". Meanwhile, the BJP has released its list of 68 candidates. Out of the six candidates getting a ticket in the second list, one woman found representation while the other five are male candidates. (With ANI inputs) New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday affirmed the death penalty awarded to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist Mohammad Arif alias Ashfaq for carrying out the December 2000 Red Fort attack. Rejecting Arif`s review petition, a bench headed by Chief Justice UU Lalit said, "affirm the view taken by this court...reject the review petition". The bench, also comprising Justice Bela M. Trivedi, added, "Having regard to the entirety of the matter, his guilt is proved..." Detailed order in the matter will be uploaded later in the day. Justifying the death sentence, a bench presided over by Justice V S Sirpurkar said, "This is a unique case where there is one most aggravating circumstance - that it was a direct attack on the unity, integrity and sovereignty of India by foreigners. Supreme Court dismissed the review petition of Mohammad Arif alias Ashfaq challenging the top court's earlier order, upholding the death sentence awarded to him in connection with the 2000 Red fort attack case pic.twitter.com/wUNudyccpe ANI (@ANI) November 3, 2022 In the Red Fort attack three people, including two Army jawans, were killed. In August 2011, the Supreme Court confirmed the death sentence of arrested LeT terrorist Mohammad Arif for carrying out the December 2000 Red Fort attack. The apex court also dismissed his review petition later in August 2011. However, in 2016, the apex court decided to re-hear his review petition. In November 2005, the trial court had awarded Arif a death sentence. The trial court had also fined Arif Rs 4.35 lakh for the attack that left two Rajputana Rifles jawans and a civilian dead. The Delhi High Court, in 2007, upheld the death sentence to Arif. NEW DELHI: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday said that the Gujarat assembly election 2022 will be held in two phases - on Dec 1 and 5 - and the votes will be counted on December 8. The poll panel made this announcement during a press conference held at the Rang Bhavan auditorium of All India Radio. Making the announcement, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, along with Election Commissioner Anoop Chandra Pandey, expressed condolences to the victims of the Morbi bridge collapse. At least 135 people died in the incident last Sunday. CEC Kumar said that there are over 4.9 crore electors eligible to vote this year, adding that there will be more than 51,000 polling stations set up, including more than 34,000 in rural areas. Ahead of the polls, the Centre has deployed 160 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces to the state. Here's the Gujarat Assembly Election 2022 Full Schedule Gujarat Assembly Election Phase 1 Date of issue of gazette notification: November 05 Last date of nominations for Gujarat polls: November 14 Scrutiny date for nominations: November 15 Last date of withdrawal of nominations: November 17 Date of Gujarat phase 1 polling: December 01 (Thursday) Date of vote counting: December 08 Gujarat Assembly Election Phase 2 Date of issue of gazette notification: November 10 -Last date of nominations for Gujarat polls: November 17 -Scrutiny date for nominations: November 18 -Last date of withdrawal of nominations: November 21 -Date of Gujarat phase 1 polling: December 05 (Monday) -Date of vote counting: December 08 -Election process to be completed by: December 10 Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, before announcing the dates of the polls, expressed condolences to the victims of the Morbi bridge collapse. At least 135 people died in the incident last Sunday. Kumar said there are over 4.9 crore electors eligible to vote this year, adding that there will be more than 51,000 polling stations set up, including more than 34,000 in rural areas. Ahead of the polls, the Centre has deployed 160 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces to the state. The term of the 182-member state Assembly ends on February 18, 2023. After the announcement of Gujarat poll dates, the Model Code of Conduct has come into effect in the state. The CEC said that for enhanced Voting Experience, 1274 PS will be completely managed by women polling & security staff. Around 51,782 Polling Stations (PS) will be set up across 182 ACs for hassle-free voting. The home voting facility will also be there for 80 years + & PwD voters with benchmark 40% disability, said CEC Rajiv Kumar. The CEC said that for the first time, to motivate young voters, 33 PS will be set up managed by youngest available polling staff. "As a unique initiative to facilitate voters & ensure no voter to be left behind, a PS will be set up in a shipping container at Aliabet in the Bharuch district with AMF for 217 voters,'' the CEC said. Earlier voters travelled 82 kms to vote. The Election Commission had last month announced the polling dates for Himachal Pradesh but it refrained from doing the same for Gujarat. The ECI sources had earlier reported that the voting in Gujarat may be held in two phases in the first week of December. Counting of votes may be done along with Himachal Pradesh on December 8, said sources. Assembly elections in Gujarat were last held in 2017 when the BJP emerged victorious to secure a fifth straight term in power. Last time, the saffron party won 99 of the 182 seats in the state assembly, while the Congress secured 77. This year's election is set to be a three-cornered contest between the ruling BJP, the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party. Leaders of the saffron party have exuded confidence that they will retain power in Gujarat, while the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP has launched an all-out campaign to woo voters in the state. NEW DELHI: The Election Commission of India (ECI) will announce the polling dates and full schedule for the upcoming assembly election in Gujarat around noon on Thursday. According to a notification issued by the Election Commission, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar along with Election Commissioner Anoop Chandra Pandey will hold a press conference around noon during which they will announce the full poll schedule for Gujarat. The press conference will be held at the Rang Bhavan auditorium of All India Radio. The Election Commission had last month announced the polling dates for Himachal Pradesh but it refrained from doing the same for Gujarat. According to ECI sources, voting in Gujarat may be held in two phases in the first week of December. Counting of votes may be done along with Himachal Pradesh on December 8, said sources. Assembly elections in Gujarat were last held in 2017 when the BJP emerged victorious to secure a fifth straight term in power. Last time, the saffron party won 99 of the 182 seats in the state assembly, while the Congress secured 77. This year's election is set to be a three-cornered contest between the ruling BJP, the Congress, and the Aam Aadmi Party. Leaders of the saffron party have exuded confidence that they will retain power in Gujarat, while the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP has launched an all-out campaign to woo voters in the state. Meanwhile, voting for Assembly by-elections in seven vacant seats spread across the states of Maharashtra, Haryana, Bihar, Telangana, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh began on Thursday morning. Polling is being held from 7 am to 6 pm amid tight security and the counting of votes will be conducted on November 6. NEW DELHI: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday said that the Gujarat assembly election 2022 will be held in two phases - on Dec 1 and 5 - and the votes will be counted on December 8. The poll panel made this announcement during a press conference held at the Rang Bhavan auditorium of All India Radio. First phase of Assembly elections in Gujarat to be held on 1st December & second phase on 5th December; counting of votes to be done on 8th December: Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar pic.twitter.com/MMgTpxOY4W ANI (@ANI) November 3, 2022 Making the announcement, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, along with Election Commissioner Anoop Chandra Pandey, expressed condolences to the victims of the Morbi bridge collapse. At least 135 people died in the incident last Sunday. CEC said the date of counting for Gujarat Assembly polls will coincide with Himachal Pradesh on the 8th of December. The entire process of Assembly elections will be completed on the 10th of December, CEC Rajiv Kumar added. The date of counting for Gujarat Assembly polls will coincide with Himachal Pradesh on the 8th of December. The entire process of Assembly elections to be completed on the 10th of December: Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar pic.twitter.com/vafbfhJODH ANI (@ANI) November 3, 2022 CEC Kumar said that there are over 4.9 crore electors eligible to vote this year, adding that there will be more than 51,000 polling stations set up, including more than 34,000 in rural areas. Ahead of the polls, the Centre has deployed 160 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces to the state. 3,24,422 51,782 50% : , pic.twitter.com/oquTyVOIHZ ANI_HindiNews (@AHindinews) November 3, 2022 The term of the 182-member state Assembly ends on February 18, 2023. After the Gujarat poll dates are announced today, the Model Code of Conduct will come into effect in the state. The Election Commission had last month announced the polling dates for Himachal Pradesh but it refrained from doing the same for Gujarat. The ECI sources had earlier reported that the voting in Gujarat may be held in two phases in the first week of December. Counting of votes may be done along with Himachal Pradesh on December 8, said sources. Assembly elections in Gujarat were last held in 2017 when the BJP emerged victorious to secure a fifth straight term in power. Last time, the saffron party won 99 of the 182 seats in the state assembly, while the Congress secured 77. This year's election is set to be a three-cornered contest between the ruling BJP, the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party. Leaders of the saffron party have exuded confidence that they will retain power in Gujarat, while the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP has launched an all-out campaign to woo voters in the state. Meanwhile, voting for Assembly by-elections in seven vacant seats spread across the states of Maharashtra, Haryana, Bihar, Telangana, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh began on Thursday morning. Polling is being held from 7 am to 6 pm amid tight security and the counting of votes will be conducted on November 6. The dates for the Gujarat assembly elections can be announced today (on November 3). There will be a press conference by the Election Commission (EC) at 12 noon today. It is believed that the Election Commission is going to announce the dates for the Gujarat Assembly elections today. According to sources, this time also in Gujarat, voting will be held in two phases as before and by December 4, the election process is expected to be completed. On the other hand, if we talk about voting, then the first phase of voting can be done in the last week of November and the second phase of voting can be done in the early dates of December. The Election Commission can also conduct elections in Gujarat on December 1 and December 4. On the other hand, if we talk about the counting of votes for the Gujarat elections, then the counting of votes for the election results of Gujarat is expected to be done along with Himachal Pradesh, i.e. on 8th December. The BJP has been in power in Gujarat for the last 27 years. When the Election Commission is going to hold its press conference at 12 o'clock today, two hours before that, the Gujarat BJP is going to hold an important meeting at 10 am. Home Minister Amit Shah is on a three-day visit to Gujarat. He will preside over this meeting. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Gujarat State President CR Patil will also be present at this important meeting today. It is believed that ticket distribution will be discussed in this meeting. New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party`s national spokesperson Syed Shahnawaz Hussain on Thursday said that Congress had started making excuses to avert defeat even before the elections after the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the dates of the Gujarat assembly elections. Earlier today, the Congress party attacked the Election Commission of India (ECI) for separately announcing the dates of the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh polls. Congress has raised questions about the integrity of the Election Commission and has raised concerns over the autonomy of the Election Commission of India.While talking to ANI, Hussain said, "Congress had started making excuses to deny defeat even before the elections after the Election Commission of India (ECI) recently announced the dates of Gujarat assembly polls." Hussain exuded confidence in BJP and said that the party will form government in both Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. Hussain said. "Congress has reached this state that they do not have trust on anyone, neither on the constitutional institution nor on the people of the country.""Congress is creating an air that independent institutions are compromised right before the elections so that when they lose, they have someone to blame," he added. Also Read: Only Atal Bihari Vajpayee and PM Modi gave importance to Himachal, says Rajnath Singh ahead of assembly polls Taking a jibe at Congress leader Ashok Gehlot praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a recent event in Rajasthan, he further stated, "Congress raised questions about the army and surgical strikes, and they questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi on foreign policy but nowadays their leaders are praising Prime Minister Modi`s foreign policy. Also Read: 'Possibility of scams is ending in India': PM Narendra Modi targets earlier governments "While talking about AAP`s chances of winning the upcoming polls, he said, "the same condition that Kejriwal`s party had in Goa, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh`s assembly polls, the same is going to happen in Gujarat as well."The Gujarat Assembly elections are all set to take place in two phases on December 1 and 5, the results of which will be declared on December 8, which will coincide with that of the Himachal Pradesh polling outcome.Himachal Pradesh will go to the polls on November 12 and the counting of votes will be held on December 8. Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan has been attacked in the city of Wazirabad. Imran Khan was injured in the attack. He had been shot in the leg. This attack on Imran Khan happened during the Azadi March. One person has died in the attack, while 5 people have been injured. The shooters have been arrested. First Reaction of India India's statement has come on the attack on Imran Khan. The Ministry of External Affairs said that we are keeping an eye on the situation. Foreign Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said, this incident has just happened. We are keeping a close watch and we will keep an eye on the ongoing developments. Meanwhile, Imran Khan's statement has also come to the fore after the attack. He said, "Allah has given me a new life. I will fight again with all my strength." #WATCH | "It's a development that just took place. We're closely keeping an eye on and we'll continue to monitor ongoing developments," says MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi on firing on former Pakistan PM Imran Khan's rally in Wazirabad, Pakistan wherein he too is injured pic.twitter.com/yx5G5f7D9b ANI (@ANI) November 3, 2022 Prime Minister of Pakistan Reacts Pakistan PM Shahbaz Sharif has condemned the attack on Imran Khan. He said, "I have asked the Home Minister to ask for a report on the incident. I pray for the speedy recovery of Imran Khan and the injured." During the protest march of Imran Khan, his container-truck was attacked in which he was shot in the leg, but he is out of danger. An unidentified assailant opened fire near Allahwala Chowk in Wazirabad town of Punjab. According to the footage, 70-year-old Khan was shot in the right leg. The channel said that he had been admitted to the hospital and was out of danger. Also Read: Attacker of Imran Khan arrested on spot, BUT...: WATCH the footage just before the attack HERE According to the news of Geo TV, a gunman opened fire on the container-truck in which the former Prime Minister was traveling. According to the channel, a person has been arrested on the spot and the police have taken him to some unknown place. Initially, it was told that Khan was safe while some people were injured. However, it was later revealed that Khan was also injured and was shot in the leg. There are also reports that Senator Faisal Javed, close to Khan, was also injured in the attack. The Indian Army on Thursday foiled a major infiltration bid by killing three terrorists along the Line of Control in the Poonch district of Jammu. While the body of one of the terrorists was recovered by soldiers, bodies of the other two, lying across the LoC, were taken back by villagers of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), they said. Jammu-based defence spokesman Lt. Col Devinder Anand said, "At about 1000 hours, the alert soldiers of the Indian Army observed suspicious movement of some individuals along the Line of Control in the Poonch sector, wherein they were trying to infiltrate across the Line of Control, into the Indian side, Adding he said, The alert troops challenged the infiltrators and the (terrorists) fired on their own troops, he said, adding, In the ensuing firefight, One ( terrorist ) body has been recovered along with Two AK -47 Rifles, One Pistol and other war like stores. The soldiers challenged the infiltrators who opened fire on them, he said. In an ensuing fire fight, three terrorists was killed, the officials said. The villagers in PoK carried back the bodies of the other two terrorists, the officials said. The operation continues and a massive search operation was on Thursday launched by the Army in the areas along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Poonch sector. Also Read: 2 migrant labourers shot by terrorists in J&K's Anantnag, one critical Meanwhile, a LeT terrorist Associate was Held Along with Ammunition in Pulwama. In a handout, police said that joint forces of Pulwama Police, Army 44 RR, and 183 BN CRPF arrested one terrorist associate of the LeT outfit during a Naka at Khamri Chowk Pulwama. He has been identified as Zubair Ahmad Dar son of Ali Mohd Dar resident of Arigam Pulwama. One hand grenade has been recovered from his possession. The police spokesman further stated that the arrested person was working as an associate of the terror outfit LeT and was tasked to carry out attacks on SFs and non-local labourers in the area. KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister has yet again warned the Narendra Modi government at the Centre that the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) will not be implemented in her state. The West Bengal Chief Minister also slammed the Centre for raking up the issue of the possible implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act ahead of the Gujarat assembly election. "Stop all these politics. They (BJP) are doing it because there are elections in Gujarat. We will not let them implement it. To us, all are citizens (of India). We are against this," Banerjee told reporters at the Kolkata airport before leaving for Chennai. "I would say that elections are not that important, politics are not that important, people's lives are more important," she added. Reacting sharply to her remarks, Union Minister of State for Home Nisith Pramanik asserted that the CAA will be gradually implemented across the country. The CAA is for the deprived and oppressed Hindus and others. It will be implemented not only in Gujarat but also gradually all over India, the Union Minister said. The Centre had on Monday decided to grant Indian citizenship to minorities mostly from Pakistan, who have migrated to India, and are currently living in two districts of Gujarat, under the Citizenship Act, 1955, and not the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 (CAA). The Union Home Ministry, under the 1955 Citizenship Act, empowered district collectors of Mehsana and Anand to grant citizenship certificates to members of Hindu, Sikh, Parsi, Christian, Buddhist and Jain communities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The Gujarat assembly has passed a majority resolution supporting this move. The issue of CAA has been a major flashpoint in Bengal politics with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee declaring that it will not be implemented in the state. The TMC-ruled state had witnessed violent protests and arson against the CAA and the proposed nationwide implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) earlier this month. Chennai: Terming Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) supremo MK Stalin as her "brother", West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the two leaders did not discuss politics during their meeting in Chennai. "Stalin is like my brother. I came to attend a family function but could not have left without meeting with Stalin. Two political leaders together can talk about things other than politics, we did not discuss anything about politics," said Banerjee. While leaving for Chennai, the TMC supremo spoke to reporters at the Kolkata airport where she called Stalin her "political friend". She had also said that when two political leaders meet, some politics gets discussed. "Today I will meet Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin he is my political friend. It`s a courtesy meeting as I`m going to Chennai. Whenever two political persons meet there are related things that get discussed," she had said before the meeting. Banerjee arrived in Chennai to attend a family function of West Bengal governor La Ganesan on November 3.The meeting between the two leaders came amid the Oppositions attempts to unite all political parties against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the 2024 general election. Meanwhile, speaking to reporters on the Morbi bridge collapse incident, the West Bengal Chief Minister said that a judicial committee should be constituted by Supreme Court to investigate the matter. "There is nothing more important than people`s lives. Politics is not important. I give my condolences to the family. So many have lost their lives. It`s a crime. Incidents cannot be controlled, but construction and repairs should be given to trusted company. Unfortunately, Gujarat is busy in elections. A judicial committee should be constituted by Supreme Court to investigate the matter. Accountability should be fixed. Human lives are more important than politics. I want to go but if I go then they will say I do politics. They are doing it because of Gujarat elections," she said. At least 135 people, including women and children, were killed and over 100 others have been receiving treatment for injuries sustained after a cable suspension bridge in Morbi town collapsed on Sunday, plunging people into the Machchhu river. The commandant of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Prasanna Kumar, citing information from district administration, said that one or two people are missing and the rescue operation is still underway. "According to the information received from the district administration, one or two people are still missing. We are carrying out the search operation along with other agencies," NDRF commandant Prasanna Kumar said adding that five teams of NDRF are currently working there. As per the preliminary information, the Gujarat Police had filed a First Information Report under IPC sections 304 and 308 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) against the nine people of Oreva group, accused in the bridge collapse tragedy, of which four have been arrested and sent to the police custody. Of the four persons in police custody, two are managers of the Oreva company, which threw the bridge open for visitors after seven months of maintenance works, and the other two are fabrication work contractor`s people. Hyderabad: Over 25 percent polling was registered in the first four hours of voting in the by-election to Munugode Assembly seat in Telangana on Thursday. According to reports coming in, the polling began on a dull note at 7 am and it picked up momentum after 9 am with a large number of voters, including women, seen queued up at the polling booths. Officials at the office of Telangana Chief Electoral Office (CEO) stated that 25.80 percent voter turnout was recorded by 11 am. Talking to reporters, CEO Vikas Raj said that the polling process is underway in a smooth manner, adding that any snag in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) is being rectified immediately by the staff. The CEO cited that two cases were lodged and six persons have been arrested during the checking in the wake of complaints about the presence of non-voters in the constituency. The polling process began at all 298 polling stations in the constituency in Nalgonda district at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm. Over 2.41 lakh electorate, half of them women, are eligible to exercise their franchise to decide the political fortunes of 47 candidates. Also read: Gujarat Assembly elections to be held on Dec 1 and 5; RESULTS on Dec 8: EC 47 candidates in the fray; main contest among TRS, BJP and Congress There are a total of 47 candidates in the fray but the main contest is among three major players -- TRS, BJP, and Congress. The bypoll was necessitated after sitting MLA Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy resigned from the Congress to join the BJP in August. He is now contesting on the BJP ticket. Telangana | TRS candidate Kusukuntla Prabhakar Reddy (in pic 1), BJP candidate Komatireddy Raj Gopal Reddy (in pic 2) and Congress candidate Palvai Sravanthi (pic 3) cast their votes for #MunugoduBypoll (Pic 1 source: TRS party) pic.twitter.com/vY9hVT3p8E ANI (@ANI) November 3, 2022 The TRS has fielded former MLA Kusukuntla Prabhakar Reddy, who had lost to Rajagopal Reddy in 2018, while the Congress has fielded Palvai Sravanthi Reddy, daughter of former MP Palvai Goverdhan Reddy. The by-election is being described as the costliest in the country with the political parties accusing each other of distributing money, liquor and even gold to lure the voters. Congress candidate Palvai Sravanthi complained to the CEO that a fake campaign is being run on social media against her by morphing her photograph. Also read: Gujarat Assembly Elections 2022: Check FULL schedule, important DATES and other details Notably, Central election observer Pankaj Kumar reportedly visited a few polling centres to monitor the voting process. Poll authorities are monitoring the process through webcasting from all polling stations. For the smooth conduct of the voting process, 1,492 polling personnel have been deployed. The poll authorities have also deployed 199 micro observers As many as 3,366 state police personnel and 15 companies of central forces have been deployed to ensure peaceful and free and fair polling. Authorities were especially focusing on 105 polling stations which have been identified as critical. For the first time, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued new EPIC cards with six security features, including a hologram. Meanwhile, the police seized Rs 12 lakhs in cash in two separate incidents in the constituency. A search operation was carried out at Chandur following complaints that some leaders were distributing money among voters. Police seized Rs 2 lakhs but the accused managed to escape. In another case, Rs 10 lakhs was seized from Mallapparajupalli in Nampally mandal. (With IANS Inputs) Voters between the ages of 18 and 25 account for 37% of voting power in the Commonwealth, according to the Virginia Department of Elections and during Wednesdays forum at the University of Virginia, students were urged to use that power to the fullest. Ive never been more troubled about the state of the country than I am today, said Senator Tim Kaine to nearly 60 attendees. Were worried, and theres a lot at stake. Frankly, the only solution to what ails us is more [voter] participation. Senator Tim Kaine and 5th District Representative candidate Josh Throneburg spoke at the student-hosted forum to encourage the young attendees to go to the polls next Tuesday. Young people are the primary stakeholders in my campaign, Throneburg said. Us old folks are going to move on, and youre the ones who are going to inhabit and run this world, so I love spending time with people who have a deep investment in their future. The Democratic duo answered questions from students about the upcoming general election. About a third of the audience raised their hands when Throneburg asked who already had participated in early voting. The event was co-hosted by students from the Black Student Alliance and the University Democrats. Members of each organization emphasized the importance of young voters to hold elected officials accountable for accurately representing their constituents. The most commonly discussed issues among students and hosts who posed questions during the one-hour segment included topics of student loan debt forgiveness, racial justice, reproductive rights and affirmative action. In response to questions about critical race theory, Throneburg told the audience that he originally had struggled to recognize his privileges of upbringing and generational wealth from his white community. But after he had reflected on a $50,000 loan that he received from his father to pay the down payment on his and his wifes first home, he began connecting the dots about his own privilege, and the systems of inequality experienced by Black people. He also stated that disparities can be corrected with the right legislation. Senator Kaine promised not to discuss Throneburgs incumbent opponent for long, but he offered the students a round of facts to let them know why Republican Representative Bob Good would not protect their interests. We take an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic, Kaine said. To not vote to certify a president after a legitimate election is a violation in my view. I know lots of things that Good is against from looking at his voting record. I have a hard time finding one thing this guy is for. Kaine went on to remind the audience that Good had voted against bipartisan legislation such as the infrastructure bill, the gun safety bill following the mass shootings in Uvalde and Buffalo, a bill that would allow veterans exposed to toxic chemicals in Afghanistan and Iraq and a bill to invest in semiconductor chips. Although he is running as a Democrat, Throneburg reiterated his mission to serve all 5th District residents and address the issues that matter most to them. There are two worlds that live in the fifth district, Throneburg said. First is the red, rural, agricultural world, and the other is a more urban, democratic world. I feel like Ive spent half my life in both, and it makes me feel like I can do a good job representing the people here. At the end of the forum, Throneburg seemed to have made a positive impression. Some really important questions were asked, said UVa University Democrats secretary Ella Nelson. I was happy to hear Josh advocating for things like affirmative action in college admissions and other things that really affect us as college students. Its clear to see theyre both passionate about what theyre doing. Josh came off like a normal guy in the best way, said Black Student Alliance Political Action Committee Chair Terrell Pittman. Hes a pastor and hes involved in the community. Its nice to see someone whos like us who is here to voice our opinions on our behalf. Early voting for this years U.S. Representative general election ends on Saturday, Nov. 5. Polling places for the November 8 election are available on the Charlottesville City and Albemarle County government websites. Read the Daily Progress voting guide for more important information on election season. Correction on Nov. 3: A previous version of the article stated that early voting ended on Thursday, Nov. 3. That date has been corrected to Saturday, Nov. 5. With each passing day, the Air Quality in Delhi NCR is worsening, the AQI of Noida has turned 'severe' and stood at 469 on November 3. Amid the deteriorating Air Quality in the city, the Noida Authority held a high-level meeting chaired by the CEO Ritu Maheshwari. As per the media reports, the authority has imposed 10 restrictions in the city to combat air pollution. It has also been decided that the hot-mix plants and RACs would be closed in Noida. On October 29, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) held an emergency meeting to curb the deteriorating air quality in Delhi NCR. The CAQM directed the authorities to enact Stage 3 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), which includes a ban on construction and demolition activities in NCR, except on essential projects, and restrictions on the plying of BS III petrol and BS IV diesel four wheelers. 10 restrictions imposed by the Noida authority to curb the rising air pollution: 1. A ban has been imposed on burning of garbage, cardboard and grass leaves. 2. The usage of diesel engines and generators has been prohibited. 3. Noida authority has restricted the setting up of fire in the open and usage of big tandoors at hotels 4. Registration of construction work on the Dust App has been made mandatory 5. It is compulsory to cover all the construction sites 6. The district administration has said that there should be no dust in mechanical swimming. 7. It is mandatory to stall anti-smog guns at construction sites. 8. A smog gun should be installed for a 5000 square meter site, while two smog guns should be put in place for 10,000 square meters and three for 15000 mts. 9. Mining activities have been completely banned in the entire district 10. 90 sprinkler tankers and 40 anti-smog guns have been installed in Noida. Also Read: Delhi wakes up to thick smog; Noida remains in severe category As the AQI turned "severe", authorities enforced a ban on construction and demolition activities in NCR, except on essential projects (like railways, metros, airports, ISBTs, and national security/defence-related projects of national importance) and non-polluting activities such as plumbing, carpentry, interior decoration and electrical works. SPM levels are high across the Delhi-NCR region. @Noida_Authority is sprinkling water regularly across NOIDA to reduce road dust. Here are pictures of water sprinkling from sectors 37, 38, 143 A & 44, NOIDA pic.twitter.com/CxqDaiHUXk November 2, 2022 Brick kilns, hot mix plants and stone crushers not operating on clean fuels, and mining and associated activities in NCR will also be banned. State governments in Delhi-NCR may also impose restrictions on BS III petrol and BS IV diesel four-wheelers under stage three. GRAP is a set of anti-air pollution measures followed in the capital and its vicinity according to the severity of the situation. According to GRAP, air quality in Delhi-NCR is classified under four different stages: Stage I - 'Poor' (AQI 201-300); Stage II - 'Very Poor' (AQI 301-400); Stage III - 'Severe' (AQI 401-450); and Stage IV - 'Severe Plus' (AQI >450). A video of BJP MP CP Joshi from Chittorgarh in Rajasthan is becoming increasingly viral on social media. In the viral video, BJP MP CP Joshi is seen slapping an employee in a government office in front of everyone. It is being told that BJP MP CP Joshi slapped the employee because the farmers had complained that he had taken a bribe of Rs 5000 from them. When BJP MP CP Joshi slapped the employee, then many farmers and government employees and officials were standing there. It is seen in the viral video that farmers are accusing the employee of taking a bribe of Rs 5000 each for the conversion. Then other farmers start saying that he has asked for a bribe of up to 15 thousand rupees. Hearing this, the BJP MP gets angry and gives a tight slap on the face of the employee. It is noteworthy that the farmers had told that money was being demanded from the employee's side. On this, the MP called the employee and asked about the complaint of demanding money in lieu of transfer and issuance of the license. Then the angry MP slapped the employee. Along with this, the departmental officers and employees were warned. The video of the employee being slapped by BJP MP CP Joshi is becoming viral. People are giving different types of reactions to the video. Some people appreciate MP, while some accuse the MP of showing arrogance. BJP district president Gopal Kumawat said that complaints of corruption were being received in the department for the last several days. On this, MP CP Joshi reached the departmental office on Tuesday evening, where reality came to the fore. The Finance Ministry has been written to take action against the department in this regard. NEW DELHI: In view of deteriorating air quality in the national capital, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has urged the Delhi government to shut all schools till air quality improves. The NCPCR issued the warning after assessing the impact of severe air quality on the health of children going to schools in the Delhi-NCR. The warning came as Delhiites woke up to a thick envelope of smog as air quality in the national capital and in adjoining regions, dipped into severe category again. The Air Quality Index (AQI) in the national capital at 8 AM was at 364 (in the `Very Poor` category) and at 7 AM, it stood at 408 (Severe). Delhi reels under 'severe' air quality; current AQI at 418 There are many policies, but no implementation. Asthmatic patients face many issues. We should hold ourselves accountable, along with the politicians. People are suffering due to stubble burning, too, say locals pic.twitter.com/9CpwXyGdV5 November 3, 2022 Unfavorable meteorological conditions with slower wind speed and sudden spikes in farm fire incidents are attributed to the dip in air quality. An AQI between 401 and 500 is categorized as severe. Noida, which is part of the national capital region, slipped to an AQI of 393, in the `very poor` category, while Gurugram`s AQI stood at 318 and continued to remain in the `very poor category, as per data released by SAFAR (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research) India. An AQI range between 0 to 100 is considered as good, while from 100 to 200 it is termed moderate and from 200 to 300 it is poor. AQI ranging from 300 to 400 it is said to be very poor. North Delhi Air Quality recorded the poorest as almost all the stations in the region displayed AQI above 400. Most of the stations in the capital have an AQI above 300 with the exceptions of a few like Mandir Marg in central Delhi. According to data by SAFAR, Dhirpur in Model Town plunged to an AQI of 457 -a level at which even healthy people can fall ill. The AQI near IGI Airport (T3) also stood in the `Very Poor` category today at 346. On Wednesday, the AQI in the area was recorded at 350. With air pollution worsening in the national capital, Delhi authorities halted all construction work and demolition activities till further orders. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has urged the Delhi government to shut schools till air quality improves. Thiruvananthapuram: The ongoing battle between Kerala Governor and the ruling LDF escalated on Thursday, with Arif Mohammed Khan rejecting Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's allegation he was politically interfering in the appointment of Vice-Chancellors, and charged the latter's office with "patronising" smuggling activities. The Governor offered to resign if even one example of his interference in appointment to the varsity VCs could be shown. Alleging that the Chief Minister's Office was patronising smuggling activities in the state, he contended that in such a situation there were grounds for him to interfere. "There are issues in which I must interfere," Khan said. Accusing the CM, Khan said, "CM`s Secretary who was sacked, was patronising those involved in the case without CM`s knowledge? If yes, then, it`s a reflection of CM`s capability." Khan also openly challenged the chief minister, asking whether he would be able to resign if he was unable to prove or substantiate his allegation. Also Read: 'This is Kerala': CM Vijayan to Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, accuses him of running 'parallel govt' "They (Left government, CM) are saying I am doing this (action against VCs) to bring RSS people. If I have nominated even one person, not just of RSS, any person, on my own using my authority, then I will resign. Will he (CM) be able to resign if he is not able to prove it? I am asking you (the media)," he said, speaking to reporters in New Delhi. #WATCH | (Kerala CM) saying I am doing this (action against VCs) to bring RSS people. If I have nominated even one person, not just of RSS, any person, using my authority, then I will resign. Will he (CM) be able to resign if he is not able to prove it?: Kerala Governor AM Khan pic.twitter.com/znoWBu9iU3 ANI (@ANI) November 3, 2022 "When you make such a serious charge against me, you have to substantiate the same," Khan added. He was responding to reporters when his response was sought on Vijayan's allegations against him on Wednesday at a convention in Thiruvananthapuram where the CM said the Governor was trying to make universities in the state, centres of RSS and Sangh Parivar and that Khan was trying to implement the saffronisation agenda of these groups. Gold smuggling case | For one month, I returned every file relating to the University... There is a 'Laxman Rekha' for everybody. CM not responding to the call of the Governor is crossing 'Laxman Rekha'... people in CM office were patronising the smuggling: Kerala Gov Arif M Khan pic.twitter.com/9pDFwXs4Rt November 3, 2022 Khan and the LDF government are at loggerheads over a number of issues including the appointment of vice-chancellors as well as various bills passed by the state Assembly pending in the Raj Bhavan. (With agency inputs) New Delhi: State Bank of India chairman Dinesh Kumar Khara said the planned share sale of the bank's mutual fund subsidiary has been shelved for the time being. SBI Mutual Fund, the country's largest asset manager with around Rs 6.5 lakh crore in asset under management, had in February selected seven merchant bankers for a USD 1-billion IPO. But soon the markets turned volatile with the Russian invasion of Ukraine later in that month. (Also read: DCX Systems IPO GMP, listing and other details) "There is no plan to list SBI Mutual Fund for now," Khara told reporters on the sidelines of the national banking summit here. Without citing any reason, he said the IPO plan stands shelved for now. (Also read: Tracxn Tech shares climb nearly 6% in debut trade) On December 15, 2021, SBI had announced its plan to offload a 6 per cent stake in SBI MF through an IPO and was planning to raise around USD 1 billion. SBI holds a 62.6 per cent stake in SBI Mutual Fund, while the remaining 36.8 per cent is with the leading French insurer Amundi Asset Management which was planning to offload 4 per cent of its holding. Initially Amundi's holding was held by Societe Generale Asset Management, a subsidiary of Societe Generale of France which was transferred to Amundi in June 2011. SBI had reportedly selected seven i-bankers -- BofA Securities, Citi, HSBC Securities, Axis Capital, Kotak Capital, SBI Caps and BNP Paribas -- for the share sale. SBI has two other publicly traded subsidiaries -- SBI Life and SBI Card -- and has three more which can be monetised -- the mutual fund arm, general insurance vertical and the investment banking arm, SBI Caps. SBI Life was listed in 2017. In a Rs 8,400-crore share sale, the IPO was oversubscribed 3.58 times. SBI Card was listed in March 2020 just before the outbreak of the Covid pandemic in a Rs 10,354-crore public issue. If listed, SBI MF or SBI Funds Management, would have been the fifth listed fund manager after HDFC AMC, UTI Asset Management Company, Nippon Life India AMC and Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC. Meanwhile, the SBI chairman said credit demand, which has hit an eight-year high of 18 per cent last week, is coming in from across sectors, including SME corporates, retail and agriculture and that credit growth is a clear reflection that the economy is on a rebound. "There is a healthy demand in the housing sector despite rising rates. Higher rates have not deterred demand," Khare said, adding, he expects credit growth to be moderate going forward but will remain healthy overall to about 15-16 per cent after festive pickup normalises. On the digital rupee launch by the RBI on Tuesday, he said the CBDC pilot has gone well on the first day. He also said he doesn't think that bank deposits will be impacted with a full-scale launch of CBDC, which may happen over the next year. He further said there is no concern on the restructured book as it is behaving better than expected. The NARCL or the national bad bank, is now quite active. "We will see good traction on that front going forward," he said, adding, banks are exploring all possible options for resolution of bad loans including the NARCL route. New Delhi: Vikrant Massey is currently enjoying an exciting time in his career where, after much struggle and hard work, the actor is being offered the kind of roles that allow him to show off his acting chops. This year, apart from receiving rave reviews for Forensic, the versatile actor has wrapped the shoot of Gaslight with Sara Ali Khan and started shoot for Maddock Films crime thriller Sector 36. The actor is currently shooting for his next film with Vidhu Vinod Chopra in Delhi. After wrapping the films schedule in Agra, the actor is currently filming the second schedule in Delhi and the experience has been nothing short of overwhelming for the actor. While shooting at Mukherjee Nagar in Delhi, hundreds of fans gathered at the shoot location to catch a glimpse of the actor. A few fans took to their social media to post the videos from the shoot, sharing glimpses of Vikrant Massey filming a scene on the balcony. Here are some picutures of the actor from the shooting location: The actor has a huge fan base in Delhi thanks to his films and OTT shows and was even stationed in the capital city for a whole month while filming 'Sector 36.' Now the star is all set to be seen in Gaslight with Sara Ali Khan, which was shot in remote locations of Gujarats Rajkot. Although this will be Sara and Massey's first time working together, it will be interesting to see their chemistry on screen. In a crucial role, the actor will also appear in Dinesh Vijan's 'Sector 36' with Deepak Dobriyal. Sector 36 is a gritty crime thriller directed by Aditya Nimbalkar, who also wrote the novel Talvar. NEW DELHI: Superstar Salman Khan made a special appearance at the launch of his friend and actor-filmmaker Mahesh Manjrekar's upcoming Marathi film 'Vedat Marathe Veer Daudle Saat'. The film features Akshay Kumar in the role of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and will mark his debut in the Marathi film industry. A TOI report claimed that Salman, who graced the event held last night in Mumbai, was thronged by fans, despite heavy security guarding him. The actor reportedly got mobbed at the event. The actor looked dapper in an all-black ensemble at the film launch. Take a look at his photos from the event below: Recently, it was reported that Salman Khan will now be provided with Y+ category security by the Mumbai police as the actor is perceived to be under threat. As per ANI, the Maharashtra state government took the step after the actor received a threat letter from the Lawrence Bishnoi gang earlier this year. Meanwhile, on the work front, Salman Khan was last seen in a guest appearance in south actor Chiranjeevi's film Godfather. He will be next seen in an action thriller film 'Tiger 3' alongside Katrina Kaif. The film is slated to release on April 23, 2023. Apart from that, he will also be seen in Kisi ka Bhai, Kisi ki Jaan. No date has been set for the competition for India's first bullet train project between Ahmedabad and Mumbai, as per RTI response. In the RTI response, the National High-Speed Rail Corporation Ltd. (NHSRCL) Deputy General Manager Umesh Kumar Gupta informed Mumbai activist Anil Galgali of this. Although the Railway Ministry recently announced that the first bullet train project will connect Mumbai and Gujarat in 2026, the NHSRCL's response has raised concerns, according to Galgali. "The NHSRCL has stated that the timeline for completing the project can be fixed only after completion of land acquisition in Maharashtra and awarding of all tenders/contracts pertaining to the project," Galgali said. Also read: Delhi Metro update: Airport Express Line services to remain affected till November end; Here's WHY? Gupta further informed Galgali that the civil works for the entire stretch of the bullet train project running 352 kms in Gujarat, Dadra & Nagar Haveli were started in different phases from December 2020 onwards. "As on September 1, 2022, the civil work is progressing at full pace in Gujarat. All civil and track tenders in the entire length of Gujarat have already been awarded. Land acquisition is in progress in Maharashtra," said Gupta. In view of the NHSRCL`s stand, Galgali said that when such ambitious mega-projects are announced without thorough planning, the project is not completed on time, and this results in cost escalation at all levels. Estimated to cost over Rs one-lakh crore, the bullet train project was expected to be completed by December 2023 but got bogged down due to various political hurdles and other issues. With inputs from IANS New Delhi: Samantha is seen playing extreme action stunts in Yashoda like never before. With huge hype on the film, it is now censored with U/A Certificate. The trailer of this much-awaited action-packed emotional thriller stirred up the ongoing buzz on surrogacy and medical crimes. Also, Samanthas performance, grand production values and thumping background score gave an adrenaline rush worth all praises. In the film, Samantha essays the role of a surrogate mother. The film has been directed by the talented duo of Hari & Harish and has been produced by Sivalenka Krishna Prasad. The film is slated to release worldwide on November 11, 2022. Popular stars like Unni Mukundan, Varalaxmi Sarath Kumar and other star cast are playing crucial roles in this Pan-Indian film made under Sridevi Movies. Samanthas dedication towards cinema despite her rare illness has got her huge support from fans all-over the world. Showering immense love and wishes, celebs and audiences across India commended her will power and strength. Yashoda is not just the most awaited film of Samantha but also the first woman centric pan-India film to release in 5 languages. A few days ago, superstars from various languages took to social media to release the trailer for 'Yashoda.' Varun Dhawan launched it in Hindi, followed by Vijay Deverakonda in Telugu, Suriya in Tamil, Rakshit Shetty in Kannada, and Dulquer Salmaan in Malayalam. Apart from Yashoda, Samantha Ruth Prabhu will also be seen in Citadel, Khushi, Shaakuntalam, and an unannounced Hollywood project. New Delhi: Along with the buyout of Twitter, rumours are pouring that Elon Musk will reinstate former US President Donald Trump on Twitter as soon as he assumed official control of the social media platform. Remember that in January 2021, Twitter banned Trump for breaking their rules. According to Musk's clarification, it will take "a couple more weeks" for blocked Twitter accounts to reappear. In other words, people like Kangana Ranaut, Donald Trump, and other banned Twitter users would find it difficult to come back. It may not be as simple as it seems in practice. (Also Read: Donald Trump's fake Twitter account goes viral on internet; netizens react with funny memes) Twitter will not allow anyone who was de-platformed for violating Twitter rules back on platform until we have a clear process for doing so, which will take at least a few more weeks Elon Musk (elonmusk) November 2, 2022 "Twitter's content moderation council will include representatives with widely divergent views, which will certainly include the civil rights community and groups that face hate-fueled violence," Musk further explained in a tweet on Wednesday. (Also Read: Twitter layoff latest update: Elon Musk to cut half of Twitter's workforce, says Report) "Twitter will not allow anyone who was de-platformed for violating Twitter rules back on the platform until we have a clear process for doing so, which will take at least a few more weeks." After Trump expressed his support for an attack on the US Capitol in January 2021, Twitter banned him. "We have permanently suspended the account due to the danger of additional instigation of violence," Twitter said at the time. At the time, Jack Dorsey served as CEO of Twitter. Musk defended Trump at the time, calling Twitter's move to ban him "morally incorrect and downright foolish." Musk promised to lift the prohibition once he became Twitter's CEO in May. Musk has previously opposed Twitter bans that last forever. Permanent bans "should be incredibly uncommon and really reserved for accounts that are bots or spam," the speaker stated. Musk announced that he will be creating "a content moderation council with vastly diverse opinions" after officially taking control of Twitter. Musk added that no significant decisions will be made before the council met and had a thorough discussion. Before that council meets, "no significant content moderation changes or account reinstatements will happen," he declared. If Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares truly wants to restore trust in elections in the state, here is a good first step: Return the $20,000 deposit the NAACP made with a Freedom of Information Act request for documents that describe in detail what the AGs new election integrity unit has done and what it has revealed about any episodes of election fraud. Miyares should also throw in the cost to taxpayers of the 20-lawyer unit. Virginias freedom of information law allowsbut does not require public officials to charge reasonable costs for gathering information requested by the public. The NAACP worries that Miyares squad may use tactics that intimidate voters of color. Because Black voters tend to vote Democratic, that would represent partisan voter suppression. In a state with a history of poll taxes and literacy laws aimed specifically at disenfranchising Black voters, that is an issue that needs to be put to rest as soon as possible without impediments such as monetary charges or unnecessary delays. To the extent that they exist, episodes of election fraud in Virginia matter most when they change the outcome of an election. The cases that Miyares election integrity units has made public so far have not changed the winner of an election that we know of. Until Miyares proves that is the case, his election integrity unit is nothing more than a political tool meant to sow doubt about democracy among state residents. Miyares actions mirror a nationwide Republican strategy that will allow party candidates who lose to claim election fraud the same way former President Donald Trump did after losing to Democrat Joe Biden. Trump lied and continues to lie about a stolen election. Biden legally won the presidency. Dozens of audits and lawsuits proved it. Miyares, to his credit, has said he recognizes Biden as the legitimate president of the country. Now, he needs to stop throwing up financial roadblocks to cover up what his election fraud unit is up to. A $20,000 tab is nothing more than a disingenuous attempt to thwart the release of information that should be easily and openly available to any Virginian. That is especially the case if it determines trust in the electoral process. Miyares spokeswoman Victoria LaCivita has said that her boss will comply with the NAACP request by Nov. 10, the legal deadline set by the FOIA law. That is two days after the midterm elections. Just as demanding tens of thousands of dollars to gather information is optional, waiting until very last day the law allows to provide the public with important information about election integrity manipulates the process. Going into the Nov. 8 vote, 2020 election deniers, virtually all of them Republicans, still continue to feed the public disinformation that will lead them to believe Democrats steal elections. In the run up to next weeks vote, the debunked documentary 2,000 Mules has been shown all over Central Virginia, sponsored by Republican Tea Party groups and other ultra-right wingers, including at least one House of Delegates member, John McGuire. Feeding the paranoia of extremist voters of the right or left wings never was and never will be the job of Virginias attorney general, no matter what his party affiliation is. If Miyares is truly doing something besides validating Trumps Big Lie, he should acknowledge Virginias reputation for fair, legal elections. If he has dug up the kind of widespread, game-changing corruption that justifies spending hundreds of thousands or perhaps millions of tax dollars on an election integrity unit, he needs to make that information readily available at no charge to any citizen. This unit has not been around very long and electronic records are easier to assemble than digging through paper files. What may take time is redacting the names of individuals who provided tips and the people they accused. Whatever is standing in the way of honestly serving the public and not his party, Miyares needs to remember one thing. Transparency breeds trust. New Delhi: Tech giant Google has announced an ambitious new project to build a single AI language model that supports the world`s 1,000 most spoken languages. According to The Verge, as a first step toward this goal, the company is unveiling an AI model trained on over 400 languages, which it calls "the largest language coverage seen in a speech model today." ALSO READ | Twitter Blue Tick: Elon Musk trolls criticizers with memes - Check details "The company believes that creating a model of this size will make it easier to bring various AI functionalities to languages that are poorly represented in online spaces and AI training datasets (also known as "low-resource languages)," Zoubin Ghahramani, vice president of research at Google AI was quoted as saying. ALSO READ | Global Health Limited IPO; Check price band, allotment size, more "By having a single model that is exposed to and trained on many different languages, we get much better performance on our low-resource languages," he added. These language models have already been integrated into Google Search, despite criticism about their functionality. Models of language have some flaws, such as re-enacting harmful societal biases such as racism and xenophobia and failing to comprehend human-oriented language. The company has fired its own researchers for publishing papers highlighting these issues, according to a report. Moreover, the company shared new research on text-to-video models, a prototype AI writing assistant called Wordcraft, and an update to its AI Test Kitchen app that allows users access to under-development AI models like Imagen, which converts text into images, it added. New Delhi: It's Day 33 in the Bigg Boss house, and tensions have flared up, be it in the captaincy or relationships. The episode starts with Shalin discussing with Sajid and Nimrit that his chicken share hasn't come and refuses to eat anything till the matter gets sorted. Sajid, in a conversation with Shiv, tells him that in a few days Shalin and Gautam will become friends again, to which Shiv agrees. Shiv, while talking with Abdu, asks him to not let Nimirt feel alone. Shalin, after much bickering, gets called into the confession room, where Bigg Boss tries to make him understand that the required amount of ration was sent in the house. At the end of a long discussion, Bigg Boss tells Shalin that his share of chicken will not come separately in the house. Sajid and Tina try to calm Shalin after he gets out of the confession room. House members discuss the ration and Shalin's share. Because of his chicken insistence, Archana says she will nominate him next. Meanwhile, Bigg Boss asks Sajid and Shalin to not talk in secret in the bathroom. Shalin tells Tina and Sumbul that its heartbreaking for him that he has to fight and bicker about food with other members. Tina gets called into the confession room, where she gets informed by Bigg Boss that, because of some situation, she has to leave the house for some time. Abdu, in a fun conversation with Archana, asks her whether Shalin is a good person or not, to which she replies that Shalin is a chicken person. Tina breaks down in front of Shalin and Nimrit after hearing the news that her dog has died. Archana cooks chicken, mutton, and fish for one meal. Soundarya points out that it was unnecessary to make so much and not divide the ration equally. It's time to choose the captain. Bigg Boss summons everyone to the living room to explain the captaincy task. The new captain is to be decided by the previous four captains. Tina tries to convince Gautam that she can become the new captain. Shalin tries to interfere and chime in for tina , which causes a fight between him and Gautam with an exchange of harsh language. Later, Gautam eliminates Tina and Sajid from the captaincy. Gautam gives the reason for his decision and says that he feels Sajid can survive in the house without becoming the captain, while Tina needs to come out of her shell and also won't be able to manage the house properly. Tina tells Gautam that he has taken that decision out of anger and for revenge. Shalin, in a conversation with Soundarya, tells her that Gautam, just five days ago, said something about her that will show who is fake and who is not. Shiv advises Abdu not to promise anyone anything in the captaincy task. Next, Nimrit eliminates Priyanka and Soundarya from the task. Finally, Archana eliminates Ankit and Gori from the captaincy task. At the end of the episode Shiv discusses with Sajid, Nimrit, and MC Stan about choosing Abdu as the captain. Now it will only be known tomorrow if Abdu becomes the captain or not. Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan shot! According to Pakistani media, on Thursday afternoon, Imran was riding in an SUV at Alwala Chowk in Gujranwala, Punjab province, appealing to his supporters to join the long march. At that time, two person started shooting randomly. The attackers were arrested on the spot. However, a source said that one person (identified as attacker) who was seriously injured by Imran's bodyguards died shortly after. Imran's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhary said the injured former prime minister was being brought to Lahore for treatment. Initially, Pakistani police believed that a terrorist organization was involved behind the attack. Shooting at Wazirabad Former Prime Minister Imran Khan started a long march from Lahore to Islamabad last Friday to demand the restoration of democracy in Pakistan. Imran called all party leaders, workers and supporters to gather at liberty chowk in Lahore. From there they all walk about 400 km to Islamabad. As part of that programme, Imran attended a rally of party supporters in Gujranwala near Wazirabad. That's where the shooting happened. Imran's party leaders claimed that he was hit by multiple bullets in his leg. Several other leaders and activists, including Imran's bodyguards, were also shot. Footage of the firing. Assassination attempt on Imran Khan. pic.twitter.com/fmSgI2E8jc Ihtisham Ul Haq (@iihtishamm) November 3, 2022 Incidentally, Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif's government went to the Supreme Court demanding that Imran's march be banned. But last month Pakistan's top court rejected that claim. According to a section of the PTI leadership, there could be a 'political motive' behind the attack on Imran. Imran's Accusation Imran has recently accused the Pakistan Army and military spy agency ISI of being involved in 'political conspiracies' against him several times. ISI Chief Lieutenant General Nadeem Ahmed Anjum held a press conference to answer this in an unprecedented manner. In this situation, some of his followers also believe that there may be 'other reasons' behind the attack on Imran. Also Read: 'BLOODY GAME in Pakistan': Imran Khan SHOT in his LEG during firing at his RALLY Earlier, several leaders in Pakistan had been attacked in public meetings. Liaquat Ali Khan, the country's first prime minister, was shot dead in a public meeting. On January 27, 2007, a 15-year-old suicide bomber killed former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. The name of the teenager who carried out the suicide attack is Bilal. Benazir was walking towards his car after an election rally in Rawalpindi when Bilal shot him and later carried out a suicide attack. The Pakistani Taliban (TTP) is said to have ordered the attack. There is news of firing in the rally of former Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan. According to Pakistani media reports, at least 4 people, including Imran, have been injured in the firing. Dawn News TV reported on Thursday that unidentified assailants opened fire on the container of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) President Imran Khan near Allah Ho Chowk in Wazirabad. Although Imran Khan narrowly survived the attack but he has suffered injuries. According to the report of Geo News, Imran Khan has also been injured and has been shot in his leg. A bandage is seen on his right leg. After the attack, Imran Khan was taken out of the container and taken in a bullet proof car and admitted to the hospital. PTI's Farooq Habib has confirmed that party chief Imran Khan was injured in the firing. PTI leader Faisal Javed was also injured in firing near Imran Khan's container. Thursday is the seventh day of the Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protest march. Imran Khan was taking out a march from Lahore to Islamabad. During this march, there has been firing near the container in which he was in. After this attack, Imran Khan was removed from the container and made to sit in the car. The attackers have been apprehended but 4 others have been badly injured. After this attack on Imran Khan, once again a bloody game is being feared in Pakistan's politics. Former Pakistan PM Benazir Bhutto was also subjected to a suicide attack at a rally in which she was badly injured and died. At present, his son Bilawal Bhutto is the foreign minister in the government of Pakistan, against whom Imran Khan has started a movement. Today was the seventh day of the march of Imran's party. As per the initial plan, it was to reach Islamabad in seven days. Earlier, March was supposed to reach Islamabad on November 4, but PTI General Secretary Asad Umar said that now this convoy will reach the capital on November 11. Imran Khan has been demanding early new elections in the country and he is leading a long march towards Islamabad with his demands. New Delhi: Former Pakistan PM Imran Khan, who was taking out a march against Pakistan's Shahbaz Sharif government from Lahore to Islamabad, opened fire at a rally in Wazirabad on Thursday, November 3, 2022. In this incident, 6 people, including Imran Khan, were injured and 1 person died. The police have arrested a person on the charge of firing and is trying to find out the motive behind firing at the rally. #WATCH | A firing occurred near the container of former PM and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan near Zafar Ali Khan chowk in Wazirabad today. Imran Khan sustained injuries on his leg; a man who opened fire has been arrested. (Video Source: Reuters) pic.twitter.com/Qe87zRMeEK ANI (@ANI) November 3, 2022 According to the police, Imran Khan was taking out a march in Wazirabad area on Thursday. At the same time, firing was done near Imran Khan's container. Imran Khan was injured due to bullets in this incident. 5 supporters including his close aides namely Imran Ismail, Faisal Javed were also shot, due to which they were also injured. Soon after the firing, Imran Khan's supporters put him in a bullet-proof car and took him to the hospital nearby. He is currently said to be injured but safe. Reportedly, a supporter of Imran Khan, who was injured, died in the hospital. According to the sources, the attacker fired with an AK-47 rifle, giving multiple injuries to Imran Khan on his leg. His leg has been plastered and has been seen limping. Post-attack, in a statement, he said, "Will fight back," while waving at his followers outside the hospital. New Delhi: Senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leaders said on Thursday that former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan believes the bullets fired at him were ordered by three people, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the country's Interior Minister, and a top ISI general, and that his remarks were based on information he had received. Protesters have gathered in front of the Core Commander House in Peshawar, hours after shots were fired near the container of ex-Pakistan PM. Imran Khan suffered leg injuries, and the shooter has been apprehended."A short while ago, Imran Khan told us to issue this statement on his behalf. He believes there are three people on whose behest this was done- Shehbaz Sharif, Rana Sanaullah and Maj Gen Faisal. He said he was receiving information and is saying this on that basis," According to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Asad Umar and Mian Aslam Iqbal. Pakistan's Interior Minister is Rana Sanaullah, and the Director General (C) ISI is Major General Faisal Naseer. Imran Khan's condition, according to PTI leaders, is stable and he is not in danger. PTI General Secretary Asad Umar stated in a video posted by the party that "the three people should be removed from their posts"."I talked to Imran Khan as there were reports we were receiving that Imran Khan is in danger. However, he said we should leave this to Allah. Imran Khan demanded that these three people should be removed from their posts. We are waiting for Imran Khan`s nod. If these people are not removed there will be countrywide protests," he said. Also Read: Attacker of Imran Khan arrested on spot, BUT...: WATCH the footage just before the attack HERE "Imran Khan was shot in the leg. His CT scan has been done. If anyone had the slightest doubt it should have been cleared today as Imran Khan was saying again and again that he, for the freedom of this nation, is ready to sacrifice his life," he added. #WATCH | People protest in front of Core Commander House in Peshawar, hours after firing near the container of ex-Pak PM & PTI chairman #ImranKhan in Wazirabad. Imran Khan sustained injuries on his leg, the man who opened fire has been arrested. (Video: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) pic.twitter.com/EaLBL34LD0 ANI (@ANI) November 3, 2022 Suspect caught by police in Pakistan The suspect caught by police in Pakistan for opening fire during the PTI`s long march, has said he wanted to kill former Prime Minister Imran Khan because "he was misleading the public," media reports said.Imran Khan was injured in a firing incident near his container in Wazirabad in Pakistan`s Punjab province during his long march against the ruling coalition, reported ARY News.When the police asked why he committed the crime, the shooter said, "Imran Khan was misleading people and I could not tolerate it so I tried to kill him. I tried my best to kill him. I tried killing only Imran Khan and no one else." "I thought of this as there was Azaan going on and on the other side, Imran Khan is taking out his container and making noise. My conscience did not approve of this. I decided this suddenly... I conspired against Imran Khan from the day he kicked off his long march from Lahore. I made up my mind that I will not leave him alive," the shooter said according to a video shared on social media.Responding to whether there was someone else in the conspiracy, the shooter said, "I have conspired this alone and no one else is involved in this. Also Read: 'BLOODY GAME in Pakistan': Imran Khan SHOT in his LEG during firing at his RALLY I came on a bike and I parked it at my uncle`s shop. He has a motorcycle showroom."The Punjab police have confirmed that seven people were injured and a person was killed during the firing incident. (With ANI inputs) Protests have broken out across Pakistan after the assassination attempt on former Prime Minister Imran Khan in Wazirabad while he was leading a rally against the ruling dispensation. The attack, carried out by two men, left around a dozen injured, though unofficial reports have claimed fatalities. Reports also say that one of the attackers was lynched by the crowd and Khans bodyguards, while the other was taken into custody. A viral video shows one of the attackers being overpowered by a man though it is not immediately known whether he was one of Khans supporters or a policeman in plain clothes. Little is known so far about the attackers or their motive for the attack, though authorities have identified them as Faisal Butt and Mohammad Naveed. Also Read: Imran Khan's first REACTION after the attack, says, 'Allah has given me a new life, I WILL...' Naveed is a resident of Sodhra, a small town in Wazirabad tehsil of Pakistans Gujranwala district. The son of Mohammad Bashir, was arrested with a 9 mm pistol and two empty magazines. Reports say another attacker had an automatic rifle. Khan was shot in the leg while two of his close aides suffered injuries to the hand and face. Naveed belongs to the Arain caste, an influential Punjabi agricultural tribe with a strong political identity and organisation, found mainly in the Pakistani provinces of Punjab and Sindh. Khan belongs to the Niazi Pashtun tribe. Police are probing all angles into the attack, though at the outset, it seemed to be politically motivated, and the attackers seemed to be guns for hire. Another video of the arrested attacker is viral in which he claims hed come to kill Khan because he believed the former PM was misleading people. Sirf Imran Khan ko maarna tha (I came only to kill Imran Khan), said the shooter on camera. He also said he had come on a bike to Gujranwala and left it at his uncles place. Khans aides have claimed that the attack was carried out by a terrorist organisation. Incidentally, several PTI leaders had earlier claimed that terror groups in Afghanistan had been roped in to assassinate the former PM. Seoul: For days North Korean officials have raged over US-South Korean military drills, promising a violent response. That response came this week, when the North fired more than 20 missiles one of which splashed down near the South Korean sea border. It was a significant escalation in a year that has already seen the most North Korean missile test launches ever, and it raises an important question: How much further will they go? North Korea's playbook has traditionally been to continually ratchet up provocations until it gets US attention and can then negotiate for sanctions relief or other concessions from what it sees as a position of power. The bar for getting attention these days may be higher, with the United States focused on upcoming elections and Russia and the West consumed by the war in Ukraine. That could mean the North has to do more to get the reaction it wants but it also increases the possibility that Pyongyang could end up pushing South Korea too far. Already there is growing discussion in Seoul about creating an indigenous nuclear programme. North Korea observers have long sketched out the various levels Pyongyang uses to express its anger. At the bottom of the list is fiery rhetoric in state-controlled media. That may then progress into shorter-range missile launches of the type seen Wednesday. Also read: North Korea fires multiple ballistic missiles into Pacific Ocean, Japan issues 'rare' EMERGENCY ALERT After that would come longer-range tests, including ICBMs designed to target the United States or intermediate missiles like the ones that the North has sent hurtling over the Japanese archipelago in the past, deep into the Pacific. At the top of the list is a test detonation of one of their nuclear devices. Each new level cranks up already soaring tensions on the Korean Peninsula, where hundreds of thousands of troops from both sides and the United States square off along the world's most heavily armed border. And while bloodshed these days is fairly rare (2010, by contrast, saw 50 South Koreans killed in attacks), this many troops operating with these types of powerful weapons in a relatively confined geographic area increases the chances that a miscalculation could lead to a clash. Also read: White Houses BIG claim on Russia, says North Korea supplying Russia with One of the 23 missiles fired Wednesday landed close enough to a South Korean island for air raid sirens to sound and residents there to evacuate to underground shelters. Another landed 26 kilometers (16 miles) from the Koreas' shared border. Anxiety was already running high because hours earlier North Korea threatened to use nuclear weapons so that the United States and South Korea would pay the most horrible price in history. For months, South Korean and US officials have been expecting North Korea to test a nuclear bomb. It would be the seventh such test and be met with a push at the United Nations for even stronger sanctions. Whether Russia and China, nations that have traditionally protected the North, will allow further UN punishment is unclear. It's important to note that each North Korean weapons test whether of the shortest-range missile or a nuclear bomb inches Pyongyang's scientists closer to their ultimate goal of a fully functional nuclear arsenal capable of targeting every city on the US mainland. A recent analysis based on satellite imagery showed that the North has made dramatic progress on new construction at its Sohae Satellite Launching Station. In addition to expanding its ability to send up satellite launch vehicles, the station could support technology development also useable by North Korea's emerging intercontinental ballistic missile programmes, wrote Joseph S Bermudez Jr, Victor Cha, and Jennifer Jun, of the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank in Washington. The latest launches follow a string of North Korean tests of nuclear-capable missiles. And a new North Korean law authorises the preemptive use of nuclear weapons in a broad range of situations, though there's widespread doubt the North would use those bombs first in the face of US and South Korean forces. North Korea says it is responding to US-South Korean military drills that it views as a rehearsal for an invasion. But Pyongyang is also well aware of what's happening in the world especially as it relates to its rivals. US President Joe Biden is preparing to travel to Asia for a series of summits, and is facing crucial midterm elections this month. A lot is vying for Biden's attention, but Pyongyang has also previously timed its weapons tests around American elections, presumably in the hopes of pushing itself higher on presidents' foreign policy to-do lists. There's also the war in Ukraine, where Russia has suffered a series of setbacks recently. North Korea may realise that Moscow, which has been a supporter of the North and its military for decades, could benefit from the distraction the missile tests create for Washington. And the barrage also comes as South Korea mourns the deaths of more than 150 people when a crowd of Halloween revellers surged the country's largest disaster in years. But another North Korean nuclear test could also be a risk for the North itself, Jeffery Robertson, an associate professor of diplomatic studies at Yonsei University, wrote recently. Over the last thirty years, a rough balance has been established between South Korea's vastly superior conventional capacity (and its alliance with the US) and North Korea's nascent nuclear weapons capacity, he said. SEOUL: North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles on Thursday, including one that triggered an emergency alert for residents in parts of central and northern Japan to seek shelter, the latest in a record year of missile testing by the nuclear-armed North. Residents of Miyagi, Yamagata and Niigata prefectures in northern Japan were told to seek shelter indoors, according to the J-Alert Emergency Broadcasting System. Despite an initial government warning that a missile had overflown Japan, Tokyo later said that the report was incorrect. Japan Coast Guard confirmed at 8:10 AM that the missiles had landed somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. The Prime Minister's Office of Japan also released an Emergency alert in view of the suspected ballistic missile launched by North Korea. Prime Minister's Office of Japan has released an Emergency alert in view of the suspected ballistic missile launched by North Korea. https://t.co/RwhX0qZ2xp pic.twitter.com/QNjnart3a2 ANI (@ANI) November 3, 2022 The launches came a day after North Korea fired at least 23 missiles, the most in a single day, including one that landed off South Korea's coast for the first time. The latest missile launch marks the second time the nuclear-armed North has fired a missile over Japan this year and the eighth time overall. Such launches are seen as far more provocative moves than its recent spate of shorter-range missile tests. Benton County Sheriffs deputies have arrested a Portland man on suspicion of assaulting someone with a wine bottle. Samuel Charles Hendrick, 36, is accused of second-degree assault, second-degree criminal mischief and violating a courts stalking protective order. He was arrested Wednesday, Nov. 2. Court documents allege on Tuesday, Nov. 1 Hendrick caused physical injury by throwing a wine bottle at a victim. He also allegedly tampered with the victims window and/or Halloween decorations which resulted in more than $500 in property damage. Hendrick also violated a courts stalking protective order by damaging the victims property, court documents allege. It's not clear where the alleged crimes occurred. According to Oregons online court database, Hendrick was arraigned in Benton County Circuit Court on Wednesday afternoon. During the arraignment, Hendrick pleaded not guilty to all charges, and Judge Joan Demarest appointed John Rich as Hendricks defense attorney. Demarest set the defendants bail at $50,000. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Corvallis Gazette-Times. The next court hearing in the matter is scheduled for Nov. 8. Hendrick has five other open cases in Benton County, all filed within the last week. Among the five additional cases, Hendrick is accused of third-degree theft, second-degree criminal trespass, harassment and menacing. The alleged crimes are said to have occurred between Oct. 10 and Nov. 1. Court documents in those cases allege Hendrick stole merchandise from a 7-Eleven and harassed someone with offensive physical contact. On Oct. 28, Hendrick allegedly rushed into the room of the Nov. 1 assault victim and threatened to kill him. Days before that, on Oct. 22, Hendrick harassed the same victim, court documents allege. He initially appeared in court Monday, Oct. 31 where he was arraigned on charges for the first three cases. During that hearing, he was conditionally released. He was arraigned on the additional three cases Wednesday. Oregon has been controlled by Democrats for decades, but a combination of factors has Republicans thinking they could increase their political power. The presence of a third-party candidate combined with the unpopularity of outgoing Democratic incumbent Kate Brown makes this governors race among the hardest to read in the country. Democratic nominee Tina Kotek is facing a stiff challenge by GOP candidate Christine Drazan with Democrats worried that unaffiliated candidate Betsy Johnson will siphon off enough votes from Democrats to give Drazan the win. The 5th Oregons 5th Congressional District, which includes Linn County, is also a toss-up and may be leaning Republican in the race's final days. The district, which was significantly redrawn, hasnt been held by a Republican in a quarter-century. But district boundary changes and the primary defeat of an incumbent centrist by progressive Jamie McLeod-Skinner have created opportunity for GOP candidate Lori Chavez-DeRemer. Oregons newly created 6th Congressional District appears safer for Democrats. The district, which Oregon gained based on population growth, was drawn by the Democratic-controlled Legislature and includes the state capital Salem and parts of Portlands affluent southwestern suburbs. Democrat Andrea Salinas, a state representative, is contesting the seat against Republican Mike Erickson, a businessman whos running for Congress for the third time. Measures In a ballot measure, Oregon voters are being asked to decide whether the state should be the first in the nation to amend its Constitution to explicitly declare that affordable health care is a fundamental human right. In another ballot measure, Oregonians will decide whether people wanting to purchase a gun will first have to qualify for a permit. The measure would also ban large capacity magazines over 10 rounds. Heres a look at what to expect on election night: Most polls close at 8 p.m. local time. Oregon votes by mail. Voters can also leave ballots in drop boxes. Ballots must be received by county elections offices by 8 p.m. on Election Day. If mailed, ballots must be postmarked by Election Day. Returns will start coming out soon after 8 p.m., but it could take days for close races to be decided. Results? The AP will count votes and declare winners in 83 contested elections in Oregon, including three statewide races and six U.S. House races. In the 2020 general election, the AP reported initial results at 8 p.m. Mid-Valley Media does not call races. The AP may call a statewide or U.S. House race in which the margin between the top two candidates is 0.5% or less, if we determine the lead is too large for a recount to change the outcome. The AP will not call down-ballot races on election night if the margin between the top two candidates is less than 2% or if the leading candidate is within 2% of the 50% runoff threshold. The AP will revisit those races later in the week to confirm there arent enough outstanding votes left to count that could change the outcome. Q&A Q: WHATS CHANGED SINCE THE PANDEMIC ELECTION OF 2020? A: In 2020, mailed ballots had to be received by county election offices by 8 p.m. on Election Day. A 2021 law requires only that ballots be postmarked by Election Day. Q: WHAT DO TURNOUT AND ADVANCE VOTE LOOK LIKE? A: Nearly 66,000 advance ballots had been received in this all-mail state as of Oct. 25. Thats only about 3% of the advance turnout in 2018, but these numbers often spike in the days before Election Day. Q: HOW LONG DOES COUNTING USUALLY TAKE? A: In 2020, it took until around 2 p.m. on Friday, three days after Election Day, for 90% of ballots to be counted. Q: WHAT HAPPENS AFTER TUESDAY? A: In Oregon, a voter who lives in one county can return a ballot to a drop box in a different county. On the day after the election, county clerks do ballot swaps to exchange ballots they receive from other counties so they can be counted in the correct jurisdiction. This is what accounts for some of the missing vote on election night. Also, the change in the law that allows votes to be counted if they were postmarked by Election Day (and received later) could delay counting of some votes. By News Center Following Russia's suspension of the Grain Corridor deal, the UN, Turkiye, and Ukraine decided to go ahead with the arrangement unilaterally. Despite Russia's announcement on October 29 that it was suspending the Grain Corridor deal for the attack on the Sevastopol naval station in Crimea, the UN, Turkiye, and Ukraine chose to continue utilizing the corridor without Russia. Following that, several of the 12 grain-laden ships that left Ukrainian ports on the night of October 30 are scheduled to arrive in Istanbul today. The United Nations also recommended that the inspection capability of the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul be increased. As grain-laden vessels previously leaving Ukrainian ports at the Bosphorus's entry established huge lineups, a new inspection group of ten will be formed. These ten new crews will be capable of commanding 40 ships every day. The number of grain ships waiting to transit the strait is estimated to be approximately 170. It has been established that Ethiopia is the final destination of the ship, dubbed Ikaria Angel, which is carrying 40,000 tons of grain. After leaving the Chernomorsk freight port at midnight, the Ikaria Angel arrived in Romanian waters at lunchtime yesterday without incident. It has been discovered that the ship would be examined by mooring offshore in the Bosphorus throughout the day and then continuing on its voyage following the inspection. It was discovered that several of the dry cargo ships stationed off the coast of Istanbul were waiting for the grain corridor. A drone, on the other hand, flew over grain-laden ships, including tankers, waiting in the Bosphorus. Satellite networking technology, solutions and services company Gilat Satellite Networks has announced that it has been selected to support a multi-million-dollar e-learning project in Peru. Antamina, one of the largest copper and zinc mines in the world, has selected Gilat for the project in the municipality of San Marcos, a rural area near the Antamina mine in the north of the country. Gilat will deploy terrestrial and VSAT backhauling for connectivity and provide services to schools in San Marcos. Through the four-year project, thousands of students and teachers will gain access to training and educational resources, as well as laptop computers and other connected devices. In fact Gilats technology and expertise will be used to enable connectivity and e-learning for the benefit of 265 teachers and directors of 33 primary and secondary educational institutions, as well as more than 3,000 students. Manuel Ruiz-Herrera, Senior Health and Education Supervisor at Antamina Mining Company, says: Our goal, through articulated work between Antamina, the District Municipality of San Marcos, and the Huari Local Educational Management Unit, is to transform the educational methodology by contributing to the improvement of digital skills of the next generation. Arieh Rohrstock, Corporate SVP and General Manager, Gilat Peru, explains that the four-year e-learning project includes the implementation and operation of a data centre backhauled with terrestrial and satellite communication and adds: While overseeing the entire project, we will provide communications, devices, training and digital education content. The Coffee County Conservation District and the Coffee County Forestry Advisory Committee recently hosted three sessions of the Coffee County Forestry and Wildlife Field Days between Oct. 18 and 26. County fifth graders from Elba Elementary, Kinston Elementary, New Brockton Elementary, and Zion Chapel Elementary attended the program. All Enterprise schools attended, which included Hillcrest, Harrand Creek, Rucker Boulevard, Holly Hill, Pinedale, and Brookwood elementary schools. Approximately 700 5th graders attended this year, according to Sue Leverett from the Coffee County Soil and Water Conservation District. All five events were held at National Security Recreation property in Elba. Exhibits included a live amphibian and reptile exhibit, Skins and Skulls, an Oh Deer! activity, tree planting demonstration, and general forest management practices. The event is a great hands-on forestry and wildlife learning experience for students, Leverett said. After the activities, everyone enjoyed sack lunches. Leverett said this event was supported by a grant from the Wiregrass RC&D Council and the FAWN forestry grant. Other organizations assisting with field days include the Alabama Forestry Commission, the Coffee County Cooperative Extension System, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries, and the Alabama Heritage Program. We offer a special thank you to National Security for the use of their property, paper supplies and bottled water, Leverett said. Bonnie Gilmore (left), Luncheon Pilot Club President for 2021-2022. was presented with a certificate for achieving new members during her term in office. Alabama District President Sabine Wlodarski (right) made the presentation at the Alabama District Fall Council held at Hampton Inn and Suites Gulf Front in Orange Beach. At the meeting growth awards were presented to only four clubs out of the 18 clubs in the Alabama District. For more information on how to join this club, contact the Membership Chair Gina Oates, 334-494-5980, or ginaoates686@outlook.com. Shirley Skinner (left), President of the Pea River Historical and Genealogical Society Inc., spoke to the John Coffee Daughters of the American Revolution Chapter at a recent meeting. Skinner stated that a recent check showed the PRHGS has had visitors from 43 states and seven countries. They have a gift shop that is very popular with many items (cups, aprons, tote bags, T-shirts) showing the Boll Weevil and their exclusive trademark "Fear No Weevil", stained glass, wood products to include bird houses, Alabama clay products, embroidered items and books, some from local authors. This building along with the Pea River Museum (former Depot Museum) is owned by PRHGS and they did own, but recently sold, the property where the former Welcome Center was located on Boll Weevil Circle. Before this property was sold, it was negotiated so that the Little Red Schoolhouse would be retained by PRHGS and it was recently moved adjacent to the Pea River Museum. The school house is being refurbished and will be used for various events. Skinner shared their deep concerns that the property downtown would be damaged in the recent fire. Concerned citizens formed a chain of people to across the street and cleaned out the valuable research documents that were there. They filled up two 20-foot trucks and a van with the rescued documents. For more information about this society that is dedicated to history and historic preservation in the Pea River area, check out their Facebook page www.facebook.com/PeaRiverHistorical and consider becoming a member of the society for $20 a year. They are located at 108 South Main, Enterprise, 334-393-2901, email peariverhistorical@yahoo.com. Shown with Skinner is John Coffee DAR Regent Jacque Hawkins. Six organizations have asked Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill to publish a comprehensive, statewide list of polling places because they say some counties are not providing information voters need leading up to next Tuesdays election. Merrill said he does not intend to respond to the request. Some of the counties mentioned disputed the assertions made by the groups that they are not providing information needed by voters. The ACLU of Alabama, Alabama Arise, Alabama Election Protection Network, Alabama Forward, Lift Our Vote, and Legal Defense Fund released a letter they wrote to Merrill on Monday. You can see the letter at the end of this article. Your duties under Alabama and federal laws counsel you to take urgent action to publish an accurate, uniform, and comprehensive list of polling locations statewide to mitigate voter confusion at the polls and the disenfranchisement that often follows, they wrote. Merrill, the states top election official, said counties are responsible for providing precinct lists, not his office. Merrill said he does not plan to take any action in response to the letter. We dont have any action that were required to take because its incumbent on the counties to do their job and what theyre supposed to do, Merrill said. If theyve got a grievance with the county, they need to reach out to the county, contact them directly. Merrill noted that voters can find their polling place through a lookup tool on the secretary of states website. Voters do that by entering their name and date of birth. In the letter, the organizations said websites are the main way for counties to provide information to their residents. But that information varies greatly by county, the letter said. The organizations listed information from a sampling of 13 of Alabamas 67 counties. Seven of the counties did not have a precinct list on their websites, the letter said. Only four counties had precinct maps and only one, Madison County, had a county poll locator tool. Some counties have links to the secretary of states lookup tool. Disparate polling place information from county-to-county hinders the ability of otherwise qualified voters to participate in elections on an equal footing and can make access to the franchise dependent on county of residence, affluence, political influence, and connection to relevant county election officials, the organizations wrote. The letter noted that all six counties in the sample with a majority Black population lacked all three resources precinct map, precinct list, and county poll locator tool. For Black voters and other voters of color, the complete lack of data can effectively constitute denial of the right to vote, the letter said. Thus, we urge you to publish a uniform and comprehensive polling place list to ensure your compliance with federal and state law and to ensure that disparate polling place information does not continue to disenfranchise Black voters and voters of color. In Macon County, one of the six with a majority Black population included in the sample, Probate Judge James Cooper noted the lookup tool in the secretary of states website as a way for people to find out how to vote. Another way is to call the countys board of registrars. Cooper said the county met its legal requirement to publish the list of voters, listed alphabetically by precinct, in The Tuskegee News before the May 24 primary. I do know that by law we do publish the list of electors that we did in May, we publish the precincts and the addresses, Cooper said. We do not publish a map of those precincts but we do publish that. Secretary of State Merrills website is a place for voters in any county to key in information and find out where theyre supposed to vote. Cooper said he had not seen the letter to Merrill from the organizations. Nor have I kept up with that right now because Im kind of buried in trying to get ready for Tuesday, Cooper said. Etowah County is one of the counties in the sample that lacked a precinct map, precinct list, and county poll locator tool, although it is not one of the majority Black counties. Etowah County Probate Judge Scott Hassell said he believes the county is complying with the law because it publishes a list of voters that includes their polling place and political districts. The list is published in an Etowah County newspaper. Hassell said the county website links to the secretary of states because he said the lookup tool there is the most accurate and up-to-date way for voters to find out where they vote. Of course, as in anything, theres always room for improvement, Hassell said And if posting a list of the precincts and the address in addition to what were already doing would be helpful, we can do that today. Thats a really simple fix. I do think linking to the secretary of states website, to me that seems to be the most efficient way, probably the most accurate. If theres a better way, Im open to it and we can adjust. We want good voter turnout. We want folks to come out and vote. Marengo County Probate Judge Laurie S. Hall disputed the letters assertion that the county had not provided its residents a list of poll sites. In addition to asking Merrill for a statewide list of polling places, the organizations asked for consistent guidelines on polling place closures. As the States chief election official, the Secretary of State is responsible for issuing uniform guidance on the administration of elections, the letter said. Pursuant to this duty, your office administers a poll locator tool that enables individual users to locate their polling place based on their residential address, but the presence of a comprehensive list of voting locations statewide would greatly benefit election administration and mitigate the ongoing voter confusion caused by polling place closures. This list must be organized by county and include regularly updated polling places and addresses with corresponding precinct numbers. Hong Kong: Govt regrets misleading commentary The Security Bureau expressed deep regret over a misleading and fact-twisting commentary written by Lun Chi-wai and published by Ming Pao today on the control of cannabidiol (CBD) through legislation and the Government's anti-drug work. It said the article pays no regard to the anti-drug efforts contributed by different sectors over the years and misinterprets the well-proven zero tolerance policy towards drugs. When commenting on the publication of a gazette notice for bringing CBD under the control of the First Schedule to the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, the article seriously distorts the intent of safeguarding public health by controlling CBD through legislation, and purposely misinterprets such legislation as relating to the policy of the Mainland, which may sow discord between the Mainland and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The bureau also pointed out that the Government has repeatedly explained the hazards of CBD and its scientific justifications for controlling the substance as a dangerous drug to the Legislative Council, members of the public and the sectors concerned, while the welfare sector has also voiced its support. The article turns a blind eye to these facts, downplays the harmful effects caused by drug abuse and irrationally associates our legislation with the Mainland. The content may cause dissention between the two places and may confuse the public as well as affect their vigilance against drugs, it noted. Regarding the article's suggestion that the legislation to prohibit ketamine in Hong Kong in early years was mainly following the practices overseas, the bureau said it is a misleading claim disregarding the determination to restrain drug harm by the Government and the community as well as the nature of ketamine as a dangerous drug. With everyone's concerted efforts, the number of ketamine abusers has decreased over the years, it added. Furthermore, the bureau emphasised that the welfare sector has been a key partner of the Government on anti-drug work for many years and that it is grateful for the sector's contribution and support. It believes that the sector is professionally capable of making a judgement and will not blindly support the Government's anti-drug efforts and policies. The bureau said: The article, which questions the welfare sector, not only affects the morale of the workers in the anti-drug sector, but also arouses suspicion of inciting the sector to question the Government's anti-drug efforts or to pull back its support. As a member of the welfare sector, the author's disregard of public well-being and groundless speculation are disappointing. The Government hopes the community can be united in the fight against drugs, adding that all discussions of anti-drug policies should be based on facts. It said it will continue to educate the public on the harm caused by drugs, including cannabis and ketamine, and will work on the publicity on controlling CBD as a dangerous drug from February 1 next year. The bureau also expressed grave concern about the misleading content published by Ming Pao recently, including the commentary on how the Immigration Department handles the screening of trafficking in persons cases and the newspaper cartoon about police officers' handling of requests for assistance by schools. This story has been published on: 2022-11-03. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. By Trend Uzbekistan's Samarkand city will host the second Uzbekistan Economic Forum on November 3-4, and assemble of some of the world's leading economists, influential investors, and international experts, Trend reports via the forum's official website. The IMF, World Bank, EBRD, IFC will join global investors, senior Uzbek ministers and the business community to discuss Uzbekistans development strategy as the country looks to continue its journey of rapid economic reform. Since 2016 government reforms aimed at improving the business environment have helped drive progress in Uzbekistan, which posted 7.4 percent economic growth in 2021. I am delighted to welcome attendees to the historic city of Samarkand for the second iteration of the Uzbekistan Economic Forum. The Uzbek government is fully focused on delivering a program of reforms that will usher in a new era of macroeconomic stability and prosperity for all Uzbeks. The agreements signed at this Forum will cement the foundations of sustainable economic development as we build our relationships with partners from across the globe, Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Jamshid Kuchkarov said. Conference participants will explore the private sectors position in fueling economic growth, the role international capital will play in driving development, the monetary and macroprudential policies required in a changing environment and the necessity of transitioning to a green economy. The forum will also examine the practical steps Uzbekistan is taking to build the economy of the future, including the further reforms needed to enhance financial market development, trade, connectivity, industrialization, and infrastructure. New official quota to boost banana export to China Workers clean bananas at a workshop in Long An Province in August 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Hoang Nam Vietnam and China have signed a protocol on banana exports, effective for five years, as the former seeks to increase the sale of the fruits to the latter via official quota. The protocol requires Vietnam to export bananas to China within 10-16 weeks after flowering, complete with origin traceability. The bananas must meet disease control requirements in the protocol and must be grown in an area approved by both Vietnams Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and China Customs. Within the first two years of the protocol being effective, Vietnams agriculture must take 2% of the exports to test for diseases. If no violation is found, the ratio will be reduced to 1% onward. So far, 11 Vietnamese fruits have been exported to China via official quota, including dragon fruit, watermelons, lychees, mangoes and bananas. Bananas in recent years have become a major export fruit to China behind dragon fruit and mangoes. Vietnam is discussing the possibility of exporting yams and grapefruit officially to China. Exporting via official quota requires contracts signed before delivery and higher quality standards than via unofficial quota where sellers meet buyers at a market near the border. A person uses a broom to sweep layers of fine dust in a house in Quang Ngai Province in central Vietnam. Photo by VnExpress/Pham Linh Fine, noxious dust of unknown origin invaded over 1,000 homes at the Dung Quat economic zone in Quang Ngai Province in central Vietnam, leaving residents very worried. Nguyen Cong Thanh, who lives in Binh Tri Commune, said the dust entered his home on the night of October 30, just before his family went to bed. "The doors were closed, yet in the morning, I could see the dust on the floor. It has a putrid, unpleasant smell," Thanh said, adding that he has never seen such a phenomenon before. Other locals said they tried to sweep the dust away in the same night, but it kept coming, covering the floor in just 30 minutes, and the layers kept thickening. The situation continued until the next morning, leaving people worried. "Our family has two first graders and one kindergartener. In the past few days, whenever class ends, we make our children stay in their rooms (not letting them play outside)," said Ngo Van Dung, who lives in An Loc Nam Village. The white, fine dust is also affecting the lives of hundreds of families living in neighboring Binh Hai Commune. Commune chairman Ngo Van Thing said the dust makes people nauseous when inhaled, so they suspect that some adverse event has occurred at factories in the Dung Quat economic zone. On Wednesday, the Binh Son District Peoples Committee carried out a field inspection in two communes where the dust had appeared and worked with representatives of three factories in the economic zone. Nguyen Tuong Chuan, deputy head of the districts Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, said while the fine dust is no longer showing up, its origin must still be investigated. All representatives from the aforementioned factories said they were uninvolved in the phenomenon. Authorities said the dust would be analyzed and have asked factories to allow inspection teams to enter their premises. "Once the cause is identified, whichever factory caused the pollution would have to pay the inspection fees and take responsibility for their actions," Chuan said. The Dung Quat economic zone, spanning 10,300 ha, has over 230 businesses, many of them in heavy industries. A 59-year-old man who returned to Vietnam from South Africa has developed symptoms suspected to be monkeypox's, a local health department said. The man from the Central Highlands' Dak Lak Province traveled to South Africa as a tourist on October 19, and returned to Hanois Noi Bai Airport on October 26, the Dak Lak Department of Health said. His symptoms began to show up on November 1, including joint pain, rashes and blisters. He isolated himself at home and informed authorities. His close contacts have shown no abnormal signs. Authorities have isolated the man and his family, as well as taking samples for testing. If the test returns positive, the man would be Vietnam's third monkeypox case. The first two cases were women returning from Dubai who have recovered, posing no risk of community transmission. Most monkeypox patients recover in 10-14 days and stop being contagious after 21 days. As of October 20, around 73,000 cases in over 100 countries and territories have been recorded. A tiger rug is placed on the shelves at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Wildlife Property Repository in Commerce City, Colorado, March 22, 2007. Photo by Reuters/Rick Wilking Wildlife authorities in Vietnam and some other Asian countries are seeing an increase in seizures of tigers and tiger parts despite efforts by conservationists to protect the endangered animal. Tiger numbers globally have been decimated by poaching, trade, and habitat destruction in the past century, though more recent conservation efforts in some countries have stabilized overall population numbers, according to a report by wildlife trade watchdog TRAFFIC. Still, populations are now restricted to 13 countries, many in Southeast Asia, which has long been a hot spot for wildlife trafficking, with illicit animal products often sought out for parts or for use in traditional medicine. According to TRAFFIC's report, Indonesia, Thailand and Russia saw significant increases in seizures in the first six months of 2022, compared to the same period in the previous two decades. Indonesia, home to the critically endangered Sumatran Tiger, saw an equivalent of 18 tigers seized between January and July, compared to 16 in the whole of 2021, TRAFFIC data showed. Since 2000, an average of 150 tigers, both dead and alive, have been seized per year from 50 countries and territories worldwide - equivalent to a total of around 3,377 tigers, TRAFFIC said. While the overall number of seizures has declined since 2018, notable increases were seen in China and India, as well as Vietnam, which saw a 185% jump in confiscated tigers compared to the four years prior, the group said. In Thailand and Vietnam, most of the tigers seized were suspected or confirmed to have been sourced from captive facilities, indicating their role in fueling the illegal trade of tigers and their parts, TRAFFIC said. The group urged countries party to CITES, a United Nations treaty aimed at regulating the international trade of wildlife, to prevent tiger parts from captive facilities entering the illegal trade chain. "Unless we want to watch wild tigers wiped out in our lifetime, immediate and time-bound actions must be a priority," said Kanitha Krishnasamy, co-author of the report and director for TRAFFIC in Southeast Asia. TRAFFIC also identified 675 social media accounts involved in trafficking of tiger and tiger parts in Southeast Asia. About 75% of these were based in Vietnam, the data showed. Five bombs are brought to a drill-ground in Quang Ngai Province for disposal. Photo by VnExpress/Duc Minh Five bombs weighing over a ton in total along with other explosive materials produced by the U.S. were disposed of in the central Quang Ngai Province. The military headquarters of Binh Son District and military engineers of the Quang Ngai military headquarters on Wednesday disposed of the five bombs at a drill ground. Pham Quoc Vien, a military engineer from the Quang Ngai military headquarters, said the bombs were produced by the U.S., each being 160 cm long weighing around 226 kg. The bombs were discovered by locals in Binh Son District and then handed over to authorities. Around 20% of the natural land area in Quang Ngai is infested with over 17,500 tons of mines and bombs. Since 1975, the end of the Vietnam War, around 2,300 people in the province have had accidents related to these mines and bombs. November 2, 2022 | 04:38 pm PT At a board meeting of the Australian university where I am a senior professor, a colleague was blunt when shown the proposed logo for a new research center: "Too white." As many other white Caucasians scratched their heads over the colleague's outburst, I understood immediately. He was struck by the fact that all old people shown in the logo were white, clearly misrepresenting the racial diversity that Australia embraces and defying the goal of the Australian government to promote ethnic and social diversity. Accepting diversity means to acknowledge, respect and fairly evaluate the contributions of all members of society, regardless of race, religion, age, or sexual orientation. If this is done well, it can be a social catalyst that promotes a sense of belonging among all individuals, significantly reducing social "otherness." In Anglo-Saxon countries, diversification has become a particular focus in the last two decades, with the governments vocally promoting equality for all society sections in politics, science, education and business. This says to the world that "we are a peaceful, civilized and welcoming nation." Among many diversification criteria, two of the most debated are gender and race. Female representation in top-tier decision-making remains very limited. In Australia, only 3 of 10 members of parliaments and 1 out of 4 full professors at universities are women. The ratio is significantly better at lower level positions. The racial representation, or lack thereof, has been even more pronounced in many countries. When I first arrived in Australia 40 years ago, there was no Asian-origin member of the parliament at both state and federal levels. When I joined Australian academia 30 years ago, the number of Asian-origin professors of medicine was less than a handful. When I became a professor at New South Wales University, I had less than 10 Asian-origin colleagues. This situation and the attitude that contributed to it was perfectly summed up by Professor Marybeth Gasman of Pennsylvania University (U.S.): "The reason we don't have more faculty of color ... is that we don't want them. We simply don't want them." Nevertheless, the policy of encouraging diversification has significantly changed the world in the last few decades, especially the Anglo-Saxon world. In the U.S., former president Barack Obama is of African origin, while the incumbent vice president Kamala Harris is of Indian origin. But the most significant case is the recently appointed British prime minister Rishi Sunak, son of two Hindu immigrants from Southeast Africa. He, a member of an immigrant family, has reached the epitome of British public office at just 42 years old, effectively in charge of a former colonial empire that used to rule 25% of the entire globe, also homeland of the infamous eugenic movements. Even more interesting is the fact that his family is from India, a country colonized by England for almost a century. Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak walks outside Number 10 Downing Street, in London, Britain, October 26, 2022. Photo by Reuters/Henry Nicholls Rishi Sunak reminds me of the story of millions of Vietnamese diaspora abroad, raising families in foreign environments. Many, as the first generation abroad, were busy making a living with no support from friends and families, striving to build a base for their children. Their children, born and raised in a different country with supporting families, have a chance to thrive politically, join public office, and become important decision-makers in the new country they called home. With the diversification policy of many Western countries engendering and encouraging a multi-colored society, we can expect to see many people of Vietnamese origin holding high positions in public offices, universities and global business conglomerates in many countries. Globalization has created global citizens, unlimited by national borders. Nowadays, more and more Vietnamese people thrive globally while fully embracing their Vietnamese origin and culture. The contributions of the diaspora in various fields benefit not only the country they live in, but their home country, Vietnam, as well. They enhance the global image of the Vietnamese people and generate new opportunities for the nation and its citizens. We, as a society, should be proud of them. The story of Rishi Sunak and diaspora of any other nation, Vietnamese included, shows the importance of having a diversity welcoming environment. Only in an open environment that is not dictated by geographical origin, gender or race can talents thrive. Maybe Vietnam, as a nation, could pick a few tips from diversity-welcoming countries, too. *Nguyen Van Tuan is director of the Center for Health Technologies at the University of Technology in Sydney. Fireworks light up over Da Nang during the Da Nang International Fireworks Festival in June 2019. Photo by VnExpress/Nguyen Dong The Da Nang International Fireworks Festival, one of Vietnam's leading tourism events, will make a comeback next June after a two-year hiatus due to Covid-19. The month-long event, to be held along the Han River, will begin on June 3, according to Da Nang City authorities. It is expected to attract pyrotechnic teams from seven countries. First held in 2008 as a two-day competition, it became a two-month event by 2017, helping the central city maintain its status as a leading tourism destination. The festival was last held in 2019 and was cancelled in the next two years on Covid fears. Since the country reopened its borders in March this year, the number of international visitors to Da Nang has topped 200,000, exceeding the full-year target of 180,000. The busiest tourist city in central Vietnam serves as a springboard to access three famous heritage sites Hue, My Son Sanctuary and Hoi An Town. Since reopening its borders and lifting most Covid restrictions, Vietnam has earned revenues of US$16.5 billion from tourism, a senior official said. The tourism industry has been gradually recovering from the impacts of Covid-19 since reopening to foreign visitors on March 15, Ha Van Sieu, deputy head of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, said at a meeting held in Cambodia on Wednesday. The World Tourism Organization named Vietnam as the first Southeast Asian country to fully open to international visitors without any Covid restrictions, he added. At the meeting officials from Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand pledged to promote tourism recovery, facilitate regional travel and improve tourism capability. Vietnam received over 2.35 million foreign visitors in January-October, less than half of this years five-million target. In 2019, the year before the onset of the pandemic, Vietnam had received a record 18 million foreign visitors and earned revenues of VND750 trillion ($30 billion). The industry hopes for revenues of $17.5 billion this year. It has been doing well in the domestic tourism market with over 86 million tourists recorded this year, exceeding 2019's figure. A freight train fully loaded with new energy vehicles began a 7,920-kilometer journey on Oct 24 from China (Zhengzhou) International Land Port in Zhengzhou, Henan province, to Minsk, Belarus. It is the first special China-Europe freight train to transport new energy vehicles from Henan to Europe, adding a new category to the province's exports after launching special trains for mail, wood, mung beans, Henan green tea and buses. After leaving Alataw Pass in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, these NEVs, including domestic brands Hongqi, Xpeng and Voyah, will travel through Russia before arriving at their destination in two weeks. The new freight rail service is operated by Zhengzhou International Hub Development and Construction Co, an enterprise jointly invested in and established by the management committee of Zhengzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone and Henan Material Corporation. "As a principal partner engaging in planning and building China (Zhengzhou) International Land Port, ZIH provides customers with comprehensive and modern multimodal transport services and also offers a cross-border customs clearance platform and international trade services to cross-border e-commerce businesses," said Kang Yan, deputy general manager of the company. China-Europe rail freight services, which were launched in the province in 2013, now provide 17 direct international routes to 140 cities in more than 40 countries. As of Oct 28, the province had recorded 1,233 trips of inbound and outbound China-Europe freight trains this year. "Despite the impact of COVID-19 in recent years, China-Europe freight train services have kept normalized operations, building unimpeded trade channels for domestic circulation as well as domestic and international circulation," said Kang. "The services also provide strong support to foreign trade, the international supply chain and the stability of industry." The comprehensive operation capability and quality of the China-Europe freight trains in Henan rank highly across the country and a group of famous brands with Henan characteristics have been built up during the years of operation, attracting more than 6,000 cooperative partners from home and abroad. "According to the needs of enterprises, we make personalized transportation plans," said Kang. "And with the great support from related departments, including China Railway Zhengzhou Group and local customs, we can strengthen coordination in the collection of goods, packing, transportation organization and freight scheduling. "The work can help create a fast green channel for new energy vehicle logistics and improve transport efficiency, as well as reduce transportation costs," he added. "It also provides a guarantee for new energy vehicle enterprises to develop overseas markets," he said. "China-Europe freight trains have opened up an international logistics corridor connecting Henan with the Eurasian continent, which has helped to overcome the province's geographical disadvantages being away from borders, seas and waterways reduced the costs and improved the quality and quantity of Henan's foreign trade," said Kang. The delegation paid a working session in Aichi (Photo: sggp.org.vn) On October 24, the delegation visited Greater Nagoya Initiative Center, and met Dr. Nagato Natsume appointed to Honorary Consul of Vietnam to Nagoya city of Aichi prefecture, Aichi Governor Hideaki Omura, HCMC's tourism ambassador in Aichi Prefecture Noriko Hirose. The following day, the delegation had working sessions with Wismettac Asian Foods, Inc., AEON Retail Group, partners in the Kansai region, and Special Advisor to the Japan - Vietnam Friendship Parliamentary Alliance (JVFPA) Takebe Tsutomu. At the meetings, the delegation hoped that Japanese partners would share experiences of connecting and building integrated solutions for digital infrastructure, urban infrastructure and necessary infrastructures to attract investors to the city, and designing and implementing intensified solutions to attract investment. In addition, the HCMC leaders also expected that HCMC-Japan trade and investment cooperation would be further promoted to contribute to the Vietnam - Japan extensive strategic partnership. Japanese side highly appreciated the cooperation between HCMC and Aichi prefecture, a twinning city with HCMC. Aichi Governor Hideaki Omura suggested the two sides continue to enhance human resource training in tourism, trade, health and education sectors, and promote the development of relationships between HCMC and Aichi particularly, HCMC and Japan in general. According to the plan, the delegation will visit Hyogo and Osaka prefectures, attend HCMC-Hyogo economic cooperation promotion conference, and meet businesses and leading retailers of Chiba province and Tokyo Metropolis./. By Trend Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian held a telephone conversation with High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell on Wednesday, focusing on prospects for reviving the Iran nuclear deal, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement posted on its website after the talks, Trend reports citing TASS. Abdollahian assured the EU foreign policy chief that Tehran was ready for constructive negotiations and was still interested in reaching an agreement with Washington. In addition, the minister said that Iran remains compliant with its obligations under technical cooperation agreements with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Borrell emphasized that the EU will exert every effort until the Vienna negotiations yield a final agreement. He also noted that he was optimistic about the prospects for the renewal of the Iran nuclear deal. Delegates at the meeting (Photo: hcmcpv.org.vn) At the meeting, Mr. Tran Phuoc Anh wished the Consul General and his spouse together with the Consulate-General staff and their families a meaningful and warm celebration on the occasion of National Day, and highlighted activities strengthening relationships between the two countries. Cambodian Consul General to HCMC Sok Dareth expressed his sincere thanks for the support of the leaders of HCMC over the past time. He emphasized that the Cambodian Consulate General will continue to coordinate with the city to organize meaningful activities to boost the solidarity and friendship between the peoples of the two nations, promote images, and deep knowledge of the land and Vietnamese people to Cambodian students who are studying in Vietnam. On this occasion, the two sides signed an agreement on promoting good neighborliness, traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation, and long-lasting peace and stability between the two countries for mutual benefits./. Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son (Photo: VNA) Minister Bui Thanh Son told the press that the official visit, from October 30 to November 1, has positively contributed to promoting the solidarity and traditional friendship between Vietnam and China, and boosting and deepening their bilateral comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. According to the minister, the visit is of great significance to the neighbouring countries and has attracted public attention, both domestically and internationally. It has been a success in all aspects, he stressed, adding that this was the first in-person official diplomatic activity between the top leaders of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) and the Communist Party of China (CPC) since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. This was also the first overseas trip by Party General Secretary Trong after the 13th National Congress of the CPV, the minister continued. He noted that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong was the first and highest-ranking foreign leader the CPC Central Committee and Party General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping had received following the 20th CPC National Congress a top important political event of the Chinese Party and people. The fact demonstrates the importance the two Parties and countries attach to each other, especially the respect of the Chinese Party, Government and people and Xi himself for the Vietnamese Party leader, with the highest-level welcome and many special arrangements. The visit was a follow-up of the regular meetings and contacts by the top leaders of the two Parties and countries over the past years, he said, elaborating the four phone talks by the two in 2020 and 2021, along with the exchange of letters and congratulatory messages on the occasion of big events of each side. In the context of the regional and world situation developing complicatedly and unpredictably, and the cause of reform and opening-up and socialism building in each country entering the new period, Trongs visit holds great significance as it has contributed to creating a firm political foundation and boosting substantive cooperation between the two countries across spheres. The visit also demonstrates that the Vietnamese Party and State always place importance and give the top priority to building and developing the good relations with the Party, State and people of China, for fundamental, long-term interests of the two peoples, and for peace, cooperation and development in the region and the world. It was intended to realise Vietnams foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation and diversification of relations, active and proactive international integration, and being a friend, a reliable partner and responsible member of the international community, Son said. Regarding outcomes of the visit, the minister highlighted the two sides issued a 13-point joint statement, with strategic contents orienting the bilateral relations in all fields in the time ahead. The two sides agreed to continue enhancing and deepening the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in the motto "friendly neighbourliness, comprehensive cooperation, long-term stability, and forward-looking" and in the spirit of "good neighbours, good friends, good comrades, and good partners. On this occasion, Vietnamese and Chinese ministries, agencies and localities signed 13 cooperation documents in various areas which lay a foundation and a premise for them to cooperate effectively in the years to come, helping to promote the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in a healthy, stable and sustainable manner, for the sake of the two peoples, and for peace, stability and development in the region and the world. According to the minister, the statement and the documents vividly reflect the nature and the cohesion of the Vietnam-China relations, and the strong resolve by the two Parties and countries in further enhancing and deepening the bilateral cooperation in the time ahead. To materialise the common perceptions reached by the two leaders, and outcomes reaped during the visit, Son suggested the two sides work to intensify mutual understanding, consolidate and promote their political trust by maintaining regular meetings. The two countries should strive to create considerable result-oriented changes and raise the efficiency of economic, trade and investment cooperation as well as collaboration in other fields, thus bringing pragmatic interests and creating a solid foundation for the bilateral ties, he noted. Minister Bui Thanh Son also proposed the two sides control and satisfactorily iron out differences at sea, maintain the peaceful, stable environment in the East Sea and the region, and seriously observe the reached high-level perceptions. I firmly believe that by fully, comprehensively and effectively implementing the high-level perceptions reached during the official visit to China by Party General Secretary Trong, the friendly neighbourliness and the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Vietnam and China will grow stronger in the time ahead, as per wish of the two Party leaders to bring the bilateral relations to a new development period with higher political trust, more pragmatic cooperation, more solid social foundation, and better controlled differences, he said./. At the ceremony (Photo: CPV) Speaking at the ceremony, Vice State President Vo Thi Anh Xuan stated that Vietnam and Denmark officially established diplomatic relations in 1971, laying the first bricks in the process of building bilateral cooperation. Since then, Denmark has become one of the most important bilateral donors of Vietnam, actively contributing to the successful socio-economic development of Vietnam today. Throughout half a century of development, the relationship between the two countries has shifted from a traditional development cooperation relationship to an equal and mutually beneficial partnership, and a comprehensive partnership was established in 2013. Ms Xuan affirmed that the world is facing unprecedented challenges, so the international community needs to strengthen cooperation to overcome challenges and recover development. The potential for cooperation between Vietnam and Denmark is still very large. On the basis of the existing legal frameworks and those that will be established in the near future, it is promising to open up the future of cooperation between the two countries that is increasingly effective and solid," she said. Danish Crown Prince Frederik expressed his delight at Vietnam's dramatic change as well as the positive development in many areas of the Vietnam-Denmark cooperation relationship. According to the Crown Prince, Denmark is an important trade and investment partner of Vietnam, and will continue to effectively and reliably accompany Vietnam in the fields of cooperation in environment, agriculture, healthcare and education. "There are currently 135 Danish businesses operating in Vietnam. A Danish business delegation visited Vietnamese partners to discuss solutions for green development and sustainable development, he informed. I hope with these efforts, Vietnam will develop even more in the coming years." On November 2, he led a Danish business delegation to visit and work with Hai Phong city, while Crown Princess Mary Elizabeth led a business delegation to Ha Nam province to continue discussions with partners on green development, contributing to realizing Vietnam's commitment to reducing emissions to zero by 2050./. Ambassador Nguyen Thanh Hai presented the decision to appoint Mr. Rajesh Kazi Shrestha as Honorary Consul of Vietnam in Nepal (Photo: VNA) This is the third time Mr. Shrestha has been appointed Honorary Consul of Vietnam in Nepal. Speaking at the ceremony, the Vietnamese Ambassador to India cum the Vietnamese Ambassador to Nepal and Bhutan, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hai emphasized that the event is an important milestone in the relations of the two countries and a remarkable result in the persistent efforts of the Embassy and authorities of Vietnam and Nepal after many years of promoting cooperation in the consular field. Ambassador Nguyen Thanh Hai believed that with the good traditional friendship between Vietnam and Nepal, with his capacity, experience and deep affection for Vietnam, Mr. Rajesh Kazi Shrestha will well complete the assigned tasks, making outstanding contributions to promoting economic, trade, cultural and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. At the ceremony, Mr. Rajesh Kazi Shrestha said that this is an important event in his life and career. Honored and proud to be associated with Vietnam, he expressed his determination to perform well his role of representative and dedicated himself to implementing related activities, including citizen protection and supporting the Vietnamese community in the host country; strengthen information and promotion about the country and people of Vietnam in Nepal; at the same time promoting economic, trade, cultural cooperation and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. Honorary Consul of Vietnam in Nepal Rajesh Kazi Shrestha said that his first plan as Honorary Consul of Vietnam in Nepal is to promote Vietnam's trade, investment and tourism to Nepal. I would like to see more Vietnamese people coming to Nepal for tourism and religious purposes. Another thing is that I want to promote the opening of direct flights between Vietnam and Nepal, he added. In the context of developing relations between Vietnam and Nepal, especially in the post-COVID-19 context, the re-appointment of Mr. Rajesh Kazi Shrestha as Honorary Consul of Vietnam in Nepal has timely met the demand for deepening cooperation between the two countries while handling arising consular and economic issues. Mr. Rajesh Kazi Shrestha, 61 years old, is a successful businessman in many fields, and used to be a Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Services; President of the Nepal International Chamber of Commerce; Chairman of Nepal - Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Vice President of World and Indian Association for Small and Medium Enterprises; and member of the Nepal Investment Board./. BEIJING, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday sent a congratulatory message to Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, the rotating president of the Council of the Arab League (AL), on the convening of the 31st AL Summit in Algiers. He said that the Arab League, committed to seeking strength through unity in the Arab world, has been actively advancing peace and stability in the Middle East and making unremitting efforts to safeguard multilateralism and the common interests of developing countries. The Chinese president expressed appreciation for Algeria's long-term commitment to strengthening solidarity among Arab countries, its active role in safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries and its emphasis on collective cooperation between China and Arab countries. China has forged an everlasting friendship with Algeria and other Arab countries, Xi said. In recent years, political mutual trust has been increasingly consolidated, Belt and Road cooperation has made tangible progress, and practical cooperation in various fields has yielded fruitful results. In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, China and Algeria have been supporting and helping each other in times of difficulty, setting a fine model for South-South Cooperation, he said. China is willing to work with Arab countries to enhance mutual support and expand cooperation in a joint effort to build a China-Arab community with a shared future for the new era, so as to create a bright future for China-Arab relations and make contributions to world peace and development. Editor: WXY Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 2, 2022. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei) BEIJING, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan on his official visit to China at the Great Hall of the People on Wednesday. Xi welcomed Sharif and thanked him for his congratulatory letter right after the opening of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Noting that China and Pakistan are good friends, good partners and good brothers, Xi said amid global changes and instability in recent years, the two countries have supported each other and forged ahead, demonstrating an ironclad friendship. "China views its relations with Pakistan from a strategic and long-term perspective, and Pakistan has always been a high priority in China's neighborhood diplomacy," Xi said. China is ready to work with Pakistan to elevate the level of all-round strategic cooperation, speed up efforts to build a closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era, and inject new impetus into their all-weather strategic cooperative partnership, according to Xi. Xi stressed that China commends Pakistan's firm commitment to advancing friendship and cooperation with China, and expressed appreciation for Pakistan's support on issues vital to China's core and major concerns. China will continue to firmly support Pakistan in safeguarding its sovereignty, territorial integrity, development interests and dignity, and in achieving unity, stability, development and prosperity, the Chinese president said. "China expressed deep sympathies to the Pakistani people over the devastating floods that have hit the country, and will provide additional emergency relief to help with post-flood reconstruction," Xi said, adding that China supports Pakistan's efforts to revive agricultural production, and will strengthen cooperation with Pakistan on disaster prevention and relief and climate change. After presenting the key outcomes of the 20th CPC National Congress, Xi underscored that China will continue its fundamental policy of opening-up and provide new opportunities to Pakistan and the rest of the world through continuous development. Xi said China will further deepen synergy between its development strategies and those of Pakistan, calling on the two sides to make full use of the Joint Cooperation Committee of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), advance CPEC with greater efficiency, and make CPEC an exemplar of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. It is important to accelerate the construction of auxiliary infrastructure for Gwadar Port to unleash its role in driving interconnected development in the region, Xi said, hoping the two sides will work together to create conditions for the early implementation of the upgradation of the Main Line-1 (ML-1) and the Karachi Circular Railway project. "Pakistan is welcome to export more quality agri-products to China," Xi said, adding that China will work with Pakistan to expand cooperation in digital economy, e-commerce, and photovoltaic and other new-energy technologies, and take solid steps to advance cooperation concerning agriculture, science, technology and people's livelihood. He said China will continue to do its best to support Pakistan in stabilizing its financial situation. China supports its provinces with a strong industry in pairing up with Pakistani partners to advance industrial cooperation, and hopes the Pakistani side will provide a sound business environment. Xi expressed his great concern about the safety of Chinese nationals in Pakistan, and conveyed his hope that Pakistan will provide a reliable and safe environment for Chinese institutions and personnel working on cooperation projects there. Xi pointed out that the world, our times and history are changing in ways like never before. Facing a highly uncertain world, both sides should stand on the right side of history, keep up their strong cooperation in multilateral mechanisms, and work closely on major international and regional issues so as to uphold true multilateralism, international fairness and justice and the shared interests of developing countries, and inject certainty and positives into the world. China will work with Pakistan to advance the operationalization of the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, make the global economic governance system fairer, more equitable, inclusive and mutually beneficial, and build a community with a shared future for mankind, Xi said. These collaborative efforts will provide a strong underpinning for the development of the two countries, and contribute more to global peace, stability and prosperity, Xi said. Sharif noted that it is a great honor for him to be among the first foreign leaders to visit China after the successful 20th CPC National Congress, which marked a new milestone. He said the visit is a testament to the profound ironclad friendship between Pakistan and China. On behalf of the Pakistani government and people, Sharif once again expressed hearty congratulations to President Xi on his re-election as general secretary of the CPC Central Committee. He said that over the past decade, under the dynamic leadership of President Xi, China has created a miracle of great development achievements. He said China has upheld multilateralism, promoted global solidarity and cooperation, and made important contributions to safeguarding world peace and development. In doing so, China has lived up to its responsibility as a major country. The world cannot operate without China, and China's development cannot be isolated or contained by any force, Sharif said, expressing his confidence that President Xi, with his extraordinary vision, will continue to lead China toward even more remarkable achievements and create an even brighter future for the world. Sharif stressed that deepening Pakistan's all-weather strategic cooperative partnership with China is a cornerstone of Pakistan's foreign policy and the national consensus of Pakistan. He expressed heartfelt appreciation to the Chinese government and people for the valuable anti-COVID support, and for the generous assistance in the wake of the devastating floods. No country has ever helped Pakistan or other developing countries with such wholehearted sincerity, he said. Sharif reiterated Pakistan's firm commitment to the one-China policy and its firm support for China's position on issues concerning China's core interests including Taiwan, Xinjiang and Hong Kong. He said even as Pakistan learns from China's successful experience and tries to rely on its own efforts, Pakistan will deepen all-round cooperation with China to better develop itself. He said this is the only way forward for Pakistan. Hailing CPEC's profound impact on Pakistan's economic and social development, the prime minister said Pakistan is ready to work with China to continue promoting high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and hopes to have China's strong support in the upgradation of ML-1, the Karachi Circular Railway and other important infrastructure projects. Sharif said Pakistan will further step up security measures and do all it can to protect the safety of Chinese institutions and personnel. Sharif said Pakistan fully supports the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative put forth by President Xi, and it will strengthen communication and collaboration with China in international and regional affairs to make a positive contribution to world peace and development. The Pakistan-China friendship is unbreakable, and Pakistan will always stand firmly with China, Sharif said. After the meeting, Xi held a welcoming banquet for Sharif at the Golden Hall of the Great Hall of the People. Wang Yi and He Lifeng were present at the events. Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 2, 2022. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) Editor: WXY By Guangming Daily Research Team Foreword Photo taken on Oct. 9, 2021 shows the golden autumn scenery of the Eastern Tianshan Mountains in Barkol County, Hami City, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Photo/Guangming Picture) A fresh breeze brushes the vast pasture, taking the aromas of milk, tea and wine to places far away, together with the scent of soil, neighing of horses, and the songs of shepherds. The grassland is a place of paramount beauty tourists yearn for, and a beautiful home where multiple ethnic groups live and work together. So, what potential and vitality does a place like this hold? And what are the stories that it can tell? Unless through in-depth communication with the locals, one may never unveil the mystery of these magnificent grasslands. To this end, Guangming Daily sent research teams to five Chinese regions famous for vast pastures: Xinjiang, Qinghai, Tibet, Inner Mongolia, and Gansu. From today on, the teams' findings will be compiled into the On the Wild Pasture series, and present to our readers the most authentic stories from the grasslands. Herds of cattle and sheep are seen on the Barkol grasslands in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Sept 12, 2021. (Photo/Guangming Picture) Lo and behold, this is Xinjiang in autumn: In the endless golden yellow of Kurustai grassland, sheep are fat and cattle are strong; in the Grape Valley at the foot of the Huoyan Mountain, crystal pearls and purple agates get crowded on the vines; in the wilderness of Atushi grassland, ripe figs sway in the wind, and the wind kisses the boundless verdant waves; and in Kashgar, branches of pomegranate trees in small village yards are bent by heavy fruits ... In July, Communist Party of China General Secretary Xi Jinping paid a visit to Xinjiang, where he told teachers and students, villagers, and community residents that We (people of different ethnic groups) should be like pomegranate seeds. Before he even finished this line, from the crowd of hundreds burst out the loud reply of Bonding Together. The smiling faces of the crowd attest to this vivid analogy. Yes, the peace, stability and vitality that people see in todays Xinjiang derive from the strength of ethnic unity. In Xinjiang, the Guangming Daily Research Team witnessed first-hand the profound changes driven by the CPCs governance strategy in the new era. 6 1 Editor: ZAD Rada supports resignation of Chernyshov from post of Minister for Communities and Territories Development The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine dismissed Oleksiy Chernyshov from the post of Minister for Communities and Territories Development. According to sources of Interfax-Ukraine, the MPs supported relevant draft resolution No. 8173 at a plenary session on Thursday. "The [Verkhovna] Rada approved the dismissal of Oleksiy Chernyshov, Minister for Communities and Territories Development, thus paving the way for his appointment as head of Naftogaz. The vote passed without a statement," he said on his Telegram channel. Earlier, the Verkhovna Rada Committee on state power, local self-government, regional development and urban planning recommended considering and supporting the resignation of Chernyshov from the post of Minister for Communities and Territories Development. According to a number of MPs, Chernyshov is likely to become the new head of Naftogaz Ukrainy. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated that over the three months of operation of the "grain corridor" 10 million tonnes of agricultural products have been delivered through it from Ukrainian ports around the world, while he called for efforts to extend the deal. "I am pleased to announce that, today, the Black Sea Grain Initiative has hit a new milestone. As of today, ten million metric tonnes of grain and other foodstuffs have been shipped through the Black Sea corridor," he said. The Secretary-General again thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his contribution to keeping the "grain corridor" open. He once again noted that now all participants in the Black Sea Grain Initiative need to make efforts to extend it, as well as to remove all remaining obstacles. In turn, the UN representative at the Joint Coordination Center (JCC), Ismini Palla, said that on Thursday the Russian delegation resumed participation in the inspection of dry cargo ships within the "grain deal." She said the delegation of the Russian Federation resumed work at the JCC and joined the inspections. Palla noted that on Thursday, seven ships carrying a total of 290,102 tonnes of grain and other food are transiting the maritime humanitarian corridor as part of the Black Sea Grain Initiative. There are certain prerequisites for Israel's position on arms supplies to Ukraine to change, Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel Yevhen Korniychuk said. "I remind you that in the election campaign Netanyahu said that he would consider revising Israel's policy on the supply of weapons to Ukraine. Of course, this does not mean anything concrete in political language, but there are certain prerequisites for this position to change. And I want to believe that together we will be able to change it," Korniychuk told Interfax-Ukraine on Wednesday. The Ambassador noted that as of 15:00, 97% of votes were counted in Israel, but without taking into account half a million so-called open votes, as well as votes in foreign jurisdictions. "In any case, it is clear that the right bloc, that is, Netanyahu and his partners are passing. Depending on whether small parties pass or not, they will receive up to 65 mandates out of 120. This is not a small figure, because they will definitely be given the right to form a coalition, even if it is 61 votes. The more votes, the less turbulence of the new government will be," Korniychuk explained. He added that the final results of the elections in Israel will be known only after the weekend. "When they form a government, then we will say that we are working with this government and will start moving in the areas that interest us, first of all, of course, military-technical cooperation. And here something is already being done. How actively this will continue with the Netanyahu government, if he manages to form it, we will see when the Netanyahu government is formed," Korniychuk said. The diplomat assured that Ukraine will work with any political force that will be elected in a lawful and legal way. "Accordingly, if the former prime minister returns to power, he has established relations with our president, with the leadership of Ukraine, he has visited us many times, he helped Ukraine. Let me remind you that at the beginning of 2021, we received 20 million Pfizer vaccines from New York thanks to Netanyahu's efforts. He secured a telephone conversation between our president and the CEO of Pfizer, and we received the contract within two weeks, in January 2021. That is, there were positive results of our cooperation," Korniychuk stressed. He also expressed confidence that Netanyahu will reconsider his relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as he is toxic to most political leaders. "Many opponents have concerns about his close contacts with the President of the Russian Federation. But it seems to me that it is not worth paying attention to this, because I am sure that today Netanyahu will reconsider his relations with Putin, since he is toxic to most political leaders, especially the leaders of democratic countries of the world, and we consider Israel to be just such a country," the ambassador said. Korniychuk stressed that Iran's involvement in the war in Ukraine is a trigger for Israel, and it will be possible to build bilateral relations with Israel further. "It is difficult to say what position he will take regarding the Russian Federation now. Of course, first of all, he will set himself tasks related to the interests of the State of Israel, and here we should already play the usual game with Israel, which we, in fact, are playing. When we have the same interests, we do well together. For example, Iran's involvement in the war in Ukraine is a trigger for Israel, and of course, it will be possible to build further bilateral relations with Israel on this," the Ukrainian ambassador said. By Trend Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his active participation in preserving the Black Sea grain deal in a phone call on Wednesday, Trend reports citing Daily Sabah. In a statement on Telegram, Zelensky said he had also discussed further steps to return prisoners, saying Ankara's support was important. Turkiye has been involved in at least one high-profile swap of captives between Russia and Ukraine. Erdogan told Zelensky that the ability of Ukraine and Russia to sell grain was of critical importance for the whole world. Speaking after Russia said it would resume its participation in a deal freeing up grain exports from Ukraine, Erdogan said diplomatic efforts should be increased to end the war with a just solution. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky drew attention to changes in the Kremlin's position regarding "security guarantees." "As it is heard today the Kremlin says they demanded security guarantees from Ukraine. It is worth pausing for a moment to consider such statements. About 252 days ago Russia demanded security guarantees from the United States. After eight months of Russia's so-called 'special operation,' the Kremlin is demanding security guarantees from Ukraine," he said in a video statement on Wednesday evening. "These are really amazing changes. This shows both the failure of Russian aggression and how strong we are when we maintain unity," he said. "Together we will ensure the defeat of the terrorist state and its punishment for terror. And we guarantee that all of Ukraine is and will be free," Zelensky said. Ukraine did not accept any new obligations that go beyond those already existing in grain deal MFA Ukraine has not accepted any new obligations that go beyond the already existing ones in the grain deal, Oleh Nikolenko, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, has said. "vladimir putin said that russia decided to unblock the grain deal after Ukraine provided "guarantees" not to use the grain corridor for military purposes. 1. Ukraine did not use and did not plan to use the grain corridor for military purposes. 2. The Ukrainian side clearly complies with the provisions of the grain deal," Nikolenko wrote on Facebook on Thursday. The spokesperson recalled that under this deal, the parties undertook to guarantee a safe and reliable environment for the functioning of the grain corridor. Ukraine has never endangered the grain route, he said. "Our government has not accepted any new obligations that go beyond those already existing in the grain deal," Nikolenko said. He said that Moscow returned to the grain deal thanks to the active diplomacy of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "In coordination with Ukraine, they found words that Putin understood. It was a position of strength, not concessions. Russia's return to fulfill its obligations under the grain initiative clearly illustrates the effective formula: strong position + decisive action = result," Nikolenko wrote. The Foreign Ministry spokesperson added that Ukraine is grateful to the UN and Turkiye for their leadership in resuming the operation of the grain corridor, which plays an important role in ensuring global food security. McDonald's opened a new restaurant in Lviv and reopened two restaurants in Vinnytsia on Thursday, the company's press service said. As the company said in a press release, the new restaurant in Lviv was opened in the largest residential area of the city Sykhiv. It was planned to open in March 2022 and was almost completely ready in February. On November 1, in Lviv, two more establishments of the chain resumed their work. From now seven McDonald's restaurants open in Lviv. In addition, on Thursday, November 3, McDonald's reopened its two restaurants in Vinnytsia. On November 2, McDonald's reopened its restaurant in Ivano-Frankivsk, as well as two restaurants in Kyiv region: in Bila Tserkva and in Brovary. The company said that all restaurants operate under updated security protocols. During an air raid alerts, establishments will be closed to allow workers and visitors to move to the nearest shelter. The restaurant will continue operations approximately one hour after the alarm is canceled this time is needed to turn on and configure the equipment and prepare workers for work. If the air raid alert is lifted less than an hour before closing time, the restaurant will reopen the next day. Also, restaurants are also closed during a blackout and will reopen approximately an hour after the resumption of power supply. As reported, on September 20, McDonald's began a phased opening of restaurants in Kyiv. AS of November 2, 39 restaurants in Kyiv city and the region reopened, and 46 restaurants opened in Ukraine. The restaurants of the chain in Ukraine were closed on February 24, 2022 due to security reasons. The company supported a team of more than 10,000 people while continuing to pay salaries. In addition, more than 700 tonnes of products worth over UAH 70 million were donated for humanitarian needs. Together with the Ronald McDonald House Foundation, McDonald's initiated and implemented humanitarian aid programs to support Ukrainians. Ukrainian families have already received more than 130,000 food kits, and medical institutions have received 200 vacuum therapy devices (VAC devices) for the treatment of extensive wounds, which are used to treat most patients with mine-explosive wounds. The network is being developed by FDI McDonald's Ukraine Ltd. According to the unified public register of legal entities and individual entrepreneurs, MCD Europe Limited (100%, London, the UK) is a FDI participant. The international working group on Russia-related sanctions, chaired by Head of the President's Office of Ukraine Andriy Yermak and former adviser to the President of the United States on national security issues, Ambassador Michael McFaul, has prepared a sanctions document with a list of information technologies (IT), which should be deprived of the criminal regime, according to the website of the President's Office of Ukraine on Thursday. "Despite the fact that many sanctioning countries have imposed restrictions on the sale of military components and support systems to Russia, foreign software, services, technical infrastructure, intellectual property and other less tangible objects are not yet subject to sanctions or restrictions. That is why our expert group has taken this issue into consideration and is proposing specific effective measures," Yermak said. In his opinion, tough IT sanctions will become a serious obstacle both for the Russian military machine in its operations against Ukraine, and for Russia's ability to use its information machine against Ukraine, the West and the Russian population. The main recommendation of the document is a call to block the possibility for Russia to use or receive IT containing software, firmware and components manufactured by any country that has imposed sanctions. According to the report, the occupiers rely on foreign IT to command their army, fire, reconnaissance, control the information space, attack Ukrainian cyber and civilian infrastructure and protect their own infrastructure. "After the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Russia began to requisition foreign IT and microelectronic components from consumer goods for the military. Therefore, there is no longer a difference between IT goods and services supplied to Russia for civilian use and those that are repurposed for military use against Ukraine," the group said in the press release. It is also noted Russia supports its own technologies, however, they partially include outdated technology packages, partially modern capabilities, and such systems, when problems arise, "rely on fragile human knowledge networks. "Thus, IT staff is a critical asset for Russian government, now directly or indirectly supporting Russia's war against Ukraine. Therefore, the sale of IT and Supporting Technologies' capabilities to any entities within Russia and their maintenance (directly or indirectly) must be immediately stopped. The document contains an analysis of areas in respect of which sanctions should be immediately imposed, explanations of how to do this, and how the relevant technologies support the military infrastructure of Russia and military operations in Ukraine. The document also includes recommendations to interested governments and IT companies to take immediate action to block access to IT that supports the Russian military machine and its use against Ukraine, as well as allowing Russia to conduct information and cyber warfare against Ukraine and other countries. Ukraine is ready to continue to be the guarantor of global food security, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said during a conversation with President of Indonesia Joko Widodo. "We discussed the importance of continuing the Grain Initiative. Ukraine is ready to continue to be the guarantor of global food security," Zelensky said on Thursday. The heads of state also discussed preparations for the 17th meeting of the G20 heads of state scheduled for November 15 and 16, 2022 in Bali (Indonesia). "Attention was also paid to preparations for the G20 Summit," Zelensky said. Zelensky thanks Erdogan for participation in preserving 'grain deal,' counts on Turkey's support in issue of return of Ukrainian prisoners President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky held a conversation with President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan and discussed further steps to return Ukrainian prisoners of war and political prisoners. "I thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his active participation in preserving the grain deal, for his steadfast support of sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. We discussed further steps to return Ukraine POWs and political prisoners. I also count on support of Turkey," he said on Twitter. In turn, the press service of the President of Turkey said the telephone conversation between the two leaders concerned the latest events of the Russian war against Ukraine. "President Erdogan stated that diplomatic efforts on the basis of an approach aimed at completely restoring Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty should be intensified in order to end the war with a just solution," the service said on Twitter. Some 107 Ukrainian servicemen were returned from Russian captivity as part of the exchange, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak said. "Today we conducted another exchange of prisoners. We managed to free 107 soldiers: six officers, 101 privates and sergeants," Yermak wrote on Telegram. According to the head of the Presidents Office, among those released are representatives of the Armed Forces, Naval Forces, territorial Defense, State Border Guard Service, National Guard, etc., as well as three servicemen from the Azov regiment. He also noted that 74 fighters defended Azovstal. Some volunteers flew by helicopter to Mariupol to save lives and fight for the city. We have brought home many wounded in the battles. In particular, we managed to exchange seriously wounded and bedridden from Mariupol, from Azovstal, guys with shrapnel wounds of hands and feet, gunshot wounds of different parts of the body," Yermak said. Among those released from captivity, according to the head of the President's Office, there are people with amputated limbs and burns that do not feel part of the face, with infected wounds. "A soldier was also wounded as a result of an explosion in Olenivka colony," he said, adding that many of those released were injured back in March. "The state will do everything necessary to help each of them," Yermak said. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has said that the issue of his participation in the G20 summit in Indonesia will be resolved in a few days. "My personal position and Ukraine's position was that if the leader of the Russian Federation takes part in the summit, Ukraine will not," he said at a press conference in Kyiv on Thursday after meeting with Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou. "Let's see how it will be in the future. Today I have had a conversation with the President of Indonesia. We maintain a relationship. In any case, we were invited today. We'll see. There are a few days left," Zelensky said. The G20 Summit will be held in Indonesia on November 15-16. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has held a meeting with U.S. Senators Christopher Koons and Rob Portman in Kyiv on Thursday. We feel real support for Ukraine both at the party level and at the level of American society. I am grateful to President Biden, the White House and its team for the powerful assistance to our army. Today, this is one of our priorities, he said in the beginning of the meeting. "We highly appreciate your arrival, especially now, when there are dozens of missile strikes on Ukraine, the use of Iranian drones on our energy sector," Zelensky also said. Egypts Minister of Foreign Affairs has urged for specific timeframes to proceed with the legal and political entitlements in Libya, including the full exit of mercenaries and foreign fighters from Libyan lands. By Azernews By Laman Ismayilova People's Artist Yalchin Adigozalov has become the first Azerbaijani cultural figure, who was awarded the high title of honorary citizen of Rio de Janeiro, Azernews reports, citing Trend Life. The national conductor was awarded for a significant contribution to cultural cooperation between Azerbaijan and Brazil. At the ceremony of presenting an honorary diploma in Baku, Brazilian Ambassador Manuel Adalberto Carlos Montenegro-Lopes-da-Cruz stressed the importance of the event in the cultural development between the two countries. The head of the diplomatic mission spoke about the maestro's collaboration with Orquestra Sinfanica Brasileira. "Since 2015, Yalchin Adigozalov has regularly performed at the best venues in Rio de Janeiro, Cidade das Artes, and the legendary Theatro Municipal, promoting pieces of music of Azerbaijani composers in Brazil, and Brazilian classics in Azerbaijan. Bright pages of this cooperation are embodied in the Azerbaijani Music Festivals in Rio de -Janeiro in 2017 and 2019," said the ambassador. He emphasized that the South American premiere of Vasif Adigozalov's piano concert, who is known as an outstanding representative of the Azerbaijani composer school, with the leading Brazilian pianist Christian Budu, as well as the celebration of the 100th anniversary of Azerbaijan's eminent composer Fikrat Amirov, has become significant events of this year in the cultural life of Brazil. " Yalchin Adigozalov's fans are always waiting for a new meeting with the maestro, as evidenced by the sold-out concerts. It is gratifying to note that he has become an honorary citizen of Rio de Janeiro and this is a great honor for us," the ambassador said. The maestro expressed his deep gratitude for the honor, emphasizing the great role of the Azerbaijani embassy in Brazil in the development of intercultural projects and receiving the award. "Now we have to try very hard for Orquestra Sinfanica Brasileira to tour our country and perform in the cities of Azerbaijan. It will be unforgettable!" he said. The event was attended by public figures and representatives of culture and science. Ukraine prepared for more Russian strikes on Monday and warned of the possibility for a new round of evacuations from the capital during a relative lull from the airstrikes on energy facilities and other key infrastructure in recent weeks. The Biden administration said Monday that Russia has abruptly and without explanation postponed the scheduled resumption of arms control talks this week. Pakistan pushed back Saturday against a comment by President Joe Biden in which he called the South Asian country ``one of the most dangerous nations in the world.'' Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said his office would summon the U.S. ambassador for an explanation, and the current prime minister and two former prime ministers rejected the statement as baseless. Biden was at an informal fundraising dinner at a private residence in Los Angeles on Thursday sponsored by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee when he made the comment. Speaking about China and its leader Xi Jinping, he pondered the U.S.'s role in relation to China as it grapples with its positions on Russia, India and Pakistan. ``How do we handle that?'' he said, according to a transcript on the White House web page. ``How do we handle that relative to what's going on in Russia? And what I think is maybe one of the most dangerous nations in the world: Pakistan. Nuclear weapons without any cohesion.'' Zardari said in Karachi on Saturday that he discussed the matter with Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and it was decided to call the U.S. ambassador to the Foreign Office for an explanation of Biden's remarks. ``I believe this is exactly the sort of misunderstanding that is created when there is a lack of engagement,'' he said, apparently referring to the former government of Imran Khan and its perceived lack of engagement in international diplomacy. ``When Pakistan has nuclear assets we know how to keep them safe and secure, how to protect them as well,'' Zardari said. Sharif in a statement rejected Biden's remarks calling them factually incorrect and misleading. He said Pakistan over the years has proved itself to be a responsible nuclear state, and its nuclear program is managed through a technically sound command and control system. He pointed to Pakistan's commitment to global standards including those of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Sharif said Pakistan and the U.S. have a long history of friendly and mutually beneficial relations. ``It is our sincere desire to cooperate with the U.S. to promote regional peace and security,`` he said. Zardari, speaking to reporters, said if there is any question about nuclear weapons security in the region, it should be raised with Pakistan's nuclear-armed neighbor, India. He said India recently fired a missile that landed accidentally in Pakistan. Pakistan and India have been arch-rivals since their independence from British rule in 1947. They have bitter relations over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, which is divided between them and claimed by both in its entirety. They fought two of their three wars over Kashmir. Two former prime minsters took to Twitter to respond to Biden's comments. Former premier Nawaz Sharif, the current prime minister's brother, said Pakistan is a responsible nuclear state that is perfectly capable of safeguarding its national interests while respecting international law and practices. Pakistan became a nuclear state in 1998 when Sharif was in power for the second time. ``Our nuclear program is in no way a threat to any country. Like all independent states, Pakistan reserves the right to protect its autonomy, sovereign statehood and territorial integrity,'' he said. Former premier Imran Khan tweeted that Biden is wrong about the security of Pakistan's nuclear weapons, saying he knows for a fact that they are secure. ``Unlike US which has been involved in wars across the world, when has Pakistan shown aggression especially post-nuclearization ?'' Khan was ousted in April in a no-confidence vote in parliament and has put forward, without giving evidence, a claim that he was ousted as the result of a U.S.-led plot involving Sharif. The U.S. and Sharif deny the accusation. Zardari noted that Biden's statement was not made at any formal platform like a news conference but at an informal fundraising dinner. ``I don't believe it negatively impacts the relations between Pakistan and the U.S.,`` he said. Pakistan and the U.S. have been traditional allies but their relations have been bumpy at times. Pakistan served as a front-line state in the U.S.-led war on terror following the 9/11 attacks. But relations soured after U.S. Navy Seals killed al-Qaeda leader and 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden at a compound in the garrison city of Abbottabad, not far from Pakistan's military academy in May 2011. Search Keywords: Short link: More than half of the flood victims in Pakistan's worst-hit Sindh province have returned to their homes over the past three weeks as the waters there gradually receded, officials said Monday. The announcement came as Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif visited the district of Jaccobabad in Sindh, from where he was traveling to the town of Sohbatput in another flood-stricken province, Baluchistan, his office said. Floodwaters are gradually receding in both provinces and elsewhere in Pakistan, engulfed since mid-June in unprecedented monsoon rains and floods that have killed 1,719 people in the impoverished South Asian country. At one point in August, more than half a million people were living in tents across Pakistan. The disaster management agency in Sindh said currently a little over 200,000 people are living in relief camps in the province, where the floods have affected 12 million people and killed 780. The Indus River, which caused much of the devastations in Sindh, is now at normal levels, though authorities say it will take another two months to completely drain the water. Waterborne diseases and skin infections are spreading in Sindh, where doctors have treated 30,000 people over the past 24 hours, the provincial health department said Monday. Nationwide, the floods have affected 33 million people, damaged over 2 million homes, washed away thousands of kilometers of roads and destroyed 435 bridges. The overall fatalities have included 641 children and 345 women. Several economists and government officials have said the cost of the disaster may reach $32 billion. The United Nations humanitarian agency said over the weekend that 7 million women and children and women require immediate access to food and that around 5.5 million people have no access to safe drinking water. Around 8.2 million people in flood-affected areas needed urgent health services, OCHA said. The U.N. in early October raised its call for $160 million to $816 million to help with the crisis. For his part, Sharif has repeatedly asked developed countries _ nations that experts say have impacted climate change the most _ to scale up aid to his impoverished Islamic nation, where authorities say flood survivors will face a harsh winter this December. Search Keywords: Short link: Egypts Ministry of Local Development announced on Wednesday that 210 locally-manufactured busses running on electricity and natural gas have been sent to Sharm El-Sheikh to assist in transporting the delegates of the 27th UN Climate Change Conference, slated to be held in the Red Sea city 6-18 November. Of the 210 busses, 100 buses run on natural gas and 110 busses run on electricity, the Minister of Local Development Hisham Amna said in a statement. Moving the buses to Sharm El-Sheikh, Amna said, comes within the framework of the state's ongoing preparations for hosting COP27 in the Red Sea city. The minister also explained that the buses were manufactured in accordance with the cooperation protocols signed between the Ministry of Local Development , the Ministry of Military Production and the governorates of Cairo and Alexandria. The Ministry of Military Production said earlier that it had collaborated with the Transportation Industry Company (MCV) to produce the first fully-electric bus in Egypt under the logo SETIBUS, adding that the buses have been manufactured at the same factory that produces and repairs armoured vehicles. More than 35,000 participants are expected to attend COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, according to the official website of the conference. Search Keywords: Short link: A delegation of travel agents and writers from major newspapers in Ireland has started a tour of various tourist and archaeological sites in Sharm El-Sheikh, the tourism ministry announced on Thursday. The Egyptian Tourism Promotion Board (ETPB) organised a cruise that will take the 17-member delegation to Ras Mohamed Protectorate, White Island, and Sharm El-Sheikh Museum. ETPB CEO Amr El-Kady said that the tour is part of the ministrys efforts to promote Egypt as a tourist destination in various international markets. Islam Nabil, the ETPB Sharm El-Sheikh office director, said the members of the delegation described Sharm El-Sheikh as "a wonderful place that has an irrestibale charm." Some of them plan to return to Egypt]to spend their vacations with their families, Nabil said. He added that they also praised the efforts currently taking place in Sharm El-Sheikh to prepare for hosting the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Climate Change (COP27) in November. The second leg of the delegation's tour will involve visits to tourist sites in Cairo. Search Keywords: Short link: Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly inspected the final preparations for the UN Conference on Climate Change (COP27), which set to take place 6-18 November in the Red Sea city of Sharm El-Sheikh in south Sinai. A cabinet statement said that Madbouly was keen on following up all projects aiming to turn Sharm El-Sheikh into a green city ahead of the conference. Madbouly was accompanied during his inspection tour by Minister of Health and Population Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar, Minister of Environment Minister Yasmine Fouad and the Governor of South Sinai Khaled Fouda. The prime minister toured the ongoing development work of the 40,000 square metre Peace Square. A host of activities are scheduled to take place in the square during the COP27, Governor Fouda said. Egypt seeks to develop the square, which comprises a promenade and a theatre, into a tourist destination in the popular seaside resort, the governor added. Madbouly inspected final renovations at Sharm El-Sheikh International Airport, including runways, passages, arrival and departure halls, and VIP halls. More than 35,000 have registered so far on the COP27 website to attend the conference. The prime minister urged staff to maintain all utilities and service areas at the airport, stressing the importance of providing a good reception to the city's visitors. Madbouly also inspected preparations at the Green Zone near the International Convention Centre that will host the climate conference's activities. Minister Fouad pointed out that infrastructure and logistical services in the area include water, sanitation, electricity and internet. She also the keenness of the Egyptian state to expand the participation of local and international NGOs in the conference. Fouad added that a number of NGOs are set to participate in the Egyptian pavilion inside the Blue Zone and the Green Zone. This will include a program by the Ministry of Social Solidarity to discuss issues of interest to civil society. The Green Zone will also include areas for showcasing stories of the Egyptian governments successful climate actions. These will include areas for non-commercial activities and fairs related to climate work in addition to areas for cultural activities. It will also include zones for establishing activities to raise the awareness with the risks of climate change. Madbouly also inspected medical facilities that have been equiped with the latest technologies to serve COP27 participants Search Keywords: Short link: President Maia Sandu of Moldova pledged Tuesday to keep her country on a pro-Western course and as a firm supporter of Ukraine despite struggling under pressure of what she called Russia's energy and political ``blackmail.'' "I want everyone to know that Moldova choses to be free and continue on its European path no matter what the circumstances," Sandu told Romania's Parliament while visiting the European Union member country. "We are willing to pay the price of our freedom," she added. Moldova is entirely dependent on Russia for its natural gas. As Sandu addressed Romanian lawmakers, the country's breakaway Trans-Dniester region stopped supplying the rest of Moldova with electricity. The Moscow-backed separatist region is home to Moldova's largest gas-operated power station, which supplies about 70% of the country's electricity needs. The power supply interruption followed a Monday announcement from Moldova's infrastructure minister, Andrei Spinu, that the state power company, Energocom, had failed to sign a November contract with the plant due to a 40% cut in deliveries of Russian natural gas. Spinu said Russian gas giant Gazprom agreed to supply Moldova with 5.7 million cubic meters of gas per day, just 51% of what the country needs to provide electricity for its 2.6 million people. Russia has used impoverished Moldova's dependence on its gas to pressure the country over its alignment with the West, including the condemnation of the war in Ukraine. Household energy tariffs have gone up six-fold in the last year. Gazprom has repeatedly threatened to cut off the former Soviet republic's pipelines altogether. Moldova became a candidate for European Union membership in June, at the same time as neighboring Ukraine did. "Providing electricity for the country is a daily challenge. ... Moldovan families now spend about 75% of their income on energy," Sandu told Romanian lawmakers. "We risk being without gas and electricity during the coming winter." Sandu also accused pro-Russia political forces in Moldova of "cynically exploiting people's hardships and the discontent ... (to) generate chaos and turn us back from our European path." She cited over 20 Moldovan and Russian individuals and entities sanctioned by the U.S. last week for assisting Russian efforts to manipulate Moldova's politics. The group included Ilan Shor, an Israel-based Moldovan oligarch and the leader of the populist Shor Party. His supporters staged days-long protests in Moldova's capital last month chanting slogans against the government's pro-Western policies and carrying banners with slogans such as "No to Cold War, no to cold winter." The State Department said Shor was working with "corrupt oligarchs and Moscow-based entities to create political unrest in Moldova" and to undermine the country's efforts to join the European Union. Sandu similarly accused "corrupt" political actors in Moldova of pushing for Russia's interests while the violence from the Kremlin's war in Ukraine spills into their country. On Monday, a Russian missile landed in a Moldovan border city when Ukrainian forces shot it down. Residents of Naslavcea said they were shaken by the explosion, which caused damage but no casualties. "We were scared, I did not know what to do or where to go," resident Yelena Shakrai said. Russia has previously fired missiles over Moldova into Ukraine, but Monday's incident was the first of its kind. The Moldovan Foreign Ministry responded by expelling a Russian Embassy employee from its territory. "We are all in danger, as there are no rules or limits for Russia. ... We need help to survive as a part of the free world," Sandu said. Search Keywords: Short link: Iranian protesters and security forces clashed in a town near the capital on Thursday, where state-run media reported at least two deaths and circulated graphic images of an apparent attack on a police vehicle. It was the latest in a wave of demonstrations that have convulsed Iran for more than six weeks and mark one of the biggest challenges to the country's clerical rulers since they seized power in the 1979 Islamic Revolution. At least 300 protesters have been killed and thousands arrested since the unrest began, according to a rights group. The protesters had gathered in Karaj, just outside Tehran, to mark the 40th day since the shooting death of Hadis Najafi, 22, one of several young women to have been killed during the protests. The demonstrations were ignited by the death of another woman held by the country's morality police. The 40th day after someone's death has great symbolism in Shiite Islam and is marked by public mourning. Commemorating protester deaths has given momentum to the ongoing demonstrations, just as it did during the 1979 revolution that overthrew a Western-backed monarchy. Videos circulated online showed thousands of protesters in Karaj and clashes with police. In one of them, a helicopter flies over the protesters and drops flash grenades in an attempt to disperse them before landing in the middle of a highway. Government supporters on social media said the helicopter was sent to aid wounded policemen. The state-run IRNA news agency quoted the head of emergency services in Karaj, Ahmad Mahdavi, as saying two people were killed and others wounded during the unrest. He did not specify whether the two were protesters or security forces, or provide further details. IRNA circulated videos and photos on social media showing a police pickup truck that had crashed into a concrete barrier on a highway. It was not immediately clear what caused the crash, but videos showed protesters hurling rocks at the vehicle and a man firing into it as at least three wounded individuals were inside. The photos showed what appeared to be two lifeless bodies. The semiofficial Tasnim news agency reported that three policemen were seriously wounded in clashes with protesters. It was not immediately clear it it was referring to the same event. Tasnim also reported that protesters set fire to a police kiosk and van. The semiofficial Fars news agency said a member of Iran's paramilitary Basij force was stabbed to death in Karaj. Iranian authorities heavily restrict media coverage of the protests and have periodically shut down internet access across the country, making it difficult to confirm details of the unrest. In a separate development, IRNA reported that masked men shot dead Sajad Shahraki, a cleric in the southeastern city of Zahedan, which has seen the deadliest violence in recent weeks. The report did not identify a motive or provide further details. The nationwide demonstrations were ignited by the Sept. 16 death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who had been detained by the morality police for allegedly violating Iran's strict dress code for women. Authorities say she died because of a health condition and was not mistreated, but her family has cast doubt on that account and the protesters accuse the police of beating her to death. The first big protests erupted at Amini's funeral in her hometown in the Kurdish region of Iran. The near-daily demonstrations continued, flaring up again 40 days after she was buried. The protests were initially focused on Iran's enforcement of the Islamic headscarf, or hijab, with crowds of young women removing theirs during raucous street protests. The demonstrations rapidly grew into calls for the overthrow of the theocracy that has ruled Iran for more than four decades. Security forces have sought to quash dissent, killing at least 300 people and arresting more than 14,000, according to the group Human Rights Activists in Iran, which has been tracking the violence since the protests began. It says at least 36 security forces have been killed. Iran's judiciary has said more than a thousand people who had a central role in the protests would be brought to trial in Tehran over their ``subversive actions,'' including assaulting security guards and torching public property. Authorities have announced charges against hundreds of people in other Iranian provinces, some accused of ``corruption on earth'' and ``war against God,'' offenses that carry the death penalty. Search Keywords: Short link: Egypts Foreign Minister and President Designate of the UN Climate Change Conference 2022 (COP27) Sameh Shoukry discussed on Thursday with the US Secretary of State the latest preparations for the 27th session of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change that will kick off on Sunday in the Red Sea city of Sharm El-Sheikh. According to a statement by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, Shoukry asserted in the telephone call he received from Blinken earlier Thursday that Egypt has made all the necessary arrangements to ensure effective participation in the conference of official delegations, private sector representatives, NGOs and civil society representatives and all parties concerned with climate change issues. Anthony Blinken, for his part, stated that the US was keen to participate in the conference and to work with Egypt to ensure the conference succeeds and achieves its goals in facing the challenges of climate change. The two top diplomats also discussed the latest developments in Libya. The US secretary of state expressed the United State's appreciation of Egyptian efforts to support the constitutional path in Libya. He also expressed appreciation for Egypt's joint chairmanship, alongside the US and the European Union, of the Economic Working Group which resulted from the Berlin conference, according to the statement. Blinken added that he hoped Egypt would continue to play that important role. The statement also said that Shoukry and Blinken discussed human rights in Egypt. The Egyptian foreign minister reviewed Egypt's most recent efforts within the framework of the National Strategy for Human rights. He also made references to the most recent decisions of the National Pardon Committee and to the National Dialogue. The two officials also discussed the latest developments in Palestine as well as the Israeli elections. Minister Shoukry stressed the importance of avoiding any escalation of the situation and any provocations of the Palestinian people. He also underscored the importance of focusing all efforts to revive the peace process after the formation of the new Israeli government, according to the statement. Search Keywords: Short link: Saudi banks are likely to require further central bank liquidity injections after interbank spreads rose sharply in October and as lending growth continues to outpace deposit growth, according to Fitch Ratings. Sector loans increased by 12.5% in the first nine months of 2022 (9M22), compared with 8% for deposits, which led the Fitch-calculated loans/deposits ratio (LDR) for Saudi banks collectively to rise to 102.2%, its highest level in at least 15 years. Without liquidity support, lending growth could be muted in 4Q22 and our 2023 loan growth forecast of 12% lowered, while banks cost of funding will continue to increase, Fitch Ratings said. Fitch noted in June that further liquidity support from SAMA could not be ruled out following the SR50 billion ($13.3 billion) liquidity injection in June, should lending growth remain strong. Three-month SAIBOR-Libor spreads increased to more than 140bp in October from 36bp in September, close to their levels in May of 150bp before the liquidity injection. This compares with a historical average of about 50bp. SAMAs support helped bring SAIBOR-Libor spreads down sharply to about 2bp by end-August before they widened again as the US Federal Reserve continued raising rates and lending growth remained strong. Last months increase in 3M SAIBOR-Libor spreads of more than 100bp indicates that liquidity conditions are tightening again. With markets pricing in further US Fed rate rises by end-1H23, we expect three- and six-month SAIBOR to exceed 6%, which would probably lead to further SAMA intervention to ease liquidity conditions. The sectors regulatory LDR of 81.9% is below the 90% limit but is its highest since end-3Q17. In September 2016, SAMA injected more than SR20 billion of liquidity into banks after three-month SAIBOR-Libor spreads had exceeded 150bp in June. However, this was amid weak lending growth (1% on average in 2016 and 2017). Without liquidity support, lending growth could decelerate in 2023, despite strong credit demand with corporate and retail loans up 13.5% and 11.4%, respectively, in 9M22. Corporate credit demand is underpinned by large infrastructure projects under the Saudi Vision 2030 framework to diversify the economy. Government initiatives to reach 70% home ownership by 2030 should support further growth in retail mortgages (31% yoy in 1H22; 22% of total loans). Banks could also use medium- to long-term funding to finance growth through subordinated debt, additional Tier 1 (AT1) securities or senior unsecured issuance. However, this would weigh on banks cost of funding and would not meet high financing demand from borrowers. Saudi banks have issued SR15.6 billion of AT1s this year and Al Rajhi (A-/Stable) is looking to issue AT1 with an initial amount of SR4 billion this month. Some banks have established EMTN programmes to issue US dollar senior unsecured notes and have securitised mortgages with the Saudi Real Estate Refinance Company (A/Positive). Tightening liquidity and the continuing increase in LDRs, our core funding and liquidity metric, is credit negative, especially for banks with higher Viability Ratings. Increased long-term issuance could be credit positive for banks funding and liquidity profiles, particularly if the duration gap between asset and liabilities narrows, and net stable funding ratios improve. However, duration gaps have widened significantly as the volume of mortgages more than doubled since 2019 and challenging global market conditions may constrain market access to some extent. Earnings and profitability could come under pressure should domestic liquidity remain tight. However, this is not our base case for most banks as profitability will remain underpinned by higher net interest margins (especially for corporate-focused banks) and non-interest revenues as assets grow, and by lower loan impairment charges (LICs) as economic conditions remain solid. The sectors profit before tax increased 28% yoy in 9M22, with balance sheet growth and lower LICs offsetting higher cost of funding. TradeArabia News Service President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi instructed the Armed Forces, the police, provincial governors, and the ministry of supply to offer more fully-subsidised packages of basic food items to citizens nationwide, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said on Wednesday. Sisi also ordered the bodies concerned to increase the number outlets offering these items at affordable prices, Madbouly added during a press conference at the Cabinet premises, in the presence of Minister of Supply and Internal Trade Ali Moslehi and Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Tarek El Molla. These outlets will remain open over the forthcoming period to ensure price stability, the prime minister noted. He added that the Cabinet's meeting today followed up the national economic situation after the CBE's recent monetary policy decisions, including liberalising the exchange rate. Madbouly also cited presidential directives to expedite the implementation of the decisions arising from Egypt Economic Forum last month, notably the new EGP 67 billion ($3.4 billion) social protection package. The package, announced last week, includes a rise in the minimum wage from from EGP 2,700 to EGP 3,000 and an EGP 300 bonus for all state employees and pensioners to help them cope with rising living costs. The government also announced raising the tax exemption limit from EGP 24,000 to EGP 30,000 annually, explaining that a citizen whose income reaches EGP 2,500 will no longer be required to pay taxes. It also postponed a scheduled hike in household electricity prices from January 2023 to June 2023 to ease burdens on low-income citizens. Search Keywords: Short link: Egypts National Initiative for Smart Green Projects announced the winning 18 projects out of 6,281 submitted from all governorates. The winning projects will be presented at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) -- set to take place in the Egyptian Red Sea city of Sharm El-Sheikh -- along with one project from each governorate. Ambassador Hisham Badr, the general coordinator of the initiative, said that the initiative contributes to developing smart and unprecedented solutions to climate problems, noting that the initiative is sponsored by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi. According to Badr, 162 projects were selected, with 6 projects from each governorate before being shortlisted to 18 winning projects to be presented at COP27, with each governorate choosing a certain project to be its ambassador. He explained that clear criteria were set for evaluating projects, and the executive committees in the governorates were adequately trained. First place winner will be awarded EGP 750,000, the second EGP 500,000, and the third EGP 250,000. This is in addition to the United Nations' support for the 18 projects. The announcement was made in a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Minister of Planning and Economic Development Hala El-Said, Minister of Local Development Mahmoud Shaarawi, and President of the National Council for Women Maya Morsy. The event was attended by representatives of international organisations, including Elena Panova, the resident representative of the United Nations in Egypt. In August, the prime minister launched the National Initiative for Smart Green Projects to choose the best proposals in six categories, including large and medium-sized projects, small local projects, especially those associated with the presidential initiative "Decent Life", and projects provided by startups and non-profit communities. The categories also include development projects related to women, climate change and sustainability. Each governorate submitted 6 projects, one in each category. In the final stage, three projects were selected from each category, bringing the total of the winning projects at the national level to 18 projects. The UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for Egypt and UN Special Envoy on Financing the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda Mahmoud Mohieldin stressed that COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh comes in a global atmosphere that calls for innovative solutions. Mohieldin explained that the initiative is one of three important initiatives adopted by the Egyptian presidency, and no one has preceded us in this regard." The initiative will be an annual event. In addition to this initiative, another initiative is to prepare a list of projects from the five regions globally and a third initiative is to support Egyptian universities and research centres in innovation and research related to climate action. "In this regard, we thank all Egyptian universities and research centres for supporting the Smart Green Projects Initiative." Mohieldin added that green and smart initiatives are linked to sustainable development in Egypt, praising the prime minister's decision to support and hold this initiative annually. Egypt, he added, enjoys the ability to compete and respond to global initiatives such as this one, and this became evident with the number of projects it submitted. He explained that the initiative comes as a translation of the goals of localising sustainable development. At the level of investment, Mohieldin said there are great opportunities for the projects presented in the competition to cooperate with the Federation of Egyptian Industries, the Stock Exchange, and international institutions with the aim of opening up broader horizons. The climate champion also stressed that these initiatives provide a dynamic map for investment in Egyptian governorates as well as an opportunity to increase investment and exports and achieve further development and innovation. There is an opportunity to take this initiative from its local framework to international horizons, he added. Search Keywords: Short link: The truce reached between Ethiopia's warring parties marks an "encouraging and bold step" towards peace, the UN rights chief said Thursday, demanding reparations for the brutal conflict's many victims. Volker Turk, who took over as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights two weeks ago, said he hoped the breakthrough agreement signed Wednesday would help end the "conflict that has claimed many lives, caused widespread displacement and untold suffering and ruin". He particularly welcomed that the deal between the federal government and Tigrayan regional authorities, announced almost exactly two years to the day since the war erupted on November 4, 2020, strongly emphasised human rights. In a statement, he highlighted that it condemned "sexual and gender-based violence, violence against children, girls, women, and older people" and also its "commitment to implement a comprehensive national transitional justice policy". "Consultation with all relevant stakeholders, including victims and civil society, will be crucial in the design of this policy," he said. Turk stressed in particular that it was essential to "ensure accountability for gross violations of international human rights and humanitarian law". "Effective remedies and adequate reparation will be key for victims, and to foster reconciliation and national healing." The UN rights chief also stressed the need to keep a keen focus on the situation on the ground to avert further abuses. "Regular monitoring and reporting are crucial to prevent human rights violations and abuses in all areas affected by hostilities." The UN Human Rights Committee, which on Thursday presented conclusions following a recent review of Ethiopia's record, also hailed the truce. Committee vice chair Christopher Arif Bulkan told reporters he hoped it would lead to a "considerable improvement" in Ethiopia's dire rights situation. The committee of independent experts, which reviewed Ethiopia's record last month, decried in its conclusions the "serious and widespread human rights violations against civilians by all parties to the conflict in Tigray". It called on Ethiopia to investigate all alleged violations, to hold perpetrators accountable and ensure victims "receive full reparations". The committee report also urged Ethiopia "to protect freedom of expression", pointing to harassment, attacks, arbitrary arrests and detention of dissidents, as well as the use of criminal provisions "to silence dissent". Search Keywords: Short link: Ukraine's nuclear state operator said Thursday that Russia has shelled and damaged power lines connecting Europe's largest nuclear power plant to the Ukrainian grid, leaving the plant reliant on diesel generators again. The generators have enough fuel to maintain the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in southeastern Ukraine for just 15 days, Energoatom said in a post on its Telegram channel. ``The countdown has begun,'' Energoatom said, noting it had limited possibilities to ``maintain the ZNPP in a safe mode,'' raising fears of a potential nuclear disaster. With its six reactors inoperative, the plant relies on outside electricity to cool its spent fuel. Russia and Ukraine have traded blame for months amid the war for shelling at and around the plant that the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog has warned could cause a radiation emergency. The nuclear power plant lies within part of the Zaporizhzhia region that has been occupied by Russian forces since the early days of the war, which began when Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. Although Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree transferring the plant to Russian ownership, Ukrainian workers continue to run the plant. Energoatom has repeatedly called for the withdrawal of Russian forces from the plant and the creation of a demilitarized zone around it. Energoatom said Thursday that Russia had shelled two power lines that were connecting the plant to the Ukrainian grid overnight, and accused it of being ``an attempt to reconnect the nuclear plant to the Russian power system.'' The operator said the Russian side would try to repair the power lines in order to connect the plant to the Russian grid and therefore supply power to occupied Crimea and the parts of the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbas also currently controlled by Russia. Across the Dnipro River from the power plant, the city of Nikopol was also shelled, damaging residential buildings, a gas station and several private enterprises, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office said Thursday. Other Ukrainian cities were also hit, with Russia using drones, missiles and heavy artillery that left six civilians dead and 16 others wounded, according to the president's office. Energy and water infrastructure facilities were hit in Zelenskyy's native city of Kryvyi Rih, leaving several districts without electricity or water in the city that had a prewar population of 635,000 people, local Gov. Oleksandr Vilkul said. Further east in the Donetsk region, battles continued for the towns of Bakhmut and Avdiivka, where authorities said the population was living without electricity or heat and were under constant shelling. Over the past day, six cities and villages in the region were attacked by heavy artillery, while in the northeast, Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv was hit by three missiles, officials said. Separately, seven ships carrying 290,000 tons of agricultural products set sail from Ukrainian seaports heading to Asia and Europe, a day after Russia agreed to rejoin a wartime agreement allowing Ukrainian grain and other commodities to be shipped to world markets. In announcing Russia was rejoining the pact, Putin said Moscow had received assurances that Ukraine wouldn't use the humanitarian corridors to attack Russian forces. He warned that Russia reserves the right to withdraw again if Kyiv breaks its word. Russia had suspended its participation in the grain deal over the weekend, citing an alleged drone attack against its Black Sea fleet in Crimea. Ukraine didn't claim responsibility for an attack and Zelenskyy said Wednesday that Moscow's return to the agreement showed ``Russian blackmail did not lead to anything.'' In Moscow, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned U.K. Ambassador Deborah Bronnert on Thursday, saying she was called in connection with the alleged participation of British instructors in the Oct. 29 attack by drones on Black Sea fleet facilities in Sevastopol in Crimea. Bronnert made no comment upon leaving the ministry after a meeting that lasted about a half-hour. The ships that set sail Thursday included one carrying 29,000 tons of sunflower seeds bound for Oman, and one carrying 67,000 tons of corn heading to China, according to the Ministry of Infrastructure. Since the deal was reached in August, 430 ships have exported 10 million tons of Ukrainian agricultural products to countries in Africa, Asia and Europe. The infrastructure ministry said that export volumes in October ``could have been 30-40% higher if Russia had not artificially blocked inspections in the Bosphorus.'' Search Keywords: Short link: Pope Francis, leader of the world's 1.3 billion Catholics, on Thursday began a trip to Bahrain aimed at fostering dialogue between Christians and Muslims. The first papal visit to the island nation is this pontiff's second voyage as pope to the Arabian peninsula, after a 2019 trip to the United Arab Emirates also aimed at inter-faith outreach. The pope, 85, who is using a wheelchair due to knee problems, used an electronic platform to board the plane and broke with his usual practice of greeting journalists on arrival. Uniformed guards on horseback and Vatican and Bahrain flags lined the route of his short journey to the lavish Sakhir Royal Palace, where he was greeted by a crowd of cheering children. During his trip, which lasts until Sunday, he will meet Bahrain's king, hold an open-air mass and lead a prayer for peace at a vast modern cathedral opened last year. Francis is set to conduct a courtesy visit with King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa following a welcoming ceremony, and then give a speech to authorities, diplomats and members of civil society. On Friday, Francis will address the "Bahrain Dialogue Forum: East and West for Human Coexistence", organised by the UAE-based Muslim Council of Elders. 'Banner of dialogue' Afterwards, he will hold a private meeting with Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, grand imam of the prestigious Cairo-based Al-Azhar, Egypt's highest Sunni institution. The two religious leaders signed a joint document pledging interfaith coexistence during Francis' UAE trip in 2019. The Argentine pope has made outreach to Muslim communities a priority during his papacy, visiting major Muslim countries such as Egypt, Turkey and Iraq, and most recently in September, Kazakhstan. On Tuesday, Francis asked the faithful assembled on Saint Peter's Square to pray for his upcoming trip, calling it "a journey under the banner of dialogue". Ahead of the voyage, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni told journalists that the pope's view "concerning religious freedom and liberty is clear and known". 'Prayer for peace' Friday's "prayer for peace" will be held at the cavernous Our Lady of Arabia Cathedral in Awali, which seats more than 2,000 people and opened in December. It was built to serve Bahrain's approximately 80,000 Catholics, mainly workers from southern Asia, including India and the Philippines. On Saturday, Francis will lead mass at Bahrain's national stadium before a crowd of nearly 30,000 people, where workers on Wednesday were adding finishing touches, including a giant gold cross above Francis' chair. Francis will preside over a prayer meeting with Catholic clergy and others on Sunday before returning to Rome. Search Keywords: Short link: The Russian Cultural Centre in Cairo is organising an exhibition of paintings entitled "Peter the Great" to commemorate the 350th anniversary of the birth of the great Russian emperor Peter the Great and to depict the beauty of the city of St. Petersburg, which was named after apostle Saint Peter. Director of the Russian Cultural Centres in Egypt Marat Gatin inaugurated the exhibition on Sunday. Attending the opening were the Russian Consul General in Hurghada Victor Voropaev, and a Russian delegation of visual artists, together with Salah El-Meligy, former head of the plastic arts sector, and Sherif Gad, President of the Arab Union of Graduates of Soviet and Russian Universities, and artist Heba Saleh, curator of the exhibition. Thirty artists from Egypt and Russia who participated in the exhibition presented various artworks in the surrealist and realistic styles, collage, caricature and portrait that depicted Russian Emperor Peter the Great and the city of St. Petersburg. For his part, Gatin pointed out that Peter the Great revolutionised Russia just as Mohammed Ali did in Egypt. The reforms he led in Russia led to development in all areas of life, he added. Therefore, he holds a special place in the hearts of the Russian people, he stressed. Gatin praised Egyptian interest in the history of Russian culture and the great Russian emperor. He also thanked the artist Heba Saleh who organised the exhibition and commissioned the Egyptian artists who contributed. Consul General Voropaev also pointed out the importance of celebrating the 350th anniversary of the birth of the great emperor of Russia. Curator of the show Heba Saleh expressed her appreciation for the Egyptian and Russian artists who studied the historical, cultural, artistic and architectural data on both Peter the Great and the city of St. Petersburg city and expressed their vision of both in various artistic styles. For their parts, the Russian artists expressed their admiration for the Egyptian artists' vision and depiction of the emperor of Russia. At the end of the event, Gatin and Gad distributed certificates of appreciation to the artists who participated in the exhibition. Search Keywords: Short link: The invitation comes as Algeria hosts the first Arab League summit in three years, in the absence of several key figures including the Moroccan monarch. Algeria cut ties with Morocco in August last year, alleging "hostile acts" following a string of diplomatic incidents and the collapse of a 30-year ceasefire in the disputed Western Sahara, a key point of tension between the neighbouring powers. Tebboune had invited King Mohammed to the two-day summit which opened in Algiers on Tuesday, and the king had made public his intention to attend. However, Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita told AFP that Algeria had sent "no confirmation via the appropriate channels" when Moroccan diplomats in Algiers asked how the monarch would be hosted. Bourita's Algerian counterpart Ramtane Lamamra told a Saudi TV channel on Monday that the king's absence was a "lost opportunity". Tebboune had said he would meet the king on his arrival in the Algerian capital, but Bourita said: "That kind of meeting can't be improvised in an airport waiting room. "His majesty has given instructions to extend an open invitation to President Tebboune, because the dialogue was not able to take place in Algiers," Bourita said. Mohammed VI has repeatedly called for reconciliation with Algeria and in a July speech voiced his desire for a return to "normal ties between brotherly peoples". Morocco in late 2020 re-established ties with Israel and established security cooperation with the Jewish state, acts seen by Algeria as a threat to its interests. That added to decades of mistrust fuelled by Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony seen by Morocco as an integral part of its territory, but where Algeria has long backed the pro-independence Polisario Front. The Spokesman for the Foreign Ministry Ahmed Abu-Zeid welcomed on Thursday an agreement on cessation of hostilities inked between the Ethiopian government and Tigray movement after peace talks that lasted for ten days. In a press statement, Abu-Zeid wished that the agreement would bring about permanent peace in Ethiopia and give the Ethiopian government and people an opportunity to remove the effect of disputes and to reconstruct social stability. He asserted the importance of boosting peace, stability and security in Africa, especially in east Africa. Abu-Zeid expressed Egypts thanks and appreciation to the High Representative of the African Union (AU) for the Horn of Africa, to former President of Nigeria Olusegun Obasanjo, to the members of the AU High-level panel for the Ethiopian Peace process and to members of the AU group of wise men for the efforts they made to help the conflicting parties reach this agreement. He also thanked the President of South Africa and the South African government for hosting the agreements talks. On Wednesday, the Ethiopian government and Tigray movement announced that they had reached a truce, mediated by AU, following a round of talks in South Africa led by AU special envoy former president Obasanjo. This agreement comes after a two year civil war that caused a humanitarian crisis. Search Keywords: Short link: New evidence has emerged that an invasive species of malaria-carrying mosquito from Asia is spreading in Africa, where it could pose a "unique" threat to tens of millions of city-dwellers, researchers warned . Related Antibody treatment tested as new tool against malaria In Africa, home to more than 95 percent of the world's 627,000 malaria deaths in 2020, the parasite is mostly spread in rural areas preferred by the dominant Anopheles gambiae group of mosquitoes. However the Anopheles stephensi mosquito, which has long been a main malaria spreader in Indian and Iranian cities, can breed in urban water supplies, meaning it can thrive during the dry season. It is also to resistant to commonly used insecticides. Modelling research in 2020 found that if Anopheles stephensi spread widely in Africa it would put more than 126 million people in 44 cities at risk of malaria. Djibouti became the first African nation to detect Anopheles stephensi in 2012. It had been close to eradicating malaria with just 27 reported cases that year. However the number has skyrocketed since Anopheles stephensi's arrival, hitting 73,000 cases in 2020, according to the World Health Organization. On Tuesday, researchers revealed the first evidence that a malaria outbreak in neighbouring Ethiopia earlier this year was caused by Anopheles stephensi. In the eastern Ethiopian city of Dire Dawa, a transport hub between the capital Addis Ababa and Djibouti, 205 malaria cases were reported in all of 2019. However this year more than 2,400 cases were reported between January and May. The outbreak was unprecedented because it took place during the country's dry season, when malaria has usually been rare. 'Surprising' As the numbers were rising, Fitsum Girma Tadesse, a molecular biologist at Ethiopia's Armauer Hansen Research Institute, and other researchers "jumped in to investigate," he told AFP. They quickly determined that "Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes are responsible for the increase in cases," Tadesse said. They linked Anopheles stephensi to the infections of the patients, and also found the mosquitoes -- carrying malaria -- in nearby water containers. Tadesse warned that the mosquito's preference for open water tanks, common across many African cities, "makes it unique". The research, which has not been peer reviewed, was presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene being held this week in Seattle, US. Also presented at the conference were early findings that identified Anopheles stephensi at 64 percent of 60 test sites in nine states of neighbouring Sudan. "In some instances, we have found that up to 94 percent of households have stephensi" mosquitoes nearby, Hmooda Kafy, the head of the integrated vector management department at Sudan's health ministry, said in a statement. The findings come after the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research confirmed in July it had detected Anopheles stephensi in West Africa for the first time. Sarah Zohdy, an Anopheles stephensi specialist at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told AFP it was "surprising" that the mosquito was detected so far west, as the focus had been on the Horn of Africa. - 'A major threat' - In the last couple of months it has been shown that Anopheles stephensi "is no longer a potential threat" in Africa, Zohdy said. "In the Ethiopian context, this is a threat -- we now have data to show that," said Zohdy, who also works with the US President's Malaria Initiative, a partner of the Dire Dawa study. "The evidence now exists to suggest that this is something that the world needs to act on," she added. Anopheles stephensi has also been reportedly detected in Somalia, according to the WHO, which in September launched an initiative aimed at stopping the spread of the mosquito in Africa. Because Anopheles stephensi can thrive in urban water tanks, "you get a shift from a seasonal disease to one that can persist year round," Zohdy said. That shift poses "a major threat" to recent gains made against malaria, she added. Deaths from malaria had more than halved from the start of the century to 2017 -- largely due to insecticide-treated mosquito nets, testing and drugs -- before progress stalled during the Covid-19 pandemic. Zohdy called for increased surveillance to find out exactly how far Anopheles stephensi has spread across the continent. "The true extent of the distribution of the mosquito is unknown," she said. Search Keywords: Short link: Five African lions broke out of their enclosure at Sydney's harborside Taronga Zoo on Wednesday, triggering an emergency lockdown as police and specialist handlers scrambled to round up the pride. Alarms blared throughout the zoo, a tourist drawcard that was closed to the public at the time, before the lions were tracked down and returned to their exhibit. The zoo's executive director Simon Duffy told reporters one lion cub had to be tranquilized. "This is a significant incident, and a full review is now underway to confirm exactly how the lions were able to exit their main exhibit," he said. "We don't have the exact details of how and why that occurred." Taronga Zoo -- set in a leafy, affluent neighborhood with views of Sydney's famous opera house and harbor bridge -- said it would be opening as normal later in the day. Zookeepers were seen probing the fences of the lion enclosure for signs of damage. American Express Saudi Arabia and Marriott Bonvoy, the travel program from Marriott International, have launched the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Credit Card; the first credit card to offer lodging rewards in Saudi Arabia. The new Card issued by American Express Saudi Arabia allows Cardmembers the chance to earn Marriott Bonvoy points on their daily spend while giving them access to exclusive benefits, offers and experiences across Marriott Bonvoys portfolio of 30 extraordinary brands and over 8,100 hotels and resorts, as well as more than 65,000 premium home rentals on Homes & Villas by Marriott International, in some of the most memorable destinations in the world. In addition, Cardmembers will enjoy greater access to perks provided to members of Marriott Bonvoy including an exclusive 20% discount on food and beverage options at participating Marriott properties in the Kingdom until October 31, 2023. The Marriott Bonvoy American Express Credit Card is a US dollar card that provides a 0% foreign exchange fee when spending in Saudi Riyals (SR). Cardmembers can earn 5 Marriott Bonvoy points for every $1 (or its equivalent in other currencies) spent at participating Marriott Bonvoy properties around the world. Cardmembers can also earn - 3 points for each $1 spent internationally (excluding US dollar and SAR) and 2 points for every $1 (or SR equivalent) transaction within Saudi Arabia. Cardmembers will automatically be given annual Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status, which gives them additional benefits such as bonus points for stays and Priority Late Checkout. Members will be upgraded to Gold Elite status if they spend $30,000 within a calendar year. Eligible Cardmembers can also enjoy a limited-time welcome bonus offer of 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points if they spend $3,000 in the first three months. Fahad Bin Mubarak Al Guthami, Chief Executive Officer at American Express Saudi Arabia, said: The launch of the new Marriott Bonvoy American Express Credit Card aligns with our strategy to provide customers with greater payment choice while meeting their specific needs against a backdrop of continued growth in travel. As the first Card in the Kingdom which provides hospitality rewards, it allows Cardmembers to earn points when making everyday purchases that can be redeemed towards hotel stays at Marriott properties across the world and other experiences. We are always exploring ways in which we can enrich our Cardmembers experience and were pleased to partner with Marriott Bonvoy to continue to deliver incredible value and service to our Cardmembers, wherever life takes them. Neal Jones, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer, Europe, Middle East & Africa, Marriott International said: We are thrilled to work with American Express Saudi Arabia to offer Marriott Bonvoy members more ways to earn Marriott Bonvoy points at our hotels in the Kingdom and across our portfolio of hotels, resorts and home rentals globally. Not only is this an expansion of our existing relationship with American Express, but it is also a reflection of our hyper-local strategy that focuses on delivering extra value to our members in the Kingdom. We are excited for new Cardmembers in the Kingdom to use their card to earn points and experience our extraordinary properties and homes around the world, as well as access some incredible money-cant-buy experiences through Marriott Bonvoy Moments. The Marriott Bonvoy American Express Credit Card is tailored to meet the needs of Cardmembers in Saudi Arabia and bolster their loyalty status with Marriott Bonvoy, opening a world of experiences. Those looking to travel within the Kingdom can experience Marriott Bonvoys portfolio in the country which features more than 30 properties across world-renowned brands such as The Ritz-Carlton, The Luxury Collection, JW Marriott, Sheraton, Marriott Hotels and Aloft Hotels. Other Marriott Bonvoy American Express Credit Card benefits include a $100 Property Credit , which can be used on eligible purchases during a two-night minimum stay at participating luxury hotels worldwide across The Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis brands, an annual free night stay at Marriott Bonvoy hotels , airport lounge access, and travel insurance with Card usage from American Express . Cardmembers are also able to transfer points to over 40 major airline frequent flyer programs. All Marriott Bonvoy American Express Cardmembers have access to a 15 Elite Night Credit each calendar year. TradeArabia News Service Earlier Wednesday, South Korea's military said North Korea fired three missiles in the direction of South Korean territory. Later this week, the State Department also plans to call out a specific individual who evades U.S. and United Nations sanctions by covertly transporting fuel to North Korea. The U.S. efforts to curb North Korea's illicit activities come amid Pyongyang's unprecedented missile firings and escalating nuclear threats. The U.S. State Department is offering up to $5 million in rewards, seeking information to disrupt financial tools of persons engaged in illegal activities that support North Korea's weapons proliferation programs, money laundering, and specific cyber operations. U.S. officials also voiced concerns about North Korea's weapon proliferation. White House National Security spokesperson John Kirby said Wednesday the U.S. has information that indicates North Korea is covertly supplying Russia with a "significant" number of artillery shells for its war in Ukraine. In Pyongyang, North Korea's foreign ministry demanded Monday the U.S. and South Korea to stop large-scale military exercises, calling them a provocation that may draw "more powerful follow-up measures" from Pyongyang. "[North Korea] knows full well that the military exercises that we conduct are purely, purely defensive in nature," State Department spokesperson Ned Price said during Tuesday's briefing. He was referring to Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name. The spokesperson warned of "profound costs and profound consequences" if the [North] went ahead with its seventh nuclear test. A diplomatic source who wishes not to be named told VOA that South Korea, together with the U.S., have "full capability" to "wipe out" North Korea from the map should Pyongyang launch an attack against Seoul. He said South Korea currently has no plan to request that the United States redeploy the tactical nuclear weapons that Washington withdrew from Seoul in the early 1990s. The Rewards for Justice Program is administered by the State Department's diplomatic security service. The program has paid more than $250 million to more than 125 people who provided information that have helped to resolve threats to U.S. national security since 1984. Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared well-placed to return to power after exit polls following Tuesday's election showed his right-wing bloc heading for a narrow majority lifted by a strong showing from his far-right allies. Israel's longest-serving premier, on trial over corruption charges that he denies, was poised to take 61-62 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, according to Israeli television exit polls. The early exit polls may differ from the final result of the election, which is not expected until later in the week. But the results pointed to a strong showing by the right, which had been seen falling just short of a majority. "Of course I'm happy. I only hope it keeps rising," said Likud lawmaker Dudi Amsalem. "We will strengthen Jewish identity, and we will strengthen law and order." Israel's fifth election in less than four years exasperated many voters but turnout was nonetheless reported at the highest levels since 1999. The campaign was shaken up by far-right firebrand Itamar Ben-Gvir and his ultra-nationalist Religious Zionism list, now poised to be the third-largest party in parliament after surging in from the political margins. Security on the streets and soaring prices topped the list of voter concerns in a campaign triggered by defections from centrist Prime Minister Yair Lapid's unlikely ruling coalition of right-wing, liberal and Arab parties. A growing number of Koreans are shutting down mentally after the Halloween stampede in Itaewon that killed more than 150 people. Sufferers are reluctant to go to crowded places or leave their home altogether. Lee Tae-joo (32), who was in Itaewon when the tragedy happened, said, "I have to take packed subways to go to work and now I have trouble breathing and remember the victims, which is hard to endure." Mental trauma can be triggered by the sharing of graphic photos on social media. One 28-year-old office worker who lives in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, said, "I go to Itaewon often and I just can't believe what happened. I keep seeing photos online and it makes me feel queasy and my head hurts." The Seoul Metropolitan Government wants to address chronic overcrowding on subways after the fatal crowd surge in Itaewon on Halloween weekend killed more than 150 people. Baek Ho, a transport official at the city government, said during a National Assembly audit on Wednesday, "The city and Seoul Metro will identify and examine high-density subway stops and come up with stronger safety measures, including more evacuation spaces and CCTV cameras." North Korea fired three ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Thursday, South Korea's military authorities said. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea fired what presumed to be an intercontinental ballistic missile from Sunan near Pyongyang at around 7:40 a.m. and two short-range missiles from Kaechon, South Pyongan Province about an hour later. A South Korean F-15K fighter jet fires an air-to-surface missile in the East Sea on Wednesday in response to North Korea's missile provocation the same day. /Yonhap Thursday's provocation came just a day after the North launched about two dozen missiles, including the one that fell into South Korean territorial waters in the morning, followed by more than 100 artillery shells later in the day. Ulleung islanders arrive in Pohang port in North Gyeongsang Province on Wednesday night. /News1 North Korea is expected to continue provocations while massive South Korea-U.S. aerial drills are conducted here and the U.S. gears up for mid-term elections next week. North Korea fired 25 missiles into the East and West seas on Wednesday and another three ballistic missiles into the East Sea on Thursday. One of Wednesday's missiles flew toward Ulleung Island and landed 26 km south of the Northern Limit Line, the de facto maritime border with South Korea. It was the first time since the 1950-53 Korean War that the North targeted an area south of the border. What is worrisome is that there are no anti-missile batteries on Ulleung Island, where locals scurried for shelter when the air-raid warning sounded. Shortly before Wednesday's provocation, the Norths top military officer lambasted South Korea and the U.S. for conducting massive aerial drills and warned that the allies would "pay a horrible price." North Korea also fired around 100 artillery shells into a buffer zone in the East Sea that was created under a cross-border military agreement in 2018 to ease tensions. North Korea's provocations are growing increasingly threatening and belligerent. In September it fired a missile that flew exactly the same distance a U.S. aircraft carrier sailed before it docked in Busan at the time. The North also startled observers by launching a ballistic missile from under a reservoir. Last month it fired a ballistic missile over Japan, scrambled 150 fighter jets and lobbed hundreds of artillery rounds into buffer zones in the East and West seas, and a North Korean vessel crossed over the NLL near Baeknyeong Island and fired around a dozen artillery shells. North Korea is attempting to rattle the South by resorting to unexpected provocations. It could even fire a mid-range ballistic missile over South Korean airspace, triggering a nationwide air-raid warning, or any missile over Baeknyeong or Yeonpyeong islands off its southwestern coast. North Korea leader Kim Jong-un is constantly looking for new ways to spark fear, confusion and chaos in South Korea. He is widely expected to conduct a seventh nuclear test. KYODO NEWS - Nov 3, 2022 - 23:05 | All, World, Japan Japan and Germany agreed Thursday to enhance their defense cooperation, including starting negotiations for a military pact for exchanges of supplies and logistical support, Japanese officials said, in the face of increasing military activities by China and North Korea. The foreign and defense ministers from Japan and Germany also confirmed that they strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to alter the status quo by force in the East and South China seas, the officials said, as China has been criticized for its maritime assertiveness in the waters. Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi met with his German counterpart, Annalena Baerbock, in the western German city of Munster, while the countries' defense chiefs, Yasukazu Hamada and Christine Lambrecht, joined them online. Tokyo and Berlin now intend to sign a deal like the acquisition and cross-servicing agreement, or ACSA, the officials told reporters after the meeting. Japan has already concluded an ACSA, which, in general, allows the two sides to share defense capabilities and supplies, including fuel and ammunition, with nations such as the United States, Britain, Australia and India. Japan and Germany have been deepening their security cooperation in recent years amid growing concern about China's expanding economic and military clout in the Indo-Pacific region. Germany, which released comprehensive strategy guidelines for the region in 2020, sent three Eurofighter jets to Japan for the first time in September. A German frigate also made a port call in Japan in November last year, becoming the first German naval vessel to do so in around 20 years. Amid speculation that North Korea is poised to conduct a seventh nuclear test, the first since September 2017, the Japanese and German ministers shared "serious concern" about Pyongyang's high frequency of ballistic missile launches, the officials said. The ministers also affirmed their close partnership in the defense field as Russia's invasion of Ukraine has brought into focus that the security of Europe is inseparable from that of Asia. The two-plus-two meeting is the second such occasion for Japan and Germany following the first talks held in April last year in a virtual format. The meeting was held on the sidelines of a two-day foreign ministerial gathering of the Group of Seven nations through Friday in Munster. KYODO NEWS - Nov 3, 2022 - 11:16 | All, World, Japan Japan said Thursday it will bestow decorations this fall on 119 foreigners, including former UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore, and 3,999 Japanese people, such as internationally renowned fashion designer Junko Koshino, for their achievements across a wide variety of fields. Fore will receive the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun, the highest commendation for foreigners this season, along with former U.S. National Security Adviser Thomas Donilon and former Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario. French pastry chef and chocolatier Pierre Herme will be awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette. Fore, 73, headed the U.N. Children's Fund from 2018 to 2022 as part of her lifelong career as a public servant in fields including economic development, education and health. She is one of 33 women among the foreign awardees hailing from 54 countries and territories. Del Rosario, 82, was foreign minister under then-Philippine President Benigno Aquino from 2011 to 2016, while Donilon, 67, served as national security adviser to then-U.S. President Barack Obama from 2010 to 2013. Named best pastry chef in the world in 2016, Herme, 60, has several outlets in Japan, including one in Tokyo's trendy Aoyama district. Of the 3,999 Japanese nationals who will receive the fall decorations, 1,910 people, or 47.8 percent, come from the private sector. The honors are to be given to 436 Japanese women, including Koshino, 83, who will receive the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon. "I am very happy. I feel that I have been destined a role, a mission," said Koshino, whose real name is Junko Suzuki. "I would like to continue to show the vastness of the world of design." The Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun will be bestowed on six people, including Akira Gunji, 72, a former vice president of the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of Japan's parliament, and Satoshi Miura, 78, a former chairman of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. Astronomer Masanori Ie, 73, will receive the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold and Silver Star. A professor emeritus at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, his team discovered a galaxy located some 12.9 billion light-years from Earth with Japan's Subaru Telescope. He will be joined by Shigekazu Nagata, 73, a professor emeritus at Osaka University, who is known for his research on apoptosis, or programmed cell death. Hisashi Ietsugu, 73, chairman of Sysmex Corp., a medical testing equipment company, will receive the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star. Some of the decorations will be conferred Wednesday at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo by Emperor Naruhito and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Villagers in Zambia's rural areas are expecting increased farming productivity and income thanks to a Chinese-aided project aiming to help reduce poverty in the southern African country. The project, the Demonstration Village for China-Africa Agricultural Development and Poverty Reduction, was proposed during the Eighth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) held last November. It aims to establish 10 demonstration villages in the rural areas of Zambia over the next few years. Earlier this month, Shimwengwe Village in Chongwe District, Lusaka Province was set up as one of the demonstration villages. Simushi Liswaniso, the project coordinator, said the project, which runs from this year to 2025, has been financed by China under the Belt and Road/South-South Cooperation Agricultural Education, Science and Technology Innovation League (BRSSCAL) through China's Jilin Agricultural University. He thanked the Chinese government for supporting the project, adding that such projects will enhance the friendship between the two countries since it was aimed at improving people's lives. He further thanked Jilin Agricultural University for spearheading the project and hoped that more funds will be secured to ensure the smooth implementation of the project. Liswaniso said the results from the pilot project will be used to assess whether to extend the project to other parts of the country in order to improve the lives of vulnerable families in rural areas. Zambia has a lot to learn from China which has managed to lift millions of its people out of poverty because of its robust poverty reduction programs, he added. Produced by Xinhua Global Service BEIJING, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang sent a congratulatory letter on Tuesday to the 23rd Pacific Basin Nuclear Conference held simultaneously in Beijing and Chengdu. Nuclear power is safe, stable and efficient clean energy, Li noted in the letter. The peaceful development and utilization of nuclear power not only injects fresh impetus into human development but also plays a significant role in ensuring energy security, addressing climate change, promoting green and low-carbon energy transformation, and advancing the development of high-end equipment manufacturing, Li said. The Chinese government firmly supports the active and orderly development of nuclear power and vigorously promoting technological advances and industrial development in this field on the premise of ensuring absolute security, Li said. He stressed that China is willing to work with other countries to deepen international exchanges and cooperation in nuclear power on the basis of equality and mutual benefits to facilitate the transformation of economic and social development and deliver more benefits to people of all countries. He called on nations to take the well-being of their people into consideration, fulfill their obligations per the international legal instruments regarding nuclear security, and jointly uphold the international nuclear non-proliferation system with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons as its cornerstone. Saudi-based Dr Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Services Group Company has announced that its key subsidiary - Gharb Al Takhassusi Hospital for Healthcare - has awarded a SR244.2 milliion ($65 million) contract to Masah Construction Company for the development of its new maternity and pediatric hospital project. A leading provider of healthcare services in Saudi Arabia, Dr Sulaiman Al Habib Group operates several hospitals, outpatient clinics, pharmacies and medical labs throughout the kingdom as well as in Dubai and Bahrain. As per the deal, Masah will be responsible for the project's mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) works, said Dr Sulaiman Al Habib in its filing to saudi bourse Tadawul. The MEP work is due to be completed within nine months, it stated. The contract is projected to reflect positively on Dr Sulaiman Al Habibs income statements once it commences operations in 2024, it added.-TradeArabia News Service Students attend a class at Yan'an High School in Yan'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Oct. 27, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhang Bowen) XI'AN, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Toward evening, heated discussions and laughter emanated from a brightly-lit senior high school campus in Yan'an, a former revolutionary base in northwest China's Shaanxi Province. Even in their first grade at Yan'an High School, several students passionately shared their understanding of topics such as cultural confidence. "Cultural confidence is about inclusiveness, openness, pride, and self-confidence," said 16-year-old Chang Ruixue, adding that the rich history of her school has always propelled them to look at a far bigger picture and thrive on challenges and difficulties. Yan'an High School was the first school of its kind set up by the Communist Party of China in 1938. It has a glorious history as well as fine revolutionary traditions and has fostered many talents for the old revolutionary base areas. Starting from a campus of several cave dwellings, the school now has two campuses with modern facilities and a total of 5,500 students. Over the past decade, Yan'an City has invested 11.5 billion yuan (1.59 billion U.S. dollars) in building and expanding 501 kindergartens, and primary and middle schools, according to the local education bureau. Modern educational philosophy has also been introduced across schools in Yan'an to help broaden the horizons of the youth, such as organizing plenty of extracurricular activities. Zhang Yazun, a 13-year-old local middle school student, said she felt fulfilled volunteering as a part-time guide at several revolutionary sites during weekends. "The opportunity has greatly boosted my daughter's confidence, and she has shown more interest in broadcasting and hosting," said Zhang's mother, Hou Junyu. Now, nearly 50,000 student volunteers like Zhang have helped at museums, memorial halls, and revolutionary sites in Yan'an as tour guides during their spare time. Yan'an has built cooperation partnerships with 88 schools in over 10 provinces and municipalities nationwide, including Beijing and Shanghai, which has helped improve the education quality of the old revolutionary base. "Being a diplomat is a big dream for me as I'm eager to shine in the global arena when I grow up," said Chang Ruixue. Mourners carry the body of Mohammad Saba'neh, who was killed by Israeli soldiers, during his funeral in the West Bank city of Jenin on Nov. 3, 2022. Two Palestinians were killed, and three were injured on Thursday afternoon by Israeli soldiers in the northern West Bank city of Jenin and its refugee camp, Palestinian medics and eyewitnesses said. (Photo by Ayman Nobani/Xinhua) RAMALLAH, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Two Palestinians were killed, and three were injured on Thursday afternoon by Israeli soldiers in the northern West Bank city of Jenin and its refugee camp, Palestinian medics and eyewitnesses said. The Palestinian Ministry of Health said in a statement that Farouq Salameh, 28, died at Jenin's governmental hospital from severe wounds sustained after being shot in the head, chest, and abdomen by Israeli soldiers. The statement added that another Palestinian, named Mohammad Saba'neh, died as a result of the critical wounds he received from Israeli forces and that three others were injured and are being treated at a hospital. There has been no immediate Israeli authorities' comment on the incident. Palestinian eyewitnesses and local sources said that an Israeli army force backed by armored vehicles stormed the city and its refugee camp, which was followed by fierce clashes between dozens of Palestinians and Israeli soldiers. Earlier on Thursday, two other Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, according to the statements from the Palestinian health ministry and Israeli police. Tension has been mounting between Israelis and Palestinians since March when the Israeli army intensified its military actions and operations against Palestinian militants and activists by storming Palestinian towns and cities in the West Bank. At least 130 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip since January, and over 20 Israelis have been killed in attacks by Palestinians since March, according to official Palestinian and Israeli figures. People mourn during the funeral of Farouq Salameh, who was killed by Israeli soldiers, in the West Bank city of Jenin, Nov. 3, 2022. Two Palestinians were killed, and three were injured on Thursday afternoon by Israeli soldiers in the northern West Bank city of Jenin and its refugee camp, Palestinian medics and eyewitnesses said. (Photo by Ayman Nobani/Xinhua) People mourn during the funeral of Mohammad Saba'neh, who was killed by Israeli soldiers, in the West Bank city of Jenin on Nov. 3, 2022. Two Palestinians were killed, and three were injured on Thursday afternoon by Israeli soldiers in the northern West Bank city of Jenin and its refugee camp, Palestinian medics and eyewitnesses said. (Photo by Ayman Nobani/Xinhua) TEHRAN, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on Wednesday Tehran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are working toward the achievement of a "good and robust" agreement. Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks in a phone call with the EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. Amir-Abdollahian referred to the efforts that are aimed at addressing differences between Iran and the IAEA. In a report, IAEA accused Iran of its "failure to provide technically credible explanations for nuclear activities at three undeclared sites," a claim that Tehran has repeatedly rejected. Noting the talks on the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal, Amir-Abdollahian reiterated that Iran is ready to achieve a "good, strong and lasting agreement." Iran has presented its viewpoints with a positive approach through the EU to the American side, he added. Earlier on Wednesday, Amir-Abdollahian said that an Iranian delegation will travel to Vienna in the coming days for talks on enhancing cooperation with the IAEA, the official news agency IRNA reported. Iran signed the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with world major countries in July 2015, agreeing to curb its nuclear program in return for removing sanctions on the country. However, former U.S. President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the agreement and reimposed unilateral sanctions on Tehran, prompting the latter to drop some of its commitments under the pact. The talks on the JCPOA's revival began in April 2021 in Vienna. No breakthrough was achieved after the latest round of talks in early August. TEHRAN, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has destroyed a "terrorist team" in western Ilam city, Tasnim news agency reported. "The members of the team who, during the recent riots, attempted to carry out anti-security measures such as the preparation and supply of war grenades and incendiary bombs for use in sabotage activities, were arrested during an operation in Ilam city," the report cited a statement as reading by the IRGC's base in Ilam province. The arrested people planned to attack military and security centers with grenades and incendiary bombs, and they sought to carry out anti-security activities and form operational teams and manage riots in "connections with foreign countries," it said. In the hiding place of the team, five hand-made bombs, one war grenade, handguns, hunting guns, a significant number of bullets and shotguns, and 255 bottles of alcoholic beverages were discovered and confiscated, the statement said, adding that three people were arrested and handed over to authorities. More than 100 Bruneian college students talked with Chinese astronauts via video link during a special class held in Bandar Seri Begawan on Tuesday. Produced by Xinhua Global Service BEIJING, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- A former banker on China's Red Notice fugitive list was captured overseas and repatriated to China on Saturday, according to an official statement issued on Thursday. Qu Jianling, a former staffer of a district branch of the Bank of China in Guangzhou, capital of the southern Guangdong Province, was suspected of embezzling huge amounts of public funds and had fled overseas in November 1995. She fled to multiple countries using different identities and was apprehended through international law enforcement cooperation, according to the statement from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the National Commission of Supervision. The CPC will formulate major plans to deepen international cooperation to combat corruption and establish an integrated mechanism for pursuing fugitives, preventing escape and retrieving stolen assets, said an official with the fugitive repatriation and asset recovery office under the central anti-corruption coordination group. Qu's arrest demonstrates China's firm determination to bring back all corrupt fugitives, the official said. JERUSALEM, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Israeli forces killed two Palestinian men on Thursday amid two alleged attacks, statements from the Israeli police said. In East Jerusalem's Old City, a Palestinian man stabbed an Israeli policeman before being shot dead by the police, the Israeli police said in a statement, adding that the policeman was lightly injured. In another incident, Israeli troops killed a Palestinian during a raid in the village of Beit Duqqu in the West Bank while the man hurled a firebomb at the Israeli forces, according to a statement from the Israeli police. Meanwhile, the Palestinian health ministry identified the man as 42-year-old Daoud Mahmoud Khalil Rayan. The incidents, the latest ones in rising violence between Israel and the Palestinians, came at the time when Israel was tallying the votes of the parliamentary elections held on Tuesday, which could result in the re-election of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. BEIJING, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping will deliver a speech via video at the opening ceremony of the fifth China International Import Expo (CIIE) and the Hongqiao International Economic Forum on Friday in Shanghai. The speech by Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, will be broadcast live by China Media Group and relayed simultaneously on major news websites and new media platforms. Students participate in the "Talk With Taikonauts" event in Bangkok, Thailand on Nov. 1, 2022. (Xinhua/Rachen Sageamsak) Students from ASEAN countries had a conversation via a video link with three Chinese astronauts now in China's Tiangong space station for a six-month mission in orbit. by Chen Jiabao BANGKOK, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Thai student Siwattin has never felt so close to his dream of being an astronaut when he had a chance to talk to three Chinese taikonauts in space. The 13-year-old boy was one of the students from member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) who had a conversation via video links on Tuesday with three Chinese astronauts now in China's Tiangong space station for a six-month mission in orbit. He raised questions such as how astronauts drink, eat and sleep in space, while the Chinese astronauts Chen Dong, Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe gave their answers patiently. "It's inspirational and unforgettable. It's my dream to become an astronaut. The unique opportunity to talk with taikonauts makes me feel closer to achieving my dream," the middle school boy told Xinhua. Thanks to the program known as "ASEAN Students Talk with Taikonauts," hundreds of students from China and ASEAN countries such as Brunei, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam asked questions ranging from whether astronauts can surf the internet in space and what happens if they get sick, to how to become an astronaut and what the most impressive thing in space is. "We have a water distributor and convection heater. We can drink boiled water and eat fresh food," the astronauts responded. "Though we experience sunrise and sunset every 90 minutes, we still sleep for seven hours at night with Beijing time." When asked about how many hours of training it took for a female astronaut to have a chance to work in space, Liu Yang, the only woman astronaut of the three, said, "The training standard for man and woman astronauts is the same, and for women, we need to work harder. It takes several years before going for a space mission." "The earth is the most beautiful scenery I've seen in space," she added. A woman takes a photo during the "Talk With Taikonauts" event in Taguig City, the Philippines on Nov. 1, 2022. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali) Pasit Lorterapong, deputy permanent secretary of the Thai Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, thanked China for sharing such a rare opportunity of "talking with astronauts" with Thailand, which will inspire more Thai students to pursue their dreams of space. There was no such event before, the Thai official noted. The National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand and Princess Sirindhorn AstroPark are hubs for astronomical research and development for Thailand and Southeast Asia, according to Pasit. "All these agencies are working closely with space agencies in China. There are huge opportunities for youth in our country," he said. Thanapant Raicharoen, a senior executive of Thailand's National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, told Xinhua that the event helped inspire youth and encouraged them to explore space. "We encourage the youth to study space technology and cultivate more astronauts," he said. Florida Ferdinand Mtani speaks during an interview at the China Cultural Center in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania on Nov. 1, 2022. (Photo by Herman Emmanuel/Xinhua) Tanzania's Florida Ferdinand Mtani who works at the China Cultural Center in Dar es Salaam says she has witnessed the ever-growing Tanzania-China cultural ties over the years. DAR ES SALAAM, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- On the bright afternoon of Tuesday, 32-year-old Florida Ferdinand Mtani who works at the China Cultural Center in Tanzania along the Ali Hassan Mwinyi Road in the port city of Dar es Salaam was busy receiving guests to an art exhibition. The art exhibition that features Tingatinga art, a unique and vibrant style of painting that originated in Tanzania in the second half of the 20th century was being organized by the China Cultural Center. The exhibition which opened Tuesday and showcased important artworks from both Tanzania and China was held in an effort to boost cultural exchanges between the two countries through art. Visitors view Tingatinga paintings at the China Cultural Center in Tanzania in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on Nov. 1, 2022. (Photo by Herman Emmanuel/Xinhua) In an interview, Mtani said she has been working with the China Cultural Center since 2020. The center was the first of its kind set up in the east African region in 2015, with an aim to enhance cooperation and closer ties between Tanzania and China. The center, located in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania's largest city, has been well-received by the locals over the years. At the center, a series of cultural activities are held, including Chinese painting and calligraphy exhibitions, martial art courses, Chinese language training sessions, and cooking workshops. Mtani said after she completed her university studies, she applied for a job as a receptionist and office assistant at the center which she secured. "I love Chinese culture. I started learning Chinese culture, including Kung-Fu and their language when I was studying at the University of Dodoma," said Mtani. "Since I had known that the Chinese have a very good culture, I became interested in working with them. That is how I came to work with the China Cultural Center in Tanzania," said the soft-spoken woman. "When I was in university, I learned Chinese language and Chinese martial arts like Kung-Fu." This photo taken on Nov. 1, 2022 shows the exterior view of the China Cultural Center in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. (Photo by Herman Emmanuel/Xinhua) She said her job as a receptionist and office assistant involves welcoming guests and helping her Chinese colleagues to plan and host events. "I like my job. We have several events here. This year we had the Mid-Autumn Chinese festival which I loved the most." She said Tanzanians are interested in learning Chinese Kung-Fu after they had watched and been inspired by movies like Bruce Lee's. "They always come here to register for Kung-Fu courses. The Kung-Fu courses help them to cultivate discipline and improve their self-defense." She added that more Tanzanians also tried to learn the Chinese language because many Chinese companies based in Tanzania prefer hiring Tanzanians who speak Chinese. She meanwhile said that the Chinese are also learning Kiswahili to make communication easier between them and the local people. Mtani believes that the state visit by Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan to China From Wednesday to Friday will significantly cement the long-time cultural and economic cooperation between the two countries. "The visit will also play a major role in opening wider Tanzania's investment opportunities to Chinese investors." AD Ports Group today (November 3) announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire an 80% equity stake in Dubai-based Global Feeder Shipping (GFS), a global container shipping company. The total purchase consideration for the 80% stake amounts to AED 2.9 billion ($800 million), implying a 100% Enterprise Value of AED 3.7 billion ($1.0 billion), with the acquisition being fully funded through a new acquisition loan. This earnings and value-accretive strategic investment significantly broadens AD Ports Groups global feeder shipping footprint and contributes to its long-term strategy to become one of the worlds premier short-sea and feeder shipping players, AD Ports Group said in a statement. GFS LTM financial performance was strong with revenue of $1,085 million, EBITDA of $521 million (EBITDA Margin of 48%) and Net Profit of $481 million. The company has built one of the largest fleets of container ships globally, featuring 26 owned and operated vessels with a total capacity of 72,500 TEUs, covering the Middle East, Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia with services connecting the UAE to India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Sudan, Djibouti, Yemen, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, China, South Korea, and Vietnam, among others. AD Ports Group will look to integrate GFS into its Maritime Cluster, which already offers a comprehensive portfolio of shipping, offshore and subsea services. Aligning GFS services with AD Ports Group companies Safeen Feeders and Transmar will make AD Ports Group the worlds largest independent feeder company by vessels owned, with an owned fleet of 35 vessels, and the third largest globally by volumes carried with a total container capacity of 100,000 TEUs. The acquisition will boost AD Ports Groups trade activities and connectivity to core markets, as well as enhancing its feedering business, providing significant economies of scale through an expanded route network and fleet. In addition, the acquisition will further strengthen the companys hub and spoke model by linking core markets in the Gulf, Indian Subcontinent, Red Sea, and Turkey to its key port assets including Khalifa Port. GFS integration with Safeen Feeders services has the potential to generate significant operational synergies. Subject to regulatory approvals, the transaction is expected to close in Q1 2023. GFSs existing management will remain in place with the founders retaining a 20% stake in the company. Falah Mohammed Al Ahbabi, Chairman of AD Ports Group, said: At the direction of our nations wise leadership, AD Ports Group has been on a journey of development throughout 2022, driven by both organic growth and prudent investments. Our acquisition of a majority stake in GFS, which is the largest external investment in our companys history, will deliver a step-change in the range of services we can offer and significantly enhance our global connectivity. Our ambition is to become one of the worlds leading shipping companies, offering the most comprehensive range of maritime services, and this investment moves us significantly closer to achieving that goal. Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, Managing Director and Group CEO, AD Ports Group, said: GFS offers more than 30 years of experience and excellence in the provision of container feeder services in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, in addition to a diverse and fit-for-purpose fleet. Our Maritime Cluster has delivered remarkable returns in 2022, reflecting the significant market appetite for shipping, offshore and subsea services, and integrating GFS into our operations will enable us to increase our customer base, broaden our global footprint and build upon this significant momentum. As always, we thank the UAEs wise leadership, whose support has enabled us to achieve todays historic announcement. Amir Maghami, Chairman, GFS, said: This is a key moment for GFS, which sees our company become part of AD Ports Group to create the largest single provider of shipping services in the region. I am truly proud of what our team has achieved and excited for the future, which will see us continue expanding our global footprint. Our priority has always been to continuously improve our systems and processes to serve global trade, and under the ownership of AD Ports Group we will be able to deliver a new level of service and support for international customers. Citi acted as the financial advisor and A&O as the legal advisor while Roland Berger completed the commercial due diligence and KPMG the financial and tax due diligence for AD Ports Group in this transaction.--TradeArabia News Service A harvester works at a soya farm near Russia's Birobidzhan on Oct. 19, 2018. (Xinhua/Zhang Ruoxuan) There were notable increases in the yield of potatoes, greenhouse vegetables, fruits, soybeans and rapeseed. MOSCOW, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Russia has achieved a new record in grain output this year, harvesting 150 million tons to date, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said on Wednesday. As harvesting is coming to an end across the country, the agricultural sector has shown an excellent result this year, which will increase the level of Russia's food security, Mishustin said at a government meeting. There were notable increases in the yield of potatoes, greenhouse vegetables, fruits, soybeans and rapeseed compared to the same period last year, he said. According to Mishustin, the Russian government allocated about 380 billion rubles (roughly 6.2 billion U.S. dollars) earlier this year to fund the country's agricultural development. Also on Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin told Indonesian President Joko Widodo during a phone call that Russia is ready to ship "considerable amounts" of grain to the poorest countries free of charge as humanitarian aid. Li Zhanshu, chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, meets with Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 3, 2022. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) BEIJING, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislator Li Zhanshu Thursday met with Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan. Hailing Tanzania as a significant partner of China, Li, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, said that under the guidance of important consensus between the two heads of state, China would better synergize with Tanzania to implement the outcomes of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, and firmly support each other on issues concerning each other's core interests. China will continue to follow the principle of sincerity, real results, amity and good faith, to strengthen solidarity and cooperation with African countries and other developing countries, Li said. "By strengthening cooperation between China and Africa, we can safeguard the common interests of developing countries and safeguard international fairness and justice," he noted. The NPC is willing to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with the Tanzanian parliament at all levels, said Li. Hassan congratulated on the successful convening of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), and said that Tanzania adheres to the one-China policy and is committed to further consolidating Tanzania-China relations and working with China to push bilateral cooperation to a higher level. Li Zhanshu, chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, meets with Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 3, 2022. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) This photo taken on Oct. 31, 2022 shows a symposium hosted by the Chinese Embassy in London, Britain. China's development achieved through meticulous planning and diligence has raised the living standards of its people and inspired the rest of the world, a panel of British experts on China has said. (Xinhua/Li Ying) by Xinhua writers Xu Feng, Du Juan LONDON, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- China's development achieved through meticulous planning and diligence has raised the living standards of its people and inspired the rest of the world, a panel of British experts on China has said. In a fragmented world with "declining economic globalization," China is providing much-needed "stability, predictability and credibility," they concurred at a symposium earlier this week hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Britain. GLOBAL INSPIRATION At the symposium following the recently concluded 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the experts said the world could take a leaf out of China's book of long-term planning. The landmark congress has charted the course for building a modern socialist China in all respects for the next five years and beyond. "We don't have any long-term central planning in most of the economies of the West, and that makes the greatest difference in the ability of a country to anticipate, to plan and put resources in place, to take advantage of the opportunities, to raise the standards of living of the people," said Stephen Perry, chair of Britain's 48 Group Club. Keith Bennett, a long-term China specialist and vice chair of the 48 Group Club, said the report to the 20th CPC National Congress is "encyclopedic in its scope and contents." Bennett spoke highly of the report's emphasis on the Chinese path to modernization of a huge population, of common prosperity for all, of material and cultural-ethical advancement, of harmony between humanity and nature, and of peaceful development. "The drive towards common prosperity will hold valuable lessons not only for developing countries but for developed countries too," he said. British scholar and political commentator Martin Jacques also highlighted China's pursuit of common prosperity, lamenting how Western countries have never taken it seriously. "For China to embrace common prosperity, to establish a society of greater fairness, greater equity, that is a very important message not only to China, Chinese people but to the world as well," he said. China announced in 2021 that it had lifted the final 98.99 million impoverished rural residents living under the current poverty line out of poverty, and removed all 832 impoverished counties and 128,000 villages from the poverty list. "Judging by China's performance on extreme poverty, which is extraordinary, then China's impact on the world as it seeks to create a fairer society will be, in an era of growth inequality, extraordinarily important," Jacques said. "STABILITY, PREDICTABILITY, CREDIBILITY" China's path to modernization featuring peaceful development differs from that of many Western countries. Beijing seeks growth not by oppressing others but by developing and modernizing itself, the experts said. Before the symposium, the panel of experts toured a photo exhibition in the embassy that showcased China's achievements over the past decade. Bennett said the images offered a glimpse of China's self-reliance and goodwill. He said he was touched the most by the picture of late Chinese agronomist Yuan Longping, known as the "father of hybrid rice" who saved millions of people from dying of hunger, as well as a photo of the Chinese-built China-Laos Railway, which he believes will promote economic growth in "the world's most bombed country." "The modernization of a small number of Western countries was based on the exploitation, oppression and colonization of almost the entire world. China is not developing by exploiting any other country; China is developing itself and modernizing itself, and at the same time helping other countries to develop and modernize," Bennett told Xinhua. Citing the Belt and Road Initiative and the Global Development Initiative proposed by China in 2013 and 2021 respectively, Bennett said, "China is the only major country that has put forward a series of realistic and well-thought-out proposals and ideas" to tackle issues such as development, sustainability, the fight against poverty and climate change, and that "the majority of countries and people of the world very much welcome this." Martin Albrow, a fellow of the British Academy of Social Sciences, said China is delivering "stability, predictability and credibility, which the world in its fragmenting state needs." "We are in an era of declining economic globalization and fragmentation, particularly in the Western world. And from that point of view, I think that the remarkable example that China shows is how to strengthen and provide stability." "The stability generates expectations," Albrow said. "What China says it does." Martin Albrow, a fellow of the British Academy of Social Sciences, speaks at a symposium hosted by the Chinese Embassy in London, Britain, on Oct. 31, 2022. China's development achieved through meticulous planning and diligence has raised the living standards of its people and inspired the rest of the world, a panel of British experts on China has said. (Xinhua/Li Ying) Martin Jacques (L), a British scholar and political commentator, and Martin Albrow, a fellow of the British Academy of Social Sciences, attend a symposium hosted by the Chinese Embassy in London, Britain, on Oct. 31, 2022. China's development achieved through meticulous planning and diligence has raised the living standards of its people and inspired the rest of the world, a panel of British experts on China has said. (Xinhua/Li Ying) WUHAN, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Every noon, Ding Zeliang carries a bucket of small fish and feeds the young Yangtze finless porpoises in Tian'ezhou National Nature Reserve, central China's Hubei Province. As a breeder, Ding has treated these mammals as his children and is glad to see their population recovering in recent years. Once upon a time, this fleshy aquatic animal (dubbed a "smiling angel") was in danger as its natural habitats were under threat from pollution, overfishing, and river traffic. However, thanks to China's effective measures to conserve finless porpoises, including ex-situ conservation, artificial breeding, and in-situ conservation, the once-endangered mammal is now coming back and frequently appears in the Hubei section of China's longest river, the Yangtze. "The number of the finless porpoises here has reached nearly 100, with an annual growth rate of about 8 percent," said Xu Chunyong, deputy director of the management office of the Tian'ezhou reserve, one of the earliest ex-situ conservation areas of finless porpoises in China. Tian'ezhou reserve is the epitome of China's achievements in protecting this animal. According to the latest research on the species released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs in 2022, some finless porpoises also appeared in areas where they never arrived before, indicating the population may recover. "Finless porpoises also have emotions. They need to be carefully taken care of," said Ding. Other endangered creatures in the Yangtze River basin, such as milu deer, are also returning to nature under ecological conservation. Endemic to China, milu deer are nicknamed "sibuxiang," or "animal like none of the four," as they have a horse-like face, a donkey-like tail, cow-like hooves, and stag-like antlers. They inhabit marshland and feed on tender grass. Due to hunting, war, and natural disasters, much of the living space of milu deer was occupied. At the beginning of the 1900s, with only 18 left in the rest of the world, milu deer were extinct in China, their original country. China has established three reserves, including the Shishou Milu Deer National Nature Reserve in Hubei Province, to enlarge the population. In the 1990s, the Shishou reserve introduced 64 milu deer from abroad in two batches. Close to the Yangtze River, the area has a complete wetland ecosystem and vast pastureland, which is an ideal habitat for milu deer. "In recent years, advanced techniques such as drones and infrared cameras facilitate observation and conservation of the deer," said Wen Huajun, director of the management office of the reserve. The number of milu deer in the reserve has grown from 64 in the 1990s to around 2,500 over the past three decades, with an annual natural growth rate of 15 percent, said Wen. Besides milu deer, many nationally protected species, including Shennongjia golden monkeys, are also frequently observed in the region, and the number tends to increase. Shennongjia Forestry District, with an average altitude of around 1,700 meters in western Hubei Province, is one of the habitats of golden monkeys. The Shennongjia golden monkey, which has been living in the Yangtze River basin since ancient times, is a sub-species of the Chuan golden monkey. However, this wild species became severely endangered. By the early 1990s, there were only about 500 golden monkeys in Shennongjia Forestry District, raising serious concerns for wildlife protection. "Protecting Shennongjia golden monkeys is meaningful to conserve the genetic diversity of the whole golden monkey population," said Huang Tianpeng, director of Dalongtan Golden Monkey Research Center in Shennongjia National Park, part of the Shennongjia Forestry District. Since then, Shennongjia Forestry District has gradually made achievements in disease prevention and control, artificial breeding, and environmental adaptability evaluation, contributing to the recovery of the monkey species. As of July this year, the number of golden monkeys in Shennongjia Forestry District had reached 1,483, with the habitat areas extending from 210 to 354 square kilometers. "Shennongjia golden monkeys used to be wary of humans, so you had to hide miles away and watch them through binoculars," Huang said. "Now, we are very pleased that those monkeys are willing to shake hands with researchers, just like our good friends," Huang said, adding that substantial progress has been made in protecting them. BEIJING, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Diplomatic envoys to China, think tank experts and journalists from nearly 80 countries exchanged their views on the guiding principles of the recently concluded 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) at a forum on Wednesday. The symposium titled "Hong Ting Forum: Understanding the 20th CPC National Congress" was jointly hosted by the Institute of Party History and Literature of the CPC Central Committee and Xinhua News Agency at the Museum of the Communist Party of China in Beijing. Speaking at the forum, Qu Qingshan, president of the Institute of Party History and Literature of the CPC Central Committee, said the pivotal CPC congress reviewed the work of the past five years and the great transformations seen in the first decade of the new era, laid out the Party's missions and tasks on its new journey of the new era, and outlined the development goals and major policies of the Party and the country for the next five years and beyond. Think tank exchanges are important because they provide a platform for the international community to comprehend the new concepts, domains and expressions pertaining to the CPC's history and theories, thereby paving the way to gain a deeper understanding of China, its people and the Party, said Qu, who is also chairman of the National High-Level Think Tank Council of the institute. Fu Hua, president of Xinhua News Agency, shared his insights on the milestone CPC congress. The report to the 20th CPC National Congress is a political declaration and a program of action for the Party to bring together the Chinese people of all ethnic groups and lead them in securing new success for socialism with Chinese characteristics, Fu said when addressing the forum, adding that the report serves as a window for the world to understand China. To comprehend the 20th CPC National Congress, it is imperative to gain a profound understanding of the Party's new theories, its distinctive character featuring self-confidence and self-reliance, as well as the global vision the CPC has maintained, said Fu, who is also director of the Academic Committee of New China Research of Xinhua News Agency. The agency will continue to boost its global communication capabilities, better convey the stories of China, the CPC and the new era, and serve as a bridge connecting China and the rest of the world, Fu said. The opening of the forum was presided over by Lyu Yansong, editor-in-chief of Xinhua News Agency and deputy director of the Academic Committee of New China Research. Other participants also exchanged their insightful perspectives both online and offline on topics covering the key role of the Party, Chinese modernization and China's fine traditional culture. Produced by Xinhua Global Service Exit polls from Israel's parliamentary elections suggested Tuesday that former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc has a good chance of making a comeback after the country's fifth election since 2019. Produced by Xinhua Global Service UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Biosecurity knows no borders and has an impact on the common interests of mankind as a whole, a Chinese envoy said on Wednesday, adding China firmly opposes the development, stockpiling or use of biological weapons by any country under any circumstances. The UN Security Council Wednesday failed to adopt a draft resolution put forth by Russia to set up a commission consisting of all members of the council to investigate its complaint about the non-compliance with the obligations under the Biological Weapons Convention. Since March, Russia has repeatedly lodged allegations to the Security Council that the United States is suspected of conducting bio-miliary activities in Ukraine, which China is gravely concerned about, Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the UN, said in his explanatory remarks after voting in favor of the draft resolution. China believes that any evidence or clues related to compliance with the Biological Weapons Convention should receive full attention from the international community and "deserve thorough and to-the-point responses and clarifications by the parties concerned," he said. A fair and transparent investigation by the Security Council can effectively address compliance concerns and help uphold the authority and effectiveness of the Biological Weapons Convention, he noted. China always stands for the complete prohibition and elimination of all weapons of mass destruction, including biological weapons, the envoy said. Geng expressed the hope that all state-signatories will actively and constructively participate in the 9th review conference on the Biological Weapons Convention scheduled to be held later, and resume as soon as possible negotiations on the verification protocol that have been stalled for more than 20 years. He also called on all parties to promote the early establishment of a multilateral verification mechanism, further enhance global biosecurity governance, and lift the level of global biosecurity. Enditem HEFEI, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- East China's Anhui Province recorded robust foreign trade growth in the first three quarters of 2022, according to the local customs authority. The province's goods trade value hit 566.29 billion yuan (about 78.14 billion U.S. dollars) from January to September, up 13.5 percent year on year. Exports rose 20.3 percent year on year to 350 billion yuan, while imports increased 4.1 percent to 216.29 billion yuan, data from Hefei customs showed. Trade between Anhui and the countries and regions along the Belt and Road soared to 153.54 billion yuan, up 20 percent compared with the same period in 2021. The volume of trade between the province and other members of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership hit 150.91 billion yuan, up 14.2 percent year on year. During the period, exports of Anhui's mechanical and electrical products expanded by 20.6 percent year on year to account for 62.1 percent of the province's total export volume. Its exports of high-tech products also registered growth. A Texas National Guardsman escorts a group of migrants toward a checkpoint in Eagle Pass, Texas, the United States, on Oct. 9, 2022. (Photo by Nick Wagner/Xinhua) WASHINGTON, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- The United States has set a new record of 2.3 million migrant apprehensions at its southern border over the last 12 months, the National Public Radio (NPR) has reported, citing U.S. Customs and Border Protection figures. The annual total -- which includes people who were stopped at the border more than once -- jumped by 37 percent from 1.7 million the year before, NPR said. Drowning and heat exhaustion are currently among the top causes of death of border-crossers into the United States, according to Border Patrol figures. Because of strained diplomatic ties and costs, the United States has also faced the dilemma of being unable to return migrants to Venezuela, Cuba or Nicaragua. Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a ceremony to welcome visiting Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan prior to their talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 3, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan) BEIJING, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with visiting Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan in Beijing on Thursday. The two heads of state announced the elevation of China-Tanzania relations to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. Noting Hassan is the first African head of state China received after the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Xi said this fully shows the closeness of China-Tanzania relations and the important status of China-Africa ties in China's overall diplomacy. Under the new circumstances, the sound development of China-Tanzania relations not only serves the common and long-term interests of the two countries, but also is of great significance to the promotion of a China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era, Xi said. Xi stressed that China always views ties with Tanzania from a strategic height, and is always a trustworthy friend of Tanzania. The two countries should promote cooperation in various fields under the guidance of the China-Tanzania comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, he added. China is ready to continue expanding import of specialty products from Tanzania, supporting Chinese enterprises to invest there, and providing assistance to Tanzania's economic and social development as its capacity allows, Xi said. The development of China-Africa relations should stick to the direction of mutual trust, mutual benefit, mutual learning and mutual assistance, Xi said, adding the two sides should carry forward the fine tradition and enhance the spirit of China-Africa friendship and cooperation. Hassan expressed Tanzania's willingness to stand as a forever trustworthy partner of China, and to work with China to enhance pragmatic cooperation and bring bilateral ties to a new height. The two sides agreed to expand bilateral trade volume, further deepen high-quality cooperation under the framework of Belt and Road Initiative, and enhance cooperation in processing and manufacturing, green development, and digital economy, among others. Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a ceremony to welcome visiting Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan prior to their talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 3, 2022. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei) Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a ceremony to welcome visiting Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan prior to their talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 3, 2022. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) Chinese President Xi Jinping holds talks with visiting Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 3, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan) Saudi Industrial Services Company (SISCO), Saudi Arabias leading strategic investor in Ports & Terminals, Logistics Parks & Services, and Water Solutions, has reported tripling of third quarter (Q3) of 2022 net income on stable revenues and significantly improved margins. Announcing its financial results for the three-month and nine-month periods ended 30 September 2022, a statement by SISCO said that revenues for the third quarter (Q3) of 2022, excluding accounting construction revenue, were stable compared to the previous quarter at SAR 214.7 million, increasing by 0.7%. Q322 revenues were down by marginally by 1.5% year-on-year, with gradual improvement for the Ports segment, while Logistics revenues also improved from the previous quarter. Nine-month revenue of SAR 624.0 million declined 12.9% from 2021 due to the much stronger first-half performance of the Ports segment in the previous year. Third quarter gross profit of SAR 105.8 million improved by 6.1% on the previous quarter and by 9.1% compared to Q321 on significantly improved margins achieved through optimized revenue mix and effective cost controls. The gross profit margin for Q322 stood at 49.3%, compared to 46.8% in Q222 and 44.5% in Q321. Gross profit for the nine-month period was SAR 295.7 million, declining by 16.8% from 2021 predominantly impacted by the decline in gateway revenue in the ports segment. In light of significantly improved margins, adjusted net income for the third quarter improved by 364.5% from the previous quarter and by 56.6% year-on-year to reach SAR 14.4 million. For the nine-month period, adjusted net income was SAR 18.3 million, declining by 69.2% year-on-year, due to weaker first-half revenues as compared to the previous year. Khalid Suleimani, Group CEO at SISCO, commented: We are pleased to report healthy performance for the third quarter. While our Ports segment has faced global macroeconomic headwinds, it has stabilized and is returning to growth. Our Logistics and Water businesses also did well, with strong service revenue for the former and higher quality sales mix for the latter. Revenues for Q3 improved modestly from the previous quarter, but importantly margins improved, particularly for Logistics and Water, driven by revenue mix and cost controls. We expect to see improving Ports performance in the final quarter with gateway and transshipment volumes growing. The Logistics sector is showing strong signs of recovery, and we will be expanding our warehousing capacity to meet growing demand and capture greater market share. For our Water portfolio, we expect to end the year 2022 at par with 2021. In addition, we believe the current strong margins will be sustained through year-end. The new contracts signed for the Water portfolio in the first half of the year are expected to have a positive impact on revenue and margins in Q4, with currently strong margins expected to be sustained into 2023. Appointment of new CEO Meanwhiel, following the resignation of Eng. Mohammed Al Mudarres from his position as CEO, after 15 years of service to the business, the Board of Directors has appointed Eng. Khalid Suleimani as CEO of SISCO. Eng. Suleimani is a senior executive with more than 25 years of experience in fund management, investment, and digital transformation. A cultural transformation agent and venture capitalist, his previous affiliations include Moran Stahl & Boyer, Al Cantara - IFS Arabia, Alkhabeer Capital, Wadi Makkah Ventures, and Chrome Advisory, among other highly reputable organizations. The Board believes his depth of experience in investing across multiple sectors make him an ideal fit to spearhead SISCOs ambitious strategy for growth and value creation. Outlook and strategy SISCO remains committed to the delivery of its five-year strategy to drive long-term value creation, aiming to double revenues to SAR 2 billion by 2026. SISCOs investment approach focuses on value-accretive investments that are in line with its strategic focus areas of ports, logistics, and water. SISCO will announce updates to the market as other opportunities materialize. In the announcement dated 1 November 2022, SISCOs subsidiary, LogiPoint announced acquiring a loan facility of SAR 290 million to finance the expansion of its warehousing capacity. The expansion, which doubles the existing 73,000 square meters capacity, is in line with the previously announced groups 5-year strategy to establish LogiPoint as the leading logistics real estate developer and operator of state-of-the-art warehousing services and premium logistics facilities with long term customers across the Kingdom, serving the rapidly growing e-commerce sector. Further potential growth areas are also expected to be developed including a state-of-the-art logistics park in Khumra which should boost logistics revenues and margins from 2023 and beyond.--TradeArabia News Service MOGADISHU, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations humanitarian agency on Thursday provided 17 million U.S. dollars to provide immediate assistance to communities in areas at highest risk of famine in Somalia. Adam Abdelmoula, the UN deputy special representative of the Secretary-General and also UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, said the new allocation from the Somalia Humanitarian Fund (SHF) will fund immediate life-saving activities at a time when humanitarian operations are struggling to keep up with the scale, scope, and severity of needs. The SHF is a multi-donor country-based pooled mechanism that allocates funding for the most urgent life-saving. "Famine is knocking on the door in Somalia, and millions of people are at risk of starvation unless humanitarian assistance is scaled up and sustained," Abdelmoula said in a statement issued in the Somali capital of Mogadishu. He said the new allocation is critical because the number of people affected by drought has more than doubled since the beginning of 2022, and humanitarians urgently require additional funds to meet increased needs. The UN relief official said the funds will complement the ongoing SHF reserve allocation of 9.5 million dollars launched in July and supplement resources from the Central Emergency Response Fund that are providing unconditional cash transfers in tandem with emergency livelihood inputs, health, camp coordination and protection activities. According to the UN, the crippling drought in Somalia has affected at least 7.8 million people, including more than one million displaced from their homes in search of water, food and pasture. JERUSALEM, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Militants in the Gaza Strip fired a rocket into southern Israel on Thursday, the Israeli military said in a statement. "The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) Aerial Defense Array launched an interceptor" and the projectile "appears to have been intercepted," it said in a statement. No injury or damage has been reported in the rocket attack, the first from Gaza in about three months. The rocket was fired hours after Israeli forces killed a member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), a local Islamist armed group, in the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. The official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that a 14-year-old Palestinian boy was also killed during the Israeli raid. The violence came as the final count of votes in Israeli elections showed former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right bloc will return to power. UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Thursday that climate adaptation must be treated with a seriousness that reflects the equal worth of all members of the human family. In a message on the launch of the Adaptation Gap report by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), Guterres said the lack of support for adaptation needs in the developing world is unacceptable. The UNEP Adaptation Gap report makes clear that the world is failing to protect people from the here-and-now impacts of the climate crisis. Those on the front lines of the climate crisis are at the back of the line for support, said Guterres. The world is falling far short both in stopping the growth of greenhouse gas emissions and starting desperately needed efforts to plan, finance and implement adaptation in light of growing risks, he said. Adaptation needs in the developing world are set to skyrocket to as much as 340 billion U.S. dollars a year by 2030. Yet adaptation support today stands at less than one-tenth of that amount, he noted. The most vulnerable people and communities are paying the price. This is unacceptable, he said. "Adaptation must be treated with a seriousness that reflects the equal worth of all members of the human family," said Guterres. "It's time for a global climate adaptation overhaul that puts aside excuses and picks up the toolbox to fix the problems." He called for a dramatic increase in the quantity and quality of financing for adaptation needs, a new business model for turning adaptation priorities into investable projects, far better climate risk data and information, and universal early-warning coverage for climate disasters within five years. Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a ceremony to welcome visiting Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan prior to their talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 3, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan) BEIJING, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with visiting Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan in Beijing on Thursday. The two presidents announced the elevation of the bilateral relationship to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. Noting that President Hassan is the first African head of state China has received after the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Xi said it speaks volumes about the two countries' close ties and the important position of China-Africa relations on China's diplomatic agenda. Xi recalled putting forth, while visiting Tanzania in 2013, the principle of sincerity, real results, amity and good faith to guide China's cooperation with African countries. It has now become the basic policy guiding China's solidarity and cooperation with other developing countries. Under the new circumstances, the sound growth of China-Tanzania relations not only advances the common and long-term interests of the two countries, but also carries great significance for building a China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era, said Xi. Xi briefed President Hassan on the proceedings of the 20th CPC National Congress. He pointed out that starting from now, the central task of the CPC will be to lead the Chinese people of all ethnic groups in a concerted effort to realize the Second Centenary Goal of building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects and to advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization. "Modernization does not mean Westernization," Xi said, adding China has already found a development path suited to its national conditions. Chinese modernization is grounded in China's own realities, with features that are unique to the Chinese context, said Xi. Xi pointed out both the CPC and the Tanzanian Revolutionary Party (CCM) shoulder the historical mission of strengthening themselves and the country they govern, adding the CPC will expand exchanges and cooperation with the CCM and support the curriculum and operation of the Mwalimu Julius Nyerere Leadership School. Xi stressed that China views its relations with Tanzania from a strategic perspective and will always be a trustworthy friend of Tanzania. Moving forward, Xi said the two sides should advance friendship and cooperation across the board, in keeping with the China-Tanzania comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. China firmly supports Tanzania in upholding its sovereignty, security and development interests, and in exploring a path of development that suits Tanzania's conditions. China and Tanzania will continue to show firm support on issues involving each other's core interests and major concerns, said Xi. Xi also said China will further increase import of specialty products from Tanzania, and support Chinese companies in investing and operating in Tanzania, so as to contribute to the economic and social development of Tanzania. China is ready to exchange experience and best practices with Tanzania on rural revitalization, and support the betterment of livelihood there, added Xi. Xi pointed out that the Tazara Railway marks a milestone in China-Tanzania and China-Africa friendship. Even when China was poor, it tightened its belt to help its African brothers build this railway. "Now that China is more developed, it is better placed to act on the principle of sincerity, real results, amity and good faith, help our African friends achieve common development, and build a stronger China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era." In growing China-Africa relations, Xi said both sides need to remain committed to the overall direction of mutual trust, mutual benefit, mutual learning and mutual assistance. Both China and Africa need to build on their time-honored traditional friendship, carry forward the spirit of China-Africa friendship and cooperation, and show greater historical initiative in advancing friendship between China and Africa, he added. Xi went on to point out China's continuous development will create new opportunities for Africa. China will speed up the implementation of the ongoing nine initiatives for cooperation with Africa. "With a particular focus on infrastructure, we will continue to nurture new drivers for China-Africa cooperation through trade, investment and financing." China stands ready to work with African countries to uphold the basic norms governing international relations including the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, actively operationalize the Global Development Initiative, increase the representation and voice of developing countries in global governance, and do more to bring about a community with a shared future for mankind, said Xi. Noting that she was excited and honored to be invited to visit China soon after the successful conclusion of the 20th CPC National Congress, Hassan said that the visit is a testament to the high level of Tanzania-China relations. On behalf of the CCM and the Tanzanian government, Hassan once again extended warm congratulations on the success of the 20th CPC National Congress and Xi's re-election as general secretary of the CPC Central Committee. Tanzania views China as its top real friend and will always be a trustworthy partner for China, said Hassan, adding that with the establishment of a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, Tanzania will work with China to strengthen practical cooperation across the board, take the relationship to a new height, and turn it into an exemplar for Africa-China relations in the new era. Hassan stressed that Tanzania will continue to firmly support China on issues relating to Taiwan, Xinjiang, Hong Kong and other core interests of China. She expressed appreciation for China's support in the development of the Mwalimu Julius Nyerere Leadership School, and conveyed the hope of southern Africa's six sister parties to step up experience sharing with China on national governance in order to achieve better development. The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) has not only boosted the development of African countries in various fields, but also had a demonstrative effect in driving other countries' cooperation with Africa and helped enhance Africa's international standing, the president said, adding that Tanzania will continue to take an active part in and support the development of FOCAC. Noting that the Global Development Initiative put forth by Xi is very timely and conducive to addressing the global challenges of today, Hassan said Tanzania will work with China to operationalize this initiative and build a community with a shared future for mankind. The two heads of state agreed to keep up the momentum of high-level exchanges and dialogue, and enhance exchanges and cooperation at all levels between the localities, legislatures and political parties of the two countries. They agreed to expand the scale of bilateral trade, boost the level of trade and economic cooperation, deepen high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, advance cooperation projects on infrastructure, enhance industrial complementarity and production capacity cooperation, and expand mutually-beneficial cooperation in such areas as manufacturing and processing, green development and digital economy. The two heads of state reached consensus on strengthening people-to-people and cultural exchanges, holding a China-Tanzania year of tourism and culture at an appropriate time, encouraging more exchanges between the academics and media organizations of the two countries, and carrying forward the friendship between the two peoples. The two presidents agreed to enhance cooperation in international and multilateral settings, step up communication and cooperation on climate change and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and jointly uphold international fairness, justice and the common interests of both sides. At the end of the talks, the two presidents witnessed the signing of bilateral cooperation documents covering trade, investment, development cooperation, digital economy, green development and blue economy. The two sides issued a Joint Statement on Establishing a Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership between the People's Republic of China and the United Republic of Tanzania. Prior to the talks, Xi held a welcoming ceremony for Hassan in the Great Hall of the People. Upon President Hassan's arrival at the Great Hall of the People, a 21-gun salute was fired in Tiananmen Square to greet her. Seventeen honor guards lined up the steps on both sides of the red carpet to salute her and trumpeters blew horns to welcome her. The two presidents stepped onto the review stand, after which the military band played the national anthems of the two countries. Accompanied by Xi, Hassan then reviewed the guard of honor of the People's Liberation Army and watched the march-past. After the talks, Xi held a welcoming banquet for Hassan at the Golden Hall of the Great Hall of the People. Wang Yi and He Lifeng, among others, were present at the events. Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a ceremony to welcome visiting Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan prior to their talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 3, 2022. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei) Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a ceremony to welcome visiting Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan prior to their talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 3, 2022. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) Chinese President Xi Jinping holds talks with visiting Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 3, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan) UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday called for a holistic approach to building resilience in peace operations. "We need a more holistic and integrated approach to building resilience and sustaining peace, with tailored investments across the humanitarian-development-peace nexus," Guterres told the Security Council. That means strengthening synergies across the range of peace work -- from conflict prevention and resolution to peacekeeping, peacebuilding and long-term development. It means deepening partnerships between the United Nations, the African Union, and other regional organizations, as well as with international and regional financial institutions. And it means better integrating the work of UN country teams with the mandates of peace operations, particularly in transition contexts, he said. In his remarks at a Security Council open debate on integrating effective resilience-building in peace operations for sustainable peace, Guterres also stressed the crucial question of finance. "We all recognize that prevention and peacebuilding are cost-effective and save lives. But that understanding in principle is not matched with the necessary resources in practice. The international community continues to underinvest in peace," he said. "It is time to walk the talk," said the UN chief. Funding must be scaled up, and partnerships with international financial institutions must be even more strengthened, he said. NAIROBI, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Kenya is seeking to leverage advanced Chinese industrial technology as the fifth Kenya International Industrial Expo (KIIE) kicked off in the capital, Nairobi on Thursday. Pius Rotich, general manager of Investment Promotion and Business Development at the Kenya Investment Authority (KenInvest), told journalists that the exhibition is a beneficial platform because it showcases Chinese machinery that could add value to Kenya's raw materials. "We expect a lot of partnership between Kenyan and Chinese companies," Rotich said at the opening of the three-day expo. He called on Chinese firms to collaborate with local investors so that Kenya can acquire the technology needed to manufacture goods for the East African region as well as other international markets. According to Afripeak Expo, the organizers of the event, more than 130 companies mainly from China will showcase the latest machinery in the agricultural, chemical, construction, medical and automotive sectors. Gao Wei, Managing Director of Afripeak Expo Kenya, said that over 2,500 delegates are expected to visit the expo that focuses on driving growth in Kenya's manufacturing sector. Gao noted 20 Kenyan companies engaged in the coffee, avocados, tea, and flower sectors will also exhibit and leverage the trading platform to look for partners and new markets from China. Patrick Nyangweso, acting chief executive officer at the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI), a trade lobby body, said that the expo is very significant to Kenyan entrepreneurs because it gives the business community an opportunity to interact with advanced equipment manufacturers from China. Nyangweso added that Kenya is keen to import technology from China that will enable the country to produce goods with specifications that meet the standards of international markets. "We are encouraging entrepreneurs to ensure they utilize the opportunity to modernize the industrial sector," he noted. ADDIS ABABA, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has hailed the peace accord signed between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), describing it as "monumental." "The agreement signed today in South Africa is monumental in moving Ethiopia forward on the path of the reforms we embarked upon four and half years ago," Ahmed said in a statement issued late Wednesday. "Our commitment to peace remains steadfast, and our commitment to collaborating for the implementation of the agreement is equally strong." On Wednesday evening, the Ethiopian government and the TPLF announced an agreement to end the two-year-long conflict in Northern Ethiopia. The two sides signed the peace accord in South Africa after days of negotiations led by the African Union (AU). The negotiations were facilitated by Olusegun Obasanjo, the AU high representative for the Horn of Africa and former president of Nigeria, along with the former president of Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta, and former deputy president of South Africa Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka. Ahmed commended the AU and its peace envoys for the success of the peace talks, as well as Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the AU Commission, for spearheading the AU's principled position of African solutions to African problems. "I would like to express appreciation to friends of Ethiopia that have taken an active role in supporting the conclusion of this agreement," Ahmed said. "We count on your continued support in reconstructing conflict-affected areas in the Northern part of the country and an enhanced partnership with Ethiopia in our countrywide development endeavors." Addressing a press briefing on the outcomes of the AU-led negotiations, Obasanjo said the two parties in the Ethiopian conflict have formally agreed to the cessation of hostilities as well as the systematic, orderly, smooth, and coordinated disarmament. The peace accord also includes the restoration of law and order, restoration of services as well as unhindered access to humanitarian supplies, he said. Ethiopia, Africa's second most populous nation, has seen a devastating conflict between government-allied troops and forces loyal to the TPLF since November 2020, which has left millions in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. MOGADISHU, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Somalia's Ministry of Health has relaxed the country's COVID-19-related restrictions for both domestic and international travel amid a drop in the number of cases across the world. The Minister of Health and Human Services Ali Haji Adan said that passengers traveling from a foreign country to Somalia no longer require to show a negative COVID-19 viral test or documentation of recovery before they board their flight and on arrival. "International travelers traveling abroad are required to abide by the COVID-19- related travel and health requirements of the destination country," he said in a statement issued in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia on Wednesday evening. The minister said the measures were taken due to the continuing fall of COVID-19 cases around the world along with the ongoing COVID-19 vaccination programs underway in Somalia. "The ministry of health stresses the need for all residents and visitors of the country to continue to follow the standard precautionary measures to reduce the risk of infection and to fully vaccinate themselves and their family members," Haji said. Somalia's fragile health system has been struggling to sustain the progress made in containing and mitigating the transmission of COVID-19 among vulnerable populations, especially among around 47 percent of people who live in hard-to-reach areas, where disease reporting is weak and incomplete. The country joined the list of countries dealing with COVID-19 on March 16, 2020, when the government announced the first confirmed case. Since then, the government has ramped up urgent measures to protect the population which is also facing the worst hunger crisis in 40 years, with the number of people experiencing acute hunger already surpassing that of the famine of 2011, when more than a quarter of a million people died. JUBA, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- The hunger and malnutrition crisis in South Sudan has escalated, fueled by climate-induced disasters like flooding alongside civil strife, the United Nations agencies said on Thursday The World Food Programme (WFP), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said in a joint statement released in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, that 62.7 percent or 7.76 million people in South Sudan could face acute food insecurity from April-July 2023 due to a combination of climatic shocks and conflict blighting the world's youngest republic. The UN agencies said the proportion of people facing acute food insecurity and malnutrition has surpassed the levels witnessed between 2013 to 2016 when South Sudan was in the grip of civil strife Other factors that have fueled hunger and malnutrition in the country include poor macroeconomic conditions, spiraling cost of food and fuel linked to the Ukraine conflict alongside the decline in funding for humanitarian programs. "South Sudan is on the frontlines of the climate crisis and day in, day out families are losing their homes, cattle, fields, and hope to extreme weather," said Makena Walker, Acting WFP Country Director in South Sudan. "Without humanitarian food assistance, millions more will find themselves in an increasingly dire situation and unable to provide even the most basic food for their families," she added. Meshack Malo, FAO Representative in South Sudan, noted that extensive flooding in central parts of the country has worsened the hunger crisis, adding that livelihood support was crucial to help stave off mass starvation. According to Malo, despite producing 840,000 tons of cereals in 2021,South Sudan is grappling with a deficit of 541,000 tons which can be bridged once farmers are provided with quality seeds and manure. There has been some marginal improvement in food security across some parts of South Sudan though all counties except one have demonstrated a decline in nutrition status which could prolong till mid-2023, said Jesper Moller, UNICEF Acting Representative in South Sudan. Moller added that the population of malnourished children in South Sudan has increased, adding that emergency nutritional support was urgent to shield them from starvation. Beysolow Nyanti, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for South Sudan stressed the importance of updated data to inform the roll-out of emergency support for the food-insecure civilians. COLOMBO, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Thursday instructed the environment minister to find land suitable to establish a 1,000-acre safari park in Northern Province. The president said during a meeting that there are several animal species with a surplus population in Sri Lanka's zoos, some of which can be relocated to the new safari park. He said there are large herds of deer in some suburbs of Colombo, which can also be relocated. A suitable land will be selected soon and the secretary to the Ministry of Environment has been placed in charge. Sri Lanka has several national parks that offer safaris. However, Ridiyagama is the only dedicated safari park, which covers 500 acres and is situated in Hambantota in southern Sri Lanka. DP World has opened its doors to students from the top universities in UAE and India to reimagine global supply chains and create new technology-driven solutions in its first-ever innovation challenge, THE BIG TECH PROJECT. DP World challenged the university students to design and build prototypes of their proposed trade solutions, under the expert guidance of mentors from DP World's Global Technology team. After receiving dozens of entries, four finalists have now been selected, with three from India and one from the UAE. They will be flown on an all-expenses paid trip to Dubai in November to present their solutions to DP Worlds THE BIG TECH PROJECT jury. Grand finale The grand finale will take place at the end of November where the finalists will compete for DP World's first-ever Student Innovators title. All finalists will be given guaranteed internships at DP World and Macbook laptops, while the winner and runner up will receive cash prizes as well. "By digitising a traditionally analogue industry, DP World aims to make trade smarter, to keep it flowing, increase visibility and minimise disruption. This is how trade networks fit for the future are built. Initiatives like THE BIG TECH PROJECT will help us accelerate this trend by tapping into the creativity of some of the brightest young minds in India and the UAE. I am excited to see the solutions these student innovators have devised to solve real world problems," said DP World Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem. The four finalists are from: Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, Abu Dhabi, UAE: A 3D visual guidance equipment maintenance and inspection system for port terminal equipment. International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Bangalore, India: Leveraging the metaverse to give students a real-time understanding of daily life in different careers, help them make informed decisions. IIIT Bangalore, India: VR experience for Dragonmart where customers and wholesalers can benefit mutually. IIT Kharagpur, India: Digital-twin solution to tackle harbour congestion, unpredictable demand and unreliable operations. New solutions While the students prepare their solutions, DP World continues to expand its tech centres worldwide and build new solutions. It recently established two new tech centres at Bengaluru and Hyderabad in India, with another upcoming centre in Gurgaon. The new tech employees will take on a variety of roles from developers, product and project management, quality assurance and automation, UX Design, system analysts and system design fulfilling DP Worlds vision of building technologically advanced integrated services to help trade flow. They will work on cutting-edge applications of heavy automation, AI/ML and robotics such as DP Worlds unique proprietary Box Bay technology.-- TradeArabia News Service YANGON, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- At least 40 houses were destroyed by a fire in central Myanmar's Mandalay region on Thursday evening, local rescue organizations said. No fatalities were reported due to the blaze, according to the rescue groups. The fire broke out at around 5:00 p.m. local time at Gan Village of Chanmyathazi township in Mandalay region, Myanmar Fire Services Department said. The department said the fire was extinguished at around 6:14 p.m. local time. KIEV, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday said he thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the efforts to resume the Black Sea Grain Initiative, a key deal on Ukraine's grain exports. "I thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his active participation in preserving the grain deal, for his steadfast support of sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine," Zelensky tweeted. Zelensky said he is also counting on Turkiye's support in returning Ukraine's prisoners of war and political prisoners. Earlier in the day, Erdogan said Russia had agreed to resume the deal to allow the export of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea, according to the Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency. Ukraine and Russia separately signed a document on July 22 with Turkiye and the United Nations in Istanbul to resume food and fertilizer shipments from Ukrainian seaports to international markets. On Oct. 29, the Ukrainian government-run Ukrinform news agency reported that Russia had announced its withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative after accusing Ukraine of "terrorist attacks against ships of the Black Sea Fleet and civilian vessels involved in guaranteeing the security of the grain corridor." KIEV, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Thursday it did not find any indications of undeclared nuclear activities and materials at three locations it had inspected in Ukraine. "Our technical and scientific evaluation of the results we have so far did not show any sign of undeclared nuclear activities and materials at these three locations," IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi said, according to a statement on the IAEA website. A team of IAEA inspectors also collected environmental samples for analysis at the inspected locations and soon will report on their results, Grossi said. The IAEA sent its experts to Ukraine at the request of the Ukrainian government after Russia made allegations about activities related to the possible production of "dirty bombs" in certain locations in Ukraine. The IAEA team inspected the Institute for Nuclear Research in Kiev, as well as two facilities in Ukraine's central Dnipropetrovsk region - the Eastern Mining and Processing Plant, and Production Association Pivdenny Machine-Building Plant. KIEV, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said Thursday that the country keeps its commitment not to use the grain corridor for military purposes and has not made any new commitments under the grain deal as part of the security guarantees. "Our country did not take on any new obligations that would go beyond those already existing in the grain agreement," Nikolenko said on Facebook. The spokesman added that Kiev did not use and plan to use the humanitarian corridors established for the export of Ukrainian grain for military purposes, and strictly adheres to the provisions of the UN-brokered grain deal. Russia and Ukraine separately signed a document in Istanbul in July with Turkiye and the United Nations on grain and fertilizer exports from Ukraine and Russia to ensure supplies to global markets amid the two countries' conflict. Russia announced on Saturday the immediate and indefinite suspension of its implementation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, accusing Ukraine of launching drone attacks against its Black Sea Fleet's ships and infrastructure at the naval base in Sevastopol. Five days later, the country said it resumed the participation in the grain deal after security guarantees were received from Ukraine under the mediation of Turkiye and the UN. WASHINGTON, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- The perpetrator of the 2018 Parkland school shooting, one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Wednesday. Broward Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer sentenced Nikolas Cruz to 34 life terms for killing 17 people and injuring 17 others in the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Cruz, 24, was ordered to be transferred to the custody of the Florida Department of Corrections. He had been tried for months for the massacre after pleading guilty last year to murdering 17 people, including 14 students. Ministry of Foreign Affairs pushes back against alleged guarantees for the grain deal 3 November, 05:24 PM Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko stated that Ukraine did not offer any new commitments to Russia (Photo:The New Voice of Ukraine) Ukraine's Foreign Ministry denied Russian dictator Vladimir Putin's claim that Russia had rejoined the grain initiative because it received "guarantees" from Kyiv that the humanitarian route will not be used for military purposes, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko wrote on his Facebook page on Nov. 3. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed they had received "written guarantees" from Kyiv that the grain corridor and Ukrainian ports "will not be used for conducting military operations against Russia". He stated that Ukraine has never used and has never planned to use the "grain corridor" for military purposes, strictly adhering to the provisions of the grain agreement. Video of day "Recall that within this agreement (in July) the parties committed to guarantee a safe and reliable functioning environment for the grain corridor, the spokesperson wrote. Ukraine has never put the grain route in danger. He also stressed that Ukraine has not undertaken any new commitments that go beyond those already existing in the grain agreement. "Moscow has returned to the grain deal thanks to the active diplomacy of U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, he explained. Read also: Erdogan discusses grain deal crisis with Putin In coordination with Ukraine, they found words that Putin understood. It was a position of strength, not a deed. Russias resumption of the "grain deal" clearly illustrates a working model: position of power + determination = desirable result. Later, Putin explained that "written guarantees" had been received from Turkey, not from Ukraine itself. The grain deal, a UN-brokered initiative to partially lift the blockade on some of Ukraines port to resume grain exports, was signed on July 22. On Oct. 29, Russia announced that it was suspending its participation in the deal due to a suspected Ukrainian attack on Russian military naval vessels in occupied Sevastopol. Open-source investigation collective GeoConfirmed analyzed photos and videos from Sevastopol Bay, confirming that at least three ships were struck, including the Black Sea Fleet flagship Admiral Makarov. Kyiv called Moscows actions food blackmail and emphasized that Russia was withdrawing from the agreement under a false pretext. On Nov. 2, Russia announced that it was resuming its role in the grain deal. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News North Korea covertly supplying Russia with weapons, says US State Department 3 November, 05:38 PM North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (Photo:KCNA via REUTERS) North Korea is covertly supplying Russia with ammunition for use in the Kremlins war against Ukraine, U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said during a press briefing on Nov. 2. According to the spokesman, despite the public denials that weve heard from (North Korea), (we know North Korea) is covertly supplying Russias war in Ukraine with a significant number of artillery shells. Read also: North Korea denies supplying munitions to Russia He said North Korea was obfuscating the real destination of these arms shipments by trying to make it appear as though theyre being sent to countries in the Middle East or North Africa. Video of day Just as were using every tool and will use every tool to counter what the Iranian provision of weapons to Russia, we will do the same when it comes to (North Koreas) provisions of weapons to Russia, Price said. There are existing sanctions on the books. On Nov. 2, CNN reported that the United States had accused North Korea of covertly supplying Russia with a significant amount of artillery shells for use in the war against Ukraine. According to Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder, Russia is seeking munitions from countries like North Korea and Iran. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News Moldovans reveal their fears, hopes and feelings towards Russia 3 November, 06:29 PM Exclusive According to the residents of Moldova, Russian propaganda is quite strong in their country, and the economy is strongly supported by the money of Moldovan "workers" in the Russian Federation (Photo:Valeria Mongelli / Hans Lucas via Reuters) October in Moldova, a country neighboring Ukraine, was turbulent in every sense: politically, militarily, and in everyday life. For a month now, anti-government rallies organized by Russianspecial services have been taking place in the capital Chisinau, demanding the resignation of pro-European leader Maia Sandu. All this is happening against the backdrop of an escalated military threat from Russia due to the full-scale war in Ukraine: first, on Oct. 10, three enemy missiles crossed the airspace of Moldova, and on Oct. 31, the remains of one of them fell on residential buildings in the Moldovan village of Naslavcea. Video of day This has only exacerbated Moldovas already strained relations with Moscow: in response to the "missile incident", Moldova expelled a Russian diplomat, for which it immediately received a reduction in gas supplies necessary for power generation. The victims of the increased energy blackmail are ordinary Moldovans, who are now forced to pay exorbitant utility bills and live by candlelight. Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air has also added fuel to the fire, closing its hub in Chisinau and revising its flight schedules for security reasons. NV spoke to residents of the Moldovan capital about their fears, moods, and hopes. Diana Popa journalist at Jurnal TV from Chisinau It should be understood that our society in Moldova is deeply divided even before the full-scale war in Ukraine, at least 40% of Moldovans had different pro-Russian views. Therefore, now it is difficult for our politicians to unequivocally take one side or the other in this war, they are afraid to offend the population. Because of this, Moldova is officially a neutral country, and the president and prime minister are always very careful in their statements. Meanwhile, people still have some worries and fears. Yes, the war in Ukraine has been going on for a long time, our people have already gotten used to it and think that it is somewhat distant, not in our country, or will not affect us. Yes, we have Transnistria, and when the war started, the idea that it would unfold there was often voiced. Then people bought toilet paper, salt, buckwheat, but within a few months it calmed down. I have friends who left Moldova because they were sure that the war would reach here. Now they have returned, because almost a year has passed, little has changed, and it is expensive to live abroad. But only the other day fragments of a missile fell on the territory of Moldova, not even the missile itself. People's windows were smashed and roofs were damaged, and they have already realized a little bit that this war is in fact taking place several dozens of kilometers away from us. These worries are constantly growing. Over the past two or three months, pro-Russian political forces have become very active and there are reports that the Russian special services are interested in destabilizing the situation in Moldova. Their so-called "moles" came to the country to conduct these processes. This in fact the case. This is evident from the rather massive protests in the center of Chisinau: they bring people from all over the country, give them some pennies to shout against the president for a day. Mostly they say that they are poor and want higher salaries. But people in our country have been living with these demands for the last 30 years. In general, we have very active Russian propaganda: from the press to politicians. Fake news is a daily routine, and people, especially in the villages, take them at face value, because they are the ones who later come to the capital for rallies. If they are told that Maia Sandu wants to gift us to America, legalize same-sex marriages, and start a war with Transnistria this will be enough. A coup d'etat is not a risk, it is really a plan. I do not know how much of it can be implemented, because there is active support from Europe. But the rallies still disturb us all: every week we have a blocked city, hundreds of police officers on the streets, constant detentions, and prominent fake news stories. This reduces the efforts made by the West to stabilize the situation to zero. At the same time, power plants in Ukraine are being bombed, so it cannot supply us with the same amount of electricity. And due to limited gas supplies from Russia, power plants in Transnistria work less and supply us with less electricity. So now we are forced to buy it from Romania, because it is even more expensive than from (the rest of) Europe. This is a sort of energy blackmail from Russia. Therefore, our government asks people to save money, and in the evening during peak hours, the street lights are not on. For example, we now use candles at home, so as not to turn on unnecessary lights. Pro-Russian people blame not only Ukraine and America, but also our government for this inconvenience they claim that our president does not negotiate with Putin. They say it openly: "Why won't she go to Moscow? We are a neutral country. You go to Europe, right? Go to Moscow too!". That is, they interpret these events in a way convenient for them. But the authorities do not give in to blackmail. Denis Tanchuk IT specialist from Chisinau People in Moldova are now concerned about domestic issues rather than military ones. There are no fears that something involving arms will happen here, because everyone thinks that Moldova will be captured in three hours without a single shot. Our situation with military equipment is not even the same as in Ukraine before 2013. I'd be surprised if there are even a couple of APCs available. Therefore, a military solution to the issue has never occurred to anyone. Moldovans in general are surprisingly patient and slightly alienated from politics. They fear only one thing: that the conflict will break out in Transnistria, and it will affect them. But Transnistrians are still staying below the radar and arent sticking their noses out at all. We are rather afraid of pro-Russian social media groups going on about possible mobilization to resolve the Transnistrian issue. Russians are trying to find fault with any words spoken by the Moldovan Defense Minister. They want people to be angry with the authorities, they try to sow fear, destabilize the situation with possible movements in Transnistria. As for the impact of the war in Ukraine, nothing has struck Moldova in eight months, and only the most recent case seems to have ended with a note of protest. Everyone objectively understands that we have no air defense, so if another missile lands on our territory, we can only wave a handkerchief after it. Therefore, falling debris is not enough reason for fear. Panic will begin if they take, say, Mykolaiv. Nevertheless, against the background of all this news, the air carrier Wizz Air announced the closure its operations in Moldova "due to the unstable situation". It had already tried to leave when the full-scale war in Ukraine broke out and has been trying again since November. For example, I flew to Chisinau by direct flight back in September, but it has been impossible to buy tickets for two or three weeks now. People are worried about this: they say that Wizz Air knows something, because there are no obvious reasons for the withdrawal. But the main tension in the country is due to expensive energy resources in winter. People are agitated because they are twice as expensive as even in Ukraine, where the war continues. Against this background, political games are taking place. In addition, we had joint exercises of the Moldovan military with the Romanian and American ones. Then there was information that the U.S. government is ready to provide Moldova with weapons. Such moments in the information field also significantly aggravate the situation and can destabilize it. In addition, we have had paid anti-government protests for the second month. However, it is quite far from a coup, because there are no obvious leaders yet. There is only Ilan Shor, a muddy man who is stirring things up and is rumored to be supported by Moscow. What can Moscow offer? Cheap gas. And what do the people need? That they do not pay conditional $109 for heating in winter. One can always play on this. We should admit that Moldova is rather vatnik, unfortunately. People are mostly poorly educated, especially in politics. In this sense, the situation is not far from Russia: if you take random passers-by on the street, three will be completely deranged, three more will believe in propaganda, two will be against the war, and the other two will be "its-not-so-one-sided". This is understandable, because Russia's influence here is approximately the same as it was in Donbas: many people earn money in Russia, speak Russian, and watch Putin's speeches. The current president, Maia Sandu, actually came on the back of a rare intelligentsia and diaspora that works mainly in Europe and lives well. And within the country, a large percentage of the population lives at the expense of "migrant workers" from Russia, so convincing them is a long, difficult and time-consuming process. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News Over 1,400 Russian officers killed in Ukraine so far, Kyiv says 3 November, 01:53 AM Russian officers during their graduation from the Armored Engineering Institute in Omsk (Photo:REUTERS/Alexey Malgavko) At least 1,402 Russian military officers of different ranks including 12 generals have been killed in the war in Ukraine, the Center for Strategic Communications of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported on Nov. 2. According to OSINT (open-source intelligence) researchers, 1,402 Russian officers were de-Nazified in Ukraine that's a rate of 5.7 per day, the Telegram message said. Read also: Russian officers complain about equipment theft by soldiers Notably, senior officers make up 26% of total losses. The message provided the following breakdown of Russian officer corps losses, by rank: Video of day 12 generals (one army general, one colonel general, two lieutenant generals, eight major generals); 44 colonels; 98 lieutenant colonels; 193 majors; 279 captains; 471 senior lieutenants; 235 lieutenants; 72 officers of other ranks. Official figures, provided by Ukraines General Staff, suggest a total of 73,270 Russian troops were KIA in the war, since Feb. 24. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News Swiss government to provide Ukraine with $100 million winter aid action plan 3 November, 10:57 AM Flag of Switzerland (Photo:Hans/ Pixabay) The Swiss government has approved a CHF 100 million (almost $100 million) winter aid action plan to finance urgent repairs to Ukraine's energy infrastructure, reads a Swiss government press release issued on Nov. 2. This winter aid action plan includes the purchase of generators and spare parts, and contributing to the repair of rail tracks (for the transport of heavy goods such as grain). Switzerland will also provide humanitarian aid to those worst affected by the war in Ukraine, helping them to prepare for winter, for example, by replacing windows, providing insulation and food, etc. Video of day The Swiss government is also considering if it is possible to provide Ukraine with further relief goods, such as generators, pumps or water treatment installations. The Swiss Federal Council will submit a request to parliament for a supplementary credit of CHF 76 million to cover these costs. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News Hong Kong: Land proposals endorsed in-principle The Development Bureau today announced that the Chief Executive-in-Council has endorsed in-principle three Land Sharing Pilot Scheme applications with support from the Panel of Advisors. The three applications concerned sites in Yuen Long and Tai Po, proposing to provide a total of about 21,600 housing units, including about 15,100 public housing units. Under their proposed schemes, 70% of the additional domestic gross floor area (GFA) generated will be set aside for public housing or Starter Homes (SH) development, whereas the remaining 30% will be set aside for private housing development. One of the applications was made by Sun Hung Kai Properties for a site at Ho Chau Road near Tung Shing Lei in Yuen Long. It is anticipated that the domestic GFA set aside for public housing or SH development will provide 1,870 public housing or SH units whereas that set aside for private housing development, together with the private housing domestic GFA previously approved by the Town Planning Board before the applicant joined the scheme will provide about 1,260 private housing units. The panel supported the proposed scheme and considered that it struck a proper balance between housing demand and conservation. Another application was jointly made by Henderson Land Development and Wheelock Properties, concerning a site at She Shan Road and Lam Kam Road near Lam Tsuen in Tai Po. It is anticipated that the domestic GFA set aside for public housing or SH development, together with the domestic GFA proposed to be generated through the Government's land resumption, will provide about 9,190 public housing or SH units, whereas that set aside for private housing development will provide about 3,640 private housing units. The panel supported the proposed scheme and considered that the concentrated pattern of land owned by the applicant and the scale of the project would enable a better layout for the community and housing blocks. It would also allow the provision of more government, institution or community facilities to serve the locals and to cater for the needs in the long run. The remaining application made by New World Development is for a site at Wing Ning Tsuen, Long Ping Road in Yuen Long. It is anticipated that the domestic GFA set aside for public housing or SH development, together with the domestic GFA proposed to be generated through inclusion of more government land, will provide about 4,020 public housing or SH units whereas that set aside for private housing development will provide about 1,600 private housing units. The panel supported the proposed scheme which would help the transformation of the brownfields in the area and match with the housing developments in the vicinity. It considered that under the proposed scheme, development sites were properly linked up without compromising overall development layout. The Government said it has identified no insurmountable problems with the applications at this stage. The infrastructures proposed are considered proportionate to the scale of the developments. The government land proposed to be included is considered appropriate and would yield more flats and help rationalise the layouts of the developments, enhancing land use efficiency. Applicants are still required to conduct technical assessments in order to confirm the development parameters and to ascertain that the proposed developments would not entail any insurmountable problems in terms of traffic, environment and infrastructure, etc to facilitate the subsequent statutory and administrative procedures. If the progress is smooth, it is expected that works may start from 2025 at the earliest. The scheme was launched in May 2020 for three years. To date, five applications have been received. This story has been published on: 2022-11-03. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Agility, a supply chain services, infrastructure and innovation company, has announced plans to build a major logistics park in an area south of Jeddah city at an investment of SR611 million ($163 million). Announcing the mega development, Agility said a land-concession agreement has already been inked with Saudi Arabias State Properties General Administration (SPGA) for the key storage and distribution facility. The project at Jeddah-Al Mahjar calls for construction of a modern warehousing complex on a 576,760 SQM parcel south of the Saudi city, starting in Q1 2023. The Agility Logistics Park Jeddah is likely to open in Q1 2025. Under terms of its agreement with SPGA, Agility will be developing the park and will have the right to operate it for 25 years, said the company in its statement. The logistics giant currently operates the kingdoms most advanced logistics parks - the 870,000-sq-m Agility Logistics Parks in Riyadh and the 200,000-sq-m facility in Dammam. The announcement comes days after the Saudi government unveiled a sweeping plan to transform the kingdom into a global logistics center as part of Saudi Arabias broad Vision 2030 strategy, it stated. Saudi Arabias Global Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (GSCRI) aims to attract $11 billion in fresh investment over the first two years and position the country as a key link in global supply chains through development of logistics and industrial infrastructure, economic cities, and green energy, innovation and manufacturing. SPGA Governor Ihsan Bafakih said: "This step will help us pursue and achieve our strategic objective of efficient management of real estate assets in a way that maximizes the benefits for the development of the economy." "The SPGA is studying its real estate portfolio and working towards transforming its assets into lucrative investment opportunities by providing suitable property for sustainable, pioneering projects with private-sector partners," he added. The contract was signed by Hamza Al-Askar, Deputy State Properties General Administration Representative, and Maher Jaber Al Thabit, Vice President of Agility Logistics Parks, at the SPGA headquarters in Riyadh. Agility said all its logistics parks are secure, connected, 24/7 complexes with Grade A, international-standard warehouses designed with advanced engineering and sustainability features. It had recently received post-construction EDGE Advanced certification (Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies) for a warehouse at its Riyadh park. EDGE Advanced buildings are zero-carbon ready structures that are at least 40% more energy efficient than others in the market. Bafakih said initiatives such as the Agility facility in Jeddah offer an opportunity to enhance the contribution of the countrys real estate assets to GDP while increasing the value of the government-held property, developed infrastructure and sustainable buildings. Michel Saab, CEO of Agility Logistics Parks/Global Operations, said its Jeddah park will serve international and local customers in the retail, consumer goods, technology, automotive, energy and e-commerce sectors. "Our Jeddah complex will accelerate Saudi economic growth and make it easier for international and local companies to expand in the kingdom," remarked Saab. "Ultra-efficient warehousing and distribution are a huge competitive advantage. Companies operating from these parks shorten their time-to-market, reduce cost and risk, increase inventory turns and boost productivity," he added.-TradeArabia News Service Belarusian president Tsikhanouskaya says Belarusian regime unlikely to attack Ukraine 3 November, 06:49 PM Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya (Photo:t.me/tsikhanouskaya) Its unlikely that Belarus will attack Ukraine, because Belarusian troops are unwilling to join in Russias full-scale wholeheartedly, Belarusian national leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said in an interview with NVs sister publication, Ukrainska Pravda, published on Nov. 3. Dictator Alexander Lukashenko is aware of the position of the Belarusian military, she added. Read also: Belarusian activist tells how Ukrainian Army can defeat troops gathered in Belarus in six hours "Back then (in February) it was already clear that Belarusian forces didn't want to fight against Ukrainians, Tsikhanouskaya explained. "Besides, they also realized they had had no combat experience, so they would be used as cannon fodder. Video of day At the same time, Tsikhanouskaya believes even Lukashenko does give the order for Belarusian troops to invade Ukraine, Belarusians still wouldn't fight, and would instead surrender or run away immediately. Nevertheless, the Lukashenko regime is still de facto fighting against Ukraine, the duly-elected leader of Belarus noted. However, Lukashenko has attempted to justify his regimes participation in the full-scale war against Ukraine, saying that his participation is allegedly limited to preventing the spread of this conflict into Belarus territory. "Don't think I'm planning an invasion here, Lukashenko said earlier. We launch attacks on Ukraine and will do it, but I don't want my children and your children to fight against each other. For what reason?" Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News US to look into ways of countering North Korean military aid to Russia 2 November, 11:28 PM The USA accuses the DPRK of secretly supplying Russia with a significant number of artillery shells (Photo:Manuel Balce Ceneta/Pool via REUTERS) The United States will explore various mechanisms of stemming the supply of North Korean military aid to Russia, U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said during a press briefing on Nov. 2, as reported by Reuters. The United States will look at additional tools and authorities that may be used to counter North Korean military aid to Russia, said Price. Washington accused North Korea of supplying Moscow with significant quantities of artillery shells for war in Ukraine. U.S. Department of Defense earlier said that the Kremlin is hoping to source artillery munitions from countries like Iran and North Korea. Video of day Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News Russia discusses nuking Ukraine, tries to source weapons from NK and Iran, SBU vs FSB 3 November, 02:55 PM Your slice of the top headlines in Ukraine. Daily. Thursday, November 3rd, 2022. According to the New York Times, citing U.S. defense officials, these conversations have sparked heightened concern among U.S. and partner leadership. Putin was not involved in these discussion, however, the Times writes. Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, commenting on these conversations, claimed it was irresponsible to inflate the topic despite it being discussed numerous times on Russian TV. Video of day Russia has deployed three hypersonic Kinhzal missile carriers to Belarus. Ukraines Center for Strategic Communications, or Stratcom, said the warplanes capable of launching the missiles had been spotted on satellite images. The photos show three MiG-31K supersonic fighter interceptors, which can carry Kh-47M2 Kinzhal hypersonic missiles and launch them at a distance of 2,000 kilometers, the report says. Russia is attempting to source weapons from Iran and North Korea, as China has refused to assist them. Pentagon spokesman General Pat Ryder revealed this information at a press briefing, saying it was indicative of the kind of company they keep and where they stand in the world right now. At the same time, according to him, the United States has no indications that China has provided any military assistance to Russia. The Russian occupation authority in Kherson Oblast is planning to abduct local residents and forcibly resettle deeper into Russian-held territory. Ukraines General Staff said that Moscow has already moved its civilian administration in the region from Kherson to Skadovsk 60 kilometers south of the regional capital. Collaborationist and Moscow-appointed governor of Kherson Oblast, Volodymyr Saldo, earlier said that the evacuation zone from the temporarily captured settlements of Kherson Oblast was expanded by 15 kilometers from the Dnipro River. On top of being a traitor, Saldo is on the hook for about UAH 60 million , or $1.6 million, in back taxes to the Ukrainian government. Ukrainian counterintelligence detained an undercover Russian FSB agent that attempted to infiltrate Ukraines SBU. According to the SBU themselves, the alleged spy posed as a Ukrainian patriot and offered to enlist in a special service unit to fight against Russia. Among other things, the woman "guaranteed" that she could provide up-to-date information on the enemy's activities in the temporarily occupied territories of the east of the country, but in fact planned to collect information on resistance members, in particular, in the temporarily occupied village of Markivka. The UN confirms that eight cargo ships will pass through the grain corridor on Nov. 3. The Black Sea Grain Initiative continues, Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov tweeted. Russia warned that it would be dangerous to continue the grain deal without Russia, but Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations are continuing the implementation of the deal and no security incidents with grain shipments have yet been recorded. A new IMF monitoring program for Ukraine will be approved in December. Central bank chief Andriy Pyshnyy confirmed the news after a meeting with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Karen Donfried and U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink. The IMFs Mission Chief for Ukraine, Gavin Gray, said the discussions between the Ukrainian authorities and IMF representatives were productive, and the staff and the authorities would advance work in the coming weeks to follow up on the authorities request for Program Monitoring with Board Involvement (PMB). The Ukrainian government lifts a ban on export of coking coal. Representative of the Cabinet of Ministers in the Verkhovna Rada Taras Melnychuk said that the relevant amendments had been made to the list of goods that are subject to export licensing. Ukraines Cabinet banned coking coal exports in early September. The decision was made to ensure proper preparation for and passage of the heating season in particular, the accumulation of sufficient fuel reserves for thermal generation. Oschadbank has put up for sale the right of claim to the majority owner of Ukrtelecom for $49 million. Ukrtelecom, which possesses a telecom monopoly on non-mobile telecommunications, is owned by oligarch Rinat Akhmetov. The sale came about after the company was unable to repay the bond and coupon income to Oschadbank resulting in a number of court cases, all of which Ukrtelecom lost. The days long-read: On the path to European integration: Overview of reforms for third quarter of 2022 NV analyzes the rate of reform implementation, needed to join the European Union. In total, in three months, the authorities adopted almost fifty important changes in the environmental and economic spheres. Dont miss: The West must not let Putin freeze millions of Ukrainians to death Dennis Soltys and Alexander Motyl make the case for a tough and urgent response from the international community to Russias continued attacks against Ukraines critical and civilian infrastructure. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News Indian Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava hands over 200 vehicles to Finance Minister Janardan Sharma as a part of the election assistance, in Kathmandu, on Tuesday, November 1, 2022. Photo: Indian Embassy in Kathmandu Kathmandu, November 2 India on Tuesday handed over 200 vehicles to the government of Nepal as its offer of election assistance. Indian Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava handed over the vehicles to Finance Minister Janardan Sharma yesterday for the purpose of use in Nepals upcoming parliamentary elections, according to the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu. These vehicles are being handed over at the request of the Government of Nepal for utilisation during elections, of which 120 vehicles are for the utilisation by security forces and 80 vehicles are for the utilisation by the Election Commission of Nepal, the embassy says in a press release, These vehicles would prove to be useful in further augmenting the logistical arrangements of various institutions of Nepal across the country for conducting the polls. India has been extending support in the form of vehicles as per the request of Nepal in previous elections. also. To date, more than 2400 vehicles have been gifted to various Nepali institutions for support during elections. Kathmandu, November 3 Tourism entrepreneurs from Nepal recently attended the New York International Travel Show to promote tourism in Nepal. Thousands of people and travel agents attended the show, which was held after two years due to the Covid pandemic. Tourism entrepreneurs from Nepal attended the show promoting different parts of the country and exciting packages to show to foreign travel agents and prospective tourists. Pradeep Shrestha, the CEO of the Travel Bureau of Nepal, who was part of the organising committee of the travel show, says that they hope the tourism industry, which has taken a massive hit due to the pandemic, can benefit from the event. Adventure tourism and mountaineering along with trekking and cultural tourism were promoted at the event. The entrepreneurs plan to set up stalls in Adventure and Travel Show 2023 to be held across the US from January onwards to promote Nepali tourism. Home Lifestyle People Satya Mohan Joshi, Nepals 103-year-old historian and cultural scholar, no more File: Satya Mohan Joshi Kathmandu, October 16 Nepals legendary historian and cultural scholar Satya Mohan Joshi passed away on Sunday. Publicly honoured as Shatabdi Purush, the Man of the Century, he was 103. Joshi was undergoing treatment at Kist Medical College and Teaching Hospital after suffering from a dengue infection. The hospital had been reporting for the past few days that his health condition was stable but critical. Besides other age-triggered ailments, he was also suffering from heart and prostate problems. Writer Narendra Raj Prasai, a close friend of the Joshi family, confirmed the historians death, quoting his son who was at the hospital. Joshi was born in Patan on May 12, 1920. He has received Madan Puraskar, Nepals most prestigious literary award, three times. Description The Stony Brook SBDC presents "Avoiding the Worst 5 Mistakes You Can Make As A Business Owner". On Thursday, November 3rd, Francine E. Love, Founder & Managing Attorney of LOVE LAW FIRM PLLC, will discuss some of the most common mistakes that business owners make that sabotage their success. Sponsored in part by Capital One Bank. Register here: https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07ejfy3wy8470274a8&oseq=&c=&ch= Fortune Business Insights According to Fortune Business Insights, Nuclear Medicine Market to Reach USD 19.47 Billion by 2028, to Witness Rapid Growth on Account of Adoption of PET Diagnostic Tool as Therapeutic Pune, India, Nov. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The nuclear medicine market size was USD 5.04 billion in 2020. The market is studious to grow from USD 5.57 billion in 2021 to USD 19.47 billion by 2028 at a CAGR of 19.6% during the 2021-2028 period. This report is provided by Fortune Business Insights, in its report, titled, Global Nuclear Medicine, 2021-2028. Nuclear medicine is a type of medical imaging that uses radioactive materials to create pictures of body tissues. These pictures are used to diagnose and treat diseases. The nuclear medicine market is segmented based on applications, product, and geography. The applications segment is further divided into imaging and therapy. Request a Sample Copy of the Research Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/request-sample-pdf/nuclear-medicine-radiopharmaceuticals-market-101812 Industry Development March 2021: Bracco Diagnostics Inc. declared a collaboration with CardioNavix, LLC to enhance patient access to cardiac PET imaging. This novel program, the Bracco Mobile Isotope Service, will empower more patient care sites to provide cardiac PET imaging. Report Scope Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 2021 to 2028 Forecast Period 2021 to 2028 CAGR 19.6% 2028 Value Projection USD 19.47 Billion Base Year 2020 Market Size in 2021 USD 5.57 Billion Historical Data for 2017 to 2019 No. of Pages 169 Report Coverage Our reports are conducted with an exhaustive examination method that primarily focuses on delivering accurate material. Our scholars have applied a data navigation technique that further aids us to offer reliable predictions and examine the nuclear medicine America dynamics precisely. Further, our analysts have gained admission to various international as well as locally sponsored registers for providing the up-to-date material so that the stakeholders and business professionals invest only in operative zones. Story continues Competitive Landscape Partnerships Commenced by Key Companies to Promote Market Growth The dominating players in the market continually root for resourceful strategies to encourage their brand value and also promote the global market growth of the product with facing least imaginable obstacles. One such capable strategy is gaining competitive companies and therefore fortifying a profit for both the involved companies. To get to know more about the short-term and long-term impact of COVID-19 on this market, please visit: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/nuclear-medicine-radiopharmaceuticals-market-101812 Driving Factors Technological Progressions in Nuclear Imaging Modalities to Boost Market One of the fundamental aspects for the nuclear medicine market growth is the augmented consciousness concerning the possible influence of primary and timely diagnosis and the corresponding affirmative sway in the management and treatment of prolonged disorders. Developments in nuclear imaging technology, especially PET/PET-CT, have helped in the extension of applications of this modality beyond oncology to cardiology, neurology, and identification of infections. There has been a substantial increase in the volume of the PET and SPECT procedures due to these technological advancements. For instance, other improvements such as the development of cadmium zinc telluride (CZT)-based detectors, which helps in the simultaneous viewing of physiological and anatomical structures, is expected to drive the adoption of SPECT-CT systems. Segmentation On the basis of the type, the Nuclear Medicine is categorized into diagnostic and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals. The diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals segment is estimated to hold the dominant share of the global market in 2020. In terms of application, the market America is classified into neurology, cardiology, oncology, and others. By the end-user, the market is divided into hospitals & clinics, diagnostic centers, and others. Geographically, the market is branched into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Rest of the World. Segments - Segmentation By Type Diagnostic Radiopharmaceuticals PET Radiopharmaceuticals FDG-PET/18F 68Ga 68Cu 11C Others SPECT Radiopharmaceuticals Technetium-99m Iodine-123 Xenon-133 Thallium-201 Others Therapeutic Radiopharmaceuticals By Application Neurology Cardiology Oncology Others By Geography North America (U.S. and Canada) Europe (Germany, U.K., France, Italy, Spain, and Rest of Europe) Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, Australia, and Rest of Asia Pacific) Rest of the World Quick Buy - Nuclear Medicine Market Research Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/checkout-page/101812 Regional Insights North America to Lead Backed by Increased Usage of Therapeutic Radiopharmaceuticals North America created a revenue of USD 2.57 billion in 2020 and is projected to continue its dominance during the forecast period. The prompt adoption of operative nuclear imaging technologies pooled with the rising utilization of technologically sound and proficient therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals across the region are anticipated to fuel Nuclear Medicine market growth. Europe is estimated to hold the second-highest nuclear medicine market America share due to the adoption of advanced radiopharmaceuticals and current product unveilings by prominent players. Asia Pacific is projected to expand at a substantial CAGR during the forecast period. COVID-19 Impact COVID-19 Pandemic Hindered Market Revenue Owing to Decreasing Diagnosis Processes The COVID-19 pandemic adversely influenced the market in 2020. The concerns such as scarcity of workforce & staff, the threat of transmission of COVID-19, and the deterioration in the imaging processes such as PET-CT SPECT procedures posed a test for the market growth in 2020. The decline in the procedures can be accredited to the interruption in supply chains, logistical challenges, and adoption of safety measures, which is difficult to maintain by centers. Have Any Query? Ask Our Experts: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/speak-to-analyst/nuclear-medicine-radiopharmaceuticals-market-101812 List of Key Players Covered in the Report Lantheus Medical Imaging, Inc. (U.S.) Cardinal Health (U.S.) Norgine B.V. (Netherlands) Nordion (Canada) Inc. (Canada) Bayer AG (Germany) Curium (France) Advanced Accelerator Applications (Novartis AG) (France) Bracco Diagnostic Inc. (U.S.) Jubilant Pharmova Limited (India) GE Healthcare (General Electric Company) (U.S.) Some major points from Table of Content: Introduction Market Scope Market Segmentation Research Methodology Definitions and Assumptions Executive Summary Market Dynamics Market Drivers Market Restraints Market Opportunities Market Trends Key Insights Installed Base of PET/PET-CT Scanners For Key Countries, 2015 and 2019 Installed Base of Gamma Cameras For Key Countries, 2019 PET/PET-CT Procedure Volume for Key Countries, 2019 Reimbursement Scenario- For Key Countries New Product Launches Key Industry Developments Pipeline Analysis Impact of COVID-19 on the Market Global Nuclear Medicine Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2017-2028 Key Findings / Summary Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Type Diagnostics PET Radiopharmaceuticals FDG-PET/18F 68Ga 68Cu 11C Others SPECT Radiopharmaceuticals Technetium-99m Iodine-123 Xenon-133 Thallium-201 Others Therapeutics Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Application Neurology Cardiology Oncology Others Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By End-user Hospitals & Clinics Diagnostic Centers Others Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Region North America Europe Asia Pacific Rest of the World North America Nuclear Medicine Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2017-2028 Key Findings / Summary Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Type Diagnostics PET Radiopharmaceuticals FDG-PET/18F 68Ga 68Cu 11C Others SPECT Radiopharmaceuticals Technetium-99m Iodine-123 Xenon-133 Thallium-201 Others Therapeutics Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Application Neurology Cardiology Oncology Others Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By End-user Hospitals & Clinics Diagnostic Centers Others Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Country U.S. Canada Europe Nuclear Medicine Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2017-2028 Key Findings / Summary Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Type Diagnostics PET Radiopharmaceuticals FDG-PET/18F 68Ga 68Cu 11C Others SPECT Radiopharmaceuticals Technetium-99m Iodine-123 Xenon-133 Thallium-201 Others Therapeutics Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Application Neurology Cardiology Oncology Others Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By End-user Hospitals & Clinics Diagnostic Centers Others Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Country/ Sub-region U.K. Germany France Spain Italy Scandinavia Rest of Europe Continued... Get your Customized Research Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/customization/nuclear-medicine-radiopharmaceuticals-market-101812 About Us: Fortune Business Insights offers expert corporate analysis and accurate data, helping organizations of all sizes make timely decisions. We tailor innovative solutions for our clients, assisting them to address challenges distinct to their businesses. Our goal is to empower our clients with holistic market intelligence, giving a granular overview of the market they are operating in. Our reports contain a unique mix of tangible insights and qualitative analysis to help companies achieve sustainable growth. Our team of experienced analysts and consultants use industry-leading research tools and techniques to compile comprehensive market studies, interspersed with relevant data. At Fortune Business Insights we aim at highlighting the most lucrative growth opportunities for our clients. We, therefore, offer recommendations, making it easier for them to navigate through technological and market-related changes. Our consulting services are designed to help organizations identify hidden opportunities and understand prevailing competitive challenges. Contact Us: Fortune Business Insights Pvt. Ltd. Pune - 411045, Maharashtra, India. Phone: US :+1 424 253 0390 UK : +44 2071 939123 APAC : +91 744 740 1245 Email: sales@fortunebusinessinsights.com Fortune Business Insights LinkedIn | Twitter | Blogs Nordecon Despite the difficult economic environment, the group's 9-month result is characterized by an increase in sales revenue and operating profit. Results for the Buildings and Infrastructure segments differ significantly. Although the profitability of the Buildings segment decreased in the 3rd quarter compared to the same period last year, in 9 months, despite the increase in input prices, profitability has improved compared to the same period last year, and we predict that the margin will continue to improve. The result of the Infrastructure segment - a segment with high fixed costs has been illustrated by the decrease in sales revenue that is directly affected by the decision made by the main customer, the Transport Administration, in the spring of 2022 to reduce investments in infrastructure construction. Due to the sharp decrease in investments in road construction, the group has already reorganized its road construction sub-segment in order to ensure more efficient use of resources and return to profit through the elimination of duplicative activities. As of 30.09.2022, the order book of the group was 188,847 thousand euros. The profile of new contracts signed in the third quarter of 2022 is dominated by wind farm construction in Estonia and Lithuania and the construction of apartment buildings. The group also continued with successful housing development projects in Tartu (Moisavahe Homes, Emajoe Residence) and started new projects in Tallinn (Kivimae Suda) and Parnu (Seiler Quarter). The group's gross profitability was 2.2% in 9 months of 2022 and 2.7% in the third quarter. The group ended 9 months with a net loss, which is due to the write-down of Ukrainian investments made in the 1st quarter and the exchange rate loss due to the devaluation of the Ukrainian hryvnia in the 3rd quarter. Both expenses are non-cash financial expense and the exchange rate loss has no effect on the consolidated equity of the group. Condensed consolidated interim statement of financial position 000 30 September 2022 31 December 2021 ASSETS Current assets Cash and cash equivalents 5,065 9,031 Trade and other receivables 61,220 48,091 Prepayments 7,801 4,947 Inventories 26,647 25,637 Total current assets 100,733 87,706 Non-current assets Other investments 76 76 Trade and other receivables 8,664 9,206 Investment property 8,233 5,599 Property, plant and equipment 17,045 17,433 Intangible assets 15,098 15,051 Total non-current assets 49,116 47,365 TOTAL ASSETS 149,849 135,071 LIABILITIES Current liabilities Borrowings 17,546 16,289 Trade payables 69,790 57,324 Other payables 8,291 7,459 Deferred income 14,992 11,539 Provisions 1,452 707 Total current liabilities 112,071 93,318 Non-current liabilities Borrowings 5,879 7,405 Trade payables 3,414 4,178 Provisions 1,778 2,044 Total non-current liabilities 11,071 13,627 TOTAL LIABILITIES 123,142 106,945 EQUITY Share capital 14,379 14,379 Own (treasury) shares (660) (660) Share premium 635 635 Statutory capital reserve 2,554 2,554 Translation reserve 2,710 1,948 Retained earnings 3,690 6,341 Total equity attributable to owners of the parent 23,308 25,197 Non-controlling interests 3,399 2,929 TOTAL EQUITY 26,707 28,126 TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY 149,849 135,071 Condensed consolidated interim statement of comprehensive income 000 9M 2022 Q3 2022 9M 2021 Q3 2021 2021 Revenue 239,175 89,919 208,894 90,928 288,534 Cost of sales (233,911) (87,836) (203,999) (87,339) (284,513) Gross profit 5,264 2,083 4,895 3,589 4,021 Marketing and distribution expenses (313) (127) (394) (180) (559) Administrative expenses (5,139) (2,021) (4,267) (1,434) (6,053) Other operating income 1,920 64 198 71 519 Other operating expenses (392) (116) (93) (64) (2,264) Operating profit (loss) 1,340 (117) 339 1,982 (4,336) Finance income 174 28 877 340 958 Finance costs (2,702) (1,325) (942) (277) (1,320) Net finance income (costs) (2,528) (1,297) (65) 63 (362) Profit (loss) before income tax (1,188) (1,414) 274 2,045 (4,698) Income tax expense (200) 0 (642) (23) (808) Profit (loss) for the period (1,388) (1,414) (368) 2,022 (5,506) Other comprehensive income (expense) Exchange differences on translating foreign operations 762 1,021 (561) 155 (475) Total other comprehensive income (expense) 762 1,021 (561) 155 (475) TOTAL COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (EXPENSE) (626) (393) (929) 2,177 (5,981) Profit (loss) attributable to: - Owners of the parent (2,651) (1,723) (796) 1,352 (6,310) - Non-controlling interests 1,263 309 428 670 804 Profit (loss) for the period (1,388) (1,414) (368) 2,022 (5,506) Comprehensive income (expense) attributable to: - Owners of the parent (1,889) (702) (1,357) 1,507 (6,785) - Non-controlling interests 1,263 309 428 670 804 Comprehensive income (expense) for the period (626) (393) (929) 2,177 (5,981) Earnings per share attributable to owners of the parent: Basic earnings per share () (0.08) (0.05) (0.03) 0.04 (0.20) Diluted earnings per share () (0.08) (0.05) (0.03) 0.04 (0.20) Condensed consolidated interim statement of cash flows 000 9M 2022 9M 2021 Cash flows from operating activities Cash receipts from customers 281,240 243,632 Cash paid to suppliers (255,661) (214,901) VAT paid (6,348) (6,548) Cash paid to and for employees (19,192) (19,128) Income tax paid (244) (617) Net cash (used in) from operating activities (205) 2,438 Cash flows from investing activities Paid on acquisition of property, plant and equipment (289) (134) Proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment 537 246 Paid on acquisition of intangible assets 0 (16) Loans provided (18) (18) Repayments of loans provided 14 83 Dividends received 6 0 Interest received 5 7 Net cash from investing activities 255 168 Cash flows from financing activities Proceeds from loans received 3,264 1,535 Repayments of loans received (3,134) (3,086) Lease payments made (2,619) (2,388) Interest paid (722) (841) Dividends paid (792) (4,706) Net cash used in financing activities (4,003) (9,486) Net cash flow (3,953) (6,880) Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period 9,031 12,576 Effect of movements in foreign exchange rates (13) 1 Decrease in cash and cash equivalents (3,953) (6,880) Cash and cash equivalents at end of period 5,065 5,697 Financial review Financial performance Nordecon ended the first nine months of 2022 with a gross profit of 5,264 thousand (9M 2021: 4,895 thousand) and a gross margin of 2.2% (9M 2020: 2.3%). While the gross margin for nine months remained essentially stable, the gross margin for the third quarter, which was 2.7%, decreased compared with the same period last year (Q3 2021: 3.9%). The groups gross margin was strongly affected by the Infrastructure segment whose performance was significantly weaker than a year earlier: it ended nine months with a loss and the third quarter with a modest result. The segments gross margins for nine months and third quarter were (2.0)% and 2.0% in 2022 compared with 1.8% and 4.0% in 2021, respectively. Its largest customer, the Transport Administration, has cancelled several announced procurements and made significant cutbacks in its investments in 2022. This has had a significant effect on the performance of our Infrastructure segment whose fixed costs are high. In response to a sharp decrease in road construction investments, we have reorganised our road construction operations and eliminated duplication of activities to ensure more efficient use of resources and profitability. In the Buildings segment, the third-quarter gross margin was lower than a year earlier but the nine-month gross margin was higher than a year earlier despite growth in input prices and disruptions in the supply of materials. The segments gross margins for nine months and the third quarter of 2022 were 3.4% and 2.7%, respectively, compared with 3.0% and 3.8% in 2021. The groups administrative expenses for the first nine months of 2022 amounted to 5,139 thousand. Compared with the same period last year, administrative expenses grew by around 20% (9M 2021: 4,267 thousand) due to a general uptrend in the cost of goods and services and growth in personnel expenses. The ratio of administrative expenses to revenue (12 months rolling) remained essentially stable at 2.2% (9M 2021: 2.1%). The group ended the first nine months of 2022 with an operating profit of 1,340 thousand (9M 2021: 339 thousand). EBITDA for the period amounted to 3,920 thousand (9M 2021: 2,961 thousand). According to the restructuring plan approved by the creditors of Swencn AB, the claims of the entitys creditors were to be settled to the extent of 25%. As a result, the group recognised other income of 1,560 thousand in the reporting period. The groups finance costs were significantly affected by the events in Ukraine. Russias invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 had a strong effect on the exchange rate of the Ukrainian hryvnia, which was already unstable. The hryvnia was devalued in July and the exchange rate of the hryvnia weakened against the euro in the nine months of 2022 by around 13%. Translation of the loans provided to the groups Ukrainian subsidiaries in euros into the local currency gave rise to an exchange loss of 859 thousand (9M 2021: an exchange gain of 697 thousand). The same movements in foreign exchange rates increased the translation reserve in equity by 762 thousand (9M 2021: reduced by 561 thousand) and the net effect of the exchange differences on the groups net assets was negative at 97 thousand (9M 2021: positive at 233 thousand). In addition, the group wrote down the loan provided to the Ukrainian associate V.I. Center TOV by 825 thousand. Due to the lack of more recent reliable data, the fair value of the loan was measured using the inputs of the valuation reports issued at the end of 2021 by an internationally recognised independent appraiser. The asset had to be written down due to the time factor, i.e. the deferral of the completion of the development projects. The group ended the period with a net loss of 1,388 thousand (9M 2021: 368 thousand). The net loss attributable to owners of the parent, Nordecon AS, was 2,651 thousand (9M 2021: 796 thousand). Cash flows Operating activities produced a net cash outflow of 205 thousand in the first nine months of 2022 (9M 2021: an inflow of 2,438 thousand). Operating cash flow is increasingly affected by the need to make prepayments to materials suppliers, which have grown due to spikes in materials prices and continuing supply disruptions, in a situation where the contracts signed with both public and private sector customers do not require them to make advance payments. Cash inflow is also reduced by contractual retentions, which extend from 5 to 10% of the contract price and are released at the end of the construction period only. Investing activities of the period resulted in a net cash inflow of 255 thousand (9M 2021: an inflow of 168 thousand). The largest items were payments made to acquire property, plant and equipment of 289 thousand (9M 2021: 150 thousand) and proceeds from the sale of property, plant and equipment of 537 thousand (9M 2021: 246 thousand). Repayments of loans provided totalled 14 thousand (9M 2021: 83 thousand) Financing activities generated a net cash outflow of 4,003 thousand (9M 2021: an outflow of 9,486 thousand). The largest items were cash flows related to loans and leases. Proceeds from loans received totalled 3,264 thousand, consisting of the use of the overdraft facility and development loans (9M 2021: 1,535 thousand). Repayments of loans received totalled 3,134 thousand, consisting of regular repayments of long-term investment and development loans (9M 2021: 3,086 thousand). Lease payments totalled 2,619 thousand (9M 2021: 2,388 thousand). Dividends paid in the first nine months of 2022 amounted to 651 thousand (9M 2021: 4,706 thousand). The groups cash and cash equivalents at 30 September 2022 totalled 5,065 thousand (30 September 2021: 5,697 thousand). Key financial figures and ratios Figure/ratio 9M 2022 9M 2021 9M 2020 2021 Revenue (000) 239,175 208,894 217,664 288,534 Revenue change 14.5% (4)% 26.4% (2.5)% Net profit (loss) (000) (1,388) (368) 3,004 (5,506) Net profit (loss) attributable to owners of the parent (000) (2,651) (796) 1,040 (6,310) Weighted average number of shares 31,528,585 31,528,585 31,528,585 31,528,585 Earnings per share () (0.08) (0.03) 0.03 (0.20) Administrative expenses to revenue 2.1% 2.0% 2.4% 2.1% Administrative expenses to revenue (rolling) 2.2% 2.1% 2.7% 2.1% EBITDA (000) 3,920 2,961 6,512 (797) EBITDA margin 1.6% 1.4% 3.0% (0.3)% Gross margin 2.2% 2.3% 4.4% 1.4% Operating margin 0.6% 0.2% 1.8% (1.5)% Operating margin excluding gain on asset sales 0.4% 0.1% 1.8% (1.6)% Net margin (0.6)% (0.2)% 1.4% (1.9)% Return on invested capital (1.1)% 1.7% 6.2% (6.5)% Return on equity (5.1)% (1.0)% 8.5% (16.8)% Equity ratio 17.8% 22.9% 25.8% 20.8% Return on assets (1.0)% (0.3)% 2.3% (4.1)% Gearing 36.6% 32.1% 30.2% 28.3% Current ratio 0.90 0.98 1.00 0.94 30 Sept 2022 30 Sept 2021 30 Sept 2020 31 Dec 2021 Order book (000) 188,847 293,141 215,494 266,856 Performance by geographical market Foreign markets accounted for around 4% of the groups total revenue for the first nine months of 2022, which is similar to the same period last year. Due to Russias military invasion of Ukraine, major operations of the groups Ukrainian subsidiary Eurocon Ukraine TOV have been temporarily suspended: in the second quarter it continued work on an ongoing building project in Kiev and it is currently restoring an administrative building that was damaged during the war. Ukrainian revenues for the reporting period amounted to 770 thousand. The group did not generate any revenue and had no ongoing construction contracts in the Swedish market. The group operates on a project basis in Latvia and Lithuania where it was building two wind farms in the reporting period. 9M 2022 9M 2021 9M 2020 2021 Estonia 96% 95% 88% 94% Finland 2% 4% 5% 3% Latvia 1% 0% 0% 1% Lithuania 1% 0% 0% 0% Ukraine 0% 1% 1% 2% Sweden 0% 0% 6% 0% Geographical diversification of the revenue base is a consciously deployed strategy by which we mitigate the risks resulting from excessive reliance on a single market. However, conditions in some of our chosen foreign markets are volatile and noticeably affect our current results. Increasing the contribution of foreign markets is one of Nordecons strategic goals. Performance by business line Segment revenues The groups revenue for the first nine months of 2022 was 239,175 thousand, roughly 15% larger than in the same period last year when the group generated revenue of 208,894 thousand. Revenue growth resulted from the Buildings segment whose revenue grew by 26%. The revenue of the Infrastructure segment decreased by 19%. The decline is attributable to cutbacks in the investments of the largest customer, the Transport Administration, made due to the spike in input prices which was triggered by the impacts of the war in Ukraine. Growth in the revenue of the Buildings segment is mainly supported by major contracts secured in 2021. The low volumes of infrastructure construction that continue to affect the entire construction market also influence the groups revenue structure. In the first nine months of 2022, the Buildings and the Infrastructure segment generated revenue of 195,157 thousand and 43,845 thousand, respectively. The corresponding figures for the first nine months of 2021 were 154,599 thousand and 54,029 thousand. Revenue by operating segment 9M 2022 9M 2021 9M 2020 2021 Buildings 78% 72% 75% 75% Infrastructure 22% 28% 25% 25% Subsegment revenues The nine-month revenue of the commercial buildings subsegment remained essentially stable while the revenues of other subsegments grew compared with the same period last year. Revenue growth was the strongest in the industrial and warehouse facilities subsegment whose contribution to the total revenue of the Buildings segment is still the smallest. The largest subsegments in terms of revenue are apartment buildings and public buildings which showed nearly 25% revenue growth. The largest projects under construction in the commercial buildings subsegment were the LEED Gold compliant Alma Tomingas office building in Ulemiste City and the commercial and residential complex Vektor in Tallinn, and an IKEA store in Rae rural municipality near Tallinn. The latter was completed and delivered to the customer on schedule. The revenue of the public buildings subsegment has increased significantly year on year. The largest projects in progress during the period were construction works in the Medical Campus of the Tartu University Hospital in Tartu, the construction of the main building of the Estonian Internal Security Service in Tallinn, the design and construction of storage facilities and utility networks for the Centre for Defence Investment in Harju county and the design and renovation of the Ulenurme upper secondary school in Kambja rural municipality near Tartu. The apartment buildings subsegment earns most of its revenue from the construction of apartment buildings for third parties. During the period under review, the largest of them were the design and construction of the first two phases of the Kalaranna quarter in Tallinn and the design and construction of the Tiskreoja and Luccaranna housing estates on the western border of Tallinn. The volume of our own development operations (reported in the apartment buildings subsegment), however, continues to grow as well. We have development projects in both Tallinn and Tartu. During the period, work continued on the construction of the Moisavahe Kodu housing estate in Tartu (https://moisavahe.ee) and the development of plots for Kivimae Suda, a new housing estate in the Nomme district in Tallinn, where we have started preparations for phase II the construction of an apartment building (https://www.kivimaesuda.ee/en). We have also started the design of the Seiler Quarter housing estate in Parnu (https://seileri.ee). The periods revenue from own development projects amounted to 7,880 thousand (9M 2021: 388 thousand). In carrying out our own development activities, we carefully monitor potential risks in the housing development market. The industrial and warehouse facilities subsegment roughly doubled its nine-month revenue compared with last year. The subsegments largest ongoing project is the construction of a factory complex for the dairy company E-Piim in Paide but there are also smaller projects such as the construction of a production building at Kurna tee in Harju county and the design and construction of an extension to the production building of Viljandi Aken ja Uks AS. Buildings segment 9M 2022 9M 2021 9M 2020 2021 Commercial buildings 23% 30% 25% 29% Public buildings 29% 29% 36% 28% Apartment buildings 29% 29% 28% 29% Industrial and warehouse facilities 19% 12% 11% 14% In the Infrastructure segment, the largest revenue contributor is still road construction and maintenance although its revenue and proportionate contribution have decreased year on year. During the period, a major share of its revenue resulted from the performance of contracts secured in 2021, the largest of which were the construction of 2+2 passing lanes on the KarevereKardla section of the TallinnTartuVoruLuhamaa road and the design and construction of the outdoor area around Terminal D in Old City Harbour in Tallinn, as well as smaller contracts of 23 million each signed in 2022. The group continued to deliver road maintenance services in Jarva county. The revenue contribution of other engineering, which is currently generating most of its revenue from the construction of wind farms in Latvia and Lithuania, increased year on year. Infrastructure segment 9M 2022 9M 2021 9M 2020 2021 Road construction and maintenance 80% 85% 77% 87% Other engineering 16% 5% 18% 6% Specialist engineering 4% 5% 4% 4% Environmental engineering 0% 5% 1% 3% Order book The groups order book (backlog of contracts signed but not yet performed) stood at 188,847 thousand at 30 September 2022, reflecting a 36% decrease year on year. In the third quarter of 2022, we signed new contracts of 48,408 thousand (Q3 2021: 102,326 thousand). Russias military invasion of Ukraine and the consequent sanctions against Russia and Belarus caused disruptions in the supply chains of building materials, particularly metal, wood and oil-based products, which continue to affect the prices of relevant materials. The surge in materials prices has caused a sharp increase in the costs of development projects as well as the postponement of new projects. As mentioned in the previous chapters, the volume of investments made by the Transport Administration has decreased substantially. This has affected the groups order book through a decline in the order book of the Infrastructure segment. 30 Sept 2022 30 Sept 2021 30 Sept 2020 31 Dec 2021 Order book (000) 188,847 293,141 215,494 266,856 The proportion of the Buildings segment in the groups total order book has increased to 91% (30 September 2021: the Buildings segment accounted for 87% and the Infrastructure segment for 13% of the total order book). The order books of both operating segments have decreased compared with 30 September 2021: the order book of the Buildings segment by 33% and the order book of the Infrastructure segment by 55%. The largest contracts secured in the third quarter were: The construction of foundations for turbines in a wind farm being built near the city of Telsiai, Lithuania, with an approximate cost of 3,000 thousand. The construction of apartment buildings at Loo, in Joelahtme rural municipality near Tallinn. The approximate cost of phase II of the Kastanikodu housing estate is 10,300 thousand. The construction of road and electricity networks and foundations for turbines in a wind farm being built in Saarde rural municipality in Parnu county (a joint bid). The approximate cost of the works performed by the group is 3,850 thousand. The design and construction of an extension to the storage facilities of the Centre for Defence Investment in Harju county with an approximate cost of 17,700 thousand. Based on the size of the groups order book, including the share of work to be performed in 2023, management expects that in 2022 the groups revenue will grow compared with 2021. The uptrend in the prices of materials, energy carriers and labour costs will continue to drive up input prices, which will increase pressure on profit margins. In an environment of stiff competition, we have avoided taking unjustified risks whose realisation in the contract performance phase would have an adverse impact on the groups results. To mitigate input price risk, we have been signing cost-plus contracts with private sector customers (contracts with an open book arrangement under which we can invoice the customer based on the actual costs incurred plus an agreed margin). Our focus remains on cost control as well as pre-construction and design activities, where we can deploy our professional competitive advantages. People Employees and personnel expenses The groups average number of employees in the first nine months of 2022 was 669, including 437 engineers and technical personnel (ETP). Headcount decreased by around 3% year on year. Average number of employees at group entities (including the parent and the subsidiaries): 9M 2022 9M 2021 9M 2020 2021 ETP 437 432 422 434 Workers 232 258 261 251 Total average 669 690 703 685 The groups personnel expenses for the first nine months of 2022, including all taxes, totalled 19,932 thousand compared with 18,325 thousand in the same period last year. Personnel expense have increased by around 9% in connection with growth in wages and salaries. The service fees of the members of the council of Nordecon AS for the first nine months of 2022 amounted to 112 thousand and associated social security charges totalled 37 thousand (9M 2021: 112 thousand and 37 thousand, respectively). The service fees of the members of the board of Nordecon AS amounted to 310 thousand and associated social security charges totalled 102 thousand (9M 2021: 276 thousand and 91 thousand, respectively). Labour productivity and labour cost efficiency We measure the efficiency of our operating activities using the following productivity and efficiency indicators, which are based on the number of employees and personnel expenses incurred: 9M 2022 9M 2021 9M 2020 2021 Nominal labour productivity (rolling), ( 000) 475.7 416.5 400.4 420.8 Change against the comparative period, % 14.2% 4.0% 19.5% (0.5)% Nominal labour cost efficiency (rolling), () 12.0 11.1 10.3 11.5 Change against the comparative period, % 8.1% 6.9% 8.4% 5.5% The groups nominal labour productivity and nominal labour cost efficiency improved year on year, mainly due to revenue growth. Andri Hobemagi Nordecon AS Head of Investor Relations Tel: +372 6272 022 Email: andri.hobemagi@nordecon.com www.nordecon.com Attachments Airbus and Nedaa have received the ICCA award, given for their key role in providing secure communications and thus helping secure the global Expo 2020 Dubai premises. In collaboration with Nedaa, Airbus deployed its mission-critical communication solutions Tactilon Agnet and Tactilon Dabat during Dubais hosting of the six-month international Expo. The technologies were used to support the work of Dubai Police and members of the Dubai World Expo security and site management teams and Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services. In recognition of this role, Airbus recently clinched the Best Use of Critical Communications in Public Safety during the annual International Critical Communications Awards (ICCAs) at the Critical Communications World (CCW) event in Vienna. Much-needed connection Selim Bouri, Vice-president for Airbus Secure Land Communications in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, said: Its our honour to share our latest recognition with Nedaa whose 4G and TETRA networks provided the much-needed connection for our hybrid critical solutions. The network was vital to ensuring the seamless communication and collaboration between first responders and public safety personnel deployed throughout the premier event. The users were able to coordinate through individual and group calls, safely transfer vital information such as location reports, and stream video in real-time. Nedaa and Airbus worked to contribute to Expos operational success by helping guarantee the safety and security of the participants and visitors from all over the world, Bouri added. Communication needs Mansoor Bu Osaiba, CEO of Nedaa said: We were delighted to provide the support that met the requirements of the teams in charge of the Expo 2020 in Dubai. Our collaboration then and now reflects our common mission to meet the communication needs of first responders and enable them to effectively respond to emergencies. We were able to showcase the strength of our partnership not only during the Expo but in every step of our strategic collaboration. Tactilon Agnet served as a bridge between both Tetra and broadband technologies by providing Tetra users such as medical professionals the platform to communicate with the volunteers who all used smartphones. Tactilon Dabat, on the other hand, were used to scan access badges and visitor, contractor, volunteer and worker- IDs. The solution gave professional smartphone users instant and reliable access to voice, video, multimedia, files, and location information, allowing them to securely transmit data such as photos and videos in real-time regardless of the device used.-- TradeArabia News Service TSXV: AWM WWW.ANGELWINGMETALS.COM Toronto, Nov. 2, 2022 /CNW/ - Angel Wing Metals Inc. (TSXV: AWM) ("Angel Wing Metals" or the "Company") announces the filing of its restated unaudited condensed interim financial statements for the periods ending March 31, 2022 and June 30, 2022 (the "Restated Financial Statements"), to account for the change in accounting for the acquisition of Lago de Oro Resources S.A. de C.V. ("LOM") and its El Grande Project ("El Grande" or "the Project") announced on March 30, 2022. The Restated Financial Statements were prepared following a continuous disclosure review by the Staff of the Albert Securities Commission (the "ASC") of the Company's disclosure records. Angel Wing Metals Inc. Logo (CNW Group/Angel Wing Metals Inc.) Following the acquisition of LOM, the Company accounted for the transaction as an investment. Upon further review, the Company in consultation with the ASC determined that the acquisition of LOM should be accounted for as an asset acquisition as more fully described in the notes to the Company's Restated Financial Statements. Accordingly, the expenses of LOM have been incorporated into the consolidated financials. Angel Wing Metals has therefore restated its unaudited condensed interim financial statements for the periods ending March 31, 2022 and June 30, 2022 as well as the associated management's discussion and analysis. ABOUT ANGEL WING METALS Angel Wing Metals (TSXV: AWM) is focused on the exploration and development of its portfolio of precious metals properties in Mexico and Canada. The Company's flagship El Grande gold project covers 550 square kilometers in the southern extension of the prolific Sierra Madre Occidental gold-silver belt in the state of Nayarit, Mexico. Story continues The Company also owns two early-stage gold exploration projects in Northwestern Ontario, in which the Company is engaged in ongoing exploration. The Winora Project is located near Lingman lake, 325 km north of Red Lake and consists of 17 patented mining claims in that are estimated to be within 500 m and on strike with the historic Lingman Lake gold deposit. The Quartz Lake Project is located 50km east of the prolific Red Lake district and demonstrates many similar geological features of other successful exploration plays in the region. Angel Wing Metals is committed to sustainable and responsible exploration and business activities in line with industry best practices, supportive of all stakeholders, including the local communities in which the Company operates. For more information, please visit the Company's website at www.angelwingmetals.com. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF ANGEL WING METALS INC. "Bryan Wilson" President & CEO Email: bwilson@angelwingmetals.com Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE Angel Wing Metals Inc. Cision View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/November2022/02/c0311.html ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. today announced the acquisition of Ireland-based Doyle Insurance Brokers (Wexford) Limited ("Doyle Mahon Insurances"). Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Logo (PRNewsfoto/Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.) Founded in 2009, Doyle Mahon Insurances is a retail insurance broker providing commercial and agricultural solutions to clients throughout Ireland. Doyle Mahon will remain in its current location under the direction of Ronan Foley, head of Gallagher's insurance brokerage operations in Ireland. "Doyle Mahon Insurances is a well-respected firm that will enhance our growth opportunities and bolster our presence in Ireland," said J. Patrick Gallagher, Jr., Chairman, President and CEO. "I am delighted to welcome the Doyle Mahon team to Gallagher, and look forward to working with them to further expand their client base and service offerings." Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG), a global insurance brokerage, risk management and consulting services firm, is headquartered in Rolling Meadows, Illinois. Gallagher provides these services in approximately 130 countries around the world through its owned operations and a network of correspondent brokers and consultants. Investors: Ray Iardella Media: Paul Day VP - Investor Relations Communications Manager 630-285-3661/ ray_iardella@ajg.com 630-285-5946/ paul_day1@ajg.com Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/arthur-j-gallagher--co-acquires-doyle-mahon-insurances-301667343.html SOURCE Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. New Buc-ee's in Luling, Texas, will be largest Buc-ee's store in the country. Featured Image for Buc-ee's Featured Image for Buc-ee's LULING, Texas, Nov. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Buc-ee's, home of the world's cleanest bathrooms, freshest food and friendliest beaver, will break ground on its new travel center in Luling, Texas, on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022. The start of construction will be celebrated at 11 a.m. CST with a ceremony attended by local leaders. The new Buc-ee's Luling will be the largest Buc-ee's location in the country, ensuring Texas remains home to the world's biggest Buc-ee's. Occupying more than 75,000 square feet, the updated Buc-ee's Luling will replace the city's current Buc-ee's store, which was the brand's first family travel center, built in 2003. Located at 10070 I-10, Buc-ee's Luling will offer 120 fueling positions just outside its store with thousands of snack, meal and drink options for travelers on the go, as well as the same award-winning restrooms, cheap gas, quality products and excellent service that have won the hearts, trust and business of millions in the South for nearly 40 years. Buc-ee's favorites, including Texas barbeque, homemade fudge, kolaches, Beaver Nuggets, jerky and fresh pastries, will all be available. Attendees of the Buc-ee's Luling groundbreaking ceremony will include Mayor CJ Watts of Luling, former Mayor Mike Hendricks of Luling, Caldwell County Judge Hoppy Haden, and Luling City Manager Mark Mayo. Founded in Texas in 1982, Buc-ee's is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. Buc-ee's operates 43 stores across Texas and the South. Since beginning its multi-state expansion in 2019, Buc-ee's has opened travel centers in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Buc-ee's is now headed West with store groundbreakings in Colorado and Missouri. "Beaver and Don's pioneering concept of the Buc-ee's family travel center debuted in Luling 20 years ago," said Stan Beard of Buc-ee's. "As we continue to share the Buc-ee's experience with the rest of the country, we are grateful for the opportunity to deepen our Lone Star roots and to keep our flagship, and the largest Buc-ee's ever, in Luling." Story continues Throughout the project, Buc-ee's corporate development team will continue to work closely with local partners, including the City of Luling, the Luling Economic Development Corporation, and Caldwell County. Buc-ee's Luling will add even more jobs to the area, employing at least 200 team members, with starting pay beginning well above minimum wage, full benefits, a 6% matching 401k, and three weeks of paid vacation. About Buc-ee's Buc-ee's is the world's most-loved travel center. Founded in 1982, Buc-ee's now has 34 stores across Texas, including the world's largest convenience store, as well as nine locations in other states. Buc-ee's is known for pristine bathrooms, a large amount of fueling positions, friendly service, Buc-ee's apparel and fresh, delicious food. Originally launched and still headquartered in Texas, Buc-ee's has combined traditional quality and modern efficiency to redefine the pit stop for their customers. For more information, visit www.buc-ees.com. Contact Information: Rachel Austin Publicist rachel@hometownsocial.net Related Images Image 1 This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. Attachment (Bloomberg) -- Less than four weeks after South Sudan became an independent country in 2011, a delegation of Glencore Plc traders arrived by private jet in search of oil. They were carrying with them $800,000 in cash to pay bribes. Most Read from Bloomberg The revelation was among several detailed in a London courtroom this week that showed how, decades after Glencore founder Marc Rich created the popular image of commodity traders criss-crossing the globe to dispense bribes in exchange for lucrative contracts, remarkably little had changed in the way some traders at the company were doing business. The UK Serious Fraud Office showed how Glencore paid more than $28 million in bribes across five African countries over five years to 2016, using methods that were in some cases carbon copies of deals that Rich had put in place in the 1970s and 1980s. On Thursday, a judge handed down a penalty of 276 million ($308 million) for Glencores conduct, on top of around $1.1 billion the company has already paid in related cases in the US and Brazil. Glencore traders hand delivered large quantities of cash to government officials, they sought to profit from political turmoil, and they inserted themselves into government-to-government deals that had been negotiated at preferential rates. Read the summary of the SFOs case against Glencore In South Sudan, Glencore wasted little time. The east African country became independent on July 9, 2011. By July 21 a Glencore executive -- identified by the SFO only as GE7 and as the companys Business Ethics Committee member for the London office -- was on a plane to persuade the President of South Sudan and others in government to give Glencores joint venture there a contract to sell its oil. Story continues Two other employees arrived in the capital Juba with $800,000 in cash a few days later. They said it was for opening office in South Sudan, cash for office infrastructure, salaries, cars etc., but Glencores local agent in fact used some of it to pay bribes, the SFO said. A few months later, the assistant to the President of South Sudan visited Glencore executives in Zurich and London. A Glencore executive withdrew a further $275,000 from the companys cash desk at its Swiss headquarters, and the next day Glencores South Sudanese unit was offered an oil deal. Commodity traders have spent years trying to distance themselves from the image of their industry forged in the days of characters like Marc Rich, instead presenting themselves as logistics businesses, moving oil, metals and grain from A to B in response to market signals. But the revelations about Glencores trading in Africa come just six months after the London-listed company pleaded guilty in related US cases, while top oil trader Vitol Group admitted to paying bribes in three Latin American countries, and Brazilian prosecutors accused Trafigura Group of involvement in a kickback scheme, in a civil case. Trafigura has denied the allegations. The extremely sizeable cash sums that were permitted to be withdrawn from the offices in Switzerland, using such spurious descriptions as office expenses, demonstrates the most blatant of conduct, Judge Peter Fraser said at the Southwark Crown Court on Thursday. It demonstrates the number of people at Glencore who must have been complicit in this behavior. An SFO prosecutor said Oct. 24 that as many as 11 former staff were under investigation for criminal wrongdoing. The corruption described is so brazen. This was less than 10 years ago, said Alexandra Gillies, author of Crude Intentions, a book about corruption in the oil industry. Its critical that the executives and employees involved are held legally accountable. Bribery was clearly an embedded part of the companys approach to maximizing profits in some of the poorest countries in the world. At the hearing attended by Glencores chair, Kalidas Madhavpeddi, the companys lawyer said the company unreservedly regrets the harm caused by these offenses. Madhavpeddi declined to comment on the proceedings when approached by Bloomberg outside the court. The SFO case outlined how in Nigeria, Glencore paid millions of dollars to an intermediary that were used to bribe officials at the state oil company, using sham contracts to disguise the true purpose of the payments. The Nigerian agent also transported cash by private jet to Cameroon. There a Glencore trader used it to bribe officials at the state oil and gas company and the state refinery. In Malawi, Glencore used a playbook that Rich had pioneered 40 years earlier. In the 1980s, thanks to an enterprising employee who went by the pseudonym Monsieur Ndolo, the trading house inserted itself in a deal between the government of Iran and the government of Burundi, profiting from the interest-free payment terms that Tehran was willing to offer its poorer African ally. In its case summary, the SFO detailed how Glencore had done something similar in a government-to-government oil deal between Nigeria and Malawi. Glencore traders and executives sanctioned bribes to officials at the Nigerian state oil company in order to take take advantage of the free credit benefit inherent in the joint venture agreement, according to the SFO. The SFO noted that Glencore had anti-corruption policies in place at the time of the wrongdoing, but said these were largely ignored because corruption was condoned at a very senior level within the company. --With assistance from Thomas Biesheuvel. (Updates with sentencing decision in paragraphs 3 and 10) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2022 Bloomberg L.P. Straits Research - Market Research Strategy | Strategy Consulting | Business Research | Business Consulting | Market Research The global data center power market had a revenue holding of USD 19.18 billion in 2021. It is expected to reach USD 29.4 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 6.2% during the forecast period (20222030). North America will command the leading market share, expanding at a CAGR of 3.87% over the forecast period. New York, United States, Nov. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The processing of data generated by consumers and enterprise end-users necessitates developing and constructing mission-critical data centers . Fiber optic cables, broadband telecommunication access, or satellites connect data centers to customers and businesses. They consist of server-based IT infrastructures, networks, storage, and infrastructure for processing and storing user data. Data centers incorporate power and cooling infrastructure to provide highly available, highly reliable, and scalable services to end users. Construction costs for a data center may range from millions to billions of dollars, depending on its location, capacity, and size. Regarding electricity, data centers are outfitted with transfer switches & switchgear, PDUs, UPS systems, generators, and other infrastructure. A data center's energy consumption is proportional to the number of servers it houses. Data centers store, distribute, and manage data and centralize essential IT functions and hardware. Get a Free Sample Copy of This Report @ https://straitsresearch.com/report/data-center-power-market/request-sample Growing Power Outrages Drive the Global Data Center Power Market A study by the Uptime Institute found that 78% of data centers experienced power failures in the past three years (201821) and that 75% of those failures could have been prevented. Widespread effects of power outages can be observed. This typically results in lost revenue and additional expenses. Software and networking issues are now the leading causes of data center outages, while power issues are less common. Data loss impairs the efficiency of businesses. Due to lost data, users and employees cannot access files and perform essential job duties. Network problems, hardware or software problems, power outages, cyberattacks, and human error can all contribute to data center outages. Story continues Since many small and large businesses rely on the regular operation of their business and the security of their customers' data, data centers are becoming increasingly valuable. Additionally, some data centers are affected by natural disasters. These power outages have compelled facility operators to install redundant data center power infrastructure. To reduce outages and downtime, operators of data centers are implementing new power solutions. Amazon Web Services, for example, disclosed that it is developing its in-rack UPS systems to prevent and minimize outages and downtime. Market participants regularly devise solutions to reduce the frequency of power outages caused by various instances by combining monitoring controls such as dynamic resource control and viewpoint analysis. Hyperscale operators also use artificial intelligence (AI) to reduce energy consumption and prevent outages, enhancing the data center power market. 5G Growing Edge Center Investments Create New Opportunities for Data Center Power 5G network connectivity provides quick data transfer speeds for mission-critical communications. IoT, robots, and AI applications, among others, can all benefit from the extensive broadband capabilities of 5G Live TV, which enable fast connections. 5G provides a significantly higher connection density, lower latency, and greater bandwidth than 4G. With the development and expansion of 5G, edge computing, which brings IT and cloud services closer to end users and devices, is gaining popularity. Due to their proximity to end users and their capacity for processing, transferring, and storing data, edge data centers are smaller but can support a wider variety of applications. Edge computing is evolving faster than ever, and its implementation requires quick, intelligent responses. Organizations such as American Tower and SBA Communications are actively pursuing locations for edge data centers on tower sites. Businesses would collaborate to establish Edge Data Centers and Cloud Solutions at carefully selected distribution centers. As data production increases, there will be a greater need for high-density racks and power infrastructures, such as rack PDUs of >10 kW and rack-level UPS systems, to support the additional power and IT infrastructure requirements. As a result of the need for data centers with more excellent power reliability and redundancy, more UPS systems and generators will be purchased. With more modular infrastructure options available, edge deployment will continue to advance the data center power industry. Report Scope Report Metric Details Market Size USD 29.4 Billion by 2030 CAGR 6.2% (2022-2030) Historical Data 2019-2020 Base Year 2021 Forecast Period 2022-2030 Forecast Units Value (USD Billion) Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered Power Infrastructure, UPS System Capacity, Generator Capacity, Tier Standards, Regions Geographies Covered North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, LAME and Rest of the World Key Companies Profiled/Vendors ABB, Eaton, Legrand, Schneider Electric, Rolls-Royce, Vertiv, Caterpillar, Cummins, Schneider Electric, Delta Electronics, Huawei Key Market Opportunities 5G Growing Edge Center Investments Key Market Drivers Growing Power Outrages Buy Now Full Report @ https://straitsresearch.com/buy-now/data-center-power-market Regional Insights North America will command the leading market share, expanding at a CAGR of 3.87% over the forecast period. This is attributable to the early availability and adoption of novel technologies and investments from colocation service providers, hyperscale data center operators, businesses, and government agencies. The region plays a significant role and is incumbent for each new technological development in the data center industry. The United States dominates the UPS industry in North America, followed by Canada. Hyperscale data center operators , companies, and government agencies have invested billions in data center facilities and redundant power backup equipment. As more buildings are developed as "green data centers," the need for efficient power solutions rises. And so, the rack power density of data centers has increased, necessitating the installation of additional electrical infrastructure and increasing investment levels. Asia-Pacific will likely generate USD 9,831 million by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 7.5%. Due to increasing expenditures by colocation providers and hyperscale operators, Asia-Pacific is currently one of the most dynamic data center markets. The primary factors driving the Asia-Pacific data center market are the increasing number of internet users, the growing use of social media, the rising penetration of smartphones, the expanding acceptance of cloud services, and the need for businesses to switch from server rooms to data centers. After colocation providers, Internet and cloud service providers are the most prominent players in the Asia-Pacific data center market. Many cloud service providers rely on colocation providers to construct facilities to bulk-lease space. Key Highlights The global data center power market size is expected to reach USD 29.4 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 6.2% during the forecast period (20222030). By power infrastructure , the global data center power market includes UPS Systems, Generators, Transfer Switches & Switchgear, PDUs, and Others. The UPS Systems section will likely grow at a CAGR of 6.25 % and hold the largest market share over the forecast period. By UPS system capacity , the global data center power market includes <=500 kVA, >5001,000 kVA, and >1,000 kVA. The <=500 kVA section will likely hold the largest market share, growing at a CAGR of 8.2% by 2030. By generator capacity , the global data center power market includes 0.15 MW, 1.53 MW, and >3 MW. The 1.53 MW section will likely grow at a CAGR of 6.1% and hold the largest market share over the forecast period. By tier standards , the global data center power market includes Tier I & II, Tier III, and Tier IV. The Tier III section is projected to hold the largest market share, growing at a CAGR of 8.5% over the forecast period. By region, the global data center power market is analyzed across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA. North America owns the leading market position. Competitive Players in the Market ABB Eaton Legrand Schneider Electric Rolls-Royce Vertiv Caterpillar Cummins Schneider Electric Delta Electronics Huawei Get a Free Sample Copy of This Report @ https://straitsresearch.com/report/data-center-power-market/request-sample Global Data Center Power Market: Segmentation By Power Infrastructure UPS Systems Generators Transfer Switches & Switchgear PDUs Other Electrical Infrastructure By UPS System Capacity <=500 kVA >5001,000 kVA >1,000 kVA By Generator Capacity 0.15 MW 1.53 MW >3 MW By Tier Standards Tier I & II Tier III Tier IV By Regions North America Asia-Pacific Europe LAMEA TABLE OF CONTENT Introduction Market Definition Market Scope Research Methodology Primary Research Research Methodology Assumptions & Exclusions Secondary Data Sources Market Overview Report Segmentation & Scope Value Chain Analysis: Data Center Power Market Key Market Trends Drivers Restraints Opportunities Porters Five Forces Analysis Bargaining Power of Suppliers Bargaining Power of Buyers Threat of Substitution Threat of New Entrants Competitive Rivalry Market Share Analysis Power Infrastructure Overview Introduction Market Size & Forecast UPS Systems Market Size & Forecast Generators Market Size & Forecast UPS System Capacity Overview Introduction Market Size & Forecast <=500 kVA Market Size & Forecast >5001,000 kVA Market Size & Forecast Regional Overview Introduction Market Size & Forecast America North America U.S. By Power Infrastructure By UPS System Capacity Canada By Power Infrastructure By UPS System Capacity Mexico By Power Infrastructure By UPS System Capacity Latin America By Power Infrastructure By UPS System Capacity Europe Market Size & Forecast Germany By Power Infrastructure By UPS System Capacity France By Power Infrastructure By UPS System Capacity U.K. By Power Infrastructure By UPS System Capacity Italy By Power Infrastructure By UPS System Capacity Spain By Power Infrastructure By UPS System Capacity Rest of Europe By Power Infrastructure By UPS System Capacity Asia Pacific Market Size & Forecast Japan By Power Infrastructure By UPS System Capacity China By Power Infrastructure By UPS System Capacity Australia By Power Infrastructure By UPS System Capacity India By Power Infrastructure By UPS System Capacity South Korea By Power Infrastructure By UPS System Capacity Rest of Asia-Pacific By Power Infrastructure By UPS System Capacity Middle East & Africa Market Size & Forecast Saudi Arabia By Power Infrastructure By UPS System Capacity South Africa By Power Infrastructure By UPS System Capacity Kuwait By Power Infrastructure By UPS System Capacity Rest of Middle East & Africa By Power Infrastructure By UPS System Capacity Company Profile ABB Company Overview Financial Performance Recent Developments Product Portfolio Eaton Company Overview Financial Performance Recent Developments Product Portfolio Legrand Company Overview Financial Performance Recent Developments Product Portfolio Conclusion & Recommendation Acronyms & Abbreviations Table of Content and Figure @ https://straitsresearch.com/report/data-center-power-market/toc Market News In 2022, ABB Ltd. and Microsoft to collaborate and help accelerate global energy efficiency and carbon reduction progress. News Media Private 5G Network Market Size Worth USD 28,429 Million By 2030 | CAGR of 39.8% Have a Look at the Related Research Report? Immersion Cooling Market in Data Centers : Information by Type (Single-phase Immersion Cooling System), Cooling Fluid (Mineral Oil, Deionized Water), and Region Forecast till 2030 Data Center Generator Market : Information by Product (Diesel and Gas), Capacity (2MW), Tier Standards (Tier1, Tier2, Tier3, and Tier4), and Region Forecast till 2030 Data Center Colocation Market : Information by Colocation Type (Retail and Wholesale), Enterprise Size (SMEs and Large Enterprise), End-User (IT & Telecom), and Region Forecast till 2030 Data Center Market : Information by Type (Colocation, Hyperscale, Edge), Component (Servers, Routers, and Storage Systems), End User (BFSI, IT, And Telecom), and Region Forecast till 2030 Data Center SSD Market : Information by Type (SATA, SAS, and PCIe) and Region Forecast Till 2026 About Straits Research Pvt. Ltd. StraitsResearch is a market intelligence company providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision-makers. Straits Research Pvt. Ltd. provides actionable market research data, especially designed and presented for decision making and ROI. Whether you are looking at business sectors in the next town or crosswise over continents, we understand the significance of being acquainted with the clients purchase. We overcome our clients issues by recognizing and deciphering the target group and generating leads with utmost precision. We seek to collaborate with our clients to deliver a broad spectrum of results through a blend of market and business research approaches. For more information on your target market, please contact us below: Phone: +1 646 480 7505 (the U.S.) +91 8087085354 (APAC) +44 208 068 9665 (the U.K.) Email: sales@straitsresearch.com Follow Us: LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter By Susan Mathew Nov 3 (Reuters) - Latin American currencies fell on Thursday as the dollar rallied on a hawkish U.S. Federal Reserve and safe haven demand, while the Czech crown outperformed after its central bank promised continued intervention to support the currency. Extending declines from Wednesday when Fed Chair Jerome Powell said it was "very premature" to consider when the central bank might turn dovish, the Brazilian real's 0.4% slip led declines across Latam currencies. Shares in the region also lost, with Mexican stocks dropping 2%, after rallying 4.3% over the last three sessions. Reflecting a sell-off on Wall Street, other Latam bourses lost between 0.8% and 1.8%. The rush to safer assets such as the dollar was bolstered after the Bank of England raised rates by the most since 1989 and warned that Britain faced a long recession. "The Fed, along with other major central banks, looks likely to keep tightening rates until the first quarter of 2023," said strategists at the chief investment office at UBS Global Wealth Management. "Economic growth will likely continue to slow into the start of the new year; and global financial markets are vulnerable to stress while monetary policy continues to tighten," UBS said. Brazil's central bank highlighted its growing concern about the effects of lower economic activity on credit risks in the country. Elsewhere, the Czech crown rose 0.4% after the central bank held its key interest rate stable as expected on Thursday after a year-long hiking cycletotalingg 675 basis points. The bank said it would continue to intervene in currency markets to stop excessive crown weakening as it seeks to bring down three-decade high inflation. "With inflation nearing a peak and the economy now contracting, we think rates will be left unchanged over the coming months," said Nicholas Farr, emerging Europe economist at Capital Economics. "And as inflation starts to fall back, we expect that the CNB (Czech National Bank) will be the first central bank in the region to transition to rate cuts next year." In Chile, President Gabriel Boric on Wednesday announced his long-awaited plan to reform the country's controversial private pension system. "The news is mostly in line with previous proposals. As such it should not be overly market moving, though Chile bonds will be weaker on the back of the U.S. Research moves," Citi Reasearch strategists said. Chilean 10 year bonds were at four-month highs as of Wednesday. The Chilean peso fell 0.7%. Key Latin American stock indexes and currencies: Stock indexes Latest Daily % change MSCI Emerging Markets 859.23 -1.58 MSCI LatAm 2278.90 -1.1 Brazil Bovespa 115457.01 -1.26 Mexico IPC 49865.72 -1.96 Chile IPSA 5160.96 -0.65 Argentina MerVal 148141.10 -0.782 Colombia COLCAP 1223.02 -1.77 Currencies Latest Daily % change Brazil real 5.1380 -0.40 Mexico peso 19.6794 -0.15 Chile peso 948.6 -0.50 Colombia peso 5007.84 -0.20 Peru sol 3.9363 0.01 Argentina peso 157.9400 -0.22 (interbank) (Reporting by Susan Mathew in Bengaluru;Editing by Elaine Hardcastle) EPCOR Utilities Inc EDMONTON, Alberta, Nov. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EPCOR Utilities Inc. (EPCOR) today filed its quarterly results for the three months and year-to-date period ended September 30, 2022. EPCORs year-to-date operating and financial performance continued to be ahead of expectations across EPCORs utilities and geographies said Stuart Lee, EPCOR President & CEO. We saw strong customer growth in our Edmonton and U.S. utilities, and EPCOR teams and contractors completed more than $240 million in capital projects in the third quarter, helping to sustain infrastructure reliability, support growing communities, and improve environmental performance. EPCORs footprint continues to grow across Canada and the United States, with commercial and contracted opportunities accelerating in our U.S. business, continued Mr. Lee. Based on the forecast performance of our existing businesses over the next five years, the EPCOR dividend has been increased by 4.5% from $177 million to $185 million in 2023. We continue to pursue a balanced approach to long-term value creation investing in reliable utility services while protecting ratepayers, and delivering a strong, stable dividend while also re-investing in the business to deliver sustained income and dividend growth. Highlights of EPCORs financial performance are as follows: Net income was $119 million and $286 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022, compared with net income of $146 million and $287 million for the comparative periods in 2021, respectively. The decrease of $27 million and $1 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022, respectively, was primarily due to the gain recognized on expropriation of the Bullhead City (BHC) water utility systems in the third quarter of 2021, lower transmission system access service charge net collections and higher depreciation, partially offset by higher Adjusted EBITDA, as described below, and favorable fair value adjustments related to financial electricity purchase contracts. In addition, for the nine months ended September 30, 2022, there was higher net collection of U.S. natural gas procurement costs. Adjusted EBITDA was $265 million and $707 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022, compared with $227 million and $640 million for the comparative periods in 2021, respectively. The increase of $38 million and $67 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022, respectively, was primarily due to higher rates and customer growth, higher construction margins due to a new project in central Texas and lower staff costs, partially offset by lower Adjusted EBITDA due to the expropriation of BHC in 2021, higher provision for expected credit losses from customers and higher purchased water costs to support growth in the US. For the nine months ended September 30, 2022, there were higher Energy Price Setting Plan margins. Investment in capital projects was $631 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2022, compared with $730 million for the corresponding period in 2021, primarily due to the acquisition of San Tan operations in 2021 with no corresponding acquisition in 2022, partially offset by higher capital spending in the Companys Water Services, Distribution and Transmission and U.S. Operations segments. Story continues Interim managements discussion and analysis and the unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements are available on EPCORs website (www.epcor.com) and SEDAR (www.sedar.com). EPCOR, through its wholly owned subsidiaries, builds, owns and operates electrical, natural gas and water transmission and distribution networks, water and wastewater treatment facilities, sanitary and stormwater systems, and infrastructure in Canada and the United States. The Company also provides electricity, natural gas and water products and services to residential and commercial customers. EPCOR, headquartered in Edmonton, is committed to conducting its business and operations safely and responsibly. Environmental Stewardship, public health and community well-being are at the heart of EPCORs mission to provide clean water and safe, reliable energy. EPCOR is an Alberta Top 75 employer and is ranked among Corporate Knights 2022 Best 50 Corporate Citizens in Canada. 1. Adjusted EBITDA is a non-IFRS financial measure as defined on page 3 of the MD&A for the nine months ended September 30, 2022. For more information, contact: Media Relations: Laura Ehrkamp (780) 721-9001 epcormedia@epcor.com Corporate Relations: Matt Lemay (780) 412-3711 or toll free (877) 969-8280 mlemay@epcor.com Managements Discussion and Analysis can be viewed at http://ml.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/31e661b6-7376-491e-ab12-2161044ed597 ALMATY, Kazakhstan, November 03, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) held consultations with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on cooperation in energy and infrastructure projects in Central Asia and Armenia. The EDB also discussed with Export-Import Bank of India (EXIM) the scope for using national currencies in international settlements. Nikolai Podguzov, Chairman of the EDB Management Board, and Shixin Chen, Vice President of the ADB, met in Manila, Philippines, to discuss cooperation on the sidelines of the 45th Annual Meeting of the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP). Nikolai Podguzov highlighted the Bank's experience in implementing common projects with multilateral development institutions. The ADB operates in four of the six EDB member countries: Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. "We look forward to opportunities to work together with multilateral development banks to support infrastructure projects in Central Asia and Armenia. Given the ADBs experience and expertise, and the EDBs experience in working on significant infrastructure projects in cooperation with multilateral development institutions, we would like to propose that we participate in syndicated financing for energy and infrastructure projects," said Nikolai Podguzov. During the meeting, the ADB expressed interest in exploring further the implementation of the EDBs key investment mega-projects such as the Eurasian Commodity Distribution Network and the Eurasian Transport Network, which includes the international NorthSouth and EuropeWestern China transport corridors. The delegations noted that the financial institutions have similar targets for the next strategic period to promote the sustainable development of their member countries and to increase the share of ESG projects in their investment portfolios. "Our institutions could cooperate in a number of areas that have a major impact on the development of the Eurasian countries. These include climate change and a green economy as well as fostering sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth and the development of entrepreneurship and the private sector. We believe that the priority areas for cooperation are the joint implementation of sustainable development projects in the fields of renewable energy, energy efficiency, infrastructure, and water management. Other significant activities include consultations, experience sharing and joint research," Nikolai Podguzov added. Story continues Separately, Nikolai Podguzov met Shri Ramesh, Deputy Managing Director of India EXIM Bank, on the sidelines of the ADFIAP meeting. The parties discussed the potential use of national currencies in international settlements as well as financial mechanisms to support exports and imports of the EDBs member countries. Another item on the agenda was the research conducted by the two institutes and the possibility of launching joint studies. Additional Information: The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) is an international financial institution investing in Eurasia. For more than 16 years, the Bank has worked to strengthen and expand economic ties and foster comprehensive development in its member countries. The EDB's charter capital totals US $7 billion. Its portfolio consists principally of projects with an integration effect in transport infrastructure, digital systems, green energy, agriculture, manufacturing, and mechanical engineering. The Bank adheres to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and ESG principles in its operations. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221103005804/en/ Contacts The EDB Media Centre: pressa@eabr.org www.eabr.org Euronext Contacts Media Contact Investor Relations Amsterdam +31 20 721 4133 Brussels +32 2 620 15 50 +33 1 70 48 24 27 Dublin +33 1 70 48 24 45 Lisbon +351 210 600 614 Milan +39 02 72 42 62 12 Oslo +47 41 69 59 10 Paris +33 1 70 48 24 45 Euronext announces its financial calendar for 2023 Amsterdam, Brussels, Dublin, Lisbon, Milan, Oslo and Paris 3 November 2022 Euronext, the leading pan-European market infrastucture, today announced its financial calendar for 2023, set as follows: Full-year 202 2 results: Release on Thursday 9 February 2023, after market closing Analysts conference on Friday 10 February 2023, at 9.00am (CET) Quiet period from 20 January to 9 February 2023 Q1 202 3 results: Release on Tuesday 16 May 2023, after market closing Analysts conference on Wednesday 17 May 2023, at 9.00am (CEST) Quiet period from 26 April to 16 May 2023 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders: Wednesday 17 May 2023, at 10.30am (CEST) H1 202 3 results: Release on Thursday 27 July 2023, after market closing Analysts conference on Friday 28 July 2023, at 9.00am (CEST) Quiet period from 10 July to 27 July 2023 Q 3 202 3 results: Release on Wednesday 8 November 2023, after market closing Analysts conference on Thursday 9 November 2023, at 9.00am (CET) Quiet period from 19 October to 8 November 2023 All corporate information on Euronext, such as its financial statements or its investors presentations, is available on Euronexts website in the Investors section: ( https://www.euronext.com/investors ) ANALYSTS & INVESTORS ir@euronext.com Aurelie Cohen +33 1 70 48 24 27 ir@euronext.com Clement Kubiak +33 1 70 48 26 33 ir@euronext.com About Euronext Euronext is the leading pan-European market infrastructure, connecting European economies to global capital markets, to accelerate innovation and sustainable growth. It operates regulated exchanges in Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and Portugal. With close to 2,000 listed equity issuers and around 5.7 trillion in market capitalisation as of end September 2022, it has an unmatched blue chip franchise and a strong diverse domestic and international client base. Euronext operates regulated and transparent equity and derivatives markets, one of Europes leading electronic fixed income trading markets and is the largest centre for debt and funds listings in the world. Its total product offering includes Equities, FX, Exchange Traded Funds, Warrants & Certificates, Bonds, Derivatives, Commodities and Indices. The Group provides a multi-asset clearing house through Euronext Clearing, and custody and settlement services through Euronext Securities central securities depositories in Denmark, Italy, Norway and Portugal. 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Attachment Created by the Montreal Science Centre, this unique exhibition explores how innovations of First Peoples from North America shape our world TORONTO, Nov. 3, 2022 /CNW/ - The ingenuity of First Peoples from North America is all around us. Created by the Montreal Science Centre and designed in collaboration with knowledge bearers from First Nations, Inuit and Metis communities, Indigenous Ingenuity: An Interactive Adventure celebrates the knowledge, culture and history of Indigenous peoples. Build an igloo at Indigenous Ingenuity: An Interactive Adventure on now at the Ontario Science Centre! Celebrate the knowledge, culture and history of Indigenous peoples by exploring Indigenous inventions through hands-on activities. (CNW Group/Ontario Science Centre) "The Ontario Science Centre is excited to host Indigenous Ingenuity," said CEO Paul Kortenaar. "By exploring Indigenous inventions through the lens of science and hands-on activities, this visiting exhibition showcases how Indigenous science is timeless and continues to influence our society today. We welcome everyone to enjoy this exhibition and learn, play and discover together." Indigenous Ingenuity, which runs until April 16, 2023, invites visitors to experience the innovative processes that give rise to Indigenous knowledge by observing nature, listening to knowledge bearers, experimenting with scientific principles and sharing experiences with others. With a bear and trickster as guides, visitors can take part in a virtual canoe race, build an igloo, test a kayak's centre of gravity and more. "We're delighted that Indigenous Ingenuity is now open in Toronto at the Ontario Science Centre, showcasing how the First Peoples flourished on this land for millennia, thanks to unique technologies, many of which are still in use today," said Cybele Robichaud, Director of the Montreal Science Centre. "This exhibition is the result of more than two years of work, created in collaboration with more than 100 individuals, including Indigenous people from more than a dozen nations across Canada." The exhibition presents a clever and novel mix of science and culture, intended to stir a sense of pride among First Nations, Inuit and Metis communities and encourages all visitors to appreciate Indigenous science and ways of knowing. Story continues Indigenous Ingenuity is presented at the Ontario Science Centre in partnership with Lead Sponsor University of Waterloo and Supporting Sponsor Ontario Power Generation. "Projects like Indigenous Ingenuity are vital in fostering dialogue and bringing awareness to the stories, experiences and immeasurable contributions of Indigenous peoples to our world," said Savannah Sloat, Manager, Science Indigenous Initiatives, University of Waterloo. "This exhibition is just one way we can strengthen knowledge and celebrate Indigenous achievements." "Ontario Power Generation is proud to be a supporting sponsor of the Ontario Science Centre's Indigenous Ingenuity exhibition," said Ian Jacobsen, OPG's Director of Indigenous Relations. "This interactive exhibition shines a light on the many incredible contributions Indigenous peoples have made to the sciences, and shares how Indigenous communities continue to shape and influence our society today." "We are excited that people will learn about many of the crucial contributions, innovations and methods that Indigenous peoples have created and shared with the world," said Kevin Eshkawkogan, CEO of Indigenous Tourism Ontario. "It's an important step to see tourist attractions like the Ontario Science Centre feature exhibitions that highlight Indigenous successes." "Indigenous Ingenuity encourages visitors of all ages to learn, appreciate, and celebrate Indigenous heritage through the lens of science and innovation," said Neil Lumsden, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. "I hope everyone will have a chance to visit the Ontario Science Centre during this exhibition's run and if you're traveling, Ontarians who stay overnight can save up to 20 per cent of eligible travel accommodation expenses through our 2022 Ontario Staycation Tax Credit." Also on display is REGALIA: Indigenous Pride, created by photographer Roland Lorente and his partner Aline Saffore who travelled across Eastern Canada to attend over 20 powwows. The photography exhibition features 30 portraits and stories of men, women and children from 14 different First Nations communities across Canada dressed in stunning and colourful regalia,which tell each dancer's personal stories as well as those of their people and their worldview. University of Waterloo is the Lead Sponsor and Ontario Power Generation is the Supporting Sponsor of REGALIA: Indigenous Pride. Access to Indigenous Ingenuity: An Interactive Adventure and REGALIA: Indigenous Pride are included with general admission to the Science Centre. Visitors interested in learning more about Indigenous knowledge, culture and history can also watch the IMAX film, Great Bear Rainforest, playing in OMNIMAX Theatre, and journey into a hidden region of British Columbia that has been protected by Indigenous people for millennia. To learn more and to book tickets, please visit OntarioScienceCentre.ca. About the Ontario Science Centre Guided by our mission to inspire passion for the human adventure of discovery, the Ontario Science Centre strives to be a global leader in lifelong learning, a vital link in Ontario's education and innovation ecosystems and a convener of public dialogue about technology, science and society. The Centre has welcomed more than 54 million visitors since opening as a Centennial project in 1969, pioneering an interactive approach now adopted by science centres around the world. An agency of the Government of Ontario, the Centre relies on funding from the province, as well as donations from generous individuals, corporations and foundations that share the Centre's vision to contribute to a more curious, creative and resilient world. Learn more at OntarioScienceCentre.ca. About Montreal Science Centre The Montreal Science Centre, a division of Canada Lands Company, is a complex dedicated to science and technology, with more than 700,000 visitors annually. It is characterized by its accessible, interactive approach and its showcasing of local innovation and know-how. Its partners are Volvo, Energir, The Beat 92.5 and La Presse. About University of Waterloo University of Waterloo is a leading global innovation hub that drives economic and social prosperity for Canada and the world. With more than 41,000 students, we are home to the world's largest co-op education talent pipeline, to game-changing research and technology, and to an unmatched entrepreneurial culture. Together, these create partnerships and solutions to tackle today's and tomorrow's challenges. Find out more at uwaterloo.ca About OPG As a climate change leader and the largest electricity generator in the province, OPG and its family of companies are helping lead the charge to a post-carbon economy. About Indigenous Tourism Ontario Indigenous Tourism Ontario (ITO) is the province's first and only dedicated Indigenous tourism organization that focuses on uniting communities, Indigenous organizations, and industry leaders to support the growth of Indigenous tourism in Ontario. Through product development and marketing of authentic Indigenous experiences, ITO establishes a platform for Indigenous cultural expression and preservation through tourism. Our mission is to assist Indigenous communities and entrepreneurs with programs that build capacity to produce high quality products and services. Our success will be guided by the positive impact on our people, the environment, and the economy. For our welcomed visitors and tourists, we will ensure that our products and services provide a meaningful and memorable Indigenous experience. Learn more at Indigenous Tourism Ontario Shoot an arrow at virtual prey and discover how Indigenous ingenuity continues to influence todays society at the Ontario Science Centres newest exhibition, Indigenous Ingenuity: An Interactive Adventure. (CNW Group/Ontario Science Centre) Indigenous Ingenuity: An Interactive Adventure explores how innovations of First Peoples from North America shape our world. Visitors can take part in a virtual canoe race, test a kayaks centre of gravity and so much more! (CNW Group/Ontario Science Centre) SOURCE Ontario Science Centre Cision View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/November2022/03/c9290.html Pakistan's former prime minister, Imran Khan, has been shot and wounded in the leg in an attack on his protest march in the eastern city of Wazirabad, reported BBC citing senior sources. Members of his PTI party said another four people were hurt in the shooting. Khan, 70, was leading the march to the capital Islamabad to demand snap elections after he was ousted in April. The former prime minister was seen being taken to a hospital in Lahore. A party spokesman said he had been hit in the shin, stated the report. A senior aide told AFP news agency it was "an attempt to kill him", but police are yet to confirm that he was the target. Another party leader, provincial health minister Yasmeen Rashid, said Khan was in a stable condition. Police released a video confession of a man they arrested who they say had attempted to kill the former PM. It is unclear under what conditions the interview was carried out, but in it the man is asked by police why he opened fire, and replies: "He was misguiding the people. I wanted to kill him. I tried to kill him." Another video shows a conscious Khan with a bandage on his right leg being taken away in a vehicle after the shooting. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the shooting and ordered an immediate investigation. President Arif Alvi said the incident was a "heinous assassination attempt". Pakistan has a long history of deadly political violence. In the most high-profile case, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated at a public rally in 2007. SINGAPORE, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Oncoshot has just announced one of its biggest collaborations to date with Icon Cancer Centre in Singapore, alongside Roche. Together the partners plan to facilitate more comprehensive genomic profiling data to increase access to more trial options for cancer patients. This first-ever collaboration in SEA will help advance the biopharmaceutical research and development ecosystem for healthcare professionals, institutions and patients by taking a more personalised approach to care and offering people with cancer more treatment options. From left to right: Ying Ying Yeoh, General Manager of Roche Singapore; Serena Wee, CEO of Icon ASEAN and Hong Kong; Dr Huren Sivaraj, CEO and Co-Founder of Oncoshot. (Photography by Azfian Bin Anuar; editing by Mel Marc Cornelio) Presently, the cancer genomic testing process encompasses biological sampling from a patient, after which the test results are returned to the requesting doctor. Unless a doctor is aware of an existing clinical trial, they are likely to prescribe their patient a standard therapy at that juncture. Through this collaboration, Oncoshot, Icon and Roche will be able to easily identify cancer patients who are a match for existing clinical trials being run within their networks. Furthermore, real-time population matching will also enable companies and clinical research organisations (CROs) on the Oncoshot clinical trial platform to engage Icon as a preferred clinical trial centre, increasing patient access to clinical trial options for their cancer. "This collaboration marks our commitment to advancing cancer care and increasing access to the latest in cancer clinical trials. By digitising a patient's genomic profile, we are able to accelerate the process of matching patients to the most suitable clinical trials," said Serena Wee, CEO of Icon ASEAN and Hong Kong. "By investing in this partnership, our patients can access new and emerging advances in cancer treatment quicker, giving them and their families new hope and opportunities." "With comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) data, healthcare professionals can make more informed decisions for their patients about potential treatment options, which should include access to clinical trials of investigational new medicines," said Ying Ying Yeoh, General Manager for Roche Singapore. "We are proud to partner with Oncoshot and Icon to help more patients in our collective fight against cancer, and advance clinical cancer research in APAC to bring more medicines to patients sooner." Story continues As part of this collaboration, Roche will provide CGP data from tests that analyse over 300 genes known to drive cancer growth. About Oncoshot Oncoshot was founded in 2018 by Medical Oncologist Dr Huren Sivaraj and Data Science Engineer Ruslan Enikeev. As a health insights exchange platform, Oncoshot leverages its proprietary clinical trial-matching artificial intelligence technology to address the inefficiencies of cancer clinical trials. The platform serves as a bridge between leading regional healthcare institutions and CROs and global biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies to facilitate data-driven cancer clinical trials while accelerating enrolment into actively recruiting ones. For more information, visit www.oncoshot.com. About Icon Cancer Centre Icon Cancer Centre is a leading private cancer care provider delivering a holistic approach to cancer care. Icon Cancer Centre is part of Icon Group, a global cancer care provider with over 50 centres globally. Icon Cancer Centre has seven specialist clinics in Singapore and a dedicated health screening clinic. With a prominent and experienced team of medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, haematologists, paediatric haematologist-oncologists, palliative care specialists, general practitioners and visiting surgical oncologists, Icon provides end-to-end cancer care from screening and diagnosis, through to treatment and beyond. For more information, visit www.iconcancercentre.sg logo SOURCE Oncoshot DelveInsight Business Research LLP The medical oxygen concentrators market is anticipated to grow primarily attributed to the increased prevalence of respiratory disorders such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), sleep apnea, hypoxemia, pulmonary edema, and other respiratory illness, as well as increased demand in geriatric and bedridden patients. A steep rise in demand for medical oxygen concentrators following the COVID-19 pandemic across the world is expected to bolster the medical oxygen concentrators market. New York, USA, Nov. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Global Medical Oxygen Concentrators Market to Surge at a CAGR of 5.63% by 2027 | DelveInsight The medical oxygen concentrators market is anticipated to grow primarily attributed to the increased prevalence of respiratory disorders such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), sleep apnea, hypoxemia, pulmonary edema, and other respiratory illness, as well as increased demand in geriatric and bedridden patients. A steep rise in demand for medical oxygen concentrators following the COVID-19 pandemic across the world is expected to bolster the medical oxygen concentrators market. DelveInsights Medical Oxygen Concentrators Market Insights report provides the current and forecast market, forthcoming device innovation, individual leading companies market shares, challenges, medical oxygen concentrators market drivers, barriers, and trends, and key medical oxygen concentrators companies in the market. Key Takeaways from the Medical Oxygen Concentrators Market Report As per DelveInsight estimates, North America is anticipated to dominate the global medical oxygen concentrators market during the forecast period. Notable medical oxygen concentrators companies such as Koninklijke Philips N.V., Invacare Corporation, DeVilbiss Healthcare LLC, Inogen, Inc., Nidek Medical, O2 Concepts, Teijin Limited, Supera Anesthesia Innovations, GCE Group, CAIRE, OxyGo, LLC, Precision Medical, Inc., Graham Field, Belluscura, Besco Medical Limited, OSI - Oxygen Solutions Inc, NGK Spark Plug Co Ltd, Yuwell (Jiangsu Yuyue Medical Equipment & Supply Co., Ltd.), Narang Medical Limited, Topson , and several others are currently operating in the medical oxygen concentrators market. In March 2022, Belluscura have signed a three-year manufacturing agreement for its X-PLO2r portable oxygen concentrator with InnoMax Medical Technology in China. In March 2021, Belluscura announced that the X-PLO2R pulse-flow portable oxygen concentrator manufactured by Belluscura has been granted 510(K) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In March 2021, OxyGo announced that they have acquired LIFE Corporation, a manufacturer of portable emergency oxygen and CPR administration equipment. The acquisition will allow OxyGo to further expand its expertise in the oxygen market. Story continues To read more about the latest highlights related to the medical oxygen concentrators market, get a snapshot of the key highlights entailed in the Global Medical Oxygen Concentrators Market Report Medical Oxygen Concentrators Overview Medical oxygen concentrators are medical devices that provide additional oxygen to patients who have breathing problems. The device filters the ambient air before compressing it to the required density and delivering purified medical-grade oxygen. The device is outfitted with special filters and sieve beds that aid in removing nitrogen from the air and providing completely pure oxygen to the patient. Medical oxygen gas systems, such as oxygen concentrators and compressed oxygen gas cylinders, are widely used in homecare settings and are typically chosen by elderly patients with mobility issues who rely on a consistent oxygen supply. Learn more about portable medical oxygen concentrators @Best Medical Oxygen Concentrators Medical Oxygen Concentrators Market Insights North America is expected to account for the largest share of the global Medical Oxygen Concentrators market out of all regions in the coming years. Factors such as the increasing prevalence of various respiratory ailments such as COPD, hypoxia, and others, as well as the growing prevalence of geriatric and bedridden patients, as well as an increase in air pollution and smoking, are expected to aid in the growth of North American medical oxygen concentrators market. Furthermore, the North American government is actively involved in relevant organizations that can provide proper COPD management guidance to patients. The mission of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases is to prevent disease, disability, and death through immunization and to control respiratory and related diseases. As patient awareness of COPD treatment and management grows, so will the markets use of oxygen concentrators, thereby boosting the medical oxygen concentrators market in North America. To know more about why North America is leading the market growth in the medical oxygen concentrators market, get a snapshot of the Medical Oxygen Concentrators Market Trends Medical Oxygen Concentrators Market Dynamics The increased prevalence of respiratory disorders such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), sleep apnea, hypoxemia, pulmonary edema, and other respiratory illnesses, as well as the increased prevalence of geriatric and bedridden patients, are the primary drivers of product demand. Another factor driving the use of these medical oxygen concentrators is the prevalence of geriatric and bedridden patients. Furthermore, oxygen concentrators were in greater demand during the COVID-19 infection. People bought oxygen concentrators during the second wave of COVID-19, fearing a shortage of medical oxygen. Furthermore, people with COVID-19 were at a higher risk of pneumonia and hypoxemia, both of which are major predictors of mortality. People with these complications were advised to get enough oxygen. Medical oxygen concentrators can provide this supply. This increased the market demand for medical oxygen concentrators. Prices had risen due to increased demand. However, the stringent regulatory process and high device costs may be some of the factors limiting the medical oxygen concentrators market growth. Get a sneak peek at the medical oxygen concentrator devices market dynamics @Medical Oxygen Concentrator Device Report Metrics Details Coverage Global Study Period 20192027 Base Year 2021 Market CAGR 5.63% Key Medical Oxygen Concentrators Companies Koninklijke Philips N.V., Invacare corporation, DeVilbiss Healthcare LLC, Inogen, Inc., Nidek Medical, O2 Concepts, Teijin Limited, Supera Anesthesia Innovations, GCE Group, CAIRE, OxyGo, LLC, Precision medical, Inc., Graham Field, Belluscura , Besco Medical Limited, OSI - Oxygen Solutions Inc, NGK Spark Plug Co Ltd, Yuwell (Jiangsu Yuyue Medical Equipment & Supply Co., Ltd.), Narang Medical Limited, Topson, and others Medical Oxygen Concentrators Market Assessment Medical Oxygen Concentrators Market Segmentation Porters Five Forces Analysis, Product Profiles, Case Studies, KOLs Views, Analysts View Market Segmentation By Product: Stationary Medical Oxygen Concentrators, Portable Medical Oxygen Concentrators Market Segmentation By Technology: Continuous Flow, Pulse Flow, Both Market Segmentation By End User: Homecare, Hospitals and Clinics, Others Market Segmentation By Geography : North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of World Which MedTech key players in the medical oxygen concentrators market are set to emerge as the trendsetter explore @Medical Oxygen Concentrators Companies Table of Contents 1 Report Introduction 2 Executive summary 3 Regulatory and Patent Analysis 4 Key Factors Analysis 5 Porters Five Forces Analysis 6 COVID-19 Impact Analysis on Medical Oxygen Concentrators Market 7 Medical Oxygen Concentrators Market Layout 8 Global Company Share Analysis Key 3-5 Companies 9 Medical Oxygen Concentrators Market Company and Product Profiles 10 Project Approach 11 About DelveInsight Interested in knowing the Medical Oxygen Concentrators market by 2027? Click to get a snapshot of the Medical Oxygen Concentrators Manufacturers Related Reports Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Equipment Market Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Equipment Market Insight, Competitive Landscape and Market Forecast 2027 report delivers an in-depth understanding of the market trends, market drivers, market barriers, and key hyperbaric oxygen therapy equipment companies including HearMec Corporation, Hyperbaric Modular Systems Inc, IHC Hytech, among others. Oxygen Concentrators Market Oxygen Concentrators Market Insight, Competitive Landscape and Market Forecast 2027 report delivers an in-depth understanding of the market trends, market drivers, market barriers, and key oxygen concentrators companies, including Koninklijke Philips N.V., O2 CONCEPTS, LLC, Invacare Corporation, Chart Industries, among others. 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Other Trending Reports Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) Market | Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Market | Pertussis Market | Cystic Fibrosis Market | Progressive Pulmonary Fibrosis (PPF) Market | Chronic Refractory Cough Market | Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Market | Severe Asthma Market | Dyspnea Market | Invasive Pneumococcal Disease Market | Acute Lung Injury Market | Bronchiolitis Market | Cough in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) Market | Chronic Cough Market | Pulmonary Fibrosis Market | Allergic Rhinitis Market | Pulmonary Embolism Market Related Healthcare Blogs Promising Therapies in the ARDS Market Rising Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Prevalence ARDS Market Outlook Factors Contributing to COPD Prevalence About DelveInsight DelveInsight is a leading Business Consultant, and Market Research firm focused exclusively on life sciences. It supports pharma companies by providing comprehensive end-to-end solutions to improve their performance. CONTACT: Contact Us Shruti Thakur info@delveinsight.com +1(919)321-6187 https://www.delveinsight.com/medical-devices OTTAWA, ON, Nov. 2, 2022 /CNW/ - Hurricane Fiona has had a devastating effect on communities across Atlantic Canada and Eastern Quebec. Houses and buildings have been severely damaged and destroyed, as well as small craft harbours that are critical to fisheries and coastal communities. Extreme weather is a major cause of lost fishing gear, known as ghost gear (such as nets, line, rope, traps, pots, and floats), and Fiona has caused a lot of this fishing gear to be lost in the Atlantic Ocean. This lost fishing gear costs money for fish harvesters to replace, and is also a severe threat to the marine environment. As part of the $300 million Hurricane Fiona Recovery Fund, the Government of Canada is investing in efforts to retrieve, return, and responsibly dispose of this marine litter, as well as looking at ways to prevent fishing gear loss in the future. Today, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, the Honourable Joyce Murray, announced that up to $28.4 million will be available specifically for Hurricane Fiona ocean cleanup activities in a new call for proposals through the Ghost Gear Fund. This is in addition to the immediate funding of up to $1.5 million that supports 11 partners for cleanup this fall in areas hit by the storm. Fish harvesters are the backbone of many coastal communities. Any fishing gear that is found and can still be used by its original owner will be returned. Removing it from our oceans and coasts reduces the economic hardship to fish harvesters and supports healthier and safer waters. More information on how to apply can be found at Canada.ca/ghost-gear. Proposals must be submitted by December 19, at 23:59 PST. The funding will be available for projects in areas directly impacted by Hurricane Fiona from April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024. The Government of Canada is committed to removing ghost gear from our oceans and creating new solutions to reduce abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear. We ask fish harvesters to report their lost gear, including fishing gear lost due to Hurricane Fiona. This reporting helps us know the ocean litter hotspots, prioritize areas for retrieval, and also return usable fishing gear to fish harvesters. Story continues Quotes "Hurricane Fiona's devastation extends beyond the shore. Getting this lost fishing gear out of the water as quickly as possible is a priority for the Government; that way waters will be safer for coastal communities and aquatic ecosystems. The Ghost Gear Fund will help reunite fish harvesters with their usable fishing gear, so they can continue their work feeding a hungry world. We remain dedicated to supporting Atlantic Canada and Eastern Quebec as communities rebuild." The Honourable Joyce Murray, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard Quick Facts The Government of Canada is providing up to $300 million through the Hurricane Fiona Recovery Fund to support local communities and businesses impacted by the storm and to help long-term recovery efforts like: Ghost gear is fishing gear that is lost, often as a result of poor weather conditions, conflict with other fishing gear, and snags with the sea floor. All commercial fish harvesters in Canada are required to report their lost fishing gear to Fisheries and Oceans Canada. This reporting helps the Department and other partners locate and remove lost fishing gear from our waters and, in many cases, return the fishing gear to its rightful owner. Due to the extensive damage to infrastructure, details regarding the extent of fishing and aquaculture gear loss rates are not yet available. To date, 1,287 units of fishing gear, over 100 feet of net and over 52,475 feet of rope has been reported lost through the Fishing Gear Reporting System (FGRS). Since 2020, Fisheries and Oceans Canada's Ghost Gear Fund has provided $26.3 million to support 91 projects, leading to over 1,357 tonnes of fishing gear removed from waters. Associated Links Stay Connected Follow Fisheries and Oceans Canada on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Follow the Canadian Coast Guard on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. SOURCE Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) Canada Cision View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/November2022/02/c8161.html LAC-MEGANTIC, QC, Nov. 2, 2022 /CNW/ -The Government of Canada is fully committed to the bypass project and the entire route that has been identified to permanently get trains out of downtown Lac-Megantic. This is an important project for the community, the Government of Canada, and the families of the 47 victims of the tragedy. The Government of Canada is working with the Government of Quebec, the Town of Lac-Megantic, and the municipalities of Frontenac and Nantes to complete this project that will benefit the community. Today, the Minister of Transport, the Honourable Omar Alghabra, announced that an agreement-in-principle has been reached between the Government of Canada and the Town of Lac-Megantic for the acquisition of parcels of land owned by the Town, which are required for the construction of the Lac-Megantic bypass. This agreement in principle will allow both parties to prepare the deed of sale. Quote "With this agreement-in-principle, we have taken another step towards the realization of this rail bypass, which will ensure that the existing rail line will permanently leave downtown Lac-Megantic. We will continue the required process over the next few months to finalize the purchase of the land parcels." The Honourable Omar Alghabra Minister of Transport Associated Links SOURCE Transport Canada Cision View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/November2022/02/c0171.html TORONTO, Nov. 3, 2022 /CNW/ - The Institute for Corporate Directors (ICD) and Rotman School of Management are pleased to announce a special edition of the Directors Education Program (DEP) with an Indigenous focus. An Indigenous Advisory Panel engaged in a thorough and thoughtful consultation process to provide guidance and input in creating the course materials. The DEP Special Edition with an Indigenous Focus is enhanced by including Indigenous business case studies, dialogue, conversations and opportunities for exchange with Indigenous leaders and class participants. Institute of Corporate Directors Logo (CNW Group/Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD)) "We're committed to driving change through our programs to provide a constructive and optimistic approach to reconciliation as individuals, allies and board members," says Rahul Bhardwaj, President and CEO of the Institute of Corporate Directors. "Participants will acquire firsthand insights and applied learnings from Indigenous leaders and subject matter experts on how Indigenous considerations intersect with important aspects of board governance." The DEP Special Edition with an Indigenous Focus will be delivered online with four three-day modules, from January to June 2023, and is informed by Indigenous and governance experts. The ICD and Rotman have benefited from the expertise of Indigenous Advisory Panel members Grant Christoff, LL.B, ICD.D, Jean Paul (JP) Gladu, ICD.D, and Geordie Hungerford, CFA, CAIA, MBA, LL.B in developing the program. "The program is taught by top governance and Indigenous experts and was informed both by our experience in delivering the Directors Education Program and input from the Indigenous Advisory Panel," says Richard Powers, an associate professor at the Rotman School who is the National Academic Director of the Directors Education Program and the Governance Essentials Program. "For participants, it's a unique opportunity to deepen their understanding of Indigenous matters in Canada." The program will provide Indigenous leaders and experienced directors the opportunity to be better informed about the criticality of Indigenous matters and the importance of having meaningful Indigenous perspectives on board agendas. Successful completion of both the DEP Special Edition with an Indigenous Focus and the ICD-led examination process will lead to the highly recognized ICD.D designation. Story continues Applications are now open and will close on December 12, 2022. For more information, visit www.icd.ca/DEP. About the ICD The Institute of Corporate Directors is a not-for-profit, member-based association representing Canadian directors and boards across the for-profit, not-for-profit and Crown sectors. The ICD has more than 16,500 members and 11 Chapters across Canada and fosters the sharing of knowledge and wisdom through education, professional development programs and services, and thought leadership. ICD members across all sectors of the economy oversee well in excess of $1 trillion in market capitalization and institutions that impact the lives of virtually every Canadian. To learn more, visit www.icd.ca. About Rotman School of Management The Rotman School of Management is part of the University of Toronto, a global centre of research and teaching excellence at the heart of Canada's commercial capital. Rotman is a catalyst for transformative learning, insights and public engagement, bringing together diverse views and initiatives around a defining purpose: to create value for business and society. For more information, visit www.rotman.utoronto.ca. SOURCE Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD) Cision View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/November2022/03/c1492.html Weve been keeping tabs on Labrador Systems since we caught a very early demo of its elder care-focused technology in a hotel suite several CESes ago. Today the California-based robotics firm announced that its begun deploying its Retriever Pro system to a handful of early clients, including, On Lok PACE, Nationwide Insurance, Masonic Homes of California, Western Homes Communities, Eskaton, The Perfect Companion, Presbyterian Villages of Michigan, University of Michigan Flint and Graceworks Lutheran Services. The news follows extended piloting for the system in places like senior living communities. The Retriever Pro is designed to bring a kind of assistive freedom to people living on their own with mobility limitations. Its a clever technology that effectively amounts to a semi-autonomous mobile shelving system that can be used to deliver objects they might otherwise have issues carrying. The burden on caregivers is growing at a rate that is simply not sustainable. Organizations are already experiencing major caregiver shortages, and in the coming years there will be significantly more people in my parents age group (85+) with fewer people to help take care of them, CEO Mike Dooley said in a release tied to the news. Our mission is to provide relief on both sides of that equation, empowering individuals who need care to do more on their own while extending the impact of each caregivers visit well beyond the time they are physically present. Image Credits: Labrador The world of elder-care robotics is still fairly nascent in the U.S. Japan may have the largest head start in the category due, in part, to its aging population, but the concept has been growing in acceptance. A number of firms working to design more all-purpose systems have pointed to living assistance as a potential application, but currently the robotic market isnt exactly flush with this tech. The company says it also continues to move forward with development and testing of its more consumer-focused system, the Retriever. Dooley clarified the difference between the two in a comment to TechCrunch, noting: Explore the potentials of Malaysia Healthcare at World Travel Market London 2022 LONDON, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Malaysia Healthcare is strengthening its global proposition for preventive healthcare via strategic partnerships at the World Travel Market 2022 ("WTM") in London. (PRNewsfoto/Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council) As a nation, Malaysia eagerly encourages global citizens to prioritise preventive care by taking charge of their health and well-being. Malaysia Healthcare is at the forefront of this phenomenon with a health system that has been evolving from curative care and treatments to preventive health and wellness. This has led to the debut of Malaysia Healthcare's Premium Wellness Programme, an industry-wide collaborative effort with numerous top-tier private hospitals, hotels and travel companies in Malaysia which integrates comprehensive health screening with world-class hotel accommodation, leisure tour itinerary with options for healthcare travellers to add on dental aesthetics and cosmetic procedures as well as other treatments such as Hepatitis C, cancer, and heart screening. "In line with the third Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of the United Nations to 'ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages', Malaysia is committed to consistently progressing our healthcare system to empower and encourage healthier lifestyles with enhanced health screening capabilities, for everyone," said Mohd Daud Mohd Arif, Chief Executive Officer of the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC). Malaysia is a top-of-mind destination for healthcare travellers from around the world and was awarded "Destination of the Year" by UK-based healthcare travel authority International Medical Travel Journal (IMTJ) in 2020. Malaysia's strong reputation as a destination for travel and healthcare attracted 1.06 million European tourists and 1.22 million healthcare travellers in 2019 alone, with the top 10 countries of arrivals to Malaysia for healthcare travel being Australia, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, Somalia, United Kingdom, and United States. Story continues Malaysia's niche treatment areas include cardiology, oncology, fertility, orthopaedics, neurology, and aesthetics such as bariatric treatments, as well as dental and other cosmetic services. In addition to its commitment to providing affordable, accessible, seamless, and end-to-end quality healthcare, it is also fortifying its healthcare offerings through strategic partnerships with travel agents and healthcare facilitators at regional and global levels. Also present at WTM are the country's tourism partners, including Tourism Malaysia and state tourism bodies from Sarawak, Sabah, Penang, Selangor, Johor, Perak and Melaka who work closely with Malaysia Healthcare, alongside leading private hospitals of Malaysia to provide a holistic and seamless healthcare experience through premium wellness packages. MHTC will also be signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with SHINON Healthcare, a leading medical assistance and healthcare consultant which assists patients to seek treatment outside of their country and act as their local guarding in the chosen destination. With healthcare travel being a key economic driver for Malaysia, WTM provides a synergistic platform for interested international parties to pursue business collaborations with Malaysia's key stakeholders and realise opportunities for 2023 and beyond. "We recognise how crucial it is to form strategic partnerships to catalyse industry recovery moving into 2023. It is key for Malaysia Healthcare to identify and join forces with other industry partners who share the same value system and commitment towards service excellence. We are at WTM London to reach out to travel agents and healthcare facilitators, whose markets have been historically coming to Malaysia for both healthcare and tourism opportunities, for collaborative opportunities and training programmes, such as the Health Facilitator Training Programme. Our intention is to ensure we engage the like-minded partners, such as SHINON Healthcare, in realising our ambition of offering the Best Healthcare Travel Experience," continued Mohd Daud. The Health Facilitator Training Programme is a capacity building effort aimed at equipping tour and travel agents with the necessary knowledge and skills to thereafter provide services to returning and potential healthcare travellers who recognise Malaysia as a preferred destination for healthcare. "Malaysia is currently home to over 250 private healthcare facilities that are highly regulated by the Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH) and recognised globally. The MOH oversees the ceiling rates for healthcare treatments in Malaysia, thus ensuring fair price structures for all healthcare travellers. As such, healthcare travellers are assured of accessible and affordable healthcare with little to no waiting time. We welcome all healthcare travellers to experience the best of healthcare travel with Malaysia Healthcare and take advantage of the seamless end-to-end services provided, from point of enquiry to post-treatment care," said Mohd Daud. Visit the Malaysia Healthcare booth at the Malaysia Pavilion this 7th to 9th November 2022 at World Travel Market at ExCel, London, for opportunities to network with representatives from Malaysia Healthcare and explore exclusive healthcare packages. For more information, please visit https://www.malaysiahealthcare.org/, www.facebook.com/MHTCMalaysia or LinkedIn (Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council). SOURCE Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / November 3, 2022 / Acre Acre, Thursday, November 3, 2022, Press release picture The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said on Monday (Aug 1) that it will be issuing Singapore's inaugural sovereign green bond, which is known as Green Singapore Government Securities (Infrastructure) or Green SGS (Infra). The Singapore dollar denominated bond - which will be launched via a book-building process within the week - will have a tenor of either 30 or 50 years and a minimum issuance size of about S$1.5 billion. "Last week, there was another huge development within the sustainability domain in Singapore as the Monetary Authority of Singapore announced the launch of Singapore's inaugural sovereign green bond. The proceeds will go towards supporting the Singapore Green Plan 2030 (a nationwide movement to advance sustainable development in Singapore). The bond is also part of a pipeline of up to a whopping S$35 billion of sovereign and public sector green bonds the government will issue by 2030. It's clear that huge efforts are being made to advance the sustainability agenda in Singapore. Exciting times for the evolution of ESG in Asia!" - Paddy Balfour, Executive Director, Asia at Acre To read the full article, please click here. Original Source: The Business Times, Published on 1st August 2022, Written by Raphael Lim Paddy joined Acre in 2022 to lead the expansion of the Acre business in Asia-Pacific. Originally from the UK, Paddy has spent over 15 years working across multiple markets in the APAC region with relationships in the finance and commercial sectors. At Acre, he is specifically aligned with the growth of our sustainable finance, impact investing and sustainable energy practices. This includes working with banks, insurers, pension funds, investment managers, private debt, equity & real-asset funds, family offices and foundations for roles which are sustainability themed and/or impact-aligned, as well as any sustainability and ESG-related positions across all other functions. Story continues Paddy has a BSc (Hons) in Geography from the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne. About Acre At Acre, we work with the most aspirational businesses with potential to make real change; from those who are just starting out to those who are well on the journey to crafting a legacy. Our 18 years' experience in sustainability recruitment, combined with our extensive global network, enables us to provide talent solutions that are designed to deliver this change. Through our unique behavioural assessment technology, we understand the types of people, skills and behaviours required to create impact. We can develop these qualities within your existing teams too. We find talented people and develop their skills to ensure they make a true impact in ambitious, progressive organisations. Acre. Making companies ready for tomorrow. View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Acre on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: Acre Website: https://www.acre.com Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: Acre View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/723774/MAS-To-Launch-First-Singapore-Sovereign-Green-Bond-This-Week TORONTO, Nov. 2, 2022 /CNW/ - The Mutual Fund Dealers Association of Canada (the "MFDA") announced that it has issued a Notice of Settlement Hearing dated September 6, 2022, regarding the presentation, review and consideration of a proposed settlement agreement by a Hearing Panel of the MFDA's Central Regional Council. The settlement agreement will be between Staff of the MFDA and Wealthsimple Advisor Services Inc. (the "Respondent") and involves matters for which the Respondent may be disciplined by a Hearing Panel pursuant to MFDA By-laws. The proposed settlement agreement concerns allegations that: a) between February 2019 and August 2019, the Respondent implemented a process for onboarding Approved Persons of other MFDA Members and Investment Dealers which failed to ensure that potential clients had consented to the disclosure of their confidential information to a company affiliated with the Respondent, thereby failing to implement an adequate system of controls and supervision over its onboarding process, contrary to MFDA Rules 2.1.3, 2.5.1 and 2.1.1; and b) between April 1, 2019 and May 27, 2019, the Respondent failed to implement an adequate system of controls and supervision over its process for onboarding Approved Persons of other MFDA Members and Investment Dealers by failing to prevent staff of an affiliated company from viewing and accessing the system of another MFDA Member in order to assist an incoming Approved Person to transfer confidential client information without the other MFDA Member's knowledge or consent, contrary to MFDA Rules 2.1.3, 2.5.1 and 2.1.1. The settlement hearing will take place electronically by videoconference on November 23, 2022, commencing at 10:00 a.m. (Eastern), or as soon thereafter as the matter can be held. Members of the public who would like to obtain further particulars should contact hearings@mfda.ca. MFDA settlement hearings are typically held in the absence of the public pursuant to section 20.5 of MFDA By-law No. 1 and Rule 15.2(2) of the MFDA Rules of Procedure. If the Hearing Panel accepts the settlement agreement, then the proceeding will become open to the public and a copy of the decision of the Hearing Panel and the settlement agreement will be made available at www.mfda.ca. Story continues A copy of the Notice of Settlement Hearing is available on the MFDA website at www.mfda.ca. The MFDA is the self-regulatory organization for Canadian mutual fund dealers, regulating the operations, standards of practice and business conduct of its Members and their approximately 76,695 Approved Persons with a mandate to protect investors and the public interest. For more information about the MFDA's complaint and enforcement processes, as well as links to 'Check an Advisor' and other Investor Tools, visit the For Investors page on the MFDA website. SOURCE Mutual Fund Dealers Association of Canada Cision View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/November2022/02/c9629.html BeyondTrusts top cybersecurity trends for 2023 include a rise in ransom-vaporware, cyber un-insurability, compliance conflicts and cloud camouflage. Our assessments of the year ahead may seem all doom and gloom, but in truth, organisations have many ways of protecting themselves against an incident, write BeyondTrust experts Morey J. Haber, Chief Security Officer and Brian Chappell, Chief Security Strategist, EMEA/APAC. With the right blend of skills, tools and strategy either in house or in collaboration with a trusted partner businesses can go into 2023 with their eyes open and conduct their affairs with confidence. Future threat vectors BeyondTrust, the leader in intelligent identity and access security, identifies future threat vectors most likely to affect organisations worldwide in the New Year. These projections are based on shifts in technology, threat actor habits, culture, and decades of combined experience. The Arab Gulf region continues to innovate at scale, said Haber. But digital transformation in the cloud brings with it a range of issues, including the increased sophistication of attackers and their ability to adapt to the moment at a pace that, as yet, enterprise security functions have been unable to match. Here are the predictions for 2023: Negative, Zero and Positive Trust Prediction #1: Negative, Zero, and Positive Trust -- Next year, expect products to actually be zero trust-ready", satisfy all seven tenants of the NIST 800-207 model, and support an architecture referenced by NIST 1800-35b. Zero trust product vendors will create marketing messages that may imply positive and/or negative intent. Some will provide positive zero trust authentication and behavioral monitoring, while others will work using a closed security model to demonstrate what should happen when a negative zero trust event occurs. Camera-Based Malware is here Prediction #2: Camera-Based Malware is here. Say Cheese! -- In 2023, expect to see the first of many exploits that challenge smart cameras, and the technology embedded within, to leverage vulnerabilities. While there have been timeless discussions on the risks of using QR codes, were only now beginning to understand the risks from our smart cameras. As cameras become more complex, the risk surface is expanding for novel approaches that could lead to their exploitation. Reputation for Ransom Prediction #3: Reputation for RansomThe rise of Ransom-Vaporware -- We will see a rise in the extortion of monies based purely on the threat of publicising a fictional breach. Society so willingly accepts the veracity of breaches reported in the news and without evidence. For a threat actor, this could mean the need to perpetrate an actual breach is reduced and a threat alone, that is not even verifiable, becomes an attack vector all in itself. MFA invincibility fails Prediction #4: The Foundation of Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) Invincibility Fails -- Expect a new round of attack vectors that target and successfully bypass multifactor authentication strategies. In the next year, push notifications, and other techniques for MFA will be exploited, just like SMS. Organisations should expect to see the foundation of MFA eroded by exploit techniques that compromise MFA integrity and require a push to MFA solutions that use biometrics or FIDO2-compliant technologies. Cyber Un-insurability is the New Normal Prediction #5: Cyber Un-insurability is the New Normal -- In 2023, more businesses will face the stark realisation that they are not cyber-insurable. As of the second quarter of 2022, U.S. cyber-insurance prices already increased 79% over the prior year. The truth is, its becoming downright difficult to obtain quality cyber insurance at a reasonable rate. The Latest Concert Hack Prediction #6: The Latest Concert HackWearable Risk Surfaces and Hackable E-Waste -- If you have recently attended a large concert, you may have received a disposable LED bracelet that can receive RF transmissions during the event. The device is meant to be low cost, disposable, and have potentially only single use. In 2023, expect threat actors to easily decode the RF transmissions using tools like Flipper Zero to wreak havoc on venues that use these enhancements. Some, may be to form a protest for some other purpose. Compliance Conflicts are Brewing Prediction #7: Compliance Conflicts are Brewing -- Significant compliance standards, best practices, and even security frameworks, are starting to see a diverging in requirements. In 2023, expect more regulatory compliance conflicts, especially for organisations embracing modern technology, zero trust, and digital transformation initiatives. The Death of the Personal Password Prediction #8: The Death of the Personal Password -- The growth of non-password-based primary authentication will finally spell the end of the personal password. More applications, not just the operating system itself, will start using advanced non-password technologies, such as biometrics, either to authenticate directly or leverage biometric technology, like Microsoft Hello or Apple FaceID or TouchID, to authorise access. De-Funding of Cyber Terrorists Becomes Law Prediction #9: De-Funding of Cyber Terrorists Becomes Law -- Governments all over the world will entertain a new approach to protect organisations from ransomware and stop the funding of terrorists: ban ransomware payouts outright. Granted, threat actors may move on to a new form of cyber crime to fund their operations, but ransomware as we know it will fade away. Cloud Camouflage is Confronted Prediction #10: Cloud Camouflage is Confronted -- To mitigate cloud security risks, expect a push for transparency and visibility into the security operations of SaaS solutions, cloud providers and their services. The push to ensure transparency of the architecture, foundational components, and even discovered vulnerabilities, will extend beyond SOC and ISO certifications. Social Engineering in the Cloud Prediction #11: Social Engineering in the Cloud -- Attackers will turn from their software toolkits to their powers of persuasion as they increase the number of social engineering attacks leveled at employers and organisations across the cloud. Unfederated Identities to Infinity and Beyond Prediction #12: Unfederated Identities to Infinity and Beyond -- Expect a push into unfederated identities to help provide a new level of services and potentially physical products that will become a mild access control and management nightmare. The size and scope will feel truly infinite unless it is well-defined for identity management teams to provide access beyond what typically is available today. OT Gets Smarter, Converges with IT Prediction #13: OT Gets Smarter, Converges with IT -- Expect attack vectors for basic Operational Technology (OT) to expand based on similar exploits that target IT. OT which once had a single function and purpose is now becoming smarter, leveraging commercial operating systems and applications to perform expanded missions. As these devices expand in scope, their design is susceptible to vulnerabilities and exploitation. Headline Breaches Move to Second-Page News Prediction #14: Headline Breaches Move to Second-Page News -- Expect news of breaches to be buried deeper whether in print or online format based on audience fatigue, lack of interest, or just because it is no longer exciting. With that said, legal, regulatory, and compliance responses will become front-page news should an organisation fail to follow the proper steps for public disclosure and risk mitigation. A Record-Breaching Year Prediction #15: A Record-Breaching Year -- Expect a record-breaking year of cyber security breach notifications, not only because of the sophistication of threat actors, but also due to the larger changes in the world that will impact an organisation's ability to mitigate, remediate, or prevent a problem. -- TradeArabia News Service BOZEMAN, MT and VANCOUVER, BC, Nov. 3, 2022 /CNW/ - Microbion Corporation today announced that the company will present a poster at the North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference, November 3 5, in Philadelphia, PA highlighting the activity of pravibismane against bacterial pathogens associated with lung infection in people with cystic fibrosis (CF). The objective of this study was to measure the minimal inhibitory concentration of pravibismane on pathogens commonly associated with CF lung infections and to determine whether the presence of pulmonary surfactant impacted pravibismane's activity. Pravibismane's activity was compared to a panel of frontline antibiotics clinically used to manage these infections. Financial support for this study was provided by CARB-X. Microbion Corporation Logo (CNW Group/Microbion Corporation) Poster Details: Title: Investigating the activity of pravibismane against bacterial isolates common in cystic fibrosis pulmonary infections (Poster No. 501) Date and Time: November 3, 2022, from 12:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. ET; and November 4, 2022, from 12:00 p.m. 12:40 p.m. ET Presenting Author: Dr. Brett Baker, President and Chief Innovation Officer, Microbion Online abstract link: click here Pravibismane was found to be generally more potent, as measured by MIC 90 , than commonly used first- or second-line agents in susceptible and resistant bacterial species such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Acinetobacter baumannii, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Burkholderia cepacia complex, and Mycobacterium abscessus. The presence of pulmonary surfactant did not have an impact on pravibismane activity. "We are excited to be sharing these data demonstrating that pravibismane is highly active against a broad spectrum of pathogens that commonly infect the airways of people with cystic fibrosis and contribute to the lung disease associated with cystic fibrosis," said Rafael E. Hernandez, MD, PhD, infectious diseases physician and researcher at Seattle Children's Hospital and collaborating scientist on the poster. Story continues Pravibismane is the first in a new class of anti-infective drugs structurally unrelated to other clinically utilized antibiotics. With a novel mechanism of action, pravibismane rapidly reduces bacterial ATP production in both planktonic and biofilm bacterial populations, thereby halting global bacterial cellular metabolism. Pravibismane has also demonstrated safety and signals of efficacy in multiple clinical studies including treatment of patients with diabetic foot infections and patients with serious orthopedic device-related infections. The company plans to advance an inhaled formulation of pravibismane into Phase 1 clinical development for the treatment of chronic lung diseases, including non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) and cystic fibrosis-related lung infections. Disclaimer: Research reported in this press release is supported by the Cooperative Agreement Number IDSEP160030 from ASPR/BARDA and by awards from Wellcome Trust and Germany's Federal Ministry of Education and Research, as administrated by CARB-X. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, CARB-X, or other funders. About Microbion Microbion is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing a new class of therapeutic compounds to improve the lives of patients with rare and serious diseases. Microbion's lead drug candidate, pravibismane, is the first product in this new class and has a novel mechanism of action offering unique potential to address the unmet needs of chronic and severe health conditions. The Company is advancing inhaled pravibismane in Phase 1 clinical development for the treatment of chronic lung diseases, including non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) and cystic fibrosis-related lung infections. Topical/local pravibismane is in Phase 2 development for the treatment of chronic wounds and orthopedic infections. Pravibismane has received backing from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, NIH, US DoD, and CARB-X with over $21 million in grants. The FDA has granted pravibismane with Orphan Drug, Fast Track, and QIDP designations. For more information visit: www.microbioncorp.com. Safe Harbor Statement Certain of the statements made in this press release are forward-looking, such as those, among others, relating to the success of clinical development of pravibismane and preparation for potential commercialization. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those anticipated, including, but not limited to, risks and uncertainties related to: our ability to enroll patients in our clinical trials at the pace that we project; the size and growth of the potential markets for pravibismane or any future product candidates and our ability to serve those markets; our ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approval of pravibismane or any future product candidates; and our expectations regarding the potential safety, efficacy or clinical utility of pravibismane or any future product candidates. Actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected or implied in these forward-looking statements. Microbion Corporation disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/microbion-corporation-announces-poster-highlighting-pravibismane-activity-against-common-cystic-fibrosis-pulmonary-pathogens-to-be-presented-at-the-north-american-cystic-fibrosis-conference-2022-301667118.html SOURCE Microbion Corporation Cision View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/November2022/03/c1105.html CHISINAU, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Moldova has imported natural gas from Slovakia, for the first time obtaining volumes pumped from west to east, a senior member of the government said on Thursday. The comments by Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Spinu demonstrated Moldova's ability to source gas from places other than Russia as it faces growing supply problems. The small ex-Soviet state is reliant on Russian natural gas supplied by Gazprom and is grappling with a 40% cut in Russian deliveries that has hurt its ability to supply enough electricity to its 2.5 million population. Spinu said Moldovan company Energocom had bought 5 million cubic metres of gas in Budnice in Slovakia and lauded it as a step towards greater energy independence. "What at first glance should have destroyed us has instead made us stronger," he wrote on the Telegram messing app. "By acting in solidarity and making economies, we will get through this winter and come out of it with our heads held high, even stronger, and energy-independent." Moldova, led by a pro-Western government that has denounced Moscow's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, has been hit hard this year by a surge in natural gas prices. Moldova's contract with Gazprom fluctuates from month to month based on the spot market price of gas and oil. Gazprom cut supplies of natural gas to 5.7 million cubic metres per day from Oct. 1, around 40% lower than consumption. (Reporting by Alexander Tanas; writing by Tom Balmforth; editing by Timothy Heritage) WASHINGTON, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Industrial Hemp Council of America (NIHC) President and CEO Patrick Atagi sent a letter today to U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Robert Califf urging approval of hemp seed as an animal feed ingredient. (PRNewsfoto/National Industrial Hemp Council) This would be good news...for consumers who now struggle with the higher costs of milk, meat, and eggs." The letter comes after a widely attended webinar hosted by the NIHC and the American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). The meeting brought together officials from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), FDA, industry stakeholders, and policymakers from across the country. The August webinar highlighted the science around animal feed and was attended by over 1,000 state regulators, veterinary professionals, and hemp industry advocates. Atagi points out the numerous clinical trials on hemp seed ingredients in animal feed by Land Grant Universities and others that have been submitted to the FDA that all show the same outcome, that there is no transference of cannabinoids into the nation's food supply chain from animals raised on hemp seed meal. Those results have been consistent across the various species of animals, including laying hens, hogs, and dairy cattle. Atagi also pointed out that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) said earlier this year that hemp seeds are not considered a controlled substance. "Hemp is an environmentally responsible and domestically grown alternative," said Atagi. "Considering the higher costs associated with the worldwide grain shortage, a sustainable American hemp crop is a nutritious source of animal feed and can lower the cost of farming feed inputs. This would be good news for not just farmers but for consumers who now struggle with the higher costs of milk, meat, and eggs." You can view a copy of NIHC's letter to the FDA here. About NIHC The National Industrial Hemp Council of America provides high-quality networking and resources for its members, from farm to consumer. Its leadership is composed of leading international, federal, state, private industry, and government professionals throughout the sector. The organization is dedicated to furthering market development, assisting members in entering the industry, and educating consumers on industrial hemp and its applications. For more information, please go to www.nihcoa.com . Story continues Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nihc-urges-fda-to-approve-hemp-seed-for-animal-feed-301668103.html SOURCE National Industrial Hemp Council FILE PHOTO: An interior view of the storage warehouse is seen at Nutrien's Cory potash mine near Saskatoon By Rod Nickel WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) -Nutrien Ltd, the world's biggest fertilizer producer, intends to follow through with plans to expand production capacity of potash and nitrogen, despite a sharp pullback in potash demand due to high prices, its chief executive said on Thursday. Nutrien is increasing Canadian potash production by 20% to an annual 18 million tonnes by 2025, helping to address tight global supplies related to sanctions against Russia and Belarus, the second- and third-largest producers after Canada. Prices rose so high, however, that Nutrien's sales in North America and Brazil, its top two potash markets, disappointed investors during the third quarter. "We view this as a temporary lull and our confidence in the outlook for the fundamentals of our business has not changed," CEO Ken Seitz said on a conference call. Nutrien on Wednesday cut its full-year adjusted earnings forecast for the second time. Its shares plunged 12% in Toronto. In an interview, Seitz said Nutrien has flexibility to adjust when it brings additional potash volume to market by 2025, but is not seeing reason to alter its plans. "If the world changes on us, for sure, we can adjust our plans, pare back capital," Seitz said. But the ratio of global grains stocks to use is at a 25-year low, requiring multiple crop seasons to rebuild, he said. Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a significant wheat exporter, has crimped Ukrainian shipments. Droughts in China and the United States have further limited global grain supplies. Russia re-entered this week a pact to free Ukraine shipments, but urged the United Nations to also ease Russia's fertilizer and food exports. Seitz said U.S. Midwest farmers, who apply fertilizer in fall after harvesting, as well as in spring, are showing more interest now at the reduced potash prices. Prices have tumbled during the past six months, though not enough to stimulate further demand, Scotiabank analyst Ben Isaacson said in a note. (Reporting by Rod Nickel in Winnipeg; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama) (Bloomberg) -- President Vladimir Putins swift and severe response to an attack on his Black Sea fleet reflects a war that is increasingly marked by a duel between long range Russian missiles and Ukraines innovative array of drones and truck bombs. Most Read from Bloomberg Putin on Monday made clear why he was suspending Russias involvement in a deal that for three months had allowed much-needed Ukrainian grain to be shipped to global markets: He wants to secure the Russian Navys ships after an attack by air and sea drones. On Wednesday, Russias defense ministry said Moscow was rejoining the grain agreement, after receiving assurances from Ukraine that the safe passage corridor it established wont be used for attacks. The episode speaks volumes about the dual nature of a war thats now being fought as intensely behind the front lines as on them. The Crimea-based Black Sea Fleet may no longer pose the threat of imminent amphibious assault it did at the outset of Putins invasion, but according to the US and Ukraine its been launching Kalibr cruise missiles that form part of the missile barrages Russia has been unleashing on Ukrainian cities for weeks. And while President Volodymyr Zelenskiys forces have no direct equivalents in their arsenal to fire back with, theyre finding other ways to respond. The long-range war that the Black Sea Fleet forms part of is only likely to become more important in the coming months, as fighting on the ground is slowed by autumn rain and falling winter temperatures, adding to exhaustion on both armies in a high intensity conflict thats been underway since February. It is a war of drones, Ukraines Deputy Prime Minister for Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov told Forbes Ukraine in an interview published Monday, adding his country was on the cusp of a boom in their manufacture, including a model specifically designed to shoot down the Shahed-136 loitering drones the US says Russia bought from Iran. Those who can now scale the management and production of strike drones on an industrial level will win, Fedorov said. Story continues Russia denies its Geran-2 drones are re-labeled Shaheds bought from Iran. On Tuesday, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the US was concerned Iran might be considering the provision of surface-to-surface missiles to Russia in addition to the drones. Putins own production lines are hampered by sanctions on key components such as silicon chips. In the meantime, Ukraine appears to be using whatever means it can find to strike behind Russian lines. On Tuesday, the intelligence arm of Ukraines defense ministry celebrated the destruction of two night-attack helicopters, and damage to two others, by hand-set explosives at Russias Pskov air base. Pskov is more than 700 km (435 miles) from the Ukrainian border. Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for Saturdays use of unmanned boats against the Russian fleet. But it described as the beginning an Oct. 8 truck bomb attack that disabled a key bridge linking the Russian mainland to Crimea, which Putin annexed in 2014. The bridge is about 400 km from the nearest Ukrainian controlled territory. Ukraine has also struck numerous behind-the-lines targets within the 80 km reach of US HIMARS rockets. Answering questions after a meeting with the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan at Russias Black Sea resort of Sochi, Putin first reiterated his claim that as little as 3%-5% of grain released through the July 22 grain deals secure corridor was going to the poor countries that were supposed to get it. The correct figure is 20%, according to the United Nations, which also says the goal with the agreement was to reduce soaring global grain prices, rather than to send specifically Ukrainian grain to poor countries. But that isnt the point, Putin continued. The point, he said, was that Ukraine had attacked the Black Sea Fleet with six-meter-long boat drones that packed with explosives. This is not a joke. The attack failed, according to Putin, but it put at risk both Russian and international shipping. To lift the suspension on the grain deal, he said he wanted the UN which brokered the agreement to get Ukraine to guarantee the security of the agreements corridor. That assurance now appears to have been given and could give the fleet at Sevastopol a measure of protection to continue launching Kalibr missiles across Ukraine. The wars different theaters front line, long range and economic are tightly interwoven. Taken together, they suggest Putin still has an ambitious strategy to control Ukraine, rather than one based around any sudden nuclear escalation to stop or settle the war, according to the Institute for the Study of War, a US think tank that closely follows the conflict. The same hold-territory-and-wait strategy is consistent with withdrawals to new defensive lines in Ukraines southern Kherson province. Its in line, too, with the recent campaign of missile strikes on energy infrastructure aimed at eroding public morale, creating a renewed refugee crisis in Europe, and hindering Ukraines war effort. It isnt clear that any of those goals are yet being achieved, but temperatures will fall further. The nations electricity utility said Wednesday it would order more power outages to maintain the grid in northern and central Ukraine. Zelenskiy, in an overnight statement, said he asked the EU for help in restoring the countrys energy infrastructure, 40% of which has been damaged. Ukraines General Staff said on Facebook that Russia launched another seven missile and 47 air attacks over the previous day. Despite optimism in Ukraine that Russian forces can be pushed back to the east bank of the Dnipro river at Kherson by the end of the year, it looks very much like a hard fight, Michael Kofman, a specialist in Russias military at the CNA security think tank in Washington, said in a recent podcast. Kofman, who just returned from a field trip to Ukraine, said Russian forces were digging multiple lines of defense around Kherson in a way they had failed to do in the north east, the scene of Septembers rapid Ukrainian counteroffensive. Putin still thinks he can win time while support for Ukraine withers, and hes getting some positive signals from the US, where both progressive Democrats and Trump Republicans recently expressed reservations about the scale of military and financial aid to the country, said Mykola Bielieskov, a research fellow at the National Institute for Strategic Studies, a government think tank in Kyiv. Bielieskov said there probably will be a few weeks for Ukraine to claw back territory and inflict Russian losses before winter sets in. The slowdown that follows is likely to be less the result of inclement weather, he said, than of the need for both sides to rest and rebuild after more than eight months in the field. In the meantime, the long range battle is only likely to accelerate as both sides ramp up production and purchases of attack drones and missiles. Putins threats of nuclear Armageddon have been over-played, according to Bielieskov, and should be seen as part of a successful strategy to deter the US from supplying Ukraine with the 300 km (190 mile) Army Tactical Missile Systems it needs to level the long range playing field. We are trying to innovate, Bielieskov said. We are trying to compensate for our lack of long range fire. (Updates with Russias return to grain deal and Ukrainian assurances.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2022 Bloomberg L.P. (Adds BW Pavilion Leeara and Diamond Gas Victoria, adds arrival of Gaslog Georgetown, changes the arrival date of Energy Integrity and Elisa Aquila, removes Aamira) Nov 3 (Reuters) - The following liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers are expected to arrive in Britain, Belgium and the Netherlands in the coming weeks. Estimated arrival dates, often revised by port authorities and AIS Live ship-tracking data on Refinitiv Eikon, are updated below. Some tankers heading for Belgium and Britain may be loading at the terminal. Those expected to load are indicated with an (L). Those likely to perform ship-to-ship transfers are indicated with (STS). Tankers that have docked are indicated with (A). Floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) terminals are added to the table when they become fully operational. As of Sept. 30 2022 this includes the Eemshaven terminal in the Netherlands. For the Reuters LNG guide, click here: LNG TANKER CAPACITY in EXPECTED ARRIVAL FROM PORT cubic metres BRITAIN Diamond Gas Victoria 174,000 Nov. 2 (A) United States Isle of Grain Elisa Aquila 174,000 Nov. 3 Norway Isle of Grain Vivit Americas LNG 174,000 Nov. 3 United States South Hook Bilbao Knutsen 136,000 Nov. 5 N/A Dragon Al Mafyar 261,000 Nov. 6 Qatar South Hook Umm Slal 261,000 Nov. 8 Qatar South Hook LNG Adamawa 138,000 Nov. 9 Nigeria Isle of Grain Methane Mickie Harper 167,000 Nov. 10 United States Dragon Gaslog Windsor 176,000 Nov. 10 United States Isle of Grain Gaslog Sydney 154,000 Nov. 13 United States Milford Haven LNG Enterprise 174,000 Nov. 15 United States South Hook Grace Dahlia 174,000 Nov. 17 United States Milford Haven LNG Bonny II 173,000 Nov. 18 United States Milford Haven BW Pavilion Nov. 26 United Isle Leeara 161,000 States of Grain BELGIUM Clean Planet 159,000 Nov. 3 (L) Russia Zeebrugge Eduard Toll 172,000 Nov. 4 Russia Zeebrugge LNG Merak 174,000 Nov. 5 (L) Russia Zeebrugge LNG Dubhe 174,000 Nov. 5 (L) N/A Zeebrugge Rudolf Samoylovich 170,000 Nov. 5 Russia Zeebrugge Rias Baixas Knutsen 180,000 Nov. 7 Algeria Zeebrugge Al Marrouna 149,000 Nov. 9 Qatar Zeebrugge Energy Pacific LNG 173,000 Nov. 11 Qatar Zeebrugge NETHERLANDS Energy Integrity 170,000 Nov. 3 N/A Gate Gaslog Georgetown 174,000 Nov. 2 (A) United States Gate Magdala 173,000 Nov. 3 United States Eemshaven Diamond Gas Nov. 4 United Gate Victoria 174,000 States LNG Rosenrot 176,000 Nov. 5 United States Gate Maran Gas Achilles 172,000 Nov. 8 United States Eemshaven Seapeak Hispania 137,000 Nov. 9 N/A Gate Sources: Ports, AIS Live ship tracking, Refinitiv Eikon data. (^) Partial unload (*) Arrival date estimated based on flows data (Reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin) An incoming privacy policy change announced by TikTok yesterday for users in Europe -- which, for the first time, names China as one of several third countries where user data can be remotely accessed by "certain" company employees to perform what it claims are "important" functions -- has landed months ahead of expected movement on a year+ long investigation into the platform's data exports to China under the bloc's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The GDPR probe into the legality of the video sharing platform's data transfers to China is being led by Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC), TikTok's lead privacy regulator in the region, which opened the inquiry just over a year ago. The DPC told TechCrunch today that it expects its TikTok data transfers inquiry to progress to the next stage in the coming months -- with a draft decision slated to be sent to other EU DPAs for review in the first quarter of next year. This 'Article 60' review process could lead either to an affirming of Ireland's draft decision -- which would then, in relatively short order, allow for a final decision to be issued (potentially before the middle of next year, judging by past inquiry timelines). However if other EU regulators raise objections to Ireland's draft decision the inquiry would have to move to an 'Article 65' dispute resolution process -- which could add many more months to the process before a final decision could be issued as the bloc's regulators seek consensus. It's not clear whether TikTok's announcement of the privacy policy tweak relates to this overarching GDPR investigation. The incoming changes -- which are due to apply from December 2 -- do also include an update on how the platform collects users location information so they are not wholly focused on data transfers. But the disclosure of China staffers accessing European user data could also be a not-very-subtle attempt to preempt regulatory enforcement over its data transfers -- and try to soften a future blow by being able to point to steps already taken to improve its transparency with European users. (Not that that is the only potential issue of regulatory concern vis-a-vis data exports, though.) Story continues A spokesman for TikTok declined to comment on whether its updated privacy policy is in any way linked to the GDPR inquiry -- saying it could not do so as the inquiry remains ongoing. However in a blog post announcing the update, the company claimed the changes "include greater transparency into how we share user information outside of Europe". That's notable because transparency is a key principle of the GDPR -- while infringements of the transparency principle can lead to stiff penalties (such as the $267M fine for Meta-owned WhatsApp last year, after an Ireland-led inquiry found a string of transparency breaches). Claiming you're being transparent and actually being transparent are not necessarily the same thing, of course. So it's worth noting that TikTok's updated privacy policy appears to atomize key bits of information -- such as the full list of countries where employees may remotely access European users' data and for what specific reasons -- across a number of collapsable menus and hyperlinks spread throughout the policy, thereby requiring a user to click around, follow multiple links and basically hunt for relevant intel amid a larger morass of data in order to piece together a comprehensive view of what's happening with their data (rather than clearly articulating and collating everything into a single, easy to digest view). So, if it's transparency TikTok is really shooting for here it still looks like it has work to do. Also still a work in progress for TikTok: A data localization project to store European users' data in the region -- which, earlier this year, it announced had been delayed again (until 2023). Thing is, if TikTok intends to continue to allow employees located in countries with no EU adequacy agreement affirming they have essentially equivalent data protection standards as the bloc to have remote access to European users' information then questions over the legality of its international data transfers are likely to persist. As well as China, TikTok's privacy policy names Brazil, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and the U.S. (which has only a preliminary agreement with the EU for a fresh data transfer agreement at the moment) as countries where employees have remote access to European user data without the cover of an adequacy agreement -- saying it's relying on standard contractual clauses (SCCs) for these transfers. But, as the EDPB guidance on data transfers points out, each transfer to a third country must be individually assessed and some may not be possible legally, even with supplementary measures applied. So every single one of these transfers will need to stand up to regulatory scrutiny. Given so many third country transfers, TikTok's European data localization project can only -- at least for now -- be considered a PR exercise. And/or an attempt to curry favor with local regulators in the hopes they take a kinder view of ongoing data exports. Unless or until it ceases data exports to third countries and finds a way to fully firewall its parent entity in China from being able to access any European users' data in the clear. TikTok's spokesman declined to comment on any future plans it may have to further adapt its data transfers in light of these challenges but he pointed back to its blog post -- which describes its approach to data governance in Europe as being "centred on limiting the number of employees with access to European user data, minimising data flows outside of the region, and storing European user data locally." TikTok's wider problem is that it's facing dialed up regulatory scrutiny across the Western world more generally as a result of security concerns attached to the Chinese state's ability to gain access to data commercial platforms/services hold on their users -- with national security laws in its home country overriding the usual standard contractual protections. Its platform also collects an awful lot of user data -- which only fuels concerns about its capacity to be repurposed as a data honeypot for state surveillance or even for 'soft power' foreign influence ops. While its tracking and profiling of users invites further specific regulatory headaches in Europe -- on the privacy and consumer protection side -- which are applying some limits on how it can operate. For example, TikTok recently agreed to freeze a controversial change to the legal basis it relies upon to run targeting advertising after a formal warning from the Italian DPA -- and some follow-up "engagement" from the DPC -- over a plan to remove consent (and claim a legitimate interest to run targeted ads). So its profiling and ad targeting model is facing challenges on a number of fronts, even as it tries to defend its business against wider, geopolitical-related security concerns. KYIV, Ukraine, Nov. 2, 2022 /CNW/ - TIU Canada, a leading solar energy producer in Ukraine, is donating generators to Ukrainians affected by the electricity blackouts. These fuel operated generators will provide electricity to Ukrainian families in Nikopol and other cities affected by the war. Company CEO Michael Yurkovich said, "At TIU Canada we produce electricity on a large scale, and while our solar stations continue operating during the war, the attacks on the energy infrastructure are sometimes preventing our electricity from getting to the people. That is why the best way to help Ukrainians now is to fill the gap by providing small generators to produce electricity". The generators are being delivered to reliable NGO partners. TIU Canada logo (CNW Group/TIU Canada) In addition, TIU Canada will be donating supplies to Ukrainians in need, including hundreds of flashlights, sleeping mats, and post operative medical kits. These humanitarian and medical supplies are being shipped to Ukraine and will arrive this month. The donations are part of TIU Canada's ongoing corporate social responsibility efforts in the communities where it works. "We believe in Ukraine and that is why we are providing this support now when the country is in need. We are also supportive of the Canadian government's efforts to help Ukraine including the recent announcement by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that the government is providing $55 million to assist with winterization needs. Our efforts will complement that Canadian government efforts at the local level" said Yurkovich. TIU Canada is owned by the Calgary based Refraction Fund 1 and has been working in Ukraine since 2016. The company currently operates 54 megawatts of electricity production in three solar stations. TIU Canada has invested more than $65 million USD in Ukrainian solar energy and was the first investor in Ukraine under the Canadian Ukrainian Free Trade Agreement (CUFTA). Web site www.tiucanada.ca Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tiu-canada-donates-generators--humanitarian-aid-to-ukraine-301666517.html Story continues SOURCE TIU Canada Cision View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/November2022/02/c8021.html The four-story, 335-unit property will be the firms seventh luxury student housing community nationwide Groundbreaking Celebration of The 87 in South Bend, Ind. From left: Angela Smith, Zoning Administrator, South Bend Department of Community Investment; James Mueller, South Bend Mayor; Charles Elliott, President, Toll Brothers Apartment Living; Doug Smythe, Acquisition & Development Manager, Toll Brothers Campus Living; Andrew Dean, Development & Construction Manager, Toll Brothers Apartment Living; Kamran Charmsaz, Principal, KTGY; Mark Ericksen, Group Vice President, Weis Builders. SOUTH BEND, Ind., Nov. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Toll Brothers, Inc. (NYSE: TOL), the nations leading builder of luxury homes, through its Toll Brothers Campus Living division, announces the groundbreaking of The 87, a new four-story, 335-unit luxury low-rise apartment community in South Bend, Ind., totaling nearly 431,000 square feet. The 87 will be the firms seventh luxury student housing community developed nationwide. Designed by KTGY Architects with V3 Engineering, and interior design by Mary Cook Associates and branding by Matchbox Studio, Toll Brothers Campus Living will manage the development, construction, marketing, and asset management of The 87. Construction is anticipated to be completed in 2024. The recent groundbreaking celebration was attended by senior executives from Toll Brothers, The 87s development partners, South Bend elected and appointed government officials, and members of the media. The 87 will represent the very best of what Toll Brothers Campus Living stands for, said Doug Smythe, Acquisition & Development Manager Toll Brothers Campus Living. From the quality of the materials to the extraordinary amenity offerings, with best-in-class design and construction and unmatched resident services that our brand is already known for nationwide, we believe The 87 will be among the greatest rental offerings available in the market. Located at 1710 N. Turtle Creek Dr. in South Bend and situated on the 10-acre former site of the Turtle Creek Apartments, most recently known as Campus View, The 87 will provide student residents with outstanding access to the University of Notre Dame campus, as well as St. Marys College and Holy Cross College nearby. Spread among 26 townhomes and five apartment buildings ranging from three to four stories, The 87 will include 335 residences with a total of 810 beds. The community will offer a mix of studio, one-, two-, and four-bedroom rental homes ranging from 420 square foot studios to 2,000 square foot townhomes. The project features 423 total parking spaces, including a three-story parking garage, private townhome garages, and surface parking. Story continues Residents will enjoy more than 15,000 square feet of interior and exterior common area amenities, including a two-story fitness center, collaboration and private study areas, a content creation studio, a coffee bar, a social lounge, a multi-sport simulator lounge, and an All-Pro screening lounge, which ensures every fan of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at The 87 will have a premier venue for watching the big game without leaving home. Residents can also enjoy outdoor amenities including a pet park, a basketball court, multiple courtyards with televisions, grills, fire pits, and outdoor games. Residences at The 87 will feature luxury finishes including stainless steel appliances, luxury vinyl tile flooring, modern, two-tone kitchen cabinets, quartz countertops, and smart locks. Apartments will be fully furnished including a 55 Smart TV and will offer in-suite bathrooms for each bedroom, walk-in closets (in select units), and in-unit washer and dryer. Notre Dame is one of the most storied schools in America and we are truly privileged to become a part of this community, said Charles Elliott, President of Toll Brothers Apartment Living, which oversees Toll Brothers Campus Living division. We are excited to develop our first multifamily project in Indiana and provide student residents in South Bend with the same quality and service were known for throughout the country. According to US News & World Report, Notre Dame is now tied for No. 18 out of 443 in the Best National University rankings. The Report also lists multiple Notre Dame undergraduate programs among the best in the nation, including Accounting at No. 6. Washington Monthly magazine ranks Notre Dame No. 10 in its National University Rankings of public universities contributing to the public good. Named for 1887, the year of Notre Dames first football team, The 87 represents the continued expansion of Toll Brothers Campus Livings footprint nationwide. The 87 is the newest project in the Toll Brothers Campus Living portfolio and joins other exceptional apartment communities under development by Toll Brothers at Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Central Florida, and Florida International University. The firm previously developed Terrapin Row at The University of Maryland, which was sold in 2017, The Yards at Old State at The Pennsylvania State University, and Canvas at Arizona State University. For more information about The 87 visit LiveThe87.com. About Toll Brothers Campus Living Toll Brothers Campus Living is the student housing development division of Toll Brothers, Inc., the nation's leading builder of luxury homes. Toll Brothers Campus Living brings the same quality, luxury, and service for which Toll Brothers is known to its exceptional student housing communities in select markets. Toll Brothers Campus Living communities combine the energy of collegiate locations with student-centric services, amenities, and the expertise of Americas Luxury Home Builder to fit the needs and lifestyle of todays students to live, thrive, and connect. Toll Brothers Campus Living has developed nearly 1,000 units and more than 3,000 beds nationwide, with more than 1,000 additional units in its development pipeline. For more information visit www.TollBrothersApartmentLiving.com. About Toll Brothers Toll Brothers, Inc., a FORTUNE 500 Company, is the nation's leading builder of luxury homes. The Company was founded 55 years ago in 1967 and became a public company in 1986. Its common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol TOL. The Company serves first-time, move-up, empty-nester, active-adult, and second-home buyers, as well as urban and suburban renters. Toll Brothers builds in over 60 markets in 24 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Washington, as well as in the District of Columbia. The Company operates its own architectural, engineering, mortgage, title, land development, golf course development, smart home technology, and landscape subsidiaries. The Company also operates its own lumber distribution, house component assembly, and manufacturing operations. Toll Brothers was named the Worlds Most Admired Homebuilder in FORTUNE magazines 2022 survey of the Worlds Most Admired Companies, the seventh year it has been so honored. Toll Brothers has also been named Builder of the Year by Builder magazine and is the first two-time recipient of Builder of the Year from Professional Builder magazine. For more information visit TollBrothers.com. 2022 Fortune Media IP Limited. All rights reserved. Used under license. Fortune and Fortune Media IP Limited are not affiliated with, and do not endorse the products or services of, Toll Brothers. ### Sent by Toll Brothers via Regional Globe Newswire (TOLL-REG) Attachment CONTACT: Andrew L. Gagliano Toll Brothers Apartment Living (202) 808-2489 agagliano@tollbrothers.com Apranga The retail turnover (including VAT) of the Apranga Group amounted to EUR 28.4 million in October 2022 and has increased by 23.9% in comparison to October 2021. Last year in October the Republic of Latvia introduced restrictions related to spreading coronavirus: the operation of stores in shopping malls on weekends were banned in Latvia from 14 October 2021, and later all Groups stores in Latvia were temporarily closed from 21 October 2021 until 15 November. These restrictions had a significant impact on the generated turnover in October 2021 in Latvia. In October 2022, the retail turnover of the Group in Lithuania increased by 17.3%, in Latvia surged by 57.6% and in Estonia grew by 10.6% year-to-year. Due to epidemic coronavirus (COVID-19) infection, from 16 December 2020, all the Groups stores in Lithuania were temporarily closed. Stores with a separate entrance from the outside and sales area not exceeding 300 square meters were open from 15 February 2021. Stores with a separate entrance from the outside and a sales area exceeding 300 square meters were open from 15 March 2021. All Groups stores have been reopened in Lithuania from 19 April 2021, however, stores operating in shopping malls were not allowed to work on weekends, unless they had separate entrance from outside. Eventually, all Groups stores had been open in Lithuania as of 29 May 2021. In Latvia, stores were temporarily closed from 19 December 2020. Groups stores that operate in shopping malls and have separate entrance from outside had been reopened in Latvia as of 22 May 2021. Eventually, all Groups stores had been open in Latvia as of 3 June 2021. In Estonia, all Groups stores were temporarily closed from 11 March 2021 until 3 May 2021. These temporary closures had a significant impact on the Group's generated turnover in January-May 2021. The retail turnover (including VAT) of Apranga Group reached EUR 237.2 million in January through October 2022 and was by 31.0% higher than in 2021 and by 19.7% higher than in 2019. Story continues In January-October 2022, the retail turnover of Apranga Group in Lithuania increased by 25.6% year-to-year, in Latvia increased by 52.3% and in Estonia increased by 24.6%. Currently Apranga Group operates the chain of 168 stores (100 in Lithuania, 44 in Latvia and 24 in Estonia) covering the gross area of 90.6 thousand sq. m., or by 2.5% less than a year ago. Gabrielius Morkunas Apranga Group CFO +370 5 2390843 Abu Dhabi, represented by the Department of Municipalities and Transport, and Kyrgyzistans Bishkek City have signed a twinning agreement to strengthen cooperation between the two cities and further enhance relations. The agreement was signed by Falah Al Ahbabi, Chairman of the Department of Municipalities and Transport, and Emilbek Abdykadyrov, Mayor of Bishkek City. As part of the city twinning agreement, the two capital cities will enable mutual exchange between delegations and business community members to develop trade, economic, scientific, cultural, sporting and other ties. The agreement will also facilitate exchange of knowledge in urban planning and explore the feasibility of joint venture projects. Falah Al Ahbabi said: "The agreement will enhance friendly bilateral relations between our nations, and the exchange of experiences between our two municipalities will be facilitated. Furthermore, the agreement will be a helpful tool for promoting cross-cultural exchanges between Abu Dhabi and Bishkek in the fields of culture, sports, and tourism. TradeArabia News Service Elon Musk has moved quickly to start generating revenue at Twitter after his $44 billion acquisition. Carina Johansen/Getty Images Twitter could start charging for blue verification badges as early as next week, per Bloomberg. It will be part of a subscription plan that costs $8 each month. Elon Musk has been moving quickly to generate revenue at Twitter, after his $44 billion acquisition. Twitter is planning to begin charging for blue verification badges as early as next week, Bloomberg reported Thursday, citing people familiar with the plans. The badges a scallop-edged round blue icon with a white tick in the center will be part of a subscription plan that costs $8 monthly, Bloomberg reported. Twitter users who are already verified will have months to start paying for the status or lose it, the news outlet added. Since Elon Musk finalized his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter, he has moved quickly to find ways to generate revenue at the social media platform. The move to charge for blue verification badges - if implemented would come less a month after Musk's acquisition. Other than charging for verification, Twitter is also working on a new feature that will allow content creators to charge viewers for videos, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday. Some current verified users, including bestselling author Stephen King, have spoken out against Twitter's plan to charge for the status. But Musk whose Twitter bio currently reads "Twitter Complaint Hotline Operator" has doubled down on his stance, saying Twitter needs to "pay the bills somehow!" On Wednesday, Musk tweeted a meme featuring a person grinning at an $8 price tag on a Starbucks coffee, but crying when seeing the same price tag on a Twitter verification badge. Musk also framed the current user verification policy as one that divides "lords & peasants." He argued that the new system to charge for verification will "destroy the bots," as a paid account will be suspended if it engages in spam or scam. Story continues On Wednesday, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was the latest to be shut down by Musk for hitting out at Twitter's planned subscription program. She mocked Musk for being "a billionaire earnestly trying to sell people on the idea that "free speech" is actually a $8/mo subscription plan." Musk tweeted that he appreciated AOC's feedback, but she would still have to pay $8 for her verified status. Other than charging for verification, Twitter also plans to open up its edit function to all Twitter users for free, Bloomberg reported. It's now available to Twitter Blue users who pay $4.99 a month. The change could be come this week, per Bloomberg. Twitter Blue is only available in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand right now. Twitter did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment sent outside regular business hours. Read the original article on Business Insider Milwaukee-based UMOS has been given a grant worth nearly $56.9 million from the United States Department of Agriculture to assist roughly 75,000 farm workers and meatpackers nationwide, including more than 14,000 in Wisconsin. The grant includes a one-time payment of $600 to be paid to more than 75,000 eligible applicants nationwide within a two-year period, according to the announcement made Friday. We applaud USDA for appropriating direct relief payments for eligible frontline farmworkers, meatpackers, and grocery workers to help defray costs associated with previous or on-going purchases of personal protective equipment and other expenses incurred during the Covid-19 pandemic such as testing, quarantining, vaccinations, childcare costs and other reasonable and necessary personal, family and or living expenses, said Lupe Martinez, president and CEO of UMOS. Related:More than 25% of workers at a Seneca Foods plant got COVID, documents show. But the company blamed community spread. Related:What led to a migrant workers death from heatstroke? Farm workers or meatpackers who made at least $1 in agricultural work, along with having the proper identification, are eligible to apply. USDA is committed not only to acknowledging the work of our nations essential agricultural and food workers, but also ensuring they are not left out of opportunities for relief from the effects of the pandemic, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack said. The grant recipients being announced today will help us provide relief payments to workers across the country who kept food moving to our families during an especially challenging time. Aside from Wisconsin, UMOS delivers services directly to workers in Illinois, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Missouri, and Texas. The organization also plans to partner with other non-profit organizations in Florida, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Iowa, Indiana, and Nebraska to identify eligible workers and assist with the application process. Story continues We are especially happy to see frontline agricultural workers recognized for their contributions to the nations workforce and the food supply chain, Martinez said. Oftentimes they are overlooked in federal agricultural relief efforts. UMOS and its partners plan to outreach to employers of farm workers and meatpacking workers, accept and process applications, collect verification, determine eligibility, and issue payments. UMOS says it plans to maintain strong financial controls to ensure funds get into the hands of eligible workers and will use an elaborate database system to avoid payment duplication for those who migrant and work throughout several states. For more information on the Farm and Food Workers Relief Program and eligibility requirements call UMOS at 833-758-2004. Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal. DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: $600 checks going to 75K farm, meat packing workers due to USDA grant (Adds more evacuations to begin Nov. 6, U.S. denounces Russian attacks on Ukraine energy, water supplies) * Russia orders civilians from east bank of Dnipro * More evacuations to begin Nov. 6 from area close to major dam * Ukraine capital, other cities suffer power, water outages By Pavel Polityuk and Jonathan Landay KYIV/MYKOLAIV, Ukraine, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Russia told civilians on Tuesday to leave an area along the eastern bank of the Dnipro River in the Ukrainian province of Kherson, a major extension of an evacuation order that Kyiv says amounts to the forced depopulation of occupied territory. Russia had previously ordered civilians out of a pocket it controls on the west bank of the river, where Ukrainian forces have been advancing for weeks to capture the city of Kherson in what would be a strategic prize in the eight-month-long war. Russian-installed officials said on Tuesday they were extending that order to a 15-km (9-mile) buffer zone along the east bank too. Ukraine says the evacuations include forced deportations from occupied territory, a war crime. Russia, which claims to have annexed parts of Kherson region, says it is taking civilians to safety because of the risk Ukraine might use unconventional weapons. "Due to the possibility of the use of prohibited methods of war by the Ukrainian regime, as well as information that Kyiv is preparing a massive missile strike on the Kakhovka hydroelectric station, there is an immediate danger of the Kherson region being flooded," Vladimir Saldo, Russian-installed head of occupied Kherson province, said in a video message. "The decision (to expand the evacuation zone) will make it possible to create a layered defence in order to repel Ukrainian attacks and protect civilians," he said. Russian-installed authorities in the Kherson region also said an obligatory evacuation of Kakhovka district, close to the Nova Kakhovka hydroelectric station, was to begin on Nov. 6. Story continues Moscow has accused Kyiv of planning to use a so-called "dirty bomb" to spread radiation, or to blow up a dam to flood towns and villages in Kherson province. Kyiv says accusations it would use such tactics on its own territory are absurd, but that Russia might be planning such actions itself to blame Ukraine. The mouth of the Dnipro has become one of the most consequential frontlines eight months into Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Saldo identified seven towns on the east bank that would now be evacuated, comprising the main populated settlements along that stretch of the river. 'WHY SHOULD I LEAVE?' In the city of Kherson on Tuesday streets were virtually empty, with most shops and businesses shuttered. A handful of people at a jetty boarded a ferry to cross to the east bank of the Dnipro, though a few men were still fishing peacefully, apparently indifferent to the distant rumble of artillery fire. Some residents remained defiant, despite the order to leave. "Why should I leave? ... What for? I will stay here to the very end," said Ekaterina, a shopkeeper, referring to the house she said her ancestors had built "with their own hands". Russian forces swept into Ukraine in February in what Moscow calls a "special military operation" to eliminate dangerous nationalists and protect Russian-speakers. Kyiv calls Moscow's military action an unprovoked imperialist land grab. Thousands of Russian men have fled abroad to escape conscription to a conflict which has killed thousands, displaced millions and reopened Cold War-era divisions. The European Union accused Moscow on Tuesday of illegally conscripting men in Crimea, which Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014. Russia fired missiles at Ukrainian cities including the capital Kyiv in what President Vladimir Putin called retaliation for an attack on Russia's Black Sea Fleet over the weekend. Ukraine said it shot most of those missiles down, but some had hit power stations, knocking out electricity and water supplies. The United States on Tuesday denounced the attacks, saying about 100 missiles had been fired on Monday and Tuesday. "With temperatures dropping, these Russian attacks aimed at exacerbating human suffering are particularly heinous," State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters at a daily briefing. Russia denies targeting civilians. GRAIN SHIPS Putin has suspended Russia's cooperation with a programme backed by Turkey and the United Nations to escort cargo ships carrying grain out of the war zone. The three-month-old undertaking had ended a de facto Russian blockade of Ukraine, one of the world's biggest grain producers, and averted a global food crisis. Putin told Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in a call on Tuesday that Russia could consider resuming the deal only after completion of an investigation into drone attacks on a Crimean port, which Moscow has already blamed on Ukraine. Despite Russia's suspension of its participation in the grain deal, no blockade has been restored so far. Three vessels left Ukrainian ports on Tuesday morning after 12 ships set out on Monday. The programme's administrators said Tuesday's shipments had been agreed by Ukrainian, Turkish and U.N. delegations and that Moscow had been informed, an apparent sign of a willingness to proceed without Russian cooperation. Just north of Kherson, Russia fired four missiles into the Ukrainian port city of Mykolaiv overnight, demolishing half an apartment building. Reuters saw rescue workers recover the body of an elderly woman from the rubble. (Reporting by Reuters bureaux; Writing by Peter Graff, Gareth Jones and Grant McCool; Editing by Nick Macfie and Mark Heinrich) Holly Myres thought it was her mother stopping by when she was awakened on Sept. 15, 2021, by her barking dog and loud knocking on her Fredericksburg apartment door. Instead, a short time later, a masked intruder was in her house. The intruder shot Myres multiple times before turning the gun on her live-in boyfriend, De John Morris. Both were rushed to Mary Washington Hospital with serious injuries. The man accused of inflicting that damage, 33-year-old Jeffery Columbus Brown, is charged with multiple offenses in connection with that incident and an earlier one in which Morris was robbed at gunpoint. Browns scheduled two-day jury trial started Wednesday in Fredericksburg Circuit Court. Brown, who is being represented by attorney Ben Burchett, is charged with multiple offenses, including two counts of attempted murder, two counts of malicious shooting, burglary, robbery and several firearms offenses. Morris and Brown were the key witnesses put on Wednesday by Commonwealths Attorney Elizabeth Humphries and prosecutor Gary Godman. According to the testimony, Morris and Brown became friends in middle school and had occasionally gotten together for such activities as gaming. Brown had spent several nights in the home shared by Myres and Morris. Morris testified that the friendship soured in 2020 when he rejected Browns request to move in with the couple. Things went further downhill in March of 2021 when Morris claims that Brown robbed him at gunpoint. Morris said he was outside smoking early March 20 at the Valor Apartment complex off Fall Hill Avenue when Brown contacted him on Facebook and asked him to ride to the nearby Sheetz for some cigarettes. Brown drove past the Sheetz, Morris testified, then pulled a gun on his now former friend. After taking between $800 and $900 in cash that Morris had from a federal stimulus payment, Morris testified that Brown told him to get the [expletive] out of my car. Morris said Browns actions shocked him. I thought at first that he was playing, but he wasnt, Morris said. Under cross-examination from Burchett, Morris denied owing money to Brown or anyone else. He said that before driving off with his money, Brown threatened to kill Morris and his girlfriend if he ever told anyone about the robbery. Morris reported the alleged robbery that morning as he was walking back home. He said he had no further contact with Brown until a couple of months later when he messaged him about the robbery. Brown messaged back that it never happened, according to testimony. It was six months after the robbery when Myres was startled by the masked invader. She saw a figure going down the stairs when she opened the door and her dog ran out. She retrieved the dog and went back into her home while failing to lock the door behind her. She was on the ground after being shot thinking I was going to die when she heard more shots in her bedroom, where Morris had been sleeping. She was able to call 911. She was in the hospital when police showed her a picture that was retrieved from a doorbell camera at the apartment directly below hers. She identified the man in the picture as Brown. In his opening argument, Burchett pointed out that there were no fingerprints, DNA or gunshot residue connecting Brown to the crime. He also pointed out that neither victim was able to identify Brown at the time of the shooting. Thirty tents lined the pathway at Hurkamp Park on Tuesday evening, each one representing an individual who died this year and spent some period of time homeless in the Fredericksburg area. Unfortunately, 30 tents was one too few. We had one neighbor die just this morning, said Meghann Cotter, executive director of Micah Ecumenical Ministries, which hosted the All Saints Day service commemorating deceased members of the homeless community. Micah has traditionally hosted the service on the evening of the Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year, which is usually Dec. 21 and 22. Micahs Street Church chaplain Chelsea Morse said this was to draw attention to the dark nights and cold temperatures that homeless people must endure for long stretches at a time. This year, leaders thought it would be more equitable to move the homeless memorial service to Nov. 1All Saints Day in the church calendarwhich is when other congregations remember loved ones who passed away in the preceding year, Cotter said. The change also highlights the fact that not all the individuals remembered this year died while experiencing homelessness. Some of them had been housed, but any time spent homeless takes years off of someones life, Cotter said. The experiences of those who have been affected by homelessness have been inspirational in guiding Micahs vision of a community that works for all, Morse said during the service. Cotter told those who gathered that it is easy to look at homelessness the way a detective looks at a cold casesearching for clues to solve it. Instead, she said, the privilege to take part in the life of an unhoused neighbor is a gift to us, because it teaches us to love, to accept and to think about how to be a compassionate community. Those gathered for the service heard music performed by the FXBG Street Choir, which is directed by Chris Ryder, director of choral activities at the University of Mary Washington. It provides a musical opportunity for those affected by homelessness and a community engagement opportunity for UMW students. Cotter and Morse then read the names of all 31 people who died this year, along with brief remembrances of each. There was Shawn Worthen, 27, a graduate of Spotsylvania High School who loved the outdoors. His mother asked that when the weather is cool and the leaves are crunchy, like it is most October days, we say to each other, This is Shawn weather, Cotter said. There was Alexander Donkin, 44, who was known for cleaning up trash along the Rappahannock River; Ricky Nelson, 60, who never ended a conversation without saying, I love you; Lisa Green, 55, who was known by the community as The Warden and prided herself on keeping the cleanest campsite; Julius Tegi, who for years portrayed a Wise Man in Micahs Christmas Eve pageant; and Thomas Dent, who died on Tuesday and was stubborn, obnoxious and loveable. He got into enough trouble of his own, but he always tried to keep others out of it, Morse said. We love them, we learn from them, we miss them, and the time we spent with them inspires us in our pursuit of a world that works for all people, Cotter said. The service ended with participants lighting candles and exiting Hurkamp Park while singing the folk song, Ill Fly Away. The future of the former Vise-Grip plant in DeWitt appears up in the air again just a few years after it reopened. Malco Products, which bought the plant in 2016 and reopened it in 2019 to make Eagle Grip locking pliers, a product similar to Vise-Grip, announced this week that it plans to exit that business early next year after fulfilling all current customer orders. For the past five years, our teams in both Annandale and DeWitt have been working tirelessly to bring this vision to life and to make it a success. This has included a significant investment in both time and in capital resources, Rich Benninghoff, president and CEO of Malco Products, said in a news release sent to the Journal Star. Despite all of these efforts, the reality is that this platform doesnt align with our core focus, so weve made the difficult decision to exit the locking handle tools business. What that means for the DeWitt plant is not clear. A person who called the Journal Star on Tuesday said employees were told it is closing at the end of the year. The timing of the announcement would make sense in that context, because the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act requires companies with at least 100 employees to provide 60 days notice if they are closing an operation and laying off at least 50 employees. A spokeswoman for the Nebraska Department of Labor said the department had not received such a notice as of Wednesday morning, however. In its news release, Malco said it is "in open dialogue with various partners and stakeholders to help determine the best path forward for the operation," but company officials did not respond to a request for further comment. It's not clear, either, how many people work at the DeWitt operation, Malco says on its website that it has 160 workers total at the DeWitt plant and its home plant in Annandale, Minnesota. In May 2021, Malco reported 60 employees in DeWitt. That's a far cry from the 330 workers who lost their jobs in 2008, when its owner at the time, Newell Rubbermaid, decided to outsource production of Vise-Grips to China, ending an 86-year history of them being manufactured in the tiny Saline County town of about 500 people. Malco applied for and received state tax incentives in 2017, and based on the requirements which requires companies in most instances to meet employment requirements for at least six years it's possible the company might have to pay some of the incentive money back. Officials with the Village of DeWitt and Saline County could not be reached for comment Wednesday morning. St. James Catholic Church in Mead will be hosting its 42nd Annual Pancake Breakfast from 7:30 a.m. to noon Sunday, Nov. 6, at the church. The breakfast will feature all-you-can-eat pancakes, eggs and sausage. Take out and drive-thru meals will be available. The cost is $8 for adults, $4 for children ages 5-10, and free for children 4 and under. Raffle tickets are $2 and will be sold at the door (need not be present to win). There also will be a silent auction, craft/bake sale and childrens games. Mass times on Sunday at 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. St. Matthew Lutheran Church will be having its annual turkey supper on Saturday, Nov. 12. The turkey supper will be drive-thru only from 4-7 p.m. at the church, located at 300 S. Second St. in Cedar Bluffs. The menu includes turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, dressing, corn, sauerkraut, cranberry sauce, cherry fluff, roll and pie (choice of pumpkin, cherry or apple). The cost is $15 for adults, $10 for children ages 5-10, and free for children under 5. Bidding is currently underway for seven gift packages in an online-only silent auction. The bidding will end at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9. The winning bidders can pick up their purchases at the church the evening of the turkey supper. For more information and to view the silent auction listings and bid, visit https://www.proxibid.com/Jack-Nitz-Associates/St-Matthews-Lutheran-Church-Fundraising-Auction/event-catalog/231448. All proceeds will go to St. Matthew Lutheran Church. Concertgoers hoping to catch some of the biggest musicians coming to Colorado might have to shell out hundreds of dollars for the occasion. A review of ticket prices for upcoming Colorado shows found that Elton John and Taylor Swift fans will be paying the steepest, three-digit prices, while Snoop Dogg and Nathaniel Rateliff fans can still nab a seat for under $100. Swift's Eras Tour will come to Empower Field at Mile High in Denver on July 15 alongside Muna and Gracie Abrams. The concert is the priciest slated for Colorado in the next year, with the cheapest tickets selling for more than $300 in the upper level, according to an analysis of the most and least expensive tickets on Ticketmaster, Vivid Seats, StubHub and Tickets Center. Those hoping to get a little closer say, on the field would be paying at least $1,000 for the opportunity. Sign Up for free: Peak Interest Your weekly local update on arts, entertainment, and life in Colorado Springs! Delivered every Thursday to your inbox. Sign Up View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. Elton Johns Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour, which he says will be his last, is coming to Denvers Ball Arena at 8 p.m. this Friday. Last-minute ticket grabbers will pay about $300 at the cheapest end, or upward of $4,800 at the most expensive. Not all big-name headliners are charging such exorbitant prices, however. Though not as prolific as Swift or John, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats is headed to Ball Arena on Dec. 16. Tickets are selling for as low as $25 for upper-level seats on Ticketmaster. Floor spots are selling for just over $100. Likewise, Snoop Dogg is coming to Colorado Springs Broadmoor World Arena on Dec. 22 for as low as $68 on Vivid Seats. He will be joined by rappers T-Pain and Warren G, hip-hop duo Ying Yang Twins and country hip-hop artist Justin Champagne. Democrats held leads in three of the four seats up for grabs on the State Board of Education this year as of 9 p.m. on Election Day. Marriott Hotels and Resorts, the flagship of Marriott Bonvoys 30 plus extraordinary hotel brands, has announced plans to open its first resort in the UAE, Marriott Resort Palm Jumeirah, in December this year. Located along Dubais golden coastline on the world-famous Palm Jumeriah, Marriott Resort Palm Jumeirah is set to become a beachside haven, perfectly located for guests to explore the vibrant city and its globally renowned attractions, while offering a place to escape. Spread across 7,000 sq m of pristine private beachfront, the resort is designed as a place for all, appealing to families, couples, solo travellers and business guests alike. A prime location whether travelling for leisure or business or a blend of the two, Marriott Resort Palm Jumeirah will offer destination dining experiences, extensive recreational facilities, sophisticated spaces and signature services. Exemplifying Marriott Hotels continued evolution, guests will be welcomed into contemporary and intuitive spaces. The resort will feature 608 thoughtfully designed guestrooms and suites each boasting expansive floor-to-ceiling ocean views, private balconies, and extensive in-room comforts. With a deliberately eclectic mix of new-to-the-region global brands, born-in-the-UAE concepts and core Marriott offerings, the 10 exceptional dining venues will encompass flavours, influences and ideas from Japan, Korea, Peru, Italy, the Levant and more. The carefully curated selection of the distinct brands and concepts will redefine the dining landscape in the UAE for both resort guests and residents alike, bringing a new energy, excitement and cutting-edge sophistication to the restaurant scene. Saray Spa, the resorts opulent Middle Eastern-inspired spa will be a sanctuary for self-care, rejuvenation and relaxation. Additional facilities will include an ocean-view pool, Kids Club, state-of-the-art Marriott Fitness Centre, M Club Lounge, fully equipped business centre, and flexible event spaces designed to foster collaboration. We look forward to opening the doors of the Marriott Resort Palm Jumeirah and introducing the first Marriott Resort in the UAE, said Gerrit Schmitt, General Manager, Marriott Resort Palm Jumeirah. Our guests will enjoy industry-leading business and leisure facilities, incredible dining options, wide-ranging recreational activities and the brands thoughtful service that is synonymous in hospitality. An ideal destination for families, the hotel will launch with a bespoke Kids Go All Inclusive Package. Created with the youngest members of the group in mind, the package guarantees that when it comes to exceptional dining options it is not just the adults who are looked after in truly memorable style. Marriott Resort Palm Jumeirahs Kids Go All Inclusive Package will allow kids to select from their own specially created menus at Levantera, MYAMI Pool Bar & Lounge, Bal Harbour Beach, Cucina, Senor Pico and Gelateria by Cucina. Little explorers will also have the opportunity to enjoy unlimited soft beverages, delicious snacks including irresistibly creamy gelato, and 'grab 'n' go healthy treats from select venues throughout the day. Kids All Inclusive package starts from AED1,500 ($408) per room, per night for 2 adults and 2 children, a Marriott statement said. TradeArabia News Service A ski run is an adrenaline rush. Its a mellow cruise. An easy way to catch a view. A peaceful commune with nature. A ski run is a lot of things. Its history, too. See whats behind some of the unique names: Toms Baby: Breckenridges hard-charging regulars know about this one, shooting fast down Peak 9. Its named for miner Tom Groves and his record. Its said he wrapped his 13 1/2-pound gold nugget in a blanket and carried it around town like a precious newborn. CJs: This run flows steep and straight from high on Peak 7, fitting for the man who broke speed records on skis in the 1980s. C.J. Crazy John Mueller still resides in Breckenridge and skis regularly. Though, lately, hes been just fine frequenting the greens and blues. Wild Irishman: This is but one Keystone trail named for surrounding mines that popped up during the silver rush. Wild Irishmans manager was Terrence Connors, who had a saying: You never heard an ass bray when he had grass. Baldys Chute: This double black diamond at Winter Park is just how Jim Baldwin wouldve liked it. As previously reported by Colorado Public Radio, he was a beloved member of the ski patrol in the 1970s before he died doing what he loved at a nearby glacier. Janitors Only: When the previously out-of-bounds terrain entered the Steep Gullies expansion in 2017, Arapahoe Basin longtimers could appreciate it. In the 1980s, the Atomic Janitors skied all day on the mountain, cleaned at night, slept in an A-frame and did it all again the next day. Wapiti, Dead Spike and Bull Run: At Purgatory, these runs are named for elk. Wapiti is a Native American word for the animal. Spike is the word for a young elk; one was found dead during construction. Another was seen running during another job. Naked Lady: Hal Hartman was the man assigned to trails in Aspen Snowmass first years. He was boss to the mischievous son of the sheriff. The kid tacked a wide-open Playboy magazine to a tree one day. The magazine was removed, but the name stuck. Riva Ridge: Vail has the 10th Mountain Division to thank for its creation the World War II-era soldiers who trained on skis at nearby Camp Hale. One of the units great achievements came on Riva Ridge in the mountains of northern Italy. Zip, Zippity Split, Zip Basin Street: These trails at Loveland seem to suggest gravitys pull. But actually theyre a nod to the Zipfelberger Ski Club, some of the ski areas early regulars. Cows Face: Vail founder Pete Seibert named this run after a description he heard from a maintenance man at Loveland. The man found some slopes steeper than a cows face, and her a-grazin. Just under four months after a body was found on the side of Old Stage Road on June 10, authorities have arrested four suspects in the case, the El Paso County Sheriff's Office announced Wednesday. Around 1 p.m. that day, the body of Manuel Hernandez-Uribe, 30, was found lying on the side of the road in unincorporated El Paso County, according to previous Gazette reporting. According to court records, Hernandez-Uribe had warrants out for his arrest in El Paso County for aggravated motor vehicle theft, eluding a police officer and other charges. On Oct. 5, the Sheriff's Office arrested Ector Sarabia-Cabrera, 23, who faces charges of second-degree murder, kidnapping with a deadly weapon and first-degree burglary. According to online court records, Sarabia-Cabrera had no previous criminal history in El Paso County. Sarabia-Cabrera is being held at the El Paso County jail on a $500,000 bond. His preliminary hearing, when prosecutors must establish probable cause that the accused committed the crime, is scheduled for Nov. 16. Sign up for free: Springs AM Update Your morning rundown of the latest news from Colorado Springs and around the country overnight and the stories to follow throughout the day delivered to your inbox each evening. Sign Up View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. The Sheriff's Office, in coordination with the Regional Fugitive Task Force and other law enforcement agencies in the Denver area, found and arrested the three other suspects, officials said. Isidrio Sarabia-Gonzalez, 24, Braulio Barron-Rubio, 34, and Yessica Cortes-Barcenas, 28, are also being held at the county jail on the same charges as Sarabia-Cabrera and are each on a $500,000 bond, court records show. Hernandez-Uribe's death came on the heels of a separate homicide on Old Stage Road. On May 24, hikers discovered the body of 30-year-old Jermaine Trevion Wilson. Two people were arrested in connection with Wilson's death. Colorado Springs City Councilwoman Stephannie Fortune announced Wednesday she has been diagnosed with leukemia and while she intends to finish her term, she will not seek reelection in April. Cancer is never an easy word to reconcile with and this time is no exception, Fortune, a breast-cancer survivor, said in a news release. Fortune was appointed to the City Council in January to replace former Councilman Richard Skorman, who stepped down to focus on his businesses. She represents District 3, which covers the southwest portion of the city and downtown. In the news release, Fortune said she came to council "full of excitement, with a drive to serve, and my love for the city and its people as my foundation." She worked closely with neighbors on a new management structure for the Westside Community Center after intense controversy about its future. In recent months, she learned she has leukemia and will need a bone marrow transplant, "a very intensive process," the statement said. She informed city officials and her fellow board members of her health condition in early October. Fortune has been participating in council meetings remotely in recent weeks, an option open to all council members. The councilwoman intends to work until April, but she will not run for reelection so she can focus on her health, the statement said. If she feels she is not able to continue her duties, she will determine next steps, according to the statement. The council would appoint a replacement, if Fortune decided to step down. Sign up for free: Springs AM Update Your morning rundown of the latest news from Colorado Springs and around the country overnight and the stories to follow throughout the day delivered to your inbox each evening. Sign Up View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. Fortune said in a brief interview she wanted to continue to work on the restructuring of the Westside Community Center and community development across Old Colorado City and Hillside. She would also like to work on solutions to serve the homeless residents with chronic mental illness. "I want to do this as long as I can," she said. Fortune previously worked largely behind the scenes in government. For example, she was the chief of staff for Scott McInnis, a Republican who represented Colorados 3rd Congressional District in the 1990s. On the state level, she worked as the chief of staff to Lt. Gov. Jane Norton under Gov. Bill Owens and as the assistant director and legislative liaison for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Mayor John Suthers called Fortune a dedicated public servant who has served with "grace, dignity and enthusiasm." We are grateful for her determination to continue and appreciate her transparency and commitment to keeping us and the community apprised of her condition, he said in a statement. Fortune said the outpouring of support for her condition has been incredible and sustaining. The group recalling Fortune and Councilman Wayne Williams, Integrity Matters, announced Wednesday it will no longer seek to remove Fortune from her council seat. The recall effort launched in August. Al Taif Investment, the investment arm of the Fujairah Government, said it plans to open Double Tree by Hilton in Al Taif Business Center with 228 guest rooms as well as a shopping mall by the end of this year. The hotel, a perfect venue for business and leisure, will have a ballroom counted amongst the biggest in Fujairah along with a wide selection of restaurants and other amenities. Al Taif Mall, the retail segment within Al Taif Business Center is almost 50% leased out. The G+2 level shopping mall, nestled between Al Taif Business Centers 19 floor Hotel & Residential and Office Tower, is spread across both the towers and is equipped with 45 retail outlets including supermarkets and other lifestyle stores. The mall is getting ready to open doors for shopping and has signed up with Step-in Group, home to a multitude of leading international and national brands for apparel, fragrances, accessories, cosmetics, footwear, and more commodities, accommodating the needs of the Centres diverse visitors. Elie Hadwan, Business Center Manager, Al Taif Investment said: The partnerships with the Hilton Group and the Step-in Group, reiterate the commitment to provide access to quality living, lifestyle, shopping and business options. We are expecting the mall to reach the 70% leasing mark by the end of the year. Once operational, Al Taif Business Center will contribute towards alleviating Fujairahs attractiveness as an evolving emirate across the UAE. Birendra Tiwari, Founder and CEO of Step In Group said: We are thrilled to introduce our 7 diverse brands at Al Taif Mall Fujairah. We believe our consumers will be pleased with the wide variety of product offerings from our brands. Our aim is to bring Freshness to the retail market in UAE. We look forward to bringing Penti, Mia Makeup, Shoe Box, Moda Outlet, Littles, Home HUB, and proXsports to a new audience. The residential apartments within Al Taif Business Center are also more than 60% leased out and residents have already started moving in. The office spaces within the center are also gaining traction and are spaces in shell and core, promoting the concept of working in a business district, with access to varied business requirements. Al Taif Business Centers strategic location is a distinct advantage that the project offers. The project is located approximately 5 minutes from Fujairah International Airport with proximity to the arterial road of Hamad Bin Abdulla, granting connectivity to other Emirates as well as other parts of Fujairah. TradeArabia News Service Marriott Hotels in Jordan recently announced the appointments of Laith Naber as general manager of Amman Marriott Hotel and Mahmoud Farajat as general manager of Petra Marriott Hotel . With 18 years of experience with Marriott International, Laith oversees the 292-room property featuring five food and beverage outlets, meeting and events spaces, spa and recreational facilities. Having mentored and developed associates across multiple disciplines during his career, Laith brings his passion for people and multi-disciplinary leadership experience to Amman Marriott Hotel to lead the team in driving innovation and guest experiences. He first joined Marriott International in 2004 right after his graduation from the Applied Science University with a Bachelors degree in Hotel Management. He returned to Amman Marriott Hotel as the Hotel Manager in 2019 and held his position for over three years with outstanding accomplishments. A seasoned hospitality veteran with over 30 years of experience in hospitality Mahmoud Farajat studied Hotels Management at the American Hospitality Academy and earned the Certified Hospitality Supervision certification. He attended so many courses and certification programs over the course of his career that made him a seasoned hotelier. During a professional career stretching over three decades, Mahmoud has worked for well-known hotel chains such as Sofitel and Movenpick and held various leadership roles in different departments. Multi Property General Manager for Marriott Hotels in Jordan, Philip Papadopoulos commented on the new appointments: I am thrilled to support the career growth of Laith and Mahmoud, both of whom have been central to the achievements and continued success of our iconic hotels in Jordan. And added With their years of experience in our properties, I am confident that they will continue to inspire and guide the team in providing top-quality hospitality experience to each and every guest. TradeArabia News Service Mark Waller is a former Colorado State Representative, Colorado House Minority Leader, and El Paso County Commissioner. He also served in the United States Air Force JAG Corp. Earlier this summer, the Winnebago County Board of Supervisors met in regular session to approve application to Home Base Iowa and passed a resolution to provide $1,000 in relocation assistance. The assistance will be distributed through the countys economic development office, Winn-Worth Betco. Winn-Worth Betco is a 28E agreement between Winnebago and Worth Counties. It will fund $1,000 in relocation assistance to a maximum of six veterans per year between the two counties. Home Base Iowa Program Manager Jathan Chicoine of Iowa Workforce Development will be back in the county for the Designation Celebration, starting at 9 a.m. on Nov. 12 in the Boman Fine Arts Center. Chicoine will share with local businesses the public-private partnership that matches military veterans and their families to employment opportunities as well as resources in Iowa counties and communities. State Representative Henry Stone will be emceeing the event. Winn-Worth Betco Executive Director Melissa Michaelis spearheaded this designation in hopes that cities would follow suit with the counties. In order to earn the Home Base Iowa designation, 10% of a communitys businesses need to pledge to hire veterans. Said Michaelis, who encourages businesses in the surrounding communities to attend this event. Once this step is complete, the next step will be to approach the cities and work with each of their councils toward a designation of their own. The City of Forest City passed a resolution on Jan. 18, 2016, in support of the Home Base Iowa Initiative. Forest City Economic Development Director Beth Bilyeu has been working with the city council to finalize the application. Chicoine will also be designating the community of Forest City as a Home Base Iowa community. This program is all about helping people. Winnebago County Veterans Affairs Director Mary Lou Kleveland said. The sincerest thank you to those who have served in a smooth transition. That is what we are here for. That is what this program does. Kleveland encourages any veteran who needs assistance to contact her. Kleveland helps veterans with disability compensation, pension, VA healthcare, and state benefits. Home Base Iowa assists veterans transitioning from military to civilian life by connecting veterans with close to 1,600 businesses, 21 college and university partners, and 65 other Home Base Iowa communities statewide. Home Base Iowa designates qualified communities as centers of opportunity for veterans based on the following criteria: 10% of businesses become Home Base Iowa businesses and pledge to hire veterans. Custom incentive package for veterans. Home Base Iowa Community designation prominently displayed along with resolution of support from appropriate local governing body. To learn more about Home Base Iowa, visit www.HomeBaseIowa.gov. The Common Read of Craig and Fred by Craig Grossi will be Wednesday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. Listen to this uplifting and unforgettable true story of a U.S. Marine, the stray dog he met on an Afghanistan battlefield, and how they saved each other. The two now travel America together spreading the message of stubborn positivity. Tickets start at $20 and will be held in the NIACC Auditorium. Doug Rozendaal has been flying airplanes for more than four decades, but when he took off from Mason City Airport on Friday it was a first for Rozendaal ... and probably anyone else. Rozendaal took off in his Beechcraft B-55 Baron with three passengers like he's done a thousand times before, but this time two of his riders were fitted with BiPAP masks, temporal blood flow bands, heart monitors and more -- all in the name of science. A BiPAP -- bilevel positive airway pressure -- mask uses pressure to push air into the lungs, improving the level of oxygen in the blood. BiPAP machines are often prescribed to sleep apnea patients. Rozendaal teamed up with doctors and researchers from MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, in an attempt to discover whether the positive airflow BiPAP machines could help eliminate hypoxia at higher altitudes. Hypoxia is low levels of oxygen in body tissues. It causes symptoms like confusion, restlessness, difficulty breathing, rapid heart rate and bluish skin. "Actually, this was my idea to try this to see if BiPAP could increase oxygenation at altitude because I fly a lot," Rozendaal said. "Using oxygen is a pain because your tank is always empty. ... The rules are you can't fly above 12,500 (feet) without oxygen. Rozendaal said he usually flies at around 8,000 feet, but the ability to fly at higher altitudes would benefit pilots in a variety of ways. "If can fly at 12k that would allow me to get above weather, get better winds and fuel economy. It just allows for a lot more flexibility," he said. Rozendaal came up with the idea about 18 months ago, but he needed some help. He got in touch with his friend Dr. Doug Summerfield, a critical care doctor, to help put a plan together. Summerfield contacted the Human Integrative and Environmental Physiology Lab at Mayo Clinic, and they were cleared for takeoff. Summerfield has always been interested in how people react physically and mentally when deprived of oxygen. He even spent time studying on Mount Everest. "This lab is a lab I went to Everest with when I was in training back in 2012," Summerfield said. "At that time we were looking at high-altitude studies and how people degrade during those studies." Peter Larsen, director of research and education at MercyOne North Iowa, said he's always been interested in aviation and safety. He was interested to see the results at the end of the fifth and final test flight on Saturday. "We're going to see what happens when you put on a Bi-PAP, which is basically for sleep apnea, to see if you can increase positive pressure in ventilation," Larsen said. "By doing that maybe you can reduce hypoxia." Ten separate participants were tested. Baseline readings were taken prior to takeoff, then physiological and cognitive tests were taken multiple times with the aid of iPads at altitudes of 8,000 and 12,000 feet. Test subject Adam Glowaski said he became a participant because he knows Rozendaal and shares his interest in aviation. "I'm a pilot and a good friend of Doug's, so when we started talking about this I was like, 'Yeah, sure I'd be happy to help out," Glowaski said. The data has yet to be analyzed, but all the participants are hopeful they'll learn something positive. It all started with an idea and a phone call. "I asked him if he thought this would work, and he said it would never work, 'but let's try,'" Rozendaal said of his call with Summerfield. WATERLOO Authorities have added charges against a Sumner man accused of setting fire at a Waterloo home that left one person dead. Waterloo police on Wednesday arrested John Walter Spooner, 59, on a charge for first-degree murder. Bond on the charge was set at $1 million. Spooner has been in the Black Hawk County Jail since Aug. 19 when officers detained him on an arson charge in the fire. The blaze started on the porch of Tony Lewis Griders home at 309 E. Second St. shortly before 7 a.m. and the flames spread to the rest of the house. Grider, 60, was apparently trapped inside and pronounced dead shortly after he was removed from the house. Grider suffered second-degree burns on 30% of his body and had a high level of carbon monoxide, according to court records. Spooner had been staying at the house, according to witness accounts. He was seen walking around outside the home around the time of the fire, records state. A nearby security camera captured footage of Spooner in the area carrying a gas can before the blaze. He walked onto and then off the porch, records state. After leaving the porch, he remained and watched the house until smoke and flames were visible, records state. He then left and discarded the gas can. Investigators with Waterloo Fire Rescue obtained samples from the porch area. Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation lab testing found traces of an accelerant, records state. In October, Spooners attorney filed a notice in the arson case indicating he plans to argue he was intoxicated on drugs at the time of the crime. GREENSBORO To address the proliferation of abandoned shopping carts in the city, officials have struck an agreement with retailers to get them back in their rightful spots. For at least 90 days, the city will take citizen complaints about the abandoned carts and turn that information over to retailers so they can retrieve them. For now, the agreement heads off a proposed ordinance change that would have required establishments with more than 10 shopping carts to develop and implement a specific plan to retrieve its shopping carts that are found throughout the city. Residents can call 336-373-2723 to report abandoned carts and are asked to note, if possible, what retailer appears to own the cart. This is an ongoing problem, City Councilwoman Tammi Thurm said at Tuesday nights City Council meeting. Its particularly bad in District 5 in the Wendover region and I am hopeful this will begin to address that problem. The agreement came after city officials held a conference call with the N.C. Retailers Association and representatives of several big-box stores to discuss the problem, Thurm said. She recently observed between 35 and 40 carts at one location, many of which appeared to have sat there for a long time, she added. In other action Tuesday: The council unanimously agreed to amend an ordinance allowing taxicab drivers to increase their rates. The change allows a $1 increase for the drop rate (the first 1/7 mile) to $3.80; a 10-cent increase to 40 cents for each additional 1/7th of a mile; and a 10-cent increase to 40 cents for each minute of wait time. The city sets the maximum for taxicab rates and charges. City staff recommended the increase, noting that taxicab drivers have not had a rate increase since 2008. Many drivers have gone out of business, the city said, especially after the state-required insurance rates nearly tripled in late 2017. Each taxicab is independently owned and operated. The council accepted a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice and partnering agencies for violence intervention and prevention programs. The three-year grant program will focus on those at high risk for violence and intends to improve relations between residents and law enforcement. It will provide for contracted employees, such as caseworkers, community connectors, health workers and a trauma worker. This is a grant that was only awarded to six communities throughout the nation, interim Police Chief Teresa Biffle told the council. Its a great thing for the city. A man is in custody after demanding money from banks via notes written on the back of his paycheck stubs, police in North Carolina said. The man first visited the Lumbee Guaranty Bank drive-thru in Fairmont around 11 a.m. on Tuesday, according to a news release from the Fairmont Police Department. The man slipped the bank teller a note demanding money through the drive-thru but drove away before he received any cash, the teller told police in the release. Surveillance footage showed the man driving a gray Toyota with a North Carolina plate. When investigators examined the note, they found it was written on the back of a paycheck stub with the recipients name still visible on the check, according to the release. The suspect had attempted to write over the name on the front of the check, however the name was clearly legible, police said in the release. Officers searched the name on the pay stub and found that the man had an outstanding warrant on a charge of larceny of a motor vehicle the same type of car and license plate the man was seen driving through the bank drive-thru, according to the release. But apparently, that wasnt the mans only stop, police said. Officers say the man had robbed another bank in Fayetteville using the same method of writing a note on the back of his paycheck. Highway Patrol troopers spotted a vehicle matching the description in Rowland and attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but the vehicle fled back to Fairmont and the man was arrested, according to the release. The man faces a charge of attempted common law robbery in the attempted robbery in Fairmont and charges are pending in connection to the other robbery, police said. Fairmont is about 50 miles south of Fayetteville. A Washington, D.C.based political action committee has inserted itself into the Lewis and Clark County clerk and recorders race by sending mailers in support of the incumbent, a move the candidate disavows. According to paperwork filed with the Montana Commissioner of Political Practices (COPP) office, Washington, D.C.-based Open Democracy PAC has spent nearly $100,000 in two Montana county clerk/recorder races in campaign literature that both supports some candidates and directly opposes others. The mailers state: "Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee." Amy Reeves, appointed to the Lewis and Clark County clerk position in 2020 when Paulette DeHart retired, said Tuesday she opposes Open Democracy PAC fliers supporting her and said she is not accepting funds from any dark money group in her campaign for a four-year term. I dont know how they got my name, she said, adding she had not been contacted by the group nor spoken to anyone representing it. Bettijo Starr is running against Reeves. The mailers urge people not to vote for Starr, saying she promotes unfounded conspiracy theories about elections. Starr said Wednesday she didnt know what was so threatening about her and did not know why a Democratic PAC is involved in a nonpartisan race. There are laws, she said. I cant destroy democracy. Open Democracy PAC did not return email queries seeking comment. Nor did it confirm how much money was spent in the Montana races. According to the paperwork filed with the COPP, Open Democracy PAC states it is also involved in the Gallatin County clerk and recorders race between Eric Semerad and Marla Davis. The PAC supports Reeves and Semerad and opposes Starr and Davis, according to documents filed with the COPP. Documents received Oct. 27 by the COPP list 16 expenditures in the clerk/recorder races in Lewis and Clark and Gallatin counties. Open Democracy PAC said on its website it was created to support and elect state lawmakers and election administrators who will work to eliminate registration as a barrier to vote through automatic voter registration, make voting accessible through well-resourced election administration, and eliminate rules disenfranchising voters because of race. It is listed as a Hybrid PAC on the Federal Election Commission website. Opensecrets.org states that means it is a committee not affiliated with a candidate and can operate both as a traditional PAC, contributing funds to a candidate's committee, and as a super PAC, which makes independent expenditures. Eric Ming serves as its executive director. His bio describes him as a consultant with 10-plus years of experience working from the presidential level to local union organizing campaigns. He has served as communications director at Center for Secure and Modern Elections. Jake Matilsky is listed as an advisory board member for the group. His bio on the website says he is the founding director of the Center for Secure and Modern Elections, a multi-state project involved in proactive and defensive voting work. The bio notes he served as the founding director of Montana Votes and Montana Voices, groups that align and resource civic engagement and independent expenditure work in the state. It notes he managed a ballot measure to protect election day registration in the state. Pete Quist, deputy research director with OpenSecrets.org said Open Democracy PAC is a "national player" that is funded in large part by the Sixteen Thirty Fund, a liberal dark money group. Open Democracy received $4.1 million from the group so far in 2022, OpenSecrets reported on its website. Starr said she remains optimistic she will win in Tuesdays election. Although she told a local resident in an email she believed the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump, she said she is not an election denier. I am not a denier, Starr said Wednesday, adding there are a lot of questions about the 2020 election. Ive had a few myself. But (Joe) Biden is our president, we just move forward. Later in the day, another Open Democracy PAC mailer arrived criticizing Starr. This is a nonpartisan race, Starr said, adding the mailer says she is pro-gun. She said that has not been an issue in the clerks race. No one knows where I stand, she said. Semerad said Thursday evening that he too was surprised by the mailers in Gallatin County. "I am really upset about it," he said, adding he was never contacted by Open Democracy PAC. "I feel like I have been blindsided. It looks like I have worked with them." "It feels like they pulled the rug out from under me," Semerad said. But he said those who know him, know better. It's those who don't that have left him wondering. On its website, Open Democracy PAC said it will support candidates at every level of the ballot who are willing to stand up for Americans access to fair, secure, and accessible elections. Open Democracy PAC has filed "hard copy" paperwork with the office. My guess is that this PAC got involved, possibly as part of a coordinated effort across the country, to brace against candidates that may be rumored election deniers or outright election deniers, said Jessi Bennion, a political science professor at Montana State University and Carroll College. As long as there are people who mistakenly think the 2020 election was stolen, the stakes will remain high around these local races, she said. Bennion said the mailer could possibly help Reeves if a particular voter places a high importance on supporting election workers and bolstering democracy. But it is such a down-ballot race, and with average voters not paying that close attention, it is hard to say if it will matter, she said in an email. WTAQ-TV in Wisconsin reported in March that the group had entered races in Green Bay common council races. Like in Montana, none of the candidates had signed off on running the ads. Nor had any spoken to anyone from Open Democracy PAC. Reeves, the Lewis and Clark County clerk candidate, said she realized she was part of some kind of national effort, but was angry with the group's involvement. Ive tried to run a clean campaign, she said. She said the group is really not helping the candidates it wants to help. The documents filed with the COPP can be viewed at https://bit.ly/3DYhTcD. Till At the Cinemark (R) Grade: A In the James Welch novel, Winter in the Blood a blind native elder shares wisdom on handling hard times. Sometimes one has to lean into the wind to stand straight, said Yellow Calf. When her black son was murdered by white racists, Mamie Till leaned into the wind to fight for justice. This mothers courage was one match that ignited the Civil Rights movement. In 1955 in Mississippi, Mamie Tills 14-year-old son Emmett allegedly offended a white woman. He was later beaten and thrown into a river. A subsequent trial acquitted the accused. Later, protected by double jeopardy, the defendants accepted money from Look magazine to tell their story, acknowledging killing Emmett. Despite her personal pain, Mamie insisted on displaying her sons mutilated body for all the world to see. Everybody needed to know what had happened to Emmett Till, she said. Till is an intimate, personal story of racism told from the point of view of a grieving mother. We are invited inside her heart to struggle with her rather than to watch safely from afar. We are encouraged to join the ongoing crusade for racial justice at a time when progress is stalling, even regressing. We must continuously tell Emmetts story until consciousness is risen, said Mamie. Mamie, buried next to her son, devoted her life to social justice. She forgave the killers and opposed the death penalty, calling it legal lynching. Mamie did not simply cry out against white supremacists, she also confronted blacks. She criticized a white preacher for not grabbing his gun when the boy was torn from his home in the middle of the night. The preacher, a good man who mentored and protected children, explained that to intervene would have provoked a slaughter of more black people. Through tears, he acknowledged standing in the door as the truck drove away. The Oscar-worthy performance by Danielle Deadwyler is simply transcendent, an authentic inside-out portrayal that would have made Cicely Tyson proud. Deadwylers silent scenes are deafening. We stare into her eyes when she is told her sons body has been found. We are at her side when the sheet is lifted from over her sons body. And we are in her car as she drives away from the sham trial, knowing a blind white jury will see no wrong. Its important to remember this was 1955, not 1855. Lincoln may have freed the slaves, but intolerance lives on. Nigerian-American filmmaker Chinonye Chukwus historical drama Till reminds us that we must be forever vigilant to keep hatred at bay. Intolerance in Montana, sometimes more camouflaged, has chillingly and boldly resurfaced in recent years. The only thing necessary for hatred to triumph is for good people to say and do nothing. We need to champion a simple message, year-round: Love thy neighbor. No exceptions. We must lean into the wind to stand straight. A new MH-139 Grey Wolf test helicopter from Boeing has stopped at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls for the first time, officials said Wednesday. Stops were also made at Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming and Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota on the way back from flight testing in Colorado, officials said, adding that military personnel were able to check out the new aircraft bound for their bases in the not-so-distant future. The U.S. Air Force received the first four test helicopters from Boeing in August. Boeing was awarded a $2.4 billion contract in 2018 for 84 helicopters, training systems and associated support equipment. The Grey Wolf is a multi-mission aircraft based on the proven commercial AW139 helicopter designed to protect intercontinental ballistic missiles and transport U.S. government officials and security forces. They will replace the Vietnam-era Bell UH-1N Hueys that now protect the ICBMs. Boeing officials said the Grey Wolf has a 50% increase in cruising speed and range, 30% larger cabin and an additional 5,000 pounds of lift capability than its predecessor. It also has state-of-the-art avionics with full autopilot mode, advanced flight deck functionality and lower operating and support costs. It also has better flexibility and improved safety. Funding for the helicopters was through the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act and the Defense Appropriations Bill. It is the first major acquisition for the command in its 10-year history, Air Force officials said. The Air Force dubbed the MH-139A helicopter the Grey Wolf during a 2020 naming ceremony at Duke Field, Florida. It was derived from the wild species that roams the northern tier of North America, which also encompasses the intercontinental ballistic missile bases, Air Force officials said. Outside groups spent $2 million for incumbent Justice Ingrid Gustafson's re-election bid during the month of October, doubling the previous record for independent expenditures combined for both candidates in 2016, according to records with the Montana Commissioner of Political Practices. Outside groups supporting Gustafson's challenger, Republican Public Service Commission President James Brown, spent $646,810 in the same timeframe, the lion's share coming from the Republican State Leadership Committee's $500,000 ad buy just days after ballots were mailed out to registered voters. Nearly half of Gustafson's outside support came from Montanans for Liberty and Justice, a political committee connected to the Montana Trial Lawyers Association, which spent more than $970,000 in October, mostly on TV advertising purchases. Al Smith, treasurer of Montanans for Liberty and Justice, said in a phone interview Thursday that much of that spending was in anticipation and response to the horsepower Republicans put behind Brown's campaign, particularly the half-million dollar ad buy from the national GOP committee. "It stands out because its blatant politicization of a nonpartisan race," Smith said. Brown and Republicans have labeled the committee as leaning Democratic and denounced the spending as lawyers attempting to buy off Supreme Court justices in exchange for favorable rulings in the high court. Smith said Thursday the group is only fighting off partisan interests from reaching a seat on the court. "Truthfully, most of our members are Democrats but certainly not all," Smith said. "We're not looking for a justice who is on our side all the time and does our bidding." Brown's campaign has stood out from previous cycles for its name-brand Republican support. On Thursday Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte urged supporters in a Tweet to join him "in supporting Republican James Brown for the Montana Supreme Court." But the figures spent in this election stand alone, too. "Certainly both candidates have enough money to get their names out and there's a lot of interest in this race," Carroll College political science professor Jeremy Johnson said Thursday. "You can see that in the trail of dollars. People see a lot at stake." This race is something of a crescendo for the conflict between state Republicans and the judicial branch, which got underway last year when the GOP took the Governor's Office for the first time in 16 years and expanded their majority in the state Legislature. Republicans, whose legislative ambitions have been repeatedly struck down by the courts in the time since, have backed Brown, spending more on his campaign for the nonpartisan office than all of their Republican legislative candidates combined. The Brennan Center for Justice, a public policy institute that tracks judicial elections, has already taken note of the record-breaking spending in the race for Gustafson's seat. In an analysis published Monday, the Brennan Center noted the three states that have seen the highest spending so far, Illinois, North Carolina and Ohio, each feature partisan judicial elections that will decide the high court's majorities in those states. Illinois has seen the highest tally in outside spending so far, with $5 million spent to support Republican candidates and $1.5 million spent to benefit the Democrats. The Brennan Center notes the race for Gustafson's seat won't tip the Supreme Court's majority one direction or the other, but justices could hear major questions on voting rights and abortion access as legal challenges against those legislative ambitions work through lower courts. Elections for justices in Montana are nonpartisan. On Tuesday, a week out from the Nov. 8 general election, voter turnout was at 28%. Johnson said Thursday that as Election Day draws nearer, the late spending campaigns in this nonpartisan race are critical to reach last-minute voters who are likely to vote straight ticket, but aren't engaged enough in the day-to-day politics to have made a decision on nonpartisan candidates. Montana health care providers shouldnt face extreme felony penalties when providing compassionate medical care. Thats why our states health care leaders ask you to vote no on ballot initiative LR-131. Montanans will find the initiative LR-131, known as the Born-Alive Infant Protection Act, on the back of their ballots, placed there by the 2021 Montana Legislature. As medical experts concerned about misleading information surrounding LR-131, wed like to make the message clear the measure poses harm to both families experiencing tragic pregnancy complications and providers. This ballot initiative would impose criminal penalties on health care providers who do not act to preserve the life of born-alive infants. It defines born-alive infants as those with a heartbeat, breathing or muscle movements born at any stage of development (HB 167). It states that measures must be aimed to preserve the life and health of a born-alive infant. Penalties for health care providers violating this law are up to $50,000 fine, 20 years in prison, or both. Tragically, not all infants born will live. Some are born far too early or have complex medical issues that are not compatible with life. LR-131s government overreach threatens to rob parents and infants of the opportunity to comfort one another, practice the rituals of their faith and create memories that will sustain them through their grief. If LR-131 passes, physicians may elect to send patients experiencing pregnancy complications out of state where they can receive ethical medical care. Health care practitioners will certainly choose to leave or not come to Montana to practice at a time of critical health worker shortages. This ballot measure would not impact abortion law in Montana. The membership of the below supporting organizations represents health care experts across Montana with a broad range of views. MMA, MHA and MNA have not taken a position on abortion. What unites us is our opposition to the criminalization of compassionate care of dying infants and government overreach that would rob grieving parents of irreplaceable moments with their infant. These are tragedies, not crimes. LR-131 would worsen the grief of families facing these tragic circumstances, criminalize compassionate private patient care and offers no new solutions or protections for the care of infants. Montana providers shouldnt face jail time when providing compassionate medical and health care. Thats why Montana physicians, nurses and health care providers stand united against this ballot measure. Please vote NO on LR-131. DECATUR A Decatur man has been arrested on charges of voter fraud, the Macon County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday. The sheriff's office said David E. Badon, 47, of Decatur was arrested Wednesday afternoon for violating Illinois Election Code after an investigation revealed he voted twice in the 2022 Illinois primary election. Voting more than once in an election is a Class 3 felony in Illinois. According to the sheriff's office, detectives found that Badon participated in early voting at the Macon County Clerk's Office on May 20 and later voted on Election Day on June 28 at his assigned precinct polling place. Officers said surveillance video showed Badon voting in person on both days. Badon was released from the Macon County Jail and is set to appear in court on Dec. 2. The Macon County States Attorney and County Clerks Offices assisted in the investigation. DECATUR Over 6,000 miles from home, six delegates from Japan got their first taste of the Soy City on Thursday. Representing Decaturs Japanese Sister City of Tokorozawa, the delegates met with local officials Thursday morning and kicked off a days-long tour of Decaturs various landmarks all in hopes of strengthening the 56 year-long bond between the two cities. According to one Tokorozawa official, Decatur made a good first impression. I found it very rural and very beautiful, said Toshiaki Nakamura, deputy mayor of Tokorozawa, speaking through Sister Cities translator Maki Ostrander. The best thing I find most beautiful is the peoples smiles. Tokorozawa International Friendship Committee Chairman Masami Ichikawa said the two cities have a very great friendship. That friendship began on the U.S. base in Tokorozawa 56 years ago when one Decatur resident arrived at the base, Ichikawa said. Upon his arrival, the man reportedly told someone, This city looks like where I come from. The rest, Ichikawa said, is history. On the delegates sight-seeing list are the Civic Center, Central Park and the Caterpillar plant, among other stops. Multiple delegates also looked forward to visiting Lake Decatur and the citys water treatment plant, as Tokorozawa has a similar treatment plant and man-made lake. The delegates hope their trip leads more Decatur residents to learn about Tokorozawa and Japanese culture. I would like the people of Decatur to know the good things about Tokorozawa, and likewise, I want to go back to Tokorozawa and tell everyone how beautiful, how great Decatur is, Nakamura said. After a years-long hiatus caused by the COVID pandemic, both Tokorozawa and Decatur will soon be bringing back their exchange student programs. Nakamura said the exchange program is the best thing we do. For Decaturs Sister Cities chapter chairperson Jacalyn Osborne and her daughter, the Sister Cities program was life changing. Osborne got involved with the organization after her daughter, a Millikin graduate, participated in two exchanges in high school. Now, Osborne said her daughter has been to over 70 countries and holds an international position in Washington, D.C. But this is how it started, Osborne said. This organization getting her out to see what the rest of the world was like. Tokorozawa will send students to Decatur sometime next summer. Decaturs Sister Cities chapter is also hoping to send students to Japan within the next year, Osborne said. The group will contact greater Decatur-area high schools to let them know theyre looking for students to apply. Students are often selected around February in order to prepare for an August trip. Exchanges last for around a few weeks, with students only cost being their plane tickets. Osborne encourages local students to learn more about the exchange program and apply. More than anything, she said, the exchanges help students learn what the rest of the world is like. Its a wonderful experience, she said. For the delegates from Tokorozawa, the best part of their trip is getting to make long-term connections with Decatur residents in person for the first time. We would like to keep having that great friendship, Nakamura said. THUMBS UP! To the extra and extensive efforts of the volunteers of the Harristown Fire Protection District. In a 24-hour stretch, they dealt with: a vehicle accident, a major house fire and a tanker truck rollover. Those were three of what department chief Steve Gambrill estimates will be 300 calls they handle this year. They got support from departments in Niantic, Warrensburg, South Wheatland, Hickory Point, Mount Zion and Latham. Congratulations on the successes, and thank you. THUMBS DOWN! To physical political attacks. The intense verbal hyperbole thats the norm in todays America is frequently turning frighteningly physical. An attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosis husband is just the most recent example, and the idea of further escalation is alarming. Protesters gathered outside the homes of Supreme Court justices after the decision reversing Roe v. Wade. No group has been impervious to the violence, and each must do its best to stifle the extremism of its allies. In 2021, Capitol Police investigated around 9,600 threats made against members of Congress. Thats too many, and terribly sad. THUMBS UP! And congratulations to Dana Ray. The longtime chief medical officer of Crossing Healthcare, who served 10 years on the Decatur City Council, has been appointed to the Illinois State Medical Board. It is a four-year term subject to confirmation by the Illinois Senate. Ray has been Crossings top doctor since 2009. The Illinois State Medical Board reviews complaints against doctors for violations of the states Medical Practice Act. THUMBS UP! To a gradual slowdown in auto prices. Prices are still above pre-COVID levels. New and used vehicles remain 30% to 50% above where they were in early 2020. Dealers are still inclined to be non-negotiable on prices, but theyre lowering those prices. It might be time to creep back on to the car lots. THUMBS DOWN! To chronic absenteeism in U.S. schools. Almost half of Decatur Public Schools students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 school year. A total of 46% of Decatur Public Schools students missed 17 or more school days, or 10% of the total year. Statewide, 30% of students were chronically absent, which matches national trends. Decatur is putting into place an attendance intervention plan, but that alone is not likely to solve the issue. Finding a complete solution is a challenge. THUMBS DOWN! To the pre-emptive lawsuits. More than 100 lawsuits have been filed around the Nov. 8 elections. This will inevitably leave some Americans questioning everything about the elections, especially when the votes go against their side. Everyone should have fair and equitable access to the polls, and as Americans, we have the right to expect that access and the right to know the results, rather than waiting for it to be decided by people in robes. New Braunfels, TX (78130) Today Chance of a shower or two during the morning, followed by partly cloudy skies in the afternoon. High 78F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 30%.. Tonight A mostly clear sky. Low 44F. NW winds at 5 to 10 mph, increasing to 15 to 25 mph. Higher wind gusts possible. New Braunfels, TX (78130) Today Considerable cloudiness with occasional rain showers. Thunder possible. Low 61F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Considerable cloudiness with occasional rain showers. Thunder possible. Low 61F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%. RICHMOND, Va. (AP) Virginians have used an education tip line Gov. Glenn Youngkin set up to submit complaints about curriculum, remote learning, books, mask policies, teachers and other topics, according to a sampling of emails provided to news outlets as part of a settlement agreement. Some positive feedback was included in the batch of approximately 350 documents provided this week to news outlets that sued the Republican governor in April seeking disclosure of the information. But the majority of emails expressed anger or frustration with teachers, administrators and school policies, particularly with COVID-19 protocols. My children are given busy work, with no new material being taught, a parent from Spotsylvania County wrote in February, objecting to the number of remote learning days at her child's high school. Another parent wrote to the principal of her child's school, copying in the tip line address, asking her to provide lesson plans and lesson objective sheets from her child's 7th-grade teachers. The parent wanted to ensure their child wasn't being taught divisive concepts (or in Biology not being taught divisive gender-bending LGBT-campaigns with overly-sexualized lesson content). The parent, whose name was redacted from the email, said it was only because of remote learning during the pandemic that parents discovered the school board's secret leftist, politically motivated agenda and Critical Race Theory -CRT brainwashing. Another parent objected to pay raises given to teachers. Though teachers did not step foot in the classroom during the 2020-2021 school year, the district allocated a whopping $32.7 million to give educators additional pay, he wrote. Youngkin, who campaigned heavily on education and a promise to give parents more sway in their childrens curriculums, introduced the tip line soon after he was inaugurated in January. That same month, he touted it during an interview as a way to ensure that his administration was aware of what was happening at the school level and enable it to catalog and root out instances of divisive practices. A teachers union, Democrats in the General Assembly, some parents and other observers including celebrities who caught wind of the tip line as it drew national news coverage criticized the move as divisive, authoritarian and unfairly targeting educators. Many of the emails to the tip line were supportive of Youngkin's approach to education policy. Mital Gandhi, a parent from northern Virginia, said he initially wrote to local education officials after he discovered that his school district eliminated Algebra I from the list of classes 6th-grade students could take. Gandhi said he followed up with an email to the tip line and the Virginia Department of Education. A department administrator responded and said the state was not prohibiting local school systems from allowing 6th-graders to take Algebra I. Gandhi said his son and several other students in 6th grade are now taking the class. Gandhi wrote that the tip line was a way of "leveling the playing field for parents and students. What Gov. Youngkin has done is he has put more power to the parents, he said. One person disagreed with Youngkin's approach and used the tip line to urge him not to ban critical race theory or controversial books. Please do not move us away from progress by supporting these backward notions of forward motion, wrote one woman, who did not say whether she was a parent with children in the public school system. Emails sent to the tip line Thursday bounced back. Macaulay Porter, a spokeswoman for Youngkin, said in a statement that the email was deactivated in September as it had received little to no volume during that time. "Constituents are always able to confidentially reach out to the governors office through various constituent service methods," she said. News organizations filed requests for records related to the tip line, but the governors office had declined to provide them based on the administrations contention that the emails were working papers and correspondence of the governors office and thus not required to be disclosed under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. Youngkin and other governors have made routine use of the working papers exemption to withhold a wide range of records. The Governor wants constituents to be able to reach out to him without fear that their communications will not be kept confidential, Porter said in a statement. She did not respond to a question about how the tip line was used by the administration or whether any significant issues came to light and were acted on because of the tip line. A coalition of news organizations filed suit in April, alleging Youngkin was violating the public records law. The news organizations reached a settlement agreement with Youngkin last month that called for the Department of Education to produce about 350 documents in its possession that included emails sent to the tip line. The governors office was not required to hand over documents sent to its office. This Settlement Agreement is entered into as the result of a compromise solely for the purpose of avoiding additional expenses and the risk of further litigation. It should not be construed as adopting or rejecting the position of any Party to the litigation, the settlement agreement says. In the last few days, the Serbian army has spotted several drones on the border between Serbia and Kosovo, unmanned aircraft have observed military facilities, and this is unacceptable, and in the future any drone detected near military facilities will be immediately shot down, he stated. Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic on Serbian Public Service Television (RTS). Photo: Stringer (illustration) According to the Serbian Prime Minister, all states would act similarly if they experienced such a case. According to his information, the drones came from the direction of Kosovo to assess the positions and preparedness of the Serbian army. After the drones were spotted, the Serbian MiG-29 fighter jets also took off to protect the airspace, and the fighter jets were put on constant alert. Defense Minister Milos Vucevic pointed out in RTSs Wednesday morning program that the fighter jets are not hunting drones, they have the appropriate methods to neutralize them, but they are protecting the airspace from a possible more serious attack. On the instructions of the head of state, Aleksandar Vucic, in addition to the air defense, other units of the Serbian army were put on alert. The Serbian army started towards Kosovo Shortly after Belgrade put its army on alert, several military convoys reportedly headed for the Kosovo-Serbia border. The Serbian leaders emphasize that Serbia strives to preserve peace and security, but in their opinion, the Kosovo side is not thinking rationally and is doing everything to destabilize the situation. Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008, but Belgrade has refused to recognize it ever since. and still considers the area inhabited by Albanians as its southern province. That is why Serbia does not recognize Kosovos documents and demands that they be replaced by Serbian ones. Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, on the other hand, firmly stated that everything depends on mutual recognition, if Serbia recognizes Kosovos independence, then the attitude of the Kosovars will also change. According to the statement sent to MTI, the Dusanbe District Court issued an international arrest warrant against the man in May 2019 in order to conduct criminal proceedings for mercenary activities. They wrote: the man went to Istanbul with his father in April 2016, then illegally crossed the border between Turkey and Syria and joined the Islamic State terrorist organization in Syria. Here, he participated in war crimes against state forces, for which he can be sentenced to a maximum of 12 years in prison in Tajikistan. In the announcement, it was emphasized: the court examined only the conditions of extradition and temporary extradition arrest at Thursdays hearing. The man did not consent to his extradition. In its non-final ruling, the court ordered the mans temporary extradition arrest, but it must be terminated if the legal extradition request is not received by December 13, they wrote. According to the courts order, an additional condition for the extradition of the accused is that the judicial authorities of Tajikistan provide an adequate legal guarantee by the deadline that no other criminal proceedings will be conducted against him in addition to the crime described in the arrest warrant, and they must also declare that according to the criminal laws there, it is possible- to impose this death penalty. This image is alternated between the first and last Insight selfies for comparison. Using the camera on its robotic arm, NASAs InSight probe captured these selfies on December 6, 2018 just 10 days after landing on Mars and on April 24, 2022. A thick layer of dust can be seen on the probe and its solar cells. the last picture. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech Get a closer look at what it takes to complete a mission as the InSight spacecraft continues to run out of power. near end[{ attribute=>NASAs Mars InSight lander. The day is fast approaching when the spacecraft will fall silent, ending its history-making mission to reveal secrets of the Red Planets interior. Since the spacecrafts power generation continues to decline as windblown dust on its solar panels thickens, the engineering team has already taken steps to continue as long as possible with what power remains. Despite these efforts, it wont be long now, as the end is expected to come in the next few weeks. Although InSights tightknit 25-to-30-member operations team a small group compared to other Mars missions continues to squeeze the most they can out of InSight, theyve also begun taking steps to wind down the mission. Heres a glimpse of what that looks like. This is NASA InSights first full selfie on Mars. It displays the landers solar panels and deck. On top of the deck are its science instruments, weather sensor booms, and UHF antenna. The selfie was taken on December 6, 2018 (Sol 10). Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech Preserving Data With InSight (short for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport), the most important of the final steps of the mission is storing its trove of data and making it accessible to researchers around the world. Already, the data from the lander has yielded details about Mars interior layers, its liquid core, the surprisingly variable remnants beneath the surface of its mostly extinct magnetic field, weather on this part of Mars, and lots of quake activity. More insights are sure to follow, as scientists continue to sift through the data. InSights seismometer, provided by Frances Centre National dEtudes Spatiales (CNES), has detected more than 1,300 marsquakes since the lander touched down in November 2018. The largest quake it detected measured a magnitude 5. It even recorded quakes from meteoroid impacts. Observing how the seismic waves from those quakes change as they travel through the planet offers an invaluable glimpse into Mars interior. Beyond that, these observations also provide a better understanding of how all rocky worlds form, including Earth and its Moon. NASAs InSight Mars lander took this final selfie on April 24, 2022, the 1,211th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. The lander is covered with far more dust than it was in its first selfie, taken in December 2018, not long after landing. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech Finally, we can see Mars as a planet with layers, with different thicknesses, compositions, said Bruce Banerdt of NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California, the missions principal investigator. Were starting to really tease out the details. Now its not just this enigma; its actually a living, breathing planet. The seismometer readings will join the only other set of extraterrestrial seismic data, from the Apollo lunar missions, in NASAs Planetary Data System. They will also go into an international archive run by the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology, which houses all the terrestrial seismic network data locations, said JPLs Sue Smrekar, InSights deputy principal investigator. Now, we also have one on Mars. Smrekar said the data is expected to continue yielding discoveries for decades. The rocket that launched NASAs InSight lander to Mars in 2018 is seen at Vandenberg Air Force Base, now called Vandenberg Space Force Base. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Charles Babir Managing Power Earlier this summer, the lander had so little power remaining that the mission turned off all of InSights other science instruments in order to keep the seismometer running. They even turned off the fault protection system that would otherwise automatically shut down the seismometer if the system detects that the landers power generation is dangerously low. We were down to less than 20% of the original generating capacity, said Banerdt. That means we cant afford to run the instruments around the clock. Recently, after a regional dust storm added to the landers dust-covered solar panels, the team decided to turn off the seismometer altogether in order to save power. Now that the storm is over, the seismometer is collecting data again. However, the mission expects the lander only has enough power for a few more weeks. Of the seismometers array of sensors, only the most sensitive were still operating, said Liz Barrett, who leads science and instrument operations for the team at JPL, adding, Were pushing it to the very end. twin packs A silent member of the team is ForeSight, a full-scale engineering model of InSight at JPLs Onsite Instrumentation Laboratory. Engineers used ForeSight to practice how InSight could place science instruments on the Martian surface using the rovers robotic arm. Test Techniques In order for the probes temperature probe to enter Mars Sticky Soil Methods Development Noise Reduction Seismometer Recorded. Forsight comes in a storage box. We will fill it with loving care, Banerdt said. It was a great tool, a great companion for us throughout the mission. In a test room at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, engineers train the InSight instruments using ForeSight, a full-size replica of the lander that will be mobilized after the mission is complete. Many engineers wear sunglasses to block out the bright yellow lights that mimic sunlight on Mars. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/IPGP Announcement of the completion of the mission When InSight misses two consecutive contacts with the spacecraft orbiting Mars, Mars Relay NetworkNASA announces the end of the mission. However, this rule only applies if the cause of the disconnection is the probe itself, said Roy Gladden, JPL network administrator. Then, NASAs Deep Space Network will be listening for a while, just in case. However, there will be no heroic steps to reconnect with InSight. While a mission-saving event, such as a strong wind clearing the panels, is not impossible, it is considered highly unlikely. As long as InSight remains connected, the team will continue to collect data. We will continue to make scientific measurements as long as possible, said Banerdt. We are at the mercy of Mars. The weather on Mars is not rain and snow, it is dust and wind on Mars. More about the mission NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) manages NASAs Science Mission Directorates InSight program. InSight is part of NASAs Discovery Program, which is managed by the agencys Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Lockheed Martin Space in Denver built the InSight spacecraft, including the cruise stage and lander, and supports the missions spacecraft operations. Several European partners, including the French National Center for Space Research (CNES) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), are supporting the InSight mission. The National Center for Space Studies provided the Inner Structure Seismic Experiment (SEIS) instrument to NASA with the principal investigator of the Institut de Physiques dInstitut dInstitut du Physique in the IPGP . World in Paris). The IPGP made a significant contribution to the Common Environmental Information System; Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) in Germany; Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) in Switzerland;[{ attribute=>Imperial College London and Oxford University in the United Kingdom; and JPL. DLR provided the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package (HP3) instrument, with significant contributions from the Space Research Center (CBK) of the Polish Academy of Sciences and Astronika in Poland. Spains Centro de Astrobiologia (CAB) supplied the temperature and wind sensors, and the Italian Space Agency (ASI) supplied a passive laser retroreflector. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reports that Europe has warmed more than twice as much as the rest of the world over the past three decades, and has seen the biggest temperature rise of any continent. As warming continues, extreme heat, wildfires, floods and other consequences of climate change will affect society, the economy and the ecosystem, according to the organization. Europe has warmed more than twice as much as the rest of the world over the past three decades, and it has seen the biggest rise in temperature of any continent. Photo: Depositphotos Europe shows a living picture of a warming world and reminds us that even well-prepared societies are not safe from the effects of extreme weather events, WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas said in a statement. According to the report, between 1991 and 2021, temperatures in Europe warmed by an average of 0.5 degrees Celsius per decade, while the global average was just 0.2 degrees Celsius. Last year, extreme weather events caused by climate change mainly floods and storms caused damages in excess of 50 billion euros in Europe, which has certainly increased this year due to the drought not seen for hundreds of years. According to scientists, the reason why Europe is warming faster than other continents is that most of the continent lies in the subarctic and arctic regions, which are the fastest warming regions on Earth, and the faster warming is also related to changes in climate feedbacks. One example is that there are fewer clouds over Europe in summer, which results in more sunlight and heat reaching the continent, said Freja Vamborg, senior researcher at the Copernicus Climate Change Service. Some scientists consider Europe to be the heatwave center because changes in atmospheric circulation have seen the continents number of heatwaves increase much faster than in other regions, and the report says this trend is most likely to continue in the future: Regardless of the future level of global warming, temperatures in all European areas will rise above the global average temperature change, similar to past observations. The frequency and intensity of heat extremes, including marine heat waves, has increased in recent decades and is projected to continue to increase regardless of greenhouse gas emissions. Critical threshold values relevant to ecosystems and humans are expected to be exceeded in the event of global warming of 2C or more. The observations show a seasonal and regional pattern consistent with the predicted increase in winter precipitation in northern Europe. In the summer, precipitation is forecast to decrease in the Mediterranean region and in areas further north. Extreme rainfall and floods are projected to increase in all regions except the Mediterranean under global warming above 1.5C. According to the WHO European Regional Office, around half a million premature deaths in Europe were caused by fine particulate air pollution in 2019, a significant part of which is directly related to the burning of fossil fuels. It is estimated that by reducing carbon dioxide emissions, about 138,000 premature deaths could be avoided each year, potentially resulting in savings of $244 billion to $564 billion. Although the increase in temperature caused by climate change has so far affected Europe the most, in the meantime, most have been done here to protect the climate. The European Union succeeded in reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 31 percent between 1990 and 2020, and would reduce it to 55 percent of the 1990 level by 2030, while achieving net zero emissions by 2050 was mandatory. The union is currently negotiating a target of producing 45 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2030, up from the current 32 percent target, which has been made more urgent by Russias war on Ukraine and the disruption of gas supplies. However, due to the increase in prices related to the war in Ukraine, the increasing costs and uncertainties related to the energy market reforms must also be overcome. It is in this particularly difficult geopolitical situation that the UNs annual climate change summit, COP27, begins, in which French President Emmanuel Macron and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, will surely participate. States and large companies are under more pressure than ever to finally spend significant amounts of money to curb climate change at the same time, as the war in Ukraine, high energy prices and geopolitical tensions come to the fore, the chances of the UN negotiations providing the necessary stimulus are getting smaller and smaller. Most American and European analysts are pessimistic that the climate conference held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, between November 6 and 18, can achieve clear progress. There are fears that the worlds governments will not be able to make major new commitments amid rising global political tensions, even though progress would be needed on agreements on the pace of regulation that would allow companies to plan their climate policies. The purpose of the conference is to keep government actions in check to keep the goals of the Paris Agreement alive. Key considerations include whether countries will strengthen climate change goals and policies, increase climate finance for developing countries, and meet their pledges to phase out fossil fuels. A UN report published in October drew attention to the severity of the climate crisis and the need to reduce emissions by at least 43 percent by the end of the decade to prevent the worst consequences of global warming. Thus, compliance with the commitments in which the cooperation of the two largest emitters, the United States and China, is essential is extremely important not only for the poorest regions, but also for Europe, which is twice as exposed to the degree of warming. At the same time, the countries most vulnerable to the effects of warming are often the poorest, and at next weeks talks they are likely to demand that their new pledges to cut emissions be matched by financial help from the rich world. At the same time, not only will more money be expected from governments, but the private sector will also be needed to finance most of the renewable energy sources and other projects aimed at reducing emissions and offsetting the effects of climate change. In this situation, it can already be considered a success if the promises and commitments made at last years climate talks in Glasgow are avoided, and concrete agreements are reached on some of them. The war in Ukraine, for example, forced Europe to drastically reduce its dependence on Russian gas and look for alternatives. This includes coal in the short term, undermining the agreement reached at the UN summit in Glasgow to phase out coal. And in the longer term, the situation may also suggest a renewed emphasis on reliance on nuclear energy. High fossil fuel prices should logically encourage investment in renewable energy sources, but for some shareholders this is less obvious, as this years high oil and gas prices have rewarded fossil fuel producers, and inflation and the resulting spike in daily living costs can also be serious obstacles. against government commitments on climate change in the form of electoral votes. GREENSBORO A Salisbury man has been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison on drug charges, according to a news release from the Rowan County Sheriffs Office. Brodrick Demon Sullivan of Salisbury was sentenced Tuesday in Middle District Court of North Carolina to an active sentence of 12 years to be served in the Federal Bureau of Prisons followed by five years of supervised release to follow, the RCSO statement said. Sullivans sentence stemmed from a joint investigation initiated by the RCSO, and assisted by the United States Department of Homeland Security and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. During the course of this investigation there were numerous undercover purchases made from Sullivan totaling several pounds of methamphetamine (ICE). Some of the ICE seized in this case had a purity level of 100%, officials said The sheriffs office said Sullivan had previously been labeled by the United States Attorneys Office as a priority target for Rowan County. SALISBURY Rowan-Cabarrus Community College has named eight outstanding students as official Ambassadors for 2022-23. The student leaders were recognized by the college at a recent board of trustees meeting. I am excited and proud to welcome this new group of Ambassadors, and I look forward to working with them, said Dr. Carol S. Spalding, president of Rowan-Cabarrus. These students have proven that they have great potential, and the Ambassador program helps them become engaged campus and community leaders. Fernando Alcaide Luevanos is an Associate in Science student who chose Rowan-Cabarrus because of its convenience and reputation. Once he enrolled, he made a point to get involved and encourages his fellow students to stay active within the college community. Kayla Anderson is a Cabarrus County Early College student pursuing Associate in Science and Associate in Criminal Justice degrees. The Early College program offered her the opportunity to gain college credit while in high school, and she says she succeeds by keeping an open mind and seeking help from instructors to master her course material. Shandrika Odom is pursuing an Early Childhood Education degree. Once she decided to attend Rowan-Cabarrus, she was impressed by how quickly she was able to register and immerse herself in college life with the help of faculty and staff. Jennifer Pleitez, a Rowan County Early College student, is pursuing her Associate in Science degree at Rowan-Cabarrus. She hopes to go on to earn a bachelors degree, attend medical school and become an ER doctor. Murjani MJ Porter is attending Rowan-Cabarrus with the goal of becoming a human resources professional. She recommends that students check out the colleges Work-Based Learning program, which offers internships with area business along with academic credit. Malachi Printup, an Associate in Science student, decided to attend Rowan-Cabarrus because it was conveniently located and offered courses that aligned with his career goals. He was impressed with the vast selection of courses that the college offers, as well as the helpful attitude of faculty and staff in assisting him with enrolling and understanding his academic options. Kelsie Thomas is attending Rowan-Cabarrus to explore academic pathways leading to a job in the medical field. As she narrows her choices, she is enjoying participating in campus activities and organizations. Richard White decided to attend Rowan-Cabarrus because it is an affordable way for him to create a solid foundation for his future and build his resume. He is pursuing an Associate in Arts degree and plans to graduate in May 2024. Student Ambassadors reach out to prospective students, participate in events, assist with the successful transition of new students to the campus, and serve as Rowan-Cabarrus representatives within the community. Ambassadors act as liaisons between the college and prospective students, their families, guests, alumni, business partners and the community, said Rowan-Cabarrus Director of Student Life and Leadership Barb Meidl. This unique leadership opportunity enables these students to develop skills that will benefit them well beyond their time at Rowan-Cabarrus, including public speaking, networking, communication and interpersonal skills. The Ambassador program, which began in 2010, is sponsored by the Rowan-Cabarrus Foundation and provides scholarships to the student participants, as well as offering leadership development opportunities. The Foundation is honored to provide scholarships to these deserving emerging leaders, said Foundation Director Connie Rheinecker. Supporting these students celebrates their potential while providing them with opportunities to engage with community leaders and develop lifelong skills that will assist them today and in the future. We are proud of our Student Ambassadors and appreciate their enthusiasm to represent and advocate on behalf of the Rowan-Cabarrus student body. For more information about Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, visit www.rccc.edu or call 704-216-RCCC (7222). NEOGA Jim Voris and Charles McKinney will present a "Neoga Stories" program taking a look back at the impact of the railroad to Neoga. The program is set for 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6, at the Neoga Building in Neoga. Voris grew up in Neoga, attending Neoga Grade School, Junior High and High School, class of 1966. Both sides of his family were in Neoga as early as the late 1800s. As a teacher in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, he was easily thrown off-subject by his students' request for "Neoga stories." McKinney also grew up and attended Neoga schools, class of 1963, and had many relatives who both taught and experienced life in Neoga. As an employee for 17 years of the Norfolk Western, Norfolk Southern and Nickel Plate Railroads that crisscrossed the town, he knows the importance that the railroad had on the development of the city of Neoga. Everyone is welcome to attend, and refreshments will be served. The two largest U.S. pharmacy chains, CVS Health and Walgreen Co., announced agreements in principle Wednesday to pay about $5 billion each to settle lawsuits nationwide over the toll of opioids, and a lawyer said Walmart, a third pharmacy behemoth, is in discussions for a deal. The prospective settlements are part of a shift in the legal landscape surrounding the opioid epidemic. Instead of suspense over whether companies in the drug industry would be held to account through trials or settlements, the big question is now how their money will be used and whether it will make a difference in fighting a crisis that has only intensified. The deals, if completed, would end thousands of lawsuits in which governments claimed pharmacies filled prescriptions they should have flagged as inappropriate. With settlements already proposed or finalized between some of the biggest drugmakers and distribution companies, the recent developments could be the among the last multibillion-dollar settlements to be announced. They also would bring the total value of all settlements to more than $50 billion, with most of it required to be used by state and local governments to combat opioids, which have been linked to more than 500,000 deaths in the U.S. over the last two decades. "It's one more culprit of the overdose crisis that is having to pay their dues," said Courtney Gary-Allen, organizing director of the Maine Recovery Advocacy Project. "Average Americans have been paying it for a long time." Gary-Allen, who is a member of a council that will help determine how Maine uses its opioid settlement funds, said more money to address the problem will help. In her state, she said, the needs include more beds for medical detox and for treatment. Neither Woonsocket, Rhode Island-based CVS nor Deerfield, Illinois-based Walgreens is admitting wrongdoing. Under the tentative plans, CVS would pay $4.9 billion to local governments and about $130 million to Native American tribes over a decade. Walgreens would pay $4.8 billion to governments and $155 million to tribes over 15 years. The exact amount depends on how many governments join the deals. Both noted they have been addressing the crisis through such measures as starting educational programs and installing safe disposal units for drugs in stores and police departments. And both said the settlements would allow them to help while staying focused on their business. "We are pleased to resolve these longstanding claims and putting them behind us is in the best interest of all parties, as well as our customers, colleagues and shareholders," Thomas Moriarty, CVS chief policy officer and general counsel, said in a statement. Walgreens said in a statement: "As one of the largest pharmacy chains in the nation, we remain committed to being a part of the solution, and this settlement framework will allow us to keep our focus on the health and wellbeing of our customers and patients, while making positive contributions to address the opioid crisis," Walgreens said in a statement. Paul Geller, a lawyer for governments in the lawsuits, said talks with Walmart continue. Walmart representatives would not comment Wednesday. "These agreements will be the first resolutions reached with pharmacy chains and will equip communities across the country with the much-needed tools to fight back against this epidemic and bring about tangible, positive change," lawyers for local governments said in a statement. "In addition to payments totaling billions of dollars, these companies have committed to making significant improvements to their dispensing practices to help reduce addiction moving forward." If these settlements are completed, they would leave mostly smaller drug industry players as defendants in lawsuits. Just this week, a group of mostly regional pharmacy chains sent to a judge, who is overseeing federal litigation, information about claims they face, a possible precursor to scheduling trials or mediating settlements involving some of those firms. "One by one, we are holding every player in the addiction industry accountable for the millions of lives lost or devastated by the opioid epidemic," Connecticut Attorney General William Tong said in a statement. "The companies that helped to create and fuel this crisis must commit to changing their businesses practices, and to providing the resources needed for treatment, prevention and recovery." Most of the nation's opioid overdose deaths initially involved prescription drugs. As governments, doctors and companies took steps to make them harder to abuse and obtain, people addicted to them increasingly switched to heroin, which proved more deadly. In recent years, opioid deaths have soared to record levels around 80,000 a year. Most of those deaths involve illicitly produced version of the powerful lab-made drug fentanyl, which is appearing throughout the U.S. supply of illegal drugs. Only a handful of opioid settlements have had bigger dollar figures than the CVS plan. Distributors AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson this year finalized a combined settlement worth $21 billion, and drugmaker Johnson & Johnson finalized a $5 billion deal. Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, and members of the Sackler family who own the company have a proposed settlement that would involve up to $6 billion in cash, plus the value of the company, which would be turned into a new entity with its profits used to combat the epidemic. That plan has been put on hold by a court. ___ Associated Press writer Tom Murphy in Indianapolis contributed to this report. With Democrats' supermajority control of the General Assembly, Gov. J.B. Pritzker has enjoyed four years of pushing through major initiatives beginning with an overdue $45 billion capital construction plan, a $15-an-hour minimum wage, legalized recreational marijuana while later reducing tens of billions of dollars in debt. Additionally, a great deal of the second half of his term was spent fighting COVID-19 and weathering criticism led by his current opponent, state Sen. Darren Bailey over his measures to stem the spread of the potentially deadly disease. The 57-year-old billionaire equity investor and philanthropist is campaigning on those achievements in seeking a second term against Bailey, a Republican and farmer from southern Illinois. Bailey, who previously questioned the legitimacy of President Joe Biden's victory and eagerly sought former President Donald Trump's endorsement, has attacked Pritzker on issues such as state spending and crime, dubbing Chicago a "hellhole" and bashing a criminal justice overhaul that ends cash bail, which he claims will create a "revolving door" in jails for violent criminals. Pritzker counters that Bailey, 56, who served one term in the House before winning his Senate seat in 2020, is too extreme for Illinois, embracing Trump's MAGA movement, opposing any restrictions on firearms ownership and favoring an abortion ban, although Bailey says abortion restrictions are not on his agenda. Ideas matter. So does money. On Sept. 30, state campaign finance records indicated that Pritzker had $42 million in his campaign account. Bailey had $767,000. Being on the wrong end of that funding imbalance makes it difficult to familiarize voters with your ideas. At the top of the ticket, U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth seeks a second term against Kathy Salvi, a personal injury attorney who wants the post in part to crack Democrats' control of Illinois government. Duckworth is a popular lawmaker, a disabled Iraq War veteran and Obama administration official. But Republicans believe they can reclaim the seat once held by Senate Minority Leader Everett McKinley Dirksen because it has seesawed between parties in the past quarter-century. And the nation is watching labor-friendly Illinois for the outcome of a constitutional amendment that would guarantee the right to collective bargaining. Proponents say it would prevent a "right-to-work" law that prohibits forcing the payment of union dues. Critics say it would drive up taxes and give unions too much power. Here's a look at what to expect on election night: ELECTION NIGHT Polls close at 7 p.m. local time. HOW ILLINOIS VOTES Illinois voters are increasingly casting their ballots before Election Day, either by mail or in person at voting centers. During the pandemic in 2020, two-thirds of Illinois voters voted either by mail or early, but a third of voters already had made the switch away from in-person election-day voting in the two previous elections. While most Illinois counties are strongly Republican, election results are dominated by overwhelmingly Democratic Chicago, the strongly Democratic Cook County suburbs and the more middle-of-the-road "collar counties" surrounding Chicago. More than a quarter of the electorate lives in Chicago and Cook County alone, making those the counties to watch in statewide races. DECISION NOTES AP will tabulate votes in 150 races, including one for U.S. Senate, 17 for U.S. House, as well as governor, four other statewide offices and a statewide ballot measure. In the 2020 presidential election, the first votes were reported at 8:09 p.m. local time and the state reached 90% of the vote counted in the evening of the day after election day. AP does not make projections or name apparent or likely winners. Only when AP is fully confident a race has been won defined most simply as the moment a trailing candidate no longer has a path to victory will we make a call. Should a candidate declare victory or offer a concession before AP calls a race, we will cover newsworthy developments in our reporting. In doing so, we will make clear that AP has not yet declared a winner and explain the reason why we believe the race is too early or too close to call. The AP may call a statewide or U.S. House race in which the margin between the top two candidates is 0.5% or less, if we determine the lead is too large for a recount to change the outcome. The AP will not call down-ballot races on election night if the margin between the top two candidates is less than 2%. AP will revisit those races later in the week to confirm there aren't enough outstanding votes left to count that could change the outcome. WHAT ELSE SHOULD I KNOW? Q: WHAT'S CHANGED SINCE THE PANDEMIC ELECTION OF 2020? A: Illinois has taken one more step to make it easier to vote by mail, giving voters the option to automatically receive a mail ballot in future elections. Q: WHAT DO TURNOUT AND ADVANCE VOTE LOOK LIKE? A: More than 6 million Illinoisans voted in the 2020 presidential election, and 4.6 million turned out for the governor's election in 2018. Turnout is typically lower in non-presidential years such as this year. Q: HOW LONG DOES COUNTING USUALLY TAKE? A: While Illinois historically has counted most of its ballots on election night, the boom in mail and early voting meant more than 13% of Illinois votes were counted after election day in 2020. This means winners may not be known in close races until the days after the election. Q: WHAT HAPPENS AFTER TUESDAY? A: Illinois does not have an automatic or mandatory recount law. Candidates may seek and pay for a recount if the losing candidate received 95% of the vote of the winner. Recount results are for discovery purposes to be used in a potential legal action. QUOTABLE "J.B. Pritzker is hell-bent on becoming the most radical leftist governor in America. ... This man is dangerous." State Sen. Darren Bailey, the Republican nominee for governor. "The criminal justice system that Darren Bailey and Republicans are standing up for is one that allows murderers and rapists and domestic abusers to buy their way out of jail." Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Bailey's opposition to a law taking effect next year that ends cash bail. "A big important state like Illinois enshrining this right to their constitution sends a signal across the country that the right to bargain collectively is a fundamental right." Northwestern University political scientist Daniel Galvin on the Workers' Rights Amendment. A telephone call, likely placed by a political activist working a phone bank, captured Ken Schneiders attention more than he thought. His mail-in ballot already in hand, Schneider had been doing some research. He wanted to cast an informed ballotan interesting concept, particularly as it pertains to the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education. Somehow we got onto the school board, said Schneider, a substitute teacher with more than a passing interest in those races. The caller, he said, talked generally about supporting Democratic candidates, but mentioned one Republican in particular: Stan Elrod, a retired high-school principal with a lifetime of experience in public schools. (The caller) said he was a moderate kind of guy who really understood the school system, Schneider said. I had to agree with her in terms of that. So like many other early voters, he marked his ballot for Elrod and dropped it in the mail. That was before Elrods sudden passing. Its a tragedy for sure, Schneider said. But from the political end of things, I feel like my vote has been disenfranchised. Simple concepts If were completely honest, in the olden days before kooks and conspiracy theorists raised the volume, a school-board race wouldnt attract much attention. Candidates would run quiet campaigns and talk about test scores, student achievement, graduation rates and, for anyone really paying attention, about how to pay for it all. Now, though, we have candidates carrying on about critical-race theory (its not part of the local curriculum), banning books and some alleged grown-ups intent on bullying a tiny number of marginalized children with overwrought rhetoric over transgenderism. (Contrast, if you will, the sharing of a social media post by Republican candidate Sarah Absher that said, Trans Kids are the new Gucci Handbag for the Upper Middle Class Wine Mommies who need attention with the actions of Gov. Spencer Cox, Republican of Utah. Cox, who in spring vetoed unnecessary legislation targeting the participation of transgender athletes in his statefour out of some 75,000, the governor saidand cited statistics that show 86 percent of trans kids consider suicide. Rarely has so much fear and anger been directed at so few, Cox said. I dont understand what they are going through or why they feel the way they do. But I want them to live. It was into that environment that Elrod launched his bid. Youre either part of the solution or part of the problem, Elrod told me in April. I want the kids today to have the same thing as kids in the 80s and 90s whose own children might be in school now: to get a good education, feel safe when theyre there and be equipped to go out into the world. By most accounts, the former principal was making headway with a common-sense candidacy rooted in experience, knowledge of the school system and yes, compassion for the students hed served. All of them. That was the candidate Schneider wanted to support. Making a choice As we all know now, Elrod died Oct. 25. His death, a tragedy for those who knew him, also created some confusion and trepidation around his candidacy. A small thing when compared to a life lost, but not without import. And so, per state law, the county Republican Party stepped in Monday to name a candidate to replace Elrod on the ballot in District 2 just eight days before Election Day. Moderates, unaffiliated voters and those who reside firmly in the political center such as Schneider who had cast ballots early were left to wonder whether a small number of party officials might choose, say, a bomb thrower, a bully or a loon. On paper, in Susan Miller, it looks as if the county GOP managed Monday to nominate a qualified candidate. Any votes cast for Stan Elrod will go to her. Miller, 68, is a former teacher and reading specialist in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools and has a masters in K-12 reading from UNC Greensboro. Like Elrod, shes actually been in a classroom more than once. My big platform is literacy, she told a reporter after being selected by acclamation. And right now, our district reading proficiency rate for third grade is at 39 percentwhich is about one out of three. I really want to work on improving that. She did, of course, mention to the party officials a need for being vigilant about critical-race theory. But that may have been lip service or simple appeasement. Miller doesnt sound obsessed with non-issues or overwrought rhetoric. And better, theres no immediate evidence of bullying online, on social media or out loud. Its only one meeting and a small sample sizeone candidate for a single school-board racebut choosing a qualified candidate seemingly more focused on reading scores than political drama seems encouraging. Maybe the old days of worrying over math and having buses run on time arent that far behind us after all. A teenager has been charged with murder in connection with the death of his girlfriends 15-month-old son, according to the Rocky Mount Police Department in eastern North Carolina. The child was identified as Aiden Silver, and an autopsy revealed he died from internal injuries that are ruled not to be accidental, police said in a news release. Aidens death was reported around 10 p.m. Oct. 23 at a home in south Rocky Mount, about 60 miles east of Raleigh, officials said. Earlier that day, at approximately 2:15 p.m., Nash County EMS responded to the 1100 blk of York St in reference to the child losing and regaining consciousness, police said. It was reported the child had fallen. The incident was classified as a suspicious death while detectives awaited a report from the North Carolina Medical Examiners Office, police said. That report came this week. Isaiah Miller, 19, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and felony child abuse, police said. He is being held without bond at the Nash County Detention Center. Miller was in a dating relationship with the childs mother at the time of the incident, officials said. Aiden will be buried Sunday at Enfield Memorial Cemetery. A wrong move My husband and I voted early in Forsyth County. We both chose Stan Elrod for a position on the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County school board. The following day Elrod passed away. We wondered how our vote for him would be handled. We voted for Stan Elrod, the man, not Stan Elrod, a Republican. Elrod was principal at Reynolds High School when both of my sons attended. He was a very kind and caring person, very engaging and inspiring to his students. Susan Miller was named the GOP candidate to inherit Elrods votes at a meeting held Monday night by executive GOP committee members (GOP nominates Miller for school board, Nov. 1). Susan Miller may be a qualified candidate. But assuming that any other candidate can simply take Elrods place and inherit his votes (that are already cast) is just wrong. I would prefer my vote for Elrod be left uncounted. Jayne Russell Winston-Salem This arrived after the deadline for election letters on Monday. Given the unusual circumstances, and the vote for Elrods replacement on Monday night, weve made a rare exception. the editor Risking lives I am constantly amazed how harshly some people condemn those responsible for our safety and public health by criticizing them for protecting us and our children during the unprecedented COVID pandemic. Never before had we encountered such a grim public health crisis that was literally killing our friends, families and neighbors. Do these critics think they had a better solution than using masks and resorting to distance learning? As a recently retired Wake Forest University professor, I didnt like ending my career by teaching online. The alternative to this method of teaching would have put my life, and those of my students and colleagues, in jeopardy of severe illness or even worse. Second-guessing important decisions is easy. Taking responsibility is not. We should be thanking those leaders who chose life over death, and not taking them to task. David B. Levy Winston-Salem Trump endorses Former President Trump endorsed Kelly Loeffler for the Georgia state Senate and she lost. Trump endorsed David Perdue for Georgia state Senate and he lost. Trump endorsed former N.C. Rep. Madison Cawthorn and we know what happened. Trump endorsed Jair Bolsonaro for president of Brazil and he lost. Trump endorsed N.C. Rep. Ted Budd for the Senate? If I were Budd, I would have avoided Trump at all cost. Jimmy Tabuchi Winston-Salem No decency Paul Pelosi is an 82-year-old man. He was at home by himself, apparently sleeping, when a man broke into his house, hoping to do harm to his wife. The man wound up, instead, beating Paul Pelosi with a hammer. He suffered a skull fracture and injury to his right arm and hands. And some prominent Republicans are delighted. How funny! Police say the two didnt know each other previously. Police say that. The men in blue. But Republicans from Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake to Donald Trump Jr. to the former president of the United States are yukking it up and telling stories with no basis in fact about the situation. I suppose thats what we should have expected from Trump and his supporters. There is no decency left in the Republican Party. There is only deceit and cruelty. There is no decency left in any Christian church that claims to support Republican policies. There is only deceit and cruelty. I hope their god gives them the judgment they deserve. Lonnie Kirkman Winston-Salem The leading reason In the Oct. 30 letter Goodbye, the writer asks what matters more than saying goodbye to legal abortion and Social Security if Republicans win. I say, while those issues are of major importance, saying goodbye to our democratic form of government with a deep dive into fascism is the leading reason to vote blue. Julia Donaghy Winston-Salem Wind up If we vote as if winning a majority is more important than morality or competence, well wind up with an immoral, incompetent government. Danny Ryan Winston-Salem Article In Brief A large population-based study in Korea found that three allergic diseases were associated with an increased risk of incident dementia, but independent experts who reviewed the data said though statistically significant, the effect sizes may be small. Asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitiscommon allergic diseases sometimes called the atopic triadare significantly associated with an increased risk of dementia, according to a new prospective study from investigators in South Korea. The study is one of the largest to date on the association between allergic disease and dementia. But the implications for clinical practice remain unclear until further research can reproduce the study in other groups and illuminate the mechanisms underlying the association, experts told Neurology Today. A growing body of evidence points to a connection between dementia pathogenesis and chronic neuroinflammation and immune dysregulation in the brain. In observational studies, inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, chronic periodontitis, psoriasis, obesity, and type 2 diabetes have been associated with increased risk of dementia, suggesting that chronic peripheral inflammation can play a role in the pathophysiology of dementia. Only a few prospective studies to date have examined the associations between allergic diseases and dementia, however. Although the results of these studies have been somewhat inconsistent, most have found at least some association between one or more of these diseases and dementia risk. For the current study, published online on Sept. 23 in Annals of Neurology, investigators leveraged the vast data power of the Korean National Health Insurance system; the system is mandatory for all Korean citizens and provides free national health screenings for the entire population aged 40 and older and workplace subscribers of all ages. Their final analysis included a total study population of 6,785,948 individuals participating in the system in 2009, excluding any who had missing variables in their records or who had a history of dementia before baseline. Study Details To identify individuals with allergic disease, investigators used the ICD-10 codes for asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis. To exclude episodic illnesses that mimic allergic diseases, they defined patients with allergies as those who had at least three outpatient visits in a year for each allergic disease. They followed participants prospectively for the diagnosis of incident dementia from 2009 to 2017; the primary endpoints were newly diagnosed all-cause dementia, Alzheimer's disease (AD), and vascular dementia. During the follow-up period, they identified 260,705 incident dementia cases (comprising 195,739 AD and 32,789 with vascular dementia). The researchers found that each allergic disease was significantly associated with an increased risk of dementia, even after adjusting for confounding variables such as sex, age, and other known risk factors including BMI, smoking, alcohol use, physical activity, and comorbid conditions. For example, asthma was positively associated with a risk of all-cause dementia (HR=1.20), AD (HR=1.22), and vascular dementia (HR=1.09). Allergic rhinitis was associated with an increased risk of all-cause dementia (HR=1.10) and AD (HR=1.13) but not vascular dementia (HR=1.01). And atopic dermatitis was associated with increased risk of all-cause dementia (HR=1.16), AD (HR=1.15), and vascular dementia (HR=1.18). The study also found a dose response association between allergic disease and dementia risk. Individuals with more office visits had substantially higher risk of all-cause dementia, AD, and vascular dementia, with the sole exception of allergic rhinitis in relation to VaD risk (although when outpatient visits were further subdivided, an annual visit frequency 10 for allergic rhinitis was also associated with increased risk of vascular dementia (HR=1.07)). And those who had all three diseases in the allergic triad had a markedly increased risk of all-cause dementia (HR=1.54), AD (HR=1.46), and vascular dementia (HR=1.95). This study makes an important contribution to our understanding of the relationship between allergic diseases and dementia in midlife and older age groups. Prior to this study, the data on this relationship have been far less convincing because of smaller sample sizes and less robust study design.DR. ZOE ARVANITAKIS Perspective from Independent Experts This study makes an important contribution to our understanding of the relationship between allergic diseases and dementia in midlife and older age groups, said Zoe Arvanitakis, MD, MS, FAAN, professor of neurological sciences at Rush Medical College of Rush University and the medical director of the Rush Memory Clinic at the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center. Prior to this study, the data on this relationship have been far less convincing because of smaller sample sizes and less robust study design, said Dr. Arvanitakis, who was not involved with the study. The fact that these investigators had such an enormous sample size allowed them not only to study three important allergic diseasesincluding asthma, which is becoming more commonbut [also] to break down the risk associated with each of these three diseases, as well as separating out outcomes of Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia separately. The sample size also allowed them to do stratified analysis to consider the effect of potentially important cofounders, such as age, she continued. In general, the authors used a very comprehensive approach in their analyses with sensitivity analyses and otherwise, which lends even further confidence in the validity of their results. Keenan Walker, PhD, director of the Multimodal Imaging of Neurodegenerative Disease Unit within the laboratory of behavioral neuroscience at the National Institute on Aging, whose research focuses on abnormal immune function and inflammation in Alzheimer's disease and late-life cognitive decline, called the paper the seminal study on this topic to date. Given what we have seen in other epidemiological studies associating autoimmune and general inflammatory conditions with dementia risk, this has been a question that many people have been wondering about, he said. I study inflammation, and I often have people ask me if their allergies put them at higher risk for dementia, but I was unable to give them a good answer because of the lack of robust evidence. Since allergies and allergic conditions are likelier weaker risk factors, you need a larger population to assess the association, which is one of the key strengths of this study. And the findings seem very consistent across subgroups. Another strength of the study, Dr. Walker noted, is its ability to separate AD and vascular dementia into different subgroups. The causes of these two forms of dementia do have many similarities, but they are distinct in many ways, and this study does suggest that some of the allergic conditions may be more relevant for AD than vascular dementia, for example. This suggests the possibility that allergic conditions might be interacting with some of the molecular factors that are specific to AD, such as amyloid-beta and tau. There are limitations, of course. One important factor is that the study was done in Korea, and so we don't know whether these results apply to other populations in the world and how well it would apply in the US population, which has different genetic composition and different environmental exposures, Dr. Arvanitakis said. It isn't the kind of very large study that we could easily do in the United States because of the differences in our health care systems. We do have large population-based studies, for example, research using the Medicare claims system, but that involves people who are 65 years and older. One strength of the Korean study, she noted, is is that at baseline, people involved were younger (in their 40s). [W]e know that it's important to understand the role of risk factors from midlife into later life, as many of those risk factors carry a burden over many years and are often not just the effect of a single event or exposure, Dr. Arvanitakis said. What Lies Behind the Association? The study raises many more questions, said Tharick Pascoal, MD, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry and neurology at the University of Pittsburgh. At the end of the day, these are phenomenological findings, he said. What are the mechanisms behind this association? He suggested three possible explanations for the association between allergic disease and dementia. First, it is possible that peripheral inflammation associated with a condition such as asthma or allergies can activate microglia and increase inflammation in the brain, leading to dementia, he said. A second possible etiology is the effects of medications. Some studies have suggested that medications associated with these allergic diseases, such as anticholinergic medications, may also play a role in dementia, Dr. Pascoal said. And it's interesting to note that the second-generation medications, which cross the blood-brain barrier less, appeared to be associated with less risk of dementia than the first-generation medications. Finally, Dr. Pascoal speculated that allergic diseases and dementia may have a shared underlying pathology, rather than one disease playing a role in causing another. What is an allergy at the end of the day but a hyper-reaction in the immune system to something that is otherwise not harmful? he asked. It's also hypothesized that dysregulation in the immune system in the brain plays a key role in AD, so perhaps both of these conditions are the result of a hypersensitive immune system. Each of these possible mechanistic explanations has different implications for prevention and management, he said. If inflammation from allergic diseases activates inflammation of the brain, then this could be a modifiable risk factor, and maybe we should treat allergic disease more aggressively to mitigate the risk of dementia in the future, Dr. Pascoal pointed out. But if the association is a result of the medications, then you may be increasing the risk of dementia with more aggressive treatment. And if the association results from a shared feature of the immune system, then this is not modifiableat least not with treating the allergies. This is a very good paper to suggest the right questions to ask next, but now we need more mechanistic studies, including animal model research. Dr. Arvanitakis noted that other studies have looked at ways in which inflammation may affect the brain more indirectly as well. For example, there has been some interesting research done on the relationship between chronic dental conditions, such gum inflammation, over many years and how that could be associated with dementia, and there are questions about whether that's due to the inflammatory processes themselves or the infectious processes, because other research also suggests that chronic infections like HIV could be associated with dementia, she said. More recently, we have seen that other infectious etiologies, such as the virus causing COVID, may have indirect inflammatory effects on the brain as well. In the meantime, Dr. Walker cautioned against alarming patients about the association. Article In Brief An overview of studies suggests climate change may have an impact on the risk for stroke, sleep problems, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, neuroinfectious disease, and even neurodevelopment. But experts say the studies to date are associative and do not reflect a direct cause and effect. Daniel Kondziella, MD, PhD, a neurologist at Rigshospitale University Hospital in Copenhagen, was giving a talk about neuroinfectious diseases at a meeting of the Danish Neurological Society when he described a recent rare case of West Nile Virus in his institution. I had one slide about climate change and how that will become an important issue, said Dr. Kondziella. With rising temperatures, it's probably just a matter of a few years before West Nile will be endemic in Denmark as well. Instead of the physicians in attendance looking worried, however, they seemed amused, he said. I suppose it's an idea they hadn't been thinking of. Unfortunately, it's a serious problem. We neurologists need to get accustomed to climate change being an issue for our patients and our practice. Just how unprepared are neurologists for the looming changes that climate change will bring to the field? When Dr. Kondziella published a systematic review of the subject in 2021, he and his team found 84 studies investigating the relationship between temperature and neurologic disorders, but none were rigorously designed and focused specifically on the effects of rising global temperatures. There are studies comparing stroke admissions during the winter versus during the summer, or during heat waves, he said. But there is no study looking at how many more cases of stroke or other neurological diseases we can expect to see if global temperatures rise by, say, 1.5 degrees Celsius. Climate change will affect stroke, it will affect Parkinson's, it will affect headacheyou name it. Neurologists need a new mindset to become aware of what's coming. Awareness does appear to be dawning. Last September, Neurology and more than a hundred other journals simultaneously published an editorial entitled Call for Emergency Action to Limit Global Temperature Increases, Restore Biodiversity, and Protect Health. I don't think we can see the effects on neurology in isolation from other health impacts, said Jose Merino, MD, FAAN, professor of neurology at Georgetown University and editor-in-chief of Neurology. In addition to rising temperatures, climate change is increasing the number and severity of floods, droughts, hurricanes, forest fires. By 2050, some areas of the world will be uninhabitable. All of that is going to pose a major threat to neurology and medicine more broadly. I dont think we can see the effects on neurology in isolation from other health impacts. In addition to rising temperatures, climate change is increasing the number and severity of floods, droughts, hurricanes, forest fires. By 2050, some areas of the world will be uninhabitable. All of that is going to pose a major threat to neurology and medicine more broadly.DR. JOSE MERINO To address the issue, Neurology Today undertook a reviewby no means exhaustiveof the many ways in which climate change is expected to affect the risks and morbidity of stroke, sleep, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson's disease, neuroinfectious disease, and even neurodevelopment. No one can say whether the changes will amount to a tropical storm or a category 5 hurricane. But as Dr. Kondziella put it: It's better to be prepared when a disaster strikes. Stroke Numerous studies from around the world have established that the fine particulate matter ejected into the atmosphere by vehicles and factories significantly raise the risk of stroke and other neurologic disorders. A 2019 paper out of China, for instance, measured the risk of incident stroke in 15 provinces against their average airborne level of fine particulate matter of 2.5 micrometers or less (PM2.5). Among 117,575 Chinese men and women who had not had a stroke at baseline, those living in one of the regions with the highest quartile for PM2.5 had an odds ratio for stroke of 1.53 (95 percent odds ratio 1.34 to 1.74), ischemic stroke (1.82, 1.55 to 2.14) and hemorrhagic stroke (1.50, 1.16 to 1.93), compared with those living in the lowest quartile. Heat itself also appears to increase the risk of stroke. A systematic review and meta-analysis published this past June in Lancet Planet Health, for instance, reported that for every 1C increase in temperature, the risk of cardiovascular disease-related mortality increased by 2.1 percent, with the highest specific disease risk being for stroke and coronary heart disease. In addition, the paper reported: Heat waves were also significantly associated with a 17 percent increase in risk of mortality and increasing heat wave intensity with an increasing risk (RR 1.067) for low intensity, 1.088 for middle intensity, and 1.189 for high intensity settings. The problem is what's going to happen when it's not just a heat wave, said Dr. Merino, who is an acute stroke specialist. What will the effect be when average temperatures remain elevated for months? It will have impacts on all areas of health. Epilepsy The editorial published last year in Neurology and other journals mentioned an international initiative called Epilepsy Climate Change (EpiCC). The group's first conference, held virtually on November 25, 2021, examined what health care providers, researchers, and the pharmaceutical industry can do to limit the effects of climate change, including rising temperatures on the risks of acquiring epilepsy and on people with existing epilepsy. We know that people with Dravet syndrome, most of whom have mutations in the SCN1A gene that encodes a key brain sodium channel, are very sensitive to ambient temperature, said Sanjay Sisodiya, MD, professor of neurology at University College London's Queen Square Institute of Neurology, where he specializes in epilepsy. Dr. Sisodiya, who helped to organize EpiCC, published a paper last year in the journal Epilepsy & Behavior which reported: Climate change-induced increase in seizure precipitants such as fevers, stress, and sleep deprivation (e.g. as a result of more frequent extreme weather events) or vector-borne infections may trigger or exacerbate seizures, lead to deterioration of seizure control, and affect neurological, cerebrovascular, or cardiovascular comorbidities and risk of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy. In an interview with Neurology Today, he emphasized that much of the data linking temperature to the risk of seizures is, for now, circumstantial. We're gathering data, but there is already enough information to be concerned, Dr. Sisodiya said. We're all going to have to adapt. Multiple Sclerosis In 2020, Turkish researchers published a paper on the effect of air pollution on the risk of MS. The cross-sectional study compared the prevalence of MS among 32,261 people in Eregli, a Turkish city with an iron and steel factory and high levels of air pollution, to 21,963 people in Devrek, a rural city nearby. Crude prevalence was found to be 96.1/100,000 in Eregli and 45.5/100,000 in Devrek, the paper reported. The results of this study indicate a more than double MS prevalence rate in the area home to an iron and steel factory when compared to the rural city. There's a very clear correlation between heat and worsening of symptoms of MS, said Nancy L. Sicotte, MD, FAAN, chair of neurology at Cedars-Sinai, in a recent article on the health system's website. Neuroinfectious Diseases One of the best studied areas of research linking climate change to neurologic disease is on the steady movement of insects carrying arboviruses from tropical environments into areas once considered temperate. For instance, the prime carriers of dengueAedes aegypti and Aedes albopictusare now projected soon to reach northward from South and Central America into the United States. Based on current predictions of greenhouse gas emissions continuing to rise, the geographic distribution of these mosquitos is expected to increase, in some cases substantially, said James Sejvar, MD, FAAN, a neuroepidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This doesn't necessarily equate directly to more dengue, but it does mean there are going to be lots and lots more people at risk for transmission of the virus. Dr. Sejvar is sometimes called upon to travel to the sites of natural disasters where mosquitoes and other disease vectors can proliferate. I've done a number of hurricane responses, including after Katrina, he said. You definitely see areas that are just rife with standing water, where mosquitoes breed, and in those cases, we have seen spikes in mosquito-borne viruses. Arun Venkatesan, MD, PhD, professor of neurology and director of the Johns Hopkins Encephalitis Center, published a paper last year on emerging infectious encephalitides. Climate change, he told Neurology Today, is going to make arthropod-borne diseases more common and to occur over a greater portion of the year. Not just dengue but Powassan virus in North America, Chikungunya virus in Central and South America and tick-borne encephalitis virus in Europe are all likely to spread northward. We know that people with Dravet syndrome, most of whom have mutations in the SCN1A gene that encodes a key brain sodium channel, are very sensitive to ambient temperature.DR. SANJAY SISODIYA Neurologists need to be familiar with the evolving epidemiology of these diseases, techniques for prevention, vaccination guidelines, approaches to diagnostic testing, and clinical manifestations in order to best serve patients, he said. Neurodevelopment Perhaps the most disturbing trend related to climate change is the effects it might have on neurologic development in children. A paper published in September in the journal Environmental Pollution found detrimental changes in white matter microstructures among children aged 9 to 12 years old who had lived in areas with the highest levels of nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter, compared to the lowest, from conception to age 5. The study controlled for potential confounders. It's been shown that these particles cross the blood-brain barrier and the placenta, so there is biological plausibility, said the senior author of the paper, Monica Guxens, MD, MPH, PhD, an associate research professor at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health and the department of child and adolescent psychiatry/psychology at Erasmus Medical Center. These particles come primarily from cars, not just from the exhaust but from the brake lining and tire wear. They carry trace elements such as iron, copper or zinc. The best way to lower such pollutants, she said, is through government regulation. You cannot tell someone to go live somewhere else to protect their child's brains, she said. You can't tell everyone to live far from a busy road. This is a public health problem. But you can say that using public transportation rather than driving a car will reduce the amount of air pollution you produce. If everybody would do that, it would reduce air pollution dramatically. Another study, conducted by Harvard researchers and published in 2015 in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, examined IQ in 8-year-old children based on how close they lived to a major roadway. Those who lived less than 200 meters from such a roadway, the study found, had a nonverbal IQ 7.5 points lower than those living farther away. On the other hand, the study found, Prenatal and childhood exposure to traffic density and PM2.5 did not appear to be associated with poorer cognitive performance. With such discordant results, the authors concluded that living near a major roadway may affect cognitive development. Parkinson's Disease In a June 2021 paper in Environmental Research, Italian researchers proposed that the rising rates of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease (PD) and motor neuron diseases may be due, in part, to rising temperatures. The same group followed up that report with a preprint report posted in August of 2021 looking specifically at PD. They compared the median rates of PD in 25 countries based on their level of warming between 1990 and 2016 and their average temperature. Those countries with higher-than-average climate change and average temperature, the study found, had higher rates of PD. We propose that neurodegeneration derives from oxidative stress caused by neuroinflammation, said a coauthor of both papers, Renata Del Carratore, PhD, a biologist and senior researcher at the Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, in Pisa. The impact of Parkinson's on thermoregulation may make them especially sensitive to the effects of climate warming. Sleep A systematic review published in 2018 found six studies related to the effects of rising temperature on sleep, seven related to extreme weather events, and three related to floods or wildfires. The most common effect, the review found, was diminished and disrupted sleep. Considering the recent devastating effect of Hurricane Ian in western Florida, in which entire neighborhoods were razed to the ground, Dr. Sisodiya said the impact on not just sleep but on epilepsy and other medical conditions is obvious. If you were about to fill a prescription for an antiseizure medication when this hit, you might find your supply is not replenished in time, he said. If you've just been through this terrible event and your house is flooded and you're sleeping in a giant school hall, your sleep will be disrupted, and we know disruption of sleep can be a potent factor in provoking seizures. Given the global scale of climate change, neurologists might wonder what they can do to make a difference. Increased rain in Illinois and Indiana. Less rain in some Nebraska communities. Muggier weather. Changes in winds. Intense irrigation in Nebraska is having a complex effect on the weather, researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln say. Some of the impacts are very discernible, you can feel it on a day-to-day basis. Other impacts may not be noticeable immediately, said Rezaul Mahmood, a professor at the UNL School of Natural Resources and director of the High Plains Regional Climate Center. Irrigation impacts our weather, climate and well-being in many different ways. Scientists have been studying the impact of irrigation on weather for years because of irrigations importance to global food security and the need to understand how its increasing use might change the weather. Irrigated fields produce about 40% of the worlds food, and its use is growing. What have scientists found? The most noticeable, localized effect that irrigation has on the weather is to make an area more humid, Mahmood said. People sense that through muggier and more uncomfortable weather. That humidity also suppresses temperatures, so its harder for hot weather to generate records. Other changes arent discernible by people but can be detected through large-scale scientific studies, analysis of decades of data and sophisticated computer modeling. Its this type of research that has led scientists to conclude that irrigation is changing wind patterns locally and affecting rainfall patterns over a large area. Irrigation in Nebraska appears to have led to slight decreases in rainfall within the most heavily irrigated areas, while potentially causing slight increases in rainfall many hundreds of miles away, Mahmood said. States as far away as Indiana may be seeing slight increases in rain due to irrigation in Nebraska, Mahmood said. While the amount of rain involved is minor, a fraction of an inch over decades, the science is very solid, Mahmood said. Nebraska, it turns out, is the perfect laboratory to study irrigation, Mahmood said. The state leads the U.S. in irrigated land, and the U.S. ranks third globally for amount of irrigated land. In Nebraska, researchers have access to adjacent swaths of cropland that are very different in terms of rainfall patterns and irrigation potential. The water-rich Ogallala Aquifer provides a foundation for widespread irrigation over semi-arid land in central Nebraska. The aquifer doesnt extend farther east to areas where rainfall is more plentiful, so crops in those areas depend upon rain. We can observe the transition from rainfed to irrigated agriculture, he said. Rainfall changes as you go west; one or two counties can make a difference. By its very nature, irrigation leads to artificial conditions. Irrigated soil is wetter than rainfed soil because its watered more regularly. And its watered under hotter weather when the sun is out and temperatures are up. Rain, by its nature, falls on cloudy, cooler days. Using a $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation, researchers from six institutions undertook a massive study of irrigation in Nebraska in 2018, and that study is still bearing fruit. Partnering with UNL were Western Kentucky University, the University of Alabama in Huntsville, the University of Colorado Boulder, the National Center for Atmospheric Research and the Center for Severe Weather Research. Dubbed GRAINEX for the Great Plains Irrigation Experiment, the study placed weather sensing equipment across 3,600 square miles of southeastern Nebraska from Merrick County to Johnson County. Mamood is the principal investigator for the study. Results continue to be studied. Earlier this year, Mahmood and his colleagues published research explaining how irrigation affects wind patterns. That study was published in the March edition of Geophysical Research Letters. Mahmood said irrigation weakens a type of afternoon wind that is important to cloud formation. Its not clear, he said, how much impact the change has on clouds and storms. But the findings point to the importance of Nebraska as a field laboratory for the study of irrigation. For the first time, we have been able to collect this kind of extensive data, and that allowed us to investigate (local) wind circulation, he said. That has not been done before. Studies such as these have wide-ranging implications. Just as water managers understand that aquifers arent limitless supplies of water, they now understand that irrigation is affecting weather. As climate change heats up the Earths atmosphere and more irrigation is undertaken, its possible that the effects of irrigation will become more pronounced. The bottom line is that when you change land use, that impacts the weather and climate of an area, Mahmood said. Planning and adaption, those are things we need to work on. The city's newest high-rise project has taken its first step toward city approval. The Lincoln-Lancaster County Planning Commission on Wednesday unanimously agreed that the proposed 22-story Lincoln Bold building that would be built on the northwest corner of Ninth and P streets conforms to the city-county Comprehensive Plan for land use. The determination, which must be approved by the City Council, is a first step toward a redevelopment between the developers and the city over the use of tax-increment financing. The total cost of the project is estimated at $87 million, including about $23 million of TIF, which allows the developers to use future property taxes the project generates to pay for certain upfront costs. According to plans submitted to the Planning Department, the building would have 36,000 square feet of office space on floors two through five, 70 luxury apartment units on floors seven through 15, and 33 condo units on floors 16 through 21. Amenities planned include a members-only club on the top floor of the building and a host of amenities on the sixth floor for apartment renters that will include a pool, fitness center, co-working suites and a pet wash station, he said. The building would likely supplant the Lied Place Residences at 11th and Q streets as the city's second-tallest building. Developers had planned to push the building close to the 275-foot limit in the zoning code, but because it sits in a flight approach corridor for the Lincoln Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration has limited the height to 254 feet. That would make it slightly taller than Lied Place, which topped out at 253 feet and 6 inches. Hallie Salem of the city's Urban Development Department said the building "will have a dramatic impact on the skyline." The project has already been vetted more than once by the city's Historic Preservation Commission and Urban Design Committee, with the Lincoln-based development group tweaking the design several times to incorporate suggestions. One of the biggest changes was making the base of the building look more like other buildings in the adjacent Haymarket District. Planning Commissioners seemed appreciative of the work that has been done so far and the developers' willingness to be sensitive to the character of the Haymarket next door. "It will be a really dynamic entry from our downtown into The Haymarket," Commissioner Cristy Joy said. The development group includes Executive Travel owner Steve Glenn; his son, Paul; Mike Weatherl, who founded Silverhawk Aviation and now owns a company that provides security and janitorial services; and Alexander Carlson, whose family owns ARYSE, a startup that makes high-tech orthopedic braces. They are hoping to start work on the project in the spring or summer, with construction likely taking two years. Local hospitals are seeing huge patient volumes thanks in large part to an early surge in respiratory illnesses, especially in children. Officials from Bryan Health said they have reached a record number of patients 588 twice in the past few weeks. Though most of those patients are adults, the hospital has been seeing more pediatric cases than usual. Dr. John Trapp, Bryan's chief medical officer, said the hospital system at one point last week had 27 pediatric patients in a unit that only has 17 beds, which required it to expand and put children into adult beds. On Wednesday, Bryan was down to 15 pediatric patients, six of whom were dealing with respiratory syncytial virus cases and another two with COVID-19. RSV has been driving hospitalizations throughout Nebraska, mostly in young children. The Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department on Monday reported 238 confirmed RSV cases in October, nearly four times as many as there were in September. Things are even worse in Douglas County, which on Wednesday reported 852 RSV cases last month. Most of those cases are in young children, who are more likely to have complications and need to be hospitalized. In Lancaster County, 85% of cases have been in kids 5 and younger, with 66% in kids 2 and younger. In Douglas County, 65% of cases have been in kids 5 and younger, and 40% in kids 2 and younger. Dr. Amy Pinkall, a pediatric hospitalist at Bryan, said the hospital has been seeing record numbers of RSV cases, which are occurring much earlier than normal, and the affected children have been sicker than usual. Dr. Jason Kruger, chief medical officer of CHI St. Elizabeth, said earlier this week that its pediatric emergency room has been much busier than usual. Both CHI Health and Bryan have been seeing more pediatric patients than usual and keeping sicker patients in house because of capacity issues at Children's Hospital and Medical Center in Omaha. The Douglas County Health Department said Wednesday that Children's saw 245 patients who had tested positive for RSV in the past seven days, 160 of whom were seen in the emergency department and released in less than 24 hours. The other 85 had to be admitted to the hospital, with 21 of those patients winding up in intensive care. "We are seeing higher volumes than usual for this time of year due to respiratory illnesses that we typically see in the winter," said Meghan Wiedeburg, a spokeswoman for Children's. But she emphasized that the hospital constantly monitors its capacity and needs and communicates often with other hospitals in the region to evaluate the availability of beds "to ensure the child gets the needed care as close to home as possible." Unlike with COVID-19 and influenza, there are no vaccines for RSV and no effective treatments, other than supportive care to help children fight off the illness on their own, which most are able to do. It's important for parents to look for signs of complications such as breathing problems and dehydration and take their child to a doctor's office or emergency room if they are seriously ill. However, Dr. Michael Schooff, a pediatrician with CHI Health in Omaha, said parents should not take children who are mildly ill to the doctor or hospital just to get a test for RSV. The early surge in RSV and rising flu cases have officials at Bryan concerned about hospital capacity in the coming weeks and months. Trapp said the flu season is likely to peak in the next four to six weeks, which also could be the same time Nebraska sees rising COVID-19 cases due to new variants that are currently circulating on the East and West coasts. "This means that our hospital capacity is going to continue to be strained," he said. Trapp said it's important for people to get a flu vaccine as well as a COVID-19 vaccine and/or booster shots if they are eligible. Since it takes a couple of weeks for vaccines to reach full effectiveness, now is a good time to get vaccinated, he said. "You do have time," Trapp said. Maybe it was leftover trick-or-treating energy or maybe it was because Election Day had finally arrived but Tanner Soderberg could sense the excitement. Students in his fourth grade classroom was getting ready to cast their ballots at Lakeview Elementary School, joining thousands of students across Lincoln taking part in Wednesday's student vote ahead of next week's statewide election. "I didn't know if it was a Halloween carryover or the voting," Soderberg said. "I think I saw this year for the first time how involved they wanted to be." The mock election allows students from fourth grade through high school to vote in crucial races, compare results and, most importantly, learn about an important civic duty, said Jaci Kellison, LPS social studies curriculum specialist. "It's always an exciting day," she said. At the elementary level, the student election is tied to curriculum on how to vote and the different types of elected positions and issues that appear on ballots. How the students voted There were 19,698 students who voted in Lincoln Public Schools mock general election Wednesday. Here are the results: Governor * Carol Blood (D): 8,528 (43%) * Jim Pillen (R): 6,631 (34%) * Scott Zimmerman (L): 3,998 (20%) 1st Congressional District * Patty Pansing Brooks (D): 10,221 (52%) * Mike Flood (R): 8,588 (44%) Initiative 432 (Voter ID) * For: 12,062 (61%) * Against: 7,068 (36%) Initiative 433 (Raise minimum wage) * For: 14,316 (73%) * Against: 4,915 (25%) In middle school and high school, students dive into the actual issues at stake, Kellison said, while learning how to become well-informed voters. When a student finally leaves LPS, they'll have hopefully taken part in the mock election held every two years five times, Kellison said. "So then by the time they become of voting age, they have had those multiple exposures to participating in the election process," she said. Students also prepared by watching videos in class beforehand that explained how the mock election compares to real voting, the history of voting rights and what mail-in ballots and polling stations are. At Lakeview in west Lincoln, students and staff created their own polling place in a second-floor classroom complete with red, white and blue voting booths, where fourth graders Azariah Smith, Sena Mohling and Victor Ramirez logged onto their Chromebooks and cast their first-ever ballots. Ramirez and Mohling said they learned about the candidates and issues in class, information they used to guide their decisions. Smith checked boxes that she thought would make her community a better place. "I just thought about people you care for and what you think of them and what they do to make the world happy," Smith said. One of the more exciting parts for students was choosing poll workers who helped their classmates sign in and find an empty booth. Results were posted on LPS's website Wednesday afternoon and broken down by school. At the high school level, students will analyze the results after Tuesday's general election to see how the two compare. Democrats performed well overall. Out of 20,000 votes cast, Carol Blood took 43% of the vote for governor compared to 34% for Jim Pillen. In the House race, Patty Pansing Brooks edged Mike Flood by over 1,500 votes while students were overwhelmingly in favor of raising the minimum wage. Over 60% of students also supported voter ID. Generally, Democrats appeared to perform better at Title I schools, defined as those buildings with 40% or more students enrolled in the free- and reduced-lunch program. Those schools also appeared less in favor of voter ID. But at the end of the day, Wednesday's vote was less about who won and more about the importance of being a good citizen. "I think it's a huge deal," Soderberg said, "and we're trying to kind of show that to kids." INDIANAPOLIS (AP) An Indianapolis doctor who performed an abortion on a 10-year-old rape victim from Ohio is suing Indiana's attorney general, seeking to block him from using allegedly frivolous" consumer complaints to issue subpoenas seeking patients' confidential medical records. The lawsuit targeting Attorney General Todd Rokita was filed Thursday in Marion County on behalf of Dr. Caitlin Bernard, an Indianapolis obstetrician-gynecologist, her medical partner, Dr. Amy Caldwell, and their patients. It alleges that Rokita has issued subpoenas seeking the medical records of patients based on complaints from people who have never been a patient of either Bernard or Caldwell and who lack any personal knowledge of the alleged circumstances giving rise to the complaints." The suit contends that Rokita has completely ignored" a state requirement that his office first determine that consumer complaints have merit" before he can investigate physicians and other licensed professionals and that his conduct violates numerous Indiana statutes." The Attorney General has wholly ignored the General Assemblys fine-tuned structure for handling consumer complaints regarding licensed professionals and has engaged in precisely the type of overbearing, harassing conduct that the General Assembly sought to prohibit," the suit states. Bernard received widespread attention after she gave an interview to The Indianapolis Star about the 10-year-old girl, who traveled to Indiana from Ohio for the abortion after a so-called fetal heartbeat law took effect in Ohio in June after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Such laws ban abortions from the time a fetus cardiac activity can be detected, which is typically around the sixth week of pregnancy. A 27-year-old man was charged in Columbus, Ohio, with raping the girl, confirming the existence of a case that was initially met with skepticism by some news outlets and Republican politicians. After the news of the 10-year-olds abortion broke, Rokita told Fox News he would investigate whether Bernard violated child abuse notification or abortion reporting laws. He also said his office would look into whether anything Bernard said to The Indianapolis Star about the girls case violated federal medical privacy laws. Rokita offered no specific allegations of wrongdoing. Records obtained by The Associated Press and local news outlets show Bernard submitted her report about the girls abortion July 2, which is within Indianas required three-day reporting period for an abortion performed on a girl younger than 16. Bernard's lawsuit asks a court to issue temporary and permanent injunctions to block Rokita from starting or conducting an investigation of a consumer complaint without first making an initial determination that the consumer complaint has merit." It also seeks such injunctions to block him from issuing subpoenas related to an investigation based on a consumer complaint without first making a valid and proper determination that the consumer complaint has merit," and to prevent Rokita from violating confidentiality provisions imposed by law." The suit names as defendants Rokita and Scott Barnhart, the chief counsel of the state attorney general's office and also director of its office of consumer protection. It alleges that the improper conduct" by Rokita and Barnhart threatens patients seeking legal abortions that their most personal and private medical records and health care decisions could be exposed as part of a meritless investigation." Rokitas press secretary, Kelly Stevenson, said Thursday in response to a request for comment on the lawsuit that the attorney generals office investigates thousands of potential licensing, privacy, and other violations a year. A majority of the complaints we receive are, in fact, from nonpatients. Any investigations that arise as a result of potential violations are handled in a uniform manner and narrowly focused, she added in a statement. Bernard's attorney, Kathleen DeLaney, signaled in a July court filing that she planned to sue Rokita. That tort claim notice was filed just days after DeLaney sent a cease and desist letter asking Rokita to stop spreading false or misleading information about Bernard. The underdogs are fighting with determination and valor and may ultimately win this battle defending their homeland in Ukraine, Sen. Tom Brewer of Gordon said Wednesday in a cellphone call he initiated after returning from a day of humanitarian missions to small towns and the countryside. Brewer, a retired U.S. Army colonel who was seriously wounded in Afghanistan, said Russian casualties are mounting and he sees absolutely no quit in Ukrainians despite the rising death toll and the destruction that have ravaged their land. "I think the Ukrainians will ultimately prevail," he said. Russian soldiers and missiles are "mass murdering the people" of Ukraine, he said, "but Ukrainians know their world will never be the same" if they don't resist and ultimately defeat the invaders. "And had they not made such a stand," Brewer said, "we'd be putting Americans in body bags." With military assistance from the United States and NATO countries, the Ukrainian people are defending their own land, he said. Brewer had just returned from a daylong trip that included attending to mass graves in the countryside, part of a humanitarian mission that also provides Ukrainians with small stoves and tiny pre-fab homes to keep them warm this winter, along with food and e-Bibles. "Something big is brewing; I've never seen it like this," he emailed along the way back. "I'm trapped in a convoy of hundreds of military vehicles headed for the battle at Kherson," he added later. "Never, even in the American Army, have I seen convoys of vehicles that long." Kherson provides vital access to the Black Sea and Crimea, opening a path to Ukraine's southern coastline. Cruise missile and artillery attacks have shadowed Brewer on his second trip to Ukraine. There has been time in crowded bunkers. "If no one comes here, no one tells your story," Brewer said. "The Russians have way underestimated the Ukrainians." Russian casualties have been huge and that may begin to move public opinion back home, he said. "Wounded soldiers are going home," he said. "Russians are starting to get the truth. There's a reason they leave Russian soldiers dead on the battlefield." The Russian army "has not performed well at all," Brewer said. "But they are doing everything they can to make life horrible for the Ukrainians. They are mass murdering the Ukrainian people." Brewer said "this trip definitely has been so much harder emotionally" than his earlier journey to Ukraine in August. He has "tasted the war" while attempting to help the people of Ukraine, he said. Now, he will return to Nebraska to cast his vote in next Tuesday's general election, he said. "Back to a place where you don't need to worry about a rocket hitting you." GRAND ISLAND G.I. Pride submitted a proclamation to the City of Grand Island in August recognizing the groups annual community event and showing support for Grand Islands LGBTQ+ members. But Mayor Roger Steele didn't acknowledge the proclamation. The proclamation, written by G.I. Pride, was sent to the city Aug. 12. It talked about basically making Grand Island a safe space for LGBTQ individuals, said Chrissy Brooks, G.I. Pride event organizer. It was basically just asking the mayor to recognize our event, to recognize the pride event, recognize that there are LGBTQ people in the community, and that our community is a safe place for them. City Clerk RaNae Edwards confirmed to the Independent that the proclamation was submitted to the city and forwarded to Mayor Steele, who chose not to take action on it. Mayor Steele did not respond to a request from the Independent for comment. G.I. Pride held its annual event Sept. 10 at Grand Islands Grace Abbott Park. With elections coming up, I think its very important for the LGBTQ community, who will be voting in our upcoming election for our mayor, to know that Mayor Steele does not support you, said Brooks. He does not support the LGBTQ community, and he did not want to sign a proclamation for us recognizing our event. She added, That was very disappointing. The proclamation, as submitted by G.I. Pride, reads: Whereas, our nation was founded on the principles equality before the law and the pursuit of happiness, but the fulfillment of these promises have been long in coming for many Americans. Some of the most inspiring moments in our history have arisen from the various civil rights movements that have brought one group after another from the margins to the mainstream of American society; Whereas, in the movement toward equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, an historic turning point occurred on June 28, 1969, in New York City, with the onset of the Stonewall Riots. During these riots, LGBT citizens rose up and fought against the discriminatory criminal laws that have since been declared unconstitutional; Whereas, LGBT pride celebrations have taken place around the country every June to commemorate the beginning of the Stonewall Riots; June is celebrated as LGBT Pride Month nationwide; Whereas, Grand Island celebrates pride the second Saturday in September; Whereas, Grand Island has a diverse LGBT community that includes people of all ethnicities, religions and professions; Whereas, everyone should be able to live without fear of prejudice, discrimination, violence and hatred based race, religion, gender identity or sexual orientation. ... It is important for a city to show support for its LGBTQ members, said G.I. Pride member Raul Arcos Hawkins. We want that equality. Were not asking for any other rights than anybody else has, but I think its important to showcase also why its important to be represented, he said. To us, it was important for him, as a city official, just to acknowledge it. He didnt even acknowledge it. We had previously asked the year before and we also didnt get it. Hawkins is disappointed that Steele will not work with the group. I had previously worked with the mayor and he always seemed very welcoming, he said. Even if he would have just signed the proclamation, we didnt specifically ask him to be there, I think that would have been recognition enough, that he also represents the LGBTQ community in the city. Thats all we wanted. Brooks, as a Grand Island resident and parent of LGBTQ kids, shares this disappointment. I was sad and a little angry that the mayor, who was elected to represent the people of Grand Island, did not feel it was necessary to recognize our event, which is inclusive of all the people in Grand Island, she said. Some hostility toward LGBTQ+ people does exist in Grand Island, Brooks said. It depends on who youre talking to and where youre going, but I think there are still quite a few LGBTQ individuals in our community that do not feel safe here, that do not feel welcome here, she said. G.I. Pride and Grand Island PFLAG (Parents & Friends of Lesbians & Gays) are working to change this perception. As part of the pride committee and as president of PFLAG, I do my best to make our community as open and welcoming and accepting of people, regardless of their sexual identity and their gender identity, Brooks said. Unfortunately, with all that went down with the newspaper at Grand Island Northwest, we have a long way to go still. Northwest Public Schools administrators eliminated Northwest High's journalism program in June after the student newspaper, the Saga, published its school-year-ending issue, which included student editorials on LGBTQ topics, along with a news article titled, Pride and prejudice: LGBTQIA+ on the origins of Pride Month and the history of homophobia. G.I. Pride will submit its proclamation to the city again next year, Brooks said. Mujtaba Karimi got lucky, in a way: An American soldier helped him get a seat on the first refugee flight out of Afghanistan last year as the country collapsed around him. In the fallen government of President Ashraf Ghani, Karimi, 27, was an assistant working on issues of health and empowerment. Suddenly he was alone, penniless, seeking asylum in the United States. He had never heard of Nebraska until just before he moved here. When I looked it up, what I could find is corn, he said with a laugh. After a stint loading trucks for Walmart, he now works for a resettlement agency in Omaha, helping refugees like himself find their way in a new country. On Tuesday, Karimi was one of about 100 people including dozens of Afghan refugees attending a public briefing by Thomas West, the U.S. State Departments special representative for Afghanistan, at the University of Nebraska at Omahas student center. UNOs Center for Afghanistan Studies sponsored Wests visit, which was moderated by its director, Sher Jan Ahmadzai. This center has been in existence for 50 years. Its a premier center of learning and study in the U.S., West said. We view UNO as a partner. West painted a grim picture of life in the country where U.S. service members fought for 20 years to build democracy, until it fell to fundamentalist Taliban forces about 15 months ago. West said 97% of its 38 million residents are now living in poverty. Half of them need life-saving food assistance to prevent starvation. Girls are barred from school, and women are barred from work. Forced marriages are increasing. The scale of what were seeing is devastating, West said. At the same time, he added, the world has provided $4.4 billion in aid for the Afghan people, one-fourth of that from the United States. For many Americans, the plight of Afghanistan has faded. But the U.S. government, West said, continues ongoing and robust engagement with the Taliban government. He said the Taliban seeks international acceptance. It wants to reopen embassies around the world, and rejoin the United Nations, and get relief from crushing international sanctions. To salvage its economy, the country needs to regain access to the worldwide banking system. I dont think the Taliban has earned any of this, West said. Most of the rest of the world has not moved on any of these issues. He said the Talibans awful human rights record and its continued tolerance of terrorists in Afghanistan stands in the way. West stressed the need for the Afghan people to stand up to the Taliban and insist on their rights though not with armed resistance. He said there will not be a return of Western military forces. The group of people who have the most leverage over the Taliban are Afghans, he said. Ahmadzai acknowledged that 90,000 Afghans with ties to the U.S. and its coalition partners have been evacuated. But he pressed the diplomat as to what the U.S. is doing to help tens of thousands of allies who remain stranded. That includes the employees of the Center for Afghanistan Studies Kabul office, which for years was involved in training Afghan women to teach in girls schools. My colleagues are still stuck there, Ahmadzai said. West agreed that the delays are frustrating. He said the U.S. and its allies will continue to bring in as many as possible. Afghans are not being relocated quite at the clip we would like, he said, but efforts will continue. Wests job means personally negotiating with the Taliban, and he believes the effort has been worthwhile. He said the effort has helped humanitarian aid get into Afghanistan, and helped avoid a shutdown of health services in several provinces. Its important to be clear-eyed and honest about what 15 months of engagement has produced, West said. So far, we have judged a policy of engagement versus isolation as one that can help us. Karimi said he hopes to make a home in Nebraska, but he would like to have his family with him. His parents, a brother and a sister gained refugee status in Canada. Two other siblings are in Turkey and one in Indonesia. We had a good life in Afghanistan. We are the result of the U.S. investment, Karimi said. I hope we will create a better world. 1. Yes. Using marijuana odor to determine probable cause is vital to police investigations. 2. Yes. As the ordinance is written, it targets police; that shouldnt be allowed to stand. 3. No. The council should leave the ordinance alone and respect the will of the voters. 4. No. The council should repeal the ordinance altogether. It conflicts with state law. 5. Unsure. Its hard to say how the council should proceed on addressing the ordinance. Vote View Results ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. President Joe Biden's travel schedule before Tuesday's midterm elections reveals his defensive stance in the campaign's closing days: He's spending the bulk of his time trying to hang on to seats that his party already holds. Biden kicked off a four-state, three-day campaign swing on Thursday to support Democrats in competitive races in solidly blue California, Illinois and New Mexico as well as battleground Pennsylvania, where Biden has deep roots. His first stop was Albuquerque, where he spoke about his student debt relief program by calling it "a game changer for so many people." Almost 26 million people have applied for loan forgiveness, up 4 million from two weeks ago. About 16 million applications are expected to be approved by the week's end, but no debt can be forgiven until a legal fight over the program is resolved. "Republican members of Congress and Republican governors are doing everything they can, including taking us to court, to deny relief, even to their own constituents," Biden said. His itinerary illustrates the limited political clout of a president who has been held at arm's length by most Democrats in tough races this cycle. The president's party typically faces significant losses during midterm elections. Since 1934, only Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1934, Bill Clinton in 1998, and George W. Bush in 2002 saw their parties gain seats in the midterms. Some recent presidents saw big losses in their first midterm races. Republicans under Donald Trump lost 40 House seats but gained two Senate seats in 2018; Democrats under Barack Obama lost 63 House seats and six Senate seats in 2010, and Democrats under Clinton lost 52 House seats and eight Senate seats in 1994. The decision to deploy Biden to areas where he won handily in 2020 was made in part because of concern about voter energy in races that Democrats view as must-win. Party officials are also concerned about some candidates who have seen their races tighten in the final days of the campaign. In New Mexico, a state Biden won by almost 11 percentage points in 2020, he held the Albuquerque rally for Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who is facing a Republican challenge from former TV meteorologist Mark Ronchetti. Fundraising by Ronchetti's campaign surged amid visits from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin. Ronchetti also received a social media endorsement from Trump despite his acknowledgment that Biden won in 2020. Later Thursday, Biden was scheduled to join Rep. Mike Levin for a get-out-the vote event at a community college in Oceanside, California. Levin represents a district with a slight Democratic tilt that cuts through San Diego and Orange counties and that Biden carried by double digits in the 2020 presidential election. Biden is to spend part of Friday and Saturday in the Chicago area, where two-term incumbent Rep. Sean Casten is facing a stiff challenge from Republican Keith Pekau as he tries to hang on to a suburban district that Biden won by a double-digit percentage in 2020. The White House has yet to announce Biden's plans for his time in Chicago. The Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC aligned with House Republican leaders, this week announced an $1.8 million ad buy to assist Pekau, the mayor of south suburban Orland Park. Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California, the House minority leader, is due to campaign with Pekau in the district on Friday. Casten's campaign, in a fundraising email Wednesday, called the crush of super PAC money a "last-ditch effort to buy this seat" and implored his supporters to send him contributions for the campaign's final stretch. The president on Saturday will head to Pennsylvania to campaign with Obama for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Josh Shapiro and Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman. Pennsylvania Democrats are trying to keep control of the governor's office, which is being vacated by Tom Wolf as he finishes his second term. Fetterman is locked in a tight race with Republican Mehmet Oz, vying for the seat being vacated by the retiring Republican Sen. Pat Toomey. KEARNEY The American Red Cross reminds the public to test their smoke detectors when they turn their clocks back one hour at 2 a.m. Sunday as daylight saving time ends. People who are unable to change the batteries in their smoke detectors can call the Kearney Volunteer Fire Department at 308-233-3226 for assistance, but they must provide their own batteries. Smoke alarms should be installed on every level of your home, including bedrooms. Smoke alarms that are 10 years old should be replaced. Also, families should create their home fire escape plan. Make sure everyone in your household can get out in less than two minutes. Include at least two ways to get out of every room and select a meeting spot at a safe distance away from your home, such as a neighbors home or a tree where everyone can meet. Home fires claim more lives in a typical year than all natural disasters combined, but working smoke alarms can cut the risk of dying in a home fire by half, said Josh Murray, spokesperson for the American Red Cross Serving Nebraska. Over the past year, local Red Cross volunteers helped nearly 1,500 people in Nebraska affected by almost 500 home fires. With only five days until the midterm election, Democrats on the ballot have been stopping in La Crosse. Their message: Get out and vote for Democrats to represent western Wisconsin values and to protect the rights of all people. On Thursday morning, Brad Pfaff, candidate for the 3rd Congressional District, was joined by Rep. Ron Kind, who has served the 3rd District for 26 years. They addressed their constituents outside of the La Crosse County Courthouse and Law Enforcement Center. Pfaff, a state senator and farmer who has lived in the area his whole life, said our very way of life is at stake on the ballot and called for bringing western Wisconsin values back to Congress. Its the immediate willingness to help your neighbor during times of need, but also to be there for your neighbor during good times, Pfaff said. Its the profound love of our beautiful and unique environment. Its putting people before politics, putting in a fair days work and getting a fair days pay. And its about being patriotic and loving your country. Thats western Wisconsin values. Kind, who announced his retirement from the Congressional seat last August, urged people to go to the polls early. He said that the Democratic Party cares about Social Security, health care, safe communities and having a plan to relieve the rising cost of goods. If anyone is wrestling with the choice for Congress this year, go with the local guy, Kind said. Go with the kid that was born and raised here and grew up on the family farm, who cares about the district and cares about our community, who will always put people over politics every time. The La Crosse area has been a popular stop this week leading to the Nov. 8 election. On Wednesday, Sen. Ron Johnson and Republican candidates, including Derrick Van Orden for Congress, pulled up in a bus in Onalaska. I can help make things better, Johnson said. I think I can help unify and heal this nation. So in the end, I couldnt turn my back on America. Earlier Wednesday, the Republican group stopped in Chippewa Falls. Republicans around the nation are galvanized, Van Orden said at that visit. On Tuesday, nearly all the Democrats up and down the ballot gathered in support of Gov. Tony Evers campaign stop at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Many students and older folks showed up for the rally. Both Pfaff and Rep. Jill Billings spoke about how critical the election is for young people and the future of their rights. Candidates asked voters to vote Democratic down the ballot. Evers was joined by lieutenant governor candidate Sara Rodriguez. The two arrived on a school bus. Evers answered questions about the states budget surplus and promised to provide shared revenue for local governments. Were going to be giving some of it back to the citizens of Wisconsin in various ways, Evers said about the surplus. Lowering income tax and middle class taxpayers, but also investing in our schools like our University of Wisconsin System. Across the board, Democratic candidates have expressed concern over the polarization that exists and have promised to work in a bipartisan manner whether its at the local, state or federal level. My biggest concern about the state of affairs in our country right now is the intense polarization and how tribal people have gotten, Kind said. Theyve chosen sides and they view the other side as the enemy, not just to honestly debate and disagree with but to destroy. That is not healthy for democracy. Thats why its so important we send representatives who worked hard through the years to find common ground work in a bipartisan fashion. Thats what Brad Pfaff has been about his entire life, Kind concluded. DETROIT (AP) The FBI has arrested two alleged members of the far-right anti-government group the Boogaloo Boys, with authorities increasingly concerned about the potential for violence in the leadup to next week's midterm elections. Timothy Teagan appeared Wednesday in federal court in Detroit on charges of being a drug user in possession of firearms and ammunition, and giving a false statement in connection with the acquisition of a firearm, according to an unsealed federal complaint. Meanwhile, the FBI said in a criminal complaint filed Monday that there was enough evidence to charge Aron McKillips, of Sandusky, Ohio, with illegal possession of a machine gun and the interstate communication of threats. It says McKillips is a member of the Boogaloo Boys and is believed to be in a paramilitary group called the Sons of Liberty. The timing of the law enforcement action is notable in part because it comes just days before the midterm elections. After the FBI searched his home last month, Teagan told documentarian Ford Fischer that federal agents questioned him specifically about potential violence being planned ahead of the election. They were very, very particular about questions involving anything going on with the election, he said. They were asking if I knew of any violent plans or any violent tendencies that could come forth about the election. They were asking if we had any plans to go to polls armed. Election workers have increasingly been targeted by threats and harassment since the 2020 election, and its gotten worse in recent weeks five people have already been charged with intimidation. Nationally, elections officials are concerned about a flood of conspiracy theorists signing up to work as poll watchers, with some groups that have trafficked in lies about the 2020 election recruiting and training watchers. The arrest of the suspected Boogaloo Boys members was reminiscent of a similar move by police in Washington, D.C., who arrested the leader of the Proud Boys just days before the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, as lawmakers were certifying Joe Bidens win. Members of the far-right group, along with leaders in another extremist group, the Oath Keepers, were later charged with seditious conspiracy. The risk of fragmented far-right movements that promote civil division, anti-authority violence tend to escalate around elections, said Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino. Hate crime and extremist plotting that rose in 2008, 2016 and 2018 correlated to conflictual elections, and this year election related invective appears to be rising, Levin added. Part of the timing of various arrests could be related to the escalated risk during this time as well as the authorities hitting a threshold of evidence where they could bring charges. McKillips' lawyer, Neil McElroy, said via email Wednesday that McKillips was taken into custody and that he has asked for McKillips to be released pending a Nov. 9 detention hearing in Toledo, Ohio. In the criminal complaint against McKillips, the FBI alleges he made multiple online threats, including one to kill a police officer and another to kill anyone he determined to be a federal informant. The FBI contends McKillips provided other members of the Boogaloo Boys equipment to convert rifles into machine guns, as on a trip to Lansing, Michigan, in April 2021. I literally handed out machine guns in Michigan, McKillips said in a recording, the complaint states. In September 2021, he said in a private chat group, Aint Got a federal badge off a corpse yet, so my time here aint near done yet lol, according to the complaint. In May of this year, McKillips and another user in the Signal messaging system threatened to kill a different Signal user in the belief the person was a federal informant who worked for the FBI or Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the complaint says. And in July, McKillips threatened in a Signal chat group that he would smoke a hog, meaning kill a police officer, if conditions worsened following a fatal police shooting in Akron, it says. McKillips frequently advocated violence against police, federal agents, government buildings, big box stores like Walmart and Target, and threatened to blow up Facebooks headquarters, the criminal complaint says. During Teagan's hearing Wednesday, a federal magistrate ordered him held pending a Friday detention hearing. Dressed in colorful Hawaiian-style shirt a uniform of sorts for adherents to the so-called boogaloo movement, which espouses that a second U.S. civil war is coming Teagan told the court that he might seek to retain his own attorney. Police in the Detroit suburb of Plymouth arrested Teagan on Oct. 25 and charged him with assault and battery in an attack on his father. FBI agents searching his room at his father's Plymouth home four days later found body armor, boogaloo movement flags and patches, and gas masks, according to the criminal complaint. They also seized a handgun from his brother's vehicle. According to the complaint, Teagan submitted an ATF form on July 17 for the purchase of a firearm and certified that he did not use controlled substances. But on Oct. 27, agents seized packages of what appeared to be marijuana, bongs and other drug paraphernalia from Teagan's room. His brother, Christopher Teagan, told an FBI agent on the Joint Terrorism Task Force that he brought Timothy Teagan a ton of weed following his brother's release on the assault charge, the complaint states. Teagan was among a dozen or so people who openly carried guns while demonstrating in January 2021 outside of the Michigan Capitol in Lansing. Some promoted the boogaloo movement. Teagan told reporters at the time that the demonstration's purpose was to urge a message of peace and unity to the left and right." Some boogaloo promoters insist they arent genuinely advocating for violence. But the movement has been linked to a string of domestic terrorism plots. Christopher Teagan, 24, told The Associated Press following Wednesdays hearing that his brother, through his association with the boogaloo movement, has never been involved in anything of any type of violent nature. Hes just been to protests, he said outside the courtroom. I think (the FBI) will go after him unjustly or harsher because of his association with the group. The federal governments actions could reflect different people in the boogaloo movement "getting closer to violence, said Javed Ali, an associate professor at the University of Michigan and a former senior U.S. government counterterrorism official. Maybe this is part of a more nationwide effort to finally start arresting and disrupting people whove moved beyond the phase of being angry, Ali said. Such arrests can put individuals who may not have had previous serious charges into a system of accountability, said Cliff Lampe, professor of information and a specialist in online interactions around extremist groups at the University of Michigan. Sometimes, law enforcement in all areas, city through federal, will bring charges in order to bring a person closer to law enforcement to observe them," Lampe said. Timothy Teagan's arrest came just days after three members of a paramilitary group were convicted of supplying material support for a terrorist act over a plot to kidnap Michigan's Democratic governor, Gretchen Whitmer. Prosecutors argued the defendants supported the boogaloo movement. In August, Steven Carrillo, an Air Force sergeant who officials say is associated with the boogaloo movement, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in the killing of a Northern California sheriffs sergeant. In June, Carrillo was sentenced to 41 years in prison for killing a federal security agent in Oakland. Welsh-Huggins reported from Columbus, Ohio. The U.S. is imposing sanctions on firms and entities accused of being involved in the transfer of Iranian drones to Russia for use in Vladimir Putins ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The penalties and diplomatic restrictions come as part of the most recent effort by the United States to disrupt Russias military supply chain and procurement network. They also cut at the growing relationship between Russia and Iran, two politically and economically isolated nations. The Treasury Department is sanctioning a company that the U.S. says designs and produces drones used by Russian forces in Ukraine as well as several firms that are said to facilitate the transfer of Iranian drones to Russia. RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) A recent shooting at the Hickory, North Carolina, residence of GOP congressional candidate Pat Harrigan's parents and young children caused no injuries but placed tremendous stress on the family in the final weeks of his campaign, Harrigan's mother said Thursday. Harrigan, a firearms manufacturer and U.S. Army Special Forces veteran, is running against Democratic state Sen. Jeff Jackson for an open U.S. House seat in North Carolina's new 14th District based in western Charlotte. The left-leaning district emerged from a lengthy redistricting battle during which North Carolina redrew its congressional map to account for the additional seat it was awarded following the 2020 census. Political analysts say the 2022 map favors Republicans in seven of the states 14 districts and favors Democrats in six, with one toss-up district in the Raleigh suburbs. Marla Harrigan, 74, told The Associated Press on Thursday that she and her husband James Harrigan were watching television down the hall when a bullet shattered their laundry room window on the night of Oct. 18. The Hickory Police Department responded to their 911 call and noted in the police report that the incident involved a firearm. The congressional candidate's children, ages 3 and 5, were asleep in the bedroom directly above the room where the shooting occurred, Marla Harrigan said. The bullet came from a densely wooded area and did not wake the kids. She said the two children have been living with their grandparents in Hickory, about 57 miles northwest of Charlotte, for much of the campaign cycle. They have since been relocated out of state out of an abundance of caution after the shooting," she said, adding that her son is urging his parents to leave town as well. It's just disconcerting, especially with the children there," Marla Harrigan told the AP. This campaign is so stressful, and we feel so badly for our son because, you know, he's terribly stressed about his children ... and now they're gone, they're not with their parents and it's just very, very disruptive." Hickory Police Department spokesperson Kristen Hart said the department has not made arrests related to the incident and that the investigation is ongoing. Jordan Shaw, spokesperson for the Harrigan campaign, said the Republican candidate has also received numerous death threats, which they've submitted to the police to aid their investigation. Im focused on fixing the economy, lowering prices and keeping our streets safe, Harrigan said in a statement Thursday. And itll take more than a bullet and death threats to knock this Green Beret off that mission. Hannah Schoenbaum is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow her on Twitter at @H_Schoenbaum. Follow APs election coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections Check out https://apnews.com/hub/explaining-the-elections to learn more about the issues and factors at play in the 2022 midterm elections. Republican Attorney General candidate Eric Toney has repeatedly said that there is a systemic staffing problem at the Wisconsin Department of Justices Division of Criminal Investigation, the states top law enforcement outfit. Hes used the claim in an attempt to paint Democratic incumbent Josh Kaul as inept at overseeing public safety at a time of heightened public concern over rising violent crime. Toney, the Fond du Lac County district attorney, has frequently cited a figure of 88 out of 113 vacant DCI special agent positions, saying Kaul had effectively defunded the agency. Toney attributes those figures to comments he heard second-hand from DCIs administrator at a law enforcement conference earlier this year. But when DOJ released special agent staffing data last month, it showed a shortage of seven people, with 83 out of 90 positions filled, as of early July. Those figures put DCI special agent staffing at its lowest level since 2016. Year over year, though, Kauls tenure as attorney general had overall higher staffing levels than his predecessor, Republican Brad Schimel. DCI also had more authorized positions, not fewer, under Kaul. Even so, Toney continues to cite the 88 out of 113 figure, although hes moved away from calling them special agent vacancies and now calls them DCI posts. He knows the facts and what hes saying is false, Kaul said during a debate between the two candidates last week. To settle the issue, Toney has called on DOJ to release a detailed staffing chart showing which DCI positions are vacant. A copy of that chart, obtained by the Wisconsin State Journal through an open records request, shows that 80 of 90 authorized special agent posts were filled as of Sept. 1. Two of those are not actually vacancies but someone being trained by their predecessor, putting it in line with the previously released data, said DOJ spokesperson Gillian Drummond. In addition, four out of 12 special agent-in-charge posts were empty as of September. Those positions werent a part of the data DOJ released last month. They include the Madison and Wausau field offices, the Human Trafficking Unit and the State Fire Marshals Office. The former employees in the later three were recently promoted and all of those positions are temporarily being filled by agents in an interim capacity, Drummond said. Kaul did not respond this week to questions about DCI staffing, but campaign spokesperson Joe Oslund said Toney is clearly willing to say anything he thinks will help him win this election. Wisconsinites deserve an Attorney General who tells the truth, not one who spreads falsehoods for attempted political gain, Oslund said. Kaul has said DCI is in the process of hiring a 12-member class of agents to fill the empty positions and others that will be left open by retirements and promotions. If director posts and other supervisors are included with special agents, that produces a total number of 113 positions, which is Toneys figure. But among that larger group, the number of filled positions is also higher anyway: 98 out of 113. (In practice, 100 of those 113 positions are filled, as two of them are staff training their replacements.) It also leaves out dozens of analysts, victim services specialists and other posts at DCI, which are generally well staffed. Toney did not return a request for comment either. The staffing chart does underscore one of the points Toney has made during the campaign about how vacancies affect some parts of DCI more than others. The Eau Claire Field Office, for example, had two of its four special agent posts vacant, a figure Toney has repeatedly attributed to local law enforcement from Eau Claire. However, the Milwaukee and Appleton Field Offices, the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and Human Trafficking Unit had their special agent posts fully staffed. So whats the rest of the story? Staffing at DOJ, a 700-person agency, fluctuates. Kaul had more DCI posts funded and better staffing than his predecessor, with the current number of vacancies not materializing until this year. The release of the organizational chart, as Toney has demanded, only shows the additional special agent in-charge vacancies and is generally in line with the data DOJ released last month. Habitat for Humanity Habitat for Humanity strives to build and renovate safe, decent homes that it sells to low-income families through low-interest mortgages. To qualify, families may not earn more than 60% of the local median income, or $62,280 for a family of three, and must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents who demonstrate a need for housing as well as the ability to make mortgage payments. Visit go.madison.com/habitat-for-humanity to learn more or apply for housing. At dinner in Baltimores Little Italy, where Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi grew up, someone expressed shock and disgust at the attack on Pelosis husband at the couples home in San Francisco. I shared the disgust, but not so much the shock. Everyone at the table had been alive at the time of the assassination of John F. Kennedy (Nov. 22, 1963). We remember the murders of Martin Luther King Jr., Bobby Kennedy and John Lennon, the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan. The shocks of history should have made us a less violent country. Instead, weve become more so. Weve had thousands of mass shootings by now and, in Baltimore, almost daily homicides over the last seven years. Supporters of Donald Trump turned into a violent mob that invaded the Capitol to stop the congressional certification of Joe Bidens election. Why is anyone shocked that someone came looking for Nancy Pelosi in the middle of the night? The Institute for Economics and Peace, an international think tank that tracks violence around the world, publishes an annual list of the most peaceful countries and territories. Last year the United States ranked 122nd out of 163. And if its not real violence that infests our culture, we get a steady offering of cinematic violence. I watched the new adaptation of Erich Maria Remarques All Quiet On The Western Front on Netflix and realized, during a hand-to-hand combat scene when un soldat francais takes a shovel to the face, that I can no longer stomach visions of the war to end all wars. I no longer wish to contemplate the muddy, bloody patch of Western history between 1914 and 1918, an international killing spree that left 13 million dead. Starting with Barbara Tuckmans book, The Guns of August, I was for many years fascinated by the hideous, attritional facts of World War I. I was awed that kings, dukes and generals, well after the invention of the Maxim gun, still sent men into battle the Old World Way an infantry charge across the cratered meadows of France into the flesh-ripping teeth of industrial killing machines. And for what reason? Alliances. Ancient hatreds. Egos. Profits. The most nightmarish fact from the Great War: All sides on the Western Front suffered 10,944 casualties in the hours between the time the armistice was signed (5:10 a.m.) and 11 a.m. on Nov. 11, 1918, the agreed-on moment of cease-fire. Of that number, 2,738 were killed. One minute before the cease-fire, bullets from a German machine gun hit Henry Gunther of Baltimore. Gunther was the last man to die in the war, a fact established by James M. Cain, then an Army private, correspondent for The Baltimore Sun and future novelist. The Netflix adaptation of All Quiet deals with the fact that so many were killed or wounded after Germany had already surrendered. That gives this German-produced film an additional layer of irony, except that its hardly needed. By that late stage of the movie, youre covered in the gaseous fumes of irony about World War I. As an admirer of certain war movies 1917, directed by Sam Mendes, was a tour de force as was Steven Spielbergs 1998 film, Saving Private Ryan Ive become less convinced I need to see them. I felt that way from the opening moments of the new All Quiet. Producers of movies sell violence in several genres true crime, fictional crime, war, horror, Westerns because they profit from it. American audiences, in particular, eat it up. What I have always found simultaneously interesting and disturbing is that, with real violence all around us all the time 400 million guns, hate crimes, mass shootings, school shootings, political violence we seek to be entertained by violence. Well watch a show about homicidal drug gangs and praise it endlessly as a work of art when, just miles away, people are being gunned down in the streets. That speaks to a real disconnect, even a lack of empathy for real suffering and loss. So I have parted ways from most violent movies and streamed series. The suggestion that violent cinema or video games have a desensitizing effect gets quickly dismissed, usually by the producers of those enterprises and those who subscribe to them. But, while watching a muddy German soldier shoot the brains out of a French soldier in the new All Quiet, I had to ask myself: Why are you watching this? Why did someone remake this movie, and remake it on such a grand and ghoulish scale? To declare that war is hell? Dont we know that from watching Russians murdering Ukrainians? Dont we know that from a century of war, from graveyards of white stone? History should have made us a less violent country by now. Instead, we seem to be constantly surrendering to it, as if inevitable. A test of a good country is its ability to be shocked, recover and act. I fear weve lost that. Bishop Robert Barron has announced that, thanks to the generosity of an anonymous benefactor, the Diocese of Winona-Rochester plans to build a new Pastoral Center in Rochester. The diocese recognizes that Rochester has grown to become the dioceses most populous city, and the third largest city in Minnesota. The population living in the area between Rochester and Mankato now comprises over 65% of Catholics in the diocese. In 2018, St. John the Evangelist Parish in Rochester was elevated to the status of a co-cathedral. Now, it has become apparent that the diocese would be better-served by relocating the Pastoral Center to the city of Rochester. Bishop Barron commented, without the tremendous generosity of the donor, this could not have been possible. Clearly a gift of this magnitude helps us to move forward in our mission of spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Southern Minnesota. My heart is filled with gratitude. Moving the Pastoral Center to Rochester places the Bishops office closer to the population center of the Diocese allowing for a renewed focus on evangelization, the true work of the Catholic Church entrusted to us by Jesus Christ. The Diocese hopes to have completed the building of the Pastoral Center and be moved in by May 2024. A press conference will be held Thursday at 9:30 a.m. at the Co-Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Rochester and will also be available via live-stream on the Diocesan website (www.dowr.org). The Diocese of Winona-Rochester serves the 20 southernmost counties of Minnesota with more than 130,000 Catholics and 99 parishes, four high schools, 30 elementary schools and the Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary on the campus of St. Marys University in Winona. Returned at long last with much anticipation, the Fontana Elementary School Parent-Teacher-Student Organization held its popular annual Fall Fun Fest for the first time since 2019 on Thursday, Oct. 27. A PTSO tradition at Grades 4K-8 Fontana Elementary School for more than 25 years, Fall Fun Fest was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the global COVID-pandemic. Fontana Elementary also offers a Falcon Early Childhood Center day care program service 40 area children ages 6 weeks to 3 years. Fontana PTSO President Margaret Labus, a Fontana Elementary School alumnus and district parent, estimated the 2022 Fall Fun Fest crowd at approximately 500 attendees, up from the typical crowd of around 350. Labus credited the attendance increase to two years of pent-up demand, noting the event was coming back with force. It went really well, she said of the 2022 Fall Fun Fest. We had a lot of families come through. It was busier than we normally remember it being. Its been two years since weve done it, so there were a lot of kids that have been missing it. It was good to see everybody again. The Fall Fun Fest included a variety of carnival games and amusements, a haunted house, a cake walk, fundraising class basket raffles, a 50/50 raffle, a costume parade and a costume judging contest. Concessions in the school cafeteria, where mobile DJ Bob Hoff entertained, included chili, corn dogs, pizza and ice cream sundaes among other items. Winners of the costume contest, judged by Fontana Police Department officers and Fontana Fire Department fire/rescue and EMS personnel, were 5K student Mazie Kilkenny, first place, as Maleficent from Snow White; second-grader Kate Hartmann, second place, as silver screen English nanny Mary Poppins; fourth-grader Morgan Special, third place, as an Easy Mac and Cheese cup; and two-year-old Falcon day care student Owen Adamski, fourth place, as an excavator truck. Proceeds from the event are used by the PTSO to fund various student enrichment experiences at 201-student Fontana Elementary, including book giveaways, visiting artists, field trips and art field trips. All the money raised goes directly back to the kids at the school, which is amazing, noted Fontana Elementary School district administrator and principal Steve Torrez. Staging the event is a collaborative effort by Fontana Joint 8 school district community members, parents, teachers, staff and middle school students, as well as returning Fontana Elementary alumni attending Big Foot High School in Walworth. Everyone pitches in, Labus said of the sweat equity support that makes the PTSO Fall Fun Fest magic happen for attendees, both the young and the young-at-heart. Its great. Torrez agrees. I have an incredible gratitude, he said. Fontana has a lot of fun traditions and this is one of them. It brings our entire community together for a fun night. Sponsors of the PTSO Fall Fun Fest include Above Water Marine Systems, Apex Family Chiropractic, Chucks Lakeshore Inn, Daniels Foods, Education and Technology Associates, Financial Advisors, Harvard Nursery, Miller Auto, Pro Optics, Starboard Group with @properties, and Travis Sound Design. We have a lot of community support, Labus said. MOUNT PLEASANT The Bluegrass Music Festival is coming back for its second year. The Bluegrass Sampler, a local nonprofit, is hosting the festival on Friday and Saturday at the Delta Marriot Hotel, 7111 Washington Ave. The festival will feature traditional bands and breakout rooms for beginner musicians to play with experienced bluegrass musicians. Cathy Dahl, a member of KR Bluegrass Band, said the two-day indoor festival of bluegrass music was unique to the area. We attended similar events in southern Illinois, and we just had to bring the experience of traditional bluegrass music to southeastern Wisconsin, Dahl said. She described it as a family-friendly, wholesome festival that promotes the authentic bluegrass sound whole supporting two worthy non-profit organizations. The two nonprofits are HALO (Homeless Assistance Leadership Organization) which supports its residents toward self-sufficiency and successful transition into their community, and Veterans Honor Flights, which recognizes veterans for their sacrifices to the country. All proceeds after the financial obligations of the event will go to these organizations, Dahl said. Our 2021 festival was a great success and we look forward to an even better event this year, she added. Band The KR Bluegrass Band has been together almost 15 years, playing many local and regional festivals, county fairs, and other events, Dahl said. We know what a good festival looks like. Additionally, they have hosted bluegrass jams twice monthly for the past 15 years in addition to two smaller bluegrass samplers four bands in one evening for the past five years. Bluegrass Sampler 2022 is the biggest thing we have done yet, Dahl added. There will be eight bands featured at this years event, some from the area and others that are nationally known, such as The Lonesome River Band from West Virginia and the Kody Norris Show from Nashville, Tennessee. Dahl explained the two bands have won numerous national awards for their bluegrass music, such as Entertainer of the Year, fiddle player, and banjo player of the year. It is rare for these bands to travel to this area, and we are excited, Dahl said. Tickets A weekend pass costs $50; a Friday evening ticket is $20; a Saturday pass is $35. Tickets are cash-only at the door. A 27-year-old Kenosha mother is facing numerous criminal charges after allegedly leaving her five young children at home alone when a fire broke out at a nearby apartment complex. Tenisha M. Gaston was charged Wednesday in Kenosha County Circuit Court with four felony counts of neglecting a child under 6 years old- although harm did not occur, and one misdemeanor count of neglecting a child- although harm did not occur. Gaston made her initial appearance at Intake Court Wednesday afternoon. Court Commissioner Loren Keating set a $1,500 signature bond. On Oct. 30 around 1 a.m. a Kenosha Police officer responded to a structure fire at an apartment complex at 4902 36th Ave. Upon arrival, the officer observed the upper apartment on the south side of the building was fully engulfed in flames and he could see six- to eight-foot-tall flames coming out of the east and south windows. The officer then started evacuating occupants that were at an apartment complex next door fearing that the fire from 4902 36th Ave. would soon spread to other buildings. The officer was then approached by a very young girl who stated that there were kids in an apartment unit in the complex next door to the fire. The officer asked the girl if a parent was around and she responded no, she is at the bar, according to the criminal complaint. The officer then entered the apartment and observed five children sleeping on one blanket on the hardwood living room floor. The officer was able to get the children some clothes and jackets from a bedroom and escorted them outside. A woman later approached the officer and said that she knew the childrens mother and would watch them while the officer continued escorting others in the area to safety. Around 1:50 a.m., a woman in a black dress later identified as Gaston approached the officer and said she was here to get her kids and pointed to the complex the children were in, according to the complaint. The officer reportedly asked her if there was supposed to be an adult watching her children and she said her oldest child was watching the kids. Gaston reportedly smelled like alcohol and slipped on the stairs leading up to the apartment complex main door. The next day, the officer and a detective located Gaston at her workplace and spoke with her about the incident the night before. Gaston was later brought to the Kenosha Police Department and advised of her rights, and she agreed to give a written statement. She reportedly stated that on Oct. 29 she went to a bar around 11 p.m., leaving her children at home. Gaston said that she left the 8-year-old a cell phone in case there was an emergency but advised that the cell phone is only hooked up to WiFi. Gaston also reportedly said she drank two Long Island Iced Teas at the bar before leaving to meet up with a friend. She said someone called her friend and advised that there was a fire on 36th Avenue. She reportedly said that she would never intentionally hurt her children but that she needed a break. Gastons children left inside the apartment unit that night were ages eight, five, three, two and one. In an interview at the Child Advocacy Center, the oldest child reportedly said that her mom put on makeup, straightened her hair and went out and she was at home with her siblings. The child added that she did not know where her mother went to and that she changed some of her siblings diapers before falling asleep. The child said she awoke to yelling and creaking noises and saw that the building next door was on fire. She reportedly called her mother but she didnt answer and so she went outside for help. The child also reportedly said its not unusual to be left alone with her siblings. A preliminary hearing is set for Nov. 17. RACINE While Tim Michels remains steadfast in his support for expanding school choice, which would bolster private education and likely weaken public school funding in Wisconsin, the Republican gubernatorial candidate says he is not part of the extreme that wants to end public schools. Governmental support of private schools, particularly in Wisconsin, has been growing over the past decade, including through providing more tax dollars for parochial schools rather than only public schools. This shift has perhaps no more prominent supporter than Michels. He backs a proposal that would, unless a new funding plan is established, increase taxpayer costs by $500 million to create a universal school choice program in Wisconsin. There are established school choice programs in the City of Milwaukee and the Racine Unified School District, as well as a less-robust statewide program. While there remains a fringe idea among conservatives to do away with the public school system entirely, Michels campaign says his beliefs do not go that far. Its ridiculous to assert anyone wants to end public schools, Michels campaign spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a statement to The Journal Times. There perhaps is no difference more stark between Michels and Evers than on education. Evers career has been in public education, starting as a science teacher and later being twice elected to lead Wisconsins public schools as superintendent of public instruction in 2013 and 2017. Reacting to an article with the headline Big question in the governors race: Should Wisconsin dismantle public schools? incumbent Democratic Gov. Tony Evers responded in a one-word tweet: No. Public education advocates say support for school choice among Michels and other Republicans has damaged Wisconsins public schools. Public school districts are largely funded by the state based on how many students are enrolled, so having more students enrolled in private schools means less funding for public schools. Its a really complex thing, said Angelina Cruz, president of Racine Educators United, the union that represents the Racine Unified School Districts educators. It (school choice) is about divesting in public schools and moving that money into the private sector. It is a Ponzi scheme. School choice programs allow eligible students to attend K-12 private schools paid for by tax dollars. Only families making less than a certain amount of money typically either families that earn 200% or 300% of the federal poverty level, depending on where they live are allowed to take part. Evers vetoed a Republican proposal during the last legislative session to expand school choice in Wisconsin, citing an estimate that doing so would cost at least half-a-billion dollars. School choice for all families, Kelly said, will increase competition and foster greater parental involvement, which will help all schools improve public and private. Tim will empower parents with options to choose the school that best fits their child. Hes investing in students, not structures. He cares about the futures of children, not the bureaucrats. This transcript appears in the November 4, 2022 issue of Executive Intelligence Review. [Print version of this transcript] Moreen Thuemmler For a Livable and Peaceful Future, for Peace This is the edited transcript of a video message by Moreen Thuemmler, delivered to the Schiller Institutes Oct. 27, 2022 International Seminar, For World Peace: Stop the Danger of Nuclear War, the second seminar of current and former elected officials of the world. Ms. Thuemmler is with the Forum for Freedom and Democracy, which has been organizing the big demonstrations in Germany. She spoke in German with English interpretation. The title has been added. The video of her presentation is available here. View full size Schiller Institute Moreen Thuemmler Dear Ladies and Gentlemen: I would like to thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today. My name is Moreen Thuemmler, I am 42 years old, a mother of three children, and I live in Plauen in Germany. If one wants to describe the current situation in Germany, one doesnt really know where to begin. I will try anyway. Everywhere, people are taking to the streets by the hundreds, by the thousands, by the tens of thousands. They are driven by existential fears, fears for the future. They are driven by anger and despair, anger and despair concerning a government which, by means of decisions, actions, and clear breaches of election promises, is quite obviously opposing its own citizens entrusted to its care. People feel not only abandoned by the federal government, but betrayed. People are in an uproar about being forced to freeze even at work and at home, while the politicians can afford to build themselves in Berlin a lavish new building for a planned 770 million, which has already cost half a billion euros, and is to be inflated now to a gigantic extent, which, when finished, will exceed the White House and the Elysee Palace. Huge financial transfers abroad, for example to Ukraine, is a waste of taxpayers money. Billions invested in armaments, while theres nothing left for education and healthcare, led people to oppose and no longer put up with all of this. Companies are going bankrupt due to the immense price increases; employees are losing their jobs and the livelihood that goes with it. There is no money for our old people and for the children. The sanctions policy is inflicting enormous and perhaps even irreparable damage on Germany, turning a once progressive, innovative and rich country into a rubble heap. People are afraid: Theyre afraid of losing their jobs, of impoverishment, afraid of expropriation. And above all, people are afraid of war. The word peace echoes across all of the streets in Germany at demonstrations, rallies, vigils; it can be read on placards, flyers, posters, tee-shirts, stickers, and buttons. The little word peace which means everything to all of us, and decides everythingpeace is the highest and most valuable thing to strive for worldwide. I think I can speak for all people when I say, peace is the only important thing that we should bring about and leave to our children. The institution of citizen protests is finding a new platform these days, based on a brutal threat of war and nuclear extinction. The great peoplethe organizers and hosts of civic protests, peace movements, rallies, demonstrations, and vigilsare attacked, defamed, discredited in their job-related and private sphere, and sharply criticized, first and foremost, by a large part of the press. And yet, or precisely because of this, these people stand firmly together. They organize, connect, network, and work together to develop solutions and peace plans, and this is also the motivation of the Forum for Democracy and Freedom, to which I belong. Like the entire movement, we all have one, common goal: peace in Europe. And there are their clear demands. Germany is ripe for this: the immediate commencement of diplomatic talks, the safeguarding of peace, the drawing up and implementation of a peace plan, an immediate halt to all arms deliveries; referendums and thus a real say for the citizens; securing and strengthening the economy; the real freedom of speech, the real freedom of the press, and the rolling back all corona measures. For this, the people here in Germany stand together day after day in the streets for a livable and peaceful future, for peace. Thank you for your attention. This transcript appears in the November 4, 2022 issue of Executive Intelligence Review. [Print version of this transcript] Prospects for a Fusion EnergyBased Economy for BRICS Nations and Partners The following is an edited transcript of Richard A. Blacks speech to the Oct. 25-26, 2022 meeting in Moscow hosted by the National Committee on BRICS Research, Russia, and titled,International Scientific and Practical Conference: Scientific-Technological and Innovative Cooperation of BRICS Countries. Mr. Black is the Schiller Institutes representative at the UN in New York. I would like to thank the National Committee on BRICS Research of Russia for inviting the Schiller Institute to participate in this historic conference. At a September 2022 technology seminar in Beijing, Prof. Peng Xianjue of the Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics said: Fusion ignition is the jewel in the crown of science and technology in todays world. Being the first to achieve energy-scale fusion energy release will lay the most important milestone in the road to fusion energy for human beings. Professor Peng announced that China will create continuous fusion energy by 2028 for use in a hybrid fission-fusion power plant. It is estimated that by 2035, reactors will be able to generate energy directly for the electric grid from the fusion process. Speaking to 3,300 high level Russian corporate and international delegates at a Russian industrialization summit in 2019, President Putin reported: Thermonuclear fusion energy, which in fact is similar to how heat and light are produced deep within our star, the Sun, is an example of such nature-like technologies. Potentially, we can harness a colossal, inexhaustible, and safe source of energy. President Putin stressed that Russia is prepared to extend expansive and equitable cooperation with nations globally, to achieve the breakthroughs in the science and engineering required to produce vast amounts of electricity for global needs. The Global Energy Deficit On-going research and development to bring thermonuclear fusion on line in the immediate futureby and for the BRICS nations and partnersmakes this topic-area central in addressing the subject of todays conference: scientific, technological, and innovative cooperation. If we add to this picture Indias leading work in developing a thorium-fueled reactor, and South Africas historic role in fission reactor design, it becomes clear that BRICS and the Global South stand now on the frontiers of world science in the service of the alleviation of global energy poverty. In this report, I will briefly discuss the extent of worldwide energy deficits; present some key principles of physical economy from American scientist Lyndon LaRouche; consider the nature and source of fusion fuel; and finally, expose the lying character of the pervasive ideology, perpetrated in Academia and among governments in the West, known as Limits to Growth, or the alleged scarcity of resources. My colleague at Executive Intelligence Review, physical economist Richard Freeman, has calculated the immense current energy deficits in the Global South, and the requirements to rapidly bring that area up to the U.S.A. standard of per capita energy consumption. Figure 1 Enormous Deficit of Electricity Consumption in the Developing World View full size Look at Figure 1. Current energy use per capita in Asia (excluding Japan) is one-fourth that of the U.S. Latin Americas is one-fifth, and Africas energy use per capita is one-twentieth the American levelthis technology deficit is the cause of famine, of unchecked disease and pandemic, and of social disintegration. Fundamental Principles of Physical Economy In Figure 2, we see the real, modern energy requirements of the developing world. The developing world as a whole needs 57.4 quadrillion watt hours of combined annual increased electricity consumption. Looking at the bottom line of this chart, you can see that the underdeveloped sector needs to quintuple its electricity production. Figure 3 The Energy Density of Fuels View full size Consider just two principles of physical economy as regards to energy generation and its deployment in society: 1) energy-flux density, and 2) energy consumption vs. GDP per capita. Energy-flux density, as defined by American scientist and economist Lyndon LaRouche, is measured as the intensity of energy applied at the point of generation or application. Think of the energy concentrated in a laser beam used in metal-cutting, compared with the energy generated by a water mill of the 18th Century. See the comparative energy densities of different fuels, in Figure 3. Observe that the increase in available energy from the Deuterium-Tritium fusion reaction, compared to the modern combustion of coal, is not a mere multiple higher, but, rather is seven orders of magnitude greater. In all nations, rising rates of electricity use per capita correlate closely with rising GDP values. The greatly expanded level of electricity output derived from a fission-fusion based economy is a prerequisite for a modern labor force at work which allows a nation to progress. Although the massive expansion of hydrocarbon-based and nuclear fission-based energy production is essentialimmediately for the Global South, until fusion energy is brought on line within approximately 15 yearsonly fusion energy provides the total amount of energy required to bring the world community, including all of Africa, to the higher required level over the long term. Historians will note that the Senegalese nuclear chemist, historian and political visionary, Cheikh Anta Diop, prescribed as early as 1960 an energy policy, for the African continent, of what he specified as the effective control of thermonuclear reactions [produced within instruments] called tokamaks. The current construction of the 4-unit Generation III+ fission nuclear complex at El Dabaa, Egypta collaboration of the Russian Federation and Egyptis exemplary of what is required. What prospects would the Chinese-designed fission-fusion hybrid reactor have as a bridge to fusion-based power in Africa? Figure 4 shows the correlation, nation by nation, between electricity consumption and GDP, per capita. The Moon: A Practical Source of Fusion Fuel Although time constraints do not allow for further background here, the superior fusion fuel is the isotope of helium, He3. Although it is extremely rare on Earth, a nearby source, the Moon, contains enormous amounts of this fuel in its soil, or regolith. In a real demonstration of solar power, the Sun produces He3 as one of the components of the solar wind, which it constantly emits into our Solar System. Lacking the protective magnetic field of the Earth, the Moon is the depository of a vast amount of He3 from the Sun. The lunar soil is currently estimated to have one to five million tons of He3. Prof. Ouyang Ziyuan, renowned geochemist and cosmochemist, chief scientist of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program (CLEP), has said that the Moon is so rich in He3 that this source could solve humanitys energy needs for around 10,000 years, at least. Part of the mission of Chinas series of Change lunar probes is to scout out He3 deposits on the Moon. Professor Ouyang has long advocated this great project to be a joint collaboration among many nations to, in his words, solve humanitys energy needs. V. I. Vernadsky and the Future of Humanity The outlook and practice of Professor Ouyang today, in an exemplary way, reflects the immense conceptual contributions of the 20th-Century biogeochemist, Vladimir I. Vernadsky. Academician Vernadskys contributions established principles of Mans progress in the Universe which allow us a deeper understanding of the natural progression represented by all current work moving us into a fusion energy-based economy. In 1938, in his Problems of Biogeochemistry II: On the Fundamental Material-Energetic Distinction Between Living and Nonliving Natural Bodies of The Biosphere, Vernadsky wrote: We are living in a brand new, bright geological epoch. Man, through his laborand his conscious relationship to lifeis transforming the envelope of the Earththe geological region of life, the biosphere. Man is shifting it into a new geological state: Through his labor and his consciousness, the biosphere is in a process of transition to the noosphere. Man is creating new biogeochemical processes, which never existed before. The face of the Earth is changing profoundly. The stage of the noosphere is being created. Within the Earths biosphere, an intense blossoming is in process, the further history of which will be grandiose, it seems to us. In this geological processwhich is fundamentally biogeochemicala single individual unit, out of the totality of humanity a great personality, whether a scientist, an inventor, or a statesmancan be of fundamental, decisive, directing importance, and can manifest himself as a geological force. This sort of manifestation of individuality, in processes of enormous biogeochemical importance, is a new planetary phenomenon. Thus, the recent decades fraud of neo-Malthusian economic liberalism, as LaRouche termed itpropagated by the Club of Rome of David Rockefeller and Aurelio Peccei with their widely read book, The Limits to Growthwas already discredited by Vernadsky, decades before its release. Vernadsky has shown through rigorous scientific work, that the universe isas was understood in classical Greecean axiomatically hylozoic universe. The intensification of BRICS activity and its expansion with new members and partners, and similar processes involving the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and other open-to-all multi-national organizations, put the prospects for both a fusion-based economy, and a new paradigm of rapid, equitable and advanced development for each and all nations into a new, hope-filled domain. I close with a graphic published by the Schiller Institute in 2018 (Figure 5). On the left, see a current satellite photograph of energy-deprived Africa by night; on the right, see an artists projection of an electrified Africa by nightin the year 2058. Thank you for your attention. Comments and questions are welcomed; email them to the Schiller Institute at richardblack1776@gmail.com. Sources 1. Lyndon H. LaRouche, Jr., So, You Wish To Learn All About Economics, 1984. 2. Lyndon H. LaRouche, Jr., The Legacy of Mendeleyev and Vernadsky: The Spirit of Russias Science, Executive Intelligence Review, Vol. 28, No. 47, Dec. 7, 2001, pp. 23-45. 3. Richard Freeman, Clean Coal Can Electrify the World, Executive Intelligence Review, Vol. 48, No. 31, Aug. 6, 2021, pp. 38-44. 4. EIR Special Report, The New Silk Road Becomes the World Land-Bridge, 2014. 5. Hussein Askary and Jason Ross, Schiller Institute Strategic Report: Extending the New Silk Road to West Asia and Africa, Nov. 2017. This article appears in the November 4, 2022 issue of Executive Intelligence Review. Schiller Institute Addresses BRICS Research Conference on Science, Technology and Innovation [Print version of this article] Oct. 29Helga Zepp-LaRouche, founder and chairwoman of the Schiller Institute, and Richard A. Black, representative of the Schiller Institute to the United Nations in New York, gave on-line presentations Oct. 25 to a major international conference organized by the National Committee for BRICS Research of Russia. The event was the International Scientific-Practical Conference: Scientific-Technological and Innovative Cooperation of BRICS Countries. The BRICS nations are Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, with a number of other major developing nations now in process of joining the multinational group. This conference was held for an in-person and on-line audience of experts at the Institute of Scientific Information on Social Sciences (INION RAS), a venue of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow. The co-sponsoring institutes of the conference, in addition to INION RAS, represent an elite of Russian research policy institutions in the fields of science and engineering. They are: the International Center for Innovations in Science, Technology and Education; the Union of Scientific and Engineering Public Associations; the Eurasian Information and Analytical Consortium; the International Institute for Energy Policy and Diplomacy, Moscow State Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia; and the Russian Technological University (MIREA). Sergey Ryabkov, the Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation, delivered opening greetings to the two-day conference. Describing the historical importance of the BRICS, Ryabkov emphasized its task of technology transfer to the Global South from now to the year 2030, and the nature of the BRICS ongoing positive, inclusive cooperation, emphasizing especially the role of young scientists. He noted that in Russia the decade 20212031 is officially focused on technological and scientific advance. A New Vision of the World A highly polemical greetingbetter described as an extensive global strategic briefingwas delivered by Vyacheslav Nikonov, First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on International Affairs of the State Duma. Dr. Nikonov is also the chairman of the Russian World Foundation, and Dean of the Faculty of Public Administration at Moscow State University. He outlined the major role which the BRICS have in determining the future of the world. A new vision of the world; and added the future of human kind is being decided on the battlefields of Ukraine. Nikonov denounced the current policies of Global NATO as nationalism, chauvinism, racism, Nazism, and colonialism, stating bluntly that the so-called Western values are good for nothing. By contrast, he described the emerging new paradigm of relations among the BRICS: a partnership of civilizations in which no nation has the intention of domination. He said they must de-colonialize intellectually and broaden friendly relations among the BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), ASEAN, and the nations of Africa and Latin America. He emphasized the development of especially nuclear energy as critically important. Dr. Nikonovs repeated stress on the principle of each nations national sovereignty would have had an historical ring to the large Russian and Chinese expert audience of this conference, who would know that he is both the grandson and a biographer of Vyacheslav Molotov, who served as Foreign Minister of the USSR under Marshal Stalin from 1939 to 1949. Schiller Institute Addresses Well Received Helga Zepp-LaRouche and Richard A. Black had the honor of being the fourth and fifth speakers in the 2-day packed schedule involving many scores of expert speakers from many nations. Zepp-LaRouches speech was titled, A New Credit System for the Coming Scientific Revolution. Blacks presentation was Prospects for a Fusion Energy Based Economy for BRICS Nations and Partners. These speeches follow this introduction in EIR. There was an immediate and important response to these speeches by one of the organizers of the conference, Dr. Irina Yarygina, Research Director of the Russian National Committee on BRICS Research and Head of the Dept. of Economics and Banking of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Dr. Yarygina responded to Zepp-LaRouche: We are really highly appreciative of the participation of the founder and president of the Schiller Institute in our conference. And in spite of political tensions, there is a great possibility for a cooperation in the fields of science, technology and innovation; and we are looking forward to working in concert. It will be extremely important that you have put your attention to the main problems and challenges we are facing at the moment. Following Blacks presentation on the future of energy for humanity, Dr. Yarygina responded, Thank you very much for your profound presentation. I have noticed an interest from our scientists; and if you dont mind, well share your presentation with our colleagues, taking into consideration that there are some extremely interesting aspects we noticed, which can be sort of a background for further consultations, discussions and so forth. At the same time, I would like to thank you for the proper understanding of the fusion energy-based rolefusion within the coordinates of the BRICS countriesand thank you for your participation within our discussions which have started, but will continue. Thank you very much. This transcript appears in the November 4, 2022 issue of Executive Intelligence Review. [Print version of this transcript] Col. Richard H. Black (ret.) Were Faced with a Very Risky Time This is the edited transcript of remarks delivered by video to the Schiller Institutes Oct. 27, 2022 International Conference, For World Peace: Stop the Danger of Nuclear War. Mr. Black is a retired U.S. Army colonel and a former Virginia state senator. The presentation title and subheads have been added. The full video is available here. View full size Schiller Institute Col. Richard H. Black (ret.) Im Senator Dick Black. Im happy to be here with you this morning. Let me get right into this. Heres where we are now. There are influential Republicans who have begun calling for reductions in aid to Ukraine, and also for immediate peace talks to end the war. [Former] President Trump has called for talks, and he says we have to avoid being dragged into World War III. He said the war never would have happened under his watch. But in any event, he wants to end it now. The Pope has called for a negotiated, peaceful solution to the war. Democrats and Republicans: A Stark Distinction And we had a fairly dramatic announcement[on October 11] former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, who is very prominent in the Democrat Party and a [former] Presidential candidate, resigned from the Democrats, and she denounced them as an elitist cabal of warmongers who are driving us into World War III. Republican Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has announced that if Republicans win the House [on November 8], that there would no longer be a blank check for money flowing over to Ukraine. He wasnt saying they were going to cut it off, he just said that it was going to become much more closely scrutinized. Elon Musk, sometimes the wealthiest man on Earth, has tweeted a very excellent proposal for peace talks. I wont go into all of it, but it did include the United Nations moving into the contested areas and conducting binding referenda to let the Ukrainians on the border vote and decide: Do they want to remain in Ukraine, or do they want to join Russia? When he made this proposal, the Russians very quickly said that they would agree that if the United Nations conducted a plebiscite, a binding referendum, that they would abide by the outcome of the vote of the people, and that they would withdraw if that was the decision that the people made. On the other hand though, Ukraine angrily denounced any notion of self-determination for the people on the border. They know that these are Russian-speaking people, theyre ethnic Russians, and they do not want to give them a choice of whether they want to return to Russia or remain with Ukraine. Now, while this going on, on the other side of the aisle, we have Democrat Senator Chris Murphy, and he said he believes that if Republicans win either the House or the Senate, that they will cut off all aid to Ukraine. I dont agree with him; I dont think thats likely to happen. But hes obviously trying to whip up some interest from among the globalists who have a tremendous amount of wealth and power at stake in this war. Now, heres the thing: Strangely, when Joe Biden pushed through an aid package for Ukrainejust a massive spending bill that has $40 billion, half of it for actual weaponsnot a single Democrat voted against this bill. Medea Benjamin, the co-founder of Code Pink, a radical Democrat anti-war group, said this: We were flabbergasted that not one Democrat voted against the $40 billion bill for Ukraine. Not even the Squad or the Progressive Caucus. At the same time, 57 Republican conservatives did vote against this massive bill of arms for Ukraine. So, you can see which direction it is. The Democrats are all-in for war, the Republicans are having second thoughts. They say its time for caution, we cant afford to be spending all this money there. Well, looking at this stark distinction in the two parties, it smells to me like a political trap; and it really worries me a great deal. Its just two weeks before Election Day, and Republicans at this moment have tremendous momentum to retake both the House and the Senate. This is going to happen, unless the Biden Administration can pull off a very nasty October surprise to tip the elections. Pre-War Maneuvering: Beyond Belief Now, the background to this is, weve got Britains Defense Secretary, Ben Wallace, just making a highly secretive, very extraordinary visit to Washington to talk with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and White House officials about shared security concerns. So secret that they couldnt be talked about on the most secure scrambled telephone lines. Theres a second defense minister, James Heappey [UK Minister of State for Armed Forces and Veterans], who said that the conversations with Wallace would be beyond belief. Thats a strange way to put it, beyond belief, suggesting that something both militarily and politically explosive was being planned. The Russians just released intelligence indicating that they believe that Ukraine is about to detonate a nuclear dirty bomb. I fear that what theyre saying is correct. It would tie directly into the elections taking place. I think their plan is to execute a dirty bomb detonation that will throw radioactive nuclear material over a radius of several miles. I believe that the plan is a false flag, intended to be blamed on Russia, in order to inflame public opinion against Russia, just as the elections are about to be held, putting the Republicans on the defensive, because they have been calling for peace. Now, its important for everybody to just lean back and think of the logic of this. There is no circumstance under which Russia would do anything dramatic like this, just days before the U.S. election. Right now, the party that is more reasonable toward Russia, in their view, is winning the election; its got tremendous momentum. Anything that Russia would do would break that momentum, and play into the hands of the Democrat Party, which is 100% opposed to Russia, and probably opposed to its continued existence as a nation. So, I think we face very perilous times. The EurAsian Times just published something; it didnt hit the western media. But there was a very extraordinary event that occurred when a U.S. Ohio-class submarine surfaced in the Arabian Sea. This is a secretive submarine thats armed with 20 ICBM nuclear-tipped missiles. It was deliberately surfaced in a very public way, disclosing its exact location, sending a clear signal that the U.S. is now fully prepared for nuclear war. This is nuclear saber-rattling at its highest level. And I believe it was done to inhibit Russia from responding to a possible dirty bomb attack with some kind of a major response to target Kyiv itself. America has never been at greater nuclear peril than it is today. We certainly have madmen in charge, both in the U.S. and in the UK. We have very strange things happening in Britain, where the Prime Minister was sacked just days after taking office; the British pound was plummeting. Suddenly, as soon as Liz Truss left office, the English pound was up at a much higher level. Ironically, the individual [Rishi Sunak] who was fired for Liz Truss very disastrous financial policies is now the lead contender to become the Prime Minister of Britain. Very strange. We know that King Charles, one of the ultimate globalists, wanted Truss gone, and apparently hes got his man in. Something very sinister seems to be happening there. We see something similar happening in Germany. Germany has announced that they know for certain that the explosions that hit the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines were indeed sabotage. But they made this very strange statement. They said that for the sake of the well-being of the state, they will not reveal any other information. So apparently, they know who it is; they cannot tell the people, for fear the people would become too emotionally inflamed and it might not go well for Germany. Now, everybody in Europe is talking about the fact that this sabotage could not have been done without the OK of the United States. So, weve got the German economy headed for a dramatic crash, and they are unable to tell the people why that should be. I think we all need to be very alert for things that may happen within the next few days leading up to the election. We need to be aware that logically, there is no way that Russia would do anything that would upset this election at this time. So, I wish you all the best. Were faced with a very risky time. Thank you for having me on this morning. This editorial appears in the November 4, 2022 issue of Executive Intelligence Review. [Print version of this editorial] EDITORIAL What Is This War Really About? Oct. 29The world woke up this morning to the sobering news that the Russian Defense Ministry had announced that Russia had repelled an aerial and maritime drone attack against its Sevastopol naval base on the Crimean Peninsula that was carried out by Ukrainian military units under the direct control and supervision of the British Navy. Describing it as a terrorist attack, the Russian Defense Ministry stated that it was carried out under supervision of British specialists in the city of Ochakov, Nikolayev region in Ukraine. The statement then added that representatives from this unit from the British Navy were involved in plotting, organizing and implementation of the terrorist attack in the Baltic Sea on 26 September this year to blow up the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines. Although EIR has no independent confirmation, as of this writing, of the Russian Defense Ministrys charges, three different European military and security specialists consulted by EIR have concurred that Russia was highly unlikely to make up such charges unless they had smoking gun evidence to back it up. These specialists further noted the deafening governmental silence about the results of the investigations of the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines. Former CIA analyst and Russia specialist Ray McGovern tweeted Saturday morning: Russia not likely to blame UK for supervising todays drone attack on Russian ships near Crimea AND sabotage of Nord Stream pipelines WITHOUT EVIDENCE. This news service has repeatedly emphasized the leading role of Britain in driving the crisis to escalating war, from then-Prime Minister Boris Johnsons April trip to Kiev to sabotage the negotiation process, to his May visit to Sweden and Finland to ensure their accession to NATO. Add to these developments of the last 24 hours, the Oct. 27 release of the Biden Administrations new defense strategy documents, including its Nuclear Posture Review, which lower the threshold for the U.S. use of nuclear weapons. Russias Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told RIA Novosti Oct. 29 that Russia was alarmed that the new defense documents provide for an increase in the number of scenarios, including outside of the nuclear context, which allow the use of nuclear weapons. Chinas Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin bluntly denounced the new doctrine as nuclear blackmail [which] will not work on China, noting that it lowers the threshold for using nuclear weapons. What is this war about, which threatens to unleash a thermonuclear holocaust which none would survive? The real issue is the dangerous death-rattle of the imploding trans-Atlantic financial system, and the banking Establishments deployment of Global NATO to prevent Russia, China, and other nations from creating a new international financial architecture to replace them. The ideas for how to bring such a transition about, without war, are reflected in the proposals presented on Oct. 27 by Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Valdai Discussion Club; those put forward on Oct. 25 by Schiller Institute founder Helga Zepp-LaRouche at an international conference organized by the National Committee for BRICS Research of Russia; and the broad range of proposals discussed at the Oct. 27 Schiller Institute second seminar of current and former elected officials from around the world, Stop the Danger of Nuclear War. Concluding his remarks to the Oct. 27 seminar, Mexican Congressman Benjamin Robles Montoya called for a new formation: a group of legislators who represent everyone on all continents, if possible, of all nationalities, to enter into dialogue directly with the governments of every country interested in world peace as well as a New Economic Order that incorporates the new principles in favor of humanity. We are very happy to join with you, from here in the Chamber of Deputies, in this great crusade for peace. With the danger of nuclear war, and of a financial blowout, increasing by the day, no time can be lost in building for an upcoming third international seminar of current and former elected officials and other political leaders, now scheduled for the third week of November. Moscow Proved Britains Role in Kievs Drone Attack on Sevastopol to UNSC, Also to U.K. Ambassador to Russia Nov. 2, 2022 (EIRNS)In her weekly press briefing today, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova announced that the Russian Defense Ministrys earlier charges, that British military specialists were behind the Kiev regimes Oct. 29 drone attack on Sevastopol, had been presented with documentation before a closed-door session of the UN Security Council on Nov. 1, and that Britains ambassador to Russia would be summoned to the Foreign Ministry shortly to present her with the same evidence. Zakharova also used the occasion to describe the Kiev regimes fascist methods and terrorist tactics as becoming increasingly similar to ISIS and al-Qaeda. This, however, is not surprising, considering that these groups were created by the same masterminds and instructors from Anglo-Saxon countries. Zakharovas blistering attack recalled that October 28, 2022, marks 78 years since the complete liberation of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republics territory from Nazi invaders in 1944, and on November 6 we will mark 79 years since Kievs liberation from the Nazi occupiers in 1943. At the time it would never have occurred to our forefathers that a time would come when their ancestors would have to fight, arms in hand, an ideology of human hatred, the ideological successors of Bandera and Shukhevich, who were Nazi henchmen and have thousands of innocent lives on their conscience. It would never occur to anyone at the time that people with swastika tattoos would be walking around Kiev and priding themselves on wearing these symbols and exposing them. She continued: Nov. 2, 2022 (EIRNS)The Russian Foreign Ministry today published on its website a statement on the prevention of nuclear war, which urges the five nuclear weapons statesthe U.S., U.K., France, China and Russiato restate their own commitment to the United Nations Jan. 3, 2022 Joint Statement: We affirm that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought. Because of the urgency of the subject matter, and the fact that it will otherwise be blacked out in the Western media, EIR reprints the short statement in full below: As a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and one of the nuclear-weapon powers, in accordance with the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons, the Russian Federation bears a special responsibility in matters related to strengthening international security and strategic stability. In implementing its policy on nuclear deterrence Russia is strictly and consistently guided by the tenet that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought. Russian doctrinal approaches in this sphere are defined with utmost accuracy, pursue solely defensive goals and do not admit of expansive interpretation. These approaches allow for Russia to hypothetically resort to nuclear weapons exclusively in response to an aggression involving the use of weapons of mass destruction or an aggression with the use of conventional weapons when the very existence of the state is in jeopardy. Russia proceeds from the continued relevance of the existing arrangements and understandings in the field of cutting and limiting nuclear weapons, as well as reducing strategic risks and threat of international incidents and conflicts fraught with escalation to nuclear level. We fully reaffirm our commitment to the Joint Statement of the Leaders of the Five Nuclear-Weapons States on Preventing Nuclear War and Avoiding Arms Races of January 3, 2022. We are strongly convinced that in the current complicated and turbulent situation, caused by irresponsible and impudent actions aimed at undermining our national security, the most immediate task is to avoid any military clash of nuclear powers. We urge other states of the nuclear five to demonstrate in practice their willingness to work on solving this top-priority task and to give up the dangerous attempts to infringe on vital interests of each other while balancing on the brink of a direct armed conflict and encouraging provocations with weapons of mass destruction, which can lead to catastrophic consequences. Russia continues to advocate for a revamped, more robust architecture of international security based on ensuring predictability and global strategic stability, as well as on the principles of equal rights, indivisible security and mutual account of core interests of the parties. EIR LEAD EDITORIAL FOR WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 3, 2022 Whos Playing Nuclear Chickenand Why? Nov. 2, 2022 (EIRNS)The Russian government today issued a formal statement through its Foreign Ministry, urging the nuclear five nationsthe U.S., U.K., France, China and Russiato each restate their commitment to the bottom-line policy that We affirm that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought. Russia did this in a policy statement, which we reprint in full below, urging that the most immediate task is to avoid any military clash of nuclear powers, which could have catastrophic consequences for all of humanity. They insisted that de-escalation of the current crisis is the top-priority task for everyone. That phrase (a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought) first became famous as the Reagan-Gorbachev Formula of 1985, which helped contain the Cold War, and it was most recently restated by the nuclear five themselves on Jan. 3, 2022. Russia today announced that we fully reaffirm our commitment to the Joint statement of the leaders of the five nuclear-weapon states on preventing nuclear war and avoiding arms races of January 3, 2022. This Foreign Ministry statement is one element in a set of major strategic initiatives undertaken by the Russian government over the last 24 hours, to try to break the seemingly ineluctable descent into war. Additionally, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova announced today that the Russian Defense Ministrys earlier charges that British military forces had played a central role in masterminding both the Oct. 29 Ukrainian drone attack against Russias Sevastopol naval base, as well as the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines, had been presented with full evidentiary backing before a closed-door meeting of the UN Security Council on Oct. 31. Zakharova also reported that the British Ambassador to Russia, Deborah Bronnert, would be summoned to the Foreign Ministry shortly to the same end. The explosive Russian revelations about Britains role have been almost totally blacked out of the Western mediaat least until now. Furthermore, Russia today also resumed the international agreement permitting grain exports from Ukraine, which Russia had suspended after the Oct. 29 Ukrainian drone attack against Russias naval base in Sevastopol, which made use of the safe-passage corridor meant for grain exports only. They did so not as a surprising U-turn in policy, as much of the media claim, but after having a) presented their case to the UN Security Council on Monday, including the evidence of British military involvement in masterminding the drone attack on Sevastopol; and b) obtained written assurances from Kiev that the corridor would only be used for grain. The British and American responses to the expose of Britains role have been most revealing. The British government has only stated that Russia is peddling false claims of an epic scale; Washington, however, chose to send a different kind of message to Moscow with the highly unusual step of surfacing a normally secretive U.S. Navy ballistic missile submarinei.e., one of the three components of the nuclear triad capable of annihilating Russiafor the second time in two weeks. The first one, USS West Virginia, was ostentatiously surfaced in the Arabian Sea on Oct. 19; this second time it was the USS Rhode Island, which yesterday sailed into the port of Gibraltar, a British Overseas Territory. To make the message perfectly clear, U.S. Navy spokesman Capt. John Craddock stated: The U.S. and U.K. share a strong history of cooperation, through exercises, operations, and cooperation activities such as this (emphasis added). So who is playing nuclear chicken? The answer is pretty clear. As to why, that may, at first glance, seem less evident to some of our fellow citizens. In her Oct. 25 speech to the International Scientific and Practical Conference Scientific-Technological and Innovative Cooperation of BRICS countries, hosted by the [Russian] National Committee on BRICS Research, Schiller Institute founder Helga Zepp-LaRouche went to the heart of the matter: It is the systemic failure of the neoliberal system, which is the real dynamic behind the Anglo-Saxon geopolitical confrontation against Russia and China.... Events in London signal the definite arrival of the global systemic crisis, of which my late husband, Lyndon LaRouche, has warned 51 years ago, when President Nixon replaced the fixed exchange rates of the Bretton Woods System with floating ones. He warned at the time that a continuation of that monetarist system oriented towards the maximization of profits for the speculators would necessarily lead to a new depression, a new fascism, and the danger of a new World Waror, a completely new world economic system. It is for that elementary reason that the Declaration Stop the Danger of Nuclear War Now, which is circulating widely to convoke a third international seminar of political and social leaders of the world, states unequivocally: We call on people of good will around the worldnotwithstanding our diverse and natural differencesto participate in this process of deliberation and search for peaceful solutions, including a thorough examination of the alternative economic policies to replace speculation, which has generated so much poverty and suffering, with a system of production and progress to meet the needs of a growing world population. It is for that same reason that Diane Sares campaign for Senate from New York is of such strategic importance. As the voice of Lyndon LaRouche on todays U.S. political scene, Sares clear denunciation of the pressing danger of nuclear war and her presentation of LaRouches policy solutions, remains decisive in these final days before the Nov. 8 election. United States security officials say Saudi Arabia has told them Iran may be planning an attack on their land. The warning from Saudi Arabia comes at the same time that the U.S. is criticizing Iran for sending drones to Russia for use in its war with Ukraine. And the U.S. is also speaking out against Irans tough measures against street protests. The U.S. National Security Council released a statement Tuesday saying it is concerned about the threat picture. The U.S. said it will not hesitate to act in defense of our interests and partners in the region. Neither Saudi Arabia, nor Iran, answered requests for comments from the Associated Press. One U.S. security official confirmed the intelligence report and said there was a threat soon or within the next 48 hours. However, American embassies and consulates in the area have not yet issued warnings about an attack. Pat Ryder is the spokesperson for the U.S. Defense Department. He said U.S. military officials are concerned and we will reserve the right to protect and defend ourselves no matter where our forces are serving. The Wall Street Journal first reported on the Saudis sharing of intelligence. Iran is reportedly unhappy with coverage of the protests from Iran International. The Farsi-language satellite news service was once mostly owned by a Saudi national. The protests in Iran began in late September when a young woman died while under arrest for not covering her hair properly. Since then, at least 288 people have been killed and over 14,000 arrested in protests throughout the nation. Regional uncertainty Saudi Arabia and the U.S. have long been concerned about attacks from Iran. In 2019, a drone hit an oil-storage area in eastern Saudi Arabia. The attack hurt the nations ability to supply oil to the world market. In addition, some parts of Saudi Arabia have been hit by drones sent by Iran-supported Houthi fighters in Yemen. While Iran said it was not behind the attacks, security officials say similar Iran-made drones have been used by Russia to attack Ukraine this year. The relationship between the U.S. and the two Middle Eastern nations continues to be tense. The U.S. says it will support Saudi Arabia if it is attacked by Iran. But at the same time, American leaders are thinking about negotiations with Iran to limit nuclear weapons production. Even with the show of support for Saudi Arabia, the U.S. says it is examining the relationship because of Saudis action to cut its oil supply. Saudi Arabia is the top oil-producing country in a group known as OPEC. The U.S. says OPEC production cuts help Russia get more money for its oil so it can pay for the war in Ukraine. Im Dan Friedell. Dan Friedell adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on a report by the Associated Press. ________________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story drone n. a small aircraft that flies without a pilot hesitate v. to be unwilling to do something because of doubt region n. a part of the world reserve v. to choose to do something at a later time ________________________________________________________________________ We want to hear from you. Do you think there will be an attack in Saudi Arabia? We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: Write your comment in the box. Under the box, you can see four images for social media accounts. They are for Disqus, Facebook, Twitter and Google. Click on one image and a box appears. Enter the login for your social media account. Or you may create one on the Disqus system. It is the blue circle with D on it. It is free. Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here. North Korea fired at least 23 missiles into the sea on Wednesday. One of the missiles landed less than 60 kilometers from South Korea's coast. It was the first time a North Korean missile had landed near South Koreas waters since the two nations were divided in 1945. The number of missiles was also the highest launched by the North in one day. At least one missile landed outside South Korea's territorial waters, but south of the Northern Limit Line (NLL), a disputed inter-Korean maritime border. South Korean warplanes quickly answered by firing three air-to-ground missiles into the sea north across the NLL, the South's military said. President Yoon Suk Yeols office called North Korea's action an act of territorial encroachment. Reporters asked a top presidential official whether the missile was flying towards the South's territory and should have been intercepted. The official answered: "it did not land in our territory but in the Exclusive Economic Zone under our jurisdiction..." An Exclusive Economic Zone is an area beyond a nations territorial waters in which that nation still has special rights. The United States condemned the North's missile launches and called the action reckless. Air raid warnings South Koreas military said one of the North missiles landed about 57 kilometers from the South Korean city of Sokcho, on the east coast. Another landed about 167 kilometers from the island of Ulleung, where air raid warnings were sounded. "We heard the siren at around 8:55 a.m. and all of us in the building went down to the evacuation place in the basement," an Ulleung county official told Reuters. The North also fired more than 100 artillery shells from its east coast into a military-neutral area. South Korea's military said the firing violated a 2018 agreement banning hostile acts in border areas. Nuclear-armed North Korea has tested a record number of missiles this year. Officials from South Korea and the U.S. said the North has completed technical work to test a nuclear weapon for the first time since 2017. North Korea continues to test long-distance, or ballistic, missiles. It has done so although several United Nations Security Council resolutions ban all ballistic and nuclear tests by the country. The Norths missile tests on Wednesday came after a weekend tragedy in which more than 150 people were killed in a crowd surge that took place at a Halloween celebration. It was South Korea's largest disaster in years. Major military exercises The launches Wednesday started hours after North Korea demanded that the U.S. and South Korea stop the military exercises that started on Monday. Called Vigilant Storm, the exercises involve 240 warplanes flying 24 hours a day. The exercises, which began October 31, are to continue through November 4 and include training both in the air and on the ground. Earlier on Tuesday, a U.S. State Department spokesman said that the exercises were purely defensive and not hostile toward the North. But a member of the Central Committee of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party denounced the exercises. The member said that the number of warplanes involved in Vigilant Storm proved the exercise was "aggressive and provocative" and targeted North Korea. He said even its name is similar to the U.S.-led Operation Desert Storm against Iraq in the 1990s. South Korean officials said that because of the Norths missile launches, some air paths over the sea between North Korea and Japan would be closed until Thursday. Cheong Seong-Chang is an expert at the private Sejong Institute in South Korea. Cheong said the danger of armed clashes between the Koreas off their western or eastern coasts is increasing. He said South Korea needs to make proportional responses to North Korean actions, not overwhelming responses. He added tensions could get out of control and possibly lead the North to use its nuclear weapons. Im Dan Novak. And I'm Caty Weaver. Hai Do adapted this report for VOA Learning English from Associated Press and Reuters reports. _____________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story encroachment n. the action of slowly moving into an area beyond a usual limit intercept v. to meet or stop something before it gets to where it aims to go evacuation n. the process of moving people from an area or leaving an area because of the threat of danger provocative adj. meant to cause a reaction proportional adj. having a size or amount that is matched to another and not greater or smaller overwhelming adj. great in number and more than necessary _______________________________________________________________________ We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: Write your comment in the box. Under the box, you can see four images for social media accounts. They are for Disqus, Facebook, Twitter and Google. Click on one image and a box appears. Enter the login for your social media account. Or you may create one on the Disqus system. It is the blue circle with D on it. It is free. Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here. On this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast, Shippensburg University political scientist Lonce Bailey joins the show to discuss the midterm elections: Which party will likely control the House of Representatives? Which party will likely control the Senate? Which issues do voters say are most important in this election? Lonce is a friend of the show and works at Shippensburg University with podcast host Lawrence Eppard. As you will no doubt be able to tell by listening to Dr. Bailey in this episode, he is indicative of the wonderful faculty and students at Ship. If youre looking for an affordable and student-focused option for your high school graduate, give Ship a look! You can follow along with the FiveThirtyEight election predictions discussed in this episode here and the Gallup polls about voters concerns here. The Connors Forum is an independent entity from the institutions that we partner with. The views expressed in our newsletters and podcasts are those of the individual contributors alone and not of our partner institutions. Episode Music: LEXINGTON Crossroads Mission Avenue, the new homeless shelter and transitional housing facility in Lexington, hosted an open house for the public and officially joined the Lexington Area Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, Nov. 3. The former Love in Action building at 907 W. 8th St. will be renovated into 17 one-room apartments that can serve single men, single women or families in Dawson County. It is expected to open in 2024. Crossroads is a Christian nonprofit that provides housing, job training and support to enable homeless people to become self-sufficient. It was launched 39 years ago in Hastings. It expanded to Kearney in 2012 and to Grand Island in 2018. Crossroads officially joined the Lexington Area Chamber of Commerce with a ribbon cutting on Thursday. Crossroads began serving the Lexington community in July 2022, partnering with Food Bank for the Heartland to provide a monthly mobile food pantry. Crossroads staff, guests and volunteers within the Lexington Community work together to pass out food boxes. There are no requirements to attend the monthly event, which serves up to 450 families. We are excited to add another new business, Crossroads Mission Avenue, to Lexington and to the Chamber family! We welcomed them not only to the chamber, but to the community on Thursday by holding a ribbon cutting and attending their open house, said Lexington Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Heather Heinemann. Crossroads has partnered with Food Bank for the Heartland by hosting the Mobile Food Pantry monthly at the Dawson County Fairgrounds. We are looking forward to the future services that will be provided to the Lexington and surrounding communities, Heinemann concluded. In 2021, 947 individuals stayed at a Crossroads facility, 127,845 meals were served, there were an average number of 130 guests per day and 42,615 nights of stay were provided, per Crossroads website. Daniel Buller, executive director of Crossroads, said a Lexington facility was first suggested by Brian Levander, president of the Crossroads board of directors and the owner of Levanders Body Shop at 2807 N Ave. The board studied Levanders idea and is now finalizing the purchase of the property. The total cost of $1.5 million includes the purchase, construction, renovation, furnishings and administrative costs. Crossroads is also launching a capital campaign to raise $675,554 for the project. Crossroads will apply for a $750,000 grant from Federal Home Loan Bank, a private institution that it has previously worked with. Weve realized in the past few years that were not just serving Kearney or Grand Island. Crossroads serves the entire western half of the state, Buller said. He said North Platte has a homeless shelter, but there is nothing between North Platte and Cheyenne. Buller said they offer a four phase program to those who stay with them to prepare and equip them after their time at Crossroads. The first phase is the Personal Resilience Program, that focuses on life skill classes, community service, attending counseling, if applicable and weekly evaluations with a case manager. The second phase is the Employment Phase, that includes starting a job search, working with employment agencies to find work, stay with an employer for 30 days, start paying off debt and keep attending any needed counseling. Employment and Finance Program, is the third phase that focuses on maintaining employment, continuing to pay off debt, begin a savings account and continuing with counseling. The last phase is, Leadership, that includes continuing to save money, attending leadership skills classes, acquire a leadership duty at Crossroads and pass the phase four monthly evaluations. Buller believes that Crossroads is in a unique position to serve the homeless and needy men, women and families of Dawson County. The ministry of Crossroads Mission Avenue is blessed to be in a position that allows us to expand our services across underserved areas of Central Nebraska. Our dedication is bringing glory to God through the helping of people, said Buller. We are committed to serving Lexington and Dawson County by offering emergency shelter and transitional living services along with Bible based programming and case management to help stop cycles of poverty in the lives of those we are privileged to serve, Buller said. LEXINGTON Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol have arrested a Kearney man with outstanding warrants in Lexington. The first incident occurred in Lexington. Late Tuesday, NSP was contacted by Lexington Police regarding a subject with an arrest warrant. That subject was believed to be in possession of a handgun, but his exact location was unknown. NSP also received information from the Kearney Police Department that the same subject had made a threat against the NSP office in Lexington. A short time later, it was determined that the suspect, identified as Clifton Dedrick, 27, of Kearney, was in a hotel room at the Comfort Inn in Lexington, across the street from the NSP office. Troopers evacuated the occupant of an adjacent room before attempting to make contact with Dedrick. Multiple attempts were then made to contact Dedrick. At approximately 2:50 a.m. Wednesday, troopers breached the hotel room door and made contact with Dedrick, who exited the room voluntarily and was taken into custody without incident. Troopers located a handgun on a table in the room. Dedrick was lodged in Dawson County Jail for outstanding warrants and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. LINCOLN Hunters returned to rural Nebraska the weekend of Oct. 29 for the 2022 upland bird hunting season opener and found variable success. Based on field reports from Nebraska Game and Parks Commission staff and law enforcement, pheasant hunters had the greatest success in parts of northeast and south-central Nebraska, including the Rainwater Basin. Many hunters also found good numbers of quail, especially throughout their core range in south-central and southeastern Nebraska. In Nebraskas traditional pheasant strongholds, including the southwest and Panhandle regions where drought conditions have been prolonged, success was more limited. Upland hunters planning trips to Nebraska are reminded that habitat conditions are highly variable this fall. The ongoing drought conditions, coupled with emergency haying and grazing of CRP lands, have greatly reduced the availability of suitable habitat in many areas, said John Laux, Game and Parks upland game program manager. When cover is more limited, scouting becomes even more crucial. Finding quality cover is going to be more challenging this year and hunters should focus on tracts adjacent to irrigated cropland, wetlands and other water sources where birds can make a living despite the dry conditions. Crop harvest also is ahead of schedule this fall with 80% and 97% of the states corn and soybean acreage harvested, respectively, according to an Oct. 31 U.S. Department of Agriculture report. Hunters looking for new places to hunt are encouraged to pick up the Nebraska Public Access Atlas, which consolidates and displays more than 1.2 million acres of publicly accessible land throughout the state. This includes more than 370,000 acres of private lands enrolled in Game and Parks Open Fields and Waters Program. The atlas is available at Game and Parks offices and numerous vendors throughout the state. It also can be viewed at OutdoorNebraska.org/PublicAccessAtlas. Nebraskas pheasant and quail seasons run through Jan. 31, 2023. For more information on upland bird hunting in Nebraska or to view this years Upland Outlook, visit OutdoorNebraska.org/Upland. The secret to our success is research, which includes screening medicinal plants for pharmacological benefits, identifying novel active principles, and developing and producing ayurveda formulations utilizing modern standardization techniques innovative technologies while adhering to the most recent cGMP regulations, which are constantly updated to meet worldwide standards. The company's Super specialty division provides strong marketing support for groundbreaking Oncology drugs.The Division operates throughout India, with a dedicated team of management and field personnel. The products are marketed in Indian states and have built decades of trust in the Oncology range of medications and supportive therapies for oncology.BPRL's Herbal and Nutraceutical manufacturing plant is situated amid lush green surroundings on 4.3acres of land with no other manufacturing industries nearby. The three tier production facility is built in accordance with WHO and international cGMP norms. The manufacturing plant at BPRL is well equipped and designed for the production of uncoated, film coated, and sugarcoated tablets, hard gelatin capsules, churnas(powders) and herbal nutraceuticals.Bangalore Pharmaceutical and Research Laboratory Private Limited (BPRL) began operations in 1957 with the intention of achieving'Excellence in Quality'in the pharmaceutical industry. In 1987 BPRL established Recon Limited which was the marketing arm of the company. The company rose to fame for introducing highquality products that were affordable to the average person. Recon had used its experience to launch products in a wide range of therapeutic specialties over the years and was listed in Mumbai stock exchange in 1995. In 1997 the sterile injectable facility was commissioned. Recon Limited was renamed as Wintac Limited in 2000. In the year 2005 BPRL acquired Sagar Pharma along with the Oncology brands of Biological Evans.The sterile facility, Wintac limited received its French AFSAPS approval in 2006 followed by USFDA approval in 2009. In 2017 Wintac started commercials supplies to the US market with its strategic partner Gavis Pharma LLC. In 2020 BPRL monetized its stake in Wintac limited and set up its state of the art Herbal and Nutraceutical manufacturing company. The plant was commissioned in 2021."We want to be acknowledged as a trustworthy partner in the production and marketing of numerous pharmaceutical specialties. We excite and inspire our employees, recognise and reinforce their efforts and imagine, engage, and empower them. We are committed to meeting people's healthcare requirements while adhering to international quality, skill, competency and customer orientation standards", concludes J.P.Mady. Richard W. Wright (Illinois Inst. Tech., Chicago-Kent College of Law) has posted Dialogues on Causation with Puppe (1(9) Zeitschrift fur Internationale Strafrechtswissenschaft [ZfIStW] (2022)) on SSRN. Here is the abstract: This paper describes the contemporaneous development of the thoughts and writings of me and Ingeborg Puppe, the leading German scholar on causation in the law, beginning independently in the 1980s and subsequently, after learning of each other's work, through numerous communications and recent joint publications. We agree on the most important things: e.g., the failure of the strong necessity (but-for/sine qua non) analysis of causation in (duplicative and preemptive) overdetermined causation cases and of the various attempts to save it, the failure of 'singularist' ('I know it when I see it') theories, the proper NESS analysis of causation based on instantiaton of natural laws and related causal generalizations, the rejection of counterfactual reasoning, the acceptance of omissions as causes. the proper analysis of causation by omissions and overdetermined negative causation ('double prevention') cases, the recognition of properties of events and states of affairs (rather than events or states of affairs as whole) as the proper causal relata, and the proper framing of the causation analysis in the law (focusing on the causal connection between the wrongful aspects of the defendant's conduct and the legally relevant injury). But there are some actual or possible areas of disagreement. Puppe treats mental processes and some complex physical processes (e.g., the development of cancer) as indeterministic and thus not subject to the NESS analysis, while I believe they are, at least at a practical level, deterministic. She deems it necessary to treat humanly created rules in addition to causal laws and generalizations based on natural law as causal, while I believe that, as with mathematical principles, causation occurs through humans' undestanding, acceptance and application of those rules and principles rather than through their actual satisfaction. She refuses, at least for legal responsibility purposes, to fully apply the NESS analysis to recognize as causes conditions which are not independently strongly sufficient when there is a simutaneously operative independently strongly sufficient condition. Conversely, she attempts to treat almost all limitations on legal responsibility, including the risk-based limitations, as causally based, while I have always insisted on a strict separation of causal analysis from the distinct analyses of legal responsibility and ultimate liability based on, e.g., the realization of the wrongfully created risks, the existence of a superseding cause, or the the fact that the injury would have occurred anyway in the absence of any legally wrongful conduct (the 'no worse off' limitation). Recommended. COTTAGE GROVE What started out as a mistake and blossomed into a business with a cult-like following is on the cusp of massive growth. Nutkrack, the candied pecan company with the surfer dude on the label, has moved its production and headquarters out of an apartment-size space on Atwood Avenue and into an 18,900-square-foot facility with a large commercial kitchen, offices, a breakroom, warehouse space, a loading dock and walk-in coolers. Nutkrack will still have a retail and shipping space at its Atwood location. The shop is open from 1 to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends. In December it will also be open from 1 to 6 p.m. Mondays. The new building in the Cottage Grove Commerce Park was constructed five years ago for Atlantis Valley Foods, which built a larger facility across the street. Nutkrack officials believe their $2.3 million investment to buy and equip the building created an ideal space to expand its offerings beyond the Midwest and grow tenfold during the next five years. "It allows us to dream big," chef and co-founder Eric Rupert said of the new facility. "Our previous facility was 10 times smaller. This allows us to grow and to keep everything in house." Some of the proof can be seen in the warehouse, where 260,000 empty cans fill pallets along a wall with more on order. In the walk-in coolers, hundreds of boxes of pecans grown in New Mexico await processing, and there are plans for a $300,000 automated packaging line designed to vastly increase efficiency and eliminate filling and sealing cans one at a time by hand. Whole Foods has become one of Nutkrack's largest customers and Metcalfe's Market at Hilldale its top individual store "by far." Rupert is contemplating more flavors for the Nutkrack lineup. A happy accident The entrepreneurial explosion is coming just four years after the first cans of product were placed inside Fromagination, a cheese shop on the Capitol Square. Nutkrack, now with 11 employees, was born in about 2008, when Rupert, who has been a chef in the Madison area for decades, was making candied pecans for a salad. But during the process he accidentally dunked a pound of pecans in the wrong pot. It turns out, they were unlike anything Rupert had ever tasted. At first, he just gave the newfound concoction out as gifts at Christmas, but after some nudging by his family Rupert created a simple website. In 2018, he opened a small shop and production facility near the Barrymore Theatre on Atwood Avenue but kept his job at Epic Systems Corp., where he worked in the culinary department. Rupert's cooking resume, which began when he was 14, weighing hamburger and making patties at Dotty Dumpling's Dowry, also includes stints at Ovens of Brittany, L'Etoile, Atlas Pasta & Deli, the Opera House and a corporate gig at Sub Zero Wolf, where he trained dealers how to use the company's stoves, ovens and refrigeration units. Rupert went to Epic in 2008 but quit his job in 2020 to focus on the growth of Nutkrack. An evolution Central to Nutkrack's evolution is co-founder Jessica Benish, a former co-worker at Epic who is Nutkrack's chief operations officer. Sam McDaniel, a longtime food manufacturing consultant who has a track record of helping small companies monetize their concept, met Rupert through his wife, who worked at Epic. McDaniel began advising Nutkrack at its founding but became the company's CEO in 2019. "As far as Nutkrack is concerned, it's the best and easiest thing to sell that I've ever come across in 20-plus years of food," McDaniel said. "It's a well-positioned, incredibly high-quality product. It's sort of an innovation in the market without a change because everybody knows what candied pecans are, but these are just so much better." Sales doubled in each of the first three years and have slowed somewhat this year due to the economy, but the company is expected to crank out 125,000 pounds of product in 2022. The nuts are sold in Classic, Firecracker and Everything flavors in four-, eight- and 16-ounce cans and two-pound bags. A new flavor, Winter Mix, is one of three eight-ounce flavors in a new collectors tin being offered this holiday season. If the company hits its goals, production could easily surpass 1 million pounds by 2027. Nutkrack entered Whole Foods stores in the Midwest in the third quarter of 2021 and is eyeing other stores outside the region in the coming months. Nutkrack has upwards of 500 wholesale accounts around the country, but they are primarily in the Midwest. About 30% of the company's sales come from its website. Rupert has also hit the road serving up samples in 100 stores this year, McDaniel said. "We're a little bit old-fashioned as we're really focused on service to the accounts, even if we're selling through a distributor," McDaniel said. "We focus on that very much. We want to get to know people in the stores, and we want to have stores that are huge fans and advocates of the products." The process to make Nutkrack products is closely guarded. They are cooked in four-pound batches, seasoned in large aluminum mixing bowls and then placed in a single layer on large cooking sheets that are placed on racks in front of fans to speed up the drying process. Nutkrack is vegan, certified gluten-free and has just 7% sugar, compared with many other brands that can be as high as 50% sugar. The Firecracker flavor includes five different types of chili including Ancho, Guajillo and Pasilla, while the Everything flavor includes kosher salt, sesame and poppy seeds and dehydrated garlic and onion. Candied pecans have a foothold in the South but not so much in the Midwest. There are more than 90 brands on the market, and Rupert and his staff have tried them all. They believe the market has plenty of room for the offerings from Nutkrack, which is why they made the move to Cottage Grove and a facility that is 10 times the size of its previous location. "I've been around food for a long time, and this is the best thing I've ever made," Rupert said. "I knew it was going to be a journey, but I didn't know what the journey would look like. I've made a lot of good food over the years, and I've never seen people react to anything I've made the way they do to these." Smoking and pregnancy. While it can be so difficult to quit, its also so important and important to stay off cigarettes after your baby is born. Smoking is a most difficult addiction. We may not always think of it as an addiction, but many a heroin user has said that quitting smoking was as difficult as quitting heroin. I remember how hard it was for me to quit when I was in college. It took me four good tries to do it and I have never completely lost the desire to smoke. It rarely surfaces, but sometimes when I see someone smoking, here I am 50 years later still wanting a puff. Something in my brain. But back to pregnant women. A fascinating study in the British Medical Journal showed that giving mothers-to-be $450 in food vouchers to quit smoking and stay that way during the pregnancy more than doubled the number who quit and stayed off cigarettes during the pregnancy. My, it looks so promising offer some monetary reward, and expectant mothers will quit smoking. That is, until you read the rest of the study. Most moms started smoking again after the baby was born. Babys out, time to have a smoke. Now, we know smoking during pregnancy is associated with sudden infant death syndrome, asthma and even obesity. We know smoking after the baby is born is associated with SIDS, asthma, ear infections and other health issues such as obesity. And we know living in a house of smokers, especially moms who smoke, makes it more likely a child will pick up smoking when they become an adult. But even all that knowledge, accompanied by the cost savings of not spending nearly $10 per pack on cigarettes, doesnt stop some moms from going back to smoking. You might think it was just giving the food vouchers that worked to get pregnant women to stop smoking, but no. All were enrolled in classes to help guide them to quit. After they quit, all had blood tests to screen for carbon monoxide to see if they were still smoke-free. But somehow the desire for nicotine and the habit of smoking took over and they started smoking again. Its important to note that many of those who quit smoking did stay off cigarettes. Although many went back to smoking after giving birth, many did not. My spin: We still need to help our kids never even start smoking. But if you do smoke, you should never stop trying to quit, even if you dont always succeed. With work, with help, you can quit smoking when pregnant. It just takes stamina to quit in the long run. High blood pressure So, while were on the topic of pregnancy, there was a recent article in the BMJ concerning high blood pressure in pregnancy and its effect on a child as they grow up. The study took place in Denmark, which has one insurance company the government. They have high-quality universal health care that should make us jealous here in the U.S. About one in 10 pregnant moms suffer from hypertension preeclampsia, eclampsia and other forms of hypertension. Several conditions may be tied to this as a child goes through life, such as diabetes, hypertension and obesity. But the question the study wanted to answer is: Does it have any effect on long-term mortality? Researchers took 2.5 million boys and girls born to moms in Denmark from 1978 to 2018, looking at them from birth to death. The main outcome of the study was something called all-cause mortality, or death from any cause from childhood to 41 years of age. This included heart disease, cancer, kidney disease, liver disease, mental disorders, behavioral disorders, birth defects just about everything. The results of the study were sobering. Individuals who had been exposed to high blood pressure during pregnancy had a 26% higher death rate from all causes than those born to moms who did not have hypertension. Those exposed to severe or early preeclampsia had six times the mortality. The increased deaths were often from heart disease, endocrine disorders and metabolic disorders such as diabetes, with no increase in deaths due to cancer. My spin: Whats going on here? We dont know. We dont know at all. But its rather sobering. I think the answer is to make sure every pregnant woman gets good, continuous prenatal care. And if hypertension develops during pregnancy, it must be treated effectively and appropriately, taking it as a serious problem. So much of what happens during pregnancy can affect how well a child does fully into adulthood, that much is clear. Stay Well. BERLIN (AP) The International Committee of the Red Cross said Thursday it is seeking support to create a digital red cross/red crescent emblem that would make clear to military and other hackers that they have entered the computer systems of medical facilities or Red Cross offices. The Geneva-based humanitarian organization said it was calling on governments, Red Cross and Red Crescent societies, and IT experts to join forces in developing concrete ways to protect medical and humanitarian services from digital harm during armed conflict. For over 150 years, symbols such as the red cross have been used to make clear that in times of armed conflict, those who wear the red cross or facilities and objects marked with them must be protected from harm, the ICRC said. That same obligation should apply online, the organization said, noting that hacking operations in conflicts were likely to increase as more militaries develop cyber capabilities. The organization said that for the proposed digital emblem to become reality, nations worldwide would have to agree on its use and make it part of international humanitarian law alongside existing humanitarian insignia. It hopes the emblem would identify the computer systems of protected facilities much as a red cross or crescent on a hospital roof does in the real world. The International Committee of the Red Cross said that it has identified three technical possibilities: a DNS-based emblem that would use a special label to link it to a domain name; an IP-based emblem; and an ADEM, or authenticated digital emblem, system that would use certificate chains to signal protection. The ICRC said it was working with Johns Hopkins University, the ITMO University of St. Petersburg, Russia, and the Center for Cyber Trust, a joint venture of Switzerland's ETH Zurich and Germany's University of Bonn, to develop the technological solutions. An animal rights activist and UW-Madison alumna does not have a First Amendment right to post off-topic comments on posts on UW-Madisons social media accounts, and the university may hide those comments if they dont pertain to the posts topics, a federal judge ruled late Wednesday. In a 50-page decision, U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephen Crocker said the comment threads on posts from UW-Madisons social media accounts, while open to the public, are nonpublic fora because UW has generally sought, even if imperfectly, to limit comments to the topic of the post at hand. Animal rights advocate Madeline Krasno, who graduated in 2013 and had worked as an animal caretaker in a UW lab, sued UW in 2021 alleging the university scrubbed her critical comments about the universitys animal research practices from its social media accounts in violation of her First Amendment rights. The Animal Legal Defense Fund, which sued on Krasnos behalf, argued that UWs actions amounted to censorship because Krasnos comments on UWs posts on Instagram and Facebook appeared on accounts controlled by a government entity. We are disappointed that the courts ruling will lead to continued suppression of animal advocates speech on University of Wisconsin-Madison social media pages where comments containing words like cruelty and animal research are automatically hidden, said Christopher Berry, managing attorney for the Animal Legal Defense Fund. Our client Madeline Krasno has a right to talk about her personal experience as a university graduate and former employee of the controversial primate research labs. We are assessing our next steps and deliberating how best to end the clear and flagrant violation of Ms. Krasnos First Amendment rights. UW-Madison spokesperson Greg Bump said UW is pleased with the decision and the work of our legal team to defend this matter. Crockers decision dismissed the lawsuit. He said UW has a legitimate interest in keeping comments on its posts on topic, which does not violate Krasnos First Amendment rights. The Universitys rule allowing for moderation of off-topic comments is a reasonable and viewpoint neutral rule that furthers the Universitys permissible interest in preserving the interactive comment threads for discussion of the subjects posted by the University, Crocker wrote. Krasno is free to post her views about testing on animals on her own pages or anywhere else allowed on the internet. However, she has no First Amendment right to post them on the Universitys social media pages unless they are germane to the topic of the Universitys post. Allowing off-topic comments to proliferate makes it more difficult for UW to respond to certain comments, Crocker wrote, and can be a distraction to other users. Limited public forum Courts have said, Crocker wrote, that nonpublic does not mean a forum that is closed to the public but instead is open to the public only for specified speakers or specified expressive activities. Some courts have called them a limited public forum. Krasno and UW agreed, Crocker wrote, that the comment threads on Instagram and Facebook are not a traditional public forum, but disagreed on whether they are public or nonpublic. Krasno, Crocker wrote, contended that the comment threads are wide open for discussion of anything related to the University, including its animal testing program. The question, he wrote, is whether UW has by policy or by practice limited the threads to on-topic discussion or opened them for indiscriminate use by the general public. At the time the lawsuit was filed in February 2021, UWs Social Media Statement said that although UW did not regularly review comments, it reserved the right to do so for several reasons, among them off-topic comments. That disclaimer has since been altered to specify comments not germane to the subject matter of the institutional post. The policy, Crocker wrote, signals that the University did not intend to open the interactive comment threads for indiscriminate use. He also noted that other comments, not just those pertaining to animal testing, have been subjected to the off-topic rule. After examining the nature of the forum, the Universitys written policies, and its actual practices, I conclude that there is insufficient evidence to support Krasnos contention that the University routinely has allowed off-topic comments on its posts by everyone but animal rights activists like Krasno, Crocker wrote. To the contrary, the University has expressed an intent not to open the comment threads on its social media posts to all posters for public dissemination of their views on any topic whatsoever pertaining to the University. If UW only loosely moderates comment threads, and by accident or design appears to tolerate some off-topic comments, that may show that its restriction is unreasonable or viewpoint-based, but it does not show that the University has invited the public to use its facilities as a soapbox, Crocker wrote, quoting an earlier case. Crocker also said cases cited by Krasno in which then-President Donald Trump and some Wisconsin state legislators were found to have illegally blocked certain users from their Twitter accounts were not analogous to the UW case, because the users in the Twitter cases had been banned entirely from those accounts. Courts in those cases never determined what kind of forum, public or nonpublic, the Twitter accounts represented because the bans were considered viewpoint discrimination, which is prohibited in all forums, he wrote. While determining which candidates to support may be top of mind for many voters, there are a few other things Wisconsinites should keep in mind as they head to the polls on Tuesday. First, youll need to bring an acceptable photo ID, such as a drivers license, student ID or state-issued card to vote. Those without a photo ID can still vote by casting a provisional ballot. Such voters will need to provide a photo ID to their municipal clerk by 4 p.m. the Friday after the election in order to have their ballot counted. New voters or those who have changed their name or address since they last voted can fill out a new registration form at their polling place. A proof of residence is required to register. As voters arrive at their respective polling places, poll workers cross check their names with a poll book to make sure they havent already voted absentee. Once eligibility is verified, voters are provided with a ballot. The federal Voting Rights Act allows voters with disabilities to receive assistance as long as the person helping them isnt the voters employer, an agent of that employer or officer or agent of the voters union. After polls close at 8 p.m., ballots are counted and reported. All Election Day results are unofficial until the election is certified after post-election reviews are concluded. By law, absentee ballot envelopes cannot be opened, sorted, processed or counted until Election Day. That means election officials in about three dozen Wisconsin cities, including Milwaukee, will not begin counting absentee ballots until polls close. So expect the vote totals to change throughout the night and even into the next day. The process of counting the ballots at the end of Election Day either at polling sites or, in a handful of municipalities, at a central location known as a central count site is open to the public, the media and other observers, as is the canvass, in which election workers reconcile the number of voters who received a ballot with the number of ballots cast. Since mid-September, residents in Poynette have been unable to drop their utility bills or other documents into the village halls outdoor drop box, which is closed until after the election since the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled such unattended boxes could not be used to receive absentee ballots. Closing the drop box has prompted complaints from some village residents. But its only one of several adjustments residents in this village of about 2,500 people have had to make because of recent election-related court rulings. Among other things, Poynette village clerk Natalie Megow said, she has also had to turn away voters hoping to drop off a spouses ballot at her office in the village hall. Ive lived here most of my life and I know most of these people, and they look at me like Im crazy when I say, Yeah, I cant accept your wifes ballot, said Megow, who was the villages deputy clerk and treasurer from 2016 to 2017 and has been its clerk and treasurer since then. But thats the statute, and we have to follow it. Speaking with reporters on Friday, the Wisconsin Elections Commissions nonpartisan administrator Meagan Wolfe said local clerks are experienced with enacting changes to stay in accordance with state law or court rulings, but added change is always hard, especially when were already so busy just preparing for the election. I think any additional changes can be a challenge, but I also feel confident in our local election officials ability to be able to navigate those appropriately, Wolfe added. A series of legal provisions and election memos have become flash points in the political fights over election administration that surged after the 2020 presidential election a contest conducted amid a pandemic and baseless claims of widespread fraud. And while supporters say multiple court rulings since then have made elections more secure, theyve also caused confusion and frustration as clerks prepare for next weeks election. In July, the Wisconsin Supreme Court barred the use of absentee ballot drop boxes in the state. The court also ruled absentee ballots must be delivered by mail or in person to a local clerks office or designated alternate site. In response, the states chief election officer said ballots may only be mailed by the person who casts them. Together with the high court ruling, those comments caused some voters with disabilities including some who cannot move on their own or use their hands to worry they could face penalties if an aide or family member helps them vote. Several Wisconsinites with disabilities sued the Wisconsin Elections Commission, and in late August a federal court judge ruled that people with disabilities are entitled to receive third-party help mailing ballots or delivering them to a clerk. Absentee voters also must have a witness sign a certificate, typically printed on the back of an absentee ballot envelope, for the ballot to be valid. The witness has to include his or her address on the certificate. But in September, Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Michael J. Aprahamian ruled election officials cant fix even minor errors on the information witnesses provide on the certificates and ordered the elections commission to rescind guidance first issued in 2016 allowing election officials to complete such details, like the witnesss state or ZIP code. Aprahamian did not specify what parts of a witness address are needed for the ballot to be valid. State law also does not specify what constitutes an address. The commissions guidance was not challenged until former President Donald Trump lost to Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. Concerned that voters could be disenfranchised because of mistakes their witnesses made on the certificates, two groups in separate lawsuits asked Dane County judges to allow clerks to accept ballots with missing witness address information. Both judges rejected making such a ruling so close to Tuesdays election. Also last month, a Waukesha County Circuit Court judge ruled voters couldnt void their absentee ballots and cast a new one after, for example, a candidate they had voted for dropped out of the race. This election cycle has seen a significant uptick in the number and kinds of cases that have been filed over election administration, said Doug Poland, an elections attorney who co-founded the liberal legal group Law Forward. Litigation deluge That trend isnt unique to Wisconsin. In state courts across the country, there were 143 election-related lawsuits in 2018, 203 in 2020 and 272 in 2022, according to the preliminary findings of UW-Madison law professor and State Democracy Research Initiative co-director Miriam Seifter along with staff attorney Adam Sopko. An election litigation deluge may undermine voter confidence in the electoral system, Seifter and Sopko wrote in media outlet The Conversation. Litigation over every detail of the election process lays the groundwork for false narratives or subsequent challenges to the validity of an election. Poland said he expects the litigation around election rules to continue and probably intensify before the 2024 election. More concerns I really wish people wouldnt mess with the laws so close to the election, or in the middle of the whole cycle, Florence town clerk Shelly VanPembrook said. Unlike VanPembrook, whose job is full time, other clerks in Florence County work part time, meaning they dont have as much availability to understand and adjust after election-related court rulings, she said. VanPembrook and the towns deputy clerk, Jessica Klumpp, also noted that elections commission guidance often issued in the aftermath of such rulings tells them to consult their municipal attorneys to understand the court decisions implications. They dont give us much guidance at all, Klumpp said. And then tell us to go talk to our lawyers. All because theyve been under attack, VanPembrook added. The WEC in the past, wed be lost without them. I think theyre great. And we always felt we had the guidance and they were there for us. And so these last couple of years, them being attacked has not Its impacting everyone, Klumpp interrupted. Concern for fairness Two hundred miles south of Florence, in Beaver Dam, City Clerk Tracey Ferron said she was frustrated with recent changes that she saw as disenfranchising some older voters. Ive had adult children try to bring in their elderly parents ballots, and obviously I cant take them, she said, referring to the high court ruling that ballots delivered in-person to a clerk must be dropped off by the person casting that vote. Tim Michels Republican gubernatorial candidate Tim Michels speaks to supporters Thursday at Bristled Boar Saloon & Grill in Middleton. Speaking at a campaign event Thursday in Middleton, Republican gubernatorial candidate Tim Michels repeated what has become a standard part of his stump speech. If he defeats Democratic Gov. Tony Evers on Tuesday, Michels said, his administration would make it easier to vote and hard to cheat, or impossible to cheat. While Michels has signaled plans to sign into law a handful of bills that were passed by the Republican-led Legislature but vetoed by Evers that would add restrictions to voting, he has yet to say how he would deliver on the first part of that pledge: to make voting easier. Nor has he provided details on one of the major components of his election integrity platform, to jettison the bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission. Michels, the co-owner of Brownsville-based Michels Corp., said only that he would replace it with what he called the Wisconsin Election Integrity Group. It will have representation from all eight congressional districts, and we are going to make sure that the people of Wisconsin are confident that they have election integrity here in the state of Wisconsin, Michels said of his proposed agency. Michels took just three questions from reporters at Thursdays campaign event and did not elaborate on his proposed agency. Despite announcing the proposal three months ago, Michels and his campaign have not said how the group would be structured, its party makeup or who would appoint members. Five of Wisconsins eight congressional districts are held by Republicans, while the elections commission is evenly split between three Democratic and three Republican appointees. Tony Evers has vetoed numerous bills designed to ensure free, fair, and secure elections, Michels spokesperson Anna Kelly said when asked for specifics about the proposals. All Wisconsinites deserve to have confidence in our democratic process, and Tim Michels will ensure that everyone in Wisconsin can cast their ballot with confidence. Evers, who is seeking a second term this fall, has largely defended the elections commission, which was created in 2016 by former Republican Gov. Scott Walker and GOP lawmakers. He has vowed to protect voters rights and ensure elections remain free, fair and secure. Among other things, the commission provides nonbinding guidance to election officials across the state for administering elections. But under Michels proposal, all such guidance would be repealed. 2020 residue GOP criticism directed at the agency skyrocketed after the 2020 election, due in part to decisions made by the agency, including 2020 guidance allowing clerks to bypass sending poll workers to nursing homes shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic was declared. Election skepticism has also been fueled by baseless claims of widespread fraud and mounting pressure from former President Donald Trump, who continues to push the lie that the election was stolen. Recounts, reviews and court decisions have affirmed that Trump lost Wisconsin to President Joe Biden by about 21,000 votes. Trump endorsed Michels in June, about a month after he entered the race. Republican leaders in the state Assembly and Senate have said they oppose abolishing the commission something that was proposed by Michels primary challengers. Michels has said he would seek to remove the agencys six commissioners, terminate all senior staff and require them to reapply under the newly appointed commission. Any staff member who participated in issuing guidance that did not comply with state law would be prohibited from rejoining the agency. Michels plan would also ban private grants for administering elections and the use of unstaffed absentee ballot drop boxes, which the state Supreme Court has already declared dont conform with state law. He also calls for a twice-annual purge of dead and inactive voters from the polls. Currently, the commission performs a daily check to identify dead voters or those who have become ineligible. Voters who have not cast ballots in four years are purged from voter rolls. GOP proposals Beyond the elections commission, Michels has said he would sign a series of bills that passed through the Republican-controlled Legislature last session but were vetoed by Evers, who said they would have made voting harder, rather than easier. During his first term, Gov. Evers has been the last line of defense on voting rights, vetoing countless bills passed by Republican lawmakers that would have made it more difficult for seniors and people with disabilities to cast a ballot, Evers campaign spokesperson Kayla Anderson said. The governor will continue to do the right thing and veto any radical legislation that undermines our democracy. Republican legislative leaders have also signaled interest in reintroducing those bills if Michels wins on Tuesday. Among them: would give the GOP-led budget committee the ability to enforce staffing cuts or reduce agency funding at the elections commission or other departments if the committee finds the departments failed to comply with election-related laws. The committee would have the ability to cut staff or reduce agency funding by up to $50,000 for each day of noncompliance. would limit who could claim indefinitely confined status, which allows voters who cant get to the polls to request absentee ballots without having to submit a photo ID. The practice has been allowed in the state for more than 30 years but saw increased scrutiny after its usage during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. would require the elections commission to submit to the Legislatures rules committee any guidance issued to elections officials. That would allow the GOP-led committee to nullify that guidance. would give the budget committee final say over how the elections commission spends any federal funds allocated to the agency and require the bipartisan commissions lawyers to be partisan attorneys appointed by Republican and Democratic leaders. would prohibit special voting deputies from being barred from assisting nursing home residents with casting absentee ballots unless a public health emergency is in place or the facility is closed due to infectious disease at which point personal care voting assistants must be trained to assist residents. The bill would also ban the use of private grants to help administer elections and bar election clerks from filling in any missing information on a voters absentee ballot envelope, and prohibit anyone other than a voter, immediate family member or guardian or designated individual to return an absentee ballot. would require voters to submit a valid ID in order to receive an absentee ballot. Currently, voters with a photo ID on file do not need to provide new identification when requesting an absentee ballot. Evers struck down the bills in April, writing in a veto message that several of the proposals were passed under the guise of needing to reform our election system because elected officials in this state have enabled disinformation about our elections and election processes. I have and will object to each and every effort by this Legislature and its members to undermine our democracy, to erode confidence in our elections, and to demean and harass dedicated clerks, election administrators, and poll workers, Evers wrote in the April 8 veto message for one of the bills. Republican lawmakers, including former election clerk Sen. Kathy Bernier, R-Chippewa Falls, introduced several of the bills in January after an Oct. 2021 audit by the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau found no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 presidential election but made more than a dozen recommendations to the Legislature for how election administration could be improved. Eleven orthopedic surgeons are leaving SSM Health Dean Medical Group to start an independent practice in Madison managed by an Arizona company, with plans to build a specialty hospital in Dane County within two years and multiple outpatient surgical centers in the region. The move could shake up one of the most lucrative parts of health care in a market dominated by SSM Health and UW Health. It positions the doctors to take on financial risk with insurers and employer groups, accepting gains or losses through set payments per patient for whatever joint replacements or other orthopedic services they need, said Dr. Jason Sansone, leader of the group. Were looking forward to being able to disrupt that market, said Sansone, who has been SSM Health orthopedics chairman and will be CEO of Orthopedic Physicians of Wisconsin, which plans to open in January. We need to lead the charge as it relates to delivering value better quality, lower cost. He compared the move to direct primary care, in which family medicine doctors are leaving large groups like SSM Health and UW Health and starting up independent practices, often charging monthly fees, outside of insurance. SSM Health spokesperson Kim Sveum said the organization is recruiting other orthopedic surgeons and remains committed to providing and investing in orthopedic services for our patients. Last month, she said SSM Health valued its clinically integrated model of care. We believe that the independent model proposed by these physicians would weaken that integration and not be in the best interest of our patients, Sveum said. St. Louis-based SSM Health acquired Dean Clinic, which had long been independent but affiliated with St. Marys Hospital in Madison, in 2013. Orthopedic surgeons each generate an average of $3.3 million a year in hospital revenue, according to a report this year by consultant Merritt Hawkins. That is second only to interventional cardiologists, who bring in an average of $3.5 million. Other leading provider types are gastroenterologists, at $2.9 million; family medicine doctors, at $2.1 million; and obstetricians/gynecologists, at $2 million. New sites planned Sansone said the orthopedic surgeons plan to maintain privileges to operate at SSM Healths St. Marys hospitals in Madison and Janesville and its St. Clare Hospital in Baraboo, even though they will no longer be employees, while expanding to other hospitals in the region. They plan to build a specialty orthopedics hospital and an ambulatory surgery center for outpatient procedures in Dane County by January 2025, he said. Additional surgery centers are planned, likely in the Janesville and Baraboo areas and possibly elsewhere in the region, he said. The surgeons plan to continue contracting with Dean Health Plan, which is owned by SSM Health, though that is not yet arranged, he said. They plan to contract with national insurers such as Aetna, Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Cigna and United Healthcare, he said. They also intend to contract with Monona-based WPS Health Insurance and The Alliance, a Fitchburg-based cooperative of 300 self-insured employers that purchase medical services collectively. Cheryl DeMars, CEO of The Alliance, said building more medical facilities can sometimes add to health care cost, especially when large health systems do it. But the orthopedic surgeons risk-based approach should lower cost and improve value. We support the goals they want to achieve, DeMars said. They want to compete on price and quality and be the best. National footprint Phoenix-based Healthcare Outcomes Performance, or HOPCo, will manage the practice, Sansone said. HOPCo, which has similar arrangements with orthopedic groups in 32 states, covers orthopedic services for all United Healthcare members in Arizona, absorbing gains or losses from capitated rates, he said. The Madison surgeons will seek similar arrangements in Wisconsin, where they will be HOPCos first presence. The idea here is that were an anchor for a HOPCo Midwest, Sansone said. We feel very good about the ability to compete in this entire region. Sansone said the move to leave SSM Health and start an independent group is not driven by a desire to earn more money. The surgeons want more autonomy and ability to adapt to market changes, he said. Its not about pay and reimbursement, he said. We dont even know that doing this will necessarily be more profitable for us. The doctors will be able to see their previous or current SSM Health patients, but they wont be able to solicit them directly, Sansone said. Four to remain In late September, 15 of SSM Health Deans 17 orthopedic surgeons submitted 90-day resignation notices with the intent of starting the group. Four of them have decided to stay with SSM Health, Sansone said. Besides Sansone, the other 10 leaving are: Kashif Ali, Aaron Carpiaux, Rajit Chakravarty, Richard Glad, Brian Keyes, Dayton Opel, James Prosser, Joseph Sizensky, Brian Steffin and David Wolff. Their headquarters will be in the Arbor Gate complex off the Beltline near Todd Drive, where SSM Healths orthopedics group was based before moving early this year to its South Madison Campus on Fish Hatchery Road. Sansone said the plan is unrelated to one recently proposed by UW Health orthopedic surgeons to start an ambulatory surgery center in the Madison area. In June, Dr. Thomas Zdeblick resigned as UW orthopedics chair after Dr. Robert Golden, dean of the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, said he didnt approve of Zdeblicks plan in which he and other UW doctors would own 62% of a new surgery center. Zdeblick, 65, said he will retire from UW at the end of the year and is no longer pursuing a surgery center. When asked in a Wisconsin State Journal interview if other UW doctors were still pursuing the idea, he said he wasnt sure. When President Joe Biden speaks about the scourge of gun violence, his go-to answer is to zero in on so-called assault weapons. America has heard it many times, including this week after shootings in Colorado and Virginia, that Biden wants to sign into law a ban on high-powered guns that have the capacity to kill many people very quickly. Such a move is still far off in a closely divided Congress. But Biden and the Democrats have become increasingly emboldened in pushing for stronger gun controls, and they're doing so with no clear electoral consequences. The tough talk reflects steady progress that gun control advocates have made. PARIS (AP) A far-right lawmaker in France was criticized Thursday after he responded to a Black lawmaker's question about migrants stranded at sea by apparently saying, Let them return to Africa. Gregoire de Fournas of the National Rally party made the comment in the National Assembly. The president of the lower house of the French Parliament, Yael Braun-Pivet, subsequently suspended the legislative session. De Fournas spoke while Carlos Martens Bilongo of the leftist France Unbowed party was challenging French President Emmanuel Macrons centrist government over a maritime rescue boat that is carrying hundreds of passengers in the Mediterranean Sea and has not received an assigned port to bring them to. Charities helping the migrants have appealed to the French government to take them in or help find a solution. The French authorities have not yet responded. Braun-Pivet said the comment in parliament would be investigated on Friday. National Rally has a reputation for strong anti-immigrant rhetoric. Party spokesman Victor Chabert said de Fournas was referring to migrants at sea in his Africa remark and not, as some in French media wondered, to his fellow lawmaker. Some claimed that Fournas had only said return to Africa because the beginning of his sentence was muffled. Fournas since sent Martens Bilongo an email to try to defuse tensions. Reacting to the event, French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said that racism has no place in our democracy. She said the chamber will have to take sanctions" over de Fournas' remark without elaborating what those might be. National Rally's leader, Marine Le Pen, lost her second bid for the French presidency to Macron in April. Follow AP's coverage of global migration at https://apnews.com/hub/migration MUENSTER, Germany (AP) Top diplomats from the worlds major industrialized democracies sought Thursday to expand unified positions on Russias war in Ukraine, Chinas growing global economic clout and Irans crackdown on anti-government protestors. Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven nations began two days of talks in the historic western German city of Muenster to take stock of the war in Ukraine and keep up economic, military and other support for the country more than eight months after Russias invasion and as winter approaches. The significance of the venue the same room in which the Treaty of Westphalia ending Europe's bloody 30 Years War was signed in 1648 was not lost on the participants, some of whom commented on the relevance of the principles it enshrined in international diplomacy. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made reference to the 374-year-old document at an event with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, saying Russias actions in Ukraine are a direct attack on the concepts of national sovereignty and territorial integrity that many believe the treaty established. These are the very principles that are being challenged today by Russia, Blinken said. If we let that be challenged with impunity, then the foundations of the international order will start to erode and eventually crumble, and none of us can afford to let that happen. Baerbock opened G-7 meeting at Muenster City Hall by saying the values hashed out in 1648 were the same as those under threat today: peace and the rule of law. Russian President Vladimir Putins actions are plunging the worlds poorest further into despair, putting global food security on the brink and pushing up energy prices, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said. These actions only serve to demonstrate Putins true intentions and further unite the international community against his callous plans. We wont accept that the Russian president succeeds with his strategy of ... breaking Ukraine, Baerbock said. The meeting in Muenster comes nearly a year after the same G-7 nations the U.K., Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States banded together to warn Russia of massive consequences if it went ahead with plans to invade Ukraine. Putin denied having such plans, and some nations saw the West's repeated alerts of a Russian troop buildup near Ukraine as exaggerated at the time. Since delivering the initial warning to Moscow two months before Russia's invasion was launched in late February the G-7 has largely followed through with their vow to punish Russia, although sanctions have done little to deter the Kremlin amid soaring energy prices. Russia has instead escalated its attacks on civilians and infrastructure, sent in more troops, illegally annexed four regions in Ukraine and shown no interest in a diplomatic solution. A senior U.S. official traveling with Blinken said Putin had doubled down" and, in some cases, tripled down on his position. Although a potential world food crisis was averted Wednesday when Russia agreed to rejoin a wartime agreement that allowed Ukrainian grain exports to global markets, other emergencies loom. Those include the war's impact on energy supplies, Russia's unfounded claims that Ukraine is preparing to use a radioactive dirty bomb and suggestions that Moscow might respond with nuclear weapons. The U.N. nuclear watchdog reported Thursday that inspections of sites in Ukraine had found no evidence to support Russias claim that Ukraine planned to detonate a radioactive dirty bomb. Meanwhile, the European Union is considering moving forward with price caps on Russian energy imports aimed at further stifling Russias income. The G-7 ministers were also to discuss other issues, including joint approaches to China, which has sided with Russia over Ukraine while also seeking to boost investments in critical and sensitive infrastructure in the West, and Iran, which in addition to conducting a brutal crackdown on protesters is accused of supplying Russia with armed drones and possibly other weapons for use in Ukraine. Baerbock, the host, said she wanted the group to look in particular at supporting women's rights in Iran, where the protests erupted over the death of a women accused of violating the compulsory wearing of a headscarf. On China, U.S. officials said the G-7 would be looking to further harmonize their policies related to Chinese investment in their countries as well to caution against antagonistic moves that Beijing might take against Taiwan. Beijing is not just a partner on international questions but also a competitor and, much more strongly, a rival, in view of its understanding of the international order, Baerbock said. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is visiting Beijing this week, becoming the first European leader to make the trip since the war in Ukraine began. Chinese investment in a major port project in Germany has raised concerns in Washington and other capitals that China might gain a controlling interest in critical infrastructure in the heart of an allied country. U.S. officials said they were pleased the Hamburg port contract was amended to reduce Chinas stake to a minority position but said it was important that all nations look carefully at proposed Chinese investments and the potential security threats they might bring. Scholz has pledged to use his trip to make the case for Chinese moderation and assistance in calming the situations with Ukraine and Taiwan. The G-7 has weathered major changes since the foreign ministers issued their stark pre-war ultimatum to the Kremlin last December. Britain is on its third prime minister, theres a new far-right-led government in Italy, relations between Germany and France have frayed and control of the U.S. Congress may be about to shift with next week's midterm election. Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine BRUSSELS (AP) New far-right Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni used her first visit to European Union headquarters in Brussels Thursday to declare that Italy will be a force to reckon with in EU affairs, leaving it unclear whether that was a promise or a threat from one of the bloc's powerful founding members. Her first foreign trip after brokering Italy's only far-right-led government since World War II was not the ordinary kind of visit by a new leader of a major EU nation seeking to renew unshakable bonds with the 27-nation bloc. For some, it brought the far right into the walls of the EU just as the bloc faces crises on many fronts. Meloni emerged energized from the meetings with the EUs most powerful officials: European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel, the European Council president who chairs all EU summits. Meloni said she had found her counterparts receptive and described the talks as frank and very positive. I am happy with the climate I found here in Brussels. Probably to be able to see and speak with people can help dismantle a narrative about yours truly," Meloni told reporters. We are not Martians. We are people in flesh and bone who explain our positions. She said they discussed the war in Ukraine, the resulting soaring prices for energy and raw materials as well as the heavy migration that Italy shoulders at the EU's southern border. It's enough to send shivers down the spine of many EU legislators and officials, who fear the rule of law and revered principles of Western liberal democracy could be hollowed out from within as yet another EU nation turns sharply to the right. Metsola sidestepped the political differences and centered on the common challenges ahead. I am aware that member states have different realities, but we must find the courage and political will to act as we did during the pandemic, by joining forces, said Metsola after the meeting. Many, though, are wary of working too closely with Meloni and her far-right-led ruling coalition. On the eve of her visit, her government had to defend a decree banning rave parties against criticism it could be used to clamp down on protests, while it took no action against a neo-fascist march to the crypt of Italys late dictator Benito Mussolini. Meloni has been dogged by critics who say she hasnt unambiguously condemned fascism. The Brothers of Italy, which she co-founded in 2012, has its roots in a far-right party founded by nostalgists for Mussolini. She has retorted that she has "never felt sympathy or closeness for any non-democratic regime, including fascism. When it comes to the EU, Meloni is expected to criticize the bloc as being overly meddling in national affairs on anything from LGBTQ rights to local economies and too lax on migration. Similar criticism has been heard in Poland and Hungary. For years, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a proponent of illiberalism, has increasingly run an obstructionist course in an EU where many major decisions have to be made unanimously. Meloni has stressed, though, that she doesn't want to torpedo the bloc, whose founding treaty was signed in Rome in 1957. Italy isn't in a strong position to break ranks with the EU or the shared euro currency. Its overall debt exceeds 150% of gross domestic product and it's in line to get around 200 billion euros in aid to deal with the economic crisis caused by the pandemic. This offers the EU institutions extensive political leverage. On EU foreign policy, which has become a much more trans-Atlantic endeavor with the United States since Russia invaded Ukraine, Meloni has had to overcome suspicions that her coalition could be leaning too far towards Putin. When Berlusconi boasted to his Forza Italia lawmakers last month of having reestablished contact with Putin and exchanged birthday gifts, Meloni immediately put her foot down. Italy will never be the weak link of the West with us in government, Meloni said. Meloni has firmly backed Ukraine in its struggle against Russia's invasion. Barry reported from Milan. Few Americans remember when polio-stricken children relied on seven-foot-long iron cylinders to breathe. At its peak in early 1950s, polio caused more than 15,000 cases of paralysis a year and over 3,000 deaths in the U.S. alone. In the decades that followed, a massive vaccination campaign nearly eradicated the disease from the globe. Now, a perfect storm of factors has made polio a threat once again. Eliminating the virus is still possible, but only if global leaders shake off their complacency. Polio is a highly contagious, sometimes debilitating disease that primarily affects children under five. It passes from feces to the mouth via unwashed hands or contaminated food or drink. While most cases are asymptomatic or cause symptoms similar to the common flu, permanent paralysis is possible. Polio can be fatal when breathing muscles stop working. In 1988, 350,000 cases of polio were recorded in 125 countries. Today, polio is endemic in just two Afghanistan and Pakistan and cases of wild polio dwindled to 29 so far this year. By many measures, such results qualify as a resounding success. For polio, however, even one case is a serious global threat. The latest outbreak in the U.S. is a case in point. This summer, a previously healthy, unvaccinated young adult from Rockland County, New York, was paralyzed after getting infected by a mutated strain. The U.S. hasnt had a case of wild polio since 1979. While only one case has been recorded so far, 70 positive samples of paralytic or illness-inducing polio have shown up in nearby sewage testing, according to the most recent data. Experts estimate for each case of paralytic polio, hundreds if not thousands of others are infected without symptoms, which means the virus can spread for months before its detected. Polios spread isnt worrying for the fully vaccinated. But longstanding vaccine hesitancy in certain communities, the rise of misinformation and the deferral of routine treatments post-COVID has created pockets of vulnerability. While more than 92% of the U.S. population has been vaccinated for polio, that figure drops to 60% in Rockland County. In one ZIP code, the rate is just 37%. Unlike many other diseases, eradicating polio is scientifically possible. The challenge is mustering the will. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative, a five-year campaign to reach 370 million children annually, aimed to raise $4.8 billion in a drive last week. It secured a little more than half that amount, which included $1.2 billion from Bill Gates. (Bloomberg Philanthropies is a regular donor to GPEI.) Key contributors such as the UK have cut back because of shrinking budgets and competing priorities. Even Gates, while affirming his commitment, said it might not be forever. This is troubling. Research has shown that even a small decrease in the intensity of immunization can lead to large outbreaks. Getting much-needed funding to close the vaccination gap is essential, particularly in places like Afghanistan and Pakistan, where health workers not only face vaccine aversion, but mass migration, flooding, political instability and poor nutrition, which requires more dosing. Indias success overcoming similar hurdles shows that eradication is possible. Increased surveillance is also key. New York is ramping up its wastewater testing and encouraging more liberal screening of unvaccinated patients in certain counties. Still, testing and sequencing is conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which can create bottlenecks. Expanding the CDCs capacity would quicken local officials response time, a critical need if the virus spreads to other parts of the country. For years, polio seemed to be on the brink of eradication. No longer. Only through sustained investment can the world protect millions of children from a devastating yet entirely avoidable disease. Editors note: This column first ran Nov. 10, 2016, in the Times-News and at Magicvalley.com. While the Snake River is acclaimed for its scenic canyon and falls, rarely is its name questioned today. But there was a time when the name wasnt widely accepted. Five months after irrigation water from the river first spilled upon the Twin Falls Tract, folks were suggesting the name be changed. The citizens of Twin Falls would welcome such revision and would be glad to see the mighty river which supplies moisture for the largest irrigated tract in America called by its proper name, Shoshonee, opined the Twin Falls Weekly News in its Aug. 11, 1905, edition. Snake is a revolting appellation and while it may suggest the sinuous course of the stream, it forever eliminates the river from song or sentiment, the newspaper explained. To some, Snake implied that the rivers edge is infested with rattlesnakes, keeping tourists from visiting the falls. It is a pity we cannot get rid of the offensive name Snake, said E.G. Eagleson, surveyor general for Idaho who later became a Boise mayor. In an interesting offshoot, Eagleson suggested a prehistoric population that inhabited the area before the Indians. It would seem that nearly all our great rivers were named by the people of some prehistoric race and the survival of these names is about all the oral evidence we have that North America was peopled by a race which flourished before the Indians, he said. Eaglesons message was clear but moot. Let the grandest stream in America be known by its proper name, the Shoshonee, and let us forget the repulsive and offensive Snake. I was on the Nextdoor app last week trying to find a contractor to repair the walkway to my porch when I stumbled upon a discussion about political yard signs. A Right Wing Party voter was complaining about people stealing signs for candidates running as Republicans in her neighborhood. She went so far as to suggest like-minded neighbors set up a nighttime surveillance operation to catch the culprit(s). Democrats on the feed quickly chimed in, noting that signs for Democratic candidates were being stolen in their neighborhoods (I can personally attest that the latter is true). The discussion about disappearing yard signs went on forever, taking up what must have been, collectively, a couple of hours of reading, replying, meme-ing, more reading and more replying. I gave up after about ten minutes and called a guy who had responded to my walkway issue. The stealing of political yard signs is a biannual event here in Idaho, not to mention the rest of the country. Which party is more guilty than the other, I have no idea. As far as I know, Idaho law enforcement does not track yard sign thefts by party. If they do, Im disappointed as a taxpayer because they must have better things to do. Either way, if you are frustrated with people stealing your yard signs, I have a solution. Shut up and volunteer. Im trying to sell a coffee table on Nextdoor and I dont need your nonsense mucking up my feed. There are numerous reasons why stealing yard signs, or getting upset about it, is a lose-lose all around. First, and most importantly, its illegal. Theft, destruction of property and trespassing are all against the law in Idaho. If caught and prosecuted to the full extent of the law, you could potentially do jail time and pay a fine. That being said, Im aware of exactly one prosecution involving theft of campaign materials and the perpetrator a candidate won his race handily. Police and prosecutors have better things to do with their time. While campaigns are well within their rights to report such thefts, in the end, they dont add up to much. You are better off joining the campaign rather than getting all bent out of shape. Second, stealing yard signs is not an effective way to thwart a rival campaign. Studies vary as to how effective yard signs are in deciding races, but even the most optimistic analysis suggests yard signs can make a 1 to 2-percent difference in a race so long as you have a lot of yard signs strategically placed around the district. Stealing a handful of signs out of your neighborhood is not likely to have any effect on the race. Furthermore, youre only going to motivate the rival campaign and their supporters, while casting your candidate in a bad light. Neighbors talk. Finally, when you add up the time it takes to (1) get ticked off about yard signs in your neighborhood (2) actually plan and execute the theft and (3) dispose of the signs without getting caught, you could have put in a half-hour or more of phone-banking or door-knocking for your candidate. Same goes for the opposite. Instead of complaining about someone stealing your yard sign, call the campaign and offer to volunteer. If you really want to get revenge on the person who stole your sign, theres no better way than joining the cause and spreading the word about your candidate. I worked the graveyard shift for two years when I produced a morning show in Cincinnati many years ago, and I have no intention of going back to that. If you want to set up an overnight recon operation to catch a yard sign thief in the act, be my guest. Just know the time you dedicate to such an endeavor is doing absolutely nothing to get your candidate elected. I have railed in the past about political activists feeling too good about themselves for attending a rally while eschewing the real work that actually helps candidates win. Spending time stealing yard signs, or getting all mad about people stealing yard signs, is time you could spend making a difference. Stop stealing and/or complaining and get involved. Speaking with voters face-to-face (or voice-to-voice) is way more effective in getting votes for your candidate than fretting over yard signs. The good news is, you still have time before Election Day. So, please, volunteer or shut up. I have a coffee table to sell. Elouise Cobell Day will be celebrated on Nov. 5 in Montana, but many people in the West may not recognize her name. They may not know the story of her almost 20-year struggle to win justice for Native Americans from the U.S. government, which for decades botched the management of natural resources owned by individual tribal members. Yet 13 years ago, Blackfeet Tribal member and banker Elouise Cobell finally won a class-action lawsuit against the government, which settled the case by paying out $3.4 billion to Native American citizens and tribal nations. The case was one of the largest class-action suits in U.S. history, and the presiding judge issued a blistering judgment against the Department of Interior. He called Interior a dinosaur agency that allowed outright villainy to persist. And who was Elouise Cobell, the woman who brought the federal government to its knees? The great-granddaughter of Mountain Chief, a historic leader of the Blackfeet Nation, she was born on November 5, 1945. Her tribal name was Yellow Bird Woman. Seeing a need, she founded the Blackfeet National Bank, the first national bank owned by a tribe on a reservation, and made sure it offered education, ensuring that young people could become financially literate while also encouraging entrepreneurs. Because she was a banker, she began looking into how the federal government kept failing its trust responsibilities, sending out checks only sporadically and without explanation. She asked basic questions of four different Interior Secretaries Ken Salazar, Richard Kempthorne, Gale Norton and Bruce Babbitt. She wanted a clear accounting of how much money came into the Federal Government from tribal leases for mining, oil and gas, logging, minerals and grazing. And what she particularly wanted to know was how royalties were determined for more than 300,000 tribal landowners. Answers werent forthcoming. But she spotted a damning pattern: Native Americans had been systematically cheated for generations. What was worse, she said, was learning that they were still being cheated. She could not even find any accounts existing before 1972, which led her to call the Interior Departments management a forensic mess. But early on, when she confronted Interior staffers, she said she was told to go away and learn how to read an account statement. Cobell may not have seemed like a firebrand, but she was stubborn. Finally, she told law students at Tufts University in 2010, she became enraged. People would come to the bank and tell me, I could do this or that if I could get my money. But years passed, and many people I fought for had passed away. At the beginning of what became her long campaign, Cobell said that when she first approached the Federal Government, she assumed shed certainly get somebody to listen. But writing letters got her nowhere. Traveling to Washington to meet with those in charge also failed, and one Interior Secretary, she said, refused to talk with her at all. After five tribes banded together in an effort to force Senate hearings, they, too, were stymied. Meanwhile, Indigenous people were still being cheated. It was President Barack Obama and the Congress that finally settled her class action suit in 2009, awarding $1.4 billion to the landowners and $1.7 billion to tribal nations, which still uses some of that money to buy back land. The Cobell Scholarship Fund was also created to honor her work as lead plaintiff. Cobell won many honors before her untimely death at age 65, in 2011, including the Congressional Medal of Honor and a MacArthur Foundation genius award. In the words of Michael Munson, dean of Native American Studies at Montanas Salish Kootenai College, she was a warrior woman for American Indian people. Besides being a banker, Cobell was also a wife and mother who ran a ranch with her husband, and not least, she was a diehard Elvis fan. In her funeral procession, every car radio was tuned to a station playing Elvis Presley songs. So, hats off to Elouise Cobell. May she continue to be celebrated as the Native American woman who made the federal government admit its wrongdoing, pay back a portion of what it owed, and finally correct an ongoing injustice. The Ethiopian federal government and the rebel authorities in Tigray reached an agreement on Wednesday in Pretoria on a cessation of hostilities, less than 48 hours before the second anniversary of the deadly conflict between them in northern Ethiopia. The two parties to the Ethiopian conflict have formally agreed on a cessation of hostilities, as well as on an orderly, smooth, and coordinated disarmament, announced the African Unions (AU) High Representative for the Horn of Africa, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo. The agreement, publicly signed afterwards by the heads of the two delegations, also provides for a restoration of law and order, services (in Tigray), unhindered access to humanitarian supplies, and protection of civilians, among others, Obasanjo continued. This moment is not the end of the peace process, but the beginning. The implementation of the peace agreement signed today is essential, he warned. Details of the agreements provisions and implementation were not immediately disclosed. In particular, the mediators did not indicate what the agreement provides for the intervention in Tigray of the army of neighboring Eritrea, a sworn enemy of the Tigrayan leadership, which is supporting the federal Ethiopian army. The head of the Ethiopian government delegation, Redwan Hussein, national security adviser to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, welcomed the constructive commitment of the warring parties to put an end to this tragic episode. This agreement shows the will of both parties to leave the past behind, said Getachew Reda, who led the delegation of the rebel authorities in Tigray, saying he hoped both parties will respect their commitments. As we speak, thousands of fighters and civilians are losing their lives. It is therefore important not only to sign this agreement but also that it be implemented immediately, he added. This is a very welcome first step, according to the spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. And the beginning of a new era for Ethiopia, according to the African Union. Nigerias Oil company, NNPC, has announced the exit of Sinopecs Addax Petroleum Development (Nigeria) Ltd from its four major oil mining blocks in Nigeria and transferred them to the state-owned oil company. NNPC Ltd and Addax Petroleum Development (Nigeria) Ltd signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the Transfer, Settlement and Exit Agreement for Oil Mining Leases (OML) 123/124 and OMLs 126/137, NNPC said on its official Twitter account. Bala Wunti, the chief investment officer of NNPC Upstream Investment Management Services, Reuters reported, said with this agreement, Addax has ceased to be the PSC contractor of the asset. NNPC did not provide details about the agreement. Addax began operations in Nigeria in 1998 by signing Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs) with NNPC. The oil leases were revoked in April 2021 by the petroleum regulator which accused Addax of failing to develop them sufficiently, but the decision was overturned by President Muhammadu Buhari three weeks later, Reuters reports. Credit: Shutterstock The omicron variant of concern has splintered into multiple subvariants. So we've had to get our heads around these mutated forms of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, including BA.1 and the more recent BA.5. We've also seen recombinant forms of the virus, such as XE, arising by genetic material swapping between subvariants. More recently, XBB and BQ.1 have been in the news. No wonder it's hard to keep up. The World Health Organization (WHO) has had to rethink how it describes all these subvariants, now labeling ones we need to be monitoring more closely. "It's clearly growing pretty well in India, but India hasn't got much BA.5, and it is still very unclear how well it fares against [that]."'Centaurus': virologists express concern at new COVID subvariant https://t.co/9OEzcDcBRE Prof. Peter Doherty (@ProfPCDoherty) July 13, 2022 What's the big deal with all these subvariants? Omicron and its subvariants are still causing the vast majority of COVID cases globally, including in Australia. Omicron subvariants have their own specific mutations that might make them more transmissible, cause more severe disease, or evade our immune response. Omicron and its subvariants have pushed aside previous variants of concern, the ones that led to waves of Alpha and Delta earlier in the pandemic. Now, in Australia, the main omicron subvariants circulating are BA.2.75, and certain versions of BA.5. More on these later. We still don't fully understand the driving forces behind the emergence and spread of certain SARS-CoV-2 subvariants. We can, however, assume the virus will keep evolving, and new variants (and subvariants) will continue to emerge and spread in this wave-like pattern. How do we keep track of this all? To monitor these subvariants, the WHO has defined a new category, known as "omicron subvariants under monitoring". These are ones that have specific combinations of mutations known to confer some type of advantage, such as being more transmissible than others currently circulating. Researchers and health authorities keep track of circulating subvariants by sequencing the genetic material from viral samples (for instance, from PCR testing or from wastewater sampling). They then upload the results to global databases (such as GISAID) or national ones (such as AusTrakka). These are the omicron subvariants authorities are keeping a closer eye on for any increased risk to public health. Newer versions of BA.5 The BA.5 subvariant that arose in early February 2022 is still accumulating more mutations. The WHO is monitoring BA.5 versions that carry at least one of five additional mutations (known as S:R346X, S:K444X, S:V445X, S:N450D and S:N460X) in the spike gene. The spike gene codes for the part of the virus that recognizes and fuses with human cells. We are particularly concerned about mutations in this gene as they might increase the virus' ability to bind with human cells. Throughout recent months, BA.5 has been the dominant subvariant in Australia. However, BA.2.75 has now established a foothold. BA.2.75 or Centaurus Viral genomes from Australia: once we had Alpha and Delta waves. Now we have waves of Omicron subvariants. Author provided The BA.2.75 subvariant, sometimes called Centaurus, was first documented in December 2021. It possibly emerged in India, but has been detected around the globe. This includes in Australia, where more than 400 sequences have been uploaded to the GISAID database since June 2022. This subvariant has up to 12 mutations in its spike gene. It seems to spread more effectively than BA.5. This is probably due to being better able to infect our cells, and avoiding the immune response driven by previous infection with other variants. BJ.1 This was first detected in early September 2022 and has a set of 14 spike gene mutations. It has mostly been detected in India or in infections coming from this area. We know very little about the impact of its mutations and at the time of writing, there was only one Australian sequence reported. BA.4.6 or Aeterna BA.4.6, sometimes called Aeterna, was detected in January 2022 and has been spreading rapidly in the United States and the United Kingdom. There have been more than 800 sequences uploaded to the GISAID database in Australia since May 2022. It may be more easily transmitted from one person to the next due to its spike gene mutations. Early data suggests it is better able to resist cocktails of therapeutic antibodies compared with BA.5. This makes antibody therapies, such as Evusheld, less effective against it. BA.2.3.20 This was first detected in the US in August 2022. It has a set of nine mutations in the spike gene, including a rare double mutation (A484R). Like BA.2.75, this subvariant is probably better able to infect our cells and avoid the immune response driven by previous infection. There are more than 100 Australian genomic sequences reported in the GISAID database, all from August 2022. XBB This recombinant version of the virus was detected in August 2022. It is a result of the swapping of genetic material between BA.2.10.1 and BA.2.75. It has 14 extra mutations in its spike gene compared with BA.2. Although there have only been 50 Australian genomic sequences reported in GISAID since September, we anticipate cases will rise. Lab studies indicate therapeutic antibodies don't work so well against it, with XBB showing strong resistance. Although XBB appears to be able to spread faster than BA.5, there's no evidence so far it causes more severe disease. How about BQ.1? Although it is not on the WHO list of subvariants under monitoring, cases of the BQ.1 subvariant are rising in Australia. BQ.1 contains mutations that help the virus evade existing immunity. This means infection with other subvariants, including BA.5, may not protect you against BQ.1. In the meantime, your best protection against severe COVID, whichever subvariant is circulating, is to make sure your booster shots are up-to-date. Other ways to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection include wearing a fitted mask, avoiding crowded spaces with poor ventilation, and washing your hands regularly. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Credit: Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University Where is your COVID-19 vaccination card? Is it in your wallet or purse? Is it at home, buried in a pile of mail? Is it lost? If you're not sure, you're not alone. "It's tucked away at home, I think," said Northeastern student Kenny Nguyen, who was hanging out with friends near Centennial Common on Northeastern's Boston campus this week. "It's in my dorm." "I have it in my wallet," fellow student Emily Xu said. "I have no idea. My parents have it," Skye Toral said. "I've never used it." Do we still need to hold onto COVID-19 vaccination cards? While many COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted, including in Boston, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still recommends holding onto your card and taking a photo of it. However, since the card is no longer required in so many places, some are left wondering: why bother? "I have mine with me, but I haven't used it in ages," Northeastern student Deanna Turner said. Jared Auclair, a vice provost at Northeastern's College of Science, recommends keeping your card at hand. "Yes, folks should still hang onto your vaccine cards," he said. "Most places aren't requiring proof of vaccination at this point, but there are some meetings, spaces and locations that are." Auclair said he'll bring his card for his upcoming trip to Europe, though his country of entry doesn't require it. International travel is one situation where you might need your card. According to Kayak, 128 countries will allow you to enter without proof of vaccination, a negative test or a quarantine period, and 55 countries will allow travelers in without a vaccine card as long as they can show proof of a negative test. For example, if you go to Bolivia, you may need to show a vaccination card; if you don't have one with you, proof of a negative test will do. To enter the United States, meanwhile, all noncitizens and nonimmigrants need to show proof of vaccination. Schools, universities and employers also may require proof before your first day. Major universities like Northeastern generally require vaccination and booster shots; meanwhile, adult education centers may require a vaccination to enroll, as does The Cambridge Center for Adult Education, they confirmed in a phone call, and the Boston-based writing school GrubStreet. By law, employers can require proof of vaccination as well. However, no states require vaccinations for public school students. As for stores, restaurants, gyms and bars, the city of Boston lifted a controversial vaccination card requirement in February. However, any business can require people to have a card in hand, and even performing artists can require proof of vaccination from attendees. It's a good idea, then, to always go out assuming that you'll need your card, at least for the time being. That came in handy for Northeastern student Sasha when she went to a bar about a month ago. While she says it was a "very rare situation," she needed the picture of her card on her phone to gain entry. Meanwhile, her friend August needed to show proof of vaccination to participate in a community organizing event a couple weeks ago. If you lost your card, the CDC recommends contacting your vaccine provider to get a new one. And if you run out of space on your first card, you can receive a second one. While it's a good idea to have one now, the paper cards aren't likely to live much longer, says Brandon Dionne, assistant clinical professor at Northeastern's Bouve College of Health Sciences. He notes that six states have enacted laws that are pro-proof of vaccination, either allowing it to be required or creating digital vaccination systems. California, for example, launched the Digital COVID-19 Vaccine Record portal so residents can have digital access to proof of vaccination. As Dionne notes, these digital systems render the paper versions obsolete in those states. "Additionally, all states have at least one regional or local immunization information system (IIS) that maintains records of vaccines," Dionne said. "So if proof of vaccine was ever needed, it may be possible to get the information from the IIS in the state where you received your COVID-19 vaccines." Auclair, for his part, carries a digital vaccine card in the wallet on his iPhone. Of course, requiring proof could become moot in the future, as getting a COVID-19 booster may become an annual ritual that doesn't merit a record. "I would imagine that they will become somewhat obsolete moving forward, as this will likely become an annual vaccine like with the flu," Dionne said. One 10 ml vial of 1000 mg ketamine. Credit: Psychonaught/Wikipedia Ashley Blanco, 27, has grappled with anxiety, depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder for the better part of a decade. Antidepressants and therapy didn't help. After she graduated college, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. It sent her mental health to an all-time low. "I couldn't function. I wouldn't leave my room," she said. "I completely lost who I was." The Miami resident was desperate to return to her old self. Her dad saw the intensity of her crisis in January 2021 and decided to recommend something new he had heard about from a friend: ketamine infusions. Blanco was hesitant at first, but gave it a try. "He basically saved my life," Blanco said. "It's the best decision I could have ever made." Ketamine is perhaps most well-known as a party drug that causes disassociation and hallucinations, dubbed "Special K." When used frequently and recreationally, especially at high doses, ketamine can actually cause depression or agitation, lead to dependence, or cause life-threatening effects, the Drug Enforcement Administration warns. In medicine, however, ketamine has long been used as a general anesthetic: it received Food and Drug Administration approval for this purpose in 1970. In more recent years, doctors have begun prescribing it off-label to treat depression, anxiety, drug addiction and other mental health issues. A review of 83 studies published in Cambridge University Press found support for its effect on depression, while evidence for other associations was less robust. The treatment, once rare, has found virtual and in-person footholds throughout Central Florida. In Kissimmee, there's Revitalizing Infusion Therapies. Altamonte Springs hosts one of five Florida locations of the chain that treated Blanco, Ketamine Health Centers. The clinic is currently seeing about 30 to 40 patients, estimated Dr. Raul Cruz, the chain's medical director for anesthesiology. A growing body of evidence suggests ketamine provides many people at least temporary relief as a fast-acting antidepressant. It is particularly helpful for the estimated one in three people with treatment-resistant depression who can't find relief after trying at least two traditional antidepressants, potentially because it targets different parts of the brain, though more clinical research is needed to determine its long-term effects and safety, a 2017 report by an American Psychiatric Association task force noted. "It is like night and day," said Robert Fay, a licensed mental health counselor with Thriveworks in Maitland who has seen over a dozen clients try infusions. "Now they have a meaning, a purpose, a value, a path. It's incredible." How ketamine works Depression is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. Despite this, neither the disorder nor its treatments are completely understood. Ketamine is theorized to reduce depression by affecting a chemical that helps to rewire the brain and create more positive thought patterns, said Ketamine Health Centers Director for Psychiatry Dr. Juan D. Oms. "That's why you see a lot of these patients that will tell you, 'Well, I have a new perspective,' or, 'I see things in a different light,'" Oms said. Blanco started with an approximately 80-minute IV infusion of ketamine to address her mental issues as well as some chronic pain. She sat down in an exam chair, covered her eyes, and listened to soothing music as the dose entered her bloodstream. She felt detached and experienced mild hallucinations. With her eyes closed, she saw a kaleidoscope of colors, animals, and greenery. At one point, she felt her grandfatherwho had passed away a year earlierholding her hand. She didn't have any negative side effects, though others sometimes report dissociation, anxiety, intoxication, sedation, high blood pressure, headache, nausea and vomiting, according to a blog post from Dr. Peter Grinspoon via Harvard Health Publishing. That first session didn't get her back to normal, but after several more, she felt reinvigorated. She goes back regularly for boosters, currently works at a health care startup and is considering going back to get her masters in the health care field. Objections, regulation issues remain The practice has its drawbacks, however. The Food and Drug Administration has not reviewed or approved ketamine infusions as a treatment for depression. A 2017 report by an American Psychiatric Association task force noted there's extremely limited data on long-term ketamine use. Oms said he thinks because ketamine leaves a person's system after a few hours, it's unlikely to cause long-term side effects. Fay, who is not affiliated with the ketamine industry, cautions against trying it without first testing out traditional methods such as antidepressants, or even medical marijuana, from which he's seen patients get great results"like [their] soul drank a cup of coffee." "It's not my frontline yet because I'm a scientist and I want more research. I want to see more peer-reviewed about it and to be honest with you, I'm looking for buy-in on their part," Fay said. In addition, there are no set guidelines enforced for using ketamine as a treatment for depression. Cruz said Ketamine Health Centers follows best practices as recommended by the American Society of Ketamine Physicians, Psychotherapists, as do many reputable clinicsbut this is optional. "You could have somebody open one of these clinics that's maybe not well versed in psychiatry, anesthesiology... some entrepreneur that was like, 'Okay, well, how can we make more money?'" Cruz said. "We obviously would like to get rid of those clinics and the bad actors that might be out there." Treatments range from spaced-out infusions done in a clinical setting under close supervision at Ketamine Health Centers to mail-order lozenges prescribed after a telehealth consultation at various online companies. At-home administration has received sharp criticism from others in the mental health sphere. "We strongly advise against the prescription of at-home self-administration of ketamine; it remains prudent to have all doses administered with medical supervision until more safety information obtained under controlled situations can be collected," the APA task force's 2017 report read. Many of these telehealth ketamine companies are based in Florida, which has had some of the laxest telemedicine laws since even before the pandemic. In April, Gov. Ron DeSantis made it easier for doctors to virtually prescribe ketamine by signing into law legislation that removes prior restrictions on telemedicine prescribing of controlled substances. Another potential issue is the price. The cost of an infusion typically starts at around $400, not covered by insurance, and patients typically get multiple infusions, plus boosters. Ketamine Health Centers charges $4,000 for six infusion sessions according to its website. This also includes two 30-minute therapy sessions, one ketamine-assisted psychotherapy session, a medical assessment, physical and a psychiatry consult. After initial treatment, it costs $350 per infusion for seven boosters over three months. Cruz said patients who cannot afford the treatment are offered discounts and payment plans. Progress is being made The only version of ketamine approved to treat depression is a derivative, esketamine, which is manufactured by Janssen Pharmaceuticals and sold as a patented nasal spray called Spravatobut it comes with its own drawbacks. Unlike ketamine, it is only available through a restricted distribution system with strict guidelines, such as monitoring a patient for two hours after treatment, a news release announcing the approval states. Patients have to prove they have treatment-resistant depression, a process that involves trying out multiple different antidepressants. It also comes with a boxed warning of the potential for sedation, abuse and misuse, difficulty with attention, judgment and thinking, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors. In addition, even Spravato has been met with criticism that the research supporting it was rushed and could be stronger, Kaiser Health News reported shortly after its approval. Further, not all insurances cover it. Ketamine Health Centers is certified to administer Spravato and was at one point their largest network in Florida, but now only administers it to patients who were previously approved and is not accepting new Spravato patients. This could change in the future. "It is very cumbersome to get the insurances to cover it. It's a lot of work," Oms said. Still, it may be worth it to take Spravato instead of ketamine, said Sasha Griffin, a researcher for a Spravato clinical trial at APG Healthcare in Orlando. The center is one of several in Florida that is certified to administer the drug. She said while ketamine very well might be helpful, effective, and safe, there are not enough studies to prove that. "There's not enough evidence-based practice done there with research to be able to have a confirmed opinion," Sasha said. "Esketamine is the only one that has clinical-based evidence research behind it to stand behind it that it's actually beneficial and safe to use." Oms, though, is convinced that as ketamine becomes more mainstream, it will gain widespread acceptance. "You've got to be open-minded," Oms said. "It's part of the future of psychiatry." 2022 Orlando Sentinel. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Faulty readings by pulse oximeters may have resulted in more COVID deaths among minorities, doctors warned in testimony before a U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel this week. Pulse oximeters are small devices that read a person's blood oxygen levels via a fingertip. During the pandemic, health workers used the readings to help determine who should receive scarce medications, oxygen therapies and hospital beds. But the devices appear to be inaccurately reading oxygen levels of people who are Black and others with darker skin, the New York Times reported. The panel urged the FDA to raise accuracy standards, as well as to alert doctors and consumers to the dangerous flaws. They "most likely contributed to the several-fold greater number of deaths in COVID-19 in ethnic minority patients than in white patients," Dr. Amal Jubran, a pulmonary critical care doctor at Loyola Medicine in Chicago, testified. This isn't a new problem, but it was one that emphasized disparities during the pandemic. Jubran was among the physicians to identify inaccurate readings in people with darker skin color back in 1990, the Times reported. While a pulse oximeter may show healthy blood-oxygen levels in darker skinned patients, blood tests often reveal different results. "I guess my fear is that historically that the disparity in health care is like it never stops," said Veverly Edwards, a community representative and the only African American on the panel. "When you lump African-Americans in with everyone else, we end up on the short endbecause this started 30 years ago and here we are today addressing it." Edwards, an assistant professor of teaching at the University of Memphis, said manufacturers should be held accountable and that Black people should have a sustained voice on this issue. The over-the-counter versions of the devices have virtually no oversight. The FDA reviews prescription versions and those used in hospitals, but both appear to be inaccurate, the Times said. The agency flagged accuracy concerns in 2021. This prompted Tuesday's 10-hour meeting, which ended with suggestions about measures the FDA could take but no formal vote. Ideas included adding warnings to product labels and requiring manufacturers to produce products with more accurate readings to receive approval, the newspaper reported. Studies that evaluate device performance on people of varying skin tones and chronic medical conditions are also necessary, doctors testified. The devices should be tested on sick patients and in those with diverse skin tones, Dr. Eric Gartman, a Brown University assistant professor testifying for the American College of Chest Physicians, testified. "We wouldn't tolerate that in a medicine, so I'm not sure we should tolerate that in a device, either.," he said. Dr. Jesse Ehrenfeld, president-elect of the American Medical Association and an anesthesiologist, called for specific warnings on devices that produce biased readings. "We need to take appropriate steps to remove the growing uncertainty around these devices and ensure the health and safety of the public," Ehrenfeld said. The FDA will also need to find a way to regulate over-the-counter pulse oximeters, said Dr. Murad Alam, a medicine professor at Northwestern University, noting that they are "not shampoo." Past research includes a University of Michigan study that found elevated readings in Black people, distorting what were actually significantly low blood oxygen levels in nearly 12% of Black people and 4% of white people. Doctors at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore confirmed the disparity again and noted the result: A study by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine found that Black patients were 29% less likely to be found to be candidates for COVID treatments. The same was true for 23% of Hispanic patients. Duke University researcher Dr. Ian Wong testified to hidden hypoxemia in patients of color. All patients who had this hidden hypoxemia had a risk of in-hospital death 70% higher than people whose readings were accurate, the Times reported. More information: KFF has more on KFF has more on COVID-19 cases by race and ethnicity. Copyright 2022 HealthDay. All rights reserved. Daily air pollutant concentrations and cases of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Singapore, from June 1, 2010, to Dec 31, 2018. Daily cases of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (A) and concentrations of particulate matter with a diameter of 25 m or smaller (PM25; B), particulate matter with a diameter of 10 m or smaller (PM10; C), nitrogen dioxide (NO2; D), sulfur dioxide (SO2; E), ozone (O3; F), and carbon monoxide (CO; G). Credit: The Lancet Public Health (2022). DOI: 10.1016/S2468-2667(22)00234-1 Small particles in air pollution in Singapore might have caused sudden cardiac arrests in some people who were not in hospital but simply going about their normal lives, according to scientists at Duke-NUS Medical School working with the National Environment Agency (NEA) as part of the Pan-Asian Resuscitation Outcomes Study (PAROS). Published in The Lancet Public Health, this finding, which is based on data collected between 2010 and 2018, resolves the uncertainty caused by inconsistencies in earlier studies due to limitations in the availability and quality of environmental and disease data. The study team, which comprises members from NEA's Environmental Health Institute and the Environmental Monitoring and Modeling Division of the Clean Environment Group, assessed whether there was a correlation between out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) and the levels of tiny air pollution particles that are at least 25 times smaller than the width of a human hair. This PM2.5 category of particulate matter is known from previous research to significantly increase the risk of cardiovascular, respiratory and even ocular diseases. "We have produced clear evidence of a short-term association of PM2.5 with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, which is a catastrophic event that often results in sudden death," said Adjunct Assistant Professor Joel Aik, lead investigator of the study from Duke-NUS' Pre-Hospital & Emergency Research Center (PERC). This study, which follows a methodology similar to that used in studies referenced by the World Health Organization to set air quality guidelines, based its findings on data reported to PAROS on all cases of OHCA in Singapore between July 1, 2010, and December 31, 2018. The timing of these cases was compared with the daily air pollutant levels over the same period. Statistical analysis identified 492 out of 18,131 OHCA events that the researchers were able to attribute to an increase in PM2.5 concentrations either on the day of the cardiac arrest or up to two days before. The study also identified a clear reduction in risk from three to five days after exposure to the pollutant, suggesting a relatively short-term effect. The average PM2.5 concentration during the study period was 18.44 micrograms per cubic meter, and a decrease of just one microgram resulted in an 8% reduction in the number of OHCA events, while a decrease of three micrograms brought a 30% reduction. "These results make it clear that efforts to reduce the levels of air pollution particles in the 2.5 micrograms or lower range, and steps to protect against exposure to these particles, could play a part in reducing sudden cardiac arrests in Singapore's population, while also reducing the burden on health services," said Dr. Aik, who is also an environmental epidemiologist with the NEA. He emphasized the relevance of this research to many cities around the world where air pollution is an everyday problem. Less common but extreme events, such as haze and wildfires, can also lead to sudden and dramatic increases in PM2.5 particles. Despite the consistency in study findings with those elsewhere, and a biologically plausible mechanism of effect of PM2.5 on OHCA events, he cautioned that this was an observational study and does not imply direct causation. "This study provides strong evidence for the impact of air quality on health and should stimulate policy and ground efforts to manage emissions from key sources that can lead to PM2.5 increases," said Professor Marcus Ong, director of the Health Services & Systems Research Program and PERC at Duke-NUS and Chairman of PAROS. "New policy interventions, such as phasing out internal combustion engine vehicles, can help to reduce the dangers." Prof Ong, who is also senior consultant at the Department of Emergency Medicine at Singapore General Hospital, added, "Individuals can also take simple but significant steps, such as wearing high efficiency air filtration masks during periods when the PM2.5 levels are elevated and not smoking." More information: Andrew Fu Wah Ho et al, Air quality and the risk of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Singapore (PAROS): a time series analysis, The Lancet Public Health (2022). Journal information: The Lancet Public Health Andrew Fu Wah Ho et al, Air quality and the risk of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Singapore (PAROS): a time series analysis,(2022). DOI: 10.1016/S2468-2667(22)00234-1 This image shows a cross section of a kidney. Credit: Holly Fischer/Wikipedia Several reports have described a relapse of certain autoimmune kidney diseases in patients after they've received COVID-19 vaccines, but it's unclear if this association is real or a coincidence. In a recent population-level study published in Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN), investigators found that a second or third dose of COVID-19 vaccine was associated with higher relative risk but low absolute increased risk of disease relapse. People with glomerular diseasesa group of autoimmune kidney diseases that often require long-term treatment with medications that suppress the immune systemface a high risk of developing serious infections, and are more likely to experience complications of infections such as those from COVID-19. As vaccination programs were rolled out, individual case reports began to emerge describing flares of glomerular disease that occurred within days to weeks of COVID-19 vaccines, suggesting the vaccine itself may have induced a flare of the autoimmune kidney disease. These reports were very limited, and in the absence of a control population, were unable to provide accurate estimates of the true risk of disease flare that may be associated with COVID-19 vaccines. To provide clarity, a team led by Sean Barbour, MD, MSc (University of British Columbia) and Mark Canney, MD, Ph.D. (University of Ottawa) studied information on all patients in British Columbia, Canada who had the following glomerular diseases: minimal change disease, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, membranous nephropathy, IgA nephropathy, lupus nephritis, anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-related glomerulonephritis, and C3 glomerulonephritis. By capturing all patients with biopsy-confirmed glomerular disease in a centralized provincial database with linkage to both laboratory data and vaccination status over time, the researchers quantified the absolute and relative risk of glomerular disease relapse following COVID-19 vaccination. The analysis identified 1,105 adults with glomerular disease that was stable when COVID-19 vaccines first became available. During 281 days of follow-up, 134 patients (12.1%) experienced a relapse. Although a first vaccine dose was not associated with relapse risk, exposure to a second or third dose was associated with a 2-fold higher relative risk of relapse; however, the absolute increase in risk of disease flare after these doses was still small, ranging from 1-5% depending on the type of glomerular disease. Most vaccine-associated disease flares were mild, with approximately 1 in 5 people needing any change in treatment. "These results indicate that although COVID-19 vaccines may be associated with a small increase in risk of causing a flare of glomerular disease, this risk is very small, and the well-established benefits of vaccination more that outweigh these risks," said Dr. Barbour. "This should encourage people with glomerular disease to continue to get regular COVID-19 vaccinations. Our findings also suggest that people with glomerular disease should have careful monitoring after COVID-19 vaccinations to capture any early flare of their disease." Dr. Barbour added that the study demonstrates how individual reports of vaccine side effects can result in unnecessary angst and worry amongst people deciding about whether to receive COVID-19 vaccines. Instead, proper studies need to be conducted to provide estimations of actual risk, so that people can be properly informed. "In this study, we confirmed initial reports of a potential complication of COVID-19 vaccines, however we also demonstrate that this risk is very small and the severity of the complication was quite mild," Dr. Barbour said. An accompanying editorial notes that the findings provide important information when discussing the pros and cons of COVID-19 vaccination with patients with glomerular disease. Additional co-authors include Mohammad Atiquzzaman, Ph.D., Amanda M. Cunningham, MD, Yuyan Zheng, MSc, Lee Er, MSc, Steven Hawken, Ph.D., and Yinshan Zhao, Ph.D. More information: A population-based analysis of the risk of glomerular disease relapse after COVID-19 vaccination, Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (2022). A population-based analysis of the risk of glomerular disease relapse after COVID-19 vaccination,(2022). DOI: 10.1681/ASN.2022030258 mRNA COVID-19 vaccines and their risk to induce a relapse of glomerular diseases, Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (2022). DOI: 10.1681/ASN/2022091078 Refugee teens in Kampala, Uganda, who participated in sexting were more likely to use condoms if they were sexually active, according to studies led by social work professor Moses Okumu. His research is exploring the possible dissemination of digital health interventions via the online media that teens use to send and receive explicit images and messages. Credit: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Teenage refugees in Uganda who engaged in "sexting"the practice of sending and receiving sexually explicit digital images and messageswere more likely to report that they used condoms, two recent studies found. The researchers are exploring whether the digital platforms these teens use for sexting might also serve as effective delivery systems for educational messaging about condom use and interventions on gendered sexual coercionsituations in which one person uses verbal pressure or physical means to manipulate another person into sexual activity, including sexting. Moses Okumu, a professor of social work at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, is the first author of two exploratory studies that examined links between sexting and sexual health practices among refugee youths living in the slums of Kampala, Uganda's capital city. The sample for both studies included 242 teens aged 1619, a population at high risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, according to the researchers. About 60% of these displaced teens had mobile phones, and 15% of the cellphone owners reported having sent and/or received nude photos and sexually explicit text messages, Okumu said. "Refugee teens are like teens anywheremany are sexually active, have mobile phones and are exploring their sexuality through sexting," Okumu said. "To promote sexual health equity, especially for young people, we need to go where they're at, use the tools that they're using and take more of a sex-positive approachone that strives for ideal experiences and making informed choicesrather than a risk angle. "That way, we'll be able to promote their well-being, especially in contexts where HIV and sexually transmitted infections are extremely high, such as eastern and southern Africa," he said. Community partners trained peer research assistantsteens who self-identified as refugees or displaced personsto recruit participants and administer a survey on a tablet computer. The teens were asked if and how often they received or sent sexually explicit messages or photos; their sexual health practices, including access to and use of condoms and their confidence in using them effectively; and their beliefs about traditional gender roles and norms. Nearly 85% of the study sample were non-sexters who indicated they had never sent or received word- or image-based sexts. A second group of teens, called poly-sexters in the study, had both sent and received explicit text messages and nude pictures. These teens composed 9.9% of the study participants. Males were significantly more likely to be poly-sexters than females. A third group, called moderate sexters, had received sexually explicit photos or text messages but responded with words only. This group, which represented 5.4% of the study participants, received the most sexting messages. Females were more likely to belong to this group than males, the researchers found. Okumu and his team hypothesized that many of these females in the moderate group may have been reluctant participants whose partnersmost often malescoerced them into sexting. The poly-sexterswho were mostly maleswere more likely to endorse inequitable gender beliefs such as expectations that males should be dominant and females passive in relationships, the researchers found. "Sexting is becoming a crucial platform for understanding and intervening in gendered sexual coercion," Okumu said. "In societies such as these where adolescents are socialized to adhere to inequitable gender norms, adolescent Females may be motivated to participate in sexting because they are coerced." However, the researchers said sexting was associated with some positive outcomes, such as safer sexual practices. Sexters were twice as likely as non-sexters65% compared with 32%, respectivelyto know how to access condoms. And a greater proportion of sexters (29%) reported that they or their sexual partners had used condoms at any time during the prior three months compared with non-sexters (10%), Okumu's group found. Poly-sexters and moderate sexters rated themselves higher on condom self-efficacytheir confidence in their abilities to use condoms correctly and with little or no embarrassment. Males scored significantly higher on condom self-efficacy than females. "Digital health interventions for displaced teens who sext should include training on sexual self-esteem, assertiveness, communication and sexual health knowledge," Okumu said. "Given that our findings show that young people could use sexting to engage in explicit and private discussions of sexual topics (e.g., condom efficacy and use), equipping them with the skills to perform sexual communication if, when and how they choose seems to be a promising strategy for empowering them to make informed, healthy decisions related to sexual activity." While the findings were promising, Okumu said, they should be interpreted with caution because the sample sizes were small. More research is needed to determine the most efficacious messaging and intervention delivery systems for these young people. The studies were published in the journals AIDS and Behavior and Computers in Human Behavior. More information: Moses Okumu et al, Digital technologies, equitable gender norms, and sexual health practices across sexting patterns among forcibly displaced adolescents in the slums of Kampala, Uganda, Computers in Human Behavior (2022). Moses Okumu et al, Digital technologies, equitable gender norms, and sexual health practices across sexting patterns among forcibly displaced adolescents in the slums of Kampala, Uganda,(2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2022.107453 Moses Okumu et al, Exploring the Protective Value of Using Sexting for Condom Negotiation on Condom use Determinants and Practices Among Forcibly Displaced Adolescents in the Slums of Kampala, Uganda, AIDS and Behavior (2022). DOI: 10.1007/s10461-022-03677-7 Journal information: Computers in Human Behavior , AIDS and Behavior Graphical abstract. Credit: Cell Reports (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111580 Scientists at the UNC School of Medicine and UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, in collaboration with a team from Queen Mary University of London, have illuminated the molecular events underlying an inherited movement and neurodegenerative disorder known as ARSACSAutosomal recessive spastic ataxia of Charlevoix-Saguenay, named for two Quebec valleys where the first cases were found. Children with ARSACS typically display difficulties with walking in the second year of life and an expanding array of neurological problems thereafter. In the cerebelluman area of the brain which coordinates movement and balanceneurons called Purkinje cells die in individuals with ARSACS. Most patients are wheelchair-bound by their 30s to 40s, and have a shortened lifespan averaging in the mid-50s. The disorder is caused by the mutation and functional loss of a gene called SACS that encodes a very large protein called sacsin, which has been hard to study directly in part because of its unwieldy size. Relatively little has been known about its normal functions, and how its absence leads to disease. But in a study published in Cell Reports, the collaborating researchers performed the most comprehensive analysis of what happens in cells when sacsin is missing. "We tried to take an unbiased approach to understand what goes wrong when cells lose sacsin. Our results suggest that the death of Purkinje cells in ARSACS may possibly result from changes in neuronal connectivity and synaptic structure," said study co-senior author Justin Wolter, Ph.D., a postdoctoral researcher at the UNC Neuroscience Center. The other co-senior author of the study was Paul Chapple, Ph.D., a professor of molecular cell biology at Queen Mary University of London. The study began with Chapple lab and the UNC-Chapel Hill team working without knowledge of the other. "This project was started by Tammy Havener in the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, then three postdoctoral researchers from different UNC departments jumped on boardWen Aw, Katherine Hixson, and myself," Wolter said. "When we realized that Lisa Romano in the Chapple lab had made similar discoveries using different approaches we all decided to join forces and move forward together. I think it's a beautiful example of how open science and collaboration pays off for the community." For this study, the researchers used several -omics based techniques in cultured human cells to examine how the loss of sacsin changes protein levels and cellular organization. They confirmed the presence of defects that had been noted in prior studies, such as the abnormal aggregation of filament-forming structural proteins, and defects in the numbers and dynamics of mitochondria, both of which are frequently observed in many neurodegenerative diseases. But they also found many abnormalities that hadn't been identified before. These included the overabundance of a protein called tau and altered dynamics of microtubules, which are intracellular transport tracks regulated by tau. The researchers found that the consequence of this change in trafficking was that many proteins did not get to the proper location in the cell. Particularly affected were "synaptic adhesion" proteins, which help neurons form and maintain synapsesconnections neurons use to send signals to each other. In line with these observations, the team found changes in synaptic structure in the ARSACS mouse model. Importantly, these changes occur before the onset of neurodegeneration. These discoveries expand the picture of how sacsin regulates multiple cellular processes. They also suggest the possibility that Purkinje cellsthe neurons that seem most affected in ARSACSmight die because they lack connections with other neurons. The researchers will follow up with more in-depth studies of these changes in the brain to understand whether or not this neurodegenerative disease is rooted in processes that unfold during brain development. Although ARSACS affects probably only a few thousand individuals worldwide, this kind of research could have much broader implications, the researchers noted. "There appear to be multiple overlaps between ARSACS and other brain disorders," Chapple said. "We showed for example that there's disruption of tau biology in cells lacking sacsin, and of course abnormalities in tau are also a well-known feature of Alzheimer's disease. So we think studying this rare neurological condition could provide insights into much more common ones." "Much work remains to be done to understand the mechanisms by which synaptic connectivity is affected and whether it is contributing to neuronal death," Wolter said. "But, if it is, it could inform future therapeutic approaches." More information: Lisa E.L. Romano et al, Multi-omic profiling reveals the ataxia protein sacsin is required for integrin trafficking and synaptic organization, Cell Reports (2022). Journal information: Cell Reports Lisa E.L. Romano et al, Multi-omic profiling reveals the ataxia protein sacsin is required for integrin trafficking and synaptic organization,(2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111580 Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain As the American economy has undergone rapid and dramatic change, so too has America's workforce. Trending terms, such as "the great resignation" and "quiet quitting," have been coined as we seek to better understand workplace challenges across the country. There have been many contributing factors reported to be driving these issues, but new research shows that the pediatric mental health crisis is a significant and surprising contributor among working parents in America's workforce. In a first of its kind national study conducted by On Our Sleeves, the movement for children's mental health, the "Great Collide" found that employees' work performance and productivity were negatively impacted by their children's mental health. Now, in its second iteration, "The Ripple Effect" study from On Our Sleeves found that the mental health of their children remains a concern for the large majority of working parents, with almost half of all parents reporting that in the past year their child's mental health has been somewhat or extremely disruptive to their ability to work on most days. "After discovering the impact that children's mental health was having on the national workforce, it was important for us to dig in deeper and flesh out the scope of the impact and look for ways to provide relief to parents and employers," Marti Bledsoe Post, executive director of On Our Sleeves, said. "Having these honest conversations can be difficult and new to many parents, but, luckily, this data points to solutions." In addition to daily work disruptions, many working parents reported long-term disruptions to their careers due to their children's mental health. For working parents who feel as though they've been placed in a position to choose between their child and their work, the choice is clearwith one-third (32%) of working parents reporting that they've changed or quit their job during the past two years because of their child's mental health. "I left my job to adjust my schedule and workload around my kids. My kids were suffering and I was too exhausted to come home and address things going on. I knew I needed to let the job go because it was affecting my entire household," Demetris, a working mom, said. Furthermore, among parents who still have some degree of concerns and interruptions regarding their child's mental health, significantly more Black/African-American parents (37%) reported changing their work arrangements because of their child's mental health than white-only parents (26%). With so many working parents struggling, On Our Sleeves also asked what would help ease the strain they were feeling and make them more likely to stay with their employer. Many pointed to the need for collaboration with their employers to address the impact of their children's mental health on their work. Nearly three-quarters of working parents surveyed said jobs that provide their children with mental health benefits and resources are more attractive than jobs that do not offer such benefits. "We're seeing that caregivers will choose family over work if the mental health needs of their child are involved, and so the U.S. workforce will continue to be affected by pediatric mental health," said Dr. Ariana Hoet, clinical director of On Our Sleeves and pediatric psychologist at Nationwide Children's Hospital. "Our kids are having a hard time and, as a result, their caregivers are too. Equipping caregivers and their employers with resources to address youth mental health is key to our path forward." On Our Sleeves is pushing for changes across the country. As a national advocate in the youth mental health movement, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy recently traveled to meet with pediatric behavioral health experts at On Our Sleeves and Nationwide Children's Hospital to discuss the study and actions being taken right now to protect youth mental health. "We must all work together to address the youth mental health crisis and improve mental health at work. This research reinforces the fact that youth mental health impacts not only children but also parents, caregivers and employers," said U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy. "My Surgeon General's Advisory on Youth Mental Health and Framework on Mental Health and Well-Being in the Workplace both outline steps that employers can take to support the mental health of their employees and their families, recognizing that employers have a role to play as we work to lay the foundation for a healthier nation." Striving to provide the best possible work environment for its employees, Nationwide Insurance's foundation, the Nationwide Foundation, partnered with On Our Sleeves to help fund this important research. The hope is to raise awareness of the challenges many working parents face and that more companies nationwide will be able to create a safe space for their employees to thrive. "As business leaders, it's important for us to understand what an employee needs in order to be successful in the workplace," said Vinita Clements, executive vice president and chief of human resources at Nationwide Insurance whose Foundation funded the study. "By fostering a work environment where employees feel comfortable opening up, we're able to better provide support." For more information regarding the findings of this study or to find resources related to pediatric mental health, please visit https://www.onoursleeves.org/about/research/ripple-effect. The smell of the forest was in the air last week in the otherwise sleek new MakerSpace, the corner of the Missoula Public Library stocked with equipment like a 3D printer, CNC router and a laser cutter-engraver. Placing a traditionally made Salish cedar bark basket in for some decorative burn lines was a new adventure. After a minute of the laser darting back and forth underneath the protective glass, a design that Aspen and Cameron Decker brought in on a flash drive was emblazoned onto the surface of the container. IF YOU GO The Deckers have two Montana Conversation events related to their projects at the Missoula Public Library. Sqelix Salish storytelling: Nov. 21, 6 p.m. Cooper Room B, fourth floor, free. Astq: Salish Cedar Bark Baskets: Nov. 28, 6 p.m., Cooper Room B, fourth floor, free. One bore blue camas, Indian paintbrush and some chokecherries, in lines that were so clean that Cameron, an artist, marveled at the level of detail. The contemporary designs on traditional baskets will help underscore our tribal, cultural adaptation with traditional materials, said Aspen. Theyll go on display at the library on the third floor in November for National Native American Heritage Month, along with some of Aspens ledger art (also with blue camas) within a general theme of seasonal gathering. Its a public display of a new venture from the Deckers called Xlxilt (Alive and Well) Selis Education Integration. The two, who are raising their four children with these practices, launched it earlier this year with help from a grant from the Montana Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. Through the project, they bring traditional practices and knowledge to classrooms through videos and in-person appearances in ways that are respectful and appropriate and weave in culture and language. As an educator, I think it's important that we're continuing to share the knowledge of our Salish culture and ways and a lot of our language is embedded within our culture and vice versa, she said. For instance, theyve created print-outs that include Salish language and culture that related to the basket. Aspen is an educator and enrolled member of CSKT; She grew up speaking Salish and is one of the last fluent in the language, and earned her masters degree in linguistics at UM. Cameron is a Salish descendant whos enrolled Dine (Navajo). He was chair of the art department at Salish Kootenai College and, until this venture, was working as the education and outreach coordinator at the Missoula Art Museum. He recently completed his masters degree in Integrated Arts Education through the Creative Pulse Program. For educational purposes, theyve also done versions for classes that use paper and printmaking materials thats more sustainable, and doesnt require the most time-consuming aspects of harvesting, such as seeking out the trees (There are also issues related to sharing locations). Deep tradition Aspen had a very traditional and cultural upbringing. She made her first basket when she was 12, and it lasted 15 years. Only recently did they have to retire it and put it on display only. She said cedars are used for a variety of purposes, including full dugout canoes. Bark is harvested in strips that, when taken correctly, will leave a scar that heals. Were very deliberate in how wide we cut the cedar bark. A lot of our elders say dont go any wider than your shoulder, or two hands. She said that knowledge goes back 14,000 years, citing the original Bitterroot-Salish name for Missoula Nmesuletk, which means Place of the Freezing Water, in reference to Glacial Lake Missoula. (She cited work by Dean Nicolai, a CSKT member and researcher, on culturally modified trees" and dates and cycles of use.) The bark repels rodents and bugs, prevents molding for food storage, which could include most anything they harvested, dried and kept for the winter. *** Here are the steps in the process, according to Aspen. First, they give thanks and gratitude to the tree. Next, they measure where theyre going to cut, ensuring that their section wont exceed two hands width. After scraping off some of the rougher bark, they start cutting at the bottom, and gently running a hand underneath to make sure theres no cracking in the bark as they move upward. After its peeled, they make a bend at the center it depends on what size of basket you want. Shes made one thats large enough to sling on like a backpack for harvesting plants like blue camas, sage or cattails and other native plants with stalks that can be used. After soaking and drying, they fold it in place and stitch in the sides of the basket, and use a length of willow to prop the rim open. In the Creative Pulse program, Cameron said they taught kids about the layers of the trees through movement games that help convey the science in a memorable way. You can adapt that game with the cedar bark to really help kids understand that its not just a bark basket. There are two layers there, and thats precisely why its OK for the tree, because the cambium layer is the one that grows. So while it scars the tree, its going to grow back because were not taking the parts that grow back, he said. Among their next steps, now that theyve completed the baskets, is in the spring working on a full dugout canoe. THURSDAY, Nov. 3, 2022 -- U.S. doctors prescribing opioids for pain relief now have a new -- and more nuanced -- set of guidelines from the federal government. Issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday, the new recommendations incorporate new science developed since the last set of guidelines were released in 2016, at the height of the country's opioid epidemic. For example, the guidelines now offer advice on short-term pain relief as well as treatment of chronic pain, Christopher Jones, acting director of the CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, said during a media briefing. Doctors can also find advice on how to best taper off opioid use, if it's determined that a patient should no longer be on the medications, Jones added. But most importantly, the 2022 guidelines are being presented not as hard-and-fast rules, but as a means to help doctors and patients decide the best course of treatment for their pain, Jones noted. After the 2016 guidelines were issued, insurance companies and lawmakers placed inflexible and sometimes harsh limits on opioid prescribing that went beyond what the CDC had intended, Jones explained. "The guideline recommendations are voluntary and meant to assist and guide shared decision-making between a clinician and patient," Jones said. "The guidelines should not be used as a rigid standard of care or inflexible policy or law. It's not meant to be implemented at absolute limits of policy or practice by clinicians, health systems, insurance companies and governmental entities." About 1 in every 5 U.S. adults deals with chronic pain, according to the report published Nov. 4 in the CDC publication Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. While opioids can be essential for pain management, they also carry the risk of addiction and overdose. Opioid prescriptions and OD deaths both increased fourfold between 1999 and 2010, the report noted. The recommendations focus on four major areas, Jones said: Determining whether to prescribe opioids for pain in the first place. Selecting the appropriate opioid and dosage for each patient. Deciding how long the opioid treatment will last, and when to reassess whether it's still needed. Assisting the risks and addressing the potential harms of opioid use. The 2016 set of guidelines focused solely on treatment of chronic pain, which is defined as pain that lasts more than three months, Jones said. These new guidelines also include treatment of acute pain, which lasts less than a month and typically follows minor surgery or an injury, as well as subacute pain that lasts longer than a month but has not yet become chronic, Jones said. "It's particularly important that the guidelines address this type of pain, as research shows that long-term opioid therapy often is initiated during the subacute time frame, Jones said. The 2022 guidelines also offer tips on safely ending opioid therapy. "Practical tips on how to taper in an individualized, patient-centered manner have been added to help clinicians if the decision is made to taper opioids, and the guideline explicitly advises against abrupt discontinuation or rapid dose reductions of opioids," Jones said. Making a patient quit opioid treatment cold turkey, or reducing their meds too quickly, can cause "very real harms," Jones explained. "We tried to highlight that in the guidelines -- things like mental health crises, suicidal ideation or behavior, psychological distress and potentially even for some people seeking out opioids through other markets like illicit markets, in order to stave off withdrawal or to supplement if they are at too low of a dose," Jones said. Specific recommendations from the report include: Maximizing the use of non-opioid painkillers before turning to opioids, particularly for subacute and chronic pain. Choosing immediate-release opioids rather than extended-release or long-acting opioids to treat any kind of pain. Prescribing the lowest effective dose of opioids, particularly for patients who haven't used the drugs before. Issuing short-term prescriptions for people recovering from surgery or injury. Regularly reassessing whether opioids are still needed to maintain a patient's quality of life. Offering the OD reversal drug naloxone to patients prescribed opioids. Reviewing medical records to determine a patient's specific risk regarding opioid use, to assess addiction risk and ward off interactions with other drugs like benzodiazepines. Making sure to arrange evidence-based treatment for patients who develop an opioid-use disorder. "Pain and pain care remain a problem for millions of Americans, and there is much work to be done to advance equitable pain treatment in our country," Jones said. "Our hope is that this new guideline, informed by the latest science and what we've learned about the human story of patients living with pain, can be a tool to help clinicians ensure the safest and most effective treatment for their patients is provided, and that pain, function and quality of life will improve for the millions of Americans dealing with pain each day," he said. More information The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about prescribing opioids for pain. SOURCES: Nov. 3, 2022, media briefing with: Christopher Jones, PharmD, DrPH, MPH, acting director, U.S. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control; Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Nov. 4, 2022 Next week brings the opportunity to vote and do the chicken dance. The new Chick-fil-A restaurant at 2880 N. Reserve St. in Missoula will open on Nov. 10, two days after Election Day. Chick-fil-A, a national chain famous for their chicken sandwiches, biscuits and other fast food items, will donate $25,000 to Feeding America to be distributed to organizations in Missoula to celebrate the new restaurant. The company is also providing 100 "local heroes" in the community with free Chick-fil-A meals for a year. The Missoula restaurant will be managed and owned by Jonathan Lovette. He said he'll be participating in a program to redirect surplus food from the restaurant to local soup kitchens, shelters, food banks and nonprofits. Throughout my time serving Chick-fil-A, I've learned that there is always an open door and room at the table," Lovette said. "I am grateful for the opportunity to introduce Chick-fil-As great tasting food and Southern hospitality to Missoula and to make it a gathering place for all in the community. I hope to open doors to professional development and leadership training for my team, just as those doors were opened to me." The new restaurant will employ about 125 people in full-time and part-time jobs. Chick-fil-A Missoula will be open for dine-in, drive-thru and carry-out from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Saturday. After the dining room closes, guests can visit the multi-lane drive-thru until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. In 2012, the company's CEO sparked a controversy when he made comments disapproving of gay marriage. In 2019, Montana gubernatorial candidate Tim Fox, who was the state's Attorney General, sent a letter inviting Chick-fil-A to open more restaurants in Montana. The letter was in response to reports that other cities in the country had excluded the restaurant in airports because of donations to anti-LGBTQ organizations. PAULINA, La. (AP) The derailment of six train cars and a subsequent acid leak prompted road closures and evacuations Wednesday in a Louisiana community, officials said. No injuries were reported in the derailment in the community of Paulina in St. James Parish, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) west of New Orleans. St. James officials said about 200 homes were evacuated. It wasn't immediately clear what caused the derailment. Eric Deroche, St. James homeland security director, said a tank car was leaking hydrochloric acid that would have to be neutralized and removed before the evacuation order could be lifted. Inhaling fumes from the corrosive chemical can damage the lungs. State police spokesman Christian Reed said the damaged rail car was carrying 20,000 gallons (75,700 liters) of the chemical. While officials weren't sure exactly how much spilled out, St. James Parish President Pete Dufresne told reporters it was likely that all of it had leaked. Deroche told The Advocate officials expanded the initial evacuation area from 150 homes to 200 homes after the hydrochloric acid vapor spread out as winds calmed down in the area. Officials said residents were being put up in hotels and that they could go to a seniors center in nearby Lutcher for a hotel assignment. Reed said the cleanup would take an extended period of time, and asked that residents be patient as the process unfolds. A customer at Clyde Coopers in Raleigh learned this week that theres no medium rare in barbecue. Yesterday, we had a customer come in and order takeout, a barbecue plate and a couple sides, said Ashley Holt, whose mother, Debbie Holt, owns Clyde Coopers Barbecue in Raleigh and interacted with the customer. She left and came back and said her barbecue was undercooked because it had a lot of pink in it. We explained thats because its smoked. When pork is smoked, it turns pink. Holt said a few minutes later a Raleigh Police officer came to the restaurant, talked to the customer outside and then entered Clyde Coopers, asking about the pork. The cop looked so confused, Ashley Holt said. He seemed baffled by someone calling the cops over this. The News & Observer on Wednesday requested a copy of the 911 call and more information on the officers visit to Coopers, but Raleigh Police Department as of Thursday afternoon has not provided either. The meat cookery that goes into barbecue flips the script on what we typically think of as doneness, going for tender texture and not temperature in determining when its time to eat. Its low and slow, not seared and roasted. That means the final pork and beef temperatures usually soar above the typical upper limits of well done, finishing north of 200 degrees. But smoke changes things. A brisket or a slab of ribs will often have a rosy pink ring just under the bark where a chemical reaction has changed the color of the meat. According to the USDA, which takes cooking temperatures more seriously than anyone, that pink is common in smoked meat and poultry. Clyde Coopers opened in 1938 and is one of North Carolinas oldest barbecue restaurants. The restaurant posted about the encounter on its Facebook page, drawing more than a hundred shares and comments. The Raleigh-Wake Emergency Communications Center confirmed that an officer was dispatched to the Clyde Coopers address at 327 S. Wilmington St., on Tuesday, but declined to comment on the nature of the call. Holt said she explained the porks color was from the smoke. She said the officer went back outside, talked to the customer, and then left. Tuesday night, Holt said she saw a new one-star Google review for Clyde Coopers, complaining of undercooked pork and claiming to have called the police on the restaurant. A photo of the plate shows mostly tan and some pink chopped barbecue, mac and cheese and sweet potatoes in a styrofoam box. Holt said Clyde Coopers barbecue is typically cooked for 12 hours at 225 degrees or more, then reheated before serving. It cant get much hotter, Holt said. Its done and cooked and then we take it and chop it, cool it and heat it again. ... Some people dont want to listen to reason and dont know the process that it takes to make smoked pork. We have to laugh and move on. The customers always right The News & Observer spoke to the Clyde Coopers customer by phone Thursday afternoon, and she shared the other side of the pink pork saga. The diner is a 30 year old born and bred North Carolinian, who grew up in Louisburg and whose barbecue education came from the now-closed Murphy House Barbecue and Johnnys Barbecue, as well as the popular chain Smithfields Chicken & Barbecue. She said she had a taste for barbecue on her lunch hour Tuesday, looked up reviews for the best barbecue in downtown Raleigh, and called an order in to Clyde Coopers. When she brought the meal back to her office, she said she was concerned about the pinkness of the pork and took the plate back to the restaurant. Every barbecue Ive had is all the way done, you dont see pink at all, she said in a phone interview. I asked if they could cook it some more, that Im not eating any pink barbecue. They said its supposed to be pink, but Ive never had it that way. The diner asked for either a refund or something else from the menu, but was refused both she said. Thats when she called 911. If youre telling me you dont do refunds or exchanges, theres a problem, the diner said. It was the issue, the way the situation was handled. You have to do either a refund or an exchange. If youre not going to do either, thats the issue. Thats the reason I called the cops. In between the 911 call and the police arriving, a Clyde Coopers employee offered to exchange the meal for a piece of fried chicken, which the diner accepted. She said that would have likely solved the conflict. If she had given me a chicken plate I would have gone about my business, the diner said, noting that a small chicken plate from Clyde Coopers is two pieces of chicken, not one. HILDEBRAN Family members are pleading with the public for help finding a man who was last seen in September. Jason James Lee Sheffield, 31, was last seen by family members on Sept. 16, but made a court appearance on Sept. 19, his aunt, Ronda Lowman, told The News Herald on Wednesday. Sheffield is described as a 5-foot, 8-inch white male with brown hair and blue eyes who weighs about 160 pounds, according to a release from the Burke County Sheriffs Office. BCSO detectives have searched Sheffields last known address, the surrounding area and have interviewed people known to associate with him, the release said. Detectives did find a family member who gave Sheffield a ride home on Sept. 19, but the person had not seen or heard from him since, the release said. He often wore baggy pants or shorts, with a silver chain necklace around his neck and a hat with a Confederate flag on it. Sheffield has struggled with addiction, Lawson said, but its not normal for him to stay away from his family for this long. Lowman said hed typically be at her house three or four times a week to have supper. Sheffields brother, David Sheffield Jr., said he checked on Jasons home down the street and it didnt look like he had been home in a while. He said it didnt look like there were any signs of disturbance or burglary in the home. I went over there to check his house, the doors standing wide open, David said. I go in there and Im walking through spider webs and everything, I know hes not been there. Lowman said the family has passed out nearly 1,500 flyers, hanging them in stores around Burke, Caldwell, Catawba and McDowell counties. Unless he could hitch a ride with someone, Jason was known to walk everywhere whether it was to Morganton, Hudson or Hickory, Lowman said. Its just not like him not to show up anywhere, or not call, or something, David said. Jasons family said they understand this case might not end happily. Just tell us where hes at so we can bring him home, Lowman said. Its the reality of what drugs do to people nowadays. This is the new reality of life, and this could happen to anybodys family. The family feels like somebody, somewhere knows something. I just dont understand people, Lowman said. Its sad that were having to sit here and just wonder. You never have no closure, none, until you know something. Lowman said she wished there were more resources available for those struggling with addiction in the eastern end of the county. We need counselors down here, Lowman said. She said she knew people would discount Jasons story because of his addiction problems. She recalled an incident at a nearby store where a man essentially told her no one would care that Jason was missing. I went up to him and I said, Let me tell you something, Lowman said. This could be you laying on the side of the road dead, this could be you missing. At least hes got family out here that loves him, that wants to find him I dont care about nothing else. I just want to feed that youngin. Lowman said the family realizes Jason could have overdosed. If we could just get a lead, Lowman said. Anyone with information on Jason Sheffields whereabouts is asked to call the Burke County Sheriffs Office at 828-438-5500. Lowman can be reached at 828-244-8333, and David Sheffield Jr. can be reached at 828-443-7367. LENOIR A Morganton man was charged after Caldwell County deputies said they found more than 100 grams of cocaine Tuesday morning. Daniel Jerod Perkins, 35, of 3046 N.C. 18/U.S. 64, was charged with trafficking in cocaine and maintaining a vehicle for controlled substances, according to a release from the Caldwell County Sheriffs Office. The charges against Perkins came after deputies pulled Perkins over on Hartland Road around 9 a.m. Tuesday, the release said. While a Caldwell County deputy was interacting with Perkins, a Boone police K-9 alerted to the odor of narcotics coming from the vehicle he was driving, a 2008 Cadillac Escalade, the release said. Deputies searched Perkins vehicle and seized about 106 grams of cocaine and $1,200 in cash, according to the release. They also ended up seizing the Escalade. The drugs seized have a street value of about $21,200 based on North Carolina drug guidelines, the release said. This guy was pushing a lot of cocaine between the counties, said Caldwell County Sheriff Alan C. Jones. I am pleased with the efforts to put this guy away. Perkins was convicted of a 2013 possession with intent to sell a schedule II controlled substance charge, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety website. He was issued a $250,000 secured bond, the release said. Saying shed had too many chances already, a judge sentenced a Butte woman to seven years in the Montana Womens Prison on Wednesday for crashing into a motorcyclist and shattering his leg during her latest drunken-driving episode. But for the grace of god youre not standing before me on a vehicular homicide (charge), District Judge Robert Whelan told 37-year-old Bethany Lynn Lex. I keep hearing about chance. Give me a chance. You were given too many chances. Thats why were here today. The victim also testified, telling Lex in the courtroom that she made his life a living hell on the night of June 23, 2021. You almost killed me almost, the man said as Lex softly cried. You dont know how much pain you have put me through and how much pain you have put my family through all because you decided to put a bottle to your mouth. Lex also spoke, apologizing repeatedly and pledging to turn her life around, but prosecutor Mike Clague and the judge said prison time was in order this time. As part of a plea deal, Lex had pleaded no contest to negligent vehicular assault and driving under the influence as a fourth or subsequent offense. She got seven years for vehicular assault and five years suspended for the latest DUI. Those are in addition to a three-year Department of Corrections term she received in July. That was for violating probation in a previous conviction for driving drunk with her baby daughter in the car, endangering her life. She had three DUIs before that. A no contest plea means the defendant does not admit guilt but does admit that a jury could find beyond a reasonable doubt that the alleged facts were truthful. It still results in a criminal conviction, same as a guilty plea or being found guilty at trial. Lex admitted she was driving under the influence the night of June 23, 2021, disobeyed a traffic signal and struck and seriously injured a motorcycle rider. According to prosecutors, the man was riding north on Harrison Avenue when Lex, driving an SUV southbound, abruptly initiated a left turn onto Grand Avenue and struck the motorcycle. The victim was thrown to the pavement. The victim was treated in the emergency room and then admitted to the hospital due to his injuries. His femur had been completely broken at the joint and he suffered numerous breaks to his tibia, fibula and ankle. He told an officer what happened and said he would likely be in the hospital for a few months. His passion was riding motorcycles, he said, and he would probably never ride again. The man said Wednesday that the damage to his left leg was extensive and he had another surgery scheduled in January. He couldnt walk normally or lift his kids or do a lot of other things, he said. I cant hunt, I cant fish, I cant even do the thing I love anymore because of you, and that is ride a Harley, he told Lex. Im a Harley tech. I dont even know if I can do that anymore because of you. Lexs attorney, Suzanne Marshall Mallow, recommended a 10-year DOC sentence with five years suspended so her client could go through a more rigorous corrections treatment program. Lex has already been through one program called WATCH. This night is something that she will regret the rest of her life, Marshall Malloy said. Lex said she had put everyones life in danger that night because she had repeatedly denied her addiction, and though she never meant to hurt anyone, she knew she did. I cannot change what I have done but I can and will change my behavior moving forward by making better choices and taking my recovery seriously, she said, choking back tears. But Clague, the prosecutor, was not moved, saying previous treatment and other opportunities had yielded nothing. This time, he said, she needed prison time. That is the only way we can protect our community from somebody who only wants to change when she has a thumb over her, he said. Whelan said a key factor in Montanas sentencing guidelines was protecting the community. I cant wait and say I need to give you another chance when I can be putting someones life at risk, he said. By Carrie Jerrell | Nov 3, 2022 The Murray State Department of Art & Design will host its annual Holiday Art Auction on Friday, Nov. 11, beginning at 4:30 p.m. in the Clara M. Eagle Gallery. MURRAY, Ky. The Murray State Department of Art & Design and University Galleries are pleased to host the 2022 Annual Holiday Art Auction on Friday, Nov. 11, beginning at 4:30 p.m. in the Clara M. Eagle Gallery located on the sixth floor of the Price Doyle Fine Arts building on Murray States campus. Original works of art in a wide variety of formats will be available for purchase through both silent and live auction during the evening. The works are donated by faculty, staff, students and alumni, as well as local and regional artists, and proceeds from the event go to support Murray States Department of Art & Design student scholarships. Warmth (12x12 oil pastel on photograph) by featured artist Cintia Segovia. The flower is called a platanillo. These plants thrive in Mexico and are used to decorate during Day of the Dead. This years featured artist is Cintia Segovia, assistant professor of Photography and New Media at Murray State University. Segovia holds degrees from California State University - Long Beach, California; California State University - Northridge, California; the University of California Los Angeles, California; and the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education of Monterrey, Mexico. In her work, she explores the intersection of cultures, not only through places of origin, but also socio-economic strata, and how different groups of people can see one subject in different ways. Her art has been featured in numerous exhibitions across the United States and online. The Art Auction festivities will begin at 4:30 p.m. with a preview and refreshments from the Big Apple Cafe for those ages 21 and over. Registration and the silent auction begin at 6 p.m. and are open to all ages. The live auction will begin at 7 p.m. For more information about this or other upcoming events please contact the Department of Art & Design at 270-809-3784 or email msu.art@murraystate.edu. For more information about the Department of Art & Design please visit murraystate.edu/art. KYIV, Ukraine (AP) Not long after Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine, soldiers broke down the office door of Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fedorov. They put a bag over his head, bundled him into a car and drove him around the southern city for hours, threatening to kill him. Fedorov, 34, is one of over 50 local leaders who have been held in Russian captivity since the war began on Feb. 24 in an attempt to subdue cities and towns coming under Moscow's control. Like many others, he said he was pressured to collaborate with the invaders. The bullying and threats did not stop for a minute. They tried to force me to continue leading the city under the Russian flag, but I refused, Fedorov told The Associated Press by phone last month in Kyiv. They didnt beat me, but day and night, wild screams from the next cell would tell me what was waiting for me. As Russians seized parts of eastern and southern Ukraine, civilian administrators and others, including nuclear power plant workers, say they have been abducted, threatened or beaten to force their cooperation something that legal and human rights experts say may constitute a war crime. Ukrainian and Western historians say the tactic is used when invading forces are unable to subjugate the population. This year, as Russian forces sought to tighten their hold on Melitopol, hundreds of residents took to the streets to demand Fedorov's release. After six days in detention and an intervention from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, he was exchanged for nine Russian prisoners of war and expelled from the occupied city. A pro-Kremlin figure was installed. The Russians cannot govern the captured cities. They have neither the personnel nor the experience, Fedorov said. They want to force public officials to work for them because they realize that someone has to clean the streets and fix up the destroyed houses. The Association of Ukrainian Cities (AUC), a group of local leaders from across Ukraine, said that of the more than 50 abducted officials, including 34 mayors, at least 10 remain captive. Russian officials haven't commented on the allegations. Moscow-backed authorities in eastern Ukraine even launched a criminal investigation into Fedorov on charges of involvement in terrorist activities. Kidnapping the heads of villages, towns and cities, especially in wartime, endangers all residents of a community, because all critical management, provision of basic amenities and important decisions on which the fate of thousands of residents depends are entrusted to the communitys head, said Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, head of the AUC. In the southern city of Kherson, one of the first seized by Russia and a key target of an unfolding counteroffensive, Mayor Ihor Kolykhaiev tried to stand his ground. He said in April that he would refuse to cooperate with its new, Kremlin-backed overseer. Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the Russian-installed regional administration, repeatedly denounced Kolykhaiev as a "Nazi, echoing the false Kremlin narrative that its attack on Ukraine was an attempt to de-Nazify the country. Kolykhaiev continued to supervise Kherson's public utilities until his arrest on June 28. His whereabouts remain unknown. According to the U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, 407 forced disappearances and arbitrary arrests of civilians were recorded in areas seized by Russia in the first six months of the war. Most were civil servants, local councilors, civil society activists and journalists. Yulia Gorbunova, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, said the abuse violates international law and may constitute a war crime," adding that Russian forces' actions appeared to be aimed at obtaining information and instilling fear. The U.N. human rights office has warned repeatedly that arbitrary detentions and forced disappearances are among possible war crimes committed in Ukraine. Several mayors have been killed, shocking Ukrainian society. Following the discovery of mass burials in areas recaptured by Kyiv, Ukrainian and foreign investigators continue to uncover details of extrajudicial killings of mayors. The body of Olga Sukhenko, who headed the village of Motyzhyn, near Kyiv, was found in a mass grave next to those of her husband and son after Russian forces retreated. The village, with a prewar population of about 1,000, is a short drive from Bucha, which saw hundreds of civilians killed under Russian occupation. Residents said Sukhenko had refused to cooperate with the Russians. When her body was unearthed on the outskirts of Motyzhyn, her hands were found tied behind her back. Mayor Yurii Prylypko of nearby Hostomel was gunned down in March while handing out food and medicine. The prosecutor generals office later said his body was found rigged with explosives. Ukraine's government has tried to swap captive officials for Russian POWs, but officials complain that Moscow sometimes demands Kyiv release hundreds for each Ukrainian in a position of authority, prolonging negotiations. Its such a difficult job that any superfluous word can get in the way of our exchange, said Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraines human rights commissioner. We know the places where prisoners are kept, as well as the appalling conditions in which they are kept. There has been no news about the fate of Ivan Samoydyuk, the deputy mayor of Enerhodar, site of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Samoydyuk, abducted in March, has repeatedly been considered for a prisoner swap, but his name was struck off the list each time, Mayor Dmytro Orlov told the AP. The 58-year-old deputy mayor was seriously ill when seized, Orlov said, and we dont even know if hes alive. At best, Samoydyuk is sitting in a basement somewhere "and his life depends on the whim of people with guns, he added. More than 1,000 Enerhodar residents, including dozens of workers at Zaporizhzhia, Europe's largest nuclear plant, were detained by the Russians at one time or another. The vast majority of those who came out of the Russian cellars speak of brutal beatings and electric shocks, he said. Gorbunova, the HRW senior researcher, said torture "is prohibited under all circumstances under international law, and, when connected to an armed conflict, constitutes a war crime and may also constitute a crime against humanity. Each week brings reports of abductions of officials, engineers, doctors and teachers who won't cooperate with the Russians. Viktor Marunyak, head of the village of Stara Zburivka in the southern Kherson region, is famous for appearing in Roman Bondarchuks 2015 documentary Ukrainian Sheriffs, an Academy Award contender. The film explores the separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine that began in 2014. While the film didnt win an Oscar, it cemented Marunyaks salt-of-the-earth reputation. After Russian troops seized Stara Zburivka in spring, Marunyak held pro-Ukrainian rallies and hid some activists in his home. He was eventually taken prisoner. At first, they put (electrical) wires on my thumbs. Then it seemed not enough for them, and they put them on my big toes. And they poured water on my head so it would flow down my back, he told the AP. Honestly, I was so beaten up that I didnt have any impressions from the electric current. After 23 days, Marunyak was released to die, he said. Hospitalized for 10 days with pneumonia and nine broken ribs, he finally left for territory controlled by Kyiv. History professor Hubertus Jahn of Cambridge University said that from the time of Peter the Great onward, the tactic by imperialist Russia of co-opting locals targeted elites and nobility, with resistance often bringing Siberian exile. During World War II, he said, German SS units operated in a similar way, by targeting local administrators in order to pressure residents into submission. Jahn called it an obvious strategy if you don't have the strength to subordinate a region outright. Historian Ivan Patryliuk of Kyivs Taras Shevchenko National University said municipal authorities in Soviet Ukraine often fled before Nazi occupation forces arrived, which helped avoid mass executions of officials. The kind of torture and humiliation (of) city leaders that the Russians are now perpetrating ... is one of the darkest and most shameful pages of the current war, Patryliuk said. Associated Press writers Hanna Arhirova in Kyiv, Joanna Kozlowska in London, and Jamey Keaten in Geneva, contributed to this report. BEIRUT (AP) U.S. mediators tried for more than a decade to broker a maritime border agreement between Lebanon and Israel. Finally, the elements fell into place for a landmark deal between two countries officially and sometimes actively at war since 1948. Russias war in Ukraine this year and Europes resulting energy crisis have increased demand for natural gas, which the deal will enable Lebanon and Israel to extract from the Mediterranean Sea. At the same time, Lebanons spiraling economic crisis, impending Israeli elections and rising tensions between Israel and Lebanons militant Hezbollah group added more incentive to finalize the deal. The long-awaited agreement inked last week was hailed as a game changer by officials in Lebanon, Israel and the United States. It is far from a peace deal, but proponents say the shared interest of exploiting the gas will make it less likely the two longtime enemies will go to war. Iranian-backed Hezbollah, which fought a destructive war with Israel in 2006, has backed the deal. Lebanese hope it will help save their country from financial meltdown. Still, analysts say the payoff is likely to be more limited than all three players ambitious projections. I dont think its like the Abraham Accords, where it would change the political fabric in the region, said Randa Slim, director of the Conflict Resolution and Track II Dialogues Program at the Washington-based Middle East Institute, referring to a series of deals brokered by the Trump administration in 2020 to normalize relations between Israel and several Arab countries. It did not change the character of the relationship between Lebanon and Israel, she said. The U.S. first began trying to broker a maritime border in 2010 after significant gas discoveries in Israeli waters and a U.S. study estimating 122 trillion cubic feet of recoverable gas off the coasts of Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Gaza. In late 2020, the parties agreed on a framework for indirect negotiations mediated by the U.S. and held at the headquarters of U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon. Simply agreeing on the structure of the talks took three years given the sensitivities, particularly for Lebanese officials anxious to avoid appearing to recognize Israel. Both sides then came in with maximalist demands, and the talks floundered, said David Schenker, former U.S. assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs under then-President Donald Trump, who took over mediation at that point. It wasnt really a priority for me, he told The Associated Press. I basically said, if the Lebanese want it, thats fine. If they dont want it thats fine too. Im not going to be doing shuttle diplomacy on this, said Schenker, now a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a think tank widely seen as pro-Israel. With the Biden administration, negotiations started again, mediated by Israeli-born U.S. Senior Advisor for Energy Security Amos Hochstein, whose appointment caused some criticism in Lebanon. Talks started slowly, until February, when Russia invaded Ukraine, changing the picture. Both Lebanese and Israeli officials have acknowledged that the ensuing global demand for gas sped up talks. Lebanon badly needs a windfall. Its economic crisis has plunged three-quarters of its population into poverty. However, experts say a fledgling gas industry is unlikely to be a panacea. A study by the Lebanese Oil and Gas Initiative and other groups two years ago estimated that potential oil and gas revenues likely wont exceed $8 billion, just 10% of Lebanons gargantuan public debt. This is definitely a positive step forward, but not on the scale that is being portrayed to the public, said the Initiatives interim Executive Director Amer Mardam-Bey. Were not going to wake up tomorrow, and everything will be fine and the debt is gone. The amount of gas under Lebanese waters is unknown. Some in Lebanon have criticized the government for backing off a proposed border containing part of the Karish field, which is known to contain gas, and accepting a deal that gives it the Qana field, where reserves have not been proven. Mardam-Bey says its likely that there is gas in the field but how much cant be known before drilling. There is also a danger that any gas revenues will be siphoned off by corruption. Lebanon for decades allocated hefty contracts to politically connected companies. If thats not changed, then those revenues will be subject to the same channels of clientelism (and) patronage, said Sami Atallah, director of The Policy Initiative, a Beirut-based think tank. In Israel, the deals proponents have touted potential security and economic benefits. It establishes a new security equation with regard to the sea and the strategic assets of the state of Israel, Defense Minister Benny Gantz said recently. The agreement clears the way for Israel to begin drilling in the Karish gas field. Earlier this year, Hezbollah threatened to strike ships operating in the field if Israel began extracting gas before reaching a deal with Lebanon. Hezbollah's chief Hassan Nasrallah said that forced Israel to make concessions. Israeli detractors of the deal accuse Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid of surrendering to Hezbollahs threats. Schenker acknowledged that the final deal was an accomplishment, but he questioned whether it would actually deter war, suggesting Hezbollah could be emboldened. The outcome of Israels national elections on Tuesday could further complicate the picture. Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who appears poised to make a comeback, previously vowed to neutralize the maritime border deal. However, a senior U.S. administration official familiar with the negotiations said the White House believes that Netanyahu would be hesitant to walk away from a deal that would be a boon to the Israeli economy and security. The official requested anonymity to discuss the administrations deliberations. In a recent radio interview, Netanyahu said that if he became prime minister again, he would treat the Lebanon deal just as he did the Oslo agreements reached with the Palestinians in the 1990s. Those agreements were never canceled but were also never fully implemented and are moribund today. Efraim Inbar, president of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, an Israeli think tank, wrote that Israel in the negotiations had failed to take advantage of Lebanons great weakness. He argued that Lebanon needs gas revenues from the disputed territory far more than Israel. Slim described the deal as a win in foreign policy for the Biden administration, but a limited one. There are no more big deals to be had in the Middle East, she said. There are small deals, transactionalism. Associated Press writers Eleanor Reich in Jerusalem and Aamer Madhani in Washington contributed to this report. RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) In the run-up to Brazils presidential election, many feared a narrow result would be contested and spell the death knell for Latin Americas largest democracy. So far, however, the worst fears have been averted, despite a nail-biting victory for former leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva over far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro, and ongoing protests by some of Bolsonaro's supporters across the country. The conservative leader's allies quickly recognized da Silvas victory, the military stayed in the barracks and vigilant world leaders swooped in to offer support for da Silva and nip in the bud even the thought of anything resembling the Jan. 6 insurrection that overtook the U.S. Capitol. All of Bolsonaros escape valves were shut off, said Brian Winter, a longtime Brazil expert and vice president of the New York-based Council of the Americas. He was prevailed upon from all sides not to contest the results and burn down the house on his way out. Although Bolsonaro has refused to congratulate da Silva, Brazils institutions generally seem to have held up. Bolsonaro gave a video statement Wednesday calling for an end to the protests by his supporters. I know youre upset. Im just as sad and upset as you are. But we have to keep our heads straight, he said. Closing roads in Brazil jeopardizes peoples right to come and go. That leaves a more vexing challenge: how the 77-year-old da Silva, universally known as Lula, unites a deeply divided country, rights a wobbly economy and delivers on the outsize expectations spurred by his return to power. One thing is clear, if anyone can do it, its the charismatic da Silva whose political skills are admired even by his detractors. Thats what we need, someone not only who can address inequality but also inspire our emotions and ideas, said Marcelo Neri, director of the Getulio Vargas Foundations social policy center and a former Strategic Affairs Minister for da Silva's handpicked successor, Dilma Rousseff. In many ways, the conservative movement Bolsonaro helped ignite if not the politician himself has emerged stronger from the vote, Winter said. His allies were elected as governors in several key states and his Liberal Party has become the largest in Congress, curtailing da Silva's ability to advance his own agenda after a decadelong malaise that has left millions of Brazilians hungrier than when da Silva last held office in 2010. What's more, Brazils demographics seem to favor Bolsonaro's aggressive brand of identity politics including an anti-LGBTQ agenda and hostility to environmentalists that have earned him the moniker the Trump of the Tropics. The countrys own statistics institute forecasts that the number of Brazilians identifying as evangelical Christians who preelection polls show overwhelmingly favored Bolsonaro and skew right will overtake Roman Catholics within a decade. Thousands of Bolsonaro's supporters thronged a regional army headquarters in Rio on Wednesday, demanding that the military step in and keep him in power. Others showed up at military installations in Sao Paulo, Santa Catarina and the capital of Brasilia. Meanwhile, truckers maintained about 150 roadblocks across the country to protest Bolsonaro's loss, despite the Supreme Court's orders to law enforcement to dismantle them. At one of the road blockades held by truck drivers in the interior of Sao Paulo state, a car drove into the crowd and injured several, including children and members of the police. Since the return of democracy in the 1980s, all Brazilian leaders have been guided to varying degrees by a common belief in strong state-led enterprises, high taxes and aggressive wealth redistribution policies. Bolsonaro initially attempted to run a more austere, business-friendly government, that is, until the social devastation wreaked by COVID-19 and his own sinking electoral prospects ultimately led him to loosen spending controls and emulate the policies he once attacked. How da Silva will govern is less clear. He squeaked out a narrow victory of barely 2 million votes after building a broad coalition united by little more than a desire to defeat Bolsonaro. And with promises to maintain a generous welfare program in place through 2023, he will have limited fiscal space to spend on other priorities. His running mate from another party, former Sao Paulo Governor Geraldo Alckim, was a nod to centrist, fiscally conservative policies that made da Silva the darling of Wall Street during his early years in power. This week, da Silva tapped Alckim to lead his transition team. Also standing alongside him on the victory stage Sunday night, however, were several stalwarts of the left who have been implicated in numerous corruption scandals that have plagued his Workers Party and paved the way for Bolsonaros rise. Although da Silva's supporters have downplayed the concerns about corruption the Supreme Court annulled the convictions that kept him imprisoned for nearly two years for many Brazilians he is a symbol of the culture of graft that has long permeated politics. As a result, hes likely to be held to a higher ethical standard in a country where almost every government has been accused of vote buying in Congress. This wasnt just a fever dream by his opponents, Winter said of the corruption allegations that have long dogged da Silva's party. Da Silva's victory coincides with a string of recent victories by the left in South America, including in Chile and Colombia, whose leaders revere the former union boss. During his first stint in power, da Silva led a so-called pink wave that promoted regional integration, rivaled U.S. dominance and put the rights of overlooked minorities and Indigenous groups at the center of the political agenda. Under Bolsonaro, Brazil largely retreated from that leadership role, even if the sheer size of its economy alone means a return to leadership is never far off. Scott Hamilton, a former U.S. diplomat, said that da Silva will have to make a tough choice on whether to use Brazils considerable leverage to pursue an ambitious foreign policy to tackle entrenched problems or simply use his star power on the world stage to shore up support at home. Basking in not being Bolsonaro will get him lots of positive attention in itself, said Hamilton, whose last post, until April, was as consul general in Rio. The more ambitious path would involve trying to help resolve some of the toughest political issues where democratic governments in the region are in trouble or extinguished. DES MOINES Iowa schools must consider the requests of families with medically vulnerable students who wish to have teachers and classmates near the students wear face masks, a federal judge ruled this week. Gov. Kim Reynolds on Wednesday said she will appeal the ruling. The ruling comes from a lawsuit in which 11 Iowa families from 10 school districts asked the courts to block a state law passed in 2021 that prohibits schools from requiring staff and students to wear face masks, a common mitigation practice early in the global COVID-19 pandemic. The law was passed and court challenge filed in 2021, when COVID-19 case numbers were much higher. The families argued that by prohibiting schools from enacting face mask requirements that could help protect a medically vulnerable students health, the state law violates federal laws that provide protections for individuals with disabilities. During arguments, the families attorneys presented three physicians who all said the children represented in the lawsuit would be better protected if staff and students near them wore face masks. On Tuesday, U.S. District Court Justice Robert Pratt ruled that the portion of the new state law that establishes an exemption for other provisions of law includes the federal Americans with Disabilities Act and a portion of the Rehabilitation Act. What the ruling means is the state law still prohibits schools from requiring all staff and students to wear face masks, but districts must consider accommodating medically vulnerable students who request that staff and students near them wear masks. In his ruling, Pratt quoted one of the judges from the federal appeals court that previously ruled on the lawsuit. Schools are equipped to determine on an individualized, case-by-case basis just as schools do for any other type of reasonable accommodation request whether a mask requirement for certain people or places in the school building is a reasonable accommodation under the ADA and (the Rehabilitation Act), appeals judge Jane Kelly wrote in her dissent in March. Pratt went on to say his ruling also was needed to provide legal clarity over the issue of the new state law. If, after considering section (the new state laws) general ban on mask mandates, the school district concludes that requiring masks is a reasonable modification to protect the safety of the student making the accommodation request under federal disability law, then defendants Reynolds and (Iowa Department of Education director Ann) Lebo must permit the imposition of a mask mandate, Pratt wrote. To be clear, a school district need not determine a mask mandate is the only accommodation available, only that it is a reasonable one, which is what federal law requires and therefore (the state law) permits. In announcing plans to appeal the ruling, Reynolds said in a statement, As Ive said all along, whether a child wears a mask to school is up to the parents, not the government. I will appeal this ruling so that Iowa families have the right to decide whats best for their children. DES MOINES Iowa schools must consider the requests of families with medically vulnerable students who wish to have teachers and classmates near the students wear face masks, a federal judge ruled this week. Gov. Kim Reynolds on Wednesday said she would appeal the ruling. The ruling comes from a lawsuit in which 11 Iowa families from 10 school districts asked the courts to block a state law passed in 2021 that prohibits schools from requiring staff and students to wear face masks, a common mitigation practice early in the global COVID-19 pandemic. The law was passed and court challenge filed in 2021, when COVID-19 case numbers were much higher. The families argued that, by prohibiting schools from enacting face mask requirements that could help protect a medically vulnerable students health, the state law violates federal laws that provide protections for individuals with disabilities. During arguments, the families attorneys presented three physicians who all said the children represented in the lawsuit would be better protected if staff and students near them wore face masks. On Tuesday, U.S. District Court Justice Robert Pratt ruled that the portion of the new state law that establishes an exemption for other provisions of law includes the federal Americans with Disabilities Act and a portion of the Rehabilitation Act. What the ruling means is the state law still prohibits schools from requiring all staff and students to wear face masks but that districts must consider accommodating medically vulnerable students who request staff and students near them wear masks. In his ruling, Pratt quoted one of the judges from the federal appeals court that previously ruled on the lawsuit. Schools are equipped to determine on an individualized, case-by-case basis just as schools do for any other type of reasonable accommodation request whether a mask requirement for certain people or places in the school building is a reasonable accommodation under the ADA and (the Rehabilitation Act), appeals judge Jane Kelly wrote in her dissent in March. Pratt went on to say his ruling was also needed to provide legal clarity over the issue of the new state law. If, after considering section (the new state laws) general ban on mask mandates, the school district concludes that requiring masks is a reasonable modification to protect the safety of the student making the accommodation request under federal disability law, then Defendants Reynolds and (Iowa Department of Education director Ann) Lebo must permit the imposition of a mask mandate, Pratt wrote. To be clear, a school district need not determine a mask mandate is the only accommodation available, only that it is a reasonable one, which is what federal law requires and therefore (the state law) permits. In announcing plans to appeal the ruling, Reynolds said in a statement: As Ive said all along, whether a child wears a mask to school is up to the parents, not the government. I will appeal this ruling so that Iowa families have the right to decide whats best for their children. The Gazette reached out to the Iowa City, Cedar Rapids and Linn-Mar school districts, which are among the 10 districts named in the lawsuit, but none responded. A Wednesday night collision at a Napa intersection seriously injured a motorcyclist and resulted in a drivers arrest on suspicion of drunken driving, police reported. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register. Dispatchers were notified at 11:38 p.m. of a two-vehicle collision at Main and G streets, Napa Police said in a news release. Members of Napa Police, Napa Fire and American Medical Response arrived to find a 27-year-old man, who had suffered major injuries, near a damaged motorcycle, according to police. The man was taken first to Providence Queen of the Valley Medical Center and then to a trauma center, and is expected to survive, police said. He remained hospitalized as of Thursday afternoon. Police found the other motorist, identified as 35-year-old Albino Alberto Lopez, next to his damaged Chevrolet Cruze but uninjured, according to the department, which said both he and the motorcyclist had blood-alcohol percentages above Californias legal limit of 0.08. Lopez was arrested and booked into the Napa County jail on a misdemeanor count of driving under the influence. He was released shortly after 7:45 a.m. Thursday, according to booking records. Officers closed the intersection for more than five hours following the crash. Investigators are asking nearby residents and businesses to check surveillance videos shot around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday and contact Napa Police if they have footage related to the wreck, according to the department. Anyone with information about the crash is asked to contact police Officer Tom Helfrich 707-257-9223 (ext. 5286) or thelfrich@cityofnapa.org. California has new rules affecting recall elections for local officials, and Napa County says a key provision would apply in the attempt to recall 4th District Supervisor Alfredo Pedroza. In the past, recall ballots have presented voters with two decisions. They have asked whether to recall the targeted local official and also to choose among successor candidates, should a replacement be necessary. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register. That will no longer be the procedure after Jan. 1. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sept. 29 signed a law limiting the ballot question to whether a local official should be recalled. Should the recall succeed, the position is to remain vacant until filled according to law. In the case of a county supervisor, this means a successor would be appointed by the governor, said a press release from county Registrar of Voters John Tuteur. Proponents of recalling Pedroza are circulating a petition to try to qualify a ballot measure for a special election next spring or summer. That petition, with language approved by the county on Oct. 11, calls for the election of a successor. Despite that language, county officials say the new rules will apply. A memo from the County Counsel's office to Tuteur notes that the legislation is silent on how to treat recall efforts already underway before Jan. 1. But, it noted, the election cannot occur until after that date, when the new law will be in effect. Therefore, County Counsel's office recommended including only the recall question on the ballot, should proponents be successful in qualifying a recall. Whether the Recall Alfredo Pedroza Committee will agree with the countys interpretation remains to be seen. Lisa Seran of the group said Wednesday morning that the group is turning the information over to its legal counsel for review. To qualify a ballot measure, recall proponents must gather 3,232 signatures from 4th District voters by Feb. 9. Proponents of Napa County Supervisor Alfredo Pedroza's recall face Feb. 9 deadline Proponents of recalling Napa County Supervisor Alfredo Pedroza from office have a deadline to garner 3,232 signatures. Tuteur previously said a recall election could cost from $175,000 to $250,000. On Wednesday, he said that one under the new rules could cost $100,000 to $150,000. Such costs as printing candidates' statements would be eliminated. The law saying only the recall question should be on the ballot is Assembly Bill 2582. Assemblymember Steve Bennett, the author, said this will allow voters to focus entirely on the merits of recalling a local official without being distracted by partisan politics, according to the Assembly bill analysis. Opposing a previous version of the bill was the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. It preferred having successor candidates offer alternative visions and impetus for the recall, or upon reflection, to convince the public a recall is unnecessary, the analysis said. The 4th District represented by Pedroza includes the Silverado area, parts of the north-central city of Napa and the south Lake Berryessa area. This is the old district, before its borders were redrawn after the 2020 U.S. census. Michael McDermott has an unusual approach to label design, but his success in this competitive business can be attributed to the fact that he approaches everything he does from the perspective of a fine artist. He is a painter who cultivates a sense of contemplation and meditation within himself. And he brings this consciousness, conscientiousness and sense of concentration to his label design. He doesnt speak of clients, he speaks of collaborators. The labels arent a job, or even a project. He treats them like a commission. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register. Wine brands will advertise the handcrafted or bespoke nature of their wines. Those looking to extend that quality to their label, often reach out to McDermott. What makes his creations different from more mainstream designers is the analog nature of his production. He uses pigment and printing techniques to make a picture, whereas larger operations can depend completely on digital editing software like Photoshop. Because McDermott eschews digital editing software, his designs have a richness that cant be duplicated in a severely pixelated environment. The process of creating a label with McDermott can take from six months to a year. It is an undertaking full of personal communication. One client, Faust Wines, calls him the de facto label design whisperer who has been responsible for creating the labels from any revered vineyards over the last 20 years... its a work of art that stands entirely on its own. Fausts website quotes McDermott: For me, theres nothing more cliche than trying to represent characteristics of a wine when the nature of wine is dynamic. It changes vintage after vintage, and to me, theres nothing more boring than trying to represent wine itself on the label. The greater catalog of the humanity is just a much more fertile place to look for ideas. McDermott, however, has taken a 15-month hiatus from label design to focus on his painting. He is going to show his most recent body of work, the second in a series of three, at his own gallery space in the First Street Napa shopping district. The shows opening is on Saturday, Nov. 5, at 6 p.m. After this it will remain in place until Dec. 20 with viewings available by appointment. The seven paintings in the show are monumental in scale. The genesis of the series began in his fascination with, and concern for, the environment and the cascading effects of climate change. So, he chose to work with organic beeswax from Northern California because of the impact climate change has had on the bee population. The paintings were created by melting the beeswax and mixing it with black or white encaustic medium which is itself a mixture of wax, colored pigment and tree sap on birchwood panels. The results are black and white abstract designs over top of a blond wood. Through a process of planned layering, McDermott creates a sense of depth in each painting. And, learning to manipulate the temperature of the wax has allowed him to form a virtually endless variety of textures. The paintings have a primeval quality to them. They seem like the organic start of something the scaffold of life beginning to organize itself. Or, they might be what is left after total annihilation just white ash and black charcoal on a field of brown dirt. Inspiration for Mappemonde, (a portmanteau of map and the French monde meaning world) came from what McDermott saw looking out the window of a small jet while flying over Californias Central Valley on his way to LA. In the painting, you can make out the varied topography of the hills on either side of the valley, the defined lines of the roads and streets and the crisp geometry of the agricultural fields and orchards. Another painting is called Aedes aegypti, which is the species name of the mosquito that is a vector for dengue fever, yellow fever and Zika virus infections. McDermott was inspired by this because this species is currently being genetically modified to self-limit reproduction by preventing female offspring from reaching adulthood. The left side of this painting is a long black field. Pouring out of that field on the right is a cloud of black and white dots, indeed reminiscent, to me at least, of a swarm of mosquitos. The names of the paintings, however, seem to reflect more McDermotts state of mind while making them, rather than a direct visual correspondence between that and the work itself. In this way, the painting is completed by a conceptual, mental or ideological corollary, given to it by McDermott. A piece is named Bile, after an island in the Black Sea that when it was invaded by Russia, which pugnaciously told Russia to go to hell. Another piece, that is much softer than the others, and which McDermott describes as atmospheric, is called Positive Pressure because painting this was a relief to him from the structure and starkness of the rest of paintings in the series. Becoming an artist McDermott did not train as an artist. He grew up in Chicago and moved to Missoula, Montana to get a BA in liberal arts from the University of Montana. He got interested in art in high school when he spent the summer as an assistant for an artist friend of his mothers. It was this exposure in his nascent years that taught him about the artists way of life. After Missoula, he moved to Detroit, Michigan for a job where he branded a mens health awareness campaign. Then he went to LA for a year, which he liked, but didnt want to live there long term. So, he moved to Oakland and continued to work on his art. Through relationships with different galleries, he began to meet winemakers from the Napa Valley who encouraged him to start designing labels. He commuted from Oakland to Napa four days a week until 2007 when he moved here permanently. He and his wife, winemaker Samantha Sheehan, have two sons: Cash who is 3 years old, and Owen, who is 7. He spends a lot of time in the kitchen, making several separate meals for his wife and sons everyday, who like to eat different things. It takes a special kind of person to take over a year off from his day job just to focus on making paintings. This shows a dedication to perhaps the most civilized, but at the same time most basic, human instinct: that of artistic expression. McDermott said, I am choosing painting because its the static development of a certain process and a certain kind of thought, in a moment in time. To me there is a value in that, whatever that is. To make an appointment to view McDermotts show, email m@@retifex.com. Migrating to Canada or another country is exciting, with all the new things you can learn, people you can meet and opportunities you can seize. However, being an immigrant in a new country can also be overwhelming because of all the adjustments you need to go through. You need to have the courage and dedication to cope with the new environment you choose to live in. Usually, some things might challenge you as a newcomer in a foreign country. The cultural and language differences are definitely the significant struggles of most immigrants. So, its essential to come prepared and know the necessary knowledge when migrating to Canada. Here are some tips to get the most out of migrating and living in Canada. Learn the Language If youre moving to a country with a different language from yours, then its essential to learn the language. Knowing how to conveniently communicate with the people in a new place will help you a lot to survive day-to-day living. Moreover, most countries have language skills assessments to know whether you can manage to live there. So, its vital to study the language in the country youre migrating to. When youre migrating to Canada, you need to improve your English communication skills. If its not your first language, you can enroll in a language center in Canada to develop your English speaking, reading and writing skills. But if you want to reduce the cost of studying English, you can rely on yourself and learn English online through mobile apps and websites. Be part of Canada Being in a foreign place like Canada can be overwhelming since everything is new to you. You might find yourself thinking about your hometown and comparing things. Well, its part of the process; you need to accept that youre an immigrant and need to adjust. The best way to process acceptance is to embrace the new place youre in. Explore what Canada can offer you from its rich culture, impressive tourist spots, and friendly people. Take time to get to know the place, dont rush it. You have all the time to be part of Canada. Keep the Right Attitude Its challenging to deal with all the changes in your life when you migrate to Canada. There are plenty of struggles that you will come across once youre in that foreign place. You will meet certain people that will test your patience and morals in life. However, youll survive living in the new place with the right attitude. The right attitude of an immigrant is always having a positive outlook in life. You must see everything that is happening and will happen to you as something that will help you in the future. Always look for the brighter side of things to keep you motivated and inspired. Find the Right People Having the right attitude as an immigrant is one thing, but you also need to surround yourself with people that will help you cope with the changes in your life. As a newcomer in a foreign land, some people might take advantage of your situation, so its essential to be vigilant when expanding your network. You have to give your trust to those who have good intentions. Be Familiar with the Law Learning the community guidelines and laws in a new country is also one factor to be successful in migrating to Canada. You might not want to be put in jail just because you dont know that a particular law exists in the country. As an immigrant, its your responsibility to familiarize yourself with the dos and donts of living in Canada. To make it simple for you, dedicated immigration practitioners are willing to guide and support you all throughout your migrating journey. Total law immigration is a trusted company of professional lawyers that you can trust to achieve your immigration goals. Furthermore, as a Canadian immigrant, you also need to know the rights and benefits you can get when living in Canada. Its essential to ensure that youre treated fairly in a foreign place. Total law immigration lawyers are at your service to explain and walk you through all the migrating procedures in Canada. They can also provide you everything that you need to know as an immigrant, including your rights. Conclusion Migrating to Canada is not as easy as it seems. On the other side of the exciting journey are the challenges youll encounter as an immigrant. So, to prepare yourself for all the changes when moving to a new country, you should learn a few essential things. When migrating to Canada, you should familiarize yourself with the language, culture and laws. You also need to have a positive attitude and surround yourself with the right people. Its hard to start a new life in a foreign country, but if you follow most of these tips, youll definitely enjoy the moving journey. When thinking about the best destinations to move into, Canada is one place that pops into mind the most. With Americas slew of anti-immigration policies or scandals, plenty of immigrants are now turning towards other places in hopes of settling permanent residency. This has placed Canada on center stage as the best place for immigrants who are seeking to relish the American dream and start anew all the same. Aside from this, Canada is also reputable for its economic stability and diversity, making it an attractive destination for many. Not only that, but it also has the highest rates of immigration, welcoming about 250,000 first-time immigrants every year. Employment in the country has also been constantly elevating since 2008. While there may be complex regulations and laws related to Canadas immigration, there are always Canadian immigration lawyers you can turn to for assistance to make the experience more convenient on your end. That being said, here are five reasons why Canada makes for the best destination for new immigrants! Cultural Diversity One of the major things that makes Canada an enticing place for immigration is its openness to immigrants. In Canada, there are no unnecessary anti-immigration policies brought forward by its political parties. This only further emphasizes Canadas progressive attitudes and mindset, establishing a distinction from other destinations that some immigrants may consider. Moreover, this kind of attitude has also largely influenced how the world views Canada as a nation. A large majority of the globes population considers Canada a country that has unbridled respect for individual rights and freedom values that are manifested in the way it readily welcomes immigrants, offers a high standard and quality of living, as well as how it embraces differing cultures, identities, and races. Economic Opportunities Immigrants are also particularly interested in seizing brand new opportunities, especially since the country has been ranked one of the most efficient and vibrant markets for career and labor. Even though it has the 38th largest population worldwide, it nonetheless punches more than its weight because of how it has the 10th largest economy. This comes as no surprise since it has overtaken Russia in 2015, producing an output of about $48 100 per capita or 1.6 trillion in total. This statistic alone is already indicative of the mobility and prosperity that immigrants alike have been searching for. Top-notch education Whether youre a parent seeking immigration with your family or a student exploring academic opportunities, Canada is the best place to go. Canada offers a world-class education that has long been linked to its name; its affordable yet high-quality education system has also contributed to one of the reasons why the country is so appealing to immigrants. In fact, its considered to offer one of the best educational systems you can possibly find while also being accessible for all. Canadas excellent education system is due to the fact that it spends an extensive budget on education compared to any other industrialized country, allowing it to be hailed as the most educated country across the globe. Apart from that, it also houses some of the best universities there is like McMaster University, McGill University, the University of British Columbia, and the University of Toronto all of which are ranked among the worlds top 100 universities and institutions. According to data from Statistics Canada, about 54% of Canadians typically possess a post-secondary degree, with the additional 10.8% having accomplished a trades or apprenticeship certificate. Other provinces also adopt policies where tuition costs are either partially or fully paid for students in low-income families. Access to universal healthcare Under Canadas healthcare system, residents are provided reasonable access to various medical services without needing to pay out-of-pocket for doctor consultations or hospital visits. In fact, the country has spent about $6 323 per person when it comes to healthcare in 2017 along. But despite spending more than what other country does, the nations quality of care has only increased significantly. This is all due to the different healthcare programs made available and accessible to everyone in Canada. Also, Canada is ranked 18th in the world in terms of life expectancy, possessing one of the highest life expectancy rates, just a little below 82 years. Safety and Security Canada consistently ranks among the worlds top 10 safest nations based on indexes and polls alone. It was also slated as the 6th most peaceful country worldwide. In Canada, youre guaranteed to feel safe because of its low rates of crime, militarization, incarceration, conflicts, and more. The nation is also known for its peaceful way of pursuing foreign diplomacy as well as its firm stance on gun control. According to information published by Global Times on November 3, 2022, the hospital ship Daishan Dao of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy will set out for a friendly visit to Indonesia to provide medical services to the locals there, marking the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic that the PLA Navy has sent a vessel for such a foreign visit. Follow Navy Recognition on Google News at this link Chinese hospital ship Daishan Dao or Peace Ark. (Picture source: freewechat) After an invitation from the Indonesian military, the PLA Navy's hospital ship the Daishan Dao will set out from Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang Province toward Indonesia for a friendly visit, Senior Colonel Tan Kefei, a spokesperson at China's Ministry of National Defense, announced. During the visit, the Chinese hospital ship will make diagnoses and give treatment for common diseases to local residents and overseas Chinese. It will provide medical services including surgical operations and hospitalization when needed, Tan said. China and Indonesia have a friendship with a long history, the two countries have close economic cooperation, and the two countries' militaries have had frequent interactions in recent years, observers said. The 2022 G20 Bali summit is also scheduled from November 15 to 16 in Indonesia. Since Daishan Dao's commissioning into the PLA Navy in December 2008, it has actively practiced the concepts of building a community with a shared future for mankind as well as a maritime community with a shared future, Liu said. In the vessel's previous nine overseas visits, it sailed for more than 240,000 nautical miles and provided services to more than 230,000 people in 43 countries and regions. The ship is a large and comprehensive maritime mobile hospital that can host a large professional medical staff capable of carrying out surgical operations, and once it reaches Indonesia, it can provide treatment for diseases the locals are facing, Wei said. About the hospital ship Daishan Dao is the sole ship of its class, and is assigned pennant number 866. She is assigned to the South Sea Fleet and based out of Zhoushan in Zhejiang province. She has a capacity of 300 beds, 20 ICU beds, 8 operating theatres, and can perform 40 major surgeries a day, in addition to X-ray, ultrasound, CT, hypothermia, hemodialysis, traditional Chinese medicine, and dental facilities. She is also equipped with a remote networking and communications system to allow teleconferencing with doctors and specialists on land. Cooperation between Turkic states has intensified significantly in recent years. Established in 2009, the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States, also known as the Turkic Council, was transformed into the Organization of Turkic States in 2021 to provide greater mutual support and solidarity in accordance with the needs of its members, National interest reported. Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, and Uzbekistan are full members of the organization, while Hungary and Turkmenistan are observers (although Turkmenistan is set to join as a full member for the organization's November 2022 summit in Samarkand. Shortly after the announcement of the transformation of the Turkic Council into the Organization of Turkic States, the Chinese Communist Party-affiliated Global Times newspaper wrote that the change indicated that the organization has been politicized and developed into a political alliance with a tendency toward pan-Turkism. This organization could provoke the rise of extreme nationalism, which could intensify ethnic conflicts and hit regional stability and security," the publication noted. The commentary denied the Turkic ethnicity of Uyghurs living in northwest China and called on China to be vigilant in countering pan-Turkism and separatist forces trying to split China. The idea of a Turkic union and even a Turkic association was widely supported in the early twentieth century, but due to the domination of Central Asia and the Caucasus by the Russian Empire, and then by the Soviet Union, this idea gradually faded in popularity. In the post-Cold War era, the idea was revived and prominent Turkic figures called for an even stronger Turkic alliance. In December 2020, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended a parade in Baku and read a controversial poem supporting the idea of Azerbaijan's unification, causing a storm of indignation among Iranians and an outburst of diplomatic tension between Iran and Turkey. Shortly thereafter, Devlet Bahceli, leader of the Turkish Nationalist Movement Party, repeated the poem and made some important remarks. Increased cooperation among Turkic states could have important strategic implications for all of Eurasia. It could facilitate trade between Asia and Europe and could play an important role in European energy security. In particular, after the Russo-Ukrainian war, the Middle Corridor or Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TCIT) has attracted enormous attention as an alternative route for Europe's supply chains. But there is another important implication of the rise of Turkic cooperation, namely its potential role in the broader conflict with China. A Chinese invasion of Taiwan could escalate into a larger war involving other countries. The United States, for its part, will seriously consider intervening in the conflict to prevent a takeover of Taiwan. Since 2021, President Joe Biden has stated several times that the United States would defend Taiwan should China launch an invasion of the island. Other countries, such as Japan and the Philippines, could also be drawn into the conflict. But in such a scenario, would China's western borders remain safe? Among China's neighbors, no nation is likely to be more interested in taking over much of mainland China than the Turkic world, should widespread conflict erupt in the region. In China's Xinjiang region, or East Turkestan as the Uyghurs call it--which is larger in area than California, Texas, Illinois, and New York combined--a large Uyghur population lives under a system of harsh Chinese repression. As cooperation among the Turkic states grows, their alliance is likely to include increased cooperation in military affairs and may even move toward the formation of a military alliance. Such a move would mean a much larger projection of Turkey and Azerbaijan, which have strong and combat-ready armed forces, into Central Asia across Chinese borders. A strong Turkic alliance could also help create a cooperative Altai arc around China, which would include Mongolia and possibly Japan and South Korea. YEREVAN. Hraparak daily of Armenia writes: [Ruling] CC [(Civil Contract Party)]] members' and not only their dissatisfaction with the document signed in Sochi and disappointment with Russia's inability will force Azerbaijan to recognize the fact of the independent existence of Artsakh [(Nagorno-Karabakh)], once again they will force them to turn to a more powerful and authoritative mediator, such as the West. It was not possible to achieve the international recognition of Artsakh's independence through Moscow's mediation. If the Prague process continues, Artsakh can easily be depopulated of Armenians and handed over to Azerbaijans rule. Such a thing is unprecedented and unheard of in the practice of international relations, when two parallel processes take place on the same issue, which not only do not complement each other, but even have no edge to intersect with each other. The Sochi process does not envisage a peace agenda; there is no mention of a peace treaty [between Armenia and Azerbaijan]. Meanwhile, [Armenian PM Nikol] Pashinyan needs to sign such a document as soon as possible, which will signal the beginning of the era of peace. According to our information, such a document can be signed before the end of November, or at least at the beginning of December. No matter how surprising, the treaty is planned to be signed in [the Georgian capital] Tbilisi. Georgia can become the mediator and symbol of pan-Caucasian peace; after all, with that document, the entire South Caucasus is handed over to Turkeys ruleas an operator of the West's interests in this region. According to our information, active preparations are being made in Georgia for the meeting between [Azerbaijani President Ilham] Aliyev and Pashinyan and the signing of the document heralding the era of peace. The operation of the grain corridor has fully returned to normal, Turkish Defense Ministry chief Hulusi Akar said in an interview on Thursday. The movement of ships along the 'grain corridor' has completely normalized. Its functioning continues, it is a humanitarian issue, Akar told Haberturk TV channel. He noted that during negotiations with his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoygu, he gave him guarantees from the Ukrainian side that the corridor would not be used for military purposes. According to him, more than 10 million tons of grain were exported from Ukraine as part of the deal. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan earlier said that after his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and talks between the defense ministers of the two countries, an agreement was reached to restore the operation of the grain corridor. The Russian Defense Ministry announced Wednesday that Russia is resuming participation in the food deal. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) will support the Armenian government's economic program to achieve investment-driven, knowledge-based, and export-led growth, while preserving macroeconomic, fiscal, and financial stability and reducing poverty. The IMF informs that it reached an agreement with Armenia on signing a three-year precautionary Stand-By Arrangement which is still subject to the approval of the IMF Executive Board. The matter is expected to be discussed in December. It is noted that at the request of the Armenian authorities, a staff team from the IMF, led by Iva Petrova, visited Yerevan from September 26 to October 6 to discuss a three-year economic program supported by an IMF precautionary Stand-By Arrangement ., At the conclusion of the discussions held in Armenia, Petrova announced that Armenia and the IMF have reached an agreement on the agreement, which implies the allocation of about $165.6 million to Armenia to support the latters economic program aimed at ensuring macroeconomic, fiscal, and financial stability in the country. The IMF has predicted that Armenia is on course to achieve an economic growth of about 11 percent in 2022, in part driven by large inflows of external income, capital, and labor into the country. It is also noted that fiscal overperformance and the Armenian drams increase in value have contributed to a significant decline in public debt, which is expected to drop to 51 percent of GDP this year from 60.3 percent of GDP in 2021. At the same time, the economic growth of Armenia is expected to decelerate in 2023 and to remain in the 4-5 percent range over the medium term. Yerevan and Tehran have no disagreements on most issues, Spokesman for the Armenian Foreign Ministry Vahan Hunanyan told Mehr agency. Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesman said Armenia and Iran have had a very long-standing historical relationship, and this relationship is not limited to governments, but also exists between the two countries. Calling Iran a key partner of Armenia, he expressed hope for the strengthening of these relations in all spheres. As a result, the two countries' relations will strengthen in the future, the Armenian diplomat said. Asked about relations with Azerbaijan, he said that Armenia seeks to establish peace in the South Caucasus region. Saying that all problems should be solved at the negotiating table, he expressed hope that Azerbaijan, like Armenia, would follow the same procedure at the negotiating table. European Union diplomatic chief Josep Borrell thanked the UN and Turkey for their assistance in Russia's return to the grain deal. The diplomat noted that food should never become a weapon of war. On October 29, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that Russia was suspending its participation in the grain deal. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the Ukrainian armed forces under the cover of a humanitarian corridor created to export Ukrainian agricultural products, attacked the ships and infrastructure of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol with drones. On November 2, Russia returned to participating in the grain deal after receiving written guarantees from Ukraine not to use the grain corridor for military actions against Moscow. The Russian Defense Ministry said Turkey and the United Nations contributed to this. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's partnership with Azerbaijan is a shame. The energy crisis cannot be an excuse, especially when we are faced with actual war crimes. French senator Valerie Boyer said in an interview with Public Senat TV channel, 1lurer.am reported. "France could have done more for Armenia, especially when we held the chairmanship of the European Union. Sending observers is the least we could do. Enemies of Armenia openly say that they want to annihilate Armenians. Despite that, we continue to welcome these leaders, and Europe buys [natural] gas from Azerbaijan, with Ursula von der Leyen who declares that [Azerbaijani president] Aliyev is a reliable partner," Boyer said. According to her, Europe has rightly mobilized for Ukraine, but is silent about Armenia. "Are the lives of Armenians worth less than the lives of Ukrainians? There is a corrupt and racist state of Azerbaijan which is attacking the borders of Armenia, seeking to continue ethnic cleansing and genocide," the French senator added. Armenia and Iran are making efforts aimed at joint sales of goods to third countries, said Armenian Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan on Thursday. His remarks came at the joint session of permanent parliamentary committees. According to him, they focus on those trade components that have potential. In particular, thanks to Armenia's transport and communication ties, Iranian goods, after some processing in the republic, are sent to various markets of the EEU, as well as other countries. "The Armenian market is quite small for Iran. Therefore, both sides are taking steps to jointly sell the available goods. In addition, Armenia is working to make logistic routes through Iran accessible to Armenian carriers. We are talking, in particular, about the transportation of goods from Iran through the Caspian Sea to the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union and Central Asia," Kerobyan said. A representative of the government said that the trade turnover between Armenia and Iran will reach $800 million in 2022. He also stressed that negotiations are currently underway to extend the free trade zone between Iran and the EEU countries. "The main obstacle to trade is the banking system, which forces businessmen to look for alternative ways. There are also problems with exports to Iran because of restrictions. Iran's economy is a "resistance economy." They have little interest in importing goods," he noted. Uzbekistan refused to resume the work of the Russian payment system Mir because of the associated risks, said chair of the Central Bank (CB) of the country Mamarizo Nurmuratov, TASS reported. According to the specialist, local commercial banks currently see the risks in the service of Russian cards. "So far, there is no talk of resumption," Nurmuratov said on the sidelines of the II International Economic Forum in Samarkand. Earlier in September, the U.S. Ministry of Finance threatened sanctions for supporting the use of cards of the Russian payment system outside Russia. Amid this, Turkish banks Is Bankasi and DenizBank refused to service the cards in their ATMs and outlets on September 19. A few days later, a number of banks in Armenia, Vietnam and Kazakhstan made the same decision. By Mariam Levina, Liana Khudoyan The United States Congress responded to Azerbaijan's war of aggression against the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and Armenia in 1992 by passing Amendment 907 to the Freedom Support Act. The amendment restricts military aid to Azerbaijan and allows only humanitarian aid to that country until Baku takes steps to lift the blockade on Armenia and Karabakh and use force. However, Amendment 907, which was passed by Congress in 2002, authorized the president of the United States to suspend the act. U.S. presidents have invariably exercised this right ever since. The data on the financial aid to Armenia and Azerbaijan from 2001 to 2021 is publicly available. Thus, over the 20 years, it was allocated the following: 2001: to Armenia $101,498,217 ($2.47M - Conflict, Peace and Security) to Azerbaijan $36,065,474 ($8.081M - Conflict, Peace and Security) 2002 to Armenia $85,420,663 ($11,67M - Conflict, Peace and Security) to Azerbaijan $55,912,969 ($19.48M - Conflict, Peace and Security) 2003 to Armenia $84,403,846 ($7.919M - Conflict, Peace and Security) to Azerbaijan $63,855,581 ($13.24M - Conflict, Peace and Security) 2004: to Armenia $75,008,952 ($5.615M - Conflict, Peace and Security) to Azerbaijan $61,753,547 ($9,623M - Conflict, Peace and Security) 2005: to Armenia $77,760,900 ($12.02M - Conflict, Peace and Security) to Azerbaijan $66,925,491 ($19.28M - Conflict, Peace and Security) 2006: to Armenia $318,485,494 ($117M - Unallocated/Unspecified, $9,434M - Conflict, Peace, and Security) to Azerbaijan $57,047,444 ($9.59M - Conflict, Peace, and Security) 2007: to Armenia $77,875,182 ($5.339M - Conflict, Peace and Security) to Azerbaijan $58,648,172 ($4.751M - Conflict, Peace and Security) 2008: to Armenia $69,871,152 ($6.775M - Conflict, Peace and Security) to Azerbaijan $41,689,409 ($7,203M - Conflict, Peace and Security) 2009: to Armenia $61,063,165 ($6.417M - Conflict, Peace and Security) to Azerbaijan $55,711,072 ($18.63M - Conflict, Peace and Security) 2010: to Armenia $53,435,276 ($8,005M - Conflict, Peace and Security) to Azerbaijan $55,316,017 ($15.27M - Conflict, Peace and Security) 2011: to Armenia $65,199,321 ($25.29M - Conflict, Peace and Security) to Azerbaijan $79,644,607 ($41.65M - Conflict, Peace, and Security) 2012: to Armenia $1,436,063 out of $22.71M - Conflict, Peace and Security) to Azerbaijan $58,183,972 ($30.08M - Conflict, Peace, and Security) 2013: to Armenia $55,798,428 ($22.59M - Conflict, Peace and Security) to Azerbaijan $37,047,476 ($18.35M - Conflict, Peace, and Security) 2014: to Armenia $68,455,535 ($35.56M - Conflict, Peace and Security) to Azerbaijan $63,343,404 ($47.68M - Conflict, Peace, and Security) 2015: to Armenia $50,290,527 ($12M - Conflict, Peace and Security) to Azerbaijan $31,770,490 ($15.82M - Conflict, Peace and Security) 2016: to Armenia $21,705,306 ($2.127M - Conflict, Peace and Security) to Azerbaijan $15,232,388 ($2,917M - Conflict, Peace and Security) 2017: to Armenia $32,368,264 ($5.81M - Conflict, Peace and Security) to Azerbaijan $17,728,424 ($5.624M - Conflict, Peace and Security) 2018: to Armenia $37,855,337 ($11.6M - Conflict, Peace and Security) to Azerbaijan $29,689,270 ($16.32M - Conflict, Peace, and Security) 2019: to Armenia $41,105,055 ($7.268M - Conflict, Peace and Security) to Azerbaijan $30,428,626 ($18.12M - Conflict, Peace, and Security) 2020: to Armenia $66,699,564 ($16.47M - Conflict, Peace and Security) to Azerbaijan $32,357,135 ($11.23M - Conflict, Peace and Security) 2021: to Armenia $35,878,166 (no data from Defense Deparment) to Azerbaijan $10,756,145 ($100,000 - Conflict, Peace and Security) As can be seen from the data presented above, while overall aid to Armenia is greater than that allocated to oil- and gas-rich Azerbaijan by the U.S., military, aid under Conflict, Peace and Security and provided through the Department of Defense is either equal or even greater. For example, in 2009 Armenia received $6.417M, while Azerbaijan got $18.63M, three times more that Armenia. In 2010 Armenia received $8.005M, while Azerbaijan got $15.27M, twice as much as Armenia. In 2011 Armenia received $25.29M, while Azerbaijan got $41.65M. Azerbaijan's military aggression in April 2016 did not change Washington's policy either - both countries received slightly more than $5 million in 2017. A year later, Azerbaijan received $5 million more, and in 2019 Armenia received $7.268M, Azerbaijan $18.12M, more than double that. It turns out that due to the suspension of the 907th amendment the U.S. sent $360 million to Azerbaijan through the Defense Department. That is, Baku could use the money for defense purposes. For instance, to purchase Turkish UAVs. The events and incidents that took place this year in the area of responsibility of the CSTO showed the need to optimize the response mechanism of the CSTO to crisis situations. This was announced by the CSTO Deputy Secretary General at the meeting of the secretaries of the Security Councils of the CIS member countries on Thursday, TASS reports. "According to the instructions of the leaders of the CSTO member states, the respective package of documents on this matter is ready and being agreed upon," added Valery Semerikov. He emphasized that the current period of transformation of the world order has become the most serious test of stability for the union states. According to him, the West pushes Kyiv to escalate the conflict despite all the losses of the Ukrainian side, but other centers of tension in the CSTO zone of responsibility also receive support. Thus, the risk of escalation and confrontation between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan is maintained, the CSTO deputy chief noted. In fact, Armenia has faced a maximalist approach in all domains of the negotiation process with Azerbaijan; this is bad news. Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan stated this in the National Assembly (NA), at Thursdays joint session of NA standing committees, during the latters debates on the draft 2023 state budget of Armenia. According to Mirzoyan, Azerbaijan, having achieved certain military success on the battlefield, has actually came to the conclusion that it can impose its conditions and point of view on the opposite side. "However, no lasting and comprehensive peace can be achieved in this way. If Azerbaijan is really interested in stable peace in the South Caucasus, it is obligated to record that there simply cannot be one-sided beneficial solutions in some matters," said Mirzoyan. The good news, according to the Armenian FM, is that the international community has begun to pay more attention to the problems that exist today in relations with Azerbaijan. "And that attention is increasing more and more, especially after the Azerbaijani [military] aggression of September 13-14 [against Armenia]. I believe that the international community has sent a very clear signal to Azerbaijan that the threat of force cannot be the way to resolve the existing problems," the Armenian FM concluded. Armenia will open diplomatic representations in several countries in 2023. This includes embassies, consulates and diplomatic missions, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said during the discussion of the 2023 state budget draft on Thursday in the National Assembly at the joint session of the parliamentary standing committees. At the moment, as the diplomat noted, it is planned to open embassies in Uruguay and consulates in a number of countries. "Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said during the discussion of the 2023 state budget on November 3 at the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia. At the moment, the diplomat said, there are plans to open an embassy in Uruguay, as well as a consulate general in Tabriz of the Islamic Republic of Iran. "Iran recently opened a consulate general in Kapan. An agreement was reached between us long ago to open an Armenian consulate in Tabriz. As for the opening of the embassy in Uruguay, the agreement was reached during the visit of the Uruguayan Foreign Minister to Armenia. That is last year. Presence of the embassy in Uruguay will enable us to establish relations with other Latin American countries as well," Mirzoyan said. Armenia also plans to open diplomatic representations. In Cyprus it will function under Armenia's embassy in Greece. Dipreepresentations will be also opened in Belgrade, capital city of Serbia (under Armenian embassy in Czech Republic). The Foreign Minister made a special reference to the traditionally warm relations between Armenia and Cyprus. "It may seem strange for many people that there hasn't been such a representation in Cyprus until now. I see prospects for the development of relations with Serbia as well. It opened an embassy in Yerevan. Armenia will open a diplomatic mission in Serbia on the basis of reciprocity. We will also open a consulate in Vladikavkaz. Issues related to "Upper Lars" have played a major role in this decision," Armenian Foreign Minister concluded. Armenia is currently making efforts to normalize its relations with Azerbaijan, Armen Grigoryan, Secretary of CIS Security Council, stated in his speech at the tenth session of CIS Security Councils Secretaries, reports the office of the Security Council of Armenia. He particularly noted: "The work of the commissions on border demarcation and security, the formation of which was agreed on November 26, 2021 during the trilateral meeting of the Prime Minister of Armenia, the presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan and in Sochi, has an important significance in the settlement process. Two meetings of the commissions have already been held. The third will be held in the coming days. The fundamental documents of the Commonwealth of Independent States and the United Nations play a significant role in this process. In particular, in the early days of the creation of the CIS, on December 21, 1991, the Alma-Ata Declaration was adopted, according to which our states recognized each other's territorial integrity and inviolability of existing borders. Just two days ago, on October 31, the trilateral meeting of the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia in Sochi adopted a statement according to which the parties "agreed to refrain from the threat or use of force, to discuss and resolve all disputes exclusively on the basis of mutual recognition of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of borders in accordance with the UN Charter and the Alma-Ata Declaration of 1991. Through the mediation of the president of France and the head of the European Council, the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed at the October 6 meeting in Prague that during border demarcation the parties would use the CIS and UN documents, according to which the former administrative borders of Soviet republics became state borders between already independent countries, including Armenia and Azerbaijan. Recognition of this fact is extremely important for ensuring stability and security not only on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, but also in the entire CIS space. We stress the importance of establishing commissions on border demarcation and security. However, this does not mean that there are no borders at all, as they sometimes try to present it. The claim that borders do not exist is very dangerous and irresponsible. It blurs such fundamental notions as sovereignty and territorial integrity and opens the way to aggressive actions. Existing CIS and UN documents confirm the fact that the Armenian-Azerbaijani border was demarcated in Soviet times. Consequently, there was an invasion of Azerbaijani troops on the sovereign territory of Armenia, and these troops must leave its territory". Azerbaijan has warned the EU that it will only be able to satisfy its desire to double fuel exports to the bloc if it gets financing for its pipelines and long-term contracts, the FT writes. "Brussels and Baku signed an agreement in July to double supplies to 20bn cubic metres a year by 2027 one of a string of new deals struck by the EU to replace Russian gas in response to the war in Ukraine, amid fears of winter shortages and rationing. But expanding the 3,500km Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) from the Caspian to the Adriatic requires billions of dollars of investment and contracts for European companies to buy the gas long past 2027, said Elnur Mammadov, Azerbaijans deputy foreign minister. Whoever is interested in investing, whether its public or private, they [must] put their money on the table in order for us to be able to increase their capacities, he said in an interview. I wouldnt say that there is a disagreement [with the EU], but this is . . . an important part of this puzzle. Currently theres a desperate need for Europe to find alternative suppliers, Mammadov said. We need to be sure that this . . . is not a sort of spontaneous demand in light of the war in Ukraine, which one day will end and then all of a sudden you start buying back from Russia and say, hey, well we dont now need the gas. Mammadov said that while Azerbaijan was happy to contribute its share of the necessary investment, it also expected the EU to step up, although he was not aware of concrete figures yet being under discussion. The total cost for the SGC, which began supplying gas to Italy in 2020, was about $40bn. Laurent Ruseckas, at S&P Global Commodity Insights, said that while Azerbaijan could increase gas exports to Italy and Bulgaria marginally in the short term, substantial additional volumes would require significant investment both in production and transportation of the gas. No country is going to take on billions of dollars in development risk without knowing they have a long-term buyer, Ruseckas said. This is part of the wider debate: we know Europe needs additional gas in the short to medium term, but the longer term outlook is a lot less clear given environmental goals. An EU official said that considering the present EU gas situation and outlook, the bloc was confident the expansion of the pipeline would creat[e] opportunities for all partners involved as Azerbaijans energy will have greater access to the EU market. Building on the positive track record of energy co-operation and the successful start of gas deliveries via the Southern Gas Corridor at a crucial juncture, the EU views Azerbaijan as a reliable and strategic energy trading partner, the official added. Complicating the SGC investment case is both the pipelines structure and ownership. The SGC is made up of three separate pipelines: the South Caucasus Pipeline (SCP) through Azerbaijan and Georgia, the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) across Turkey, and the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) through Greece, Albania and Italy. Britains BP and Azerbaijans state energy group own parts of all three pipelines, while Turkish state companies own stakes in SCP and TANAP. SCP is 19.99 per cent owned by Russian oil company Lukoil and 10 per cent owned by Irans state oil company, potentially presenting hurdles for any EU investment decisions. Only TAP is majority controlled by EU companies, with 55 per cent held between three energy groups Snam, Fluxys and Enagas." The Azerbaijani side constantly raises the issue of opening what it calls a "transport corridor" through the territory of Armenia. The position of the Republic of Armenia on this issue has not changed. There cannot be a road or a transport route on the territory of Armenia according to the logic of the corridor, Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan said in his speech at the 10th meeting of Secretaries of Security Councils of CIS member states. "I have repeatedly stated this and I would like to stress once again that there is no mention of such corridors in the trilateral statements of the leaders of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan dated November 9, 2020, January 11 and November 26, 2021, as well as in the presidential decree No. 695 dated November 10, 2020 "On measures to maintain peace in Nagorno-Karabakh." We therefore consider arbitrary and unrealistic interpretations of the agreements reached to be unacceptable. At the same time we are interested in the real solution of the issue of the unblocking of the communication channels in the region and we support the activities of the trilateral working group, established under the joint chairmanship of the Deputy Prime Ministers of the Republic of Armenia, Republic of Azerbaijan and Russian Federation. The activity of this working group proceeds from the fact that the transport infrastructures, which are under reconstruction and construction, should function within the framework of the national legislation and under the full sovereignty of the states through which they pass. Proceeding from this, the Republic of Armenia is ready to open the roads as soon as possible. Moreover, the draft decision of the Government of Armenia on the opening of three checkpoints for the transport communication between the western regions of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Autonomous Republic of Nakhchivan has long been in official circulation. However, as we can see, the Azerbaijani side is not interested in a real resolution of the issue in such a constructive way and keeps proposing the "corridor" option, which is unacceptable for Armenia. In a word, it is very difficult to conduct dialogue and reach agreements with those who have no desire for dialogue and pursue completely different goals. Dear colleagues, In the context of the abovementioned I would like to draw your attention to the fact that we are talking about the opening of all communications in the region, and sometimes it is ignored or not mentioned that according to the 9th point of the statement of the leaders of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan of November 9, 2020: "All economic and transport communications in the region will be unblocked". In other words, communications should be open not only to Azerbaijan, but also to Armenia. That is, this is not a one-way street, but a comprehensive process, which should benefit all parties. In particular, Armenia is interested in using the communication routes passing through the territory of Azerbaijan in order to carry out cargo transportation in both directions." On November 15, the French Senate will consider a resolution imposing sanctions against Azerbaijan and demanding the immediate withdrawal of Azerbaijani troops from Armenian territory. The resolution calls for compliance with the November 9, 2020 statement and to support any initiative aimed at establishing lasting peace between the two countries. The resolution is introduced by Senators Bruno Retailleau, Christian Cambon Eliane Assassi, Patrick Kanner, Herve Marseille and Gilbert-Luc Devinaz. The resolution states, in particular: "Having regard to Article 34-1 of the Constitution, Taking into account the Charter of the United Nations of June 26, 1945, Having regard to the North Atlantic Treaty of April 4, 1949, Whereas the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination of 4 January 1969, Having regard to United Nations General Assembly resolution 60/1 of 16 September 2005 on the responsibility to protect, Having regard to the ceasefire agreement of November 9, 2020, Having regard to resolution (2020-2021) No. 26 on the need to recognize the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, adopted by the Senate on November 25, 2020, Considering that the repeated aggressions of the Azerbaijani armed forces in Nagorno-Karabakh and in the southern and southeastern regions of Armenia constitute a violation of the sovereignty of that state and the cease-fire agreements concluded between the two parties; Whereas, reports of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance of the Council of Europe and the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination show that it is impossible for the Armenian population to live freely in Azerbaijan; Considering that the security and freedom of the Armenian population living in Nagorno-Karabakh is not guaranteed by the Republic of Azerbaijan; Considering that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia is taking place in a particularly volatile region close to the European Union and carries a risk of escalation with the potential involvement of regional powers; Considering that peace talks under the auspices of the European Union suffer from the consequences of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the strategic issues related to the European Union's energy autonomy; Considering the efforts made by France since 1994 within the framework of the Minsk Group, which it co-chairs along with Russia and the United States, to reach a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict; considering the impact of the Ukrainian conflict on the ability of the Minsk Group to fulfill its mission; considering, moreover, that the process is constantly being obstructed by Azerbaijan's recourse to a military solution; Taking into account the condemnation of the international community and the holding of an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council at the request of the French Presidency Strongly condemns the new Azerbaijani military aggression carried out in early August 2022 in the Lachin corridor linking Armenia with Stepanakert, the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh, and on 13 and 14 September 2022 against the southern regions and south-eastern territory of the Republic of Armenia in violation of its sovereignty, international agreements and the United Nations Charter; Calls for the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Azerbaijani forces and their allies from the sovereign territory of Armenia and the Lachin corridor, whose security and unchanged status must be ensured, under the terms of the November 9, 2020 ceasefire agreement; Calls for the future authorities of Azerbaijan and all their partners in the region, in particular Turkey, to respect the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Armenia in accordance with their own and international obligations; Calls for the immediate and unconditional release and repatriation of all Armenian prisoners of war; Condemns violations by Azerbaijan of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination of 4 January 1969 and calls on the Azerbaijani authorities to respect international agreements and conventions aimed at ensuring the security of the Armenian population and their right to live in peace and freedom, the right to return displaced persons and to preserve the Armenian cultural and religious heritage; Invites the Government to work decisively to have the Security Council of the United Nations refer to the International Criminal Court the aggression of Azerbaijan on the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia, including the investigation of mass crimes and war crimes; Calls on the government to consider all diplomatic and economic consequences of these new attacks and to consider, together with its European partners, the strongest possible measures, including confiscation of the assets of Azerbaijani leaders and an embargo on gas and oil imports from Azerbaijan, which authorized the military aggression carried out by the Azerbaijani armed forces on the territory of the Republic of Armenia in violation of its sovereignty; Invites the government to consider establishing a humanitarian office in Nagorno-Karabakh; Invites the Government to demonstrate by all means Armenia's support for France, considering in particular the question of strengthening Armenia's defensive capabilities in order to ensure its territorial integrity; Invites the Government to take any initiative without delay to guarantee the security of the Armenian population and of Armenia within its internationally recognized borders and to request to that end the deployment of a liaison force under the auspices of the international community; Reaffirms the need to recognize the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and to turn that recognition into a negotiating tool in order to establish a lasting peace; Calls on the Government to do its utmost to ensure that Azerbaijan urgently and peacefully joins the negotiation process through diplomatic channels with a view to achieving lasting peace in the South Caucasus."